Wow. I am so sorry this took so long to post. (Blame it on my teachers at
school)
By the way, has anyone else seen the incredible ROTK trailer on theonering.net? I had a friend over when we found it, and after waiting nearly twenty minutes for it to load, we got to watch it. It is so cool! December 17th just can't come soon enough!
Wow! I got a lot of reviews this time! Thank you all so very very very much! I feel so loved!
Herculeha: Thank you your kind words, and your concern about the hurricane. Turns out, it was worse than I predicted, and our power was out for a couple days, leading to two most unfortunate events: I couldn't get on ff.net, and my chocolate ice cream in the freezer melted.
Shirebound: Thank you so very much for your kind words! Yes, poor Sam, and what a sadness indeed! But there will be comfort before the end. (thank goodness)
Irish Flying Fish: Interesting name. (I love it!) Your kind review means so much to me! Thank you!
Fireblade K'Chona: Thank you! :0)
Loveofthering: I love your little rhyme thing! "All work and no play makes the muse go away." And away my muse did go this past week. :0(
Kit5: Yes, Sam's questioning his brother brought tears to my eyes too. You have no idea how hard it is to write this about my poor Sam!
FrodoBaggins87: I'm adding more!
Mint Sauce: Yes, Frodo being a good friend plays a major part in this story.
Lady - Willowish: Thank you for your kind words. I'm continuing! Believe me, if I left a story hanging for too long, I'd go nuts.
Lemondrop: Well, don't worry. I wouldn't get Sam too sick. But there will be blankets and tea in this chapter! I agree; the tragedy of this makes me want to cry too, and I wonder if I'll have the guts to pull it off without smoothing over the most tragic parts.
Usagi-cha: I'm glad you like it! Thank you!
By the way, for those of you who are following His Elanor, the final chapter to that should be posted sometime soon.
Wow. Extremely long author's note. Ah, well, on with the story! (I'm not sure if I can end these notes with "enjoy" anymore. More like "get ready to cry for poor Sam.")
*****************************************************
Honey, or butter?
Which is sweeter? Which tastes better?
Bilbo Baggins, holding a jar in each hand, stood facing a tray of bread rolls on the table. He was almost as still as stone, for he was faced with a very tough decision.
Would honey, or butter taste best on these rolls?
Butter was most definitely the more traditional thing for hobbits to put on their bread. Added to almost every dinner of almost every hobbit, was "bread and butter." So, Bilbo mused, why not just use butter? It was what everyone else always used.
"Hmph." Bilbo mumbled. "They don't call me Mad Baggins for nothing." He then proceeded to open the honey jar. Carefully, he got ready to smooth the honey over the bread ever so deftly. Preparing food was a delicate process after all.
He was interrupted by the sound of Bag End's door bursting open and slamming shut.
"Frodo, my lad!" He called out the kitchen door. "What is the big rush?" Bilbo shook his head, amused. That boy could get so excited some times.
His chuckles were cut short at the view of Frodo leading a very sodden and sorry Samwise into the kitchen."
"Frodo!" Bilbo exclaimed, dropping down the knife he was using to spread the honey. "Sam! What on earth!"
"I found him behind the bushes on the side of Bag End." Frodo explained breathlessly. "I couldn't convince him to let me take him home, so I thought you wouldn't mind if I brought him here."
"Well, of course I don't mind!" Bilbo sighed, turning to Sam's sad and wet face. Had he looked closer, he would have been able to tell that some of the moisture was not rainwater, but tears. "What have you gotten yourself worked up about this time, Sam?"
Sam's lower lip quivered as he replied. "I'm s-s-sorry Mr. B-bilbo!" He broke off with a sneeze. "B-but I couldn't g-go back h-home. I . . ."
Sam was about to say more, but Bilbo cut him, laying a hand on his shoulder and steering him out of the room. "Shh." He hushed Sam gently. "We'll talk about it later, but now lets just get you dried off."
*******************************************************
A few minutes later, Sam sat curled up on a soft chair, snuggled in blankets, with nothing worse than a sniffle. Bilbo brought him some hot tea, and Sam sipped it slowly, all the while telling Bilbo and Frodo that they really didn't need to go to the trouble, and Bilbo and Frodo all the while telling him that they did. Since Sam could obviously not wear his soaking wet clothes, Frodo had lent him some of his old clothes, and he couldn't help but notice how comical little Sam looked in the older lad's larger clothing.
Bilbo, on the other hand, noticed something entirely different. For the first time, he saw the telltale redness around Sam's eyes that spoke of a long time of crying.
"Are you comfortable now, Sam?" Frodo asked, sitting down beside his friend.
"Yes," Sam answered softly. "Thank you Mr Frodo, Mr. Bilbo."
"I'm glad." Said Bilbo. "Seeing Frodo dragging you in here soaking wet worried me greatly, and I'm sure Frodo was worried as well." Frodo nodded his agreement.
"I'm sorry." Sam apologized. "But I couldn't go home."
"Alright, Sam." Bilbo said firmly but kindly. He sat down opposite of the small lad. "I would like you to explain why you are so vehement about not going back to Bagshot Row."
Sam's eyes were wide. "Mr. Bilbo? What does ve-vehemont mean?" He stumbled over the word.
Bilbo mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten that he was speaking with a small child. Sam could be like that sometimes. He almost made you feel like you were talking to another adult. Come to think of it, that was a lot like Frodo when he was younger as well.
"Well," Bilbo told Sam. "What I mean, is I want to know why you don't want to go back home."
Sam's eyes began to tear up, and for a moment, Bilbo wondered if he had done right in asking the question. "Mr. Bilbo . . ." Sam whispered. "It's my Momma."
TBC
By the way, has anyone else seen the incredible ROTK trailer on theonering.net? I had a friend over when we found it, and after waiting nearly twenty minutes for it to load, we got to watch it. It is so cool! December 17th just can't come soon enough!
Wow! I got a lot of reviews this time! Thank you all so very very very much! I feel so loved!
Herculeha: Thank you your kind words, and your concern about the hurricane. Turns out, it was worse than I predicted, and our power was out for a couple days, leading to two most unfortunate events: I couldn't get on ff.net, and my chocolate ice cream in the freezer melted.
Shirebound: Thank you so very much for your kind words! Yes, poor Sam, and what a sadness indeed! But there will be comfort before the end. (thank goodness)
Irish Flying Fish: Interesting name. (I love it!) Your kind review means so much to me! Thank you!
Fireblade K'Chona: Thank you! :0)
Loveofthering: I love your little rhyme thing! "All work and no play makes the muse go away." And away my muse did go this past week. :0(
Kit5: Yes, Sam's questioning his brother brought tears to my eyes too. You have no idea how hard it is to write this about my poor Sam!
FrodoBaggins87: I'm adding more!
Mint Sauce: Yes, Frodo being a good friend plays a major part in this story.
Lady - Willowish: Thank you for your kind words. I'm continuing! Believe me, if I left a story hanging for too long, I'd go nuts.
Lemondrop: Well, don't worry. I wouldn't get Sam too sick. But there will be blankets and tea in this chapter! I agree; the tragedy of this makes me want to cry too, and I wonder if I'll have the guts to pull it off without smoothing over the most tragic parts.
Usagi-cha: I'm glad you like it! Thank you!
By the way, for those of you who are following His Elanor, the final chapter to that should be posted sometime soon.
Wow. Extremely long author's note. Ah, well, on with the story! (I'm not sure if I can end these notes with "enjoy" anymore. More like "get ready to cry for poor Sam.")
*****************************************************
Honey, or butter?
Which is sweeter? Which tastes better?
Bilbo Baggins, holding a jar in each hand, stood facing a tray of bread rolls on the table. He was almost as still as stone, for he was faced with a very tough decision.
Would honey, or butter taste best on these rolls?
Butter was most definitely the more traditional thing for hobbits to put on their bread. Added to almost every dinner of almost every hobbit, was "bread and butter." So, Bilbo mused, why not just use butter? It was what everyone else always used.
"Hmph." Bilbo mumbled. "They don't call me Mad Baggins for nothing." He then proceeded to open the honey jar. Carefully, he got ready to smooth the honey over the bread ever so deftly. Preparing food was a delicate process after all.
He was interrupted by the sound of Bag End's door bursting open and slamming shut.
"Frodo, my lad!" He called out the kitchen door. "What is the big rush?" Bilbo shook his head, amused. That boy could get so excited some times.
His chuckles were cut short at the view of Frodo leading a very sodden and sorry Samwise into the kitchen."
"Frodo!" Bilbo exclaimed, dropping down the knife he was using to spread the honey. "Sam! What on earth!"
"I found him behind the bushes on the side of Bag End." Frodo explained breathlessly. "I couldn't convince him to let me take him home, so I thought you wouldn't mind if I brought him here."
"Well, of course I don't mind!" Bilbo sighed, turning to Sam's sad and wet face. Had he looked closer, he would have been able to tell that some of the moisture was not rainwater, but tears. "What have you gotten yourself worked up about this time, Sam?"
Sam's lower lip quivered as he replied. "I'm s-s-sorry Mr. B-bilbo!" He broke off with a sneeze. "B-but I couldn't g-go back h-home. I . . ."
Sam was about to say more, but Bilbo cut him, laying a hand on his shoulder and steering him out of the room. "Shh." He hushed Sam gently. "We'll talk about it later, but now lets just get you dried off."
*******************************************************
A few minutes later, Sam sat curled up on a soft chair, snuggled in blankets, with nothing worse than a sniffle. Bilbo brought him some hot tea, and Sam sipped it slowly, all the while telling Bilbo and Frodo that they really didn't need to go to the trouble, and Bilbo and Frodo all the while telling him that they did. Since Sam could obviously not wear his soaking wet clothes, Frodo had lent him some of his old clothes, and he couldn't help but notice how comical little Sam looked in the older lad's larger clothing.
Bilbo, on the other hand, noticed something entirely different. For the first time, he saw the telltale redness around Sam's eyes that spoke of a long time of crying.
"Are you comfortable now, Sam?" Frodo asked, sitting down beside his friend.
"Yes," Sam answered softly. "Thank you Mr Frodo, Mr. Bilbo."
"I'm glad." Said Bilbo. "Seeing Frodo dragging you in here soaking wet worried me greatly, and I'm sure Frodo was worried as well." Frodo nodded his agreement.
"I'm sorry." Sam apologized. "But I couldn't go home."
"Alright, Sam." Bilbo said firmly but kindly. He sat down opposite of the small lad. "I would like you to explain why you are so vehement about not going back to Bagshot Row."
Sam's eyes were wide. "Mr. Bilbo? What does ve-vehemont mean?" He stumbled over the word.
Bilbo mentally kicked himself. He had forgotten that he was speaking with a small child. Sam could be like that sometimes. He almost made you feel like you were talking to another adult. Come to think of it, that was a lot like Frodo when he was younger as well.
"Well," Bilbo told Sam. "What I mean, is I want to know why you don't want to go back home."
Sam's eyes began to tear up, and for a moment, Bilbo wondered if he had done right in asking the question. "Mr. Bilbo . . ." Sam whispered. "It's my Momma."
TBC