Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 102

Soon, the guests started arriving—Bri's parents, Adam and Meredith, and the entire JamFam group.

"Awwww, look at the little doggy!" Bri cried. "She's adorable!" She bent over to pet her. "Hey," she said in a cutesy voice, "what's your name, Sweetie?"

"Cuddles," said Meredith, "because she's so cuddly."

"Oh, well, hi, Cuddles! Yeah, you're a cutie."

Cuddles sniffed Bri's long hair.

Bri laughed.

Then, the doorbell rang again.

"Oh, that must be the Middle Earth gang," said Aini as she turned around to open the door. "Hey, you guys!" she greeted excitedly. "Come on in. Meet my friends. This is Brianna and Damian Haskell and their daughter, Caitlin. Everyone, this is Frodo Baggins, his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Gandalf, and Lady Galadriel."

"Hi, guys," Bri greeted, reaching out her hand to shake theirs.

"And, this is Déagol," Aini whispered, "Sméagol's cousin."

"Why are we whispering?" Damian whispered.

"Because, it's a surprise for Sméagol."

"Ohh, gotcha."

 Aini led Déagol into Damian's workshop. "Wait here," she said. "I'll let you know when it's time."

"Well, come on in," said Bri. "Go meet everyone. Hey, guys?!" she called as they all headed for the living room and kitchen, where everyone else was chatting away while Celtic Woman played in the background. "They're all here," she said to them.

Everyone introduced themselves while Sméagol sat on the sofa with Lea, just watching. He wanted to go talk to them, but considering his history with them, he was sure they still hated him. So, he just watched them mingling with everyone else, and Lea kept him company.

"Thank you for destroying the ring," Frodo said to Aini. "I couldn't do it myself."

"I didn't," Aini replied. "Sméagol did."

Frodo was confused. "Sméagol?"

"After Gollum told him to."

Sam was also very confused. "Gollum destroyed the ring?"

Aini nodded.

"But, back in Middle Earth, all he cared about was gettin' it back from us. What changed his mind?"

Aini smiled. "His fiancé, Lea. She showed him that there was more to life than power and rings and such. They were both struggling when they first met. Him with his adddiction to the One Ring, wanting to love someone, but not knowing how, and her with her disabilities. She's both Autistic and visually impaired. I'll explain that later, but basically, she struggled to find people who truly loved and accepted her the way she is. Her whole life, she was badly bullied. One friend after another turned on her. One relationship after another went down the toilet. Her last boyfriend was abusive, and he cheated on her with someone whom she thought was her best friend. Then, they both spread ugly rumors about her, telling her to kill herself. So, she ended up in her bathroom, looking for something to give them what they wanted—pills, razers, anything."

"So, she understood him," said Sam, trying not to get emotional.

"Yeah, she did."

"And, I was there," said Bri, "but he was the one that really saved her. He told me we needed to get our butts over, because something was wrong. And, that's not the last time he saved her, either."