Hey all! I'm back! WoOt! I'm SO sorry for the huge gap between updates. Anyways, I'm back. And this chapter is longer than any of the others because of the HUGE significance it has. Seriously, this is the start of the rest of the story! Yay. Ok, without further ado:

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Before she went to bed that night, she told Lennard that she would be leaving in the morning. She thanked him profusely for his hospitality as well. She felt bad for not being a more enjoyable guest, but her mind and heart were set on what she was going to attempt to do.

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the next morning, before anyone else was up, she gathered her few belongings and quietly slipped out of the house. She walked towards Frodo's temporary residence at a brisk pace through the early morning fog. She snuck around the side of the house and watched the door. Soon enough, the four hobbits left the house and headed to the stables for their ponies. They then headed off toward the forest. Flavia followed them from a safe distance, having to walk quickly in order to keep them in sight.

They soon neared the forest. She watched Fredegar exchange parting words with the rest of the party and then turn away. She got a bit closer and saw Merry open the gate and then close it again once they were all inside. She waited approximately ten minutes, by her own reckoning, before approaching the gate. To her supreme dismay, she found it to be locked.

She rattled the gate again, but it would not yield. Still set on following Frodo, she resolved to find another way into the Old Forest. She walked along the edge of the forest in the direction she'd come, hoping to find a break in the underbrush. There was none. She turned to go back to the gate to try the other direction. She had not gone two steps when she heard her name shouted from someone a ways off. She turned back around to see what looked like Farmer Maggot running for her as fast as he could.

When he finally reached her, he stood panting a moment. While he was catching his breath, a stream of questions escaped her lips. "What are you doing here? What do you want? How did you find me? Why..." She was cut off when he started speaking.

"Flavia, I beg of you, do not follow Frodo." For a moment she was speechless.

"How did you know..."

"There is much to talk about, and here is not the place. Come with me and we will talk elsewhere."

"No," she said, "I'm going after Frodo."

"Hear me out first, if you still wish to go after I have had my say, then I will help you find a way into the forest."

She was silent a moment, weighing her decisions. "I'll listen, but we will talk here." He nodded his head, agreeing because he knew too well how stubborn she could be. They sat down on the dewy grass. "How did you know what I was doing or where I'd be?"

"Before Bilbo's big party, I was aware of Gandalf frequenting Bag End. When Bilbo disappeared, I assumed Gandalf had had something to do with it. the past few months I'd heard rumors that Gandalf had been paying secret visits to young Frodo. When Frodo anounced his selling Bag End, I could only assume he'd gone after Bilbo. I knew they were very close. I also figured he'd made up the whole selling his house bit to cover it up. If he wanted secrecy, he'd want to leave secretly too. The only way I could think of leaving without anyone knowing was through the Old Forest. Since he's friends with Master Meriodoc Brandybuck, I knew that was most likely what was going to happen. And when you came tramping along after them, I knew somehow you'd figured out he was leaving too. So I came to try and stop you from going after him." He concluded his story with a small sigh and a pleading look at the young hobbit lass.

"Well, I guess I owe you my side of the story then too." She proceeded to tell him everything, all about the ring, and all that had happened in the past few months. She concluded with the dream she'd had, and the Dark Figure she'd encountered on her way to Buckland. By the time she had finished, the sun had risen and the town was starting to wake up.

He looked at her gravely. "It is a very good thing I caught up to you. Don't you see the significance of your dream?"

"No, I only thought of it as a horrible nightmare with some truth to it... like the Black Rider."

He gave her another very grave look. "It is what will happen if you should follow Frodo Baggins on his quest."

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oooo! Does that count as a cliff hanger?!? I've always wanted to write one of those.... Anyways, woohoo. I'm really happy with that chapter. Now, on to my wonderful reviews!

CrazyWench: I'm so very, very glad you like this story. I was really afraid when I first started writing it that people would hate it. ^_^

Ziggy The Paranoid Pyro: Huzzah. Wow, I haven't updated in a month and a half. Bad, bad author rachel!

Frodo Fan Number Nine: I'm glad you like the story. Hooray for liking Will.