Dana smoothed a few loose strands of wavy red hair back behind her ears. It never would stay back when she wanted it to. She stared dreamily into the dimming sunset, the salty waves crashing in the sand at her feet, lapping up around her toes. A few seagulls circled lazily overhead as a gentle breeze blew the tall salt grass that grew scattered along the shore.
It was growing cold. Dana rubbed her arms, trying to generate enough warmth to justify her staying out even just a few minutes longer.
"Dana?" a voice called from the summer house up on the beach. She turned at the sound of the voice.
"Yes, Mrs. Mulder." She said it more like a statement than a question.
"It's getting chilly, Dana. You should come inside before you catch cold."
"Mmm... just a minute. I never realized how beautiful it was up here. Mulder has never bothered spending any time to share stories of his youth up here."
"Yes, Fox never was one for dwelling on those memories, before his sister left and his father and I divorced. No, he prefers worrying about the future. What he believes it will bring.
Dana was silent. The future. One simple word... and yet it held everything in it. All of the mysteries yet to be revealed, all of the truths yet to be discovered, all of the wonders yet to be realized. It was certain, seemingly planned, but one simple word could send it reeling... and change one's life forever.
Mrs. Mulder finally spoke. "Come on now, dinner's almost ready. And Fox should be home soon."
Dana smiled. "Okay," she said, "Let's go." They walked together up the beach and into the calm summer house.
"I'm home, Mom!" called Fox as he came in the front door and dropped his coat unceremoniously onto the couch. He sniffed the air as he walked into the kitchen. "Mmm, what's cooking? Smells good." He swooped down and gave his mother a peck on the cheek. "Hey, Mom."
"Hello, Fox," laughed Mrs. Mulder. "Wash your hands, we're about to eat."
"What am I, five? Of course I'm gonna wash them." He said playfully as he walked over to the sink. He spied Dana through the dining room door, where she was setting the table. "Hey, Scully."
"Hi, Mulder," she replied and smiled back at him. He watched her as she turned and continued setting the silverware.
It seemed like yesterday, and yet forever ago, both at the same time. That first day that they had met. She had secretly been so nervous, meeting the infamous "Spooky" Mulder she had heard so much about, but her nerves were soon calmed. From the beginning, she found in him a worthy adversary, a counterpart for her little quips and remarks; always ready with some little joke or pun to break the tension. And, eventually, she began to find in him a partner, a confidante, someone she could tell anything to. She fell in love with him. But for so many years, she was forced to keep her feelings a secret. What would he think of her if he knew? What would the FBI think of her? After all, romances between partners, if not forbidden, were discouraged. But this was no ordinary romance... it held so much more.
"Dana?" Scully popped out of her reverie and looked up at Teena's questioning face. "Are you all right? You look... you seem worried about something."
"No, I'm all right. Just... thinking, that's all." She glanced up at Mulder as he walked across the kitchen, drying his hands with a paper towel and dropping it into the trash can.
Mulder feigned impatient annoyance as he hung over his mother's shoulder and said, "Is it ready yet?"
"Yes, it's ready. Now go sit down. Scoot!"
After dinner, Mulder and Scully sat out on the porch with cups of coffee as Teena cleaned up. She had practically chased them out of the kitchen, insisting that she needed no help. They sipped while sitting together on the gently swaying porch swing.
"No wonder you guys came up here every summer. It's absolutely gorgeous. You can see so many stars. And the moonlight off the water..." She paused. "It's breathtaking."
"Yeah, Mom always said that this was the prettiest place she ever lived. And she and Dad lived all over before they bought this place. And while I personally have done my fair share of traveling, I always want to come back here."
"I can see why! It must've been great growing up here."
"Actually, I thought nothing of it at the time. I guess everyone does that -- you don't see what you've got until it's gone." They were both silent for a moment, and then he spoke again. "What was growing up like for you?"
"Oh, you know, we moved a lot when I was a kid. Since my dad was in the Navy, it seemed he was always wanted someplace other than where we were. It felt like we wouldn't get everything unpacked right in one house before we were packing it up again to go to the next one. We got pretty used to living out of boxes. When we moved to the house where my mom lives now, though, it all seemed to stop. It was like, suddenly, we were home."
She involuntarily shivered at the chilled night breeze. Mulder reached over to a white wicker trunk and pulled out a large grey blanket. He tucked it around her, the sat down and covered himself up also.
"Thank you, she said, and scooted closer to him for warmth. She was glad for the hot cup of coffee; she held it tightly until her hands almost burned, then pressed them against her frozen cheeks. Mulder and Scully sat together in quiet contemplation until Teena finally came outside and threatened to lock them out if they didn't come inside. They refolded the blanket and put it away before going back inside.
This trip had all happened as a fluke: They were supposed to be going to another one of those "teamwork" seminars, which the Bureau required that its agents attend at least once a year. Of course, after attending four together, all of which included the same speakers with the same speeches and the same activities, they decided they both needed a break. So, instead of going to the conference, they drove up to Martha's Vineyard to stay with Mulder's mother, so no hotel room charges would appear on their bills and rat them out.
It seemed like she had barely fallen asleep when Dana found herself once again staring at the ceiling. She usually had no trouble falling asleep in strange places; it was something she had gotten used to over the years, with all the traveling and staying in different hotels almost every night. It seemed she spent more times in hotel beds than she did in her own. Why should this bed be any different? Maybe if I got a drink.
She wondered if she could navigate her way to the kitchen in the dark without breaking anything along the way -- like her neck. She slowly opened her door, making sure it wouldn't creak and wake everyone up. She didn't know if Mrs. Mulder was a light sleeper or not, but she decided it was best not to take chances. Dana had only gotten halfway down the hall when she noticed a light coming from behind a door -- Mulder's bedroom. She paused for just a moment, then knocked softly. A soft "Come in" issued from behind the closed door.
"Hey, Scully." Mulder said quietly. "What are you doing up?" He was sprawled across the bed, wearing a grey t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxer shorts.
"I couldn't sleep," Dana sighed. "How about you?"
"I guess I've gone back to how things used to be -- my old childhood insomnia seems to have returned. Must be the setting."
And that's all I have -- abrupt ending, I know.
