Author's Notes: For once I seem to have finally caught a break with school. No projects, no extra-curricular stuff going on at the moment (I was thinking of going out for the school play but after hearing they changed it from "Pippin" the musical to "Romeo & Juliet" I decided not to). So now I've pretty much got nothing to do or work on. There isn't even anything that I should be working on! And that means I can update more! Sure, I haven't kept any of you in "suspense" as to what Merry was planning to do with Pippin but oh well. Enjoy all the same!

Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien and therefore do not own the characters you see in this fic.

Pipsqueak Peregrin

Chapter Seven: Hide-and-Seek

I spent the summer plotting the demise of my "most dearest" of cousins. It was obvious that despite the size of our families, there was only room for one of us and it most certainly was going to be me. But how to go about doing it? I knew Pippin had to go but how did one go about removing their cousin from the family without getting caught? Fortunately, cleverness is a strong trait which runs through the Brandybucks and so the answer came.

It was autumn when I next saw Pippin. The leaves on the trees of the Old Forest had begun to transform into their vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Great gusts of wind would blow the leaves around which would come tumbling to the ground like colourful rain. Pippin, who had grown ever so slightly since the last time we had seen each other, loved these leaves of bold colour. The Tookland was mostly farmland, littered with orchards but it was mostly pastures for grazing sheep and growing crops of vegetables. I was pretty sure he hadn't spent a lot of time amongst tall trees.

Auntie Eglantine now believed Pippin to be old enough to play outdoors. This played Pippin right into my hands who was all too eager to spend the days outdoors, doing his best to keep up with me and follow me around. Unfortunately, Pippin never got too far as he was kept under the watchful eyes of one of the adults. While Mum and Auntie were as watchful as hawks of the young lad, Dad and Uncle Paladin were a little more lax in their babysitting.

One crisp afternoon, however, opportunity arrived upon my doorstep. Pippin was out, playing in a pile of freshly raked leaves. Dad and Uncle Paladin were watching him that day, enjoying some of Dad's store of Old Toby. I was seated on the garden fence not too far away, busy with the task of picking leaves out of my hair. Pippin had thought tossing the leaves into the air and rooting through the piles like some sort of a burrowing animal was thrillingly entertaining. I did not appreciate being caught up in the mess.

My father and uncle were having just as good a time as Pippin, reclining in their seats and chuckling jovially amongst their blankets of pipe weed smoke. It was when the laughter gradually faded and the adult laughter had given way to the twitter of the birds and Pippin's irrepressible giggles that I looked over to discover both adults had fallen asleep. It appeared the weed and day's tranquility had lulled the two off into a land of dream and slumber. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Now I could finally get rid of my annoying cousin.

Leaping off the fence, I quietly snuck over to where my father and uncle napped. I had to be absolutely certain they were both asleep before I dared to make my move. Sure enough, Uncle Paladin was snoring softly and Dad had let his pipe fall to the ground, his hand limply at his side. I could not suppress the wicked smile which spread across my face. Fortune, it seemed, was finally on my side.

I bounded over to where Pippin lay, sprawled on his back in a pile of leaves, watching the others drift lazily down from the tree around him. I faltered for a moment. He looked rather peaceful and content at the moment; something which was not a common occurrence with Pippin. I almost didn't want to disturb him but if I didn't act now, I wouldn't get another opportunity such as this for a very long time.

I shook Pippin gently by his shoulder and sat down in the leaves next to him. "Hallo, Pip."

Pippin sat up and grinned. "Mer! Come play with tree?"

"Nah," I said, dismissing the notion with a wave of my hand. "I've got an even better idea! How would you like to go exploring with your cousin?"

"Really?!" Pippin grinned excitedly. "Okay! What about Mama and Da?"

"Don't worry, they won't mind. Now come on!"

I snuck off down the front path and made my way down the road, Pippin toddling behind me as fast as his little legs would carry him. Once we reached the borders of the Old Forest, I stopped, allowing for Pippin to catch up to me. I never went too far into the Old Forest. Stories were told throughout the Shire about the trees in there; how they would sometimes come alive and could whisper to one another. While I was sure these were only fanciful tales told to keep people out of the woods, I had not yet discovered the courage to venture into the dark woods. Today would be different though. I wouldn't be in there long... just long enough to lose Pippin and then run home before anyone noticed I was gone.

"Mer!" squeaked Pippin nervously as I made my way into the trees. "It's dark!"

"So? What's the matter?" I asked. "Are you afraid?"

"Mer, it's dark," repeated Pippin, nodding meekly. "Monsters in dark, Mer."

I got down to Pippin's level in the dirt. "Trust me, okay? I won't let any monsters get you. You'll be safe as long as you're with me."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Pippin smiled and clung to my hand. As I got back up to lead the way into the woods a pang of guilt hit me. I was lying through my teeth to the lad and he was accepting it blindly. For a moment I paused, tempted to turn around and head back home with Pippin. I was wrong to try and leave him abandoned here. Pippin didn't deserve it. But then again... Pippin had to go, didn't he? He wasn't this sweet child beside me, he was a horrible attention-seeking monster who made my life miserable. My mind was made up about it too. There was no sense in turning back. This had to be done and now was the time to do it.

"Let's play a game, okay Pippin?"

"Okay!" he chirped back.

"It's called hide-and-seek," I explained. "This is why we're in the forest. To make the game more fun and challenging. Now you sit here and count to twenty while I go hide. Then you come and find me!" Pippin looked at me blankly. "You can't count, can you?"

Pippin furrowed his brow. "Can too!"

I knew he was lying but the longer Pippin struggled to count, the better. Satisfied, I told Pippin to start. He obediently sat down on a rock and covered his eyes. I smiled to myself. This was easier than I had thought. I quickly turned around and left, the sounds of "five... nine... one... three... one..." fading into the distance. Pippin would sit there counting for forever and I would never have to deal with him again. As the sky grew darker, I headed home to discover my uncle and father still asleep just as I had left them. I grinned and went inside. For some reason, dinner was smelling so much more appetizing this evening.

I didn't mind spending the remaining afternoon inside the Hall's kitchen with the chef, inhaling the delicious aromas of steaming vegetables and listening to my mother and aunt chatter away at the table over tea. There were a pile of fresh warm cinnamon biscuits set out. With no younger cousin around anymore, I happily took more than my share.

I was just being shooed out of the kitchen while the final dinner preparations were being made when Dad and Uncle Paladin burst into the hobbit hole, pale faced and looking flustered. Mum and Auntie paused to take in the condition of the two hobbits. I paused for a moment. I could guess as to what had just happened.

"Pippin's inside with you, right?" asked Uncle Paladin.

"In here with us?" Auntie look at my uncle, alarmed. "He was outside with you, Paladin."

"He was when I came inside," I offered, trying to be innocently helpful. "While you were both napping."

Dad and Uncle Paladin looked at each other nervously. Mum and Auntie's eyes widened in shock. "You... lost Peregrin?!"

"Not lost exactly..." corrected Dad. "Just sort of... misplaced him..."

I didn't hear what happened next as Mum ushered me off down the hall while they dealt with their lost hobbit. At first I wasn't too interested in what the adults were surly discussing about Pippin but when dinner never came and the rumbling of my stomach was beginning to become unbearable I grew curious as to what was going on. Deciding to investigate I went back into the kitchen and was unpleasantly surprised to discover there was no food. Our meal had somehow vanished and neither Mum nor Auntie seemed to care. Cook had given Auntie some tea and she sat at the table with Mum, her lips pursed. I could tell she was horribly worried.

"Where's Dad?" I asked slowly.

Mum looked up and answered me. "He's gone looking for Pippin with your uncle." She frowned. "I hope nothing bad has happened to him..."

"You're really worried, Auntie, aren't you?" I said meekly, taking a seat at the table. She didn't reply, only gazed tearfully into her tea. I frowned. It wasn't supposed to be like this at all. They weren't supposed to notice or care that Pippin was gone! Things were supposed to go back to the way they were!

But it hadn't turned out like that. Now I was without dinner and Auntie Eglantine was nearly crying. I could see she wanted to but not in front of me. I felt horrible. I had left Pippin all alone in the Old Forest. Was he still trying to count to twenty in there? Or had he gotten hungry and realized I had abandoned him? What if the stories were true and the trees had done something to him?! He was only a toddler; he wasn't capable of protecting himself! You're a wicked hobbit, Merry, I scolded myself. Pippin had trusted me and now he was lost in the woods, cold and probably terrified.

"I want to help look," I said suddenly. I had to run and get to Pippin but I had to keep what I had done a secret. I could only imagine how horrible my punishment would be if everyone knew what I had done.

"No, Merry." Mum shook her head. "Stay here. We don't want you getting yourself lost too."

"But Mum--"

"No."

Usually I listened to my mother. Her words always seemed to come at me with a tone of finality; there was no sense in arguing back. She was usually right. But not this time. This time I had to go out and find Pippin. I was the only one who knew where he was and if I didn't go it might be weeks before he was found... and that might be too late. You mustn't think like that, I told myself. He'll be okay. He would be okay. I would find him. Wordlessly, I left the kitchen and pretended to head for my room. Instead though, I walked right by my bedroom towards one of the many back entrances.

It was dark. The light of day had since been replaced by pale cold moonlight. There was a mist about the place, making everything look hazy. It was hard to see far distances. Down the road, barely visible in the fog, loomed the dark shadows of the Old Forest. It looked eerie and haunted in the dark. But Pippin was in there and that was where I needed to go.

It appears Merry has suddenly had a change of heart, doesn't it? However, he hasn't found Pippin just yet. ;)