Frodo walked around the kitchen tents quietly, trying to find May-Belle. He was relieved the girl decided to choose a place that was not completely secluded to meet. He did not want to show up and give the girl a wrong idea about how he felt for her.

However, Frodo was quite curious as to why she chose such an odd place. Pulling one of the tent curtains away, Frodo entered to see two women washing and drying plates. They looked up when Frodo entered and smiled politely before returning to their chores.

Standing in a corner, Rose Cotton was looking outside at the dancers through an open patch of the tent cloth. She seemed quite nervous about something at the moment. Her foot was tapping against the ground in a repeated thumping and Frodo hoped she was all right.

Walking up to Rose, Frodo tapped her on the shoulder. She turned with a big grin but then frowned when she saw it was only Frodo. "What are you doing out here?" Frodo asked, ignoring Rose's sudden disappointment.

"I am waiting for some one," Rose responded politely as a smile reappeared on her face. Her cheeks turned a slight red and she returned her gaze back to the outside dancers.

Frodo nodded with understanding and came up behind Rose to get a peek of the outside area for him self. The party was supposed to end soon. However, it would have been hard to tell because the crowds of dancers were still crowding the dance floor.

The horns, flutes, and drums pounding lifted Frodo's heart and despite his exhaustion, he wished he were back out there dancing. Perhaps he would have time after talking to May-Belle; if she ever showed up, that was.

Suddenly, Frodo's attention returned to Rose. "Would that some one be a certain gardener?" he asked with a playful voice.

He knew she was waiting for Sam, but how curious! Two meetings at the same place and at the same time; something was not right.

Rose giggled a little and looked up at Frodo, who was smiling proudly because she knew he was right. She then stood straight and gave her full attention to Frodo. She hopped she was not being too rude ignoring him while she waited for Sam. "And what about you? Why are you here and not out enjoying all those lovely lasses out there?"

"I was suppose to meet some one here as well," Frodo replied as he backed up a bit. The two girls who were previously washing dishes then took a stack of plates out of the tent to clear out some room. Frodo straightened out his waistcoat and took a seat at the washing table for a few moments.

"That is quite a coincidence," Rose commented thoughtfully. A look of disappointment then fell on Rose's cheeks as she followed Frodo's lead and took a seat at the table. "It seems no matter where Sam and I decide to go, we are never alone."

"Oh, I am sorry Rosie," Frodo replied with a frown. "Perhaps this is my fault. Maybe I misinterpreted Merry when he told me I was suppose to come here."

"Meriadoc told you to come here?" Asked Rose as she sat up straight and looked at Frodo was a questioning look.

Frodo nodded and dabbed his finger into a small droplet of water mindlessly, "Yes, he said May-Belle wanted to meet me here. But I do not see anyone else here but you."

Rose's face suddenly beamed with a thought, "That might explain why Sam isn't here!"

Frodo looked at Rose with curiosity, not understanding what she was saying. "Rose? Is something wrong?"

"The only thing that is wrong here Frodo is that fool of a Brandybuck!" She chuckled and then took Frodo's hand. Standing up, she led him out of the washing tent and back towards the dinning tables. "I told Merry that I wanted to meet Sam here. But I think he might have mixed up my message."

"That makes sense," Frodo replied as he sped his pace to match Rose's excited strides. She still had his wrist and he was not about to go tumbling to the ground in front of everyone. "Then, most likely, Merry sent Samwise where I was suppose to meet May-Belle." Thought Frodo out loud.

"Exactly. Now, let us find Merry and get this mess sorted out," Rose laughed. She was quite eager to meet up with Sam, but she seemed agitated as she talked about Merry. Frodo just hoped she would not be too hard on the young Brandybuck. Frodo's guess was that Merry was just enjoying too many beers and was not in the right state of mind when he relayed the messages, an easy mistake that would be fixed in a matter of moments.

May-Belle Greenhill stood by the game booths silently, waiting for Frodo to arrive. A serge of nervousness filled her mind and she shivered from the chill of the night air. 'What if he did not come?' She wondered to herself as she paced around. Was her idea to get Frodo alone too abrupt for him?

The music from the distant tents could be heard and the laughter of merry hobbits filled the air with a sweet sound. As May-Belle looked towards the dance area, she could see the silhouettes of hobbits painted along the tents. It was then May-Belle wondered if one of those shadows could still be Frodo's. What if Merry did not get the message to him? "Fool of a Brandybuck." She grumbled to herself.

Suddenly, May-Belle spotted a figure moving towards the game area. She was unable to see who it was due to the darkness and the distance, but to May- Belle, it had to be Frodo. No one else knew she was out there and the figure was alone. May-Belle's heart skipped a beat at the thought that Frodo was there and he did not ignore her request to meet.

However, May-Belle was unsure what she would say to Frodo. What was she supposed to say when he asked her why she had chosen such a secluded place to meet? Her mind was reeling now; she had to think of a proper way to greet him. But, what would be proper?

As May-Belle thought, she saw the figure coming closer. 'No! This is too soon!' She thought to herself. She had to hide; this was the worst idea she had ever had! Moving behind one of the game booths, May-Belle hid out of site of Frodo so that she could calm herself.

She could hear the hobbit's footsteps in the grass as he came towards her hiding place. Her heart was pounding in her chest and all thoughts of even saying 'hello' vanished. She never should have done this. She was an immature lass who was completely out of her league. But it was too late to stop now. She had to talk to Frodo and at least apologize for her childishness.

May-Belle was about to present herself to Frodo when she turned and bumped into the stranger. 'Wonderful, not only will Frodo Baggins think I am insane, he shall think I am a complete fool.' She thought to herself, when suddenly, she felt a pair of lips against hers. 'So, Frodo is as good of a kisser as he looks!' She smiled and opened her eyes to stare into his beautiful blue eyes. However, these eyes were not blue, and this hobbit was broader than Frodo. This was NOT Frodo!

Merry was sitting at a dinner table with the two lasses he had met. They sat on either side of Merry and he was enjoying drinking and chatting with them. The three were having such a good time that none of them noticed Frodo or Rose coming to the table.

Frodo waited patiently for Merry to recognize them but Rose was more anxious. Tapping Merry on the shoulder, she called his name and then waited. Merry finally looked up and frowned as he saw his cousin and Rose waiting there. 'Why was everyone constantly interrupting his fun?'

"Hello Frodo, Rosie, what is going on?" Merry asked with a slight slur to his voice.

"Well, Meriadoc," Frodo began. "It seems that you gave me the wrong information when you told me to meet May-Belle at the kitchen area."

Merry looked at Frodo with curiosity. For a moment, he had completely forgot about the women and their messages. He took a sip of his beer and thought for a moment. Looking over at his two companions, he stood and smiled politely, "Would you two wait here for a moment?" The two girls nodded and Merry took Frodo and Rose to a corner of the tent. "Now, what is this all about?"

Rose uttered something under her breath. She really was growing impatient. "You sent Frodo to where Sam was suppose to meet me. Now, where did you send Samwise?"

Merry thought about the question. He knew he had seen Sam only a few minutes ago. Suddenly, the answer flashed in Merry's mind, "Oh! Now I remember. I told Sam to meet you at the gaming booths. Isn't that where you said to be?"

"No, Meriadoc," Rose huffed, "I told you to tell him to meet me in the kitchen area."

Merry blushed; he felt rather flustered at the moment, though he blamed the beer more than embarrassment at his mistake. "I am terribly sorry for the mix up," he commented sincerely.

Frodo smiled at Merry and placed a hand on Rose's shoulder before giving her a slight push so that she would start to move, "Don't worry Merry. It was an easy mistake." The two hobbits then left Merry so they could begin their search for May-Belle and Samwise.

Merry scratched his head with confusion as he watched the two leave. He then let out a sigh before turning back to his table. Unfortunately, upon returning, he saw that his two companions had left the table to dance with other lads. Grumbling under his breath, Merry sat down by himself to finish his drink. This night was getting worse by the moment.