Rating - U (G)
A/N - Inspired by a comment of Shirebound's in her LJ, concerning the end of RotK. Based on movie verse, so may contain spoilers!
What the Red Book May Hold
"...You never stopped believing, Sam; believing that we would return home; believing that we had a future beyond the fiery mountain. And your belief kept my hope alive. But you can never go back, not if you have changed. I was wounded Sam: both physically and internally. The scars would have eventually healed, but the pain and sickness would still have been there. You never stopped believing, but I stopped believing I was anything beyond the Ring... and that is why I have to leave. You cannot stay when there is nothing there. You cannot always be torn in two, Samwise; you cannot always be there when the darkness closes in. You did not change, you evolved, and so you must stay and be happy. Happy as I will be when I am free from It's legacy. I wish you well, Samwise Gamgee, and know that we never need say goodbye.
Ever yours,
Frodo Baggins."
Sam let the folded parchment float onto the path as he finished reading the letter.
"You cannot always be torn in two, Samwise, you cannot always be there when the darkness closes in." Sam shut his eyes tight to stem the tears. The leather covering of the Red Book was soft under his callused hands, and he blinked, watching his hands press the book shut. It was not finished yet - perhaps Frodo would see the end.
"He's gone, Samwise Gamgee, and he wouldn't want you cryin' 'bout it neither. He won't be seein' the end and you should be glad about it too." Sam wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and forced a smile.
"...know that we never need say goodbye."
Frodo's voice was so vivid that Sam nearly started. The Red Book weighed down his arms, and he sat on the grassy bank, opening the illustrated pages. An envelope slipped from the back of the book and fell to the ground. It was slightly bulky to Sam's hands, and he picked it up carefully and opened the seal.
'For Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton: owners of the finest family in all Middle-earth.'
Sam laughed as he read the slanted text. How could he have forgotten Frodo's birthday? He reached further into the envelope and clasped a familiar shape. Retrieving his hand, he gasped at its content: the key to Bag End.
"...know that we never need say goodbye."