Chapter Five: Plans
A/N: Thank you, reviewers! You're all so wonderful- so keep reviewing! This is a little shorter than what I wanted it to be, but this will be okay I suppose.
Disclaimer: Not anything owned by me right now except the plot and words.
It was a few hours past dusk when Merry stepped through the front door of Brandy Hall. Within the past few hours Merry sat under one of the crab apple trees and watched the Brandywine River glide steadily downstream, the evening sunlight dwindling as the bright golden ball of flame dropped into the distant horizon. He had not really been focusing on the water, but on the now cruel realization of what had happened earlier.
Welled up tears refused to pour out as Merry thought about all that he had lost in one day. At first he had refused to believe it, that perhaps it was all a dream and he would wake up to find Pippin snuggled up beside him snoring like a newborn baby. But this was no dream.
Merry had waited until the sun could barely be seen over the western hills before he packed up and headed home, silent the whole way. The cold started to set in earlier than yesterday and Merry wished that he had taken a cloak with him.
Warmth hit him again as he walked through the hall to find the fireplace still containing a crackling fire. He sat down in the wooden chair a few feet from it and watched it for a few minutes. His hand went over his stomach as it gave a deep grumbling sound.
"Oh yes, I missed supper," Merry mumbled to himself as he rolled out of the chair and sauntered towards the kitchens. He grabbed some cakes from one of the pantries and heated some tea and sat down at the counter to try to account for a lost supper.
He nibbled on one of the cakes as he looked around the kitchen. The remains of dirty pots and pans, plates and cups in the sink were all that was left of the supper that he had missed. Something on a chair caught his eye and he reached toward it, pulling out a small baby blue blanket. Merry's eyes widened as he recognized it, and he clutched it to his chest tightly. The trapped tears finally rolled down his cheeks and tiny sobs broke through as he rested his head against his arm on the table, his shoulders beginning to shake.
"Merry! What's wrong, sweetheart?" asked a familiar voice.
"Mum.. I.. Pip.. Ah, uh.. Snff.." Merry choked out as he sniffed and sobbed.
Esmeralda rushed to her son's side and pulled him into her arms, rocking him back and forth. "Shh, honey. Now what's wrong?"
Merry held up the blanket for a brief second before he pulled it back down and held it tightly in his arms.
"You're crying over a blanket? Isn't this the one from your room?" Merry nodded and buried his face farther into his mother's shoulder. "Honey, there is no need to cry over a blanket.."
"No, it isn't that," Merry interrupted as he pulled back and hiccuped. "It.. It was Pip.. Pippin's." He hiccuped again and sniffed. Esmeralda rubbed his back and waited for him to explain further. "I never *hic*.. Never returned it," he continued.
"If that is it, we can go over there and return it tomorrow." Esmeralda tried to calm Merry down so he could explain more of what he was trying to say.
He shook his head. "Pippin hates me!"
Esmeralda was seriously confused now. "Why?"
"I don't know! I went over his house and Mister Took said that he couldn't see me and that.. that.. Oh, Pippin must hate me!"
"Pippin can't hate you, Merry. Why would you think that?"
Merry wiped the tears from his face. "Well, Mister Took said that Pippin was not well, but I saw him at the end of hall. He looked fine to me, so he must be making it up to get rid of me!"
"Oh, Merry.." Esmeralda started. "Perhaps you need some time away from here." She set Merry gently down into the chair again. "Your father is going to Marmadas's house in two days. You should go with him- there's a new baby."
"But.. Isn't Da going to be gone for a few months?" Merry asked.
Esmeralda nodded. "Just for two months. He'll be back by Foreyule. You could go have fun with your cousins there."
Merry half-smiled as he dried his tears on the blanket. "Distant cousins you mean. I barely know the three girls, besides Melilot."
"You'll have fun anyway," Esmeralda replied. She helped Merry stand up and smiled at him. "Maybe when you come back, Pippin will come around. How about you get some sleep? You might feel better in the morning."
Merry nodded. "All right. Goodnight then.. Uh, is Da going to be all right?"
"Why do you say that, Merry?" Esmeralda asked, but soon received her answer when she heard the gruesome sounds of someone spilling out the contents of their stomach coming from their bedroom. "He'll be all right. Just had a little too much wine, I guess."
Merry nodded. He turned and walked down the hall, still clutching the blanket to his chest. "Night, Da!" he said as he walked past the door of the bedroom.
In response more noises came from inside the bedroom as Merry made his way to bed.
His frail heart was shattered to bits and the tears constantly streaming from his eyes proved it.
Pippin locked his door with a click and sat on the bed. He stayed there for hours, staring at the ground. His sobs wracked his body until he could not weep anymore. "I'll run away," he muttered. "I'll run and find Merry and live with him and everything will be all right cause we will be together and I won't be alone."
What if Merry wouldn't take him back? Or if he did, could he stay with Merry? Maybe Merry would run away with him and they could live together somewhere in a secluded part of the shire. Pippin nodded to himself. What if his parents found out, and they made sure he couldn't even speak to Merry? Everything seemed hopeless.
'Perhaps I have already lost him,' thought Pippin. "I probably have," he muttered and stood. Nothing was working out for him. "Merry must hate me. Probably thinks I am a worthless little hobbit, or too young for him, or too stupid.. Or maybe he thinks I am a burden or queer for liking him.. Everyone hates me.. I'm so alone." He sighed. "I'm so alone," he whispered and another tear slid down his face.
Suddenly he took a step back. "Don't think like that, Pippin Took!" he half- yelled at himself. 'You will not get Merry back acting like this. You want Merry back at any cost, don't you? Just think- his arms around you, whispering in your ear that everything will be all right, getting rid of your pain, his beautiful eyes looking into yours. Now think!'
He scratched his chin and paced around his room. "I believe I am getting a mental problem.. Wait, I know!" he exclaimed. A plan was slowing piecing into his mind.
A/N: Thank you, reviewers! You're all so wonderful- so keep reviewing! This is a little shorter than what I wanted it to be, but this will be okay I suppose.
Disclaimer: Not anything owned by me right now except the plot and words.
It was a few hours past dusk when Merry stepped through the front door of Brandy Hall. Within the past few hours Merry sat under one of the crab apple trees and watched the Brandywine River glide steadily downstream, the evening sunlight dwindling as the bright golden ball of flame dropped into the distant horizon. He had not really been focusing on the water, but on the now cruel realization of what had happened earlier.
Welled up tears refused to pour out as Merry thought about all that he had lost in one day. At first he had refused to believe it, that perhaps it was all a dream and he would wake up to find Pippin snuggled up beside him snoring like a newborn baby. But this was no dream.
Merry had waited until the sun could barely be seen over the western hills before he packed up and headed home, silent the whole way. The cold started to set in earlier than yesterday and Merry wished that he had taken a cloak with him.
Warmth hit him again as he walked through the hall to find the fireplace still containing a crackling fire. He sat down in the wooden chair a few feet from it and watched it for a few minutes. His hand went over his stomach as it gave a deep grumbling sound.
"Oh yes, I missed supper," Merry mumbled to himself as he rolled out of the chair and sauntered towards the kitchens. He grabbed some cakes from one of the pantries and heated some tea and sat down at the counter to try to account for a lost supper.
He nibbled on one of the cakes as he looked around the kitchen. The remains of dirty pots and pans, plates and cups in the sink were all that was left of the supper that he had missed. Something on a chair caught his eye and he reached toward it, pulling out a small baby blue blanket. Merry's eyes widened as he recognized it, and he clutched it to his chest tightly. The trapped tears finally rolled down his cheeks and tiny sobs broke through as he rested his head against his arm on the table, his shoulders beginning to shake.
"Merry! What's wrong, sweetheart?" asked a familiar voice.
"Mum.. I.. Pip.. Ah, uh.. Snff.." Merry choked out as he sniffed and sobbed.
Esmeralda rushed to her son's side and pulled him into her arms, rocking him back and forth. "Shh, honey. Now what's wrong?"
Merry held up the blanket for a brief second before he pulled it back down and held it tightly in his arms.
"You're crying over a blanket? Isn't this the one from your room?" Merry nodded and buried his face farther into his mother's shoulder. "Honey, there is no need to cry over a blanket.."
"No, it isn't that," Merry interrupted as he pulled back and hiccuped. "It.. It was Pip.. Pippin's." He hiccuped again and sniffed. Esmeralda rubbed his back and waited for him to explain further. "I never *hic*.. Never returned it," he continued.
"If that is it, we can go over there and return it tomorrow." Esmeralda tried to calm Merry down so he could explain more of what he was trying to say.
He shook his head. "Pippin hates me!"
Esmeralda was seriously confused now. "Why?"
"I don't know! I went over his house and Mister Took said that he couldn't see me and that.. that.. Oh, Pippin must hate me!"
"Pippin can't hate you, Merry. Why would you think that?"
Merry wiped the tears from his face. "Well, Mister Took said that Pippin was not well, but I saw him at the end of hall. He looked fine to me, so he must be making it up to get rid of me!"
"Oh, Merry.." Esmeralda started. "Perhaps you need some time away from here." She set Merry gently down into the chair again. "Your father is going to Marmadas's house in two days. You should go with him- there's a new baby."
"But.. Isn't Da going to be gone for a few months?" Merry asked.
Esmeralda nodded. "Just for two months. He'll be back by Foreyule. You could go have fun with your cousins there."
Merry half-smiled as he dried his tears on the blanket. "Distant cousins you mean. I barely know the three girls, besides Melilot."
"You'll have fun anyway," Esmeralda replied. She helped Merry stand up and smiled at him. "Maybe when you come back, Pippin will come around. How about you get some sleep? You might feel better in the morning."
Merry nodded. "All right. Goodnight then.. Uh, is Da going to be all right?"
"Why do you say that, Merry?" Esmeralda asked, but soon received her answer when she heard the gruesome sounds of someone spilling out the contents of their stomach coming from their bedroom. "He'll be all right. Just had a little too much wine, I guess."
Merry nodded. He turned and walked down the hall, still clutching the blanket to his chest. "Night, Da!" he said as he walked past the door of the bedroom.
In response more noises came from inside the bedroom as Merry made his way to bed.
His frail heart was shattered to bits and the tears constantly streaming from his eyes proved it.
Pippin locked his door with a click and sat on the bed. He stayed there for hours, staring at the ground. His sobs wracked his body until he could not weep anymore. "I'll run away," he muttered. "I'll run and find Merry and live with him and everything will be all right cause we will be together and I won't be alone."
What if Merry wouldn't take him back? Or if he did, could he stay with Merry? Maybe Merry would run away with him and they could live together somewhere in a secluded part of the shire. Pippin nodded to himself. What if his parents found out, and they made sure he couldn't even speak to Merry? Everything seemed hopeless.
'Perhaps I have already lost him,' thought Pippin. "I probably have," he muttered and stood. Nothing was working out for him. "Merry must hate me. Probably thinks I am a worthless little hobbit, or too young for him, or too stupid.. Or maybe he thinks I am a burden or queer for liking him.. Everyone hates me.. I'm so alone." He sighed. "I'm so alone," he whispered and another tear slid down his face.
Suddenly he took a step back. "Don't think like that, Pippin Took!" he half- yelled at himself. 'You will not get Merry back acting like this. You want Merry back at any cost, don't you? Just think- his arms around you, whispering in your ear that everything will be all right, getting rid of your pain, his beautiful eyes looking into yours. Now think!'
He scratched his chin and paced around his room. "I believe I am getting a mental problem.. Wait, I know!" he exclaimed. A plan was slowing piecing into his mind.