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The Usual Suspects by GamgeeFest	49 Review(s)
Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/24/2005
"Stealing things is wrong, having Merry pull harmless pranks is fun. See?” LOL! Saradoc is great! The conversation with Bilbo was really needed. And the wise old hobbit gave good advice. To share everything with others is indeed a good way to build up trust, but you really have to warm up to that arrangement. Well, Frodo followed Bilbo's advice and what he shared was very funny :) Esme and Sara were amazed about the change in Frodo's attitude, as a result from a single conversation with Bilbo. They know that Bilbo can "handle" his younger cousin, and they seem to have accepted that Frodo will leave Buckland. I only feel sorry for little Merry, but as we know, he survived it ;-) Thank you for this story! Merry Christmas to you and your family! Author Reply: Saradoc was a bit of a trouble-maker in his own youth. Being an older brother, he would have gotten Merimac to do any number of things that he himself would be punished for, but that Mac would only get a mild slap on the hand if that much. Bilbo knows just what to say to Frodo, doesn't he? He understands what it's like to be different and to be ostracized, but he's also learned not only how to live with it but how to use it to his advantage. He can both sympathize with Frodo and guide him through these difficult years. Sharing everything is a tall order for someone like Frodo. It may have been one conversation, but it did take him a few days to mull it over and decide it really was for the best. Then he goes and takes Bilbo a bit too literally, telling his guardians more than they really needed to know. But at least he's started and with time he'll learn what he can keep to himself and what he should share. Also, starting off with the smaller more trivial things will help him to build up to the larger, harder topics. Esme and Sara have always known on some level that Frodo would be better off with Bilbo. They had there doubts of course - Bilbo's journeys and wander lust would have been big drawbacks to them, and still are but for the desperation of the situation. Bilbo has a special connection with Frodo and they know that if Frodo is going to grow up to be a well-adjusted hobbit, they need to get him out of Buckland and with someone who can provide him both the security that he needs and the individual attention that he seeks. It will still be hard to see him go, and it will be hardest on Merry, who will really be too young to understand why Frodo has to leave. But as you said, he will survive and their friendship won't suffer for the distance. Thank you for reading! Happy holidays!

Ami	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/24/2005
Very well done! I loved Frodo's pranks on innocent little Merry, and Esme & Saradoc's reaction to them. Saradoc is very wise himself in recognizing that Frodo just needs to learn the difference between fun and mischief. I'm sure Bilbo would have been flabbergasted himself at some of Frodo's confessions. I've read a good many of your other stories (just haven't had the time to really review them), but you are a very gifted author. I look forward to your upcoming stories. Author Reply: If Frodo told his guardians everything he did to innocent little Merry, they'd be there for a looong time. Saradoc is speaking as someone who grew up with a younger brother to pin the blame on for things, lol. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't really him who was responsible for the goose incident. ;) But he is right that there is a difference between mischief and fun. It's sometimes a very fine line and learning how to walk it will benefit Frodo greatly. Bilbo enjoys a good, clean prank and his reaction would have been the same as Sara's and Esme's. He probably expects no less of Frodo. Thank you very much for your kind words and wonderful feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Happy Holidays!

shirebound	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
Yay, I love a happy ending. Bilbo is so wonderful, and Frodo has no idea such happy plans are in the works for him. I especially love this: no more secrets and no more sneaking about. You will continue to behave exactly as you have been these last several months, only this time, you will tell them where you are going, what you are doing and how you are spending your time. That’s what families do. It’s not monitoring, it’s sharing, and you, Frodo Baggins, need to start sharing more of yourself. Start being more open with them and they will trust you. How wise. Lovely story. Author Reply: Bilbo has a lot of years under his belt and he knows exactly what to say to Frodo to get through to him. It's hard for children Frodo's age to separate "monitoring" and "sharing" sometimes, for they often feel like the same thing. But at least he's started and he'll learn in time what he should share and what he can keep to himself. Thanks so much for reading this little story. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. ^_^ Happy holidays!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
Bilbo has set this up very well. Saradoc and Esmeralda - and Rory - can ease of on worrying about Frodo and his behaviour because they have a really proper out and they can know that Frodo will not be passed from pillar to post but have a proper home. And, when Bilbo said 'tell them everything', I don't think he meant quite everything. I hope Frodo's confidences ease off to a manageable level! Things should start improving now. Author Reply: Bilbo's solution does work things out for everyone, except poor little Merry. Frodo will no longer be coerced to behave, and Esme and Saradoc will now be able to iron out their relationship with Frodo before Frodo leaves them for good. Knowing that Bilbo plans to not only take on Frodo but adopt him will make them feel more confidant about letting Frodo move to Hobbiton. LOL, kids sometimes take things a little too literally. Once Frodo figures out what he expects for Sara and Esme to tell them and what is ok to keep to himself, he'll back off of the sharing. He's just feeling his way through this rough patch. ^_^ Things will improve now, and should be more or less back to normal by the time Yule rolls around. Thanks so much for reading and for your feedback. Your reviews are always a delight. :) Happy holidays!

MaidenofValinor	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
YAY! I'm so inexplicably happy now. YAY for Frodo and Esme and Sara and Bilbo and...oh and just everyone else! Hahaa just what I needed to make this morning perfect! This story was so very very good, and you know that I am soo looking forward to reading more of your stories, I adore them so. Great work and Happy Holidays! Love always, ~m Author Reply: A happy ending all around! Frodo's not feeling so confinded and guilty anymore, and Sara and Esme can start to work on trusting him more. Bilbo has an adoption to look forward to and Merry has his Frodo back to his cheerful self. Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely input. I'm so glad you enjoyed this. :) Happy holidays!

Beledi14	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
Wonderful story with great interaction between the characters. I feel another story coming on perhaps--the Yule visit and the moving to Hobbiton? Author Reply: Hello Beledi14! Thanks so much for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I haven't thought about the sequel for this yet. I have a few finished stories and ficlets waiting for posting, and then I don't know what I'll be writing next. The bunnies and my Muses must be off on holiday too. :)

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
AAaaahhh! satisfied sigh Leave it to Bilbo and the wisdom of nearly a century of living, to find his way through to a solution--one that will also benefit him as well as Frodo. I am very glad that he saw the need for Frodo to make things right with his guardians before he asserted his claim on the lad. And very glad as well, that he made Frodo see that "love" and "trust" are not at all the same thing. There will be a much better dynamic now between Frodo and his foster parents, and he will be able to move away from Buckland knowing that they do love him, and mostly trust him. It's still going to be incredibly hard on Merry, poor baby. You tied up all the loose ends very nicely, dear, and made the foregone conclusion come out just right! applauds loudly Take a bow for a job well done! Author Reply: bows Thank you! Thank you! princess wave blows kisses ^_^ It took a lot of tweaking and some major last minute editing to bring this story to a relatively happy ending. Things still aren't fixed, but they're on their way to getting back to normal. Bilbo picked a good year to come for a visit. Bilbo knew that taking Frodo away before Sara and Esme had a chance to resolve the rift would not only be doing them a disservice, but Frodo as well. Frodo's bitterness would have continued to grow, despite the distance, and even as a result of it. Three months still might not be long enough to get back to the level of comfort they enjoyed before these latest troubles started, but at least he will be able to see that he is loved and cared for, if not completely trusted. Poor Merry. Like Frodo, he has no idea what the future has in store for him, but unlike Frodo, he'll have nothing joyful to compensate his loss. I'm so glad you've enjoyed this. Thanks as always for your wonderful and insightful reviews. :) Happy holidays!

TheHobbitWaffle	Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 12/23/2005
What a sweet ending! They think my dad’s the reason Mama never had more kids and they think the only reason she had me was because it wasn’t with Dad. They think my dad found out and they had a fight about it while they were boating and that’s why they drowned. That is infuriating. Poor Frodo, I would act out if people were spreading rumors like that about me! Author Reply: There are many factors surrounding Frodo's acting out, but this is clearly at the top of the list. Such horrible rumors would have opened old wounds and were quite a harsh rub. Bilbo has seen now that the best thing for Frodo is to get away from Buckland. It's not that Sara and Esme aren't able to care for him, there's just too many bad memories for Frodo to live their happily. Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely reviews! :) Happy holidays.

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 12/22/2005
Poor Frodo. But - equally poor Esmeralda and Saradoc. Frodo is such a damaged child - it is really not surprising that his guardians doubted him. Whatever mouths say about trust and other chances, minds reflect their experience - and their experience of Frodo's reliability is not good. They have poured support into Frodo and now, by doubting him on one occasion when he actually wasn't doing anything wrong, they have put strain on their relationship. I hope that, one day, when Frodo has grown up and learned to live with himself, that he is able to see that he has been the author of his own problems. It is a good thing that Frodo will soon be heading for Hobbiton. For him, anyway. He needs individual attention in a quiet and secure environment. It's not such a good thing for those he is leaving behind - Esmeralda and Saradoc will always feel that they failed him. Typical Bracegirdle. Bunch of troublemakers. Author Reply: The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and Frodo's past behavior doesn't speak in his favor. Frodo is very much aware of this fact and that is the reason he is (rightly, though harshly) blaming himself, but that doesn't console him. Esme and Sara at least now have a stepping stone for putting that old image of Frodo behind them and will be better able to give him a clean slate (even if never a completely clean one) in the future. More than ever before, Frodo needs not only one-on-one time, but some personal space and freedom to not just do what he wants but to mess up and make mistakes as well. But he needs something else even more than that, something which only Bilbo can truly provide for him. That won't console those left behind, Merry least of all. Those Bracegirdles cause trouble everywhere they go, don't they. Thanks for reading! :)

Andrea	Reviewed Chapter: 5 on 12/21/2005
Oh yes! I, too, know where this leads, where this can only lead! And it makes me sad. Sara and Esme did right not to plan what to say, Frodo would have sensed it and would have ignored them completely. What they said, came directly from the heart and I'm sure Frodo noticed that, and the honesty with which they spoke. I agree, though, that his last comment was only half-hearted. He was hurt far too much. I loved it that you put Piper in here, as a kind of "anchor" for Frodo with her simple, yet wise advice. As I said, we know the outcome, but we don't know how our characters will get there. That's what I like about your stories: there are still lots of possibilities! Author Reply: It will be a sad day when that finally happens and yes, that is where this is going. Kids can spot a phony a mile away, and Frodo more so than most. Esme and Sara would have realized that early on and knew better than to rehearse any speeches. Even if Frodo did not listen to their words, he would have heard their intention and that might actually be for the better. He wasn't ready to listen to anything they said but he does at least know that they still care for him, even if he can't express that at the moment. He still has to work through his own feelings on the matter, but when he finally is ready to approach them, it will help to know that they are there for him and want to work things out. As I said in my response to Dreamflower, there are two reasons for Piper being here. One, Frodo was in desperate need of simple wisdom from an objective third party, and he learned long ago that Piper was the one to go to for such things. Two, the foundation of Frodo's later reliance and trust in Sam, another working-class hobbit of simple wisdom, can be traced back to this earlier friendship with Piper. My Frodo has always been more open with Sam than just about anyone, and this has a great deal to do with it. (Of course, there's also the matter that Sam is Frodo's protector, and though Frodo may not have been conscious of it for most of his youth and even early adulthood, he would have been instinctively drawn to Sam for that reason as well.) I'm so glad that you're enjoying this. :)

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