Sam awoke the next morning and cheerfully went to work making breakfast. He had toast with jam set out on the table, along with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hotcakes, and the two youngest hobbit's favorite, peppermint tea. He called to everyone to come to the table and settled down in his chair. All of the hobbits settled down and started to pile their plates to the point that they would break if any more food was place upon them and started to eat.

Time passed and no sign of Poppy or Merry was to be found. Sam was only slightly worried since everyone was just beginning to start on seconds. When everyone started to pile his or her plates with third helpings, Sam began to get worried. He excused himself from the table and went down to the cellar. He'd never known those two to be able to resist food for so long. First he called to the two, giving them a chance to redeem themselves before he had to come and dig them out from behind the kegs in the cellar himself.

No answer came to his calls, and Sam decided that he would have to go and get the two out himself. He moved the kegs one by one to the side, and gave a triumphant "I found you two!" as he moved the last keg to the side. He had expected to see two young hobbits, the source of the noises he heard the night before. He didn't find any hobbits, but he did find the source of the noise, a bird had made its nest behind the kegs.

Sam stared at the ceiling and said "Why me?" He had not a clue of what to do now, and he was about to make the decision of a search party, when he heard one of his sons yell "Dad! There is someone at the door!"

Sam rushed up the cellar steps two at a time and half expected to find someone saying that something horrible had happened to his youngest charges. Instead he found the young charges standing at the door, looking up at him with guilty faces.

He let his anger and exasperation show now that he had the two in front of him. "What do you two think you were doing running off? You could've been dead by now! Where were you all night?" Sam let this off as fast and as loud as was possible.

"We're alright." Poppy said. " We were with Gandalf and Frodo and Legolas and Gimli, and they fed us and made us feel a little better although I'm still not feeling my best." "Neither am I." Merry added hastily, seeing Sam's anger raging.

"You two are going straight to the study and letting me get that strap on your bottoms!" He ordered. "First you disobey me, then you run off, and now you're daring to lie to me by telling me that Frodo and Gandalf are back? You two don't know how much trouble you're in right now!"

Poppy started crying and looked desperately to Merry for help. "We're not lying! It's the truth!" She said in between her sobs. "Come on Poppy, he doesn't believe it, let's get it over with, come on now." Merry gently coaxed. He felt himself start to cry even though he was trying to be the brave one.

Sam turned to herd the little rascals to the study when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Sam, I know it's hard, but you really must believe those two every once in a while." Sam turned and he felt as if his eyes had popped out of his head a few inches. "It can't be."

Sam wasn't sure what to say. When Frodo had left everything had went in slow motion, everything had went so terrible those first few months. Then Sam had worked it out in his brain that he wouldn't be able to see his master again for a long while. He had spent many an hour crying while Rosie and his little ones spent hours trying to cheer him up. It had finally worked, and although Sam could never forget how dear Frodo was to him, he knew that he would have to wait until he was ready to go across to the Havens, never to return, to see his beloved Mr. Frodo once more.

Now Frodo was standing in front of Sam's face. Sam felt himself being pulled into a massive hug and assured that it really was Frodo. Sam saw that during the time away Frodo had improved so much, he looked the same as he did before he left on the quest. Next Gandalf came through the door, with Poppy saying weakly "Remember Gandalf, we were angels." Gandalf just smiled at the little one and then kneeled down to give Sam a hug also. Sam thought nothing could be better until Legolas and Gimli walked through the door together and into Bag End for the first time. Frodo noticed that Sam was crying, but then realized that he was crying too. The others were the same way. Even Gandalf had softened up a little bit.

"Frodo, I'm so glad you're back!" Sam said amidst his tears. "I should've stuck to what Mr. Gandalf said and never left you, then I wouldn't be in this state!" Frodo smiled and said "I'm glad you're with me again Sam, you and everyone else."

Gimli was smiling as the rest were, but happened to look over to their two charges from the night before, the ones that had ate all of Gimli's breakfast and slept wrapped in his extra blankets. His smile turned into a frown when he saw what a state the two were in. Poppy was leaning all her weight on Merry, but it looked like it was all that the latter could do to keep the other one up. "Sam," Gimli heard the younger one ask, "I think I'm going to be sick."

Sam turned around to see that Poppy had indeed been sick, all over the floor and her coat and even on Merry. Merry looked as if he was going to complain, but found himself throwing up as Poppy had seconds earlier.

"Sam, let's get these two to bed, alright?" Frodo asked. Sam was happier than ever to hear a new order from his master, but he wished it wasn't this one. How was he going to explain to their fathers?