It was a perfect party! Bilbo had spared no expense on the catering, and the kegs of ale were all lined up for continuous drinking. The music, supplied by Pippin and his friends, was lively and danceable, and Gandalf would be setting off the fireworks as soon as it got dark. Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Everyone, that is, except for Sam. Frodo had noticed his friend slowly nursing his ale at a side table, stealing sidelong glances at Rosie Cotton as she danced by in her pretty blue dress but refusing to approach her, let alone talk or dance with her.
Frodo danced his way over to Sam's side and sat down next to his friend. "Go on, Sam," he said cheerfully, gesturing to the pretty girl who was looking their way. "Ask Rosie for a dance."
A look of panic crossed Sam's face and he stared down determinedly into his now-empty mug. "I think I'll just have another ale," he muttered, standing and starting toward the kegs.
But Frodo didn't let him get far. "Oh no you don't!" he said, standing and grabbing his friend by the shoulders. Turning Sam around, Frodo encouraged, "Go on!" pushing his friend into the arms of Rosie as she danced by.
The movement had been so quick that Sam didn't have time to realize what was going on until it was too late. Frodo laughed, pleased with himself that he'd actually got the two of them to dance.
But Frodo's small victory was fleeting, for within seconds the cheery song came to an end. Frodo sighed -- he knew that Sam wouldn't have the courage to ask her for another dance.
The band started into a new song -- a slow one this time. Expecting Sam to make a swift retreat, Frodo watched in delighted surprise as Rosie took Sam's hand to lead him back to the middle of the dance floor. 'I guess I don't have to worry about Sam for the rest of the night. Thank goodness for small favors!'
Satisfied that his shy friend was set for the evening, Frodo danced his way around the floor to the ale kegs to refill his mug. As he turned back to the bustling dance floor, his attention focused on the overfilled mug, he collided with someone.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Eowyn exclaimed as Frodo attempted to brush the spilt ale from his clothes.
"Don't worry about it," Frodo said cheerfully. "I wasn't looking where I was going." He smiled up at the girl, who seemed taller than usual surrounded by so many hobbits. "I'm really glad you could make it."
"Thank you for inviting me." Eowyn smiled and tentatively held out a small wrapped present. "This is for you -- happy birthday."
"Eowyn, thank you," Frodo said, touched by the sweet gesture. "But you didn't have to."
"I know," Eowyn quickly explained as the two of them walked over to a table far from the loud music and dancing. "Merry told me all about how hobbits don't GET presents for their birthday, they GIVE them. But it just didn't feel right to show up to a party without getting you something. I hope I haven't been rude." She wrung her hands as she fretted. "You're not offended, are you? Because I could always take it back if you are. It's okay if you want me to take it back."
Frodo chuckled -- Eowyn always seemed to ramble when she was upset. "No, of course I'm not offended. It was a sweet gesture and I appreciate it very much. Thank you."
Eowyn sighed with relief. "I'm glad."
"Just be sure to get your gift from me before you leave," Frodo said, smiling. "No proper hobbit party is complete without mathoms." Frodo gestured to the line of kegs. "And speaking of proper parties, can I get you anything? Do you want some ale?"
"No thanks."
"Food?"
Eowyn shook her head.
"Chocolates? Bilbo special-ordered them all the way from Lothlorien."
Eowyn laughed. "No really, I'm fine."
"Please, help yourself to whatever you want," Frodo suggested.
"Though I wouldn't recommend the pipe weed," a laughing voice called out over the music and Frodo saw Merry approach, carrying a plate stacked high with rich desserts.
Frodo grinned. "I claim no responsibility for the pipe weed."
"Well, in any case, the spread is incredible!" Merry held the plate aloft to offer one of the sweet treats to Eowyn. At her polite refusal, he shrugged and popped a chocolate pastry into his mouth. "Bilbo really outdid himself this time," Merry said, his mouth still full of pastry.
"You know Bilbo. He's got the whole place in an uproar," Frodo said proudly as he took a berry tart from Merry's plate.
Merry chuckled as he licked chocolate icing from his fingers. "That should please him."
Frodo nodded. "Half the school's been invited, and the rest are turning up anyway."
The two hobbits laughed.
"There's enough food for all of them, at least," Frodo said, gesturing towards the bountiful buffet.
"Hey," Merry nodded his head toward the wrapped present in Frodo's hand. "What's that?"
"This?" Frodo asked, holding it up. "It's a birthday gift. From Eowyn."
Merry scowled as he looked up at his tall friend. "Eowyn, I TOLD you hobbits don't get presents on their birthday."
Eowyn blushed, and Frodo quickly came to her defense. "It's a human tradition to give presents -- she was only being polite, according to her customs."
Merry shook his head. "Well, she could've saved some money, that's all."
"Merry!" Eowyn exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.
"It was a thoughtful gift from a friend," Frodo insisted, smiling up at Eowyn, "and I appreciate it very much. So you just leave her alone, Meriadoc!"
Frodo was glad to see Eowyn relax at that. By the Valar, Merry could be so tactless sometimes.
"Sorry, Eowyn," Merry mumbled, offering her a treat from his dessert plate in apology.
This time, Eowyn accepted a large chocolate chip cookie. "I'll forgive you..." Eowyn grinned as she bit into the chewy cookie, "THIS time."
Merry said nothing in response, but smiled mischievously at Eowyn.
"But speaking of gifts, Merry," Frodo said, suddenly remembering the mathom he had given his cousin, "Did you show Eowyn the photos I gave you? She might get a kick out of seeing our wild, younger days."
Eowyn's eyes widened. "Wilder than you are now?" she teased. "That's hard to believe."
"Yeah," Merry nudged Frodo with his elbow, "Frodo here used to wear more makeup than Great Aunt Peony!"
"Makeup?!" Eowyn feigned shock. "I never took you for the type."
Frodo smiled. "Mm-hmm. My Goth phase in junior high. White face powder, black eyeliner, black nail polish --"
"Even on his toenails!" Merry interrupted.
"Hey, I wouldn't talk, Mer," Frodo teased back. He reached out to swipe at his cousin's neck and held his hand up to show the pale pigmentation that had rubbed off on his fingertip. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say YOU were the one wearing makeup today!"
Merry's face immediately flushed bright red but his neck remained pale, confirming Frodo's suspicions. "No I'm not!" Merry protested.
"Sure, Merry," Frodo said in a patronizing tone, smirking as he reached out to touch Merry's oddly-discolored neck again.
Merry ducked to avoid Frodo's hand. "It's sunscreen!"
"Sunscreen?" Eowyn asked, looking positively lost.
"Do you wear your sunglasses at night, too?" Frodo teased. He didn't know if it was the ale or his high spirits, but he was thoroughly enjoying getting a rise out of his normally unflappable cousin. "That excuse isn't going to work on me, Mer. I know what you've been up to."
"What's he been up to?" Sam asked, looking as lost as Eowyn as he approached his friends.
"Sam!" Frodo turned around to his friend, about to ask him why he wasn't dancing anymore, when he suddenly realized the music had stopped. "So?!" Frodo asked, eager to live vicariously through Sam's love life. "How'd it go?!"
Sam shrugged as if he didn't care, but the blush spreading across his face betrayed his apathy. "It was okay," he mumbled.
"Okay?" Frodo asked, wanting to hear more. "You danced with Rosie for an entire slow song! You should be thrilled!"
Sam shrugged again but smiled to himself as he stared down at his feet.
"So...did you guys talk?" Frodo asked, knowing how tongue-tied Sam got around Rosie.
Sam looked up, nodding and smiling.
"Really?!" Frodo asked, shocked at the news. "What did you talk about?"
"You, mostly."
Frodo's smile froze as he felt a sudden tightness in the pit of his stomach. "Me?"
Sam nodded. "Rosie was asking all sorts of questions about you."
"ALL the girls ask about you, Frodo."
Frodo stifled the urge to throttle Merry. He stared daggers at his oblivious cousin, hoping to silence him before he did any damage, but Merry prattled on.
"They can't help but fall for those big blue eyes of yours," he continued authoritatively. "Remember, Eowyn, how all the girls kept asking about Frodo at the dance?"
Eowyn nodded absently as she stared intently at Merry.
"Oh yeah," Sam said, remembering, "She did mention your eyes, Frodo. But, of course, it's hard not to notice them. But mainly, she couldn't believe that you had invited her to such a fancy party. I told her you were like that -- always generous and kind and thinking of others."
Frodo sighed despondently. He glanced over to the crowd of hobbits that were refreshing themselves with more ale after the dancing, and there was Rosie, smiling and blushing as he caught her eye. Frodo forced himself to smile back, even though he now felt sick to his stomach.
But Sam seemed unaware of his friend's discomfort. "You'd be amazed, Frodo," Sam continued happily. "I actually got whole sentences out! Even when she was looking right at me!" He smiled thankfully at Frodo. "I can't thank you enough for inviting Rosie!"
Frodo smiled wanly back at Sam. He didn't have the heart to tell him what was clear -- Rosie didn't seem to be interested in Sam at all. Not knowing what to say, Frodo chugged the remainder of his ale and set the empty mug down.
"What's that present for, Frodo?" Sam asked, noticing it for the first time.
"It's a birthday gift," Frodo explained, feeling bad that everyone kept bringing attention to it. "From Eowyn."
Sam crinkled his forehead in confusion. "Why would she give YOU a present?" he asked.
Before Frodo could answer, Pippin came running up to the group, tackling Merry in a zealous hug, nearly knocking him over. When he pulled away, he asked eagerly, "So, was I good?"
Merry grinned mischievously back. "You're ALWAYS good," he said suggestively, wrapping an arm around Pippin's waist to keep him close.
Frodo laughed. He was amazed at how relaxed Merry and Pippin had gotten about showing their affection in front of others. The ale helped, of course, as did the friendly atmosphere here at the party. And currently they were surrounded by their best friends -- all of whom already knew about their relationship. There was no need to hide anything. Still, Frodo was proud of his cousins. They'd come a long way in just a few short weeks.
"I KNOW that," Pippin said smugly. "I meant the music -- wasn't it good?" He turned to the others, fishing for compliments from everyone. "Wasn't it good?"
Frodo nodded. "It was great."
"How about you, Sam?" Pippin asked. "I saw you dancing with Rosie! Did you like the music?"
"Well, I can't rightly say I NOTICED the music," Sam said, "but I'm sure it was lovely."
Frodo glanced up at the stage, where several of the band members were sitting around drinking ale. "Are you just taking a break now?"
"Yup, but only for a few minutes," Pippin explained. Glancing at Frodo, Pippin reached forward, asking, "Is that present for me?"
Frodo laughed, hiding the gift behind his back so that Pippin couldn't get it. "No, it's not for you! You already got your mathom."
"It's a gift from Eowyn," Merry explained to Pippin. "Even though I told her not to get him one."
"Well, that's silly," Pippin declared. "Everyone knows that hobbits don't get presents on their birthdays."
"Yes, she knows that NOW," Frodo said impatiently, feeling guilty that his friends were giving Eowyn so much grief. He tucked the gift into his coat pocket, hoping to put the subject to rest at last.
Frodo looked at Eowyn, worried that she might be upset, but she was so intent on watching the couple that she didn't even seem to notice the conversation. As Pippin gave Merry a not-so-chaste kiss before he left to return to the stage, Frodo heard a small gasp from Eowyn.
"I expect to see all of you on the dance floor this set," Pippin called out cheerfully over his shoulder as he bounded back to the stage.
Merry laughed, turning back to his friends. "Pippin certainly couldn't miss YOU in this crowd," Merry teased, elbowing Eowyn.
Eowyn flinched at his touch. "I don't BELIEVE you, Merry Brandybuck!"
"I was just teasing, Eowyn!" Merry insisted. "But surely you can see what I mean!" He pointed to the dance floor, where Gandalf towered over the other dancers.
"I'm not talking about THAT!" Eowyn snapped. "I'm talking about you and Pippin!"
Merry's smile started to fade. "What are you talking about?"
But Frodo figured it out. "You didn't know that Merry and Pippin were a couple, did you?"
"No, of course I didn't know," Eowyn said. "I thought he was dating me."
"YOU?" Merry laughed nervously. "What made you think that?"
"Because you went out of your way to be nice to me," Eowyn explained, exasperated. "You got me the job on the paper AND convinced Radagast to let me do the story on the fencing team. You asked me to go horseback riding with you. You spent all that time with me. You..." her voice dropped a little and she blushed, "...flirted with me. All those nice things you said...." Eowyn trailed off and her blush deepened. She took a deep breath and continued, "Not to mention the fact that we went on a date to the Welcome Back dance together."
"You went to the dance with her, Merry?" Sam asked.
"Yes, but it wasn't a DATE," Merry explained.
"How was it not a date?" The pitch of Eowyn's voice rose higher and higher as she spelled out the reasons: "I got dressed up; you got dressed up; we went to the dance; we went out to coffee; and then you stayed in my dorm room talking to me until 3am!"
"That doesn't mean we were on a date," Merry insisted, but with noticably less conviction.
Eowyn turned to Sam, who blanched a little under her intense gaze. "Sam, you were there. Don't you remember? That night we stayed late at the Golden Perk?"
"Oh yeah, I remember now." Sam scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I don't like to make assumptions or anythin'... but I guess I figured you were probably on a date." He shrugged. "I mean, you guys did come for coffee after the dance, and it seemed like you were having fun together. And I remember you were the last ones to leave."
"See?" Eowyn asked.
"It WASN'T a date!" Merry repeated, and Frodo noticed that Eowyn flinched a little at the vehemence in his tone. "I only went to the dance with you because Pippin INSISTED on going to that stupid Eta Pi party!"
Eowyn gasped and stared speechlessly at Merry for several long moments before turning on her heel and quickly storming off.
After her departure, Frodo noticed the silence that descended upon their small group, despite the band's cheerful music. It was obvious that Merry knew that he'd stuck his foot in it but was trying to decide the best course of action.
Finally, he announced, "I'll...uh...I'll be back."
Frodo nodded his approval, glad that Merry had come to the correct conclusion. He started off towards Eowyn's dorm, and as Frodo watched, the swirling mass of happy dancers swallowed up Merry and spit out Rosie in his place.
"Care to dance, Frodo?" she asked cheerfully, taking his hand and trying to lead him into the fray.
Frodo was so surprised at her sudden appearance that it took him a moment to realize what was happening. "Well...uh...," he stammered as he frantically looked over at Sam, hoping his friend would speak up.
"Go ahead, Frodo," Sam said encouragingly. "Go have a dance."
That wasn't exactly what he'd hoped Sam would say. So Frodo tried to come up with his own excuse. Reaching back towards the table, he picked up the empty mug of ale he'd set down earlier, saying, "Actually, Rosie, I'm rather thirsty. I was just going to get some more ale -- maybe you and Sam would like to join me?"
"Oh, I can get you more ale while you dance," Sam said cheerfully, attempting to take the mug away from him.
Instead, Frodo grabbed his friend's wrist and pulled him in close, whispering, "Sam...."
But Sam interrupted him, whispering back, "This is perfect! You can put in a good word for me!"
And before Frodo could stop him, Sam had pushed Frodo into Rosie's arms and he was spinning around the dance floor.
*****
Eowyn barely heard the knocking over the loud music blaring from her stereo. 'It's probably Merry,' she thought from where she lay facedown on her bed. 'Doesn't he know that he's the last person I want to see right now?'
After a moment, the knocking came again. "Eowyn, please! We need to talk!"
"Isn't it a little LATE for that?!" Eowyn shot back, sitting up on her bed and stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest.
'There's no way I'm letting him in,' Eowyn silently told herself. 'He can knock all night for all I care, but I'm not giving in!'
"C'mon, Eowyn," Merry pleaded through the door. After a tension-filled pause when she didn't answer, he added, "Stop being such a girl!"
Eowyn was across the room in an instant, throwing open the door angrily. But before she could tell her short friend exactly where he could go, she noticed the sheepish grin on his face.
"I knew that would work," he said smugly, holding up a huge plate of birthday cake.
"What?" Eowyn sputtered, her voice caught somewhere between confusion and anger.
"Here, this is for you," he said, pushing the plate towards her. "It's...a peace offering."
Something in his tone made Eowyn soften, and she took the plate. 'It seems hobbits always use FOOD as a peace offering,' she thought as she closed the door behind him.
"Well?!" she asked impatiently, waiting for his apology, his explanation, his SOMETHING that would make this humiliation and hurt go away.
"I'm really sorry," he said, standing awkwardly in the middle of her dorm room.
"Sorry for leading me on? Or sorry for humiliating me in front of everyone?"
Merry looked confused. "Why were you humiliated?"
"Because everyone knows, Merry! Everyone knows except for me, and I feel like a total fool!"
Merry shook his head. "But you're not a fool. And no one knows about me and Pippin."
"FRODO knows!" she spat back at him.
Merry laughed. "Frodo doesn't count! He's practically a brother."
"And Sam?"
Merry shook his head, smiling. "Well, Sam knows about us, but I'm not sure he really KNOWS, you know?"
Eowyn smiled and nodded. From what she knew of him, Sam seemed really sweet, but he did strike her as being a few shoes short of a mount.
But thinking back to the morning's crew race, she remembered Estella's insistent teasing about his turtleneck, which she now understood.
"And what about Estella?" As she remembered her schemes to try and get Merry and Estella back together again, Eowyn's face flushed a deeper shade of red.
"Stel wasn't our doing," Merry said, shaking his head. "She found out from Vinca."
"Vinca?!" Eowyn cried out. It truly seemed as if the entire campus knew before her! "Who's Vinca?!"
Merry laughed at her paranoid response. "Vinca is Pippin's sister -- haven't you met her yet?" Eowyn shook her head, and Merry continued, "Besides, even if Vinca hadn't spilt the beans, I would've HAD to tell Stel. I owed it to her, you know. I mean, I couldn't very well let her hear something like that through the grapevine."
Eowyn nodded, somewhat calmer again.
"So who else knows?" she asked.
"No one else," Merry insisted. "Well, I guess Elladan figured it out, too. But that's it. So you see...." Merry trailed off, suddenly getting self-conscious. "We haven't really told anybody," he said, beginning to chew on his thumbnail.
"But why not tell me?" Eowyn asked. She didn't think her words sounded harsh, but she noticed Merry wince.
"Because...." he said, trailing off again. He then took such a long pause that she wondered if that was going to be his full explanation. But Eowyn noticed that he was lost in thought, struggling to get the words out, so she waited patiently. Finally he stumbled, "Because...you mean too much to me as a friend...and I didn't know how you would react...so I was afraid to tell you."
Eowyn frowned in confusion a moment before she fully understood his meaning. Having known her only a few short weeks, Merry would have no way of knowing whether she would be accepting of his relationship with Pippin. Except...
"But you and I had that whole discussion last week about the campus GSA," she said. "It's obvious that I'm not some conservative nutcase. And that would've been the perfect opportunity to tell me. You know -- when we were alone? So I didn't have to make a fool of myself in front of others?"
Merry shrugged. "So what was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, the GSA is cool, and by the way, I'm shagging Pippin'?"
Eowyn laughed at his bluntness. "No, perhaps not." Her mind then started going places that she really wasn't ready to go yet, and she quickly shook the images from her mind. "But surely, with all the time we spend together, you could've said SOMETHING. Dropped SOME sort of hint."
"Well, it's not like Pippin is exactly subtle, especially the way he's always dragging me into the back of The Palantir office."
"Oh. OH!" Eowyn exclaimed as she suddenly realized what he was saying. Her face turned red again, not out of anger or humiliation this time but out of pure embarrassment.
Merry didn't seem to notice because he kept right on talking. "And I kinda ended up in that old trap -- the longer I went without telling you, the more upset I thought you'd be when you found out. And especially since I didn't know how you'd respond, it was easier just to say nothing." Merry smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm really relieved that you know now, although I don't know if I'm quite ready for others to know yet."
The way he said 'others' suddenly struck Eowyn, and she blurted out, "Your PARENTS don't even know, do they?"
Merry shook his head. "Pippin thinks we should tell them. He thinks that they'll be happy for us. But he's not being realistic. You know, some folks are tolerant, and a few are even completely supportive, but not everyone. And Pippin just doesn't see. He doesn't even realize how badly we could be hurt if our parents don't take it well."
"But your parents love you, right? And they want what's best for you. So surely they'll take it well." Eowyn then pointed out, "But they certainly WON'T if they're kept in the dark forever."
Merry nodded guiltily, obviously getting her point. "I'm really sorry, Eowyn," he said quietly. "You're one of my closest friends, and I really didn't mean to hurt you...or upset you...or...."
"...Humiliate me?" Eowyn offered with a wink.
Merry chuckled good-naturedly before continuing. "But I want you to know that none of this was you, it was me -- me being a coward."
Eowyn shook her head. "'Coward' is not a word I would ever use to describe you. Especially not after what I saw at polo practice yesterday."
Merry smiled proudly. "I'm getting pretty good, aren't I?"
Eowyn nodded. "You're a natural-born horseman...or horseHOBBIT, I should say."
"I wish you'd tell Pippin that -- he's still nervous about me being on the team." The mention of Pippin's name made Merry's face suddenly light up. "We should probably get back to the party -- Pippin will KILL me if I miss another full set."
Eowyn nodded, suddenly realizing what a true fool she'd been. After all, how could she not have seen how much Pippin meant to Merry.
She stood up, saying, "All right, let's go," and suddenly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. For she realized that now that she was free from her "relationship" with Merry, she was available to pursue Strider. She sighed dreamily, lost in thoughts of her handsome fencing partner, as she mindlessly followed Merry out the door.
***
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