A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update! But this chapter though short took forever as it veered completely away from the plot line of LOTR. Also my awesome took a while in getting back to me. So thanx to Devan! And don't forget to Read Review, and Enjoy! Love, Saylin

Chapter 4

Sarenia woke up the next morning in a nest of quilts on the floor in front of the dead fire. She stretched and sat up looking around. Smiling she remembered the party last night. She picked up and folded all the quilts she had used and put them away then went to find Frodo. Frodo was sitting by the fire in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea. He smiled at her when she came in but said nothing. She came in and sat down opposite the fire and waited for him to finish his tea.

"Hey Frodo can I ask you something?" Sarenia asked politely once Frodo had finished his tea.

"You just did but you can ask me something else as well." He said smiling.

"Is there some place where I can shower or bathe? I'm starting to smell a little." She was so embarrassed by having to ask this that he had smile again before answering.

"I believe that there is a nice little lake and waterfall not to far from here." Just as he said that Merry and Pippin fell in the back door and chorused together "we'll take her!" Sarenia looked at Frodo bemusedly before grabbing her backpack and allowing herself to be steered out the door.

Once outside Merry and Pippin talked her all the way to the waterfall. But when they were about half way there Pippin stopped dead and went running off in the opposite direction. He left Merry and Sarenia looking at each other confusedly until he came back with an arm full of towels and soap. He blushed and handed to them to her. She took them with a warm smile and thanx. They walked on in silence until they came to a circle of trees and the rushing of water could be heard.

Sarenia stopped and turned to face Merry and Pippin. "You two will stay here and not move unless I start screaming like someone is trying to kill and if I disappear take my bag back to Frodo and tell him to take it with him on his little mission. When the time comes he'll know what to do with it. If not then just forget this then." With that she walked through the trees and into the clearing. She put her clothes and toiletries on a convenient flat rock that over hung the water.

Sarenia had stripped off her pants when she heard a rustling in the brush the brush near by. Frowning she walked over to end of the clearing that went into the woods.

"Merry? Pippin?" She called out trying to see into the dim forest. But just as she was about to step into the forest Merry stuck his head into the clearing followed by Pippin who asked what she wanted when she smiled and told them it was nothing they left.

When she looked back into the forest there was something moving away from her in the underbrush. Shrugging she went back to the water, stripped and slipped in leisurely. The water was cool and very clean. After spending about a hour and a half in the cool water scrubbing every last bit of filth off her body she swam over to the rock where she had put down all of her stuff. She hoisted her self up and lay back on the sun warmed rock.

The sun created a very refreshing feeling as it warmed her but cool tendrils of water crept down her back and front from her still wet hair. After about another half hour she got up and wrapped her damp hair in a towel. She pulled out a pair of under wear, socks, her one other clean bra, her one pair of sweat pants and a white wife-beater tank top. She pulled on the panties, bra, socks, sweat pants, and sneakers but paused as she was about to put on her shirt, when something hit her. She remembered why she had a backpack full of clothes. She was going to spend winter vacation with Steph at her mom's house in Massachusetts.

Smiling in relief for the first time in her days being there something made sense. Bending down pick up the shirt she had dropped, she caught sight of her refection. She looked the same except for a huge bump on the side of her head. Same grey eyes and auburny-brownish hair. She was just about to pull the shirt over her head when something else struck her only this time it was literal.
Sarenia was knocked off her feet from the blow. She didn't even have time to react before someone was on top of her. It was a big sweaty man. Sarenia gave up trying to put the on the shirt and threw it to the side. She brought her hands up to rake her nails across the man's eyes. It worked in the second that that the man howled she was able to scramble away and get on her feet. But apparently she hadn't even thought of the fact that there could be two or more of them. Because as she as she got on her feet she backed away quickly only to back into another equally big and equally smelly man. She turned around and before she could dodge it the man back handed her across the right temple.

Sarenia landed hard on her back for the second time only this time no one threw themselves down on top of her. Instead she blacked out before she could together another thought other than: "Oh shit!"