Author's note: This story is set just before Frodo, Sam and Pippin leave Bag End. To be more precise it's set on Pippin's last day at the Smials. This is sort of a "trial version", I had a longer piece in mind focusing on both Merry and Pippin set during the journey, with the days before they left Bag End in flashbacks, but I wanted to get some response on this before I take the time to write something longer. So if you like it, please let me know! And if you don't, well, then please let me know that too (preferably with some constructive criticism attached)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

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For once all six members of the family were present at the dinner table at five o'clock, their appointed dinner time. It was a rare occasion indeed, one would think getting Hobbits to arrive on time for dinner would be easy but if it was then this family was the clear exception to the rule.

Paladin Took was pleased. The harvest was coming along wonderfully, office had never been as calm as this fall and for once he could sit down and enjoy a nice meal on time. In order to make everyone appear on time for dinner they had set up a rule that dinner would not be served until Paladin counted six heads at the table. The hope was that this would prompt everyone to do their best to show up on time with the knowledge that a late appearance would anger the rest of the hungry family. However Hobbits would be Hobbits, and the rule had been stretched into "no meals served until everyone is present or we have waited for ten minutes". Now for once they were all gathered at five and dinner could be served to all of them at the same time.

Eglantine Took removed a book from her youngest daughter's seat and put it away, reminding everyone that there was no reading allowed at the table. Then she hurried out to the kitchen to make sure dinner was on its way. She was in a splendid mood, she had gotten an early start at the fall cleaning of the Great Smials and at this rate the place would be ready for winter in no time. If there was one thing Eglantine disliked it was cleaning, getting it out of the way as fast as possible always pleased her. To her contentment she found that dinner was ready to be served and grabbed a loaf of bread from one of the baskets as the kitchen staff carried the first course out to the table.

Pearl Took, the oldest of the children, dug in on the salads as soon as they landed on the table. She could not really be called a child anymore, even by Hobbit standards, she was in her forties by now and not very young at heart. But she had never married and still lived in her parents' halls and was as much required to show up at the dinner table as any of her siblings. On this particular evening she was in a good mood. She had been told an amusing story by one of the elderly Hobbits she looked after and began to retell the story to her family while wolfing down salad. Eglantine gently reminded her not to speak and chew at the same time, but they all knew it was no loss. Nobody had ever been able to teach Pearl any table manners, her two passions were eating and talking and preferably at the same time.

Pimpernel Took, the middle daughter of the family, finally managed to quiet her older sister down when she began to retell a story of her own. Pimpernel was an excellent tailor whom many Hobbits came to see when they wanted something new in their wardrobe, and there seemed to be many amusing incidents taking place when Pimpernel had fittings. Pimpernel shared her sister's love of talking and could never keep quiet for long. She began to sum up her day while waving her fork around so that her younger sister had to duck to avoid being hit in the forehead. Pimpernel was in a jolly mood and got more and more enthusiastic the further she got with her stories, before long she was imitating her customers with different voices, making most of her family laugh.

Pervinca Took, the youngest daughter, who had just come of age, only listened with half an ear to the stories. She was one of few Hobbits who could actually haste through a meal in order to get to go do something more fun. She glanced over at the book she had brought to the table and longed for when she could continue with it. She had found it in the library just this afternoon and had been immediately drawn into it. A smile appeared on her face while she munched on her potatoes. There was nothing quite like losing yourself in a new book.

The only one who didn't seem at great spirits this particular afternoon was Peregrin, the only boy in the family. He kept unusually quiet and gave his family strange looks over the table. The others saw his state of mind but didn't comment on it. It was that way with Peregrin, or Pippin as he was usually called. He was either as cheerful as they come or as sullen as can be. Today seemed to be a sullen day, and they all knew better than to start asking questions when he was in this mood. Paladin had been on the verge of lecturing him for not showing up to help with the farming, but had decided against it when he saw the look on his son's face.

"Pimpernel dear, try to shorten your story, your meat is getting cold" Eglantine gently said as Pimpernel had nearly hit Pervinca for the fifth time with her fork.

"It's quite edible even if it's cold" Pimpernel said but obediently cut a large piece of her meat. "I just have to tell you one more story though… Cousin Merry came in today to have me mend those silly trousers he loves to wear when he's going out hiking. I told him I'm backed up for a few weeks to come but he can be sure to have them before mid October. But you know Cousin Merry, he doesn't have time to wait, he told me he needed them before tomorrow. I couldn't help but laugh and tease him a little and ask him what was so urgent, and you should have seen the look on his face! He tried his best to hide it, but you could tell he was up to something."

Pippin choked on a tomato.

"Pip!" Paladin cried and flew to his feet along with his wife as Pippin began to cough wildly.

Pippin's eyes teared up and even Pervinca was woken up from her own thoughts at the sound of her brother apparently trying to cough his lungs up. Paladin went over and gave his son a few hard pats on the back until Pippin finally managed to cough up the tomato.

"A little old to choke on your food, aren't you?" Paladin remarked with a displeased look.

"Pardon" Pippin wheezed and downed his glass of wine.

"My dear Pip, you sure know how to create a scene" Pimpernel said and shook her head.

"Better now?" Paladin asked.

Pippin nodded and filled up his glass again with an even more sullen look on his face. Paladin went back to his seat and sat down with a sigh. He knew the meal had started out too good to last. It seemed like an impossibility to have a nice, calm meal with the whole family gathered.

"Can you chew on your own from now on, or shall I cut your food into tiny bites like I do with the old folk?" Pearl teased.

Pippin gave her an angry look and shoved half a loaf of bread into his mouth.

"Enough!" Paladin said. "Can we please just have a civilised meal?"

"As I was saying!" Pimpernel chippered on, already forgetting about the tomato incident, "It seems our cousin has got something--"

"Pimpernel what do you think your customers would say if they knew you tell all their secrets?" Pippin grumpily interrupted her.

His sisters looked at him with questioning eyes. What a dumb question! Everybody knew Pimpernel Took could not keep a secret if her life depended on it, and that she was probably the greatest gossip in all of Tuckburough.

"Oh don't take your crabby mood out on me" Pimpernel said and started waving her fork again as she spoke. "You've never objected to my stories in the past!"

"Well I happen to think that whatever your punters tell you or whatever they're planning to do with the clothes you help them with is their own business. I'm not in the mood for having my ears filled with your mindless gossip."

"Why Peregrin!" Pimpernel said, looking hurt.

"When you were little I used to think you would stop bickering with each other once you got older" Paladin said with a sigh. "I know now that I was wrong. Please take this somewhere else than the dinner table! Pimpernel I think we've all heard quite enough for one night, you ought to concentrate on your meal before it's gone completely cold! And Pippin, first you fail to show up in the fields then you arrive at the dinner table looking like a grey cloud, before finishing off by choking on your meal. I do not approve of this behaviour! Is that understood?"

Pippin mumbled something which could be interpreted as a "yes" and stared into his plate while chewing on his last bite. Pimpernel had already forgotten her father's words and spiked a potato on her fork before once again beginning to wave it around.

"I bet it's just because I was retelling your dear Cousin Merry's oddness that you're so against hearing about my day" she said. "You're such a hypocrite; anybody's secrets are entertaining so long as they're not one of your friends'!"

Pippin's eyes darkened and he made a motion to throw his cutlery down and leave the table, but then apparently changed his mind and wiped his plate clean of gravy with the bread he had left while refusing to look at his sister.

"Pimpernel please" Pearl said with a sigh, tired of the bickering.

"May I be excused?" Pervinca asked and rose from her seat without waiting for an answer.

"Don't you want dessert?" Eglantine asked. "We're having raspberries and cream!"

"Thanks but I'd rather get back to my book!"

"Sit down Pervinca" Paladin said firmly. "Your book can wait."

Pervinca sighed theatrically but obediently sat down. She could see Pippin giving her a strange look but ignored him and impatiently waited for the kitchen staff to come take the main course away and bring in the dessert.

Finally the dessert made its way onto the table and over to the Hobbits' plates. Desperate to break the silence Eglantine began questioning her husband about the crops. Neither of the children seemed very interested and Paladin did not have much to report. Everything was coming along nicely and there wasn't much to be said about it. He looked at his family with a sigh, wishing they hadn't lost the jolly mood they'd had at the start of the meal.

The cuckoo on the wall announced that the clock had reached six and suddenly Pippin jolted awake from his absentminded state.

"Goodness, I'm running late!" he cried and flew to his feet.

"But…" Eglantine began.

"Lovely meal and all that, but I have to get going" he said. "I have to get the rest of my things! I'm late!"

"Where are you going?" Peal asked.

"Hobbiton!" Pippin cried. He stopped at the door and gave his family a bow. "Farewell to you all, I must be leaving now!"

"Why are you talking like… like old Bilbo Baggins?" Pearl asked.

But Pippin was already out the door. The rest of the Took family shared a confused look over the sudden exit. Pervinca took it as a blessing to leave the table and hurried away with her book without having touched her berries. Pimpernel absentmindedly lifted them over to her own plate before she began talking again.

"Is it just me or has our brother gotten more and more queer with each passing day this summer?" she said.

"When it comes to queerness he has always been the champion" Peal sighed and finished her dessert. Then she remembered something. "Isn't Frodo Baggins' birthday around the corner? Foolish Pip, he's probably supposed to visit Frodo for his birthday and forgot to pack!"

"He's been very absentminded these past couple of days" Eglantine said.

Paladin didn't say anything. He glanced over at the clock on the wall. Two minutes past six. For only one hour had the family managed to stay at the same table.

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Pearl and Pippin collided in the hallway when she was on her way to her room. She gave him an amused look. Pippin seemed stressed and had his arms full of things he was apparently going to pack before he left.

"Are you still here?" she said. "I thought you left."

"I still have some packing to do" he said. "Watch where you're going Pearl, really!"

"I beg your pardon" she said with a smile. "Off to celebrate Frodo Baggins' birthday?"

"Aye" Pippin said. Then he impulsively gave his sister a hug. "Bye now Peal! Don't kill off any of the elderlies while I'm gone!"

Peal was so shocked by the hug, the first one he had given her in fifteen years, that she didn't even react to his odd words. As he hurried off down the hall she couldn't help but wonder what he would be needing his winter clothes for when he was only travelling to Hobbiton over a few days.

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"Pinn?" Pippin said and went inside Pimpernel's tailoring room without knocking first. "Do you have a moment?"

Pimpernel looked up from the trousers she was working on and raised an eyebrow. He only called her Pinn when he needed a favour or wanted to say he was sorry without having to actually say the words. She wondered which it was this time.

"I really have to get going as soon as possible but there's a tear in my cape, do you think you could mend it for me?"

"Pippin this is your winter cape" Pimpernel pointed out when she took the cloth. "You won't be gone that long! Why don't you take your summer cape?"

"It's got an even bigger tear" Pippin said. "Please Pinn, I really need this favour! Pretty please? You can tell me the latest gossip while I wait, I promise!"

"You need it that bad, do you?" his sister remarked with a raised eyebrow. "Fine. If it's important enough for you to call me Pinn. But when Cousin Merry complains that I didn't get his trousers mended on time you will have to explain why."

"Done deal!" Pippin said and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you Pinn, you're the best! I'll come back in ten minutes; I just need to pack a few more things!"

"You said you'd stay and talk!" Pimpernel objected, but her brother was already out the door. With a sigh she began to mend the cape.

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"There you are!" Pervinca said.

"I was just about to go find you" Pippin said and finally closed his pack.

"I found you instead" Pervinca said. "Pimpernel sent me with your cape. For it being so important you weren't fast in picking it up."

"Oh! Right! The cape! Thanks Pervinca, I completely forgot!"

"I thought it was important" Pervinca said and frowned.

"You know me, always the scatterbrain!"

"Indeed."

She eyed her younger brother with questioning eyes as he forced the cape down into the pack and then began to frantically search for his stock of pipeweed.

"Pippin perhaps you should think of smoking a little less" she remarked as he stuffed a large amount of pipeweed down a side pouch on his pack.

"Hmmm?" Pippin said and looked up at her. "What?"

"That's as much pipeweed as a normal Hobbit smokes in two months! Do you really need all of that for a few days?"

"I promised Folco Boffin some of my stock" Pippin said and hoisted the pack up on his back. "Bye now Pervinca. Have a good life, and all!"

He gave her a quick hug and then hurried off. Pervinca looked after him with total confusion. What on earth was that supposed to mean?

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Eglantine looked up from her crocheting as Pippin came into the sitting room.

"I'm off" he told her. "Where is Pa?"

"I haven't seen him."

Pippin looked disappointed for a second, then smiled for the first time that evening and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"I won't be gone for too long" he said. "You take care now, Ma!"

"Take care?" Eglantine echoed. "We'll see each other in a week!"

"Farewell" Pippin said and left the room.

Eglantine shook her head and returned her attention to her crocheting. If only her son wasn't so queer. If she didn't know better she would think he was preparing to leave for a good while, not just a few days.

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"Peregrin!"

Pippin looked up and saw his father approach him. Paladin grabbed a hold of the reins to Pippin's pony and gave his son a pat on the back.

"Remember to be home in six days" he said. "I'm going to need your help with the crops."

"Sure Pa" Pippin mumbled, unwilling to meet his father's eyes.

"Your walking stick?" Paladin remarked, noticing what Pippin was holding in his hand. "What do you need that for?"

"We are going to walk from Hobbiton to Buckland… Me and Frodo…" Pippin mumbled.

"Is that so? That Frodo has always been a queer one… This love for walking is almost silly. My sister should have kept him at Brandy Hall and not let him go off to live with that queer Bilbo Baggins. All Bagginses are nothing but trouble, remember that Pippin!"

Pippin didn't reply. He had been very young when Bilbo Baggins had left the Shire but he knew Frodo very well and did not share his father's opinion that the Bagginses were an odd group of Hobbits. But he couldn't deny that there was trouble ahead and that the Bagginses were in the middle of it. As usual. But that was more than he could tell his father about, he knew how important it was to keep the secret.

"I really must be going now" he said and mounted his pony. "Thanks Pa…"

"For what?" Paladin asked and handed him the reins. "Be back in six days, remember that!"

"I'll remember" Pippin promised. "Goodbye now…"

"And don't drink too much ale!" Paladin cried after him as he rode off towards Hobbiton.

Pippin swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat. More than anything he wanted to turn around and get a last glimpse of the Great Smials but he didn't want to make his father wonder what he was doing. He had no idea how long it would be before he would see his home again. He swallowed hard once more and prayed goodbye would not be forever.

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Thank you for reading!