Root reached behind her to close her necklace, the HAM radio symbol resting against the dark blue of her prom dress. Pulling her long, curled hair free, she sighed happily. Last year, Sameen had worn the necklace to prom, but this year, it was Root's turn. Sameen was wearing a suit, and she was wearing a dress.

Turning, Root moved to the mirror across the bedroom and stopped to admire herself. This was the last big event before graduation and she was excited. There were no weird relationship problems clouding prom this year, no Hanna or nightmares. She gripped her large skirt, swirling it slightly in front of herself.

She'd gone shopping with Mrs. Reese and Grace while Lionel, Harold, and Sameen had gone suit shopping. Root had somehow gone from having no mother to having two and it was amazing. Her dress made her feel like a princess, the skirt pooling out from her corset, lacy and wonderful. Staring at her reflection, she almost wanted to reach out and touch it.

It felt like a lifetime ago that she was wearing sneakers with holes and thrift store jeans. She blinked at her reflection, wondering if she looked like her mother when she was young. Root was probably never going to see her again. She didn't want to see her again, but sometimes…sometimes she wished her mother was here to see her succeed.

It might be petty, to want to rub her happiness in her mother's face, but Root was living the life she had always wanted, that her mother couldn't give her. She was going to prom with her girlfriend, graduating second in her class, going to MIT, and she'd done it all despite her parents. Maybe she really could be successful. Maybe she could do great things outside of Bishop.

Her phone buzzed on Sameen's nightstand and Root reached for it, pulling the charging cord out. A message from Sameen glowed on her screen.

/Are you ready? Let's go/

She smiled. Of course Sameen was impatient. Root had made her stay down stairs with Mrs. Reese so she could walk down the staircase and make an entrance. To prepare for their senior prom, they'd watched several 80s prom movies and Root had loved them.

Root slid her phone into one of the hidden pockets in her dress. She patted the other pocket, making sure she could feel the small box she'd put in earlier. Reassured, she headed for the door. It would be awful if she didn't have it for her big moment later.

Pushing open the door, Root stepped into the hallway. She automatically looked towards Lionel's door before remembering that he was getting ready at a friend's house. He'd meet them at the school. She started for the stairway, her heels loud against the wooden floor.

When she reached the steps, she took her skirt in her hands, lifting it out of the way. Stepping down, she laughed. Bear was sitting at the bottom of the steps and when he saw her, he started barking. A second later, Sameen's head poked out of the living room, her hair pulled back in a tight bun.

The rest of her body appeared and she rested her hand on Bear's head, whispering for him to stop barking. She looked great in her suit, her coat unbuttoned and her tie slightly loose. Sameen stared up at Root, smiling.

Root stopped on the steps, dropping her skirts in a grand gesture. "How do I look?"

"Amazing," Sameen answered. "Very fancy."

Root shrugged casually. "That's what I thought."

Snorting, Sameen rolled her eyes. "Ok, don't get too smug. You look fine."

Grinning, Root started down the stairs again, walking down as quickly as she dared. The moment her feet were on the ground, Sameen wrapped her arms around Root's waist and closed the distance between them. Root rested her hands on Sameen's shoulders. Their height difference was almost comical because of Root's shoes, but Shaw didn't seem to mind.

Dipping her head, Root brushed their lips together, careful not to smear her lipstick. A bright flash of light startled her and she jerked back, Sameen's arms keeping her upright. Beside them, Mrs. Reese was standing in the doorway to the living room, her camera in her hands.

She reached up to wipe her eye. "Wow, you girls look so amazing. I can't believe you're so grown-up! My babies."

"Mom," Sameen groaned, "stop. Why are you crying?"

"This is an emotional moment," Mrs. Reese answered, sniffling. "I was so worried about you when you first came, but you did so well! Going to prom! Twice!"

"Aww," Root chuckled. "Little Sameen is an adult now."

"Christ," Sameen scoffed. "I don't get it."

Root patted Sameen's shoulders before pulling away. "You don't have to. Just give your mom a hug."

Sameen rolled her eyes, but she walked over to Mrs. Reese and gave her a hug. Root smiled as Mrs. Reese hugged her back, resting her chin on top of Sameen's head. Sameen wasn't very affectionate to anyone other than Root and it was nice to see her show Mrs. Reese some love, even if Root had to tell her to.

"Ok," Mrs. Reese sighed, pulling away. "Let's get some pictures and then you two can go."

Mrs. Reese made them take what felt like 50 pictures. They took a few on the stairs, a few in the living room, few in front of the door. Eventually, Sameen got tired of posing and Mrs. Reese let them leave, following them out to the yard and taking pictures as they walked to the car.

When Sameen unlocked her door, she turned back to Mrs. Reese. "Stop taking pictures! You have enough!" She yanked her door open and dropped into the car, slamming the door behind her.

Root smiled as Mrs. Reese across the car as Sameen unlocked her door. "She's just cranky because Lionel threatened to eat all the cake before we got there."

"I know she doesn't mean it," Mrs. Reese said, grinning. "I just like to embarrass her."

"We'll see you tomorrow. We're spending the night at the train."

"Be safe." Mrs. Reese winked. "See you tomorrow."

Root opened her door and carefully lowered herself into the car, smoothing her skirt as she sat. It took her a minute to pull her skirt into the car and close the door without catching any of the lace. She pulled her seatbelt across her chest, clicked it into place, and grinned at Sameen.

"Let's go!"

Sameen grinned back at her and started the car, threw the gearshift into first, and pulled away from the curb. Root wanted to take her shoes off and put her head out the window, but it was too early in the night for that. She still had to look good for the dance. Instead, she just looked out the window, watching the houses she'd known all her life pass by.

Every minute that passed was one minute closer to leaving this place. She was starting to think that having real plans to leave Bishop was making it easier to wait. Before she'd gotten accepted to college, she'd just been hoping for a real future, pretending she'd be fine if she didn't get in. Now, she had something concrete to hold on to. She wasn't going to be stuck here forever.

"You really do look amazing."

Root looked at Sameen. "What?"

"You look really beautiful," Sameen answered, staring through the windshield. "I don't want you to think I was joking earlier."

"Sameen," Root laughed, reaching across the armrest between them to lay her hand on Sameen's thigh, "I believed you. Did I tell you you look beautiful?"

"You did not."

"Well, you do." Root pressed a quick kiss to Sameen's cheek. "This suit makes you look very dashing. I can't wait to take it off you later."

Sameen snorted and clicked her turn signal on. She glanced at Root as she turned right into the school parking lot. "Let's just survive this dance first."

"Is Martine coming?" Root asked, reaching for her seatbelt. "I couldn't tell at the salon. She's always so crabby."

Pulling into a parking space, Sameen smiled. "I think she is. I don't know if Tomas is coming, though."

Root groaned, unbuckling herself. "Does anyone care?"

"Probably not," Sameen agreed, opening her door and stepping out into the warm, May night.

Root watched as she stretched, arms raised above her hands. Sameen looked handsome, her pulled back hair accentuating her jawline and sharp cheekbones. Root tried to imagine what she'd look like in 10 years, 20, but she couldn't. Sameen always existed in the present.

Sameen ducked down and stuck her head into the car. "Are you coming inside?"

Root took a breath and nodded. "Yes, but aren't you forgetting something?" She nodded to her door. "I'm a lady, you know."

Rolling her eyes, Sameen slammed her door and walked around the car to Root's side. She pulled the door open and gestured grandly to the parking lot. Root laughed at her annoyed look, but picked up her skirt and carefully stepped outside, making sure to brush against Sameen's chest as she walked past.

Behind her, she heard the car door slam shut. A moment later, Sameen appeared beside her and offered her arm.

"Shall we go in?"

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Sameen caught Root as she spun in and held her in place before she could dance off again. They'd been dancing for what felt like hours and Sameen was ready to sit down. It wasn't that she couldn't keep up with Root's dancing, it more that she didn't want to. Root bounced in her arms, shoulders shaking to the music.

"Come on, Sameen," Root screamed over the pumping bass. "Dance!"

Sameen shook her head and started walking backwards. She lifted her hands to sign. 'I need water!'

Root rolled her eyes, but she stopped dancing. She headed for their table. Sameen followed her, eyes wandering around the room. Harold and Grace were still at the punch table, trying to talk to each other over the noise. Smiling to herself, Sameen turned back to Root's shoulders, watching them move in time to the music.

Grace and Harold were chaperoning the dance because they were teachers, but they'd made sure to take plenty of pictures of Root and Sameen. They were taking their roles as doting parents seriously, but Root didn't seem to mind the way Sameen had minded with Mrs. Reese. She seemed to really enjoy it.

Root stopped in front of their table and turned around. "Ok, drink water so we can dance some more."

Sameen groaned and dropped into a seat. She rested her chin on her hand, glad the music was quieter away from the dance floor. "Do we have to? Can't we just relax? This suit was expensive. I don't want to ruin it with sweat."

"Oh, fine." Root sat down, carefully spreading her skirt. "We can rest. Party Pooper."

Reaching for her water, Sameen squinted her eyes at Root, not taking offense. They were having a good time. She looked around for their friends. Lionel was across the room, talking to a group of boys. For a moment, she was worried that he was being bullied. Then, he pulled a face and all the boys laughed.

He was fine. Sameen sipped her water. Lionel had fallen in with some boys at school, some video game nerds who let him ramble about Call of Duty. Sameen was glad he had some new friends. She didn't have to worry about him as much next year. He'd even started working out more to prepare for his lacrosse tryout.

She remembered when he was still just a chubby kid, wishing he was skinny and popular. They'd started a nutrition plan, gotten him onto a workout regimen. He was still chubby, but he was strong now. Sameen knew that if he kept it up, he could end up just as strong as she was one day.

"Root!"

Sameen turned in her seat and saw Gen coming towards them. She looked cute, her yellow dress simple, but nice. Grinning, Gen wiped her face, sweating from dancing. A cute sophomore boy had asked her to the prom, getting his older brother to buy them tickets. Gen had come in a limo, which Sameen thought was a little excessive, but Gen had blown up their group chat with excited texts. Sameen raised a hand to say hello, but Gen blew past her and dropped into the chair next to Root.

"Root, he kissed me!" Gen grinned, leaning on the table. "A real kiss!"

"Gen, that's great!" Root put her hands over Gen's. "Did you like it?"

Nodding, Gen blushed. "I did. I really did. He even said he'd be my boyfriend."

Sameen pushed her glass away. "That's really nice, Gen."

Gen's eyes flicked towards her, but she focused on Root again. "Do you think he's cool? Or should I tell him no?"

Frowning, Sameen leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. Ever since Valentine's Day, Gen had been nice to Root. Sameen hadn't realized that they were so close. When was Sameen's position as Coolest Senior taken? How did Root get it?

Root glance at Sameen and winked. "He seems fine," she said to Gen. "Give him a shot."

"Give who a shot?" Martine asked, appearing at their table and sitting down next to Sameen. "A boy? Dump him."

Sameen snorted and turned to Martine, a little surprised she was still here. "Single again?"

"I think I'm done with boys for a while," Martine answered. She dropped her head onto her arms. "I'll wait until Boston. Find a nice Harvard man."

Gen looked around the table. "So...yes or no on Mark?"

"Date him," Martine grumbled. She raised her head to glare at Gen. "But know that men...are bastards."

"Go kiss him back," Root said, tapping Gen's hands. "Be his girlfriend."

"Ok!" Gen stood up and raced back to the dance floor. "Thanks!"

Sameen looked over her shoulder, watching Gen disappear into the crowd. She was still so young, with her own family troubles and relationship drama. Maybe Sameen would keep tabs on her when she left. She could make Lionel give her updates. Gen could probably handle herself, but Sameen could help her out a little bit.

Martine groaned loudly. "Why am I here?"

"Because your mom likes us?" Root offered. She leaned her arms on the table. "What happened with Tomas?"

"He wouldn't take off that stupid leather jacket," Martine answered. "It's so hot."

Sameen snorted. "Yeah, that sounds right."

"Hey," Root said softly, "Can we go to the roof?"

Her eyebrows drew down and Sameen looked at Root closely. She seemed nervous, but Sameen wasn't sure why. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, ok."

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Root stepped out onto the roof, hands in her hidden pockets. She looked up at the sky as she walked toward the concrete railing, eyes searching for their constellation. Sagitta should be almost overhead, it was last year, but she was having trouble finding it. Her hand wrapped around the small box in her pocket and she turned around to smile at Sameen.

"It's pretty warm," Root said, trying to sound light. "I feel like my makeup is melting."

Sameen shrugged, her jacket sliding down her arms. "It was cold inside."

A breeze blew across the roof, rustling Root's skirt and tussling her hair. Sameen pulled her arms out of her jacket, throwing it over her arm. She began unbuttoning her sleeves, eyebrows raised.

"Why did you want to come up here?"

It was Root's turn to shrug. "We came out last year. I thought it would be nice."

Sameen didn't look like she believed her. "Yeah, my love for the Texas heat is well known."

Root rolled her eyes. "Don't be mean." She moved to the edge of the roof, pulling her hands out of her skirt to lean against the railing. "Help me find Sagitta."

Sameen appeared beside her and hung her jacket over the railing. She rolled up her sleeves, face turned up to the stars. After a moment, she pointed upwards.

"There, to the west."

Root smiled as she found the constellation. The arrow gave her confidence and she pushed away from the railing. She could feel Sameen's eyes on her as she fisted her hands in her skirt and lifted it out of the way. Carefully, she knelt down and Sameen turned around to face her.

"Root, what are you doing?" Sameen asked. She reached out to take Root's hands, but Root hit her away. "Root, what-"

"Sameen Shaw," Root started, sliding her hand back into her pocket and took the box in her fingers, "I have something for you."

"What?" Sameen frowned.

"I have…" Root took a deep breath. "I have a promise and a symbol."

Sameen didn't answer, but she stopped asking questions. Root watched her carefully for a moment, before continuing.

"The promise is that I will try. I will try as hard as I can to love you like you deserve and stay with you for as long as I can. I love you, Sameen Shaw, and I've let you do the heavy lifting in this relationship and that was wrong of me."

Sameen blinked, looking uncomfortable. "Um, thanks. I appreciate it."

"I know you aren't going to get emotional, but I also know you'll understand how serious I am." Root blinked, her eyes starting to well up. "I don't know who I'd be without you. You came into my life right when I needed you and you were more than I could have ever dreamed of. You're smart and so...You're so strong, Sameen. In every way that I'm not."

Root wiped her eyes with her free hand, looking down at the ground. She'd promised herself she wasn't going to cry. The whole point of this was to be strong and show Sameen she didn't need emotional support. She cleared her throat.

"I promise to clean up after myself in our new apartment. I promise to do the dishes after you cook." Root looked up at Sameen, the corner of her mouth quirking up. "I promise not to cook."

Sameen held her hands up. "Wait, are you proposing?"

"No," Root assured her, "I'm not. I know we've talked about maybe not getting married. We're so young and who knows where we'll be after college."

"Then you don't need to kneel," Sameen said, reaching down.

Root rolled her eyes, but gave Sameen her free hand and climbed to her feet. "I'm trying to do something romantic, Sameen. You kneel for that."

"Not when you're in a dress like that," Sameen snorted.

"Stop it," Root said, stepping back. "I'm serious. I love you, Sameen, and I'm trying to promise you forever because you've worked so hard to show me forever."

"I accept, Root. I take your forever or your 'as long as we can'." Sameen smiled at her. "I don't care about big romantic gestures. I just want you. I want you in beautiful dresses and old, dog pajama shirts and the pair of overalls we seem to share. I can say, unclouded by emotion, that I love you."

Root laughed wetly, fully crying. "I think that's an oxymoron."

"Hey," Sameen said, winking. "Don't call me a moron."

Root pulled the small box from her box and handed it to Sameen. "That's my, uh, my symbol."

Sameen opened the box, and pulled out a familiar necklace with a Ham Radio symbol. She looked at Root, confused, and Root smiled. She gestured to the necklace.

"Now we don't have to take turns," Root said quietly. "We can both wear them at the same time. It's supposed to symbolize that we're equals, you know? Like we're listening out for each other. It's kind of dumb, but –"

Sameen closed the distance between them, crashing their lips together. Root stumbled backwards, but Sameen's strong arms caught her and held her upright. Eyes fluttering shut, Root wrapped her arms around Sameen's shoulders, sliding her hand up Sameen's neck.

Root let herself be swept up in Sameen, the way she smelled, the way she tasted. Their kiss felt magical, under the stars, and as a breeze blew around them, she felt like a fairytale. Sameen bit her lip and Root grinned, pulling away.

"You like the necklace?"

Sameen nodded, kissing Root again. "You bought me the same gift twice."

"Yup," Root sighed into Sameen's mouth. "It means more this time, though."

Sameen slowly released Root, making sure she was steady on her feet. Reaching into her shirt pocket, Sameen pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Root.

"You're pretty gross right now," Sameen chuckled. "Wipe your face."

Laughing, Root took the handkerchief. "You love me anyway."

"I really do."

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"I know it only takes us to Orlando, but I think we should go all the way to the Keys," Root said, her finger tracing a line on Scully's screen. "We could get a hotel room and rent a boat or something. I can get Elias to make us fake IDs."

Sameen nodded. "Sure, we can do that."

Root looked at her and smiled, looking tired, but happy. Sameen smiled back, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed. They'd left prom early, leaving Gen with her new boyfriend, Lionel with his friends, and Martine alone. Sameen thought she'd be ok. Martine was pretty resilient and, anyway, she said her mom was waiting up for her.

Sameen looked at the computer screen, still amazed at Root's work. She'd somehow turned this old train car into a fully functioning computer system. It was a cool bedroom, too. The only thing their clubhouse was missing was a bathroom, but tonight would be the last time Sameen peed in the woods, so it didn't really matter anymore.

They were planning their summer roadtrip, starting in Bishop and ending in Boston. She reached up to play with her new necklace, idly tugging on the pendant. Harold had gone to Boston last week to finalize their apartment. Apparently, he'd bought the entire apartment building and was going to fix it up over the summer. Sameen still wasn't convinced he was just a teacher, but she was probably never going to ask.

Root leaned against her, their shoulders brushing together. "What are you thinking about?"

"How weird your new dad is," Sameen answered, scoffing. "You truly went from rags to riches."

"I think I was always meant to be rich." Root wrapped her arms around Sameen's shoulders and pulled her down onto the bed. "I can't cook because my DNA always knew I'd eventually have waitstaff."

"Is that what I am to you?" Sameen joked. "Waitstaff?"

"Please," Root said, sniffing. "Like I'd date the help."

Sameen frowned. "I don't like this conversation."

"Yeah, I went too far. Do you want to dance?"

She pulled away, sliding off the bed and moving to the other side of the car. Sameen sat up, taking in the image of Root in her Belgian Malinois pajama shirt. The shirt barely reached mid-thigh on Root now, the bottom hem unraveling, loose thread hanging down. Root had worn that shirt almost every night for almost four years and it was starting to become see-through. Sameen would have to find her something else to wear to bed. Sameen smiled when Root started swaying without any music.

"Scully," Root said loudly, "play something from my Dance Party Mix!"

Sameen rolled her eyes, smiling, as the music started. Root had only started liking music again recently, still preferring just listening to space sounds on her new HAM radio. Watching her dance like an idiot in the train made Sameen feel nice. It made her think about the future and Root's progress and what they'd be like in 20 years.

Root reached out to her and Sameen climbed off the bed, crossing the room. When she was close enough, Root grabbed her shoulders, shaking them back and forth and forcing Sameen to dance. Her exuberance made Sameen laugh. Root was energetic, carefree, and it was such a change from her usual seriousness that it made Sameen feel carefree, too.

"Only two more weeks of school, Sameen!" Root screamed over the music. "Then we're free!"

Sameen moved her shoulders on her own, giving in to Root's infectious energy. 'Sameen and Root take over the big city,' she signed, bouncing on her toes. 'Let's join the mafia!'

Root laughed, throwing her head back. Sameen smiled, thinking about happiness and the way Root's hair shone in the light. Tomorrow morning, they would pack up the things they wanted to take to college, turn out the train lights, and slid the big metal door shut until they came home for Thanksgiving. Root straightened up, jumping forward to wrap her arms around Sameen's shoulders.

"I wanna scream!" she screamed into Sameen's ear. "We're gonna live forever!"

Sameen snorted. Root was being ridiculous, but Sameen didn't want to pull away to sign. Instead, she kissed Root's cheek and tangled her fingers into Root's threadbare shirt. From outside the train car, Sameen heard a train whistle. She pulled away, looking towards the door. If Root wanted to scream with excitement, then she was going to.

'A train is coming,' Sameen signed. 'Wanna scream?'

Root's face lit up even more and Sameen wondered if you could be blinded by a smile. She looked away, walking to the door and sucking in the warm night air. The music flowed past her across the tracks and into the trees. Root stood beside her and took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

The train barreled towards them, the noise slowly drowning out the music. Root squeezed her hand, drawing in a deep breath and stepping closer to the edge of the car. Sameen smiled, taking her own breath. They were officially too big for this town, too grown to be in this place. Bishop was where they needed to be when they were 14, but it wasn't where they needed to be at 18. It was time to move on and they were moving on together.

The train blew past and they screamed.