Pimpernel just stared at her mother, dumbfounded by what she had just heard, "But, no... not, not Pip!?" she pleaded with her mother, "Not Pip! He didn't do anything! He doesn't deserve this!"

"I know honey, but sickness doesn't care whether you are innocent or not." Tina looked up at her husband, wanting him to crack another one of his gorgeous smiles, then laugh and say it was all a very bad joke.

"Its just not FAIR!" Pervinca screamed, throwing herself at a pillow, punching every inch of it as though her life depended on it. "Not fair... no.... not... PIP!" She stammered in between wild punches to the pillow.

"Shhh, Vinca, its ok, Pippin will be fine, he's strong!" Pearl hugged her sister, rocking her while trying to calm the sobbing hobbit down, "It's alright, shhhh, there now..."

"I am going to bed," Pimpernel said quietly, "maybe when I wake up in the morning, I will find out it was all a bad dream!" She hugged her parents then dragged herself through the round door and into the hallway "Are you coming?" she asked, looking back at her sisters and Merry, "Yes, Pim...come help me with Vinca." Pimpernel walked back over to her two sisters, and putting her arm around Pervinca as Pearl had done, they helped her out of the room. "I'll come tuck you all in. Merry are you coming?" Tina looked back at her nephew,

"I'll be along in a bit" Merry called after them, he wanted to speak to his before he had to tell his parents the bad news.
"Um, Uncle?"
"Yes Merry, what is it?"
"Well, I, um...I"
"Yes?"
Merry sighed, he might as well get it out quickly "I know that Pip is really sick, but do you think that I could...stay?"
"Why Merry, why would you ever think we would send you away at a time like this, your Pippin's best friend, he looks up to you, and right now he needs a friend more than ever."
"Oh, thank you, its just that I thought..."
"You thought that we would want it just to be our family," Paladin answered for him, smiling down at his nephew, whom he had come to regard as his own son.
"Well, yes." Merry looked down at the carpet, fidgeting with his hands "It's just that well.."
"Merry," Paladin lifted Merry's chin and looked him straight in the eye, "I may not be your real father, but to me, you're as good as a son!" Merry looked up at him, tears welling up in his eyes
"Really?" he stammered
"Yes... son" Paladin picked Merry up and placed him on his lap, hugging him tightly.