Guess Who?

A/N: Pippin is 6 and Frodo is 28.

His head bent over a sheet of parchment, Frodo sat at his desk writing a letter to Paladin and Eglantine, diligently telling them of their son’s visit to Bag End and all the fun they were having together. He was in the midst of recounting the walk he and Pippin had taken with Bilbo that very afternoon when he heard the floorboards creak loudly behind him.

Smiling to himself, Frodo dipped his quill into the ink, deliberately paying no attention to the footsteps creeping closer. His desk faced away from the door, and now Frodo remembered why he preferred it that way. It made it so much easier to ignore younger cousins.

As quietly as possible, Pippin tiptoed across the room. He could not help the noisy floorboards, however, and at one tremendous creak he froze in panic, drawing in a sharp breath that he was certain his cousin had heard. Pippin clapped his hands over his mouth and waited, half-expecting Frodo to turn around and discover him.

But when several moments passed and his cousin remained engrossed with his letter, Pippin smiled in relief and stealthily continued to cross the room. Soon he reached the rug, which muffled his footsteps entirely, and in no time at all he stood behind Frodo’s chair. Nearly bursting with pride for having successfully crept up on his cousin, Pippin stood on the tips of his toes and covered Frodo’s eyes with his hands.

Frodo fought back a laugh. All that sneaking around for this? Well, he thought as he carefully set down his quill, he had better make it worthwhile for Pippin. “Bilbo, is that you?” he asked.

There was no answer, of course. Pippin grinned, knowing better than to give himself away.

“Who’s there?” Frodo asked. “Sam?”

Pippin shook with silent laughter.

Frodo forced his face into an expression of worry. “Oh no,” he said, adopting a fretful tone of voice. “It must be a goblin, or worse. Perhaps even one of Bilbo’s trolls.” He sighed in defeat. “I suppose he’ll turn me into to jelly now, and spread me across his toast.” Frodo shivered despite himself. “I shouldn’t like to be turned into jelly.”

Pippin frowned. He had not meant to frighten poor Frodo. “I’m not a goblin or a troll. I’m Pippin!” he cried, dropping his hands from Frodo’s eyes and wrapping his arms tightly around his cousin. “I wouldn’t ever let someone turn you into jelly, Frodo. Not ever!” he added fiercely.

“Then I am glad to have you as my protector,” Frodo said, turning around and hugging Pippin tightly in return. He smiled at his young cousin. “That was a wonderful prank, Pippin. You had me completely fooled,” he added.

Pippin’s eyes lit up with pride and he crawled into to Frodo’s lap, grinning. “What are you writing?” he asked, peering down at the parchment. He only knew enough of his letters to cover a sheet of parchment with his full name spelled out in his large, wobbly writing.

“I’m writing to your parents, telling them all about your visit,” Frodo replied, taking up his quill once more. A sudden impulse came to his mind, and he found himself speaking. “Would you like me to help you write a letter?”

“Oh yes,” Pippin said eagerly. He glanced back at Frodo. “If I tell you what to say, will you write it all down for me?”

Frodo nodded hesitantly, already wondering why he had suggested such a thing. His cousin always had a great deal to say and there was no stopping him once he got started. There was no telling how much Pippin would expect him to write.

Pippin clapped his hands in glee. “Thank you, Frodo! I have so much to say.” He crinkled his brow in thought, oblivious to Frodo’s stifled groan, and began to speak.

“Dear Mum and Da, Frodo is helping me write a letter. This is Pippin. Today Frodo and Bilbo and I went for a walk and we saw a large, strange bird in the woods, and we ate apples as we walked, and then we picked mushrooms and Bilbo is making a mushroom pie for supper and I was trying to help but I think I got in his way because he told me to go bother Frodo and so…” Pippin trailed off. “Are you writing all this, Frodo?”

“Yes, Pippin,” Frodo said, grinning in spite of himself. “It’s all very interesting. Do go on.”

Pippin grinned and continued his rambling. “So then I found Frodo in the study and I decided to bother him like Bilbo said and I sneaked up behind him and he thought I was one of the trolls from Bilbo’s stories, and that I would turn him into jelly. Frodo was very scared, and I suppose he would have cried if I hadn’t-”

“Hmm,” Frodo said, stilling his quill with a frown. “Perhaps we ought to tell your parents a little more about that mushroom pie. I think your mum would like to know how Bilbo makes it.”

“That’s a good idea,” Pippin agreed quickly. “Now I am going to tell you how Bilbo makes mushroom pie so that Mum can make it for me when I come home. First he cleans the mushrooms, and then he slices them…”