When Lea got home that night, she untagged herself in Val's post. Then, she unfriended and blocked both Val and Ivan, and changed her relationship status to "Single." She also blocked every person who had sent her hateful messages. Then, she grabbed her phone, and deleted Val and Ivan from her contacts. She didn't want to block them yet, not unless she had to, but she was ready to move on with her life. No more toxic people, only genuine, true friends!
As time progressed, she and Sméagol's bond grew stronger and stronger as they got to know each other better. They spent almost every waking moment together, watching Celtic Woman concert DVDs, listening to music, goofing off, and making music. They also spent a lot of time with Bri, Damian, and Aini. The five friends often went out to eat, went shopping, and their favorite activity, karaoke at Ike's. Every so often, Ivan and Val would show up, but they refused to even acknowledge their existence.
Lea also encouraged Sméagol to try new foods. They learned that they disliked some of the same things, such as broccoli. However, Sméagol found he really loved steak, especially Prime Rib.
The two of them also continued going to JamFam every Saturday, and got to know other people in the group. Sméagol especially formed strong friendships with the other group members, and so did Gollum. They both always knew what to say to help everyone. Yes, they knew about Sméagol and Gollum's separate personalities, and they loved and adored them both. They quickly grew attached to him, and trusted him enough to consider him a group leader.
Bri and Lea also formed a strong friendship with Aini. As mentioned before, Lea doesn't easily open up to people anymore, but she quickly bonded with Aini. The three women enjoyed getting their hair and nails done, shopping, going out to lunch, and just engaging in random girl talk.
Both Sméagol and Gollum formed a strong friendship with Damian. They would often go fishing. Then, afterwards, they would stop at Ike's to have a drink or two while watching sports. Damian also taught Sméagol and Gollum how to play video games, and they would spend two or three hours playing games such as Coll of Duty, The Witcher, and Far Cry. Sméagol's favorite game was Far Cry 5. Gollum's was Dark Souls. Every so often, Bri would join them when playing Super Mario Bros.
Damian worked in the movie industry as a prop master, and he showed Sméagol the projects he worked on and the tools he worked with, which fascinated Sméagol. His eyes lit up watching Damian build things. He was even more delighted and excited when Damian gave him a few pointers.
Then, after they finished all their activities, Sméagol and Lea would just sit and talk. About what? Anything and everything. He told her all about Middle Earth, and she told him all about the 21st century. They told each other stories from childhood. Obviously, talking about his past and family made Sméagol very emotional, but he knew he had a family with Lea and her friends. Lea opened up to him about things only Bri knew about her, things she never even told Ivan, because she knew he would judge her for them. Sméagol, on the other hand, did not judge her. Neither did Gollum. Lea knew she could trust them both with anything. They would never betray her, because more than anyone, they knew what betrayal felt like.
As their bond grew stronger, Lea finally began to acknowledge her true feelings for him, and he also began to accept his for her. But, neither one of them said anything.
However, Lea did not know that Gollum still wanted to find the One Ring. Every now and then, he would sneak off in the middle of the night to go looking for it.