From: Michael Preston Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 19:14:19 -0500 Subject: Wolf 7 Domesticity? Source: atxc Wolf Universe 7 Title: Domesticity? Author. Mike Feedback. Please. MLP061750@Gulftel.com AU. Post Episode Alpha. Rating: NC-17 for the whole. This part PG-13. If you've not sprouted body hair, you wouldn't understand it. Category: Story Romance M/O Affection AU MSR. Spoilers: None Disclaimer: The Usual Drill. No Money being made, merely an appreciation of the characters owned and developed by Chris Carter and Fox. Summary: Maggie meets a girl Mulder is desperately in love with. Scully dreams of nesting. I wrote this well in advance of Livia's Pillow talk series. I recommend to your attention her story "Worth." I'd say something about great minds run in similar circles, except I'm in awe of her skill. Minor note. You ain't gonna eat at a Baptist do until the food has been prayed over. I don't know if the First Baptist Church of Alexandria has playing fields and picnic areas, but I'd be surprised if they didn't. Chapter 16 First Baptist Church, Alexandria Saturday, 1:00 PM "Abby, may I introduce my mother, Margaret Scully? She hasn't seen Tom O'Rourke for fifteen years, and wanted a chance to catch up. Mom, this is Abby Simpson, our hostess." "Mrs. Simpson, I'm so pleased to meet you. Dana told me what happened Wednesday, and I want to thank you for being so brave." "Mrs. Scully, it was all your daughter and Iris Washington. I just went where they said and did what they asked." Scully flushed and Maggie continued, "Dana said I didn't need to bring anything, but fifty-eight years of practice won't allow me to come to a cookout on Church grounds without bringing something. I'd think it was a sin. Here are a couple of pans of cornbread to go with Fox's beans." A huge grin was on Abby's face, and she said, "A woman after my own heart. It's a pain sometimes, being a church lady, isn't it." "And it's also a gladsome thing." "Amen, sister." *** "Fox, this is really nice. All these people seem to be good for Dana, and she's really enjoying playing with these girls." "Just sit back and enjoy, Maggie. Tom will be done playing with Iris's boys in about half an hour. It's Father/Son touch football, and some of the boys will wind down after thirty minutes on a warm afternoon like this." "Do you regret not having a son in the league?" "You know that I'd give anything but Dana or my soul to have a short, wiry, redheaded son who doesn't understand the concept 'give up'. The soul part is negotiable." "Fox Mulder, don't you ever tell Dana that. She'd cry for a week." "I know better than that. That discussion was very painful, but she understands that I want her more. I really don't want to do it again, so I'll just try to show her and tell her she's the most important thing in the world." They sat silently for a moment until a little girl about five years old came and stood in front of Mulder. "Hello, Mr. Mulder." She extended her hand and continued, "My mother told me to come and sit by you." "Good afternoon, Victoria Lucille. You're very welcome to sit by me." He took her tiny hand in his and gently shook it. "Is that your dog?" "No, it belongs to my friend, Dr. Scully. I'm just watching it while she plays softball with your mother." "Oh, the pretty lady with the red hair who saved my Mommy." Maggie was absolutely captivated by the gangly little girl with the long black hair and the speaking dark eyes. "Is this lady your mommy?" "No, she's Dr. Scully's mommy. Maggie, may I present Miss Victoria Lucille Simpson? Tory, this is Mrs. Scully." "I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Simpson." She extended her hand, and Tory took it. "Would you like to sit by me? Mr. Mulder will be right here." "May I sit by the dog? He's different than Daddy's dogs, but he looks nice." "Tory, his name is Wolf and he is big but not bad. Yes you may sit by him. He's nice to girls, but don't hurt him." "I know that, Mr. Mulder." She said as she plumped herself down next to Wolf, and began chattering to him. Maggie whispered urgently, "Fox, is she an X-File? Manners like that went out in my Mother's time." He grinned hugely. "Mike and Abby Simpson are a little old fashioned. Wait until you meet Tory's three older brothers, towheaded little hellions with perfect manners. There is one thing, Tory is hugely disappointed that she isn't playing football with her Dad and brothers. Mike is brewing a feminist revolt." "This is so nice. I liked everyone I've met." "You'll probably like everyone. Somehow, I've lucked up on a bunch of guys who can stand me, and their wives and girls seem to love Dana." *** Scully came over and grabbed a bottle of water and took the towel Mulder proffered. Wiping the sweat, she noticed the little girl playing with Wolf and cut her eyes towards Mulder. "Dana, may I present Miss Victoria Lucille Simpson? Tory, this is Doctor Scully, my friend." "I'm very pleased to meet you, Doctor Scully. Thank you for saving my mommy." She stood and extended her hand. Scully took her hand, saying, "Your mommy saved herself and me. She is a very brave woman." "I know why Mr. Mulder wants to be your friend." "Why is that, Tory?" "You've got a really nice mommy, a really neat dog and you play good." She was barely able to suppress her chortle. Her mother couldn't stifle her giggle, and Mulder turned bright pink. "Tory, why don't you come and sit next to me? We can talk and watch your Mommy." "OK." "How old are you, Tory?" "Ask Mr. Mulder, he knows." "Are you three, Tory?" Mulder teased. "No, I'm a lot older than that," she teased back. "Are you thirty seven?" "No. That's older than my Mommy." "How about sixteen?" "No, sixteen is a big girl like Miss Michelle. She baby-sits us sometimes, and is trying to take over pitching from Aunt Iris. You know how old I am, you sent me the card with the five dancing foxes last week on the 'puter." Scully said, "That means you're five, doesn't it?" "Yes ma'am." She glanced over at Mulder and thought . *** First Baptist Church, Alexandria Saturday, 4:30 PM Mulder was sitting under an oak tree sharing a huge tumbler of sweet tea with Scully, who was sitting between his legs and leaning back against him. "Butch, where's your mom?" "She went to help set up. She cannot sit at something like this, she has to be up and doing and chatting. Let go, Sundance, it's almost time to eat and I want to put Wolf on a leash before they put out the food." In response, he tightened his arms around her and began nuzzling under her ear. "Fox," she cooed, "save it for later. It's to hot, and I'm hungry." He reluctantly let go of her and scrambled to his feet. She had already clipped the leash on Wolf, and they walked towards the pits hand in hand. *** When everyone gathered around, Mike yelled out, "Brother Johnson is going to return thanks, then we'll eat. Brother Johnson?" "Dear Lord, We thank you for this lovely day, these families, this fellowship and all this wonderful food. "We ask that you bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, that we may have the physical strength to do Your will. "We ask that you may bless the emotional strength provided by this fellowship to guide us to do Your will. "We are especially thankful that you held your hand as a shield over our sisters Abby, Iris, Dana, Becky, Leah and Margo a few days ago when evil came seeking them out while they were at Your work." "In the Lord's name we pray, AMEN" *** "Oh, that was good. I may never need to eat again. It's time for me to go organize the cleanup." "Wait, take me with you." "Women don't have to help cleanup today. Stay seated, and talk to your Mom. "OK, but don't be long." "With everything organized, it will only take half an hour." Mulder was true to his word, within half an hour the grounds were immaculate, and a giggling parade of teenage girls had brought various offerings in Styrofoam containers, laying them at the feet of Mulder. Of course he was avuncularly polite, remembering the girl's name and saying a personal word for each one of them. She subsided in a tangle of emotions, love for Mulder, wishes that all the little girls find their knight, irrational jealousy saying 'This one's mine, you little bitches keep away, he's old enough to be your daddy.' and an aching longing for one of her own. She moved closer to Mulder, grasping his left arm like it was her only chance at survival. Her mom noticed, with a fond grin on her face. As Maggie drew her aside, she breathed into Scully's ear, "Lighten up Dana, those girls present no threat to you. If you keep him well fed and sexually satisfied, you can have him forever." "Mom!" "Don't you 'Mom' me. I'm a grown woman, and have lived forty years with guys like Mulder. Your father and Billy, disrupting their lives to go on six month deployments to defend the country, your brother Charlie in the Coast Guard. Do you know the real motto of the Guard? Not Semper Paratus, what the chiefs teach the newbies on their first deployments?" "No, Mom, tell me." "'You gotta go out. You ain't gotta come back.'" "Oh sweet suffering Mary, Charlie too?" "Dana, my one claim to fame is that I've never raised a coward. Let me go to my grave knowing that all my children can stand in the face of death, spitting in its eye and defying the legions of Satan." "Momma, you're setting an impossible standard." "What's so impossible. Love Fox, screw him rubber brains at every opportunity and feed him good. Your excessively candid friend Becky would give you the same advice. Men are really simple, especially if you understand their fantasies" *** Scully's Apartment 8:00 PM Saturday "So, Butch, what did your mother say on the drive back?" "Nothing much new, just our lunches for the next week are provided because of the offerings of your virgin acolytes and she wants the recipe for what Mike put on the chicken." "The recipe part is easy, I helped Mike last year. Grab your pencil. Half a cup of vinegar, half a cup of water, with a good glug of cooking oil. Two Tablespoons black pepper, two tablespoons honey, one tablespoon Cayenne, one teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon of garlic powder and a quarter teaspoon of dried mustard. Whisk, and baste the chicken every half hour, while they're cooking over a very slow flame. Mike sets the coals up to cook the chicken quarters in around three hours." "Butch, about the other, you do realize I was just trying to be polite to the daughters of friends?" "I realize it. Their parents realize it. Those poor little girls are building castles in Spain and jilling off to the memory of your voice." "Sweet Jesus, Dana! Those are nice girls." "You know what marks a nice girl?" "You're going to tell me, aren't you." "Yep. A nice girl usually doesn't act on her fantasies. Because of that, her fantasies are usually stronger and more vivid than the realities of not nice girls." "Should I tone it down around them?" "No. You are doing it exactly right. Perfectly polite and treating them like a beloved uncle. In ten or fifteen years, when they start looking in earnest, their standards, for both themselves and their men are going to be sky high. Now get out so I can shower and crawl into bed." "Alone?" "All alone. I'm beat." "Dana, that brings up something we need to talk about." "Yes?" "Wolf." "He's a really neat dog, he and I get along pretty well, and I'm glad you have something to keep the loneliness at bay." "But?" "I've decided I can't handle you being in a relationship with him and me both. I love Scully. I can share her with the rest of the Bureau. I love my buddy Butch. I can share her with all her other buddies. I'm in love with Dana. I find I can't share her with anyone or anything." "Fox, Wolf and I haven't done anything since that show we put on for you. He's not done anything except want simple affection, petting, a hug, just normal dog stuff. " "I love you." "I know. I love you too. Now give me a kiss and scoot. I'm going to early mass in the morning. Can I give you a call after?" "You can call me anytime. The kiss was all that Scully expected, wonderful, promising and enthralling. She almost allowed it to continue to the logical conclusion, but remembered all her dirty clothes and the mess the apartment was in. She pushed back and said, "Sundance, get out of here, I need to do laundry and clean house. I love you dearly, but I'm sore in places I haven't felt since I was seventeen." "Can I do a massage?" "No! Fifteen minutes of stretching will be all I need. Expect a call about 9:30 tomorrow. We can talk about that sort of thing then." "Yes, Love" Chapter 17 9:30 AM Sunday Morning. Mulder's Apartment The doorbell rang. Mulder was expecting the call from Scully, so he buttoned his jeans and hurried to the door. When he opened it, he found a frozen, closed off Scully, in her Church dress, with Wolf on a lead and a suitcase. "Mulder, I have a problem." "Can I help you with it?" "I hope so. I'm being evicted at the end of June. My lease says no pets over sixteen pounds, and my landlord thinks he can get another $500 a month from a new tenant who doesn't have 911 responses three or four times a year, or recently, having me screaming in ecstasy in the middle of the night, so he's being a real asshole." "Jesus, Butch. My landlord is even rougher. Fish and birds only." "OK. Can you baby-sit while I can get on the phone and start lining up appointments to look for houses?" "Before you start that, I think I may have a solution. It won't be comfortable the first few weeks, but I'd like you to consider it before running off and buying a house." "What's that Mulder?" "Change into casual clothes. Very casual. We're going to be sweating this afternoon. I've got a few of your clothes back from the laundry in the new bureau in my bedroom." "OK. Can I trust you on this?" "Have I ever steered you wrong?" "Humph." "Change and meet me at this address in an hour." *** She found the address with a few minutes to spare. It was a Federalist jewel box. She saw Mulder's car, then saw him come out to get a cooler out of the trunk. She got out of her car and let Wolf out after clipping the leash on him. "Hey, Butch. This is the infamous Georgetown house. This is a possible solution to your housing problems. How about a tour, then lunch." Mulder opened the door, and let her and the dog enter first. "Sounds good to me." "Butch, something real important. I want you to give your candid opinion. I wanted to give you this place, all cleaned up, as a wedding day present. Your dispute with your landlord forced the pace a little, but I want you to be happy here. Anything you want changed, or if you want something else, please tell me. This is going to be our home until our grandkids carry us off to assisted living." "Mulder, I love you too. I'll look with open eyes and give you my candid opinion." "Let's start at the front." "OK. Do you have your knife and a notebook." "Knife, yes, no notebook." "Your damned memory. I've got a notebook." Mulder escorted her to the front door. "This is the foyer." "This is quite nice Sundance. All it needs is a refinish on the floors and molding, and a cleanup on the wall paper. Do you know if the parquet is original?" "If I was furnishing, I'd just put a hall tree and a small side table for keys and mail. This room doesn't really need any embellishment." "I don't know if it's original, Butch, but my Dad did have it refinished when he bought the place." "Well, the floor is badly worn, with what looks like sun and water damage, but it probably can be repaired and refinished." "This is the library, Butch." "Does the fireplace work?" "Yeah, all the fireplaces on this floor work. The Franklin inserts have been jerked out, but they're still in the basement. The ones on the upper floors have been blocked off. They rely on the central system for heat and air." "Sundance, you need to put the inserts back in. If you want to look at the open flame, just open the doors. Otherwise, you'll get smoke stains, like are there now." "Hand me the knife." Scully scraped the paint off one of the shelves and the paneling behind it. "Take these shelves down, refinish the paneling, refinish the shelves, put them back up" "Butch, this is the parlor. The last tenant apparently used it as a rec-room. Notice all the cable and phone outlets. I know he had DSL, he stuck me with the last two bills." "Sundance, about the same as the other rooms I've seen. Refinish the floor and clean the wall paper and this room would be fine. Did your father pick this wallpaper out?" "Well actually, my Mom and I did. Mom pretty much had the say on this floor and the Master suite, but I had the deciding opinion on the "guest bedrooms" that were designated for Sam and me." "I can't wait to see. Did you keep the end rolls of the wallpaper?" "Yeah, I think they're in the attic." "Let's look at the kitchen and dining room next." "Here's the kitchen, Butch." "Did your Dad have servants? This is far too big for just a bachelor." "Dad just had a house boy that doubled as butler when he entertained. The third floor has four servants' suites." "Just a house boy?" Scully said ironically. "Hey, don't bust my chops. A maid came days. My Dad always considered this roughing it. What in here?" "This needs new counters and flooring, the cabinets could be refinished. I'd also build in a microwave. Do all the appliances work?" "Probably, I've not had to make any repairs recently. Here's the dining room. Do you think it will be OK with a little cleaning like the other downstairs rooms?" "To really get the right effect, you'd have to have the right antique table, breakfront and buffet. You'd better hope for a Republican victory in the next election, Democrats wouldn't have the antiques or the taste to appreciate this room." "Butch, I've got some things in storage from Gram and Dad, and Mom has a lot of stuff in her basement. If I remember correctly, they include a table, sideboard, china cabinet and twelve chairs. They're probably original Duncan Phyfe, but the provenance is shaky. They for sure have been in the family since 1830, they're listed in an inventory that year. There's a bunch of rugs I've got in climate controlled storage. They probably smell of mothballs." "Butch?" "I'm sorry, I was drifting a little. I don't suppose you've got antique dishes and silver to put in the breakfront?" "Naw, most of that went to the cousins. Gram replaced all that in the late twenties, with a really ugly Art Deco style, then Mom did it again in the early sixties, using the same china and silver Jackie bought for the White House." "There are a few pieces by Revere, but we never used them, we actually had them on display in the Martha's Vineyard house. They're on loan to the Smithsonian now." "Ack." "Scully, you OK." "I'm fine, Mulder." "Good, would you like to see the upstairs now?" "Are there any bathrooms on this floor?" "Just a half, under the stairs. There's a full bath downstairs next to the laundry room." "Lay on, Macduff, And damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'" "Next stop, the second story, the family quarters." "Let's go, Sundance." "Watch that banister, it's a little shaky." "That will certainly have to be fixed." "Here is the master suite." "Why the eight foot ceilings in the hall, and ten foot in the bedroom?" "Dad had the ceiling in the hall dropped to run the central heat and air ducts when he remodeled. It worked, kinda. Mom always complained that the alcove in here was chilly in winter." "That might have something to do with the windows. Eight running feet of French doors to a balcony will transmit a lot of cold, especially if they're not insulated. That could be easily solved with heavy curtains or insulated windows. What's the view of?" "Mostly the garden and carriage house. Come on, step up and take a look." "Sundance, you need to get a crew in that garden for a couple of days, and paint the carriage house. How big is this lot, anyway." "About half an acre. Seventy five feet frontage, and it goes back for 300 feet, along the side street. Some of that is eaten up by the entrance to the carriage house, the rest is wall. " "I'm serious, that yard is a disgrace. Nothing but some overgrown bushes and badly mowed weeds, but I can tell from here it was laid out as a formal garden. Done up right, you could get an extra $500 a month rent. How much were you collecting." "$1200 a month, but my agent thinks he can get it up to $1500 if we redecorate." "Mulder, that's ridiculous. I pay $1650 for my apartment, and think I'm getting a good deal." "Dana, that's a moot point. We're looking at this as a possible solution to your housing crisis." "Let's look at the rest of the house." "OK, this is the master bath." "Very nice Mulder. It seems a little newer that the rest of the house." "Here's the closet. Dad had it and the bathroom put in when he bought the house. The little bit left over he made into the alcove." "Did your Mom have any input on the closet?" "Yeah, but she never really lived here, just visited." "Whose idea was it to line the whole thing with aromatic cedar?" "Actually, it was my Dad's tailor. About the only worthwhile thing I learned from my Dad was how to find a tailor and listen to him. Luckily, mine carries the Hugo Boss line. I tried Armani once, but Italian suits are cut for pencil-necked, slope-shouldered, pipe-stem armed little guys to make them look big and buff. All we have to do with Hugo Boss is take in the waist a few inches. The cut of the jacket leaves room for a pistol and cellphone." "I see. Did you know you should hit that cedar a couple of licks with sandpaper once a month to keep the odor going?" "No I didn't Butch. Thanks for the tip." "I suppose you have an antique bedroom suite in storage to put in this room?" Mulder flushed. "It's not really antique. Just in Hepplewhite style. Dad was tall, like me, and had a king-sized bed commissioned, with matching night stands, dresser and a chest of drawers. I can remember him grousing about sleeping on the floor and living out of boxes." "Oh. You still have them, don't you?" "Of course. They're in Dad's Martha's Vineyard house. Let me show you the two guest rooms." "Butch, my Dad had three bedrooms thrown together to make these two rooms. The middle one, the smallest, was converted into two closets and a shared bathroom. The bathroom isn't very big, just enough room for a pot, shower/tub and sink. Sam and I shared pretty well, but it might have gotten difficult as we got older." "Mom didn't want to spend a lot of money on my furniture, because I was rough as a boy. She furnished it from Ethan Allen with a twin bed, chest and desk. I kinda liked it, especially with the red, white and blue wallpaper my Mom let me pick out." "Let me show you next door. I really like this wallpaper. Sam loved tulips, so when I saw it, I knew she'd like it in her room. Do you think it can be saved?" "Fox, I think we can make a serious attempt to save wallpaper that's a print of Monet's "Field of Tulips". Do you know what's under this hideous shag carpet?" "I suppose wood, like the rest of the house." "Hand me your knife again. I'm going to find out." "Mulder, this is a different wood than the other floors, but it is really, really nice." "Great, Butch, I'm glad you like it. Do you want to see the nursery and sewing room next?" "I need a drink first, and I think Wolf does too. Let's go down to the kitchen and rest, then we'll see the rest of the house. One question first, how did your Mom furnish this?" "Real girly. I think the style was French Provincial. Nearly everything was painted white, with gold leaf. It did come from France, but I think it was modern, 19th century, not antique." "Okay, I think I can find something for Wolf to drink out of." --- Mulder went down in the basement to get an old Dutch Oven he'd seen there, then opened the ice chest that had a six-pack of Shiner's Bock. He rinsed out the pot, filled it, and set it on the floor for Wolf. He then twisted off the tops of two of the bottles of beer and handed Scully one. He gestured her towards the breakfast nook, and sat across from her. He took a long pull from his beer, then looked at Scully. "What?" "Butch, why don't we put Wolf in the garden while I show you the rest of the house? I can see how antsy he is, being cooped up without you paying attention to him." "I guess that would be OK. We'll have to listen for him though, in case he starts barking and disturbs the neighbors. And I want to check the fence to make sure he can't get out. I'd hate to have to chase him all over this end of Georgetown." "Scully, you can check all you want, but that dog is as devoted to you as I am, Hell and all its minions couldn't keep him away." "And he'd ditch me nearly as quickly as you would. I'm going to check the fence." "Check the wall. You'll find it as strong and tight as the one you've built around my heart." "Fox, on only half a bottle of beer? I didn't know you were such a short hitter." "Dana, you wound me. Let's go check the fence." "OK." They walked the perimeter of the garden. Scully was assured that the eight foot wall was solid, with no holes under it, and the chain-link gate was dog proof. "Mulder, this seems safe enough. We'll have to keep an ear out, in case he goes into a barking frenzy, but we can leave him here while we explore the rest of the house." "Great. That means I'll get you alone while we explore the hot and sweaty environs left." "I guess that's OK, but you owe me a really nice lunch." "Your wish is my command, Milady." As Mulder guided her up the staircase, a sudden thought struck Scully. "Fox, is this the only staircase?" "Well, there's a outside staircase to the third floor, and a staircase in the kitchen from the basement to the third floor. There is a small crane in the attic that can move furniture into the second story hall. I don't know if it still works." "Mom set this up as an eighteenth century sewing room, where the lady of the house spent a good deal of her time. Being my Mom, she set this up as a duplicate of the library, except with more shelves and better lighting. I always liked this room best, Mom let each of us have our own bookshelves in here, and a couch we could share. She made me be quiet when I read to Sam on the couch. It's one of my favorite memories. Dad on the couch, reading the evening paper, Mom with her feet in his lap, scribbling away in her journal, Sam and I on the other couch, with me reading to her." "Who has those books now?" "Mom has hers, and I assume Sam's. I've got a lot of mine and all of Dad's in storage." "Is that where you got that leather couch?" "Yes, that's the couch Sam and I used." "I wondered where you got the taste for English club furniture. I thought it was Oxford." "Nope, it just feels homelike. The nursery is next." "Nursery?" "Mom was a big Georgette Heyer fan. We used it as a rumpus room. TV, record player and radio. This was where the twentieth century was allowed in." "It doesn't look like the tenants used this for anything. The rug is barely worn. Is that a bathroom?" "Yeah, just a compact little bathroom. A lot like those fleabag motels we've stayed in over the last six years." "Any closets?" "Just this one," said Mulder, pulling open a door. "The setup is for very short people. You might like it." Scully gave that the answer it deserved, an elbow to the solar plexus, and said, "Are you making vertically challenged jokes again?" "I wouldn't dream of it." "Your dreams, Mulder, informed by those videos that aren't yours, are an area I don't care to investigate." "This is a very nice room. About fifteen by twenty, it would make a very nice guest suite. Just right for Bill, Tara and Mattie when they visit." "Um, you like this house, don't you, Scully?" "Yes, Mulder, I do." As they reached the third floor, Scully noticed that the hall flooring had changed from oak to pine. This wasn't nearly as nice as the "Guest Rooms", merely quarter sawn virgin pine in three inch wide strips. <$3500 a thousand board feet, plus laying. For what was built as an attic.> The four servants' rooms were a nice layout, a bedroom, bath and a sitting room. These rooms were obviously attic rooms, seven foot ceilings, slanting off to only five feet high at the side nearest the roof. She felt Mulder step behind her. He wrapped his arms loosely around her, clasping his hands on her lower stomach. "So Dana, what do you think?" She turned around so she could look him directly in the eyes. "Mulder, this is a lovely house. A little elbow grease and you could lease it for five grand a month, easy." He pulled her tighter to him and breathed in her ear, "I'm glad you like it. After lunch, I have a proposition for you. But right now." He bent his head down and kissed her. Then, suddenly, Scully heard Wolf barking. "Mulder, I've got to go to see what's bothering him. I'm responsible for him." "'I could not love thee, loved I not honor more.'" "Mulder, quit quoting romantic English poetry at me. I will not be responsible for my actions if you don't." Scully gave him a quick hug, and a peck on the lips, then ran to see what was the matter with the dog. Mulder adjusted himself, then walked down the stairs. He noticed the time, noon, and began to organize in his mind the picnic lunch. He wandered out the kitchen door to the flag stone deck and watched as Scully and Wolf rolled around the lawn, Wolf licking Scully's face and Scully giggling. "Scully, what was the problem?" "He just took offense at a squirrel dissing him from twenty feet up a neighbor's tree." "Hey, it's a guy thing. I can relate." "I'm sure you can." "Sundance, I'd like to see the carriage house." "Sure, but it's just a storage place. There's a four car garage in the basement, and the carriage house hasn't been used since before my Dad bought the place. As he opened the door for her, he was shocked to find the inside had been remodeled into a ratty two bedroom apartment. Chipboard nailed to the ceiling and walls, a few industrial outlets with conduit and some broken down pieces of Goodwill furniture. A few posters on the walls indicated that previous occupants were young heterosexual males. "Mulder, did you ever see any sign of rent from this place?" "No," He said, fascinated by one scantily clad young lady crawling over a red '64 Mustang. "Mulder, pay attention. We've just gotten proof that your rental agent is a thief. This was student housing, and probably going for six or seven hundred dollars a month. Do you have a lawyer?" "Yes, a commercial and estates guy." "Call him now, and get out of your agent contract, and have him start recovery proceedings." "Ooh, TakeCharge!Scully." She scribbled furiously for a moment, then looked up and said, "I get angry when a friend is bilked out of $25,000 a year for who knows how long." "OK, I'll see if I can set up an appointment for Monday. Don't sweat it Scully, it won't run me broke, and it's a moot point anyway." "Hey, when's lunch? You promised to feed me and my dog." "If I start now, ten minutes. Didn't you want to run first?" "We can do that after, I'm hungry now." "OK, OK. Let me get started. I've got a nice Gewrztraminer on ice, or do you want another beer while you wait?" "The wine sounds nice. Could you pour me a glass, please?" Mulder rummaged around the cooler, and pulled out the unmistakable long necked bottle. He poured a full glass, and brought it to Scully who had come to the patio with Wolf padding behind. "Dana, you can, of course, sit anywhere you want, but you might find that hammock comfortable." He pointed over to a net hammock slung between two posts. It was in the shade, but far enough out that it got the breeze. "You'll have to excuse me for a moment, I need to dig out the appetizers." Mulder busied himself pulling out the cheese and crackers he had for appetizers. Little cubes of sharp cheddar, pickled Greek salad peppers, an herbed Brie and an assortment of crackers, along with a cheese knife to spread . "Do you think you'll be able hold out till lunch?" "Maybe, Fox, just maybe. Especially if you keep this wonderful wine coming. Get your beer, and come sit with me." After Mulder sat, at a safe distance, in the hammock, Scully scooted under his arm and molded herself to his side. She tossed a piece of the cheese to Wolf and he snapped it out of the air. "Mulder, do you remember what we were doing when Wolf started barking?" "Mmm, yeah." "Let's do it some more, I really liked it." When they came up for air, Scully snuggled closer to the sweat soaked T-shirt that covered Mulder's torso. She slid her hand under the shirt and began running her fingers up and down the ridged muscle of Mulder's abdomen. By some miracle, she'd managed to not spill much of the wine. "Do you think you could learn live with Wolf?" "Kiss me again, and I'll think about it." "If you can think while I'm kissing you, I'm not sure the offer is still open." "Sculleee!" He leaned over and kissed her again. As his hands roamed under her shirt, and her writhing became wilder and wilder, Mulder lost all sense of time and place, until he felt the dog tugging at his ankle. "Scully, I don't think Wolf likes us to be doing this." "Nonsense, that's just his 'I'm hungry' face. Do you have anything for him?" "Yeah, I've some appetizers for him. Do you want to get up and get them?" "No, Mulder, I'm just going to lie here and watch you get me another glass of wine, get Wolf his food and bask in the afterglow of a really good necking session." "One more glass of wine coming up, Milady." He reached in the cooler and pulled out the half pound of liver he'd had the butcher cut into one inch cubes. He tossed one in Wolf's direction, and watched as the dog snapped it out of the air. "Wolf seems to like his snacks, Scully. Are you sure you wouldn't like to come to the table and sit? I'm going to be busy setting out a picnic for the next few minutes." Mulder tossed another bit of liver to Wolf. "OK, OK. I'm sure the pair of you need some adult supervision," she grumped as she levered herself off the hammock, buttoned her shirt and sat at the table across from Mulder. "Now just sit there and look beautiful." Mulder pulled the paper plates and napkins out of the sack, including a paper tablecloth in the bottom. He sat places for Scully and him, then opened the cooler and brought it to the table. "Here you go, Butch, first course cold Borscht. Then sandwiches and sides. Followed by banana cream pie. I've got a thermos of coffee for after dinner, and a container of iced tea if you'd prefer that over the wine." "What kind of sandwiches?" "Ham and cheese, pastrami, egg salad, tuna salad and sliced chicken breast. The sides are slaw, potato salad and three bean salad." "What about Wolf?" "Two cans of beefy Alpo." He arranged the sandwiches in a circle on the plate, garnished with the pickles, opened the side containers and stuck forks in them, and said, "Dig in." "Sundance, did you stick up a Deli? A good Deli? This cost more than I spend on groceries in a week." "Don't worry about it, Butch, there's more where that came from. Eat up, I won't starve until the next paycheck." --- As Scully pushed away the plate with the remnants of the banana cream pie, she took a sip of her coffee and looked at Mulder as he cleared away the debris. "Scully, would you like a little more coffee?" "Yes, Mulder, I'd like that." "Haul out the notebook, I've got some 'splainen to do." "Beginning about ninety-three, I began splitting the money between speculative and conservative. One of the conservative investments is pine plantations in Alabama. It's in its first commercial thinning, and it's going to generate a lot of after tax cash. I'd like to use that to improve my lifestyle a little." "How much is a lot? How much is a little? What's my place in this?" "The available cash is about $1.3 million. I'd like to get this place back to nice and move here. And I want you to plan to and oversee the work." "Mulder, that's a lot to ask as a favor. Besides, we're pretty busy. I don't know if I'll have the time. And I don't have any training in this. What if I screw it up?" "We'll take it one step at a time. If it gets to be too much, let me know, and we'll try something different. The first step is the planning. Here." He handed her an envelope. When she opened it, it had a half page contract for her to plan and budget a refurbishment of the house. "Mulder, I can't do this." "Scully I checked around, and it's way cheap. Most of the people that do this wouldn't do the planning until they got the whole job. This just requires your taste and attention. If anything like surveys or appraisals are needed, they're extra." He passed her a checkbook and said, "Anything like that will come out of this account. Your signature on the power of attorney was enough for the bank to let you sign. Keep a receipt, Charlie is picky. In fact, you might want to let him know if you write any check over $100,000 so we can move money to cover it cheaply. Otherwise it will come out of a credit line at credit card rates. That reminds me," He handed her an American Express card with "Mulder Trusts, Dana K. Scully" on it. "Mulder, you're starting to make me very uncomfortable. Am I going to be a kept woman?" "Jesus, no. That's the reason for all the contracts and record keeping, to avoid any hint of that. I don't want to buy you or your affection, but I do want you to do this." "OK, we'll try. You will review and approve all the plans before we get started." "Sure." "That was a condition, not a question. If I do the whole project, I'm probably going to need a secretary." "Reasonable and necessary expense. Set up payroll through Charlie." "What about furnishing? Do you want me to do that too?" "I'll give you an inventory of what I have in storage, and what I think I can get out of Mom's basement. I'll mark the stuff I want to use, and the rest, or additional purchases, we'll discuss." "Dana, about your original problem. Could you live with me here, in sin, until the marriage?" "Mulder, does this involve my wearing a French maid's costume?" He snorted, "Jesus, Scully, no. If Butch and Sundance, or Fox or Dana, want to play games like that, fine. I just want you to furnish the house we will live in for the rest of our lives." "Mulder, I'm starting to feel schizophrenic about all the different kinds of relationships we have. How will we keep them straight? Friends, lovers, partners and now you want to add employee/employer. How will I ever know the real Dana?" "Shh, Dana... Worrying about it is a sign you're OK. When you start being unable to distinguish one role from another, that's the time to worry. Besides, our lives are complicated, why shouldn't our relationship be that way? Or do you want to drop some of the facets?" "No, I want each of them. I just wish things could be simple." "I do too, but I'll settle for anything when you're involved." "OK. Mulder, I'd really like to do this job, but I'm afraid I'll mess it up. Let me show you what I've got so far. It's just a list, but I've got the early stages sequenced out. No prices. I'm making the assumption that you'd like to keep the same room layout, so no moving walls or dropping or raising ceilings or anything like that." He reviewed the list, and penciled in a few changes, numbering them as he went. "Looks fine to me. Take a look at the changes I've added, and let me know if they will upset your schedule." She reviewed the changes. 1. Get a professional cleaning service in and thoroughly clean the house. (Next week) Arrange for a day maid on a regular basis, not for construction clean-up. 2. Install a 12 foot wide dog run and kennel against the back wall under the oaks. (Next week) 3. Plan to put in a pool, 25 meters by 4 standard lanes. At least one lane has to be a minimum of four feet deep. (This summer?) (Heated for year 'round use?) (Pool house for home gym? Get bids for alternatives.) "Mulder?" "Yes." "It looks fine, except for number two. May I have permission to install a kennel and run against the back wall?" "If you want to be that way," He sulked. "And why a maid?" "Scully, this is a big house, and I want you to devote your attention to me and the job, not stay up all night and chase cobwebs." "I get to choose? Maid and secretary?" "Of course. Shall we plan on the Gunmen and me helping you move next weekend?" "Gunmen Sunday and Monday, after moving my, and your, furniture in. They are going to sweep for bugs and set up a good security system. I want a weekly sweep, and you are going to pay them market rates for their expertise. You can hit your Rugby team for mindless muscle. I'm going to need Thursday and Friday to pack. Monday to hire a secretary. I'm going to bring my Mom down for that weekend. I trust her people skills even more than her decorating skills." Thus endeth part the seventh. Wolf Universe 8 Title: Busy Summer Author. Mike Feedback: Please. MLP0666@Hotmail.com AU. Post Episode Alpha. Rating: Hard R or Light NC-17 Category: SR AU MSR, Schmoop "Redec-fic" Spoilers: None Disclaimer: The Usual Drill. No Money being made, merely an appreciation of the characters owned and developed by Chris Carter and Fox. Flashes from a busy Summer FBI Break Room. 3:00 PM "Afternoon, Mulder." Mitchell's soft Georgia drawl cut into Mulder's reverie about a granola bar or an apple for Scully's afternoon snack. "Hey, Mitchell." Mitchell wasn't a great friend, but he was always civil, and they'd gone through the Academy together. "Heard about you and Scully. Congratulations." "Thanks." "You gonna get to stay partners?" "Skinner says until our solve rate drops." "Lucky you. O'Rielly retired and they're giving me one of the new kids. Fatima Al'Din, fourth generation Arab American from Detroit. CPA, bright kid, knows the book but green as grass. You got time after work to fill me in on female partners?" "It's a two way street. Tell you what, you bring Al'Din, I'll bring Scully, and we can discuss it from all viewpoints. I'll give you a buzz." *** "Scully, here's your apple and water. Are you free for a little while after work?" "A little while. Why do you ask." "Mitchell approached me in the break room. He's being assigned a new partner, female, and wanted to pick my brains about how to handle it." "Mulder, can I come too? I promise not to laugh too loud except at the funniest parts." "Scully, I've already got that part covered. Mitchell and I are trying get you and Al'Din and us together at once. Laugh if you want, and I know it will be at my expense, but let's help these folks out." "I'll be good, Mulder, but if Mitchell starts spouting sensitive guy, New Age shit from those Clark Gable lips in that deep, smooth Georgia drawl, I'm going to laugh my ass off." "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." The heated glance that went directly to her stomach belied the mocking tone of his words. "Mitchell? Mulder. 5:30 at Casey's?" "Great. See you there. Bye." "We're on, Scully." "Great." *** "Al'Din, tell us a little about yourself." "Nothing much to tell. Five older brothers, two of whom are cops like one of my uncles, thoroughly acculturated fourth generation Lebanese Christian family. U of Michigan, '96, Masters in Accounting, Arthur Anderson in Chicago for two years, then the Academy. Speak English, street Arabic with a horrible American accent, and read and write decent, if pedestrian, classical Arabic and Metropolitan French. This is my first field assignment." She said this flatly, although a certain huskiness was always present in her light voice, as if the sparkling intelligence and humor in her black eyes was trying escape. "Mitchell, your turn." "Four years Air Police, divorced, two kids. University of Georgia in psychology, joined the Bureau in '87, four years in LA as brick agent, four years in the Washington office in counter-intel, four years in the Hoover loaned to field offices and planning anti-terrorist investigations. " "Al'Din, did you understand all that." "That and the implications. He's headed for ASAC shortly, probably locally because a normal partner rotation is four years and we've just been assigned. Probably foreign anti- terrorist, because I'm Arab." Mulder could hardly contain his glee. "Mitchell, I know how to handle this. And I may be the only guy in bureau who can. Having your girl partner that much smarter than you is a lot of fun, but scary as hell. You've got an inside track to an AD job, because she's going to be director in fifteen years, and if you do this right, she'll have a fondness for you. Ow." Scully brought her foot back underneath her chair and gave Mulder a speaking glance. He continued. "Al'Din, here's the deal. Dana and I are romantically involved, in fact we're engaged. That isn't a requirement for a successful man/woman partnership, in fact it makes it tougher. We're best friends. I would call being friendly a requirement for a decent partnership. I've not had a lot of partners, but those I've been friends with have been the best partners. We are partners. We were thrown together unknown to each other. To do the job, a damned important job, we had to learn to live with each other." Scully piped up. "Al'Din, Mitchell, you've got to learn to live with differences, both cultural and more basic ones like man/woman. There are a few days each month when Al'Din will be a screaming bitch. There are about forty days a month when Mitchell will be a flaming asshole, being overly protective and trying to shield you from the uglier side of our business. Remind him forcefully you are an FBI agent, that you wouldn't be there if the higher ups didn't think you could help catch the perp." "To hell with the shit about a perfect knight, you will be charging into the fray beside him. You are his equal, his partner. Beside him. Fighting the same foe. You are not a delicate little flower, to be protected. It's a cultural thing, and Mitchell probably has a bad case of it. Ask, force information from him. You do have different physical capabilities, but that isn't important most of time." "There are about twenty days a month when he will be a flaming horn-dog. Get real sure in your mind if it's propinquity or love. I held Mulder off for six years because of that question. Since a normal partner rotation is four years, you should be safe, with a little self control." "This is a little intimidating." Mitchell interjected, "Al'Din, their division has the highest solve rate of any division in the Bureau. It's only a two person division, but most of their cases are referrals from either VCS or LEO's who are stumped. Just think 'Who ya gonna call' They do it right." Scully spoke again. "Al'Din, how is your marksmanship?" "I qualified." "From your flush, just barely. One of the most important things about partners is being able to protect one another. Because you're small, like me, you'll need to become very proficient in firearms. Hold up your hand against mine." Hers was even smaller than Scully's. "I know a partial solution. I've a friend named Abby who has a gun shop in Alexandria. Can you spare a couple of hours Saturday morning? She can fit stocks on your issue weapon so that it fits right, and the perceived recoil is much less." "Scully, you're not going to try and sell her on .45 ACP are you? Everyone knows you really want to carry a 44 Automag." Mitchell was a little upset. Having his partner a Scully acolyte could be scary. As long as it was weapons, he could live with it, but getting a rookie with non-standard gear past the weapons board would be a pain. "Mitchell, ease up. If Abby says it, it's gospel to Joe. My first couple of years in the field I carried a little .380 and got real tired of shooting people and having them keep coming. Doesn't happen any more." He relaxed. Most of the time Joe was a bear about non- standard gear, but he knew Joe had recommended Scully and Mulder get the Glock 30's they carried. "Each of you have habits that will irritate the other. Learn to live with it, or explain why you find it so repulsive. For example, Mitchell is sitting there putting salted peanuts in his Coke, why I don't know. Mulder eats sunflower seeds and strews the hulls everywhere. Mulder gets a little upset when I nag him about backups and filenames on his computer system, and documentation and reports. I'm sure there are little things you do, Al'Din, that will disturb Mitchell. Learn to live with it. A good partnership is as intimate as a marriage, except you spend a lot more time together." *** Two days later. Skinner walked in their office at 9:30 with a scowl on his face. "Are you two ever going to stop? I barely quiet down the furor from keeping you two assigned together, then I have the AD in charge of training begging me to release you once very thirteen weeks to teach three days of male/female partnership. Mitchell and Al'Din each wrote letters to their supervisor praising you to the skies for one hour of conversation as worth more than a week of interpersonal training at the academy. I want to see your lesson plans on my desk Monday week. And don't either of you write it as a dating service." "Scully. Joe down in the armory is trying to get Mrs. Simpson in as a contract consultant. Would you approach your friend to explore the possibility? It'll help his budget." "Sheesh, when you two are the problem children of the FBI, I can live with it. I just point to your solve rate and wait for the furor to die down. I'm not used to defending my turf from blatant kidnapping attempts. You two have to stop behaving. Do something like break into a military base or pound a stake through an innocent civilian's heart. I knew this engagement would come to no good." "Mulder, if you don't stop smirking, I'll let the testosterone overloaded assholes in HRT take you for a week a year and let you teach crises communications. Your time at the Willard is being played on tape as an example of how to do it." "Scully, don't laugh too quickly. You are now officially a mentor for the women agents graduating from the academy. As soon as you can lighten the load by sweet talking other experienced female agents into helping, you can let up on that, but when you do, you're an unofficial ASAC of training in your spare time." "Mulder, I told you to stop smirking. Just for that, you're appointed SAC of the X-Files. Mitchell and Al'Din are the first set of partners assigned to the division. Expect at least three more. How the hell am I supposed to get the weird cases solved if you're involved in administrivia and training and never around? I want your mission statement, budget and staffing requirements by the end of the month, along with suggested personnel. Stick to VCS, I can spring those. I'd suggest a good administrative assistant first thing. You're not going to have time to piddle around with expense vouchers." He threw two file folders on his desk, then stalked off in high dudgeon. "Uh, Scully? Do you think he doesn't love us any more?" She took the folder he proffered and glanced through it. "From every indication here, he fought this like a tiger. And he's not an unobservant asshole. He suggests that I try to recruit Mary, Kathy and Shelly as my first mentors. The instruction is from the Director, with his memo in response and his to me, copied to the SAC in Forensics. Look at yours." "Oh my ass. This worse. It's a letter from the President, suggesting me as SAC, with some hand written notes at the bottom." "Well, read them Mulder." "First one says, 'Janet, unless you have a problem, do it. Bill.'" "Next one says, 'Louis, Tell me why you can't do it, or comply. Janet'" "Last one says, 'Skinner, I've reviewed the files. Mulder is a flake, but competent in the role designated, with the requisite seniority. I know you're going to miss your star fire crew. Do it anyway. Freeh.'" "Mulder, I'm a little frightened. We've never had notice like this." "Scully, Skinner is a hugely good guy. He's left us a paper trail that made it very clear that we were following legal, written instructions from competent authority. I'm at a little risk here, but you are completely OK." *** Saturday. Mid-June Noon Georgetown House. "Butch, we've moved in all our furniture, what now?" "Umm, live happily ever after?" "Besides that." "Fix lunch and wash the dishes?" "A little more long term than that." "Go fix me lunch. I didn't get any breakfast because I woke up with two foreign armies in my bed." "Huh? You woke up in my bed." "And it was full of Roman hands and Russian fingers. I barely had time to throw on pants and a T-shirt before I answered the door to a smirking Becky and a crew of your loutish friends. Feed me, then I'll show the notes for the PERT chart for the Summer." He let go of her, and wandered to the kitchen mumbling, "Organization, thy name is Scully. I'm going to tell Skinner that she's really going to be the SAC, I'm going to be another helpless minion, less than dust beneath her chariot wheels." Her mood greatly improved by a bowl of Minestrone and a Caesar Salad, she cleared the table and settled into his lap. "Fox, I really like one particular foreign army in my bed in the mornings. What I like is Blitzkrieg, coming to full awareness in the throes of being thoroughly conquered. Coming awake knowing you're attracted is really nice. Coming awake coming is far better. It would be much easier facing Becky if she had heard me screaming in passion, and had to wait longer for me to come to the door." Just then, the door-bell rang. Mulder was all for ignoring it, but Scully jumped to her feet and ran to the door. "Delivery for Ms. Dana Scully?" "That's me. This way." The delivery guys began moving their stuff into the upstairs library. A double wide desk, two computer credenzas and a pair of luxury office chairs. "Scully, a partner's desk?" "Partners on the job. Partners in life. And I'm not going to live in a house where I don't have a desk. This didn't come from your household account, this is a gift from me, to us. " "I couldn't have a better gift." "Good, I'm glad you like it. Now, start setting up computers while I start making beds." A very strange look crossed his face. "Beds?" "Of course beds. My Mom will be here within an hour. She's going to stay for a few days and give me hand at the start." "Is she OK with you living here?" "Since I heard her doing her little happy dance when I told her we were cohabiting, I'm pretty sure she is." *** "Oh, Mom. You're just in time. Fox and I were about to review PERT charts for the summer and early fall. I'd really like you to see what we have planned." Maggie, after a quick hug for her daughter, blatantly ignored her and gave a much longer and more affectionate hug to Mulder. When that was done, she gave squatted and gave Wolf a rub behind the ears. "Now, Dana, get me a cold drink, show me where my room is, give me a tour, then we can talk about plans." Abashed, Scully said, "I'm sorry Mom, I'm just so excited about this." "I know you are honey, just slow down. Then we'll take a look at your plans." *** "See, Mom. We can get everything done by late August and have the wedding here in the garden anytime in September. We won't even have to go away for the honeymoon." "Dear, that assumes you can keep up with this schedule. On this type of project every thing takes longer and costs more. If your heart is really set on having the marriage here, I'd concentrate on the grounds and the first floor." She threw a quick glance at Mulder, whose gesture made it obvious that decision was hers. He also glanced at the pile of lesson plans and departmental budgets that had been pushed out of the way. "OK, Mom. I'll think about it. We have to get everything done by October, because the new fiscal year starts then and Mulder is going to be the new SAC of the X-Files division. We're going have to set up and train the new people after that." "That's a good reason to hurry. Have you contacted any of the people you're going to need yet?" "No, but we've arranged for interviews for a maid and a secretary through a service. That's the real reason I wanted help, to interview people Monday." "Dana, I'm going to make an off the wall suggestion. I got a call from an old shipmate of your Dad's last week. He's just retired and had lost track of your Dad because he'd spent the last five years as a scheduler and expediter with the SeaBees. He might be willing." "That sounds like a good solution, but what about his family?" "No wife, grown kids." "I can't offer a permanent job, just for the next few months." "First of the year, he's got a five year contract with an offshore oil services company." "If he's interested, I'd like to talk to him about the job." *** "Mulder, stop that! My Mom's just down the hall." "Dana, love, she took me aside after supper and told me she has become a very sound sleeper since her kids have become adults." "Do you think that's why she told me this was a lovely, solid house, and she couldn't hear traffic noise, even if she was in the front of the house?" "My best bet is she would take no official notice if we decided to do it with pogo sticks and trumpets outside her door. To spare your blushes, I'll turn on the radio if you stifle your screams." "Goofball. My goofball. Did you call your mother about the furniture?" "Yeah, and it was really weird. She offered to go to Dad's house and supervise the packing up, follow the truck to Greenwich and get the good stuff out of the basement." "She just wants to save you some hassle." "She's never had a lot concern for that in the past." "New conditions. She may want to start over." "'She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.'" "Huh? Oh. Oh, Fox, I love you." She twined her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. Pouring all her love into it, all her passion. His response was loving, but there seemed to be a distraction, a lack of the single-minded attention she was used to. "What's the matter? You've got something on your mind." "The furniture will be Saturday morning. My mother will be here Friday evening." "When, pray tell, were you going to tell this little factoid? Friday morning at breakfast? On the way home Friday evening?" "At our first private moment. Which is now. Mom said don't worry, she'll stay at the Willard. I told her we were in the early stages of renovation." "She most certainly will not. If my mother can stay, yours is just as welcome." "Dana, I love you. I've been remiss in waiting at least ten hours since I've told you that. Forgive me." "Forgive you for not telling me something I know to the depths of my soul? I don't think that will be a problem." "Dana, I'm not real cool. I need to make my feelings explicit and exact. I love you. I never want you to doubt that. I desire you. More than any woman I've ever met." "Shut up and kiss me like you mean it." This kiss was more like it. All he wanted was to express his love and desire. His hands began a sweep from her knees to her hip, igniting a passion that was both familiar and enthralling. Mulder's mouth on hers, his hands on her body, his soul in her hands, were hugely exciting. He began unbuttoning her nightshirt, and captured a breast in his hand. As he grasped the breast, he forced the nipple out between his thumb and forefinger and lowered his mouth to it. He tongued it gently, barely touching it. She grabbed the back of his head and forced it deeper, craving more sensation. He took the hint and sucked the nipple to erection, nipping it gently. She moaned and pulled his free hand to the other breast, clamping his fingers hard around it. She pushed him away, sat up and took off her nightshirt, then began removing his boxers. He lifted his hips to aid her, then rolled back over to kiss her again. As he kissed her, a hand gently stroked from her knee to her thigh. She shifted, and cradled him between her thighs. Because of the height differences, her legs were wrapped around his waist, not his hips. She didn't mind, this was so comfortable, so right. Mulder covering her like a body pillow, a heated damp body pillow, was wonderful. This wasn't trapeze Mulder, this was loving, sweet Mulder. She scooted lower and started sucking on his shoulder blade. She reached down and placed him at her entrance, and he slowly entered her. He began a slow back and forth motion, filling her, then withdrawing slowly. The drag of him over her clitoris, the slow, even strokes filling her, her attempts to use her internal muscles to clamp down on him, all excited her beyond belief. Not a wild, crazy kind of excitement; a fulfilling, deeply satisfying excitement. She moaned into his shoulder, "Now, Fox, now." She felt him fill her, then begin to quiver, then spasm. "I love you Dana, I love you." She clutched him, pulling him down to her. When he rolled them over so the laid side by side, he saw the brilliant grin and the tears in her eyes. Mulder panicked at the tears and asked, "Did I hurt you? Why the tears?" "I'm crying because it was so wonderful. Like we'd been married forever and were going to be married forever. I'm so happy." *** Tuesday 6:00 PM Nordstrom's Tyson's Corner, Va. Scully strode into the Better Dresses department like an avenging angel, dressed in her usual severe suit and pumps. She caught the eye of the best dressed saleswoman and said, "Tea. The Willard. My future mother-in-law and my mother. Sunday Afternoon. Size Two." "Yes ma'am. If you'd like to have a cup of coffee while I start?" "No coffee, I'm wired enough. Do you have a soda?" "Certainly." The saleslady went to get a can of caffeine free Diet Coke and a crystal tumbler of ice. When she returned, she was bold enough to ask, "May I ask what you do?" "I'm a Special Agent with the FBI and a Forensic Pathologist." "How were you planning to carry concealed during the Tea?" "I've got a thigh holster and a good purse in Coach Leather Brown. Depends on the dress. On the job, I carry in my waistband." "You just sit and decompress while I take a look at the racks." The saleslady brought out four dresses. Scully's eyes were drawn to the cream cotton dress with green ivy and rust roses embroidered on the hem and open bodice. A big reverse pleat on either side kept the line slim, but allowed easy movement. Included was an unstructured rust blazer that came below her hips. "I didn't need to bring anything else out, did I." "No. Let's get the right accessories." "Gloves are easy. Simple white cotton, with a button at the wrist. Exactly fitted, so you can do anything . We have an excellent selection of sizes. If you will follow me?" The gloves were a treat to her senses. Even smoother and more wonderful than the twelve sets of sheets Mulder had spent megabucks on so she could have her fresh sheets every night. "Hat?" "Ms. Scully, may I suggest something a little out of the traditional mode? For you, and for this outfit, a simple Panama straw in fedora style. We can run up a band embroidered with the dress pattern, or plain rust one. Pushed back, it gives an impression of sincerity, chic and openness." "I'll take that and the boater. Just changing the hat and shoes will allow me to go to the country club without a qualm." "I assume you want a pair of shoes and purse to match?" "Certainly." "One of my favorite styles is back this summer. Sandals with an instep strap. I always wear those, they are actually much more comfortable and secure than ordinary pumps." "I like the bone, what do you think?" "It provides just enough contrast to the cream. I'd say go for it. The same designer has a line of purses. A little clutch?" *** Friday, 6:00 PM Georgetown "Mrs. Mulder, won't you come in. Fox is in the shower, he will be down in a moment." She extended her hand and a welcoming smile. "Miss Scully, I'm so pleased to be here. Before he comes down, please accept my thanks for building a home for Fox, it's not something he's had in a long time." The shock to Scully from that frank speech and glistening of tears in Teena's eyes brought out her latent fierceness. With a sheen in her own eyes, she said. "Don't thank me, I'm building it for us." They looked at each other and reached a mutual accommodation. Not friendship, not even liking, but a mutual respect for a mutual goal. Mulder walked in and saw them clasping hands. "Mom, I'm glad to see you. You will stay here, won't you? The guest room is actually nicer than the master suite right now." She extended her hand and inclined her cheek for his kiss, then said, "Of course, Fox. Dana's invitation was very gracious. Now go get my bags out of the car, while Dana gives me a tour." He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she quirked one back. "Let's start at the second floor. I've decided not to do anything to the top floor. We don't plan on live in servants. *** "This is a lovely guest room, Miss Scully. These country pine antiques are wonderful in here." "This is the only room except the library that is furnished. These came out of my apartment. I've not made any changes in the rest of the house yet, beyond three days of a cleaning crew and ripping out the worn carpets. You did an excellent job when you redecorated." "Thank you, dear. I never really lived here, but I always liked this house." *** They both heard the doorbell, and hastened to answer it. Mulder had gotten the door, and he and Wolf were entertaining the toddler that Becky had had on her hip. Teena spouted out, "Rebecca Jurgens, are you still chasing after Fox?" "In no way, Mrs. Mulder. It's Becky Beauregard now, and Paul is my fourth son. Dana and I are great friends, I wouldn't dream of straying or poaching." "What brings you by, Becky?" "Boredom, Dana. Four and the oldest three are out doing guy things. My best bet is that involves Gunnies, a lot of beer and really gory stories." "You're expecting a different attitude from Wolf and Mulder?" "Shit, no. Just that it doesn't have to be in the damn bag. I would like to keep my sons around me, I want my heros to be a local call." Scully and Mrs. Mulder both hugged her, Teena more understanding than Scully trying to comfort her friend. "Becky, won't you stay for supper. Mulder is grilling chicken breasts, and we have enough sides for everyone. Supper is about 8:00." "Let me call home and leave a message." "Four, if you and your pumped up fire team need supper, I'm at Dana's. 8:00. Bring good beer for Mulder and hot dogs and veggies for the fire team. Love you, and the ankle biters." *** 10:00 PM "That was very pleasant, Dana, but I must be off to bed now. Those energetic boys wore me out. The morning comes early, and I need my rest to cope with truck drivers and moving in the morning." "Mrs. Mulder, Chief Barnes and my mother will be here around eight. What do you like for breakfast?" "Just tea and toast, dear. And thanks for the warning, I shan't come down in my robe." *** 7:30 AM Saturday Dana was wrestling with the coffee maker when she heard a knock at the back door. She knew it had to be the Chief, because Wolf wasn't growling and the visitor wasn't screaming as his throat was being torn out. "Chief, could you give me a hand? My mom and a couple of truck drivers will be here shortly, and will want your good Navy coffee. Mulder's mother is upstairs, and likes her morning tea. I'll do that, if you take care of the coffee." "Certainly, Ms. Scully." "There's the doorbell. Let me go get it." As the chief finished the coffee and moved the whistling teakettle from the hot eye, he noticed a figure coming into the kitchen. She was dressed in khaki drawstring pants and a shocking pink oxford dress shirt. Her grey hair and subtle makeup shouted class. "Mrs. Mulder?" "Yes?" "I'm John Barnes, Ms. Scully's construction secretary. Ms. Scully had to answer the door. I believe this tea is for you." He poured the boiling water into the teapot and set it and a cup and saucer in front of her. "I don't know much about tea, you'll have to watch it yourself." "Mom, this is Fox's mother, Teena Scully. Mrs. Mulder, this is my mother, Margaret Scully." "Mrs. Scully." "Mrs. Mulder." Scully poured coffee into three white pottery mugs, and set them on the table for Mulder, her mother and herself. "Chief, sit down. You're going to be an integral part of this morning. Mrs. Mulder, will we have to send the furniture out to be restored before using it?" "Some of the upholstered pieces, yes. The wooden pieces, no. A swipe with Old English furniture polish and they will be ready for service. The lamps will need new shades." "OK, the assignments for today. Mrs. Mulder, if you would direct the movers, Chief, you and Mulder are going to clean and assemble furniture, Murphy's Oil Soap on all surfaces. Mom, you and I are going to polish after everything is clean, and vacuum." "Mrs. Mulder, if any of the upholstered pieces can't be used, put them in the far bay. Any boxes need to go into the laundry room, we'll take our time with those. The kitchen stairs are the widest, we will use those for second floor stuff, the front for the first floor." "Dana, what will you be using the upstairs library for? I've got a good deal of furniture that used to up there." "Pretty much as a quiet retreat for Fox and myself. *** Saturday Evening Mulder took a beer and passed it to the Chief, than took one for himself. He looked at Scully, and asked, "Tea tomorrow afternoon for the ladies, what's my part on this." Scully looked him right in the eye and said, "Plan the renovation of the gardens. I'm going to want them in tip-top shape in two months. Keep it simple but elegant, you need to be able to keep it up in just a few days a week." *** Skinner's Office 9:05 Tuesday Morning "A couple of things. I reviewed your lesson plans, and they're your usual excellent work. Your first three days are the second week in November." "Mulder, I've reviewed your manning requests. Have you talked to all the people involved?" "Yes." "How the hell did you get three first rate partnerships to agree to join you in the basement? I just needed somewhere to park Mitchell and Al'Din for a year and a half, but you're assembling the best investigative unit in the Bureau. Of course they're all hot dogs and flakes, but really sharp investigators." "It's all in how talk to them sir. I just offered people with non-standard outlooks a little excitement." "Scully, are you aware of these names?" "Of course, sir. Who do think is going to come down to the basement to work for Spooky and the Ice Queen and chase little grey men and things that go bump in the night except people who are unhappy with their current assignments but want to stay in Bureau? We've weeded out all the drunks, jerks and timeservers." "OK. Do you two have anything pressing going on? Overnight there was what appears to be a kidnapping discovered in Silver Spring, Maryland. It's really screwy, because we've come up with the kids, but no sign of the kidnappers or the parents. I've been requested to provide some manpower for a few days." The glanced at each other, the Mulder said, "Sure, we'd be glad to help. You'll jerk us off if something comes up?" "Yes. Report to SAC Higgins from the Baltimore Field Office at the Silver Spring PD. He'll give you your assignments." *** "SAC Higgins, I'm Mulder and this is Scully. AD Skinner sent us down to lend a hand." "Any special skills?" "Scully's a pathologist, and I used to be a profiler." "OK, we've got four kids, two girls and two boys. We don't know where they came from, and we don't know who brought them here. They seem to be normal American four year olds, healthy, and have no idea who they are or where they came from." "Scully, I want you to take the kids and Rita Gomes, from county Child Protective Services, to the hospital and see if you can find out anything. Mulder, you go with them, but first stop by a store and get some games, color books, stuff like that and see if you can find out anything. Gomes isn't going to let you stress the kids, and she has final say." "Budget, Sir?" Scully asked. "On a kidnapping case? That's going to lead in tomorrow's Washington Post? Be real. The full faith and credit of the United States Government. If you can't do it at the local hospital, take samples and send it to Quantico and Johns Hopkins, both. I've got access to State Troopers, Montgomery County Sheriff, helicopters, more manpower than I know what to do with and a huge headache. These are cute kids." *** Mulder walked in to find the kids sitting in a circle around Gomes, nodded at her, and went in search of Scully. "What have we got so far?" "Cursory exam suggests fraternal twins, about four years old. Appear healthy, clean and well nourished, dressed in kid's clothes from Wal-Mart or Target, not new but clean yesterday. Language and social skills developmentally appropriate. I've pulled blood, urine and stool samples, no results yet. I've sent Ms. Gomes' assistant to a department store to get each of them two new outfits and some pajamas, toothbrushes, etc. I've already bagged bag the clothes and couriered them to Quantico for analysis. Ms. Gomes arranged for a snack of cookies and juice, and lunch is in the works." "Any procedures planned before lunch?" "No, but we will probably do cat scans early this evening." "Ok, time to go charm the kids." *** "Hello, everyone. My name is Fox Mulder. I'm a friend of Dana Scully. What are your names?" The dark headed girl spoke up, "Hi, I've Eve and this is my brother Eddie." "Hello, Eve. Hello Eddie. Eddie, do you have a last name?" "Crawford." "Eve Crawford and Eddie Crawford. Those are nice names." He addressed the other two. "And do you have names?" The little boy giggled and said, "Of course we do. I'm Pat, and this is my sister, Mickey. We're Crawfords too." Mulder lowered his voice and said, "Patrick Crawford and Michelle Crawford. There are sure a lot of Crawfords here today. Are there any more Crawfords?" Mickey piped up, "Just our big brother, Kurt. He takes care of us." "What about a Mommy and Daddy?" "We don't have one of those, just Kurt." He looked up and Scully standing behind the kids, a very strange expression on her face. "Oh, look, there's Dana. Maybe she wants to chat too." "No, Mulder, I came for more blood. Yours this time." He raised an eyebrow, then rolled up his shirt sleeve. She took her sample and scurried away. Gomes' assistant came back with the new clothes, and Mulder helped the two boys change. Gomes helped the two girls, then they sat down to lunch. After everyone had their lunch, Spaghettio's, green beans and green Jell-O, with a cup of milk, Mulder started in again. He'd found out over lunch that the children had been heard crying in a newly rented, empty apartment. He started to discuss that. He soon found out that the kids had been driven three days to Maryland, and Kurt had left in the van to get some food. They would unpack the van after eating. Mickey piped up. "Kurt's got my bear, I won't be able to sleep without my bear." Mulder leaned down and gave her a hug, and shot a strong look at Pat. Pat moved over to hug his sister, muttering, "Hugs are for sissies." "OK, everybody, bathroom break." As the kids trooped out, he grabbed his cellphone and dialed. "Higgins, this is Mulder. You're looking for Kurt Crawford. Male Caucasian, Red hair, about 25 to 30, medium height, slender build. He's driving a dark blue full size van with windows, a camper van. Out of state tags. You won't find him, but you'll probably find the van abandoned in some out of the way place locally. Approach the van with care, there may be toxic substances in the van." "OK, any idea where to look?" "Probably just a few minutes from apartment the kids were found in, in the direction of the nearest fast food outlet." "Would you like to suggest as charges?" "Just child abandonment and reckless endangerment, he's the older brother. But you're not going to find him. If you find the van this evening, bring the kids' luggage and teddy bears to the hospital." "Sure thing Mulder. I'll keep you posted." "Thanks." *** Scully came striding in, a look of determination on her face. "Mulder, we have to talk." "Ms. Gomes, could you take the kids for a while? Maybe a playground, they're starting to get restless." "Sure, Agent Mulder, that sounds like a good idea." As the kids trooped out, Scully collapsed into his arms. She sniffled out, "Congratulations, Mulder, you're a father." "Any idea who the mothers are." "Me, of course." "Any anomalies?" "None so far. No branching DNA, no sign of any problems in the blood, nothing but four healthy kids." "How sure are you?" "The test I used is pretty accurate. It's 95% sure that it's either us or two full siblings." "Can that be refined?" "Already started, but it will take about a week for results." "Would you like to set some Maryland case law?" "What do you mean?" "A good lawyer and a cooperative judge and we wouldn't have to adopt them, because they were kidnapped from their parents before birth. We're neat, clean and sober, with regular jobs, and Ms. Gomes thinks well of me, so no problem with Protective Services." "We could do that?" "If you wanted." "Let's talk about that before we make a decision." *** "This is going to change everything." Scully cuddled closer, and clutched at him. "Why don't you list out the changes you see, and I'll add any I see." "Mulder and Scully. We won't be able to both go out in the field, or work forever hours." "That's pretty much going to end anyway. We got away with staying partners after the engagement because it was just the two of us. The Bureau isn't going to let us stay partners after we expand, especially after we're married. Anyway, SAC's don't have partners." "Mulder, you'll have to cut your hours. I can stand 80 hour weeks because we're together, but if I'm waiting for you to come home, I want it to be at 5:30, not 10:30." "I'll work on that. Besides, what if I want to stay home?" "Then you'll greet me at the door with a glass of wine in one hand and your boxers in the other. What happens to the children if we don't" "You know as well as I do they go into the foster care system until their legal status is resolved. Which will be never, we know exactly what happened but a judge will never believe it. Gomes is kind and competent, they won't be in any danger from the ordinary perils of foster care." "What about love?" "Foster care isn't about that. It's about three hots and a cot, hopefully away from the worst predators." "One more effect. Fox and Dana. We'll not be free to do trapeze sex all over the house anymore. Behind closed doors, after the kids are in bed, just like normal people. Could you live with that?" "I can live with anything, as long as you're there. I told your Mom at the picnic that I'd give anything for our kid, except you or my soul, and the soul part is negotiable." "What about the risks?" "Every child is a risk. What are the odds of Down's Syndrome on a first baby when the mother is thirty five. The odds of a car accident when they're teens. The odds of AIDS for a young adult. Leukemia. Juvenile Diabetes. Turning into a useless drone because of all the money around." "All way to high for comfort." "If we do this, we've got a few risks that are non-standard. Hey, nothing we do is real normal, why should this be any different." Scully got up and started pacing, muttering to her self. A series of emotions cascaded across her face, winding up with one of beatific joy. She turned to Mulder with her business face and asked, "How will we do this." "First step will be to call Cindy Barnett in the morning and find the name of the best family lawyer on the East Coast. Then we give that individual lots and lots of money and tell him or her what's happening and what we want. We'll probably want to make some changes in the redecoration scheme, and maybe move the wedding up." "OK, let's do it." *** "There you have it, Ms. Fischer. That's our story. Can you help us." "You've got documentary evidence and witnesses to all of this?" "Except for the parts we've clearly labeled as speculation." "How do you want to handle this? Loud or quiet? We can get continuous press coverage for a couple of weeks, with every commentator in the country opining loudly, or quietly, with only a legal notice in a local paper." "Which way is surer?" "Probably quiet." "Will an ongoing FBI investigation have any effect on this case?" "Not really, I'm going to approach it as you suggested, these are your kids, kidnapped at an early age. The state's only concern is if you present a danger to the kids, or are obviously unfit, and they have to prove that." *** To be continued Wolf 9 A Finish Author. Mike Feedback: Please. MLP0666@Hotmail.com AU. Post Episode Alpha. Won't make a lot of sense if you've not read the rest. Rating: PG Category: SRA AU MSR, Schmoop. A little angst. Spoilers: None Disclaimer: The Usual Drill. No Money being made, merely an appreciation of the characters owned and developed by Chris Carter and Fox. Montgomery County, Maryland Courthouse Family Court Monday, September 27, 1999 9:00 AM "All rise. This court is in session, the honorable Joseph Smith presiding. The case before the court is custody of four minor children known as Edwin Crawford, Evelyn Crawford, Michelle Crawford and Patrick Crawford." "I've read the briefs, and this isn't really in dispute. We will try to make this as painless as possible, but we have to make sure all the bases are touched. Ms. Fischer, begin." "Your honor, my clients' position is that these children are theirs, kidnapped before conception, and should be returned to them." "There is a point we need to prove. Do you have witnesses?" "Two, sir. Dr. Joan Lackey, Chairwoman of the genetics department of Johns Hopkins and ASAC Murray Greenberg of the analytical section of the FBI labs." "Call them up." "Will Dr. Joan Lackey approach the bench." "Dr. Lackey, are the children in question the biological children of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully?" "Probably." "Would you please establish the level of probability?" "There is one chance in 80 million they are not the children of Fox Mulder. There is one chance in 100 million they are not the children of Dana Scully. There is one chance in 80 quadrillion that they aren't the biological children of that couple." "Thank you, Doctor." "Cross." "Dr. Lackey, is there any chance that the samples may have been contaminated?" "No, I took them myself using standard protocol. I'm aware that earlier samples were taken, that gave the same results, but since Dr. Scully took them herself in the course of an FBI investigation, I disregarded them for legal purposes." "Do you know Dr. Scully or Mr. Mulder?" "No sir, I don't." "Didn't Dr. Scully attend Johns Hopkins Medical School?" "Yes. She has an excellent reputation in the pathology department, but she never took one of my classes." "Thank you, Doctor." "Dr. Murray Greenberg, please approach the bench." "Dr. Greenberg, would you please tell us the probability that these children are the biological offspring of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder?" "As certain as it can be in this human world. My best estimate is there is less than one chance in 100 quadrillion that they are not. I use a slightly different protocol than Dr. Lackey, but one accepted by the federal courts." "Cross." "Dr. Greenberg, was there any chance of contamination when you took the samples?" "No. We used standard FBI chain of evidence procedures. I can outline them for you if you like." "That won't be necessary. Why did you do second series of tests?" "When the results of the first tests came in that the children were hers, Agent Scully insisted that a second series be run, without her being anything except a test subject. She wanted clean results that would stand up in court." "Do you know Dr. Scully?" "Yes. She's the best field pathologist in the bureau. She brings some really weird stuff to us, but I've never heard of her making a mistake." "Thank you, Doctor." "Ms. Fischer, would you care to summarize?" "Your honor, we've two very competent witnesses saying that the chances that these aren't the children of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are somewhere between really impossible and really, really impossible. I think we've proven that point." "Mr. Toynbee?" "No dispute." "The next step is to determine how these children happened to come into the world. Ms. Fischer?" "This is where it gets weird, your honor. I'd like to call Dr. Dana Scully to the stand." "Dr. Scully, where do you think these children came from?" "In August, 1994 I was abducted. I was found three months later, comatose. When I began having menstrual problems two months after I returned, I went to my gynecologist and discovered that I had no ova left." "So your best guess is that while you were abducted, your ova were harvested." "Yes." "How does that fit with the ages of the children?" "The children appear to be about four years old. If they were born in the summer of 1995, that would fit perfectly with the timing of my abduction." "Cross." "Dr. Scully, were you intimate with Agent Mulder at the time of your abduction?" "No, the first time we had sexual relations was this spring, 1999, the same day we became engaged." "So you're claiming those children couldn't be the result of ordinary relations?" "Yes. I can give innumerable witnesses that in the spring of '95 I wasn't pregnant with quadruplet fraternals. It would be very noticeable on someone whose normal weight is around 100 pounds." "Where do you think the sperm came from?" "I wouldn't care to speculate, although the current literature indicates spermatozoa can remain viable for forty-eight hours at room temperature. Frozen, we don't know. Tests at the earliest sperm banks with samples from the late forties show still active." "Dr. Scully, would a condom be a good place to store sperm." "While not ideal, and a poor choice for long term, it would certainly be a way to capture the sperm for later transfer." "Thank you, Dr. Scully." "Ms. Fischer, would you care to summarize." "Your Honor, we've established how it could have happened. We feel this is the most likely scenario, but of course we have no proof of any particular person or persons being responsible. In light of the DNA evidence, we would like the court to acknowledge that this or something similar happened." "Mr. Toynbee?" "CPS acknowledges that something very strange happened, and that Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder didn't bring these children into the world and then abandon them. That particular point is the most important to us." "That part is settled. The next question is fitness to be parents. Ms. Fischer?" "I'd like to call Ms. Rita Gomes, Assistant Director of Montgomery County Child Protective Services." "Ms. Gomes, could you narrate the events of July 7 of this year?" "I received a call from the Silver Spring Police Department about four abandoned children, under circumstances that they felt were possibly a kidnapping. Upon arrival at police station, I found the children. Under state law, I immediately took custody of the children. Because they were evidence of a possible crime, we stayed at the police station until the arrival of the FBI in the late morning." "The agent in charge asked me to go to the hospital with Dr. Scully and Agent Mulder to gather physical evidence and question the children. Neither the police or I had been able to get much response from the children." "Please describe the demeanor of Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder." "Dr. Scully was brisk but friendly with the children. She made every attempt to allay their fears, but she was determined to gather her evidence. She sent my assistant to the store to get new clothes and sleepwear for the children so she could send their clothes to the FBI lab." "Agent Mulder came a few minutes later with a bag full of simple toys, games, color books and crayons, and immediately began putting the children at ease. In the first fifteen minutes he elicited more information than the police or I had managed to do in six hours." "Did you know that Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder had reached the conclusion that the children were theirs?" "No, but I wasn't in their company the entire time, I was with the children." "Where are the children now?" "Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder are serving as foster parents." "Isn't that a little unusual?" "A little, but a quick investigation showed that they were solid, responsible people, and they had the room and resources." "Since they are both here this morning, who's minding the kids?" "They've hired a live in nanny, and I believe Dr. Scully's mother is also there." "Have you done the standard adoptive parents investigations and interviews?" "Yes." "Is this your usual written report?" Ms. Fischer passed a thick file to her. After leafing through it, she said, "Yes, this is the report I prepared." "Would you please summarize the results?" "This would be a nearly perfect environment for the children, both physically and emotionally. My only concern, a minor one, is the stability of a marriage only a few weeks old. "Why is that minor?" "They aren't horny teenagers, they are responsible adults, well aware of the consequences of their actions." "Cross." "Ms. Gomes, let's explore the new marriage a little. Why are you so worried about that?" "Often, when a marriage breaks down, the woman is left with the children and inadequate resources." "Were you aware of the attached documents?" "I've never seen these before." "Let me summarize for you. On September 7, the first workday after the marriage, Mr. Mulder set up irrevocable trusts for the children and Dr. Scully, the new Mrs. Mulder. Each of the children's trusts has a principle of $2.5 Million, and Dr. Scully's has a principle of $10 Million plus the current residence of the Mulders. At current interest rates, after taxes, that amounts to about $120,000 a year for each for the children, and nearly $500,000 a year for Dr. Scully, with no rent payment. Does that relieve your concern?" "Oh, yes." From the bench. "I'm sorry, Mr. Toynbee, I'm going to have to interrupt. Will Ms. Fischer, Dr. Scully and Mr. Mulder please come with me to chambers." *** "What the hell is going on?" Mulder replied, "I'm convinced they're my kids. I don't want them to suffer for any material want. The whole wad amounts to a little less than half my net worth. It also serves to let the court and bureaucracy that I'm serious." "Twenty million is a real serious number, boy. It sure piqued my interest. Any caveats or outs?" "Only one. If Dana predeceases me, I become trustee of the kids' trusts." "What happens if you don't get custody?" "The foster or adoptive parents, on application, get the things or services required. They don't get the money, just what the kids need." "When do the trusts expire?" "June 19, 2020, when they are twenty-five. They get control of the principle then. Dana's is for her lifetime, but she has control of the principle now. She can point the corpus where she wants." "Dr. Scully?" "I thought this was a little melodramatic, but my will says for the benefit of the kids, with Mulder as trustee." "Ms. Fischer, would you care to comment?" "It's perfectly legal, Your Honor." "I know that. But I've just had a guy stand up in my court and say, under oath, 'I bet $10 Million that these are my kids, and I'm going to do my best to care for them. By the way, here's another $10 Million to take care of the love of my life.' And from the lack of expression on Dr. Scully's face, she wouldn't even blink before shooting me to doll rags on the bench if I rule against her." Scully responded silkily, "I wouldn't even think about shooting you, your honor, that might prejudice the appeal." "And that's the only damn thing that would stop you, isn't it. Don't answer that, I might have to take notice." They smiled insincerely at each other. Ms. Fischer interjected, "Your Honor, my clients have substantial resources and a certain amount of determination. Their only reason for being here is to gather the children of their bodies to their bosoms." "Ms. Fischer, 'a certain amount of determination' is what the First Marine Division had when we went ashore at Inchon. This is way beyond that. How far are you going to take it?" "I've already called Larry Tribe for coaching sessions about presenting before the Supreme Court. He thinks, because of the nature of the facts, it will be accepted. Because they're DC residents, it's a short ride to the top." Judge Smith mused, "Let me lay it out as plain as possible. The biological parents of these children want them. They have the physical and emotional resources to take care of them. CPS wants them to have the kids, hell the CPS representative has a crush on Mulder and is in awe of Scully. If I don't rule in favor of the petitioners I get to watch my name immortalized as the single dumbest judge in the history of the Republic." "Yes sir, that is a wonderfully concise and accurate summary." Ms. Fischer smiled warmly at him, "That's why I love working with a pro, you don't have to explain things." "Let's get back to it. You will let me know of any more surprises that come up?" "Any of mine, certainly, Your Honor." *** "Mr. Toynbee, you may continue questioning Ms. Gomes." "Describe the physical circumstances the children find themselves in." "The Mulders have two large bedrooms with a shared bathroom directly across from their bedroom. The girls' room has two twin beds, with two dressers and two desks. The boys' room has a bunk bed set, with two dressers and two desks. There is a large yard, with a swing set and jungle gym. Mrs. Mulder's dog is very gentle with the children, and smarter and more loyal than most people I meet. Mrs. Mulder is very organized, and has a weekly menu and schedule posted on the refrigerator. " "Mr. Mulder is actually the cook, and entertains the little boys while he does so. While he's doing that, Mrs. Mulder takes the girls into the back yard for twenty minutes of Yoga, then a shower and dressing for dinner." "Dressing for dinner? Dresses, gloves, hats and everything?" "No, just clean clothes and their hair brushed. It's late summer in Washington, currently the dress for the evening is shorts, T-shirts and sneakers. For the boys too. Mr. Mulder showers with the boys during the late stages of supper. He comes down in jeans and a T-shirt." "Mornings are at St. Morton's by the River, the Episcopal day school in the neighborhood, for their pre-kindergarten program. The nanny reinforces the lessons, then spends at least an hour with them at the playground near the house. The children are enrolled in kindergarten full time next year, 2000/2001. Mrs. Mulder is a friend of one of the Board of Directors, Dr. Rebecca Beauregard." The bench intervened again. "I know that name, High Noon at the Willard?" "Yes, Your Honor. Both Mrs. Mulder and Dr. Beauregard, among others, were forced to defend their lives during that incident." "Continue, Mr. Toynbee." "Ms. Gomes, did you gather personal references as to the stability and fitness of these people to be parents?" "Yes, I've sixty-seven affidavits as to the fitness of Mr. and Mrs. Mulder." "Mr. Toynbee, would you care to comment?" "I was present at each affidavit, and I have no doubt that each of these character references is valid. I was particularly touched by evidence of Mr. Mulder's empathy with children, and references to Agent Scully's protective instincts. Normally we talk to between half a dozen and a dozen references, but we had volunteers coming to us." "Mr. Toynbee, explain to the court why references to Dr. Scully shift between Dr. Scully, Agent Scully and Mrs. Mulder." "Dana Scully is a licensed MD in Maryland, with privileges in DC and Virginia. She is also a Special Agent of the FBI, mostly involved in field investigations. Upon her marriage, she found it was very difficult to get her name changed on her medical license, as well as she has a certain professional reputation she wants to keep. Please see the first affidavit, from Walter Skinner, Assistant Director of the FBI, for an example. She has informed me that for professional purposes she will remain Scully, but for social purposes and domestic legal purposes she will use Mulder. I'm sorry if I've confused the court." "Anything, Ms. Fischer?" "No, Sir." "It's 12:15. Let's break for lunch. I'll have a verbal opinion this afternoon, and a written one tomorrow morning. Court reconvenes at 2:00 PM." *** Scully was all nerves as she nibbled at her BLT. She looked at Fischer with an imploring expression on her face. "I didn't come on to strong, did I, Gail? He doesn't strike me as someone who scares easy." "Dana, he doesn't scare at all. In the late seventies, he went armed all of the time as state AG. He managed to roll up the entire mob connection on the state docks, and shot two Mob gunnies off his front porch. Anyway, you said you posed no danger to him." "I'm so scared." Mulder put his arm around her and said, "Imagine the worst case, we don't get the kids as ours. They stay in the foster system. Rita has us qualified as foster parents, we keep the kids until they're eighteen. If you can't imprint those kids as mommy in fourteen years, I'll be very surprised." *** "The court is in session. Hear the judgement of the court." "In the matter of the custody of the four minor children known as Evelyn Crawford, Edwin Crawford, Patrick Crawford and Michelle Crawford, I find that they belong with their biological parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fox Mulder. The state has presented rather compelling evidence why they should be united with their children. Case closed." *** When they got back to their car, a Morley pack was stuck under the wiper. They whirled around with their hands on their weapons, but saw no sign of the man. Mulder extracted the box and found a sheet of paper in it. He scanned it, then handed it to Scully. "Mulder, Please accept my congratulations on your marriage and parenthood. Think of the children as a control group. The only DNA used was from you two. I've no intention of using my grandchildren against you, they will only be exposed to the normal hazards of living. None of the experiments were viable." *** Scully was basking in the feeling of sitting in Mulder's lap, with his arms around her in a hug. She shot to awareness as he cleared his throat, and noticed four solemn little faces watching her. She raised an eyebrow, and the children spoke in turn. "We're waiting our turn." Eddie said impatiently. "Daddy's lap is really nice." Eve said wistfully. "Almost as good as yours, Mommy." Pat said analytically. "But his hugs are better." Mickey said winsomely. She barely kept herself from bursting into tears or gales of laughter. She got down on her knees and gathered all the children into a huge hug. She got back on the couch and said, "I want two little boys on my lap, now." Mulder held out his arms to Eve and Mickey, and they comfortably settled into a family snuggle. The snuggle didn't last long. Four lively four year olds will squirm. As soon as all four were squirming, Scully looked at Mulder. Mulder said, "Tickle fight!" and began tickling everyone within reach, most especially including Scully. Soon they were all in a pile on the rug, with Wolf giving a big lick to every face that came by. In the Basement 8:40 Am Mitchell grinned as he said, "Mulder you looked whipped. Married life not agreeing with you?" "When my wife kicks me out of bed at Oh dark thirty to run her dog for five miles, so she can snatch another few minutes before the kids get up, I tend to get a little testy. What have you got?" "I got a call, waking me from my lonely bachelor bed, from SAC Mo Bocks in Minneapolis saying he took down the address the Crawford van was registered to. There was a Lot of documentation. About a dozen old guys in suits. And some really gross shit in the basement." "Did he leave a number?"" "Yeah, but he can't come to the phone right now." "Huh?" Scully handed a cup of coffee to Al'Din and said, "He's giving a press conference right now." She turned up the sound on Fox News, and they heard, "In the course of investigating a kidnapping, we found a facility doing illegal medical experiments on children and women. We've arrested nineteen people on multiple charges of kidnapping, enslavement, rape, assault, murder and conspiracy. Several of those arrested have refused to give their names. We've passed out mug shots and ask that anyone who recognizes these people call 1-800-555-1234." "What sort of medical experiments?" "We're not releasing that information at this time. The US Attorney and the District Attorney will release it when they have their indictments prepared." "Do you think you got everyone?" "No. We've not finished going through the documentation, but there is already proof that this was a small part of a much larger conspiracy. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I've got some calls to make." [Mulder, this is Mo Bocks] "I just saw you on TV. Why go public so soon?" [We've already got solid evidence on enough high up people that they'll have to double the size of Allenwood. Plus, you told me the evidence always disappears or is hushed up. I figure if seventy or eighty million people know about it, it will be hard to hush up. When are you and Scully getting here?] "Late afternoon your time. Thanks for the wedding present." [I assume you'll just be staying for a few days.] "Yeah, get three rooms, we're bringing another team." *** "Scully, it's time to put the 'out of town' plan to the test." "Mom, this is Dana. We've got to go out of town on a case. We'll be leaving a little after noon. We'll stop by the house and tell the kids." "Frieda, this is Mrs. Mulder. Mr. Mulder and I have to leave town on business. We'll be home about noon to tell the kids goodbye and give them a hug. We'll call home every night about Eight Eastern Time. You've got our cell phone numbers if anything comes up. My Mom will be showing up sometime this afternoon, and Dr. Beauregard is on tap." *** "Mulder, Scully, this way." "SAC Bocks, I'd like to introduce Agents Bo Mitchell and Fatima Al'Din, a new team in our division." "Call me Mo, everyone does." Al'Din extended her hand, and gave a brisk shake. Bocks then extended his hand to Mitchell and said, "Bo, I knew you'd wind up with flakes like us. How's it going?" "Just fine, Mo. You?" "I'm really jazzed about this case. Straight up investigation, solid police work that will stand up in court, shoe leather on the pavement kind of stuff. It's about some really weird stuff, but legwork will solve it. And the FBI has original jurisdiction on the kidnapping and enslavement charges." Mulder shook off a feeling of dj vu, then asked Bocks, "Lay out the preliminaries for us, Mo." "It looks like this was the central records repository for the conspiracies. They did a little baby making and killing on the side, using kidnapped women from four states. There are three main threads, anti-viral, genetic modification and hardware. The considered opinion of the biologists and doctors I've brought in to consult is that they were 'Stupid, clumsy, Nazi bastards.' Apparently they were about thirty years behind the state of the art. The hardware guys are a little more charitable, saying these are neat toys, and we'd have had them in another twenty years. The most interesting thing personally is a power source that would heat my drafty old Victorian for only $5 a winter." "I gave the specs of a few of the pieces of hardware to my youngest's science fiction club, and in the last twelve hours they've come up with; modification to a Harrier Jump-Jet that essentially makes it a ship killer and skips about four generations of development in air superiority; modifications to ballistic missile submarines that make them ideal patrol craft for the solar system; 25mm guided missiles with antimatter warheads that travel at .2c in space; and detection systems that read a stealthed license plate at ten light years." Mulder was slightly awed. "Shit, Mo, who put hot sauce on your oatmeal this morning?" "You haven't seen the babies in the basement yet. The US attorney and the state attorney general are putting up their indictments, with all the support documentation, up on web sites as soon as they're prepared. Governor Ventura has instructed the University to put up all the hardware info as soon as it can be processed, as well as the biological that doesn't include a crime. Half the faculty from the University have been drafted to process, organize and post it. Every .EDU site in the country is mirroring it. It's out now." "What about black berets?" "We've got three battalions of the National Guard and the State Police SWAT team doing physical security. The Guard may be a problem if the President nationalizes them, but the Governor and the Adjutant General think they can delay any action for at least a day. And every TV crew with a satellite link within 500 miles is on the front lawn, trying to get interviews and having their talking heads analyze the data." "C'mon, let's go get you cars. Wait, there's the governor on TV." "My fellow Minnesotans, as you've no doubt heard, some horrible crimes have been committed in our state. We have stopped the crimes, are doing what we can to aid the living victims and are pursuing the perpetrators as I speak. Copies of the state indictments, with documentary evidence, have just been posted on the Attorney General's website. They will load slowly, as there is a lot of documentary evidence, and we've put up pictures as well as text. Some of these pictures are very graphic." "The crimes were not just in Minnesota. As we uncover evidence of crimes in other jurisdictions, I've instructed the Attorney General to forward that information to the relevant authorities. So far, we've been in contact with eleven state Attorneys General and three different US Attorneys, but we're not done yet." "For those of you not Minnesotans who hear me, we've also loaded copies what we've provided your Attorney General. Click on your State Flag icon to see it." "My first impression is that evil men have been working in the shadows to subvert our government and institutions. This is as evil as any crime they have committed. I pledge to you, on my oath of office as Governor, that I will not allow this here." "I will keep you updated as things progress. Good night." Mulder woofed, then said, "Couldn't you hear them clanging from here." Mitchell said, slowly, ruminating, "Ah think ah just heard John Calhoun dancin' on his grave. That's mo'e states rahts than has been heard foah a hunnert 'n fifty yeahs." Al'Din broke in, "Uncle Jake Smith keeps his great- granddaddy's black hat and Springfield on display. I thought that question was settled in 1865?" "Just shifted the grounds of the debate a little, Al'Din. Governor Ventura just said the states have responsibilities also, and he's going to make sure that Minnesota meets its." Mulder grinned big, then said, "Let's finish this case, Mitchell, then I'll write you a lovely recommendation to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation." Mitchell grinned back and said, "Not necessary. If Bobby Lee could work for the Feds for thirty years, I suppose I can too. The benefits are better." Al'Din and Scully looked at each other. <> They nodded briskly at each other, then moved to their accustomed positions beside their partners. Bocks observed the body language, and suppressed a snicker. Al'Din was modeling herself on Scully. Just a few months into the partnership and Mitchell ignored her area of responsibility, confident she could handle anything coming from that direction. *** Bocks spoke they entered the facility. "We are having rotating five minute briefings from the university department heads and another set from my accountant, the Attorney General's documents guy and a really pissed defense attorney whose daughter was one of the abductees. Which one would you like to sit in first?" "Al'Din, you probably need to sit in on the documents end. Mitchell with her. Scully has the science background, I'll tag along with her. Meet here in an hour?" *** "All right, let's start comparing notes. Scully, your impressions?" "You saw Four, didn't you?" "Mitchell, Al'Din, that's Colonel James Beauregard, USMC, he's a friend and neighbor, assigned to the Harrier update project at the Pentagon." Scully continued, "He said he could do the modifications suggested by Mo's kid in three weeks with a regular aircrew and a couple of good machinists. Apparently no one working on this project had any idea of the science, they were just working on engineering, and not very good engineering. It's pitiful. Most of the scientific concepts were understood in the eighties when I took my undergraduate degree in physics. The biologic sciences were worse, they stopped learning anything new about 1957. They were basically just cutting and pasting, hoping for results. They did have an inkling of how to select out undesirable traits like serious birth defects, after conception." She lifted an appalled visage to Mulder, and he reached out and took her hands in his. It was a feral, enraged face that he turned on Al'Din. She scooted back in her chair, Mitchell bracing to protect his partner. Mulder drew a shaky breath, "Sorry, this is where our kids came from. Fatima, could you tell us what you learned." "They kept complete and damning records. The money part is really interesting, apparently they were being funded by the US government by siphoning off funds from various agencies with "black" budgets. The GAO is going to have a lot of fun with this. Best guess is that the ten old guys in suits arrested here were siphoning off substantial sums to support very comfortable lifestyles. They've finally got names, four Americans, three Brits, two Germans and a Moroccan of German origins. I'd be willing to speculate that their presence was the equivalent of a board of directors meeting at a remote location. Bocks got lucky on timing." "Al'Din, Bocks doesn't do luck. This raid was fourteen weeks after he got the address. Give us old farts a little credit for slyness." He said it with a smile, but the point was clear. He and Bocks had been in consultation on the timing of the takedown. "Continue." "Like I said, complete and damning documentation. One phrase I'll never forget is 'Terminating gestation unit Wanda Johnson because of extreme psychosis, per orders of Walters. Regretful, as she has delivered seven healthy children in six years.' She was only twenty four at the time of her death. The bastard even signed his full name." The expression on her face was implacable. These men would pay. Mitchell clasped her hand under the table, offering what little comfort he could. *** January, 2002 Mulder Residence 9:00 PM Mulder was pondering, "Do you think Becky will ever forgive Four for last year?" Scully stretched her feet towards the fire and luxuriated in the comfort of his arms. "Well, he did promise her that they would go to her parents place for Christmas before last, instead, he was doing work-up with his squadron at Norfolk, and only had the day off." "Well, saving the world sounds like a good excuse to me. And I thought landing the damn thing in the front yard was a neat touch." "Wrecked her lawn, and we were stuck with four boys until Christmas dinner, while they caught up. Then he took off on a full year's deployment in space, coming home to another son." "I think she still likes him." "She loves him. I can understand loving a knight in shining armor, but forgiving assholes like that is sometimes hard, especially when they come home with the Medal of Honor and only one eye. What the hell was a fighter pilot thinking of, crash landing a transport full of Marines on a ship and then leading the boarding party. Seventy percent casualties, most of them dead." "There were some of his pilots prisoner on that ship, and all the kids were volunteers." "That's no excuse, that's the kind of job you give a hard- charging young Captain, not the senior Colonel in Corps. Becky is so scared that all of her boys are headed for the same thing as their father, and all she's going to have in her old age is a handful of medals and weepy daughters-in-law." "With the wound, he can't fly any more, so he'll finally take the promotion. Generals don't get shot at very often." "Generals commanding Henderson Field on one of Jupiter's Moons are not risk free. Fox, I'm scared of exactly the same kind of thing." "You wouldn't be referring to a Special Agent in Charge Fox Mulder would you? I've not been in a firefight for at least a year, and I've become a devout coward." "Of course I am. You've got the worst case of it I've ever seen. And that damned firefight was you trying to save someone you didn't even know." "And you love it, you were there too." He began nibbling at her neck, drawing her into a world of sensation when she was trying to be logical and analytical. "Fox, stop that! I'm trying to think." "Don't think, just open yourself to sensation." She shoved her way out of his embrace and stood in front of him, disheveled and irate. "Are you going to do it?" "No, I don't have time. I've got four kids, none of whom can handle a pop fly. I'm going to be busy all summer." "So you're going to pass on being a US Senator to teach your kids baseball?" "Butch, I like my life. I like being SAC of the X-Files, I'm good at it and it's valuable work. I like playing baseball with the kids, I like being a father. I think I'm pretty good at it. I like hanging out with the guys and playing a little Rugby. I like coming home most evenings and resting in the bosom of my family. I like being married to the most beautiful, most contrary woman in the world. I don't want to give up any of that for a job I'd hate, and wouldn't do well, so bring that bosom over here so I can rest in it." She smiled at him, "This life is pretty nice, isn't it? I like it too." She sat in a chair, away from him on the couch. "We've got a personnel problem. Al'Din wants out. She wants to sit at home and raise babies." "I thought things were a little tense between her and Mitchell. This is probably going to tear him up. Who's the guy." "You, sir, are blind. She wants to raise Mitchell's babies. The tenseness is from their fear that we'll have to take notice and separate them." "I think we can manage to be oblivious until she balloons up to a size six." "No can do, she's asked me to be matron of honor." "Ok, OK, I'll do my Unka Wally imitation. He's going to be pissed, this is third couple in three years married out of the X-Files. We get blamed for Mike and Mary, even if they were seeing each other before joining us. The last rumor I heard was the division was a cross between a den of iniquity and a dating service. Hey, it helps a little on the travel budget. Any more? I get straight vibes from Morgan and Davis, and Price and Johnson don't appear to like each other. Why did I let you talk me into the only female partnership in the Bureau?" "Because they're best white collar crime team in the Bureau?" "A Forensic Accountant and a Lawyer on the X-Files?" "And a 100% indictment rate from their cases. We needed to chase paper to clean up the conspiracy. There's more paper than Al'Din can handle. I got you the best team in the Bureau. They turned out to better than average in the field." "Yeah, yeah, they're good, but I can't read their reports and we had to soundproof their office to mute the shouting. And I keep stumbling over Assistant Attorneys General and major league accounting and law firms trying to recruit them." "Mulder, they both come from large, noisy families. They're just behaving like sisters. Eve and Mickey do the same thing. And Saturday they went out dancing with Davis and a friend of his. Davis was a gentleman, and his friend was cute." "That's it. I'm ripping out the water fountain and bringing in bottled water. It's got to be the water." "Don't do that, it might impact on our relationship." She teased. He teased back, "What happens when we retire?" "I come out of my drugged state and realize what an ass you are, and throw your clothes on the front lawn. Of course, I'll be 57, and probably too tired to bother. We'll just remodel the carriage house and move you in there during the summer. I still need a warm place to put my feet during the winter." "You do love me." "Of course. We've also got two personal problems." "Spill." "Gibson Praise has made contact. No parents, in a state boarding school. He wants out. Are we safe enough?" "Probably. He's thirteen now, third floor?" "That's what I thought." "What's the other?" "Something's going on with the kids. Exactly what, I don't know. They don't talk to each other much any more, but they seem closer than ever. Frieda's noticed it too. No problems in school, in fact better grades over all. If I ask one a question, they seem to consult among themselves, non- verbally, before I get an answer." "Take it easy, Mom. I knew a pair of FBI agents that could speak volumes just by looking at each other. The grades may just settling down. It's almost three years, they probably don't remember much of anything before us." "And I knew a little boy that could read minds." *** A tumble of thoughts went through the group mind upstairs. The End Epilogue Summer, 2010 Mulder House "Mom, sit down." "What's the problem, Ed? I've just started breakfast." "Wolf didn't wake up this morning." "Oh. Oh, dear." The tears trickled slowly down her face, but she kept a blank expression on her face. Eddie and Pat helped her to a couch, where Eve and Mickey hugged her and wept copiously. The girls started talking, "He was part of life too." "We'll miss him as much as you." "Daddy will be back from his walk in a minute." "He'll know what to do." Pat intercepted Mulder at the door, telling him what was going on. Mulder came into the parlor and saw his daughters comforting their mother. He knelt in front of her, taking her cold hands in his. "Ed, go make some tea, your mother is a little shocky." "Butch, we need to check for sure. Are you up to coming with us?" "Yes, I suppose we must." She gathered her dignity around her, and strode towards the back door. The incongruity of her suit pants and silk blouse with her bunny slippers were lost on her family. Mulder trailed behind, working his cell phone. "Amelia, this is Mulder. Scully and I won't be in today, we've had a domestic crises. Call our appointments and reschedule, tell Mitchell he's got the watch. I'll have my Cell if anything comes up." *** "Becky, this is Fox. Dana's dog just died, and she's really torn up. Could you come and sit with her for a while." "The kids are doing great, but they're as torn up as she is." "No, damnit, he was a buddy of mine, too. I've got to go to the store and get some stuff." *** "Ed and Pat, come on." He took them to the tool shed and handed each a shovel. He then marked out a four foot square on a corner of the lawn, threw down a roll of canvas beside it and said, "Four feet deep. I'll be back in an hour and help you then." He walked over to the kennel, and squatted down beside Scully, who had the dog's head on her lap, stroking it. "Dana, I've called in a personal day for both of us and Becky's going to be here in a moment. I've got to leave now, but I'll be back in an hour. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. He was a buddy of mine, too." When Mulder got back, he was trailed by the delivery truck from the local garden center. The guys on the truck unloaded railroad ties, topsoil, potting soil and several flats of seedlings. Mulder thanked them, then went to see how the boys were doing. He was a little surprised to see his daughters digging. He quirked an eyebrow at them, and got an irate response. "Daddy, you're a MCP. There's nothing Eddie and Pat can do that we can't. How long have you known Mom? And you still do things like that? Wolf was ours too." He smiled, shrugged, threw two pair of gardening gloves in the hole and went to check on Scully. He found her on the couch, showing Becky and Abby family albums with pictures of Wolf with the rest of the family, explaining how he was always there, for the good times and bad. He dropped a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "How are you doing, Butch?" "I'm fine, Mulder. It was just such a shock." "I'm going to change into gardening clothes, then try to get some work out of the boys. I'll be in the back yard if you need me." Mulder had the boys help assemble the railroad ties in a flower box four ties high around the hole, then move all the bags of top soil and potting soil near the grave. Mulder and the kids trailed into the kitchen around noon, to find Scully and Becky had made a huge pile of tuna sandwiches, a day's worth of raw vegetables with ranch dressing for a dip and big tumblers of milk. After lunch, Mulder glanced at Mickey, who said, "Mom, we're about ready for you now." "Let me go change and get something." She came downstairs in work clothes, with a ratty old stadium blanket over her arm. She walked over to the kennel, knelt beside Wolf and wrapped it around him. When she was unable to lift the body, she closed her eyes for a moment, opened them, and found her partner on the other side of the body. "On three. One. Two. Three." With the burden shared, it was easy. Scully looked at the gravesite, curious about what Mulder had planned, and turned to face the kids. "Our Church teaches that animals don't have souls, so we won't be praying for Wolf's soul. We will pray for us, who have lost a dear friend and companion today. We will also give thanks that he was in our lives, brightening our days and loving us." Mulder whispered under his breath, "Bye, buddy. Gonna miss you. You were better people than most folks I know." "Butch, why don't you go lay down for a few minutes? The kids and I can finish here, and you look exhausted." *** She woke to a rather pronounced Mulder smell and soft lips on her temple. She stretched as she woke, reaching for him. "Dana, honey, I'm sweaty and filthy. After I take a shower. There's one last thing to do, that you need to be part of. Up and at 'em." When she got out to the flower box, it was marked off in one foot grids. There were also several flats of seedlings set out. Mulder pointed. "Those are lavender, for devotion, and those are thyme, for strength and courage. Those set to one side are ivy, for fidelity and friendship. I thought to put those around the outside, so they wouldn't crowd out the others. I couldn't find anything that smelled like a wet dog. Three plants in each square and we'll come out even." He proffered a set of gardening gloves. When her fingers touched his, and an electric shock passed between them. The kids all looked at one another, and felt the flood of love that passed between them. Really The End Miscellaneous Notes Fatima's Uncle's Black Hat - The Black Hat Brigade from Wisconsin was one of the better Union Infantry formations during the Civil War. They wore black slouch hats, rather than the forage cap. Publicity Sequence - Information is power. Secrecy is an attempt to sequester power to just a few hands. In this new age, it's harder to keep a secret, and much harder make something that happens in public secret. The hush-ups and secret agendas on the show are all very '50's and '60's. One, just one, credible witness with a video camera on any of a dozen incidents a season could bust the whole conspiracy wide open. Jesse - He's not my Governor, and sometimes he's a bit of flake, but he's cool. And he doesn't intimidate.