From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 21:39:00 -0600 Subject: Two Weeks (1/?) by Maddict Source: direct Reply To: maddict@jcn1.com Two Weeks(1/?) By Maddict e-mail: maddict@jcn1.com Rating: G Spoilers: Orison post-ep, tiny one for Tunguska/Terma Archive: YES! Please do. Feedback: Sure...I mean, getting feedback is only the greatest high ever. Why not? Category: SRA Disclaimer: Not mine. Please don't sue! I'd die without my computer and that's all that you would get! Summary: After Donnie Pfaster's attack, Scully needs a break. Author's notes: I personally think that the ending for Orison is the perfect set-up for post-eps. It's obvious Mulder was taking her home with him and well, knows what could happen. I wrote this in the car this morning while waiting for Border's to open. I'm supposed to be writing three other fics, but we do what the muses tell us to, right? Dedication: To the pointless posters of PPoS, you guys rock! And to Anny for always telling me the truth. ************** Two Weeks By Maddict ************** Fox Mulder stood sullenly by the foot of his bed and watched as Scully filled the suitcase that she had arrived with a week before. "How long will you be gone?" He asked woefully. "I don't know. As long as it takes to forget." She replied, her attention on the task at hand. She turned to face him and with some heartache saw the pain her words had inflicted. Mulder's face was ash white and he looked as though he was about to vomit. "Hey," Scully said stepping closer and gently stroking his forearm. "Hey, two weeks, tops. OK? I'm not leaving forever. You can't get rid of me that easily." He thought and hung his head. "Stop that." She reprimanded. He looked up, startled. "Stop what?" "We've had that discussion before and you know the answer. What happened to me wasn't your fault. So there is no need for you to be hanging your head." She said as she walked back to her suitcase and began to zip it shut. "Now, I'm bringing my laptop so that we can e-mail each other and Bill won't freak about you calling so often." "I won't call all that often." Mulder said defensively. Scully looked up at him like a mother who knows her child all to well. "OK. OK. But what if a really big case comes up?" "I can just as easily shoot down some hair-brained theory over e-mail or the phone as I can in person." She replied, checking the contents of her carry-on bag while Mulder pouted. He leaned in closer while she was preoccupied and inhaled deeply. From outside they heard the honk of a car horn. She checked her watch. "That's my cab." She said, grabbing her carry-on. "Don't leave. Stay. I like having you here. I know don't want to go back to your place, but..." He looked down at her with desperation and she looked up at him with hope. He took the easy way out. "I hate being alone." "You are going to be OK. After all the times you ditched me? This going to be a piece of cake. At least YOU won't be waiting by the phone thinking that I'm dead somewhere like Russia." He blushed and scrunched up his face as if to say, 'By the way, I'm really sorry I did that.' She took a step closer and stared up into his somber eyes. He reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. Outside, the cabbie beeped his horn again. Reluctantly, Mulder released her from his grasp and plucked her suitcase off the bed. They rode the elevator in silence. With each floor they past, Mulder wished that a someone would want to get on, just so that he could have 5 more minutes with her. But alas, their ride was uninterrupted. He walked her to the cab and handed the driver her luggage. "So, this is it. I'll be sure to send Bill your love." Scully said with a smirk. But Mulder only gave a weak smile and nod. She reached out and gripped his hand. "You should be happy for me. I haven't seen Charlie in three years. I have two nieces I've never even met. I need this." "Yeah. You better go before I get all weepy." She nodded and gave his hand one last squeeze before climbing into the back seat of the cab. "I'll call as soon as I get in." She promised. "Sure. I'll see you in two weeks." Mulder choked, barely holding back tears. "Dulles Airport." Scully instructed the driver and turned back to wave goodbye as the cab pulled away. Mulder stood there and watched until the cab was out of sight. He was able to control his emotions until he reached his apartment, even though his mind and his heart beat out the same message over and over and over. **She's never coming back. She's never coming back. She's never coming back. ** He sank onto the bed, curled up in the sheets she had so recently slept in, closed his eyes and pretended she was still there. Over and over the mantra played in his head, but now it was changing for the worse. **She's never coming back. She's never coming back. She's never coming back and you have to be at work in an hour. ** He thought as he pulled himself away from the bed and into the bathroom. To be continued... End Part 1 **************** Two Weeks (2/?) By Maddict **************** "THERE SHE IS! DANA!! DANA!!" Dana Scully searched the sea of faces before her. Her eyes were still bleary from the tears she had cried from the cab to the airport. Leaving Mulder behind this morning was one of the hardest things she had ever done. But she needed this. She needed to get away so that she could come back. "Hey, Stranger." A voice said to her left. She turned and smiled. "God, Tara, you look great!" Scully said cheerfully and hugged her sister-in-law. "Where's Bill?" "Didn't you hear him calling? He caught sight of you right when you got off the plane and then disappeared into the crowd." They both began to survey the swarm of faces before them. Beside her, Tara yelped and Scully turned toward the noise with alarm only to be greeted with the sight of Tara slapping her husband. "I told you never to do that! You know it scares me and you pinch to hard." Tara scolded, rubbing the sides of her back just above her kidneys. "I see you found her. Hey sis." Bill said and leaned in to give Scully kiss on the cheek. "Still up to your old tricks, Bill?" Scully inquired, remembering the reign of terror her brother had subjected her to as a child. "Some things never go out of style." Bill said with a devilish grin. They walked in easy silence to baggage claim and Scully tried not to notice the way Bill was studying her as if cataloging the yellowing bruises and healing scrapes for future lectures. <> Ignoring her brother's penetrating glare, Scully turned to Tara for relief. "So, how's Matthew?" "Oh, he's got an ear infection. He's home with your mother. It's been a wonder having her here. It's given Bill and I a chance to reconnect. Right, Bill?" Tara asked. "Huh?" Bill said snapping out off his daze. Tara blushed and elbowed him in the ribs. "That's mine." Scully said pointing to her bag and wishing she were anywhere but here. "And if you have to know, I tripped chasing a suspect last week when one of my heels broke. Satisfied?" Bill's face flush beet red as he nodded and retrieved his sister's suitcase from the baggage carousel. "I think the car is this way, right honey?" He said, with nervous smile. Tara didn't return his smile. She only glared at him in anger and nodded her head. His shoulders slumped visibly and he walked on ahead of them. <> She thought sarcastically as she followed her brother and sister-in-law to the parking garage. ************ "Is that all the balls you got, Santa?" One of two remaining elves asked from the computer screen, but Mulder wasn't paying attention. He was checking his watch against the wall clock for the fifth time in an hour. He accidentally hit space bar with his elbow and sent a bowling ball careening into the on-screen gutter. "Gutter ball!" The elf pair chanted before being cleared from the virtual lane. He thought as he made a slight adjustment to his watch. He had estimated Scully's travel time down to the minute, then had double-checked with TWA and according to Becky, Flight 451 had arrived on time. He then decided to allow about two hours for baggage claim, airport and general street traffic with a few minutes added in for putting her bags in her room and a bathroom break. That brought the time that she should have called to four o'clock, her time. It was now 4:06 there. He stared at the phone and tried to will it into ringing. On his computer screen a rabbit hopped tentatively across the ice covered Elf Bowling lane while the Elves mooned Santa and yelled "Who's your daddy?" *************** "Now Dana," Bill said as he unlocked the front door, "You're here to relax. So no excitement like last time, OK? It's time you had a little fun." He pushed the door open and then stepped aside so that she could enter first. <> She thought as she stood before the threshold. For a few panicked moments, she was sure that HE was inside. Watching her. Waiting for her. The police had her gun...this time there would be no escape. She froze, fear rooting her in place. "Gosh, it's dark in there, huh?" Bill said from behind her and with a soft, barely audible click the room flooded with light. Scully let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and stepped inside. "Where are Mom and Matthew? I thought you said they were here." "They must be resting." Bill replied, not looking directly at her. <> She thought, shaking her head. "SURPRISE!!!" Scully whipped around and watched in awe as relatives and friends flowed out the dining room, and kitchen, down the stairs and from behind furniture. *************** Mulder sat on his couch and stared at the at the VCR display's glowing red numbers. 8:17pm. He picked up the phone and began to dial. "Hello?" A voice questioned from the other end. "Hello?" He asked, puzzled. He had only dialed four numbers. "Mulder, it's me." Scully said cheerfully. "Scully." He sighed. "Thank God." "You were worried?" She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Not that I sat here all day and calculated this or anything, but I thought you probably would have gotten in about an hour ago. Did you hit traffic or something?" "No, actually, Bill, Tara and my mother invited every relative and family friend they could find to throw Charlie and me a party. OK, it's more Charlie's party with my name added at the last minute, but you get the picture. There are people here I haven't seen since I was 13, Mulder. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner, but I just got done making the rounds." "Wow, sounds like you're having a great time." Mulder said trying not to sound dejected. "Charlie isn't here yet, but yeah, I guess I am. So did anything juicy come up or is the office ceiling now completely covered with pencils?" She asked trying to get a laugh out of him. He smiled to himself and then felt as though he was going to cry. He couldn't bring himself to go into her area. Not just yet. He had thought this morning that if he left everything the way she had, he could pretend that she was in a meeting or doing an autopsy. It had been a beautiful idea. Too bad his damn memory wouldn't allow him to forget their early morning goodbye. "No, your side is still pencil free. I can't guarantee it will stay that way, but for the mo..." "EVERYONE! IT'S CHARLIE!! CHARLIE'S HERE!" A loud voice called from Scully's end. "Mulder..." "I heard. Go. We'll talk later." He said feeling cheated. "Thanks. Goodbye, Mulder." Scully said with relief and hung up. "And the cheese stands alone." Mulder said into the dead receiver and then threw it across the room. He flicked sunflower seed into his mouth and spat the husk at the muted TV screen. "Maybe I should get a cat. I bet Scully likes cats." **Did you hear how happy she was? She's never coming back. And please, you can't even feed your damn fish.** "Oh, Shut up!" He yelled into dark emptiness of his apartment and flicked another seed into his mouth. ************ Scully walked to the living room and smiled at the chaos she saw there. Amid a flock of people she barely remembered, stood her baby brother. But the longer she stood there, the more her smile faded. She looked back down the hall toward the telephone. She thought with sudden sadness. She gasped and started for the phone again intent on calling and setting Mulder at ease. "Dana!" Scully looked back and saw her brother weaving through the throng of people surrounding him. He flashed her a 1000 watt smile and gathered her up into a hug. "I can't believe you came! I thought you couldn't get off work!" Scully opened her mouth to answer, but from behind her Bill said, "We got lucky. That nazi she works with finally let her out of his sight for a minute." Before Scully had a chance to defend her partner, she felt a bolt of pain rip through her back. As Bill had passed to stand next to Charlie, he had pinched her hard on both sides of her lower back like he had done to Tara in the airport. Not that Scully knew that. In her my mind she was being thrown around her bedroom like a rag doll. Scully let out a gasp and suddenly all eyes were on her. "What the hell did you do to her?" Charlie asked as smacked his older brother hard on the arm. Donnie was descending on her now, slamming her against the wall and choking the life out of her. The room watched in horror as Scully's eyes bugged out in pain and her mouth dropped open in a silent scream. Every muscle in her body clenched and she began to breathe short gasps as if struggling for air. "Dana? Are you OK? Dana?" He stepped forward and put a hand on Scully's shoulder. "NO!" Scully screamed through clenched teeth and flinched away from her brother's touch, seeing only the calm determined face of her tormentor. "MOM!!" Charlie called over his shoulder and glared back at Bill, was now a ghostly white. Maggie Scully came rushing out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. "What is it?" Maggie asked, puzzled. "It was a joke. I do it to Tara all the time!" Bill said in shock. "And I told you not to! You are not children anymore, Bill!" Tara scolded and slapped his other arm. "Dana? Dana Honey?" Maggie asked soothingly. "Are you OK?" But it was no use, Scully heard none of it. In her mind, she felt Donnie's warm breath on her neck and heard him whisper, 'I'm going to run you a bath' before passing out cold. "Great party, Bill." Charlie said staring down and at his unconscious sister. "You really know how to make your guests feel welcome." To be continued... ******************** Two Weeks (3/?) By Maddict ******************** **Who does your manicure, girly girl?** Scully gasped and bolted up in bed, drenched in sweat. <> She thought with sudden anxiety and listened for a minute. The house was silent. <> She glanced at the bedside clock. 5:37am. <> Scully thought as she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the edge. She let out a yawn as she stretched her neck, and winced slightly at the pain that rippled across her battered back. She stood, rummaged in her carry-on bag for her back pain medication and padded to the door. She reached out for the doorknob and stopped short. She spun around, wincing again as her back screamed in protest and surveyed the room. Nothing was where she would have put it. She looked down at herself and realized she couldn't even remember how she got into her pajamas. <> Scully struggled to remember but drew a blank. <> "Oh Shit." She said to herself. She sighed in resignation, opened the door and gingerly walked downstairs. She reached the bottom and had just turned toward the kitchen when a voice stopped in her tracks. "You're up early." Bill said from a chair in the corner of the living room. She stood frozen with her back to him trying to decide whether or not to ignore him. Sighing, she turned to face him. "Must have been some party." She said smiling weakly. "I can't remember a thing." Bill did not return her smile. "Jesus, Dana, that's not funny. I saw your back." "You what?" Scully stammered, suddenly feeling naked. "After Charlie and I carried you upstairs, Mom put those pajamas on you. She screamed when she saw what you were hiding under your turtleneck and we came rushing back to see what had happened." Scully felt her knees start to tremble and sat down on the bottom stair. "My God, Dana! It's just one large bruise! Why must you defend him by shutting us out?" "What?" "That's not something you get chasing a suspect, Dana. That asshole lead you into this didn't he?" Bill spat out, fury blazing in his eyes. "Bill..." Scully warned. "Mom's was hysterical last night. We're your family, Dana, not him. You should have told us." He scolded. "Why should I when I can avoid conversations like this one by not?" She asked getting up and walked into the kitchen. She found a glass, filled it with water from the sink and downed her medicine in a large gulp. She suddenly needed to hear Mulder's voice. She placed her glass in the sink and checked the wall clock. 6:02. <> Scully thought and headed back towards the stairs, forgetting the obstacle there. "Then why did you come here if not to get away from him?" Bill asked as she walked back down the hall. He expected her to continue on and up the stairs, but she strode right up to where he was sitting and looked him in the eye. "I came here to see the brother that I haven't seen in three years and meet the nieces I've only seen pictures of. Yes, there was an incident back home that made the decision to come a little easier. Last week, the man that kidnapped me five years ago escaped from prison and attacked me in my home." Scully explained in a clipped even tone as if she were reporting to OPR and not her own brother. "I was able to escape from my restraints and kill him before he could kill me. He was in Mulder's custody, but when I looked into his eyes, all I could see was evil and all I could feel was the pain that I've endured over the last five years at the hands of others like him. Before I knew what had happened, he was on floor and the police were swarming my apartment. So excuse me for wanting a little break from reality." She turned to go, but Bill rose and gently grabbed her arm. "Dana, I..." "What?" Scully asked, annoyed. "But if you hadn't..." "What? If I hadn't what? If I hadn't joined the FBI I would have never met Fox Mulder or Donnie Pfaster?" "Yes." Bill answered and rested his hands on her shoulders. "You would be a doctor! You'd be married and happy instead of wearing black all the time. This isn't what you want for yourself. I know you. You can't say that your life wouldn't be better without that lunatic." "But I'd be dead inside." She said shrugging off his hands and backing away until her knees hit the couch and she sat down, hugging herself tight. "How is that possible when it's life with Mulder that's killing you?" He demanded looming over her. "Because I'm dying right now; in front of you, on this couch." She watched as the color ran out of his face and he sank down next to her. "The cancer?" "No. It's my soul and my heart. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was leave Mulder standing in front of his building yesterday, because when I'm with him, I can breathe." Bill looked at her in confusion. "It's hard to explain, but in his eyes I saw a deep pain and the belief that I would not be back. No one should have to see that pain, because it looked like he had just been ripped in two. And I know that it was what he was feeling because I feel it too. We are like two halves of the same person and that is why I'm sure that I would die without him." "Dana..." "You claim to know what I want and need, but how could you from monthly phone calls, two visits a year, and a couple cards on holidays? You don't know and you never will." Scully said. "And he does?" Bill questioned. "Yes and no." She said, smiling at the thought of him. "He knows that I like tomatoes and lettuce on tuna grinders from Subway. He knows that while I tell everyone my favorite kind of pizza is mushrooms and onions, it's really green pepper and pineapple. He sends a dozen roses to Melissa and Emily's graves every year on their birthdays and the anniversaries of their deaths. He holds my hand when I'm sick and never gave up when I was dying. He challenges me. He says all the right things and all the wrong things too. The only thing he doesn't know is that the only thing I really need is him. "And yet, I flew out here because Donnie Pfaster took something from me last week." She continued. "He made question my faith and left me a shell of a person. I'm here for completely selfish reasons. All I want is to spend some time and regain the part of the me that only my family supply. The part that makes me, me. That way, I can return to him and we can be whole again." "Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?" Bill asked, disbelief in his eyes. "You know what, Bill?" She asked, gently pushing herself off the couch. "I pity you." "What?" He asked incredulously. "I pity you, because it obvious that you don't have in your marriage, what I have in my relationship with Mulder. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so intent on trying to destroy it." "You don't know me or my wife anymore than I know you!" Bill bellowed leaping up from the couch. "You're right. I don't. To me, you're still the bratty kid that was always pulling my ponytail or giving me Indian burns and noogies. But let's start something new, OK? From now on, I'll tell you what's happening in my life and when it comes to Mulder, you will follow the old adage- 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.'" Scully instructed. "Oh? And why should I do that?" He asked looming over her small frame. "Because I like Tara. She's a good woman and she tries her best to keep you in check." Scully replied, glaring right back at him. "I like her because she makes you happy. And if you, as my brother, can't do the same for me, I see no reason for us to ever speak again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish a phone call." She said with finality and left him standing, stunned in the center of his living room. To be continued... ******************** Two Weeks (4/?) By Maddict ******************** Mulder thought and stretched his arm to it's limit. "Working hard, Agent Mulder?" A voice said from behind him, startling him enough so that he lost his precarious balance on the edge of the his desk and fell crashing to the floor, hitting his head on one of the file cabinets on his way down. Mulder sat up rubbing his head and peered around the corner of the desk to see who had interrupted his delicate operation. What he saw was Skinner doubled over laughing. "Sir?" Mulder asked with a glare. "May I help you with something?" "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Skinner said trying to gather his composure. "It's just that...what the hell were you doing?" "I ran out of pencils." Mulder said motioning toward the ceiling, which was covered with dangling writing utensils. "Uh huh. Agent, don't you have any work to do?" "No." Mulder pouted, flopping into his chair and rubbing his throbbing head. "I sent you two cases last week." Skinner said surprised. "I know." "And?" "And what's the point? I don't care anymore." He muttered something else that Skinner didn't quite catch. "What?" He asked stepping closer. "She's never coming back." Mulder said quietly, staring at the cracks in the floor and holding his injured head. "Agent Scully? She's notified you of this?" Skinner asked with concern. "No. But it's only a matter of time. She's happy there. Why would she want to come back here to a life of misery with me?" Mulder said looking up at his boss with tears in his eyes. "I think you need some time off, Agent Mulder. Why don't you go home and get some rest?" Skinner said sympathetically and patted Mulder's shoulder. Mulder nodded and got up to get his coat. "And Mulder, if her life was so miserable with you, then why did she stay for so long?" "It was her job." Mulder said matter-of-fact tone of voice. "I think you underestimate your partner, Agent Mulder." Skinner replied knowingly. "You know, TWA is running a deal this week. Washington D.C. to San Diego for $179. Maybe you should take a couple of days. You might just discover a truth you didn't know you were searching for." "With all due respect, Sir, I believe I know that truth already and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not face it right now. I'll see you tomorrow." He said sullenly and walked down the hall to toward the elevator. ************** "I'm telling you, Dana. He's got it bad." Tara said. "You're crazy. This is Mulder we're talking about. I'm not exactly his type." Scully replied stubbornly. "What are you, crazy? I've seen the way he looks at you. There's no doubt. Maggie, back me up on this." Maggie Scully looked up from the sheet of cookies she was preparing and smiled. "Dana, I've avoided this conversation with you before, but she's right. He's got it bad and so do you." "MOM!" Scully yelled, surprised at her mother's bluntness. "Oh please, Dana. I wasn't born yesterday. You know you love him, so don't act shocked that others can see it too. The way you two stand too close and stare into each other's eyes all the time, I bet half the Hoover Building thinks you're sleeping together." "MOM!" Scully yelled again, blushing furiously and feeling all of 13 years old. Beside her, Tara tried unsuccessfully to control her laughter. "What are you laughing at?" "Nothing." Tara quipped before bursting out in a full blow laughing fit. Maggie quickly followed suit and Scully just stood there watching them and shaking her head. "Well, they do call me Mrs. Spooky and there is that pool they've had going for almost 7 years now." Scully said before giving up and joining her mother and sister-in-law. "And let's not forget the time he told me he loved me and that kiss on New Year's." "WHAT?!" Tara and Maggie yelled at the same time and stared Scully, their mouths gapping. "Well, he was drugged when he said it. He'd been in the water for hours." Scully rationalized. "But the kiss?" Tara inquired eagerly. "It was just a peck. But...wow." Scully said dazed. A small smile began to dance at the corners of her mouth as she relived the kiss in her mind, her face flushing at the intensity of the moment. "God, Dana. Then what the hell are you doing here?" Tara asked. Scully stared at her in confusion. "It's just that Bill told me about what you said about Mulder. About how being here was killing both of you because you are two halves of the same person." "Bill told you about that?" Scully asked, feeling exposed. "Yeah." Tara said. "I think he was jealous, but I can tell you it made my knees go weak. And if you've got that waiting for you, what the hell are you doing here?" "I came to see Charlie." Scully said defensively. "Yeah, and he left two days ago." Tara countered. "Sweetheart, no one is denying that what you went through in D.C. was awful, but it's time to go back." Maggie said coming over and stroking her daughter's arm soothingly. "You've reached the point where you're just hiding. And that's not fair to you or Fox." ****************** Mulder entered his apartment unceremoniously and set a bottle of scotch on his dining room table. He entered the kitchen, rinsed out one of many glasses in the sink and strode into the living room, grabbing the bottle on his way. He walked to the computer and flicked it on. He absent-mindedly turned on the TV while Windows loaded and sprinkled a pinch of flakes into his fish tank. He sat down at his desk and clicked on the little envelope with blue arrows that launched Microsoft Outlook. While his computer dialed and beeped and wailed he filled the glass halfway with scotch, then downed it in one gulp. He closed his eyes as the liquid burned it way down his throat and said a silent prayer. Slowly, he opened his eyes and allowed them to fall on the computer screen, awash in white and blocked off into sections. The main section, reserved for displaying new messages, was empty. Mulder felt anger began to course through his body as his eyes filled with tears. His entire body wanted him to punch in the computer screen that had brought such bad news, but he sat there, eyes riveted and twitching slightly. Somehow he managed to rip his gaze from the screen and turned his attention toward the bubbling of his fish tank. He chuckled a mad chuckle at his own blindness. There among floating fishfood flakes lay his lone fish, belly up. Mulder poured himself another scotch and downed it. He did this twice more and leaned back, staring into the stark emptiness computer screen portrayed. **What were you expecting anyway? You knew she wasn't coming back.** "Yeah, well, I might as well beat her to the punch." Mulder said to the computer screen and opened the new message window. In the 'To:' line he typed a single letter- S and Scully instantly filled the white space. He tabbed down to the message box, leaving the subject line blank. He began to type furiously; his hands flying over the keyboard as his scotch clouded mind filled the space with his heart, pain and anger. ************* Scully, Let me ask you a question. Did you even read anything that I've sent you in the last week and half? My life is crumbling and you keep sending me these mails about how happy you are and how good Charlie looks and how cute Joanna and Caitlin are and not answering my very real, very serious questions. I admit the race of mutant mice in Ohio are probably nothing supernatural but the least you could have done is acknowledged them with a 'Mulder, you're crazy.' Do you think that I really need to know that you are living the life of your dreams out there without me? Don't you understand that every happy story, while blissful to you, is heart wrenching to me? I know I sound like the ass of the century saying all of this, but I can't help what I feel and what I feel is lost. Lost and alone and hopeless because you are happy and loved and gone. Since you haven't answered my last two mails, I can only deduce that you have made the decision to leave me. Oh, it was only a matter of time before you called or wrote me with bad news, but I never expected you to just hide from me like this. To run away. You should have just said that you were never coming back. This way is so cheap. So unbecoming. So unfair to the both of us. You'll never know how much you hurt me by doing it this way. I realize it was all my fault, but I thought we...after what Padgett said...and then New Year's...and the last few cases we seemed... But I understand. No. I take that back. I don't. We are more important this. You are letting Pfaster win and that's wrong. Running away is not the answer. Yet it seems to be the theme of your life. Why? Why couldn't you let me in? Why couldn't you let me love you? Because I do. More than you'll ever know. And you love me too. I see it in your eyes every time they meet mine. You may find happiness and stability under the watchful eye of your brother, but you won't have me. You won't have love. And you know that's the truth. So GO! Go and live a lie! You were probably holding me back anyway. Maybe my next partner won't be such a skeptic. That's not true. I'm sorry. I'm just so hurt by this. Though I always feared you would leave me, I never thought you would actually do it. Don't worry about your apartment. I'll clean everything up and pack all your stuff and send it all out to you. I just wish things could have ended differently. I thought what we had meant more to you than this. I thought you were stronger than this. I wish you the best. Mulder ************ At the desk in her bedroom at Bill's house, Scully sat staring into the screen of her laptop, tears running down her anger flushed cheeks, reading and re-reading Mulder's words; committing them to memory. To be continued... ******************** Two Weeks (5/?) By Maddict ******************** "Lone Gunmen." Langly said into the telephone while flicking on the tape recorder. "Langly, what the hell is going on out there?" Scully all but yelled. "Hey, Scully! How's it goin'? Did ya catch any rays yet?" "I'm fine." Scully said flustered, "Where's Mulder? Is he there?" "No. Why? What's the matter?" Langly asked. "Mulder sent me this e-mail." Scully answered, her face flushing with anger again. "He basically dumped all this crap in my lap and now I can't get a hold of him." In the Gunmen's lair, Langly snapped his fingers at Byers and Frohike and motioned for them to pick up the extension. They did so, cramming together to listen. "Scully, I don't know what to tell you. The last time we saw him was two nights ago. We went bowling and had a few beers. He got a little more wasted than we would have liked and we drove him home. That was it." "He got drunk?" Scully asked, surprised. "Yeah, he's got this crazy idea that not only are you not coming back, but if he gets a cat, maybe you will." Langly said. "What? He can't even feed his fish." "I know. That's what we told him, but it just made it worse. He mumbled something about you saying good-bye and passed out." "OK...Can one of you go to his place and check to make sure that uh...he hasn't...uh...you know?" Scully stammered, feeling a bit nauseous. In the lair, Frohike surrendered the extension to Byers and headed for the door. "Frohike's already on it. Have you called Skinner?" Langly asked trying to keep the concern out of his voice. "No. I'll wait until I hear from Frohike." Scully sighed. "OK. You're at Bill's?" "Yeah. Same number as last time." "He's gonna be OK, ya know." Langly said trying to comfort her. "Is he? I not so sure this time." Scully said hopelessly. "And if he is it's going to be me that kills him." "What?!" "It's just that I'd had this great day; great week with my family. And I'd decided, with the help of my mother and sister-in-law, that it was time to come home. Then, this morning, I get this e-mail from Mulder. This good-bye letter telling me how much my happiness hurt him. That he was sure that I had chosen a life out here over him." Scully recounted incredulously. "He told me loves me. He told me he loves in an e-mail. I HAVE to talk to him." "We'll let you know as soon as Frohike gets back. OK?" "Yeah. Thanks Langly." "Hang in there, Scully." *************** An hour later, Scully sank to the floor, the phone still clutched in one hand, the other wiping at the tears streaming down her face. "They didn't find him?" Maggie asked for the door of the guestroom. "No." Scully sobbed. "Come downstairs and have some cocoa with me. I promise it will make you feel better." "Where are Tara and Bill?" Scully asked, not looking up. "They went out with Matthew to the Aquarium. We're all alone." "OK. But I want marshmallows." Scully said lifting herself off the floor. ********** "Dana, I don't know what's happened to Fox, but I think that you're jumping to conclusions." Maggie soothed. "He's disappeared before. You told me so yourself." "No, Mom. If you'd read that letter, you'd understand what I'm feeling. Something is wrong." Scully said taking small sips of her cocoa. "I have to call Skinner." Maggie reached out and squeezed Scully's hand reassuringly as she got up from the table. Scully smiled wanly and walked to the hall phone, her mind set on the chore at hand. She dialed the Hoover Building, gave her badge number and was quickly patched through to A.D. Skinner's office. "Agent Scully, this is a surprise. Are you enjoying your vacation?" Skinner said jovially. "Yes, Sir. I've had a wonderful time. Thank you for asking." Scully answered politely. "Excellent. What can I do for you today?" Skinner inquired. "It's Mulder. He's missing." Scully said flatly. "Missing? I was under the impression he'd taken a few days off." "You knew he was gone?" Scully asked shocked. "Yes. I visited him in your office the yesterday and he seemed rather depressed, so I suggested he take a few days off. When he didn't report to work this morning, I assumed he'd taken me up on it." Skinner explained. <> She thought. "Do you have any idea where he might be? He's not answering his cell phone." Scully asked hoping for a happy resolution to this ordeal. "Knowing Mulder, he could be anywhere." "Well, thank you anyway, Sir." Scully said feeling defeated. "You're welcome, Agent. And don't worry. He'll show up." Skinner said concluding their conversation. Scully hung up the phone just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it, Mom!" Scully yelled and walked toward door. "What?" Maggie yelled back from the depths of the house. Scully smiled and shook her head as she pulled the door open. There standing on the front stoop of Bill Scully's house was none other than Fox Mulder. "Hey Scully." He said, smiling shyly at her. "You bastard." Scully said coldly and swung her balled right fist at his face, connecting painfully with his cheekbone. "What did you say, Dana?" Maggie said coming up behind her daughter, eyes widening at the scene before her. Mulder stood, his eyes bugged out in shock, holding the right side of his face while Scully glared at him and shook her right hand in pain. "What's happening here? Dana, what did you do?" "Bastard." Scully repeated before turning and retreating into the house, leaving Mulder and Maggie to stare after her. To Be Continued... ********************* Two Weeks (6/6) By Maddict ********************* "Thanks, Mrs. Scully." Mulder said accepting a homemade ice pack from her. "Fox, how long have we known each other?" Maggie Scully asked. "About 6 years now, I guess." Mulder winced as he delicately placed the ice to his cheek. "Do you think maybe you could start calling me Maggie?" She inquired. "Sure." He blushed. "And I'll try not to call you Fox." "No. It's different when you do it. I don't mind." "Why?" Scully asked bitterly from the archway separating the living room from the foyer. "Why is it different?" "Scully." He sighed happily. "Why can she call you Fox, but I can't?" She asked, taking a few steps into the room; her arms wrapped protectively around her chest. "Scully..." He said pleadingly from his spot on the couch. "And why can't you call me Dana?" He chuckled at this. "Because you're Scully. And I'm Mulder." He replied, matter of fact. "Is that supposed to be some kind of explanation?" "Yes. It's the best explanation of any I've ever had." Mulder said softly. "Fox and Dana are who we are or were in another life. The life before the day you walked into my office. In the lives we live apart. Try as I may, I still can't get my own mother to call Mulder because Fox is the name she choose for me. In her mind, I have no other. So I allow her that. When your mother calls me Fox, it's an extension of that rule. I don't hear the ugliness of the name, but rather the caring inflection of a mother's voice. It's calming. I actually like it." "And you allowed Diana to call you Fox because...?" "I never allowed it, she just did it." "Whatever." "Are we really going to sit here all day discussing my NAME?" Mulder asked, a touch annoyed. "Just answer this and then we can discuss your other offenses." Scully said glaring down at him. "I'm Mulder and you're Scully because that's who we are to each other." He said wincing again as he adjusted the ice pack. "At first it was a professional thing, but now it's more like pet names. You are Dana to your family, but I don't know her. She's not my best friend. Scully is. If I started calling you Dana and you started calling me Fox, it wouldn't be right. We wouldn't be true to ourselves and our rather unique friendship." "Ok...I can understand that." Scully said, softening a little. "How's your face?" "It only hurts when I talk." He said, pouting. "Good." "DANA!" Maggie scolded. "Mom, could you give us a couple minutes?" "Sure. Don't let him take that pack off his face." Maggie said before disappearing into the kitchen. "So...what are you doing here? I thought you'd written me off." Scully said coldly. "God, Scully, I'm so sorry about that." Mulder said standing and taking a few steps toward her. "Too late now." "Scully..." He pleaded, reaching out to stroke her arm. "Don't touch me." Scully warned before his fingers could make contact. "Scully..." "What gave you the right? HUH?" She yelled and began to slap him hard on the chest and arms. "I WAS HAVING A GOOD DAY!" "I'm sorry! Stop hitting me! SCULLY!" "I was having a good day." She said beginning to cry. "You of all people should understand what a big deal that was! And then I get that e-mail from you! How is it possible that you could be that insecure? I told you I was coming back!" "You make it sound like it some kind of chore. Gotta go look after Mulder and make sure he doesn't get his head blown off." "You bastard. Don't make shoot you again." Scully warned. "Guess it's lucky that I've got your gun, then." Mulder replied with a smirk. "What gave you the right to dump all of that on me?" "You didn't respond to one of my questions! You just spewed out all this happiness. What was I supposed to think? 'Oh good! She's having such a great time that she can't wait to come back so that maybe the next freak or genetic mutant can finish the job?' PLEASE!" "Oh and those are the only reasons that I would come back? To baby-sit you or risk abduction? To quote you, 'I thought what we had meant more to you' than that. How could you think so little of my commitment to you?" Scully demanded. "Did you ever think that maybe I was sugar-coating what really happened out here so that you wouldn't worry?" "What are you saying? What happened?" Mulder asked, suddenly concerned. "Nothing. Bill and I had a rough start but we had a talk and he's been good ever since. And now that you're here, we'll get to see if anything I said actually stuck." Scully said looking over at him with her patented 'we'll see' smile. "You stood up for me?" "I stood up for us." "Shit, Scully. I'm so sorry. It's just that you hadn't written me in two days and my fish died and the scotch didn't help much either. And why would you come back? We never had any agreement. It's not like you're ever gonna marry me. I can't even get you to respond when I tell you I love you." "Mulder, you told me you love me in a damn e-mail! Why do you think I'm so upset?!" "I've told I love you before that e-mail!" Mulder yelled back indignantly. "Are you referring to our trip to Bermuda?" "Yes." "Mulder, you were drugged! You had been in the water for hours! As much as I would like to have believed you, how could I? How could I, when just minutes before you were telling me that I'd saved the world in 1939?!" "Go ahead and rationalize it, but the truth is that you were afraid." "I was afraid?" Scully said eyes blazing, "Mulder, tell me, what happened after you got out of the hospital? What did we do?" "We went to Area 51 to check out that bogus source." Mulder answered. "And after that?" Scully prompted. "We staked out that haunted house on Christmas Eve and nearly killed each other." "And after that?" "We investigated that demon fetal harvest case. Where is this going?" Mulder asked, getting annoyed. "And what happened just about a month ago on New Year's eve?" "I kissed you and we saved the world." Mulder answered with a warm smile. "One year and two months from this supposed declaration of love." "I took steps! I invited you to play baseball with me!" "And then you were all pissy with me on the Schiff case because I didn't fall into bed with you afterwards!" Scully countered. "I've been trying to get you to notice me for 7 years and you thought that after one baseball lesson all would be perfection? PLEASE! What about the time we were in Florida after my remission and I came into your room with wine and cheese? You could get out there quick enough! But I'm afraid. Whatever." "You...you think I've haven't noticed you?" Mulder stammered. "I nearly died of grief when you were abducted! I almost got killed searching both the cure to your cancer and searching for you on that damn ship in Antarctica!" "I'm not talking about that, but it's wonderful, courageous, chivalrous things like that, which kept renewing my hope. Then you would do something stupid or say the wrong thing or ditch me and I'd give up again." Scully confessed. "Scully, I..." "God, no one infuriates me like you!" Scully shouted at him. "For years I've watched you fawn over big-chested, long-legged brunettes and blondes and now suddenly I'm accused of rejecting some silent proposal? You're incorrigible." "Scully, I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I've loved you past the point of dying! It's you that won't let me in!" "Why the hell do you think I've stuck around all these years? It wasn't the benefits package." "You always give off that cold, professional exterior!" Mulder yelled in frustration. "I just kept telling myself that you weren't interested even though I could see it in your eyes!" Scully's face blushed a bright red in response. "When you came into my room that night, I was just getting over the trauma of your illness." Mulder explained. "Yes, I was scared. Scared that if we got too close I would lose you for good. But I'd already given you a piece of my soul and an eternal place at my side. More and more I couldn't resist that my heart was telling my mind there would be no other. "So I risked it all and kissed you on New Year's because I couldn't wait anymore. I had to know what it felt like to kiss you and if a relationship isn't what you wanted, then I figured you could just shrug it off as a New Year's kiss between friends. And from your reaction, I thought that's just what you did." "After 7 years of waiting? Mulder, I was on sensory overload!" Scully replied, heart fluttering at what he'd said. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. But you've hurt me too." "I'm sorry too. You have every right to be upset after what we've been through. After what I've put you through." Mulder said, staring down at her. "It's just that you have a family that loves you and a life away from me. I have a mother I barely talk to and a dead fish. I allowed myself to get lost in my insecurities because I know that I'm nothing without you." Before Scully could say anything in response, Mulder threw his ice pack aside and captured her lips in a sweet embrace. When they separated, they stood and stared at each other in a haze. When she felt it was safe to move, Scully walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. "Mulder?" looked up at him with a sly smile. "You said earlier that you have my gun." Scully said, a strange expression dancing across her face. "Yeah..." Mulder answered cautiously. "Why would you bring it with you?" "Oh...uh...Skinner dropped it off last week. OPR is done with it, as you know." Mulder stammered. "Uh-huh. But why did you bring it with you?" Scully prompted. "Well, I saw this story in the paper and thought maybe it was something we could look into. Ya know, while we're out here and all." Mulder confessed. "You bastard!" Scully yelled, leaping off the couch. "You didn't come here for me! You came for a damn case!" "No." Mulder said calmly. "I'm using the case as an excuse to come out here and get you back on the government's dollar." "Oh." "So come on!" Mulder said excitedly. "You said you were coming home, so I bet you're packed and there's gotta be something black and professional in there for you to change into. I didn't think it would take this long so we only have about an hour to catch the puddle jumper to Santa Monica. Come on! I'll explain everything to your mom for you." "You know, I'd almost think you're rushing me so that you won't have to run into Bill." Scully said with a knowing smirk. "Me? Not a chance." Mulder replied, checking his watch and glancing out the front window. "But really, Scully, we gotta go." "No, I think I want to talk about this more. Namely how you could be so insecure about my commitment to you, yet you still booked me a seat on a flight to investigate a case even though I'm still on vacation." "Well, it's work, Scully. Gotta do our jobs." Mulder answered casually. "I talked to Skinner this morning. He had no idea you were on a case." "You know what?" Mulder replied, "I think this is a perfect discussion for the flight. Which we will not make if you don't hurry." "It's nice to see your renowned arrogance survived your bout with drunkenness intact." Scully said, sarcastically as she headed for the stairs. "Oh, you're hilarious. But seriously, they are not going to hold this plane for us." "This better be good Mulder...that's all I have to say. This better be good." She said ascending the stairs. Mulder thought smiling to himself. The End. -Jess AIM:DKSM425 http://members.xoom.com/451arcadia xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The quote of the week: Scully- "As far as I can tell this body has been dead for over a month. I see signs of refridgeration." Mulder- "And yet he performed yesterday. What a trooper." -The Amazing Maleeni