Chapter 18 Goodbyes: Bitter and sweet

A/N: I'm glad you enjoyed the Frodo/Bilbo part! Frodo does not have a cold- he is suffering from allergies. Mostly hay fever. Other than that, thank you for the reviews and keep them coming!

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"Pippin. Would you like to come out from under there? You are not going to get out of going home so you might as well face the facts and OUCH!" Merry immediately withdrew his hand from under the bed in his room and stared at the small gash his little cousin had made with his overly sharp baby teeth. "All right, little bugger. I'm going to count to three before I come in and get you. One.two.three!"

"No, Merry!" Pippin shrieked as Merry grabbed hold of his foot from the opposite side of the bed, catching him completely off guard.

"Come on. Don't make this any harder than it has to be. I don't want you to go either."

"Leggo!" Pippin snapped, attempting to kick Merry with his free foot. Suddenly Merry had an idea and attacked Pippin's ticklish spot, sending the younger hobbit into fits of laughter.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Pippin begged.

"Won't till you come out from under there." Merry teased.

"Fine. OW!" Pippin went to sit up but forgot how narrow the space under the bed was and whacked his head on the wood. The force of the hit sent a rather large cloud of dust between both of them and they sneezed loudly at the same time.

"Blast." Merry groaned as he helped Pippin out. The two of them broke into another small sneezing fit just as Esmerelda entered the room to make sure they were getting ready.

"My goodness! I hope the both of you aren't catching colds!" She said once the sneezing ended.

"Dust," Merry choked, wiping his nose on the corner of his sleeve. "Pippin hid under the bed again and I had to pull him out."

"I don't want to go home, Auntie. Can't I stay at Brandy Hall a little longer?" Pippin asked sniffling. Esmerelda shook her head but smiled nonetheless.

"Your Mama and Papa miss you very much, Pippin. I know you'll miss Merry but you know you are welcome here whenever you wish! And I think the reason they are picking you up today is the fact that your Uncle Saradoc had the flu and they don't want you catching it." She kissed him. "Now go and clean up, both of you. And blow your nose properly Merry-with a handkerchief." She narrowed her eyes at her son as he and Pippin headed out of the room. Ever since his father got sick, Merry had been keeping away from that section of the hall knowing full well that disease spread like wildfire. Just that past winter he had come down with a terrible cold and spent nearly a week in bed. That had been the same week Frodo had come down with the chicken pox at Bag-End and nearly died of a high fever.

"I DO wish I didn't have to go home, Merry." Pippin whimpered as he held onto Merry's hand, his enormous hairy feet making an awful lot of noise on the carpet as he dragged them. The two of them headed for the indoor privy (bathroom) to draw a nice hot bath. They opened the door and heard a yell of:

"EXCUSE ME!" From inside.

"Mentha?" Merry asked, his eyes wide. His elder cousin was lying in the bathtub water covered in soap foam. She stared at him with her own wide eyes and neither hobbit spoke for a few moments.

"Get-get out of here or I'll tell Auntie!" She gasped. "Go! Get!"

"But Mama wants us to take a bath. Pippin's parents are coming to get him soon and she wants him to be nice and clean for them so."

"OUT you dreadful thing! OUT!"

Merry had to duck as a bar of soap flew over his head and the two boys bolted out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Mercy!" Merry gasped as he took a deep breath. "She sure is sore today!"

"Then again she doesn't like to be seen without any clothes on," Pippin giggled.

"All right. We'll have to tell Mama that Mentha is in the main privy and we'll have to use the one outside."

"But."

"Or I'll spray you with the chicken feed bucket if you'd rather."

Pippin gave him a nasty look at that last comment before shuffling after him again. They caught up with Esmerelda who burst into laughter at their story. "Very well then, Merry. Take Pippin to the outside bathhouse and scrub every inch. I'm sure you gave poor Mentha a terrible shock!"

Merry led Pippin away again. When they got outside they stripped down to their undergarments and quickly grabbed fluffy white towels. At a very fast pace they darted past Saradoc, Rorimac and Dudo who were working in the garden and quickly entered the outdoor privy only to find: "Tobo? That's it.out!" THUD. With a mixture of both their strengths, Merry and Pippin managed to thrust another elder male cousin out of the privy, leaving him completely naked outside and soon threw a towel after him, locking the door.

"There!" Merry gasped as he helped Pippin get out of his clothes. Both lads heard banging on the door from Tobo but ignored it as they finished stripping the last of their clothes and hopped into the already warm water. "Ahhhhhh." Merry sighed as he sunk all the way into the tub, blowing bubbles under water. Pippin giggled as he made a fountain with his hands. "Here's the soap. Whoops!" It slipped out of his hand and plopped into the water between them. They looked at each other in disgust.

"I'm not getting it." Pippin told Merry.

"Bet you're scared," Merry teased.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Ooops." Pippin's cheeks turned a tinge of pink as a few random bubbles came up from his direction.

"You didn't!" Merry cried. "Pippin-ugh! Oh-you shouldn't have had that extra helping of broccoli!"

"I didn't poop Merry!" Pippin giggled. "I just made gas bubbles."

This was too much for Merry and he burst into laughter again. "You silly hobbit! Here.we really don't have time to fool around now. Wash the dust and grime off and then give the soap to me." Merry took it upon himself to go under the water and retrieve the soap and came up covered in foam. "ROOOOAAAAR!" He joked, forming claws from his fingers. Pippin squealed.

"It's the soap monster!" Pippin cried giggling as he threw excess soap foam in Merry's direction.

With play and washing the hobbitlad's baths took at least a half an hour. Soon they were out of the tub, dried and redressed but scolded by Esmerelda for having thrown Tobo out of the privy against his will.

"You could have waited," She said. "You wouldn't like it if someone did that to you."

Merry looked down at his feet.

"Oh well. Go and make sure your things are packed, Peregrin." She warned and shooed both of them away.

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Paladin, Eglatine, Pearl, Pimpernel and Pervinca soon arrived at Brandy Hall to pick up their stray family member. Eglatine was especially grateful to see her son healthy and happy and smothered him with hugs and kisses and then went for Merry as well. "Thank you so much for taking care of Peregrin." Eglatine said to Esmerelda as Saradoc and Rorimac helped to load the suitcases into the carriage.

"He was a pleasure as usual." Esmerelda laughed. "Merry was just teaching him the fine art of mischief- making early."

"Oh dear." Eglatine replied. "What a pair these two will make!"

"I'm goin' to miss you, Merry." Pippin sobbed, throwing his arms around his cousin's waist. Merry felt a lump forming in his throat as he knelt down to Pippin's eye-level and tenderly grabbed hold of the lad's nose.

"Agh.gerroff!" Pippin fought.

"Be good, will you? Come back and see me again soon."

Pippin planted a wet kiss on Merry's cheek before climbing into the carriage.

"The three of you look wonderful," Esmerelda complimented the Took sisters causing them each to turn a brilliant shade of red.

"Thank you, Auntie." They replied in unison.

"Have a safe trip home!" Saradoc called as he put his arm around Esmereld'as waist and hugged her tight.

"Good bye!" Pippin called, waving out through the back window.

"Bye!" Merry added. When the carriage disappeared around a corner, Merry followed his parents inside Brandy Hall, feeling a sudden urge of lonliness coming over him again.