Magnificent

4: A New Little Gamgee

“Hullo, little Frodo,” Pippin cooed to the newest member of the Gamgee family. The baby gurgled happily. With four nieces and one nephew, Pippin was wonderful with young children.

“You’ll never be able to get him back off Pip now,” Merry informed Frodo’s proud parents.

Rose laughed. “I’m sure when Frodo needs changing, Pippin will more than willingly hand him over.”

Merry glanced at Sam, and saw the tears twinkling in his friend’s eyes. Little Frodo had been born on September 22. Merry placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “He must have known, somehow, when it would be time to join us.”

Sam gave a little smile. “Or perhaps Rosie and me knew the right time, if you get my meaning.”

“Samwise Gamgee!” Rose scolded, but her cheeks had flushed. She quickly changed the subject. “I had thought that Estella would have come with you too…”

“She stayed at Crickhollow to keep Diamond company,” Merry quickly explained. He and Pippin had expected such a question would eventually be asked. Estella had been almost as excited at Rose’s pregnancy as Rose herself.

“Well, Diamond is certainly welcome to visit too! Wherever did she get the idea that she was not welcome?”

Merry and Pippin shifted uncomfortably. They had not yet told Sam and Rosie about Diamond’s previous experiences with Bag-End, and why she did not wish to visit there again. It was a problem that they would eventually have to face, but for now, they made an excuse for her.

“Oh, it’s not that at all, Rosie,” said Pippin. “Di’s been sick of late, and she didn’t want to make the baby sick.”

Sam looked at the cousins sceptically, but Rose accepted their explanation. “Let us know when she is well and we’ll bring little Frodo for a visit.”

Peregrin suddenly held Frodo out in front of him. “Rosie, I do believe your son needs you.”

Rose rolled her eyes, but laughed and took the baby from Pippin. “What did I tell you – more than willing to hand him over. Just wait until you have your own children Master Peregrin.”

Once Rose had left the room, Sam confronted his two friends. “This is the second time Diamond had been ‘too sick’ to visit. Have we done something to offend her?”

“Oh, no!” cried Pippin. He glanced at Merry, who nodded. “Let us just say that Hobbiton – and especially, Bag-End – is not Di’s favourite place. Holds a few bad memories from the Occupation.”

Sam did not push the matter any further, but both cousins knew that the full story would eventually have to be told.

“So, Mist… I mean, Merry.” Sam was slowly getting out of the habit of adding “Mister” in front of Merry and Pippin’s names. “Have you and Stella given any thought to children?”

“Not just yet,” Merry replied. “Pippin and Diamond are our children at the moment. I think, after caring for them, we should be ready for anything!” Merry grinned, and ignored the scowl on his cousin’s face. “How many are you and Rosie trying for, Sam?”

Sam blushed. “Well, we ain’t really trying, but Mister Frodo told me that he could see at least six, and maybe a good deal more after that.”

“Wonderful!” Pippin laughed. “You may even beat the old Took.”

“I may well, Mister Pippin.” Sam grinned at his friend. “And what about you, Master Took? Is there a special lass that has caught your eye?”

Merry snorted, but held his tongue. He was certainly going to tell Sam about Pippin’s private meeting with Diamond during their visit, but it would probably best be done when Pippin was not present.

Pippin shook his head. “At the moment, I am happy being a bachelor. I know my father would never allow me to stay that way, so I’m going to make the most of it for now.”

“What about the ‘hoards’ of lasses you said would be after you when you came back?” Sam asked, with a small smirk. While in Minas Tirith, before the marriage of the King and Queen, Pippin had asked Lord Faramir permission to name a son after him. Peregrin had then boasted that when he returned to the Shire, he would have hoards of lasses to pick and choose from.

“I think Celandine frightened most of them away,” Pippin admitted, and he meant it. For the first few months after they returned to the Shire, Celandine Brandybuck had been viciously jealous of any other lass that so much as looked at Pippin. “Perhaps I’ll have more luck now that she’s with Sancho.”

Both of his friends noticed the strain in his voice as he said this. Celandine’s relationship with Sancho Proudfoot was still a sore spot for Pippin.

“There’ll be someone out there for you, lad,” said Sam, patting the young hobbit on the back. As he did so, he winked at Merry.

Merry grinned. It seemed Sam already suspected something about Peregrin and Diamond.

Rosie returned with a changed Frodo and a yawning Elanor. “Look who just woke up from her nap.”

Elanor had been rubbing her eyes, sleepily, but the minute she saw Merry and Pippin, they shot wide open. “Uncle Merry! Uncle Pip!”

“Hullo, Ellie!” Pippin cried, gathering the giggling lass into his arms. “Did you miss us?”

Elanor nodded. “Lots.” Even though she was only two and a half, Elanor was already quite the little chatterbox. “Did you come to see the baby? He looks funny. Did I look like that? How long are you here for?”

“Hush now, Ellie,” said Rose. “Give Uncle Pippin some room.”

Elanor pouted, but did silence her questions. Pippin stuck out his tongue at Rosie, the minute her back was turned, and made Elanor giggle.

“He’ll make a wonderful father one day,” Sam commented to Merry.

“I know,” Merry replied. “And that’s the funny thing, because he’s always been the youngest.”

“Ah, but that means he’s learnt exactly how to look after the children. And you and I both have seen him with Dot, Pet, Pegs, Garnet and Pippa, not to mention Ellie. You and Stella won’t even have to worry about your little ones when they come along. Pippin can raise them for you!”

Merry laughed. “Gracious, Sam, don’t say such things. I would never submit my children to such horror.”

* * * * * *

Merry and Pippin stayed with Sam and Rosie for several days. Before they left for Buckland, Sam suggested that he might bring his family to Crickhollow for Yule. By that time, little Frodo would be old enough to travel the distance between Hobbiton and Buckland.

When the cousins returned to Crickhollow, the first thing Estella asked was, “How was the baby?”

Her maternal instincts had started to kick in recently, though Merry was unaware of this. He just assumed it was a lass-thing to wonder about other lasses and their babies.

“A fine copy of Sam, despite his name and birth-date,” answered Pippin. “And little Ellie’s grown so much! Adorable little girl.”

“Sam and Rosie said they’d bring the baby here, once Diamond was well enough,” Merry stated.

“Well enough?” Estella questioned. “Oh, I see. They asked why we didn’t come with you.”

Pippin nodded. “Rosie believed the illness excuse, but Sam was another matter.”

“What did you tell him?” Diamond asked, in a quiet voice.

“We told him that you have some bad memories of Hobbiton.” Pippin took a deep breath. “Merry and I don’t like lying to Sam, Di, but we knew better than to tell him the full story.”

“Thank you.”

“We will have to tell both of them eventually,” said Merry. “Actually, no, you will.”

“I know,” whispered Diamond, with tears sparkling in her eyes.

“It will be all right, Diamond,” Estella soothed, giving Merry an angry glare.

“Merry’s right, Stella,” the younger lass replied. “If I want to remain friends with all of you, I can’t keep secrets from some and not others.” She looked at her three companions, each in turn. “When Sam and Rose bring the baby here, I shall tell them.”

“And we shall be there for you,” Pippin assured her, squeezing her hand. “Sam said they might come for Yule. Pervinca and Ev should be here then too. Pim and Berry might come too – after all, Brandy Hall is just up the road.”

“Well, I suppose it’s about time I told them all. How many weeks until Yule?”

* * * * * *

A/N: Short little chapter – I know you’re probably all getting sick of these filler chapters. I promise something interesting will happen soon! Oh, and by the way, the reference to Pippin asking Faramir for permission to name his son after him come from my story “What’s in a Name?” (hint, hint).