A/N: Pippin is 12, Merry is 20, Frodo is 34

Lunchtime

Frodo sat at the table, amused and feeling rather helpless as he watched his cousins dash around the kitchen. “Are you certain that you don’t need any help?”

“Yes!” they insisted.

“Anyway,” Merry added as he scooped out the (slightly charred) contents of the pots onto the platter Pippin held. “We’re finished.”

A heaping plate was set before Frodo, and his cousins watched expectantly, waiting for his approval.

The fish was overcooked and the vegetables were dry but Frodo had already decided that it was the best meal he had ever tasted. After all, it had been cooked with love.