"Where do you suppose Frodo is?" Drogo asked as his wife set a cherry pie on the table as again she had set a fine meal and he was famished.

"I don't know. I told him that it was time to come and eat supper. If he doesn't come in another minute I'll go out again and see what's taking him so long," Primula replied. She wiped her hands as she turned back towards the hearth, putting down her towel before she picked up the plate of freshly baked honey-wheat bread. Setting it on the table, she noted that Drogo had pulled back the bandage on his hand that covered a large but shallow cut he had received several weeks ago. "It still hasn't healed yet?"

Drogo jumped and patted the bandage back down on his hand. "No, it hasn't healed yet. I don't understand what the trouble is."

Before Primula could reply, they heard Frodo's voice yell outside the door, "MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! SHE'S TRYING TO HURT ME!"

It only took Primula a split second to open the door to see Pansy stand just a few doors down from theirs. She had pulled Frodo over her knee and was about to swat his backside when Primula halted her hand by tightly grasping her wrist. Pansy looked back into the angry eyes of both Primula and Drogo Baggins.

"You let go of him NOW, Pansy Brandybuck!" Primula said, immediately getting the results she desired when a subdued Pansy released the hobbit-lad. Frodo ran to the safety of his father's arms as Primula, while still holding Pansy, swatted the tweenager's backside.

"OUCH!" the girl exclaimed with surprised tears in her eyes.

Primula leaned over close to her face. "If you EVER try to spank my son again you'll not going to be sitting for a week afterwards."

Pansy's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh wouldn't I, would I?" Primula replied, swatting the girl's backside again. "Just try it and see if I don't tan your backside, Pansy Brandybuck!" She applied one last swat, before she pushed tweenager in the direction of her own home. Looking back at Drogo and Frodo, "I'll be back in a moment. Go ahead - start supper without me."

Drogo nodded, and nudged Frodo back towards the door. "Come on, son."

Primula returned several minutes later to find silence in her family's smial, Drogo eating quietly as Frodo picked at his food. Shaking her head she sat down at the table, Drogo began to pass her dishes so she could fill her plate.

"Well Pansy shouldn't be a problem anymore ," Primula began, "Because I told Daisy what we caught her daughter trying to do to Frodo. She was clearly angry at Pansy and she told me 'it will be taken care of'. I then told her what I said to Pansy and to my surprise she looked at that lass and said 'Make that two weeks she won't be able to sit if I hear she has lain a hand on the backside of your boy!'"

Drogo swallowed his food, nodding. "Well I've always said that your cousin Daisy was reasonable It is beyond me how her oldest turned out to be such a brat when the entire kit-and-caboodle of the rest of her children are usually so sweet!"

Primula nodded, taking a bite, and turning to look at her son. He still wasn't eating all that much, and after she swallowed her food she spoke. "Frodo, honey, you don't have to worry about Pansy trying to do that to you again." Frodo didn't reply, just picked at his food. It was then that she saw that he was holding his right ear in his hand that was propped on the table. "Frodo, honey, what's wrong?"

"My ear hurts," Frodo mumbled.

Drogo put down his fork, wiping his mouth. "Frodo, son, don't mumble. Speak up."

Frodo looked up releasing his earlobe and pointed to it. "My ear hurts!"

Primula jumped up immediately from her seat and knelt by his chair. She brushed his hair back, and examined the blue and purplish lobe. "Frodo, how did this happen?"

"Pansy grabbed my ear! She squeezed it so tight I thought I was going to cry before she let go of me!"

"Come here and let me put some salve on it, and then you can hold a cold rag on it," Primula said. She went to retrieve the salve and in a few seconds she applied some of the healing ointment to Frodo's earlobe. Afterwards, as Frodo ate a piece of cherry pie, he held the cold rag his mother had given to him.

About ten minutes after they finished their meal, there was a knock at the smial's door and Frodo still holding the rag to his ear went over to answer it, revealing on the other side Daisy Brandybuck who stood with a hand griping the shoulder of Pansy. Pansy's face was tear-stained, and Frodo thought he could guess what had happened with her mother.

"Frodo, who is it?" Drogo asked, coming to the door. "Oh, hullo, Daisy."

Daisy nodded. "Mr. Baggins, I brought Pansy because she has something to say to you, your wife, and Frodo here."

Drogo nodded. "Primula, would you come here please?" A second later, she appeared wiping her hands and when she saw Pansy, a sour look immediately crossed her face.

"Go on, Pansy," Daisy ordered.

Pansy stepped forward. "I...I wanted to say that I am sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Baggins for overstepping my boundaries." She went silent after that and Daisy tapped her back.

"Go on, Pansy. Apologize to Frodo," she said. "Now, young lady or your father will hear about this."

With a very sour look, Pansy looked at Frodo. "I-I'm sorry, Frodo."

Primula nodded. "Apology accepted, Pansy. Isn't it, Frodo?"

Frodo was just as reluctant to accept her apology as Pansy was in giving it but one look at his mother told him not to argue. "Yes."

"Good, now that's taken of, sorry we disturbed you. Goodnight, Drogo, Primula, Frodo," Daisy said.

"Goodnight, Daisy," Drogo replied.

They watched Daisy and Pansy leave before they turned to go back inside of their own smial. Frodo watched them disappear around the corner before he closed the door. Not a minute after he shut the door did another knock sound at the door. Drogo reappeared, stopping Frodo from answering it.

"You go get ready for bed, Frodo. I'll see to whoever it is."

"All right, Daddy," Frodo replied, running off towards his room.

When he was gone, Drogo opened the door, and found Fosco standing on the other side holding a fine bunch of trout in his left hand. Drogo smiled as Fosco held out the fish to him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Baggins, but I think Frodo somehow dropped his fish when he came home tonight," he said.

Drogo took them. "Thank you, Fosco. Since Frodo is getting ready for bed, I'll tell him you brought these by for you."

Fosco nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Baggins. I gotta get home anyway as my ma told me not to stay any longer than it takes to drop off Frodo's fish. Tell Frodo I'll see him tomorrow, would you?"

"I'll give him the message though it maybe a few days before you see him again, Fosco. We have company arriving from Hobbiton tomorrow and Frodo will be spending most of the day with us," Drogo said.

"Oh yes! I forgot that your Uncle Bilbo was coming from Hobbiton tomorrow! Well just tell Frodo I'll see him whenever he's free, would ya, Mr. Baggins?"
"Of course, Fosco, I'll tell him."

"Thank you! Goodnight, Mr. Baggins!" Fosco said dashing off.

"Goodnight, Fosco," Drogo replied, closing the door with fish in hand.

"Was that Fosco at the door?" Primula asked.

Drogo nodded, showing her the fish. "It seems Frodo lost these at some point on his way home from the river."

At that moment, Frodo returned from his room, dressed now in his nightshirt instead of his play clothes. His father held up the fish to him.

"Oh I forgot about those!" Frodo said.

"How did you lose these, son, between the River and home?" Drogo asked.

"I lost them when I ran from Pansy. That's why she was trying to boss me around in the first place because the fish were dripping water onto the floor. But I didn't realize that until she stopped me," Frodo answered. "I must have dropped them when she threatened to spank me."

"I see. She was right about the water you know. You should have cleaned up the water these fish were dripping," Drogo said.

"Daddy!"

"Let me finish, son. Pansy was right about the water but she was wrong to threaten you with a spanking if you didn't obey her. She might be close to being an adult but she's not come of age yet and she has no right to treat you or any other hobbit child in such a way."

"I agree. You tell us if she EVER threatens you again, Frodo," Primula said, kissing his head.

"Yes, Mama. I love you."

"Love you too, honey," she replied. "Now let me take care of those fish and you get yourself to bed."

Frodo hugged her and then he hugged his father. "Goodnight, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, son."

"Sweet dreams, honey," Primula added as he disappeared down the hallway.

***
About an hour after he went to bed, Frodo rolled over in his sleep, waking up to find a lamp's glow still coming from the smial's living room. Taking a deep breath, he smelled his father's pipe burning and if he listened carefully he could hear the voices of his parents still talking.

"I want you to go see the healer, Drogo," Primula's worried voice filtered through to his ears.

"Why, Prim? It's just a cut that's been stubborn about healing, that's all," Drogo replied. "Why should I bother Doc Gentlewinter over something so small?"
"That cut should have healed by now, and you know it," Primula replied with a sigh. "Drogo, it's not only the cut that worries me but the fact that you get so tired easily anymore! Why I remember when you could chase Frodo around until he ran out of breath and then you'd both tumble to the ground, laughing as you tickled him. Now it's all you can do now to help them in the fields, still come home, and stay awake long enough to eat your supper with us."

"Prim-"

"Please, Drogo, if not for yourself then promise me you'll go see the doctor for me...and for our son." Primula had moved to sit on Drogo's lap by now, her eyes pleading with him.

Drogo sighed, laying his pipe aside before running a hand through his hair, and nodding, "All right, I'll do it."

"Thank you, love," Primula said, and she kissed him.

"I'll go see Doc Gentlewinter AFTER Uncle Bilbo returns home and not a moment before. Okay?" Drogo said.

Primula thought for a moment and nodded. "Just as long as you promise to go after Bilbo leaves, I won't say another word about it."

"I promise, Prim," Drogo said yawning. "Now, let's go to bed shall we?"