I'm trying to combine the book and movie if anyone hasn't noticed yet. Enjoy reading

Chapter 10 Farewell Bilbo

Gandalf stepped over the threshold quietly, looking around to spy Bilbo. He was to the left, in the main sitting room near the fireplace.

"Hello! I wondered if you would turn up."

"I am glad to find you visible," replied the wizard, sitting down in a chair, "I wanted to catch you and have a few final words. I suppose you feel that everything has gone off splendidly and according to plan?"

"Yes, I do."

"You have wisely kept that ring secret all these years, and it seemed to me necessary to give your guests something else that would seem to explain your sudden vanishment."

"And would spoil my joke. You are an interfering old busybody," laughed Bilbo. "But I expect you know best, as usual."

"I do – when I know anything. But I don't feel too sure about this whole affair. It has now come to the final point. You have had your joke, and alarmed or offended most of your relations, and given the whole Shire something to talk about for nine days, or ninety-nine more likely." Gandalf paused and regarded his friend closely. "Are you going further?"

"Yes, I am. I feel I need a holiday, a very long holiday, as I have told you before. Probably a permanent holiday; I don't expect I shall return. In fact, I don't mean to, and I have made all arrangements." Bilbo's shoulders dropped and he looked defeated. "I am old, Gandalf. I don't look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean; like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something."

Gandalf looked curiously at him. "No, it does not seem right," he said thoughtfully. "No, after all I believe your plan is probably the best."

"Well, I've made up my mind, anyway. I want to see mountains again, Gandalf – mountains; and then find somewhere where I can rest. In peace and quiet, without a lot of relatives prying around, and a string of confounded visitors hanging on the bell. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book." He took a deep breath and straightened. "You'll keep an eye on Frodo, won't you?"

"Yes, I will – two eyes, as often as I can spare them."

"He would come with me, of course, if I asked him. I want to see the wild country again before I die, and the Mountains; but he is still in love with the Shire, with woods and fields and little rivers. He ought to be comfortable here, why with Maliah here now I can't imagine a reason he wouldn't. I am leaving everything to him, of course, except a few oddments. I hope he will be happy, when he gets used to being without me. It's time he was his own master now."

"The ring as well?"

"Well, er, yes, I suppose so."

"Where is it?"

"In an envelope, if you must know," said Bilbo impatiently. "There on the mantelpiece. Well, no! Here it is in my pocket!" He hesitated, with a hand wavering over said pocket. "Isn't that odd now?" He said softly to himself. "Yet after all, why not? Why shouldn't it stay there?"

Gandalf looked again very hard at Bilbo, and there was a gleam in his eyes. "I think, Bilbo," he said quietly, "You should leave it behind. Don't you want to?"

"Well yes – and no. Now it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all, I may say. And I don't really see why I should. Why do you want me to?" He asked, and a curious change came over his voice. It was sharp with suspicion and annoyance. "You are always badgering me about my ring; but you have never bothered me about the other things that I got on my journey."

"No, but I had to badger you,

"I wanted the truth. It was important. Magic rings are – well, magical; and they are rare and curious. I was professionally interested in your ring, you may say; and I still am. I should like to know where it is, if you go wandering again. Also, I think you have had it quite long enough. You won't need it any more, Bilbo, unless I am quite mistaken."

Bilbo flushed, and there was an angry light in his eyes. His kindly face grew hard. "Why not? And what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do with my own things? It is my own. I found it. It came to me."

"There is no need to get angry."

"If I am it is your fault. It is mine, I tell you. My own. My Precious."

The wizard's face remained grave and attentive, and only a flicker in his deep eyes showed that he was startled and indeed alarmed. "Precious? It has been called that before, but not by you. I think you've had that ring quite long enough."

"You want it for yourself!"

Gandalf rose to his full height, eyes flashing and his shadow suddenly seeming to fill the room. "Bilbo Baggins, do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!" Bilbo cowered, disarmed by his power, softening Gandalf's expression. "I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you."

Sobbing, Bilbo ran to Gandalf and hugged him.

"All your long years we've been friends ... trust me as you once did. Let it go."

"You're right, Gandalf. The Ring must go to Frodo." Bilbo lifted his knapsack and headed to the front door, picking up a walking stick. "It's late, the road is long ... yes, it is time."

"Bilbo?"

"Hmmm?"

Gandalf took a few steps forward. "The Ring is still in your pocket."

Bilbo hesitated and reached into his pocket. "Oh, yes." He pulled out the ring, staring at it in his palm. With all his will power, Bilbo allowed the ring to slowly slide off his palm and drop to the floor. The tiny ring landed with a heavy thud on the wooden floor. Staggering out of Bag End, he braced himself in the night air, pale and trembling as if his loss of the ring has weakened him. Gandalf stepped up behind him. "I've thought up an ending for my book. 'And he lived happily ever after, to the end of his days'."

"I'm sure you will, my dear friend."

"Goodbye, Gandalf."

"Goodbye, Bilbo."

Bilbo walked away from his home, disappearing into the night, softly singing "The Road goes on and on…"

Not long afterwards, Frodo, Maliah, and Mirari returned and found him sitting in the dark, deep in thought. Frodo took a step forward and his foot met the ring. He stooped down and picked it up.

"He's gone, hasn't he?" Frodo asked.

"Yes."

"I wish – I mean, I hoped until this evening that it was only a joke," said Frodo. "But I knew in my heart that he really meant to go, but I wish I had come back sooner, just to see him off."

"I think really he preferred slipping off quietly in the end. Don't be too troubled. He'll be all right, he's gone to stay with the elves. He's left you Bag End." Frodo took the envelope from Gandalf, and glanced at it, but did not open it. The wizard held up a smaller envelope and gestured for Frodo to drop Bilbo's old ring into. He quickly sealed it with wax and gave it to Frodo. "Along with all of his possessions."

Maliah came up behind Frodo and set a hand on his shoulder. She could only imagine the pain he was feeling right now. They watched as Gandalf gathered up his hat, cloak, and staff, speaking lowly to Mirari.

"I must be going, there are things I must see to. Mirari will be staying here for a while, until someone can come and escort her back to Rivendell."

"Gandalf, you've only just arrived!" Maliah pleaded with the Wizard.

"There are questions that need answering." He stepped closer to Frodo. "Keep it secret, keep it safe." Gandalf hurried out the door, leaving the three bewildered behind him.

Mirari sighed, her young years affecting her mood at her exhaustion. "I'm going to bed, this can be figured out in the morning." With a good night, she disappeared to the room she had changed in earlier.

Maliah stood in the foyer with Frodo, holding his hand as he stared at the envelope in his other. She had no idea what to say to him that would be comforting. Bilbo leaving them behind was the last thing she would have expected; then again, she arrived only a short time ago. He could have made plans long ago and only joked about leaving the Shire to Frodo. She tugged on his hand, "Go to bed. This can all be figured out in the morning."

He shook his head. "No, as master of Bag End it is my duty to say good-bye to the guests." The pain was clear in his voice as he forced the sentence out. "Rumours of strange events would be spread all over the field by morning."

Huffing in frustration, Maliah pulled on his arm to make him face her. "I have no doubt everything will be cleared up in the morning, after you have rested. The carriages will have rolled away by now full with very unsatisfied hobbits, I'm sure, and the gardeners will remove in wheelbarrows those that had inadvertently remained behind. Bed."

In his sadness and guilt, Frodo felt a smile pull at his face at his half standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "If you insist."

"I do."

Night slowly passed. The sun rose. The hobbits rose rather later. Morning went on. People came and began to clear away the pavilions and the tables and the chairs, and the spoons and knives and bottles and plates, and the lanterns, and the flowering shrubs in boxes, and the crumbs and cracker-paper, the forgotten bags and gloves and handkerchiefs, and the uneaten food though it was a very small item. By mid-day, when even the best-fed were out and about again, there was a large crowd at Bag End, uninvited but not unexpected. Mirari was sitting on a window seat, more to avoid hitting any low hanging structures than from lack of sleep, looking out the window at the trial of hobbits lined up outside the door; apparently waiting for something.

"What are they doing here?" She looked to her cousin standing by her side, looking ready for battle.

"Hobbits have a different way of celebrating their birthdays, instead of receiving gifts they give them away."

Very different, Mirari thought, but it didn't explain why Maliah appeared as she did. "It is strange compared to dwarves, but why do you look so upset."

"Some of his family doesn't deserve dirt."

Knowing enough about hobbits and their skill for gardens, Mirari took this as an insult towards one or more of Bilbo's relations. Pressing her head against the glass, she could just see Frodo outside. "Shouldn't you be with him, seeing how you will be married one day?"

"He asked me to wait inside. I think he believes my dwarf nature will get the best of me."

Her Elf cousin wisely chose not to comment.

Frodo was waiting on the step, smiling, but still looking rather tired and worried as he welcomed all the callers. He knew already those who were paying a visit wouldn't appreciate the fact he had not much more to say than before and had already had his answer to any inquiries and would refuse to speak further on the subject. If they weren't satisfied with his answer, they were going to be more miffed at several of the messages left with the large pile of assorted packages, parcels, and small articles of furniture. Having risen earlier from little sleep, Frodo had inspected the pile and was more than happy to share his amusement with Maliah when she woke. Even with Bilbo gone, he left a presence and lingering words that Frodo was sure members of the shire would remember.

There were several labels of this sort:

For ADELARD TOOK, for his VERY OWN, from Bilbo;on an umbrella. Adelard had carried off many unlabelled ones.

For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large waste-paper basket. Dora was Drogo's sister and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century.

For MILO BURROWS, hoping it will be useful, from B.B.; on a gold pen and ink-bottle. Milo never answered letters.

For ANGELICA'S use, from Uncle Bilbo; on a round convex mirror. She was a young Baggins, and too obviously considered her face shapely.

For the collection of HUGO BRACEGIRDLE, from a contributor; on an (empty) book-case. Hugo was a great borrower of books, and worse than usual at returning them.

For LOBELIA SACKVILLE-BAGGINS, as a PRESENT; on a case of silver spoons. Bilbo believed that she had acquired a good many of his spoons, while he was away on his former journey.

Every one of the various parting gifts had labels, written out personally by Bilbo, and several had some point, or some joke. But, of course, most of the things were given where they would be wanted and welcome. The poorer hobbits, and especially those of Bagshot Row, did very well. Old Gaffer Gamgee got two sacks of potatoes, a new spade, a woollen waistcoat, and a bottle of ointment for creaking joints. Old Rory Brandybuck, in return for much hospitality, got a dozen bottles of Old Winyards: a strong red wine from the Southfarthing, and now quite mature, as it had been laid down by Bilbo's father.

"Good morning everyone!" His voice carried down the walk and those who had gathered turned their attention to him. "On the subject of my Uncle, I simply have this to say: Mr. Bilbo Baggins has gone away; as far as I know, for good. Some of you will be invited to come inside, as per instructions left behind. When he was done speaking, madness ensued and hobbits flooded to the front door. Frodo panicked at the bodies coming at him but held fast in holding them back. No one would ransack Bag End if he could help it.

Suddenly, from above, pebbles showered down and struck the eager crowd. When they backed up sufficiently, Merry and Pippin dropped from the hill serving as the roof to Bag End and smiled at Frodo. "Oh, hello Frodo. Strange weather we're having. Afternoon Maliah."

Frodo looked back and saw his normally calm and happy half, glaring over his shoulder. He gave her a smile before refocusing his attention back to the crowd. "We are doing this in a civilized manner, you all will wait and receive what is waiting for you or be called into my home."

While all those attending appeared sour, they nodded and voiced their agreements. Frodo felt it may have had something to do with his betrothed and her cousin now standing outside with him with their gazes burning into them.

This chapter was never ending and was still going about 1000 words after were it ended here. didn't want to make too long of a chapter.