Coming Back
By Talking Hawk
Author's Note: I have never read Return of the King, or the appendix (besides glancing at the family tree), so I'm probably not going to be very accurate about the Grey Havens thing. So, I'm going to take some artistic license (yet again), so just run with it, okay? Thank you.
Frodo sat in front of his fireplace, his feet propped up on a stool, watching contently the flames licking the logs. His face was calm and peaceful, and he looked up to gaze the pictures on the mantle. They weren't photographs, but rather paintings of all his old friends, recreated by an artist in the area through detailed descriptions. There was a painting of the Fellowship, and a few of Sam, his wife Rosie, and their young daughter Elanor.
Frodo Baggins smiled when he looked at the painting with Sam giving Elanor a piggyback ride with her mother fussing Sam about not dropping her. The hobbit had to remind himself that he couldn't keep on thinking of Elanor as a two-year-old. By this time, she was probably a full-grown woman, married, and with children of her own. The painting probably mirrored her current family as Frodo sat in front of the fireplace.
A young girl walked into the room, wearing a pink sundress with purple daisies on the front. She crept up to Frodo, and when he least expected it, she jumped up and growled, "Grrr!"
The older hobbit turned his attention slowly to the girl, finding that her teeth were bared, and her hands were in the shape of claws to create a more frightening effect. He grinned. "You do a bad Gollum impression," he teased, and she shrugged and set herself on his lap.
"Daddy, tell me a story!" she begged, curling up in his lap. Frodo looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "I told you three today already…" he said, but when he looked down at his daughter, her lower lip was stuck out in a pout. "Oh, fine, fine…"
"And then can I see your scar?" she asked exuberantly, sitting up. Frodo raised his eyebrow at her. "What kind of a lady asks to see other little boys' scars?" She tried to undo his top shirt button to try to get a peak of the rarely seen scar, but her father gently took her small hand into his and rubbed it soothingly. "One that's a manly man!" she cried out as she did muscle flexes.
Frodo laughed, the light in his eyes dancing like they did back in his youthful days. "Maureen, did Madoc show you how to do that?" "Um, no," she lied, shaking her head. Her long brown curls shook from side to side. Her father smiled, "Well, it's all right for now. It could, however," he continued, ruffling her hair, "be a problem when some handsome gentleman wants to take you out on a date."
"Ew, cuties!" she squealed, sticking out her tongue. Frodo feigned hurt, putting his hand to his heart. "If one boy has cuties, that must mean that we're all infected!" He put a hand over his eyes. "Run, Maureen, save yourself!" Maureen didn't budge, but waited for him to uncover his eyes. "I know how to cure cuties…" she said slowly. "We could…tickle you!" With that, she attacked Frodo mercilessly with a fit of tickling. "Help me, help me!" he shouted between fits of laughter.
At this time, Mrs. Baggins came through the front door. She walked into the living room and put her hands on her hips. "What on earth are you two doing?" she asked, biting her lip to prevent her from joining in the laughter. Frodo looked up at his wife and smiled. "Maureen's curing me of cuties. Want to help? It's a very complicated procedure." She smirked and responded, "I would love to, but first I need you two to help me carry in some things."
Maureen jumped off her father's lap, and ran out the door to go help her older brother and sister outside. Frodo stood up, and kissed his wife on the cheek. "How was your day?" he asked sweetly. She smiled and said, "Great, but you're not going to get out of bringing in the groceries." Frodo chuckled, and followed Maureen out the door.
As Frodo went to grab a bag of fruits from the market place, he caught a glimpse of a red head hobbit walking up the street, biting her fingernails. He didn't recognize her at first, but approached her to try to find out why she seemed so nervous. "May I help you?" he asked.
She didn't turn to look at him, but instead looked at the other hobbit holes on the opposite side of the street. "The elves told me to come here…but I don't know where to go." The hobbit woman turned to Frodo, and her eyes grew wide. Frodo's eyes followed suit. "FRODO?" she shouted, jumping back. "…ROSIE?"
"I knew I wasn't well, but I didn't think I was…" she said, trying to finish her sentence between breaths. "Dead?" Frodo offered, and took his old friend into an embrace, attempting to calm her down. After a moment, he looked at her. She was looking down at her feet. "Would you like to come in? Supper's almost ready." Rosie nodded quickly, and Frodo lead her up the steps.
"Honey?" Frodo called once they entered the front door. "I have someone here I would like you to meet!" His wife came out of the kitchen, followed by their three children, with Maureen last to come out. Rosie blinked in bewilderment, looking from Frodo, to his wife, to his children.
"This doesn't make any sense…" Rosie said. "You," she said, pointing to Frodo, "went to the Grey Havens. That's like some new land that the elves were going to settle. But now I'M here, and I'm supposedly dead. What's going on?" Frodo smiled and explained, "Well, what we think of as Heaven and the Grey Havens are one and the same. My wife here actually died back in Middle Earth before we came here."
"Oh…" Rosie responded, trying to imbibe all of her surroundings. "Well, that explains that. Now, who are these adorable children?" she said, looking from one child's face to another. Frodo led her closer to them.
"This is Claudia, my oldest." The girl curtsied politely, and Rosie grinned. "Now here is a juvenile delinquent," he said, turning to the boy. "He's not ours, but we felt sorry for him." "Dad!" he cried, smiling. "Okay, I lied," Frodo said, smirking. "He's our son, Madoc. He's still a trouble-maker." Madoc flashed his eyes mischievously. "I was thinking of calling him Sam," Frodo explained to Rosie, "but as you can see, he's NOTHING like him." Madoc threw his head back and cackled, and Rosie smiled. "I don't know, sometimes…"
Frodo coughed, and continued on. "Now this is Maureen, our youngest. She's our cutie doctor, so considering there's an outbreak going around, I would get regular check-ups if I were you." "Daddy!" she giggled. "Girls don't get cuties!"
"Then why are girls so scared of them?" he asked, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. She pulled the sides of her mouth apart with her fingers, stuck out her tongue, and crossed her eyes in retaliation. Mrs. Baggins glared at her husband, and he rubbed the back of his head and laughed.
"Reminds me of my husband," Rosie laughed, then stopped. She lowered her eyes, and frowned. "Kids, how about if you bring in the rest of your groceries for Mum?" Frodo suggested. Claudia led the way, and the others followed obediently. "Lovely family," Rosie whispered.
"Would you like to take a seat?" Mrs. Baggins offered, and Rosie complied. "Would you like to talk about it?" Frodo asked gently, and Rosie nodded.
* * *
The sea breeze blew through Frodo's hair, and he closed his eyes in enjoyment. He couldn't believe he was going back; he thought it would have been impossible to do so. Rosie had been staying at his house for the past four days, and all of her talk about missing her husband rekindled Frodo's own desire to see Sam again. For all of these years, he kept on telling himself that he would eventually see his dear friend again, but nature wasn't working to his benefit.
To his surprise and happiness, Galadriel gave the hobbit permission to go back to Middle Earth. To get him there, she gave him twenty elves to row a large boat across the waters. Without them, she explained, he could never get to the Shire. There was a catch, however. For whatever reason, he could only return on the condition that Sam is with him. But why wouldn't Sam WANT to go back with him?
Upon explaining the whole thing to his wife, she agreed that he should go to bring back his long talked-about companion during the quest to Mt. Doom. Often, his children asked to hear bedtime stories that were pieces of the journey, and their favorite parts always had some show of Sam's loyalty toward their father.
Before leaving, he created a deal with Gandalf, his Uncle Bilbo, and Boromir. Each day, one of them would check up on his family – without them knowing, and they would rotate the job. This way, Frodo reasoned, they wouldn't get as suspicious. [Note: Hey, I said he was a nice guy, not smart. =)]
Frodo finally saw the coastline, and moved to the front of the boat to welcome it. He would soon be home.
* * *
Pippin and his wife Diamond stood in front of a cart that sold the most beautiful flowers in Hobbiton. As Diamond finished discussing her plans for the flowers at her son Faramir's upcoming wedding, Pippin began to sniffle. Once the agreement was finally concluded, Diamond put her arm around her husband's, and they walked down the road. The hobbit tried to control his emotions, and wiped his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "I can't believe our son's getting married…" He blew his nose on a handkerchief loudly, then stuffed it back in his pants pocket. Diamond nodded in understanding. "I can't believe it either. It seems like just yesterday that he was a wee baby…" She sighed, and put her head on her husband's shoulder.
"When I was talking to that merchant," she said, "I nearly forgot that the wedding was post-poned…" Pippin nodded. "Poor Goldilocks…poor Sam…" Diamond patted her husband's hand. "I know. Maybe we should invite them over for dinner?" "That's a good idea!" he said excitedly. "I'll have Faramir fetch them!"
A hobbit appeared over the hill ahead of them, and stopped in his tracks as he saw him. Pippin looked at him and glared in concern. "You stay here," he told his wife, and approached the stranger. As he got closer to the hobbit, he froze in shock.
"F-…F…Frodo?" he asked, looking up at him. He shielded his eyes, for the sun was behind the hobbit on the hill. "Pippin?" the other asked. The Took nodded, still not sure if the other was Frodo or not. "PIPPIN!" he shouted, and seized Pippin in a huge hug. "Oh, how I missed you…"
Pippin stepped back, and tears came to his eyes. "Frodo, you're back, you're back!" He turned around and waved to his wife to come over. "It's Frodo Baggins, my cousin! He's back!" Diamond walked slowly forward in surprise, and shook Frodo's outstretched hand. "Wow…" she said, breathlessly. "I have heard so much about you… But I thought you were in the Grey Havens…"
"I was," Frodo quipped, "but I came back for Sam." Pippin frowned. "You mean, you haven't heard?" Frodo's grin faded into a frown. "What?" he asked. "His wife…Rosie…" Pippin took his wife's hand into his. "She…"
"Died?" Frodo offered for the second time that week. Pippin and Diamond looked at him questioningly. Why was he so calm about it? "I heard," Frodo explained. "Well, actually, she came to my house." The other hobbits' eyebrows rose skeptically. "Well, you see…" Frodo began.
* * *
Merry and his wife Estella walked through the public Hobbiton garden. Estella rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and longingly watched the children running through the garden, chasing after a ball. "Do you ever wish we had children?" Merry kissed his wife's forehead tenderly, and then a little boy shoved his way in between him.
Mr. Brandybuck eyed the boy as he ran away behind him and said, "No." Estella laughed, and spun the white daisy her husband had picked up for her earlier. Merry smiled, put his arm around Estella's shoulders, and kissed her tenderly again on the cheek.
"Awww…" a voice said from behind him. Merry rolled his eyes. 'It better not be another one of those pesky Proudfoot girls getting on my case about being sensitive and stuff in public…' Merry thought irritatingly to himself. He spun around, and to his utter shock, he was face-to-face with a very familiar-looking brunette man. Without meaning to, Merry screamed, and fell on his rear.
Estella bent over to pick up her husband, and the familiar-looking hobbit grabbed Merry's other arm. After brushing off Merry's coat, the man asked, "I didn't mean to scare you, Merry." Mr. Brandybuck straightened out his vest, and turned to the other hobbit. "What is the meaning of…"
The hobbit stopped mid-sentence. "F…F…" he stuttered, his mouth not able to accurately form the word. The other hobbit turned to Estella and shook her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Frodo."
"F…F…FRODO!" Meriadoc shouted, his eyes brimming with tears. To Frodo's surprise, Merry picked him up in a big bear hug that knocked the wind out of the Baggins. "Oh, I can't believe it's you!" he cried out, and set the other down. "Yep, it's me," Frodo said, grinning. "I didn't mean to startle you two."
Merry put his arm around Frodo's shoulder, and turned to his wife. "Honey," he said, his voice cracking with emotion, "this is Frodo Baggins from the Fellowship, and my cousin." "It's a pleasure," she said, smiling. "He talks about you ALL the time." "Well, that's not true," Merry said, frowning. He turned to his cousin. "I talk about HER all the time. You're only second-best." Frodo laughed. "That's nice to know." Merry patted Frodo's chest chummily and said, "Ah, we all missed you!"
Frodo grinned and said, "It's so great to see you again, and it was nice to finally meet your lovely wife. I have somebody else I need to see tonight. So, if you don't mind, I need to be off." Merry nodded and said, "Sure, sure." They gave each other a fond handshake, and Frodo ran off. Merry hugged his wife, and they both watched the disappearing figure run down the road.
"Wait…" Estella said, and looked at her husband. "…Didn't he go to that one place, the Grey Havens?" Merry furrowed his brow, and a confused look grew in his eyes. "Why, yes… I guess we'll find out how he got here and why soon enough, won't we?" Estella smiled, and kissed her husband lovingly on the cheek.
* * *
Frodo knocked on the door of the Gamgee household. He rolled his shoulders back nervously. He tried to calm his nerves by reflecting on Pippin and Merry's reactions to his return. They looked just as they when he had left, even though forty years had passed. They were just as young and exuberant as they had been during the quest to destroy the one ring.
The doorknob abruptly turned, and opened. A young woman in her mid- twenties opened the door and blinked at the stranger. "Yes?" she asked politely. Frodo smiled; she looked just like Rosie. "Are you by any chance Samwise Gamgee's daughter." "I am."
Not able to control himself, he threw his arms around her in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" he yelled. "DADDDYYYY!!" the girl cried, apparently alarmed by the fact a stranger was hugging her. A burly hobbit man appeared in the hallway, brandishing a skillet. "LET HER GO!!" he shouted, and approached the intruder.
Frodo released the woman from his hug, who ran behind the other hobbit. He continued to hold up the skillet threateningly, and stepped forward. Even though Frodo realized he hadn't practiced very good judgement in his excitement, he looked at the other hobbit in frightened innocence. "…Sam?" he peeped.
The glare in the other hobbit's eyes faded into one of surprise. "Who are you?" Frodo slowly smiled. "Don't you recognize me?" Sam stepped forward into the light emitting from outside, looking carefully at the stranger. He trembling sigh escaped from Sam's lips. "I'm sorry…I'm not feeling well now. I'm seeing things. If you want to speak to me, come again at another time."
"But Sam-" Frodo pleaded, but the other hobbit had already closed the door. Overcome with emotion, Frodo pounded his arms and fists against the heavy wooden door. "Sam! SAM! Please open the door! I beg you, PLEASE open the door!"
Sam rested his back against the door, withdrawn. Ruby walked up next to her father quietly and touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Father…did you know who that man was?"
Sam's eyes widened at her touch, and it was as if he had returned back to reality. "What? Oh, no, I don't think so. His face just reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago…" he said painfully, and walked back into the living room, dropping the skillet onto the floor.
* * *
The next morning, Frodo could be found sitting next to Sam's circular door, leaning back against the wall like a hobo. Ruby came out with her purse in hand, and closed the door behind her. Startled by the sound, Frodo opened his eyes, and Ruby spun around. She held up her purse in a threatening manner and demanded, "What are you doing here again? My father told you to leave!"
Frodo stood up, and brushed himself off. "This is probably going to be a shock," he said carefully, "but I'm Frodo Baggins. I'm a friend of your father's." Ruby blinked her eyes for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, that's funny…" she laughed. "Frodo Baggins hasn't been in Middle Earth for forty years. You're a fool for claiming you're him."
"Oh?" Frodo asked, walking along side her. "Ask me anything. I'll PROVE I'm Frodo Baggins." "Don't bother," she said. "I know you're not him." Frodo narrowed his eyes in determination. "Your father's name is Samwise Gamgee. Your mother's name is Rosie Cotton Gamgee. Your elder sister's name is Elanor. Sam used to be my gardener, and he was roped into going with me to Mt. Doom when Gandalf the Grey caught him sneaking around beneath the window of my hobbit hole." "Ha!" she said. "Everybody knows THAT! Now stop bothering me or else I'll call for my future brother-in-law Faramir to give you a good beating."
"Oh, Faramir?" Frodo said, stopping. "Where is he? I'd like to see him!" He then turned back to Ruby. "Wait a minute…he's already married!" Ruby rolled her eyes and brushed past Frodo. "Faramir Took is marrying my sister Goldilocks." "Oh, how sweet!" Frodo shouted, running to catch up with her. "Pippin's son is marrying Sam's daughter…that's so wonderful!" Ruby turned around, annoyed. "If you're not afraid of Faramir, I bet you will be of my big brother Frodo." "You know," Frodo Baggins said, frowning, "your parents weren't very creative when it came to names… What are your other siblings' names?"
"Leave me be!" Ruby ordered, but Frodo just stood there. "Father, FATHER!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!" Frodo spun around as the Gamgee house door swung open, and Sam jumped down the steps. "Sam!" Frodo greeted, waving his arm.
"What do you want?" Sam asked grumpily. He hadn't shaved for quite awhile, perhaps for the past week. He marched towards Frodo and Ruby, probably annoyed at being pestered to come outside.
Sam stopped in his footsteps as he saw the "stranger" for a second time. This time, it wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him. "Frodo…?" Frodo nodded slowly and smiled. "Sam…it's so good to see you." "Are you a ghost?" Sam asked, putting his hand on Frodo's shoulder, looking at him scrutinizingly. Frodo smiled again and shook his head. "No, it's me. I've come back to see you."
Frodo gave Sam a hug, but Sam's body remained limp. He released his friend from the embrace. "Oh, how I've missed you! It's so good to see you again." Out of nowhere, Sam's hand struck Frodo's face. Appalled, Frodo put a hand to his now-pink face, and his jaw dropped open. This was the reaction he had anticipated.
"You should have thought about that before you left!" Sam cried at in anger. "You selfish pig, leaving me alone just like my wife!" Samwise began crying, and ran back into his house, and slammed the door behind him.
Tears began falling down Frodo's face, and his hand still pressed to his cheek, he turned to Ruby. Her mouth was hung open in shock as well. "I'm…so sorry…" Frodo nodded politely, then ran past her. Ruby watched as he ran down the road, going to Heaven knows where.
* * *
Frodo sat down beneath an old, familiar tree he had sat underneath with a good book on long summer days. It was the tree he had been reading beneath when Gandalf arrived for Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday. Frodo hugged his knees, and sobbed into his kneecaps.
After about an hour, Frodo could see feet out of the corner of his eye. He lifted up his wet, pink face and saw Pippin. His cousin smiled sadly, and took a seat next to him. "I heard what happened," he told Frodo. Frodo looked away. "I just wanted you to know that that wasn't Sam that you were talking to. His wife's death really has him unhinged. Then with you showing up…" Frodo looked into Pippin's eyes sadly. "But how do you know that it was because of his wife?"
Pippin lifted an eyebrow. "How do you mean?" "I mean," Frodo said, looking back at his knees, "what if this is how he's felt towards me since I left?" Pippin shook his head passionately. "No, that's not true. You should hear him, Frodo. He is always the first to respond to a whisper of someone saying, 'Hey, is that the guy that was friends with Frodo Baggins?' He would always tell them how great you were, and how many great deeds you did, and how you were the best friend he ever had." Frodo's eyes brimmed over with new tears. "Really?" he whispered hoarsely. Pippin smiled and nodded.
"You'll see. In a few days, things'll be just fine." Pippin stood up, and offered his hand. Frodo smiled and took it. Once he stood up, he seized his left shoulder, bent over in agony. Pippin put a hand on his back. "Are you all right?" Frodo's eyes were clenched, and he whispered, "Oh, it's my scar…it's hurting again."
"Again?" Pippin repeated in fright. "When was the last time it hurt?" Frodo's eyes opened, his hand slipped away from his scar, and he stood up straight again. "Forty years ago."
* * *
About five days had passed, and there was a great gathering was taking place in Hobbiton. Hobbits were coming near and far from all across the Shire to where Bilbo's eleventy-first party had been held. It was Faramir and Goldilock's wedding, and Brandybucks, Tooks, and Gamgees were bursting with joy at being involved in the festivities. Sam was the most nervous of all. His daughter was getting married, for crying out loud!
To his relief, almost everything went according to plan. The only thing, up to that point, that had gone wrong was that his father had eaten all the shrimp at the snack table. Sam attempted to calm his nerves by mumbling things to himself, but this only made him more uptight.
The big moment had finally arrived. The wedding music began to play, and he took up his position at the beginning of the aisle. He took Goldilocks' arm in his own, and patted her hand as he led her to her future husband. Faramir pulled at his bow tie nervously, but then smiled as he saw his bride in her beautiful wedding dress. He stood in awe of her beauty, his eyes twinkling. Diamond began weeping into her handkerchief, and Pippin put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "There, there," he said soothingly.
Estella put her head onto her husband's shoulder. "After the wedding's over," she whispered, "I have something to tell you." Merry peered down at his wife, but realizing that she wasn't going to look him in the eyes, he turned his attention back to the wedding.
Sam released his daughter's arm as she walked towards her future husband and the priest. He stood silently, hands folded together, waiting for his cue. "Who represents this woman?" the priest asked the audience. "I do," Sam said slowly, and the priest nodded. Sam sighed, and took his seat. 'She's not your little girl, anymore,' Sam told himself. He's had to remind himself this every time one of his daughters had a wedding. 'Only a few more to go,' he reminded himself. He then turned to the person sitting next to him. It was Frodo!
"What are you doing here?" Sam hissed. "I need to talk to you," Frodo whispered back. "Fine, but after the wedding." Frodo nodded solemnly, and looked at Goldilocks and Faramir.
"Will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold until death do you part?" the priest inquired. Frodo leaned over and whispered to Sam, "It doesn't have to be just until death." Sam didn't show any signs of having heard him.
Goldilocks said, choked with emotion, "Yes." "Faramir," the priest instructed, "You may now kiss the bride." Faramir Took took Sam's daughter lovingly into his arms and gave her a kiss that their relatives would remember for a long time to come. Everyone stood up and cheered and newlyweds, filled with happiness that they had found their soul mates.
* * *
"What do you want?" Sam asked. Frodo and Sam were now standing on top of a bridge over a creek, not too far away from the wedding reception. Sam looked over its edge, watching the light bounce off the swift-moving water.
"I want you to come back with me to the Grey Havens," Frodo said sadly. Why did Sam have to be like this? "Rosie's there, and my wife, and my children…"
Sam spun around. "My wife is there? And how could you have a wife and children?" "Well," Frodo began. "The Grey Havens is what we would think of Heaven. Everyone goes there when they die, but the elves found a way to get there without dying. And I want to take you back with me.
"As for the last part…guess what!" Frodo made a "ta-dah!" gesture, grinning with hope that Sam will give him a look that would come across as happiness rather than hatred. Sam only looked silently at him. "Well, a couple of years back I met this woman, and I got married, and I have three kids."
Sam turned away again, and looked down at the water rushing beneath the bridge. I sighed, and joined him. "How can you ask me to do this?" Sam asked Frodo, who gave him a bewildered look. Sam looked up at his old friend, his eyes brimming with deep sadness. "How can you ask me to leave my twelve children behind?"
"TWELVE?" Frodo gasped. "Wow, you were busy while I was gone…" Sam glared at him, and Frodo cowered. 'Okay, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say…' Frodo thought to himself. "I can't just go and abandon my children. What kind of person are you?"
Frodo frowned, these words striking his heart. "But your children are all grown up and getting married," Frodo countered. "Pippin told me your youngest son is in his early twenties. They're not children anymore." "Yes, they are!" Sam shouted in anger. Frodo winced in fright. "They need me!"
"But they don't need you!" Frodo argued. "You're now just some old grumpy…fuddy-duddy that they have to take care of!" Sam's eyes widened, then he hung his head in sadness. Frodo's eyes saddened, realizing what he had said. "Oh, Sam, I didn't mean that…" He reached out for his friend, but Sam withdrew defensively.
"Why did you have to leave in the first place?" he cried out, tears now flowing from his eyes. "WHY?"
"Because I didn't want you and Rosie and everybody else to worry about me!" I shouted back. Sam paused, blinking his pained eyes. "…Worry?" "Yes," Frodo said, his eyes turning glassy, "I didn't want you to have to worry about taking care of me. You had your wife, children, your job…you didn't need to worry about me." A bit of the old Sam returned to his eyes; his eyes no longer had hatred and pain in them, but understanding and love. "Also…" Frodo continued, but then clutched his left shoulder.
"AGH!" Frodo shouted, and stumbled backwards. "What is it?" Sam shrieked in fright. "My scar…it's hurting again…" Frodo fell to his knees in pain, and Sam rushed to his side. "Oh, Frodo, hold on. I'll go get help!" Sam began to run away, but Frodo grabbed his arm. "No, there's nothing you could do for me…I have to go back to the Grey Havens, and then I'll be okay. But you have to come back with me." Sam nodded, tears brimming down his cheeks. "Yes, I'll come with you," he said, squeezing Frodo's hand and kneeling next to him.
After a few moments, Frodo's scar stopped hurting, and the two rejoined the reception. Sam kissed his daughter on the cheek and said, "I'm going to the Grey Havens." "Why?" his daughter asked, confused. "I'm going to go be happy," Sam said, and smiled weakly. Understanding, Goldilocks threw her arms around her father, tears threatening to ruin her makeup.
Merry and Estella walked away from the crowd around the newlyweds, Merry's arm now perched on Estella's shoulder. "So, there was something you wanted to tell me?" he asked, looking at her face. Estella smiled. "Yes." She took her husband's hand, and they stopped, Estella looking down at his hand, and him looking down at her.
"I'm pregnant," she said, a smile forming on her lips. It was then that she looked up at her husband. She feared that there would be a look of anger or unbelieving shock on his face, but when she looked up at him, there was only a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He rested his forehead to hers. "Looks like today's a good day," he said, and his wife laughed. "Indeed it is." He put his arm around her shoulders again, and they walked on.
"Hey, Pipp," Merry called out as they approached the father and mother of the groom. "I'm going to be a father!" Pippin gasped, and looked at Diamond, then Estella, then Merry. "Congratulations!" he shouted, and gave his cousin a hug. He then looked at Estella and said, "Yes, you get one too." They all laughed, and they all took turns hugging each other. It was indeed a good day.
* * *
"Now, Frodo, you take care of your brothers and sisters," Sam told his son on the beach. There was a line of twelve Gamgees, as well as Merry and Pippin and their wives, and Faramir. Frodo Gamgee nodded and smiled, then gave his father a hug. Sam had just finished going up the line of his children, giving each hobbit his final pieces of advice and "I love you's." He now approached Merry, Pippin, and their wives. Sam first shook Merry's hand and said, "Congratulations on the baby." Merry nodded, trying to hold back the tears. "We'll miss you, Sam." Sam smiled and nodded, then gave Pippin a hug.
"Now, Pippin, I don't want to make you nervous," Sam began, "but you're going to have to be pulling double duty as far as being a grandpa goes. I expect you to spoil Faramir and Goldilock's baby rotten, okay?" Pippin nodded obediently, and wiped away his own tears. Sam then approached Faramir and said, "You take good care of my daughter, you hear?" Faramir nodded, and Sam added, "If you hurt her, not only will you have to deal with my sons, but I will come back and beat you myself." Faramir laughed and nodded. Sam smiled and gave him a hug.
Frodo then approached Pippin and Merry. "Merry, you're going to be a great father," he told him while they hugged. Merry nodded silently, afraid that if he spoke, he would squeak through his clenched throat. "Pippin and Estella, you take care of him, okay?" They nodded, and Frodo gave Pippin a hug. "I'll see all of you soon, okay?" "Hopefully not too soon," Pippin laughed, and waved goodbye as Frodo boarded the boat.
Sam turned away and stepped onto the elvish boat. He then turned back, and gazed for a few long moments at these people he loved so much. "I love you all," he said, and waved. "I love you too!" Frodo yelled, and waved next to Sam. The people on the beach waved until the boat rowed out of sight into the distance.
"You know," Estella whispered into Merry's ear, "your cousin Frodo's very nice. Maybe if we have a boy, we can name him Frodo." Merry rolled his eyes. "We already have too MANY Frodos running around!" Everybody on the beach laughed, and Frodo Gamgee's brothers patted him jokingly on the back.
By Talking Hawk
Author's Note: I have never read Return of the King, or the appendix (besides glancing at the family tree), so I'm probably not going to be very accurate about the Grey Havens thing. So, I'm going to take some artistic license (yet again), so just run with it, okay? Thank you.
Frodo sat in front of his fireplace, his feet propped up on a stool, watching contently the flames licking the logs. His face was calm and peaceful, and he looked up to gaze the pictures on the mantle. They weren't photographs, but rather paintings of all his old friends, recreated by an artist in the area through detailed descriptions. There was a painting of the Fellowship, and a few of Sam, his wife Rosie, and their young daughter Elanor.
Frodo Baggins smiled when he looked at the painting with Sam giving Elanor a piggyback ride with her mother fussing Sam about not dropping her. The hobbit had to remind himself that he couldn't keep on thinking of Elanor as a two-year-old. By this time, she was probably a full-grown woman, married, and with children of her own. The painting probably mirrored her current family as Frodo sat in front of the fireplace.
A young girl walked into the room, wearing a pink sundress with purple daisies on the front. She crept up to Frodo, and when he least expected it, she jumped up and growled, "Grrr!"
The older hobbit turned his attention slowly to the girl, finding that her teeth were bared, and her hands were in the shape of claws to create a more frightening effect. He grinned. "You do a bad Gollum impression," he teased, and she shrugged and set herself on his lap.
"Daddy, tell me a story!" she begged, curling up in his lap. Frodo looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "I told you three today already…" he said, but when he looked down at his daughter, her lower lip was stuck out in a pout. "Oh, fine, fine…"
"And then can I see your scar?" she asked exuberantly, sitting up. Frodo raised his eyebrow at her. "What kind of a lady asks to see other little boys' scars?" She tried to undo his top shirt button to try to get a peak of the rarely seen scar, but her father gently took her small hand into his and rubbed it soothingly. "One that's a manly man!" she cried out as she did muscle flexes.
Frodo laughed, the light in his eyes dancing like they did back in his youthful days. "Maureen, did Madoc show you how to do that?" "Um, no," she lied, shaking her head. Her long brown curls shook from side to side. Her father smiled, "Well, it's all right for now. It could, however," he continued, ruffling her hair, "be a problem when some handsome gentleman wants to take you out on a date."
"Ew, cuties!" she squealed, sticking out her tongue. Frodo feigned hurt, putting his hand to his heart. "If one boy has cuties, that must mean that we're all infected!" He put a hand over his eyes. "Run, Maureen, save yourself!" Maureen didn't budge, but waited for him to uncover his eyes. "I know how to cure cuties…" she said slowly. "We could…tickle you!" With that, she attacked Frodo mercilessly with a fit of tickling. "Help me, help me!" he shouted between fits of laughter.
At this time, Mrs. Baggins came through the front door. She walked into the living room and put her hands on her hips. "What on earth are you two doing?" she asked, biting her lip to prevent her from joining in the laughter. Frodo looked up at his wife and smiled. "Maureen's curing me of cuties. Want to help? It's a very complicated procedure." She smirked and responded, "I would love to, but first I need you two to help me carry in some things."
Maureen jumped off her father's lap, and ran out the door to go help her older brother and sister outside. Frodo stood up, and kissed his wife on the cheek. "How was your day?" he asked sweetly. She smiled and said, "Great, but you're not going to get out of bringing in the groceries." Frodo chuckled, and followed Maureen out the door.
As Frodo went to grab a bag of fruits from the market place, he caught a glimpse of a red head hobbit walking up the street, biting her fingernails. He didn't recognize her at first, but approached her to try to find out why she seemed so nervous. "May I help you?" he asked.
She didn't turn to look at him, but instead looked at the other hobbit holes on the opposite side of the street. "The elves told me to come here…but I don't know where to go." The hobbit woman turned to Frodo, and her eyes grew wide. Frodo's eyes followed suit. "FRODO?" she shouted, jumping back. "…ROSIE?"
"I knew I wasn't well, but I didn't think I was…" she said, trying to finish her sentence between breaths. "Dead?" Frodo offered, and took his old friend into an embrace, attempting to calm her down. After a moment, he looked at her. She was looking down at her feet. "Would you like to come in? Supper's almost ready." Rosie nodded quickly, and Frodo lead her up the steps.
"Honey?" Frodo called once they entered the front door. "I have someone here I would like you to meet!" His wife came out of the kitchen, followed by their three children, with Maureen last to come out. Rosie blinked in bewilderment, looking from Frodo, to his wife, to his children.
"This doesn't make any sense…" Rosie said. "You," she said, pointing to Frodo, "went to the Grey Havens. That's like some new land that the elves were going to settle. But now I'M here, and I'm supposedly dead. What's going on?" Frodo smiled and explained, "Well, what we think of as Heaven and the Grey Havens are one and the same. My wife here actually died back in Middle Earth before we came here."
"Oh…" Rosie responded, trying to imbibe all of her surroundings. "Well, that explains that. Now, who are these adorable children?" she said, looking from one child's face to another. Frodo led her closer to them.
"This is Claudia, my oldest." The girl curtsied politely, and Rosie grinned. "Now here is a juvenile delinquent," he said, turning to the boy. "He's not ours, but we felt sorry for him." "Dad!" he cried, smiling. "Okay, I lied," Frodo said, smirking. "He's our son, Madoc. He's still a trouble-maker." Madoc flashed his eyes mischievously. "I was thinking of calling him Sam," Frodo explained to Rosie, "but as you can see, he's NOTHING like him." Madoc threw his head back and cackled, and Rosie smiled. "I don't know, sometimes…"
Frodo coughed, and continued on. "Now this is Maureen, our youngest. She's our cutie doctor, so considering there's an outbreak going around, I would get regular check-ups if I were you." "Daddy!" she giggled. "Girls don't get cuties!"
"Then why are girls so scared of them?" he asked, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes. She pulled the sides of her mouth apart with her fingers, stuck out her tongue, and crossed her eyes in retaliation. Mrs. Baggins glared at her husband, and he rubbed the back of his head and laughed.
"Reminds me of my husband," Rosie laughed, then stopped. She lowered her eyes, and frowned. "Kids, how about if you bring in the rest of your groceries for Mum?" Frodo suggested. Claudia led the way, and the others followed obediently. "Lovely family," Rosie whispered.
"Would you like to take a seat?" Mrs. Baggins offered, and Rosie complied. "Would you like to talk about it?" Frodo asked gently, and Rosie nodded.
* * *
The sea breeze blew through Frodo's hair, and he closed his eyes in enjoyment. He couldn't believe he was going back; he thought it would have been impossible to do so. Rosie had been staying at his house for the past four days, and all of her talk about missing her husband rekindled Frodo's own desire to see Sam again. For all of these years, he kept on telling himself that he would eventually see his dear friend again, but nature wasn't working to his benefit.
To his surprise and happiness, Galadriel gave the hobbit permission to go back to Middle Earth. To get him there, she gave him twenty elves to row a large boat across the waters. Without them, she explained, he could never get to the Shire. There was a catch, however. For whatever reason, he could only return on the condition that Sam is with him. But why wouldn't Sam WANT to go back with him?
Upon explaining the whole thing to his wife, she agreed that he should go to bring back his long talked-about companion during the quest to Mt. Doom. Often, his children asked to hear bedtime stories that were pieces of the journey, and their favorite parts always had some show of Sam's loyalty toward their father.
Before leaving, he created a deal with Gandalf, his Uncle Bilbo, and Boromir. Each day, one of them would check up on his family – without them knowing, and they would rotate the job. This way, Frodo reasoned, they wouldn't get as suspicious. [Note: Hey, I said he was a nice guy, not smart. =)]
Frodo finally saw the coastline, and moved to the front of the boat to welcome it. He would soon be home.
* * *
Pippin and his wife Diamond stood in front of a cart that sold the most beautiful flowers in Hobbiton. As Diamond finished discussing her plans for the flowers at her son Faramir's upcoming wedding, Pippin began to sniffle. Once the agreement was finally concluded, Diamond put her arm around her husband's, and they walked down the road. The hobbit tried to control his emotions, and wiped his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "I can't believe our son's getting married…" He blew his nose on a handkerchief loudly, then stuffed it back in his pants pocket. Diamond nodded in understanding. "I can't believe it either. It seems like just yesterday that he was a wee baby…" She sighed, and put her head on her husband's shoulder.
"When I was talking to that merchant," she said, "I nearly forgot that the wedding was post-poned…" Pippin nodded. "Poor Goldilocks…poor Sam…" Diamond patted her husband's hand. "I know. Maybe we should invite them over for dinner?" "That's a good idea!" he said excitedly. "I'll have Faramir fetch them!"
A hobbit appeared over the hill ahead of them, and stopped in his tracks as he saw him. Pippin looked at him and glared in concern. "You stay here," he told his wife, and approached the stranger. As he got closer to the hobbit, he froze in shock.
"F-…F…Frodo?" he asked, looking up at him. He shielded his eyes, for the sun was behind the hobbit on the hill. "Pippin?" the other asked. The Took nodded, still not sure if the other was Frodo or not. "PIPPIN!" he shouted, and seized Pippin in a huge hug. "Oh, how I missed you…"
Pippin stepped back, and tears came to his eyes. "Frodo, you're back, you're back!" He turned around and waved to his wife to come over. "It's Frodo Baggins, my cousin! He's back!" Diamond walked slowly forward in surprise, and shook Frodo's outstretched hand. "Wow…" she said, breathlessly. "I have heard so much about you… But I thought you were in the Grey Havens…"
"I was," Frodo quipped, "but I came back for Sam." Pippin frowned. "You mean, you haven't heard?" Frodo's grin faded into a frown. "What?" he asked. "His wife…Rosie…" Pippin took his wife's hand into his. "She…"
"Died?" Frodo offered for the second time that week. Pippin and Diamond looked at him questioningly. Why was he so calm about it? "I heard," Frodo explained. "Well, actually, she came to my house." The other hobbits' eyebrows rose skeptically. "Well, you see…" Frodo began.
* * *
Merry and his wife Estella walked through the public Hobbiton garden. Estella rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and longingly watched the children running through the garden, chasing after a ball. "Do you ever wish we had children?" Merry kissed his wife's forehead tenderly, and then a little boy shoved his way in between him.
Mr. Brandybuck eyed the boy as he ran away behind him and said, "No." Estella laughed, and spun the white daisy her husband had picked up for her earlier. Merry smiled, put his arm around Estella's shoulders, and kissed her tenderly again on the cheek.
"Awww…" a voice said from behind him. Merry rolled his eyes. 'It better not be another one of those pesky Proudfoot girls getting on my case about being sensitive and stuff in public…' Merry thought irritatingly to himself. He spun around, and to his utter shock, he was face-to-face with a very familiar-looking brunette man. Without meaning to, Merry screamed, and fell on his rear.
Estella bent over to pick up her husband, and the familiar-looking hobbit grabbed Merry's other arm. After brushing off Merry's coat, the man asked, "I didn't mean to scare you, Merry." Mr. Brandybuck straightened out his vest, and turned to the other hobbit. "What is the meaning of…"
The hobbit stopped mid-sentence. "F…F…" he stuttered, his mouth not able to accurately form the word. The other hobbit turned to Estella and shook her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Frodo."
"F…F…FRODO!" Meriadoc shouted, his eyes brimming with tears. To Frodo's surprise, Merry picked him up in a big bear hug that knocked the wind out of the Baggins. "Oh, I can't believe it's you!" he cried out, and set the other down. "Yep, it's me," Frodo said, grinning. "I didn't mean to startle you two."
Merry put his arm around Frodo's shoulder, and turned to his wife. "Honey," he said, his voice cracking with emotion, "this is Frodo Baggins from the Fellowship, and my cousin." "It's a pleasure," she said, smiling. "He talks about you ALL the time." "Well, that's not true," Merry said, frowning. He turned to his cousin. "I talk about HER all the time. You're only second-best." Frodo laughed. "That's nice to know." Merry patted Frodo's chest chummily and said, "Ah, we all missed you!"
Frodo grinned and said, "It's so great to see you again, and it was nice to finally meet your lovely wife. I have somebody else I need to see tonight. So, if you don't mind, I need to be off." Merry nodded and said, "Sure, sure." They gave each other a fond handshake, and Frodo ran off. Merry hugged his wife, and they both watched the disappearing figure run down the road.
"Wait…" Estella said, and looked at her husband. "…Didn't he go to that one place, the Grey Havens?" Merry furrowed his brow, and a confused look grew in his eyes. "Why, yes… I guess we'll find out how he got here and why soon enough, won't we?" Estella smiled, and kissed her husband lovingly on the cheek.
* * *
Frodo knocked on the door of the Gamgee household. He rolled his shoulders back nervously. He tried to calm his nerves by reflecting on Pippin and Merry's reactions to his return. They looked just as they when he had left, even though forty years had passed. They were just as young and exuberant as they had been during the quest to destroy the one ring.
The doorknob abruptly turned, and opened. A young woman in her mid- twenties opened the door and blinked at the stranger. "Yes?" she asked politely. Frodo smiled; she looked just like Rosie. "Are you by any chance Samwise Gamgee's daughter." "I am."
Not able to control himself, he threw his arms around her in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" he yelled. "DADDDYYYY!!" the girl cried, apparently alarmed by the fact a stranger was hugging her. A burly hobbit man appeared in the hallway, brandishing a skillet. "LET HER GO!!" he shouted, and approached the intruder.
Frodo released the woman from his hug, who ran behind the other hobbit. He continued to hold up the skillet threateningly, and stepped forward. Even though Frodo realized he hadn't practiced very good judgement in his excitement, he looked at the other hobbit in frightened innocence. "…Sam?" he peeped.
The glare in the other hobbit's eyes faded into one of surprise. "Who are you?" Frodo slowly smiled. "Don't you recognize me?" Sam stepped forward into the light emitting from outside, looking carefully at the stranger. He trembling sigh escaped from Sam's lips. "I'm sorry…I'm not feeling well now. I'm seeing things. If you want to speak to me, come again at another time."
"But Sam-" Frodo pleaded, but the other hobbit had already closed the door. Overcome with emotion, Frodo pounded his arms and fists against the heavy wooden door. "Sam! SAM! Please open the door! I beg you, PLEASE open the door!"
Sam rested his back against the door, withdrawn. Ruby walked up next to her father quietly and touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Father…did you know who that man was?"
Sam's eyes widened at her touch, and it was as if he had returned back to reality. "What? Oh, no, I don't think so. His face just reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago…" he said painfully, and walked back into the living room, dropping the skillet onto the floor.
* * *
The next morning, Frodo could be found sitting next to Sam's circular door, leaning back against the wall like a hobo. Ruby came out with her purse in hand, and closed the door behind her. Startled by the sound, Frodo opened his eyes, and Ruby spun around. She held up her purse in a threatening manner and demanded, "What are you doing here again? My father told you to leave!"
Frodo stood up, and brushed himself off. "This is probably going to be a shock," he said carefully, "but I'm Frodo Baggins. I'm a friend of your father's." Ruby blinked her eyes for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, that's funny…" she laughed. "Frodo Baggins hasn't been in Middle Earth for forty years. You're a fool for claiming you're him."
"Oh?" Frodo asked, walking along side her. "Ask me anything. I'll PROVE I'm Frodo Baggins." "Don't bother," she said. "I know you're not him." Frodo narrowed his eyes in determination. "Your father's name is Samwise Gamgee. Your mother's name is Rosie Cotton Gamgee. Your elder sister's name is Elanor. Sam used to be my gardener, and he was roped into going with me to Mt. Doom when Gandalf the Grey caught him sneaking around beneath the window of my hobbit hole." "Ha!" she said. "Everybody knows THAT! Now stop bothering me or else I'll call for my future brother-in-law Faramir to give you a good beating."
"Oh, Faramir?" Frodo said, stopping. "Where is he? I'd like to see him!" He then turned back to Ruby. "Wait a minute…he's already married!" Ruby rolled her eyes and brushed past Frodo. "Faramir Took is marrying my sister Goldilocks." "Oh, how sweet!" Frodo shouted, running to catch up with her. "Pippin's son is marrying Sam's daughter…that's so wonderful!" Ruby turned around, annoyed. "If you're not afraid of Faramir, I bet you will be of my big brother Frodo." "You know," Frodo Baggins said, frowning, "your parents weren't very creative when it came to names… What are your other siblings' names?"
"Leave me be!" Ruby ordered, but Frodo just stood there. "Father, FATHER!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!" Frodo spun around as the Gamgee house door swung open, and Sam jumped down the steps. "Sam!" Frodo greeted, waving his arm.
"What do you want?" Sam asked grumpily. He hadn't shaved for quite awhile, perhaps for the past week. He marched towards Frodo and Ruby, probably annoyed at being pestered to come outside.
Sam stopped in his footsteps as he saw the "stranger" for a second time. This time, it wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him. "Frodo…?" Frodo nodded slowly and smiled. "Sam…it's so good to see you." "Are you a ghost?" Sam asked, putting his hand on Frodo's shoulder, looking at him scrutinizingly. Frodo smiled again and shook his head. "No, it's me. I've come back to see you."
Frodo gave Sam a hug, but Sam's body remained limp. He released his friend from the embrace. "Oh, how I've missed you! It's so good to see you again." Out of nowhere, Sam's hand struck Frodo's face. Appalled, Frodo put a hand to his now-pink face, and his jaw dropped open. This was the reaction he had anticipated.
"You should have thought about that before you left!" Sam cried at in anger. "You selfish pig, leaving me alone just like my wife!" Samwise began crying, and ran back into his house, and slammed the door behind him.
Tears began falling down Frodo's face, and his hand still pressed to his cheek, he turned to Ruby. Her mouth was hung open in shock as well. "I'm…so sorry…" Frodo nodded politely, then ran past her. Ruby watched as he ran down the road, going to Heaven knows where.
* * *
Frodo sat down beneath an old, familiar tree he had sat underneath with a good book on long summer days. It was the tree he had been reading beneath when Gandalf arrived for Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday. Frodo hugged his knees, and sobbed into his kneecaps.
After about an hour, Frodo could see feet out of the corner of his eye. He lifted up his wet, pink face and saw Pippin. His cousin smiled sadly, and took a seat next to him. "I heard what happened," he told Frodo. Frodo looked away. "I just wanted you to know that that wasn't Sam that you were talking to. His wife's death really has him unhinged. Then with you showing up…" Frodo looked into Pippin's eyes sadly. "But how do you know that it was because of his wife?"
Pippin lifted an eyebrow. "How do you mean?" "I mean," Frodo said, looking back at his knees, "what if this is how he's felt towards me since I left?" Pippin shook his head passionately. "No, that's not true. You should hear him, Frodo. He is always the first to respond to a whisper of someone saying, 'Hey, is that the guy that was friends with Frodo Baggins?' He would always tell them how great you were, and how many great deeds you did, and how you were the best friend he ever had." Frodo's eyes brimmed over with new tears. "Really?" he whispered hoarsely. Pippin smiled and nodded.
"You'll see. In a few days, things'll be just fine." Pippin stood up, and offered his hand. Frodo smiled and took it. Once he stood up, he seized his left shoulder, bent over in agony. Pippin put a hand on his back. "Are you all right?" Frodo's eyes were clenched, and he whispered, "Oh, it's my scar…it's hurting again."
"Again?" Pippin repeated in fright. "When was the last time it hurt?" Frodo's eyes opened, his hand slipped away from his scar, and he stood up straight again. "Forty years ago."
* * *
About five days had passed, and there was a great gathering was taking place in Hobbiton. Hobbits were coming near and far from all across the Shire to where Bilbo's eleventy-first party had been held. It was Faramir and Goldilock's wedding, and Brandybucks, Tooks, and Gamgees were bursting with joy at being involved in the festivities. Sam was the most nervous of all. His daughter was getting married, for crying out loud!
To his relief, almost everything went according to plan. The only thing, up to that point, that had gone wrong was that his father had eaten all the shrimp at the snack table. Sam attempted to calm his nerves by mumbling things to himself, but this only made him more uptight.
The big moment had finally arrived. The wedding music began to play, and he took up his position at the beginning of the aisle. He took Goldilocks' arm in his own, and patted her hand as he led her to her future husband. Faramir pulled at his bow tie nervously, but then smiled as he saw his bride in her beautiful wedding dress. He stood in awe of her beauty, his eyes twinkling. Diamond began weeping into her handkerchief, and Pippin put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "There, there," he said soothingly.
Estella put her head onto her husband's shoulder. "After the wedding's over," she whispered, "I have something to tell you." Merry peered down at his wife, but realizing that she wasn't going to look him in the eyes, he turned his attention back to the wedding.
Sam released his daughter's arm as she walked towards her future husband and the priest. He stood silently, hands folded together, waiting for his cue. "Who represents this woman?" the priest asked the audience. "I do," Sam said slowly, and the priest nodded. Sam sighed, and took his seat. 'She's not your little girl, anymore,' Sam told himself. He's had to remind himself this every time one of his daughters had a wedding. 'Only a few more to go,' he reminded himself. He then turned to the person sitting next to him. It was Frodo!
"What are you doing here?" Sam hissed. "I need to talk to you," Frodo whispered back. "Fine, but after the wedding." Frodo nodded solemnly, and looked at Goldilocks and Faramir.
"Will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold until death do you part?" the priest inquired. Frodo leaned over and whispered to Sam, "It doesn't have to be just until death." Sam didn't show any signs of having heard him.
Goldilocks said, choked with emotion, "Yes." "Faramir," the priest instructed, "You may now kiss the bride." Faramir Took took Sam's daughter lovingly into his arms and gave her a kiss that their relatives would remember for a long time to come. Everyone stood up and cheered and newlyweds, filled with happiness that they had found their soul mates.
* * *
"What do you want?" Sam asked. Frodo and Sam were now standing on top of a bridge over a creek, not too far away from the wedding reception. Sam looked over its edge, watching the light bounce off the swift-moving water.
"I want you to come back with me to the Grey Havens," Frodo said sadly. Why did Sam have to be like this? "Rosie's there, and my wife, and my children…"
Sam spun around. "My wife is there? And how could you have a wife and children?" "Well," Frodo began. "The Grey Havens is what we would think of Heaven. Everyone goes there when they die, but the elves found a way to get there without dying. And I want to take you back with me.
"As for the last part…guess what!" Frodo made a "ta-dah!" gesture, grinning with hope that Sam will give him a look that would come across as happiness rather than hatred. Sam only looked silently at him. "Well, a couple of years back I met this woman, and I got married, and I have three kids."
Sam turned away again, and looked down at the water rushing beneath the bridge. I sighed, and joined him. "How can you ask me to do this?" Sam asked Frodo, who gave him a bewildered look. Sam looked up at his old friend, his eyes brimming with deep sadness. "How can you ask me to leave my twelve children behind?"
"TWELVE?" Frodo gasped. "Wow, you were busy while I was gone…" Sam glared at him, and Frodo cowered. 'Okay, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say…' Frodo thought to himself. "I can't just go and abandon my children. What kind of person are you?"
Frodo frowned, these words striking his heart. "But your children are all grown up and getting married," Frodo countered. "Pippin told me your youngest son is in his early twenties. They're not children anymore." "Yes, they are!" Sam shouted in anger. Frodo winced in fright. "They need me!"
"But they don't need you!" Frodo argued. "You're now just some old grumpy…fuddy-duddy that they have to take care of!" Sam's eyes widened, then he hung his head in sadness. Frodo's eyes saddened, realizing what he had said. "Oh, Sam, I didn't mean that…" He reached out for his friend, but Sam withdrew defensively.
"Why did you have to leave in the first place?" he cried out, tears now flowing from his eyes. "WHY?"
"Because I didn't want you and Rosie and everybody else to worry about me!" I shouted back. Sam paused, blinking his pained eyes. "…Worry?" "Yes," Frodo said, his eyes turning glassy, "I didn't want you to have to worry about taking care of me. You had your wife, children, your job…you didn't need to worry about me." A bit of the old Sam returned to his eyes; his eyes no longer had hatred and pain in them, but understanding and love. "Also…" Frodo continued, but then clutched his left shoulder.
"AGH!" Frodo shouted, and stumbled backwards. "What is it?" Sam shrieked in fright. "My scar…it's hurting again…" Frodo fell to his knees in pain, and Sam rushed to his side. "Oh, Frodo, hold on. I'll go get help!" Sam began to run away, but Frodo grabbed his arm. "No, there's nothing you could do for me…I have to go back to the Grey Havens, and then I'll be okay. But you have to come back with me." Sam nodded, tears brimming down his cheeks. "Yes, I'll come with you," he said, squeezing Frodo's hand and kneeling next to him.
After a few moments, Frodo's scar stopped hurting, and the two rejoined the reception. Sam kissed his daughter on the cheek and said, "I'm going to the Grey Havens." "Why?" his daughter asked, confused. "I'm going to go be happy," Sam said, and smiled weakly. Understanding, Goldilocks threw her arms around her father, tears threatening to ruin her makeup.
Merry and Estella walked away from the crowd around the newlyweds, Merry's arm now perched on Estella's shoulder. "So, there was something you wanted to tell me?" he asked, looking at her face. Estella smiled. "Yes." She took her husband's hand, and they stopped, Estella looking down at his hand, and him looking down at her.
"I'm pregnant," she said, a smile forming on her lips. It was then that she looked up at her husband. She feared that there would be a look of anger or unbelieving shock on his face, but when she looked up at him, there was only a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He rested his forehead to hers. "Looks like today's a good day," he said, and his wife laughed. "Indeed it is." He put his arm around her shoulders again, and they walked on.
"Hey, Pipp," Merry called out as they approached the father and mother of the groom. "I'm going to be a father!" Pippin gasped, and looked at Diamond, then Estella, then Merry. "Congratulations!" he shouted, and gave his cousin a hug. He then looked at Estella and said, "Yes, you get one too." They all laughed, and they all took turns hugging each other. It was indeed a good day.
* * *
"Now, Frodo, you take care of your brothers and sisters," Sam told his son on the beach. There was a line of twelve Gamgees, as well as Merry and Pippin and their wives, and Faramir. Frodo Gamgee nodded and smiled, then gave his father a hug. Sam had just finished going up the line of his children, giving each hobbit his final pieces of advice and "I love you's." He now approached Merry, Pippin, and their wives. Sam first shook Merry's hand and said, "Congratulations on the baby." Merry nodded, trying to hold back the tears. "We'll miss you, Sam." Sam smiled and nodded, then gave Pippin a hug.
"Now, Pippin, I don't want to make you nervous," Sam began, "but you're going to have to be pulling double duty as far as being a grandpa goes. I expect you to spoil Faramir and Goldilock's baby rotten, okay?" Pippin nodded obediently, and wiped away his own tears. Sam then approached Faramir and said, "You take good care of my daughter, you hear?" Faramir nodded, and Sam added, "If you hurt her, not only will you have to deal with my sons, but I will come back and beat you myself." Faramir laughed and nodded. Sam smiled and gave him a hug.
Frodo then approached Pippin and Merry. "Merry, you're going to be a great father," he told him while they hugged. Merry nodded silently, afraid that if he spoke, he would squeak through his clenched throat. "Pippin and Estella, you take care of him, okay?" They nodded, and Frodo gave Pippin a hug. "I'll see all of you soon, okay?" "Hopefully not too soon," Pippin laughed, and waved goodbye as Frodo boarded the boat.
Sam turned away and stepped onto the elvish boat. He then turned back, and gazed for a few long moments at these people he loved so much. "I love you all," he said, and waved. "I love you too!" Frodo yelled, and waved next to Sam. The people on the beach waved until the boat rowed out of sight into the distance.
"You know," Estella whispered into Merry's ear, "your cousin Frodo's very nice. Maybe if we have a boy, we can name him Frodo." Merry rolled his eyes. "We already have too MANY Frodos running around!" Everybody on the beach laughed, and Frodo Gamgee's brothers patted him jokingly on the back.