As Sam stood on the deck of the Elven ship, his hands gripped the railing so tightly that the knuckles were white. They were only a few minutes away from the dock in Valinor and he thought for a moment that he hadn’t been this exhilarated and terrified until the end of Mordor.

And then the ship was gliding into place alongside the dock, waves splashing softly against the grey wood. Amidst the calls and cries of families and friends reuniting, Sam felt a bit lost among so many taller beings. His short legs were still wobbly from the journey and he tried very hard, as he had for days, not to look down at the water.

And then he heard a familiar voice and long-unheard footfall. A pair of blessedly strong arms wrapped themselves around him tightly and he could only do the same in return.

"Sam, oh my dear Sam."

"Mr. Frodo, I came, I had to…"

Wide blue eyes, free of pain and shadow now, met his own for the first time in so very long, and he found that he had to drop his gaze.

"Sam?" Frodo queried gently. "Whatever is the matter?"

"I’m old, you see, Mr. Frodo, and you looking older, but not like…I’ve waited like you wanted me to, and gotten old and my face…" Sam stopped, flustered and unsure how to say what he was feeling.

Frodo reached out his hand, the one missing a finger, and ran the remaining fingers delicately over Sam’s face. "These lines make me happy, Samwise Gamgee. They mean that you had the life I knew you would have, whole and no longer torn in two. These lines…" and he paused one finger at the corner of Sam’s eye. "These tell me that you smiled a great deal, and I would very much like to hear about all family and friends and events that formed those lines over the years."

With the urging of Frodo’s hand, Sam finally looked up to see his friend. The typically untamable curls were streaked with grey but still framed that pale skin and the almost Elven eyes. There were lines there too, but of smiling as well, and they outnumbered any left from pain or loss. Frodo’s smile practically glowed as he leaned in close to kiss Sam’s forehead in echo of their farewell so many years before.

And like so many years before, Sam couldn’t help bursting into tears.

This time, they were for joy.