TITLE: Dances With Uncles
AUTHOR: Tinuviel's Song
Disclaimer: I don't own The Springle-Ring, Frodo, Bilbo, Eglantine, Paladin, Pippin, Merry, Sam, or Hamfast- But I do own their clones! Mwahaha, the powah! >:D
SUMMARY: Bilbo wants Frodo to get a life and learn to dance, so what does he do? Well, read and find out…
RATING: G
CHARACTERS: Bilbo, Frodo
SPOILERS: Not much, if you didn't know squat about LotR, already…
NOTES: This is my first fanfic… Eva! I know it sorta stinks, but I tried, all right? FLAMES ARE NOT WELCOME! Um… Enjoy… (scoots off somewhere)
Chapter 7: I Could've Danced All Night
On the morning of the 30th of Foreyule, Frodo awoke bright and "early", getting out of bed humming a mangled jingle and dancing about his room (in improv. style, of course). Frodo was looking forward to this day. He happily dressed in his finest, fixing himself up nicely. He then bopped out of his room, whistling a happy tune. He found all of his family, even little Pippin, sitting in the kitchen.
'Good morning, sleepy-head. You slept through nearly half the day already.' Eglantine said, grinning as she attempted to feed Pippin some boiled carrots. Bilbo was toying around with his pocket watch. Frodo sat down in a chair near Bilbo and flicked at the doily across from him, 'la-dee-dum'-ing a song half-familiar to him.
'You clean up well, lad.' Bilbo complimented, giving a slight tug on Frodo's red overcoat. Frodo did not hear him, though. 'Lad? Hello? Frodo!' Bilbo said, waving a hand in front of his face.
'Huh?' Frodo said subconsciously, snapping back to reality.
'Ah… Never mind.' Bilbo said, finally getting it.
'You ready for Yule today, Frodo?' Eglantine asked, wiping Pippin's carrot-soiled face off with her hankie, then her own.
'Yes.' Frodo said immediately. Eglantine grinned.
'Good.' Eglantine was already dressed for Yule, as well. She had on the same blue dress that she'd worn when she and Bilbo taught Frodo the Springle-Ring.
'Drat!' Bilbo exclaimed suddenly. 'This watch is falling apart! I'll have to take it to the clock maker tomorrow.'
'O, tomorrow…' Eglantine whined. 'Tomorrow's the day Pippin and I leave! I don't want to go.'
'You're always welcome here, dearie.' Bilbo said, rubbing Eglantine's shoulder sympathetically.
'You and Pippin, and Paladin.' Agreed Frodo.
'Thank you.' Eglantine said, lifting Pippin from his highchair. Pippin reached out from his mother's grasp and tried to grab hold of Frodo's hair. Frodo laughed softly, gently plucking Pippin's fingers from deep within his curls. He had anything and everything good on his mind. He couldn't get his mind off of what would be coming up later that day. A goofy smile was stuck on his face and he swung his feet happily under the table as he buttered a roll, humming another song. 'Well, someone's happy today!' Bilbo beamed.
'O, I'm just excited about today.' Frodo said giddily.
'I would be, too. This is the first time you'll be dancing in public- er, uh, no pressure, of course.' Bilbo said, laughing out of impulse.
'No… No pressure…' Frodo said, suddenly not feeling so sure about that. He quickly pulled himself out of it, though. 'Bring out the bread and jam, and tea, please! I'm famished!'
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19:00, Zulu…
Bag End, The Hill, Hobbiton, Middle-Earth… (just kidding ;;)
'Frodo! What are you doing in there! We must be off soon!' Bilbo yelled across the hall as he buttoned a stray button on his shirt.
'I'm wrapping a present for someone!' Frodo screamed back. He heard a muffled response from Bilbo, but brushed it off. Frodo was wrapping a gift for Gypsy, something that he had gotten at Duldo Armstrong's the same day he'd gotten the tea-leaves. He put his present in a relatively fit old little box and wrapped it in brown paper and twine, writing in ink in the far left corner:
To: Gypsophila ChubbFrom: Frodo Baggins, friend
Making sure the twine was securely tied, Frodo picked up his package and joined his family in the living room.
'Are you ready, lad?'
'Yes.' Frodo answered simply. On the outside, he tried to act as calm about it as possible. On the inside, he was filled with a wide array of emotions: Happiness because he might see Gypsy at the dance, anxiety because he might see Gypsophila at the dance, and fear of messing up and embarrassing himself. Of all the vast emotions swimming about in him, the latter one was the most prominent.
'Well, all right, we're off!' Cried Bilbo, taking his walking stick from the cane rack, walking out the door and into the dark of winter's night. Eglantine, Frodo, and Pippin (who was holding Frodo's hand) soon followed him. In time, the trio of hobbits reached the Party Tree, where many other hobbits were standing.
Frodo suddenly felt a little uneasy about dancing around all these people. 'Loosen up a bit, dear. It's just a little party. Hey, some people dance even though they can't dance.' Eglantine assured.
'Then why even teach me?' Frodo argued. Eglantine simply mussed his hair with her hand.
'You'll do fine.' She whispered in his ear as she walked away, beckoning Pippin to come along with her.
Frodo stood there, suddenly left alone as a bone-chilling wind picked up. Frodo began to rock back and forth on his heels, looking over and over again at the archway, watching for any sight of Gypsophila. After less than twenty minutes of waiting (it seemed like three hours to Frodo), he finally heard a familiar voice say, 'O, Frodo, there you are!' Frodo turned around to see Gypsy standing there, clad all in green and black, a wax daisy tucked in her bun.
'Hullo, Gypsophila.' Frodo said, smiling. 'I was worried you wouldn't come.'
'I almost didn't. My parents grounded me and locked me in my room. But I managed to unlock my window and get out. Mother will be furious, but I don't care. I wanted to speak with you for one last time.'
'One last time?' Frodo thought, brushing it off to ask, 'Would you like to dance, Gypsophila?'
'Yes, I would. But only for a bit, I hurt my ankle a little trying to jump from my window, so I can't walk around on it for too long.'
And so, Frodo danced with Gypsy for an hour. And for an hour, he didn't even think about what he was dancing. The steps just came to him, and he and Gypsophila both had a jolly good time with it. But soon, Gypsy's ankle began to act up, and she and Frodo stopped to sit down in two chairs.
'Gypsy, I'd like to tell you something.' Frodo said slowly.
'Yeeeeeeeeesss?' Gypsophila drew out, leaning forward. Frodo gulped.
'Over the years, I thought I just had a schoolboyish crush on you. But now, after yesterday's talk, I realized something. I… I love you.' Frodo said in an out-of-character way, eyes wide and colour rising to his cheeks.
'O…' Gypsophila said sadly, though a glad light shone in her eyes. Frodo became worried. Had he said the wrong thing, too soon? 'I have something to say now.' Gypsophila said in a hushed tone, her eyes imitating a sea of emotion. 'I'm to be married.' She said hesitantly, as if she expected to spontaneously combust if she said anything. Frodo just sat there, staring blankly, not even blinking once. 'Frodo?' Gypsy asked, her voice almost tearful.
'Married?' Frodo whispered, though Frodo heard it loud and clear.
'Yes. In May. To a Brandybuck heir, though I do not know his first name. Something with a D or an F.' Gypsophila whispered in return, her eyes gleaming with the moonlight, and perhaps something else.
'But aren't you a little young to marry?'
'Twenty-three,' She said, stopping to chuckle with detest. 'That's old enough for my mother's side of the family, the Tooks.' Frodo didn't really know what to say, so Gypsophila spoke for him. 'I leave in April. I don't want to go, but I really have no choice. I'll miss Hobbiton,' She said, sighing. Then, she bent over and kissed Frodo smack on the lips. 'And I'll miss you most of all.' She said, tears in her eyes. She then began to get up, but Frodo stopped her.
'I have something I want to give you.' He said, handing her the package. She took it slowly and unwrapped it as neatly as she could. She then took the lid off the box and shuffled around in the yellowed tissue paper until she found her gift. She smiled at what she found. Inside was a necklace: a silver one, with a matching oval-shaped charm, a red stone set in the middle of it.
'It's very pretty. I love it! Thank you, Frodo!' She said, hugging Frodo, and then pulling away to take out the necklace and put it on. 'I'll wear this for the rest of my life and remember you when I wear it… I really am sorry. You're so sweet, and I wish I could stay here and be with you, but I can't.' Gypsophila then sighed sadly, and after a long pause, she got up again and said, 'Goodbye, Frodo. I'll see you again, I hope. Happy Yule!' She then walked away from him and into the crowd of people schmoozing around him.
Frodo was boiled over with anger and frustration. He hurried away from the party of people, not minding the knee-high snow that was covering the ground. As he was walking, he just exploded, kicking the snow around and leaving large bald spots where the crystalloid water had been.
'It isn't fair!' Frodo thought/screamed, sitting in the snow, now exhausted. His first love, who he'd had a crush on since he was twenty-one, was gone out of reach forever. It just wasn't fair!
Depressed and on the verge of tears, Frodo got up and walked over to where Bilbo was talking with Hamfast. When Bilbo saw the tears in Frodo's eyes, he excused himself and walked away with the lad under his arm. "What's the matter, lad? Is something ailing you?"
"Only love, Uncle."
"Love, Frodo? Why is love the matter? Did something happen with Miss Gypsophila?"
"Yes, Uncle. And now she's gone forever." Frodo said, sniffling. He was acting more like a child than a tween, but he didn't care.
"O, forever's just a word, m'lad. She'll be back before you know it."
"No, she won't. She's to be wed in May! I'm giving up on this whole love business!" Frodo exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands.
"O, lad, there are more fish in the sea. You'll find new loves throughout your life. Don't give up so quickly," Bilbo said, giving Frodo a sympathetic pat on the back. Frodo just blinked at him uncomprehendingly. "Hmmm… I know what'll cheer your spirits."
"What, Bilbo?"
"A dance, m'boy!"
Before Frodo could protest, Bilbo had grabbed Frodo and was whirling him around the dance floor. Too stunned by the abruptness of Bilbo's ambush and too enthralled to care, Frodo danced the night away with his cousin, laughing incessantly.
Gypsy may have been gone, but at least he'd always have Bilbo by his side.
Awwwwwwww, Hobbity family values! I actually liked that ending for once. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Thanks for your patience! sings And thanks for all the fish!