Oh boy, I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner. I'll probably do that again
(sorry!), I'm getting severe writer's block on how to write the next two-
three chapters. Thanks for reading. ;) And Aemilia Rose, if you're reading
this, I hope you're doing ok because none of us have heard from you in
forever! You're keeping us on the edge with your stories, we miss you!!!
Chapter 15: Together
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
Mrs. Cotton busied herself with the abandoned dishes and wiped them dry. The October weather was already biting cold and she knew within the end of the month, snow would start to fall.
She heard a thunder of footsteps run down the staircase and Lily stepped back toward the doorway. There was no one and all she saw was the door swinging slowly. She set her plate down in the sink and walked over to the backdoor and closed it as she looked out confused. Nibs and Nick perhaps, she thought and knew those two were still young children at heart, despite their late tweenager years.
Two minutes later, Tom came downstairs from Rosie's room and Mrs. Cotton bit her lip, "Tom-dear, can you tell me anything about what has happened? Where are your brothers?"
Tom lent a hand in with the dishes and itched his brow, "It was Rosie. I saw her go."
"Rosie!" Mrs. Cotton yelped, "She is outside now? But she'll catch herself a deathly cold if she stays out there! And that is exactly what she doesn't need!"
"Oh, Mother, don't be fretting so. I haven't mentioned that Samwise is with her and we can be sure she'll be all right with him." And she did not come home until dinner.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The early winter winds rattled every window in every smial in all the Shire and it was likely that Sam Gamgee and Rosie Cotton would be looking out the same window. For every week that went by, they would take leave together and show up back at home at dusk right in time for every hobbit's favorite meal: supper. So whether they left for town or the meadows or the deeps of the forest just to be alone they would not say and no one ever asked. Lost in the passion for one another, it did not matter where they wandered off to.
November was rolling in fast and light snow dusted the ground like a powered sugar. The footsteps made by the two young lovers were printed and lost in the ground in an hour's time by the late of the month. Samwise had been making light comments here and there when they were not enjoying the simple silence and laughed as they walked down the mild slope arms linked. During mid-day, the snow had not been any problem at all and the only thing that seemed threatening in the Shire's icy wonderland of flurries were the gleaming icicles daring to fall from the branches and ledges above.
They found their way to the gate of Number 3 and Sam opened the frozen lock. He opened the round door to his home and he took their coats. The house was still and Sam peeked into the adjoining rooms.
"Looks as if they left for town by the look of things," Sam guessed and he wrung his hands, "I think it would be best if I started a fire. It is awfully cold for two after noontime."
He left to retrieve wood for the hearth and Rosie took a few steps around. The house was polished and tidy, but felt warm and very much lived in. She pushed in one of the dining room chairs in toward the table and on the table lay a folded note with Sam's name written on the top.
Sam came back with his armful of wood and set it down below the mantel when Rosie came up to him with the note. He knew his mother's handwriting and read it aloud:
Dear Samwise,
Do not worry much...we have all made our way down town for a few hours. I have started a cake in the kitchen and we shall be home before dinner.
With much love,
Ma
"Oh, my Ma! She must know me well enough to think I will make the cake for her and she is wholly right!" Sam smiled. He went back to start the fire and after he kindled the first flames, they walked to the kitchen.
Just as the note had said, ingredients for a cake next to a bowl and spoon were laid out on the counter. The window to the kitchen was cracked open and the yellow curtains were blowing softly.
Soon, Sam had started to heat the oven and they both had a fun time measuring the ingredients together and cracking the eggs. After a quarter of an hour, Sam had poured the batter into the baking pan and Rosie was sitting on the counter mixing up the frosting. Although Rosie had insisted she was a horrid cook, she had her talent in baking, something she had been doing since she was small with her mother (and so do every other lass according to customs). For instance, Sam (being the talented cook he was) had his hand slapped by Rosie when he almost added a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon. However, Sam had his playful share with kidding Rosie when she had trouble measuring the sugar without making a mess.
Rosie still sat on the counter with the bowl of frosting beside her and Sam hopped up next to her and they laughed. Rosie took a bit of frosting off the side of the bowl and offered Sam some until the cake was ready.
For the hours they were alone, they finished the cake and went out to tend to the family pony. When the Gamgee's came home at last, they found them by the fireplace reading one of Sam's books. They excused each other for a few minutes before supper and Marigold could tell that they were both in love. She knew the signs of it, since herself and Tom had shared them, and wondered if they could share a double wedding. The idea seemed perfect since she and Tom had been secretly planning their own wedding for next fall.
During sundown, Sam and Rosie talked alone until nightfall under hanging from the side of Sam's hole. They held unto each other closely in their thick furs as light flurries of snowflakes fell.
Rosie put her gloved hand on Sam's cheek, "I would tell you I love you every time you look at me, but it would tire you so quickly." She said and Sam's cold cheeks became pink.
"Never, for I think the same way of you," He smiled and she drew close to him.
"Then I love you a million times, Sam," She whispered and he responded with a soft smile, "Then you are coming close to my numbers for you."
They kissed with cold lips and drew their hoods in close as the sun melted into the horizon.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The heavy winter snowstorms came again, but that didn't stop Rosie and Sam from seeing each other every once in a while.
And then there was Spring, in which new beginnings always seemed right to start. Sam found himself going to town more and more just to pass the ringcrafter in his little workshop. From the window Sam glanced at the golden bands, which were much too much for him to afford. Although, it was very tempting after every day of being in love with Rosie went by. The thought of marriage was not too far away.
Then in April, a new bend in the road appeared and it threw all of Sam's plans off course. His plans for proposal were lost for the time being. There were new matters to be considered, evil matters brewing south of the Shire. At the time, Sam didn't think of any of the dangers of this underdeveloped plan and he doubted it would ever come to action at all. Frodo postponed the date of their mysterious leave and Sam never mentioned it to anyone, not even Rosie.
The late of summer drew in and Frodo was planning to sell Bag End soon and fast. Sam knew this rumor would reach the Green Dragon in less than three days and Sam didn't want Rosie to hear it from one of her customers. He had to tell her the plan of their leave, or at least some of it.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The day had been humid and hot and the air was thick and sultry. Rosie, of course, had gotten her normal work schedule back at the bar so her afternoons were comfortably spent by Sam's side in the garden. Whenever his hands were out of the soil, they were in Rosie's hands.
He finished up the garden and she strolled around the garden while he stored the cans and rakes away. Something fast slid across her foot and she jumped and shrieked and then stepped back laughing. Sam came around the corner scared and she was split in between humiliation and panic.
"What happened?" He asked and Rosie searched the floor with her eyes.
"I---I think it was a snake! It just scared me, that's all," She said with a deep breath and she gave another nervous laugh.
Sam bent down to the thick grass and picked up a small snake. Rosie went pale but forced herself to kneel down on the ground with him. "It's just a garden snake. Nothin' to be frightened of!" He assured her and she cringed as he held it up by his face.
He handled it softly and smiled brightly, "Would you like to hold it?"
"No! No...I'd rather not," Rosie said uneasily. The snake almost slithered out of Sam's hands and Rosie jumped and Sam giggled.
"Rosie Cotton is afraid of snakes?" Sam asked, "I never thought you'd be afraid of something like that."
"Well, of course I am! Everyone is afraid of something!" She laughed and Sam gave her a sincere look.
"Then try to overcome it." And after a struggle to conquer her fears, she held out her hands and Sam carefully held the snake in her hands. She laughed and shrieked again but she kept her nerves and tried to keep the snake in her hands. They sat there for some time playing gently with the tiny snake until they let it slither away in the thick grass.
"Do you think you can handle snakes now?" Sam asked and Rosie smirked sweetly, "Only the small ones--- and only if you're with me."
Then she continued, "But now that I had to face one of my fears, don't think you'll get away without conquering one of yours, Sam Gamgee!" She said and before Sam could ask, she was out of the garden and he followed.
They stopped by her house across the field and she ran upstairs and came down with two thick towels. "We might need these," She said when she came out and Sam became tense. "Rosie, no, you have to be fooling with me." He said and she took his hands, "By all means, no, I'm not!" She laughed and they walked towards Bywater Pool.
There were only a handful of children down by the pool since dinner was approaching and there was only an hour until sunset. Rosie set her towels down by a tree and stood on the shore of the ankle-deep water.
Sam looked dreadful as he stood on the dry shore; he was completely terrified of any kind of deep water. Rosie skipped in the water and tried to make it look appealing but it was no use and she stepped in front of Sam.
"Sam, you must learn how to swim or at least try to get in the water at all! There's nothing to be frightened of with me right here," She promised and Sam held her arms, and she did as well, as they stepped slowly out into the water. Rosie took her steps carefully as she walked backwards and Sam kept checking the water level.
The water was just below their hips and Rosie stopped, "See there! You've done it! We're halfway in the water and you're still breathing!" She joked and he gave a playful smirk. "Would you like to go farther?" She asked and with a deep breath he nodded his head and they proceeded.
It wasn't until Rosie's backward footing got off that she stumbled slightly and Sam's feet got tangled in the mess. "Don't let go of me, Rose! I would sink, please!" He cried and Rosie got him back on his feet and held tight to his arms.
"Sam, I will not let you go. It is all right now," She said comfortingly and with careful steps they made it back to the shallow end.
Sam recovered his nerves, "I'm sorry I panicked like that. I was blubbering like a baby, wasn't I?" He chuckled while Rosie still held his hand.
"That was the first time you ever called me that," She said while she wrung out the hem of the dress.
"Called you what?"
"Rose. You have never called me that before."
"Oh, I did, didn't I? Would you like me to call you Rose?"
She shrugged, "Not now. I would need to get used to it."
"All right...Rosie," Sam said with a pause and they laughed again.
They waded in the shallow water and Sam bent down to the sandy bottom, "What's this? It looks like some sort of bead." He said curiously and he smirked.
Rosie crouched down next to him and he splashed water at her. She yelped and they splashed and ran around like little children until the actual children who had been swimming in Bywater Pool had left for dinner. The sun still shined bright before it started to prepare for night.
They got out at last laughing until their sides hurt and they dried off with their towels. They shivered and draped the towels over their shoulders and sat on the slope of the hill. Rosie held his hands and took a deep breath, "Samwise, let us be married."
Sam took her face in his hands out of his bliss and kissed her cheek, "Rosie, love, is that what you want?"
Rosie's eyes were hopeful, "Yes! We can get married now, just for us, and then our families will know afterwards!"
Sam's hands slid down to hers, "Rosie, I would, I would, yet I can't!" He confessed and Rosie became solemn, "Rosie, something has come up and it has been in mind since Spring. I never thought it would come to plan, if you follow me, but it has. I will have to be staying with Mr. Frodo in Crickhollow for gardening purposes until he gets settled, and I don't know for how long, but I swear, we will be married!" This little white lie was hurting Sam to say out loud but this was for Frodo's sake of his 'move-out' staying a secret.
Rosie tried to think of postponing their possible wedding but all she could say was, "You're leaving?"
"Only for a little while," He said quietly, "I will not keep you waiting." He finished and for all Sam knew, this could be true.
"But you have a task to do and I cannot keep you from that. I will come and visit you very often, and you know that, don't you? I will miss you so terribly." She smiled but her smile faded. There was no comfort in any type of leave Sam would take.
"I will miss you everyday," Sam said and he drew her close to him.
"Now, Sam, don't make it sound like you'll be gone for ages!" She winked and rested her head upon his shoulder.
He nodded slightly with sad eyes and looked towards the sunset reflecting in the pool.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
Chapter 15: Together
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
Mrs. Cotton busied herself with the abandoned dishes and wiped them dry. The October weather was already biting cold and she knew within the end of the month, snow would start to fall.
She heard a thunder of footsteps run down the staircase and Lily stepped back toward the doorway. There was no one and all she saw was the door swinging slowly. She set her plate down in the sink and walked over to the backdoor and closed it as she looked out confused. Nibs and Nick perhaps, she thought and knew those two were still young children at heart, despite their late tweenager years.
Two minutes later, Tom came downstairs from Rosie's room and Mrs. Cotton bit her lip, "Tom-dear, can you tell me anything about what has happened? Where are your brothers?"
Tom lent a hand in with the dishes and itched his brow, "It was Rosie. I saw her go."
"Rosie!" Mrs. Cotton yelped, "She is outside now? But she'll catch herself a deathly cold if she stays out there! And that is exactly what she doesn't need!"
"Oh, Mother, don't be fretting so. I haven't mentioned that Samwise is with her and we can be sure she'll be all right with him." And she did not come home until dinner.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The early winter winds rattled every window in every smial in all the Shire and it was likely that Sam Gamgee and Rosie Cotton would be looking out the same window. For every week that went by, they would take leave together and show up back at home at dusk right in time for every hobbit's favorite meal: supper. So whether they left for town or the meadows or the deeps of the forest just to be alone they would not say and no one ever asked. Lost in the passion for one another, it did not matter where they wandered off to.
November was rolling in fast and light snow dusted the ground like a powered sugar. The footsteps made by the two young lovers were printed and lost in the ground in an hour's time by the late of the month. Samwise had been making light comments here and there when they were not enjoying the simple silence and laughed as they walked down the mild slope arms linked. During mid-day, the snow had not been any problem at all and the only thing that seemed threatening in the Shire's icy wonderland of flurries were the gleaming icicles daring to fall from the branches and ledges above.
They found their way to the gate of Number 3 and Sam opened the frozen lock. He opened the round door to his home and he took their coats. The house was still and Sam peeked into the adjoining rooms.
"Looks as if they left for town by the look of things," Sam guessed and he wrung his hands, "I think it would be best if I started a fire. It is awfully cold for two after noontime."
He left to retrieve wood for the hearth and Rosie took a few steps around. The house was polished and tidy, but felt warm and very much lived in. She pushed in one of the dining room chairs in toward the table and on the table lay a folded note with Sam's name written on the top.
Sam came back with his armful of wood and set it down below the mantel when Rosie came up to him with the note. He knew his mother's handwriting and read it aloud:
Dear Samwise,
Do not worry much...we have all made our way down town for a few hours. I have started a cake in the kitchen and we shall be home before dinner.
With much love,
Ma
"Oh, my Ma! She must know me well enough to think I will make the cake for her and she is wholly right!" Sam smiled. He went back to start the fire and after he kindled the first flames, they walked to the kitchen.
Just as the note had said, ingredients for a cake next to a bowl and spoon were laid out on the counter. The window to the kitchen was cracked open and the yellow curtains were blowing softly.
Soon, Sam had started to heat the oven and they both had a fun time measuring the ingredients together and cracking the eggs. After a quarter of an hour, Sam had poured the batter into the baking pan and Rosie was sitting on the counter mixing up the frosting. Although Rosie had insisted she was a horrid cook, she had her talent in baking, something she had been doing since she was small with her mother (and so do every other lass according to customs). For instance, Sam (being the talented cook he was) had his hand slapped by Rosie when he almost added a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon. However, Sam had his playful share with kidding Rosie when she had trouble measuring the sugar without making a mess.
Rosie still sat on the counter with the bowl of frosting beside her and Sam hopped up next to her and they laughed. Rosie took a bit of frosting off the side of the bowl and offered Sam some until the cake was ready.
For the hours they were alone, they finished the cake and went out to tend to the family pony. When the Gamgee's came home at last, they found them by the fireplace reading one of Sam's books. They excused each other for a few minutes before supper and Marigold could tell that they were both in love. She knew the signs of it, since herself and Tom had shared them, and wondered if they could share a double wedding. The idea seemed perfect since she and Tom had been secretly planning their own wedding for next fall.
During sundown, Sam and Rosie talked alone until nightfall under hanging from the side of Sam's hole. They held unto each other closely in their thick furs as light flurries of snowflakes fell.
Rosie put her gloved hand on Sam's cheek, "I would tell you I love you every time you look at me, but it would tire you so quickly." She said and Sam's cold cheeks became pink.
"Never, for I think the same way of you," He smiled and she drew close to him.
"Then I love you a million times, Sam," She whispered and he responded with a soft smile, "Then you are coming close to my numbers for you."
They kissed with cold lips and drew their hoods in close as the sun melted into the horizon.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The heavy winter snowstorms came again, but that didn't stop Rosie and Sam from seeing each other every once in a while.
And then there was Spring, in which new beginnings always seemed right to start. Sam found himself going to town more and more just to pass the ringcrafter in his little workshop. From the window Sam glanced at the golden bands, which were much too much for him to afford. Although, it was very tempting after every day of being in love with Rosie went by. The thought of marriage was not too far away.
Then in April, a new bend in the road appeared and it threw all of Sam's plans off course. His plans for proposal were lost for the time being. There were new matters to be considered, evil matters brewing south of the Shire. At the time, Sam didn't think of any of the dangers of this underdeveloped plan and he doubted it would ever come to action at all. Frodo postponed the date of their mysterious leave and Sam never mentioned it to anyone, not even Rosie.
The late of summer drew in and Frodo was planning to sell Bag End soon and fast. Sam knew this rumor would reach the Green Dragon in less than three days and Sam didn't want Rosie to hear it from one of her customers. He had to tell her the plan of their leave, or at least some of it.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ··~
The day had been humid and hot and the air was thick and sultry. Rosie, of course, had gotten her normal work schedule back at the bar so her afternoons were comfortably spent by Sam's side in the garden. Whenever his hands were out of the soil, they were in Rosie's hands.
He finished up the garden and she strolled around the garden while he stored the cans and rakes away. Something fast slid across her foot and she jumped and shrieked and then stepped back laughing. Sam came around the corner scared and she was split in between humiliation and panic.
"What happened?" He asked and Rosie searched the floor with her eyes.
"I---I think it was a snake! It just scared me, that's all," She said with a deep breath and she gave another nervous laugh.
Sam bent down to the thick grass and picked up a small snake. Rosie went pale but forced herself to kneel down on the ground with him. "It's just a garden snake. Nothin' to be frightened of!" He assured her and she cringed as he held it up by his face.
He handled it softly and smiled brightly, "Would you like to hold it?"
"No! No...I'd rather not," Rosie said uneasily. The snake almost slithered out of Sam's hands and Rosie jumped and Sam giggled.
"Rosie Cotton is afraid of snakes?" Sam asked, "I never thought you'd be afraid of something like that."
"Well, of course I am! Everyone is afraid of something!" She laughed and Sam gave her a sincere look.
"Then try to overcome it." And after a struggle to conquer her fears, she held out her hands and Sam carefully held the snake in her hands. She laughed and shrieked again but she kept her nerves and tried to keep the snake in her hands. They sat there for some time playing gently with the tiny snake until they let it slither away in the thick grass.
"Do you think you can handle snakes now?" Sam asked and Rosie smirked sweetly, "Only the small ones--- and only if you're with me."
Then she continued, "But now that I had to face one of my fears, don't think you'll get away without conquering one of yours, Sam Gamgee!" She said and before Sam could ask, she was out of the garden and he followed.
They stopped by her house across the field and she ran upstairs and came down with two thick towels. "We might need these," She said when she came out and Sam became tense. "Rosie, no, you have to be fooling with me." He said and she took his hands, "By all means, no, I'm not!" She laughed and they walked towards Bywater Pool.
There were only a handful of children down by the pool since dinner was approaching and there was only an hour until sunset. Rosie set her towels down by a tree and stood on the shore of the ankle-deep water.
Sam looked dreadful as he stood on the dry shore; he was completely terrified of any kind of deep water. Rosie skipped in the water and tried to make it look appealing but it was no use and she stepped in front of Sam.
"Sam, you must learn how to swim or at least try to get in the water at all! There's nothing to be frightened of with me right here," She promised and Sam held her arms, and she did as well, as they stepped slowly out into the water. Rosie took her steps carefully as she walked backwards and Sam kept checking the water level.
The water was just below their hips and Rosie stopped, "See there! You've done it! We're halfway in the water and you're still breathing!" She joked and he gave a playful smirk. "Would you like to go farther?" She asked and with a deep breath he nodded his head and they proceeded.
It wasn't until Rosie's backward footing got off that she stumbled slightly and Sam's feet got tangled in the mess. "Don't let go of me, Rose! I would sink, please!" He cried and Rosie got him back on his feet and held tight to his arms.
"Sam, I will not let you go. It is all right now," She said comfortingly and with careful steps they made it back to the shallow end.
Sam recovered his nerves, "I'm sorry I panicked like that. I was blubbering like a baby, wasn't I?" He chuckled while Rosie still held his hand.
"That was the first time you ever called me that," She said while she wrung out the hem of the dress.
"Called you what?"
"Rose. You have never called me that before."
"Oh, I did, didn't I? Would you like me to call you Rose?"
She shrugged, "Not now. I would need to get used to it."
"All right...Rosie," Sam said with a pause and they laughed again.
They waded in the shallow water and Sam bent down to the sandy bottom, "What's this? It looks like some sort of bead." He said curiously and he smirked.
Rosie crouched down next to him and he splashed water at her. She yelped and they splashed and ran around like little children until the actual children who had been swimming in Bywater Pool had left for dinner. The sun still shined bright before it started to prepare for night.
They got out at last laughing until their sides hurt and they dried off with their towels. They shivered and draped the towels over their shoulders and sat on the slope of the hill. Rosie held his hands and took a deep breath, "Samwise, let us be married."
Sam took her face in his hands out of his bliss and kissed her cheek, "Rosie, love, is that what you want?"
Rosie's eyes were hopeful, "Yes! We can get married now, just for us, and then our families will know afterwards!"
Sam's hands slid down to hers, "Rosie, I would, I would, yet I can't!" He confessed and Rosie became solemn, "Rosie, something has come up and it has been in mind since Spring. I never thought it would come to plan, if you follow me, but it has. I will have to be staying with Mr. Frodo in Crickhollow for gardening purposes until he gets settled, and I don't know for how long, but I swear, we will be married!" This little white lie was hurting Sam to say out loud but this was for Frodo's sake of his 'move-out' staying a secret.
Rosie tried to think of postponing their possible wedding but all she could say was, "You're leaving?"
"Only for a little while," He said quietly, "I will not keep you waiting." He finished and for all Sam knew, this could be true.
"But you have a task to do and I cannot keep you from that. I will come and visit you very often, and you know that, don't you? I will miss you so terribly." She smiled but her smile faded. There was no comfort in any type of leave Sam would take.
"I will miss you everyday," Sam said and he drew her close to him.
"Now, Sam, don't make it sound like you'll be gone for ages!" She winked and rested her head upon his shoulder.
He nodded slightly with sad eyes and looked towards the sunset reflecting in the pool.
~·· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ·· ··· ··÷¦÷·· ··~