Just for reference, since I'm not sure if it's clear - this chapter takes place the same day as Chapter 7.

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Chapter 8 - Moments of Weakness

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"Rose?" a voice called from the door.

Estella smirked at her friend.  "I do believe your knight in shining armor has returned."

Rosie playfully tossed a dishcloth at Estella, who had been helping her with the dishes.  Estella caught it before it hit her face and returned to her duties at the sink as Rosie went to greet her husband and his friends at the door.

Even from the kitchen, Estella could hear Sam fussing over Rosie, asking her if she needed rest, or food, or anything he could possibly get for her.  Estella hid her smile behind a plate as Rosie, Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin walked into the kitchen.  When she saw Merry and Pippin, however, she set the plate down with a sigh, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't you two ever go home?" she asked, burying a smile beneath an outer facade of exasperation.

As he sat down, Pippin replied, "We do, it's just that there's never any food there."

Merry leaned over to speak to his cousin.  "And what does this tell you about your eating habits, Pip?"

"Why Merry, you say that as though I'm the only one responsible!"

"Well, more often than not..."

But Estella was more focused on Sam, who was giving his wife an agitated look.  As though reading his thoughts, Rosie said gently,

"For the last time, Sam, I'm perfectly all right."

Squirming a bit, Sam replied, "I'm just a bit worried about you, that's all.  Are you sure you don't want to lie down for a moment?"

As Rosie sighed deeply, shaking her head, Estella folded her arms and smiled.  "Rosie, don't you think you and your husband should have a little talk?  Privately, perhaps?"

Sam gave her a quizzical look, but Rosie stood, saying, "I think that's a good idea."  She pulled a very confused Sam to his feet and lead him out of the kitchen.  But before leaving, she turned to give Estella a grateful look, mouthing the words, "Thank you!"

Estella waved her off with a grin and sat down at the table next to Frodo.  She saw that Merry and Pippin looked just as confused as Sam had.

"What do you think that was all about?" Pippin asked.

Shrugging, Frodo replied, "Oh, some sort of marriage issue, I assume."  He wore a look that made Estella suspect he already knew about Rosie's condition, perhaps even before Rosie had, though how Estella had no clue.  Then again, Frodo Baggins wasn't an average hobbit, especially since returning from whatever travels he and his friends had been on.  And those changes he'd gone through weren't exactly good ones; he seemed older, and drained somehow, as though he had lost a part of himself.

Frodo's companions, however, did not seem to have suffered such losses, though they too were greatly changed.  Merry and Pippin also looked older, but it did not have entirely the same effect on them as it did their cousin.  Not only had they grown in height, but it seemed that they were a bit more mature, and had perhaps grown ever so slightly in intelligence (Estella refused to use the term "wisdom" to describe the pair).

That thought immediately diminished in likelyhood when she saw that Merry and Pippin were now arguing over who should get the last cake that sat on the table.

Estella shook her head and smiled.  It was one of those moments where that boyish quality that Merry had always possessed before leaving the Shire suddenly resurfaced, overpowering the maturity that he had gained on his travels.  It proved that Merry Brandybuck would never truly grow up, and Estella found that to be an oddly comforting thought.

She also found that she had been staring at Merry for quite some time, and forced herself to look away before he turned and saw her.  But she smiled inwardly, remembering the way his brown curls fell about his face, and the firm set of his jaw, and the way his sparkling eyes lit up even more whenever he looked at her...

Stop it, she told herself firmly.  Thinking like that isn't going to lead you anywhere good.

Fortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing.  They all looked up to find Sam ambling into Bag End, rather slowly, as though he wasn't entirely sure as to where he was.  Rosie wasn't far behind him; she was biting her lip and wringing her hands while staring uncertainly at her husband.

Sam began to head towards the kitchen, but halfway there he seemed to think he wouldn't be able to make it, and instead sat down in one of the chairs beside the fireplace in the sitting room.  Rosie knelt beside him as the others came out of the kitchen.

"Sam?" she whispered tentatively, placing her hand on his knee.

Sam blinked, snapped out of his daze.  "Hm?  What?"  When he saw Rosie kneeling in front of him, he immediately sat up straight.  "Oh!  Rosie!  D- do you need to sit down?  Here, you can have my seat--"

Chuckling softly, Rosie shook her head.  "No, no, I'm all right.  I... I was actually wondering how you were doing."

Sam stared down at her hand for a moment before taking it between his own.  "Oh, I'm... I'm fine, I suppose."  He stared straight ahead for a moment, and the others suspected he needed a moment to let the realization sink in fully.  When it did, his eyes widened.

"A... a child?"

Rosie nodded, and Estella saw Merry and Pippin's eyes light up with surprise and joy when they realized what this "married couple thing" was all about.  "So you're not upset?" Rosie said with the beginnings of a smile.

In response, Sam stood and embraced her, laughing merrily even as tears streaked down his face.  He twirled her around for a moment before realizing what he was doing.  He set her down quickly, a panicked look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I forgot-- are you-- the babe, do you think--"

Laughing, Rosie said, "Don't worry, I don't think you can hurt myself or the babe that easily, Sam."

He smiled again.  "Oh, good."  With that, he took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

As soon as they pulled apart, Merry and Pippin rushed forward and embraced them both, kissing Rosie on the cheek and clapping Sam's back.  Estella watched it all with a grin, but she decided to hold back her own congratulations for the couple, as they seemed to have their hands full.  Frodo seemed to have made the same decision, for he was simply leaning against the wall, smiling slightly to himself.

When several minutes had passed, Estella looked out the window and was shocked to find that the sun was already setting.  "Oh no... what time is it?"

Frodo pulled out his pocketwatch.  "Almost seven o'clock."

"I should really be getting home, then."  She grabbed her cloak, which was laying nearby, and rushed towards the door.  As an afterthought, she walked back to Rosie and Sam, who had separated long enough for Rosie to say goodbye.  Estella kissed her on the cheek and then turned to give Sam a quick embrace.  "Now remember, I'll be staying here in Hobbiton with Fatty for the next few weeks, so if you need anything at all, I'll be glad to help.  And congratulations!"

As Pippin and Frodo spoke with Sam and Rosie, Estella had opened the door and was about to step outside when she heard Merry say, "Estella, wait."  Merry approached her, but for a moment seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say.  He simply stared at her for several seconds, and Estella was surprised to find herself blushing.  Finally, he said, "It's getting dark; are you sure you want to go out alone?"

"Oh, thank you, but that's not necessary."  She recovered enough to give him a lopsided smile.  "I'm a bit more grown-up now, I can fight off whatever terrors I might encounter on these tough Hobbiton roads."

"Please?" Merry added with what was probably his most winning smile. 

Estella put on her best air of superiority.  "Ah, so it's a privilege to walk me home, is it?"  She smiled suddenly, a genuine smile that surprised even herself.  "All right then."

The pair said their final goodbyes before walking out onto the road.  They walked in silence for several minutes before Estella finally decided to speak.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she said.

"Hm?" was Merry's response.  It was then that she realized he had been staring at her.  She looked down at her feet before continuing.

"Sam and Rosie.  They're going to make the perfect parents.  But I guess it's understandable that Rosie would've been a bit worried about it."

"Ah, so Rosie was worried about becoming a parent?"

"Of course.  Wouldn't you be?"

Merry stared at her for a moment.  "I haven't really given much thought to it.  Children, that is.  I find it hard to believe that I would ever settle down and start a family.  It's a strange concept for an upstart such as myself," he said with an impish smile.

"Oh, surely the future Master of Buckland has dozens of lasses pining for his affections who would be glad to raise a litter of Meriadocs," Estella replied playfully.

Merry seemed to be thinking this over.  When he spoke, his voice didn't carry the same light-hearted tone as before.  "That's true, but none of them are really special.  That special one still eludes me, it seems."

Estella could find no response to this, and the silence continued.

As though some great power (possessing a rather mischevious sense of humor) had predicted their conversation, a few giggling children rushed past Merry and Estella in the other direction, and the pair turned to watch them fondly for a moment.  But when she turned back, Estella was suddenly filled a sharp pain.  It was only then that she remembered how badly she wanted children of her own.  And she had come so close to being able to have them...

"Estella?" Merry prodded.

Snapped out of her daze, Estella looked up at him.  "What?"

His brows were furrowed with concern.  "You're crying," he said, his voice holding more than a hint of disbelief.

Estella turned away quickly, brushing at her eyes.  He saw you crying! she scolded herself.  You let yourself cry in front of him!

Outloud, she said, "Oh, it... it's just the pollen,  you know.  I have sensitive eyes."

They continued on in silence, and Estella was ready to breathe a sigh of relief when Merry spoke again.

"It's all right, you know."

Hoping her frustration was too obvious, she responded, "All right to what?"

"To cry."

Estella was surprised at the gentle, sensitive look she saw in his face.  But she turned away again, suddenly getting the urge to walk a bit faster.  "Not in front of other people, it isn't."

Merry touched her arm, and she turned to find that he had stopped.  "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

Shaking her head firmly, Estella replied, "There's nothing to talk about."

Estella was shocked to find a look of hurt flash across his face.  Hurt?  She had never seen Merry in pain before, and it amazed her to discover that she could bring this pain about without even meaning to.  It was an unnerving thought, one she didn't like at all.  She didn't want to see Merry in pain.

They continued down the road in silence, but it was not an awkward one.  In fact, Estella was oddly comforted by Merry's presence, and as they walked further, she drew just a bit closer to him, until their arms brushed together ever so slightly.

When they finally approached her brother's house, Estella suddenly found herself reluctant to leave.  But before she could walk inside, or even open the door, Merry took her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing a tender kiss against her skin.  When he turned away, she stared at her hand as if it was a thing of wonder.  Merry had only walked a few steps away when she called out to him.

"Merry!  I--"  He turned to face her expectantly, almost hopefully, and her mind went completely blank on what she had been ready to say.  Instead, she put her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet.  "Thank you for walking me home, Mister Brandybuck."

He smiled at her, sending a warm feeling of elation coursing throughout her body.  "You're very welcome, Mistress Bolger."  And he continued down the road back to Hobbiton.

When Estella was certain he could not see her, she grinned broadly and gave a slight hop before stepping inside.

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