Night and Day
by Emma Brightman (emmabrightman1013@yahoo.com)

Disclaimers:  Not mine
RetroX Snippetfic: Post-Beyond the Sea

Thanks to A. & C. for beta.

- - -

Dana fumbled in the dark, knocking over her glass as the phone rang
shrilly in her ear.  Water soaked the book on her bedside table
before trickling down to puddle on the floor.

The telephone was dripping, too, and she had visions of being found
dead the next day, electrocuted in her blue satin pajamas.  Normally
she'd hate the thought of adding more to Mulder's already heavy
burden of guilt, but when he woke her from a deep sleep in the middle
of the night she had a hard time caring.

"Dammit, Mulder," she growled, picking up the phone.  "Do you know
what time it is?"

"Dana?"

"Missy?"  The same panic she'd felt when her mother called about her
father washed over her.  "Where are you, Melissa?  Is everything
okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  You sound a bit frazzled, yourself."

Dana sighed.  "It's 2:30 in the morning.  I was asleep."

"Oh, sorry," Melissa replied, not sounding particularly remorseful. 
"It's only 11:30 here.  I guess I wasn't thinking about the time
difference.  Want me to hang up?"

"No, it's okay, I'm awake now." Dana switched on the lamp, shading
her eyes from the painfully bright light.  "Where's 'here'?"

"San Francisco.  Haight Ashbury, actually.  I know, such a cliche
place to go, but there's just so much _history_ here, Dana.  You can
feel it everywhere.  I know you hate the expression, but there really
is an amazing vibe.  Even if it's touristy these days."

Dana rolled her eyes.  She got a thrill seeing the Liberty Bell with
Mulder on that case in Philadelphia, while her sister found visiting
former hippie hangouts groovy.  That pretty much said it all.  Chalk
and cheese, as their mother always said when asked about her two
daughters.  Night and day.

"So...getting a lot of late night calls from the sexy new partner,
are we?"  

"What are you talking about?"

"You called me Mulder when you picked up the phone."

"Oh."

"I _knew_ there was something going on with him, I could sense it."

Dana jerked a few Kleenex out of their box and mopped up her wet
nightstand.

"There's nothing going on.  He calls at all hours when we're working
on a case.  Anyway," she said as the tissues melted into a soggy
mess, "how could you have a 'sense' about Mulder and me?  It's not
like you've been around here in months.  Why didn't you get one of
your 'senses' when Dad died, Melissa?  Mom needed you."

"Jesus, Dana," Melissa gasped.  "How many times do I have to
apologize?"

Dana sighed wearily.  She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but she
couldn't help it.  It had taken their mother over a week to track
Melissa down after their father's death.  She'd finally gotten in
touch with her after Melissa left a blithe, blissfully ignorant
message on their mother's answering machine, informing her that she
was in Oregon for a week or two and not to worry.

Dana heard quiet crying on the other end of the line.  Shouldn't have
said anything, she thought, feeling her own tired eyes fill with
stinging tears.  They'd been through all of this a month ago, right
after Ahab's funeral.  Their mother had finally said she understood,
and even their brothers had forgiven her, but some part of Dana still
couldn't let it go.  She'd just told Melissa that their mother had
needed her, but the truth was Dana had needed her, and still did.

"Melissa?" she said, pulling out another Kleenex and wiping her eyes.
 "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to snap at you like that.  I know you'd
have been here if you could."

"I would have, Dana.  Dad and I may have had our differences, but I
loved him.  I would've come."

"I know."  She straightened the comforter and tucked phone between
her shoulder and ear, determined to change the subject.  "So," she
said, taking a deep breath.  "How's Stuart?"

"How's who?"

"Your boyfriend.  His name _is_ Stuart, isn't it?"

"Oh, Stuart, right.  That didn't really work out.  He went his way,
and I went mine."

"Bad vibes?" Dana teased.  "Dirty aura?"

"Hilarious, Dana.  No, his aura was fine, if you must know.  It just
wasn't meant to be.  I've actually been seeing someone I met at a
concert a couple of weeks ago.  Felicity," she said blissfully.

"A woman?" Dana asked.

"Do you know any men named Felicity?"  Dana could hear the
defensiveness in her sister's tone.

"No, but...a woman?  Really?  You know I don't care about that kind
of thing, Missy.  I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Oh, Dana," Melissa sighed dramatically.  "Love's not about body
parts, it's about finding a soulmate.  Felicity has a lovely, pure
soul."

"I'm sure," Dana said, and they both laughed, the sound of Missy's
throaty, mischievous giggle filling her ears.  For a second, with her
eyes closed and the soft, warm blankets surrounding her, Dana could
almost imagine that her sister was there in the bedroom with her,
that they were girls again, trying not to giggle too loud, afraid
their father would march down the hall and tell them to hush and go
to sleep.

"I miss you," Melissa said when their laughter died down.  Dana could
hear the tears in her sister's quavering voice.

"I miss you, too.  When are you coming home?"

"That's actually why I called," Missy replied.  "I thought I'd come
back for your birthday in a couple of weeks.  Just for a few days,
but we'll paint the town red.  What do you think?  Can you get away
from work that long?"

"I don't know," said Dana, fighting the urge to get out of bed and
find her dayplanner.  "We've been so busy lately."

"Oh," Melissa said, sounding hurt.  Dana shook her head at herself. 
Where were her priorities these days?  Hadn't she just been thinking
about how much she needed her sister?

"Don't worry," she finally said.  "I'll work something out.  Mulder
can do without me for a day or two, I'm sure."

"Good.  Don't tell Mom I'm coming, okay?  I want to surprise her."

"She'll be surprised all right," Dana said.  She sighed.  "This year
has been pretty awful so far, Missy.  First Daddy, then Mulder
getting shot.  I'm glad you're coming.  I could use some cheering
up."

"Well, think of it this way, Dana.  Things are bound to get better
from here on, right?  How could they not?  You'll turn all these
painful experiences into something positive, and this'll be a
wonderful year for you, I can feel it.  You're almost thirty now,
sis.  You're getting wise in your old age."

"Very funny," Dana said.

"Besides," Melissa said, coaxing a laugh out of Dana the way she
always could, "sex is so much better in your thirties.  Trust me on
that.  Hey, what's Mulder's first name again?  Fox?"

Dana snuggled contentedly down into the blankets.  A visit from
Melissa was just what she needed.  It was time for a fresh start. 
She had a job she liked, a partner she respected, and her big sister
would be camped out on her couch in just a few weeks.  Smiling as
Melissa chattered on, Dana felt certain that for once her sister's
feelings were right.


end 

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