Afterwards

Sam thrust the door open with a bang and virtually pranced into the living room where Frodo, Pippin, and Merry sat with large mugs of ale. They immediately turned to face him, and he saw baffled expressions rise in their face. He could almost hear the thoughts running through their heads. Sam, usually his bashful and nervous self, was smiling broadly and red in the face from running.

Taking in a deep breath, he announced, "Poor, pitiful hobbits of your meager level. I, Samwise Gamgee, have received a kiss on the cheek from Rosie Cotton!" He pointed to his cheek for unseen proof. Noise grew as they all abandoned their mugs and rushed to Sam cheering and whooping. They all grabbed him in a group hug at the same time and clapped him on the back.

"Congratulations!" Merry called, giving Sam a shake.

"You'll be a Pippin yet!" Frodo remarked.

The racket died down as they led Sam to a chair, presented him with a large mug of ale as a "prize", and demanded to know exactly everything that had happened. Sam, taking a sigh, quite tired from the running and the dinner, told them as quickly as possible.

Pippin was quite disappointed that it wasn't the romantic candlelit beauty he had pictured. "How rude, really!" He said sounding mortally offended. "Didn't they realize that it was supposed to be the two alone, nice and romantic, wine and the whole candle thing with a nice, passionate kiss at the end of it?!"

Frodo contained a chortle and said, "Well, I doubt that you'd have such a dinner like that, Pippin. After five minutes you'd probably throw down your napkin and rush down to the nearest tavern or inn lobby you could find!"

"Sorry, Pip," Merry added, "I'll have to agree with Frodo there."

Pippin pretended not to hear and said, "Well, Sam, what do you plan to do now? You should invite Rosie over here for a nice dinner, I think."

Merry shook his head, "Too repetitive, it needs to be something different and new."

Frodo leaped upon the table and put a hand to his heart, saying in a ridiculously lovesick voice, "What could more romantic and dreamy then a walk in Sam's own garden, filled with his hard work and devotion to the earth.?"

Pippin groaned and Merry hid his face in his hands, muttering, "Oh no."

Frodo continued on, a smile on his face that he quickly hid behind his hopeful look, "Then with the flowers blooming brightly and the buds shining with radiance." Pippin here stuck a finger into his mouth, gagging. Frodo lifted his other hand to his heart, "Sam will proclaim his everlasting love to her, and in the warm sunlight of the afternoon." he choked here, pretending to sob, "they shall share true love's first kiss."

"Well." Sam said in a sarcastic voice, taking a swallow of ale, "that sounds like a plan to me! When should I ask?"

Merry laughed and said, "Looks like Sam here is getting a little cocky, eh?" He gave Sam a shove and said, "We'll need to knock him back down to reality in a while."

Frodo jumped off the table and said, "Well, right now the only place I want to be knocked down to is a bed! I don't know about you but I'm going to sleep! All for the best, Sam!"

"I second that notion!" Pippin announced, heading off to one of the many guest rooms in Bag End.

Sam and Merry headed to their rooms as well, Merry saying, "Well, Sam you better win Rosie over! If you need any help, you know me!" He gave Sam a wink and headed into his room.

Sam collapsed in his bed, staring up at the ceiling for awhile. The moonlight streamed into his room and gave him little light. His pack from last night had been hastily dumped on the floor and remained there. 'This has been one confusing night, Samwise Gamgee.' he thought to himself. Overcome with exhaustion, he fell into sleep without a second thought. ***

Sam had woken up a little later then he had planned to, and he had to hurry and make everyone a breakfast then rush out to do some gardening. Even with Rosie, he still had work to do. After about an hour or so of trying to trim the grass, he gave up and lay down on the ground. All through the work he had thought about Rosie, unable to fight off the daydreams and thoughts. Because of that he had gotten very little done. 'She's just too pretty.' He thought, 'and not only that she's nice and has plenty of talent in her.' He shook his head, then got back up. Reluctantly picking up the shears again, he tried to trim some more, but to no avail as after only ten minutes he set them down again. Rosie had crept again into his thoughts.

Frustrated, Sam sat down and sighed. 'I can't do anything today, why?!' he asked himself, though he knew the answer.

"You seem depressed, Sam, do you need help?" Sam, startled, looked up and saw Merry, Pippin, and Frodo standing around him.

"We saw you working out here all alone and figured that you needed to stop and smell the flowers, for once, not plant them!" Pippin said cheerfully, plopping down next to Sam, putting on a face of mock seriousness. "Let's start on your childhood, were you abused as a child?"

Merry kicked Pippin softly, saying, "Stop that! You know very well he was!"

"Now what are you so sad about, Sam?!" Pippin said, "Rosie has just laid herself before you and you're moping about, clipping grass and frowning about! Not a right reaction to such a joy!"

Sam nodded and added sadly, "I know, I just can't get her out of my head! I can't to any work, and, well, I guess that's why I'm feeling down. I love her, but too much!"

Frodo made a "tsk" noise and then said, "Sam, you know what you need? You need to get away from Rosie for awhile, I know it sounds insane! But it'll be good for you!"

Pippin then leapt to his feet, arms raised in the air, yelling, "And what better to get away from the troubles of the world then I nice, long, trip to The Green Dragon!?"

"Can't go now, Pippin!" Merry said, "It's in the middle of the afternoon, it's the best when evening! 'till, then, I say we help Sam here with some of this gardening stuff!"

"It's not 'stuff'." Said Sam, slightly offended, but feeling a little better.

"Yeah!" Pippin said, "It's hard work and sweat and blood!" he pounded his fist down on the ground and repeated, "HARD WORK, SWEAT, AND BLOOD!"

"Shut up, Pippin." Merry said simply and stood up, rolling up his sleeves, "Where do we start?"

All afternoon they "slaved", as Pippin called it, in the garden, replanting, trimming, pruning, and to everyone's great distress, fertilized. Frodo even tripped over a rock and fell into a pile of thorny branches. By half past six, they had cleared away the branches and clippings, and the garden looked even more stunning then before. They had added an extra hedge along the edge of the lawn, which made a nice contribution to the yard, not to mention the bright colors of the flowers.

"I've had enough of this SLAVE labor!" Pippin announced, upon viewing their work. "I don't know about you ninnies, but I'm going to The Green Dragon for a drink and none of YOU idiots can stop me!"

Merry snorted and replied, "Well, we all decided to go, so there's really no point in stopping you if your going to come WITH us!"

Pippin shrugged, "Engh, all the same to me, let's go!"

So they walked down the road, talking about everything from the weather to when Sam would get married.

Sam reddened again and said, "Oh, I don't think we really need to think about that now."

Frodo rolled his eyes and looked at Sam seriously, saying, "Sam, I don't know how many times we have to tell you. Rosie Cotton is in love with you! Need we say it again? It's only obvious!"

Sam fidgeted and replied, "I don't know, it just doesn't seem."

Merry put his arm around Sam and said, "What he MEANS to say is that he doesn't believe that Rosie has actually fallen for the charming, handsome, talented, heroic, legendary hobbit known as Samwise Gamgee!"

"It's just too good to be true!" Pippin said in a high voice, clasping his hands together, placing them up to his cheek, and fluttering his eyelashes teasingly. Frodo made a fake choking noise and pushed Pippin off the road.

The Green Dragon was a small inn in Bywater, not that far away from Hobbiton, and was a favorite of Merry and Pippin. Many hobbits went there just to talk, drink, and in Pippin's case, flirt. The only problem, in Sam's opinion, was that Ted Sandyman often visited there, and they weren't exactly on friendly terms. In fact, Ted was one of the hobbits that used (in this case he still) tormented Sam as a child. Sam usually dealt with it and ignored it, but day by day he found it harder and harder.

"Whew!" Pippin said as they hurried inside the inn, "It's colder at night then I thought it'd be!"

"That's just because you're a wimp, Pippin." Merry said.

They all went to the counter, ordered a mug of ale, and then sat down at a table not far from the corner. The smoke from pipes hovered above the noisy room, maids and waitresses edged between tables and chairs, smiling at the customers and winking at a couple. Some hobbits sat at a table in the center, playing cards with a little pile of coins. Most hobbits didn't gamble, they were more interested in the earth and their own selves more then money. But there are always exceptions. Sam glanced over the room while Merry and Frodo tried to stop Pippin from flirting, fortunately there was no sign of Ted Sandyman.

"Hey, Sam!" Frodo yelled over the noise, "why so glum?"

Sam picked up his mug as the maid placed it on the table, giving Pippin a sly wink and then sliding away. "Nothing, just a little tired I guess." He lied.

"Hello, there! Frodo!" A voice called, Frodo turned around and saw two girl hobbits waving at him. Frodo groaned and turned back, a unhappy look on his face.

"It's Pearl and Pervinca!" He hissed, glancing at Pippin, who merely smiled mischievously. "Why are they here!?"

Merry laughed and then looked into his cup innocently, "Really, Frodo." He said as they tried to hurry over toward their table. "They aren't that bad."

Pearl and Pervinca were Pippin's older sisters, and absolutely adored Frodo. They thought he was the "cutest thing ever to walk in the Shire". Every time he was met with kisses on the cheek, rib-cracking hugs, and lots of smiling. Sam, actually, felt a lot happier when they were around, because they were always so happy and in good spirits. However, Frodo never looked upon their visits as wonderful.

"No offense, Pip." Frodo said dreadfully, as they grew nearer, squealing. "They just.well."

Pippin laughed loudly and finished the sentence for him, "Annoy you? Yes, it's such a joy to witness."

Sam smiled with humor as well, taking a swallow of ale and trying hard not to snicker as Pearl promptly jumped on him, yelling, "Cousin Frodo!" then planting a nice kiss on his cheek.

Pearl was a pretty hobbit girl, with copper curls and a wide smile with pink cheeks. She often overdid herself with perfume, but besides that she was a rather enjoyable person to be around.if she wasn't positively obsessed with you.

Pervinca was a little more plump then Pearl, but contained herself more. Being one of the best singers in the area, she was known well and had many friends. Her dark brown hair was often held backs with many pins and colored ribbons, mostly pink ribbons, it being her favorite color.

"Cousin Frodo!" Pippin mimicked, shrieking and hugging Frodo as well.

Pervinca hit Pippin gently on the head, saying, "Pippin, you scoundrel! What've you been doing, running off like that?! Worried mama half to death you did!"

Pearl made no effort of letting go of Frodo, who was trying hard to keep on a smile. "Mama should never have to go through that again! You've already tortured her enough already with all your mischief!"

Pippin took a gulp of ale and smiled at a passing waitress, who blushed and smiled in return, then he faced his sisters and stated, "Well, mother will have to get bloody used to my running off because I just can't stay in the same place for so long! I get bored!"

Pervinca rolled her eyes then put a hand on Sam's shoulder saying, "Well, Sam, you're the kindest and most sensible person here, how've you been?"

Sam shrugged but smiled, "Not badly, it's been an interesting week."

Merry quickly blurted out before poor Sam had a chance to say anything, "He and Rosie just got together and he even received a pure kiss on his cheek! Hurrah for Sam!" He raised his mug.

"HURRAH FOR SAM!" Pippin and Frodo yelled, lifted their mugs as well and taking a long draught .
Pearl pushed Merry's shoulder, still holding on tightly to Frodo, and said, "Leave poor Sam alone!"

They sat and talked for awhile, Pippin finishing two more mugs and then wandering off to kiss and cuddle with some waitresses. Pearl and Pervinca were not very pleased at this, but realizing that they could never stop Pippin, gave up.

"Merry, put down that pipe!" Pearl said, slapping Merry's hand and grabbing his pipe away. Then turning back to Frodo and giving him a smile.

Sam, feeling a little lightheaded, said, "I'll step outside for a bit of fresh air, just a moment." Squeezing between chairs and tables, he finally got to the door and stood outside. The chilly night wind hit him straight in the face, the moonlight casting the trees and his surroundings with a silvery light. He sighed and folded his arms, trying to get warm. The clear air felt good after breathing in pipe smoke for awhile, and the heat of the tavern was gladly washed away by the night. Everything was silent and peaceful, nothing could have disturbed the calm serenity.

Nothing except.

"Sam? What're you doing here? Oh, that's right, trying to live a bit." A taunting voice mocked him.

Sam didn't need to turn around to tell who it was, but he did anyway. Ted Sandyman was standing just outside of the door, apparently he had been in the inn.

Sam sighed, trying to stay patient. "What do you want Ted?"

Ted shook his head, trying to look innocent. He was wearing an overlarge shirt with some battered trousers, his face a little red from the heat and perhaps from drinking a little too much. "Oh, nothing, Sam."

"Then why did you follow me out here?" Sam asked, keeping his tone level. It would please Ted more then anything in the world to see him get mad.

Ted gave Sam a dirty look and said, "I know." It wasn't like Ted to go all serious on Sam, since most of the tauntings were sing-song, never unsmiling.

Sam tried to hide his puzzlement and replied, "What do you mean, 'you know?'"

Ted glared at him with pure hatred, "I saw you last night at Rosie Cotton's, Sam, and I want you to know that you haven't a chance with her."

"I don't get-" Sam started, but Ted cut him off roughly.

"Don't act stupid, even if you are, Sam!" He almost yelled, "I saw you staring at her as if she was the key to life itself, I saw you hanging on her every word!"

Sam was lucky it was dark, because he felt the heat rise in his face. He kept himself though, and said evenly, "Well, then you must've seen her look as well."

Ted gave him an even nastier look but couldn't find a reply. Sam was pleased at that and went on, "And if you saw her look then you must've seen the kiss." Sam was shocked at the pride in his voice, he usually didn't like to brag. He had several things to be proud about, but never showed it. His father had taught him to.

Ted got angry there, and he said in a harsh voice that shot venom, "I doubt that she would've enjoyed it!"

"Then why did she do it?" Sam asked again, "It's not like I had a knife to her throat and forced her to."

"I don't know what she sees in you, filthy gardener." Ted spat, "Always pattering around in the dirt, straightening flowers and trimming hedges as if your life depended on it!"

Sam was taken aback at that, but before he could reply Ted went on, "You were never good enough to become something great, for the Gods' sake you're a servant to Frodo! You have no money, you have NOTHING!"

Sam finally said, "Ted, I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, but."

"I don't want to get anything from you!" Ted replied nastily, "All I'm wondering is why in the name of The Shire would Rosie Cotton fall for you? You're not dashing or brave, you have nothing of value, you're dense and thick, have no intelligence in you whatsoever, I wonder why she would be over someone like you."

Sam stood there, unable to think of a reply. He hated that, when someone said something so brilliant and you were unable to say anything back to them, so you sat there like a dead toad and about as useful as a log. Ted smiled, a victorious smile that brimmed with his own pride.

"I'll see you later, Sam, next time you see Rosie she'll be in my arms." Ted then turned around and walked back inside the inn. Sam stood staring at the door as it shut with a thud. 'I shouldn't let him get to me.' He told himself, 'He's not worth losing sleep over, he's not worth wasting my time getting angry at him. his comments mean nothing to me.'

But they did, they had a point. He WAS a plain, poor, stupid, worthless gardener who was a servant. Sam rubbed his hands together, getting cold. He tried to reassure himself that he wasn't as hopeless as he thought he was, but the voice said again. "What does she see in you?" 'What DOES she see in me?' Sam thought, 'I really am. I am NOT going to let him get to me.' He told himself as he pulled open the door, the noise of the tavern rising in his ears. He saw that Pippin was back at their table, joined by a maid sitting on his lap, and Pearl was still hanging onto Frodo. He made his way over to the table, trying to look as if nothing had happened and as if he was happy as can be.

"Hey, Sam!" Merry greeted him, pipe in hand.

Pippin gave him a smile, and Pervinca wasn't looking happy at sitting next to him with a the waitress on his knee, giggling away.

He smiled as he sat down, but it wasn't enough to fool them.

"Something wrong, Sam?" Frodo asked, concerned, though it looked like to Sam that he wasn't minding Pearl as much anymore.

Sam shook his head, but seeing the unconvinced looks on everyone's faces, he finally said, "Well, allright, it's Ted Sandyman again."

Merry snorted and said, "He doesn't know much, but he's defending champion of the 'Most Nostril Hair' championship!" The table laughed at the remark, and Merry bowed his head.

"An intellect rivaled only by a lump of coal." Frodo added, grinning.

"All foam, no beer!" Pippin announced, slamming his mug on the table, then motioning another waitress over, told her, "We'll have some more beer, a bit of wine for these sissies here," he glanced at his sisters who stuck their tongues out at him, "and a glass of lukewarm dishwater for that gentleman over there!" he pointed to Ted, who was talking with several rather ugly hobbits.

Unfortunately, Ted saw them laughing at him. After glancing to his partners, he got up and walked over to their table. Sam felt a little more confident having his friends with him, and looked bravely up at Ted with a smile and a, "Hello, Ted."

"Just ought to tell you, though I know I'm all great, you don't go staring at people at the higher level then you, not polite." He said with a smug look on his face.

"Shield your eyes then, Ted!" Frodo said in a humorously serious voice.

"I'm laughing, Frodo, see, laughing!" Ted said, then remarked, "You should be talking, the only reason you got to be so damn popular was because your parents killed each other and you ended up with rich, insane, Bilbo."

Sam could see the rage fill up in Frodo's face, and was about to say something back, but Pippin put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Never argue with an idiot, Frodo, they drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."

No one at the table could contain their laughter, and Ted was forced to stand and watch them.

"Funny, Pippin, very funny. Amazing thing is that you could easily beat me in that sort of fight."

Pippin pretended to look shocked and then said, "Bless me, you were right for once, I CAN beat you!" He looked around the table, saying with fake pride, "I have finally overtaken Ted Sandyman in the 'stupid' contest!"

Merry added, "Not that hard, was it?"

Ted started, "You may find this fun."

But Pervinca cut in, saying in an annoyed voice, "And your crybaby, whiney-face opinion would be.?"

Ted, who obviously hadn't noticed her, looked her up and down, saying, "Well, someone has certainly eaten a little too many cakes for tonight."

She gave him a fake smile and shot back, "I may be fat, but you are ugly and I can loose weight!"

The table exploded with laugher and Pearl wiped an eye, saying, "Oh, I'll be right back." and she got up and wandered to the counter. Ted here turned around and walked back to his table, just after shooting them an ugly look.

Sam, who too joined in the laughing, raised his mug and said, "To you all! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Frodo raised his and said, "To Sam and Rosie, and to a sense of humor!"

They all took a swallow and then began to laugh again.