The following months passed quietly. Fili and Poppy had decided that she'd continue to work at the Green Dragon for a few hours on a few days each week. As long as they didn't have children, there wasn't much to do at home and she was quite bored because Fili spent most of the day in the forge. Still they made sure to spend the evenings together and to have at least one day off work together. On these days they often had picnics near the Water or visited Bilbo. Fili and Poppy knew that they would most likely not be married without his support and so they wanted him to be a part of their family.

In late summer Fili spent a day with Primula playing next to the frog pond with some wooden toys Fili had made for her. Poppy was working in her small garden and watched them every now and then. Fili looked happy with her. She was sure that he'd be a wonderful father and hoped that they'd have their own child soon.

After she was done with her flowers, she stayed in her garden. She knew that Primula still didn't like her too much. She sat on a chair with with her eyes closed when suddenly someone grabbed her hand. To her surprise it was the little girl, who looked at her with big puppy eyes "Please come and play with us!"

"Do you really want that or did Fili ask you to be nice to me?" Poppy asked with a smile.

Primula looked down at her feet "Mister Fili told me that it makes him sad, that we are no friends. And I don't want him to be sad. Do you want to be my friend, miss Poppy? Please!"

Poppy picked her up and made her look at her "Of course I want to be your friend!"

Primula laughed and threw her small arms around Poppy's neck and placed a kiss or her cheek. Fili saw that and started to grin. They sat down in the grass again to play. Soon a few more fauntlings joined them. They loved Primula's toys. When it was time for dinner and the mothers came to pick up their children, some of them asked Fili if he'd make more of them and sell them. Fili never saw himself as a toy maker, but promised to think about it.

A few weeks later Primula's mother, Camelia, was going to have another baby. Poppy would stay with Camelia for the birth. They had become good friends over the past few months. Since Poppy had no family and Daisy was as inexperienced as she was, she had no one to talk to about married life. Camelia gave her some advice how to please her husband. Poppy still blushed when she thought about that conversation. Camelia had also promised to answer every question she might have about being with child, giving birth and taking care of a baby.

Her siblings stayed with one of their aunts but Primula had begged to stay with Fili and he didn't mind looking after her. The day after Primula had been brought to Fili, Poppy, Camelia and Pimpernel, the midwife, sat together talking. Suddenly Camelia asked if Poppy was with child already. She and Fili were married for a few months now and by that time nearly every hobbit woman had conceived. But Poppy only looked down at her lap sadly and shook her head.

"Are you sure? Many females don't realise that their with child for the first time until several weeks have passed. I could examine you." Pimpernel offered.

Poppy shook her head again. "Thank you, but no. I'm currently in a condition that rules out a pregnancy."

Pimpernel nodded and went over to Poppy to place her hand on her belly and hipbones. "My dear, you've been so very ill last winter. I still wonder how you survived that accident. You're body is still a bit weak. I'm sure that you'll be able to conceive once you have gained some more weight and are fully healed."

Poppy still looked sad "Hopefully. But it might also be that a hobbit and a dwarf simply can't have a child together." Then she looked down again and sighed in distress."Fili always looks really happy when he spends time with children, especially with Primula. What if I can never give him any children and he leaves me to have them with a dwarf woman one day?" Now a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Pimpernel took her hands "You shouldn't even think about such things! We all know how much your husband loves you and that he'd never leave you." In that moment Camelia started to scream. "Right, let's get this little one into the world. Please stop worrying about the future too much, Poppy."

The next evening Fili broght Primula back to her home. Poppy welcomed them with the new baby in her arms. Fili imagined her with their own baby in her arms and smiled. After a little chat with Camelia they went home.

Poppy was cleaning the dishes after dinner when Fili came to stand behind her with his head on her shoulder and his hands on her belly. "Come, I have something much more fun than this in mind."

"And what would that be?" Poppy asked with a shy smile in her face.

Fili leaned even closer and whispered into her ear "We could try to make our own baby. I can think of nothing else since I saw you with the baby earlier."

Poppy tried to hide her worries and chuckled but continued her work. Then Fili started to kiss and nibble on her ear. A while ago he had noticed that Poppy's ears were very sensitive to his touch and he knew that she wouldn't be able to resist him much longer. When she started to moan and let her head fall against his shoulder, he lifted her up and carried her to their bed. He quickly undressed them both and kissed her breasts and belly. During the last few nights Primula had slept in their bed. Fili missed his wife's soft touches and now could barely hold back his lust...

A while later Poppy laid next to Fili panting heavily. Suddenly Fili sat up and stared at his wife slightly panicked. "Are you well? I was much rougher than normal."

She tried to catch her breath. "I'm fine."

Fili sighed in relief and kissed her nose. "Good! I promise I will be more gentle again the next time." He laid down again and wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't have to hold back. I want you to enjoy this as well." She murmured against his chest and soon fell asleep.

Fili placed another kiss on her curls and thanked Mahal for his wonderful wife. If he granted them a child, their lives would be perfect.