Frodo comes into Bag End, soaked to the skin, and Bilbo clicks his tongue and hurries his young nephew out of his wet things. Wrapped in a dry blanket and ensconced before the fire with a cup of tea, Frodo chatters merrily about the fun he had playing with his cousins. Bilbo listens in delight, absently noting the mud dripping down Frodo's neck.
"Time for a bath, lad," he says when Frodo runs out of story, and hustles the boy into the bathroom, drawing him a warm bath. Drying Frodo's hair after the bath, Bilbo is struck by the feeling of wasted time. How long has he been alone? And why did he wait so long to welcome Frodo into his life?
Frodo goes obediently to bed after a late snack of cake and tea and apples. Bilbo sits up for a long time, smoking and thinking, his mind awhirl with the newfound pleasures of taking care of someone else.
~