The next morning at breakfast Faramir and Theoden and the other older hobbits were talking loudly about how unfair it was that the younger ones were getting babied so, and how they wanted to get some stories out of the new arrivals, and how it must be nice to get all the attention every once in a while. Sam started to scold them for talking like that, but Gandalf told him not to and promised for stories later.
Gimli had little rest the night before, and was now sleeping soundly through the noise of several young hobbits having breakfast. Gandalf had gone out to the stables to see Shadowfax and Legolas had gone to see to Asphodel, so no one heard the arrival of two ponies outside and heard the Thain and Master of Buckland come up to the front stoop to the door. The only thing Sam heard was the ringing of the front door bell. He went to the door as slow as he could, not wanting to tell the story of the nights before. Faramir beat him to the door, opening it and giving his father a huge hug. Theoden was close behind. The two hobbits were very happy to see their older sons and hugged them back, then pulled them away and asked Sam about the two troublemakers and what they had been up to. Sam sighed and told them to go to the back bedroom, telling them that they might get more than they had bargained for.
Poppy and Merry had started to feel better, their fevers were still high but the vomiting had stopped and the chills weren't as harsh as they were the night before. Frodo had climbed into the bed between them and let them rest their heads on his lap while he stroked their curls and told them the stories that Bilbo had told him many years ago. He was just in the middle of the story of the trolls and the two little hobbits were about asleep once more when Pippin and Merry came through the door.
The first thing both saw were each of their youngest ones, looking pale and weak and sick. Pippin started forward to get to his Poppy when Merry placed an arm in front of him. "Pip, it can't be." Merry said in awe. At first Pippin wondered what he was talking about but then saw Frodo, his Frodo, cradling the two young hobbits in his arms. Pippin felt his tears flow freely down his face and Merry had his own cascading down his cheeks. Frodo was crying too. Pippin and Merry ran over and hugged their cousin, muttering that it couldn't be and that this wasn't happening. By now tears were flowing very freely, and Pippin said, "I think we're going to flood the room at this rate!"
"No," a voice from Frodo's lap said, "You're going to flood me and Mer though da." Pippin smiled and pulled his youngest into his lap, tickling her under her chin until he got a small laugh the kissing her forehead and pulling her close. "You are sick, aren't you?" he said gently, "Don't worry, your Cousin Frodo will get you all better just like he did for me." Poppy didn't answer; she was already cradled into her father's arms and sleeping soundly. Merry took his youngest and pulled him into his arms, checking his fever and then letting the lad fall asleep in his lap.
Frodo smiled at the way the two fathers treated their little ones and realized that he knew all along that things would be this way. The three cousins were still crying, but now they took the advantage of the little ones sleeping and started to tell each other everything, catching up on lost time.
Sam walked to the door a couple times, checking on the cousins but never walking into the room. He smiled as he heard Frodo laugh for the first time in a long, long while.
