A/N: I forgot to mention my two reviewers in my previous chapter, I apologize.

Thank you to jogreenleaf1 I'm glad you think my characters are realistic. Personally, I think they're a little more carefree than in the books or movies, but I like them carefree. After all, they have a right to be, everything's over and done with, it's happy time! Ahem. Anyways, I hope you continue reading!

Thank you also to Astudent, Gandalf may not have been to realistic, I made him a bit more temperamental I think, but it's alright, not too bad. And as you can see that changes a bit in this chapter. Also you see how Merry and Pippin got the staff and why they were hesitant to tell him about it in the second chapter. I'm glad you think my story's intriguing!

Juliette4

Chapter Three:

The Second Part Of Their Journey.

The group's journey would have been very boring had they not had each other to talk to. Amiably they all rode along, talking, and catching up on things that had happened. Not much had happened to Gimli, but Legolas had many stories to tell about things that he'd done, and things that had happened to him.

While Gandalf, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and Sam listened to Legolas, Frodo rode up next to Arwen, whose hair was blowing back in the wind and looked happy to just be riding her horse. Frodo decided to start a conversation with her.

"So, Arwen. What kind of things do you like to do in your spare time?"

Arwen looked over at him. "Shop! I love to shop! It's so much fun! Unfortunately, there aren't many places to shop in Rivendell, and I have to go all the way to Lothlorien to get good elven clothes. Or even to the Grey Havens! It's very frustrating. That's one of the reasons I decided to come with you all." She smiled at Frodo.

Frodo smiled weakly back. "Excuse me," he said. He rode back to join Sam, who had slowed down to adjust his saddle. "Arwen's a bit of an airhead, Sam," he informed him.

Sam looked up, surprised. "Really? I always thought she was very pretty."

"She is, but beauty isn't everything."

Sam looked impressed. "Why, that's very nice Mister Frodo!"

Later that afternoon, after they had been riding for a bit, Arwen shouted out and then proceeded to inform them all of what was to her the best news in the world.

"I just remembered! Aragorn left to go to Lothlorien the other day, just before you two arrived," she said looking at Gimli and Legolas, "He was on foot, so we should be catching up with him soon!" She bounced in her saddle. "Oh, I can't wait!"

Gimli and Legolas looked at each other, but didn't say anything.

Arwen was right though, because sure enough, the next day, in the distance they saw a figure, and as they slowly gained on it, they could see it was Aragorn. Excited, they moved faster, especially Arwen.

Arwen rode up right behind Aragorn, and when he turned around, she screeched. "Aragorn!" She leaped off of her horse and onto him, and they fell onto the ground with a thump and an "oof!" from Aragorn.

Arwen put her hands around Aragorn and started kissing him all over his face. "Oh, Aragorn! I missed you so much!"

Aragorn choked. "I was-ah!-only gone two-ah!-days, Arwen."

"I still missed you!" She exclaimed.

Aragorn finally managed to stand up and looked up at all of the riders on their horses, standing around watching him. He put his arm around Arwen who was clinging to him.

"What are all of you doing here!?" He exclaimed.

Everyone hopped of off their horses and swarmed around him, giving him hugs and pats on the back. Pippin hugged the only thing he could reach, his legs.

After all of the hellos had been said, Aragorn looked at Gandalf. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."

Gandalf looked at Merry and Pippin, and their smiles disappeared.

"These two nincompoops dropped my staff in the river, and we've been following it all the way from the Shire. We stopped at Rivendell, and there Gimli, Legolas, and," he gestured at Arwen, "Arwen joined us."

Aragorn nodded. "Ah, I see. Where are you heading now?"

"To Lothlorien!" Arwen piped up. "I'm going to go shopping, and Frodo is going to go with me!"

"Yeah," said Frodo, "she's going shopping and-WHAT?!"

"Don't you like to go shopping Frodo?" Arwen asked.

"Uh..." said Frodo.

Merry and Pippin snickered and the rest of them grinned.

"You can go shopping Arwen, but I think Frodo will probably just want to rest and relax." Aragorn winked and smiled at Frodo.

"Of course!" said Arwen, "then you can go shopping with me, Aragorn!"

Aragorn's smile disappeared. "Uh..."

Frodo grinned.

"I'll go shopping with you, Arwen," Sam spoke up, "I was plannin' on buyin' something for Rosie anyways."

"Why Sam!" Aragorn exclaimed, "did you finally ask Rosie to be your girlfriend!?"

Pippin and Merry laughed, and Sam turned pink.

"No sir," he muttered.

Aragorn bit back a smile. "Perhaps soon then."

Gandalf, who had been quiet, swung up on Shadowfax. "We must be on our way. I can not afford to lose another second."

"Yes, of course," said Aragorn, "do you mind if I ride with you?"

"Not at all!" Said Legolas, "I will ride with Gimli, and you can have my horse."

"Thank you!" said Aragorn, and they started off again.

The hobbits made Aragorn ride back with them so that they could talk to him, and Arwen rode with them too, because she wanted to be near Aragorn.

"Now, what is all this about Gandalf's staff?" Aragorn asked.

So they told him the whole story, and when they finished, he looked thoughful for a minute. "I'm going to talk to Gandalf," he said, "I'm sure he'll understand."

"He'll definitely listen to you!" Pippin approved.

"Yes he will!" Said Arwen, smiling at Aragorn.

Aragorn smiled back, and then they moved onto a lighter topic.

That night, after dinner, Aragorn, Gandalf and Gimli sat smoking their pipes together. The hobbits were over getting ready for bed and talking with Arwen. Legolas sat with Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf, but said he didn't smoke, thanks anyways.

Gandalf seemed peaceful, and the conversation had ceased, so Aragorn decided that now would be a good time to talk to Gandalf.

"Gandalf, you aren't still mad at Merry and Pippin are you?"

Gandalf sighed. "A little."

"Ah, don't be too upset with the wee ones," Gimli said, "everyone makes mistakes."

"Yes," said Aragorn, "and they didn't mean to make this mistake." He told Gandalf everything that the hobbits had told him and Gandalf sighed.

"I was so upset I didn't think that there might be a reason for what they did. I suppose I owe them an apology."

Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas nodded.

Gandalf sighed again and standing up, went over to where the four hobbits were smoking their pipes. "Merry, Pippin, I wonder if I may have a word with you."

Merry and Pippin looked at each other, but stood up and followed Gandalf a little ways away.

"Look, I know I haven't exactly been very nice to you two," started Gandalf.

"That's an understatement!" Said Merry.

Gandalf gave him a look, and he shut up.

"But you have to understand, I didn't realize that it was to rescue Pippin that you used my staff." He put his hand on Pippin's shoulder. "Will you forgive me?"

"Well..." said Merry.

Pippin stepped on his foot.

"Yes! Of course we'll forgive you," said Merry, wincing.

"Good," said Gandalf with a smile, and he gave them a hug. "And next time, well hopefully there won't BE a next time, but if there should be, I'll try not to jump ahead without getting all of the information first, alright?"

Merry and Pippin nodded.

"Good," Gandalf said again. "Now get some sleep, we should reach Lothlorien by noon tomorrow, if my calculations are correct."

"Alright," said Pippin, "please tell Aragorn thank you for us."

Gandalf looked puzzled. "Thank you?"

Pippin nodded and Gandalf just shrugged his eyebrows. "Alright then, I will. "Good night!"

Merry and Pippin rejoined Sam and Frodo, and Sam peered after Gandalf. "What did 'e want?" He mumbled around his pipe.

"He apologized!" Said Pippin, snuggling down into his blankets.

"He seemed to mean it, too," said Merry.

"That's because he DID mean it, Merry," said Pippin, "just because YOU can't apologize nicely doesn't mean that other people can't."

"Well!" Sputtered Merry. "How rude!"

Sam and Frodo rolled their eyes at each other.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, listening to the others going to bed, Frodo turned his head towards Sam and asked: "what are you planning on getting Rosie, Sam?"

"I was thinking of a nice elvish necklace," said Sam, "I'll be able to decide whether or not she'll like it better than I can if I buy perfume, which was my first choice."

"I think a necklace is a nice idea," Pippin said, "If I had a girlfriend, I'd give her a necklace."

"Yeah, notice the way you word that, Pippin. IF you had a girlfriend. You don't have one now, what makes you think you'll get one anytime soon?" He laughed.

Pippin punched Merry.

"Ow!" said Merry. He punched Pippin back.

"Ow!" said Pippin.

Sam rolled his eyes at the star-sprinkled sky. "Anyhow, Rosie isn't my girlfriend."

"But I'm sure she will be, Sam," said Frodo, "when you ask her."

"That's just it Mister Frodo, I can't seem to figure out HOW to ask her. I don't know if she likes me back."

"I'm sure she likes you Sam, more than any girl would ever like Pippin, besides his mother. Ha ha ha-ow!" Merry rubbed his arm where Pippin hit it again.

"Stop saying bad things about me, Merry," Pippin said, glaring at him.

Frodo snickered.

"I know Rosie likes you, Sam, everytime I go in the tavern she says something nice about you," Pippin offered.

"Yeah, Sam, remember the last time we were in the tavern she said you were the only gentleman," said Frodo, laughing.

"I can't understand that at all," said Merry, "I'm a perfect gentleman."

Pippin snorted. "Please, Merry, you wouldn't know how to be nice to a blade of grass."

"Well, of course I wouldn't know how to be nice to a blade of grass! Grass doesn't have feelings so anything you say could be nice!"

Frodo blew out of the side of his mouth. "You are pathetic."

"I agree," said Pippin, "Merry IS pathetic."

"Hey!" Said Merry.

"I meant both of you," said Frodo.

Sam laughed.

"Hey!" Merry and Pippin exclaimed together.

"Can't you go to bed?" Asked a gruff voice from around the fire that they recognized as Gimli's.

"Sorry, Gimli!" Frodo called.

"It's alright, just try to keep it down please." Gimli sounded quite irritated.

"See what you did, Pippin?" Merry whispered. "You're waking everyone up."

"I can't wake everyone up Merry, no one was asleep."

"How do you know that? I didn't see you get up and go look."

"Because...." Pippin stopped. "Just because."

Merry laughed. "Ha ha ha, Pippin, you just say that because you don't know what else to say."

Pippin frowned. "Oh yeah? Well, well, you have a big nose!"

Sam snorted and Frodo laughed.

"HEY!" Said Merry, outraged. He hated it when someone said something about his nose. "I do NOT have a big nose!"

"Go to bed!" shouted five grumpy voices from around the fire.

Merry and Pippin meekly shut up, and before long, all four hobbits and their five companions fell asleep beneath the star-filled sky, to the nightly music of crickets and frogs.