Disclaimer: I don't own them, never will. Wish I did but that's a moot point right now.

Culumacilinte-He is cute, isn't he? Funny...::sighs:: Pearl and Pervinca improve though...

Hai Took-His sisters are all bed. They're little she-devils but they aren't all bad.

LOTR Board Comments:

Awwww..how nice! ((Pippin)) Thanks for this chapter!-Queen of Gondor (::grins:: Thank you!!!)

How beautiful pippinmerry!!! Wonderful father and son time!! Ahhhhh, I love father and son time!! So very nice PM!! :) :) :)-Silivren Ithildin (Father and Son time is fun!)

Awwww! Cuteness! Thanks so much Pip! Keep on writing! I love reading Pippin's story!!-Evermind (Thank you!!!!!!!!)

Oh, this is so cute. Brought back some memories. :)-elenna (Memories...::sighs::)

I'm sooo sorry this took sooo long!!! I don't know what came over me to forget this story! I'll try my best to remember to put up the next chapters!!

Chapter Ten

Paladin had a hard time falling asleep that first night. His wife had gone to stay at her sister's for a few days to help her with the birth of her first child. He missed having her next to him. He'd grown used to having her next to him so he tossed and turned before pure exhaustion overtook his body.

It was late in the night or early in the morning, depending on your perspective, when he felt something warm next to him. He turned his head and saw his twelve-year-old son next to him. He smiled at the lad.

He brushed back the boy's curls. "Pippin?" he whispered softly.

The boy opened his eyes and looked up at his father. "Da?"

Paladin smiled at his son. Pippin only called him that when the two of them were alone, making it a rare treat for the elder hobbit. "What are you doing here, son?"

Pippin shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." He snuggled up closer to his father.

Paladin frowned at his son. "Why not, Pippin-lad? Bad dream?"

Pippin buried his head further into his father's chest. He mumbled something that Paladin couldn't understand.

Paladin pulled his son away from him. "What was that, lad?"

Pippin bit his lip. He then shook his head fiercely before putting his head back down.

Paladin gently rubbed his son's back. "Come now, Pippin. You can tell me what it's about."

Pippin sighed and pulled himself away. Looking down at the bed, he said, "It was nothing, Da, really."

Paladin put his hand under his son's chin, and move his head up so their eyes met. "It had to be a pretty big 'nothing' to make you crawl into my bed. You haven't done that since you were five."

Pippin sighed again and laid his head on the pillow. "I had a dream that Merry stopped coming over, that he didn't want me for a cousin any more."

"Pippin, Merry loves you. You know this. Now, where did this come from?"

"Pervinca. She says that Merry only talks to me and he only comes over because Uncle Saradoc makes him. He doesn't really, does? Merry comes because he wants to right?" Pippin sat up and looked his green eyes right into his father's, pleading for the truth.

Paladin pulled his son close to him. "Pippin, you should know better than to take your sister's words to heart. Merry would live here if he could. I imagine you would live in Buckland if you could, right?"

Pippin smiled. "I would, but I would miss you. Mother and my sisters, too."

Paladin kissed his son's head. "We would miss you. I thought you and your sisters worked things out in May?"

"We did, but Vincy is still my sister and brothers and sisters fight. You and Aunt Essy still fight. You fought at the Spring Festival last month."

Paladin chuckled softly. "Yes, we did, but your aunt is very stubborn."

"Mother says all Tooks are stubborn."

Paladin laughed as Pippin laid his head on his father's chest. "Yes, that we are. 'Tis a dignifying trait, Pippin, remember that."

Pippin nodded as he yawned.

"Alright now, it's time for you to go to back to sleep."

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

Paladin sighed. He had to admit, he loved finding his son next to him. Pippin provided a lot comfort when he missed his wife. "You can stay tonight, Pippin. Tonight only though."

Pippin smiled and he yawned again. "Thank you, Da." He snuggled up close to his father.

Paladin put his arm around his son and held him close. "You're welcome, son. Good night."

"Good night, Da," Pippin replied, sleepily.

This time both father and son fell into a deep sleep, taking comfort in one another.

Paladin had just as hard a time falling asleep the next night. He sighed as he rolled over again. He began to regret telling Pippin he had to stay in his room. Sighing again, he got out of bed and walked down the hall to his son's room. He opened the door and quietly walked in. He frowned when he looked at his son.

Pippin was rather pale and Paladin noticed he was moaning softly in his sleep. He moved to his son's side and gently shook him awake. "Pippin?" he said, as he brushed his son's hair back from his forehead.

Pippin groaned slightly as he slowly woke up. "Da?"

"Are you feeling alright?" He could feel a slight warmth coming from his son and knew the lad had a small fever.

Pippin shook his head. "Not really. My belly hurts."

Paladin frowned. "Would like to join me in my room again?"

His son smiled slightly. "Can I really?"

He nodded, picked up his son, and carried back to his room. He laid Pippin on the bed and pulled the sheets up over him. "Now, when did you start to feel sick?"

Pippin shrugged. "After dinner, I suppose."

"Is it more than your belly that hurts? Anything else?"

He nodded, "My head hurts."

"My poor lad." He got into bed and held his son. "Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

Pippin nodded slightly as he place his head in the crock of his father's arm, "I'm so tired, Da. I've never been this tired before."

"Just sleep, Pippin-lad." He kissed his son forehead. He could feel the fever growing. He hoped it wasn't anything serious. Paladin hated seeing any of his children, especially his son, sick.

Pippin fell asleep quickly. Paladin had a hard time, however. He still missed his wife being beside him, but now he worried for his son. Eventually, sleep overtook Paladin and he soon fell asleep, his son in his arms.

The next morning, Paladin awoke to find Pippin still sound asleep at his side. He ran his hand over his son's forehead. The fever was still there. He sighed and got out of bed, trying not to awake Pippin.

After getting dressed, he left quietly and went into the kitchen. He made up some breakfast for himself and some tea for Pippin. He returned to his room and roused his son. "Pippin? Pippin-lad? Can you wake up for a moment, son?"

Pippin groaned but woke up. "Da? I don't feel good."

"I know you don't. What's wrong?"

"My belly still hurts." Pippin rubbed his eyes. "And my head. Da, why do I always get sick?"

Paladin sighed as he looked into his son's green eyes. "I don't know, son. You'll be alright though. Just stay in bed for today." He brushed his son's hair, which was now soaked in sweat from fever.

"Your bed, Da?"

Paladin smiled. "Yes, Pippin."

Pippin smiled up as his father. "Alright then. I guess that won't be so bad."

"Here's some tea, lad. Honey." Paladin poured the tea into a cup. "Now you drink every bit of this, got me?"

Pippin nodded and drank down the tea. He scowled at the taste. "You said this was honey tea. It doesn't taste like honey tea."

"I added a little something for your stomach. Do you think you can handle some food?"

Pippin swallowed. "I don't know, maybe."

"Let's see if you can keep the tea down, alright lad?"

Pippin nodded again. "Are you going to send for a healer?"

"Not yet. We'll see what happens. It's just the two of us, remember?"

Pippin frowned. "I had to get sick now, didn't I?"

"Well, babies can take a while to get here. Your mother and sisters will be gone for a least three more days. We still have plenty of time together."

"I hope I feel better soon, Da."

"As do I. Why don't you get back to sleep, eh?" Paladin left the room once his son had fallen back asleep.

He returned to the kitchen and sank into a chair. He sighed and placed his head in his hands. Paladin was used to Pippin getting sick, but he usually had his wife by his side. He yawned and realized how little sleep he had gotten, worrying over his son. He soon fell asleep at the kitchen table.

"Da?" Pippin tugged at his father's sleeve. He'd been asleep for several hours and had woken up, looking for his father.

Paladin stirred. "Pippin? You feeling better?" He reached out and touched his forehead. The fever was still there.

"No, but I didn't know where you were."

Paladin pulled his son into his lap. "Sorry to have worried you, Pippin-love. You want to try and eat something."

Pippin shook his head. "No. The tea didn't help. I got sick in your bed."

"Ah. I see." He kissed Pippin on the forehead and carried him into the living room. "You lay here for now. I'll go clean up the bedroom."

"I'm sorry, Da."

"It's alright, son. You're sick and that can't be helped."

Paladin changed his bed sheets and brought Pippin back in, laying him on the fresh linens. "There you go. All nice and clean."

Pippin tugged at the sheets. "Da, I'm glad you're the one with me."

"Me too." He stood up and kissed his son again. "Why don't you go back to sleep."

"I think I've had too much sleep."

"Perhaps. But at least stay in bed. For me, alright?"

Pippin nodded. Paladin stayed by his side until the lad fell asleep.

He usually worked in the fields, but asked another hobbit to overlook things while he took care of his son. He sat by Pippin's side, watching him sleep. Slowly, the fever began to go down.

Pippin stirred after nearly three hours of sleep. "Da?"

"Yes, son?"

"I'm hungry."

Paladin laughed. "I bet you are. It's nearly time for dinner. You feel up to eating in the dining room or do you want to eat in here?"

"Where will you be?"

"I'll eat wherever you eat, but I would like to eat in the dining room. I've had several meals in here already today."

Pippin crawled out of bed and took a hold of his father's hand. "Dining room then."

Paladin laughed and followed his son. The two enjoyed a wonderful meal, discussing all they would do the next day, now that Pippin was better and Paladin wasn't busy.

When it was over, Pippin went over to his father and climbed up into his lap. "We'll have so much fun, Da! With no sisters around."

Paladin held his son close. "I thought you liked your sisters."

"I do, but I like being with you. Just the two of us. We don't get to do it often. You either work in the fields or one of my sisters is there as well."

"No we don't often get time together do we? We should try and make more time, eh?"

Pippin beamed up at his father. "Really? I'd really like that, Da." He hugged his father.

"As would I, Pippin. But do remember that even if we don't spend much time together, you are my son and I love you, alright?"

"I will, Da. And I love you, too."

Tine and the girls were gone for nearly ten days. They were the best ten days, Pippin thought, of his life. He and his father spent most of their waking hours together before falling asleep every night in Paladin's bed. He decided not to fight Pippin, and let him stay.

At first, Pippin was upset to hear they were coming home, but when he saw the wagon coming up over the hill, he was happy. He missed his mother and sisters. When the wagon stopped he ran right into his mother's arms.

"I missed you, Mother!"

"And I you, Pippin." She held him close to her. She'd missed her son dearly and had wished later in the visit she had brought him with her. "What did you and your father do while I was gone?"

"Well, I was sick..."

"Sick?" Tine reached up to feel his forehead but he quickly pulled away.

"Mother, that was a while ago. I'm fine now. We did so much together. It was wonderful!"

"I'm glad."

Pippin hugged his sisters while his father greeted his mother.

"Father, we have to tell them all that we did!"

Paladin gathered his son up in his arms. "We will, but let's get them inside first."

The family sat around the fire, everyone talking of what had happened over the last few days.

Pippin felt himself falling asleep in his father's lap.

Paladin noticed and whispered, "You'll have to stay in your bed tonight."

Pippin only nodded. He soon found himself being carried to his room in his father's strong arms. Before long he was placed in his bed.

Paladin brushed back his son's hair. "Good night, love." He kissed his forehead.

"Night, Da."

Paladin smiled before he got up and returned to the rest of his family.