Title: Half the World Away
Author: Rotem Shahar and Cathey Scully
Feedback: rattyandbo@xfilesfan.com
Rating:  R
Category: SAR
Keywords: MSR, Pre-XF, AU
Spoilers: none
Summary: A young Mulder and Scully deal with the tragic events of
September 11th.
Disclaimer: The characters from The X-Files are not
ours. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and FOX. No money
is being made and no infringement is intended. 
Notes: This is a sequel to Champagne Supernova, which can be found
here: http://rattyandbo.tri pod.com/rb/id10.html It's also a prequel
to Stand By Me, which can be found here:
http://rattyandbo.tripod.com/rb/id17.html

As with the other two fics in the "Oasis Series" this story is a prexf
fic, set in present times.  This story deals with Mulder and Scully as
teens, and how they'd react to the trying times of 2001.

Authors' Notes:

Ro: Writing this fic was an emotional trip back to the events of
almost a year ago, and all the worry and sadness that everyone felt. I
know I wont forget what happened, and neither will the rest of the
world.

Cathey: Writing this was an extremely emotional process.  One that we
tried to impart into the fic.  I'm sure everyone will remember where
exactly they were on September 11th for years to come.  This fic is my
way of saying I will never forget the sacrifices made for the freedom
of the American people.


Dedications: To anyone and everyone who was affected by the events of
9/11.

~	~	~

She knew from the moment she woke up, that something was wrong.  It
was just a feeling.  An intense, and at times painful, gut feeling.

Dana dressed quickly, wanting to have time to check in with Fox over
IM before she left for school.  Sitting at her computer, she hurriedly
typed in her password, the feeling rising again.  She was eternally
relieved to see Fox's screen name in the 'online' section.

"Are you okay?" she typed out furiously, gasping aloud at the
tightening in her gut.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I was waiting for you.  What's wrong?" came his
response.

"Something feels, off," she replied.  "Like something's wrong."

"Are you sick?" he asked.

"I don't know.  I don't think so, but every so often my stomach
clenches, and I get this feeling akin to dread.  Something's wrong,
Fox."

They activated the voice conference part of IM and continued.

"It's okay, Dana.  Nothing's wrong.  Deep breaths."

She did as he instructed, and the tenseness lessened.  "Okay," she
breathed out.  "I'm okay now."

"You sure?  Maybe you should stay home today.  I'll mysteriously
forget my next class if you want."

She laughed slightly.  "No, no, I'm okay.  Thanks, Fox.  Maybe some
other time."

"Okay.  You better get going then."

"Yeah," she replied, reluctantly.  Part of her wanted to take him up
on his offer, but the other part, the part that had two major exams
and one quiz knew she couldn't afford to stay home.

"I'll talk to you later then," he prompted.

"Yep," she replied, trying to keep upbeat.  "Bye, I love you."

"I love you too.  Call me if you need me," he sent her the smiley face
that was making kissing motions, and she laughed.

"Bye, Fox."

She closed down everything and grabbed her satchel and jeans jacket
and rushed down the stairs into the garage and hopped into Fox's car. 
He'd left it in her care since he didn't want to sell it while he was
in England.  Taking a few more deep breaths, she recalled Fox's words
and tried to push away her uneasy feeling.

When she reached the school and was surrounded by the crowds of people
in the hallways, all making their way towards their classes, the tense
feeling lessened a bit. But as minutes passed in her first period
class, the feeling came back, stronger than it had been that morning.

The door to the classroom cracked open.

"Ed! Turn the TV on! A plane just crashed into the Twin Towers!" Mr.
Wiseman panted, as he rushed to the next classroom.

Mr. Wigley stopped his lecture and turned the television on, as Mr.
Wiseman had told him. Flipping through the few channels, he stopped
when he'd found CNN.

All chattering had stopped as everyone sat, attention focused on the
television screen, none of them quite believing what they saw.

The bell rang, signifying a switch of periods, and the halls were
silent. People shuffled through the halls, scampering off to their
next class, hoping the TV was on there so they could continue
watching, and wait for the horror of it sink in.

Friends hugged as they entered their classrooms, comforted by knowing
each other was safe. They watched the television, and ignored the
announcement the principal made, urging everyone to turn off the TVs
and get back to work. There was no way anyone would be able to
concentrate now.

As the second plane crashed, Dana started to cry. She pulled out her
cell phone and walked to the window, trying to increase her reception.
Dialing home, she nervously waited for her mother to answer.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" Dana asked, hearing the water running and dishes clattering.

"Dana, sweetie, what's wrong?" her mother questioned.

"Are you watching TV?" she heard the water go off and her mother move
into the living room.

"I was doing the dishes." Dana heard the TV turn on and her mother
gasp as she saw the news footage play on the screen.

"Mom?" Dana asked again. "Did Bill get back home yet?"

"No, he's still in..." her mom trailed off, understanding the worry in
Dana's voice. "He's still in DC," she finally replied, praying her son
was all right. "He's supposed to call after his interview to let me
know how it went." Checking her watch, it revealed that there were
still two hours before his interview was scheduled. He'd left early
that morning, saying he was stopping to visit a few friends along the
way.

"What about Dad? Have you heard anything from Dad?" The feeling in
Dana's gut intensified.

"I'm sure that he's just fine.  If they were in any danger coming into
port, they'd be told to turn right back around."

"You're right," Dana answered.

Sarah touched her back and motioned for her to come back to the class.
 Their teacher was trying to restore as much order as she could.

"Mom, I gotta go."

"Alright, sweetheart.  I'm sure your brother, and your father are
okay."

"I know," she whispered, hanging up and moving back to her desk.

She, and the rest of her classmates, gasped aloud when the next bit of
news came on.  Dana felt her stomach twist and shot up in her seat.
She ran her hand through her hair as the other rifled through her bag
looking for her cell phone again.

Walking back to the window, she dialed a familiar number. The phone
pinged at her. 'Cannot Place Call' appeared on the cell phone screen.
She tried again. And again. "You fucking piece of shit phone," she
whispered fiercely at it. Throwing it back into her bag, she begged 
Amber to borrow her phone. "Please! I'll pay your cell phone bill for
you, just let me use the phone!" Amber sighed, but handed her the
phone. "Thank you!" Dana exclaimed, hugging her.

She walked back over to the window and dialed the number. Luckily,
this phone placed the call.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up, Please pick up...come on Fox, where are
you?" she chanted. She took a shaky breath as the answering machine
started. "Fox, its me, I'm in school right now...I just wanted to talk
to you..." She hung up the phone, not wanting to start crying in front
of her classmates.

"I can't stay.  I need to go home," she murmured as she returned the
phone to Amber. Gathering her things, she tried to ignore her shaking
hands.

Her teacher nodded, she knew that Dana's father was out at sea. 
"Nobody's going to get any work done today, Dana.  Go on home."

"Thanks Mrs. Jackson."

Dana walked to the office in a daze, knowing that she should
officially check herself out before just leaving.  However when she
got to the office, all she could see was chaos.  There were parents
lined up to get their kids, kids lined up to get the hell out of
dodge, and teachers themselves signing out to go home.

After waiting for ten minutes, Dana sighed.  "Fuck this, nobody will
even notice I'm gone."

Missy was waiting for her at the car.  She smiled in relief and hugged
her sister tightly.

"I talked to mom," they blurted at the same time.  Missy smiled
shakily.

"I'm leaving for the day."

"Me too," Dana agreed.  "I can't stay here.  Come on, get in."

Missy smiled gratefully, it wasn't often that her sister allowed her
to ride in Fox's car with her.  The ride home was silent, the only
sounds being the radio giving constant updates on the situations not
only in New York, but now Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh.

A thought struck her, and Dana made a sharp u-turn, going back in the
direction of Charlie's school.  Melissa opened her mouth to ask, but
shut it quickly, nodding with understanding.

After what seemed like eternity, Dana finally managed to convince the
woman behind the reception desk in the office to release Charles into
hers and Melissa's care.  Charlie made his way in, and even though he
was trying to keep "cool", they could tell that the eleven year old
was scared.

Once they got in the car, Melissa sat with Charlie and his face
crumbled.  "What's going on Missy?  They said something was wrong, but
won't tell us what's happening."

Missy curled her arm around his shoulders and let him rest his head
underneath hers.  "Mom will help explain everything when we get home,
but two planes flew into the World Trade Towers, and they've
collapsed.  Another plane has flown into one side of the Pentagon in
DC, and there's reports that another plane was high-jacked and has
crashed in Pittsburgh," she explained softly.

"But Dad, and Bill.  They're near DC," Charlie sniffed.  Missy rubbed
his head gently.

"I know," Missy sighed, her fear returning as well.  "I'm sure they're
both absolutely okay, and they'll call as soon as they can."  She met
Dana's eyes in the rearview mirror and they both nodded.

When they got home, Dana stopped the car and allowed the others to get
out before the adrenaline that had kept her going wore off.  With a
small cry, she dissolved into tears.

Whether it was minutes she spent sobbing, or hours, she only
recognized her surroundings when a warm hand clamped down on her
shoulder.  She looked up at her mother.

"Mommy," she whimpered, reaching for her mother like the child she
felt herself reverting back into.

"Dana, sweetheart, come inside.  I've got water boiling for tea."

Dana looked at her mother as if she were speaking a foreign language,
but reached for her bag and slid from the open car door.  Maggie
supported her youngest daughter with her arm around her waist, and led
Dana into the house.

Dana sat numbly on the couch, her eyes darting to the TV, where her
mother was watching NBC's constant coverage.  As she watched the
events on screen, Dana felt the bile rise in her throat.

"Dana, are you okay?" Melissa asked, sticking her head into the room. 
Dana shook her head and stood, covering her mouth and running to the
bathroom, barely making it before she threw up her meager breakfast.

Her mother appeared at her side, with a damp washcloth and soothing
words.  Dana clutched at her mother.

"I'm so scared mommy," she whispered into her shoulder.

"I know honey, I know."  Maggie rocked her, trying to keep the
trembling she felt under control.  "Let's get you upstairs, and you
can lie down."

Dana nodded, being helped to her feet by her mother.  They walked
gingerly up the stairs and Maggie helped Dana settle into her bed. 
Maggie stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"I'll get you your tea.  Rest awhile, Dana."

"I will," she whispered.  Once her mother was gone, Dana sat up and
turned on her TV, grabbing the cordless phone from her bedside table
as well.  She blindly dialed Fox's number.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she chanted, "please Fox.  Be there."

She let out a strangled cry as his answering machine picked up.  "Fox,
it's me.  If you're there, pick up, please.  I need--" before she
could even finish her statement, the voice she really needed to hear
came over the line.

"Dana, are you okay?"

"I'm terrified, Fox," she whispered.

"I tried to find a flight out as soon as I saw it on the news, but
they've already closed the airports, I can't get a flight out," Fox
paused. "I wish I could be there with you."

"Me too. Fox, I'm so scared. Bill...he went to DC for a job interview
and we haven't heard from him yet and," Dana wiped the tears off her
cheeks. "And dad's somewhere out at sea and we have no clue where he
is or if he's okay..." Dana trailed off as she grabbed a tissue from
the tissue box on her desk and blew her nose into the phone. "Sorry,"
she said.

"I'm sure they're both fine, Bill's probably just stuck there, and
your dad is still probably at sea, if it wasn't safe then they
wouldn't let them dock. I'm sure they're both okay."

Dana sighed. "I know, that's what mom said, but I'm still just so
scared.  I threw up earlier, Fox.  I haven't thrown up since I was
little," She took a deep breath. "Why would someone do this Fox?!
Why?!"

They sat in silence; Fox not knowing what to say, and Dana trying to
control her emotions.  Finally, Fox broke the silence.

"I wish I could be there for you, Dana," he told her.

"I do too.  But I can feel you as if you were here," she answered.  If
she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel his arms around
her, and his breath against her neck.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," she answered.  "Can you, just talk to me, Fox?"

"Sure," he answered, "About what?"

"Anything at all."

Fox thought for a moment and started to sing.

"How many special people change
How many lives are living strange
Where were you when we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you while we were getting high?"

Dana sniffled and smiled slightly. 

"Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky" 

Fox continued singing. 

"Wake up the dawn and ask her why
A dreamer dreams she never dies
Wipe that tear away now from your eye
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you when we were getting high?" 

Dana sighed, relaxing into the pillow behind her.

"Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky" 

Fox's voice continued to comfort her.

"Cos people believe that they're
Gonna get away for the summer
But you and I, we live and die -"

"Fox?" Dana interrupted his singing. "Where were you?"

"When?"

"When you found out?"

"In my apartment, between classes. My roommate rushed into the room
and turned on the news. I sat there, just staring at the TV screen. It
was like we'd crossed over into the twilight zone."

Dana sniffled.

"Please don't cry," he told her, wishing he was there to comfort her.
"Please don't cry," he whispered again.

"Keep talking?" she pleaded.

So he did. Fox rambled about his day, his classes, what he'd eaten for
lunch...anything that came to mind.

Wiping her eyes, she tried to picture him sitting next to her, his
arms wrapped around her, comforting her, as she leaned into him and
rested her head against his chest.

Slowly, she started to relax against the headboard, still picturing
Fox next to her.

"Dana! Get off the phone!" her mother yelled as she barged into the
room. "How can your dad call? How can Bill call? If you're on the
phone??"

"You have a cell phone, they can still call you," Dana said, refusing
to get off the phone.

"That's for emergencies, Dana," her mother replied, trying to keep her
temper.

"I'd say this qualifies as an emergency, Mother."

"Dana Katherine! Hang up the phone! Right now!" 

"Fine," she said angrily. "I'll call you right back," she whispered
into the phone as she hung up.

Her mother wordlessly left, and Dana quickly dug her cell phone out of
her bag and dialed Fox's number.

 "Fox?" she asked as he answered the phone.

"Yeah, Dana, its me."

"I'm so sorry," she told him as she sniffled; she'd started crying
again.

"Shh, its okay, its okay. We're on the phone again, we're talking
again," he tried to comfort her.

"What if its not okay? What if they don't call? What if they don't
come back?"

"They'll come back, it'll be okay," he reassured. 

"But they haven't called yet. They should have called..."

"You're watching the news, the cell phone reception is practically
nonexistent and they probably just can't get out of there. I'm sure
they're okay and that they'll call you as soon as they both can."

"I hope you're right, Fox."

'I hope so too,' he thought to himself.

There was a lull in the conversation, and after a minute of silence,
Dana requested, "Tell me about Oxford?" needing to hear his voice.

He told her about the campus, the classes, the dorms...where to live
off campus, what there was to do every night...

The home phone rang. Dana jumped to pick it up, hoping it was her
father.

"Hold on," she told Fox as she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Dana, I've been trying to reach someone for hours!"

"Good to hear you too Bill!" Dana replied, her sarcasm evident. "I'm
glad you're okay," she told him honestly. "Where are you?"

"Still in DC. I'm at a hotel now, and I probably wont be home for a
few days till everything clears up. I just wanted to call and let
everyone know that I'm okay."

"Do you want to talk to mom? She'll be really happy to hear you."

"Yeah."

"Mom! Phone!" Dana yelled, and waited for her mom to answer before
hanging up.

"Bill's still in DC, staying at a hotel for a few days until he can
get back, but he's okay. Now Ahab just needs to call..." she trailed
off.

"I'm glad Bill's okay. Just give your dad time, he'll call."

"Can you keep telling me about Oxford?"

"Sure," he said. So Fox continued. He told her which teachers were
good, which teachers weren't...about all the different people there.

"Sounds nice," she murmured as he finished talking.

"It is," he agreed. "It's also a nice distance away from home."

"Dana, dinner's ready," her mom called from the kitchen.

She covered the mouthpiece and called back "I'm not hungry!"

"I wish Ahab would call," Dana told Fox.

"He will, Dana, he will. You just need to give him some time."

The phone rang just as Fox had finished talking, and Dana jumped.

"Hello?" she asked, holding the phone to one ear and her cell phone to
the other.

"Ahab!" she exclaimed, as the person on the other line started
talking. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"In Maryland. I'm fine, Starbuck. I've been trying to find a working
phone for hours now. Can I talk to mom?"

"Sorry, yeah, sure," taking both phones away from her mouth, she
yelled, "Mom! Phone!" She brought the phone back to her mouth. "Are
you coming home soon?"

"As soon as I can, I promise."

Her mother picked up the phone and she hung up, and told Fox the good
news.

"Dad's okay. He's trying to get home," she told him happily.

"Good, I told you he'd be fine."

"I know, thank you."

"I really hate to have to do this, but its almost 5 am here now and I
need to wake up in two hours to call into work and tell them I'm not
coming."

"'Kay," Dana said sadly. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Dana," he stopped, unsure if she'd already hung up.

"Yeah?" she hadn't.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Fox."

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, talk to you then."

"Goodnight."

"Bye."

And the clock struck twelve, signifying a new day, a new era for the
American nation.

~The End~


~*~Ro~*~
http://rattyandbo.tripod.com