Author's Note: I don't own Tolkien's characters. This is my first Frodo and Sam fic. Thanks for reading.
Frodo finished looking through their limited supplies and watched his friend for a moment.
"What's on your mind, Sam?" he asked.
"What? Oh, nothing, Mr. Frodo."
Sam stopped flicking pebbles over the nearby ledge and the two were surrounded by the sudden oppressive silence. Frodo walked up behind Sam and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're worrying about Rosie, aren't you?"
Frodo smiled as Sam blushed and shifted his weight in nervous habit.
"Well, I..." Sam began, then sighed and continued, "Well, if you want to hear the whole of it, Mr. Frodo, then I'll admit that up until a few days ago I was worrying about Rosie. And the rest of the Shire, too. But I've been thinking a lot these past couple of days, and I realized that there's lots of folks in the Shire who can take care of things. And, after all, I can't be much help out here a million steps from home and only able to think about things and not do much else."
Sam cast a timid glance at Frodo. "Though I can't say I'm much help with the things that are only a single step away, either."
Frodo smiled gently. "Sam, I know you do your best."
"But I think it would be better if I only worry about us, Mr. Frodo, because, you and me, we need as much help as we can get, so I can't go distracting myself when there's a job to be done."
Frodo kept his thoughts to himself and both were silent for a time. The light in the sky began to fade, so they settled beneath the rocky overhang.
Frodo sighed suddenly. "We've gotten ourselves into quite a lot, haven't we?"
"That's what I worry about, Mr. Frodo. I hope it won't be too much."
Again, Frodo paused in thought.
"Sam." He said, finally.
"Yes, Mr. Frodo?"
"Can I ask a favor of you?"
"Anything I can do, I will." Sam assured him.
Frodo smiled despite the darkness. "Then keep worrying about Rosie. With your absence, I don't think there are enough Hobbits in all of the Shire to do her justice."
"Mr. Frodo, I..." Sam was at a loss for words.
"Can you do that for me, Sam?"
"I can, Mr. Frodo, I can."
"Good." Frodo stretched and yawned. "We should rest. We have far to go yet, I'm afraid."
"Go ahead and sleep, Mr. Frodo, and I'll be right by your side the entire time. And don't you worry about anything tonight. You've got enough weighing on your hands already without you dream of it, too."
"Alright... Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight, Frodo."
Sam stayed awake a bit longer thinking about things that needed thought and soon he heard Frodo's breathing become deep and slow. He touched Frodo's hand lightly and could feel him shiver from the cold night air. Sam huddled close to his friend and spread his elven cloak about them.
And they slept without worry.
Frodo finished looking through their limited supplies and watched his friend for a moment.
"What's on your mind, Sam?" he asked.
"What? Oh, nothing, Mr. Frodo."
Sam stopped flicking pebbles over the nearby ledge and the two were surrounded by the sudden oppressive silence. Frodo walked up behind Sam and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're worrying about Rosie, aren't you?"
Frodo smiled as Sam blushed and shifted his weight in nervous habit.
"Well, I..." Sam began, then sighed and continued, "Well, if you want to hear the whole of it, Mr. Frodo, then I'll admit that up until a few days ago I was worrying about Rosie. And the rest of the Shire, too. But I've been thinking a lot these past couple of days, and I realized that there's lots of folks in the Shire who can take care of things. And, after all, I can't be much help out here a million steps from home and only able to think about things and not do much else."
Sam cast a timid glance at Frodo. "Though I can't say I'm much help with the things that are only a single step away, either."
Frodo smiled gently. "Sam, I know you do your best."
"But I think it would be better if I only worry about us, Mr. Frodo, because, you and me, we need as much help as we can get, so I can't go distracting myself when there's a job to be done."
Frodo kept his thoughts to himself and both were silent for a time. The light in the sky began to fade, so they settled beneath the rocky overhang.
Frodo sighed suddenly. "We've gotten ourselves into quite a lot, haven't we?"
"That's what I worry about, Mr. Frodo. I hope it won't be too much."
Again, Frodo paused in thought.
"Sam." He said, finally.
"Yes, Mr. Frodo?"
"Can I ask a favor of you?"
"Anything I can do, I will." Sam assured him.
Frodo smiled despite the darkness. "Then keep worrying about Rosie. With your absence, I don't think there are enough Hobbits in all of the Shire to do her justice."
"Mr. Frodo, I..." Sam was at a loss for words.
"Can you do that for me, Sam?"
"I can, Mr. Frodo, I can."
"Good." Frodo stretched and yawned. "We should rest. We have far to go yet, I'm afraid."
"Go ahead and sleep, Mr. Frodo, and I'll be right by your side the entire time. And don't you worry about anything tonight. You've got enough weighing on your hands already without you dream of it, too."
"Alright... Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight, Frodo."
Sam stayed awake a bit longer thinking about things that needed thought and soon he heard Frodo's breathing become deep and slow. He touched Frodo's hand lightly and could feel him shiver from the cold night air. Sam huddled close to his friend and spread his elven cloak about them.
And they slept without worry.