Disclaimer: I neither own nor claim to own anything related to the Lord of the Rings, I am completely not smart enough for that. Although I do own my copies of the books/movies, of course.
Frodo awoke with a start. He'd heard, or thought he'd heard, a shrill scream. Had he dreamed it? He sat up, looking around and blinking in the half-light. He put out his hands and felt around. Yes, Sam was there, and Pippin. But... "Merry?" Frodo whispered into the starlit dusk of Tom Bombadil's house.
The Ringbearer got up and went outside. Merry sat on the front step, arms crossed over his knees and staring into the night. Frodo sat down beside him and waited for his friend to speak. But when several minutes went by in deep silence, Frodo spoke.
"Merry, are you all right?"
Merry turned to look at him with hollow eyes. "I had a dream, Frodo. I dreamed I was trapped inside the willow. I was being squeezed tighter and tighter. There was bark all around... the stifling dark, no way in or out. I couldn't run, I couldn't see, I-"
Frodo halted the account, seeing that Merry's eyes were beginning to brim with tears of fear and he was trembling uncontrollably. "Merry, it was only a dream, you're safe now."
Merry put his head down for a moment, trying to regain control. Eventually he failed and began to weep quietly. Frodo put an arm around him and the younger hobbit leaned into his embrace, seeking his friend's comfort. Frodo hugged his friend tight and murmured reassurances until Merry's sobs abated. He sat up, scrubbing his arm across his face.
"Thank you for being here Frodo." He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but finally he said simply, "Good night." He walked back into Tom's house and lay down again. Frodo stayed for a while, staring at the stars and feeling the weight of the Thing around his neck. Then he too returned to bed.
Years Later
Merry awoke with a start. He'd heard, or thought he'd heard, a shrill scream. Had he dreamed it? He sat up, looking around and blinking in the half-light. "Frodo?" Merry whispered, feeling certain that it was his friend who had cried out.
The young Brandybuck slid out of bed and padded to Frodo's room. He wasn't there. He found him on the front step of Bag End, clutching at a white jewel about his neck and searching the stars. Merry sat down beside him and waited for Frodo to speak. Finally he did, slowly.
"It was a dream, Merry. I was in the Tower, in Mordor. His Eye was on me, hurting me. Trying to find the Ring. It was... it was..." Frodo broke off, biting his lip to keep back sobs of fear and pain.
Merry stole an arm around his friend. "Frodo, you did it. The quest is ended, it's over. The Dark One is no more. It's done." Frodo leaned close to his friend, letting the hot tears flow down his face. Merry held him and murmured nonsensical comforts until Frodo's weeping slowly halted. The heir of Bag End sat up, heaving a sigh and wiping his eyes.
"Do you remember when I did this for you?" Frodo asked after a moment. Merry laughed.
"Ha, yes. Do you know, I never had another dream after that. I would just think, "There are friends who care about me when they have troubles even greater than mine. If they care so much, who am I to have contrary dreams?" And then that was the end of it."
Frodo thought about that for a moment. "And that helped?"
Merry shrugged. "Somehow."
Frodo looked troubled. "Except..."
"Whose troubles are greater than yours?" Merry finished the sentence for his friend. Frodo did not say this out of misplaced arrogance: it was the truth. The hobbit had gone through things that would have made one of the Big People shrink in terror and the young Baggins had come through it alive. This lack of peace that seemed to plague him more and more of late was the price he paid for his past valor.
"Exactly," Frodo said with a deep sigh. He went back to counting the lights in the night sky and Merry waited beside him quietly until he decided to speak again. "I'm alone here, even with friends surrounding me. Everyone around me, everything I see, screams 'Peace! Peace!'. But there is no peace. Not for me. Not here, not in this place, not after what I've seen."
Merry understood his trouble, yet he had no words to comfort his friend as he had once been comforted. They sat in silence together, looking up at the sky and drawing strength from one another's company.
Finally Frodo said, "Come on, Merry. Let's get back to sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning." The two hobbits rose to their feet. Merry stopped Frodo at Bag End's round door and held out his hand.
"Thank you," he said simply. "For being there for me."
Frodo took the proffered hand and shook it warmly. "Thank you," he replied. "For doing the same."
They stood there, clasping hands, for a moment. After a moment they entered the house and returned to sleep. A sleep blessedly free from any nightmare.