The end of part one! Sad I know...and I still haven't been struck with inspiration to do the Two Towers part of this fic. Sorry.

Believe it or not, I wrote this part of the story in about four days. Amazing, isn't it?

Still not mine...rats...

Galadriel looked at the Fellowship as the boats finished being prepared for launch. Each of them had been given a specific gift by the Lady of the Wood along with appropriate sized Elven cloaks. Sam watched as Pippin, Merry, and Boromir climbed into one boat. Frodo, Samwise, and Aragorn got into another. Sam placed her new bow in the holder on her back and climbed into the boat with Legolas and Gimli.

The three boats were shoved out to the river. Sam looked back and saw Galadriel watching them sail away. The woman nodded her head in goodbye and turned the front of the boat. The boats paddled down the river for the rest of the day. As the sun began to set, they pulled over to an embankment and made camp.

Sam looked at the others, noting just how quiet everyone was. She couldn't blame them. The Fellowship had taken a serious blow after losing Gandalf. Sam looked up at the night sky, the stars shining down on her.

"Do you miss your home?" a voice asked. Sam glanced over as Boromir sat near her, a plate of food in his hand.

She shrugged. "A part of me will always miss it, but I can't dwell on the fact that I'll probably never be able to go home again. I've spent the last year and a half building a new life for myself here. Even if I could go back to my world…I don't know if I'd be able to stay." She looked at him. "Do you miss your home?"

"I worry for my father. He looks to me to make things right and I try. I try to so hard…" he whispered.

"Boromir, you have friends who can help you make things right. You don't need to do it alone," she said. "Trust in yourself and trust in others." He nodded slowly.

- - - - - - - - - -

The three boats glided down the river, the lush green land slowly giving way to brown, withering land. Sam looked at the dead leaves and branches on the ground. "It'll be hard to keep quiet in that," she said.

"Aye," Legolas agreed.

"What are you talking about Elf? You barely make a sound no matter what you be walking on!" Gimli retorted.

"Whoa…" Sam breathed, looking up ahead at two stone statues. They were over three hundred feet eye and stood impressively over the river.

"The Argonath," Aragorn whispered. "Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old…my kin…"

The boats sailed through the narrow passage between the feet of the statues. The Fellowship rowed the boats forward, eventually coming to a lake. They guided the boats to the shore and began climbing out, Samwise immediately gathering dry wood for a fire. Sam and Legolas pulled the boats up out of the river so they wouldn't float away.

"We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north," Aragorn told them all.

"Oh yes, just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, and impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks. After that it gets even better…a festering, stinking marshland, far as the eye can see," Gimli muttered darkly.

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength Master Dwarf," Aragorn answered.

"Recover my…" Gimli began when Sam cut him off.

"We should leave now if we can Aragorn."

He shook his head. "No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for the cover of darkness."

"It is not the eastern shore that we should worry about," Legolas said. They looked at him. "A shadow and a threat have been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it."

"He's right. There are no animal sounds or anything here," Sam whispered.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked. Samwise sat up and looked around with the other two Hobbits.

Sam glanced over and saw Boromir's shield lying abandoned by his things. "Where's Boromir?" she asked. Aragorn took off running and Sam followed after him.

Legolas stared after Sam. "She loves you Elf, not that human," Gimli said softly. "I've seen it in her eyes every time she looks at you. Though why she fancies an Elf instead of a strong, sturdy Dwarf is beyond my understanding."

"I know. We must find Frodo and Boromir! Quickly!" Legolas ordered the others and they ran into the forest.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sam slowed to a stop and looked around the quiet forest, her bow out with an arrow knocked. A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around, pulled the arrow back as she knelt down. Frodo stared at her, fear in his eyes. "Are you all right?" she asked, letting the tension go from the bowstring as she pointed the weapon at the ground.

"It has taken Boromir," he whispered.

"The Ring?" Sam asked. He nodded and Sam bowed her head briefly. "It is still safe, right?"

"Why?" he warily asked.

"Because it holds the fate of so many. If it falls into evil hands, all is lost." Sam looked in his eyes and realized what he planned do to. I'd do it too, she thought. "The path is yours to take Frodo. I will not stop you."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Sam heard something large and heavy crashing towards her. "Quickly Frodo! I will buy you time to escape!"

"Aragorn is that way," he said, pointing back at the way he had come.

Sam saw dark shapes coming nearer. "Go Frodo! Hurry!" she ordered, rising to her feet and loosing the arrow. A guttural scream sounded and Frodo ran off. Sam fired off a few more shots before they came too close. She returned the bow to its holder and pulled her sword and long knife free. She stared as large, black armored Uruk-hai stampeded towards her. She heard a horn sound back near the camp. Her blue eyes hardened and she parried a slash from the creature. She rammed the knife into side and viciously twisted it before pulling it out. Her lip curled in disgust as dark blood spurted from the wound.

The Uruk-hai, who thought Sam would have been easy to deal with, quickly discovered that the blonde woman was an excellent fighter. She used her smaller size to weave in between them so the Uruk-hai were hitting their own warriors. The woman slashed her sword up between the legs of one of the creatures and it howled in pain before dropping to the ground, dead.

Sam spun around and took off towards the sounding horn. That's gotta be Boromir… she thought. An Uruk-hai lunged out in front of her, slashing at her feet. She leapt over the sword and tucked into a roll as she struck the ground. She was immediately on her feet and continued to run. She looked down at the clearing and saw an Uruk-hai taking aim at Boromir, three arrows sticking out of the man's chest. With a cold glare Sam charged forward, her feet barely making a sound. She let out a wild shriek that stunned the Uruk-hai. It turned and Sam rammed her sword into its head. It fell to the ground, a stunned expression on its hideous face.

Sam yanked her blade free and wiped the blood off on the tattered clothes of the creature. She knelt down next to Boromir and studied his wounds, amazed at how many Uruk-hai were piled around him. Near him lay a horn cleaved in two.

"They…they took…the little ones…" he gasped. "Merry and…Pippin…"

"Save your strength Boromir," Sam said, looking for a way to staunch the flow of blood from his wounds.

"I am sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" Sam asked.

"I…care deeply…for you Samantha…even when I…realized you loved Legolas…I could not stop loving you."

Sam realized he was referring to his constant flirting with her. She smiled faintly. "I'm sorry I wasn't the one for you Boromir." She heard something behind her and saw an Uruk-hai swinging its sword at her head. It was suddenly tackled to the ground by Aragorn and killed.

The Ranger knelt down next to Boromir. "Frodo…where is Frodo?" Boromir demanded of Aragorn.

"I let him go," Aragorn answered.

"Then you did…what I could not. I tried…to take the ring from him."

"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn said as Sam rose to her feet.

She turned and saw Legolas and Gimli walking up to them. She went to Legolas' side and shook her head. "Boromir-uva ú-coia." (Boromir will not live)

The three watched as Aragorn kissed the top of Boromir's head. He rose to his feet and looked at them. "They will look for his coming from the white tower…but he will not return." He and Gimli picked up the Gondor man's body with the broken horn and carried him down to the camp. They placed him in one of the two remaining boats and shoved it out to the lake. The current carried it to the waterfall where it disappeared out of sight.

"If we are quick, we can catch Frodo and Samwise before nightfall!" Legolas exclaimed. He stopped and turned to Aragorn.

"We're not going to follow them…are we?" Sam asked.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn answered.

"Then all has been in vain. The Fellowship has failed," Gimli said softly.

"No," Sam said. "Not if we stick together and hold true to each other."

Aragorn nodded. "She is right. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left." He glanced at the supplies. "Leave all that can be spared behind." He strapped a few knives onto his belt and dropped his pack. "We travel light. Let's hunt some Orc."

"Yes!" Gimli shouted, laughing.

Sam smiled at the Dwarf. She swiftly emptied her pack and filled it with Lembas bread and water. Aragorn looked at her. "We still need to eat," she pointed out. He nodded and the three ran into the forest after the Uruk-hai. Hold on my friends. I'm coming for you… Sam thought as her feet pounded the ground.

To Be Continued…

So there's the end of Fellowship of the Rings! I hope it was enjoyable to all. As for Sam beating Aragorn to Boromir, she wasn't at the top of the hill and it's plot device. I had fun writing it. Drop a non-flame review! They will be much appreciated.