A/N: Hey ya'll! I should be writing the twentieth chapter to 'We Four Stand Together' (a plausible and 'proper' version of Girl in ME) but instead I came out with this! Hope you like it.
…..
[S.R. 1402, 24th Afterlithe]
"Children!" Eglantine's clear voice rang down the hall. "Dinner!"
Pearl was already there, helping her mother set the table like a good eldest daughter, while Pimpernel sat in the lounge reading.
Pervinca sat beside her, asking her elder sister incessantly if she wanted to play a game. Pimpernel simply ignored her, and continued reading.
Pippin came running from down the hall, tripping over the rug and landing flat on his face. He picked himself from the ground without hesitating and ran into the kitchen.
"Ma!" Pippin cried as he skipped in.
"It will be ready soon, dear. Go wait in the lounge," Eglantine shooed her impatient son out.
Pippin wandered back into the lounge and leapt onto the big red armchair in the corner of the room, grinning.
Pervinca's eyes grew wide. "Ma! Pippin's sitting on da's armchair!"
"No I ain't," Pippin said, hastily climbing back down.
"Yes you was!" Pervinca cried.
"No I wasn't!"
"You was! Ma!"
"Vinca, you tattle!" Pippin stamped his foot, glowering at her.
"Pardon, Vinca?" Eglantine poked her head around the door.
"Pippin was sitting on da's armchair," Pervinca said proudly.
"Pippin," Eglantine warned, "You know how your father feels about his armchair."
Pippin sat on the floor and pouted. "Vinca, you tattle!"
"You got in trouble!" Pervinca smirked.
"Be quiet, both of you." Pimpernel looked up from her book and rolled her eyes.
"I don't like you," Pippin glared at Pervinca, "Or you." He pointed to Pimpernel.
"Ma!" Pervinca yelled, "Pippin says he doesn't like us!"
Eglantine sighed and poked her head around the door again. "What, dear?"
"Pippin says he doesn't like us," Pervinca pretended to look upset, "He says we are stupid."
"I never said nothing like that!" Pippin's eyes grew wide.
"Pippin," Eglantine looked a little bit angry, "Don't be so rude to your sisters!"
"But—" Pippin began, but his mother had already disappeared back into the kitchen.
Pervinca smiled sweetly at him.
…
Dinner was a pleasant affair consisting of succulent chicken pie, buttery mashed potato and an array of vegetables.
Paladin had joined them, and he sat at the head of the table. He had an authoritative presence, but was a kind and jolly hobbit. Next to him was Eglantine, across from which was Pearl; then along was Pervinca and Pimpernel, and right down at the other end was Pippin, looking like anything but the future Thain as he played with his food.
"Pippin!" Eglantine said sharply.
Pippin looked up. He had turned his carrots into people who were currently swimming through a mash potato lake.
"Don't play with your food," Eglantine continued, "Remember your table manners."
Pippin put the carrot down—but as Eglantine looked away secretly poked his tongue out at her.
Only, the tongue was not so secret, because Pervinca saw.
"Ma!" She squealed, "Pippin poked out his tongue at you!"
Eglantine looked at him angrily.
"Pippin," She snapped, "Stop being so insolent! You're twelve—start acting like it!"
Pippin slumped in his seat, tears pricking in his eyes. "Tattle," He mouthed at Pervinca.
Pearl did the little rolling-eyes and little sigh thing she did when she thought someone was being immature. This made Pippin a little angry.
"Why does everybody hate me?" He sobbed, pushing his plate away and hopping down from his chair.
Pearl did the sigh thing again. Eglantine frowned at him. "Don't you start, Pippin. Nobody hates you. Don't overreact."
Pippin screamed and kicked the table leg, before storming off in the direction of his room.
"When will he grow out of the tantrums?" Pearl rolled her eyes.
…..
"I am not insolent," Pippin muttered, lying on his bed and clutching a bunch of rags in his arms, "Why does everyone hate me?"
The bunch of rags was actually 'Muffy', a floppy toy dog Pippin had been given when he was born. Well, at any rate, he had, at one point in its life, resembled a dog. Since then both ears had been chewed off, he had lost a leg and a glass eye.
Still, he remained Pippin's Muffy and Pippin loved him so. Muffy had been lovingly hand stitched by Grandmother Iris with a lovely blue checked pattern. He had been given a collar with a tiny silver bell hanging from his neck, and little purple booties.
Now he was stained and torn, the seams coming undone, stuffing falling out, and missing body parts—but the collar and bell were still intact and hanging around his neck. He resembled no longer a dog, but a mutilated bear, but Pippin could never see that.
When Pippin turned ten his father had made him throw Muffy out. Pippin obeyed reluctantly—but that night went searching through the bin and came back with Muffy. He hid the dog in a special secret hiding place.
Pippin spoke to Muffy now.
"I know Muffy… we'll run away, and no-one will care." Pippin whispered into the hole that used to be Muffy's ear.
Muffy's floppy neck nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Yes!" Pippin said, suddenly sitting up and wiping the tears from his eyes. "But first I need my coat."
It only took a few minutes to prepare. Pippin grabbed his cloak, and shoved Muffy in his breeches pocket. He then padded out into the hall.
He could hear muffled voices coming from down in the dining room, so he knew they were still eating. Pippin's stomach grumbled, but he forced himself to ignore it, and made his way to the door.
The rusty hinges creaked horribly as he pushed the door ajar. He slipped through and closed it gently behind him, as not to make any noise.
He was free. He wandered down the steps, down the path and into the darkness without a second glance, babbling mindless idiom to Muffy as he went.
…..
A/N: I had so much fun creating Muffy:3 I have this image that twenty years on Pippin gets married to Diamond and Muffy's still there, sitting at the bottom of a draw somewhere! OwO Maybe I should write a fic called 'The Adventures of Pippin and Muffy' and have it from Pippin's POV, so that Muffy can speak and do stuff. Lol, that would be cute! XD
Anyway, review and tell me what you think!