"Stop that!  My hands are dirty!"
"My hands are dirty, too, what are you afraid of?"
"Afraid?"
"You're trembling."
"I'm not trembling!" - from The Empire Strikes Back, and one of my favorite romance scenes of all time.

Heh heh, and now it's time for the chapter that made a lot of people hate me...

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 10 - A Slip of the Foot

*~*~*~*

Estella bounded up the little stone pathway that lead to the door of Bag End, her smile heedless of the gathering clouds overhead.  She knocked briskly and waited, forcing down any excitement and anxiety.  The local healer had estimated Rosie's due date to be sometime that very week, and the Gamgees and their friends had spent the past few days going through some last-minute preparations.  Estella had been visiting Bag End quite frequently to assist her friend, and Marigold Gamgee (soon to be Cotton) had all but moved in with her brother and his wife.  Merry and Pippin's visits from Buckland had also become more frequent, but Estella suspected that also had something to do with wanting to help Frodo, who had not been in the best of health lately.

When the door to Bag End opened, Estella sighed dramatically at the sight of the hobbit who stood before it.  "I've been seeing far too much of you," she said.

Merry grinned broadly.  "And it is lovely to see you as well, Miss Bolger.  Please come in."

She followed Merry inside and found Frodo and Pippin sitting in front of the fire.  Pippin looked bright-eyed and excited, just the way Estella felt.  Across from Pippin, however, sat a hobbit who looked quite the opposite of his younger cousin.  There was no light in Frodo's eyes, and it was difficult to tell what he must have been feeling.  If anything, he looked tired, worn out.

Fighting the concern that threatened to show in her face, Estella forced a smile.  "Hello, Frodo.  Are you feeling any better?"

Frodo kept his gaze fixed on the fireplace; his only response was a slow nod.

At Estella's words, Pippin's expression turned to one of worry, and he threw a nervous glance at Frodo.  Out of the corner of her eye, Estella saw Merry bow his head.  She turned to look at him and felt a stab of pain in her heart at the sight; it was rare to see Merry so sad.

The silence was broken when Marigold rushed into the sitting room, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I think it's time," she said breathlessly.

The other hobbits immediately perked up.  Even Frodo's expression brightened, and he tore his gaze away from the fire to look at Marigold.  Estella felt a sense of excitment rushing through her, and she dashed in the direction that Marigold had come from, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin not far behind.  She found Sam and Rosie in their bedroom; Rosie was sitting up in the bed while Sam sat in a chair next to her, clasping his wife's hand.  It was obvious that Rosie's grip was so tight that it hurt Sam, but he was making a valiant effort not to let it show.

"Rosie--" Estella began, though she was unsure of what she would say.

"It's definitely time," Rosie confirmed with a shaky nod.  Beside her, Sam seemed more than a bit on-edge.

Marigold came hurrying back into the bedroom carrying a large bowl filled with water.  After setting the bowl down, she began putting more pillows behind Rosie.  "Frodo, I think we're going to need some towels, if you please," said Marigold.  Frodo nodded and disappeared into the hallway.  "Now, someone needs to go find the healer."

"I'll go," Merry said.  He did not seem particularly keen on being there to witness Rosie's labor.

"Do you know where the healer is?" Estella inquired.

"Well, no, but--"

"I'll go with you.  We don't need you getting lost right now."  A foreboding clash of thunder sounded in the distance.

Merry nodded and turned to leave while Estella said to Rosie and the others, "We'll be back soon."

When another flash of lightening lit up the room, Rosie called after them, "Be careful!"

It wasn't until they had reached the front door that Estella realized she hadn't brought her cloak.  She glanced around until she found Rosie's cloak hanging on the wall.

I'm sure she won't mind, Estella thought as she threw the cloak over herself.

Merry was already waiting at the opened door, gazing up at the turbulent skies.  Raindrops had just begun to fall lightly, but it was obvious that the storm would soon be increasing.  Merry held the door open for Estella before stepping outside himself.

"We'd better hurry," he said tensely.

They weren't even halfway to town when the storm finally unleashed itself.  The raindrops were now swift and heavy, and it took less than a minute for the pair to become drenched.  Estella shivered and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself.  Merry must have been feeling particularly daring, for he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, partially shielding her from the rain.  Estella decided not to object.

"The healer lives on the other side of Hobbiton," she said, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over the storm.  "We'll have to cross the bridge over there."

The road had become slick with mud, and the two hobbits had to constantly help each other regain their balance.  The conditions only worsened as they came closer to the Water.

"Be careful!" Merry called out over the roar of the storm.  "Don't get too near the water's edge!"

"I know!" she replied, a bit irritably.

They made their way as quickly as possible towards the bridge.  On the way, Merry reached for Estella's hand, but she waved him off, saying, "I'm fine."  No sooner had she spoken the words than her foot found a puddle, causing her to stumble sideways.  She let out a scream just before plunging into the churning waves.

Shock overtook Estella the moment she hit the water.  She thought she heard another splash from above as she sank deeper into the river.  Only when she felt a hand grabbing her arm did Estella take in her surroundings.  Terror seized her, and it was likely that she would have frozen where she was had that hand not dragged her upwards.  Her wits returned to her quite suddenly, and she kicked at the water with all her might, propelling herself upwards with the help of the strong hand on her arm.

After what seemed like an eternity, she broke the surface, sputtering and coughing violently.  She was barely aware of being dragged out of the water and onto the opposite shore.

"Estella!"  It was Merry.  He had dived in after her, dragged her to safety.  He had saved her.  "Estella, are you all right?"

She managed a shaky nod in between coughs.  It took her a moment to realize that she was standing, tightly gripping the front of Merry's shirt.  When the coughing had subsided, she stared up at Merry in amazement.  "You... you dived in after me.  Why?  You... Merry, you could have died!"

Through it all, Merry still managed to surprise her, this time by smiling.  "I consider it a small price to pay."

Their eyes locked, and Estella unconsiously tightened her grip on his shirt.  Her heart was racing, and not just from her recent physical exertion.  All around her the raindrops seemed to be slowing, stopping, and the clamour of the storm was silenced.  The only thing she knew and felt was Merry, the feeling of his breath on her face, the intensity of his eyes as they pierced her own.  As he leaned closer, part of Estella was screaming for her to push him away.  But Estella couldn't have moved away if she wanted to; she was no longer in control of her own actions, and as the world froze around her, she found herself tilting her chin to meet his lips.  Her heart was fluttering so fast she thought it might burst.  Estella could feel Merry's lips about to press against her own.  She closed her eyes--

And then Merry lost his footing on the slick mud and fell to the ground.  Reality came rushing back to Estella, hitting her with the force of one of the lightening bolts that flashed through the sky that night.  She unfroze and grabbed Merry's hand, pulling him to his feet.  They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"We really need to find the healer," Estella said, finally breaking the silence as she turned and walked towards the road.

Merry simply nodded and followed.

*~*~*~*

Sometime later, Merry, Estella, and healer Fisco Burrows came rushing through the front door of Bag End, all of them dripping wet.

"Marigold!" Estella called.  "Sam, Rosie, we've--"

As Estella spoke, she ran into the Gamgees' bedroom; what she saw stopped her in her tracks.  The other hobbits were all gathered around the bed, where Rosie sat looking exhausted but content.  A small bundle rested in her arms.

Estella smiled tiredly.  "We've brought the healer."

Healer Burrows walked past Estella and into the room.  "It appears I've come too late to see the fun part."  He sat down on the bed next to Rosie and began checking her pulse.  "Were there any complications, Rose?"

"Well, I... I think I might've squeezed Sam's hand a bit too much..."  Husband and wife exchanged sheepish smiles.

"Ah yes.  Don't worry, that's perfectly normal."  The healer winked at Rosie and then held out his hands towards the babe.  "May I?"  Rosie carefully handed the bundle over to Healer Burrows.  "Ahh, a beautiful little girl.  I'd like to look over her a bit, and you as well, Rose, so that we'll know everything is all right.  Hopefully this storm will have let up by then and I can go home and dry off a bit."

The healer got his wish, as the storm began to clear less than an hour later.  He left Bag End after repeatedly assuring a still-jittery Sam that both mother and child were perfectly fine.  After he left, everyone had once again gathered in the Gamgee bedroom to admire Bag End's newest resident.

"Everything is so small," Pippin remarked with wonder in his voice as he stroked the babe's fingers.

"Even the hair on her feet is a bit golden!" Marigold commented as she tickled the babe's toes, her touch yielding what might have been a giggle from the little girl.

"She has your eyes, Sam," Frodo said, peering over his friend's shoulder.

"Maybe," Sam replied.  "But she obviously gets her beauty from her mother."  Rosie blushed and smiled at her husband.

"Rosie, do you think maybe..."  Merry shifted awkwardly as he spoke.  "Do you think I could hold her for a moment?"

Rosie grinned.  "Of course."  Merry leaned over to allow Rosie to place the child into his arms.

Estella smiled as she watched Merry, looking almost overwhelmed, gently cradling the baby.  A thought came unbidden into Estella's mind - Merry would make a good father someday.  She was surprised at this thought, but completely certain of it.

She just didn't know whether to pity his future wife or to be jealous of her.

*~*~*~*

Merry looked up from the now-sleeping babe in his arms to find that Estella was gazing thoughtfully at him.  Something in her eyes made him recall the conversation they'd had many months ago about having children, and all the lasses who might want to "raise a litter of Meriadocs."  As they had talked about this, Merry could have sworn he'd seen the slightest hint of longing in Estella's eyes.  Though perhaps that had been nothing more than wishful thinking on his part...

He wanted desperately for Estella to open up to him, to not keep him in the dark about whatever it was that caused her to fear his touch, his feelings, and what Merry was certain she must be feeling for him.  Somehow he knew that Estella shared his affections, but that she was simply too stubborn to let it show.

But Merry hadn't fought against goblins, orcs, and the occasional Witch King just to come home and be defeated by Estella's refusal to let her feelings show.  It hurt him more than he could have ever imagined to see her cry, and he was determined to one day be able to comfort her, to chase away whatever sorrow had plagued her in the past.

Yet how could he comfort someone who insisted on pushing him away?

Merry gave a mental sigh of frustration.  I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with someone who is so insufferable.

*~*~*~*~*