~*~*~ A/N: What can I say? I'm a review-whore. *giggling* Someone told me to write more soon, so I sat down (well, laid down, 'cause I'm with my laptop on my bed) and wrote another chapter. See, goes to show you, I *do* read your reviews! *~*~
Marigold, with the aid of Pippin, hobbled into the Banks home. Her mother, Estella, took one look at her wounded daughter, and immediately dropped all she was doing.
"Marigold, whatever happened to you?" she cried, as Pippin gently helped her to a chair. "Thank you, Pippin."
"Nothing really, mum," said Marigold, grimacing as she was poked and prodded by her mother. "Just a fall, is all."
"A fall down what, exactly? Look now, you've torn your favorite dress." Marigold nearly burst into tears as her mother took a napkin, soaked it with water, and proceeded to wash the wound.
"Mummy, that hurts," she said softly, but to no avail.
Violet and Merry walked into the house then, still hand in hand. Pippin gave Merry an approving look, then turned his attention back to Marigold.
"Will she be all right?" he asked nervously, as the wound was pretty big.
"Well, she won't be frolicing about for some time," replied Estella Banks, as Tolman walked into the room.
"Oi, Marigold, what happened?" Estella was just putting some ointment onto Marigold's cut, and the Hobbit could not help but cry. "Oh, my poor little daughter, that is a nasty cut you have there."
"Yes, daddy," she said softly, still crying. She looked down, trying to hide her face, and her tears, from Pippin. He merely watched her with concern as her mother finished, bandaging her leg.
"Here, now, Tolman, help me get her to bed," said Estella, and the two helped their daughter to her room. Pippin looked at Violet, uncertainly.
"Perhaps you ought to come back later, Pip," said Violet softly, with concern in her voice. "She sure would like the company. You too, Merry. For now, I ought to go talk with her."
The two cousins nodded, and departed from the Banks house.
"Poor Marigold," Pippin murmured as he and Merry walked down the road.
"She likes you," Merry said, matter-of-factly, and laughed as Pippin turned to him, wide-eyed.
"Really?"
"Yes, you tom-fool."
"Well, Violet likes you; she let you hold her hand, after all."
Merry smiled, blushing a little. "I know!"
"What will I do?" asked Pippin. "I've never had a girl like me before."
"Oh, you ass, must I instruct you on everything? Bring her flowers when you go back to visit her today."
"Oi!" cried Pippin, grinning. "Flowers, what a wonderful idea. Come on, Merry! We have some tulips to pick!"
Marigold cringed as her parents covered her with her blanket.
"Now, you rest," her mother commanded, as the two left the room. Violet entered soon after, sitting on the side of her sister's bed.
"How are you?" she asked, and Marigold nearly burst into tears again.
"My leg hurts," she muttered, and Violet smiled, shaking her head.
"Of course it does, did you see that cut?"
"No, I was quite afraid to look."
Violet laughed, and then patted her sister on the shoulder. "You will be fine, though. And I told Pippin and Merry to come back later to visit with you, so cheer up."
"Oh, Violet, I saw how Merry held your hand; he likes you for certain!"
"And Pippin had his entire arm around you, you lucky little Hobbit!"
Marigold smiled, and nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. "Yes! He did!"
The two laughed, and then Violet returned to her room, to see if her favorite dress could be mended.
Pippin and Merry froliced about for a few hours, picking flowers for Violet and Marigold. Pippin ended up with a handful of tulips and daisies, and Merry plucked some roses and lilies.
"Do you think we ought to go to the Banks' now?" asked Pippin, as the two finished with the flowers.
"We ought to go have afternoon tea, first," said Merry with a nod, "And then we ought to go back to their house."
Pippin nodded as the two rushed off toward the Took home, flowers in hand.
"Who are those for?" asked Pervinca, scowling at her younger brother and cousin.
"Girls," said Merry, in his most assured tone.
"Well, of course, you fool," said Pervinca with a laugh. "But which girls."
"The Banks sisters," said Pippin with a sigh, and Pervinca nearly doubled over with laughter.
"Whyever did you get *them* flowers?"
"Because we're courtin' them," replied Pippin, shaking his head at his sister.
Pervinca's laughter grew doubly loud. "Courtin' the Banks sisters! You two are more foolish than I thought!"
Merry and Pippin shared a look, then glanced back to Pip's sister.
"What are you talking about?" asked Merry, his eyebrows raised.
"They do not favor you two!" Pervinca exclaimed, still laughing.
Merry gave her a defiant smile, but Pippin's face fell.
"They don't?" he asked quietly, his lower lip quivering.
"Pippin, why would a girl ever favor you?" she asked, placing her hands upon her hips. Pippin looked down, feeling his eyes begin to well up with tears.
"I am foolish," he muttered, as he made his way to the kitchen, dropping the flowers to the floor.
~*~*~ A/N: Awwww! Poor Pippin! *~*~
Marigold, with the aid of Pippin, hobbled into the Banks home. Her mother, Estella, took one look at her wounded daughter, and immediately dropped all she was doing.
"Marigold, whatever happened to you?" she cried, as Pippin gently helped her to a chair. "Thank you, Pippin."
"Nothing really, mum," said Marigold, grimacing as she was poked and prodded by her mother. "Just a fall, is all."
"A fall down what, exactly? Look now, you've torn your favorite dress." Marigold nearly burst into tears as her mother took a napkin, soaked it with water, and proceeded to wash the wound.
"Mummy, that hurts," she said softly, but to no avail.
Violet and Merry walked into the house then, still hand in hand. Pippin gave Merry an approving look, then turned his attention back to Marigold.
"Will she be all right?" he asked nervously, as the wound was pretty big.
"Well, she won't be frolicing about for some time," replied Estella Banks, as Tolman walked into the room.
"Oi, Marigold, what happened?" Estella was just putting some ointment onto Marigold's cut, and the Hobbit could not help but cry. "Oh, my poor little daughter, that is a nasty cut you have there."
"Yes, daddy," she said softly, still crying. She looked down, trying to hide her face, and her tears, from Pippin. He merely watched her with concern as her mother finished, bandaging her leg.
"Here, now, Tolman, help me get her to bed," said Estella, and the two helped their daughter to her room. Pippin looked at Violet, uncertainly.
"Perhaps you ought to come back later, Pip," said Violet softly, with concern in her voice. "She sure would like the company. You too, Merry. For now, I ought to go talk with her."
The two cousins nodded, and departed from the Banks house.
"Poor Marigold," Pippin murmured as he and Merry walked down the road.
"She likes you," Merry said, matter-of-factly, and laughed as Pippin turned to him, wide-eyed.
"Really?"
"Yes, you tom-fool."
"Well, Violet likes you; she let you hold her hand, after all."
Merry smiled, blushing a little. "I know!"
"What will I do?" asked Pippin. "I've never had a girl like me before."
"Oh, you ass, must I instruct you on everything? Bring her flowers when you go back to visit her today."
"Oi!" cried Pippin, grinning. "Flowers, what a wonderful idea. Come on, Merry! We have some tulips to pick!"
Marigold cringed as her parents covered her with her blanket.
"Now, you rest," her mother commanded, as the two left the room. Violet entered soon after, sitting on the side of her sister's bed.
"How are you?" she asked, and Marigold nearly burst into tears again.
"My leg hurts," she muttered, and Violet smiled, shaking her head.
"Of course it does, did you see that cut?"
"No, I was quite afraid to look."
Violet laughed, and then patted her sister on the shoulder. "You will be fine, though. And I told Pippin and Merry to come back later to visit with you, so cheer up."
"Oh, Violet, I saw how Merry held your hand; he likes you for certain!"
"And Pippin had his entire arm around you, you lucky little Hobbit!"
Marigold smiled, and nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. "Yes! He did!"
The two laughed, and then Violet returned to her room, to see if her favorite dress could be mended.
Pippin and Merry froliced about for a few hours, picking flowers for Violet and Marigold. Pippin ended up with a handful of tulips and daisies, and Merry plucked some roses and lilies.
"Do you think we ought to go to the Banks' now?" asked Pippin, as the two finished with the flowers.
"We ought to go have afternoon tea, first," said Merry with a nod, "And then we ought to go back to their house."
Pippin nodded as the two rushed off toward the Took home, flowers in hand.
"Who are those for?" asked Pervinca, scowling at her younger brother and cousin.
"Girls," said Merry, in his most assured tone.
"Well, of course, you fool," said Pervinca with a laugh. "But which girls."
"The Banks sisters," said Pippin with a sigh, and Pervinca nearly doubled over with laughter.
"Whyever did you get *them* flowers?"
"Because we're courtin' them," replied Pippin, shaking his head at his sister.
Pervinca's laughter grew doubly loud. "Courtin' the Banks sisters! You two are more foolish than I thought!"
Merry and Pippin shared a look, then glanced back to Pip's sister.
"What are you talking about?" asked Merry, his eyebrows raised.
"They do not favor you two!" Pervinca exclaimed, still laughing.
Merry gave her a defiant smile, but Pippin's face fell.
"They don't?" he asked quietly, his lower lip quivering.
"Pippin, why would a girl ever favor you?" she asked, placing her hands upon her hips. Pippin looked down, feeling his eyes begin to well up with tears.
"I am foolish," he muttered, as he made his way to the kitchen, dropping the flowers to the floor.
~*~*~ A/N: Awwww! Poor Pippin! *~*~