From: "Julie Cantrell" Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 19:50:25 -0500 Subject: Renewing Vows Title: Renewing Vows Author: Julie Cantrell Rating: PG Category: S/R Spoilers: None Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance Summary: Mulder starts over. Sequel to "Vows". Feedback: PLEASE! I live for feedback! Please send comments to me at curls@zoomnet.net Archive: I'd be honored, just ask first. DO NOT ARCHIVE at Gossamer (I've already done that). Disclaimers: All of the following characters belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Television. No infringement is intended. Visit http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dungeon/3881/ to see the image that goes along with this story (click on fanfic button). This is a sequel to my story, "Vows". You'll probably be able to figure out what's going on without reading it (but to be safe, I wouldn't recommend it). The address above will take you to XF Views and Phenomena where all my stories are archived. ****************** Renewing Vows by Julie Cantrell ****************** Mulder and Scully rode home in a comfortable silence. They were both too overwhelmed to speak. Their hands were linked like a lifeline on the seat of the car. As they headed to his apartment, Mulder's mind drifted to those moments of loss. His brain wandered to the time when Scully was leaving. ****************** He had taken her to dinner. It was to be his last evening with Scully. He tried desperately to keep his tone light throughout dinner, but he imagined that the way he felt was similar to death row inmate's last meal. It felt so final. Somehow, he had made it through dinner. As he walked her to her door, he was quickly losing the battle with his heart. Then, she had reached up to hug him. Mulder clung to her like a second skin. His eyes burned with unshed tears and he knew he had to leave. He whispered his goodbye and caressed her lips with his own. He held the kiss for a moment, then practically dashed out of her apartment building. Once he was in his car, he allowed the tears to flow freely. He watched her windows until all the lights had gone off. On the night before she was to leave, he sat in his apartment staring at the television, not really seeing the images on the screen. He replayed those last moments in his memory over and over trying to recapture the way her lips felt on his. Suddenly alert, he heard someone outside of his apartment door. Mulder clicked the television off leaving the small room shrouded in silence. The sound of paper sliding across the floor sliced through the stillness. In the distance, Mulder could hear the soft clicking of shoes disappearing down his hallway. He crossed the room and picked the envelope off of the floor. Immediately recognizing Scully's handwriting, he opened the door and tried to catch a glimpse of red. It was not to be. He took his precious delivery and settled on the leather sofa. He didn't know that what he was about to read would change his life forever. ****************** The decision to follow her to the airport almost didn't happen. He agonized over his choice all night long. At first, he wanted to go to her mother's and break the door down. Thankfully, his rational instincts kicked in. She wouldn't appreciate it if he was disrespectful to her mother. He chose to wait and call her in the morning. He reclined on the couch and read the letter again. He had read it several times, when he had finally dozed off into a deep slumber. When he awoke, he glanced at the clock. It was 8:30. Scully's plane left at nine. He quickly came to the realization that she was most likely at the airport already. He dressed quickly, grabbed his keys, and ran to his car. He almost missed her. ****************** "Mulder?" "Huh?" Mulder looked over at Scully as she broke him from his reverie. "We're home," she smiled. He looked out of the car window to see that they were sitting in front of his apartment building. He smiled back at her. "So, we are." They reluctantly let go of each other and exited the car. Once they were on the sidewalk, their hands found each other again. Once inside the apartment, they both sat side by side on Mulder's old couch. Mulder took the letter out of his pocket. Scully ducked her head. Noticing her sudden shyness, he got on his knees in front of her and gently lifted her chin with his fingers. "Don't be embarrassed, Scully," he said. "Do you know how much this means to me?" Scully looked him directly in the eyes. All fear vanquished by his reassurance. He glanced down at the letter and spoke softly. "Scully, when I first received this letter, I was speechless. "Unlike you, I didn't dream of marriage. After Samantha was taken, my mind never strayed to things that a normal person would dream of. I felt like I would think of those things after I found her again. Needless to say, I didn't think I would still be looking for her twenty-some odd years later. "Then, I read your letter. You were right, Scully. We've been married all along." He chanced a peek at her and their eyes locked. Mulder continued. "To have and to hold. You have my admiration. You have my respect. You have my heart and my soul. You have my love. And as for holding, you're right, we never held each other often enough in the physical, but you've held me when I thought I couldn't continue. You kept me focused, Scully." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she remained silent. "For richer or for poorer. I categorize my life into two parts. There's the poor part of my life which is before I met you. Then, there's the rich part. My life became a thousand times richer when you walked into that basement. You made that dark and dank office feel like the sun was shining." Mulder's voice became thick with emotion. Scully was silently crying as he fought the urge to do the same. "In sickness and in health. Those times were always the hardest, Scully. As long as I live, I never want to see you in another hospital bed." Mulder stopped for a beat and tried to regain his composure. "Scully, you saved me over and over again. You saved me physically, but more importantly you saved me from myself. You helped make me a better person. You were always there we I needed you. If I was in trouble a world away, you were there." He looked back down at the letter in his hands, now stained with Scully's tears. He wiped his own eyes and realized that the tears on the paper belonged to both of them. He looked back up at Scully and finished his vows. "To honor and to respect. I don't care for the word 'obey' either, Scully. We're both too stubborn for that." They both smiled. "I guess that's the key isn't it? Respect. Even when I thought you were a spy coming to shut me down, I still respected you. That respect turned into friendship. That friendship turned into love. The respect is what held it all together." For several moments, the only sounds that filled the room were sniffles and breathing. Time as they knew it had stopped. Finally, Mulder broke the silence. "I do, Scully. I do want you. I do need you. I do love you." Scully's arms found their way around Mulder's neck as his twined around her waist. "Until death do us part," Scully breathed in his ear. "Until death do us part," he whispered back. ****************** The End ****************** Author's notes: When I posted "Vows", I was extremely nervous. My lack of experience in writing romance played a big factor in my uneasiness. Then, I received the most marvelous feedback. My confidence renewed (along with a few requests for a sequel), I sat down and wrote "Renewing Vows". The principle was still the same. Mulder and Scully live their lives as if they keep silent vows to one another. This venture was from Mulder's point of view. "Vows" was about saying goodbye. I'd like to think that "Renewing Vows" is about starting anew. So, what did you think? My confidence may be renewed, but it was all those wonderful messages I received that wrote this piece. Feedback is always welcome at curls@zoomnet.net (flames will be ignored). Visit XF Views and Phenomena to read more of my stories. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dungeon/3881/