Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.

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Sorry for the delay. I had another case of writer's block. Here's hoping the chapter turned out well. :)

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Frodo looked out from the stone balcony, just beyond his room. The moonlight shone brightest here. He sighed, wondering if this was truly the last time he would ever see Rivendell again. Oh, how he longed for things to be different, that he'd be alive to see his own wife and children, but such dreams were in the past. Now, there was this moment and he would cherish it always.

"Whatever happens tomorrow," he said, staring at an emerald green necklace, resting on the palm of his hand. The necklace was a gift from Elrond, who specifically told him not to give the necklace away until he found his wife. It would be a reminder of what he lost. He stared at the moonlight again, wondering if he was dreaming. "I hope we can mend our ways, doppleganger. If not…" No. He couldn't imagine saying worser things to his doppleganger. All he could do was hope for the best, even when things looked their bleakest.

.

The next morning, Frodo wandered down the Last Homely House's hallways for an hour. He couldn't stand it. Whatever Bingo's plan was, after he defeated Frodo, remained to be seen. Frodo sighed with frustration. He really wanted to know what he was up against, how he would die, and everything else in between. Was it enough to leave him in the dark? Was there any chance he would see his family and friends again? What about the elves? How would they react to his sudden death?

He spotted a group of elven teens fighting. They swords were drawn. They dueled frantically at the end of the hallway. Frodo couldn't take this. He had to do something and fast.

"Wait. STOP!" Frodo advanced towards the teens. There was Lida, trying to coax the teens to stop fighting. What was she doing? He turned to the gang's leader, in hopes of coming to peaceful terms with him and the group. "There isn't any need to fight. Now drop your weapons!"

"Why do you care?" One elven teen asked. He had dark brown hair and chestnut eyes.

"Stay out of this, halfling!" A second elven teen, a girl, said aloud. It was clear she was not one for games. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"It does when one of my new friends is involved." Frodo said, turning patiently to Lida. "Glad to see you're helping solve this crisis."

"It's my pleasure." Lida said, all smiles.

"We don't need to fight!" A second elven boy said, trying to be reasonable. The first elven boy looked at him, as the second boy continued to speak. "We can speak to Master Elrond about this. The halfling's right, Eldrich! We can stop fighting!"

"I don't need your advice." Eldrich said, seething. "We do things my way. Are you with us or against us?"

"You don't need to tell me what to do." The second elven boy said, cringing.

"Is that a threat, Danith?" Eldrich asked, perplexed. "You're not that wise."

"Is that so?!" Danith shoved him hard. "I know when to stand up for myself! You know better than to play games with your ego."

Eldrich moved his sword in front of his comrade. "Do not test me. I will prove my worth!"

"Wait. NO!" Frodo rushed in front of Lida, a moment too soon.

SLASH!

The hobbit grunted in pain. There was a numbness he couldn't ignore. He stared down at his stomach. It was cut clean by Eldrich's blade. Fresh blood seeped through the opening. He sighed, sleepily. He had no idea he collapsed on the floor until he opened his eyes. There was Lida and his doppleganger. Bingo's face changed from happiness to pure regret.

"Why did you do that?" Bingo asked Eldrich, frustrated. "You could have let him live. I only wanted to punish him, not kill him!" A white light engulfed Frodo's vision. In and out he was seeing a world of light. He managed to stay awake long enough for Bingo to talk to him, but his doppleganger's words were muffled.

Frodo turned his gaze to the lightened world. His parents were there, waking him up. The pain ceased. His stomach was whole again. He moved through this plane with his parents. In and out he could hear the voices, but it was a blur.

He wanted to go back and finish the deeds he hadn't done. He wasn't prepared to die, but death was close, as was life. Why was he seeing a wave of purple? A baby let out a cry. Everything was spinning out of control, the colors returning to his vision.

The light was leaving him, forcing him into the world of darkness once more. He felt so heavy and weak. He wanted to sleep, but sleep was far from him. He was waking up, waking in someone's arms and hearing familiar breathing sounds. He opened his eyes, meeting Lida's with warm affection. He was home. He was ready to live.

A baby cried in background, close to him. He looked up to see his doppleganger in baby form. Lida called out to Frodo again. It was too much for the hobbit's mind to bear. Frodo couldn't take it anymore. He fell asleep, remembering nothing afterwards.

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Thanks for reading. :)