Title: Oxford: Departure
Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono
Rating: PG
Category: Story, Romance
Keywords: Pre-XF, Mulder/Scully Romance
Spoilers: None
Summary: Dana Scully runs away from home and leaves 
          for college with her best friend, Fox Mulder.

This is just me fooling around with their pasts.  
Basically this is just a sort of teenage romance 
story, and no, they will not be going their separate 
ways at the end of the story.  My opinion is that once 
these two get together, no matter if it's in high school 
or in the FBI, there will be no one else for them.

Thanks go to Melina for asking if I was going to write 
any more of these.

Archive-Anyone is welcome to, just e-mail me to say
where it is.  I already posted it to Gossamer.

Feedback: Of Course!  Do you want me to have to beg 
for it?  The addy is RhiaRamsay@aol.com

Disclaimer: Whaddya think?  They're mine?  Not in 
this lifetime.  Maybe in my next I'll write a TV 
show about two FBI agents who investigate the 
paranormal and have a romantic relationship.  
And my name will not be Chris Carter.

Oxford: Departure
Elizabeth L. Iacono

July, 1982
Kennedy Airport
10:15 p.m.


     Dana Scully stood at the windows overlooking 
the airplane gate.  The full moon gleamed high in 
the sky, shining its light over the airplane she 
was about to board shortly.  She stared at her 
reflection in the windows.  A small, eighteen year 
old girl with bright blue eyes, red hair cut in a 
way so that it dangled in her eyes in sort of 
spikes, wearing a pair of broken in jeans and a 
v-neck t-shirt with the arms ripped out.  
She sort of smiled at the reflection.  Not the type of 
person you'd expect to run away from home, she thought.

     She turned around and looked over the waiting 
area.  It wasn't that full, not many people were on 
their flight.  She saw her carry-on bags sitting on 
the floor next to another familiar duffel bag.  Her 
eyes glided up to the form of a tall boy with dark 
hair dressed in dark jeans and a black t-shirt 
standing near the bags, her best friend of three 
years, talking to two older people.  Dana moved 
away from the window and went to join them.

     At the sound of her footsteps the tall boy whose 
name was Fox Mulder turned around and smiled.  
"Nervous about the flight?" he asked.

     Dana elbowed him in the side.  "I'm a navy brat.  
Travel's not a problem."  But her shrug told him 
that this was something else, something that she 
wasn't going to talk about it while Fox's 
grandparents were there.

     She turned to his grandparents.  "Mr. and Mrs. 
Mulder, I can't thank you enough for all of this.  
Is there anyway I could pay you back at all?"

     Vera Mulder waved a hand in the air, a gesture 
leftover from her days as a stage actress.  "Don't 
worry at all about it.  We've got money to burn.  
At least this way we know it's going to a worthy cause."

     Sean Mulder looked down at his wife of 
fifty-seven years and sighed, a smile on his face.  
"Always one for the melodrama, aren't you?"  Vera 
smiled and tossed her long grey braided hair over 
her shoulder.  He then turned to his grandson.  
"Now, Fox, there are some things..."

     Dana was distracted by Vera asking her a 
question.  "Dana, can I speak to you privately 
for a second?"

     "Yeah, sure," she said and they moved a little 
bit away from the two men.  "What is it you want 
to talk about?"

     "I just wanted to tell you to not worry about 
us paying for the four years at Oxford.  Fox needs 
a best friend, you, something he didn't really have 
while he was growing up.  That's reason enough.  
Did Fox ever tell you anything about his childhood?"

     Dana nodded.  "He told me that his sister was 
kidnapped while he was baby-sitting her, and that 
afterwards things were never really easy for him."

     Vera's face became grim.  "Yes, and most of 
that was his father's fault.  I always 
wondered what happened to that boy.  I know it 
wasn't the one I raised.  That's why he spent 
his first three years of college out in San Diego, 
so he could get away from his family.  What 
I'm saying Dana, is just be there for him."

     Dana bit her lip.  "I'll try.  It just 
seems like an awful lot of responsibility."

     Vera laughed.  "Just keep doing what you've 
been doing for the past few years and you'll be fine."

     At that moment the loudspeakers came on.  
"Boarding will begin for the 10:45 flight to 
Heathrow Airport, London."

     Dana and Vera walked back over to where Fox was 
picking up their bags, and handed Dana hers.  Fox 
went over and gave his grandmother a hug and shook 
his grandfather's hand.  "Good luck you two!" Vera 
called after them as they handed their tickets in 
at the gate and walked onto the ramp leading to 
the plane.

     They found their seats quickly and buckled 
in.  They sat through the flight attendant 
explaining the safety procedures, they'd both heard 
them before, and soon the plane began to take off, 
speeding down the runway.

     Dana sat in the window seat as the plane made 
its way over the Atlantic Ocean on its way to 
London.  She twisted her hands nervously in her 
lap.  Suddenly her fidgets were stopped by Fox's 
hand coming down on hers.  She looked up into his 
hazel eyes.

     "So can we talk about what was bothering you 
before, Dane?" he asked.

     She twisted her lips into a half smile.  "Same 
old stuff I've been worrying about lately.  Whether 
it was a good decision to technically run away from 
home and not tell my parents where I'm going to 
college.  If it was a smart move to turn down that 
scholarship, things like that," she grinned ruefully.

     Fox put a comforting arm around her shoulders.  
"You're eighteen now, legally an adult.  You can do 
whatever the hell you want.  And for the millionth 
time, don't worry about the money!"

     Dana let out a little laugh and laid her head 
on Fox's shoulder, her ragged looking red hair 
clinging to his shirt.  "I just felt it was time 
to get out of there, you know?  It's time for me 
to make a life of my own."

     "Well you can always call them when we get 
there if you think they'll be too worried," Fox 
said, rubbing her back.

     She shook her head.  "Nah.  Maybe in a few 
years.  I left them a note saying I was leaving 
so they don't come after me,"  Dana looked up 
at him, her face close to his.  "You sure you've 
got a place for us to stay once we get to Oxford?"

     He nodded, his brown hair brushing her red.  
"Nick's found a relatively cheap place.  We've 
each got our own bedrooms, but we have to share 
bathrooms, a kitchen and living room with two other 
guys and Nick and two other girls."

     "Hopefully one of those girls won't be Phoebe," 
Dana muttered.  Phoebe Green was Fox's ex college 
girlfriend, who was a native Brit herself, while 
he was at San Diego.  Rumors had it that she was 
also heading to Oxford now, and Fox was trying 
his damnedest to avoid her.

     "Got that right," Fox said, thinking of how 
Phoebe had played mind games with him.

     "And just as long as you don't start eyeing 
those other girls," Dana said in a not quite joking 
manner.  Why did I say that, she thought frantically.

     Fox looked down at her with a strange look on 
his face.  "Just as long as you don't start hitting 
on the other guys," he said.

     At that moment each was filled with the 
overwhelming desire to kiss the other.  They looked 
at each other, wondering where this new feeling was 
coming from, or was it buried so deeply in their 
heads that neither noticed it before then.  Fox 
let his head drop forward slightly and his lips 
brushed hers.  Then their lips began to softly 
move against the other's, each keeping in mind 
they were in the middle of an airplane.  Luckily 
it was a night flight, so no one was really 
paying attention to them.  After a few minutes 
of soft, almost child-like kissing they pulled apart.

     Fox and Dana stared at each other.  Would this 
wreck their friendship?  Or would it solidify into 
something more?  Then, Fox's face broke out into a 
smile, and Dana's face soon followed.

     "Do...do you think we should give this a try?" 
Dana said softly.

     "You mean a relationship between us?  Like 
being an actual couple?" Fox asked, still smiling.

     "Yeah," Dana said, meeting his eyes.

     "Yeah, I think we should," he smiled at her, 
and she leaned up and kissed him quickly.

     "Good, me too."  Dana unbuckled her seatbelt, 
pushed up the arm that separated her and Fox's 
chairs, and leaned back against him.  Fox's arms 
went automatically around her waist and pulled her 
close.  He brushed a soft kiss against the top of 
her head.  Together, they settled in for the long 
journey ahead of them.


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Should I do more stories about their life at 
Oxford?  Please tell me what you think at 
RhiaRamsay@aol.com

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"True love, it's the
greatest thing in
the world."

Miracle Max
The Princess Bride
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"Men will fight bravely
and be heroes, but for
a last ditch defense
against any odds, get a
mother."

Lightbringer
High Wizardry
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