Chapter 6

Moments in Time

Diamond stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. It was raining and the sound of the droplets impacting the roof—it was a thatched roof, but still not as thick as that of a hobbit hole—kept her awake. Other than the rain, it was silent, and silence breeds thoughts. In Diamond's case, however, not ideas or reflections- memories.

It had been two months since the marriage- two months full of awkward silences and awkward conversation. She and Pippin never really interacted unless necessary. She did what was needed, such as cooking and mending clothes and cleaning and looking after the kitchen garden, and Pippin vanished just after breakfast and didn't come back until tea. Diamond did not know where he went and frankly did not care.

Diamond let out a frustrated sigh, knowing she would never fall asleep. She rose, wrapped a dressing gown around herself, and headed towards the kitchen.

As in most hobbit dwellings, the kitchen is one of the largest rooms in the house, coming second in importance only to the dining room and the master bedroom. Diamond enjoyed the space- it was no larger than her mother's kitchen in Long Cleave, but it had fewer knick-knacks and it was most definitely her kitchen. Pippin never came in while she was there.

Diamond lit a candle, then took a mug from the cabinet, set it on the rough table, and made herself tea using the still-warm water in the kettle. She was just sitting down when the door opened.

Pippin shuffled in, wearing his green plaid dressing gown and red slippers, his hair standing up in strange configurations. He did not even acknowledge her presence before finding his own cup and filling it with tea from Diamond's prepared pot. He sat down opposite her and watched the steam rising.

"What are you doing in here?" Diamond asked, more out of a need for conversation than anything else.

Pippin finally seemed to realize he had company and shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither. I'm not used to rain being so noisy; at home I could barely hear it."

Pippin nodded absently and sipped his tea. "Mmm."

Diamond watched him for a moment and laughed. "You look awful, Pippin. Like the cat dragged you in. Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Bad dreams."

"About what?"

He did not answer. Diamond waited, but still no reply was forthcoming.

"Something personal?" she inquired gently.

Pippin made a so-so gesture. "About that Ring business. Crazy, the whole lot of it, but it's not something that goes away."

"Not even after nine years?"

"Not even. Not after ninety years, I suspect. You don't quickly forget seeing a tree talk, or watching friends die."

Diamond bit her lip and ran a finger along the rim of her mug. She did not know what to say to that, and so said nothing. As expected, Pippin eventually filled up the verbal black hole with his own words.

"What's your family like?" he asked, fixing his green eyes on her. Diamond noticed, not for the first time, that they were very nice eyes.

"Mad, that's what. My father never listens to anyone but himself, even though I love him dearly. He is not as bad as my mum, though- sometimes I think she's angry at the world. Can't imagine why, though."

"Any siblings, cousins?" Pippin actually seemed interested, which was surprising. But then, Pippin was very family oriented- Diamond, however, was not.

"No. I'm an only child. So is my mum. My father has two sisters, but one ran off to Bree and the other died in childbirth. So did the baby. So no, haven't any family beyond my parents."

"Sounds lonely."

"A little. I spent a lot of time with Laurel."

"Ah. Her."

"Yes. She's like the sister I never had."

"Sounds like Merry and I- but brothers, of course. We're pretty much the maddest blokes in the Shire, seems sometimes."

"And most famous."

Pippin shrugged, but could not hide a small smile. "A bit."

Diamond chewed her lip. "That's what started all this," she said softly. "You being famous."

The two fell into silence.

Diamond stood after a moment, leaving her mug, having not drunk a single drop of its contents. "Good night, Pippin."

"Good night."

When Diamond reached her room, she realized it was the longest conversation they had ever had. In some vague way, it made her sad.

Then she shook it off and went to bed.

* * *

That was the last time it rained that year- the temperature dropped sharply, the leaves on trees finally vanished for good, and the first snowfall came on a quiet night with only the animals to watch it.

Diamond hated cold weather. Hated it with a passion, in fact, matched only by Pippin's equal loathing of hot weather. Pippin ran off with his cousin and some other lads about town as if he were no more than twenty, pelting anyone within thirty feet with snowballs.

Around noon Pippin returned, as flushed and giddy as a child. He grabbed Diamond by the wrists and literally dragged her into the foyer.

"You can't stay cooped up like an old biddy," he said sensibly, although he was grinning too widely for it to really matter. "Come on! It was Merry's idea."

"It's cold!" Diamond protested, trying to wriggle away and failing miserably. "I'll catch a chill!"

"No you won't," Pippin scoffed. "Come on!"

After a fifteen-minute struggle Pippin managed to force Diamond into her winter things and outside. Just as he had said, Merry and two other hobbits were waiting outside.

"There she is!" Merry cried dramatically, sweeping Diamond into a bear hug. "I half-thought you'd vanished into nothingness!"

"Not quite," Diamond said as she pried herself out of Merry's grip. The two other hobbits quickly introduced themselves as Rory Underhill and Robin Brandybuck, and then shoved Diamond into a snowdrift.

Diamond came out shrieking in combined cold and outrage and chased Robin down the road, the other three trailing behind and laughing. A few minutes later a snowball fight of immense proportions was spawned, and by the time it was over any one of them could have passed for a mobile snowdrift.

That was the most fun Diamond had since she'd left Long Cleave. Even though it was cold, and wet, and she made a fool of herself, it was wonderful to forget her inhibitions and act like the youth she was.

"I never knew you had it in you," Pippin teased as they tromped towards home in the lengthening shadows. "I'm impressed." He was referring to Diamond having flattened Merry into the snow.

Diamond grinned. "There's a lot you don't know about me." After that day, having a normal, friendly conversation with Pippin was much easier and much more natural. How can you not be friends with someone you've thrown snowballs with?

Pippin nodded. "Aye, that's true. Very true. I'd like to fix that, though."

Diamond nodded, trying not to trip on her heavy skirts. "So would I. I truly do want to know you, Pippin." Then she smothered a hysterical giggle in her collar.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The rest of the one-mile slog through the snow went in companionable silence, which neither minded. They were slowly growing accustomed to each other's company, and to their surprise were finding it wonderfully pleasant.

They did not speak again until they reached the entryway of the little house and were unwinding their scarves. "You said something about farming yesterday," said Diamond absently. "What was that about?"

"Hmm? Oh." Pippin finished shrugging off his heavy coat before answering. "This house came with a modest piece of land. I'd like to grow something on it, but I'm not sure what."

"Corn would do well," Diamond replied. "Know anything about it?"

"Not in the slightest."

"My papa had me help with the farming- I know more than I ever wanted to about the subject. I'll help when the time comes."

"That's agreeable," said Pippin. He finished removing his outside-things and took them to the washroom, along with Diamond's. Diamond went to find her brush, and the conversation was over.

That night, Diamond dreamed of ice palaces and haunting green eyes, teasing her from frozen mirrors.

* * *

Time slipped by, as it so often does. Diamond took to knitting by the fireside when she wasn't cleaning house or running about being silly with Pippin. Pippin, on the other hand, spent almost all of his time larking about with his friends and getting into trouble, occasionally riding off to the Great Smials on family or political matters. Winter was a time of rest for nature; thus it was with hobbits. Nothing much of anything ever happened. Even Yule passed by without any particular fuss and bother beyond a trip to the Smials.

Except one night, when a particularly fierce storm blew up. Diamond's window rattled loose and a ferociously cold draft blew in regardless of how many blankets she shoved into the frame. The bedroom was soon just as cold as outdoors. Shivering violently, Diamond threw a robe over her nightgown and left the room to freeze on its own, closing the door and stuffing a towel into the gap between it and the floor. It was far warmer in the hallways and main rooms of the small domicile, but Diamond had nowhere to sleep at all. She had stuffed all her blankets into the window, and the sofa was in no way suitable for overnight occupancy. It was only eleven thirty according to the clock on the kitchen mantelpiece, far too soon to wake.

So Diamond swallowed what little dignity and pride she had and knocked on Pippin's door.

A sleepy snuffling noise came from within, and a half-asleep Pippin opened the door and looked blearily at her. "Huh?"

"My room has a dreadful draft and I've nowhere to sleep."

Pippin looked at her, sleepily digesting this and trying to figure out what she wanted, then grunted and went back into the room. He didn't close the door, which Diamond took as a good sign. She slipped in behind him, closing the door. There was a small fireplace with smoldering coals in here, and she wanted to keep the heat in.

Pippin had flopped back in the rather large bed. He eyed her questioningly for a moment, then grunted, waved vaguely at the other side of it, and stuck his head under his pillow. Diamond tried not to giggle- not merely because she was uncomfortable with the entire situation, but also because Pippin seemed like a sleep-deprived child. It was rather funny.

Being as quiet as possible so as not to disturb Pippin, Diamond removed her robe and set it on the rocking chair near the fire. She noticed a small alcove with a little cradle in it, now covered in Pippin's discarded clothing. She suddenly remembered that this was the master bedroom and felt rather annoyed at whoever had put the chair and cradle there. They had been assuming a great deal.

Gingerly, Diamond went around the bed and climbed in on the left side. Pippin mumbled something, but was apparently already asleep again.

Facing the wall, Diamond settled in and sighed. She hadn't thought this would ever happen. She wondered what would happen in the morning.

Smiling to herself over the rather ludicrous images she conjured up, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Pippin was not awake, but he was not asleep either. He was comfortably warm and sleepy and didn't feel like getting up just yet. The bedroom was still dark; whether from snow on the windows or that the sun hadn't risen he neither knew nor cared.

The bed shifted, apparently all by itself. This wouldn't have concerned Pippin, who was all but asleep, but then something warm pressed against his backside. Instantly he awoke and sat up, confused.

Diamond was curled up in a ball beside him, clutching a pillow and murmuring softly in her sleep. Her hair was going every-which-way and she looked far more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her.

It took Pippin only a moment to remember- she'd shown up in the middle of the night claiming she was cold and needed somewhere to sleep. Pippin had been half-asleep himself and didn't care one way or the other at the time.

Being as quiet as possible, Pippin got up and dressed. He left Diamond alone, if she wanted to sleep he wasn't going to stop her. Besides, she looked so cute there he didn't want to ruin the picture.

For a moment it surprised him, how easily he had adjusted to waking up and finding Diamond asleep beside him. But compared to sleeping next to Merry in an Ent bed full of pointy twigs, it was nothing. Pippin smiled sardonically to himself as he meandered into the kitchen, recalling his long-past adventures.

But still, why did it seem so normal? He had been living with the woman for nearly three months, and still didn't know her all that well. He had thought that he might have reacted differently normally, instead of just shrugging it off and going to find breakfast.

But he was very hungry…

Pippin decided to forget about it and went looking for the muffins.

* * *

The next three months went much the same. Pippin and Diamond became friends, if not the closest in the world then at least they could hold a decent conversation. By the time spring came around, Diamond no longer fumed over her arranged marriage and Pippin actually spent time around the house. They were good friends, but nothing more. Neither one could handle the idea of being more than that, despite the fact that, despise it as they might, they were married. Which among hobbits meant until one or the other died- divorce was unheard of.

And so winter slid quietly into spring, then summer…