From: magsrose@comcast.net   
      
   Chapter 5   
      
   We had a big Fourth of July party. Some of my new friends celebrated   
   with me.   
      
      
      
      
   Frohike sat in front of the computer with his elbows on the table and   
   his head in his hands. He had not been looking forward to this   
   conversation with Emma. He was going to have to break the bad news to   
   her that they would not be back for the Fourth of July celebration as   
   he had hoped. Their investigation was going horribly. Their sources   
   hadn't panned out and they couldn't find the proof they needed to   
   print the article.   
      
   And he didn't even get to talk to Emma. Scully said she had overdone   
   it at the ballgame and was sleeping it off. Scully assured him that   
   Emma would be okay in the morning but that didn't change the fact that   
   he wasn't there with her. Of course, if he had been this wouldn't have   
   happened in the first place. Frohike didn't really blame Mulder, well,   
   maybe a little, but the guy was just trying to make sure Emma was   
   having fun in her father's absence.   
      
   Scully was willing to break the bad news to Emma but Frohike felt he   
   needed to do it. Emma was not going to be happy about this and Scully   
   didn't deserve to be the recipient of the child's bad temper. He had   
   set up a time early the next day to call back. Scully had to go to   
   work but she promised to tell Emma to expect the call.   
      
      
   Byers watched Frohike from across the room. He felt bad for Frohike   
   but knew there was nothing he could do about it. They were all   
   disappointed that this trip was such a bust. There were a couple more   
   leads they were going to check on the next day but none of the Gunmen   
   held out much hope that they would get the information they needed.   
      
   Emma tried very hard not to show how hurt she was that their Fourth of   
   July plans had gone up in smoke. She fought to keep her voice even   
   when she asked why they would not be back in time. She let her dad   
   talk for a while but then excused herself because she didn't want him   
   to see her cry. She told Frohike that she would talk to him again that   
   evening then went to William's room so Mulder wouldn't have to put up   
   with her being a baby either.   
      
   Mulder talked to Frohike for a few more minutes and told him the plans   
   that he and Scully had made when they found out that the Gunmen would   
   not be back for the holiday. Frohike thanked Mulder but still felt the   
   full brunt of the guilt a parent feels when his child figures out that   
   she can not always depend on him.   
      
      
   Later that afternoon, when things had gone from bad to worse,   
   Frohike's mood was so nasty that even Jimmy wanted to lock him out of   
   the motel room. Langly had snapped at Frohike, further pissing him   
   off. He took the keys to the van and announced that he was going to go   
   get dinner and if anyone didn't like what he got that was just too   
   damn bad.   
      
   Byers decided that he'd had enough. He started disconnecting the   
   equipment they had set up in the room. Langly saw what he was up to   
   and complained, "Hey, man, what are you doing? I wasn't done with that."   
      
   "Why don't we just leave? What's the point of staying here when   
   there's no story?" Langly just stared at Byers. "And Frohike's going   
   to be in an evil mood until we get him home."   
      
   Jimmy was catching on, "And if we leave now, we'll be home in time for   
   the picnic!"   
      
   "Right! What do you say, Langly?" Byers asked.   
      
   "I'm glad someone finally suggested it." Langly took the cords from   
   Byers and continued to take apart the equipment.   
      
   When Frohike returned with burgers and fries for everyone, he was   
   surprised to see his three companions standing outside their motel   
   room with everything packed.   
      
   "What the hell are you guys doing?" he asked as he climbed out of the   
   driver's seat.   
      
   "We're going home. You coming with us?" Langly asked.   
      
   "Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is? We'd have to drive most   
   of the night."   
      
   "Yeah," Jimmy replied, "but there's four of us. We can take turns."   
      
   Byers added, "You're all packed. If we leave now we'd get home in   
   plenty of time to get some sleep before the evening when the real fun   
   begins."   
      
   "Emma expects me to call," was Frohike's weak reply. He paused for a   
   moment then went around to the side of the van and pulled open the   
   sliding door. "I'll call her from my cell phone. Come on, load up!   
   We're outta here!"   
      
   Emma was surprised when Frohike called her on the phone. She preferred   
   the streaming video and asked her dad why he wasn't using it. "I'm not   
   at the motel and I didn't want to miss talking to you."   
      
   "Where are you?"   
      
   "In the van?"   
      
   "Where are you going?"   
      
   "That's classified. I can't tell you."   
      
   Emma was getting used to being kept in the dark so didn't ask any more   
   questions. They talked for a few minutes more, mostly about Emma's   
   anticipation of the next day's events with the Mulder/Scullys as she   
   now thought of them. Frohike asked to talk to one of them. Scully was   
   at hand so Emma handed the phone to her, "He wants to talk to you."   
      
   "Hi, Frohike."   
      
   "Scully, don't let Emma know but we're on our way home."   
      
   "All right."   
      
   "I want to surprise her."   
      
   "We can do that."   
      
   Emma got bored and wandered off. This made it possible for Scully to   
   talk freely with Frohike about the next day.   
      
   The Fourth of July dawned clear and warm: perfect Independence Day   
   weather. Emma had made up her mind that she wasn't going to spend the   
   day moping. Why make herself miserable and drag everyone else along   
   with her? She put on her red, white, and blue t-shirt and a pair of   
   white shorts and headed for the bathroom. She put her hair into a   
   ponytail and brushed her teeth. When she stepped out of the bathroom,   
   she could hear voices in the kitchen. It wasn't just Dana and Mulder.   
   There was a third voice, one with which she was very familiar. She ran   
   through the apartment into the kitchen.   
      
   "How many times have I told you not to run inside?" Frohike asked in   
   mock anger, his enormous grin giving away his pleasure at seeing her.   
   "Don't you have a hug and a kiss for your old dad?" Emma gave him many   
   kisses even though he seriously needed a shave and hugged him until he   
   wondered if she could possibly crack one of his ribs. "Okay, okay, I   
   missed you, too, but I want to get a look at your hair."   
      
   Emma experienced a small pang of guilt at that statement but took the   
   ponytail out so he could see what it really looked like. He turned her   
   around so that he could get a glimpse at the back, too. It came to   
   just below her shoulders. "Very nice. Whoever fixed it did a good job."   
      
   "You didn't like the job I did?" Emma asked with a sly smile.   
      
   "Let's just say that such things should be left to the professionals.   
   What do you think?"   
      
   "Yeah, you're right. I did mess it up pretty bad. I didn't think it   
   would be that hard."   
      
   "Did you apologize to Scully and Mulder for the trouble you caused?"   
      
   Mulder jumped in, "She did… several times."   
      
   "I offered to pay for the haircut but no one would let me." Emma said   
   in her own defense. Frohike laughed at her look of regret.   
      
   "That's because I told them not to."   
      
   "Dad, that wasn't nice!"   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)