Chapter 9:
"Lost and found" (Pippin's POV)
He's kissing me! Merry is kissing me! Every thought, every sound - everything around me - melts away at the feeling of his lips against mine. I'm so surprised by the kiss that at first I don't respond at all, I just stand there and let him kiss me.
Until I feel him start to pull away.
Then a strange sound, something between a sob and a groan, escapes from my throat and I grab his shoulders hard, forcing his lips back against mine, holding him even closer. My hands travel over his back and bury themselves in his hair. I moan against his lips and Merry seems to know just what to do. Before I know it, he slips his tongue between my lips and suddenly I'm tasting him. He tastes so sweet, just as I always thought he would.
We stand there kissing for the longest time until we're both so breathless we have to stop. "Oh Pippin!" Merry says and the tone of his voice, so warm, so loving, makes my legs turn to water. I slip down to the ground and Merry joins me. Everything inside me is hot now, and fuzzy, as I feel Merry put his arms around me once more. "Pippin, my Pippin!" he whispers, and then he kisses me again.
This time we take it slower. We take all the time we need to taste each other, to feel each other. I realize I'm crying again, but this time it's tears of joy. Merry is here with me, he loves me and everything is exactly as it's supposed to be.
"Merry!" I moan against his lips and I feel him shiver. "I love you, Merry!"
A sob shakes his body and he buries his face at the crook of my neck, his tears wetting my shirt. "Oh, Pippin, I love you so much!" he sobs and hold me even harder. "It's always been you, never her, never anyone else, only you!"
A huge joy fills me at the sound of his words. "Then kiss me again!" I say, and he does. "Hold me close!" I say, and he does. I swallow the lump in my throat and whisper my final request "Stay with me. Don't ever leave me. Never let me leave you!"
He looks at me with his beautiful eyes. "I'll never leave you, Pippin, I'll stay with you as long as you promise you won't run away again."
"I promise!" I whisper, and seal the promise with a kiss.
Then Merry rises from the ground and pulls me up beside him. "Come on, my love, let's go home!"
The sun is shining on us as we start back up the path. I slip my hand in his and he moans as I whisper in his ear, "I love you, Merry. You are my everything!"
The End ?