Frodo and Merry One-Shots

A Kiss In The Snow

It was late in the evening. A blanket of fresh snow had covered the rolling hills and fields of the Shire. There was a pale moon that glowed like a giant nightlight in the sky and there were thousands of twinkling stars glistening.

Merry and I were standing in Frodo's garden. Merry wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me tight. My eyes were fixed on the snow covered rose bushes. I was completely mesmerized by the delicate red flowers.

Merry patted my shoulder to get my attention. "What's the matter, Brianna?" He asked, lightheartedly. "You haven't said much this evening."

I looked up at Merry. "Oh. I'm just looking at the roses." I answered, timidly. "They're so beautiful." I reached out my hand and daintily touched a petal of a rose, which was covered in snow.

Merry grinned. I watched as he yanked the rose from the bush. I waved my hands frantically in front of me. "I don't think that Frodo would want you to touch his flowers." I warned. "Sam has been working hard on them. If Frodo finds out that you've been destroying his garden....."

"Destroying?" Merry interrupted. "I'm not destroying anything. It's only a little flower. And it's not like Sam is going to notice. He's too slow-minded. He probably won't see that the rose is missing."

That wasn't fair for Merry to call Sam 'slow-minded'. I knew that wasn't true. Sam is a smart hobbit. Well, sort of smart. But, he's kind and gentle and caring. I knew that he would always do the right thing and go out of his way for people, like Frodo and me. That's the only thing that matters.

I was going to say something to Merry about what he said about Sam, but I was hesitant. I thought that if I said something wrong, then Merry would get mad at me. Well, now that I think of it, he probably won't get mad at me. He probably won't take me seriously and then he'll probably make another comment about Sam.

I shoved my hands deep into my jacket pockets and stared down at the snow covered porch, quietly. I felt the warm touch of Merry's hand against my back. He was massaging it in slow, circular motions. I looked over and noticed that he was holding onto the rose that he picked from the bush in his right hand. I wondered why Merry decided to keep the rose. I thought that he would just toss it on the ground or throw it away.

"You're so cold, Brianna." Teased Merry, as he continued to rub my back. "Why don't you come a little closer? I'm sure I can warm you right up."

"Merry, I don't know if that's a good idea." I stammered.

Merry pulled me close to him and embraced me tightly in his arms. He rested his chin on top of my head. "Come on, Bri. I won't bite. I only nibble." A wide grin grew on Merry's face. The hobbit chuckled softly to himself.

"That's not funny." I protested. I crossed my arms, in frustration.

Merry laughed. I felt him trace his finger around my jaw. "I love it when you're all serious. It's so adorable."

"You think it's adorable?" I grumbled. "You have got to be kidding."

Merry shook his head. "Come on, Bri. Lighten up a little bit. Don't take everything so seriously. I was only joking. Wait....do you know what a joke is?" he teased.

"Yes, I know what a joke is, Merry!" I shouted.
I became so overwhelmed that I felt like I was going to cry. I couldn't keep it in any longer. Tears started to stream down my cheek.

"What's the matter?" Asked Merry. "Are you alright, Brianna?"

"Why do you care?" I whimpered. "You never take anything I say seriously. You never take me seriously. Nobody does. I'm a joke. I'm a joke to you and to every single hobbit that lives in the Shire. Why do you even care about me? You would probably be better off without me. You don't care about my feelings." I swallowed hard. I couldn't take the pain that was filling my heart.
"You don't care about me." I choked. "You...don't. You don't."

Merry squeezed both of my shoulders to try to get me to calm down. There was a seriousness in his eyes. "Don't say that. You are not a joke." He said, in a low voice. "It may not look like it, Brianna, but I do care about you. I care about your feelings. I know that life for you in the Shire is difficult. I understand."

Merry's voice drifted into a gentle whisper. "But, you shouldn't care about what the other hobbits think. Nothing they say matters. It doesn't. You are not a joke. Yes, I can be a bit obnoxious sometimes. But, I promise you that I would never say anything to hurt you or offend you in any way."

Merry moved in closer to me. I could feel his cold breath upon my face as he spoke. "And if I did, Brianna, may the Lord banish me to the stinking, flaming pits of Hell. The last thing I would ever do is hurt you. I am not better off without you. You know why? Because I need you, Brianna. You're a part of me. I've never loved anyone more than you and if I lose you, I don't know how I'll be able to live. Or breathe. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to."

"You....do?" I whimpered.

"Yes. Brianna." Merry whispered softly in my ear. "I do."

Merry took the rose in his hand and gently tucked it in my hair. "I do." he repeated. He leaned forward and kissed me. Merry's kiss took my breath away. I was awestruck.

Merry looked over at the front door of Bag End. He sighed, softly. "Well, I guess it's time for you to go to bed." Merry yawned, loudly. "And it's time for me to go to bed, too. You should probably head on into Bag End. Frodo is probably worried about you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I shrugged my shoulders. Merry let me go and I walked over to the front door.

Merry waved to me and smiled. "Good night, Brianna." he called out.

I turned around and smiled at Merry. "You too." I chuckled, awkwardly. "Ha ha. I mean, good night to you, too, Merry."

Merry laughed. "Thank you, Bri. I'll be dreaming of you tonight. Actually, I'll be dreaming of you every night. I love you. I hope you have the sweetest dreams and I hope you sleep well. Good night."

I blushed like mad. "Thank you, Merry." I said, timidly. I turned around and entered the large hobbit hole. Merry raced down the path, opened the gate and hurried back to his home in Buckland.