I Would Never Betray You,
Please Remember Me
Merry sighed, and gave a look that could not be described to Pippin. A look that never would Mr. Perigrin Took forget in all his days. (which were very numbered)
"Good job, Pippin."
"WHAT?" That was not what he was expecting.
"Good job. You've gone and told everything about Frodo, to a person who will tell it to the entire Middle-earth. Good job. Now, Frodo might as well give up on the Quest, as everyone will know by the time he reaches them. Good job. You may have just told away Frodo's life. I hope you're proud of yourself," Merry said maliciously. Pippin had just gotten the guilt-trip.
"Merry, you've gotta believe me! I'm so sorry I said it. So very, very, very sorry," he was close to tears. "I didn't mean-"
"I don't want to hear what you meant and didn't mean to do, Pippin! You did it, after I clearly warned you several times. Did you not get the meaning of me kicking you, trying to get us to leave, and that look? You dumb ass fool of a Took," he said bitterly.
Merry was hurt. His own best friend and cousin had just told the biggest secret there was in the world to keep. Pippin was just annoying now, he didn't really have that many good times with him. Except when they sang together, when they joked, when they were in pubs getting drunk, when they talked, when they looked at possible lasses or not possible, talked about the lasses, when they had eating or drinking contests, when they play wrestled, when they worked together on their plots, when-. He sighed. This wasn't getting him anywhere good. He was upset, and was close to tears as well. He wasn't sure if he was more angry at the fact Pippin may have just get him, Frodo, Sam and even Pip killed; or sad that he couldn't really be friends with a person like Pip because he couldn't be trusted and be there for him. He knew he was going to have to be harsh with him, no matter who or what he was.
"Merry, please don't...please don't..." he kept repeating 'please don't' as he started to cry.
"Pippin, you idiot, stop crying. I'm going to go tell Frodo your little 'mistake'. He needs to know," he said with no emotion.
Merry didn't seem to care that Pippin was hurting, didn't seem to care that he really hadn't meant to say all of that, or anything. 'Curse that ale,' Pip thought angry. Merry actually just didn't seem to care about him at all. He couldn't believe it. That was not like Merry. He certainly couldn't hate him just for this. As Merry started walking towards Frodo, Pippin called out to him.
"Merry!" Merry turned around anger present on his face and pain in his eyes.
"What do you want?" Merry glared at Pippin it all he had. Pippin wanted to cry harder receiving such a mean look from his cousin. Pippin swallowed and cleared his throat, trying his best not to lose it, though he knew he'd still have that high squeaky voice he got when he cried.
"You-you don't want me to come with you?" He asked finally.
"Why? What good would it do? The whole place will know in a matter of minutes." Merry turned around to walk away again. Pippin choked on his tears that were rapidly falling down his face. That used to would've been wiped away by Merry no matte how mad he was at the little runt.
"Merry, you're still my best friend, right? You don't hate me?" Pippin asked hopefully. Merry had a strange look on his face when asked that. It took him a minute to answer.
"Well, Pippin," he sighed. "I'm not sure what I think of you now." He turned around and walked away to Frodo and Sam without an objection.
Pippin couldn't help it. He ran to the room he was staying in, and cried his heart out. He was so hurt. Pip was in so much pain, he could barely stand it. Now that he thought about it, Merry had been right. He could've just now, without meaning to, assisted in the murder of Frodo and maybe the others. Merry, didn't know what to think about him, or care. Merry probably wasn't his friend, and would deny being related to him so closely. 'Who would want to be my friend or close relative, anyway?' he thought and continued lying there, tears falling downward like rain in the worst storm imaginable. He stayed like that for about four hours before anyone came in his room. Those were the most horrible hours of his young life.
There came a knock on the door. Pippin was glad someone had come to see him, but then he thought about what might happen to him if he opened the door. He remained silent.
"Pippin, can I come in please?" rang Frodo's beautiful voice that was almost elfin. In response Pippin grunted.
"Come in if you wish," he choked out while hurriedly wiping away his tears that had been spilt. Frodo came in and looked surprised.
"Why, Pippin, are you alright?" Frodo seemed generally concerned about his younger cousin.
"Merry hasn't told you?" he asked gulping. Frodo let out a heavy sigh.
"Right now I'm asking about you."
"What do you think I feel like? Look, Frodo, this is probably what you're looking for, so I'm gonna go ahead and say it. I didn't mean to- wait- has he told you?" Pip stopped mid-sentence not wanting to continue. Frodo looked at him with sad, sad eyes that told everything, which they often would if they told anything. Those big blue orbs spelled it out for him, without him saying a word.
"Well, Pip," Frodo started. "I believe I've been told." Pippin looked down, ashamed, when he heard it. He was getting close to tears again.
"Does Merry hate me now? Do you hate me? Does Sam even hate me? What are you going to do?" the Took quickly shot out his questions. Frodo gave Pippin a smile, that was not evil, it was understanding and loving. The kind that Merry usually gave him when he had really messed up. Though, he'd never messed up like this before.
"Whoa, there Pippin! Before I answer your questions I would like you to tell me your side of the story before anything is done. You shouldn't be wrongly accused," he said with a knowing expression.
"Yes," he said not enthusiastically, "I'll tell you, Frodo."
"Good."
So Pippin started explaining his side of the story, but left out certain parts, and had to stop occasionally to blow his nose. When he finished what he wanted to tell Frodo, Frodo looked bewildered at his big hairy feet.
"That's all Pip? Merry said he gave you some warnings."
"He did. Mostly around the same time," the Took confessed staring at the bedcovers that were damp from all his previous tears.
"Oh," was all Frodo could say.
Frodo knew what Merry and Sam were going to insist to have done now since Pippin seemed to be a betrayer to them all, but he did not like it what-so- ever. Even though Pippin was a betrayer, he wouldn't do it. He just couldn't do that to his younger cousin, who was also his friend, despite all the whining he did, and even now that he had betrayed him. He wanted to be mad at Pip, but couldn't as of because of what he had done himself. Then after a few minutes of an uncomfortable silence he continued. "You know, Pip, I know what you're feeling like right now," he said still staring at his feet.
"You do?" asked a surprised Pippin.
"Yes. I know exactly what you feel like."
"How?"
"I had a little to much to drink myself, Pippin. I was asked to sing songs. So I did, but I ended up slipping on some ale. The-"Frodo was cut off.
"What's that have to do with, what I feel like?" Pippin asked, annoyed.
"You'll see, if you'll let me continue," they looked at each other unsure for a few moments, then Frodo did what he said he would. "Then, the Ring fell on my finger. I disappeared in front of everyone. That's worse in a way than what you did." He said with a faint grin. Pippin looked up from the bedcovers for the first time in a while, and looked unbelievingly at Frodo.
"You did?"
"Yes, Pippin, I did." There was a more comfortable silence. Then Pippin went on.
"So, you don't hate me?"
"Of course not, you silly Took," Frodo grinned before Pippin could go on. "Neither does Sam."
"That's good. What about Merry? Does he hate me? Or is he over it?" Frodo looked down, very awkwardly. He tried to ignore the question.
"You're not in trouble with me..." Frodo paused looking at Pippin straight in the eyes. "You may be in trouble with the other two though," he finished forlornly.
"I thought you said Sam didn't hate me!"
"He doesn't. He's just not happy with you. He's afraid for me and all, like usual."
"What about Merry?! Does Merry hate me, too?! What's he going to do to me? Frodo, I'm your cousin although I don't deserve to be, but what's going to happen to me?! You must tell me!!!" Pippin was in a rushed fury.
"Pippin, Pippin. There, there, shush. It'll be okay. You know, you sounded just a little like Sam. It's going to be okay soon."
"Stop with the comforting! Merry's my bestest friend of all, I DESERVE to know what's going on!!!" Frodo looked down, not very happy with the way this was going.
"Merry is very upset Pippin. I don't think he actually hates you, he just hasn't figured out that he *doesn't* hate you yet. He doesn't really want to talk to you. He's really mad. I would stay out of his way if I were you," Frodo leaked out the information quickly. Pippin's expression didn't change.
"Frodo, what are they going to do to me? I need to know, NOW." Frodo looked at him looking very melancholy.
"Pippin, I can't warn you."
"WARN ME?!! And why not, Frodo Baggins?!" Pip whispered harshly so not to scream and recreate the last mess up. Frodo looked down, guiltily.
"I'm under an oath," he whispered.
Pippin looked at him, terrified. He knew how bad this must be if Frodo were under an oath not to tell. Pippin looked up with fake courage and plastered his eyes to the wood wall. 'If only I had known...' he thought. 'If only I had known.' Frodo spoke breaking Pippin's line of thought.
"Pippin," he began wondering exactly how upset his cousin was, who he was deeply sorry for, "We need to leave now."
"And go where, might I ask?"
"For all of our safety we must stay in a human's room tonight. The Nazgul are out searching, and we need protection," said Frodo quietly.
Boy, did Pippin know about needing protection. He felt like a small little mouse that was completely surrounded by starving cats. The image made him shudder as he left to follow Frodo to the human's room.
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A/N: Enough angst for you yet? LOL! I loooooooooooooove hobbity angst. *big grin* BTW, Merry is SUPPOSED to be OOC, just in case you didn't know. He will be even more OOC next, but I want him to be. The next chapters get even angstier, so you've been warned.
Disclaimer: Don't own The Prancing Pony (still love ya, Butterbur), the characters (you're the best, Tolkien), or anything else. I just don't own it. ( Money? Don't make me laugh, I get none from this stuff, just like you other people.
Please Remember Me
Merry sighed, and gave a look that could not be described to Pippin. A look that never would Mr. Perigrin Took forget in all his days. (which were very numbered)
"Good job, Pippin."
"WHAT?" That was not what he was expecting.
"Good job. You've gone and told everything about Frodo, to a person who will tell it to the entire Middle-earth. Good job. Now, Frodo might as well give up on the Quest, as everyone will know by the time he reaches them. Good job. You may have just told away Frodo's life. I hope you're proud of yourself," Merry said maliciously. Pippin had just gotten the guilt-trip.
"Merry, you've gotta believe me! I'm so sorry I said it. So very, very, very sorry," he was close to tears. "I didn't mean-"
"I don't want to hear what you meant and didn't mean to do, Pippin! You did it, after I clearly warned you several times. Did you not get the meaning of me kicking you, trying to get us to leave, and that look? You dumb ass fool of a Took," he said bitterly.
Merry was hurt. His own best friend and cousin had just told the biggest secret there was in the world to keep. Pippin was just annoying now, he didn't really have that many good times with him. Except when they sang together, when they joked, when they were in pubs getting drunk, when they talked, when they looked at possible lasses or not possible, talked about the lasses, when they had eating or drinking contests, when they play wrestled, when they worked together on their plots, when-. He sighed. This wasn't getting him anywhere good. He was upset, and was close to tears as well. He wasn't sure if he was more angry at the fact Pippin may have just get him, Frodo, Sam and even Pip killed; or sad that he couldn't really be friends with a person like Pip because he couldn't be trusted and be there for him. He knew he was going to have to be harsh with him, no matter who or what he was.
"Merry, please don't...please don't..." he kept repeating 'please don't' as he started to cry.
"Pippin, you idiot, stop crying. I'm going to go tell Frodo your little 'mistake'. He needs to know," he said with no emotion.
Merry didn't seem to care that Pippin was hurting, didn't seem to care that he really hadn't meant to say all of that, or anything. 'Curse that ale,' Pip thought angry. Merry actually just didn't seem to care about him at all. He couldn't believe it. That was not like Merry. He certainly couldn't hate him just for this. As Merry started walking towards Frodo, Pippin called out to him.
"Merry!" Merry turned around anger present on his face and pain in his eyes.
"What do you want?" Merry glared at Pippin it all he had. Pippin wanted to cry harder receiving such a mean look from his cousin. Pippin swallowed and cleared his throat, trying his best not to lose it, though he knew he'd still have that high squeaky voice he got when he cried.
"You-you don't want me to come with you?" He asked finally.
"Why? What good would it do? The whole place will know in a matter of minutes." Merry turned around to walk away again. Pippin choked on his tears that were rapidly falling down his face. That used to would've been wiped away by Merry no matte how mad he was at the little runt.
"Merry, you're still my best friend, right? You don't hate me?" Pippin asked hopefully. Merry had a strange look on his face when asked that. It took him a minute to answer.
"Well, Pippin," he sighed. "I'm not sure what I think of you now." He turned around and walked away to Frodo and Sam without an objection.
Pippin couldn't help it. He ran to the room he was staying in, and cried his heart out. He was so hurt. Pip was in so much pain, he could barely stand it. Now that he thought about it, Merry had been right. He could've just now, without meaning to, assisted in the murder of Frodo and maybe the others. Merry, didn't know what to think about him, or care. Merry probably wasn't his friend, and would deny being related to him so closely. 'Who would want to be my friend or close relative, anyway?' he thought and continued lying there, tears falling downward like rain in the worst storm imaginable. He stayed like that for about four hours before anyone came in his room. Those were the most horrible hours of his young life.
There came a knock on the door. Pippin was glad someone had come to see him, but then he thought about what might happen to him if he opened the door. He remained silent.
"Pippin, can I come in please?" rang Frodo's beautiful voice that was almost elfin. In response Pippin grunted.
"Come in if you wish," he choked out while hurriedly wiping away his tears that had been spilt. Frodo came in and looked surprised.
"Why, Pippin, are you alright?" Frodo seemed generally concerned about his younger cousin.
"Merry hasn't told you?" he asked gulping. Frodo let out a heavy sigh.
"Right now I'm asking about you."
"What do you think I feel like? Look, Frodo, this is probably what you're looking for, so I'm gonna go ahead and say it. I didn't mean to- wait- has he told you?" Pip stopped mid-sentence not wanting to continue. Frodo looked at him with sad, sad eyes that told everything, which they often would if they told anything. Those big blue orbs spelled it out for him, without him saying a word.
"Well, Pip," Frodo started. "I believe I've been told." Pippin looked down, ashamed, when he heard it. He was getting close to tears again.
"Does Merry hate me now? Do you hate me? Does Sam even hate me? What are you going to do?" the Took quickly shot out his questions. Frodo gave Pippin a smile, that was not evil, it was understanding and loving. The kind that Merry usually gave him when he had really messed up. Though, he'd never messed up like this before.
"Whoa, there Pippin! Before I answer your questions I would like you to tell me your side of the story before anything is done. You shouldn't be wrongly accused," he said with a knowing expression.
"Yes," he said not enthusiastically, "I'll tell you, Frodo."
"Good."
So Pippin started explaining his side of the story, but left out certain parts, and had to stop occasionally to blow his nose. When he finished what he wanted to tell Frodo, Frodo looked bewildered at his big hairy feet.
"That's all Pip? Merry said he gave you some warnings."
"He did. Mostly around the same time," the Took confessed staring at the bedcovers that were damp from all his previous tears.
"Oh," was all Frodo could say.
Frodo knew what Merry and Sam were going to insist to have done now since Pippin seemed to be a betrayer to them all, but he did not like it what-so- ever. Even though Pippin was a betrayer, he wouldn't do it. He just couldn't do that to his younger cousin, who was also his friend, despite all the whining he did, and even now that he had betrayed him. He wanted to be mad at Pip, but couldn't as of because of what he had done himself. Then after a few minutes of an uncomfortable silence he continued. "You know, Pip, I know what you're feeling like right now," he said still staring at his feet.
"You do?" asked a surprised Pippin.
"Yes. I know exactly what you feel like."
"How?"
"I had a little to much to drink myself, Pippin. I was asked to sing songs. So I did, but I ended up slipping on some ale. The-"Frodo was cut off.
"What's that have to do with, what I feel like?" Pippin asked, annoyed.
"You'll see, if you'll let me continue," they looked at each other unsure for a few moments, then Frodo did what he said he would. "Then, the Ring fell on my finger. I disappeared in front of everyone. That's worse in a way than what you did." He said with a faint grin. Pippin looked up from the bedcovers for the first time in a while, and looked unbelievingly at Frodo.
"You did?"
"Yes, Pippin, I did." There was a more comfortable silence. Then Pippin went on.
"So, you don't hate me?"
"Of course not, you silly Took," Frodo grinned before Pippin could go on. "Neither does Sam."
"That's good. What about Merry? Does he hate me? Or is he over it?" Frodo looked down, very awkwardly. He tried to ignore the question.
"You're not in trouble with me..." Frodo paused looking at Pippin straight in the eyes. "You may be in trouble with the other two though," he finished forlornly.
"I thought you said Sam didn't hate me!"
"He doesn't. He's just not happy with you. He's afraid for me and all, like usual."
"What about Merry?! Does Merry hate me, too?! What's he going to do to me? Frodo, I'm your cousin although I don't deserve to be, but what's going to happen to me?! You must tell me!!!" Pippin was in a rushed fury.
"Pippin, Pippin. There, there, shush. It'll be okay. You know, you sounded just a little like Sam. It's going to be okay soon."
"Stop with the comforting! Merry's my bestest friend of all, I DESERVE to know what's going on!!!" Frodo looked down, not very happy with the way this was going.
"Merry is very upset Pippin. I don't think he actually hates you, he just hasn't figured out that he *doesn't* hate you yet. He doesn't really want to talk to you. He's really mad. I would stay out of his way if I were you," Frodo leaked out the information quickly. Pippin's expression didn't change.
"Frodo, what are they going to do to me? I need to know, NOW." Frodo looked at him looking very melancholy.
"Pippin, I can't warn you."
"WARN ME?!! And why not, Frodo Baggins?!" Pip whispered harshly so not to scream and recreate the last mess up. Frodo looked down, guiltily.
"I'm under an oath," he whispered.
Pippin looked at him, terrified. He knew how bad this must be if Frodo were under an oath not to tell. Pippin looked up with fake courage and plastered his eyes to the wood wall. 'If only I had known...' he thought. 'If only I had known.' Frodo spoke breaking Pippin's line of thought.
"Pippin," he began wondering exactly how upset his cousin was, who he was deeply sorry for, "We need to leave now."
"And go where, might I ask?"
"For all of our safety we must stay in a human's room tonight. The Nazgul are out searching, and we need protection," said Frodo quietly.
Boy, did Pippin know about needing protection. He felt like a small little mouse that was completely surrounded by starving cats. The image made him shudder as he left to follow Frodo to the human's room.
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A/N: Enough angst for you yet? LOL! I loooooooooooooove hobbity angst. *big grin* BTW, Merry is SUPPOSED to be OOC, just in case you didn't know. He will be even more OOC next, but I want him to be. The next chapters get even angstier, so you've been warned.
Disclaimer: Don't own The Prancing Pony (still love ya, Butterbur), the characters (you're the best, Tolkien), or anything else. I just don't own it. ( Money? Don't make me laugh, I get none from this stuff, just like you other people.