From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: All at Once (1/3) Date: 6 Mar 1996 05:10:25 GMT Credit is due to Chris Carter and the rest of The X-Files' pantheon for the characters, backstory, and locations referred to herein; these elements are used without permission. I don't know it the name "Yappi" belongs to anyone, but if it does, it is being used without permission as well. No infringement of rights is intended. The character of Brian Parker is the property of the author: (c) Copyright 1996 by Laura Herold. Spoiler warning: This story contains spoilers from several third season episodes. Send all comments to 76021.3043@compuserve.com Part 1 of 3 All at Once by Laura Herold Mike's Coffee Shop Friday, 7:23 am Dana Scully walked briskly into Mike's Coffee Shop. She walked over to her usual table, ordered her usual breakfast, and read her copy of the paper. It was the same routine she went through a few times a week every week. She sighed and picked up her coffee cup. It was Friday, another Friday in a series of Fridays. "Agent Scully?" a male voice said. Scully looked up. The man in front of her was young and attractive: blond, blue eyes, well-built. Something about him was familiar. "Yes, I'm Agent Scully," she said. He smiled a warm, casual smile. "I guess you don't remember me," he said. "My name is Brian Parker. I was Walter Skinner's doctor." Scully stood. "Of course," she said. "It's nice to see you again." She was able to place him quickly. He was the surgeon who had removed the bullet from Skinner. She had spoken with him briefly at the hospital. She extended her hand, and he grasped it firmly. For a moment they stood looking at each other awkwardly. "Would you like to join me?" Scully said finally, not really sure that was what *she* wanted. "If it wouldn't be a bother," he said. "No problem," Scully said gesturing to the chair opposite her. They both sat down. Scully folded up her newspaper and shoved it back into her briefcase. "So, how is Mr. Skinner?" Parker asked. Scully sat up straight in her chair and pulled over her coffee cup. "He's doing fine," she said. "Completely recovered." "That's good to hear," Parker said. "That's one I didn't screw up." Scully looked at him warily. "Excuse me?" she said. "Oh, nothing. You never know. Just about anything can happen. I've even heard of patients getting sewn up with a scalpel still inside." Scully looked down at the jam on her toast. "Sorry," Parker said. "I forgot you were eating." "That's OK," Scully said, lifting the toast and taking a large bite. After she chewed and swallowed she continued: "Not much can gross me out. I'm a medical doctor with a forensics specialty." "A woman after my own heart," Parker said with a smile. Scully just continued to eat her toast. She didn't meet his eyes, but she could feel his gaze. What is he up to? she wondered. Finally, she looked at him. "Can I help you with something, Dr. Parker?" she asked. "Well, I feel sort of stupid saying this, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. The fire in your eyes that night, the passionate determination, was just awe inspiring." Scully shifted in her seat. She felt like a bright spotlight had just been thrown on her. "Thank you... I guess," she said. Parker smiled again, this time showing a twinge of embarrassment. "I guess I probably shouldn't be so forthright," he said. "No, actually it's sort of nice," Scully said. "My business is based on secrecy and ambiguity. It's nice to have someone say what they mean." "OK, since things seem to be going pretty well, I'm going to take a shot at screwing them up," Parker said. "Would you consider going out with me?" Scully had picked up her coffee cup, but instead of taking a sip she just looked at it and set it back down. "You mean a date?" she said. "Oh, I'm sorry," Parker said quickly. "Are you seeing someone?" Scully would have laughed, but she didn't want him to know how pathetic her life really was. "No," she said. "I was just... surprised." "C'mon, an attractive lady like you? You must have guys asking you out all the time." Scully smiled sheepishly. "Am I digging myself a hole here?" Parker said. "Feel free to tell me to shut up." Scully looked away. What the hell am I doing? she wondered. A great-looking doctor tells me he can't stop thinking about me and asks me out, and all I do is embarrass him. Have I totally lost my mind? "When?" she asked. "When? When what?" "The date," she said. "Are you free tomorrow night?" He smiled broadly. "Yeah. Tomorrow would be great," he said. "Barring any emergencies, of course." "Of course," Scully said. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out one of her cards. She set it down on the table. "I can usually be reached at the cell phone number," she said. Parker took out his wallet and pulled out a card of his own. "I can be beeped any time of day," he said, setting his card next to hers. They looked at each other's cards for a moment. "How's seven?" Parker asked. "Dinner somewhere nice?" "That would be fine," Scully said. She picked up her card and wrote her address on the back. Then she handed him the card and picked up his. After looking at it for a second, she put it in her pocket, tossed some money on the table, and stood up. Parker stood up. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Dana," he said. "I'll be looking forward to tomorrow." Scully smiled. "So will I," she said. * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment Saturday, 6:31 pm Scully stood in front of her bathroom mirror. She had changed clothes three times, and she still wasn't happy. It had been a long time since she had dressed to impress a man in a social situation. Nothing looked right, and she was running out of time. She wished she had someone she could call. But who did she have? She didn't want to bother her mother with this foolishness. Who else was there? Mulder? Scully laughed. His fashion sense left something to be desired. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had on an ivory and taupe dress and a taupe jacket. She clipped on earrings and a choker necklace. Enough of this, she thought. This is it. When the doorbell finally rang she answered it in yet another outfit: a plum dress with a matching jacket. "Hi," she said. "Hi," Parker said. He was dressed in a navy blue suit. He handed her a bouquet of flowers. "I hope you like these," he said. "They're beautiful," Scully said. "Come in." She went to find a vase to put the flowers in. From the kitchen she heard Yappi barking. "He's not bothering you, is he?" she called out. "No, I love animals," Parker called back. "Quite an energetic little fluff ball you have here." After depositing the flowers in a vase filled with water, Scully put the vase on the kitchen table. Then she went back over to the foyer. Yappi was jumping up and down while Parker petted and played with him. "You two seem to get along," she said. She wondered if he wanted a dog. He looked at her. "You look fabulous," he said. "Thank you," she said softly. "So do you." "This old thing?" he said. "I just pulled out whatever was on top in the hamper." "I doubt that," Scully said. She got her coat from the closet. "Allow me," Parker said. He held her coat while she slipped her arms into it. Scully liked the way it felt to have him so close to her. For a moment she closed her eyes and imagined his arms around her. "Dana? Is everything OK?" She looked at him. "Yes, everything's fine," she said. "Let's go." In the car they discussed their work. Parker told her about his latest emergency surgery, and Scully told him about her day of writing reports and doing other paperwork. He had made reservations at an expensive Italian restaurant. The maitre d' knew him by name, and they were seated quickly and politely. "You've been here before," Scully said when they were settled. "Yes," he said. "I suppose that looks bad, but it isn't like I bring a lot of women here. Actually, you're the first one I've brought here in over a year." He paused. "I like to come here on my own. The food is fantastic." Scully looked at the menu. The prices were much higher than she had expected. She didn't really like the idea of him spending so much money. She wondered what he had in mind. "I think we should split the bill," she said. He looked surprised. "Would you like to go somewhere else?" he said. "I just thought... I don't know. This is my favorite place. I thought you might like it." "It's fine, Brian," Scully said. "It's just a little expensive. It's the 90's, you know. I don't expect you to buy me dinner." "I can afford it, Dana," he said. "And I'm not crass enough to assume anything." The waiter came over. They placed their orders, including a bottle of imported Chianti recommended by the waiter. Parker was silent. Scully couldn't tell if he was offended. "Look," she said. "I didn't mean anything. It's just hard to know what other people think, what they have in mind..." He smiled. "I understand that, Dana," he said. "It's not easy to trust someone, and I'm sure your work makes that even harder." "You don't know the half of it," she said. "I'd love to hear anything you can tell me," he said. She thought about it. What could she really tell him? About Mulder and his obsession with the paranormal? About the cover-ups and the conspiracies? About the unsolved or semi-solved cases? "It's not really all that interesting," she said. "I wouldn't suppose the FBI would be," Parker said coolly. The waiter brought the wine. "It's perfect, thank you," Parker said after tasting it. After the waiter left Parker looked at Scully for a moment. He continued to talk in the same polite, reserved tone he had used with the waiter. "If this isn't working out for you, we can just eat dinner and go our separate ways," he said. "No harm done." "It's just hard for me to talk about my work," Scully said softly. "National security stuff?" he said. "Something like that," she said. "But if you're really interested I can tell you about me." Parker smiled. "I'm really interested," he said. Over dinner she told him about her childhood as a Navy brat, her education, and her decision to join the FBI. Parker was attentive, and his questions and comments showed interest without being intrusive. He just let her talk, and she appreciated it. It had been a long time since she had talked to someone about her family and other things outside of the X-Files. It felt good to be herself rather than Agent Scully. "So what about you?" she said. "What about me?" Parker said. "I'll tell you if you're really interested." "I'm really interested," Scully said. "Well, I grew up in Wisconsin. My father is a surgeon too, and my mother is a oncologist. I have one sister, Kim. She's a photographer, the black sheep of the family," he said. Scully smiled. "I did my premed at the University of Wisconsin. I got a scholarship to Harvard, so I went to med school there. I worked in Boston for a while, but I never liked it much. When I heard about an opening in DC a few years ago, I decided to give it a shot. That's about it." "Did you always want to be a doctor?" Scully asked. "Yeah," Parker said wistfully. "I always had a lot of respect for my father, and I wanted to do what he did. I wanted to save people's lives." He sipped some wine. "Did you ever practice?" he asked. "No," Scully said. "That was more my parents' idea of who I should be than mine. Something was always pulling me toward Quantico." "Do you like working for the FBI?" he asked. "It varies," she said. "Sometimes I do; sometimes I don't. What about you and medicine?" "Most of the time I love it," he said. "But there are times when we just can't do anything. It's easy then for me to get down on myself and down on medicine." Suddenly a shrill beeping sound pierced the air. Parker pulled out his beeper and looked at it. Then he looked at Scully. "It's the hospital," he said. "I'm going to have to go. I'm really sorry about this." "It's alright," Scully said. "I know what it's like to have sudden emergency calls." Parker stood. "Thank you for understanding," he said. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He signalled to the waiter who came over quickly. "Put this on my tab," he said. "And please get Ms. Scully a cab." "Certainly, sir," the waiter said, leaving just as quickly as he came. "May I call you?" he asked. Scully smiled. "Of course," she said. "Now get out of here." * * * * * * * * * * Continued in Part 2 ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: All at Once (2/3) Date: 6 Mar 1996 05:11:42 GMT Part 2 of 3 All at Once Scully's apartment Sunday, 4:17 am Scully heard the phone ringing, and she knew she had to answer it. But she just laid in bed and let it ring for a while. Finally she got up and answered it. "Scully," she said sleepily. "Dana? I'm sorry to wake you," Parker's voice said. Scully looked over at the clock. "Are you OK?" she said. "Not really," he said. "Maybe I should just call back later." "Where are you?" Scully said without thinking. That was what she always found herself saying to Mulder. "I'm still at the hospital," he said. "Look I'll just..." "Forget it," Scully said walking over to her closet. "I'm already awake. I'm going to come over there." "You don't have to do that," he said. "I know," she said. "I want to. Where should I go?" "Second floor doctors' lounge," he said. "Thank you, Dana." "You're welcome," she said. She knew the way to the hospital by heart. She wondered how many times she had driven there since joining the X-Files. All she was sure of was that it was way too many times. As she drove she thought about the most painful trip, the one that took her there the day Melissa died. Melissa's murder still made her angry, and the loss still hurt like hell. She took the elevator to the second floor and walked purposely down the hall to the nurses' desk. "Excuse me," she said. "Where would I find the doctors' lounge?" she asked. "That's only for authorized personnel," a nurse said. "Is there something I can help you with?" Scully flashed her FBI identification. "Down the hall to your right," the nurse said. "It's a door on the left that's marked." "Thank you," Scully said, and she headed down the hall. She pushed open the appropriate door and walked into the room. Parker was inside, standing and looking out a window. "Brian?" she said. He looked at her. "Jesus, Dana," he said. "I'm so sorry to drag you over here." He walked over to her. What is it about hospitals? Scully wondered. They always seemed to breed grief. Maybe that was why she didn't want to practice medicine. Of course the FBI had certainly brought enough misery into her life. She saw grief deep in Parker's warm, intelligent eyes. She stepped up to him and slid her arms around him. He held her next to him for a moment. Then he pulled away and walked over to a sofa where he sat down heavily. Scully sat down next to him. "I really know how to show a lady a good time," he said. "I don't care about that," Scully said. "If you need someone to talk to, then talk to me." He smiled. "Dana," he said, "you are the most lovely woman I have ever met." "Right," she said. "I don't have any makeup on, and I barely even combed my hair. I'm sure I'm gorgeous." He put his hand over hers. "You are," he said. "I'm going to slither under the sofa in a minute," Scully said. Parker stood up and walked back over to the window. "Let me tell you, you wouldn't want to do that," he said. "It's pretty disgusting under there." He sighed. "A little girl died on my table tonight. Six years old. I did everything I could; everyone did. The injuries were just too extensive. It's funny how you can know something and still can't accept it." He paused. "I just stared at the flatline, like somehow if I looked at it long enough it would make sense. But it didn't make any sense. It will never make any sense no matter how many times I see it. "When my sister was five she was hit by a car while riding a bike. She made it, but, the thing is, it never even entered my mind that she could die. I never thought I could lose her. "I walked out of the ER tonight, and a little girl ran over to me. She was the other girl's sister. She grabbed me and said, 'Did you make Janie all better?' And I thought, God, this girl has lost her sister forever. How can that be? Why does that happen?" All Scully could think about was Melissa. She could only think of how she would never be able to share the future with her sister. The tears that had welled up in her eyes started to drop onto her cheeks. Parker sat down next to her. "What is it, Dana?" he said gently. "My sister died a few months ago," she said. "She was killed by an assassin sent to kill me." "If I had known..." "There's no way you could have," Scully said. "But you're right. It doesn't make any sense. And it's forever. And forever is a hell of a long time." Parker slid his arm around her. Scully leaned against him. "It was so ridiculous," she heard herself say. "Missy hated guns. She never touched one. She hated violence. And some bastard had to mistake her for me and shoot her." "God, Dana, that's such a horrible thing," Parker said. "Here I am feeling sorry for myself, and you have to live with that." He moved away from her. "I shouldn't have asked you here. I shouldn't have gone on like that. I shouldn't have made you relive that." Scully had liked the feeling of his strong arm around her. She was so tired of being alone, so tired of hiding things. She moved over next to him. She put her hand on his cheek and leaned in toward him. Their lips met softly, gently, and briefly. "It's late," Parker said. "We're both tired." He stood up. Scully wasn't sure what was happening. "Brian," she said, "don't you..." "Don't ask that, OK?" he said. "I want to do what's right." "I just..." "Dana, believe me, if I thought now was the time you wouldn't need to ask," he said. "I would love to be with you, but I'm just exhausted. I need a little time to recharge. Can you forgive me?" She smiled and stood. "Yes," she said. "Will you be alright?" "Yeah," he said. "It's nice to know that someone cares enough to come over here at four in the morning. I owe you." ----- Scully slept until noon. She was surprised to see the time when she finally awoke. She rarely slept so late. After dressing she fed Yappi and switched on the TV. With the news playing the background, she fixed a sandwich out of the few things left in the fridge. For a while she tried to avoid thinking about the morning at the hospital. She knew if Parker had pushed it, if he had come on strongly after her overture, she might have slept with him. She wasn't really sure how she felt about that. It had been a long time since a man had lavished such attention on her as a woman. Since she joined the X-Files, her work had consumed her time and her thoughts. Entering Mulder's world had been like walking into the eye of a hurricane. That world was all-encompassing and ultimately destructive. She knew it would be easy to blame Mulder for her losses. After all, it was her allegiance to *his* crusade that had ravaged her life. And he had won that allegiance not as much with strength as with weakness: He needed her, and she needed to be needed. But Scully knew better than to blame him. Mulder didn't have any power over her that she hadn't willingly given him. She cared deeply for her partner, and because of that she had stayed with him, helped him, and made his crusade her own. Still, as much as she cared for him, and as much as she knew he cared for her, their relationship had always been barren. It was close without closeness, intimate without intimacy. And Scully knew she needed more than just a man's respect and friendship. She needed love. Scully took her sandwich over to the TV and sat down. She thought about Brian Parker: What did she know about him? She had only known him a very short time before she was running out in the middle of the night like Florence Nightingale. And then, after talking about her own sister's death, she had kissed him. Am I really that desperate for affection? she wondered. Her phone rang, and she went to answer it. "Hello," she said. "Dana, it's Brian. I just wanted to apologize for this morning. I shouldn't have presumed that I could call you like that. It was way out of line." Scully's mind raced as it tried to decipher what he was saying and why. "Actually," she said, "I'm glad you called. I got to talk about my sister, and I got to kiss an attractive guy. I wouldn't have missed either of those." "Thank you," he said. "That was one hell of a kiss." Scully smiled. "Well," she said, "it wasn't charity. I expect to be repaid." "It would be my pleasure," Parker said. "So," Scully said settling back in a chair, "how come a great guy like you isn't already taken?" He was silent for a moment. "I guess I forgot to mention my marriage and divorce," he said. "That's a pretty big matter to forget," Scully said. "Yeah, well it wasn't a pretty thing," he said. "Anne was out for money and prestige, and she thought marrying a doctor would be a quick way to get them. I was never that ambitious." He paused. "She didn't have the patience to compromise, and, to tell the truth, neither did I. Medicine was always my first love. Everything else was secondary, and Anne couldn't accept that. The marriage ended about as badly as one can, at least for me. She really tore apart my self-esteem. That sort of turned me off of relationships. I've spent the year since the divorce drowning myself in work: extended shifts, extra shifts, being on call 24 hours." "Then I'm flattered you approached me the way you did," Scully said. "I thought it was worth the risk," he said. Scully thought for a moment. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked. "I've got a shift at the hospital," he said. "What about tomorrow?" "I have to go out of town tomorrow -- FBI business." "So, do you have a specialty?" he asked. "A specific area of investigation?" "Unusual deaths," Scully said. "My partner is interested in anything unusual." "Sounds like an interesting person." "He is," she said. "He's pretty unusual himself." "Should I be jealous?" he asked. "Let's put it this way: I've never kissed him in a doctor's lounge at 5 am," she said. She got an idea then that was so totally unlike her that daring to do it made her heart pound. "When is your shift?" she asked. "Seven," he said. "What are you doing now?" "Now?" "You owe me that kiss." "Now?" he said again. "Yes," she said. "Now." Thirty-two minutes later there was a knock at Scully's door. She knew it was 32 minutes because she had been pacing the floor and glancing at the clock since she set the phone down. She answered the door and let Parker in. There were a few words exchanged. Then Parker put his arms around her and held her to him, and their lips met passionately. After a minute or two Parker stepped back. "Paid in full?" he asked. "Not quite yet," Scully said. * * * * * * * * * * Continued in Part 3 ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: All at Once (3/3) Date: 6 Mar 1996 05:12:58 GMT Part 3 of 3 All at Once Streets of Washington, DC Monday, 8:53 am On the way to the airport Scully noticed that Mulder's eyes kept leaving the road and glancing over at her. He didn't say anything, though, he just kept driving as badly as he usually did. Finally, Scully had to give in to the urge to smile. "What's with you?" Mulder asked. "Oh, nothing," Scully said as she looked out the window. "Just a satisfying weekend." "So, what's his name?" Mulder asked. Scully looked over at him. "What?" she said, but then she decided it was ridiculous to hide it. "Why?" "Maybe I should check him out," Mulder said. "I don't think you're his type," Scully said. Mulder looked at her then. "Just to see if there are any skeletons in his closet," he said. "Actually, there probably are," she said. "He's a doctor. He did Skinner's surgery." Mulder nodded but didn't share his thoughts with her. For a moment the car was silent. "Is this going to be a problem, Mulder?" she asked. "Not unless it interferes with your work," he said. Scully couldn't read his thoughts or the stoic look on his face. If he had any personal reaction to this news he wasn't going to let her know about it. "Where'd you get that from," she asked, "The Big Book of Cliches?" "Cliches are cliches only because they're true," he said. He was pulling the car into a space in the airport's long-term parking lot. Mulder got out of the car and took their bags out of the truck. Scully picked up her bag and headed toward the terminal. "Scully," Mulder said. Scully stopped and turned back to face him. "I want you to be happy," he said. Scully wished she had brought her secret decoder ring. "Thanks," she said, and she continued toward the terminal. * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment A week later Monday, 10:34pm Scully sat at her home computer writing up her report. The keys clicked monotonously as she typed: "While Agent Mulder's theory is one explanation of the events of the last several days, it cannot be substantiated." Scully sighed. She picked up her phone and dialed Parker's beeper number. Then she stood up and stretched. She remembered a bottle of wine that was gathering dust in one of her cabinets. She only made it halfway to the kitchen before the phone rang. "Hello," she said. "I take it you're back in town," Parker said. "Good turnaround time," Scully said smoothly. "What are you up to?" "Just watching the news," he said. "You wanna get some ice cream?" "Ice cream?" Scully said. "Is this the 50's? Did I slip into a time warp?" "Well? Yes or no?" "There's a place open this late?" "Yeah, right around the corner from my place." "Oh, I see," Scully said. "You lure the innocent maiden out for ice cream..." "Forgive my bluntness, Lady Dana," Parker said, "but you are no innocent maiden." Scully smiled to herself. "And you, sir, are no gentleman," she said. "C'mon, I'm dying for some ice cream," he said. "Don't make me have to go alone." "OK, OK," Scully said. "I really want to get out of here." She looked over at the digitized fish swimming across her computer screen. She wrote down Parker's address as he recited it. "I'll see you soon," she said. After hanging up she walked back over to the computer, waggled the mouse, and looked at the screen. "Agent Mulder's theory," she said out loud. Another one of his crazy theories that made her cringe whenever he mentioned it to someone else. Another case where she had to fight to keep things grounded while Mulder ran off half-cocked, pissing people off at every turn. Another trip to a backwater town where she had to stay in a one-star motel and deal with the assorted prejudices of the townspeople. Another unbelievable load of crap. God, she loved it. Parker was waiting for her at the curb. "Hey," she said as she got out of the car. "Hey," he said. He walked around the car, and they hugged briefly. "How was the trip?" "Same old, same old," Scully said. "Where's this ice cream place?" He took her hand. "Right this way, fair maiden," he said. They headed down the street to a small place on the corner. "So what did you do this week?" Scully asked as he held the door for her to enter The Ice Cream Shoppe. "Nothing much," he said. "Did my laundry, got my car fixed, downloaded some cyberporn, and saved a few lives." Scully took a seat at one of the booths, and Parker sat across from her. "Laundry, huh?" she said. "Do you separate, or are you one of those guys who just tosses everything in together?" Parker's eyes sparkled. "You keep talking like that, and I might not be able to control my animal urges," he said. Scully ordered a hot fudge sundae, and Parker ordered a banana split. "You know," he said. "I think this is the only thing I've eaten for days that hasn't been completely crap." "Hmmm," Scully said through a mouthful of ice cream and chocolate syrup. "What have you been eating?" "The gourmet cuisine available from the hospital's vending machines," he said. "Mostly potato chips and candy bars and about a thousand cups of the worst coffee on the planet." "That stuff is bad," Scully said, "but you've never had Mulder make coffee for you. There isn't even anything you can compare the coffee he makes to." She shoveled more ice cream into her mouth. He leaned back. "Mulder is your partner?" he said. "Mmhmph," she said. "Do you two share a hotel room?" he asked. "No," she said. "What about you and those pretty nurses at the hospital?" "I prefer the hospital cafeteria," he said. "There's one table way in the back that's mostly blocked by a post..." "Forget I asked," Scully said. "Forgotten," he said. He went back to digging into his food. "Could I have a piece of your banana?" Scully asked. Parker looked at her, and Scully smiled sweetly. "You can have the whole thing if you want," he said. Scully reached her spoon over to his dish, scooped out a bit of banana and deposited it in her dish. Parker looked at her intently. "Will you come back to my place?" he asked. She looked at him. She knew he meant it, but she could also see that he was pretty close to being dead on his feet. "When was the last time you slept?" she asked. "Gave it up," he said. "It gets in the way of work." "I'm serious, Brian." "I don't know," he said. "Thirty-six hours, 40 max." "You should get some rest," Scully said. "Lousy food, bad coffee, and no sleep is a pretty nasty combination. You should know that, Doctor." "I *do* know that, Doctor," he said seriously. "But I also know that there are other things in life than sleep." "There are other nights, too," she said. "There's no rush." "I'm not going to be able to sleep," he said. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to doze off," Scully said playfully. "I won't," he said. "I can assure you of that." * * * * * * * * * * * X-Files office Tuesday, 11:21 am "Scully?" Scully looked up from the file she was reading. "What is it, Mulder?" she asked. "How's the boyfriend thing going?" he asked. "Why? Did you find something out about him?" She had known once she told Mulder that Parker did Skinner's surgery he would have enough information to run a check. "No," he said. "Actually, the guy is squeaky clean as far as I can tell." "Disappointed?" Scully asked. Mulder set his reading glasses down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. "A little bit," he said. "I don't like the idea of sharing you with another guy." Scully smiled. "What are you saying, Mulder?" she said. Mulder shrugged. "I'm not really sure," he said. "I haven't really thought about it." "You haven't? You haven't thought that one day you and I might be more than just partners and friends?" she asked. "Oh, I've thought about that," he said. "I just never really thought about sharing you with another guy." He picked his glasses up and put them back on. He shuffled some papers on his desk. "Can we talk about this, Mulder?" Scully asked. He looked up at her. "Was there something else to say?" he asked. "As far as I'm concerned nothing really was said yet," she said. "Well then, let me pull out another nugget from The Big Book of Cliches: It's a bad idea to mix business and pleasure," he said. "And that's especially the case in the FBI." "I guess I'd better break it off with Skinner then," Scully said. "I always thought you two had something going," Mulder said. The two of them exchanged smiles in silence. "I haven't ruled anything out, Scully," Mulder said. "You never know what the future holds." "What about now?" Scully asked. "Now I think we'd better finish going through these files," he said. * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment Wednesday, 12:03 am Scully laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She thought about Fox Mulder and that look of mischief in his hazel eyes. 'I haven't ruled anything out, Scully,' he had said. That was something of a surprise to her. His candidness had been even more of a surprise. She also thought about Brian Parker, his sweet words and his gentle touch. He was the first man in the longest time who treated her like a woman. Scully sighed. She got out of bed and walked over to a window. The sky was full of stars and a waning moon. Scully put her hand on the glass. "God, I miss you, Sis," she said. She picked a star and wished for peace for Melissa's soul. Then she walked over to her bureau and took out the velvet bag containing the crystals Melissa had left to her. She dumped them on the bed and fingered them gently. She knew they were only pieces of rock, but Scully hoped that somehow those pieces of rock could bring some peace to her own soul. She looked at them, trying to read them like a fortune teller reads tea leaves. But there was no message there, at least none that she could see. Scully put the crystals back in their bag and set it on the bureau. "There are no easy answers," she said, and with that pearl of wisdom from The Big Book of Cliches, she went back to bed. Around 3 am she was awakened by the combination of Yappi yapping and the pounding on her front door. She walked out to the foyer and called out, "Who is it?" "Mulder," came the reply. Scully opened the door. "Jesus, Mulder, it's 3 am," she said. Mulder just smiled. He stepped past her into the apartment and shut the door. "Mulder, what..." He pulled her to him and kissed her, and when the shock of what was happening dissipated, Scully slid her arms around him and pressed his body against hers, her lips responding to his. After several seconds Mulder broke off the kiss and pulled away. "I just thought you should know that I've decided to toss out that big, heavy, outdated book I've been quoting," he said. He walked back to the door and opened it. Scully just watched him, dumbstruck by the events of the last few minutes. "The future is now, Scully," he said. With that he left, shutting the door behind him. --------------------------------------------------------- To be continued? Send comments to: Laura Herold (76021.3043@compuserve.com) From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Anything Is Possible (1/3) Date: 13 Mar 1996 04:09:32 GMT Credit is due to Chris Carter and the rest of The X-Files' pantheon for the characters, backstory, and locations referred to herein; these elements are used without permission. I don't know it the name "Yappi" belongs to anyone, but if it does, it is being used without permission as well. No infringement of rights is intended. The character of Brian Parker is the property of the author: (c) Copyright 1996 by Laura Herold. This is the sequel to my story "All at Once." In that story Scully met and began dating Dr. Brian Parker, but Mulder kept himself in the running. Part 1 of 3 Anything Is Possible by Laura Herold X-Files office Wednesday, 8:22 am Dana Scully breezed into the office without knocking. "We need to talk," she said to her partner. She shut the door and locked it. Mulder was sitting at his desk. "Better be quick about it," he said. "Skinner wants us in his office at 8:30." Scully looked a him for a moment, and she wondered if what happened earlier that morning really happened. Had he really come to her apartment, kissed her, and left? Mulder smiled. "Great kiss, huh?" he said. He stood up and walked over to her. "You're confusing me, Mulder," she said. "Confusion is a good thing," he said. Mulder's tie was askew, and Scully reached out to straighten it. She felt his hand on her hip, resting there gently. She looked up into his hazel eyes. "I think we better go before Skinner gets pissed," he said. He moved past her and unlocked and opened the door. "Are you coming?" Without a word she walked past him and out into the hall. A half hour later they were back in the office looking through the case file Skinner had given them. A couple of times Scully's thoughts drifted to events earlier in the day, and she kept wondering what Mulder was up to, and why now, when she had finally started dating. "Are you threatened by my relationship with Brian?" she asked. He didn't look up. "No," he said. "Then why now?" "Why what?" "You know what. What you did this morning. Coming over to my place like that..." "To see what it would be like." "And what *was* it like?" "You know the answer to that, Scully." Scully found his cool demeanor surprisingly sexy. "I never expected you to be like this," she said. Mulder smiled slightly. "Did you think my angst, self-pity, and guilt would keep me from expressing myself?" "Well... yes," she said. "Not anymore," he said. "I'm ready to seize the day. Que sera, sera." "Please don't sing," Scully said quickly. Mulder smiled. "I won't," he said. "It would be scarier than you think." Scully just looked at him, looked at the intelligence radiating from his eyes. "What about..." "This case?" Mulder rubbed his hands together. "Oh, I can tell this one is going to be a doozy." ----- As she drove home Scully thought about Brian Parker. She wondered if she should tell him about how things were changing with Mulder. The truth was, she didn't really want to tell him. She liked Parker, and she knew that if she told him she would probably lose him. And, after all, she really had no assurances from Mulder anyway. Certainly there was a physical attraction between them. There always had been. He was a good-looking man, and he was also charming and intelligent. When he focused his charms on someone he could be very compelling. They were friends and partners, and those ties ran very deep. But those things weren't love. Scully knew they could be, but she wasn't sure if in this case they were. She wasn't sure if what she felt for Mulder was love. And what did he feel? She knew she had his affection and desire, but did he love her? And then there was Parker... God, she thought, how did I get into this mess? * * * * * * * * * * Motel 5 Thursday, 10:13 pm "You know why I can't just accept it. There's no tangible evidence," Scully said as they sat in his motel room facing off over his theory. "Not to mention the fact that it's illogical." Mulder was pacing. He undid his tie and tossed it on the bed. "You're right," he said, turning to face her. "I don't know what the hell I was thinking." Scully was flabbergasted -- until she saw the smile that curled the corners of his mouth. "You bastard," she said, but she meant it as a complement. "You're never satisfied are you?" Mulder said. He sat down on the bed and took off his shoes. Scully watched him and thought to herself: I should excuse myself now. I should say I'm tired and go back to my room. I should get the hell out of here before I do something I regret. But she didn't go. Instead, she sat down next to him. For the first time since she was a teenager she had butterflies in her stomach because of a man. And he didn't make it any easier; he just looked at her with his cryptic eyes. She undid the buttons on his shirt and pushed it aside. The attraction was so strong that she could barely breathe. She put her hand on his chest, over his heart. His didn't seem to be working nearly as hard as her own. "Do I pass the physical?" he asked. Her eyes met his. "You seem to be in pretty good shape," she said. "Thanks. I'll take that as an expert opinion." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the palm. Scully hesitated. "Fox," she said, and the weirdness of it made her uncomfortable. "You can call me Mulder," he said. "It doesn't matter." "People don't call their lovers by their last names." "What difference..." "It makes a difference," she said standing up. "You're my partner, and you're my friend, Mulder. But I don't see it becoming anything more. It couldn't work." With that she left the room. * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment Tuesday, 9:34 pm She was exhausted. The trip home had been long and tiring. She walked into the apartment, tossed her keys on the table, and collapsed onto the sofa. With Yappi at her mother's, the place was quiet and peaceful. She just closed her eyes. The tension drifted out of her body, and she slowly slipped off toward sleep... when the phone rang. Scully sighed and stood up, stretching away her last moments of relaxation. "Hello," she said. "You sound beat," Parker said. "Yeah, well you know how it is," she said, crashing on the sofa again. "You work long hours, and you still have to be up to the challenge even if you're exhausted." "Is everything OK?" Scully sighed. She didn't have the strength to bring up Mulder, and she wasn't really sure what good that would do anyway. "Just a tough case," she said. "There's this thing tomorrow night, a charity get-together for the hospital. It's a pretty big deal..." "Yes," she said. "Yes?" "You're asking me to go, right? Or are you just teasing me?" "I'm asking." "I'm accepting," she said. "It's a formal deal?" "Yeah. Starts at 8." "I'll be ready by 7:30." * * * * * * * * * * J. Edgar Hoover Building Wednesday, 8:35 am Scully spotted Mulder in the hallway with Skinner. She waited for the Assistant Director to go into his office and then walked over to her partner. "We need to talk, Mulder," she said. "Again?" he said. "So talk." "Downstairs," she said. "In private." When they were both inside the X-Files office she closed the door. "What is this about, Scully?" "It's about getting some things straightened out," she said. "We've been partners for years, and suddenly, as soon as I meet a guy, you decide to make moves on me." "So, what's the problem?" "Are you really asking me that? Your behavior is inappropriate." "Then sue me for sexual harassment." Scully glared at him. "You really are insecure, aren't you?" she said. "You can't stand the idea that there might be someone besides you in my life." "Right," he said. "I decided not to share you." "Well, I'm not someone you can manipulate," she said. "Stay out of my personal life." "Too late." "Why? Why can't you mind your own business?" "Because I don't want to. And because you don't want me to." Scully balked at his unmitigated gall. "You have no idea what I want, Mulder," she said. "We both know better than that." "You are insufferable," she said. "I should just walk right out of here and right to Skinner's office. I should wash my hands of this whole bullshit-infested division." "Fitting you would choose Pontius Pilate as a role model." "Fitting you would cast yourself as God." After a moment of silence they both smiled. Mulder flopped down into his chair. "Was it good for you?" he asked. "Shut up, Mulder," she said, but she was no longer angry. "You know," he said. "I really liked the part about this bullshit-infested division," he said. "I think we should get the name officially changed to the BSI-Files." * * * * * * * * * * * * (Continued in Part 2) ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Anything Is Possible (2/3) Date: 13 Mar 1996 04:10:50 GMT Part 2 of 3 Anything Is Possible Hospital charity event Wednesday, 8:35 pm Scully was wearing a black strapless dress, and her hair was piled atop her head. A silver chain bearing an onyx pendant hung around her neck. "You're more beautiful every time I see you," Parker said. "Thank you," Scully said. She felt a tap on her shoulder. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" a voice behind her said. She spun around to face the speaker. "What the hell are you doing here, Mulder?" she said. Mulder extended his hand to Parker. "Fox Mulder," he said. "I'm Dana's partner." "Nice to meet you," Parker said. "I'm..." "Brian Parker, MD. Valedictorian of your high school class, top 1% at the UW, graduated with honors from Harvard med school. One marriage, one divorce, one bitter ex-wife..." "That's enough, Mulder," Scully said. She wondered what the hell he thought he was doing reciting Parker's profile. "You take quite an interest in your partner's lover," Parker said. "May I ask why?" Mulder smiled. "Just to make sure everything is above board," he said. "You don't trust Dana's judgement?" Parker said. "We don't always see eye to eye," Mulder said. A voluptuous blonde grabbed Mulder's arm. "C'mon, Fox," she said. "I'm bored." "Right," Mulder said. "This shindig *is* a little dull." He offered the blonde his arm, and they walked off. Scully looked at Parker, who was grinning. "You're not angry?" she said. "No, actually I'm sort of relieved," he said. "Sorry, I was so... indelicate." She smiled. "I sort of liked how you put it," she said. "Besides he was hardly delicate in his profile of you. God only knows how long he might have gone on with that." "Interesting that he's with Candy Anderson," Parker said. "She gives a whole new meaning to the term RN." Scully grasped Parker's hand and looked into his deep blue eyes. "Let's get out of here," she said. "Because *he's* here?" "No," she said. "Because all of these people are here, and I just want to be with you." "What will I tell my colleagues?" "You can use that old standby from 'The Brady Bunch,'" Scully said. "What's that?" "Something suddenly came up," she said. * * * * * * * * * * Airplane Thursday, 9:23 am Scully gazed out the window of the plane. They were off on another journey cross-country, courtesy of the FBI and the BSI-Files. She and Mulder hadn't spoken much before boarding the plane. She had half-expected an apology, but she hadn't gotten one. Conversation had dropped to bare necessities. Scully had been thinking for a while about how things had been going. Something didn't feel right. Mulder was acting too strangely, even for him. She looked at her partner, who was sitting in the seat next to her, his eyes closed. She put her hand over his on the armrest. "Mulder?" she said. "I'm awake," he said without opening his eyes. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" she asked. He looked at her and said quite flatly, "They're shutting us down." Scully was shocked. "What?" she said. "It came all way from the top," he said. "When?" "A while ago," he said. "I've been working with Skinner, but there's nothing he can do." Scully's surprise quickly turned to anger. "When were you going to tell me about this?" she asked. "I should have been told immediately." "I thought..." "You thought this was your division, and you'd just deal with it on your own." "I thought there might be something I could do to prevent it," he said. "What *did* you do?" she asked. "I gave Skinner my resignation," he said. "I told him I would give them what they wanted: I'd leave the Bureau in disgrace." "And?" "He refused to accept it," he said. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway." "Why are they doing this now?" "Who knows? Because they want to. Because they can. Because they have the power to." "They have the power to destroy everything?" she said. "All of your work? All of *our* work?" "Yes," Mulder said. "Everything." Scully felt her stomach twist. For a moment she thought she was going to lose the airplane food that had barely been palatable in the first place. "This is the last case," Mulder said. "I thought I'd tell you after. I didn't want this to be hanging over us." Scully shook her head. "So, they'll reassign us again," she said. "You'll go back to Quantico," he said. When he didn't continue she said, "Mulder..." "I'm out of the Bureau," he said. "Terminated." "I won't stand for that, Mulder," she said. "I'll resign..." He gripped her hand. "No," he said. "Damn it, Mulder..." "No. It won't do any good," he said. "And I won't have that on my conscience." Scully saw he was determined, so she let it drop. "What will you do?" she asked. "I don't know," he said. "But I'm not totally devoid of skills." "I'm so sorry, Mulder," she said. He squeezed her hand. "Let's not do that, OK?" he said. She knew he had to be hurting a whole lot more than he was showing. "I want to talk about his later, Mulder," she said. "Sure," he said. "Later." Everything went pretty much the same as usual -- or what had passed for usual. Scully stuck to their accepted protocol. She didn't see any cracks in Mulder's facade, he was as professionally unprofessional as always. She had to keep reminding herself of what the future held: the end of the X-Files, the end of her partnership with Mulder... "Forever," she said out loud to herself. Their last case together was wrapped up, and they were going home the next morning. Mulder was fumbling with the keys for his hotel room. He looked at her, and for a brief second she could see the agony that was festering inside of him. He opened the door and held it for her to enter. There was a half-empty bottle of vodka on the dresser. Scully walked over to it and poured some into two of the hotel's water glasses. She walked over to the chair where Mulder was sitting and handed him one of the glasses. Then she sat down on the bed. "What do we drink to, Scully?" he said. "The final fall of the BSI-Files?" Scully looked at her glass. "I wish I'd never said that," she said. "I wish you'd told me." "If wishes were fishes," Mulder said. He gulped down the vodka. "I would have enough to fill the Atlantic Ocean." "Talk to me," she said. "You can't just let this eat at you." "What does it matter?" he said. "It's over. The whole stupid load of nonsense is finished. It's for the best." He walked over to the bottle and refilled his glass. "I need to talk about this," Scully said. "I need you to be straight with me this one time, Fox. Just you and me and the truth." Mulder set his glass down and shook his head. "There's only one thing that matters, Dana," he said. "You have to put this all behind you. You can have a brilliant future. Don't screw it up over this." "Why don't you say what you mean?" she said. "You don't want me to screw it up over you." Mulder smiled. "I'm sure going to miss that no-nonsense attitude," he said. "Yeah, OK. Don't screw it up over me. We had a great partnership, and I will always admire you, Dana. But when the division closes, that's it. The partnership is dissolved. We go on with our lives." Scully wasn't sure about that, but she could see that he needed her to agree with him. "Will you take care of yourself?" she asked. "Yes, Doctor," he said. Then he added seriously, "I won't let this keep me from finding Samantha." Scully set her drink on the nightstand and walked over to him. "Will you miss me?" she asked softly. "Every day of my life for the rest of my life," he said. He put his arms around her and held her tightly. Then he kissed her, and she could feel in his passion all the things he wouldn't admit to: his pain, his fear, and his love. She had fleeting thoughts about Parker, but that part of her life was separate from this moment. This moment was simply Mulder and her, a single tick of the clock when everything came together -- their minds, hearts, and bodies -- in utter desolation and complete devotion. * * * * * * * * * * Margaret Scully's house Wednesday, 6:52 pm Scully never shed a tear in front of Mulder; she didn't want things to be like that. But she couldn't hold it in forever. When her mother opened the door and said, "What is it, Dana?" she had simply collapsed in tears. He mother made tea, and they talked long into the night. They discussed Mulder, the X-Files, Melissa, her father, and Parker. Scully slept there; she was unable to tear herself away from her only remaining sanctuary. * * * * * * * * * * X-Files office Thursday, 8:03 am The door to the office was locked. Scully just looked at that door for a moment. Someone had already removed the plate that had said: Fox Mulder Special Agent When she got the door open and looked around she knew that Mulder had already been there. His things were gone: the poster, the books, all of his disorganized crap. Scully looked for a very long time at the spot where that stupid poster had hung on the wall. I WANT TO BELIEVE. Such a simple, hopeful thought. She looked down at his desk. On it were two long-stemmed roses crossed in an X. Scully touched one of the buds lightly. Underneath the flowers was a single sheet of paper; she could tell without lifting the flowers that the paper was the order officially closing the division. Scully walked over to the file cabinets and yanked open one of the drawers. The drawers were still packed full of files. She searched for the two files that she knew she wouldn't find, Samantha's and her own. Finally, she packed up the few things of hers that were lying around. Then she picked up the two roses and left. * * * * * * * * * * * * (Continued in Part 3) ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Anything Is Possible (3/3) Date: 13 Mar 1996 04:12:42 GMT Part 3 of 3 Anything Is Possible Scully's apartment Saturday, 3:45 pm It was several days after she returned when she finally called Parker. She had asked her mother what she should tell him, how she should handle things. "You'll know what to do," her mother had said. But the truth was that she didn't know what to do or what to say, so she kept putting it off. Eventually she called his beeper number. As she waited, she absently watched TV. Her mind drifted to her work at Quantico, where she was assisting one of the instructors. She spent most of her time there in a zombie-like trance. When the phone rang she answered it on the first ring. "Hello," she said. "I'm at the hospital," Parker said. "I don't have a lot of time." "I need to see you," she said. Parker was silent for a beat. "Can you come down here?" he asked. When she didn't answer he said, "I'll get someone to cover for me. I'll be right there." "Thank you, Brian," she said. When she opened the door she walked right over to him, and he held her in his arms. For a few minutes they just stood there in the doorway. Finally, she pulled away. "I shouldn't have made you come here," she said. "There are other doctors, Dana," he said. "Not as good as you," she said. "Enough about me," he said. He walked into the apartment, took off his coat, and laid it over a chair. Then he sat down on the sofa, and Scully sat down next to him, leaning against him. "How long can you stay?" she asked. "As long as you want," he said. He put his arm around her and she burrowed closer to him. "I don't know where to start," she said. "Then start at the beginning," he said. That was what she did. She started at the beginning: her assignment to the X-Files to debunk Mulder's theories. And she told him everything, things that probably were national security secrets, things that might put him in danger. Throughout Parker was silent, listening to her and holding her. Scully didn't go into detail about the night she and Mulder had spent together. She didn't feel that she needed to. When she finally finished there was a long silence. She just closed her eyes and listened to Parker's soft breathing. "I don't think you should worry about him," Parker said. "He'll be alright." His voice was gentle but certain. "I hope so," she said. "That's the whole game, Dana," he said. "You can't give up hope. You can't let go of your beliefs or your dreams. And you can't lose faith in the people you love." "Brian..." "I know how you feel, Dana," he said. "I'm not that dense. From what you've said I wouldn't expect any less. What I'm saying is: Don't give up on him. Don't give up on yourself. There's always a way to work things out. Sometimes you have to fight like hell to find it, but it's there. No matter how much it hurts, you have to believe that things will work out." "I want to believe," Scully said honestly, without irony. "But it's hard for me." Parker squeezed her hand. "Always remember this," he said, "you're not alone." * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment Sunday, 12:11 pm Scully picked up her phone and dialed the number for Mulder's home phone. She got the answer she expected: The number was disconnected, and no further information was available. For the first time in days she started to feel something other than sadness. She felt anger. It blossomed inside her like the ripples from a stone thrown in a pond. It spread through her, infusing all of her cells. Damn it, she thought. God, damn it. After searching for another phone number she picked up the phone and called it. The ensuing conversation was terse and brief. ----- Charlotte's Diner 1:22 pm "I only agreed to this out of respect for you, Agent Scully," Walter Skinner said. "The X-Files Division is closed. There's nothing to discuss." They sat across from each other at a table. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, "but I disagree. The work Agent Mulder and I were doing was useful to the Bureau and to the public." Skinner glared at her with barely contained fury burning in his eyes. Scully was surprised to see the Assistant Director so emotional. "This was not my decision, Agent Scully," he said. "I understand that," she said, "but I was never given the chance to say anything about this. I think the Bureau owes me that." Skinner leaned back in his chair and look out the window for a moment before looking back at her. The fire in his eyes had died down. "What are you asking me?" he said. "I want you to get together those people, whomever in the hell they are, the ones who sat in judgement of us. I want to address them. All of them." She added the last part because she wanted Skinner to understand that she wanted one person in particular to be there. "And what would the goal of such a meeting be?" Skinner asked. "To reopen the X-Files," she said. Skinner looked out the window again. Scully expected him to tell her again that it was over, finished. "What makes you think that's possible?" he asked. "Because, sir, since joining the X-Files Division I've learned that anything is possible." * * * * * * * * * * Office of the Assistant Director Wednesday, 10:00 am Skinner held the door for Scully and helped her carry her stack of reports. Scully looked first to the corner of the room where a familiar figure sat obscured by a veil of smoke. She set down the reports she was carrying, picked up the one on the top, and walked straight over to the man Mulder had dubbed 'Cancerman.' "I'd appreciate it if you would read through this, sir," she said curtly. She thought she saw a flicker of surprise in the man's eyes. She handed the report to him and walked away. In the meantime the other reports had been distributed around the table. They contained a lengthy treatise she had written on the importance of the X-Files Division, punctuated with charts, graphs, tables, and lists of statistics. Skinner had given her access to the files, which, surprisingly, had not yet been destroyed. He had also agreed to pass the report along to the Director and other people of influence. Skinner now stood at the head of the table, and Scully stood behind him. She glanced over at Cancerman who had opened the report and was staring at something intently. "I have called this meeting at the request of Special Agent Dana Scully," Skinner said. "Please give her your full attention." With that he stepped aside and took a seat at the side of the table. Scully stepped up to the head of the table and took a moment to look around at each of the faces now focused on her. Finally she lifted her eyes to the man in the corner. He had closed the report and set it aside. Scully took a breath and then launched into it. "I want to thank you all for coming here," she said. "I will keep this brief and to the point. I have asked you here not to plea for the reopening of the X-Files Division but to tell you that action is an absolute necessity." She proceeded to detail the purpose of the division as set forth by J. Edgar Hoover and its history since then. She cited specific case examples to support her points. And, looking her audience in the eyes, she put forth point after concise point in support of the division. She stayed away from specific references to Mulder. She had battled with herself for the longest time over whether this was also going to be a push to get him reinstated. In the end she had decided that fracturing the focus would only weaken her argument. In her mind's eye she could see him sitting in his office chair, that smug smile on his face. He would have loved this. She was sure of that. "In conclusion," she said, "it is obvious that the only appropriate course of action is to immediately reopen the X-Files Division. Thank you." That said, she took the seat at the head of the table. "Thank you, Agent Scully," Skinner said. "Are there any questions?" Many of the people at the table were paging through the lengthy report. One of the women looked at Scully. "What about your former partner?" she said with a smirk. Skinner answered before Scully could: "Agent Mulder was terminated by the Bureau over the objections of this office." "Fox Mulder is no longer associated with the Bureau," said a scraggly voice from the corner of the room. "He will not be reinstated." "Wasn't he the senior agent?" a man to Scully's left said. "Yes, sir," Scully said. "Who would run the division if reopened?" the man continued. "I would, sir," Scully said. "It seems to me you lack the experience..." Skinner jumped in again. "Agent Scully has displayed exemplary skills in the field," he said. "She has the complete support and backing of the Assistant Director's office." Scully didn't look at Skinner. From his words and the sound of his voice she knew he was going to push this thing hard. There were other questions, other snide comments. Scully handled it all with strength and dignity. There was nothing else from the man in the corner, nothing but the smoke that curled and twisted in the air. Finally, after everyone had their say, Skinner stood and adjourned the meeting. He put his hand on Scully's shoulder, holding her back. When the office was cleared he closed the door. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," he said. "Yes, sir," she said, although at that moment she wasn't sure of anything at all. ----- Scully's apartment building 7:27 pm When Scully got out of her car another familiar figure approached her, Mulder's mysterious informant, Mr. X. "You should think twice about what you're doing," he said. "Is that a threat?" Scully said defiantly. "Just a warning, Agent Scully." "Well, here's a news flash: You can keep your warnings, advice, and information to yourself. Mulder liked that cloak-and-dagger crap, but I can do without it." She walked past him and into the apartment building. When she opened the door to her apartment the phone was ringing. She answered it with a clipped hello. "This is never going to make the bestseller list, Scully." For a moment she was stunned. "Mulder?" she said. "How did you..." "I thought we agreed that you would put this behind you." "I never said that," she said. "Where are you?" He was silent for a moment. "Are you still seeing Parker?" he asked. "Yes, what..." "Good," he said. "Be careful." For a few seconds neither of them spoke. Scully realized that she was holding the phone so tightly against her ear that it hurt. She looked over at the two roses in the vase on her table. "Thank you for the roses, Mulder," she said. "Good luck, Scully," he said and then the line went dead. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Send comments to 76021.3043@compuserve.com From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Believe in Me (1/3) Date: 20 Mar 1996 04:43:34 GMT Credit is due to Chris Carter and the rest of The X-Files' pantheon for the characters, backstory, and locations referred to herein; these elements are used without permission. I don't know it the name "Yappi" belongs to anyone, but if it does, it is being used without permission as well. No infringement of rights is intended. The character of Brian Parker is the property of the author: (c) Copyright 1996 by Laura Herold. This is the final story in the Scully/Parker/Mulder triangle series. It was preceded by "All at Once" and "Anything Is Possible." Send all comments to 76021.3043@compuserve.com Part 1 of 3 Believe in Me by Laura Herold Scully's office, Quantico Four months later Monday, 1:23 pm There were several months of nothing, no change. Scully was given her own classes to teach. She continued to date Dr. Brian Parker. Life went on. The day of the phone call from Skinner she was sitting at her desk updating her lesson plans. She answered the phone on the second ring. "Scully," she said. "Hold for the Assistant Director," a woman's voice said. "Agent Scully," Skinner said. "Sir," she said. "I have been given certain authority, and I would like you to tell me if you think I should use it." Scully stared at the phone in silence for a moment. She couldn't believe that he was saying this after all this time. "Do I understand you correctly, sir?" she asked. "I believe so," he said. Scully wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She looked over to where Mulder's apartment keys -- the keys to what had been his apartment -- laid on her blotter. She had never gotten the chance to give those keys back to him. She couldn't bring herself to do it that last day they were together; she had just put them in her bureau drawer that contained the few things she really treasured, including the crystals from Melissa and the cross necklace from her mother. She had kept those keys even though she knew they no longer gave her access to the man who had been her partner. They were just a piece of the past, a cold, senseless link to something that had once been warm and vital. She knew it was foolish to keep them, and eventually she had brought them to her office, thinking if she took them out of her house, out of her personal life, she could finally get rid of them. But things hadn't worked out that way. Instead, those keys had wound up in her desk drawer. When she had opened the drawer to get a pen she had seen them and taken them out. While she worked on the lesson plans she had absently fiddled with them. God, she thought, the X-Files. After all this time, the X-Files. "Agent Scully?" "Yes, sir?" "Should I exercise this authority?" "Yes, sir." "Are you certain?" "Yes, sir." She heard Skinner hang up, but she just listened to the dial tone for a moment before replacing the handset. "The X-Files," she said out loud. After she finished her work she walked outside. She needed the fresh air to think clearly. For the first time in months she allowed herself to consciously think about Mulder. Despite the fact that she had tried to put him behind her, she had never really succeeded. He had remained part of her, a whisper in the back of her mind, a shadow in her heart. There were days when she had woken up and thought it was all a bad dream. Surely the division was still open; surely he was still with the Bureau. There was simply no way he could have left DC. There was no way he could have left her. She knew that she loved him. She knew that no matter what she did there would always be an emptiness inside of her that only he could fill. Although that realization was no comfort, it did provide her with some peace of mind. As a scientist she knew that knowing what something is -- its type, dimensions, duration -- made that thing easier to cope with. And she was determined to cope with this. The dreams hurt the most. In those dreams she could see him and talk to him: He was real. She wanted those dreams to stop; she wished for them to stop. But even in Parker's arms -- even in his bed -- she couldn't escape Mulder's eyes, voice, and touch. Parker had stood by her through all the dark times that followed the closing of the X-Files, and he had always been supportive and understanding. He had never asked her to forget Mulder. She cared deeply for Parker, and they made each other happy. She knew she couldn't expect more than that -- it was more than some people ever had. She certainly didn't expect to be swept off her feet by some consuming, intoxicating romance. She didn't need that to be satisfied with life. But that didn't mean she didn't wonder. And it didn't mean that sometimes, late at night, she didn't take out Melissa's crystals and think about the first time Mulder kissed her. And it didn't mean she didn't miss him. She still remembered what he said: "Every day of my life for the rest of my life." That was true, at least for her. * * * * * * * * * * X-Files office One month later Monday, 11:21 am Scully never asked Skinner about the "certain authority" he had been given to reopen the X-Files Division. She simply went back to that basement office. It was strange at first to be there without Mulder. But it also felt right, like she belonged there. After a meeting with Skinner, she returned to the office to do prep work for a new case. She noticed it right away. The frame that contained the picture of Melissa was face down on her desk. She just stared at it for a moment before setting it upright. It was possible the picture had been knocked over or had somehow fallen on its own, she thought. It didn't necessarily have to be a signal. There was no note, no proof that he had been there. Scully sat down in her chair. She hadn't heard from Mulder in five months. Was it possible he was trying to contact her now? Her thoughts went in two different directions. Part of her told her to run like hell to the Watergate garage, the place where she and Mulder had met in secret the first time the division had been closed. Another part of her told her that she should stay, ignore it, pretend like it meant nothing, which maybe it did. After all, things had been going well. The division had been reopened, and she had been installed as its head. She had been assigned a partner, a straight-forward, level-headed junior agent named Linda Tyler. They went by the book, and things were getting done. Cases were being solved, and they were being solved in ways that made sense. No one in the Bureau hassled them. Of course Scully occasionally had a nagging feeling that there were avenues that weren't being explored. She knew it was Mulder's craziness that was missing, his brilliant, offbeat, and aggravating insights that were no longer there. Scully stood up. She owed it to him and to herself to see if this really was a signal. If it wasn't, so be it. If it was, she would deal with that then. ----- Watergate Hotel & Office Complex 12:11 pm She had been walking around in the dark for several minutes when she came to the conclusion that either she was wrong, or Mulder had changed his mind. It was time to get back to the sunlight. "G-woman." Scully turned to her right and saw him standing there, leaning against a post. For a second she just looked at him. It seemed impossible that he was really there. Then she was running over to him, literally running as fast as she could. There was a smile on his face that lit up the dark garage. He held his arms open to her, and she went into them without hesitation. She held him tightly, and he did the same in return. For several seconds they just stood there together, neither of them loosening their grip on the other. Mulder's lips were very close to her ear. "I love you," he whispered. Scully pulled away from him, stumbling backward. "Sorry," he said. "I couldn't breathe." She just looked at him for a moment. "God, Mulder," was all she could say. "Are you happy to see me, Scully?" he said. "Yes," she said. "Of course, yes." "I wasn't sure you'd remember," he said. "And I wasn't sure you'd come if you did." "I haven't forgotten anything, Mulder." "Then I'm surprised you came," he said with a smile. He looked good. She didn't know what she had expected, if she had expected anything at all. But somehow it didn't seem right that he should look so good. "What is it, Scully?" he said. "Where have you been?" she asked. "What have you been doing?" He shook his head. "Not now," he said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just not now." "Are you in danger?" she said. "We're all in danger, Scully," he said. "Things have changed, Mulder..." "Nothing's changed," he said. "They're watching me. They're watching you." "That's just paranoia, Mulder," she said. "Look," he said. "You can believe what you want. You always have, and I've always respected you for it. Just keep an eye out." Scully was silent. She had no idea what he was up to, no idea what he had been doing for months. Now he was here, telling her there were problems, infecting the peace in her life with the unrest from the past. "I don't need this crap, Mulder." she said. "Things are going well." "Don't you trust me, Scully?" he said. Could she tell him the truth? she wondered. Could she tell him she wasn't really sure anymore? "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Agent Scully," Mulder said. He turned and started to walk away. She couldn't let him go like that. "Fox," she called out. He stopped and stood there, his back to her. She walked over to him. "Why did you come here?" she asked. He turned around, and she could see her betrayal in his eyes. "I told you why," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Because I'm in danger," she said. "No," he said. "But that's true." He turned away again, and she grabbed his arm. "What then?" she said. "Damn it, Fox, what?" He pulled his arm out of her grasp. "Because I needed to see you," he said. "Because not a day goes by that I don't wish that things had been different, that we were still together and none of this happened. Because not a night goes by that I don't remember what it felt like to kiss you, hold you, and make love to you." Scully hadn't expected such passion. "I didn't know," she said. "I figured you forgot that. I thought it didn't mean anything." "It meant everything to me, Dana." Scully shook her head. She didn't know what to say to him. "Just tell me this," Mulder said. "Do you want to see me again?" "Yes," she said quickly. "We have to talk." "We will," he said. "I promise." "When?" "Soon," he said. "OK? Soon." He paused. "Do you hate me?" She smiled then. "Don't be stupid, Mulder," she said. "You know me," he said. "I can't help it." He backed up a couple of steps and then turned and walked away. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Continued in Part 2) ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Believe in Me (2/3) Date: 20 Mar 1996 04:47:18 GMT Believe in Me, Part 2 of 3 Scully's apartment Monday, 9:04 pm "Do you think it's true?" Parker said, looking at Scully over his glass of wine. They sat next to each other on her sofa. "I know it's true," Scully replied. She watched Parker's lack of reaction. There was no way he could be accepting this so easily. "He'd be a fool not to love you," Parker said. "I'm sorry, Brian," she said. "I never thought I'd see him again." "I know," he said. "I don't blame you." "Mulder..." "I don't blame him either." Parker stood up and walked aimlessly around the apartment for a minute. "What are you thinking?" she asked. Parker stopped and looked at her. "I'm thinking what the hell can I say that won't make things harder for you," he said. "This can't be easy for you to hear," she said. "Tell me the truth." He sat down next to her. "I've always thought I was here on borrowed time," he said. "When he left town I thought maybe I was wrong. But now I'm pretty sure I'm not." "I don't want to hurt you, Brian," Scully said. "I know," he said. "And, God, I don't want to lose you, Dana. But I'm not going to stand in the way of this. If you belong to him, if you two belong to each other, you should be together." "I don't know what to do," Scully said. "You don't have to decide anything now," Parker said. He smiled. "I'll take everything I can get. I won't leave until you ask me to. And when you do, I'll respect that decision." * * * * * * * * * * Scully's apartment Tuesday, 7:07 pm During the drive home Scully tried to put her work behind her. It had been nothing spectacular; she had spent the whole day in the FBI's forensics lab. The minute she opened the door to her apartment her instincts were on fire. She drew her gun and quickly snapped on the light. There was a man lying on her sofa. Next to that man Yappi was was curled up in a bright orange ball. Scully couldn't see the person's face, but she knew who it was, nonetheless. She put her gun away and walked over to the sofa. When Yappi saw her, his wide eyes lit up. She put her finger to her lips, but as usual the little mutt ignored her and let out a sharp bark. The man on the sofa stirred slowly, rolling over and stretching. For a moment Scully remembered what he looked like that one morning after their only night together. She had felt so close to him that morning that it had seemed like nothing would ever come between them, not even the vicious darkness that wound its way through the government like a poisonous snake. "I never took those keys back, did I?" she said, throwing his feet off the sofa and sitting down. Mulder sat up and stretched again. "This thing isn't as comfortable as mine was," he said. "Sorry about that," Scully said. They looked at each other in silence. Mulder dug in his coat pocket and produced her keys. He set them on the coffee table. "Keep them," Scully said. Mulder looked at the keys and then back at her. Then he snatched them up and put them back in his pocket. "Why are you here, Mulder?" she asked. "You said you wanted to talk," he said. "Is that still the case?" "Yes," she said. She walked over to the kitchen. "Have you eaten?" Yappi ran over to her, indicating that he, at least, hadn't. Mulder smiled. "You know I always hoped our kid would be a redhead," he said. Scully looked at him, but she didn't say a word. "Sorry," Mulder said. Scully walked back over to him. "Fox," she said. "What's going on here?" "It would be a tragedy to let the Mulder line die out," he said. Scully sat down again despite Yappi's protests. She reached her right hand out to Mulder's left hand and linked her fingers with his. "You've thought about us having children together?" she asked. "Yeah," he said. "Nobody else would have me." He looked over at Yappi who was jumping up and down in the dog dance of imminent starvation. "I think you'd better feed the kid," he said. "Why?" she asked. "Are you uncomfortable?" He smiled. "No," he said. "He just looks pretty hungry." He sighed. "And we don't have much time." "Are you planning on leaving?" Scully said. Mulder brushed her hair away from her face with his free hand. "Don't ask me to stay," he said softly. "Why?" she said. "Because I won't be able to say no." "I love you, Fox," Scully said. "I know," he said. "That's why I stayed away. I didn't want you to be hurt because of me." He slipped his hand away from hers and stood up. "Do you have anything to drink? Beer? Wine? Anything?" "There's some bleach under the sink," Scully said. Mulder smiled. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled open the door. He took out the open bottle of wine that was inside. "Very expensive Chianti, Agent Scully," he said. "Did you buy this?" "Brian brought it last night," she said. "You can have it if you want." Mulder just set the bottle on the counter. "How *is* Dr. Parker?" he asked. "He's fine," Scully said. "Does he take care of you?" Mulder said. "I don't need to be taken care of," she said. "I'm a fully functional adult." "I know that," he said. "But you know what I mean, too." "He's a wonderful man," Scully said. Mulder opened one of the cupboards and took out a glass. He filled it part way with wine. When he didn't say anything, Scully said, "What's going on, Fox? What are you up to?" Mulder leaned against the counter. "Things are happening, Dana. In the government. Inside. Things are realigning." "What the hell are you talking about?" "There's a crack as big as the San Andreas Fault," he said. "All we have to do is shake it, and all the bastards are going to fall in." "Who's 'we'?" she asked. "The disenfranchised, the disentitled, the disillusioned," he said. "We always thought it was just the two of us in the basement of the FBI building, but this thing is huge, Dana." Scully shook her head. The same old crap as always. "Are you on some kind of drugs, Fox?" she asked. Mulder smiled. "I don't care if you believe me," he said. "When it happens I'm bringing you with me." "'It?' Have you been reading Marx the last few months? There's no revolution. There's no overthrow by the proletariat." "Damn it, Dana," he said in an exasperated tone. "This isn't some bullshit case. This is important." "No," she said. "You know what this is? It's you and all of your ridiculous nonsense. Everything you do is like this. It doesn't matter if it's a case or anything else. You're not happy unless you're blowing something all out of proportion." "And you're not happy unless you're tearing me apart." Scully was stunned. He never got so personal in an argument. No matter how angry they got it was always just a sparring match, a game. But what he had said was outside the boundaries of that game. "I didn't mean..." "Forget it," he said. "I should just go." He crossed quickly to the door. "Why do you keep running away from me?" Scully said. "I'm not," he said. "I'm trying to keep you safe." "Bullshit," she said. "Why didn't you stay and fight with me?" "Because a fight like that can only be won from a position of power," Mulder said. "They took any power I had." He paused. "Besides, you didn't need me here." "Of course I needed you, Fox," Scully said. "You had Skinner in the Bureau," he said, "and Parker..." "You were the one I wanted." Mulder was silent for a moment. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" he asked. "Stay with me," she said. "Didn't I say not to ask that?" "I don't take orders from you, Fox." Mulder closed his eyes. For a moment the room was very quiet. Then he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "The longer I stay, the more danger you're in," he said. "Another half hour." "Too long." "Fifteen minutes." "Dana, you know I..." "Will you stay?" Mulder hesitated a few seconds, and she just waited it out. Finally he smiled and walked back over to her. "OK," he said. "But feed the poor dog, alright?" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Continued in Part 3) ===================================================================== ====== From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Believe in Me (3/3) Date: 20 Mar 1996 04:48:38 GMT Believe in Me, Part 3 of 3 X-Files office Wednesday, 9:46 am Scully sat at her desk writing up a report. She had just returned from a bizarre meeting with Skinner. The AD had asked her how things were going with the X-Files Division and Tyler. She had told him everything was fine, as it was. Then, as she was leaving his office, he had said to her, very cryptically, "Things are happening, Agent Scully." She had waited for more, but that was all. She had just nodded her head and left. As usual she didn't have her secret decoder ring when she really needed it. Her cellular phone rang, and she answered it immediately. "What's going on?" Parker asked. It was only then that Scully remembered their plans for the previous evening. She was supposed to go to his place. Mulder's appearance at her apartment had driven that thought out of her head. In fact, they had managed to blot out everything except for the two of them. "I'm sorry, Brian," she said. "I forgot." Parker was silent for a moment. "Why do I have the feeling that this is it?" he said finally. "We need to talk," Scully said. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Somehow I thought being aware that this was going to happen would make it easier." "I'm sorry..." "So am I," Parker said. "But I asked for it." "Can we get together tonight?" Scully said. "I've got to be at the hospital," he said, "but I'll probably have some time if you want to meet me there." "I can do that," she said. "I'll see you tonight." ----- Hospital 8:57 pm They sat on a bench outside the hospital. It was a nice night, not too cold with a sky full of stars. Nothing had been said since they sat down a few minutes earlier. Scully wondered how people did this stuff, how it was done over and over, day after day. She knew that there were words to say and words to be heard. It was all a formula. What she didn't understand was why it had to be so hard. How do I say goodbye? she thought. She had said it to Mulder that morning all those months back, but she had never really believed it. She had never really accepted it as forever. This, however, would be forever. Scully knew she couldn't hold on to Parker. She had to let him find the person who was right for him. "I wish this didn't have to be this way," she said. She heard Mulder's voice: "If wishes were fishes..." "Some things aren't meant to be," Parker said. "You can be angry, Brian. You don't have to protect me." Parker sighed. "I'm not angry," he said, "just disappointed. I gave you everything I have, and it's not enough. It would never be enough." Scully grasped his hand. "It's not like that at all," she said. "I love you as much as I can; that's what isn't enough. I wish I could give you everything, but I can't." "Damn him," Parker said. Then he smiled sadly. "He's your other half -- like in that speech in Plato's 'Symposium.' I was reading that the other day, all of those speeches about the virtues of love. Aristophanes' says that we're all searching for the other half that was predestined to make us whole." "You'll find your other half, Brian. And, believe me, she's one lucky woman." "I'm not so sure," he said. "Don't do that," Scully said. "I'm damaged goods," Parker said. "We all are," Scully said. "We need each other to make us forget for a while." "Mulder..." "Him too," Scully said. "You don't have to say that." "It's the truth," she said. "Then he's lucky to have you," Parker said. "He certainly is." They both smiled. "You know," Parker said. "I was so proud to be with you. It was great to think someone like you would want to be with me." "That's nice of you to say, Brian," Scully said, "but I'm damaged goods too, you know." He shook his head. "I don't know any such thing," he said. Scully knew that the moment when she had to leave was nearing. She still had his hand in hers, and she still loved him. Why doesn't it just go away? she wondered. Why does it have to be so hard? The beeping cut through her reverie. Parker moved his hand away from hers and shut his beeper off. "I don't regret this, Dana," he said standing up. Maybe he didn't, but she did. "Take care, Brian," she said. "You too," he said. He walked away and disappeared inside the hospital. For a while Scully just sat there, not really thinking about anything, just gazing at the stars. Finally she pulled out her cellular phone and punched in the number Mulder had given her. "Hello." "Mulder, it's me." "Oooh, I've got goose bumps." Scully smiled. "I love you," she said. "I know that," he said. "Is everything OK?" "Yeah, I just needed to hear your voice," she said. "I always love to hear yours," he said. "Is there anything else I can do?" "Tell me that stuff you said last night wasn't bullshit." "Which stuff?" "Does it matter?" "No," he said with certainty. "None of it was bullshit. I was just wondering which part was in question." "I know how you feel, Fox," she said. "You believe that I love you?" "Without any doubt." "What then?" "Skinner told me that 'things are happening.' Does that have to do with your revolution?" "Sounds right," Mulder said. "And if Skinner's saying it it's got to be close." "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she said. "I'm pretty used to it," he said. "I don't give a damn if you believe me as long as you believe *in* me." * * * * * * * * * * Office of the Assistant Director Two months later Monday, 6:13 pm Scully walked into the AD's office and closed the door. He looked up from the papers on his desk and smiled. "What can I do for you, Agent Scully?" he asked. "You can come over here and kiss me," she said. "I don't think that's accepted protocol," he said. "And you should be calling me sir, too." He walked over to her. "That'll be the day," Scully said. She pulled him to her and kissed him. "I still can't believe they made you the AD." "I think Skinner wanted to punish me," Mulder said. "I doubt he's having a great time as Director," Scully said. She sat in one of the chairs in front of Mulder's desk. He sat in the chair next to her. It was several weeks after the purge that had cleaned "Them" out of the government from the bottom to the top. "How's Tyler doing?" he asked. "Pretty well," she said. "I think she'll make a great agent." "Because she thinks like you." "Because she's good." Mulder smiled. "Well, at least she's a woman," he said. "Of course you would notice that," Scully said. "That's not what I meant," he said. "I wouldn't want you to be spending so much time with another man." He paused. "I won't share you ever again." He lifted her left hand and looked at her ring. The light from the overhead fixture made the heart-shaped diamond in the gold claddagh ring sparkle. Scully looked at the similar band on his finger and thought again about how perfect that Celtic symbol was for them: the hands for friendship, the crown for loyalty, and the heart for love. "I'm glad you kept your name," he said. "It would be too strange calling you Agent Mulder," he said. "It's hard to believe anything is too strange for *you*," she said. "These last few weeks," he said, "have been the strangest and the best of my life: seeing those bastards finally get their due, coming back here like this, knowing the X-Files are in good hands... the best hands, and holding those hands at our wedding." That wedding was certainly something Scully had never believed was possible. Seeing Mulder at the altar in that tux had almost stopped her heart. But it wasn't until he slipped the ring on her finger that she knew it was real. They were finally really together. Scully put her right hand over his left, covering his ring. "Thank God you came back, Fox," she said. He smiled. "I always knew that if I could, I would," he said. "Once I knew how you felt," -- he smiled at the double meaning -- "I knew I couldn't leave forever." Scully stood up and yanked him to his feet. "Let's go," she said. Mulder slipped on his coat. "You know, we could stop by and visit Cancerman," he said. "I don't think so," she said. They had gone to the jail a week earlier, and Mulder had insisted on bringing their wedding pictures. Her husband's fierce pride had been something to behold. Scully had found it both disturbing and erotic. "You have a better idea?" Mulder said. "Something comes to mind," Scully said as she walked over to the door. "Can I play?" Mulder asked. He shut off the light and opened the door. "It wouldn't be any fun without you," Scully said. "Glad to hear it," Mulder said. He put his arm around her and ushered her out the door, closing it gently behind them. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The end. Send all comments to Laura Herold (76021.3043@compuserve.com)