Of Dangers and Parenthood

Writer's note: Thanks to Dreamflower for beta-ing this story!

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"Here Di," Pippin started, rolling up his sleeves. "Let me bathe Farry alone tonight."

Diamond threw her husband a sideways look. "By yourself?"

"Well, yes!" Pippin answered, exasperatedly. "You don't trust me to give our son a bath by myself?"

"Its not that, Pip" said Diamond, glancing down at Farry in the cradle of her arm. He stared up at her with large blue eyes. Babies’ eyes usually changed colors after seven or eight months after birth. Faramir was only six months old and Pippin stated nearly every day that his eyes would change to green any day now. "I just don't trust you enough by yourself not to make a mess."

Pippin huffed at the comment, and threw her a wounded look. She waged a finger at him. "You know every time you take a bath, the whole floor of the washroom becomes like a lake!"

"I'll do my best not to create a homemade lake." He held out his arms. "Come on. I'll get Faramir spotless while you take a rest on the  settee."

Diamond shook her head, cracking a small smile. "All right, you silly hobbit! I'll take a rest, but I better not come back to a inch of water on the floor." She handed Faramir over to Pippin, and left the washroom.

"Now it's just you and me, Farry" Pippin said as he walked over to  the basin of water that had been cooling. He dipped his exposed elbow into the water then smiled. Lukewarm - just right. "Let's get you out of your nappy." He set Farry on the changing table, and gently pulled off the little green baby shirt they liked to clothe him in.

"Into the tub. See it feels good, doesn't it?" Pippin smiled as his  son let out a small coo. He began dipping water into his hand and pouring it over Farry. The baby watched his face, enthralled. "There's an old song our old cousin, Bilbo, use to sing about bathtime. I don't know why I haven't sung it to you yet. I guess I was waiting for a special time to introduce it to you."

Pippin lathered a soft soap on his palms quickly then began to bathe Faramir. As he did, his voice flowed gently out:

Sing hey! For the bath at close of day
That washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Water is fair that leaps on high
In a fountain white beneath the sky;
But never did fountains sound so sweet
As splashing Hot Water with my feet!

"There we are!" Pippin said, washing the soap from Faramir. "You're all done, my lad." He lifted his son from under the arms, raising Farry over his head. "Maybe Mummy will be proud of Da for not making a mess."

He smiled widely, but just as soon as he did, the smile fell. A stream of warm liquid was dripping from his hair onto his face. As if it couldn't get worse, a giggle erupted behind him. Pippin let out a sigh through his nose.

"Di," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "Help."

"Oh yes, NOW you want my help." Diamond sauntered over to the  changing table, picking up a clean towel and dabbing the drops off his face. "Why don't you wash off your face while I dry Farry."

"All right." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Di, did I do a  good job at not making a lake of the floor?"

Diamond smiled over her shoulder at him. "Yes. Yes, you did. Mummy is very proud of Da."

Pippin blushed. "Thanks, Di."