[Child of the 7th Age]

Frodo's jaw dropped open as he raced through the door, "W-what happened here? Are you alright?" he cried out nervously, as he saw the three hobbit children tumbled together in a single heap.

Bilbo grimaced and shook his head. He could guess exactly what had happened, but he wasn't about to say anything to his nephew. Looking down at Marigold, and Cami, and Bowman, he was perfectly certain they were fine, other than a small bump or bruise here or there. He suspected that what they most needed was a bit of stern discipline and a strict warning.

"We're alright, Frodo," Cami assured him as she got up from the ground, and dusted off her skirts. She noticed that the hem of her dress was ripped and there was a small tear at the collar. Her mother would certainly not be pleased. Cami had a feeling she'd be spending the evening in front of the hearth doing dress repairs instead of more interesting things.

The kitchen and sitting room at Bag-end looked as if a large troll had come inside that afternoon to do a spot of mischief. There were several chairs tipped over and numerous smaller kitchen items had fallen to the ground, a victim of the wild chase as well as the broom which Marigold had been wielding. Several of the dishes had broken, plus one of the small wooden bookshelves had dumped over when Bowman had come crashing into it. The book were spilled out across the floor, and one of the shelves had come loose.

Bilbo turned his face to Frodo and forced himself to keep a cheerful tone, "Nephew, we're going to need a hammer and nails to get the bookshelf fixed. Could you check over at the Gamgees? I believe Hamfast borrowed the hammer the other day. Then run down to the market and buy a ha'penny worth of nails."

Once Frodo was out the door, Bilbo lined up the three children and gave them a stern talking to, telling them that this was their last chance to cooperate, or else there would be no party for any of them and, worst of all, he'd speak to their parents! Cami tried to blurt in about Bowman and what he'd done with the list of jobs, but Bilbo had been very short and said he didn't want to hear any excuses. This was truly it....their very last chance!

For the remainder of the afternoon, the three children worked hard on picking up the mess, and going on to clean the rooms as they'd originally promised to do. They only had one problem. When Bowman mulishly insisted he be the one to nail together the bookcase, Cami did not argue. She hastily clamped a hand on Marigold's mouth and reminded the young girl that, if they weren't careful, they'd never even get to go to Frodo's party.

At the end of the afternoon, the three children trooped out of Bag-end and headed for home. Bilbo sternly told them they could come back the next day to begin making decorations for the party, but they'd still have to be on their best behavior. Since Frodo planned to stay with a friend in Bywater for a day or two, it would be a good time to complete a few preparations.

Cami felt sorry for herself and angry with Bowman as she walked along Bagshot Row. If only Sam were here, none of this would have happened! He would have stood up to Bowman and put him in his place. But Sam was gone, and Bowman didn't seem to have any respect for girls. The only thing he wanted to do was make them disappear."

In normal circumstances, Cami would have stood up to him and welcomed a knock-down fight, even if it meant a black eye. But these circumstances weren't normal. She didn't want to disappoint Bilbo about the party and, to be perfectly frank, she didn't want to lose the special treat that he had promised her. Cami thought frantically for some way to win back Bilbo's favor, not just for herself, but for the others as well. But as hard as she thought, she couldn't come up with anything.