For any new readers out there, Esmeralda (Merry's mother) is sister to
Paladin (Pippin's father). There is going to be reference to these two
characters quite a lot in this chapter, so I just wanted you to be clear!
*This is the last chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews you left me with the other chapters. I hope you enjoyed this story-and I'm pretty proud-for a spontaneous piece of writing, I managed to write five whole chapters! Woohoo! Thanks again. ~Highland-Spring.
Finding where you belong
I'd taken Pippin to the market and all had gone well. We'd had no trouble from anyone. Pippin seemed a lot calmer and more confident but he did seem to stick by me a little more closely than usual. Still we managed to trade some vegetables for that evening's dinner and things seemed to be at last getting back to normal. Sitting round the table at dinner, my father was oddly quiet. Pippin didn't seem to notice anything different about him, but I noticed he seemed to be acting strangely towards my mother.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
My mother smiled a little and nodded. I could tell something was wrong.
"Da?" I questioned.
My father swallowed his mouthful and sat forward a little.
"Your mother went to see Paladin today." My father said softly.
Pippin's fork clattered against his plate and he looked up in a sudden wave of panic.
"Why?" He asked.
My mother smiled softly to him. She was trying to make him see sense. I shook my head and gave out a sigh. I knew she'd do this. She always had to get involved. I looked to Pippin.
"I had to let him know, Pip." She answered.
Pippin shook his head-he looked rather angry.
"You didn't have to let him know anything! He doesn't know what Elissa is like with me, but I don't want him to know." He answered.
"What, why?" Saradoc asked.
"Because," Pippin answered, his voice dropping a little. "Because he's happy now. Happier than he's been for a long time."
I gave a little sigh. This was why he was so hesitant on getting help. This was what had been shielding him for so long. He held far too much compassion than his father truly deserved he'd deliberately go out of his way to protect that.
"And now he'll be sad again." Pippin concluded softly.
My mother stood up and went round to him; she knelt down and tilted her head to one side.
"I'm sorry. All I want is for you to be happy. I thought that if I went to see your father, he'd see how upset this is making you. See how much you and Elissa need to sort things out. I should've waited. I should've said something to you about it rather than just going off. Pippin, what can I do- how can I make it up to you?"
Pippin looked at her thoughtfully for a while and then smiled a little.
"It's alright, Aunt. You don't need to do anything. I'll go home tomorrow. I'll see what my Da is like. Actually, there is one thing," Pippin started.
"Mmm?" She questioned.
"Would you and Merry come with me? I don't want to go on my own."
She nodded and leaned over to kiss his forehead.
"Of course we will. Your Uncle would if he wasn't busy, but Merry and me will most certainly accompany you." She answered.
We arrived at the Smials by late afternoon. Already the sun was sinking behind the rolling hills of Tookborough. The grass smelled sweet of summer and dewdrops, and the vast sky was smudged with pinkie-clouds and pale blue in the fading light. Pippin sighed as we walked up to the door. He stopped for a moment or two before knocking.
"Can't you just go in?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"It wouldn't feel right for me to just go inside. I'll wait." He answered.
My mother was close to me. I could tell she was nervous. We waited a few more moments and the door finally opened. Paladin answered. He looked tired. In fact he didn't look too well at all.
"Pippin!" He said, sounding strangely surprised.
Pippin nodded and smiled lightly.
"Hullo Da." He answered.
We allowed them a few moments before he finally invited us in. The place was quiet. Too quiet for the Smilas. There was paper everywhere: all over the floor all over the worktops. Paladin sat down in the chair and sighed loudly.
"She's gone, Son." He said after much anticipation.
Pippin looked back to my mother before going to his father's side.
"Why?" He asked softly.
Paladin looked to Pippin for a few moments. It was as though they hadn't seen each other for a long, long time. It was as if they'd been away from each other and had only just been reunited.
"What happened to you? Where did those bruises come from?" He asked.
Pippin ran a hand along his cheek, the faded bruise still providing a painful sharp jolt upon the lightest touch.
"I got into a spot of trouble. It's all right now. Merry helped me sort things out." Pippin explained.
Paladin sat forward. He saw the other mark running along Pippin's collarbone.
"Did she do that?" He asked.
My mother and I both noticed the emphasis or "she" as he spoke of Elissa. Pippin shook his head.
"No, just some Hobbit lads. Just some older Hobbit lads." He promised.
Paladin looked to us suddenly.
"You looked after Pippin for me? I can't believe I allowed this to happen again. When Eglantine left I promised this would never happen again. I vowed that it wouldn't. I'm so sorry to both of you. I'm especially sorry to you," Paladin said taking his eyes from us and looking to Pippin.
Pippin swallowed hard and nodded slightly. He allowed his father to reach up and run his hand through his chestnut curls. Pippin finally relaxed. He let the barriers down. He stopped pretending. He stopped fighting. He collapsed into his father's arms and cried. He sobbed for the happiness he felt upon having his father back. Being told he was loved, being told he meant something. He sobbed for the reasons of having someone he could look up to. Someone who his own personality and looks reflected upon he felt he belonged again. He'd found his place back home. He'd found where he belonged.
My mother smiled to me. I stepped back a bit. I felt my mother's arm drape lightly over my shoulder and I leant back against it.
"Lets go and make a brew-give them a moment, eh?" She suggested.
I nodded and followed her to the kitchen.
Pippin looked up to Paladin.
"We'll be alright, won't we? I mean now Elissa's gone, we're going to be alright?" He questioned.
Paladin nodded.
"We'll be fine, son. We just don't mention her name again. We'll forget about her. We'll forget this ever happened. We'll take a trip-just you and me-and we'll start spending some quality time together. The way it should be." He promised.
Pippin smiled widely and nodded. He hugged his father tightly before pulling away and standing up. My mother and I returned to see him grinning.
"What?" I asked.
"Da and me are going on a trip." He said.
I nodded and smiled.
"You were twenty before you got to go on your first trip. I'm younger than you are." Pippin pointed out.
"I'm cleverer than you are." I said lightly.
"I'm more fun than you are," Pippin replied.
"I'm better at making up excuses than you are." I said.
This could go on. In fact it often did, but I couldn't seem to stop smiling. I hadn't seen Pippin this happy in so, so long. Things were back to normal. Elissa had gone Pippin and his father had found each other again and Pippin was smiling in the way he always used to. As he sat down with his father and began talking about where they'd go and what they'd see, all I could think about as I was watching them was the Summers that had Been.
End.
*This is the last chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews you left me with the other chapters. I hope you enjoyed this story-and I'm pretty proud-for a spontaneous piece of writing, I managed to write five whole chapters! Woohoo! Thanks again. ~Highland-Spring.
Finding where you belong
I'd taken Pippin to the market and all had gone well. We'd had no trouble from anyone. Pippin seemed a lot calmer and more confident but he did seem to stick by me a little more closely than usual. Still we managed to trade some vegetables for that evening's dinner and things seemed to be at last getting back to normal. Sitting round the table at dinner, my father was oddly quiet. Pippin didn't seem to notice anything different about him, but I noticed he seemed to be acting strangely towards my mother.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
My mother smiled a little and nodded. I could tell something was wrong.
"Da?" I questioned.
My father swallowed his mouthful and sat forward a little.
"Your mother went to see Paladin today." My father said softly.
Pippin's fork clattered against his plate and he looked up in a sudden wave of panic.
"Why?" He asked.
My mother smiled softly to him. She was trying to make him see sense. I shook my head and gave out a sigh. I knew she'd do this. She always had to get involved. I looked to Pippin.
"I had to let him know, Pip." She answered.
Pippin shook his head-he looked rather angry.
"You didn't have to let him know anything! He doesn't know what Elissa is like with me, but I don't want him to know." He answered.
"What, why?" Saradoc asked.
"Because," Pippin answered, his voice dropping a little. "Because he's happy now. Happier than he's been for a long time."
I gave a little sigh. This was why he was so hesitant on getting help. This was what had been shielding him for so long. He held far too much compassion than his father truly deserved he'd deliberately go out of his way to protect that.
"And now he'll be sad again." Pippin concluded softly.
My mother stood up and went round to him; she knelt down and tilted her head to one side.
"I'm sorry. All I want is for you to be happy. I thought that if I went to see your father, he'd see how upset this is making you. See how much you and Elissa need to sort things out. I should've waited. I should've said something to you about it rather than just going off. Pippin, what can I do- how can I make it up to you?"
Pippin looked at her thoughtfully for a while and then smiled a little.
"It's alright, Aunt. You don't need to do anything. I'll go home tomorrow. I'll see what my Da is like. Actually, there is one thing," Pippin started.
"Mmm?" She questioned.
"Would you and Merry come with me? I don't want to go on my own."
She nodded and leaned over to kiss his forehead.
"Of course we will. Your Uncle would if he wasn't busy, but Merry and me will most certainly accompany you." She answered.
We arrived at the Smials by late afternoon. Already the sun was sinking behind the rolling hills of Tookborough. The grass smelled sweet of summer and dewdrops, and the vast sky was smudged with pinkie-clouds and pale blue in the fading light. Pippin sighed as we walked up to the door. He stopped for a moment or two before knocking.
"Can't you just go in?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"It wouldn't feel right for me to just go inside. I'll wait." He answered.
My mother was close to me. I could tell she was nervous. We waited a few more moments and the door finally opened. Paladin answered. He looked tired. In fact he didn't look too well at all.
"Pippin!" He said, sounding strangely surprised.
Pippin nodded and smiled lightly.
"Hullo Da." He answered.
We allowed them a few moments before he finally invited us in. The place was quiet. Too quiet for the Smilas. There was paper everywhere: all over the floor all over the worktops. Paladin sat down in the chair and sighed loudly.
"She's gone, Son." He said after much anticipation.
Pippin looked back to my mother before going to his father's side.
"Why?" He asked softly.
Paladin looked to Pippin for a few moments. It was as though they hadn't seen each other for a long, long time. It was as if they'd been away from each other and had only just been reunited.
"What happened to you? Where did those bruises come from?" He asked.
Pippin ran a hand along his cheek, the faded bruise still providing a painful sharp jolt upon the lightest touch.
"I got into a spot of trouble. It's all right now. Merry helped me sort things out." Pippin explained.
Paladin sat forward. He saw the other mark running along Pippin's collarbone.
"Did she do that?" He asked.
My mother and I both noticed the emphasis or "she" as he spoke of Elissa. Pippin shook his head.
"No, just some Hobbit lads. Just some older Hobbit lads." He promised.
Paladin looked to us suddenly.
"You looked after Pippin for me? I can't believe I allowed this to happen again. When Eglantine left I promised this would never happen again. I vowed that it wouldn't. I'm so sorry to both of you. I'm especially sorry to you," Paladin said taking his eyes from us and looking to Pippin.
Pippin swallowed hard and nodded slightly. He allowed his father to reach up and run his hand through his chestnut curls. Pippin finally relaxed. He let the barriers down. He stopped pretending. He stopped fighting. He collapsed into his father's arms and cried. He sobbed for the happiness he felt upon having his father back. Being told he was loved, being told he meant something. He sobbed for the reasons of having someone he could look up to. Someone who his own personality and looks reflected upon he felt he belonged again. He'd found his place back home. He'd found where he belonged.
My mother smiled to me. I stepped back a bit. I felt my mother's arm drape lightly over my shoulder and I leant back against it.
"Lets go and make a brew-give them a moment, eh?" She suggested.
I nodded and followed her to the kitchen.
Pippin looked up to Paladin.
"We'll be alright, won't we? I mean now Elissa's gone, we're going to be alright?" He questioned.
Paladin nodded.
"We'll be fine, son. We just don't mention her name again. We'll forget about her. We'll forget this ever happened. We'll take a trip-just you and me-and we'll start spending some quality time together. The way it should be." He promised.
Pippin smiled widely and nodded. He hugged his father tightly before pulling away and standing up. My mother and I returned to see him grinning.
"What?" I asked.
"Da and me are going on a trip." He said.
I nodded and smiled.
"You were twenty before you got to go on your first trip. I'm younger than you are." Pippin pointed out.
"I'm cleverer than you are." I said lightly.
"I'm more fun than you are," Pippin replied.
"I'm better at making up excuses than you are." I said.
This could go on. In fact it often did, but I couldn't seem to stop smiling. I hadn't seen Pippin this happy in so, so long. Things were back to normal. Elissa had gone Pippin and his father had found each other again and Pippin was smiling in the way he always used to. As he sat down with his father and began talking about where they'd go and what they'd see, all I could think about as I was watching them was the Summers that had Been.
End.