A Different Kind of Mary Sue
All the way back in 2006 I began posting a silly little crack!fic featuring a, well, somewhat different Mary Sue than most people are used to seeing. I posted two parts, and then stumped, it has languished now for SIX years (the longest time I've ever had a WIP in hiatus!)
Anyhow, when I was trying to think up something for Shirebound's folder, I went and finished it for her. Now that she has the folder, I decided to finish posting it here at this comm where it began. There are two more parts and an epilogue. In case you've forgotten, or in case you never read the beginning of the story, here are links to the first two parts:
Rated G.
Summary: A very unusual visitor comes to Bag End.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF MARY SUE (A WEE!HOBBITS AU)
Part 1:
http://community.livejournal.com/wee_hobbits/30167.html
Part 2:
http://wee-hobbits.livejournal.com/30465.html
Part 3:
It was teatime at Bag End. The hobbits were in the front room--Bilbo and Frodo had put out a simple teatime repast of egg and cucumber sandwiches, tea cakes, seedcake and strawberry tarts. Marisu and Pippin were playing by the hearth; there was no fire this afternoon as it was a warm spring evening. Marisu was playing with Pippin's toes, wiggling them and saying "Dis iddle piggy, wee wee wee", making Pippin squeal with laughter. Frodo and Merry were serving the older lasses their plates when there was a resounding knock at the front door. Frodo did not even wait for Bilbo to call his name, but ran to answer it.
"Gandalf!" he exclaimed with glee, and as the wizard bent down to greet him, he leaped into his arms. "Oh, Gandalf! It's so good to see you!"
Gandalf smiled at the enthusiastic greeting. Only hobbits could be so exuberant! "It is good to see you as well, Frodo Baggins!"
"Thank heavens you are here, Gandalf! Do you know, we are quite in need of your advice!" Bilbo was standing in the hall, having heard Frodo's exclamation.
The wizard stood carefully. Bag End's front hall ceiling was high enough for him to stand upright if he paid attention to the beams and the chandelier. "My advice?" he asked.
"Yes," sighed Bilbo. "We have another unusual guest, and are quite at a loss as to what to do about her..."
Gandalf raised his brows in surprise and followed Bilbo into the other room, where he stopped and stared in amazement at the "little" one who sat by the hearth with the hobbits. "Bless my beard!" he exclaimed. "Who do we have here?"
Marisu stood up with a big grin. "Santa?" she chirped. Gandalf bent down on one knee and she toddled over to him and gave his beard a tug. Then she frowned. "Skinny Santa."
The wizard looked intently into her eyes, and then smiled. "I am Gandalf."
She nodded. "Not Santa? Gandalf?"
"Yes, indeed, little one. I am Gandalf."
A short while later, Gandalf sat next to Bilbo's chair, with Marisu on his lap. Pearl had taken the other children (including Pippin) to the kitchen to finish tea, while Frodo remained to explain how they had found Marisu under the lilac bush. Eglantine had fetched the child's strange shoes to show him.
Marisu laid her head against the wizard's chest, playing with his beard with one hand, the thumb of the other firmly in her mouth. He studied her silently, well aware that all the hobbits in the room were watching him look at her, expectant expressions on their faces.
"Ah, little one," he thought "Somebody, somewhen, has been playing about with things they do not understand. I do not know that I will be able to get you home, my child." Aloud, he looked at Bilbo, and said "I cannot say exactly who she may be or how she got here. But I think between us, we can think of what to do with her."
"Can't we keep her?" asked Merry. Frodo said nothing, but the look on his face showed that while he agreed with Merry, he did not think the adults would be likely to agree.
Gandalf shook his head. "She is not a hobbit, Meriadoc. She would be most uncomfortable growing up in a hobbit-hole. She will grow up, you know!" He returned his gaze to Bilbo. "I will stay here for a while and we will consider the problem. It may be that I shall have to take her to Rivendell, to consult with Elrond. We shall see." He glanced down at the child in his arms to see she had fallen asleep. "What arrangements have you made in the meanwhile? I am sure you had already been considering what to do with her just for tonight."
Bilbo nodded. "Mrs. Gamgee has been kind enough to agree to stay at night and watch over her in the second best guest room. We did not think it would be good for her to be alone, but she is too large to sleep all night among the other children."
"That is wise," said Gandalf.
Eglantine smiled. "I think that Mrs. Gamgee is quite as taken with her as I am. She is such a sweet child."
"She has gone back down to Number 3 to have supper with her family, and afterwards she will return with her things. Hamfast is not happy about it, but he understands this is an emergency, and agrees that it is best," added Bilbo.
That evening after supper, Eglantine and Bell together bathed Marisu in Bilbo's spacious bathtub, and dressed her in one of the hand-me-down chemises that Sam had brought up earlier. The lass was sleepy after the warm bath, and had to be coaxed along to the bedroom, for of course neither Eglantine nor Bell could possibly have carried her. As they turned down the covers, she began to sniffle and to cry quietly. "Want Mommy," she sniffed. She climbed into the bed. "Want Mommy. Want binkie." She put her thumb back in her mouth.
Eglantine and Bell exchanged a sad look, and then Eglantine gave a nod to Bell, and went out to leave her with her charge.
Bell reached up and patted the child's arm, then quickly got into her own nightdress and climbed up onto the bed. She sat back against the pillow and began to smooth the fine pale hair with one hand. After a moment she began to sing:
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The Sun has said "good night."
The shadows are deep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The Moon with his light
The sky will keep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The stars shine bright
On all the sheep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
She finished the song, one that had often soothed her own little ones into slumber. And so it had this one, who was now sound asleep. Bell turned and blew out the candle, and pulled the blankets over them both.
In the garden, Gandalf walked beneath the stars and the Moon, thinking and watching.
Anyhow, when I was trying to think up something for Shirebound's folder, I went and finished it for her. Now that she has the folder, I decided to finish posting it here at this comm where it began. There are two more parts and an epilogue. In case you've forgotten, or in case you never read the beginning of the story, here are links to the first two parts:
Rated G.
Summary: A very unusual visitor comes to Bag End.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF MARY SUE (A WEE!HOBBITS AU)
Part 1:
http://community.livejournal.com/wee_hobbits/30167.html
Part 2:
http://wee-hobbits.livejournal.com/30465.html
Part 3:
It was teatime at Bag End. The hobbits were in the front room--Bilbo and Frodo had put out a simple teatime repast of egg and cucumber sandwiches, tea cakes, seedcake and strawberry tarts. Marisu and Pippin were playing by the hearth; there was no fire this afternoon as it was a warm spring evening. Marisu was playing with Pippin's toes, wiggling them and saying "Dis iddle piggy, wee wee wee", making Pippin squeal with laughter. Frodo and Merry were serving the older lasses their plates when there was a resounding knock at the front door. Frodo did not even wait for Bilbo to call his name, but ran to answer it.
"Gandalf!" he exclaimed with glee, and as the wizard bent down to greet him, he leaped into his arms. "Oh, Gandalf! It's so good to see you!"
Gandalf smiled at the enthusiastic greeting. Only hobbits could be so exuberant! "It is good to see you as well, Frodo Baggins!"
"Thank heavens you are here, Gandalf! Do you know, we are quite in need of your advice!" Bilbo was standing in the hall, having heard Frodo's exclamation.
The wizard stood carefully. Bag End's front hall ceiling was high enough for him to stand upright if he paid attention to the beams and the chandelier. "My advice?" he asked.
"Yes," sighed Bilbo. "We have another unusual guest, and are quite at a loss as to what to do about her..."
Gandalf raised his brows in surprise and followed Bilbo into the other room, where he stopped and stared in amazement at the "little" one who sat by the hearth with the hobbits. "Bless my beard!" he exclaimed. "Who do we have here?"
Marisu stood up with a big grin. "Santa?" she chirped. Gandalf bent down on one knee and she toddled over to him and gave his beard a tug. Then she frowned. "Skinny Santa."
The wizard looked intently into her eyes, and then smiled. "I am Gandalf."
She nodded. "Not Santa? Gandalf?"
"Yes, indeed, little one. I am Gandalf."
A short while later, Gandalf sat next to Bilbo's chair, with Marisu on his lap. Pearl had taken the other children (including Pippin) to the kitchen to finish tea, while Frodo remained to explain how they had found Marisu under the lilac bush. Eglantine had fetched the child's strange shoes to show him.
Marisu laid her head against the wizard's chest, playing with his beard with one hand, the thumb of the other firmly in her mouth. He studied her silently, well aware that all the hobbits in the room were watching him look at her, expectant expressions on their faces.
"Ah, little one," he thought "Somebody, somewhen, has been playing about with things they do not understand. I do not know that I will be able to get you home, my child." Aloud, he looked at Bilbo, and said "I cannot say exactly who she may be or how she got here. But I think between us, we can think of what to do with her."
"Can't we keep her?" asked Merry. Frodo said nothing, but the look on his face showed that while he agreed with Merry, he did not think the adults would be likely to agree.
Gandalf shook his head. "She is not a hobbit, Meriadoc. She would be most uncomfortable growing up in a hobbit-hole. She will grow up, you know!" He returned his gaze to Bilbo. "I will stay here for a while and we will consider the problem. It may be that I shall have to take her to Rivendell, to consult with Elrond. We shall see." He glanced down at the child in his arms to see she had fallen asleep. "What arrangements have you made in the meanwhile? I am sure you had already been considering what to do with her just for tonight."
Bilbo nodded. "Mrs. Gamgee has been kind enough to agree to stay at night and watch over her in the second best guest room. We did not think it would be good for her to be alone, but she is too large to sleep all night among the other children."
"That is wise," said Gandalf.
Eglantine smiled. "I think that Mrs. Gamgee is quite as taken with her as I am. She is such a sweet child."
"She has gone back down to Number 3 to have supper with her family, and afterwards she will return with her things. Hamfast is not happy about it, but he understands this is an emergency, and agrees that it is best," added Bilbo.
That evening after supper, Eglantine and Bell together bathed Marisu in Bilbo's spacious bathtub, and dressed her in one of the hand-me-down chemises that Sam had brought up earlier. The lass was sleepy after the warm bath, and had to be coaxed along to the bedroom, for of course neither Eglantine nor Bell could possibly have carried her. As they turned down the covers, she began to sniffle and to cry quietly. "Want Mommy," she sniffed. She climbed into the bed. "Want Mommy. Want binkie." She put her thumb back in her mouth.
Eglantine and Bell exchanged a sad look, and then Eglantine gave a nod to Bell, and went out to leave her with her charge.
Bell reached up and patted the child's arm, then quickly got into her own nightdress and climbed up onto the bed. She sat back against the pillow and began to smooth the fine pale hair with one hand. After a moment she began to sing:
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The Sun has said "good night."
The shadows are deep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The Moon with his light
The sky will keep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
Sleep, little lamb, sleep.
The stars shine bright
On all the sheep.
The shepherd watches tonight.
She finished the song, one that had often soothed her own little ones into slumber. And so it had this one, who was now sound asleep. Bell turned and blew out the candle, and pulled the blankets over them both.
In the garden, Gandalf walked beneath the stars and the Moon, thinking and watching.