A/N: Jeez... that long? Sorry about the really long update. The disks got wet when I got coke all over my bag, so I've had to start from scratch.

Crecy: Ah well... you ain't quite as bad as I am on coffee... COFFEE!! MWAHAHAHAHAHHAAA!!! Hem... Er... you get my meaning. And er... fabircal? Meaning???

TheAngryPrincess13: You like it? YAY!! Dude, tha's random.

Also, this chapter is out a few weeks later than I planned because I got banned from temporarily because I wrote a story that broke just about every rule they have. Sorry about that. I'll try to get another chapter up before I go Austria.

I've only just noticed the notice saying Chat format and script format aren't allowed, so I'm going to have to change the whole of my format. O Brilliant. This means that thoughts will be in ::these::, and Speech in "Speechmarks" (Surprisingly). Actions wil still be in these still.

Aswel as that, I'll be changing the whole story to this format because I don't want my story taken off. Sorry! Don't blame me! Blame fanfic peeps!!

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Chapter 10 - Flashback

He was right. I couldn't do it. He wasn't a bad person. I hit him hard on the side of the head and ran. It wasn't exactly the best way of getting Frodo and Sam away.

::God what have I just done? What have I done?::

I stopped. As far as I could tell, no one was following me. But I would have to go back. I had to. Frodo and Sam were the only people in this world who I knew, who I could trust. I had no idea where I was, when, and what dangers there could be, and my sense of direction was never exactly good. I had always managed to get lost easily. I looked back the way I had come. I would have to go back.

I moved into the shadows. Something or someone was there. There was someone. I held my breath and prayed I wouldn't be noticed. There was definitely someone there.

I relaxed as Sméagol appeared. I smiled. Only Sméagol.

"Sméagol?"

The creature jumped when his name was mentioned, obviously not expecting anyone.

"Yo Sméagol it's me. Steph?" I walked into the sunlight.

"Steph? Yes! We remembers you."

"Yeah. Sméagol, we have to find Master - he's been taken away by wicked men."

It took a while to sink in. I was getting the feeling Sméagol wasn't nearly as bright as he had first seemed to be.

"Yes, of course. But I don't know where Master has gone."

"Then We'll find him. Can't be that difficult. I thought you wanted to serve 'Master' and all that lark."

Silence from Sméagol.

"Well," I asked him, " are you going to lead the way?"

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I had to run to keep up with him. Eventually we caught up with Frodo and Sam, who were being led, blindfolded. We were hidden behind a bush and I had to admit I was feeling more than a little scared. But I had Sting, though I think the men had taken Sam's sword as I had left it behind.

"Sméagol!" I whispered, "What now?"

"You said lead the way so good Smeagol lead the way. But now we must go because poor Sméagol is famished, and we must find food."

"That is the poorest excuse I have ever heard." I complained, but Sméagol was gone. I turned , whispering his name, and pushing the bush about a lot more than I had intended. One cloaked soldiers stopped, either hearing or seeing the kafuffle. I froze, then considered following Sméagol. There was no point. Even if I could find him, he would lead me nowhere. I had to stick with Sam and Frodo. Hell, wouldn't it all be so much easier if I knew what I was doing?

I then considered giving myself up. For one, I would be with Frodo and Sam. I would also be able to leave whenever I wanted. I couldn't follow Sam and Frodo for so long without being noticed. But I didn't like the idea of being caught either. Oh hell, back to square 1. I figured I should take my chances with following them for a while, and if I got caught, I got caught and would be able to get Sam and Frodo out from inside.

::Come on Steph - you're not going to do any good just sitting here.::

I carefully came out of hiding and followed the soldiers silently.

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Several hours later I found myself in a cave with Sam and Frodo, with sore feet and a blindfold.

"Oh hell that plan worked."

"You tried Steph." Sam said.

"Ta Sam."

"Can you hear anything they're saying?" Frodo asked, half hopefully.

"I can find out." I grinned.

I vanished and began to explore the area. I eventually found the leader, bent over a map with another person.

"...Our scouts report Saruman has attacked Rohan. Théoden's people have fled to Helm's Deep. Pointing at the map But we must look to our own borders. Faramir, Orcs are on the move. Sauron is marshalling an army. Easterlings and Southrons are passing through the Black Gate."

::What so this guy's Faramir?::

"How many?" The Leader asked.

"Some thousands. More come every day."

"Who's covering the river to the north?"

"We pulled 500 men at Osgiliath, but if the city is attacked, we won't hold it."

"Tracing on the map Saruman attacks from Isengard. Sauron from Mordor. The fight will come to men on both fronts. Gondor is weak. Sauron will strike us soon. And he will strike hard. He knows now we do not have the strength to repel him."

I crept away, and returned to Sam and Frodo, and told them what I had heard. I had no knowledge of this world, but from what Sam and Frodo had told me, Sauron was not a nice person, so these people weren't nearly as 'evil' as I had originally thought. Everything they had said still didn't make sense to me.

"Well," Sam said, "if they aren't servants of Mordor then-"

He stopped in mid-sentence. I turned to see the leader approaching.

"My men tell me that you are Orc spies."

"Spies?!" Sam said, "Now wait just a minute!"

"Hang on. What the hell is an orc?"

"Well if you're not spies, then who are you?" The Leader asked, ignoring me.

Frodo and Sam remain silent.

"Speak."

Frodo was the first to do so.

"We are hobbits of the Shire. Frodo Baggins is my name and this is Samwise Gamgee."

"Your bodyguard?"

"His gardener."

I sniggered, then shut up when I noticed he was carrying a sword.

::Who the hell carries a sword around with them?::

"And who are you?" He asked me.

"Someone you wouldn't want to meet on a bad day." I replied.

"Well do you have a name?"

"Do I want to tell you? Et toi?"

"That meant and you."

The Leader paused.

Leader: I am Faramir of Gondor.

::Oh hell, that means a lot.::

"Well, do you have a name."

"Steph. Just Steph."

Faramir looked surprised at this. It was perfectly obvious what was running through his mind.

"Yeah, well I think your name's weird n'all."

"Not a name I've heard before."

"Well let's just say I'm not from around here."

"And where is your skulking friend? That gangrel creature. He had an ill-favoured look."

"Couldn't tell you. It's been just us three for weeks."

Frodo began to explain everything.

"Sam and I set out from Rivendell with seven companions. One we lost in Mória. Two were my kin. A Dwarf there was also, and an Elf. And two men, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor."

"You're a friend of Boromir?" Faramir asked.

"Yes... for my part."

This didn't really make sense to me, because from what I had heard, Boromir had attacked Frodo.

"It will grieve you then to learn that he is dead."

"Dead? How? When?"

"As one of his companions, I'd hoped you would tell me."

There was silence for a minute.

"Don't look at me." I said, "I never even met the others."

"If something has happened to Boromir we would have you tell us!" Frodo said.

"His horn washed upon the riverbank about six days past. It was cloven in two. But more than this, I know it in my heart Pause He was my brother."

I looked at Frodo. He looked shocked more than anything. Faramir turned and left. I followed him. He then sat down, looking lost in his own world, deep in thought, holding a cloven horn. I was guessing this was his brother's horn. I blinked a couple of times. The cave seemed to be melting away. No - I was no longer in the cave. I was standing in a river. Wide and calm. It looked a bit like the river where I had first met the hobbits.

Faramir was there though, too. He was also standing in the river, watching a boat float downstream. A boat identical to the one Sam and Frodo had used. I didn't get it. I looked into the boat. A man with shoulder-length hair lay there, with his shield and his sword and - the horn. But Faramir had the horn. I was getting really confused. The vision dissolved to another time, another place. A ruined city. The man was standing above a crowd, who seemed to be shouting 'Boromir! Boromir!'

::I figure that's Boromir, then.::

Boromir gave a short speech, followed by 'Gondor! Gondor! Gondor!'

Faramir was there now too. Now Boromir was with the crowd, laughing with his brother, both drinking what I thought was ale.

"He's here." Faramir muttered.

I turned to see who Faramir was talking about. Just another guy, though this dude looked older than the others, and seemed to have more authority. It was strange - Faramir was acting like I did whenever Dad got home.

"Father!" Boromir said.

::That would be why then.::

Boromir continued talking, though his voice was becoming duller, quieter. He seemed to be getting further away too. The ruined buildings faded, and I was back in the cave again.

I retreated further into the shadows when a soldier approached Faramir and whispered something to him. I ran back to where I was supposed to be, waking Frodo and Sam the second I got back to tell them what I had seen.

"I mean, it was like a dream, but I was awake - a kind of vision. No, not really a vision. It was kinda weird. Oh whatever, just please tell me that kinda thing happens regularly around here?"

"Steph, slow down. What did you see?" Frodo asked. He seemed to be as confused as me.

"I saw Boromir. Dead. In one of the elf-whatever boats that you crossed the river in. Then He was alive, making a speech to a huge crowd in an almost- destroyed city. It was confusing. He was then with the crowd, with Faramir. They were drinking and sounded a bit pissed - that's drunk. They were then joined by another dude, who turned out to be their father, then everything faded and I came back here."

Silence from the hobbits. They didn't seem to know what to say.

"Please say you believe me."

"I do." I spun round to face the speaker. It was Faramir.

"Jeez mon, Don't do that!"

"Mon?"

"Mon - general term for a person instead of using their name. Slang."

Faramir shrugged. "How did you know that. You said you had never met Boromir, let alone my father."

"Dude, I am as clueless as you."

"Dude?"

I sighed, this was getting tiresome. "Another word for Mon."

Faramir paused. "We will speak of this later. You must come with me. Now. And you."

Frodo got up and followed Faramir. I did the same. We came to the edge of the waterfall, overlooking a pool.

"Pointing down Down there."

It was Sméagol.

::That lying toad.::

"To enter the forbidden pool bears the penalty of death. He gestured to archers hidden in the bushes. They wait for my command."

The Rangers notched their arrows.

"Shall I shoot?"

Frodo looked stricken. I stayed silent - this was Frodo's choice. Gollum emerges from the pool onto a rock, holding a fish in his hand, slapping it on the rocks.

Faramir raised his hand. At the last moment, Frodo called out.

"Wait!" Frodo cried, "Faramir stops This creature is bound to me. And I to him. He is our guide. Please, let me go down to him."

Faramir nodded. We walked down to the Forbidden Pool. Frodo approached Sméagol.

"Don't scare him off." I told Faramir, "He's our only hope of getting on the right road, as it were."

I followed Frodo.

"Yo Sméagol! Look! I found Master!"

"Master?"

"Yes Sméagol" Frodo said, "Master is here. Come Sméagol. Trust master. Come!"

Frodo gestured for Smeagol to follow him.

"We must go now?"

"Sméagol, you must trust master. Follow me, come on. Come. Come, Sméagol. Nice Sméagol. That's it. Come on."

Sméagol paused. I was getting the feeling this wasn't going the way planned.

"Look, Sméagol." I said quickly, "Just behind that rock there are several men. The men who took Master. Now, there are also men positioned all around you, ready to shoot you."

I pointed to random places above me where they were hidden.

"If you don't shift your ass and come with Master, they will shoot you. They're not too happy with you fishing here. Now just come with Frodo and I and you won't get killed. Please?"

Sméagol seemed to understand. We led him to the Rangers, though there was a struggle.

"Don't hurt him!" Frodo said, "Sméagol don't struggle! Sméagol listen to me!"

"Master!!"

We followed the Gondorians up, both of us knowing Our journey would be difficult without a guide, if we ever continued our journey.

::God why did I have to get landed in this mess?::

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A/N: Rubbish ending sorry!

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