Disclaimer: I didn't own any more than I did before, sorry..
The next morning, Sam and Pippin awoke, convinced they were going to find the murderer. First stop, the Hobbit-hole belonging to the last person to be seen with Merry - his girlfriend, Samia. Sam nervously knocked on the door. Talking to Samia always made him nervous, and he never had any clue why.
She answered the door, her eyes red from crying. Guilty conscience, Pippin thought bitterly as she looked at the two of them. He had never really liked her much. "Samwise Gamgee, and Peregrin Took." She greeted them softly, gesturing for them to enter.
"Where were you last night?" Pippin asked accusingly, glaring into her red eyes through his own. He was too fired up to notice that she seemed at least as upset as him, if not more so.
Samia looked rather taken aback by his accusing tone, stumbling backwards and looking as though a fresh batch of tears was about to come flooding out. "I was at the party, Pippin." She whispered shyly. "You know that. I was talking to you, and. and." She sniffled, turning away. "And Merry." She really was very upset by his murder, more upset than anyone Pippin knew, bar only himself and Merry's immediate family. Oh, and maybe Sam as well.
~~Flashback~~
"I don't understand what you see in her." Pippin told his cousin bluntly as they walked together through Farmer Maggots' field.
Merry shrugged as he pulled a carrot out of the ground in passing and began to munch on it. "I didn't understand what you saw in thingamy, but did I point it out to you?"
Pippin scowled. "You shut up about her, okay? And yes you did point it out to me. Several times."
"Well, this is different. You and whatever-her-name-was -"
"Kata."
"Right, well, you and Kata wasn't a really big thing. So you had a huge crush on her, why I will never understand, and she was leading you on. There wasn't much in that relationship." Merry turned to look at Pippin, sincerity reflecting in his eyes. "But, Pip, this is different. I don't really /know/, but I'm absolutely positive that I love her. It's not some silly crush. I love Samia."
Pippin blinked a few times, staring at Merry. "Love?" He repeated. "Wow, Merry. This /isn't/ just a crush. I can see it in your eyes." He broke into a wide grin, tossing his arm around Merry's shoulders. "My cousin's in looooooove!"
~~End Flashback~~
"You miss Mister Merry a lot, don't you?" Sam spoke quietly suddenly. Pippin was surprised; he had quite forgotten Sam was still right beside him. This sudden memory had stirred up all the emotion in him again. Tears came to his eyes once more. He fumbled around for something to wipe his eyes, but he found nothing. He brushed the tears away with the back of his hand, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. It was no good crying about it; no amount of tears was going to bring his cousin back. Neither was catching the murderer, but at least it would make him feel better, knowing the crime had not passed unpunished.
"You and Merry were always the life of the party, Pippin." Samia began to explain, wiping her eyes also. "Not the type of people anyone could ignore. Everyone liked him. You two were always singing and dancing and having fun. I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to hurt him.
Sam offered her a half-smile, the closest anyone in the room had come to being happy since the previous day. "You really loved Merry, didn't you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. An observation.
She nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes again. Pippin felt for her. He knew what she was going through. He was going through exactly the same thing. Okay, maybe not /exactly/ the same. She had lost her true love; he had lost his best friend. And all this in one cruel act. "I know." He replied gently. "And he loved you too, a lot. More than I've ever known Merry to love anyone"
Samia looked at him in remote surprise. "No, Pippin. He could not have loved me more than anyone else in the world. Not at least while you were still his best friend. He never told me how much you meant to him, but I could tell. Just by looking into his eyes I could tell that if anything ever happened to you, he'd be a nothing. If suddenly there was no more Pippin, what would the point be of there being a Merry?"
Pippin shook his head. "You're wrong, Samia." He told her. "Very, very wrong. Without Pippin, there can still be a Merry. Without Merry. well, I'm still trying to figure that one out." The conversation was getting soft, and sappy. Not only that, but more than likely, she was trying to change the subject. Pippin folded his arms, and glared at her, hardening his tone. "What happened, exactly, Samia?"
She paused, trying to remember exactly. Each word came with a shaky breath as though she was holding back more tears. There surely weren't that many tears in the world. "Soon after you left, the elf-maiden, Tara, appeared."
One of the only elves who hadn't gone over the sea was Tara, an attractive female who had chosen to stay with the Hobbits. Quite a few people saw this as suspicious, but she insisted that she loved the Shire and enjoyed the company of the 'little people'. Enjoying their company was surely not the right phrase, and really, neither was 'elf-maiden'. Few people knew she actually had not chosen to stay behind, but had been, in a manner of speaking, exiled for her promiscuous nature.
"Tara was pretty much blatantly seducing Merry. I left after that, and I never saw him again." She burst into tears, and Pippin stepped back awkwardly, wishing he had a handkerchief or something to offer her. "When I get my hands on her, I'll kill her! Poor Merry, I know she did it!"
Pippin and Sam were beginning to feel a bit awkward, and neither of them had had much experience with their cousins' wailing girlfriends, and so left. "I guess it wasn't her, after all." Pippin admitted, as they made their way towards Tara's normal hangout. "But I'll bet nearly anything that Tara had something to do with it."
The next morning, Sam and Pippin awoke, convinced they were going to find the murderer. First stop, the Hobbit-hole belonging to the last person to be seen with Merry - his girlfriend, Samia. Sam nervously knocked on the door. Talking to Samia always made him nervous, and he never had any clue why.
She answered the door, her eyes red from crying. Guilty conscience, Pippin thought bitterly as she looked at the two of them. He had never really liked her much. "Samwise Gamgee, and Peregrin Took." She greeted them softly, gesturing for them to enter.
"Where were you last night?" Pippin asked accusingly, glaring into her red eyes through his own. He was too fired up to notice that she seemed at least as upset as him, if not more so.
Samia looked rather taken aback by his accusing tone, stumbling backwards and looking as though a fresh batch of tears was about to come flooding out. "I was at the party, Pippin." She whispered shyly. "You know that. I was talking to you, and. and." She sniffled, turning away. "And Merry." She really was very upset by his murder, more upset than anyone Pippin knew, bar only himself and Merry's immediate family. Oh, and maybe Sam as well.
~~Flashback~~
"I don't understand what you see in her." Pippin told his cousin bluntly as they walked together through Farmer Maggots' field.
Merry shrugged as he pulled a carrot out of the ground in passing and began to munch on it. "I didn't understand what you saw in thingamy, but did I point it out to you?"
Pippin scowled. "You shut up about her, okay? And yes you did point it out to me. Several times."
"Well, this is different. You and whatever-her-name-was -"
"Kata."
"Right, well, you and Kata wasn't a really big thing. So you had a huge crush on her, why I will never understand, and she was leading you on. There wasn't much in that relationship." Merry turned to look at Pippin, sincerity reflecting in his eyes. "But, Pip, this is different. I don't really /know/, but I'm absolutely positive that I love her. It's not some silly crush. I love Samia."
Pippin blinked a few times, staring at Merry. "Love?" He repeated. "Wow, Merry. This /isn't/ just a crush. I can see it in your eyes." He broke into a wide grin, tossing his arm around Merry's shoulders. "My cousin's in looooooove!"
~~End Flashback~~
"You miss Mister Merry a lot, don't you?" Sam spoke quietly suddenly. Pippin was surprised; he had quite forgotten Sam was still right beside him. This sudden memory had stirred up all the emotion in him again. Tears came to his eyes once more. He fumbled around for something to wipe his eyes, but he found nothing. He brushed the tears away with the back of his hand, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. It was no good crying about it; no amount of tears was going to bring his cousin back. Neither was catching the murderer, but at least it would make him feel better, knowing the crime had not passed unpunished.
"You and Merry were always the life of the party, Pippin." Samia began to explain, wiping her eyes also. "Not the type of people anyone could ignore. Everyone liked him. You two were always singing and dancing and having fun. I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to hurt him.
Sam offered her a half-smile, the closest anyone in the room had come to being happy since the previous day. "You really loved Merry, didn't you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. An observation.
She nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes again. Pippin felt for her. He knew what she was going through. He was going through exactly the same thing. Okay, maybe not /exactly/ the same. She had lost her true love; he had lost his best friend. And all this in one cruel act. "I know." He replied gently. "And he loved you too, a lot. More than I've ever known Merry to love anyone"
Samia looked at him in remote surprise. "No, Pippin. He could not have loved me more than anyone else in the world. Not at least while you were still his best friend. He never told me how much you meant to him, but I could tell. Just by looking into his eyes I could tell that if anything ever happened to you, he'd be a nothing. If suddenly there was no more Pippin, what would the point be of there being a Merry?"
Pippin shook his head. "You're wrong, Samia." He told her. "Very, very wrong. Without Pippin, there can still be a Merry. Without Merry. well, I'm still trying to figure that one out." The conversation was getting soft, and sappy. Not only that, but more than likely, she was trying to change the subject. Pippin folded his arms, and glared at her, hardening his tone. "What happened, exactly, Samia?"
She paused, trying to remember exactly. Each word came with a shaky breath as though she was holding back more tears. There surely weren't that many tears in the world. "Soon after you left, the elf-maiden, Tara, appeared."
One of the only elves who hadn't gone over the sea was Tara, an attractive female who had chosen to stay with the Hobbits. Quite a few people saw this as suspicious, but she insisted that she loved the Shire and enjoyed the company of the 'little people'. Enjoying their company was surely not the right phrase, and really, neither was 'elf-maiden'. Few people knew she actually had not chosen to stay behind, but had been, in a manner of speaking, exiled for her promiscuous nature.
"Tara was pretty much blatantly seducing Merry. I left after that, and I never saw him again." She burst into tears, and Pippin stepped back awkwardly, wishing he had a handkerchief or something to offer her. "When I get my hands on her, I'll kill her! Poor Merry, I know she did it!"
Pippin and Sam were beginning to feel a bit awkward, and neither of them had had much experience with their cousins' wailing girlfriends, and so left. "I guess it wasn't her, after all." Pippin admitted, as they made their way towards Tara's normal hangout. "But I'll bet nearly anything that Tara had something to do with it."