Disclaimer: The characters are not mine (except for Regina); I’ve just borrowed them from the illustrious Professor for a while to play with them, but I promise to return them.

Long Awaited

Chapter One- Dark Day     

   Frodo watched as Paladin Took paced the floor restlessly. He’d been at it now for the past hour. It looked like he would be at it for another if this baby didn’t come soon. Why was it taking so long?

        The nursemarm came out and spoke in hushed tones with Paladin. Frodo saw his face pale. He unseeingly made his way to a chair at sat down heavily. He nodded at the nursemarm dismissively and she went back into the bedroom where Paladin’s wife, Eglantine, was giving birth to their fourth child. Frodo looked over at Regina worriedly from his seat next to her on the couch. She returned his look with a wry one of her own.

        The baby was too early, and the birthing hadn’t gone well from the first. Frodo had already been at Buckland visiting Reggie, Bell, and little Meriadoc when the news had arrived that the long-awaited baby was coming. They had all rushed over to the Great Smials expecting to meet a little lad or lass upon their arrival, but it had not come and still there was no wailing coming from the bedroom. Merry wriggled a little in Reggie’s lap.

        “Is it almost here?” He asked Paladin eagerly upon the nursemarm’s leaving. Reggie attempted to quiet the lad, but in vain: he simply would not be shushed. “I hope it’s a lad. I’ve wanted a little lad-cousin for just forever.” He continued, undaunted by the look Regina was giving him, and she was pulling quite an intimidating “You’d-better-obey-me-or-else” face. Merry never had been frightened of Reggie.

        Paladin looked at the boy piercingly for a moment and said, “Aye, as do we all; but Meriadoc, it’s not going well and there is a chance the babe might not make it.” He told the lad honestly. Merry went quite still in Reggie’s lap. “If it does not come within the hour, it won’t come at all.” Paladin finished. Merry looked as if he would bawl, but he simply removed himself silently from Reggie’s lap and sat down in the far corner, his knees drawn up to his chin and his arms clasped about his legs. After a few moments he rested his chin upon his knees and simply stared at the door to the adjoining bedroom.

        ‘It isn’t fair!’ Merry thought wretchedly. ‘I’ve waited so long for this cousin! I just know it is going to be a lad! He can’t die, he just can’t!’ His eyes welled up with tears that did not want to fall. He snuffled a bit and then looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard. Frodo met his gaze, his brow furrowed in concern. Of course Frodo had heard. He always knew when there was something wrong with his Merry. He always had. Merry wiped his eyes with his sleeve and gave Frodo a weak smile before putting his head back down. He sighed heavily. Frodo was his cousin; his special cousin: he’d taught Merry how to swim, taken him on long walks around Buckland, and taken him fishing...... oh, just everything! But Frodo had moved away to Bag End last year, and Merry didn’t have his special cousin anymore.  None of the other older lads took any notice of him whatsoever, except maybe to tease him once in a while. Frodo still loved him, and he still loved Frodo, but it wasn’t the same anymore. It was a whole day’s journey to Hobbiton; sometimes even longer! It wasn’t like Frodo was in the room down the hall anymore. That’s why Merry wanted a little lad cousin so badly. ‘I’ll be just like a Frodo-cousin to him,’ Merry thought. ‘Except I won’t move away.’ Not that Merry was mad at Frodo for moving, he was much happier living at Bag End with Bilbo, but Merry still missed him horribly.

        Merry looked up at the bedroom door. Still closed. Still silent. He looked around at the twelve or so other hobbits gathered in the sitting room, their faces grave. He saw how pale and scared his uncle Paladin looked. He saw Frodo put his arm around Reggie, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. ‘Why?’ Merry wondered. ‘Nothing really bad has happened yet, and she can’t be crying already for the babe! She’s a tweenager, and she never cries around other hobbits anymore.’ Then it hit him. ‘Aunt Lala!’ He thought suddenly, and he remembered once in Brandy Hall when Cousin Celia had died when she was having her baby. It had come too early, just like this one. He hadn’t known Cousin Celia that well and he had been very young at the time, but his Ma had cried lots and his Da had been very sad for a long time. ‘What if Aunt Lala is going to die too?’ He thought frantically. ‘What would Uncle Paladin do? What about the lasses and the babe?’ Tears began filling his eyes again. ‘Stop it! Be quiet, bad thoughts, go away! Aunt Lala won’t die and the baby will be a lad and everything will be all right.’ He told himself resolutely, but his lower lip continued to tremble. He bit it to try and get it to stop. It didn’t work.

        Suddenly, a young nursemaid came out of the room and spoke to Uncle Paladin again. He nodded and rose, quickly rushing into the bedroom. Merry heard a scream, but it wasn’t a baby’s scream. Frodo looked from Merry to the door and then back to Merry. “Mer,” he began. “Why don’t you go outside and play? I’ll come and get you when the baby comes.” Another wail came from the room. Merry realized belatedly that it was Aunt Lala. ‘Aunt Lala is dying!’ He thought wildly. He nodded numbly at Frodo and blindly rushed from the room.

        “No, no, no, no, no!” He screamed at no one in particular once he was outside. He went over to the big tree he and Frodo used to chase each other around when they would visit the Smials. Frodo would feint this way and that, until finally he would catch Merry up in his arms and tickle him and tickle him until tears began to roll down his face. He wanted so badly to be able to do that with the lad when he was older. But...... but what if he...... “No! He’s going to be my lad-cousin!” He yelled at the sky, shaking his fist. “He’s going to be my special lad and you can’t have him!” Somewhere he had heard that when hobbits died they went to live with...... with the Valar. That was it, Valar. Someone else had told him sometimes the...... Valar were in the sky, watching the people down on the earth. “You can’t have him!” He yelled again. He took a deep shuddering breath and huddled down as close to the tree as he could get. He began to cry. First a little, but within a few seconds his whole body was shaking with sobs. ‘If you let me keep him,’ He thought at the sky, still crying. ‘I promise to protect him all of his life. I’ll take care of my lad, just let me keep him.’ He didn’t know how long he bawled after that, but in a little while he had cried himself to sleep.

Long Awaited

Chapter Two-Bright Evening

Frodo smiled when he saw Merry. He was curled into a tight ball next to the tree they had always used to chase each other around, his arms over his face. He was fast asleep. It was getting late, after all. Frodo approached him quietly and sat down next to the small lad. “Merry,” He said, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him. “Merry, my lad.” Merry stirred slightly.

        “Umphg...”

        “Merry, wake up.” Frodo said, more insistently.

        “What?” Merry said. Then he sat up quickly. Fear crept into his voice. “What’s wrong? Is the baby here? Did Aunt Lala die? Is Uncle Paladin alright?” Frodo smiled tenderly at the boy’s concern.

        “Merry—” He began.

        “He didn’t make it, did he? Oh, Frodo!” Merry’s eyes began to fill with tears and he threw himself into Frodo’s arms. Frodo looked at him, surprised.       

        “Oh, no, no, Merry, lad.” He said soothingly, stroking Merry’s honey-colored curls. Merry looked up hopefully. “Aunt Lala’s fine. She’s very tired, but she’s just fine.”

        “And...... and the b- baby?” Merry asked, still hiccupping from having been crying.

        “Merry, you have a lad-cousin.” Frodo told him happily.

        “And he’s alright? He isn’t sick or anything, is he?” Merry asked, still not ready to dismiss his fears.

        “He’s not sick, he’s quite healthy, in fact, and there’s nothing wrong with his voice, to be sure. He’s smaller than most babies you’ve seen, Mer, but he’ll be alright.” Frodo said. He watched as Merry’s eyes lit up and a smile with a missing front tooth nearly split his face in half. He pulled away from Frodo, happily dazed.

        “I have a lad-cousin...... I have a....” He said softly, then louder: “Frodo, I have a lad-cousin!”

        “Yes. Would you like to go meet him?” Frodo asked him. Merry looked incredulous.

        “Would I? Frodo, let’s go!” Merry let out a whoop. They got up and headed for inside. “Frodo, I’m going to do everything with him, just like you did with me. I’ll teach him how to do all sorts of things, and......” He stopped. ‘And I won’t go away.’ He thought. Frodo looked down at him curiously.

        “And what, Merry-lad?” He asked.

        “And I’ll protect him.” Merry said instead. Frodo smiled at him.

        “I know you will.” He told him.

        By this time they had reached the Thain’s quarters and they walked through the open bedroom door. The room was stuffed full of hobbits. Merry saw Aunt Lala on the bed, looking very tired and almost sick, but extremely happy. He looked over at Uncle Paladin, who was beaming with pride, but the past day’s concern still shadowed his face. ‘Where’s the baby?’ He wondered, his old doubts returning. Ah, there he was! Regina was holding him. He and Frodo walked over to them. Frodo leaned over and whispered something in Regina’s ear, but Merry was too short to catch the words. Reggie blushed and laughed happily. Uncle Paladin walked over to them and caressed the babe’s cheek with his thumb.

        “Here, Frodo! How do like my son, eh? Strong and handsome.” Paladin said. “In a few more years it seems you will be having little bairns running around your feet as well, eh, Regina?” He winked at them both. Regina blushed again and looked down, but she was smiling. Frodo turned red as well, but merely said,

        “Aye, he’s as good of a baby as ever was born, Paladin!” He turned to Regina. “Mind if I take the lad from you for a while? There’s someone who wants to meet him.” Merry sighed in relief. Finally Frodo had remembered him. He’d waited long enough already for this cousin!

        Frodo awkwardly took the wriggling bundle from Regina’s arms and lowered himself slowly to Merry’s eye-level. Merry peered over the blankets that the babe was wrapped in and found himself face to face with two enormous green eyes. He was so very small! The babe stared at him intensely and gave him a look that seemed to say “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you, cousin.” Merry beamed back into the red little face and then looked up at his uncle.  

        “What’s his name?” Merry asked him.

        “Peregrin Adalgrim Took.” Paladin said. “A strong name for a strong lad.” Merry nodded thoughtfully.

        “It suits him.” He told Paladin approvingly. Frodo laughed but quickly smothered it after Merry and Regina both cut him down with icy glares. He held his hands up in defeat, but he was still smiling with amusement. Merry dangled his finger over the lad and the babe gripped it with surprising strength. “Ow, Frodo, he won’t let go!” Merry said, giggling. “He’s really strong for someone so tiny!”

        Peregrin began wriggling, let go of Merry’s finger, and scrunched up his face in dissatisfaction. He looked as if he would burst any second. Suddenly, he let out a wail in defiance to the world. Merry covered his ears as Frodo tried unsuccessfully to quiet the babe. The hobbits in the room winced as his shrieks reached a new pitch. “Shh, shhh...... It’s all right, lad, I’ve got you. No need to cry like that!” Frodo’s voice took on a desperate edge. Merry uncovered his ears and looked at the lad.

        “Let me have him, Frodo.” Frodo looked doubtful. “I won’t drop him, silly.” Frodo looked up at Paladin for approval. He nodded, smiling. Frodo gently handed the tiny screaming infant to Merry. Merry stared down into the green wells of Peregrin’s eyes and commanded him to be quiet. “There now, there’s no need for all of this fuss. Your Merry has got you now.” He told the babe. Peregrin shushed mid-wail and calmly began chewing on his knuckles. The adults stared at Merry, but he had eyes only for his lad. “Well, that’s better. Now I can meet you properly. Hi there, my lad. Hullo, my Pippin.”

        Please review! Even if you reviewed the first chapter, it’d be great to know you liked it enough that you came back to read more!