The next day Fili, Poppy and their children visited Bilbo for Elevenses. Gandalf was also still there and so they thank him once again. The wizard was happy to meet Lili and Tulip, too. He even told them a few stories and made some small smoke figures for the girls to watch. Soon they went to the market together and Gandalf left the Shire again.

Most of the hobbits immediately noticed that Vili was back and told his parents how happy they were for them. Lots of them also told Fili that he should spent some time with his family. So the young dwarf decided to keep the forge closed for the next two weeks.

They bought some sweets for the children and Fili sat together with them on a bench close to the Water while Poppy wanted to buy clothes for her son. But Vili clutched her skirt. "Mama not go!"

Poppy sighed. "I have to buy some clothes for you, my dear." Then she remembered that Vili had loved to join Dis in Dale to touch the fabrics. "Do you want to come with me? You can choose some of the fabrics for your new clothes."

Vili's face lit up. "Yes, Mama!" He stood up and took his mother's hand.

Poppy asked the girls if they wanted to come as well but they decided to stay with their father. Vili held Poppy's hand tightly and babbled about the market in Dale. Soon they reached the stall that sold clothes. Unfortunately the clothes didn't fit him since his built was more dwarvish the hobbitish. So Poppy sat him on the counter and showed him some of the fabrics. Vili held them to his cheek and soon choose a very soft blue and a red fabric for a few tunics and a black fabric for the trousers. They joined the others and went home after lunch at the Green Dragon Inn. On their way they met Camelia and her family. All of them hugged Vili but the little boy began to whimper. They realised that he didn't remember them and was scared until Primula talked to him. He smiled a bit and let her hug him. They talked for a few minutes and then went home.

They spent the whole afternoon in their garden. Poppy sat down in her chair and started to work on Vili's new clothes. At first he wanted to help her but there was nothing he could do. So he sat down in the grass with his father and his sisters. They played with some wooden toys and listened to the birds. Vili always made sure that his father was close to him and finally sat down in his lap.

For the following weeks they spent most of the time together since Vili still was very scared and didn't want to be alone at all. During the day they played and cuddled together. When Poppy was busy with her daily cores, the siblings played together on a blanket in the kitchen. At first Vili always wanted to go to his mother to make sure that she hadn't disappeared, so she started to tell them stories or sang for them. In that way he knew that his mother was there too and played happily with Lili and Tulip. At night they all slept together in one bed since Vili often had nightmares. Poppy always hugged him close to her chest and stroked his curls while whispering reassuring words into his ear. Fili and Poppy didn't mind the children sleeping in their bed since they were so very happy that they had their son back.

Often Fili and Poppy worried about their daughters. They knew that Lili was totally happy that her brother was back though. But they wondered if Tulip was be jealous of her brother because they spent so much time with him. But it seemed like the little girl didn't mind as long as Lili played with her and Vili. Still her parents had a guilty conscience and made sure to spend time only with her. Poppy often sat together with her in the big armchair and talked to her while she brushed and tried to braid her light brown curls. Tulip happily cuddled with her mother and always asked her if she would get a baby sister to play with one day. Lili and Vili had each other and she wanted someone, too. Poppy smiled at her and told her that she wasn't alone and had her parents and siblings to play with but also promised that she would have a baby sister or brother soon. In truth she and Fili had decided that now was not a good time for another child since Vili needed their attention. But in a few years they definitely wanted to have more children.

On a sunny day in the middle of autumn Fili, Poppy and the children went on a walk in one of the forests close to Hobbiton. They had never been there before and so the little ones were very excited. Lili and Tulip adored the colourful leaves of the trees. They sat down and ate a few cookies while Vili listened to the birds and Lili and Tulip watched a squirrel. Fili wrapped his arms around Poppy's shoulder and kissed her temple. They enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the forest for another hour and then went back home. On their way they found some mushrooms. Fili was sure that they were eatable and so they picked them up to cook lunch or dinner with them.

The next day was windy and rainy and so the family was forced to stay indoors. The children were quite bored and so Poppy asked them if they and Fili wanted to help her in the kitchen. She was sure that they'd make quite a mess but it would be fun and she loved to see the excitement in their eyes. But first she had some cleaning to do and so she gave her husband a book with recipes. She asked him to read them and to choose with the children what they wanted to make.

Most of the food sounded incredibly delicious but suddenly Fili turned up his nose on of the recipes. "Garlic soup? Seriously? Do you eat such things?"

Poppy looked at him and frowned. "Yes of course! Though I have to admit that I haven't eaten it in ages."

Fili looked at his wife with wide eyes. "Oh Mahal! We dwarves like to eat garlic, too. But twenty-one bulbs for one pot of soup? That sounds disgusting. I don't even want to imagine how one smells after eating this. Promise me that you'll never cook that or I won't kiss you for the following months."

Poppy slapped his arm playfully and grinned at him. "It's not that bad. And if you ate it too, you wouldn't even notice."

Fili smiled and pulled her close. "I still don't want to try, my love." He pulled her down on his lap and kissed her. Then he chuckled. "I wonder if the Shire has never been attacked by orcs or other foul beast because it smells that badly."

Poppy started laughing. "Do you think the garlic keeps the orcs away? That would be very positive, wouldn't it? Maybe everyone in Middle Earth should eat garlic soup more often."

The young dwarf shrugged his shoulders. "Aye, that would be a good thing. But I don't think that it's true. But let's hope that orcs will never be interested in the Shire."

Poppy nodded and kissed her husband again. Then she turned to her children. "So have you decided what you'd like to eat?"

Every child wanted something else but since they didn't have all ingredients, they decided to make pan-fried mushrooms with potatoes and plum dumplings in the end.

The hobbit dressed each of her children with an apron and they started cooking. Soon the kitchen table was covered in various ingredients but she didn't mind. She was glad to see her children and especially Vili that happy. Poppy gave them different cups and bowls and told them to fill them with the different ingredients. Like that they didn't have to measure them and even Vili could help. In the meantime Fili cut the plums and mushrooms. The children wanted to do that, too but their parents were worried that they might hurt themselves.

After nearly three hours the food was finally ready. Vili, Lili and Tulip were very proud of the food they hade made and ate happily. Then they cuddled in front of the fireplace. Fili told them a story but soon the children fell asleep in his and Poppy's arms. They put them down and covered them with a blanket. Vili shifted slightly to be closer to Poppy and Lili but didn't wake up. Fili pulled his wife close against his chest and they kissed until it was time to go to bed.

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