Frodo Baggins awoke early and decided to make breakfast for Merry and Pippin. The morning sun gleamed through the kitchen window, bringing a bright smile to the young hobbit's face. For a week, he had been looking forward to a day of traveling with his cousins, but since it had rained for most of their visit, they were unable to do so. However, now that the weather proved to be excellent, Frodo knew the day for travel had come.

A good breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and jam was soon prepared and it was not long before both Merry and Pippin came out to eat. They were fully dressed and presentable as if they had been so for a while. Frodo looked at them both with curiosity. "You are dressed early," he commented and started to prepare a pot of tea.

"Of course we were," stated Pippin as he took a seat beside Merry and began serving the food. "But, had we come out earlier, it would have been us making the breakfast," He concluded, followed by a chuckle from Merry.

"Well then," Frodo announced as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. "Now that I know your schemes, you will not object to doing the dishes."

Merry and Pippin frowned. The table had been covered with breakfast plates and food and it would surely take them an hour or two to wash all those dishes. Frodo always had a way to counteract anything they did. Perhaps it was because Frodo had taught Merry everything he knew about getting in and out of trouble. 'Never overstep the master,' was something Pippin was beginning to learn first hand. "Well, you cannot blame a hobbit for trying, cousin," Pippin commented as he began to eat his eggs.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin all looked up, wondering who would be calling at such an early time in the morning. Standing up, Frodo walked towards the door and opened it. He was quite surprised to see ten-year-old Lily Greenhill, one of the neighbors from Hobbiton, standing at the door. She was dressed in a light blue dress that flowed down as far as her ankle and a little white cap on her head, hiding her lovely brown curls underneath the cloth. She looked up at Frodo with large almond eyes and then smiled sweetly. "Good morning Mr. Baggins, sir.

Frodo smiled in returned and waved his hand to invite the girl inside, "Why don't you come in a moment and talk? Is everything all right?" Frodo then realized the girl was holding a rather large chicken in her hands. Because she was rather tiny, the chicken took up half her mid section. The scene was quite cute but Frodo tried not to laugh or say anything.

"No thank you, I can't stay; my mum and dad are expecting me back home," she replied with a shake of her head. She was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating about what to say. After a few moments, she looked up at Frodo again and smiled. "Mr. Baggins, we are going out of town but I don't want to leave my pet chicken alone. Could you please watch her for me?"

Frodo arched an eyebrow at the question. Of all the hobbits in the Shire, why was she asking him to baby-sit her pet chicken? "Lily, I am flattered that you want me to watch your chicken for you, but I know nothing about raising farm animals. Why don't you go ask Tom Cotton?"

However, Lily shook her head and held the chicken close to her breast. "Oh no, Mr. Cotton has too many chickens and I don't want little Daffodil to be taken as one of his by mistake." Looking at Frodo, her eyes became wide orbs of chocolate brown. "Please Mr. Baggins? I don't have time to ask anyone else. She won't be any trouble and we will only be gone a week."

The look in the desperate girl's eyes was too much for Frodo. Lily was a small child and her large brown eyes were her biggest weapons when it came to getting what she wanted. All she had to do was look at her victim and they were paralyzed by her pure cuteness. How could a hobbit resist? Frodo finally just gave up and nodded, "Very well, I shall watch your chicken for you. But only for the week." The girl was elated and smiled triumphantly as she handed the chicken over to Frodo.

"Oh! Mr. Baggins sir! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Lily smiled and jumped up and down briskly. She then stroked her chicken on the head affectionately and gave it a little kiss on her beak. "You be a good girl for Mr. Baggins, and no tearing up his furniture like you did the last time I doped you off somewhere." Lily then looked up at Frodo. "She likes to eat furniture," she chuckled innocently.

"Oh, wonderful," Frodo murmured to himself as he held the chicken in his arms. He felt rather awkward; he was not a farmer and was not use to holding animals. But he had a good hold and was confident he would not drop Daffodil.

"I better run now, mummy and daddy are expecting me. Thank you again Mr. Baggins!" At that, Lily ran off down the hill and disappeared into the distance. After watching Lily run off, Frodo returned to the kitchen with the new roommate. Once there, Merry and Pippin looked up to Frodo and saw the chicken in his arms. Both looked confused and wanted to say something, though nothing came to mind.

"Hey lads, meet Daffodil, our new house guest," said Frodo with a sigh as he placed the chicken down on the floor. Immediately, the bird began to waddle around the room, exploring little crevices and corners. After a moment, she cocked her head around to the Hobbits and began to stare eagerly at Frodo with an intense, mystifying stare.

"Why is she doing that?" asked Frodo as he stared back into the chicken's beady black eyes. Pippin leaned over his cousin to get a better look at the animal. It was staring intensely at Frodo as if she were in a trance. Suddenly, however, the chicken cocked her head again and waddled off down the long hall of Bag End.

"Well, that was odd, I must say," Frodo stated, turning his gaze back to Merry and Pippin. He then noticed that the table was completely empty of any food. They had eaten everything and saved nothing for Frodo. "You know, it would have been at least polite to have saved even the smallest sliver of cheese for me,” he commented.

Merry and Pippin just looked at each other and then at Frodo. "We are sorry Frodo, we were hungry." Merry answered.

"Besides, Frodo, if you begin to starve, you can always cook up some baked chicken," Pippin snickered but was slapped in the arm by Merry.

"That isn't at all nice to say Peregrin, that chicken is a living thing," Merry scolded.

"Which reminds me, where did Daffodil go?" Frodo asked as he looked around the kitchen. Curious, Merry and Pippin followed Frodo down the halls of Bag End and started searching the rooms. After hearing the faint clucking noises from Daffodil, they entered Frodo's room to see the chicken on Frodo's bed, nestled in a pile of clothes from the day before. She cocked her head upward and stared at the three hobbits, clucking and chirping as they entered the room.

"That was my favorite vest!" Frodo exclaimed as he walked over to claim the article of clothing from the bird. Unfortunately, Daffodil was not about to give up her new bed. She began to squawk and flap her wings about when Frodo came near her. Not being use to such acts, Frodo backed away immediately and looked at Merry and Pippin, who were standing back and laughing.

"I don't think she is planning on moving anywhere cousin," Merry laughed and patted Frodo's shoulder comfortingly.

"You have a new bed partner, Frodo,” Pippin then chuckled and watched as the chicken wiggled into a more comfortable position in her nest of clothing.

Frodo let out a sigh and shook his head; "I am NOT sleeping with a chicken."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frodo tossed and turned in his bed. Daffodil was snuggled against him, making snoring sounds, or what Frodo took to be 'snoring' sounds as she slept. Her head was bent down, buried into her chest and she did not move from her nest. Frodo had tried unsuccessfully to move the chicken. Apparently, his mistake was backing away at the chicken's defensive positions. She now knew that Frodo was afraid of her and she had the advantage.

Frodo could not sleep; he was too mad and annoyed to calm down. After a moment, he moved once more to his side, accidentally slapping Daffodil with his arm. The result was an angry chicken squawking with a piercing sound that rippled through Frodo's ears. He grunted his annoyance and turned once more. "Go lay an egg!" he commanded before forcing his eyes closed. And to think, he had a week to deal with this new houseguest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day was not any better. Daffodil woke Frodo from his sleep with clucking and wing flapping. Once Daffodil realized that Frodo was not about to get up, she left her new nest and hopped onto the Hobbit's stomach. She walked around lightly and then moved up to his face and began lovingly picking through Frodo's curls. Grabbing a few strands in her feet, she began combing through it with her beak and tongue. Frodo then forced his eyes open. He looked up at the bird doing her morning ritual and sighed. Why of all Hobbits was he asked to watch this bird? The question still rattled in his mind.

Daffodil finally hopped off of Frodo and landed down on the floor where she then waddled out the bedroom and down into the Common Area. Frodo caught his bearings and washed up for the new day. When he was cleaned and dressed, Frodo walked out to the kitchen to find some breakfast for himself. He was not making Merry and Pippin anything this time, he was not in the mood and if they were hungry, they could feed themselves.

Suddenly, as he contemplated eating, he thought about Daffodil. "What do chickens eat for breakfast? Surly not toast and bacon," Frodo said to himself as he looked through the pantry. Finding a few ears of corn that he was planning on making for tonight's dinner, he shucked the husks off then sliced the kernels from the cob.

"Here Daffodil, time for breakfast," he called to the chicken. Taking the plate of corn, he placed it down on the ground and waited for Daffodil to come. She did so, but when she stopped in front of the plate, she looked up to Frodo and began staring at him with those deep beady eyes. She then ruffled her feathers and jumped up onto a chair at the kitchen table.

Frodo shook his head and pointed down at her plate. "Oh no, I am not feeding you at the table. Get down there and eat," he commanded as sternly as he could. But the chicken did not respond. She cocked her head to him and then hopped up onto the tabletop and waited for Frodo again. This time, Frodo was not afraid of the chicken. He walked over to her and picked her up and plopped her back onto the floor. Despite her squawking and protesting, Frodo did not stop. "The table is not a place for a chicken," Frodo stated and then sat down at his seat to eat breakfast. However, a moment later, Daffodil reappeared on the tabletop clucking and chirping as she looked at Frodo once again.

Standing, Frodo walked over to Daffodil and picked her up once more. The chicken flapped her winds violently, not wanting to go back down, but Frodo paid no heed. He placed her back on the kitchen floor and returned to his seat. However, the moment he sat down, Daffodil jumped back onto the table. She clucked and cocked her head gently and stared at Frodo with her beady black eyes.

Now aggravated, Frodo stood once more and walked over to the plate of corn kernels and looked back at Daffodil, “If you won’t eat on the floor like a normal chicken, you shall not eat at all.” But just as Frodo was about to throw the plate away, Daffodil’s eyes became fixed on the hobbit. The look was of adoration and love and it pulled at Frodo’s heartstrings. With a grunt of defeat, Frodo placed the plate of corn on the table and watched as Daffodil rushed to the plate and began eating. Frodo did not argue; instead he just sat at the head of the table and watched. He had suddenly lost his appetite.

Day by day, the entire week was taken up with the same rituals: from Frodo’s morning grooming to six meals a day with the chicken eating at the table. Merry and Pippin did not mind such a thing, but Frodo was slowly becoming irritable and frustrated.

Not only did the chicken eat at the table, but also it ate everything in Bag End. One morning, Frodo found one of his favorite shirts torn with nibble holes from Daffodil. Frodo was also forced to throw out his favorite set of trousers, which had so many holes in them that they would be indecent to wear in public any more.

To make matters worse, Daffodil made a terrible mess on Frodo’s floors when she went to relieve herself. Unfortunately, the bird was not house-trained. Everywhere Daffodil went Frodo came running behind to mop and clean after her. “She is trained to eat at the table, but not trained to use a proper facility to relieve her waste,” Frodo grunted to himself as Daffodil ran into his study. Mop in hand, Frodo went running after her.

At one point of the week, Merry watched as Frodo walked through all of Bag End, cleaning up mess after mess. “Frodo,” said Merry thoughtfully. “Why not just take Daffodil outside?”

“Because,” responded Frodo as he began to scrub a section of floor by the fireplace. “I can keep a better eye on her this way.”

“But she is ruining your home,” countered Merry.

“I know, but what am I to do? She has to go somewhere, it is a natural process.” Frodo was at a loss, he couldn’t yell at Daffodil for relieving herself. It would just be nice if she didn’t do such a thing all over his tiled floor.

Merry shrugged casually and leaned against a wall and watched Frodo some more. Daffodil could be heard clucking in Frodo’s bedroom loudly. It was her favorite place to stay when not being chased by Frodo. “Well, I don’t know what to say except make her wear a diaper.” Merry left Frodo and walked into the kitchen for something to eat.

Frodo stood up after finishing the floor and walked into his room to see Daffodil sitting in her ‘nest.’ Perhaps Merry had a good idea? Walking to his closet, Frodo found a plain white cloth and then walked over to Daffodil…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few days had been a little easier for Frodo. Merry’s diaper idea had worked wonders and the messes around Bag End were next to non-existent. Though, the hobbits still could not come up with a solution to Daffodil eating Frodo’s vests and trousers. But Frodo just forced himself to remember to just place his cleaned cloths away in closets and drawers where Frodo knew the chicken could not open.

While Frodo was preparing lunch, he placed Daffodil out in the front yard of Bag End. Placing a bit of rope around the chicken’s neck as a leash. Frodo then returned to finish preparing the food for himself, Merry and Pippin. The next few hours were blissfully quiet. Frodo could actually think in peace. He laughed with his cousins over the current gossip in the Shire and when their meal was over, Frodo decided it was time to bring Daffodil back inside.

However, upon opening the door, there was no chicken. Frodo stepped outside and looked around the flowerbeds but saw no sign of the bird. Scratching his head in thought, Frodo returned inside and looked at Merry and Pippin. “She isn’t here.”

“What do you mean? She has to be somewhere,” commented Merry as he walked to the door and took a peak out.

“I know that Merry, but she isn’t outside,” retorted Frodo.

“Well, we better find Daffodil quick before Lily comes to claim her.”

“That is the smartest thing you have ever said, Peregrin,” Merry smiled as he closed the door and looked at his two cousins.

“I shall go find Sam. Perhaps he has seen her,” suggested Frodo as he grabbed his traveling cloak from the coat hook by the door. “You two keep a look out around here. I shall return shortly.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Frodo had walked over to Sam's smial and asked if Daffodil found her way over. However, the young Gamgee could not help Frodo by giving him any information. "This sure is a fix, Mr. Frodo," Sam said as he stepped out of the hobbit hole.

"I know that Sam, will you help me find her?" Frodo asked with desperation in his voice. Sam agreed and the two began searching up and down Bag Shot Row. They looked in every hedge, bush, and behind every tree, but there was still no sign of Daffodil.

The search was becoming hopeless; where could the bird have run too? "If I were a chicken, where would I go?" Frodo asked out loud as he bent down to a bush and looked through the branches.

"A place where there are other chickens, I suppose,” Sam commented casually.

Frodo stopped his searching then and looked over to Sam who had taken a break and was sitting on the grass in silent thought. A smile appeared on Frodo's face and walked over to Sam. "Samwise! You are a genius!"

"I am, Mr. Frodo?" asked Sam with a bit of confusion in his voice. He looked up to see Frodo pacing about in quiet thought. "What did I say?"

"That if a chicken ran away, she would go to where other chickens were for company!" Frodo exclaimed. "Now, the closest place here that has a lively stock of chickens is the Cotton's Farm."

"So all we have to do is go to the Cotton's and ask them if they have any chickens they don't usually have," added Sam proudly. Both hobbits then smiled happily at each other and hurried over to the farm, down the Hill and just past Hobbiton.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At Tom Cotton's home, Rose Cotton was outside doing the laundry. As she worked, she looked up for a moment to see Sam and Frodo coming up the path. She immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed to greet them. "Hello you two, I didn't think I would see you both today. What is going on?" she asked politely.

Sam smiled at Rose and looked over to Frodo who was looking around the front of the Cotton's home for any signs of chickens that might be Daffodil. “Oh, we were just walking along today and we thought we would come and pay you a visit, Miss Rose,” Sam smiled, causing a red tint to appear on his cheeks.

“Yes, and I wanted to ask your father something,” Frodo added.

Rose frowned at the comment, “I am sorry Mr. Baggins, but dad went into Hobbiton today and won’t be back till at least this evening.

"That is all right, perhaps you could help us," Frodo returned. He looked at Rose with a desperate gaze. "You have not seen any chickens around here that you do not normally own, have you?"

Rose looked at Frodo with a confused expression on her face, "I am sorry, but I haven't, Mr. Baggins. What is going on?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all, I was just wondering," Frodo chuckled nervously. He looked around the farmyard quickly and then thought of an idea. He walked closer to Rose and smiled at her politely. "Rose, would you be willing to sell me one of your chickens?"

Sam looked at Frodo with surprise and Rose did the same. However, Frodo's face was completely serious. He was desperate now; if they did not have a chicken to present to Lily, it would break the little girl's heart. Besides, she would never know the difference; all chickens looked the same.

"Well, I suppose I could sell one of them," Rose responded hesitantly. She knew Frodo was a hobbit of his word, but the request was just so odd, she wanted to be positive she was not the center of a twisted joke.

Frodo smiled happily, "Wonderful, however I do not have any money with me, but I need the chicken now. I will bring you the money immediately if you let me take the chicken right away." Rose agreed and finished hanging a skirt on her laundry line and led Sam and Frodo to the back where the animals were kept.

The Cottons did not have a lot of farm animals, but they had a few chickens and a pony to help with chores. Bringing out a bag of seeds, Rose threw some of the food on the ground, causing the birds to flock towards her for the meal. Once the bag of seeds was distributed, Rose looked over to Frodo and smiled, "Well, do you see one you want?"

Frodo looked at the chickens, trying to figure out which one looked most like Daffodil. He found one in particular that looked just like the run-a-way bird. Her light brown feathers were lined with tints of red and her eyes were black and beady, though they did not have the intense look Daffodil showed towards Frodo. He looked at Rose and pointed to the bird, "That one."

"Good choice," Rose chuckled. She handed Sam the empty seed bag to hold and walked over to the bird Frodo selected. Picking her up, Rose handed Frodo the chicken. "May I ask why you want a live chicken Frodo? Don't you normally just go to the market when you want something for dinner?"

"Oh, well, you know how Merry and Pippin are," Frodo smiled politely as he struggled with the active chicken. "They have to have the freshest food."

"Right..." Rose commented, though she still did not quite believe Frodo was going to buy a live chicken from her. "Well, be careful then and enjoy her."

Sam smiled at Rose, as did Frodo and after a few more minutes of chatting, the two hobbits left the Cotton farm and headed back towards Bag End. Frodo was walking swiftly, causing Sam to use all his energy to keep up. "Hurry Samwise, we need to be home before Lily arrives."

"Coming Mr. Frodo," Sam called, hoping this scheme of Frodo's was going to work. If it didn’t, Frodo would have a lot of explaining to do to that little girl.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at Bag End, Merry and Pippin were sitting quietly outside smoking their pipes, waiting nervously and hoping Frodo could find Daffodil before Lily arrived. However, their hoping would be in vein. About two hours after Frodo left, the little girl came walking up the lane. Her forest green dress waved through the soft wind as she ran up to Bag End. She seemed excited and smiled at Merry and Pippin when she saw them.

The two older hobbits smiled back at the girl and cleaned out their pipes as the girl opened the fence gate and stopped in front of them. “Hello Mr. Brandybuck and Master Took! Is Mr. Baggins at home?”

Merry looked over to Pippin with a questioning look and then looked over to Lily with a polite smile. “Oh, he took Daffodil for a walk. You know how chickens love walks…”

Lily giggled at the comment, “Daffodil hates walks, but I think she likes Frodo, she will do what he says.”

“Indeed,” Pippin smiled. “Those two have bonded very well. I think Frodo will be sad to see her leave.” The young Took was desperately trying not to laugh at the topic of discussion. If the girl only knew how Frodo truly felt about Daffodil, she would feel so guilty that she left the bird in Frodo’s hands.

“That is wonderful, I am glad I could trust him with my baby,” Lily smiled brightly. “I can’t thank you all enough.”

Merry stood up from the bench and looked over to Bag End’s large green door. “Why don’t we go inside and wait for Frodo to return?”

“Sounds good to me,” Pippin commented. Lily said nothing, she was still a little shy around Merry and Pippin, but she followed them inside anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Frodo took Daffodil for a really long walk,” Lily commented.

“I am sure he will be back any minute now,” Merry reassured the girl. “Do you want something to eat or drink, dear?”

Lily shook her head, ‘no’ and continued to look towards the door, waiting for Frodo to return. About twenty minutes later, voices from outside Bag End could be heard and Merry and Pippin stood up excitedly. They were here! Pippin walked to the door and opened it for Frodo who came in happily with a chicken in his arms. Sam was behind the older hobbit and smiled at the three who were waiting for them.

“Here we are, and here is Daffodil!” Frodo said, smiling to Lily. The girl’s face lit up when she saw the bird. Running over to Frodo, she excitedly bounced up and down, waiting to get a hold of her beloved pet bird. “Oh! Frodo, thank you so much for taking care of her,” Lily smiled.

Seeing the happy expression on Lily’s face elated Frodo, he loved to see the girl happy. It made him guilty now that he was lying to her. If only he had been more patient with Daffodil, she would not have ran away.

“Wait a moment,” called Lily as her smile turned to a frown. Frodo looked down at the young hobbitess and his face became white with anticipation.

“What is wrong dear?”

“This is not Daffodil,” Lily retorted as she pet the bird’s head. “Look: Daffodil has a little patch of red feathers on her head. This bird doesn’t…” She looked up to Frodo, her eyes wide with surprise and curiosity.

“It isn’t?” Frodo asked nervously. He looked over to Sam and then to Merry and Pippin, who were not sure what was going on. Clearing his throat, Frodo knew he was trapped. He was going to have to tell Lily the truth about Daffodil. “Well, you see, Lily-dear, Daffodil…she…”

Suddenly, Frodo was cut off from talking when everyone heard a loud squawk coming from outside. Frodo opened the front door and was surprised at what he saw. Daffodil was walking around the front lawn, squawking and clucking as she explored the garden patches.

“THAT is Daffodil!” Lily sang gleefully. She handed the other chicken to Sam walked over to the other bird and picked her up. Daffodil flapped her wings frantically and then settled down in her mistress’ arms. Lily smiled and kissed the bird on the red patch of feathers. “Are you ready to go home, Daffodil?” she asked. She was too happy to see her ‘baby’ that she did not even bother to ask about the impostor. After a few moments, Frodo and the others lead Lily to the front gate and said good-bye to her and Daffodil as they walked down the lane together.

Looking at Merry and Pippin, Frodo smiled softly and whipped a hand across his forehead. “That was a close call,” he commented.

“Indeed!” Merry replied. Sam, who was still holding the other chicken, looked at Frodo and smiled. “We were lucky, though I wonder where Daffodil went.”

“I do not know Samwise,” Frodo announced. He particularly did not care either. All that mattered was the bird was safe with Lily and things could go back to normal.

“Well, if you won’t be needing us anymore, Mr. Frodo, I will take this chicken back to Rosie,” Sam commented as he walked out the gate, chicken in hand.

“Go ahead Sam and tell her I appreciate her help,” answered Frodo. Once Sam was gone, Frodo opened the front door and walked inside, followed by Merry and Pippin. “I am starving, let’s have something to eat.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more Frodo, but you are cooking!” Pippin laughed as the three went into the kitchen for a late meal.

“I think I am going to miss Daffodil,” Frodo announced thoughtfully.

“Miss her? Miss all that terrible squawking and all the messes she made?” Asked Pippin with surprise in his tone.

“Well, she was no different than you or Merry, now was she?” retorted Frodo with a knowing grin on his face.

Merry and Pippin fell silent at Frodo’s comment. They were truly shocked by the comment; Frodo was never so abrupt. Walking into the kitchen, Merry and Pippin went to the cupboards and began taking out the tea service and food plates. “On second thought,” said Merry with a grin. “We shall cook and leave Frodo to do the dishes this time.”