Title: Pride and Frustration
Author: MagsRose
Email: magsrose@comcast.net
Category: Gen
Rating: FRC (G)
Feedback: Let me know what you think.
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. 
Acknowledgements: Amy, as always, deserves thanks for being my fabulous Beta. Without her insistence that I "go back and fix it", I probably wouldn't get anything done. 




"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 observed this 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. 


* * * * *


Later that afternoon, the situation became even more troublesome.

Flipping open his email account, Byers found one from Alison. 


~:~:~


Hey John,

Long time no talk … how are you? Is it as cold in Washington as it is in London?

I just got an email from Emma. She wants so badly to see Pride and Prejudice at the theatre and she's worried it will be gone before she gets a chance. She thinks no-one there understands why this is so important to her.

Please, talk to her and see if you can get her to tell you. If not, at least she will know someone cared enough to ask. And please, you HAVE to take her if her father won't. It's not much to ask, just a couple of hours of one evening. And it means so much to her. Don't you remember when you were a kid, didn't you ever want anything so badly that you thought you would die if you didn't get it? I think we forget how kids her age feel so intensely about everything. I know it doesn't seem a big deal but it is to her. And you will enjoy it, too. It's a beautiful movie! 

You know, it's so rare to find a kid of her age nowadays that is interested in reading at all, never mind Jane Austen at age thirteen! She really needs to be encouraged or she'll lose interest. It would be so sad if she got discouraged about reading the classics, she would miss so much great literature. You don't want that to happen, do you??? She's such a bright kid; she might easily want to be a writer or something. 

And baby, think of this. If you don't take her to the movie, and I hear about it, I won't hesitate to tell the other guys what happened that time we met up when you stayed over in London couple of years ago and we went to that museum in Cambridge .... remember .... hehehehe ... have the scars faded yet?

Only kidding, just want to make sure you realize how important this is! Oh, let me know what you thought of the movie. Keira Knightly is gorgeous (I'm so jealous) so if nothing else, sit back and enjoy the scenery (and the dialogue)!"

Give my love to Yves and tell her she's got to try to get back this side of the Pond this year!

Love from Alison


~:~:~


Byers sent a short reply thanking Alison for the confirmation of what he already suspected. 

He found Emma in her room, at her computer. 

"What are you working on?" he asked. 

Emma shrugged, saying only, "Nothing."

Byers nodded, sitting down on her bed to watch her. He wondered how to broach the subject and decided that the direct approach would be best. "I got an email from Alison." 

Emma started to turn to look at him but stopped herself and refocused her attention on her laptop's screen without responding. Byers studied her profile. Her jaw was set as if her teeth were clenched; her fingers hovered over the keyboard without typing. He could almost feel her apprehension.

"She said you don't think any of us understand why you want to see Pride and Prejudice so badly." 

Emma dropped her eyes to her hands, which were now crossed one over the other in front of her on the edge of her keyboard. "She wasn't supposed to… I…" She sighed. "I never meant for her…" As if making a decision, she sat up straighter, shaking off her discomfiture. "Don't worry about it," she finally said. 

Byers touched her arm to try to get her to look at him. "I am worried about it. You're more upset about this than I can explain and if you won't tell me or your dad, how will we ever understand."

She mumbled something at that point still keeping her eyes averted. Byers leaned closer to her. "What?" He waited. When she said nothing, he repeated himself. "What did you say?"

She did look at him then, her expression defiant, her words clipped. "I shouldn't have to explain."

"Emma, be fair. Your dad said you can go with Yves in a couple of days but if there is some reason you can't possibly wait that long, you need to let us know."

"It should be enough that I really want it, I don't think I should have to explain."

Byers shook his head, keeping his expression calm. "It may feel that way but we're not psychic. Sometimes you're just going to have to tell us what's on your mind."

She was silent for a few moments but Byers waited, letting his words sink in. 

Slowly Emma relaxed her defiant pose, her shoulders dropping. "That story was my mom's favorite." Byers had heard this before but suspected if he said anything at that point, she might not continue. 

"At the end…" She paused swallowing, then took a deep breath, "…I was reading it to her… but I ran out of time." 

It took Byers a split second to comprehend but the tears this statement elicited made her meaning painfully clear. The familiarity of the story, while being read to her mother, had offered comfort to both of them. It was a distraction, something they could talk about to escape the horror of what was happening. 

"Oh, Sweetheart, I'm so sorry." He held his arms out to her in the offer of a hug but Emma pushed her chair away from him and stood up. 

"This is why I didn't want to say anything," she explained through her tears. "But you made me."

"You wouldn't have told me if you didn't really want to." Emma said nothing but stood with her arms crossed, her back to the wall near the door. "And this is the kind of stuff you should tell us."

She backhanded her nose. "It's getting boring."

"What is?"

"This!" She indicated her tear-stained face. "I don't want to talk about it any more." With that, she left the room. 

Byers gave her time to find a spot to hide from him. At that point, he really needed to talk to Frohike anyway. He got up off Emma's bed and headed down to the work area. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard Frohike call out. "Wear your hat and gloves! It's below freezing out there!"

In less than a minute, the telltale thud of a basketball hitting the outside wall could be heard.

"What happened?" Frohike asked his friend when Byers stopped at the computer where he was cropping photos for publication. 

"We talked."

"It doesn't seem to have done much good. She's even more pissed off than she was earlier. What did she say?"

"Not much," Byers said evading the question. Emma had so completely resented revealing that little fact to him he figured it would be better to let her tell her father on her own.

Byers listened to the sound of the ball against the building. She wasn't making very many baskets. "She's not a little kid any more, you know?" 

"I'm aware of that," Frohike noted shifting his attention from the photos to his friend standing over him. 

"A hug doesn't heal as many ills as it used to."

Frohike chuckled. "She turned you down, huh?"

"Yup." Byers had to smile, too. "Listen, can I run something past you?"

"Sure," said Frohike.


* * * * *


"Get dressed!" Frohike told Emma later that afternoon. "We're going out to dinner."

Still not in the best of moods, Emma scowled at what she was wearing. "What's wrong with what I have on?" 

"We're going somewhere nice," explained Frohike, "and the usual jeans and t-shirt aren't good enough. Put on a dress."

"A dress?" Emma didn't mind the idea of going out for dinner but balked at the thought of wearing a skirt in the cold weather. 

"You can always stay here and eat leftovers," Frohike threatened.

"All right, all right!" Emma said, going to do as she was told. 

When she came downstairs in a wool tartan skirt, heavy white tights and white blouse, she was surprised to note that no one else had changed. "I thought you said we were going out to dinner," she said to her father. "You and Langly didn't change."

"We're not going," said Langly. "I wouldn't be caught dead…"

"Shut-up, Punk!" Frohike cut him off. He cast a critical eye over his daughter. "You look nice." He nodded his approval. "And Langly and I are not going: only you and Byers."

"You're not going? I don't…"

"I thought it would be fun if just the two of us went out," Byers said walking up with Emma's heavy coat over his arm. He already had on his long, trench coat with a neck scarf knotted under his chin. "Here you go," he said holding her coat out for her to slip her arms into. 

Emma glanced at her father for confirmation. He smiled. "Have a nice time. Langly and I will take care of those leftovers."

"Yeah," said Langly, "but bring me back a doggy bag."

Emma allowed Byers to help her into her coat. He wrapped her long, red scarf around her neck while she pulled her gloves out of her pockets. 

"And make sure you order too much dessert… chocolate dessert!" Langly called out as the outside door closed behind them. 



Dinner was pleasant and uneventful. Emma convinced herself to set aside her bad mood for the evening. It seemed pointless and rude to continue when John was treating her to a fancy dinner. So she forced herself to focus on her friend, rallying nicely. 

This was made easier by his tale of learning to use chopsticks. The demonstration of how he'd sent a fried prawn flipping over to the next table had her nearly choking on her fried rice. 

Since the upscale Chinese restaurant had no chocolate desserts, Byers suggested picking up something for Langly in the mall at which the eatery was located. They stashed the small cartons of left over food in the car and ventured into the mall.

Emma was mystified when Byers walked right past a Mrs. Field's store. She knew the cookies she could buy there would satisfy Langly's need for chocolate. Figuring Byers had somewhere specific in mind, she simply followed his lead. 

But when he also bypassed a Baskin Robbins, Emma stopped. "John," she called out to him when he didn't notice that she was no longer walking beside him. 

He turned to see her pointing into the entrance of the ice cream shop. "If we go straight home, we could get an ice cream cake. He likes rocky road."

Byers walked back towards Emma and took her hand to lead her away from the store's entrance. "We're not going straight home. There's something we need to do first."

"What?" Emma asked.

Byers chuckled. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies," he said enigmatically. 

He led her down a side aisle that was devoid of shops. Emma looked toward the exit for which they were heading. "There's nothing out there but more parking lot," Emma noted. "No other stores."

Saying nothing, Byers simply held the door open for her. Looking at her escort like he'd suddenly lost his marbles, Emma stepped out into the night air. Once outside, she saw that she had been wrong. 

Byers stepped up to stand beside her. Emma stared at the building across the parking lot. Huge, fifty-foot posters decorated the front of the building. The one that held Emma's attention showed a close up of Keira Knightley in profile and a tall man with wind blown hair out of focus behind her. 

She turned to wait for Byers to say something not daring to guess because, if she were wrong, it would hurt too much. 

The look of hope on Emma's face told Byers he couldn’t even consider teasing her at that point. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a preprinted Fandango ticket for two to Pride and Prejudice. 

"Really?" Emma asked. "We're really going to see the movie?"

"Yes," Byers said smiling down at her. "Let's go! You don't want to miss the previews, do you?" 

"No," said Emma laughing.

Once again taking her hand, they quickly cut across the parking lot. "I hope you saved room for popcorn." 

"There's always room for popcorn," Emma noted, almost trotting to keep up with him.


Once they had purchased a vat of popcorn and two very large cups of soda, Byers allowed Emma to choose their seats. Setting her pop in the receptacle at the end of the armrest, Emma slipped out of her coat and laid it out on the seat next to her. She then sat down before holding her arms out to Byers to take the popcorn from him so he could settle in. 

They watched the previews discussing whether each advertised feature was 'skippable', 'wait for the DVD' or 'a must see on the big screen'. 

As scenes of the English countryside rolled across the screen with the opening credits, Emma sighed contentedly. She slipped her arm though her friend's and rested her head on his shoulder for just a moment. "Thank you, John," she said. "I know you don't really like going to the movies. This means a lot to me."

He patted her arm on his. "That's why I did it, Sweetheart. I hope you enjoy the movie."

"I am."