By: Olivia
Chapter 1
Miranda sat in the Physics lab reading the letter from Harvard University. With a small sigh, she crumpled it up and tossed it at the wastebasket near the door. It never reached its destination.
"Hey, Miranda…" said Declan as he walked into the lab and was promptly smacked in the face by some ufo-unknown flying object.
Miranda cringed as Declan adjusted his glasses on his face. He bent down and picked up the paper. He unwadded it and began to read. When he got to the end, his face broke out into a grin. "Miranda, this is great!"
"I've gotta go to class, Declan. I'll talk to you later," said Miranda almost breathlessly as she hurried past Declan out of the lab before he could get a word in reply out. Confused Declan reread the letter again, just in case he had missed something. A job at Harvard-that was good news wasn't it? That was when Declan noticed a lot of crumpled up pieces of paper surrounding the wastebasket. He picked them up and read every one. All were great job offers around the country, even around the world. Why would this upset Miranda? Declan decided he needed to see the one person who he could talk to about any problem.
Chapter 2
"I mean what do you make of all this, Peg?" asked Declan. He was sitting on Peggy's office sofa with all the crumpled letters in his hand. "These are great job opportunities for her."
"Maybe," said Peggy, "Miranda's just not ready to move on. Sometimes people don't like change. I know she's moved around a lot in her life. Maybe moving around is something she's never gotten use to."
"I just don't know, Peg. Miranda adjusts to situations eventually." Declan paused. "But you know, I've been so caught up in the excitement of her thesis seminar and graduation, I didn't even stop to think about the fact that she was leaving. I guess it just hasn't hit me yet that soon she'll be gone. It'll be different without her around. Empty somehow. I'll miss her."
Declan looked up at Peggy and smiled, "But I've still got you."
Peggy returned his smile. "Yes you still have me. And you'll still have Miranda, only you're right, it will be different. I'm going to miss her too. But maybe I'm wrong about her not wanting to leave. Maybe she has her heart set on a job that she hasn't gotten an acceptance from yet. She could be holding out for that job."
"Well if that's the case, I hope she hears from them soon. It'll be their loss if they don't hire her."
Declan stood up. "So I'll pick you up tomorrow for the graduation."
"I wouldn't miss it," said Peggy smiling.
Chapter 3
Declan and Peggy cheered loudly from their seats as Miranda walked across the stage to receive her diploma. They could tell by a slight facial twitch that she had heard them.
After the ceremony was finally over, Declan and Peggy wound their way though the crowd until they finally caught up with Miranda.
"Congratulations, Miranda," said Peggy beaming.
Declan echoed Peggy's sentiments.
"Thanks," said Miranda. "I'm glad you two came."
But before Miranda could say anything else, the three were distracted by the sound of Miranda's name being shouted over the crowd. Turning they saw Miranda's parents a little away from where they were standing. They were beckoning her over to them.
"I've got to go," said Miranda a little glumly and then brightening, "but I got your message and I'd love to go to dinner with you two."
"Great , I'll pick Peggy up and then swing by and get you at seven," said Declan.
"I'll see you then," said Miranda as she moved into the crowd to reach her parents.
Chapter 4
Later that night Peggy, Declan, and Miranda were seated in a local Chinese restaurant. They had just finished their meal.
"Before we go," said Declan with a gleam in his eye, "Peggy and I got you a little something."
Before Miranda could protest that they shouldn't have, although secretly she was pleased they did, Peggy had put two beautifully wrapped gifts in front of her.
Miranda opened the first gift. It was a book.
"Dr Seuss?" questioned Miranda. "`Oh, The Places You Will Go.'"
"It's a classic," said Declan as he and Peggy chuckled. "We were going to go with Poe, but seeing as you have him already memorized… Don't forget the next one."
Miranda opened up the next one, a small box, and pulled out a compass.
"We thought a compass might be nice so no matter where you go, you'll always know where we are," said Peggy.
"And that we're thinking about you," added Declan.
Miranda could feel tears welling up in her eyes and their thoughtfulness. "This is really sweet of you two," said Miranda as a small smile grew on her face, "but I'm not leaving."
Declan and Peggy were stunned.
Chapter 5
Declan was driving Miranda home after dropping Peggy off. They hadn't said much. Miranda glanced at Declan once and then turned her eyes back toward the dark road in front of her. After a few minutes, they pulled up to Miranda's apartment building.
"You're not happy that I'm staying," said Miranda quietly. Declan's reaction was not the reaction she had planned on or, she now realized, had hoped for.
"Hey, Miranda," said Declan quietly as he turned to look at Miranda. She wasn't looking at him so he gently moved her chin with his hand so that she was facing him. Miranda could barely meet his eyes. "Miranda, I'm thrilled that you're staying because I was going to…um…miss you…a lot in fact. We've been through a lot and had a lot of fun these past years. It's just…it's great you're going to be a Research Associate in Professor Landu's research group on campus. It's just… those offer letters you got, they're wonderful opportunities for you. You're brilliant Miranda. I just don't want you to stay here out of some kind of loyalty to me. You don't owe me anything."
Declan let his hand drop from her chin onto the car seat. "I just don't want you to ever regret staying here and think what you might have done or been.
Miranda understood everything now. A wave of relief washed over her. She put her over Declan's that was resting on the seat. "I've moved around a lot in my life, Declan. And now I've finally found a place where I fit in, where I belong. How could I ever regret something like that? I don't want to leave this place. I don't want to leave our investigations. I don't want to leave Peggy…or…or… you."
Things were quickly starting to get uncomfortable for Miranda. Lines were about to be crossed and she just wasn't ready so Miranda did the only thing her brain could think of at that moment-she flew. She quickly let go of Declan's hand, gathered up her gifts, and got out of the car walking quickly up to her apartment building door. Before she could open up the door, she heard Declan call out her name. She turned around.
Declan was leaning his head outside his truck window, grinning at her. "See you tomorrow, Dr. Figelstein."
"It's going to take some getting use to," yelled Miranda back at him with a quick smile.
Declan waited until he saw Miranda was safely in her apartment before he headed home. A huge weight had been lifted off his heart. He felt the best he had in weeks.
The End
"I have things to finish, to prove. To myself, to my family…But the one thing I'm most certain of, is that, as long as I'm able, I need to be there with you, searching for the truth."-Dana Scully-"The X-Files"