Author's note: I'm actually making good time on this chapter! *pats self on back* Hurray for being on task. This chapter is considerably shorter than the last, but was also one of the first scenes I wrote for this fic. I love it when I do things backwards :)
Lady of Ithilien: I'm so glad you thought it was perfect. I wanted Sam and Rosie's love to feel lived in and comfortable, but exciting at the same time. The "feeling of deep content..." section was one of my favorite lines. And yes, Pippin (as he always seems to do somehow) just had to make his presence known :) Glad you're enjoying the story!
crimson-dawn123: Thank you! Yes, this story is based primarily on flashbacks, and I'm glad you like them because I was kind of unsure about the notion of telling the whole story like that. But it seems to be working so far. I love writing the young hobbits! They're so cute! *huggles them all*
Rosa Cotton: Oh good, you like long chapters :) yes...tents and fluff and sweet hobbit kisses...these are a few of my favorite things :) I love Dancing, but not Dancing and it's sequel! It was one of the fics that set the plot bunnies on my case in the first place!
Rowen: Yes, Rosie is the little flirt, isn't she? And as you say, Sam's just an innocent little hobbit. But he's quickly approaching his coming of age, as well as a great mess of a journey that will change him forever...*hugs poor, dear Sam* We'll just have to see how that all plays out...
Aemilia Rose: I'm so glad you latched onto that line. That truly was the first line that I wrote for this fic, the line that I built the story around. Thanks so much!
szhismine: Aw, thank you, and welcome to my little tale :) Yes, they're both nervous at the moment aren't they? I wonder if it will be for long... :)
Herculeha: Welcome! I was wondering when you were going to show up :) Thank you so much, I'm so glad you like it. You were also one of the authors that set a plot bunny on me :) And I read that you will have a new My Sunshine chapter up soon *does a happy dance* I'm really excited!
Len: Wow, the sweetest thing you've ever read on fanfic? Thank you! I'm glad you liked it...I wanted that scene to be perfect :) Welcome to the story!
Well, now that that's over...*pushes ego back to its rightful size* Thank you all for being so supportive...it means a lot :) This chapter presents a new POV and a new spin on Sam and Rose's relationship. A quick note: i'm assuming that the Cotton's lived in a hobbit hole before the Shire was destroyed, so remember that the First Kiss happened in the back yard of the Hobbit hole. The scenes that take place on the day of the wedding are at the Cotton's house, which for the purposes of this story is in a different location than that of the original Cotton hole. @--- luv, luck, and most heartfelt thanks, ~Lemondrop~
P.S.: I don't know why my stars are in the wrong spot...you'll just have to tolerate them on the left side of the page :)
* * *
To everyone's great relief, the troublesome breeze was soon gone, and with the exception of a few bruises, no one had been hurt by the wayward tent. Pippin returned to his post, giving quick directions in an effort to make up for time lost. In his haste to get things running smoothly again, he soon forgot about the groom's strange desire to take a stroll. It was only when Merry came to ask if he should check on the happenings at Bag End that Pippin realized he had done a terrible thing...he had let the groom escape.
Across the field and a little way down the road, a hobbit lad ran breathlessly up the sloping front lawn to the Cotton's farm. He was irritated that he had been sent to check on the cake, and wanted to get back to the party field quickly...
* * *
The shed behind the Cotton farmhouse was alive with the sound of a hurriedly pounding hammer. Wilcome was bent over his work, intent on having his gift completed in time for the wedding. He stopped to brush his brown curls from his eyes, then lowered his chisel to the piece of wood again.
He was beginning to feel sorry that he hadn't thought of the gift earlier; it would have saved him a lot of stress if he had begun the project a fortnight ago. But the idea hadn't come to him until two days earlier, and in that time he had been working long and hard to finish. He had even skipped second breakfast two days in a row, another thing he felt sorry for as his stomach grumbled at him from below. But it was worth it. After all, he only had one twin sister, and this was her wedding day. Everything had to be perfect.
With a few final taps of the hammer, Wilcome stepped back to admire his handy work. Not bad for three day's work, he said to himself. He made several mental notes of some last minute touches, then reached for some sand paper to smooth out the rough edges.
Rose Gamgee...Wilcome smiled as he put the two names together in his mind. Suddenly, he was a small lad again, wrestling with her on the hearth after supper, racing her to the old Cotton Hole, playing tea party with her even though he didn't want to. How could time have slipped away so fast? When had his twin sister, his other half, become a lady?
He scrubbed at the wood in front of him, dust falling into a pile at his feet. He always knew that this day would come, ever since that first day he had seen Rose's hand in Sam's under the shade of the Party Tree. He hadn't been happy with the thought then. Truthfully, he had been downright jealous. But at the same time he had known that there would be no other lad he would trust with his sister's hand more than Sam Gamgee.
The methodical scrape of the paper against the wood grain echoed through the shed, and Wilcome's mind was lulled into memory. He remebered the day, and remembered it well, that he had finally admitted to himself that Rosie was in love...
* * *
Wilcome, Rose and Sam nestled in the straw in the back of the cart, bouncing as the wooden wheels met the bumps in the road. Farmer Cotton had agreed to take the three companions to the market, and he now sat up front with the donkey's reigns, whistling a tune to himself. It was a common melody, one that most hobbit lads and lasses learned before they could walk, and soon Sam joined in with the words. Rosie laughed with delight and clapped along to the duet, eventually breaking into song herself. Off to the side Wilcome sat quietly, not singing, but watching his twin sister.
Wilcome smiled. Rosie had always turned the Hobbit-lad's heads, even before they had reached their tweens. In more recent days, there had actually been a number of lads that had come calling for her. She had been nice enough to all of them--Rose was amiable by nature--but had gracefully rejected their offers of flowers and courtship. Wilcome had often wondered why she would turn down such offers. Most lasses would jump at the chances she often recieved. However, sitting in the cart that day and watching Rose and Sam's sing-along, Wilcome had to admit to himself that he had known the answers to his questions all along.
No one had ever been able to do what Sam was capable of. When Rose was around him, he made her...Wilcome rubbed his chin thoughtfully. What was the word exactly? When Sam was around, Rose, usually so sure and stubborn, seemed to lose her footing. There was a flutter in her manner, a giggle in her voice...and something in her eyes she saved only for Sam. It was almost as if Sam...melted her. Wilcome nodded to himself. That was the word--melted.
Wilcome wasn't sure if anyone else noticed it. After all, she was his twin, and he seemed to notice more about her than other hobbits. He was the only one out of all his brothers, and even Sam's sister, to notice the change that had come over the both of them in the past few weeks. He remembered the look on Rose's face that day beneath the Party Tree. A twinge of the initial jealousy he had felt that afternoon returned for a moment, as he remembered that one day his twin would no longer be his companion alone...soon she would have a new lad in her life. However his envy quickly subsided. All he wanted was for Rose to be happy. And he knew Sam would never let her down.
The cart jostled to a stop, the hustle and bustle of the market just ahead. Wilcome smiled even wider as he looked up to see Sam helping Rose from the cart. He had taken her hand to steady her, the way a courting lad would do, even though both he and Wilcome knew that Rose was too nimble to fall from a cart. All the same, Rose blushed the color of her namesake. Rose was not an easy blusher. And once on the ground, Wilcome noted the extra squeeze she gave Sam's hand before letting it go.
Well, thought Wilcome, jumping easily down from the cart himself, If Rose has her heart set on Sam, she'll hear no objections from me.
"Jolly, will you hurry up? Momma will have our heads if we're not home for dinner."
Hastily, Wilcome snatched a basket from the cart and headed down the hill to join his sister and his friend. I only hope Sam's up for the chase--that girl is the most stubborn lass I've ever known.
~~~~~~~~"You wanted something, Sam?"
Wilcome sat, mug of ale in hand, on the sturdy little bench outside the Cotton's hobbit hole. The night was bright and quiet, and he had come out after supper to have a drink in the moonlight. To his surprise, he had found Sam on the front walk, pacing back and forth as if he were trying to wear away the stones. He had also been muttering to himself, as he often did when he was nervous about something. And Wilcome had a sneaking suspicion he knew what it was about.
Sam had stopped in front of Wilcome, looking as if he wanted to say something but could not find the words.
"Well, you see, Jolly…I…well, the reason I'm here…" his voice faded and he looked down at his hands, which were currently wringing his hat like a dishtowel.
"Why don't you sit down?"
Sam nodded gratefully and took a step toward the bench, then took a step back and shook his head. "I think it'd be best for me to stay standing," he said, obviously trying to keep his nerves under foot. "I'm right glad you came out here, Jolly, seeing as you were the one I came here to speak to. You see, I know it's only proper for a lad to go to the father first, but I know how special Rose is to you, her being your twin and all. It's only right for me to ask you first." Here he stopped, on the brink of the question. Wilcome waited patiently for him to continue, knowing full well that this was an obstacle Sam had to jump over himself. He smiled as he saw resolution form on Sam's face, and heard him mutter something about giving himself the chance. "I wanted to ask your permission to court Miss Rose."
Wilcome sat for a moment, pleased at what he was hearing. Of all the lads that had come to call for Rose, Sam was the first to even think about asking her twin brother before all else. He was amused at the fact that a hobbit four years his major would come to him to ask permission for something. But Sam never needed to ask in the first place—he already had Wilcome's full confidence. "You want to court my sister," he repeated. Sam nodded, looking as if he had reached his nerve's end. He added the next out of pure jest—they did not call him Jolly for nothing. "Why?"
Wilcome, expecting to see Sam blanche, was surprised when the lad almost laughed. "Why?" Sam repeated. "If you don't mind my saying, Jolly, that's like asking the birds why they sing, or the stars why they shine. They don't know why they do it, only that it makes them happy, and that they can't live without it no how. I love your sister, Jolly. I love Rose Cotton. And I don't care if all the world knows it." His face shone with a confidence Wilcome had rarely seen before. "That's why."
Another moment of silence passed, in which Wilcome surveyed Sam thoughtfully and Sam returned to his nervous state of wringing his hat. Then Wilcome stood, went over to Sam, and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Samwise Gamgee, I would be honored to have you court my sister. I would dread to see Rose in any other lad's arms but yours."
Sam's face broke into a wide grin and he embraced his friend, overcome with relief. He had said yes. Yes. The word sounded so good in his ears.
Wilcome reached for his mug and handed it to Sam. "You're going to need a bit of this, Sam." He took the crumpled hat from Sam's hands and tossed it on the bench. "And it's probably best if you leave this here."
Sam took the cup and swallowed a grateful mouthful. "Why?"
Wilcome patted him on the back and ushered him toward the front door of the Cotton hole. "Because. You still have to talk to my father," he said with a smile.
* * *
"Jolly!"
Wilcome returned to the present, his mother's voice calling him urgently from the side of the house. He gave his gift one last glance before leaving the shed and stepping into the dazzling sunlight.
His mother was at the kitchen window, a look of panic on her face. Wilcome ran to her side. "Momma, what's wrong?"
"Oh, Jolly! It's Rose! I—I think she's run off!"
"Run off?!"
Lily Cotton patted her hair distractedly. "I went to her room to see if she needed anything and she was gone! I searched the house, and she's not in the yard…oh Jolly, what if she's scared?"
Wilcome shook his head. "Not our Rose, momma. Maybe she just went for a walk." Mrs. Cotton looked doubtful. "Listen, you just keep baking, and make sure Sam and Rose have the finest cake the Shire's ever seen…I'll go and see if I can find her."
"Thank you, Jolly dear," Lily said with relief. She leaned out the window and placed a quick kiss on the top of his head, then sent him on his way. "Don't let the others know, if you can help it!" She called to his back.
He raised a hand in reply. No use causing a panic where there wasn't need for one. At least he hoped there wasn't need for one.