Amazingly enough, this chapter is out before two years have passed. I feel that I have done well, go me! Anyway, this idea really got started on the airplane home as I listened to Into the West, so complaints can be made to Annie Lennox and US Airways... and the ocean. Complain to the ocean. Insolent arrogant FOOL of an ocean!!!
Disclaimer: You truly are deluded if you think that I have the luck to own any of the characters, places, and so forth contained herein. If you thought that or were otherwise unsure about the standings of things, please, run off the cliff now.
Song at the end is 'Mistakes we Knew we Were Making' by Straylight Run. I just thought it sort of fit in with this fiction, on either path I could have taken with Frodo. So... yeah.
Sam had held Frodo's still body close to himself for a long while, still stroking his dark curls softly. "Come back Frodo, wake up now. Please." He begged the unmoving form, his voice quivering. Around him the others stood, staring at Sam sadly. Merry rocking Pippin gently as he cried into his shoulder. Gandalf had been taken from them so recently, it seemed a cruel twist of fate that Frodo too would leave them now. Merry buried his face into his young cousins wayward curls trying to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth.
Aragorn walked slowly over to Sam and put his hand on the Hobbit's shoulder. "Give me Frodo." His voice was quiet and painfully sad. Sam did not move, did not reply, only continued stroking his friend's hair away from his ashen face and murmur softly to him. "Come Sam, give Frodo to me." He said again. "No, it's okay. He's sleeping is all. He's going to come back. He wouldn't leave us." Sam said with a trembling voice without raising his head to Aragorn. "Frodo'll wake up and he'll be okay."
Another hand rested on Sam's shoulder as Legolas joined Aragorn at his side. "We shall need to take him back to camp, Samwise. Let Aragorn but take him until we are back." Sam sniffed and rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, still showing no sign of complying. Aragorn reached out and gently took a hold of Frodo's corpse slowly lifting it from Sam's lap. Sam's face snapped up to meet Aragorn eyes. "No, don't take him from me, don't let him leave forever." Sam cried as lost Frodo to the Ranger. "I am sorry, Sam." Aragorn dropped his eyes from Sam's pleading stare. "Come, we must return to the campsite."
Aragorn held the limp Hobbit as though he would shatter. Slowly, against his will, his gray eyes were drawn to the slight form in his arms. They had wrapped his arms tightly in linen in hopes to slow the bleeding, but it was too late. They had found him too late and now Frodo was gone. 'Why Frodo? Why did you do this to yourself? Why did you do something so foolish?' He thought, his anger kindling against Frodo and what he had done to himself.
The embers still glowed softly from the sight of the fire as the Fellowship's somber procession reached the camp. The three Hobbits sat close to the dead fire as Gimli began to stir it back to life. Each Hobbit seemed to carry the same look of reddened blank eyes. Tears still made a slow track down Pippin's cheeks as he stared into the fire. Gimli sat there too, wishing to comfort the Hobbits yet not knowing what he could say.
--AN: This is getting absurd. Nothing that has been 'dead' for so long can come back. Oh well, it's my story and I can make it as awkward and skewed as I wish. Fear me, the inaccurate author. Hmm... let's just suppose that he was still in the process of dying... you know, still breathing a bit. Just don't complain about the inaccuracies. I'm having fun writing this.--
Aragorn gently laid down the corpse of the Ringbearer on his abandoned bedroll. He sighed as he leaned back on his haunches, eyes upon the still being. Rising unto his feet, he turned away from the body and began to think of who would take the burden of the Ring. No one would be happy about that conversation, especially the Hobbits. "Damn it all." He muttered as he paced.
Legolas stood silently by Frodo's body, watching the others. The Elf lowered his head, grieving for the young Hobbit that he had only know for so short of a time. There was a slight gasping breath and he lifted his head slowly. None of the others were around him or looked as though they had heard the slight breath. He looked at Frodo's body, his skin had a grey tinge to it and his lips were blue, but they were parted and Legolas did not remember them being in such a state moments ago. With his head upon the small Hobbit's chest he heard a slow, soft heart beat, but it was there. Frodo was fighting against death.
"Aragorn!" He called from where he was beside Frodo. "Frodo is not dead." Upon hearing that, the Hobbits turned their heads toward Legolas. With those four words they were brought out of their grief. Merry smiled slightly. "He's not leaving us. Sam, you were right." Sam did not reply.
Aragorn was with Legolas in no time, kneeling by Frodo's side checking him for a sign of life. "Impossible, he was not breathing. He was dead, I was sure of it." He said, unable to believe that Frodo could yet be clinging to life. Sure enough, though, it was there, slight, shallow breathes and a heartbeat. However weak it was, it was there and that was enough right now. A slow grin spread across his face. "Pack up, we make for Lothlorien." Aragorn took Frodo again into his arms and stood up as the others burst into sudden activity.
There was a slight tug on his sleeve as they began to leave the camp. "He's going to be okay now, right? He's going to live." The voice was soft and uncertain. Aragorn looked down upon Pippin wishing he could assure the young Hobbit that his cousin would pull through. "I can not say whether he will live for certain, all I can tell you is to not lose hope for Frodo. Not yet." With that they began to make their way towards Lothlorien.
--
and all our sins
come back to haunt us
in the end
to hang around
and tap us on the shoulder
and smile
silent
it's all implied
you'll die trying to live this down.
you might as well forget it.
still, i'm convinced
that wondering what if
is the worst thing there is
so we bottled and shelved
all our regrets
let them ferment
and came back to our senses
drove back home
and slept a few days
woke up and laughed
at how stupid we used to be
all these lines fall short
of what i had in mind
a failed attempt
to capsulize a feeling
so i just try fail
and try and try again
someday i swear
i'm going to get it
because i'm convinced
that giving in
is the worst thing there is
so we bottled and shelved
all our regrets
let them ferment
and came back to our senses
drove back home
and slept a few days
woke up and laughed
at how stupid we used to be
we'll get over it
sad, strong, safe and sober
we'll move forward
and know where we went wrong
but you can't go home again
You can't go home again
You can't go home again
You can't go home again
so we bottled and shelved
all our regrets
let them ferment
and came back to our senses
drove back home
and slept a few days
woke up and laughed
at how stupid we used to be
'Mistakes we Knew we Were Making' – Straylight Run
Wow, that was pretty bad... erm, I apologize for that. Maybe I'll be able to fix it up a bit and then re-post it. Again, I apologize for any brain damage received will reading this chapter. Please contact a local physician immediately.