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It Takes a Took by Dreamflower	16 Review(s)
Queen Galadriel	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 4/7/2013
I wasn't going to review this until the end, as it's complete. But I have to pause here, for this. Sam lay awake. He wished he could cry, could weep, could mourn, but he did not. This was a pain that gripped him from the top of his head all the way down to his toes, and left no room for tears. In the Black Land, Sam had seen despair, agony, fear, even hatred for the Ring and for the Dark Lord, in Frodo’s eyes. But at least there had been feeling, emotion, there. Tonight, he had seen nothing but emptiness in those eyes, as though Frodo were too weary even for pain. But that’s all right, he thought. I have enough pain for the both of us. I've always identified very closely with Sam, and this is one of the best instances of his POV that I've ever read in fanfiction. Author Reply: Why thank you very much! blushes And thank you for all the lovely reviews over the last few days--it has been so nice to find them in my inbox! ((hugs))

PIppinfan1988	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/2/2005
"Pippin gave out a short surprised bark of laughter. “Tenacious? That’s the best word for Merry I have ever heard!” snorts laughter--looks like Pippin has his dearest friend pegged! LOL, I see them both as being pigheaded, which makes for some lovely moments. :-P Ah, looks like you're going to cover Frodo's eventual decision to leave--and his departure? This part is going to be so sad... But on the upside, there is a lovely apprentice who is absorbing all of what Pippin is about--and this is absolutely fun! Pippinfan Author Reply: Tenacious is a much more polite word than pig-headed, wouldn't you say? LOL! And yes, both cousins have their share, as does a certain Baggins cousin as well. Not cover it so much as foreshadow it. There's no getting away from canon--unless you go AU (Which I did in "Eucatastrophe")--and Frodo will make that decision, JRRT said so. Yes, Diamond is getting an awful lot to think over...

Lindelea	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/17/2004
O poor Sam! That last line is absolutely heartbreaking. You have me very worried for Merry! The cord to Frodo is fraying...

good_one_pip	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/8/2004
Oh, the last line was absolutely heart-wrenching! "I have pain enough for both of us." How awful for a hobbit to feel that way! Are you, by any chance, a nurse yourself? LOL The whole thing about "family cords" made so much sense, although I could never have thought of it myself! It looks like this story is, of course, meant to show Pippin's growing bond with Diamond. But it also looks like a story that's preparing our hobbits, especially Merry, for the Grey Havens. It's going to hurt to loosen those cords, but it'll hurt worse if they don't I suppose. Every time I read or see the part in the movie about the Grey Havens, I burst into rivers of tears! And besides what I read, I'm not even connected in the "family ties" way! Keep writing, this is turning out to be one of your best stories, I believe. Very though-provoking, if you can't tell from my reviews! LOL Author Reply: That is Sam, though. He knows, none better, what Frodo is truly going through. No, my husband is a nurse, and a healing touch practitioner, and we've been married 28 years, so I've picked up a lot by osmosis, LOL! Also, when I have a medical question, I can pick his brain. The "family cords" was my way of trying to make clear something I have been groping toward ever since I began to write these stories. I'm glad you think that my theory makes sense. Of course, the main plot is Pippin and Diamond, but I am never able to write for very long without giving the other some time, since what I love about them is their interaction. I'm not a "one-hobbit person". The Grey Havens are painful, and yet they were JRRT's conception of the closest Frodo could come to a happy ending. It makes you realize just how shattered he must have been by the whole Quest. I am glad that you are enjoying the story. I am enjoying discovering it myself. I definitely will keep writing, although I may be a bit slower than normal this week due to RL commitments.

Nina the powerwriter	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/8/2004
Got all the way through to chapter 12 then saw you had updated! I was glad b/c chapter 12 was a cliffhanger. It's very clear that the bond between the four travellers is there, and very strong I might add. It's a wild idea that Merry can feel Frodo's pain. They both have felt the icy cold of the Witch-king, so I can understand they'd share pain. Loving the story! I know you'll continue, so I don't have to worry about that :P Author Reply: Yes, I'm afraid I am a bit obsessed with the connections between them. Given Merry's single-mindedness, as well as the encounter with the WK, I thought this would not be too far-fetched. I will definitely be continuing, but I have a lot of RL going on this week, so I may be a bit slower than usual.

Hai Took	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/7/2004
Wow! The description of why Merry is feeling Frodo's anniversary is rather frightening! I hope that he is able to "loosen the chords" with out casuing harm to himself! Poor, Merry, so is he going to be going through Frodo and Pippin's anniversaries as well as his own?! Dear, Sam, he must be terribly upset with himself. And the how frightening to see Frodo so lost so to speak. I hope all is well for him as well. He does so much yet I think he gets onto himself too much. Looking forward to more, hope it is soon! Author Reply: Yes, it is a bit frightening to think that he has entangled himself so thoroughly into his cousins' hearts. I am hoping to explore a bit more this theme of Merry needed to "loosen up", although it may not all occur in this story, which is, after all, about Pip & Diamond. Merry and Pippin were together at Crickhollow for their own first anniversaries of bad memories, so they rather experienced them together so to speak. But JRRT says Frodo's painful episodes increased in intensity with each re-occurance. This one, for example, is worse than the one he had before in the spring, which was worse than his first anniversary of Weathertop. So it makes sense that the worse it gets, the more pain there would be to resonate to Merry. Sam is very much upset with himself. I was surprised that he forgot again, myself, but JRRT said he did, so that's that.

RogerGamgee	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/7/2004
You've done it yet again! I got wind of this update when I checked my mail earlier today. It makes sense, in a way, that all four hobbits would have such strong ties between them, even to Merry being able to sense Frodo's distress. I wonder, though, if the reverse would also be true. Could Frodo pick up somehow on Merry's 'illness'? Food for thought, that... I like the way you foreshadowed Frodo's impending departure, as cords becoming slowly untied. As bright as Pippin is, he might pick up on that...or at least wonder about it. Since the healer didn't tell him what she saw, that's up in the air. Well done, as always. Looking forward to the next chapter! Author Reply: It's quite possible, though so far it is moot. Frodo has two anniversaries, and the one in the spring is so close to the one Merry himself has, that he might not be able to tell from whence his distress was coming. Merry on the other hand, only has one anniversary, so even if his own troubles hid Frodo's in the spring one, he would still pick up on it in the fall. I like to think though that if Merry were in distress otherwise, Frodo would pick up on it. In a way he has, understanding Merry's disquiet over Pippin, for example, and knowing when Merry needed to be distracted. I don't believe Lavender is going to mention it; Diamond is not yet experienced enough to see some of the more subtle patterns, and so I don't think she spotted it.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/7/2004
Lavender is a pretty perceptive healer. Merry needs to learn how to let go - although his bulldog characteristics have served him pretty well so far. It's good to see Pippin protecting Merry - and probably remarkably attractive for a certain young trainee healer. Poor Frodo / Sam. The master / servant relationship does get in the way of the support they can offer each other still. Merry / Pippin are able to be close because of their cousinship in a way that is impossible for F / S. Author Reply: Merry's tenaciousness is what kept him going on the Quest, and sent him off with Dernhelm when he'd been told to stay behind. But it is making it very difficult for him to return to a normal life as long as he cannot get over the fear he has of losing those he loves. Pippin is now mature and experienced enough to return Merry's protectiveness--and you're right, it's going to give Diamond a lot to think about. Frodo would be all too happy to dispense with the master/servant stuff altogether; Sam on the other hand would not. And you are right, it does make a difference. But Frodo, and Merry and Pippin as well do think of Sam as family, even though they do not share even a twig with him on the family trees. It's a bit harder for Sam to admit, but Rosie has it down: "Mr. Pippin is like kinfolk, even if he is gentry."

GamgeeFest	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/7/2004
"Lavender saw the realization dawn. She carefully did not say what else she had seen: that the cords to Frodo were already beginning to fray." How lovely and sad this chapter was! The bonds between the four are strong indeed and Merry does tend to hold on rather tightly to those he loves. Especially after all they've been through, and thinking once already that he might lose them all, this is incredibly trying and exhausting for him. Letting go is not something he's used to doing and it will be hard for him, but for his own health he has to do it. Pippin will be alright, and so will Frodo too, though it will be difficult for them to say good-bye when the time comes. Sam's reaction to forgetting again was perfect and I love that he will so willingly bear the pain for the both of them, just as he did so many times on the Quest. Author Reply: I had a lot more that I originally was going to have Lavender say about Merry and his ties to those he loves, but I realized it would be taking the story even more away from the Pippin/Diamond focus. I will probably have some of it come out more gradually. Of course, none of them yet realize that they now have less than another year to spend together. sigh I would not have had Sam forget, but it was canon, so I had to do it. I know he would have been very hard on himself afterwards. The little paragraph in RotK dealing with this episode is so very sparse. It really does read like Frodo wrote it himself, and was trying to say as little as possible.

SharonB	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 11/7/2004
Sigh, sniffle. Poor Merry, he's the one who saw in you "new Reckonings" that Frodo was not getting better and he doesn't want to let go. I wonder though if there isn't a bit more connection since he is the one who slew the Witch King. After all it was the Witch King to struck Frodo. Seems like he might be more sensitized all around in his love for Frodo and his act on the battlefield. I'm glad that Lavender and Diamond got to see this side, even if it was hard for them to cope with. It will make their care of Pip easier to undertake knowing more what they are dealing with. I think at this point Merry and Sam do realize down deep that Frodo will not stay with them but go to the west. We know it's inevitable but still it's hard to see it coming. As an aside I can't wait to see what all they leave in or take out with the FOTR part 1 on the TV tonight. Hmm, Weathertop will be in the scenes tonight. Author Reply: I do think the fact that he tangled with the WK too, also has somewhat to do with the way he is reacting, but I think even without that he would know at the very least when something was wrong. Letting go is not something Merry is familiar with. I especially wanted Diamond to see some of this. She is going to have to realize just what she will be letting herself in for. I'm not sure that they realize he will actually physically leave them to go West. But I am sure that they see him slipping away from them in spite of his efforts to hang on. I wonder which version is being aired: TR or EE?

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