7

“We’ve decided that we will take the children,” Pippin announced to his in-laws at breakfast.  “We will not, however, make the adoption final until we see that they will be content to live with us permanently.  If, after six months, they seem happy and well settled, we will have the paperwork drawn up to make the adoption final.  Is this agreeable with you?”

“And if they don’t adjust?” asked his mother-in-law Opal.

“Then we will let them return to you and you can make better arrangements for them.”

They nodded their acceptance and breakfast proceeded in a lighter mood.

-----

Bandobras went into crying hysterics when he was told that he and his sister would be going with his Aunt Diamond and Uncle Peregrin.

“Da won’t know where we are when he comes back,” the child cried.

Diamond did her best to comfort him and his grandmother once again explained to the lad that his father would not be coming home.  It was so hard to help a child that young understand.

“Wouldn’t you like to live with your aunt and uncle?  You’ll have Faramir to play with all the time and Ruby will have a lass to play with soon, as soon as Sassy gets a little older, and she won’t have to bother you all the time,” his grandfather asked.

The lad sighed.  “What if we’re not happy?”

“Then you can come back here.  Give it some time before you decide.  All Right?”

Bandobras nodded and let Diamond cuddle him till he calmed.

-----

“I think,” said Pippin that evening after the children were all settled for the night, “that we should probably return to the Great Smials as soon as possible.  I need to get back to work since the planting season is underway and I think it would be best for Bandy and Ruby if we don’t prolong this parting.  It’s only going to get harder for them rather than easier I believe.”

They agreed that, after the harvest, either Diamond’s parents would come visit the Smials or, if the children had not adjusted, Pippin and Diamond would return to Long Cleeve and return them to their Northern family.

-----

Over the next few days, everyone made an effort to have the lads spend as much time as possible together.  They seemed to get along well and enjoyed playing together.

Ruby had been drawn to Diamond almost immediately.  the small child was curious about the even smaller baby and wanted to see everything Diamond and Sapphire did together. 

-----

The date set for departure arrived.  As the carriage was being loaded for the return trip, the first disagreement broke out between the two lads.

“I get the window seat!” exclaimed Faramir.  “I always get the window seat.”

“I want the window seat,” complained Bandobras.  “I should get it.  I’m the guest.”

“You’re not a guest,” Faramir snapped back, “you’re my new brother.”

“Am not!” the younger lad shouted.

Pippin stepped up and laid a hand on each child’s shoulder.  “Both of you will stop this now,” he commanded in a voice that brooked no argument.  “There are four window seats so there will be no fighting over them.  I think that I will sit between the two of you to keep the peace since you can’t seem to manage that on your own today.”

“Yes sir,” mumbled Bandy while Faramir simply said, “Sorry, Da.”

Pippin left them alone then so that he could help Diamond and the two little lasses settle in for the trip.  Once he had his wife seated with Ruby snuggled next to her and Sapphire in her basket at her mother’s feet, he beckoned the lads to him.  “Up you get,” he said as he gave them each a hand up into the carriage.  “Now, keep my seat warm while I go talk to your grands for a moment.”

-----

“Thank you for the hospitality,” Pippin said as he gave his mother-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re welcome any time,” Opal answered him.  “I just hope next time is under happier circumstances.”

“I hope so too,” he answered her.

He then turned to his father-in-law.  “I want to thank you for your faith in Diamond and myself.  I know you worried about us over the last few years and letting us take Jade and Rudy’s children so far away is frightening to you in many ways, but, I promise, we will do right by them.  We love them and will grow to love them even more, I’m sure.

“We’ll plan to see you after harvest, hopefully at Great Smials.  Diamond and I are looking forward to having a celebration to announce the adoption of our two newest children.”

“Just love ‘em.  That’s all we ask.  That, and don’t let them totally forget their parents.”

Pippin nodded.  There were no words to say to the last statement.

-----

They had been on the road less than an hour when Faramir, who had been trying to talk to Bandy around his father, tugged on Pippin’s sleeve.

“Da, can we trade places?  It’s hard talking with you in the way.”

Pippin decided to have a bit of fun with his oldest child.  “I thought you wanted the window seat,” he said.

“I did but not now.  You can have it.”

“Why the change of heart?”  Pippin asked.  He was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

“It’s not as fun to sit and look out the window when you’ve got someone to play with.”

“Oh is that so?”  Pippin picked Faramir up and move over.  Then he sat his son down so that he could be beside his cousin/brother.

Bandy looked up at Pippin.  “You knew one of us would change our minds, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” was Pippin’s noncommittal answer.

“He always knows things like that about me,” said Faramir.  “I bet he’ll know the same things abut you in no time.  I think it’s some sort of parent thing.”

Bandobras just shrugged but didn’t agree or disagree with the older lad.

-----

The ate lunch out of a hamper that Opal had packed for them and soon after that the older three children fell asleep.  Diamond took the opportunity to nurse Sapphire.  Once this was done, she patted the seat next to her in invitation.  Pippin accepted and moved to sit beside his wife.  She sitll had Ruby tucked snuggly against her other side so Pippin contented himself with putting an arm around his wife and letting her rest her head on his shoulder.  Within a few minutes, they too were asleep.

-----

Pippin awoke to the sound of someone tapping on the carriage door.

“Yes,” he said, opening the door and looking sleepily about.

Their driver, Will, was standing there.  “I thought you might want to get out and stretch your legs a bit,” he said.  “It’s near teatime but there’s nowheres about to stop.  We’re still at least two hours from civilized parts.”

“Thank you,” Pippin answered.  “I think I’ll at least wake the lads.  If we let them sleep now, they’ll be up all night.”

“Don’t forget Ruby,” Diamond said, waking at the sound of her husband’s voice.  “She’ll be worse than the lads if we let her sleep all day.”

After taking care of some personal needs, eating and drinking a light repast and letting the children run a bit, they climbed back in the carriage to continue to Oatbarton.

When they reached the inn, Pippin wrote a note and requested that a Quick Post rider take it to Great Smials immediately.

“What was that about?” asked Diamond.

“When we get back, our apartments should be ready to accommodate our two new family members.

“Oh really,” she said with a smile.  “And what are the new arrangements you’ve contrived?”

“Faramir’s room will be rearranged to add another bed for Bandobras.  Ruby will have the nursery and Sassy will be with us till she has decided that her mum is not the best source of food in the world.  At that point, she and Ruby will have the nursery for their room.”

“That should work, assuming we don’t acquire any more children.”

“If we do,” Pippin answered, and there was a hint of wistfulness in his voice, “we’ll just have to open up the rooms we used when my family moved to the Smials.”

-----

They left Oatbarton just after second breakfast and pulled into the courtyard of the Great Smials just before supper.

When they climbed from the carriage and Bandobras got a look at his new home, his eyes looked like saucers.  “It’s huge!” he exclaimed.  He looked apprehensibly at Faramir.  “Have you ever got lost in there?”

Faramir gave the other lad a  mischievous smile.  “Never by accident,” he said.

“Well,” said Pippin before the two lads could go any further down the road of mischief, “Shall we go look at our rearranged quarters first or go straight to supper.  He was not at all surprised when the children all agreed that food should come first; after all, they were growing young hobbits.

-----

“What do you think?” Pippin asked as he opened the door to Faramir’s old room.

Everyone looked in.  Diamond seemed to approve.

“I have to share?” asked Faramir, his voice having an uncommon whine to it.

“Yes, you have to share,” answered his father, “at least for a while.  It will be better for Bandy not to be alone while he adjusts to a new place.  It can be quite nice to share a room.  late night talks are a good way to get to know each other better and I can’t tell you the trouble your Uncle Merry and I plotted while sharing a room.”

“Don’t give them any ideas,” Diamond smiled.

-----

That first night was a long one.  Ruby was fretful and cried because everything was unfamiliar.  Bandy cried too, even though he would deny it ever after, and kept getting up and asking for things like a drink or needing to use the privy.  Faramir found it almost impossible to sleep because of all the activity going on around him.  The stress also affected Sapphire who wanted her mum to hold her constantly.

------

When Regi walked into the Thain’s office the next morning, he found Pippin asleep at his desk.

He woke at the sound of the door closing.  “That was the best sleep I’ve had all night.”

Regi grinned at him.  “Your parental joys just doubled, dear cousin.”

“Yes they have,” Pippin said and his smile was genuine and bright.