May 1980

Fox Mulder adjusted his glasses and put the last microscope on the cart beside him. He looked around, making sure he had everything and turned off the lights to the multipurpose room.

He pushed the cart out the door and began to walk down the cement walkway to the science room. Today there was a science fair of sorts. Tomorrow was the big day, when everyone would be displaying their projects they had been working on for weeks. Today however, had been a fun day, for those who liked science and looking at things on slides, anyway.

He sighed as he pushed the cart, feeling somewhat uneasy. It was his last science fair, his graduation on the not so distant horizon, and he was feeling almost nostalgic. He had been helping with the science fair since he was a freshman and it being his last year, it was beginning to hit him.

As he approached the door to go inside, it flew open with a loud bang, and he stopped unexpectedly, the microscopes shaking.

Travis Stevens walked hurriedly toward the parking lot and Fox shook his head, muttering under his breath at what an asshole he was. He started to walk to the door, when it flew open again and a girl ran out, her dark black hair flying behind her.

He looked toward her and he sighed again, as he realized who it was: Dana Scully.

She had recently moved to the area and the moment he saw her, he was infatuated with her. She wore dark clothes, dark makeup and combat boots. She was not the type of girl he would normally be attracted to, at least not when she wore all that black, but he knew underneath her dark and rather intimidating outward appearance, was the real her. She had a tough bravado, acting as though she did not care about anything, but she was smart and he knew it. She was in a few of his classes and she was only a freshman.

As she had caught his eye, he had taken to noticing her when she was around. Even sometimes when she was not. He saw her sneaking out between classes and smoking. He watched as she did it brazenly, not caring who saw her, but he also noticed that she very rarely finished a cigarette, only taking a few puffs. He knew she was doing it more for show than anything else.

Not too long after she arrived at the school, she had started to date Travis, much to Fox's abject horror. Travis was a senior like himself, but a major asshole. Fox had known him his whole life and he had never been a good person. He had stolen things from the local stores when he was younger, gotten in fistfights, dated many girls, and treated them all terribly.

His sister, Samantha, had a crush on Travis at one point, but Fox had nipped that in the bud. He told her if she ever showed an interest or became one of his "backseat babes," as Travis liked to call them, she would have him to deal with and then their father.

He shook his head as he watched Dana and heard her yelling for Travis to wait for her.

"Travis!" she called out, trying to keep a grip on her bag as she ran toward him. "Wait!" In response, Travis revved his engine and then peeled out of the parking lot.

"You ASSHOLE!" she yelled, as she flipped him off with both hands, dropping her bag to the ground. She sighed heavily, cursing again, as the squealing tires got further and further away.

Fox took a quiet breath and started to push the cart once more, but the squeaky wheel attracted her attention, and her head whipped around. Meeting her eyes, he saw she had been crying, her mascara slightly smudged on her face.

He froze as she stared at him and she wiped her eyes. Neither of them doing anything, he looked away and started to walk inside, before she called out to him.

"Do you have a car?" she asked, and he turned to look at her with a nod, watching her pick up her bag and put it crosswise over her body, again wiping out her eyes.

"Is it here? On campus?" He nodded again and she walked toward him. "Can you drive me home?"

He looked down at the cart and then back at her. His lack of an answer or the hesitancy she may have sensed in him, caused her to sigh.

"Never mind," she said and started to walk away.

"Wait!" he called out and she turned around, looking at him. "I have to put these things away and then I can take you anywhere you need to go." She stared and then nodded at him, following him inside.

They did not speak as they walked down the hall to the science class. He began to unload the cart and she laid her bag down. Sitting on the stool, she touched the burners on the table.

"Oh, don't touch those," he said and she looked at him and frowned.

"I'm not going to turn it on and hurt anything. I'm not an idiot."

"I wasn't implying that, I just…" he stammered and she sighed.

Way to go, idiot, he thought to himself as he continued to unload the cart and put them away in their proper place.

"He thinks I'm an idiot," she said quietly, and he looked at her. "He thinks I'll have sex with him because he says that I'm ready. What the fuck does he know about anything? Just because I look this way, it doesn't mean…"

She looked down at the table and moved her fingers in circles along the surface. Fox stared at her and felt hatred toward Travis. How dare he treat her that way. Of course he would though, that was who he was. Fox shook his head and then she spoke again.

"If I help you, you'd be done faster, right?" She asked, getting up and walking over to him.

He saw how her eyeliner was smudged as well as the mascara. He wanted to wipe it or tell her, but he simply nodded and they worked together to put things away.

"Okay, I just need to stop by my locker and then we can go," he said, pushing the cart into the corner.

She grabbed her bag and followed him to his locker. He took out the things he needed, placed them in his backpack, and then nodded to her. Silently, they walked to his car, a sensible Toyota that his parents had bought for him.

"It's not a muscle car…" he said, almost embarrassed.

"It's got four wheels and will get me away from here," she said, throwing her bag in the backseat and getting in. He got in too and they left the school.

"Which way?" he asked and she said nothing, keeping her head turned toward the window.

"Can you… do you need to be anywhere right now?" she asked quietly

"No."

"Could we just drive? Or go somewhere? I don't want to go home just yet."

"Yeah."

"Do you care if I smoke?"

"Uhh… I don't, but my parents will take the car away."

"Well, I suppose that would be bad, especially after you're being so nice and taking me home." She put her feet on the dashboard and he wanted to tell her to put them down, but also the fact that she was in his car, made him happy, so he said nothing.

"I hate it here," she said quietly. "My family moves a lot, and the last place… they had promised we would be there until after my senior year, but they lied. So, I'm showing them how angry I am, but… they've been busy with the move, so I thought…" She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"Travis seemed like a big enough asshole to get them to say something, but they haven't. Now though, he thinks I actually like him and I wasn't just using him to get places. I mean, it wasn't just that, and it wasn't always awful. He was a good kisser. At least compared to the only other guy I've kissed. Why am I telling you all of this?" she asked, as she sighed loudly, picking at her black nail polish.

"Just have one of those faces I guess," he said quietly. She exhaled and put her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry you don't like it here. Why did your family move?" She exhaled again and shook her head. He stayed quiet and she sniffled.

"Have you ever been to Edgartown Lighthouse, or is that not your kind of thing?" he asked, glancing her way. She looked out the window and sighed.

"I like lighthouses," she said quietly.

He smiled and turned left, heading towards the lighthouse. A few minutes later, he parked and turned off the car. She stared out the window and sighed, before looking at him.

"We don't have to get out, we can just sit here and talk if you'd like," he said, readjusting his glasses.

"My father is in the Navy, that's why we move a lot," she said with a sigh, obviously needing to talk. "My older brother is my parents golden boy. My sister is impulsive and flighty and my younger brother is the baby who gets away with almost everything. I've always been the good girl, never complaining about anything, and I was tired of it." She shook her head and sighed again.

"My friend Becky helped me dye my hair before I left and I liked it, especially as it made my parents angry. But as a result, they saw that I was angry and they saw me. But then, that wasn't enough and I had to keep going. I liked that too, at the time. People ignored me or even seemed afraid of me. I felt… powerful, and not like me, or maybe the me I'm supposed to be. I don't know," she sighed and he nodded, as he usually felt rather invisible himself.

"Anyway, are we going to see this lighthouse or not?" she asked and he laughed and nodded. They got out and he locked the doors. At the front of the car, he stopped her.

"We haven't actually been properly introduced. I'm Fox. Fox Mulder." He stuck out his hand and she stared at him before grasping it and smiling slightly.

"Dana Scully," she said.

He smiled and they shook hands. She smiled wider and laughed softly. He saw a dimple when she did and there was a mole above her lip, but she had covered it with makeup. He found that mole to be the most endearing thing about her, except her eyes, which were the bluest blue he had ever seen.

"So, lighthouse?" she asked, pushing her hair back, and biting her lip. He nodded as he dropped her hand and they walked toward the lighthouse.

They stood, looking at it and then he opened the door to head inside. The woman at the welcome desk stood up and smiled warmly at them both.

"Hello Fox. Nice to see you again," she said, coming to give him a hug.

"Hello, Mrs. Slate. Nice to see you. Can we head up?"

"Of course," she said, patting his arm and smiling at them.

He allowed Dana to go first and she started up the circular steps. They stopped and looked out the small window on the way and then continued to the ladder to climb up to the top. He waited for her to go first and then followed her up.

"Wow," she said quietly, as she looked around. He nodded and they walked around the circumference of the lighthouse. They peered in the windows and she smiled.

"This lighthouse is over 100 years old. It actually didn't used to be part of the beach that's here today. It was on an artificial island. The stone causeway caused the sand to accumulate and connect the lighthouse to the land," he told her and she looked at him, giving him an odd look. "I uh… I volunteered here over the summer last year." She nodded and walked away from him and he felt like an idiot and far too nerdy for a girl like her.

She leaned against the railing and he walked up next to her, not too close, not wanting to bother her.

"It's nice up here. It would be great if I could just stay up here and not have to face the world anymore." She was quiet and he watched her as the wind blew at her hair.

"What color was it?" he asked and she frowned at him. "Your… your hair." She smiled softly, dropping her head.

"It was red," she said quietly and he looked away with a smile, picturing her with the red hair. "I liked it, it was different from others, but it was the same as everyone in my family, except for my mom, and I wanted to be different from them."

"And to piss them off?" he asked. She smiled and nodded as she looked at him. He again saw her behind all her dark makeup and he smiled softly.

"It was just supposed to be for a little while and now it feels like I have to keep it this way or it was just me "acting out" and not trying to get them to understand. I'm not exactly angry anymore, but…" He nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Maybe…" he started and she looked at him. "Maybe you could start small? Change to different clothes?" She looked down and tugged at her jacket. "Or not, it's your decision." He cleared his throat, not wanting to say it, but knowing he needed to tell her. "I know it's not my business, but Travis… He doesn't deserve you or any woman. He's a terrible person."

She stared at him and frowned. He assumed she was angry and was going to shout at him. Instead, her shoulders slumped and she nodded, as she looked back out over the water.

"Could we go down to the water?"

He stared at her and nodded. He let her go down the ladder first and then they went back down the circular staircase.

They walked through the sand and just before the waters edge, she took off her boots and her socks, placing them inside and leaving them behind. She pulled up the legs of her pants and stepped into the water, jumping back at the cold temperature.

She walked out a few feet and stood about mid-calf deep in the water. He waited quietly, feeling like she had something she needed to do. He watched her pull her hair up into a bun then she took off her jacket and then the long sleeved black oversized sweater she wore.

She was smaller than she had appeared, even though she was already small. Turning around, she looked at him with tears running down her cheeks. A gold cross necklace gleamed at her throat and he realized what she had been doing. He smiled at her and she nodded as she touched her necklace. She came out of the water a few minutes later, wiping at her eyes.

"Can you take me home now?" she asked him quietly and he nodded. He picked up her shoes and took her jacket and sweater from her.

She was silent on the drive to her house, save for the moments when she gave him quiet directions. As they pulled up, she sighed, rubbing at the black bracelets on her wrist.

"Thank you for today. For the ride." She looked at him and he nodded. "Would… would you be able to pick me up tomorrow morning?"

"Uhh… I can't actually," he said and she shook her head quickly, attempting to leave the car. "Not that I don't want to, I just… I have to be at the school early tomorrow and I wouldn't want you to have to do that as well."

"For the science thing? The science fair?" she asked and he nodded

"Yeah, it's one more day and then…"

"I don't mind being there early, if you don't mind the company," she said hopefully. "I could even help you…" She shrugged and he smiled with a nod.

"Great," she said with a relieved sigh. "So like what time would you be here?"

"6:30?" he answered and she looked at him with wide eyes and he smiled. "We could get a doughnut or something before we go over." She smiled and agreed, before getting out of the car and gathering up her things.

"Thank you again, Fox. You were very kind and I was a mess… But I'm feeling better now." He nodded and she walked away with a sigh. He waited until she was inside before driving home.

The next couple of weeks, they spent more time together. He picked her up and dropped her off every day. She had started to dress differently, but still had dark hair and wore dark makeup.

Travis had come to her one afternoon and word spread around that she had broken his nose.

"I actually just kneed him in the balls," she told him in his car. "He seemed to think that I would… do "things" with him even if I was, as he put it "angry with him." He apparently didn't seem to understand that we had broken up. He tried to put my hand down his pants and so I kneed him in the balls."

He grinned at her as they sat talking, before she went inside. He could see the mole above her lip again, and as always, it drew his attention.

"See you tomorrow," she said abruptly, grabbing her bag and getting out of the car. He nodded, not wanting to push her or make her feel uncomfortable. When she got to the door, she turned around and waved goodbye.

At home that night, he thought of the upcoming school dance, as he watched his mother pinning up Samantha's dress in order to make adjustments to it. She was going with a junior she liked. Feeling his mother's eyes on him, he left the room.

Dances were something he normally avoided like the plague, but the thought of asking Dana to the dance made him smile, feeling both happy and terrified. He doubted she would want to go anyway, but especially with him. They were friends, yes, but there were times when he wondered if she was simply using him for rides in his car.

The next day he asked her about the dance in a casual way, attempting to be nonchalant. She seemed uninterested as she rolled her eyes. He nodded, though he felt letdown, and left the subject alone. As he dropped her off, she turned around and came back to the window.

"You were asking if I wanted to go to the dance. With you." She stated, not asking a question, as she stared at him.

"No, not if you don't…"

"No, I would like that… If you…"

"You don't have to. I was just wondering if you…"

"No, I'd like to go with you, unless you don't want to…"

"I do want to…" he said as he swallowed hard and she smiled.

"So, the dance on Saturday night? 7:30?" she asked and he nodded. Walking away, she waved as she always did before she went inside, a smile on her face.

Saturday night, he stood outside her front door with a boxed corsage in his hands. Ringing the doorbell, he waited, his heart pounding as he brushed his hair back. The door opened and a woman with a kind smile appeared.

"Hello, you must be Fox. I'm Maggie Scully. Please, come in."

He walked in and met an older balding man who sized him up and nodded, putting out his hand, and introducing himself as Bill Scully.

A young woman walked by in a flowing flowery dress with long red hair and smiled at him. He watched her leave the room and when he turned back around, Dana stood there in a knee length black dress with a lacy overlay, short sleeves, and buttons down the bodice. It was a different style than Samantha had chosen, a bit more old fashioned, and it suited her.

While the dress was beautiful, it was her hair that drew his eye. It was back to red and hung long and wavy over her shoulders.

Her makeup was lighter than he had seen before, though it was still a little dark around her eyes, highlighting how truly blue her eyes were. She smiled almost nervously and he cleared his throat.

"You look…" he said, seeming to forget the word beautiful. She smiled as she looked at her dad and then back to him. "I uh… I got you a corsage." She laughed softly and stuck out her arm. He took the dark and light colored lily he had picked out, as it had reminded him of her.

"Thank you," she said quietly, as he slid it onto her wrist, touching it gently and smiling at him.

"Let's get a picture of you two before you leave." Her mother said and Dana groaned, but walked to where her mother asked them to stand. "Get a little closer together, you two."

"Mom, stop," Dana said and sighed. He put his arm gently around her shoulder and she stood stock still. The camera clicked a few times and then Dana sighed again. "Okay, we're leaving."

She pulled at his arm and he smiled at her parents apologetically as he followed her out of the room.

"It was nice to meet you," he called and he saw her mother smile at him.

They walked to his car and she sighed when they sat down inside.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes they are so… embarrassing," she said biting her lip, which was devoid of the normal dark lipstick she wore. He smiled and shook his head as he started the car.

"Nah... they were all right," he reassured her and she smiled with relief. He smiled again and they headed to the school.

They walked in together, neither of them touching, as she seemed rather nervous and hesitant. He cautiously touched her arm before they stepped into the dance, hoping to calm any of her fears and she looked at him with a small smile.

He was happy to see this side of her, her more vulnerable side. She was tough, he had seen that, but she was also unsure and had a shyness about her.

Stepping into the gymnasium, they looked at the decorations, and saw people dancing to the loud music. He saw a camera flash and looked at her, gesturing toward it, silently asking if she wanted to take a picture. She smiled shyly and shrugged with a nod.

They walked over and waited in line. When it was their turn, he was not sure how they should pose. She made the decision for him, putting her arms around his waist, her cheek against his chest and turned toward the camera. He put his arms around her and hoped she could not hear how fast his heart was beating.

Their picture taken, she let go of him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. They walked over to the refreshment table, and got a glass of punch, sitting down at a table to drink it. No one approached them, neither of them having many friends.

He saw Samantha arrive with her date and she smiled at him as she looked at Dana. He smiled back and she walked away. He glanced at Dana and cleared his throat.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked and she nodded.

Leaving their glasses on the table, he followed her to the dance floor. As they joined their classmates, the song changed to a slow one and he swallowed hard. Again, she took the lead and reached for his hand. He put his other arm around her waist and she had hers around the middle of his back. He swallowed hard again, as they began to slowly sway back-and-forth.

He could smell her shampoo and he closed his eyes as he breathed it in. She released his hand and put her other arm around his waist, holding him as she did for the picture, but closer and tighter. He smiled as he held her to him, his cheek resting on her head.

The song ended and she pulled back, a small smile on her face. She looked at his lips and then to his surprise, reached up and kissed him. A soft, sweet kiss that he felt his toes. Pulling back again, she looked at him nervously. He smiled and bent his head to kiss her again, this one a little less chaste.

She pulled back once more and stared at him, smiling as she licked her lips. He smiled again and she took a deep breath.

"Do you want to get out of here? Could… could we go to the lighthouse again?"

He smiled with a nod and they walked out of the gymnasium, her hand in his.

On the drive over, she held his hand and he was thrilled at the feel of her small hand in his own. He smiled internally as he realized how wrong he had been. She did like him; she had just been nervous and not sure how to show him.

Pulling into the parking lot, he looked at her and she smiled, giving his hand squeeze before letting go and opening the door.

The lighthouse was closed, but the light was shining out across the water. They stood in front of it and then she took off her shoes and he did the same. She reached for his hand and they walked through the sand, laughing at the coldness of it.

Near the water's edge, they sat down on a rock and he saw her shiver. Shrugging out of his coat, he offered it to her and she smiled.

"Thank you, she whispered, slipping it on. He nodded as he sat back down and she reached for his hand. "Thank you for everything these past few weeks, Fox. Nobody was seeing me and I didn't know how much I needed it until you did. You saw me, even under all my layers." He looked at her and she smiled softly at him, squeezing his hand.

"It was impossible not to see you," he whispered.

She smiled as she squeezed his hand again and put her head on his shoulder, as he rested his head on hers.

"Thank you, Fox," she whispered.

"Anything for you Dana," he replied. "By the way, I like your hair much better this way, in case I hadn't mentioned it."

"You hadn't," she said, with a small chuckle. "Me too. Good thing it wasn't a permanent hair dye that we used then, huh?"

He grinned and gave her hand a squeeze.

It was a good thing indeed.

June 1987

Fox sat at the diner counter, waiting for Dana to join him. Glancing at his watch, he sighed. She was running late and today was a big day. He hoped she was not worrying too much, but knew she most likely was.

While he waited, he took out the picture from their school dance from so long ago. He had carried it with him in his wallet since the day he had picked up the pictures from school. He looked at his horrible glasses and shook his head. Such a nerd.

Looking at Dana in the picture, he smiled. The dark makeup she had worn, was a little tamer by then, but still dark. Even under the eyeliner and the mascara, though, he could still see her and the happiness in her eyes.

Putting away the picture, he glanced at his watch again. It was really unlike her to be so late and he wondered what was keeping her.

"Sorry!" He heard her say and he looked up to find her walking toward him. Kissing him quickly, she grabbed his coffee and took a drink.

"My mom was fussing with my gown. She was all a flutter trying to get everything done. Missy offered to cleanse her aura and my mother gave her one of her looks."

"Oh! Not the patented Maggie Scully look! That's a look that could kill," he said, with a mock shiver.

"Ha! As if she would ever give you such a look. I swear to God, you are as much a golden boy as Bill is sometimes." She rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Excuse me, I would like to think that I am more of a golden boy than Bill, thank you very much,'' he said, adjusting his blue tie, the one that perfectly matched her eyes. She laughed and nodded.

"Yeah. You truly can do no wrong in my mother's eyes." She laughed again and shook her head.

"Because, I am the one who turned her emo loving daughter around. I brought you back from the Darkside," he teased, imitating Darth Vader's voice. She laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. He reached for her hand and squeezed.

"I can't believe I'm graduating from college today. Some days, I honestly thought it would never happen."

"You've done so well, hon. I'm so proud of you. Magna cum laude… that's not an easy task."

"As if I would have accepted anything less. It's been a rough four years, but it's been worth it." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "I love you."

"And I love you."

Kissing him again, she smiled and then glanced at her watch. "Yikes! We should really head over. My mom has my cap and gown and I need to fix my hair."

"You don't. You look beautiful, as always."

"Biased," she teased.

"Honest. Forthright. Truthful."

"Okay golden boy, let's get moving," she laughed, as she shoved him lightly and he smiled.

"I'll pay the bill and we'll head out," he said and she nodded, drinking down the rest of his coffee, before standing up and walking to the door. He took out some cash and laid it down on the counter, smiling his thanks at the waitress.

Putting his wallet away, he put his hands in his jacket pockets, wrapping his fingers around the small ring box that lay within. The moment was only hours away, and he was feeling the usual nervous excitement in his stomach.

Seven years they had been together, through ups and downs, big and small. Tonight after her graduation party, they were going to drive out to their lighthouse and celebrate.

He had made arrangements with Mrs. Slate, who still worked as a volunteer at the lighthouse, and picked up the key a few hours ago.

Tonight, at the top of the lighthouse, where they had begun their journey together, he was going to ask her to marry him. To be together forever through the rest of the ups and downs in their lives.

"Hey! Are you ready?" she called to him and he grinned. She smiled back, her beautiful blue eyes lighting up.

He walked over to her and stuck out his right hand and she grasped it with her left. He smiled at the thought that soon, he would be feeling the smooth metal of the ring, where now it was empty.

He opened the door to the diner and they stepped outside; to graduation and the rest of their lives together.

He squeezed her hand with a grin.

"Yeah, I'm ready."