Title: Autumn Daze
Author: Robin Girl
Part: 1
Universe: Movie
Slash: None
Beta-ed: October 2008
Story notes: This takes place three or four days before Bilbo's birthday party.
Disclaimer: I own no one!

The room was booming with people but no one knew he was there. The hobbit was curled in his dad's chair looking quite bored. And to think that he could be with his cousin Merry and Frodo, but no, he was stuck here. His green eyes looked out into the crowd of hobbits.

You'd think they would grow tired and bored of doing nothing but talking. No, these were adults. All they did was talk, a very boring process.

He sighed and twisted again in his chair. This time how ever he got his feet tangled in the arm rest and fell off. He winced as he sat up rubbing his head. "Ow.."

"Peregrin!!"

The hobbit looked up from the floor to his mother hovering over him. She didn't look to happy. "Ma?"

"I've been looking for you."

"What do you want?" He was still seeing her upside down and couldn't figure out why. Then he realized that he was still on the floor.

"Take this to your Aunt Esmeralda at the party site. Can I trust you?"

Pippin sat up nodding. "Yeh, Yeh." Taking the parcel from his mother he stood and decided to make a quick trip past the kitchen on his way out. A weird thing happened. When he got there, he didn't feel like eating, which, was very unusual for him. He shrugged it off and grabbed his coat then walked out the door.

Halfway there he had to stop. His stomach hurt and he didn't know why. "This is stupid. What's wrong with me?"

Finally Pippin arrived at the party site. Everything was a live there. Just what he wanted with the new headache that had decided to pop up out of no where. He scanned the landscape and found his Aunt. Slowly he made his way down careful not to fall.

"Oh, thank you. I've been waiting for these." His aunt kissed him on the cheek then pushed him towards the field. "Meriadoc and Frodo should be over there."

He mumbled a weak thanks and stumbled over. Why wouldn't his head just stop throbbing? Was this punishment for something?

"Hoy Pip!!" Pippin looked up, it was Merry. He put on a fake smile that hopefully Merry couldn't see through. Just what he needed, Merry fussing over him. "Pip? What's wrong?"

"He looks flushed."

Pippin looked to the new comer. He didn't answer and looked to the ground trying to focus on the green grass.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Pippin replied.

"You don't look fine." Merry moved to where he could look Pippin in the eyes. His cousin adverted his eyes not looking at his cousin.

Frodo caught him and put a hand on his forehead. "You've a fever."

"Pippin." Merry's tone wasn't mean, it was a warning, like he was asking what's wrong. Pippin tried to answer, the next thought he had disappeared and he collapsed to the ground. Merry caught him just before he hit the ground. "Pip?"

"I'll be right back." Frodo ran off to the drinks sneaking a cup of water from the kids table and ran back. "How is he?"

"He hasn't woken up yet. I wonder why he didn't tell me he was ill?" Merry was ticked at himself and at Pippin. He was ticked at himself because of all people he should have known his cousin was sick. He was ticked at Pippin because Pippin didn't acknowlege that he himself was sick. Though that was very normal, Merry had hoped that just once Pip could take care of himself.

"Come on Pippin, wake up." Frodo urged gently wiping sweat off the youngest hobbit's brow.

No one at the party site seemed to know that anything was wrong. They just went on with their daily lives. A hobbit with blonde hair was walking towards them. It was almost like Merry's but lighter. His eyes were black and he was wearing a purple weskit with gray pants. "Hoy, Brandybuck."

Merry rolled his eyes his grip on Pippin tightening. Why did Roy Bracegirdle have to come now? "What do you want Roy?"

"Oh did baby Pippin fall down and skin his knee again? Really Brandybuck he needs to grow up." Roy gave an evil smirk and ruffled Pippin's hair mockingly. "You ought to get someone your age to play with."

"Touch him again and I'll turn your face inside out." Frodo warned. Normally he didn't fight but Roy Bracegirdle was an exception. Roy was the bully of all hobbit tweenagers. He hated all hobbits from the Took Family for what reason Frodo didn't know. Ever since Pippin was born Roy had been beating up on him. Pippin would come over to visit Frodo with his nose bleeding and a black eye. When asked why, Pippin would sob that he hadn't done anything that Roy had just come out of nowhere throwing him to the ground and punched him.

"Baggins, you don't even know how to fight. Stop making threats that you can't carry out." Roy stood back up as he started walking backwards he ran into another hobbit. This one had a larger build and was 1 inch shorter than Roy.

"Mr. Frodo might not know how to fight but I sure do." When Roy turned around he saw Samwise Gamgee glaring at him. The hobbit's fists were already in position.

"You can calm down Gamgee, I'm not ready for a fight today." He clapped Sam on the back then walked away. "Have fun babysitting baby Peregrin. Maybe this time Aunt Eglantine will give you a tip."

"Merry calm down, lets take care of Pippin first. Then, if there is time you can go give Roy the beating he deserves."

Merry nodded and turned back to his still out of it cousin. "Oi Pip, wake up."

This time Pippin groaned opening his eyes. Quickly he shut them when the light leaked through temporarily blinding him. "Merry? Turn the lights off. Too bright."

Merry laughed quietly kissing Pippin on his feverish brow. "We're outside you nit. Do you remember anything?"

Sam who had been quiet knelt down beside the group. He did a quick check then frowned. "Mr. Merry I do believe Mr. Took has a touch of the Autumn Daze."

"How? Sam, he's to old. Only little hobbit children get that."

"He's at that age Mr. Merry." Sam replied calmly.

The Autumn Daze was a sickness that hobbit children got during Autumn. A normal case kept a child in bed for a month with high fever and vomiting. It left the child in a daze for a day or two. During the Daze period, the child, if not watched carefully, could die. If they fell asleep for too long of a period then they would die. Pippin had it twice when he was younger and had almost died three times.

"At what age?"

"He's at the borderline age." Sam picked Pippin up gently and started walking.

"Hey wait up." Merry and Frodo both stood confused, "Where are you taking him?"

"To either Bagend or my hole."

"To Bagend. We don't need your brothers and sisters getting this Sam." Frodo exclaimed. "I'm going ahead so I can get ready and tell Bilbo."

"BILBO!!" Frodo shouted as he huffed and opened the door.

"Frodo? My lad what's wrong?" An old hobbit came running in from another room catching Frodo as he fell to his knees. "You look like you ran from here to Tuckborrow."

"Hurry, help me."

"Now calm down my boy. What's wrong?"

"Pip has the Autumn Daze again." Frodo finally got out.

Bilbo gasped, "What?"

"Merry and Sam are carrying him here."

"Shouldn't he be at home?"

Frodo shook his head, "No!!"

"Why not Frodo?"

Frodo felt tears forming in his eyes, "Uncle Paladin will whip him."

"Why would he whip Peregrin?" Bilbo was now worried. More worried than before.

"He whips him for everything. You know that. Now come on and help me please Uncle!!"

"Alright, Alright, no need to cry." Bilbo wiped Frodo's tears away, "If it's that important that he stays here to get well than so be it."

Frodo smiled and hugged his Uncle. "Thank you."

"Get those soft sheets for Peregrin. He's going to be wanting them."

Pippin moaned opening his eyes again. When he looked up he saw another hobbit, not Merry. "Wha?"

"It's alright Pip, Sam's got you."

"Merry?" All of these voices were talking to him at once. It was to much to handle at one time.

"Yes, Pip."

"Now you hang in there Mr. Took, we're taking you to Bagend." Sam soothed patting Pippin's back.

"Sam, I think I'm going to sick.." Pippin whispered.

Sam gently, but quickly sat Pippin on the side of the road. Merry was at Pip's side in an instant holding back his cousin's curls as Pippin vomited. "It's alright Pip, let it all out."

Nothing but bile came out leaving Dry Heaves behind. Pippin convulsed and shuddered wishing it was over already. Finally his body decided that it had enough and stopped leaving Pippin weak. The youngest hobbit groaned laying back into Merry.

"Should we try to start again?" Sam asked.

Pippin shook his head weakly not saying a word. Merry kissed him again on the forehead wrapping his arms around the Took. "It's alright, we'll wait awhile for your stomach to settle."

End Chapter 1

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