(For Dreamflower)

Finally, peace and quiet at long last. Bilbo stretched out in his favorite oversized chair in the sitting room, in front of a cozy fire. He was clad in his most favorite nightshirt and had covered his legs with a warm blanket. He took a large sip of the Old Wineyards, figuring that saving his sanity was as good enough an occasion to open a bottle as any.

So engrossed he had been in following the step-by-step plans Master Hamfast's brother-in-law had provided him with to install a recessed bookcase under the window in Frodo's room, he had clear forgotten that it was Friday.

The first Friday of the month to be precise.

The first Friday of the month when at three-o'clock in the afternoon his cousin Dora--the eldest matriarch of the Baggins family and Frodo's aunt--would arrive for their customary afternoon tea.

Dora had looked him up and down when Bilbo had finally answered the doorbell ... and had given him a disapproving frown. He had been clad in his varnish and paint-stained breeches and old shirt. His shirtsleeves had been rolled up past his elbows (as was no doubt improper when receiving a guest) and his hair had been covered in sawdust.

Staying her distance, Dora had followed him through the smial to witness the fruits of his labor before waiting for him in the sitting room, as he cleaned up and changed into something more presentable for afternoon tea. Bilbo, in his absentmindedness, had also realized that he had forgotten to bake. If Dora caught wind of this, she would be most displeased and start lecturing him--that is advise-- him on the proper way a guest (no matter how they were related) should be treated properly. Dora was not one to mince words when it came to advice on propriety and good manners.

Thankfully, Bell Gamgee had remembered it was the first Friday of the month and had sent little Samwise and his sister, May, up The Hill with a freshly baked pie made from the season's first strawberries. Bilbo had hastily wrote himself a note to come up with some sort of 'thank you' gift that would be seen as acceptable in the Gaffer's eyes. He was truly blessed to know the Gamgee family and have them live so close ... they were certainly his saving grace many a time over the years.

Dora had been very pleased with the pie, but it had not stopped her from giving him an earful of advice concerning not only the proper way a lad's bedroom should look, but also on the proper way a certain lad should be raised. She had spent the afternoon advising him on such things as Lessons--that most children do not like Lessons and being cooped up inside when they could be Outdoors.

Bilbo had scoffed at this. Frodo was one of those rare children who loved Lessons and was a quick study. He had never had a problem with settling the boy down with a quill and parchment whenever he came to visit ... Frodo had already mastered the writing and pronunciation of the Elvish alphabet. The fact that Frodo might actually need to be Pried away from his Books, as Dora's advisements went, was more of a reality.

Bilbo, of course, had known where his cousin stood on the subject of Adventuring. He had tried not to roll his eyes when Dora had blathered on about how Hobbits were not meant by Nature to have Adventures, or to go wandering far from Family and Home. And while Children may find it exciting to hear such Tales at the hearthside, or to Play at them in the meadow, when Bedtime comes they will be just as glad to be snuggled warm in their own beds.*

Dora had been notably concerned that Frodo was already showing signs of going through a more troubled tweenage period than most lads his age, getting himself into all sorts of trouble unimaginable at Brandy Hall.

"Well of course he is, Dora," Bilbo had rebuked. "Frodo's not had the easiest or most pleasant of childhoods you know. He has few memories of happier times spent, when his parents were alive, to help him find his way.

"I know you deem it acceptable that a child listen to tales as they are a History of sorts and even play at Adventure to help them 'settle down' as they grow older. But it's different for Frodo, Dora. When he pretends he is off on an Adventure, his imaginings serve to take him away from the harsh reality that he has been living the life of an orphan. Frodo's always had an ear for my tales, ever since he could talk, but I do believe they serve to help him cope with his grief in many ways now. And I'll not take that away from him, Cousin. Ever."

Dora had sipped at her tea before saying, "I'm not asking that you stop telling the lad tales, Bilbo-dear. I just do not want to you to encourage them overly, so that Frodo does not know what it means to be a respectable Baggins. He is going to have enough trouble as it is with certain folk around here--and I know you know of whom I speak--that he is also of Brandybuck heritage and has lived for quite some time on the other side of the Brandywine River. I want Frodo to be happy living here with you Bilbo, as all his family does. You have a certain way with the lad that we've all taken note of, at one time or another ... and you have nothing but our respect and support for your adoption of him."

After Dora had conceded to his point, the subject had changed to much more pleasant subjects like the cooking of meals and so forth. After Dora had left, Bilbo had immersed himself in his work on the bookshelf until it was complete (and not falling apart on him). He had bathed and was now settled comfortably with a new book of Elvish history, sent to him by Lord Elrond of Rivendell. Bilbo took another hearty sip of his wine and began to read.

* * * * *

For the next several weeks, Bilbo was inundated with letters from Dora. Apparently she found it difficult to believe that he, a lifelong bachelor and a male hobbit at that, could have thought of everything to prepare for a child's arrival, despite his reassurances to the contrary. Her bountiful letters were chock full of advice, some of which was useful and which Bilbo took into consideration, but most of which was not. It seemed to he that his cousin desperately needed a hobby ... perhaps he could persuade her to write all of her sage advice and wisdom into a proper book (instead of to him). By the time Frodo was moved in and the two hobbits were living comfortably together, Bilbo made another vow to himself--when he decided on his final parting gifts to bequeath to his family, Dora was most assuredly going to receive his wastebasket.

* * * * *

*quoted from chapter 2 of Dreamflower's 'Miss Dora Baggins' Book of Manners '