by Dana
**
"Why is the grass green?" he'll ask his da first, and if there's a hobbit that knows, then it will be his Da. Next he'll wonder why this flower is blue when this flower is a softer shade of plum. And his Da will laugh and answer him, smiling, and will ask his son if he'd like to help him work in the gardens. And the boy will want to, setting his rag doll dragon down in the dirt. "What can I do to help?" he'll wonder and his Da will show him how to weed and they'll laugh and his Da will tell him stories, too, the best sort, with dragons and elves and fair maidens, too. The day will pass by and the sun will warm their backs until its dinnertime and the sun is sinking into the West.
And they talk about everything. About how his Da has always wanted a bi family, lots of little daughters and sons, and he counts himself among the very blessed. "Who is your very favorite?" he'll ask.
"Now that's a question," his Da will say, "that I've no answer for, lad."
It isn't the only one - and Bilbo won't push because he knows his Da won't answer, but he imagines if he did, then it would be Elanor (because who doesn't love his very oldest sister, Elanor the Fair.)
In they go, and Bilbo takes his doll along, because he's young enough. Rose-lass made it for him, and right now, Rose-lass is serving dinner with his Mum and Elanor, too. "There you are," Rose-mum laughs, catching her little one in a pick-me-up hug. "Did you have fun with your Da, son?"
"I did, Mum, I did. He told me about just about everything and there were worms and he let me help him with the weeding and he told me stories, too, old ones, and there were elves and - "
And Rose-mum laughs and hands Bilbo over to his Da. "You get this one cleaned up, and then we can sit down," she says and Sam-dad nods, properly chided, and Bilbo latches his little arms around his Da's neck, holding onto his doll with one hand, and they walk along to the wash room.
And after that, there's dinner, good and hot and almost too much for them all (though there's thirteen, counting little Tom, and Rose-mum cradles him in her arm as she feeds him, sitting with Sam-dad at the head of the table.), but they eat it all, and they could eat more. It's late now and the fire is burning, but not too late that it's time for bed. When dinner is done and the table is cleared, they sit down in front of the fire, children piled from one end of the room to the other, and Sam-dad reads from his big red book.
And Bilbo listens, sitting with Daisy and Primrose and Hamfast by his feet, clutching his dragon as he listens to the warm rumble of his Da's voice. And his eyes droop and then he sleeps.
He dreams of dragons like in his stories, elves singing and fair maidens who take up swords. And since he's asleep, he won't see the tears in his Da's eyes, or see Rose-mum grip Elanor's hand so tight that her knuckles go white as he reaches the end of his tale.
~