Another summer had come and passed, and as fall arrived Frodo saw yet another birthday. It had been years since Bilbo left, and as per usual Frodo celebrated their birthdays at Bag End. The week following the party was dull and dreary, and unbelievably hot. Despite autumn's arrival, the summer heat stuck around. Folks in the Shire complained about the constant rises and dips in temperature while at the Green Dragon, as it was something newsworthy to them.

This particular evening, Frodo was desperate to get away from their chatter. If he heard one more word of "My sweater makes me sweat more..." he would probably die. Instead, the hobbit slipped down the road towards the pond. The pond was always deserted, as Hobbiton hobbits were not fond of swimming like those in the Bucklands. "Pity, really. Its such a nice way to cool off." Frodo said aloud to himself, stripping down quickly. He eased himself into the pond and started to gently stroke his way around the pond, admiring the moon and stars that had come out.

His peaceful swim was soon interrupted by the sound of giggling and twigs snapping. Darting around towards shore, he spotted two sets of hands snatching up his clothes. "Hey! You!" The heads of Merry and Pippin popped up from amongst the dense greenery. "Hello cousin! Fancy a stitch?" Merry laughed, holding up a shirt. "Very funny, I'm coming after you now..." Frodo said, rushing towards his kin. "Not so fast cousin, if you want it come get it at the Green Dragon!" Pippin cried, dashing up the hill and back to the path. Frodo stopped at the edge of the pond in defeat. He couldn't go all the way to the Green Dragon like this without someone seeing. Furthermore, he'd be mad to go into a tavern without a stitch of clothing on. A blush rose up in his face at the thought. 'To heck with the things they stole, I need to get home without someone seeing me' thought Frodo.

Covering himself with his hands, the dark haired hobbit darted from bush to bush, crouching down for privacy. He could imagine Merry and Pippin now at the Green Dragon, waving his knickers around in triumph. It was a cruel thing really. As much does not happen in the Shire, anything slightly exciting is played up. Besides birthdays, and old tales, embarrassing stories last a lifetime. For hobbits find it particularly funny to be caught off guard, and worse off disrobed. One lass a few years back had a growth spurt, and because of it her blouses were too tight. One day while working in the market the buttons ripped open, exposing her chest entirely. Needless to say, she was so embarrassed to show her face, she picked up and went off to the Tooklands. Despite this, Merry and Pippin liked to cause mischief-- and even had a list of prankees lined up.

Now out of woods to hide in, Frodo took to skimming along the bushed by the side of the road, keeping out of the light. He took the long way to avoid the heavily populated town square, and came around a road that followed the back of the Green Dragon. Rosie Cotton and a fellow tavern maid were walking up the road as Frodo turned the corner. Quickly, he plunged into the bushes, and hoped they didn't see. "Did you hear that, Rosie?" "Yes, it sounded like something ran into the bushes over there." Rosie's friend hurried along the path. "Maybe it's that dog the old man lost. He's been looking for it all over." Frodo's blood turned to ice. Rosie came up to the bushes, which were inky black in the nighttime. "It's hard to see, though..." Some rustling was made, and Frodo was horrified to learn the rustling was near the patch of leaves covering his manhood. "Anything, Rosie?" "No...no dog. Might have just been a small animal." More blush rose to the hobbit's face. 'Small?' a little offense was taken, but Frodo was relieved to see the two girls leave.

In a last mad dash, Frodo made the rest of the way almost silently. Upon reaching Bag End he fumbled for the spare key to open the door, heart quickening as it took several tries. Finally, a wave of relief washed over him as the door swung open and he entered the dark Hobbit hole. Laughing to himself, Frodo shut the door and walked into the living room.

"SURPRISE!"

His pupils were assaulted by the onslaught of lights that flickered on, and the room fell silent. There stood Merry and Pippin, as well as what looked like most of Hobbiton crammed into his hobbit hole, and he, Frodo Baggins, wearing nothing but the look of utter shock on his face. The room erupted into laughter, and Frodo felt very raw and exposed--but unable to move his arms to cover himself. "Ah, we got you Frodo!" cheered Merry.

Frodo hadn't realized it, but a cloak had been thrown around his shoulders and he was being led out of the room full of laughing hobbits. "You should be ashamed on yourselves! He's your cousin!" "Aw, we're just having a little fun, Sam. Don't be such a stickler." "Stickler or not, Mr. Frodo's been nothing but kind to you!" Doors shut, and Frodo was placed down onto his bed.

"Sam?"

The gardener was rummaging through the dresser, pulling out clothes. "It's alright Mr. Frodo, I'm here. That was terrible prank. I'm sorry, sir." "What happened?" "I didn't know they'd stripped you, sir, honest! They told me and the rest that we should surprise you for your birthday a bit late, because you're always throwing such nice parties. It seemed like a good thing! I never expected you to walk in with what you were born with, sir." Frodo blushed deeply at Sam's response. Sam caught on quick. "N-not that I saw anything! I just saw you there and then I adverted my eyes. It wasn't until I realized they planned to let you stand there like some lewd spectacle that I came to cover you up." Tears started to well up in Frodo's blue eyes, and Sam wiped them away with a steady hand. "Don't be ashamed, Mr. Frodo. They got me too..." Frodo looked up, bewildered. "At closing time at the Green Dragon. I was settling our tab and they pantsed me. Right in front of Rosie, too, the devils. Wasn't a thing on me she hadn't seen after that." Frodo let out a chuckle, but then stopped himself "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to laugh." "By all means, do, if it makes you feel better."

Sam laid the pile of clothes on the bed, a gentle reminder that Frodo was in fact still exposed. But it was different here. He was with Sam, and he trusted him. None the less, Frodo put on the clothes and sat back down on the bed. "Well you know what this means then, my dear Sam." "What?"

"We'll have to get them back."

"That we shall, Mr. Frodo."