Story Notes: This one is for Marion, for the awfully nice comments - do include your e-mail address, and we can exhange hobbity thoughts! - and big thank yous go to my loyal beta reader MJ, who is the queen of M/P fiction. *worships*
Chapter Five
Merry had not even closed the door behind them when they were already noticed.
"Melilot! What on earth have you been doing?" exclaimed Aunt Hilda, who was going through the closets in the hall but now turned to look at the four young hobbits who burst in the room.
Melilot, who happened to be the first one that caught her eye, took off her sopping wet mittens and smiled apologetically.
"I'm awfully sorry, Aunt Hilda. But the snow was so fine and easy to shape that we couldn't help indulging in a little play --"
"Oh, hush up, Melilot, you're always full of explanations", Aunt Hilda interrupted, helping her take off her winter coat. "Just get out of those clothes before you've completely soaked the floor - and the bench, as well, I see!" She gave an exasparated sigh and turned to Pippin, who quickly jumped back on his feet.
"Sorry, Aunt Hilda!"
Aunt turned her eyes back to Melilot, and to Pervinca, who had come to her friend's side to defend her. "I swear! You Tooks! Every time you're here, something gets broken, or at least permanently misplaced! I warrant it was you who started this whole snow charade in the first place!" She scoffed at Pervinca, who looked up at her fiercely. The two had always been at loggerheads, since Pervinca had the tendency to steal Melilot away from Aunt's important embroidering lessons.
Merry and Melilot both hurried to catch Pervinca and distract her before she gave the strict old hobbit a sound reply.
"I'm afraid I was the one who started this whole mess", Merry said, surprising even himself with his immediate, instinctive lie to cover up for his cousins. Pippin looked around guiltily. He was left out of the argument, others covering up for his doings, and it didn't feel right at all.
Aunt Hilda's sharp eyes didn't leave Pervinca's as she scoffed at Merry's false confession. "Master Brandybuck would also do well to choose to keep better company."
"Aunt Hilda, please", Melilot said, hastily covering Pervinca's mouth with her hand. "We're very tired, and cold, and could use a bite or two. It's not doing any of us good just standing here." She squeezed Pervinca's arm reassuringly.
"Hmph. And your beautiful new dress!" the Aunt said, turning her gaze to Melilot, who winced a little as Aunt Hilda scowled at her. "I expect you to jump in the Brandywine someday, if you continue following this irresponsible Took wherever she goes."
*Ooh, go jump in the river yourself, you stingy old Bracegirdle!* Pervinca thought to herself, for Aunt Hilda had indeed been a Bracegirdle before she married Seredic Brandybuck. She couldn't voice her thoughts, however, because Melilot's hand was still placed over her mouth, and it might well be it was for the best.
"Maybe Aunt would now be so kind as to let us do for ourselves", Melilot sternly said.
Aunt Hilda piled Melilot's winter clothes in her arms and after giving Pervinca one last strict glare, left the room. When she disappeared around a corner, all four young hobbits sighed in relief.
"Well!" Merry ran a hand through his curls. "I guess that was the inevitable Aunt Hilda scolding of the day! That's one lady who always hops up from the wrong side of the bed."
"Aw, I'm not afraid of her, she just likes to act pompous all the time", Pippin huffed, and rebelliously sat down on the bench, not caring about his sopping wet clothes. "You didn't have to cover up for me, Merry."
Merry shrugged, a bit uneasily, and didn't turn around to look at Pippin.
*Is he thinking I'm trying to find a way to apologise for... for what happened?*
"Well, I was as guilty as any of us for that snow war. Aunt would've just taken it out on you double hard since she doesn't like Vinca and you", he said aloud.
"Well, she can like or dislike me and my little brother as much as she pleases", Pervinca stated huffily, stuffing her winter clothes under her arm.
Melilot had already swept off most of the snow they had brought in and put the broom in the corner. Then she raised the hem of her dress a little, noticing how it clung to her legs.
"I really have to put this dress somewhere near the fireplace, otherwise it'll take days to dry." She frowned a little, for the dress was her favourite one. "All right, then, let's go change our clothes. Merry, you and Pippin go find some dry clothes and then come over to the kitchen, we'll see about some provisions there."
Merry nodded, managed a smile that was a shadow of the usual grin he would've given her, and gave Pippin a quick glance to make sure he was following.
"And put those soaked mittens and hats of yours near the stove to dry, you hear?" Melilot called after the two hobbit boys as they hurried off.
"Now what is up with those two?" Pervinca muttered, staring after her brother and cousin. "I've rarely seen them this quiet."
Melilot's eyes went dark and mysterious as she turned around to face her. "Secrets, dear Vinca. Are we not also partial to those?"
Pervinca shifted her weight from one shivering, damp foot to the other, amused and rather perplexed. "Lottie, you're awfully secretive. I'm beginning to suspect there's something to our secret that has been kept secret even from me."
Pervinca expected to hear a gentle denial that she would ever keep such secrets from her, but Melilot just stared after Merry and Pippin, her eyes still dark as the winternight sky.
"Melilot", Pervinca called and grabbed her friend's arm, cold suspicion slowly crawling into her mind.
Melilot looked at her, gently as always, but her eyes gave her away: she was thinking about something serious and complicated. "Come, we are also soaked." She caught the hand that slid off her arm and clasped the cold, strong fingers tightly, as if fearing Pervinca would lose her way were she not guided by Melilot. This also disquieted Pervinca, for she could sense desperation in Melilot's grasp, and couldn't understand where it came from.
It didn't keep her from also tightening her hold, and leaning close to Melilot when they walked.
*
Pervinca allowed herself to be led through what seemed like endless corridors, until Melilot finally turned her around a corner she didn't remember seeing before. They arrived in a short corridor that ended at a round door. The floor was a little bit lower than in the corridor that had brought them here, and there were soft-looking door mats placed neatly in front of all three doors along the corridor, including the one at the end of it. Melilot led Pervinca to the door that was the second one from their point of view, and which had apparently been painted only a few days before. Pervinca could still faintly smell the paint.
"Here we are." Melilot smiled primly. "My very own little hole. Nicely tucked away from prying eyes, wouldn't you say?" She winked over her shoulder as she opened the door.
Pervinca blushed in spite of herself. "Oh, Lottie, even this small entrance hall looks so cosy. I can't wait to see how it looks inside!"
"Go on then", Melilot urged, taking her shoulders and gently nudging her, "see for yourself."
Pervinca was literally pushed into the center of a room full of objects that all had Melilot's feel to them. That lovely little lamp that she needed in order to sew and embroider well into night; that armchair, new to Pervinca but already easily recognizable as a definite part of Melilot's room; the fluffy mat under her feet that covered most of the floor; the small and presently cold and dark fireplace and a neat pile of firewood placed next to it; and the comfortable-looking bed with a far too big pillow that Pervinca knew all too well.
She couldn't get rid of the telltale blush on her cheeks. Of course the two girls had had their sleepovers when Melilot still shared a room with her sister Mentha, and Pervinca remembered snuggling close to that same pillow then; closer to Melilot's dark curls that rested on it. The memories of whispered words of affection and secrecy, their muffled giggles and half-hearted fights over the covers; it all rushed in her mind at the sight of the familiar piece of furniture. But this was different. This wasn't a bed in a room Melilot and Mentha shared, that was *Melilot's bed*, and she could only wonder if Melilot thought the idea was as unnerving as she herself thought it was.
Melilot snaked her arms around Pervinca's waist and held her close. "Say something, Vinca, you great tease." Now that they were alone, she allowed herself to show her feelings openly, something which delighted both herself and Pervinca, who turned a little in her arms to place a shivering kiss on Melilot's cheek.
"It's so you." She laughed, although her teeth clattered. "So very you. I think I've fallen in love all over again."
Pervinca heard the wonderful, clear sound of Melilot's laughter, something she would never get tired of hearing and taking delight in.
"Oh, you precious Took, you do know how to compliment."
Pervinca gave her a wistful smile, and leaned closer to press that smile against Melilot's lips like a gift. Melilot eased her arms around her waist but didn't let go, instead giving Pervinca room to turn around so that she was facing Melilot and pressed snugly against her. They were both damp and cold and shivering, but together they created a warmth that quickly brought a heated blush to their faces as their mouths opened to each other's invasion. It was a slow, lingering kiss, born from their wish to capture the moment and turn it into something sweeter that was just for them. Pervinca's other hand buried itself in Melilot's curls, and held the back of her head; the other soon joined it, and she kept Melilot's head in place as she kissed her with new determination, suddenly remembering why she never wanted to be apart from those soft and easily parted lips.
Eventually, although neither of them wanted it to ever end, they had to pull apart for breath. Melilot smiled, shyly now, and lowered her eyes. She rubbed Pervinca's back briskly, then let go of her. "Come, we must find some dry clothes for you before you catch a cold."
"Mmm..." Pervinca stretched her arms drowsily, smiling back. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
Melilot giggled as she opened the drawer of a small chest placed next to the armchair. "Oh, I have nothing against being your overcoat, but keep in mind that cousins Merry and Pippin will be joining us also. You should probably get something to wear that is a little drier than me."
Pervinca came to peek over Melilot's shoulder at the clothes, pouting a little. "I wanted to ask you about that. Why invite them over here, tonight of all nights? I was hoping we - that it could've been just us."
Melilot turned around to give her a clean white shirt. "I thought I was being nice to you. I know you want to speak with Merry at least, for you nearly talked my ears off about his upcoming birthday. And your brother is a cheerful lad, he can light up any occasion. Unlike our Merimas, who, as you know, mostly prefers his own company." She frowned as she rummaged through the clothes, not finding what she was looking for in the drawer.
Pervinca shook her curls dry like a dog. "Can't find a dress for me?" she asked, her voice amused. "Well, I could always go borrow a nice pair of breeches from Merimas."
Melilot jumped a little at the remark.
"I was joking!" Pervinca laughed, but her voice was unsure. She didn't understand why Melilot had taken it so seriously.
"Vinca." Even her voice was shaken. "I need to talk to you about something."
"It must be something big, otherwise you wouldn't be that nervous", Vinca observed, sitting down on the soft mat and leaning against Melilot's shoulder. "And I can almost guess that it has something to do with one particular Everard Took."
Melilot turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse of Pervinca's face. Both of them were dead serious. Then Melilot shoved a broken yellow bundle in Pervinca's arms and blinked a few times.
"Get dressed. It can wait that long."
Pervinca narrowed her eyes, but did as she was told. Melilot also took another dress from the drawer, then closed it.
*
A while passed with no other sound than their clothes rustling. When she was dressed in a simple, red dress, Melilot picked up their wet clothes and hung them to dry. Pervinca started the fire, only now realising how dark it was in the room. When small, playful flames danced up to greet her, she left the fireplace and walked over to Melilot, who was standing there, in the middle of the room, with both her hands raised to her mouth and a deep frown on her face.
Pervinca swiftly and surely took those hands and guided them to Melilot's sides, then placed a quick kiss on the top of her nose. "Now then, tell me. There have never been any secrets between us."
Melilot looked at her, and bit her lip helplessly. "Secrets... secrets are why I want to talk to you."
Pervinca, still having a good hold of both Melilot's hands, started to pull her gently towards the armchair. She sat down and after a bit of hesitation, Melilot sat on her lap, sighing softly as she settled comfortably in her arms.
"We can't go on like this, Vinca." Her voice was so sad, so helpless, that Pervinca felt her belly tie itself into knots. "It's too risky. And it gets more so all the time."
Pervinca knew what she was talking about, yet said nothing. She gulped down a lump in her throat, trying not to feel bad upon hearing Melilot's quiet words.
*No, Lottie*, she thought to herself, her jaw tightening, *don't give up without a fight. Say we can do it, say it will be alright, say we can always be like we were in the beginning of things.*
She squeezed Melilot hard, as if fearing she would slip away. *Say we can fool fate.*
And in the meanwhile, unbeknownst to Pervinca, Melilot's thoughts drifted to the exact same thing. To the beginning of things: one very special birthday party fourteen years ago.
====flashback====
Melilot was sitting at one of the tables closest to the Party Tree, so she was one of the first to notice when Mr. Baggins got up, cleared his throat and started, "My dear people!"
The chattering and laughing continued; only the hobbits in the two closest tables had noticed he had decided to begin his Speech, although the party was in the phase when it was to be expected. Another one of those tables was occupied by several young hobbits, among them Melilot, her sister Mentha and brother Merimas, and several Bolgers, Bagginses and Boffins. Young master Frodo sat at the end of the table, and he had immediately straightened his back when Bilbo had got up.
"Hear! Hear!" Melilot heard the hobbits shout, and soon joined in herself, the cheerful chorus rising to the highest volume among their young crowd. She farsightedly gathered a sufficient amount of apples, plums and pieces of pie on her plate, to nibble on while Mr. Baggins gave his Speech. She had heard a couple of birthday speeches in her sixteen years, and generally considered them to be rather dull, but this party was very special and so the speech must be extraordinary as well. She looked over at the far end of the table, where a group of Brandybucks and Tooks was still making noise. They seemed unwilling to stop their merry dance tunes and calm down enough to listen. Finally, when they saw that old Mr. Baggins had climbed to stand on a chair near the Party Tree, even they quieted down.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins", Mr. Baggins began again, hazarding a glance at the table Melilot was sitting at. She took a bite of a plum and watched closely when Bilbo went on. "And my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses..."
Something caught Melilot's attention, and she missed the rest of the names. She had been glancing at the young Brandybucks and Tooks' corner all evening, not quite daring to join the noisy crowd - she wasn't much of a dancer, and it was much more comfortable at the table, where all her friends and favourite dishes were at hand. But she had greeted each of her young relatives, and prided herself as being quite well-informed when it came to her family and kin, even the far cousins of the Burrows family. That was why Melilot was surprised when she now suddenly spotted a new face among the familiar crowd, a young lad she didn't remember ever seeing before. She turned around to follow him with her gaze as he left the company of the Brandybucks and Tooks and quietly slipped through the hobbits gathered around the tables, no one noticing his passage as their faces where turned to the Speech-giving Mr. Baggins. When the mysterious young hobbit stopped, almost right in front of Melilot on the other side of the table, she could see he was a fair-haired and pointy-nosed hobbit lad, not much older than she herself. He stood there, shuffling his feet as if he had just finished dancing to a particularly lively tune and wasn't quite able to make his feet stop. His eyes were bright and fixed on Mr. Baggins, his own hands carelessly stuffed in the pockets of his breeches.
Melilot swallowed. She had never quite understood what was so special about boys that her older cousins and friends covered their mouths and giggled every time the topic was brought up. To her, boys were much the same as adults; some of them were rather nice, and could even be called friends, but most of them were distant and seemed rather strange. Certainly she had never looked at boys in the way her older cousins did; talking about their behaviour and hair colour and who had most hair on their feet... It had all seemed so pointless. But now Melilot Brandybuck looked at this young hobbit lad and felt her eyes opening as if for the first time.
He had round cheeks and a peculiar, sharp chin; his hair was rather long, almost shoulder-length, and messy -- *I wonder if his mother is nagging him to cut it*, Melilot thought to herself. The lad wore fine clothes that made Melilot suspect he was of a rich family, perhaps a Took, and there was a wide smile on his face that certainly reminded Melilot of her Took cousins.
Then her observations were interrupted by a series of shouts of "Hurray! Happy Birthday!" and "Many happy returns!". She blinked a few times, and quickly focused her eyes back on Bilbo, whom she had momentarily totally forgotten.
"I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am", the old hobbit went on, seemingly pleased with himself.
It sounded like a nice ending to the Speech, Melilot concluded, and apparently so did most of the hobbits around her, for the sound of horns and flutes and pipes started again at the youngsters' corner, and many of them jumped up and continued their dance. Instruments were thrown to all who were still sitting and had none, and Mentha, who sat to the left of Melilot, caught a pipe and a merrily tinkling bell. She offered the bell to Melilot, laughing. The tune went straight to her heart and filled it with joy, and she wondered if -- perhaps, just this once -- she could join the dancers...
But her musings ended the moment she happened to glance across the table. The young lad that had caught her attention earlier had jumped on the table, snatched a bell from the nearby Boffin child, and now hopped down to the other side, landing next to the astonished Melilot.
He bowed low but briskly, and the bell tinkled in his hand as he did so. "May I have this dance, Miss?" he asked politely, and looked up, straight into Melilot's eyes.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she wasn't sure what she was saying in reply - perhaps she didn't say anything at all, for her answer must have been all over her face. In any case she found herself being pulled on the table, and Mentha started the tune of Springle-ring, and soon there were a couple of other young Brandybucks who joined in. The fair-haired lad took her hand and started to dance, and although Melilot's feet were usually clumsy, now they flew out of their own accord. The lad was a very good dancer, and Melilot found the joy of having her feet move effortlessly to the tune.
"My, my, if that isn't young Master Everard Took!" she heard one of the older Goodbody ladies say. Melilot pricked up her ears and listened as the hobbit went on, "I hear he's been Abroad, all the way to the Sea I hear he's been."
"You don't say!" the lady's friend exclaimed. "That explains why I didn't recognise the lad right away, then. Hardly in his tweens, and roaming around like that! Why, if I --"
"See, we are getting the hang of this, aren't we?" Melilot's dancing partner, apparently called Everard Took, suddenly said, bringing her attention back to him. His voice was as clear as his eyes, a young boy's high voice. Melilot looked at him, and seeing his open gaze, felt a blush crawl on her cheeks that had nothing to do with the vigorous dance. How very impudent of him to not even introduce himself, when his eyes seemed to find every little secret she had ever thought to keep! Melilot braced herself, and licked her lips, and after one particularly carefree jump and a spin, faced the lad again with new determination.
She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a sudden loud hoot of a horn. The music came to a halt, and all the dancing hobbit feet stayed. Old Mr. Baggins had apparently not finished. He gave the horn back to a startled young Burrows and stated, "I shall not keep you for long."
This, of course, produced loud cheers from the startled audience. The next statement, however, made them fall silent.
"I have called you all together for a *Reason*."
Melilot saught Everard's hand and pulled gently, and sharing an unsure glance, they jumped down from the table as unnoticable as was possible. Everard started to lead Melilot some ways away from the other youngsters, and she allowed him to take her to the far end of the pavilion. They could still see Mr. Baggins clearly enough where they finally stopped.
Melilot turned to offer Everard her hand. "I don't think we've been properly introduced as of yet. I'm Melilot Brandybuck."
The other young hobbit looked at her, a bit perplexed, but quickly recovered and took her hand and shook it perkily. "Uh, I'm - I'm Everard Took... beg your pardon, I totally forgot."
Melilot bit back a laugh. "So did I. And we don't have to be all formal-like, there are no adults around. But I really think we ought to listen to Mr. Baggins, I would very much like to hear what he has to say."
They turned their eyes and ears to the old hobbit by the Party Tree.
"...don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Everard and Melilot looked at each other and giggled.
"*What*?"
Everard stuck his tongue out and grinned. "Well, if that doesn't twist your tongue!"
Melilot tilted her head to one side and looked at Everard, who had once again turned to watch the old Baggins. His features were fine and delicate; *almost too delicate for a boy*, Melilot found herself thinking. *He's not stout and sure-footed as a fine hobbit lad ought to be, he's - * But she didn't really have a word for it. All she could come up with was 'beautiful', but boys weren't supposed to be beautiful, now were they?
"Do you know him?"
Melilot blinked. "Who?"
Everard laughed, teasingly. "Master Frodo, of course. Weren't you listening? They just cheered for him. It's his birthday, too, you know."
"Oh!" Melilot quickly turned back to watch old Baggins. It seemed he was giving a long, boring account of one of his journeys, so Melilot went on. "No, not really. I'm too young to remember the time when he still lived in Brandy Hall. My cousin Merry, he is more acquainted with the Bagginses."
"So I've heard", Everard said, and didn't explain this remark further. "Look, I think he's finally getting to the end."
"...repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party," Bilbo said and bowed slightly. Then he cleared his throat and seemed to hesitate a moment, while an uncomfortable silence filled the pavilion. Was this the end or not? And what was coming next, if it wasn't? "Thirdly and finally", Bilbo then went on, his tone changed slightly, "I wish to make an *announcement*."
Melilot jumped a little at the last word. Her brow knitted in confusion. Bilbo continued, "I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the *end*. I am going. I am leaving *now*. *Goodbye!*"
And, just when Melilot was about to wonder aloud what he had meant by his words, a sudden flash of light momentarily blinded her eyes - and Mr. Baggins was gone! Vanished completely, the moment he stepped down from the chair! Melilot let out a frightened yelp and grabbed Everard's arm. They both stared, their eyes bigger than any plates laid out on the long tables.
"Suppose... it was one of that conjurer Gandalf's tricks?" Everard thought aloud.
Melilot's heart hammered. This was too much for her for one night. "I don't know, Everard. I really don't even want to know, but what with all this commotion, I think I should go find my brother and sister."
"Right." Everard patted her hand. "I'd better go check on my little brother, too. I bet he's the first to go sticking his nose into it if there's some funny business going on."
Melilot looked at him and kept his gaze, not really wanting to part with him so soon. "You have a little brother? What's his name?"
"Pip--" Everard started, then clasped his hand over his mouth, his eyes widening with horror. He froze, unable to get another word out if his mouth.
"What?" Melilot almost whispered. "Did you say *Pippin?*"
====end flashback====
***
Chapter Five
Merry had not even closed the door behind them when they were already noticed.
"Melilot! What on earth have you been doing?" exclaimed Aunt Hilda, who was going through the closets in the hall but now turned to look at the four young hobbits who burst in the room.
Melilot, who happened to be the first one that caught her eye, took off her sopping wet mittens and smiled apologetically.
"I'm awfully sorry, Aunt Hilda. But the snow was so fine and easy to shape that we couldn't help indulging in a little play --"
"Oh, hush up, Melilot, you're always full of explanations", Aunt Hilda interrupted, helping her take off her winter coat. "Just get out of those clothes before you've completely soaked the floor - and the bench, as well, I see!" She gave an exasparated sigh and turned to Pippin, who quickly jumped back on his feet.
"Sorry, Aunt Hilda!"
Aunt turned her eyes back to Melilot, and to Pervinca, who had come to her friend's side to defend her. "I swear! You Tooks! Every time you're here, something gets broken, or at least permanently misplaced! I warrant it was you who started this whole snow charade in the first place!" She scoffed at Pervinca, who looked up at her fiercely. The two had always been at loggerheads, since Pervinca had the tendency to steal Melilot away from Aunt's important embroidering lessons.
Merry and Melilot both hurried to catch Pervinca and distract her before she gave the strict old hobbit a sound reply.
"I'm afraid I was the one who started this whole mess", Merry said, surprising even himself with his immediate, instinctive lie to cover up for his cousins. Pippin looked around guiltily. He was left out of the argument, others covering up for his doings, and it didn't feel right at all.
Aunt Hilda's sharp eyes didn't leave Pervinca's as she scoffed at Merry's false confession. "Master Brandybuck would also do well to choose to keep better company."
"Aunt Hilda, please", Melilot said, hastily covering Pervinca's mouth with her hand. "We're very tired, and cold, and could use a bite or two. It's not doing any of us good just standing here." She squeezed Pervinca's arm reassuringly.
"Hmph. And your beautiful new dress!" the Aunt said, turning her gaze to Melilot, who winced a little as Aunt Hilda scowled at her. "I expect you to jump in the Brandywine someday, if you continue following this irresponsible Took wherever she goes."
*Ooh, go jump in the river yourself, you stingy old Bracegirdle!* Pervinca thought to herself, for Aunt Hilda had indeed been a Bracegirdle before she married Seredic Brandybuck. She couldn't voice her thoughts, however, because Melilot's hand was still placed over her mouth, and it might well be it was for the best.
"Maybe Aunt would now be so kind as to let us do for ourselves", Melilot sternly said.
Aunt Hilda piled Melilot's winter clothes in her arms and after giving Pervinca one last strict glare, left the room. When she disappeared around a corner, all four young hobbits sighed in relief.
"Well!" Merry ran a hand through his curls. "I guess that was the inevitable Aunt Hilda scolding of the day! That's one lady who always hops up from the wrong side of the bed."
"Aw, I'm not afraid of her, she just likes to act pompous all the time", Pippin huffed, and rebelliously sat down on the bench, not caring about his sopping wet clothes. "You didn't have to cover up for me, Merry."
Merry shrugged, a bit uneasily, and didn't turn around to look at Pippin.
*Is he thinking I'm trying to find a way to apologise for... for what happened?*
"Well, I was as guilty as any of us for that snow war. Aunt would've just taken it out on you double hard since she doesn't like Vinca and you", he said aloud.
"Well, she can like or dislike me and my little brother as much as she pleases", Pervinca stated huffily, stuffing her winter clothes under her arm.
Melilot had already swept off most of the snow they had brought in and put the broom in the corner. Then she raised the hem of her dress a little, noticing how it clung to her legs.
"I really have to put this dress somewhere near the fireplace, otherwise it'll take days to dry." She frowned a little, for the dress was her favourite one. "All right, then, let's go change our clothes. Merry, you and Pippin go find some dry clothes and then come over to the kitchen, we'll see about some provisions there."
Merry nodded, managed a smile that was a shadow of the usual grin he would've given her, and gave Pippin a quick glance to make sure he was following.
"And put those soaked mittens and hats of yours near the stove to dry, you hear?" Melilot called after the two hobbit boys as they hurried off.
"Now what is up with those two?" Pervinca muttered, staring after her brother and cousin. "I've rarely seen them this quiet."
Melilot's eyes went dark and mysterious as she turned around to face her. "Secrets, dear Vinca. Are we not also partial to those?"
Pervinca shifted her weight from one shivering, damp foot to the other, amused and rather perplexed. "Lottie, you're awfully secretive. I'm beginning to suspect there's something to our secret that has been kept secret even from me."
Pervinca expected to hear a gentle denial that she would ever keep such secrets from her, but Melilot just stared after Merry and Pippin, her eyes still dark as the winternight sky.
"Melilot", Pervinca called and grabbed her friend's arm, cold suspicion slowly crawling into her mind.
Melilot looked at her, gently as always, but her eyes gave her away: she was thinking about something serious and complicated. "Come, we are also soaked." She caught the hand that slid off her arm and clasped the cold, strong fingers tightly, as if fearing Pervinca would lose her way were she not guided by Melilot. This also disquieted Pervinca, for she could sense desperation in Melilot's grasp, and couldn't understand where it came from.
It didn't keep her from also tightening her hold, and leaning close to Melilot when they walked.
*
Pervinca allowed herself to be led through what seemed like endless corridors, until Melilot finally turned her around a corner she didn't remember seeing before. They arrived in a short corridor that ended at a round door. The floor was a little bit lower than in the corridor that had brought them here, and there were soft-looking door mats placed neatly in front of all three doors along the corridor, including the one at the end of it. Melilot led Pervinca to the door that was the second one from their point of view, and which had apparently been painted only a few days before. Pervinca could still faintly smell the paint.
"Here we are." Melilot smiled primly. "My very own little hole. Nicely tucked away from prying eyes, wouldn't you say?" She winked over her shoulder as she opened the door.
Pervinca blushed in spite of herself. "Oh, Lottie, even this small entrance hall looks so cosy. I can't wait to see how it looks inside!"
"Go on then", Melilot urged, taking her shoulders and gently nudging her, "see for yourself."
Pervinca was literally pushed into the center of a room full of objects that all had Melilot's feel to them. That lovely little lamp that she needed in order to sew and embroider well into night; that armchair, new to Pervinca but already easily recognizable as a definite part of Melilot's room; the fluffy mat under her feet that covered most of the floor; the small and presently cold and dark fireplace and a neat pile of firewood placed next to it; and the comfortable-looking bed with a far too big pillow that Pervinca knew all too well.
She couldn't get rid of the telltale blush on her cheeks. Of course the two girls had had their sleepovers when Melilot still shared a room with her sister Mentha, and Pervinca remembered snuggling close to that same pillow then; closer to Melilot's dark curls that rested on it. The memories of whispered words of affection and secrecy, their muffled giggles and half-hearted fights over the covers; it all rushed in her mind at the sight of the familiar piece of furniture. But this was different. This wasn't a bed in a room Melilot and Mentha shared, that was *Melilot's bed*, and she could only wonder if Melilot thought the idea was as unnerving as she herself thought it was.
Melilot snaked her arms around Pervinca's waist and held her close. "Say something, Vinca, you great tease." Now that they were alone, she allowed herself to show her feelings openly, something which delighted both herself and Pervinca, who turned a little in her arms to place a shivering kiss on Melilot's cheek.
"It's so you." She laughed, although her teeth clattered. "So very you. I think I've fallen in love all over again."
Pervinca heard the wonderful, clear sound of Melilot's laughter, something she would never get tired of hearing and taking delight in.
"Oh, you precious Took, you do know how to compliment."
Pervinca gave her a wistful smile, and leaned closer to press that smile against Melilot's lips like a gift. Melilot eased her arms around her waist but didn't let go, instead giving Pervinca room to turn around so that she was facing Melilot and pressed snugly against her. They were both damp and cold and shivering, but together they created a warmth that quickly brought a heated blush to their faces as their mouths opened to each other's invasion. It was a slow, lingering kiss, born from their wish to capture the moment and turn it into something sweeter that was just for them. Pervinca's other hand buried itself in Melilot's curls, and held the back of her head; the other soon joined it, and she kept Melilot's head in place as she kissed her with new determination, suddenly remembering why she never wanted to be apart from those soft and easily parted lips.
Eventually, although neither of them wanted it to ever end, they had to pull apart for breath. Melilot smiled, shyly now, and lowered her eyes. She rubbed Pervinca's back briskly, then let go of her. "Come, we must find some dry clothes for you before you catch a cold."
"Mmm..." Pervinca stretched her arms drowsily, smiling back. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
Melilot giggled as she opened the drawer of a small chest placed next to the armchair. "Oh, I have nothing against being your overcoat, but keep in mind that cousins Merry and Pippin will be joining us also. You should probably get something to wear that is a little drier than me."
Pervinca came to peek over Melilot's shoulder at the clothes, pouting a little. "I wanted to ask you about that. Why invite them over here, tonight of all nights? I was hoping we - that it could've been just us."
Melilot turned around to give her a clean white shirt. "I thought I was being nice to you. I know you want to speak with Merry at least, for you nearly talked my ears off about his upcoming birthday. And your brother is a cheerful lad, he can light up any occasion. Unlike our Merimas, who, as you know, mostly prefers his own company." She frowned as she rummaged through the clothes, not finding what she was looking for in the drawer.
Pervinca shook her curls dry like a dog. "Can't find a dress for me?" she asked, her voice amused. "Well, I could always go borrow a nice pair of breeches from Merimas."
Melilot jumped a little at the remark.
"I was joking!" Pervinca laughed, but her voice was unsure. She didn't understand why Melilot had taken it so seriously.
"Vinca." Even her voice was shaken. "I need to talk to you about something."
"It must be something big, otherwise you wouldn't be that nervous", Vinca observed, sitting down on the soft mat and leaning against Melilot's shoulder. "And I can almost guess that it has something to do with one particular Everard Took."
Melilot turned her head slightly to catch a glimpse of Pervinca's face. Both of them were dead serious. Then Melilot shoved a broken yellow bundle in Pervinca's arms and blinked a few times.
"Get dressed. It can wait that long."
Pervinca narrowed her eyes, but did as she was told. Melilot also took another dress from the drawer, then closed it.
*
A while passed with no other sound than their clothes rustling. When she was dressed in a simple, red dress, Melilot picked up their wet clothes and hung them to dry. Pervinca started the fire, only now realising how dark it was in the room. When small, playful flames danced up to greet her, she left the fireplace and walked over to Melilot, who was standing there, in the middle of the room, with both her hands raised to her mouth and a deep frown on her face.
Pervinca swiftly and surely took those hands and guided them to Melilot's sides, then placed a quick kiss on the top of her nose. "Now then, tell me. There have never been any secrets between us."
Melilot looked at her, and bit her lip helplessly. "Secrets... secrets are why I want to talk to you."
Pervinca, still having a good hold of both Melilot's hands, started to pull her gently towards the armchair. She sat down and after a bit of hesitation, Melilot sat on her lap, sighing softly as she settled comfortably in her arms.
"We can't go on like this, Vinca." Her voice was so sad, so helpless, that Pervinca felt her belly tie itself into knots. "It's too risky. And it gets more so all the time."
Pervinca knew what she was talking about, yet said nothing. She gulped down a lump in her throat, trying not to feel bad upon hearing Melilot's quiet words.
*No, Lottie*, she thought to herself, her jaw tightening, *don't give up without a fight. Say we can do it, say it will be alright, say we can always be like we were in the beginning of things.*
She squeezed Melilot hard, as if fearing she would slip away. *Say we can fool fate.*
And in the meanwhile, unbeknownst to Pervinca, Melilot's thoughts drifted to the exact same thing. To the beginning of things: one very special birthday party fourteen years ago.
====flashback====
Melilot was sitting at one of the tables closest to the Party Tree, so she was one of the first to notice when Mr. Baggins got up, cleared his throat and started, "My dear people!"
The chattering and laughing continued; only the hobbits in the two closest tables had noticed he had decided to begin his Speech, although the party was in the phase when it was to be expected. Another one of those tables was occupied by several young hobbits, among them Melilot, her sister Mentha and brother Merimas, and several Bolgers, Bagginses and Boffins. Young master Frodo sat at the end of the table, and he had immediately straightened his back when Bilbo had got up.
"Hear! Hear!" Melilot heard the hobbits shout, and soon joined in herself, the cheerful chorus rising to the highest volume among their young crowd. She farsightedly gathered a sufficient amount of apples, plums and pieces of pie on her plate, to nibble on while Mr. Baggins gave his Speech. She had heard a couple of birthday speeches in her sixteen years, and generally considered them to be rather dull, but this party was very special and so the speech must be extraordinary as well. She looked over at the far end of the table, where a group of Brandybucks and Tooks was still making noise. They seemed unwilling to stop their merry dance tunes and calm down enough to listen. Finally, when they saw that old Mr. Baggins had climbed to stand on a chair near the Party Tree, even they quieted down.
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins", Mr. Baggins began again, hazarding a glance at the table Melilot was sitting at. She took a bite of a plum and watched closely when Bilbo went on. "And my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses..."
Something caught Melilot's attention, and she missed the rest of the names. She had been glancing at the young Brandybucks and Tooks' corner all evening, not quite daring to join the noisy crowd - she wasn't much of a dancer, and it was much more comfortable at the table, where all her friends and favourite dishes were at hand. But she had greeted each of her young relatives, and prided herself as being quite well-informed when it came to her family and kin, even the far cousins of the Burrows family. That was why Melilot was surprised when she now suddenly spotted a new face among the familiar crowd, a young lad she didn't remember ever seeing before. She turned around to follow him with her gaze as he left the company of the Brandybucks and Tooks and quietly slipped through the hobbits gathered around the tables, no one noticing his passage as their faces where turned to the Speech-giving Mr. Baggins. When the mysterious young hobbit stopped, almost right in front of Melilot on the other side of the table, she could see he was a fair-haired and pointy-nosed hobbit lad, not much older than she herself. He stood there, shuffling his feet as if he had just finished dancing to a particularly lively tune and wasn't quite able to make his feet stop. His eyes were bright and fixed on Mr. Baggins, his own hands carelessly stuffed in the pockets of his breeches.
Melilot swallowed. She had never quite understood what was so special about boys that her older cousins and friends covered their mouths and giggled every time the topic was brought up. To her, boys were much the same as adults; some of them were rather nice, and could even be called friends, but most of them were distant and seemed rather strange. Certainly she had never looked at boys in the way her older cousins did; talking about their behaviour and hair colour and who had most hair on their feet... It had all seemed so pointless. But now Melilot Brandybuck looked at this young hobbit lad and felt her eyes opening as if for the first time.
He had round cheeks and a peculiar, sharp chin; his hair was rather long, almost shoulder-length, and messy -- *I wonder if his mother is nagging him to cut it*, Melilot thought to herself. The lad wore fine clothes that made Melilot suspect he was of a rich family, perhaps a Took, and there was a wide smile on his face that certainly reminded Melilot of her Took cousins.
Then her observations were interrupted by a series of shouts of "Hurray! Happy Birthday!" and "Many happy returns!". She blinked a few times, and quickly focused her eyes back on Bilbo, whom she had momentarily totally forgotten.
"I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am", the old hobbit went on, seemingly pleased with himself.
It sounded like a nice ending to the Speech, Melilot concluded, and apparently so did most of the hobbits around her, for the sound of horns and flutes and pipes started again at the youngsters' corner, and many of them jumped up and continued their dance. Instruments were thrown to all who were still sitting and had none, and Mentha, who sat to the left of Melilot, caught a pipe and a merrily tinkling bell. She offered the bell to Melilot, laughing. The tune went straight to her heart and filled it with joy, and she wondered if -- perhaps, just this once -- she could join the dancers...
But her musings ended the moment she happened to glance across the table. The young lad that had caught her attention earlier had jumped on the table, snatched a bell from the nearby Boffin child, and now hopped down to the other side, landing next to the astonished Melilot.
He bowed low but briskly, and the bell tinkled in his hand as he did so. "May I have this dance, Miss?" he asked politely, and looked up, straight into Melilot's eyes.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she wasn't sure what she was saying in reply - perhaps she didn't say anything at all, for her answer must have been all over her face. In any case she found herself being pulled on the table, and Mentha started the tune of Springle-ring, and soon there were a couple of other young Brandybucks who joined in. The fair-haired lad took her hand and started to dance, and although Melilot's feet were usually clumsy, now they flew out of their own accord. The lad was a very good dancer, and Melilot found the joy of having her feet move effortlessly to the tune.
"My, my, if that isn't young Master Everard Took!" she heard one of the older Goodbody ladies say. Melilot pricked up her ears and listened as the hobbit went on, "I hear he's been Abroad, all the way to the Sea I hear he's been."
"You don't say!" the lady's friend exclaimed. "That explains why I didn't recognise the lad right away, then. Hardly in his tweens, and roaming around like that! Why, if I --"
"See, we are getting the hang of this, aren't we?" Melilot's dancing partner, apparently called Everard Took, suddenly said, bringing her attention back to him. His voice was as clear as his eyes, a young boy's high voice. Melilot looked at him, and seeing his open gaze, felt a blush crawl on her cheeks that had nothing to do with the vigorous dance. How very impudent of him to not even introduce himself, when his eyes seemed to find every little secret she had ever thought to keep! Melilot braced herself, and licked her lips, and after one particularly carefree jump and a spin, faced the lad again with new determination.
She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a sudden loud hoot of a horn. The music came to a halt, and all the dancing hobbit feet stayed. Old Mr. Baggins had apparently not finished. He gave the horn back to a startled young Burrows and stated, "I shall not keep you for long."
This, of course, produced loud cheers from the startled audience. The next statement, however, made them fall silent.
"I have called you all together for a *Reason*."
Melilot saught Everard's hand and pulled gently, and sharing an unsure glance, they jumped down from the table as unnoticable as was possible. Everard started to lead Melilot some ways away from the other youngsters, and she allowed him to take her to the far end of the pavilion. They could still see Mr. Baggins clearly enough where they finally stopped.
Melilot turned to offer Everard her hand. "I don't think we've been properly introduced as of yet. I'm Melilot Brandybuck."
The other young hobbit looked at her, a bit perplexed, but quickly recovered and took her hand and shook it perkily. "Uh, I'm - I'm Everard Took... beg your pardon, I totally forgot."
Melilot bit back a laugh. "So did I. And we don't have to be all formal-like, there are no adults around. But I really think we ought to listen to Mr. Baggins, I would very much like to hear what he has to say."
They turned their eyes and ears to the old hobbit by the Party Tree.
"...don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Everard and Melilot looked at each other and giggled.
"*What*?"
Everard stuck his tongue out and grinned. "Well, if that doesn't twist your tongue!"
Melilot tilted her head to one side and looked at Everard, who had once again turned to watch the old Baggins. His features were fine and delicate; *almost too delicate for a boy*, Melilot found herself thinking. *He's not stout and sure-footed as a fine hobbit lad ought to be, he's - * But she didn't really have a word for it. All she could come up with was 'beautiful', but boys weren't supposed to be beautiful, now were they?
"Do you know him?"
Melilot blinked. "Who?"
Everard laughed, teasingly. "Master Frodo, of course. Weren't you listening? They just cheered for him. It's his birthday, too, you know."
"Oh!" Melilot quickly turned back to watch old Baggins. It seemed he was giving a long, boring account of one of his journeys, so Melilot went on. "No, not really. I'm too young to remember the time when he still lived in Brandy Hall. My cousin Merry, he is more acquainted with the Bagginses."
"So I've heard", Everard said, and didn't explain this remark further. "Look, I think he's finally getting to the end."
"...repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party," Bilbo said and bowed slightly. Then he cleared his throat and seemed to hesitate a moment, while an uncomfortable silence filled the pavilion. Was this the end or not? And what was coming next, if it wasn't? "Thirdly and finally", Bilbo then went on, his tone changed slightly, "I wish to make an *announcement*."
Melilot jumped a little at the last word. Her brow knitted in confusion. Bilbo continued, "I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the *end*. I am going. I am leaving *now*. *Goodbye!*"
And, just when Melilot was about to wonder aloud what he had meant by his words, a sudden flash of light momentarily blinded her eyes - and Mr. Baggins was gone! Vanished completely, the moment he stepped down from the chair! Melilot let out a frightened yelp and grabbed Everard's arm. They both stared, their eyes bigger than any plates laid out on the long tables.
"Suppose... it was one of that conjurer Gandalf's tricks?" Everard thought aloud.
Melilot's heart hammered. This was too much for her for one night. "I don't know, Everard. I really don't even want to know, but what with all this commotion, I think I should go find my brother and sister."
"Right." Everard patted her hand. "I'd better go check on my little brother, too. I bet he's the first to go sticking his nose into it if there's some funny business going on."
Melilot looked at him and kept his gaze, not really wanting to part with him so soon. "You have a little brother? What's his name?"
"Pip--" Everard started, then clasped his hand over his mouth, his eyes widening with horror. He froze, unable to get another word out if his mouth.
"What?" Melilot almost whispered. "Did you say *Pippin?*"
====end flashback====
***