Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 13:43:20 -0800 (PST) From: Whitney Ross Subject: A Beginning at Bags End 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. Please feel free to send comments. It's all the feedback we get. I'm available at whitney_ross01@yahoo.com ***** 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. Meanwhile Sam and David were heading out to the vast gardens that were outside the house. Since returning from their adventures they had worked to expand them to the point of being the envy of the shire. Frodo had arranged to purchase several nearby homes so that the edge of the Gamgee home now bordered on the edge of Frodo's property. Sam and his family had moved into one of the homes and the others had been partially cleared away to give more room. There had been some protest since the work involved digging into the hillside but Frodo had calmed things down with a couple of big parties. The gardens were divided into several sections. Those closest to the hillside consisted of flowers, shrubs and bushes. This gave a cooling effect to the homes inside the hills as well as a pleasant smell on cool spring nights. The visual effect was also pleasant allowing one to gaze out into a blaze of color and light. Sam was particularly proud of this effort and the many visitors to Bags End commented frequently on the effect. Sam had tried to recreate some of the things that he had seen on the quest but only he, Frodo and their friends Sam and Pip realized that. Moving out from the hillside Sam had worked to create several lush lawns and gardens with plenty of room for people to play and run. One near his own home had been designed as a play area for his children and included secret tunnels and hidden coves. Children from all over Hobbiton loved to come and play and invitations to the Gamgee home were prized. There were also patio areas outside both Sam and Frodo's homes so that meals could be taken outside. A garden path connected these areas so that travel from one place to the other was as easy as possible. Near the patios were the vegetable gardens, which offered every possible treat for the taste buds, especially mushrooms and potatoes. Frodo had also created an herb garden to provide for his cooking. Sam wasn't so sure about all of these fancy herbs but Frodo had begun to convince him. He used them on fish and chips, one of Sam's favorites. With Sam now fully occupied with the gardens and his own family Frodo had hired Pip to tend to a large tract of farmland where they grew larger crops like wheat, corn and the like. Merry had also decided to build a future for himself and had established grocers. He regularly supplied Sam and Frodo with fish and meat as well as a number of treats imported from throughout the shire. The general opinion in the area was that something unusual must have happened to the four adventurers for all of them to take on such work. As Sam proudly showed him around the gardens David could not help but to smile. Sam was so excited about things it was almost as if the gardens were one of his children. He could see however that there were several areas that could be improved. The drainage system was pretty primitive. A few adjustments could allow for the water to flow from area to area in a more efficient manner. This would prevent the more public areas from becoming too wet while at the same time providing nourishment for the vegetables. This would also improve the irrigation flow. The use of natural filters would clean the water so that some could be reused for cooling purposes. David also thought that the lighting in the gardens could be improved with the introduction of some small trees and shrubs and some careful pruning. This would allow the areas to be more usable particularly on cloudy days. At the same time the trees could be used to shade the areas during the warmer summer months. He hesitated to tell Sam anything because he didn't want to upset his new friend. But when Sam prodded him for comments he began to offer a few of his ideas. Sam was very excited and they sat in one of the gardens near Sam's place as he pushed and prodded until David told him all of his thoughts. "This is just wonderful" Sam gushed "We'll be busy for a long time getting all of this done but Frodo will love it." David just nodded, but deep down he doubted he would be here that long. Sooner or later he would make a mistake and Sam and Frodo would get rid of him. Nobody wanted David around for long; he was just a stupid half-man, barely worth looking at and certainly not worth tolerating. But if he worked hard and was careful perhaps they wouldn't hurt him too badly. Sam and David decided that they'd been talking long enough so they headed over to Sam's house for a second breakfast. Sam felt that at least 2 or 3 breakfasts a day were required but was surprised that David was willing. But considering what little he knew about David's background it made sense. When you go without as many meals as he had you grabbed whatever you could get. David insisted on preparing the meal since Sam and Frodo had cooked earlier. Sam watched David work the kitchen like an expert. Since they had plenty of fish and potatoes they decided to fix fish and chips, one of Sam's personal favorites. He stood by offering whatever help David needed but it seemed he didn't need (or was not used) to any help. As the meal cooked, they talked about plans for the garden, the history of the area and other topics. Sam loved telling David all about Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. He and Frodo hadn't been able to share much about their adventures with the folk of Hobbiton so it was nice to be able to have someone to listen. When the fish was ready David reached for a plate but his hands were still covered with some butter he'd used to cook the meal and the plate slipped and fell to the floor with a crash. "I'm sorry sir", said David, cringing as if expecting a blow. "It's alright", replied Sam "I've made plenty of mistakes myself". Sensing David's fear Sam reached over and took him into a comforting embrace. David tensed for a moment, remembering what he'd been through in the past when people touched him. But Sam was so gentle that David felt comfort creep into his body and he relaxed. The moment over, they moved the meal out to the patio and began to eat. Sam knew that David had been tense and fearful ever since he had arrived. It was clear the poor man had been abused and based on his reaction a moment ago that the abuse had extended well beyond the physical. He decided to try and show that affection and love was possible. "David, I'd like to tell you a story about me and Frodo that I've never told anyone else. You have to promise to keep it to yourself, don't even tell Frodo I told you. Is that alright?" "Yes sir", David replied. "Well first off it is not sir, I'm Sam and he's Frodo." "Ok." "Well my story is about something that happened with Frodo when we were on our own. You remember that I told you about the battle when Boromir died. Well we went off by ourselves. We knew this Gollum thing was following us but for a little while we were all by ourselves. It was very cold and very lonely being out there like that." David listened intently; interested to see where the story would go. "Anyway, one night it was so cold and wet that we decided to bundle up together, for warmth. At first it was just that, sharing body warmth. But as the night went on we started holding onto each other. Tighter and tighter...." Sam drifted away as he remembered the moment with a smile. "I'd always felt something for Frodo too. I just didn't know that he was feeling the same things. We kept sharing space for the next few nights but didn't do anything but hold on tight. Which wasn't easy mind you, because I didn't want Frodo to feel me... well..." Now David let on a slight smile, and Sam was hopeful he was realizing love could be just that. "One evening we were walking when we slipped and fell into a bog. We were a stinky mess I tell ya. So we went to bathe in a pool we'd camped by for the night. We had to help each other out; with the mess all over us it was hard to get everything clean. Frodo was helping me with my back when I turned around and suddenly we were face to face. I froze, but Frodo reached over and took my face in his hands and kissed me. It was just amazing...." "We must have stayed in that water for hours." Sam laughed. Sam went on to discuss how they learned to love each other and of the evenings where things went far beyond kissing. "Now don't misunderstand me. I loved my Rose then and I love her now. But Frodo is just special. Rose is pretty understanding about it. Frodo and I spend some time together and we still... well" Sam blushed a little as David smiled some more. "But my point is that you never know where love will come. I don't know what happened to you before, but I can tell you that when you are with us you are safe." "Thank you for sharing that", David answered. He began to wonder if things really could be the way that Sam said. But he also knew that he'd heard things like this before and so he remained cautious. With breakfast over the two headed to the gardens to begin to implement David's new ideas. They decided that it would be best to start with the new watering plans. Sam led David down into an undeveloped part of the property. It was along the side of the hill where they had dug things out to make room. A portion of what had been a basement was left, although most of it had collapsed during a recent storm. There was just a small part of it that was still intact and Sam was using it as a storage area for some of his tools and equipment. It was accessed by a hatch that was built into the ground. There was a small ladder that led down into the ground. "I really need to fix this area up." he said, "the door tends to stick and one of these days the rest of the walls are going to give way. I figured on rebuilding it to be a combination storage area and root cellar, but I've never gotten around to it. "Well perhaps we can work on it later", David offered, realizing for the first time that he was actually considering staying. Sam motioned for David to follow him down but didn't notice the shudder David gave as he followed. David couldn't help but be reminded of the place that he had been kept. The place that he was forced into by someone he thought he could trust. The next several hours were spent beginning to implement David's ideas. The two worked hard to dig some new irrigation canals for the water to flow through. They cleared some of the clutter and started to see how well the new plans would work. As they worked, Sam asked David to go get some tools out of the storage area. David was reluctant but did what he was asked. As he moved towards the back of the room he heard a groaning noise and looked in shock to see the stick holding the door open creak and snap. The door slammed down and as it did he saw the walls begin to crumble and the whole room began to fall in on itself. He was sure he would die but at the last moment a portion of the wall held. But he was trapped in the dark and his lower body was covered with mounds of dirt. He tried calling for help but there was no response. Then again why would Sam come and help him when he'd made such a dumb mistake. He could feel the room closing in on him and began to feel the terror build inside him. It was just like before, he was locked in a hole. Meanwhile, Sam was working in the garden. When he got to working he tended to lose all track of time, so it was close to an hour before he began to wonder what was keeping David. He headed over to the storage area and was horrified to see dust and smoke pouring out of the hole. He rushed over to the door but it would not move. He yelled for David but heard no response. Despite his size and the jokes about his being 'a fat Hobbit', Sam was in very good shape and was pretty strong. He pulled and strained until the door finally gave way. He rushed down into the hole and began to look around. He saw David half covered in dirt, shivering and shaking. He quickly moved down and dug David out, but David began to panic and struggle. Sam moved him out into the daylight but David was still in a full blown panic attack. He was screaming and yelling, saying he was going to die and that nobody cared for him. Sam held him tightly trying to comfort him but it wasn't working. Sam held David's face in his hands and softly called his name, whispering reassurances to him. "You're safe now", he promised. "No one's going to hurt you." The small man continued to panic, struggling to free himself from the Hobbit's clutches. Sam pulled him close to him, stroking David's hair and speaking gently into his ear. "Sssh, listen to me. You're safe and you're loved. I won't let anything or anybody hurt you. That's a promise." David stilled in the stocky hobbits arms. For the first time since the incident, he was actually hearing what Sam was saying to him. No one in the past had spoken so gently to him, or held him with such loving care. He felt Sam's fingers running through his hair and his hand tracing soothing circles on his back. He sighed and pressed further into the embrace. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he knew he could trust Sam, and believe every word he spoke. Sam felt the man in his arms relax. He placed a soft kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear again. "You okay now?" David nodded his head against the Hobbit's shoulder. Sam kissed his cheek again. "I care about you and so does Frodo." Pulling back just a little and cupping David's chin in the palm of one hand, he used the other to wipe away the tears that stained the tiny man's face. Without thinking, Sam dipped his head and brushed his lips against David's. He felt the man tense. "I'm sorry", Sam spoke quickly, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just." David looked up into the eyes of the blonde haired hobbit and saw love and concern looking back at him. He leaned up slightly and returned the kiss. "You don't have to.", Sam began and was immediately silenced with another kiss. Sam placed his hands on David's face and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, all the while being sensitive to the small man's reactions. Although Sam's own body was craving more, he didn't want to push and risk frightening David away. Sam whispered against the warm pink lips of their new friend. "Feeling better?" He felt David smile against his lips and kissed him once more before pulling away. Sam stared into David's eyes before placing a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. "Let's get back and get you cleaned up. Frodo will have my head when he sees you." "Don't worry", David smiled. "I'll tell him how you rescued me and that it was all my fault." "Listen to me", Sam said sternly, "It wasn't your fault, and I'll here no such talk from you again. It was an accident." Sam gave David on final kiss, enjoying the feel of soft supple lips against his. One heartier embrace from the Hobbit and they headed back to Frodo's house. "Are you going to tell him what happened between us?" David asked timidly. "Only if you want me to. As I said before, Mr. Frodo and I have a special relationship. I know he wouldn't mind you being a part of it. But neither of us will do anything to you that you don't want." Sam took David's hand as they walked in companionable silence back to Frodo's. For the first time in a long time, David felt like he was home.