Chapter Seventeen
News of the pregnancy shocked Holly, Pippin, Merry, Sam and Rose . . . mostly because they weren't expecting it, mostly because they knew that they had fallen deeper into the situation.
"And how do you plan to hide the fact that you are pregnant?" Rose felt the urge to ask . . . after all, it was the best question.
Nina looked to Frodo. "Well . . . I guess we should pretend its Friado's . . ."
"Hmm . . . hmm . . ." Rose looked at them as she seated herself beside Samwise. "And what about Friado? What reason does he have to believe that the child is his?"
Nina looked to Rosie as Frodo gulped. Truth, it hurts.
"Well . . ." Nina began.
"Well nothing!" Holly snorted. "I've been waiting for this day for years! And here it comes! My best friend Nina Roper is pregnant! And what better father is there than Frodo?! None I tell you! And I shall tell you something else; no Broadbeam is ruining our happiness!" Holly waved her folk around, pointing it around the breakfast table.
"It's not a simple as that" Frodo said to his cousin.
"Aye Mr Frodo, aye" Sam sighed. "Rosie is right; there is no way we can get over this ere matter. No, I think we should tell this Broadbeam, before somebody else does."
Nina's eyes widened in terror. "No!" she called.
"Nina, please, we must" Frodo looked at her, his sapphire eyes soft and gentle.
"But," Nina stuttered and looked to Holly for support.
"It would be better that way . . ." the young Brandybuck answered. "I'm sorry Nina, I know you may think that I'm not being a good friend to you, but . . . what else is there to do?!"
"Run away?" Pippin suggested.
"And where do they go?!" Merry called. "Especially in Nina's condition, travelling is off the list!"
"Telling Friado is the only option" Holly said quietly, looking to her cousin. "Bilbo would suggest the same, Frodo"
"Yes, he would" Frodo agreed. "Nina, they're right, we must go and see Friado, the sooner the better."
"And what do we say?!"
"The truth"
"The truth?! And you think that'll make it all better?!" Nina stood up, tears filling her eyes. She thought everything would be perfect now she was to have Frodo's baby, she thought they would be together for definite now . . . but no, a Broadbeam must have the truth, the Broadbeam must have the advantage of ruining what life she had left, the Broadbeam was going to get the chance of making her miserable.
"Nina, Nina please . . ." Holly said. "Shouting won't make it better either"
"But what will make it better?!" the tears ran freely down her cheeks.
"The truth"
"Oh! Bother the truth! Bother the Broadbeams! It's all their fault!" Nina sobbed as she turned on her heal and ran out. She didn't even look back as she ran and ran through Hobbiton market, ignoring the frowned expressions of other Hobbits.
Nina ran through the woods and up the hill, slipping a few times as she cried harder. She slumped down against the tree, puling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She hid her face in her knees and cried.
She felt the figure sit beside her and pull her into an embrace. She knew immediately who, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Nina, please don't cry . . ." Frodo whispered, stroking her curls.
"Why?" she sniffed. "He's already ruined it all"
"Come on," Frodo said, lifting her chin she could look at him. "We can get through this . . ."
"No, no we can't. You heard them all in there. It's impossible. And I know that we have to tell Friado, it's just that . . . that"
Frodo kissed her gently. "It may seem impossible . . . but that doesn't mean it is impossible. Everyone thought that a hobbit could not contempt with the will of Sauron . . . well; Sam, Pippin, Merry and I proved them all wrong didn't we. All of Sharkey's men thought that we hobbits could not defeat them . . . and we did. We just need strong feelings - hope, faith, love . . . we can get through anything"
Nina smiled, silent tears still falling as Frodo kissed them away gently. "We can even get through telling Friado. But not yet" he whispered. "Let's enjoy our news for a while longer" he out his hand to her stomach and caressed it lightly.
"Frodo?"
"Yes?"
"I love you"
"I love you too" he smiled, nuzzling her neck. "I always will . . . remember that"
Nina smiled and hugged him tightly . . . the two lovers so into one another at that moment in time, that they did not notice a figure hidden behind the trees, seeing and hearing all . . .
News of the pregnancy shocked Holly, Pippin, Merry, Sam and Rose . . . mostly because they weren't expecting it, mostly because they knew that they had fallen deeper into the situation.
"And how do you plan to hide the fact that you are pregnant?" Rose felt the urge to ask . . . after all, it was the best question.
Nina looked to Frodo. "Well . . . I guess we should pretend its Friado's . . ."
"Hmm . . . hmm . . ." Rose looked at them as she seated herself beside Samwise. "And what about Friado? What reason does he have to believe that the child is his?"
Nina looked to Rosie as Frodo gulped. Truth, it hurts.
"Well . . ." Nina began.
"Well nothing!" Holly snorted. "I've been waiting for this day for years! And here it comes! My best friend Nina Roper is pregnant! And what better father is there than Frodo?! None I tell you! And I shall tell you something else; no Broadbeam is ruining our happiness!" Holly waved her folk around, pointing it around the breakfast table.
"It's not a simple as that" Frodo said to his cousin.
"Aye Mr Frodo, aye" Sam sighed. "Rosie is right; there is no way we can get over this ere matter. No, I think we should tell this Broadbeam, before somebody else does."
Nina's eyes widened in terror. "No!" she called.
"Nina, please, we must" Frodo looked at her, his sapphire eyes soft and gentle.
"But," Nina stuttered and looked to Holly for support.
"It would be better that way . . ." the young Brandybuck answered. "I'm sorry Nina, I know you may think that I'm not being a good friend to you, but . . . what else is there to do?!"
"Run away?" Pippin suggested.
"And where do they go?!" Merry called. "Especially in Nina's condition, travelling is off the list!"
"Telling Friado is the only option" Holly said quietly, looking to her cousin. "Bilbo would suggest the same, Frodo"
"Yes, he would" Frodo agreed. "Nina, they're right, we must go and see Friado, the sooner the better."
"And what do we say?!"
"The truth"
"The truth?! And you think that'll make it all better?!" Nina stood up, tears filling her eyes. She thought everything would be perfect now she was to have Frodo's baby, she thought they would be together for definite now . . . but no, a Broadbeam must have the truth, the Broadbeam must have the advantage of ruining what life she had left, the Broadbeam was going to get the chance of making her miserable.
"Nina, Nina please . . ." Holly said. "Shouting won't make it better either"
"But what will make it better?!" the tears ran freely down her cheeks.
"The truth"
"Oh! Bother the truth! Bother the Broadbeams! It's all their fault!" Nina sobbed as she turned on her heal and ran out. She didn't even look back as she ran and ran through Hobbiton market, ignoring the frowned expressions of other Hobbits.
Nina ran through the woods and up the hill, slipping a few times as she cried harder. She slumped down against the tree, puling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She hid her face in her knees and cried.
She felt the figure sit beside her and pull her into an embrace. She knew immediately who, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Nina, please don't cry . . ." Frodo whispered, stroking her curls.
"Why?" she sniffed. "He's already ruined it all"
"Come on," Frodo said, lifting her chin she could look at him. "We can get through this . . ."
"No, no we can't. You heard them all in there. It's impossible. And I know that we have to tell Friado, it's just that . . . that"
Frodo kissed her gently. "It may seem impossible . . . but that doesn't mean it is impossible. Everyone thought that a hobbit could not contempt with the will of Sauron . . . well; Sam, Pippin, Merry and I proved them all wrong didn't we. All of Sharkey's men thought that we hobbits could not defeat them . . . and we did. We just need strong feelings - hope, faith, love . . . we can get through anything"
Nina smiled, silent tears still falling as Frodo kissed them away gently. "We can even get through telling Friado. But not yet" he whispered. "Let's enjoy our news for a while longer" he out his hand to her stomach and caressed it lightly.
"Frodo?"
"Yes?"
"I love you"
"I love you too" he smiled, nuzzling her neck. "I always will . . . remember that"
Nina smiled and hugged him tightly . . . the two lovers so into one another at that moment in time, that they did not notice a figure hidden behind the trees, seeing and hearing all . . .