Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings..
Note: Thanks for your review! I love to hear that someone is reading my story. I wish others would review too. I thought that I might as well tell you that this story is probably going to be considered a 'Mary-sue'. But I have to say that the story line will have its problems and maybe it won't be a happy ending. I just hope to have that cleared with everyone before I continued. Thank you! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!!!
Chapter 3:
May picked up the hang-flower plant. All she needed to do was nail in a nail to the house to hang the plant. Simple enough, May thought. She grabbed her hammer and nails. The latter was already propped up; May climbed up the several rungs to reach the height she needed. Holding the nail with her index finger and thumb, she brought back the hammer to nail it.
"Are you May Gamgee?" A male-related voice said behind her. The sound of the voice startled May and caused her hammer to slam into her thumb instead of the nail. May howled as her finger throbbed. She dropped the hammer and the nail to the ground and quickly descended from the ladder. May squeezed her thumb while the pain throbbed. Once she was able to get her nerves calmed down a bit she turned and looked at the hobbit inside her gate.
"I am sorry I startled you," the male-hobbit said. He wore a white cotton shirt with a dark green vest over it. The vest matched his green eyes and went well with his black curly hair. May thought he was very handsome, but quite off limits with the buddle he was carrying. "Are you all right?"
May cleared her throat to get her voice back. "I wasn't paying any attention at all."
He smiled at her. "My name is Seredric Proudfoot." Seredric held out his hand.
"I'm May Gamgee," May said as she shook her hand lightly with his.
"This is my niece, Lily," Seredric said, meaning the little girl he held in his arms. "Niece?" May said.
"Yes, my sister died four weeks ago. I am Lily's only guardian now," Seredric explained.
"Oh, I am sorry about you sister."
"Thank you. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I was hoping to introduce myself and speak with you on an important matter."
"No, you didn't catch me at a bad time. Why don't you and Lily join me with some tea?" May said.
"That would be wonderful, Miss Gamgee," Seredric said.
"Call me May, if you please. Only if I can call you Seredric?"
Seredric nodded as they headed toward the front door. Once the tea was ready, they sat down at the table.
"I recently met your brother, Sam. He told me you were out of a job."
May took a sip of her tea. "Yes. I usually watch my nieces and nephews but Rosie decided to quite teaching and stay at home with her children. It was becoming a strain on her."
Lily squirmed in her uncle's arms. She took notice of the toys that were in May's living room. "Do you mind if I let her play with some toys?" Seredric asked.
May laughed. "Of course she can." Seredric set Lily down and off she went. Lily speed as fast as she could on her hands and knees to reach the toys.
"I am starting a new job helping Tom Cotton on his farm in a few days. Helping him will be able to give me the money to start my own farm by next summer."
May smiled. "That's wonderful. Mr. Cotton is always looking for help on his farm."
"This is the part that you come in," Seredric began, "I am not able to watch Lily during the day. I live alone and have no one to watch after her. Sam suggested that I come talk to you to see if you would be willing to be Lily's sitter."
May's heart sped up. She was going to get a job! While still taking care of children. Lily looked like an angel. May would never pass up the chance to take care of her. A wide grin came upon May's face. "I would be most delighted too," May said with a smile. She took a deep breath. "This takes a load off my shoulders. I was going to make my way into Hobbiton today to find myself a job. I am very glad you saved me from that."
Seredric smiled. "I'm glad. I had a hard enough time myself finding a job in these parts."
"Where is it that you came from?"
"There is a little village south of Lake Evendim. There are mostly hobbits but a few men live there."
"I've never been that far north," May said. "My brother probably has though. He's actually traveled all over Middle Earth."
"I didn't want to say anything yesterday, but I thought that was the same Samwise who helped destroyed the ring of power."
May brightened up. She loved to talk about her brother's long travels. "Yes, he doesn't like to boast about it, but I know he takes pride in what he did to save our world."
"And who wouldn't be? It would be wonderful to meet his traveling companions that went with him. Do they live in this part of the Shire?" Seredric asked.
May brightened up and took a deep breath. She could do this. She WILL do this, her heart said. "Aye, they do. In fact, if you fancy yourself meeting them, you could accompany me to Sam and Rosie's cookout tomorrow night. Pippin and Merry are to be there. I am sure they would love to talk about their travels with someone who has never heard it from their mouths already. It usually doesn't stop them anyways." Ok, shut your mouth May, you're rambling on.
"Tomorrow night?" Seredric said out loud for himself. "That would be fine with me. I would love to go and meet some new folks around these parts. The only problem is, if you and I are to go, who will watch Lily?"
May blinked. He agreed! She contained the urge to jump up and down and shout for joy. He was only going to meet her friends, but May couldn't stop happiness spreading through her even he wasn't going for her. "Bring Lily along. It's going to be an early cookout. Elanor, my eldest niece, is going to be watching over the children. She won't mind watching over Lily. Besides, Primrose is around Lily's age. They also have many toys to keep them selves busy. Much like Lily is doing now." She turned her gaze to the black haired beauty banging one of the blocks on the floor, absorbed in nothing else but that block.
"Lily doesn't have many toys of her own. Her mother wasn't able to make or purchase any. I didn't know anything about Lily until a little over a month ago. Since then, she hasn't given me much time to build her any toys for her to play with," Seredric explained.
"What about Lily's father?" May asked. She was curious as to why Seredric hadn't mentioned him before.
Seredric's face grew somber. "He's a drifter. Gale was courting him for a time. They agreed to get married about a year and a half ago. Before the wedding ever took place, Gale was pregnant with Lily. I didn't know at the time. She kept it to herself. When the wedding day did finally come, he never showed up."
"He left her?" May whispered.
Seredric nodded. "Gale left after that. I don't know if she was ashamed or she was trying to find him. She turned up many months later when Lily was 5 months old."
"How horrible for her. Have you heard anything at all on Lily's father?"
"None. I happen to think he left the Shire for good."
Both hobbits turned their gazes to the child on the floor. Lily was captivated with all the colorful toys that were scattered around the room. "I thought by bring her with me, Lily could get to know you better. She doesn't like to be around people other than her mother or myself."
May turned her gaze to Seredric. "Do you mind if I try to hold her?" Seredric nodded his consent. May smiled to him; she grabbed the yellow cloth bear sitting on the table and walked to where Lily was playing. May seated her self in front of Lily.
The next thing that happened, May would never forget in her life. The child lifted her head to May sitting in front of her. The bright green orbs examined May. With approval, Lily grinned, showing her two small teeth growing in. Lily crawled to May on the floor and allowed May to hold her without protest.
Note: Thanks for your review! I love to hear that someone is reading my story. I wish others would review too. I thought that I might as well tell you that this story is probably going to be considered a 'Mary-sue'. But I have to say that the story line will have its problems and maybe it won't be a happy ending. I just hope to have that cleared with everyone before I continued. Thank you! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!!!
Chapter 3:
May picked up the hang-flower plant. All she needed to do was nail in a nail to the house to hang the plant. Simple enough, May thought. She grabbed her hammer and nails. The latter was already propped up; May climbed up the several rungs to reach the height she needed. Holding the nail with her index finger and thumb, she brought back the hammer to nail it.
"Are you May Gamgee?" A male-related voice said behind her. The sound of the voice startled May and caused her hammer to slam into her thumb instead of the nail. May howled as her finger throbbed. She dropped the hammer and the nail to the ground and quickly descended from the ladder. May squeezed her thumb while the pain throbbed. Once she was able to get her nerves calmed down a bit she turned and looked at the hobbit inside her gate.
"I am sorry I startled you," the male-hobbit said. He wore a white cotton shirt with a dark green vest over it. The vest matched his green eyes and went well with his black curly hair. May thought he was very handsome, but quite off limits with the buddle he was carrying. "Are you all right?"
May cleared her throat to get her voice back. "I wasn't paying any attention at all."
He smiled at her. "My name is Seredric Proudfoot." Seredric held out his hand.
"I'm May Gamgee," May said as she shook her hand lightly with his.
"This is my niece, Lily," Seredric said, meaning the little girl he held in his arms. "Niece?" May said.
"Yes, my sister died four weeks ago. I am Lily's only guardian now," Seredric explained.
"Oh, I am sorry about you sister."
"Thank you. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I was hoping to introduce myself and speak with you on an important matter."
"No, you didn't catch me at a bad time. Why don't you and Lily join me with some tea?" May said.
"That would be wonderful, Miss Gamgee," Seredric said.
"Call me May, if you please. Only if I can call you Seredric?"
Seredric nodded as they headed toward the front door. Once the tea was ready, they sat down at the table.
"I recently met your brother, Sam. He told me you were out of a job."
May took a sip of her tea. "Yes. I usually watch my nieces and nephews but Rosie decided to quite teaching and stay at home with her children. It was becoming a strain on her."
Lily squirmed in her uncle's arms. She took notice of the toys that were in May's living room. "Do you mind if I let her play with some toys?" Seredric asked.
May laughed. "Of course she can." Seredric set Lily down and off she went. Lily speed as fast as she could on her hands and knees to reach the toys.
"I am starting a new job helping Tom Cotton on his farm in a few days. Helping him will be able to give me the money to start my own farm by next summer."
May smiled. "That's wonderful. Mr. Cotton is always looking for help on his farm."
"This is the part that you come in," Seredric began, "I am not able to watch Lily during the day. I live alone and have no one to watch after her. Sam suggested that I come talk to you to see if you would be willing to be Lily's sitter."
May's heart sped up. She was going to get a job! While still taking care of children. Lily looked like an angel. May would never pass up the chance to take care of her. A wide grin came upon May's face. "I would be most delighted too," May said with a smile. She took a deep breath. "This takes a load off my shoulders. I was going to make my way into Hobbiton today to find myself a job. I am very glad you saved me from that."
Seredric smiled. "I'm glad. I had a hard enough time myself finding a job in these parts."
"Where is it that you came from?"
"There is a little village south of Lake Evendim. There are mostly hobbits but a few men live there."
"I've never been that far north," May said. "My brother probably has though. He's actually traveled all over Middle Earth."
"I didn't want to say anything yesterday, but I thought that was the same Samwise who helped destroyed the ring of power."
May brightened up. She loved to talk about her brother's long travels. "Yes, he doesn't like to boast about it, but I know he takes pride in what he did to save our world."
"And who wouldn't be? It would be wonderful to meet his traveling companions that went with him. Do they live in this part of the Shire?" Seredric asked.
May brightened up and took a deep breath. She could do this. She WILL do this, her heart said. "Aye, they do. In fact, if you fancy yourself meeting them, you could accompany me to Sam and Rosie's cookout tomorrow night. Pippin and Merry are to be there. I am sure they would love to talk about their travels with someone who has never heard it from their mouths already. It usually doesn't stop them anyways." Ok, shut your mouth May, you're rambling on.
"Tomorrow night?" Seredric said out loud for himself. "That would be fine with me. I would love to go and meet some new folks around these parts. The only problem is, if you and I are to go, who will watch Lily?"
May blinked. He agreed! She contained the urge to jump up and down and shout for joy. He was only going to meet her friends, but May couldn't stop happiness spreading through her even he wasn't going for her. "Bring Lily along. It's going to be an early cookout. Elanor, my eldest niece, is going to be watching over the children. She won't mind watching over Lily. Besides, Primrose is around Lily's age. They also have many toys to keep them selves busy. Much like Lily is doing now." She turned her gaze to the black haired beauty banging one of the blocks on the floor, absorbed in nothing else but that block.
"Lily doesn't have many toys of her own. Her mother wasn't able to make or purchase any. I didn't know anything about Lily until a little over a month ago. Since then, she hasn't given me much time to build her any toys for her to play with," Seredric explained.
"What about Lily's father?" May asked. She was curious as to why Seredric hadn't mentioned him before.
Seredric's face grew somber. "He's a drifter. Gale was courting him for a time. They agreed to get married about a year and a half ago. Before the wedding ever took place, Gale was pregnant with Lily. I didn't know at the time. She kept it to herself. When the wedding day did finally come, he never showed up."
"He left her?" May whispered.
Seredric nodded. "Gale left after that. I don't know if she was ashamed or she was trying to find him. She turned up many months later when Lily was 5 months old."
"How horrible for her. Have you heard anything at all on Lily's father?"
"None. I happen to think he left the Shire for good."
Both hobbits turned their gazes to the child on the floor. Lily was captivated with all the colorful toys that were scattered around the room. "I thought by bring her with me, Lily could get to know you better. She doesn't like to be around people other than her mother or myself."
May turned her gaze to Seredric. "Do you mind if I try to hold her?" Seredric nodded his consent. May smiled to him; she grabbed the yellow cloth bear sitting on the table and walked to where Lily was playing. May seated her self in front of Lily.
The next thing that happened, May would never forget in her life. The child lifted her head to May sitting in front of her. The bright green orbs examined May. With approval, Lily grinned, showing her two small teeth growing in. Lily crawled to May on the floor and allowed May to hold her without protest.