The next morning Sam made the firm decision that crying wouldn't solve anything; he would have to find out for himself what happened to Gregory de Boone.

                        I'm not going to let ANYONE stop me from investigating-NOBODY! He thought fiercely as he marched to the breakfast table. Unfortunately, he was thinking so hard about it that he became a little-befuddled.

                        "Sam?" asked Rosie softly, as though trying not to laugh, while setting tea on the table.

                        "Mmmm?" asked Sam, scrubbing frantically at his bread with his knife.

                        "Feeling a little-absentminded this morning?" choked Rosie, grinning at him. Sam looked up rather disgustedly, due to his lack of sleep.

                        "Why do you think that, dear?" he said rather sarcastically.

                        "Well-um-you just poured orange juice on your toast, and now you're spreading it rather-wildly," replied Rosie, a little more sharply, to match her husband's tone.

                        "Wha…?" Sam looked down. It was true. There was a large puddle of orange in the middle of his toast, most of which was dripping through the bread and onto his shorts. But what he had been scraping had been flung EVERYWHERE. There were sprinkles of orange on the table, vase, and a few drops on a very startled-looking Goldilock's face.

                        And Rosie, reading Sam's expression, collapsed into laughter. Frodo, who liked to laugh whenever anyone else did, started too. Goldilocks just pouted.

                        Sam, hesitating, not sure whether to damage his male ego and laugh or storm out angrily, looked at Rosie.

                        "Attend to your child!" he said, much more superiorly than he would have liked, pointing at Goldilocks, whose face was beginning to smear with the running orange juice. Rosie, rather confused, looked up and, seeing Sam's angry face pointing at his 3-year-old daughter, nearly fell over laughing.

                        Still chuckling, she went and wiped off Goldilocks.

                        Sam scowled, glared at his family, and left the table.

                        Rosie looked up from her wiping and sighed. She had stopped laughing.

                        Goldilocks looked up at her mom and said,

                        "I guess Silliness isn't catching, is it, Mommy?" smiling again, Rosie continued to scrub at Goldilocks.

                        "Unfortunately not, dear, unfortunately not."

                        "What's wrong with Daddy?"

                        "He's-stressed. We'd best leave him alone." Rosie looked at Frodo, and then back at Goldi. "Alright, dears?"

                        Goldilocks nodded solemnly, and Frodo hiccupped. Rosie smiled. "I'll take that for a yes."

                        Meanwhile-

Sam, still mad, stormed out the door. Though the second he did-he felt terrible.

                        "Oh, dang…Rosie…" he murmured, turning to go back into the house.

                        No, he thought to himself. Why should I go back? I mean-did I promise myself that nothing would stop me? Sam shook his head. It's the not same thing! I can still go back and apologize! He thought back anxiety. Yeah, right, snorted his alter ego, we're burning precious daylight. Let's GO! And this time, the alter ego won. Sam, slightly against his own will, began to move down the road to Bag End.

A/N: God I am so OUT of it 2day!! I kept putting Sam/Frodo slash in here b4 I realized that THIS WASN'T A SLASH FIC!! I'm also 2 damn tired 2 write anymore 2day. B HAPPY W/ THIS!! (roar) lol