Title: Stand By Me
Author: Cathey Scully and Rotem Shahar
Feedback: RattyandBo@xfilesfan.com
Rating: R for language and content
Category: SRA
Keywords: MSR, Pre X-Files, AU
Spoilers: None
Summary: So don't go away, say what you say. But say that you'll stay
Forever and a day...in the time of my life.
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. The title of this fic comes from the song 
"Stand By Me" by Oasis. The summary is also from a song by Oasis 
called "Don't Go Away".
Notes: This is a sequel to Champagne Supernova, so you might want to 
read that before you read this one, although it isn.t necessary. This 
fic might just make a bit more sense if you do. To read Champagne 
Supernova, go here: http://rattyandbo.tripod.com/rb/id10.html

We don't actually know about the Oxford admissions process, so if our
story is incorrect in relation to that please let us know and we'll
fix it!

Also, same as the first story, this is an alternate universe story
that is taking place in modern day 2002.

Authors' Notes:

Cathey: Wow, another long fic for Ro and me. I guess we just like
working together so much, we start writing and we can.t shut up. It
was only fitting to have this fic be so long, though, considering the
first fanfic was 92 pages. It was a blast working with Ro again,
although we work together on everything else pretty much every day.
She's my beta, and 99% of the time; I'm hers as well. Thanks Rotem,
for being my best friend, as well as a wonderful writing partner.

Rotem: Well, another fic that's a lot longer than I expected! Hehee,
not that that's a bad thing! I had a lot of fun writing this fic with
Cathey, and I really hope she wants to write another fic with me cause
there.s no way I.d turn that down. She.s an awesome author, friend,
person and I.m really lucky to have met her.

Thanks: To our betas, Ari and Eve. You guys are all great and amazing
for taking on a project like this.

Dedicated to: Sarah, one of my very first real friends in my new home.  
I'll miss ya Blondie.


Stand By Me 
Part 1

~~~~

Senior Prom.

The biggest event  besides graduation  that every senior looks forward
to. That is, everyone except for Dana.

She and Fox had been planning to go to her senior prom together ever
since he left for Oxford. But now...well, now they weren't going.

Something had come up; some sort of class assignment or something that
Fox couldn't miss. He'd apologized profusely, promising Dana he'd make
it up to her. 

She'd shrugged it off, stating it wasn't a big deal. She hadn't let
him know how much she had been looking forward to going to prom with
him, or how much it hurt that he wasn't able to go.

Dana already had her dress, the money for the tickets, and plans with
her friends to rent a limo for the night. Now she didn't even want to
go. Not without Fox.  She guessed that she would put the money toward
a ticket to visit her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, her friends still had a month and a half to get her to
change her mind.

~~~~

There were two weeks left until Prom and still, Dana didn't want to
go. Her friends were still hoping she'd change her mind and join them,
but she didn't.

They'd tried everything they could think of, but nothing worked.
Begging, bribery...even talking to her mother hadn't helped.

~~~~

"Come on, Dana. At least get dressed up with us and be in the
pictures." Sarah looked at her with sad eyes two nights before the
prom.

Dana sighed. "I'll think about it."

Her friend smiled and nodded, pleased with the answer. 'Maybe' was
better than the 'no' they'd been getting earlier.

~~~~

May 18, 2002
5:57 p.m.
Night of the Prom

"Dana, I'm going to run some errands. If you need any help getting
ready I'm sure Melissa will be glad to help. Right Melissa?" Mrs.
Scully asked her eldest daughter, not giving her much of a choice. 
Dana looked up from combing her wet hair back away from her face. 
She'd come from the shower a few minutes earlier.

"Yes mom," Missy grunted as she continued her own preparations.

"Will you be back before they leave?" Dana asked, referring to Sarah,
Kristen, Scott, Arielle, David, Marty, and Avi. She'd met Sarah and
Kristen last year and kept in touch with them over the summer and
throughout the school year, but had lost touch with everyone else.
Scott and Avi were both in her English class, while Arielle and Marty
were in her math class. David she met through Missy, surprisingly
enough. A group of her friends had come over for one reason or
another, and he'd started talking to her, and they'd been friends
since.

"I'll be back within an hour," Dana's mother called back to her.

"Okay," Dana said as she pulled her dress out of her closet. She
sighed as she stared at it. Fox would have loved it.

Dana angrily wiped the tears off her cheeks and slipped the navy blue
satiny material over her head. It was a back-less contraption that
held around her neck in a halter fashion, with a slit up to mid-thigh.
 They'd had to alter it slightly, considering her height and the
length of the dress. Even her heels that could have been stilts didn't
fix the length issue. It had also been a bit big around the top, but
now it hugged everything as it should and concealed what it needed to
as well.

She walked into the bathroom, joining her sister in front of the
mirror.

Wiping the tearstains from her face, she asked, "What should I do with
my hair?"

"Hold on," Melissa mumbled, holding a clip in her mouth.  "Get the
hair drier out, it'll be easier to work with your hair that way."

~~~~

Mrs. Scully entered the grocery store and picked up a basket. She
walked through the aisles, looking for nothing in particular, but
needing to come home with something. She grabbed a few items off the
shelves, not really looking at what she was taking.

She chose a bouquet of flowers and a white rose, placing them
carefully atop of the random foods in the basket.

After paying for the assorted items, she strolled to the car, and made
her way to her next destination.

~~~~

Dana and Melissa spent the next 40 minutes playing with different
hairstyles for Dana's hair and putting on their make-up. Melissa
chattered endlessly about her date while Dana tuned her out, mumbling
something here and nodding in consent there, pretending she was
listening.

~~~~

Maggie Scully arrived at the airport right on time. The plane had just
landed, and the people had started to disembark.

~~~

He rushed off the plane and scanned the crowd as he entered the
baggage claim area. If he'd set his watch correctly, there wasn't much
time left. He hoped their plans hadn't fallen through. 

He turned around a few times, hoping to see the person he was
searching for.

"I hope you don't need to wait for any bags," a voice said from behind
him.

He spun around and smiled.

"Nope, this is everything," he replied, and the pair rushed to the
car.

They sped through traffic, hoping to get back before everyone left.

~~~~

When the doorbell rang, Melissa had just put the last clip in Dana's
hair. Dana welcomed the excuse to leave the bathroom and her sister's
babblings.

She slid down the stairs and opened the door. The limo sat in her
driveway as her friends crowded the door.

The group marched into the living room as Dana hurried up the stairs
and dragged Missy down with her to take the pictures.

Dana tried to smile. She really did. But there was nothing for her to
smile about. In between pictures she excused herself, feeling tears
forming and threatening to fall.  Once everyone's cameras were put
away, Dana went back upstairs and pulled on a pair of baggy overalls. 
She decided not to mess up her hair and invalidate all of Missy's hard
work.

~~~~

As they pulled into the driveway, they saw the limo.

Mrs. Scully sighed in relief. They hadn't left yet.

"Wait here for a few minutes and then knock on the door. Dana will
answer it," she instructed as she gathered her grocery bags, leaving
him with the flowers and rose.

~~~~

"Dana?" Maggie asked as she entered the house. "Can you help me put
these groceries away?"

Dana slowly made her way into the kitchen and picked up a bag of food,
putting everything away.

~~~~

He paced nervously outside the house, walking back and forth. 

What should he say? 
How would she react? 
What would she say? 
Would she be happy to see him? 
Angry with him? 
Upset that he didn't tell her he was coming?

Did she find another date?

When that thought struck he couldn't wait any longer.

~~~~

As she picked up a second bag, the doorbell rang. Dana idly wondered
who it could be. Missy's date wasn't supposed to pick her up until
7:30. It was only 6:50; he wouldn't be that early.  None of Melissa's
friends were ever early.

"Dana, would you get that for me?" her mother asked.

"Sure mom," she replied monotonously, leaving the kitchen.

Dana made her way to the door, opening it without really looking at
the person on the other side.

"Melissa and everyone's in the living room.  They're almost ready to
leave," she pointed the guest in.  Dana turned to leave when she felt
a tug on her overalls.  She turned back and found herself staring at
an elaborate bouquet of flowers.  She sighed.  "Look, I don't feel
like playing games, Melissa is in the other room."

Two surprisingly familiar looking hazel eyes appeared over the top of
the flowers.  Dana's own eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the guy in
front of her.  Recognition dawned and tears filled her eyes as she
covered her mouth in disbelief.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" she asked, stepping forward and
lowering the flowers even further.  Fox Mulder was there, standing in
the doorway of her house.

"Well you know, I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought
I'd stop by to see if my girlfriend will still have me as her date to
her senior prom.  Come here," he ordered softly, reaching out one hand
to beckon her nearer.

Dana needed no further encouragement; within seconds her arms were
around his neck and she was kissing him for all she was worth.  He
laughed at her enthusiasm and pulled away.

"Now look, you smeared your lipstick," he teased.  She gave him her
"shut up" look and kissed him again.  Finally she pulled away and
buried her face in his neck.

"Fox, how?  I thought you had your field study this week."

He smiled and pulled away, handing her the flowers.  "It's okay.  I
worked it out so that I'll do it soon.  Besides, you're a hundred
times more important than a group of folks who may or may not be
crazy."

"Oh Fox," Dana smiled a watery smile.

"So everyone else is almost ready?  Where's your dress?  Not that the
'painting the house' look isn't beautiful, but I'm eager to see the
slinky blue number you talked about nonstop for a month."

"Well, I um, I wasn't going to go.  Since you weren't going to be here
to go with me," Dana admitted.

"Well go get dressed," he urged, "I wanna see your dress."

"So we're going?" she asked disbelievingly.  Fox rolled his eyes at
her and kissed her quickly.

"Yeeesss.  Get dressed."

"But, but what about you?  A tux I mean."

"It's in your mom's car.  I was hesitant to bring it with me, in case
you told me to get lost."

"Mom's car?" Dana looked confused.  She spun around to find her mom
smiling widely at her and Fox.  "Mom?  You were in on this?"

"Yeah," Maggie admitted.  "I called Fox about three weeks ago.  You'd
been looking forward to this for so long, and I couldn't bear to see
you miss out.  So we cooked this up.  Surprised?" she asked.

"Yes!  Thank you, Mom," Dana pulled away from Fox and hugged her
mother.  Maggie patted her back.

"Get dressed you two.  You're wasting time," she smiled.  "Fox, you
can put your bag in the spare bedroom."

"Thanks Mrs. Scully," Fox smiled at both his girlfriend and her mother
before retreating to get his single bag.

"Mom?" Dana asked, realizing something. "I never bought tickets, I
thought we weren't going, we cant..." she trailed off.

Dana's mom reached into her pocket. "Yes, you can," she said as she
pulled out two prom tickets. 

"But...how?" Dana sputtered.

"Arielle out there was more than helpful in buying the tickets for
me."

Dana beamed, tears of joy falling from her eyes. "Thank you," she
whispered, hugging her mother and flying up the stairs to get
dressed.

~~~~

He got dressed as quickly as he could and was surprised to find that
his hands were shaking as he tried to straighten his bow tie.  Fox
looked up as a short knock came and Dana entered.

"Hey," her voice was soft.

"Hey yourself.  You look beautiful," Fox smiled gently as she blushed.
 Dana had redone her make up as well as put on her dress and shoes.

"Thank you," Dana whispered.  He smiled and touched her chin.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Mom wants us to come down for a few more pictures."

"Okay, give me a minute," Fox turned back to the mirror.  After a few
more tries at fixing his bowtie, he dropped his hands and cursed. 
Dana smiled and touched his arm.

"Calm down.  It's just me here.  I'd like you the same without the
tie," she teased.  He smiled briefly before going back to his task. 
Dana smiled, seeing that he was having more progress this time.  "When
did you chop off all of your beautiful hair?  And why?"

"December," Fox answered.  "It was getting too scraggly.  Plus I went
and got me a job, and it's not in a fast food establishment, so I
decided to try to look professional."

"Okay, I guess," Dana pouted playfully.  "You look so different."

"Different bad?" he asked curiously.

"No, not different bad," Dana assured.  She slipped an arm around his
waist and stretched up to kiss him.

"You're going to have to fix your lipstick again," he warned as she
got closer.

"Right, maybe I should let Mom take at least one picture before I do
that.  Are you finished playing with your tie?"

Fox looked at the still-lopsided bowtie in disgust.  "Yeah, I'm
done."

"Good," she gave him a squeeze, "now come on."

Maggie only insisted on taking two pictures, both simply of Dana and
Fox.  They smiled gratefully, not wanting to pose anymore.  Finally,
Dana and Fox entered the living room to see if everyone else was ready
to go.  They were all astounded to see not only Dana back in her
formal wear, but also Fox at her side.

"I thought you weren't going to be able to make it?" Sarah asked,
giving Fox a gentle hug.

"I wasn't, until Dana's mom called me.  She helped me rearrange my
schedule so I could be here."

"Well, I for one am glad you're here.  Maybe now Dana will quit moping
and have some fun!" David announced.  Fox's eyes narrowed as he
regarded the other boy.  Dana caught his look and touched Fox's arm.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, as we can tell I'm really glad Fox is here.  Now,
when the hell are we going to go?"

"My, my, someone's impatient," Fox teased, wrapping secure arms around
her from behind.

"As soon as John gets here we're leaving," Melissa answered, looking
at her small crystal studded watch again.  "Damn it, he's late."

"He'll be here Mis, don't worry," Avi assured.

After 20 more minutes of waiting, Missy decided that her date wasn't
going to show.  As they were getting their coats on, John arrived.  He
apologized, saying that he got tied up at home because his mom hadn't
gotten home from work in time and he'd been watching his baby sister. 
Then he presented Melissa with her corsage, making Fox remember the
one Maggie had purchased for him to give Dana.  He quickly went and
got it, and after a moment of thought, asked if he could place it in
her hair instead of in a conventional place.  Dana was a bit
surprised, but agreed and after that was done they all moved out to
the limo.

As they all crowded in, another problem arose.  There wasn't enough
room for everyone to fit in and still be comfortable.  After much
debating, Dana and Fox told the others to go on ahead, they'd drive
themselves.

"You're still keeping good care of my baby right?" Fox asked
uncertainly as Dana led him into the garage.

"Yes Fox, I'm taking excellent care of your car.  Since it's your
first time home in months, I think you deserve to drive." Dana handed
Fox his keys.

When he left for Oxford, Fox hadn't had the heart to sell his car, and
didn't want it sitting in his mother's garage, so he more or less gave
it to Dana.  She drove it around occasionally, and vehemently refused
to allow anyone else to drive it.  She was also very picky about who
she allowed to ride with her.  

Fox ran his hand lovingly over the hood of the car before unlocking
Dana's door and opening it for her.  She grinned at him and slid into
the car.  Fox then moved around to the other side and jumped into the
car.  Turning the key in the ignition, the car sprung to life.  The
radio came on and Fox smiled easily as he automatically recognized the
song.

"A woman of taste."

"You know it buddy."

They listened for a moment as Liam Gallagher crooned, "Times are hard
when things have got no meaning, I've found a key upon the floor. 
Maybe you and I will not believe in the things we find behind the
door.  Stand By Me -- Nobody knows the way it's gonna be.  Stand By Me
-- Nobody knows the way it's gonna be."

 "She still running okay?" Fox asked, changing the subject back to his
precious Forest Green Classic 1965 Ford Mustang GT.

"Perfect.  I changed the oil, and had the brakes checked last week as
a matter of fact." Dana answered proudly.

Fox grinned widely and leaned over, kissing her loudly.  "I knew you
would.  That's why I left her with you."

"What is it with guys and referring to their cars as women?" Dana
asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes.  He laughed and reached out for
her hand, which she graciously gave him.

"You ready?" he asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Yeah," Dana answered, glad that Fox was there, but suddenly wanting
to just spend the time with him at home.

Fox kissed her once more before putting the car in reverse and backing
out of the garage.  He curled one arm around Dana's shoulders and
drove to prom.

End Part 1


~*~Ro~*~

Part 2
~~~~

7:49 p.m.

Fox pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine. He lifted
Dana's hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on her palm. She smiled
and blushed, wanting to say something but unwilling to break the
serene silence that had befallen.

Slowly, he released her hand and stepped out of the car. She followed
his lead.

As they walked towards the hotel, they surveyed the massive crowd
entering the building. 

Their hands linked, fingers winding together, and they took their
place in the line.

~~~~

8:13 p.m.

Music blared as they finally reached the entrance. The dancing had
begun.

Dana and Fox looked around. Not seeing Sarah or Kristen or anyone
else, they wandered through the people and found a table with a few
empty seats.

They sat for a while  talked, laughed  and enjoyed each other's
company.

~~~~

8:34 p.m.

"There you are!" David exclaimed as he walked up to the pair, placing
a hand on Dana's shoulder. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"We've been right here the entire time," Fox stated, glaring at David.
Dana shrugged away from him and took Fox's hand in hers.

"So, where is everyone else?" Dana asked.

"Huh? Oh, they're out dancing."

"Let's go join them," she said, looking at Fox. He nodded and they
both rose, following David onto the dance floor.

"Dana..." Fox whispered.

"He's harmless," Dana assured, knowing what Fox was thinking.

They dropped the subject, both of them wanting to have fun that
night.

~~~~

The trio reached the dance floor and found their group of friends
dancing, swaying to the rhythm of the music.

The songs cascaded over them, enveloping their senses. Fox and Dana
swayed together, lost in the songs and in each other.

Dana's hands swirled around Fox's neck as she brushed against him.

Fox's hands twirled around Dana's waist as he brushed against her.

As the song ended, their motions stilled. Fox looked down as Dana
looked up, their gazes locking. 

Fox drew her close with one hand as the other traveled up her back and
tilted her head upward. Dana gently tugged his head downward.

Slowly, their mouths found each other.

A new song started, but they tuned it out, both of them enraptured in
their kiss. 

David looked over. The smile disappeared from his face when he saw
them. 'If only he hadn't come back...' David thought, truly believing
he'd had a chance with Dana. He stormed off the dance floor, needing
to regroup his thoughts.

Fox and Dana parted, panting. Fox saw David's retreating form and
wondered what he was up to. Fox didn't agree with Dana's perception of
David's harmlessness and was wary of him.

Fox watched Dana as she started to move again, her arms swinging and
hips moving. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

'She's so gorgeous,' Fox thought, wondering how he was lucky enough to
have her.

Suddenly, Sarah tugged at Dana's arms, causing her to stumble. Fox
quickly reached out to steady her as he shot Sarah a questioning look.
Sarah shrugged.

"Bathroom," Sarah told Dana, who was still hanging onto Fox. She
nodded.

"I'll be right back," Dana said, letting go of Fox and following her
friend.

~~~~

Fox watch Dana until he couldn't see her any more. Then he spun around
and headed towards the DJ.

The DJ promised Fox he'd play the song and he quickly returned,
wanting to be there when Dana got back.

~~~~

Dana rejoined Fox a few minutes later.

"Where'd you go? Where's Sarah?" Fox asked.

"Bathroom. She stopped to talk to someone," Dana replied.

"The bathroom?" 

"Yes, the bathroom. Something wrong with that?"

Fox shook his head, not understanding the need to go to the bathroom
together.

Dana leaned her head on Fox's shoulder and he placed his cheek on her
head. She trailed her fingers down his chest and wrapped her arms
around his waist.

Fox ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. Dana
contentedly sighed, enjoying the feeling of being in Fox's arms once
again.

~~~~

Someone cleared their throat, drawing Fox and Dana out of their little
world. They both looked towards the sound and saw David standing
expectantly.

"Can I cut in?" David asked, nudging Fox out of the way. Fox gripped
Dana tightly. His eyes flicked back and forth between David and Dana.

David was becoming impatient. Dana wasn't supposed to accept Fox back
into her life so easily. He'd been gone for the entire school year and
now he came back, but not before hurting her by canceling their plans.
This was not how things were supposed to work out.

He shoved Fox again, but the older of the two boys wouldn't budge. He
stayed next to Dana, holding her close.

"No," Fox told him.

"What?" David asked, not believing his ears.

"He said no, David," Dana supplied.

This was not how things were supposed to work, David fumed. Asking to
cut in was just a formality, no one ever said no. And surely Dana
wasn't backing him up on this? She couldn't be!

David glared at them. "You think you can just waltz back into Dana's
life after a year? After a year of being away? After a year of not
being there for her? Do you really expect her to take you back? Just
like that?" he yelled over the music.

Shocked, Dana stared at David, seeing him in a new light. She never
realized how he'd felt. Towards her or towards Fox.  He'd always
seemed willing to listen to her stories about her boyfriend, and was
never judgmental about anything she told him.

Fox had gone pale. Did Dana really feel that way? They'd talked about
his going to Oxford many times, they both knew he wasn't going to be
there physically for her, but he thought that through their letters,
phone calls, emails, and IM's things would work out. He didn't know
what to say.

Anger built inside Dana. It was absurd, ridiculous. Who gave him the
right to say such things?! Her fists clenched and unclenched, trying
to keep her anger in check. She quickly glanced at Fox. She couldn't
believe it! He was actually listening to David! Actually considering
what he said. Enough of this, she thought to herself as she punched
David in the face.

He stumbled and fell backwards, not expecting such a blow, especially
not from Dana.

Dana stood over him and yelled, "Who the fuck gave you the right to
assume you know what I feel? What's going on in my head? Where the
hell did you get the crazy notion that Fox hasn't been there for me
the entire time he's been in England? You are not my father, you are
not my brother, and aside from the fact that I love him more than the
world, you know absolutely nothing about my relationship with Fox!"

Dana took a deep breath. "I thought you were my friend, but now I see
that it was just a ploy to get into my pants."

"Dana," he said, sitting up. "Dana, you know that's not true," he
tried to reason.

But she had already turned to face Fox and wasn't listening to him.
"You know it's not true Fox. You've been there for me every time I've
needed you to be." She caressed his cheek as she spoke. "He doesn't
know what he's talking about. He doesn't know anything."

Fox looked at her, reading the emotions in her eyes and seeing the
truth in her words.

"I know," he whispered, bending down to kiss her.

"And this next song is a special request  To Dana, I wouldn't have
missed this for anything, Love Fox  enjoy, you lovebirds," the DJ
announced as the song Champagne Supernova started playing.

Dana blushed.  "Fox," she said smiling as pulled him down for a kiss.

"Surprise," he whispered.

"You seem to be doing that a hell of a lot lately; surprising me."

"You're worth every single time."

"Charmer," Dana accused, looping one arm around his neck, sidling
closer.  Fox smiled, kissing her forehead gently.

"What you said to David, you meant it, right?" he asked, still a bit
uncertain.

"Every word.  Now shh, this is our song."

Fox smiled and rested his cheek on her hair.  They swayed gently, each
feeling the depth and meaning of what had become 'their' song.  Dana
gripped him tightly.  He recalled how much they'd both needed this
back in September when the world had been rocked off its axis.  He
remembered the fear Dana's voice had held as they spoke over the
phone, each needing comfort, and both being unable to give it.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as Noel Gallagher's guitar solo began. 
Dana raised her head from his shoulder.

"For what?" she asked, still swaying slightly in his arms.

"Not being here when you needed me in September."

"Silly Fox," she smiled, touching his cheek.  "You were here for me. 
Remember those hours we spent on the phone?  I do, my mother had a fit
when the phone bill came in.  She even told Ahab.  That's why I
couldn't visit at Thanksgiving."

"I know, but I," she cut him off with a soft kiss.  He kissed her
back.  "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled.  "Hey, don't worry about what David
said.  You're here with me now."

The song ended and Fox took a hold of Dana's waist and dipped her. 
Dana giggled, taking a hold of his biceps.

"Now you're just trying to impress me," she teased.  As "Seeing Red",
by Unwritten Law came on, Fox spun her in a circle before dipping her
again.  Dana laughed happily and led him from the dance floor.  "I
want some snacks," she muttered by way of explanation as he sat down
and reached for her.  She kissed him lightly before moving toward the
snack table.  Fox smiled and watched her sashay away.  He blinked and
Dana was out of view.  He remembered the gift he'd brought for Dana. 
Reaching into his coat pocket, Fox was relieved to find the box still
there.

A light touch on his shoulder made Fox jump.  "Hey, you're back!" he
spoke happily.  His next words died on his lips when he saw who it
was.

"Hey Fox!" Someone he barely recognized was grinning at him.  "I
didn't know you'd be back!  Who did you come with?"

"Yeah, I'm back," he trailed off, obviously fishing for her name.

"Beki," she supplied.  "I'm a friend of Melissa Scully's," 'Well it
wasn't a total lie,' she thought, 'Missy and I used to be friends.'

"Hi Beki.  Dana and I are here.  She went to get some food," Fox
smiled slightly, noticing Beki's eyes narrow at the mention of his
girlfriend.  He suddenly remembered who this girl in front of him
was.

"Dana?  You're still with her?  Wow, I'm impressed."

"Why?" he asked coolly.

"Just because you're such a hottie that I can't imagine you being with
her.  Isn't it your car that she's been driving?"

"Yep.  That's my baby," Fox smiled proudly, trying to move the subject
away from Dana, and Beki's dislike of her.  "I figured Dana would be
the best person to take care of it."

"It's a classic, right?" Beki asked, pointing out the obvious.  Fox
nodded tolerantly.

"1965.  It was my dad's."

"So you gave it to Dana?"

"Pretty much.  I get visitation rights though," Fox smiled, "every
time I'm home, I get my car back."

"Come on, let's dance," Beki tugged on his arm, obviously bored with
the conversation.

"I don't think so.  I've been dancing all night long."

"Come on," she wheedled, "just one dance for old times sake."

"WHAT?!"

Fox turned, surprised to find Dana standing beside his chair.  He
pulled his arm away from Beki, only briefly noticing her triumphant
grin and twisted to Dana.  Her face was stricken and her eyes held a
mixture of betrayal and disbelief.

"Dana, I don't know what you heard," Fox tried.  Dana turned away from
him and was already off to find Sarah.  He tried to go after her, but
Beki stopped him.

"Ignore her.  She's so immature.  Can't even stand for you to talk to
someone other than her.  You know she's only 16, right?"

"Yes, I know she's only 16.  She's not immature," Fox retorted
angrily.  "In fact, she's far more mature than I've seen you act in
the last ten minutes.  That was low, Beki.  And it's not going to make
me want to date you, or whatever you were trying to accomplish by
pulling that stunt.  So if you excuse me," Fox pulled his arm away, "I
need to go talk to my girlfriend."

Fox ran off looking for Dana.  He searched everywhere he could think
of, until finally he came to the bathroom.  He hadn't seen anyone go
into the room in a few minutes, so he figured it was safe to enter. 
He looked around to see if anyone was watching before slipping
inside.

"Dana?" he called out.

"Go away!" she shouted from what he guessed was the lounge area.  He
proceeded forward.  Sarah was seated next to Dana, who was hunched
over, her arms wrapped around herself.  His chest constricted.

"Dana you can't honestly believe what that bitch said.  Fox never
dated her.  That much I can assure you.  We were pals in middle
school.  And after his sister got kidnapped, well, I tried to look out
for him.  He kept to himself all through high school.  I don't know
much about freshman year, but Beki was in my grade so I doubt anything
happened," Sarah tried, patting Dana's shoulder.

"Thanks, I feel so much better.  I'm totally relieved now.  It's not
like he doesn't have a thing for younger girls, I'm proof," Dana's
voice was sarcastic and bitter.

"There's a difference though, Fox wouldn't be into her.  I know that. 
Anyone who looks at him can figure that out.  He's too smart to go in
for the bimbo routine."

"Maybe he is now.  Maybe she's the reason he quit going for that
type."

"Dana, listen to what you're saying!  Do you really, truly believe a
girl who you nearly got into a brawl with at the beginning of last
summer, over the guy who flew in from England to surprise you and take
you to the prom?  He rearranged something he needed to do for a class
in order to be here.  You can't let a pile of bullshit that Beki was
feeding ruin that.  From what you said, she saw you coming back and
decided to try something.  To get this exact effect; you crying in the
bathroom while your boyfriend is out there, obviously wanting to make
it right, even though he did nothing wrong."

Dana was silent and Fox held his breath.  Then he heard her mmhmm and
the click-clack of Sarah's heels as she neared.  His friend took his
arm and tugged him down, whispering menacingly in his ear,  "You
better pray that I didn't just lie to her.  Your ass is mine if I
did."

He nodded.  "You didn't.  I swear."

"Tell her that."

"Is it safe to go back there?"

"I don't think she'll bite too hard," Sarah tried to lighten the
mood.

"You've never seen her really angry then," he shot back.

Fox nodded again and made his way over to where Dana sat.  She was
still hunched over, but he didn't see her shoulders shaking, so that
was a good sign.  Cautiously he settled beside her.  He reached out
for her hand before beginning to speak.

"Dana."

She pulled her hand away from him.

"Dana, you know I was never with her. I could never be with her. You
know that."

"Do I, Fox? I don't know what happened before I moved here. I don't
know who you were friends with or who you dated." Dana asked without
looking at him.

"But you know me. You know who I am. You know who I hang out with.
Before I met you, Dana, I didn't have any friends before you moved
here. Sure, I knew people, but I didn't have anyone that would call me
up and just want to talk or that I could call and just hang out with.
Not since Samantha disappeared." Fox took her hand again; this time
she didn't pull away.

Dana turned to face him, revealing her tear-stained face. Fox exhaled
and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, trying to wipe the
tearstains away.

"I guess the thought of you dating her didn't hurt me as much as the
thought that you wouldn't have told me if you had," Dana whispered.

"Trust me, Dana.  I have, and always will tell you the truth about
anyone I dated, or will date."

"Well, hopefully you won't be dating anyone else for a long time,"
Dana smiled slightly.

"Why don't you wash your face and join me out on the dance floor?" he
asked, hoping she'd accept his invitation. 

"Yeah," she nodded and got up, walking towards the sinks.

They walked back to the dance floor hand in hand.

End Part 2

Part 3

~~~~

Dana and Fox danced the rest of the night, twirling around the dance
floor.

Beki sat, spitefully watching the couple.

When the dance ended, they walked outside, and Beki followed them.

As Dana waited for Fox to get the car, Beki approached her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Dana. Where'd you're boyfriend go?"
Beki snidely remarked.

"What do you want, Beki?" Dana asked, not wanting to play Beki's
games.

"Where'd Fox go?" she asked again, ignoring Dana's question.

Dana sighed. "To get the car."

"It's taking him quite a long time to just get the car, don't you
think?"

"No, I don't," Dana replied tersely. "What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, nothing."

Dana didn't believe her.

"I'm just wondering why it's taking him so long to just get the car. I
mean, it's parked right over there," she continued, pointing into the
parking lot. "Surely he'd be back by now if that's all he were
doing."

Before Dana could retort, Melissa stepped in.

"Beki, leave her alone," Dana's sister said.

Dana stared at Missy like she had grown a third head, turned pink, was
walking on her hands, and speaking Aramaic.  Even after their
tentative truce last summer, it was still strange to have Missy
backing her up on things.

"This is none of your business," Beki growled.

"No, Beki. This is most definitely my business. I know I egged you on
last year when this all started, but enough is enough, and it has been
enough for a long time now. I know that I should have put a stop to it
before it all started, but I didn't, and Dana, for that I'm sorry. But
I told you, over the summer. Stop it. Yeah, you're jealous of her, so
was I, but it wasn't a good reason to treat her like we were, and it
still isn't," Missy finished, her voice low and threatening.

Fox pulled up to the curb, waiting for Dana to get in the car.

She looked back and forth between Beki and her sister, quickly
realizing that this was their fight, not hers. She was just an excuse
for a confrontation they both needed. For Missy, it was to tell off
Beki once and for all, and in a way, to ask for her sister's
forgiveness. Beki, to take out her frustration, anger and jealousy of
Dana and Fox's relationship, and to spite Missy for breaking off their
friendship shortly after the incident at their house.

Dana got in the car and they drove away. As Dana looked back, she saw
Beki and her sister staring at each other, each daring the other to
move first. Finally, Beki huffed and turned away as they disappeared
from view.

~~~~

Fox noticed the tension in Dana's shoulders as he drove away from the
Marriott where the prom was being held.  Slowly his hand crept over to
rest just beside hers on the seat.  She looked over at him and sighed,
picking up his hand and cradling it between both of hers in her lap.

"So where are Charles and Bill for tonight?" he asked, trying to draw
her out of her silence.

"Charlie's staying with a friend, and I don't know where Bill went. 
They didn't want to be in the house with a bunch of girls coming and
going."

"Is everyone going back to your house?" Fox asked.

"Yeah.  We planned a big sleepover.  Well, Sarah and Missy planned a
big sleep over, they said that even though you weren't going to be
here didn't mean I couldn't have some fun."

"Well, I'm here now.  And we can still have some fun," Fox wiggled his
eyebrows at her.

"I'm sure we could.  Well, since you and my mom cooked up this entire
thing, what time do I have to be home by?"

"Well, let's see it's 11:40 right now.  I'd say we could stay out a
little bit later."

"How much later?"

"Depends on how long you can stand to walk around in those shoes."

"Well that would depend on where we're going.  Would I really need my
shoes?"

"I guess not."

"So where are we going?"

"You'll see," he smiled over at her.

"Not fair.  Please tell me."

"Since you asked so nicely, we're going to the beach."

"The beach?  Isn't it closed?"

"Not for us," he sing-songed.

"Fox, we're not going to sneak into the private area, people have
houses on the beach.  It's technically trespassing.  We could get
arrested."

"Why not?  We've done it before.  Remember?" he asked cockily,
referring to one of their dates from the previous year.

"Yeah, I remember.  That was fun," Dana's voice was soft as she
remembered sitting in his arms for almost 3 hours straight, just
content to be with him without the perfunctory dance she always did
around everyone else.

"We won't stay long," he promised, "we're not exactly dressed for the
beach.  I just want to take a walk.  The beach is one thing I miss the
most when I'm in England."

"Okay," Dana consented, squeezing his hand.

~~~

They strolled lazily near the water.  In one hand Dana held her shoes
and her pantyhose, in the other hand she and Fox held her dress a few
inches off the ground so it wouldn't get wet.

"You never said when you have to go back to school," Dana began.

"My flight out is on Tuesday night.  I didn't want to be here for just
one night then leave again."

"I'm glad.  Cause I don't want you to go," Dana turned closer to him. 
"Can we do this Fox?"

"Do what?"

"A long-distance relationship.  Can we keep it up?"

"I think we can. In fact," Fox paused, leading Dana over to a group of
lounge chairs.  He made her sit down and squatted in front of her,
digging in his pocket for the box.  Pulling it out, he reached for her
hand as her eyes widened.  "Don't worry, I'm not proposing," he
assured, smiling slightly, "but I do want you to have this.  I know
our relationship is atypical, I mean we kissed before we ever even
went out.  And I know it's difficult for us to hardly see each other,
but I wanted you to have something, besides memories, to base the
knowledge of my feelings for you on."

"Fox," she touched his cheek.  "You know you don't have to prove your
feelings for me by buying me something.  You've already told me so
much just by being here.  You flew 2000 miles just to take me to a
stupid dance where everyone seemed to want to duke it out.  Here we
are, sitting on a beach, at midnight, after taking a romantic walk. 
Instead of getting a hotel room, in hopes of getting lucky, something
that I'm sure many of the guys at school did, we're here.  And I know
you're not expecting anything more than I am willing to give.  How are
your feelings unclear?" she asked calmly.

He tugged her head down for a kiss before opening the small box. 
Inside was a small sterling silver locket.  He nodded in encouragement
and she lifted the gift from the box.  "Open it," he whispered.

She did as she was told.  Inside housed a picture of the two of them
together.  It had been taken the year before when they'd gone out for
their "Prom Alternate" night.  Neither of them had wanted to go to the
prom, instead they went to dinner and then went back to Dana's to
simply spend the time together.  "Fox, it's beautiful," she
whispered.

"You like it?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course.  Fox, you could have given me tickets to the Kings of
Polka and I would have still lo- okay, well maybe not loved it, but I
would have recognized the thought and loved that."

He laughed.  "Here, I'll put it on you," he offered.  She nodded and
handed the locket to him.  He unclasped it and leaned forward so close
that their lips were a hair's breath apart.  Fox clasped it shut and
smoothed the chain down over her collarbone.  She wrapped her arms
around his neck and kissed him roughly.

"Thank you so much, Fox.  This is, it's," she stopped as tears clogged
her throat.  "I love you Fox."

He kissed her cheeks and tugged her so that she was fully in his arms.
 "I love you too Dana."

They sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes, relaxing and
enjoying each other's company.

"We should get back," Dana told Fox as she looked at his watch.

Fox nodded and got up. He stretched his arms towards Dana, offering to
help her up, which she of course accepted.

They walked back to the car slowly, hand in hand, not particularly
wanting to leave, but knowing that they should get back to her house
before people started to wonder and worry.

~~~~

Scully Household
12:17 a.m.

Dana and Fox entered the house quietly, not sure what everyone was
doing and not wanting to disturb anything.

They walked into the living room upon hearing the TV blaring and loud
chattering.

"See? I told you they'd appear," Kristen stated triumphantly.

Sarah grumbled good-naturedly and threw a few popcorn kernels at
Kristen.

"I'm going to go change," Dana said as she caught her sister's eye.
'Thank you,' she mouthed. Missy winked at her and Dana smiled, glad
that her relationship with her sister was back to normal.

Fox followed her to her room where he had dropped his bags and grabbed
a change of clothes.

~~~~

The pair walked back down the stairs and joined everyone in the living
room. They sat on the couch next to each other, Dana leaning on Fox's
shoulder and Fox's arm around her.

The group of friends sat and talked about nothing as they half-watched
the movie that was playing on the TV.

The later it got, the sleepier everyone was getting.  Dana was the
last one to fall asleep, wanting to prolong the time with Fox as much
as she could.  Fox held her for a few moments before he settled her on
the reclining chair and kissing her goodnight.  Then he went upstairs
to bed.

Dana only slept for an hour before she woke up thirsty.  She looked
around for Fox, expecting to find him snuggled up with her.  He wasn't
there.  She pushed off the blanket someone had covered her with and
went to get a drink.

Sleepily, she drank her water before climbing the stairs to the guest
bedroom.  She pushed open the door and saw Fox sleeping.  Smiling, she
climbed in bed behind him.

They slept through the night.

~~~~

9:32 a.m.

Fox awoke the next morning unsure of where he was. He looked down and
saw Dana, peacefully sleeping in his arms and he remembered. He
remembered getting on the airplane, meeting Mrs. Scully at the
airport, surprising Dana by arriving to take her to her prom and
everything after. He also remembered that he had fallen asleep alone
and wondered when Dana had joined him.

He brushed her hair away from her face as he extracted himself out of
her embrace. After getting dressed, he went downstairs to the kitchen
and grabbed a bowl of cereal.

As he ate Melissa entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Fox said around a mouthful of Cheerios. Missy nodded, still
not awake enough to speak. 

She sleepily opened the fridge and shivered when a gust of cold air
hit her. Yawning, she pulled out a carton of orange juice and let the
door close as she picked up a blueberry muffin off the counter.

"Where's Dana?" Missy asked, already having an idea of what the answer
would be.

"Sleeping. Want me to wake her?"

"Nah," she replied.

Fox shrugged as he kept eating.

Melissa took her food out into the living room where everyone was
still sleeping, and ate as loudly as she could, slurping her orange
juice and chewing loudly, in attempt to wake everyone up.

Placing his bowl in the sink, Fox went back upstairs. He carefully sat
down next to Dana and played with her hair, running his fingers
through it as he watched her sleep.

Dana stretched and rolled over and lazily opened her eyes. She smiled
when she saw Fox and he leaned down to kiss her.

She pushed him away and got up, finding her clothing and got dressed.
When she reemerged from the bathroom she walked up to Fox, who was
still sitting on the bed where she had left him.

"Let's go downstairs," she said, grabbing his wrists and tugging him
down the stairs.

They went into the kitchen and Dana took a bagel, and they went to
join everyone in the living room.

To their surprise, only Missy and Arielle were awake. Dana looked at
Missy questioningly. Missy shrugged. She'd finished eating and had
only managed to wake Arielle.

The four sat and talked until Sarah, Kristen, Rachel, Adriana, and
Nikki all woke up. Rachel, Adriana and Nikki were Missy's friends, but
they got along with Dana and her friends, unlike Beki and Carol last
year. They sat and talked while the five ate, talking about their
options for the day.

"Dana?" Kristen asked, "When'd you get that?"  She pointed to the
locket around Dana's neck, straying from the conversation topic.

She touched the locket and smiled. "Fox gave it to me last night."

"What's in it?" Nikki questioned, genuinely curious. Dana opened it
and revealed the picture of them. 

"Aww, that's so cute," Sarah said.

"It's a good picture," Rachel stated.

Dana and Fox smiled.

"So, where are we going?" Missy asked, returning the subject to its
original intention.

"Let's go to the beach," Fox suggested.

The group pondered Fox's suggestion and finally agreed. They were
going to the beach.

End Part 3

Part 4

~~~~

12:37 p.m.

They all met at the beach after everyone had gone home and changed
into their bathing suits.

Missy, Rachel and Adriana threw a frisbee back and forth as Sarah and
Kristen built sandcastles under them, rebuilding each one every time
the frisbee fell to the ground, destroying them.

Nikki, Dana and Fox were in the water, swimming and splashing each
other.

When Sarah and Kristen were sick of rebuilding castles, and Missy,
Rachel, and Adriana were tired of throwing the frisbee around; they
joined Fox, Dana and Nikki in the water.

Adriana organized a game of Marco Polo, and designated Fox as 'Marco.'
They swam around, playing childhood games for two hours.

Getting out of the water, they all dried off and, not wanting to
leave, lay down on their towels and talked. 

~~~~

4:54 p.m.

Dana stretched and yawned as she opened her eyes and looked around.
Everyone was sleeping. She sat up and realized she must have also
fallen asleep.

"Fox," she whispered, waking him up, "What time is it?"

He sat up and stretched as he looked at his watch.

"Almost five."

"How long have we been sleeping?"

Fox shrugged, not knowing when they fell asleep.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up," Dana chanted as she tapped everyone.

"I'm hungry." Missy stated as she sat up. "Let's get something to
eat."

They all got up and brushed themselves off, wincing as they brushed
over their newly acquired sunburns.

"I want to shower," Rachel said, feeling the salt on her fingers.

"Yeah, I think we should all go shower and change. Then we can meet
for lunch...or dinner...or whatever meal we want it to be." Nikki
suggested.

Kristen seconded the motion so they split up, setting their meeting
place at Olive Garden at seven.

~~~~

6:00pm

Dana hissed as her clothes slid painfully over her sunburn.  She
hadn't realized that it was this bad.  Peeling her shirt back, she saw
that her shoulder was already blistering clearly.  She'd need aloe.

She found some in her parent's bathroom.  Sighing, she went back to
her room, noticing that Fox's door was still closed, and Missy was
still in the shower.

Dana gingerly tugged off her t-shirt and rubbed the cool aloe over her
lobster red arms.  She followed suit with her legs, stomach, torso,
and face.  Then came her back, and neck.  She couldn't do it on her
own.  Tossing a shirt back on, she stuck her head into the hall.  The
shower was still running, but Fox's door was open now.

She made her way across the hall.  Fox was lying on his bed, looking
up at the ceiling.  She knocked lightly on the door.  Fox jumped and
turned his head to look at her.

"Hey, come on in.  Wow, look at you, guess we should have brought
sunscreen huh?"

She entered shyly, closing the door behind her.  "Fox, I need you to
help me."

"Sure, with what?" he sat up.  She settled beside him, her hands
juggling the aloe bottle.

"The sunburn on my back is pretty bad, and I, I can't reach to put
aloe on.  So, would you?"

"Okay," he agreed quietly.  Dana smiled at him and lifted her shirt by
the bottom.  Fox looked down at the bottle of aloe in his hands until
Dana cleared her throat.

"If you're embarrassed, I can wait for Missy to get out of the
shower," Dana looked over her shoulder at him.

"No, I'm okay.  I just don't want to hurt you, my hands are really
rough."

"You won't hurt me."

"Okay, then um, you're gonna have to take off your bra.  It's in the
way."

"Sure," Dana reached back and unhooked her bra, gingerly taking the
straps from her body.  She picked up her t-shirt and held it over her
front.  Once this was done, Fox began to massage the aloe onto her
back.  She sighed softly, enjoying the impromptu back rub.

"Am I hurting you?  Should I stop?" he asked quickly.

"No, no, don't stop.  It feels good."

Fox continued massaging her back, even after the aloe had since been
absorbed into her skin.  They talked quietly until Dana's mother
pushed open the door.

"Mom!  What are you doing home?" Dana asked quickly, sliding away from
Fox, grabbing her discarded bra.

"And just what is going on here young lady?" Maggie asked, anger
flooding her face.  She'd trusted both Dana and Fox.  They'd betrayed
that trust.

"Mom, it's not what you think," Dana protested, turning from view and
slipping her shirt back over her head.

"Mrs. Scully, it's really not what it looks like." Fox defended.

"Dana, go to your room.  Fox," she paused, "stay here, I need to talk
to my daughter."

Fox nodded.  As Dana left the room, she cast an apologetic look at
Fox.  He shook his head at her.  The door closed behind Maggie Scully
and Fox let out a breath he'd been holding.  He might as well start
packing to go home.  There was no way Dana's mother would let him
stay.  Not after what she thought she'd walked in on.

He heard yelling, Dana's voice held the shrill tone it only got when
she was very upset.  He heard her scream something at her mother, and
heard only part of Maggie's angry response.

There was a knock at his door and Missy stuck her head in.

"Can I come in?"

"Why not?" he asked.

"What's all that about?" she asked, indicating the screaming.

"Your mom walked in on me putting aloe on Dana's back.  She got really
burned and asked me to put it on her, and she had to take off her
shirt and bra for me to do it.  We didn't 'do' anything," Fox
stressed, putting an end to his babbling.

"Mom knows that.  Hell, if I know that, mom knows that," Missy sat
down on the bed.  "Dana's just her baby.  She tends to assume the
worst about any guy that Dana hangs out with.  I guess she sees me as
a lost cause and wants to try to keep Dana as, pure, as she can.  Why
are you packing?"

"I figure I should be prepared to go when your mom tells me to
leave."

"She's not going to do that.  Come on, forget the packing.  I can
assure you that my mother will not kick you out.  If you left, Dana
would go with you, and she doesn't want that.  Now I believe we're
meeting the group for dinner."

Fox nodded and he followed Melissa out of the room.  There were no
sounds coming from Dana's room, and judging by the clattering of pots
and pans from downstairs, Maggie had left Dana alone.  Melissa and Fox
exchanged a look before Fox went and knocked on Dana's closed door.

"It's me."

Dana opened the door slowly and he could see that her sunburned cheeks
were now streaked with tears.  She opened the door wider and allowed
Missy and Fox to enter.

"You guys should probably go on without me.  Mom's not done lecturing
me about how I'm supposed to act around my boyfriend," she crossed her
arms over her chest.  Fox stepped forward and pulled her into his
arms.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault," he whispered.  Dana and Missy
shared a confused look.

"Fox, how in the world is this your fault?"

"Cause I suggested that we go to the beach, but I forgot to bring
sunscreen.  And then I didn't just wait for Melissa to get out so she
could put the aloe on you."

"And which one of the two of us asked you to put my aloe on?  Which
one of us is responsible for me?  Fox, this isn't your fault.  It's
mine, especially because I was too stupid to lock the door," Dana
rubbed his back and kissed his nose.  "Go on to dinner.  Maybe I'll
manage to convince Mom to let me come meet you guys."

"No, if you have to stay home, I will too."

"Fox, don't be ridiculous."

"Dana, if that's being ridiculous, then I am the king of ridiculous."
He squeezed her tightly.

"Dane, get ready to go.  If Mom wants to talk to you, she can do it
later.  Come on," Melissa interrupted, determined to not have them
fight.

"'Kay," Dana whispered, kissing Fox gently.  Standing on tiptoes she
whispered, "I love you,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, butter me up," Fox kissed her back, releasing her
reluctantly.  "You just want me to let you drive," he teased.

Missy snorted in unison with Dana.  The two women exchanged a look
before glancing at Fox and shoving him toward the door.

"Hey!  Hey!  Wait!  Why can't I stay?" he protested.

"I have to get ready," Dana spoke to him like he was a slow learner. 
She leaned up and kissed him before closing the door in his face.

Fox sighed, touching the door lightly before getting an idea and
walking away.  He quietly made his way downstairs and into the
kitchen, where Maggie was angrily stirring a pot of sauce.

"Mrs. Scully, I'd like to apologize about--" he started.

"Fox, I don't want to hear this right now," she snapped.  "Just go out
to dinner."

"Yes ma'am," he turned and left the room.  Fox made his way back up
the stairs and stopped when he reached Dana's door.  He cast a glance
at the closed door and turned to move back to his room.  He stopped
when he heard Dana speak.

"Missy, what would you say if I told you that it's time?"

"Time for what?" he heard Melissa ask from farther inside the room.

"You know, 'time'"

"Oh, Dane, you can't possibly mean," Missy trailed off and Fox
strained to hear what she said.

"Yeah," Dana answered.  Fox's eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

"Dana, you can't be ready."

"I am, I really am."

"But Dane, you're only 16.  You've got everything ahead of you."

"Don't give me that bullshit Melissa.  You of all people should know
better than to lecture me on this subject.  I know that Fox loves me,
and that this won't change our relationship drastically.  How long did
you and Jason stay together?"

"We would still be together today if he hadn't," Melissa's voice
caught.  "We'd still be together if he hadn't been killed and you know
it.  We made the decision together, after almost two years of talking
about it.  You should be talking to Fox about this, not me.  If he
loves you as much as I know he does, he won't want you to feel like
you have to 'be' with him, whether it will change your relationship or
not.  Which it will, Dana.  It changes everything.  Just think about
it a little more.  Don't let your emotions because of Mom make your
decision for you.  Please Dana?  I don't want you to get hurt."

Fox moved away from the door.  He'd just realized what he'd heard. 
Should he let them know that he'd heard them?  Should he pretend he
hadn't?  He moved back to his room to think.

Shit, had he done something to give Dana the impression that it was
'put out or get out'?  He didn't think he had, but maybe... No, he
loved Dana, no matter what the status of their physical relationship
was.  She'd said that she knew as much the night before on the beach.

Fox looked up as he heard a knock at the door.  Dana stood there with
Missy, wearing a tank top that was tie-dyed and held a distinct 1960's
flair.  Her jeans were tight until they reached her knees and then
they flared out in classic bell-bottoms.

"You ready?" she asked, stepping into the room, looking at him
worriedly.  He smiled, placing his hands on her hips and leaning down
to kiss her softly.

"You look good," he growled in a low voice.  "If you weren't so
sunburned, I'd nibble on your neck a little to show you how good you
look."

"Mmm, maybe later.  Come on, we need to go," she pulled away and took
his hand.  He allowed her to lead him from the house and out to his
car.  He took the keys and drove them to Olive Garden.

End Part 4

Part 5

~~~~

The gang was noisy in the restaurant.  Everyone except for Fox.  Dana
noted that he was unusually quiet and wondered what was wrong.  She
touched his hand to get his attention.

"Fox, are you okay?" she asked quietly, not wanting the others to hear
their conversation.

He nodded, leaning over and brushing his lips over hers.  "This is
where we came for our first date," he whispered.  "Somehow it was more
romantic the first time around."

Dana giggled and kissed him again.  "Eat your food Fox."

Sarah dropped her fork.  "Hey, that's enough of that!" she accused.

"Sorry Sarah, we're talking about the fact that this was the place we
came on our first date."

"Well then, I'll permit it.  Wait, wasn't a few weeks ago your
anniversary?  One full year of a woman being able to put up with Fox
Mulder's shit..." Sarah grinned to let him know she was kidding.

"I guess it was," Dana smiled, remembering the 5 hours she and Fox had
spent on the phone on the actual day of their one-year anniversary. 
He must have read her thoughts, because Fox reached over and took her
hand.

"Okay then, happy late anniversary," Nikki spoke.  "Well, don't just
sit there, we expect the obligatory kiss."

"Thanks," Dana and Fox smiled at each other and leaned in, meeting in
a soft kiss.  Everyone clapped and they parted reluctantly.

"I've got a surprise for you later," Dana growled to him, making the
others 'ooo'.  Fox blushed, unsure of what the hell she was doing, and
if this was part of what she'd discussed with Missy.

Dana went back to devouring her salad and breadsticks.  Fox did the
same until he felt Dana's small hand settle on his thigh.  He looked
over at her casually and she deep in conversation with Adriana.  Fox
wondered if she knew where her hand had ended up.  Her hand was still
for a few minutes while she ate.  Then, her hand began to slide up and
down his thigh, going a little higher each time.  He swallows noisily
and reached for his drink.  He coughed violently as the iced tea went
down the wrong way.  Dana's hand instantly left his leg and moved to
pat his back.

"I'm okay," he rasped.  Taking a deep breath, he leaned over and
whispered, "warn me before you do that, okay?"

"Okay.  Fox, I'm going to put my hand on your leg again." Dana
whispered back, smiling wickedly.

"We're in a restaurant, behave." He warned, resuming eating.  She did
the same.  Fox looked around and noticed that Melissa was watching
their exchange.  He tried to smile encouragingly at her, knowing that
she knew about what Dana was pulling.  His arm crept over to encircle
Dana's shoulders.  Dana leaned into him, resting her head on his
shoulder while she sipped her drink.

"So Daaaaaaannnnnnaaaaaa," Arielle drawled, "is there anything that
we, your closest friends, should know about you two."

"Mmm, maybe," Dana replied coyly.  She gave Fox's thigh a squeeze and
her hand crept a little higher.  He squirmed under her touch and she
stilled him by setting her hand back in safer territory.  Didn't she
notice that he was 'excited?'

"Really?  Like what?" Kristen asked.  Dana simply smiled and gave
Fox's thigh another squeeze.

"How's your food?  Can I get you anything?" their waitress asked,
coming up behind Dana's chair.  Dana stiffened slightly and Fox moved
so that his crotch was out of direct view.

"Everything's great," Sarah answered, leaning forward.  "Do you think
we could get a piece or two of cake out here?  It's their
anniversary," she pointed to Dana and Fox.

"No problem.  How long have you two been together?"

"A year," Dana answered, reaching up and touching Fox's cheek.

"Cake, coming right up."

"Thanks!" Sarah called out.  "You never told us what you guys had
planned."

Fox looked at his watch, wanting to stall for time.  "Don't you guys
have school tomorrow?"

"We do, don't we?" Rachel grumbled.  "We should get the check."

"You guys go on without us.  We'll see you tomorrow," Missy replied,
looking back at Fox.

Dana leaned in, "After we leave, you get your surprise."

"Can't wait," he whispered, taking her wandering hand in his.

~~~~

Dana drove them back to her house and stopped out in the front. 
Melissa jumped from her spot in the backseat and rushed into the
house.  Fox looked at Dana questioningly, but said nothing.  Dana
shivered a bit and walked to the back, opening the trunk and pulling
out her letter jacket.  Slipping it on, she turned around and found
Fox staring at her in amusement.

"When did you get that?"

"Couple of months ago."

"And you got it for?" he asked, pulling her closer by the lapels.

"Intense academic achievement.  Proud?" she asked, tilting her head up
for a kiss.

"Extremely.  Why are we waiting?"

"Melissa is bringing me some stuff.  Then we're off."

"And we're going where?"

"You'll see."

Missy ran from the house, holding a picnic basket and another plastic
bag.  She stopped in front of them and placed the things in the
trunk.

"Sorry for taking so long, Mom started asking questions."

"What did you tell her?"

"I said you were going to see Fox's mom, and that you'd probably spend
the night over there."

"Thanks Missy."

"I hope this is really what you want, Dana," she cautioned.  Dana
smiled, giving Fox a quick glance.

"It is, we'll be back late.  Don't wait up."

Dana and Fox settled back into the car.  Dana reached over for his
hand and kissed it lightly.

"You're quiet," she spoke.  "Is there something on your mind?"

"Just wondering why there's a picnic basket back there."

"You'll find out soon enough, be patient," Dana answered, driving them
to the park.

They set up their late-evening picnic under a tree by the swing set. 
Dana fed Fox some of the cake that they'd brought back from Olive
Garden.  She leaned into him and he reluctantly slipped his arms
around her.

"I don't want to bother your sunburn," he whispered, his lips close to
her ear.

"You're not.  Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She turned in his arms and kissed him gently.  His hands framed her
face as he kissed her back.  Fox stiffened when he felt Dana's hand
creep under his shirt.  He pulled away.

"Fox?" she whispered.

"Come here, I want to push you on the swings."

"Okay," Dana consented, allowing him to lead her over to the metal
swing set.  She settled on a low swing and permitted him to push her. 
She smiled happily back at him and stopped after a few minutes.

"I think it's time for your surprise now," she mumbled, almost to
herself as she led him back to their blanket.  She settled nervously
in front of him and leaned forward, kissing him quickly before
retreating.

"Fox, I love you."

"I love you too," he replied automatically.

"Fox, I know you're not expecting this from our relationship, but I
think, no, I know that I want to give it to you," she looked up from
her gaze on the ground.  The next words she uttered were expected, but
still knocked him on his ass.

"Make love to me, Fox."

He was shocked, he didn't know what to make of this, what to do. Dana
did it for him. Before he could react his shirt was off as was hers.
Her hands were at his pants, fumbling with the button.

"Dana?" Fox questioned as he stilled her hands. "What did your mom say
to you?"

"What?" she asked, not understanding why he was bringing this up now,
while she was trying to give him his gift.

"Whatever she said, I don't want it to be the reason for this. If this
isn't what you truly want, or if it's some act of rebellion that
you're going to regret later on, I don't want to do this. Dana, this
has to be for both of us, not to prove a point to anyone, not to show
anyone that we can make our own choices."

"Fox," Dana groaned, nipping at his lips.  He pulled away, brushing
his fingers over her swollen mouth.  They regarded each other
carefully before he pulled her into a bear hug.

"Is this really what you want, Dana?  This isn't to spite your mother,
or prove to Beki, or David, or anyone that we're a lasting
relationship?" he questioned gently, stroking her bare back.

"This is me," she answered.  "This is what I want.  You're what I
want."

"Then this is what I want too," Fox answered, leaning down and kissing
her gently.  "But not here."

"Not here?"

"No, it's too cold.  We'll freeze before we even begin.  And there are
certain parts I'd rather not freeze off."

Dana laughed, shivering a little to emphasize his point.  "Where can
we go?"

"My mom's.  If she's even there, we won't disturb her."

"Okay," Dana agreed.

He kissed her lips and slid her shirt back on.

They gathered their things from the blanket in a rush to leave the
park. The silence between them was thick, but not uncomfortable. Fox
found that he'd calmed considerably, knowing that this really was
something Dana wanted.

When they arrived at Fox's mom's house, Fox noted that his mom wasn't
even there.  He squeezed Dana's hand and led her into his old bedroom.
 She set the bag down on the dresser.

"So.." she started.

"Yeah," he agreed, grinning down at her.  "Come here," he whispered,
framing her face with his thumbs, bending to kiss her gently.  She
responded slowly, not wanting things to escalate too quickly.

When they broke apart, Dana grinned up at him.  Fox was flushed and
his pupils were dilated.  She tugged off her jacket and let it hit the
floor.

"Fox?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Breathe, I don't want you passing out on me here."

He cracked a small smile.  "Take off your shoes, stay awhile," He
followed his own advice, and then flopped down on the bed, wondering
briefly if his sheets were clean.  Dana followed, sliding cautiously
next to him.  He tugged her lips to his.

"Dana, you take the lead," he murmured, sucking lightly on her neck,
careful to not irritate her sunburn.  She gasped as his lips fastened
around her pulse point.

"I'm okay, I'll tell you to stop if I need to," she answered, her
hands already springing into action.  They lifted his shirt up his
torso, pausing only long enough for him to stop his own ministrations
concerning her neck, as well as to do the same for her.

Dana curled her arms around his shoulders, drawing him so that they
were chest to chest.  Fox let out a rush of air at the contact and
kissed her harshly.

One of his hands snaked between them and undid her pants, attempting
to tug them down her hips and away from her body.  Dana stood on her
knees and allowed him to push them down that far.  She continued to
kiss him, licking his Adam's apple, making his breath shorten even
further.  Finally Fox lifted Dana up, pulling her pants off fully,
leaving her clad only in her panties.

Fox kissed her navel.  "You're so beautiful, Dana.  Do you know
that?"

Dana blushed, finding herself unable to speak.  Fox kissed her stomach
again before crawling up to kiss her lips.

"We can stop right now if you want."

"No.  I don't want to stop," Dana ran gentle fingers over his face. 
"Fox, you're over-dressed for this party."

He grinned.  "Do something about it," he challenged.

*	~	*

They lay facing each other, Fox flushed with almost-embarrassment, and
Dana with contented happiness.  He kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, tugging his lips to hers.

"I hurt you, and it, was...bad," he trailed off, whispering.

"Fox, it wasn't bad.  And it hurt, but it was a good hurt.  And it
won't happen again.  Fox, making love to you will never be bad,
because it's you.  And I love you."

Fox curled his arm around her, pulling her on top of him.  He reached
up and reverently touched her breasts.  Tilting his head up to kiss
her, he smiled, "it's not that late."

Dana grinned, reading his mind.  She reached over to the bedside
table.  "Bring it on, Fox."

~	*	~

6:45am

Fox awoke bleary-eyed and searched his surroundings.  Dana was tucked
into his side, her bare leg draped over his.  Her hand was tangled
with his.  Fox lifted her bare arm and planted baby kisses down to her
elbow and back.

Dana stirred, rolling away from him.  Fox grinned, finding her bare
back very appealing.  He pressed his lips to her neck, trailing his
open mouth down her spine.  When he reached the curve of her behind,
she rolled over, her face filled with a sleepy grin.

"Morning," he grinned, kissing her belly.  She wound a hand through
his bed head.

"Mmm, good morning.  What time is it?"

"Time for us to be getting back to your house.  But first, we should
shower."

"We?" Dana smiled.

"If you want.  Or, we can just conduct our business right here," Fox
nuzzled his stubble across her soft flesh.  She giggled slightly.

"And what business would that be?"

"Loving you into oblivion," Fox answered, stretching up to kiss her.

End Part 5

Part 6

~~~~

May 20, 2002
7:23 a.m.

Fox and Dana entered the Scully household and walked into the kitchen.
Missy sat there waiting for them. As they each took a bowl of cereal
and milk, Missy nudged Dana's foot with hers, signaling to meet her in
the living room.

Dana placed her bowl on the table and poured herself a glass of orange
juice before walking into the living room.

"So?" Missy asked, "What happened last night?"

"Stuff," Dana replied, a small blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Oh?"

Dana shrugged and walked back into the kitchen, Missy following her
and sat down across from Fox.

Dana sat down next to Fox, brushing a quick kiss on his lips and
whispering a quick thank you in his ear.  He pulled her chair close
and draped his arm along the back of it.

"Mom knows we're not going to school today," Melissa told her younger
sister. Dana nodded, thinking back to the previous year when their
relationship wasn't at its best. She was glad things had gone back to
normal over the summer and hadn't gone back to the way they were
previously when school had started again. Dana was grateful that Missy
had found new friends; friends that accepted her and her relationship
with Fox without making a big deal out of it. She was glad that they
were back at the stage where they could tell each other anything,
without worrying that the other would go and tell their parents. She
was glad she could talk to her sister honestly about Fox and her
feelings and not worry about getting laughed at.

"We should sleep," Dana stated, yawning.

Fox rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to stay awake. He nodded in
agreement. 

"I'll be in the living room whenever you two wake up," Missy said as
she got up and left the kitchen.

Fox yawned. They put their bowls in the sink and went into the living
room to join Melissa. 

"We can at least pretend to be keeping you company," Dana told her
sister as they sat down on the couch next to her. She leaned back
against Fox and closed her eyes, quickly descending into a dream
world. Fox tried to stay awake and keep a coherent conversation going,
but soon found that it wasn't possible. Every few minutes he'd doze
off, only to wake up again ten minutes later, wondering what had
happened. 

"Fox, you can go to sleep," Missy told him. "I appreciate you trying
to stay awake to talk to me, but its not working very well," she
laughed.

Fox closed his eyes as she talked, her voice lulling him into a light
sleep.

~~~~

8:27 a.m.

Missy's heart twitched as she looked at the sleeping couple. She was
glad her sister had found someone like Fox, but at the same time, she
was jealous. Jealous that she didn't have someone like they did. Sure,
she had a boyfriend, a date to the prom, but nothing serious. Nothing
she could count on; that she'd know would be there the next day...the
next week...even the next year. Her sister had something special,
something Missy hoped she'd find one day.

She thought she'd found him when she'd found Jason. She'd been young.
They'd both been young, stupid, and careless. Not that she was much
older now. Only 2 and a half years. But in those years she'd learned a
lot. How to love, how to live, how to move on...She'd spent her summer
with him, those weeks that they'd been back in LA while their parents
were busy trying to make sure that Dana and Fox didn't end up like her
and Jason. They'd failed; they just didn't know it yet. 

Missy sighed wistfully as tears came to her eyes. She missed Jason,
wished he were there with her.

She'd flown back for his funeral, missing the first week of school.
He'd been hit head on by a drunk driver traveling 70 miles per hour in
a 35 zone. They'd both died instantly.

She turned her attention back to the TV screen, watching, waiting for
something to happen.

~~~~

12:53 p.m.

Maggie Scully entered the house.

"Melissa? Dana? Fox?" she called out, knowing they were around there
somewhere. She placed the groceries on the kitchen table and walked
into the living room, searching for the trio. She smiled at the site
that greeted her. Missy was on one end of the couch, head pillowed on
her arms. Dana rested on Fox at the other end of the couch, her head
on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, making sure she didn't
fall off. Mrs. Scully briefly considered taking a picture, but then
thought the flash might wake them up.

Leaving the living room, she unpacked the groceries and went upstairs
to grab the camera. If they wake up, they wake up. They should
probably be awake right now anyway, she justified, and it'll be such
an adorable picture.

She clicked the button and the flash went off.

"Mmm, lights," Dana swatted at nothing and tried to roll over, but Fox
kept her in place. She sat up and looked around.

"Mom," she groaned upon seeing her mother with the camera. Maggie
smiled at her and left the room.

"Fox, wake up," Dana said as she poked his shoulder.

"What?" he mumbled.

"What just happened?"

"What are you talking about Dana?" Fox asked as he stretched.

"Mom just came in here and took a picture of us. She wasn't exactly
what I'd call happy with us last night, and now she's taking a
picture?"

Missy sat up, all the talking invading her slumber, pulling her out of
her dream.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Nothing," Dana answered, troubled.  Fox gave her a squeeze.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" he suggested.

"No, I said what I needed to last night.  If she believes me, she
believes me, if not, oh well."

Melissa nodded, not knowing how much of last night's plan Dana was
afraid she would end up giving away if she faced their mother right
now.  She looked at her sister and Fox seriously.

"So, exactly what happened?" she asked, trying to keep her voice low
so their mom wouldn't hear.

"What do you mean?" Dana answered, toying with Fox's fingers.  He
played along and they engaged in a quick game of thumb war before he
pulled away and kissed her nose.

"Going to get dressed, I'll be back."

"Okay," she called, her voice following him out of the room.

"What do you mean?" Missy picked up the slack immediately.  "You know
what I'm asking about Dana."

"I know.  It happened."

"It did?  Are you okay?" Missy touched her hand, "Is everything okay
with Fox?"

"It did.  Everything's fine.  But it almost didn't happen."

"Because of mom?  And what went on last night?"

"He pushed me away, Melissa.  He thought that it wasn't what I
wanted."

"He wanted to make sure you were certain.  And you were?"

Dana nodded, the blush taking over.  "We went to his mom's.  She
wasn't home, so we didn't have to explain what we were doing there."

"How did you know when you were certain?" Dana asked, knowing that it
was a touchy subject with her sister.

"I don't know.  I thought I knew the answer, back when Jason and I
were together, but I don't know.  I didn't foresee us moving, and me
being separated from him.  When we went back over the summer, I spent
most of my time with him, and I just had this feeling in my gut that
it was time.  It was right, until I got back to real life, got back
here, and realized that it had been a big mistake, because of when it
had happened.  I had given myself to him, and I couldn't even see him
like I wanted to."

"I love Fox.  And I've accepted that just because we don't see each
other every day doesn't mean we love the other any less.  Remember? 
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  This was a step that we wanted
to take."

"I saw the restraint he showed last night at the restaurant.  You were
torturing that poor guy, Dana.  Its no wonder he turned you down the
first time, he was probably afraid of embarrassing himself."

Dana giggled.  "I was being kind of mean, wasn't I?"

"I thought I saw his eyes roll to the back of his head a few times."

Dana giggled.  "What was it like for you?" she asked, Missy raised her
eyebrows at her.  "I mean, just knowing what was going on, what was
about to happen, what were you thinking?"

"It was scary, exciting.  I knew I'd never be able to go back.  I was
happy that I was sharing it with someone whom I cared about and who
cared about me.  What about you?" Missy grinned.

Dana blushed.  "It was nice.  He's so sensitive.  The first time, he
thought he'd disappointed me."  

"The first time?!" Missy's grin widened.  Dana nodded, not divulging
any more information.  After a few minutes, they slipped into silence.
 Dana looked around, wondering where Fox was.

"I'm going to go check on Fox."

"Okay," Missy smiled, reaching for the remote and turning on the TV.

Dana made her way up the stairs, hoping that Fox was okay.  He hadn't
said anything about going upstairs for any length of time, just that
he was going to get dressed.  She knocked on his door and pushed it
open.  He wasn't in bed, or anywhere around the room.  Then she got an
idea and made her way to her room.  She opened the door and found Fox
curled up on her bed, his arms clutching her pillow, sound asleep. 
She shut the door behind herself and made her way over to the bed,
sitting down gingerly, so as not to disturb him.

Dana ran a finger over his cheek and gently eased her pillow from his
grasp.  In return, Fox's arms wrapped his arms around her waist,
pulling her down and into his embrace.  She smiled, kissing his neck
gently.  His lips parted and he sighed her name.

"Fox," she whispered, "wake up."

His eyes slid open.  She grinned as he blinked uncomprehendingly. 
"Dana?"

"Present and accounted for.  Nice nap?"

"Very.  Waking up was the best part.  How long was I out?"

"I dunno, you came up to get dressed, and when you didn't come back
downstairs, I got worried."

"Sorry.  Missed me that much?"

"Always.  C'mere," Dana tugged his head down to kiss him.  He
responded with zeal and his hands wound their way into her hair and
held her tightly.  Dana sighed into his mouth.  Together their hands
found their way to the other's shirt hem.  Fox toyed with the bottom
of her shirt before stopping.

"Did you lock the door?"

"Yes," she mumbled.  "Not now Fox.  Not with my mom somewhere around
here, and Melissa downstairs."

"Mm, 'kay," Fox settled his hand lightly on her belly and continued to
lazily stroke his lips over hers.  She smiled, curling one hand around
his jaw and holding his head in place.

"So, did Melissa enjoy hearing the details?" he asked.

Dana giggled.  Fox stuck his tongue out at her.  She waggled her
eyebrows at him and they both collapsed in fits of giggles.  When they
calmed, Fox kissed her neck.

"I would never intentionally hurt you, Dana.  I hope you know that."

"I do.  I've always known that," Dana kissed his cheek.  They were
silent for a few minutes before Dana spoke, "Fox, that was, right?"
she stuttered.

"Yeah, it was," he assured honestly.  "I'm as pure as the driven
snow."

Dana snorted, "Yeah, the yellow snow."

"What?" he asked.

"Don't you remember?  The old phrase 'watch out where the huskies go,
don't you eat that yellow snow."

"Riiight, that phrase.  Have I ever told you you're crazy?"

"Shh, you'll give away my secret.  But really, knowing that, it just
makes me feel better, about well, you know."

"Dana, never, ever hesitate to ask me about anything like that.  Sex
or no sex, I want you to feel comfortable in my presence."

"I always have, Fox.  Even from the day I met you.  I don't always
accept rides from boys I've just met."

"You better not be.  I'll kick each and every single one of their
asses.  I love you."

"I know.  Now lemme up, I wanna change my clothes."

"Oo, that's fine with me," Fox grinned, giving her a kiss before
releasing her.  She swatted his shoulder and moved over to the
dresser, grabbing her clothes.

"Can you behave yourself?" she asked, coming back to sit with him.

"It depends on the conditions I have to behave in.  What do you
need?"

"Is my back peeling?" she asked.  He traced a finger over her shoulder
blade and sat up, pressing his lips to her scapula.  She shivered
under the light touch and Fox smiled against her skin.

"A little bit, should I put more aloe on it?"

"Please," Dana passed the bottle to him and lifted her tank top off,
pressing it to her front to cover herself.  She unhooked her bra and
let the straps fall to the sides of her arms.

Fox gently ran his fingertips over her upper arms and tugged the
straps off, tossing her bra to the side.  "Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay," Fox took the bottle and squirted some into his hand, placing
his palm down on her back.  "For some reason, this seems strangely
familiar."

"It'll end better this time, I promise," Dana assured.

"I know it will."

"Where would you be right now if you were at school?"

Fox considered her question, trying to work out the time difference in
his head.  "I think, I'd be in my study group.  But I like being with
you a whole lot more," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Fox, I.  Hypothetically if I applied to Oxford, would you be happy?"
Dana looked back at him.  He stopped kneading her shoulders and curled
his arms around her, tugging her to rest against his chest.  Dana
smoothed her shirt down over her breasts and Fox kissed her clavicle.

"Dana, I would be, absolutely ecstatic if you ended up in England with
me."

"You would?" she asked.  He nodded, holding her tighter.  "Then we can
open this," she sat up, slipping her new shirt over her head.  She
tugged open the bottom drawer of her bedside table and pulled out an
envelope.

They stared at it for a few moments before Fox spoke.

"They send out all their letters in small envelopes." 

Dana nodded nervously. Taking a deep breath, she ripped the envelope
open. Fox watched her as she unfolded the letter and read.

The paper fell to the floor as she looked up at Fox.

"Oh, Dana," Fox said as he pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, it
doesn't matter," he tried to reassure her. He felt her tears through
his shirt and her sobs through his hands. He rubbed her back and
kissed her forehead, trying to soothe her. "It's just a school, it's
not a big deal."

On the inside his heart was breaking. When Dana had asked him if he
wanted her in England with him he'd been surprised. Of course he
wanted her there. He was even more surprised when she pulled out the
envelope. She hadn't mentioned anything about applying to college in
England, let alone going to school with him. He'd been thrilled that
she still wanted to be with him. But nervousness had coursed through
him as he stared at the envelope. 

The look on Dana's face as she held and opened the envelope 
nervousness, anticipation.  The look on her face as she read the
letter  sadness, disappointment. It made his heart wrench with
sadness. He had to be strong, comforting. He couldn't let this come
between them.

He held her tightly, wiping the tears off her face as she cried. 

"You can always reapply for the spring term," Fox suggested. She
nodded as she pulled away from him and picked up the papers.

"I should tell my mom..." she trailed off.

"You don't have to do it now." She shook her head and walked down the
stairs.

"Mom?" Dana called out, still sniffling.

"Dana? What's wrong?" her mom asked, exiting the kitchen.

She saw her daughter clasping an opened envelope and quickly realized
what it was.

"Oh, Dana, I'm sorry," her mother cooed, pulling her daughter into a
hug.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Dana shrugged. "Get a job, reapply for the spring semester, know if I
got into the college before rejecting the rest of them," she
humorlessly laughed slipping out of her mothers embrace and leaning
against the wall.

Maggie motioned for her to stay there as she disappeared into the
living room for a moment, returning with three envelopes in her hand
and handed them to Dana.

She looked at the envelopes, all from Oxford. She let out a sigh and
got up and walked back to her room, leaving the envelopes on the floor
where she had been sitting.

Fox wandered down the stairs after Dana had entered her room and
kicked him out, saying she just wanted to be alone. Seeing the
envelopes on the floor, he picked them up. His curiosity got the best
of him and he opened them. 

The first envelope he opened contained housing forms and immunization
requests. He stared at them in befuddlement. Why send it to someone
who was rejected?

The second envelope contained scholarship information. 'Did she get
in? Did they make a mistake?' His hopes rose as he saw her name
printed on the envelope and the letters inside. 

He tore open the third envelope, knowing what he'd find. An apology
for the mix up and an acceptance letter.

"Dana!" Fox yelled, running up the stairs, the papers flapping in the
air. "Dana, you're really going to want to see this!" He banged on the
door until she opened it. "You got in," he told her.

"Fox, what are you talking about? I didn't get in." She turned and
flopped onto the bed, burying her face in a pillow.

"Dana, look. You got in." He sat down next to he and rolled her over,
shoving the papers in front of her face.

She closed her eyes, not willing to look.

"Dana, not only did you get in, but you got an amazing amount of
scholarship money." She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Fox. "You
only need to pay 10,000 dollars. That's cheaper than most of the
schools you applied to!"

"You're lying," she accused, still not believing him.

"Just look, Dana," he urged, "It says it all right here." He waved the
papers in front of her.

She huffed and took them from his hand.

"Oh my god, Fox, I got in!" she exclaimed. "I got in!" She kissed him,
and was pulled into a hug. 

"I told you so," he teased as he kissed her again. "Let's go out to
celebrate," Fox suggested.

"Food?" Dana asked, sitting up. "I'm hungry."

End Part 6

Part 7

~~~~

O'Charleys Restaurant
2:13 p.m.

The waiter set down their drinks and asked "Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'll have the chicken..." Fox trailed off, pointing to the
menu. The waiter nodded. "Your meal comes with either a soup or a
salad, which would you prefer?"

Fox thought for a moment before answering. "Salad."

"And I'll have the angel hair pasta."

"Your meal also comes with either a soup or salad."

"I'll have a salad."

"Will that be all?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Fox said, grasping Dana's hand.

They sat and talked. About Fox's studies, about Dana's graduation,
about her moving to Oxford.

"Well, I can come back for your graduation since I'll be out of school
already, and stay for the summer, and help you pack and move and we
can fly back together."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Dana said as he kissed her palm. She
smiled and moved her hand to caress his cheek. He kissed each of her
fingers.

The waiter cleared his throat as he approached their table with their
salads. He set them down and left.

They ate in relative silence, finishing their salads before continuing
their conversation.

"Do you want to go bowling?" Dana asked.

"Okay...Where did this train of thought come from?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know, I just haven't been bowling in a while."

"After we eat we can call everyone and see if they want to go
bowling," Fox told her as he leaned across the table to kiss her. 

The waiter silently refilled their drinks and picked up the empty
salad plates off of the table, not disturbing the couple. 

They broke apart and Fox took Dana's hands in his, kissing both her
thumbs. Suddenly he stood and moved to sit next to her. His arm
wrapped around her shoulders as he kissed her cheek. His other hand
snaked across her waist, pulling her closer to him. Dana giggled and
turned to kiss his lips.

When they pulled apart their food was sitting in front of them,
waiting to be eaten. 

Dana quickly picked up her fork and stabbed the pasta, bringing the
fork to her mouth, picking the pasta off of it. Fox grinned and cut
his chicken into pieces before eating it.

A few minutes into their meal, Dana stopped and put her fork down. 
"On second thought, let's not call the others.  Let's just go on our
own."

"Okay.  Why?"

"Because I see them everyday.  I don't feel like sharing your
attention right now."

"Okay," Fox agreed, surprised.  "Bowling for two, that's cool.  That
means I get to do all those naughty little things you don't let me do
when the others are around."

Dana blushed and lowered her eyes.  Fox touched her chin and kissed
the corner of her mouth gently.  He opened his mouth to speak when her
phone rang.

"I was wondering where that thing was.  It's been unusually quiet," he
remarked as she answered.  He made an effort not to eavesdrop on her
conversation until she sighed and hung up.

"Well, bowling is out.  That was my mom, she wants us to pick Charlie
up from school."

"Why can't Melissa do it?"

"She didn't say.  I'll call her, and ask."

Five minutes later, after pleading with Missy, Dana hung up the phone,
triumphant.

"She'll do it," Dana announced.  Fox grinned.

"What do we owe her?"

"Oh, I just have to do her chores until I move out," Dana shrugged,
"no biggie."

Fox nodded and looked at his plate, it was nearly empty.  "I think I'm
finished, what about you?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," she answered, leaning against him slightly.  He
motioned for their waiter to appear and asked for the check.  A small
black leather portfolio was presented to him and he picked it up,
opening it curiously.  Dana took it from his hands.

"Fox, your Mom and Dad are over there," she told him, unsure of how
he'd react.  He followed her gaze and then looked down at her.

"What are they doing eating together?  I guess I should talk to them. 
I'll be right back," he promised.  Dana nodded and watched him make
his way over to his parents before turning back to the bill for their
lunch and grabbing her wallet.

Fox reluctantly trudged over to his parents' table.  When he was
directly beside it, he cleared his throat.  His mother looked up.

"Fox?  What are you doing here?" she stood, giving him a stiff hug and
a small kiss on the cheek.

"Hey mom, I flew back for Dana's prom.  I'm going home tomorrow. 
Sorry I haven't come by, I've been fighting jet lag until now."

"That's alright Fox, I haven't been in town until this afternoon
anyway.  You said the prom?"

"Yes.  Dana and I went to her prom on Saturday.  How are you, Mom?" he
asked.

"I'm doing well," she answered.  Fox turned to his father.

"Dad."

"Son.  You cut your hair."

"Yes sir."

"It makes you look manly.  I'm proud you finally got over that stage
you were in before.  How is your job working out?"

"Very well, thanks," Fox answered uncomfortably.  He wished Dana would
get him out of the situation somehow.  As if she was reading his mind,
Dana appeared by his shoulder and nudged him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but do you have about $2 for a tip.  I've got the
rest covered."

"Dana, you don't need to handle this, here, pay the tab and put your
money away." Fox handed her his wallet.  She shook her head, smiling.

"Two dollars, that's all I need," she spoke resolutely.  He caved and
handed her two one-dollar bills.  "Thank you," she stood on tiptoes
and kissed his cheek.  Fox smiled and watched her go back to their
table.  He turned back to his parents and immediately noticed his
father's scowl.

"I thought you had manners, son.  You're the man, you should be paying
for your food."

Fox's smile faded.  Dana completed getting the bill together before
she grabbed her jacket and her bag and made her way back to his side. 
He plastered a smile on his face and pulled her close.

"Dana, so nice to see you again," Fox's mother greeted her.  Dana
smiled easily as Fox's arm made its way around her waist.

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Mulder.  How are you?"

"I'm very nice dear, thank you for asking.  Fox, your father and I
have something we'd like to discuss with you, can you come home later
so we can talk?"

"Sure mom, dad.  I'll see you guys later," Fox hugged his mother
briefly and shook his father's hand before leading Dana from the
restaurant.

They sat in the car, Fox looked at his hands.  Dana reached out and
touched his cheek.

"Let's get out of here.  We can just go back to my place."

"No, we're going bowling," he replied defiantly, backing the car up
and speeding from the parking lot.

"Fox, we don't have to.  In fact I don't even want to anymore."

"We're going," he snapped.

"Fine." She retorted, tossing her weight back against the seat and
crossing her arms over her chest, looking out the window at the
blurring scenery.

The car slowed down, and Fox pulled into the parking lot of a closed
fast food place.  Before Dana knew what was happening, his arms were
around her and he was burying his face in her hair.

"I'm so sorry Dana.  So, so sorry.  My dad, he just, he gets to me.  I
didn't mean to get mad, I'm sorry."

At his despondent tone, Dana softened and she held him tightly.  "It's
okay."

"No it isn't.  You deserve better than my misplaced anger at my
parents.  Tell me what I can do to make it up to you."

Dana pulled away to see his surprisingly wet eyes.  She smiled and
kissed his cheek.

"You already did."

"No, that's not," Dana cut him off.

"Yes it is.  We're just even now, considering how I acted about the
college.  Now, are we going to kiss and make up, or do we have to
continue talking about it?"

Fox smiled, and started to cover her neck and face with loud, sloppy
kisses.  She giggled and tilted her head away from him, pushing
lightly at his shoulders.

"Fox, you're squishing me."

"And this is a problem?"

"Didn't say there was one, just wanted to apprise you of the
situation," she pushed him a little more forcefully.  He pulled away,
looking like a kicked puppy.

"Let's go someplace more comfortable and do this, okay?  Not that I
don't love your car, but.." she trailed off, kissing him and taking
his hand.  "The parking lot of an old Wendy's isn't exactly the most
romantic place to be."

"Point taken," Fox put the car back into gear and left the parking
lot, driving the familiar route back to Dana's house.  He stopped in
the garage, turning off the engine and squeezing her hand.

"I want you to come with me tonight.  When I go to talk to my parents
about whatever, I don't want to go alone," he admitted.

"Fox, it's obviously something private.  I can't impede on that."

"Dana, I want you to.  I can't be alone with them, especially my
father.  I haven't seen him since graduation," his eyes turned
downcast and she immediately pulled him into an embrace.

"I'll come with you.  There's nothing to worry about."

"Not with you there," he smiled and took her face between his hands. 
She nuzzled into them and kissed one of his palms.

They jumped apart when a basketball slammed against the pavement.

"Hey!" Charlie exclaimed. He hadn't seen his sister all weekend and
was wondering where she'd run off to. "Where've you been?" he asked.

"Out," she curtly replied, grasping Fox's hand and walking inside. 
Charlie followed.

"Yeah, but where?" he asked.

"Nowhere you'd be interested in." she told him, not wanting to share
the details of her life with her younger brother. 

"How about we go back outside and play a game of basketball?" Fox
suggested, not wanting this spat to turn into a full-blown argument.

"Okay!" Charlie exclaimed, rushing outside to gather his friends.

Dana smiled at Fox, grateful for the peaceful ending. They walked
outside and were greeted by Charlie and his friends, eagerly waiting
for them, ready to play.

"We got Fox!" Charles shouted, dashing to the other side of the
street.

"Great, ditched by my own brother." Dana mumbled. Fox winked at her as
he walked across the street and the game began.

Dana got the ball first. She dribbled it across the street and headed
towards the basket, passing it to one of her teammates when Fox
approached.  Fox didn't stop when she passed the ball. He grabbed her
around the waist and picked her up, swinging her around. Dana giggled,
smacking Fox's arms. 

"I'm trying to play basketball," she told him half-heartedly, not
wanting him to let her go. Fox kissed her cheek and set her down. She
held his arms around her, tugging him down for a kiss.

"Ewwww."

"That's gross!"

"Ugh."

Charlie and his friends chorused.

Dana rolled her eyes, giving Fox another kiss, then gently nudging him
away, signaling they were ready to play once more.

When Mrs. Scully called them in to wash up for dinner the game was
tied. With promises from Charlie to finish the game the next day, they
went inside.

~*~*~*~

Fox ate silently, contemplating the next few hours when he and Dana
would see his parents. He wondered what they wanted, why they wanted
to talk to him, what they were going to say.

Dana sensed his uneasiness and squeezed his hand. He looked at her.
Don't worry, was the message he read off her face, it'll be okay. He
hoped she was right.

After they finished eating and helped wash the dishes, they made their
way to the car. They got in and sat in silence. Finally, Fox sighed
and turned the car on, wanting to get whatever his parents had to say
over and done with.

He drove to his mother's house, one hand on the wheel and the other
hand intertwined with Dana's the entire way there.

~*~*~*~*~

Fox parked outside his mother's house, but didn't get out of the car.
The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, Fox gathering his courage,
Dana patiently waiting beside him.

Fox sighed as he opened the car door, not wanting to go in and face
his parents. Not wanting to hear whatever they had to say. 

They knocked on the door and Fox's mother promptly opened it, inviting
them into the living room. Dana entered first, and Fox after her. His
mother grabbed his arm.

"Why is she here?" his mother glowered. "This has nothing to do with
her. She shouldn't be here."

"Anything you tell me I'll be telling Dana, so you can just save me
the trouble and say it in front of her" Fox retorted, shrugging his
mother's hand off his arm and following Dana into the living room.

Dana and Fox sat down, waiting for his father to join them.

A few seconds later his father took a seat on the couch next to his
mother and they started talking.

"Fox..." his mother trailed off, not knowing where to begin, tears
forming in her eyes. He glanced at Dana, who squeezed his hand in
support.

"He was released." His father growled as he got up and paced back and
forth. "Got out for good behavior, that son of a bitch." He punched a
hole in the wall, causing everyone to flinch. "Why is she here?" he
questioned, referring to Dana.

As he was about to ask who, realization dawned on him. "Perkings." Fox
paused. "Because I asked her to be here."

"David Perkings?" Dana asked timidly, not wanting to interrupt but
wanting to make sure she understood whom they were talking about. The
man who had kidnapped and murdered Samantha.

"Yes, David Perkings," Fox's mother replied harshly as she wiped her
eyes.

"When?" he asked, his voice cracking as he tried to keep the tears
from spilling over. Dana clasped his hand in hers, offering her
comfort and support.

"We found out two days ago. We were going to call you when we got home
from lunch," his mother told him.

"Why didn't you try calling me when you found out!?" Fox exclaimed.

"What good would it have done?" his mother yelled. "You weren't there!
You were here! Half an hour away! And you didn't bother telling us! 
Coming to visit us!" his mother continued, seemingly forgetting that
she'd been away the entire weekend. She took a deep breath. "Not only
do you not come see us, but you've been spending all your time here
with her!" Fox's mother pointed at Dana. "Your schooling isn't over
and she's distracting you from your studies." She quickly exhaled and
leaned into the sofa. Closing her eyes, she mumbled to herself.
"Excuse me," she said as she got up and left the living room.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He was used to abuse from his father,
both physical and emotional, but not from his mother. She'd never
yelled at him like that before. 

"Don't cry!" his father yelled, curling his hands into fists.

They all sat in silence, no one knowing what to say or what to do.
Finally, Fox stood, pulling Dana up along with him.

She looked at him quizzically, silently asking him what they were
doing. He tugged her towards the door, and they left in silence.

"Fox, you're not driving," Dana told him as he approached the door to
the car. He sighed, but handed her the keys.

They both got into the car and Dana drove, knowing where Fox wanted to
go.

End Part 7

Part 8

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dana turned his head toward her and kissed him as they stopped at a
red light.

"Your parents don't like me very much."

"Nah, they're just..." Fox trailed off. "They're my parents," he
finished, not knowing how else to explain it.

Dana nodded. Fox took her hand in his and kissed each finger as she
continued to drive.


~*~*~*~*~

Dana parked.

"You don't have to do this with me," Fox told her; leaving her a way
out if she wanted it.

"I know," she replied as she turned the engine off and got out of the
car.

~*~*~*~

They walked through the cemetery together, looking for Samantha's
grave.

Dana gasped and Fox shakily exhaled when they saw it. Someone had dug
it up. There was a hole in the ground where she was buried. As the
neared the site they could see the open casket lying in the hole. 

"He was here," Fox said monotonously, not believing that this was
happening. "He was here and he dug her up and took her again."

Dana pulled out her cell phone, and not knowing what to do, she called
her mom and told her what had happened.

~*~*~*~*~

When the police arrived, both Dana and Fox were questioned. The police
reassured them that they'd do all they could to find the person who
did this, and Fox hoped to god that they would find him.

"Come on, Fox. There's nothing we can do here. We're just getting in
the way," Dana tried to convince him.

Fox followed her to the car without a fight. He was exhausted.

~*~*~*~

They lay in Dana's bed, neither of them sleeping. Fox's hand twirled
Dana's hair as her hands soothingly rubbed his arm.

Together, they waited through the night for the phone call that would
let them sleep.

~*~*~*~

The phone call came as they finished eating lunch. At least, they were
sitting at the table with everyone else. Neither of them ate much.

"We need you to come identify a body," the voice over the phone
stated.

"Where?" Fox asked, wondering what body they had found. All that was
left of Samantha was a corpse, identifying her body would only be
possible through lab testing.

Dana handed him a sheet of paper and a pen, and he quickly scribbled
down the address. 

"We'll be right there," he told the officer as he hung up. "It's
Perkings' house, where Samantha was found."

~*~*~*~

"Ugh," Fox groaned, disgusted by the sight before him. Perkings' dead
body was sprawled on the bed, naked, next to the exhumed corpse.

"Yeah, that's him," Fox said, looking away from the body and walking
over to Dana.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "Why?" she asked. "Why would he
do it?"

Fox thought for a moment. "He needed to finish what he'd started," he
finally stated, "Maybe she died too soon, before he could finish. And
he couldn't leave it unfinished."

Dana shivered.

"Let's go," he suggested, and sat down in the passenger seat, not
waiting for her to answer.

~*~*~*~

Fox rested his head against the cool glass window, watching the
scenery pass them by. He tried not to think about his sister, about
the sick man who'd murdered her years ago, who had reappeared in his
life to torture him and his family some more. But all he kept seeing
was Perkings' lying nude in his bed, next to Samantha's corpse. He
shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image, but it didn't
work.

Dana parked the car and walked around to help Fox out. He looked like
he'd collapse in any second. She helped him through the door, up the
stairs, and into her bed. Pulling the covers over them, she lay in bed
next to him, resting her head on his chest. His arms came around her
as he held her close to him.

She kissed his chin and said, "I love you" before drifting off.

'At least one of us will get some sleep,' he thought to himself.

He reached over and picked up the phone off her nightstand and called
the airport. He needed to reschedule his flight out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fox looked at the clock. 2:23 am. He couldn't sleep. Yawning, he
stretched and squirmed, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Dana groaned. Fox's movements had awakened her. Bleary eyed, she
looked at Fox. "Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked, laying her head
back down on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Can't sleep," he replied, his fingers running through her tousled
hair.

Lifting her head, she moved up towards him, pecking his lips.

"You know what?" she asked, "I can't sleep either."

Fox's hands drifted down her back to play with the hem of her shirt.
He lifted her shirt as they kissed again, parting only to rid her of
her top, and she did the same for him.

Their hands moved downward as they shed the rest of their clothing.

Dana suddenly stilled his hands. "Fox," she whispered, catching her
breath. "Parents..." she trailed off.

He nodded and asked, "Then let me just hold you?"

Dana pulled the cover over them, resting her head on Fox's chest as
his arms wrapped around her. Together, they slept through the night.

~*~*~*~

An incessant knocking on Dana's door woke them up.

"We'll be right there," Dana mumbled as she frantically searched the
room for her clothing.

Fox watched her in amusement.

She punched him as she found her clothing, got up, dressed and brushed
her teeth. When she looked back at Fox he was still in the same
position as she had left him, still watching her in amusement.

Dana scowled as she threw his clothes at him and flopped onto the bed.
"I don't want to get up," she whined, watching Fox dress.

"So don't," he replied, holding his hands out to her. She grabbed them
and he pulled her up.

"For how much longer are you staying?"

"It's up to you."

"If it were up to me, Fox, you wouldn't have to leave. Or if you did,
I'd be going with you."

Fox nodded, not saying anything. Dana could practically see the ideas
forming in his brain.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, concerned about Fox and the
effects of the previous day.

He sighed. "Not right now." Dana looked at him. "Later," he amended,
"Just, not right now." She took his hand, silently conveying a
message: I'm here.

They left Dana's room and joined everyone in the kitchen for
breakfast.

~*~*~*~*~

Fox excused himself from the table as Dana and the rest of the family
continued talking. After placing his plate in the sink, he went back
to Dana's room and called his professor and his boss, notifying them
both about what had happened and that he wouldn't be back until the
fall.

A few minutes later, Dana followed, wondering where he had gone. Upon
seeing him on the phone in her room, she went back downstairs, leaving
him alone to his conversation.

Twenty minutes later, Fox reemerged from Dana's room and found that
the family had moved from the kitchen and into the living room. Mrs.
Scully left, taking Charlie to school. 

The TV was on but no one was watching. They were discussing their
plans for the day.

He sat down next to Dana, the sofa dipping under his weight, tilting
Dana towards him. She twisted slightly, making her position more
comfortable.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked.

"Don't you have to be in school?"

"Nah, it doesn't matter. We're not doing anything anyway."

Fox shrugged. "Whatever you want to do."

Dana's brow creased in thought. She smiled as she came up with an
idea.

"Let's go," she told him as she dashed up the stairs. "And bring your
bathing suit," she called down.

Walking down the stairs with her swimsuit, a big beach towel and two
towels for them to use, Dana was ready to go.

Fox chivalrously opened the door for her, and took the pile out of her
arms and placed it in the trunk of the car.

~*~*~*~

They parked at the beach and found bathrooms in which to change.
Throwing their clothes in the trunk, they took the towels and found an
isolated spot on the sand.

"Fox?" Dana asked. He kissed her nose. She giggled and handed him a
bottle of sunscreen. He massaged her neck and back as he applied the
sun block, and she did the same for him. Dana's previous sunburn had
just finished healing, and neither of them wanted her to burn once
more.

They lounged under the sun, laying on the beach blanket in a tranquil
silence.

"Did you reschedule your flight?" Dana asked, thinking back to that
morning when Fox was on the phone.

"I canceled it." She looked at him in confusion. "I talked to my
professor this morning, he told me that I could write an in depth
paper on diagnosing five different types of mental illnesses and the
consequences of misdiagnoses instead of actually going out into the
field."

"You're staying??" Dana asked, not quite believing him. "For the
entire summer?"

Fox nodded. Dana's smile widened, stretching her cheeks as far as they
could stretch. She assaulted his lips with hers, thrilled at the
prospect of being together all summer.

"Of course I'm going to need clothes.  I only brought enough for a few
days here."

"Do you have stuff at your mom or dad's?" Dana asked.

"I might, I think I took mostly everything with me when I left.  I'll
be okay.  If all else fails, I'll be doing laundry every 4 days."

"You could just go around naked," Dana replied mischievously, "I
wouldn't have a problem with that."

"So I figured," Fox smirked.

"Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she grinned, pulling him into another searing kiss.

They kissed heatedly for a few minutes before Fox pulled away.  He
turned away and faced the ocean.

Dana sat up next to him, waiting for him to speak. They sat side by
side, saying nothing.

"When I close my eyes, I see him  in bed with her, her body," Fox
whispered. Dana slipped an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Fox, You wouldn't be going through this if it wasn't
for me."

"No, Dana, I wouldn't be making it through this if it weren't for you.
You're helping me through this just by being here."

Dana brushed her fingers over his wet cheeks before stretching up and
giving him open mouthed kisses along the tracks. She tasted the salty
wetness and held him tighter.

Fox turned and pressed his face into her bare shoulder. He took a few
haltering breaths, and pulled her closer. His hands splayed across her
back, one hand beginning to toy with the tied straps of her bathing
suit.

Dana touched his neck, making him meet her gaze.

"I need you," he whispered.

"Right now?" Dana squeaked out. Fox nodded. "Fox, its broad daylight.
We're in a public place! Anyone can see us!"

"Where can we go?" he asked, stopping conversation for a few minutes
by kissing her. She smiled into his mouth, letting him loosen the
strap on her top. She felt it come undone and stopped, hugging him
close so that anyone who might pass by wouldn't get a free show.

"We could go to my house I guess. I'm sure I can get Missy out of the
house."

"Or?"

"Or?" Dana repeated, "I don't know, where else we can go?"

"How 'bout over there?" Fox pointed toward the end of the beach.
Nobody could be seen in that area. "Please Dana."

Dana smiled slightly. "I've always wanted to do it on the beach.
Daylight wasn't my ideal time, but I think I'll be okay with it in a
minute."

"You're the one who wanted to make love in a public park," Fox shot
back, grinning easily. His earlier neediness had abated slightly, and
now he felt a bit better just knowing that she still wanted to be with
him. After everything that had transpired in the last few days, he
hadn't been sure that she would. It was one thing to hear the story of
how screwed up life became after his sister was murdered, it was
another to actually live it.

"Retie my top and we'll move over there."

Fox grinned, taking her face in his hands. "I love you. I love you so
much."

"I do too. Love you, that is."

They moved their blanket over to the secluded area and sat down. Dana
pushed Fox back so that she was leaning over him. Leaning down, she
kissed him gently.

"Close your eyes," she whispered.

"I can't," Fox answered, shaking his head. "I see them."

"Then see me. Remember how wonderful we are together. I know I do."

Fox stroked her back. "I can try, but I'll need help."

"What type of help?" Dana asked, her eyes telling him that she already
knew.

"Visual help," he answered, reached for her. Dana went to him allowing
his arms to snake around her, and slide against her skin. Nimble
fingers undid the strings at her back and then at her neck. Modestly,
she held the triangles to her chest.

Fox reached out and pulled her top away, leaving her naked from the
waist up. She rolled so that he was covering her. Fox smiled down at
her, his eyes raking up and down her body.

"I guess you like what you see?" Dana teased, knowing full well that
he did. Fox pulled her bathing suit bottoms down her hips and tossed
them to the side.

"Now this is slightly unfair, I'm naked and you're not."

"Wanna help me with that?"

"I guess," she drawled. "If I have to..." she grinned, her hands
straying downward and pulling his swim trunks off his narrow hips. She
licked her lips. Tugging his hair and bringing her mouth to hers.

They heard giggling, and Fox quickly draped their towels over their
bodies, hiding everything from view. Dana laughed quietly into his
neck as a little girl ran up, giggling as she chased her fallen kite.

She spotted Dana and Fox and waved. Dana waved back, hiding her face
from view.

"Who was that?" Fox asked, stroking her hair.

"Heather, I baby sit her sometimes. Oh, shit, pray that her mother
isn't with her, otherwise Heather will tell her mom, and then she'll
be over here wanting to chat."

Fox wrapped his arms around her. "Then let her interrupt," he
whispered, kissing her. Dana shed her towel and pulled him close. Fox
braced himself on his hands.

"We're going to have sand in every possible orifice when we're done,"
Dana whispered, holing onto his biceps.

"Haha.." Fox whispered, not really laughing as he joined their bodies
and leaned down to kiss her.

"I'm glad you're staying," Dana's voice was soft.

"Why?" Fox asked.

"Because I don't think I could wait even three weeks to do this
again."

"Neither could I, Dana, neither could I."

Fox kissed Dana roughly, willing himself to let go of the image of
David Perkings lying naked beside the almost totally decomposed body
of his baby sister Samantha. The coroner told him that David Perkings
had died of a heart attack during his idea of sexual gratification. 

Fox stopped, his body suddenly devoid of the will to continue.  He
backed away from Dana, stammering out "I'm, I'm sorry. I can't."

Dana sat up, reaching for a towel to cover her nudity. "It's okay.
It's okay, Fox."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, pulling on his swimsuit. Dana redressed
herself. Before she could speak, he stood and took off in a run
straight into the water. She watched as he dove and started to free
style out into the water.

Slowly she followed, not wanting to upset him further. Swimming out to
where he was floating, she stopped touching his arm.

"Fox, its okay. It really is."

"No, its not."

"It is, because even though we didn't finish, Fox, I've never felt
anything even half as wonderful as what I felt a few minutes ago. It's
understandable that you're upset about Samantha and I'm not going to
dump you because you are. Besides, why would I when in a year we'll be
in England together and we can have great sex all the time?"

Fox turned his head away from her. She decided to let him be, and
paddled back to shore. She settled back on her blanket and began to
toy with the sand at her feet.

She didn't even realize that she'd been crying until a splash of water
that wasn't from the ocean hit her knee. Sighing, Dana wiped her face.
The irony was that she didn't even know why she was crying.

Dana took a deep breath and stood, wiping the excess ocean water off
her body before grabbing some money for a drink and walking off.

She was still waiting in line when Fox caught up with her. His elbow
lowered to her shoulder and he leaned against her.

"So what's up shorty?" he asked playfully. She shrugged him off.

"Nothing, I'm getting a drink. And don't make fun of my height."

"Sorry," he apologized, lowering his elbow and pulling her into his
side. She stayed stiff, until he lowered his mouth to her ear and
tugged the lobe into his mouth.

"Mmm, salty," he rumbled around her flesh. She squirmed in his arms,
turning to kiss him.

"Mmhmmm."

The broke apart when someone cleared their throat. Dana blushed when
she realized it was the guy behind the counter of the snack bar.

"Hey Dana," he grinned.

"Hi Daniel," she found herself smiling back. "I didn't know you worked
here."

"Only for the summer. I need some extra moolah for books and stuff for
next year."

"So how is having spring semester off anyway?" Dana asked.

"It's great, you should have done it too."

She shrugged, "I tried, but all the moves I've made really screwed up
my transcripts."

Someone huffed in exasperation behind them. Dana smiled again. "So we
don't hold up the line anymore, I'll have a diet soda and some
fries."

"Coming right up. Anything for you Fox?"

"Soda."

"Okay."

Dana handed Daniel her money and Fox contributed some of his own. They
moved to the side, much to the pleasure of the people behind them.

Fox touched Dana's cheek softly. "I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"I know, but I wish you wouldn't do this."

"Do what?" he asked, confused.

"Get upset and push me away, or do what you did last summer and decide
that you are not what I want, and then push me away. Fox, I want to be
there to help you, but I can't be if you wont let me."

"I know. I'm trying to do better. And I will make it up to you."

"How?" Dana asked, grabbing her soda and fries and turning back toward
their blanket. Fox followed her his hips playfully bumping hers.

"You'll see. It might take a few days, but you'll see."

Dana smiled, knowing he was speaking the truth.

End Part 8

Part 9

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day Dana returned to school while Fox stayed home to begin
writing his paper.

"Are you sure you don't mind me taking your car? I could just ride
with Missy so you'll have some way to get out of the house if you need
to," Dana asked, pulling on her clothes in the dim light. Fox smiled
at her, only half-awake.

"I'm sure. I'll walk if I want to go someplace. Have fun today," he
smiled again and rolled onto his stomach; his arms curling around her
pillow.

"I'll see you in a few hours," Dana told him. He nodded, grunting into
her pillow. She strode forward and reached underneath the covers,
pinching his bare ass quickly.

"Hey," he pouted. She bent and kissed his lips.

"Put some clothes on before my mom comes in. I don't want her to be
able to peek at my naked boyfriend. And especially I don't want her to
ask why my boyfriend is naked."

"Mmm, okay. Hand me some pants," he kissed her roughly. "Get going
before I decide not to let you go."

"Get some work done," she whispered.

"Yeah, yeah," Fox rolled back over and fell asleep.

Dana stopped the car in her space and dropped her keys into her bag.
She pushed open her door and was immediately accosted by Sarah and
Josh. Josh was Sarah's on again, off again boyfriend. 

"We heard about the guy who took Samantha, is Fox okay?"

Dana smiled slightly grabbing her satchel and closing the car door,
leading them away from the parking lot.

"He's doing okay. Not great, but pretty well considering."

"That's good. Tell him that we're here for him."

"Thanks," Dana picked up her phone and dialed. "Wake up sleepyhead,"
she cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone. "I want you to work. Well, we
can discuss doing that too, but only after you work." She grinned at
Sarah. "I love you too Fox. Work. Bye," Dana finished as she hung up.

Sarah gaped at her. Dana avoided her incredulous gaze. "He has a paper
to write and be mailed by the end of the month. He doesn't want to do
it."

"What's his paper on?" Josh asked.

"The process of diagnosing five different mental illnesses and the
consequences of misdiagnoses." Dana explained, "He was supposed to go
out into the field for a case study, but instead he came to take me to
prom."

"Ahh," Josh replied. He was planning on majoring in psychology. "I'll
see you guys at lunch, I've gotta get to class."

"Okay, see you later," Sarah stretched up to kiss him. Dana raised an
eyebrow, but stayed quiet as she and Sarah walked inside.

"I take it you guys are 'on' today?" she began.

Sarah nodded. "Guess what I found out!"

"What?"

"The night of prom, Jamie Stevens got caught in the act with Chris
Palmer, by her parents!"

"Palmer? Wasn't she going out with Robert Berger?"

"She was, not any more, obviously."

"And she got caught...with Palmer?" Dana replied incredulously.
"Amazing..." she murmured. 

"So what about Fox?" Sarah asked, moving to the point of the
conversation.

"Well he's not going out with Jamie Stevens, I promise," Dana
grinned.

"Don't even try to lie to me Dana. You have the 'I'm having great sex'
look."

"Well if I have that look, then why do you ask?"

"Just trying to get you to spill all the details."

"Nope, I'll give you confirmation, but nada after that."

"Will you tell me when?"

"Sunday night, and early early Monday morning, and later on Monday,
and yesterday and last night..." Dana grinned. "Happy now?"

"Yes, thank you. So it's good?"

"Better than good. Remember how you described it with Josh? Multiply
that about 15 million times good, and you get Fox."

"That sounds absolutely amazing!"

"It is!" Dana insisted, stopping by her locker and pulling out her
notebook for first period. Not that they were doing anything anymore,
but it wouldn't hurt to have papers that could make decent paper
balls. 

"So who knows?"

"About me and Fox?" Missy and you. It'll be a while before I can bring
up the subject with my mom."

"Gotcha. I'll see you in third."

"'Kay," Dana waved in the direction her friend had taken. "Shit," she
muttered, realizing that she'd forgotten her Calculus book  they were
turning their books in today and were having a 'happy burning party'
for them since the books would no longer be used.

She quickly dialed her home number again, hoping that Fox wouldn't
mind brining it to her.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Will it keep me from working for a while?"

"It might."

"Then I'll do it. What is it?"

"Borrow my mom's car and bring me my calc book. We're going to burn
them and I refuse to be left out of this."

"I'll be there soon."

"Thanks, I'll wait outside for you."

Ten minutes later Fox drove up, but he wasn't behind the wheel. Dana's
mom smiled and waved as he jumped out, presenting Dana with her book.

"Thanks, what's mom doing here?"

"She has some errands to run so I tagged along till she got here. I
can either stay or leave with her."

Dana waved 'bye' to her mother and tugged Fox into the building.

"I take it I'm riding home with you then," he grinned.

"Mmm, maybe If you're a good boy."

"But I like being a bad boy," Fox grasped her his, tugging her back
into him. She giggled.

"Down boy. You're going to have to sit while I'm in class."

"I think I can manage."

Dana only grinned.

~*~*~*~*~

Dana smiled, tossing some of her boyfriend's laundry into the basket
with her own. This was the second load of Fox's clothes that she'd
done.

"I just want you to know that I'm only doing this because you're a
guest in the house. You can in no way expect me to do your laundry
when we're in England."

Fox snorted from her computer. "Message received loud and clear."

"It better be," she retorted, passing by him and tugging on his hair.

"OW!" Fox rubbed the back of his head. "Watch it Dana. There will be
pay back for messing with my hair."

"Oooo," Dana called back to him. "I'm so scared," she teased.

She returned a moment later and leaned over his shoulder, toying with
the towel covering his waist.

"How you doing there?"

"I'll be better when I get some boxers," he replied. "Or we could just
even the score and have the better looking one out of the two of us
take off her clothes."

"You wish," Dana retorted, kissing the juncture of his neck and
shoulder. "Maybe later if you get your work done."

"How you doin' mister nudist?" Missy's amused voice caused them to
jump.

Fox groaned, "You had to tell her, didn't you?"

"Yep. Its not my fault you turned my offer of my robe down."

"Dana, your robe is purple."

"Indigo."

"Purple."

"Indigo."

"Purple."

"Indigo."

"Purple."

"Shut up, both of you."

"Indigo," Dana whispered one last time.

"Purple," Fox shot back, grinning.

Melissa rolled her eyes, sighing. "Dinner's ready Danes, come on."

Dana nodded, bending to kiss Fox. "I'll bring you some, naked man,"
she grinned cheekily.

"You're pushing it," he warned, holding her head to his for a few slow
kisses.

"You'll just have to punish me later."

"Count on it."

Dana and Melissa sat down at the table in silence. Their mom eyed them
curiously.

"Dana, is something wrong with Fox?"

Dana grinned. "No mom, he uh, has no clean clothes, so he's waiting
for the laundry to be done."

"Doesn't he want dinner?"

"I'll bring him some once I'm done. Don't worry."

Dana pushed open the door to her bedroom balancing a plate of food.
Fox turned from his position in front of her computer.

"Hey, food!"

"Yes, food. Come sit on the bed, I don't want you getting my computer
greasy."

Fox complied, holding the towel at his waist and sitting on her bed.
She closed her door and handed him the plate, allowing him to pull her
down beside him.

"Mom thinks I'm keeping you locked up in here for my own kinky sex
purposes," she grinned, laughing aloud as he choked on his chicken.

"And you told her, what?" Fox asked cautiously.

"That I wasn't keeping you locked up. You're up here on your own free
will when it comes to my kinky sexual acts," She caught his startled
look and replied, "I'm joking. She just wanted to make sure you ate.
She was worried when you didn't beat me down the stairs for food."

"Well you're personally making sure I am, so she has no reason to
worry, right?"

"Definitely not."

Later, once Fox had finished working for the day, he and Dana reclined
on her bed, Dana resting her head on his chest. He smiled down at her
and toyed with her hair while she fiddled with his shirt.

"Dana, I think I'm going to need more clothes."

"So you mean you want to go shopping?" Dana replied smiling into his
chest.

"Sometime. In a few days."

"Okay," she snuggled closer.

"Dana, its late, you should really be getting to bed," Maggie pushed
open her door. "Oh, Fox, I thought you'd already gone to bed. Your
light was off so I assumed..."

"It's okay, I just finished working, but wanted to talk to Dana for a
few minutes before going to sleep."

"She should be getting to bed. Tomorrow's Friday, you have an entire
weekend." Maggie hinted, not so subtly.

"Gotcha," Fox grinned. He ducked his head to kiss Dana, "I'll see you
in the morning."

"If you're awake in two hours, let yourself in," she whispered.

"'Kay," he smiled, brushing his lips over her cheek. "Love you."

"Love you back."

The sound of a door slipping shut woke Maggie. She sat up and
listened, wondering if it might be Charles getting sick again. When no
plaintive cry for her came, she pushed off the covers, slipping out of
her room into the hall.

Dana's door was closed, just as it had been when she'd gone to bed, as
was Fox's door. She glanced into Charlie's room before turning and
heading back towards her room.

A squeak of bedsprings stopped her. She headed back to Dana's room and
grasped the doorknob, finding it unlocked she pushed it open. In the
dark room Dana lay facing the window, covers pulled up to her neck
like always. Her deep, even breathing told Maggie that she was sound
asleep. Satisfied, Maggie closed the door.

Dana let the breath she'd been holding out in a whoosh, giggling as
Fox pushed his naked body up off of the floor.

"That was close, are you sure you want to do this tonight?" he
whispered, inching up onto the bed. Dana pushed the covers off,
pulling him underneath and kissing him sweetly.

"I'm sure. I still want to do this, we've already started something
that would take a while to recover from, so why not?"

"Well, for one, your mom could walk in at anytime. Considering she
didn't even seem to enjoy the sight of me in bed, fully clothed, on
top of the covers with you. I doubt she'll be eternally thrilled to
find us having sex."

Dana laughed quietly, pulling him closer. "I think she might have
already guessed that we're humping like bunnies, Fox."

"Your mind is amazing," Fox grinned. Dana ran a hand lightly over his
back, slipping down to squeeze his ass.

"Then shut up and make love to me."

"An even better idea," Fox kissed the sensitive spot on her neck.

~*~*~*~*~

Dana sighed happily in her sleep, rolling onto her stomach. Her arm
sought out Fox's warm form. When she found only empty space, she
peeked an eye open.

"Fox, what are you doing?"

"Going back to my room before your mom catches us. And on that note,
you might want to put your pajamas back on."

Dana sat up, walking over to him, her naked hips swaying just a bit
more than usual. She stopped in front of him and picked up the
drawstring to his pants. Giving it a short tug, he followed her back
to bed.

"Let her catch us," she murmured, tugging his pajamas down his hips,
"those have got to go."

He complied, bending to kiss her navel. She smiled sexily, yet
sleepily, and he settled against the pillows, pulling her with him.
She stroked his chest.

"Sleep," he ordered gently. Dana hummed her agreement and he covered
her hand with his, allowing her soft puffs of breath to lull him as
well.

End Part 9

Part 10

~*~*~*~

The next morning while Dana was getting dressed, playfully fighting
off an amorous Fox in the process, her cell phone rang. She picked it
up, wondering if Sarah's car had died again and she needed a ride.

"Hello?"

"Dana, this is Teena Mulder. Do you have any idea where Fox is?  He's
not answering his phone in England, or any of his father's emails."

Dana looked at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye.  He hadn't
told his parents that he was staying?  Fox caught her gaze and mouthed
'who is it?'  'Your mother,' she mouthed back.

"Mrs. Mulder?  Fox is here, I'll let you talk to him." Dana passed him
the phone, ignoring his look of protest.

Once he'd finished talking, Fox sighed and tossed the phone back to
her.  His playful mood was gone.

"Mom wants me to have lunch with her today.  To talk."

"Okay, if you drop me off at school, your car can be yours for the
day.  That way you can get out of there anytime."

"Deal."

They left the house, each wondering what Teena wanted to discuss.

Dana held Fox's hand, playing gently with his fingers.  He grinned,
bringing her hand to his lips.

"You worried?" she asked, "about what your mom'll have to say?"

"A little.  Not really.  I'm sure that whatever it is, it's with the
best intentions."

"Of course, she is your mother."

Fox smiled, remembering how protective Dana's mother was of her.  As
if she'd read his mind, she spoke.

"Speaking of mothers, I'm sorry about how mom rushed you out like she
did last night.  She's a little on edge with Ahab being gone so long. 
He was supposed to be back two weeks ago."

"Why didn't he?"

"His ship was called back out, so instead of sailing home, they sailed
to their orders."

"You don't know where?" Fox asked.  Dana shook her head.

"The last time he emailed me, he said that he would try to make it to
a port to fly home for my graduation."

"I hope he's able to," Fox squeezed her hand.  Dana smiled.

"Me too.  There's no way I can stand having so many family members in
town without my dad."

Fox chuckled.  "How many people are coming?"

"My grandparents on my mom's side.  My mom's sister and her family,
and my dad's brother and his family.  That makes 12 family members,
not to mention Kim, Alex, Cassie, and Drake are all flying out. 
Graduation is at the stadium again, so I didn't have to worry about
ticket limits."

"Wow, lotta people."

"Yep.  Better be glad you're already camped out at my house, cause
it's gonna be a tight squeeze."

"Dana, maybe I should ask my mom if I could stay with her.  You're
going to have 16 people in your house, not to mention the six who
already live there.  Your mom doesn't need one more to worry about
feeding, and supplying laundry detergent for."

"Not all of them are staying with us, idiot," she responded, softening
her words with a squeeze to his hand.  "My mom would never, ever have
22 people staying in her house at once.  Only my grandparents, and the
crew from California are staying with us.  You're welcome to stay
too."

"Okay," he replied uncertainly.  She wrapped her arm around his
shoulder, disengaging their fingers beforehand.

"Fox, do you know where you'd be staying if you were flying in for my
graduation?  With me.  Nothing's changed.  You're just saving money on
airfare.  You got me?"

Fox smiled, "Yeah, I got you."  He stopped in front of her school,
looking at his watch and finding it to be only two minutes before the
bell.  "You better get going.  I'll be here to pick you up after
school."

"Thanks," Dana leaned over and kissed him deeply, "MMMmwah!" she
grinned, exaggerating the end of their kiss.  "See you later."

"Okay," he agreed, watching her enter the side door before speeding
off.

As he approached his mother's house he slowed, not wanting to face
her. He had no idea what she wanted to talk about.

Parking, he sat in the car, trying to prepare himself for anything
she'd throw at him, both figuratively and literally. 

Fox slowly got out of the car and walked to the door.

Before he could knock, his mother pulled the door open. "I saw you
pull up," she told him, answering his unasked question. He nodded and
entered the house.

He followed his mother into the living room, but remained standing
when she sat down.

"Fox, please, sit down," his mother asked and he complied.

"You wanted to talk to me?" he asked, wanting her to get to the
point.

"Why didn't you tell me you were staying?" she questioned, angrily.

Fox looked down, not having an answer.

"When did you decide this? Why?" she tried again.

"After they found Perkings I..." he trailed off, hoping his mother
would be able to fill in the rest of the information herself. He
didn't want to explain to her how this had affected him and how Dana
had been there to help. He hadn't wanted to leave her. 

"What about your work? And school?"

"I called them, told them what happened and that I wasn't coming back
yet." He stopped. "Why does any of this matter?"

Mrs. Mulder ignored his questioned and asked him another. "Where are
you staying?"

"With Dana," he answered, before he realized where she was going with
this line of questioning. 

"With Dana?" she asked incredulously. "You've been staying with her
the entire time you've been down here? She's not your family, Fox. I
am, your father is.  You know that this is your home, you live here,"
She paused, taking a breath before continuing. "You're too serious
about her, Fox. You're only going to get hurt. When she goes off to
college, she'll forget you in an instant. She shouldn't have come when
we called you over to tell you about Perkings and-"

He cut her off. "No, you're wrong. I asked her to come. She didn't
want to, using the same mentality you are. You might be my family by
blood, but the connection doesn't go any farther than that. We're not
family by choice.  Dana is my family, she's my best friend, she's my
love, she's my everything," Fox had stood up mid-rant and started
pacing back and forth, coming to a stop in front of his seated mother.

"Fox!" She screeched, "How on earth can you say that?  To me, and
about...that girl!  Fox, can't you see that she's trying to manipulate
you?!  To ruin your future!  You can't honestly think that she loves
you?"

"Why is that so damn hard to believe?  Because you don't love me,
nobody should?  Why shouldn't Dana be a typical girlfriend?  Why the
hell shouldn't she enjoy being in my presence?  Why shouldn't I enjoy
being with her?  I don't care what you think anymore.  You haven't
understood me, or my life in a long time.  Yet you wonder why I don't
want to stay at home, or why I don't call.  I don't live for your
approval, or dad's.  Because I'd die before I got it," Fox stopped not
bothering to notice how he towered over her, looking down at her. He
blinked a few times, as if he'd just realized where he was. "I'm
sorry," he mumbled, hurrying out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once in the car, Fox took a few deep, calming breaths.  He started the
car and drove, unsure of where he was heading, since it wasn't even
lunch time, but knowing he needed to get away from his mother before
he did something he'd regret.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dana spent the entire day on autopilot, walking from class to class
and sitting there, doing nothing. Her thoughts were focused on Fox and
what his mother could have wanted to talk to him about. 

When the day finally ended, she rushed out to the parking lot, looking
for Fox's car. She found him where he always waited and she rushed
towards him.

"Fox?" she asked, sitting down in the passenger seat and buckling up.

He looked at her and started the car, driving out of the parking lot
and away from the school.

"Fox? What happened?" she tried again.

"Nothing...I don't...I can't...nothing."

Dana sighed. She'd give him some time to tell her on his own before
she forced it out of him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They sat on the couch, staring at the TV. Normally, she'd prod him
about his paper and make him work, but she knew he was still thinking
about his conversation with his mother and wouldn't get anything done.

When Dana's mom walked in to tell them dinner was ready, she found
they had both fallen asleep. Maggie smiled, and debated with herself
over whether or not to wake them.  Finally she'd decided, and
proceeded to tap Dana lightly on the shoulder. 

"Dana, wake up, dinner's ready."

Dana yawned and stretched, hitting Fox in the head, effectively waking
him up. "Sorry," she mumbled as she got up. He grunted in response as
he opened his eyes and looked around.

"Dinner," Dana told him. He nodded and got up, following her into the
kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~

Fox and Dana lay together on her bed, staring at her ceiling. 

She looked up at him and saw tears trickling down his cheeks. Her
hands moved to his face, wiping away the tears.

"I'm so sorry Dana," he apologized, hugging her close to him.

"Fox, what happened? What's wrong?"

"She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand what we have, how we
feel. She can't. She won't. She doesn't accept it."

Dana faced him and kissed his lips. "But we do, and that's really all
we need," she whispered to him, wiping at the tearstains on his face. 
"What did she say?"

"She said that you were only pretending to love me, that you wanted to
manipulate me into doing something to ruin my future.  That you'd
forget about me the minute you went to college."

"You know that none of that is true," she answered, knowing what his
answer would be.

"I know, but..."

"But it hurt none the less.  I know," Dana whispered, stroking his
cheek.

As much as she tried to comfort him, inside, Dana was hurt. She didn't
understand why Fox's mother was so against their relationship or what
gave her the impression that she wasn't to be trusted.

Fox's fingers ran through her hair as his breathing became normal
again. He kissed Dana and pulled the covers up over them, but not with
the intention of sleep.

"Are you okay with this?  I don't want you to think that the only
times I want you are when I'm hurting emotionally."

"Fox, I'm fine with this, because I know better," Dana smiled, "now
shut up and let me make love to you."

"Ahh, I could get used to this," Fox found himself smiling back.

"You'd better."

~*~*~*~*~

"Have you finished your paper yet, Fox?" Maggie asked him as they ate
breakfast.

"Almost. I just need to email it to my professor and mail him a hard
copy today."

Dana looked at him in surprise. "I finished it yesterday before
picking you up from school." She nodded. 

"And you're staying till the fall?" her mother asked.

"Yeah, I'm going back to England for fall term with Dana," Fox smiled
and looked over at her. She grinned back at him.  Their hands linked
underneath the table.

Dana looked down at her housing forms, wondering how her mom would
take what she wanted to do.  Fox had offered her the last room in his
apartment.  He already had one roommate, but knew that Gregory
wouldn't mind another.  They would all share a portion of the rent. 
If she didn't take a room in the dorms, the money that would go there
could be used to pay for that.  She needed parental consent, however,
because of her age.  She knew Ahab would never agree, and just hoped
that her mom would understand.

"What are you doing with those?" Maggie asked, nodding her head toward
the forms.

Dana took a deep breath and smiled.  "Nothing mom, just reading over
what I have to do to get a dorm," she ignored Fox's questioning look.

"You can live together, Dana.  You don't need to tiptoe around,"
Maggie sighed, wishing that she knew whether or not this was the right
decision.  It would make Dana happy, that she knew.  And she did trust
her daughter.  She even trusted Fox.  After all, she knew that Fox was
the reason why Dana applied to Oxford in the first place.  One way or
another they were going to spend time with each other.  "As long as
you'll have separate bedrooms," she added.

"Of course," Fox answered, blushing slightly.  Dana broke out in a
grin, leaning across the table and hugging her mother tightly.

"Thank you Mom, than you so much!"

"I expect you to be responsible, Dana.  I expect you to remember your
values, and what your father and I have taught you.  I expect you to
make me proud.  Don't make me regret the decision."

"I won't Mom, I promise you.  Cross my heart." Dana vowed, settling
back in her seat.

"I hope you remember that promise.  Fox..."

"Yes ma'am?"

"I want you to help her remember that promise."

"I will.  I'd tell you that I'll take care of her, but I'm sure she'll
be the one who ends up taking care of me."

"I know.  Why don't you two go on to the post office and mail your
paper?"

"Good thinking," Dana stood, waiting for Fox to do the same.  When he
did, she led him from the room.

After watching them go, Maggie stood up and cleared the table,
thinking to herself that she was in for one hell of a summer.

~*~*~*~*~

End Part 10

The End...for now!

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