Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 10:25:59 -0800 (PST) From: Whitney Ross Subject: A Beginning at Bags End Part One This is fantasy fiction intended for an audience of gay males over the age of 18. It contains detailed description of homosexual activity and if you find this offensive you should not read on. This story in no way reflects the true sexual preferences of any of the characters or actors who may have portrayed them and should not, in any way be taken as a true representation of any activities that have ever been performed. Lord of the Rings and some of these characters are trademarks of and copyright of the estate of JRR Tolkien. Lord of the Rings films, its plotlines, characters and ideas are the property of the New Line Cinemas. ***** The sun was slowly setting as Sam and Frodo walked along the water quietly talking. It was one of those warm spring evenings that made living in the Shire even more magical than usual. It had been nearly a year since their adventures together and the special bond formed between the two remained very close. But lately it had been much harder for them to find time to talk. Sam was married and busy with his new family while Frodo spent much of his time working on finishing Bilbo's book by writing the story of their voyage outside the Shire. But Sam's wife Rose had gone off to visit her family and would be gone for several weeks. Frodo had worked hard before she left to get ahead in his writing so he could take advantage of the freedom Sam would have. They had spent some evenings at the pub, others eating at Bags End, but most evenings they took quiet walks away from the other residents of Hobbiton so they could talk. There was just something about what they had been through that made them need this time alone. The two had shared many very private things. Which was not to say that Sam didn't love Rose, but Frodo was special too. Rose understood. and knew Sam would never hurt her. "It seems like so long since we were on our quest" commented Frodo "and at the same time like it was yesterday." "I know what you mean Mr. Frodo" "Now Sam, how many times do I have to tell you. You are family and the name is just Frodo" "Ok, I'll try to remember", Sam said, smiling affectionately at his dearest friend. The two continued to walk and talk, wondering what had happened to Legolas, Gimli and their other friends. They knew Aragorn was ruling Gondor and they saw Gandalf from time to time, but they still wondered. They had even discussed visiting their friends but never seemed to get around to doing it. As they walked along Frodo began to frown and look off the path into the bushes. "Is something wrong Frodo?" asked Sam, remembering Frodo's admonition. "I'm not sure Sam, but I see something up ahead. I'm not sure what it is, it looks like a pile rags or something", replied Frodo "Yes, I see it now, but it looks like a someone", gasped Sam. The two hobbits scurried along the trail and down by the edge of a small creek. There they found that what looked from a distance like a pile of dirty rags was actually a body of a rather tall hobbit. He was covered in dirt and bruises and was not moving, but he was alive. Sam and Frodo paused as they thought of what to do. Their neighbors and friends were good people but they were not friendly with strangers. Sam and Frodo might have been the same way if not for their voyage with the fellowship. They knew they had to help this poor little hobbit. "Sam", Frodo ordered, "Go back and get that barrow we saw. It belongs to Pip and he won't mind if we use it" "Yes Mr. Frodo I will." Sam scurried off and returned quickly with the barrow. He and Frodo lifted the body into the barrow and quietly made their way back to Frodo's home. It was later now and nobody saw them sneak inside the back entrance. To be accurate few knew the back entrance even existed. Frodo's uncle Bilbo had put it in as a way to escape from unwanted visitors. As they moved inside Sam went to start a bath while Frodo checked to see if he could find out who this stranger was, but there was no identification of any kind and the stranger remained unconscious, although he had started to moan. Sam and Frodo took him into the bath and began to undress him. As they put him into the water and began to wash his body they made two startling discoveries. The first was that their visitor had many healed bruises and cuts on his back. The other bigger surprise was that he was not a hobbit; he was a human!! They were surprised because most humans were tall, more than 6 feet in height. But this one was less than 5 feet tall. Big for a hobbit but very small for a human. At this moment the man awoke and began to struggle as if his life were in danger. Frodo quietly reassured him and calmed him down. It was clear that this man had been through some tough times. "My name is Frodo, and this is Sam" he said, "You are at my home in Hobbiton and we will not hurt you, we only want to help. Can you tell me your name?" "My name is David", said the man, "I had no idea I was this far out. Thank you for your help". "Excuse me for askin sir" said Sam, "But what are you doing here and what happened to you?" "Quiet Sam" snapped Frodo. "We should not pry with our guest". "No, it's alright", said David, "You have helped me so I will tell you my story." As the three men sat there David spilled out a story that made Sam and Frodo gasp in horror. "As you can see I am a very small man and I was always much smaller than everyone else. My parents sold me into service because they felt I could not do them any good as a farm hand. I have bounced from place to place since I was a child and was always treated more as property than as a person." "That isn't right", exclaimed Sam. "Shh, let him finish", said Frodo. "Yes, well when I got old enough I set out on my own, working where I could. I was always called names like half-man or runt. People told me I was nothing more than a want to be hobbit. So I decided to come out towards the Shire, hoping I could find somewhere to be alone, away from people. But I was attacked by robbers and left for dead. I've been stumbling around for weeks, feverish and tired. I am only glad you found me and helped me." Sam and Frodo looked at each other with sad eyes, moved by David's tale. They helped him to wash himself and then led him to the table where they fed him until he felt he would burst. As Frodo would later comment, Dave ate like a hobbit. The two hobbits smiled as he began to regain a healthy look. Although he was weak from hunger it was also clear that David had led a very healthy life. He was in good shape, his muscles well formed, his chest firm and his arms strong. "I thank you for your trouble but I think it may be time for me to leave now", said David. "Why would you leave?" Sam and Frodo asked in almost the same breath. "I know you do not need strangers here and I do not want to be any trouble", David yawned, his eyelids growing heavy with sleep. Sam and Frodo smiled at each other, both amused and touched that he would be so concerned about them. "Well, we can talk about that in the morning", said Frodo as he and Sam led the young man to a soft bed. Within moments the man was asleep. "Frodo. I know it sounds strange to say this so quickly, but I think that we have to do something with this new friend. We cannot let him leave." "I know Sam", Frodo agreed. "I feel he will be a special part of our lives. We need to make him welcome." As they stood there talking David began to shiver. It was clear he was cold and weary from what he had been through. The two hobbits remembered how they had shared a bed to stay warm while on their venture. Without a word they joined David and held him tightly between them. The three quietly fell asleep until the next morning. As morning broke, Sam was the first to awake and at first the pile of bodies confused him. Then he remembered and smiled to himself. Somehow during the night the three had managed to arrange themselves. Frodo was on his side facing the wall; David was behind with an arm half draped over the hobbit. Sam found himself spooned around David with his arms wrapped around his two friends. Sam quietly moved from the bed and began to prepare for the morning. It was nearly dawn and Sam knew that they would need to be careful to keep things quiet about David. Humans were rare in this part of the Shire, or any part for that matter. The closest place with any semi-human presence was Bree, and even there the humans had long ago assimilated into the Shire. Bree was the only place where humans and hobbits lived closely and most in Hobbiton were wary of strangers. Sam took time for a bath and then prepared the room for Frodo and Dave to use when they awoke. He then headed to the kitchen. Sam moved about Bags End as he prepared a breakfast that was large even by Hobbit standards. Piles of fresh fruit and cream were only the beginning. Sam had a weakness for strawberries and served them whenever he could. He next prepared large mushroom omelets, flapjacks, bacon, ham and a large basket of breads. The noise and odors awoke Frodo who came into the kitchen and smiled at Sam, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Good morning Sam, I see you have been busy" he said. "I thought we should start planning things early. You can take a bath if you want", replied Sam. "Is our guest still sleeping?" "Yes he is. He seems so tired and weak. We must help him. I want to protect him", Frodo whispered, careful his voice didn't wake their guest in the next room. "Well nobody had better mess with David while I'm around, or they will have Samwise Gamgee to answer to", he said with pride. The two friends looked at each other as they realized each had begun to feel something unexplainable for the mysterious young human. Sam continued cooking while Frodo bathed. After a short time Sam heard David awake and move around. He decided to go tell him that the bath was available. When he entered the bedroom he saw David packing his small bag. David looked at Sam with fear when he saw him at the door. "I wasn't taking anything, please don't hurt me", he cried. "Hurt you, I would never hurt you" Sam replied as he gently held the frightened young man. "Frodo and I want you to stay here as long as you need, and right now you need a bath, so go to it." David looked at Sam with confused eyes. Nobody had ever been so kind to him. Sam had such a gentle smile that David felt he could stay there forever. As David left for the bath, Sam looked at him thoughtfully. The man had such inner beauty to him that Sam was almost lost in thought until the smell of burning bread brought him back and he rushed to the kitchen. As David quietly entered the bath Frodo gave him a hearty welcome and pointed to the second bathtub. David quickly undressed and entered the tub, as if he was afraid to show himself to Frodo. It was clear to Frodo that the poor man had been abused much more than he let on. He had heard of people who abused others in that way. But could never imagine taking what he and Sam shared and turning it into hate. "So Sam and I have talked and I want you to stay here as long as you need." Dave smiled bashfully and thanked Frodo. The two began to talk. Frodo was careful to steer the discussion to safe topics, such as the history of the Shire, or Sam's gardening talents. He wanted to make their guest feel at ease. As the two talked David found himself staring into Frodo's clear blue eyes, which were so beautiful that he felt he could fall into them. He was a little embarrassed to realize his dreaming was having an impact on his body and he quickly averted his gaze. He might not have been so embarrassed had he realized that both Sam and Frodo shared something similar with each other, and that they had begun to feel the same about the diminutive man. Frodo finished his bath and headed for the kitchen, telling David to take his time. In the kitchen he snuck up behind Sam and wrapped his arms around him, offering another more prolonged kiss. The two smiled and played while adding the final touches to breakfast. "So what do you think of David?", Frodo began. "Well he's nice but scared and needs support", Sam replied. "And he's also cute", Frodo added. "Well I wasn't going to say that, but yes he is", the older hobbit agreed. "Perhaps we could show him some love", Frodo suggested. The two quietly discussed the idea, knowing that they had to be careful but also knowing that something had always seemed to be missing from their relationship. Perhaps they needed someone to be the center of the relationship that would allow the two to share each other and yet also share another. Their speculations were ended as David quietly entered the room. The three sat for some time eating and both hobbits were again amazed at how much David could eat. According to hobbit standards, most humans barely picked at food but David was giving Sam a run for his money and that was saying something. When the meal was finished David insisted on clearing the table and cleaning up. It was obvious he'd done this many times before as he quickly and efficiently restored order to the kitchen. "You are very good at this", Frodo commented, as Sam nodded in agreement. "I have learned to do many things", David said proudly, "Cooking, cleaning, gardening, just about everything you can think of." At the word gardening Sam's face lit up. He had worked as Frodo's gardener and groundskeeper prior to the quest but found it harder to keep up with his work. "Do you think you could help me with Frodo's gardens?" asked Sam. "Of course I could", said David "But I know you could have trouble keeping me here." "Never mind that" said Frodo. "It's my house and if I want you to stay then you stay. Besides we can just say you are a friend who has come to help us with our work." Sam and David headed off to work in the garden as Frodo sat down to think about what to do with David. His uncle Bilbo had taken Frodo in when his parents had died and Frodo had always wanted to repay that favor. Perhaps David was a way to start that work.