A Name For Him
By Talking Hawk
"Pregnant again, eh? . . . Seems just like yesterday that little Elanor came to Bag End. . ."
"I know," a sort of dazed-looking Sam said. The far-off look in his eyes dissipated, and the hobbit smiled. "It's amazin' how fast yesterday turns into yesteryear. Ain't that right, Mr. Frodo?"
The master of Bag End frowned, a guilty gleam in his eyes. Many a night he had tossed and turned in his sleep, only to be awaken by the frightful dreams - memories - of years ago that still plagued him so earnestly. He felt as though by saying this, his friend had tapped into his mind and could now see the secret he had so carefully instilled within his heart.
"Yes, yes. . ." Frodo replied, a hint of panic in his tone. He could not allow his friend to suspect.
The Baggins smiled weakly, trying to conceal his apprehension of being discovered. Without any warning, a grinning Sam announced, "I think it will be a boy."
Frodo's mouth fell open, dumbstruck. "Sam, you've hardly known Rosie's been expecting for a day! What makes you think you will have a son?"
"A father's reckonin', I suppose. . ." he said with a shrug. "Me Gaffer always had a suspicion on what me and me brothers and sisters were." A smile filled with pride crossed his face. "Why, the only time he was eve' wrong was with Daisy."
The Baggins laughed heartily. "I suppose you already have a name all figured out, DON'T you?" He chuckled again, thoroughly amused; he only received a blank stare, causing his grin to fall into a stupefied expression.
"Yes'm."
A pause ensued. "When. . .? Surely not in the past few hours. . ."
"Back before Elanor was even a notion, I came up with a name for me first boy. It wasn't hard to figure one out, really. . ."
"Well," his friend said, intrigue in his voice, "what is it?"
Sam stared at his master for the longest time, contemplating. His companion lifted his eyebrows curiously, ruling out any plan of Sam's to simply not reply. Finally, the latter spoke.
". . .Frodo."
"Yes, yes," the other said, waving a hand, "I'm sure it's not any of my business, but I'm really quite curious!" The older of the two smiled genuinely.
"I don't think you understand. . ." Sam said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Would you rather tell one of your relatives first? I understand, I'm probably breaking one of your family traditions by being the first to find about. . ."
The hobbit continued prattling on, and Sam shook his head. After looking up at the ceiling for assistance that would never come (or so he thought), he set his eyes once more upon his ex-employer.
"Mr. FRODO!" The other's mouth shut itself quickly, its owner blinking in surprise. The gardener sighed in exasperation, then said slowly and quietly, "Mr. Frodo. . ." He took his friend's hands into his own, as if to soften the blow. "I'm naming him Frodo."
The mouth that had been so quick to close before now fell open just as readily. Shock was the only emotion that penetrated his blue eyes, though it was apparent to Sam that his companion's emotions, however well- concealed, were in turmoil.
Frodo's eyes began to twinkle and in a choked voice, he said, "Y. . .You're going to name him after.ME?" A smile crossed Samwise's lips once more. The Baggins continued, his eyes lowered.
"Why?"
Sam blinked. "Why what?"
"Why name him after me?"
The stare Sam gave Frodo was more piercing than that of the last one. The elder writhed beneath the other's consistent gaze, silently pleading for words to end the uncomfortable silence.
". . .And why NOT, might I ask?'
"Well," Frodo said, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders, "it's not very common for a gentlehobbit to name his firstborn *son* after one they are not related to. . . Are you *sure* you would not rather name him after your Gaffer?"
Sam narrowed his eyes at his friend, and crossed his arms over his chest, releasing the other's hands. "I have meself two brothers, need I remind you? One of them is likely to name one of their own kids after 'im."
Frodo lowered his eyes guiltily and uttered, "I just don't see why you want to name him after *me*. . ."
The Gamgee frowned at his master. "Have ya learned nothin', Mr. Frodo?" Frodo lifted his eyes to see the other's pained expression. Naively, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Sam sighed with melancholy written across his features. "I followed ya, Mr. Frodo. Every day, I woke up, not knowin' if it'd be me last. Still though, I followed ya. The only thing I wanted more than me fireplace and warm bed again was ta protect ya, Mr. Frodo. It bothers me that ya don't know that by now."
Frodo's face turned red with shame, and Sam got that far-off look in his eyes again. "I never rightly understood it meself, I suppose. . . Not until. . . Ya see, one day a couple of months ago, I was workin' in the yard out front, and little Elly went about her merry way picken' the wildflowers. I didn't mind much since she wasn't gettin' inta no trouble, so I just went back to me workin'. When I looked up again, I saw that she had somehow gotten through the gate and was standin' there in the middle of the road, a wagon comin'."
A look of horror appeared on Frodo's face. He demanded in a voice filled with both awe and fright, "Did she *die*??" The hobbit then narrowed his eyes, internally ridiculing himself for asking such a ridiculous question when he very well knew the answer.
Samwise could not help but chuckle. "Heh, no Mr. Frodo. She's very much alive." Embarassed, Frodo smiled slightly. The Gamgee continued, "Anyhow, after I had saved her, and calmed both her and poor Rosie down a bit, I got ta thinkin' - I felt the exact same way 'bout Elly that I did 'bout ya whenever you were ever scared or in trouble."
The bewildered and somewhat perturbed stare Frodo gave his gardener prompted the latter to elaborate. "Dat don't mean I think of ya as a girl, Mr. Frodo. Not my kid, or a kid at all even." Sam stopped to smile at his friend, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Me point is that yer like *family* to me - to all of us."
The dumbfounded expression on Frodo's face quickly faded into a smile. "Well," he chuckled, "Elanor always *did* call me 'Uncle Frodo'. . ." The look in his eyes - the only visible pools where his often mixed emotions gathered - told of his unspoken love for his friend, his brother in his heart. Sam returned the smile.
He knew. . .
And felt the same way.
* * *
Many years passed. Only months shortly after this story, Frodo set sail for the Undying Lands, to his friend's astonishment (though, as we all know, he later followed). Master Frodo left everything he owned to the Gamgee - the one that it hurt him the most to leave behind.
Samwise's heart ached with his friend's leaving, but he continued on as his employer would have wished. He lived on to father many more children with his beloved wife, the most memorable of these being Frodo's namesake.
Though the ringbearer never came to have any children of his own - not in the Shire, anyhow - Frodo Gamgee had an uncanny resemblance of the chap. He bore his father's hair and eye coloring, his heart, as well as his love for things of nature, but his physique was oddly reminiscent of another.
He had small shoulders - ones that betrayed those of his laboring forefathers before him. He was thin with very little meat on his bones - "more Elf than hobbit," as some would say. But one thing, more than all the others, surprised the old folk that had known for themselves the former master of Bag End. . .
It was his eyes.
Author's Brief Reminders: 1) No, Rosie did not have an affair with Frodo Baggins, producing Frodo Gamgee (the reason I had Frodo Gamgee look a bit like Frodo Baggins doesn't really have any logical explanation, except that I wanted there to be some sort of Frodo-Baggins-ness left in Middle Earth.). 2) Sam and Frodo Baggins are not homosexual (How could they be? Sam has *thirteen* kids!). 3) Please read and review, and don't hold anything I just said against me. =)
By Talking Hawk
"Pregnant again, eh? . . . Seems just like yesterday that little Elanor came to Bag End. . ."
"I know," a sort of dazed-looking Sam said. The far-off look in his eyes dissipated, and the hobbit smiled. "It's amazin' how fast yesterday turns into yesteryear. Ain't that right, Mr. Frodo?"
The master of Bag End frowned, a guilty gleam in his eyes. Many a night he had tossed and turned in his sleep, only to be awaken by the frightful dreams - memories - of years ago that still plagued him so earnestly. He felt as though by saying this, his friend had tapped into his mind and could now see the secret he had so carefully instilled within his heart.
"Yes, yes. . ." Frodo replied, a hint of panic in his tone. He could not allow his friend to suspect.
The Baggins smiled weakly, trying to conceal his apprehension of being discovered. Without any warning, a grinning Sam announced, "I think it will be a boy."
Frodo's mouth fell open, dumbstruck. "Sam, you've hardly known Rosie's been expecting for a day! What makes you think you will have a son?"
"A father's reckonin', I suppose. . ." he said with a shrug. "Me Gaffer always had a suspicion on what me and me brothers and sisters were." A smile filled with pride crossed his face. "Why, the only time he was eve' wrong was with Daisy."
The Baggins laughed heartily. "I suppose you already have a name all figured out, DON'T you?" He chuckled again, thoroughly amused; he only received a blank stare, causing his grin to fall into a stupefied expression.
"Yes'm."
A pause ensued. "When. . .? Surely not in the past few hours. . ."
"Back before Elanor was even a notion, I came up with a name for me first boy. It wasn't hard to figure one out, really. . ."
"Well," his friend said, intrigue in his voice, "what is it?"
Sam stared at his master for the longest time, contemplating. His companion lifted his eyebrows curiously, ruling out any plan of Sam's to simply not reply. Finally, the latter spoke.
". . .Frodo."
"Yes, yes," the other said, waving a hand, "I'm sure it's not any of my business, but I'm really quite curious!" The older of the two smiled genuinely.
"I don't think you understand. . ." Sam said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Would you rather tell one of your relatives first? I understand, I'm probably breaking one of your family traditions by being the first to find about. . ."
The hobbit continued prattling on, and Sam shook his head. After looking up at the ceiling for assistance that would never come (or so he thought), he set his eyes once more upon his ex-employer.
"Mr. FRODO!" The other's mouth shut itself quickly, its owner blinking in surprise. The gardener sighed in exasperation, then said slowly and quietly, "Mr. Frodo. . ." He took his friend's hands into his own, as if to soften the blow. "I'm naming him Frodo."
The mouth that had been so quick to close before now fell open just as readily. Shock was the only emotion that penetrated his blue eyes, though it was apparent to Sam that his companion's emotions, however well- concealed, were in turmoil.
Frodo's eyes began to twinkle and in a choked voice, he said, "Y. . .You're going to name him after.ME?" A smile crossed Samwise's lips once more. The Baggins continued, his eyes lowered.
"Why?"
Sam blinked. "Why what?"
"Why name him after me?"
The stare Sam gave Frodo was more piercing than that of the last one. The elder writhed beneath the other's consistent gaze, silently pleading for words to end the uncomfortable silence.
". . .And why NOT, might I ask?'
"Well," Frodo said, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders, "it's not very common for a gentlehobbit to name his firstborn *son* after one they are not related to. . . Are you *sure* you would not rather name him after your Gaffer?"
Sam narrowed his eyes at his friend, and crossed his arms over his chest, releasing the other's hands. "I have meself two brothers, need I remind you? One of them is likely to name one of their own kids after 'im."
Frodo lowered his eyes guiltily and uttered, "I just don't see why you want to name him after *me*. . ."
The Gamgee frowned at his master. "Have ya learned nothin', Mr. Frodo?" Frodo lifted his eyes to see the other's pained expression. Naively, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Sam sighed with melancholy written across his features. "I followed ya, Mr. Frodo. Every day, I woke up, not knowin' if it'd be me last. Still though, I followed ya. The only thing I wanted more than me fireplace and warm bed again was ta protect ya, Mr. Frodo. It bothers me that ya don't know that by now."
Frodo's face turned red with shame, and Sam got that far-off look in his eyes again. "I never rightly understood it meself, I suppose. . . Not until. . . Ya see, one day a couple of months ago, I was workin' in the yard out front, and little Elly went about her merry way picken' the wildflowers. I didn't mind much since she wasn't gettin' inta no trouble, so I just went back to me workin'. When I looked up again, I saw that she had somehow gotten through the gate and was standin' there in the middle of the road, a wagon comin'."
A look of horror appeared on Frodo's face. He demanded in a voice filled with both awe and fright, "Did she *die*??" The hobbit then narrowed his eyes, internally ridiculing himself for asking such a ridiculous question when he very well knew the answer.
Samwise could not help but chuckle. "Heh, no Mr. Frodo. She's very much alive." Embarassed, Frodo smiled slightly. The Gamgee continued, "Anyhow, after I had saved her, and calmed both her and poor Rosie down a bit, I got ta thinkin' - I felt the exact same way 'bout Elly that I did 'bout ya whenever you were ever scared or in trouble."
The bewildered and somewhat perturbed stare Frodo gave his gardener prompted the latter to elaborate. "Dat don't mean I think of ya as a girl, Mr. Frodo. Not my kid, or a kid at all even." Sam stopped to smile at his friend, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Me point is that yer like *family* to me - to all of us."
The dumbfounded expression on Frodo's face quickly faded into a smile. "Well," he chuckled, "Elanor always *did* call me 'Uncle Frodo'. . ." The look in his eyes - the only visible pools where his often mixed emotions gathered - told of his unspoken love for his friend, his brother in his heart. Sam returned the smile.
He knew. . .
And felt the same way.
* * *
Many years passed. Only months shortly after this story, Frodo set sail for the Undying Lands, to his friend's astonishment (though, as we all know, he later followed). Master Frodo left everything he owned to the Gamgee - the one that it hurt him the most to leave behind.
Samwise's heart ached with his friend's leaving, but he continued on as his employer would have wished. He lived on to father many more children with his beloved wife, the most memorable of these being Frodo's namesake.
Though the ringbearer never came to have any children of his own - not in the Shire, anyhow - Frodo Gamgee had an uncanny resemblance of the chap. He bore his father's hair and eye coloring, his heart, as well as his love for things of nature, but his physique was oddly reminiscent of another.
He had small shoulders - ones that betrayed those of his laboring forefathers before him. He was thin with very little meat on his bones - "more Elf than hobbit," as some would say. But one thing, more than all the others, surprised the old folk that had known for themselves the former master of Bag End. . .
It was his eyes.
Author's Brief Reminders: 1) No, Rosie did not have an affair with Frodo Baggins, producing Frodo Gamgee (the reason I had Frodo Gamgee look a bit like Frodo Baggins doesn't really have any logical explanation, except that I wanted there to be some sort of Frodo-Baggins-ness left in Middle Earth.). 2) Sam and Frodo Baggins are not homosexual (How could they be? Sam has *thirteen* kids!). 3) Please read and review, and don't hold anything I just said against me. =)