We all know that this scene was just begging to be written. ;-)

This little ficlet is set near the end of the Return of the King movie, so I'm sure you can infer from that that there will be spoilers for that movie. But if anyone happens to be reading this before they've seen the movie, here's a wee bit of background info: the four hobbits have returned to the Shire, and they're in the Green Dragon. Sam sees Rosie behind the bar, then gets up from their table suddenly and walks off camera. All the audience gets to see from that exchange are the reactions of Frodo, Merry, and Pippin, which are quite funny. This is just a little snippet that I wrote attempting to fill in what we didn't get to see. It's nothing spectacular, but I hope it's enough to make some people smile.

Big thanks to my friend Faith (aka Sache8) for giving me a commission to write this little filler scene.

And though he'll never read this, thanks to Sean Astin for making me fall in love with Samwise Gamgee all over again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters contained therein, and I'm making no money off of this. So there.

Worth Fighting For

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Sam set his mug down abruptly, a look of almost fierce determination coming to his face. He stood from the table and walked over to the bar, ignoring the amazed (and slightly amused) looks from his friends. He walked swiftly and surely towards the bar, and all other hobbits stepped aside, clearing a path to his destination.

She was absentmindedly drying her hands as she gazed at Sam in what he perceived to be a nervous excitement. Her brown eyes were wide and shining, and a bright smile of anticipation was on her face.

Sam's pace did not slow until he was only a foot from her, and there he came to a halt. Several months ago, he might have been astonished at the fearless manner with which he faced the beautiful Rose Cotton; but at that moment, after facing fire and darkness and coming out alive at the end of it - after all of that, saying what he needed to say to this lass did not seem quite so daunting as he'd once thought.

"Good evening, Rosie," he said with a small smile.

"Good evening, Sam." She seemed to be clutching the dishcloth rather tightly.

Sam's demeanor faltered for a moment as he frantically sought to find the proper words.

This isn't the best time to go showin' off your lack of foresight, Samwise, he thought to himself.

But only a few seconds had passed before the common sense that had governed his kind for years beyond count finally took over. He let out a deep breath of resignation, the same breath he had released before stepping into Bree, into Moria, into Lothórien and Cirith Ungol.

"Well, I've waited this long, no sense in me waitin' any longer," he said. Then he took another step closer to Rosie, placed his hands on her arms, and kissed her.

Rosie seemed quite surprised at first, but she quickly recovered, wrapping her arms around Sam's shoulders. Encouraged, Sam pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, filled with a sudden, passionate joy. Finally, finally! It had taken him so much time to at long last feel what he had yearned for - the sweet taste of Rosie's soft lips against his. Sam's heart swelled with such euphoria that he was certain it would burst. But let it burst, he thought; for he had held Rosie Cotton in his arms for one blessed moment, and that was enough for him.

When Sam reluctantly pulled away, he saw that Rosie was wearing the most stunning smile he had ever seen on her. And suddenly that one kiss wasn't enough anymore. Just holding her wasn't enough.

"But that's only half the job, I'm afraid," he said softly, mostly to himself. He then took Rosie's delicate hands in his large, calloused ones, stroking her fingers as he pondered how best to say what he wanted to say.

Rosie squeezed his hands encouragingly. "You know, Sam, simple ways are often the best ways."

Sam returned her smile and nodded. "You're right, of course. Well then, I'd best be at it." He lowered his voice and stared deep into her eyes. "Though I may not deserve you, I love you, Rose Cotton. Will you marry me?"

Laughing joyfully, she threw her arms around him and said, "Of course I'll marry you, Samwise Gamgee!"

Sam held her close, his eyes wide with amazement. Before he could think much on what had just occured, he heard a loud whoop from nearby. He and Rosie turned to find Merry and Pippin standing and applauding wildly, wide grins on their faces. It then dawned on Sam that the entire pub had been watching his proposal to Rosie, and he blushed deeply as the rest of the Green Dragon erupted into applause. He caught Frodo's eye, and his friend smiled proudly.

Sam then returned his attention to his wife-to-be. And as he gazed into Rosie's adoring eyes, he found there everything that he had been fighting for: love, the Shire, a garden filled with life and a place to call home. During his journey, Rosie's face had always appeared before his mind's eye whenever he had wanted to recall memories of those blessed things that he and Frodo, and Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gandalf, and all those other folk had been struggling for, suffering for, dying for.

Looking into Rosie's eyes, Sam knew that it had been worth the pain; Rose Cotton was something worth fighting for.

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