May 1456

Theo cheered and raised his mug as the happy couple kissed in front of the crowd at their wedding party. He didn't think he'd ever seen as happy a couple as Frodo and Emerald Gamgee. No, Frodo and Emerald Gardner, he had to remind himself, for Frodo had taken a new name on his marriage, to honor his father. "We're a long ways from Gamwich," Frodo had said, "and I think my dad deserves his own family line. If it weren't for him, this would be a darker world." Sam had tried arguing against it, of course, embarassed at the attention, but Rosie, Merry and Pippin were all backing up Frodo's decision and he just didn't have a chance against the three of them.

Now the newly married Gardners stood under the Party Tree, smiling and laughing. Emerald was waving her bouquet in the air, signalling all the girls to line up. Rose had grabbed Goldi just moments ago and now they were lined up with the other lasses to catch the bouquet. Emerald grinned and lobbed the flowers straight at Rose. But gust of wind caught it, and instead it dropped into Goldi's hands. Goldi blushed crimson as the crowd cheered.

They came back to the table Theo shared with Eomer, Fari, Mer and Pip. Goldi was petting the flowers a little dreamily as she took the seat between Fari and Eomer. Rose sat across from her, next to Theo. She gave him a quick kiss. "I tried," she said with an exaggerated sigh.

"You're already betrothed, though," said Eomer. "Doesn't count. So it should go to Goldi anyway."

"But that means some poor lad has to marry Goldi!" Fari laughed, poking her in the side and making her squirm.

Goldi glanced at Fari, then looked down at the bouquet, the smile fading from her face. "It was meant for Rose," she said, and pushed it across the table towards her sister.

"No, it's yours, Goldi," Rose said. The sisters exchanged a look, something passing between them that Theo could not even begin to decipher. Goldi shrugged. "All right," she said, but she left the bouquet in the center of the table.

Soon Frodo and Emerald made their way over to see them.

"You two are next!" Emerald said cheerily. She gave Rose and Theo each a peck on the cheek. "Then after that it will be Eomer's turn."

Eomer shook his head. "I don't think so."

"We're going to be bachelors," said Fari.

"Until some pretty lass comes along," said Frodo in a mock whisper into Emerald's ear.

"No, really," said Fari. "Girls are nothing but trouble."

"Oh, really?" said Rose with a raised eyebrow.

Fari looked around at the group, "Well, you and Emerald are all right." He looked at Goldi and grinned. "And Goldi's more like one of the lads."

"Like one of the lads, eh?" Goldi asked. Theo noticed the hurt in her voice.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you do all sorts of things with us that other lasses won't do. You climb trees and bait your own hook and catch frogs..."

Theo saw the pained look on Goldi's face as Fari listed off her non-girlish attributes and was suddenly struck by what was going on. He couldn't believe he'd never noticed before, how Goldi always managed to put herself next to Fari. "Fari," he said, shaking his head, trying to get him to stop. But Fari kept going.

"...and you're not afraid of bugs." Fari chuckled. "You're not really like a girl at all."

Goldi just stared at him for a moment, then got up and ran away towards Bag End. Rose got up and followed her.

"Great going, Fari," Eomer said, and punched his cousin in the arm.

"Ow! What!" Fari looked around at them.

"Erm, Fari, can't you tell that she--" Frodo started, but Theo cut him off.

"--is upset at what you were saying. Girls like to hear nice compliments, not that they'll pick up frogs." Frodo started to say something, but Theo shook his head. He held out an empty platter to Fari. "Why don't you go get us some more cake."

Fari shrugged and took the plate. "She didn't have to be so girly about it," he complained. "She usually just hits me if I say something she doesn't like." He got up and went over to the food tables.

"Why didn't you let me tell him that Goldi likes him?" Frodo asked.

"Because Fari wouldn't know what to do about it," The said. "He'd either think it was a joke Goldi was pulling on him or else he'd start avoiding her. Either one would hurt Goldi more than she's hurt now."

"Fari wouldn't want to hurt her on purpose," said Eomer, "it's just that he's..."

"He's about as clueless as you, Mer," Pip put in. Mer scowled at him and Pip grinned at the group. "Olive Overhill was wanting him to ask her to dance at Aunt Marigold's birthday, but he just ignored her and Daisy said she was really upset about it because Olive really likes him."

Mer thumped him on the arm. "Maybe I don't like Olive Overhill, maybe I'd rather dance with..." He stopped and blushed. "Never mind."

When Fari returned, they were still trying to cajole Mer into telling them who he liked.

"You too, eh?" asked Fari, setting down the platter of cake and plopping down next to Eomer. "Pathetic."

Theo and Eomer shared a look. Theo knew exactly what Eomer had been about to say. Fari was quite serious about being a bachelor. He hadn't had the best start in learning about relationships and marriage. He'd spent the first six years of his life watching his parents hate each other, watching his father nearly drink himself to death because of an unhappy marriage. Theo could understand why Fari wasn't too keen on getting married himself. Unfortunately, that meant he was going to end up hurting a girl who'd actually be good for him.

-o-O-o-

"She's all right," Rose said as she took her place on the bench next to Theo. The other lads had all gone off to see the pony Frodo had received as a wedding gift from his in-laws.

"I didn't even realize it, until today, that she was sweet on Fari," Theo said. "They've always been friends and teased each other and I just didn't notice anything was different until she got upset today."

"You lads, always missing what's under your noses." Rose smiled. "Goldi's been sweet on him for quite a while now." She sighed. "She knows she's going to have a battle to get him to notice she's a girl, but you know our Goldi...she's about as stubborn as Fari!"

"Fari doesn't mean it," Theo said with a sigh. "He's just...still kind of messed up about his father and Diamond. Pippin and Ivy came together under pretty bad circumstances as well, what with Pippin and my dad not speaking over it for a while. He knew a lot more about what was going on than people thought he did, but he was too young to really deal with it." Theo took Rose's hand. "And the thing with us, too. I don't think that helped much."

Rose rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, I think Goldi understands that. We'll just have to help them along as much as we can. If it's meant to be, they'll find each other."

"I hope so," said Theo. "I do think he likes her that way. He's different around her. He can be so serious and grown-up when he's helping his father or talking to his brothers, but then he gets around Goldi and he's a giddy tween."

"I recall his cousin was the same way," said Rose, with a twinkle in her eye.

Theo pulled her close and kissed her deeply, then moved the kisses along her cheek and to her ear. "In three years, love, it will be our day," he whispered before kissing the tip of her ear.

Rose giggled. "Aye. And then you'll be desperately looking to escape with your bride like my poor brother over there."

Theo looked up, following Rose's gaze to where Frodo and Emerald stood, hand-in-hand, trapped in conversation with some aunts. Frodo kept giving glances down the hill, towards the smial that had once belonged to his grandfather and had been given to him as a wedding gift by his parents.

Theo smiled. "Maybe we should go rescue them?" he asked. "Because I'd surely want someone to come rescue us!"