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The Trouble with Love  by GamgeeFest 9 Review(s)
Isilhen DaegolReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/11/2005
And the excitement builds. What's going to happen? Will Estella ever love Gordi? or will she wait for Merry after all? And will Vinca ever figure out Ev's affection for her? But then, I guess that's the trouble with love, isn't it? It's blind. So I'll have to read the next chapter now...

Author Reply: There are going to be a lot of unanswered questions in this story, I'm afraid. Estella is certainly going to try to love Gordi and it doesn't appear that she will be waiting for Merry at any rate. Things look much better for Vinca and Ev though. Those two are a perfect match, if Vinca will just take the blinders down, lol.

RenaissanceGrrlReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/9/2005
NO NO NO NO NO!!!! I CANNOT ALLOW THIS! The only thing keeping me from coming out to California and taking Squiggy hostage to make you write it differently is that I know you stick with canon better than I do! *bangs head against wall, is tempted to do the same to Gordi...and Ella and Merry* You've got me hopping mad, I'm actually sitting here literally BOUNCING in frustration...

You wouldn't change your mind and start writing extreme non-canon on me, would you?

*pouts and glues self to computer screen, awaiting last chapter*

*even though by the time she posts this it's already up*

Author Reply: I would never go AU, this is still canon, have no fear. So please refrain from going full out "Misery" on me and Squiggy, lol. I assure you that Merry and Estella do wind up together as they're supposed to, just not in this fic.

Things being as they are, with Merry and Pippin worrying for Frodo and Estella feeling that she has to settle down and the circumstances surrounding her and Gordi, this was the only outcome that could have happened. Any attempts to make it a "happy" ending for everyone involved would have made this seem incredibly false (and it still wouldn't be a happy ending for Gordi).

AndreaReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/8/2005
"To be concluded..." Does that mean, there's only one chapter to follow?
Oh my, there are still so many problems to be solved!
I must admit, I really like Gordi. He's a fine hobbit lad. He has fallen in love with Estella and I can understand, that he only wants to marry her, if (or when) she feels the same for him.

So I think, there is still time for Merry to react.
Or, to say it in the words of Pervinca:

“Never give up, no matter how fruitless the pursuit may seem.”

Author Reply: The epilogue will be posted shortly, and I'm afraid it doesn't solve any problems, lol. That will have to wait for my post-Quest fic, whenever I have time to get around to working on that.

Gordi's a good guy, who would never want to force himself upon the girl he loves, or anyone else for that matter. Vinca hasn't been very generous to him up to this point, knowing that Estella would have rather been with Merry. But now that Merry does seem to be out of the picture for once and for all, she'll give Gordi a fairer chance.

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/8/2005
Okay, I've been dense, thinking this was post-quest, but it's PRE-quest. No wonder poor Merry is saying no for now! Poor, poor lad, finally getting what he wants when he can't accept it, for not knowing what's coming! Poor, responsible Merry!

And Pervinca is still being totally dense as to her own situation and Ev's feelings toward her.

Author Reply: Yep, pre-Quest. A very bad time for all this to come to the fore. Merry is doing the responsible thing, as far as he can see, and it is quite trying on the poor lad.

Pervinca is stuck in the mind frame of seeing Ev only as a "childhood rival" but she'll soon find out what he's up to. At least she's now *thinking* about him when he's not around. ~_^

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/8/2005
I'm left feeling sorry for Gordi. He seems a pleasant upright kind-hearted hobbit - who just happens to be courting a lass who loves someone else. The scene is set for a whole series of broken hearts as everyone works at cross-purposes.

Except Everard. He knows what he wants. And if Pervinca managed to avoid administering a right hook to his nose - I just like the sound of it, I suppose; like a contented cat that’s curled up, sleeping in your lap - (them's dangerous words, Everard Took), then he can be hopeful that she's not as indifferent as she might pretend.

And as for Merry / Estella - well. Hopeless. Apparently.

Author Reply: There is hope for Gordi and Estella, but not much. By the time their relationship is stable again, all hell will be breaking loose in the Shire. Gordi is getting the short end of the stick though, both here and what's to come later, if I ever get around to writing my post-Quest fic that is.

Ev is even more one-track minded than Pervinca, lol. Once he sets his sights on something, he's rather relentless, and he doesn't mind playing with fire to get it. Which is a good thing, considering *who* he has set his sights on, lol. He's rather confident on how things will turn out for him. Let's hope he's right. *crosses fingers*

And Merry/Estella - they do appear hopeless at present. But this is canon, despite how it ends. Again, I really must get started on my post-Quest fic. ^_^

Anso the HobbitReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/8/2005
Oh, so much happening in one chapter! Poor Merry! I can`t help but feel sorry for him now. And I sense that this will be a tough time for both Estella and Gordi.

Author Reply: Merry seems to be out of luck here. He's lost Estella, as he always knew he would. The only good thing to come of that is that he can now focus on Frodo without wondering "what if". Estella and Gordi have a long way to go in patching things up, and it will be more difficult than either one of them could anticipate.

Grey WondererReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/8/2005
I love this part:

The trouble with love is that it takes two to make a match. Estella had her match, until he turned out to be an imbecilic ass with an intelligence equal to that of a garden slug, with the personality to match. I decide to declare my first plan of attack a bust and move onto Plan B.

Pervinca is such a character. I enjoyed her talk with Everard too. I did feel very sorry for Merry and was glad that Pippin talked to Pervinca and managed to get the letter from her. I enjoyed this story very much.

Author Reply: Merry was barely holding on to self control, poor guy. This hasn't been an easy time for any of them, him least of all. Pippin didn't want to see either one of them do or say something they would regret later.

And Pervinca - compassion is not thy name. She still likes to consider herself in charge here, and yet she still isn't seeing what's right in front of her, is she? Even after that talk with Ev. She is starting to come around though. At least she was up *part* of the night thinking about him. ;)

PlatyReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/7/2005
Woo, I missed the last chapter and was really confused for a few paragraphs. :P Then I went back and caught up.

Per and Ev are MERRY WAR LOVE! *cackles*

And I'm quite interested in reading this conclusion. You are brilliant, I say! BRILLIANT!

~Platy

Author Reply: Pervinca and Ev are rather starting to steal the show. But then, it was always their show to begin with, lol. They have a bit of a Beatrice/Benedict thing going that makes it quite amusing to write their scenes together.

Brilliant! Oh my *blushes*

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 4 on 8/7/2005
Hmm...not how I expected this chapter to go at all!
And that's good! I like surprises! I can't wait to see how you resolve it all! This has been absolutely wonderful!

Author Reply: Yes, this is why I really must start working on my post-Quest fic, lol. This is canon, in that Merry and Estella do eventually wind up together, I just have a different idea of how that happens than I've seen most authors use. Glad you liked the surprise, at any rate, though I can't promise that anything gets resolved here. Estella will remain with Gordi, Merry has pretty much lost her, and Pervinca is about to be distracted by the biggest distraction that there is. ;)

Hope you enjoy the conclusion, for all that it will leave several - if not all - strings hanging.

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