All notes disclosed in chapter one.

Forgot to put this in chapter one. I don't own Cassie or her name. The actual actress was in CSI last year in an episode called Gum Drops and she was really good in her role. That and she fits this role perfectly.

A/N: I want to thank everybody who reviewed chapter one. It put a smile on my face and cheered me up from being sick lately.

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"Why baseball?"

"My dad took me to see The Natural and I fell in love with the game. There's something about it that makes it so exhilarating. Every time I step onto the field, it's amazing."

"Sounds like it."

"Have you ever played?"

"No, my brother's never let me play with them."

"I could teach you sometime if you want."

"I'll think about it. Why don't you teach me more about yourself now? Parents?"

"You're very straight forward, aren't you? I like that."

"That's good because it's a part of me by now. Please continue."

Mulder looked at Dana with admiration. She was the type of woman every man looked for. She was also the type of woman he wanted in his life forever.

"My parents are dead, actually, and I don't have any fond memories of either of them. My dad worked for the state department but I never understood exactly what he did. My mother didn't work and I have no siblings. Oh, and I grew up on Martha's Vineyard," he finished. It suddenly occurred to him how boring his life story was. Hopefully she could make it more exciting. "Now I want to hear about you."

She opened her mouth to say something but their waiter arrived with their food at that moment. She didn't know if she was relieved or not.

It took a few minutes of silence and a lot of nerve gathering on her part but she felt ready when Mulder repeated his request. She was ready to share her life.

"My father is in the Navy so I didn't grow up in one location. We stayed in San Diego and Annapolis the longest. I have three siblings: an older brother and sister and a younger brother. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. Um… I'm a doctor. Went to school in DC. I've been at Mount Sinai now for three years."

"Is it as gruesome as I hear?"

"No, it's definitely not a rare day when we have nothing much to do but check up on patients," she chuckled.

"Do you work a regular person schedule or a married to your job schedule?" he wondered, ready to plan future dates.

"Well, since I have Cassie, I work the regular hours of eight to five. But on Fridays, I work eight to two and I have the weekends off. Cassie stays with my parents overnight on Fridays and Saturday is our mother/daughter quality time."

"Did I intrude yesterday?"

"No, you gave me relief from the 'I want a puppy' routine she has perfected lately."

"She really wants that puppy, doesn't she?" Mulder grinned. Dana nodded emphatically. "Reminds me of when I was a kid. Does she get it from her mother or her father?"

Dana looked over at him curiously. He have her an innocent smile in return. "You really want to know, don't you?"

His smile turned sheepish. "Hey, I gotta know if I have competition."

"Trust me, you have no competition. Her father doesn't even know she exists."

"Yeah, well, neither did my father, most of the time," he interjected.

"No, I mean he really doesn't know she exists," she corrected, her eyes staring into his until he finally understood what she meant.

"Oh. Wow, uh…" But Mulder couldn't think of anything to say.

"I was in college and I had a boyfriend I thought I loved," she filled in for him. "We had a really big argument one night and he stormed out. I didn't see him again for a couple of days but when I did, I took him back because I thought we could make it work.

"About a week later, I heard from all around campus that he had cheated on me with a very good friend of mine. I confronted him and typically, he denied it. I confronted my friend and she told me he'd been cheating on me all along. I left for good after that. But a few months later…"

"You found out you were pregnant with Cassie," he finished for her.

She nodded. "I just couldn't bring myself to tell him. I don't regret it and I don't' regret Cassie, despite my hatred for the man."

"How do your parents feel about it?"

"What do you mean?" She looked startled. How'd he know?

He pointed to the cross hanging from her neck. "Your necklace. I assume your family to be religious. And you live close to a catholic church. Just connecting the dots."

"Yeah, we're Catholic. They weren't so happy at first but they were supportive. The minute she was born, I don't think they cared at all about how she came to be. They love her and she loves them; that's all that matters."

"She's gonna break a lot of hearts when she grows up," Mulder mused, the girl's cute image coming to mind.

Dana laughed, glad for the distraction. "She probably will. Those blue eyes just seem to suck you in."

"I know." Dana looked up when she heard his tone. He was looking straight at her. She held his eyes until she felt uncomfortable. He noticed this and swiftly changed the subject.

"So have any secrets you'd care to share?"

"I'll tell you one if you tell me one," she bargained.

And, of course, Mulder had to accept the challenge.

"I play piano in my spare time."

"I have a tattoo."

Mulder's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I like your secret better than mine. Now I kind of want to know where it is."

"Maybe if things go well, I'll show you one day." Her eyes met his. She wasn't teasing.

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"So where' do your parents live? Am I going to have to leave the state?"

"No, they live about a half hour north of here."

Mulder left a tip on the table before catching up the short distance to Dana. His hand made its way to her lower back, resting there comfortably. It surprised her how much she welcomed it; normally she hated when dates tried to get touchy-feely on the first date. It always felt like they were too needy. But when Mulder did it, it felt natural, like he belonged there.

The minute they stepped outside, flashes of light blinded them.

"Damn it," she could hear Mulder growl close to her ear. He hurried her to the car. She was quick to get in but not before noticing how he shielded her from it. "Keep your face down," he told her before shutting the door.

She made sure to follow his instructions.

Mulder quickly moved around to his side, ignoring the cameras as best he could. He was also trying to keep his anger in check. He wasted no time getting the car started and hurrying out of the area.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized after they'd been on the road a few minutes.

"It's no problem. Just a small price to pay."

"They don't do that every day. They pick selective days to bother me. Normally it doesn't bother me but…" he trailed off.

She knew what he was trying to say. Spontaneously, she reached over and took his hand in hers. "It's okay. It didn't bother me."

He took his eyes off the road to give her a grateful smile. He could definitely get hooked on her.

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Dana shifted her weight nervously while she waited for someone to answer the door. She could feel Mulder's eyes on her. She felt like she was sixteen and had just gotten home from her date way past curfew. She was surprised she wasn't sweating. Yet.

She was ready to ring the bell again when the door opened.

"Hi, mom," she greeted.

"Hello, dear. My, don't you look lovely." Maggie ushered Dana inside, getting a better view of the dress.

"How was the date? From the looks of this dress, it should have gone remarkably well," Maggie teased.

"It was just fine."

"Fine?" Maggie parroted.

Dana relented. "It was wonderful, okay!?"

Maggie smiled. "Are you going to see him again?"

"We haven't talked about that yet. The date's not over."

"Not over?"

Dana motioned to outside. "He's the one driving. I'm just here to pick up Cassie really quick then head home." Her mother gave her a look. "Then the date will be over."

Maggie looked through the door's windows. "I don't even get to meet him?"

Dana stifled a laugh. "Not on the first date. I don't want you scaring him off."

"I don't scare them off," she defended.

"Yes, you do. You and dad. Now, is Cassie ready?"

Maggie let the subject go and started walking toward the living room. "Yes, all of her stuff is together. Last I checked she was asleep on the couch next to your father."

"Did she behave okay? She didn't start begging for a puppy from you, did she?"

"No, she was a complete angel. But she did tell us about a puppy she met in the park."

"She didn't mention any names, did she?" Dana felt her palms get sweaty.

"No, she just said she played with a puppy."

She felt more at ease when she saw her daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch. She gave her greetings to her father before kneeling down to wake her daughter.

"Mommy?" Cassie said, the tiredness evident in her voice.

"It's time to go home, sweetie. It's way past your bedtime."

Dana expertly picked her up, her head settling on her mom's bare shoulder. Dana hefted up the bag Cassie never went anywhere without and promised her father she'd see him early in the morning.

Her mother was harder to get by.

"Am I going to get to hear the details of this date?" Maggie pried.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if this is going anywhere or not. I'd like to talk to him first about some things if you don't mind." Okay, was it just me or did I sound bitchy? "Ask me again in a week and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Maggie gave thought to that before agreeing. "Will I get to meet him?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "Mom…"

"All right, all right. I'll leave the subject alone. I'll see you tomorrow at 7:30 then?"

"Yes, mom." Cassie lifted her head long enough to kiss her grandma goodbye. Dana did the same before heading back outside.

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Mulder got out of the car to help Dana with Cassie. He had the back door open and ready.

"Mulder," he heard Cassie call out. She sounded less tired than she looked.

"Hey, Cassie. Aren't you tired?" he asked her as they came closer.

"Yes, but I wanted to see you." He felt his lungs swell up a little as his breath caught.

"Well, now you've seen me. I' pretty sure it's past your bedtime, though."

"When we get home will you tuck me in?" Cassie asked, not ready to accept no for an answer.

Mulder swallowed the dry lump in his throat and looked over at Dana. "If it's okay with your mom, I will."

Dana kept her eyes on Mulder. She could see how much he was affected, how much he wanted to do it. Maybe that's why she agreed.

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"Now, is she going to wake up when I pick her up or is she a sound sleeper?" Mulder asked after he shut his door as quietly as he could.

"She may wake up, she may not. It just depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not she wants to ask you a question. She usually wakes herself up then."

"Why don't you answer you child's questions?" he teased. She slapped him gently on his arm.

"I do. She's just curious about a lot of things."

Mulder refrained from making a comment. He focused his attention on getting sleeping Cassie out of the car. She was extremely light so it wasn't hard but still he didn't want to wake her.

He managed to follow Dana up three flights of stairs and into her room before she woke up.

"Mulder?" she said when he tucked her in bed.

"What, sweetheart?"

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

He stumbled a few times and only had to look at Dana once, but he managed to come up with a truthful answer.

"Well, I'm busy for most of the day, but I'm sure we can arrange something," he promised. "Go to sleep now, Cassie. It's late."

She sleepily nodded her head and in moment she was asleep.

The two exited quietly, like they'd been doing it together for years. Mulder kept walking to the door; he wasn't even going to try and stay. This was one relationship he wanted to last.

He turned when he got to the door. Dana practically ran into him. His hands found her hips and he pulled her closer.

"Please don't slap me for this," he asked of her just before his lips touched to hers.

She didn't protest. She just let it happen. She enjoyed it, too. The fell of his hands moving across her back, his soft lips gently caressing hers, the butterflies flying around her stomach—everything felt she'd died and gone to heaven. She was still nervous, but that didn't mean she wasn't upset when he pulled away.

"Can I see you again?" he said, his voice sounding irresistibly husky. She hesitated but she agreed. He noticed this and questioned her.

"I just… I don't bring men in and out of my daughter's life. I don't want to confuse her," she explained. She then realized Mulder hadn't let go of her yet. "I've learned not to get my hopes up but… If this is going somewhere… I need to know now before Cassie gets attached." And me, she mentally added.

He took a chance and kissed her again. "Trust me, it's going somewhere. I don't want to get into it on the first date but… I have every intention for this to last."

She kissed him this time, her lips lingering. "That's good to know."

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Continued in next chapter…..

Below is the address to see a picture of what Cassie looks like. Younger in the story though.

http://us. if that doesn't work, go to www. type in Mary Matilyn Mouser and choose name in the search box above it.