With her heart beating faster, Lilith went through Bag End's garden. A light was spreading from the window, and Lilith didn't have the courage to look inside, worried about being discovered. Something inside her incessantly kept saying her that she should not have been there. Her place was with all the other hobbits at the party field. But not all the hobbits were down at the party field, actually. Lilith wondered where Ruth Ann was, then some voices made her jolt.

Someone inside Bag End was talking with Gandalf, but Lilith could not recognize who. She flattened herself against the wall where the window was and tried to understand who was inside.

"Why should I not, when the worst is always what seems to happen?" Lilith finally recognized Ruth Ann's voice. If Ruth Ann was in there, maybe she could go to and get a decent explaination. Lilith was standing up, determined to get inside the house, when someone coming up the street, definitely heading for Bag End, made her hide again.

The unknown figure went inside Bag End's garden and headed for the door. When the light from the window revealed his face, Lilith had to keep herself from calling him. Frodo walked inside Bag End.

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Ruth Ann gave a heavy sigh as she watched Frodo walk into Bag End. She took a quick glance at Gandalf, who was now sitting next to the fire and then prepared herself for the inevitable question of what is to come.

"He's gone..isn't he?" Frodo strolled on into the air right before Gandalf took the ring from Frodo and gave it back to him in an envelope.

After glancing over at Ruth Ann and recognizing her distraughtness of the situation, Gandalf proceeded to explain what he needed Frodo to do.

Ruth Ann remained sitting on the bench of the table motionless and staring at the ground as Frodo followed Gandalf and Gandalf walked out of Bag End.

"What is going on?" Frodo finally piped up as he walked hurriedly back into the room, clutching the envelope with his right hand. Once he saw that Ruth Ann was not going to respond right away, he took a seperate approach, "I know that you know, Ruth," Frodo empathized curiously, "Now, either you tell me or I am going to have to force it out of you."

"For some reason, Frodo," Ruth Ann smiled, "I doubt you will be able to do the latter, and I doubt that I will voluntarily do the former. Thus, it seems that you are stuck in a pit of turmoil."

"Indeed, it seems that way," Frodo agreed, "but you still know something that I want to know."

"Believe me Frodo," Ruth Ann looked up into his eyes with the most compassion she could possibly conjer up, "You don't want to know."

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Ruth Ann gave a heavy sigh as she watched Frodo walk into Bag End. She took a quick glance at Gandalf, who was now sitting next to the fire and then prepared herself for the inevitable question of what is to come.

"He's gone..isn't he?" Frodo strolled on into the air right before Gandalf took the ring from Frodo and gave it back to him in an envelope.

After glancing over at Ruth Ann and recognizing her distraughtness of the situation, Gandalf proceeded to explain what he needed Frodo to do.

Ruth Ann remained sitting on the bench of the table motionless and staring at the ground as Frodo followed Gandalf and Gandalf walked out of Bag End.

"What is going on?" Frodo finally piped up as he walked hurriedly back into the room, clutching the envelope with his right hand. Once he saw that Ruth Ann was not going to respond right away, he took a seperate approach, "I know that you know, Ruth," Frodo empathized curiously, "Now, either you tell me or I am going to have to force it out of you."

"For some reason, Frodo," Ruth Ann smiled, "I doubt you will be able to do the latter, and I doubt that I will voluntarily do the former. Thus, it seems that you are stuck in a pit of turmoil."

"Indeed, it seems that way," Frodo agreed, "but you still know something that I want to know."

"Believe me Frodo," Ruth Ann looked up into his eyes with the most compassion she could possibly conjer up, "You don't want to know."

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After some minutes spent trying to understand what was going on inside, Bag End's door opened and Galdalf came out. He closed the door behind his back and started to walk down the path, while Lilith held her breath to avoid being discovered. Gandalf was almost to the little gate when she couldn't help but sneezing. Gandalf stopped and turned. Llilith tried to make herself as little as possible behind the bush.

"I know you're there, Lilith" Gandalf said.

Lilith, resigned, slowly stood up and walked down the path, keeping her eyes down.

"Why are you here, Lilith?" Gandalf asked.

"I was trying to figure out what happened..." Lilith answered "Is that so wrong?"

Gandalf sighed "No it's not wrong, but staying here you may be involved in some things that I don't want you to know.."

"What do you mean? You all are...keeping something secret from me?" Lilith asked, starting to feel indignant.

Gandalf shook his head and put a hand on Lilith's shoulder "Lilith" he said "I know you since you were a little hobbit, and now you're old enough to make your choices. I suggest you to go down to the party field and spend the rest of the night with your friends."

"Frodo is also my friend" Lilith replied.

Gandalf nodded "Indeed he is. I have to go now. Just think about what you really want, Lilith."

"You have to go where? You arrived only a few.."

"I have important things to do" Gandalf interrupted her "Goodbye, Lilith" he added, walking down the road.

Lilith stood there, in the middle of Bag End's garden, looking the party field, and then Bag End's door. Just a few paces separated her from the truth. But did she really want to know the truth?

With a sigh, Lilith gave a last look to the party field, then turned and walked up the path, slowly opened Bag End's door, trying to figure out an excuse for her presence there.

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Frodo wanted to do anything at that moment to perk Ruth Ann up. He had gotten used to seeing his friend in though, but, to see her in disbelief, unnerved him.

Both Frodo and Ruth Ann thus remained in a moment of silence as both wanted to speak, but differed on how they wanted to approach the issue at hand.

The silence quickly dissolved when both Ruth Ann's and Frodo's eyes jolted towards the opening door. The thought of who could possibly be the person coming in twisted at both of their minds. Frodo remained in a state of ignorance while Ruth Ann gently felt for the nearest knife, fearing the worst.

"Lilith!" Frodo finally yelled out in shock as he walked towards the main entrance, "What are you doing here?"

Ruth Ann, not so optimistic, pushed the knife a little farther away from her and stared at the floor muttering, "Perfect. Just perfect."

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"I..."Lilith started to say, as Frodo walked towards her in the entrance. She couldn't take her eyes off the ground, quickly trying to make up an excuse for her presence there. Then she decided that, for once in her life, she could bear the truth. As Gandalf said, she was old enough to choose.

"I want to know what's going on Frodo" Lilith said raising her eyes. "And don't tell me nothing is going on, just don't." She gave a look at Ruth Ann, sitting at the table "She knows. Why can't I know?"

Frodo turned and gave a guilty look at Ruth Ann. "Sit down Lilith" he said.

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"Frodo doesn't know Lilith,' Ruth Ann broke the silence, "If I won't tell him, why would I tell anyone else?"

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"What's this big secret everyone's keeping?" Lilith asked with a note of impatience in her voice "It can't be such a big thing!". She gave a look at Frodo, looking for help.

"I think it's not a little thing, Lilith" he said "But Ruth Ann said she won't tell me."

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"And I have no true intention of telling anyone right now the little I do know," Ruth Ann added on, "I believe we are all going to have to wait for Gandalf to return before we can hear the whole story. Until then, I either have the choice with staying here or leaving, both sounding not so appealing at first glance."

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"Waiting until Gandalf comes back?" Lilith asked with impatience "It could take days!"

"Even more I fear" Frodo said. "He looked worried."

Lilith shoock her head "You said you can stay here or leave until Gandalf comes back" she said to Ruth Ann "Where would you go?"

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(Sorry for taking so long to respond, long week.)

"Where would I go?" Ruth Ann pondered for a few moments. The truth was, most of the time, Ruth Ann did not really know where she was going. She went whereever her feet took her.

"I would go," Ruth Ann answered back once she saw Frodo's slight agitation with waiting (at least Frodo's was the only one's Ruth Ann noticed from not knowing Lilith too horribly well at all), "wherever I could find information."

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Lilith shook her head, looking at the floor.

"I should not be here, right?" she said to Ruth Ann. "I don't know what's going on here, but it should not involve me, right?"

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Ruth Ann nodded her head. She did not want to admit it, but she found that she was unable to stop herself from admitting it, "You already are involved."

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Lilith nodded, then she gave a look at Frodo. "I think...I'll go down to the field again...Rosie was waiting for me, and...I feel strange."

Frodo looked at her "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes...well, I guess so...I just need to sleep I guess. I'll see you tomorrow." Lilith said, standing up and walking towards the door."Goodnight" she added, before walking out.

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Frodo and Ruth Ann remained silent until Lilith walked out of the door. Immediately after the door closed behind Lilith, Frodo turned back to Ruth Ann and asked, "What do you mean Lilith is involved?" in a worried and doubtful manner.

"Frodo," Ruth Ann kind-heartedly explained, "the fact that Lilith chose to come into the house even though she was not involved shows that she has curiousity thriving to her heart. Meaning that, at the end of the all of this, she is going to be involved no matter how much I believe she should not be."

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"I'm not sure I like this story" Lilith said to herself while she walked down the path, reaching for the little gate that closed Bag End's garden. She quickly walked down the road, reaching the party field that, as she predicted, was still full of hobbits.

She found Rosie in the crowd. "Lilith" she said "Did you find out something?"

Lilith hated the idea of lying to Rosie, but she quickly answered "Nothing. I'm going home Rosie, I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you alright, Lilith?" Rosie asked, looking worried. "Yes are you alright?" a voice added, making Lilith turn.

"Merry Brandybuck"she said "and yes I'm fine. I'm simply going to sleep." she added, turning and walking away from the field.

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