By the time came to work on the calculus project, Fox and Dessa were on very friendly terms. They were to present their problem on the third Wednesday of November. Both of them had seemed to mellow out toward each other since their first meeting. Fox saw Dessa as his equal and she in return came to think of him as her equal. Dessa didn't mind the fact that he was American anymore. In fact since that late August morning, the two had become quite good friends. They developed a very intense understanding of one another and sometimes it almost scared them.

Fox came over to Dessa's apartment to put the finishing touches on their project the night before it was due. Dessa's housemates had moved out and back to her Manchester home three weeks ago. Elise's brother had been involved in a car wreck and left paralyzed from the neck down, so Elise left to go and help her parents manage his care. With only Dessa living in the small apartment, it made an excellent place for the two of them to study and hang out.

"Dessa?" Fox asked after they had finished the project. They were sitting on the grey-carpeted floor, backs resting on against the sofa and note cards stacked between them.

"What?"

"Do you ever wish that you could just fly away and, I don't know, just stop everything? Like there is something so big out there, and you're just going to get sucked into it."

"Don't talk like that! If there is something bugging you, tell me, maybe I can help."

"It's not like that." Fox said, starting to see where this conversation was going

"Then tell me because it bloody hell sounds like you want you kill yourself!"

Dessa had sworn to herself to take care of him, no matter what. Sometimes she went overboard with it, but only because she wanted to help him. He had never spoken about his family so she assumed that Fox and his parents didn't get on all that well. To her, they had become a sort of family, the two of them, and Dessa knew that you protected family.

"Dessa, I swear to you that I wasn't thinking that and I'll never do it."

"Never again Fox Mulder! Don't you dare scare me like that ever again!"

Dessa's feeling in what she had said had touched Fox, but he also was the smallest bit annoyed that she had totally missed the point of his question. Dessa also had grown very protective of Fox in the past few months, and both of them took comfort in that fact. He'd never really been taken care of like that, even by his mother, for as long as he could remember. Dessa loved to give out the attention; it made her feel needed in a whole different way that she had experienced before.

"Dessa." He said, putting his large hand over Dessa's small one, "I didn't mean to scare you…. I never meant to."

"I know, it's just …don't ever think like that! You're got too much to live for, you bloody hear me?"  she replied quietly

The truth was that Dessa wanted to say that she wanted him to live for her if anything, but she didn't say that because she didn't want to make it seem like she had romantic feelings for him…even though she was in a state of confusion over one Fox Mulder.

"I bloody hear you." he said laughing at both himself for being so incredibly stupid and at Dessa for being so serious. He still found her extremely attractive, but now he also realized how caring she really could be. Fox understood that there was more than met the eye when it came to Dessa.

"I have a surprise for you tomorrow. I think you'll like it."

"Really now?" he asked, raising and lowering his eyebrows in a suggestive manor, just to make her smile

"Get your mind out of the gutter. I was thinking about making a Thanksgiving dinner for you, since you won't be home for the holiday."

Fox couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never really thought about Dessa romantically before that moment, but now, he started to see her in a whole different light. He had always known that there was something about her that had intrigued him from the moment he saw her grey eyes.

"Dessa, I really don't know what to say."

"Thank you would suffice nicely I think."

"Thank you."

The two of them sat in the tranquil quiet of the apartment for a few moments trying to figure the other one out. They had been trying to do so for several weeks now, and they were no closer to that goal then when they first started. Dessa had never really gone out with anymore before. She was too busy with other things to worry herself with boyfriends and all the baggage that tended to come with it. Besides, she reasoned, there would always be a tomorrow. Quickly she removed the thought from her mind. Fox was her friend, solely her friend.

"Dessa?"

"Hmmmm…"

"What's your middle name?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"You've never told me what it is, and I am curious."

"You tell me yours first."

"William."

"Really?"

"Really. What were you expecting?"

"I don't know, something other than what it is."

"So tell me your middle name."

"Evelyn, Dessa Evelyn Edwards."

"I like it, honestly."

"I never really have, but what can I bloody do about it, right?"

"Consider my first name though, Dessa. Evelyn is wonderful compared to Fox."

"It suits you, Fox William Mulder."

Very subconsciously she let the name Dessa Evelyn Mulder float into her mind. After all, what could it harm?

"Well, Dessa Evelyn, I should get going," He said looking at his watch "I have a psychology exam tomorrow, and I want to do some last minute cramming."

They both got up from the floor and walked over to the wooden door.

"Good night, Fox. See you tomorrow, bright and early."

"Get some beauty rest, you could use some."

"Shut up handsome."

She shut the door in his face and once she heard him laugh and walk down the hall, Dessa breathed again. Sighing she walked back to her bedroom, undoing her ballet style bun as she did so. Tonight was going to be spent dreaming about tomorrow's dinner.