The X Files do not belong to me, nor will they *ever* belong to me. I'm not making any money, much less any profit from them, I just like tinkering with their lives. Hey, Chris, just give me Skinner to play with from time to time and I'd be an eternally happy woman...

I'm using the lyrics for Only the Lonely by Rob Orbison without permission. (Sorry guys!) I found the lyrics at PzZaAzZ Lyrics & MIDI Search

This is a pre X Files Story, a companion piece to The Master's Voice. You don't have to have read it, although it would be nice to read it first :) -- Chaynne

Summary: Dana thinks she's destined to spend her Saturday nights alone.

Only the lonely

It came as no surprise to Dana that Rob was going to the dance with Francheska. After all, Frankie was everything that she wasn't. Sparkling, intelligent, witty, fluent in half a million languages and then some. Not that she grudged her housemate, she never grugded Franki *anything*, it was just that, well, it hurt. After years of playing second fiddle to her older brother and sister, she thought that in college she could finally get to be independent and be herself. Which had worked wonders, until Franki came to share a house with her. Not that the two of them didn't hit it off, they did, and they were best of friends, it was just that sometimes, deep down, it rankled that Franki got all the guys that Dana liked, without even trying.

Dana had admired Rob West from afar, from the time she had seen him on the first day she had started college last year. He was tall, dark, handsome. Cliched, yes, but the description fitted him aptly. This semester he was in her calculus class, and sometimes the two of them had studied together in the library. Dana had been elated that he'd even noticed her, but she soon discovered that while he admired her quick mind, he didn't seem to notice the woman underneath. A month into the class, he asked her about Franki. Inwardly, Dana sighed. She knew that this had all been too good to be true. Outwardly, she smiled and told him all he needed to know. Now, a week after that incident, Franki had come in all dreamy eyed, and giggly, and Dana knew instinctively what had happened. Rob had asked her to the dance on Saturday night.

X*X*X*X

On Saturday, Dana helped her roomie get ready for her big night. She helped Franki buy the most *perfect* dress, helped her wash and style her long dark hair and listened to the younger girl's delighted ramblings, while her heart broke. At 7:30 sharp, the doorbell sounded and Dana went to answer it. Rob was standing there, breathtakingly handsome, in a tuxedo. Dana plastered a smile on her face, even as she felt her eyes misting over. This was crazy; she never suffered from crushes, yet she was having the damnest time trying to control her runaway feelings. She certainly didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. What was wrong with her?

"Hey, Dana, hi! Is Franki ready yet?" Rob smiled at her.

"Let me go and check." Dana said unnecessarily. She just needed to get away from Rob. She left the room and went into the bathroom where she knew that Franki was doing last minute checks. "He's waiting." Dana told her. Franki turned, and kissed her housemate on the cheek. "Wish me luck, Day." With a swish of her silk dress, she was gone.

Dana felt drained. She knew that the time old cure of a pint of Double Choc Chip ice cream was what she needed, but there was none in the house. There was a grocery store just around the corner from the house, and this is where Dana decided to go. she could buy the ice cream, come home and cry her eyes out. It was probably her hormones that had her so overwrought. Tomorrow, she'd start taking those vitamins for women that her mother was always trying to push on her. Going out to the hall, she donned her shoes and went.

X*X*X*X

Marcus Eastman looked at his watch and sighed. If every thing had worked out how it was supposed to have worked, he would have gone to the dance with Marsha. However, with his luck being what it was, she had turned him down, and he was doomed to spending his Saturday night alone. Fed up with his dorm room, he left the building and walked aimlessly for an hour. Now his rumbling stomach had reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything for lunch, and if he didn't fill it soon, it was going to rebel on him. He looked around him; he was on a street about a mile away from the campus. He spotted a 7-11 franchise mid way down its length, so he picked up his pace and walked a little faster toward it. As he approached, he recognised the petite, auburn hair figure that entered the store before him. Dana Scully. She had been in his Physics 1 class last year, and he had admired the way she handled the class. The teacher, Mr. Moore, had a reputation for being hard, and while many students had failed, she had passed. She had a keen mind, but usually kept quiet, unless called on in class. She was in his calculus class, and he'd noticed she'd started to study with the resident playboy, Rob West. Marc figured at that point that he didn't have a chance with her. Guys like Rob always went for cute girls like Dana. He knew that Rob was going to the dance tonight, he'd bragged about little else in the dorm. Marcus had natually assumed it was with Dana, but if she was going into 7-11 and it was almost eight o'clock, then obviously, she didn't go with Rob. He wondered what was wrong. Maybe she was going to show up to the dance later. She *had* to have had a date. Who in their right mind would bypass a girl like her?

X*X*X*X

The store was empty apart from the bored high school kid behind the counter. As Dana pushed open the door, she could hear piped music coming through the speakers. The song playing 'Only the Lonely'. Great, just what she needed, a heartbreak song to go with her shattered heart.

She made her way to the freezer in the back of the store, and stood there, trying to decide how many variations of double chocolate chip she could afford to eat. There was a speaker directly overhead her, and as she debated, Roy Orbison crooned into her ear as if he was standing next to her.

Only the lonely
Know the way I feel tonight
Only the lonely
Know this feelin' ain't right

This isn't fair Dana thought to herself as she gazed sightlessly at the well stocked freezer. She had never been badly affected by a guy. She had never pined away after a lost love. It was not in her nature. Being the middle child, she usually took rejection well. Since Franki had become her roommate, she had been rejected often in favor of the younger girl. She was beginning to think Rejection was her middle name when she realised that guys were using her to get to Franki. Damn, that had hurt.

But only the lonely
Know why
I cry
Only the lonely

Dana wasn't even aware she was crying until she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. Furiously, she rubbed her eyes, and glanced around to see if there was anyone close by. There was one black guy, but he was standing with his back to her, looking cans on the shelf. He looked too self absorbed to have noticed her. Good. She quickly opened a freezer, and pulled out a pint of ice cream. She knew her eyes had to look red and puffy and that her face was blotchy. She might as well wear a sign around her neck that said "I've been crying!" in big red letters.

She quickly went to the cashier to find that a group of girls she recognised from campus were now in the store and were waiting to pay for snacks. "I talked to Robbie last night," the blonde said, "and he told me that since he's been studying with that red head girl, his grades have shot up in the air."

"Studying, that's what he called it?" a brunette cut in. "He's copying from her. He did it to me last year, and almost got me kicked out of English Lit. Why do you think he only studies with the nerds?"

"So what does that make you?" the blonde returned.

"A wised-up nerd." the brunette laughed, and, having paid for their items, the group left the store.

Dana knew her face had to be burning. She could feel it. She took out her money and paid for the the ice cream. The sooner I get this over and done with, the sooner I can go home and cry like a baby. She promised herself. She hurried into the parking lot, only to hear a male voice behind her. "Wait!" Thinking it was the cashier, and that some thing was wrong, she looked back. Damn. It was the guy from the shop. Looking at him, she recognised him as a fellow sophomore. They had done a few classes together. She couldn't remember his name. He had to have heard the conversation, those girls had been talking loud enough to inform the entire neighbourhood.

He held up a bag. "You forgot this."

Dana looked down to realise that her hands were empty. Oh god.

As he got closer, the sophomore looked at her. "I'm so sorry." he said, meaning it. "I wished I could have stopped them."

Dana's eyes widened. She was expecting anything but kindness. To her mortification, tears started to slide down her face again.

"I'm sorry!" she gulped, wiping her eyes, and trying helplessly to stop.

Marcus couldn't believe that those girls had been so insensitive, and his heart went out to the embarassed girl in the queue behind them. When Dana had left her ice cream in the store, he'd been happy for the chance to make sure that she was ok.

Now that she had dissolved into tears in front of him, Marc did the most natural thing that came to mind. He put his arms around her and let her cry.

Dana stiffened when she felt Marcus' arms go around, her, then relaxed against him. She was tired of going it alone. She needed someone to help her get through it all. Marcus held her as the big wracking sobs tore through her, and as she quieted down.

Finally she looked up and smiled tenatively. "I've left a huge wet stain on your shirt," she said, "and I don't even know your name!"

The tall black guy laughed at that one. "Sorry, Dana, I'm Marcus Eastman." he said, then could have kicked himself. Her eyes had widened again when he had called her by name.

"How...!" she started, then stopped, an embarrassed look on her face. "Of course, you're in my calculus class, you sit behind me. You're the on the track team." She started to blush. She now realised that this was the same guy that she and Franki had spent many late nights rhapsodising about his physique.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." she told him. "I - I -"

"It's ok, I understand, those girls were enough to drive anyone to tears." Marcus reassured her.

"No, its not only that..." Dana took a deep breath. She knew that Marc was a nice guy, he'd just proven that. Maybe it was time to talk about her feelings to someone. "Do you want to come back with me and share the ice cream? Oh god, that sounded like a pick up line, I'm not hitting on you --"

Marc put a hand on her shoulder. "Its ok. I understand. I guess we could both do with the company, right?"

Dana smiled gratefully. "Right."

Together, they walked across the parking lot. Dana smiled to herself. Her Saturday night wasn't looking so bad after all.

Comments? sexychaynne@aemail4u.com

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