"Miss Foxburr, won't you come sit and have some tea?" Sam asked as he sat down at the kitchen table. Foxburr stood by the window, watching Frodo who spoke with Merry in the garden. She turned slightly at the sound of her new name and then turned back to the window. Night had come long ago and the sky was black, lit with stars and fireflies.

No thank you," She said softly. Sam gave a quiet scoff.

"Pining after him, won't make him love you anymore," And poured himself a cup of hot water. Foxburr turned without saying anything and walked over and sat at the kitchen table, her face red. Sam slid her over a cup of water and placed a tea bag inside it.

"How do I make him love me?" She asked, finding Sam's eyes. She held them with her green ones as he drank deeply from his teacup. The gardener set the cup down and leaned close to her.

"You truly want to know?"

"Yes, I do!"

"You don't," Samwise said firmly. Foxburr starred at him, her mouth wide open. "You can't make Mr. Frodo love you. You should stop moping about and-"

"How. . . how dare you play with me!" She snapped and splashed the hot tea on Sam's shirtfront. The hobbit jumped up with shout and knocked his chair over. Foxburr clapped her hands over her mouth and leapt away from the table as the gardener peeled the scalding shirt off. Pippin came clambering down the hall as Frodo and Merry came in from the back door.

"Sam, Sam what happened!?" Frodo asked. There was no huge injury done save the gardener's chest was bright red. Foxburr would have fled, but the gardener's brown eyes held her fast. He was going to tell! Frodo would hate her for the rest of time. She winced as Sam's mouth opened.

"Nerves, Mr. Frodo," Sam said, "spilled Miss Foxburr's tea all over myself," Foxburr turned her eyes on Samwise in disbelief.

"Poor Sam, you try so hard to take care of all us," Frodo murmured and clasped Samwise's shoulder. "Go upstairs, get some sleep, we can manage the rest on our own,"

"I'll go with him," Foxburr blurted and all eyes turned on her as if they never knew she was there. "Umm, it was my tea, I feel responsible," She mumbled and Frodo smiled.

"That's fine, it's about time someone started looking after him,"

With that Foxburr followed Sam down the hall to his sleeping chambers.

************************************* ****************************

"Why did you lie for me?"

"Why did you throw blistering tea on me?"

Foxburr sat looking at her feet from a corner in Sam's room. Samwise dressed into his nightclothes despite her presence and then sat on the end of his bed, facing her. Her green eyes vivid in the candle light as she sat within her shadowy corner.

"I asked you first," She frowned and Sam sighed.

"It was the right thing to do. I couldn't tell Mr. Frodo or he would have probably cast you out of BagEnd knowing the mood he was in. Not that Mr. Frodo is cruel, but he's at wits' end and there's no telling what he'd do," Sam crossed his legs and starred at Foxburr, "Now, why did you throw the tea on me?"

"I don't know, I just lose my temper and do things," She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I've been like this since I lost my mom,"

"Was it an illness?"

"No, she was bought," Foxburr casted her eyes down, "And ever since then I've had this uncontrollable anger about certain things, things I love," A small breath escaped Sam's lips and he smiled, sliding off the bed. He walked over to Foxburr and kneeled in front her. With his large brown hand, he guided her eyes to his, "Do not be ashamed, we are not so different,"

"What do you mean?"

Sam stood up and took her hands and she stood as well, "I love Mr. Frodo very much, Rashelle as well, and if anything were to happen to either of them were to happen to them, I'd go mad. One time I thought Master Frodo was dead and I killed a great monstress called Shelob and orcs for him,"

Rashelle searched his eyes and then raised a fiery eyebrow, "You call him master, are you a slave?"

"No, my family has served his for generations, I am merely a servant," Foxburr then raised her hand, tracing Sam's jaw line.

"We are not so different, are we Samwise?"

"No, Miss Foxburr, we are not,"