Frodo sat at the table, shocked to his core. Stunned, frightened and angry Hobbits ran all about, calling for Bilbo and searching everywhere for the vanished Hobbit. But Frodo knew that they wouldn't find him. He was leaving. Gone.

Frodo's head dropped into his hands as tears filled his eyes. Tears he refused to shed. He'd known Bilbo was up to something... he just never imagined that it would hurt this much.

A comforting arm settled around Frodo's shoulders and he recognized Sam's presence before he even spoke. "Easy now, Mr. Frodo." There was a quiet concern in Sam's voice; a concern which had apparently overwhelmed his surprise over Bilbo's disappearance.

Sam, for his part, had been quite shocked when Mr. Bilbo up and vanished before everyone's eyes. But his own gaze had immediately searched for Frodo and what he'd seen had worried him more. Mr. Frodo looked so small and alone that Sam's heart ached for him. So rather than join the hordes of people looking for Bilbo, Sam made it his own task to comfort Mr. Frodo.

Sam led Frodo away from the party field and up the road a ways. Under a stand of trees, they sat together in the quiet of the night. The field was far enough behind them that the calling voices were somewhat hushed, and the two of them were alone.

Eventually, Frodo spoke softly. "He's gone, Sam. I can't believe that he's really gone. And he didn't even tell me!" The tears began to slip down Frodo's cheeks, even as he spoke. He couldn't seem to stop them from falling.

"There, now, Mr. Frodo. Mr. Bilbo probably handled it as best he could. He weren't never good with goodbyes. And 'twas you he was really saying goodbye to. He was looking right at you when he said it." Sam held his Mr. Frodo against his chest, letting his dear friend and master cry on his shoulder. It took several minutes for the tears to slow and several more to finally stop, but Sam didn't care. He just held tight to Frodo and patted his back.

"Thank you, Sam," Frodo finally said. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be completely alone, then."

"Sam is here for you, Mr. Frodo. Don't you never be afraid the you're alone." Sam's voice was rough, but honest and his eyes shone with the truth of his words.

"I won't," the older Hobbit agreed.

"Well, then. Why don't you be running back to Bag End and see if maybe you can't catch Mr. Bilbo before he leaves there. He has to have gone back for his things, you know." Sam's heart lightened a bit when Frodo smiled.

"Indeed I shall. Thank you, Sam." Frodo gave his gentle friend a hug, then scrambled to his feet. He took off at a run for Bag End. And from where he still sat beneath the trees, Sam could hear his shouts of "Bilbo!" as he ran past the gate and up the steps...

End