From: "C. Shuy" Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 08:41:07 -0700 Subject: "Plain and Simple" (1/1) Source: xff Sorry if this posts twice. I sent it out last night and it never posted. Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, the X-Files, and associated characters are property of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting Corporation. I have neither the time nor the money to obtain proper permission. I also don't own any of the food or beverage trademarks, nor do I own any other well-known items listed. *sigh* if only I did. Then I wouldn't be a starving student! ;) Anything not recognized as part of the show copyright Christina Shuy. Comments to cshuy@earthlink.net are much appreciated. Please archive. Gossamer, Xemplary, and anyone else I have given prior permission to have permission to continue archiving, as does my personal archivist (Thank you, Diana!). Anyone else, please ask first before archiving. My personal archive can be found at: http://troublexf.digitalrice.com/cshuy/index.htm Rating: G, MSR, Spoilers: story is post-"The Truth" with few spoilers. A general 'summary'. Summary: Moonlight, starlight, and the music of George and Ira Gershwin Author's Notes are at the end. Plain & Simple By Christina Shuy (cshuy@earthlink.net) There was a knock at the door of the hotel room. "Who is it?" A male voice inquired from inside the room. "Mr. Ford?" The hotel concierge looked incredulous. "Mr. Kyle Ford?" "Yes, this is he." Kyle Ford opened the door just a little, wondering who could be looking for him in a hotel so far away from home. "Who is it?" "A letter for you, sir. Sent by messenger, and I was given strict instructions to give it to you right now." The door was opened, and a man with dark hair poked his head out, hazel eyes looking inquiringly at the hotel concierge. "A letter?" The man inquired. The concierge held it up with both hands as the man opened the door farther to reveal that he was dressed in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. His hair was mussed, but still damp, as though he had just dressed after a shower. "I was instructed to bring this up to you right away, sir. It was just delivered. The messenger instructed me to tell you that the Victorians never quite knew how to relax without taking skin off from somewhere. Does that make any sense to you?" A raising of eyebrows. "I don't think so. But I do appreciate the effort." The man said. "It is part of my job, sir." The concierge answered, holding out the letter still. "Thank you." Kyle took the letter from the concierge's hand, and passed him a five-dollar bill, which was refused, though politely. "There is no need for that, sir. It has all been taken care of." "I would appreciate your not mentioning any of this to anyone." Kyle stated firmly, implying he would know if that had not been the case. The concierge smiled reassuringly. He knew how to be discrete. It was part of the job. "That was also part of the instructions, sir. Have a good day." With a slight nod, although still baffled by the strange instructions the messenger had given him, the concierge smiled and walked away. The door closed behind him. He looked at the letter he had just received and wondered who the hell knew where he was. "Who was that, Mulder?" asked the other person in the room, a woman with red hair who was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shortalls, her hair also slightly damp. "The hotel concierge. He was apparently given a letter to give to me. Using my assumed name. So, Scully, what do you think it could be? I mean, who knows we're even here?" "We know of at least four other people who know where we are. Even though one of them probably knows even though she wasn't told." Scully smiled. "Yeah, but you know, SHE knows just about everything if it's important." Mulder nodded in agreement. Scully took the envelope from him and tried to see if she could discern the contents without opening it. The envelope was stiff in one part, and the surface was totally smooth aside from the 'Kyle Ford - Confidential' written on it. There was no give as there might have been had there been any type of powdery substance in it. She also took a very quick sniff. "It feels like either a letter or tickets or something. I don't feel anything else in them, and it doesn't smell like much except paper. Does the handwriting look familiar to you?" "I don't know. Have you ever seen Skinner's handwriting?" "Does that look like Skinner's handwriting?" "A little." "Let's open it then." "You don't think we should be careful? It might be forged." "Are we just going to run scared, Scully? We've been doing that for the last two months." "You're right. Although we shouldn't let our guard down just because we're tired of looking over our shoulders all the time." "Any gut feelings on this one, though?" "I think you're right. Let's open it." The envelope contained a pair of concert tickets at the Hollywood Bowl, the date printed as being in two evenings. There was also a brief note: Agents, I want to wish you luck in whatever it is you might have planned. However, I want you to take a night off and relax a bit. I know that the two of you haven't had a night together in far too long. And these tickets were partially my idea, and partially from a friend at Scotland Yard. Keep in touch and Be Careful. WSS. "They're from Skinner?" Scully's eyebrow climbed into her hair. "Well, and Victoria." Mulder grinned, looking at the note. "That was very nice of both of them, although maybe Victoria bullied Skinner into it." "Is that Victoria's style?" Mulder laughed. "No. And I'm going to apologise right now for even thinking such a thing. She'd have my head if I didn't. Although, this does explain something the concierge said he was told to tell me." "And what was that?" "'The Victorians never quite knew how to relax without taking skin off from somewhere'. Make any sense to you?" "Well, 'the Victorians' sounds like a message from Victoria and the rest of it sounds as though she's keeping an eye out on things, and that Skinner and she collaborated on this idea to get us to relax. Or I could be wrong." Scully admitted with a grin. "Who would have thought they wanted us to relax." "Well, we HAVE been under a lot of stress lately." The two long-time partners looked at each other, remembering the crazy events just in the last two months. Mulder going on trial for a murder that never happened, discovering falsehoods still masquerading as truths, and then both he and Scully going on the run together, as well as getting Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes into a little trouble. The Date had been discovered as well. A date they both were going to work to stop, even though the resources of the Bureau were now out of reach. And then there was the strange matter of the Deputy Director, Alvin Kersh, first putting Mulder on trial for murder, and then helping them get away after new evidence had come to light. There were still a few loose ends. They were going to find a way to get their son back from the couple Scully had allowed to adopt him. Little William would probably be safer with his parents together than with the couple that had adopted him. Doggett and Reyes were working on that part of things even as Mulder and Scully had driven into Los Angeles just to keep moving. They hadn't decided on their next destination as of yet, but that was only a matter of time. "Let me see the tickets." Mulder handed them over to Scully, who looked at them closely and then grinned. The tickets listed held the following information: Weekend Spectacular / Hollywood Bowl 2002 / Sponsored by Princess / Gershwin - Plain & Simple / 2301 North Highland Ave. / Sat Jul 27, 2002 / 8:30pm. The seats were in section S. "Hmm. Section S. The seats are nose-bleed section, but considering they're free to us, and the fact that it's a music concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, I think it is, it really shouldn't matter all that much. After all, it's an orchestra, not a rock band." Mulder murmured. "I happen to like orchestra music." Scully grinned. "And aren't you supposed to listen to orchestras and not try to admire the band in those cases?" "It sounds to me that's why YOU go to rock concerts." Scully teased. "Me? Where would I get the time to go to rock concerts? You know where my obsessions have been in the last decade." "And what about earlier?" "Well, I'll admit to going to a few rock concerts in my time, but I was young and foolish then." Scully nodded and didn't pursue the topic any farther. "Young and foolish" was their code for "I did really stupid things in the past. I've already told you about it. I don't really want to talk about it. It makes me uncomfortable". Mulder was not the only one to have used it, especially in the last few years. "Mulder, did you tell them I liked Gershwin?" Scully asked, handing him the tickets, and pointing out the fact that the tickets were for a Gershwin concert. "You mean 'we', Scully. I like George and Ira Gershwin's compositions as much as you do. And, no, I didn't. Although, knowing Victoria-" "Knowing her, she didn't need to be told." "Do you think we should go?" Mulder looked hopeful. "What would Kyle and Meg do?" "You want to go as Kyle Ford and Margaret Anderson?" "Why not? They know how to have fun more than we do." A thoughtful moment of silence passed between them. The gears in Mulder's mind, though, were still working away at something he had been wanting to ask for many years now. "Do you think Meg would ever marry Kyle?" He said, finally. "Is that a proposal?" "Only if you want it to be." "Mulder." "I'm serious! I don't want to pressure you, although I DO want you to marry me. Even if it is 'eventually'." "I'll have to think about it." "That's all I ask, Scully." "And what about the concert?" "I think Skinner's right. We do need a night off." "Then we do it." Smiles on both sides were the only answer each needed. They got to their seats while the Bowl was still filling up with people. It looked to be a crowded venue tonight. The sunset colours in the sky were just beginning to fade. "Comfortable, Meg?" Mulder asked. "Yes, Kyle, actually I am." Scully smiled at him. After they'd decided to actually go ahead and go to the concert, they'd shopped around for a few inexpensive things to bring with them. The first thing pulled out of the bag Scully had been carrying was a soft throw which was large enough to pull over them both if needed, but not overly large as to be overwhelming. They had packed a picnic dinner of croissant sandwiches, a shared salad with bottled dressing, and corn chips with plenty of cold drinks and a container of fruit. They had eaten most of it at the bottom of the hill before they had headed up to find their seats. Mulder had left a few surprises until the end. They had both decided to do a little appearance changing. Scully's hair was now dark brown thanks to some temporary hair dye, and curly thanks to some steam assisted rollers. She was also wearing a t-shirt that bore the emblem of the hockey all-star game from a few years back and black bike shorts with a heather grey sweatshirt tied around her waist. Mulder's hair was blond, also thanks to temporary hair dye, and spiky due to a generous overuse of some hair mousse, and he wore denim shorts, a plain black t-shirt, and he also had a heather grey sweatshirt tied around his waist. The disguises took years off both of them, and they had laughed themselves silly when they'd first looked at each other because they looked almost like a couple of college students out for a night of music in the cheap seats at the Hollywood Bowl. They'd put the picnic basket cooler they'd brought with them and pulled out the two plastic boxes holding their desserts, the forks held by the utensil container in the lid. "Wow, where did you get cheesecake? It looks delicious!" Mulder smiled. "Nothing but the best for my girl." He murmured into her ear, his warm breath on her ear causing her to shiver slightly, though not with cold. "Do we have anything to drink with this?" Mulder snorted and grinned, looking up at the sky for a moment, as though appealling to the sky for something to make sense. "'Do we have anything to drink with this' she asks." He looked back at her, and then leaned in a little. "That depends, my sweet, on what sort of refreshment you have in mind." "Nothing alcoholic right now." "'Right now'? Woman, are you planning on taking me home and having your way with me?" She gave him a coy, yet shy, smile. "That depends on whether or not my date for the evening behaves himself and does not try to do things in public that he might have seen on some tapes he does not own." "Would I do that?" He was mock offended. "I don't know. Would you?" She winked at him. "Not here, I wouldn't." He conceded, wrapping his arms around her. "Not that it matters. I didn't bring anything alcoholic tonight. The last thing we need is to be out and have our judgment impaired." "So where's the refreshing beverage you keep promising?" "What would you like? Cherry sparkling water, strawberry soda, ginger ale, root beer, or iced tea?" "How did you manage to get all that stuff into that little thing?" Scully pointed to the cooler they had used as a picnic basket. "It may look small on the outside, but it's pretty big on the inside." "In that case, the strawberry soda. That way I'm still getting strawberry cheesecake." "Don't you mean strawberry and chocolate cheesecake?" "Chocolate?" "Come on, don't tell me you don't like chocolate!" "I shouldn't be eating this. My weight-" "Your weight is fine, Meg. Better than fine, in fact." Scully opened the container and, sure enough, the chocolate cheesecake with chocolate shavings looked right back at her. Mulder handed her an icy can of strawberry soda, the good stuff - Hansen's All Natural - while he took a bottle of Clearly Canadian sparkling Cherry Flavoured water. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra members were slowly trickling in and starting to warm up and tune their instruments. The soft tuning was dissonant and harmonious at the same time. Naturally, all of them were dressed similarly: white shirts or blouses with black pants or long skirts. Their surroundings and the people watching at the concert were not all dressed formally, but the orchestra was. The sky itself was dark overhead. The Bowl's electric lighting also began to dim, signalling the start of the concert. The first piece played had a definite Cuban influence. The Latin flavour was all over it and even included snippets of melody now well known. The Cuban Overture had a distinct flavour, almost like the liqueur that was found on the small island off the coast of Florida. The special guest singer for the night was introduced. Her name was Audra McDonald. The woman had dark curly hair and wore a peach top and a pink skirt. Scully made a face at the colour choices. "Something wrong, Meg?" "Oh, just that I'd never wear something that looked like THAT. The colours clash and don't look all that great together." "There is certainly that. But maybe if they were reversed or something." "I don't like her dress. That's all." The singer began to sing to "Summertime" and they found themselves enjoying the sound of her singing voice, at the very least. And they were reminded of their younger days during the summer. The next song sung was "My Man is Gone Now". Scully shivered. "Meg?" "Just... thinking, Kyle. About last year, when-" "I know. I'm sorry." "What do you have to be sorry for? What happened was not something you asked for. Was it?" "No. But to have put you in that situation... I wish it hadn't happened." "I'll be honest with you, I wish it hadn't happened either, but you are here, and things are better now, right?" "Yeah." Mulder wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned towards him, comfortable in the realization that they were together now and it was all that mattered. The song ended, and the singer left the stage. After the conductor did a bit of joking around about the separation movement on in Los Angeles, the next guest artist, a pianist named Kevin Cole, was introduced. He gave a bit of background on Rhapsody in Blue, including joking about the fact that United Airlines was making use of it. "Y'know, Meg, I always figured that airline had taste." Mulder whispered into Scully's ear. Scully's only reply was to giggle and give Mulder a light punch on the arm. They turned their attention back to the pianist who was just beginning the piece. Lights brightening signaled the beginning of intermission after the pianist's encore of a medley of Gershwin's music. They heard their stomachs growl and they grinned. "I take it this means we're both hungry." "Yeah, I think we are. Got anything handy?" "There you go with the questions again." Mulder mock-rolled his eyes, and Scully mock-punched him in the arm. "Stop that. You'd make other people think being out here with me is a chore." "Well it is if you keep asking silly questions." "Kyle-" "Wait. I have just the thing." Mulder brought out the container of green seedless grapes and two icy containers of ginger ale. "Oooh, perfect!" After the intermission, Ms. McDonald appeared on the stage again. She talked a little bit to the audience before beginning another song. The first one in her repertoire was "Ask me Again". She transitioned into "Someone to Watch Over Me" with an anecdote from a few years earlier about when she was on the same stage with Patti LuPone and very barely pregnant. After the second song, the artist began the third, almost immediately. And the third piece was recognizable, but the title remained on the tip of the tongue. It has something to do with rhythm. At least, that's what the singer kept singing. The program they'd bought for a dollar wasn't much help because it only stated that it was 'artist selections'. With the final fanfare of "An American in Paris", the concert ended. There were standing ovations with the singer, the pianist, the Philharmonic's conductor and the Philharmonic itself taking bows but no encore. Eventually, the lights came back on to illuminate the Bowl. Almost en masse, it seemed the audience began to move towards the exits on either side of the amphitheater. Mulder checked his watch and noticed that it was after 10pm. He showed Scully and she grinned. The watch read 10:13. Mulder sighed and sat down in his seat again, looking defeated. "And where are we off to in such a hurry, Kyle?" "Nowhere. The crowd is too big, and I think it might even take us at least half an hour to get down to the bus stop." "And then we have to get over to the subway terminal." "Yeah. That will probably take us another half hour at least." "What I want to know is why anyone would build a subway in an earthquake prone place like Los Angeles." Mulder nodded. "Doesn't make sense, does it." Scully licked her lips. "Do we have any drinks left?" "Should. I brought enough of them. Although, I think we finished the ginger ale." "Yeah, we did. I remember you mentioned that at the intermission." "But there's still plenty of drinks left if you want one." "Want me to carry the cooler then?" "Nah. It's almost empty anyway. Most of the initial weight was the food, and we've dealt with almost all of it. I think there's a few cookies left, but that's all. There's one more strawberry soda if you want it." Scully smiled, remembering one thing she did feel like drinking. Especially since they still had to wait to get back to the hotel. "If there's an iced tea in that bag, could be love." "Isn't that MY line?" Mulder did a passable imitation of Scully raising her eyebrow and she giggled. "Yes, it is. And if you tell me it's root beer..." Mulder laughed. "Well, I have plenty of both left over. Which one do you want?" "I was just going to say: If you tell me 'Must be fate... root beer', I am going to kick your ass." "And here I thought you LIKED my ass, Meg!" Mulder feigned injury. "Oh, I do. And when we get home, I'll show you exactly how much." Mulder handed her a still-cold drink, got one for himself, and they started down the hill towards the bus station. Later that night... "You know, Mulder, we need to find a way to thank Victoria and Skinner." "Yeah. Good idea. What do you think we should do?" "Invite them to our wedding." "Scully? Are you *serious*?" "The answer, Mulder, to both questions is Yes." He could almost feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Yes?" "Yes, you fool. YES!" Scully grinned at him. "Then I have something for you." Mulder answered, reaching over her to the night table on her side of the bed. He rummaged around in the drawer and came up with a small box shaped like a strawberry. He handed it to her solemnly. "This is for you." She opened the box to reveal a ring with what appeared to be a four-leaf clover as the setting, although all the stones were round. Two of the leaves were diamonds and the other two were emerald. "I found it a while ago when I was looking through my mother's belongings. I think it used to belong to a great-grandmother somewhere in the back of the Mulder family history or my mom's family." "Mulder, this is beautiful." She was breathless as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. "Not as beautiful as you are, Scully. Not by a long shot. Not to me, anyway." "Closet romantic. Who would have guessed my fianci is a closet romantic." He leaned in and kissed her. And for a while, words weren't needed. - End - Author's Notes: I have a confession to make. The tickets they had for the Gershwin concert? Those were mine. Well, one of them anyway. The other one technically belonged to my mom, but she couldn't make it that night. It was a beautiful concert and I was inspired to write this because I figured that they deserved a night out together. As for the disguises? Well, Scully's t-shirt is mine too, although the shorts were a modification of what I'd worn that night. I wore a skirt. The blanket is also mine. Well, okay, it belongs to my parents, but even still... Mulder's hairstyle was an in-joke from a first season blooper. "I'm looking for my dog. He's a Norwegian Elk Hound. His name is Heinrich. I use him to hunt moose... for my hair." As for the food, well, it was something I figured would work for a picnic. *whine* I STILL miss the X-Files! By the way, the names for the aliases were taken from my fic "The Pick-up Game", which can be found on my archive. You don't have to read that fic to understand this one.