In the end, they decide to stick rather close to the truth, a half lie if you will, is best. This, of course, means that Frodo is a cousin, not a nephew, of a distantly related Brandybuck who married a Baggins. His parents had caught a nasty cold that turned into more and they sent Frodo to live with Bilbo fearing the worst as they weren't the most well off family. A perfectly Respectable and believable reason for Bilbo to suddenly gain an heir. It's happened before in Shire history, for a well-off Hobbit to take in a less well off child to be their heir. It normally meant that the older one wasn'tright and was happy to remain unmarried. And that was what Bilbo was to a 'T' and to add even more believability Bilbo fondly tells the first Hobbit they tell the tale that Frodo is too much of a Brandybuck for the other Baggins and too much of a Baggins for the Brandybucks. They don't have to tell too many Hobbits the story and it takes about two weeks, two rather busy weeks at that, for anyone to inquire about it more deeply. And the person who does throws Frodo into another loop.
"Too much of a Brandybuck, eh? Does that mean you are trying to turn him into a Took?" Lobelia Sackville-Baggins asks playfully. Playfully. Frodo can't help but to stare at the woman trying to connect this smiling woman to the shrew who hounded after to be more Respectable, the woman Bilbo often compared to a Dragon, a woman Frodo was sure was made of pure evil for the longest time. And yet... here she is, smiling, and holding onto a squirming Lotho. Pudgy little Lotho who is so much cuter than the Pimple he remembers. Frodo gets so lost in his memories, in his thoughts, in trying to realign everything that he almost misses Bilbo's response.
"How do you know I'm not trying to turn him into a proper Baggins?"
Lobelia snorts.
"Because my dear, you aren't a proper Baggins."
And there, there is a spot of old Lobelia but this one has a playful tilt of her head and a quirk of her lips to take the sting out of her words. Bilbo puffs up, making Lotho laugh and clap his hands, ready to defend his "honor."
"I am so a proper Baggins!"
"Please, Bilbie, who talked me and Hammie into searching the woods for Elves? Who planned most of our raids? Who convinced us to hoard anything yellow because it was gold and would bring us Dwarves? Who had that cr-"
Bilbo moves quickly, slapping his hand over Lobelia's mouth.
"Alright, you win!" he says with a laugh before he shrieks and yanks his hand away. He makes a grossed out face and wipes his hand on his vest, "That Belia just isn't fair."
"Don't put your hand over my mouth then Bilbie dear."
Frodo watches them feeling oh so confused. Did he wake up in a completely different world? This... This isn't the Lobelia he knows. As if sensing his confusion and almost panic Lobelia begins to laugh.
"I think we broke your cousin. He's so used to being down in Buckland and dealing with their craziness that he missed out on our insanity. That we were once best of buds."
"Until you married Fusspot and he turned you Sackville Respectable," Bilbo says with an air of sadness cluing Frodo in that there may be more that he doesn't know about Lobelia. The woman in question sighs and shakes her head.
"He hasn't gotten that far, nor do I think he really wants me like that. After all, he knows that I come here for visits, even with the silly Respectable excuses, and doesn't put up much of a fuss. I just have to pretend to be a shrew," she says as her smile turns tight as does her grip on Lotho who in turn squirms harder. The little boy makes grabby at Frodo who makes sure it's okay for him to grab the younger boy. Holding Lotho in his arms it's hard to believe that this boy will grow up to be Pimple. Will cause so much pain. The baby smiles and Frodo smiles back, he likes this Lotho and maybe things will change and this Lotho won't break his mother's heart... And maybe Sam's brother's will be different too. Frodo walks off with Lotho, speaking to the boy softly and lets Bilbo and Lobelia have some time alone to talk. When it comes time for them to leave Frodo almost doesn't want to give Lotho to his mother and Lobelia promises that they will both be back before the end of the month. Bilbo watches them leave sadly.
"You know my boy, I think the fact that she allowed her husband to auction off so much of my stuff was because I missed so many of our teas. It was her way of letting off steam and letting me know she did not approve of her escape from her mother-in-law being taken away," Bilbo says slowly as if tasting each word then he laughs in an unpleasant way, "She wasn't always as... harsh as you remember her. Otho and his mother, they changed her when Fell Winter didn't."
Bilbo shakes himself, as if shaking bad thoughts away, his smile returns but it's so clearly fake that it makes Frodo flinch.
"Come on lad, we have things that need to be done."