Please also do not make me, myself, & I , mad by suing us for any reason. We are innocent precious... Once again, for all of you conspirating lawyers out there, ME, MYSELF, & I DO NOT OWN ANY OF MASTER TOLKIEN'S CHARACTERS, PLACES, SETTINGS, PLOT, OR WORK. They ARE NOT mine.
Now, please read. : )
Authors note: In this Pippin is 11 which is equal to the human age of 6, and Merry is 19. They are riding to Bag End.
"Merry? Are we there yet?" Pippin asked anxiously. Hopping around the cart while Merry attempted to grab ahold of his younger cousin.
"Pip! Sit down! Otherwise, you'll fall out of the cart and your Mum will never let me see you again!" Pippin promptly sat down at this, while twiddling his thumbs, and straining to see over Hamfast Gamgee's head. The eleven year old hobbit suddenly gasped and leaped back up.
"Merry! Merry! We're here! Bag End's right up there." As he turned back around to continue spying over the chuckling Gamgee's head, Merry pulled him down onto his lap.
"Pippin, you've got to promise me you'll be good, it's very kind of Frodo to let us come, especially on no notice at all."
"Merry, you're being just like Mum, besides, Frodo doesn't mind. Cousin Frodo never minds, remember the time we hid in his hole from Fatty?" Pippin declared in his squeaky voice.
"Pippin, it's not his hole, Bag End is cousin Bilbo's," Merry slowly began, moving Pippin from his lap to the seat next to him, "You're right," Without a word he stood up and leaped out of the cart, he began at a stumbling run to Bag End, "Race you!" Pippin stayed seated, his mouth was open in surprise, and then he lept up after his cousin.
"Merry! That's not fair!"
Merry stumbled forward, laughing. Pippin shouted, from behind him and jumped down. Just in time Frodo opened the door and stepped out. Merry knew what was coming next from Pippin, and was ready to avoid it.
"Hullo Frodo!" Merry yelled as he jumped over the closed gate and hid behind Frodo.
"Hello Merry, what on earth are you doing?" Frodo looked under his arm at Merry who was peering around him.
"Just coming for a visit to my favorite cousin! That would be you of course, Frodo," Merry frowned as Frodo watched him crouch behind Frodo, "That is...if you protect me from that little monster, if you don't, well then, you're my least favorite cousin." Merry smiled up at him.
"No matter what Meriadoc, I've known from the day that Peregrin was born, I shall always be either your second favorite cousin, or below."
"You'll be my least favorite if-"
"I know!" Frodo laughed, and looked up. Pippin was struggling over the fence, climbing up it one small step at a time. Hamfast Gamgee came from behind him, lifted him up and put him on the otherside.
"There you go Mister Peregrin, sir." Frodo heard him chuckle, and then Hamfast gave him a slight nod and turned to leave. Pippin on the other hand, stumbled from feeling solid ground underneath his feet again, and then ran forward.
"I've got you now Merry! That was unfair that you jumped out! Besides, races aren't legal unless all of the people agree on them. That includes- Frodo!" Pippin froze. Looking up at Frodo, he analyzed him quickly and then grinned. Pippin stepped backward, and then made a flying leap to Frodo. Frodo stepped out to catch him, and stumbled as the eleven year old Took locked his arms around his neck.
"See Pippin, I told you he was alright." Merry announced defiantly as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"But Merry, it was so real..." Pippin whispered, Frodo remained silent, not sure of the conversation. And then Frodo realized something, the place where Pippin was resting his head was starting to feel wet.
"Peregrin," Frodo whispered softly to his young charge, "are you crying?"
"Yes." Pippin half-sobbed guiltily into his shoulder. "It was a bad dream." Frodo lowered Pippin to the ground and took out his handkerchief. Frodo briefly wiped away Pippin's tears and then smiled.
"It's all over now." He smoothed Pippin's locks back. Merry walked over and picked Pippin up. Almost without a thought, Peregrin wrapped his arms around Merry's neck and leaned his head against his older cousin's shoulder, while Merry held him against his hip. It was strange how Meriadoc loved picking up his younger cousin whenever Pippin got upset, Frodo was almost sure that someday when they were old, he would brake his back by doing so.
"It was a bad dream." Merry muttered, while handing Pippin a small blanket, "Wasn't it Pip?"
"Yep."
"Was it as bad as spiders?"
"I dun remember now, Merry!" Pippin squealed with laughter and played with Merry's curls as if he was the older cousin. His face took on mocking sterness, and then his green eyes shown with delight. "Mister Gamgee said that Sam was here. Is Sam here? Sam's always here. I remember the time when I was staying here with Merry, and you, and then he came into my bedroom and I thought he was Bilbo. He then started putting all of my toys away, and I kept wondering why Uncle Bilbo would do that. Bilbo is a messy maker hobbit." Pippin lectured while squirming to see past Merry's head into the doorway.
"Mister Frodo? Frodo? Where are you?"Almost as if on key Sam's voice searched the house. Pippin pushed off of Merry and began running in.
"Mister Frodo! I've been outside working in the garden, and when I come in I've got a right to know where you are... Seeing as I've been working hard all day, I deserve to at least be able to find you-" Sam obviously thought that Pippin's fast running was Frodo, "Oh! Hello there Peregrin!"
Silence. Frodo and Merry smiled at eachother while waiting for a response, but this smile quickly faded. Inside Pippin let out a sharp scream, and ran straight out. Merry turned around and kneeled, quickly picking up Pippin and hugging him close.
"What's wrong Pip? It's just Sam." Merry scowled at Samwise, while attempting to console Pippin, as he came through the door, "What did you do Samwise?!" He asked, becoming angry within seconds.
"I did nothing Mister Merry! I just said hello to young Pippin. Then he was running away sobbing!"
"Well you obviously did something or he wouldn't be crying, would he Sam?" Merry hastily handed Pippin to Frodo and menacingly approached Sam.
"Are you suggesting I hurt him Mister Merry?! I did nothing of the sort, and wouldn't, besides." Sam stood firmly, and countered Merry. Both of them exchanged icy glares. Merry raised his fist into the air and pulled it back, as did Sam, both were ready to defend and attack.
"Not much good can come of this, can there Pippin?" Frodo whispered into the still crying Pippin's ear.
"Nope. Merry is a fearsome fighter, one time when we were in Buckland and Fatty started to say some-" Pippin wiped away his still cascading tears as he started to recount a event that he was proud to have witnessed, but there was no time, Frodo quickly interupted him.
"Lads! Before you get into any fighting, let's here Pippin's reason. Otherwise we'll have a big mess to clean up." Frodo interrupted, speaking abruptly, and setting Pippin on the ground, who ran and hid behind Merry. Merry kneeled down and looked deep into Pippin's emerald eyes.
"Frodo's right. What happened Pip?"
"The dream's true." Pippin whispered under his breath, avoiding everyone's eyes and staring at the ground. Immediately Merry regretted his abrupt approach, as Pippin's eyes began to water again. Merry pulled Pippin over to him and hugged him. "Gollum's going to come to get me. Frodo's going to leave."
"Why on earth would you think that Pippin? It was just a dream, dreams don't come true..."
"But Sam's never dirty, and he was dirty in the dream, and he's dirty now." Pippin looked up at Sam as they talked, realization shown into his eyes. "That means Gollum's here now." He then, began crying again.
"Excuse me, Mister Merry, and Mister Pippin, but the reason I'm dirty is that I've been working outside all day." Sam told them, trying to calm Pippin down.
"Where's Sam dirty, Pippin?" Merry asked delicately. Pippin wiped away his tears and allowed his lip to quiver as he pointed out the various spots. Merry stood up, picking up Pippin and holding him at his thigh, and licked his thumb, he quickly ran his wet thumb across Sam's face and wiped away the dirt. Sam took an abrupt step back, and blushed deeply.
"Mister Merry. You shouldn't be doing that. It isn't my or your place. And imagine if the neighbors-" Merry ignored him and wiped a smudge of dirt off of his other cheek, "Now see here Mister Merry! You don't go doing that or I-" Merry wiped off his forehead, and Sam's face turned a deeper red. Pippin giggled. Merry began to move his thumb towards Sam's nose, ignoring his bright red ear tips, when Frodo stepped in.
"Merry, Sam is too dirty to do that. You'll be licking your finger incessantly all day long, besides, it hurts Sam's dignity don't you see?" Frodo smiled devilishly.
"That's not what I meant Mister-" Sam began, his face was utterly shocked.
"No, we cannot have that, Sam, go wash up in the bathroom."
"Thank you Mister Frodo, thank you dearly." Sam whispered, he smiled at Frodo and then scowled at Merry. He turned towards Bag Shot row.
"Oh no Sam! You must get washed up immediately," Frodo ushered them into Bag End and closed the door behind them. They were moving suspiciously towards the bathroom.
"I don't like that wink you just gave Mister Merry, Mister Frodo. I'm not blind nor dumb, I know your up to something. Especially since those devil horns just gone and sprung out of Mister Pippin, and Mister Merry's heads." Pippin cocked his head and patted his hair suspiciously at this.
"I don't have any-"
"Not litterally Pippin." Merry whispered, and nuzzled Pippin's ear with his nose. Pippin giggled and swatted at Merry.
"Stop! Stop it Merry!!" Then it clicked. Samwise realized why Frodo had locked the door behind them, and why they were heading towards the bathroom. He quickly lived up to his name.
"Oh no, Mister Frodo! It ain't right! It's not my place! Mister Frodo," Sam begged, while his face and ears turned a glowing red.
"Sam, you need to wash up." Frodo smiled gently. With that, he carefully shoved Samwise into the bathroom, and closed the door, which was ended by him locking it quickly.
"Mister Frodo!" Sam bellowed hopelessly.
"Sam, we aren't letting you out of there until you wash up, and don't even try the window, it's locked." Frodo warned through the door.
"Mister Frodo, please sir..." A disgruntled reply whispered.
"Sam, use anything you want in there, relax, have a warm bubbly wash, it'll cheer you up instantly."
"But Mister Frodo..."
"Sam, Frodo's going to fix Pip and I something to eat, because we are two weary, hungry travelers. So do what he says if you want some too." Merry called back.
"So what are you going to fix us Frodo?" Merry turned to him with a devilish smile.
"I could fix you mud and you would eat it Meriadoc, so don't smirk at me like that." Frodo chuckled back to him. The two hobbits strolled to the kitchen, while Merry supported Pippin on his side.
"Merry? Do you promise that my dreams aren't true...and never will become true?"
"Depends what they are, but if you're talking about the one last night, Pip, I swear to you, if they do come true, which is highly unlikely, I will defend you from whatever comes. When Bilbo comes back from wherever he is, we can ask him to recount the story of how he defeated Gollum. That way you can know what to do. Alright Pip?"
"Ok Merry."
"So what do you two fine young hobbits want to eat?" Frodo asked, he had run ahead to the kitchen.
"I like food sour, I like food sweet, I like food you can make within the hour!" Pippin yelled ahead of them.