The morning sickness plagued Poppy for two more weeks. She had to throw up every day but when Fili made the tea, she felt better. He wanted to help her as much as possible but he had to start working on the orders from Bree. He didn't want to disappoint his customers. The young dwarf thanked Mahal for their friends. Camelia helped with the household and Daisy and Bilbo went to the market for them and sometimes even cooked.

In the middle of summer Poppy started to show. She was happy and didn't have any health problems anymore. She couldn't wait to go out again. Fili had promised to go for a walk along the Water with her. Afterwards they wanted to meet Daisy and Bilbo at the market for lunch. It was a warm and sunny day and therefor she wore a light summer dress that made her small bump visible. She wondered how the hobbits might react when they found out that she had finally conceived a child.

They enjoyed their walk very much and stopped often to watch the ducks on the Water. Poppy said that she couldn't wait to feed the ducklings with their child. She had loved to do that as a child and looked at Fili with wide eyes when he told her that he had never done such things as a dwarfling.

"My uncle groomed me for being his heir all my life. Kili had a wonderful childhood but I had to learn a lot. Most of the time I wasn't allowed to do the things a dwarfling wanted to do. Sometimes I worry that I won't be a good father." Fili explained sadly.

Poppy smiled and squeezed his hands. "If you treat our child in the way you treat Primula, you will be the most wonderful father a fauntling could ask for. I don't know how to be a mother either. We will have to learn to be parents together."

Fili returned the smile and kissed her. "You're right! We're in this together and I'm sure we'll manage with the help of our friends."

They kissed again and soon arrived at the Green Dragon Inn, where Daisy and Bilbo were already waiting for them. Many hobbits hadn't seen Poppy for several weeks and looked at her closely. She had placed her hand on the small bump of her belly and smiled brightly. They soon realised, that she was finally with child and congratulated them. Fili chuckled because the same people had gossiped badly about them not long ago. But Fili knew that this was simply in the nature if hobbits and that they didn't mean anything by it.

Suddenly the hobbit from Bywater, because of whom Poppy had quit work half a year ago, stood in front of the hobbit woman. "It's weird, that you don't conceive for such a long time and then you come back from Bree and are with child. I wonder if your dwarf is in fact the father of the child in your womb or if you had some fun with a hobbit in Bree. I'd understand if you had." He yelled with a mischievous grin on his face.

First Poppy stared at him with wide eyes and then looked like she'd burst into tears any second. What if someone else thought the same?

Daisy quickly wrapped her arms around her best friend and told her to forget what the stupid hobbit had said, everyone knew how much she loved her husband and that she'd never cheat on him.

Fili had heard the hobbit, too. He walked over and smashed his fist in the hobbit's nose. Those who stood close heard the bone of his nose break. The hobbit screamed in pain and fell onto his back. "You will pay for this, dwarf! I will make sure that you will have to leave the Shire. We don't accept brutes here." He announced and then some of his friends brought him back home.

Fili buried his face in his hands and groaned. Then he heard Poppy sob. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. Poppy clung to his tunic and cried.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt him but he said such terrible things and I couldn't control my anger any longer. I'm so sorry!" Fili whispered and stroked Poppy's hair.

"If they're really going to send you away, I will follow you. We'll find a place for the three of us to live." Poppy murmured against his chest.

Fili looked at Bilbo helplessly, when Hugo, the innkeeper, patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry lad! He's an idiot and if he should go to the Thain to complain about you, we all will tell him what happened and vouch for you. You're a part of our village and everyone likes you." Hugo said with a smile and everyone else nodded.

Fili tried to smile "Why does he behave like that? I don't even know him."

Hugo sighed "He's jealous. He wants Poppy for himself."

Poppy looked towards him and gasped.

"So, I guessed correctly. You never noticed that he tried to court you." The innkeeper chuckled "When Poppy started to work at the Green Dragon, he suddenly started to come here every day. He always sat close to where Poppy was serving, talked to her and sometimes brought little presents for her."

"I always thought, that he wanted to be nice because my family had died." Poppy said and looked at Fili "I never had any feelings for him, I didn't even consider him as a friend and I didn't take his gifts since I didn't want charity." Then she reached for his wedding braid and kissed the bead "I've never had any romantic feelings for anyone until I met you."

Fili kissed the tip of her nose. "Me neither! I only love you and our child."

Hugo smiled at them. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about him earlier."

#

A few days later Fili and Poppy were having breakfast when their bell rang. Fili wondered who might disturb them that early and opened the door. A hobbit stood in the garden and gave him a letter.

Fili sat down at the kitchen table and opened the envelope and read the letter with shaking hands. The Thain wanted him to come to Michel Delving as soon as possible.

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