Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to
Tolkien. Please, any mistakes tell me so I can fix them! I always want
the best fan fiction I can write posted here. Please, read and review.
After that night, I remember going back into the house and attempting to go to sleep, but to no avail. I couldn't stop thinking of Estella or that voice that had interrupted us. Finally my thoughts had grown so unruly I leapt up and slipped out the door, not noticing Pippin passed out on the couch from too much ale at Sam's house.
I tiptoed out the door, intending to go to Estella's house, but not knowing what I would do when I got there. Her house seemed to loom before me, and I stopped and stared at it for awhile. What was I planning to do when I got there? I didn't know which window belonged to Estella. I felt rather stupid and turned to go home when I could hear yelling and a door slam. Soft crying was coming from a dark corner underneath a looming weeping willow and I stepped forward to investigate.
Estella was sitting next to the tree, a tear falling down her cheek. "Estella?" I asked softly, approaching her.
She looked up startled, the tear gone. "Meriadoc?"
"Call me Merry." I said, using my more informal name. "What happened?"
She tried to let out a little chuckle and looked down at her hands. "Nothing important."
"You don't want to talk about it, huh?" I asked gently, sitting down next to her.
She then shook her head, and looked up at me with teary eyes. In the dark light I found a bruise was forming across her face. "You should get some ice for that."
Estella let out a bitter laugh. "Never had before."
"This has happened to you before?" I asked, alarmed.
"You know me, I'm a klutz." She tried to explain it away, holding her hand softly to her head. I knew she was hiding something.
"I'll always be here for you, Estella. If you ever need anything, I'll be happy to oblige." I put my hand on her shoulder.
She jerked back, alarmed. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" She snapped at me, looking hurt.
"I don't know." I lied, shrugging. "I just realized you were.sort of special to me." I could feel my ears growing warm.
"Really?" She asked and her face seemed to light up. "No one has ever said that to me before." She explained, sitting back and seemed to bask in the joy of hearing that.
"No one?" I asked. She shook her head. "I remember growing up with you." I grinned at the memories.
"I would always want to go off on an adventure with you and Pippin." She gave a small smile.
"But girls were icky. They didn't go on adventures with us." I laughed.
"What adventure did you go on, Merry? I've heard lots of rumors." She asked softly, looking up at me.
"Long version or the short version?" I asked, crossing my arms.
She leaned on my shoulder slightly. "I have all night."
I grinned and started in detail to tell her how I had stumbled accidentally onto this wild journey through Middle Earth, and how I had met some wonderful people along the way. I told her about Treebeard and the fun Pippin and I had with him, explaining my little growth spurt. She nodded sleepily at that part, adding that she noticed I was taller. I told her about how I served King Theoden in the last battle for Middle Earth and how Eowyn and I had defeated the Witch King together. At that point of the story, I could hear Estella's deep even breathing and I realized she was asleep.
I had then laid my head down against the tree and closed my eyes. I felt Estella lean on my chest and I smiled as I drifted off to sleep.
"And why are you taking so long with breakfast?" Estella demanded from the bedroom. I was shaken from my daydreams.
"Sorry Stelly." I used my pet name for her. "Just thinking about the first night we slept together." I grinned cheekily.
"You are a bad, bad hobbit." She laughed. "You're lucky I'm too tired to come in there to teach you a lesson."
"You're all talk Estella." I grinned and finished cooking the potatoes. Toast was done and the sausages were cooking away.
"You're right, Merry." I heard Estella's footsteps behind me.
"Go back to bed!" I demanded. "This was supposed to be breakfast in bed."
"I'm sorry." She stuck out her lower lip and I got the feeling that she really wasn't. "My cook was taking too long and I was just dying of thirst." She pouted as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.
"Now back to bed. I want to feel like I can do something right!" I protested, placing potatoes and toast on a plate for her.
"Alright Merry." She sighed and rolled her eyes playfully. She gave me a short peck on the lips and skidded off back to bed. God, how I loved her.
I followed her back into the bedroom with the plate of food for her. She settled down among the covers and grinned back at me, anticipating the food. I placed it in front of her with a grand flourish. She sniffed it.
"Not bad." She grinned and tasted it. "Not bad at all, Mr. Brandybuck."
I started to say something then realized the sausages were burning. "Oh, no!" I cried, running back to the kitchen, with Estella's laughter emitting from the bedroom. I took them off the stove and examined them. "They aren't too bad." I said, putting them on a plate and bringing them back to the bedroom. "Would you like one?"
She shrugged. "They have to be better then these potatoes."
"Hey!" I said, shooting her a look.
"I'm joking, honey. These are great potatoes. Hope the sausages can live up to them."
I sat down on the bed next to her as she dove into the sausages. That's what I love about her. Just one morning of making breakfast can turn into one long banter that makes me feel like a young hobbit again. Estella's laughter was something I loved to hear, and I always heard it with our antics.
But it wasn't always this way.
I remember a time when hearing Etella's laugh was rare.
After that night, I remember going back into the house and attempting to go to sleep, but to no avail. I couldn't stop thinking of Estella or that voice that had interrupted us. Finally my thoughts had grown so unruly I leapt up and slipped out the door, not noticing Pippin passed out on the couch from too much ale at Sam's house.
I tiptoed out the door, intending to go to Estella's house, but not knowing what I would do when I got there. Her house seemed to loom before me, and I stopped and stared at it for awhile. What was I planning to do when I got there? I didn't know which window belonged to Estella. I felt rather stupid and turned to go home when I could hear yelling and a door slam. Soft crying was coming from a dark corner underneath a looming weeping willow and I stepped forward to investigate.
Estella was sitting next to the tree, a tear falling down her cheek. "Estella?" I asked softly, approaching her.
She looked up startled, the tear gone. "Meriadoc?"
"Call me Merry." I said, using my more informal name. "What happened?"
She tried to let out a little chuckle and looked down at her hands. "Nothing important."
"You don't want to talk about it, huh?" I asked gently, sitting down next to her.
She then shook her head, and looked up at me with teary eyes. In the dark light I found a bruise was forming across her face. "You should get some ice for that."
Estella let out a bitter laugh. "Never had before."
"This has happened to you before?" I asked, alarmed.
"You know me, I'm a klutz." She tried to explain it away, holding her hand softly to her head. I knew she was hiding something.
"I'll always be here for you, Estella. If you ever need anything, I'll be happy to oblige." I put my hand on her shoulder.
She jerked back, alarmed. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" She snapped at me, looking hurt.
"I don't know." I lied, shrugging. "I just realized you were.sort of special to me." I could feel my ears growing warm.
"Really?" She asked and her face seemed to light up. "No one has ever said that to me before." She explained, sitting back and seemed to bask in the joy of hearing that.
"No one?" I asked. She shook her head. "I remember growing up with you." I grinned at the memories.
"I would always want to go off on an adventure with you and Pippin." She gave a small smile.
"But girls were icky. They didn't go on adventures with us." I laughed.
"What adventure did you go on, Merry? I've heard lots of rumors." She asked softly, looking up at me.
"Long version or the short version?" I asked, crossing my arms.
She leaned on my shoulder slightly. "I have all night."
I grinned and started in detail to tell her how I had stumbled accidentally onto this wild journey through Middle Earth, and how I had met some wonderful people along the way. I told her about Treebeard and the fun Pippin and I had with him, explaining my little growth spurt. She nodded sleepily at that part, adding that she noticed I was taller. I told her about how I served King Theoden in the last battle for Middle Earth and how Eowyn and I had defeated the Witch King together. At that point of the story, I could hear Estella's deep even breathing and I realized she was asleep.
I had then laid my head down against the tree and closed my eyes. I felt Estella lean on my chest and I smiled as I drifted off to sleep.
"And why are you taking so long with breakfast?" Estella demanded from the bedroom. I was shaken from my daydreams.
"Sorry Stelly." I used my pet name for her. "Just thinking about the first night we slept together." I grinned cheekily.
"You are a bad, bad hobbit." She laughed. "You're lucky I'm too tired to come in there to teach you a lesson."
"You're all talk Estella." I grinned and finished cooking the potatoes. Toast was done and the sausages were cooking away.
"You're right, Merry." I heard Estella's footsteps behind me.
"Go back to bed!" I demanded. "This was supposed to be breakfast in bed."
"I'm sorry." She stuck out her lower lip and I got the feeling that she really wasn't. "My cook was taking too long and I was just dying of thirst." She pouted as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.
"Now back to bed. I want to feel like I can do something right!" I protested, placing potatoes and toast on a plate for her.
"Alright Merry." She sighed and rolled her eyes playfully. She gave me a short peck on the lips and skidded off back to bed. God, how I loved her.
I followed her back into the bedroom with the plate of food for her. She settled down among the covers and grinned back at me, anticipating the food. I placed it in front of her with a grand flourish. She sniffed it.
"Not bad." She grinned and tasted it. "Not bad at all, Mr. Brandybuck."
I started to say something then realized the sausages were burning. "Oh, no!" I cried, running back to the kitchen, with Estella's laughter emitting from the bedroom. I took them off the stove and examined them. "They aren't too bad." I said, putting them on a plate and bringing them back to the bedroom. "Would you like one?"
She shrugged. "They have to be better then these potatoes."
"Hey!" I said, shooting her a look.
"I'm joking, honey. These are great potatoes. Hope the sausages can live up to them."
I sat down on the bed next to her as she dove into the sausages. That's what I love about her. Just one morning of making breakfast can turn into one long banter that makes me feel like a young hobbit again. Estella's laughter was something I loved to hear, and I always heard it with our antics.
But it wasn't always this way.
I remember a time when hearing Etella's laugh was rare.