7:50 p.m. Saturday, March 18
The Scully Household

"Dana you look lovely.   Have a wonderful time."
"Prom is for pansies," Bill accused, "I can’t believe you’re even going,
let alone with that Heflin drip."
Missy had already left with her date, so Dana faced off her older brother
alone.
"Zack is very nice very charming-a very nice guy, she retorted.  
(Jeez, Dana, who you trying to convince-you or Bill?)
"What a sterling recommendation from Doc Scully," he teased.  "At least
you’re not going with that butthead, Mulder."
The doorbell rang and Margaret Scully answered it.
"Hello, Zack, come in! I’m Margaret, Dana’s mother, and you know Bill."
Bill made a half hearted show at saying hi & went back to watching MTV.
Dana stepped forward shyly, "Uh, hi Zack," she offered, smiling.
He fairly beamed at her, a twinkle in his steely blue eyes.
"Gosh, Dana, you look wonderful-what a beautiful dress!"
Margaret smiled approvingly, "O.K. you two have a good time-Zack, see that
she’s home by Midnight, please."
"Sure thing, Mrs. Scully," he replied in his best Eddie Haskell.
"And that’s midnight tonight" Bill Jr. added, slamming a fist into his other
hand for emphasis.
As they exited the front door, Bill Jr. groaned in disgust, "Man, what a
loser!"
Margaret silenced him effortlessly in what would later become a practically
patented Scully look.
"Just cause you couldn’t find a date Bill, don’t ruin things for Dana &
Missy." She frowned almost imperceptibly, "still I had rather hoped she’d be
going with Fox."
Turning to Bill, "What in heaven is that you’re watching??" Strange men
wearing what appeared to be plant pots on their heads were singing and
dancing on a bizarre Western set.
"It’s MTV, mom,"  he replied as if she were a child, "don’t you know Devo?"
Shaking her head, Margaret Scully busied herself about the kitchen, fearing
for her sanity that evening.

Dana in fact did look radiant  She was especially proud of her dress, which
she, her mother and sister had labored on at home.  She had no interest in
any of the more trendy styles of dresses popular that year, horrible
confections of tiered lace and gossamer, or garish reproductions of 
Gone with the Wind-esque dresses.  No, when Dana had made the decision to
attend the prom with Zack, (and not Fox, as she had hoped) she had also made
the decision not to blend in with the bland fashion statements of her peers.
She wanted something different-special-and elegant.
So she went into town with her sister and found the perfect dress in a
pattern book.  As shown in the book, crafted in a pink rayon knit, it wasn’t
particularly spectacular. But Dana recognized the inherent style and beauty
of the simply designed dress, and in a gleaming white taffeta, she realized
the effect would be stunning.  Missy and Margaret Scully had to agree.
There was something about the way the knee-length dress accentuated Scully’s
small muscular legs, her trim waist, and even her petite bustline.  She wore
her hair down, simply styled, and had added a flourish of makeup.  Most of
the women in Dana’s life rarely wore a lot of makeup, and Dana was no
exception.
The difference, while not obvious, was striking.

8:05 p.m.
County Road 9

Dana sighed.  It was noticeably silent in the truck, and she longed for
Nancy or even Bobby’s company.  She was unaccustomed to spending time alone
with Zack, and that made her uneasy.
He turned towards her and grinned approvingly. "I’m really glad you accepted
my offer after all."
Dana smiled back, tempted to explain why it was she had initially declined.
Thinking the better of it, she turned her attention to the road.  This was
not the way to the school.
"Uh, hey, Zack, where are we going?"
"You’ll see," his grin broadened, "it’s a surprise."
Smiling nervously, she attempted to look nonchalant. Zack turned off the
engine of the truck and turned the key in the ignition.  They were in a
parking lot overlooking the bay.
"I thought before we made our appearance, we’d have a little drink."   He
produced a small flask of what appeared to be whiskey or something. And a
metal tin of clove cigarettes.
"Um, no thanks, Zack," she said, declining the proffered bottle, "I’ll take
a cigarette though." 
Zack took a swig of the amber liquid then lit a cigarette in his mouth,
handing it to Dana.  
"Madame," he offered huskily, eyes glazing over slightly. Dana accepted the
cigarette and took a deep drag.
"I thought so."
"What?"  Confused, she turned towards Zack.
"All that goody goody stuff is just an act, eh Dana?  Beneath that mighty
brain, you’ve got a warm, living breathing, feeling  body just like the rest
of us humans......"
He leaned in towards her, his hand on the dashboard.  Dana exhaled the
cigarette smoke in his face. He backed away, coughing only slightly.  His
eyes darkened, then brightened.
"Let me see it," he demanded.
Dana held out the cigarette, the intake of cloves and nicotine making her
just a tiny bit lightheaded.
"It’s good," she murmured, "really sweet, I’ve heard of these before, but
never smoked one."
He took a long drag, then grinned at her, holding it in.
"Sweet." He exhaled thoughtfully, tossing the cigarette out his window.
"Very sweet."
He leaned in towards her again.  "Uh, Zack, I, uh, shouldn’t we be heading
to the dance?"
His eyes darkened further as he grabbed her waist and drew her to him,
breathing heavily.
"No Dana, not just yet."  He pressed his lips upon hers and with a sickening
feeling Dana realized she could taste the liquor & tobacco on him.
She tried to push away from him, "Really Zack, I’d like to..."
"And I’d like to too," he said, cutting her off, "so why don’t you quit the
shy little girl act."
She wrenched his hands from her waist as they moved up her dress. "Zack!"
"Oh if that’s how you prefer it, O.K. with me, I find it kind of sexy."
Without warning, he pulled her against him, then pressed his full weight
upon her, leaning her back into the seat of the cab.  She could feel him
fumbling with his pants and then at her dress. Dana was really getting
scared.
"C’mon Dana," he urged, "you know you’ve been wanting this for months."
 He pulled at her dress, tearing it slightly.  Fear was replaced with
indignance and anger.
"You arrogant bastard!" 
In one quick move, Dana brought the full force of her knee to bear in a very
delicate place. Zack crumpled over beside her, gagging & making the most
painful gurgling noises.
Dana laid a hand on the door knob, turning it and jumped out of the truck.
She slammed the door behind her, but could still hear Zack gasping-- "you
bitch," he moaned.
"Now what?", Dana thought to herself, shivering.  Suddenly, Zack’s truck
roared to life and sped away.
Dana still felt somewhat pleased with herself, preferring the cold outside
to warmth inside with that asshole.  Shivering, Dana cursed out loud.  He
could have at least tossed her jacket.
She sighed.  Well at least it wasn’t snowing or freezing, and she knew where
she was. Dana began the slow trek towards home, wishing she had opted for
more sensible shoes.

9:55 p.m.
Westside High Gymnasium

Ignoring Molly’s incessant banter with a friend over who was wearing what
and with whom at the prom, Fox scanned the crowded gym floor.  He saw
Nancy and Bobby, but no sign of Dana and her escort. He started to turn 
round when he caught a glimpse of an agitated Zack Heflin. (Was he limping?)
Zack approached Bobby and Nancy, and engaged in what looked to be a heated
discussion. Bobby must have said something to upset him, because the stocky
junior practically knocked him over, striding out of the auditorium. Nancy
leaned over to help him up. Mulder hurried over to them, abandoning a
fuming Molly in the process.
"Hey Bobby, Nancy, what’s up with Zack?  Did Dana stand him up or
something?," he asked, hopefully.
They exchanged glances.  It was Nancy who spoke first. "No Fox, apparently
they had something of a...falling out, and he dumped her by the harbor lot."
"The harbor lot? What was she doing up there?"
"Apparently not everything Zack had wanted," Bobby blurted out.
"Uh hey, Fox, can we use your car to go find her......"  he trailed off as
Mulder’s eyes blazed and he took off after the departing Zack Heflin.
"Zack!  Hey Zack-Heflin!"
He turned without breaking his stride, "what the hell do you want?"
"Where is Dana?"
Zack smirked.  "Wouldn’t you like to know."
"What did you do to her?? Where is she?"
"Hey I didn’t do anything that she wasn’t asking me for, and what business
is it of yours..."
He halted as Mulder grabbed him by his jacket and pressed his face near
Zacks. "Did you hurt her?"
"Back off, Mulder."  Zack broke Mulder’s grip & straightened himself
haughtily.
"That little redheaded slut got what was coming to her."
He didn’t have the opportunity to finish his sentence because Fox pulled his
fist back and slammed it into Zacks stomach.  "You son of a bitch," he
hissed.  "If you’ve hurt her..."
Zack attempted to return the hit with a pathetic left to the side of
Mulder’s face.
Regrouping, Mulder straightened himself and stepped towards Heflin scowling.
Seeing the junior flinch, he paused.  "You’re not worth it, you piece of
shit."
"But if you’ve done anything to her-if you’ve harmed her in any way, I’m
coming back."
Mulder hurried out the doors of the gym and into the night. Turning the key
in the ignition, he thanked his luck for not renting a limousine.
Steering the mustang onto the highway, he headed up the county road to the
infamous makeout spot.

10:10 p.m. 
County Road 9
Scully shielded her eyes from the oncoming headlights.  Unsure, fearful that
it could be Zack, she backed off the road slightly.  The tear in her dress
was obvious, and she brushed a stray hair from her face.  She had removed
her shoes, an idea which proved to be only slightly less painful than the
freezing road under her feet.  As the vehicle pulled closer, she breathed a 
sigh of relief.  It was a car, not a truck-hence, no Zack.  She thought she
recognized the familiar rumble of the blue mustang’s engine-her suspicions
were confirmed as Fox Mulder hopped out of the car, concern on his face.
"Dana, thank goodness! Are you OK?"
Suddenly self conscious of her bedraggled state, she attempted to smooth out
her dress.
"I’m fine Fox, she sighed, but I’d really love a ride."
(As if she had a choice, thought Fox, at this point, I’d carry her home if I
had to!)
He went around to the passenger side door and held it open.
As she came round he noticed the tear in her dress, her reddened eyes and
what looked to be a slight bruise on her wrist.  His gut wrenched.  "What
did he do to you?"
"Nothing.  I’m fine, Fox, really."   (She lied.)
He cupped her chin in his hands and lifted her gaze to meet his.
With his thumb, he rubbed a tear from her cheek.  "Do you want to talk about
it?"
"What’s to talk about Fox?"  She felt anger well up inside her.
"Zack made me an offer I had to refuse, he didn’t like the refusal, so I put
it another way."
"A very painful way," she added, a slight gleam in her eyes.
Fox’s eyes widened with realization.   He helped her into the car, barely
sustaining an urge to cheer.
As he got in, Dana looked down "Fox, you can just drop me off at home, I
know you need to be getting back......"  she trailed off, her heart
pounding, "back to Molly."
"Actually, Dana," he offered, "I don’t think she’d be too receptive to me
right about now, I kind of ditched her in a hurry."
Looking up in surprise, Dana noticed a slight red mark on the side of his
cheek.
"Did Molly do that?" she gasped.
Mulder chuckled softly.  "If Molly had slugged me, I doubt I’d be capable of
driving...No, this is from Zack."
Understanding crept into Dana’s mind, and just as quickly, a smile spread
across her face. She gently brushed his cheek with her fingertips.
The sensation of her hand caressing his face nearly had Fox driving off the
road.
"I guess I should thank you,"she said, blushing.
Fox returned her smile with a broad, toothy grin.  "No, it’s something I’ve
wanted to do for some time.".
"I hadn’t realized you were prone to such violent outbursts, Fox."
"Truthfully, neither had I.  I guess you just bring out the man in me," he
teased, leering.
Dana couldn’t stifle the laughter that his puppy dog face and come on line
elicited. Seeing her laugh only brightened the look on his face.
The remainder of the drive home was spent in a happy comfortable silence.
Dana turned to get out of the car, and Fox jumped up and ran to get the
door. Helping her out, he said, "I know this was supposed to be a fun night
for you, if you want, we could..."
"No Fox," she interrupted him, "I think I’ve had my quota of fun for the
evening, but I appreciate the gesture."
(Gesture, what gesture, he thought wildly, I don’t want to say goodnight
yet)
"Walk me to my door?"
Looking down into those liquid blue eyes, Fox might have willingly walked
her to Kansas.
"You know this was supposed to be a fun night for you too, Fox," she turned,
"I’m sorry..."
"Ssssh," he silenced her apology with a finger on her lips.
Heart pounding, she looked up without moving his hand, intensely aware of
his touch.
Without thinking, she turned into his hand and kissed the fingers burning
her lips.
He slid his hand around to her cheek, entranced by the trust of such a
simple kiss. Gently, he reached behind her with his free hand and drew her
closer to him. Eyes never flinching, he spoke her name softly, a question
from his heart.
"Dana?"
Searching even deeper into his eyes, she gave him her wordless answer.
She tilted her head up as he leaned down gently and brushed his lips against
hers.  As she felt the kiss, Dana’s whole body was acutely aware of each
sensation caused by the proximity of his body to hers.  The place on her
back where one hand now rested, the warmth of his chest against hers, the
scent of his hair.  Overwhelmed with the moment, she drew back smiling
shyly.
"Thank you Fox, good night." Without any hesitation, she slipped inside the
front door and was gone.
Avoiding the stares of her brother and mom, she hurried over to her room at
the back of the house, humming softly.
A few minutes later, there was a light knock at her door.
"Dana?"
"Yes, mom?"
"Are you O.K. honey?-it’s it’s only quarter of 11, I wasn’t expecting you
home so early."
Mm-hmm. I’m fine.
Margaret caught the dreamy expression in her daughter’s eyes and decided not
to pry further.
Shutting the door behind her, she noticed a perplexed Bill Jr. at the
window.
"Hey Mom, that wasn’t Zack, it was that Mulder jerk in his Mustang.  What do
you make of that??"
Margaret smiled inwardly, her daughter’s expression and manner making
perfect sense.
"Mom?  Mom?"
Bill Jr. sighed, the heck with em.  He was outnumbered in this house and he
knew better than to try to understand it’s female occupants.  He turned his
attention back to MTV once more.