Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR, or Kel or Neal or Harry Potter.

A/N: I'm happy, because I finished my geography test today and now I don't have to study . . . until the next test. And it would make me even happier if you review! (hint hint)

Chapter 12

The Finding of Gollum

"What was that?" whispered Sam as he and Frodo looked down from a ledge. Frodo strained his ears, trying to hear something-anything. Finally he gave up, and then faced his current challenge, trying to get down to a ledge 30 metres below.

"There's no way we could do this unless we had some rope," he mumbled.

Sam brightened. "Rope? I've got rope! The elvish rope that Haldir put in our boats!"

He quickly tied it to a tree trunk and threw it over the edge. As far as they could see, the end of it seemed to come very close to the bottom of the ledge below. Sam took a good grip on the rope and began to climb down, groping for footholds with his feet. Before he knew it, his feet had landed firmly on the ledge.

Frodo, not to be left behind, scurried down the rope as well. When both had gotten down Sam looked at the rope affectionately. "It's too bad I'll probably never see this rope again." He sighed. "Galadriel. . ." Then he gave it one last pull. To his surprise, the knot securing it to the tree trunk came undone and the rope fell at his feet.

"Well, that was easy."

They continued on. Then a strange noise was heard. It seemed to be a low, gravelly sound, issuing from behind a rock.

Sam froze. "Mr. Frodo, there's something over there!" he whispered

"Sam, be quiet! I'm well aware of that! It must be Gollum."

"That little stinker. I'll take care of him." With that, Sam drew his sword and advanced on the rock. The croaking sound continued. Out of the darkness, Sam jumped on top of the creature. The tiny thing showed extraordinary strength for his size, and soon he was on top of Sam, pinning him down.

A ring of metal resounded close by. Frodo had drawn Sting. Very suddenly, Gollum let go of Sam and lay down in submission.

"Don't kill us!" he wailed desperately. "We don't hurt kind little hobbitses! Be nice to poor Gollum!"

Frodo and Sam exchanged looks. "What should we do?" Frodo asked in an undertone.

"I say we kill him!" Sam whispered. "Or at least tie him up so he troubles us no more."

"Hobbitses whisper. Hobbitses whisper about Gollum. Poor Gollum."

Frodo shook his head. He looked at Gollum, twitching nervously on the ground and whimpering. Somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to slit Smeagol's throat. It didn't seem fair. He was so tiny, and so pitiful. There didn't seem to be any happiness left in him, just self-pity and wretchedness . . . and, if it must be admitted, schizophrenia. So, to Sam's amazement, he lowered Sting and regarded Gollum warily.

"Nice hobbitses!" he said. "They don't harm usss. They-"

"We don't harm you," said Frodo sharply, "on the condition that you lead us to Mordor. You know the way."

Gollum's pale eyes widened. "Evil. . . why go there? Nice hobbitses should not go. . . No. . . too many orcsesss. . ."

Frodo raised his sword again. Gollum cowered and backed away. "You do want to live, don't you? And we wish to go to the Land of the Shadow. Our business there is not for you to meddle with. You lead us, or you die at the mercy of my sword. You have encountered it before, but with a different bearer."

Gollum seemed to shrink under Frodo's glare. His eyes were always on the tip of the sword. "We do as hobbitses say. Yesss, we do. Nice hobbitses not hurtssss usssss."

With Gollum as a guide, they would be able to make the journey to Mordor much quicker than if they were alone. Even so, Frodo was beginning to feel the effects of the burdensome Ring. It dragged at his neck, pulling him down, and causing him much grief and worry. He trudged on, though, sliding down slopes, stepping high to avoid logs, wondering if the journey he had begun would ever come to an end.

He was back at Bag End, outside Bilbo's hobbit-hole, watching his uncle smoke his pipe. The old hobbit looked so peaceful, sitting there, as if years of care had been scraped off his appearance. No longer old and slightly frail, but much like the Bilbo that had once set off for the Lonely Mountain, with a pack of dwarves and a wizard. . .

"You know, Frodo," he said, "I could use another adventure. Something to keep me busy. You could come with me. We'll journey to faraway places. . ."

Frodo tripped over a tree root, then followed Sam and Gollum through a clump of bushes and around a tree. His feet were aching and he felt as though he was just dragging himself along. Stumbling, he found that the Ring felt much more pleasant in his hand than around his neck. It was much lighter that way. . .

Once again, he was outside Bag End. It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves needed raking. Sam was pulling the weeds out of the bright garden. As Frodo picked up the rake to clean the leaves off the grass, he caught sight of his cousins, Merry and Pippin, playing along with the hobbit-children. He shook his head and smiled, wondering if they would ever grow up. . .

Frodo paused for breath as he, Sam and Gollum started their trudge uphill. He wasn't sure if he would survive the entire trip east. From the looks of it now, he probably wouldn't be able to go on another few hours. And then the power of the Ring would never be put to an end and Sauron would take over Middle-Earth. His beloved Shire would be destroyed. No, said a firm voice at the back of his head. He had to destroy the Ring, no matter what. He held the fate of Middle-Earth in the palm of his hand.

He and Sam were wandering around in the field south of Bag End, the Party Field. They amused themselves by identifying different types of flowers that grew wild in the grass. For a moment he was sure he saw elanor, the tiny golden flower of Lothlorien. Then, he blinked, and it was gone.

"Frodo! Frodo!" Bilbo was calling.

Frodo started running back to Bag End.

"Frodo!"

He must hurry; Bilbo did not like to be kept waiting.

"Frodo!"

He tried to call back, but he was too out of breath.

"Frodo!"

"Frodo!" Sam cried. "What are you doing!"

Frodo realized he was in the process of putting on the Ring. Disgusted with himself, he dropped it on the ground. Luckily, Gollum was nowhere near. They must have stopped for the night, for he found himself in a cave-like shelter. With trembling fingers, he slipped the Ring back on its chain and hung it from his neck like it had been before.

"Sam," he whispered. "It's getting heavier, and more powerful."

Sam opened his mouth to console his master, but just then Gollum returned.

"You starves usss!" he complained. "You gives poor Smeagol no food and leaves usss to die!"

Reluctantly, Frodo handed Gollum a package of their precious lembas. There was very little waybread left, and they would have to ration their food to survive. Gollum snatched up the package, sniffed at it suspiciously, and took a small bite. He spat it out violently.

"Hobbitses tries to poison usss! You gives us elvish food! You tries to poison us!"

In his agitation, he threw the rest of the package into a pool of water nearby.

Sam stood up violently and proceeded to strangle Gollum. "Say that again, you filthy, ungrateful, slimy-"

"Sam!" Frodo pulled Sam off of Gollum.

"He just wasted an entire package of lembas!" Sam exclaimed. "And he insulted the elves! That's one thing that I won't let go unpunished."

Frodo turned to Gollum, "Smeagol!" said he sharply. "We have meant you no harm. If you continue wasting our food, we will tie you up with elvish rope and drag you to Mordor!" he rounded on Sam. "And you, Samwise Gamgee, your behaviour was not much better."

Sam looked at the ground. He hated being lectured by his master.

As soon as Gollum left the cave to search for food, Frodo collapsed onto the ground. All the walking he'd done that day had drained him. He didn't know how he would survive the march to Mount Doom. His quest looked hopeless. Why had he taken the Ring alone? If Aragorn was here. . .

Sam watched his master and immediately felt remorseful. He could see the Ring slowly wearing him down. It was going to be the death of Frodo. If only there was something he could do. . .

A/N: How is it? Some parts don't exactly go according to the movie because I didn't have the DVD of the Two Towers when I wrote this, only the book. Anyway, please REVIEW!