I must apologize for the abrupt ending--in an odd way, I'm glad it's done. Now I can go on to other things. I will do more writing, but not very soon--I've found writing is an outlet for me, and has become an addiction! Thanks to Natta, loveofthering, and Zebra Wallpaper (sorry if I missed anyone) for all your reviews and encouragement! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Folks Change

Later that evening, everyone had a job in the canning process: naturally, it was Eglantine, Esmeralda, Pearl, and Pim who prepped and cooked the beans, peas, and jars. With a bit of wax and cork stoppers, Pervinca sealed the jars, Merry poured extra hot wax over the stoppers, and using a small sturdy stick, Pippin would write into the wax the date it was prepared. It was up to Paladin and Saradoc to carry the cooled preserves to the cellar.

Merry would occasionally help his uncle and father when his tasks allowed it, although due to his recent illness, he would quickly grow tired. On one such trip, he nearly dropped the box of preserves he was carrying. Saradoc, who had just piled his box on top of others, caught the box as it slipped from Merry's grip and helped him ease it to the cellar floor.

Saradoc sat down next to Merry on the floor. "Are you all right?"

Merry grew tense, but nodded. For a moment neither spoke. After a while, Saradoc could bear the silence no longer and started to get up. A sharp pain shot through his knee; the one he had injured over the summer, and he fell back down. Merry wondered at this, but said nothing.

Just then Paladin walked in carrying a box of newly cooled jars. "All right, you slackers! Get up and give me your money's worth!"

"Help me get up first, you taskmaster!" Saradoc joked in return. He reached up as Paladin took his hand and made to stand up, but grimaced at the pain and fell back again.

Paladin noticed the swelling in Saradoc's knee. "Sara! What happened to your knee?"

"Nothing--just help me get up."

"I will not! Look at your knee!" Paladin's memory came back to him. "Were you not using a walking stick back at Bag End?"

"Well, if you must know, I had a minor scrape, is all. Now help me up!" Saradoc held forth his hand.

"You are an idiot! You're going to hurt yourself!" Paladin muttered. He gripped Saradoc's hand and supported his upper arm for better leverage, then lifted. Saradoc weighed just a tad more than Paladin and once more fell back onto the cellar floor.

"Merry, would you be willing to help an old ass?" Paladin asked. Merry said nothing, but stood himself up and took his father's other arm.

Paladin looked at his nephew. "On my count: one, two, three!" Both he and Merry tugged at Saradoc's arms until he was able to stand.

"Ahh!" Saradoc winced as he put his weight on his leg.

"Why are you putting yourself through this, Sara?" Paladin watched as his brother-in-law limped towards the door.

"I'm not. I am going to sit for a minute, but I don't want Esmeralda to see me like this."

"Why not? You don't think Essie's going to notice you limping right past her? Give her more credit than that!"

"I just don't want her to worry after me. She won't notice a thing! She's enjoying the company of all the lasses here!"

Paladin and Merry gazed as Saradoc limped up to the threshold of the kitchen. He then straightened up, and walked out towards the main hallway.

"Sara--you should go and sit down before you injure you knee further!" Paladin snickered as he heard his sister's voice scolding her husband.

Even Merry smirked a little. "Nothing gets by Mum."

"I think maybe he's trying too hard--do you think?" He looked at Merry.

Merry looked down and shrugged. "I don't know yet if he should even be trying at all."

"I wonder the same thing at times, Merry. And perhaps he shouldn't be let off the hook so easily, but this I do know: he does love you."

"If he truly loved me, this impasse wouldn't exist."

"True." Paladin answered. "But people do change--including old hobbits! Someday when you and Pippin are all grown up, I am willing to wager that both of you will make grievous errors against others, or against your own children, and then ask pardon for it. Making mistakes don't stop just because you're out of your tweens!" Paladin smiled and patted Merry's shoulder as he made to leave. "Just think about it, all right?"