Where I meet Frodo, his Gardener and Several Cousins, the Dear Lads

And we'll always be friends forever, won't we?

--The Fox and the Hound

Frodo opened the door a little wider and gestured for us to come in. The hobbit-hole was comfortably furnished and on a table in the next room, five little cups and a pot of tea was set out as if Frodo knew there would be a fifth guest. But soon he explained that the fifth was for his cousin Bilbo and he had more cups in the kitchen if Gandalf were to arrive as well.

I took my time looking around Frodo's home and everything in it (rounded, open walls, comfortable smooth tiled floors, paintings on the walls, ornate fireplaces in each room, and assorted odd items) while Frodo and Sam discussed me and my situation quietly amongst themselves. I tiptoed on the hardwood floors and felt the walls with a hand while I stared over a particular table holding maps and old pieces of paper with scrawling all over them. Bilbo's collection of his journeys, no doubt. A leather-bound red book sat undisturbed on the only clean part of the room-a beautiful desk, complete with a light and inkwell and pen. I peeled back the cover and read the title: There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins.

Sam's voice startled me and I closed the book. "Mister Bilbo agreed to it, takin' her in, Mister Frodo," He pleaded. "I told her, since we know her, lots o' people do...well…I said she could stay. I told the Cottons…"

Their voices grew softer and as I explored deeper and deeper into the hobbit hole, I couldn't hear them anymore. Finally I plodded shyly back, to see Frodo and Sam silently sitting at his table.

After a few moments Frodo heaved a sigh and took a long sip of tea.

"It sounds like a terrible thing," he said, after another long silence.

Sam broke the awkward conversation. "You can bathe, and set yourself up, and then we'll make something for our arriving guests," he added with a friendly smile.

I walked with him as he told me Bag End's history—how Frodo's grandfather had built it for his grandmother, and about Frodo's relatives the Sackville-Bagginses, who wanted Bag End for themselves, and also Bilbo's family, Frodo's cousins, and a little about Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, the rascals who upended me when I was only 12.

"But then again," Sam shrugged while we walked into Frodo's kitchen, "I'm only his gardener, so I don' know for sure. But you must have met Merry and Pippin at one of our grand parties once…!"

I gritted my teeth as I smiled. "We've met once or twice."

Sam took one of my tense hands and covered it with his own before bending down so he was eye-level with me. "Don't get yourself too anxious yet, Miss Adamanta. You've been through a lot in the past few months and the Cottons and Baggins and me, we're always willing here to help out a lost comrade. Besides, I'm sure they'd recognize you and would be gracious to you. Don't think you're intruding on anyone, if you ask me you were meant to come and rattle things up a bit 'round here. A lot o' very…er, normal, hobbitish folk, not much for adventure, and think old Bilbo's crackin'. But then, there you are."

Sam's words comforted me and cheered me quite a bit, and it struck me as to how he had known exactly what I was afraid of before I'd said anything at all. Of course I thought I was pushing into Frodo and Bilbo's quiet life in Bag End, I just didn't say anything. I decided against confessing that I was one of the hobbitish folk, along with Lily and Poppy and Diamond and Estella, who thought Mr. Bilbo was, as Sam said, "crackin'." I smiled though, and nodded a few times.
"Thank you, so much, Sam," I said. "I was beginning to feel that me, staying at the Cottons', was really stretching them thin, though they wanted to help me so much..."

"They would have kept you if they can, Adamanta. But Mr. Bilbo snatched you up first."

I beamed while Sam shuffled through some things in Frodo's pantry. When he'd turned back to me, holding iron pans and all sorts of food piled in them, he pointed out the bath-room (a large, elegant room) and told me just to set up in one of Frodo's three guest rooms. I took a dress out of my pack and left the rest of my things there, but continued on to the bath-room, which was so fine there was a hearth and pot right in it. I waited for the water to boil so I could have hot, soapy bath without carrying buckets in and out of the hole.

Being so busy for the past few days I was exhausted, relieved, and disgusting. I washed mats out of my hair and scrubbed mud from my elbows and knees. The water was pretty nasty looking once I was through. I dressed myself in a blue gown and hurried back to the kitchen.

Sam, clutching pots and pans of all sorts, invited me in and together we started a delicious stew of potatoes and mushrooms. The stew had barely begun to simmer when three hobbits entered the little hobbit hole—three that I recognized instantly. Beside an old hobbit with graying hair (that was Bilbo, thank you very much) stood two younger hobbits. One had fair curly hair and dark eyes, and was wearing bright yellow. The other, with light brown hair, was wearing green. He looked significantly younger and his greenish eyes blinked furiously as he cocked his head in curiosity, staring fiercely at me. I was suddenly glad I'd washed, after all. I stuck my chin in the air.

"Merry, Pippin, and Frodo's older cousin, Bilbo," Sam put his arm around my shoulders while the hobbit wearing the bright green scarf and jacket rushed forward to sniff the stew and fork out a mushroom. He looked at me and blinked as he chewed the mushroom, looking from the stew to me, and then to his friend.

"Pippin!" Merry scolded, elbowing him. I thought I saw him mouthing "don't stare" to the hobbit named Pippin.

It was Merry and Pippin all right, except they had grown since I had last seen them...a lot. They were almost adults now. And despite our messy past I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing as Pippin popped another mushroom in his mouth and smacked his lips. "What were you saying, Merry?" He asked, before sauntering back to the other.

Merry scowled, and a shadow fell across the breast of his jolly yellow vest, as bright as Pippin's scarf. "Pip, you're not supposed to do that," he said. "You do it like this." Merry walked to the stew and with a ladle, tossed the shroom into the air and caught it between his teeth before taking a little bow. When he stood back up, the mushroom had disappeared.

"Mmm…" Merry grinned. "Just what I wanted, after a long day."

I clapped with Frodo while Sam shook his head. "As I was saying, this is Bilbo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. Merry, Pippin, this is Adamanta Bolo, furthermore known as Mandy, since Adamanta's just too long to say. Anyway, I believe you've met before." They nodded, and I frowned, though now it was in jest.

"I believe I've had the pleasure," Bilbo stooped to take my hand. "Good evening Miss Mandy Bolo, and I must admit I am quite happy to be having you here." He turned to Frodo. "She has grown into a lovely young woman, hasn't she, Frodo? Well, I am off; going to the Gaffer's, my dear boy, if you need anything. He looked back at me once more. "Wonderful to meet you again, my dear," he smiled broadly and with a little nod at the others he waved and left.

Pippin was now looking at me with a strange sort of expression as I stood there, and stepped forward to say hello.

"Good evening, Miss," he said in a little voice.

"Hullo, Pippin," I replied, and Pippin had stepped back again, looking as though he was shaken up for some reason.

Then Merry stepped forward and bowed to me. "At your service, madam," he mocked. "If there's anything to be served in this lovely Hobbiton." He straightened and half-smiled. "I know we haven't gotten along in the past...well, since you'll be around a lot more, I suppose we should end our past quarrels?" He stuck out a hand and wordlessly, and expressionlessly, I shook it.

"So long as you don't find any reason to pull my hair ribbons out," I said, joking with him, and I imagined I saw some relief flow to his face.

After the stew was served, the five of us hobbits sat around Frodo's table, merrily eating and exchanging words about our lives. Pippin made it a prospect to tell the stories of how he and Merry had once again successfully stolen from Farmer Maggot's farm.

Sam shook his head. "I don' get how you can just run around acting like ruffians and givin' all of Hobbiton a bad name. Cousins or no, I don' see how you're related to Mr. Frodo in any way."

Frodo chipped in now, pointing his spoon at Sam. "You would understand if you knew me when I was younger. I used to steal from Maggot's Farm just as often, and I often got caught." Saying this, Frodo scratched the back of his head and grimaced. "Brandy Hall just couldn't wait to get rid of me…"

"I remember," I grinned, and Frodo hung his head in mock shame.

Pippin and Merry burst into loud laughter and excused themselves, returning with pints of ale for Frodo, Sam, and themselves.

"None for you," Merry said jokingly, shaking his finger at me. "You're too young."

We clinked mugs anyway (I had tea, myself) and drank to the Shire. For a few hours we all drained mugs, till Merry and Pippin were in a tizzy and Frodo and Sam were also getting to that point, but were still firmly latched into sober reality.

Merry giggled, holding his mug and petting my head. "I hope no one knows we're gettin' drunk in front of a young girl…"

"Girl, curl, hurl, twirl," Pippin echoed, yawning and wrapping his arms around Merry's shoulders.

"Not that young," I scowled. "Just younger than Pippin."

"Pip, snip, lip, blip, pip-pip-pip..." Pippin giggled.

Next came the prospect of sleeping; Frodo had three bedrooms and five beds. Merry and Pippin called a room for themselves right away (chuckling and dancing around Frodo's house together), but then came the problem of splitting up Sam, Frodo, and me (Bilbo, as he said earlier, was staying at the Gamgees' down Bagshot Row). We ultimately decided that Frodo and I would share a room and Sam would sleep alone.

"Are you sure…?" I asked weakly. "It's alright if I sleep by myself…"

Sam tried smiling. "I'm fine myself, I just don' want you to be alone."

I told Sam goodnight. "If you're sure," I said uncertainly.

"Go on," Sam shooed me. "Merry, Pippin, Frodo an' me, we'll be goin' to bed a little later. But you need sleep, so go on. I've already put your pack in your room."

I smiled and nodded and found everything as he'd told me.

I was already dreaming when Frodo crept into the bed beside mine.