Chapter Nineteen
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Frodo asked as he grasped Nina's hand.
"I'll be fine," Nina smiled. "What can go wrong?"
Frodo cocked his eyebrows at her, as if in a jokingly way. "Well . . . someone may try to steal my girl . . ."
"They'll have a hard time!" Nina chuckled, kissing his cheek lightly.
"If Friado tries anything, anything at all that you don't like, just . . ." Frodo closed his eyes as he stuttered helplessly. "Just, come to me"
"I will," she whispered. "See you tomorrow?"
"As usual" he rolled his eyes as she gave him one final kiss.
"I think I better go," she smiled as she pulled away. "I think Friado is already suspicious enough"
With one final wave, Nina turned and walked back aimlessly through the dim streets of Hobbiton. Like nearly every moment of the day, Nina felt nauseous. Of course, what else was she to expect if she was pregnant?! But it was Rose who discovered Nina's pregnancy after Nina was sick numerous of times and felt not right. After the discovery, Nina only felt happy about it all.
As she approached her new home, she drew in a deep breath. She only wanted to run far away but knew she couldn't. As she opened the front door, she was shocked to find she was greeted with her mother and father rushing up to her, kissing her cheeks, hugging her and telling her how proud they were.
"P - Proud of w-what?" she stuttered, frowning as Friado looked at her from across the room; his gaze piercing.
"The baby of course!" Lilla Roper hugged her again. "I just knew it Nina! I knew you'd be the first to have our little grand daughter!"
Brealla and Friabo Broadbeam were there too, sending off congratulations and Brealla wept as she hugged her son. Nissa squealed with excitement as she hugged her sister.
"Any names as yet?!" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Um . . . well . . . no, not yet" Nina stuttered again, wondering how? Where? How did they know . . . ?
Portia looked at her from across the room, Friagrin and Sogrin joking amongst themselves and whispering.
"This calls for a toast!" Meruda said, handing out glasses to everyone as they held them up. "To my precious Nina and her Friado! And also to the new addition to the Broadbeams!"
"Here, here!" everyone chorused . . . all except Friado and herself, Nina thought.
"To our grandson or granddaughter!" Friabo added. "I wish Friado and Nina all the happiness in the world . . . I know they will make perfect parents!"
'No,' Nina thought. 'This isn't happening. How do they know about the baby?! And it shall not be a Broadbeam, it's a Baggins . . . how do they know . . . ? Everything is wrong . . . '
She looked up as Friado walked towards her. "Yes," he said in response to his father. "Everything will be just fine now" he never took his ice cold gaze away from Nina and it scared her . . . "Everything shall be perfect" he added, in a quiet whisper to her.
Nina looked down, something was going terribly wrong here . . .
Friado moved away as Portia walked towards her sister.
"It's his isn't it?" Portia whispered as everyone else laughed and talked amongst one another.
"What?" Nina sighed.
"It's Frodo's baby isn't it?"
"What's it to you?"
"A lot" Portia answered. "Does Frodo know?"
"Yes,"
"And what were you planning to do about it?! How is it that Friado knows?!"
"I don't know! I thought you told him!"
"Me?! Why should I carry such information and then pass it on to Friado?! I do not know how he knows, but I think he knows everything about you and Frodo Baggins. He didn't seem in the best of moods when he told the news"
Nina sighed. "Then I suppose he knows everything"
"What are you going to do, is the question?"
"Leave him"
"What?!"
"Well, he would not want a cheating wife . . . he'll have to let me go now"
"Nina that is cruel! Besides if that is the case, then why has he called all of us round, explaining that the baby is *his*?!"
"Can you just leave me alone?!"
"No"
"Please???"
"Nina, just listen to yourself! You act as though it is not a big deal . . . but I have news for you . . . it *is* a big deal. And now there's a little baby involved, you are going to have to be careful. A lot more careful"
Nina put a hand to her stomach protectively as Portia excused herself. One again, Portia had to come over, say her piece and threats, then walk away to make her think about it. Sometimes Nina wanted to ring her neck, though, she knew Portia was right.
//
After the rest of the guests had left, Nina planted herself down on the couch, exhausted. Friado closed the door a little too harshly and turned to her.
"Well, well," he said, walking towards her. "A baby"
Nina looked at him. "W-where did you get that idea?"
"I was told about it" he answered, never taking his eyes off her.
"By who?"
"Well, not exactly *told* I overheard a couple talking about it. Very cute young couple I must say. Though they seemed to be whispering . . . as though they weren't *meant* to be on that hill together."
"Look Friado, I-" tears of fright crept up in Nina's eyes as Friado continued to walk towards her slowly.
"All those times I thought you were with friends. You weren't. You where with *him*"
"Well, I-"
"You just ran off to see him. And I bet those friends of yours knew too . . . well, we'll soon set that right"
"What are you going to do to them?!" Nina choked as more tears fell.
"Nothing . . . yet. We're going to have our baby and get married . . . darling" he grinned, an evil grin.
"Please . . . leave them alone -"
Before she could utter another plea, Friado went red with anger and smacked her hard across the cheek. He grasped her chin and made her face him.
"We'll take care of everything, you little whore. We're going to live happily together, you got it?!"
Nina nodded quickly, her breathing hard and fast.
"You go near that Baggins again . . . and I'll kill him. I'll make sure he suffers. You got it whore?!"
Nina nodded again as he picked her up and took her to the bedroom, throwing her down hard on the bed.
"And as for our baby . . ." he started, climbing on top of her, holding her down. "Well . . . we best make it officially a Broadbeam . . ."
"No," Nina gasped as he started kissing her harshly. "Leave me alone!"
"Quiet, you little whore!" Friado shook her violently. "You make another sound and you'll know about it . . ."
She was too scared to protest . . . too scared to do anything at all but let him do that to her . . . and no one was there to help this time.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Frodo asked as he grasped Nina's hand.
"I'll be fine," Nina smiled. "What can go wrong?"
Frodo cocked his eyebrows at her, as if in a jokingly way. "Well . . . someone may try to steal my girl . . ."
"They'll have a hard time!" Nina chuckled, kissing his cheek lightly.
"If Friado tries anything, anything at all that you don't like, just . . ." Frodo closed his eyes as he stuttered helplessly. "Just, come to me"
"I will," she whispered. "See you tomorrow?"
"As usual" he rolled his eyes as she gave him one final kiss.
"I think I better go," she smiled as she pulled away. "I think Friado is already suspicious enough"
With one final wave, Nina turned and walked back aimlessly through the dim streets of Hobbiton. Like nearly every moment of the day, Nina felt nauseous. Of course, what else was she to expect if she was pregnant?! But it was Rose who discovered Nina's pregnancy after Nina was sick numerous of times and felt not right. After the discovery, Nina only felt happy about it all.
As she approached her new home, she drew in a deep breath. She only wanted to run far away but knew she couldn't. As she opened the front door, she was shocked to find she was greeted with her mother and father rushing up to her, kissing her cheeks, hugging her and telling her how proud they were.
"P - Proud of w-what?" she stuttered, frowning as Friado looked at her from across the room; his gaze piercing.
"The baby of course!" Lilla Roper hugged her again. "I just knew it Nina! I knew you'd be the first to have our little grand daughter!"
Brealla and Friabo Broadbeam were there too, sending off congratulations and Brealla wept as she hugged her son. Nissa squealed with excitement as she hugged her sister.
"Any names as yet?!" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Um . . . well . . . no, not yet" Nina stuttered again, wondering how? Where? How did they know . . . ?
Portia looked at her from across the room, Friagrin and Sogrin joking amongst themselves and whispering.
"This calls for a toast!" Meruda said, handing out glasses to everyone as they held them up. "To my precious Nina and her Friado! And also to the new addition to the Broadbeams!"
"Here, here!" everyone chorused . . . all except Friado and herself, Nina thought.
"To our grandson or granddaughter!" Friabo added. "I wish Friado and Nina all the happiness in the world . . . I know they will make perfect parents!"
'No,' Nina thought. 'This isn't happening. How do they know about the baby?! And it shall not be a Broadbeam, it's a Baggins . . . how do they know . . . ? Everything is wrong . . . '
She looked up as Friado walked towards her. "Yes," he said in response to his father. "Everything will be just fine now" he never took his ice cold gaze away from Nina and it scared her . . . "Everything shall be perfect" he added, in a quiet whisper to her.
Nina looked down, something was going terribly wrong here . . .
Friado moved away as Portia walked towards her sister.
"It's his isn't it?" Portia whispered as everyone else laughed and talked amongst one another.
"What?" Nina sighed.
"It's Frodo's baby isn't it?"
"What's it to you?"
"A lot" Portia answered. "Does Frodo know?"
"Yes,"
"And what were you planning to do about it?! How is it that Friado knows?!"
"I don't know! I thought you told him!"
"Me?! Why should I carry such information and then pass it on to Friado?! I do not know how he knows, but I think he knows everything about you and Frodo Baggins. He didn't seem in the best of moods when he told the news"
Nina sighed. "Then I suppose he knows everything"
"What are you going to do, is the question?"
"Leave him"
"What?!"
"Well, he would not want a cheating wife . . . he'll have to let me go now"
"Nina that is cruel! Besides if that is the case, then why has he called all of us round, explaining that the baby is *his*?!"
"Can you just leave me alone?!"
"No"
"Please???"
"Nina, just listen to yourself! You act as though it is not a big deal . . . but I have news for you . . . it *is* a big deal. And now there's a little baby involved, you are going to have to be careful. A lot more careful"
Nina put a hand to her stomach protectively as Portia excused herself. One again, Portia had to come over, say her piece and threats, then walk away to make her think about it. Sometimes Nina wanted to ring her neck, though, she knew Portia was right.
//
After the rest of the guests had left, Nina planted herself down on the couch, exhausted. Friado closed the door a little too harshly and turned to her.
"Well, well," he said, walking towards her. "A baby"
Nina looked at him. "W-where did you get that idea?"
"I was told about it" he answered, never taking his eyes off her.
"By who?"
"Well, not exactly *told* I overheard a couple talking about it. Very cute young couple I must say. Though they seemed to be whispering . . . as though they weren't *meant* to be on that hill together."
"Look Friado, I-" tears of fright crept up in Nina's eyes as Friado continued to walk towards her slowly.
"All those times I thought you were with friends. You weren't. You where with *him*"
"Well, I-"
"You just ran off to see him. And I bet those friends of yours knew too . . . well, we'll soon set that right"
"What are you going to do to them?!" Nina choked as more tears fell.
"Nothing . . . yet. We're going to have our baby and get married . . . darling" he grinned, an evil grin.
"Please . . . leave them alone -"
Before she could utter another plea, Friado went red with anger and smacked her hard across the cheek. He grasped her chin and made her face him.
"We'll take care of everything, you little whore. We're going to live happily together, you got it?!"
Nina nodded quickly, her breathing hard and fast.
"You go near that Baggins again . . . and I'll kill him. I'll make sure he suffers. You got it whore?!"
Nina nodded again as he picked her up and took her to the bedroom, throwing her down hard on the bed.
"And as for our baby . . ." he started, climbing on top of her, holding her down. "Well . . . we best make it officially a Broadbeam . . ."
"No," Nina gasped as he started kissing her harshly. "Leave me alone!"
"Quiet, you little whore!" Friado shook her violently. "You make another sound and you'll know about it . . ."
She was too scared to protest . . . too scared to do anything at all but let him do that to her . . . and no one was there to help this time.