Another chapter will be out later, today.

I don't own Lord of the Rings.

(James)

There were too many of them. I was growing tired with every passing second, all the while struggling to keep the hobbits safe behind me. Boromir was truly a sight to be held... Never in my life have I seen such an amazing swordsman, and I dare say that I never shall see another. Orcs fell at his blade so easily, yet we were still being overwhelmed.

Boromir blew on his horn once more, but it was a lost cause. No one was coming.

(Collin)

I've got to find them. If Boromir is in trouble, then so is James. I can't let anything happen to them.

What if nothing's wrong? What if the horn was just to signal that he found Frodo? Maybe Aragorn got there, first. Everything could be fine when I get there. I can't let myself get carried away with such thoughts.

But deep down, I knew that there was no happiness to be found on the other side of this. Shoving those thoughts away, I sprinted towards the sound of the horn as it rang again. It was close this time; much closer.

I could hear the sound of swords crashing together, and my heart sank. Boromir and James were being overwhelmed by orcs, and Merry and Pippin were bravely throwing rocks at their enemies. Boromir was fighting on with an unbelievable ease, but James was beginning to look worn out. Looks like I've arrived just in time. The three of us together can fight these things off, no problem.

"Collin!" James cried out in joy as he slashed at another orc. "It is good to see you, brother!"

I smiled as I ran into battle, a new confidence in me. We're gonna be alright.

Just as the three of us started to gain the upper hand, an unhappy sight came out of the corner of my eye. A large orc- far larger than any I've ever seen- stood upon a hill, preparing an arrow. He aimed it to the left, but I could not tell who he was targeting. James, or Boromir? It didn't matter, in all reality. It couldn't happen. Thoughts began to flood my brain, coming faster than I could count them.

James has a family. Sure, he's a stubborn prick, but out there, a loving child is waiting for him to come home. He's been my best friend for years, and I'm not about to let him fall like this.

Boromir... Well, as much as I hate Boromir for the place he has in Sophie's heart, that's the precise reason why I must save him.

"Look out!" A sharp pain struck my shoulder as I threw myself in front of my comrades. I fell to the ground, the wind completely knocked out of me.

"Collin!" Boromir threw himself in front of me, defending me from any orcs that came my way. "Hold on, Collin! Hold on!"

(Sophie)

Sigh...

I kicked a small pebble as I waited for my friends to get back. Dang it, Frodo. If you're not dead by the time you get back, I'll sure as hell make you dead. I'm going out of my mind with worry, thanks to that little hobbit. Who knew that such a small thing could cause so much disruption? This is why people but leashes on their children...

Nearly twenty minutes passed, and there was still no sight of anyone. No one but myself. Wouldn't it be terrible if everyone died, and I lived? How would I get out of here? Better, yet, how would I explain this to Elrond?

Kristy's probably having the time of her life, right now, and I'm stuck here, panicking over something that's probably nothing.

Just then, a rustle in the bushes caused me to jump up. Aha! Someone finally decides to show up.

Frodo burst through the trees, panting like he'd just run a marathon. He stared at the wide river ahead, not even noticing me.

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat, and the hobbit jumped about ten feet in the air. "Woah, buddy, what's wrong?"

"Do not try to stop me, Sophie." He looked at me with big, pleading eyes.

What's he pleading for? "What are you talking about?"

"I'm leaving."

Ohh, no you're not! "Woah, woah, woah, Frodo. Where are the others?" Did he send us on a mad chase just for this?

Frodo looked at me with sad, fearful eyes. "Boromir has gone mad. The ring possessed him! I fear for what has happened. Orcs are swarming in, and when I left Boromir he and James were fighting each other. Merry and Pippin distracted the orcs away from me, but they can not run forever!" The hobbit had tears coming out of his eyes, and he was speaking a million miles an hour. "I am afraid, Sophie. Terrified. But I must go on alone. It is the only way!"

My heart sank, and time seemed to slow down. Boromir... Orcs... Collin! "Frodo, you cannot do this alone!" I pleaded. "Don't go!"

Frodo hopped into a boat and pushed it out into the waters. "I must!"

Sam ran out of the bushes, now, a look of pure panic on his face. "Mr. Frodo! What are you doing?"

"Talk some sense into him, Sam!" I reached for my bag and took out my dagger. It won't do me much good, but you've got to be prepared. "I've got to go find Aragorn!" If anyone can talk some sense into this blasted hobbit, it's him.

I don't know what I was thinking, exactly. With Frodo leaving and the ones I love in trouble, I guess that I just went into auto-pilot. The only thought in my mind was that I needed to get help. The orcs were of no consequence to me. If they took down the others, it'd only be a matter of time before they found me and took me down, as well.

God, help me...

(James)

"Collin!" I fought harder, trying to get to my friend before the orcs overwhelmed him. He kept fighting, though, although with less precision and less strength than before.

Boromir was in front of him, now, trying to protect him from the violent onslaught of monsters. I searched everywhere, looking for the orc with the bow. He had to be stopped, or we'll all be dead.

When I did find him, my heart stopped. He had another arrow drawn and ready, aiming right for Boromir. The urge to go help him was overwhelming, but I was stuck with two choices. If I wanted to help him, I'd have to leave the hobbits, but if I didn't leave the hobbits, then I'd be fighting alone.

I can't do this alone.

"Stay back!" I pushed the hobbits away threw myself forward, pushing Boromir out of the way. His head hit a sharp rock, knocking him unconscious.

The second arrow made contact with Collin's chest, earning a loud gasp of pain from my best friend.

"Help!" The hobbits cried, being dragged away from us, having no one to protect them.

I jumped up, running after the retreating orcs. They were faster than the orcs in Moria; I could hardly keep up. I couldn't let the hobbits down. It was my job to protect them. I would rather die than see them get taken by those monsters.

Fate has a funny way of letting us down, though. Funny... Fate is almost as unreliable as humans, for just as I began to catch up with the band of orcs, my foot got caught on a root, and I was thrown to the ground.

I could write a book with all of the curse words I threw out, but it wouldn't make any difference. The hobbits were gone, and my best friend was dead because of me. Just when you think that life's going good, you ruin everything.

Shit... I've got to find Aragorn.

(Collin)

So this is how it feels to die...

Funny. When I looked into Galadriel's mirror, this isn't what I saw. I guess that I made a wrong turn, along the way... Some things just don't work out the way they were supposed to...

I knew that I was in trouble when the pain began to subside. I assume that one doesn't simply get used to the feeling of arrows sticking out of your gut, so the numbness must be something else.

Interesting... I figured that I'd be more afraid.

The giant orc that shot me had hung back from the group, wanting to finish me off. Boromir was already lying on the ground, motionless, with blood trickling down his skull. Dear James... Always so clumsy.

I looked up at the orc in front of me, terrified. I've never been a fan of death, especially not my own. Perhaps I shouldn't be afraid, though... It will all be over, soon.

Just as the orc lifted his bow to finish the job, a familiar face jumped into view and tackled the beast to the ground. Aragorn... Good. At least I'll have someone to talk to, at the end. That is, unless the orc kills him, too. That'd just be a plain old bad day...

Ignoring the stinging in my body, I crawled over to Boromir, who was lying just off to the side. He began to stir, just enough to let me know that he was alive. Guess today's not so bad, after all.

I don't hate Boromir. That's a rather ridiculous claim to make, for me. He's a good man, and I've enjoyed his friendship the past two months. I'm just a jealous man, is all. A jealous man who had every chance to get what he wanted, but gave it up to someone who jumped at the first meeting. He deserved her, more. I took her for granted. He took her as a gift.

These are all funny things to think about when you're dying... The one you love being with someone else.

"Collin!" Aragorn ran to my side, his eyes wide with worry. He began to tug on the arrows sticking out of me, but I swatted his hands away.

"No, no no! I've seen the movies. Taking these things out just leads to more bleeding. I'd like to enjoy this world a little while longer, thank you..." I'm no master of anatomy, but I'm assuming that two arrows in the torso is far from good.

Aragorn looked at me in disbelief. "But Collin-"

"No! It's better this way."

He nodded, moving away. "What happened, here?"

Boromir sat up, then, rubbing his aching skull. "Where are the hobbits?"

"They're gone..." James walked back into the clearing, eyes red from crying, and a look of defeat on his face. "I tried to stop them... I just couldn't reach them..."

"Go after them..." I breathed, the pain getting worse with every word.

Aragorn shook his head. "We must get you help, first..."

"If by getting me help, you mean burying me, I'd prefer you didn't!" Just leave me here in the woods. That's a much better death than lying underground for the rest of forever.

"Collin, I am sorry..." James knelt down next to me, his eyes unable to move from the arrows. "This is my fault..."

"Don't worry, old chap..." I tried to laugh, but ended up gasping in pain. "You meant well."

"You saved my life..." Boromir whispered, fiddling with his now broken horn. "How can I repay you?"

Well, that's an easy one. "You marry Sophie, and you take good care of her. Got it?"

He nodded, silent.

Tears fell from Aragorn's eyes. "We must go find her..."

In perfect unison with his words, Sophie appeared in the distance, her face red from running.

"Aragorn! Thank goodness! I've fou-" She cut off at the sight of me, eyes going wide. She ran forward and dropped to the ground beside me, holding my face in her hands. "Collin! What happened?"

"Please, darlin, there's no need to shout. I may be shot, but I can still hear you."

Sophie did her best to glare at me through the waterfall of tears. "Even now, Ollie, you can't be serious." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes furiously. "Please, hold on. We can help you..."

"No. You've got to find the hobbits. The orcs are getting further and further away."

Sophie shook her head. "It is over. Frodo has left us."

"Then we must split up!" Legolas cried, almost in panic mode. "We've got to find them!"

"Damn it, guys! Get out of here! Do you not see that I am a lost cause? Go get Merry and Pippin before they're slaughtered!" Do they not understand what's at stake? We can't save Frodo, now, but we can try to save the others.

Well... They can save the others.

Sophie took my hand and squeezed it. "Please... Don't leave me."

I gave her a small smile, doing my best to hide my pain. "Don't be foolish, girl. I'll never leave you... I will pester God until he lets me stay by your side. No matter what happens, Sophie, I'm there. Just say my name, and I'll come running. Do I need to recite every cheesy love song in the book?"

"I won't leave you!" Sophie cried, hiding her face in my ruined shirt.

Oh, Sophie... I am so sorry for what I'm about to do. "Get out of here, damn girl! What good is all of this sadness? I told you I'll always be with you, and I meant it, damn it! Now go!"

Aragorn took her by the hand, finally accepting my final wish. He tried to pull her away, but she refused to budge. With tears in his own eyes, Boromir picked her up and pulled her out of my arms. She screamed out my name, kicking and wailing like there was no tomorrow. If these arrows don't kill me, that surely will.

"Collin!" She screamed until she was out of sight, and I let out a sigh. Goodbye, Sophie.

I looked up to the sky, tears flowing from my eyes. "Such a beautiful day to die..." I whispered. It really was a beautiful day. The sun was shining through the trees, and the sky was a bright blue. If it wasn't for the dead orxs lying around, I'd be quite content to die, here.

Aragorn knelt down beside be, taking my arm in a warrior's hug. "I will never forget you, my brother..."

"Nor shall I..." Legolas sighed, standing behind Aragorn.

Gimli sniffled and mumbled, trying to conceal his feelings.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked. "Go."

Everyone turned away quickly, not daring to look back. James was the last to go, turning away slowly.

"I am sorry, brother..." He muttered through a shaking voice. "I love you, Collin. Forgive me..."

Then, everything went silent. Time seemed to pass by so slowly, I was surprised that I had stayed alive to see my friends leave.

Oh, God... I don't want to die.

I want to stand side by side with Sophie for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, my life was being cut short, and Sophie was no longer here. Today hasn't exactly gone as planned...

As the world went hazy around me, Sophie's image kept flashing through my mind, and tears flooded my eyes. I'll miss her. Even in Heaven, I'll miss her.

I am in love with her. I always have been.

I always will be.

Don't kill me. Keep reading. I understand that a lot of you may be... Well... Ticked, to put it short. Please, don't bombard me with mean comments and messages. I'm not saying that you would, but I'm just pleading because you never know. I've seen some nasty people on fanfiction; thankfully, none of you people are like that. I seriously have the best followers on earth. Your comments make me crack up some times, and I just want to say that I'm so thankful that you guys have stuck with me.

Hopefully, you'll stick with me after this little chapter.

There's more to this than you may expect.

All you Collin lovers, I love him too. So trust me when I say that things get better.

You've just got to wait.

Just trust me. :)