From: magsrose@comcast.net   
      
   By: MagsRose   
   Feedback: magsrose@comcast.net   
   Category: Gen/Het   
   Rating: G   
   Summary: The title says it all   
   Disclaimer: Well, you know, Chris Carter and all them guys – used   
   without permission   
   Other notes: This is an Emma story.   
   'The Green Room' is by Wayne Gratz – I don't have his permission either.   
      
      
   He knew they were planning something. Every time he walked into the   
   room conversations would stop or there would be a lot of shushing.   
   Okay, not every time, it just seemed like it. Jimmy had developed an   
   irritating habit (yes, another one) of grinning like a Cheshire cat   
   when he thought Frohike wasn't looking.   
      
   Emma would also leave the room when one of the guys called her at home.   
      
   "It's for you."   
      
   "Who is it?"   
      
   "It's Langly."   
      
   "I'll get it upstairs." And she would run out of the room. When she   
   got upstairs she would wait for him to hang up before talking. "Dad, I   
   can still hear you breathing. You can hang up now. Tapping the   
   receiver on the counter does not sound the same as hanging up. Just   
   hang up!"   
      
   That kid was too smart for her own good.   
      
   It took him a while to figure out the reason for all the   
   secretiveness. It finally hit him when he saw a commercial for   
   Father's Day on TV. Some poor schmuck was standing on a crowded bus   
   carrying an enormous teddy bear and grinning apologetically to   
   everyone around him. The narrator asks, "Doesn't Dad deserve something   
   special for Father's Day?" or something to that effect.   
      
   Byers came by a couple of times on mysterious missions taking   
   Frohike's daughter away for a few hours at a time. No explanations   
   were ever asked and none were given.   
      
      
   So, they were plotting against him. He wasn't a big fan of surprises.   
   He'd had enough of those in the last few months. He considered putting   
   an end to it but Emma, in particular, was having too much fun. She was   
   much more excited about this than the impending end of the school year   
   and he didn't want to be eternally labeled a grouch.   
      
   They had made some general plans involving everyone coming for dinner   
   on Sunday evening but he knew there was more to it than that. He asked   
   Emma about it a couple of times and she would get all innocent and   
   wide-eyed. "I'm just planning on having everyone over for dinner. Did   
   you want to do something else?"   
      
   Little liar.   
      
   Activity in this area slacked off the week before the dubious holiday.   
   He figured they had it all worked out by then.   
      
   On the Saturday before Father's Day, Emma went off on yet another   
   mysterious mission but with Jimmy this time. They came back with an   
   enormous and obviously heavy gift-wrapped box. Emma tried to distract   
   Frohike so that Jimmy could take it upstairs to Emma's room but he   
   managed to give them a really hard time before finally allowing her to   
   draw him into the kitchen out of sight of the stairway.   
      
   That evening she went to bed earlier than usual for a Saturday night.   
   Frohike didn't say anything about it but did go check that she was   
   actually in bed and not up to something. She was asleep. He had gotten   
   used to the sounds she made while sleeping and always knew when she   
   was faking it.   
      
   He woke early the next morning to the smell of cooking. He wasn't sure   
   what it was but it smelled excellent. He got up, put on a robe and   
   headed quietly down the stairs. Emma was in the kitchen with Yves.   
      
   Yves? What on earth?   
      
   The two of them were up to their elbows in whatever was making the   
   wonderful aroma. By the looks of the mess they had been at it for a   
   while. The two of them were talking and laughing softly while wrapping   
   things up. Yves was washing dishes and Emma was drying, putting away   
   and generally tidying. Since he wasn't a breakfast in bed kind of guy   
   he decided to make his presence known.   
      
   "Good morning, ladies."   
      
   "Good morning, Melvin." Yves was cool as always. Emma's reaction was   
   quite the opposite.   
      
   "Dad! You're not supposed to be up yet! It's only 7:30!"   
      
   "How did you expect me to sleep with the smell of good cooking wafting   
   up the stairs?"   
      
   "But I wanted to make you breakfast in bed. Go back to bed!" Emma put   
   her hands on his chest and tried to push him toward the stairs.   
      
   "I would rather eat here at the table with you two lovely ladies than   
   get crumbs in my bed." He remained unaffected my Emma's insistence   
   that he go back up stairs.   
      
   Though this was not what Emma had carefully planned, it was what happened.   
      
   "You two must have spent hours preparing this," Frohike complimented   
   the cooks when breakfast was done. "The homemade pastries alone were   
   amazing."   
      
   "It only took 3 hours to put together." Yves thought nothing of   
   keeping unusual hours.   
      
   Frohike scowled at Emma. "What time did you get up?"   
      
   "About 4:15, but I went to bed early," Emma explained in a rush.   
      
   "You went to bed a half hour early and got up more than 3 hours   
   earlier than usual?"   
      
   "It would only be 2 hours early if today was a week day."   
      
   Yves decided to weigh in on Emma's side of the argument. "Now, Melvin,   
   the child just wanted to surprise you. It only happens once a year."   
      
   Frohike decided to drop it for the time being. He figured 'natural   
   consequences' would enable him to say, "I told you so," later on.   
      
      
   Yves left once the meal was cleaned up.   
      
   "Happy Father's Day, Melvin." She kissed his cheek as she was leaving.   
   "I'm afraid I will not be able to return this evening."   
      
   Emma was disappointed by this news but thanked Yves for coming so   
   early and helping her with the elaborate meal.   
      
   Later that day, Emma found that getting up at o'dark thirty was not   
   going to be something that she could do often. Whenever she sat down   
   she would start yawning and have to fight to keep alert. Frohike   
   watched her struggle in amused silence.   
      
   She would either have to give in and take a nap or risk not being able   
   to stay awake into the late evening when they had company. Since she   
   seemed to be determined to fight sleep, he chose to be sneaky about   
   it. He didn't need her getting exhausted and sick again so soon after   
   the last bout of asthma.   
      
   "Emma, we have lots of time before everyone gets here. Why don't we   
   watch a DVD?"   
      
   "I don't know, Dad, I should think about getting things ready for dinner."   
      
   "It's only 11:30. No one is due until 5:00. We have lots of time. Come   
   on, its Father's Day and I should get to do what I want."   
      
   "Well then, what is it you want?" She wanted his first Father's Day to   
   be memorable.   
      
   "I want to watch a DVD with my favorite daughter."   
      
   "But, Dad, I'm your only…"   
      
   He cut her off to avoid a possibly uncomfortable conversation. After   
   all, until a short time ago, he didn't think he had any kids. He   
   wouldn't take that for granted any more. "Okay, okay. How about   
   'Galaxy Quest'?" He had to be careful. It needed to be a movie they   
   both enjoyed. She would get suspicious if it was one of her favorites   
   and not his.   
      
   He put the movie into the machine and sat back on the couch with the   
   remote in his hand. Emma sat down also. She didn't make it past the   
   opening credits. Frohike had intended to let the DVD run for only a   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)