Well this was fun to write even if it did take me longer than I was hoping. I was out shopping for my first car yesterday and we had a big football game on Friday against me friend's school. We lost but it was fun. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And thanks for the reviews, they really make my day.

Chapter 3: Leftovers and Loyalty

When she awoke it was early morning. The sun had barely risen and her alarm wouldn't go off for another forty minutes. She got up and dressed, making sure she had no pressing homework that had to be attended to, she settled at her desk and looked out at Mulder's window. He suddenly came into view. He was in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He sat down facing her and they started talking, but without any words. They were creating their own language. Subtle facial expressions and looks in their eyes and they could practically read each other's thoughts. He hadn't slept much but he was glad that she had. Then he decided he wanted some words. He began to write on the notepad.

"I want to talk. Is it to early to ask you to come over?" She smiled and shook her head no. He seemed to misunderstand. She wrote onto the notepad in her elegant handwriting that seemed to contrast and complement his scrawl.

"Its never too early. Even 3 a.m. Give me a second to put on my boots and sneak out." He smiled and nodded. She laced up her boots and grabbed her coat from its hook beside her door. She opened her door slowly and looked around. Then she heard her older brother at the table eating. He would never let her leave the house this early, and if it was to see Mulder he would probably throw a fit and wake the whole house. She decided the window was a better option.

She pried open the window as Mulder looked on, slightly shocked. She deftly shimmied down the wall, even with her coat on. She pointed to the door and Mulder went to open it. He came out in unlaced boots a coat and with a heavy blanket. With a swoosh he was seated on the bench on his porch and was gesturing for her to sit with him. She did and he threw the blanket over her legs as well.

"What's up?" she asked him.

"Just wanted to talk. Nothing in particular. Did you dream last night?"

"Technically everyone dreams, every night you can have two or more dreams that may be as long as a movie." He looked at her with a funny expression on his face. He liked her random scientific babbling, it was nice. He smiled. "But you're asking if I remember my dreams." He nodded. "Kind of. There was this group of people and they were talking with aliens, who were grey, not green."

"Typical of aliens. They really are grey you know. Green is just a common mistake." She smiled at his random alien knowledge. "Sorry. Continue." She nodded.

"Well in the group there was a guy who smoked a lot. I think he was talking about us, but I couldn't hear him. It was just one of those things your dream tells you. And there were a lot of monsters. They were weird things that I don't believe in so I don't know why I dreamt them. You were there too. And there was a man who was kind of, um, I guess more than kind of bald. He looked a lot like Skinner. It was weird."

"Hmmm."

"What?"

"I had the same dream."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe we've suddenly become psychic and we're telling the future. Or maybe we're just going crazy. Or maybe our brain waves were somehow able to subconsciously contact each other." He seemed to be mulling over the possibilities. Then he looked down to find his best friend sitting there looking at him with one eyebrow raised. He couldn't help but laugh. He would never forget that face. It was weirdly cute, but serious and challenging at the same time like 'are-you-kidding-me?'

Sitting there on his porch in the cold morning sunlight he realized how much smaller than him she really was. Her head reached a few inches above his shoulder and her feet didn't touch the ground but she didn't seem to mind being so much shorter than most of her friends and family. It gave her the advantage. No one would ever suspect the little redhead until they were at the receiving end of anything she could dish out.

A loud bang came from the screen door of her house. She knew before she saw that Bill was coming to find her. He had looked in her room when the alarm had kept going and the window was open and she wasn't there. He marched with a purpose up the walk. Dana rose, not wanting her brother to make this into Mulder's fault. She hugged him quickly before leaving.

"Say hi to everyone and tell them I said 'Happy Thanksgiving', okay?" She nodded and waved bye as she met Bill and his temper in the middle ground between the two houses.

"What the hell were you thinking?! It's too early in the morning for him to be calling for help! He doesn't need it anyways! He lost his sister! It was his fault! And if you catch a cold I'm telling Mom it was his fault too!"

"Shut up Bill! I chose to come over here! I woke up and saw that he was awake! I suggested that we talk for a while! I asked if it was ok if we talked on his porch! Don't blame him for what I did! If I catch a cold it'll be my fault! And he lost his sister! He didn't do anything wrong! Bad things happen to good people sometimes! That's life Bill!" Mulder stood there for a moment, amazed that she had defended him. In doing so, she had lied to her brother. It was his idea not hers but she didn't want her brother mad at him so she took the blame. He had never known friendship like that. John and Monica would stick up for him sure, but never in the way Dana had. And he had only known her for a couple of weeks.

Dana stormed back into the house. Bill had made her angry. He was very good at that. He distrusted any boy who got near his sister. He was especially unnerved by her talking to a boy under a blanket, at 6 in the morning, about aliens. What unnerved him even more was that after knowing this boy for a week or two she had yelled and screamed and stood up to her brother for him. That and his twelve year old sister was telling him how life was. Wasn't he supposed to be the one giving her life lessons?

Dana removed her coat and scarf and hung them on the hooks near the door before settling in to breakfast. Her mother and sister made no mention of her absence or Bill's tantrum. They merely made pleasant conversation. Dana went back to her room to fix her hair which had gone all over the place out of her ponytail after her spat with her brother. Missy followed her to talk privately.

"You know, its funny how Bill protects you from your best friend. I saw you guys earlier. Bet you didn't even know I was awake. I was watching the two of you, well mostly him because seeing into your room from mine is hard, but you were communicating without words or signs or anything, just your faces. It was a connection, I could just feel it. It's why I woke up. There was some power from both of our houses and it connected them as one. It was too powerful to ignore. Don't let Bill stand in the way of your friendship with Mulder." Dana looked up from the mirror with a grin plastered to her face. She jumped up to hug Melissa, grateful to have someone on her side at least.

At school Dana walked morosely to the spot she knew would be occupied by John and Monica. It was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break and the students were more than a little crazy. Dana waved as she walked up to her friends and they waved back. She felt comfortable with them there, but she never really felt like it was a perfect fit without Mulder. It was always the four of them, like an unfinished puzzle without him.

"Morning Dana." The two chorused from the floor. Dana lowered herself onto the ground carefully. The bruises on her hands had begun their color change and were sensitive again.

"Morning. Mulder says 'hi' and 'Happy Thanksgiving'. He's doing okay. He'll be back on Monday."

"When did you last talk to him?" John asked, wondering how current her information was.

"Early this morning. We were sitting and talking and my brother decided to have a temper tantrum. It's interesting to watch a fifteen year old act like an overprotective, spoiled, child."

"He has first born syndrome. He's used to getting what he wants and being a big brother means he's overprotective and he has a temper, hence the tantrum." Monica smiled as she said this. Dana nodded profusely, agreeing with the whole thing. The bells just kept ringing. The day had flown by and Dana was waiting for her mother. The car pulled up and Dana got in. She was home and had no work to do.

Thanksgiving went as usual for most of the Scully clan. There was turkey and stuffing, corn and string beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and rolls. Everyone was laughing and having fun, but Dana felt a wave of sadness that she couldn't squelch. So instead she his it, as she always had. It worked as she had hoped; her family thought she was happily celebrating the holiday with them

In truth, her thoughts strayed to the house next door. William Mulder had gotten into his car and drove off around 8 a.m. Less than an hour later Teena Mulder had gone up to her room and shut and door and curtains. No other lights had been on in the house the entire day. She was worried about her best friend. She didn't want him to be alone or hungry on Thanksgiving.

It was around 4 that evening and Dana was helping her mom put away the leftovers when she finally decided to voice her concern.

"Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"I was wondering if we could make a plate for Mulder and his mom. Mr. Mulder left this morning and I don't think Mulder has been out of his room all day." Maggie smiled widely, almost tearfully, and hugged her youngest daughter. She was thrilled that Dana had finally found a friend she cared about so openly and was not about to let go of. Maggie nodded and went to get some paper plates and aluminum foil.

Both plates were piled with food and wrapped in foil for Dana to carry over. At the door, she shrugged on her coat, stuck her feet into her boots, and wrapped her scarf around her neck before picking up the plates and starting for the door. Bill was suddenly in her way; what else was new?

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Dana is going next door to take the Mulders some plates of food. We were worried about them not having thanksgiving dinner." Bill had a sudden interest in his feet when his mother came to Dana's defense. He stepped aside and she brushed past him to the door. As she closed the door she treated her brother to a full 100-watt Dana Scully smile that screamed 'Ha-I-win!'. Then the door shut with a muffled pop and Bill skulked off.

Knock-knock-knock. Dana had been knocking on the door for a while and was about to give up when Mulder appeared in the doorway. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was sticking up in weird places like he had been constantly running his fingers through it. That one strand seemed to keep falling in front of his forehead, it was distinctly Mulder. In fact, Dana thought it was one of the few things that made him look like himself. His clothes and hair were a mess, he looked tired and there was a purple bruise on the side of his face. He looked weak, emotionally and physically.

"Hey" she said, momentarily surprised by his appearance.

"Hey. Sorry I'm not dressed for the occasion." he joked, making her smile a little. "Do you want to come in out of the cold?" She nodded and walked in, stopping in the entryway to removed her coat, scarf and boots before entering the house. He took the plates from her and put one in the fridge, taking the other to the microwave. He removed the foil and heated it up for a few seconds before inviting her to the table while he ate.

"Mulder. Are you okay?" He looked up from his food. "Your face. What happened? Whatever it is you can tell me. I'll keep your secret if you want me to." He swallowed his mouthful and nodded.

"My dad. He got…angry. It was my responsibility to keep Sam safe and I failed. He was kind of wailing on me last night. It's alright though. He had had a couple of drinks." She brought her fingers up to touch the bruise. He winced a little but when her hand had slid far enough up his face for the heel of it to sit next to his cheek she began to laugh. "What is it?" She forced him to follow, making him bend a little so her hand stayed against his face. She had pulled him to the mirror in the entryway and stood there as he looked at their matching bruises. He began to laugh too.

"You better go eat your dinner before it gets cold." she reminded him after catching her breath. They walked back to the table and he began eating again. "I'm sorry Mulder. I shouldn't ask, but does your dad hit you a lot?"

He looked deep in thought for a moment then chewed, swallowed and replied, "I guess more than the average but not a lot. Only when I do something really stupid, or he gets drunk. I try to avoid it." They talked for a little while longer about things of very little importance before Dana had to leave.

"I've gotta get going Mulder. My mom and Missy are taking me with them to shop this year." She looked happy about it so Mulder nodded and got up to say goodbye. She went to hug him around the middle, like usual. "Happy Thanksgiving Mulder." He winced as she made contact with his ribs. She pulled back confused, then enlightened as she realized why he was in pain. She took hold of the hem of his t-shirt and looked into his eyes to make sure it was alright. There silent language becoming more and more valuable each day. She tugged it up a bit, just enough to see the purple bruises covering his lower ribs. "Oh, Mulder. I'm sorry."

He bent down and she reached up to hug him around the neck instead, careful to avoid the bruise on his face. "It's ok. I'll be alright. I'm used to it, I guess. You won't tell will you?" he added after pulling away from her. She shook her head. He followed her to the entryway where she put on her coat, boots and scarf again, before trudging out into the cold. Halfway down the walk she turned around and faced him.

"Hey, Mulder. What are you thankful for?"

"I'm thankful for you Dana. You're my best friend, the best friend I'll ever have. What about you? What are you thankful for?"

"You." They both smiled. She walked home and as soon as she was inside he closed the door and went back to his room, respite from self-loathing over.

"What took you so long?!" Bill asked in a little more than a raised voice.

"I was talking to Mulder. He was eating. We were having a pleasant dinner conversation. You don't ever talk to your best friend?" He was flabbergasted for a moment but quickly recovered.

"My best friend is a guy. I'm a guy. You're a girl and your best friend should be too. That's how life works Dana."

"Maybe you've just never had a friendship like the one I have with Mulder. Get used to the idea, Bill, it isn't going away." She had taken off her outer garments and left him standing in the entryway dumbfounded.

"Starbuck is right, Bill. You should go apologize to her. It would be the noble thing to do." Bill, Sr. was right and his son knew that but he would never show it.

"Okay Dad. I don't want little Dana to get the last word in." Bill, Sr. realized how much the idea bothered his oldest child but knew there was nothing left he could do.

Rap-tap-tap. There was a light knocking on Dana's door. She walked over to it and inadvertently let her older brother in. "Listen Danes, I'm sorry I blew up back there. I just think this guy Mulder is a bad influence on you. I don't trust him."

"Well I do, and that's what's really important. I don't need my overprotective big brother ruling my life. The point of having friends is getting to choose who they are." The phrase she was referring to rang in Bill's head. He knew it was directed at him. In a moment of anger or not, he knew that she would never take it back. "Now please get out of my room, I have to get some sleep for shopping tomorrow." He left with the phrase 'You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family' still echoing in his thoughts.

Dana slammed the door in his face and went to bed. She managed to get to sleep so she would be rested for the morning filled with shopping. It was only 2:45 a.m. when Dana was awakened by Missy who had barged into her room and began assaulting her with pillows. She got up, got dressed, grabbed some semblance of breakfast, and was out the door with her mother and sister. Melissa and Dana were each given a specific amount of money for buying Christmas gifts.

Melissa rand around the store looking for the best deals on things for her new friends. Dana walked with a purpose. She headed straight for the accessories section and picked out a beautiful green scarf, hat and gloves set for Monica. It was the perfect color for her and was really good quality. She was looking around for a present for John when she saw exactly what she was looking for. There were a few bats on sale that had been left over from baseball season and had been signed by the local minor league team. She grabbed one of the three that were left. Then she had to look for something for Mulder. She knew exactly what to get him. She walked to the craft aisle and started looking at photo album after photo album until she found the perfect one. It was a medium brown leather and had 'Album' written on the front in gold. The inside was nice as well and allowed for some creativity. Then she grabbed three one use cameras and headed off to find something for her family. She got Melissa a dream dictionary, her mom thermal driving gloves, Ahab an album of his favorite song, Beyond the Sea, Bill a football, and Charlie a shiny new helmet for his bike. She took her gifts over to the gift wrapping station and wrapped them all in cheerful holiday paper.

She met her mother and sister in front of the store and they walked out to the car together. All the presents were put into the trunk of the car and they were headed home. It was then that Maggie saw an opportunity to ask Dana the questions she had been dying to ask.

"So Dana. Do you know if the Mulders are doing anything for Christmas?"

"Huh, oh, um, I don't know. Probably not."

"Would you like to invite them over?"

"Mr. Mulder probably wouldn't come, but I could ask if you want."

"I asked if you would like to invite them, sweetie."

"Um… yeah I would."

"Good." Maggie nodded with a satisfied smile and kept driving toward their house. They all unloaded the presents and stuffed them into a closet near the living room. Dana went into her bedroom to get a little more sleep before dinner. The rest of the weekend went normally. They watched TV and played some board games. It was chilly and there wasn't much to do so they just stayed inside.

Monday came and Dana felt like she was waiting forever for Mulder to arrive. He got out of his mom's car only a few minutes before class started. He walked over to where she was sitting on a bench waiting. She stood up immediately and lightly hugged him. She had been worried that he was staying home again. He looked down at her in confusion.

"I was afraid you weren't coming. School is boring without my best friend." She smiled at him and he smiled back. Walking along his hand managed to find the small of her back. Internally he was glad she was short because it hurt him to lift his arm very high. They never made it to their spot. Instead they went straight to first period. The bell had rung and they knew Monica and John would understand. Two hours of boring class later they four met up in their spot for break.

"Mulder! Good to see you man!"

"Hey John! Hey Monica! Did you both have a good Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah it was alright." John replied.

"Yes, it was good. Dana said your sister is missing. We wish we could do something but did you have thanksgiving or do anything?"

"Yeah, Dana brought some food over for me and my mom. Thanks for asking." She nodded and they never brought it up again. They didn't even ask about the bruise on his face. It was almost like they knew why it was there. The day continued pretty much in the same way. Mulder was Mulder, injured or not, he was always making his friends laugh. It seemed to Dana that a lot of people liked him. Until lunch, that is. They had just sat down to eat when Walter Skinner walked up to their table.

"Hey Mulder. I heard about your sister. I'm really sorry. Do you know how it happened or who took her?" It was meant to be a question of friendly interest, so Mulder would know his friends did care.

"Well I know what happened but no one will believe me. There was a bright light and aliens came to take her. I know it for a fact. No one wants to believe though. They keep looking but they won't find her. I gave up. I have to find her my own way, one of these days I'll find her." Skinner nodded approvingly. He may not believe in aliens but he wasn't going to hold it against Mulder. If he was right, Mulder would just prove it to him later. Until then he would stick to his beliefs and stick to his friend's side.

Meanwhile the entire cafeteria had come to a standstill, nothing moved, nothing made a sound. Everyone was looking at them. When Mulder finally realized this he was slightly unnerved but firmly held his ground. He looked down at his friends, assuming they would be looking at him just as crazy as the others but none of them did. John and Monica looked a bit shell-shocked but they stood by him. Dana was calmly staring back at the

crowd. She just stared at them as if she could somehow make them all disappear or turn around. Mulder was impressed by her gusto and her loyalty.

"I'm really sorry about it all Mulder. I hope she comes back safely." He nodded kindly and walked off. The staring didn't stop. Mulder ignored it as best he could but Dana couldn't. It bothered her, the way they stared at him, like he was crazy.

"Dana. Don't worry about it. It's alright. I don't need them. It's not like I ever really liked most of them anyways." Finally she looked up at him. There were tears brimming in her bright blue eyes. He set his hand on her shoulder and began to lead her away from the table. "We'll be back in a minute." he said over his shoulder to Monica and John. Pnce they were out in the hall he turned toward her. "What's wrong?"

"I just can't believe the way they were staring at you. There were a bunch of crazy people at my old school. They said stupid things all the time and most of them were lies and no one even cared. But if you say something that's true they all look at you like you're…like…" She was about to dissolve into tears when his arms wrapped around her shoulders and she was reminded that she needed to be strong for her friend. She lightly hugged him back, being careful of his bruised sides. She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"Don't be sorry. It just means I have less friends to buy for this Christmas." He joked and she smiled. He could always lighten the mood.

"Speaking of Christmas my mom wanted to know if your family would like to join us this year."

"Well my dad hardly ever comes home anymore and my mom is Jewish but I would like to, if that's alright." She grinned happily.

"Of course it is!" They turned and he guided her back to the table. He leaned down just before they reached the table and whispered into her ear as if he was slightly embarrassed.

"Do you think your mom could take me home today?" She nodded, there was no explanation needed. The bell soon rang and they were on their way to their fifth period life science class. They took their seats and found a small stack of papers on every desk. As the class filed in and the late bell rang Mrs. Aarons started to explain.

"Alright. I know you're wondering what these papers are, so I'm here to explain. This is about the annual 7th grade science camp trip. You will have the opportunity to spend one week at a camp in the mountains with many of the students from this school and the other two middle schools in the district. There is a fee but it's worth it. There a two sections, a boys side and a girls side. One girls cabin will be paired with one boys cabin and the two will join a naturalist for the week. There will be hiking and some very fun activities. You should all consider this trip. It will be in April so you have some time to gather the money or fundraise if you need to. So take these papers home and talk to your parents about them." With that she began on the lesson and the day continued very slowly. By the time the final bell rang and they bolted out of sixth period they were excited with the prospect of Christmas and a week of camping with their friends.

So I hope you all liked this and come back to read the rest. They will be going up through high school and then I think an epilogue afterwards to tie it to the series. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Please review, I'd love suggestions as well, if you have any.