"Pippin!" Sam cried out in relief as he saw the hobbit rush into their bedroom. "I'm surprised that Gandalf didn't turn you into something unnatural!"

"I don't doubt that he would have if I hadn't run all the way back here!" Pippin replied, collapsing on his bed, breathing heavily.

"Maybe next time you'll think twice before you play a prank, especially on Gandalf," Merry said, acting as if he were completely innocent. "And then trying to get us involved as well… You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I wouldn't count on it," Frodo remarked. "Not from Pippin. Before long he will be making plans to go do something even worse to him."

"I think you're right, Mr. Frodo," Sam agreed.

"I'm hungry," Merry announced, changing the subject.

"You're hungry?" Pippin said. "I'm starved. I had to run the whole way back here from Gandalf's room!"

"All right, you two," Sam interrupted, not wanting another fiasco involving them. "I think it's about time for some second breakfast."

Mealtime being something they could all agree on, the friends headed off to indulge themselves in a delicious second breakfast.

----

"You'll never guess what I saw today," Legolas announced with a laugh later that day.

"What was that?" Aragorn asked curiously.

"Guess," the elf insisted.

"Come on, Legolas," Aragorn said. He got only a pouting face in return. "Okay… Let me see. You saw an Orc frolicking in the meadow?"

"I was being serious," Legolas said, frowning.

"How do you know I wasn't?" Aragorn asked, grinning.

"Fine, I will just tell you," Legolas consented. "I spotted Gimli alone down by the lake. That's not a big deal, but you should have seen his bathing suit! There were rubber duckies on it. Ducks of all shapes and sizes! And his legs… There was enough hair there to make a forest. The only thing is, forests are generally dark, and his legs were anything but. It would take him weeks of sitting out in the sun to get even the slightest tan!"

Before Legolas had even been halfway done with his tale, Aragorn found himself biting his lip in a useless attempt to hold back a fit of laughter.

"Are you serious?" Aragorn exclaimed, still cackling.

"I swear. You have to see this. We should go pay him a visit," Legolas suggested.

"Okay," Aragorn agreed, mischievously. "We can tell him what we think of his new 'tan' and his bathing suit."

It did not take them long to reach the pond where Legolas had seen Gimli earlier that morning. The dwarf was still there, comfortably seated by the edge of the water in a lawn chair. In his hand he held a glass full of ice cold lemonade, complete with a small umbrella. Sunglasses rested on his nose to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Hey Gimli," Legolas called.

"Ugh. What do you want?" Gimli asked grumpily.

"Oh, we just came over for a visit," Aragorn replied innocently.

Gimli lowered his glasses and stared at the duo suspiciously, slowly taking a sip of his lemonade through a straw.

"Really then?" Gimli remarked.

"Yes," Legolas told him. "We have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Gimli asked in astonishment, stepping towards them, losing all suspicions at the thought. "That's great!"

"Here you are," Aragorn said, pushing Gimli off the edge into the water.

When the dwarf resurfaced, he was enraged; but he thought, 'Perhaps if I make it appear that I don't care, they will go away…' He decided to make the best of it and test his new theory. He saw his yellow rubber ducky, his favorite one to be exact, still floating in the lake from their earlier swim. He took it into his hand; then suddenly burst into song.

"Rubber ducky, you're so fine! I'm so glad that you are mine!" Gimli sang.

Needless to say, Aragorn and Legolas instantly doubled over in laughter.

"You are worse off than I had thought!" Aragorn exclaimed in gasped breaths, trying desperately to remember to breathe between the fits of giggles.

"If only the Elves always had this sort of entertainment in Rivendell," Legolas remarked.

The two turned their backs on the dripping dwarf, still laughing to themselves.

'Don't you worry; I will get you for this!' Gimli thought as he watched them walk away.

After taking the time to swim with his rubber ducky for a while longer, Gimli made his way out of the water and began to brainstorm for ideas for plotting his revenge. Being the creative dwarf he was, he soon came up with a plan that he very much liked and made preparations to carry it out that night. When the sun had set, Gimli started out for the rooms where Aragorn and Legolas slept. Tonight's prank was a short one, and it was not long until he had finished his task and could be seen quickly scampering away.

----

"Good morning, Aragorn," Legolas greeted his friend, meeting him in the hallway outside their rooms.

"Good morning," Aragorn replied, yawning sleepily.

"It looks like it will be a beautiful day today," Legolas observed. "Let's go outside for a bit."

Aragorn agreed and the two went out on the green lawn.

"I am surprised Gimli didn't try to prank us last night," Legolas remarked.

Aragorn shrugged. "Maybe he decided to take out his wrath on someone else."

The two made conversation for a few minutes before Aragorn decided that now would be a good of a time as ever to polish up his sword. He pulled it out of it sheath, and when his eyes met the glimmering metal, he gasped.

"What is it?" Legolas asked, turning from the sight of a beautiful sunrise.

It did not take the fair elf long to notice what was wrong. Gimli had copied a former prank of theirs, and engraved the message 'Aragorn + Arwen (equals) Love!' on Aragorn's sword.

"He ruined my best sword!" Aragorn exclaimed in dismay.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Aragorn heard a muffled cry from behind him. He turned to see a large dwarven figure topple from the branches of a tree. Gimli landed on the ground with a loud thump.

"Ha ha!" Gimli tried to chuckle in delight between groans of pain.

"You have crossed the line this time. I swear I will kill you, dwarf!" Legolas exclaimed, reaching for his bow and arrows.

Unfortunately for the elf, Gimli had all ready though ahead to that possibility. Legolas' bow string had been cut and his arrows had been snapped in two.

"And you thought I was mad before… Now I'm really going to kill you!" Legolas yelled, taking off after the troublesome dwarf.

Gimli's grin vanished. "Uh oh… Help!" he shouted, darting away as fast as he could.

A/N: Huge thanks to all of my reviewers. Your comments are very encouraging. As the story is currently written, only one or two more chapters remain. I will continue to add on to it as long as my readers' intrest appears to be kept, but updates may take a little longer since I am now writing from scratch, rather than just polishing old material. Please leave me a review on your way out!