Chapter 26: Hiding

April TA 2980

"Bilbo, my zinzlaz, what in Durin's name are you doing?"

Allie crossed her arms as she stood there on the porch outside of Bag End. It was a lovely spring morning and the arms felt light and pleasant as she saw how Bilbo was searching for something between the daffodils.

He turned his head to meet her curious gaze, his blue eyes as bright and beautiful as ever. "To tell you the truth I'm playing hide and seek with Frodo, but it turns out that our nephew is excellent at hiding. You didn't happen to see him anywhere did you?"

"No, I haven't, " Allie answered. "Still I wouldn't have told you if I had seem him either because that would ruin the game. Where did you agree that the hiding area was exactly?"

Bilbo scratched the back of his head, his gray curls bouncing slightly. "I believe we said to hide somewhere at Bag End. Now that can be inside or somewhere in this garden."

"Fortunately for Frodo there are plenty of hiding place for someone his size," Allie figured with a smile.

"He's quite in luck," Bilbo agreed as he turned to his daffodils again.

Allie had seen Frodo hiding behind a fallen wheelbarrow before she had started this conversation with Bilbo and her nephew had been watching her intently this entire time, wondering if she was going to give his hiding spot away. When Bilbo had turned his back towards him Allie flashed Frodo a gesture to let him know that her lips were sealed.

"How long have you been searching precisely?" Allie wondered.

"About ten minutes I think," Bilbo answered unsure as he continued to pace around the garden.

"That means you're going to give up your search soon right?"

Bilbo abruptly halted to turn around with narrowed eyes. "Do you want me to lose, Allie Baggins?"

"What in Durin's name gives you that impression?"

Bilbo gave her a look she couldn't quite make out. "You want our cousin to win," he assumed.

Allie's mouth fell open to feign her shock. "You are a sore loser, Bilbo Baggins," she made clear. "You just have to accept your loss. There is no way that you'll be able to find Frodo within an acceptable time. The poor lad has been hiding all this time, waiting for you."

"You know where he is hiding, am I right?"

"That is absurd, love," she disagreed, hoping that Bilbo wouldn't be able to hear the lie. "I've only just came outside and I didn't even know what you were up to. For all we know Frodo has been hiding inside the house all this time."

Bilbo emphatically threw his hands in the air as he continued his search further down the garden while Allie watched him with a fond smile resting on her lips. It wasn't that long until Bilbo decided that he had enough of this game and that he called it quits, making Frodo the winner of their game. Almost immediately the six year old lad appeared from his hiding place and rushed towards Allie who quickly lifted him in arms. They both laughed as Frodo wrapped his arms around her neck.

"You played a great game, my gêdêl," she told him as she affectionately kissed his cheek in gratitude

As she turned her head she saw that Bilbo was standing not far away from them with his arms crossed and a look of disapproval on his face. "I shouldn't be surprised by this outcome," he said slowly.

Allie flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't beat yourself up about this, my zinlaz. You just have to accept that Frodo was the winner of this round," she said sweetly.

"And also that my wife has been aiding him."

She arched an eyebrow. "I did no such thing," Allie made clear. "Frodo won this round because of his own doing and that's all that there is to it." Allie perfectly knew that Bilbo was merely playing the part of the loser and that he wasn't bothered by this outcome at all. He was just having some fun in Frodo's benefit.

Bilbo barked out a laugh as he leaned forwards until his lips were against his wife's. Allie surely appreciated his way of thinking and didn't hesitate to kiss him back, and quickly realized that she had nowhere to place her hands because those were occupied. Their kiss lasted until Frodo coughed in her arms which made Bilbo pull back with reddened ears

"Mr. and Mrs. Baggins!"

Both Allie and Bilbo turned their heads to see three of Bell and Hamfast's children running towards them. It were Hamson, Halfred and Daisy. It had been fifteen years since Bell had given birth to their first child Hamson and four years later little Halfred had followed. Eight years ago their first daughter Daisy had been born and four years later their last daughter May had followed. Only that wasn't the end of the Gamgee children. Bell was pregnant for the fifth time and Allie often wondered if this would be their final one.

"Is your mom giving birth?" Allie asked them.

"Yes, her contractions have started, Miss," Hamson told her.

"She has asked for you," Halfred added.

"She's in pain," May said.

That wasn't exactly the news that Allie had been hoping for, but she knew that Bell had been due for at least a week now.

"Tell your father that I'll be there shortly," she said to them. All three children nodded in understanding before they ran back down the road. Allie turned her head to face her husband. "Are you coming with me?"

Bilbo looked somewhat amazed at that request and his eyes had slightly widened. "Are you sure? You've never asked me to come with you before?"

Allie addressed him a generous smile and kissed his cheek. "Yes, I think it will be good to bring you and Frodo with me this time. That way you can keep Hamfast and the kids company while I aid Bell."

"That sounds fair." Bilbo eyed his cousin. "Do you mind coming with us? You can play with the Gamgee kids in the meantime?"

Frodo nodded while he refused to let go of his aunt. "Yes," was his only response.

That was how the three of them walked down the road of Bagshot Row together, while Frodo was still in Allie's arms. Bilbo knocked on the door a few times as he balanced on the ball of his feet. She knew that this was the first time that Bilbo was actually present during a birth and that he had no idea how to act. Surely this wasn't his wife that was going into labour and he wasn't feeling the same nerves which he should've felt in that situation. That didn't change the fact that he felt slightly unease because of it.

While Hamfast guided inside the rather crowded hobbit-hole Bilbo lay a gentle kiss against his wife's lips while he took Frodo from her. He knew Allie better than anyone which was why it was no secret to him that Allie had desperately wanted a child with him and that she was masking her true emotions during this moment. She wasn't going to let anyone see that she wished that she had been the one giving birth instead, which was something Bilbo admired. "I love you, Mrs. Baggins," he told her quietly.

"And I love you, Mr. Baggins," she assured him. "And I love you too, young Mr. Baggins. " With that she kissed her nephews cheek. "It shouldn't be too long." He watched her walk out of the hallway and towards the sound of Bell's painful screams.

Bilbo stepped into the living room which was filled with all the young Gamgee children and Hamfast and Bell their close kin. He placed Frodo onto the ground who observed his uncle with those big eyes of his, looking somewhat shy around all these children. Since Frodo had arrived at Bag End around a year ago he hadn't really played a lot with other children and had usually played inside Bag End with his aunt and uncle instead. Still Bilbo didn't want to turn Frodo into a recluse which was why he was insistent that Frodo would try and open up towards other children for once.

Hamfast was pacing nervously around the living room as he studied everyone. "I guess it doesn't really get easier for you, does it?" Bilbo doubtfully asked him. He had no idea what that would feel like after all.

The gardener halted and smiled slyly at his employer. "Not quite," he replied. "I'm still as nervous as I was the first time. Apparently that doesn't change with every child. It's all part of it."

Bilbo said nothing more after that since those feelings were foreign for him, but he was certain that Hamfast was right. Instead he observed how Frodo was talking with Daisy who was around his age. He didn't appear exactly confident in his actions and let Daisy do most of the talking for them. Still Bilbo couldn't help but feel pride settling in for his nephew who was improving more every day. Bilbo had accepted the fact that he would never become parents, but he secretly felt blessed every day that he and Allie had Frodo in their lives. Of course he knew that Frodo belonged with his parents, but since they had fallen out this had given Bilbo the opportunity to raise Frodo as if he was his own. It was the closest that he was ever going to get to having children.

After about an hour Allie stepped into the room to announce the birth and she was glowing consistently as she did so. "You have another very healthy boy," she said with a gleeful smile on her pink lips.

Almost in an instinct Hamfast, his parents, his in-laws and all five of his children rushed into the bedroom where the found Bell lying in the maternal bed holding a tiny bundle of cloths in her arms. "You did it, Bell, " Hamfast said astounded as he affectionally and proudly kissed his wife's forehead. He sat down next to her on their bed as she handed their son to them. Their other children took a close look to observe their newest sibling while Allie, Frodo and Bilbo watched from a distance. "Welcome to the family, Samwise Gamgee. "

Dictionary:

Dorzada: Someone that you love

Zinlaz: My star

Zantulbasn: Hobbit

Gêdêl = joy of all joys