Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR. I do own Emily.

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of my first ever Lord of the Rings fanfic based off of The Fellowship of the Ring movie where I will introduce my OC whom I hope you enjoy. So without further ado, I turn it over to my Emily. Enjoy!

"How does it always take you a long time to get ready?" her brother inquired exasperatedly as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom with his arms folded against his chest. "Honestly, Emily. We are going to miss surprising Gandalf if you take any longer."

Emily rolled her brown eyes at his reflection in her full-length mirror. "Frodo Baggins, you and I both know you are exaggerating. Besides, today is a special day so I have to look my best."

"You are not going to all this trouble because today is Uncle's, and my, birthday," Frodo shot back, smirking slightly. "You are doing this to obtain Pippin's affection."

Emily blushed but did not respond. He was right, of course. The female hobbit was going to extreme lengths to appear as beautiful as possible to attract the attention of Peregrin Took who she was smitten with.

"Out of all of the hobbits you could have chosen to win over, you had to pick that Fool of a Took, for what else could he be but a fool to not realize how you feel about him?" murmured Frodo, shaking his dark curly hair. "He is clearly not worthy of you, Em."

"You are my brother. You are supposed to say that," replied Emily as she finished brushing her long curly brown hair and tied it back with a blue ribbon which matched her dress. She then turned to face her brother with a small smile. "Well, what are you waiting for? We have to hurry if we are going to catch Gandalf."

~ For My Brother ~

The two hobbits raced out the door, only sparring a moment to allow Emily to give their uncle a kiss and wish him a happy birthday.

"Thank you, my dear," said Bilbo, patting her hand which rested on his left shoulder. "Your love and beautiful smile warm an old hobbit's heart."

Emily's smile faltered slightly in concern at the worried look on Bilbo's face but did not have the time to ponder further as she and Frodo hurried on to the woods where they would wait for Gandalf to arrive.

"Do you truly believe all of my efforts are in vain?" Emily asked Frodo as they sat down on the grass and leaned against two mighty oak trees facing each other. "When it comes to Pippin, I mean."

Frodo considered his sister over the edge of the book he had been reading. "You care about him a great deal, don't you?"

Emily nodded, playing with a blade of grass. "He is always so kind to me and makes me laugh especially when I am feeling upset or angry."

"True but I still say he is a fool for not realizing how you feel about him," he declared, returning his gaze to his book. "It is plain to all the other residents of the Shire including Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Uncle Bilbo, and yours truly."

Emily flushed. "Are you saying I am one of the topics of gossip around here?"

Frodo sighed, placed a marker in his book, and closed it. "Unfortunately, my dear sister, you have been the subject of many conversations in the Shire since the day Gandalf brought you here and Uncle took you in."

Emily grimaced, berating herself for believing the villagers had lost interest in her. The Shire is a quiet, peaceful place where much stays the same and anything out of the ordinary rarely happens such as Uncle Bilbo and his journey to the Lonely Mountain where he encountered the mighty dragon Smaug sixty years ago. Whereas I lost both my mother and my father in a terrible wagon crash and was discovered by Gandalf the Grey who had been passing by and took me to Uncle Bilbo nearly ten years ago.

"No wonder Uncle said he and I had more in common than I thought," she murmured, smiling. "There are worse things."

"Indeed," agreed Frodo, smiling back. The hobbit then grinned as he heard a familiar voice. He bounded to his feet and ran in the direction the voice was coming from with his sister close behind him. The siblings arrived at the edge of the woods and stopped where it met the rood as a seemingly harmless old man wearing a grey cloak and pointy hat drove towards them in his wagon. "You're late."

The driver had his horse come to a halt and stared at the two hobbits under his bushy eyebrows. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!"

The three of them continued to stare each other down until Gandalf smiled and laughed causing the hobbits to chuckle too.

"It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!" Frodo exclaimed, launching himself at the elderly wizard who caught him and embraced him.

"You didn't think I'd miss your uncle's birthday, did you?" he inquired before glancing up at Emily with a kind smile. "And how is dear Emily? Still chasing after that Fool of a Took, no doubt."

"I missed you too, Gandalf," she replied as Frodo made room for her so she could step into the wagon and hug the wizard. "Uncle will be delighted you are here."

"How is the old rascal?" asked Gandalf as they continued onwards to Bag End. "I hear this party is going to be of some significance."

"You know Bilbo, he has the whole place in an uproar," Frodo told him as they passed by where the celebration was going to be held. "Half the Shire's been invited."

"Uncle has been acting peculiarly of late," Emily added worriedly.

"Oh really?" murmured Gandalf.

"You know something, don't you?" she guessed. The old man merely grumbled unintelligibly. "Fine then, keep your secrets."

Frodo nodded. "Before you came along, Gandalf, we Baggins were very well thought of. Never did anything out of the ordinary or went on any adventures."

"If you're referring to the incident with the Dragon, I was barely involved," argued Gandalf. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door."

Emily laughed while Frodo smiled good naturedly. "Whatever you did, you've been officially labeled as a disturber of the peace."

The old man cocked a grey eyebrow and glanced at a couple tending to their garden. The husband raised his head and scowled at him as a group of children suddenly appeared behind Gandalf's wagon begging for him to set off one of his fireworks. Naturally the wizard obliged causing the young ones to squeal with joy making him chuckle.

Everyone loves Gandalf's fireworks, thought Emily as she and Frodo stood up.

"Gandalf, I'm glad you're back," said Frodo.

"I hope you decide to stay a while," added Emily before following her brother onto a nearby hill. "I would have liked to stay with him longer but there's still work to be done if the party is to occur this evening."

"Why don't you let me handle the rest of the preparations?" suggested Frodo. "You've already accomplished a great deal."

"I could not allow you to do that," she replied. "This is your birthday party, after all."

"Emily, my sister, look behind you," he advised her with a knowing smile. "There is someone who you would rather spend time with striding towards you."

The female hobbit's brown eyes widened in understanding as she turned around to see Pippin Took strolling up the hill.

"Hullo, Emily," Pippin greeted her warmly as he reached them. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to my favorite fishing spot."

"What about Merry?" inquired Frodo.

Pippin shrugged. "I offered but he claimed he had other matters he needed to attend to."

Emily's heart skipped a beat as heat threatened to flush her face. She had never done anything with Pippin without Merry tagging along so the thought of just the two of them doing something even as simple as fishing made her both excited and nervous at the same time.

"Unless you do not want to," murmured Pippin, his smile fading.

Emily shook her head. "I would be honored to join you."

Pippin grinned and offered her his arm. "Shall we, milady?"

"Have a good time, you two," said Frodo, watching his sister take the Fool of a Took's arm. "Make sure you remember to return in time for the celebration."

"We will," promised Emily. And thank you, Frodo.

~ For My Brother ~

"Right down here, milady," said Pippin as he led her down a hill that had become muddy after last night's rain. The Fool of a Took did not seem to mind though as he bounded down its side with a grin. Emily traversed the slope more carefully since she was afraid of tripping on her skirt.

The last thing I need to do is roll down this unstable landscape and ruin my dress in front of him, she thought but about halfway down the female hobbit lost one of her shoes in the mud, tripped over the skirt of her dress, and tumbled down the hill. She even managed to knock over Pippin who landed on top of her when they reached the bottom.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

Emily nodded, her face thoroughly flushed from how close they were. "I apologize for tripping in to you."

"Don't worry about it," replied Pippin with a smile. He then stood up and held out his hand. She took it and allowed him to haul her to her feet. "We should probably get you home so you can change though."

"You're right," she agreed albeit begrudgingly.

"But first we need to locate that pretty shoe you lost," he realized, gazing down at her feet.

"Yes, except I cannot recall precisely where it got stuck in the mud," Emily admitted, looking up at the massive hill. "It could be anywhere."

"Do not fret, my lady. I will fetch the item in question and return it to thee," Pippin assured her before bounding up the hill.

The young hobbit smiled. I am glad I chose to wear shoes though I receive unkind remarks from the villagers who perceive me as strange.

Emily spared one last glance at Pippin who was hopping up and down the hill's slope then made her way to the water where she did her best to clean herself up and soak her feet. Sometime later, Pippin returned and delivered her shoe to her.

"Thank you," she said as he placed it on her foot. "There are few others who would display such kindness towards me."

"What do you mean?" inquired Pippin.

Emily cocked a dark eyebrow at him. "You truly do not know how most of the villagers treat me as an outsider who they fear because I am different? How they laugh at the fact that I like to wear pretty shoes such as these which Uncle has specially made for me?"

"No," acknowledged Pip. "I try to pay them no mind since all they seem to care about is spreading untruths regarding anyone who is different than them. That is why I enjoy your company for you, like Merry and Frodo, do not decide who a person is before you meet them which is why it troubles me but does not surprise me they treat you so. What they need to do is become familiar with you for then they will see how kind and thoughtful you are."

"You think I am kind and thoughtful?" murmured Emily, touched by his little speech. "And here I was convinced you were merely humoring me because I am Frodo's sister."

Pippin sighed and shook his head, smiling slightly. "I really must be a fool to not have realized my intentions haven't been clear. It probably would have been easier to speak them aloud but I was afraid of how you would respond."

Emily laughed, not at him, but at the entire situation. This whole time we've desired the same thing. We were merely too afraid to be forward with each other but now… "What are your intentions, Master Peregrin?"

"To ask you to be my lady and attend Bilbo's and Frodo's party with me this evening," he told her, a little shyly.

"I would be honored to accompany you and be your lady, Fool of a Took," she responded, fondly using the term Gandalf called him. "First, I am going to need to get out of this ruined dress."

"Then let me escort you to Bag End," he suggested, offering his arm.

"You can be quite the gentleman when you want to," she remarked teasingly as she placed her hand on his arm and they ascended the hill.

"It helps when there's a beautiful lady," Pippin replied with a lopsided grin making Emily roll her eyes good naturedly as they continued on their way to Bag End.

~ For My Brother ~

The sun had begun to set by the time they reached Bag End and found Bilbo and Gandalf smoking outside.

"Well hullo, my dear Emily!" called Bilbo who appeared to be in high spirits. "And Peregrin Took as well! This is a pleasant surprise."

"'Tis indeed," agreed the wizard. "But what, may I inquire, occurred to your dress, Lady Baggins?"

"I lost one of my shoes in a patch of mud and tumbled down a hill," Emily explained, flushing slightly. "Pippin was kind enough to assist me."

"I had asked Emily to accompany me to my favorite fishing spot," Pippin clarified further. "All things considered, I'd say the plan went well even though we did not get the chance to fish."

"I see," murmured Bilbo, stroking his chin thoughtfully before smiling. "I'm glad to hear you had a pleasant day, my dear."

"Thank you, Uncle," Emily replied, smiling back. "Now I really must go get changed for the party. Please excuse me."

"Then I shall go prepare as well," announced Pippin. "Would it be alright if I returned in an hour?"

Emily glanced at Bilbo who inclined his head. "That would be lovely."

The Fool of a Took grinned and bowed to her before bouncing away like a wild hare.

"I told you they would come together, didn't I?" Bilbo was saying to Gandalf as he sucked on his pipe and blew out a smoke ring. "You didn't believe me."

"No, I did believe you. I was only beginning to wonder if my efforts to get them acquainted were going to be wasted as time was beginning to drag on," the old wizard corrected him.

"But Gandalf," interjected Emily causing them to look at her. "Frodo was the one who introduced us, wasn't he?"

Gandalf winked and drew on his pipe before blowing out a smoky ship which sailed through Bilbo's ring.

~ For My Brother ~

"So he finally came to his senses," remarked Frodo, greeting Emily and Pippin as they made their way through the crowd.

"Yes, well, there's a reason Gandalf calls me 'Fool of a Took'," Pippin replied good naturedly.

"Indeed," agreed Frodo. "May I borrow my sister for a moment?"

Pippin looked at Emily who nodded. "I will go see what Merry is up to then and rejoin you later."

"Thank you," she murmured, watching him go before returning her attention to Frodo. "What is wrong?"

"It's Uncle," he revealed, leading her to a place where they could speak in private. "He's been acting strange of late."

"I've noticed it too," she said. "I feel as if something momentous is going to occur."

"What should we do?" Frodo inquired of her.

"What can we do?" responded Emily. "We won't know what the moment is until it occurs. For now, let us enjoy ourselves. It is his 111th birthday."

"You are right," he agreed and they made their way back to the party where they danced and then located their uncle as a dragon appeared in the sky. Frodo grabbed his sister and uncle and pushed them down to the ground as the dragon flew over their heads and burst apart in the sky.

It was one of Gandalf's fireworks, realized Emily, groaning inwardly. And I believe I know who the culprits are as well as where I can find them.

~ For My Brother ~

"Somehow I knew you would be here, Peregrin Took," remarked Emily as she stood in the entrance of the tent Gandalf was having Pippin and Merry wash dishes with her arms crossed over her chest. "How could you be so foolish? Someone could have gotten hurt!"

Pippin bowed his head as he continued to scrub the plate he held. "I only wanted to entertain everyone."

Merry nodded, depositing a stack of dishes in front of Gandalf. "We didn't mean to cause a ruckus."

Emily sighed and took a seat in a chair next to Pippin. "It is a good thing no one was injured. Please be more careful next time."

"I will," he promised her with a lopsided grin.

Emily smiled back before turning at the sound of raised voices to see her uncle walk up onto a stage.

"Speech!" urged the voices. "Speech!"

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins," began Bilbo once the crowd had quieted down. "Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proudfoots. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday!

"Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbit. I don't know half of you half as well as I would like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve," he continued as the crowd tried to figure out what he meant. Emily felt a chill run down her spine as Bilbo's expression suddenly changed. "I, uh, I h-have things to do. I regret to announce-this is The End. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell."

Bilbo then disappeared causing the crowd to erupt in confusion.

"He's really going through with it," murmured Emily to herself as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Goodbye, Uncle."

A/N: And there you have it! Hope you all enjoyed. This is just a taste of what is to come so until next time, read review and show the love!