So, I was reading the Unfinished Tales, and found some interesting notes on Saruman, and his interest in the Shire prior to the LOTR. Here are the five most relevant to this AU collection of stories.

1) Saruman occasionally visited the Shire, disguised in a grey cloak, to basically explore and see what Gandalf was talking about. He stopped doing it and later sent men to act as go betweens at some point around the time of the Hobbit.

2) Saruman, curious as to why Gandalf liked the pipeweed, secretly tried some, and was hooked. However, due to his pride, he could never admit he liked it as he had often insulted Gandalf for doing it.

3) Saruman was very jealous of Gandalf, and despite openly saying 'no' during council meetings, would secretly check out what Gandalf had brought to his attention after the meetings.

4) The reason Saruman stopped visiting the shire in person? The hobbits, whom he'd been hiding from as he observed them, had actually noticed him and mistaken him for Gandalf. (Even better- Gandalf had already become aware of this, and had no intention of ever bringing it up or making fun of Saruman for doing it; Saruman, however, believed Gandalf would mock him for doing so, and was embarrassed at getting caught.)

And 5) In one of Tolkien's drafts, Saruman almost had a change of heart while he had Gandalf imprisoned in Orthanc. Unfortunately, Gandalf escaped before Saruman could speak with him about repenting, and so Saruman missed his chance.

So, I suddenly got a bunch of plot bunnies, and well, I figured I'd mess with Saruman's character, in particular, his potential goodness, as no one else seems to be willing to do so.

Remember, this is an AU collection based on the interesting 5 points above, and will contain a few OCs. Said OCs only exist for Saruman to play off of, and to help explore his character.

Observation

Saruman the White, leader of the White Council and learned lore master, was finding himself for the first time in a long time rather baffled by the Halflings that lived in the realm of the Shire.

Gandalf had praised their simple ways and their cultivation of a particular plant which they smoked, and Saruman had initially dismissed the comments as the Grey Wizard going the same way Radagast the Brown had, losing sight of their purpose.

Except it soon became obvious that when Gandalf spoke of these little people, 'Hobbits' he insisted (as if what they were called mattered) and their ways, he spoke as someone trying to remember the good along with the bad that they discussed. The Lord Elrond would occasionally mention his elves meeting with the Halflings, indeed, apparently, more than a few of his elves had been caught unawares by a Hobbit or two that they hadn't noticed until they were right on top of them.

So, Saruman was making a study of this odd little land when he had some spare time, usually when his study of lore ran into a place where he'd have killed for those writing in the past to have been a little more clear and less given to flights of fantasy and poesy.

Now, however, he was more than a little baffled at the appeal these small beings held over Gandalf beyond that of their pipe-weed, which he found rather soothing after days of pouring over old tomes and half forgotten songs.

He was reluctant to speak to the inhabitants of the Shire, he was the most learned of the council, and he should be able to figure out how a society worked without having to ask. So, he decided to settle down and observe the family group of 9 he'd come across, who was apparently on a walking holiday.

The mother was a round little thing with thick and curly dark hair, a babe on her hip as she set out some plates on a blanket, while the father and what was probably his brother watched over the children, discussing something. They carried no weapons, no means of defense if someone should attack, and Saruman shook his head at such a lax attitude. True, there was no threat from Mordor, but Bandits, Orcs and Wargs still occasionally prowled, and Orcs were known to travel in daylight if desperate or angry enough.

The children were playing a game, one that involved quite a bit of running, from what he could see. There were four children, the youngest a toddler and still a little clumsy on his or her feet, the oldest, a boy, watched after the youngest. The other two were clearly girls, and spent much of the game giggling.

A rather normal family outing for any peace loving race of Arda, Saruman felt, only to realize he was only observing 8 of the 9. The Ninth had gone missing.

"Hullo."

Saruman twitched, a very controlled version of what would have been him leaping back and striking out with his staff, before looking down at the missing ninth hobbit. A young boy, perhaps the second eldest, looked up at him.

"I said, Hullo." The child repeated, and Saruman found the exasperation on the child's face rather humorous. "You're supposed to say 'Hullo' back, Mum says."

"Hello." Saruman responded, still surprised the child had snuck up on him. He'd been hidden, he thought, and that someone found him was a rather unexpected surprise.

"Are you lost? Mum and Pa know how to get ye back on the road." The child said, and Saruman glanced up to see said Pa coming over, the other children gathered around their mother.

"Tim Sawbuck, you know better than to bother strangers!" The father scolded, and glanced up. "Begging yer pardon, he's at that age where he'll talk to anyone he finds interestin'."

"No trouble, I thought I would pass by unnoticed." Saruman responded, quickly falling back on his ability to charm with his voice- useful, for getting people to trust or dismiss one. "I did not mean to disturb your picnic."

"No, but you've been watching us for a bit, haven't heard your boots move for a few minutes." The father noted, and Saruman was thrown by how easily the hobbit had dismissed his charm. Not even the elves had ever done so. "You don't mean mischief, I can see, but if it is curiosity, I'd thank ye to come out of the shadows, instead of lurking like some sort of truant."

"Ah, well, yes, I'd never seen hobbits so close before, I did not mean to frighten, just observe." Saruman had found himself stepping out of the small copse of trees before he could think better of it, the no-nonsense tone reminding him of a memory of long ago.

"Hmph." The father snorted. "If you didn't mean to frighten, you should have come out when it was clear we weren't going to disappear, or whatever those Big Folk think we do." The Father studied him, "Well, since you're traveling, care for a bite and to wet your whistle before you continue on? You can 'observe' us better then, I should think." The entire tone was one that suggested the Father had little care of who or what Saruman was, only that he had not attacked his child, and so was proved trustworthy enough to give a bit of food. "Name's Hob Sawbuck, your's?"

He'd had many names, once, before he settled at Orthanc and Isengard for good. He quickly scrambled for a name that would not make them even more wary. "Doron, Master Sawbuck."

He discovered many things from that meal. Hobbits (or at least these ones) easily resisted his charmed voice, did not think much of the intelligence of 'Big Folk', and would give food to even an uninvited guest, as long as they meant no harm or danger to them. They also did not care much for the world outside their Shire, Mr. Sawbuck in particular, though the children asked many questions about the world, were there such things as faeries and dragons, and had he ever seen them were the most memorable ones.

The adults themselves talked of crops, prices at market and the goings on of the more 'upper-class' hobbits, apparently, some family or clan by the name of Took had caused some trouble by one of their members bringing back a sword and helmet from some adventure they'd been on.

But for all that he learned, Saruman was still rather baffled at their behavior. It would need further study, he felt.

There, first of the bunch.

"Saruman was great once; that we know."- a quote from Christopher Lee's commentary on his character.