The Meeting of Peregrin Took and Diamond of Long Cleeve
"Good night!" whispered Merry. He took his staff in one hand and waved back at Pippin with a wide grin. Pippin nodded and waved back at his dear friend. He and Merry had gone through so much together, and to him it was amazing that they were still the best of friends. Six years and five months had passed since their companions, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo had left at the Grey Havens. It was now May 11th (Rethe 11th in the Shire reckoning…) and soon to become May 12th, if Peregrin didn't get inside quick enough. There had been much commotion at the time over the 2nd disappearance of Frodo and the 3rd of Bilbo, and by then, many of the hobbits in the vicinity had gotten quite used to the frequent comings and goings of the two. But nobody had expected the two to never come back. Pippin, Merry, and Sam were all local oddities, if not celebrities. But by now, things were finally settling down and becoming hobbit-y again, as you might say.
Pippin smiled into the darkness, recalling the events that had taken place only six years before. It seemed like an age had passed since he had last seen Frodo's face, shining in the pale moonlight. They had stayed long after the ship had passed out of sight, saying nothing but gazing out over the horizon or lifting their faces to contemplate the stars. Pulling himself out of the past, Pippin chuckled and let out a long, slow, quiet sigh. It had been quite a busy year so far. Sam had been elected mayor of the Shire that very month; Will Whitfoot had regained his girth but lost most of his strength. Sam fit the part perfectly. As for Pippin and Merry, they had not yet found their calling. They still kept in touch with King Elessar, Gimli, and Legolas as well, although for the present they were hiking the trails of Fangorn.
Pippin chuckled again at the thought of his adventures with Treebeard. He sighed and turned to go into his now quite comfortable hobbit hole. As he motioned to close the door, he noticed a small pony driven cart making it's way up the hill. "Perhaps those are my new neighbors…?" Too dark to see, Pippin thought no more of it until the morning.
