Aldarwen - Ooh, thanks for pointing that out. I always get those two words mixed up. :P

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I've always been a bit uncertain about this story, but your encouragement is very helpful! :)

Very, very sorry this next chapter took so long. Hopefully now that school's out, I'll be able to post more regularly for it.

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Chapter 6 - Strange Happenings

Hobbiton, 1449 S.R.

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When Goldilocks rushed into Bag End, she expected to find the hole empty. Instead, she saw her sister Elanor standing in front of the door, a surprised and panicked look on her face.

"Goldilocks!" she exclaimed.

"Elanor!" her sister returned. "What are you doing here?"

Elanor definitely seemed a bit on-edge. "What are *you* doing here?"

But Goldilocks was no longer looking at her sister. Her gaze was now on the young lad who sat in the kitchen and was looking almost as panicked as Elanor. "More importanly, what is *he* doing here?" she asked, a trace of amazement in her voice.

"Er..." Elanor glanced back at the boy sitting at the kitchen table, who shrugged helplessly. Before Goldilocks could ask any more questions, Elanor was herding her outside.

After the door had closed, Goldilocks narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What is Fastred Fairbairn doing in our kitchen?"

Elanor wrung her hands and fidgited awkwardly. Keeping her gaze fixed on her feet, she replied, "We were having some tea."

"Together?" Goldilocks fought a smile. "What brought this about?"

Pursing her lips, Elanor managed to look at her sister. "Though I don't see how it's any of your business, it just so happens that we've become friends as of late."

Raising her eyebrows, Goldilocks responded, "You're not... you're not courting him, are you?"

Looking away again, Elanor mumbled, "Not exactly..."

"But you want to," her sister finished for her. Elanor merely nodded, her pale cheeks reddening. "Well," Goldilocks said, attempting to find the right words. "That is quite... unbelievable."

Elanor glanced up ever so slightly. "Is it that hard to believe?"

It took all of Goldilocks's willpower not to laugh. "Ellie, last I knew, you and Fastred hated each other. You thought he was coarse and unrefined, he thought you were, well, snobbish."

A small smile came to Elanor's face. "I suppose we both discovered that we were wrong about each other."

Goldilocks finally succumbed to the grin. "It certainly appears that way."

Elanor's smile widened at this, but it slowly faded as she regarded her sister more carefully. "But what are you doing here?" she inquired for a second time.

This time it was Goldilocks who fidgited. "Oh, you know, just wanted to get away from things for a while." Goldilocks had just come from the Party Field, where nearly all of Hobbiton, as well as Thain Peregrin and Master Meriadoc of Buckland and their families, were gathered to celebrate the birthday of Mayor Samwise Gamgee.

But Elanor was by no means convinced. "Did something happen to you? You look flushed... "

Goldilocks turned her now-wide eyes away from Elanor. "I... I was running."

"From what?" A mischievious glint was now in Elanor's eyes. "Or rather, from whom?"

"N- no one! I was just..."

She never got the chance to finish. A realization seemed to have dawned on Elanor, for her eyes widened with surprise and joy. "Goldilocks Gamgee! I don't believe it! Who was it? Ooh, it had to have been Faramir... It was, wasn't it? Of course, it could only have been Faramir..."

Goldilocks had the look of a rabbit being hunted. "Wh- what are you talking about, Ellie?"

Elanor shook a playful finger at her sister. "Don't you try to feign ignorance with me, Goldilocks, I can see it all in your eyes." She put her hands behind her back, wearing a very self-satisfied smile. "You've just had your first kiss."

Goldilocks gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "How did you-- er, I mean..."

"Aha!" Elanor declared victoriously, pointing at Goldilocks accusingly. "It's too late, Goldie, you've given yourself away."

Her cheeks now a bright red, Goldilocks said, "All right, all right, I'll admit it." Her voice lowered to a mumble. "Faramir kissed me."

Much to Goldilocks's surprise, Elanor let out a delighted giggle. This was quite a change from the usually polite and reserved hobbit lass that Goldilocks had known. "I knew it! I just knew it would happen eventually. Rosie and Lily and I, we've all been waiting for something like this to happen." She took Goldilocks's hands eagerly. "Come, sit down, you have to tell me all about it."

Goldilocks sat down, still wondering how this girl could have once been Elanor Gamgee. The thought of her younger sister receiving her first kiss seemed to have a strange effect on Elanor. Or perhaps Fastred had done something. Poisoned her, maybe. "Wait, Ellie-- you left Fastred in the kitchen. Don't you think you should check on him?"

Elanor dismissed this with a wave of her hand as she sat down to join her sister. "Oh, he'll be fine. I was showing him Dad's book before you came in, and he seemed thoroughly engrossed. Now tell me - how did it happen?"

Goldilocks took a deep breath. "Well, it started sometime during the party. Faramir and I had decided to leave the Field and go into the woods, to get away from everyone..."

* * *

"Faramir, look!" Goldilocks pointed at the ground excitedly. "Daisies!"

As she sat down on the ground next to the small cluster of flowers, Faramir smiled and shook his head. "You and your flowers. What will you possibly do later on in life if you can't become a gardener?"

"I suspect if worse comes to worse, I could always be a housewife," she replied, wrinkling her nose playfully.

"Nonesense!" he said as he set himself down next to Goldilocks. "For that to happen, you'd need someone who wanted to marry you."

Goldilocks swiped playfully at his arm, but he caught her wrist and pulled, sending her tumbling onto the grass. Faramir attempted to pin her to the ground, but in a display of surprising strength, she managed to shove him off and pin him instead.

Her grin of triumph soon faded, however, when she was struck by the realization of how handsome her best friend had become. "Faramir..."

Faramir's grin had also diminished, and he now regarded Goldilocks with that strange look, that look she was still unable to understand. "Hm?"

"You look older," she said softly, and she wondered why it had taken her so long to notice.

A small smile flickered across his face. "You're not so young anymore yourself."

Before Goldilocks even knew what was happening, Faramir had gently pulled her face down to his until their lips met. And for those few seconds, all rational thoughts fled from Goldilocks's mind, leaving her free to know and feel only Faramir, his hand on her face, his lips on hers, the scent of him, the taste of him--

Quite suddenly, and far too soon, reality came rushing back, and Faramir pulled away, his eyes wide. He sat up and stared at Goldilocks timidly, almost fearfully, seeming to brace himself for whatever she would say to him.

"Faramir," she began, unsure of what she could possibly say.

But she never got the chance to finish. Faramir stood suddenly, looking away from her. "I shouldn't have done that," he muttered before turning and walking off into the woods, leaving a very confused Goldilocks to wonder about what had just happened.

* * *

"So I decided to come here and think things over. I had to run because if I'd taken too long, I think I might've gone mad on the way back."

Elanor regarded her sister thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you know what you're going to say to him?" she finally asked softly.

Goldilocks sighed and shook her head. "What do you say to your best friend after something like that?" She looked hopefully at Elanor. "You're seeing someone, so I'm sure you know a bit about these things - do you know what I should do?"

"I'm afraid not, Goldie," Elanor responded sadly. "Fastred and I hated each other, remember? It's a completely different situation. Why, you and Faramir have been best friends ever since he first waddled over to you and started petting your head when you were just a babe."

Hugging her knees to her chest, Goldilocks sighed again and said, "I know. I suppose this is just one of those things I'll have to work out for myself."

The silence that followed was eventually broken when the door opened and Fastred walked out to join them.

"Elanor, I..." He simply stared at Elanor for a moment, wearing a rather silly grin. "I really like your hair like that, when it's not pulled back."

Elanor returned the smile sheepishly. "Thank you."

Off to the side, Goldilocks regarded the pair as they gazed at each other fondly. They were madly in love, that much was obvious. Goldilocks also realized at that moment that Elanor and Fastred looked very good together, looked like they belonged together, and she was suddenly struck with a very strange thought - did she and Faramir look that way?

Goldilocks wanted to push the thought away, but then she began to wonder if it was really so far-fetched. Faramir knew her better than anyone; she trusted him and loved being around him, and she was saddest whenever he had to leave her. Of everyone Goldilocks had ever known, she thought about Faramir the most, missed him the most when he wasn't around. Could all of this add up to something more than friendship?

'Maybe I really *have* gone mad.' Goldilocks scowled. This was all Faramir's fault. If only he hadn't kissed her...

'And if only I hadn't enjoyed it so much...'

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