She was nineteen when they first met. Bright. Idealistic. Her hair back then was not the flaming red he had grown to love, but it was equally eye-catching. Her face was softer, less defined but still dignified. He was immediately attracted to her.
He watched her from afar, afraid to scare her away – afraid to lose her. It was January when he first talked to her. She sat alone at a café, reading a book, Darwin maybe.
"Hi."
Her head popped up.
"Hi."
Her voice soft and sweet.
"I don't know if you know me but I've seen you around."
Typical line. It was a big school.
She smiled at him. A polite smile but he took it nonetheless.
Yes, she'd seen him around campus but no, sorry, she did not know his name. No, she didn't have a boyfriend and yes, she'd love to go out with him sometime.
A week later, they went out on their first date, dinner and a movie. He was enamored with her, hung on her every word. She was unused to all the attention, one out of four children and her father in the Navy. They had a second date followed by a third, fourth, and fifth. He learned her life, met her family, and played the role of the perfect boyfriend.
He believed that everything was perfect. It was everything he wanted it to be and maybe even more. He was wrong.
Near the end of their relationship, she had become distant. He pretended not to notice; she pretended to still care.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She took a deep breath.
"I…"
"Dana, what is it?"
"You're smothering me."
What? He couldn't believe it. What had he done wrong?
"I thought …"
She cut him off.
"It wouldn't have worked out anyway. My father is being transfer and I've decided to go with the family. I'm sorry."
She left him. He was heart broken.
True to her word, Dana Scully moved away two weeks later, at the end of the semester. He too packed up his bags and followed her.
You're mine.