From: magsrose@comcast.net   
      
   Title: Pride and Frustration   
   Author: MagsRose   
   Email: magsrose@comcast.net   
   Category: Gen   
   Rating: FRC (G)   
   Summary: None of the Gunmen want to go to the girly movie with Emma.   
   Disclaimers: Still not mine. Still used without permission. But I have   
   nothing but their best interests at heart.   
   Notes: Alison tossed this little plot bunny into my lap back in   
   November when this movie first came out. She also contributed to the   
   writing of the story. You'll know it when you see it.   
      
      
      
      
      
      
   "But Keira Knightly's in it. You said you thought she was a babe in   
   Pirates of the Caribbean."   
      
   Langly looked at Emma through narrowed eyes. "Any pirates in this one?"   
      
   Emma screwed up her face. "Well, no. At least I don't think so." Since   
   it was a Jane Austen story, pirates were highly unlikely. "But there   
   might be swords." This was a reach. In the BBC miniseries version of   
   Pride and Prejudice, they'd shown Mr. Darcy practicing his sword   
   fighting but Emma knew this was not in the book.   
      
   "Any babes with swords?" Langly thought this might tempt him. When   
   Emma said nothing, Langly took that for a 'no'. "I didn't think so.   
   Sorry, Squirt, get someone else to take you to that movie."   
      
   Emma wasn't about to give up. Langly was her last hope. "Ah, come on!   
   I go to your movies with you all the time."   
      
   Langly snorted. "Only because you're dying to see them, too. It's not   
   the same thing." Sitting through two hours of what had to be one of   
   the girliest movies ever made sounded like pure torture to Langly.   
   "Ask your dad to take you."   
      
   Emma snorted. "He doesn't want to go either. He says he'll just fall   
   asleep and start snoring. He thinks I'd get so embarrassed I wouldn't   
   enjoy the movie. Come on, Langly. PLEASE, go with me. I really need to   
   see this movie."   
      
   "You can beg all you want. I'm not going," insisted Langly before   
   turning back to the game Emma had interrupted with her request.   
      
   Emma could tell he was coming to the end of his patience and that it   
   was useless to continue pleading her case.   
      
   Wandering back over to where her dad was working at his computer, Emma   
   plopped down in a chair next to him heaving an enormous sigh as she   
   did so. Frohike finished the paragraph he was reading before turning   
   to consider his daughter.   
      
   "No luck with Langly?" he asked although the answer to his question   
   was painfully obvious.   
      
   "He doesn't want to go either."   
      
   "And Byers?"   
      
   "He says he'll watch it with me when it comes out on DVD."   
      
   "You know he's not a big fan of crowded theaters," Frohike studied her   
   face. She was upset enough that she wouldn't look at him.   
      
   "How come I can't just go by myself?"   
      
   "You know I don't want you sitting in the theater by yourself. It's   
   just not safe. Why don't you call Sierra and Tiara and see if they'll   
   go with you? I can drop the three of you off and pick you up when it's   
   over."   
      
   Emma knew that her two friends from school did not share her taste for   
   Jane Austen stories. "They'd rather go see Goblet of Fire."   
      
   "Then wait until Yves and Jimmy get back. Yves promised to take you."   
      
   "But it's been out for a while already and they won't be home for   
   another week." Emma insisted too loudly. "What if it's gone by then   
   and I didn't get to see it?" She was reaching the point of absolute   
   frustration. Frohike knew that tears would probably be next.   
      
    He reached over and put his arm around her shoulders pulling her   
   closer to him.   
      
   "It's only been out for a few days and they're still running ads for   
   it on T.V. It's not going anywhere. You need to be patient for a just   
   little bit longer."   
      
   The last thing Emma wanted to hear at that point was that she needed   
   to be patient. This was too important to her. She twisted out of her   
   dad's grasp and left to go upstairs to be alone in her misery.   
      
   Sitting down at the laptop her dad had finally allowed her to put in   
   her room at the warehouse, Emma opened her email and typed in the   
   address of the one person she knew would understand what she was going   
   through.   
      
      
   ~:~:~:~   
      
   Dear Alison,   
      
   Thanks for your last email.   
      
   I wish I could say I've seen Pride and Prejudice already but no one   
   will go with me. Well, that's not really true. Yves says she'll go but   
   she's not here right now and won't be back for a while and I'm afraid   
   the movie will be gone before she gets home.   
      
   My dad and the others guys don't get it. They either say they wouldn't   
   be caught dead going to it or to wait until it's out on DVD.   
      
   I can't wait! I just have to see it! My mom loved those books so much   
   that she named me after one.   
      
   You'll have to tell me all about the movie because I'm probably not   
   going to get to see it until I can go buy my own copy. Is Mr. Darcy   
   really handsome? He looks pretty good in the previews but it's kind of   
   hard to tell. What about Mr. Bingley? Is he as nice as he's supposed   
   to be? Is Jane beautiful and kind? What about Lydia? Is she really   
   obnoxious? And Wickham? Is he handsome and charming or just a sneaky liar?   
      
   Please let me know.   
      
   Love always,   
      
   Emma   
      
      
      
   ~:~:~:~   
      
      
   Emma had met Alison on her trip to England with Yves. She was a friend   
   of Byers who made occasional contributions to the paper and was an   
   excellent source of information from across the Atlantic. During her   
   visit, Emma had shared her love of Jane Austen with Alison. After   
   Emma's return to the US, they kept up an email acquaintance continuing   
   to share, among other things, their love of the author and her books   
   including excitement over the upcoming movie rendition of Pride and   
   Prejudice.   
      
   Emma reread her letter before hitting send. Then, picking up a copy of   
   the book from her desk, she laid down on her bed to read. If she   
   couldn't see the movie in the theater, she could at least enjoy it in   
   book form.   
      
      
      
   * * * * *   
      
      
      
   The following day Emma's mood was no better.   
      
   Her answers to questions were monosyllabic and brusque. Getting her to   
   join in on a civil conversation was impossible. She spent the whole   
   morning upstairs at the warehouse either watching TV or reading in her   
   room.   
      
   Byers watched her with growing concern. Usually, when Emma was in a   
   bad mood, it was short lived. He'd never seen her sulk around well   
   into another day and when he tried to talk to her about it, she would   
   only insist that nothing was wrong and that she just wanted to be left   
   alone.   
      
   This was so unlike her, Byers finally decided to ask Frohike about it.   
      
   "She's still mad about that movie," said Frohike.   
      
   "The Jane Austen one?"   
      
   "Yeah, but she also knows that Yves will take her next week. She's   
   just going to have to wait."   
      
   "Do you think she'll be like this until then?"   
      
   Frohike cringed. "God, I hope not, but she is a teenager now. We may   
   just have to get used to it." He paused considering his friend. "I can   
   take her back to the house and work from there if she's getting on   
   your nerves."   
      
   "No," Byers shook his head, "no, that's not the problem. I'm just   
   worried about her."   
      
   "Thanks, Buddy, but she'll get over it."   
      
   Byers wasn't so sure Frohike was right but decided to adopt a wait and   
   see attitude. And besides, he didn't have that much say in the matter.   
      
      
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)