A/N: This story is inspired by Charlie Chaos's story Pressing Flowers

This story contains: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Not nice Hobbits, Hurt Bilbo, Abuse. This chapter contains mention of abuse, miscarriage, suicide, and non-con.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Hobbit movies or books.

Acorn

The past is an old armchair in the attic,

the present an ominous ticking sound,

and the future is anybody's guess.

~James Thurber~

The Wandering Days of Hobbits has long since been forgotten by its people, no one in the Shire remembers never having a home, never having their gardens and cozy fireplaces. Harsh and fearful days are nothing more than nightmares, where properness and rules meant nothing to the wilderness is just nonsense. Days where there were more than just man and woman, more than one type of anything, are merely dusty fairytales. Long has the memory of welcoming new friends with open arms, of adventures, faded from many, and remembered by so few. Some would say, Hobbit have closed off their hearts to the world outside the border.

Hobbits have forgotten many things, it is indeed true, but there is one thing they hold to.

Traditions.

Traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, though their meanings have been so twisted by time and lost memories; it's hard to know what truth is.

Traditions that was proper of a Hobbit.

None dared break tradition, no matter how dark they truly are.

~.~

Belladonna Took was an odd Beta to be sure, going off on adventures and such, but she was a Took so it was to be expected and not at all odd. No, what was odd was her marriage to Bungo Baggins. A Hobbit from a truly respectable Beta family, there was not a drop of adventuring blood in a Baggins, no sir. A Baggins stayed at home with their gardens and chairs, they never bothered with anything not proper of a Hobbit.

So it was quite a surprise when not only did Bungo Baggins ask Belladonna Took for her hand in Courting (in front of the whole market even!) but Belladonna said yes! There was much gossip that day, gossip that grew and grew during the two Beta's courtship, and during the wedding. Poor Old Took consumed much wine on that day, and despite the gossips and whispers that a Baggins and Took would never last, none could say they've never seen a more happier bride and groom than Bungo and Belladonna.

Though any child they had was sure to be a peculiar one.

~.~

"Rosemary"

Bungo paused in his pea shelling, and looked over to the kitchen counter where his wife was rolling dough.

"If the baby is a girl" Belladonna said, looking over her shoulder at her husband, "I think Rosemary would be a lovely name"

"You're not just saying that because you have a craving for it, are you?" Bungo said, grinning at the glare his wife gives him.

It was only half-hearted, after all, both knew it wasn't the first time Belladonna had let her cravings rule her judgment in the naming of their unborn child. Rosemary, as it were, was just one of the tamest. At one point, their possibly unborn son's name had been a combination of orange and grape.

"Rosemary is a lovely name" Bungo said, going back to his shelling, "though I still like Tulip"

Belladonna wrinkled her nose in a way that her husband thought was absolutely adorable "Those colorful weeds?"

"They're not weeds" Bungo sighed, "out of all their habits you had to pick-up from Dwarves, why did it have to be their dislike for all things green?"

"Would you rather I had picked up their table manners?" Belladonna teased as she went back to her rolling, "besides, I don't dislike all flowers, just those"

"I've seen a Dwarf's table manners, and I rather not see it again thank you very much"

Belladonna giggled as she finished rolling the dough, and placed it over the combination of vegetables, gravy and chopped chicken in the bottom crust, despite her husband complaints; they both knew he enjoyed her Dwarven friends when they come by for a visit from the Blue Mountains.

"I'm just glad they fixed the plumbing before they left"

Belladonna grimaced, aside from being stubborn and equally hard-headed as a rock, another downside to being friends with Dwarves was risking your bathroom plumbing.

"I never want to see something like that again" Bungo shivered.

His wife nodded her agreement as she sealed the edges and cut away excess dough, the doorbell ringing just as she finished cutting small slits into the middle of the pies. Bungo got up to answer it.

"Afternoon Hamfast!"

"Afternoon Bungo, hope all is well"

"Everything is, please come in"

Bungo stepped aside so his gardener could come in, "Bella, Hamfast is here" Bungo said as he leads the other Hobbit to the kitchen, where his wife had just finished putting the pies in the oven.

"Oh Hamfast, what a surprise, how is Bell and Hamson?" Belladonna wiped off the flour on her hands with a kitchen towel, and goes over to give the visiting Beta a hug before going to clear the table of the bowls and unfinished peas.

"They're doing fine, Hamson is excited about being a big brother, keeps asking when the baby is coming"

"Soon I imagine" said Bungo as he started tea, "much to Bell's relief I'm sure"

After sitting down at the now clean table, Hamfast watched the two move around the kitchen, watched how they passed needed items between them without a word. How they would share secrets with a smile when their eyes met. How they leaned towards each other, and when they sat down with tea and cakes, their shoulders brushed yet never bumping. Bungo's eyes warmed whenever he looked at his wife, and when her husband's hand found its way to the growing bump, Belladonna's hand would cover his and not let go.

Never had Hamfast seen such love between two Hobbits, an intense love that was only seconded to him and his wife's, of course.

"You wouldn't happen to have gone to the market this morning, did you Hamfast?" Belladonna asked.

"Actually yes, the wife had ran out of flour for her baking, I went for her, don't need her on her feet more than necessary"

"You wouldn't happen to know if Tanta is selling those beautiful blue fabrics again, would you? I haven't gotten the chance to go down there myself"

"Afraid not, though I could have missed it" Hamfast paused, frowning as he remembered the commotion that had happened that morning.

"Hamfast, what's wrong?" Bungo asked, "did something happened this morning at the market?"

"Yes" Hamfast nodded, "one of the Breeders, got into a fight, the victim was a of your cousins I believe Bella"

Belladonna frowned in her tea, "That's not a surprise" Bungo sighed, "the Breeders are always fighting, just wish it was with each other instead of us poor Betas"

"No, and you won't hear any arguments from me on that subject, it's just, the lad wasn't doing anything. Wasn't even looking at them"

"They're getting worse" Belladonna sighed, placing her tea on her saucer.

The Breeders, as they were called in the Shire, were the only remembrance of the Hobbit's Wandering Days. They were protectors during those long forgotten memories; they were first line against others who thought that their people were easy targets. They were strong and aggressive even to their own people at times. They were called Breeders, because they did not keep a mate, merely mated to procreate. In return for their protection, the Breeders were given the best food, and the best Carriers to breed with.

It was a tradition that had followed and stayed long after the Hobbits had settled down in the Shire. Unfortunately, because of this, because there were no longer threats and because of a war between the Hobbits and Breeders that resulted in a low number of Carries; there was nothing to stop the Breeders' aggression and chaos.

"Is my cousin alright?" Belladonna asked, cradling the warm cup between her hands, green eyes staring into the dark liquid.

"Yes, he was able to get away, no doubt hiding out until the Breeders calm down"

"Let me guess, no one bothered to help him"

Hamfast's silence said it all, Bungo patted his wife's hands from where they had tighten around her teacup.

"Things have become worse" Hamfast then said, frowning, "ever since Linda—" Hamfast's eyes widen and quickly started apologizing to Bungo.

"It's alright" said the Beta

It wasn't, Hamfast knew, even though it's been four years since Linda Baggins's death, it still wasn't alright. It will never be.

Bungo's baby sister had turned thirty-three and presented as a Carrier.

It was also the day that Bungo finally saw the darkness that lay underneath the gentle green hills.

It started when he was the one that cleaned up blood, soothed bruises, and wiped away tears after Linda came home from the First Tasting. Then the nightmares started, to which he comforted afterwards, and when the Breeders came for her on her fiftieth birthday; his sister clung to him. Then it came to where he could do nothing but watch from afar, as day by day, more and more barely concealed bruises litter his sister's body. How her usually bright eyes became dull more and more. How she grew with child, yet there was no happiness.

There were letters that said she was fine and happy, but the lines between told of fear and slowly being unable to take much more. He pleaded and begged his parents to do something, and despite evidence of abuse, his parents did nothing. It was tradition after all, and Baggins were nothing but traditional.

Then, Linda was gone.

The Breeders said that Linda had miscarried, could not take the loss of her child and hung herself.

It was a lie.

Bungo knew it was a lie, everyone knew it was a lie, Linda was buried and strawberries were planted on her grave, her favorite.

Bungo lost both sister and parents, for he never forgave them for what they did.

"Bungo?"

The Beta blinked away memory and stinging tears, before turning to his wife, her green eyes filled with worry and sorrow.

"I'm fine my dear" he smiled, patting her hand.

They moved onto happier topics, and the incident this morning was pushed into the back of their minds, but not forgotten.

~.~

Bilbo Baggins was beautiful child, curly golden hair as though the sun itself had caressed and left it's radiates behind, eyes like summer green. A bright smile, that melted even the hardest of hearts and a laugh like chimes in the wind. During his first year, Bag Ends was full of visitors, all eager to see the beautiful babe, and not just Hobbits. Dwarves, Rangers, Men and Elves, all came to Bag End. Bringing congratulations and magnificent gifts for the little Baggins, there were even rumors that an Elven King and Wizard had come by!

A well place glare from Bungo and Belladonna silence any whispers that came with the rare guests.

Despite all this Bilbo was a normal child, running off with his cousins, begging for treats from his older relatives, and getting into mischief as all Fauntlings do, there was nothing odd about him, well there was his habit of going off into the woods looking for Elves.

"But that's a Took for you, even a half one" the Hobbits would shrug.

Everything was normal, life went on, and then Bilbo turned twenty-two.

They were in the market, Belladonna was at Tanta's stall, she was listening to the other Hobbit ramble excitedly about some silk fabric she had in stock, while keeping one eye on the Breeders who were loitering at the edge of the Market; and the other eye on her son. Yesterday, he hadn't been feeling well, and was even a little warm. After spending a day in bed, Bilbo insisted he was fine and joined his mother at the Market.

"I also have some lovely patterned fabrics, if you would like to see"

"Yes, thank you Tanta" Belladonna smiled.

Tanta went to the back of her stall to get the fabric, as she waited, Belladonna decided she was getting two of the silks, and two cottons. What she was going to make she didn't know, but the Hobbit is sure inspiration will hit. Tanta came back with the items, after going through them, making her purchases and some small talk. Belladonna looked to see where her son had wondered off too when her attention had been preoccupied.

She found the familiar curly golden hair near the sweets shop, far away from the Breeders who were currently growling and snarling at anyone who came close. Pleased, she started making her way over to the stall, she was half way there when a scent hit her. It was soft and sweet, like sweet smelling grass. It was a lovely scent, familiar.

The scent of a blossoming Carrier.

It was coming from her son.

Heart hammering, Belladonna looks around, so far it seem that none of the other Hobbits noticed (though the sweets stall owner was staring at the Tween's lips with a dazed look in his eyes), then her eyes landed on the Breeders.

All of them were looking at Bilbo.

With a quickness of an true adventures Took, Belladonna is through the crowd and next to her son, her hand gripping his arm tightly.

"Time to go Bilbo"

It is the tone in his mother's voice, and the grip on his arm that has the Tween silent as his mother all but drags him away from the Market, the Breeders eyes following them.

They make it home without incident.

"Bungo!" Belladonna called, as she shuts and locks the door.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Bilbo asked bewildered, watching his mother peek out the window.

Bungo comes into the hallway, ink stained hands indicated that he had been in the study.

"What's wrong Bell—oh"

Bungo stared at his son, nose flaring at the scent that he could never forget, rolling off his son.

His son was a Carrier.

Thousands of emotions slammed into him, fear being the most among them, that fear was quickly overlapped with determination and protectiveness.

He was not going to let the Breeders take his son away from him like they did his sister. Looking at his wife, and seeing those normal gentle eyes turn hard and determine told Bungo that he was not alone.

Two days later, when the Breeders arrived at their doorstep for the First Tasting, Bungo and Belladonna broke tradition.

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