[Imladris]

Oh, good point, Willie. I scanned through the chapter and I received the impression that he was asking Frodo to save him after Gollum thought that Frodo had betrayed him...but that's just picking at straws probably; that incident may have secured Frodo's and Smeagol's bond. Maybe Smeagol realized that on the Stairs and maybe that's why he debated whether to deliver them over to Shelob or not. I wonder whether Smeagol was intending to get safe passage through that tunnel from Shelob, before the Gollum side became dominant. He is such a deep and intriguing character.