Chapter Two
Pippin dragged Merry back through Farmer Maggot's crops and into the main part of Hobbiton. There they slowed down, and Pippin looked Merry in the eye.
"Here's the fun part," Pip said with a sly look in his eye. "Now, we're goin' to swagger through town and make all the lasses swoon o'er us, and we'll find ye one."
"It's not that easy!"
"Sure it is!"
Pip began walking the streets with an arrogant strut. Merry couldn't help but laugh at him, but soon found himself doing the same, if nothing else, for attention.
Soon they saw Diamond walking their way with a handful of carrots. She stopped at the sight of the hobbits and laughed. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Swaggering," Pip said confidently. "Care to join us?"
Diamond laughed again. "Not until I learn why you're swaggering."
"To attract the lasses. Well for Merry at least. I daresay you might have a problem attracting them, though."
"I'd say!" Diamond said.
"Where have you been all day?" Merry asked. "We were down at our tree."
"I was in Farmer Maggot's crops." she said, bowing her head a bit, and holding up the carrots.
"We've trained her well, Merry," Pip said with a grin.
"Now, as for attracting lasses." Diamond said with a straightforward glance. "I know one hobbit who's already attracted to you without all your strutting."
Merry's eyes were hopeful. "Who? Tell me Diamond!"
"She's one of my friends.Estella Bolger. Do you know her?"
Merry grinned. "YES!" And with that he promptly ran over and hugged Diamond, catching her quite off guard, and proceeded to do the same to Pip but with much more ferocity.
"I take it that's who you were going for," Pip said, most of the air knocked out of his lungs.
"Aye, Pip," Merry said, smiling. "I must go talk to her!"
"Do that, and tell us all about it when you're through," Pip said.
"Right," Merry said, and he ran off.
Diamond giggled. "He seems so innocent when he's like that."
"Aye, but we know better," Pip said with an all-knowing glace.
"That we do," said Diamond, pushing back her straight auburn hair that had originally made Pip fall for her.
Pip gulped, as he was growing quite nervous. "Er.Diamond? Would you like to go on a stroll with me?"
"Certainly Pip," Diamond said, with a quizzical smile on her face. The two walked through the streets, idly chatting, until they came to the edge of town. There was a small pond there, with some trees scattered round. They sat on the edge of it, dangling their feet in the brisk water.
"We came here before," Pip said. "Do you remember?"
"It was shortly after I met you," Diamond said with a thoughtful face. "After that night with you, me, and Merry at the Green Dragon. It was the next day, if I recall."
"Aye," said Pip. "And I said something stupid, and you pushed me a bit, and I fell in and tried to make you believe it was your fault?"
"Yes, I do remember!" she said. "I thought I had actually knocked you in!"
"Really, twas just an excuse to pull you in after me," Pip said with a grin.
"And then Merry came and dunked you under and you both stayed under so long I thought you'd drowned."
"We've got lungs of steel," Pip said with a wicked grin on his face.
"Yes.those were fun times." Diamond said with a look of happy remembrance.
"We could have those times forever though," Pip said, too quickly.
"Well of course Pip. I never planned to move."
"That's not what I mean," Pip said. He wrung his hands, knowing that for once in his life, he had no honest idea of what he was supposed to say. "Diamond, I love bein' your friend. I've been your friend for almos' a year now. But I already have Merry. I can't take us like this anymore."
"Are you saying.you don't want to be my friend?" Diamond was puzzled.
"No! Not at all!" Pip sighed and banged his fist on his knee. "What I'm saying is, we can be friends and more, ye know? You can be my hobbit lass! We can.have little hobbit children, like Sam and Rosie! And we'll never have to be apart.because frankly, when you're not around, I get quite confused. It's the same with Merry really, but it's a different confused then."
"I see," Diamond said softly. "So.you want to marry me?"
Pip gulped. "Um.yes."
"After we've had no romantic involvement whatsoever?"
"Well I thought that's what made us special!" Pip protested. "We didn't need all 'at fluff."
"Calm yourself.Peregrin," she said, a gentle smile coming to her face. "I did not say it was a bad thing."
When she said Peregrin, he quivered. "So.then is that a yes? Because now I'm getting confused and you're around, this is quite messing with my senses."
Diamond laughed. "Of course it's a yes, silly! Did you actually think I'd turn you down?"
The two smiled at each other for a moment. Pippin looked down suddenly, and began wringing his hands again.
"Am.am I supposed to kiss you now, Diamond?"
"Yes Pip, you are."
Pippin dragged Merry back through Farmer Maggot's crops and into the main part of Hobbiton. There they slowed down, and Pippin looked Merry in the eye.
"Here's the fun part," Pip said with a sly look in his eye. "Now, we're goin' to swagger through town and make all the lasses swoon o'er us, and we'll find ye one."
"It's not that easy!"
"Sure it is!"
Pip began walking the streets with an arrogant strut. Merry couldn't help but laugh at him, but soon found himself doing the same, if nothing else, for attention.
Soon they saw Diamond walking their way with a handful of carrots. She stopped at the sight of the hobbits and laughed. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Swaggering," Pip said confidently. "Care to join us?"
Diamond laughed again. "Not until I learn why you're swaggering."
"To attract the lasses. Well for Merry at least. I daresay you might have a problem attracting them, though."
"I'd say!" Diamond said.
"Where have you been all day?" Merry asked. "We were down at our tree."
"I was in Farmer Maggot's crops." she said, bowing her head a bit, and holding up the carrots.
"We've trained her well, Merry," Pip said with a grin.
"Now, as for attracting lasses." Diamond said with a straightforward glance. "I know one hobbit who's already attracted to you without all your strutting."
Merry's eyes were hopeful. "Who? Tell me Diamond!"
"She's one of my friends.Estella Bolger. Do you know her?"
Merry grinned. "YES!" And with that he promptly ran over and hugged Diamond, catching her quite off guard, and proceeded to do the same to Pip but with much more ferocity.
"I take it that's who you were going for," Pip said, most of the air knocked out of his lungs.
"Aye, Pip," Merry said, smiling. "I must go talk to her!"
"Do that, and tell us all about it when you're through," Pip said.
"Right," Merry said, and he ran off.
Diamond giggled. "He seems so innocent when he's like that."
"Aye, but we know better," Pip said with an all-knowing glace.
"That we do," said Diamond, pushing back her straight auburn hair that had originally made Pip fall for her.
Pip gulped, as he was growing quite nervous. "Er.Diamond? Would you like to go on a stroll with me?"
"Certainly Pip," Diamond said, with a quizzical smile on her face. The two walked through the streets, idly chatting, until they came to the edge of town. There was a small pond there, with some trees scattered round. They sat on the edge of it, dangling their feet in the brisk water.
"We came here before," Pip said. "Do you remember?"
"It was shortly after I met you," Diamond said with a thoughtful face. "After that night with you, me, and Merry at the Green Dragon. It was the next day, if I recall."
"Aye," said Pip. "And I said something stupid, and you pushed me a bit, and I fell in and tried to make you believe it was your fault?"
"Yes, I do remember!" she said. "I thought I had actually knocked you in!"
"Really, twas just an excuse to pull you in after me," Pip said with a grin.
"And then Merry came and dunked you under and you both stayed under so long I thought you'd drowned."
"We've got lungs of steel," Pip said with a wicked grin on his face.
"Yes.those were fun times." Diamond said with a look of happy remembrance.
"We could have those times forever though," Pip said, too quickly.
"Well of course Pip. I never planned to move."
"That's not what I mean," Pip said. He wrung his hands, knowing that for once in his life, he had no honest idea of what he was supposed to say. "Diamond, I love bein' your friend. I've been your friend for almos' a year now. But I already have Merry. I can't take us like this anymore."
"Are you saying.you don't want to be my friend?" Diamond was puzzled.
"No! Not at all!" Pip sighed and banged his fist on his knee. "What I'm saying is, we can be friends and more, ye know? You can be my hobbit lass! We can.have little hobbit children, like Sam and Rosie! And we'll never have to be apart.because frankly, when you're not around, I get quite confused. It's the same with Merry really, but it's a different confused then."
"I see," Diamond said softly. "So.you want to marry me?"
Pip gulped. "Um.yes."
"After we've had no romantic involvement whatsoever?"
"Well I thought that's what made us special!" Pip protested. "We didn't need all 'at fluff."
"Calm yourself.Peregrin," she said, a gentle smile coming to her face. "I did not say it was a bad thing."
When she said Peregrin, he quivered. "So.then is that a yes? Because now I'm getting confused and you're around, this is quite messing with my senses."
Diamond laughed. "Of course it's a yes, silly! Did you actually think I'd turn you down?"
The two smiled at each other for a moment. Pippin looked down suddenly, and began wringing his hands again.
"Am.am I supposed to kiss you now, Diamond?"
"Yes Pip, you are."