Sam wakes up with a shout and Frodo moves as if he was already in motion before Sam jerked up in fright, wrapping one cool naked arm across Sam's shoulders that still feel warm, always warm.
"I'm here, Sam, it's all right, I'm here," Frodo soothes in a whisper. "It's all right, see? Feel it, the skin's all healed." And Frodo moves Sam's palm to cover the small scar that might have been a bite, a spider sting, if it wasn't so much larger than any spider sting could be.
And Sam gulps down the tears that the nightmare wrung from him, and nods, and touches Frodo's skin as if he's afraid that this is the dream and the memories of a moment in the dark are the real truth. Rose stirs but doesn't wake, and neither Sam nor Frodo would disturb her comfortable rest for all the treasure in the world.
"It's all right, Sam, it's over," Frodo murmurs, and Sam shakes his head.
"No, that's the thing... I thought it were over, that you were... that you had left me." Sam has to pause and swallow and blink, and his hand over Frodo's skin tremors like a leaf in the wind. "But it ain't over. You're here, safe, and me and Rosie can keep you protected."
Frodo smiles, biting back the retort that he's not a faunt in need of mollycoddling because he knows how desperately important it is to Sam's happiness that he can care for Frodo as he does. So, instead of speaking, he guides Sam's hand to rest over his heart, so that the pulse can serve as a reminder that the story didn't end there in the dark.
~