Chapter 3: Night Oceans and Vanilla Lattes
Dana ate her dinner that night rather quickly. After she helped her mother clear the dishes, she approached her father.
"Can I go to the library tonight, Daddy?"
"Dana, it's a Friday night. Isn't there someplace else you'd rather go?" William Scully asked his younger daughter.
Dana adamantly shook her head.
"Oh, all right. Here are the car keys. Make sure you wear a warm coat. The November nights are cold."
"Thanks Daddy," Dana replied as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door.
"And Starbuck," her father's words stopped Dana before she left the house. "Don't get too wet at the beach."
Dana smiled at her father and how well he knew her, "I won't, Ahab."
Dana drove her car to the makeshift parking lot above the beach. As she ran down the sand dunes to the shoreline, she tossed off her shoes and yanked off her socks. Then, she patiently rolled up her flared jeans as far as they would go. After jumping up and down a few times to assure herself that the jeans were secure, she gingerly stepped into the oncoming waves.
Dana closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The rhythmic sound of the crashing waves and the biting aroma of the saltwater welcomed her like an old friend. She took a few steps back until she was on dry sand and sank to the ground. She leaned back on her elbows and took a mental picture of her new beach. From where she was sitting, the beach to her right was smooth and straight as far as she could see. On her left, though, she could only see for fifty or so yards because of an intruding cliff, complete with a rocky ledge. Dana assumed that the beach took a sharp turn inland at that point.
As her feet and lower legs became accustomed to the coldness of the sea water, Dana walked farther into the water. It was low tide, and as she turned to face the beach from the water, she saw the debris washed ashore earlier that evening. Oddly, this was her favorite part of new beaches. She loved to see what odd items the tide left behind. When she was five years old, she had found a torn, stiff piece of canvas. Her father had told her it was part of a sail, possibly from a wrecked ship. Dana had cut a small piece of this fabric off, and kept it in her special box. She walked up the shoreline, towards the cliff, searching the debris for anything unique. Her trained eyes looked passed driftwood and seaweed and expertly stepped over dead jellyfish and sharp rocks.
Meanwhile, her attention shifted from the sand in front of her to the new scene before her as she rounded the jagged cliff. It seemed that the entire Fairfield High School student body had turned out for a beach bonfire.
"Figures I wasn't invited," Dana said aloud, though no one was close enough to hear her. "Doesn't matter anyway."
Though it did. Not that she valued their opinions whatsoever, it never feels good to be left out. Just as Dana was about to turn around and head back towards the more familiar and secluded beach, she saw a dark figure walking towards her. Because the bonfire was directly behind the approaching person, Dana could not make out a single feature. She just calmly turned on her heel and continued to her destination.
"Nice jeans, Scully," the familiar voice said, a smile in his tone.
Once again Dana spun around, this time with a smile on her face. She sheepishly looked down at her pants before looking at his face. "Hey, Mulder."
"What are you doing by yourself on the beach in the dark?"
"I'm not alone now, am I?" Scully countered, smiling.
"It depends. Am I interrupting something?" Mulder asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'm just getting settled in."
"How do you mean?"
"Whenever we move to a new city, I always visit the beach and….well…pick out my spot. I know this sounds weird, but I always feel at home when I'm near the ocean. It's like an old friend."
"It doesn't sound that weird," Mulder replied sarcastically, feigning confusion at such an oddity.
Scully lightly smacked his arm. "Are you sure I'm not bothering you?"
"No, I was done. It's not like I have some elaborate ceremony," she smiled.
"You have a pretty smile, Scully," Mulder blurted.
This made her smile even bigger, "Thank you."
"From what I've seen, you don't do it often enough."
"I have to have reason to smile."
"Does everything you do have to have a reason?"
"Of course," she smirked.
"Well, I'll just have to figure out how to make you smile," Mulder smiled tenderly. "Do you like coffee?"
"I love coffee," Scully replied, smiling.
"Good. Let's go get coffee."
"Well…"
"What've you got to lose?" his eyes boring into hers questioningly, daring her to say no.
Scully shrugged, "It's worth the risk. How far is it? My car is up a little ways."
"Oh, we'll walk," Mulder sat down beside her as she put on her socks and shoes and unrolled her jeans. "Ready?" he asked, offering his hand.
She placed her small hand in his and they walked away from the cliff, further down the beach. After five or so minutes of a comfortable silence along the ocean line, Mulder directed them straight up the beach towards a row of old, beach houses. "We'll cut through here. The coffee shop is only two blocks away now."
"Are you sure the people who own this house won't mind?" Scully asked, wary of trespassing as Mulder hopped the fence.
"Positive. I live here."
She followed him silently, and as soon as she reached the other side, Mulder reclaimed her hand. The coffee shop was only five minutes away. When Mulder held the door for her as they entered the coffee shop, a gust of aromatic wind greeted her. "I love the smell of coffee."
"Of course you do, who doesn't? I think you'll like this place."
As Scully looked around, she realized that this was definitely a picturesque coffee shop. Couches divided the room into smaller sections, allowing an intimate feeling. Bookshelves covered three of the walls, and the bar covered the fourth. "Me, too."
"Can I help you?" a cheerful, little old woman wearing a green apron inquired.
"Hi, Sophie," Mulder replied.
"Fox! What a pleasant surprise!" the old woman wiped her hands on a towel and scurried around the bar to embrace Mulder in a hug. "And you brought a friend!" Sophie continued, eyeing Scully, who merely smiled under her gaze. Obviously, this was reason enough for Sophie's approval, and Scully found her enveloped in the old woman's tiny arms.
"Hi, I…I'm Dana Scully," Scully stuttered, surprised to be so readily accepted by the little woman.
After stepping back and eyeing the two teenagers again, Sophie asked, "Now, what can I get you two tonight?"
Scully looked at Mulder, who motioned for her to order first. "Can I have a vanilla latte?"
"Do you want dessert?" Sophie asked, as if sizing Scully up once again.
"Well, Fox was just bragging about your cheesecake?" Scully fibbed, hoping that she made cheesecake.
Sophie beamed. "With a vanilla latte, you should have try my Heath caramel cheesecake."
"Okay, then one vanilla latte and a slice of your Heath caramel cheesecake," Scully replied.
"And what for you, Fox? The usual," Sophie asked.
"Yes ma'am," Mulder replied politely.
"Okay, then I'll have those ready for you shortly," Sophie said as she went into what must have been the kitchen.
While waiting for their orders, Dana turned around, resting her elbows on the counter behind her. "How long have you been coming here?" she asked, looking up at Mulder.
"Years. I think the first time I came I was five years old. My mother and I stopped in here as a break from shopping," he smiled.
"Have you lived here all of your life?"
He shook his head. "Actually, when we first came here, my family lived in Martha's Vineyard. We were only visiting my parents' friends. I think it was Christmas break."
Sophie interrupted with a tray of coffee and cake and placed it on the countertop between her and the two teenagers. Scully took out her wallet, but Mulder gently pushed it back into her purse. "My treat."
She wanted to protest but decided against it. It was nice just to let someone treat her for a change. Mulder handed Sophie some crumpled bills and took the tray from her. "Thanks, Sophie."
"You're welcome, Foxy," the old woman smiled.
Mulder let Scully pick one of the various, mismatched sofas, and she chose an old, worn red velvet one in the corner nearest to the fireplace. Mulder placed the tray on the elegant antique coffee table as they sat down. Scully snuggled into the arm of the couch and kicked off her shoes to sit cross-legged on the couch. Mulder shifted so that he was facing her as he handed her the coffee and cheesecake and grabbed his own.
"So, who's party was that?" Scully began the conversation before eating her first bite of cheesecake.
"Hmm? Oh, It wasn't really a party. It was the annual unofficial pre-Homecoming FHS bonfire." They continued their conversation between sips of coffee and bites of cheesecake.
"Oh."
"It's really stupid, but there's not much else to do, here."
Scully just sipped her coffee and nodded.
"So, where did you move from?" Mulder shoved a huge forkful of cherry cheesecake into his mouth.
"This past time we moved from Cape Cod, but we lived in California before that."
He sipped his coffee, impressed. "I take it you don't like moving this much?"
Scully vehemently shook her head, "No, when I grow up, I don't want to move around at all. I want to open up a small psychologist's office and stay put." Scully drank the last few drops of her latte before quietly placing the cup back on the tray, next to her already cleared dessert plate. Mulder finished his shortly after her, and his plate and cup soon rested next to hers.
"You like psychology? I don't understand that class at all," Mulder admitted.
"Oh, I think it's fascinating how the human mind works! Maybe because I've seen such a repetitious pattern in all of the places I've lived."
"Maybe you can help me study sometime," Mulder suggested.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
Scully glanced at her watch. "Oh! It's getting late; I better be going. My dad only thought I was going to the beach. Thank you for the coffee and cheesecake. It was wonderful."
Mulder grabbed the tray from the table, "I'll walk you back to your car."
"No, really it's okay. Thank you for everything. I'll see you round," she said, rushed into one breath.
"You sure?"
"Uh-huh," Scully buttoned her coat.
"Okay, well, what about tomorrow night?"
"What about it?" Scully countered, slipping her leather gloves on her hands, oblivious to Mulder's hesitancy.
"I, uhm, thought that if you weren't busy I could take you out?"
Scully stopped what she was doing, "On a date?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," Mulder said, hope and anxiety evident in his voice and eyes.
"Okay!" she smiled.
"Can I have your phone number?"
Scully frowned, "I don't know it yet."
"Do you have an address?"
"Oh, yeah, here," Scully scribbled it on a napkin.
"Thanks. Can I pick you up at seven?"
"Sounds good. Bye Mulder!" Scully rushed out the door.
"Bye," he whispered, but she was already gone. As he turned to the kitchen, Sophie disappeared from eyes view, though Mulder caught her wink and the look in her eyes. He walked home, smiling.
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A/N: and you guys thought I had dropped off the planet! Well, this one took a couple days to cough up, so I don't know how good this is.
Be brutal in your critiques!
Theresa