Oxford: Beautiful Stranger Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono Rating: PG Category: Story Keywords: Pre-XF, Mulder/Scully UST Spoilers: The Unnatural Summary: A talk on a fall day leads to a fun night. An 'Oxford' story. Yep, it's another Oxford story (yeah, finally Rotem ;) only this one is slightly different. It takes place before they head to Oxford, so they're still 'just friends' at this point in time (although I'm putting the UST in here, don't worry ;). Archive: Gossamer and Spookys, anyone else just drop me a line so I can visit it. Feedback: Please!!! *g* RhiaRamsay@aol.com Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully and anything else XF are not mine. 'Nuff said. This story is dedicated to Rotem and her constant nagging. Which I told her to do anyway so I would get the story done quicker...;) Beautiful Stranger Elizabeth L. Iacono Sept 18, 1979 San Diego 1 p.m. Dana Katherine Scully hated baseball. Absolutely, totally, completely hated it with a passion. There was just something about it that she found dull and unappealing. Of course, it could have had to do with the fact that most of her baseball knowledge came from school teachers who forced sports on her when she really didn't want to play them. That was where she was now, stuck in 7th period sophomore gym class standing in the middle of right field of the High School baseball diamond. The sun was beating down on her and she used her assigned glove to shield her eyes. Dana sighed heavily as she watched her teacher try to show someone how to hold the bat right. 'That could be you up there if you're not careful,' she warned herself. It was in her best interest to do anything to avoid getting up to bat because she knew she'd miss and her highly competitive team would get mad at her yet again. 'And that's why you're out in right field,' she thought. She looked around at the rest of her class which was scattered on the field and on the bench. The infield players were standing there ready and waiting in the possibility that the ball would head their way. The other two outfield players, while not as enthusiastic as the others, still looked like they were having fun. Even the ones on the bench were cheering for their teammates who were on base. Dana looked around, wondering if anyone would notice if she laid down and took a short nap. "Oh, you look so thrilled to be here," a voice said from behind her. Dana whipped around to see a friend of hers leaning on the fence bordering the baseball field. She smirked and walked the ten feet to the fence, positive that no one would miss her. "You want to play for me?" she said, throwing her glove at him. "I'm sure they'd be grateful for the improvement." Fox Mulder grinned as he caught the glove right before it hit him in the face. "What, you don't like baseball?" he asked, leaning his elbows on fence once more. Dana rested her back against the fence, facing the field to make it look like she was putting in some effort. "Nope, never have. I can't see the point in standing around watching people slap a piece of horsehide with a stick." Mulder shrugged, his shoulder brushing hers. "I don't know, there's just something so appealing to me about the sport." Dana shot him a sideways look out of the corner of her eye, and he grinned at her. "I grew up close to Yankee Stadium." "I thought you said you lived in Massachusetts," Dana said absently, squinting from the sunlight. "Yeah, but after my parents got divorced my mom and I moved to New York City. It was better for me anyway, they don't really like Yankees fans up there," Mulder said. "Why not? It's just a team," Dana said, looking over at him. Mulder laughed out loud at that. "You really don't know much about baseball, do you?" Dana smirked at him again. "I told you I hate the sport. I don't see the big deal about liking a different team than the one in your home state." "Unless it's New York and Boston," he said. "See, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have always had a rivalry going on, and nearly everyone in Massachusetts supports the Sox. It's okay if people like another team, unless they're the Yankees, then they'll most likely get burned at the stake." Dana still looked skeptical, and Mulder ran a hand over his face. "Look, just trust me, this fight's been going on for years and will still be going on twenty years in the future. It's safer for Yankee fans like me to be living in New York." "And you're in California right now," Dana pointed out. "And the only baseball conflict here is about the Dodgers," Mulder smirked. Dana laughed and slouched even more against the fence. "It must be a guy thing," she said. Mulder looked over at her. Dana caught the look in his eye and could just tell that the wheels were turning in his head with an idea. "What are you thinking?" she said warily. "Would you be able to meet me back here at eight tonight?" he asked her. "Yeah, sure. Why?" she asked. Mulder smiled at her, that disarming grin that did funny things to her stomach. "I'm going to teach you all about baseball." "Oh no, no way," Dana said. "Why not? It'll be fun, and I'll even pay for the ice cream," Mulder wheedled her. Dana rolled her eyes. It was hard to resist that offer, a night of Mulder and ice cream. "Fine," she sighed dramatically, joking with him. "I'll be here at eight o'clock." Mulder smiled at her once more, and they spent a lovely moment there just being together. The moment was shattered by her gym teacher calling, "Hey, Scully, get over here!" Dana growled under her breath. "Attila the Hun calls." Mulder chuckled. "Remember, eight o'clock, Scully," he said, and pushed himself off the fence and began to walk away. Dana grinned to herself as she began to walk back to the bench. She'd only known Mulder for about a month, but he was quickly becoming one of her best friends. She first met him at the UC San Diego campus while he was moving in to start his freshman year and she was getting away from her family for a short while. They'd formed a bond that afternoon, and both had the feeling that they'd be friends for a good long time, even though Mulder insisted she call him by his last name. She also had to admit to having a bit of a crush on him. 'Beautiful stranger,' was what she had first thought the first time she'd seen him. It was true, he was a handsome boy. His hair was an oak brown color and long, maybe a little longer than the length her mother said all good boys kept their hair at (she'd had a hard time accepting when her sister Melissa's last boyfriend had hair that could be pulled back into a ponytail). He was tall and lanky, but with defined muscles that had hidden strength in them, and he had a gorgeous face. But what had got her attention was his eyes which changed colors constantly and had the ability to totally entrance a person. "Hey, Dana, haul ass!" someone cried out, jerking her out of her thoughts. Dana sighed and walked faster towards the bench. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Mom, I'm going out," Dana called out as she pulled on a denim jacket over her t-shirt and cutoff shorts. "Where are you going?" Margaret Scully asked, walking into the hallway. "Just up to the school to meet some friends, and then for ice cream," Dana said, thinking her mother didn't have to know every single detail. Her relations with her family had been strained lately, feeling a little out of place being the middle child in the family. Bill Jr. was the oldest boy and the honorary man of the house because her dad was at sea once again, Missy was the oldest girl and the pretty one, and Charlie was the baby. Dana was just stuck in the middle, the only thing going for her she felt was her brain. It was good to have a friend like Mulder, it made her feel special among the other members of her family. "It's nothing big," she said. Margaret nodded. "Well, lucky for you there's no school tomorrow, so just be back before twelve, all right?" "Okay, Mom," Dana said. Her mother was thankfully understanding, and could somehow sense what her daughter was feeling lately around the rest of her brothers and sister. She knew that by giving her daughter this small freedom it would in the long run make her a happier person. "See you soon," she said, and walked out the door. She walked through the familiar streets of the Navy base, and then the ones outside of it that led to the high school. Soon she reached the baseball field, and thanks to the overhead lighting she saw Mulder leaning against the backdrop, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, with a Yankees cap perched on his head. By the pitchers mound was another person and what looked like a pitching machine, just like the one the gym teacher used during batting drills. "Well, I'm here," she said as she got close to him. Mulder pushed himself off the backdrop and walked over to her. "Good," he grinned. "Because I'm going to teach you how to play baseball." "Oh, no!" Dana yelped, backing away from him. Mulder grabbed onto her hands and pulled her close, still grinning. "Oh, yes," he smirked. "Come on, please? You said before that you would." Dana made a face at him, remembering what she had said earlier. "Fine," she conceded. "Good," Mulder said, and pulled her close. He pulled her over to home plate and stood her on the right side of it. He leaned down, picked up a baseball bat, and placed it in her hands. Dana held onto it loosely, wondering what exactly one did with it aside from use it to scare off intruders in the house. Then Mulder placed his hands on her hips and pulled her body flush against his. Dana stiffened, but then relaxed, liking the feel of his body close to hers. She didn't know that he was thinking the exact same thing. "Now, what you have to do is hold the bat like this," Mulder said, placing his hands over hers and guiding the bat near her shoulders in the batting stance. "Got that?" "Uh-huh," Dana said, concentrating more on Mulder's face right next to hers rather than how the bat should be held. "Okay," Mulder said. "Then when you swing, be sure to go hips before hands," he said, placing one hand on her hip and turning her body slightly. "Hips before hands," Dana murmured, nodding. Her dislike of baseball was decreasing she noticed, although she had to wonder if it was because of the person who was teaching her rather than the sport itself. "Now you just concentrate on that ball, and when it comes close we're just going to let it fly," Mulder whispered, his mouth close to her ear. Dana nodded, leaning back into Mulder. The machine whirred and the first pitch flew towards them. Mulder tightened his hands over hers and together they swung at the ball. Dana gasped as her feet left the ground, a result of their extreme differences in height, but the crack of bat meeting ball was strangely satisfying. They were like that for hours, talking and laughing and playing baseball. At around 10:30 Mulder's friend who was operating the pitching machine had to leave so they packed it in. The friend headed back to the campus and Mulder and Dana headed for the local ice cream parlor. The parlor was pretty empty this time of night, even though it was usually populated by a bunch of high school students. Mulder and Dana walked out of the parlor, each carrying an ice cream cone. "So what did you think of it?" Mulder asked her. Dana grinned, looking down at her ice cream. "Okay, it was pretty fun. Although I doubt that it would be the same playing it with my gym class." They started walking, heading back towards the Navy base. "Good," Mulder said. "Baseball really is fun, at least it always has been to me. It's been like a sort of escape I guess. When I'm standing up there it seems like all my problems just fade away and all I have to concentrate on is hitting the ball." Dana looked up at him. She knew that he'd had some problems in his past before he came out there, but he hadn't told her about many of them yet. Going by the look in his eyes though he was remembering some of them at that moment. She reached her free hand out and grasped his hand in hers. Mulder's fingers tightened around hers and he smiled down at her gratefully. Sooner than they would have liked they were at the gate to the base. "You can come in, Mulder, I've still got an hour, we can walk around some more," Dana said. Mulder smirked. "I don't think so. Knowing my luck I'd end up getting arrested again." "Again?" Dana asked, arching an eyebrow. Mulder grinned down at her. "It wasn't my fault," he said. "I was at a club, a fight broke out, and most of us ended up in jail for the night. I didn't do anything wrong," he shrugged innocently. Dana laughed. "You are a piece of work, aren't you?" "That's why my mother always says," he grinned widely. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" he said. "Perfectly fine," Dana agreed. "Okay," Mulder said softly. "G'night," he said. "Night," Dana smiled, and the two headed off in their seperate directions. As Dana walked through the streets of the Navy base, she realized that for the first time in a long time she actually felt happy. She embraced the feeling in her heart and continued on home, memorizing for all time the night she just had. back