From: bellydancergirl7@aol.com   
      
   All notes disclosed in chapter one.   
      
   Forgot to put this in chapter one. I don't own Cassie or her name.   
   The actual actress was in CSI last year in an episode called Gum   
   Drops and she was really good in her role. That and she fits this   
   role perfectly.   
      
   A/N: I want to thank everybody who reviewed chapter one. It put a   
   smile on my face and cheered me up from being sick lately.   
      
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   "Why baseball?"   
      
   "My dad took me to see The Natural and I fell in love with the game.   
   There's something about it that makes it so exhilarating. Every time   
   I step onto the field, it's amazing."   
      
   "Sounds like it."   
      
   "Have you ever played?"   
      
   "No, my brother's never let me play with them."   
      
   "I could teach you sometime if you want."   
      
   "I'll think about it. Why don't you teach me more about yourself now?   
   Parents?"   
      
   "You're very straight forward, aren't you? I like that."   
      
   "That's good because it's a part of me by now. Please continue."   
      
   Mulder looked at Dana with admiration. She was the type of woman   
   every man looked for. She was also the type of woman he wanted in his   
   life forever.   
      
   "My parents are dead, actually, and I don't have any fond memories of   
   either of them. My dad worked for the state department but I never   
   understood exactly what he did. My mother didn't work and I have no   
   siblings. Oh, and I grew up on Martha's Vineyard," he finished. It   
   suddenly occurred to him how boring his life story was. Hopefully she   
   could make it more exciting. "Now I want to hear about you."   
      
   She opened her mouth to say something but their waiter arrived with   
   their food at that moment. She didn't know if she was relieved or not.   
      
   It took a few minutes of silence and a lot of nerve gathering on her   
   part but she felt ready when Mulder repeated his request. She was   
   ready to share her life.   
      
   "My father is in the Navy so I didn't grow up in one location. We   
   stayed in San Diego and Annapolis the longest. I have three siblings:   
   an older brother and sister and a younger brother. My mom was a stay-   
   at-home mom. Um… I'm a doctor. Went to school in DC. I've been at   
   Mount Sinai now for three years."   
      
   "Is it as gruesome as I hear?"   
      
   "No, it's definitely not a rare day when we have nothing much to do   
   but check up on patients," she chuckled.   
      
   "Do you work a regular person schedule or a married to your job   
   schedule?" he wondered, ready to plan future dates.   
      
   "Well, since I have Cassie, I work the regular hours of eight to   
   five. But on Fridays, I work eight to two and I have the weekends   
   off. Cassie stays with my parents overnight on Fridays and Saturday   
   is our mother/daughter quality time."   
      
   "Did I intrude yesterday?"   
      
   "No, you gave me relief from the `I want a puppy' routine she has   
   perfected lately."   
      
   "She really wants that puppy, doesn't she?" Mulder grinned. Dana   
   nodded emphatically. "Reminds me of when I was a kid. Does she get it   
   from her mother or her father?"   
      
   Dana looked over at him curiously. He have her an innocent smile in   
   return. "You really want to know, don't you?"   
      
   His smile turned sheepish. "Hey, I gotta know if I have competition."   
      
   "Trust me, you have no competition. Her father doesn't even know she   
   exists."   
      
   "Yeah, well, neither did my father, most of the time," he interjected.   
      
   "No, I mean he really doesn't know she exists," she corrected, her   
   eyes staring into his until he finally understood what she meant.   
      
   "Oh. Wow, uh…" But Mulder couldn't think of anything to say.   
      
   "I was in college and I had a boyfriend I thought I loved," she   
   filled in for him. "We had a really big argument one night and he   
   stormed out. I didn't see him again for a couple of days but when I   
   did, I took him back because I thought we could make it work.   
      
   "About a week later, I heard from all around campus that he had   
   cheated on me with a very good friend of mine. I confronted him and   
   typically, he denied it. I confronted my friend and she told me he'd   
   been cheating on me all along. I left for good after that. But a few   
   months later…"   
      
   "You found out you were pregnant with Cassie," he finished for her.   
      
   She nodded. "I just couldn't bring myself to tell him. I don't regret   
   it and I don't' regret Cassie, despite my hatred for the man."   
      
   "How do your parents feel about it?"   
      
   "What do you mean?" She looked startled. *How'd he know?*   
      
   He pointed to the cross hanging from her neck. "Your necklace. I   
   assume your family to be religious. And you live close to a catholic   
   church. Just connecting the dots."   
      
   "Yeah, we're Catholic. They weren't so happy at first but they were   
   supportive. The minute she was born, I don't think they cared at all   
   about how she came to be. They love her and she loves them; that's   
   all that matters."   
      
   "She's gonna break a lot of hearts when she grows up," Mulder mused,   
   the girl's cute image coming to mind.   
      
   Dana laughed, glad for the distraction. "She probably will. Those   
   blue eyes just seem to suck you in."   
      
   "I know." Dana looked up when she heard his tone. He was looking   
   straight at her. She held his eyes until she felt uncomfortable. He   
   noticed this and swiftly changed the subject.   
      
   "So have any secrets you'd care to share?"   
      
   "I'll tell you one if you tell me one," she bargained.   
      
   And, of course, Mulder had to accept the challenge.   
      
   "I play piano in my spare time."   
      
   "I have a tattoo."   
      
   Mulder's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I like your secret better than   
   mine. Now I kind of want to know where it is."   
      
   "Maybe if things go well, I'll show you one day." Her eyes met his.   
   She wasn't teasing.   
      
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   "So where' do your parents live? Am I going to have to leave the   
   state?"   
      
   "No, they live about a half hour north of here."   
      
   Mulder left a tip on the table before catching up the short distance   
   to Dana. His hand made its way to her lower back, resting there   
   comfortably. It surprised her how much she welcomed it; normally she   
   hated when dates tried to get touchy-feely on the first date. It   
   always felt like they were too needy. But when Mulder did it, it felt   
   natural, like he belonged there.   
      
   The minute they stepped outside, flashes of light blinded them.   
      
   "Damn it," she could hear Mulder growl close to her ear. He hurried   
   her to the car. She was quick to get in but not before noticing how   
   he shielded her from it. "Keep your face down," he told her before   
   shutting the door.   
      
   She made sure to follow his instructions.   
      
   Mulder quickly moved around to his side, ignoring the cameras as best   
   he could. He was also trying to keep his anger in check. He wasted no   
   time getting the car started and hurrying out of the area.   
      
   "I'm sorry about that," he apologized after they'd been on the road a   
   few minutes.   
      
   "It's no problem. Just a small price to pay."   
      
   "They don't do that every day. They pick selective days to bother me.   
   Normally it doesn't bother me but…" he trailed off.   
      
   She knew what he was trying to say. Spontaneously, she reached over   
   and took his hand in hers. "It's okay. It didn't bother me."   
      
   He took his eyes off the road to give her a grateful smile. He could   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)