“UNDER THE STARS” Author: Rainbow Feedback: andreaueberall@gmx.de Rating: no rating necessary in my humble opinion Category: DSR, hope, romance Summary: Dana finally admits her true feelings to herself, but is she falling for an illusion? Author’s note: despite all the RPstories I have written this is honestly my very first Doggett FanFiction ever, and I am pretty nervous so please be kind ;) Dedication: definitely to all the RPgirls out there – you girls rock :) Copyright: unfortunately all these wonderful characters belong to Chris Carter and 20th Century Fox... And my special thanks go to my wonderful beta-reader RobsGirl * lotsa huggers* ---------- The end of another year is coming closer… Being in a crowded room with almost all her family, Dana would have never thought that she could feel so lonely and alone. After all that she and her partner had gone through he had promised to give her at least a short visit, and now she is waiting and wondering if she was wrong about him… It had taken her so long to accept John as her partner, to trust him and now suddenly a little something like this made her feel all lost and forlorn again… …the return of the old sceptic… Especially in the last weeks she was sure she had noticed a change about him, there was something like a *spark* in his eyes each time he looked at her, even his smile had changed. That very very special smile he always had, and she secretly hoped he would show more often had turned to something deeper, something more meaningful. She did not want to admit it, not even to herself but she could not deny that she had feelings for him. Very deep feelings indeed. And now that she was finally at the point of not denying it anymore this had to happen – in the age of cellphones he has not even called to let her know that he will come later… Or maybe not at all? Dana runs a hand through her hair and lets out a heavy sigh when suddenly someone from behind touches her shoulder. She turns around with a huge smile on her face but like a reflex it vanishes into thin air when she see that it just a member of her family. She tries to smile again and finally joins the crowd. Happy laughter is all around her but somehow she can just not join it. As if in a trance she suddenly hears that question… “Hey, come on Dana, tell us about it. Everyone here knows a bit about it, everyone has heard something about it – and now we want to know it! What was going on between you and your partners that you have to chuckle each time you hear Mulder’s name?” Dana hesitates. But then she suddenly smiles and chuckles and automatically everyone looks at her and she knows that now is the time to finally give it away. Still chuckling she faces her family. “…okay… you wanted the truth, you will get the truth… you know that at the beginning (and their beginning phase was pretty long if you ask me) Mulder and John had huge problems with each other. After a while John really tried his best, but Mulder was still so incredibly suspicious and stubborn, and one day John looked very upset and bothered and I tried to calm him by telling him that he should not get upset over Fox ‘Trust No One’ Mulder, and he answered Yeah, he’s definitely a fox, not as smart, but he sure smells like one and then suddenly we both burst out laughing and we must have had the same thought at the same moment because we both said at the very same second ‘smellyfox!’… and after that each time Mulder bothered John again I just whispered *smellyfox* into his ear and instead of getting angry we both started chuckling. And it has not changed by now – every time someone mentions us three or just Mulder’s name it automatically comes to my mind… ‘smellyfox’ – you know like in the series ‘Friends’ where that blonde girl was always singing about the ‘smellycat’…” Dana looks around and sees one of her family laughing wildly and even spilling his drink “…jeez, that is so mean - I did not know about your dark side…” Shaking her head with a smile on her face, Dana looks at him. “Nah, it is not mean… not mean but very funny and just that what he deserved for his childish behaviour.” It is then that she realizes that almost everyone is either chuckling or laughing. Dana lets out another sigh, and, while hoping that her family understood it as an in-joke between John and her to make the uneasy situation they had to go through a bit less uneasy, she slowly leaves the house… When she is outside she takes a deep breath and looks up to the sky that is very clear and cold, full of stars and tiny snowflakes. Then suddenly she hears a familiar sounding voice from behind her. “Hey Dana, are you okay girl?” Recognizing the voice immediately, she turns around in a rush. “Dad?” But again there is just the voice. “I am so sorry that I can not appear to you. You can not believe how much I would love to, but I can’t… and I fear I do not have much time…” His voice vanishes slowly and she sobs. “…I love you daddy..” It is as if his voice almost touches her ears “…I know Dana… I know my dear…” She looks up to the sky in disbelief and hope at the same time – she can not tell from which direction the voice came from. “…Dana?...” She turns around again, by now she can barely hear the voice of her beloved father anymore. “Yes dad?” “… … … never give up hope … … never give up hope, dear …” Silently she sobs again. Of course she can not know, but somehow she feels that she will not hear his voice again. She stands in silence for a long while when suddenly a very cold hand touches hers and she jumps in shock. Turning around in a flash, she looks into his eyes. The eyes of her partner. The incredible eyes of John Doggett. And then she hears his voice. “I am sorry, I am really sorry. I mean, I really didn’t want to scare you. You were all alone out here and I was sure that you heard me coming…” Looking into his eyes, she suddenly realizes how much she missed the sound of his voice – and then there is of course still the question of where he had been all the time! “John, where have you been? What took you so long?” “I really wanted to make it in time, but on the way to you my truck broke and I could not get it started again, so I had to walk the whole way. Hey, I promised to visit you and I am a man of my word as you should know by now …” Looking at him she can tell that he is shivering. “Come on John, we’ll go inside where it is warm and I’m sure I can find some warm clothes for you…” Slowly he shakes his head. “Nah, I’ve been out in the cold for so long… I am sure that a few more minutes will not matter…” Curious, she looks at him. “Just tell me John, why did you not even call me?” He looks up to the skies, not facing her but giving a sigh while sounding all serious. “…well…I forgot my cellphone … “ he keeps on looking to the sky “...when I promised to visit you tonight I had such a good feeling inside of me, and right now it feels somehow like everything and everyone is against me…” Dana looks at him with a smile on her face. She knows that he is usually a man who does not talk too much about feelings therefore she can tell that this must be really serious for him, otherwise he would not say it out loud. He forgot his cellphone His truck broke. And nonetheless he made the long walk through the cold and the snow just to be with her. Looking up to the sky she whispers. “…you were right…” John looks at her, bewildered. “What…” Suddenly there is a huge smile on her face when she faces him. “Nah, you were wrong… not everyone is against you…” Something in her voice makes it clear to him that she feels the same way he does and following an instinct instead of saying a single word, he pulls her in a hug and kisses her. It is not a wild kiss but very slow and full of feeling. She suddenly breaks the kiss and looks into his eyes. “John… I am glad that you were wrong…” He smiles and hugs her tightly. What he can not see is that behind his shoulder she smiles and whispers, very quietly, *thank you* to the stars in the sky. The End. http://www.topdogcity.com/robertpatrick1.htm