Date sent:        Sun, 27 Jul 1997 04:54:57 -0400 (EDT)
From:             DeepBlue21@aol.com

Summer of '79 (1/3)
By Deepblue21

TITLE: Summer of '79
AUTHOR: DeepBlue21
E-MAIL: Deepblue21@aol.com
DISTRIBUTION: Just keep my name and e-mail on it *
SPOILER: None
RATING: PG-13 (A couple of bad words, nothing terrible)
CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance
CLASSIFICATION: Story, Romance, Angst
SUMMARY: Mulder is 18 and Scully is 15. A chance meeting takes place on Martha's 
Vineyard where the Scully family is vacationing and Fox is visiting his father before 
going off to college. They have an innocent summer romance, but fate pulls them apart 
(for now.)
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine. Chris Carter and 1013 Productions own them. 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to Kiry for proofreading this for me. This is my very very 
first post and very first attempt at fan fiction (Wait! Read it anyway, it still might be 
good.) It was just a little idea I had stewing around in my brain while reading all the other 
fab fanfic out there. The idea of Fox and Scully meeting before they were introduced as 
FBI partners was very intriguing to me. I also wanted to write them as teenagers. So if 
they don't sound like Mulder and Scully, it's because in this little story, they're still 
teenagers. I'm sure you all talked differently when you were teenagers. Okay, last point, 
I'm thinking about writing a sequel but first I have to see if this one is good enough to 
merit a sequel. So please send feedback and tell me what you think. Constructive 
criticism and comments would be great, but please no flames.  
DEDICATION: This is for all the extremely talented, eloquent fanfic writers whose 
stories I have read this year. Some of the stories that you have created have moved me so 
much. You continue to impress me.

Summer of '79
  
	It was getting very late in the afternoon and the Scully kids were getting antsy. 
They had been in the hot, sticky car sitting side by side to each other for three hours and 
they were more than ready to go back to the beachhouse. They had seen enough of 
Martha's Vineyard for one day. 
	"Stay on your side, twerp!" Billy yelled to Charlie. His little brother's arm had 
strayed near Billy's portion of the backseat.
	"I am! You stay on your side!" Charlie yelled back foolishly to his much bigger 
and stronger brother.
	Billy responded by shoving Charlie and consequently his two sisters as well. He 
couldn't believe he was on another family vacation. He was in college, for God's sake. 
But his father had insisted that he come along, saying he was still a part of the family. 
God, he hated small cars. Why couldn't their parents have rented a van instead? Four 
people could not fit in the backseat no matter how small his sisters were. There was no 
leg room, no breathing room, no nothing. And despite the windows being open, the feel 
of sweaty, sticky arms and legs cramped together was grossing everyone out. 
	"Mom, when are we getting back to the house?" Missy whined petulantly as she 
shoved her brother back to Billy. 
	Charlie protested very loudly at the harsh pushing. He felt like a ping-pong. Why 
was he always stuck sitting in the middle, he thought grumpily. His sister Dana was just 
as small as he was, but she had won the coin toss and had gotten the enviable window 
seat.
	Missy surrendered the shoving game by letting Charlie rest on her side. Poor 
Charlie. Always getting pushed around since he was the baby. But she getting annoyed at 
her younger and oh so immature siblings. Even though Billy was older, he was still a boy 
and capable of being just as unnerving as the other children.
	"If you kids don't keep quiet and leave your mother alone..." warned their father, 
who was in the driver's seat. He didn't need to finish the sentence. The children silenced 
right away. The sternness in their father's voice was enough to keep them quiet.
	He sighed and looked to his wife and smiled, taking her hand into his while 
keeping the other on the wheel. They were both tired. They had foolishly thought that a 
picnic dinner and a drive around the island would be relaxing. Unfortunately, they forgot 
to account that they had four stubborn children cooped up in a very limited space. Putting 
them all in one car for more than an hour was just begging for trouble.
	 Captain William Scully looked out to the beach as he drove and relaxed for a 
moment, reveling in the few seconds of quiet that had fallen in the car. In a minute or 
two, the children would forget his warning and go back to their bickering. He had to 
relish the precious seconds of sanity that he had won. The view was beautiful. He was 
glad that Maggie had suggested going to Martha's Vineyard for this year's vacation. 
Maggie had a friend who had offered her summer house for them to use, which sounded 
wonderful to William. He preferred staying in a house than some cramped motel room. 
And the island, while popular, still wasn't as crowded as all the other family summer 
vacation places like Florida or Cape Cod. And it was just as pretty as any other beach 
spot.
	William glanced up at his rearview mirror to check on his four children. They had 
been unusually quiet for five minutes now. Billy and Charlie were playing a silent game 
of tic tac toe, both very engrossed and very intent on beating the other. Missy had fallen 
asleep and was resting on Dana's shoulder. And Dana. She had been virtually silent 
during the entire car ride.
	"Starbuck?" William asked with concern in his voice. 
	Dana looked up in surprise, as if startled out of a long daydream, "Yes, Daddy?"
	"Are you all right?" He asked. "Are you feeling carsick? We'll be at the house in 
five minutes."
	Dana smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, Daddy."
	William smiled back at his youngest daughter, who, although he would never 
admit this to anyone, even himself, was his favorite. Although he loved all his children 
dearly, he had always had a special affection for his little Starbuck since the day she was 
born. 
	Each of his children was wonderfully unique and special. Billy was a natural 
leader, like most first children; responsible, bossy, and dependable. At eighteen, Billy 
was a freshman at Annapolis and intended to follow in his father's footsteps. Missy was 
more of a free spirit and had always been closer to her mother, even more so now that she 
was almost eighteen and becoming more of a woman every day. Little Charlie, well, 
while he tried hard to be as adventurous and active as Billy, was still rather frail and 
delicate like his mother was when William had first met her. Maybe it was because he 
tried so hard to compensate for being the youngest. He was still growing and trying to 
find his identity in the family. 
	But his little Starbuck, his Dana, was the perfect blend of him and his wife, he 
thought. William's realism and Maggie's romantic sensitivity had both settled into Dana, 
and instead of these two wildly different traits colliding with each other, they seemed to 
complement Dana, making her a whole person who could relate to all her siblings and 
everyone else around her. She had been such a tomboy when she was little, insisting on 
wearing overalls and sneakers to school instead of Missy's hand-me-down dresses. And 
even when she did soften her tomboy image, when she became a teenager and started 
growing her hair long, she still maintained the characteristics that William had always 
associated with himself; stubborn, gutsy, and so independent.
 	As silence once again fell upon the car, Captain Scully allowed himself to enjoy 
the peace, contented to the fact that all his loved ones were in the car with him, safe, 
protected, and happy. This was his favorite moment during the annual Scully family 
vacations, it made the rest of the noisy, bickering time almost worth it. Almost. 
	Dana went back to looking out the window. She was absolutely in awe of the 
beauty of the island. When Dana had first heard that they were going to Martha's 
Vineyard for vacation, she had howled in protest along with the rest of her siblings. 
Martha's Vineyard? What the hell is there to do there?
	But that's the point, Dana finally realized. There was nothing really to do there 
per se, except relax, think, and recollect. It was nice. At fifteen years old, at an age where 
all teenagers craved excitement and action all the time, Dana began to prefer the 
occasional quiet time. Sometimes she felt like an old woman that way, like God was 
prematurely aging her spirit, but she liked it. And there was something very mysterious 
and alluring about the island, she knew this the instant she had gotten off the boat. As if 
there was something here she had to find. She was determined to discover what was so 
special about this place.
	When the Scullys finally returned to the beachhouse, the children eagerly tumbled 
out of the car and ran inside, eager to make use of the spacious house. William and 
Maggie stayed behind and quietly unpacked the picnic basket and beach chairs from the 
car to put into the garage.
	Charlie begged Billy to help him set up the telescope he had recently found. 
Charlie had been skulking around the garage and had discovered an old telescope and 
had been eager to set it up and look at the stars. Billy reluctantly agreed to help him out 
and soon the two brothers were busy piecing the old telescope in the front yard.  
	Missy disappeared into the bedroom. Dana suspected she was going to call Jason. 
Jason was Missy's boyfriend of two years. They wanted to get married after they both 
graduated from high school. But Dana had a feeling that that wasn't going to happen. 
Jason was going to school out West in California and Missy was planning to stay on the 
East Coast. 
	Dana remembered how she had tried to bring this up to Missy, how she and Jason 
couldn't possibly stay together now if they were going to different schools. But Missy 
would hear none of it, especially if it was coming from her baby sister.
	"Jason and I have already talked about this and we both are going to make the 
long distance thing work. We'll have summers together and we can call each other and I 
can come visit him and he'll visit me."
	"But that's just dating, Missy, you guys are talking about marriage. You can't 
have a marriage with someone over the phone. It won't work."
	"What would you know about it?" Missy was getting annoyed. "Have you ever 
been in love before? Don't tell me to give up someone who is wonderful like Jason just 
because he's going to be somewhere else for a little while. He'll be in my heart. That's 
all that matters."
	Dana had thought she was going to throw up when she had heard that last line. 
Missy could be so melodramatic sometimes.
	Dana became restless as she watched her family settle into the house for the 
evening. It was still light out and Dana had hoped that her brothers might be up to 
exploring the beach, which was only a block away. But Billy and Charlie were engrossed 
in the telescope and didn't want to leave. So Dana decided to leave for the beach alone 
for a swim.
	"I'll be back at ten o'clock," Dana announced in the doorway of the kitchen 
where her parents were sitting and drinking iced tea. 
	They looked up at their daughter. She was clutching her towel and wearing the 
Annapolis sweatshirt that Billy had given to her for Christmas. The sweatshirt was huge, 
it went all the way down to her knees.  
	William checked his watch. "It's a little late to be going out, don't you think?"
	"It's six o'clock, Daddy." Dana tried to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.
	Dana's mother frowned. "I don't know if you should be going out alone."
	Dana rolled her eyes impatiently. "I'm only going for a swim and I'll stay right in 
front of the lifeguard."
	"All right, but I'll have Billy or Missy meet you there at ten in front of the 
lifeguard stand," William relented. "I don't want you walking home alone."
	Dana smiled wanly and  turned to leave. She hated being treated like a baby. She 
may only have been fifteen years old but she knew how to walk one block to the beach 
and how to walk back. It wasn't that complicated. But she knew better than to argue 
about it. Unlike Missy, Dana didn't see the point in arguing about everything. It seemed 
like a waste of time and hurt feelings.
	
	The moment Dana plunged into the water all the stress and fatigue from the 
tretuous car ride disappeared. Dana swam a few strokes and enjoyed the feel of the ice 
cold water massaging her tired muscles. She tipped her head back so all her red hair was 
now drenched. It felt so good.
	The sun setting, turning the sky into a swirl of orange colors. Dana loved this time 
of day the most. It seemed so magical and peaceful, with the moon taking over the duties 
of the sun to watch over the people. Dana floated on her back awhile, lazily flapping her 
arms through the waves and staring up in the burnt sky.   
	After reveling in the sea water for several minutes, Dana looked around the beach 
to survey the people around her. Since it was probably dinner time for most families, 
there was hardly anyone there. She saw the lifeguard standing by her post, yawning and 
checking her watch every few minutes. 
	She saw an old couple holding hands and taking pictures of each other and the 
seagulls. She could tell they were tourists. Their clothes still looked very new, he was 
wearing a flowered beach shirt and shorts while she wore a simple sundress. She looked 
at them for a while, since there really was nothing else to look at. She wondered how 
long they had been married. What their story was, how they met, and how they had 
stayed together for so long. Maybe they could give Missy some advice. As Dana was 
watching their amateur photo shoot, she realized that while they had been taking pictures 
of each other, there was no one else there that could take a picture of them together. 
	But just as Dana had thought this, a young man had walked up behind them. From 
what she could tell, he had offered to take their picture together. Dana watched curiously 
as the couple huddled together smiling goofily as the boy shot the picture. The couple 
then shook the young man's hand and walked away.
	Now Dana's attention was focused on the boy. He was now sitting in the sand and 
he had a little paper brown bag with him. She realized he was feeding the seagulls with 
breadcrumbs. Although he was standing far away, she could make out that he was 
probably out of high school, maybe in college. Since he was only wearing swimming 
trunks, she could also tell that he was very nicely built. Not too skinny and not too 
overbuff either. Dana couldn't stand that bulging biceps look. It looked gross to her.
	The guy suddenly looked up and caught Dana staring at him.
	Dana quickly turned in embarrassment. Since she was still in the water, she dove 
back in, hoping the cold water would keep her from blushing. She hated blushing. Since 
she was a redhead with fair skin, her blushes always had an embarrassing shade of deep 
red so she looked like a tomato.
	After swimming for about ten minutes, Dana emerged from the water, secretly 
hoping the boy had left to save her from any awkwardness. 
	To her horror, he was still there. And he was sitting somewhere differently too. 
He had apparently moved while she was swimming and was now sitting on her towel.
	Dana stood in the shallow end of the water for a while, contemplating on what to 
do next. She had a better view of him now and her suspicions were confirmed. He was 
gorgeous. He had short dark brown hair and a finely structured face, not like most of the 
boys in her high school who still had baby fat on their cheeks. 
	Dana could feel the nerves creeping inside her. She had never really talked to a 
boy, especially an older boy, alone before. She had always flirted with boys when she 
was with her other girl friends. It was so easy in a group, they would all just giggle and 
toss their hair at the boys. Safety in numbers. She wished for a second that Missy was 
there with her so she could do all the talking. Missy would know what to do.
	She finally realized how stupid she was being just standing there and finally 
walked confidently to her towel and the boy. As she came closer, she noticed he still had 
his sack of breadcrumbs. He threw some breadcrumbs at her feet as she approached him.
	"I thought you might be hungry," The boy said, grinning up at her and squinting. 
The sun was in his eye. 
	He has hazel eyes, Dana immediately told herself, adding that to the growing list 
of observations she was already making on this boy.
	"I already ate." was Dana's reply.
	"Too bad." The boy smiled even bigger. He had a nice smile.
	"Would you have taken me to dinner if I said I was?" Dana surprised herself with 
this teasing question. 
	"I guess we'll never know now."
	Dana smiled shyly and looked down. She stood there for a while, shivering. He 
was sitting on her towel just looking at her. She began to shift her weight from one foot 
to the other. She wanted her towel back, not only because it was getting cold, but she 
wanted to cover up her body as well. At fifteen, Dana felt insecure about her gawky, 
adolescent body especially compared to Missy's. While Missy was taller and more 
shapely, Dana was still short and hopelessly undeveloped. And it didn't help matters that 
she was wearing her swim team tank suit. She cursed herself realizing that she should 
have worn her bikini. He must think I'm such a baby, Dana thought.
	"Could I have my towel please?" Dana finally asked impatiently, her voice 
bordering on harshness. She cringed, she didn't mean to sound so bossy. 
	"Oh," The boy jumped up and picked up the towel sheepishly. "Sorry."
	Well that was slick, he thought, wanting to kick himself. He had been so 
mesmerized by the redhead girl coming out of the water that he had forgotten how cold 
she must be getting. 
	Dana accepted the towel from him and wrapped herself in it, not taking her eyes 
off of him. Normally, Dana had problems looking at cute guys in the eye, half-afraid that 
they could tell from her eyes that she thought they were cute. But with this boy, it was 
somehow different. She didn't feel uncomfortable looking at him at all and she had 
barely said two words to him in her entire life.
	Fox was getting entranced by the stranger's beautiful blue eyes. Even though she 
was a lot shorter and probably younger than him, she held his steady gaze, never 
swerving or diverting her eyes like most girls did when he stared at them. It impressed 
him and frightened him at the same time.
	He had to say something. He couldn't just stare at her forever.
	"From around here?" He immediately regretted the words as soon as they 
foolishly spilled from his mouth. God, he sounded like such a geek, using such a cheesy 
pick-up line. There was no way this girl was going to take him seriously now. She would 
probably just roll her eyes in disgust and walk away.
	To his surprise and relief, she didn't. 
	"No, my family and I are here on vacation." Dana paused, wondering if it was 
now her turn to ask a question. He looked at her expectantly. It was her turn. Damn it. 
Why was talking to boys so hard for her?	
	"How about you?" She finally managed to say. She said this very slowly, trying to 
control her voice so he couldn't hear the excitement and girlishness in it.
	"Kind of," Fox replied, gesturing toward one of the beachhouses that lined the 
shore. "My dad lives out here... my parents, they're divorced and I'm just visiting for a 
couple of weeks before I go away to school."
	Dana nodded. She silently wondered to herself if when he said "school," he meant 
high school or college. Her best friend Jessica would just die when she found out she had 
been talking to a college guy.
	"Where are you going to school?" Dana asked as she began to dry her hair with 
her towel.
	"Oxford," Fox replied sheepishly, still getting used to the idea himself. "It's in 
England-"
	"I know where Oxford is," Dana assured him with a teasing tone in her voice. She 
smiled to herself in surprise, she couldn't believe it, she was flirting with a college boy! 
She reminded herself to calm down, take steady breaths, and most of all, act older.
	"Sorry, I didn't mean-"
	"No, that's okay," Dana interrupted him quickly, "I know you didn't mean 
anything by it. Most people don't know where it is anyway, I guess. Unless you took 
geography or something like that in school...." Dana wanted to stuff something in her 
mouth, anything, to keep her from talking. She didn't know what she was saying. Words 
were just gushing out of her mouth trying desperately to impress this handsome stranger, 
but they were failing miserably.
	Fox nodded and looked out at the water. The sun was setting, tinting the sky with 
orange popsicle colors and the water golden with its reflection.
	Dana took a step to stand next to him and take in the view. "Nice view here." 	
	Fox could feel her wet hair on his arm and glanced at her. He took a quick breath. 
It sure was. The golden reflection from the sunset was shining on her small face, 
illuminating her already fiery hair and bright blue eyes.
	"Oh, this isn't even the best place to look at it," Fox said wistfully, as he 
reluctantly took his gaze off the girl to look back at the ocean. "It's much prettier out on 
the rocks over there." He pointed to the cluster of giant rocks that was located far along 
down the beach.
	Fox hesitated for a second, mustering up all his courage to ask her the question.
	"If you want to, I could take you there, I mean, if you have nothing else to do."
	Dana looked up at him, surprised but pleased.  
	"Sure," Dana replied, smiling shyly, "I'd like that."
	Fox smiled back and they both began to walk along the shore, letting the cool 
water tickle their bare feet and each taking turns to slyly steal glances at each other.
	
	"So where are you from?" Fox finally asked as they began to settle down on the 
edge of the rocks. They both leaned against a big rock so they could get a better view of 
the ocean and the sunset. They had walked to the cove in silence, quietly enjoying the 
beautiful view. Fox was happy for the long, silent walk, giving him more time to think of 
witty and intelligent things to say to this beautiful girl so she would be impressed by him, 
or at least amused. He wished he wasn't so awkward around girls. He was almost in 
college, for God's sakes, and his tongue still was in knots whenever he looked at a pretty 
girl.
	"Maryland," Dana replied, as she put her towel under her to soften her seat. The 
rocks, while smooth, still had a little bit of a jagged edge. She almost offered to share her 
towel with the boy, but he seemed content sitting where he was. 
	"I've been to Maryland," Fox said, pleased that he found a subject the two could 
connect with.
	"Really?" Dana almost squealed. Calm down, she almost yelled at herself. 
"Really," her voice was calmer, deeper. "Which part?"
	"Well, I don't know if it's really considered Maryland. My dad used to work in 
Washington D.C. and he once took me and my sister with him to see the White House." 
Fox smiled as he remembered that pleasant memory, during happier times, the very few 
his family has had.
	They were sitting very close now. She didn't know how it happened, but she was 
secretly glad. Their shoulders were almost touching.
	"What did he work as?" Dana asked eagerly, curious for information. She had 
always been fascinated with the government and Washington D.C. itself, a place filled 
with history and fantastic events. A city where world events took place and historic 
decisions were made every day.
	Fox shrugged. "I don't know, I never really asked."
	The look he got from the girl made him feel dumb. He realized how stupid it 
really was, a son not knowing what his father did for a living?
	He tried to explain. "It's just, I was so young when he did work there, and after he 
left, well, we don't talk that much anyway ever since he and my mom got divorced."
	Dana shifted so she could get a better look at him. He was staring out at the sea. 
But she could still see the hurt in his eyes and she was instantly sorry that she had asked 
him something that obviously was still a source of so much pain.
	"I'm sorry," She said hesitantly. "Has your vacation with him been good at all?"
	He shrugged again and turned to meet her questioning gaze. "It's been all right," 
He admitted, "It's been the same for years now, I come out here for two weeks and he 
does his thing, and I do mine. It's funny, he has this huge house, yet it still can't seem to 
fit the two of us in it together. That's why I come out here." He held his sack of crumbs 
up. "Birds are better company."
	"What about your sister?" Dana asked. She had remembered he had mentioned a 
sister.
	Fox's eyes darkened and he looked away. "She's not with us anymore. She.she 
disappeared about six years ago."
	"Oh." Dana was instantly sorry she had said that. She felt so stupid. And while 
she was desperately curious to know what had happened to his sister (dead? kidnapped?), 
she wasn't going to pry.
	"I'm sorry," She whispered, meaning it.
	He looked back at her, smiling sadly. "She would have been fourteen this year. 
She would be going to high school. I could have given her advice about that kind of stuff. 
I wanted to protect her. I want to, still."
	`I'm sure you would have, I'm sure you were- are a great  brother to her."
	"..I miss her." It felt right, somehow, to tell her that.
	Dana's heart almost broke as she listened to this boy, this boy who missed his 
sister so much and was generous enough to tell her about his pain.
	"I bet she misses you too."
	They sat there in silence for what seemed to be an hour. After a while, she slipped 
her hand into his, offering her warmth to comfort him. He took it silently. His cold hand 
was soon warmed by hers. He wondered how she stayed so warm when the weather was 
so cold. It felt good. Comfortable.
	"So, do you and your father ever, like, talk about stuff? Things going on in your 
life?" It seemed strange to Dana not to talk to your own father. She couldn't imagine not 
confiding in her father. Every night after he came home from work, she would pounce 
upon him, eager to tell him of her day's events and listening to him telling of his.
	Fox shook his head. "Not really, nothing more than formalities. Like `Hi, how are 
you, fine, that's good, well see ya later.'"
	"Like you two were strangers just meeting."
	"Right," Fox agreed. "Two strangers who are just making small talk."
	Dana smiled. "Did you notice we haven't done that?"
	"Yeah," Fox realized, returning her sunny gaze. "I guess we kind of skipped over 
the small talk, didn't we?"
	Dana blushed hotly, but was pleased at his acknowledgment. So she wasn't the 
only one who noticed.
	Fox sighed, as he picked up some sand in his fingers. He watched it trickle down 
back onto the rocks. "I don't even know why we even bother with these summer visits, it 
doesn't seem like he even wants me here."
	"Don't say that," Dana lightly admonished him. "I'm sure these visits mean a lot 
to him but he just can't bring himself to say it."
	"You don't know my father." There was a twinge of bitterness in his tone.
	"Well no, I don't. But I'm starting to get to know you, and I can't imagine anyone 
not liking your company."
	Fox grinned. "Tell me about your family." He wanted to change the subject to 
something better.
	Although Dana was usually a little wary about opening up to strangers, she settled 
very nicely into conversation with the handsome stranger. She told him about her 
closeknit family, her adoration for her father, her slight jealousy over her older and 
prettier sister, and her wistful plans for the future. 

	"My brother Billy goes to Annapolis. He's going to be in the Navy like my dad."
	"Do you want to join the Navy too?"
	"Nah. I don't think the navy's my thing."  
	"What do you think is your thing?"
	"Who knows? I'm still trying to find out."

	"Billy and Charlie are always competing with each other and with me. We're 
always getting into little fights and games to see who's best. We were all convinced that 
we were the best."
	"What, like in wrestling and stuff?"
	"Sure. Wrestling, racing, all kinds of sports."
"Do you ever win?"
	"Of course. I always win."
	"My sister and I used to play games together too. But more like board games and 
stuff."
	"Did you ever let her win?"
	"Of course. I always did"

	"My older sister looks like my mom. They're both beautiful. I look more like my 
dad and although I love him, he doesn't exactly have pretty features."
	"I think your features are pretty beautiful, actually."
	"You do, huh?"
	"Yeah."
	"You don't get off this island much, do you?" 

	"So what are you going to study at Oxford?"
	"I haven't really decided yet. I'm thinking about maybe sociology or psychology."
	"Picking people's brains?"
	"Well, yeah, figuratively."
	"Why not literally? Haven't you ever been curious as to what a human brain looks 
like on the inside?"
	"Not really."

	"Do you think there's.you know, intelligent life, out there?"
	"Out where?"
	"Out..there."
	"Do you mean outer space? Like in aliens, or something?"
	"Forget it."
	"No. I don't know, my younger brother thinks so. Maybe. Yeah. Anything's 
possible. Who are we to determine what's out there and what's not?"
	"That's true."

The more he heard from this girl, the more impressed he became with her obvious 
intelligence and unique sense of humor. They got each other's jokes, like they were in 
perfect sync. He felt like he could say anything to her and she wouldn't look at him as if 
he was crazy or something. Every story and every anecdote she told him about her family 
and friends, he placed in his memory like a special treasure, hoping he would remember 
them always. He didn't want to forget anything this girl had confided to him. 
Now while Fox had gone out with his fair share of girls in high school, he had 
never had any real girl friends. Girls who he could just talk to about anything. And 
although he had met this girl only an hour before, he felt that he had found a real girl 
friend. 
Not that he wanted her just to be a friend. He couldn't deny to himself how 
attractive he found this girl. Her soft shoulder-length red hair was now resting on his 
shoulder. In the course of their conversation, they had snuggled up to each other rather 
unconsciously. Or maybe it was consciously. The night air was getting a little cold and 
the girl had graciously offered to share her towel with him. But since the towel was a 
little small, they rested it on their legs and were now sitting shoulder to shoulder.
Dana snuck a quick glance at her new friend. He was staring at her, but it looked 
like he wasn't exactly listening to what she was saying. 
"I'm sorry," Dana said, embarrassed. 
Fox was startled out of his daydreams.
"What?"
"I've been babbling for way too long, I'm sure you're not that interested in-"
"No," Fox said quickly. "I'm sorry, it's just." He laughed and looked down, 
embarrassed.
Dana hesitantly reached up to touch his cheek so he would face her. "What?"
Fox caught his breath. Her face was so close to his right now. Her eyes were 
searching his, like she knew if she tried hard enough, she could read his thoughts. 
A strand of red hair had fallen over one of her blue eyes. Fox took his hand and 
lightly brushed it back into the rest of her hair. His fingers then trailed along her jaw and 
then rested on her lips.
Dana's heartbeat was so loud she was half scared that he could hear it. Please 
God, she prayed to herself, please let him kiss me. This would be her first real kiss She 
didn't count that slobby peck she got from Cole Ryan last summer at Jenny's birthday 
party as a real kiss because he and the experience were just too gross to even think about. 
She wanted this kiss, her first real kiss, to be perfect. 
He leaned forward, his hazel eyes transfixed on hers to make sure she was 
allowing it. She returned his gaze, unflinching. He tilted his head to his right as she tilted 
her own to avoid the nose jam.
Dana's eyes slowly closed, Missy had told her to never keep her eyes open for 
this.
His lips grazed hers hesitantly, testing the unfamiliar territory with caution.
Dana slipped her hand under his chin to pull him closer to her and deepened the 
kiss. They both parted after a few seconds and just stared at each other.
Fox smiled at her and leaned forward again for more. He tilted his head to the left 
to kiss her again from another angle. Finding that he could kiss her more comfortably 
with their heads tilted to the right, he switched again, allowing the sweet kisses to 
become longer and deeper.
They eventually stopped to catch their breaths. Dana leaned her forehead against 
his to rest for a second. Fox smiled at her complete trust in him. He reached up and 
kissed her on her warm forehead and caressed her cheek.
Dana felt like she was in heaven. Her "first kiss" was more than she had ever 
dreamed of. She felt his fingers trail into her hair and she happily nuzzled her head into 
his shoulder so he could have better access. They cuddled like that for a while.
Fox looked up to the sky and smiled. He thanked the Lord who he had thought he 
didn't believe in anymore. Someone up there must like him. The girl felt so perfect 
nestled in his arms that he never wanted to move, ever. And he didn't feel cold anymore.

[End of part 1/3]

Summer of '79 (2/3)
By Deepblue21

They sat in silence for a while, occasionally murmuring a thought or musing, 
completely comfortable to say anything to each other. Dana eventually layed her head 
into the boy's lap to get a better view of the sky. He tried to point out all the 
constellations and galaxies he remembered from science class. He wasn't doing very 
well. Dana knew more about the stars' names than he did.
"Maybe you should be telling me about the stars," Fox said affectionately as he 
ran a hand through her hair. Her hair was almost dry now but it was still so soft.
"No," Dana shook her head as her blue eyes shined up towards him. "Tell me 
some more stories about your family." He had been telling her old family stories that his 
mother had told him about his ancestors. Little anecdotal stories like his great-
grandfather's journey to America from Russia and his grandmother's bold decision to 
marry a poor Russian immigrant's son during the Depression.
"I don't remember these stories very well, you know. My mom told me these 
years ago as bedtime stories."
"What, she didn't read you Mother Goose nursery rhymes like my mom did?"
"Not exactly. Anyway, I'm probably mixing a lot of fact and fiction."
"That's all right, as long as they're entertaining, right?"
"Sure. So what do you want to hear about now?" He liked telling her stories, even 
if he had to create a little bit of history whenever his memory blanked out on him during 
these tales.
"Tell me your favorite family story. The one you remember the best." She 
couldn't get enough of the great view she had of him right now. His handsome face was 
illuminated by the moonlight and she could better admire his strong cheekbones and full 
lips.
Fox thought about it for a while and finally decided to tell her about his 
grandmother's sister, his great-aunt Meg, who had been a Red Cross nurse in Europe 
during World War II. She had fallen in love with a German Nazi soldier who was a 
prisoner of war in the now Allied-occupied Italy. Meg and her German soldier were 
planning to escape the war and go to Switzerland. But during their escape, Meg's friends, 
out of fear for her safety and suspicion of the soldier's true motives, had told some Allied 
officers of the couple's plan. Their plan backfired tragically, they were shot while trying 
to escape across the Italian border. They died in each other's arms. 
After he finished the story, he looked down at the girl's face. Her shining blue 
eyes were staring right back up at him, only now they were filled with tears. 
"That is the saddest story I have ever heard in my life," She told him.
"Yes, it is," Fox agreed. "But terribly romantic, don't you think?"
"Terribly."
He leaned forward, hesitating only for a second, and kissed her again. This kiss 
was much different than their first tentative one. This one was more passionate. She put 
her hands into his hair to bring him closer to her. It was one of the sweetest and most 
thrilling kisses that either would ever experience for a long, long time.
"Hey." An outsider's harsh voice interrupted the happy duo's thoughts. 
Fox broke the kiss and looked up in surprise. Still laying in the boy's lap, Dana 
looked up to see Billy standing a few feet away from them. He had seen them. The 
couple looked at the intruder in shock and embarrassment, but neither made a move to 
separate. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his face looked accusing and 
disappointed.
"It's ten o'clock."
"Oh, okay." Dana reluctantly untangled herself from the boy's arms. She got up 
and brushed the sand out of her towel. She tried not to look at either of them because she 
was sure her face must have been flaming.
Fox felt the cold air immediately as the girl had left his arms. He silently looked 
up and watched as she got up and walked over to her brother. 
She looked back over her shoulder at him, biting her lip. He was still sitting there 
in the exact same position he had been in when they had kissed.
"Where's your sweatshirt?" Billy said a little harshly.
"What?" Dana was still looking at the boy.
Billy shook his head impatiently. "Your sweatshirt. You took it out here with 
you?"
"Oh yeah," Dana remembered she had left it on the other end of the beach. She 
had forgotten it when the boy had taken her to the rocks. 
"You better go get it," Billy glanced at the boy. "I'll wait here."
Dana looked at her brother suspiciously. "Don't do anything stupid," She 
whispered to him before she ran off in search of the errant sweater.
As soon as she left, Fox got up and brushed the sand off of him. He smiled at the 
other boy. They looked about the same age. Fox walked up to the boy who he correctly 
assumed was the girl's older brother.
"Hey," Fox smiled. He was about to introduce himself until he saw the withering 
glance the boy was giving him. Fox stopped in surprise, not sure what to do next.
"She's only fifteen," Billy simply said. "Leave her alone." His eyes were blue like 
his sister's were, but they didn't exude the same warmth as hers, instead his were cold 
and hard. And while he was shorter than this stranger he had just caught groping his baby 
sister, Billy was stockier than the lanky boy. Billy was confident that he could take him, 
if it came down to that.
But the boy looked stunned and said nothing. Billy looked at him through his 
narrowed eyes for a couple more seconds and then turned on his heel and left.
Dana ran up to her brother and shoved her sweatshirt into his hands. "Give me a 
minute," She said as she looked over at the boy on the rocks. She wanted to say good-bye 
properly, without her brother, and maybe get his phone number or address.
"Where are you going?" He watched his little sister as she took some steps over to 
the rocks.
"I'll be there in a minute, William." Dana said as she turned back momentarily, 
and then walked back to the rocks where the boy was standing.
"Hey," Dana said shyly as she got up close to him. She wanted to resume their 
closeness, but she knew that her brother's very unwelcome cameo appearance had 
spoiled it momentarily.
"Hey," Fox answered back, refusing to look at her. He felt so confused and guilty. 
She's only fifteen, he yelled at himself, how could you be so stupid?
Dana immediately noticed his detached behavior. This was much different from 
the boy who had kissed her and wrapped his long arms around her just five minutes ago. 
She smiled softly and reached out to hold his hand into hers like she had done before but 
he quickly crossed his arms.
Dana's smile collapsed. What had happened? She looked over at Billy. He was 
watching them like a stern schoolteacher with his arms folded and his chin up. Billy.
"What did he say to you?" Her voice was shaking. She was trying very hard not to 
cry.
"Nothing." It was a short, curt answer. Dana had never heard this tone before 
from him. The voice he had been using with her before was soft and warm and 
compassionate. She didn't like the change at all.
"Nothing?" Dana echoed, not believing.
Fox finally turned to face the girl. He could barely look her in the eyes. He was 
too scared that if he got lost in her gaze, he would forget that she was fifteen. Forget that 
she was too young for him now.
"You better go," He said in a cold voice. He couldn't believe how hard he was 
sounding, it amazed him that he could make himself sound so unfeeling. "Your parents 
may have a problem with you being up past your bedtime."
The last statement hit her out of nowhere. Her eyes first widened with shock and 
then began to swell with tears. The tears were coming on too much. She wasn't strong 
enough to stop them anymore. 
"All right, then," She whispered, her voice a mixture of pain and anger. She 
turned away quickly, her pride wouldn't allow her to let him see her crying. She slowly 
walked away and didn't let the tears fall until she was safely away from him.
Billy silently followed Dana as they walked off the beach. Once they started and 
were far enough away from the rocks and that boy, Billy wrapped the sweatshirt around 
Dana's shoulders.
"Dana-" He started to say, but he stopped when she shoved him away from her.
"What did you say to him?" Her voice was low and dark, a tone that Billy had 
never heard in his baby sister, ever.
"Nothing." 
Dana laughed harshly, her voice muffled by her crying. "Well at least you both 
got your stories straight."
"You're too young to be doing that kind of thing with a guy that old anyway, 
Dana. So forget about it."
"What the hell did you say to him?" She repeated.
Billy lost his temper. "I told him how old his new little girlfriend was. Or should I 
say how young. Jesus, Dana, the guy was practically my age." He shuddered at the idea of 
necking with a fifteen-year old. 
"It's a good thing I came when I did," Billy continued, his voice steadily rising. It 
was also a good thing no one was out this late, listening to them rant at each other. "He 
could of taken advantage of you. He might have wanted a lot more than kissing and how 
the hell were you going to stop him?"
"I don't need you to protect me," Dana yelled back right into his face. She had 
never been intimidated by her older brother despite the fact that he was much bigger than 
her. "I can take care of myself. It would be my decision, anyway Billy, mine if I wanted 
him to stop or not. It's not yours. So just butt out, Billy, and leave me alone!"
Dana couldn't stand it anymore. She bolted ahead of her brother and ran to the 
house.
Billy sadly watched her sister run away from him. He felt bad for how his little 
sister was feeling right now, but he didn't feel sorry. He would do anything to protect his 
sisters from older guys like that. When he had arrived at the beach to pick up his sister, 
he became concerned when she wasn't in front of the lifeguard stand like she said she 
would be. When he saw a couple sitting rather intimately on the rocks on the other side 
of the beach, he never thought that it would be his sister and some creep. He had to fight 
the urge to grab his sister away from the stranger when he saw the two kissing. It made 
him sick that some guy would take advantage of his sister like that. Thank God he came 
when he did.

Fox hadn't moved since the red-headed girl and her older brother had left him. He 
felt so awful. Where did that spiteful comment come from? The moment he uttered that 
awful zinger, he immediately regretted it once he saw that beautiful face crumple in 
tears. He wanted to apologize immediately, throw himself down on the sand and beg 
forgiveness, but he didn't. Maybe it was better this way.
He was so confused. He didn't know what to think of the beautiful stranger he 
had spent the evening with. They had talked and shared secrets and kisses that were so 
wonderful. He had thought she was younger than him, but not that young. God, he 
thought with a nauseous feeling in his stomach, she was just a little older than Samantha.
Fox glared up at the sky. I don't believe in you anymore, he said defiantly to the 
God who he had praised just ten minutes ago. What kind of God would bring him such a 
beautiful girl who seemed years more intelligent than he and then snatch her away with 
the horrible fact that she was barely a teenager?
 
Dana's parents immediately noticed her change of behavior once she had 
slammed her way into the house that night. They weren't used to seeing their usually 
most well-behaved child acting so moody. She had stomped off to her bedroom and 
slammed the door. Missy was in the room as well and her eyes widened as she watched 
her normally reserved sister sit down and burst into tears right there on the bed.
Missy was immediately at her side. She always had been. "What's wrong, Dana? 
Tell me."
And so she did. The whole wonderful, miserable story spilled out in between 
hiccups, choked back sobs, and fresh tears all over again. After her tearful recollection, 
Dana allowed herself to be engulfed in Missy's sympathetic embrace.
Why are boys like this? She remembered asking her older sister as she wiped the 
tears off on Missy's sweater. Why are they so dumb?
"Because they're programmed differently than us, Dana," Missy said 
automatically. "They're fifteen minutes behind us, always."
"I hate Billy." She didn't mean it. Of course she didn't. But right then she did 
because she had no one else to blame.
"I hate him too, then." Missy replied soothingly, knowing it was what Dana 
needed to hear. Dana didn't need rationale or practical explanations right then, what she 
needed was comfort and understanding. 
There was a knock at the door. Missy and Dana both looked up. Missy's arms 
were around Dana now, supporting her.
"Dana, honey?" Her mother's soft voice could be heard through the door. "Are 
you all right, dear?"
Missy and Dana both looked at each other. Missy attempted to get up to open the 
door, but Dana shook her head. Dana didn't want anyone to see her right now.
"I'm fine, Mom," Dana didn't sound very convincing.
"Oh, okay." Dana could tell her mother was unhappy that she hadn't chosen to 
confide in her. At least, not right now. 
"I left some cut watermelon in the fridge, girls, if you should want any later 
tonight."
"Thanks, Mom." Missy said through the door. The door had been closed the 
entire time. She felt bad, thinking of her mother outside the door trying to talk to her 
girls, wondering why they wouldn't let her in.
Missy and Dana listened as they heard their mother slowly walk away from the 
door.
"I'm sorry," Dana said, her voice shaking with frustration. "I can't tell them this, 
not now. Not when it just happened. Maybe not ever."
"I know," Missy felt so bad for her sister. To have your first kiss and first 
rejection happen within a matter of minutes. She felt like strangling Billy and that 
asshole who broke her sister's heart. How could they have been so insensitive? Poor 
Dana, she thought. She looked absolutely miserable. 
"I just don't get it," Dana could feel the tears building up again. She sighed. She 
thought she had finished all the crying that could possibly come out of her. But just 
thinking of the beautiful hazel-eyed boy made her upset all over again.
"Oh Dana," Missy cried as she hugged her sister again. She hugged her hard, 
trying to take away some of her little sister's pain to make it hurt a little less. "He's not 
worth it, he isn't. I know you might think he's really great, but he's not. Please don't 
cry."
Dana shook her head. "You don't understand, Missy, you didn't see him. You 
didn't talk to him for three hours like I did. He was amazing.I've never met a guy like 
him before. All the other boys I've met have been so obsessed with looking cool and 
making fun of what you say, but he..he listened to me. He understood." Dana looked up 
to the ceiling for a second as the tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill over. 
"What if.."
"What if what?" Missy gently prodded.
Dana looked down back at her sister, the tears slowly falling down her cheeks. 
"What if he was the one, the one I've been waiting for, and he's gone now forever?"
Missy laughed softly and took her sister back in her arms. And she had always 
thought that she was the melodramatic one while Dana was the practical one. But then 
again, no one is ever practical when it comes to boys.
"Dana, believe me, that's not the last boy that's going to make you feel this way," 
Missy promised. "There will be plenty of boys who are just as wonderful. And in the rare 
possibility that this boy tonight is the one, then nothing, not even William Scully, Jr. is 
going to stop you two from being together. Soulmates find a way to be together in even 
the worst of circumstances."
"Like you and Jason?"
Missy smiled at the thought of her own boyfriend. "Yes, like me and Jason."
"But I'll never see him again."
"If he's the one, Dana, you will."

Several Days Later..
Dana sullenly watched her parents pack up the luggage in their bedroom. She 
lazily sat in a wicker chair in the corner and didn't even bother to pretend to be reading 
the magazine she was holding. Missy, Charlie, and Billy were getting ready to go to the 
beach one last time. Their week on Martha's Vineyard was coming to an end. They 
begged Dana to come along with them, but she refused. Just as she had refused every 
other time they had asked her that week. After her incident with the hazel-eyed boy and 
Billy's interruption, she hadn't set foot on the beach, instead choosing to sulk in the 
house or go into town and walk aimlessly through the gift shops.
Missy stood outside the doorway with a couple of towels in her hand. She had to 
convince her sister somehow of getting out of the house. Dana couldn't spend her last 
day of vacation cooped up in the house.
"C'mon, Dana," Missy cooed, "The beach, last day. It'll be fun. C'mon Dana, 
you're not going to leave me alone with Billy and Charlie, are you?"
"Sorry." Dana shook her head.  She wasn't going to move.
Missy sighed. "You're being dumb."
"So I'm being dumb."
Missy looked imploringly at her parents for help. 
Maggie walked over to her youngest daughter and put her arms around her from 
the back.
"Missy's right, honey," Maggie softly whispered in  her sullen daughter's ear. 
"You should go out and get some air. You've been cooped up in here for too long."
"I'd rather be here with you guys, Mom."
William cleared his throat and walked over to his Scully women to join their 
conversation. He knew Dana had been upset for most of their vacation over some 
incident she had with a boy on the beach. He knew that much from Billy. And William 
was not at all sorry about Billy's actions. He knew he would have done the same thing 
and possibly given the little twerp who kissed his daughter a good scare. But watching his 
little Starbuck mope around the house so unhappy and so devoid of any spirit broke his 
heart.
"As much as we love being with you Starbuck, wouldn't you rather go out and 
have fun with your brothers and sister?" William asked as he put his hand on his 
Starbuck's shoulder. They were all surrounding her now, all trying to cajole her out of the 
chair and go back out into the world. "Your mother and I are going to return the rental 
car now, anyway. You don't want to be home by yourself, do you?"
"Do you think I'm not old enough to stay home alone?" Dana asked, defensively. 
Why didn't anyone think she was old enough to do anything?
"No," William denied. "It'll just be very boring for you." He paused for a second 
and smiled. "What are you so scared of out there, anyway?"
Dana stiffened. "Nothing."
"Then why don't you want to go out with your brothers and Missy? Are you trying 
to avoid someone?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Dana looked up and glared at her father. He only smiled bigger, realizing his 
victory.

[End of part 2/3]

Summer of '79 (3/3)
By Deepblue21

Although she would never admit it, Dana was glad her father had talked her into 
going out. She had missed the beach. Billy and Charlie were out in the water playing. 
Missy and she were lying out on the beach, sunbathing. Missy had fallen asleep after they 
had both lathered themselves up in sunblock. Their skin was so fair that a minute without 
the protection would inevitably lead to uncomfortable sunburns. 
Dana looked up to the sky, tilting her head to peer at the sun. She was wearing 
Missy's sunglasses, the sunglasses that were cat-shaped and made Missy look like a 
movie star. Although Dana was sure she certainly didn't look like a movie star, she 
probably just looked silly in them. But she didn't care. 
The salt air and the cool breeze soothed her fraying nerves as she cautiously 
looked around to see if the boy was there. Half of her hoped that he would be so that she 
could tell him off and yell at him for hurting her like that. And the other half of her hoped 
she would never see him again so she would stop missing him so much. God! She 
admonished to herself as she sat up and looked out into the ocean. Why was she still 
thinking about him? She had to get him out of her mind. She just had to.

Near the shore on the same beach, Fox and his two friends, Don and Jack were 
busy setting up Jack's sailboat to get ready to go fishing. It was the first time Fox had 
been out of the house and socializing since his night with the fifteen-year-old. His friends 
had begged him to go out, not knowing why he was so depressed and keeping himself 
cooped up the entire time. Fox hadn't told them what had happened. He never could. 
Partly because he didn't want to deal with the endless teasing from his friends and also 
partly because he didn't want to ruin the memory by sharing it with anyone else. Because 
although he knew it was wrong and stupid for him to go after such a young girl, he still 
had a special feeling about the encounter. And the girl. 
Don and Jack were friends from high school who also spent their summers on the 
Island. The only difference is that their parents weren't divorced, so their parents were 
also here, together. Fox couldn't relate. The three had always been good friends in high 
school and once college started, they had hoped to catch up on old times through their 
summer here. But Don and Jack were frustrated with Fox's strange behavior. Fox only 
had two weeks there on the Island, and for the last week, he had been wanting to be alone 
and not spend any time with his high school chums.
And now that they had finally convinced him to get out of the house and have 
some fun, he still seemed like he was a million miles away.
"Are you okay, man?" Don asked his friend for the fifth time that day. 
"Yeah," Fox responded for the fifth time that day.
"Because there's a reason I ask this so many times," Don explained. "I don't 
believe you. What's going on?"
Fox turned to look at his friend, for what seemed like the first time. "I'm sorry, I 
guess my mind was on something else."
 Jack looked up at his two friends from outside of the sailboat. He shook his head 
at Don as they both exchanged glances. When Fox decided to keep quiet about 
something, he kept his promise. 
"Ready to go, then?" Jack asked as he jumped into the sailboat.
"Yeah," Fox agreed, ready to get this trip over with. The idea of fun right now 
didn't appeal to him. He only agreed to go because he felt bad about neglecting his 
friends. But he couldn't help it. All he could think about was that girl and the awful thing 
he did to her. He felt terrible. He couldn't forget the hurt expression she had when she 
had left him- when he had driven her away. It made him feel sick inside.
Fox turned to look back at the beach as Jack and Don got ready to sail the boat 
when Fox saw her.
"Wait," He said as he jumped out of the boat. He had to see her.
"Fox! Where are you going?" Don yelled as his friend had jumped out onto the 
dock and began running to the sand.
Fox turned around quickly, "I'll be right back." He walked quickly toward the 
beach.
"Fox? Fox!" He hadn't heard his friends yelling at him as he ran towards the girl.

Dana didn't see him coming until it was too late. She had seen a figure walking 
up to her from the shore but because of the sun's glare, she couldn't distinguish who it 
was until he was right in front of her.
Fox stopped right when he got to her and the other girl lying next to her. From her 
red hair and similar features, he assumed she was her sister. Jesus, he thought to himself, 
how many siblings does she have?
Dana simply stared at him coolly. Thank God she was wearing sunglasses. That 
way, he couldn't tell what she was thinking, unless, of course, he could hear her heart 
pounding like a sledgehammer through her bathingsuit. 
Fox wanted to say something, he really did. But he was just so stunned to see her 
again, her beautiful face, her long gorgeous hair that fell just past her shoulders. He 
wanted to take off her sunglasses to see her blue eyes just one more time.
Dana was getting a little impatient. He was just staring at her and it was making 
her a little uncomfortable. "Yes?" She finally broke the silence.
Fox opened his mouth but nothing was coming out.
Dana just stared back, her eyebrows crinkling, wondering what the hell he was 
doing. 
Missy woke up just then and turned to see her sister and some guy standing in her 
sun. "You're in my sun."
Fox jumped away. "Sorry." 
Missy just nodded and turned her head back onto the towel and resumed her nap. 
Fox sheepishly turned his attention back to the fifteen-year-old. He needed to talk 
to her. He wanted her to understand. He wanted to apologize and make up for his stupid 
behavior the other night. But he couldn't do it with her older sister there.
"What do you want?" The girl's impatient voice finally broke Fox's train of 
thought.
If it was any other girl, Fox would have blown her off by now. She was being 
rude. He didn't need this. But she was different. Any and all preconceived notions about 
women were thrown out the door when it came to this girl. And besides, he deserved it. 
He had treated her like shit that night.
"Do you want to take a walk?" It was a simple question and an olive branch. He 
was trying to apologize, Dana quickly realized. Well, she wasn't going to make it easy.
"Where?"
"Around." Fox's patience was wearing thin. He knew he had treated her crappy 
on the beach that night, but he wanted to make up. Unfortunately, she wasn't cooperating 
very well. "Wherever you want."
"Gee, I don't know," Dana replied in an overtly innocent and sincere voice. "You 
see, my parents have a problem with their young children going `around' places with 
strangers."
You deserved that, Fox told himself. He couldn't afford to get defensive right 
now. What he needed to do was regain her trust. He tried a different tactic. He cocked his 
head to the side and smiled his sweet, sad half-smile. His endearing puppy-dog face. 
Even his mother couldn't resist it. And none of his former girlfriends could ever be mad 
at him for long after he gave them that look. 
But she just stared back at him, her face wrinkling just a bit in confusion, like she 
was wondering what exactly he was doing. Damn it. Of course she had to be the 
exception. 
So he tried the next best tactic. Honesty.
"Please," He said quietly. "I want to talk to you. I want to explain."
Dana eyed him suspiciously for a second and then relented. She cursed herself for 
being so weak. Why couldn't she have been stronger? Maybe if he wasn't so damn cute. 
She got up, ignoring the hand he offered to help her off the sand. She wasn't 
ready to touch him again. She knew the moment he held her she would forgive and forget 
and then he would have the power to walk all over her again.
They both silently began to walk toward the shore, keeping their distance from 
each other. He still hadn't forgotten the fact that she was fifteen and she hadn't forgotten 
his cruel behavior toward her that night. 
"I'm sorry about the way I acted that night," Fox finally broke the silence by 
cutting right through the bullshit.
Dana kept silent for a second. "Which part?"
"Huh?" Fox was confused.
"Are you sorry for kissing me or are you sorry for acting like an asshole after my 
brother came?"
Fox hesitated for a second, contemplating this. He would never ever regret kissing 
her. "The second part. The part of me acting like an asshole."
"Are you sure?"
"What?"
"Are you sure? Because you hesitated for a second, there."
Fox rolled his eyes in frustration. "Yes, I'm sure."
"All right, just checking."
Fox snuck a glance at her and saw her hiding a secret smile. He had never seen 
this side of the girl before. He had been used to the sweet, gentle demeanor of that night. 
But he had to admit, he liked the spitfire she was showing now. He respected and 
admired this spunk. 
"I fucked up-"
"Yeah." She nodded her head in agreement.
"What I said was stupid and mean. I didn't mean it at all, I was just a little 
shocked when your brother told me-"
"Yeah, I know. Billy had no right to butt in like that."
"But you could have told me, you know."
"Told you what?"
"That you were only fifteen."
Dana kept silent for a second and looked down at the waves that were making 
their way up the shore. The cold water felt good on her feet. She missed the feeling 
instantly when the water returned to the ocean. They were beginning to approach the 
rocks, the same rocks that they were on that night.
"I didn't think it was very important, quite honestly. You didn't tell me how old 
you were."
They both climbed onto the rocks and sat down, keeping a safe distance away 
from each other.
Fox pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "It is, 
though."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not fifteen. I'm eighteen. It's really important."
"It's three years. My dad is five  years older than my mom and that didn't stop 
them."
"It's different."
"Why?"
	"I don't know why. It just is. You're still a kid."
Dana looked away and pretended to be interested in looking at the sailboats. She 
didn't want him to see her face. She thought he had come up to her today to apologize 
and maybe they could go back to where they were that night before Billy had interrupted 
them. Back when they could kiss and hold each other. But it seemed like he didn't want 
that. He was still hung up over the age thing.
"I don't understand you." She finally said. Her voice was raspy as she kept the 
tears down her throat. 
"What?" Fox was shocked. He didn't mean to hurt her and it was obvious to him 
that he just did it again. 
"Why bother talking to me now then, if I'm so young? Why couldn't you just 
leave me alone? Did you think you didn't hurt me enough the other night and had to 
come back and finish the job?"
Fox was at a loss for words. He had no idea where this conversation had taken its 
wrong turn. He didn't mean for it to be like this.  He had just wanted to talk to her and 
make her understand and..And what? A little voice nagged at him. What exactly was he 
doing here?
"No, I., I just wanted to talk things out and..I don't know." 
"Well," Dana said, trying to sound casual and cheery as she got up to walk away 
from him. "This was really nice and everything, but I really need to go now. We should 
do this again sometime, you know, when you finally figure out why you should bother 
talking to me."
"Wait, where are you going?" He asked desperately as she turned her back to him 
and started walking away.
Dana stopped and turned around. "Why do you care?"
"Because we're not finished yet. Now sit down." He pointed to the rocks, sat 
down, and patted the space next to him.
Someone should have told this guy that no one tells Dana Scully what to do.
"Forget it, I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not interested in talking to someone who thinks I'm some kind of 
baby."
"I don't think you're a baby."
"Then why do you keep bringing up the age issue?"
Fox looked at her for a long time as he tried to come up with an answer. But he 
kept getting distracted. By her. Her face was crumpled up in a unique expression. She 
looked pissed off, frustrated, and slightly amused all at the same time. He loved it. He 
wanted to see it all the time.
"You're so beautiful," He said, instantly startling her. "How can you stand it?"
"Stand what?" Dana was thoroughly confused. What the hell was he trying to say?
"Being so beautiful," He cupped his hand to his mouth and shook his head in 
amazement as he took her image in again. "I can't get enough of looking at you."
Dana could almost feel herself melting, but caught herself before getting swept 
away by his very romantic but very smooth compliments. She shook her head at him, 
refusing to be taken in. "You just know exactly what to say to girls to get your way, don't 
you?"
"What? No, I mean it, I- "
"Look, I may be young, as you like to remind me, but I'm not stupid." Dana 
sighed heavily and sat down on the rocks again, exhausted by their confusing 
conversation. "I really don't know where this conversation is going. Maybe it's the whole 
age thing and I'm not mature or smart enough to understand what's going on here or 
something. So it's up to you, old man. I just want to know if I'm wasting my time here or 
not."
Fox was quiet for a few minutes, contemplating this. He had meant every word he 
said to the girl but he didn't blame her for being suspicious, or even a little nauseous. His 
lines sounded like something out of a bad soap opera. He should have said it in a more 
casual or relaxed way; instead it came out like he was some love-sick wimp. He had to 
choose his words carefully so she would know that he meant them.
"For the last couple of days I've been replaying our conversations we had that 
night over and over in my head," Fox said slowly, still unsure if he should be revealing 
this much of himself to another person, even if it was her. "I loved them. I never want to 
forget them. I've never.." Oh God, this was hard for him. "I've never talked to anyone 
like that before, connected with anyone like I did with you."
"Me too," Dana said softly, appreciating his sincere honesty. This boy was so 
confusing. He could infuriate her one second and then touch her another second with the 
whims of his words. 
"I'm not asking for a commitment, you know," Dana whispered. "Just a chance. 
A chance to get to know each other better. We've just met each other, but I already know 
that you're a really nice guy. And I think in time,  I could really like you a lot. Hell, I 
already do like you a lot. Don't you think we deserve a chance to see what happens?"
"We can't."
"Why do you keep saying that? Why not? Give me a real reason why not."
It was amazing to Fox that all this time he hadn't touched her when the first 
moment he saw her he wanted to fold her in his arms and never let go. He noticed a tear 
slowly trickle down her face as she tried to turn her head away so he wouldn't see. He 
felt a pain in his chest. He had done this to her. He had made her sad and made her cry. It 
was all his fault.
"Don't," He pleaded. The tear was followed by another one. "Please don't cry."
	"Don't tell me what to do." Her statement was direct and gentle at the same time.
He finally reached over, unable to stand it anymore, and gathered her in his arms. 
She stiffened at first, but soon relaxed into his warm arms, allowing her head to rest on 
his shoulder.
They held each other like that for a long time. Dana resented the fact that she was 
letting him hold her after what he had said. He didn't want to see her again. So why was 
he leading her on like this? Why did he have to be so damn sweet and loving while he 
was breaking her heart?
"I'm sorry," He mumbled into her hair, knowing it was a futile apology. "I'm so 
sorry, you don't deserve this. God, why did I have to meet you now?"
Dana immediately froze at his last comment. "What?"
"Now, when everything, the timing, the situation is all wrong," Fox continued. 
"Our timing sucks. I wasn't supposed to find you yet. We've still got too much living to 
do. You've got high school and a million boys' hearts to break besides my own ahead of 
you and I'm going to England in a couple of months. It won't work."
"What about this summer? You can come to Maryland-"
"No." He held her tighter to make sure she wouldn't pull away. " If I spent any 
more time with you, I'm sure I'll fall in love with you. I like you too much already now 
and it won't take much more for me to love you. You don't want me. I'd only be a 
burden to you and you'd grow to resent me and I'll hate myself for it."
"You're talking crazy," Dana said softly, wiping her tears off his tee-shirt. She 
wanted to break free from his embrace and run away. Far enough so she would forget the 
hurt she was feeling. "I don't understand how you can be so morbid about love. Love is 
supposed to be a good thing, but you're making it out to be something miserable. It's not 
as tragic as you think it is. There is such a thing as happy love, even if you refuse to 
believe it exists."
"I'm sorry," Fox whispered.
"Stop it, stop apologizing. I'm sick of it." Her voice was mixed with frustration 
and fatigue. Dana pushed herself away from his embrace and moved away from him. Still 
sitting on the rock, she hugged her arms around her legs. She was embarrassed that she 
had revealed so much of herself to him.
They sat there silent together for almost five minutes. Neither saying a word, just 
sitting next to each other, both sad and frustrated. Dana felt the urge to run away, but she 
knew the moment she did she might never see him again. And she would rather sit next 
to him miserable than be by herself miserable.
Fox didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to believe the girl's reasonings 
and thoughts so much that they did have a chance. But he knew that it would only end 
badly and he would hurt her like all the men in his family seemed to do to the women 
they loved. He couldn't stand the idea of hurting her. She was so young and so innocent. 
He would only ruin it.
"So what happens now?" Dana broke the silence and beating right to the punch. 
This conversation was exhausting her. Half of her wanted to stop and give up, run back to 
her sister  and cry and curse boys again. But the other half of her still wanted to fight him 
and convince him that it could work if they only both tried. 
"I don't know," Fox admitted. "I guess you get to walk away in the sun as I look 
on. Regretting the stupidest mistake I ever made."
Dana laughed, in spite of herself. "You're so melodramatic."
"Yeah, I know, I wear my heart on my sleeve. The sensitive, morose, love-sick 
bastard."
Dana got up and looked at him sadly. " I hate this." She told him honestly.
"I hate this too." He took her hands into his,  hoping she wouldn't pull away. She 
didn't. He leaned forward and kissed each of her palms.
Dana knew immediately that this was his way of saying goodbye to her.
"Don't forget me," His voice came out in a harsh whisper, his tears sticking to the 
back of his throat. His hands began to shake as he dropped her hands. He crossed his 
arms to try to stop the shaking. He didn't want her to see how badly he was shaking. 
"Please don't forget me."
"I won't," Dana promised. "As long as you don't forget me either. Especially with 
all those English girls you'll be meeting at Oxford." 
Fox sighed. "I don't think I'd ever forget you, even if I tried."
Dana threw his arms around him, capturing him in a fierce hug before he could 
pull away. "Then don't try."
He automatically folded his arms around her, bringing her closer to him.
"Who knows?" Dana told him, burying her face in his shoulder. " Maybe we'll 
see each other again. When we're older and I'm legal."
Fox smiled at the girl's optimism. "Maybe." He doubted it would ever happen. 
The best things in the world only come once in a lifetime. He hugged her tighter, resting 
his chin on the top of her head. This was probably the last time he would ever do this and 
he wanted to remember the moment.
She leaned into his mouth and gave him a chaste kiss goodbye on the lips. It was 
an incredibly risky move, she knew that, but she couldn't stand the idea of never getting 
the chance to feel his lips on hers again if she could help it. 
At first, Fox was caught by surprise by her move, but surprise soon turned into 
affection as he responded to her kiss more passionately than he thought possible for him 
or for anyone. After they separated, he impulsively leaned forward to give her another 
quick peck, a little unwilling to part from her lips so soon.
She looked up into his eyes again, trying to read his thoughts through his facial 
expressions. He looked very sad and a little regretful, but not enough, she knew, to 
change his mind about the situation. She didn't agree with his decision at all, but she 
would have to accept it, and deep down inside, in a part of herself that wasn't ready to 
admit the real truth just yet, she knew he was doing this for her, his silly, romantic way of 
protecting her. 
Fox put his palm onto her cheek and admired the beautiful young face before him. 
They stared at each other for a minute, trying to memorize the moment and the person 
before them. 
After a while, he dropped his hand and she stepped back. They had said their 
good-byes and now it was time for them to leave each other. Dana walked away quickly, 
afraid that if she didn't do it fast enough, she might lose her nerve and run back to him 
again. 

Fox watched her leave. His chest hurt so much, as if his heart was punishing him 
for what he was doing to it. He watched her walk back to the beach, anxious not to lose 
sight of her. When she did eventually blend in with the rest of the crowd, Fox turned and 
headed back to the sailboat, where his impatient and bewildered friends were probably 
waiting for him.
As he apologized to his friends who were as confused as ever at his abrupt and 
lengthy disappearance, Fox couldn't help craning his neck to catch one more look at the 
girl. But he couldn't see her. She had been swallowed by the faceless masses on the 
beach. 
"Who were you talking to for so long?" Jack demanded to know, breaking Fox's 
concentration.
"Huh?" Fox asked, absentmindedly.
"The pretty red-headed girl," Don reminded him, impatiently. "What was her 
name?"
"You did get her name, right?" Jack asked.
Fox just stared at his friends in amazement. It then occurred to him that he never 
asked her what her name was. He looked back at the crowded beach. Their last 
conversation and what she said haunted him <Don't forget me>. He wouldn't, he knew 
that. He could never ever forget her. But it would have been nice if he had a name to 
attach to the beautiful face. But then again, he thought, maybe not. There was something 
special in knowing that she was just his beautiful redhead, that even if they didn't know 
each other's names, they already knew each other much more intimately than that. 
Names were inconsequential now.

	When Dana walked back to her sister, Missy was already awake and waiting for 
her. She had seen her little sister and this boy she had been talking about so much. Missy 
had been impressed when she saw the boy. Her little sister had good taste.
	Dana sat down next to her sister in silence. They didn't say anything for a while. 
Missy suspected that the couple's second encounter did not end as happily as they might 
have wanted it. Missy took her sister's hand into her own and held it, squeezing 
occasionally to reassure her that she didn't have to go through this all alone.
After a couple of minutes, Dana put her head on her sister's shoulder. The tears 
couldn't help spilling onto her face again. She thought she had cried as much as was 
possible, but she hadn't. Her second meeting with the boy had re-opened and deepened 
the sadness and loneliness she had felt after that night. 
"Please tell me it gets easier," Dana said softly as she wiped her eyes. She was 
sure that her face was going to be completely swollen from all the crying she had been 
doing that day. "Please tell me that boys and relationships are not this hard and doesn't 
hurt this much. Because I don't think I will be able to get through these teenage years 
hurting like this."
Missy didn't have the heart to tell her sister that it would only get worse. Instead, 
she tightened her arms around her little sister and let her weep for the first boy she had 
ever fallen for. 
"I'll never see him again," Dana sighed, her voice now calm, but defeated.
"You don't know that for sure."
Dana was silent for a second and then stiffened and sat up at a sudden realization.
"I don't even know his name," She said outloud.
"You don't?" 
"No." Dana wanted to kick herself. How could she be so stupid? How could she 
forget to ask the name of a boy who had affected her so deeply the past week?
"It's okay," Missy said soothingly. "Names aren't important. Anyway, it's not the 
name you're going to remember after all this, it'll be the feeling."
Usually, Dana would have rolled her eyes in exasperation at her sister's romantic 
garble. But her sentimental words were a source of comfort to Dana right now. She 
closed her eyes and put her head back on her sister's shoulder. She tried to picture the 
hazel-eyed boy's face. She smiled. Indeed, names weren't all that important.
On a beach in Martha's Vineyard, there is a sailboat with a boy on it and he's 
thinking of a pretty red-headed girl he met on that very beach. She is no more than half a 
mile away from him. She's thinking of him too. As the years pass, due to time and other 
people passing through their lives, they will forget each other's faces. But they will never 
forget the feeling. The little empty place in their hearts after parting from each other that 
summer day in 1979. First love. So painful. So wonderful. So irreplaceable. 
"You'll see him again," Missy murmured to her sister.
Dana smiled. "I know I will."

THE END.for now.. *
So what do you think? Is it crap? Is it readable? Should there be a sequel? I beg for 
feedback.
By Aimee (Deepblue21@aol.com)

[End of part 3/3]