[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami watched intently as the cart pulled into view, revealing two familiar faces. Much to her surprise, she saw Frodo Baggins perched up front, with Bilbo lounging behind him on a soft pile of hay. Beside the older hobbit sat a wicker basket filled with all type of hobbit delicacies, ample food for a leisurely picnic on a warm summer's day.

Cami turned and rounded on her husband, "Maura Took! You rascal! You set this up."

Maura shrugged his shoulders and laughed, "You already had me traipsing out in the middle of the night to get Sam's pony. So I stopped at the Inn, and talked with Frodo."

"We both wanted some time away, so we agreed to meet here. They'll return later today. We'll stay on till morning. Then, you decide, Cami. If you want to continue, we'll head south to Tukborough. If not, we'll retrace our steps."

"You thought my decision hasty?" A slight smile played on Cami's face.

Maura's voice came back, half playful and half serious. "Pio's not the only one with a hot head. But I thought we could both use a break from the constant worry of the Inn."

For the next several hours, the hobbits' only concern was relaxation. They ate, reminisced about old times, and went paddling or wading in the cool waters of the lake. Maura managed to rig up a fishing pole and caught several trout that Cami cleaned and roasted over the fire. Towards mid afternoon, Maura drove Holly and Bilbo in the cart over to a grove of wild cherries that were located not far from where they had camped. The hobbits promised to bring back a bag or two of fruit that could be taken to Cook and made into pies.

Cami and Frodo stayed behind to clean up the remains of lunch. Finishing their chores, they'd walked down to the water. Frodo sat quietly on the shore, tossing small pebbles into the lake and watching the rings ripple out in concentric circles. His eyes looked longingly towards the water.

"You miss it, don't you? The Sea, I mean" Cami looked across the lake, a tiny body of water but the largest she'd seen since coming to the Shire. "I do too, Frodo. I miss it. Somehow things seemed simpler then. At least we knew what we had to do." She pulled the words out with difficulty, remembering the voyage of the Star, and how she'd been so determined to find the lost sea hobbits and some traces of her people's own history. She recalled Maura's own home, the lonely isle of Tol Fuin, and the hobbits' first joyous arrival there. Now, nothing seemed as certain as that.

Her confused thoughts must have communicated to Frodo, for he looked up and smiled at her. "So here both of us sit in the middle of the Shire trying to make sense out of this and wondering where we belong."

He sighed and lowered his voice, "I've heard what they're saying on the streets. How none of this happened until I returned. How Saruman's come back to plague us, and how all the bandits would stop if only I'd go away."

Cami stared at him aghast, "But, surely, you don't believe that nonsense."

"I'm not certain. There's some truth in it, but something's missing. Maybe I'll figure it out later."

Suddenly, he looked her squarely in the face. You, I, and Maura, the three of us.... We're in Hobbiton for a reason. And when I figure out that reason, I'm going to step forward and do my part, whatever that might be."

Cami said nothing. She felt like a child beside his wisdom and certainty.

Then he prodded again, "What about you?"

She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "I'm happy you can see that. But the part about Maura and I being here for a reason, I don't understand. The marriage, what Bilbo set up, that's one thing. But now there's this." She put her hands protectively to her belly.

"The baby?" Frodo nodded and smiled. "Yes, Maura told us about the child."

She sighed and then continued. "I probably shouldn't have left Hobbiton. It was an impulse. I was just tired of problems and wanted to put them behind me. It's not Pio's fault. She has enough on her mind."

"But the other.... That's different. We've lived with separation so long, Maura and I. Why should we be blessed with a child, simply to be ripped apart again? Why should Gamba begin to confide in Maura, when he'll only have to face separation and disapointment one more time? It's not fair. Whatever the Valar have in mind, I want no part of it. What do you think we should do?"

Frodo thought a minute and then responded, "Only the two of you can find that answer together. But, perhaps, there is something more. Something beyond a wedding ceremony or even the birth of a child." He thought of Bilbo's resolve to go beyond the circles of the world and the strange look of determination in his uncle's face. "Keep searching, Cami. The two of you. But you can't do it here." He glanced around the shady grove with all its beauty and seclusion. "You have to go back to Hobbiton, to return to its problems and frustrations, to be with the people you love even when they get upset. I'm certain of that."

He hesitated a moment and then plunged in again, "You know Bilbo's not going to be around forever, and he worries about both of you."

"I know," Cami responded. "And you're right. I can't be with Bilbo out here in the middle of the forest. And I owe him more respect and time than I've given him lately."

"So it's back to Hobbiton?" Frodo asked.

"Yes, in the morning."

With that, their conversation ended. The cart with Maura and the others had come lumbering back into camp, and there were bags of sweet cherries to be washed and eaten.

[ April 27, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]