Author Note: After spitting out Change, my Muse had a heart attack and
demanded I write something extremely light hearted. This is the first in several
short stories that are sequential, but not necessarily a continuation of
exact events from one story to the other. However, there will be
references
to events in previous chappys. Please forgive me, I find there is great fun
while drinking with friends and as such, being a bit of a lush might
happen a few times
to the characters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! :D

*****

1.Sometimes a Hangover isn't so bad.

That was the last time he was letting Eowyn mix his drinks, Gimli
decided as he lay in bed. In fact, that was the last time he was ever
drinking with a group of women. EVER. 'Please take us to one of your
pubs' Eowyn had pleaded with puppy dog eyes. 'The men never want to take
us out with them', bemoaned Arwen sadly. 'And when they do, it's always
to some respectable establishment. No fun at all', Eowyn had punctuated.
And then they both had turned their dewy-est expressions upon him and
somewhere, he knew Galadriel was laughing hysterically. ( Not really,
but she was rather amused.)

Now, he indeed knew why Aragorn and Faramir did not take them out to the
rowdy taverns.

"Never again," he muttered as he slithered out of bed and to the
washroom. Those two females had managed to start six fights in two
separate bars and another down the street, in an alley as they made
their way back to the castle. And if word ever got out about how bawdy a
certain elf Queen could sing...well. Aragorn would kill him. And then
Elrond would as well. Because of course, it would be his fault for
taking her Queenship to such a disreputable establishment.

He finally managed to dress and exit the chambers given for his use by
the King and Queen. A small part of his mind wondered at Legolas'
absence, but he supposed it had something to do with his midnight
disappearance with two beautiful ladies ( though taken, alas). Normally,
the elf would have been nagging him awake simply because he was hung over.

A rather slow pace to the garden found the dwarf's quarry. The elf
was...well, frolicking in the trees, for lack of a better expression.
Sometimes, Gimli wished he could freeze a moment in time and then show
it back to the elf. It would interesting to see the reaction Legolas
would have to his...antics.

"Gimli? Hello?" a pale hand was waving in front of his face. Gimli
immediately shut his eyes, since they had decided it would be a good
idea to focus and follow the moving hand. The movement, of course, did not bode
well with his aching head and it was currently hurling insults at him.

Legolas chuckled a bit and flopped backwards in a rather unelvish manner
to sit upon the grass. "I had thought you would sleep more, with as late
as you came in."

Gimli followed suit, though with much greater care and settled on the
ground. "Yes, well, the sun was unbearably hot. Had I lay there much
longer, I would've become a baked dwarf pie."

"Valar forbid," came the responding chuckle. Gimli raised a brow.
Legolas was awfully subdued...no. The elf was currently looking anywhere
but at him, tapping the ground and seemed to be nervous, actually.

"Legolas, is aught wrong? You're acting skittish." And it was making his
head hurt, because it was making Gimli, himself feel out of sorts. "Will
you stop that !" he smacked the elf's right hand lightly, which had been
drumming on the ground nonstop since they'd sat down. "I have a hangover
and that incessant drumming is driving me batty."

The elf smiled a bit. "You mean...you were not already batty before?"

"Funny, elf," Gimli deadpanned.

Legolas took a deep breath and stretched. "Ai, Gimli, it seems as though
we have been together forever."

"Tiring of me already?" joked the dwarf. His head was already beginning
to feel better, oddly enough. But then again, his aches and pains always
seemed to lessen when he was with Legolas.

Well, frag. As if he wasn't already addicted to the elf. Now the
shrubbery lover was his all purpose painkiller.

"I tired of you the moment we met," Legolas chuckled, then sobered. "
And I would like to tire of you for all eternity." At this, the elf
turned and gathered the dwarf's hands in his own. " Would you mind
terribly if we tired of each other forever? And...well, told everyone we
care about that we'd like to tire of each other through the ages?"

The elf's hands were trembling and Gimli found that he couldn't breathe.
Was he asking...? "Elf...I...well...Legolas, are you sure?"

"More than anything!" he whispered fiercely.

Gimli's voice was hoarse. "Trust an elf to be vague about something as
important as marriage."

Legolas smiled weakly. "You haven't answered, Master Dwarf."

There was a very pregnant pause. "Well, let me think about it."

"Gimli!"

The dwarf laughed. "Peace! Peace! You were much too tense for a moment
there." He smiled and chuckled a bit. "There's no one else in existence
I would rather get hitched to, Legolas."

And there was nothing more said, because Gimli decided that now was a
good time to kiss the elf and apparently, Legolas had the same idea.

**end**