~Max~

As master of Bag End Frodo felt it was his painful duty to say goodbye to the guests. Rumors of strange events by now spread all over the field, but Frodo would only say 'No doubt everything will be cleared up in the morning.' At about midnight carriages came for the important folk. One by one they rolled away, filled with very unsatisfied hobbits. Most amusing though was the Gardners that arrived to put the ones that refused to leave in wheelbarrows and carried them off.

Afterwards Frodo wanted to go down to the clearing to see if anything needed to be cleared now and what could wait tell morning, but I turned him away and sent him off to bed telling him I would take care of it. When done putting all the food away and putting out some fires by Pippin who found some of Gandalf's fireworks. I went back to Bag End to find Frodo laying on his bed still wearing his clothes from the party fast asleep. I pull a blanket over him before going to bed in one of the spare rooms Merry and Pippin aren't in.

I climb into the guest bed and for a long time sleep evades me as my mind tingles from being in contact with the ring. Which concerns me to no end, for touching it had me feel like the ring was part of me, and being contacted to it scared the shit out of me. What did it mean?

Sighing I roll over in bed turning my face into the pillow trying to block everything out. For whatever it may mean I'm sure it can wait tell morning.

Right?

Wrong.

I dreamed I was standing in a vast open area rocky area, that devoid of all life with a massive volcano in the distance spewing lava and ash. No light shone in the place as the sky was covered in dark crowds, casting the place in a unnatural darkness. Mordor.

Before me stands three beings with their backs to me, One female, two males. One is clearly a dwarf by his shorter and stocky stature. The other male I can tell is an elf from his long white hair and pointed hair, and the female is Human.

I feel a strange kinship with them as if I somehow know all of them, but I'm sure I've never meet any of them before.

As if they can sense my presents two of them turn to face me. The Elf and the Human. I'm instantly taken back by there intense gazes, for they are full of fire and malice. I take an an involuntary step back as warning bells go off in my head, telling me to run, but I find my legs can no longer move as if something is holding me in place.

The elf tilts his head curiously at me as if I was an insect that just started speaking to him. "So you're the missing daughter."

I shrug and make my voice steady. "No, I'm just a simply country girl taught which end of the bow to point to." I imagine a bow and arrow and drawl it aiming at his cock and balls. "And unless you let me go, I'm going to ruin your nights."

The female growls. "It would be the last thing you ever did, Filth!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh look at you trying to act tough, so adorable, is that why you wore the brown pants today?"

She looks down at her brown pants and grows, she makes a move to lunge at me but is stopped with an arm by the elf. She looks at him angry. "She doesn't look like much, I could squish her like a bug."

:Thats really not something you want to find out," I said, hoping they take the threat and not the bluff it probably is.

Elf grins. "Easy Morana, she may be more fierce then her size implies."

I pause as the name Morana in my time or world is a Slavic goddess of winter and death. Great.

Morana scuffs. "I doubt it."

The Elf looks to me for a long moment before moving to me. I let my arrow loose but with a wave of his hand and a flash of light the arrow disintegrates along with my bow. I have enough time to look at my empty hands before the elf reaches me and grabs my jaw lifting me off my feet. I grab onto his arm and struggle against him kicking at him trying to get put back down, but he ignores my struggles and studies me closely.

"Let go of me!" I choke out.

"Your a pretty spirited little thing," he remarks. "Will have to keep an eye out for you."

He drops me and I land on my back gasping and rubbing my jaw. I hear the elf talking again but I'm no longer interested, instead I look to the Dwarf that has yet to turn to look at me and stands off by himself. From him I don't sense the same hate, and malevolence as I do with the others, from him I feel sadness and regret.

Before I can think to closely about it the dream dissolves.

The next morning I got up to find Merry and Pippin already awake and conversing quietly amongst themselves at the sight of me they stop talking and look to me, I instantly tense for whats sure to be bombardment of questions. And I'm not wrong.

"Alright, Max," Merry said. "Out with it."

I frown. "Out with it?"

"Where did Gandalf and Bilbo go?"

"Away from here?" I offered and Merry gives me a look that could strip tree bark. "Alright look, I don't know for sure about Gandalf but I could guess that Bilbo has probably gone to Rivendell. Gandalf mentioned he went to stay with the elves."

"Why did Gandalf leave in such a hurry?"

Well that would be because he's off to gather info to see if Bilbo's old ring really is the one ring, and who knows what else, out loud though I say. "Who knows with a wizard. They come and go as they please, and take joy in being mysterious."

Merry sighs but seems satisfied with this answer. "What about Frodo?"

I move to make breakfast. "What about him?"

"Is he planning to leave as well?"

I thing this over for a moment. "Not that he has told me." I frown and look back to Merry and Pippin. "Why does he seem like he might?"

They share a look before turning back to me and Pippin's the one that responds. "Well its no secret that Frodo was very close with his Da, and were worried about how his sudden absence will effect Frodo."

I nod as this had also crossed my mind as well. "As have I . . . but all we can do is be here for him and remind him he still has family and friends that love him."

Merry frowns nodding thoughtfully. "Thats all well and good but you need to be ready to go with him if he decides to leave."

I jerk my head back widening my eyes in surprise wondering if I'm actually hearing what he's saying. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we need you to be there Frodo when we can't," Merry said. "We know how much you care about him and he you. If suddenly leaves we would and Bilbo to I know, would feel so much better if you went with him to look after him."

That is the third time in the last two days someone has asked me to look after Frodo, which makes me wonder why exactly everyone feels as if they could trust me with this, but I'm determined to do just that.

"I will," I tell them both. "You can count on me."

They nod and we have to cut our conversation short as Frodo takes that moment to walk into the room.

After breakfast Frodo and I sat on the front steps of Bag End. Frodo was smiling but I noticed he looked rather tired and worried. He welcomed all the callers, but he had not much more to say than before. His reply to all inquiries was simply this:

"My Father has gone away; as far as I know, for good."

Whenever a brave or stubborn soul would ask me I repeated Frodo's words.

Some of the visitor's Frodo had brought inside as Bilbo had left a message or gift (as it was tradition among Hobbits to also give gifts as well as receive them on their birthday's), while I made sure unwanted guests weren't allowed in.

As the day wore on it got worse. A false rumor had spread like wildflower that the whole household was being distributed for free and before long the place was packed with people that had no business being there and I was hard put to get the stragglers to politely leave. Labels got torn off gifts and switched, quarrel broke out, several tried to make off with gifts that weren't theirs or Frodo wasn't giving away. It was easy enough for me with my empathic senses to tell when someone was up to no good but the four of us were still hard at work catching the miscreants before they made off with what wasn't theirs.

By mid-afternoon, Frodo looked ready to scream, Merry, Pippin and I took over from there and had Frodo go into the study to retire for a bit in peace and quiet.

As I was settling another dispute between two hobbits I noticed an elderly hobbit come into Bag End. I recognized her as Lobelia Sackville-Bagginses.

She marched right up to me seeing as I was currently in charge and demanded I take her to see Frodo. Not a smart thing to do to a Sol in my family on the best of days, let along now when I've had to deal with the generally stupidity of others all day.

When I turned she saw a look in my eyes that gave her pause.

"Yes, and I want a pet Unicorn but you don't see me complaining about it," I said in harsh yet polite voice.

Lobelia sneered at me. "Where is he?"

"Indisposed," I said. "Shall I make an appointment? How does in the far distant future next to never sound?"

"You mean hiding?" Lobelia said ignoring the last part of what I said. "Anyway I want to see him and I mean to see him. Just go and tell him so!"

I shake my head. "No I don't think so, not until you check your attitude. Don't you know you catch more flies with honey than vinegar? So ask me nicely and I may."

"I will do no such thing!" Lobelia said sheerly.

I laugh. "Then I guess you are going to be standing here waiting a long time." I cross my arms. "Shall we see who breaks first?"

It only took half an hour for Lobelia Sackville-Bagginses to break (disappointing really my brother made me fight him for six hours to get him into a corner for time out before he gave in) and say in a strained polite voice (that looked painful) if she could see Frodo. Leaving her in the hallway a long while, I went to go speak with Frodo, she had enough time to discover her parting gift of spoons. It did not improve her temper. Eventually I came back out to show them into the study. Frodo was sitting at a table with lot of papers in front of him. He looked indisposed — to see the Sackville-Bagginses at any— rate; and he stood up fidgeting with something in his pocket. Despite the annoyance I could sense within him I was impressed at how politely Frodo spoke to her.

"Lobelia? To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" said Frodo, I could see he was trying hard not to say something rude, as he gestured to a free chair. "Please sit."

She took the offered chair sitting rather stiffly as if she had a broom stick up her ass. I stood in the door way watching.

"Is Otho not with you?" Frodo asked.

Lobelia tried to adapt what I could sense she hoped was a friendly and sympathetic expression but it looked more like she was trying to lay an egg.

"Oh no dear Frodo, we thought it best not to over crowd you in your time in mourning," she said in a sickly sweet voice

I gaged at her tone and had to resist the urge to vomit as she called Frodo 'dear', but only because I didn't want to clean the study.

"Really, Lobelia, I'm hardly in mourning!" Frodo said. "My father's just gone off adventuring for awhile."

I wondered if Otho had just lost his nerve at the last moment. Right now he was probably savoring a mug of good ale somewhere, enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet from his wife.

"Oh dear," she said, "Is that really what you think? That he's coming back, don't you? Dear boy, such delusions aren't good for you. Why, it hardly sounds as if you're of sound mind. Otho and I were afraid of this very thing."

"Lobelia," said Frodo evenly, "there is nothing wrong with my mind - or my claim to Bag End, if that was going to be your next point. This is my home, and I am not leaving."

I was about to say something when Pippin came back needing my help and I was off to the cellar to stop some very young hobbits from kicking holes in the walls looking for treasure.

Later I came across Lobelia again trying to stuff several valuable objects down her umbrella. As I was taking them from her, Frodo came out to see how things were going, saw what was happening and escorted Lobelia firmly off the premises. Her face looked as if she was in the throes of thinking out a really crushing parting remark; but all she found to say was:

"You'll live to regret it, young fellow! Why didn't you go to? You don't belong here; you're no Baggins you — you're a Brandybuck!"

"Did you hear that, Merry?" Frodo said amused. "That was an insult if you like."

"It was a compliment," Merry said, grinning, "and so, of course, not true."

Speechless with indignation, Lobelia swept imperiously out the door and down the path. Frodo put his back to the door, closing it, and slid down weakly until he was sitting on the floor. No one said anything for a long moment.

"Oh I'm so happy she's not my relative," I said.

"Nor mine," Pippin commented.

Frodo chuckled. "Oh but you are Pip. I believe she's your . . . second cousins twice removed, through marriage. Practically siblings."

Pippin visibly paled and actually had to sit down at this news, which I didn't blame him in the slightest, if I was related in however small of a way to that old hag.

I looked to Sam. "We should count ourselves lucky Sam, were not hopeless entangled in that family tree with the likes of the Sackville-Bagginses."

Pippin grinned. "Oh Frodo, you or I should marry Max, then she would be a Sol-Took or Sol-Baggins, just to mess with her and the Sackville-Bagginses."

Frodo blushed profusely at this, I swooped in saving him from answering.

"I think I would rather fill her house with bird seed and let loose a flock of chickens."

Merry grinned wickedly. "Now theres a thought."

"Max!" Sam said with disapproval." You need to set a better example for them and act your age!"

"Act my age?" I protest. "I don't know how. I've never been this age before."

Frodo, Merry and Pippin burst out laughing, and Sam just shakes his head . . . but I do catch a slight smile on his face at my words.

Finally after hauling Sancho Proudfoot out of the house after I had caught him trying to begin an excavation of the larger pantry, (where he thought he had heard an echo), Frodo collapsed in a chair in the hall.

"Its time to close the shop, Max," he said. "Lock the door and don't open it to anyone today, not even if they bring a battering ram."

As Frodo got up to make tea I insisted he sit and let me do it, after some protests he finally relented and went into the front room to sit in his arm chair while I made the tea now very familiar with where everything was in the kitchen. I had barely handed Frodo his cup of tea and sat down to drink my own when there was a knock at the door.

Frodo let out a long sigh and made no move to get up to answer it. As I chuckled, he gives me a questioning look.

"I'm just now understanding why Bilbo put out that no admittance sign up," I explained. "If this is how things normally are around here, seems he had the right idea."

Frodo grinned in reply.