Sorry for the long delay. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. :)

*.*.*

Part II: Merman Hobbit

-.-.-

Chased by Merfolk

.oOo.

Amelia stood on her knees, observing the still dark water. So far, she couldn't see Frodo, Balin, or Kili anywhere. Something must have happened to them. Wait! Not something, someone. That someone must have been those sirens. Didn't somebody warn her about evil merfolk hanging around the shores of this island? Triton the island was called. Triton indeed. More like "Triton: Secrets of the Merfolk", where no one told her anything about what was going on under the sea.

"Hey Amelia!" one girl, a fiery red-haired lass, called out to her. She was Balin's girlfriend. Amelia recognized her, but not by her hair color… unless this lass dyed her hair bright red. The lass approached her, telling Amelia, "Remember me? Jess Lynch. We met in-between classes with Frodo, Balin, and Kili."

"Yeah, I remember," Amelia nodded.

"Jess, what's going on?" a lass with straight blonde hair asked, joining the two.

Jess smiled, telling Amelia, "Amelia, you remember Cynthia Farstead, don't you?"

"Yeah, I remember. She's Kili's girlfriend," Amelia said, trying to remember their names and their faces.

"You can call me Cindi," Cynthia beamed in exuberance.

"So, where's Balin and Kili? I thought they were with you," Jess asked, concerned.

Amelia looked out at the open sea again. So far, she didn't see anything. Then she spotted three figures poking their heads out of the water. She pointed to them, surprised to see them again.

No! What happened to them? They sported gills for ears and they were bare-chested. No, it couldn't be!

"They're mermen," Amelia said aloud.

"What? Oh no!" Jess cried loudly, noticing the trio in the water sped towards them. She pulled Cindi with her, not looking back to see if Amelia followed her.

"Oh no, you don't! You're not getting away this time, lasses!" Balin called out, leading Kili away from Amelia and Frodo.

Amelia looked at Frodo, stunned to see he was moving faster towards her. No. No, she knew a little more about merfolk than vampires. Frodo would surely use his song and get her, too. She mustn't let that happen!

"Come here!" Frodo cried out in joy, inching closer to her.

What was Amelia to do? No. She would have to think of something and fast! The gazebo! Yes, that's where she should go. The gazebo—

Amelia jumped the moment Frodo dived out of the water. She was inches away from being captured by him, inches away from having her ankle caught by her merman-hobbit husband. Amelia snaked away before he could grab her, darting off for the gazebo, where Jess and Cindi were hiding.

Amelia moved fast but spotted Frodo following her. No! She would not be deterred. She could make it out of this safe and sound, right?

Grassy ground stopped at a bridge, where the river was located. Amelia barely had time to rest when a pale hand snaked its way towards the bridge, smashing apart one of the wooden planks, while trying to get her. She jumped, let out a yelp, and darted straight for the gazebo with its stone walls and conch shell décor.

She was safe! Safe for now, anyway.

Smash!

A strong fist smashed through rotten wood, creating a hole in the floor to reveal a clear watery surface. Amelia crashed on the floor at full force. Two more holes were smashed through by Balin and Kili, who grabbed created Jess and Cindi by their ankles.

Amelia's heart thumped madly, while her eardrums rang from the loud smashing sounds. The ringing stopped, causing her to focus again. She looked back to find her hobbit husband creeping out of the hole he just created, inching closer to her with great speed, and finally grabbing her ankle.

Frodo jeered, having won his prize. "I've got you! There's no escape, lass!" He chuckled, hungry eyes watching her greedily. "There's no escape, lass. No escape indeed. You're MINE!" He eyed her, wanting to kiss her and feel her heart beat. He wanted her now, more than ever.

This was his prize for becoming one of the merfolk!

Amelia had other ideas. She screamed, kicking at her hobbit husband's hands to get him off her. She watched as Jessa and Cindi fought hard against their dwarven boyfriends, doing what they could to break free and escape the gazebo. A mere hesitation was all Frodo needed to pull her closer to him.

"Come here, my love. Come to me," Frodo sang in a soothing, silky voice.

Amelia sighed. The song was so lovely… but no. She needed to get away, anything but fall for her husband's trap. She continued kicking him with her shoe, doing her best to get away.

At last, there was a moment's hesitation and sneering from Frodo. He released his grip on her ankle, giving her time to get away and leave the gazebo. By the time Amelia fled with Jess and Cindi, they reached the hotel and were out of sight from their hobbit and dwarven lovers.

.

Frodo moved back down through the hole, back onto the watery surface long enough to watch his wife take off. He smacked the water's surface with his fist, vowing to catch his wife again and not lose her.

"Next time, my love," Frodo vowed with all his heart. "Next time, you will be mine, Amelia Baggins. Next time."

He turned to the water, diving back under. Next time would come and he would ensure that Amelia, his wife, did not escape again.

.

Amelia trudged towards the hotel. It was late and Melvin the Killer Rabbit was still out there somewhere. She just didn't know where to look for him. And now, now it was vampires all over again with her hobbit husband, Frodo Baggins, being one of them now. Only, instead of a vampire, he was a merman. Oh, what was she to do?

"Don't worry, Amelia. We'll change them back," Jess said in encouragement. "Tomorrow, we can look for clues. I'll stay with Cindi. You can go off and explore the island. Meet us back here at the hotel tomorrow. We'll see what we found out."

Amelia nodded. It was better not to question Jess, like she had with her fellow hobbits. Amelia was no longer human, so this made sense.

"Good." Jess smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, during the late afternoon hours."

"Bye!" Cindi waved, right as she and Jess made their way into the hotel.

"Yeah," Amelia looked at the island one last time. She had no choice. She would find those clues and somehow find a way to release Frodo from the spell he was under.

She would not lose him again.