Comfort: Frodo to Merry (Frodo is 23, Merry is ten and Pippin is three)
"There is no feeling more comforting and consoling than knowing you are right next to the one you love."
I awoke to the sound of someone crying. I was in bag end, I had been living here with Bilbo for three years. Merry was spending the night with us, as he always does this time of the year. He had been so upset about my moving to the other side of the Shire so many years ago that he had cried for a week. After many promises, I had finally talked his mom into letting him spend the night. Ever since then it had become a tradition- one that hadn't changed even with the birth of our sweet Pippin.
I rose from the comfort of my warm quilt and soft bed, instantly becoming chilled by the night air. Climbing out of bed I repressed a shudder as my feet hit the indecently cold floors. Part of me wished to pretend I didn't hear the whimpering coming from Merry's room, but a larger part was worried about him. So I grabbed my robe and walked into Merry's room.
He was sprawled on his bed. His quilt had been thrown off the bed and his pillow tossed aside. He was shaking and looked as though he was under a great strain. I ran up to him, all thoughts of my warm bed and the cold floor forgotten. I grasped his shoulders and tried to hold him down, he fought back frantically and started to scream out Pippins name. The fear in his voice broke my heart and I redoubled my efforts to hold him still.
"Merry, my Merry lad, wake up!" I called to him. At the sound of my voice he awoke with a jolt. He screamed out Pippin's name as he opened his eyes and I felt my heart constrict even more.
"Ssh. It's okay Merry, it's okay." He whimpered as I held him to my chest and gently rocked. After a while he stilled and his tears ceased.
"It was just a dream." I whispered consolingly as I held him and rubbed his back. He hiccupped and shook his head fiercely, his gentle curls flying as he did so.
"It waaasnnnt a drreeam though." He said, stuttering from tears that filled his wide eyes. He continued despite his tears falling anew.
"I, I, I saw Pippin."
Oh, that explained it. The young hobbit had just had a bout of flu, and it had been really bad. He had almost died, and Merry had taken it really badly. It always amazed me how close the two of them were- Merry had known something was wrong with Pip before anyone had even told his parents. He'd run inside his house and grabbed his dad arm, begging to know what was wrong with Pippin. Moments later a message arrived asking for Merry to come. It had been a hard recovery, and had it not been for Pips undying spirit I doubt he would have made it.
I held him to me tighter than ever. "Hold onto me Merry, I'm here, you're not alone. Pippin is fine, he's going to be fine." I shifted him so he could see my eyes, even as he clung to me desperately. I spoke no more but just held him, willing his body to warm as I rewrapped his quilt around him. We lay like that long into the night, till at last he grew still and fell asleep. After that any time I heard Merry cry I would go and wake him, no matter the time of night. I would wake him and hold him till his crying stilled and he fell asleep again. It became a tradition of sorts, one that I never regretted, nor ever minded. Regardless of how cold it was.
A/N: This one was inspired by a memory of my sister doing this for me. She always came to comfort me after a nightmare, no matter what time it was or how cold-though she would let me know that it was ridiculously cold at night. Hope you like it!