Chapter 11: Of Passion and Unveiling

The second to last door in the hall was already slightly ajar, so Frodo did not need to use the knob. He pushed the door open with his shoulder. He walked across the room and lay Eos on the bed.

Frodo untucked her blouse and pulled it off. As Eos watched, he unfastened her skirt and petticoat and pulled them down. She sat up suddenly.

"Wait! How could I have opened your shirt without taking the braces off? I am foolish. Hold on," she said, slipping the braces off of Frodo's shoulders, his shirt following it. He fidgeted with impatience, and she chuckled.

"Get used to delay, Mr. Baggins," she said gleefully. "I like men who can stand to wait a bit longer. There, that's better." She lay back down on the blankets and allowed Frodo to undo the other half of her shift and slip it downwards. All she was wearing now was her silk undergarment. Fingers trembling, he tugged at the waistband and pulled the garment over her plump but shapely legs.

Now with his lover completely naked, Frodo was allowed a precise exploration of her body. When Eos had first returned, she'd had about as much flesh as a twig did. Now, she was healthy again, not thin, yet nowhere close to fat. Frodo guessed it was from her prolonged inactivity and renewed diet. He also noticed many shiny white lines across her breasts, shoulders, and upper arms. He slid his hands under her back and ran them along several rougher marks. They were obviously scars from Olo's whip. His heart whispered with sadness and wonder at his lover's strength.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, stroking her belly, making her moan. He felt himself growing harder and hotter.

"Frodo?"

"Hm?"

"Your pants are too tight! Aren't you going to take them off?"

"No, later."

"Now!"

"No - !" Eos interrupted him by sitting up again and pulling him onto the bed with her. She began attacking the buttons of his trousers. She pulled them and his undergarment off and threw them on the floor. She grabbed his length and stroked it with glee. Frodo moaned loudly with growing desire. He threw her hand away and dived back on top of her. The next thing she knew, he was madly kissing every part of her face, moaning between kisses. He moved down to cover her neck with hungry kisses, each of them growing more and more urgent. Eos writhed beneath him, burying her hands in his hair. Through the sweet agony, she noticed his length was probing her between her legs.

Ah, but he was moving down to be level with her breasts. Again, he kissed and suckled them, while his hand… it was moving towards the place he'd been itching to touch for a long time. It started at her knee, moving up and up. His thumb stroked the inside of her thigh. He stroked her triangle of hair above the crevice with the backs of his fingers. He slid his long fingers under her round buttocks… and let the tip of his thumb rub against her opening.

Eos cried out softly, but stayed put. Her lover stroked her special parts, from her clitoris to her vaginal opening. She allowed two of his fingers to enter her. Frodo's mouth finished up with the last curve of her breasts, and trekked across her belly, stopping to lick her navel. He placed his hands on her knees, parting her legs, and lay on his stomach between them. While his hand was still employed with stroking her secret place, he kissed the line where her hair began.

Frodo would not be satisfied with just his hand, though. He needed to taste something more…

Eos had grown hot and wet under his care. Frodo observed this with satisfaction. He would drive her to the point he needed her at, and then he would take her. He moved his mouth to her opening, and kissed it softly. Frodo felt her gasp. He gripped her hips tightly. He scattered feathery kisses around her special place and softly nibbled on her. She let out moan after moan of desire. Soon he was deeply kissing her, as if the opening itself were a mouth. Eos was moaning and whimpering softly, as if to beg him to take her now.

Alright then, let's do it. Frodo came up to lie on top of her, both of them panting. They knew the goal was not yet reached. Yet Eos hesitated, shrinking away for a second.

"What is it?" Frodo asked, kissing her cheek.

"Don't take me wrong, I want this, Frodo. But – will it hurt?"

Frodo slid his arms under her. "It shouldn't. If you are willing, it should not. Are you asking me because of – your past experiences?"

"Yes, and they always hurt."

"Well, I will try not to hurt you. If I do, do tell me. I love you," he added, kissing her again.

"I love you too."

He arched his back and moved between her legs. His length dangled long and hard in the air. Their eyes locked, he thrust forward and –

He was inside her. Eos's breath caught, and she exhaled. Frodo couldn't believe it. He wanted this for the longest time, to be inside the woman he loved –

"Don't stop!" Eos demanded. She wrapped her legs around him, and he was thrusting into her again and again, faster and faster, making love to her with all the strength he could muster.

When Frodo woke up hours later, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He was lying on top of Eos, her legs still wound around his hips. He was pretty much stuck inside her until she woke up.

Frodo glanced at the clock on the wall. It was half past seven. Had they dozed off for that long? It wasn't surprising, though; their vigorous lovemaking had been exhausting. Frodo had been too tired to even roll off of Eos when they had both reached their shattering climaxes. Not that he could have otherwise; Eos was too tired herself to take her legs off him. Her arms were casually slung about his neck, and he could barely feel his from keeping them around Eos while they slept.

He inhaled deeply and smelled bundles of herbs tucked somewhere among the pillows. It covered up the smell of their sweat, which had dried all over the sheets.

Eos stirred when she felt him move. She opened her eyes and smiled at Frodo. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Half past seven."

"Oh!" Eos glanced at the clock. "We've skipped over at least two meals!" She unwound her legs, allowing Frodo to roll onto his back in a daze.

"We've been sleeping four hours at least!" Eos exclaimed. "Anyway, I'll do something to make it up. Sorry about that, Frodo. I guess you didn't plan on making love to me while you were here."

"I didn't, but don't apologize. It's one of the best things that have happened to me in a while." Frodo sat up, put his arms around Eos and gave her a long, lingering kiss. Eos gently pushed him away.

"We shouldn't fool around now. I can let you stay a little longer and give you a bite or two, but then you'll have to go. I don't like the thought of Crystal staying awake until dawn waiting," she said, sitting up.

"You're the one to talk. You were the one who wanted to go to bed not too long ago."

"I'm not talking about sleeping together! I'm – Oh, whatever." Eos peeled the blankets away and went to the bureau to retrieve fresh clothing. Frodo caught a glimpse of the whip weals on her back as she slid on a pair of bloomers and a robe. He sighed and pulled on his drawers and breeches. He was reaching for his shirt when Eos touched his left shoulder, where his Nazgûl wound was. Frodo gasped. No one had ever touched him in that spot since the elves had healed him in Rivendell.

"What is that, Frodo? It's an ugly cut," said Eos sitting beside him.

Frodo turned away. "It's no ordinary cut," he replied. "I received from a blade while I was traveling." He glanced at the scar, and directed his gaze to somewhere else. He hated looking at that wound, all puckered like a wrinkled mouth.

Eos observed this. So much I do not know, she thought. He made me tell him of all my sufferings, and yet he has never told me his. She closed her hand over the wound. Frodo's eyes became a sharp turquoise when he was shocked. They now both widened and turned turquoise.

He watched in growing anxiety as she moved her hand up his shoulder to his neck, looking for any other hidden defects. Please don't let her see the spider's work, Eru, don't make her see that! Eos's hand moved behind his neck, and sensed the rough line of the scar. Frodo tensed. She brought her legs onto the bed and moved behind him. She pushed some of his curls away and carefully stroked the back of his neck, pausing to touch the scar. "And this?" she asked.

Frodo swallowed hard. "A spider's stinger," he managed to force out. And he felt his beloved's hand moving down his back, touching the cuts from orc whips.

"From a whip?"

Frodo nodded slowly. She touched the whip weal on his side. "While we were making love, I noticed these, but I made no comment at the time." She moved down his arms, to his hands. She saw the right hand, with a mere stub of what used to be his middle finger. She picked it up and inspected it. "Seems like someone bit it off."

"That's correct," Frodo muttered.

"I never noticed this before tonight. It made me wonder about you."

"Maybe we shouldn't have been so eager to get in bed," said Frodo bitterly.

"Why are you ashamed? You touched all of my scars, and I didn't flinch once! There is something you aren't telling me! How long will you carry all this around without telling anyone, before it all erupts inside you?" Eos dropped his maimed hand and grabbed his shoulders.

Seeing Frodo's hurt face made her soften her tone. "You needn't tell me today. But you must tell someone, perhaps not me." She put her arms around Frodo's bare shoulders. Eos knew that she unshielded him, leaving him with nothing to guard his past. And she had to know all there was to the man she loved madly!

"You're the one I want to tell," Frodo whispered. "You're the one I should tell, because I love you and you deserve that knowledge. It's just hard to go back to all that, that's all."

"I know, darling, I can tell." Eos gave him his shirt. She kissed his neck and left for the kitchen.

Frodo just sat there for a bit, feeling stunned. Eos had taken away all his defenses, leaving him vulnerable with her. Even though they loved each other so, he never thought someone could ever penetrate him that way without his protests. While she touched his battle scars, she had triggered a rush of love and guilt inside. Frodo suddenly wished she were back in here, holding him in her arms, kissing him, so that he could spew everything out…

"Frodo! I have some food ready!" Eos called from the kitchen. Frodo hurriedly pulled on the shirt, buttoned it, tucked it in and pulled his bracers on. He followed the scent of food to the kitchen, where Eos was. She'd folded his vest and coat over a chair and her bodice over another.

"I didn't want to take care of the bodice right away," she said. "I thought I'd just wait until my sister comes home."

"Where is she now?"

"Out hunting for work. Her husband Rudigar Goodbody owned mills too, and she worked in them. They lost practically everything when Sharkey pulled them down." Eos shook her head. "I'm glad I was away when that all happened. Especially when I think I may have had to entertain some of those brutes for Olo. I put stew on the table, Frodo. Try it."

Frodo sat down in front of the bowl of carrots, beef, and mushrooms in tomato paste and swallowed a few spoonfuls of it. Not surprisingly, it was wonderful. Eos sat down beside him.

"Berylla has a good heart," she said. "She never competes with anyone, never complains. Or at least, she tries," she added with a smile. "She lifts the spirits of the ones who grieve the most, and she'll listen to anyone's suffering. I just wish she wouldn't give in to people so much. And over the years, I've learned that the people she liked weren't always likeable." She scooped into her own stew. "I didn't like our friend Asphodel very much, but I decided to trust her, since Berylla trusted her. I gave her respect, so I thought she gave it to me until, well, you know…" She touched her forehead. "I couldn't believe my sister would make those sort of friends. But she kept on doing whatever Miss Fields told her, so I kept my tongue. I tell you, Frodo, Asphodel has tried to seduce Rudigar as well. She didn't succeed… all because Rudigar is a good man, like his name."

Frodo put his hand on her cheek. Eos pressed her face into it. He scooted up beside her to embrace her. "How do you always manage to make everything sound better than it actually is? You and your stubbornness!"

"It's the best way for me, to make a joke out of everything. Like life was always good. But I guess everyone's got to have their bad point in life. I've just risen out of my bad point because of you." She looked up at Frodo glowingly. "Once, years ago, I thought of running away to you bringing Crystal with me so that Olo wouldn't touch me. But I didn't want to be called a whore, nor you a seducer. I already loved you too much."

"I wouldn't have cared if they called me a seducer. I would have taken you in if you were being abused. Eos, I am not that kind that worries about reputation. For now, having someone to love is enough."

They spent a while kissing, then returned to their stew while holding hands, then went back to their kissing again. The only addition to their caresses this time was little nibbles on the lips and neck and subtle tongue flicks. Both were careful not to go too far, lest one of them ripped open the other's clothing again.

"Frodo?" Eos said huskily as he laid feather light kisses on her neck. "Frodo, you should go now."

Frodo sniffed disappointedly. "I don't want to leave you," he murmured into her neck. "But I have to."

"I love you, Frodo and I don't want you to leave either, but Crystal is a child and a slightly bigger obligation." She stroked his head of chestnut curls. "I remember from my stay that you read to her every night without fail."

"Yes, yes, I know. I just wish you could be there, though." Frodo pulled back and touched her cheek. "The girl misses you, you know. Despite everything, you're still her mother. You shouldn't be ashamed to see her."

"Bring her here in three days. She can stay around while we work. It'll mean no going to bed, though." Eos stood up, looking at Frodo regretfully.

Frodo stood up to help her with the bowls. "That can wait. I'd rather have her see you."

They made the trip to the door as slow as possible, sharing longing kisses on the way. The couple exchanged one last lingering kiss before Frodo donned his cloak and left.

Later, Berylla would come home to find Eos soaking in a hot bath that smelled of fragrant soap, smiling from remembrance of the events that had passed that evening.

Frodo was not the same hobbit when he returned to the Cottons'. He found Crystal curled up in the armchair with a book just the same as every other night, but it felt different this time. Even as they went through the same evening ritual, he couldn't keep the thought from running through his head: I'm in love with your mother, little girl, I made love to her tonight. If I don't know that I love her, I don't know anything.

A.N.: My first graphic chapter, so it looks like crap to me. So, does any one of my reviewers have any idea about how much time should pass, in terms of let's say, chapters, until Eos is finally divorced? If so, review me. If not, review anyway.  