A/N: This may seem like a fluffy fic but it does get a little more complicated later on, believe me. I have plans for it. Thanks for the response so far!

"Where have you been off to, Ruby?"

Alas, Ruby had been correct in assuming that Bilbo's company was much superior to the screeching of the innkeeper's wife. She had been late getting home, even though she had run as fast as her little hobbit legs would carry her, and now she was getting a lecture, although Ruby couldn't tell the difference between her caretaker's stern voice and her normal voice.

"I was having tea," she replied politely. "With Mr. Baggins."

The eyebrows of her charge shot up and Ruby began to wonder if they had a life of their own.

"You were where?" she asked, eying the hobbit child incredulously. The little one did have a rampant imagination so one could never be too careful. "Now, Ruby, I don't care much for pretending things. What were you really doing?"

Ruby looked at her wide eyed and then said, "Oh, but I was with Bilb—Mr. Baggins, ma'am. We had tea and he talked about his adventures and everything! He even asked me to come to tea tomorrow!"

With a sigh, Ruby's screecher just shook her head and waved her off to her dinner. The child's mind was obviously made up and so was hers. That was enough of an explanation for the evening.

If there was one thing Ruby loathed more than having to listen to her caretaker's screeching it was staying indoors. With the dark walls closing in about her and the feeling that all of her imaginative little thoughts would be stifled by merely breathing in the stale air that surrounded her, staying indoors was truly frightening (even though the great Ruby claimed she wasn't afraid of anything). Poor little Ruby couldn't stand it, especially on the day that she was scheduled to have tea again with dear Bilbo. So when the time came when she was finished with all her usual tasks, the little hobbit girl quietly made her way toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going little missy?"

So much for that adventure, thought Ruby. She sighed and turned 'round to face her doom, feeling very much like those dwarves who must've had to stand up to Smaug the dragon. In fact, with her teeth contorted in such a way, the innkeeper's wife looked an awful lot like a dragon. Screecher the dragon. Ruby half expected to see her nostrils start smoking and her wings pop out from underneath her apron. Thinking all this made her completely inattentive to what she was being told.

"…don't want you running off again today. You've got yourself a visitor and he'd like to talk to you."

Ruby perked up. A visitor! Oh, what a delightful turn of events! Maybe it was Mr. Baggins, coming to convince Screecher that she really had been invited to tea. Or maybe it was Gandalf, returning after all these years to carry her along in one of his adventures because he'd heard of her cleverness and enthusiasm to see all the world outside of the Shire. Hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation, she looked up expectantly at Screecher, waiting for the hobbit to tell her who it was.

"That's more like it. Payin' attention to what I'm saying" The Screecher smoothed her apron. "It's one of them healers come to visit you. Now don't you keep him waiting."

Ruby was puzzled at this turn of events. What did the healer want with her? She remembered the last time she had seen him, a few years ago, after her parents died. They said she needed to be checked up on, in case she got sick like her parents. Was it bad news today? What about her tea with Mr. Bilbo? Would she get to hear the end of his story? If something were wrong, how would she get to word to him that she wouldn't be able to come? He would be terribly disappointed, she knew. So would she.

By the time Ruby entered the room with the other hobbit, she was extremely nervous. Maybe he was going to do everything that the other hobbit children said he did. They said that he would punish naughty hobbits by giving them nasty teas to drink and telling them they can't go outside. How could she not go outside? She would surely suffocate inside the walls of this house!

"Hello, Ruby," the older hobbit greeted her when she came in. He looked all wrinkly and his hair had turned white. He must've been older than the Elves she'd heard stories about, and they lived forever!

"Hello, sir," she mumbled, looking down at her feet again and wondering if the hair on her toes would turn the color of snow like the hair on his head when she got old. One could only wonder these things at a time like this.

"I'm here to check up on you. Do you remember the last time I was here?" He squinted at her and grinned, a tooth missing in the bottom front. "You've grown quite a bit! Pretty soon you'll be courting a nice young hobbit boy and getting married!"

Ruby look up at him, horrified. Married! How could he say such a thing? Every girl knew that boys were yucky. Surely this healer fellow must be a little off his rocker to make such a comment. Married? Ha!

He didn't, however, seem to notice her shock at his statement. He simply went on to ask her how she had been feeling lately, if she was tired, if her appetite had suffered. She couldn't figure out how this was going to accomplish anything. She was a little tired but that was from running around a lot. She had been feeling ship shape. Her appetite was indeed fine. Screecher could verify that. It was the last question, however, that caused some confusion. Were her muscles tired and sore? Yes.

He regarded her suspiciously. "Yes? You've been feeling sluggish in the muscles? They ache?"

Ruby nodded, not sure what the point was. "Especially my back, sir."

His eyes widened and he rubbed his chin absently, a suddenly worried look in his eyes. "You sure you haven't been too tired or not hungry?"

She frowned. Yes, she was positive. She hadn't been eating less. Not at all. In fact, she had had a very healthy hunger lately. Especially for seed cakes, except Screecher wouldn't let her have more than one a day. Said it was too much sugar and she was already antsy enough. Ruby didn't quite believe her.

"I'm just fine, sir. My back's only sore because I fell on Mr. Baggins' flowers yesterday and it hurt."

The hobbit sitting across from her relaxed a little, his previously pale face turning its natural color again. Then he looked her sternly. "You fell in Mr. Baggins' flowers? Does he know you crushed them?" There was a glint of something in his eyes and she realized that all was better now.

"Oh, yes, sir. He invited me tea and told me about his adventures." She smiled excitedly at him. "He invited me to tea again today."

He smiled back at her, the same missing tooth in full view. Ruby decided to call him Ancient since he looked older than the earth itself. Older than dirt. He rose from the chair slowly and methodically, as if he had practiced how to do it without hurting himself. His small patient watched him with fascination. She didn't know one could get so old. Rumor had it he was in his eighties but he looked to be about eight hundred. Finally when he had to rose to his full a height, which was barely taller than Ruby, he patted her on the head, tossling her dark curls a little bit.

"Such attentive eyes," Ancient mumbled and shuffled toward the door, looking for Screecher. Ruby hung back and tried to hear what they were saying. She not only had attentive eyes, she had attentive ears, or at least they were when she wanted them to be.

"How is she?" she heard Screecher ask, her voice actually quieter than normal, although still grating on the ears.

Ancient sniffed and said, "For now she's fine. But I'd like to check up on her in a few weeks. She said she'd been a little tired lately and we can't be too careful in cases like these."

Poor little Ruby sighed. Not another visit. At least he hadn't forced her to drink one of those unpleasant teas she'd heard so much about. At the thought of teas she checked the clock and nearly gasped. Mr. Baggins! The tea! She hurried into the room with Screecher and Ancient, jumping up and down and begging to be able to go. Screecher rolled her eyes and Ancient looked at her in surprise. Some sore back.

"Ruby, what'd I tell you about pretending?" Screecher demanded and Ruby was just waiting for her to devour her in one bite. She shuddered at the thought of what the inside of Screecher's stomach must look like.

Ancient spoke up and said, "She seems to think it's the truth. Why don't you let me take her in my wagon? I'm sure she'd be happy to go, wouldn't she?"

Ruby's wide blue eyes got even wider. A wagon ride with the Ancient? How did he manage to hold the reigns? But, if it would get her to Bilbo's in time…

She nodded and off they went.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. This isn't going to be a very long story but hopefully it will be well received. Thanks for reading!