Clear Beyond (1/1) by Alicia Ann Spoilers: Beyond the Sea, Post Modern Prometheus; set just after Bad Blood. Disclaimer: 1013 owns the characters, and when you come across a song, you'll know who it belongs to. Summary: Mulder, Scully, and a wide variety of Scully's CD's. NOT a songfic, more like character enhancement because of a song. Rating: PG Classification: S, R, H, A Archive: yes, please! Just keep my name and address w/ it, please. Author's Notes, Part 1: The idea for this story came from a conversation between a friend and I, and a certain author's stubborn refusal to see a particular movie. This was going to be a pure bash-session, but then, to get in the mood to put this story down, I just had to be in a jazz mood, and it became sentimental. Go figure. I got the wine from the commercial for it. It just seemed so warm and fuzzy that I had to use it. Feedback: Bitte schon!!! You can send it to either ElsieHogan@aol.com or elsiemasters@geocities.com Thank you! This is dedicated to my Swing Boy, Benjiman Aidan. -------------------------------------- I wish I were the souvenir you kept your house key on. --Wishlist, Pearl Jam -------------------------------------- Clear Beyond by Alicia Ann I have to admit it. I'm a closet music whore. I love just about everything I've ever heard and buy damn well just about all of it. From Al Green to Squirrel Nut Zippers to Fiona Apple, I love it all. When I was younger, I was notorious for being an easy gift because all they had to do was go to the record store, find the first record they knew I didn't have, and boom! Instant present for Dana. The problem is, when you get such a collection, when you go to put music in to listen to, deciding's hard. I was in the middle of this predicament when my doorbell rang. I checked my watch. 8:49 p.m. As I stood up and tried to walk through my stacks of CD's, I surmised that there was only one person that would show up--yup, I was right. Mulder. I opened the door and greeted him. "Mulder, what are you doing here?" He appeared insulted. "What, you can show up at all hours and no questions are raised, but when I show up..." I stepped aside as he walked in. I smirked at him as I walked into the kitchen. "The thing is, Mulder, YOU never seem to mind." "Ha. Funny. Here," Mulder revealed what he had behind his black leather jacket-adorned back. "I brought this." Mulder, Mulder. I took the bottle. Turning Leaf Chardonnay. "Mulder, stand still." "What?" I was beginning to have severe Eddie Van Blundht flashbacks. I had to make sure that this was my Mulder. He just stood there. I would have thought this would have elicited some kind of wisecrack or something. But he just stood there. I had to remind myself that I was just checking. Nothing more, nothing less. Just be thorough and get on with yourself, Dana. Just take his jacket off, oh, thank Jesus that he didn't wear one of those mock turtlenecks tonight, (though you know how much you love him in those), it would have been difficult doing what I needed to. He had on a black button down that was easy to access. See, just unbutton the first few buttons, pull it to the side and look for the scar. No Dana, you don't need to brush your fingers over it for affirmation, but oh, his skin feels so good, okay, just leave them there for a few seconds then fix him back up. I looked up at Mulder. We were so close, I could feel him breathe before I heard his breath. I stared a couple seconds at him. He just looked transfixed as he watched me. "I had to make sure it was you," I stated quietly, still staring at him. "It's okay, I always like it when you take my clothes off." Yeah, Mulder, you crack a joke now that you know what I was doing, but I saw how you reacted, how you felt. It's because I felt it, too, buddy. "Any time, Mulder," I said as I spun around and went to find the wine glasses in the kitchen. "Make yourself at home in there--sorry about the mess. I'm having a helluva a time trying to decide what mood I'm in." "You can decide what mood you're in? Wow, Scully, you're better than I thought." "What types of music, Mulder," I said rather condescendingly. "Oh, any ideas yet?" "Well, no. I have a few in the disc changer now. Hey, put on CD 11, track 6. I've always wanted you to hear it." While I was busy in the kitchen, I surmised Mulder was busy playing with the electronical phenomenon known as my entertainment center. I bought myself a 25-disc changer, just so I could keep a wide variety of music always in there. It's got a gargantuan-sized remote, and I have a tough time knowing which button does what, so I'm guessing Mulder's having a problem finding the "on" button. I hear the whirl of the carousel, so I figure he's got it under control. Then I hear it. "Near, far, wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once more, you opened the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on." The cork which I had been having problems with gave way with a sudden pop! Oh, Mulder, not this one.... I gingerly make my way out to the living room where Mulder was. Oh, no. He's got his poor heart on his sleeve. Time to let him down easy. "Scully, I had no idea," Mulder began, as he looked down and fiddled with the remote. "This song, it--" "Is the cheesiest, most melodramatic thing I've ever heard. My sister-in-law Tara bought the CD for me for my birthday, under the assumption that if the rest of the goddamn country liked it, I would. Oh, Mulder, I didn't want you to think, oh--" I sat the glasses and the wine down on the coffee table and took the remote out of Mulder's hands and threw it on the couch. I took Mulder's hands in mine, and forced him to look at me. "Mulder, Mulder? Now, I have a good idea of what you were about to say, but that wasn't the song, nor was it what I was trying to tell you. Now don't get all bent out of shape, sit down, pour yourself a glass of wine, and I'll put on what exactly I wanted you to hear." He acquiesced, albeit rather guiltily, and sat at the end of the couch, not relaxing at all, with his head down staring at his glass. I found the remote, and flipped it to the accurate track that I requested. It was Royal Crown Revue's jazz remake of "Beyond the Sea." Once the smooth jazz beats began to fill the apartment, I turned and faced Mulder. "Now, Mulder, would you like to dance?" He looked up, surprised, not unlike my expression when he asked me to dance in Memphis. He placed his hand in my out-stretched one, and I pulled him close, and we began that way that we dance. "Mulder," I asked, looking up at his bewildered face, "have I ever told you the story behind this song?" "You, you said it was played at your father's funeral." "Yes, but did I tell you why it was?" "No, you didn't." "My mother said this song was playing when Dad's ship docked. He walked right off the boat, right up to Mom, and asked her to marry her right then." "Wow," he commented as he spun me. "Yeah, that story has always held some magical quality to me, and I found it on this CD by accident, but I fell in love with it all over again. I thought if I were ever to get married, this would be the first song played at the reception," I spoke this staring straight at Mulder, hoping he got my meaning. "Really?" He squeaked. Mulder's a genius, but not when it comes to the heart. "Like this?" "Exactly like this," I said as I reached up and gave him a light kiss on the mouth. "I've waited four years to share this song with you." "That long, huh? Seems I've been waiting that long, too." It was his turn to kiss me, a smaller one than I'd imagine him giving me, but it held so much promise, I about cried, and I don't cry. "Scully?" "Yeah, Mulder?" The song's pace had increased, and we began to swing quicker to it. "Do you think your parents would mind us stealing their song?" "No, Mulder, I don't. I love you, I'd like to kill you sometimes, but you make me happy, and that's all Ahab would want. He'd be pleased. And you know Mom, she'll be gloating as soon as we tell her." "Tell her what?" I could feel Mulder's whole body tense. "That our boat's finally come in." Sometimes, being a music whore isn't such a bad thing. ;) FERTIG Author's Notes, part 2: Well, call me a cheesehead. I had to write a piece that was as innocent as the song. The version of "Beyond the Sea" in the story is on the CD "Mugzy's Move" from Royal Crown Revue. It's such a wonderful version of the song. Listening to it reminded me of Mulder and Scully dancing in the ending of "Inside the X-Files" where they show the outtakes of David and Gillian twirling around. And see, I had intended this to be a purely Celine Dion bashing piece. Oh, well. Here's to happy endings. Feedback appreciated to ElsieHogan@aol.com or elsiemasters@geocities.com Thanks for reading! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -