[Nurumaiel]

Nuru came running out of the kitchen, her eyes sparkling. "Bilbo!" she cried (very un-elf-like) and fell to her knees so she could throw her arms around him.

"Nurumaiel Firithbor!" he laughed. "I didn't know you were in the Shire."

"I've been here for a day now," said Nuru, laughing still and hugging Sam. Then she turned to look at his children. "My, you've all grown!" she said. "And I mean it, too. Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry, Pippin, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Daisy, Primrose... well, hullo. You have four more!"

"Bilbo, Ruby, Robin, and Tolman," said Sam, introducing them.

Just then the door was pushed open by a young girl accompanied by a redheaded woman. The girl looked around with a despising face. "Why is there a huge crowd?" she demanded. "Do I look funny, or something?"

"Don..." Rie whispered. "They're not looking at you." She took hold of the girl's shoulders and turned her to face the arrivals.

Don's brown eyes grew large, and she stood there, staring for a while. Then she ran forward and flung herself into Bilbo's arms. "Bilbo!" she said. "Bilbo!"

"Young Don," said Bilbo. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm running away."

"From your parents?" Bilbo was a bit startled. The times he had visited them, teaching Don how to read and write, they had seemed as happy as a family could be. Don loved her parents dearly, and they loved her, as well.

"From my Aunt Donnamira," said Don, a frown coming to her face. "My parents are dead."

Bilbo's face became one of shock, then it clouded over with sorrow.

"You didn't know," said Don, her voice growing fierce. "You didn't know. My aunts said you knew. My aunts said you knew they were dead, but you wouldn't help me. They said you were cruel. They said the time you told me you really liked me, you were just lying. They said you knew!" Tears filled her eyes. "They lied."

"I never lied, Don," said Bilbo.

Don, being the strange child that she was, grew happy again after hearing the truth. But Bilbo was still quite moved. How could her aunts treat the girl this way?

"You are Samwise and Rose," said Don. "I never met you, but I guess I'll meet you now, because you don't look mean like my uncles do."

Then she turned and looked at the children. A silence fell. Don had not seen other children for a very long time. She didn't know what to say. She looked at them all, and then her gaze fell on (the young) Bilbo. "You look like my brother did... my twin brother... when we were your age," she said, her voice trembling. "I miss him."

Don reached out her hand for Rie's, but she didn't realize that Rie wasn't standing next to her, that she had pushed her off alone for her meeting with Bilbo. Instead, her hand grasped Cami's, who was standing very close by. Don looked up, startled, and whispered, "Are you a friend of Bilbo?"

"Yes, I am," said Cami.

"Then I'm your friend," said Don fiercely. "Bilbo only likes nice, good people. That's why my aunts are mean. Because he didn't like them too much." Don dropped Cami's hand and went over to Rie. "Let's go into the party room," she said. "I'll introduce them to you there." She practically dragged Rie over to Bilbo and grabbed his hand with her free one. "Bilbo, this is Rie," she said in a solemn voice. "Rie, this is Bilbo..."