Hey guys! Thanks again for all the reviews. Just a reminder, this is an AU story. Yes, Mulder is an Oxford student, but there is a reason in this story why he is at Maryland instead. He is still older than Dana, he'll be 21 in October and he is in his fourth year. That is one year younger than he usually is, since I know Mulder is four years older than Scully in the show, but I wanted him to still be in his undergrad when he switched so that he and Scully would be able to be in a class together. Dana is in her second year, but she is eighteen because I believe it is believable that she probably skipped a grade when she was younger. I understand that she seemed a little standoffish and rude last chapter, but she got stressed because she ended up being far later for class than she had wanted to be. She'll realize that she was unreasonable this chapter. As for why Mulder is here and not Oxford, you'll find that out when he and Dana start to get to know one another, as well as the story of her daughter's birth.

Monday, 1 September 2014

University of Maryland

1:00 pm

With her classes finally finished for the day, Dana started to head out to the parking lot again, adjusting her books in her arms when they began to slip. As she approached the parking lot, she saw Fox Mulder walking her way, causing her to gasp and try to hide her face.

"Oh, gosh," she mumbled softly in embarrassment. She had been extremely rude to him that morning before class, and she had realized just how rude by the time her second class had come to an end. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she quickly ducked her head back into her books and tried to walk a little faster.

"Hey," she heard his voice say, jumping when she felt his hand touch her arm softly. Letting out a sigh, she looked up to him, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights and her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. "Look…I know you may not like me much, if this morning was anything to go by, but…"

"No, wait, stop…" Dana interrupted with a sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment, shifting her weight from foot to foot before opening them again. "I'm sorry. It was early, I was late for class, and I was rude, and none of those things are an excuse for the way I acted." She looked down and pursed her lips a little. "Sometimes I'm not a nice person before I've had my morning coffee, and I didn't have time to grab some this morning."

Giving her a small smile, Mulder brushed a red strand that had blown in front of her face behind her ear. "Well…maybe we can grab some now and I can get to know the real you," he suggested with a smile, moving his hand away and taking a small step toward her. "I just transferred here and I don't know anyone…except for you. It would be nice to get to know the one person I've already had some interaction with…whether that interaction was friendly or not."

Dana blushed at his actions and words and then took in a deep breath, looking down to her books again. "I would love to but I have to get home," she answered softly, looking back up to meet his eyes. She hadn't noticed before, but she really couldn't tell exactly what colour his eyes were; they seemed to fluctuate between green, brown, and gray.

His smile fell a little and he reached out to gently take her books from her. "Here, let me hold these for you," he insisted quietly, his fingers brushing hers as he took the books into his arms. "We won't be too long. I promise, just a quick cup of coffee."

Sighing, Dana adjusted her bag on her shoulder and looked at her hands now that she could see them. She really wasn't sure what excuse she could give him. He was cute, and he seemed nice; she really did want to get to know him. Plus, letting him take her for coffee would certainly make up for how rude she had been earlier. Most guys didn't like girls with babies, and her daughter was he excuse for disappearing home so quickly. She couldn't tell him her real reason, and she couldn't come up with a good false reason not to join him.

"I guess just for a little while," she said reluctantly. "But just one cup and then I really have to get home."

Mulder chuckled. "What, will your parents be upset if you don't make it home in time for supper?" He joked.

Dana pursed her lips and let out a sigh. "No…I just have…I have responsibilities at home that I really need to go take care of," she answered carefully. She was quiet for a moment and then she began moving again. "Let's put my books in my car and then we can go to one of the coffee shops nearby."

Mulder looked a little baffled at those words. "You're…what, a freshman? You don't live in the dorms?" He asked as he placed the books on the back seat as she opened the door.

A small smirk played on Dana's lips at his words and she shook her head. "I'm a sophomore," she corrected as they began to walk together to the coffee shop. "I skipped a grade in grade school. But I…my parents live in Annapolis so I just stay with them and drive to school in the morning."

"Hence why you were running late this morning," he teased, opening the door to the coffee shop for her and gently placing his hand on her lower back as he followed her inside.

"Well, no, that's not the reason," Dana said defensively. "I managed to get to classes on time all last year." Although she hadn't had an 8 am class last year, but he didn't need to know that. "I was just…I was busy doing something…"

"Those responsibilities you're so anxious to get back to," he added in a teasing tone.

"Yes, responsibilities," she agreed absentmindedly. "I lost track of time, that's all. It will all be back to normal soon and I won't have to worry when I leave for classes."

"And why's that?" Mulder asked curiously with a small frown.

Those words caused Dana to look at him in slight alarm and she shook her head quickly. "Never mind," she whispered. Mulder was about to make another remark but stopped when she gave him a look that told him to drop it. They got their coffee and moved to sit by the window. There was a small awkward silence as they watched one another and then Dana cleared her throat and looked into her coffee.

"You said you transferred here…where did you go before?" She asked curiously, taking a small sip of her coffee.

"I went to Oxford for my first three years," he answered.

That caused Dana to choke slightly on her coffee. "Oxford?" She choked out, her tone a little strangled from coughing. "What are you doing here? If I went to Oxford, I wouldn't transfer here! Or anywhere for that matter…"

Mulder chuckled quietly before letting his smile falter just a little bit. "It's um…it's a long story," he answered. "One maybe best saved for a later date." Dana gave him an alarmed look at those words and his eyes widened as he realized the words he used. "I mean not that this is a date! Unless, of course, you want it to be, but…" He sighed and closed his eyes. "Sorry," he said with a chuckle. "Long story short, there was something that happened in my family and my parents needed me to come back home so I could be closer to help."

Dana nodded slowly and carefully set her cup down on the table. "I see," she replied with a small smile. "I hope it was nothing too serious."

The small smile returned to Mulder's lips and he shook his head. "No, not serious," he assured her, a small laugh slipping from his lips. "Quite the opposite, in fact. It was good news."

Dana returned his smile and absentmindedly stirred her coffee. "Good, it's never nice to get bad news when you're away," she replied softly, her own smile disappearing. Her father had gotten bad news when he was away for work when she found out she was pregnant, and she was sure it was difficult for him.

"Why are you going here?" Mulder asked after a moment. "I mean, you said you skipped a grade. I'm assuming you graduated from high school top of your class as well. Surely you could have gotten into an Ivy League school if you wanted to, or even Oxford."

Surprised, Dana looked back up to him, giving him a tiny smile before sighing. "I could have gotten in, yes," she answered. "But, um…well, something happened in my family as well before I went off, and I didn't want to be too far away from them." She began to stir her coffee again, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear before it could even fully fall in front of her face. "Plus, we didn't really have the money to send me somewhere like Harvard or Oxford. I'm a navy brat, and I'm the second youngest of four kids."

Mulder gave a low whistle at those words. "Four kids," he mused slowly. "I'm impressed with your mother already and I haven't even met her. It can't have been easy raising four kids while your dad went out to sea."

Dana gave a small laugh and shook her head. "No, I don't think it was," she agreed with a smile. "But she had her system, and it seemed to work for her."

When she looked back up to him, she noticed him watching her with a goofy grin. "What?" She asked with a laugh.

Mulder pressed his lips together and shook his head, his eyes still smiling. "Nothing," he replied. "It's just…I really do like your smile. And your laugh. You have a beautiful laugh."

Dana's breath caught in her throat and she felt the heat rise up in her cheeks again. She didn't know what to say to him. That was the second time in one day he had complimented her, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. She wasn't exactly someone who usually got complimented by boys. That was her sister Melissa. "Thank you…" she breathed quietly.

He moved his chair a little closer to hers, gently taking his hand. When she didn't pull away, he smiled softly, placing a finger under her chin and raising her head to look at him. Dana felt her breathing increase as she realized how close their faces were to one another. Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned in closer to her.

A sudden loud vibration coming from the table caused her to jump away from him and snap out of her trance. Looking to the source of the sound, she saw her phone lying on the table, lit up with a text. Quickly, she picked it up before he could see the background photo of her daughter on her first birthday and read the text from her mum asking where she was. "Oh…I'm sorry, I should get going," she breathed quietly. "I told my mum I would be home right after class. I probably should have sent her a message that I was going to have coffee with you."

Mulder took her hand again to calm her down. "It's okay," he said softly. "Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow and continue this. Do you have a class at noon?"

Dana shook her head. "I have one at 11 and one at 2," she replied. "I start later on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

Mulder gave her a smile, standing with her and grabbing her bag for her. He left some money with a tip on the table and took her hand. "Good…we can do lunch tomorrow then," he said with a smile. "I'll walk you to your car."

They walked in a silence, this one much more comfortable than the one that had occurred when they were in the coffee shop. Stopping by the driver's side door, Mulder turned to face her, holding his phone out to her. Dana looked at the phone in confusion, and then up to him again. "Your number," Mulder said with a laugh. "I need your number so we can meet up tomorrow."

"Oh…right," Dana mumbled, blushing in embarrassment as she took the phone and typed her number in. Handing it back, she gave him a soft smile and opened the door to get into her car.

"See you tomorrow," Mulder said, the goofy grin back.