Note: This story has been long in the making and I can't believe I'm actually uploading the first chapter. I didn't think this would ever end up in a shareable format outside of my brain. I'd like to thank my friend Becky for her many contributions to the story. Without her I wouldn't have come up with most of this material. I also want to thank Marissa for her constant support and pestering. Without her I would have stashed this in the back of my head and left it there.

I hope you enjoy this cute, silly soap opera-like story. Perhaps its themes are simple, but I think everyday occurrences and the connections we make among each other are just as important as the epic adventures that are born of these connections.

Obviously I do not own anything. None of the characters in this chapter, anyway.

Shirelings

Chapter 1

Why Hobbiton Folk Don't Fish

One year exactly before the events of the War of the Ring came into play, two young hobbits stood by a brick wall in Hobbiton discussing their plans for the day. It was a lovely spring morning and there was plenty of time for an adventure of sorts before their dinner with their cousin Frodo Baggins. The younger, more talkative Pippin Took eagerly listed off options to his older cousin Merry Brandybuck as the pensive fellow appeared to listen quietly while staring off into the distance.

"Also, we could visit the Green Dragon, couldn't we?" said Pippin eagerly recalling the finest ale in the Shire- and for all he cared, the world. "I haven't been there in ages!"

"Sure, Pip," Merry muttered distractedly as he continued to look elsewhere. "Why not?"

Pippin followed Merry's gaze to see what or whom he was watching and understood why he was getting such pathetic responses. Estella Bolger, the young sister of their close friend Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger, was coming down the lane carrying a covered basket, which, no doubt, housed some of the delicious pastries that she was so prone to baking. Pippin knew how his cousin felt about the girl and realized how futile any sort of conversation would be with her present. He rolled his eyes at Merry changing his posture and ruffling his hair as Estella gradually approached.

"Morning, Estella," said Merry in the tone of voice he only used on Estella- and occasionally a pretty tavern girl serving the lads their drinks.

"Good morning," Estella replied nonchalantly, giving the two a quick friendly smile.

"Wonderful weather today, eh?" Merry continued, turning around as she passed them by. This seemed to hook her. Estella stopped and placed her basket on the wall, ready to discuss at great detail the local weather.

"Oh, I know," she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "I've only been in town a day- I'm visiting my dear Aunt, you know- and I've had to completely change my outfit. It was just too warm!"

"Well, personally, I feel a little chilly myself," interjected Pippin while hugging himself for warmth. "But Tuckborough is a bit further South, so you get used to warmer weather..."

There was an awkward moment of silence during which Pippin realized Merry was glaring daggers at him. Finally the silence was broken with Merry hissing "Beat it, Pip!" Pippin glared back, but shuffled off anyway once Merry added in a low whisper, "Golden opportunities don't present themselves every day, you know."

While his cousin flirted with the Bolger lass, Pippin trudged off angrily towards the Water, the aptly named river that ran through the Shire, all the while grumbling mild oaths to himself. He didn't have a definite plan or route mapped out in his mind, but he hoped to find some new and entertaining way of killing time before dinner with Frodo.

It wasn't that he didn't have options, but they just weren't as appealing at the moment as wandering aimlessly down the riverbank. He could, for instance, head over to the Green Dragon, as he had previously suggested to Merry, but where would the fun be in going alone? Of course he could find SOMEONE to drink with- he was a Took, after all- but it was probably too early for that, anyway. Then there was the marketplace, where he could try and wheedle out a free pastry or two due to being related to almost everyone somehow. But it being barely noon, he reckoned the tastiest treats would be sold later in the day and the goods that WERE available presently would be a day too old for his sensitive palate.

No, there would be plenty of time to eat quality meals later on at Bag End. Besides, he'd only had second breakfast little less than an hour ago. Now was a good time and temperature for a brisk stroll through Hobbiton. However, he didn't have to briskly stroll very long, for he hadn't left Merry more than ten minutes when he spotted an odd enough sight to warrant his attention: there, on the edge of the river, sat a person with a bucket and, more importantly, a fishing pole.

He'd gone fishing with his Brandybuck cousins often enough when he visited the East Farthing, and there it was fairly common to see hobbits sitting in boats or on the side of the river, as this one did now. But that was Buckland and, though he loved his Brandybuck relatives dearly, it was widely considered unorthodox for a decent hobbit to attempt fishing or, for that matter, to do anything that had to do with bodies of water. Most hobbits he knew on the other side of the Brandywine feared deep water, and for good reason, too, he supposed. Why, the whole reason Frodo lived in Hobbiton was due to the drowning of his parents years ago. Or so Pippin was told, anyway.

So now when he spotted this Hobbiton hobbit partaking in an activity he rarely witnessed in these parts, he couldn't help but give in to curiosity and investigate. He approached the person, whose gender he could not differentiate both due to the awkward angle at which he stood and the ambiguous outfit said person wore, which consisted of a large straw hat and overalls, and loudly said, "Hullo there! Are you fishing?"

"I sure am," came the curt response from the young hobbit. He still couldn't quite tell whether it was a girl or a boy who hadn't quite hit his tweens yet. He prodded further, saying, "I didn't know Hobbiton folk could fish."

"I'm not from Hobbiton," said the other, sounding slightly amused, as if Pippin's guess was utterly ridiculous. "I'm from Long Cleeve," she added, turning around to reveal if not a very feminine boy's face then definitely one belonging to a girl. She had pink and slightly sunburnt skin with freckles, light blue eyes, and a fair, strawberry blonde fringe sticking out sloppily out from under the brim of her hat.

"Long Cleeve, eh?" Pippin wasn't precisely sure where that was, but he reckoned the town lay somewhere in the North Farthing. And as far as he knew from his adventures, the North Farthing was not fish country. "And they fish there, do they?"

"No," replied the girl as she fiddled with the string of her rod. "But they do in Buckland."

"I know that!" Pippin exclaimed, his frustration with Merry flaring up again. "My ARSE of a cousin is a Brandybuck."

He took a second to collect himself, realizing in embarrassment that this poor girl had nothing to do with his annoying situation and probably thought him a strange buffoon. To his relief, she didn't seem to mind the outburst and, in fact, was smiling at him.

"And you're a Took," she said wrinkling her nose in concentration before adding, "...from the South!"

Pippin clapped his hands in amazement, being thoroughly surprised by the girl's apparent clairvoyance. "Oh, that's a marvelous trick!" he said laughing. "How did you know?"

"I'm a North Took," the girl explained while patting his foot patronizingly. "I can tell."

She turned back around to focus on her task, but quietly added, "Also the accent."

Pippin covered his mouth both sheepishly and gingerly, as if feeling for the accent that gave his heritage away. He removed it, however, when she stuck out her sunburnt, freckled hand and properly introduced herself, saying, "I'm Mundee."

"Peregrin Took," he replied as he shook her hand. "But friends call me Pippin."

Pippin sat down next to Mundee, this strangely named Northerner, and gazed below into the green murky depths of the river. He couldn't see a single fish but the girl continued to contentedly move the rod around, causing the bob to dance just a little beyond the surface. He wondered how well she knew what she was doing and, furthermore, how she had learned in the first place.

"You know, I've gone fishing before," he said after nearly a full minute of silence. "I could help you if you need." He reached over to grab the rod, hoping to show her how the job was meant to be done.

"No, that's fine," she said, pulling away from him. "I know what I'm doing. You can just watch, if you like."

Pippin raised his arms in acquiescence and then feeling useless got up to investigate the one lone fish she'd manage to catch. He wondered if perhaps an older brother had helped her with it.

"So, Mundee," he said, feeling out the foreign sounding name, "how did you learn to fish?"

Mundee made a little irritated noise in her throat and then answered, "My father drags me around the Shire on his business trips. You pick things up over time."

"Business trips. I see." Pippin tried to sound like this was something he was very knowledgeable about. "What sort of business? I heard the pipeweed industry is... smoking." He couldn't help himself but to make the joke; fortunately Mundee had a sense of humor, after all, and chuckled appreciatively.

"I don't know what he does, to tell you the truth," she said, finally putting the rod down, and turning to face him. "But why are you asking all these questions?"

At that precise moment, the line started to tug and Pippin was saved the awkward answer that he was simply incredibly bored. Instead he lunged out to snatch the pole, which Mundee managed to grab at the same time.

"I've got a bite!" she whooped. "I've actually got a bite!"

"Are you quite sure you don't need any help?" Pippin asked as he continued to try to pull the rod out of her surprisingly strong grip. "I really wouldn't mind at all."

"No, no, I would much rather do it myself, thanks," Mundee said as politely as hobbitly possible despite tugging with all her strength and using a leg to push Pippin away.

"Och! Was that really necessary?" Pippin shouted after being kicked square in the gut. The blow had caused him to let go of the rod, which Mundee was holding very close to her chest now as she reeled in the string.

"It wouldn't have been if you had let go when I asked you, now would it?" she said as she struggled to pull the fish in. "See? I'm doing fine."

It was rather obvious to Pippin that the minuscule girl was doing anything but fine. The string was moving frenetically in the water as the giant fish desperately tried to free itself. This wasn't going to end well if he didn't intervene.

"Oi, you're going to lose the fish!" he said as he attempted to steal the rod for the last time. "Just give it here and I'll do it for you!"

"No!" Mundee pulled the rod out of his reach and simultaneously gave him a good kick in the face. "I don't need your-"

Her words were cut off as the enormous fish won the battle, pulling the rod and Mundee attached to it into the river. As she flew into the water, she screamed a prolonged, "He-e-e-elp!", effectively finishing her sentence. Before Pippin could do anything, she had been carried downstream some minor distance where, by good fortune, she managed to grab onto a tree root sticking out of the opposite bank.

He ran down the length of the river until he reached the point where she was hanging on for dear life and shouted out of habit, "Are you all right?"

"Are you daft? Go get help, for pity's sake!" she half-shouted and half-gurgled as she struggled against the current.

"Well, there's no need for lip! I was about to get help, anyway. I was just being polite!" With that out of his system, Pippin ran across the stretch of green to where Merry and Estella were still standing around flirting.

"Merry!" he called as he approached the pair. "Merry, do come! There is a girl drowning in the river!"

Merry groaned in exasperation, assuming his cousin was spinning a yarn to get him away from Estella. "Pippin, can't you see I'm busy? I'll come have a drink with you later."

"She can't swim! You have to come!" Pippin was getting visibly agitated, wringing his hands and jumping from foot to foot. Estella, moved by the display, tugged on Merry's arm and said, "Oh, we'd better go! I fear he's telling the truth!"

Merry looked from Pippin, who seemed ready to weep from frustration, to Estella, clinging to his arm in supplication, and finally acquiesed. "Oh, all right!" he said as he began to run for the river. "But if there isn't a drowning girl there, I will box your ears! That's a promise!"

Pippin dashed after Merry, with Estella following closely much to his surprise. "I always tell the truth, by the way," he called over his shoulder.

They arrived swiftly at the river bank, where they could see Mundee still fighting to stay above the water.

"Well, she isn't drowning," said Merry assessing the situation as Pippin raised his hands to protect his ears. Mundee made to say something insulting their slowness in rescuing her when suddenly the root she was holding onto cracked, leaving her hanging on even more precariously. Embracing the seriousness of the situation, Merry pulled the pocket watch out of his breeches and dove into the water.

He swam, with some difficulty, across the width of the narrow river until he finally reached Mundee. Pippin and Estella watched in frightful anticipation as he managed to grab a hold of her just before the root snapped completely. It took him somewhat longer to get back across, what with the small but significant load he was carrying, but both made it back ashore safely.

Pippin looked from his sputtering cousin, coughing out nearly half a pint of river water, to the soggy girl lying unconscious between the three of them. He poked her in the shoulder but she continued to lie on the ground stiff as a brick.

"Oh, you've killed her!" he cried at Merry as his cousin was being clapped on the back by Estella, even though he was clearly coughing for show at this point. "She's been drowned to death!"

"Nonsense, she's fine," said Merry as he finally stopped coughing. Estella's hand remained on his back, however, much to his apparent pleasure. When Pippin started hyperventilating, Merry sighed dramatically and leaned into the girl's face to see what state she was in and calm down his panicking cousin. As luck would have it, she chose to open her eyes at that precise moment.

"See? She's quite all right. Wide awake and breathing much better than you are. Now stop fidgeting before we have to go fetch your old nurse." Merry grinned at Estella as he teased Pippin about the childhood nanny he grew quite attached to. Pippin scowled for a moment and then focused back on Mundee.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Mundee continued to stare into the sky with a faraway look on her face. Glaring at Merry, he whispered, "Did Merry handle you improperly? Is that why you fainted?"

"Oi, I heard that, you little ingrate!" squawked Merry as he got up and shoved Pippin roughly in the head. "Come on, Estella, let's go finish our conversation. I was very interested to hear about your aunt's lower back pains."

Estella smiled a bemused and knowing smile as Merry hooked his arm into hers and began to lead her away from the scene. "I hope your friend recovers soon, Pippin," she said softly before being whisked away.

Pippin shook his head and looked again at Mundee, who seemed to be regaining lucidity as she looked around and stretched. She sat up and gazed past Pippin at Merry and Estella as they strolled down the road in the opposite direction of town.

"Who was that?" she said dreamily as she leaned against Pippin who looked away to hide the growing blush spreading through his cheeks.

"Estella? She's my friend's sister. A distant relation, I think, but I don't usually talk to her much. She's rather nice, though. Very good with pastries." Pippin rambled as he poked and fiddled with a button on his shirt. Mundee laughed and slapped his knee. "Not her- him," she said, pointing at a Merry-colored speck on the road.

The heat in Pippin's face quickly drained and his voice came out small. "He's my cousin... the Brandybuck I was telling you about."

He felt a nasty feeling in his stomach as Mundee looked up at him, her face beaming with hope, and said, "Tell me more."