Shire Summer.
A Song for Sam.
T: I do not really know why I'm bothering to do this, as no one seems to have really taken to this particular fic. However, on the suggestion of my one reviewer I'll probably start weaning my stuff into Quill and ink until such a point when I'll close my account here. Sad I know but more and more people are finding that fanfic.net just hasn't got the spark it once did. *Sigh* moving on LOTR is not mine, if it was I would have released all three movies about two month apart and made sure all the slashy references were really hyped. ANGST suggestions of SMUT and lots of F/S and M/P.
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Frodo had woken with the dawn, a habit he had developed earlier in the year so that he might be up to prepare breakfast for Bilbo and once Sam had taken that duty from him, so that he might keep the young Gamgee company.
Once he had showered, dressed and consumed an early breakfast on his own he had waited for the other occupants of Brandy hall to wake so that he might learn of how Merry's evening had fared. Of course it had been evident by the tension in the room, as he had brought desert, that things were not going to plan, but Merry's smile had convinced him that nothing altogether horrible had occurred. Yet something must have happened between then and when he had returned with the cheese board an hour later, for not both Merry and Pippin had vanished from the room, leaving Frodo the time consuming task of cleaning up behind his Cousins. Not that he had minded the work, for it had given him chance to think a little more on his `project` and whether it was at all sensible to continue.
There was no news of either the Brandybuck or the Took at breakfast and when neither appeared for the meal Frodo began to worry. After all it was nothing like Pippin to miss any meal and Merry always came to breakfast if only because it was his duty as the Master's son to be present. Thus once he had finished his meal he had crossed into the maze of corridors and tried vainly to recall in which direction Merry's room lay from this point.
It took him only a few moments to recall and a few minutes later he was tapping gently on the door of Merry's room and repeating words on the variation of,
"Merry, it is Frodo, are you well? Can I come in?" Of course was a little shocked when the door had opened and he was greeted with a half naked, semi asleep, Pippin, but the Took received that shock with a small quirk of his lips and a bright,
"Good morning, Frodo dear. How might I be assistance?" Frodo had simply stared for a moment then shaking his head had replied,
"For a start you can get some more clothing on, unless you want all of the hall to know what you were up to last night." The Took laughed at that and as he ducked back into Merry's room he heard the rumble of the Brandybuck's voice and the Took's bright reply before they both appeared back in the doorway, dressed in a pair of matching green dressing gowns.
"Pip tells me that you have become a prude, Frodo." Merry remarked.
"Nonsense, I just think a little discretion might be wise on your part."
"True enough, but I am afraid that we Tooks are famous for not having discretion."
"Or brains, or a good sense of timing and many other things."
"Ignore Master Meriadoc, he is a little grumpy in the mornings it seems." Pip stated, his trademark almost childlike smile gracing his face before he enquired, "Are you here to ask for our help with your scheme, Frodo?"
"Like tact." Merry mumbled as Frodo's completion went from white to a pail rose hue.
"No, indeed. I was worried for you because you have missed breakfast and so I came to see if things were okay."
"Quite clearly they are not." Pippin remarked, "How am I ment to get some food now if breakfast is over?"
"If you go and ask the cook nicely I am sure she shall give you something to eat, Pip."
"True enough, Merry love, but that would mean getting dressed and I rather like kicking around in one of your dressing gowns."
"Then I fear, dear Pip, that you shall have to starve."
"Oh fiddle to it! We shall have to get dressed to help Frodo anyway and at least this way there is food in the bargain also." The Took remarked as he again ducked into Merry's room.
"I shall understand if you do not want our help, Frodo, especially as Pip will probably be more hindrance than help…"
"I can hear every word you are saying you know." Pippin's voice remarked from the depths of Merry's room. Frodo smiled at that and taking a firm hold of Merry's arm said,
"I shall very much appreciate your help, Merry and perhaps we can use Pip to fetch us tea and the like."
"Well I like that, from Thain in training to servant for an upstart Baggins, wait until father hears of this." Pip said, the words nothing more than jest and bring laughter into all three of their hearts.
*
An hour later and they were sat in the library, Frodo's head buried firmly in a thick poetry book, Merry and Pippin leaning over a thinner poetry book, only the occasional snigger warning that they might not be taking their work all that seriously.
"It is no good, nothing here can even come close to what I want." Frodo remarked as he closed the book before him with a solid thump.
"Then there is only one other thing that may help you, Frodo."
"Please do tell what that might be, Merry."
"Write to Bilbo and tell him. If any one has the book containing the things your looking for then it will be him."
"I do not know, Merry. Telling Sam is one thing, but telling Bilbo…"
"I half sure he already knows Frodo, or at least suspects. You said yourself that you have been less than subtle about your feelings for Sam and if that is true then it makes sense that Bilbo will have but two and two together."
"True enough and if things go the way I hope they might then Bilbo will have to know anyway."
"Precisely. This way you deal with two birds with one stone."
"Do you ever get tired of being right?"
"Of course not." Merry remarked as he turned hi attention back to the book before him. Frodo shook his head and putting his book to one side he began his letter to Bilbo.
*
It was a long torturous week before the response appeared and Frodo spent the time lodged within the library, searching vainly for some hope and if he were honest with himself, so that he might have time free of Sam.
Frodo found the time apart oddly enlightening, for he began to appreciate the significance of the Gamgee in his life. That knowledge brought a new fear into his mind, for before he was only facing the possibility of class coming between himself and a positive response from Sam, yet now there was the extra possibility that their friendship would be the thing to get in the way and was also to be the thing risked in moving forward. But had Merry not risked the very same thing and found a new more exciting closeness for it? True enough, yet there had always been the element of something else in their relationship, an element of desire that seemed to tie a line of white fire between them. True Merry believed that there was something of the same between he and Sam, but then Merry was not involved enough to see the light in Sam's eyes for what it was. Yet… and it always came down to `yet` in the end, or more precisely `but` and that was half the problem. For Frodo could act, would act, if only his indecision was taken from him for just a moment, just a single moment.
Sam found the time apart somewhat disconcerting, for his life had been tied to Frodo's always either by duty or the unbreakable steal of their friendship and now that he was again without him he felt…torn…somehow. Of course he kept his mind busy by humouring the newfound vitality of both Merry and Pippin and by occasionally thwarting some of their more dangerous schemes. Yet always the pair seemed to bring conversations back to Frodo or more specifically his feelings on Frodo, something that fair perplexed even Sam himself. For he cared for Frodo, that much was undeniable and he thought Frodo fair, both in looks and in personality. But more than that he could not be sure on. Sometimes he would see something in Frodo's eyes and he'd feel his heart skip just a little, but then Frodo would turn away and his heart would jump back to ticking away normally as would everything else. There were other times when he wanted nothing more than to just protect, Frodo, to lock him away where the taint of darkness could never get to him. It was that protectiveness that scared Sam, for when it was at his strongest he felt that there was nothing he would not do to protect Frodo and even something so drastic as harming or perhaps killing other of their kind would only be small price for Frodo's welfare. That depth of devotion ment only one thing, Sam knew and it was that which scared him the most about those days. For liking Frodo was well enough, even if it was in that way, while loving him…loving him was very, very dangerous.
*
"Well what does he say?" Merry enquired as Frodo lowered the note to the book-strewn table before him,
"Read it for yourself." Frodo said as he passed over the slip of paper. Merry took a moment to work his head around Bilbo's scrawled hand before the words became clear to him,
`Frodo,
I am glad that at last you have found your way through the mists of confusion into this realisation. I know that you will wish more from me than a barely concealed `I told you so` and so I wished to tell you that I could not be more proud with the one you have chosen to govern your heart.
As for the method you have chosen to tell him I think perhaps that though it will appeal to Sam's sensibilities you might have been better sticking to something you can do well. Not that I wish to insult your poetry skills of course, but you are still learning how to perfect your ability and this is most defiantly not the way to bring it to fruition
Yet I shall not convince you to change your mind, knowing all too well how stubborn you are when you set your heart to things. Therefore I suggest to you that adapting something from the elvish text I have sent might be your best cause of action, for then you can put your own emphasis onto the words and you can find your own tune.
I hope that everything goes as you wish and that Merry might calm Pippin down rather than enflame him.
Bilbo. `
"And have you found anything in the text he sent?" Merry enquired.
"I shall have to translate it yet and as it is in a version of the elvish tongue that I am less adapt at it shall take time."
"How much time?"
"Probably another week."
"Frodo, is there not perhaps an easier way to announce your feelings? One that will not mean more time for you to doubt that this is the only way forwards and to hurt Sam." Pip enquired.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Merry replied as he gave Pippin a warning look.
"Pip?"
"No, Merry is right, Frodo, you do not need to be worried with this and if you think it is the only way then we are with you until the end."
"Then could you hand me that text over there?" He enquired as he pointed to a slim text to the Hobbit's left.
*
The sound of laughter, Frodo's laughter, guided Sam to a dark wooden door that stood just slightly ajar. Through the small crack he could see his master, surrounded by piles of books and currently bent almost double over the pile. Curious as to what was causing such evident joy in his master, he crossed into the room and was greeted with the most perverse of sights.
Merry was wrapped within Frodo's travelling cloak and had styled his curls in such a way that at quick glance he looked oddly like his Cousin. Pip had an old mop head over his curls and had found some fraying outfit to toss over his own clothes so that he gave the appearance of being a lower class Hobbit. The pair were busy acting out a scene that seemed to Sam to be an odd farcical look at his friendship with Frodo.
"Beggin' your pardon, Mr Fooodooo, but I fear I don't quite get yer meaning." Pip was saying, his voice dropped in a hard imitation of Sam's own.
"I can not comprehend, my fair Gamgee, why you are unable to assimilate my avowal of ardour. Yet you are a unpretentious individual and so perchance I must find a less loquacious way for me to present this admission." Merry stated his voice pitched in a voice akin to Frodo's yet stressed somehow to make it comic.
"And then you shall sing your song to him as such," And Merry proceeded to rattle off some simple rhyme and then Pip placed a hand to his forehead and said,
"Oh Sir! Could it be that ye are telling me that ye care for me?"
"Precisely, dear fellow." And then the pair joined together in a sweet kiss, which eased Sam's heart to see, for it ment that Pip had gained his Merry at last.
Yet only a moment he dwelled on this fair turn of events before his mind caught up with him and he realised what they were saying. Frodo, fare, sweet and unbending Frodo cared for him as more than friend. He shook his head then, for it was a ridiculous notion, one that was set to get himself hurt if he let himself believe it.
Evidently the Took and the Brandybuck were having a laugh at both Frodo's and his own expenses and the master was laughing to save face and yet…
Suddenly being indoors seemed like an unwise idea to Sam, for he felt trapped in by the walls, ceilings and floors. Thus he started out of the library not caring if he was discovered in that moment.
Once out in the calm night air he took a few deep breaths and allowed himself to ponder again on that last thought. He had wondered suddenly what he would have done had it truly been Frodo and himself in that moment rather than the two playacting doubles. He would reach for his master and letting his care go he would touch the soft skin about his cheek. Then he would look into his master's eyes and everything he would need to know would be written there in the deep fire of those Morning Glory blue eyes. Then slowly, oh so slowly, he would close the gap between them until he could feel the soft press of those lips on his own and the heat of his Master's breath was mixed in with his own. He'd give himself into that moment then, allowing all the time it would require to learn just where to touch to speed his Master's pulse and what his Master tasted of in the secret corners of his mouth. And one the learning was done he'd pull away and say simply,
"I love you, Frodo." And that would be all that needed to be said between them before they were lost to one another again, lost to the heat.
Waking from the dream Sam found that all his fear and doubt was gone and that Frodo stood now just a breath away, concern furrowing his fare brow,
"Sam?" He enquired the word little more than whisper.
"Frodo." He replied as he closed the gap and his dream was realised in a flurry of hard bruising kisses. It was Frodo who broke away, and he laughed then, high, bright and so joyful that it was pleasure itself to hear it.
"Trust you to spoil all my plans. I was writing a song for you to hear so that you could see how much I loved you."
"There is still plenty of time for songs, me dear. And mayhap it was better this way for it allowed me to see past me fear to the truth of it all. I love you." And it was indeed all that needed to be said before the pair drew together again under the first light of the summer sun.
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T: And at last the beast is dead! This last chapter is nothing like my written version and has given me no end of hassle most likely because Merry and Pippin nullify an angsty environment. Meh R+R if you want to, if not then ta for reading all this way.