Title - Blind Date
Author - Donna
Email address - donnah@donnas-stories.com
URL - www.geocities.com/Area51/Quadrant/4571/
Rating - PG-13
Category - Pre-XFile
Spoilers - None
Keywords - MSR
Summary - Response to a challenge
Feedback - Please
Archive - Anywhere, just let me know

Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunmen and Skinner all belong to
Chris Carter, 10-13 and Fox.  No infringement intended.


Blind Date


"Oh come on, the 'Ice Queen' will never fall for it."

"Why not?  She doesn't know him; okay she's probably heard rumors, but
so have we all.  If he thinks she knows something about that weird case
where the body kinda . . . melted."  She shrugged.  "Come on, after the
way she showed you up at the last autopsy?  I know you're dying to
stick it to her, one way or another."

Peter thought about it; Sheila was right.  The bitch did need bringing
down a peg.  He'd been head of his class in medical school; he'd wanted
to join the Bureau.  But she'd been recruited, and the instructors bent
over backward for her. Okay, she was good, but her attitude toward him
stung.  He'd never had problems getting women - premed in college, then
as an intern, but this icy redhead had turned him down flat.

If she could be taken down a peg or two . . . yeah, he'd enjoy that. 
"You really think we can get her to accept?"

"I think so.  I mean she's ambitious and he did have a reputation as
the golden boy of the VCS.  Yes, he's 'Spooky' but he's supposed to be
a brilliant profiler.   If she has heard of him, how could she pass
that up?  It could enhance her career, or she'll think it could.  Come
on, she dated Willis."

"True.  But you don't think the name will tip her off?"

"She's too busy with showing you up to know that many people.  I'll
have Karen talk up his credentials."

"Karen?  You think she'll help us?"

"Not if she knows what she's doing."  Sheila grinned and for just a
second Peter was aware that the woman in front of him seemed more than
anxious to help him with this.  What had Dana done to her, but as she
continued to talk and Peter was caught back up in it.

*****

"Karen, I'm not interested in a blind -”

"Dana, come on.  You haven't been out since you broke up with Jack."

"Jack and I didn't 'break up’; we just decided to see other people."

"Okay.  What 'other people' have you seen?"

Dana stared at her, eyes slightly narrowed at being caught.

"That's what I thought.  Come on, it's Friday night.  If you have a
terrible time you'll have two full days to recover.  Besides, I know
you want to work with Violent Crimes.  You'd have an opportunity to
make some contacts and you definitely have something in common."

Well, Dana couldn't exactly dispute that.  Still . . .

"I can see you're weakening.  Come on, it's one date."

"Have you ever seen him?"  Dana finally asked.

"No, but I've heard he's hot."

"Hot.  Why am I even considering this?"

"Because you want a life outside the Bureau.  You know you do."

"If I want a life outside the Bureau, why would I date an agent?"

"Don’t use logic on me Dana.  Just do it.  One date."

Dana rolled her eyes, but Karen's smile grew.

"Oh all right.  You're sure he -”

"It's all set.  He'll pick you up at your place at seven."

"My place?  He'll know where I live."

"He's an FBI agent, he can find out where you live."  Karen pointed
out.

"I don't care.  I'll meet him at the restaurant.  I want to have my own
car."

"Fine, just tell me you accept."

Dana groaned.  "Will it get you off my back?"

"Only if you promise to let me be a bridesmaid."

Dana rolled her eyes, but gave a reluctant nod.  She knew that Karen
was only trying to look out for her.  And she hadn't been out with
anyone since she quit seeing Jack.  But that hadn't been a breakup as
much as a moving on, and she had been busy.

*****

She entered the restaurant and looked around.  She was a couple of
minutes late and very annoyed at Peter.  It was as though he had tried
to drag class out so that she'd barely have time to get ready.  That
was absurd, he had no idea she had a date or anything about her
personal life, but she had hoped to sign on to a computer somewhere and
find out who this "Agent Mulder" was - at least see a picture.

There was an incredibly fine specimen at the bar - long and lean with
dark floppy hair and beautiful eyes.  She moved on, the FBI might seem
like a 'romantic' place to work, but the agents never looked like those
men gracing the covers of her sister's books.

Over there, that was probably him.  She focused on a shorter man, on
the stocky side, with pale, thinning hair.

She started to take a step when a voice at her side stopped her. 
"Agent Scully?"

She turned and looked up and up into the smiling face of the man from
the romance novel cover.

"A . . . Agent Mulder?"

His smile widened.  "Yes, I thought maybe you recognized me, but then
you turned away."

She returned his smile and made a mental note to send Karen that new
tape she wanted.  "No, the blind part of this date held true.  How did
you know me?"

"You're the only gorgeous redhead to walk through the door."

She blushed slightly and looked down, then back up to meet his eyes,
"and my file on-line has a photo."

She was quick, he liked that.  "Doesn't change the fact that you're the
only gorgeous redhead to come here tonight."

"Thank you,"

"Our table's ready if you are."  She nodded and felt the fingers of his
right hand touch the small of her back to lead her.  Normally she
wanted more personal space and she didn't know the man, but he seemed
not to notice he was even in her space.  He seemed very at ease in his
body and she appreciated the way he moved.  He reminded her of a large,
and dangerous, cat.  He knew how to wear clothes too.  If she didn't
know an FBI agent's salary, she'd think it was tailored for him.

He held her chair, then seated himself.  "Would you like a drink?"  He
asked as the waiter approached.

"Ice tea, please."

For some reason she thought that amused him, but then she heard him say
to the waiter, "Two iced teas please."

"If you'd like a cocktail . . . "

"I don't drink much."

She felt as though she had passed some sort of test, which was
ridiculous, but she relaxed another notch.

But why was a man who looked like him on a blind date?  She spent most
of her time at Quantico, but she had no problem imagining women at
headquarters throwing their underwear at this man as he walked by. 
Then she realized he was speaking.

" -  surprised you were free.  I've looked forward to meeting you."

"Meeting me?  I don't understand?"

He smiled, but it dimmed a little, "I've heard about the new dynamo in
forensics.  I was afraid the line was so long I'd be retired before we
met."

"Hardly."  She said dryly.  "Is this a consult or a date?"

He had the grace to blush, "a date.  Now maybe the next one . . . "

She inclined her head, but made no commitment he noticed.

"So, you're a profiler?"

He blinked then and sat up straighter.  " You, you don't know who I
am."

"Well I, you're Special Agent Fox Mulder.  Karen told me you worked in
Violent Crimes.  Should I know more than that?"

He nodded, but his smile was nearly non-existent.  "Look, we haven't
ordered, if you'd like to leave now . . . "

She looked puzzled then, "Why would I want to leave?"

"I'm 'Spooky' Mulder."  He waited.

It took just a moment, then he saw the recognition in her eyes.  Before
she could speak, he did.  "Why don't I walk you to your car."

"But I want to stay."

"Agent Scully -  "

"Dana.  Please call me Dana."

"Dana, this wasn't a good idea.  I really thought . . . I didn't
realize how 'blind' a date this was.  You didn't have all the facts."

He was interrupted by the waiter bringing their tea.  "Would you like
to hear our specials for tonight?"

"Uh, no, we're not -  "

"Yes, please."  Dana interrupted him.

"Are you sure?"

"Very."  She looked up at the waiter and smiled. He returned her smile
and Mulder's relief that she actually wanted to stay, dimmed at little.

"I'll give you a few minutes to decide."  The young man's eyes darted
down to her breasts and back up, following his recitation and he was
gone.  Now why had he noticed that?  He'd done the same thing himself
from the bar when she had walked in.

"Fox?"

"Uh, Mulder.  I go by Mulder.  I never really liked 'Fox'."

"Okay, Mulder.  You want to tell me why you thought I'd want to leave?"

"Look, Dana, it's . . . let's have dinner and then you can -  "

"Go home?  Why don't you tell me where you got your nickname?"  He
grimaced, “That bad a story?”  she asked.

What the hell, he was confident she’d never want to see him again
anyway. He was used to that by now.  As long as he acted like someone
he wasn’t, dates were fine, but be himself . . . That’s why porn and
1-900 numbers were better.  “I, uh, when I was at the academy I was
doing my rotation in VC and I tried to write a profile on my own.  I
made a connection that was glaringly obvious to me, but no one else
could see where I was coming from.  Since they were at a dead end, they
applied my idea and caught him in about two days.  They were stunned
and asked me to look at another case.  I guess my mind works
differently, they say I’m making these ‘leaps’ and have just been
lucky, but the stuff is right there in front me for everyone to see.”

“It hasn’t made you popular.”  She said quietly.

He looked a little startled, she was quick.

“You’re smarter than they are and you scare them.”

“You’re the one scaring me now.”

She smiled, “What little I have heard about you is coming back to me. 
Couldn’t ‘Spooky’ have been a compliment?”

“Maybe in the beginning.”

“And now?”

He shook his head, “Why don’t we talk about you.”

*****

He chose the dessert he saw her eyes dilate over when she refused for
herself, with two forks.  “Mulder, I can’t eat that.”

“Then we’ll let it go to waste and some starving child in a third world
nation will curse us both.”

She chuckled, “You do have a different spin on things.”

He smiled and didn’t dispute her, taking a sip of coffee.  He’d had a
good time.  And she hadn’t bolted.  Of course, Monday when she did
check on him she’d no doubt change her phone number, but that was days
away.

She watched him smile.  He was shy. It had taken her a little while to
figure it out, but he really wasn’t used to this.  Why he was insecure
about women intrigued her and she found she wanted the opportunity to
find out.

He almost laughed out loud at the look on her face when the chocolate
concoction was placed in front of him.  He handed her one of the forks.
 ‘You know some of those curses could be painful, you could grow a
third knee in the middle of your calf.”

She chuckled and took the fork.  “I’ll have to rely on your vast
knowledge of curses I suppose.”

The humor left his face and she knew that somehow she’d said the wrong
thing.  “Mulder?”  He looked down to see that her hand had covered his
there on the table.  Her touch made him feel better somehow.

“It’s nothing.  Eat up.”  After a slight hesitation she did, motioning
for him to join her.  He did, but enjoyed watching her enjoyment much
more than the actual dessert.  She put her fork down and watched as he
slipped the last bite into his mouth.  She was caught by his lips, they
really were . . . luscious.  And just when had she ever used that
adjective before?  Never mind, it fit.

She realized he was watching her watch him and she lowered her eyes.

“I don’t want to press my luck, Dana, but would you like to see a movie
or . . . “

“I’m enjoying talking actually.  But I can see they want our table.” 
She visualized coffee in some little place nearby.

He took that as the rejection he’d been expecting and nodded.  He
signaled for the bill and paid it, then rose and held her chair.  She
wasn’t exactly sure what had happened but now he seemed to want things
ended.  What had she said?

He walked her to her car in silence.  The stars were gone, behind
clouds now and she spotted lightening in the distance.  She pulled out
her keys and unlocked the car.  He opened the door.

“I appreciate you having dinner with me.”

“I enjoyed myself.”  He looked into her eyes, she seemed sincere.

He opened his mouth to ask if there was a chance to see her again, when
a fat drop of rain hit her head.

“You better get in.  I think it’s going to open up.”

She nodded and ducked inside regretfully.  This weather had lousy
timing.  He stood there, not worrying about getting wet, so she turned
the key, but nothing happened.  She did it again and still nothing.  It
didn’t sound like a dead battery; there wasn’t even a click.

Mulder opened the door to the car, and leaned in.  “Has it been giving
you problems?”

“No.  It was fine.  I guess I better call AAA.”

Thunder rumbled nearby.  “I don’t think you’re going to want to wait
for a tow.  I could give you a ride.”

She looked up at him, he was getting wet standing there.  She nodded
and he took her hand to help her out.  He seemed to hover over her as
they hurried to his car where he let her in, then got in himself. 
Well, so much for having her own car.

“Look, I could take you home, then come back and wait - “

“No, that’s okay.  I can pick up the car tomorrow.  I guess you’re not
rid of me yet after all.”

“I didn’t want to be rid of you.”

“You didn’t?”  She looked at him.

“No, I thought . . . “ He smiled then.  “Never mind what I thought. 
You want to give me directions?”

She did and as he pulled out, her eye caught a couple in a car nearby. 
Funny, if she didn’t know better she’d think it was Peter and Sheila.  

*****

It was raining hard by the time they reached her apartment.  He pulled
an umbrella from the back seat and walked her to the door.

“You’re wet, Mulder.  Why don’t you come in and wait for the rain to
slack off.  I can make a pot of coffee.”

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I did.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”  He grinned.

“Have a seat.”  She turned toward the kitchen but he trailed her.  He
followed her directions and they made the coffee together.  He’d just
taken a sip from the mug she handed him when the lights went out.  The
apartment was plunged into total darkness for an instant before
lightening, the brightest she’d ever seen, lit up every window.  The
hairs on her arm stood up and the thunder boomed immediately, directly
overhead.

The next flash let her see his face.  “Mulder?”  He was frozen in
place, but his eyes were dilated and the mug was in pieces at his feet.
 “Mulder, can you hear -  “ She stepped closer, but he didn’t seem to
notice.  She touched his face and though he didn’t look at her, his
arms suddenly clasped her to him.  The storm hadn’t abated, but she
knew the storm inside of him was somehow worse.

He breathed a name.  It sounded like ‘Samantha’, but he said nothing
else and she wasn’t sure she’d heard anything.

“Mulder, come on.”  She stepped back and he allowed it, then she took
his hand and led him to the living room.  She sat him in the corner of
her couch and quickly lit the candles she had on the coffee table and
shelves.

When she turned back, he was watching her.

“How do you feel?”

He shook himself slightly.  “Stupid, embarrassed, mortified.”

She shook her head, “Want to talk about it?”

He looked past her then for a long moment, then brought a shaking hand
up to his forehead.  She turned and he reached out toward her.

“I’m not leaving.  Just a second.”  She returned immediately with a
small amount of amber liquid in a glass.  “It’s brandy.  I know you
don’t drink, but -  “

“Thanks.”  He took the glass from her and drank.  He coughed once and
smiled slightly.  “I should get out of here.”

“No.  This storm is terrible and you shouldn’t be driving.”

“I’m okay.”

“Or do you just want to get out of here.”

He gave a half grin, “Do you blame me?”

Her face softened, “May I ask a question?”

He looked into her eyes, then shrugged.  This ‘date’ couldn’t get any
worse for her.  “Sure.”

“Who’s Samantha?”  She asked it quietly, but the reaction was nearly as
devastating as the storm.

“Where did you . . . where did you hear that name?”  His voice sounded
strangled.

“Mulder, I’m sorry.  You . . . you said it in the kitchen.”

“She, uh, she’s my sister.”

Dana waited.

“She . . .” he swallowed.

“Mulder, you -  “

“It’s okay.  It’s no secret.  She disappeared when she was eight.”

“I’m sorry.”

He nodded slightly, “I was, uh babysitting.  The . . . the lights went
out and I woke up two days later in the hospital.”

The lights, that’s what had set him off.  “How old were you?”

“Twelve.”

“That was . . . nearly twenty years ago, wasn’t it?”

“Nineteen, last November.”

“Is it still that . . . “

He managed a small smile.  “Since I’ve already made a fool of myself,
you might as well know.  I, uh, I’ve been trying to remember those
hours for decades.  I can remember everything else - every book I’ve
read, every course I’ve taken, every interrogation, but that’s gone.  A
few months ago I made an appointment with a, a regression therapist.”

“What happened?”

He shrugged, “the guy wasn’t exactly reputable . . . or discrete.”  He
gave an ironic sort of smile.  “It certainly enhanced my nickname.”

“And that’s what you thought I’d heard.”

After a moment he nodded.

“I hadn’t.  But you owe it to yourself to try to find out the truth. 
You should find someone you can trust.”

He blinked at that, clearly caught off guard by her attitude.

“Have you had other . . . effects of the treatment?”

My dreams are more . . . vivid.”

“Nightmares?”

He nodded.  They both were silent then, just sitting together.

“Dana, why did you accept this date tonight?”

The question surprised her, but there was no reason not to answer.  It
felt like this man yearned for honesty.  She shrugged, “I haven’t been
out lately.”

“Are you kidding?”

She gave him a small smile, “No.  I was dating Jack Willis.  Maybe you
know him from the Bureau.”  Mulder nodded, he’d met the man a few
times.  “We decided to see other people, and I just . . . Anyway, Karen
set this up.  She said you were . . . hot.”

His eyes widened and she grinned.  “She also told me you worked in
Violent Crimes, and she knows I’m interested in that area, so we’d have
something to talk about.”

“But we’ve barely discussed Violent Crimes.”

“So, we didn’t need a prearranged topic.  We did fine on our own.”

“We did fine?  You consider this a successful date?  Damn, Jack must be
a major dud.”  He looked down, “Sorry.”

To his surprised, she laughed.  “Not always, but I haven’t missed him
terribly either.  Tonight has certainly been interesting.”

She couldn’t read his expression, though she could see a myriad of
emotions cross his face.  “So, if I got up the courage to ask you out
again . . . “

“I could pretty much assure success.”

Even more expressions crossed his face, but she knew she recognized
delight when she saw it.  He looked even happier when she blushed.  He
finally seemed to relax a little.  He glanced at the window.  “The
storm’s moving off.”  He caught the fleeting look of disappointment on
her face and was stunned.  She was actually enjoying his company.  What
the hell, “Dana, since we didn’t get around to talking about my job
tonight, maybe we could get together again.”

She tried to keep her face bland, but he spotted the twinkle in her
eyes.  “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.  I’m free tomorrow
night.”

His mouth dropped open and she focused again on that lower lip. 
Unprofessional, but she was a breathing female.

“So, are you free tomorrow night?”

He nodded.

“Good.  Since you know where I live, do you want to pick me up?”

"I'd love to, but you're going to need your car.  I could . . . "

"True, maybe we could get together a little earlier and take care of
that, if it's not an imposition."

A smile blossomed on his face.  “Not an imposition at all.  Before
lunch, say . . ."  Go for it Mulder,  "Nine?  We could have brunch."

“That would be good.”  As though waiting for her acceptance, the power
returned and the lights flickered on.  She didn't seem to notice and
made no move to extinguish any candles.

“Well.”  He nodded again and rose reluctantly to his feet.  “I’ll see
you at nine.”

She walked him to the door.  The thought of kissing him crossed her
mind and she knew it had crossed his, but neither made a move.  They
both knew there was tomorrow.

He put his hand on the doorknob, then stopped.  Something had been
nagging at him since she’d talked about accepting the date.  “Dana, did
you say someone named Karen set us up?”

“Yes, Karen Connors.  She’s at the academy with me.”

“That’s not the name . . . do you know a Sheila Lewis?”

She blinked, Sheila?  Had that been her in the parking lot, with Peter?
 Had they done more ‘setting up’ than she realized?

He wished he’d kept his mouth shut, was she upset?

Then she looked up at him, “Sheila, huh?  I’ll have to thank her
personally.”

He knew he’d missed something, but with any luck he’d get the chance to
ask what.  “Tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll see you in the morning, Mulder.  Be careful, the streets are
wet.”

He nodded and at the last moment, let his fingertips brush her cheek. 
For some reason it felt more intimate than a kiss and she knew blood
had suffused her face again.  He looked at her for a long moment, then
stepped out into the hall, feeling happier than he could have thought. 
Imagine, a blind date . . .

*****

He stood in front of his closet in his boxers.  Not jeans and a
t-shirt, she was more special than that.  He pulled out a pair of gray
casual slacks and pulled them on.  Now shirt, no, not plaid.  Shit! 
When was the last time he’d actually changed clothes twice before a
date.  Of course, when was the last time he’d had a date he cared
about?  He finally decided on a navy golf shirt he’d forgotten he
owned.

He was at her door at two minutes to nine, having driven around the
block twice.

He smiled at the sight of her, also in casual slacks, black in her case
and a medium blue v-neck sweater than clung to all the right places.

“Good morning.”

She smiled up at him.  “Right on time.  I called AAA, they’re going to
meet us at the car.”

“Sounds like a plan.”  He stood in the door as she picked up a light
jacket and a small purse.  His hand found that spot on her back
automatically and he walked her to his car.

They only had to wait a couple of minutes for the tow truck.  Mulder
had offered to check the car out himself, along with the admission that
the only thing he knew about cars was where to put the gasoline.  She
had decided to wait with a chuckle.

They both got out to talk to the young mechanic, and watched as he
opened the hood.  He asked Dana to try to start the motor as he leaned
over it.  “Well, this is gonna be easy.”  He looked over at Mulder, who
leaned closer, pretending comprehension.  “Ma’am?”

Dana got out of the car and joined the two men.  “You know what the
problem is?”

“Yes ma’am.  Someone disconnected these wires here.”

“Someone?”  Mulder asked.  “Couldn’t they have come loose by
themselves?”

“No sir.  If they’d just come loose, they’d still both be laying down
there.  Look where this one is.  Think someone was playing a practical
joke on you?”

Dana looked down at her hands for a moment.  “Possibly.  Can you fix
it?”

“Oh sure, just a second here.”  He was as good as his word,
reconnecting the wires and cleaning off the other connections.  Once
again he had her try the engine.  It started immediately and the boy
grinned at Mulder.

Dana gave the young man a tip and they watched him drive away.  “I
should have known how to fix that.”  He said.

“We both do now.  Didn’t you say something about brunch?”

“I did indeed.  Do you want to take your car?”

“No.  I’ll lock it up.  If my practical joker returns, we know how to
fix it.”

He started to ask the obvious question, but she had already turned
away.  It wasn’t important right now anyway.

*****

He got her to talk about her family over Belgian waffles.  He was a
little overwhelmed at the thought of four children in a family, and in
awe of her mother for having to handle it alone so much of the time. 
Having two brothers and a sister sounded crowded to him, but she had
obviously enjoyed it, even though her stories about her brothers made
her sound put-upon.  It explained why she took no slack from her male
counterparts as well.

He started to ask a question about her older brother, when her eyes
went past him and up.  He realized someone was standing just behind
him.

“Spooky!” the voice of the older agent sounded especially loud so
close.  “So, you datin' earth women now?”  The man laughed at his own
joke and Mulder didn’t turn to look at him.  Dana noted that his
knuckles were white on the edge of the table.  The older agent clapped
his hand on Mulder’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Spooky?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I’m not.”  Mulder finally glanced up at the
man.

“Ah, come on, don’t be so selfish.”

Dana’s hand came to rest on Mulder’s hand.  “Are you ready to go?  I
am.”

“Sure.”  He rose immediately and held her chair, then let his hand fall
back to his side rather than rest on her back.  She slipped her small
hand into his and he gripped it.  He didn’t speak, but she watched his
Adam’s apple bob.

She looked straight into the eyes of the offensive intruder and he had
the grace to blush and look away.

They walked away from him holding hands.  He led her to his car and
opened the door.  She didn’t get in, but stood looking up at him.  “Are
you okay?”

He shrugged, “I’ll take you to your car.”

She still didn’t get in the car.  “Do you have plans?”

He looked away, “I should probably do some laundry.”

“I don’t have any plans either.  What if we did the tourist thing?”

“You, you don’t want to get away?"

She slipped into the car and after a moment he shut the door, then
rounded the car and got in himself.  Once he was seated, she turned
toward him.  “I’m going to say this one more time and I want you to pay
attention, okay?”

He nodded, now what was coming?

“I enjoy spending time with you.  I want to spend time with you.  If I
didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

He blinked and then nodded slowly.  “I . . . I think I get it.”

“Good, it’s about time.  Now what touristy thing do you want to do?”

He smiled at her then, with almost the ease he had displayed last night
when he'd been in that other persona before he had allowed her to know
him a little.  “Some place we can talk.  I want to get to know you
better.”

“Fine, want to walk around the Smithsonian?”

“Yeah.”  He started the engine and smiled over at her.

*****

They drove in silence for a few minutes, then she turned slightly in
her seat to look at him.  She could see the instant tension, but
pressed forward.  "Mulder, does that kind of thing happen often?"

"That was the first time."

"Mulder."   Her tone was warning.

He managed to grin; "I only met you yesterday."

"You know what I mean."

She wasn't going to let him evade.  She might look like a tiny package,
but . . . "They're not usually that blatant, but then I'm usually not
out in public with a beautiful woman.  I'm sure he was caught off
guard."

"Mulder, that's harassment."

"He's never tried to fondle me.”

“I need to know what he meant, ‘earth women’.”

“Dana, it's . . . let's forget about it.  I'd rather talk about you." 
He looked upset and that’s not what she wanted.  She decided to let it
slide, for now.

"So, you want another story about my exuberant siblings?" She
capitulated.

"Actually, I'd like to hear about your practical joker."  She looked
away.  "You know who it is, don't you?"

"I have my suspicions."

"And it wasn't a joke."

"No.  It wasn't.  But it turned out good."

"Dana, what he or she did was immature and it could have been dangerous
for you.  Since they knew where to find your car, I have to assume it
had something to do with our date.  Sheila?"

She glanced back at him.  "You really don't forget anything, do you?"

"Nope."  He waited.

Finally she sighed, "As we were leaving the restaurant last night, I
thought I saw two of my classmates in a car in the parking lot.  I
dismissed it until you told me that it was Sheila who really set up the
date."

"So I was part of the joke."  He spoke low, but she heard the pain in
his voice.  She had to be honest with him.

"Yes, I believe you were.  But it didn't turn out the way they wanted. 
They don't know you, they just believed the reputation, which makes
them fools."

He met her eyes then and the surprise at her words was obvious.  He
said nothing, but pulled into the first parking spot he saw.  He got
out and opened her door, taking her hand to help her out.  She didn't
release it when she was on her feet.

"Mulder?"

He tried to smile, "What's a nice girl like you doing out with a guy
like me?"

"Enjoying herself.  Mulder, don't believe the reputation - I don't, I
hope you won't.   Come on."  She led him up the slope to the reflecting
pool.

The subject was changed by unspoken agreement, and they took turns
pointing out places they enjoyed.  He followed her into the Space
Museum reluctantly, what if any of his co-workers spotted that.  But at
her urging, he began talking about a subject he obviously felt
passionate about.  Maybe some day he’d get up the nerve to tell her his
theory about Samantha.   Yeah, right . . .

When his stomach growled, she glanced at her watch.  "Mulder, it's
after five."

"I know."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to break the spell."  He sounded so wistful, she found
herself wanting to take him into her arms.

"Let's get something to eat, my treat this time."

"Wait a minute -  "

"You paid for the last two meals.  Don't argue with me, I'm a federal
agent."

He held up his hands in mock surrender.  "Yes ma'am."

"So what are you in the mood for?"  His look caused color to rise in
her cheeks, but she kept her gaze steady.  "Chinese?"  She spoke dryly.

"Sure.  There's a place in Alexandria that's good.  They deliver, so
I'm pretty familiar with their menu."

"Let's go."  They walked in companionable silence back to his car.  She
watched as he took short cuts and side roads, and pulled up to the
restaurant very shortly.

"You live in Alexandria?"

"Over on Hegal.  I've been there about four years."

"You like it?"

He shrugged, "I never thought about it.  It's just a place for my couch
and fish."

"You have fish?"

"Most of the time.  When I travel . . . "

She chuckled, "That's why I have no pets."  He led her into the
restaurant, and the owner snapped to attention when he recognized
Mulder.

"Mister Mudder."  He bowed to the younger man, "you comin' here?  Ahh,
pretty lady.  Get you good table right now."  He scurried off, but
returned quickly and personally escorted them to the best table in the
house.  He held Dana's chair and winked at Mulder.

Dana's laugh when they were alone, warmed Mulder to the core.

He grinned at her, "Guess I don't bring many women here."

"That makes me special."  She smiled.

"You already were."  She looked down.  There were so many layers to
this man, but she was certainly attracted to what she'd uncovered so
far.

They ordered and when alone again, he leaned closer to her, "I need to
ask you something."

"Okay."

"About reputations.  You said you hope I wouldn't just believe the
reputation.  What did you mean?"

She met his eyes and looked at him for a long moment.  "You're not the
only one at the Bureau with . . . "

"Dana?"

"I have a reputation myself it appears."  Now she wouldn't look at him.

"You?"

She nodded.  "I just found out about it, by accident."

He touched her cheek, bringing her face up to see into her eyes.  They
had tears in them, but she blinked them away, refusing to let one fall.

"Apparently I'm known as 'the ice queen'."

He looked at her for a long moment, "Because you're so together during
an autopsy."

She managed a wry smile.  "No, but thank you."

"That's ridiculous.  How could anyone - "

"Mulder, you don't have to defend me.  We've known each other, what,
twenty-four hours?"

"Haven't you heard?  I'm the best profiler the Bureau's had in fifty
years."  He took hold of her hand and caressed it lightly.  "Who
started it?  You said you were dating Willis."

"No, Jack wouldn't . . . we didn't break up, we just decided to move
on.  We're still friends."

Mulder nodded.  "Sheila."

Dana blinked then.  "I . . . that's a possibility."

"Why?"

"It's . . . it's complicated and, and stupid."

"I can handle that."  The pressure on her hand increased.

"There's a man in our class, Peter Doud.  Sheila set her sights on him
from the beginning."

"But he's interested in you."

She met his eyes - he was the best profiler.  She shrugged.

"So you turned him down, but he still wasn’t interested in Sheila."

"Have you been following me?"

But he was on a roll now, "You were recruited, right?"  She nodded. 
"They weren't."

"I don't know for sure.  I don't think so."

"You're smarter than they are and it scares them."

She gaped at him; he really didn't forget anything.  "Mulder, thank
you, but really it doesn't . . . it shouldn't matter what they think of
me."

He grinned then, "Hey, I've spent most of my life not caring what
anyone else thought about me.  I've gotten good at it.  In fact,
there's just one person in the world whose opinion of me matters. 
That's you."

Her lips parted in surprise.  He leaned in, the desire to kiss her
overwhelming him suddenly.

"Here's your food, Mudder.  You eat up, need strength for later."  Mr.
Tai winked at Mulder.

Mulder drew back surprised, and for an instant, wished he was armed.  
He managed to recover and hoped she hadn't realized.  If she had, she
made no comment.   Instead she picked up her chopsticks and began to
eat.

They ate in silence for a little while, then she reached for a shrimp
off of his plate.  "Hey!"

She grinned, "Got a problem?"

He shook his head and stabbed a piece of her chicken.  The meal was
lighter then, the things they had been discussing put aside for now.

They finished and put up with a few more comments from Mr. Tai, then he
led her back out to his car.  He turned to her after buckling his
seatbelt.  "You know, the last thing you are is an 'ice queen'."

She looked at him for a moment, "I'm not jumping into your bed."

"Ever?"

The puppy dog look caught her off guard, even as she noticed the
twinkle in his eyes.  She laughed out loud.  "Well, definitely not
tonight.  You said you needed to do laundry."

He grinned, "You busy tomorrow?"

"I have plans."  She saw the light dim slightly in his eyes, so she
continued, "I'm meeting my parents for lunch after Mass."  The tension
in his body eased.  On impulse she heard herself say, "What to come?"

"What?"  She couldn't have said what he thought she had.

"Do you want to join us for lunch?"

"I . . . I wouldn't want to -  "

"Chicken?"

"No."   He responded stung.  

"You are.  You're afraid to meet my parents."

"I was trying to be a gentleman and not horn in on your time - "

"Chicken."

"What time and where?"  He shot back at her.

She laughed then, "12:30 at my parent's house.  Don't worry, I'll make
sure they know you have no intentions and should not be grilled as a
potential mate."

"I have no intentions?"  But he looked as happy as he had when he had
picked her up that morning.  He memorized the address and nodded. 
"I'll be there."

"Then you better take me home now.  All those housework things I didn't
do today, need to be done."

"Yeah, and I have laundry to do . . . " He grinned at her.

*****

She opened the door at his knock.  The sight of him 
brought back the memory of last night's kiss and she 
could feel her cheeks grow warm.  It had only been one 
kiss and in the parking lot at that, when they'd picked up 
her car.  That was probably a good thing.  If he did 
everything else as well as he kissed, she wouldn't have 
allowed him to leave her place - regardless of her 
declaration.

He was wearing another suit.  Did he really own that 
many expensive suits or did his body just make the 
clothes look that good?

"Hi."

"Oh, hi.  Come on in."  Her blush grew and she stepped 
aside to let him in.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."  She turned toward the living room.

He touched her arm, "Are you sure?  Dana, if you've 
changed your mind, I can go."  He motioned toward the 
door.

She looked up at him then, "I haven't changed my mind.  
Not at all.  I . . . I'm very happy that you're here."  She 
saw his shoulder relax and his eyes lighten.

"I brought your mother flowers.  Is that . . . okay?"

"She'll be as charmed as I am."

He smiled then, but she could see that he was nervous.  
It was kind of strange how well she could read his face 
after just a couple of days, but it was true.

They both turned as a dark haired woman approached 
from the back of the house.  She smiled at him and held 
out her hand.  "You must be Fox."

"Mulder, Mom.  Mulder, this is my mother, Maggie 
Scully."

He shook her hand, "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Scully."

"Maggie, please."

He nodded, "I, uh, thank you for having me over."  He 
handed her the flowers he'd brought.

"They're lovely.  That was very thoughtful.  I'll put them in 
water, then join you.   Dana, why don't you introduce Fox 
to your father."  She smiled at Mulder, "I'll be back in a 
minute."

"It's Mulder."  Dana muttered under her breath and he 
grinned at her.

"I don't think she's listening."

Dana rolled her eyes, "I can guarantee it.  Come on, 
meet Ahab."

"Ahab?"

"My father.  That's what I call him.  Mulder, it's okay, he 
doesn't bite."

"Promise?"

She smiled then and took his arm.  An older man turned 
as they entered the living room.  Mulder noted the close-
cropped hair and the military bearing.  There were some 
things she hadn't mentioned.

"Ahab, this is my friend, Fox Mulder.  Mulder, this is my 
father, Captain William Scully."  The older man held out 
his hand and Mulder shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Sir."

"You too son.  I like meeting my children's friends.  It 
doesn't happen often enough now that they're grown.  
Have you met my wife?"  He glanced over toward the 
door.

"Yes sir.  She's in the kitchen."

"I'm not surprised.  Things have to be perfect when our 
youngest daughter brings home a guest."

"Ahab."  Dana's voice was low.

"What?  I shouldn't be honest with the young man?"

She rolled her eyes.

Maggie joined them almost immediately, announcing that 
lunch was ready and herded everyone that way.

They moved into the dining room where Mulder saw his 
flowers beautifully arranged on the sideboard.  Mulder 
held the chair for Dana.  He was grateful she was sitting 
beside him rather than across the table and wondered if 
that was her idea.  He sat down and surveyed the food in 
front of him.

"Mrs. Sc . . . Maggie," he changed at her look, "this is 
incredible."

"You don't get many home cooked meals?"

"No ma'am.  I haven't had a meal like this in years, 
literally."

Both women looked at him surprised.

Captain Scully helped himself to some chicken, then 
passed the platter to Mulder.

"How long have you and Dana been seeing each other?"

"Ahab -  "

"Actually, Dana and I met on Friday.  She had some car 
problems after work.  I was able to help out."

Dana's eyes twinkled, but she didn't contradict him.  This 
version would make things easier.

"You know, I met a William Mulder at the Pentagon 
several years ago."

"That, uh that would be my father.  He's retired from the 
State Department."

"Retired, huh.  As I recall he was working on a special 
project.  His security clearance was the highest I'd ever 
seen.  Do you see him often?"

"No Sir, I haven't seen him in several years."

"Years?"  Maggie spoke up.  "Where does he live?"

"He has a house on Martha's Vineyard."

"That's not that far."  Maggie commented.

"The physical distance isn't the problem."  Mulder took 
the dish of broccoli casserole from her father.

Maggie absorbed that statement, "What about your 
mother?"

"She lives in Connecticut."

"Divorced?"

Mulder nodded, "Since I was fourteen."

"I'm sorry."

"It was for the best."  He took a sip of tea.

"Are you an only child?"  Maggie continued.

"Uh, no.  I had a sister.  She," he swallowed and looked 
down at his plate, then faced the woman.  "She went 
missing when she was eight.  We, we never found her."

He felt Dana's hand come to rest lightly on his knee and 
the words didn't hurt as bad.

Captain Scully picked up the conversation then, changing 
the subject as Maggie watched the young man.  She 
didn't exactly disbelieve his story, but it was difficult to 
believe they had met on Friday.  The man was more than 
a little in love with Dana, and she hadn't missed the 
subtle touch of the man's leg when his sister was 
mentioned.  Dana had already had that information, even 
though they had known each other for only two days.

The men had moved on to basketball now, so Maggie 
could observe them without drawing attention.  Dana's 
hand was back in sight, but their body language made 
them seem closer than they were.  She needed to have a 
conversation with Dana.  At least this Fox was younger 
than Jack Willis, and a great deal younger than that Dr. 
Waterston.

Dana had made . . . mistakes in her personal life.  Okay, 
she was a grown woman, but Dana would always be her 
baby daughter.  Her husband's question caught her 
attention.

"How long have you been at the Bureau, Mulder?"
 
"Seven years."

"What made you decide to join?"

"Actually I was recruited, like Dana.  I," he glanced over 
at Dana, "I have my Ph.D. in psychology from Oxford.  I 
guess they saw something they liked."

Dana's smile was warming.

"What area do you work in Fox?"  Maggie asked.

"I'm in Violent Crimes.  I create profiles of criminals."

"Profiles?"

"It's my job to get inside of the heads of criminals, figure 
out what they're thinking, how to track them, help the 
police determine who their next victim might be and get 
them off the street as soon as possible."

The Captain spoke again, "Do you think it's a good 
career for a woman, the Bureau?"

Dana looked down at her plate, shaking her head slightly.  
She had no control over this conversation.

Mulder glanced over at her and smiled slightly.  "I don't 
know, it could be hard on a woman.  She'd have to be 
made of strong stuff.  It's still a boys club for the most 
part.  But from my perspective, I like having a woman 
check out the scene of a crime.  They, as a rule, see 
things differently than men.  They pick up on the little 
details, the nuances of a room that men who have been 
doing this work for years could miss.  Maybe it's the fresh 
eye, but women seem to think differently, at least from 
me, and I need their insight.

"Since Dana has already battled her way through medical 
school and residency, I'd say she has the backbone 
needed.  We haven't worked on a case together, but I'm 
sure her input would be very valuable."

The Captain and his wife exchanged glances.  It was a 
different argument than the one Dana had given them, 
not that she needed their permission.

The rest of the meal was eaten mostly without Dana 
wanting to kick anyone under the table, and the two men 
seemed to get along even better than she had hoped.

*****

"Mom, let me get that."

"No.  I'm sure you and Fox have plans for the afternoon.  
Your father can help me get the kitchen ship shape.  Go 
on, really.  Fox, I hope we see you again soon."

"Thank you Maggie."

"Yes, you come back, even if you are misguided enough 
to root for the Knicks."  Her father's eyebrow was raised, 
but his eyes smiled.

"Yes Sir.  I'll try not to influence your daughter unduly."  
He shook the older man's hand and they headed for their 
cars.

"I think it's already too late to worry about his influence."  
Maggie remarked to her husband as they returned to the 
dining room to clear the table.

*****

Peter had parked a little to the side, waiting for her to 
return.  His guilt over what he and Sheila had done, both 
the date and the sabotage had bothered him with 
growing intensity.  Sheila was ticked at him, but he 
wanted to check on Dana, even if he didn't 'confess'.

He watched her pull into a space and get out of the car, 
but she didn't move inside.  Peter reached for the door 
handle; then stopped as he saw her face light up and she 
moved toward a car that had pulled in behind her.

As Peter sat watching, the long, lean body of Special 
Agent Fox Mulder emerged from the second car.  It was 
the first time Peter had ever seen the man smile.  Dana 
took his hand and led him toward the building.  There 
was nothing icy about her now.

Shit!  He ground the engine starting it and peeled out of 
the parking lot.  Dana and Mulder turned at the noise.  
Dana's eyes widened and Mulder looked over at her.  
"What?"

"Let's go in.  I want to change."  He followed her into the 
apartment.  "Make yourself at home.  I'll be right out."

He nodded and watched her disappear into the bedroom.  
He moved to the window and stood looking out at the 
street.  She was back quickly in navy tights and an over-
sized navy and white sweater.  Lounging clothes, his 
mind supplied, they weren't going anywhere.

She smiled at him, "You know, you could lose the tie and 
jacket."

"Oh, yeah."  He slid off the jacket and she took it as he 
removed his tie.  "Dana."

"Yes?"

"That car, the one that raced out, was it Peter?"

She hesitated for a moment, "Yes."

"Is he stalking you now?"

"No.  I . . . "

"He came over to check on you, because you'd been 
forced to spend time with me?"

"Mulder."

"It's obvious he's interested."

"Well that makes one of us.  Would you like some tea?"

"Sure."  She wanted him to stay, he felt positively light 
headed at that.

She returned with two tall glasses of iced tea and 
motioned for him to join her on the couch.  "I'd like to 
apologize for Maggie and Ahab."

"What?  They were great, and I really haven't eaten like 
that since I can remember."

She shook her head, "We met Friday, when I had car 
trouble?"  She grinned.  "Ahab may have bought that, but 
Maggie . . . "

"What?"

"She had her radar up about you.  She was definitely in 
'Super Mom' mode."

"What does that mean?"

"Come on, Profiler Par-excellence, you didn't get those 
vibes?"

"No, but then my mother's never met anyone I . . . "

"You've never taken a woman home?"

He shook his head, "It never crossed my mind.  If it helps 
any, I've never met anyone's parents before either."

She blinked at that, no wonder he'd been nervous.  She 
decided to switch gears.  "The, uh, the game you and 
Ahab were bickering about comes on in a few minutes.  
Want to watch?"

"Do you?"

"I'm not confident on the finer points of the game."

"Now there I can help you."  He smiled.

She handed him the remote and made herself 
comfortable.

*****

He answered the door with a scowl on his face.  "What 
do you want?"

"Well, it's good to see you too."  Sheila responded.  "We 
were going to go over our notes, remember?"  She 
waited a moment.  "May I come in?"

Peter stepped aside with a sigh.

She dropped her bag on the chair and turned to look at 
him.  "What's wrong?"

He hesitated, then faced her.  "I should never have 
listened to you."

"Oh god, is this about Dana again?  You cannot be 
feeling guilty about that.  It was one date.  I'm sure he 
knows she never even heard about the melting body and 
has retreated back to his coffin in the basement."

"Wrong again Sheila."  He turned away from her, toward 
his kitchen.

"What?"

"I was just over at her place."  He didn't try to interpret the 
look on her face, but registered hurt and outrage at least.  
"She wasn't there when I arrived, so I waited.  She 
showed up, followed immediately by Special Agent Fox 
Mulder.  Let me tell you, she was no ice queen, in fact, 
ice was melting in at least a one block radius."

"You're jealous."

He jerked away, "I'm not up for company right now."

"Company.  Right, I'll get out of your way."  She grabbed 
up her bag.  He didn't try to stop her.  By the time she'd 
made it to her car, her fury had taken over.  What was 
with that redhead?  She wasn't that attractive, and her 
personality -  she was so damn rigid.  Okay, she'd been 
top of her class in medical school.  Sheila knew what that 
meant, she'd been one of two females in her own class, 
but still.  Dana had that weird undergraduate degree too.  
Physics?  Not biology or chemistry.  What was with that?

So what about the bitch attracted men?  Jack, Peter, that 
older doctor - yes, she'd heard about that, and now 
someone with a loner from hell reputation like Fox 
Mulder.  It made no sense!

Well, she might have the brains, but Sheila had the 
smarts.  She'd had to, to get where she was.  She 
needed Peter.  Okay, she'd underestimated his feelings 
for Dana.  It hadn't occurred to her that he cared about 
the redhead.  But it could be fixed.  

*****

She stretched, waking and felt his arm around her.  "Oh 
my god.  Mulder, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"My stimulating personality?"

"No."  She smiled shyly.  "I had trouble getting to sleep 
last night.  And I guess basketball doesn't really . . . " She 
sat up fully then, and he released her reluctantly.  "Did 
you win?"

"Yeah.  Oh, you mean the game, yes, in overtime."

She blushed at that.  What had gotten into her, falling 
asleep with a man who should be nearly a stranger 
considering how long she had known him.

"Maybe I should go."

"Do you have to?  I'm a lot better company awake."

He smiled, remembering the feel of her of her against 
him, relaxed, trusting him.

"What?  Did I snore?"

"No, not at all.  Why, uh, why did you have trouble 
sleeping?"

The color in her face grew and his eyes widened.  Him?  
Thoughts of him had kept her awake?  And she'd just 
asked him to stay.  He leaned forward and she met him, 
their lips meeting, tongues exploring.

When they fell back, both gasping for air, they just looked 
at one another for a long moment.  It was better than last 
night's goodbye kiss.  A lot better.

"I came so close to doing that in the restaurant last 
night."

"I know.  If I'd had my gun, I'd have winged Mr. Tai."

He gaped at her, "I had the same thought."

She smiled.  "I know."

"Who are you?"

"I'm not sure when I'm with you."

He blinked then, "Is that good or bad?"

She managed to smile, "I don't know."

"I'd like to find out."  He leaned in to kiss her again.

*****

He tossed his keys on the table and shed his coat.  It had 
been hard leaving her tonight.  It was the right thing to 
do, he knew that.  Ignore the fact that she fit into his 
arms, against his body, as though created to be there.  
Her lips fit his so damn perfectly.  It was too quick; no 
one had ever gotten to him the way she had.  They had 
spent a comfortable afternoon and evening, shared a 
pizza, and he had gotten out of there.  If he'd stayed . . . 
well, it would have been . . . premature.  It would have 
been incredible, but rash.

God, he wanted to hear her voice.  He made his way to 
the bathroom and changed into his pajamas bottoms and 
a t-shirt.  He sat on the couch and reached for the 
remote.  Instead he picked up the phone and dialed 
without hesitation.

"Hello?"

"Hi.  Is this dumb?"

He could actually feel the smile before she spoke.  "No, 
not dumb.  I was . . . I was lying here hoping you would 
call."

Lying there.  That brought up a hell of a visual and he felt 
his groin tighten.

"Mulder?"  

"Yeah."  His voice sounded deeper to her.  "You know it's 
a good thing I left."

"Yes, it was."

"Listen, I don't know what I'll be working on next week, 
but if I'm in town, do you think I could give you a call?"

"Yes.  You know, you could call even if you're out of 
town."

He grinned.  "I think I'll do that.  I should let you get some 
sleep.  Good night Dana."

"Good night."

He put the phone down and stretched out.  His hand 
cupped himself and his thumb moved over his semi-erect 
cock through the fabric of his pajamas.  The phone 
ringing caused him to jerk his hand away.  Was she 
calling him back?

"Hello?"

There was silence for a long moment.

"Is anyone there?"  Dana wouldn't -

"She's not what you think."

"Excuse me?"

"She's not the woman you think she is.  You shouldn't 
trust her."

Sheila?  Was this the best she could come up with?  How 
the hell had she gotten into the Bureau in the first place?  
"Are you talking about Dana?"

"She didn't get to the top of her class using her brains.  It 
was a different part of her anatomy."

"Are you saying she slept her way to the top?"

"She was involved with at least one of her instructors at 
the academy, and a doctor during her residency.  She 
uses people."

"That sounds pretty harsh.  How did you find out?"

"I checked around."

"To protect me?  Do I . . . do I know you?"  He had 
slipped into his 'Marty' voice.  He could feel her 
hesitation.  "Please, why are you looking out for me?"

"I . . . I didn't, I didn't want her to hurt you."  The question, 
the tone had thrown her, he could feel it.

"Why?  Why do you care about me?  Tell me I know you."

"No, no we don't . . . I mean -  "

"Could we meet?"

"Why?  I mean . . . "

"What's your name?  Please."  Damn, he was good.  No 
wonder Chantal seemed to enjoy their phone time as 
much as he had, just as long as he wasn't himself he did 
great with women.  Too bad he was so damn tired of not 
being himself.  What he had told Dana was true, she was 
the only person whose opinion mattered. 

"I . . . I don't know."

"A name, just your first name then.  Please, don't go 
away."  He had her off balance.  She hadn't expected him 
to come on to her.  This was good.

"Sh . . . Sheila."

"Sheila.  Can I meet you?"

"No.  I should go."

"Will you call again?"

"I . . . I don't know."

"Please, Sheila.  If you care enough about me to . . . 
please."

"I'll see.  I have to . . . good night."  She broke the 
connection.

What was the woman's problem?  Why was she so 
determined to hurt Dana?  His desire to relieve himself 
gone, he dialed another number.  "Danny, it's Mulder.  
When you get this, could you do me a favor?  I need a 
background check on a Sheila Lewis.  She's at the 
academy and I want to know how she got there and if 
she's really qualified.  While you're at it, check on Peter 
Doud as well.  Give me a call and thanks."

He sank back down onto the couch and closed his eyes.  
Maybe if he could profile this woman, he could get her to 
leave Dana alone.  He'd find Danny first thing when he 
got in tomorrow.

*****

They hadn’t seen Dana come up behind them, but Sheila was leaning in to
Peter, a flush on her face.

“So now you’re smitten with Spooky too?”

“I didn’t say I was ‘smitten’.  I just said we had a very interesting
conversation last night.  Maybe what you thought you saw wasn’t what
was really happening, and maybe I was wrong about the man.”

“You, wrong?  How refreshing.”

“You don’t have to get snide, Peter.  He is attractive.  Maybe the
stories about him have been embellished.  He didn’t sound very Spooky
to me.”

Peter’s expression caused her to stop and look around.  Dana’s face
brought a smirk to the other woman’s face.  “Have a nice weekend,
Dana?”

Instead of responding, Dana brushed past them and on into the lecture
hall.

“Dana - “Peter tried to stop her, but she didn’t slow down.  “You know,
you’re a real bitch, Sheila.”  He moved away from the blonde following
Dana, but she had already taken her seat.  He’d have to see her after
class.

The lecture had already started when the door opened and a young woman
entered.  She handed a note to Dr. Guttman.  He read it and looked up.

“Dr. Scully, get your things together.  You’re going to be missing
classes for the next few days.  Your services have been requested by
the VCS.  I have no doubt you’ll learn more in the field than here
anyway.  I will meet with you later about your assignments.”

Dana managed to rise, and couldn’t stop herself, she glanced toward
Sheila.  The woman's face was bright red, her fury palpable, then
spotted Peter out of the corner of her eye.  He was white as a sheet
and too stunned to move, though Sheila had her hand on his arm.  They
both knew the implications of such a summons, and exactly who was
behind it.

“Report to Bill Patterson.”  Dana took the paper her instructor held
out to her and nodded, then turned to the door.  Karen was grinning
ear-to-ear and mouthed ‘call me’ to Dana.

Dana’s nod was almost imperceptible, then she slipped out of the
lecture hall.

*****

She came through the metal detectors and got her badge, then hurried
upstairs to Patterson’s office.  Just outside the door she stopped and
smoothed down her skirt and straightened her jacket.  Then she took a
deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come.”  A man’s voice called to her.

She opened the door to see a large office with a lot of activity.  She
glanced around, but didn’t see anyone she recognized.

“Dr. Scully?”

“Yes sir.” She turned to face the man that spoke.

“Mulder said you could be a help on a case we’ve just picked up. He
said you were still at the academy.”

“I am, but I am a forensic pathologist.  I did my residency - “

“Fine.  Report to Mulder; he’ll bring you up to speed on the case.”

“Yes sir.”  She turned as the door opened again and she watched Mulder
enter the room.  He spotted her instantly, as though he’d sensed her
before even seeing her.  She saw his eyes smile, but it didn’t reach
his lips.  Fine, professional, that was good.  Besides, she had to
admit she was feeling a little unsettled by what she had overheard this
morning.

She moved to him and held out her hand.  “Agent Mulder.”  He shook the
proffered hand with only a hint of a smile.

“Dr. Scully.  Why don’t I bring you up to date.”

“Thank you.”  She followed him out into the hall and to the elevator. 
She noted that he pressed the button for the basement, but neither
spoke with all of the other people around.  The car emptied out on the
first floor and they were alone.  “Mulder?  Why did you do this?”

“Because I think you could be a help on this case.”

Her eyebrow rose and he grinned.  “Okay, I wanted to see you, but I do
think you could help out.”

“The announcement made quite a splash in class.”

“Upset Sheila and Peter, huh?”

“You could say that.  I thought Peter was going to pass out and Sheila,
she almost had an aneurysm.  If you were going for shock, it worked.”

His smile widened.

“You did this on purpose.  Mulder, Mulder did you really call her last
night? “

“Call her?  No. Hey, I may have staged the announcement, but I was
thinking about this yesterday when I left you.”

“She said - “

“Scully, when I got in this morning I was handed this.  It could be a
big case, a murderer who targets women, three so far.  I need a woman’s
point of view.  And you are top of your class and a forensic
pathologist.  You’re not here just because we’ve gone out.  We can talk
about the phone call later, I promise.”

She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then nodded.  “Okay.  Thank
you.”

“Did you know you were already being discussed in higher circles, I
just preempted them by asking for you first.”

That surprised her, but she said nothing.  

After a moment, he turned to his desk.  For the first time she looked
around the room.  Why was he in the basement, so far from the others? 
And who did his decorating?  The “I Want To Believe” poster was a
little strange, but he had shone a lot of interest in outer space when
they were at the Smithsonian.  She took a step closer to look at the
other pictures, but he flipped on the slide projector.   “Want to get
the light?”

“Uh, sure.”  She turned off the fluorescent lights and turned toward
the picture showing on the wall.  It was horrific, the woman had been
brutalized.  Dana swallowed hard and stepped closer.  “Was she raped?”

“Yes.”  He pulled another slide, of a different woman, but the wounds
were similar.

“And?”

“The coroner . . . well, I would prefer it if you would do an autopsy
yourself.  I’m not . . . he may not be as reliable as we need for this
case.”

“When was she autopsied?”

“Yesterday.  The first slide was the latest victim.  There have been
two others.”

She nodded, “Where?”

“We fly into Little Rock this afternoon.  How long will it take you to
pack?”

She blinked, “Not long.  You've already made the arrangements?”

“We need to move on this.  Our flight is at 2:30.”

She glanced down at her watch.  “I need to go to my apartment.”

“I can pick you up there.”

“It’s out of your way.”

“I don’t mind.  You better get going.  I’ll brief you on the plane.”

She nodded, “I’ll see you in a little while.”  She moved toward the
door, but with her hand on the knob, she turned back.  “Mulder, thank
you.”

“You can do this.  And I need you.  Go on, I’ll pick you up in an
hour.”  

They made their plane with little time to spare.  Fortunately the
flight wasn’t crowded, so they had a row to themselves.  He took the
aisle seat, tossing his briefcase into the window seat so that she
would be next to him.

She didn’t settle back as he had expected, and seemed to tense up when
the engines revved.  “Dana?”

“I’m okay.”  She managed a small smile.

He looked straight into her eyes, deeper than she’d ever felt before,
then casually draped his arm over her shoulders.  She seemed to move
just a touch closer, though it might have been his imagination.

“For the record, Dana, I did not call Sheila.”

She looked up surprised.  Not what she had expected him to say.  She
relaxed a little more, he had seen her tenseness at flying and had made
her physically comfortable and now was distracting her.  And it was
working.

“I . . . I didn’t really think so.  She must have seen me standing
there and wanted to make Peter and me both jealous.”

“Did it make you jealous?”  She caught the surprise and the . . . the
hope in his tone.

“A little.”

He smiled then, “Well, I didn’t call her, but she did call me.”

“She what?”  Dana sat up a little, but he pulled her back down against
him, even closer than before.

“She’s half a step above stupid Dana.  She said she wanted to ‘warn’ me
that you weren’t the person you were presenting yourself to be.”

Dana’s mouth had fallen open and it took all of his will power not to
pull her even closer and take advantage of that fact.

“What was I supposed to be?”

“A bimbo, sleeping her way through medical school and now the academy.”

She blinked, “Doesn’t fit the ‘ice queen’ rep, does it?”

“Nope.”  He grinned.

“I didn’t you know.”

“I know.”

She sighed, “I have made mistakes.”

“So have I.  Do we need to exchange stories?”

She chuckled, “No.  I don’t think I want to hear about your women.”

“My women?  Yeah, then what would we talk about for the other three
hours and ten minutes of the flight?”

She realized they were in the air and met his eyes.  “Thank you.”

He shrugged, “Want to go over the case?”  He reluctantly removed his
arm.

*****
 
They had met with the sheriff, then he had driven her over to the
hospital to use their facilities to repeat the autopsy.  Now he stood
watching her as she bent over the body.  She was adorable in the
greens, though he’d never say that.  She was all business.  He glanced
at the body, and winced.  It was bad enough looking at dead bodies, but
here with the deep investigation . . . he had to keep objective.  At
least he didn’t lose his lunch like some cops.

She reached for another instrument and he cleared his throat.  She
glanced over at him and noted his discomfort.  “You don’t like this
part.”

“Not especially.”  He grinned at her.

“I really don’t need you to stay here.  I want to be thorough.  Why
don’t you meet with the Sheriff, see what else they have.  I can call
you when I’m finished.”

“How long are you talking?”

“A couple of hours at least.”

*****

He was there in exactly two hours to pick her up.  She was finished and
scrubbing when he arrived.  It took her just a couple of minutes to don
her street clothes.

"Find anything?"  He asked when she rejoined him.

"Yes."  She handed him a small evidence bag.

He looked at it closely.  "What is it?"

"A splinter."

"A splinter?  Where . . . "

"Her vagina."  He winced.  "Mulder, he performed object rape in
addition to assaulting her himself."

"Shit."

"It was post-mortem."

He closed his eyes for a moment.  "It's late, let's get out of here. 
Do you feel like eating?"

"I'd really like a shower and to take off my shoes.  Could we get some
take out?"

He smiled then, "Sure could.  Chinese?"  The smile grew.

"Without Mr. Tai?  Wouldn't feel right.  How about Italian?"

Well, the blood didn't seem to bother her, but she'd have to have a
strong stomach for this work.  "Italian it is.  I'll drop you by the
motel, then go get the food."

"You don't -  "

"It'll be nice and hot when you get out."  He cajoled.

"Mmm, sold.  Let's lock up the evidence and get out of here."

*****

She answered the door quickly when he knocked.  He had to check her out
and he liked what he saw.  Her hair was slicked back, but the tendrils
that had dried were curling.  She had on a large USN t-shirt and
running shorts, but had topped everything with a three quarters length
robe.  She let him in and pulled the robe closed.  He was positive she
wasn't wearing a bra.

"Smells good."  She took a deep breath.

"So do you."  He responded and enjoyed her shy smile.  "May I join
you?"

"Of course."  She scooped her papers off the small table and pulled up
the other chair.

He steered the conversation away from the case, and Sheila.  He knew
what he had to do tonight and this respite would get him through it.

She cleaned up and put her files on the bed.  "Do you want to work in
here?"

He blinked at her, in here?  With her?  He didn't answer and her face
flushed.  "I'm sorry.  If you have a routine . . . "

"No, it's not . . . no one's ever asked before.  I don't know, I'm not
good company when I . . . "

"I understand."  She gathered up her notes and settled Indian style on
the bed.

"Dana, really, I've never worked around anyone when I'm trying to get
into someone like this guy's head."

"Mulder, it's okay.  I'm not upset.  I don't know how this is done,
I've never done it either.  If you need to be alone, I understand."

"The problem is, I don't want to be alone."

She smiled slightly then.  "I'm not throwing you out."

He joined her on the bed then, not close enough to touch, and made
himself comfortable against the headboard.  "You could tell me what you
found.  Talk to me."

*****

He stirred when she rolled over.  Shit, he hadn't meant to get really
comfortable, much less fall asleep.  He had work to do.  He slipped off
of her bed and took the papers over to the table, then took the half of
the bedspread he had been lying on and lay it over her.  Before good
sense could take over completely, he gently kissed her lips.  She
seemed to sigh a little, but didn’t wake.  He let himself out of the
room.

*****

The knocking woke her.  She turned, stretching slightly.  Why was she
on top of the covers with the bedspread draped over her.  Mulder!  Her
eyes flew open.  He’d been here, explaining how he worked through the
evidence.

The second knock jolted her back to the present.  “Who is it?”

“Dana, open up.”

Mulder.  She scrambled out of the bed and hurried to the door.  She
glanced through the peephole, then hurried to let him in.

“Mulder?”

“They found another body.  We need to get over there.”

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

He nodded and she looked at him more closely.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded, “We need to hurry.”

“Of course.  I’m sorry.  I’ll be right out.”

“I’ll find us some coffee.”

*****

The scene was gruesome, the rage and overkill blatant even to her
novice eyes.  The locals had waited for them and now Dana was taking
the crime scene photos as Mulder talked to the neighbor who had
reported the disturbance.

They had moved to another room, so the older man could get his
composure back.  Mulder was torn between talking to him, and keeping an
eye on Dana.  He knew she had picked up his emotional distance this
morning and he wanted her to know it was the work.  He shoved that
aside, they could talk later.

One of the deputies took the neighbor home finally, after Mulder
thanked him for his assistance.  Mulder hurried back to the bedroom. 
She looked up as he came through the door  “Is Mr. Abram okay?”

“Not really.  The deputy was going to stay with him until his son can
get here.”

She nodded.  “We’re about through in here.  I’ll ride with the body and
you can have the car.”

He nodded.  She seemed rather distant herself.  They moved out of the
way, so that the body could be loaded for transport and in the relative
privacy of the hall, he touched her shoulder.  “Listen, I -  “

“Mulder.”  She smiled up at him.  “It’s the work.  It’s why you’re so
good at it.  I don’t want to be a distraction, I want to be a help.”

He leaned down, close to her ear.  “Do you know how much I want to kiss
you?”

“About half as much as I want you to?”  She grinned at the stunned look
on his face.

They had loaded the body onto the gurney now.  Dana leaned over and
unzipped the bag, to check one last thing he assumed.  He looked down
at the dead woman.  What he saw froze him - it wasn't the dead woman,
not the victim that had brought them here.  It was her, Dana, lying on
the gurney, her beautiful red hair spread out around her peaceful face.
 He couldn't speak, he couldn't even move.

"Mulder?"  Her hand on his arm brought him back.  "Mulder, what's
wrong?"

He still didn't speak.  She motioned for the men to take the body out,
then pulled Mulder to the side.

"Mulder, talk to me.  What is it?"

He grabbed her upper arms in a painful grip.  "I want you to go home,
back to DC."

"What?  No.  I have an autopsy to do."  She motioned toward the door.

"I know how he picks his victims."

Her eyes grew wide.  That had been a point of frustration all along. 
"How?"

"Its women he sees at the crime scene.  He comes back, to watch us
work.  Then picks an innocent bystander."

“Mulder, you can’t know that.”

“Dana, please, trust me.  I’ll have to do some checking, but I’m
right.”

“Okay, you go to the station and check.  I’ll go to the morgue and
start on the autopsy.”

“He’s seen you.  I’m sure of it.  You’re not safe.  Hell he could
already be targeting you!”

She just looked at him and his frustration grew.  Why wasn’t she
listening?  He knew what he was talking about.  She must have seen his
frustration because after a moment she nodded.  “I can take a deputy
with me.  He can wait outside of the morgue.”

His eyes closed and the relief actually bowed his shoulders.  She had
listened, she might not believe, but she had listened.  He looked down
at her then, and let one finger trace her cheekbone.  “Don’t leave the
morgue until I come to get you.  No one else.”

She gave him a slight smile.  “No one else, got it.”

“I’m serious Dana.”

Her smile disappeared, “So am I.  I need to get going, and so do you.”

Mulder arranged for her to ride in the ambulance, but to be followed by
Deputy Miller.  His directions to Miller were specific.  He drove back
to the sheriff’s office, but his unease didn’t lift.  Seeing her body,
lifeless on that gurney, had affected him, truly affected him in a way
he had been unprepared for.  

He tried desperately not to think of the victims of the crimes he
investigated as people.  It didn’t help, and only made the depression
worse when he worked.  

He cornered the sheriff in his office and went over his theory that
their murderer had been at the scenes of each of the crimes, which
could mean it was one of his people, at the least someone he knew. 
They also checked, where they could, about whether or not the victims
had been at previous crime scenes.

The other correlation hit him as he stared once again at the folders
spread out in front of him.  It was what he should have seen last
night, but he’d been too comfortable.  These women, all but one had
traditionally male jobs.  The first victim had been a loan officer, the
second a lawyer, this last one worked as a lineman for the electric
company.  That didn’t explain the waitress.

“Sheriff, look at this.”

Wilkins moved over closer, and looked at the files with the grisly
photos spread over the extra desk.  “Yeah?”

Mulder quickly explained his theory.

“So you’re saying he’s angry at women who get ‘men's’ jobs?”

“Yeah, except for the third one.  A waitress is traditionally a woman’s
job.”

“Well Mollie only did that part time.”

“Part time?  It’s the only occupation listed.”  He pointed at the file.

“Well, she wasn’t official yet.”

“Official?”  Mulder was not going to hit the guy, not yet.

“She was a volunteer fireman, well fire fighter I guess is the correct
term now.  She hadn’t completed her training, but she was good.”

That was traditionally a male role.  He had hit on it.  But he should
have realized this last night.  Dana was in danger from this guy
because he’d been slow.  She was a doctor, a pathologist and an FBI
agent -  how traditionally male could you get?

He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed her cell.

He looked up as Miller approached the desk, and felt fear grip him. 
"Why aren't you with Agent Scully?"

"Dell told me you needed me here.  He came to relieve me."  The
confused deputy looked up at Mulder.

"Dell?  Who's that?  Did you send him?"  Mulder turned on the sheriff,
even as he pressed redial on the phone.

"Dell?  He's a guy that hangs around here.  I've deputized him a couple
of times.  Real helpful guy.”

“A civilian?”

“Well, yes.  He applied for the police academy this past session but
didn't get in."

"Why not?"

"Oh, space.  I'm sure he'll get in next time."

"Space?”  Mulder felt a familiar sinking feeling.  “Who got the last
space this time?"

"Let me think, Grace, Grace Madison.  She had a better grade on the
entrance exam."

"A woman.  How did he take it?"

"He was disappointed, maybe a little sore.  He took some ribbing
because a woman -  "

"It's him."

"What?"

"This Dell, he's the guy that been murdering these women.  He's been at
the crime scenes; he's seen the women.  Shit!  I should have - He's got
Dana.  Where would he take her?"

The two men in front of him were still gaping at him, unable to make
the leaps he was making at this lightening speed.

“Did you hear me?  Where would he have taken her?”

“Now listen just a minute Agent Mulder.  You don’t even know that she’s
not still in the morgue, checking out the body.”

Mulder held up his cell phone, “She hasn’t answered.”

“So she’s got her hands in the woman’s body.”  The sheriff put his arms
out to try to calm him, clearly put out by the man’s attitude.

“Come on.”  Mulder grabbed his jacket.

“I’m coming?”

“You’ve got the siren and lights.  Now!”

The sheriff sighed, but he did move to follow Mulder.  “Miller, hang
out here.  Call me when Dell shows up.”

The sheriff’s attitude had changed abruptly when they arrived at the
hospital.  Neither Dana nor Dell was anywhere to be found, but the body
had been left out, exposed, the autopsy half finished.  The blood spot
on the floor near the door had two red hairs caught in it

Mulder felt blackness creeping in on him.  He’d been right, but he
hadn’t followed through enough to protect her in time.

“Where would he have taken her?”  His voice was low and harsh.  The
sheriff winced.  “He murdered the other women in their homes.  They let
him in, that’s why there was no forced entry.  He’s got a uniform,
doesn’t he?”

Sheriff Wilkins nodded.

“Okay, they felt safe.”  Mulder had gone inside of himself again.  “Why
these women.  There were other women that witnessed the clean up, from
behind the lines.  What am I not seeing?”

The sheriff stood there, watching him.

“The victim, the first one, she was a loan officer.  Did he have any
money problems?”

“Uh, listen -  “

“You listen!  This madman has my partner, a woman doing what he thinks
is a man’s job.  Tell me what I need to know.”  

“Yes, he had money problems.  He ended up having to sell his family
home after his Grandmother died.  They wouldn’t extend the loan.”

“She was the first victim.  He liked the feel of it, he felt justified.
 Where would he take her?”

“He lives in a, it’s like a boarding house.  He couldn’t take her
there.”

“The home he had to sell -  “

“The new family is there.”

Mulder reached for the man’s lapels, ready to shake him, but realized
in time and forced himself to step back.  “Are there outbuildings on
the property?”

“I haven’t been out there.  We need to talk to Miller.”

“Come on, he can meet us out there.  We don’t have any time.”

Mulder was moving toward the door, ready to break into a run as soon as
he was outside of the building.  Wilkins hurried to catch up.  He had
put her in this danger, he had to find her, he had to save her.


It was Deputy Miller who spied Dell’s car hidden in a wooded area of
the old farm road.  The closest building was an old shed, used to store
equipment closer to the fields.  Dell had obviously had to improvise
quickly with a woman who had no home in the area.

They heard no sounds coming from the building, but Mulder’s senses were
on high alert. The sheriff had only pulled his gun reluctantly at
Mulder’s insistence.

By sign language, Miller indicated he would go in first.  Mulder felt
as though they were placating him, but he needed the back-up.

Miller cautiously pushed the door open, but the groans from the hinges
spoiled any hint of surprise.  Then Miller was on the ground, struck in
the head, unconscious.  Mulder moved then, as the sheriff stooped to
check for a pulse.

Dell had moved back into the shadows where Dana lay, knowing he was
caught, but desperate to finish his work before they had him.

Dell raised the piece of wood he had slammed into Miller’s head, but
Mulder’s bullet caught him on the down swing, knocking him back.  He
lunged forward once more, but another bullet, from behind Mulder,
finished the job.

Mulder was already on his knees beside her.  “Get an ambulance!”  He
barked at the sheriff and heard him race off toward the cars.

“Dana?  Dana, its Mulder.  You’re safe now.  Can you hear me?  I’m
sorry, I’m so damn sorry.”

Her eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open.  He saw her split and bleeding
lips form his name.  Relief threatened to topple him, and he found
himself sitting on the wooden floor at her side.

“It’s going to be okay.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and felt
her relax under his hands.

*****

He was in a hurry; he wanted to get to the hospital.  He needed to see
Dana, but he had to get this out of the way.  He picked up the phone
and dialed.


“Come.”  Sheila opened the office door at his biding.  She had stopped
to freshen her lipstick, fix her hair, and unbutton the top two buttons
of her blouse.

“Agent Mulder.”  She practically purred the words and he struggled to
keep his face impassive.

“Ms. Lewis.”

“Please, call me Sheila.”

The huff from the corner of the room drew her attention and Mulder saw
a look of unease come over her face.  Peter?  “What are you doing
here?”

“Agent Mulder asked to see me.”

“Please,” Mulder motioned to the chair.  She sat, but didn’t cross her
legs provocatively.  Mulder found himself a little disappointed, and a
lot amused.

“Ms. Lewis, Sheila, I thought you should know that you’ve been the
subject of an unofficial investigation.”

“What?”

“I just decided to check into your ‘credentials’.”

He saw her face pale and he pushed a file toward her.  Peter just
observed from the far side of the room.  After a moment, she took the
file he extended.  Mulder was watching her, but she had dropped her
eyes.  She opened the manila folder and began looking at the papers. 
Her face lost even more color.  After a couple of minutes, she closed
the file and faced him.  “So?”

“So,” he smiled, “they’ll be asking for your resignation.  You might
want to get your resume together.”

“Because of Dana?  Because we set you up on a blind date?”

Peter jerked at the word ‘we’, but Mulder’s look kept him quiet.

“Actually I’d like to thank you for that, but the rumors, the lies
about her reputation, come on Sheila, the sabotage on her car?  What is
this, high school?  You don’t have what it takes to be in the FBI. 
Personally, I don’t think you have what it takes . . . never mind.”

“What about Peter?  Are you throwing him out too?”

Mulder turned to look at the man, “No.  I don’t have the authority to
throw either of you out.  Besides, he might be able to cut it.  The
Bureau needs agents willing to . . . to work hard and do the scut
work.”

“Dana - “ Peter started, but Mulder’s narrowed eyes stopped him for a
moment.  “She doesn’t have to worry about . . . I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?  What you are is a wimp.”  Sheila hissed at him.  “No wonder
she wasn’t interested in you.  What woman would be?”  She turned to
face Mulder then, “Fine, I’m out.  You gentlemen can run the damn
Bureau, but you,” She looked at Mulder, “You’re no better for her than
he is.  I didn’t make up your reputation, you earned it.  You really
think a woman like Dana Scully could stay interested in you?  Has any
woman ever stayed interested in you?”  As she watched, his face became
totally impassive; no expression at all graced his features.  For the
first time, she felt fear.

*****

He pushed the door opened quietly, she was asleep.  He was pleased to
see that her bruises were healing.  A movement caused him to look to
the side of her room.  Her mother stood and motioned for him to step
outside.  She followed him, pulling the door closed silently.

“Mr. Mulder.”

Not Fox, he felt a pang of dread.  “Mrs. Scully.  How is she?”

“Better.  They may let her go home tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful.”  He glanced at the door.

“Mr. Mulder . . . I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to see
her.  She, she’s confused about her . . . her career path right now. 
Her father and I would like to see her return to medicine.  You have,
you have a great deal of influence over her and we, her father and I,
would rather you not attempt to talk her into staying with the Bureau.”

“Mrs. Scully, I . . . I would never try to convince her to do something
she doesn’t want to do.”

“That’s the problem Mr. Mulder; she doesn’t know what she wants to do. 
Please, for her sake, would you step away at this time?”

He glanced at the door one more time, then settled his shoulders.  “You
think that’s for the best.”

“I do.  I’m sure you are a very nice man, but -  “

“No Mrs. Scully.  I’m not a nice man.  I was able to get into the head
of the man that hurt Dana.  I understood him, I was able to find him. 
Someone that can do that . . . we should be alone.  I knew that before
I met her, I just forgot for a little while.  Would you tell her I’m
glad she’s doing so well.  No, no don’t do that.”  He held out his
hand, “It was very nice meeting you and your husband Mrs. Scully.  You
have a wonderful daughter and I . . .” He closed his eyes for a moment,
then opened them and looked at her, “Goodbye.”

She watched as he turned and walked toward the elevator.  She very
nearly called him back and did take a step toward him, but stopped
herself.  He wasn’t her worry, Dana was.

*****

She put her coffee down, she couldn’t let him see that her hands were
shaking.  She wasn’t even sure why they were.  When the Bureau had
called for an assist on an autopsy, it hadn’t crossed her mind that the
AIC could be Mulder.  They hadn’t spoken in nearly two years.

The timing was unbelievable.  Just last weekend she had been helping
her mother in the garden when the older woman had brought up Mulder. 
Dana had tried to change the subject at first, but Maggie Scully would
not be dissuaded.

Finally Dana sank down on her knees beside her mother, mouth open. 
“You asked him . . .”  She lost her voice.  Her mother had no idea what
she had done.  The man was so insecure.  He had been so incredulous
that her parents had liked him and then . . . oh god.

She’d left her parents home in a daze, allowing herself to remember
that time.  A time she had worked so hard to put aside, to forget.  She
was stunned that it was still so vivid.  

She’d been a little surprised when he hadn’t come to the hospital, but
knew that he had a lot of work to do to finish up the case.  Even
though there would be no trial, and the shooting had been witnessed by
the sheriff, there was a lot of paperwork to complete.  She was hurt
when he didn’t call after she was released.  He had to know she was
home.  In the beginning she had jumped at every call, and, though she
had never admitted it, she had called him once.  She hadn’t had the
courage to leave a message when the machine picked up.

Her memories of the actual rescue were muddled.  She knew that she
hadn’t been raped, but it would have been soon.  He had already removed
his belt and beaten her with it.  She had been drifting in and out of
consciousness, but knew the sound of his voice, Mulder’s voice.  A
feeling of peace had come over her.  She had heard the shots, then his
arms were around her, his voice in her ear whispering apologies over
and over.  He hadn’t kissed her lips, which were torn and bleeding but
she had a vivid memory of his lips on her forehead, as though branding
her with his mark.

She had returned to a changed class.  Peter was there, but more
subdued.  He had welcomed her back along with the others, but had not
attempted to get close enough to even shake her hand.  But she was
truly shocked to find Sheila gone.  Karen had been more than willing to
bring her up to date.

“You haven’t heard?  Oh Dana, it was the biggest scandal!  No one knows
how the news came out.  We hadn’t even heard that you had been injured
yet.  They decided to redo a background check on her for some reason
and apparently re-interviewed some people that had recommended her.  It
all came out.  Instead of being in the top 10% of her class, she was in
the bottom 5% and wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t been sleeping
with, as it turns out, several of her professors.  And she was getting
‘help’ here as well.  Agent Davies is no longer at Quantico, though no
one wants to talk about it.  I heard he was transferred to
Minneapolis.“

She had known instantly that Mulder had been behind this.  He’d run the
investigation while she was in the hospital recuperating.  That was the
night she had called, but hung up.  If he’d cared enough about her to
look after her, to protect her this way, then why . . .

After several weeks, she was given an assignment that took her
downtown.  After a great deal of tossing and turning the night before,
she had made up her mind to confront him - for better or worse, she
needed to know why.

The door to the office had been partially open and she’d seen him, his
back to the door.  He was poring over some file.  Just the sight of him
had sent a thrill down her spine.  Before she could chicken out, she
tapped on the door.

“Yeah.”  He turned surprised.

She’d never seen him in glasses.  God, the man just looked better every
time she saw him.  Several expressions flitted across his face before
he had control of himself.  He rose finally, and stepped toward her. 
“How are you?”

“I’m good.  All healed, well mostly.”  She smiled softly at him.  “Am I
interrupting?”

“I’m working on something for Patterson.”

She nodded, “I won’t take long.  I just . . . Mulder, what did I do
wrong?”

“Wrong?”  He seemed genuinely puzzled.

“I . . . you didn’t call, or . . . “

“I kept up with your progress.  I’ve just been very busy.”

“Busy.”  She repeated as though she didn’t understand the word.  “I
see.”

He stood there, obviously impatient to see her go.  Instead she plunged
on, “Mulder, you know I don’t blame you for what happened, don’t you? 
You saved me; that’s what I remember.”

“You wouldn’t have needed saving if I hadn’t dragged you out there.  I
should have . . . “

“Was it because I’m so inexperienced?  Did I - “

“No.  I was the senior agent.  The whole debacle was my
responsibility.”

“But it wasn’t!  You knew.  You’d figured it out and I didn’t take it
seriously enough.”

He smiled slightly, sardonically, “I’m used to that.”

“Mulder, don’t - “

“Dana, I really need to get back to work.”

“That’s it?  You want me to leave?”

“I think that would be for the best.  Don’t . . . I really enjoyed
meeting you - “

“Meeting me?”  Her eyes widened.

“Spending time . . . Listen - “ The phone rang interrupting him.  He
grabbed the receiver, trying not to show his relief.  “Yes sir.  Yes. 
Right.”  He hung up.  “Dana, I have to -  “

“Of course.  I need to get to my appointment,  It was nice seeing you
and . . . and thank you again for saving my life.”  She turned quickly,
so that he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes,
and left the room.  She didn’t see him reach out to stop her, or the
look of anguish when he let his arm drop.

She hadn’t looked back.

Finally she had managed to put it aside, she had begun dating and now
was in a relationship with Ethan.  She was over Mulder, completely. 
This assignment would prove that, besides she hadn’t really been in the
Bureau long enough to have a professional reputation, not like now. 
Okay, the ‘ice queen’ label had stuck.  Dana occasionally wondered if
Sheila knew that she had actually helped with that particular rumor. 
The men she had to deal with understood that she was all business.  She
could do this.  She squared her shoulders and turned toward the door,
she was ready to face him now.

*****
 
She looked up as the two men approached her.  “Dr. Scully, this is Agent - “
 
“Mulder.”  She held out her hand.
 
“Dana.”  He shook it.
 
“You two know each other?”  Mr. Lansing, the new administrator of the hospital 
asked.
 
“Yes, we’ve worked together before.”  She had a slight smile on her face.
 
“Well then, I’ll get out of your way.”  The smaller man rubbed his hands 
together then, when neither looked at him, turned and left them alone in the 
hall.
 
“I didn’t realize you would be doing the autopsy.”  Mulder couldn’t even have 
told her they were alone.
 
“Do you mind?  I can get - “
 
“No.  No, I don’t mind.”
 
She was looking at him, taking in his face.  There was a sadness that seemed 
deeper than she remembered.
 
“How, uh, how have you been?”  He seemed to be memorizing her somehow.  She put 
her hand on his arm and drew him into her office.
 
“Good.  I’ve been good.  You?”
 
He shrugged.  “About the same.  Mr. Lansing called you Dr. Scully.  Is that 
still your name?”
 
“For now.”  His smile faded slightly, but before he could ask, she smiled.  “I’m 
engaged.”
 
“Oh.”  His face had gone carefully blank now.  He glanced down at her hand.
 
She noted that and pulled the chain around her neck out to reveal the ring.  “I 
can’t really wear it when I’m, what did you call it, slicing and dicing.”
 
“So, who’s the lucky guy?”  His voice sounded tight to her, but she didn’t 
comment on that.
 
“Ethan Minette.  He’s a producer, television.”
 
“Oh.  Anything I’ve seen?”
 
“Probably.  He does that Sunday morning show, ‘Issues and Answers’.”
 
He nodded.  “When’s the big day?”  He didn’t want to know, but it was the 
obvious question.
 
“We haven’t actually set a date.  We’ve both been so busy . . . “
 
“My opinion of the man just plummeted.”

”What?”
 
“What kind of man could win you and then leave you hanging?”  Should he be 
kidding about this?  
 
“He, he hasn’t - “ The question left her flustered, as much as his presence.
 
“How could he not set a date the minute you said yes?”
 
She blushed, “It’s not . . . we’ve both been swamped lately.  What about you?  
Are you seeing anyone?”  She needed to gain some control in this conversation.
 
“Me?  No.  And I don’t accept blind dates anymore.”
 
She looked down, color staining her cheeks.  “They're not all bad.”
 
“No.  They aren’t, but you can’t count on getting lucky every time.”
 
They were both quiet for a moment, then she looked up at him.  “Tell me about 
this man I’m supposed to autopsy.”
 
He switched gears instantly, “White male, 29 years old.  I need a cause of 
death.”
 
“You want to tell me what you suspect?”
 
He grinned, “Nope.”
 
“Mmmm.  Okay.  Larry should have the body set up.  I’ll get started.  You 
planning to observe?”
 
He grimaced, but nodded.  “I need to make sure you get it right.”
 
Her eyebrow rose, but he winked at her and she couldn’t stop her own smile.  
“Then come on.”
 
A couple of hours later she turned to him.  “What haven’t you told me?”
 
“Me?”  He looked at her innocently.
 
“Mulder, tell me what you know.”
 
He sighed, but before he could speak, he heard her stomach growl.  “When did you 
last eat?”
 
“It’s been a busy day.  I missed lunch.”  She admitted.
 
“Why don’t we go get a bite?”
 
“Will you talk to me?” She countered instantly.
 
“After you eat.”
 
She sighed but smiled.  “Let me get cleaned up.”
 
*****
 
He watched her as she ate her sandwich.  She was even more beautiful than he 
remembered.  He wasn’t surprised to find out she was engaged to another man.  To 
be honest, he had imagined her married with a baby by now.  That was one of the 
main reasons he hadn’t kept up with her.  Knowing it was true would have been 
worse somehow.
 
He managed to put it aside.  She was here with him now.  That was more than he 
had hoped for; hell, seeing her was more than he’d hoped for.  She reached for a 
napkin to wipe her fingers.  He reached out, involuntarily, and wiped the 
mustard from the corner of her mouth onto his finger.
 
The gesture startled her and she took his hand.  She smiled when she realized 
what he had done, and took his finger into her mouth, to suck the mustard from 
it.
 
His eyes widened and he felt his cock twitch.  She realized her actions and 
released his finger, then licked her lips.  Her color was high as well and there 
was silence for a moment.
 
“So, Mulder.”  She drew her professionalism back around her.  This deli was 
close to the hospital.  She had no business acting this way with . . . “You were 
going to tell me about the victim.”
 
“Yeah.”  He looked uncomfortable, but met her eyes.  “I think he was killed by 
aliens.”
 
She waited for the punch line, but he had stopped.  “You don’t mean Mexicans.”
 
That brought a slight smile to his face.  “No, I don’t.”
 
“Mulder, you honestly believe that ET or, or Alf killed that man?”
 
“No, not them personally.”  He grinned, but it faded.
 
They were both silent for a long moment.  “You think aliens from outer space - “
 
“Yes, Dana.  They’re here.  Our government knows; they all do.  They’re working 
with them.  I . . . I think they took Samantha.”
 
She gasped then, and looked around.  No one was looking at them.  “Mulder, did 
you see another regression therapist?  Did someone put - “
 
“Dana.”  He put his hand over hers and part of him noticed she still hadn’t put 
on her engagement ring.  “You can prove me wrong, at least in this case.  Tell 
me what killed that man.”
 
She looked deeply into his eyes and finally nodded.
 
He gave her a lopsided grin and cleared his throat, “So, aren’t you glad you’re 
not still with the Bureau?”
 
She looked away for an instant, then back at him and sighed lightly.  “I don’t 
know.  Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision.”
 
“But your family - “
 
“Oh Mom is ecstatic about the decision.  What happened in Little Rock devastated 
her.  I think Ahab is aware I’m . . . not completely satisfied, but we don’t 
talk about it.  There were people I should have talked to about the decision 
before I made it, but they weren’t available.”
 
Her tone wasn’t accusing, but the guilt swept over him immediately.  “Dana, I - 
“
 
“Mulder, it’s okay.  Mom told me what she did.  I can’t believe she interfered 
on that level, but I was lying in the hospital, bruised and battered.  I guess 
the tiger in her came out to defend her cub.”
 
“I understood.”

”Did you?  When I found out I was so worried that you hadn’t.”
 
“When did she tell you?”
 
She looked directly into his eyes then.  “Last weekend.”
 
“What?” He gaped at her.
 
She nodded.  “And then, just a few days later, you walk into my office.  Some 
coincidence, huh?”
 
He couldn’t think of anything to say for a few minutes, then, “I better get you 
back.  I don’t want this Ethan guy to come after me.”
 
“He’s out of town this week.”
 
Mulder nodded, but rose.  He couldn’t do this any longer, he wanted more than 
this and that wasn't going to happen.  If she thought he was a crackpot, she 
wasn’t saying it.  Was it a coincidence that her mother had brought up his name? 
 It didn’t matter; she was another man’s now.  It wasn’t like he had ever had 
aspirations of belonging to her, though it had been a nice fantasy for a couple 
of days.  He mentally shook himself and picked up the tab.
 
“We should split it.”
 
“It’s okay.  My dating account is overflowing.”
 
*****
 
He watched her drive off.  She found herself watching him in the mirror and 
regretting there had been no goodnight kiss.  She drew herself up, where had 
that come from?  She was with Ethan now.
 
Instead of going back to her office, she decided to head home.
 
She was in the office early the next morning.  She wasn’t going to admit it, 
even to herself, but she wanted to find the cause of death for him.
 
She looked up when he entered the autopsy bay.
 
“Ready to prove me crazy?”  He managed to grin at her.
 
She cut her eyes at him, which caused his smile to widen.
 
“You are in all together too good a mood for this early in the morning.  But I 
did find something.”

”You’re kidding.”  He stepped closer.
 
Her eyebrow rose, but his expression made her relent.  “Over here.  I had a 
full-body scan done this morning.  We found this.”  She pointed to the 
microscope.  “It was embedded in the soft tissue of the neck.”
 
He glanced at her, then looked into the microscope.  “What the - “
 
“That’s what I said.”
 
“It is a computer chip.”
 
“Well, it looks like one, but Mulder it’s too small.  We don’t have the kind of 
technology - “
 
“We don’t.  Dana . . . “
 
“There is a scientific cause of death.  I just - “
 
“I have orders to get the body to his family.”
 
“Already?”
 
“What else do you want to check?”  He waited, giving her time.
 
She didn’t have an answer, and no good reason to keep the body.  She had the 
samples.  She could continue her investigation, but . . . but there would be no 
reason for Mulder to come around.
 
He realized the same thing, and his smile faded.  “I need to get back.  
Patterson was letting me check on this as an indulgence.”
 
“Oh sure.  Listen, I’m not letting this go.”
 
He tried to smile again.  “Need to prove me wrong, huh?”
 
“You better believe it.”  She said lightly.
 
His smile faded. “I’ll have the body picked up this afternoon.  Dana . . . “
 
She nodded.  “It was good seeing you too, Mulder.”  She didn’t mention staying 
in touch he noted, but she was engaged to be married.  She didn’t want to see 
him.
 
*****
 
Dana handed the bowl of potatoes to her father, then took a deep breath.  “I had 
an interesting case this week.”
 
“Dana,” Her mother cautioned, “is this dinner conversation?”
 
“Yes Mom.  No specifics.  I was asked for a consult by the FBI.”  She turned to 
face her father again.  “Guess who the agent in charge was?”  He shook his head, 
puzzled.  “Do you remember Fox Mulder?”
 
She could feel her mother’s reaction, but kept looking at her father.  “Of 
course.  You brought him here for Sunday lunch once.  I thought I’d be seeing 
more of him.  You seemed . . . close as I recall.”
 
“Well, when I left the Bureau . . .” She shrugged.
 
“Dana, when will Ethan be home?”  Her mother changed the subject.
 
“Tomorrow evening.  I’m picking him up at the airport.”
 
Maggie smiled, “We need to get him over here.  We have a lot of work to do and 
having the date set is a big first step.”
 
“I know.  I’ll talk to him.”
 
“Good, thank you.  I spoke with your Aunt Louise.  She has all of her notes from 
Michael’s wedding.  She’s sending them to me and I’ll . . .” Dana knew her 
mother continued talking, she even nodded at correct intervals, but she had 
tuned her out.
 
As soon as she could, she let them know she needed to leave.
 
“It’s early, Dana.”
 
“I know, but I have a long day tomorrow.  I’ll be in touch.”  She hugged her Dad 
and Maggie kissed her cheek.
 
“Be careful driving home, Starbuck.”
 
“I will Ahab.  Love you.”
 
But once home she couldn’t settle down.  The bubble bath hadn’t helped.  She was 
dressed for bed, but her book didn’t hold her interest.  Finally she sat up, and 
before she could stop herself, had the phone in her hand.
 
“Hello?”
 
“Hi.”
 
“D-Dana?”
 
“Is this stupid?”
 
He'd said that to her once, a lifetime ago.  “No .  . . No, I just . . . “
 
“I was over at Ahab and Maggie’s this evening.”
 
“They okay?”  He was scrambling to get his thoughts together.  Why was she 
calling him?
 
“Yes.  Ahab said to say hi.”
 
”He did?”
 
“Mulder, he didn’t know what Mom did.  I didn’t know that until tonight.  I . . 
. I just thought you should know that.”
 
“Dana . . . Dana?”  But she had broken the connection.  He stared at the phone 
for a very long time before putting it down on his coffee table.
 
*****
 
She saw Ethan approaching the luggage carousel and smiled.  “I am so glad to be 
back in DC.  There is not a decent meal to be had in South Carolina.”  He 
smiled, “and of course, you weren’t there.”
 
She smiled, but didn’t accept the unspoken invitation into his arms.  “Dana?”
 
“I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night and I had three cases today.  I’m a 
little tired.”  She did step into his embrace then.
 
“Don’t apologize.  To be honest I’m wiped myself.  You wouldn’t mind if I stayed 
at my place tonight?”
 
She smiled tiredly, “No, I wouldn’t mind.  I just feel - “
 
“Dana.”  He gave her a quick kiss.  “Don’t worry about it.  We’ll get together 
tomorrow after work and we’ll be rested.  It makes good sense.  You should go on 
home to bed after you drop me off.  I’ll pick you up at the hospital tomorrow 
night for dinner.”  He kissed her, then let reached for his bag.
 
He kissed her once more in the car, then let himself out, promising to call to 
firm up their plans for the next night.
 
She sat there, indecisive for a moment, then after he entered his building, put 
the car back into gear.
 
*****
 
The knock on the door startled him.  No one ever came to see him.  He opened it 
and stood there stunned.  “Dana?”  She took in his appearance almost hungrily.  
He was ready for bed, wearing a gray t-shirt that had been washed at least a 
hundred times, and cut off sweat pants.  She couldn’t help it, she knew he was 
going commando underneath them.
 
“May I come in?”
 
“Of, of course.”  He moved aside.  “Is everything okay?”
 
“I don’t know.  I feel off balance somehow.”
 
“I . . . Dana, I - “
 
Before he could say anything else she was in his arms, kissing him.  He lost no 
time catching up, molding her body to his.  His tongue dueled with hers for 
possession of her mouth and he felt her hands underneath his t-shirt.
 
Then just as suddenly she broke from him.  Shaking her head she moved to the 
door.  “Dana?”  She was out and moving fast for the stairs.  He hurried after 
her into the hall, but he wasn’t dressed, not even shoes.  He watched in 
confusion as she disappeared through the door.  What the hell was he supposed to 
do now?
 
She let herself into her apartment after three tries to get the key in the door. 
 She couldn’t remember the last time her hands had shaken like this.  Maybe 
never.
 
The phone rang immediately, but she didn’t answer it.  There was no one she 
wanted to talk to.  When the machine picked up, they left no message.  She 
removed the receiver and left it on the table, then got ready for bed.
 
*****
 
The next day was the longest she remembered.  Only one autopsy, the rest was 
paperwork.  Twice she looked over at the file on Mulder’s case but refused to 
even touch it.  She ate at her desk rather than be around anyone else.
 
She called it quits around 4:30 and took a shower, even changing into the dress 
she had brought to work for her dinner with Ethan.  Finally she took a couple of 
aspirin to try to stave off the headache she felt growing at her temples.
 
By the time Ethan arrived, she knew the aspirin weren’t going to work.  She 
managed to smile and return his kiss.  She let him lead her to his car.  He 
could bring her to work in the morning.  They went to her favorite place and he 
ordered wine and her favorite meal.  She was quiet, listening to him talk about 
catching up in his office and his trip.
 
Finally he wound down, “I’ve been doing all of the talking tonight, Honey.  I 
didn’t mean to - “
 
“No, it’s fine.  I certainly don’t want to talk about autopsies.”
 
“Did you have a bad day?”
 
“What?”
 
“Well, you’re a little pale and you haven’t eaten anything.”
 
She forced a smile, “I have a headache.  It’s been growing all day and so far 
nothing has touched it.”
 
“Maybe if you did eat . . . “
 
She managed a nod.  “Maybe.  I’ll try; just keep talking.  Are you going to have 
to go back to South Carolina soon?”
 
He continued with his story and she forced herself to eat a few bites of food.  
The nausea grew and she stuck with wine, keeping an interested expression on her 
face.
 
She let him help her to her feet after he paid the bill and led her to his car.  
He was watching her with concern now, but kept his thoughts to himself until 
they were inside her apartment.  He saw her wince when she turned on the light.
 
“Dana, your headache’s worse isn’t it?”
 
“Ethan, I - “
 
“You’re sick."  He touched the back of his hand lightly to her forehead.  "I 
think you should go to bed.  I can hang around, in case you need anything.  Let 
me tuck you in.  Go get in those flannel pj’s you love so much.”
 
“They’re not very sexy.”
 
“They don’t need to be.  I can sleep out here.”
 
“Oh Ethan no.  Why, why don’t you go on home?”
 
“You sure?  I could - “
 
“I’m sure.  When I feel like this I need to just curl up and let the world go 
away.”
 
He hesitated for a moment, but she looked adamant.  “Okay, let me get you 
settled.  If you do decide to go into work tomorrow, you can call me and I’ll 
pick you up.  But if you’re still feeling this bad, I hope you call in sick.”
 
“Ethan, I’m really sorry.  You’ve been out of town and - “
 
“Dana, stop.  You don’t feel well; I understand that.  I really don’t mind 
keeping you company.”
 
“No, Ethan, but thank you.  I’ll go on to bed.  Don’t worry about me.”
 
“I am going to worry about you.  That’s my job now.”  He gave her a light kiss 
on the lips.  “Go on.”
 
“Let me lock up after you, then I will.”
 
He brushed the hair back from her brow.  “We have lots of time.  Don’t think 
about it again.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow.  Remember if you do decide to go to 
work - “
 
“I’ll give you a call.”  She accepted another kiss on her cheek, then walked him 
to the door.
 
Once it was shut and locked, she leaned against it.  She’d never had a migraine 
before, but this had to be one.  She didn’t know how long she stood there, but 
finally pushed herself upright and turned toward her bedroom.
 
She was barely to her couch when she heard the knock on the door.  She closed 
her eyes.  Why had he come back?  She didn’t want any company.  He had no reason 
to feel guilty.
 
She opened the door to tell him just that, but her eyes had to travel up and up. 
 Mulder.  Mutely she stepped aside to allow him entry.  He paused just inside 
and watched her close the door.  She just watched him, waiting.
 
“I wanted to, to talk to you.  I almost left when I saw you with . . . but then 
he left.  I was . . . surprised.”  He wound down then, just looking at her.
 
“Do you want me?”
 
He gaped at her, “What?”
 
“Do you want me?  Do you want to make love to me?”
 
“Yes.”  It was the short answer, but true.
 
She heard that and moved to him, rising up on her toes to kiss him.  He 
responded immediately drawing her to him.  When they broke apart, she took his 
hand to lead him to her room.
 
“Dana, wait.  That’s . . . that’s not why I came here.  I was worried about you. 
 I’m not . . . “ She just watched him.  “Dana, I don’t even have any protection 
for you.”
 
Her lips barely curled then, “I’m a doctor, I do.”
 
“Dana, this is not - “
 
Her lips took his again, one of her hands caressed his chest, then the other 
cupped his growing erection.  The response was immediate.  He groaned, pulling 
away slightly.  How long since someone had touched him there?  “Dana, are you . 
. . are you all right?”
 
The question caught her off guard and she thought about it.  Her headache was 
gone; it had vanished when he’d stepped into her apartment.  “I don’t think I 
could be any better.”
 
He blinked at that response, but relaxed slightly as well.  She had called him, 
then showed up at his place, now this.  It was a signal even he couldn’t miss 
and it wasn’t her fault he had so little practice reading such things.
 
She tugged on his hand then, and pulled him toward her bedroom.  He was too 
stunned to stop her, even if he'd wanted to.  She led him to the bed and he 
stopped when the back of his knees touched her mattress.  Oh god, she was 
suckling on his lower lip and it was going straight to his cock.  He pulled her 
closer and she looked up at him, her eyes wide at the intensity of his arousal.
 
"Dana?"
 
"Make love with me."
 
He lifted her to his lips, his arms holding her against him.  She weighed 
nothing; he could hold her forever.  He wanted to hold her forever.  Her arms 
laced around his neck.  Finally he lowered her to her feet.  She pulled his 
t-shirt from his jeans.  He just watched her, then let her pull the shirt over 
his head.
 
"Mulder?"
 
"You're sure." The tiny note of wonder made her eyes glisten.
 
She nodded and reached for the zipper of her dress.  His hand covered hers and 
lowered the zipper for her.  She let the dress fall to the floor and his eyes 
devoured her.  He found the clasp on her bra and released it.  His hands cupped 
her breasts.  She was perfect.  His eyes met hers and he knew he loved her.  He 
hadn't realized until he'd seen her again that she'd been in his thoughts, his 
dreams every day since . . .
 
She stepped out of the dress and her shoes and he lowered her gently to the bed. 
 After a slight hesitation he removed her underwear.  That half smile she gave 
him nearly paralyzed him.
 
"You have on so many clothes."  She whispered to him.
 
He nodded and toed off his shoes, then removed his jeans.  Her fingers traced 
along the elastic of his boxers, then she pulled them down as well.  She hadn't 
imagined his size and her breathing grew shallow.
 
He covered her body with his own, his lips melding with hers, then moving on 
down her throat while his hands explored her curves and secret places.  She 
pulled him closer and he heard her moan as his hand found her sex.
 
God, he wanted her.  The fantasies he had allowed himself were nothing compared 
to the real thing, this flesh and blood woman, writhing in his arms.
 
"Mulder please."
 
Her hand wrapped around him and he lost all semblance of control.  He wanted to 
be inside of her and she obviously felt the same; guiding him to her.  She 
opened herself to the feel of him.
 
He entered her slowly, not wanting to hurt her.  She was tight, so tight and so 
hot and . . . He met her eyes and fell into them, each thrust bringing them 
closer.  He never wanted to leave her body.  He was home; he was whole.
 
"Mmmmulder."  She was close, he could tell.  He had brought her to this point.  
He had brought this woman to the edge.  His fingers joined the game and her eyes 
widened for an instant before she arched beneath him, into him, spinning out of 
control in his arms.
 
He held her, but he was too close himself.  He groaned as she spasmed around him 
and gave into the sensations, spilling his seed into her.
 
She clung to him, the only stability in the universe.  He rolled to his side, 
holding her close, not leaving her body.  She buried her face in his chest.  
"Don't leave me."  She whispered.
 
"I won't."  He settled her and watched as she relaxed, then slipped under.  His 
eyes were closing when it hit him, they had forgotten the protection.  He wanted 
to be worried about that, but he knew he was clean.  She was in a relationship, 
so she was probably on the pill.
 
He couldn't sustain consciousness anymore, he kissed the top of her head and 
slipped under.
 
The daylight coming through her blinds woke her.  She started to move, stretch, 
but his arms restricted her . . . his arms.  She looked up to find him watching 
her.
 
He wanted to speak, but fear held his tongue.  She didn't smile, just leaned up 
and took his lower lip between her own.  He felt his heart start to beat again.  
"Dana."  His hand caressed her cheek.
 
"I want you."  She murmured into his neck and she reached for him again.  He was 
more than happy to comply, slipping into her with a feeling of completeness, 
even more than last night.  They had been together and she still wanted him.  He 
was willing to swear the planet quit spinning when they came together a few 
minutes later.
 
When she had her breath again, she kissed the tip of his nose.  "Is this a 
conspiracy to make me late for work?"
 
He nodded solemnly, "Is it working?"
 
"Too well, I need a shower."  She smiled then, "want to join me?"
 
His face lit up and she felt his cock twitch against her.  "Just a shower, 
Mulder.  I can't explain a headache when I left, changing to being unable to 
walk this morning."
 
"I can only promise to try to be good."
 
"Oh you're damn good.  That's not the problem."
 
He blushed.  She was again amazed that a man who looked like he’d have a great 
deal of experience with women would be this insecure . . . her eyes widened 
suddenly.
 
"Dana?"
 
"We didn't, we didn't use protection."
 
He nodded, "I'm clean Dana.  I haven't . . . I haven't been with anyone in a 
long time."

She blinked at that, it didn't seem possible for this man . . . After a moment 
she nodded, "I'm tested regularly."
 
"I wasn't worried."
 
She took a deep breath, "Okay, shower."  She didn't bother with a robe and he 
seemed okay with the nudity.  She was more than a little stunned that she hadn't 
even thought about a condom after those first comments at the door.  That wasn't 
like her.  This man did things to her she couldn't explain.
 
To her delighted amazement he was ready again in the shower, which made the 
experience all the more enjoyable.  "No one told me you were actually seventeen 
years old, you know."  She gasped into his chest when she could speak again.
 
"You bring out the best in me."
 
She looked up, not a trace of a smile on his face.  She pulled that face down to 
her and kissed him thoroughly.  "Mulder you better let me out of here or I'll 
never leave."
 
"I don't see the downside."
 
"Actually, right now, neither do I.  Let me think . . . unemployment, hunger, 
homeless . . . we better get dressed." She wrapped a towel around her and 
slipped out to start the coffee.  He returned to the bedroom and found the 
clothes he had tossed the night before.
 
This wasn't a dream nor a fantasy.  His sore, underused muscles proclaimed that 
to him, but he still couldn't believe it.  He heard her return to the bathroom, 
so he headed for the kitchen to give her a little space and help himself to the 
coffee.
 
When she joined him he was sitting at her table, his hands around the mug, but 
his mind very far away.
 
"Mulder?  You okay?"
 
He met her eyes then, "Are you still engaged?"
 
"No.  I . . . maybe officially.  I'm going to talk to Ethan today."
 
He just looked at her, memorizing her face.  He didn’t speak.
 
After a long moment she spoke, “You believe me, don’t you?”
 
“I want to.”
 
“Mulder, I - “
 
“Things are moving fast between us.”
 
She’d heard that tone before, when he’d thought he was part of a practical joke. 
 “Mulder, it’s not fast.  It’s right.  I didn’t . . . I didn’t realize until I 
saw you.  I had been avoiding setting a date.  I couldn’t make that kind of 
commitment.  I knew it wasn’t right.”
 
She saw the flare of hope in his eyes, quickly hidden, and moved closer to him.  
“I feel like I’ve been on hold for two years Mulder.”
 
His lips moved but no sound emerged.  She leaned down and took his lips.  
“Believe me.”
 
He nodded.  “I, uh, I should get you to work.”
 
“I  can . . . no car.  Seems to be a pattern with us.”
 
He smiled then, “If you’re ready, I still have to go by my place and change.”
 
“Okay. I’m ready.”
 
“Will I see you tonight?”
 
She looked down, “I’m supposed to have dinner with my parents and Ethan,  I 
should go over and let them know.”
 
He nodded.  “If you need me . . . “
 
“Always.”
 
*****
 
She caught up on her messages, then because she couldn’t avoid it any longer 
picked up the phone and called Ethan’s office.  She was put through quickly.  
“Dana, how are you feeling?”
 
“Better, thanks.  I was wondering if you could break away for lunch today.”
 
“Yes, I think so.  Are you sure you’re up to going out?  I could bring - “
 
“I’m at work Ethan.”
 
“What?  You didn’t call.”
 
“I know, I took my time this morning.  You were already at work, so I got a 
ride.  I’m feeling better and I need to see you.”
 
“Okay, I can pick you up.”
 
“No, let me meet you.  Harpers?”
 
“Good, 12:30, I’ll see you there.”
 
She put the receiver down, grateful that he couldn’t see her face.  This was 
going to be difficult.  She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t lead him 
on any more; give him false hope.  She didn’t love him, not the way you did 
someone you married.
 
*****
 
Dana was waiting at the table when he arrived.  He took the seat beside her, 
then leaned over to kiss her.  She accepted the kiss, but broke it off quickly 
and picked up a menu.  She wasn’t sure she could eat, but . . .
 
“You do look better, Honey.  I was concerned about you last night.  You looked 
pretty sick.”
 
She nodded, “I’m sorry I worried you.”
 
“Like I said, it’s my job now.”  He reached for her hand, but she picked up her 
water glass, hoping it looked like a movement she’d already started.
 
“Ethan, there’s something I need to tell you.”  She looked away, then turned 
back to face him.  She hated to hurt him, but she stiffened her spine.
 
“Dana?”  He leaned toward her, a crease appearing between his eyes.
 
She reached into her pocket and took his ring into her hand.  She hesitated for 
an instant, then placed the ring in his hand.  “Ethan, I’m sorry, but I, I can’t 
go through with this.  I can’t marry you.”
 
He looked at her, obviously dumbfounded for a long moment.  Finally he looked 
down at the ring in his hand.  “What?  Dana, what are you talking about?  Has 
something happened?  We . . . we were fine before I went out of town.  What -  “
 
“No, Ethan, I’ve been thinking about this.  It’s why I couldn’t set a date.  
It’s not you, I’m just not able to make this kind of commitment to you.  I’m 
sorry.”
 
“Dana, you . . . talk to me.  I don’t understand.”
 
She shook her head.  “I don’t know what to say.  I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I’ve 
hurt you, but I can’t do this.”  She scooted her chair back then to rise and he 
reached out taking hold of her arm.
 
“Dana, you can’t just leave.  We have to talk about this.”
 
She shook her head again and tugged her arm free.  “I’m sorry Ethan.  I’m not 
going to change my mind.  I’ll pack up the things you have at my place and let 
you know when you can pick them up.”  She didn’t know what else to say.  He was 
obviously in shock, just staring at her.
 
It would be better to make this clean.  She didn’t look back as she exited the 
restaurant.
 
*****
 
He picked up the phone quickly when his secretary said it was Ms. Scully.  But 
it was Maggie’s voice on the phone.
 
“Ethan, I just wanted to make sure you were going to join us for dinner tonight. 
 I haven’t been able to reach Dana.  We have a lot of decisions to make.”
 
“Uh, Maggie . . . I won’t be there.”
 
“Ethan?  We’re running out of time.”
 
There was a long hesitation then, “Maggie, you should talk to Dana.”
 
“What?  Is something - “
 
“You need to have this conversation with her.”  He sounded stiff and cold.
 
“Ethan, what is wrong?”  
 
He sighed; this woman had been good to him.  This just wasn’t his place.  “Dana 
. . . Dana returned my ring today.  We’re not getting married.”
 
“Are you . . . Ethan, is this some kind of joke?”
 
“If it is, it’s not funny.”
 
“Ethan, Ethan it must be just cold feet on Dana’s part.  Let me talk to her.”
 
“Maggie, I . . . she sounded pretty sure of herself.”  His voice was flat now, 
remembering their conversation.
 
“Did you have a fight?  I mean - “
 
“No.  As far as I know nothing was wrong when I went out of town.  But . . . but 
something was different when I got back . . . “
 
There was a brief silence, then he heard Maggie breathe a word, it sounded like 
‘Mother’.  “Maggie?”
 
“I need to go, Ethan.  I’ll be in touch, don’t worry.”  She was gone before he 
could even say goodbye.
 
*****
 
The phone rang, startling Mulder back to the present and away from a certain 
shower he had enjoyed that morning.  He knocked a pencil to the floor and lifted 
the receiver as he leaned forward in the chair to retrieve it.  “Mulder.”
 
“Mr. Mulder, this is Maggie Scully.  I need to speak to you.”  He froze in the 
process of sitting back up.
 
“M-Mrs. Scully?  You need to speak with me?”  He was stalling, he knew that, but 
this had caught him completely off guard.
 
“I realize it’s a work day, Mr. Mulder, but would it be possible for you to meet 
me?”
 
Was there anything in the world he wanted to do less than meet with this woman?  
The one that had sent him away from Dana in the first place.  But he heard 
himself say, “Of course, where would you like to meet?”
 
“There’s a coffee shop . . .”
 
They made arrangements to meet in half an hour and she broke the connection.  He 
slowly hung up the receiver.  His first impulse was to call Dana, but he stopped 
himself.  He needed to know what was going on first.
 
*****
 
He was waiting when she entered the coffee shop.  He stood, drawing her 
attention and she walked to the back, where he held a table.  “May I get you 
anything Mrs. Scully?”
 
“No thank you.  I appreciate you meeting me on such short notice.”
 
“You made it sound important.”
 
“I believe it is.  You’ve seen Dana recently.”
 
“Yes ma’am.  We consulted on a case.”
 
“She doesn’t work for the FBI anymore.  Why was she consulted?”
 
“The Bureau has an agreement in the wider DC area.  Her name happened to be at 
the top of the list.”
 
“You didn’t request her?”  Maggie seemed a little surprised by that.
 
“No.  I didn’t know she would be there until I arrived.”
 
Maggie thought about that for a moment, then squared her shoulders.  “Dana is 
engaged to be married.  Did she tell you that?”
 
“She mentioned it, yes.”  Mulder met her eyes, but didn’t back down.
 
“Mr. Mulder, Ethan is perfect for Dana.”
 
“Shouldn’t that be her decision, Mrs. Scully?”  He asked quietly.
 
“Dana doesn’t always know what’s best for her.  As her mother, I am going to do 
what I can to protect her.”
 
“Protect her . . . from me?  What is it about me, Mrs. Scully, that makes you 
think you need to protect her?”
 
“I’m sure you are a fine man, Mr. Mulder, but not for Dana.”  His mouth opened 
to ask again, for specifics this time, but she continued.  “You are no doubt, 
considered tall, dark and handsome, you wear expensive suits and you have a 
glamorous job.  But you don’t strike me as the kind of man who would maintain a 
relationship.  Mr. Scully and I have been married nearly 40 years - “
 
“And my parents divorced twenty years ago, right?”
 
“Mr. Mulder, I don’t want to insult you, but I would ask that you not interfere 
in Dana’s relationship with Ethan.”
 
He blinked not sure what he was supposed to say to that.
 
“I’m sure I can count on you to do what’s best for Dana.”  Without warning she 
rose from her chair.  He couldn’t even rise to tell her goodbye, just watched 
her make her way out of the shop.
 
*****
 
Dana pulled up in front of the house and parked, but didn’t leave the car.  
There was no way she could have asked Mulder to join her for this, but she 
wanted him here, beside her.
 
She took a deep breath and forced her hands away from the steering wheel.  She 
let herself out of the car and moved toward the front door.  She opened it and 
let herself in.  
 
Immediately her father came into the foyer.  “Hi Starbuck.”  He hugged her to 
him, then looked around.  “I thought Ethan was coming with you.”
 
“No, he won’t be joining us tonight.”
 
Before William could ask another question, Maggie joined them.  “Dinner is going 
to be a little late, I had to run an errand.”
 
“That’s okay Mom, I need to talk with the two of you for a minute.”  She turned 
toward the living room.
 
“Starbuck?  Is something wrong?”  Her father followed her.
 
“No, actually something is right, but it may not sound like it.”  She gave him a 
small smile.
 
“That sounds kind of mysterious, Honey.”
 
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean it to.”  She sat on the couch and motioned for him to 
sit beside her.  Maggie took her regular chair.
 
“There’s no easy way to tell you this, but . . . I won’t be marrying Ethan.  I 
returned his ring today.”
 
“Starbuck?”  Her father touched her hand.  “Are you okay?”
 
Scully smiled gently then, “Yes.  It was the right thing Ahab.”
 
The older man looked deeply into her eyes and after a moment, nodded.
 
Scully turned to her mother.  “Mom?”
 
“I think this is a huge mistake.”
 
William turned to look at his wife then.  She seemed more calm than he would 
have expected.  “Maggie?  Did you know about this?”
 
She turned away, but Dana saw the heightened color in her cheeks.  “Mom?”
 
“Yes, I knew.  I spoke with Ethan earlier.”
 
“You did what?”  Dana stared at her mother, incredulously.
 
“I called him to confirm he was coming for dinner.  He told me that you had 
returned his ring.”  She met Dana’s eyes then defiantly.  “That’s why I was late 
with dinner.  I went to see Mr. Mulder.”
 
Dana’s mouth fell open.  “You did what?  You spoke to Mulder about . . . I can’t 
believe you . . . I need to leave.”  She was already on her feet, moving toward 
the door.
 
“Starbuck!”  She didn’t turn.  “Be careful, Honey.”
 
Dana nodded and pulled the door closed behind her.  She was already at a run 
before the door clicked into place.
 
“Maggie,” William turned to his wife, “we need to talk.”
 
*****
 
Dana hesitated outside of his door.  She had made the trip fast, concentrating 
on driving rather than what she would face when she arrived.  Now she was here, 
and she needed to see him, see what her mother had done.
 
She took a steadying breath and knocked on his door.
 
It felt like a long time before she heard any movement, anything at all.  When 
the door finally opened, she found herself looking up into the most defeated 
face she could remember seeing.
 
“Mulder, I’m sorry, I - “
 
“Dana.”  He shook his head, “You should be with your parents.”
 
“I have no desire to see my mother right now.  May I come in?”
 
He seemed to think about it, but then quietly moved aside to grant her entry.
 
“Mulder, I can’t believe she would do this again.  I can’t even imagine what 
she’s thinking.”
 
He stepped around her after shutting the door and returned to the couch.  Once 
he was seated, he looked up at her.  “She wants what’s best for you.”
 
Dana took her seat beside him.  “She has no idea - “
 
“Yes she does.  She’s your mother and she loves you.  She said it, ‘Ethan is 
perfect for Dana’.”
 
“She has no idea what is perfect for me, Mulder.  She has no right - “
 
“Dana.”  He stopped her again, “Why would she want the wrong man for you.  She 
only wants your happiness.”
 
“Not if she keeps us apart.”
 
“Twice.  Dana, this is the second time she’s warned me away from you.  I don’t 
know what she’s seeing, but she doesn’t want it around her daughter.”
 
“So her daughter gets no say in the matter?”
 
“Maybe she’s more objective.”
 
“No post-coital bliss?  No, I don’t buy that, Mulder.”
 
She got no smile from him for her comment.  If anything there was a flash of 
anguish before he could hide it.  She wanted to reach out, touch him, hold him, 
but he seemed so distant.
 
“Dana, I told you before, hell, on our first date I told you about my 
reputation.  It certainly hasn’t improved the last couple of years.  As a 
mother, she probably has some special radar to protect her children.  You should 
listen to her.”
 
“No.”
 
He blinked, expecting more.  “No?”
 
“No.  She doesn’t have a clue.  I changed my life once to please her.  I changed 
my whole career.  She wasn’t right, I’m not happier at the hospital.  Mulder, 
look at me.  I . . . I saw you in the hall that day and, and it felt like the 
sun had come out.  I didn’t know I’d just been going through the motions, but I 
was.  I was being the good, dutiful daughter, dating her idea of the ‘perfect 
man’ and I was suffocating.  I didn’t even notice I was going under.  Then you 
were standing in front of me.  I woke up for the first time in two years.  I 
have no desire to go back to that half life again.”
 
He was staring at her, mouth agape.
 
She leaned over to kiss that mouth.  She didn’t register the sound of his phone 
ringing, and was startled when he pulled back.
 
“The, the phone . . . “ He turned away and didn’t see the devastation on her 
face.  “Hello?”
 
“This is William Scully, Dana’s father.  Would she be there by any chance?”
 
“Mr. Scully.”  Dana head flew up.  “Yes, she’s right here.  Just a second.”
 
She was already reaching for the receiver, the worry plain on her.  “Ahab?  
What’s wrong?”
 
“I need to talk to you, Starbuck.”
 
“What is it?  Is Mom okay?”
 
“We need to talk face to face, Honey.  Can you meet me at your apartment?”
 
“Yes.  I’ll leave now.  I should be there in half an hour.  Ahab . . . “
 
“I’ll see you then.”
 
She disconnected the phone and he took it from her shaking hand.  “I . . . I 
have to go.”
 
“I’ll take you.”  He offered immediately, forgetting that he had made the 
decision to leave her alone once more.
 
“No, no I need my car.”
 
“You’re upset.  You shouldn’t drive.”  He had hold of her arm as she turned to 
the door.  He wasn’t sure she had heard him.
 
“Mulder, I have to go.”
 
He looked at her closely.  “I’m following you.”
 
“What?”
 
“I’ll follow you to your place.  You need to calm down.”
 
She seemed to nod, already moving away.  He grabbed his keys and took her arm.  
He seated her in her car and hurried to his.  He pulled out right behind her.
 
He was able to pull his car in next to hers outside of her apartment.  He took 
her arm again and walked her to her door.  He took her keys when she couldn’t 
get it into the lock.
 
They were barely inside when the knock on the door sent her running to answer 
it.  “Ahab?”  She was in his arms even as she drew him inside.
 
He held her tightly, then looked up and spotted Mulder.  He released her and 
held out his hand to the younger man.  “Mr. Mulder.”
 
“I just wanted to make sure she got here safely.  I’ll leave you two - “
 
“You’ve taken care of her on more than one occasion.  I appreciate that.”
 
“You’re welcome.”  Mulder looked over at Dana, then started for the door.
 
“Mr. Mulder, this affects you.  Please, stay.”
 
“I’m not sure . . . “
 
She looked up at him then.  “Please.”
 
He slowly nodded and took a seat in the easy chair next to the couch.  Dana and 
her father took the couch and she clasp William’s hand.  “Ahab, please.”
 
“Mr. Mulder - “ Her father looked over at the worried younger man.
 
“Just Mulder, please.”
 
William nodded.  “I want to apologize for . . .” He swallowed, then drew a 
breath.  “My wife has interfered in your life.  I think I knew when you were at 
our home with Dana that there was a, a spark between you.  I was frankly very 
puzzled when we didn’t see you again.  Maggie explained what happened when we 
talked tonight.  She was wrong to do that to the two of you.”
 
“Ahab, please.  What happened tonight?”
 
"Your mother and I had a long talk.  One that was extremely overdue.  Maybe you 
should hear this from her, but she is not able to discuss it with you at this 
time.  I didn't want it to wait."  He saw Dana's hand move toward Mulder and he 
grasped it, holding it gently but firmly.  Internally, William nodded.
 
"Your mother was pregnant when we married."  He stated it flatly, a fact, not a 
judgment.
 
"Bill?"  Dana could only get out the one word, her mind trying to grasp that 
reality.
 
"No.  She lost that baby.  But that wasn't the reason I had married her, I loved 
her, I still love her, so we stayed together."  He looked away for a moment and 
cleared his throat.
 
"It wasn't until tonight that I learned that the baby wasn't mine."
 
Dana's mouth opened, but no words came to her.  Her grip on Mulder's hand 
tightened.
 
"Apparently your mother was seeing a man while I was away.  She was . . . 
infatuated with him.  However, when she told him about the child, he bolted, 
unwilling or unable to take that responsibility.  When I returned . . . Maybe I 
didn't look at things as closely as I could have.  I wanted to be with your 
mother and . . ." He cleared his throat again and studied his shoes for a 
moment.
 
When he looked up, it was Mulder he addressed.  "Your resemblance to the man is 
peripheral.  He was also tall, dark hair . . . sophisticated."
 
Maggie's words were back in Mulder's mind.  'You are no doubt considered tall, 
dark and handsome'.  Those words made some kind of sense now.
 
"You do not strike me as the kind of man that would use my daughter and discard 
her.  If I'm wrong, I hope that you would be honest enough to at least admit 
that to yourself."
 
Mulder shook his head, "If your daughter would have me, I would be hers 
forever."
 
William met his eyes and relaxed at what he saw there.  He cleared his throat 
again, "Well, I'm sure you two have things to talk about and I need some time 
myself."
 
"Ahab, please stay here.  I've got room, you shouldn't be alone."
 
"I need to be, Starbuck.  I'm going to get a room tonight, just to think.  I'm 
not leaving your mother, don't think that.  We both just needed a little time 
apart tonight."
 
"Daddy - "
 
He smiled, "You haven't called me that in a long time.  You and Mulder need some 
time as well.  I'll talk to you tomorrow."  He rose to his feet then and Mulder 
did the same.  They shook hands and though no words were spoken, a communication 
took place between them.
 
Dana stood then and hugged her father, then walked him to the door.  "If you 
change your mind, or just want to talk, please call me."  She waited for his 
nod, then hugged him one more time.  He let himself out.
 
She stood facing the door.  Mulder was at a loss of what to do.  He had no 
experience with anything like this.  He decided to go with his heart and moved 
to her.  He let his hands gently caress her upper arms.  To his relief she 
leaned back into him.
 
“Tell me what you need, Dana.  If you want some time alone . . . “
 
Her hands grasped his; her arms crossed over her breasts.  “Please don’t go.”
 
He closed his eyes and held her tightly.  “Come, sit down.”  He finally led her 
to the couch.  “Would you like me to get you something to eat?”
 
She shook her head quickly, so he took a seat beside her.  “Do you . . . do you 
want to talk about it, or . . . or call your mother?”
 
“No.”  She spoke immediately.  “Talk about something else.  I just want to hear 
your voice.”
 
“What?”
 
“Tell me a story, something.”
 
He looked down at her and finally nodded, whatever she wanted.  “Did you, uh, 
keep up with Peter Doud?”
 
The name surprised her.  “I haven’t thought about Peter in years.  Is he still 
with the Bureau?”
 
“Yes.  He was posted to Omaha.  He’s got a solid career, vanilla autopsies.  I 
don’t know that he’ll ever rise above that.”
 
“He was smarter than that.  He should have excelled.”
 
“Personally I think he was happy to get out of DC and away from ‘Spooky’.”
 
She cuddled in closer, offering him comfort now.
 
“What about Sheila Lewis?” He asked.
 
She looked up at him, “You kept up with her too?”
 
He shrugged.  “She’s in L.A.  Works at one of those store front liposuction 
clinics.”
 
To his surprise, Dana actually snorted a laugh.  “Remind me to avoid that 
place.”
 
“You don’t need it.”
 
“Why?”  He looked down at her confused.  “Why did you keep up with them?”
 
“Oh, they, uh, they did me a huge favor one time.”
 
“Which blew up in our faces.”
 
“Not really.”  She looked up at him, not believing his words.  “Memories have 
gotten me through more than one long night.”  He finally offered.
 
“How could she do this?”  Her voice was raw and coarse suddenly.
 
“Dana - “ He knew immediately they had changed subjects, but was she ready?
 
“No, I know she had to have gone through hell.  An affair, getting pregnant, 
being abandoned.  But how could she not look at you, look past how attractive 
you are, and see the kind of man you are?”
 
“You think I’m attractive?”  He finally asked, more to give her some time than 
anything else.
 
She cut her eyes at him.  “I’ve seen women’s tongues fall out of their mouths 
when you walk by.”
 
He stared at her for moment.  She was kidding, right?
 
“It happened in my lab this past week.  Fortunately I know where the scalpels 
are stored.”
 
He laughed then and to his relief she did too, at least a little, closing her 
eyes and chuckling almost silently.
 
“I’m having a hard time thinking about Mom.  I can’t imagine . . . “
 
“I haven’t said it, but I would never abandon you.”
 
“No shotgun wedding?” She gave him an ironic grin.
 
“I’d load your father’s gun myself, but he wouldn’t need to pull out as much as 
a slingshot.”  He answered, not a trace of a smile.
 
She looked deeply into his eyes and finally relaxed.  “I knew that.”  She 
touched his cheek.  “Take me to bed.”
 
He nodded and rose to his feet, pulling her up beside him.  He wasn’t sure what 
the future held for them, but he had another chance.  For a change he wanted a 
woman to know him.  He wanted to open himself up and see if, maybe, she really 
would have him.  He was ready to try.
 
XXX

The End