D/N: I don't own anything

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for all your reviews I am really glad that you all like it. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry about the wait.

It Is You I Had Loved

Ch. 5 Tomorrow

"And I want to believe you, when you tell me that it will be ok. Ya I try to believe you, but I don't."

If it could be possible, Hazel was bored. It was her final day of her punishment and yet there was nothing to do. She had done everything there could be done around the house the day before and her mother and father had gone off on a trip to go visit some good friends down in Tuckborough. Daniela was busy talking to a "mysterious friend" of hers that had been writing her little love letters for the past three days.

"Why could nothing exciting like that happen to me?" Hazel sighed. How she envied Daniela for all her letters and all her callers at the door, or sometimes outside her bedroom window at eleven o' clock at night. Oh if only she would have an interesting love life like that.

"But the only reason you don't have one is because you are too shy and scared to say anything to Merry", said a voice in her head. It was true but hey what could a girl do? Hazel stared outside of her bedroom window. The sky was grey and gloomy. It smelled like rain and the wind blew fiercely. Hazel heard the grandfather clock down the hall ring five o' clock. A distant thunder was heard echoing off the rolling hills of the Shire.

"Oh! I am so bored there is absolutely nothing for me to do!" Hazel sat down on her bed crossing her arms and pouting as she did so. Of course the last day of her punishment and it was going by ever so slowly. Rain began to steadily patter the ground outside. Hazel closed her window before her bed would get too wet. As the window clicked shut she had an idea. She would sit down and sketch.

Hazel absolutely loved drawing and found it a great way to relax when she was feeling stressed or frustrated. She went up to her book shelf and took down her latest sketch book. Inside she flipped through her sketches and wrinkled her nose in disgust. They were okay but they lacked something to them. As she flipped through her previous drawings she wondered what, where or who would she draw.

"Let's see I have already drawn everyone else," she said to herself studying the picture of Merry. "Except."

She went to her desk set the sketch book down and picked up her pencil (I am not sure whether they had pencils back then or not but hey work with me). Looking outside one last time she began to draw.

Her pencil glided over the page with swift gentle movements. Hazel's eyes scanned the paper up and down judging to make sure that the sizing would be right. Soon the rough sketch was finished and then she set to work on the hair. Finishing this she stopped. Pausing to think for a moment to figure out what expression she should give him.

"Hmm, I'll be nice", she thought as she placed the tip of her pencil down again on the paper and continued.

The first thing she drew was the eyes, then the eyebrows and the nose. The ears came next and finally the mouth, she had never really been particularly good with the mouth features of real people but this one came out all right. The minutes slowly ticked by and before Hazel knew it she had been working on the sketch for almost an hour. Thunder rumbled off in the distance and she heard the door slam somewhere in the house.

"Daniela, she must be back", Hazel thought without looking up from her paper.

"Hazel! Hazel what are you up to?" Daniela entered Hazel's room and walked over to her sister. She peeked over Hazel's shoulder and watched as Hazel put the finishing touches on her portrait.

"Wow! That is good! Is that Frodo?" Daniela took it from Hazel and stared at it.

"No Daniela, it's you. Of course it is Frodo . it does look like him doesn't it?"

"Of course, it's wonderful, wow I didn't know you could draw so well. I mean I knew you could draw, but this is amazing!"

Hazel blushed. "Yeah it is pretty good, huh?"

"I bet you had to put a lot of heart into this one", said Daniela still looking at the picture.

Hazel frowned. Heart, whatever did she mean by heart?

"What do you mean heart?" Hazel frowned at her sister hands on her hips.

"Oh I just meant you must have really gotten into this drawing because it turned out so well. I mean it almost seems as if Frodo must have been sitting right there and you had copied him."

"Don't give me that Daniela. I know what you mean. And for the record I don't like Frodo. There are no feelings between us. We are just friends, nothing between us no matter what my mother or Mrs. Brandybuck may think!" And with that Hazel grabbed her sketch book from Daniela's hands closed it and placed it on her shelf.

"I never said that, Hazel you said it. Don't get mad at me for something that I didn't say! Sheesh!" Daniela left Hazel's room, closing the door behind her. Hazel frowned, Daniela had been right, she, Hazel had said it not her.

"I must be tired", she mumbled to herself. She then changed into her nightgown and lay on her bed. The minute her head touched the pillow she went into a deep slumber.

* ~ * ~ * ~

The next morning, Hazel woke up bright and early ready to have fun. Her punishment was finally over and now she could do whatever she pleased. Hopping out of bed she decided she would first take a long bubble bath. So unchanging quickly she grabbed her robe and left for the bathroom.

The bath water was so warm and the bubbles smelled of flowers.

"This feels so good", she said. Hazel's parents would not arrive until later on that night, Daniela was off making breakfast or something and she could hear the birds chirping outside the halfway open window in the bathroom. Of course she had kept the curtain drawn so no one would peek in. Hazel felt so relaxed that all other thoughts slipped from her mind as she lay there in sweet bliss.

After what seemed to be about an hour, Hazel sort of woke up from her bed of bubbles and decided it was time to get out and face the world. So getting out she dried herself and placed her towel around her. Her robe was in the corner and she didn't feel like she had enough energy to go and fetch it. She checked herself in the mirror, seeing that her black, wet hair fell down to her shoulders. Humming to herself a nice tune that she had heard before she stepped out of the bathroom and went down the hall.

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. There was someone in her room. She could hear someone walking around. Hazel frowned, no one was allowed to go inside her room without her permission except maybe her mother, but she was still at Tuckborough. Hazel carefully crept up to the door and peeked in. She let out a scream. There standing in the middle of her room was Frodo. He turned around and his face went white as he stared at her, but then flushed red. There was something in his hand.

"Baggins, what in Middle Earth do you think you are doing here in my room!"

Frodo turned if possible even redder, but couldn't answer. Hazel couldn't believe this. Who had let him in? What on earth was he doing in my room?

"Well?" Hazel was pretty sure that her eyeballs were about to leap out of their sockets.

"Um, um uh," stammered Frodo not being able to keep his eyes off of her.

Hazel was fuming but then she froze. She had caught sight of herself in her mirror. She screamed. In all her anger at Frodo she had completely forgotten that she was wearing nothing but a towel, and not a very long towel at that. With not another glance back she ran out of her room and into the bathroom, clutching at her towel for what seemed to her dear life. Once inside the bathroom she cursed under her breath as she slipped on her robe. She put it on and sat there on the floor.

"What an idiot, I am!" She began to bang her head against the bathroom wall, cursing and scolding herself for not paying attention and not having placed the robe on in the first place. She laid her head on top of her knees. She wanted to cry, but she wasn't quite sure why. That had to have been the most embarrassing moment in her whole life. She stayed in the bathroom for what seemed to her to be forever.

Finally a knock came at the door. "Come in", sniffed Hazel for she was in the break of tears. The door slowly creaked open. Frodo's head peeped in. He smiled when he saw her sitting there on the bathroom floor. Hazel quickly changed her sitting position and sat there cross-legged. She looked up wiping the tears forming on the corners of her eyes away with the back of her hand.

"Hey", said Frodo and he stood there awkwardly.

"Hey", answered Hazel she refused to stand up.

"Look, I am sorry about all this. I know this must have been hard on you finding me of all hobbits in your room. I promise I will never do it again. And I promise I won't tell anyone about it, alright?" Frodo's eyes lit up with honesty and he smiled.

Hazel looked at him, but then her brow furrowed. "Don't you try to sweet talk your way out of this, Frodo Baggins! You are not off the hook yet! You were still in my room and looking through my stuff, which doesn't help you in this situation at all!"

She stood up and faced him. Frodo flinched.

"Yes I know it was not my place to be in there. And like I said I would like to apologize for looking through your stuff."

"What were you looking through anyway?" Hazel cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh nothing important, a couple of your sketchbooks, um your latest painting that you were working on and that little red book that I bought you for your birthday." Frodo stopped and he covered his mouth with his hand.

Hazel's jaw dropped. That was it the little bomb inside her had reached zero and it was going off.

"WHAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT THAT YOU GAVE ME!!! YOU STUPID BLOCKHEAD THAT'S MY DIARY!! HOW CAN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO LOOK INTO MY DIARY!!! HOW, HOW, HOW COULD YOU? UGH!!!"

And with that Hazel slapped him hard in the face. Frodo stumbled backwards surprised and in complete shock.

"Hazel, let me explain I didn't really read it I just sort of you know, looked through it. I wanted to see if you had been using it. And, and."

But Hazel never let him finish. She had grabbed the closest thing to her (her towel) and had begun to hit him with it. Frodo held up his arms in defense as he backed away from her until he was finally outside of the bathroom.

"Wait hold on hold on!"

Hazel stopped. Her rage had reached its boiling point. Frodo looked up from under his arms and sighed. Then his eyes lit up as an idea struck him, and he smirked.

"What in Middle-Earth are you smiling about?"

"Well, if I were you Hazel, I would stop trying to punish me with that towel of yours."

"Oh really, and why do you think I should stop?" She answered coldly looking at him, hands on her hips.

"Because, you wouldn't want me telling my dear cousin about how much you love him now would you?"

Hazel froze. It had never occurred to her till now of what Frodo might have found in her diary. I mean I knew that was one of the things that he could have read, but I didn't think he would have actually read it. Hazel lowered the towel. Frodo smiled at this.

"How do you know about that?"

"Well, you see when it says on every page in big bold letters, I LOVE MERRY, or, I LOVE MERIADOC BRANDYBUCK, with little hearts around it, it is very hard to miss."

Hazel could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment. This was definitely the worse day of her life.

"You aren't going to tell him are you?" She looked at him pleadingly.

"Um, I haven't decided yet", answered Frodo sniggering.

"No! Wait please, oh please, don't tell him or anyone else, please!"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because, because it would ruin everything and, and." Hazel was speechless. She really didn't know why she wouldn't want Merry to be told that she loved him. Why was she so afraid about it?

"Ruin what? Why are you so scared about him finding out? Are you scared of what he will say to you?"

Yes, that's it! That was why she was so afraid of him finding out. She didn't know what he would say to her in response. She was afraid of the outcome.

"Listen, Frodo I just want you to know that I have kept this secret almost for all of my life. Actually for about almost 16 years have I kept this secret from him and everyone else, the only ones who know about it is Estella and Diamond."

Frodo frowned. "Well if you have liked him for so long then why have you never told him yourself?"

"Because it's difficult to like someone and know that you will never be good enough for that person, I don't know it is a complicated feeling. You wouldn't understand."

Frodo raised his eyebrows. "Actually for your information I have felt the same way about someone before! And yes I do know what you mean!"

Hazel stared at him, puzzled. "Really, who."

"But why him", Frodo interrupted, "why have you liked Merry for so long? What is so special about him?"

Hazel shrugged. If Frodo hadn't been Frodo she would have told him, how Merry was so sweet, intelligent, handsome, charming, dashing, debonair, and ok maybe he wasn't all those things, but he was really nice, handsome, a charmer, and had a great sense of humor. What more could a girl ask for?

Frodo frowned and shook his head. "Unbelievable" he muttered.

Hazel decided to press him on the matter. "Frodo listen, now that I am officially calm, I ask you. Could you please find some goodness in your heart and not tell anyone about this. Please?"

"And what will I receive in return?" He looked at her rubbing his chin as if he was making a deal.

"Must you have something? Can you not be selfish for once in your life.?"

"Alright, I was only joking. Alright I will keep your little secret and the fact that I was ever over here, if you promise not to tell anyone about our experience today. Pippin would have a field day if he ever heard about this." He sighed.

Hazel smiled and nodded. They shook on it. Then Frodo left, still rubbing his cheek were Hazel had slapped him. Hazel was relieved that none of her family members were home to see this. She quickly went back into her room; there she saw that Frodo had placed her diary back on her desk. And beside it was her sketchbook opened to her latest sketch. She smiled glad to know that he had seen her best drawing. Her eyes scanned her room and they fell on the pink and yellow carnations that had taken the place of her dead daisies. She smiled at this. Beside her bureau was a basket full of red apples. She nimbly took one and bit into it. It was nice and fresh. She sat down on her bed and ate her apple. She caught sight of her nightgown and her undergarments on her bed. Her cheeks flushed as she quickly put them away.

Her ears still burning from thinking of the fact that Frodo had seen her nightgown, she continued to eat her apple. Today had not been a good day at all. She went over to her desk and picked up her quill.

Dear Diary,
Today was the most embarrassing day of my whole entire life!

Hazel stopped and reflected on the past events that had taken place. She frowned, would Frodo keep his promise? Would he? Could she truly trust him? "I guess the only thing to do is wait today and tomorrow to see if he does", she thought to herself. And what about this mysterious crush of his, he had said that he had once liked someone and knew how Hazel was feeling.

"Hmm, I wonder who it is or was, and if I know her?" She thought to herself. Shrugging her shoulders she continued to write in her diary her account of her day. All the while thinking what would happen if Merry did find out about her feelings towards him. But what really stuck in her mind was what Frodo had said, "Actually for your information I have felt the same way about someone before! And yes I do know what you mean!"