From: bellydancergirl7@aol.com   
      
   All notes disclosed in chapter one.   
      
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   Next Morning   
      
   Mulder woke bright and early the next morning. Dana was nestled    
   snuggly into his side, a bare leg thrown over his. The drapes were    
   drawn shut, making the room fairly dark. He could see their clothes    
   strewn across the floor from where he lay, except for her dress. Her    
   dress had been draped across a chair at his insistence, telling her    
   it was far too beautiful to be on the floor.   
      
   He resisted the urge to move, afraid he might wake her, and decided    
   to enjoy the moment. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck;    
   her breathing was light against his skin. His fingers ran up and down    
   her back lightly. What he really wanted was to see her tattoo again.    
   He had been drawn to it last night. He lifted her hands in his,    
   admiring the different colors of skin and how well they melded    
   together. He toyed with her fingers absentmindedly.   
      
   His mind couldn't move from how attached he was to her. And to    
   Cassie. He was already working out ways to propose to her. He knew    
   her likes and dislikes, her goals, dreams, and aspirations for her    
   daughter, as well as herself. He knew about her past love life and he    
   hadn't run for the hills after hearing. He was 100% completely    
   devoted to her.   
      
   Dana's arms tightened around him. "Mm, what time is it?" Her voice    
   was raspy from sleep.   
      
   "Still too early. Go back to sleep," he suggested.   
      
   "Can't. I'm already awake and so are you."   
      
   "Ooh, what'd you have in mind?" he teased.   
      
   She squeezed his hand. "Nothing, I'm still too sore from last night.    
   I haven't used some of those muscles in about five years. It's a good    
   sore though."   
      
   He didn't say anything but his smile said it all. He rolled over to    
   face her, changing their positions. She protested at first but soon    
   found another comfortable position.   
      
   His hands resumed running up and down her back. Until she shivered.   
      
   "Are you cold?"   
      
   He could feel her smile against his chest. "A little but actually it    
   tickles."   
      
   He did it again for fun before getting up.   
      
   "Hey, now I'm really cold," she complained. He threw a long sleeved    
   shirt at her in response. He slipped his boxers on, watching her all    
   the while. He was sad to see her beautiful form disappear underneath    
   his favorite old baseball jersey, but she looked just as beautiful    
   with it on.   
      
   "This is pretty comfy. I might have to keep this," she teased,    
   pulling him back to bed. "You're pretty comfy, too."   
      
   "Well, I definitely hope you keep me," he murmured into her neck.   
      
   "Oh, I will. Especially after last night."   
      
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   One Week Later   
      
   Maggie left her boisterous granddaughter long enough to answer the    
   door. The persistent knocking was getting on her nerves.   
      
   "Mom, you will never guess who your youngest daughter goes out with,"    
   Melissa said by way of a greeting, making her way to the living room.   
      
   Maggie shut the door behind her. "Good morning to you, too," she said    
   dryly.   
      
   Missy turned back to her mother, kissing her cheek in    
   greeting. "Sorry, mom. This news is just too… there's not even a word    
   for it, it's that big!"   
      
   Maggie smiled at her daughter's happy mood. That's when she noticed a    
   magazine in her hand.   
      
   "What's with the magazine?" she wondered. Missy motioned for her to    
   sit, following when she did.   
      
   "Dana's in it."   
      
   "Dana's in People Magazine?" she repeated, disbelief creeping into    
   her voice. Missy didn't answer. Instead she flipped open the magazine    
   to a marked page and held it open for her mom to see.   
      
   Maggie's jaw dropped open. Her hand went out for the magazine. Her    
   baby girl was in People Magazine.   
      
   Covering half a page was Dana and a man she vaguely recognized. From    
   the way they were dressed, she guessed they were either coming from    
   or going to a night out. One thing she knew for sure, she'd never    
   seen her daughter wear a dress like that.   
      
   She was wrapped securely in the man's arms, a wide smile on her face.    
   She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her daughter smile    
   like that.   
      
   She glanced over at the caption on the right. "Fox Mulder, of the New    
   York Yankees, out on the town with new girlfriend, name still    
   unknown. They've been spotted all over town, often lost in an    
   embrace," she read out loud.   
      
   "Dana's been holding out on us," Missy said. "We were with her all    
   day yesterday and she never said anything."   
      
   "Well, maybe she has her reasons," Maggie defended her absent    
   daughter. "Maybe he has reasons and she's honoring them."   
      
   "Charlie is going to be so mad at her for not telling him," Missy    
   pointed out. "And then he's going to be ecstatic."   
      
   Maggie tore her eyes away from the magazine. "Now, Missy. It's for    
   Dana to tell us when she's ready or when I have to force it out of    
   her."   
      
   "Can I be there when it happens?"   
      
   "No, and aren't you supposed to be at work?" Maggie chastised.   
      
   "I was on my way when I picked up the magazine and saw the picture,"    
   Missy quickly explained.   
      
   "Aunt Missy!" a young voice exclaimed, running out from the kitchen.   
      
   "Hey, squirt." She picked her up, getting a kiss from Cassie in the    
   process. "How have you been?"   
      
   "Good, I get to go to a baseball game `morrow!" she shared with them.    
   Mother and daughter shared a look.   
      
   "That's mommy and Mulder!" Cassie said excitedly, pointing to the    
   picture in the magazine.   
      
   "What can you tell us about mommy and Mulder, Cassie?" Missy asked    
   the little girl. She ignored her mother's sharp look.   
      
   "They love each other," Cassie shared.  "And Mulder has a puppy that    
   I play with all the time."   
      
   It all clicked into place for Maggie. "How long has mommy been with    
   Mr. Mulder?"   
      
   "For two months. They're cel-brating tonight."   
      
   Maggie arched her brows. "I might just have to have a talk with mommy    
   when she gets here."   
      
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   "Hello?" Dana called out when she entered her mother's house to a    
   surprising silence. Normally, she was greeted by Cassie at the door    
   or to the sounds of her laughter. She was unnerved to hear nothing.   
      
   "Dana?" she heard from the living room.   
      
   "Mom, why's it so quiet?" she asked, moving throughout the house.   
      
   "Your father and Cassie are outside. Come here, I want to talk to    
   you." Her mother met her in the entryway. Dana smiled nervously.   
      
   "Why do I feel like I'm in trouble?"   
      
   At that, Maggie smiled. "You're not in trouble. I just want to show    
   you something."   
      
   Dana's face lightened but she still felt like something was wrong.    
   Her mother led her into the living room. That's when the first    
   squeeze started at her temple.   
      
   "Since when do you read, or buy, People Magazine?" she laughed.   
      
   "I don't. Missy dropped by this morning. Said there was a picture I    
   needed to see." She flipped the magazine open to the picture she had    
   memorized by now.   
      
   That's when the second squeeze started. Her eyes were drawn to the    
   image, recognizing it immediately as taken from a week ago. She still    
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)