"A Rather Strange First Encounter"
Chapter 4: "Let the Romance Begin."
Author: Jerome Mullins
Disclaimer, Summary and Rating: See pervious chapters.
Author's Notes: Dana goes on an unofficial date with the object of her affection who then gives her a crash course on how to properly "crack books" in college.
* * *
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Dana Scully spend most of her afternoon in the library reading through the latest medical journals and through the school's archives of medical books. She felt she should take advantage of the opportunity to get a head start in her medical studies. she slammed the book shut and sighed heavily.
"My God," she groaned to herself. "I can't believe I'm listening to my father and started studying during my vacation."
"I couldn't believe it either, but I didn't want to say anything." Said a friendly voice from behind her.
Dana turned around behind her and found Fox Mulder smiling brightly at her from the table behind her. He reclined in his chair and glanced down at her book in front of her.
"Jumping the gun on Medical School?"
Dana shrugged and blushed slightly. "I thought. since I'm here already."
"You mean your parents wanted you to take advantage of this wonderful institution's resources for the medical field? If you really wanted to impress them, I could take you to the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin." A broad smile crossed his lips.
"Thank you for the offer," she nodded slightly. "But maybe I'll just stop listening to my father's instructions and start having my own fun. Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" she looked at her watch.
"Class is cancelled. My instructor is attending a conference this evening at Cambridge." He shrugged. "Guess I'm going to have to humor myself for a while, that is until Grace and Maggie are finished with their class."
"How much time do we have?" Dana smiled slyly.
"Couple hours," Fox leaned closer to her. "You doing anything tonight or are those medical journals calling out to you?"
"I refuse to look at another medical book until I graduate from high school." She smiled brightly. "I guess you're just going to have to keep me entertained, Mr. Mulder."
Fox leaned back in his chair again and smiled brightly.
"I guess you and I are going to have to get a couple of beers and figure out what to do for the evening."
He stood and gestured for Dana to follow him out of the library. They headed out for the off-campus bar in a comfortable silence. Dana was grateful for the night time, the lack of street lamps allowed her to glance over to him briefly without his knowledge. Just outside the bar, he smiled broadly at her and held the door open for her as she headed inside.
The student crowd was light for the early evening, many were still in class, while those who were there were either local residents or a small group of students working on a project. Fox lead Dana to a small booth in the back near a small black and white television with poor reception. Dana guessed there was a soccer match going on, though she couldn't make out the teams or the announcer. The waitress, a short blonde woman, came over as soon as they were seated and took their order for a pitcher of beer with two pints and two cheeseburgers.
"It's a shame you're under age," Fox winked at her when their pints arrived. "I'm sure you'll have a number of little secrets that you'll carry back home with you when you return."
Dana blushed. "I can add them to my collection of little secrets I already have."
"Sounds like someone's not the good little Catholic girl that she appears to be," he snickered. "That's all right though, I bet that you weren't able to tell that I am utterly insane upon first glance."
"Utterly insane?" She raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I deeply enjoy the dismemberment and torture of textbooks and lecture notes." He smiled sadistically.
Dana laughed hysterically.
"May I even ask what it is that leads you to suddenly attack a perfectly good textbook? What did they ever do to you?"
"They inform me of information and drag me, kicking and screaming, from my ignorance."
"Ignorance is bliss for you?"
"Not complete ignorance," he shook his head. "But ignorance of Mathematics and Chemistry."
"You don't like Math and Chemistry?" Dana chuckled. "I love them. They're two of my best subjects."
"Yes, and because of your comfort in these two subjects, I see you doing great things in the medical field. I'm sure I'll read all about you some day, Dr. Dana Scully. finding a cure for cancer. winning the Nobel Prize."
Dana blushed at his praise and began eating her cheeseburger. Sensing her discomfort, Fox silenced himself by gulping down his pint of ail and filling the mug from the pitcher of beer to the left of his plate.
"And what will you do, Mr. Mulder? Where will I be reading your name some day?"
Fox smiled broadly and shrugged as he popped a greasy chip into his open mouth. "Most likely in one of those tabloid newspapers. '_Local English fisherman claims to have discovered Atlantis in Scottish lake_.' That kind of thing."
"Somehow I doubt that," Dana said quietly. "From what Grace and Maggie have told me, you're a very brilliant student."
"They give me unjust praise," he shook his head. "Both of them have foolishly fallen in love with me."
The silence was deafening. Dana slumped in her chair. Fox didn't seem to notice at first, he went on eating his cheeseburger and finishing his chips while drinking his pint. Dana was afraid that he could see right through her, that he knew that she had fallen for him too. If Fox did know, he didn't let his suspicions show.
Dana cleared her throat before continuing to speak. "How do you know that they are in love with you?"
"I don't know." Fox shrugged. "I guess I can tell from the way they've been acting towards me. I've known Maggie most of my life, we grew up together. one day she just started acting different. She used to be one of my best friends, we'd go to the movies and play baseball and football every weekend. I guess she fell in love with me back in high school because she applied to come here the same time I did. We both got in."
Dana couldn't face him at this point. She kept her eyes on the rest of her food, none of which appealed to her anymore.
"Do you love her?" she asked quietly.
Fox was taken a back at this. He chuckled at first and then only smiled slightly. "No." He replied softly. "I don't love her. And it hurts me to say so."
"Why?" she looked over to him.
"I'm afraid that if she knows that I don't love her back, that it will destroy her. That I might lose her. She's my best friend, I feel closer to her than anyone else. I can tell her anything. but I couldn't bear to hurt her." He paused. "Truth of the matter is, I don't think I can love anyone."
"Not after Phoebe?"
Dana slapped herself for mentioning the name out loud. She felt horrible for bringing up a subject she had no right to even mention, let alone know about it. Surprisingly, Fox took the sudden change in subject light heartedly. He couldn't help but laugh when Dana blushed.
"I see that Grace and Maggie are keeping you well informed." His smiled let Dana know that no offense had been taken. "They tell you everything?"
"More than I should know." Dana admitted.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Fox shook his head. "You see those two sitting at the bar?"
Dana looked behind him to where he had gestured with his thumb and saw two young female students, one blonde and the other brunette, sitting with the heads turned in their direction. The sat close together, whispered and giggled, and then quickly looked away when they noticed Dana watching them.
"I see them."
"I can tell you what they are talking about without seeing their faces, the one on the right is daring the other to ask me out on a date. The one on the left just came back to school after a two month internship in Whales, she knew Phoebe and I were going out, but she doesn't know about our break-up. At this very moment, the one on the right is informing her friend that she has a chance with me now."
Dana looked back to the two girls. Sure enough, she could take a good guess that everything Fox had just said about the two was correct. The two girls were most certainly talking about him. Suddenly, Dana felt extremely territorial.
"My point is Dana, that the story of my break-up with Phoebe is no one's business. Yet the story has endured and spread like wildfire," he shrugged. "I guess there was no way to keep something like that out of the public eye."
Dana looked over to him and then back to the girl sitting on the left who got off her bar stool and turned to walk towards them. When she arrived at their table, Fox showed no surprise when the girl tapped him on the shoulder and introduced herself.
"I'm Christine, I couldn't help notice you while my roommate and I were sitting over there." Fox gave a brief, knowing smile to Dana. "I heard about you and Phoebe, I wanted to let you know that if feel for you. _sorry_ for you. I feel sorry for what happened to you. And if you ever wanted someone to talk to." she extended her hand which held a piece of napkin in it.
Fox took it with a brief smile and watched her return to the bar. He then turned back to Dana.
"Told you so." He reached for his pint and gulped the remains of the beer.
"She give you her number?" Dana gestured to the piece of paper.
"She did." Fox nodded. "It was rather rude of her, wasn't it? She didn't even pause to consider whether or not I was seeing you."
Had anyone else said that to her, she would have felt offended or at least concerned. Yet she was not, she loved that he had said it. Reaffirming the fact that she loved him.
"She must have guessed that I wasn't a student here." Dana shrugged.
"True. But still, a grown man sitting in a bar with an attractive young woman, she could have asked first, don't you think."
Dana's heart skipped a beat. _Attractive?_ Did Fox Mulder just call Dana Scully an _attractive_ young woman? Not wanting her face to betray her secret thoughts, Dana turned to finish her dinner and smiled at his complements as if they were merely polite observations, nothing to blush over. Yet she _was_ blushing, she couldn't help it. He did notice her, he was looking. Dana couldn't help but wonder if, secretly and deep down somewhere, he felt the same way about her. She shook her head clear of those thoughts. How could he? He had just gotten through a rather nasty relationship, the last thing he wanted was another relationship. but then again. Dana hadn't wanted to fall in love either.
* * *
After finishing their meal, the two of them decided to take a stroll around the campus before heading back to his dorm where they could watch a movie before Grace and Maggie joined them. Dana listened intently as Fox went into detail of the things he had been studying while at Oxford: his philosophy and psychology classes, the teachers, the lectures, the hard work and the numerous term papers. Dana was hooked on every single word that he spoke. While they walked in the darkness, Dana couldn't wait until they passed under a street lamp, she needed to look at him. But more importantly, she needed to see without him noticing.
She didn't want him to know that she was in love with him. He would have laughed it off as a schoolgirl crush, no more serious than when a pupil "falls in love" with his or her teacher. But more than that, she was afraid of the rejection which she knew he would give her. He had told her himself, he did not want to fall in love again. He had no desire to be back in another relationship, only to lose once again. And that's what would happen to the both of them.
Dana had to constantly remind herself of the harm that she could do to him. Say that she admitted how she felt about him, and that he accepted it. What then? They could be together, sure, but for how long? She would be returning home shortly. She would probably never see him again. There would be no doubt that she would be crushed knowing that she had to leave him, but how would he feel? Fox would have to remain in England, he wouldn't be able to come home with Dana. The idea of them being together was laughable, yet she couldn't shake the idea of belonging to only him. To her, the idea of loving Fox Mulder seemed as natural as breathing.
It was the official dinner time for resident students when they arrived back at the dorms. Maggie and Grace left a message with Fox's roommate that they were still in class and they would be going to dinner by themselves. They planned to return to Fox's room shortly before ten. It was only quarter of nine now. Fox's roommate then left to head down to dinner leaving the two in his room.
Fox welcomed Dana back into his room and threw his coat into the corner to signify that he had "cleaned-up" for her visit. The then took his books and unceremoniously plopped them on the surface of his desk.
"You're sure I'm not taking you away from any homework or a project? Nothing like that right?"
"I'm pretty sure," he nodded. A devilish smile then spread across his face. "But I can double check."
Without missing a beat, he took his seat at his large desk and picked up a science book from his mound of textbooks and threw it to the wall behind him. The book hit the wall with a splat and landed in front of him to an open page. He flipped through the pages and then closed the book. He checked each of his books systematically, shut them and then put them in a stack off the side of his desk surface. He looked back at her and gave her a wink.
"No homework tonight," he shrugged. "All that book cracking for nothing."
Dana erupted into hysterical laugher and sat down on the sofa. Fox laughed along with her and headed to the corner of the room where a small cooler was kept hidden under a pile of folded polo shirts and jeans. He opened it and took out two cans of soda, handed her one and kept the other.
"You show no respect for the authors of those books by bestowing so much abuse." She scorned him playfully.
"Those authors should be shot. There are laws against that however, but there are no laws against book abuse."
"Just wait, they'll have something soon enough. Then you'll have to watch yourself." She then paused, taking a more serious tone. "Can I ask you something?"
Fox nodded.
"Have you really thrown books out the window before?"
"Quite a few times." He nodded proudly.
"May I ask why?"
"I could tell you," he said cautiously. "But then I would have to kill you."
Fox then jumped to his feet and lead her up gently with his extended hand.
"Although I can't explain it to you, I think it's something you'll get once you experience it yourself."
Without saying a word more, Fox lead her to the window behind the desk and opened it to the night air. He directed her to stand next to the window and then presented her with a rather thick book from his stack of textbooks. Dana looked over the hardback book and read the title out loud.
"_Voices of Wisdom_." She looked at him suspiciously.
"The worst book of philosophy ever written," he shook his head. "Let it fly, Dana."
Dana turned to look out the open window and then turned back to him.
"You can't be serious." She shook her head.
"Let the spirit move you, Dana, let it _fly_. Free it into the wind."
"'Free it into the wind?' Do you know how crazy that sounds?" she handed the book back to him. "I'm not going to throw it out the window."
"You asked me what the appeal is, I'm trying to help you understand. It's something that you have to experience yourself. launch it, Dana." He gestured for her to throw it with his arm.
Dana took the book and stared at it for a moment. She then looked out the window. She knew she was crazy for doing it. she took a step away from the window and whipped the book out the window as if she were throwing a Frisbee.
With the lack of street lamps and minimal moonlight, the two of them could only tell if the book had landed when they heard an awkward splat on the grassy lawn below the dorm window. Dana looked down and could hear the pages turning in the faint wind. She looked to Fox who nodded confidently. Dana looked back down to the thrown book and then started to laugh hysterically.
By throwing a textbook from the window, she had experienced a freedom like none other. It was wonderful, the restrictions of education and learning were being challenged and rejected. Students all around the world should consider taking part in this freedom. especially if they just feeling like blowing off a little steam.
Fox went back to his desk and picked up a couple more books. He handed another one to Dana who happily stepped back and let it fly through the air to land on the grassy court. It was now Fox's turn, his choices were his large Cambridge edition of the _Complete Works of William Shakespeare_ and a rather thick and heavy version of Leo Tolstoy's _War and Peace_. The books flew much farther than Dana's and landed with a force that gave off such a thud that let Dana know she was in the presence of a master book flyer.
In the end, a total of ten books had been sent on their merry way out of Fox Mulder's dorm window and now sat in the mud and grass of the court below the dorms at Green College. Fox and Dana sat side by side under the window finishing their second cans of soda, still laughing and giggling from their book flying adventure.
"It's going to be a real pain in the ass to clean up all of that down there," Dana smirked at him.
"I know." He nodded. "Grace and Maggie can get it in the morning."
"How do you know they'll clean you mess?"
"They are in love with me right? They'll do it." He said confidently with a snort.
"It's a shame you're not available." Dana said, now feeling a little more confident in speaking freely to her new friend.
"Why's that?"
"I'm sure there are people out there who would be real happy to be with you, people who would be a lot different than Phoebe Green."
Fox smiled. "I'm sure you're right." He nodded. "Do you think any of them live around here?"
"I don't know, but there are people here who care about you."
"I know." He nodded. "I just don't love them, it would be like dating my. sister." he trailed off quietly.
There was pain in his voice at the mentioning of his sister. Dana didn't even know he had a sister, or any siblings. Whatever pain he was feeling, he shook it off and went on as if he had never mentioned it.
"I don't believe it was meant to be when it comes to Grace and Maggie."
"I wasn't referring to them." She said quietly.
Without wasting another moment of thinking or chatting, Dana leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on his lips.
* * *
That's it for Chapter 4. Now I have finally gotten to the good stuff, thanks to all who have read and reviewed. I appreciate the words of encouragement, but don't be afraid to send criticism and suggestions as well. I do want to point out that the book title of _Voice of Wisdom_ is a real life philosophy book (the worst ever written) and I do not mean any offence in mentioning it in this story (not much anyway) please do not sue me. especially if you are the author: G. Kessler. I encourage all readers to participate in this practice of book flying; especially if you are a college student. it makes a good conversation piece and a great stress release. More is coming soon.
Chapter 4: "Let the Romance Begin."
Author: Jerome Mullins
Disclaimer, Summary and Rating: See pervious chapters.
Author's Notes: Dana goes on an unofficial date with the object of her affection who then gives her a crash course on how to properly "crack books" in college.
* * *
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Dana Scully spend most of her afternoon in the library reading through the latest medical journals and through the school's archives of medical books. She felt she should take advantage of the opportunity to get a head start in her medical studies. she slammed the book shut and sighed heavily.
"My God," she groaned to herself. "I can't believe I'm listening to my father and started studying during my vacation."
"I couldn't believe it either, but I didn't want to say anything." Said a friendly voice from behind her.
Dana turned around behind her and found Fox Mulder smiling brightly at her from the table behind her. He reclined in his chair and glanced down at her book in front of her.
"Jumping the gun on Medical School?"
Dana shrugged and blushed slightly. "I thought. since I'm here already."
"You mean your parents wanted you to take advantage of this wonderful institution's resources for the medical field? If you really wanted to impress them, I could take you to the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin." A broad smile crossed his lips.
"Thank you for the offer," she nodded slightly. "But maybe I'll just stop listening to my father's instructions and start having my own fun. Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" she looked at her watch.
"Class is cancelled. My instructor is attending a conference this evening at Cambridge." He shrugged. "Guess I'm going to have to humor myself for a while, that is until Grace and Maggie are finished with their class."
"How much time do we have?" Dana smiled slyly.
"Couple hours," Fox leaned closer to her. "You doing anything tonight or are those medical journals calling out to you?"
"I refuse to look at another medical book until I graduate from high school." She smiled brightly. "I guess you're just going to have to keep me entertained, Mr. Mulder."
Fox leaned back in his chair again and smiled brightly.
"I guess you and I are going to have to get a couple of beers and figure out what to do for the evening."
He stood and gestured for Dana to follow him out of the library. They headed out for the off-campus bar in a comfortable silence. Dana was grateful for the night time, the lack of street lamps allowed her to glance over to him briefly without his knowledge. Just outside the bar, he smiled broadly at her and held the door open for her as she headed inside.
The student crowd was light for the early evening, many were still in class, while those who were there were either local residents or a small group of students working on a project. Fox lead Dana to a small booth in the back near a small black and white television with poor reception. Dana guessed there was a soccer match going on, though she couldn't make out the teams or the announcer. The waitress, a short blonde woman, came over as soon as they were seated and took their order for a pitcher of beer with two pints and two cheeseburgers.
"It's a shame you're under age," Fox winked at her when their pints arrived. "I'm sure you'll have a number of little secrets that you'll carry back home with you when you return."
Dana blushed. "I can add them to my collection of little secrets I already have."
"Sounds like someone's not the good little Catholic girl that she appears to be," he snickered. "That's all right though, I bet that you weren't able to tell that I am utterly insane upon first glance."
"Utterly insane?" She raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I deeply enjoy the dismemberment and torture of textbooks and lecture notes." He smiled sadistically.
Dana laughed hysterically.
"May I even ask what it is that leads you to suddenly attack a perfectly good textbook? What did they ever do to you?"
"They inform me of information and drag me, kicking and screaming, from my ignorance."
"Ignorance is bliss for you?"
"Not complete ignorance," he shook his head. "But ignorance of Mathematics and Chemistry."
"You don't like Math and Chemistry?" Dana chuckled. "I love them. They're two of my best subjects."
"Yes, and because of your comfort in these two subjects, I see you doing great things in the medical field. I'm sure I'll read all about you some day, Dr. Dana Scully. finding a cure for cancer. winning the Nobel Prize."
Dana blushed at his praise and began eating her cheeseburger. Sensing her discomfort, Fox silenced himself by gulping down his pint of ail and filling the mug from the pitcher of beer to the left of his plate.
"And what will you do, Mr. Mulder? Where will I be reading your name some day?"
Fox smiled broadly and shrugged as he popped a greasy chip into his open mouth. "Most likely in one of those tabloid newspapers. '_Local English fisherman claims to have discovered Atlantis in Scottish lake_.' That kind of thing."
"Somehow I doubt that," Dana said quietly. "From what Grace and Maggie have told me, you're a very brilliant student."
"They give me unjust praise," he shook his head. "Both of them have foolishly fallen in love with me."
The silence was deafening. Dana slumped in her chair. Fox didn't seem to notice at first, he went on eating his cheeseburger and finishing his chips while drinking his pint. Dana was afraid that he could see right through her, that he knew that she had fallen for him too. If Fox did know, he didn't let his suspicions show.
Dana cleared her throat before continuing to speak. "How do you know that they are in love with you?"
"I don't know." Fox shrugged. "I guess I can tell from the way they've been acting towards me. I've known Maggie most of my life, we grew up together. one day she just started acting different. She used to be one of my best friends, we'd go to the movies and play baseball and football every weekend. I guess she fell in love with me back in high school because she applied to come here the same time I did. We both got in."
Dana couldn't face him at this point. She kept her eyes on the rest of her food, none of which appealed to her anymore.
"Do you love her?" she asked quietly.
Fox was taken a back at this. He chuckled at first and then only smiled slightly. "No." He replied softly. "I don't love her. And it hurts me to say so."
"Why?" she looked over to him.
"I'm afraid that if she knows that I don't love her back, that it will destroy her. That I might lose her. She's my best friend, I feel closer to her than anyone else. I can tell her anything. but I couldn't bear to hurt her." He paused. "Truth of the matter is, I don't think I can love anyone."
"Not after Phoebe?"
Dana slapped herself for mentioning the name out loud. She felt horrible for bringing up a subject she had no right to even mention, let alone know about it. Surprisingly, Fox took the sudden change in subject light heartedly. He couldn't help but laugh when Dana blushed.
"I see that Grace and Maggie are keeping you well informed." His smiled let Dana know that no offense had been taken. "They tell you everything?"
"More than I should know." Dana admitted.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Fox shook his head. "You see those two sitting at the bar?"
Dana looked behind him to where he had gestured with his thumb and saw two young female students, one blonde and the other brunette, sitting with the heads turned in their direction. The sat close together, whispered and giggled, and then quickly looked away when they noticed Dana watching them.
"I see them."
"I can tell you what they are talking about without seeing their faces, the one on the right is daring the other to ask me out on a date. The one on the left just came back to school after a two month internship in Whales, she knew Phoebe and I were going out, but she doesn't know about our break-up. At this very moment, the one on the right is informing her friend that she has a chance with me now."
Dana looked back to the two girls. Sure enough, she could take a good guess that everything Fox had just said about the two was correct. The two girls were most certainly talking about him. Suddenly, Dana felt extremely territorial.
"My point is Dana, that the story of my break-up with Phoebe is no one's business. Yet the story has endured and spread like wildfire," he shrugged. "I guess there was no way to keep something like that out of the public eye."
Dana looked over to him and then back to the girl sitting on the left who got off her bar stool and turned to walk towards them. When she arrived at their table, Fox showed no surprise when the girl tapped him on the shoulder and introduced herself.
"I'm Christine, I couldn't help notice you while my roommate and I were sitting over there." Fox gave a brief, knowing smile to Dana. "I heard about you and Phoebe, I wanted to let you know that if feel for you. _sorry_ for you. I feel sorry for what happened to you. And if you ever wanted someone to talk to." she extended her hand which held a piece of napkin in it.
Fox took it with a brief smile and watched her return to the bar. He then turned back to Dana.
"Told you so." He reached for his pint and gulped the remains of the beer.
"She give you her number?" Dana gestured to the piece of paper.
"She did." Fox nodded. "It was rather rude of her, wasn't it? She didn't even pause to consider whether or not I was seeing you."
Had anyone else said that to her, she would have felt offended or at least concerned. Yet she was not, she loved that he had said it. Reaffirming the fact that she loved him.
"She must have guessed that I wasn't a student here." Dana shrugged.
"True. But still, a grown man sitting in a bar with an attractive young woman, she could have asked first, don't you think."
Dana's heart skipped a beat. _Attractive?_ Did Fox Mulder just call Dana Scully an _attractive_ young woman? Not wanting her face to betray her secret thoughts, Dana turned to finish her dinner and smiled at his complements as if they were merely polite observations, nothing to blush over. Yet she _was_ blushing, she couldn't help it. He did notice her, he was looking. Dana couldn't help but wonder if, secretly and deep down somewhere, he felt the same way about her. She shook her head clear of those thoughts. How could he? He had just gotten through a rather nasty relationship, the last thing he wanted was another relationship. but then again. Dana hadn't wanted to fall in love either.
* * *
After finishing their meal, the two of them decided to take a stroll around the campus before heading back to his dorm where they could watch a movie before Grace and Maggie joined them. Dana listened intently as Fox went into detail of the things he had been studying while at Oxford: his philosophy and psychology classes, the teachers, the lectures, the hard work and the numerous term papers. Dana was hooked on every single word that he spoke. While they walked in the darkness, Dana couldn't wait until they passed under a street lamp, she needed to look at him. But more importantly, she needed to see without him noticing.
She didn't want him to know that she was in love with him. He would have laughed it off as a schoolgirl crush, no more serious than when a pupil "falls in love" with his or her teacher. But more than that, she was afraid of the rejection which she knew he would give her. He had told her himself, he did not want to fall in love again. He had no desire to be back in another relationship, only to lose once again. And that's what would happen to the both of them.
Dana had to constantly remind herself of the harm that she could do to him. Say that she admitted how she felt about him, and that he accepted it. What then? They could be together, sure, but for how long? She would be returning home shortly. She would probably never see him again. There would be no doubt that she would be crushed knowing that she had to leave him, but how would he feel? Fox would have to remain in England, he wouldn't be able to come home with Dana. The idea of them being together was laughable, yet she couldn't shake the idea of belonging to only him. To her, the idea of loving Fox Mulder seemed as natural as breathing.
It was the official dinner time for resident students when they arrived back at the dorms. Maggie and Grace left a message with Fox's roommate that they were still in class and they would be going to dinner by themselves. They planned to return to Fox's room shortly before ten. It was only quarter of nine now. Fox's roommate then left to head down to dinner leaving the two in his room.
Fox welcomed Dana back into his room and threw his coat into the corner to signify that he had "cleaned-up" for her visit. The then took his books and unceremoniously plopped them on the surface of his desk.
"You're sure I'm not taking you away from any homework or a project? Nothing like that right?"
"I'm pretty sure," he nodded. A devilish smile then spread across his face. "But I can double check."
Without missing a beat, he took his seat at his large desk and picked up a science book from his mound of textbooks and threw it to the wall behind him. The book hit the wall with a splat and landed in front of him to an open page. He flipped through the pages and then closed the book. He checked each of his books systematically, shut them and then put them in a stack off the side of his desk surface. He looked back at her and gave her a wink.
"No homework tonight," he shrugged. "All that book cracking for nothing."
Dana erupted into hysterical laugher and sat down on the sofa. Fox laughed along with her and headed to the corner of the room where a small cooler was kept hidden under a pile of folded polo shirts and jeans. He opened it and took out two cans of soda, handed her one and kept the other.
"You show no respect for the authors of those books by bestowing so much abuse." She scorned him playfully.
"Those authors should be shot. There are laws against that however, but there are no laws against book abuse."
"Just wait, they'll have something soon enough. Then you'll have to watch yourself." She then paused, taking a more serious tone. "Can I ask you something?"
Fox nodded.
"Have you really thrown books out the window before?"
"Quite a few times." He nodded proudly.
"May I ask why?"
"I could tell you," he said cautiously. "But then I would have to kill you."
Fox then jumped to his feet and lead her up gently with his extended hand.
"Although I can't explain it to you, I think it's something you'll get once you experience it yourself."
Without saying a word more, Fox lead her to the window behind the desk and opened it to the night air. He directed her to stand next to the window and then presented her with a rather thick book from his stack of textbooks. Dana looked over the hardback book and read the title out loud.
"_Voices of Wisdom_." She looked at him suspiciously.
"The worst book of philosophy ever written," he shook his head. "Let it fly, Dana."
Dana turned to look out the open window and then turned back to him.
"You can't be serious." She shook her head.
"Let the spirit move you, Dana, let it _fly_. Free it into the wind."
"'Free it into the wind?' Do you know how crazy that sounds?" she handed the book back to him. "I'm not going to throw it out the window."
"You asked me what the appeal is, I'm trying to help you understand. It's something that you have to experience yourself. launch it, Dana." He gestured for her to throw it with his arm.
Dana took the book and stared at it for a moment. She then looked out the window. She knew she was crazy for doing it. she took a step away from the window and whipped the book out the window as if she were throwing a Frisbee.
With the lack of street lamps and minimal moonlight, the two of them could only tell if the book had landed when they heard an awkward splat on the grassy lawn below the dorm window. Dana looked down and could hear the pages turning in the faint wind. She looked to Fox who nodded confidently. Dana looked back down to the thrown book and then started to laugh hysterically.
By throwing a textbook from the window, she had experienced a freedom like none other. It was wonderful, the restrictions of education and learning were being challenged and rejected. Students all around the world should consider taking part in this freedom. especially if they just feeling like blowing off a little steam.
Fox went back to his desk and picked up a couple more books. He handed another one to Dana who happily stepped back and let it fly through the air to land on the grassy court. It was now Fox's turn, his choices were his large Cambridge edition of the _Complete Works of William Shakespeare_ and a rather thick and heavy version of Leo Tolstoy's _War and Peace_. The books flew much farther than Dana's and landed with a force that gave off such a thud that let Dana know she was in the presence of a master book flyer.
In the end, a total of ten books had been sent on their merry way out of Fox Mulder's dorm window and now sat in the mud and grass of the court below the dorms at Green College. Fox and Dana sat side by side under the window finishing their second cans of soda, still laughing and giggling from their book flying adventure.
"It's going to be a real pain in the ass to clean up all of that down there," Dana smirked at him.
"I know." He nodded. "Grace and Maggie can get it in the morning."
"How do you know they'll clean you mess?"
"They are in love with me right? They'll do it." He said confidently with a snort.
"It's a shame you're not available." Dana said, now feeling a little more confident in speaking freely to her new friend.
"Why's that?"
"I'm sure there are people out there who would be real happy to be with you, people who would be a lot different than Phoebe Green."
Fox smiled. "I'm sure you're right." He nodded. "Do you think any of them live around here?"
"I don't know, but there are people here who care about you."
"I know." He nodded. "I just don't love them, it would be like dating my. sister." he trailed off quietly.
There was pain in his voice at the mentioning of his sister. Dana didn't even know he had a sister, or any siblings. Whatever pain he was feeling, he shook it off and went on as if he had never mentioned it.
"I don't believe it was meant to be when it comes to Grace and Maggie."
"I wasn't referring to them." She said quietly.
Without wasting another moment of thinking or chatting, Dana leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on his lips.
* * *
That's it for Chapter 4. Now I have finally gotten to the good stuff, thanks to all who have read and reviewed. I appreciate the words of encouragement, but don't be afraid to send criticism and suggestions as well. I do want to point out that the book title of _Voice of Wisdom_ is a real life philosophy book (the worst ever written) and I do not mean any offence in mentioning it in this story (not much anyway) please do not sue me. especially if you are the author: G. Kessler. I encourage all readers to participate in this practice of book flying; especially if you are a college student. it makes a good conversation piece and a great stress release. More is coming soon.
