From: bellydancergirl7@aol.com   
      
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   All notes disclosed in chapter one.   
      
   Additional note:  This was the hardest chapter so far.  I could not   
   think of a good enough way to end it.  So there I was sitting there   
   and listening to Faster Kill Pussycat by Paul Oakenfold featuring   
   Brittany Murphy (great song, everyone should check it out) when   
   suddenly it came to me and I finally had a satisfactory idea.  I hope   
   everyone else likes it, too.   
      
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   July 25, 1998   10:00 PM   
      
   Vista Fiume   
      
   "I still wish you would've let me pay half."   
      
   "No, I would never let a woman do that."   
      
   "Why? Because you're the man and it's your job?"   
      
   "No, because I believe a woman should feel safe with the man and know   
   that he feels financially secure enough to pay for fancy or even the   
   most uncommon meals when they go out."   
      
   "Good answer."   
      
   "Thanks, it just came to me."   
      
   Dana punched Mulder in the chest, trying not to smile as she did so.   
   He caught her hand as she retreated and pulled her body closer to   
   his.  He wrapped his arms securely around her small frame.  A smile   
   slid onto her lips when he nipped at her ear.   
      
   "Do you think your parents will like me?" he asked her, stopping   
   their walk at the railing overlooking the river.  His hands settled   
   over hers on the railing.   
      
   "I think they'll love you."   
      
   "Really? Even your brothers and sister?"   
      
   She chuckled at his question. "Yes, but remind me to keep Missy away   
   from you when you actually do meet everybody."   
      
   "Why? Should I be scared?"   
      
   "No but… men love Missy. Ever since she was in, I don't know, seventh   
   grade probably. That's when she blossomed. She always had boys lining   
   up to take her out. They still do. Everywhere she goes, men follow."   
      
   Mulder pulled her closer. "I only have eyes for one woman and one   
   woman only."   
      
   She turned around to face him.  She smiled up at him sweetly, touched   
   by his words. "It's not you I'm worried about. When Missy wants   
   something she usually gets it."   
      
   "See, now I'm scared. Do I need a bodyguard or something to protect   
   me?"   
      
   She kissed him gently. "Don't worry, Mulder. I'll protect you."   
      
   "Good," he muttered in her mouth.  His hands made their way to her   
   back, caressing her gently.  Her hands pulled  gently at his shirt,   
   feeling as if even if they were pressed firmly together they still   
   wouldn't be close enough.   
      
   She felt him tense suddenly.  She pulled away to see him looking   
   sorry.   
      
   "What's wrong?"   
      
   "I'm sorry. I just can't stop thinking."   
      
   "It's dangerous for you, isn't it?" she teased.   
      
   "Most of the time, yes."   
      
   Dana wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him. "What can't   
   you stop thinking about?"   
      
   "Everything. The case we just finished, whether or not your family   
   will like me, if I'm going to need protection from your sister."   
      
   She laughed at the latter of the three but was concerned that the   
   former was still getting to him.  It was the first case they'd ever   
   worked on together.  All the victims had been women, something she   
   learned affected him deeply.  She did the best she could to comfort   
   him but he still slipped into a funk.   
      
   "Would your parents like me?" she wondered, pulling herself back to   
   the present.   
      
   "I'd rather you never meet my parents. It might change your entire   
   opinion of me and I'm not ready to lose the best thing that ever   
   happened to me," he said honestly.   
      
   "You'll never lose me and nothing will change my opinion of you," she   
   assured.   
      
   He chose not to respond.  Instead, he twirled her around quickly,   
   causing her to giggle with delight.  She pressed her back snuggly   
   into his front, listening with delight to him groan with pleasure.   
   She smiled freely as they looked out over the river.  They watched   
   boats move by at a leisure pace.   
      
   "What are you thinking about?" Mulder asked, his mouth close to her   
   ear.   
      
   "I'm thinking… about how much I love the water." She pulled his arms   
   tighter around her to keep the slight chill in the air away. "And how   
   much I love you."   
      
   "Tell me," he gently spoke, speaking of the former.   
      
   "When I was a little girl, whenever my father was home, he always   
   took every opportunity to teach me all he knew about the sea.  When   
   we lived in San Diego, we always went to the beach on weekends and   
   we'd spend hours there, playing, learning, and just spending quality   
   family time together.  Ahab took me sailing on one of those   
   weekends.  Just me.  I remember feeling so special.  He shared with   
   me stories about being at sea during war.  Some of those stories he   
   had never even shared with my mom."   
      
   "Sounds wonderful," he murmured.   
      
   "It was.  But with all the differences all of us had, it's amazing   
   none of us killed each other," she mused, memories of many arguments   
   coming to her mind.  He nipped at her neck, gaining her attention   
   again, and they resumed their walk.   
      
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   Dana's Apartment   10:38 PM   
      
   Fantasia definitivi   
      
   "But why are they so paranoid?"   
      
   "I told you, conspiracies.  They have to be on their toes with some   
   of the things they know.  I'm surprised they like you.  They're   
   usually extremely wary of new people."   
      
   "It's probably because you're going out with me.  But I didn't like   
   the short one.  He kept eyeing me."   
      
   "Frohike?  Yeah, most women are scared of him."   
      
   "I'm not afraid of him.  I just don't like the way he looks at me."   
      
   "I'll beat him up for you, take care of that."   
      
   "No, I don't need you to do that," Dana quickly protested.  "But you   
   could talk to him about it."   
      
   Mulder pulled her into his arms as soon as she shut and locked her   
   apartment door behind them.  He began to trail kisses down the side   
   of her face to her neck.  She smiled in delight at the feeling that   
   always engulfed her whenever he was around.  She wrapped her arms   
   around his neck.   
      
   "Hi," he murmured as he slowly pulled away to look at her.   
      
   She smiled up at him widely. "Hi."   
      
   He captured her lips with a newfound passion.  She returned the   
   embrace with equal fervor.  She lost herself in his arms, something   
   she never got tired of.  No one had ever kissed her the way he did,   
   with total abandonment.  She knew, maybe even from the moment she met   
   him, that he was the only one for her.  She could only hope he felt   
   the same way.  She could practically hear the bells.   
      
   "Um, Dana?"   
      
   Or what was actually the telephone.   
      
   "Ignore it," she muttered in his mouth.  He obeyed, his hands finding   
   their way over the contours of her body.   
      
   The machine picked up.  Her mother's voice rang loud and clear to   
   their ears.   
      
   "Dana, pick up if you're there. I know how you get carried away with   
   work."  There was a silence before she started talking again.  "Just   
   wanted to see if brunch was still on…"   
      
   Mulder pulled away from dana with a groan.  "That really kills the   
   mood, doesn't it?" he said, voicing his thoughts out loud.  Dana   
   smiled apologetically at him.  She hurried to the phone before her   
   mom could say anything else.   
      
   "Mom… yeah, I'm sorry.  I was busy with a project I brought home from   
   work."  Mulder hid a smile behind her.  "Yes, I'll be there… Okay…   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)