Notes to Readers:

Beg pardon, my editor is working overtime and has less time than usual for fanfic. She just now sent me this chapter, which I am passing on to you.

Please be sure to leave a review! They are very motivating, and each review you leave entitles you to a free cup of cyber-tea in the parlour (The Muse and I do try to make our guests feel welcome).

Expect another chapter of "Shire" next, as long as ffnet cooperates.

O-O-O

Chapter 59. A Visit to Bag End

Freddy departed Budgeford on a bright, brisk spring day. He was so much improved from the winterlong rest and devoted care that he elected to ride rather than drive the two-day journey to Hobbiton. His parents came to the small but luxuriously appointed "Midge Hall" to breakfast with their son and bid him farewell.

 'So, off to Hobbiton,' Odovacar said. 'Do you think it wise to impose upon Frodo at this time?' Rosie Gamgee was close to the end of her confinement. Surely Samwise would be preoccupied with his wife. It seemed hardly polite to impose the extra burden of guests upon him at this time.

 'I can find my way around a kitchen,' Freddy said complacently, 'and Budgie here,' he gave his faithful companion a nudge, 'excels at cookery as much as he does at healing.' Budgie had finished his apprenticeship under his father in the months that Freddy spent in Bywater and Hobbiton, and he had moved into Midge Hall to attend Freddy full time when the latter returned to Bridgefields.

 'My wife will certainly appreciate not having us underfoot,' Budgie said, finishing his cup of tea and pushing himself back from the table. 'Midge Hall will be a whirlwind of spring cleaning ere we've ridden through the gates.'

 'You have the right of it!' Mrs Smallfoot said, setting her own cup down and rising from her chair. 'I'll just make sure that Cook has packed up a few bites for you two, in case you grow peckish between inns.' She'd grown used to dining with the gentry, though it had given her a turn at first. Budgie is as close to me as any brother might be, Freddy had said at the wedding. You'll be more sister than holekeeper, Viola—may I call you Viola?

The sky was bright blue with fleecy clouds playing "I hide and you seek me" with the Sun; the emerging Sun turned the morning grass to brilliant green jewelled with the morning dew, and wild primroses peeped shyly from the verdure. The ponies were infected by the freshness of the wind, and Freddy and Budgie sang as the road disappeared beneath the prancing hoofs.

 'Just put us in mail shirts and we could cadge a free meal at the next farm,' Freddy said at the end of a song. 'The Travellers have nothing on us!'

 'Yes, and you could turn a few pretty heads,' Budgie said with a sidelong glance. 'Has Melilot Brandybuck found a husband yet?' It was great satisfaction to him to see Mr Freddy looking more like himself each day.

Freddy laughed. 'Marrying me off already, and here I'm fresh from the deathbed!' he said. 'That's the problem with you newlyweds; you think the condition ought to be universal!' He sobered. 'D'you supposed Melilot would be content to marry a nobody with nothing?' Though his health was not as precarious as it had been, Finch and Budgie had decreed that he would never be up to the strain of daily business. Rudivacar continued as Odo's heir, taking on more of the running of the Quarry and the mines as time passed.

 'If she were to tire of your cramped little hovel, you might always move into Brandy Hall as Drogo Baggins did eventually,' Budgie replied. 'Just so long as you had the sense to stay out of boats...'

 'Ah well, it's probably all moot anyhow,' Freddy said. 'I cannot imagine why Mellie's not married yet.'

 'Perhaps she got used to the idea of marrying you,' Budgie said. 'The dress was made, the flowers ordered, the feast arranged, and what do you do? Get yourself thrown in the Lockholes.'

 'Careless of me,' Freddy said dismissively, and they rode on in silence to the next inn, where they stopped for elevenses before taking up the journey once more. They stayed overnight at an inn about halfway to Bywater. The next day's ride was equally pleasant, and just before four o'clock they rode up before Bag End.

 'Hail and well met!' Frodo said, rising from the bench before the smial. He was enjoying the bright spring sunshine. 'Tea is laid in the parlour. Your timing is, as ever, impeccable.'

 'Of course it is!' Freddy laughed, getting down from his pony to embrace his cousin. Frodo was thinner than he remembered, and looked tired. 'But you didn't need to put Sam and Rosie out! I'd planned to take you to the Ivy Bush for tea.'

 'Put them out I did indeed!' Frodo said. 'I gave them the week off, I'll have you know, and sent them to the farm for a bit of cosseting. Rosie's not sleeping well these days, and so of course Sam isn't either.'

 'You didn't tell them you were having visitors?' Freddy laughed.

 'Of course not!' Frodo said stoutly. 'They'd never have agreed to go! The last thing they needed was the worry of caring for guests.' He looked sternly at Freddy from under his eyebrows. 'Your timing...'

 'We've already established my timing,' Freddy said smoothly. 'But I fear Sam and Rose will be distressed when they find we're baching it at Bag End while they're living in the lap of luxury.'

 'You may choose to stay at the farm instead,' Frodo said nonchalantly. 'Mrs Cotton did say you were welcome at any time.'

 'Hah,' Freddy said. 'And miss this golden opportunity to live the simple life once more, unencumbered by servants and well-meaning relatives?' He glanced from Frodo to Budgie. 'Present company excepted.'

Budgie laughed. 'Very well,' he said. 'I will be "brother" more than healer this week, if that is the way the wind is blowing. Or is that encompassed by "well-meaning relatives"?'

 'We'll make allowances,' Frodo said smoothly. 'Come in; the kettle has just begun to whistle.' Indeed the high-pitched sound came clearly through the open kitchen window.

Frodo had laid a simple but filling tea. The cousins did the washing up while Budgie took himself off for a walk, leaving them to talk freely.

 'How goes the fight?' Freddy asked.

 'It goes,' Frodo said. His cousin nodded.

 'You look tired,' he said bluntly. 'Are you sleeping well?'

 'Well enough,' Frodo said. 'I've been writing much, you know.'

 'Yes, Merry and Pippin had been quite busy playing at post,' Freddy said. 'I brought the latest batch back with me, and expect you have more?'

 'That's the rub,' Frodo said. 'I had quite a nice batch for you, but cannot put my hands on it! I was up very late, as a matter of fact, looking for the dratted papers.'

 'Ah well,' Freddy soothed. 'They'll turn up. Just you wait until Rosie has this babe, and recovers... she'll turn the study downside-up very nicely, and the papers will fall out of wherever it is they're hiding.'

Frodo nodded gloomily.

Freddy went on. 'In the meantime, there's quite a bit of material for you to copy into the Red Book. I take it you've been making notes from conversations with Merry and Pippin, and writing draughts all the winter through.'

Frodo brightened a bit. 'This is true,' he said. 'There is all the copy-work to get through; that'll take weeks if not months! Surely the missing draughts will come to light in that time.'

Budgie returned from his walk in time to bake a loaf of quick bread and scramble some eggs for a simple supper. Sitting down at the kitchen table, he waited until the cousins had started on their seconds before he got down to business. 'Tomorrow's the day, is it not?'

Frodo looked up in surprise, but Freddy nodded. 'That's right,' he said. 'That's why we're here,' he reminded Frodo.

 'You brought your personal healer for my benefit?' Frodo said dryly.

 'No, but he'll be a help if you start fighting imaginary spiders,' Freddy said.

 'Yes, imaginary spiders interest me immensely,' Budgie agreed, buttering another piece of bread.

 'Is that what I did the last time?' Frodo said in astonishment. 'Farmer Cotton never mentioned that.'

 'Probably slipped his mind,' Freddy said, then chuckled.

 'You're having me on!' Frodo said suddenly.

 'Yes I am,' Freddy confessed, 'but do try to be more interesting than you were last time, cousin. All you did was lie like a stone, clutching that jewel of yours.'

 'I'll do my best,' Frodo said.

The next morning, Freddy and Budgie found Frodo lying insensible on his bed, clutching the white jewel. Budgie examined him as gently as he could. 'His heart is racing as if he's just run down the Hill and back,' he said. 'Mr Baggins? Can you hear me?'

 'It is gone,' Frodo breathed. 'All gone,' he added.

 'Yes I know, and all is dark and empty,' Freddy said in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to reach his cousin. 'Come, Frodo, we have some tea for you.'

Budgie sat him up, and Freddy coaxed him to sip the heavily sweetened beverage until it was gone. 'D'you think we can get him to eat something?' he asked the healer.

Budgie had closed his hand over Frodo's wrist once more and was shaking his head. 'I do not like this,' he said. 'Did his heart labour so, the last time?'

 'I hadn't the wit to call in a healer,' Freddy said slowly. 'In truth, I didn't want him poked and prodded, and draughts forced down him as if he were a sick pony.' He raised his voice slightly. 'Frodo, are you with us?'

There was a long silence, and then Frodo breathed, 'Freddy?'

 'That's right, cousin, I'm here,' Freddy said. 'Good, he knows me at least,' he said to Budgie. 'That's an improvement over the last time. Perhaps these spells will get better over time, as he predicted.'

 'Keep talking to him,' Budgie said, getting up. 'I'll see what I can stir up for breakfast.'

They took turns talking to Frodo, nagging him to eat and drink (food is the hobbit's answer to most of the world's ills, after all), singing songs, keeping him warm and encouraging him. 'It's a good thing he sent Sam to the farm,' Freddy said. 'He'd be fit to be tied with Rose so close to her time, and Frodo seeming so ill.'

 'He was himself the next day?' Budgie asked.

 'Nearly so,' Freddy replied. 'It took him a week or two to recover completely, but he dissembled so well I don't think the Cottons noticed anything after he got up again.'

Mid-afternoon, the visitors were startled to hear Sam's voice in the kitchen. 'Mr Frodo?'

 'I'll go,' Freddy said. He patted Frodo on the arm. 'You had better brace yourself up, cousin, or your secret will be discovered.' He rose and went to the kitchen.

 'Mr Freddy!' Sam said in shock. 'When did you get here?'

 'Yesterday,' Freddy said. 'I had a few questions on the writing and I really needed to talk to my cousin face-to-face. It is ever so much faster than sending letters back and forth, you know.'

 'But—' Sam said in consternation. 'He should have let us know! Rosie and I are down at the farm, and—'

 'Yes, yes,' Freddy said dismissively. 'We've managed not to starve to death in the meantime. Actually it's been rather peaceful, and I'm sure your Rosie could use the holiday. Don't you worry about us, Sammy, we'll be fine.'

 'But—' Sam said again, hardly reassured.

 'Samwise,' Frodo said from the door. He was dressed, and on his feet, though Budgie hovered at his elbow.

 'Mr Frodo, just let me send word to the Cottons and I'll be back to get you a proper tea,' Sam said.

 'No need,' Frodo said with a smile, though his face was pale and his eyes shadowed. Thankfully Sam was too flustered to notice. 'My cousin and I are quite comfortable. You go back to Rosie, enjoy your holiday. We'll probably be down to see the Cottons on the morrow.'

 'Yes, I'm still exhausted from the journey,' Freddy said smoothly as he allowed himself to wilt slightly, 'but by the morrow I'll have rested sufficiently, I'm sure.'

 'Very well,' Sam said doubtfully. What he really wanted to do was get back to his work, but Mr Frodo evidently wanted some private time with his cousin, who must be ill indeed to be travelling with a healer. 'If you're quite sure, Mr Frodo.'

 'Quite sure,' Frodo said.

 'Mrs Cotton will probably want to invite you to come to dinner,' Sam said.

 'Undoubtedly,' Freddy said. 'Tell her I am looking forward to her marvellous cooking once more.'

 'I will,' Sam said.

 'Was there anything else you needed, Sam?' Freddy asked, affecting to catch his balance by grasping at Samwise's arm, all the while deftly steering him towards the door.

 'No, I just came to check to see how Mr Frodo is doing,' Sam said.

 'As well as can be expected,' Freddy said honestly. 'I always unsettle him so, you know. Keeps him on his toes.'

 'We will see you on the morrow, Sam,' Frodo said as the gardener turned at the door.

 'Yes Mr Frodo,' Sam replied.

 'I'll walk you down the Hill,' Budgie said suddenly, leaving Frodo leaning against the doorway. 'If you don't need me, that is, Mr Freddy.'

 'I'm sure Frodo can watch over me adequately,' Freddy said, releasing Sam's arm and leaning against the doorframe. 'Indeed, cousin, I'm all for a nap, I find.'

 'Indeed,' Frodo said. Sam nodded, and made as if to change his mind, but Budgie crossed to the door and before he knew it, Sam was on his way down the Hill, answering the visitor's many questions about Bywater's recovery from the ruffians.

 'Come, Frodo,' Freddy said. 'I'm exhausted. Let us get you back to bed.'