From: CRHarmony@aol.com
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 19:47:15 EST
Subject: A Promise to Hold
Source: direct


A Promise to Hold 
By LJP 
Rated PG 
Keywords: MSR, angst 
Spoilers: Arcadia 
Summary: Arcadia - what could have happened before the 
episode aired? 
Author's Notes: Arcadia was the very first episode of The 
X-Files that I saw. (Minus one or two that I watched when I 
didn't realized I was watching it.) And, although the 
episode is up there with a bunch of my other favorites, I 
think CC could have done a lot more with the MS chemistry. 
This is just my own little fantasy world version of the 
pre-episode events. Feedback will be read and responded too 
with a big smile and flames will be used to burn my school 
books :-) 
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to Chris and to FOX 
and to 1013, so I obviously don't own them. This idea 
probably belongs to a million and two fanfic authors, but I 
thought this twist up and wanted to go with it. Just don't 
sue me. To be honest, I don't think I even have a penny on 
me. Everyone will be returned to everyone who owns them 
once I have my fun. 

***

Fox Mulder stared at the outside of the case folder sitting 
on his desk.  He and Scully.  Married.  He and Scully 
married.  Together.  In the same house.  Married.  He 
groaned inwardly, realizing that he was repeating himself.  
He and Scully were leaving later that afternoon for San 
Diego and the Falls at Arcadia where they were going to 
become Rob and Laura Petrie, a happily married couple.  And 
he didn't think he could do it.  It wasn't that he disliked 
Scully in any way.  It wasn't that at all.  In fact, Mulder 
liked Scully...quite a lot.  And, Mulder had realized, that 
there was absolutely no way that he would be able to 
pretend to be married to her and keep his hands to himself.  
Mulder's hand slid inside his pocket where he had put a 
small velvet box which housed a perfectly round diamond 
ring.  He had told Scully that he was going to get a ring 
for her from the FBI's evidence warehouse, but, in 
actuality, he had decided to give her the ring his mother 
had given her.  The one that would have be given to 
Samantha if she hadn't been abducted.  The ring that Mulder 
had contemplated giving to Scully many times before, though 
he could never muster up enough courage to do it.  The 
truth was that he wanted her to wear it during this case 
just so he could see it on her finger.  To see how it would 
look.

"Mulder?"  Scully said, waving her hand in front of his 
face.  "Earth to Mulder.  Come in please."

He was snapped back to reality at the sound of her voice 
and he blinked twice, trying to regain the focus of the 
office.  "Sorry."  He muttered, looking up at her.  Her 
brow was furrowed in thought and her blue eyes looked 
worried.

"Are you okay Mulder?"

He nodded.  "Yeah.  My mind was just drifting.  Sorry about 
that.  What do you need?"

"We need to leave."  She said, grabbing the case folder 
from his desk and shoving it into her briefcase.  Scully 
gave him a look before heading to the door, only to stop 
again when she realized that he hadn't moved from his 
chair.  "Mulder?"

"I can't do this."  He whispered, not really directing the 
comment at Scully.

She rose an eyebrow.  "Can't do what Mulder?"

The office was filled with silence as Mulder slowly pushed 
himself out of the chair and swiftly approached her.  He 
was directly in front of her in seconds, staring down into 
her blue eyes.  "I can't pretend to be married to you."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks.  Scully was 
appalled and the expression on her face clearly showed it.  
Her mouth opened as she went to say something, but nothing 
came out.  She didn't have words for what she was feeling.  
Fox Mulder, her partner, her best friend, the man she 
loved, had just told her that he couldn't pretend to be 
married to her.  Was she really that ugly, that appalling?  
"Mulder..."  Scully choked out, the look of horror on her 
face still there.

It took him a few minutes to figure out what she was 
thinking.  He shook his head violently.  "Scully.  No.  
That's not what I mean at all..."

She cut him off, the words finally coming out of her mouth.  
"Then what the hell do you mean Mulder?"  She took two 
steps back from him and ran into the door, her hands 
immediately going to her hips.  "Because the impression I 
got was that you can't stand to comprehend to fact that I'd 
have to live with you and touch you.  And that you detest 
me that much.  Mulder, I cannot believe that you would 
refuse to do an assignment just because you didn't want 
anything to do with me..."

She was interrupted by Mulder as he quickly closed the 
space between them and lowered his lips to hers.  His hand 
cupped her cheek gently and she gasped in surprise at the 
contact.  The kiss wasn't passionate.  It wasn't hungry.  
It wasn't conveying any want other than that of Mulder 
wanting to shut her up.  It was a gentle kiss, filled with 
love and hinted with desire.  Breathless, he broke away and 
looked at her.

"That is why I cannot pretend Dana."  He breathed.  Her 
heart fluttered at his use of her first name.  "I can't 
pretend to be in love with you and then miraculously forget 
it all happened the moment the case concluded.  I can't do 
that because I am in love with you."

Scully just stared at him.  And stared at him.  For once in 
her life, Dana Katherine Scully was positively speechless.  
"Mulder...I...I...don't know what to say."

He let out a frustrated sigh and squeezed his eyes shut.  
Mulder had just confessed everything and she couldn't even 
say that she returned the feelings.  Now this really wasn't 
going to be easy.  Mulder needed room.  He backed away and, 
stammering unintelligible phrases, pulled his jacket from 
the back of his chair and pushed past his partner and out 
of the office.

Scully leaned back against the wall, mentally slapping 
herself for saying what she had said.  Her fingertips shot 
up to her lips and she traced the outline of them, her 
thoughts drifting back to what had just transpired.  She 
could still feel his lips on hers.  She could still taste 
the sweetness of him.  Without so much as a thought, Scully 
bolted out the door, hot on the trail of her partner.

***

She found him on the bench near the reflecting pool.  She 
knew he would be there.  The two of them had, on more than 
one occasion, together and separately, retreated to the 
solitude and peacefulness of this bench.  She sat next to 
him silently, watching for some change in his demeanor, but 
received not so much as a glance or a wince.  Dana placed 
her hand on Mulder's knee, giving it a slight squeeze.

"I love you."  She whispered, not really believing that the 
words were her own.  She knew it was true, but she also 
knew that she didn't think she'd ever admit it to him.  "I 
really do."  She continued, silently pleading for him to 
look at her.

He did.  And, in that moment when blue eyes met hazel, all 
time seemed to stop.  Dana's eyes began to fill with water 
at the love and trust she found in his.  His arms wrapped 
around her and pulled close.  Mulder kissed her forehead 
gently and rested his chin on the top of her head.  "I know 
that."  He responded, smiling softly.  "I love you too."  
He kissed her forehead again and she looked up at him.

"Can this assignment be an excuse for experimenting with 
all the intimacy we have both obviously longed for?"  She 
asked, her hands interlocking behind his neck.

Mulder nodded.  "I think that this assignment will be the 
perfect time for that.  It'll make the case much more 
realistic."  He dipped his head down and their lips met for 
the second time that day.  This kiss was softer than the 
first and it ended much too quickly.

Mulder pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and handed 
it to Scully.  "Well...Laura..."  He grinned, using the 
name he had picked for her for the case.  "Will you do me 
the honor of wearing this ring?"

She arched her eyebrow and gently opened the box.  
"Mulder..."  She gasped.

He shook his head.  "It's Rob, remember."  

She rolled her eyes and continued to stare at the ring.  It 
was beautiful.  He removed it from it's case and slipped it 
onto her finger.  Mulder smiled in amusement.  It looked 
wonderful on her, just as he knew it would.

Scully glanced up at him, surprised at his gift.  It 
certainly was not a ring that he could have found through 
the bureau.  But before she could ask where it had came 
from, he kissed her gently on the side of her mouth, his 
hazel eyes sparkling like a five year old's.

Finis

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