A/N- this chapter's title refers mostly to jealousy, but also to Pippin in a slight way… read and see. ::mwahaha::

The Green Eyed-Monster

Diamond pored over the selection of yarn, chewing on her thumbnail. She needed a light violet color, and she saw several skeins of the right shade, but it was all of the wrong texture and would ruin the entire afghan.

"I have some others," said Mrs. Applegate nervously. Indeed, everything about her manner and personality in general could be described as nervous. She seemed in constant fear of being reprimanded. "Different colors, if you'd like."

Diamond waved vaguely. She selected a forest green ball of yarn—of lovely soft weave, unlike the violet stuff—and handed it to the brunette. "Have you got any light violet of that texture?"

"Afraid not. I have lavender, though." She produced another basket of yarn from apparently nowhere. Diamond looked over its contents and found a ball of about the right color, and about the right texture. She nodded.

"Three of those, and that green one there."

Diamond paid for her purchases, slipping them into the large basket hanging off her elbow. That morning it had been full of eggs, which had been sold. Diamond had made such a good turn off the eggs that she had decided to replenish her yarn supply- the blanket she was making for Laurel and her soon-to-be bridegroom was taking up a great deal of yarn, and every little bit helped.

Diamond headed away down the lane, leaving the bustling sounds of the open market behind her. It was a solid two and a half miles to the house, but Diamond didn't mind. She rather liked the long walk- it gave her time to think without outside distractions.

It was early August now, ten months since Diamond had left Long Cleave. She had settled into a life that, while not particularly exhilarating, was comfortable. She was content in her home and in her new life, even if she often wished to be home running about with Laurel, or chasing ducks across the farm.

In three days Diamond and Pippin would be loading up a small pony-cart and making the two-day journey to Long Cleave for the marriage of Laurel Honeycutt and Randy Talbot. If Diamond had to knit until her fingers fell off she would have that dratted afghan finished before their arrival. They were to visit for two days, attend the wedding, and then start back next morning. Merry had volunteered to stay at the house and look after the chickens and the garden.

Diamond was running over a list in her head of what she had to pack when she walked into the house, setting her shawl on a small table by the door. "Pippin?"

She didn't actually expect an answer, and was startled when Pippin's voice drifted out from the parlor. "In here, Diamond."

Diamond set down her basket and padded into the parlor. Pippin and his elder sister, Pervinca, and her husband Erling. Pervinca was five years older than Pippin, but her youthful manner and rosy complexion made her seem much younger than her only brother. She smiled broadly at Diamond.

"Diamond! We were just stopping by to say hello, see how you're getting on. Things look absolutely wonderful!"

"You could say that," said Diamond mildly. "You're welcome to stay for supper, of course."

"Oh, no, we were just about to leave." As Pervinca spoke Diamond noted that she had her shawl wrapped about her and that Erling had donned his hat. They weren't just being polite, then.

"If you're sure."

"Of course. Well, we'll be going then." Pervinca breezed past with Erling in tow, who seemed rather bemused. Diamond didn't bother seeing them to the door- at any rate, they had got outside before Diamond could really digest what was going on.

"She's a bit breezy," said Pippin, smiling sheepishly. "How'd the eggs sell? You're home awfully late." The sun was setting and Diamond had left around nine that morning.

"I sold all of them, and I bought a bit of yarn. Things go all right?"

"Yes."

This was a case in point of Pippin and Diamond's relationship. They were friends who lived together, nothing more.

"I'll get supper going, if you lay the table."

* * *

"LAUREL!"

"DIAMOND!"

The two women took what was practically a flying leap at each other, shrieking and laughing and crying all at the same time. They hugged tightly, then pulled away and began talking at a million miles a minute.

Pippin couldn't help but laugh as he watched them. Diamond had never looked so ludicrous, but she had never looked as happy either. He shook his head to himself as he began unloading the cart.

"Bit excited, isn't she?" said Randy mildly. Pippin raised an eyebrow and threw a parcel at him. He vaguely remembered him from his own wedding, and so no real introduction was necessary.

"Which one?"

"Your Diamond. Never seen her so excited."

Pippin wanted to say that she wasn't really his, but didn't. It hurt somehow, but he wasn't sure why.

"She's an excitable creature. How do you know her?"

"Only lived next door since she was born. How're you getting on?"

Such inane conversation between the two hobbits continued in an aimless fashion as they unloaded the cart and brought the things inside. They were staying at Diamond's parent's house, what everyone else called Rose Briar and Diamond simply called home. Diamond felt a sinking feeling whenever she thought about staying there for the visit.

Diamond knew her mother. Knew her extremely well. Sage had always said the instant Diamond moved out her bedroom would become a craft room, and Diamond knew Sage was as good as her word. That left the spare room, which had only one bed.

And she would have to sleep in it. With Pippin. It wasn't that bad, but somehow the idea made her feel squeamish. She banished the thought quickly and continued talking with Laurel.

"I can't believe you're marrying Randy. The one who pulled our hair as children. The one you said was a dirty turnip-digger." Diamond was teasing, but Laurel blushed deeply.

"Well… things turn out odd. He's sweet," she said defensively. "But you know all about Randy. What about Pippin?"

Now Diamond flushed. She was suddenly glad Pippin was inside, and not out here where he could overhear. "I don't know. We're friends, and get along, and I think that is as far as it will ever go."

Laurel groaned. "You're ridiculous, Diamond. You've been married for ten months now! And-" she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "do you mean you haven't-?"

"Of course not!" Diamond hissed.

"But then its not considered really binding, not by tradition."

"I can't very well pull up stakes and move out, can I?"

"No. But…" here Laurel grinned impishly, and her eyes took on a teasing gleam, "he's such an attractive hobbit, I'm rather surprised…"

Diamond blushed furiously and smacked Laurel on the shoulder, but giggled nevertheless. Laurel only laughed. But then Pippin and Randy appeared again, and Laurel's laughter and Diamond's embarrassed tittering were quickly muffled.

* * *

The day of the wedding dawned cold and clear.

Diamond arose just as the sun was breaking away from the horizon, tiptoeing out of the bedroom so as not to disturb Pippin. She ate quickly and went down the lane to Laurel's hobbit-hole.

Laurel was sitting at the kitchen table, hands trembling so badly that the tea in her cup sloshed onto the tabletop. She set down her cup with a clatter and tried to mop up the spilt tea with a small towel.

"Nervous?"

Laurel jumped, knocking over her cup with her elbow. She looked up at Diamond and grinned sheepishly. "Just a wee bit. I'm all of a dither, I don't know what to do."

Diamond sat beside her lifelong friend and cleaned up the mess. "I know just what to do," she said firmly. "Don't eat anything heavy, you're likely to vomit if you do from nerves. You'll have a calming cup of tea and whiskey, then a bath. That's what you ought to do."

Diamond poured her friend's drink, then filled the bathtub while Laurel gathered her wits about her. By nine o'clock Laurel was freshly bathed and having her curly brown hair combed by Diamond.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Laurel babbled. "I'm so nervous."

"Do you chose each other?"

"Of course!"

"Do you love him?"

Laurel didn't answer for a long moment, so long that Diamond set down her comb and gave her a quizzical look. Laurel sighed heavily and nodded. "Yes."

Diamond suddenly felt madly jealous. Laurel was far more nervous than she had been, and she was wedding a hobbit she had known most of her life and obviously loved dearly.

"You'll be fine," Diamond murmured, patting Laurel's shoulder. "If you have that much, you'll do all right."

"I'm sorry, Diamond, I know it's hard, being married like you are," said Laurel, glancing up at her friend. Diamond's expression was unfathomable. "Pippin is a wonderful hobbit. I'm sure that someday you'll learn to love each other."

Diamond shook her head and took up the comb again. "There aren't enough somedays for that, Laurel."

They did not speak of such again that day.

* * *

Laurel hadn't wanted bridesmaids, so Diamond was sitting in the front row inside the wedding tent during the ceremony. It was brief, concise, and terribly romantic compared to Diamond's wedding. Laurel and Randy kept making doe-eyes at each other.

Diamond was so jealous of them she felt physically sick with it. She wanted desperately to have the kind of life Laurel was setting out on- long and disgustingly happy.

Instead she had an arranged marriage with someone who was friendly enough, but she thought would never really love her.

She tried to tell herself she didn't care. But as Laurel and Randy were showered with confetti, she couldn't help but imagine that maybe she had married someone she loved to begin with. In her imagination they were happy and loving and would have children and grandchildren and when they were old and gray, they would sit together and just soak in each other's presence.

That was all she could think of during the reception. Loud music played, and ale poured freely, and food was everywhere, but all Diamond could think of was her lost life.

Pippin had no such qualms. He was determinedly drinking himself into a fine stupor. Not just for the sake of being drunk, but because he too was madly jealous and rather than wallowing in despair was trying to drown his feelings in a tankard of beer.

"All right there, Pippin?" asked Randy, throwing himself into the seat beside Pippin. He was grinning broadly. "Quite a party, isn't it?"

"Quite," said Pippin morosely, staring at the froth at the bottom of his tankard. "Absolutely spiffing." He downed the remainder of the mug's contents and poured himself another from the flagon on the table. Randy frowned at him.

"Upset about something?"

"More everything than something."

Randy shook his head and left Pippin to it. He knew when he shouldn't go treading into someone else's business, and this was definitely one of those times.

Diamond was a fine figure of a hobbit-woman, that was sure, Pippin thought miserably as he watched her talking with Laurel at another table. Quite beautiful, no matter what Diamond might think of herself. In Pippin's eyes she far outshone Laurel, who looked marvelous in her wedding dress and was glowing as only stupidly happy brides can.

But then, that was just the outside. Diamond kept him at arm's length. It was maddening. He might as well be married to a nun.

Of course he was quite drunk at this point. Otherwise such thoughts would have never entered his head.

Diamond noticed his morose expression. Excusing herself, she left Laurel and joined Pippin.

"Are you all right?"

"Wonderful," Pippin replied, taking another swig of ale. "You?"

Diamond narrowed her eyes at Pippin. Sniffing, she reached for a tankard and filled it.

"What're you doing?" Pippin asked, eyeing her with an odd mixture of curiosity, amusement, and horror on his face. He was slightly cross-eyed from all the ale he'd consumed.

"If you can get roaring drunk, then I can," Diamond said firmly. She knocked back half of the tankard's contents in one swallow, although it nearly came right back up again. The stuff tasted positively foul.

"How can you drink this stuff?" she demanded. "It's disgusting."

Pippin shrugged. "Used to it."

Diamond cast him a disbelieving look, and then finished her ale. Pippin said nothing when she refilled it.

Within fifteen minutes Diamond was giggling hysterically and practically falling off her chair. She had consumed a fraction of what Pippin had and was a great deal worse off than he. Which was saying something, considering that Pippin rarely drank heavily.

"You're drunk," Pippin observed, grinning despite himself.

"So're you," Diamond said, then burst out in inebriated laughter. "The world's spinning."

"Happens."

"I don't like it here," Diamond declared in utter seriousness. "Too many happy people."

"Let's leave."

"All right."

The pair rose, leaving their tankards behind. Swaying and giggling, they held each other up as they walked up the path. No one noticed except Laurel, who only shook her head and smiled to herself.

They made their wobbly way towards Rose Briar, tripping and laughing as they went, both of them quite drunk. The door was, as always, unlocked, so they entered without notice.

"Ooh, I feel dizzy," Diamond muttered. "I need to lie down."

They wobbled into the guest bedroom. Diamond flopped onto the bed, giggling when she nearly rolled onto the floor. Pippin steadied her, though he himself was wobbly.

Diamond looked up, meeting Pippin's gaze. "You have pretty eyes," she said. "Not like mine."

"No, you have nice eyes," Pippin replied. Had he been thinking clearly (which he wasn't) he would have never given in and kissed Diamond, but he did.

For a moment the contact broke through Diamond's alcohol-induced haze, and she wondered what she was doing. But then suddenly she felt, for the first time in her life, like maybe she really was pretty, and that maybe someone could love her.

And the rest, as they say, was history.