Hey everybody! Anyone remember this fic? Haha, I can't believe how long it's taken me to get back to this. Actually I had given up on this but I my muse finally woke up and was helped by inspiration from Box Car Racer's song 'Letters to God' and the a wee bit to push me all the way, the graphic novel Death: At Death's Door(as strange as it seems if you know of this book, it gave me the idea for Frodo's scene). Anyway, I hope this is worth the read and... read away... Go on, just do it... now, I command you. IRON FIST OF DOOM!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings(if it wasn't for those meddling children mumbles) nor do I own Box Car Racer... nor do I own any gum. I really want some gum. And some Hobbits. Hobbit flavored gum... Gum flavored Hobbit. Yesss preciousss.

Pippin was snoring loudly and moved restlessly in his sleep. This was particularly annoying to those who slept closely to him, namely Merry and Sam. Merry had, after years of being around a sleeping Pippin adapted and now had gained the ability to sleep through these nightly antics. Sam, on the other hand, had not.

Sam rolled over, away from Pippin, wondering how the lad would ever manage to find a lass willing to put up with this night after night. He groaned and sat up, unable to fall back into sleep. The embers still glowed from the fire giving Sam a wee bit of light in the clear, moonless night. His eyes fell upon Frodo's empty bed next to his and he froze inside. Looking around, he saw that Frodo was nowhere around the camp.

Standing quickly, Sam looked at the trees that surrounded them in despair. 'He can't have gotten far.' He thought to himself. It was all he could do to keep himself from running haphazardly into the woods after his master and friend but he managed to control himself and walked silently over to Aragorn. "Mr. Strider, Mr. Strider wake up." Sam whispered urgently. "Mr. Frodo's gone." Aragorn opened his eyes and raised himself from the ground, his dark eyes running over the camp area in a futile search for the Hobbit.

They woke the others and went out in groups searching for the missing Ringbearer. The Hobbits searched through the underbrush together. "Why would he do this? Why would he go off by himself?" Pippin bit his lower lip as he brushed aside some fern leaves. "Mr. Frodo's been thinking up something all day. I didn't like that smile he gave me earlier none. His eyes were so empty." Sam shuddered.

Merry looked back at the other two Hobbits, silently pondering over his own troubled thoughts. As the moved further up through the thick underbrush, he saw a small form lying on the ground. "Frodo!" The three Hobbits ran forward, Pippin passing the Merry and Sam. As he neared Frodo he noticed that he was lying in a small pool of a dark liquid. Pip stopped dead in his tracks. "Frodo..." The quiet plea escaped his lips as he stared horrified at his kinsman.

"No!" Sam sprinted past Pippin and fell to his knees at Frodo's side. He gingerly lifted the body, holding it against his chest. A calloused hand stroked through sable hair as tears began to fall upon the unmoving face of his friend. "Frodo," He called softly, forgetting formalities in his grief. "Frodo, wake up now." The warm blood was seeping through his clothing and he flinched against the feeling. "Come now, you can't leave us. Don't you leave me Frodo. Please, please come back." Sam's voice broke and his pulled Frodo's body closer to himself.

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Frodo felt someone pulling him up to his feet. When he opened his eyes, a woman stood in front of him. She was tall, at least to Frodo she was, and pale as the moon with long hair the colour of darkest hours of night. Her black dress was long and tattered. Around her neck she wore a strange symbol that Frodo had never seen before. She was a woman who had taken on the pains of many, yet managed to retain the ability to comfort and shelter many more. You could see this in her kind face and deep grey eyes.

She reached out her hand towards Frodo. "Come, it is time we departed." Frodo stammered an unintelligible reply. Looking down to the ground he saw himself lying in a pool of crimson blood. By his side, Sam sat with his cousins. Sam was cradling his corpse gently in his arms, sobbing as Merry hugged Pippin tightly to himself. They was crying over him. He looked back up to the woman. "No, I... this is not right... I can not... who are you?" He stammered. "I am Death." She said somberly, her eyes soft with sympathy for the Hobbit. The others were coming now. Frodo frowned watching this sight before him. "No, I have been too hasty... I can not burden another with It. Why did I not think of this before?!" It seemed so surreal as though this were a dream. He looked up to Death. "I can not do this, I was foolish. How can I leave my burden to others. Please, let me go back, let me finish."

Death kneeled down to the Hobbit. "I am sorry little one, it is too late to go back. It is time we were away." Frodo back away a step, his eyes blazing. "I can not leave them. I can not hurt more people than I already have. I refuse too." "You can not stay, you must continue on. I have others to take care of little one. You shall have peace now." "Then let me stay." Frodo stood firmly in place. "Maybe I don't want to go. Maybe I'm not ready. I swear to you that I shall make amends, I shall finish my quest, then you may have me, I will go willingly but I can not leave them yet." Death sighed, raising herself to her full height. "You are tangling the plans of the world," She paused, looking intently at Frodo. It seemed as though she was looking through him, into him, beyond him. "Are you sure that this is what you want little one?" Frodo was paralyzed with doubt, but it was fleeting and left him all the more adamant of his decision. "Yes, I must do this."

There was a slight burst of light as the Death place her hand upon Frodo's brow. Frodo felt as though someone had knocked the wind from him and he was falling. There was a brief, yet acute pain that struck him, then all was dark again.

Well wasn't that fun and good times abound. You see that button there on the button, push it for reviews. I give you a hug.

Frodo: Don't do it, don't encourage her!

Bad Hobbit, back to the chair for you. grabs ropes