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The Usual Suspects by GamgeeFest	10 Review(s)
Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/31/2005
Oh, this chapter was so very sad. I can see how Esmeralda much have felt since the idea that Frodo and Merry might have been responsible was placed in her head earlier and she was trying so hard not to fail in her task, but poor Frodo! And poor Merry! Misunderstanding can be so harmful and I do wonder how all of this will settle out even with apologies. Frodo is so easily hurt at this point. Author Reply: Esme has been steadfastedly denying the whole while that Frodo might have something do to with all this. Once others started saying it though, her suspicions became too much for her to ignore. The misunderstanding in and of itself might not have been so damaging had the relationship not been so fragile to begin with. Now it will be twice as hard to work things out, if they ever truly can be. There might very well always be a bit of mistrust on both sides.

Elanor Silmariën	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/29/2005
I was wondering what Frodo and Merry were up to! Great story so far! Elanor : ) Author Reply: They were up to something, but not what anyone would have suspected. They must have been working on that gift for a long time. Thanks for reading!

TheHobbitWaffle	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/18/2005
Oh dear, Frodo's gotten into a bit of trouble, hasn't he? Especially as it isn't his fault this time. He's gotten himself between a rock and a hard place, hasn't he? He hasn't earned their trust, and now that he's trying his best suspicion and blame still find their way to him. Isn't that the way life works? I'm wondering how Rory's ultimatium is part of this! Author Reply: Frodo's not so much in trouble from what he did, but he is rather wounded to discover that his guardians didn't trust him like they said they would, which in turn has broken the trust that he had for them. Yet, he did tempt them, by going about in secret and not telling them what he was up to. If anyone is between a rock and a hard space, it's Esme, but that won't make Frodo feel any better either. They're all rather stuck and it will take them time to work themselves out again, if they even can mend this rift. Rory's ultimatum at worst put pressure on Frodo to behave, which may not have made Frodo's motives entirely sincere, but it did get the message through to him. At the same time, it also reminded Frodo of his fragile position in the Hall. He's not really connected to anyone there and could be sent away without too many problems, other than the rift it would cause between Rory and Saradoc. Perhaps the feelings of bitterness that this revelation caused can explain why Frodo was so secretive about his gift in the first place. It at least is one of several reasons.

Ami	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/18/2005
What a poignant chapter! I felt sorry for both Frodo and Esmeralda. I've liked your rendition of Frodo's childhood. You've shown a fragile relationship, but one that is still filled with love. I have a feeling this rift won't be closed easily. I do see, however, Frodo and Esmeralda's relationship will eventially be healed, and they will continue to have a close relationship but in a very different way that will be conducive to both. Author Reply: Neither Frodo nor Esme are having a very good time of it right now. They're both guilt-ridden and feeling miserable. I've read fics where Frodo is pretty much ignored by everyone (except Merry) and some even go so far as to have Saradoc and Esmeralda be negligent toward him, sort of the "Cinderella" Frodo. I've never agreed with this idea and always felt that he must have been cared for by someone while at Brandy Hall or he wouldn't have been able to be so selfless when it came time for the Quest, even with Bilbo's care. Yet, given that Frodo was, by a least one farmer's account that we know of, the worst rascal in Buckland, he would have had a strained relationship with his guardians, love him though they do. If Frodo and Esme (and Sara) can work their way through this, their relationship with each other will be much stronger for it. Esme and Sara will be able to see that they can trust him now, and Frodo will be able to see that even adults can make mistakes.

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/18/2005
OMG, this is really heart-breaking! Poor Frodo, he only wanted to have a real good birthday present for Bilbo. And that Esme yanked his Merry away from him, hurt him most, I'm quite sure. At the moment Esme surely feels as miserable as Frodo. Everything went terribly wrong! Please update soon, you can't leave Frodo in such a state for long, can you? BTW: In the previous chapter I was as confused as Felicity about the doings of her sister. But with a little help from my dictionary I finally know the true meaning of Skinny Dipping ;-) Just great! Author Reply: LOL. You mean you've never heard of skinny dipping? I've never had the nerve to try something like that. You hear horror stories about people getting their clothes stolen. ^_^ This turn of events has rather put a damper on the birthday. Having a birthday party is the last thing any of them are going to want to do, Frodo especially. Having Merry taken from him, protected from him even, did sting worse than anything else, but not by much. Esme is berating herself even more than Frodo, if that's possibly. She's been under a lot of pressure to get this mystery solved and she didn't think things through before she spoke. Not that the outcome would have been any different. Frodo would still realize that his guardians didn't trust him, and he now no longer trusts them. It is quite a mess.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/17/2005
Poor Frodo. Although, if he thinks about it for a second, he will see that the circumstantial evidence is rather weighty. Still, that is unlikely to console him for the fact that Esmeralda doesn't seem to trust him any more - and he's not really old enough to understand that she has been put under enormous pressure. Frodo needs to leave Brandy Hall really. Not just because history sends him to Bilbo. He needs a bit of individual attention in a place that isn't a rambling hotbed of gossip. Author Reply: Yes, he didn't make a very good case for himself did he? He left far too much time that went by unaccounted for. That won't console him though, for all he can see is that his guardians never trusted him and that he's the main cause for it. Everyone is under pressure here and not making the best decisions because of it. Frodo does rather get lost in the shuffle doesn't he? Esme and Sara try, but they really don't have the time to give him the attention that he needs. That undoubtedly has something to do with all of this also. And the gossip never helps, especially since Frodo would be quite susceptible to it at this age. Thanks for reading! I always enjoy your reviews. :)

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005
Poor Frodo--this time he WAS innocent, and yet he was blamed; and now they need to talk to Seredic's wife to find out how she got those cookies, apparently. Nice, appropriate punishment, and loved the threat of tattooing their behinds! Heh! Author Reply: Frodo never seems to catch a break, does he? Even after working so hard, he's still right back where he started. But really, he could have been more up-front with Esme and Saradoc about what he was doing. That won't console him too much though. Not only have Esme and Sara not learned to trust Frodo, but now Frodo has lost his faith in them as well. Tis a messy situation. The best kind of punishment is one that teaches a lesson. The tweens won't be so rash about liquor once they're done helping the healers. And any threat that endangers their physical appearance is bound to get their attention! They are adolescents after all. ;) Thanks for the reviews. :)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005
Aawww...poor Frodo, and poor Esme. So very hard sometimes to live up to everyone's expectations--Esmeralda's efforts to live up to her in-laws, and Frodo's to live up to everyone elses' have caused so much pain for them both. Really, here the blame can be spread around. Rory and Gilda putting so much pressure on both of them at the same time; the other children's automatic assumptions that Frodo was the culprit, Frodo for not explaining in the first place. sigh You do know how to weave a lovely tangle, don't you? grin Author Reply: Yes I do and the more tangles, the better. halo The blame could go even further than that. This is a culmination of the last couple of years. Whatever caused Frodo to first act out, the way Esme and Sara handled it (or didn't handle it), the way everyone else reacted to the things that were going on. Rory was under pressure himself when he made that ultimatum, and it just snowballed further from there. Gilda is only trying to prepare Esme for her future job; she could have given her daughter-in-law some pointers though. And Frodo, always so secretive, he hasn't learned to open up, not really. He's gotten better about it certainly, but he still has a long way to go. And now this, the worst accusation of them all, and Esme pulling Merry away stung the worst. Whatever progress they had made, it's all gone to nil now.

Breon Briarwood	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005
sobs with Frodo You're breaking my heart! I hope they find him soon before he does something foolish. Author Reply: Frodo's past the age of doing anything foolish, at least, doing so on purpose. He realizes he can't just run off but he won't be going home right away to face the music either. No one is looking forward to the inevitable talk. It's a pretty messy situation all around. hands Frodo and Breon hankies Thanks for reading and dropping me a line. :)

MaidenofValinor	Reviewed Chapter: 4 on 12/16/2005
Wow! Very powerful last scene. Poor Esme! But really, I love Frodo's gift. I would like to have that, even! Hee. Very very nice...I think I may have a little prediction about where this is going, but I'm going to keep that to myself. ~_^. Always looking forward to reading more of your work! Author Reply: That was a thoughtful gift, just like something Frodo would think of. He knew exactly what to give Bilbo. But it was all ruined. Poor Frodo and Esme both. They're both feeling horrible and guilt-ridden. This is possibly the worst thing that could have happened, and just before Frodo's birthday too. This breech won't be readily fixed and really it's the result of the last couple of years, not just the last week or so. Ooh! A prediction! Thank you so much for reading!

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