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In the Bleak, Cold Winter by GamgeeFest	9 Review(s)
Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 10/7/2006
I don't know who is having a rougher time here, Sam or Merry. Seems Merry is working himself half to death and poor Sam is so worried about everything. This is a very entertaining story. I was glad to get a minute to read a couple more chapters today. Hope to stop back by later and read even more! Author Reply: It's a toss up. They're both grappling with their own issues. Sam's have more potential for long-term ramifications while Merry's will be resolved fairly quickly once he figures out his own mind about everything. At least this crisis is helping Merry and Sam to grow more close. Thanks for reading!

Periantari	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/6/2006
aww another lovely chapter-- no doubt my fave part was the dreaming Sam part and the Frodo caring for Sam bit in the next section. ANd it's also very nice to see some Merry and Sam dialogue about Willow and Estella. and, propriety or no, if Sam thought he had done anything to take advantage of his sister, Merry would likely find himself in a cast next. LOL I couldn't help but giggle at that. I love that Marigold was so thorough in packing Sam's things--the details are wonderful. Some q's--Is Marigold going to try to come to Bag End in the next chapter? Is the snow hindering her and the Gaffer? So yes, the favorite part of mine in the dream that Sam has is that his mom comes and comforts him in the end. Poor Sam with the nasty tasting meds though-if i were him i'll be like "is this stuff out to poison me?" :p And casts really are no fun. :/ i hope Sam won't get too bored of it too soon or it'll be hard to recover... “Then you best tell Sam to keep off his feet, or I’ll march up there and tie him to the bed,” Gaffer said, his voice gruff but full of concern. ANd i love concerned Gaffer. :) I hope he comes to visit too when the snow is less deep and when he can. Thank you! can't wait for more! =) Author Reply: Sam was at his lowest and needed a little pick me up. That dream was just the comfort he needed, and waking to find Frodo there helped also. It's not the same as familial love but his master takes every bit as good care of Sam as his family would. Merry is being shown no mercy by the lasses. First Willow and now Marigold. Good thing he didn't stop to consider what Tom would do if he were caught 'taking advantage', forget about Sam. :D Sam was the best person for Merry to turn to with his dilemma though and while Merry hasn't untangled all his worries, Sam's and Frodo's advice did help considerably. Sam's not in for a very happy time right now. First the ankle, then the cast and now that horrid juice. He'll be counting down the days to when he doesn't have to drink that anymore. You can bet that Frodo and Merry will do what they can to keep him from getting too bored though. As for your questions: yes, the snow is keeping Goldie from leaving No. 3 and yes, Goldie will be making anothe appearance in the next chapter, and there will be other visitors to keep Sam company in following chapters. Concerned Gaffer is a treat, isn't he? :D

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/5/2006
Merry is proving a very staunch friend here. And his insecurity over Miss Willow won't do him any harm with Sam - Merry is really rather too sure of himself and seeing him trying to come to some kind of conclusion will be a good thing. Poor Sam, though. He's not constitutionally inclined to be the receiver of care! This will be a very hard time for him. Especially if he has to keep drinking that horrible juice. Author Reply: Merry is much to overly confident in himself most times. It's nice to see him for once turned completely upside down. Seeing his more vulnerable side will only reinforce to Sam that Merry is just a normal hobbit and knowing that Merry went to him first is bound to make him feel more secure in their friendship. Sam knows he just has to grin and bear it. He can't go home, not yet at any rate and his family can't come to him. The juice will continue to be horrid, but he will get a little accustomed to it as the weeks pass. By the time the cast comes off, he should be able to suppress his gag reflex with expert ease. :)

Althea	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/5/2006
My goodness, Merry does have a hard decision to make. I'm glad that he was able to share his problem with Sam and that Frodo could give him some good advice. Sam's dream was heartbreaking. Miss Willow's juice must be absolutely vile. I feel for him having to take it three times a day. Marigold is such a good sister. I enjoyed reading the long list of what she packed for Sam. She knows her brother very well and certainly knows how to take care of him, even if she's not physically there Author Reply: Sam was the obvious person for Merry to go to with this problem, not only because Sam would have more experience with relationships but also because Sam is, as Merry says, more practical. Frodo had some wise advice also, despite his apparent lack of experience. Merry will have much to think about. After Sam expressed his wish to dream about his mother, I just couldn't let that go. Sam would have taken great comfort in seeing her during a very troublesome time for him. Now if only Bell could somehow make that medicine go away! Poor Sam is going to have to suffer to heal. Marigold is the best sister. She just adores Sam and spoils him rotten in her own way. Even if she doesn't often have to tend to a sick or injured Sam, she remembered what comforted him or distracted him during previous illnesses and packed them right up.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/4/2006
Well, Merry and Miss Willow would be a nice couple, no doubt. But we already know that he will never ever forget Estella! It's telling a lot that Merry spoke first to Sam about his worries, and not to Frodo. First of all they are nearly the same age and Sam, with his Rosie in mind, can understand Merry better than anyone else. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so sensible.” That's what the Gaffer taught him: Always behave and don't loose your temper in front of someone else. And, of course, be practical! In that respect, Merry is still learning. So, Sam encourages Merry to court Willow? That's wonderful, but he should not forget what Frodo told him. He may not have a sweetheart himself, but he certainly knows how easily a lass can feel hurt. I'm really curious what Merry's next step will be. He still can't get his feelings under control. That little episode with Goldie was great ;-) Author Reply: Merry's fated to be with Estella in the end, but he also can't continue to sit around and wait for the possibility that she might break up with Gordi. Merry and Sam do have much more in common than they originally thought. Certainly their closeness in age and their experiences with lasses, as minimal as they might be, are a help in this situation. Their differences are also a help here. Sam is better at breaking down a problem and coming up with the simplest solution. Merry can't have Estella, and he can't just wait around, and he likes Willow who likes him in return. Easy as pie, as far as Sam is concerned. Frodo would see both sides, and he might be tempted to repeat that lecture to Willow when he sees her next. He's not convinced (and neither is Merry very certain) that Willow meant was she said. hehe Goldie would just have to go and (unintentionally) muddle Merry's mind all the more! Merry forgot to factor in Tom into the equation of why he should keep his distance from her. Good thing too or he probably would have bolted! I have a feeling that bath he took was a cold one. ~_^

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/4/2006
Oh decisions, decisions Merry! Sam sounds like a very wise person to turn to and I was giggling that Pippin still thinks hobbit lasses are poisonous. Author Reply: Merry should just make it really simple and draw names from a hat. Whichever name he draws, that will be his lass! Sam has a knack for simplifying things and reducing them to their more basic parts. Once you're able to do that, solutions usually become very clear. In this respect, it's a good thing that he and Merry as so different from each other. Merry can always rely on him to cut through the tangles of a complicated situation. LOL Pippin will be changing his mind soon enough. He'll realize that lasses aren't poisonous or infectious (so long as the lass isn't Vinca!) and he'll move on to being preoccupied with the importance of hand size! :P

cookiefleck	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/4/2006
Oh, poor Sam, that dream was heartbreaking. Every time Bell appears in a story as a vision or dream I get all misty-eyed. And that vile medicine. I wish I could make it all better. Author Reply: Sam expressed his wish in the previous chapter to see his mother, and his brain must have been listening! It was a great comfort to him to see her. Nasty medicine! I wouldn't want to be in Sam's place, knowing I'd have to drink it again and for another three weeks at that. If only we could heal as quickly as we're injured, but then we wouldn't be as careful, would we? Thanks for reading!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/4/2006
Glad Merry chose the practical Hobbit to unburden himself to; and Sam's advice, of course, is perfect. And glad Frodo's own suggestions are so considerate. Now, to make sense of his heart and his senses, which are all in a muddle, of course. And so glad that Bell did join in this dream, and that he felt himself in the midst of dreams of loving and teasing family and not in some sort of torture. Author Reply: Merry tends to over-analyze things to the point that he's running about in circles. Sam doesn't do that. He cuts right to the chase and he's a master of finding the simple solution - which usually tends to be the best one. Sam might not think he's as smart as his 'betters' but Merry knows otherwise. Plus, Merry knows that Sam would be able to relate on a personal level, which always helps. Frodo would consider all sides, not just Merry's. He might have an urge to repeat his advice to Willow next time he sees her, but if Sam's the master of simplicity, then Frodo is the master of restraint. ;) He'll trust Merry to make the decision he thinks is best. No matter how old we get, when we're really down and out, we always want our mom. Sam's no different and he got his wish here. Sam would have no way of knowing what was really happening to him and so his brain made sense of it as best it could. I can very much imagine that Halfred or even Hamson would have teased Sam in a similar manner when they were younger.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 9/4/2006
What a wonderful chapter! Sam's dream was so telling, wasn't it? I can imagine how his situation would have brought that on. You have a real knack for capturing the true "dream-ness" of dreams--the way they almost, but not quite, seem to make sense! Poor Merry! Tween-aged angst and hormones have him all tied up in knots--not to mention the pressure his mother is putting on him. Of course we know that he's not going to be able to give up on Estella, but he doesn't know that now, does he? Sam's advice and Frodo's, is very good advice, but I don't think it's going to be quite that simple. I love all the little domestic details you include, of the various tasks involved in keeping smial and taking care of the patient--just lovely! Author Reply: I do love dreams, if that isn't obvious by now. :P You can reveal things in dreams that cannot be revealed or expressed in waking, and since its a dream those revelations do not usually alter the course of events. Or they can just be silly dreams like this one that keep the patient from realizing what is really happening to him. I can just see something like that happening in the Gamgee household though, at least the older brother tormenting the younger brother part of it, and Daisy's handy solution! Merry will never truly give up on Estella, but he might be able to convince himself that he can. He's destined to be with Estella, but his path to her is definitely on the scenic route. They're simply not ready to be together yet, even though they both know there could never really be anyone else for them. Things never are always more complicated than we would like them to be, and Merry is a pro at over-analyzing things. He needs Sam's simple wisdom to help cut through some of the confusion. At least he does know to stay away from Goldie! :D I am glad you are enjoying all the details. I worry that I'm being too detailed and that it's dragging out the story. It's already about two times as long as I thought it would be originally! Now I realize why I've never done a h/c fic before. They're a lot of work! ;)

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