Pies and Presents by StarSpray

Pies and Presents

Read Pies and Presents

Bilbo loved a good party—when he planned it out properly—but this year he took special care to plan his birthday party, particularly to ensure that young Frodo had his share of the festivities—and even more particularly to prepare for his own birthday gift to Frodo, which took rather more time and effort than Bilbo would have liked.

Frodo arrived with Saradoc and Esmeralda Brandybuck and their young son Merry several days ahead of the party, to help with the cooking and setting up the tent in the garden. Bilbo insisted on doing most of the baking himself, and appointed Frodo to be the roller of pie dough. Esmeralda had gone off to the market, and Saradoc was outside with Hamfast debating the best way to go about setting up a party tent. Merry "helped" for a little while in the kitchen, eating far more cherries than he washed or pitted, before wandering outside to see what his father was doing.

As Bilbo arranged apple slice in a pie dish, he watched Frodo out of the corner of his eye, rolling out the dough with a brow furrowed in concentration. "Now, Frodo," Bilbo said, "I have been thinking about your birthday present." Frodo looked up, startled. "And I even went so far as to ask your Aunt Dora for advice, which she gave, and it was very good advice because it was precisely what I had wanted her to say."

"Advice about my birthday present?" Frodo asked.

"And I've spoken with both Saradoc and Esmeralda, and with your Uncle Rory too."

Frodo was frowning now, trying to guess what on earth the gift could be. Bilbo let him stew a while in curiosity, before he said, as he settled the pie crust over top the apples, "You had better come and live here, Frodo my lad, and then we can celebrate all our birthday-parties comfortably together." He watched the words sink into Frodo, who dropped the rolling pin and had to scramble to find it under the table.

"Really, Uncle Bilbo?" he cried when he reemerged. "You want me to come live here with you?"

"Yes, my lad, of course!"

"Oh thank you, Uncle!" Frodo threw his arms around Bilbo, covering them both all over in flour.

Later, Merry came in to filch more cherries, and found them laughing and planning the decorations for Frodo's bedroom over slices of warm apple pie.