The Lord of the Apples

(A High-School Setting)

FELLOWSHIP OF THE APPLES PART 1

CHAPTER 6
THE PARTY

A/N: For the sake of your sanity I'm skipping the first day of school and this chapter will take place afterwards. As you can probably tell by the title, this chap is about the Party, also mentioned earlier as the Big Dance.

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The first day of school had just ended. Frodo had said a cheerful "Bye," to his best friend, Sam Gamgee, and now opened the green door to his hobbit hole. After hanging his coat and bag on a hook in the entrance, Frodo stomped through the tunnel to the kitchen. Pausing to open the door, Frodo heard the voice of his Uncle, Bilbo Baggins, and Gandalf the Grey from the room beyond.

"Yes, yes! Everything is going according to plan! Frodo doesn't expect anything." He could hear the voice of Bilbo saying triumphantly.

Frodo shrugged and opened the door; he didn't feel like eavesdropping, besides, he knew what Bilbo was talking about already. "Expect what Unc? That you're abandoning me to live with the elves?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen. Frodo was pleased to see Bilbo jumped as he walked casually into the room; Gandalf, on the other hand, did nothing but raise a bushy eyebrow.

"Nope," replied Bilbo after regaining his composure, "About my birthday party/dance that I'm holding for your high-school tonight."

"Wait a minute," Frodo's eyes went wide as he stared at his uncle and then the wizard, "TEACHER! THERE'S A TEACHER IN MY HOUSE!!"

Gandalf smiled calmly at the startled young hobbit, "Frodo, Frodo. We were great friends before I took up that teaching job."

"TEACHER! THEY'RE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!! HELP ME, SAAAM!!" Frodo screamed shrilly as he ran out of the room, down the tunnel, and out the house in search for his best friend.

"Well, that was awkward," muttered Gandalf; staring wide-eyed at where, moments earlier, Frodo had stood.

"Definitely," agreed Bilbo, shaking his head.

THAT EVENING

Once again Bilbo sat smoking his pipe and blowing smoke rings at his front door. "Well, my old friend, this will be a night to remember." He stated contentedly, looking over at where Gandalf sat.

"Yes," agreed the wizard while trying to hide the fact that he, too, was smoking from his numerous students who kept passing on the way to the party.

Bilbo sighed blissfully, "Old Toby; the finest Weed in Middle-Earth."

"WHAT WEED?!" Gandalf half cried, trying to sound inconspicuous, as he glanced nervously at a passing group of high-school elves.

The hobbit looked over at his friend, eyebrows raised, "Hey, it's a party; relax. They all know you smoke anyways," he added thoughtfully looking at the passing students.

Gandalf muttered incoherently to himself as he walked away, throwing reproachful looks at a group of over excited hobbits that had just passed.

Legolas pulled out a pocket mirror and looked himself over once more, "Hair; check. Smile; check. Flowers; check." The elf took a deep breath, "I'm ready." He walked up the path to Arwen's house. You can do this, he assured himself. Besides, you are the best-looking male in the whole of Middle-Earth, how couldn't you be ready? Added that voice in his head with confidence. He knocked on the door.

Elrond opened the door resignedly and started to greet Arwen's date in a bored, mordant voice, "Hello Ara-" he stopped as his eyes widened considerably. "Wh- why Legolas! Good evening! Come in; come in. What a delightful surprise to see you again," he almost sang with happiness, No Aragorn? Now this is new! thought Elrond as he stared disbelievingly at Legolas.

"Calm down Daddy, he's my date." Explained Arwen to her dumbstruck father.

Elrond shook his head in disbelief, a joyous smile plastered across his bemused face, as Arwen lead Legolas out the house, "Well have fun, I guess..."

Legolas looked at the girl holding onto his arm as the two walked to the party, "Wow." He whispered in wonder.

Arwen, mistaking his comment, rolled her eyes in the direction of her father; who was still standing in front of the door to her house, a blissful smile playing on his lips. "Oh, don't worry, he does that to a lot of people."

Legolas shook his head, smiling, "No; it's you."

Arwen stopped walking and removed her hand from his arm, "What about me?" she responded in a low, dangerous purr.

"It's just- wow!" The elf looked over his date admirably. "Oh, here are some flowers," he added as he gave an elegant swoop of his arm and brought a dozen fresh, deep red roses to stop in front of Arwen's sparkling, blue eyes.

The raven-haired elf gasped, "Thank you Legolas!" she cried as she hugged him. When she released him, Legolas was smiling in amazement.

"Lets go," the happy elf managed to mutter as he glanced nervously at the not to distant Elrond.

Éowyn sat protectively besides her date, Aragorn. She absently played with the hem of his sleeve as he stared into the distance, ignoring all around him; including her. He let out a huge, depressed sigh. "What's wrong Arry?" she cooed in a girlish voice.

"Nothing," muttered Aragorn resignedly.

"Yes, there is something wrong," she giggled, "and I know just how to cheer you up!"

Aragorn looked at his date, "What did you say?" he asked in a low, miserable voice.

Éowyn rolled her eyes impatiently; this wasn't going as she had planned. "Come Slow Dance with me Arry!" she replied bossily, grabbing his hand and dragging his to the dance floor.

Aragorn decided against putting up a struggle; What's the use? he thought savagely, Arwen, Arwen! Why did I leave you? the quarterback cried silently to himself.

Sam sat resignedly in the corner of the huge tent that had been constructed for the dance in the middle of the field for Bilbo's party; Frodo was hanging out with Merry and Pippin again. He had his guitar in hand and was strumming quietly to himself as he sung along,
"Everyone's hurt,
From gettin' down too low.
Everyone's hurt,
You just gotta let it go.
You just gotta let it go."

As he sung this Rosie skipped happily by, looking for her friends. As she passed she heard a low voice singing quietly, and not singing the music blaring from the speakers hung from the huge tree in the middle of the tent. She located the origin of the voice; it was Sam Gamgee. Rosie blushed happily as she watched him playing his guitar, her friends weren't around to stop her talking to him this time! "Hey Sam!" she shouted cheerfully as he approached him.

Looking up from his guitar Sam saw Rosie walking towards him "Oh, Hi Rosie," he responded as he lay down his guitar and stood up.

"What's with the guitar? The music's provided."

Sam blushed, throwing a guilty look at his instrument, "I really don't listen to modern music." he replied with a slight smile.

Rosie laughed a gay little laugh, "It's about time you started then." She took his hand and walked him towards a secluded spot near the base of the speaker-adorned tree.

Frodo, Merry and Pippin walked around the outside of the dance-tent, looking at all the girls gathered in groups talking excitedly together. The three had decided to dress in sk8tr clothes and had found the dance-tent to stuffy for such a choice of outfits. A particular couple of she-elves, one brunette and another dirty-blond, separated from all the other caught Frodo's eyes, "Dude; Female elves," he elbowed Merry and pointed eagerly.

Merry smiled, "Holy, Dude!"

"Ho-Ya!!" agreed Pippin enthusiastically, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Do we stand a chance?" asked Frodo, a gleam in his eyes as he tried to smooth back his curly hair.

"Ho-Ya!!" encouraged Pippin.

Merry laughed and ran towards the she-elves, "Lets go!!!"

Frodo wasn't good with woman, he knew that; but it had never stopped him before. He gulped and walked up to the two giggling female elves, "Hey Baby…" he addressed the elf nearest him; she had brunette hair and blue eyes. She turned around laughing at a comment her friend had just made; he recognized her from school as Quelebnen. (A/N: Hey couldn't resist mate ;D)

"Hello?"

Pippin elbowed Merry sharply and winked, "Ho-Ya!!!"

Merry smiled and leaned against the tree the she-elves were standing by. "Hey-lo" he said admiringly.

The dirty-blond-haired she-elf looked amusedly at Frodo, Merry and Pippin. "What's going on Quelebnen?" she asked her friend quietly in Elvish.

Quelebnen smiled, her blue eyes twinkling, as she, too, spoke in Elfish, "Looks like we have some little wee-folk here Gwendil." "Hobbits," corrected the elf named Gwendil.

Quelebnen shrugged, "Hobbits, Halflings, wee-folk. What's the difference?"

Merry couldn't understand Elvish; he didn't feel like asking Frodo what the two she-elves had said, so he just ignored the exchange between Quelebnen and Gwendil and continued his attempt to flirt with them. He turned his head towards Quelebnen, and, still leaning against the tree, flirted with her in a bantering tone, "Are you from Tennessee? Because you are the only ten I see."

Pippin, on the other hand, had decided that Gwendil looked more approachable and made an effort to flirt with her, which was hard, as he couldn't seem to say anything sensible at the moment. "Ho-Ya, you're, Ho-Ya!!" he managed to say.

Frodo, who had decided that Merry and Pippin were even worse with woman then he was, stepped on Pippin's foot and half-whispered, "Yo, Pip. That's not how you impress a lady."

Gwendil looked uncomfortably at the hobbits and then her brunette friend, "Quelebnen..." she pleaded.

Her friend obliged and decided to get rid of the bothersome hobbits. She gestured to Merry, smiling winsomely, and said as sweetly as she could, "You want to know something?"

"Ya," Merry smiled.

Quelebnen dropped to a crouch, "Just come a bit closer." She whispered in a voice dripping with honey, smiling suggestively as her blue eyes sparkled.

Merry gulped, "Okay," he looked nervously at his friends who were arguing about how to impress Gwendil, and moved closer to Quelebnen.

As Merry approached Quelebnen, she quickly stood up, neatly tripped the hobbit, stooped back down and, picking him up, hung Merry by his cloak in a low branch of the tree next to her; all within a matter of second and with an almost bored look on her face the whole time.

"Hey! What the- You dumb she-elf! Let me down!" yelled Merry in surprise at his sudden change of location, struggling to unhook his cloak.

Gwendil stood, hands on hips, and threatened the other two hobbits, "You saw Quelebnen, who's next?"

Pippin and Frodo, deciding that there was probably no way they could impress Gwendil anyway, called quits on their argument and ran as fast as their hobbit-legs would carry them. Leaving Merry behind to struggle with unhooking his cloak from the tree.

"Score one for the She-Elves!" laughed Gwendil triumphantly as she and Quelebnen walked in the opposite direction, talking amiably in Elfish again.

Arwen sighed as she danced slowly with Legolas; they had danced every slow song together that night and sat the other dances out, talking. "This has been an amazing night," she whispered in his ear. Pointed, she thought happily, Aragorn doesn't have nice pointed ears like Legolas'.

Legolas smiled and whispered back, "Yes, I have to agree; Absolutely amazing night."

Arwen beamed at Legolas. She sighed again and rested her head on his shoulder, still dancing. "Aragorn could have never topped this," she said quietly, "Thank you Lego- ARAGORN!!" she changed mid-sentence and shrieked as she saw Aragorn sitting with Éowyn. Arwen pushed herself away from Legolas and cried out, even though the music was loud and Aragorn couldn't hear her, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT FREAKING UGLY HAG?!"

Legolas grabbed at his date's hand, "What's wrong Arwen?" he asked worriedly.

"He's already replaced me! I can't believe it," sobbed Arwen as she turned and ran crying from the dance-tent.

The blonde Elf stared in disbelief after his date. "Valar! Why me!!!" he shouted as he ran off after her. She wasn't going to leave him behind; besides, he didn't want her to go home crying about Aragorn. He wanted her to go home thinking about him! There's no reason for her to bother thinking about Aragorn, he thought huffily as he looked outside for her, I'm a hundred times better looking then him. Sometimes his friend Aragorn really got on his nerves; this was one of those times.

Éowyn sat discontentedly besides Aragorn. He had barley danced or talked with her tonight; in fact he'd basically ignored her the whole time! She stuck her hands in her cloak pockets grumpily; what's in my pocket? she thought, surprised as her hand came in contact with a hard, small object. She pulled the object and looked at it with glee; it was a pink bottle with a clear liquid inside. Glancing nervously at Aragorn she shoved it back into her pocket, now she'd have some fun! "I'll go grab us some punch, " she suggested happily. It was all Éowyn could do not to jump up and run towards the punch bowl. After carefully filling two punch glasses, she glanced around and took out her pink bottle, carefully letting two drops fall into one of the cups.

-Flash Back-

Galadriel was standing with Éowyn in her little rose-garden, cleaning out her birdbath, "Ah, Éowyn. You have come to me in great distress." The elf noted, she then turned to face the young woman, "I can give you the potion you seek," Galadriel handed Éowyn a small, pink bottle containing a clear liquid.

Éowyn curtsied, "Thank you Great Lady, I am very grateful," she replied, happily accepting the love-potion.

"Glad to be of service, my dear," replied Galadriel. The tall, graceful lady elf smiled, Now Aragorn won't be with Arwen, Elrond will be pleased.

-End Flash Back-

Éowyn almost skipped as she returned to her date with the punch, but thought better of it; she didn't want to spill any of the drinks. The scheming girl smiled sweetly and handed the cup with the potion-punch to Aragorn.

"Thanks," he replied sullenly as he accepted the cup.

Watching him drain the cup, Éowyn laughed gaily, "Anything for you Arry."

Aragorn wasn't ready for the immediate effect of the love potion; he blinked and looked over his now-empty punch glass at Éowyn. He felt light-headed and extremely happy, "Where am I?" he queried politely of the girl sitting by him. Éowyn his mind acknowledged the girl. She laughed; it was a really pretty laugh Aragorn thought cheerfully, and a really pretty girl too he added as he smiled handsomely at her.

"On a date at a dance with me, Arry," she told him quietly.

Aragorn's smile broadened, "Then Éowyn, babe, why aren't we dancing?" He stood up and, taking her hand into his, led her to the dance floor; oblivious that Arwen had just run out the tent crying.

Pippin wandered around the dance-tent aimlessly, hands shoved in his pockets. He was alone. No one would talk to him, as he was the only person they could see who hadn't dressed suitably for the occasion and wore sk8tr clothes. Frodo had left to go find someone who didn't get him in trouble, such as Sam, and Merry was probably still hanging from a tree outside. Wrong, the hobbit almost immediately corrected himself, smiling, Merry was heading toward him; cloakless.

"Dude, remind me never to hit on Elf chicks again!" said Merry vociferously as he approached his friend.

Pippin smiled, "Agreed."

Merry smiled back at Pippin, "I see you're able to speak again," the hobbit glanced nervously around to make sure no one was watching, and whispered to his friend, "Wanna go steal a fire-work-mabob?"

"Sounds like a plan Merry, sounds like a plan."

The two hobbits ran off to make havoc, blowing up a lot of Gandalf's precious fireworks in the process.

Bilbo looked confidently around at his teen-age guests as he walked towards the stage in the middle of the dance-tent beneath the huge tree in the middle. After stopping the music that was blasting loudly from the speakers hung on the tree, Bilbo, who now had almost everyone's attention, started his speech, "Well, welcome all to my party!"

"YAY!" shouted a lot of excited teen-age dwarves, elves, hobbits, and men/woman.

"It's my eleventy-first birthday!" Bilbo happily informed the crowd.

An even larger "YAY!" was heard; along with the shouted comment from Gimli, "eleventy-first isn't a real number! I should know, I'm in an academic class!" and a lot of cheering for his achievement from the other dwarves present.

Bilbo, ignoring the dwarves, continued his speech, "But I'm sad to say I'm abandoning Frodo to live with the elves; so he gets my hobbit-hole, Bag End!"

"OKAY!" shouted the crowd, enjoying their part of the speech immensely.

Bilbo smiled cheekily at the teen-agers gathered below and twisted the stem of an apple he had been hiding in his pocket, vanishing.

Many shrieks of surprise were heard from the easily startled in the crowd and mutters of "Oh my," from others.

Gandalf, who had been sitting in a dark corner blowing smoke-rings during the dance, rolled his eyes and left for Bilbo's (now Frodo's) hobbit-hole. "Joy. Time to go make my speech," he muttered sarcastically to no one in particular.

Bilbo was dancing happily his study shouting the word "Freedom!" over and over again.

Gandalf shuffled unhappily into the room, looked miserably at Bilbo, and readied himself to make his five-minute-long speech; but thought, why be bothered? So, instead, the wizard glared at Bilbo, who had stopped dancing, and muttered, "Frodo. Apple. Leave."

The hobbit was totally unprepared for this; he had been expecting that five-minute-long speech. It was in the script. "Okaay…" he responded for lack of anything better to say, looking about uncertainly. Bilbo shrugged, threw the apple down on the rug, picked up his cloak and bags and left.

Gandalf shuffled after his friend, slamming the door on the way out and, as they parted, muttered, "Thank you." very glad indeed that he hadn't had to say his five-minute-long speech.

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A/N: Yes, yes: Legolas and the rest at Bilbo's party? I know; nothing like Tolkien planned.