A/N: Dedicated to Julia because she made me do this...
Bang!
Bang, Bang!
Dana's eyes snapped open and she spun her head around towards the noise. It was coming from her bedroom window. She threw the covers off and stood up, marching over to the window. She snapped the shades open to find John laying on the ground, staring into her ground level window. Sighing, she opened the window and glared at him.
"John, if you don't quit banging on my window, I'm gonna tan your hide."
"Come out here and play with us."
"Play what, cops and robbers?"
"No, basketball. We're practicing, and we need to work on defense."
"You need to work on something, John Jay. Like manners. Emily Post would roll over in her grave if she knew you were banging on a woman's window at ten in the morning."
"She'd roll over again if she knew you were still in bed at ten in the morning. Get out here."
"Make Charlie do it."
"Charlie cries."
"When you hit him in the face with a ball, yeah he does."
"Kenny said you were too short to play."
"Kenny did not say that."
"How do you know?"
"Kenny is not an idiot."
"He is sometimes."
She sighed.
"Fine, give me 20 minutes."
"Twenty minutes? What are you gonna do, give yourself a pedicure?"
"John..."
"Okay, we'll see you in 20 minutes."
She shut the window and the blinds and grabbed her phone off the night stand, flipping it open and writing a quick text to Monica.
John's making me play b-ball with them. Come quick.
She ran upstairs to the bathroom for a quick shower, and when she came back, there was a text from Monica waiting for her.
Come quick my fat fanny! Not in a million years.
MJ, that new dude is here.
Be there in 10.
Dana chuckled. Monica was one of the most predictable human beings to ever walk the planet, but at the same time, no one ever knew quite what she was thinking.
She ran a brush through her hair, then ran upstairs, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge before heading out the front door. John and Kenny were in the driveway arguing about something, while her mystery neighbor sunk free throws on the garage hoop.
"John, you have twelve seconds to stop arguing with Kenny and start playing before I get bored and go back to bed."
"He says the Eagles are better than the 'Zags."
"Kenny, the 'Zags trump all whether they win the game or not, have I taught you nothing? Talking like that can get you killed in this town."
"I can't help it if I know what I like," Kenny said with a shrug. "And Dan Dickau just doesn't do it for me."
She rolled her eyes.
"Fine, live in your ignorance. More common sense for the rest of us out here."
He tweaked her nose and stole the ball from mystery boy.
"Alright, let's go two on two," he said, bouncing the ball once.
"I got Dana," John announced, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"No way, man. You guys do that freaky cousin mind reading thing."
"Yeah John. Besides, when I have to play against Kenny he blocks me even when I don't have the ball. And he continues to try and block me even when I'm not playing and I've gone inside, and sometimes even the next day."
"What are you saying?"
"He obviously missed the day in kindergarten when we learned to keep our hands to ourselves."
Kenny laughed and tossed the ball to her.
"Alright, but teammates get to hit each other on the butt."
"You do and your hand is getting barbequed."
"Noted. You and me against John and Mulder."
"You're Mulder?" she asked, smiling up at the new kid. "We've just been calling you The Dude."
"I've had much worse nicknames than that, believe me."
They split off into teams and within minutes had a pretty intense pick up game going. Mulder was blocking Dana, which was pretty unfair, considering that he had almost a full foot height advantage. He was a better player than either John or Kenny, and she was sure that he would be completely absorbed into their group in no time.
"Hey, ya whiny wuss-farts," Monica said, plopping down on the grass.
"Shut up, pea brain," John retorted, stealing the ball from Kenny and making an easy lay-up.
"Seems I'm your good luck charm, John Jay Doggett."
He just groaned as Dana stole the ball from him and made a basket from the end of the driveway.
"Can we be done now?" she asked, wiping her face. John opened his water bottle and squirted some out at her. She stepped out of the way and rolled her eyes at him. "John, when you decide that you're tired of being 7, want to call and let us know?"
"No problem," he said, tossing the ball into the hoop once more before sitting down in the grass. "We really should rent a court at the Y for a while. It's too hot to play out here."
"I'm not driving all the way over to the Y," Kenny said. "Do you know how expensive gas is?"
"Of course he doesn't. He can't drive," Monica said, earning a slap from John.
"I can drive. I just don't think all the rules need to be followed."
"Yeah, like getting in the turn lane before you actually turn."
"Shut up, Dana. Besides. I'm taking my tests again on Tuesday, and then you'll all eat your words."
There was a moment of silence before the three of them burst into laughter. John scowled.
"Come on, Mulder, you've gotta back me up here."
"I can't. Passed my test the first time."
"You're all like pod people."
"Sun makes you cranky," Dana noted, taking her hair out of the elastic band. John shrugged as Monica's cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes.
"DK, why does Daniel call you on my cell phone?"
"Are you kidding me? Give me that."
She snagged the phone and walked to the other side of the yard. They could hear her talking, but none of them could understand what she way saying. It only lasted a moment, and she handed the phone back to Monica.
"What did you say to him?"
"Let's put it this way. Missy would be proud and horrified."
Monica's jaw dropped, John blinked several times, and Kenny bit back a laugh. Mulder wasn't quite sure what to do, so he kept silent.
"You kiss grandma with that mouth, Danny-Kate?"
"Are you kidding? Half of what I said I learned from her."
He laughed and grabbed the ball from the middle of the driveway.
"Come on guys, let's play."
Mulder and Kenny followed him while Dana and Monica sat back in the grass.
"Can I ask you a question, DK?"
"What?"
"What happened with you and Daniel?"
"Hmm, time to go inside," she said, starting to stand up. Monica grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Dana, what happened?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Matters to me."
"MJ, you don't want to know. Believe me, all it will do is make you mad."
"I already hate him without knowing what happened. Nothing will change."
"Maybe some day I'll tell you. Maybe."
"Alright, alright. But this means that I get to keep something from you too."
"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts."
They chuckled together and watched the boys play.