Hey everyone, this is a story that has been on my mind since I was the first movie. I have been working on it a really long time. Now that the final movie is out I feel it is finally time to reveal my story. Now for those of you who are wondering I am doing a hybrid between the movie and book the best I can. A good bit of dialogue will be from the movie but I will do my best to follow events from the book during the journey.
So please enjoy and give me your opinion! :)
An Unexpected Home
-Prologue-
"My dear Frodo. You asked me one once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. And while I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it. It began, well, it began as you might expect. In a hole in the ground, there lived two Hobbits. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, full of worms and oozy smells; this was a Hobbit-hole, and that means good food, a warm hearth, and all the comforts of home."
Bilbo Baggins chuckled as he looked down at the beginnings of his writing. He'd been telling these stories for many years but he never thought he would be writing it all down. A chance to finally set the story straight.
He looked up, as a large stack of letters was set in front of him. As Bilbo reached for the letters his nephew, Frodo, reached for a small parchment sitting in front of him.
"What's all this?" Frodo asked with a grin. Examining it, showed it to be the drawing of two young hobbits. One was a very proper and respectable looking male hobbit and the other was a wild haired female with a fiery smile on her face.
Before Frodo could get a better look, the drawing was snatched out of his hands.
"That is private. Keep your sticky paws off," Bilbo scolded. "It's not ready yet." He said more calmly as he looked down at the picture fondly before tucking it under the large book on his desk and closing the cover.
"Not ready for what?" His nephew asked curiously.
"Reading," Bilbo stated soundly as if it was an obvious fact. Frodo only rolled his eyes and he wondered over to a chest of stuff in the hall. Bag End was not normally this crowded with strange and unusual things, not that most hobbits wouldn't agree that Old Bilbo Baggins was a strange hobbit that possessed unusual things, but Bilbo had recently pulled out many old stored chests and items that Frodo did not even know were hiding in the hobbit hole.
"What on earth are these?" Frodo's uncle exclaimed picking up the stack of letters Frodo had only just sat down.
His nephew barely looked up from the odd helmet his was looking at when he answered, "Replies to the party invitations."
"Oh! Good gracious! Is it today?"
Frodo chuckled at his response. How could he forget this was the day of his own birthday? He'd only been looking forward to it for the last few months.
"They all said they're coming," Frodo informed his uncle, "Except for the Sackville-Bagginses; they're demanding you ask them in person."
Bilbo looked up at Frodo with a fierce look, "Are they, indeed? Over my dead body."
This made Frodo smile and follow his uncle out of the study. "They'd probably find that quite agreeable!" Frodo joked. "They seem to think you have tunnels overflowing with gold."
Bilbo's scoff was enough to tell anyone that this was an old and tired subject, "It was one small chest, hardly overflowing. And it still smells of troll."
He added the stack of letters to a much messier group in the parlor when they heard a knock on the door.
Bilbo looked up with a startled look before darting into the hall grabbing small objects as he went. Frodo saw his uncle stick a few spoons into a tea kettle and put it on a higher shelf.
"What on earth are you doing?" He asked while he followed the old hobbit around the house amused.
"Taking precautions," Bilbo replied seriously, "It's probably her. You know, I caught her making off with the silverware once."
"Who?"
"Lobelia Sackville-Baggins," he exclaimed as they made their way back into the parlor, "She had all my spoons stuffed in her pockets. Hah! Dreadful woman; make sure you keep an eye on her after I'm ... when I'm ... when I'm..." Bilbo seemed to freeze in his actions deep in thought.
Frodo stepped forward cautiously while curiously asking, "When you're...what?"
This seemed to snap Bilbo out of wherever his mind had wondered, "It's nothing. Nothing."
There was another knock on the door and Frodo rolled his eyes.
"The door, Uncle."
Since it seemed Bilbo was not going anywhere quickly Frodo headed to the door to greet their first visitor of the day.
He opened the door and a wide grin split across his face.
On the front step stood a middle-aged hobbit with fiery curls and a kind, lovely face.
"Aunt Mira!" He threw himself into her arms laughing.
"Frodo dear, it's been too long," she replied holding him tightly to her.
Bilbo came running at Frodo's shout.
Bilbo sighed at the sight at the door. It was a delightful sight to see on his birthday, "Mira. What a surprise! Its wonderful to see you!"
He stepped passed Frodo and gave her a good long hug. Mira laughed, "Do you really think I would miss my favorite cousin's 111st birthday?"
"You missed my 110th," Bilbo replied with a raised eyebrow.
Mira's smile fell, "I'm sorry about that Bilbo."
"It's no matter, my dear. Come along, I must show you what I found today."
Bilbo grabbed her hand and dragged her into the house. Mira giggled and shot an amused look to Frodo.
"I'm so very glad it was you at the door my dear Mira. I don't know what I would have done if it was Lobelia. Speaking of which I almost forgot. Hold on a moment, Mira."
Bilbo paused her in the hallway and quickly started shuffling through papers on the table in the parlor.
"You know, some people are beginning to wonder about you, Uncle. They think you're becoming odd," Frodo began as he walked into the room behind them.
"Odd? Hmm," Bilbo offhandedly replied without looking up.
Frodo smirked over at his Aunt Mira."Unsociable," he replied with fake seriousness.
Bilbo snapped his head up with at look towards Frodo.
"Unsociable? Me? Nonsense. Be a good lad and put that on the gate."
Bilbo handed him the sign he'd just finished and Frodo looked at it questioningly before shaking his head and doing as he was told.
Once Frodo left, Bilbo shuffled Mira into the study and presented her with the drawing of the two of them he had found.
"Oh my, this was so long ago. Look at how young we were. I miss those days,"
Mira stared longingly at the drawing while Bilbo looked at her sadly.
"Don't we all," he agreed, "It hasn't been the same since you left Bag End. I've missed you."
He wrapped his arms around her again, happy for her presence.
"Now enough of this sappy stuff. Look what I've been working on," Bilbo stated as he cleared his throat and stepped away.
He opened his book to show her the first lines of the story.
"I'm writing it all down. I think it is time for our story to be told properly."
"Oh Bilbo…"
"I could use a little help you know. I don't think I could do it justice all alone."
Mira smiled, "I would be honored to help you write it all down. You are right, it is time."
They smiled at each other with a gleam of their old mischievous friendship shinning through.
Bilbo nodded and turned away.
"Where has Frodo gone off to? He should be done by now."
Bilbo plotted out to the garden catching Frodo just as he finished nailing the sign to the post.
"You think he'll come?" Frodo asked as he stood up from the gate.
"Who?" Bilbo stood back to inspect Frodo's work on the sign.
"Gandalf."
"Gandalf's coming?" Mira interceded excitedly.
Bilbo laughed at her enthusiasm, "Ahhh. He wouldn't miss a chance to lite up his whiz-poppers! He'll give us quite a show, you'll see."
"Alright then, I'm off," Frodo announced before taking off down the row.
"Off to where?" Mira asked.
"East Farthing woods," He replied. "I'm going to surprise him," he shouted as he reached the top of the hill.
"Well, go on then! You don't want to be late." Bilbo shouted just as Frodo ran out of sight.
Bilbo sat down on the garden bench and pulled out his pipe. Mira smiled down at him, "I'll go get that book of ours so we can get to work. And you know as well as I do Frodo won't be late. That is a trait of Gandalf's."
Bilbo blew a perfect smoke ring and chuckled at Mira's declaration.
He watched the smoke ring float off into to sky as Mira shut the door behind her.
"He doesn't approve of being late. Not that I ever was. In those days, I was always on time. I was entirely respectable much more so than Mira. And nothing unexpected ever happened."
Hope you enjoyed reading this! I'll upload the next chapter after I get my 5th review. Have an Merry Christmas tonight and tomorrow for those who celebrate and have a great season and winter break for everyone else.
Please Review!