Peregrin Took was in high spirits. This was the most enjoyable stay in Rivendell he had ever had, and he didn't mind that they would probably be there for several days, if not several weeks. Legolas was bound and determined to find Ciendriel's map and he seemed to think that Haldir knew something about it, even if he had not taken it himself.

Pippin truly hoped that the two Elves would continue with him, Merry, Angelica, and Estella to Ithilien, in Gondor, where Faramir and Eowyn lived. The bigger the party, the less the danger.

"The bigger the party, the less the danger," he mumbled as Angelica tugged him out of Elrond's banquet hall and they headed back to the room that had been provided them.

"No, silly," Angelica said, swaying as she clung to him, "The bigger the party, the greater the fun."

"That, too!" said Pippin. He stopped walking and looked at her, but looking at her only led to kissing her, and kissing her led to falling on top of her right in the middle of the hallway.

"You're drunk, Peregrin Took," she said, giggling.

"So are you, Diamond Headstrong," he responded agreeably. He debated tossing her skirt up right there, but some of the Elves were starting to leave the hall and there was too much traffic in the corridor. With considerable effort Pippin got to his feet, and in the process of helping Angelica up to hers nearly fell over again. "Walking is considerable trouble at times, you know."

"Then we should dance instead," said Angelica, whirling around. Pippin felt dizzy just watching her.

"Not round and round, however," he said. "If we're going to dance, it had better be straight ahead and back to the room."

"Now, what sort of dancing it that?" Angelica said, laughing.

"The sort where we wind up in a bed at the end! Come now, Hobbit Two-step!" Pippin flung an arm around her and started hopping.

"Wait! I don't know the Hobbit Two-step!"

"What? That's a right crime. What sort of place is this Hob's Corners, where you're from, anyway?"

"A dreadful, dreadful one that I'm never going back to. Now show me the dance! I learn quickly."

"All right. Left foot first, and a-one and a-two away we go!"

Angelica picked it up fairly quickly, and off they went down the hall. Pippin hopped gleefully along. Part of him was amazed that they didn't get tangled in each others' feet and land in a heap on the floor. They moved so well together, he thought, that even drunk on Elven wine they could still dance up a storm.

Still dancing, Pippin kicked open the door to their chamber and whirled Angelica inside. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was happening on the bed. Estella was on top of Merry, pinning him down, whacking him in the head with a pillow. Merry was trying to push her off, but he was fighting a losing battle.

"I'm going to kill you, Meriadoc Brandybuck!" Estella hollered.

"Oooh, pillow fight!" Pippin cried. He jumped up on the bed and grabbed a pillow, ready to whack Merry himself.

"Ow! Estella, stop! Pippin, get her off of me! She really is trying to kill me!"

Pippin stood there on the bed, his pillow still raised up in the air, staring at them in amazement. "Seriously?"

"Seriously! Ow!"

Angelica jumped up onto the bed then and tried to wrestle the pillow away from Estella. Estella hung on to her weapon, screeching and hollering.

"Let go, Diamond! I'm going to kill him!"

"No, you're not," Angelica said firmly. She threw herself on top of the other female Hobbit and they rolled together on the bed.

Pippin lowered his pillow slowly and swallowed hard as he watched. He had never been attracted to Estella… in truth, he had never really been attracted to anyone but Merry before he met Angelica, but there was something strangely exciting about watching this battle. He heard Merry draw in a great gasping breath and sit up weakly. Pippin sat down beside Merry.

"Are you all right, then, Merry?" he asked, but he didn't turn his head away from the spectacle of the two girls to look at his cousin.

"Wow," Merry said.

Angelica and Estella screeched and hollered, red and brown curls flying as they rolled over on the bed. Angelica ripped the pillow away from Estella and threw it, narrowly missing Pippin's head. Finally she got the better of Estella and pinned her against the mattress.

"Get off of me, Diamond!"

"Not until you calm down."

"I won't calm down until I kill him!"

"Pippin, why don't you and Merry go for a walk in the gardens," Angelica suggested. "I'll take care of her."

"We'd much rather stay and watch," said Pippin cheerfully.

Estella let out a shriek of rage, and Merry got up and jumped off the bed. "Come on, Pippin, let's go!"

Merry grabbed Pippin by the ankles and dragged him off of the bed. Pippin stumbled to his feet, slightly disappointed, but he let Merry haul him out of the room. His cousin did not stop in the hallway, but kept right on going until they were hurrying down the steps that led into the gardens.

"I guess your foot is better!"

"Ah, it's fine, now."

"Merry! Let me catch a breath, then!"

"I'm sorry, Pip." Merry sat down heavily on the steps.

"What was going on back there? Why was she trying to kill you?" Pippin asked, his eyes wide.

Merry was silent for a long time, then finally he replied, "Oh, nothing. Just a lovers' quarrel."

Pippin frowned in disbelief, but he didn't press further. "Merry…"

"Yes, Pip?"

"You've just seemed awful sad lately."

Merry looked at him with unfathomable eyes. He drew nearer Pippin and stroked his hair. Pippin put his arms around Merry and brought his lips to his cousin's. Slowly he kissed the other Hobbit, and Pippin felt a sense of satisfaction as Merry began to tremble in his embrace.

"It's been a long time since you kissed me this way, Pippin," he said, his voice deep and husky.

"Too long," Pippin agreed. He kissed Merry again, laying him gently back on the steps. His hand slid down between Merry's legs, stroking him through his trousers. He felt Merry stiffen instantly, and it made him smile.

"No…Pippin, we shouldn't," Merry said finally, stopping Pippin's teasing fingers.

"Why not? I want to, you want to… oh, oh I see."

Pippin sat up hesitantly and let go of Merry's warm body. Merry was too much in love with Estella to fool around with him any more. It made Pippin sad, but he understood. It was too bad that Estella wasn't as free and easy as Angelica, who had never minded that the two cousins gave each other pleasure.

"Do you?" Merry asked. He put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands.

"I just don't understand why she was trying to kill you," Pippin said.

"Trust me, Pip, it's better that you don't."

***

Estella struggled and fought to no avail. Diamond was stronger than she was, and determined. Never had Estella hated her more than she did in that moment. It wasn't enough that she had Pippin. It wasn't enough that she had taken away everything Estella had ever cared about. Now she was stopping Estella from getting revenge on that bastard, Meriadoc Brandybuck.

How dare he grab her and kiss her after she had told him no? She wanted that kiss to be for Pippin. She had dreamed about it since she was a young lass. Envisioned every second of it… and had not been anywhere close to achieving it. Of course, their plan had only just been set into action. Pippin had not yet had time to grow jealous over what he was missing.

Estella would have loved to have shown Diamond up on the dance floor, because everyone knew that no one from Hob's Corners could dance properly, but Merry's damned splinter had made that impossible. Of course, he would never have gotten the splinter if she hadn't sent him to get her flowers, but she was going to conveniently ignore that fact.

She went limp underneath Diamond, panting heavily. She glared up at her adversary, utterly defeated.

"That's better," said Diamond.

"Let me up."

"Not yet. First you're going to tell me why you were so bound and determined to kill Merry," Diamond said firmly.

Estella was silent for a long moment. She could not tell the truth. That would complete spoil the plan. She also did not want to tell another lie. She hated lying, was tired of it and bad at it besides. The only other option was being stubborn, so she went for that.

"It's none of your business."

"I care very deeply for Merry. If someone is trying to kill him, I have no qualms about making it my business."

"It… it was a private matter."

Diamond sighed. "If I let you up, will you promise not to kill him?"

"I wasn't really going to kill him. I just wanted to."

"I see."

"You can't possibly."

Diamond looked down at Estella, frowning. Estella could nearly read her thoughts. Her face was so open and frank. Diamond could not possibly know what it was like to have dark, painful secrets. To love, and be rejected. She had everything. She had Pippin. She was the one kissing his soft mouth, and playing with his dark, curly hair. Estella stared up at Diamond's dark red curls. Red was such an odd color of hair, for a Hobbit. No wonder he wanted her.

Diamond bent down then, and kissed Estella on the mouth. This shocked her more even than Meriadoc's kiss had done. Estella's eyes flew open wide and she made a small, startled sound. Diamond's kiss was the complete opposite of Merry's. It was soft, and tender, and exploratory. Merry had forced her way inside her mouth. Diamond seemed to plead for entrance. Estella parted her lips and gave it to her, her tongue touching Diamond's hesitantly.

The kiss quickened her very much like Merry's kiss had done. In fact, it took the slow, gradually building spiral of heat in this kiss to awaken her to the fact that Merry had made her burn like this as well. He had created a rough flame that sparked her anger with its force. Diamond sparked embers into fire. Estella had the urge to be touched… but it was not Diamond or Merry that she wanted to touch her.

She sighed against Diamond's lips. Diamond lifted her head and smiled. "There now, Estella, that's better, isn't it?"

"Why did you do that?" Estella asked in a small, confused voice.

"Just to show you that you and I can be friends."

"I don't want you to be my friend," Estella said before she realized that the words had been spoken out loud.

Diamond let go of her, and rolled over to lay next to her. She stroked Estella's hair and smiled at her, but Estella could see deep in the other Hobbit's eyes that her words had stung.

"I know you don't," she said. "But Estella, I really wish we could be. I'm not going to try to take Merry away from you. I promise."

"Oh, I know…" It was so ironic, Estella thought. She would have loved it if Diamond took Merry away, and left Pippin to her.

"What is it, then? Did it bother you that I kissed you? There is nothing wrong with a friend kissing a friend."

"No," Estella sighed. "I liked it," she admitted.

"I could do it again," Diamond said, sounding hopeful.

"Why would you want to?" Estella wondered. Why kiss anyone else when you had Peregrin Took?

"Because you have a nice, soft, sweet juicy little mouth. I can't resist it."

"Neither can Merry," Estella said somewhat sarcastically. She squirmed against the bed. She hated the fact that she was really, really starting to want Diamond to kiss her again.

"I'm sure he can't," Diamond said.

Diamond bent down and brought her lips to Estella's once more. Estella gave in quickly and kissed her back eagerly this time. She wound her arms around Diamond and twined one of her legs over the other Hobbit's legs. The kiss bled into a second, and time seemed to stop.

"Wow," said Merry from the doorway, "There's something I never expected to see."

"I told you we shouldn't have left!" said Pippin.