There was no question in Samwise Gamgee's mind that the time had come. Even though he had waited years for that moment when he would know, he was certain that he could not mistake the feeling that it was time. It was almost as though he had heard a voice beckon him from across the seas, asking him to come. But it was merely the simple, logical fact that it was time for him to go on his last journey. His children were grown and living their own little lives of coming and going, his wife of many years had died several months back and the time of year that all of the other journeys had begun had once again returned.

So with little sorrow in his heart Sam took his final leave of the Shire. Those who knew him well had long known that this day would come and did not question his desire to follow his heart over the sea. For he was going to the Grey Havens, and would be the last of the ringbearers to leave Middle-Earth. He was not sure that he would be expected, or that a ship would be waiting for him, but since he knew it was time for him to leave, so must others. Still, his anxiety at being forgotten did not dissipate until he reached the harbour and saw the fair white ship waiting, with the shipwright standing on the quay, waiting.

"Come Master Samwise, it is time for you and I to depart, for we are among the last to leave these shores, the others who would come have already boarded and it was time to be under weigh."

Sam allowed himself to be helped aboard the ship and he immediately felt uneasy, as no proper hobbit had much dealings with boats. Though the sea was relatively calm Sam felt unsteady on his feet and his stomach felt queasy. The elves laughed had helped him below where he spent most of the voyage. He would have sworn that the ship was a living creature the way that it bucked and rolled under him, but the elves were kind. They brought him water to drink and bread to eat, insisting that he would soon feel better. They were not half wrong.

For the last two days of the voyage he was able to come on deck, but all there was to see was water in every direction. He was told that they would soon see the shore, therefore he sat on the bow of the ship, waiting until it grew dark each night, wondering if there were lookouts on the shore that announced the arrival of new ships to all those on land, and he wondered how fast the news would travel and who would come to greet the ship.

There were indeed sentries that waited upon the shore looking outward over the seas with infinite elven patience each day, but there was one unofficial sentry who always came to greet each ship, that same person always walked away a little more disappointed each time. He often took to a tree that grew on the edge of a cliff and provided a good clear view. But on this particular day he was strolling along the rocky beach watching the waves as they broke onto land. At first the approaching ship appeared to be no more than a grey square on the horizon. As it became a more definite shape it proved to be a white elven ship, sailing from the Grey Havens to the harbour at the Undying Lands.

Upon seeing the ship Frodo forgot all else and ran all the way to the quay at the foot of the hill that boasted one of the elven 'cities'. He arrived before the ship, but not before several of the inhabitants of the city. The Lady Galadriel stood at the front of the small crowd that had already gathered at the front of the quay. He wormed his way up to her, which was relatively easy for someone the size of a hobbit. He came to her side and she spoke to him without looking down to see if it was him who had come to stand next to her.

"Another ship has come to arrive, and this is the last to set out from the Havens, only two of the elfkind remain in Middle-Earth, and it will be some time yet before the last elf arrives, upon a ship built of his own two hands."

"The last? Lady Galadriel, you know this for certain?"

Galadriel laughed, "Yes. Ask of me what you will, you may already know the answer in your heart."

"And upon this ship, who comes, do you know that?"

"Of course, there is a hobbit on that ship, Frodo Baggins, the last of the ringbearers have sailed, you may let your heart rest easy, your Sam has come."

Frodo hardly noticed the way that Galadriel had phrased her words, nor did he ponder the reason behind it, for he often used that phrasing himself. The ship sailed serenely up to the quay slowing its progress as it did so. Lines were thrown out and it was soon moored and the gangway run out. Elves began a slow progression down, a dozen of them in all, and after them came a hobbit on unsteady feet, who looked much relieved to be on solid ground again. It was certainly Sam, much older, but still the same old Sam. Frodo had to restrain himself from rushing forward and hugging Sam as Galadriel welcomed the newly arrived seafarers. At the end of her short welcome, (or long if you were Sam and Frodo) she invited them into the city for food and drink. As she turned to go, she said to Frodo, "You might want to show Samwise around yourself, a fair amount of elvish will be spoken, and I am sure he would rather go to your home to rest before the feast."

Frodo bowed and as the elves departed he slowly approached Sam, who stood staring wide-eyed at everything, but his attention focused on Frodo as soon as he saw him apart from the crowd. Now that the moment had come, Frodo felt no need to rush towards Sam, in fact, he was uncertain how exactly to begin. When he was five paces away he extended his hand towards Sam, who wrapped one of his own around it.

"Hello Sam." was all Frodo could think of to say.

"It's been a long time sir." was all that Sam could say before he tugged on Frodo's hand, drawing him forward into a hearty embrace. Frodo was heavier and healthier than the last time Sam had embraced him, at the Grey Havens all those years ago. He no longer wore a haunted look in his eyes and Sam was willing to bet that he no longer felt pain from wounds that should have been long healed and forgotten. And although Sam was older than the last time Frodo had seen him, he was just as hale and hearty.

"Sam, have you brought anything with you that needs to be brought off the ship?"he asked into Sam's shoulder, unwilling to break the contact he had been longing for.

"No sir, just what I have in my pack."

"Come then, we will go to my house and you will tell me all that has occurred since I left, in fact, you might even tell me how long ago I did leave, for it has only been a year and a day since I have been here, but the waiting has been long." Frodo reluctantly removed himself from Sam's embrace, but kept a tight hold on his hand. As they walked through the Undying lands Frodo endeavored to explain a little about them to Sam, "They are both as vast as Middle-earth and yet smaller than the Shire at times, if that makes any sense. Time here is like time in Lothlorien, which is why you now appear older than me, but in a few days you will feel more youthful, even poor Bilbo did for while."

"Is he gone then?" Sam asked with great hesitation.

"Yes, he was very old, very weak and not all together in his right mind. I am so glad you are here Sam, I missed you more than you could ever know, and I often feel very small here, but the elves have been very kind."

As they went down a winding path they walked under trees and through clever gardens until Sam realized that they were headed in the direction of the sea again. They came around the corner of the path and there was a hobbit hole tucked under a hill that faced the sea surrounded by a garden that Sam would have been proud to have called his own.

"The elves were kind enough to help me build it, where I wanted it even. They tried to convince me to live in the city with them, in the trees and the like, but I wanted to be near the sea, and underground, old habits are hard to break. They help me with the garden sometimes too, but I had an excellent teacher." Sam was staring in wonder again, and Frodo watched him with a contented feeling. "You may stay with me for as long as you like, in fact, I hope you will."

Sam turned to look at Frodo, "I would like that very much Mr. Frodo."

Frodo laughed, "Now none of that Sam, you're now older than me, and I have a feeling that you are quite respected back home, I always told you that we were equals, and it's time that you starting believing in it."

"Yes sir, if you don't mind me saying so, it's good to hear you laugh again."

"And it is good to see you again, come inside and tell me about everything."

---

After two pots of tea and a plate full of biscuits Sam had finished relating to Frodo all that had occurred since he had been away. Night had fallen and Frodo had started a fire in the hearth near were they sat. Frodo was laughing again.

"I don't see what's so funny to you." said Sam.

"It's just the idea that Merry and Pippin are the distinguished and respected heads of their households, you have had years to grow accustomed to the idea, but when I last saw them they were still mischievous troublemakers with a slightly serious side. I always knew my little cousins would someday have those responsibilities whether they liked it or not, but I still find it rather amusing, but come Sam, you have told me little about yourself."

"Tis nothing special sir, I was the mayor like I told you-" Sam seemed hesitant to say much more.

"How many children did you have with Rosie?" Frodo prompted.

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen?! My, you certainly did fill that big, old, empty smial properly, as it should have been, long ago. Were you happy Sam?"

"Sure I was, leastways, most of the time."

"What do you mean Sam?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "Well sir, I worried about you sometimes, at night mostly, and I missed you terribly. And well, it was always like I was just waiting for you to come home any moment and you never did, something was always just missing. That's all."

Frodo smiled, "But you knew that you could come too, someday, did that not help?"

"It was an awful long time to wait sir, even with everything I had."

"Well, we're here now, together, and I think all is well with the world at the moment."

"And you sir," Sam ventured with caution, "What've you done since you've come to the elven lands?"

"While Bilbo was alive I tended him, since then I have wandered about exploring these lands, I read and write a great deal and Gandalf spends much time with me."

"Are you healed like they said you would be?"

"Yes," he hooked his fingers under his collar and pulled his shirt aside, "See? Hardly even a white scar, at that was the worst of it. I no longer grow chill in sunlight and have fits of sickness, I am merely sad, or was, but now you are here, dear Sam, and I do not think I will be sad anymore."

"Why were you sad, in such a happy place? Do your memories haunt you?"

"Not often, occasionally, but rarely. I left behind a great deal, and that was hard, it left an emptiness in me, and worst of all was leaving you behind. After all that I had lost, I knew I had to let you go, keep secrets from you even, because you had a purpose yet to fulfill, and I had completed mine, even if I could not do it in the end."

"I'll have none of that Mr Frodo, you got it there, and that was more than many could've done."

"I know Sam, I know, they tell me that all the time. But I feared that you wouldn't come, that you would decide that you couldn't leave the Shire for a second time."

Sam smiled, "You should know better'n that by now, I'll follow you anywhere, and I'll be damned if I didn't. You should never question what I would do for you, and I don't ever want you keeping secrets from me again, whatever they may be. You were always the light in my life."

"You don't know how it warms my heart to hear that. I tried to do what I could for you when I left. I tried to make sure that you had everything a hobbit needed to be content, a cozy smial, the best garden in the Shire to dig your spade into, a lovely, merry lass and plenty of hobbit children."

"I'll not argue with you that all that is what a hobbit needs, an' there are places I'll never forget, and people I'll always love, but Frodo, I loved you more." Sam said shyly.

Frodo rose, coming to stand in front of Sam, but Sam anticipated him and met him halfway, leaving them to stand a pace apart in front of the hearth. "You don't know how long I have kept that very same feeling from you Sam, though I don't think it is on the same level."

"If it's more'n anything else in life, than I think so. I love you in more'n one way, in every possible way, an' I've done an awfully shoddy job of keepin' it to meself."

"How long ago did you realize that?"

"I suppose I always did know it, but it were in the back of my mind somewheres, and I realized it when I was listenin' to you and Gandalf talk about you goin' away, which was how I ended up comin' with you, as you well know. I knew for certain at Weathertop, there were no more doubts in my mind then."

Frodo smiled, "You might say I always knew too, but never thought to recognize the feeling, that is, until Bilbo left and I was all alone. I thought about you constantly, but I could never scandalize my young gardener like that. It was in Rivendell when I realized the feeling was mutual, but there was no helping for it, the quest was no time or place for romantic endeavors."

"That's true, an' you were so ill when we got home, an' you hid everything from me very well."

"I'm sorry Sam, but I had to, I knew that in order to ever be free of pain, I had to come here and leave you behind, no matter what new pain that might bring."

"Seems to me that I've waited sixty years for you an' know I'm old with very little to offer."

"I don't know if you left the Shire with grey hair Sam, or if you have seen a mirror since then, but your hair is the same coppery colour that I remember, and your face never did show its age. We have many years here ahead of us and will die very old hobbits indeed." Frodo was running his fingers through Sam's hair as he spoke.

"Mr Frodo, begging your pardon, but ain't there a feast we're expected at?" Sam asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"My name's Frodo, and no, not unless you want to. Galadriel suggested that you settle in first before attending any elven gathering, I doubt you've been practicing elvish in the Shire."

"No sir, I haven't."

Frodo put his arms around Sam's waist and said, "Then we'll get you settled in, and while you set your room the way you would like it, I will cook us dinner. This smial is much smaller than Bag End, it has only this study, a kitchen, a cold cellar, three bedrooms and a bathing room. There was one bedroom for each of us, so you have choice of which one you would like." Frodo lead Sam out into the hall, the bedrooms were all in a row one side of the house, the kitchen, study and cellar on the other and the bathing room was at the far end of the hall.

"I don't rightly think I can take Mr Bilbo's room sir, and, well..." Sam did not try to finish his sentence.

"Would you like to share with me Sam?"

"Could we?" he asked hopefully.

Frodo smiled, "Of course, I was hoping you would want to." He lead Sam to his room and left him there to settle in. Dinner was nearly done when Sam wandered in, looking rather pleased.

"This is a rather nice hole, if you don't mind me saying so, I don't think I'd ever want to leave."

"Good, because I'm not about to let you."

They sat down to the meal and finished it with relative ease. After which Frodo took Sam on a tour of the gardens surrounding the smial before leading him back inside.

"You must be tired from your journey Sam, would you like to rest?"

"Well sir, I seem to remember you mentioning something earlier about scandalizing your gardener, an', well, it sounds like an idea I'd like to explore."

"I've lived alone a long time Sam."

"I know."

"I'm very inexperienced Sam."

"I know."

"I only have an over active imagination to go on."

"I should hope so." Sam took Frodo's hand and led him down the hall to Frodo's room. "Just remember sir, we're both a little new at this." And he shut the door behind them.