From: tygreyz@hotmail.com Date: 15 Dec 1999 08:30:38 -0000 Subject: xfc: Never Learn Goodbye (1/1) by TygrEyz Source: xfc From: tygreyz@hotmail.com TITLE: Never Learn Goodbye AUTHOR: TygrEyz E-MAIL ADDRESS: tygreyz@hotmail.com SPOILERS: I don't think so. DISTRIBUTION: Just let me know so I can see! RATING: G CLASSIFICATION: S, MSR KEYWORDS: Pre-XF to present, MSR FEEDBACK: I would love to hear from you. SUMMARY: Childhood love: Fate undeniable. A summer of unforgettable friendship. DISCLAIMER: Not mine. It wouldn't have take me seven years to kiss him. *** "I do, cherish you For the rest of my life You don't have to think twice I will, love you still From the depths of my soul It's beyond my control I've waited so long to say this to you If you're asking do I love you this much I do" ~98 Degrees~ *** Part One- The Beginning ************** "What's your name?" the tall boy asked. "Dana," she replied. "If I ever have a daughter I want to name her that." Dana became curious, "What's *your* name?" He looked down and scuffed his shoe in the sand, "I...um, I don't really want to tell you. I don't really like it." "I won't laugh, I promise," Dana encouraged sincerely. He mumbled something she couldn't understand. "What?" "Fox." Her eyes got big, "Really." "Yeah." She smiled, "That's my favorite animal because it's red. Or at least most of them are." "Because of your hair?" "That's it." Fox grinned, it was only a guess. He was glad it had been correct. ************** Part Two- No Worries When Mrs. Scully heard about Fox she believed he was just an imaginary friend. Dana had always been a very grounded girl but she supposed that all girls at one time or another had one. But one afternoon she looked out to see her small daughter running alongside a tall thin boy. They looked very happy. She stepped out on the porch. "Dana!" she called. Dana looked up towards the house and smiled. She motioned with her hand to the boy and came up to her mother. "Yeah, Mom?" "I just wanted to meet your friend." "This is Fox. Fox this is my mom." "I'm pleased to meet you, Dana's mom." "And I'm pleased to meet you, Fox. You two go have fun." "We will!" They ran back down to the water. It would take some worry off of her to know Dana was with Fox. He seemed like a very capable boy to take care of her little girl. ************** Part Three- The Introduction "Fox, can you come to dinner?" "I don't know. I'm not sure if my dad will be home or not." "Is he home very much?" "No. He brought me here because he had work to do. We left my mom and...uh, my mom back where we live." "Oh. Well, I hope you can! My dad's coming home." "I'll try." "Hello, Fox," Captain Scully said, "I've heard a lot about you." "I've heard a lot about you too, sir." The captain looked at Dana. He nodded. Later he sat in the living room. Dana looked at him anxiously. "What do you think of him?" "I think he's a fine young man, Starbuck. When you get older I wouldn't mind you marrying a man like him. He's got a good head on his shoulders." "I'm glad you think so, Ahab." ************** Part Four- A Glimpse of the Future "Fox, you ready to go?" Fox jumped to his feet so he could follow his petite friend, "Dana...wait." She turned, "Yes?" "I just wanted to thank you for being my friend." "I'll always be your friend." "I know," he laid his hands on her shoulders and softly placed his lips on hers in a silent promise. She smiled, "I know." ************** Part Five- Wake-up Call "No, no, Fox!! Fox, be careful." "Scully!" Scully woke with a start. She vaguely remembered falling asleep on her couch. But now she was in her bed, still in her clothes. "Mulder?" she mumbled. "You were having a dream," he told her feeling like he was stating the obvious. She sat up, "Yes, I was." "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. "I don't know Mulder." "Mulder?" he said good naturedly, "What happened to Fox?" She shook her head, "It was just something from my childhood." "You had a dog named Fox and you didn't tell me about it?" "Not exactly." Scully closed her eyes and remembered... "Dear Dana, I regret that I have to tell you this in a letter but there is no time for me to do it in person. My father and I leave for home in less than an hour. This is our secret spot, so I know you will find this letter. You are my closest friend. But for circumstances I can't control, we can never meet again. I will never forget you and how you accepted me for who I am. Little Bit, you're going to do big things. I'll love you and miss you always. Forever yours, Fox" Scully laughed, "My mom was sure he was my imaginary friend. No matter what I said I couldn't convince her otherwise until she got to meet him. He was my best friend. But, he had to leave. There was never any way to get in touch. We never knew each other's last names. He said he'd never forget, and I never did either." A look of surprise spread over his face. "You were eleven." "Yes, it was the summer of '74." "Little Bit." "What?" "The nickname. I don't know why I didn't see it before. Can I sing you a song?" "Of course." "I will be walking one day Down a street far away And see a face in the crowd and smile Knowing how you made me laugh Hearing sweet echoes of you from the past I will remember you Look in my eyes while you're near Tell me what's happening here See that I don't want to say goodbye Our love is frozen in time I'll be your champion and you will be mine I will remember I will remember you Later on When this fire is an ember Later on When the night's not so tender Given time Though it's hard to remember darlin' I will be holding I'll still be holding to you I will remember you So many years come and gone And yet the memory is strong One word we never could learn Goodbye True love is frozen in time I'll be your champion and you will be mine I will remember you So please remember I will remember you I will remember you I will remember you I will remember you" She stared at him in shock, "It's not possible." "It's too possible. We never learned goodbye. But in my letter I said you were destined for big things. I never meant.." "No," she interrupted. "This was meant to be. We've been best friends all along, just in our adult lives we had to learn to trust each other again. The foundation was already there, we just had to build on it. And we had no idea." Mulder leaned forward and looked into her eyes, "No wonder I felt like I'd known you forever. Scully, that was...leaving you ripped me apart. It hadn't even been a year since Samantha had been taken. You gave me back my courage. Whenever I was scared or hurting I thought of you. I grew up and went to college and never was there a day went by that I didn't wish you were there with me. Then you walked into my office. Everything changed. Instead of seeing that little girl smiling at me I saw you. It never occurred to me that anything had changed, because in reality it hadn't." "I felt so bad when I found that letter," Scully said as she took his hand, "Because I didn't get to say goodbye. But like you said, we never learned to say that, because our next words would be greetings instead. My mom tried to find you for me, but only ran into dead ends. I cried myself to sleep every night, you were in every prayer. I wished, after he had died, that you had met my father. But you did." "What about your mom? She insisted on calling me Fox. Did she know something we didn't? Or how many boys did you know with the name Fox?" "Only you. I don't know why it didn't occur to me. Had we given up hope? Created a little sanctuary in our mind?" He reached out and ran his hand down her cheek and let it settle underneath her chin, "I don't know. All I know now is that I have you, the cute little girl and the beautiful woman. Scully...Dana, I'm never letting you go again. I love you. Always." Their lips met in a culmination of a kiss began over 25 years in the past. Without their lips ever leaving the other's she whispered, "Forever yours. I love you Fox Mulder." The End *** Did you ever know that you're my hero And everything I would like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle 'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings The wind beneath my wings.. ~ Bette Midler ~ ***