Fox woke early the next morning, with a feeling of dread in his stomach. He felt terrible for what happened the previous evening, ashamed for letting his emotions get the better of him and ignoring the previous promises he had made to her. He had made a mistake and he needed to beg her forgiveness.
He hurried and dressed, wanting to be downstairs before her, showing his sincerity at being apologetic.
He watched and waited, approaching her when she was halfway down the stairs, though she would not meet his eyes until she arrived at the bottom step.
"Dana… Miss Scully-"
"Fox, I need to apologize"
"No. I do. Please." He put up a hand and let out a breath. Looking around, he took hold of her elbow gently and led her to a corner of the room, letting go of her arm when they had reached it. She clasped her hands together and looked at him, biting on her lower lip.
"I lost my head last night and I cannot apologize enough. It was unacceptable behavior on my part and I am truly sorry." He opened his mouth to say more, but then closed it, leaving any further words unsaid.
"I kissed you back," she said softly, her eyes dropping to the floor. "I am as much to blame."
"No. I am to blame, completely and wholly. It won't happen again, of that I promise. I said this would be a professional relationship and I did not adhere to my own words. Please forgive me." He held her gaze and she nodded slowly.
"I will… if you will forgive me."
"Without hesitation," he said quietly, attempting a smile. She released her breath and nodded again, her own smile not the one he was accustomed to seeing.
"Shall we make our way into the dining room?" he asked, his tone light. She gave a short chuckle and stepped ahead of him.
As he fell in step, his hand rose to touch her lower back as he had done numerous times. Just before his hand could make contact, he squeezed it into a fist and pulled it back, dropping it to his side.
Shaking his head, he followed her into the dining room, his fingers tingling from the lack of touch as his mind involuntarily remembered the soft sweetness of her lips.
The day ahead was thankfully busy, which was most welcome after the initial awkwardness of the morning.
Among the other requests that had been made, Fox had found a man to be their helper/guide into the desert. He would be with them as their cook, knowing they would be far too preoccupied to worry about food preparation every day.
They met him in the main lounge of the hotel mid-afternoon, knowing him on sight, as he gazed around the hotel in amazement, a huge smile on his face. He was a round happy man who bowed slightly to them, when they joined him. He spoke no English aside from yes and no, but showed them Fox's letter, as proof of it being he would be assisting them.
When Dana introduced herself, speaking to him in his mother tongue, his eyes lit up in surprise. He seemed to trip over his words before they began to tumble out very quickly. Dana laughed and put up a hand, speaking to him and shaking her head. He chuckled and nodded, speaking slowly the second time.
"This is Akl," she said to Fox. Akl smiled and nodded at him, Fox nodding in return. "He says he has brought two wagons with him and his sons are waiting outside. One wagon will be mainly food and water, the other whatever other items we need." She said something to Akl and he chuckled again, responding as he rubbed his stomach and Dana laughed saying another few words. "I asked him what the meaning of his name is and he said 'food.' I told him, as he's agreed to help us in that capacity, it seems that his destiny was foretold when he received his name." Akl smiled again, and gestured for them to follow him out of the hotel.
They were introduced to his sons, Sobek and Atum, who indeed sat waiting for him. They were young, the oldest not yet fourteen, and they looked happy to be asked to help with the task.
The market was not far and the boys each drove a wagon over as he, Dana, and Akl walked, Fox following behind them as he listened to Dana speaking to Akl. Sometimes it sounded as though she asked him to repeat a word and he did slowly and precisely. Her smile was his thanks and his hearty chuckle proved how he was enjoying himself.
Turning to Fox as they arrived at the market, she asked him a question.
"I'm going to consult with Akl on his suggestions for what we will need, neither of us having done this before. Are you alright with that plan?"
"This is your expedition, Dana. I trust you implicitly." He smiled and she stared, the words he spoke obviously affecting her greatly.
"R… right. I…" She looked back at Akl and then back to him. "Thank you."
"Of course," he responded with a slight tilt of his head. She smiled and followed Akl, Fox following them.
Deciding on which foods they would need, not knowing how long they would be out and away from the convenience of the marketplace, there was great deliberation. They would need to plan for many days, bringing things that would last long and not spoil.
"Fox?" Dana called and he looked up from a basket of spices which made his mouth water.
"Yes?"
"The Kharga Oasis is near Akl's home, very near in fact. We won't be but a half a day away from it."
"Well, that's quite lucky."
"Isn't it? We won't need to worry about water as much as I was imagining. And, he can be home if it's needed. His wife is pregnant and will be having the baby in a few months."
"Oh! That is fortunate. But, should he not be home with her? Should… I don't want to take the man's job from him, but…?" He looked at her and she nodded, walking to Akl and speaking to him.
Fox watched them, Akl saying something, his hands animated as well as his face. A second Dana was silent and then she laughed, covering her mouth as she did, her eyes closed as she shook her head. Akl laughed beside her, looking at Fox who only smiled, not understanding the language.
When she was able to compose herself, she spoke to Akl, who nodded. Shaking her head again, she walked to Fox, wiping her eyes.
"Oh, I was not expecting that," she said with a small laugh. "I asked him if being home wasn't a better option and he said that it was first and foremost money for his family and he would not refuse it. Second…" Here she broke into giggles and took a second to calm down. "He has two other sons and a daughter, and with every pregnancy his wife has been, as he describes it, 'an angry snapping crocodile,' so it's best if he's away."
She laughed and Fox's eyes widened as he looked at Akl who nodded, making a snapping motion with his hands. Fox began to laugh and nodded at Akl, now understanding his desire to be away.
They returned to complete the task, Akl's sons taking the baskets and crates of food and running them to the wagons, quickly filling it. Tomorrow morning, they would collect water in large stone containers before they left.
Non perishable supplies were next. Tools, canvas tents, oil lamps and other supplies were purchased and carried to the wagon by Sobek and Atum, both of them laughing as they hurried past. Some clothing, cots, blankets and rugs were purchased and once again added to the wagon, the piles growing larger.
Sobek and Atum joined Akl, who spoke to Dana, as he glanced at Fox. She nodded, speaking to the boys, who smiled at her. Akl bowed to Fox before he and his boys walked away.
"I really like them. The boys remind me of my nephews, only slightly older, and perhaps less wild." She smiled and then sighed as she watched them leaving.
"You amaze me," Fox said as he stared at her and shook his head. She looked back at him, blushing as she cleared her throat. "I've heard you speaking to people since I've known you, but every time it surprises me. It shouldn't, as you would have to be knowledgeable in the language as you have lived here a long time and as in your job as a researcher in the museum. But I am still shocked for a moment when you do."
"I suppose… it is a bit odd to hear a pale, redheaded Irish woman speaking Egyptian Arabic, isn't it?" she teased and he laughed. She walked past him and his hand touched her back as he caught up, this time without worry, knowing she would not hesitate to welcome his touch.
The five men who had answered the letter to form an excavation team arrived after dinner and Fox did not like the look of a couple of them. But, to have found men who spoke English was a great advantage and he would take what was available.
The man with, what he assumed was a cheek full of dipping tobacco and the hardest eyes, made him extremely uncomfortable. When his gaze swung to Dana, looking her up and down with a leering smile, Fox felt sick to his stomach. He would have stood in front of her, guarding her from the man's eyes, if he knew she would not have disapproved of such behavior.
A man on the ship had made unwelcome comments to her and quick and sharp had been her tongue at discouraging any further conversation with him.
Fox knew she could speak for herself, but the man before him still created a feeling of unease.
"Hello," Fox said, with a glance at Dana who nodded, her hands clasped in front of her as she took a deep breath. "I thank you all for agreeing to be a part of this journey. My name is Fox Mulder and this is Dana-"
"She yer wife?" the hard-eyed man asked, in a rough American accent, spitting on the ground, the man beside him grinning.
"No. She is not. She is my… partner."
"Oh. That what y'all call it in jolly old England? Yer partner?" He sneered, once more spitting, the man beside him now laughing, though the other three did not.
Fox felt Dana bristle beside him but kept quiet, even as his own anger rose, his hands clenched by his side.
"This dig, this excavation we are pursuing, is hers. I am the one funding it, but she is the one in charge of it. Decisions will be deferred to her."
Laughter erupted from two of the men, hard eyes and his friend, as two of the others smiled in disbelief and one met Fox's eyes with the slightest of nods.
"A woman." Spit hit the ground again and the man with hard eyes swore, looking disapprovingly at Dana. "I ain't taking instructions from a woman. What kind of man does that?"
"She knows more than any of us about this expedition."
"You think I give a shit? I don't. I traveled here with promise of work and pay. Left behind a good job too and now I learn she is going to lead us. Hell no."
"You're free to leave at any time," Fox said, his jaw clenched, his anger escalating.
"Nah, not without some type of… compensation."
He stared at Dana with his cold eyes, and Fox heard her whimper slightly, the man's words and meaning, blood chilling indeed. But then his gaze turned to Fox, who understood how he could persuade this horrible man to leave. Taking money from his pocket, being more than generous, he paid him, now placing himself slightly in front of Dana and out of the man's sight.
"Greatly appreciated, sir. Come on Tom, let's get the hell out of here." He clapped the other laughing man on the shoulder and they shook their heads as they walked away, stating no woman would ever boss them about.
"Bastards," Dana breathed and Fox looked at her in shock, never having heard her swear before, though their behavior more than called for it. As he looked at her more closely, he observed how truly rigid her body stance was, her own hands in fists by her sides. "I'm glad they're gone." She looked up at him with thankful eyes and he nodded in agreement.
Turning back to the other men, he felt he would rather it be only him and Dana, the possibility of never finding anything very high, if they were anything like the previous men.
"Well, what say you? Will you be following your friends or joining us?"
"They're not our friends," a blonde man said, shaking his head, his accent also American. "We met them only this morning. I didn't exactly care for them." The two other men nodded, the one in the middle more enthusiastically than his mate.
"So, what's your answer? We leave in the morning, everything is ready. Without your help, the work will be slow going, but I leave it with you," Fox said and the men looked at one another.
"I…" the blonde man said, looking uncomfortable, not meeting Fox's eyes. The middle man frowned and looked from left to right, before the men turned around and his eyes widened.
He clapped his hands loudly twice, turning to face them and they looked at him in surprise. He opened his hands wide, but said nothing.
"Come on," said the dark haired man who had not yet spoken, his British accent thick. "This isn't what we thought it would be."
The middle man took what looked like a journal from the small leather bag hanging across his chest. along with a pencil, and wrote something down, showing it to his companions.
"That's not fair. This isn't the same."
Another message written and shown and they both looked uncomfortable, glancing at Dana and then away. Fox looked at her, but her eyes were on the middle man, as he again wrote something down. He held it up and the men sighed. Tapping the paper harshly, they sighed and the man nodded.
He turned around and stared at Dana, his annoyance diminishing, his nod to her softer as he let out a breath. Looking over his shoulder, he jerked his head to the men, and then back at Dana with a roll of his eyes. The men joined him, but kept their eyes on the ground.
Rolling his eyes again, the middle man wrote something down, stepped close to Dana and Fox, holding it out.
We will join you.
Dana looked up and he nodded at her with a smile. She smiled back and he rejoined his friends, hitting the blonde man on the arm with his journal, writing furiously after gesturing toward Dana and Fox.
"Sorry ma'am. We were…" He looked at the middle man who shook his head and made a motion with his hand against his head. "Yeah, stupid." He made the same hand motion and the middle man nodded vigorously.
"You're not deaf," Dana said softly, as though she had just figured something out that had been vexing her. "You're mute." The middle man looked up at her and nodded.
"You use sign language?" He nodded again and she chuckled softly, as he tilted his head and she smiled kindly. "I've always wanted to learn how." His face showed happy surprise and he nodded, holding up a finger and continuing his writing.
"I'm Charles," said the British man with a small nod.
"John," said the blonde man. "And he's Pierre." He pointed at the middle man, signing his name at the same time. "He's French, but we try not to hold that against him." Pierre shook his head and gave John a withering look, before continuing his writing.
"I apologize," John said and Fox cleared his throat, the task once again at hand.
"Yes, well." He looked at Dana, leaving the decision up to her. She smiled with a slight nod and he proceeded. "As I said, I'm funding the dig, but it will be led by Dana. If you still find that to be problematic-" Pierre shook his head and looked at Fox.
"No," said Charles. "It will not be problematic. Like John, I apologize. We were quick to judge and slow to listen. There will be no problems."
"Thank you," Dana said softly, nodding at him. Pierre stepped forward and handed her a page he had torn from his journal, nodding at the two of them as Fox read it over her shoulder.
I am Pierre. Not perhaps what you were expecting, but also not what they were either when they first met me. You, Miss Scully, were not what we expected, but there will be no further trouble or questions from us. Not from me anyway. They are not French, and I cannot account for their manners.
Dana laughed and it broke a little on a sob. She wiped at her eyes, folding the note with a smile and a nod, placing it into the pocket of her skirt. Fox smiled at Pierre and he nodded, stepping back to rejoin his friends.
"Gentlemen," Dana said, her voice a little shaky. "How about if we allow Fox to buy us all a drink and we can further discuss the details of the expedition?"
It was agreed to and after shaking hands, introductions given properly, they walked together into the hotel.
They said goodnight to John, Charles, and Pierre at the door of the large hotel room Fox reserved for them, after speaking to them for a couple of hours. Pierre signed good night and Dana copied his hand movements, Pierre grinning happily.
They walked down the hall toward their rooms, Fox smiling and excited for the next day. He glanced at Dana and saw she was also smiling. She looked up at him and reached for his arm, hooking hers through it.
"Tomorrow, Fox. Tomorrow it all begins."
"It does," he agreed.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep," she confessed and he chuckled, patting her hand. She sighed and they walked quietly for a moment.
At her door, he said goodnight, ready to go to his room, but she stopped him.
"I know I've told you recently, but I wanted to say it again. Thank you… for all of this. For all that you have done. Thank you for every penny you've spent, every person you've spoken to and brought about to help us, and for trusting me, believing in me." She let out a sigh, smiling softly at him.
"Thank you for making it easy to believe in you," he said with a smile and she scrunched her chin, something he always found quite endearing.
Stepping close to him, she raised up and kissed his cheek, a hand placed gently on his chest. When she stepped back, she smiled softly and whispered goodnight.
It was not until he heard the sound of the door clicking shut that he realized she had left him and gone into her room. His cheek felt warm from her kiss and as he touched his fingers to it, he grinned. Walking to his room, his smile did not fade.
Though he was comfortable, everything was ready, and he knew he should be sleeping, he found it difficult, his mind reeling with nervous anticipation. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and wished for calm for both himself and the woman down the hall, who he was falling more in love with every day.