Author's Note: I have it that Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are close in age like in the movie, instead of as in the books, having the long age differences between them.

Celebrindal: No offense taken, fear not. For me Monday mornings are very tiring. But the week-evenings are worst 'cause then I am drained after doing 5 + hours of school on the computer and then of course my muse is practically asleep so it is a struggle to keep on working on my stories. Thank you for your enthusiasm regarding this story. I am very glad you are still enjoying it. I hope you don't mind Rosie not making an appearance in this chapter.

Paper Crane: I am glad you like the story so far. It is sort of bittersweet. There is a bit of humor in this chapter which I personally enjoy. And yes, Sam and Rosie will eventually meet, they have to! I am still working out the details regarding their encounter, so we will simply have to wait and see. :)

Arwen Baggins: Thanks for the word regarding "Mithril." I have read it, just haven't yet reviewed, which I will do! Aunt May is indeed wicked. It has been very interesting for me writing a "real" villain. Sam and Rosie will get back together…I think…

loveofthering: Hello again! I am glad you liked the last chapter. When someone says what they liked about a certain chapter that puts all my uncertainness and doubts about it to rest. (The last chapter was originally two chapters but then I thought it would work better to put them together.) So I thank you. I hope too that Sam will find where Rosie is and take her away.


Chapter Six: Seven Nights of Dancing

Several days later…

Frodo pours the warm steaming tea into two cups before setting the pot down on the table. He sits across from Sam at the kitchen table. They sit in silence for a while, just sipping their tea. The peaceful silence is shattered as Merry and Pippin barge in through the back door, causing the door to bang against the wall.

"Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took!" Frodo says sternly, fixing the two with a mock scowl.

Pippin does not wipe the huge grin off his face. "Hello, cousin. Hello, Sam," he greets the two cheerfully.

Sam looks back and forth between the just arrived hobbits. "You look as though you're going to burst," he says, and fights to keep a grin from creeping onto his own face. "Are one of you engaged?"

Both hobbits' faces turn red, but they shake their heads.

"We have heard some news…" Merry's voice trails off; his eyes are sparkling with excitement.

Frodo brings two more saucers and cups to the table. "What news?" he asks as he pours tea for his cousins.

Merry plops down on the bench next to Sam. "We've heard that the Mayor is planning a celebration."

"To celebrate the restoration of the Shire," Pippin pipes in.

"It is going to be a festival, held in the party field. Everyone in the Shire is invited to come."

Frodo gasps. "I doubt the party field could fit all the hobbits of the Shire!"

Pippin waves his hand. "Well, the festival is supposed to last seven nights; so there is a chance."

"Seven nights!" Sam breathes softly.

"There will be games, food, and lots of singing and dancing," Merry says. "Seven nights of dancing…" A dreamy expression comes over his beaming face.

"And," Pippin pauses, gazing into Frodo's and then Sam's eyes for a moment, "it is rumored that a handful of hobbits will receive personal invitations to attend the celebration each night, as special honored guests."

He then folds his arms across his chest and watches as understanding dawns on his friends.

"U-us?" Sam stutters in amazement.

Frodo groans and buries his face in his hands in a gesture of mock despair. "And we shall be surrounded by hundreds of lasses with each step we take." He raises his head and gives his cousins a piercing look. "Unlike you two who will enjoy the festival in peace because all shall stay away from you since you're already taken!"

Merry laughs so hard that he causes the bench he and Sam are sitting on to tip over.