A/N: Much shorter than the last chapter, but hey.

Arwen Baggins: I was contemplating whether or not Frodo would be there, but if you really want him there then of course he shall appear! It may take a while though.

Hai: Pippin may not think things through while on an adventure, but when it comes to trouble making, he really knows what he's doing ;).

Pippin had had his nap and it was now late afternoon. He was pestering me about the walk I had promised so we went to look for Bilbo. We found him flustering around one of the many living rooms of the smial, quite plainly looking for something. We decided to help him.

'What are you looking for Bilbo?' I asked. He looked up at me, very distracted.

'Oh, nothing, nothing, just a trinket.'

'Well, can we help?'

'No need, no need, I'll find it about here somewhere.' Pippin didn't care what Bilbo said, he'd help him find whatever it was even if his father forbade him. He crawled into all the spaces that Bilbo couldn't reach into and knew places that no adult would think of looking in so it was no surprise when Pippin was the one who emerged gazing at something golden in his little hands.

I sat down across the room, I was quite plainly no longer needed in the search so I took my rest where I could. Pippin approached Bilbo where he was still searching around the fireplace. He paused a little, still staring at the object in his hands. He shook himself, as if coming out of some very deep thoughts and pulled on Bilbo's shirt. Bilbo whipped round and stared fiercely at Pippin, who shook under the intense gaze and winced slightly like he did before he was told off for something. I didn't blame him, Bilbo seemed very uptight, like he could yell at any moment.

Pippin held out his hand with the golden something in it and said in a small voice, which was barely a whisper,

'Is this what you were looking for?' Bilbo looked from the object, which I now saw to be a ring, to Pippin's face with an animosity that he reserved for only his worst enemies. Little Pippin quailed beneath him. I involuntarily grew tense and ready to jump Pippin's aid if anything should persuade Bilbo to harm him.

'Yes!' Said Bilbo harshly, 'Give it to me! Now!' Pippin threw the ring into Bilbo's waiting hands like it had burnt him and he stepped backwards and bumped into the arm of a chair. He looked like a cornered animal with no hope of escape. His arms were over his head in a protective fashion and he was shaking like a leaf.

'S-sorry B-b-bilbo.' He stuttered. Bilbo, for his part, now looked horrified at what he had done. The ring had been tucked away somewhere I noted, as he picked Pippin up tenderly and sat him down on the armchair. Bilbo kneeled in front of Pippin and brought Pippin's hands to his head.

'Peregrin. I am truly, truly sorry for being so harsh and am thankful beyond measure for your finding it. I have just grown rather attached to this ring. It is precious to me.' And he began to drift off into his own thoughts.

Pippin was shocked at Bilbo's sudden change and seemingly confused about something.

'Precious?' he asked when curiosity finally got the better of him.

'Yes, precious.' Pippin frowned, he was thinking hard about something.

'What does precious mean?' Bilbo smiled. At last, something to chase away the darkness that seemed to have covered the room.

'It means that it has great value.' Pippin nodded and the frown vanished.

'Precious, precious, precious, precious.' Pippin mumbled to himself over and over to try and remember the word. The word memorised and all wrongs silently forgiven, Pippin leaped off the armchair, onto Bilbo and caught him in a hug that looked bigger than any Pippin could have managed.

'Can we go for a walk?' said Pippin when he finally broke the embrace.

'Yes. Yes, what a good idea. Let's get out of this stuffy old smial. A walk will do us all good.' Neither of us could say no to that.

'And maybe Frodo will be here by the time we get back.' Pippin said hopefully. Bilbo just laughed and nodded.