Disclaimer: These two wonderful characters are not mine, but JRR Tolkien's.

This story is set a couple years after the War, in late September, 1422 S.R., and a bit of tongue-in-cheek at JRRT's remark about their "wonderful parties".

The Bright Side of Things

Pippin suddenly awoke to utter darkness. The nightmare he'd just had vanished like a vapor before his eyes, but his rapid breathing remained; feeling his heart beating against his chest. The sensation of numbing pain in his wrists and legs slowly disappeared as he rubbed his limbs and sat up in bed. He lit a small candle on the table next to his bed to calm his nerves a bit, though the bright light in the midst of the black of night nearly blinded him. He tried to dispel his sense of fear by filling his mind with thoughts of tomorrow's party, but it didn't help much when his best friend lay snoring in the next room over. Merry had had his fair share of nightmares too, but Pippin hated it when they came to him. Normally, he would talk to Merry about his bad dreams--and normally they would go away. Not this time though. This was the second time he'd had this nightmare, and for reasons unknown to Pippin, this nightmare unnerved him in such a way that it almost made him unable to concentrate on anything else throughout the day.

"What time is it?" He thought. He looked at the clock on his wall, but knew right away that it needed winding again when it read a quarter past 8. The fire had died down in the hearth, so he took an extra blanket from his wardrobe and wrapped it around himself. Grabbing his little candle, he ambled out to the party room, as he and Merry had come to call the main room of the little house at Crickhollow.

It was cooler out in the party room than in his own bedroom; both hobbits made sure the fire was out in this hearth before retiring to bed late last night. He held out his candle towards the clock over the mantelpiece and saw it was truly half past 4. Pippin sighed heavily and sat down in the stuffed chair behind him; he knew at this early hour that he would never get back to sleep. He drew the blanket closer around him and decided to wait out the dawn. His eyelids grew heavy as the silence...and Merry's snoring...buzzed loudly in his ears, and sleep still eluded him.

After much uncomfortable shifting in his makeshift bed in the main room, Pippin finally saw the sun's rays peek over the horizon of trees and clouds through the large round window. It was a beautiful pink and orange sunrise. Pippin would've appreciated it more if he weren't so drowsy. "I may as well start breakfast since I'm already awake." He thought.

Pippin had the eggs and bacon frying, and was in the middle of making biscuits when Merry entered the kitchen.

"Couldn't sleep again?" Yawned Merry.

The voice out of nowhere startled Pippin momentarily, but just as quickly recovered. "Oh, it's you."

"And good morning to you, too." Merry rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mer. I get a bit touchy when I'm tired."

"I'm aware of that." Said Merry, checking on the tea already in the pot. "I do feel bad, Pip. This is my week to make breakfast and nearly every morning you've been the one to make it."

Pippin shoved the pan of biscuit dough into the oven. "Well, when it's your turn to have nightmares then you can be the one to make breakfast."

Merry smiled, "It's a deal...", then furrowed his brow, "I think." He sat down at the table to wait for the tea to boil. "Who did you invite to the party tonight?"

"I thought it was tomorrow night." Pippin taste-tested a strip of crispy bacon.

"No, we were going to have it tomorrow night." Merry explained. "Then we decided to make the party for tonight because my mother is coming to visit tomorrow."

Pippin looked puzzled, "Then who's coming the day after?"

Merry got up to tend to the tea, "No one. No, wait!" He poured the tea into two cups, "Let me think...yes, isn't your sister bringing her beau to meet you?"

"Pervinca? Goodness! I can hardly keep up with her suitors these days." Pippin also got up. Both hobbits served themselves breakfast and then sat at the table to eat it.

"You'd better pay close attention this time, Pip. I think this is the one. He's meeting your parents tonight."

"Parents!" Pippin slapped his forehead in sudden remembrance. "Father wants me to spend this Monday in his office instead of Wednesday. What do we have on Monday? Oh, I can't keep this straight!"

Merry calmly walked over to the cupboard door and pointed to a homemade calendar tacked there. "That's why I made this. It was getting difficult even for me to keep all of our social affairs in my head!" Then he leaned closer to read his small script written in the small circles. "It's the twenty-second of September...Frodo and Bilbo's birthday. I know that Sam's asked us over to celebrate with a small dinner--you know, for just the hobbit Fellowship...and Rosie, of course."

Pippin looked exasperated, "What will I tell Father? I can't not go to such an important dinner."

Merry settled back into his chair, his stomach quite satisfied. "Tell him what you've told him all your life--the truth. I know your Dad and he'll understand." He watched silently as Pippin filled his pipe with leaf then lit it.

Pippin blew out a plume of smoke, still gazing at the calendar. "The twenty-ninth will be a full year that they went over the sea."

Merry followed suit in an after breakfast smoke, filling his own pipe. "I know."

"What do we have planned for that day?" Pippin asked.

Merry lit his pipe then got up again and surveyed the calendar. "Nothing...so far. What do you have in mind?"

"The same thing--nothing. I would just like to sit in peace at home, take our ease and just think about all the wonderful times we stayed at Bag End while growing up--and ended up annoying Frodo all week with our childish tricks!" They both laughed at the memories.

Merry got a far away look. "Let's not forget our travels as a Fellowship."

"Never, Mer. I can't anyway...You're a knight of Rohan while I'm a Knight of Gondor, and a Messenger to the High King. I can never forget." Pippin blew a smoke ring into the air, "And I managed to do all of that before I've even come of age."

Merry watched his cousin's cheerless expression. He knew Pippin wasn't trying to send himself up a notch. "You've done more in the last four and a half years of your short life, Pip, than some of your older Took cousins will think to do in their entire lifetime."

Pippin grew quiet, fingering his pipe. "Nothing will ever be the same, will it Merry?"

Merry shrugged, almost imperceptibly, "If you're talking about the Party Tree, the Old Mill, or just having Frodo around to jest with...then no." He put his pipe down and filled his teacup again. "Life's like that sometimes." He watched his words sink in to his cousin. "But look at the bright side."

Pippin looked up at his friend, "And what is that?"

"Have you not seen the mallorn tree Sam's planted? It's beautiful--and will be even more so when it's fully grown--as are all the gardens he's sprinkled the dust from the box that the Lady gave him."

Pippin thought about that. "My father has had more yield from his crops these past two harvests than he's had in years." The mist of gloom lifted from around Pippin's eyes. "No one's been ill these past winters, and no hobbit family has gone hungry."

Merry smiled. "Now you see! For every tear that dropped here in the Shire over Saruman's evil, there is now a blessing."

Pippin was thinking of more good things that had happened in the Shire in the recovery efforts. "Pearl had a baby nearly two years ago, and his head is full of golden curls! He's the first Took descendant to have golden hair!" Now Pippin was smiling in turn and nodded then said, "Yes, it is sad that things had to change the way that they did, but I think everyone now appreciates more of what they have because it was taken away briefly."

"Pip?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's have a party."

"On Frodo and Bilbo's anniversary of going over the Sea?"

"Why not?" Asked Merry. "Let's not be gloomy on that day. We've just thought of more than enough reasons to celebrate their lives and what Frodo did to save not only the Shire, but Middle Earth."

The more he thought about it, the more Pippin agreed. "Yes! Let's have a party to honor Frodo and Bilbo--and celebrate the great courage of Frodo."

"We'll have a large cake like Bilbo did when he turned Elevnty-one!" Merry's eyes grew large at the memory.

"And rockets, too!" Pippin added, "If we're going to celebrate, we may as well have the biggest party ever put together since then!"

"Let's not dawdle, then!" Merry got up and started clearing the table, "We must get busy and plan this party....right after tonight's!"

The following morning after the party, both hobbits set to making preparations for The Big Party, as it came to be known as. They had a huge feast, a large cake, lots of guests and plenty of rockets--a true celebration!

~The End~