(AN: This is the first Lord of the Rings fanfiction I ever wrote. Most of it was written before my 8:30 AM Calculus class in the second semester of my freshman year of college. Please read and review!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.

Shannon and Mitchell O'Connolly were your average, American couple. Both worked well paying jobs and were, basically, a happy, much in love couple.

There was one thing missing in their lives-the couple had no children. Both had wanted a large family but, try as they might, they could not have a baby. Doctors could fin nothing physically wrong with either of them. It just seemed like they weren't fated to have one.

That all changed one fine night in early June.

Before heading off the bed, Shannon decided to take the garbage out.

"No sense in chasing the sanitation man tomorrow morning. I have to be at work early, anyway," she mused, as she picked up a bulging black garbage bag.

Calling for Lucky, the couple's mutt, Shannon opened a side door and took the garbage to the curb.

As she made her way back to the side door, Shannon noticed Lucky had gone round to the front of the house.

"Come on, Lucky, it's late. Let's go in!" Shannon called into the darkness.

Her only reply was the dog's bark followed by what sounded like the cry of a newborn kitten.

"Stupid dog probably cornered the neighbor's cat.again," Shannon mumbled, as she walked to the dog's approximate location.

She found Lucky poised in front of the house, barking and growling at a wicker basket that had been placed on her stoop.

"What did you find, boy?" Shannon asked the dog, moving him out of the way and peering into the basket.

Shannon nearly fainted at the sight of what Lucky had found.

In the basket was a baby!

From what Shannon managed to discern, despite her initial shock, was that a healthy looking little baby had been left on her doorstep. The baby was wide awake but not crying. Instead, it seemed to be studying the night sky. The baby had fine blondish hair covering its scalp and clear bluish eyes. It was wrapped up in a homespun blanket. She could find no note or anything in or around the basket.

Recovering from her shock, Shannon picked up the basket and brought it into the kitchen. She set it down on the table and began to call for her husband.

"What's going on?" Mitchell grumbled, as he ambled down the stairs, "Why on earth are you yelling at this time of night?"

He stopped talking when he saw the basket set on the table.

"I.um..went to take out the garbage and I.well.found baby," Shannon stammered.

Being the rational one, Mitchell said, "We have to call the police. What if this baby was kidnapped or something?"

"It doesn't look neglected or anything," Shannon, quietly, said.

Despite her overwhelming need to keep the baby, she agreed with her husband and called the police. She wanted to keep the baby but she didn't want to get arrested for kidnapped either.

When the two officers arrived, they informed the couple that they were taking the baby to the hospital.

"Is it possible for us to accompany you?" It doesn't feel right to leave him or her alone," Shannon asked.

"You can but don't get too attached. We may find this kid's parents, yet," the officer, gruffly, replied.

Throwing coats on over pajamas and replacing slippers with shoes, the couple followed the officers to the local hospital.

Once there, the baby was give a thorough check-up in order to check for signs of disease, neglect, addiction, or abuse.

The couple was told that they had found a perfectly healthy, day-or-so, old baby girl. She appeared to be totally healthy in each and every way. No physical or mental problems were detected and she was given all of her sots.

Later that night, an officer found the couple.

After the customary introductions, he said, "Look, no one's reported a baby missing and it looks like she wasn't even born in here or any neighboring county. In case you nice folks didn't know, this county has a policy that allows mothers with unwanted babies to leave their child on a doorstep with no legal repercussions. It's up to you two fine people to decide what you want to do with her."

Without even a second thought, Shannon said, "We'd like to adopt her, if that is at all possible."

The officer looked to Mitchell, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright folks, I'll go find the on-call social worker," he said.

Days later, Shannon and Mitchell brought home their adopted daughter-Emma.