TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin 
RAITING: G (for now) 
SUMMARY: The day they met.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Pre-slash. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1390 in the Shire Reckoning. Merry is 8, and 
Pimpernel is 10
********************************************************
Chapter 1
 
"Nel?"

Pimpernel gave a start at the sound of her name being shouted down the 
hallway. She glanced down nervously at the sleeping baby as she rose, 
moving towards the door. 

"Nel?" Pimpernel winced. The voice was louder this time, more insistent. 

"Pimpernel!" Pimpernel opened the door and slipped out into the hallway 
and located the source of the voice. The eight year-old hobbit boy jumped 
with delight when he saw her, and dashed down the hall towards her, 
armed with a large net in one hand and a mason jar in the other. 

"Quiet, Merry." She said, making a shushing gesture. "You'll wake the 
baby." 

"Oh. Sorry." He mumbled, looking abashed briefly, then he shrugged. 

"Where is Vinca? I want her to come catch butterflies with me." He said, 
waving the net close to Nel's face. 

"Stop." Nel waved the net away. "Pervinca is sick." 

"Oh." Merry looked at the net and jar and furrowed his little brows in 
frustration. "Well, maybe I can sit with her until she feels better. I know 
my letters now, so I could read to her."

"But she is not here."

"Not home?" Merry's tone was getting whiny. "If she is sick, why is she 
away?"

"Because of the baby, Merry." Pimpernel said. "Da was worried that she 
would get the baby sick, so soon after he was born, so he sent her to Uncle 
Adelard's. 

"Oh." He looked close to pouting. "Do you want to catch butterflies with 
me?" He looked at her only half-hopefully. Sometimes Nel thought she 
was too old to play. 

"No, cousin, I can't. I have to watch the baby." Pimpernel said, a bit proud 
of herself for being given the responsibility. 

"Why you?" Merry said, pouting. "Where is everyone else?" 

"Everyone else is busy." Pimpernel said with a sigh. "Pearl and your 
mother are helping with lunch, and Pervinca is sick. But she is not old 
enough to watch the baby anyhow." 

"What about Aunt Egg?" Merry inquired. "She is the baby's mother, 
anyway."

"My mother is sleeping." Pimpernel said, impatiently. "Having a baby is 
hard work, Meriadoc Brandybuck. And she is not well. She lost a lot of 
blood. The Healer wanted her to get as much sleep as possible."

"Oh." Merry said, wrinkling his nose at the mention of Aunt Egg's blood. 

He looked at Pimpernel again hopefully, but realizing that she was not 
going to be persuaded, his face grew petulant. 

Pimpernel sighed again, feeling sorry of the boy. In all the fuss and 
feathers about the birthing, Merry had been quite forgotten and ignored. 
She gave Merry a warm smile, and ruffled his unruly, sandy curls. 

"I can go when Pearl gets back." She said. 

"When will that be?" Merry asked, bouncing up and down.

"I don't know. Later."

"But I am bored now!" He said, stamping his foot. 

"Meridoc Brandybuck." She said sharply, but it was too late. Soft, 
mewling cries sounded from the other side of the door. She opened her 
mouth to chide him, but let it go, as Merry looked like he was going to cry 
as well. 

"Well, come and see the baby, since you woke him up." She said, taking 
her cousin by the hand. Merry made a grumpy sound, but did not pull his 
hand free. 

Pimpernel scooped the baby up and rocked him, making soothing sounds. 
Again forgotten, Merry abandoned his butterfly-catching gear and climbed 
up into a stuffed armchair. Pimpernel continued to fuss with the baby, 
until she heard a sigh from Merry." 

"Oh, here." She said, handing the baby over to him. 

Merry took the blanket-wrapped bundle and peered at it, looking 
unimpressed. He looked up and Nel, and then looked back down at the 
baby. Suddenly, he expression grew softer. "He is beautiful." He breathed. 

"What?" Pimpernel asked. Young boys were not usually amused by 
babies, thinking them to be ugly, pink, fussy annoyances. Merry had been 
three when Pervinca was born. He had been less than impressed when he 
first saw her, and really did not seem to care much about her until she 
turned three herself and was able to play with him. 

"He is beautiful." Merry repeated. He cradled the baby with one arm, and 
reached up to touch his tiny nose lightly. The baby made soft, contented 
noises. Merry giggled at that, and then staring at the baby, rapt, he touched 
his nose again. "What's his name?"

"Peregrin." Pimpernel said, drawing each syllable out. "Pearl and Da have 
taken to calling him Pippin."

"Pippin." Merry said. He studied the baby, stroking his cheek lightly. "I 
like him." 

"Of course you do, goose, he is your cousin." Nel eyes her younger 
cousin, oddly. This was out of character for him, to want to sit and cuddle 
a baby when he could be out turning the Smials upside down. 

"Pippin." He said again, smiling. The baby made a few more contented 
sounds, and then his eyes began to slide shut. 

"Well, give him here." Pimpernel said, reaching. 

"No." Merry said. "I want to keep him." Merry jerked lightly, pulling 
Pippin closer to him. Pippin's eyes snapped open, but he didn't fuss. 
Pimpernel eyed her cousin, wondering what kind of mad fancy had taken 
him. "He has to sleep, Merry. If he stays up much longer he will get 
hungry, and I will have to wake my Ma."

"Then we will sleep." Merry said. All at once, he laid the baby on the seat 
of the chair and slid himself down to the floor. Pimpernel gasp and the 
young boy's wiggling about with the baby so close. She moved to snatch 
him up before Merry accidentally hurt him, but something stayed her 
hand. Merry's movements were so gentle and intent that she somehow did 
not have the heart to take Pippin away from him, even though she knew 
that she probably should. 

Merry scooped the baby back up, and walked gingerly over to the bed, 
under Pimpernel's watchful eye. He laid the Pippin on the bed, pushed him 
over towards the middle, and climbed up. 

"Merry." Pimpernel began in a warning tone.

"Quiet, Nel." He said, adopting the chiding tone that Pearl used with him 
and Pervinca. "Pippin and I are going to sleep." He laid down, wrapping 
Pippin in the curve of his arm. He pulled the baby close, and wrapped his 
free arm around him. 

Nel stared for a good, long time. Something was quite off about this whole 
thing. With an incredulous snort and a shrug of her shoulders, Pimpernel 
climbed into the now empty armchair and went to sleep herself. 

********

"Pearl?" Esmeralda Brandybuck turned and looked at her niece." How is 
that stew coming.

"I think it is just about done, Aunt Esmy." Pearl said, peering into the 
large pot. "It should simmer a little more." 

"Oh good." Esmeralda said. "I just passed your father in the hall, and he is 
insists that he is close to starving to death." 

"I am sure he is." Pearl said with a laugh. " He only had one helping at 
elevensies." She gave the stew one more stew for good measure, and then 
wiped her hands on her apron. "I should go check on Nel." She said. "She 
is young to be watching the baby for too long by herself." 

"I'll go with you." Esmeralda offered. "I would like to see the little mite 
again. Besides, I need to look for my son. I have not seen him in close to 
an hour, and that worries me." 

"It would worry me, too." Pearl said, giggling. "If he has been out of sight 
this long, he is probably up to no good." 

"Indeed." Esmeralda agreed." 

Pearl paused at the door to the baby's room, listening. "Well, the baby is 
not crying." 

"And neither is Nel, by the sound of things, so everything is probably 
fine." Her aunt said. We just check anyway." 

"You don't fool me, Aunt Esmy. You just want to see the baby." Pearl 
joked. Esmeralda gave her a guilty smile. Pearl pushed the door open, and 
gave a gasp. "Well, I have seen everything." Pearl exclaimed in a whisper.

"What's wrong?" Esmeralda asked. 

"Nothing." Pearl said, shaking with quiet laughter. "However, I have 
found your son."

Esmeralda stepped around Pearl, and gave the same sharp gasp. Her 
whirling dervish of a son was laying complacently on the bed, curled up 
around Pippin. The baby was awake, as was Merry, who was watching 
him with fascination. 

"Son?" Esmeralda ventured. 

"Ma!" Merry sat up on the bed, folding his legs under him. He carefully 
moved Pippin around in front of him. He laid his palm on Pippin's 
stomach, and began rub in light circles. Pearl and Esmeralda looked over 
to Nel, who had apparently been banished to the chair, with questioning 
faces. Nel only shrugged. 

"You like Pippin?" Pearl asked, amused. It had been her experience that 
young boys did not care for babies. 

"Very much. He is a very good baby." Merry said. "Can I take him home, 
Ma?"

"Esmeralda laughed. "No son. Your Aunt would not like that." 

"But I want to take him." Merry said crossly.

"Meriadoc." She warned. 

"But Aunt Egg is sick." He reasoned. "Maybe just until she is feeling 
better?" 

"No." His mother said. "Pippin is not a toy, he is a baby. He can't play 
with you. If we did take him back with us, you would grow bored with 
him within a few hours. Angry too, because babies cry and fuss." 

"No. Never." Merry said, his voice hurt and shocked. He laid a protective 
hand over Pippin, and moved him closer.

Suddenly, Esmeralda remembered a story that her brother had told her 
about own birth. One of their older sisters had become similarly enamored 
with her when right after she was born. She had spent countless hours with 
her, and was loath to give anyone else time with her, even their own 
parents. 

"When he is a bit older, he can come visit at Brandy Hall as often as he 
likes." Esmeralda said, her tone softening. "For as long as he likes." 

"Promise?" Merry bounced with excitement on the bed. The baby made 
protesting sounds. Pimpernel rose from the chair, and Pearl went stiff. 
They both moved to take the baby, but Merry was faster. 

"Shush, Pippin. I am sorry." Merry said, scooping Pippin back up. "I didn't 
mean to upset you." The baby made more contented sounds. "Did you hear 
what your Aunt Esmy said, Pippin?" He asked the baby, as if expecting a 
response. Pippin gurgled. "Yes. She said that when you are older, you can 
come visit as often as you want."

"Now come along, Merry. It is time for lunch. You can visit Pippin later." 

******

Later never came. 

Merry's mother had worked hard to keep him well and fully occupied for 
the rest of the day. After lunch she had made Merry help with the washing 
up. Then she had sent Merry on numerous trips to the Smials' various 
pantries to collect things for tea. She had soon run out of things to send 
him for, lest they have a tea that was a bigger meal than lunch and 
elevensies combined, so she sent him to the Thain's office. 

"Uncle Paladin could use your help, dear one." Esmeralda explained. "He 
has been busy with Aunt Egg and the baby, and is probably behind in his 
work." 

Esmeralda had been sweet-toned and all smiles while she sent him about, 
but her tone was firm, and Merry knew better than to fuss too much. She 
felt bad each time she watched her crestfallen son padding down the 
hallway to complete each task, but she knew it was for the best. Eight 
year-old hobbit boys were carefree and unconcerned about anything. She 
doubted that Merry would harm the infant on purpose, but she worried. He 
could drop him, or roll over on him, or let him fall off the bed. 

Merry returned from the Thain's office only to be recruited to help with 
making supper. She set him at peeling potatoes, which he had done with a 
forlorn determination. 

Supper came and went. Much to Merry's disappointment, Eglantine or 
Pippin did not make an appearance. Esmeralda had been at a loss as to 
what to do with him after dinner, but luck would have it that an 
opportunity had presented itself. Uncle Adelard had dropped by, with a 
smiling and healthy Pervinca. She had handed Merry over to Pervinca, 
who was play-starved after the quarantine at Uncle Adelard's. Pervinca 
kept him busy until afters, to which Esmeralda had packed Merry off to 
bed quickly and efficiently. 

******

Merry was unable to sleep, frustrated tears stinging at his eyes. He had 
known well what his mother had been doing. She did not want him to play 
with the Pippin, and it made him furious. Silly old woman, she thought he 
would hurt the baby. 

Merry would never hurt him. He was so small, and good, and perfect. 

He slipped off his bed, and padded quietly out of his room. All the Smials 
was asleep, and there was no one to be seen. It was dark in the large 
burrow, the hallways lit by only a few torches that were threatening to 
gutter out at this small hour of the night. 

He pushed open the door to Pippin's room quietly. The baby was quiet. 
The only noise in the room was Pearl's soft breathing as she slept near by 
on the bed. He stared in the almost-darkness at the chair to see if Nel was 
still in the room, but she was not. 

Merry pulled a stool over to the cradle, and peered inside. Pippin was 
sleeping peacefully. He smiled down at his baby cousin, and reached into 
the cradle to stroke his face. Pippin sighed in his sleep. Impulsively, Merry 
reached in and picked him up. Pippin made a small noise. Merry froze, 
afraid to breathe. If Pippin started to wail, Pearl would wake up, and he 
would get strapped for sure. 

He watched the baby fearfully for a minute, but when Pippin did not start 
crying, he relaxed. He had only wanted to hug his cousin, but now that he 
had picked him up, he decided that he did not want to put him back. He 
gave half a thought to taking Pippin and slipping into the bed with Pearl, 
but his older cousin was a noisy sleeper, and she was managing to take up 
the whole bed. 

Sticking his tongue out at Pearl's sleeping form, he slipped out the door 
and back to his room, Pippin still in his arms. 

******

"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" 

Merry woke up with a start. His room was full of people. 

Angry people. 

His mother was there, as was Pearl, Uncle Paladin, and Uncle Adelard. 
Pearl was weeping, both is uncles were red-faced and blustering. 
And his mother. He had never seen such a furious look on his mother face 
in all of his short life. All were still dressed in their night clothes, and were 
glaring at Merry with enough ferocity that he wanted to take Pippin and 
hide under the bed. 

He was getting strapped for sure. He picked up the baby before facing 
them, figuring no one would haul off and slap him if he was holding him. 

"Do you have any idea what a fright you gave us?" His mother shouted. 
Pippin flinched at the sound of Esmeralda's shout. Merry patted him, 
keeping an eye on his angry relations. 

"Fool of a Brandybuck!" Uncle Paladin boomed. He got a sharp look from 
Merry's mother for that, she had married a Brandybuck, after all, but it 
was half-hearted. "We thought Peregrin had been stolen!"

"He was right here." Merry said weakly, holding Pippin out as evidence. 

There was no explaining his way out of this strapping, so he did not even 
try. 

"We didn't know that until right now!" Uncle Adelard put in. He scowled 
at Merry. "Pearl woke up and found him gone!" His mother said, cutting 
Adelard off. "What did you expect her to think?"

"I, uh, … I don't know." Merry stammered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I 
just wanted to see him." 

"That is not the point!" Pearl said, snuffling. "The point is that I woke up 
and he was gone. I was so scared." 

"I am sorry." Merry said, looking sadly the group of people, at Pippin, and 
then back at the others. 

"What ever possessed you?" His mother asked. She was no longer 
shouting, but she her voice was still angry. 

"You said I could see him later." You said!" Merry said, beginning to 
snuffle himself. "You told me I could see him later." Big, fat tears began 
to slide down his reddening cheeks. "You did." 

"I know, but--" His mother began."

"Ma, you said I could, but then you kept me busy all day. You made me 
do all this stuff, and I never got to go back to see him." Merry curved one 
arm around Pippin, and used the other to wipe his nose on the sleeve of his 
nightshirt. "You did it on purpose. I know it." He snuffled again. "Not 
fair."

Esmeralda sighed, realizing that this mess was, in truth, her own doing. 
She had hoped if she kept him busy enough, he would forget about the 
Pippin. Not only had he not forgotten, but he had figured out her 
intentions. 

"What is all this fuss?" Asked Eglantine Took from the doorway. "You've 
made enough noise to wake people sleeping soundly in Michel Delving." 

"Wife, you should not be up." Paladin Took said in a concerned, loving 
tone. He moved towards her, but she patted him away gently. "I would not 
be up, husband, if people were not shouting a few yards from my room." 

She responded lightly. 

Eglantine studied her young nephew, who sat on the bed, seemingly 
holding her new son hostage, then turned to eye her irate family members 
questioningly.

"Merry stole the baby!" Pearl said, eager to snitch. Merry glared at her, 
and Pearl stuck his tongue out at him. 

"I didn't steal him, honest, Aunt Egg. I just borrowed him." 

A smile passed over Eglantine's pale face. She moved slowly past the 
others, walking with care, and sat gingerly in the edge of the bed. 

"What happened, Merry?" 

"Ma told me I could see Pippin later, but then she kept me so busy that I 
didn't get too. I just wanted to see him." Merry started crying again. In his 
arms, Pippin fussed. He patted him reassuringly, even as he cried himself. 

"Everyone thinks I am going to hurt him." He said, narrowing his eyes at 
his mother, uncles, and Pearl. "I wouldn't do that." He insisted. 

"Pippin?" Was all that his aunt said, with a wry smile. She turned and 
raised an eyebrow at her husband, who looked guilty. 

"I didn't mean to scare Pearl. I meant to bring him back before she woke 
up." He offered, when his aunt remained quiet. His mother raised an 
eyebrow, and he realized he had not made his case any better. 

"I know that you didn't, sweetheart." She said gently, smoothing Merry's 
curls. "But you need to think things through." She said, tapping the center 
of his forehead lightly. "Pearl had no way of knowing that you had the 
baby."

"Yes, Merry." His mother said, joining them on the bed. "You really gave 
us an awful fright." 

"I am sorry, Aunt Egg." Merry said softly. "I am sorry Ma." His mother 
gave him a prodding look. He looked over at the remainder of his abashed 
family members, and mumbled. "I am sorry, everybody. I am, really. I 
didn’t mean to scare anyone."

"Very well, Meriadoc." His aunt said. "You are forgiven." Merry smiled 
widely, thinking that he had escaped the strapping. 

"However, you are going to go and tell your father what you did, Before 
breakfast." His mother said. Merry's smile slipped again. 

"Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea." Eglantine said, taking her son 
from Merry's arms. Merry surrendered him reluctantly. "And I am feeling 
a bit better, so perhaps we will join you." She rose carefully, cradling 
Pippin close. 

Pippin began to fuss, making sucking motions with his mouth. Merry sat 
upright in the bed, looking worriedly at his cousin. "He is just hungry, 
nephew." Eglantine said. Saying that, she realized that she had not fed 
Pippin during the night. Pearl had insisted on keeping the baby so that 
Eglantine could sleep, promising that she would bring him to her in the 
night when he got hungry."

"He did not wake last night?" She asked Pearl.

"No." Pearl and Merry said at the same time. 

"When did you take the baby, Merry?" Is aunt asked, rocking the fussing 
baby. "When you woke up this morning?" 

"No." He said, shaking his head. "I went and got him right after everyone 
went to bed."

"He was here with you all night?" Eglantine asked. "And he didn't cry 
once?" She looked at her son, and then at Merry, thinking he was lying. A 
newborn sleeping through the night was unheard of. "Not once." She said 
again, in disbelief. 

"I guess he wasn't hungry." Merry said, shrugging. 

"You are a wonder." Eglantine said softly, looking at the three-day old 
baby that had slept peacefully through the night, and then at his stalwart, 
eight year-old sworn protector. 

She was not sure which one she had been talking to. 

******

"What stinks?" Merry asked. Eglantine looked at Merry, but did not say 
anything. "Aunt Egg?" He questioned. "Something smells."

Eglantine Took smiled at her nephew from where she had been dozing in a 
chair. After breakfast had soothed the indignity he had suffered from the 
strapping; which she was sure consisted of two or three half-hearted 
swipes with a rolled up paper, if she new Saradoc Brandybuck, she had 
rescued Merry from the toil and tribulation of helping his mother with the 
washing up. 

"Pearl and Pimpernel have been very helpful to me." Eglantine had said, 
to no one in particular, when she had passed through the kitchen with 
Pippin. "I would very much like them to be able to spend the day enjoying 
their young lives, and not worrying about the baby." She glanced at 
Merry, who was despondently drying dishes. "Or me, for that matter." 
She waited for Merry to volunteer. He opened his mouth, looked at his 
mother, and snapped it shut again. "Merry, would you like to spend the 
day with me and Peregrin?" 

Esmeralda had raised an eyebrow at her sister-in-law, but had kept her 
tongue when Eglantine had given her a knowing wink. Esmeralda 
immediately figured out what her brother's wife was on about. 

"I would." Merry had said, glancing at his mother.

"Aunt Egg?" He tried again. He glanced at the baby who was sitting in his 
lap, leaned back against his chest. Merry bent his neck and sniffed at the 
top of Pippin's head, wrinkling his nose at the smell and the light brown 
fuzz tickling his nose. He bent over further, sniffing closer to his lap. 

"It’s Pippin." He exclaimed. He turned the baby around, and looked at 
him. "You smell, baby." He said with mock-sternness. 

"We will have to change his cloth." His aunt said, smiling to herself. 

She was playing a game that many hobbit parents played with their young 
daughters, when the girl had gotten it into her brain that she wanted to get 
married and start a family before she had even entered her tweens. They 
would saddle the girl with some infant relative; a sibling, a cousin, it didn't 
matter, and leave the girl to care for the child at all hours for a few days. 
Usually, after a day or two the girl would think the better of it. 

Saradoc and Esmeralda were not planning to leave for two more days, and 
she intended to keep Merry with her and Pippin until the moment that 
Saradoc bellowed for the boy to meet him at the front door of the Smials. 
She was gambling, though, and she knew it. Sometimes, the game 
backfired, and only served to make the girl, usually the more stubborn 
kind, more determined. Meriadoc was as stubborn as they come, and 
would not back down from anything. 

Either Merry would leave the Smials not wanting to lay eyes on Pippin 
again or he would leave hoping no one had noticed that he had tucked 
Pippin into his pack. 

"How?" Merry asked, wrinkling his nose again. It was a ferocious smell 
for such a small hobbit. 

"Bring him here, and I will show you." She said. She grabbed a few things 
from a nearby table and moved to the bed. She laid a large cloth over the 
coverlet, patting it. "Put him here, and wet this rag in the washbasin." 
Carefully, she unpinned her son's cloth. The unpleasant smell enveloped 
the room. Merry put his hand over his nose, and handed his aunt the damp 
cloth. 

"You wanted to help," She said, with a laugh, "so help." She captured 
most of the mess in the soiled cloth, and set it aside. Merry gave his aunt a 
suspicious face, but did not argue. 

Taking Eglantine's careful instructions, Merry used the wet cloth to clean 
his cousin up. He slowly folded a clean cloth, the way that his aunt told 
him to, chewing at his bottom lip in concentration. He put the thing on 
Pippin, looking proud of himself when he was done. 

"Well done." Eglantine said, as she pinned the cloth that Merry had 
wrapped him in. "Now that you have done it once, it will go faster next 
time."

"Next time?" Merry looking at Pippin questioningly. Pippin made soft 
cooing sounds. He bent over the baby and touched his nose against 
Pippin's, giggling. 

"Oh yes." Eglantine said lightly. "He will do that another ten times today." 

She said. Merry narrowed his eyes at his cousin fleetingly, before 
scooping him back up into his arms. "Well, I suppose it is not his fault." 
Merry replied. 

"Can you take this down to the laundry?" She asked Merry, pointing to the 
wad of soiled cloth. 

Merry considered the soiled cloth for a minute. "Can I take Pippin with 
me?" He asked, gingerly picking up the mess by the clean corners between 
two fingertips. "Would you like that, Pippin? To go for a walk?" He 
looked at Pippin like the baby would answer. 

"Of course, sweetheart." She said with a sigh. 

******

Merry left the laundry with light-hearted steps. Everyone was so fussy. 

Except Aunt Egg. Aunt Egg understood. Aunt Egg knew that Merry 
wouldn't hurt Pippin, ever. 

Merry hugged Pippin close. Putting a hand up behind Pippin's head to 
support it, he shifted him up so that he was peeping out above his 
shoulder. 

"You don't cry much, for a baby." He said to Pippin, pulling him back 
from his shoulder to brush a quick kiss on his cheek. He didn't remember 
much about Pervinca when she was a baby, he had still been half a baby 
himself, but he did remember that Pervinca made a fearsome amount of 
noise, morning, noon and night. 

"Merry! Did you steal the baby again?" He heard behind him. He turned 
carefully, not wanting to jostle Pippin. Pearl, flanked by Nel and Vinca, 
was staring at him with disbelieving eyes. 

"No." He said sullenly. "I did not steal him. Aunt Egg said I could take 
him for a walk." 

"I don't believe it!" Pearl said. She tried to take Pippin back, but Merry 
kept him close. Afraid to hurt the infant, she settled for snatching Merry's 
ear and hauling him back to her mother's room. 

"Mother." She said, opening the door." Merry stole Pippin again." She 
declared in a satisfied sing-song. 

"I didn't." Merry said, stamping his foot. Pippin made a protesting noise, 
and Merry soothed him quickly. "Tell her, Aunt Egg. Tell her I didn't."

"He didn't." Eglantine said. "I asked him to go to the laundry for me, and I 
said he could take Pippin with him." Pearl blushed with embarrassment, 
pointedly not looking at Merry. She mumbled something at the floor that 
could have been an apology before herding her sisters out the door. 

"Merry?" Pervinca stopped in the doorway and turned. "I am gonna play 
outside with Nel. Did you wanna come?" 

"Nah." Merry said, not even taking the time to consider, settling in the 
armchair with the baby. "I think I'll stay here with Pippin." 

Sighing, Eglantine made a mental note to check Merry's pack before he 
left for Brandy Hall, lest she find herself lacking a son. It was plain that 
her plan was not working at all. 

Meriadoc Brandybuck was stubborn enough for a Took. 

******

Saradoc Brandybuck paced outside the front door of the Smials 
impatiently. He had wanted to leave a half hour past, but the womenfolk 
were no where near done with the good-byes. He sighed at the sight of the 
women, yammering to each other like they would never see each other 
again. 

He stood in the half-light of early morning, with the Thain, who looked as 
impatient as he did. The sooner the women said goodbye, the sooner that 
he would be on the road, and the sooner the Thain could return to his 
warm bed. 

Unnecessary, really. Brandy Hall was only on the other side of the Shire 
from Great Smials, not all the way off in Gondor. He shook his head, and 
muttered, gently, on the silliness of women. When the time finally came to 
leave, he would turn to the Thain and say Farewell, Master Took. I am 
sure we will see you soon, to which the Thain would say Quite right, 
Master Brandybuck, I am sure we will be out that way in a couple of 
weeks or so. 

He glared at the doorway to discover that the hold-up was not the women, 
as he originally thought, but his son. Meriadoc was hugging his baby 
cousin, and wore an expression that said he was wondering if the infant 
would fit in his pack. 

Fool of a Took, he thought to himself. Merry was half a Took, after all. 

"Come along, son." He bellowed. "The road waits for no hobbit." 

"You sound like Bilbo, Master Brandybuck." The Thain chuckled. 

"At this rate, I'll be as old as Bilbo before we get back to Brandy Hall." 

Saradoc retorted with a grin. "And probably at least half as mad." The pair 
laughed, and grew relieved that the women were stirring from the 
doorway. 

"Goodbye, Pippin." Merry said sadly. He hugged the baby one more time 
before reluctantly handing him back to Aunt Eglantine. "You be a good 
boy for Aunt Egg."

"By the Shire!" Saradoc chortled. "I do believe I have heard everything. 
My son telling someone to behave himself. Now that beats all!"

"Indeed it does." The Thain said with a yawn. 

Saradoc turned to the Thain as his wife and Merry finally too their leave of 
the Smials' doorstep. "Farewell, Master Took. I am sure we will see you 
soon." 

"Quite right, Master Brandybuck." The Thain replied. "I am sure we will 
be out that way in a couple of weeks or so."

***TBC***


TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin 
RAITING: G (for now) 
SUMMARY: Best Friends, headed for love eventually. Good friend, good 
times, and a little bonding.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Pre-slash. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1393 in the Shire Reckoning. Merry is 11, and 
Frodo is 25

********************************************************

Chapter 2

[Pippin is 3, Merry is 11, Frodo is 25]

Brandy Hall was in a festive mood. It was Saradoc Brandybuck's fifty-
third birthday, and all of Buckland was abuzz. Plenty of food was needed, 
and plenty of wine, and the Master of Brandy Hall had many presents to 
hand out. 

"The Thain is here." Somebody shouted. Esmeralda abandoned the tarts 
she had been making to greet her brother and his family at the door. She 
pushed open the door just as a cart pulled up, driven by the Thain himself. 
The family piled out of the cart just as someone came to take it to the 
stables. 

"Brother." Esmeralda said fondly, kissing her brother on both cheeks. "It is 
good to see you." 

"I am sure you were pining, " The Thain joked fondly, "as it has been 
nearly a whole month since you last saw me." 

"Nevermind you, Master Took and Thain." She quipped, snapping him 
with the kitchen towel that was still in her hands. "How are my children?" 
She said, beaming as Eglantine walked up with them. 

"Your children?" Paladin Took smiled. "I believe that they are my 
children. Mine and my wife's." He added sheepishly, as Eglantine drew 
near, with Pippin on her hip and the girls close behind her. 

"Merry?" Pippin asked. 

"Except this one." Eglantine said, ruffling Pippin's unruly hair. "I don’t 
think he is mine or yours."

"Oh no?" The Thain wondered. 

"No. This one stopped being ours the day he laid eyes on Merry." 

Eglantine said, with a smile that was both sweet and sad. 

****** 

In short order, the Thain and his wife were closeted in a small dining 
room, eating a small meal. A light meal, mushrooms and buttered bread, 
as they did not want to spoil their appetite for lunch. Esmeralda joined 
them, eager to be away from the hustle and bustle of the impending party, 
even if for a short while. They sent the children off to play, hoping for 
peace and quiet. The girls scampered off, but Pippin lingered. 

"Merry?" Pippin asked hopefully. 

His aunt put him in her lap. "He'll be back soon, sweetheart." She handed 
him a fork. "Have some of mine, Pip." 

"Mine?" Pippin asked. Esmeralda shook her head. "No, you can share with 
me."

"Want my own." Pippin whined. Eglantine leaned around her sister-in-law 
to give Pippin a stiff look. He ceased to whine, but did not look happy.

"These mushrooms are wonderful." The Thain complimented. 

"Thank you, brother." Esmeralda said. She glanced at her young nephew 
in her lap, who was stabbing at the mushrooms experimentally. Then he 
dropped his fork, and stuck a hand into the food, giggling. 

"Use your fork, Pip." She said, trying to wipe his hand with a napkin. He 
snatched his hand away, grinned widely at her, and then stuck his hand 
back into the mushrooms. "Honey." She said, pulling at his hand again. 

"No." Pippin said, his tiny features in a moue of displeasure. Esmeralda 
put the fork back in his hand, but he put it back down. His aunt fussed 
with his hair, and he batted her hand away. He made another move for the 
mushrooms, but pulled his hand back when his father cleared his throat at 
him. 

"Where is Merry?" Eglantine asked. "I figured he would be waiting 
outside when we arrived." Pippin brightened at the mention of his cousin's 
name, and momentarily forgot that he was making a mess with Aunt 
Esmy's food. 

"He was, until I began to worry that he would wear a trench in my path 
with his pacing." Esmeralda replied. Pippin slid out of her lap. She 
reached for him, but he fussed, so let him climb up on the chair next to 
her. 

"However did you distracted him?" The Thain asked around a mouthful of 
mushrooms. He eyed his son, who was standing on the chair, leaning 
precariously towards the table. "Sit down Pip, and use your fork." 

"Luckily, the answer provided itself." Esmeralda replied. She glanced at 
Pippin briefly, making sure he was not about to tumble to his death. "Bilbo 
arrived today, with young Frodo." She continued, gesturing with her fork. 

"Bilbo fancied a look at the Brandywine, and Frodo managed to talk 
Merry into joining them."

"A mercy." The Thain said. He turned to his son, who was standing on the 
chair again. "Pip. You are going to fall. Sit down." 

"Can't reach if I sit." Pippin explained. 

"Then sit in my lap." Esmeralda said, patting her leg. 

"No." Pippin said. "I'm a big boy." He said, resulting in good chuckle from 
the adults. Suddenly, he jumped of the chair, and toddled over to the low 
couch in the side of the room. 

"Dear, sweet child." Esmeralda said, loving but exasperated. Pippin sat 
primly on the edge of the couch, and looked innocent.

"He is a trial on an hourly basis." The Thain said, stabbing at his 
mushrooms. "Don't know where he gets it. At least your son can blame his 
Brandybuck blood." He said, grinning. 

"You know, when Merry does something odd, Saradoc usually blames his 
Took blood." Esmeralda said, winking. The Thain gave a snort, and began 
tearing at his roll. 

"Pippin!" Eglantine exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. Pippin had 
climbed onto the back of the couch and had seated himself on the sill of 
the low window behind it. The window was open, and Pippin was leaning 
out of it. Seeing his mother approach, he slipped of the sill, back onto the 
couch, and darted across the room to hide himself under a small table. 

"Peregrin Took" His father called. "Come back over here and sit down. 
Have some of these wonderful mushrooms." 

"No. No 'shrooms." Pippin said unhappily. Eglantine tried unsuccessfully 
to get him out from under the table. Esmeralda joined to aid her. Faced 
with a double assault he fled from under the table and ran to the other side 
of the room. "No 'shrooms." He said again, keeping a wary eye on his 
mother. 

The Thain stood, meaning to retrieve his son and tell him what was what, 
when the door flew open. Merry came inside in a rush, looking about the 
room. He grinned widely when he caught sight of his cousin, his curly 
mop peeking out from behind a chair. 

"Merry!" Pippin shouted, running across the room with his uneven toddler 
steps. Merry swooped his young cousin up, spun him over his head, and 
rested him on his hip.

"Hullo, Uncle Paladin. Hullo, Aunt Egg." He said, walking over to the 
table with Pippin. He shifted Pippin on his hip, making space to kiss his 
mother, and eyed the table for leftovers. 

"Merry, Merry, Merry." Pippin said, clapping his small hands on either 
side of Merry's face. He leaned in and gave his cousin a sloppy kiss on the 
nose before resting his head on his shoulder. 

"Are you hungry, Pip?" Merry asked. He put Pippin on the floor and toyed 
at his reddish-brown curls. 

"Uh huh." Pippin answered, nuzzling his head against Merry's hand. The 
Thain raised an eyebrow at his small son, and his wife eyed the boy 
curiously. Her son had gotten fussy about people touching his hair, lately, 
but here he stood, bumping his head against Merry's hand, encouraging the 
behavior like a kitten. 

"You said you weren't hungry." Eglantine said. 

"'Shrooms." Pippin said, looking up at Merry." 

"Do you want some of mine, or do you want your own plate?" Merry 
asked his cousin. 

"Yours' fine." Pippin said. The Thain made a choking sound, and 
Esmeralda stared at her son in wonder, unable to figure out how Merry 
was able to put such a spell on the little imp. Merry had been in the room 
for one minute, and he was a totally different child. 

Merry pulled a chair close to the table, and patted the seat. "You can reach 
if you stand." Merry watched patiently as Pippin climbed into the chair 
and stood. "Careful, baby." He said as the boy tottered. Pippin stood in the 
chair for a moment, considering, then climbed over the arm and slipped 
into Merry's lap. 

Merry took a bite of mushrooms, uncomfortable by the way that everyone 
had stopped talking to watch him and Pippin eat. He took another bite, 
trying not to look at the adults. They were staring enough to bore a hole in 
him. He glanced down at his cousin, and noticed that he wasn't eating. 

"What's the matter, Pip? I thought you were hungry."

"I am. "Pippin said solemnly.

"Well, then?" Merry asked. 

"Don’t have a fork." Pippin said. The three adults at the table stared 
harder. Ignoring them, Merry reached across the table and handed Pippin a 
fork. Pippin took it in his small hand, stabbed at the mushrooms. He even 
managed to get a few in his mouth. 

Esmeralda and Eglantine giggled. The Thain looked at Merry and Pippin 
in disbelief. He threw up his hands, and turned his attention back to his 
mushrooms. 

******

"Where we going?" Pippin asked in his tiny, childlike voice.

"To the river." Merry said. He walked slowly, holding Pippin's hand. The 
tiny hand inside his own made gave him a warm feeling, like he was 
strong and protective. And oddly, responsible. Responsibility was not 
something that usually worried an eleven-year old hobbit, but for some 
reason he wanted to be responsible where Pippin was concerned. 

"Is it far?" Pippin asked. Merry stopped walking, remembering that 
Pippin's legs were much shorter than his own. Merry thought that the river 
was close, but to Pippin if probably felt like miles and miles. 

"Are you tired?" Merry asked, concern on his face. Pippin shook his head, 
reddish-brown curls flying everywhere. Merry eyed the child, wondering 
if he was telling the truth. With a laugh, he swung the boy onto his hip, 
and continued walking. 

"Oi, you have gotten heavy, Pip." Merry remarked. It was not necessarily 
true, but Pippin liked to be reminded that he was growing. 

"I'm a big boy." Pippin squeaked. 

"Yes, you are, honey." Merry said. "See there?" He asked, pointing. "That 
is the river."

"It is far." Pippin said, his eyes wide. Merry laughed. "Not on my legs." 

He said, quickening his pace. Without having to wait for Pippin's little 
legs, they reached the River quickly. 

Merry set Pippin down when they reached the bank. Pippin made to run 
for the water, but Merry set him down firmly on the ground. "Stay here." 
He instructed. Pippin looked at the water again, but did not move. 
Merry stripped off his pants, dropping them in a heap next to Pippin. The 
breeze was chilly against his legs as he stood on the riverbank in his 
under-shorts, but it was not unpleasant. He bent, tugging Pippin's pants 
off. He noticed that his cousin was still wearing a cloth instead of under-
shorts, and clicked his tongue in dismay. 

"Pip, are you troubling your mother about using the privy?" He asked. The 
boy shook his head. "Pip?" He coaxed. "Tell me the truth."

"No." Pippin said, adamant. "I been using the privy," He said. "When I 
'member."

"Then why the cloths?" Merry asked. 

"'Cause I forget sometimes." Pippin said. He looked sad and embarrassed, 
and looked up at Merry. Merry looked down at him quietly. The boy's face 
reddened, and then he told the truth. "I forget a lot." He said. He looked up 
at Merry with large, wet eyes. 

"No, no, sweetie. Don’t cry." He said, picking the child up and kissing 
him. "I am not mad, sweetie. Just promise me you will try not to forget." 

The boy nodded, and buried his head in Merry's shoulder. 

The water was cooler than the breeze. Holding Pippin by both hands in 
front of him, he waded into the water until it hit Pippin just below the 
knees. Pippin giggled at the water, and squirmed, wanting to play in it. 
Merry held his hands tight, fearful that Pippin would get away from him. 
Eventually the child coaxed Merry into holding him by one hand, so he 
could splash at the water with the other. 

When Pippin grew tired of the water, they walked back up to the bank. 

Merry chased Pippin through the grass in circles. Pippin screamed 
gleefully, running and running until he collapsed on the grass in a fit of 
giggles. 

He heard a soft, whistled tune as he was dressing Pippin. The whistle, 
along with a few rustles in the bushes proved to be Frodo. The slight, 
elvish-looking hobbit was walking around, completely oblivious to his 
surroundings, a book clutched in one hand. 

"Frodo." Merry called as she tugged his pants back on.

"Meriadoc." Frodo said with a start. He walked over to the towards them, 
and sat down next to Pippin, who was laying in the grass on his belly. 

Frodo pulled the child upright, and studied him. 

"Is this tall young man your little Pippin?" Frodo asked, winking at Merry. 

"Last I saw him, he was just this high." Frodo held his hand a few inches 
of the ground. "My, he has grown." Pippin beamed, but then grew bashful, 
and looked at the grass. "So what kind of trouble are you at this 
afternoon?" Frodo asked, turning back to Merry. 

"No trouble." Merry said. Frodo gave him an incredulous look. "We went 
for a wade, and now I think we shall have a nap. Would you like a nap, 
Pippin?" Pippin looked up and Merry and nodded, then looking at Frodo, 
he blushed and looked at the grass again. 

"Mind if I join you?" Frodo asked. "I was thinking of a smoke, and a bit of 
a read." He said, hefting the book. "Of course a nap is always good. 

"Of course not, cousin." Merry said. "You read, and we will sleep." He 
glanced at the book, and shook his head. Frodo was an odd one 
sometimes, and Merry was sure it was Bilbo's fault. 

Frodo scooted up against a tree stump, opening the book in his lap. He 
fished his pipe out of his pocket and began the improbable task of reading 
and filling his pipe at the same time. 

"Come on Pip." Merry said, patting at the grass next to him. "Let's have 
that nap. Come lay down here with me."

Pippin walked over to Merry, but in stead of laying down on the grass, he 
crawled on top of Merry and pressed a wet, baby-kiss on his cheek. Merry 
gave a snort and wiped his cheek, and wiped his wet hand on Pippin's 
pants. Pippin giggled with his silly, baby laugh, causing Frodo to look up 
from his book and chuckle. 

Abruptly, Pippin laid down on Merry's chest. He wrapped his little arms 
around Merry's neck, worked his head up under Merry's chin, and 
promptly went to sleep. 

Merry lay there, stroking Pippin's back softly. Silly Took, he thought. How 
does he expect me to sleep with him hanging on me like this? Merry 
shifted uncomfortably, trying to get Pippin's chin out of his collarbone. 
Once that immediate concern was dealt with, Merry felt surprisingly 
comfortable. Pippin napping on him gave him the same warm feeling that 
holding his hand did, like he was strong and responsible. Between the 
warm sun and Pippin weight on him, he felt extremely content. And very 
tired. With a sleepy sigh, he fell asleep.

******

Sound stirred Merry to wakefulness. He was, at first, confused about the 
weight on his chest. As he woke fully, he realized it was Pippin. He 
smiled, and twisted his head down to press a kiss into Pippin's sweaty 
curls. He rubbed his cousin's back soothingly as he sat up, not wanting to 
wake the child. 

He heard the sounds again, and looked around. He thought it was Frodo, 
but he saw that his older cousin was gone. He heard the sound again. It 
was voices. Shortly, three hobbit children of an age with Merry appeared 
out of the bushes, just like Frodo had. 

It was his cousin Berilac, and two of his friends, Boffin relations whose 
names Merry could not remember. Berilac, who was two years older than 
him, was alright, but his friends were pains. 

"What'ya got there, Meriadoc?" One of the Boffins asked. 

Pippin stirred from the noise, and from Merry's movements as he stood. 
Pippin looked over at the newcomers, blushed, and buried his head into 
Merry's shoulder. 

"This is my cousin." Merry said. He did not like the Boffin's tone. 

"Oh, the Took brat." The other Boffin said. 

"My Pippin is not a brat!" Merry snapped, hugging Pippin to him. Pippin 
was not sure what was going on, but sensed Merry's distress. He was 
growing uneasy, pulling at Merry's tunic and burrowing his head. 

"Your Pippin?" The first Boffin snorted. "You're a mite young to be his 
father." 

"Idiot." Merry said. "Actually, the Took and Thain is his father, so mind 
your tongue." The Boffin gave another snort, to show what he thought 
about the Thain, but did not reply. 

"We are going up to the treehouse, Merry." Berilac said, looking a bit 
embarrassed about his friends. Not nearly embarrassed enough, in Merry's 
mind. "Do you want to go?" 

"Nah, Berilac. We don't want that silly baby with us." One of the Boffins 
said. Merry stiffened visibly, but did not respond. He was in no position to 
fight while he was holding Pippin. 

You could take Peregrin back to Brandy Hall, and meet us." Berilac 
offered. 

"No thank you, Berilac." Merry said, as pleasantly as he could muster. 

Then, ignoring them, he looked up at Pippin. "Pip, do you want to walk, or 
do you want me to carry you?" Pip did not answer, but started wiggling, so 
Merry put him down. 

"I told you, Berilac." One of the Boffins said as they walked away. "I told 
you Meriadoc is weird." 

"He never wants to play." The other said. "He spends all his time fussing 
over that baby. You'd think he was a girl, the way he acts." 

"Stupid baby." 

Something in Merry snapped. He let go of Pippin's hand, and ran. He 
heard Pippin scream when he barreled into the first Boffin, knocking him 
to the ground. He lifted himself up enough to roll him over, and punched 
him in the mouth. The Boffin kicked, sending Merry onto his back. The 
Boffin punched wildly, missing his face, but landing a hard blow to 
Merry's shoulder.

"Merry!" Pippin screamed. "Merry!" 

Wrestling with the Boffin, Merry managed to get back on top, and 
punched again. He felt a heavy weight as the other Boffin jumped on his 
back, trying to help his brother. Merry turned his head, avoiding a flying 
fist, to see Pippin toddling towards him. 

"Merry!" Pippin shrieked. He was sobbing furiously. 

"No, Pippin!" He said. Hurled himself backward, falling onto his back 
with the second Boffin under him. "No Pippin. You will get hurt!" Merry 
shouted. He saw the other Boffin hovering over him, and kicked at him. 
He began to cry as he saw Pippin toddling closer to the fight. He was 
going to get hurt. Badly. "Berilac." He shouted, noticing his cousin. "Get 
the baby out of here!" 

Berilac hesitated, not wanting to look like a silly, baby-loving girl like 
Merry in front of his friends, but took a step towards Pippin. Pippin cried 
out, and took a step away from him. 

Then Pippin did something unbelievable. 

Pippin toddled over to the upright Boffin, balled up his little fist, and 
socked him as hard as he could in the knee. 

"You leave my Merry 'lone" Pippin said. And then he hit him again. 

Terror shot through Merry. The offended Boffin had taken a step back, 
and looked like he intended to kick Pippin. Merry screamed, rolling 
through the grass, but was held back by the other one. 

Suddenly, quick hands scooped Pippin up. 

"What is the meaning of this?" A familiar voice boomed. 
Frodo. 

Merry thanked Eru from the bottom of his heart. The sight of Frodo, a 
hand planted firmly on one hip and Pippin planted on the other was the 
most blessed thing he had seen in all of his short life. The Boffins froze 
where they were, scared, and Merry smiled despite himself. Frodo had that 
effect on people who did not know him well. 

Frodo narrowed his eyes at the Boffins, waiting for a response to his 
question, but he got none. He gave Pippin a reassuring pat, and turned to 
Merry. 

"Meriadoc, would you care to explain, since these two fine gentlehobbits 
seem to have lost the capability of speech?" Frodo's tone was scathing, and 
he fixed them with a look that let them know exactly what he meant by 
'gentlehobbits'. 

"They called Pippin stupid." Merry said. He tried to keep his voice even, 
not wanting to sound whiny. Merry reached to take Pippin, but Frodo 
stopped him with a level look and a firm arm around the baby's waist.

"That shows a rare stroke of intelligence," Frodo said distastefully, "to call 
a three-year old child stupid."

"Especially since my Pippin is smarter than the both of them put together." 
Merry snapped. 

"Merry." Frodo raised an eyebrow at his younger cousin, though Merry, 
who knew Frodo well, knew that he was struggling not to laugh. "What 
else?" 

"They said I was like a girl, because I like to take care of Pippin." Merry 
said. 

"You're a girl?" Frodo exclaimed. "Fancy that. And here I was, thinking 
that you were a boy, for all these years." 

"And they said that I am weird because I would rather play with Pippin 
than them." 

"Does Merry speak true, gentlehobbits? Did you say these things to him?" 
Neither Boffin spoke, but they nodded their heads. 

After a pause, Frodo spoke again. "I don’t think that they really think you 
are weird." Another pause. Merry was starting to thing Frodo was 
enjoying the Boffins' discomfort. "I think they are jealous." 

"Oh?" Merry asked. The Boffins looked extremely uncomfortable. 

"Yes." Frodo said. "Because unlike them, you have a family member that 
wants to be around you." 

With that, Frodo finally relinquished Pippin back to Merry. Pippin half 
jumped out of Frodo's arms, wrapping his legs around Merry's waist and 
buried his head into Merry's shoulder. 

"Master Berilac." Frodo said. "I could be persuaded not to mention this 
incident to Meridoc's father, or the Thain, if you would be so good as to 
gather your friends, clean them up an bit, and find a way to keep them in 
line." Berilac blushed, grimaced at his friends, and herded them away 
from the scene. 

"Let's get you cleaned up." Frodo said to Merry, leading him to the river to 
get water. 

"You really are not going to tell my father?" Merry asked. 

"I don’t see a need to upset Master Saradoc on his birthday." Frodo said 
lightly. Merry was very relived. He doubted that his father would side with 
those Boffin rascals, but it might give him cause to start in about how he 
spends to much time with Pippin. 

"Thank you." Merry said, stretching up to kiss Frodo lightly on the cheek.

"No trouble at all. Those two needed a good scare anyway." Frodo said, 
fishing in his pocket for a handkerchief. He paused, eyeing Pippin. Tired 
from the ordeal, he was dozing lightly against Merry's shoulder. Frodo 
ruffled his hair. "Besides, the sight of that little sprout fighting for your 
honor warmed my heart." 

"I love you Pippin." He said, pressing his lips into damp curls. It had 
warmed his heart, too. 

******

His mother was humming happily to herself when Merry walked into 
Brandy Hall's kitchen, little Pippin still sleeping soundly against his chest. 
Her back was turned, tending to a large pot of stew. Gripping Pippin 
tightly with one arm, he made a tentative reach towards a tray of apple 
tarts. 

"Meriadoc Brandybuck." His mother said lightly, her back still turned. She 
gave the stew another stir before turning towards her red-faced son. 

"How--"

"I have eyes in the back of my head, dearheart." She said, ruffling his 
sandy curls. 

"No you don't." He said, peering at his mother. 

"I sure do." Esmeralda said, trying not to laugh at her son's befuddlement. 

"Where did you get them?" He asked, almost believing.

"They were a gift from Gammer Proudfoot," She said flawlessly. Merry 
snorted. Gammer Proudfoot was blind as a bat. His mother had turned 
back to the stew. He reached for the tarts again, but she whirled around, 
waving the spoon menacingly. 

"She gave them to me on your fourth birthday." She said, her lips twisting 
slightly. "She said that since her sons were grown, she did not need her 
eyes anymore, so she gave them to me, since tending you would require 
two pair." She abandoned the stew to press a kiss on Merry's forehead. 
Merry gave another snort. "Did Gammer Proudfoot have two pair to start 
with?" He asked. 

"She did." His mother quipped. 

"What did she do with the other pair?" Pippin was getting heavy. He 
moved to rest Pippin's rump on the table. Pippin whimpered in his sleep, 
and wiggled closer to Merry, grabbing fistfuls of his tunic with both 
hands. Resigned, Merry dropped onto the bench, leaving Pippin to sleep 
against his chest. 

Esmeralda studied Pippin for a moment. "She gave them to Eglantine 
Took." 

Merry laughed, and his mother joined him. "Are you truly hungry?" She 
asked him. Merry nodded, eyeing the tarts eagerly. She handed him a roll. 

He looked dismayed. "You are not hungry." She observed. "You just want 
a tart."

"I have a tart." He said, patting Pippin's back fondly. Pippin released one 
hand from Merry's tunic and brought his thumb to his mouth. 

"Aye, and a sweeter one that those on that tray." His mother said. She 
stroked Pippin's back lightly, but stopped, catching sight of a scratch on 
Merry's face. 

"What is this?" His mother asked. Merry sighed. Frodo had done a 
wonderful job of cleaning him up, and luckily, none of the Boffins' blows 
had made it to his face. He bore no visible bruises, but he had acquired a 
few scratches from all the rolling around on the ground. 

"I fell down." He said lamely. His mother narrowed her eyes, and captured 
her son's face in her hands. She lifted his chin, studying his face, and made 
a clucking sound with her tongue. 

"You have been fighting." 

"No." Merry said. His mother's eyebrows drew close together. "No." He 
said again. His mother coughed. "Yes." He said finally. "Don't tell Da." 
He whispered, begging. 

"Tell me why, and I will decide if I have to tell Da." She said. "I don't 
approve, mind, especially since you were obviously fighting in front of 
your little tart." 

Merry's hands, that had been soothing Pippin's back, paused, and be pulled 
the boy close. She eyed the sleeping toddler, sighing. Something told her 
that Merry had been fighting in front of Pippin because he had been 
fighting about Pippin. 

"Pippin and I went wading, and then had a nap. When I woke up, Berilac 
was there, with two Boffin boys." 

"And?" His mother asked impatiently. 

"They called Pippin a stupid baby." He finished hotly. "I got mad." 

"So you hit them first." It was not a question. 

"But they started it!" He said. A bit loudly. Pippin stirred. Merry shushed 
him with a pat. "They were making fun of him."

Esmeralda sighed, her heart breaking. As angry as she was that Merry had 
been fighting, part of her understood. "So you fought two boys." Oddly, 
part of her was proud, that he had been unafraid. Merry nodded. "And how 
did it end."

"Frodo happened along." Merry said, and for the second time today, 
Esmeralda thanked the Lady for Frodo Baggins. 

Then she gave a start, not being able to picture Frodo Baggins in a fight. 

"No, mother." Merry said, reading his mother's shock. "He picked up 
Pippin because…" Merry stopped, cursing at himself. "He picked up 
Pippin.." He began again." 

"Because Pippin was doing what?" His mother broke in. 

"Pippin hit one of the Boffins." He said, shamed. He waited for his mother 
to snatch Pippin away, because he had set a bad example. So much for 
being responsible. He closed his eyes, waiting. 

But she didn't. She made a noise. After a pause, he opened one eye, and 
then the other eye. His mother was standing before him, head down, her 
shoulders shaking. You made her cry, you ass, he thought to himself. Then 
he heard that noise again, like his mother was trying desperately to suck 
air through her nose but couldn't. 

"Oh, Lady." His mother said. She looked up and Merry and Pippin, and 
burst out laughing. 

"Ma?" He asked, extremely confused. 

"That is just… an…amusing picture." His mother choked out, trying to 
gain control of herself. "This little mite, acting the brave warrior." 

"I am sorry." He said. "He wouldn't have done it if he had not been so 
scared, and if he had not seen me fighting." He said. 

"No." She said. "He would not have." 

"Are you going to tell Da?" He asked. 

"No." She said, and Merry was visibly relieved. "If you listen to me." 

Merry nodded. Esmeralda paused, eyeing her scapegrace son and her 
sweet little nephew. 

"He loves you fiercely." She said at last. 

"I know." Merry said. 

"No, you don't fully understand." Esmeralda said. "Somehow, you have 
wiggled your way into his heart, and have uprooted the place that was 
meant for his parents." 

"But--"

"Nay. Listen." His mother scolded. "You have taken a grave responsibility 
on yourself. Anything you say or do will always mean more to him than 
anything said or done by others. Promise me that you will remember that, 
and I will not tell your father." 

"Yes, Mother." He rose from the bench, still holding Pippin, and kissed 
her. 

"Now go. Out of my kitchen." He mother picked up the spoon and waved 
it. "I have much to do." She turned back to the stew. 

"Oh, and Merry." She said, back turned. "Get your hands off of those tarts. 

Merry sighed, and dropped the tart back on the tray. 

******

"Son, where are you going?" Eglantine asked. Pippin had inexplicably 
stopped playing and started toddling across the room. 

"Privy." Pippin explained. 

Eglantine gave a start. Training Pippin to use the privy had proved to be a 
frustrating experience. Part of her had begun to worry that Pippin would 
be wearing cloths until he was a tween. 

"The privy." She repeated, dumbfounded. 

"Merry said." 

"Excuse me?" 

"Merry said." Pippin repeated. "Merry said I had to 'member to use the 
privy."

******

Frodo looked up from his book at a knock on the door. He closed the book 
and padded to the door, wondering absently it was Bilbo. He had left 
Bilbo only a few minutes ago, and he had been intent on a nap. He 
couldn't imagine why the old hobbit would be back at his door. 

"Mistress Brandybuck." He said with surprise. "I must say I was not 
expecting you."

"Frodo." Esmeralda said warmly. "I won't keep you. I only wanted to 
bring you something." 

"What's that?" Frodo asked. Esmeralda handed him a cloth covered plate. 

He stood in the doorway, holding the plate, looking at Esmeralda 
questioningly. "Thank you." He said slowly, unsure what she was on 
about. 

"No, Mister Baggins. Thank you." She said, and kissed him lightly on the 
cheek. 

"For what?" He asked her, as she left. 

"Just for being you." She said over her shoulder as she walked down the 
hall. 

Frodo lifted the cloth, studied the apple tarts, and wondered if Esmeralda 
Brandybuck had lost her mind. 

******

Eglantine pushed open the door to the room that Pearl was sharing with 
Pippin. Pearl sat on the edge of the bed, trying desperately to put the boy 
to sleep. He fussed, and cried, and wiggled fitfully, looking as if he had no 
intention to go to sleep between now and the Fourth Age. 

"Pearl?" She asked. "Is he well?" 

"Well enough, for a brat." Pearl spat. 

"Pearl." Her mother admonished. 

"He refuses to sleep." Pearl said, frustrated. "I rocked him, I sang, I told 
him a story." Pearl looked on the verge of tears herself. "He just will not." 

Eglantine moved to the bed, and sat down on the edge. She caressed her 
son's brow lightly, murmuring soft words. He soothed, slightly. She pulled 
the boy into her arms, rocking, but he continued to fuss. 

"What's the matter, baby boy?" She asked him. "Are you not tired?"

"Tired." He said. He stopped fussing to yawn, but began again. 

"Then sleep." She said. 

"Don't wanna." He said stubbornly. Eglantine sighed, and Pearl threw up 
her hands. 

"Try." Eglantine said to her son, laying him back on the bed. 

"No." He said stubbornly. His green eyes began to leak fresh tears, and 
Eglantine sighed. 

"Pearl?" 

"Yes, Ma?" 

"Go get Merry." 

******

"What's the matter, Pip?" Merry moved to the bed, pausing to kiss his 
aunt. 

"Don't want to sleep." Pippin said stubbornly.

"I told you he was a brat." Pearl said. 

"Shut up, Pearl." Merry shouted. "My Pippin is not a brat!." 

"Please." Eglantine urged. "It is too late for this. If you two start fighting, I 
will never get him to sleep." 

"Here, Pippin." Merry said, climbing onto the bed. "Come lay down with 
me." 

He pulled Pippin to him to tuck him in the crook of his arm, but the boy 
climbed on top of him instead, and laid down on his chest like he had at 
the river. 

"Go to sleep, silly tart." Merry said, soothing Pippin's back. Pippin 
burrowed his head in Merry's chest, and made contented noises. Merry 
murmured to him soothingly, and kissed his curls. 

"Unbelievable" Pearl muttered. "I don’t understand."

"Neither do I." Eglantine said, pulling her daughter towards the door. "All 
I know is that Merry is a blessing." 

"That miserable pain?" Pearl asked. "How is he a blessing."

"Because of him, we may get some sleep tonight." Eglantine said with a 
laugh. 

***TBC***

TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin 
RAITING: G (for now) 
SUMMARY: Best Friends, headed for love eventually. Good friend, good 
times, and a little bonding.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Pre-slash. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1396 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 6, Merry is 
14, and Frodo is 25

********************************************************

Chapter 3

It was a warm summer day in Buckland, the sun-kissed breeze blowing 
lightly across the fields where the children played. Merry sat on the 
ground, very close to the place where he had fought with the Boffin boys, 
chatting with a few of his friends. 

He sighed, curling his toes in the warm grass, and tried to ignore the way 
that Marigold Bracegirddle was looking sideways at him and twirling her 
hair in her fingers. Stupid girl. Did she not think he could see her looking?
Girls were a trial, and an annoyance. He liked Pimpernel and Pervinca. 

And Pearl, sometimes, but that was different. His father had told him that 
he would grow out of his 'girls are icky' phase. He had, to a point. He no 
longer thought they were icky, but he was still unamused with them for the 
most part. 

At least, a year or two ago, while they were still icky, they would play. 
The would kick balls, and climb trees, or go swim. Now, all they wanted 
to do was sit around and talk, and were always worried about getting dirty 
or ripping their dresses or mussing their hair. 

And they stared. 

Marigold had given over looking at him to eyeball his cousin Berilac. He 
had not fully forgiven Berilac for the fight, but they had come to an 
understanding. They were pleasant to each other in public, even joking 
sometimes, and Berilac had ceased to spend time with the Boffin yobbos 
on a regular basis. He was polite to Pippin, calling him Master Took, and 
even made attempts to play with him, even though he knew Pippin would 
refuse. 

"What about a swim?" Berilac offered to the group. 

"You just want to see us in our underclothes." Marigold's friend Daisy 
said, giggling. 

"I certainly do not." Merimas Brandybuck said. Merry eyed him 
suspiciously, and was quite sure he was lying. 

Impulsively, Merry reached out and pulled the clip out of Marigold's hair. 
She gave a yelp, and swatted at him. 

"Give it back." 

Merry shrugged, and held it out. She reached for it, but as soon as her 
hand touched it he snatched it back. 

"Meriadoc Brandybuck." She said, sternly. "That was not nice. 

"I know." He said, holding the clip up over his head. Berilac, Merimas and 
Daisy were laughing. Marigold blushed, made a few futile swipes at the 
clip from where she was sitting, and then she leapt at him. 

Marigold jumped at Merry, knocking him to the ground. Merry had 
managed to twist his arm behind his back, so that he was laying on the 
clip. Marigold was laying on top of him, struggling to pry his arm out 
from under him. 

"Merry." She whined. 

"Marigold." He said flatly. He moved abruptly, rolling and putting 
Marigold under him. She had shifted up in an attempt to get away, so 
when she landed on her back their faces were even with each other. The 
group gave a gasp, and Merimas whistled threw his teeth.

She shifted again, and he almost lost his balance. He drove the hand with 
the clip with it to the ground, right above her head to keep from falling on 
her and crushing her. 

The result put their faces very close together, and he could feel the 
Marigold's breath against his lips. He shivered. It felt kind of nice. Now 
that he thought about it, having her under him did not feel to bad, either. 
He looked up quickly, noticing that the other Hobbits had discreetly began 
moving towards the river. 

"Merry?" Marigold asked, in a weird, breathy tone. He looked down at the 
girl under him. Her breath was hitched and shallow as it brushed his lips, 
and her eyes were wide. He decided that Marigold was not exactly icky, 
either. Not as not-icky as Nel and Vinca, but still, not totally icky. 

Suddenly his mouth was very close to Marigold's, although he did not 
remember putting it there. Marigold sucked a sharp breath, and her eyes 
slid half-closed. Then he noticed a movement from Marigold. She was 
moving to close the distance between them. Unsure of what else to do, he 
closed his eyes. 

"Merry?"

A familiar voice made his spine snap taut like a fishing line. 

"Pippin." He whispered. Marigold's eyes snapped open. Merry jumped up 
off her in a fluid motion, leaving the clip in the grass next to her sprawled 
frame. Marigold began to make unhappy noises as she sat up and 
straightened herself, but he ignored her. 

He looked around, beginning to think that the voice was in his head, when 
he was attacked by a flurry of cinnamon curls. He was bowled over, 
falling into the grass, the owner of the cinnamon curls on top of him. He 
heard giggles, and then his face was covered in kisses. 

"Merry." Pippin said, smiling. He scooted down Merry's body to wedge 
his head in its usual place, right under his chin.

"Pippin?" Merry said, hugging the boy and reaching up to twist his fingers 
in Pippin's hair. "I did not know you were here."

"I just got here." Pippin said eagerly. "My Dad felt like taking a ride, so he 
put me on his pony, and the next thing I knew, we were in Brandy Hall."

"Oh, Pip." Merry said. "That is wonderful." He had not seen Pippin in 
close to a month and a half, and had been missing him horribly. 

"Were you out here by yourself?" Pippin asked. Merry looked over, 
finding that Marigold had made herself scarce. He smiled. Sweet girl. He 
would have to thank her later. 

"No. Merimas and Berilac were here. And some girls." Merry said. Pippin 
wrinkled his nose He was just entering the 'girls are icky' phase. "I think 
they decided on a swim."

"Do you want to swim." Pippin asked.

"Not particularly, unless you do." 

"I don’t know." Pippin said thoughtfully. "I could eat." 

"You could always eat." Merry gave back. Pippin made a protesting 
sound, and then giggled. "How long are you here for?" 

"I don’t know, really." He said. Probably depends on when my Da decides 
to go back to the Smials." Pippin wiggled, moving up to look at Merry. 

"You want to go to the river, then?" 

Merry made a noise, as Pippin's elbow dug into his shoulder. He moved 
his head, and felt Pippin breath across his lips, just like Marigold's had 
done earlier. It was a nice feeling. He would have to see if he could get 
Marigold to do it again. 

"Let's go." He said, pushing Pippin off of him. 

******

The group at the river was larger that he had thought. The four that he had 
been sitting with were there, as well as about five hobbit lads closer to 
Pippin's age. 

He sat under a tree with Merimas, dividing his time between watching 
Pippin, who was play in the river, eyeing and Marigold and Daisy, who 
were chatting softly under another tree. Eventually, Daisy joined them, 
though Merry thought she really wanted to talk to Merimas alone. Merry 
made polite conversation for a minute, and then went over to join 
Marigold. 

"Are you mad?" Merry asked her as he sat down. 

"Yes." Marigold said. "I didn’t say you could kiss me."

"I didn't kiss you." Merry said, confused. 

"You meant to," Marigold said, "If that meddling Took had not happened 
about, you would have." 

"He is not meddling. He is just young." Merry said defensively. 

"He follows you everywhere." Marigold gave back. "And you never want 
to do anything when he is around." She was quiet for a minute. "You were 
going to kiss me." She said petulantly. 

"I might have." He said. "But I didn’t. You can’t be mad at me for kissing 
you if I didn't."

"Maybe I am mad because you didn't." Marigold said, scooting a little 
closer to him. Merry sighed loudly, and decided that girls were a bother. 

"Thank you." Merry said softly. 

"For what?" Marigold asked, inching closer.

"For not sticking around when Pip showed up. If he had seen us like that 
he would have asked questions." Merry lied. Pippin probably wouldn’t 
have asked questions, but he would have been angry. Lately, he got pouty 
if Merry was affectionate with anyone but him. 

"What do you care if he asks questions?" She asked. 

"He is young." Merry said lamely, and left it at that. 

He turned his attention to where Pippin was playing in the river. He was 
splashing and kicking water everywhere. He sent a wave at one young lad, 
who began chasing him as soon as he had sputtered all the water out of his 
mouth. Pippin began to shriek, and tried to run away from him, nevermind 
that he was in water past his knees. 

"I should teach Pip to swim." He thought. 

"What?" Marigold asked.

"Huh?" He hadn't realized that he had spoken out loud. "Oh, I was saying 
that I should teach Pippin to swim."

"Oh." Was she said. 

Dimly, Merry became aware of something soft brushing against the hand 
he had resting in the grass. He ignored it at first, thinking that he was 
imagining things, but it grew more insistent. He glanced down out of the 
corner of his eye to see that it was Marigold. She was trailing her fingers 
along the back of his hand in a lazy manner. 
A loud splash turned Merry's attention back to the river. He saw Pippin 
emerging out of a large spray of water. Pippin walked up the bank, 
shaking water from his body as he walked. He spied Merry, and ran over 
to him. Merry snatched his hand away from Marigold's wandering fingers 
as Pippin drew close. 

Lifting a leg over Merry, he sat on Merry's knees and slid down his legs 
until he landed in Merry's lap with a thud. Merry gave a groan as a sharp 
pain spread through his crotch. Pippin leaned in against Merry's chest, 
laying his damp head on Merry's shoulder. 

"Oi, Pip!" He sputtered. "Your too heavy to do that now. It hurts me." 

Merry felt water seeping into the cloth of his tunic. "And you are wet, 
Pippin."

"I love you , Merry." Was Pippin's defense. He kissed Merry on the nose, 
and laid his head back down. 

Marigold reached out to touch Merry's hand again, but touched grass. She 
looked for the missing hand, and discovered that it was rubbing Pippin's 
back in circles. 

"Meddling Took." She muttered as she walked away. 

******

Pippin reached to snatch a bean off of Merry's plate, but Merry swatted his 
hand away. "Here. Sit down and I'll make you a plate." 

"But I want to sit in your lap." Pippin whined. He stood next to Merry's 
chair, stamping his foot. 

"Not at dinner." Merry explained, as he lifted Pippin into the empty chair 
next to him. "You are too big for that."

"I am not to big to sit in your lap." Pippin said, pouting. "I sat in your lap 
at the river."

"No, Pip." Merry said, putting down his fork. "I mean, you are too old. It 
is past time that you sit in your own chair and eat off your own plate at 
dinner. You are almost seven."

"I want to sit in your lap and eat off your plate." Pippin said, tears sliding 
down his cheeks. 

"Pip, do you sit in your own chair and eat off your own plate when you are 
at home?" Merry asked. 

"Yes." Pippin snuffled. "Unless you are there. Then I sit in your lap." 
Merry sighed. "Pippin, I am not going to argue. You are too old to sit in 
my lap for dinner." With that, he picked Pippin up under the arms and sat 
him in the chair. 

"Fine." Pippin gave a mighty snuffle. He sat quietly for a minute, staring 
at the plate Merry had set out for him despondently. Then he tried to climb 
over the arm of the chair and slip into Merry's lap. 

"Peregrin Took." Merry said sternly. Pippin looked at him through his 
lashes, eyes wide, and stuck his bottom lip out. Merry gave him a level 
look, shook his head, and gestured for Pippin to sit down. 

"I love you, Merry." Pippin said. He threw his arms around Merry quickly 
before settling back into his own chair. 

"Did you see that, sister?" Paladin Took said, waving his fork in the 
direction of Merry and Pippin. 

"Aye, brother." Esmeralda said, and shook her head. 

"I do not understand." The Thain complained. "The boy is an unruly pain, 
and there is nothing that your sister or I can to do calm him." The Thain 
took a bite of potatoes, murmuring appreciatively. "But one word from 
your son," he continued around a mouthful of potatoes, "and suddenly he 
is most well-behaved child in the Shire." 

"I don't rightly understand it myself." Esmeralda said. She did understand, 
but did not want to discuss it. How was she to tell him that Merry had 
usurped the place in Pippin's heart that should have belonged to him and 
his wife. 

"A wonder." The Thain mumbled into is ale mug. He took a deep draught, 
and peered at his son and nephew over the rim. 

Esmeralda followed his glance. The other hobbits Merry's age ate 
hurriedly, chatting amiably while the chewed. There was the occasional 
roll tossed between them, and every once and awhile one hobbit would 
snatch a bite off of another's plate. A mug was knocked over, resulting in a 
loud buzz from the hobbits. It was a scene of youthful mirth; cheerful, 
loud, and a bit messy. 

Through it all, Merry said quietly. He smiled at the antics of his friends, 
but did not participate. He ate calmly, chatting with Pippin. He broke the 
conversation occasionally to admonish Pippin for using his hands, or to 
instruct him on how to hold his fork properly, or on how to butter his roll 
without making a mess. 

"Look." The Thain said, pointing with a forkful of beans. Merry leaned 
over his chair. Reaching around Pippin, he took the boy's hands in his, and 
showed Pippin how to cut his beef in neat chunks that would fit on his 
fork. After making a few slices, he released Pippin to let the boy do it for 
himself, protective hands hovering in case Pippin looked like he was going 
to cut himself. 

"The wonder works both ways." Esmeralda said. "Yesterday, Merry was 
braying louder than any of the asses at the table, and after dropping his 
knife, he had ripped at his ham with both hands." The Thain looked 
choked on his ale at his sister's bluntness, and Esmeralda winked. "Today, 
he is more concerned about how Pippin holds his fork than stealing turnips 
off of Daisy Bracegirddle's plate. 

The Thain watched on, thoughtfully, watching Merry lean and brush a kiss 
against his son's forehead when he had finished cutting his meat. He 
laughed to himself, and muttered something that Esmeralda did not catch. 

"You still have not told me what prompted this visit, brother." Esmeralda 
said playfully. 

"Does the Took and Thain need a reason to visit his sister?" 

"The Took and Thain rarely comes to visit his sister without bringing half 
his household." That was the truth. In all the years since she had married 
Saradoc Brandybuck, she could count the number of time that her brother 
had shown up on a whim on one hand. 

"No reason." The Thain said. He looked uncomfortable, and was studying 
the contents of his plate. 

"Paddy?" Esmeralda prodded. 

"The boy was insufferable today." Paladin Took sighed. "He has been for 
weeks, but today he was a menace out of one of Bilbo's stories. I was 
hoping a ride would calm him." 

"A short jaunt to Buckland?" Esmeralda quipped. The Thain rolled his 
eyes at her. "Will you and Pip be returning to the Smials in the morning, 
then?" 

"I will be returning to the Smials tonight." 

Here it comes. Esmeralda thought. "You?"

"Yes, me. My intent was to ask Saradoc about leaving Pippin here for a 
few weeks." The Thain said. "But I arrived to find that Saradoc left for 
Michel Delving this morning."

"If he was here, Saradoc would say yes." She replied. "He loves Pippin 
like he is his own." 

"Pervinca's birthday is in a few weeks, you could bring him back when 
you venture to the Smials for the party." 

"Wonderful idea." Esmeralda said, glancing down the table. 

"Are you finished, Pip?" Merry asked when he noticed that Pippin was 
playing with the remainders on his plate.

"Yes." Pippin said. He reached over the table and grabbed his mug of 
water. He tipped it too fast, and more water poured down his chin than 
went in his mouth. 

"Silly tart." Merry said. Making room on the table, he lifted Pippin off the 
chair and sat him in front of him. Dipping his napkin in the Pippin's water 
mug, he began patiently wiping his cousin's face. 

"You are sure Saradoc won't mind?" The Thain asked. 

"Brother," She said, nodding in the direction of Merry cleaning Pippin's 
face, "I don't think Saradoc was the one you needed to ask."

******

"You be a good boy for Uncle Saradoc and Aunt Esmeralda, son." The 
Thain said to his small son. "If you give them any trouble, I will have 
them send you back to the Smials immediately." 

"Yes, Da. I will be good." Pippin said innocently. 

"Your mother packed you a bag." He said. "It has clothes enough until you 
come back home. It is the guestroom across the hall from Merry's room." 

"Thank you, Da." He ran up to his father and hugged him around the legs. 
The Thain ruffled Pippin's hair, and mounted his pony. 

"Remember." He said with an admonishing finger. "You be good for your 
aunt and uncle. The Thain looked over to the figure of Merry waiting at 
the front door to Brandy Hall, and revised his request." 

"You be a good boy for Meriadoc." 

******

"Merry?" 

Merry opened his eyes to near blackness. Glancing at the window, he saw 
the moon in the black sky. It was the middle of the night. 

"Merry?" The voice was louder this time.

"What, Pip. It is the middle of the night." 

"Its dark in my room." Pippin said. It probably was. The room Pippin had 
been assigned faced the hill, and had no windows. 

"Get in, then." Merry said, pulling the covers back and making room. He 
heard the sound of little feet padding across the floor, and then the 
mattress shifted as Pippin climbed in. 

Pippin laid down on his side with his back to Merry, and scooted back 
until he was leaning against him. He wedged himself in the crook of 
Merry's arm, and fiddled around with the bedding for a few minutes. 

"What were you scared of, sweetheart?" Merry asked him when Pippin 
had settled himself. 

"I wasn't scared, I was just lonely." 

With a sigh, Merry wrapped his arms around his cousin and went to sleep. 

***TBC***

TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin 
RAITING: PG 
SUMMARY: Pippin doesn't want to go to Pearl's birthday, and he has a 
good reason.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Pre-slash. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1399 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 9, Merry is 
17, Sam and Pimpernel and 19, and Frodo is 31
********************************************************

Chapter 4

"I don't want to go to the stupid party." 

"Pippin." Merry said in a flat, weary tone. It was not the first time he and 
Pippin had had this conversation. 

"Well, I don’t want to." Pippin drug his furry feet, kicking up a cloud of 
dirt as he moved down the road. 

"You have to go." Merry said, frowning. He couldn't understand why 
Pippin was so against going to this party; he rarely passed up an excuse to 
eat all day and play as much as he wanted. Even if it meant he had to 
comb his hair and wear his fancy waistcoat. 

He realized that Pippin had stopped walking and paused to turn back to 
him, tapping his foot impatiently. "And hurry up." 

"Why?" Pippin. 

"Because." Merry said, looking down at him. He didn't have to look as far 
down as he used to. Pippin had grown a bit in the last summer. "It is 
Pearl's birthday."

"But I don’t want to!"

"She is your sister." Merry said. 

"So?" Pippin was so furious that Merry could almost smell it.

"Peregrin Took!" Merry snapped. "You are going, and that is the end of 
it." 

He winced as he said it, knowing full well that it was not the end of it. 
They would have this conversation at least twice more before they reached 
Bag End tonight, and probably three more times tomorrow on the way to 
the Smials. 

"But I don’t want to." Pippin said again. 

Merry sighed. He had known that Pippin would start this conversation 
again, but he had not thought that Pippin would start it again so soon. At 
least last time he had waited an hour. 

"You are going." Merry said sharply. "Because I am going, and I certainly 
cannot show up without you." It was a lame excuse, but at least it was a 
new one. His original excuse had only succeeded in the conversation 
happening again. And again. 

"Then don’t go." Pippin replied. He brightened, thinking that he had found 
a hole in Merry's reasoning. "If you don’t go, then I don't have to go."

"But I am going." Merry said. He smiled to himself, amused by Pippin's 
circular logic. 

"Why?" Pippin whined. He eyed Merry sideways, and frowned at him like 
is was his fault that Pearl was having a birthday.

"Because Pearl is your sister, and it is her birthday." 

"But I don't like Pearl." 

"Pippin!" Merry said, reaching out and pinching his arm. Merry knew 
Pippin was telling the truth, and he hated to chide him for being honest, 
but it would not do for Pippin to go around saying he didn't like his sister. 
If someone heard Pippin saying that, the boy would get a switching for it. 
However, because Merry was the older, responsible one, he would take the 
blame for it in the end. 

"I don't know why you care." Pippin said. "You don’t like Pearl, either."

"That is not true." Merry said, glad that Pippin was walking along side 
him, unable to look directly into his face and see the lie. He didn't really 
dislike Pearl, but she was older, and nosy, and meddling, and it made her 
difficult to like sometimes. 

"But--" Pippin started, but he stopped when he saw the look on Merry's 
face. Merry looked like he was about to stuff his handkerchief into 
Pippin's mouth so he could walk the rest of the way to Bag End in peace. 

"The party will be fun." Merry said. "Besides, Pearl will be so busy that 
you probably won’t even have to talk to her for more than ten minutes." 
Pippin grumbled, but didn’t argue. He had been arguing all morning, and 
it had not gotten him anywhere. He didn't really care about Pearl's 
birthday; he just did not want Merry going to the Smials. But he could not 
just tell Merry that, because he would have to explain. 

And he didn't want to explain. 

"I love you, Merry." Pippin said, randomly. 

"I love you, too." Merry sounded a bit suspicious. Pippin said he loved 
him constantly, but random declarations usually meant that he was up to 
something. 

Resigned, Pippin did not resume the argument. He wasn't going to win, 
and if he continued to harangue Merry he was going to get upset and 
shout, and if Merry shouted, he would cry. He always cried when Merry 
shouted at him. 

Pippin smiled widely at his cousin. Merry made a show of ignoring him, 
but Pippin could see the corners of his mouth twitch as he fought a smile. 
Pippin grabbed his cousin's hand and squeezed it, and held it tight until the 
reached Bag End. 

******

"You must be hungry after a long days walkin'." 

Merry leaned back on the couch in Bag End's sitting room, and smiled at 
Samwise Gammgee. He smiled so widely that Sam blushed a deep red and 
scurried into the kitchen, muttering to himself. 

Sam returned shortly with a teakettle and two cups, which he set on the 
table in front of Merry. Merry smiled at him in amusement, and Sam 
frowned back at him with obvious unease. Concerned that Sam would give 
himself fits, Merry poured himself a cup. Sam nodded to himself, and 
returned to the kitchen. 

"Are you sure I can't bring you anything?" Sam asked from the doorway. 

Merry and Pippin had arrived at an inopportune time for poor Sam. Frodo 
was in the bath and Bilbo was napping, leaving Sam to entertain the two 
younger hobbits. At a loss as to what to do with Merry and Pippin, Sam 
had tried to feed them no less that six times in the last half hour. 

"I have some bread, just baked this morning." 

Seven. 

"No, no Sam. We are quite alright." Merry replied, stroking Pippin's hair 
absently. Pippin was asleep, stretched out on the couch with his head in 
Merry's lap. 

"Are you sure, Mister Merry?" 

"Why don’t you come sit down." He asked, gesturing at Sam with the cup 
of tea that the he had pressed upon him.

"Beggin' your pardon, Mister Merry, but I have so much to do, and it 
won’t wait on me sippin' tea, if you take my meaning." Sam replied. Sam 
sounded earnest, but he made no move to get on with whatever 
desperately needed his attention. 

"I have seen more and more of you on our last visits." Merry said 
conversationally. He didn't know Sam well, but as Sam was starting to be 
a permanent fixture at Bag End, now was as good a time as any to get to 
know him. "Are you and your father both working for Bilbo, now?" 

"Yes and no." Sam said, nervously. "I mostly help my Gaffer, but as he is 
getting' on in years, I have been doing more and more for Mister Bilbo so 
my Gaffer doesn’t have to." 

"That must be nice for Frodo, to have someone nearer his age around." 
Merry said. 

Sam blushed furiously and looked extremely uncomfortable at the mention 
of Frodo's name, and Merry wondered if Frodo and Sam disliked each 
other. It didn't seem possible; Frodo was odd sometimes, but was never 
hard to get along with. It also seemed impossible that Frodo would not 
take to someone as honest and well-meaning as Samwise Gammgee. 

"Mister Frodo is a joy." Sam said eventually, but looked very embarrassed 
for saying it. 

"Are you sure you won't join me?" Merry asked, twirling one of Pippin's 
curls around his finger. He caught Sam looking at him, and made a point 
to sip the tea. 

"Honestly, Mister Merry, my work ain't doin' itself." Sam waved a hand 
through the kitchen door. "I should be getting back to it, or my Gaffer will 
be havin' to do more than he is fit for." 

Pippin shifted on the couch and made a series of fitful, uncomfortable 
noises. Lifting Pippin gently, Merry turned and leaned his back against the 
arm of the couch, tucking one leg under him and letting the other hang 
over the cushions. Then he carefully pulled Pippin up and laid him against 
his chest. Still sleeping, Pippin wrapped his arms around Merry and 
nestled his head under his chin. 

"Brat." Merry whispered to him fondly. "All you ever do is sleep. Or eat." 
He kissed Pippin's curls, and stroked his back. 

"Mister Merry." Sam said from the kitchen door. "Are you sure I can't 
bring you a bite? That bread is already baked, Mister Merry, it wouldn’t 
be any trouble. Or I could fry up some bacon." He looked at Merry 
hopefully. "Wouldn’t take more than a minute." 

Merry was going to refuse, but Sam looked quite miserable. "Alright, 
Sam, you win." 

"What would you like, Mister Merry?" Sam asked excitedly. 

"Whatever you have handy." Merry replied. "Please, don’t go to any 
bother." 

Merry was quite sure, however, that telling Samwise Gammgee not to go 
to any bother was like telling the sun not to rise. 

******

"You shouldn't tease Sam." Frodo said randomly, chewing on the end of 
his pipe. 

"What?" Merry asked, truly confused. He had no recollection of poking 
fun at the Sam. He frowned at Pippin, who was once again sleeping in his 
lap, and wondered if the lad had said something unpolite to the gardener. 

"Not the imp," Frodo said, following Merry's gaze. "You." 

"Did Sam tell you I teased him?" Merry asked. He frowned at Pippin's 
sleeping face again for good measure. 

Frodo laughed at Merry's honest befuddlement. "No." Frodo said, a wisp 
of smoke escaping his lips. "But you nearly drove him to distraction when 
you wouldn't let him feed you." 

"But he did feed me!" Merry exclaimed. "I really didn't want him to go to 
any bother, but I didn't think he was going to leave off me unless I ate 
something." 

Frodo chuckled. "He has gotten some definite ideas about propriety from 
his Gaffer."

"I noticed." Merry said wryly. 

"Oh, he means well." Frodo said. "Like I said, he has definite ideas. If Bag 
End has guests, then they are to be fed, and that is that as far as Sam is 
concerned."

"Did he really think I was teasing him?" Merry asked.

"He did." Frodo said. "But not about the food. He thought you were 
teasing when you asked him to sit with you." 

"I really was not." Merry said. "He seems like a nice lad, and since is 
working here, I thought I would get to know him." 

"He is a nice lad." Frodo said. Merry thought his tone grew warmer. "I 
would very much like for Sam and I to be friends, but he is set in his ways. 

He gets quite flustered when I ask him to join me for a meal." 

"Has he ever?" 

"He will, now and then." Frodo said. "He wouldn't at first, and would get 
all fussy about how it wasn't fitting. I finally coaxed him into it a few 
months past. Now, every once and awhile he will humor me when I ask." 

"Don’t worry." Merry said. "I remember Bilbo telling me that his Gaffer 
was fussy when he started working here, but they managed to become dear 
friends over the years. Sam will come around." 

"I hope so." Frodo said.

It might have been the way the firelight was playing across Frodo's face, 
but Merry was quite sure that Frodo was blushing. 

******

"Come on, Pip." Merry said, prodding the lump under the blanket. "We 
have to get going." 

"I don’t feel good." Pippin said. He made a pitiful face, and groaned. 

"What?" Merry asked. He sat on the edge of the bed, and studied his 
younger cousin. "You look fine." 

"But I don’t feel fine." Pippin whined. 

"What doesn't feel fine?" Merry asked. "Your stomach? Your head?" 

"Both." Pippin said. He gave another moan, and clutched his stomach 
under the blankets.

"Pippin, are you playing with me?" 

"No, Merry. Honest. I don't feel good." 

"Mister Merry?" Merry turned to see Sam in the doorway. "I was 
wondering what you and Mister Pippin wanted for second breakfast 
before--" He paused when his glance fell on Pippin, who looked piteous. 

"Is the lad alright?" 

"Pippin says he is not feeling well." Merry said. 

"Well, what is the matter, Mister Pippin?" Sam asked, taking a few steps 
into the room.

"My tummy hurts, and my head." 

Sam leaned over Pippin, and laid his hand on his forehead. "Well, you 
aren't havin' a fever, I don't think." Sam considered Pippin for a moment. 

"How is your stomach hurtin'? Is it pained, or does it feel like your first 
breakfast is comin' back up?"

"Both." Pippin said. 

Sam clucked his tongue thoughtfully. Then he pulled the blanket back and 
pressed Pippin's stomach in a few places. Pippin groaned fitfully each time 
Sam poked, and the gardener made sympathetic noises. Then Sam opened 
each of Pippin's eyes wide, and felt up and down each side of Pippin's 
throat. 

"Interesting." Sam said. Then he caught Merry's eyes, and made a slight 
nod towards the doorway with his head. Sam got up and walked out the 
door, and Merry followed him.

"Is he alright?" Merry asked nervously. 

Sam shifted about uncomfortably, not wanting to speak. Merry gave him a 
reassuring look. Sam was about to speak, when Frodo poked his head bout 
of his room.

"What is going on?" Frodo asked. 

"Pippin is sick." Merry said. 

"Samwise should take a look at him." Frodo said. "He knows what he is 
about. He has fixed me up when I was under the weather a few times." 
Sam blushed furiously at the praise, and looked even more uncomfortable. 
"Sam already had a look at him, but he won't tell me what he thinks." 

Merry replied. 

"Beggin' your pardon, Mister Merry." Sam whispered. "Is not really my 
place to be sayin' anything." 

"But?" Merry asked. 

"But, I am not findin' anything wrong with the lad." 

"What?" Merry asked incredulously. Sam gave a jump, and looked very 
apologetic. "You are saying that he is making it up?" 

"Well," Sam began, but trailed off. 

"Go on, Sam." Frodo encouraged. "Merry wouldn't have asked if he didn't 
want to know your mind." 

"Well, if he was my lad, and I know that he is not, mind, but if he was, I 
would be tellin' him to quit being a lay-about, and I'd be givin' him a good 
thump for tellin' tales." 

"Truly?" Merry looked at Sam's honest face, and knew that the gardener 
was telling the truth. 

"My gammer is a bit of a healer, Mister Merry, if you want me to get her." 
Sam offered. 

"Oh no, Sam, I believe you. If you say he is well, then he is well." 

"But why would be act sick if he isn't?" Frodo wondered. 

Merry slapped his forehead, and called himself three kinds of idiot. 

"Pearl's birthday." He announced. 

"What?" Frodo and Sam both asked. 

"Pearl's birthday party. He doesn’t want to go. He near drove me insane on 
the way here, arguing about it. I should have known he was up to 
something when he let the subject drop so abruptly." 

Suddenly, Merry's eyes flashed, and he got a mischievous look oh his face. 
Frodo groaned, remembering that face from when Merry had been a young 
boy at Brandy Hall. 

"What are you planning, Meriadoc?" Frodo asked. 

"Samwise?" Merry asked sweetly. "Do you think you mother would mind 
coming and having a look at the lad?" 

******

"Is this the poor, sick lad?" 

Bell Gammgee was sweet old lass, with a friendly smile and a kind word 
for everyone. Sam had told his mother that they were having a joke on 
Pippin, but Merry never would have guessed, the way she coddled the 
lying brat and fussed over him like he was the sickest little boy she had 
ever laid eyes on.

"Dear, sweet child." She fussed, stroking his cheek. "I am just needin' a 
quick peek under the covers." Pippin looked plagued as she peeled the 
blankets back and poked at his stomach, just like her son had. 

"Oh, dearheart." She said, giving Pippin the widest, sympathetic eyes 
Merry had ever seen. "It must be hurtin' you something awful." 

Merry glanced at Frodo, who was almost crying from the strain of not 
laughing. Sam brought a hand to his mouth and looked everywhere but 
Pippin, trying desperately to keep a straight face. 

"Now, let me get a look at your precious face." Bell Gammgee said. She 
did the same bit that Sam had done, pulling open his eyes and feeling on 
his throat. She also peered up his nostrils and looked down his throat. She 
murmured to Pippin as she worked, assuring him that he was just the best 
little boy in the Shire. 

Merry was quite sure he was going to die. The need to laugh was growing 
painful, and every time he looked at Frodo or Sam and saw their 
discomfort, it got worse. 

"There, child." She said, patting Pippin's auburn curls. "You just rest easy, 
for a bit. I need to be havin' a word with the older lads." Bell Gammgee 
favored Pippin with another sappy smile, and herded the other hobbits into 
the hallway. 

Once in the hallway, Merry, Frodo and Sam nearly collapsed with silent 
giggles. Bell snickered a bit herself, and then patted at the lads until they 
were fit to speak.

"The lad's as healthy as they come." Bell said, once the other three had 
composed themselves. Then she turned and raised an eyebrow at Merry. 

"Have you been ignorin' the lad, that he needs to be playin' sick to get 
attention?" 

Frodo gave a snort, and Sam choked so hard Merry thought he was going 
to die. "Ignored?" Then Frodo laughed. "I assure you, Mistress Gammgee, 
there is not a more spoiled lad in the Shire." 

"Well, I wouldn't know what he is on about then." Bell said. "But is not a 
bit wrong with him." She eyed Merry again. He smiled winningly, and she 
softened.

Then Bell handed him a small bottle that she had produced from one of 
her apron pockets. "You give him a dose or two of this." 

"Medicine?" Merry asked. "But I thought he was fine." 

"Oh, he is fine." She assured. "Its not medicine, but the lad isn't knowin' 
that." 

"What is it?" 

It was Sam who answered. "Black tea brewed too strong, with some 
pepper, a bit of pickle juice, and some vinegar." He made a face. "Won't 
heal a thing, but it won't be hurtin' him. Might make him think twice about 
playin' at sick again, if you are takin' my meaning." 

"How did you know?" Frodo asked him. 

And Bell Gammgee snorted. "Oh he knows." She said fondly. "Me boy 
was a lyin' brat once or twice, when he was the lads age." 

******

"Take your medicine, Pip." Merry said, trying to sound gentle. 

"What's the matter with me?" Pippin asked weakly. Merry had to admit, 
the boy did a fair job of acting sick. 

"Gammer Gammgee says you have a stomach flux." He said. 

"Oh." Pippin said. 

"So have a drink of this." Merry poured a swallow into a cup, and handed 
it to Pippin. Pippin eyed the stuff warily, and brought the cup halfway to 
his lips twice. 

"Go on." Merry coaxed. 

Pippin drank. His eyes bulged and watered, and his face turned bright red. 
He looked like he was going to spit it back into the cup, but Merry reached 
out and pinched his lips shut. Pippin fussed and kicked. Then, squeezing 

his eyes shut tight, he swallowed. 

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart." Merry soothed. 

******

"Wake up, Pip." Merry prodded him. "You need to take your medicine 
again." 

"No." Pippin said. "It tastes horrible." 

"I am sure it does." Merry said, trying not to smile. "But you need to take 
it, or you won’t get better." He offered Pippin the cup, which he eyed with 
disdain. 

"No." Pippin said again, shaking his head in with a flurry of auburn curls. 

"Peregrin Took." Merry warned. "You drink that, now." 

Pippin started to cry. Merry sat on the edge of the bed, unmoved. Pippin 
sobbed fitfully for a few moments. When Merry didn’t comfort him he 
stopped, snuffling. 

"Are you ready?" Merry asked, holding the cup out again. 

"I am not sick." Pippin said quietly. 

"What?" Merry asked, trying to appear shocked. 

"I said, I am not sick." 

Merry eyed the boy for a moment, allowing him to grow uncomfortable. "I 
know." 

"What?" Pippin's eyes widened. 

"I said, I know." 

"But--" 

"Sam knew there was nothing wrong with you." Merry explained. 

"What about the healer?" Pippin asked. 

"Sam's mother." Merry said. He could not help but be amused at the 
confusion on Pippin's face. 

"She is not a healer?" Pippin asked. 

"Oh, she is." Merry said. "But she knew there was naught wrong with you 
before she got here." 

Tears welled up in Pippin's green eyes as he realized that he had been 
tricked. He furrowed his brow, and stuck out his lower lip. He made a 
furious face, and then pointedly looked away from Merry.

"Oh don’t you dare." Merry snapped, infuriated by Pippin's indignant 
expression. "Don’t you dare get mad, after you lied first." 

"You tricked me." Pippin shouted. 

"And you lied." Merry gave back. "So we are even." Pippin narrowed his 
eyes, but then dropped his gaze onto the blankets. 

"So why don’t you tell me why you don’t want to go to Pearl's party." 
Merry asked. "And don’t tell me that you just don’t want to, or that you 
don’t like her. I want the real reason." 

"I just don’t." Pippin said stubbornly to the blankets. 

"Fine, then." Merry said. "Get dressed. We are leaving for the Smials 
within the hour." 

"No!" Pippin yelled, looking back up at Merry. He balled his fists and beat 
at the bed. 

"Pip." Merry said. "Tell me." He scooted closer to Pippin, and patted his 
leg over the blanket. "Something is wrong, or you would not be so against 
going. Just tell me." Merry waited, but Pippin said nothing. Sighing, 
Merry got up, and tossed Pippin his tunic. "Get dressed." He said as he 
headed for the door. 

"I don’t want you to go to the Smials." Pippin said finally, when Merry 
was almost at the door. 

"Why?" Merry asked, hurt. "Are you mad at me?" 

"No." Pippin said. "I love you." 

"Then why?" Merry asked. 

"Because." Pippin said. He screwed his face up, searching for the right 
words. "I got a letter from Pervinca right before we left Brandy Hall." 

"Really?" Merry asked, surprised. 

He was not surprised that he had gotten a letter, Pervinca wrote Pippin 
regularly when he was away from the Smials. He was surprised that 
Pippin had not told him. When Pervinca had first started writing, Merry 
had used the missives to help Pippin learn his letters. Once Pippin could 
read by himself, he would bring them to Merry, and read them aloud 
proudly, wanting to show Merry how smart he was. 

"What did it say?" Merry asked gently. If he had not mentioned this one, 
something in it must have upset him. "You can tell me." 

"Pervinca over heard my Da talking." Pippin said. Tears welled up in his 
eyes again. He wiped his nose with the sleeve of his nightshirt, and took a 
steadying breath before continuing. "Da was talking to Ma about you." 

"Me?" Merry asked, stunned. A roiling, nervous feeling gnawed at his 
belly. If it was about him, and had upset Pippin, it must be horrid. 

"My Da wants you to marry Nel." Pippin said. Then he burst into tears. 

"What?" Merry choked, jumping up from the bed, and taking a few steps 
back. Married? That was the craziest thing he had ever heard. He wasn't 
old enough to get married. And to Pimpernel? "What?" He asked again. 

"Here." Pippin fished through the tunic that Merry had tossed at him. He 
dug through the pockets, and produced a folded piece of parchment. "You 
read it." 

Merry eyed the letter like it was a poisonous snake. He took it gingerly 
when Pippin shoved it at him, and got a sinking feeling in his stomach 
when he unfolded it. 


Dear Pip, 

How have you been? I wish you would come home more often. We miss 
you. Pearl does, too. Even if she won’t admit it. She is excited about her 
birthday. I don't know why, because she is going to be old. 

I know I wrote you last week, but I have to tell you something and I just 
couldn't wait. Da and Ma were talking the other day, when they didn't 
think I could hear them. Da was telling Ma that he wants Pimpernel to 
marry Merry. Ma got fussy about it, and said that people would think 
Merry and Nel are too closely related, but Da told her she was being silly. 
He said that he is the Thain, and Uncle Saradoc is the Master of Brandy 
Hall, and they can do what they want. I guess he wrote to Uncle Saradoc 
about it, because he told Ma that Uncle Saradoc thought it was a good 
idea to, but they aren’t going to say anything to Merry or Nel until they 
get older. 

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Merry would be like real family, not just 
cousins. He would be our brother! Pearl might be mad though. I heard her 
telling Peony Hornblower once that she wanted to marry Merry, because 
he was going to be the Master of Brandy Hall one day. That is just stupid, 
though, because she is too old for him. 

Hurry up and come home!

Love, 

Vinca


The sinking feeling in Merry's belly grew, and swallowed him whole. His 
knees buckled, and he sat down on the floor with a thud. 

"Is that why you didn't want to go to Pearl's party?" Merry asked softly. 

"Because of you Da wants me to marry your sister?" 

"Uh-huh." Pippin sniffed. He looked at Merry sadly, and then burst into 
tears again. The sobs were strong, making his whole body shake, and he 
began to wail. 

"Please don’t cry, Pip." Merry said. He forced his useless legs to work, 
and pulled himself up onto the bed. Shaking, he crawled over to lay next 
to Pippin. 

"But it hurts so much." Pippin choked out between the sobs. "It just hurts. 
I can't bear the thought of it." He looked over at Merry, and the sobs 
started anew. 

Merry sat up, and pulled Pippin into his lap. "Please, Pip. Don’t cry." He 
begged, unable to bear his cousin being so distraught. He rocked Pippin 
gently, and covered his face with kisses. 

"I won't see you ever again." Pippin sobbed. 

"Pippin--" Merry trailed off, unable to think. 

"No." Pippin said. He wrapped his arms around Merry so tightly that 
Merry found it difficult to breathe. "You and Nel will get rooms in Brandy 
Hall and I won't get to live with you anymore and you won't have time to 
play with me because you and Nel will have babies and you wont think 
about me anymore and I will miss you so bad it would kill me." Pippin 
sagged against Merry's chest, trying to catch his breath from the long 
string of words. 

"Stop, Pip. Please." Merry said, tears streaming down his face. Pippin's 
misery was so fierce that it was breaking Merry's heart, and his words 
were scaring him. 

"But it is true." Pippin said despondently. "It would kill me, because you 
wouldn’t be there anymore. I wouldn't get to play with you anymore, or 
take a nap on your chest. You wouldn’t be there to pull my hair or yell at 
me when I have been bad or tickle me or kiss my nose." He sobbed again, 
the force of it shaking Merry as well. "You wouldn't be there to tell me 
you love me." 

He tried to imagine his life without Pippin in it everyday. If he got 
married, Pippin would go back to living in the Smials. If Merry was tied 
down with a family, visits would be few, and it would never again be just 
the two of them. There would be no more picnics together, or swims in the 
river. They would never get to take naps together, or sit up all night 
talking. 

He tried to picture not seeing Pippin's sweet, smiling face everyday, and it 
made his chest hurt. 

"Listen, Pippin." Merry said, desperately. "You are getting upset for 
nothing." 

"Nothing?" Pippin pulled away from him, his face screwed up in anger. "I 
am never going to see you again, and you are saying that it is nothing." 

"That is not what I am saying, goose." Merry said, pulling Pippin back to 
him. "You will see me everyday until you die, if I have anything to do 
with it, because I love you."

"I love you, too." Pippin squeezed him again. "But how are you going to 
see me everyday?" 

"Easy." Merry said with a wink. "I just won't marry her. It is not like they 
can make me."

******

Merry sighed as he watched Pippin play, leaning against the bole of a tree. 
Pippin and a few other boys from the party were kicking a ball around in 
the grass. Pippin had wanted Merry to play, but Merry had had more too 
much ale for all that running around. 

A shadow fell over his field of view, and he looked up to see a girl 
standing over him. He eyed the girl in the poor light, and jumped to his 
feet, ale or no, when he saw who it was.

"Pimpernel." He said pleasantly. He hoped he did not look as nervous as 
he felt. He had seen Nel numerous times since he and Pippin and the Bag 
End folk arrived, but he had been studiously avoiding being alone with 
her. 

"Meriadoc." She said, just as pleasantly. Merry did not note any 
nervousness in her tone, and she looked very calm and collected. They 
stayed silent for a long while, staring at each other and avoiding each 
other's eyes by turns. Finally, Pimpernel spoke. 

"Pervinca told me that she wrote Pippin." She said, almost sounding 
casual. 

"She did." Merry replied. 

"She is a damn fool." Nel said. "When she told me, I asked her not to 
mention it too him." She watched Pippin play for a few minutes, pursing 
her lips thoughtfully. "Is he upset?"

"Yes." Merry said. 

"I knew he would be." Nel said. "It would break my heart to hurt him like 
that." 

"They can't make us get married if we don’t want to, can they?" Merry 
regretted the words as soon as they were out, and when Pimpernel's eyes 
flashed, he cursed himself, and the ale. 

"Do you not want to?" She asked. 

"It is not that." Merry said, trying to get his ale-muddled brain to choose 
the words carefully. "I was concerned that you would not want to." 

Nel eyed him suspiciously, and looked like she thought Merry was the 
biggest liar west of the Brandywine. 

"I would want to, if I did not know better." She said. 

"What?" 

"Oh, Meriadoc. You are my cousin, and I love you dearly" Nel said. She 
reached up and touched his face lightly. "You are more than pretty 
enough, and you are very sweet. And you will be the Master of Brandy 
Hall one day. I would have nothing to lose." 

"But?" Merry asked. 

"Pippin stole your heart the day he was born." She said. "There is no room 
in there for me." 


***TBC***

TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin with a heavy dash of Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: PG/PG-13 
SUMMARY: A bit of fun before and during the Long-Expected Party. 
Merry tries to ignore the obvious, Pippin is a brat, and Merry is awfully 
suspicious of Frodo and Sam.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. Portions of Bilbo's speech, from The Fellowship of the Ring, belong 
solely to J.R.R Tolkien and his Estate (©1954, 1965, and 1982) 
WARNING: almost-slash. They are not there yet, but they are getting 
close. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1401 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 11, Merry 
is 19, Sam is 21, and Frodo is 32/33

********************************************************

Chapter 5

"Bilbo is up to something." Frodo said quietly. 

"How do you know that?" Merry asked, eyeing Frodo over the rim of his 
teacup.

"I just do." Frodo said simply. He sipped his tea, and picked half-heartedly 
at the edge of his scone. "He has been talking about seeing mountains 
again, in a way that makes me think he means too." 

Frodo looked up at the sound of Samwise coming through the kitchen, and 
watched him as he set a bag of potatoes on the floor. He pursed his lips 
thoughtfully at Sam, his fingers still fiddling with the scone. 

"Are the scones not to your liking, Mister Frodo?" Samwise asked, 
looking like he would lay down and die if Frodo said they were not.

"Hmm?" Frodo said. "Oh, no Samwise, the scones are delicious." Merry 
noted that Frodo had yet to take a bite of his. Sam noted this too, by his 
expression, but was not about to contradict Frodo. "I am just…" 

"Beggin' your pardon, Mister Frodo." Sam said when Frodo trailed off. "I 
could help hearing you and Mister Merry speaking." He shifted 
uncomfortably, looking like he expected reproach for eavesdropping. "But 
you shouldn't take on so, Mister Frodo. You really shouldn't."

"No, Sam?" Frodo asked. Merry noted a hint of amusement in Frodo's 
voice. 

"Not that I am knowing anythin', Mister Frodo." Sam said. "But no. Mister 
Bilbo is a mite old to be taking off anywhere or traipsing up mountains. 
And he will be even older in a week, if you are takin' my meaning. I know 
that Mister Bilbo has been acting a bit queer and all, but I think that all 
this fuss about the party has gotten him wound up." 

"You are probably right, Sam." Frodo said absently. Sam beamed at the 
praise, and then patted Frodo's shoulder lightly. Frodo reached up and 
squeezed Sam's hand, and then turned his attention back to the scone. 
"Sam is probably right." Merry put it. Something about Sam patting Frodo 
struck him as odd, but Merry didn't get a chance to ponder it.

Merry's chair rocked violently, and the air was knocked out of him as 
Pippin vaulted into his lap. It had been a tight squeeze. Pippin's back had 
jostled the table into Frodo, making Frodo's chair tip backwards 
dangerously. Frodo had not landed on the floor because Sam had been 
quick. 

"Master Peregrin!" Sam exclaimed loudly, holding the back of Frodo's 
chair with white knuckles. "You are too big for all that flying about. You 
upset the table, and you nearly put Mister Frodo here on the floor." He 
stayed next to Frodo's chair, as if he expected Pippin to send it flying 
again. 

"I am sorry." Pippin said excitedly, bouncing in Merry's lap. "I was just 
happy to see Merry." He touched his nose to Merry's, and wrinkled it. 

"You have been seein' Mister Merry all day, everyday, for near a week 
now." Sam said crossly. "Were you thinkin' that he disappeared while you 
were out tramplin' though Mister Bilbo's garden?"

"Pip." Merry said, with an exasperate sigh. "I told to stay out of the 
garden." 

"I didn't." Pippin said. His tone was a bit too defensive for his innocent 
expression. 

"Pippin, Sam would not have saiyou were in the garden if you'd not been." 

"Just one time. I was chasing a duck." Pippin explained. "It wasn't my 
fault that it ran through the garden." 

"But it is your fault that you continued to chase it though the garden, when 
I told you to stay out of the garden. There will be nothing to eat if you rip 
up all of Bilbo's vegetables."

"Sorry, Merry." Pippin said, and hugged Merry around the neck. 

Merry leaned around Pippin to ask Frodo something, but his words caught 
in his mouth. Sam had snatched his hand up and stuffed it in his pocket. It 
looked like Sam had been holding Frodo's hand. Merry studied the pair, 
btu they were both wearing unreadable expressions. They were also 
pointedly not looking at Merry. 

Abruptly, Merry forgot about Sam and Frodo, as a familiar tingling started 
growing low in his belly.

Pippin, who had wanted to know what Merry was looking at, had twisted 
around in his lap to look behind him. Merry growled quietly as Pippin 
wiggled, and shifted uncomfortably, cursing the stirring in his pants. 
Recently, the thing had grown a mind of its own, and often sprang to life 
with little to no provocation. And Pippin, who was always crawling all 
over him, was constantly bumping the thing and waking it up. 

"Pippin." He said gently. "Why don’t you go play?" He needed Pippin off 
his lap, and quickly. If is cousin kept bouncing around on his crotch, 

Merry was going to have a lot of explaining to do, and he was not entirely 
sure he could explain it himself. 

"Will you play with me?" Pippin asked. 

"I have to help Frodo and Sam with the party." Merry said, shifting again. 
Pippin started to slide out of his lap, and he grabbed Merry's shoulders and 
started to inch himself back up Merry's legs. Merry groaned inwardly, and 
put his hands on Pippin's legs to stop him before his rump landed on 
something that he didn't need to know about. 

"But there is no one to play with." Pippin pouted. "I don’t like playing 
alone."

"Pippin." Merry said, warning. 

"Can I stay in here with you? I will be good." Pippin looked at him 
through his lashes. Merry sighed, but forced himself not to go soft. 

"No, Pippin." He said. "Go on. I will come out a play with you in a 
minute." 

Pippin stared at Merry for a minute thoughtfully, trying to decide it Merry 
was sending him away because he was angry with him. Merry kissed 
Pippin's forehead reassuringly, then looked over at Frodo again, trying to 
see if he had been crazy about that hand-holding business, but the moment 
was gone. Sam was in the corner of the kitchen, peeling the potatoes, and 
Frodo poking at his scone like was actually thinking about eating it. 

"Promise? You will come outside?" Pippin asked. 

"Yes, dearheart." Merry said. "If you promise to stay out of the garden." 

"No garden." Pippin said, turning quickly to give Sam's back a sour look. 

Merry turned Pippin's face back towards him, and gave him a stern look, 
holing Pippin's chin so that he had to look him in the eye. Pippin blushed a 
deep red. "I promise." 

"Alright. Be good." Merry said as Pippin slid off his lap. 

Pippin reached up and tugged at one of Merry's sandy curls. "You won't 
forget?" He asked. Merry shook his head. Pippin reached up and hugged 
Merry around the neck. He pulled back and gave Merry a quick kiss on the 
lips before bounding out the kitchen door. 

Merry was silent as he watched Pippin leave, and touched his lips with his 
fingers. 

******

"What did you do?" Merry asked angrily. He put his hands on his hips, 
and glared at his young cousin. 

"Nothing." Pippin said, shifting back and forth on his feet nervously. He 
kept shooting glances over his shoulder, like he expected the whole 
household to come barreling through the door. Merry was sure they would 
be at the door shortly.

"Bilbo wouldn't be mad if you didn't do anything."

"It was an accident, Merry. Honest." Pippin's eyes got big, and his bottom 
lip quivered. He ran full force into Merry, and squeezed him. 

"Pippin Took." Merry began, but stopped short when he heard footsteps 
down the hall. He motioned for Pippin to get under the bed. He climbed on 
top of the bed, and opened a book. 

"I love you." Pippin whispered from under the bed. 

"Shhh!" Merry hissed. 

The door opened without a knock, producing Bilbo, who was as near to 
being in a lather as Merry had ever seen. He eyed Merry suspiciously, and 
glanced about the room. 

"Bilbo." Merry said pleasantly, looking up from the book. He saw that he 
had opened the book upside down, and hoped Bilbo wouldn't notice.

"Don’t you 'Bilbo' me." The old hobbit said shortly. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" Merry asked.

"That fool of a Took cousin of yours." Bilbo rapped soundly on the door 
of the stand-up wardrobe. He yanked the door open and batted at the 
clothes before turning back to Merry and fixing him with a level look. "I 
know he is in here."

"In here?" 

"Well, where else would he be?" Bilbo asked. "Frodo wouldn't hide him 
from me, and young Samwise is as furious at him as I am."

"Honestly, Bilbo. I haven't seen him." 

"Nonsense. Whenever he needs protecting, you are the one he goes to." 

Merry had to laugh, as Bilbo was speaking the truth. "What did he do this 
time?" He asked.

"He went tearing through the party grounds like a dragon was after him. 
He knocked over two party tables, cart of apples and upset the riggings for 
one of the pavilions." 

"I am sorry, Bilbo." Merry was. "When I see him, I will speak to him." 
That was the truth. As soon as Bilbo left, he was going to pull Pippin out 
from under the bed by his curly hair. 

Bilbo narrowed his eyes at Merry. Then he snorted. Loudly. "When you 
see him, you will kiss him, and tell him that he is your favorite cousin, and 
maybe, maybe, if you are feeling particularly cross, you will yank on one 
of his curls." Bilbo snorted again. 

"Bilbo--" Merry began, but was cut off by a silencing gesture from the old 
hobbit. 

"You are too soft on him Meriadoc." 

"I know, Bilbo." Merry said. "I can’t help it sometimes." 

"You need to help it." Bilbo said with an exasperated sigh. "You took over 
raising him the day he was born. No one else can tame him, Meriadoc, so 
you had better start taming him yourself." 

"Yes, Bilbo." Merry said quietly. "I will. And, I will go help with the mess 
he made on the party grounds." 

"No need." Bilbo said. "Young Samwise did it already. Which is why he is 
fit to switch Pippin's bottom himself." Merry nodded at Bilbo, but a surge 
of anger passed through him. Sam was fit to switch Pippin's bottom, was 
he? Merry would tan Sam's hide himself if he did. 

Of course, Frodo might have a better idea on what to do with Sam's hide, 
by the way things were looking.

"Fine, then." Bilbo said. "I will leave him to you, if I can trust that you 
give him more of a punishment than hugging him to death." Bilbo kicked 
the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, and cocked his head as if expecting 
to hear a squeak from inside. Then he narrowed his eyes at Merry, and 
walked out of the room. 

Pippin crawled out from under the bed as soon as Bilbo left. He stood at 
the side of the bed, watching Merry with wide, wet eyes. Merry stared 
back at him with a blank face, making Pippin uncomfortable. 

"I love you." Pippin said quietly, kicking one foot back and forth 
sheepishly. He looked at Merry's angry face, and dropped his eyes to the 
floor. 

"You always love me right after you have set the kitchen on fire." Merry 
said. He swung his legs over the bed and sat on the edge, right in front of 
Pippin. 

"But Merry." He took a step closer to Merry and looked up at him, smiling 
prettily.

"No." Merry grabbed Pippin by the shoulders, and held him at arms' 
length. "You listen." Merry said, carefully not looking directly in to those 
big green eyes so he could remain firm. "If you don’t start behaving 
yourself, you are leaving." 

"No!" Pippin screamed, yanking away from Merry's grasp violently. He 
searched Merry's face to see if he was making his usual type of half-
hearted threats, but saw a sternness in Merry's face that he had not seen 
before. 

"Don’t send me away, Merry. Please." Pippin started to cry. He threw 
himself on the bed next to Merry, and wrapped his arms around Merry's 
thigh. 

"Then behave!" Merry said. "Otherwise, I am sending you home." 

"But I am home."

"What?" Merry asked, thinking he had not heard him rightly. 

"Home is wherever you are." Pippin said, before releasing Merry's leg and 
burying his face in the coverlet, sobbing. 

Merry choked, and thought his heart was going to burst. He reached over 
and stroked Pippin's hair. "Don’t cry, Pip. Please don't cry." He knew he 
was going soft on him just like Bilbo had told him he would, but he 
couldn't help it. Pippin words had hit so deeply that he was shaking. 
"You don't love me." Pippin said into the coverlet. 

"Of course I love you." Merry said, trying to pull him in his lap. Pippin 
shrugged him off. "Why would you think that I don't?" He asked shakily. 
When Pippin had pulled away from him it had felt like someone had 
stabbed him in the heart. 

"Because you want to send me away."

"I don’t want to, but I am going to have to if you don’t start behaving 
yourself." Merry said. 

"No, you just don’t love me." Pippin looked up from the coverlet briefly, 
only to drop his head back down on the wet spot he had made with his 
tears. 

"Come here." Merry said, pulling at him again. Grudgingly, Pippin 
crawled up on top of Merry and laid on his chest. "I love you, Pippin. 
Always." He hugged Pippin close, but in the back of his mind he hoped 
that Pippin did not start squirming and wiggling, and wake something up 
like he had early. 

"Then why do you want to send me away from you." Pippin asked. He 
looked up, digging his chin into Merry's chest. 

"Because." Merry said. "Bilbo was right. I did take over raising you. But 
sometimes I love you so much it is hard for me to raise you right. So either 
you behave so I can raise you, or I will have to send you back home." 

"But I am home." Pippin said again, laying his head back down. 
It was Merry's turn to cry. Shaking, he stroked Pippin's back, and let the 
tears flow freely. What had he done to make Pippin love him so much? 

"Why are you crying, my Merry?" Pippin asked, when the force of Merry's 
sobs had been too strong to ignore. "Are you crying because I was bad?" 
He reached up and touched Merry's face, wiping away his tears. He moved 
up and laid his head on Merry's shoulder. 

"No, honey." Merry said, squeezing his cousin. Pippin was breathing on 
his neck. His breath was warm, but it made Merry shiver. "I just love you. 
That's all." 

"I love you, too." Pippin said. 

******

Frodo peeked into the guestroom that Merry had taken, and shook his 
head. He closed the door and walked back down the hallway, shaking his 
head again. 

"Is he in there?" Bilbo asked as Frodo passed him. 

"He is." Frodo said, chuckling. 

"I knew Merry was hiding him." Bilbo said. "I don’t know why he protects 
him that fool of a Took like he does." 

Frodo decided not to point out that Bilbo was half a Took himself, nor did 
he reply to the old Hobbit's comment. He thought he knew why Merry was 
so protective if the boy, but he wasn't sure yet. 

Frodo wasn't sure if Merry understood it himself, yet. 

"He will understand when Pippin grows up a bit, if he lets himself." Frodo 
muttered. 

"What was that, my boy?" Bilbo asked. 

"Oh, nothing, Bilbo." Frodo replied. "I didn’t say anything." 

"So what was his punishment?" Bilbo wondered. "Did Merry hug him to 
death, like I said he would?" 

"Oh no. Much more serious." Frodo said with a smile. Bilbo raised an 
eyebrow, and Frodo winked. "They are taking a nap together."

******

Merry ventured into the kitchen, yawning. Pippin had bounded out the 
door after their nap, eager to find new mischief. Merry had promised 
Pippin that he would join him, but he decided that he wanted a cup of tea 
before he went. 

He needed a cup of tea. Badly. 

He filled the teakettle and paced as it warmed. He needed to relax, and he 
needed to think. The tea will help, he thought. And maybe a scone. He 
made a perfunctory search of the kitchen for a leftover scone, but he knew 
that he didn't really want a one. 

He scowled at the teakettle for not getting hot fast enough. Then he cursed 
at himself, knowing that he didn't really want the tea anymore than he 
wanted a scone. 

He wanted ten minutes away from Pippin so he could sort himself out. 
Pippin had dozed immediately, but Merry had not fallen asleep right away. 
Bilbo's words had haunted him as he lay there, because he knew that the 
old hobbit was right. No one else could tame Pippin, and it was his fault. 
The boy loved him fiercely.

"I spend to much time with him." Merry muttered to himself. 

He had always spent too much time with him, since Pippin was three days 
old. Whenever the families visited, Merry and Pippin woke up together, 
fell asleep together, and spent the intervening hours together. It had not 
been a problem at first, since the families only visited about once a month, 
but then it had gotten worse. 

One day, when Pippin was close to seven, the Thain had shown up at 
Brandy Hall with the boy, completely unannounced. The Thain had 
returned to the Smials that night, and had left Pippin behind. Pippin had 
become plain unfit to live with, and the Thain had hoped that an extended 
stay with his beloved cousin would straighten him out. 

Pippin had returned to the Smials about three weeks later, when Merry's 
family had traveled there for Pervinca's birthday. But when Merry's family 
made to return to Brandy Hall, the Thain had asked if Merry could stay for 
a few weeks. Surprisingly, his parents had agreed. 

The two had never been apart after that. The Thain had returned Merry to 
Brandy Hall, only to leave Pippin there, and then a few weeks later, 
Saradoc had returned Pippin to the Smials, leaving Merry there. 

Now that Merry was old enough to make the trip without an elder, neither 
set of parents played a part in it. He and Pippin traveled back and forth 
between Brandy Hall and the Smials every few weeks, with periodic stops 
at Bag End. It was a strange arrangement, but no one ever talked about it, 
at least not in front of the Thain or the Master of Brandy Hall. 

Part of Merry wanted to blame the Thain, as he had been the reason that he 
and Pippin had been together everyday for the last four years, but his heart 
was not in it. He knew that the Thain had been doing what he had thought 
was best for the boy. And his parent's had agreed to it for the same reason. 
The tea was finally ready, but Merry was not interested anymore. 

Merry poured the tea, only because he had gone to the trouble of making 
it, but left it on the table untouched. All he wanted to do was cry. 
He just wasn't strong enough. Pippin had some kind of magical hold over 
him. One look, one smile, one batted eyelash, and Merry would forgive 
him anything. And he loved Pippin too dearly. He couldn't bear to yell at 
him, and it broke his heart to see him upset. 

He knew needed to send him away. He should send him back to the 
Smials, alone, so the Thain could beat some sense into him before it was 
too late. 

Merry sighed, and lifted the teacup to his lips, reconsidering. He could not 
send Pippin away. The boy would not be able to bear it. He loved Merry 
too much. If Merry sent him home he would likely hide in his room crying 
for a month, heartbroken and bitter. 

Then, Merry slammed his fist down on Bilbo's kitchen table because he 
knew he was making excuses. I have to, he thought. It is for his own good. 
He will be upset, but he will get over it. 

Then he shivered, as he remembered what Pippin had said to him when he 
had threatened to send him away. 

But I am home. Home is wherever you are. 

A warmth spread through him as he heard Pippin's words in his head, a 
feeling of pure joy so strong that he thought it would kill him. He couldn't 
send Pippin away, because the boy loved him too much. It wouldn’t be 
fair to him. Merry would just have to do the best he could, because Pippin 
couldn’t live without him. 

Then Merry did cry. He realized that he couldn’t live without Pippin, 
either, and it scared him.

  
******

Merry set the teakettle in the sink, and splashed cold water on his face. If 
Pippin saw his red, swollen face he would know that Merry had been 
crying, and Merry did not want to explain. 

He made to leave, but stopped when he heard voices in down one of the 
hallways. He padded softly towards the hallway, wondering who was 
inside then there was so much outside that still needed to be done. 
He peered around the corner, and saw that it was Frodo and Sam. They 
were standing about halfway down the hallway, talking close and quietly. 
Merry strained his ears to hear what they were saying, but was unable. He 
was about to go back to the kitchen, but stopped and stared. 

Frodo reached out and touched Sam's arm, rubbing it lightly as he spoke to 
him. Sam nodded at whatever Frodo had said, and dropped his eyes 
bashfully. Then he brushed a hand along Frodo's cheek lightly, and 
touched his hair. Frodo rubbed Sam's arm a little more, then slid his hand 
down Sam's arm and squeezed his hand. 

Merry ducked back out of the hallway, shaking his head ruefully. 

Apparently, he would have to leave Sam's hide to Frodo. 

******

"Mister Bilbo does know how to put on a party, make no mistake." 

Samwise said to nobody in particular. 

"That he does." Fatty Bolger murmured into his ale mug.

"And Bilbo could not have done it without you." Frodo said to Sam, who 
blushed bright red and studied the contents of his mug. "You or your 
Gaffer." 

"I just helped out here and there." Sam said softly. 

"A little bit?" Frodo choked on the roll he had been nibbling at. "Here and 
there?" 

"Like I said, Mister Frodo." Sam said. "Here and there, and my Gaffer was 
doin' more than I."

"Don't you listen to him, lads." Frodo said to Fatty and Merry. "He set up 
all the tables and chairs himself, and half the pavilions." Sam was 
extremely uncomfortable with the way Frodo was carrying on, but Frodo 
was beaming enough for the both of them. "And I am willing to bet that he 
cooked more than his fair share of the food, though he won’t admit it."

"Please, Mister Frodo, you are making me bashful." 

You weren't complaining when he made you bashful in the hallway, 
Samwise Gammgee. Merry thought with a smirk.

"Well, he is right, Sam." Merry said aloud. "You never take credit when it 
is due to you." 

Sam was about to respond, but was cut off my Fatty, who clucked his 
tongue loudly. 

"Don’t turn around, but there is a wild Took running this way." Fatty said. 

"Prepare yourself to get hugged to death." Frodo quipped to Merry, 
pausing in the act of buttering his roll to wiggle the knife at Merry. 

"Perhaps I should change chairs, before he tries to knock me on my back 
again." 

"No, he looks intent on something." Fatty said. "I think he means to run 
right past here." 

"We will see about that." Merry said. He did not turn towards where 
Pippin was running from, and tried to appear oblivious. Fatty, who was 
watching Pippin over the rim of his mug, held a hand up, telling Merry to 
be ready. Merry waited, watching Fatty. 

Fatty gave a quick nod, and Merry's arm flew out. His arm caught Pippin 
in the middle, stopping him with a grunt. Merry swung his legs onto the 
other side of the bench to face him. 

"And where do you think you are going?" Merry asked his young cousin.

"Nowhere." Pippin said innocently. 

"You were going nowhere awfully fast." Fatty observed. 

Merry turned to wink at Fatty. Pippin peered over Merry's shoulder, 
narrowed his eyes at Fatty, and stuck out his tongue. Merry turned around 
just as Pippin was putting his tongue away. Merry reached out and 
pinched Pippin's tongue between two fingers. 

"Methy." Pippin said, around Merry's fingers. "Yool hurthing mei."

"You apologize to Fatty." Merry said. 

"Sothy, Fathy." Pippin said. Merry nodded, and released Pippin's tongue. 

"That's better." Merry said. Pippin looked woefully embarrassed. Merry 
pulled him close and kissed his nose. "Now where were you going in such 
a hurry?" 

"Just over there." Pippin waved vaguely. "I wasn't going to do anything, 
honest. Gandalf said he would turn me into a lizard if I caused trouble." 

"A lizard?" Frodo said. "Horrible." Then he buried his face in his mug. 
Merry was sure he was laughing. Pippin was sure of it, too, from the look 
he shot Frodo over Merr's shoulder. 

Merry forgot Pippin momentarily to study Frodo and Sam. They were 
sitting quite close together, and by the angle of Frodo's arm, it looked like 
he had his hand under the table and on Sam's knee. 

"I promise, Merry. I have been good all day." Merry turned back around 
and eyed Pippin suspiciously. 

"Which usually means you'll be makin' up for it before bed." Sam replied. 
Merry looked back at Sam in shocked amusement, and wondered if Sam 
had had an ale to many. Sam was usually as proper with Pippin as he was 
with Merry and Frodo, simply because he was the son of the Thain. 

"Please, Merry." Pippin said. "I was just going to go play with Rosco 
Goodbody and his brother." He looked at Merry through his lashes, and 
smiled prettily. 

"Go on." Merry said. "But be good. If you start trouble, I will let Gandalf 
turn you into a toad." 

"Lizard." Fatty reminded. 

Pippin trotted a few paces of, then turned back around to smile at Merry 
for good measure. 

"You've as much spine around that boy as a pile of bed linens." Fatty 
observed. 

Merry stuck his tongue out at Fatty himself. Fatty laughed uproariously, 
and ale came out of Frodo's nose. 

"You stay away from that Party Tree." Merry called in warning, when he 
noticed Pippin loitering where he had stopped. Pippin had tried to climb it 
no less than four times, and each time had been disengaged by an 
infuriated elder, who had marched the imp back to Merry. With a lecture 
for him, for not keeping a better eye on the boy. 

Pippin turned, took a few more steps, and turned back around. 

"I love you." He called, before dashing off. 

Everyone at the table groaned. 

"What?" Merry said, an inexplicable rush of heat rising to his face. "Can’t 
the boy love me?"

"Oh, the boy loves you." Sam slurred. Sam had definitely had one too 
many. "But when tells you like that, all random, I'd be keepin' an eye out, 
and make no mistake."

Merry's response was cut off by a shriek, coming from the direction of 
where Pippin had run off, followed by someone yelling 'fool boy'. Fatty 
caught Merry's eye and gave him a sympathetic, knowing look. Merry 
dropped his head in his hands and shook it, muttering. 

"Meriadoc Brandybuck!" Merry's head came up with a jerk. Odo 
Proudfoot was hobbling towards them, and looked fit to be tied.

"Time to protect the boy." Frodo said. 

"But who is going to protect me?" Merry asked, and steeled himself to 
deal with Odo Proudfoot. 

******

"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday: I am eleventy-one 
today!" 

"He is not going to go on all night, is he?" Pippin yawned. 

"I don’t think so." Merry said, kissing Pippin fondly. The boy was sitting 
in his lap, with his back against Merry's chest so he could see Bilbo. 
Merry had one arm around Pippin's waist, and his other hand, which was 
holding one of Pippin's, was resting on Pippin's leg. 

"I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am." 

The group cheered. Pippin yawned. Fatty, who was sitting next to them, 
raised his mug and shouted something that Merry could not hear over the 
din. He took a deep draught, and slammed his mug on the table for effect. 
Sam clapped perfunctorily. He was looking over at where Frodo was 
sitting at the head of the table, rather than at Bilbo. 

Pippin jerked in his lap, and pulled his hand away from Merry's to point 
and clap excitedly. A group of Merry and Pippin's younger relatives had 
started playing a dance tune with the instruments that they had received as 
party favors. Suddenly, Everard Took and Melilot Brandybuck hopped on 
the table and started dancing. Pippin jumped from Merry's lap and fished 
his flute out of his pocket, but Merry grabbed him and pulled him back. 

"Merry." He whined.

"I shall not keep you long." Bilbo said, silencing Pippin, and stopping 
what had been rapidly becoming one of the dancing nights in Tolman 
Cotton's barn. The crowd cheered at that, no one wanted to listen to any 
more of this than they had to. "I have called you here for a Purpose." 

Pippin yawned again, and settled back into Merry's lap. Merry squeezed 
Pippin's hand, and then started tracing lazy circles on it with his fingertips. 
Pippin twisted his head up to kiss Merry's chin, before yawning again 
settling back on Merry's chest.

Merry looked up to say something to Fatty, and saw Jorman Chubb 
looking at him with a disdainful expression on his face. He nodded his 
head to Jorman, but Jorman continued to stare. 

"You know something, Meriadoc?" Jorman asked, leaning across the table 
so that Merry could hear him over Bilbo's meandering. 

"What’s that, Jorman?" Merry asked flatly. He didn’t really care, but 
Jorman looked like he was going to tell him anyway. 

"People are going to start thinking you are buggering the boy, the way you 
two are always carrying on." Jorman said, favoring Merry and Pippin with 
a disgusted frown. 

"What" Merry said. He sat up straight in his chair. Pippin, who had not 
really heard Jorman, looked back up at Merry questioningly. Merry 
stroked Pippin's hair to soothe him, shooting Jorman a furious look while 
he was doing it. 

"You heard me, Brandybuck." Jorman said. "You are always hugging him 
and holding his hand like he was a lass. I wouldn’t be surprised if you kiss 
him goodnight like he was a lass, too." 

"Leave off, Chubb. I don’t like the tone of your voice." Fatty warned, 
hefting his now empty ale mug. He didn't always approve of how 
affectionate Merry and Pippin were, but he didn't like anyone else saying 
anything about it. "And mind what you say in front of the boy." 

"Don't you worry about my tone, Fredegar Bolger." Jorman said, though 
he was eyeing Fatty's mug warily. "And I ain't saying nothing in front of 
the boy that he don't already know about." Jorman made another disgusted 
face. "Probably knows more about it than I do, young as he is, by the way 
Meriadoc looks at him."

"You had best shut your filthy mouth." Merry hissed. "Or I'll shut it for 
you." At first he had been willing to shake Jorman's words off, as it was 
plain the older hobbit was far into his cups, but his anger was quickly 
moving from a slow burn to a roiling boil. 

"And what if I don't?" Jorman said. "If you ask me, the Thain made a bad 
call, giving him over to you, while you do Eru-only-knows-what to him at 
night." 

Fatty, quicker than one would have thought for his wits, leaned over and 
pulled Pippin to him just as Merry started out of his chair. Pippin fussed, 
but Fatty silenced him with a stern word, and tried to turn the lad's 
attention back to Bilbo. 

Merry looked like he intended to pull Jorman over the table, Bilbo in the 
middle of a speech or not, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

"Are you havin' a problem with this gentlehobbit, Mister Merry?" Sam 
asked. His tone was unruffled, like he was asking Merry if he wanted 
another helping of meat pie. "I would be glad to take him outside and 
straighten him out, so you won’t be havin' to miss the party, or leave 
Mister Pippin." 

Merry looked over to see that Jorman had leaned back in his seat, and was 
glowering into his ale mug. He had thought he would be tangling with 
Merry, or Fatty. 

Sam was built sturdier than most hobbits to begin with, but long years of 
physical work had made him muscle from head to toe and all the way 
across. Sam could toss more than his own weight hands over head, without 
even breaking a sweat. Jorman, who was a head shorter than Sam and 
blubber all the way through, was not about take his chances with Samwise 
Gammgee. 

"Are you sure, Mister Merry?" Sam asked, in the same unruffled tone, 
eyeing Jorman sideways. "It wouldn't take more than a minute, and 
wouldn't be no bother at all." 

"Thank you, Sam. Really." Merry said, reaching out as Fatty handed 
Pippin back over to him like he was a sack of meal. "But I think Jorman 
knows that he spoke out of turn." 

"You let me know if you decide otherwise, Miser Merry." Sam said. 

"Mister Frodo would take on something fierce if Mister Bilbo's party was 
ruined because somebody's had a bit more of the Tuckborough that was 
good for him." 

Sam gave Jorman a pointed look. "My Gaffer would take on too, and I 
can't be havin' that." Another pointed look. "I won’t be havin' that, make 
no mistake." 

Merry reached up and patted Sam's arm gratefully, and deeply regretting 
thinking about tanning his hide. 

"I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like," Bilbo said, 
unaware that there had almost been a tavern brawl in the middle of his 
party, "and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." 

Merry crinkled his brow, wondering if Bilbo had finally gone off his 
rocker. Fatty had a confused expression on his face, like he was trying to 
work out what Bilbo had been at. Only Sam was unmoved by Bilbo's 
nonsense. He was busy keeping an eye on Jorman Chubb. 

"Merry." Pippin murmured sleepily. "Tell Bilbo to get on with it so we can 
drink to his health and go to sleep." 

Merry laughed, and kissed Pippin's brow. He caught Jorman Chubb 
looking at him while trying to act like he wasn't. Merry caught Jorman's 
eye deliberately, and kissed Pippin again for his benefit. Jorman curled his 
lip at Merry, but became very interested in Bilbo again when Sam cleared 
his throat. 

"Thirdly and finally, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT." Bilbo 
shouted. Merry eyed the old hobbit curiously. Frodo might not have been 
cracked about the him being up to something. He looked rather fidgety, 
and was fiddling with something in his pocket. 

"I regret to announce that--though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too 
short a time to spend among you--this is the END."

Merry saw Frodo sit straight up in his chair, and look worriedly at the old 
hobbit. Sam made a strangled sound behind him, and clutched the back of 
Merry's chair. 

"I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOODBYE!" 

Bilbo took a step off the platform, and vanished. 

Merry looked over at Frodo, who paled visibly and looked positively 
stricken. 

Then there was a bright flash of light. 

Merry looked over at Gandalf, who looked more than a little guilty. 
There was a brief moment of silence, before chaos erupted and everyone 
started talking at once. Sam shifted behind him, seemingly torn between 
comforting Frodo and protecting Pippin's honor. 

"Go on, Sam." Merry said gently. "You go to him." 

"Where did Bilbo go?" Pippin asked in awe.

"He is off to see the mountains." Merry said softly. Frodo was right all 
along. .

"That was a neat trick." Pippin said. "I bet Gandalf did it." 

Merry didn't take that bet. He had caught onto Bilbo's secret years ago. 

"Will Frodo be alright?" Pippin asked, his sweet, childish face clouding 
with worry.

He looked over at Frodo, who was trying to put on a brave face. Sam was 
kneeling in front of him, holding one of his hands and speaking softly too 
him. 

And Merry smiled. 

"Oh, I think Frodo will be just fine."

***TBC***

TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin and some Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: PG-13 
SUMMARY: It's Merry's birthday. He upsets Pippin, drinks too much, and 
makes a huge miscalculation. Frodo and Sam are meddling busybodies, 
but they mean well.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Pre-slash, very brief het content. 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1405 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 15, Merry 
is 23, Sam is 25, and Frodo is 37. 

********************************************************

Chapter 6

"Happy Birthday, Meriadoc." 

Merry opened one eye, and narrowed it blearily at the not-quite-so-little-
anymore hobbit that was pinning him to the bed. Pippin smiled winningly, 
and kissed Merry's nose. Merry opened the other eye, and narrowed it too, 
but Pippin seemed not to notice. He tugged one of Merry's sandy curls 
hard, and pinched him. 

"Oi, Pip." Merry grunted, batting the pinching fingers away. "It is early for 
that." He grunted again when Pippin moved to straddle his waist, digging 
his rump into his stomach. 

"But it is your birthday." Pippin said, bouncing excitedly. Merry grunted 
once more when Pippin's bouncing set off a tingling in his groin. It was 
early for that, too. 

"So what do you want for your birthday?" Pippin asked. 

"I want to go back to sleep." Merry said, frowning at the sun as it glared at 
him through the window. 

"Fine, grumpy." Pippin said, too cheerfully for the early hour. Pippin laid 
down on top of him, and slid off to curl up in the crook of his arm. 

"Fine." Merry said. He winced as Pippin's leg brushed his half-awake 
cock, and his breath caught, hoping Pippin didn't notice. Pippin didn't 
notice, but Merry was still uneasy. If it kept happening, he was going to 
notice. 

"Go to sleep, then." Pippin said. 

Merry did.

******

"Happy Birthday, Meriadoc." 

Merry opened an eye, but was surprised to find that the familiar weight 
sitting on him was not Pippin. 

It was a tray of food.

"What's this?" Merry asked. 

"Breakfast in bed." Pippin announced. He sat down on the bed next to 
Merry, and waited, a bit impatiently, for his cousin to lift the cloth off the 
tray. 

"Oh, I love you." Merry said as he lifted the edge of the cloth, catching 
sight of butter scones with a pot of blackberry jelly. 

"I love you, too." Pippin said. "Now, hurry up with that cloth. I am 
starving." 

"Oh!" Merry said, snatching a fork up off the tray, and wielding it like he 
meant to defend his breakfast. "I thought this was my breakfast." 

"Its ours." Pippin said. He snatched a piece of bacon and started nibbling 
on it. Glancing at the tray, he noticed that Pippin had brought an extra 
fork. Giving his cousin a dry look, he handed it to him. 

They ate quietly, intend on the task at hand. Especially Merry, who had 
slept through first breakfast, and needed second breakfast to count twice as 
much. It seemed Pippin had obviously accounted for this, considering the 
amount of food he had brought. 

"Get dressed." Pippin said, laying the tray aside when they had finished 
eating. "I hope you don't think that you are going to lay in bed all day, just 
because it is your birthday." 

"I had thought on it." Merry quipped. 

Laughing, Pippin jumped on him, and started to tickle. Merry screamed, 
and thrashed back and forth. He reached up and tickled Pippin back, who 
howled in delight, but squirmed away deftly. Merry wrapped his arms 
around Pippin's waist and rolled, putting Pippin under him. He tickled his 
cousin back, who kicked and fussed worse than Merry had himself. 

"Stop, stop." Pippin said as Merry tickled, panting. "I can't breathe." He 
thrashed one more time before Merry stopped, bringing his knees up 
sharply. Merry went sliding over Pippin, his head aimed straight for the 
headboard. Merry put out a hand to stop his head from cracking against 
the solid wood. 

His other elbow gave out, dropping his chest onto Pippin's face. Pippin 
kicked in furious protest. Merry used the advantage to tickle him one more 
time, before pushing himself back up on his arms. Just as he started to 
raise up, Pippin shifted again. 

Suddenly, Merry's face was very close to his cousin's. Pippin wrinkled his 
nose at him, and laughed. As he laughed, his breath trailed over Merry's 
lips, making Merry shiver. Pippin's breath trailed over his lips again, and 
his cock responded. 

He sat up quickly, afraid Pippin would feel the it. 

"We should get going." Merry said, a bit shaky. "I have lots of presents to 
give out." He moved to crawl off the bed, and his knee hit something. 
Something hard. 

He looked down to see what it was, and made a strangled sound. 

It was Pippin. 

He didn't want to look at Pippin's face, but he made himself. Pippin, aware 
that Merry had noticed, bit down on his bottom lip, and flushed red to his 
ears. Pippin pulled the coverlet over him to cover his crotch, and then 
dropped his eyes. 

"I am sorry." Merry said, trying to sound light. "Mine does that too, 
sometimes, when it gets bumped or touched. I should have watched what I 
was doing." 

Pippin didn’t say anything, but flushed redder. 

"Pip?" Merry asked. "It is not a big deal. Really, its not." 

"Sometimes, it does it when it hasn't been bumped." Pippin said softly, 
looking up briefly. "Sometimes it does it when I--" He trailed off, looking 
at the coverlet again. 

"When you what?" Merry asked. 

"When I think." Pippin said. 

"Oh." Merry said, not knowing how to respond. Sometimes Merry's cock 
woke up when he thought, but he wasn't about to admit to it. Pippin might 
ask who he thought about, and Merry did not want to tell him. 

"When I think about you." 

Merry opened his mouth, and found that he had forgotten to speak. Or 
think. Or breathe. He tried to process what Pippin had told him, but his 
mind refused. Pippin, the lad that he had loved from the cradle, who he 
had practically raised since the lad was almost seven, was attracted to him. 
Then something in his brain snapped. A thought that had been pushed into 
the corners of his mind, a thought that he had tried desperately to forget, 
woke up. A thought that he had not dared admit because he was afraid it 
would drive him mad, crawled out of the depths of his brain and refused to 
be ignored any longer. 

A thought that his cock had known for years, that Merry had desperately 
been trying to attribute to his body having a mind of his own. 

He wanted Pippin so badly it was driving him insane. 

Quietly, Pippin slid from the bed. He stood next to Merry, studying him 
for a minute. Then, blinking back tears, he touched Merry's arm lightly. 
Merry started to speak, but was unable to form words. Even though his 
cousin had just admitted to feeling the same, Merry could not bring 
himself to say it out loud. 

"I love you, Merry." Pippin said. He waited for a response. None came, 
and hurt darkened his green eyes. Tears started to slide down his cheeks. 
He looked up at Merry, and fled from the room. 

******

Merry had never felt so wretched. 

Pippin wouldn’t talk to him. He wouldn’t look at him. He wouldn’t come 
near him. 

Pippin was avoiding him like he had the pox. 

Merry had searched Brandy Hall for him, but did not find him. Pippin had 
turned up by elevensies, but sat with Hiram Bracegirddle and Tosco 
Grubb. Pippin had eaten like it was his last meal, and had dashed out the 
door before Merry had even buttered his toast. 

Pippin had spent the rest of the day playing, changing locales every so 
often so Merry was unable to keep track of him. If anyone asked him why 
he was out of Merry's company he had told them that Merry was busy 
handing out presents. 

It was late in the evening now, and Merry had spent the entire day alone. 
The party was in full swing, but Merry sat by himself, trying to drown his 
sorrows in a cask of Buckland stout and watching Pippin with a broken 
heart. Pippin was with a group of other boys, playing like it was the last 
chance he would have until the Fourth Age. 

Merry was alone, and it was his own fault. He took a deep draught of ale, 
and cursed himself for a coward and a fool. Pippin was hurt and angry, all 
because he had been too stupid and afraid to tell him the truth. The same 
truth that Pippin had already admitted to him. 

He didn't blame Pippin. Merry had denied his feelings for so long, telling 
himself that they were wrong, that he had been unable to bring himself to 
admit them to Pippin. He had broken Pippin's heart, and it made him want 
to weep. 

He finished his ale, and walked over to the cask to refill it. He finished 
that mug in two draughts, belched loudly, and refilled it again. 

"Easy, lad." Frodo said as he walked up. "It will be a short party if the 
birthday boy wretches all over the birthday cake." 

Merry responded my sucking the ale down, and sticking his mug under the 
spout. He reached for the handle, but found Frodo's hand was in the way. 

"That's enough of that." Frodo said, wrestling the mug away from Merry. 

"Now, why don't you tell me why you and the lad are fighting." 

"Not fighting." Merry slurred, tapping the cask. "Busy drinking." He 
waved in the direction of the playing children. "Busy playing." 

"You two are fighting." Frodo insisted. "Pippin is at least making a good 
show of not being upset. Your mother may be to busy entertaining to 
notice, but you playing the sot on your own birthday is not fooling me." 

Frodo quieted when Sam approached. Sam nodded at Merry, but assessing 
his condition, did not try and engage him in conversation. He and Frodo 
exchanged a few quiet words that Merry could not hear. Frodo touched 
Sam's face, tenderly, but briefly, and Sam walked away. 

Merry saw the look on Frodo's face as he watched Sam walk away, full of 
love and desire. Pippin had looked at him that way his entire life, but 
Merry had never known what it meant. Merry had finally figured it out, 
but Pippin would never look at him that way again, and it made his heart 
feel hollow. 

"Meriadoc." Frodo said, turning back to his cousin. "Tell me what 
happened. 

Merry stayed silent. He reached for his mug, but Frodo gave him a sharp 
shake of the head. Merry sighed, frowning at the keg regretfully. He 
opened his mouth to explain, but the ale had loosed his tongue, and he let 
it wag without thinking. 

"You're in love with Sam." It wasn't a question. Merry was stating a fact. 

Frodo had not been prepared for that. He paused for a moment, 
regrouping. Merry looked abashed for asking, but Frodo felt abashed for 
hesitating. 

"I have been since the day I laid eyes on him." Frodo said. "Just like you 
have been in love with Pippin since the day you stole him from his 
cradle." 

Merry had not been prepared for that. His eyes pricked with unshed tears. 

"How do you know?" 

"How could I not?" Frodo asked. "Probably the same way that you that I 
am in love with Sam. I have been expecting it for years." 

The tears Merry had been holding back escaped. Weeping, Merry fled, 
wanting nothing more than to cry himself to dust. 

******

"Mister Pippin?" Sam called, from a safe distance from where the boys 
were kicking the ball. 

Pippin ran up to Sam, full of feigned eagerness and fake smiles. Sam 
ruffled his hair playfully, and pulled him a bit farther away from the 
crowd. 

"He loves you." Sam said quietly. 

Pippin's expression turned sour. "I don’t want to talk about it." 

"And I am not tryin' to make you." Sam said. "I was just thinkin' that you 
should know."

"He doesn’t, anyway." Pippin said bitterly. 

"Oh, he loves you." Sam said again, his smile warming. 

"No." Pippin stated stubbornly." If he did, he would have said it. I said it 
to him." 

"You have to understand." Sam said. "Sometimes, when you are wantin' 
something that you can't have, you make yourself forget about it so it 
doesn’t make you crazy. And sometimes, you do such a good job of 
forgetting that when you find out that you can have it, you don't know 
what to do." 

"How do you know that?" Pippin asked. 

"Because I did it myself, Mister Pippin." Sam said.

"What?" Pippin asked. "Who?" 

"Never you mind, Mister Pippin." Sam said with a chuckle. "Just trust me 
on this one."

******

Merry was stumbling more than he was walking. Once he had left Frodo, 
he had come upon another ale cask, and had had another two mugs before 
he had spied his mother coming near. Not wanting her to see him drunk, 
and not wanting to explain why, he had started off in a random direction. 
He did not get far. His plan of escaping into the edges of Brandy Hall's 
property and crying himself to death was ruined by a voice calling to him. 

"Merry?" 

He turned quickly, too quickly, and swayed as the world spun. When it 
righted itself, he saw Pimpernel standing a few paces away from him. 

"Nel." He said. She looked beautiful, in her bright blue dress, with her 
auburn curls tamed into perfect ringlets. He shivered, realizing how much 
she looked like Pippin. 

Pimpernel Took. The sister of the lad he loved, and the girl he was 
supposed to marry. 

He could not think of another person he wanted to see less than Nel. 

"You are drunk." She said, dismay lightly touching her voice. 

"I have had one or two." Merry said, flashing her a crooked smile. 

"One or two?" Pimpernel snorted delicately. "And where were you going 
in this condition?" 

"I just wanted to walk." He said. His legs wobbled, and Nel raised an 
eyebrow at him. 

"You should go back to the party." She said. "You should sit." She 
considered him for a moment, and gave a faint smile. "As far away from 
the casks as possible." 

"Nah." He said, and took a few more stumbling steps. He cursed quietly as 
she followed him, but his ale-addled brain could not come up with a way 
to get rid of her without upsetting her. 

She really did look a lot like Pippin, and it was disturbing. 

"Is something wrong, Merry?" She asked. "I have never known you to 
drink overmuch." She looked at him through her lashes, almost coyly. 

Merry paled as she did that, and gasped. He squeezed his eyes tight, trying 
to erase the image from his mind. She looked too much like Pippin as it 
was. Her features were more feminine and delicate, and her face thinner, 
but when she had looked at him that way, like Pippin did when he was 
trying to get out of trouble, the resemblance had been so uncanny that it 
had made his heart stop. 

"Really, Merry. You are worrying me." She said softly. 

"Nah." Merry said again. "It is my birthday. What could be wrong?" 

Nel flashed him a concerned look. She moved closer to him, and touched 
his face, lightly. "You can tell me, Merry." 

Merry grabbed her hand as it left his face. "Nothing is wrong." Merry said. 

He pulled on her hand, bringing her closer to him. 

"Meriadoc." She breathed. He reached up with his other hand and touched 
her lips to silence her. 

Then he kissed her. He just leaned down and dropped his mouth on hers, 
without giving it much thought. She gave a whimper of protest, but did not 
pull away. She leaned into him a bit, and rested her hands lightly on his 
arms. 

Pippin.

He trailed his tongue over her lips, and she opened her mouth to him as he 
slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She tangled 
her fingers in his curls as their tongues touched, and she sucked lightly on 
his lower lip. 

Pippin.

He dipped his tongue back in her mouth again before pulling back to trail 
soft kisses along her jaw. He paused to suck on her earlobe, and ran his 
hands down her back while kissing down her neck. She moaned softly, 
slipping her hands over his chest. He sucked on her neck softly and moved 
his head down and kissed the hollow of her throat. 

"Merry." She breathed. 

"Pippin." 

Nel went stiff and pulled away from him. 

Merry went cold when he realized what he had done. 

Merry didn’t try to pull her back, and he didn’t bother mumbling 
apologies that she wouldn't accept. He dropped his head, and let his arms 
fall to his sides. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and waited. 
Waited for the scathing words, waited for the hand to come flying to his 
face. 

"I told you, Merry." Nel's voice was quivering. 

Merry opened his eyes and looked up to see one, single tear sliding down 
her cheek. He made himself watch it as it traveled down her face, hung 
precariously on her chin, and dropped to the collar of her dress. 

"I told you." She said again, her voice a bit more steady. "I told you that 
he had stolen you heart, and that there was no room left in it for me." 
Merry dropped his eyes again, unable to bear looking at her. 
When he looked up again, she was gone. 
 
***TBC***
 
TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin and a lot of discussion about Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: R 
SUMMARY: It’s the day after Merry's birthday. Merry and Pippin and 
still not speaking, and Frodo and Sam are up to something.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from 
them. 
WARNING: Slash (I know, finally) 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1405 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 15, Merry 
is 23, Sam is 25, and Frodo is 37. This was going to be part of chapter 6, 
but it got entirely too long. 

********************************************************

Chapter 7

"How did it go with Mister Merry?" Sam asked. 

"Not well." Frodo admitted. "How about Pippin?" 

"Stubborn as a Took." Sam said.

Frodo sighed. "Well, love, I will see you at Bag End." He pulled Sam 
close and kissed him fondly. 

"I will be missin' you on the road." Sam said sadly. 

"And I you." Frodo said. 

"Will they be mad at us, you think?" Sam asked. 

"Absolutely." Frodo said with a wicked grin that made Sam smile. "So 
mad they could spit." 

They shared a laugh, and another kiss, and went on to make their mischief. 

******

"Mister Pippin?" Sam called as he passed the young hobbit in the hall. He 
noted that the younger hobbit had a pack slung over his shoulder. "I was 
thinkin' you could have some breakfast with me." 

"Sorry, Sam." Pippin said. "I am leaving for the Smials." 

"Right now, Mister Pippin?" Sam asked. 

"I meant to be gone a half-hour past." 

"You are traveling home?" Sam asked. He paused and worried his lower 
lip with his teeth as if in thought. "Beggin' your pardon, Mister Pippin, but 
I have an idea."

"What is that, Sam?" Pippin sounded a touch impatient.

"Mister Frodo has some business here at Brandy Hall." Sam said carefully. 

"He is like to be stayin' another day or two, but I need to be getting' back 
to Bag End and the gardens." 

"You can't wait for Frodo?" Pippin asked. 

"I can, Mister Pippin, but the vegetables won’t, if you are takin' my 
meaning. If you will wait 'til after breakfast, we could be takin' the trip 
together, at least as far as Bag End."

Pippin was quiet for a few moments, considering. He looked over Sam's 
shoulder to peer down the hallway. 

"You could stay the night before heading for the Smials." Sam offered, 
almost desperately. If Merry happened along, Pippin would run off, and he 
would have to go back to Bag End empty-handed. "Would be savin' you 
sleepin' under a hedge, or payin' on a room at the Green Dragon." 

"Will you make me breakfast in the morning?" Pippin joked. 

"You don't need to be askin' that, Mister Pippin." Sam said with relief. 

"Wouldn't be no bother at all." 

******

"Meriadoc." 

Merry only looked at him. Frodo could by Merry's greenish hue that he 
was regretting last night's foray with the ale casks. 
Among a few other things, by the look on his face." 

"He left a half-hour ago." Merry did not need to tell Frodo who 'he' was. 

"For the Smials." Frodo wasn't asking. His thoughts drifted briefly to Sam, 
who would be saddled with Pippin, and sighed to himself. 

"He didn't even say goodbye." Merry said. "I meant to talk to him, but he 
was just gone."

"I am leaving for Bag End after lunch." He said, trying to sound casual. 

"Would you care to join me? Get away from this place for a few days?"

"You are leaving?" Merry asked, confused. "What about Sam?" 

"Sam left this morning for Michel Delving." Frodo said, delivering the lie 
flawlessly. "He is going to do a bit of gardening at the Mathom-house, at 
the request of Whil Whitfoot."

"Oh." Merry said. "He must be very excited." 

"He nearly in fits when he told me." Frodo said. "This does leave me to 
travel by myself, unless you would be so kind as to join me."

"I doubt I will be fit company." Merry warned. 

"You have rarely been fit company a day in your life." Frodo joked. "Go 
get packed, and meet me after lunch." 

****** 

Sam eyed Pippin sideways as they walked, and chewed at his bottom lip. 
Pippin was lacking his usual carefree, unconcerned demeanor. The 
younger hobbit was pleasant, and chatted with Sam amiably, but his tones 
were clipped and his behavior was worryingly subdued. As disaffected as 
Pippin was trying to act, Merry was weighing heavily on his mind. 

Sam sighed with frustration. Pippin may have been thinking about Merry, 
but he was pointedly not talking about Merry. He had waited half the walk 
to Bag End for Pippin to say something about his cousin, but he had not. 
Every time Sam steered the conversation so that he could bring up Merry, 
Pippin swiveled it back before he got the chance. 

"Beggin' your pardon, Mister Pippin, but I have a question." Sam said. He 
took a deep, steadying breath. "Why did you leave without Mister Merry?" 
Pippin's face grew stony. Sam steeled himself when Pippin's eyes flashed 
angrily, but he did not say anything scathing. 

"I was just wondering." Sam said, lightly. "You have not been out of 
Mister Merry's company for many years, and it has been worryin' me that 
you just ran off like you did, without a word to him. Did he not want to go 
to the Smials?" 

Pippin grunted. 

"Did you have angry words with him, Mister Pippin?" 

"No." Pippin said. "We did not have any words. Angry or otherwise."

"Would I be missin' my guess if I said that was the problem?" Sam asked. 

"That you did not have any words?"

"No." Pippin responded. "That is exactly the problem. Sam smiled, as 
much to Pippin as to himself. 

"Sam." Pippin said after a pause. "What did you mean last night? All that 
about wanting what you can't have, and forgetting to wait?" 

"Oh." Sam said, trying to remember exactly what he had said. He had been 
nervous when Frodo had sent him to talk to Pippin, and had had an ale to 
calm himself before confronting the lad. "I was sayin' that if a person 
works too hard at tryin' to ignore, they're like to forget they were wantin' it 
in the first place."

"But if you truly want something, how can you forget about it?" 

"Not forgettin' like you don't remember it is there." Sam explained. "You 
just make yourself not think about it, so it doesn’t drive you mad." 

"You said that you had done it." Pippin pressed. 

Sam's eyes widened, and he wondered on exactly how much ale had had 
drank before talking to the lad. He could not imagine that he would have 
started prattling on about his own relationship, a relationship that he did 
not speak of to save his Gaffer some embarrassment, when he had been 
send to straighten Pippin out. 

"Everyone has done it, if you are takin' my meaning." Sam offered lamely. 

"But I am talking about you." Pippin insisted. "Who is she?" 

"What?" Sam asked. 

"You told me all that about forgetting and waiting." Pippin said 
impatiently. "And I asked you how you knew, and you said that you had 
done it. The forgetting an waiting." Pippin reached out and squeezed 

Sam's shoulder gently. "Who she is, that you were trying to forget. I won’t 
tell anyone. Not even M…. Frodo." 

Sam smiled despite himself at Pippin's slip. He ruffled the lad's curls 
fondly, and smiled. 

"Well?" Pippin demanded. "Who is she? That Rosie-lass that I have seen 
watching you?" 

"I was not talkin' about anyone in particular." Sam attempted. Pippin did 
not look convinced. "And I was not talking about Rose Cotton when I said 
what I said." 

"Rose is very pretty." Pippin offered. 

"That she is." Sam said. It was true, Rose was a beauty, and had a sweet, 
kind heart. "She likes me, so Mister Frodo tells me." Frodo teased him 
about Rose Cotton in a continual basis. "But it was not her."

"Then what is the problem?" Pippin asked, confused. He didn’t understand 
why older hobbits insisted on making things so difficult.

"I just didn't take to her, if you are takin' my meaning." Sam said. He eyed 
Pippin sideways, and muttered in frustration. 

This conversation was not going the way it was supposed to at all. This 
Took bratling had twisted the entire thing back on him, and Sam had been 
powerless to stop it. Sam wondered how Merry had spent all these years 
with Pippin without becoming a gibbering madman. 

"Why?" Pippin. "I don’t understand. Did she do something wrong?" 

"No, lad." Sam said. "She did not." 

"Then what?" Pippin was so confused and frustrated that he was 
practically screaming, and looked closed to tears. "If she likes you, and 
you think she is pretty, and she hasn't done anything wrong, then what?"

"Like I said, Mister Pippin, I just didn't take to her." Sam said. He took a 
deep breath, and let himself tell Pippin the truth. Its not like he'll be tellin' 
my Gaffer, seein' how he feels about his cousin. 

"I just did not take her to like I took to Mister Frodo."

"What?" Pippin stopped walking to grab Sam by the arm. He pulled the 
gardener around to face him. "Frodo?" 

Sam did not reply, but the crimson color that rushed over Sam, up to the 
scalp gave Pippin his answer.

"You're in love with Frodo?" Pippin asked. Sam nodded. "So that is who 
you were talking about? The forgetting and waiting was about Frodo?"

"It was." Sam said. "I took to Mister Frodo the day we met, though I 
wasn’t knowing' what I was feelin'. As time passed, I think I started 
knowin' what I was feelin', but I ignored it."

"But why?" Pippin screamed, not understanding why Sam would do 
something so preposterous.

"Because I didn’t think I was fittin' for me to be feelin' like I did." Sam 
said. "With me bein' so much younger than him, and my father bein' 
employed at his household."

"So I kept ignorin' it." Sam continued. "I just tried to get on with my work, 
and tried to act like Mister Frodo was not there." 

"Does he know?" Pippin asked. "Have you ever told him?"

"I told him." Sam said, smiling. 

"What made you tell him?" Pippin inquired. 

"He did." Sam said. "Mister Frodo got tired of waitin' on me to come 
around, so he told me how he felt himself. I fought him about it at first, 
but seein' that he was feelin' the same way that I was, there wasn't no point 
in denying it after awhile." 

"Wait." Pippin stopped him. He furrowed his brow in thought, and then 
smiled once he had worked it out. "Frodo loves you, too?" 

"That he does." Sam admitted. "Leastwise, he says he does." Sam said, 
winking at Pippin.

"And that changed your mind?" 

"No." Sam said. "I still wasn't thinking it was fitting." Sam paused 
thoughtfully. "Still don’t."

"Why? Because he is a lad?"

"Oh no." Sam said. "That was never the problem."

"You don’t think that is wrong for a lad to love another lad?" 

"I think that if you find a love so strong that you could just lay down and 
die for it, and that person feels the same way, its not really matterin' if it 
be a lad or a lass."

Pippin decided right then that Samwise Gammgee was true to his name. 
As far as Pippin was concerned, the gardener was the wisest hobbit in the 
Shire.

"If it wasn't because he was a lad, what had you so bothered?" Pippin 
asked. 

"I told you, Mister Pippin." Sam said. "It wasn't what we were, but who 
we were, if you follow me. I just didn't think it would do, the heir of Bag 
End carrying on with the son of Mister Bilbo's gardener."

"Did you tell Frodo this?" 

"I did." Sam said. 

"And what did Frodo say?" 

"He kissed me." Sam blushed furiously. "He kissed me, and told me to 
quit being a fool of a Gammgee." 

******

"I don’t think you were going to talk to him." Frodo said as they walked. 

"I don’t want to talk about it, Frodo." 

"Well, you are going to." 

"Is that why you asked me to come with you, so you could berate me 
about Pippin the whole walk to Bag End?"

"Not the only reason, cousin." Frodo said with a small laugh. " I do hate 
traveling alone."

"Does Sam love you like you love him?" Merry asked suddenly.

"He does." Frodo stated, giving Merry a flat look that said he did not 
appreciate the attempt to change the subject.

"I envy you two." Merry muttered. "You just love each other, and that is 
that, and bugger everything else."

"Is that is what you think?" Frodo snorted indignantly. "That it was just 
that easy? That one day I just turned to Sam and told him I loved him, and 
Sam told me he loved me too, and we kissed, had some tea, and lived 
happily ever after?"

Frodo looked at Merry, who was embarrassed and upset at the same time, 
and softened. 

"I knew how I felt, and wanted nothing more to be with him." Frodo said 
quietly.

"But what about Sam?" 

"He knew how he felt, too, but he was afraid because he didn't think it was 
proper. He worked very hard to ignore it." 

"But he came around." Merry stated. 

"He did." Frodo said. "But he fought me hard on it, and it hurt. It hurt me 
when he pushed me away, because it made me think that he did not love 
me, even though I knew he did. I almost gave up in despair a few times. 
Luckily, I did not give up, and though I cried for the pain and hurt he 
caused me when he tried to deny how he felt, it was worth it in the end." 

Merry did not respond. His eyes were wet, and Frodo could see that he 
was fighting the tears with everything he had. 

"He is so young." Merry said. "Just so young." 

"Sam is younger than me." Frodo replied. "By more years than Pippin is 
younger than you." 

"But Sam is twenty-five." Merry argued. "Pippin is fifteen." 

"Sam is twenty-five now." Frodo gave back. "He was fourteen when I met 
him."

"So what did you do?" 

"I let him finish growing up for a bit." Frodo said.

"But…." Merry started. 

"Oh stop." Frodo waved him off. "I didn’t tell Sam how I felt right away 
because I wanted him to finish growing up. You haven’t told Pippin 
because you won't admit how you feel to yourself." 

"How long did you wait?" 

"Five years." 

Merry stopped walking to turn and face Frodo. "But how did you decide 
he was old enough?"

"I don’t think it was really that." Frodo said. "I just couldn’t wait anymore. 
Having to see him everyday, wanting to tell him, wanting to touch 
him……it nearly drove me mad."

"But you don’t regret it?" 

"Not once, Meriadoc Brandybuck." Frodo said. "Not once."

******

"Well it is good to be home, make no mistake." Sam said as he swung 
open the front door to Bag End. "Will you be wantin' some tea, Mister 
Pippin?" 

"Don’t go to any trouble, Sam." Pippin said, though he new it was a futile 
request. 

"How about a bite?" Sam said. "Wouldn't be no trouble at all." 

"Can I help?" Pippin offered. 

"No, no, Mister Pippin." Sam chided. "You just get yourself settled in." 

He watched Pippin disappear into the sitting room with a worried smile. 
By his figuring, Merry and Frodo would be arriving within the next four 
hours. If he could just keep Pippin from destroying the gardens or setting 
the kitchen on fire before Merry got there, all would be well. 

******

"Looks like someone is home." Merry said, spotting smoke curling out of 
Bag End's chimney as they approached the front door. 

"Probably the Gaffer." Frodo said smoothly. "He said he was going to 
check on the place while we were away.

Frodo swung the door open, and steeled himself from what was to come. 
Merry walked in behind him, but stopped short in the doorway.

"Sam!" Merry exclaimed. "I thought you were in Michel Delving." 

The gardener opened his mouth to explain, but Merry knew it was going to 
be a fat pack of lies by the sheepish look on his reddening face. Merry 
looked questioningly at Sam, and then turned to favor Frodo with the same 
expression. Frodo only stood there, looking entirely too innocent and 
extremely pleased with himself. 

"Sam? Pippin called from the sitting room. "Who is here?" 

Merry's eyes widened until they threatened to engulf his face when he 
realized what Frodo and Sam had done. He glared murderously at the both 
of them, and said a few words that would have gotten his mouth washed 
out with soap if his mother had heard him. 

"Merry?" Pippin was standing in the doorway to the sitting room. He 
looked as confused as Merry felt, and was glaring at Sam as hard as Merry 
had been glaring at Frodo.

"You tricked me." Pippin spat at Sam.

"You lied to me." Merry hissed at Frodo.

"I am going to go." Pippin said. 

"No, you stay." Merry said. "I will go." 

"Quite alright." Pippin snapped. "I was going back to the Smials anyway." 

"Nobody is going anywhere!" Frodo bellowed, a roaring tone that did not 
suit his slight frame. 

Merry and Pippin both stared at Frodo in shocked silence. 

"The two of you are going to get your foolish, stubborn rumps into my 
sitting room." Frodo said, his voice quieter but no less firm. He walked 
towards the sitting room, leading Merry behind him by the hand. He 
turned Pippin back around and pushed him through the door with a firm 
shove, and then hauled Merry into after him by his arm. 

He slipped back out and shut the door, leaning against it. He smiled at 
Sam, who was still fussing with the tea.

"Nevermind that tea, my love." Frodo said. "I am going to get them some 
ale." 

******

Merry sat rigidly on the edge of the couch, studiously not looking at 
Pippin. Pippin sat in Frodo's chair with his head bowed, frowning at his 
ale like it had done him a personal wrong. The silence in the room was so 
awkward that Merry was sure Frodo and Sam could likely feel it in the 
kitchen. Unable to stand it anymore, Merry drained his ale in one draught, 
and made himself speak. 

"I love you." 

"No, you don’t." Pippin said, more to his ale than to Merry. 

"Yes, I do." 

"Then why didn’t you tell me." Pippin said petulantly, looking up from his 
ale briefly. "I told you. I told you, and you didn’t say anything." 

"Because I was afraid to admit it to myself." Merry said miserably. He 
saw Pippin wipe tears away, and it made him feel worse. 

"You have never been afraid of anything in your life." Pippin replied. 

"And you have always done whatever you wanted, with out all this 
thinking and making excuses." 

"I knew I loved you, but I didn't want to admit it to myself" Merry said. 

"Because I thought it was wrong." 

"How could it be wrong?" Pippin yelled. "If I love you, and you love me, 
then what could be so wrong." 

"I practically raised you, Pippin, watched you grow since you were three 
days old." He continued. "I thought it was wrong of me, to feel this way, 
after I had taken care of you for all these years, and made you trust me." 

"You are so young, Pip." Merry continued. "So young." 

"If you really love me, it wouldn’t matter." Pippin retorted. 

"And you are my cousin." Merry said. 

"You are making excuses." Pippin shouted. "If you don’t love me, then tell 
me that and I will go back to the Smials. But don't tell me you do just to 
shut me up, and make a hundred excuses as to why we can’t be together." 

"I was just so afraid of hurting you." Merry said.

"But you're hurting me now, because you are lying, and making excuses." 

Pippin said. You don’t want me. You just don’t want to make me upset."

"I am not making excuses." Merry said. "I am just afraid." 

"You don't love me and you don’t want me" Pippin shouted. 

"I do." Merry insisted. 

"You want my sister!" Pippin shouted. 

"What?" 

"You kissed her, Meriadoc Brandybuck." Pippin screamed. "I saw you do 
it."

Merry went numb. He looked at Pippin with a face full of regret and 
apologies, but Pippin only glared at him with fury. 

"She just looked so much like you." Merry said softly. "Her face, and the 
way she looked at me….she just looked so much like you. I shouldn’t 
have done it, and I didn’t want to do it, but……." 

"But you did." Pippin made a snuffling sound. "You don’t want me, you 
want her." 

"I do not want her!." Merry shouted. He tried to calm himself, knowing 
that Pippin was purposely trying to provoke him to anger, but he couldn't. 
He was so furious at everything; at himself, at Pippin, at Frodo and Sam.

"You know what I was thinking about when I kissed her?" Merry asked, 
shouting so loud his voice echoed through the room. Pippin cocked a 
questioning eyebrow, taunting him. "You! I was thinking about you!"

"I don’t believe you." Pippin said. 

"Ask her!" Merry shouted. "Ask her why she was so upset when she 
walked away from me. Ask her why she was crying!" Merry started crying 
himself. "Go on, Pippin, ask her. Ask her if she was crying because I said 
your name when I was kissing her!"

Pippin stood there, stiff as a board, with his mouth hanging open in shock. 

"All I want is you!" Merry shouted, walking towards Pippin. "All I ever 
think about it you." Merry was shouting loud enough that Pippin was sure 
he could be heard back at Brandy Hall. 

"I love you so much it hurts! It kills me! I could just lay down and die for 
it!" Merry was ranting like a madman, and he didn't care. It felt good to let 
it all out. "I want you so badly." He got about a pace from Pippin and 
reached out for him, but Pippin backed away. Merry couldn’t really blame 
him, the way he was raving.

"I want you so badly that I have nearly made myself insane about it." 
 
"Merry….." Pippin breathed nervously. Merry had backed him up against 
the sitting room wall, and had pressed his hands against the wall on either 
side of Pippin so that he could not get away.

"You are maddening, Pip. Maddening." Merry said, his voice dropping to 
a throaty whisper. He dipped his head close to Pippin's ear, and could feel 
Pippin shiver every time his breath touched him. 

"You would hug me, lay on me, breath on me….it made me crazy." Merry 
pulled away from Pippin's ear so he could look at him, moving his face 
close to his cousin's. "I wanted you so much, but I just wouldn’t let 
myself. I was afraid that it would scare you, how much I wanted you. I 
was afraid that if I touched you that I wouldn't be able to stop myself 
before I hurt you."

"Merry." Pippin's voice was low and husky, and a tiny bit afraid. 

"I wanted to touch you." Merry murmured. "I wanted to feel you. I wanted 
to pull your clothes off and run my hands all over you." His lips brushed 
lightly against Pippin's as he talked, making his cock spring to life. "I 
wanted to kiss you." Merry leaned into Pippin, pushing the bulge in his 
pants against Pippin's hips. 

"I've wanted rub this against you for so long. I've wanted you to feel it." 
Merry rocked against him, and moaned low in his throat when his cock 
brushed against Pippin's. Pippin moaned, too, which only made Merry 
grind against him harder, leaning Pippin into the wall. "I've wanted you to 
touch it, so I wouldn't have to touch it when I was alone, thinking about 
you." 

Pippin was pressed flat against the wall, shaking, with his eyes closed. 
Merry kissed his ear lightly, and he shivered. Merry moved to hover by 
Pippin's mouth again, and trailed his lips across Pippin's softly. 

"Please, Merry." Pippin said quietly, almost begging. "Please."

"What?" Merry murmured, letting his breath move over Pippin's lips. 

"Don’t tease me anymore." Pippin rocked against Merry, whimpering. 

"I love you." Merry whispered, running his tongue over Pippin's lower lip. 

"Please, Merry!" 

Merry ran his tongue over Pippin's lower lip again, producing another 
whimper. Then pressed his lips against Pippin's, slipping his tongue into 
his mouth. He felt a sharp jolt of fire shoot down his spine when Pippin's 
tongue slid against his, and pulled Pippin to him desperately. 

Pippin reached up and threaded the fingers of one hand in the curls at the 
back of Merry's neck, and moaned into his mouth when Merry's cock 
rubbed his. He ran the other hand down Merry's back and cupped his 
rump, pulling him closer. 

"I love you." Merry whispered, kissing down Pippin's jaw to his neck. 

Pippin whimpered, and dug his fingers into Merry's rump. Merry moaned 
and nipped at his neck in response, pushing his hardness against him. 

"I love you, too." Pippin murmured into Merry's neck. He sucked lightly, 
moving across to bite softly at the hollow of Merry's throat. 

Merry sucked on his bottom lip, and kissed him again. He slipped his 
hands under Pippin's shirt, and ran his hands over the soft skin of his 
cousin's chest and back. Pippin returned the kiss eagerly; teasing his 
tongue against Merry's and sucking on it lightly. He pulled away from 
Merry's mouth to trace his tongue along Merry's ear, sucking it lightly 
along its edge. 

He gave a gasp when Merry's hands ran over the bare skin of his chest, 
and shivered at the contact. He whimpered as Merry kissed his neck and 
shoulders, and moaned when Merry nipped at his throat. 

They pushed against each other, kissing feverishly, giving soft moans and 
gasps each time their erections touched. Merry rocked against Pippin 
rhythmically, enjoying the soft, sensual sounds his cousin made. 

Pippin clung to Merry desperately, clawing at his shoulders and back each 
time Merry pushed up against him. Glorious sensations rushed through 
Pippin's body, sensations he had never felt before. Everything in the world 
had disappeared. All he was aware of was Merry; Merry's lips on his, 
Merry's hands on his rump, Merry's chest pushed against his, Merry's cock 
grinding against his. He felt fire in his belly and ice over his skin at the 
same time, so sweet that it was almost painful. 

Pippin shivered uncontrollably, and rocked his hips to push his cock 
harder into Merry. He suddenly got a panicky, desperate feeling as the 
sensations coursing through him felt rushed and hurried, and became to 
sweet to bear. His cock started to throb almost painfully, and the fire in his 
belly raged. 

"Oh no. No." He sobbed as he felt his body rushing for completion, not 
wanting it to end. "Oh, Merry. I am going to….. oh, Merry… not yet, 
Merry. Please… not yet." 

"Let it go, Pip." Merry murmured, running his hand down Pippin's chest. 
He slid his hand over the cloth of Pippin's breeches, and rubbed his hand 
against Pippin's hardness. "Let it happen." 

"Merry!" Pippin sobbed.

"Let me hear you." Merry begged, when he felt Pippin's cock throb. He 
cupped it and squeezed gently, rubbing faster. "I've waited so long to hear 
you." 

"Oh, Merry!" Pippin wailed, unable to hold it off any longer. "Merry!" He 
shuddered hard, and sagged against Merry's chest. 

Merry had already been close himself. Feeling Pippin shudder against him 
and hearing him call out his name had sent him over the edge. He pushed 
against Pippin's hips hard, one last time, and called Pippin's name as he let 
himself go. 

"I told you." Merry whispered, once he remembered how to speak. "I told 
you that once I started touching you, I wouldn't be able to stop." He pulled 
back to gaze at his cousin, and his breath caught in fear. 
Pippin was crying. 

"I am sorry." Merry said, terrified. He wrapped an arm around Pippin and 
lead him too the couch, cursing himself for being so selfish and reckless. 

"I didn't want to scare you. You're still so young, still a child. I shouldn't 
have….."

"You didn't scare me, Merry." Pippin said in a breathy voice. "You love 
me, and there is nothing scary about that." 

"Then why are you crying?" 

"It just felt so good." Pippin said, shakily. "It felt so good I could hardly 
stand it, but I didn’t want it to end at the same time. And then it was over, 
and I couldn’t stand that either." 

"I'll have to be more careful." Merry pulled Pippin over to him and laid 
him on his chest. He rocked him, and smoothed his hair. "You are too 
young. You don’t even know what you are giving me." 

"I am giving you myself." Pippin replied. 

And Merry laughed. Pippin made it sound so simple. So easy. 

"I love you." He said, kissing Pippin's curls. 

"I love you, too." Pippin said. 

******

Sam set his tea aside and pulled Frodo down into his lap. Frodo had been 
pacing back and forth across the kitchen since the two younger hobbits 
had gone into the sitting room, and it was upsetting Sam to see him so 
distressed. Frodo smiled at him warmly, but Sam could see worry in his 
face as the muffled sound of yelling coming from the sitting room grew 
louder. 

There had been an awful lot of yelling. 

"I am not understandin' what they are yellin' for." Sam said. 

"They are both very angry." Frodo said, almost sadly. 

"Angry at what?" 

"At each other. At themselves." Frodo said. "At everything." 

Suddenly, the yelling ceased. 

Sam felt, rather than saw, Frodo relax. Frodo had been sitting on his lap 
stiffly, ready to leap off it and rush into the sitting room before Merry and 
Pippin killed each other. Once the yelling stopped he softened, and leaned 
back against Sam's chest. 

Sam sighed contentedly, enjoying this fond, peaceful moment with his 
lover, after the hectic venture to Brandy Hall. He wrapped his arms around 
Frodo, and squeezed until the smaller hobbit gave a grunt. 

"You think that they will be alright?" Sam asked, nodding his head 
towards the sitting room. This sudden and prolonged silence was almost as 
unnerving as the yelling. 

"Merry!" 

Frodo twisted to look at Sam, and raised his eyebrow, and Sam blushed. 

"Oh Merry!" 

"Come to think of it," Sam said, "I think they will be just fine. 

***TBC***



TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin and a lot of discussion about Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: NC-17 
SUMMARY: Embarrassment, warm-fuzzies, sappiness, and one of our heroes tries to do a little 
backpedaling. In other words, the morning after.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from them. 
WARNING: Slash 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1405 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 15, Merry is 23, Sam is 25, and 
Frodo is 37. This was going to be part of chapter 6, but it got entirely too long. 
********************************************************
Chapter 8

Merry woke up to cinnamon-colored curls tickling his nose. 

Warm, pleasant feelings coursed through his body as he stirred to full wakefulness. Pippin was 
snoring softly, with his head pillowed on Merry's shoulder. Merry reached up and stroked 
Pippin's hair fondly, twisting the feather-soft curls around his finger.
 
Merry pressed a whisper of a kiss on the curls, and let his mind drift to the day before. He 
kissed Pippin again, and gave a sigh worthy of a pre-tween lass looking at a newborn puppy. 
It had started as a horrible day, one of the worst that Merry could remember. He had felt 
wretched and alone, wanting nothing more to lay down and die. The only thing that had kept 
him from crying himself to dust the whole way to Bag End was Frodo. He had not wanted to 
drag Frodo down with his own despondency and self-loathing, and had tried to make himself 
decent company. 

Then he had been furious, so angry that he could barely see. Angry at Frodo and Sam for 
being lying, meddling busybodies, angry at Pippin for being childish and petulant and hateful. 
So angry that he had quit being rational, and had let Pippin provoke him, provoke him into 
yelling and ranting and backing him up against a wall. 
He gave a quiet gasp as he recalled what had happened when he had stopped raving. 
Something about being so close to Pippin, pressed up against him, had made him wanton and 
full of desire. Once he had backed Pippin up against the wall, something in him had snapped 
like an over-taut bow-string.

He had quit pretending. 

He had quit making excuses.

He had quit lying to himself. 

He had quit yelling, and had told Pippin the truth. 

He blushed then, thinking about the things he had said to Pippin. He had opened his mouth, 
and everything he had been holding back for all these years had fallen out, flowing like ale 
from a cask-spout. He had not even been fully aware of the thoughts himself, until he had 
voiced them. He could not believe that he had talked like that; so passionate. So Lustful. So 
plain out dirty. 

The rest was so perfect it could have been out of a dream. Sweet, but desperate kisses, soft, 
but insistent caresses. A wonderful blend of lips and tongues and teeth and breath, and a 
feverish collection of holding and moaning and grabbing and whimpering and grinding,
Oh, Lady, the grinding. There had never been a more sweet, glorious, perfect feeling in the 
world than the sensations that had overrun his body when he had pushed his erection into 
Pippin's hips and it had rubbed against Pippin's own. 

Merry shuddered just thinking about it, and felt a warm fire starting to kindle in his belly. 
Pippin stirred in his sleep, and rolled to lay half atop Merry. He stretched out his arm and 
curled it around Merry's neck, making soft, contented noises and he settled back into sleep. 
Merry ran his hands over Pippin's back and pulled him closer. He gave a contented sigh of his 
own, and hid another kiss in Pippin's curls before drifting back to sleep.

******

Pippin woke to a warm, feathery feeling in his belly. 

It was a fluttery, giddy feeling that was so dizzying that Pippin could barely catch his breath. It 
was akin to the floating, not-quite-in-his-body feeling that he got when he drank too much 
ale, except that his brain did not feel addled and packed full of wool. His body was tingly and 
fluttery, his mind was sharp and clear. 

Aware. 

Pippin had always been aware of Merry; aware of everything about Merry. The way he 
laughed, the way he cried. The way his face lit up when he was happy, the way his eyes 
darkened when he was angry. Even stupid things, like the way he stirred up all the food on his 
plate and ate it all together, the way he always held his ale mug in his right hand, the way he 
snored louder on every third breath. 

And the way he smelled. 

It was a distinct smell, beyond the normal, ordinary aromas that commonly clung to a person; 
like ale or pipe-weed or soap. If he got close enough to Merry, he could smell every 
experience they had ever had together. 

Merry smelled like the grass on the banks of the Brandywine. The tiny, purple flowers that 
grew in Frodo's garden. The blueberry scones they had stolen from the kitchen on Durgo 
Bracegirddle's birthday. The pancakes that Samwise had made from diced potatoes, because 
Pippin had knocked over Bilbo's last sack of flour playing tag with Merry in the pantry. 

Pippin lifted his head off of Merry's shoulder to gaze at him. The sunlight peeking through the 
window lit up Merry's face, giving it a soft, golden glow. Pippin reached up and ran his finger 
along Merry's jaw and shivered, as he realized that he now aware of Merry in a new and 
different way. 

The way he felt. 

He had always known how Merry felt, in a comfortable, ordinary way. Merry was the lap he sat 
in, the chest he slept on, and the shoulder he cried on. But it was different now, more intimate 
and exciting. 

Pippin closed his eyes, and his mind drifted to the night before. He could still feel it, just like it 
was still happening. Merry's lips brushing across his lips and grazing over his skin. Merry's 
tongue trailing over his bottom lip and sliding into his mouth. Merry's hands running down his 
back, cupping his rump to pull him closer. Merry's hardness pushing against his and making 
him whimper. 

Oh, Lady, he loved him. 

He had always loved Merry, and while everyone seemed to think that it was odd that he loved 
Merry so fiercely, it was not something that he had sat and pondered about. It seemed so 
natural, because Pippin could depend on him. Merry had always protected and comforted him. 
Merry had always hugged kissed him, and told him he loved him. Merry had always been 
there. 

And Merry had stopped his life, when he was still practically a child himself, to take care of 
him when his parents had no longer had the patience. 

The realization that he loved Merry as more than a cousin or best friend had come over time. 
As he grew older, and heard the whispers and secrets about the ways of love and 
relationships, and as he spent more time with Merry, when the Smials changed from being his 
home to one of the places that he and Merry lived, he started to get an inkling. 

But he said nothing, and did nothing, because he wasn't sure. He was young, and being a 
Took, impetuous. It had been highly possible that these feelings were one of the mad fancies 
that he was fond of. 

Pippin was finally able to put a name to his feelings right before Bilbo's birthday. Merry had 
gotten angry with him for getting into trouble with Bilbo, and had threatened to send him back 
to the Smials. In those long, terrifying moments before Merry had softened, he had pictured a 
life without Merry, and the thought had been too painful to bear. 

When Merry had changed his mind about sending him away, a warmth had washed over him, 
a joy so sweet that it had almost been painful. Pippin had thought it would go away, but it did 
not. As it stayed, and grew stronger as the days passed, especially when Merry was close, 

Pippin realized what it was. 

He loved Merry like he was supposed to love a lass. 

He knew that he was not supposed to. Everyone else would think it was wrong. The Shire 
would gossip, and his parents would not approve. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but 
Merry. 

Pippin smiled to himself, and burrowed a little closer to Merry with a sigh. He settled his head 
on Merry's, and drifted back to sleep to the rhythmic pulse of his lover's heart. 

******

"Are you wantin' more tea, Mister Frodo?"

"No, love." Frodo said absently. Sam could see that Frodo clutched his teacup in his hand, but 
Sam was willing to bet his best garden spade that Frodo had not sipped it once. 

"Are you wantin' another biscuit, Mister Frodo?" Sam asked. "Or more bacon?" 

"No, love." Frodo said, not looking up from his book. The book was in his lap, propped up 
against the table. Sam sighed wearily as Frodo turned the page, not sure if he was sighing at 
Frodo or the book. It was likely written in elvish, and Sam was quite sure that Frodo had 
already read it. More than once. Likely a few times. 

"There is a dragon at the front door, Mister Frodo." 

"That's nice, love." Frodo said. 

"Mister Frodo." Sam said, setting the wooden spoon aside. "You put that book away and get to 
eatin' those biscuits." Frodo looked up at him and blinked, like he had just noticed that Sam 
was in the room. "And that bacon, while you are at it." 

"Samwise." Frodo complained, when Sam reached over and took the book away. 

"It won't do, Mister Frodo." Sam said sternly He glanced at Frodo's teacup, and noted that his 
best garden spade was his to keep. "Whenever you bring a book to the table, you don’t get 
around to eatin'. And if you get much thinner, my Gaffer is going to think that I am not feedin' 
you proper. Now put that book away and get to havin' your breakfast."

Frodo only smiled, and set the book aside. There was no point in arguing about it, because 
Sam would get his way in the end. Bag End might be Frodo's, but the kitchen belonged to 
Samwise Gammgee. 

Sam, a bit abashed, as he always was when he spoke sharply to Frodo, turned his attention 
back to the bacon. Frodo could hear him muttering to himself as he stirred it. Sam lifted a few 
pieces off for himself, as he liked his bacon a bit soft a moist, but left the rest to cook. Frodo 
liked his bacon nearly black. 

He briefly considered how Merry and Pippin preferred their bacon, but let it go. Merry and 
Pippin would usually eat whatever was to hand; raw, cooked or otherwise. 

"Are you thinkin' that they are going to sleep through another meal?" Sam asked. Merry and 
Pippin had not stirred from the guestroom for first breakfast, and he was beginning to think 
that they would not be making an appearance for second breakfast, either.

"They are probably busy." Frodo said wryly. "Likely up to something unseemingly." 

Sam's face flushed, and he cleared his throat softly. He and Frodo had been up early, 
behaving unseemingly themselves. Frodo winked at him, and Sam gave him back a flat look. 

At least the two of them had managed to keep their hands off each other long enough to have 
breakfast. 

******

Merry woke quickly, with the distinct feeling that he was starving to death. He had no idea 
what time it was, but he was sure that they had slept through at least one meal. He watched 
Pippin sleep for a few moments, enjoying the peaceful, sweet look on his face. He stroked 
Pippin's cheek gently, and his eyelids fluttered softly. 

"Good morning, love." Merry said softly. 

Pippin opened his eyes and yawned widely. "Good morning." He returned. "I love you." 

"I am afraid I have horrible news." Merry said. 

"What's that, love?" Pippin asked, unconcerned. He was busy rubbing Merry's chest under his 
nightshirt, and looked like he would not be distracted by anything short of an invasion of 
dragons.

"I think we may have missed breakfast." 

"What?" Pippin sat up quickly. He pulled his hand out of Merry's shirt and threw the coverlet 
aside violently. "That is awful." 

"Are you hungry?" Merry asked with a laugh. 

"Always." Pippin said. 

He leaned down and kissed Merry's nose. Merry lifted his chin, and caught Pippin's lips on his. 

Pippin returned the kiss sweetly at first, but started probing at Merry's lips with his tongue. 
Merry opened his mouth to him, and wrapped his arms around him to pull him close. 

"I thought you said you were hungry." Merry pulled away from him and winked. 

"I am." Pippin murmured. "But I am busy." 

He kissed Merry again, almost chastely. Merry rolled them over, putting Pippin under him. He 
kissed him hard, but quickly. He bit on Pippin's lower lip gently, and pulled away from him just 
as Pippin made a soft sound in his throat. 

"Merry." He whined. He grabbed a fistful of Merry's nightshirt and pulled him back down. 
"We will never have breakfast at this rate." Merry quipped. 

"Fine." Pippin pouted. "Go eat." 

"I intend to." Merry said, nipping and Pippin's neck. "In a minute." 

He worked his mouth across Pippin's neck, pausing to nip at the hollow spot in the middle 
before continuing on to the other side. Pippin made another soft noise, and arched his back, 
threading his fingers into Merry's hair. 

He pulled Merry's mouth to his, sucking on his lower lip before letting his tongue slip into 
Merry's mouth. Merry moaned softly, and Pippin released his hair, running his hands down 
Merry's back. Pippin's breath caught when he felt something hard pressing against his thigh, 
and he pulled Merry closer. 

Merry kissed him harder, and pushed against Pippin slowly. Pippin raised his hips to meet him, 
making small noises whenever their erections touched. Merry rocked against him smoothly, 
and kissed at his ears and neck. Just as Merry's movements started to get faster less smooth, 
he rolled to put them side by side, making Pippin whimper in disappointment at the loss of 
contact. 

The disappointment faded quickly as he felt Merry tugging at the strings of his nightclothes. 
He shuddered nervously as the laces gave way and his hardness fell out of them, and gasped 
when he felt Merry's fingers trailing over it. 

"Are you alright, love?" Merry asked, nuzzling his ear. 

"Yes." Pippin breathed. 

Merry's fingers flitted softly up to the tip and back down. Pippin moaned fitfully at the teasing 
contact, and pushed his erection against Merry's hand. Merry only pulled his hand away, 
continuing with the soft touches, and feathered his tongue along the edge of Pippin's ear in 
the same maddening manner. Just when Pippin was convinced he was going to die, Merry 
kissed him, catching the wail that came out of his mouth when Merry wrapped his hand 
around his hardness. 

Pippin's back arched as Merry's hand moved up in a slow, smooth stroke, and he gave a soft 
cry. Merry worked his hand up and down, squeezing softly. Pippin pulled him close, kissing 
him feverishly, and bucked his hips against Merry's hand. 

Pippin undid Merry's laces with one sharp pull. He hesitated briefly before touching him, 
nervous, but gained the courage when he felt Merry push against his hand. Pippin pulled at 
the opening of the pants, and Merry's erection fell right into his hand. 

"Pippin." Merry murmured. He moaned softly and mumbles something incoherent as Pippin 
stroked up and down the length of him. Pippin's hand was fleeting at first, more nervous than 
teasing. Merry pushed against his hand encouragingly, and his strokes grew steadier. 

Merry's hand started to move faster and harder, and Pippin got the same rushed, panicky 
feeling that had swept over him the night before. He tensed at first, but Merry kissed him, 
almost softly, and he took a deep breath and stopped fighting it. 

He cried Merry's name out softly as his erection jerked, and felt a warm stickiness spurt across 
his belly. Merry gave a few more soft strokes, making Pippin shudder. 

Merry was not long in following Pippin. There were a few more strokes of Pippin's hand, a few 
more soft words, and Merry gave a jerk, choking out Pippin's name and pulling him closer. 

"Do you smell that?" Pippin asked suddenly, moving his head just as Merry was moving to kiss 
him. He sat up quickly, and regarded Merry with wide, green eyes. Merry just looked back at 
him dumbly. "You don’t smell it?" Pippin sounded incredulous. 

"What?" Merry asked. 

"Bacon." 

******

Frodo sipped his tea, watching Sam putter around the kitchen. As he usually did, Sam had 
eaten his meal off a plate lying by the stove, pausing to pick at it as he worked, instead of 
sitting down at the table. It was a habit that bothered Frodo, but there was no point in arguing 
it. 

He could have asked Sam to join him, but Sam would have refused, making polite excuses 
about the hundreds of things that were in dire need of his attention before the sun moved one 
more inch in the sky. And Frodo would have shook his head and sighed, knowing that Sam 
was making excuses. There was nothing that needed Sam's attention so desperately that it 
could not wait until after breakfast. 

Except for Frodo. 

Frodo nibbled at a strip of bacon, burned nearly black, and sighed. Sam was Sam, and that 
was all there was too it. He had definite ideas about the way things should be, and trying to 
talk him out of them was a task that could make an elf impatient. 

He spied his book, across the table where Sam had laid it, and reached for it. It was a lovely 
read, and ages old volume on the sundering of the elves. He had been in the middle of a good 
part when Sam had confiscated it. 

"I hope you are not thinkin' you are going to start up readin' again when you haven't finished 
that bacon." 

Frodo eyed Sam curiously, noting that Sam had spoken with his back turned. It was unnerving 
when he did things like that. Frodo had been tempted to check the back of his head for a 
second set of eyes on more than one occasion. 

"Sam." Frodo said lightly. 

"I told you that it won’t do." Sam said, eyeing the half-eaten plate of bacon with displeasure. 
"People will be thinkin' that I starve you, make no mistake. You are the thinnest lad in the 
Shire!"

"Lad?" Frodo chuckled. "Need I remind you that I am older than you? And not by the turn of a 
season, mind, but a good few years." 

"You can be older than me all you like," Sam said, waving his spoon threateningly, "But if you 
are so much as lookin' at that book until that plate is clean, I'll be paddlin' your bottom with 
it." 

"Oh will you, now?" Frodo asked. "If I had known that was the case, I wouldn't have put it 
down in the first place." 

"Mister Frodo!" Sam squawked. His cheeks colored, but he saw the amused glint in Frodo's 
eyes and his tone grew bolder. "Go on then, pick it up."

Frodo smiled mischievously and reached for the book, letting his hand hover just above it. 
Sam ran over to the table and snatched up the book, favoring Frodo with a raised eyebrow. 
"I'll put you over my knee." Sam warned, hefting the book. "Just see if I don't." 

"I think he is hoping you will." Merry said pertly from the kitchen door. He winked at Frodo, 
and gave Sam an appraising look. Frodo roared with laughter, tears streaming down his face. 

Sam dropped the book back on the table with a thump, and looked ready to lay down and die 
with embarrassment.

"Where is Pippin?" Frodo asked when he had composed himself. Sam, who had returned to the 
sink, stopped fiddling with the dishes to hear Merry's reply. 

"He needed a bath." Merry said lightly, reaching over to pilfer a strip of bacon from Frodo's 
plate. 

"I bet he did, at that." Sam said to no one in particular. 

"Frodo will probably need one, too, after you are done paddling his bottom with that book." 

"Look here, Mister Merry." Sam turned from the sink and advanced on Merry, waving the 
bacon pan. "Don't you take smart with me, or I'll paddle your bottom, too." 

"You most certainly will not!" Frodo said with mock consternation. 

"Oh, I suppose I won't." Sam said, pressing a kiss to the top of Frodo's head. "Leastwise, not 
when you are in the room." 

Frodo made a sound like a stepped on cat. Sam kept a straight face for a few moments before 
snickering. He winked at Frodo, and turned back to sink. 

"I suppose you will be wantin' some breakfast." Sam said to Merry, trying to sound put-upon." 

"I would love some." Pippin answered for him as he entered the kitchen. He snatched a piece 
of bacon off of Frodo's plate, and settled down in Merry's lap. 

"Here, you can have mine." Frodo said, pushing the plate in front of Pippin. "I am finished 
anyway." 

"You just want to get back to your book." Merry giggled. 

Sam walked over to the table and laid another plate of bacon on the table. He eyed Frodo, 
who looked like he was about to start reading again, and snatched the book up. Sam waved 
the book at him threateningly before walking away. 

"What's Sam going to do with that book?" Pippin asked. 

Merry snorted. "Teach Frodo a thing or two." 

******

Merry watched Pippin through the kitchen window with fond amusement. He was tearing 
through the garden, chasing a rabbit who had no mind to be caught. Pippin's laughed as the 
bunny eluded him, with tinkling, childlike giggles. It was a precious scene, and it warmed 
Merry's heart. 

Unfortunately, it was breaking it as well. 

"He is so young." Merry said to himself. "Still a child." 

He loved Pippin dearly. Desperately. He needed Pippin in a way that was almost frightening, 
and was quite convinced that he could not live without him.

Despite all that, part of him worried that he was being selfish and unfair, pushing his adult 
needs and desires on someone who was still half a child. 

"What's the matter, love?" 

Merry came back with a jerk, unaware that Pippin had returned to the kitchen until he had 
spoke. 

"Nothing." Merry said, smiling unconvincingly. 

"Something is the matter." Pippin said. He pulled Merry out of the chair and started leading 
him towards the sitting room. "I can see it in your face." He said as he walked. He shut the 
sitting room door, and shuffled Merry to the couch.

"Its nothing." Merry said lamely. 

Merry sat down, leaning his back against the arm of the couch. Once Merry had settled, Pippin 
crawled to sit between his legs, and leaned his back against Merry's chest. Merry wrapped his 
arms around Pippin tightly, and nuzzled his neck. 

"I love you." Pippin said. 

"I love you, too." Merry said. 

"Then why do you look unhappy." Pippin insisted. "And don’t tell me you don't, because I can 
see it." 

"I am not unhappy, sweetheart." Merry said. 

"Then what is it?" Pippin grazed his fingers over the back of Merry's hand. 

"I am just worried." Merry said. "I don't think that you understand what you are getting 
yourself into." 

"Don't you dare!" Pippin snapped, twisting around to look at Merry. "Don’t you dare change 
your mind now!" 

"I am not." Merry said, stroking his hair. "I don’t think I could change my mind. I love you too 
much."

"Then why are you talking like this?" Pippin's voice was strained, like he was fighting back 
tears.

"Pippin." Merry said, tipping the lad's chin so that he could look into his eyes. "I love you, and 
I want to be with you, always. But I don’t think that it would be fair of me to ask it of you 
unless you know what it is your are giving up." 

"What?" 

"Your childhood." Merry said gently. "You will be giving up all the playing and causing trouble 
to spend all your time with me." 

"But I want to spend all my time with you." Pippin said simply, as if there had never been a 
question in his mind. 

"You are young, Pip." Merry said. "So very young." 

"I know I am young." Pippin said with irritation. "You remind me constantly." He frowned at 
Merry, furrowing his brows. "Just because I am young doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I 
want." 

"I just think that maybe we should wait a couple of years." Merry said. "So you can finish 
growing up without having to deal with something that is meant for older lads." 

"If you don’t want this, tell me now, and I will go back to the Smials." Pippin said. 

"I do want this." Merry said. "I just think that we should wait." 

"Absolutely not." Pippin shouted, pulling away from him. "I am not going to let you pack me 
away to age like a bottle of the Old Winyards."

"Pippin." Merry said, reaching for him. 

"No." Pippin said, batting his hands away. "If you want this, then we stay together, now and 
always. If you don't, then I will go back to the Smials, alone."

"But I won’t be coming back." Pippin added when Merry didn't respond. 
Merry thought his heart was going to explode, faced with a choice that was going hurt either 
way. He wanted nothing more than to be with Pippin, even if it meant that he was ripping his 
childhood away from him. He wanted to give Pippin the change to finish being a child, without 
being mired down with an adult relationship. 

But if he sent him away, to finish growing up, he would lose him. 

Whispering a small prayer to the Lady to forgive him, he took a deep breath, and chose. 

"I love you." He said, pulling Pippin to him. "And I want you to stay with me."

"Now?" Pippin asked smartly. "Or when I have finished aging?" 

"Now." Merry said. "Now and always." 

Pippin answered him with a kiss. He pressed his lips to Merry's lightly, but his tongue was 
insistent and demanding. Merry threaded his fingers through Pippin's hair, and started sliding 
down to lay on the couch, but stopped himself. He pulled his mouth away from Pippin's 
regretfully, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

"That is enough of that." Merry said. "I don’t think that we should get carried away."
"We got carried away this morning, and you didn't complain." 

"I am not complaining." Merry said. "I want to kiss you, and I want to touch you, but we need 
to be careful." 

"If you are about to tell me that I am too young, Meriadoc Brandybuck…" 

"Well, I am." Merry said flatly. "You are too young, and I have absolutely no control over 
myself when I touch you, and if I get carried away and push you into something that you are 
not ready for, I will never forgive myself." 

"Will you still touch me? Like you did this morning?" Pippin asked, almost shyly. "I want you 
to." 

Pippin's words sparked the familiar tingling in his belly, but he forced himself to ignore the 
urge to toss the lad on the floor, rip off his pants, and grind against him until they both wept. 

"I want to touch you." Merry said, careful not to expand on how much or how often. "And I 
want you to touch me. I just don’t think we should do it too much, too soon." 

"Not too much." Pippin repeated. Pippin leaned up to kiss his nose chastely, but was wiggling 
against him lightly with a feigned look of wide-eyed innocence. 

"And not too soon." Merry said, grabbing Pippin by the hips to stay his wiggling. "And certainly 
not twice in one day." 

***TBC***

 
TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin and a lot of discussion about Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: NC-17 
SUMMARY: Embarrassment, warm-fuzzies, sappiness, and one of our heroes tries to do a little 
backpedaling. In other words, the morning after.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from them. 
WARNING: Slash 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1408 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 18, Merry is 26, Sam is 28, and 
Frodo is 40. 

********************************************************

Chapter 9
 
Merry frowned at the blank piece of paper in front of him. He was in the process of writing a 
letter to his father. He and Pippin were planning on a sojourn to Brandy Hall in a couple of 
weeks, and he figured that Saradoc Brandybuck would appreciate the warning. He had been 
trying to write the letter all day, but there had been no end to the distraction. 

"Merry?" 

Merry gave a jerk from where he was sprawled out on Pippin's bed. Pippin, who was curled up 
in his chair with a book, had been so quiet that Merry had almost forgotten he was there. That 
Pippin was reading was almost a worrying development, but Merry had decided not to 
question it and use the time to finish his letter. 

"Yes, love?" Merry asked, writing a few words on the paper. 

"Do you love me?" Pippin asked, not even looking up from his book. 

"Of course I do." Merry said, still writing. "Why do you ask?" 

"I was just wondering." Pippin said absently. He looked up at Merry briefly, but dropped his 
eyes back to the book. 

Merry frowned at Pippin, and turned his attention back to his letter. 

"Merry?" 

"Yes, love." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes." Merry set his quill aside and frowned at Pippin again. "Why do you ask?" 

"No reason." Pippin said. 

"Pip." Merry pressed. Something in Pippin's tone said there was a reason. Merry pushed the 
half-written letter aside and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, across from Pippin. 

"I was just wondering." Pippin said. 

"Why?" Merry asked, concerned. "Do I not tell you enough?" 

"No, it's not that." Pippin 

"Then what?" Merry asked. 

"Its nothing." Pippin said. He looked up from his book and eyed Merry with a blank expression. 

"Will you sleep in here tonight?" 

"Of course I will." Merry said. "If you want me to." 

"I do." Pippin said. He favored Merry with another unreadable expression, and turned back to 
his book. 

******

Merry felt Pippin's erection throb in his hand. He leaned up and kissed him, catching Pippin's 
cry as his erection jerked and released itself. He pulled his mouth away from Pippin's long 
enough to grope for the towel on the nightstand, but returned his mouth to Pippin's as he 
wiped the sticky fluid off his cousin's belly. 

Once clean, Pippin sighed and curled up against Merry. Merry stretched out on the bed and 
arranged Pippin in the crook of his arm. He toyed with Pippin's curls as he laid there, listening 
as Pippin's breathing became more even. Merry yawned, pulled Pippin a bit closer, and started 
to drift off to sleep. 

"Merry?" Pippin asked. 

"Huh?" Merry asked sleepily, opening an eye. Pippin did not say anything, so Merry closed his 
eye again. 

"Why won't you put it in me?" 

"What?" Both of Merry's eyes flew open, and he pulled back from Pippin to peer at him 
questioningly. 

Pippin could certainly not be asking him what it sounded like Pippin was asking him. 

"Why won't you put it in me?" Pippin asked again, more firmly. Merry made a strangled sound, 
and tried to calm himself before his heart thumped its way out of his chest. 

Pippin was asking. 

"And don't act like you don’t know what I am talking about." Pippin said, giving Merry and 
accusatory glance. "I know you know. If I know, then you have to know." 

"I know." Merry said slowly. "But how….." 

"Hiram Bracegirddle told me." Pippin said. "He was telling me about the last time they went 
dancing at the Cotton's." Pippin looked away from Merry shyly, and blushed. "He went for a 
walk with Anabel Bolger and they…"

"Pip." Merry said sharply. He had no desire to start picturing Hiram Bracegirddle and Fatty 
Bolger's sister, who looked a bit too much like Fatty for her own good, in a compromising 
position. 

"Well, he told me where it is supposed to go." Pippin said frankly. 

"But it is different for lasses." Merry said, hoping that would be enough to get Pippin to leave 
off the topic. 

"Not really." Pippin said impatiently. He looked at Merry like he was being exasperating on 
purpose. "They just have two places to put it, that's all." 

"Pip, they really only have one…." 

"Hiram said that Anabel let him put it in both places." Pippin insisted. "The front and the 
back." Pippin looked quite pleased with himself, thinking that he had worked around Merry's 
excuses. 

"Oh he did, did he?" Merry said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. He was quite sure 
that Anabel had not let Hiram do anything of the sort. 

"If Hiram could put in Anabel there, in the back, then you could put it in me. If you wanted 
to." Pippin looked extremely irritated. Merry was acting slow-witted on purpose, and he knew 
it. "Do you not want to?" 

Merry could only stare at him, speechless. Not want to? At the moment, Merry could not think 
of anything he wanted to do more. He was getting hard just thinking about it. But Pippin was 
too young, just too young, and Merry did not want to hurt him. 

"I do want to." Merry said. So young, but so beautiful. It was so very unfair. "Very much." 

"I don’t believe you." Pippin said. "Lately you have been acting like you don’t want to touch 
me at all." 

"Oh, Pip." Merry said, pulling him close. He did want to touch him. He wanted to touch him so 
much that it was frightening. Seeing Pippin everyday, watching him grow older, was driving 
him insane. When touched him, or kissed him, it was getting harder to stop before he got out 
of control. His selfish, adult needs made him want to drag Pippin to his room and make love to 
him until neither of them could walk. 

"I love you, Pip." Merry said. "I want to touch you so much. I am just afraid. You are still so 
young. I don't want to push you into anything you are not ready for. I don’t want to ask you 
for too much." 

"Is that why you haven't put it in me?" Pippin asked. "Because you think I am too young." 

Merry paused, trying to think of a response that would not upset him. He came up with 
nothing, so grudgingly, he went with the truth. 

"Yes."

"Are you always going to treat me like I am a baby?" Pippin asked, his voice laced with anger. 

"Will I ever be old enough for you?" 

"Pip, I just…" Merry cut off, seeing the hurt look on Pippin's face. Pippin's wide eyes looked like 
his heart was breaking, and Merry couldn't stand it. "I am sorry." He said, kissing Pippin's 
nose and cheeks.

"Will you stop treating me like I am a baby?" Pippin asked, his voice unsure. 

"I will try." Merry said. Pippin gave him a level, unimpressed look. "I will try very hard." Merry 
reached over and took Pippin's hand, squeezing it. "I love you." 

"I love you, too." 

******

Rosco Grubb is beautiful." Daisy Bracegirddle breathed. 

Pimpernel looked at her cousin over her embroidery hoop and sighed. "Rosco Grubb has a face 
like a goat." She replied. 

"He most certainly does not." Daisy said. 

"Nel is right." Marigold Bracegirddle replied. She stitched thoughtfully for a few minutes. "Well, 
me more resembles a pony, but still. Nel is right." 

Daisy looked affronted, causing the other lasses to collapse into giggles. Daisy gave a snort, 
and turned her attention to her sewing. 

"Rosco is not that bad." Violet Hornblower said in Daisy's defense. "But I wouldn't call him 
beautiful." She sighed at her embroidery hoop, and started picking out a few stitches. "Now 
Hiram Bracegirddle, he is beautiful." 

"My brother?" Marigold snorted. "Maybe there is something wrong with your eyes." 

"You are not supposed to think he is beautiful. He is your brother". Nel put in. "Last week 
Anabel Baggins told me that she thought Pippin was pretty, and I couldn't stop laughing." 
"Pippin is pretty." Violet said with a sigh. "He has the most wonderful eyes."

"You wouldn't think so if you had had to change his cloths." Nel joked. 

"You want to know who I think is pretty?" Peony Proudfoot offered. "Meriadoc Brandybuck." A 
few of the other lasses murmured in agreement. 

Nel set her jaw and glared at her embroidery hoop, as she always did when the lasses sighed 
over Merry. Ever since that debacle at his birthday party, the mention of his name twisted her 
stomach in knots.

"Oh, yes. Merry is most beautiful." Daisy said. "Wouldn't you agree, Marigold?" Daisy said with 
a wicked grin.

"Merry is alright." Marigold muttered. 

"Alright?" Daisy gave and indignant squeak. "You had better come up with something better 
than alright." 

"Oh, why is that?" Peony asked. 

"She's kissed him." Violet said, cutting off Daisy, who had been meaning to blab the same 
thing. 

"So did you." Marigold gave back.

"What?" Nel choked, heat rising to her face. 

Merry had kissed Marigold? And Violet? She did not need to hear this. She started picturing 
Merry kissing Marigold, in an odd fit of jealous self-torture, but the image slipped, and all she 
could see was Merry kissing her. 

It had been so sweet, so wonderful. He had been so gentle, but demanding at the same time. 
She had never kissed anyone before, and she had wanted to kiss Merry. 

When she had stopped him at his birthday, she had not been trying to kiss him. She had been 
worried about him. He had been quite drunk and more than a little upset, no matter what he 
had said, and she had talked to him out of concern. 

"Oh, that hardly counts." Violet said defensively, ignoring Nel. "I kissed him, and he was half-
drunk when I did it. Besides, he didn't really kiss me back."

And then he had kissed her, and it had been wonderful. She could still picture it. His lips had 
been so soft when they pressed against hers, and when she had felt his tongue on her lips she 
had thought her belly was catching on fire. The way his lips had felt on her neck had made he 
skin pebble, and he knees had gone weak. 

It had been wonderful. Glorious. Perfect. 

Until Merry had called her Pippin.

"He didn't really kiss me back, either." Marigold admitted. "And I practically had to drag him 
away from Pippin to do it." 

"I still think he is beautiful." Peony said. 

"Why don’t you kiss him?" Violet asked. 

"I would, if I thought he wanted me to." Peony said.

"I think he would let you." Marigold said. 

"Well, I think he would rather kiss Pippin." Peony said simply. 

Nel made a strangled sound that was too loud for the other lasses to ignore. She tried to suck 
air, but found that her throat was closed tight. The air swam before her, and the last thing she 
saw was Marigold's questioning face before the world went black.

 
******

"Can we stop by Bag End on the way to Brandy Hall?" Pippin asked suddenly. He rolled onto 
his side to look at Merry, and made an entreating face.

"Of course we can." Merry said. He plucked a dandelion out of the soft grass, and turned it in 
his hands, inspecting it. 

"I miss Frodo." Pippin said. "And Sam." 

"So do I." Merry said. He missed the two hobbits fiercely, but he also missed the time spent a 
Bag End. At Frodo's burrow, he and Pippin could be themselves, with out all the pretending 
and furtiveness and sneaking around. He could kiss Pippin without the worry of prying eyes, or 
touch him without worrying that someone was about to burst through the door. 

Impulsively, Merry leaned towards Pippin and blew the white tufts from the dandelion all over 
him. Pippin gave a squeak, and batted at the soft, white things. 

"Did you make a wish?" Pippin asked. 

"No." Merry said, leaning to kiss him. "I have everything I want already." 

******

"I think she fainted." 

"You upset her, you ninny, with all that talk about Merry wanting ti kiss her brother." 

"Should we get the herbwife?"

"I was just kidding, really. Merry wouldn't want to kiss Pippin, that's disgusting." 

"Should we get her parents?" 

Nel came back groggily. Her eyelids felt leaden, and they opened grudgingly, like a gate in 
desperate need of an oiling. She heard muffled sounds that she could not make out. Her 
friends were speaking to her, but it sounded like they had handfuls of wool in their mouths. 

"Look, she is coming awake." 

"We should get the herbwife anyway." 

"I am fine." Nel croaked. She sat up slowly, afraid to set the room spinning again. She smiled 
weakly at her friends' unconvinced faces, and patted Violet, who looked ready to get the 
herbwife, with a clumsy arm. 

"Are you sure?" Marigold asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Really, it was nothing." Nel said. "It just became hot in here all of a sudden." 

******

Merry opened the door to Paladin Took's office with a sinking stomach. He had tried to appear 
unconcerned when Pippin had told him that his father wanted to speak with him, but inside he 
was a wreck. He was pretty sure that he knew what this was about, as Pimpernel was turning 
twenty-nine in a few months. 

It was time Nel was married. Past time. 

"Meriadoc!" Paladin said brightly when he caught sight of Merry. The Thain gave him an 
appraising look that made him uncomfortable. Merry took a few steadying breaths, and forced 
himself not to fidget under the gaze. 

"Pippin said you wanted to speak with me." Merry said, trying to keep his voice steady. 

"I do." The Thain said. "Have a seat, nephew." He said, indicating a chair in front of his desk. 

"How old are you now, Meriadoc?" He asked casually. 

"Twenty-six." Merry said. 

"Mid-tween." Paladin said thoughtfully. "Usually the most irresponsible time in a young hobbits 
life. Time for fun and trouble and too much ale. Yet you spend it with Pippin." Paladin studied 
Merry curiously. "How is it that you have not grown tired of my scapegrace child?"

"He is a good lad." Merry said carefully.

"For you." Paladin said wryly. He tapped pursed lips thoughtfully, as if trying to decided how to 
proceed. "Have you given thought to the future, Meriadoc?" 

"Not much." Merry admitted. 

"Well, it is to be expected." Paladin said lightly. "Most tweens do not until they are told to." He 
paused again, considering. "What about marriage, Meriadoc? Have you thought of that?" 

"Well, no." Merry said. "I am still young." 

"Old enough." Paladin said. "I was not much older than you when I married Eglantine." The 
Thain grew quiet abruptly, and a strange expression passed over his face.

Paladin and Merry stared at each other for a few uncomfortable minutes. They remained silent 
for quite some time. Merry started to fidget, and Paladin seemed to be staring at something 
behind Merry. Finally the Thain mumbled to himself and chuckled. 

"Listen, Meriadoc." He said. "I am no good at this beating around the bush, so I will just tell 
you straight." The Thain took a deep breath." I mean for you to marry my daughter, if you 
would be so inclined."

"Oh." Merry said, unable to come up with anything better. He had known this for quite some 
time, but hearing it out of the Thain's mouth had rendered him speechless. All his hoping that 
the Thain would forget, or change his mind had obviously been for naught.

"Pimpernel will be twenty-nine in a couple of months." Paladin said. "Marriageable age." 
Merry worried his lip, trying to think of a response. Then he felt his chest grow tight as he had 
a frightening realization. 

Pimpernel was not close to being marriageable age, she was almost past marriageable age. 
Hobbit lasses could marry at twenty-one, if the groom had come of age. Merry could note a 
couple of occasions where a lass had been shuffled off to the wedding tree at nineteen, but 
their babes had been born so soon after that no one had wondered why. 

Most lasses married between twenty-three and twenty-six. Pimpernel was a very pretty lass, 
and had a full, pleasing body, She was sweet-tempered for a Took, and she was the daughter 
of the Thain. Pimpernel was not unmarried and almost twenty-nine because the Thain had not 
had offers. She was unmarried at almost twenty-nine because the Thain was waiting. 

For him. 

"Have you discussed this with her?" Merry asked lamely, trying to stall. 

"No." The Thain replied. "I have not mentioned it yet. I did not want to get her hopes up, in 
case you refused." The Thain looked concerned that he might. "Would you be interested?" 
 
"I….uh, well…… I..er, " Merry stammered. 

"Pippin tells me that you are leaving for Brandy Hall in a few days." Paladin said. "I would be 
glad to allow Nel to join the two of you, so you could have a chance to get to know her 
better." 

"Oh." Merry said. That was absolutely the last thing that Merry wanted. Merry did not want 
company on the trip at all, but definitely not Pimpernel Took. "That wouldn’t be necessary." 

Merry said. Paladin raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I already know Nel pretty well." 

"Do you not like her?" Paladin said, misjudging Merry's hesitation. "Or are you just not of a 
mind to get married?"

"It's just that…." Merry trailed off. 

"If you do not like Nel, I will not force her on you." The Thain said. 

Merry felt the tightening in his chest loosen. He just might get out of the Thain's office without 
a wife, after all. 

"You could wed Pervinca." Paladin put in. "She is only twenty-three, so you would have to wait 
a few years, but you do not seem to be in a hurry, anyway." 

"Pervinca?" Merry repeated dumbly. That desperate, squeezing feeling in his chest returned. 

"If you would like." Paladin said. "I would prefer Nel, myself, seeing how she is of age, but you 
are the one getting married."

Merry could only stare at the Thain, with wide eyes. This had just gone from bad to worse. The 
Thain had not offered him one daughter, but the choice of two, and he didn’t want either of 
them. He wanted Pippin, but he was certainly not going to tell that to the Thain. 

"Meriadoc?" The Thain asked. "Nephew? You are not taking this as I thought you would. Do 
you not get on well with Nel? Or Pervinca?"

"Oh, no." Merry said. "I like them both just fine." 

"Well, you can't have them both." The Thain joked. "You will have to pick one." 

"Oh, no." Merry said with a weak laugh. "I didn't mean to sound like I wanted them both." 

"You don’t really sound like you want either of them." The Thain stated flatly. "If you don’t 
want this, I will understand. If you do not like either of them, just tell me. I will not be angry." 

"Your daughter as beautiful, and sweet." Merry said. "Its not that I don’t like them…." 

"It's my son you want."

Merry's silence, and his shocked, slack-jawed stare was all the answer the Thain needed. 

"Is that the way of it, Meriadoc?" The Thain said stiffly. "You and my son?" 

"Yes, sir." Merry said. He felt an odd sort of relief when the words were out, but at the same 
time, he was terrified for his life. 

"I often wondered if I made a mistake, turning him over to you." Paladin said. "I laid awake 
nights, Meriadoc, wondering if I did what was best for him. It pained me to do what I did, but 
I thought it was best, as you were the only person in the Shire he would behave for. It does 
not ease my heart to know that you were taking advantage of him." 

"I did nothing of the sort" Merry said, his voice raising in anger. "I never took advantage of 
him."

"How old was he, Meriadoc?" The Thain spat. "How old was he, the first time you brought him 
to your bed. Eleven? Twelve?" The Thain slammed his hand down on the desk. "Answer me, 
Meriadoc!"

"I have not lain with him." Was all Merry would give him.

"Do not toy with me." The Thain shouted, his face reddening. "At this point, whether you have 
actually buggered him or not is of no consequence. When did you first touch him?" 

"He was fifteen." 

"Lady's grace, Meriadoc!" The Thain looked close to tears, his voice was choked and halting. 

"How could you? He was still a child!" 

"He stopped being a child long ago." Merry said threw his teeth. 

"He stopped being a child the day you laid your filthy hands on him!" Paladin shouted. 

Merry jumped up from the chair with enough force that it toppled over. 

"He stopped being a child the day you abandoned him!" 

"Do not turn this about on me. I only did what I thought was best." The Thain said. "As I said, 
I know now that I made a mistake." 

He paused, trying to calm himself. He studied Merry silently, then dropped his eyes. He rose 
from his chair, and walked around the desk, keeping an eye on Merry the whole time. Merry 
first thought the Thain was going to hit him, but he walked past him to the office door.

"Send for my son." He said to the first person he saw, and slammed the door back shut. 

"I trusted you." The Thain said softly, turning back to Merry. "He trusted you, as well." 

"I have never played him false." Merry said, tears streaming down his face. "I love him, and I 
would never hurt him. I never will." 

"I do not intend to give you the chance." The Thain replied. "This ends today, Meriadoc. 
Today." The Thain hesitated, as if arguing with himself. "When my son arrives, you will go 
pack your things, and you will be gone in an hours time, or I will run you out myself." 

Pippin pushed the door open to find his father and his lover staring at each other, and he the 
distinct feeling that he wanted to be anywhere but his father's office. His father looked more 
furious that Pippin could ever remember, and Merry was hurt and crying. Merry's eyes flitted 
to Pippin, and Pippin saw him try to put on a brave face.

"I would speak with you son." The Thain said. He eyed Merry sideways. "Alone." 

"Merry?" Pippin asked as Merry walked towards the door.

"Sit down, Peregrin." His father said forecfully, pointing to the chair. He grimaced when he 
noticed that the chair was still overturned, and reached to right it, never taking his eyes off 
the two younger hobbits. 

Merry gave the Thain one last murderous glance, then turned his gaze to Pippin. He looked at 
Pippin through wet, blurry eyes, realizing that this might be the last time he looked at him. 
Everything his eyes touched sent a stabbing pain through his heart. His unruly, auburn curls. 
His bright green eyes. His perfect nose and his plump lower lip. He shuddered, and squeezed 
his eyes briefly to let the tears fall. 

He reached up, wanting to touch those curls one last time. Cupping the back of Pippin's neck, 
he pulled him close and kissed him, not giving a damn that the Thain was standing a few 
paces from him. 

"I love you, Peregrin Took." He said as he pulled away. "I always have, and I always will." 

He touched Pippin's face gently, and squeezed his hand. Pippin opened his mouth to speak, 
but Merry touched his lips lightly. His eyes flitted to the Thain, and then returned to his lover.

"I will love you until the day I die." 

Pippin watched silently as Merry disappeared through the door. He felt the tears come, but did 
not have the strength to let them fall. All he wanted to do was lay down and die. 

******

Merry padded down one of the Smials back hallways, weeping with silent tears. He was glad 
for this side exit, not wanting to announce his banishment to the whole of the household. 

"Merry?" 

Merry recognized the voice and flinched. 

First the Thain, and now this. He was starting to think that both Eru and the Lady had 
abandoned him. He brushed the tears from his eyes, and tried to collect a shred of his dignity. 
Gripping the strap of the pack tightly, he turned around and faced her. 

"Pimpernel." He said flatly. Of all the hallways in this vast burrow, she had to choose the one 
he was slinking out of. 

"You are leaving." She returned just as flatly. It wasn't a question. 

"Your father has sent me away." Merry said simply. 

"He knows about you and my brother." She said. Again, not a question. Merry nodded almost 
imperceptibly, and dropped is eyes to the floor, but then brought them back up to search Nel's 
face. It was cold and hard and unmoved. 

"What did you expect, Merry?" Pimpernel asked. "That he would jump for joy?" Dance a jig on 
his desk?" 

"I love him." Merry said. He shuddered as sobs from unshed tears wracked his body. "I love 
him so much." 

"It is what is best for him." Pimpernel said. 

"He wants to be with me." Merry said defensively. 

"He is too young to know better." Pimpernel said roughly. "He is too young to know that it is 
wrong." 

"Wrong?" Merry said, choking. "Wrong? I love him more that life itself, and that could not be 
wrong." 

"He is a lad, Merry, and your cousin." Nel said, her lips twisting in disgust. "And he is still a 
baby. If I know my father, that is what upset him more than anything. He trusted you with his 
child, his only son, and you turned around and brought him to your bed." 

"Is that what everyone thinks?" Merry asked in disbelief. "That all the time I spent with him all 
these years, all the time that I cared for him, was just some grand plan to bed him?" 

Nel cocked and eyebrow and gave him a self-satisfied smile, saying that was indeed what 
everyone thought. She eyed him eye him in disgust for a few moments, but Merry did not 
miss the hint of amusement in the corners of her eyes. 

"You could have had any lass in the Shire." She said finally. "Probably half the lads, too, if that 
was the way of things."

"That doesn't matter. It never mattered." He said hotly. "All I ever wanted was Pippin."
"You'll not have him anymore." She countered. "And I can’t say that I am not relieved. The 
sooner he forgets about you, and what you did to him, the better off he will be."

"Is that what you think?" Merry asked. "That he will get a stern lecture from his father, have 
some dinner, and maybe a dose of something from the herbwife, and everything will be fine?" 

"I have no doubts that he will be hurt, seeing how deftly you wormed your way into his heart." 
She replied. "But he is young still. There is still a chance." 

"A chance for what?" Merry asked. 

"He is meant to be Thain one day." Pimpernel said impatiently, as if not understanding why 
Merry had not thought of it. "Did you think that you two would be allowed to carry on with 
each other forever, while the Shire cares for itself and family lines run dry?" 

"Family lines." Merry said with a snort. Of all the ridiculous things he had heard all day, this 
one had him tied. 

"Some things are more important than love." Nel said simply. 

"That is where you are wrong, Pimpernel Took." He said. "There is nothing more important 
than love. If I had to choose between Pippin and Brandy Hall, I would leave Buckland without 
looking back."

"I would be more inclined to believe you, if you were not headed for Buckland as we speak." 
She said. 

"Actually, I am not." He said. "I am going to Bag End." 

"Bag End?" She said, cracking a sardonic smile. "I wouldn’t figure Master Baggins to be to 
your tastes."

"And what do you mean by that?" He asked. 

"He is a mite old for you," She said wryly, "if my brother is any way to judge your 
preferences." 

He pursed his lips at her in contempt, and shook his head silently as he turned around. He got 
a few paces down the hall, but stopped because he heard her laughing. 

"Tell me something, Nel. He said, turning back towards her. 

She stopped laughing and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What bothers you the most? That I want your brother, or that I don’t want you?" 

He lingered long enough to see her face contort in fury. He flashed her a satisfied smile, and 
turned back around, leaving her in the hallway to cry alone. 

***TBC***


TITLE: Wherever You Are Is Home 
AUTHOR: Pervinca Took (PervincaTook@yahoo.com) 
PAIRING: Merry/Pippin and a lot of discussion about Frodo/Sam 
RAITING: NC-17 
SUMMARY: Suffering , separation anxiety, some unexpected help, and a sweet reunion.  
DISCLAIMER: These boys are not mine, nor am I making money from them. 
WARNING: Slash 
FEEDBACK: Please. 
ARCHIVE: Please. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: its 1408 in the Shire Reckoning. Pippin is 18, Pervinca is 23, Merry is 26, 
Pimpernel is 29, Sam is 28, and Frodo is 40. 
--'--,-<@Special thanks to Liora Jean @>-,,--'--
A wonderful source of ideas and much needed encouragement. 

********************************************************
 
Chapter 10

The silence in Paladin Took's parlor was deafening. 

It was also so nerve-wracking that it was making Pervinca's skin itch. It was strained and 
pensive, the kind of silence that meant that although no one was talking, they had a good deal 
to say, but they each were waiting for someone else to say it first.

Except for Pippin, whose pale, melancholy face said that he wanted nothing more than to be 
granted leave to return to his room and weep himself to dust. 

Pervinca had made no verbal objections when her father had informed her that the family 
would be taking their dinner in his parlor instead of the Smials main dining room. She had also 
not been surprised, even if it was the third night in a row. Her family rarely had a private 
dinner more than three times in a month. It was the third night in a row, and also, 
coincidentally, the third night since Merry left. 

Her father was hiding. 

And Pervinca did not blame him. 

Merry may have left the Smials through the back door of the burrow, but he had not gotten 
away clean. His absence had been noted. Merry and Pippin had not been out of each others' 
company in close to twelve years, and Merry's sudden departure had started tongues to 
wagging. 

Not only Merry's departure, but the situation around his departure. His private meeting with 
the Thain. Followed by Pippin's private meeting with the Thain. Coupled with Merry's vanishing 
act during Pippin's private meeting with the Thain. Which had resulted him Pippin becoming 
inconsolable. 

People would be asking questions; questions that her father was not going to want to answer. 
She smiled despite herself, picturing her father telling old Uncle Adelard that he had banished 
the heir to Brandy Hall because the heir to Brandy Hall had been buggering the next Took and 
Thain. 

She knew. Her father hadn't told her, but he had not needed to. Pippin already had, in the 
quiet conversations they had when he was at home, and the endless streams of letters he 
wrote when he was away. She had never spoken to anyone of it, and had had the presence of 
mind to burn the letters as soon as she read them. She had always figured that it would be 
discovered eventually, What she had not figured on was that her father would overreact when 
he found out.

She understood why her father as hiding. Unfortunately, it left her in her current position, 
which was trapped in her father's parlor, listening to her family breathe. She cursed Pearl, 
whose recent marriage to Sandy Bracegirddle had given her the option not to attend this farce 
of a dinner.

Pippin was heartbroken.

Pimpernel was pouting.

Her mother was brooding

Her father was irate. 

Pervinca wanted to scream, but she didn't. Screaming would cause her family to stare at her, 
which would be more unnerving that the silence. She settled for studying her family 
surreptitiously over the edge of her book, and giving a very loud sigh. 

She looked at Pippin's teary, bereft face, and her heart went out to. The boy was hopelessly, 
desperately in love. And the object of his affections, the one thing that had been stable in his 
life since he was six years-old, had been ripped away from him, while his father had told him 
that he was wrong and depraved for wanting it in the first place. 

Nel was another matter entirely. She was being sulky and petulant, and glaring at Pippin when 
she did not think the Thain could see her. Pervinca was not fooled one bit. She was convinced 
that Nel was only upset because when Merry left he had taken her opportunity to be the 
Mistress of Brandy Hall with him. And it seemed she was blaming Pippin as much as she was 
blaming Merry. 

Her father's anger was understandable, although there was a curious point. From what she 
gathered from Pippin's incoherent ramblings on the subject, one of her father's main points of 
contention had been that he and Merry such close kin. A fact, she noted, that her father had 
been choosing to ignore when he was trying to pawn another one of his children off on Merry. 
But her mother had Pervinca vexed. Her mother had always been a strong, outspoken woman. 
She maintained an even footing with her husband, and was never shy about giving him her 
opinion. This sudden, brooding silence had Pervinca troubled. She only remembered her 
mother behaving this way one other time. It had been when the Thain had decided to send 
Pippin away. 

A stifled yawn from her father marked the end of the dinner. It was all Pervinca could do not 
to jump from the chair and run for the door at full speed. 

She studied her family with once more as she left the room, and worried her bottom lip in 
thought. She was suddenly grateful that she was free to return to her room, because she 
wanted to do some thinking. 

Something was odd here, something more than her father being displeased that his son and 
his nephew had been engaging in unbecoming activities. 

Pervinca intended to figure out what it was. 

******

Merry had not seen Pippin in nearly a week. 

He was laying in his bed, curled into a ball and weeping into the coverlet. He felt like he had 
been crying since he had left the Smials, but he did not know what else to do. Even when he 
lashed out in anger, as he occasionally did; beating at the pillows and bed linens futilely, the 
fit would end with him collapsing into sobs. 

He no longer lived. He merely continued, consumed by anger and emptiness and haunted by 
memories. 

Merry could not remember being this angry. It was such a violent, hateful kind of fury that it 
was frightening. He loved Pippin more than anything, and Pippin had been taken away from 
him because of it. He had never hurt Pippin, and had never taken advantage of him, and it 
enraged him that this was the opinion that others had on the matter. It hurt horribly to be 
separated from Pippin, and Merry wanted nothing more than to beat the Thain until he 
understood the kind of pain that he felt. 

Nothing more except to be with Pippin. The loneliness and hollow feeling of loss was 
unbearable. Merry thought he was die from the pain. It was a sharp, stabbing pain, like his 
heart was being sliced by hot knives, and a dull, throbbing ache, as if the emptiness was 
eating him alive. 

The memories were bittersweet. They all came to mind, from the first time he had seen Pippin 
in his cradle, to the last time he had kissed him, in the Thain's office. They were wonderful, 
but horrible. His mind sought them out, seeking solace, but they only brought more pain. 
A soft, low wail left Merry's mouth as s a new wave of sobs overcame him. He missed Pippin 
so desperately that he was close to going mad. He needed to feel him, needed to touch him, 
needed to hear him laugh and speak. 

He wanted to die. He hadn’t prayed for it only because he didn't think the Lady was listening.

******

"Pip?" Pervinca pushed her brother's door open, and peeked into the room. 

"Go away." 

"Please, Pip." She stepped into the room and shut the door. "I just want to see how you are 
doing." She only had to look at him to know. He was curled up in a ball in his bed, his face 
buried in the coverlet.

"Wretched." 

Pervinca sat on the edge of the bed, and squeezed her brother's hand. Pippin only cried more, 
his small body shaking uncontrollably. Watching her brother, she felt her eyes prickle and her 
throat grow tight as she came close to tears herself. She had Pippin had been close as 
children, and had remained close, even after he had been given over to Merry. It hurt her to 
see him like this, especially since she thought the cause of it was unnecessary. 

"Shhh, Pip." She said, and pulled him to her, gathering him in her lap. He suffered the contact, 
not shying away, but making no move to help her as she hauled him up off the bed. 

"It hurts, Vinca." He whimpered. "I love him so much." 

"I know you do, baby." She said softly. "He loves you, too." 

"Do you think it is wrong, for me to love him?" Pippin asked. 

"No, baby." She soothed. "Loving someone is never wrong." She almost sounded like she was 
telling herself as much as she was telling him. 

"But Da said it was wrong." Pippin dissolved into sobs, clutching at Pervinca desperately. He 
took a few heaving breaths, and continued. "Because Merry is a lad. He said that I shouldn't 
want to kiss a lad." 

Pervinca pursed her lips at that, but continued to soothe Pippin silently. Something she had 
overheard from Uncle Adelard, one night when he was well into his cups, made her think that 
Merry being a lad should be the lesser of her father's grievances. 

"And he is mad because we are cousins." Pippin continued, choking the words out around 
sobs. "He said that even if Merry was a lass, we were too close of kin for it." Pippin snuffled, 
and pulled his arm away from Pervinca to wipe his nose across his sleeve. "But I don’t 
understand. Nel and him are cousins, too, and just as close, but he was going to let her marry 
him anyway." 

This was a point that had Pervinca wondering as well. How was Merry marrying Nel fine, but 
being with Pippin not, if kinship was at issue? The only difference was that Merry and Pippin 
were both lads, which brought her thoughts back to Uncle Adelard's drunken ramblings. 

Pervinca knew there was something that didn’t add up, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

"Don't cry, Pip." She said. "It will be fine." 

"How?" Pippin asked, his tone almost mewling. "I am never going to see him again." 

Pervinca eyed her brother, and he heart broke. His red, puffy eyes and his poor, shuddering 
frame were too much for her to bear. She took a deep breath, and prayed to the Lady that she 
was making the right decision. 

"You will see him again." She said. "I am going to make sure of it." She made the promise 
without a second thought. There was, however, one, small problem. 

Pervinca had no idea where he was. 

******

"Mister Merry, you have not touched your lunch." 

Merry looked at his almost-full plate and discovered that Sam was right. 

"I am sorry Sam." Merry said quietly. "It is not the fault of your cooking. I am just not 
hungry." 

"Please, Mister Merry." Sam said, hovering over Merry nervously. "I can’t have you wastin' 
away to nothin'." 

Merry stabbed at the brown rice and cabbage desultorily. He nibbled on the cabbage clinging 
to the fork, and looked at Sam hopefully. Sam fixed him with a flat look, and tapped his foot 
impatiently. Merry nibbled at the cabbage a bit more. Sam looked unimpressed, and Merry 
sighed. 

Frodo and Sam meant well. Merry knew this, but it did not make him feel any better. 

Frodo had come to his room this morning, as he had been doing since Merry arrived. The first 
few mornings, Frodo had only listened to Merry as he wept, trying to comfort him with 
soothing words and soft touches. The following mornings, Frodo had tried futilely to coax him 
out of bed, insisting that Merry needed fresh air and food. But Merry had managed to beg him 
off each time, and Frodo had left him to his misery. 

This morning had been different. Frodo had tried to coax him out of bed, but nothing Merry 
had said would make him go away. The two had debated the issue for close to an hour, but in 
the end Frodo won. He had called for Sam, and together the pair had pulled Merry from the 
bed bodily. 

Merry could not abide the sitting room. He had not dared to venture near it since he had 
arrived. It would be too painful, to sit in the room where he had kissed Pippin for the first 
time, the room where he and Pippin had rubbed against each other until they had been 
shuddering and whimpering. 

Unwilling to go into the sitting room, and unable to return to his room at the fear of Frodo's 
wrath, he was confined to the kitchen. He was there now as he ignored his lunch, and he had 
been there all morning. He had continued to weep, but the change of location had been 
enough to content Frodo, at least for now. 

"If the cabbage is not to your likin', I could bring you a tart." Sam said hopefully. 

"No Sam." Merry said. "It is not the cabbage, I promise." He dropped his eyes to the plate as 
he felt the tears returning. "I just do not want to eat." 

"Beggin' your pardon, Mister Merry." Sam said, eyeing him with concern. "But starvin' yourself 
will not bring him back." 

"I know, Sam." Merry said quietly. "I know." 

"If he gets hungry enough, he will eat." Frodo said gently as he entered the kitchen. 

Frodo touched Sam's arm lightly as he passed him, but did not kiss him. Merry frowned, 
knowing that the two had been careful not to be too affectionate in front of Merry out of fear 
of upsetting him. Merry appreciated the kindness, but the disturbance he was causing in their 
lives was making him feel worse. 

******

"Nel?" Pervinca eyed her sister, with thinly veiled contempt. Nel was sitting her the bed, 
stitching at a length of white cloth disconsolately. She was not crying, but was making a good 
show of the fact that she would be capable of it at any moment. 

"What do you want?" Nel asked, not bothering to look up from her sewing. 

"I want to know where Merry is." She said. 

Nel looked up from her embroidery hoop quickly. "How would I know?" She asked. Pervinca 
noticed that her sister had hesitated. 

"Because you know." Pervinca said flatly. 

"Why would I Know where he is?" 

"Because you spoke with him before he left." Pervinca said. Her sister did not look up from her 
stitching, but she flinched slightly. Pervinca had thought that they had spoken, but had not 
known it was true until her sister had reacted. 

"I did not." Nel insisted. "And if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you anyway." 

"Why not?" Pervinca asked, her voice sweet, innocent, and slightly affronted. 

"Because you will tell Pippin where he is, and the boy will run off into the blue after him." Nel 
said. "That is the last thing he needs." 

"And what, in the name of the Lady does he need?" Pervinca spat, the sweet innocence gone. 
"To sit in his room, pining and weeping hopelessly?" 

"He needs to forget about Merry and get on with his life." Nel said. 

"Do you intend to take your own advice?" Pervinca snapped. 

"Get out!" Nel shouted, waving the length of white cloth threateningly. 

"I will find out where he is eventually." Pervinca warned. "But you could save me some trouble 
and your brother some heartache by telling me now." 

Nel stared at her silently with a blank expression for a few moments, before turning her 
attention back to her embroidery. 

"Fine." Pervinca said as she turned towards the door. "Have it your way."

"I always do." Nel said, a bit to sweetly. 

Pervinca paused, and turned, unable to let such a golden opportunity pass her by. 

"If you always have you way, why is it that Merry put his hands down Pippin's pants rather 
than up your skirt?" 

The last thing Pervinca saw as she fled from the room was the embroidery hoop flying towards 
the door. 

******

"Pervinca?" 

There was an odd tone in her father's voice. At first she thought Nel had told him of their 
conversation, but as he drew close she noticed that his face was not angry. He seemed 
nervous. Her mother was beside him, wearing the same, blank expression that she had been 
wearing for days. 

"We've had a letter from Brandy Hall." Her father said. An unreadable look passed between 
her parents. "The Master and his wife will be arriving here shortly." 

"Is Merry with them?" She asked lightly. As far as her parents were concerned, she had no 
idea why Merry had been turned out. 

"No." Her father replied. "Their letter said that he had not returned home." 

"Have you told Pippin?" She asked, again lightly. Her father pressed his lips together, and 
another unreadable expression passed between her parents. 

"No." Her father said. "We thought it was best that he did not know." Pervinca noticed her 
mother's eyes narrow slightly when he said 'we'. Paladin Took thought it was best, and on this 
occasion, he was taking no argument from Eglantine. 

"Well, he will notice eventually, once they have arrived." Pervinca said, a bit wryer than she 
had intended. Her father raised any eyebrow, making it clear that he had not appreciated it. 

"That brings me to why I mentioned it to you in the first place." Paladin said. "I was thinking 
perhaps you and Pippin could go away for a few days." 

Pervinca brightened as she realized what she could make of this, but shoved the display of 
emotion away quickly before her parents grew suspicious. She wasn't sure where Merry was, 
but now that she knew that he was not at Brandy Hall, she had a fairly good idea. 

"How soon will they be here?" She asked. 

"According to their letter, they intend to leave tomorrow morning." Her father said. If they left 
early enough, and came by cart, they would reach the Smials by nightfall." 

"Pippin and I will leave tomorrow morning." She said. "Unless you would rather us leave 
tonight." 

"Tomorrow morning will be fine." Her father said, looking less nervous than he had when he 
had approached her. "Thank you, Pervinca." Her mother added lightly, the blank expression 
slipping for a brief moment. 

She stared after her parents as they walked away, not really watching them leave. She 
wondered absently if her parents had any idea what they had just done. Pervinca thanked the 
Lady silently, and hope she was right about where Merry was hiding himself. 

If she was right, Merry was at Bag End. It was the only other place that she could think of that 
Merry would go, if he had not gone home. Merry had always been close with his cousin Frodo, 
and he and Pippin had often visited there. 

Pervinca walked back to Pippin's room, her mind working feverishly. They could make the trip 
to Bag End in less than a day if they took a pony. She would get a beating for sure when she 
returned home empty-handed, but if it eased Pippin's heartache, it would be worth it. 

When she pushed her brother's door open, she was relieved to find that he was out of bed. He 
was curled up in his chair, with a book in his lap, staring out the window. She was quite sure 
that Pippin was unaware that the book was upside-down, and it looked like he had recently 
been crying, but as far as she was concerned, it was an improvement. 

Pippin looked up from the book, and smiled weakly. Pervinca smiled back at him, and tossed 
him his pack. 

"We are leaving for a few days." She said. "I think it would do you some good." 

Pippin only nodded, but she saw that he brightened a bit. Pervinca decided that even if Merry 
was not at Bag End, a few days away from the Smials would be good for him. Pervinca hoped 
that Merry was at Bag End, because she did not think that this sort of opportunity would arise 
again. 

She thanked the Lady once more for good measure, and prayed that the Lady's grace would 
hold out a little while longer.

******

Frodo studied Merry as he sat across from him at the table. His one bright, amiable cousin had 
been reduced to a melancholy heap of sadness and tears, and it made him furious. Half of him 
had an almost irresistible urge to visit the Thain and beat him soundly. More than half. But the 
remainder of him knew it would only make matters worse. 

Given the number of years that he and Sam had been together, he figured half the Shire knew 
what passed between him and Sam, and the other half probably had a pretty good idea. And 
despite what people knew or thought they knew, Frodo had never heard a word about it, nor 
had he suffered for it. 

Not for the first time in his life, Frodo was grateful for what he had. He had the freedom to do 
what he wanted, without having to give it more than a passing thought. He had no family to 
fuss at him and no expectations to live up to. He could do as he pleased, and if anyone took it 
amiss, it would be shrugged off as one of his numerous oddities. 

Unsure if Merry wanted words, Frodo simply reached across the table and squeezed his hand. 

"I miss him." Merry said, almost a whisper. 

"I know you do, lad." Frodo said, his desire to walk to the Smials and wallop the Thain growing 
stronger. 

"I cannot bear it, Frodo." Merry said, tears welling in his eyes. "I cannot imagine continuing to 
live, every day, without having him with me." 

"I love him." Merry continued fitfully. "Why he not understand this?" 

Frodo did not need to be told who 'he' was. "Because he is a fool of a Took, Merry." Frodo 
stroked Merry's hand lightly. "An irrational fool, who is more concerned with what others will 
think that with the feelings of his child. Or his nephew." 

"I never hurt him." Merry said. His tone was still weak, but it was laced with anger. "Never." 

He slammed a fist down on the table, making the crockery jiggle. "Maybe he was too young 
for me to touch him, but I never forced it on him." 

"Merry." Frodo said. "Do not torture yourself. You and Pippin know the truth of what passed 
between you. What the Thain thinks changes nothing." 

"But it does." Merry whined. Suddenly, he dissolved into tears, pulling his hands away from 
Frodo to cover his face. 

Frodo got up from his chair and moved over to Merry. He drew his cousin up into a hug, and 
seated himself in Merry's chair, pulling him into his lap. He murmured to him soothingly, and 
rocked him, the same way he had seen him rock Pippin countless times. 

******

Pervinca grunted as her brother's grip around her waist tightened. Neither of them were large 
hobbits, but packing the both of them on the back of one pony had been a tight squeeze. 

Pippin rump was not as small as it used to be, and he a deal more leg that Pervinca thought 
was necessary. 

She was relieved to catch sight of Bagshot Row, weary of sitting on the back of the pony. 

Pippin, who had said little all of the trip, and had seemed not to notice the countryside as it 
passed him by, gave a start when he realized where they were.

"Where are we going?" He asked. 

"To Bag End." Pervinca said simply. 

"You told Da we were going to Pincup." He questioned.

"I changed my mind." She said. "I realized that Bag End was a good deal closer. Besides, a 
room in Pincup will cost money. Frodo's guestroom's are free." 

And so is the food, she thought hopefully. She was starving, and had full intentions of putting 
Samwise Gammgee to use. 

Butterflies flitted in Pervinca's stomach as she knocked on Frodo's door. It seemed like an 
eternity before she heard the sound of footsteps on the other side. 

"Mistress Pervinca?" Samwise asked. He looked confused at seeing Pervinca, but when he saw 
Pippin standing behind her he looked shocked enough to fall over in a dead faint. 

Suddenly, Sam grinned so wide that Pervinca feared his face would split open. Pervinca was 
relieved immediately, knowing that Sam's smile meant that Merry was there. 

"I am glad to be seein' the both of you, and make no mistake." Sam said excitedly, ushering 
the pair into Bag End. He kissed Pervinca's cheek lightly, then moved to embrace Pippin. 
Then he took Pippin by the hand and hauled him to the kitchen. 

Pervinca quickened her steps to keep up with Sam. She stopped dead in the doorway, and 
practically screamed with excitement when she saw Merry was sitting at the table. He was in 
Frodo's lap, weeping, and the older hobbit was trying to comfort him. Frodo looked up when 
he heard them approach, and when his eyes lighted on Pippin he grinned from ear to ear. 

Pippin froze in the doorway, staring at Merry. 

"Mister Merry." Sam said. "There is someone here that I think you will be wantin' to see." 

"Pip." 

"Merry." 

They moved to each other, staring, with tears streaming down their faces. Merry's hand 
sought out Pippin's, and Pippin leaned into his chest. Merry put a hand up to stroke Pippin's 
curls, and he pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

"Why don’t you two go on into the guestroom." Frodo said. "I have not seen Pervinca in quite 
some time. I would love the chance to get reacquainted. 

******

"I thought I would never see you again." Pippin said, as soon as the door was closed. 

Silently, Merry leaned in and kissed Pippin softly, his lips laying gently across his cousins. 
Pippin kissed back just as softly, and wrapped his arms around Merry to pull him closer. 

"I love you." Merry said into Pippin's curls, against his ear. 

"I love you, too." Pippin replied, nuzzling against his cousin's mouth. 

Merry pulled Pippin towards the bed, never taking his eyes off Pippin's face. He stood there, 
running his fingers over Pippin's face for a few moments, taking in every detail. Pippin did the 
same, tracing Merry's nose and the line of his jaw with soft touched. 

Merry pulled him close and kissed him again, eagerly. Pippin returned it intently, twining his 
fingers in Merry's hair and opening his mouth to him. Merry moaned when Pippin's tongue slid 
over his, caught it in his mouth to suck on it gently. 

He slid his hands down Pippin's back, and brought them around to work at the button's of 
Pippin's waistcoat. He undid them quickly, with shaking fingers, as Pippin kissed his neck and 
nibbled at his ear. Pippin worked at Merry's waistcoat as his own fell away, and pulled Merry 
close. 

Pippin gasped as they embraced, marveling at the feel of his cousin's skin against his. He 
kissed Merry, teasing his tongue over Merry's lips and ran his hands over the smooth skin of 
Merry's arms and chest. He let his hands slide down Merry's chest to his breeches, and 
brushed his hand across the growing bulge before pulling at the laces. 

Merry moaned loudly as Pippin's hand trailed over his erection, cherishing a sensation that he 
thought he would never feel again. He kissed Pippin feverishly, and dug his fingers into 
Pippin's arms. He shivered as Pippin slid the garment down his legs, and moved his hands to 
tug almost impatiently at Pippin's breeches. 

"Sweet Lady, I have missed you." Merry said as he freed Pippin from his breeches. "I thought 
I would never get to touch you again." 

Pippin's reply came out as a soft cry when Merry's hand stroked his erection. He leaned into 
Merry, kissing his neck and shoulders and bucked against Merry's hand. 

Merry sank down into the bed, pulling Pippin with him, relishing the feel of Pippin's weight on 
top of him. Merry slipped his hands around Pippin's back to cup his rump, bring him closer, 
and cried out when Pippin's erection moved over his. 

Pippin pushed against Merry, grinding his hardness against his cousins. After the hopeless 
feeling of loss and emptiness he had endured over the last weeks, this contact was so sweet it 
made him shake. He leaned his face down as he rocked, kissing Merry's face lightly, and 
moaning into his ear. 

Pippin's voice in his ear caused a warmth to rush over Merry's body, and his erection throbbed 
almost painfully. He wanted to hear that sound again, wanted Pippin to cry out his name. He 
rolled, putting Pippin under him, and kissed him hard as he rocked against him. 

He pulled away from his mouth and kissed his neck, working his lips and tongue over Pippin's 
skin as he moved down to his chest. Pippin moaned as Merry teased his tongue over his 
nipple, and arched his back when Merry took it into his mouth, sucking lightly. 

Merry worked the other nipple with his fingers as he sucked, making Pippin shudder. Pippin 
pulled at Merry's hair and whimpered as Merry's tongue traced soft circles around the nipple 
and flicked the tip of it over the nub. 

Pippin whimpered again as soft kisses rained across his chest and moved slowly down towards 
his navel. Merry's kisses were light, almost teasing, and Pippin cried out fitfully. Merry paused, 
dipping his tongue into Pippin's navel, then slowly continued down. 

"Merry." He breathed, as he felt Merry's breath glide over the tip of his erection. 

Taking Pippin's hardness in his hand, Merry planted a light kiss at the base. He kissed up 
Pippin's erection slowly, trailing his tongue over it. Pippin moaned and clutched at the 
blankets, murmuring Merry's name. Merry paused as he reached the tip, and ran his tongue 
over it. 

"Merry!" Pippin cried, almost sobbing when Merry took him into his mouth. 

Merry slid Pippin's length in and out of his mouth, sucking lightly. He worked his tongue over 
the soft, taut skin, enjoying the soft, mewling sounds that Pippin was making. He ran his 
hands across Pippin's legs and over his thighs, then brought a hand down to cup the soft 
mounds under Pippin's hardness. 

"Oh!" Pippin cried, slamming his hands against the bed. He writhed against Merry's mouth, 
and arched his back. "Oh, Merry!" 

Merry felt Pippin's erection jerk, and me moved up, kissing Pippin just as warmth bathed both 
their bellies. Pippin hugged Merry desperately, and sagged back into the bed. 

"Put it in me." Pippin said softly. Merry was kissing his neck softly, and Pippin could feel his 
cousin's erection against his thigh. "Please, Merry. Put it in me." 

"I don’t want to hurt you." Merry replied, nuzzling against his ear. He wanted to, desperately, 
and his throbbing erection was begging for it, but he was afraid. 

"Please, Merry." Pippin begged. "I may never get to see you again." 

Merry kissed Pippin softly. He moved to kneel between Pippin's legs, and trailed his finger 
down Pippin's thigh and brushed it against his opening.

"Are you sure?" He asked. 

"I want you inside me." Pippin said, catching Merry's eyes with his own. "I want to know what 
it feels like." 

Merry trailed dipped his finger in the slippery warmth on Pippin's belly, and gently massaged 
his opening. Pippin closed his eyes and took a sharp, hissing breath as Merry pushed the tip of 
his finger inside. Merry stopped, afraid to move, and searched his cousin's face. 

"Don’t stop, Merry." Pippin said. 

Gently, Merry moved his finger, pushing his finger deeper inside. His breath caught at the 
uncomfortable noise that Pippin made, but Pippin pushed against his finger. Merry pulled his 
finger back and slid it back in, and this time, his finger brushed against a small, hard spot, and 
the noise Pippin made was not uncomfortable at all. 

Merry added a second finger, watching Pippin's face cautiously. Pippin gave a small grunt. He 
reached his other hand up and stroked Pippin's stirring erection, and felt his cousin relax. 
Pippin whimpered as Merry's fingers hit that spot again, and he thrust back against Merry's 
movements. 

Merry released Pippin's erection to slide his hand across his belly, and used the slippery 
warmth to coat his own. He placed the tip of his erection at Pippin's entrance, and looked into 
his eyes. 

"Pip?" He questioned. 

"Please, Merry." 

Merry pushed the tip of his erection inside Pippin slowly. Pippin grunted and clutched the 
blankets. Merry stopped, even though he was shuddering at the feeling of Pippin's warm 
tightness around him. 

Pippin looked up at him and smiled softly in encouragement, and Merry pushed a little farther 
into him, shuddering at the wonderful feeling. Pippin pushed against him lightly, and moaned 
softly. Merry stroked Pippin's hardness, and when he felt his cousin relax, he slid all the way 
in. 

"Oh, you are beautiful." Merry whispered, looking at his cousin's sweet face as he slid into 
him. He kissed Pippin, feeling his tight warmth around him, and knew that there was possible 
way that what they were doing was wrong. It was the most wonderful thing in the world. 

Pippin cried out as Merry thrust into him, shuddering every time his cousin's erection hit the 
sweet spot inside him, and whimpering from the contact of his cousin's stroking hand. A 
feeling of pleasure washed over him so intensely that spots of color flashed before his eyes. 
Merry moved rhythmically, thrusting in and out. Pippin moved his hips to meet his 
movements. Merry felt a fire in his belly as he moved, fed by the sounds Pippin made each 
time Merry's erection brushed against that spot inside him. Merry began moving just so he 
could hit that spot, wanting to hear those sounds again and again. 

"Sweet Lady, you feel good." Merry said, his breath growing ragged. 

Merry's thrusts grew harder and faster, and he cried out wordlessly each time erection slid 
inside. Pippin moaned loudly, and Merry felt his erection throb in his hand. The fire in his belly 
raged, and Merry yelled Pippin's name as he slid inside him one last time. Merry felt his 
release just as Pippin's erection let itself go. 

"I love you, Pippin." 

"I love you, too, Merry." 

Merry slipped out of Pippin and moved to lay on top of him. He kissed his cousin softly, and 
murmured into his ear. Pippin wrapped his arms around Merry, and held him like he never 
meant to let go.