Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Lord of the Rings…The characters are property of JRR Tolkien's descendents and certain events to the makers of the epic film.

Home is Where the Heart is

To Gondor

Three weeks and six days have passed. I am doing some last minute packing. I am going back to Middle Earth, the Shire, Bag End, my home! That sounds so good to my ears. Sam will give me Bag End, I'm sure. He's understanding.

Uncle Bilbo is watching from the doorway. He looks like he wants to say something, but restrains. Finally, he's coming in to help me pack. "Frodo, are you sure?"

"Yes, Uncle. Besides, Elrond is going to make sure I want to stay." Uncle Bilbo becomes silent, fervently packing. He is sulking. He will for weeks if I know him. "If you are going to miss me that much, why don't you come with me? You can stay in Bag End. I can keep people from bothering you. You'd have to go to Gondor for a day first, but then back home. It would be like it used to be."

"But I wouldn't have the Ring to keep me young. I'd die, Frodo, I'd die soon after I left here. That's why I came here to the Undying Lands to stay with the elves, to live out the short remainder of my life in peace. Back home, there'd be Lobelia bugging us all the time, trying to get Bag End like when I went on my own journey."

I continue to pack, trying to come up with a counter-argument. Finally, I find a weak, but possibly effective argument. "Too bad, I guess I'll have to miss you and Gandalf and deal with Lobelia alone…" I purposely let my voice trail off.

Bilbo looks at the bed, apparently thinking. I wait patiently, continuing to pack. I watch as he puts his hands in his pocket, fiddling like he used to when he had the Ring. I am shocked as I see him pull out a gold ring much resembling the one I had destroyed on Mordor no more or less than five weeks and three days ago. "Bilbo?"

"Yes?" he eyes me nervously.

"What are you doing with a ring? The Ring does take over, become an obsession, but not that great."

"You saw Gollum –"

"Smeagol." I correct him.

"Yes, Smeagol. You saw how it affected him and he had it longer than both of us combined. I say all this to say that the Ring has a different hold on you depending on how long you have it. You only had it for two years. I had it for several." Bilbo sits down now that we have finished packing.

"I see. Now that that's all cleared up, will you go with me?"

Uncle Bilbo sighs. "You remind me so much of me…stubborn when needs be. But, no, I can't get back here, so I can't go."

"Uncle, do you honestly think Elrond will leave this place for good? Obviously not. He's coming back. Please, come. It wouldn't be the same in the Shire without you!" I sit in the chair across from the bed, waiting for an answer. Bilbo looks at the ground, deep in thought. I slouch in the chair and tap my fingers absentmindedly on the armrest and stare intently at a bug on the ground.

After ten minutes, Uncle Bilbo gives me his answer. "I'll come, but I won't stay any longer than I have to." Happiness rushes through my body and I hug my uncle tightly. "Frodo, Frodo! No need to get that excited!"

I back away. "Sorry, I'm just very happy."

"Let's go pack my things." he tells me. We walk to his room and quickly pack his things so that we have plenty of time to get to the dock where the ship departs from. After walking a mile up the path with our bags in tote, we stop to take a break.

"Frodo, boy, how much longer?"

"Just about ten minutes longer."

"I don't think I shall make it." he says, lying down.

"You shan't if you have that attitude. You can't quit now, Uncle. You're about a mile away from any lodging place, and the elves rarely come this way unless there's an arrival of more elves. Seeing that there's no arrival until Elrond returns, you'd have to stay here without food or drink until either he gets back or you have enough strength to walk back a mile."

"I suppose you're right." Uncle Bilbo gets up. "Well, lets get to the ship so it doesn't leave us behind and make us to have walked in vain."

I nod my head in agreement and we finish our short journey to the ship. Well, almost. First, we see Gandalf coming from behind. "Gandalf!" I exclaim. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't think I'd let you go back to the world of men, hobbits, and wizards without me, did you?"

"I guess not. But, I thought you and Sauruman were the only two wizards left."

"Yes, we are."

"Are? Sauruman's alive?"

"Yes, but very weak and stuck in the ruins of Isildur."

"Are you sure he's alive?" I ask confusedly.

"Yes, and Elrond senses it, too. We fear he will escape and try once again to build up an army, this time in memory of the dark lord Sauron."

"That would be horrible."

"Yes indeed, Frodo." Gandalf starts to walk and Uncle Bilbo and I follow.

"Where are your things?"

"A wizard never needs much, just clothes on his back and food and drink."

"Oh." We continue the remainder of our journey in silence. Finally, we reach the ship. Elrond is there waiting for us. I help Bilbo aboard after handing our luggage bags one by one to Gandalf. Now that we are all aboard, the ship sets sell.