From: Skubadivr Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 21:35:36 EDT Subject: All My Life (1/1) by Sunrize All My Life By Sunrize Skubadivr@aol.com Rating- PG/PG-13ish Classification- MSR Archive Info- Anywhere and everywhere, as long as my name is attached. Disclaimer- Not mine, never were, not making any $$ from this. That cover it? Summary- Well, in this story, Charles actually DOES exist!! It's absolutely fabulous, too, 'cause he's engaged!! Where does this tie in with Mulder (duh, we know where it ties in w/Scully;-)? Well, read on! Authors Note- Okay, if you have any stories written by Lindsay Barone archived at your site, could you please change the authors name to Sunrize? I decided to change.....if you need a complete list of my stories, make sure you email me! I'd be glad to give it to you! :-) ~T~H~E~T~R~U~T~H~I~S~O~U~T~T~H~E~R~E~ Dana Scully sat at her desk, staring unblinking at the invitation she held in her hands. Re-reading it to make sure that she read it correctly the first time, she groaned and dropped her head onto her desk. The invitation read Margaret Scully, Sarah Sallowand, and Robert Townsend request your attendance at the Crystal Room in Alexandria, Virginia on May 2 at 7 p.m to celebrate the engagement of their children; Charles Robert Scully and Meredith Elizabeth Townsend. R.S.V.P to Margaret at (312) 555-3408 Why, why why?! she thought in anger. Why was it that her brother, who was two years younger than her, had found true love and was about to be married, when she hadn't even been on a date in God-only-knows how long? It wasn't that she was mad at Charles, she didn't want to begrudge him happiness. She was just so.....frustrated. At that moment, the phone rang. Picking up the receiver, she answered "Scully." "Hi, dear," her mothers voice responded "Oh, hi Mom. What's up?" Her mother rarely called her at work, knowing how busy she usually was. "I just wanted to know if you go the invitation to Charlie's engagement party." It was like rubbing salt in a wound. She knew it wasn't intended, but it hurt just the same. "Yeah, I got it," she said dismally. "What's wrong, honey?" "Oh, it's nothing, Mom. Just a little case of the I'm-34-and-I-haven't-gone- on-a-date-in-who-knows-how-long blues," she responded bitterly. "Oh," her mother replied softly. It was almost like Scully could hear the gears in her mother's head turning. "Well, honey, why don't you ask Fox to go with you?" "Mom, we've been over this a hundred times!!! We are best friends, partners, and nothing more!" "I know, Dana, I know. Ask him to go as a friend, nothing more. Some time together away from work might do you two good." "I don't know, Mom, I'll think about it," Scully told her reluctantly. "That's all I want you to do. Think about it. Now I've got some errands to run. I'll talk to you later. Love you." "Love you, too, Mom. Bye," she said as she hung up the phone. Placing her feet up on the desk, she sat and read the invitation a few more times. By the time she had read it six times, the door opened, and Scully heard solid footsteps approach behind her. "Hey, Mulder," she called over to him. "Hi, Scully," he replied, sitting down to boot up his computer. "What's that you're holding?" Nervously, she looked at her hands. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. It's an invitation to Charlie's engagement party," Scully told him, stressing 'engagement'. Raising an eyebrow, Mulder looked up. "Do I detect a hint of bitterness, Agent Scully?" he asked teasingly. "Whatever, Mulder. Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go with me," Scully blurted out. There. She had said it. No turning back now. "Sure. When is it, though, because, you know, I'll have to check my calendar. I've got such an active social life," he answered, his eyes twinkling. "Shut up, Mulder," Scully told him, knowing full well that he went on dates about as often as she did. "It's May 2nd at 7 p.m., at the Crystal Room in Alexandria," she informed him. "Sounds good. Now what do you say we finish the reports from this last case?" "Sure, let's get it over with," * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Afternoon of May 2nd "Hey, Mulder?" Scully called after him, as he was walking out the door. "Yeah?" he answered, poking his head back in the door. "I'll be by your apartment around 6:30 tonight. And remember, it's formal! None of those abstract ties you usually wear," she added, wrinkling her nose. "Gotcha. 6:30, formal. Damn. There goes my plan for the evening," he said mischievously, daring her to ask what his plan had been. Not taking his bait, she said "Well, I'll see you then." "Okay." He walked out the door, and Dana followed, switching off the lights and pulling the door closed behind her. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * It was a quarter to six, and Dana was rushing around her apartment, preparing for the party. Earlier in the week, she had gone shopping with her friend Rebecca, who was convinced that she was in love with Mulder, and vice versa. After five hours of scouring the mall for the perfect dress, they finally found the perfect one in the last store they attempted. It was a creamy beige with a large flower print on it. It's straps were spaghetti straps, and it came with a sheer beige scarf to match the dress. When she had put it on, it was like some sort of magic transformation. The dress hugged her curves perfectly, and instead of the pale colors making her face look bland, it brought out the blue in her eyes and the peach tones in her skin. Grinning, she told Rebecca that it was perfect. Now, with twenty minutes until she had to leave, Scully slipped the dress over her head and rushed into the bathroom. Carefully, she curled her hair and piled it on top of her head. After that task was completed, she applied a small bit of makeup, no more than she usually wore at the office. Smiling satisfactorily at the reflection in the mirror, Dana loosely draped the scarf around her neck and went to find her shoes. * * * * * * * * * * Mulder sat on his couch, awaiting Scully's arrival. He was dressed formally, as she had instructed him, and was even wearing a bowtie. As the Knicks game on the television switched to a commercial, Mulder glanced down at his watch. It read '6:29'. When he looked up, he heard a soft knock on the door. Stretching, he flicked off the power on the television, and went to open the door. "Hey, Scully," he greeted her. After the words were out of his mouth, only then did he notice her appearance. God, she looked gorgeous. And absolutely nothing like Special Agent Dana Scully, whom he saw every day of his life. His eyes flitted up and down her body, and came to rest on her eyes. Noticing this, Scully smirked in amusement. As if he didn't look pretty damn good himself. "Hi Mulder," Scully finally spoke. "Ready to go?" "Yup." Ready as I'll ever be; he thought. Pulling the door shut behind him, he briefly squeezed his eyes shut. God, this was going to be one hell of an evening. ****************************** The party was in full swing, and had been for a couple of hours. Upon arrival, Mrs. Scully had seated Scully and him at the main table with Charles and his fianc‚, along with the parents of both of them, Bill jr, and a couple of close cousins. In the beginning, it had been a bit uncomfortable, but now it was just like Mulder was a part of the family, minus the icy glares that were occasionally shot his way by Bill. As Scully chatted her way from family member to family member, Mulder had turned to the man sitting to his left. They struck up a conversation, and discovered that he was also a non-member of the Scully clan. "Mike, what exactly makes women melt?" Mulder asked, surprising himself with the question. Taken aback, the man smiled. "Things a little rough between you and Dana?" "No!" Mulder answered quickly. "I mean, we're not even a...couple. We're partners at the F.B.I, nothing more. Well, maybe friends," he amended swiftly. "I've heard that one before, buddy." "Honestly. See, I think there's something more there than friendship, and I think Dana does, too; but we can't let our relationship get any further than friendship, which is where we're at. Not only is it strictly frowned upon at the bureau, but it's some sort of emotional boundary that we set up on our first meeting. I'm just......I think it's time for that barrier to come down." Mulder wondered for the first time, why the hell am I spilling all of this to a total stranger? Silently answering himself, he said that it was because Scully was his best friend. "Well, I'm not sure. What to do about that is your call. You and Dana are the only two who can really properly evaluate the situation. But whatever you decide, I wish you luck." Mike told him, slapping him in the shoulder. ********************** Scully was talking to her cousin Gloria when she noticed Mulder sitting next to her, deep in thought. "What's up?" she asked him, gently touching his arm. "Uh?" he answered, disoriented. "Oh, um, nothing. Just thinking." "Thought I smelled smoke," Scully replied with a grin. "Seriously, what about?" Hesitating, Mulder came up with an idea. A new song was starting on the dance floor, a slow ballad. "Scully, dance with me," he half-asked, half commanded. Surprised, she accepted. Taking his hand, she stood up. Mulder pulled her onto the floor, and she gently embraced him. The lyrics began, and to her shock, Mulder whispered them in her ear along with the music. "I will never find another lover sweeter than you, sweeter than you. And I will never find another lover more precious than you, more precious than you. Girl you are close to me just like my mother, Close to me just like my father, Close to me just like my sister, Close to me just like my brother You are the only one, my everything, and for you this song I sing. And all my life I pray for someone like you And I thank God that I, that I finally found you All my life I pray for someone like you And I hope that you feel the same way too Yes, I pray that you do, love me too." His breath tickled her ear, and at the same time gave her a funny flutter in her stomach. What the hell is he doing, she wondered. His voice once again picked up with the music. I promise to never fall in love with a stranger, You're all I'm thinking of I praise the Lord above, For sending me your love, I cherish every hug, I REALLY LOVE YOU" He accented those last four words purposely, both he and Scully knew it. She drew away from him in shock, wondering if that was a true confession, or him just goofing around. Studying his face, she realized in a daze that it was indeed a confession, and not just some meaningless lyrics. Flustered, she separated their entangled bodies and rushed out of the building. As he watched her go, his face fell. She didn't love him. He had just made a total ass of himself. Giving her a few moments, he rushed after her. ********************************** Dana stopped outside the door, gasping in the cool May air. Her mind was spinning. Had Mulder, her best friend, her partner, just told her what she thought he did? Had he just told her, plain as day, that he loved her? The words she had longed to hear from him for so long, he finally said? It was too much, she collapsed against a tree, and buried her head in her hands. She stayed like that, and didn't even hear the person approaching her from behind. "Scully," he began softly, not quite knowing what to say. She looked up, her face streaked with tears. The bit of makeup that had earlier been so carefully applied was now blurred on her face. "Mulder, I--" she started, before breaking into fresh tears. Feeling helpless, he sat next to her and pulled her close, embracing her. To his shock, she didn't pull away. In fact, she seemed to melt into his form. "Shhh," he quietly soothed her. Once she felt poised enough to tell him what she wanted to say, she started. "Mulder, I....I know this looks bad, and let me tell you right now that my reaction is totally opposite of it looks like. I...I just lost it. You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that, and you just suddenly saying it shocked the hell out of me. You took me completely by surprise." "That's what I intended," Mulder informed her with a small smile. "But what are you getting at, Scully?" Fresh tears began to spring from her eyes. "What I'm getting at, Fox Mulder, is that I completely, totally, unconditionally love you. I have since we met, and I always will." Mulder rocked back, thrilled. "Scully, do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked suddenly. Looking up, Scully smiled. "No. Or at least, I didn't. Not until I met you. Then my whole opinion on that topic changed." Grinning, he pulled her into his lap. "Same here. For once, Doctor Scully, we agree on something. Fancy that. The skeptic and the believer agreeing." Scully leaned back into his chest, and took his hand, interlacing their fingers. "The skeptic and the believer. They agree. And on this, I think they always will." *************************************************** The End! (1/1) So, how'd you like it? Flames, praise, Mulders.....whatever! Send 'em---- Skubadivr@aol.com All of my fanfic is stored on my page-- http://members.aol.com/Skubadivr/LBstory.index.html "It's absolutely plain that they love each other- in their own way. And it's the best kind of love. It's unconditional. It's not based on physical attraction, but on a shared passion for life and for their quest." Chris Carter(yes, he actually SAID this), in I WANT TO BELIEVE -- Official Guide to the 4th season of The X-Files.