I Just Can't Help Falling In Love With You

By Robin Gurl

Rewritten Chapter 1

Scary Nightmares and Thunder Storms

(snickers I think I'm going to rewrite all of my LOTR stories and then upload them all at once and see how well people take it!! Since my writing has improved a great deal since I wrote the originals I wanted to try and make them better. So I'm going to try!! When I started these I was 16 and now that I'm 18, well, smirks bring it on!)

Strider sighed and looked up in front of him. Was it really smart to bring four weary hobbits on a journey of this length so quickly? He had barely met them in Bree, giving them one nights rest and then off they went. As he thought about this he felt a small hand grab his. When he looked down he saw the youngest of the group. "Oh, hello, Pippin. Why are you here?"

The small hobbit lad smiled and pointed back at Merry, "Mer told me to come up here." Strider cocked his head and looked back at Merry. He was walking with Frodo, the eldest and seemed to be in deep conservation with his cousin.

"Oh?" Strider didn't seem to be amused. He only sighed and once again wondered why he let Merry bring the child. Pippin was too young to be with them and he thought he told Merry and Frodo no. It was obvious that they didn't listen. So now he was stuck with a child.

The two walked in silence for the next while. Pippin making only a few noises but amazingly keeping to himself. Strider wondered if his presence scared the little hobbit.

"Mr. Strider?"

"Yes Pippin?" He replied, his tone dripping with annoyance.

"I haveta go…."

"There isn't any where to go…." Strider exclaimed. It came out louder and harsher than he meant, but Lady, there weren't any 'out houses' out here until Rivendel.

Pippin squirmed and held himself, "Please….." The little one started to do the world famous potty dance. True this human was scary, but when you have to go, you have to go.

Merry looked up from where he was and saw Pippin dancing in his spot. "Pip?" He called quickening his pace to catch up with his younger cousin. "Pippin, what's wrong?"

"I gotta go but Mr. Strider said no…" Green eyes were filling with tears quickly. "Please Merry!!"

Merry sighed and patted the unruley curls gently then looked around. His eyes caught a batch of trees. "We'll go over there." Pippin ran with Merry close behind leaving Strider, Frodo and Sam in the clearing.

"You could be a bit just a bit nicer to him." Frodo pointed out to the human beside him. "I know you dislike children, but you had better get use him. He'll be with us the entire time."

"And I wager that if you do anythin' to Mister Pippin that Mister Merry don' like, he'll let you 'ave it." Sam put in as he tied Bill to a near by tree.

Strider stared at both hobbits and replied harshly, "As long as the child doesn't bother me I won't do anything that 'Mister Merry' doesn't like."

Frodo's gaze hardened as did Striders. Both stared silently threatening each other. A young high accented voice broke the silence.

"Frodo!"

Frodo looked towards the clearing and saw Pippin running back. The young Took looked very excited about something and his grin was contagious. Frodo smiled back forgetting about Strider for the moment.

"Guess What?" Pippin asked happily bouncing around his older cousin. He jumped into Frodo's arms and snuggled tight.

Frodo chuckled hefting Pippin on one hip, "What Pip?"

"We saw a deer…" The little one answered. In the Shire they didn't have deer like these. They were so pretty.

"Really?"

"Yeh..I wanted to pet it but Merry said it would run away….." Pippin answered softly. He hid in Frodo's shoulder when Strider's hard gaze met his.

"Are we stopping here?" Merry asked. He walked back over taking the youngest in his arms and looked at the group. There was this tension around Frodo and Strider that had an eerie feel to it. A yawn from Pippin shook Merry out his thinking. "Tired, Pip?"

"A little, Mer." Came the sleeply reply. "But I'm not tired." Pippin promised snuggling close.

Merry started to laugh and patted Pippin's back, "Pip, if you're tired, go to sleep." He knew why Pippin wouldn't sleep and the reason wasn't fair. Not to a 12 year old anyway. "I won't let Strider pinch you again."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Merry kissed the unruly curls and vowed that if Strider laid another hand on Pippin to cause any harm that he himself would give that 'Strider' a beating he'd never forget.

Pippin yawned again then curled close and closed his eyes. In moments he was asleep in Merry's arms.

Pippin slept through the rest of walking for that day and was awoken when Merry sat down on a near by tree log that had fallen. "Merry?" He whispered sleepily scrubbing his eyes with both hands. "Where are we?"

"Shh, it's alright. We're just stopping to eat and get some more sleep." Merry replied as Pippin sat up and looked around. "Are you hungry?" Pippin giggled as Merry poked his belly button through his shirt. The youngest turned around poked Merry in the same spot. "Hey!" Merry cried tickling Pippin under his arm. Pippin let out a squeak and both hobbits rolled on the ground engrossed in the tickling war that had been started.

Strider rolled his eyes from where he was. "That is the most immature act I've ever seen an adult do, I believe."

"Pardon me, Mister Strider," Sam replied carrying the pots and pans over to the fire pit they had made. "But Mister Merry isn't an adult. At least not yet. He's still ah tweenager if I'm correct, sir."

"Really?" Strider reached up and took the two heaviest sacks carrying them over by Sam. "I never knew that. I just assumed he was either an adult or a young child."

"Sir!" Sam cried feeling quite insulted over that remark. "Never assume anything about Hobbits. Mister Merry is from one of the wealthiest families in the Shire. The Brandybucks along with the Tooks are not families to mess with. I'm sure that if Mister Saradoc were 'ere 'e'd let ya 'ave it. Insultin' 'is son. Callin' him ah child and all that lot." The Gardner muttered, "That ain't right, that is."

Strider blinked taken back by Sam's out burst. He'd never heard a hobbit shout that loud. He couldn't find the words to say so he just nodded. Finally he said, "And Pippin?"

"Mister Pippin, he's part of the Tooks. You be careful, Mister Strider, insultin' that youngin'. 'e's the baby of both families. I wager both families would let ya 'ave it if you got past Mister Merry first, if you catch my meanin', sir." Sam replied looking over at the two.

The tickling fight had stopped and now Pippin was sitting on top of Merry engrossed in something, most likely a story. Once in awhile the youngest would giggle or snort at a remark from the eldest. Merry would reach up and caress Pippin's curls then tug them gently making Pippin squeak and stop what he was doing, being it moving to much or not paying attention.

Sam smiled and turned back to Strider, "Warms your heart, doesn't it Mister Strider? You know that Mister Merry raised the youngest."

"He what?" Strider definitely wouldn't pin Merry Brandybuck as a father. "Wait, aren't they cousins?"

"Yes, they are. But close cousins. Ever since Mister Pippin was born they've been that close." Sam explained softly, "Mister Merry did something that is very rare…"

"He up rooted the spot in Pippin's heart that should belong to his parents." Frodo walked over with the fire wood and smiled, "I'm sure he didn't mean to, Strider. But he did. And if you could see the difference in the way he acts around his parents. It's almost like a whole different child."

"How so?" Strider was now very interested in these two. He'd never heard of any human children that were that close.

"When Pip was very young, around 8 I believe, he wouldn't listen to a single thing his parents said. Then Merry would come over and instantly Pippin was the most well behaved child in the Shire."

"I see." Strider replied. He sat down and started to help Sam peel the potatoes. The three worked in silence. Something kept tugging at Strider from the inside, but he couldn't tell what. Suddenly something small reached in and grabbed a piece of the tomato. "What in Middle Earth?"

"Peregrin Took!" Sam shouted gently slapping the small hand as it came back for more. A high pitched squeak came from behind Strider. The Ranger moved and Pippin appeared hunched on his knees.

"Aw, come on Sam! You take forever!" Pippin whined as he handed the tomato back. Then someone yanked on his ear. "Hey!" It was Frodo. Following the tug on the ear, Frodo reached out and tickled the small waist, making Pippin fall into Strider who dropped his bowl.

Strider hissed and sat up knocking Pippin off him. "Go back to Merry." He harshly shouted. "You are just causing problems over here!"

Pippin sat up on his knees and looked up. He cringed, his hands going over his head. "Sorry, Strider! I didn't mean to fall into you! Really I didn't!" Tears were quickly forming in Pippin's green eyes and a few rolled down the small cheeks.

Frodo put the sausage aside standing. He knelt down beside Pippin, "It's alright, Pippy, it was an accident." Pippin looked to Frodo unsure. He stood and hid in Frodo's arms crying softly. "Shh, it's alright." The eldest then glared at Strider and after receiving a nod from Sam took a small piece of tomato. He placed it in Pippin's small hand and smiled, "Here. Go back over to Merry. Wake up the old hobbit. He shouldn't be sleeping now!"

Pippin's smile returned and he nodded. Frodo wiped Pip's eyes then stood watching him leave. After Pippin was out of hearing range and curled up in Merry's arms munching happily on the small piece of tomato, he turned back to Strider. Blue eyes were on fire. "I've had it with you. You haven't a say in whether Pippy, comes with you or not so you had better deal with. If you aren't going to be nice to him then don't say a word to him either. You are lucky that Merry wasn't here. If he was you'd be receiving a lot more than this." With that said Frodo walked back over to his spot and continued to cut the sausage. They needed Strider's help but if Strider didn't stop the comments there wasn't going to be any of him to help after Merry got him.

At dinner Pippin left Merry's side quietly and unseen by the hobbits. After the incident earlier he'd been told not to leave Merry's side for anything. But he just had to talk to Strider. "Um, Mister Strider..may I sit beside you?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Strider replied glaring. "Well, sit."

Pippin sat quickly and turned towards the huge human beside him. He quietly picked at his food not eating but a few pieces of meat. And that was eaten to just make Merry happy. He didn't feel good, his tummy hurt, and he was scared.

"Be careful little one. You are right near the fire.." Strider said with out taking his face off his plate. Sure he hated the child but he didn't need a dead child on his hands. He looked over to the other three sneering.

"…Um…..do you want my food?!!?" Pippin innocently thrusted it towards the Ranger. At home if anyone was mad at him he'd offer them food. It even worked on Merry most of the time. Except that one time when he knocked over all the carts in the market…Merry wasn't very happy with him. But other than that the food trick worked.

"No..no thank you…." Strider gently pushed the plate back to its owner.

"Oh. Alright." Pippin stood and started to leave. Then his eyes caught a shiny rock near the fire. Maybe that rock would make Strider happy.

Strider looked up just in time to see Pippin reach in to the fire. "Pippin! NO!"

His shout caught the others attention. Merry sprinted over and took a leap at Pippin. "Pip! STOP!"

The little one didn't listen and reached in. The red flames licked his arm and it hurt. But he wasn't going to stop. That rock! Finally he got it and pulled away. His right arm was on fire and it hurt! In shock he just stared at it. Merry was pale as a ghost as he frantically pulled Pippin away from the fire. He picked Pippin up and ran over to their food. Frodo met him with some water and poured it on the arm. Pippin started to scream when realization hit his small brain. Merry held Pippin close minding the arm and tried to gently pull off the green jacket. "Pippy, it's alright! What were you doing over there anyway?"

Pippin curled close trying to hold his arm. Merry wouldn't let him and called Sam over. The Gardner knelt down and saw the pebble then the burns. "They aren't that bad, Mr. Merry. Thankfully he pulled away just in time."

Merry nodded watching as Sam wrapped Pippin's arm up. "Oh, Lady! Pippin never get near fire again. That was just to close."

"I'm sorry, Merry!" Pippin sobbed in Merry's chest. "I was trying to get a shiney rock for Strider."

"You, what?" Strider asked shocked. He took the rock from the child's hand and held it. No one had ever done anything like that for him...ever.

"I'm sorry…please don't hurt me…" Pippin sobbed. Whenever he didn't listen at home his Da would whip him.

"We need to wrap his arm up." Sam exclaimed. "He burned it pretty badly I'm afraid."

"Am I going to die???!?" Pippin asked scared.

"No…silly you can't die if you get your arm burned." Merry laughed ruffling Pippin's hair.

TBC