Title: A Little Rest
Rating: G
Summary: Merimac stumbles across a very tired Frodo and is determined to see the lad at rest.
Year: 1384 (Frodo: 16; Berilac: 4; Merimas: 3; Merry: 2;)

Special thanks to Slightly Tookish.

~*~*~

With a shake of his head Merimac plopped down on the huge mattress, chuckling as he watched Berilac use his natural authority as the eldest to drag an unwilling Merimas to the far corner of the nursery, with little Merry quickly following them on all fours.

"It's not that he can't walk," said a voice beside him. "He's just too lazy to get on his feet."

"He has his own head," Merimac replied with a smile. "He will cause trouble sooner or later."

"You must know."

Merimac glanced askance at his cousin. "You think so?"

Frodo simply shrugged and tried to stifle a yawn. Flinging his arms around his legs the lad rested his chin on his knee. The book which already lay there slipped to the floor beside him. His eyes sleepily observed his young cousins, who were amusing themselves by building huge brick towers out of wooden blocks. Merimac leaned against the wall and followed his gaze.

There weren't many children in the nursery this afternoon. Apart from the two Merrys and Berilac there were only a couple of lasses and the Longfoot twins. All of them, for once, were peacefully engaged in their individual games. Petty Smallburrows, a bright young lass just out of her tweens, had recently begun her work in the Hall's nursery and as far as Merimac could tell she did a very good job. The children adored her - at least Berilac did. The boy could babble all evening about what Petty had told him and how Petty had sung songs with them. Said young lass sat at a desk in the far corner commenting on a child's drawing when Merimac caught her curious glance.

"I think you're getting her nervous," he murmured to Frodo. His eyes, however, rested on Petty who blushed and quickly averted her gaze at his unabashed grin. "Why are you reading here anyway? Wouldn't you be more comfortable in one of the parlours?"

Instead of offering a reply Frodo toppled sideways and bumped his head against Merimac's upper arm. Frodo jumped in surprise while Merimac raised an eyebrow, observing the lad closely. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," the boy quickly assured but even as he spoke a huge, noisy yawn split his face in two.

"Whoa, lad!" Merimac exclaimed with a grin. "I strongly advise you against eating me alive. I'm not that much of a culinary delight."

"I'm sorry," Frodo mumbled. He blinked sleepily and Merimac suddenly remembered why he had initially come here. His brother had asked him to have a closer look at Frodo. The lad lacked energy and was rather pale of late and since the relationship between Frodo and his guardians wasn't at its best at the moment Saradoc had hoped that Frodo would talk instead to Merimac. For some reason Merimac had always been on easy terms with his youngest cousin. Unlike the relationship the lad had shared with Saradoc, theirs had not suffered since Frodo's fosterage began four years ago.

"It's that one."

To Merimac's surprise he didn't even have to ask for further information. His eyes followed the lad's pointing finger. "Merry?"

"He is crying all night because he wants to be with his parents," Frodo grumbled and let out a puff or air. "I don't even know why I still bother to soothe him for each time he ends up in my bed; and he doesn't exactly sleep like a baby. He kicks, and punches, and smacks in his sleep. And as if that weren't enough he keeps stealing my blanket." Frodo frowned at his young cousin. "Saradoc has had better ideas than having him share a room with me." Another yawn claimed him. This time he remembered his manners and used his hand to hide it.

Merimac smiled warmly at the sight. "That's just how I used to torment Saradoc."

Frodo glanced up at him, then crossed his arms and tiredly leaned back against the wall. "Saradoc was almost your age, unlike me," he mumbled, not taking his eyes from a gleefully playing Meriadoc.

Merimac raised an eyebrow. "You're in desperate need of a sibling, scallywag. Saradoc might have been younger than you are now, but he still was the older one, the big brother. Besides, his bed was far more comfortable than my own." He paused to let his eyes wander from Frodo to his nephew and back to his cousin, a fond smile playing at his lips. "I'm afraid that's Merry's way of telling you that he loves and trusts you to protect him and keep him safe."

Frodo sighed. "I wish he would trust me enough to believe I'm looking after him even when he sleeps in his own bed."

"My poor scallywag!" Merimac exclaimed teasingly and pulled Frodo close with one hand while he ruffled his curls with the other. "Is he tormenting you so?"

"It's not funny, Mac!" Frodo scowled at the grin on Merimac's face. "It's frustrating. I want to sleep."

"And that from the mouth of a teen!" Merimac exclaimed. "Mother would be delighted to hear that. When I was your age she tried in vain to convince me that I needed to sleep from time to time." Frodo's scowl darkened causing Merimac to sober. After all he could see the lad was dead tired. Allowing him to break free from under his armpit Merimac observed that the nursery was not the best place to find some rest.

"And neither will I in the parlour or in my room," Frodo told him grumpily but with a helpless tone to his voice. "The parlours are as noisy and if I choose my room Esmeralda will think I'm ill and send for the healer."

"You have a point there," Merimac nodded, a caring smile on his face. "I fear you have to do with the nursery then."

Frodo lowered his head, his lids drooping. Merimac watched him struggle for a while before he once again put an arm around the lad's shoulder and gently but firmly guided his head to rest on his lap.

Frodo started up the moment he realised what Merimac was doing. "What are you up to?"

"I'm transforming into a cushion for my tired cousin," Merimac informed the child matter-of-factly

"I don't need a pillow!" Frodo insisted and pushed Merimac's hand from his shoulder. "Really, Mac!" He indignantly called out, when Merimac wouldn't allow him to break free completely. The fact that Merimac rested his eyes on the children instead of him seemed to annoy Frodo further. He complained all the louder about pillows and sleep, and ended his exclamation with his not being that tired after all.

Merimac would have laughed out loud if he hadn't felt so dismayed. "Cousin-mine, you really are a knotty problem," he announced at last turning to face the boy. Frodo evaded his gaze, allowing dark curls to hang into his eyes. All of a sudden he seemed more troubled than cross. Merimac tilted his head and tentatively tightened his grip around Frodo's shoulder once more. The muscles under his fingers quivered, the child still being exceptionally tense, but Frodo did not protest. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," Frodo told him but though he sneaked a glance at him he didn't dare to lift his head. "I'm just," he shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then, where is the problem of accepting some undisturbed rest?" Merimac prompted.

Frodo hesitated, silently watching the children and, unwittingly, allowing Merimac to observe his conflict. It was as Saradoc had said: Frodo might have come to accept and even love his surrogate family but he did not confide in them.

"Merry will…" The lad made a rather hollow attempt to find yet another excuse but Merimac dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"Never mind Merry. I'll have an eye on you and keep the children away. And I won't tell Esme either if you're worrying about that as well." Merimac smiled and ruffled Frodo's curls when the lad turned towards him with a frown. "I can all but hear you thinking, scallywag. Why don't you just leave your concerns and see what the afternoon has in store for you? I'm sure that mind of yours will welcome a little respite. It must be hurting being as busily occupied as it is."

All the while Merimac gently guided Frodo's head back down and this time the lad relinquished, but whether because he was now welcoming the offer or simply too tired to resist Merimac could not tell. Either way, he was glad to feel his cousin's tenseness lessen and, though the deep breath the child took didn't sound as if he were quite at ease, Merimac felt as if he had accomplished something special. He smiled down at the lad who could no longer keep his eyes open. Gently he brushed a stray curl from the boy's forehead and took the book from his hands. "Don't let yourself be troubled."

Quietly Merimac leaned back, one hand resting on his cousin's shoulder the other carefully shielding the lad's ear from the noises in the nursery. Frodo had quickly fallen asleep and Merimac, too, allowed his mind to drift.

He must have dozed off for he woke to Meriadoc calling for his "Fo" at the top of his lungs. His nephew waved a woollen sheep by its tail as he was darting towards them on wobbly feet.

"Hush!" Merimac hissed pressing his hand on Frodo's ear. "Frodo's asleep."

Merry stopped frowning first at Frodo then at Merimac. "Eep?"

"Yes," Merimac replied in a whisper. "Asleep; and we don't want to wake him, do we?"

Merry shook his golden head, teeth and tongue working on his lip.

"Good," Merimac nodded and leaned back with a deep contented breath. "Why don't you go and play with Berilac and Merimas again?"

Again Merry shook his head. "Me-y eep."

Before Merimac could reach for his nephew the lad had plopped down beside Frodo. Merimac tensed. 'Don't wake him up now,' he begged silently. 'Not after he has finally allowed me to look after him.'

Unable to get rid of Merry without disturbing Frodo himself Merimac hardly dared to watch how Merry snuggled close to his older cousin. To his astonishment Frodo didn't seem the least bit disturbed. In fact, he even supported the young one's closeness by putting his arm around the small one's chest.

After all Merimac had seen and knew about Frodo this was the last thing he had expected. Yet he smiled, understanding dawning. Frodo might whinge about Merry but he doubted that he was as averse to the lad sharing his room as he said. Frodo had called it Saradoc's worst idea so far, but the longer Merimac watched the surer he was that this was, in fact, the best thing his brother could have done for their cousin. There was yet hope for Frodo. Merry would teach him how to trust again, of that there wasn't any doubt.

"You're as much the scallywag as he is, little one, do you know that?" Merimac announced with a grin at Merry who was watching him from the crook of Frodo's arm.

Chuckling to himself Merimac shifted his weight to get more comfortable, careful not to disturb his charges. There was no need to worry about Frodo - not anymore. Merry, with his childish innocence, might reach farther than any of them ever had. The lad already held more of Frodo's reliance than any of them had gained the past four years. Through him, Frodo would come to trust all his family again, of that Merimac was convinced.

~THE END~