Disclaimer: I...::sniffles::...don't own them. ::Cries:: Believe, if I did,
I wouldn't be where I am right now. Oh, if wishes were horses....
lotr_and_potc-I'm glad you like it!!
Hai Took-Yeah, I thought that was a cute line. No Sam at this party. I didn't think about him when I wrote it. I know! Bad me! He's in a later chapter, though. I didn't forget him.
Szhismine-I know. Pippin is just too cute for words. To be honest with you, I have no idea why Pearl and Pervinca are mean to Pippin. I get into it a bit later, but it doesn't explain much.
Xena-Poor little Pippin and his guilt. Thankfully, he has Merry to help him. I'm glad you liked Frodo and Bilbo. I was worried about my Bilbo so I didn't include him in the rest of my story (save for this party).
LOTR Board Comments:
Great chapter!-suzie sheelf (Thank you!)
lovely chapter. The conversation with Pippin and Frodo was so sweet...- Orangleblossom Took (Gotta love Pippin and Frodo. They didn't get much time together on the movie screen.)
Ooo, so sweet! Please continue! (AGH! Didn't get who said this! Oh well, thank you!)
Wow-that's all I can say...the gift giving was great and I loved the end! Thank you.-agape4rivendell (I'm glad you liked it! I was a bit nervous about it.)
Chapter Four-Always There
It was the night before Bilbo and Frodo's party. Pippin could hardly contain his energy. The boundless energy he seemed to have was beginning to tire the three older hobbits.
"Please, Bilbo. Tell me a story, please!" Pippin tugged on Bilbo's sleeve. "I want to hear about the dragon!"
"Pippin, I've told you that story every night for the past week. Don't you want to hear something new?"
"Tell me about the elves then!"
"Yes, Bilbo, the elves!" said Merry, clapping his hands together.
"Oh, alright then." Bilbo sat in a chair by the fire. Merry and Pippin lay on the floor at his feet. Frodo, having heard the story numerous times, smiled and settled into a chair near by, lazily smoking on his new pipe.
"Well, the first elves we met were in Rivendell..."
Pippin fell asleep before Bilbo got to the wood elves.
"I thought he wanted to hear the story?" asked Merry as Frodo picked Pippin up. Bilbo headed off to the kitchen to clean up from dinner.
"Well, he is still young. And you used to do the same."
"No, I didn't!" Merry insisted.
"Yes, you did. Quite often, if I recall correctly."
The pair walked down the hallway to Pippin's room. Frodo laid the lad on the bed and tucked him in. He brushed back the chestnut curls and kissed his forehead. "Good night, Pippin."
"Good night, Pip," said Merry. He placed a kiss on Pippin's forehead before following Frodo out of the room.
"Frodo, why does Pippin follow me around like he does?" he asked when he caught up to Frodo.
"He looks up to you, Merry." Frodo looked down at his cousin. He didn't have to look too far down as Merry was quickly gaining on him quickly in terms of height. "I thought you wanted to be best friends with Pippin."
"I do, but he can be rather annoying at times."
"Hmm. I seem to recall having a similar problem at Brandy Hall." Frodo sat down in front of the fire again.
Merry looked at his cousin with a look of shock on his face. "What do you mean? I never followed you anywhere!" He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, you did," Frodo said with a chuckle. "The rest of the Brandybucks would joke, 'If you can't find Merry, look for Frodo. He'll be around there somewhere.' Don't you remember how sad you were when I came to Bag End?"
Merry sat next to Frodo. "Yes. I do. You were my favorite cousin. You still are in a way. My favorite older cousin anyways." He smiled fondly. "My brother, remember?"
Frodo nodded. "As always, Merry."
Merry sighed. "I just wish Pippin would give me a break when I visited, you know? And when he visits me. I want to do my own things sometimes."
Frodo put his arm around Merry. "He will, when he's older. You don't tag along with me now, do you? Remember, Merry, he's stuck in that hobbit hole with three sisters, two of whom don't think very highly of him."
Merry leaned his head on Frodo's shoulder. "I guess you're right. I just wish he'd hurry up!"
"Think how I feel? I'm fourteen years older then you. Pippin's only eight years younger then you. That will feel a lot closer when you're older."
Merry started to speak, but a yawn swallowed his words.
"I think it's time you went to bed as well. We have a busy day tomorrow."
Merry nodded and headed off to bed.
Frodo shook his head and smiled at his younger cousin. "The Shire better watch out for when those two are older," he whispered to himself as he headed off to bed.
It was a few hours later when Merry felt something small and slightly warm next to him. He sat up and looked down. "Pippin, what are you doing here?"
"I couldn't get back to sleep. I had a bad dream." Pippin buried his head in Merry's pillow.
Merry sighed and laid back down. "Pippin, you're too big to be crawling into bed with me."
"No I'm not. I'm still quite small."
Merry smiled at this and pulled the hobbit closer to him. "If you say so, Pips."
"Was Bilbo mad I fell asleep? I don't want him to stop telling his stories."
"No, he wasn't mad." He lightly brushed back Pippin's curls. "What did you dream about, Pippin?"
Pippin shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. You'll protect me."
Merry sighed. He knew it was no use in asking Pippin again. If Pippin didn't want to talk about it, Merry wouldn't press him. He kissed the smaller hobbit on the top of his head. "Come on now, get back to sleep. We have a party to go to tomorrow."
"Alright, Merry." Pippin snuggled up next to him.
Merry sighed and laid his head on Pippin's. Maybe I don't want you to grow up after all, he thought. It felt good to be needed. At Brandy Hall, no one seemed to 'need' the son of the future Master. He was left alone for the most part. He elder cousin, Berilac, was his closest friend, but Beri lived outside of Brandy Hall and Merry didn't see him often. Pippin may be annoying at times, but at least he gave Merry a sense of worth.
"Good night, Merry," Pippin muttered in his sleep.
Merry kissed Pippin's curls again. "Good night, Pips."
The next morning, Merry awoke to find Pippin gone. "Pippin?"
There was a knock on his door before Frodo poked his head in. "Finally up? Come on, sleepy head. It's about time for second breakfast." He smiled at Merry's disheveled look. "Hurry up before Pippin eats it all."
Merry got up quickly and got dressed. He walked into the dining room and saw Frodo struggling to get Pippin clean.
"Come on now, Pippin. You have to look proper now." He tried to wipe Pippin's face with a cloth, but the smaller hobbit pulled away. "What would your mother say if she came in right now and saw you covered in second breakfast?"
"She's tell me to go out and play." Pippin ducked undre the table and sat on the floor.
Bilbo looked up. "Somehow I doubt that. Come now, lad." He coaxed Pippin out with a pastry. "Get cleaned up. The sooner you do and the sooner your lazy cousin over there eats, the sooner we can get ready for today."
Merry smiled and sat quickly at the table. While he ate, Frodo finally managed to get Pippin clean.
Soon, all four were ready to start greeting the guests. The party was to be held in the field across from Bag End. Bilbo had invited most of his relatives and that was the only place large enough to hold them all.
First to arrive were Saradoc, Essy, Paladin, Tine, and the three girls.
"Hello, Saradoc, Paladin," Bilbo said, shaking both their hands. "Essy!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Beautiful as always. Tine, look at you!" He kissed her as well.
"Bilbo, wonderful to see you," said Paladin. He looked over at his daughters. "Come over and greet Bilbo."
"Hello, Bilbo," said Nel. She then turned to Frodo and hugged him too. "Happy birthday, both of you."
"Come on now, give your uncle Bilbo a hug!" He pulled her into his arms. After letting her go, he turned to Pearl and Pervinca. "You two as well."
Pervinca smiled and ran into Bilbo's waiting arms. "Happy birthday, Bilbo. You too, Frodo."
Pearl, a bit more dignified, walked over and gave him a small hug. "Happy birthday, Bilbo. Frodo."
"Now, I know you three are looking for your gifts. They're right over on the table, labeled. The ones from me are wrapped in green and the ones from Frodo are wrapped in blue."
The three girls walked over to the table, in search of their gifts.
"I hope our boys didn't cause too much trouble, Bilbo," said Saradoc, placing his hand on Merry's head, and gently ruffling his curls.
"No, they were a delight to have. You should send them around more often. They keep me young."
"You don't appear to need any help in that department," said Tine as he pulled Pippin towards and proceeded to clean off his face.
"Mother!" He pulled away and rubbed his face. "Frodo made me clean up earlier."
Tine just smiled at her son.
"Oh, the Proudfoots are here. You'll have to excuse us. Come, Frodo."
Frodo leaned down and whispered in Pippin's ear. "Your present Bilbo is on the table, but I'll be giving you mine later, alright?"
Pippin nodded as Frodo walked away towards the newest hobbits to arrive.
"Father! Look!" Pearl said as she, Nel, and Pervinca returned to their family. "Frodo gave me some fabric to make a new dress and Bilbo gave me a set of cooking tools! These will take the place of the one's he," she shot a glance at Pippin he quickly hide behind Merry, "ruined."
"They're wonderful, dear." Paladin knelt down to Pervinca's level. "What did Bilbo give you?"
"He gave me a new doll. She'll fit right in with the rest! And Frodo gave me a bonnet to wear outside." She handed her father the doll as she plopped the bonnet on her head.
"Just wonderful." He kissed her on the head and returned the doll. "And you, Nel?"
"Bilbo gave me a journal to write in and Frodo gave me a wonderful new pen to use." Nel clutched both items to her chest, as though she were afraid they'd break.
"Sounds like they had a nice talk before picking out what to get you. Come on, Pippin-lad, let's see what you've gotten." Pippin slipped his hand into his father's as the Took and Brandybuck families made their way over to the table.
"Ah! Here's yours Merry and yours Pippin," said Saradoc, handing both boys a gift wrapped in green paper.
"Excuse for a moment, children," said Essy as Adelard Took summed the elder hobbits over to the food table.
"Well, what did you two get?" said Pervinca, after the adults left.
Merry tore the paper off his and found inside it a pipe. It was a lot nicer then the ones Pippin had given to Frodo and Bilbo. "My first pipe!" He popped it in his mouth. "Wonderful."
"I do hope he talked to your parents before buying that," said Pearl, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh, don't be such a ninny, Pearl. Open yours, Pippin."
Pippin opened his and inside he found a wooden horse. "This will go great with the rest of my collection!" Back in room, Pippin had a collection of small wooden figures he had been given over the years. He put it carefully in his pocket.
"Let's go see what Frodo gave you," said Nel, taking Pippin's hand as they headed down to the other end of the table. "Here's yours, Merry."
Merry took it from her and opened it. Inside was a pack of pipeweed. "Ha! I guess Bilbo and Frodo conspired for my gifts as well."
"I don't see anything for you, Pippin." Nel started lifting up boxes in case it was hidden.
"Oh, well..." started Pippin.
"Frodo didn't get you anything. He must still be mad about you breaking his pipe. Bilbo probably is too, but he had to give you a gift because he's a proper adult hobbit," interrupted Pearl.
"No, see..."
Pervinca started to giggle. "Frodo doesn't love you!"
"He does too!" Pippin exclaimed. He kept trying to tell them that Frodo's gift was waiting inside, but they kept interrupting.
"No, he doesn't. If he did, he would gotten you something," said Pearl.
"Leave him alone, Pearl." Nel glared at her older sister, while Merry pulled Pippin in close to him. "Frodo obviously still loves him as he invited him here earlier then us!"
"What's going on here?" asked Paladin. He had come over when the children had gotten so loud, most of the party was looking at them, except the guests of honor as they were on the other side of the field, still greeting guests.
Pippin ran to his father, his face filled with tears. "Vinca and Pearl said, they said..." He hiccuped and sniffled, trying to get the words out.
"Calm down, Pippin. Now, slowly, what did they say?" He knelt down in front of Pippin, and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.
"They said Frodo didn't love me." It came out in a whisper so quiet that Paladin almost didn't hear it.
"Did they now?" Paladin raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughters.
Pervinca looked at her feet, while Pearl looked around, trying to avoid her father's gaze.
"What have I told you about being mean to your brother?" he asked as he stood up and pulled Pippin close to his side. Pippin buried his face in his father's trousers.
"It's the truth though, Father. Frodo didn't leave a gift here for him!" Pervinca said as she nudged Pearl who quickly nodded in agreement.
"Oh? And you didn't stop to think that maybe he left it inside?" Paladin asked as Pippin picked his head up and looked at his sisters.
Neither girl had an answer to that one.
Paladin sighed. "We are in front of other hobbits and I expect you to be kind to your brother."
"Is something wrong, Paladin?" Frodo came up to the scene that had seemed to put a stand still on the festivities.
"Oh, nothing a little punishment won't fix." Paladin looked at his oldest and youngest daughters. "My two girls here seem to think..."
Pippin let go of his father's side and ran to Frodo. "They said that you didn't love me Frodo because you didn't leave me a gift. But you said it was inside. It's inside right? Tell them!"
Frodo picked Pippin up and hugged him. "Of course I love you, Pippin. And it IS inside." Frodo glared at Pearl and Pervinca. "Nelly. It's on my bed. Would you mind getting it?"
"Of course not, Frodo," Nelly said. When she passed by Pippin she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Pearl, Pervinca, apologize to your brother."
"Sorry, Pippin," both girls muttered.
Paladin sighed and turned to Frodo. "I'm sorry, Frodo. I hope they didn't disrupt the party. We'll have a nice long talk at home about behavior at parties and towards siblings."
"It's alright, Paladin. Pippin can stay with me the rest of the party, if you don't need him." Frodo rubbed Pippin's back as the smaller hobbit laid his head on his shoulder.
"Quite alright with me. His mother may want him to join us later though."
Frodo nodded, kissed Pippin's cheek, put him down. "Hear that, Pippin-lad? You get to stay with your old cousin Frodo today."
Pippin smiled up at Frodo, his face was still red but the tears were gone. He turned to his father. "Thank you, Father."
"You're welcome, son." He lightly touseled his son's hair before he turned to his two daughters. "Let's go sit with your mother." He led Pearl and Pervinca away as Nel returned with a gift wrapped in scarlet.
"Thank you." Frodo took the gift from Nel's hand and kneeled down to Pippin's level. "Here you go, Pippin. I was going to wait until tonight, but you can have it now."
Pippin took it from Frodo and slowly opened it. Inside was half of a gold coin. The coin was on a small chain. Puzzled, Pippin looked up at Frodo.
Frodo took the chain and put it around Pippins neck, clasping it closed. "This is half of one of the coins Bilbo got on his journey. I have the other half." He turned Pippin around to face him. "This is so that you'll always have a part of me with you. Even if I'm not there, let at your birthday, this coin will connect us forever."
Pippin smiled and threw his arms tightly around Frodo's neck. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Pippin." He kissed his cheek again before letting go. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
Pippin took a hold of Frodo's hand. He spent the rest of the party in the company of his two favorite cousins and his favorite sister.
lotr_and_potc-I'm glad you like it!!
Hai Took-Yeah, I thought that was a cute line. No Sam at this party. I didn't think about him when I wrote it. I know! Bad me! He's in a later chapter, though. I didn't forget him.
Szhismine-I know. Pippin is just too cute for words. To be honest with you, I have no idea why Pearl and Pervinca are mean to Pippin. I get into it a bit later, but it doesn't explain much.
Xena-Poor little Pippin and his guilt. Thankfully, he has Merry to help him. I'm glad you liked Frodo and Bilbo. I was worried about my Bilbo so I didn't include him in the rest of my story (save for this party).
LOTR Board Comments:
Great chapter!-suzie sheelf (Thank you!)
lovely chapter. The conversation with Pippin and Frodo was so sweet...- Orangleblossom Took (Gotta love Pippin and Frodo. They didn't get much time together on the movie screen.)
Ooo, so sweet! Please continue! (AGH! Didn't get who said this! Oh well, thank you!)
Wow-that's all I can say...the gift giving was great and I loved the end! Thank you.-agape4rivendell (I'm glad you liked it! I was a bit nervous about it.)
Chapter Four-Always There
It was the night before Bilbo and Frodo's party. Pippin could hardly contain his energy. The boundless energy he seemed to have was beginning to tire the three older hobbits.
"Please, Bilbo. Tell me a story, please!" Pippin tugged on Bilbo's sleeve. "I want to hear about the dragon!"
"Pippin, I've told you that story every night for the past week. Don't you want to hear something new?"
"Tell me about the elves then!"
"Yes, Bilbo, the elves!" said Merry, clapping his hands together.
"Oh, alright then." Bilbo sat in a chair by the fire. Merry and Pippin lay on the floor at his feet. Frodo, having heard the story numerous times, smiled and settled into a chair near by, lazily smoking on his new pipe.
"Well, the first elves we met were in Rivendell..."
Pippin fell asleep before Bilbo got to the wood elves.
"I thought he wanted to hear the story?" asked Merry as Frodo picked Pippin up. Bilbo headed off to the kitchen to clean up from dinner.
"Well, he is still young. And you used to do the same."
"No, I didn't!" Merry insisted.
"Yes, you did. Quite often, if I recall correctly."
The pair walked down the hallway to Pippin's room. Frodo laid the lad on the bed and tucked him in. He brushed back the chestnut curls and kissed his forehead. "Good night, Pippin."
"Good night, Pip," said Merry. He placed a kiss on Pippin's forehead before following Frodo out of the room.
"Frodo, why does Pippin follow me around like he does?" he asked when he caught up to Frodo.
"He looks up to you, Merry." Frodo looked down at his cousin. He didn't have to look too far down as Merry was quickly gaining on him quickly in terms of height. "I thought you wanted to be best friends with Pippin."
"I do, but he can be rather annoying at times."
"Hmm. I seem to recall having a similar problem at Brandy Hall." Frodo sat down in front of the fire again.
Merry looked at his cousin with a look of shock on his face. "What do you mean? I never followed you anywhere!" He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yes, you did," Frodo said with a chuckle. "The rest of the Brandybucks would joke, 'If you can't find Merry, look for Frodo. He'll be around there somewhere.' Don't you remember how sad you were when I came to Bag End?"
Merry sat next to Frodo. "Yes. I do. You were my favorite cousin. You still are in a way. My favorite older cousin anyways." He smiled fondly. "My brother, remember?"
Frodo nodded. "As always, Merry."
Merry sighed. "I just wish Pippin would give me a break when I visited, you know? And when he visits me. I want to do my own things sometimes."
Frodo put his arm around Merry. "He will, when he's older. You don't tag along with me now, do you? Remember, Merry, he's stuck in that hobbit hole with three sisters, two of whom don't think very highly of him."
Merry leaned his head on Frodo's shoulder. "I guess you're right. I just wish he'd hurry up!"
"Think how I feel? I'm fourteen years older then you. Pippin's only eight years younger then you. That will feel a lot closer when you're older."
Merry started to speak, but a yawn swallowed his words.
"I think it's time you went to bed as well. We have a busy day tomorrow."
Merry nodded and headed off to bed.
Frodo shook his head and smiled at his younger cousin. "The Shire better watch out for when those two are older," he whispered to himself as he headed off to bed.
It was a few hours later when Merry felt something small and slightly warm next to him. He sat up and looked down. "Pippin, what are you doing here?"
"I couldn't get back to sleep. I had a bad dream." Pippin buried his head in Merry's pillow.
Merry sighed and laid back down. "Pippin, you're too big to be crawling into bed with me."
"No I'm not. I'm still quite small."
Merry smiled at this and pulled the hobbit closer to him. "If you say so, Pips."
"Was Bilbo mad I fell asleep? I don't want him to stop telling his stories."
"No, he wasn't mad." He lightly brushed back Pippin's curls. "What did you dream about, Pippin?"
Pippin shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. You'll protect me."
Merry sighed. He knew it was no use in asking Pippin again. If Pippin didn't want to talk about it, Merry wouldn't press him. He kissed the smaller hobbit on the top of his head. "Come on now, get back to sleep. We have a party to go to tomorrow."
"Alright, Merry." Pippin snuggled up next to him.
Merry sighed and laid his head on Pippin's. Maybe I don't want you to grow up after all, he thought. It felt good to be needed. At Brandy Hall, no one seemed to 'need' the son of the future Master. He was left alone for the most part. He elder cousin, Berilac, was his closest friend, but Beri lived outside of Brandy Hall and Merry didn't see him often. Pippin may be annoying at times, but at least he gave Merry a sense of worth.
"Good night, Merry," Pippin muttered in his sleep.
Merry kissed Pippin's curls again. "Good night, Pips."
The next morning, Merry awoke to find Pippin gone. "Pippin?"
There was a knock on his door before Frodo poked his head in. "Finally up? Come on, sleepy head. It's about time for second breakfast." He smiled at Merry's disheveled look. "Hurry up before Pippin eats it all."
Merry got up quickly and got dressed. He walked into the dining room and saw Frodo struggling to get Pippin clean.
"Come on now, Pippin. You have to look proper now." He tried to wipe Pippin's face with a cloth, but the smaller hobbit pulled away. "What would your mother say if she came in right now and saw you covered in second breakfast?"
"She's tell me to go out and play." Pippin ducked undre the table and sat on the floor.
Bilbo looked up. "Somehow I doubt that. Come now, lad." He coaxed Pippin out with a pastry. "Get cleaned up. The sooner you do and the sooner your lazy cousin over there eats, the sooner we can get ready for today."
Merry smiled and sat quickly at the table. While he ate, Frodo finally managed to get Pippin clean.
Soon, all four were ready to start greeting the guests. The party was to be held in the field across from Bag End. Bilbo had invited most of his relatives and that was the only place large enough to hold them all.
First to arrive were Saradoc, Essy, Paladin, Tine, and the three girls.
"Hello, Saradoc, Paladin," Bilbo said, shaking both their hands. "Essy!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Beautiful as always. Tine, look at you!" He kissed her as well.
"Bilbo, wonderful to see you," said Paladin. He looked over at his daughters. "Come over and greet Bilbo."
"Hello, Bilbo," said Nel. She then turned to Frodo and hugged him too. "Happy birthday, both of you."
"Come on now, give your uncle Bilbo a hug!" He pulled her into his arms. After letting her go, he turned to Pearl and Pervinca. "You two as well."
Pervinca smiled and ran into Bilbo's waiting arms. "Happy birthday, Bilbo. You too, Frodo."
Pearl, a bit more dignified, walked over and gave him a small hug. "Happy birthday, Bilbo. Frodo."
"Now, I know you three are looking for your gifts. They're right over on the table, labeled. The ones from me are wrapped in green and the ones from Frodo are wrapped in blue."
The three girls walked over to the table, in search of their gifts.
"I hope our boys didn't cause too much trouble, Bilbo," said Saradoc, placing his hand on Merry's head, and gently ruffling his curls.
"No, they were a delight to have. You should send them around more often. They keep me young."
"You don't appear to need any help in that department," said Tine as he pulled Pippin towards and proceeded to clean off his face.
"Mother!" He pulled away and rubbed his face. "Frodo made me clean up earlier."
Tine just smiled at her son.
"Oh, the Proudfoots are here. You'll have to excuse us. Come, Frodo."
Frodo leaned down and whispered in Pippin's ear. "Your present Bilbo is on the table, but I'll be giving you mine later, alright?"
Pippin nodded as Frodo walked away towards the newest hobbits to arrive.
"Father! Look!" Pearl said as she, Nel, and Pervinca returned to their family. "Frodo gave me some fabric to make a new dress and Bilbo gave me a set of cooking tools! These will take the place of the one's he," she shot a glance at Pippin he quickly hide behind Merry, "ruined."
"They're wonderful, dear." Paladin knelt down to Pervinca's level. "What did Bilbo give you?"
"He gave me a new doll. She'll fit right in with the rest! And Frodo gave me a bonnet to wear outside." She handed her father the doll as she plopped the bonnet on her head.
"Just wonderful." He kissed her on the head and returned the doll. "And you, Nel?"
"Bilbo gave me a journal to write in and Frodo gave me a wonderful new pen to use." Nel clutched both items to her chest, as though she were afraid they'd break.
"Sounds like they had a nice talk before picking out what to get you. Come on, Pippin-lad, let's see what you've gotten." Pippin slipped his hand into his father's as the Took and Brandybuck families made their way over to the table.
"Ah! Here's yours Merry and yours Pippin," said Saradoc, handing both boys a gift wrapped in green paper.
"Excuse for a moment, children," said Essy as Adelard Took summed the elder hobbits over to the food table.
"Well, what did you two get?" said Pervinca, after the adults left.
Merry tore the paper off his and found inside it a pipe. It was a lot nicer then the ones Pippin had given to Frodo and Bilbo. "My first pipe!" He popped it in his mouth. "Wonderful."
"I do hope he talked to your parents before buying that," said Pearl, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh, don't be such a ninny, Pearl. Open yours, Pippin."
Pippin opened his and inside he found a wooden horse. "This will go great with the rest of my collection!" Back in room, Pippin had a collection of small wooden figures he had been given over the years. He put it carefully in his pocket.
"Let's go see what Frodo gave you," said Nel, taking Pippin's hand as they headed down to the other end of the table. "Here's yours, Merry."
Merry took it from her and opened it. Inside was a pack of pipeweed. "Ha! I guess Bilbo and Frodo conspired for my gifts as well."
"I don't see anything for you, Pippin." Nel started lifting up boxes in case it was hidden.
"Oh, well..." started Pippin.
"Frodo didn't get you anything. He must still be mad about you breaking his pipe. Bilbo probably is too, but he had to give you a gift because he's a proper adult hobbit," interrupted Pearl.
"No, see..."
Pervinca started to giggle. "Frodo doesn't love you!"
"He does too!" Pippin exclaimed. He kept trying to tell them that Frodo's gift was waiting inside, but they kept interrupting.
"No, he doesn't. If he did, he would gotten you something," said Pearl.
"Leave him alone, Pearl." Nel glared at her older sister, while Merry pulled Pippin in close to him. "Frodo obviously still loves him as he invited him here earlier then us!"
"What's going on here?" asked Paladin. He had come over when the children had gotten so loud, most of the party was looking at them, except the guests of honor as they were on the other side of the field, still greeting guests.
Pippin ran to his father, his face filled with tears. "Vinca and Pearl said, they said..." He hiccuped and sniffled, trying to get the words out.
"Calm down, Pippin. Now, slowly, what did they say?" He knelt down in front of Pippin, and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.
"They said Frodo didn't love me." It came out in a whisper so quiet that Paladin almost didn't hear it.
"Did they now?" Paladin raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughters.
Pervinca looked at her feet, while Pearl looked around, trying to avoid her father's gaze.
"What have I told you about being mean to your brother?" he asked as he stood up and pulled Pippin close to his side. Pippin buried his face in his father's trousers.
"It's the truth though, Father. Frodo didn't leave a gift here for him!" Pervinca said as she nudged Pearl who quickly nodded in agreement.
"Oh? And you didn't stop to think that maybe he left it inside?" Paladin asked as Pippin picked his head up and looked at his sisters.
Neither girl had an answer to that one.
Paladin sighed. "We are in front of other hobbits and I expect you to be kind to your brother."
"Is something wrong, Paladin?" Frodo came up to the scene that had seemed to put a stand still on the festivities.
"Oh, nothing a little punishment won't fix." Paladin looked at his oldest and youngest daughters. "My two girls here seem to think..."
Pippin let go of his father's side and ran to Frodo. "They said that you didn't love me Frodo because you didn't leave me a gift. But you said it was inside. It's inside right? Tell them!"
Frodo picked Pippin up and hugged him. "Of course I love you, Pippin. And it IS inside." Frodo glared at Pearl and Pervinca. "Nelly. It's on my bed. Would you mind getting it?"
"Of course not, Frodo," Nelly said. When she passed by Pippin she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Pearl, Pervinca, apologize to your brother."
"Sorry, Pippin," both girls muttered.
Paladin sighed and turned to Frodo. "I'm sorry, Frodo. I hope they didn't disrupt the party. We'll have a nice long talk at home about behavior at parties and towards siblings."
"It's alright, Paladin. Pippin can stay with me the rest of the party, if you don't need him." Frodo rubbed Pippin's back as the smaller hobbit laid his head on his shoulder.
"Quite alright with me. His mother may want him to join us later though."
Frodo nodded, kissed Pippin's cheek, put him down. "Hear that, Pippin-lad? You get to stay with your old cousin Frodo today."
Pippin smiled up at Frodo, his face was still red but the tears were gone. He turned to his father. "Thank you, Father."
"You're welcome, son." He lightly touseled his son's hair before he turned to his two daughters. "Let's go sit with your mother." He led Pearl and Pervinca away as Nel returned with a gift wrapped in scarlet.
"Thank you." Frodo took the gift from Nel's hand and kneeled down to Pippin's level. "Here you go, Pippin. I was going to wait until tonight, but you can have it now."
Pippin took it from Frodo and slowly opened it. Inside was half of a gold coin. The coin was on a small chain. Puzzled, Pippin looked up at Frodo.
Frodo took the chain and put it around Pippins neck, clasping it closed. "This is half of one of the coins Bilbo got on his journey. I have the other half." He turned Pippin around to face him. "This is so that you'll always have a part of me with you. Even if I'm not there, let at your birthday, this coin will connect us forever."
Pippin smiled and threw his arms tightly around Frodo's neck. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Pippin." He kissed his cheek again before letting go. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
Pippin took a hold of Frodo's hand. He spent the rest of the party in the company of his two favorite cousins and his favorite sister.