disclaimer also as before.

this is chap.5 continued...

Chapter Six: Continued – from chapter five…

That night again Pippin stands by my bed. He has been crying.

"She was all alone, Merry. In the dark." He says, choking on his tears as he climbs in beside me.

"She was afraid of the light, remember? She didn't want to come into the world. She wasn't happy here was she? She didn't want to come, and now she is gone. Merry?" His eyes search mine for the truth, and I cannot lie.

"She used to cry herself to sleep at home, and her smile didn't always reach her eyes. She was happy with just us Pippin, I think. I don't know."

Pippin blinks back his tears.

"She's all alone, Merry. But she won't ever be hurt or sad again, will she? She's safe now." He doesn't expect an answer, just turns over and falls asleep, holding onto my arm with his hands.

The next day my parents arrive. My mother is beside herself and my father is constantly by her side. Both are red-eyed from crying.

When she hears of what happened, she turns to me, screaming at me. Blaming me, it feels, for what came to pass. And I feel guilty and hurt, even though I realise that she is only lashing out at those she loves. But I run anyway. I run for a long time, and when I stop and come back to myself, I realise that I am at our cubby. Our secret reserve. The water has receded and small black flowers have bloomed by the riverbed.

I pick one and crush it between my hands.

In my head I hear Pippin calling to me. He hasn't called me like this since he was 6yrs old and sick.

"Merry, where are you? Merry, please!" I am hurting and I stomp on another flower.

"Merry, stop it! You're hurting me!" Pippin yells, coming towards me.

"Stop it!" he screams and flings himself into me. I catch him and manage to stay standing, dropping the poor flower from my hand. Pippin is sobbing as he clings to the front of my shirt.

"I'm sorry." I say, gripping his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Pippin. Please. Stop crying. I'm so sorry." He drops to his knees, releasing me and picking up the broken flower. He looks up at me then as though I have betrayed him.

"How could you?" He asks, beseechingly and I drop down beside him, reaching towards him, but he flinches back.

"These were her flowers. We planted them last year to surprise you this year, when they bloomed. They are hers. How could she die? How could you kill them? I love her, I love her, I love her, she can't be dead. I can't breath. Merry?"

"It wasn't my fault. I didn't kill her, I'm sorry Pippin, I'm sorry. I don't know…" And I start crying as well. Only then does Pippin allow me to embrace him, crying brokenly into my chest as my tears fall into his hair.

Together we cast the broken dead flowers into the now placid river and begin our walk back.

My mum is sorry for what she did and she hugs me to her, as does my dad. We are a sad family, broken, but fixable. For a long time we stand together, in our tight huddle, crying. We are fixable. Yet, always it feels like there is something missing. And that is Zillah. She is safe though, and hopefully happy.

As I stand beside Pippin in this last battle I hear him beside me whispering.

In front of us Aragorn yells and charges forward.

Pippin and I also yell, and I hear Pippin as he screams.

"Zillah!" He is screaming and I join him.

It is then I see the trolls approaching.

"Be careful," I yell.

I see the troll fall on Pippin even as he kills it, and I hear him calling me. At once, the 6yr old and what he is now. I fight to get to him as his eyes cloud. I see him mouth my name as I shove the troll off his broken body. I am by his side.

"Pippin?" I say.

"Merry." He whispers and he turns his head to me.

"Zillah?" He asks and tears cloud his eyes.

"Pippin!" I say, and I am screaming for anyone to help me, just screaming as I kneel beside him, supporting his head.

"Don't leave me Merry." He gasps, one hand reaching up and grasping at my armour, as though looking for my shirtfront. I am scared to see blood trickle out the corner of his mouth. His eyes are turning dull, and I am horribly frightened, the sounds of the battle raging behind me are lost as Pippin speaks once more.

"Don't leave me alone, I'm afraid Merry. In the dark."

yes, that sadly, is the end. pls r&r, anything, criticism...

thanks to all my reviewers

Sarah Leaf-