Title: All that is Needed
Rating: G
Summary: Merimac helps Adamanta forget her worries.
Year: 1376 (set shortly after Ribbons)

Special thanks to Dreamflower.

~*~*~

Adamanta was not quite sure how she had ended up here but she could not deny that she preferred the outcome of this evening to the day’s events. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh that was just a bit shakier than she would have liked. Merimac tightened his grip around her shoulder and she thankfully leaned into his warm embrace.

As she did so a sneering face appeared at the back of her mind and Adamanta could not help but smile sadly back at that face, troubled. Oh, if she could see her now, snuggled in his arm, his fingers combing through her hair, caution thrown aside. What would Violet have to say to that? Adamanta heaved another heavy sigh and allowed the regular rise and fall of Merimac’s chest to calm her.

Poor, jealous Violet. Adamanta had often wondered why she was so resentful towards Merimac and now could not help thinking that she envied them both. Merimac because he spent time with her, and her because she had got what Violet, in spite of her cold words, had secretly desired. Adamanta, unlike her cousin, had not ended up as a checkmark on his list of sweethearts. She told Violet about her luck thinking the girl would be happy for her, but ever since she had mentioned the letters she and Merimac had exchanged things had become unpleasant. And once the younger one had found out that Adamanta had been at Brandy Hall on Yule, her cousin had not one friendly word to spare. Violet accused her of disloyalty, stupidity and worse, her dislike of Merimac growing stronger rather than weaker.

“We don’t matter to you anymore, do we? Your family means nothing to you now that you have him!” she had yelled this very afternoon.

“Just because I came to see him as well doesn’t mean I care less about you.”

“You’re a liar!” Violet spat back and her words still stung like a knife in her chest. And as Adamanta inhaled the sweet scent of pine needles and Old Toby she wondered whether the very fact that she was with him now didn’t prove her cousin right.

She had not meant to see him, but chance had brought them together and Merimac seemed as surprised at their sitting here as she. At least Adamanta could not think of any other reason that would so efficiently silence the usual loquaciousness of the Master’s youngest son.

She had fled her aunt’s smial after the argument, tears rising involuntarily to her eyes. Never before had she felt so alone when visiting her family. Her heart was torn between the cousin with whom she had always been close friends and the hobbit she had grown to love, although neither she nor Merimac seemed to quite understand the feelings growing between them. Despite his words on Yule Merimac had not made any move towards a formal courtship and much preferred to silently sneak up on her when she was on her own. Then he would take her hand and walk her around Buckland, neither of them talking about what happened at Yule and neither quite daring to get as close to the other as they had been then. It seemed their reunion had only been a dream and now they simply continued from where they had left off the morning after his coming of age. Yet she knew there was more to it. His words had been from the heart, more so, perhaps, than he had intended. She could feel it whenever he was near, knew it from the way he seemed to sense her whereabouts and would seek her company.

It was with this instinct he found her tonight, as she blindly stumbled through the dusk in tears because of her cousin and for reasons unknown even to herself. The look of genuine concern on his face as he walked up behind her caused even more tears to slide from her eyes. She never managed to answer his anxious question but simply held on to him, allowing him to lead her out of the cold and dark into Crickhollow.

There they now sat, on a dusty carpet in front of the hearth, still wrapped in their shawls and cloaks to keep away the cold that had found its way into the uninhabited house. Adamanta turned slightly to find him watching her. He had lit a fire and the red and golden shine was engaged in a playful dance of light and shadow on his face. His still figure cast an ominous silhouette on the wall behind him and only when Adamanta drew closer to him, she noticed that the looming shadow was no threat to her. It seemed more like a guardian, a silent watcher, a friend as close to her as the one whose arms were wrapped around her.

“Are you feeling better?” She jumped at the sound of Merimac’s voice. His concerned gaze tentatively met hers, and colour rose to her cheeks. She nodded before averting her eyes, suddenly feeling foolish.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice still hoarse from weeping. “You…”

“Never mind,” he cut her short and gave her a heart-warming smile. “It was a great evening.” He wavered. “Minus the tears, of course.” Again, he hesitated and considered his next words with great care, but Adamanta saw the usual twinkle return to his eyes. “Apart from that I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night – as long as my father doesn’t find out I broke into Crickhollow that is.”

Adamanta offered an apologetic smile and leaned her head back onto his chest, the fabric of his shirt soft on her cheek. “Thank you, Merimac.”

“As I said,” he replied after a long silence and his voice betrayed the lightness of his words. “These shoulders will always be at your service should you require them.”

Adamanta chuckled but thought to herself that they were very good shoulders indeed. They were worth coming to Buckland for. Eventually even Violet would understand that or so she hoped. And if her cousin didn’t – Adamanta smiled a little to herself. Well, sometimes a shoulder to lean on and silent company were all the comfort needed.

~THE END~