Shire summers.

          The many facets of Mr. Meriadoc Brandybuck.

 T:  Hello! Yes I have returned and I apologise profusely for my extended absence but firstly I bought myself a copy of the radio adaptation of LOTR and then I started about three fanfics at the same time. I'm sure that the other two shall make an appearance here at some point but at the mo I give you this.  Unusually for me this is a pre-quest fic and so little angst though it is still there if only because of the way I see Frodo. Also a first is the fact that this story is primarily a m/p though it being me there is still a great deal of f/s and oddly enough a little m/s though I am not too sure where that came from. Anyway, its not mine, it shall never be mine, though perhaps when I am rich I shall make my own live action version…bah I can dream! There will be more than one chapter to this, though I suspect nothing on the scale of Golden Snowflakes, which was a fluke never to be re-created! Anyway on with the fic…

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It was a little known fact that there were actually two sides to Meriadoc Brandybuck, both defined now in his mind by the name used for him most often when he had taken up the characteristics of that particular side. Therefore there was Meriadoc, which was his more troublesome side and born both from the influence of a certain Peregrine Took and through his own restless nature. Meriadoc was all flurried escapes, carefully constructed pranks and the harsh rasp of his mother's voice whenever she was angry. Of late though Meriadoc had been suppressed at the wish of his mother, who had threatened that if he got into trouble once more this summer Pippin would be sent back home to Tuckborough for the rest of the season and perhaps longer.

There was also Merry, his more responsible side which was born of the years of growing up he had done without Pippin and within the presence of Frodo Baggins and because of his own insatiable need to learn. Merry was the faint memory of Frodo in his youth, sharp autumn days with Pip nestled close to him and the soft lull of the young Took's voice as he talked of all the chaos they would cause together in the summer. Merry had taken over a great deal of his life at late if only because of his mother's threat and the new aspect of himself that had stirred into life.

This new facet was nameless yet, for Merry had taken pains to conceal even its existence to all but himself. He was as yet ignorant as to what had born the growth of this new character, but he was assured that it had been building within him for more years than he would hazard a guess to. This new aspect was the sharp awareness of the lines formed about Pip's face as he smiled, was the ache deep in his heart as he watched his friend flirt with the lasses and it was the desire burning within him whenever Pip lent his face close in order for Merry to hear whispered confidences.

He had tried of course to suppress this new aspect, yet the more he attempted to push it away the harder it came back to him, until it was now such a bitter sweat pressure under his skin that he was assured that it would burst from him. And he was dwelling this very moment on how illogical this fact was, his back pressed against a tree and his eyes tilted upwards enough so that he could perceive the recumbent figure of Pippin, who had managed to fall asleep tangled within the branches of the twisted oak that had been their meeting spot for as long as Merry could recall.

The events leading up to this odd conclusion had begun the week before, when Merry had decided that he had to talk to someone about the feelings burning within him. The most logical choice for a confidant had been Frodo, for the time spent together in their youth had cemented the Cousins together in such a way that Merry considered him more a Brother than anything else.  And logically the trip would have to be made on his own and yet when he had attempted to find Pippin on the day of his departure the Took had vanished into thin air. Thus he had to content himself with giving a message to his parents for the Took, before he had started on his way to Hobbiton.

Bilbo received him with the courtesy Merry had come to expect from his Uncle and warned him that Frodo was a little unpredictable of late. And indeed this seemed to be the case for though he was most often the quiet, semi-content Hobbit that Merry knew and loved dearly, there were times when he would become irrationally happy, the deep morning glory blue of his eyes smouldering in a way that disconcerted Merry and there were times when he would fall into one of the black depressions that had punctuated his time within Brandy Hall but had until recently faded into non-existence. Despite this medley of emotions, Frodo had listened with calm and non-judgemental patience as Merry told him of his problem and had eventually responded with,

"You should either talk to him, Merry or content yourself with being his friend." It seemed logical enough advice, yet telling Pip was an idea that frightened him beyond reason and the ache in his heart was sure to destroy their friendship before long. Yet he had mulled the advice over in his mind as he had returned to Buckland, though the occurrence upon his return drove any conclusion he may have come to clean from his head.  For on returning he mother had informed him that Pip was most angry with him and had told her to inform Merry that he was no longer speaking to him.

And since that moment he had tired a whole host of things to get the Took to listen to him, even for a moment. Yet a week later he had had little success, until this morning he had corned the Took in the small guest bedroom that he had claimed as his own and had just managed to begin his apology when the slippery young thing had vanished out of the window and high tailed it in the direction of the forest. Assured of the direction the Took would be taking Merry had reached the oak in time to see Pippin settling himself down amid the network of branches, defiance burning in his emerald green eyes.

"Come down, Pip." Merry had pleaded.

"No."

"You hate heights, pip,"

"I do not care, Merry. I shall not come down until you leave."

"I am not going anywhere, Pip. Not until you let me explain,"

"There is nothing to explain, Merry. It is obvious that you do not wish to be my friend any longer." Pippin had announced before turning his back, with forced deliberants, upon Merry.

Now three hours later Merry was half way convinced that Pippin actually meant to follow through with his threat.

"Suborn young thing now, is he not?" Came an enquiry in a mid-pitched voice that Merry recognised well.

"Frodo?" Merry enquired as he found his feet and turned to face his Cousin.

"Yes, indeed. Though it seems I have rather surprised you. Merry."

"I had thought you were up at Bag End for the entire summer."

"I was, but both the persuasion skills of Bilbo and the fact that I knew you might need some support soon enough, gave me reason to come and stay with my Buckland relations for a while."

"I will indeed have need for support, Frodo and I am glad that you decided to come, glad and thankful."

"I am always willing to help you, Merry, you are dear to me after all. And anyway you may help me with a concern of my own once we have your Took grounded."

"If we ever get him grounded." Merry remarked as he turned his head back towards the tree again.

"May I suggest a more forceful approach than the one you are implementing now," Frodo said. Merry nodded and sucking his breath in he settled himself and bellowed,

"Peregrine Took, get your self down here before I come up there and drag you down." The effect of the yelled instruction upon the young Hobbit was instantaneous, his small form balking upwards catching its balance and then scrambling with an un-Hobbit like grace down the tree.

Thus when he was eventually upon the floor again he made both a comic and ridiculously adorable picture. His light brown curls, tumbled in such a way that the sunlight caught the hints of red hued strands amid the mass, hanging so that they masked all but the bottom inches of his eyes. His face was a pail pink shade due to the exertion his body had just been through and lastly his mouth was quirked into the beginnings of a child like pout.  

Merry crooked himself both downwards and forwards to straighten both Pippin's jacket and his scarf, both of which had drifted askew in the chaos. This one simple action of care and familiarity was stopped however by Pippin's hands, which caught Merry's own and pushed them away before letting go and settling themselves at Pippin's side again.

"That was not fair Merry. I am angry with you and there are unspoken rules that you must adhere to when friends are angry with you."

"Really and what sort of rules would these be, Pip?" Frodo enquired, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Unspoken ones," Pippin stated with such authority within his voice that Frodo's already frayed restraint snapped and he broke down into laughter. "Its not funny," Pippin remarked.

"No of course it is not. You will forgive me, Pippin, but I am as ever easy to please." Frodo said. Pippin folded his arms and drew himself up as much as his slight stature would allow and was about to give some retort or another to Frodo when Merry interrupted by saying,

"You can argue with Frodo about his inopportune hilarity in a moment, Pip. For the moment I need you to listen to me. I am sorry that I did not take you with me when I went to Hobbiton but…"

"You needed time to yourself. That I know, Merry and it was not the fact that you went on your own that I am angry at you for, but that I only found out that you had gone through your father."

"I tried to find you, Pip, indeed I spent half the day looking for you, but you were no where in sight. Therefore perhaps I should be angry at you for not telling me where I could find you that day," Merry remarked. Pippin blushed crimson and mutter some indecipherable reply before Merry continued with, "But I have no wish to be angry at you, Pip and it hurts me to know that you are angry at me, so let us call it even and forget it ever happened shall we?" Pippin brightened at this suggestion and surging forwards he wrapped Merry into a hug before bounding away again with a yell of,

"See you later then," Before he was gone.

An intense quiet wrapped itself around the remaining two after Pippin's departure and for a moment it was aloud to remain as they gathered their thoughts together. Then Frodo shifted slightly and said,

"It is good that he is not angry any more,"

"As am I."

"He has grown much since I saw him last, both in stature and personality,"

"Mother seems to think that I am rubbing off on him, but I do not remember ever being as stubborn as he can be at times,"

"Yet I do. But this gets me no where, I wanted a moment of your time if I may,"

"So that I may repay the kindness you have shown me?"

"Yes." And this seemed to be all that Frodo was willing to give for the moment, for his head dropped to the floor for a moment, his eyes staring into some un-seen middle distance.

"Frodo?" Merry enquired, once the silence had run too long for comfort.

"Sorry, I was taking a moment to find the words I wanted.

"I need you to listen to me, Merry, as I listened to you, without comment and without reaction until I ask for it. Then I wish only for the truth, do you think you can do that?"

"Of course."

"Then I may tell you that I have for many months now found myself falling into a position not all to far away from yours. For my mind, my heart, indeed every square inch of myself has, over time, become the property of another. The identity of this other should be evident to you, for I have found it hard to conceal my heart in the way that you seem to have perfected. Therefore, knowing as you do, you should see clearly the problem before me without need for me to explain it,"

"Yes I do. Yet I think that together we should be able to find some way to remove one another's problems,"

"Then you think that I have hope?"

"More hope than I, yes."

"That I doubt, but as you say we may help one another."

"Then the first thing you need do is find a way to get Sam here, for it will be of help to me to see you together now that I know the truth."

"He is already here. For years of his father's lectures on how odd the Brandybucks are and the own fear in his mind that I would forget Hobbiton once here and decide to move back, had him all but begging me to let him come with me."

"Then all that remains is for me to see you together and then for us to form a plan of sorts,"

"That I leave to you, Merry, for you have the mind for things such as that."

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T: And we are one chapter down. It shall not be long until chapter two is up, for I am half way through completing it already. There should be four chapters all together, though I may write more!