A/N- Howdy everybody. Sorry that it's been so long since my last update. My muse went on vacation and took my inspiration with her. But, here I am, and here I'll stay.
Muchos gracias to Obelia Medusa for her latest reviews; they encouraged my muse to come back from Miami. And a big thank you to all of my readers and reviewers; it's nice to feel a little appreciated when it comes to my writing.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is of Tolkien. As much as I love it, it's not mine. But I'll put everyone back when I'm done, I promise. Also, just to clear up a misunderstanding, the name Anyanka was created by Buffy the Vampire Slayer writers, but my Anya is one hundred percent my creation, and mine to own. I only borrowed the name cause it sounded cool and hobbit-like enough to suit my purposes. If that's a crime, sue me. You won't get anything worth keeping.
Now, on with the show!
Chapter 8- At the Green Dragon
"Hey, ho, to the bottle I go!
To heal my heart and drown my woes;
Rain may fall, and wind may blow
But there still be…
Many miles to go!
Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
And stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or rippling brook…"
"Is a mug of beer inside this Took!" Pippin finished broadly, sending the room into laughter. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin had all been singing loudly; Merry and Pippin standing on the table with Frodo dancing around them. They were all enjoying their night at the Green Dragon, where good company and good ale assured them all a good time.
Anya laughed with everyone else in the room from her seat at the bar. As a general rule female hobbits didn't frequent the inns as much as the males, but Anya was friends with the barmaids who worked at the Dragon, so she usually came whenever Frodo did. When the song ended, Frodo raised the mugs he was holding at his cousins, and went to sit with some other hobbits nearby; among them Gaffer Gamgee and Sam. As he neared the table, Frodo caught Ted Sandyman's remark of Bilbo being cracked, and both twins heard the Gaffer saying the Frodo was crackin'. But Frodo simply smiled broadly and replied to the Gaffer: "And proud of it!"; before he handed out the mugs of ale around the table.
Anya turned back in her seat to face the bar again. She sipped at her ale and waited to return to her conversation with Rosie. She watched with a bemused expression as Rosie craned her neck slightly to catch a glimpse of something. Turning again, Anya followed her friend's line of vision to see what had placed such a smile on Rosie's face. Then, seeing the object of her friend's affection, she too broke into a smile.
"So that's it, then," Anya said slyly. Rosie looked at her, slightly startled.
"That's what?" she asked.
"What's been makin' you grin like a Cheshire cat all evening," Anya replied, taking another sip of her ale. Rosie blushed and ducked her head slightly. "Got you eye on our Sam, have ya?" Rosie raised her head slightly and met Anya's eyes, still not saying anything. Anya simply grinned wider and drained the last of her ale. She leaned forward then and patted Rosie on the hand.
"He's a good lad, Rosie. Steady as the day is long and as predictable as the sun. You'd be good together," Anya said with a knowing look in her eyes. Rosie nodded and continued to wipe the mug that she had been cleaning.
Not much later, Rosie announced that it was closing time and began to herd everyone out. Anya waited as the men filed out before trailing behind them. She quickly caught up with Sam and Frodo outside and the trio headed towards Bagshot Row together.
The twins left Sam's side as they passed by Bag End. "Goodnight Sam," Frodo called.
"Goodnight Mr. Frodo, Miss Anya," Sam replied, continuing down the way. As the twins climbed the steps to Bag End, Anya stopped suddenly. She grabbed Frodo's shoulder, pulling him to a halt.
"Didn't we leave the lamps burning?" she asked quietly. Frodo thought for a moment, and realized that she was right.
"Stay behind me," he answered, just as quietly. As they continued up the steps, part of him chided himself, saying that he was behaving foolishly. After all, what could possibly happen in the Shire? But the other part of him was saying 'Better safe than sorry,' and if there was trouble, he certainly wasn't going to put Anya in the middle of it.
Slowly opening the door, Frodo peered inside for a moment before stepping over the threshold. Anya stayed close at his back, also looking inside. They both noticed that the lamps inside were burned out, and that the ashes were cold in the fireplace; both things which had been left burning when the twins had left for their evening out. Moving forward, Anya eased out from behind her brother to his side, peering into the study. Just when they were beginning to think that they had been overreacting after all, a hand reached out from behind them, and grabbed Frodo's shoulder. Frodo whirled around with a gasp, and Anya muffled a scream as she saw who had stepped out of the shadows. Gandalf!
Before either twin could let out a sigh of relief, the expression on the wizard's face caused them each to tense again. Gandalf looked somewhat frightened.
"Is it secret?" He gasped. "Is it safe?"