Sorry for the delay. I was taking a break and updating my fanfics. :)

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Funnel Cakes and Seagulls

.oOo.

It took another hour before the ship reached Triton. Triton certainly had the paradise feel down for an island. Frodo was impressed, but also sad and anxious. He regretted coming here. And yet, he looked at his wife in understanding.

He would do this for her.

Fisher boats and people were on the wharves, moving in and out of port and out onto sea. As soon as the ship docked, Frodo took Amelia's hand, letting it go for a few minutes, before taking it again.

He did not like water. That much Amelia saw from his expression, at least until they got into the hotel, where he calmed down.

"Say," Frodo got Amelia's attention, a moment after he grabbed their keys from the front desk, "how about we check out our room? And then, grab a bite to eat somewhere?" He waggled his eyebrows, loving to impress his wife in any way he could.

Amelia giggled, loving the attention. "Um… sure. Why not? Let's do it."

"Great," Frodo said, smiling at her. He led Amelia up to the fifth floor, where he found their room. He unlocked the door, allowing Amelia to enter their room. Inside was an aquatic bedroom with a king-sized bed, as well as a bathroom next to it. There was also a television set standing up against a wall, complete with its own mahogany desk and a silver remote control on the television desk.

"What do you think?" Frodo asked his wife, curious.

"It's lovely," Amelia said, making her way towards the window, where she got a great view of the island. She asked Frodo, also curious, "Why don't you like the water?"

"Well," Frodo hesitated. He cleared his throat, admitting, "My parents drowned. Ever since then, I've been afraid to go in the water." He looked at Amelia in intrigue, telling her, "Water makes me gag. It's hard for me to go near the water. Drinking it is fine! But diving into it, without knowing the dangers, is unthinkable! You'd have to be mighty mad to make me dive underwater."

"Oh, well, we could find ways of avoiding it. The water," Amelia said, seeing the hurt expression on his face. She told him, curiosity overwhelming her, "Come on. It's not like anything bad will happen to us."

"That's what I fear," Frodo said, calmly, sitting down on the bed. "I do hope there are no volcanoes. Then again, this is an island. There's bound to be some."

"You get Mount Doom dreams? I get those, too," Amelia said, saddened. "They always seem to end with you saving me or me saving you."

"Well, that's nice!" Frodo said with a smile. He shook his head, thinking over the question. "I used to have Mount Doom dreams. They stopped some time ago. Now, I get them every once in a while." He admitted, kindly, "Sam was always there for me. On the quest, he would come around with a plant and say, 'this is a strawberry!'" Frodo laughed at his own impression of Sam. Amelia grinned a small grin. Samwise Gamgee was Frodo's best friend. She didn't want to ruin that. Frodo smile faded. He approached his darling wife, wrapped his arms around her, and kissing her on the temple. That made her laugh!

Good! He loved to make her laugh. It made him happy.

"Say," Frodo spun his wife around, asking her, "why don't you and I head downstairs and find something to eat. We've got our keys. So, there should be no trouble, if we come back later, depending on the circumstances."

"I'd love that," Amelia said, following her husband out the door and down the hallway. Frodo had long since locked the door, before joining his wife down the hallway, stairs, and finally out of the hotel.

Amelia smiled hungrily at all the food. It wasn't until she and Frodo reached an outdoor café that they sat down and ordered snacks. Funnel cakes. Amelia was allowed to have whatever toppings she wanted. While Frodo chose cinnamon topping, Amelia went for the strawberry toppings. She licked her lips when the funnel cakes arrived. Hastily, she dipped her fork into her funnel cake, eating it to her delight.

The first bite was a sensation of flavors. The golden-brown crust made a nice crunch in her mouth, while the doughy flavor mixed with the fresh, juicy, red strawberries made Amelia realize just how much she missed fair food. She looked at Frodo as he ate his funnel cake, loving it. Almost as much as he loved her! Maybe that love was the same, depending on how she looked at it.

"This is delicious," Amelia said, eating the second bite of her funnel cake. She admitted, kindly, "You know, I eat funnel cake during the fair. But I don't mind having a new tradition."

"Hmm," Frodo said, smiling. "Then we can start our own tradition. These funnel cakes being one of them." He bit down on some more funnel cake, loving the flavors.

"Yes, that, too. And…" Amelia's attention turned to the white seagulls grouping together. The seagulls eyed their food. What did they want? Amelia consulted with Frodo, "…Frodo, I wonder if these seagulls are the ones in "Finding Nemo". Well, they always say 'Mine!' and are willing to snatch any food that pleases them."

"Mine!" one seagull announced. This seagull dived closer, made a move, and chomped down on Amelia's funnel cake.

"Hey!" Amelia groaned in annoyance, watching the seagulls grab her funnel cake, splashing the strawberry juice all over them.

"Let's leave!" Frodo said, protecting his funnel cake while leading his wife away from the scene. It was too much to handle! The seagulls flew in for his funnel cake! He had no choice. Regret filled him as he handed the funnel cake over to the seagulls, leading his wife away before the seagulls could attack them again.

"Greedy birds," Frodo said, huffing. His fingers trembled so much. His heart pounded inside his chest. He inhaled, telling Amelia, "Come on. We can go back to the hotel and eat something there."

"Don't you want to explore?" Amelia asked, getting her husband's attention. "I mean, anything's better than staying inside the hotel all day."

"You're right," Frodo considered with candor. "Come on. What more do you want to see?"

"Is there a mural?" Amelia asked, curiously.

"Hmm. I'm not sure. Let's find it," Frodo said, taking his wife's hand and leading her as far away from the outdoor café as possible. The last thing he needed was another bird stealing their food.

That he would regret instantly.

*.*.*

References:

The seagulls depicted in this fanfic come from Disney and Pixar's film, "Finding Nemo".