Old Friends

Once again it was late when Sam awoke. He got dressed before leaving his room and then went out to the kitchen. Rosie was nowhere to be seen. Searching the many rooms and pantries Sam began to grow worried. Finally he glanced out of the window and into the garden. Sat at the bottom of the garden, on the large wooden bench under the equally large overhanging tree, were both Frodo and Rosie. Laughing and smiling they didn't notice Sam.

Sam walked back to the kitchen and after making some tea and gathering some cakes together he went to join them.

"Good morning Sam." Frodo and Rosie both greeted him.

"Morning." Sam replied, kissing Rosie on the forehead. "I brought something for us to eat."

As he laid down the plates in front of them Sam watched Frodo. For the first time since he had arrived he really looked at his friend. Frodo's hair was thinner than it had been, Sam noticed. It was almost white in colour and the sun seemed to make it shine. His face beneath was still the same Frodo Sam knew and loved, but it was more aged than he had imagined. There were lines of worry around his eyes and as his face creased up into a smile, more wrinkles of loves were etched into the cheeks.

Beneath this new, older Frodo, Sam could see the young hobbit that he had first met. Frodo's eyes shone from the depth of his soul, their blueness was as bright as they had been the day he was born. The only thing Sam noticed had changed about these pools of blue was that now deep worry and tiredness swam there. Sam could see beyond the stopping figure of his friend to the weight he still carried on his heart. The weight that would never truly leave him until the day he died. And that day would be here far too soon for Sam.

All three hobbits tucked into the food silently and then Rosie cleared away the plates and left them alone. Frodo looked around him.

"This tree is older than I am." He told Sam. "I remember Bilbo planting it before I came to live here. It was already taller than me then."

"I remember too." Sam replied. "When I used to come and visit you and Bilbo in the summer and I would always find you under this tree reading."

Frodo smiled a sad smile. "I've missed you so much Sam. I could never have stayed, you know that, but I missed Bag End, Merry, Pippin, You. I missed everything."

"I know." Sam reassured him. "And everything missed you. I can't make up for all you missed but there is something that might cheer you up."

"What is it Sam?" Frodo looked up.

"Merry and Pippin are coming to visit this afternoon." Sam told him. "They can't wait to see you again."

"And I can't wait to see them." Frodo's eyes lit up once more with that special sparkle that Sam loved to see.

*~*~*~*~*

Sam and Frodo laughed as they ate lunch. No more stories could possibly exist that they hadn't already told each other. It was like old time once again for a mere few hours. Frodo laughed and Sam laughed with him. Both were looking forward to Merry and Pippin's visit but today it was for different reasons than it would have been many years ago.

Sam was looking deep into Frodo's eyes, reading his thoughts. He could see the years carefully etched around his eyes and could see the pain swimming in them. Sam suddenly remembered why Frodo had come here and it caused his heart to jolt. For a while he had forgotten, and had merely enjoyed Frodo's company again. It had been like old times but now the realisation dawned on Sam that as quick as they had been brought back together again, they could be torn apart.

Sam was snapped back out of his thoughts by the sensation of several drops of rain running down his cheeks. He realised that it has started to rain and ushered Frodo back inside quickly. The sound of the doorbell soon broke into bag End though. Smiling at Frodo they both walked quickly to the door. They opened it wide and standing on the doorstep were two very wet hobbits.

"Phew!" Pippin exclaimed. "It's a bit wet out here. Can we come in?"

"Of course." Sam and Frodo stepped back to let the two hobbits inside. After taking their coats off and hanging them up they turned to Frodo.

"Hello Frodo." Merry smiled. "We've missed you."

"It's good to see you again." Pippin laughed as he jumped forward and gave a huge hug to Frodo, Merry joining in soon after. They looked Frodo up and down and were impressed by his beautiful elven clothes that he wore. They had been made to look exactly as the clothes Frodo wore everyday before he left, but the detail in them was amazing.

After the many hugs and greetings the hobbits retreated to the living room once again. They talked for many hours about everything they could think of. It was so good to have Frodo back again and all were reminded of old times. They talked well into the afternoon and ate many cakes between them.

"How about you two stay for a spot of tea?" Sam offered.

"Yes please." Pippin and Merry chorused. They were having a wonderful time with Frodo once more and they didn't want to leave just yet. They knew why Frodo was here.

Rosie cooked them a lovely supper and protested when they offered to help her clean up afterwards. She knew that they needed their time together for a while.

Sam decided that it would be nice for them to take a walk in the garden. The sun was slowly setting but the air was still warm.

Walking slowly amongst the many, now damp, flower beds they were all amazed to find that they could still find lots to talk about. They swapped even more stories and filled the others in on what they had missed by being apart for so long.

As the sky began to turn black Frodo began to look tired. Sam noticed this and suggested that maybe it was time they went inside. Guessing what Sam hinting at Merry and Pippin decided it was time for them to be leaving. They hugged goodbye once again and as they left, Pippin had a small tear in his eye. He might never see Frodo again. They could come and visit soon but Frodo may grow too ill to want visitors. This could be the last time they saw each other.

Thank you all for reviewing and here are the responses as usual.

Anastasia Who: Yes it will get sad quite soon. Not long to go now. But I hope I've written it well enough because people seem to be expecting a lot. I hate to disappoint.

LadyEowyn1379 : Yeah, I did notice that after I posted it. Maybe I should have written a bit differently. Thank you for reviewing though and for pointing that out. I may go back to change it once the story has finished.

Calenor: Aww. Thank you. I'm glad you liked this so much. That is why I write lol. For people to enjoy it. Thank you for reviewing.

Tulip Proudfoot: I see what you mean. I think I do need a bit more description. I have noticed that there are several things that need to be worked on on this story and I think maybe I should have done some more work before I posted but the whole story it written already. I think what I am going to do is post the story as it stands now and then revise some of the points people have pointed out. Thank you for you help though, it is much appreciated. As for what Frodo looks like I have tried to include a detailed picture of it in this chapter and I will try again in my next chapters but I hope this quenches your appetite for now lol.

Thank you all for reviewing and I hope you keep on coming back for more. anything you do point out that are mistakes in my story I do try and correct them so please don't be shy of pointing anything out that you think is wrong. Thanks again.