The phone let loose with a shrill ring, dragging the young man on the bed from his dreams with a groan.
Dreams of fire and gold.
Large blue eyes opened, then shut with a wince as the man whimpered, pulling a pillow over his face as
he felt around for the phone. After knocking the clock radio off the table, as well as the lamp, he found
the phone and pulled it under the pillow. "'Lo."
"Hello, Frodo."
The cheerful voice was easy to recognize. "What to you want, Pippin?" Frodo sighed, keeping a soft
whimper back by force of will. His head hurt. "And why are you so damn cheerful?"
"I was the DD last night. Now, Merry here, he looks like you sound." There was noise in the
background, and Frodo winced at some of the words that he heard.
Chancing a peek outside the pillow once again, Frodo moaned softly. His head really, really hurt. "Pip,
just tell me what you want."
His friend's tone was teasing. "What's wrong, Frodo? I thought you had a great time last night."
Pippin's tone had Frodo worried. He had turned 21 yesterday, and his friends had taken him bar-
hopping. Closing his eyes, the young man tried to pull memories from his sleep-fogged mind.
They had gone bar-hopping. He remembered that. They had ended up in a club called the Gray Side of
the Force. By then, they had been out half the night, and he was definitely smashed. There were some
vague memories of singing on stage with a guy called Obi-Wan. Halfway into the song, a guy with some
freaky tattoos and horns had come up and grabbed his singing partner off the stage. Then strong arms
had also dragged Frodo off stage.
Suddenly, Frodo remembered, and a silly smile crossed his face. He had finally tumbled Sam into bed
last night. Or Sam had tumbled him. Either way, they had ended up spending the rest of the night there.
He must have made some noise, because Pippin laughed. "So, what's it like with an empath?"
"None of you're business," Frodo growled. "Besides, Merry would kill you if you tried anything."
"My, you're snarly today." Frodo could hear Pippin's smirk, and vowed to kill him next time he saw
him. "I'll let you go so you can . . . enjoy the day." The other man snickered and hung up.
With a grumble, he hit the off button and dropped the phone. Deciding to get it over with, he pulled the
pillow off his face and sat up. While he waited for the room to stop moving, Frodo remembered the
events from the night before with a smile. There had always been comments about bedding empaths,
and from last night, he would have to say that all of them were true. Still, the fact that Sam was an
empath wasn't the only reason Frodo had wanted to bed him, and Sam would have know that as soon
as he had touched Frodo.
The room had finally stopped swirling, so Frodo looked for his robe. It was missing, so he assumed that
Sam had it. As he looked around, the young man was surprised to see that a pair of pants were hanging
from the ceiling fan. He didn't remember anything being tossed with that much force.
Finding nothing that he could use as a robe, he finally decided to forget it. They were in the middle of
nowhere, so if anyone found a way to peek in his place, they deserved a show. Anyway, there were
delicious smells starting to drift his way from the kitchen. Rising, Frodo Baggins started down the hall,
naked as the day he was born.
Following his nose, Frodo was soon in the kitchen. There was Sam, who was cooking whatever
smelled so tasty. Waiting for his lover to set the hot pan down, Frodo moved up and kissed the nape of
Sam's neck, wrapping his arms around the other man. "Morning, GB. What are you doing up so early?"
Leaning into the hug, Sam turned his head so he could see Frodo. "Hey, Feb. Just cooking the birthday
boy some breakfast. Doing it before he starts to pester me for it."
Feeling the sensation that meant someone was in pain, Frodo placed his finger against Sam's forehead.
"I'll have you know that I've been taking care of myself ever since Bilbo left," he told Sam as he healed
the hangover headache.
Sam snorted, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "Please. I know for a fact that you've been begging me,
Pippin, or Merry to cook for you the last three years." Sam shook his head. "The only one of us who
can't cook. Shame, shame." Another kiss. "Thanks. There's some fresh squeezed juice in the fridge."
He turned to finish breakfast.
Frodo's head still hurt, but it felt better after he had some cold juice to drink. He wished that his healing
talent just didn't apply to other people. It would have been nice if he could have fixed himself,
sometimes. He looked around. "So why are we at the cabin?"
Sliding a plate of eggs, sausage, and something that looked really good, Sam shrugged. "Pip dropped
us off at the edge of the woods. You were determined to come here. Then you shifted and made me
chase you." Frodo stared at him blankly. "Don't remember that, hm?"
The young man shook his head, black curls going everywhere. "I remembered what happened when we
got here, just not much of the time between the Gray Side and when we hit the couch."
Licking his lips, Sam, leaned in close. "How about a reminder?"
Both jumped when the phone went off. Startled, Frodo smacked at it, hitting the speaker phone button
as he picked up. "Hello?"
"Frodo, thank heavens I found you."
"Gandalf?"
"Look, I don't have time for this. Grab that ring Bilbo left you and head for the hotel on the corner of of
North Way and Bree?"
"The Prancing Pony? That's a long way off, Gandalf. We're in the cabin. And the ring's in the
apartment."
There were some muttered words, and Frodo was treated to his second cursing lesson of the day. "Just
meet me there."
"It'll take us about a hour, Gandalf. Maybe two."
"Sam! What are . . .? Never mind. You two just get here as fast as possible. Don't forget the ring,
Frodo. And hurry."
There was a click, and the dial tone sounded over the speaker. Frodo and Sam looked at each other.
"What do you think, Feb?"
Already rising, Frodo looked at Sam. "This is Gandalf, GB. He's never in a hurry. Ever. If he wants us
to hurry, there must be something up. We need to go." The young man quickly found some clothes, and
Sam pulled on his outfit from the night before.
As they walked outside, Frodo sighed. "We're going to have to go to the apartment, so we had better
get moving."
Sam nodded, and both seemed to shimmer. There was no noise as they changed. Where once two
human had stood, two animals now did. One was a dancing horse, sleek and beautiful, the other was a
buck, who's was crowned by a large rack.
Both started for the main road.
TBC
Dreams of fire and gold.
Large blue eyes opened, then shut with a wince as the man whimpered, pulling a pillow over his face as
he felt around for the phone. After knocking the clock radio off the table, as well as the lamp, he found
the phone and pulled it under the pillow. "'Lo."
"Hello, Frodo."
The cheerful voice was easy to recognize. "What to you want, Pippin?" Frodo sighed, keeping a soft
whimper back by force of will. His head hurt. "And why are you so damn cheerful?"
"I was the DD last night. Now, Merry here, he looks like you sound." There was noise in the
background, and Frodo winced at some of the words that he heard.
Chancing a peek outside the pillow once again, Frodo moaned softly. His head really, really hurt. "Pip,
just tell me what you want."
His friend's tone was teasing. "What's wrong, Frodo? I thought you had a great time last night."
Pippin's tone had Frodo worried. He had turned 21 yesterday, and his friends had taken him bar-
hopping. Closing his eyes, the young man tried to pull memories from his sleep-fogged mind.
They had gone bar-hopping. He remembered that. They had ended up in a club called the Gray Side of
the Force. By then, they had been out half the night, and he was definitely smashed. There were some
vague memories of singing on stage with a guy called Obi-Wan. Halfway into the song, a guy with some
freaky tattoos and horns had come up and grabbed his singing partner off the stage. Then strong arms
had also dragged Frodo off stage.
Suddenly, Frodo remembered, and a silly smile crossed his face. He had finally tumbled Sam into bed
last night. Or Sam had tumbled him. Either way, they had ended up spending the rest of the night there.
He must have made some noise, because Pippin laughed. "So, what's it like with an empath?"
"None of you're business," Frodo growled. "Besides, Merry would kill you if you tried anything."
"My, you're snarly today." Frodo could hear Pippin's smirk, and vowed to kill him next time he saw
him. "I'll let you go so you can . . . enjoy the day." The other man snickered and hung up.
With a grumble, he hit the off button and dropped the phone. Deciding to get it over with, he pulled the
pillow off his face and sat up. While he waited for the room to stop moving, Frodo remembered the
events from the night before with a smile. There had always been comments about bedding empaths,
and from last night, he would have to say that all of them were true. Still, the fact that Sam was an
empath wasn't the only reason Frodo had wanted to bed him, and Sam would have know that as soon
as he had touched Frodo.
The room had finally stopped swirling, so Frodo looked for his robe. It was missing, so he assumed that
Sam had it. As he looked around, the young man was surprised to see that a pair of pants were hanging
from the ceiling fan. He didn't remember anything being tossed with that much force.
Finding nothing that he could use as a robe, he finally decided to forget it. They were in the middle of
nowhere, so if anyone found a way to peek in his place, they deserved a show. Anyway, there were
delicious smells starting to drift his way from the kitchen. Rising, Frodo Baggins started down the hall,
naked as the day he was born.
Following his nose, Frodo was soon in the kitchen. There was Sam, who was cooking whatever
smelled so tasty. Waiting for his lover to set the hot pan down, Frodo moved up and kissed the nape of
Sam's neck, wrapping his arms around the other man. "Morning, GB. What are you doing up so early?"
Leaning into the hug, Sam turned his head so he could see Frodo. "Hey, Feb. Just cooking the birthday
boy some breakfast. Doing it before he starts to pester me for it."
Feeling the sensation that meant someone was in pain, Frodo placed his finger against Sam's forehead.
"I'll have you know that I've been taking care of myself ever since Bilbo left," he told Sam as he healed
the hangover headache.
Sam snorted, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "Please. I know for a fact that you've been begging me,
Pippin, or Merry to cook for you the last three years." Sam shook his head. "The only one of us who
can't cook. Shame, shame." Another kiss. "Thanks. There's some fresh squeezed juice in the fridge."
He turned to finish breakfast.
Frodo's head still hurt, but it felt better after he had some cold juice to drink. He wished that his healing
talent just didn't apply to other people. It would have been nice if he could have fixed himself,
sometimes. He looked around. "So why are we at the cabin?"
Sliding a plate of eggs, sausage, and something that looked really good, Sam shrugged. "Pip dropped
us off at the edge of the woods. You were determined to come here. Then you shifted and made me
chase you." Frodo stared at him blankly. "Don't remember that, hm?"
The young man shook his head, black curls going everywhere. "I remembered what happened when we
got here, just not much of the time between the Gray Side and when we hit the couch."
Licking his lips, Sam, leaned in close. "How about a reminder?"
Both jumped when the phone went off. Startled, Frodo smacked at it, hitting the speaker phone button
as he picked up. "Hello?"
"Frodo, thank heavens I found you."
"Gandalf?"
"Look, I don't have time for this. Grab that ring Bilbo left you and head for the hotel on the corner of of
North Way and Bree?"
"The Prancing Pony? That's a long way off, Gandalf. We're in the cabin. And the ring's in the
apartment."
There were some muttered words, and Frodo was treated to his second cursing lesson of the day. "Just
meet me there."
"It'll take us about a hour, Gandalf. Maybe two."
"Sam! What are . . .? Never mind. You two just get here as fast as possible. Don't forget the ring,
Frodo. And hurry."
There was a click, and the dial tone sounded over the speaker. Frodo and Sam looked at each other.
"What do you think, Feb?"
Already rising, Frodo looked at Sam. "This is Gandalf, GB. He's never in a hurry. Ever. If he wants us
to hurry, there must be something up. We need to go." The young man quickly found some clothes, and
Sam pulled on his outfit from the night before.
As they walked outside, Frodo sighed. "We're going to have to go to the apartment, so we had better
get moving."
Sam nodded, and both seemed to shimmer. There was no noise as they changed. Where once two
human had stood, two animals now did. One was a dancing horse, sleek and beautiful, the other was a
buck, who's was crowned by a large rack.
Both started for the main road.
TBC