Yay! This one is longer!

Disclaimer: Think about this. If I owned LotR, would I be sitting here posting for no profit? NO, I BLOODY WELL WOULDN'T BE!

Deagol Smeagol- Thank you for the lovely review! FLYINGTACKLEHUGGLE!!!! You're welcome.

Alice- You better believe it! Thank you for reviewing again! I love repeating reviewers! Means people are following the story. Flyingtacklehuggle!!!

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By the way, I swore a bit in this chapter, in case you cared to know ahead of time.

Chapter 3— Visits

Pippin wasn't crying. He would never cry over that cruel bastard ever again. (He wasn't worth my tears then, and he isn't now.) Pippin thought, while sitting on is bed determined not to shed a single tear. Several hours later and he had kept that vow. But it was hard to convince himself that they could never be. "He's my cousin for the sake of the Shire! It couldn't have worked anyhow. And he went and slept with Frodo and Sam. How did I miss him there? He must have been under the..." Pippin closed his eyes and redirected his thoughts. Pippin sighed, "Oh well, not a tear shall I shed for the hobbit who has broken my heart." (And stolen it.) "No. I cry no longer. I love no longer. Never again. It's just not worth the trouble and heartache." Pippin said softly.

"You don't mean that, cousin." Merry said, coming all the way through the door.

Pippin stared at Merry, flabbergasted. Amazed this hobbit would have the nerve... "You're sick. Absolutely, completely sick. How can you even begin to think you have the right to come here?" Pippin said calmly. "You see, you seemed to think you had the right to slap me, and I have come to find out what I did to deserve it." Merry said, looking Pippin right on the eye. "Do you think this funny? To pretend you don't know! I'm disgusted. Just leave me alone." Pippin said, on the brink of hysterics.

"Humor me this once Pip. I want-" Pippin broke through. "DON'T CALL ME PIP!" Pippin yelled. Then calming a bit he continued. "My friends call me Pip. I don't even know you. Sick bastard." Merry was shocked. He had only heard Pippin curse once before. And that was after some hobbit-boy pushed his sister into the Brandywine. [You're in for it now.] (Shut up. I can't deal with you now.)

"Okay, fine. Pippin. I would like for us to talk this out like rational adults." Merry began. "Rational? Adults? Since when are we either of those?" Pippin said disbelievingly. "Look, if you would just talk to me-" Merry started again, only to be cut off. "I'm not going to waste another minute of my time on your damned 'talking', so leave now before I have to hurt you Meriodoc Brandybuck." Pippin said, reaching behind to his desk to pick up a letter opener. "You have 10 seconds. And I'm a very good shot."

"Ten..."

"You wouldn't hurt your family. Would you?"

"Nine..."

[He is no family of yours any longer.]

"Eight..."

"Come on Pip- I mean, Pippin, please don't be doing this."

"Seven... Six"

"You mean it. OhmyGod."

"Five..."

"Well then. I'll see you around."

"Four... Three...

"Got to be going..."

"Two..."

"One."

Pippin let the opener fly and it hit the door, which had just shut, at the last moment. It took a moment for Pippin to realize what he had just done. (Oh. My. God. What have I done?) Pippin dropped to the floor and wept. He wept not for Merry, but for himself. For the empty shell of a hobbit he had become in a few short hours. For everything he had said, for the blade quivering, even now, in the door. And Pippin wept for his friends, for everyone he had hurt. Except Merry. No. Especially Merry.

He was still in love. He had fallen right back in love the moment Merry had walked through the door, He couldn't stop it. The love would follow him forever. Even though he had betrayed him. He really did disgust Pippin, but he loved him more than he could ever hate him. The love runs too deep. Far too deep.

####

Merry sat in a large armchair and stared into the empty grate before him. He had not the strength to start a fire for himself, or to summon a servant. So he stared. Even willing a fire to start itself would have been too taxing. All he could do was relive the last few moments in that room and listen to the one part of his brain that could still think straight.

[He did it. He actually threw that knife at you, you heard the thump. It hit the door right where your head should have been.] (Pippin.) That was only thought his mind could conjure. His Pippin. No, the Pippin that could have been his. Should have been his. [You should hate him. He tried to kill you.] (No. Can't. Family.) His mind told him, not recovered enough to put it in sentence format. [Not that he cared, eh? He wasn't worth it. Admit it. He was never worth your love.] The Rational side said quite smugly, sure it had won the battle.

"Love." Merry said aloud. "Love." He said again, slower this time. "I do love him." These few words were enough to wake Merry from his reverie, and jolt some sense into him. "Oh, God. I love him so much. And now he hates me. Oh, oh, oh..."Merry moaned. He was filled with pain, but at the same time he was happy. As though some great weight had been let loose. And though Merry did not know it, it was his heart, filled with pure, untainted love for Pippin. And it ran deep. Very deep.

Oooo... NOW I get the title! Ha ha ha! There was a point!

Now REVIEW or I'll set my pet uruk-hai on you! If you do then I'll send a hobbit on over to erm... entertain you...