As Diamond Took�s pregnancy drew to a close, our hole at Crickhollow was graced by a whirlwind of laughter embodied in Pippin�s eldest sister, Pearl Took. Pearl herself had never married, although she possessed a dear affection for children, and had instead taken on the duties of a midwife, one of the few professions seen as acceptable for a hobbit lass. Her fair-coloured hair, already shot through the temples with grey, was constantly fraying from her braids, and there was rarely a time that an eccentric grin was not broadcast across her face; yet at the same time, Pearl took great seriousness in her duties. Swift was her assessment of even minor shifts in Diamond�s temperature, and she brought to the table much-needed assistance to my Estella, for as Diamond grew heavy with child, she found even the most minor of tasks unduly strenuous.

As for Diamond herself, her pregnancy had never settled completely well with her. The morning sickness fell upon her with particular virulence, and even after the first crucial months it never fully abated. Her ankles constantly ached, and her skin took on a greyish pallor. Ever the dutiful husband, Pippin fussed about her without fail, and if he could not alleviate her discomfort, he instead brought to her face sporadic smiles with his jokes and tales of his reckless past. However, these grins rarely lasted long outside the company of her beloved, and even my Estella seemed at a loss for what we might do to assist her.

�I cannot stand it, Merry!� Diamond had tearfully confided to me once in the privacy of my study. �It�s as if this child does not even want to be held inside me, and if he cannot get out then he will make my life as miserable as possible in the meantime!�

�Now, Diamond, fret not,� I had stated, taking ahold of her hand and patting it consolingly. �I�m certain that he is not doing so on purpose! Or perhaps he is preparing you for what is to come -- all the Tooks in their youth, the girls included, were handfuls. Mightily taxing upon their parents, but all were joys to behold.�

�I�m such a terrible lass, though,� she had murmured, the tears falling faster as she spoke. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and passed it into her hands. �I�ve had horrible thoughts that I don�t even mean! There have been times when I haven�t wanted this child.�

I recall pulling her gently into my arms as she cried, and I consoled her as best I could. �Now, Diamond, I know you don�t mean it. It cannot be easy for you, having been so ill for as long as you have. It will be over soon, and trust me, you will be all the more happy once the child is born.�

As Diamond�s broadening stomach pressed against mine, I had felt the thrum of the baby�s legs, kicking as if he did indeed wish to be freed, to be allowed to run fast, hard, and unrestrained in the manner of all Tooks. It was then that I truly understood her discomfort, and felt all that much more sympathy for her plight. Yet we had never told Pippin of our discussion in the study, for we both knew that it might easily break his heart.

The skies had opened up in a great deluge of rain the night that Diamond went into labour. Although they had prepared long for it, Pearl and my Estella were in a tizzy, dashing about the hobbit-hole in search of towels, basins of water, fresh linens. As was common practice among our kind, the lads were not permitted near the birthing room, for the delivering of babies was the exclusive right of the lasses to attend to. Pippin had been caught in town as Diamond�s labour bore down fiercely upon her, and her anguished moans began to fill the halls of our hole. Anxiously I waited for Pippin near the front door, unable to read more than a word or two at a time from my book. It was mid-afternoon by the time he finally arrived home, shivering beneath the sopping weight of his cloak.

�Oi, Merry, you should see the height of the Brandywine River,� he said as he bustled through the door and dropped the sack of groceries. �They�re saying that it may well overflow if the rains keep up, and --� He broke off, sensing the impatience that wound about me and had me bouncing upon the balls of my feet. �What are you on about now?�

�Pippin, it�s time!� I said with a wide grin.

�Huh? Time?� he asked. Then, in recognition, his hand clapped to his lips, and a laugh escaped him. �It�s time! My Diamond! I must wish her well!�

Grasping hold of his shoulders, I restrained him as he sought to push past me. �It�s too late, Pip. She�s already well into her labour. My Estella and Pearl won�t let either of us past them into the birthing room.�

�You�re sure she�s completely into labour?� he asked anxiously, straining at first against my grip.

Another moan filtered down from Diamond�s room, and Pippin froze at the sound. �I�m absolutely certain, Pip. Why don�t we put the groceries away and then have ourselves a drink while we wait?�

Pippin did not respond immediately, instead keeping his eyes trained upon the winding inward tunnel and his ears perked for any further sounds of pain from his wife. When none came, he relaxed in my hands and pulled away. �Your Estella will merely chide us for not putting things away properly,� he stated softly.

�Then again, she may lash us more soundly if we were merely to leave the bag by the door for the bugs to crawl into.�

�Much as you might like that, it�s not a prospect I�d enjoy,� Pippin said in a halfhearted attempt at a joke.

�Git,� I laughed, nudging Pippin�s shoulder as I gathered the sack of groceries into my arms and started towards the pantry.

After putting the groceries into what appeared to be their rightful place (even knowing full well that my Estella would likely rearrange the pantry to her own liking later on), I sent Pippin ahead into my study to kindle the fire while I rooted through our collection of meads for a quiet drink to pass the time. I had just chosen the most appropriate bottle -- Barliman�s 1420 -- when the hushed voice of Pearl Took rounded the corner to my ears.

�Psst! Brandybuck! Are you alone?� she whispered.

�What are you doing sneaking up on an unsuspecting hobbit like that?� I asked, grinning wryly.

Yet Pearl was visibly in no mood for jests. Her normally laughing eyes uncharacteristically hard, she grasped me by the elbow and pulled me into the doorway, speaking in a low, conspiratorial tone. �Merry, I�ve a favour to ask of you.�

�What is it?� I inquired, my brow furrowing at the intensely serious expression that found its way upon her usually jovial features.

�You must take my brother for a walk, for as long as you can manage it. Hear me, Brandybuck, it�s important.�

�Silly woman,� I returned with a faint laugh. �Even if the sky hadn�t opened up to rain, do you truly think Pippin would leave Crickhollow and miss out on the birth of his firstborn?�

Pearl�s grip upon my arm tightened, and her eyes flashed angrily. The smile faded quickly from my face, as it was difficult to rouse Pippin�s sister to anger; yet woe to the hobbit who ever found himself on the receiving end of that slow wrath. She continued, �The child is breech. We must turn the baby around while inside her. It will not be easy, for Diamond is already struggling, but if it is not done then both mother and child will likely die.�

I felt the blood drain from my face, yet somehow I managed to force a wry grin to my lips. �Trust a child of Pippin�s to come into the world backwards.� More seriously, I added, �What do you suggest I do?�

Pearl rolled her eyes -- ever the impatient Took -- and groused, �I don�t know, Merry! Do whatever you must. Pippin cannot interfere, even in good will.�

�He�s not likely to leave our home while his first child comes into the world,� I returned, feeling perhaps a little stubborn in Pippin�s defense. �I can make certain that he does not interfere.�

Pearl leveled a glare at me. �You do not seem to understand. This is not only for Diamond�s sake, but also for Pippin�s. How do you think he will feel, listening to the cries of his wife in painful labour, yet unable to do anything to assist her?�

I was about to deliver a hard retort, when I was interrupted by muffled moan of pain from the birthing room, followed by a soft hail of gentle, yet hasty, hobbit footsteps.

�Pearl? Pearl, where are you?� In a flurry of petticoats, my Estella rushed to the doorway, wringing her hands within a towel that was swiftly staining crimson.

Oh, God, that�s Diamond�s blood, I thought as my eyes widened in horror.

�Pearl, we need you,� my Estella interjected, pushing between the two of us and frowning as she and Pearl exchanged a knowing glance. Turning her wide, brown eyes to me she added, �Merry mine, are you not listening to Pearl? Don�t make it any harder on Pippin than it has to be. He can�t be here!�

At my wife�s plea, I sighed resignedly, even if I did not fully comprehend the reasoning behind the lasses� wishes. �I�ll never understand you ladies!� I sighed exasperatedly. Placing my hand on Pearl�s shoulder, I said in a more gentle tone, �I will take Pippin out. You have my word.�

�Thank you, Brandybuck,� Pearl returned with the faintest of smiles.

�Is she --�

�She�s in a lot of distress, Merry mine,� interrupted my Estella. �It�s to be a long night, one she might not live through. But you cannot, cannot tell Pippin!�

�Go now, Merry,� said Pearl, planting both hands upon the center of my back and pushing me towards the door. �His well-being rests now in your hands. Prove to me that you�re capable of handling him, okay?�

�No pressure or anything!� I called out sourly towards the bustling figures of the lasses as they rushed to the birthing room hand-in-hand.

As I returned to my study, Pippin was beside the fireplace, prodding at the roaring flames with an iron poker. The flames licked high upon the back of the brick structure, evidence that my high-strung cousin could be dangerous with fire when in an anxious mood. �What took you so long?� he demanded, though with definite cheer to his impatient voice.

�Bad news, Pip,� I said upon entering. �We�re plum out of Barliman�s 1420, and that�s about the only appropriate mead for the occasion.�

�Then did you get the next best bottle?� Pippin asked as he turned around from his seat beside the fireplace.

�Well, no,� I lied, feeling a little guilty for having to do so. �I was thinking, why don�t we brave the storm and take the walk into town? I�m sure the pub will be fully stocked on the mead we�re looking for.�

Pippin laughed nervously, his cheeks flushed with anxious excitement. �You�re joking, right, Merry? You don�t mean to say you want to go out in this weather!�

I chewed lightly on my lower lip and sidled up to my cousin, looping an arm fast about his shoulders to lead him towards the front door. �Come, Pippin, a little rain never did us any harm! Why, I recall a time when we stood in the greatest of downpours for hours in hopes of stealing kisses from the Boffin girls� sleepover party when we were young.�

�We were children back then,� Pippin returned reluctantly. �And besides, there weren�t pressing matters at home to attend to at the time either.�

Although he protested aloud, Pippin made no effort to stop me as I led him from the study to where he�d hung his cloak, still damp from his earlier foray into the rain. �You know how the lasses are,� I said smoothly, almost hating the sounds as they came from my lips. �They�re slow to do their hair, slow to get dressed and to pee. Birthing is a slow process, too. I�ll bet we could be out, back, and through three bottles of Barliman�s 1420 by the time your child is born.�

�But... Merry --� he objected before sighing defeatedly. �As long as we�re fast about it, okay? No stopping at the pub for a pint with the fellows, nor to tease Old Farmer Maggot�s dogs.� As he wound his cloak about his shoulders, he let out a wry laugh. �I cannot believe I�m saying such things!�

�It is the weight of years upon you, Pip,� I joked as I pinned my own cloak securely at the throat. �We may turn you into a responsible hobbit yet!�

Upon leaving the house, as if an ill omen were cast over us, the rain poured down ever harder, and Pippin and I scrambled towards the cover of trees upon the path leading to the town proper. Glancing back behind me towards Crickhollow, I spied through the candle-lit window the figure of a lass -- Pearl, most likely, judging by the frazzled state of her hair -- staring vigilantly at us, as if waiting hawklike for us to depart. I turned around quickly, settling my hand upon Pippin�s back, and I led him briskly away, feeling all the while like a traitor to my own cousin.

�A bloody fine night to go for a walk, cousin,� Pippin remarked with a small degree of irritation in his voice. He pulled the hood of his cloak atop his damp curls to keep away the steady spill of rain.

�It builds character, Pip,� I said, picking up a brisk pace from our hobbit-hole and weighing multiple ideas on how to best stall my cousin further within my mind.

We had walked a considerable distance from Crickhollow -- yet apparently not far enough -- when the air was pierced by a horrific wail of a hobbit lass in infinite agony.

It was then that I gained a vague understanding of Pearl�s desire to have both Pippin (and myself, I would reflect in later years) as far from the birthing as possible. Diamond�s cries, though muted on the wind, sent chills down my spine; I wondered, for the first time in my life, how women ever found the strength to endure the agony of childbirth. And, despite my fear for Diamond, I felt an underlying reassurance that my Estella would never have to endure such rigours.

Pippin�s eyes were wide with infinite terror, the likes of which I had not seen since the terrible incident with the palantir.

He was frozen fast in his tracks like a deer caught under a bright hunter�s lamp. His hands clenching it white-knuckled agony at his sides, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and his wife�s name escaped his lips in a harsh whisper. �Diamond...?�

�Steady, Peregrin,� I murmured, cautiously wrapping my fingers around his shoulder.

My touch, like a spell, seemed to break his paralysis, and he wrenched sharply free from my grip. The whisper of his wife�s name became a hoarse shout. �Diamond!� he shrieked, his broad feet suddenly a tangle of motion as he stumbled a few steps before breaking into a run. �My Diamond!�

�Pippin, no!� I exclaimed as I bolted after him. �Come back here!�

The years since the disbanding of the Fellowship and marriage to my Estella had slowed me, weighed me down with well-fed contentedness and a slower pace of life, and I found it a struggle to keep up with my swifter cousin. Although I still did not fully understand the urgency of her demands, it was the dark threat of Pearl�s wrath that spurred me faster still, to match Pippin�s speed, and to yank upon the back of his cloak with all my might when I finally managed to catch him.

Immediately, I dodged a fist aimed squarely for my jaw and used my weight to throw him to the ground. Although he squirmed in a fury of thrashing limbs and speed, I somehow pinned him beneath me. A flailing arm connected with the rise of my cheekbone and exploded in a lightning sting of pain.

�Stop it, Peregrin! Stop it now,� I hissed, tangled curls spilling before angrily watering eyes. I wrapped my hands about his wrists and squeezed hard, feeling the slender bones grind beneath as I pinned them at his sides.

Pippin wriggled fiercely beneath my weight, and it was all I could do to restrain him and keep him from bolting once again. �Merry! Let me go! I must get to my Diamond!�

�There�s nothing you can do for her, Pippin!� I shouted down at him. �It�ll be better for her if you weren�t at home!�

�Pearl set you up to this,� he growled, green eyes narrowing accusingly.

�And if she did?�

�Merry, if my wife or my child dies, I shall never forgive you!�

�You cannot help them now! What good will you do if you are there? We�re male, Pippin �- even if we were allowed to join the midwives, it would bode terrible tidings for the child. It has never been our place to be there.�

Another wail rose on the wind, and Pippin twisted towards the noise, anguish and helplessness evident in his features. �My Diamond,� he whispered, and I felt a fearful tremor wrack his entire body as the urge to fight fled him. �If they are not long for this world, I do not know how I will go on.�

I loosened my grip upon him and pulled him upright to cradle him in my arms. �Don�t think like that, Pippin! Right now, Diamond and the child are still more than alive, and they�re fighting. There�s no sense in fearing the worst unless it is truly upon you!�

Pippin did not respond and instead wrapped his arms about me with a fierceness that forced the very breath from my lungs. He struggled in vain for some moments against a storm of tears, and soon he was sobbing hard against my shoulder. The last time I�d felt tears of such intensity was nearly ten years ago, when Pippin had blamed himself for the perceived death of Gandalf deep within the mines of Moria.

�That�s it, Pip. Let it go. Just let it go.�

�Why, Merry? Why does she wail so?� he moaned, speech muffled against the press of my shoulder.

I pushed the brown curls from before his eyes and murmured gently, ignoring even the warning words of my Estella, �The baby is breech.�

�No,� I heard him choke out, and he raised his head, pushing the backs his hands impatiently across his eyes. When he looked to me, his eyes were reddened and raw. �I was breech,� he whispered.

�I know,� I responded, recalling vaguely the memory of Aunt Eglantine and how she would widely proclaim this fact whenever Pippin had been found in particular trouble in his days of youth. You were nearly the death of me then, as you will be the death of me now! she would exclaim. �And if your mother could survive, then so can your Diamond.�

An unstable grin came to his lips, and he spoke as if reassuring his own terrified conscience in addition to my own. �Then there is hope now.�

�There was always hope, Pippin. Always,� I affirmed, briskly shaking his shoulders. �Never once has it left you.�

�I feel like such a child, Merry,� he remarked stubbornly, once again drawing his arm across sore, watering eyes. �Unable to do more than shake and weep over my wife. If only I could help her!�

�Buck up, cousin. The night is long, but I�ve just the solution to wait it out.� From my vest pocket, I produced a small, velvet pouch of fine pipe weed that I�d been cultivating in celebration of the birth of Pippin�s child.

Before settling his arms impatiently on his knees, Pippin withdrew his own long-handled pipe and handed it to me. �I despise waiting,� he murmured miserably, turning his head towards the direction of Crickhollow. Although he stared longingly towards our hobbit-hole, I was certain that he would not again bolt towards it. �I never got to say goodbye.�

�And with any luck, which I�m certain still holds true, you will not have to yet. Not for a long while.�

I passed him the smoking pipe, and together we sat in wracking uncertainty beneath the cover of trees, Pippin shuddering at each piercing cry that was borne to us upon the wind. It wasn�t until the wails died out completely and the rain had slowed to a drizzle that we ventured back towards our hole at Crickhollow, where we found Pearl waiting expectantly upon the stoop. I embraced my cousin there, and I wished him well as he shakily pushed through the great round door, and Pearl followed him inside after giving me a nod of approval.

Yet I stayed behind, settling myself upon the stoop and looking out across the sky -- the darkest hour just before the dawn. My thoughts strayed to my Estella�s mushroom stew, the twinkle in her eye, to impending sunrises and laughing cotillions. And I thought long and hard of Pippin and his laughing eyes and his still-innocent nature, knowing that I could never bear life without such luxuries.

1: Merry Mine -- 2: Concerning Estella -- 3: Diamond's Darkest Hour -- 4: Pippin's Reconciliation

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