*ahem* Lurker alert! Saiyan*Queen*Vega has announced that they cease their lurker ways and come out of hiding! Let's all give her a big round of applause!

Other news: Did I make the two-week cutoff? Oh, I'm a BAD PERSON!

Thanks to the lovely and gorgeous reviewers MaidenOfImladris, Saiyan*Queen*Vega, Eregriel Gloswen, Julia, and Lady_Gamgee.

Disclaimer: No es m'o.

In this chapter I feel that I've basically stolen Tolkien's words right out of the book. Or a lot of it, anyway. Sorry about that. I just didn't think I could blatently change it, it didn't seem to work. I hope I don't dissapoint anybody.

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Chapter 5: Slopes

Sam was carrying Frodo on his back. Somehow he was managing to keep the light hobbit on his back while stumbling forwards, although he knew not where he had found the strength to do so.

Sam had noticed that the ground passing beneath his slow feet had been growing slightly more sloped as the minutes passed, but he said nothing. He had also recognized that Frodo was growing more and more weak, but Sam simply continued on.

He knew it could not be long before they reached the mountain's base, and he wondered what he would do; what he could do. They could begin to ascend, and then? Sam could hardly help Frodo all the way up the mountain, could he?

Sam was in inner turmoil. They could (or rather, Sam could; Frodo was nowhere near making such decisions) stop and rest, wasting precious time, trying in vain to revive Frodo. They could give up. Or, they could simply keep walking, Frodo limp and dragging, and Sam supporting him, carrying him as far as he would go. Sam considered the options. He thought. But even as he thought, he knew there was no need to.

Sam knew what he would do. He had known the answer before he asked the question. It was unthinkable that they would stop, that they would give up. It would be like purchasing seeds and planting them in rows, toiling for months over the dirt with water and tools, watching them sprout and grow, and then abandoning them to the hot sun five days before harvest. Sam and Frodo had toiled for longer than that. They would not let this thing shrivel and die. Sam would not allow it.

And so Sam pretended. He pretended everything was fine, he made believe they would be all right. He merely trudged upwards, the path getting steeper and Frodo heavier. And while he did he pretended he believed that they would make it.

Sam's feet were scraping the ground with each step. He was tired. They were ten feet up the mountain. He wondered how many more feet there were.

He continued to struggle up the mountain, using every ounce of strength he had. He knew he would continue until he could go no farther. He stumbled on the uneven path.

Frodo was heavy on his back. He tripped again, staggering to the side. He kept walking upwards, clumsily. He wondered how long it had been.

Sam kept tripping; his eyes and mind not alert enough to pick up the bumps and ditches in the ground in front of him. Finally he fell to his knees, too weary to take another step. He laid his master gently on the ground before him.

Frodo's eyes slowly flickered open. He smiled: a small, weak smile, but a genuine one.

"Thank you, Sam," he whispered upwards. "How far is there to go?

"I don't know," Sam replied truthfully, "because I don't know where we're going."

Sam looked around because Frodo could not. He was surprised to see how far he had come with that last bit of strength. He guessed that they were halfway up the mountain, perhaps more, he thought optimistically.

A sweeping view of all Mordor was in front of him, but he had no time to spare on that sight. He instead looked up above, searching for the way to go up the mountain. Among the rocks of various sizes he could spot a small path, although he could not guess the reason for its placement. He did know, however, that perhaps, if they could reach that path, they really could finally reach their destinationÐwhatever it may be.

This sudden hope was dimmed somewhat when Sam saw the steep slope up to it that they would have to scale. He leaned back onto the rock with a sigh, trying to ease his aching back. He had a fleeting sense of hopelessness before he rememberedÐFrodo. His master, the task; his driving force, his apparent reason for being. They had to reach their destination, whatever it may be. They could not go back. He would not go back.

Suddenly he felt a strange sense of urgency; a feeling that they had to continue, quickly. He pushed himself up with his arms, and saw Frodo trying to do the same. It seemed Frodo had felt the same thing, as he was fighting to get to his knees.

"I'll crawl, Sam."

And he didÐSam crawled along with him, for a minute, before he got to his own feet and walked alongside Frodo. The road was hard, and they had not gone far before Sam felt a flicker of terror, that feeling of dread upon him. The eye. It only looked their way a second, in passing, but Sam felt its terrible effects nonetheless.

He knew Frodo's affliction would be greater than his. He knelt by him, trying to comfort him. Frodo called out, in a whisper.

"Help me, Sam! Help me, Sam! Hold my hand! I can't stop it."

Sam took his master's hand in his own. He was surprised yet again; for a moment he remembered those moments, holding Frodo close, calm. Feeling like he was home. Feeling like he was warm and safe. He brought Frodo's hands to his face, kissing them gently, without really thinking. He was there for him, and he would be, until the end.

He knew it was time. This would be the end of him. The end of ends. He would reach the goal. He had to. He and Frodo, together.

He lifted Frodo again, holding him in front of him, his legs dangling over Sam's arm. He put his head down and pushed on, up the path they had finally reached. It was not an easy path, crumbling and rocky. He tripped in several places, but did not fall. The path cut this way and then that, making turns around large blocks of rock. The path made one very sharp turn about a crag of old stone. Sam's back was to the stone when he was suddenly struck from the back by something very large. He fell forward.

He did not know what had happened until he heard the hissing voice above and behind him.

"Wicked masster," it hissed. "Wicked masster cheats us, he doess. SmŽagol thinks he musst not go that way, not hurt the preciouss. Give it to uss, yes. Give it to uss!"

At this point he was tearing past Sam, trying to get to Frodo, to the Ring. Frodo recognized this attack on his treasure, this trying to take it from him by force. He fought back with strength Sam did not realize he still possessed, driven by his need to protect the Ring. He drove him off and stood, facing the piteous Gollum, shrunken and starved from whatever trials he had gone through in his absence.

"Down, you creeping thing," Frodo cried, "And out of my path! You cannot betray or slay me now."

And then Sam, with amazement, thought he saw Frodo change. He was a harsh figure, robed in white, and on his chest was not the small ring, but a wheel of fire. The fire then seemed to speak, in a powerful voice.

"Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom!"

Sam trembled, and then saw Frodo the same as he ever was, and clutching at his chest. Gollum was at his feet, kneeling, and it seemed to Sam that he was about to pounce. He called out to Frodo.

"Look out!" He stepped forward, holding out his sword. "Quickly, go! I will take him! There is no time to lose, you must go! Go!"

Frodo looked at him, with sadness and distance in his eyes. "Yes, I must go on," he said. "Farewell, Sam! On Mount Doom doom shall fall. Farewell!"

Sam watched him turn and leave. He was walking on upright, slowly, up the path. Sam turned back to face Gollum, brandishing his sword.

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I'm sorry, but I have to stop there. And yes, I know, basically the whole chapter was stolen out of the book. But that's what fanfic is, right? AnywayÉyes, you have the right to hate me for my short chapters and bad endings and non-updatingness. Review?

Oh, you've probably all noticed that I changed my pen name. But I wanted to know how you'd feel if I changed it again? I know I sound like I just can't decide on anything...which is partly true...but I swear if I can change it one more time I'll be happy. Anyone upset/mad about this?

PS This may have come out sooner but the electricity flickered in the middle and I lost like half the chapter.