Monday afternoon

Mulder stood waiting for Scully beside the sailboat he had reserved. He kept running through his checklist of what he needed to do once on the boat and also what he had brought with him to ensure everything was perfect.

They had spoken after she came home from church and lunch on Sunday, her calling him nearly the instant she had arrived. He had smiled, listening to her discuss who she had seen and what she'd had to eat.

"I make it a point to eat really well on Sunday, especially since my parents are paying for it," she had said and he had laughed. "I mean they always say to get whatever I want, so I do. I used to hold back though, not wanting to seem rude, but now… well… I don't."

"Makes sense," he had said, picturing her ordering plate after plate, her napkin tucked into her dress to keep it clean.

"I'm glad you agree," she had said and he smiled again.

"How do you feel about sailing?" he had blurted out as she had begun to speak but had then fallen silent.

"In general or…?" she had asked and he had chuckled.

"How do you feel about going sailing tomorrow?"

"You… you own a sailboat?" she had asked incredulously.

"No. I don't personally. My parents have a boat, though it's not what I had in mind as it's far too large for an afternoon excursion."

"I…"

"The yacht club has sailing classes of which I've taken my fair share over the years. I can borrow a smaller sailboat from there and we could sail around for a bit. Then maybe lunch at the clubhouse?" he had asked with a shrug, mentally reviewing his sailing lessons in his head.

"The yacht club?" she had asked in a small voice. "And the country club too? Who are you, Fox Mulder?"

He had frozen in place, suddenly worried she would think him snobby or pretentious.

"We could do something else. It doesn't have to be… I just thought that… Your dad being in the Navy, I thought maybe you might have a love the water too, but we don't-"

"No. I do love it," she had assured him softly. "I just… You usually picture someone different when you hear they belong to yacht clubs or country clubs. Someone…"

"Older and snobby?" he had suggested and she had laughed nervously. "Well, I would tend to agree with you about that, though, that's not how I would describe everyone."

"I'm sorry if that sounded rude or if you took offense. That wasn't my intention," she had said, almost in a whisper.

"Not one bit," he had said quickly, shaking his head.

"You know how to sail? You won't sink us?" she had asked and he had heard the smile in her voice.

"I do. And I won't. Yachtsman's honor," he had said and she had laughed before agreeing to sail with him.

She had insisted she would get a ride to the yacht club, not wanting to put him out, and now he was pacing, feeling nervous as he waited for her to arrive.

A car pulled up and he halted in his pacing. Music was playing loudly as the door opened and Scully stepped out, looking around and shaking her head.

"You'll get a ride back or do you want me to pick you up later?" a man called above the music.

"I'll get a ride. See you next week, Charlie. Thanks for dropping me off."

"No problem, Dane. Have fun."

She grabbed her backpack and closed the door, waving at him as he drove away.

"Hey," Mulder called out and she jumped slightly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Didn't scare me. I just didn't see you there." She smiled and walked over to him, slipping her backpack on as she did.

"Hi," he said, smiling at her as she stopped in front of him.

"Hi," she replied, her smile growing, her hands holding onto the straps of her backpack. "I missed you."

"Since last night when we spoke?" he teased and she shook her head.

"Since you drove away on Saturday night," she whispered and he hummed as he leaned forward, a hand reaching to hold her hip.

He kissed her softly, her hands moving from her backpack to his chest and then wrapping around his neck. He pulled her closer and she moaned into his mouth.

Breaking apart, they drew in deep breaths, their foreheads pressed together.

"I think," she whispered. "I think we should head to the boat. I don't want to get in trouble at the yacht club. Find myself thrown out before I've even stepped a foot inside."

He chuckled and leaned back, looking into her eyes. She smiled and he nodded, stepping back as he reached for her hand to lead her toward the sailboat. She squeezed his hand and he grinned as he opened the door to the boat ramp.

"It's the perfect day for sailing," she said and he nodded as they walked toward the boat. "I hope I'm dressed warm enough though, I know that it can get cooler on the water."

"I have extra clothes and blankets, if you do. No need to worry."

"Just thought of everything, have you?" she teased, squeezing his hand again as they stopped in front of the boat. "Oh, it's nicer than I expected. I like it."

"They're good little boats. Definitely better for the plans today than something bigger."

"Oh, that's right," she said, taking off her backpack and passing it to him as he held her hand to help her into the boat. "Is your parents' boat docked here?"

"Mmhmm, it's just there," he said, pointing as he handed her backpack to her. She looked and her eyes widened.

"That's their boat? It's…" She stared at it as she sat down and he untied the boat, carefully stepping in beside her.

"No, that's the Youngs boat," he said, smiling at her as he pushed away from the dock and began to prepare the sail. "Ours is much bigger."

"Bigger than that?" she asked, pointing as they began to pass the boat.

"No. I'm just kidding," he said with a chuckle. "Gotcha."

"So funny," she said, setting her bag down and shaking her head.

"I know," he agreed. "The life jackets are underneath your seat. Could you pass me one and then put yours on as well? Safety first, you know."

"Of course," she said, taking out the life jackets and handing him one. He slipped it on and then turned his attention to getting them out into the open water.

He watched her, the wind blowing her hair gently as she smiled and closed her eyes. It felt like his dream and he could not help but smile in return. A larger boat honked at them and they both turned to wave as it passed by, children running along the side and calling out hello.

"Hello!" Scully called back and the children laughed and screamed excitedly. "Aww. Aren't they so cute?"

You are, he wanted to say, but he only smiled as he adjusted the sail to catch more wind.

"Mmm," she said, leaning back and tilting her face to the sun. "This was a perfect idea. Thank you for thinking of it."

"Sailing always impresses the ladies," he said, watching to see her reaction.

"This is where the debauchery happens, isn't it?" she asked, turning her head to look at him. He laughed and shook his head as she shook her own, a smile tugging at her lips. "I knew it had to be somewhere."

"Imagine attempting anything like that as an awkward teenager. We'd both have ended up in the water. That would put a damper on things for sure," he said with a laugh, guiding them past some larger wakes.

"So you haven't won the ladies over with your sailing abilities?" she asked and he shook his head as he looked at her.

"Only woman I've been sailing with is my sister. And she usually takes over as she is, in fact, the better sailor."

"I'm liking her more and more," Scully said, opening her backpack and taking out a floppy, wide brimmed hat and a pair of sunglasses. He smiled as she put them on and then leaned back, her face once more tilted toward the sun.

They sailed around the harbor, not talking much as they absorbed the view and the weather. She had taken her hat off and braided her hair into two long braids, the wind causing it to tangle and cover her eyes too often. The hat was then replaced and he could not help but find her even more adorable.

"Do you want a blanket or anything? It's in that large bag there," he offered and she shook her head.

"Not just yet. But I'm sure I will soon."

Five more minutes and she was reaching for the bag, taking out one of his sweatshirts and a blanket. She put them on and smiled at him.

"Much better," she said and he nodded.

"There is a spot about ten minutes from here. It's a little cove with a dock. Do you want to stop there for a bit?"

"If you want to, I'm game."

"Radical," he said and she laughed, shaking her head and pulling the blanket further around her.

"That sounds weird coming from you."

"Is bitchin' better?"

"No. Definitely not," she laughed and he nodded in agreement.

"Far out?"

"No," she said, laughing again and he smiled.

"To the cove we go," he said and she nodded.

When they arrived, she was ready to help pull them in. She grabbed the buoys and tied them to the side as the dock came into view. Without even asking, she then took hold of the ropes and stood carefully to her feet, ready to jump out and tie the boat to the cleats.

He was more than impressed as he watched her, doing his portion to secure the boat was properly docked. She smiled at him as he handed her her backpack and then the backpack he had brought, taking her life jacket and placing it into the boat. Taking off his own, he stepped out of the boat and stared at her.

"We had a boat, a small one, but my dad sold it when we had to relocate. Aside from knowing about ships of all sizes, I also have basic boat knowledge," she said, shrugging as she slipped on her backpack.

"I figured you would. But still, that was pretty smooth-"

"Sailing?" she interrupted, her eyes shining. "Imagine that." She slid her arm through his and he laughed as he picked up his own backpack.

"You got me," he said quietly and she nodded happily.

"I certainly did," she said as they began to walk up the small dock, her hand finding his and squeezing.

"There isn't really much to do here," he said, walking into the grassy area that held two picnic tables and a community barbecue. "I just thought you might like to walk around a bit before we start heading back."

"You've been here before, obviously. What do you usually do?"

"Well," he said, stopping for a second and looking around. "We had a badminton set that we put up and played over there." He pointed to the area away from the tables. "My sister and I would play and then my parents would join us after we'd eaten. Or if we were with other families, we would play with their children and the adults would drink and talk, getting louder as the drinks became stronger."

"Sounds familiar," Scully said with a laugh.

"We'd play horseshoes too sometimes, but that was when the pits for it were here. They took them out a couple years back. I think too many drunk college kids got hurt acting like idiots."

"Well, that'll do it," Scully said, laughing again. "Having seen the idiotic things our fellow classmates do, I can understand the need to remove them."

"Yeah," he said, squeezing her hand before letting it go. "I brought some snacks. Just drinks and chips. Do you want to look around the area and have something to eat?" He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Look around, yes," she said, adjusting her backpack. "Eat… no. You mentioned lunch at the yacht club. I'll wait for that."

"Okay then," he said, adjusting his own backpack. "Let's explore the wooded area here."

"I'll try not to touch any unknown plants this time," she said with a smile.

"If you do, don't worry. I have the Super Salve," he said and she chuckled softly as she reached to take his hand again.

"Always prepared," she said and he nodded.

"Gotta be, with you around," he said, squeezing her fingers and pulling her closer.

"I'd be mad at that comment," she said, sniffing with her head turned away from him. "Buuut… I know how well that salve works, so you're forgiven."

"Thank you," he said with a chuckle and she nodded curtly before looking at him with a smile. He laughed again, guiding her to the small copse of trees.

When they walked back to the boat twenty minutes later, she held two large pine cones in her hands and in her backpack there were numerous rocks to which she had taken a liking.

"What will you do with them?" he asked as they pushed away from the dock and he glanced at her, adjusting the sail.

"Hmm, I'm not sure exactly. Well, about the pine cones anyway. I think I'll paint the rocks and then put them on my desk. I like doing that. Gives the room a bit of color and…" She shrugged and smiled at him as she situated the pine cones. "I don't know, I just like it."

"What do you paint on them?" he asked and she shrugged again.

"Different things," she said, twisting a braid and looking out at the water. "I've made ones of beach scenes, campfires, city lights… just different things."

"So they're detailed, not just colored rocks," he said and she looked at him with a smile and furrowed brow.

"No! Not just colored! Like they're Easter eggs or something?" she asked with a laugh and he shrugged, his hands raised with the palms up.

"I don't know! I didn't see any on your desk the other night."

"Because I don't have any there," she laughed, giving her backpack a nudge with her foot. "Hence the reason I collected so many."

"Hence," he repeated, laughing as he steered the boat back towards the yacht club.

"Yeah, hence," she said again, tugging at her life jacket and then leaning back, crossing one leg over the other. He stared at her foot, watching it move up and down and he smiled.

"Well, I'll enjoy seeing them when you're done."

"Would you like to paint them with me?" she asked and he lifted his head to look at her. "Not today, of course. But maybe this weekend?"

"I'd like that," he said, grinning at her. "Although I'm not much of a painter."

"Psh," she said, waving her hand in a dismissive way. "It's rocks… Fox." She grinned and he laughed at the rhyme. "You can't really mess up a rock."

"I suppose that's true," he agreed with a nod.

"We could go to that park close to Toni's," she suggested. "The park for artistic inspiration and then Toni's for dinner? Or late lunch depending on the time?"

"I'd like that," he said, grinning as he nodded again.

"Good," she said, twisting her braid again as she looked down, almost shyly. "It's a date."

"Totally," he said and she shook her head as she raised it to look up at him with a smile.

"Radical," she said, echoing his word from earlier and he laughed loudly, the wind picking up and carrying his laughter across the water.

The ride back seemed to take less time, the wind pushing them on. They were quiet, comfortable in the silence, as they watched other boats and Scully ran her fingers through the water, smiling as she watched it drip down as she raised her hand. He smiled as he stared at her in her big hat and sunglasses.

So cute, he thought. Really wished I would have spoken to her sooner.

"Does it ever make you stop and think?" she asked.

"What?" he asked, feeling for a second that she was reading his mind.

"Just how big the world is, how amazing. That this water is here, that it stays here, hundreds, if not thousands, of feet deep, and it's just here. And that there are places in the world that we will never see, yet they are there, simply existing." She stared at the water dripping from her fingers. "I'm touching something that someone might be wishing they could touch. In a place where someone might yearn to be. And yet I might wish to be where they are, exploring what their homeland may offer." She looked at him, smiling slowly. "It's wild isn't it?"

"Whoa… getting all profound on me," he said and she exhaled a laugh. "But yes, I understand what you mean."

"This is big," she said, waving her other hand to emphasize the area around them. "But it's also small. It's just… I don't know. It just struck me and I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Puts things into perspective," he agreed with a nod. "I was just thinking, I wished I'd spoken to you sooner. Maybe this wouldn't have been the first time we've gone sailing. Maybe it would have been a weekly occurrence, something we did every Monday."

She tilted her head, staring at him through her sunglasses, and shook her head slightly.

"I wasn't in a place then to spend my Monday's sailing with anyone. I was… I was going through some things last year- my own personal things and I…" She shook her head again and leaned forward, holding her hand out to him. He took it and she squeezed gently. "I think… I think I would have broken your heart. And my own in the process." She smiled sadly and he squeezed her hand a little tighter. "Because like I told you already, I really like you, Fox Mulder."

"Well," he said, smiling softly. "Then we met exactly when we were supposed to." She nodded, squeezing his hand again. "Because I really like you too, Dana Scully."

"Good," she whispered and he nodded as they squeezed at the same time, smiling as she let go and leaned back, picking up the blanket beside her and wrapping it around her legs.

When the docks began to come into sight, she took off his sweatshirt, packing it and the blankets back inside of his backpack. Into her own, went her floppy hat.

Jumping out again as they reached the dock, she securely tied the rope to the cleat, smiling at him proudly.

He took her life jacket and placed them both back in their correct space, then he furled the sail and continued securing the boat. He set their backpacks on the dock before stepping out and standing beside her. She smiled as they picked their things up and walked to his car to drop it off.

"Are you sure I'm dressed okay for lunch here?" she asked, loosening her braids and letting her hair flow freely. "I do have a different shirt, but I don't-"

"You look fine," he said, taking in her attire of a black sweater and jeans.

"You're sure?" she asked again, quickly braiding her hair into one long braid that lay over her left shoulder. She twisted the end, biting her lip as she looked at the building nervously.

"Hey," he said softly, covering her hand and bringing it down to hold her fingers loosely in his own. "If it was a fancy place and there was a strict code, especially at this time of day, I would've told you. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable anywhere."

She stared at him, her sunglasses now off, allowing him to look into her beautiful blue eyes. She squeezed his hand, placing her other on his cheek as she rose up to kiss him softly. He put his hand on her hip to hold steady and kissed her back just as gently.

"You," she breathed as they broke apart. "You are something else. You know that, right?"

"Hmm," he hummed, squeezing her hip and stepping back. "I might."

She laughed quietly and he tugged at her hand, pulling her toward the building. She held his upper arm with her other hand and he smiled as they walked.

"I promise that you don't need to feel nervous," he assured her as they neared the doors. "My parents are going to love you."

"Oh my God! Your parents are here?! Right now?!"! she asked, stopping in her steps and staring at him, her eyes wide. He smiled and shook his head, stepping close and squeezing her hand.

"Gotcha," he whispered.