Chapter 28 Uncle and Thain!

I had just wrote Merry about what had happened and he wrote back telling me he wanted to tell me something important and wanted to see me.

Two days later he rode up on his pony. I greeted him with a hug and he grinned back.

"Good job Pip!" He hugged me tightly. "Hey Pip, would you rather be called Uncle Pip or just Pip?" he asked me and I froze. Uncle? Wait a second.

"Estella?" I asked my voice growing higher. He nodded grinning broadly. "Merry! Congratulations! What do you want it to be a girl or a boy?" I smiled.

"A boy but if it's a girl I wont complain." I nodded understanding completely. "So when's the wedding?" he asked.

"Three months. I want Legolas, Faramir, Aragorn, and Gimli to come. I am going to ask them to bring whoever they want." I grinned back. "I can't believe you're going to have a baby, Mer." He grinned brightly.

"I know." he smiled. "Hey how about we go to the Green Dragon? To celebrate both of our victories?" he asked. I grinned and nodded. We quickly walked to the bar and ordered drinks. I stayed away from Mira. About an hour later a hobbit walked in quickly. He seemed out of breath and soaked from the rain. I could tell he was a Took. Most Tooks have bright eyes. Something other than brown, black, or grey. I have green eyes. I could also tell by his accent as he asked the bartender something.

"Master Peregrin!" he hopped over the tables and sat by me. "Master Peregrin you must come to the Great Simals!" he seemed excited. "You father has gotten ill. Worse than normal! The healer says he will die tonight or tomorrow. You must come! He is asking for you." this surprised me.

"For me! I thought he hated me." I said softly.

"You must come!" the young Took pulled on my hand until I stood up and pulled my hood over my head. I walked over to the young Took and asked if I could borrow his pony. It would take me thirty minutes to ride there in the rain. I shivered as I mounted the small brown pony. I rode quickly to the Great Simals. I hadn't been here since I was a little kid and it didn't look too inviting. I took a deep breath before walking in. Everything seemed sadder somehow. Nodding to my mother and sisters I opened the door and walked into the room where my father lay dying.

"Father." I said to tell him I was here. He opened his tired ice-like green eyes.

"Peregrin." he moaned. "I know I'm not going to live longer."

"You aren't doing so well." I told him the truth.

"I know. Peregrin I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" I asked.

"I want you to know something. I am very proud of you, you will be a great Thain. I want to know what you did while you were gone, you never told me. Get comfteble you are all so tense." he moaned softly.

"Alright. We went to Rivendell and then we started off to Moria..." I told him the whole story. He nodded once or twice and smiled when I told him about how Merry and I helped kill the Cave Troll. He smiled slightly when I told him about Pelenor Fields and how we won.

"That's some story. And that Trin guy did die?" he smiled.

"Yes." I felt tears rise in my eyes.

"If I would have lived longer. I don't think I would have asked about that. If I had I would have made a memorial or a statue or something to remember the heros in the war. Mainly to thank Trin for helping you. I really loved you. I don't know why I treated you like that, I wanted you to know hardships because the job of the Thain involves hardships. I am so proud of you." he smiled.

"Father, I am engaged, and Merry is going to have a baby." he looked at me differently. "I am going to marry Diamond of long cleave."

"Good." I nodded. "She is very pretty and comes from a wealthy family. Merry, I am very proud of him, very respectful gentlehobbit." he nodded. I smiled back.

"I'm only upset that I wont be here to see it. My time is coming. Everything is going blurry." his voice was growing softer and softer.

I bowed my head knowing he was going to die soon.



"I am so proud of you." he whispered. I had a sudden flashback of Trin dying in my arms and I winced.



"Navaer Ada." 'Farewell Father.' I whispered holding his hand as he drew his final breath. I felt his hand go limp and his eyes stared off into nowhere. Sighing I stood up and opened the door while rubbing my forehead. Merry had come over as well and everyone stood as I walked out eager to hear the news.

"He's gone." I mumbled as my mother's eyes shone with tears and my sister's broke into sobs. Mayor Sam stood looking sad.

"Master Pippin, here are the papers that will give you the job of the Thain. Sign them and send them to Bag End, that's where I will be." he handed me the papers. "I'm sorry." I nodded and he walked out of the door.

I was hardened by war and didn't feel too upset. I wouldn't let myself cry though. Now I was the Thain. A very important job. I knew I had to work very hard to be a good Thain. Merry walked up to me and hesitated.

"I'm sorry." he put his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm not really that upset. I didn't know him that well." I whispered. He nodded sadly.

"Are you going to stay in the Great Simals Peregrin?" My mother's voice cracked and she looked at me with her large brown eyes.

"I think so Mother." I responded and rubbed my eyes.

"Would you like to stay in your old room or the guest room?" she asked softly.

"The guest room." I said quickly not wanting to stay a day in that small cramped room that was so small when I was a foot shorter. She nodded and we walked to bed. The funeral the next day.

I woke up in the sunny guest room and stretched. I looked for a black tunic and pants by feeling around the bottom of my pack.

I felt something soft and pulled it out. It was a black robe that I was wearing when we had the ceremony for Pelenor Field heros. I remember crying for Trin and I pulled it on. The soft elven cloth flowed slightly. I put on my elvish armor.

I walked into the kitchen and saw my mother and sisters wearing long black dresses and veils. Each one was crying softly. I knew the mourners were gathering outside. Frodo and Sam would arrive since they were the master of Bag End and the Mayor and Merry would arrive soon since he was the Master of Buckland.

"Breakfast?" my mother motioned to some cut fruit. I smiled and nodded. Picking up an piece of peach and biting into it I sat at the table. My legs were too long and I hit the table. My sister Pervinca raised her eyebrow and sat down.

"How did you get so tall?" she asked.

"Ent Wash." I mumbled. She tipped her head in confusion.

"It's a magic water thing, the ents drink it."

"Ents?" she looked at me.

"Big tree things they talk." I mumbled taking another bite out of my peach. I was on my guard. She was never nice to me before. "Why are you being so nice." I asked suspiciously.

"I don't know it's probably that I ignored you for years and you're my little brother." She shrugged. That was a lie. She just wanted to get on my good side. Since I was going to be the Thain I was able to take her money or raise taxes. I wouldn't do that and if she even knew me she might know that.

"Your lying." I hissed and she jumped.

"Wha... How did you know?" she whispered so she wouldn't worry mother.

"I have spent a long time with the elves. The king despises lies so I was taught how to know if one was telling a lie." I muttered standing up.

"Dear, the funeral is going to be in the Took graveyard." she told me as I put my hand on the doorknob. I stiffened, dear! Why would she call me dear, oh yes the Thain. I hate this, I am going to have to get use to people trying to get on my good side by acting nice. I walked quickly outside.

"Hey Pip!" I turned around and saw Merry dressed in black running up. "You okay?" he looked worried.

"Fine." I mumbled. "It's not my dad." I said quickly before he could say anything. "It's the fact that I will be Thain. Way too much stress even before I am able to sign the papers." He nodded and we walked to the graveyard in silence. We took the long way so we could think. By the time we had gotten there they were already getting out the coffin. We stood in the crowd of crying hobbits.

Later after the funeral I stood at my father's grave. It was all very sad but I didn't cry, I couldn't cry. On the tombstone it read 'Paladin Took, The 31st Thain.' I didn't know how to feel. I never knew what a loving father truly was, sometimes I would walk through the Shire just thinking and I would see a father playing with his son or daughter. Sighing I came back to reality. I smiled and thought of Diamond. I was going to be a uncle. Well not really. I would actually be a second cousin but Uncle Pip sounded better. I smiled, nine months, how was Merry going to last nine months. I walked slowly back to the Simals. The first thing I would do when I got there was sign the papers.

I walked in and saw my mother packing. I had given her a nice hobbit hole on the south side of Tuckburrow. I nodded to her and walked into the study, I opened one of the drawres and pulled out the papers. 'Peregrin Took,' I wrote.

Author's Note: I'm sooooooo sorry that took so long! I never meant for it to take this long. Sorry. I know that Merry isn't sappose to have a baby in the books but I wanted him to have one. Yay!! A longer chapter, finally. Sorry the other two were so short. Anyway thanks for reviewing, now let's try to get to 100 reviews ;)

I know the elvish isn't right. The grammar is bad and the words might not even be right, I just go to different resorces and grab words and put them together. Sorry.

Reviews:

Ice Ember: I love that word!! Cuteness! *giggle* Thanks!!!

Littlesaiyangirl: Just in case you were wondering where I got the setting I got it off my Silmarillion book cover (pic here http://a1204.g.akamai.net/7/1204/1401/03122214011/images.barnesandnoble.com/images/7220000/7221972.jpg) copy and paste. Just take away the elves and add two hobbits. :) I loved that cover so I used it.

Rachel13: Even better than Gummy Bears! *gasp* The wedding is coming up soon! :)

Thanks for reviewing! And about the cover, I can't think of a place that would be more romantic I saw the cover and just thought it was perfect! Thanks a lot!