Title: SCULLY PRIDE Part 1 of 4 Author: FatCat (feedback to FatCat926@msn.com) Website: Please visit the wonderful web page Donnilee has created to house my stories at her site http://donnilee.tripod.com. Just follow my name to find my stories. While you are there, take a peek at all the other wonderful stories Donnilee has at her site. Rating: NC-17 Category: V MSR Spoilers: No Requiem, season 8 or season 9 in this world Archive: As you wish, but please keep my name attached. Summary: Mulder uses the Scully pride to acquire his heart's desire. Disclaimer: They aren't mine nor anyone's but CC, Fox, 1013, DD, and GA's. All other names used, real or imaginary are sheer coincidence and I refuse to be held responsible for any feelings that have been injured in the process. Thanks to Frohike51 for the speedy beta. I don't know how I could do without your friendship and your beta help. I walked down the hall from the elevator studying the file Skinner had just given me. He requested Scully and I take a look at it to decide if it was something we would like to pursue. We were scheduled to go out of town tomorrow and hopefully would be back in time for the long July 4th weekend. This was an old case, but looked interesting. Skinner thought it had merit but could wait until after the holiday. I slowed down as I approached the door; I could hear Scully on the phone. I normally wouldn't hesitate to join her when she is taking a personal call, but gauging by her responses, I didn't think this was a good time to interrupt. For the past several weeks she and her mother had been arguing about something and it seemed that the ongoing disagreement was coming to a head. "I don't care what Aunt Maeve said, Mom," her normally sultry, low voice was raised in annoyance. "I am not getting involved in this childish game between you and Aunt Maeve." "Mom!" "I said no." "I will not." "If you have enough courage to ask, go ahead." "I don't care what she said about me." "I don't care what she said about Mel... She said that? What did you say?" "Mom, that's terrible." Scully's voice fell to a whisper. "All right. You ask, but not during work hours. I promise I won't say anything. I'll see you when we get back." Scully sniffed and said, "I love you too, Mom." I pushed open the door and walked in, carefully keeping my eyes on the file as I sat down at my desk. "What did Skinner want, Mulder?" She had put on her game face again. We discussed the file and decided it was something we wanted to pursue but we agreed that it could wait until after the holiday. "I'll take the 302 up to Skinner on my way home, Mulder. You go on home and pack." "I can do it Scully. You have to pack too." I had started filling out the form as soon as she voiced some interest in the case. "I'm practically done. I just have to pick up my clothes at the cleaners on the way home and throw in a couple suits. Or are you ahead of the game and all done packing?" She teased. I leaned back and gave her my best smile. "Caught me, Scully. Thanks, I do need to get packed. Our flight leaves at 3:50 a.m. so we should be at the airport by 2:45 at the latest. I'll pick you up at 2:15." She groaned as she closed her briefcase. "I'm leaving right now, Mulder. I'd like to get at least four consecutive hours of sleep tonight. Do you have dry cleaning that needs to be picked up, too?" "Yeah, but that's not necessary, Scully. I have other suits at home." "No problem, Mulder; I still owe you from last time you picked up mine. Rico's has the worst parking available in town. I might as well pick them up for you while I'm there. You can get them when you drop me off on the return trip." She plucked the 302 out of my hand and was out the door. I sat at my desk and contemplated Scully's reaction to her call from her Mother. Obviously they had not agreed on a family matter. But as upset as Scully was she still was thoughtful enough to pick up my cleaning. What did I ever do to deserve Dana Scully? Three hours later I was eating dinner. I had made it home in a decent amount of time, done a load of laundry, and packed. I even remembered to clean out all my science projects from the refrigerator while I waited for my pizza to be delivered. I was not surprised when the phone rang. I was sure it was Scully. "Mulder." "Fox? This Maggie Scully." Well, I was right. It was a Scully, just not my Scully. "Mrs. Scully, are you all right?" I was suddenly worried that something had happened to Scully on her way home. "Is Scul... Dana okay?" "Oh, yes, everyone is fine, Fox. I just wanted to call and invite you to spend the July Fourth holiday with Dana and me and the rest of the family." "That sounds like a good time, Mrs. Scully. How many of the kids will be home?" Please don't say Bill, please don't say Bill, please don't say Bill... "Well, Dana of course, Charlie and his wife and kids and Bill and Tara and Matthew and a lot of other Scullys you've never met will be there." she said somewhat evasively. "Sounds like quite a party." I couldn't think of a gentle way to decline but was desperate to get out of spending four days with Bill Scully. Not even the thoughts of four consecutive days of downtime with Scully made facing a scowling Bill palatable. "Are you sure you'll have enough room for me?" How was she going to house all these Scully relatives? "Of course we will Fox. I'll just rent another room. I was planning on having this get together at the beach. There's a lovely hotel on the Maryland shore that Bill and I used as a getaway for years. I thought it would be a wonderful place to plan a family holiday." "You don't have to pay for my room, Mrs. Scully." Damn, it sounded like I was going to have to show up after all. I don't have a good track record saying no to any of the Scully women. "Nonsense, Fox. With all the Irish Scullys that will be there, a familiar face in the crowd will be welcome." "Just how many people are you expecting?" I know it's none of my business, but this sounded like a huge expense for the widow of a naval captain. "Well, with my family and Maeve's family we total about thirty two, including children. I guess it is quite a bunch when you think about it." Maggie laughed. "No offense, Mrs. Scully, but that sounds like a lot of money for a holiday. Why aren't we meeting at your house? That way Scully and I don't need rooms and you can probably fit the rest of the relatives into your house or a motel close by." My question was met by silence. I was beginning to believe that I had stepped over my bounds of friendship when I heard her sigh. "I take it Dana hasn't mentioned her father's relatives before?" Maggie sighed again. "Let's just say that Maeve Scully O'Brien is not one to settle for less than 'comfortable' surroundings." "Your home is comfortable, Mrs. Scully. I've never been anywhere that I feel more at ease and happy." I can't believe this wonderful woman would doubt that her home wasn't good enough for her husband's sister. "Fox, you are a wonderful young man." I could hear tears in her voice and it really shook me up. I didn't know how to respond to her. I heard her take a deep breath and knew what she was going to say was difficult for her. I always thought Scully got her courage from both of her parents, and now I had more proof to back that theory. "Bill's family felt he married below his social level. His parents were old money and when Bill chose me, they effectively turned their backs on us. Oh, the kids eased the situation, but they never let me forget that Bill was a brought up quite differently than I." "Mrs. Scully..." I tried to stop her. I had lived with too much of this thinking in my family's past and I didn't need to know more to imagine just how comfortable Maeve Scully O'Brien would be in Maryland suburbia. "Oh, it's old now, Fox. My Bill always let me know who and what was important to him. I knew he never once regretted the love and life we shared. But he's gone now and that makes Maeve the Scully matriarch. This is the first time since Bill's death that Maeve and I have spoken. This get together was all my idea. I don't have to do this, but I want my family to know their father's relatives and make up their minds about them individually." As she spoke, I became more and more infuriated. Who the hell was Maeve Scully O'Brien to look down her nose at a saint like Margaret Scully? "Maeve is transporting all her side over from Ireland so I will pay for the lodging here. It's really quite fair, Fox. Do you think you would be able to join us?" "If you're sure you want me, Mrs. Scully, but I have an idea for a different place for you to have your gathering. It's on the ocean and quite reasonable but elegant. Let me get right back to you, okay?" "Fox, you don't have to put yourself out. I'm sure my arrangements will be fine." She hesitated. "Reasonable AND elegant you say?" She was intrigued, I could tell. "Yeah, let me make a couple calls and I'll get right back to you tonight or early tomorrow morning." "Thank you Fox. Whatever we decide, I'm glad you will be joining us." I could tell she was smiling. "Bye, Mrs. Scully." "Oh, and Fox?" "Yeah?" "Let's not tell Dana about the change of plans until we're sure that the reservations are set, okay?" "Sure, Mrs. Scully." "Oh, and Fox?" "Yes?" "Please quit calling me Mrs. Scully. I'm Maggie or Mom if you wish. It gets too confusing when you call Dana 'Scully' and me Mrs. Scully. Do you think you can remember that, dear?" "Sure, M.. Maggie. I can work on that." "Goodnight, Fox." As soon as she hung up I checked my watch. It was a little past nine, but I was sure that the Burks would still be up. I called and confirmed that they could have the house ready by July 2nd and gave them Maggie Scully's name and phone number for further instructions. "Oh, and Roger, I ahhh... I just want to make sure you understand that anything---anything Maggie Scully wants is to be considered approved by me. Hire more staff, fill the place with flowers, get any new stuff needed and oh, yeah, shine up all the old silver you can find and have it out to use. I want everything spotless and tip top. I want that place to look better than it ever did before one of my Grandfather's parties. I'll call Jacobs and tell him what's going on." "So, is this Maggie Scully going to become the new Mrs. Mulder, Fox?" Roger grew up with my father and felt comfortable teasing me. "Mrs. Margaret Scully is a dear friend of mine. She's been more of a mother to me than anything else. I don't want to disappoint her in any way, Roger." It was important to me that Maggie had his full cooperation. "Sorry, I was just hoping to hear some good news about your love life, boy. There's a little painting that needs to be done out front. I'll get on it tomorrow. We'll be ready, don't worry." "Oh, and Roger, get the tennis courts ready and have some new suits and towels available in the pool house." "How much staff do you think I should put on, Fox?" "I don't know. Let Brenda speak with Maggie about staffing and food and all that. I think I will ask her to go up and help you arrange things if you don't mind. She's a wonderful woman and I know both you and Brenda will love her." "That sounds great, Fox. We'll see you too, I take it?" "Yeah, I won't be there until the 3rd, probably, but I'll be there. God, I can't believe I'm actually going to step foot inside that house again." "It's not the house that you hated, Fox. It was the people there that made it a living hell for you. They're gone now, son. Let's hope this party is the start of a lot of good times for this old house-and for you." I hung up thinking 'I hope you are right, Roger'. I called Maggie right away. "Mrs-M...Maggie? This is Fox." "That was quick, dear. What did you find out?" "Ummmm. I have another place for your party. It's on Martha's Vineyard. Not far from my parents' home." "How ever did you get us into any kind of lodging economically on Martha's Vineyard in the middle of June?" She teased me. "Well, it's actually a place that I own. It was my Grandfather Mulder's house. I haven't been back there since he died years ago." "Oh, Fox. I couldn't possibly ask that of you." Mrs. Scully started to gracefully decline. "Please, Maggie. I want you and your family to stay there. It would make me happy to fill up that old monstrosity with a big happy family reunion. Maybe you can erase some of the old memories with new ones for me." "Are you sure that it will be big enough? I mean, there are going to be a lot of us there, Fox." "Maggie, don't worry. It's bigger than the Kennedy place down the beach. There's lots of room and lots of things to do. There's a pool and a tennis court and its right on the ocean. I didn't think to have Roger get the boats ready, but when you talk to him tomorrow you can tell him to add that to the list I already started." "Fox! The Kennedy's?" her voice sounded faint. "Fox, are you wealthy?" "Urmm-no-yeah, I guess I am. It's not money I want anything to do with though, Maggie. I am the last Mulder and all the blood money and ill-gotten gains from all the Mulders before me are sitting in the bank waiting for me. I am really glad that I can do something for someone that I love with some of this money." "I love you too, Fox," was all she could say. I was glad to have her accept and quickly gave her the rest of the information that she needed to contact the Burks. "I think it would be a good idea if you were able to go on up to the house this week, Maggie. Roger and Brenda have been the caretakers of the property since Roger's arthritis became too bad for him to continue working his charter boat, but I want you to feel free to organize things just like you would like them. Don't worry about anything. Jacobs, my accountant, will pay for everything." "Fox, I can't let you pay for all this..." "Maggie, please. This is the first time I have spent a penny of my inheritance on something other than my quest. Please make me happy and give me a holiday that I'll never forget." "Well, since you put it that way, dear. I accept. Now you and Dana will be sure to be back on time to spend the entire four days with the family, won't you?" "Yes, I'm pretty sure that we'll be back in plenty of time. If it would make you more comfortable, we can fly up as soon as we get back. I better get some sleep. I've got to pick Scully up at 2:15. Bye Maggie." "Bye Fox, and thank you again for everything." I really didn't think about our conversation again until we had completed the case and were back in DC. I knew Scully had talked to her mother but other than a few strange looks didn't acknowledge the change of plans. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I was helping Mrs. Scully and it made me feel good. I thought everything was under control. We got back from our case on the first. Even though it was another non-X File case, we did solve it and another murderer was off the streets. The reports were simple and completed by the time we left for the day. I really wasn't looking forward to two days of paperwork review and hanging around the office. When I told Scully how I felt about being trapped in the office for the next two days she surprised me. "Why don't we ask for vacation time and go on up to the Vineyard? You can do whatever you like to do up there and I can help Mom get ready for Aunt Maeve." "Sounds like a plan to me. Why don't you request the time? You know Skinner likes you best." I teased. Scully grinned at me and picked up the phone. She obviously had no trouble getting the time off for us, but when she hung up she had the strangest look on her face. "What's wrong, Scully? Skinner turn our request down?" "Oh, no," she said. "He approved the next two days off." She was still distracted and it was giving me an uneasy feeling. "Then what's wrong?" "He said he'd see us in a couple days." Scully suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I think I'll call Mom and let her know we're coming up early. May I have the number at the house?" I gave her the number and we packed up and to leave for the day. "Uh, Scully? How do you want to travel? I mean, the tickets for the 3rd have to be canceled and rebooked if we're going to fly." "Mulder, I don't want to get on another plane. We fly all the time. Let's drive up together." We decided that would be the best choice and left for home. "I'll call you later and we can discuss the details." Scully was the planner. Anything she wanted was okay by me. 'Anything short of a transfer or dating another guy that is.' I added to myself. When I got home I busied myself with preparations for the long weekend. I put the self feeder in the fish tank and added water. I had already cleaned out my frig so the only thing left to do was another couple loads of laundry and check my e-mail and phone messages before I packed. The phone rang around 8:00 pm. I hoped it was Scully. I don't know why, but I was excited about spending time away with her. I felt like a kid going to summer camp again. Scared and excited and wired. I didn't think I would sleep much tonight. "Mulder." "Mulder, it's me." "Hey, Scully. All packed and ready to go?" "As a matter of fact, I am. I called Mom and she was excited to hear that we were coming early. She asked me to pick up some things from her house on the way. You don't mind, do you?" "No problem, Scully. I'm packed and ready to go. I can come over and pick you up on the way to your mom's house any time." "That probably wouldn't be the best plan." "Oh, you want to drive up separately?" I was more than a little hurt by this distancing on her part. "I understand, Scully." "No! Mulder that's not it at all." There was a gently teasing in her voice. "Mom rented a car for us to drive up and had it delivered to my house. It would be better if you did drive over here and park you car and we can take the rental to Mom's and on up north." We discussed time and realized we were both ready and wired and wanted to go now. "How about I leave now and pick up a pizza. By the time we eat, get over to your mom's, and load up, we should hit traffic at a decent time." "Sounds good." We both hung up. It was funny how we never said goodbye, but it felt right. Everything went smoothly until we were leaving Scully's apartment. "Where's the car your mom rented? What did she get us, a convertible?" I grinned. "Uh, no, it's not a convertible. It's over there." Scully pointed up the street toward a Toyota Corolla. "Scully? A Corolla? I can't fit into a car that small comfortably." "Uh, no, Mulder. Not the Corolla, the... erm... one in front of it." I looked again and whistled. "A Cadillac Escalade? Your mom rented a Escalade for us?" "She said something about it being handy to have with so many guests around." She couldn't meet my eyes. I knew she was embarrassed. "Scully," I leaned down to force her to look at me. "Your mom told me about your Aunt Maeve. It's okay. I had some relatives just like her so I do understand." Her look of incredulity surprised me. "You know all about Aunt Maeve and you're okay with all this?" "Sure." I said, but was unable to resist a tease. "I just don't understand why she rented an Escalade." She shot me the eyebrow and started to speak but I beat her to it. "I mean, she could at least have gotten a Ford Expedition or a Lincoln Navigator. I've always been a Ford man myself." "That's why you're so comfortable in all those Ford Tarsus' from the motor pool, huh, Mulder?" "You bet. Besides, my first car was a Mustang." "What year?" She asked as we loaded our bags. "What else? 65!" I grinned. "Rich kid!" She sniffed and then chuckled. Our trip up to the Vineyard was smooth. I didn't even get sick on the ferry ride across to the island. We watched the sun rise on over the ocean together, standing at the railing on the bow of the boat. Even though it was the middle of summer, the air was chilly. "Cold, Scully?" "A little." I moved to stand behind her and opened my jacket to enclose her. I pulled her up against my chest and wrapped my arms around her. She felt so good against my body. I settled my chin on her shoulder and inhaled. "Smells great!" I said, referring to her hair. "I love the smell of the open ocean too, Mulder." She snuggled closer to me and accidentally wiggled her butt against my thighs and groin. It took every ounce of control I had not to groan and grind my growing erection into her. I moved slightly to decrease the danger of being arrested for a lewd public display and continued to bask in the beauty of holding Scully. As we slowly drove up the road to the house, I could feel Scully tense up. "Scully, it's okay. Maeve won't be there until tomorrow at the very earliest." I tried to assure her. "Mulder, that is your house? Why...how...when... how long have you had it?" "It was part of my father's estate that went to Mom. When she died, it was all dumped on me." "So you're rich?" "Yeah." "How rich, Mulder?" "Let's just say I employee people to watch the people who watch the people who manage my businesses." "Oh, my God! Mulder, why are you still working for the Bureau?" "This is not me, Scully. This was dumped on me. I only keep it to make sure I'll have resources to continue to pursue the truth if I get kicked out of the Bureau." She nodded in understanding. "I'm just not used to thinking of you as loaded." She teased. "Even if I did wonder where you got all those great suits." "Well, now you know the dark truth about me-one of my last secrets." "Ohhhh. Now I'm intrigued! First you told me about Phoebe. Then you told me about your involvement with Diana. Now you've told me you're rich. What else have you been withholding from me, Mulder?" She was only partly teasing. "I only have a couple secrets left, Scully." I tried to make it light and teasing. "And nothing you do can get me to tell them to you until I'm ready." "We'll just have to see about that, G-man." She turned her beautiful blue eyes on me in contemplation. "We'll just have to see." I swallowed hard and decided a change of topics would be in my best interest. I only had two secrets from Scully. They both could cause a change in our relationship and I was not ready to rock the boat. I need Scully like I need oxygen or food. She is a basic necessity of life for me. Without her, Fox Mulder would cease to exist. I don't mean that I couldn't, possibly, physically survive her loss, but I would no longer desire to continue. Damn, I sound like the First Star Trek movie now. "We're on holiday, Scully. Let's enjoy." "Yeah, great. Five wonderful days of Aunt Maeve and Bill. In the same house. This should be a barrel of laughs." I shot her a surprised look. "Don't look at me like that, Mulder. I plan to lay low and use this time to rest. I suggest you do the same thing. You don't need to play host, and God knows, I have no need to play social director." "Sounds good to me, Scully. I'll stick with you and show you all the great places to hide on the grounds. Deal?" "Deal!" She grinned at me. Roger and Brenda joined Maggie as she greeted us in the drive. I was surprised at how good the house looked. Roger had mentioned some painting, but it was more than that. I studied the entire facade of the house and tried to identify what was different. It was still the monstrosity it always was, but for some reason it seemed softer around the edges. My eyes drifted to Maggie and caught her watching me. "I hope you don't mind, Fox. I felt that this place needed a little bit of a facelift. Roger has been very helpful getting the work crews in to take care of everything." "I don't know what you did, Maggie, but this place hasn't looked this good since my Grandmother died." I smiled and hugged her. "Thank you." "All it took was a woman's touch and a ton of money, Fox!" She grinned at Scully. "I've done some things on the inside too. If you don't like it, I'll stay and put everything back like it was before I started. I remembered to take pictures before I began so I could restore it." She seemed more than a little uncomfortable. I shook my head. "Maggie, I'm not sure I would even remember what it looked like before. I'm sure everything you did is perfect or I would have gotten a call from Roger or Brenda." Roger's head shot up and a guilty look settled on his face. "Well, you know I love this old house, Fox and if anything, Maggie here has made it into a home with her changes. Come on inside. I'll get someone to unload the car." We followed the women into the house. "How many times did you have to stop for gas with that beastie?" Roger was amused by the Cadillac. We were discussing the finer points of SUVs as we walked across the porch to the main entry. I hesitated at the door. The last time I had been here willingly was for my Grandmother's funeral. I hadn't come back for my Grandfather's services. I hated him and all he stood for. Roger clasped a friendly arm around my shoulders. "Come on in, lad." His voice was low and comforting. "The house feels like it used to when your Grams was here." I smiled at Roger and nodded. He knew our family history better than anyone else on the island. He and Brenda had always been a comfort to me when I was forced to visit. I was glad they had accepted my offer of employment. The next two hours were a pleasant surprise for me. Maggie, Roger, and Brenda had done amazing things with the house in the last few days. The trio had to show me everything they had done. I was somewhat embarrassed by the way they looked to me for approval. Hell, who do they think I am? Freaking Martha Stewart? It all looked great to me. It smelled great and felt great to be able to walk through the house and not dredge up all the memories I had fought so hard to exorcise. After a while I decided I had had enough. "I think I'm going to change and go for a swim. Where are my things? Did you put me in my old room?" It was almost comical how that simple question brought their tour guide litany to a halt. Brenda looked at Roger. Roger looked back at her and they both fixed their gazes on Maggie. "Fox, we put you in the master suite. It's your place as head of the household." "Maggie, I know that you don't know a lot of my family history and probably, honestly don't want to. But I can not sleep in my Grandfather's bedroom. I have certain memories of events that happened in that room that will haunt me for the rest of my life." "Oh, Fox! I didn't know! Let's go get your things out of there right now." Maggie Scully took off towards the south wing. "Maggie, where are you going?" I asked, surprised at her immediate departure. "Why, to get your bags and move them into another room." She seemed confused that I would question her actions. "There's no need for that. I can get them." I guess I should at least be brave enough to move my own bags. I smiled and moved to pass her on the stairs. She followed me down the hall to the massive double doors that marked the entrance to my own personal hell. "What room do you want me to move to?" I asked as I threw the doors open and stood there, shocked. I stepped out and looked around and then stepped back into the room. This was my Grandfather's room? Where was the dark walnut paneling? Where were the shutters on the windows? Where was the heavy brocade covering on the mammoth bed that dominated the center dais of the room? Where was the whipping bench that terrorized two generations of Mulder men? I did a 360 as I looked over the entire room. The walls were no longer clad in paneling, but were freshly plastered and painted a light tan color. The dark oriental carpets were gone and the beauty of the hardwood floor sparkled in the sunlight. The shutters were gone from the windows and instead of curtains there were gossamer lengths of fabric draped over them. They matched the draping on the huge four poster bed. I shot a look at Maggie and asked, "Did you do all this?" I couldn't keep my eyes from roaming the room. "Fox, I'm sorry. I didn't know about your relationship with your Grandfather. This room was sealed. It hadn't been cleaned up since your Grandfather's death. I didn't think you would mind if I had it cleaned and redecorated. Much of the paneling was damaged by a water leak from a broken window." "What happened to the wooden bench that was always at the foot of the bed?" I couldn't help shiver when I asked about it. "It really didn't look right in here after we finished with the rest of the redecorating. It had some stains on it that nothing seemed to remove. I finally gave up and had it taken out to the carriage house. Are you very upset, Fox? Fox?" I could hear her speaking to me, but I wasn't really listening. My eyes were locked on the vision on the bed. Scully. . . Dana. There in the middle of the huge bed was my partner, curled up asleep. Not moving my eyes from her I asked, "Maggie? What is Scully doing asleep in here?" As I spoke, Scully sighed, stretched and sat up. "Mulder? Mom?" "Maggie, what is Scu...Dana doing in here?" "Well, Fox, that's another thing I needed to speak to you about." Maggie said in a very small voice. "Perhaps we should take this conversation to your new room." Maggie was definitely uncomfortable. "Mom? What's going on?" "That's what I'm trying to find out, Scully." I turned to Maggie and saw her blush, just before she turned and began to almost run out of the room. "I'll just go get someone to move your stuff, Fox." "Stay right where you are, Mother!" Scully had climbed down off the bed and moved across the room toward the door. "I thought you told Mulder everything about Aunt Maeve. He said you told him all about her." "Well, Dana. I did and I didn't." "Mother! How could you?" "Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I was going to tell Fox when we came up here, but you were here and he got distracted." "Would someone mind letting me in on this?" I looked from one Scully woman to the other. "Maybe, we should go down to the library and talk." Maggie made her escape as I stood looking at Scully. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I want you to know right up front that I thought you knew everything Mom's going to explain and were all right with it. I would never have agreed to this weekend if I had one inkling that you were tricked into anything." "You don't have to apologize to me, Scully. But, I'm more confused than ever. Let's join your Mom." I couldn't wait to hear what chain of events had led to me finding Scully in my bed. We passed one of the new maids on her way to move my clothes to another room. I asked her to wait until she heard from me before she moved anything. I wanted to hear everything Maggie had to say. "Fox, Dana, I took the liberty of asking Mrs. Amos, the new cook, to prepare a snack for us along with something to drink. Oh, I guess I should have waited for you to ask her." "Maggie, that sounds great. You're in charge here. You don't need to wait for permission to do anything." Just then the door opened and another new maid brought in a tray of sandwiches and beverages. Maggie thanked her and after she left, began to speak. "Fox," she sighed. "This is difficult for me." "Just take your time, Maggie and start at the beginning." I smiled to encourage her. "When I told you about Bill's sister Maeve, I didn't tell you the whole story. The last time I saw Maeve was when Bill was still alive. We met them in New York and for some reason, Melissa decided to surprise us and join us. The entire visit was going fairly well until all the women decided to go to lunch together. Melissa and Maeve's daughter, Fiona, got in a huge fight." Maggie took a sip of tea and continued. "Melissa could always hold her own with everything Fiona threw at her, but when she started talking about Dana, Melissa lost it." "What could she possibly find negative to say about Scully?" I couldn't believe there was anything derogatory to say about my Scully. Maggie smiled at my question. "Fiona was always jealous of my girls. Melissa was beautiful at a very young age. Beautiful and smart and a little wild to grow up. Dana was a late bloomer but always sharp as a tack. Fiona, bless her heart, took after her father more than her mother. Oh, she has the Scully look about her all right, but she is lovely, not beautiful, cunning but not intelligent, and doesn't have a kind bone in her body." I looked at Maggie, not really understanding what that woman could have said. "Fox, when Fiona began making fun of Dana, Melissa couldn't handle it. No one spoke badly about her little sister and got away with it." "Exactly what did she say about Scully that got things so out of hand?" "Fiona laughed about Dana's choice of the FBI over medicine. She said that Dana was no more likely to meet a man at the FBI than she was at a hospital. If she hadn't landed a doctor for a husband she surely wouldn't find a man there. She said Dana should just join a convent because she would never find someone to marry-let alone love her. That she was just too mannish and plain and too smart for her own good. No ordinary man would fall in love with her-let alone a good looking one." Maggie's voice faded as she spoke and the last few words were barely a whisper. "I'm sorry Dana. I didn't want to tell you everything that she said. You know what a twit she is." I had decided that this Fiona was probably a bigger bitch than Phoebe. I wondered if her father had relatives in England. "What did Melissa say?" I had to ask. "Melissa was livid. She had a picture of Dana and you in her purse that I had given her earlier. It was a snapshot someone had taken at a crime scene. Melissa had been bugging Dana about her new partner so she sent it with us to show Melissa. Melissa was so enraged about Fiona's taunts that she whipped out the photo and told everyone at the table that you two were secretly engaged. That you were deeply in love and the only thing keeping you from being married was the FBI regulations that would have separated a husband and wife team." I heard Scully groan but couldn't look at her yet. Was being engaged to me so horrible a fate? "I'm sorry Fox. I wanted to correct Melissa, but Maeve..." Once again Maggie blushed. "Maeve was so condescending and unbelieving that Dana was able to catch a handsome man like you that I found myself volunteering information about you as if Melissa's statements were true." I fought hard to keep a grin from my face. "Just what little bits of info did you contribute, Maggie?" "Oh, just little things like the fact that you graduated from Oxford at the head of your class and that you are a doctor too and..." "And?" I did grin now. "And about the Neiman Marcus catalog modeling that you did when you were younger." "Mom! You didn't!" Scully was obviously as surprised as I that Maggie knew about the modeling. "How did you know that I did some modeling, Maggie?" I was the embarrassed one now. "Oh, it was Melissa who actually knew about it. She was a model herself and was friends with several of the girls used the same year you were. She thought you were handsome and wanted to meet you so she made an effort to get your name. That was the reason she wanted the picture. She was anxious to know if Dana's partner was the same Fox Mulder that she wanted to meet." Maggie continued, "Why were you modeling, by the way dear?" "I uhh... I needed some extra money at the time and that was the only way I could think of getting it that wouldn't get me fired by the Bureau." Please don't let her ask what the money was for, I thought as I remembered using the money for the legal fees for the annulment from Diana. I shrugged. "I tried it and didn't particularly care for it, so I never did it again." That was a true statement! The entire experience was a nightmare. I had never felt so dehumanized in my whole life. I was treated like a mannequin by half of the people I worked with. The other half acted like I was part of the dessert tray. "But back to Maeve. Why does she still think Scully and I are together?" I wanted to get the conversation away from me and focused on other subjects as quickly as possible. "Well, things started to happen. When Melissa and I left New York we were not on speaking terms with Maeve and Fiona. Then Bill died suddenly and then Melissa... I just never got around to telling Maeve the truth. When she called to let me know they were coming to the States for another visit, I decided that I had to tell her the truth." Maggie's eyes had filled with tears as she spoke and now a single teardrop slid down her cheek. "Mom? Why didn't you tell her on the phone? You could have avoided this entire situation if you had spoken up right away." "Yes, well," Maggie sniffed and continued. "She started in so sweet, Dana. You know how your Aunt Maeve can be. It wasn't until I had agreed to arrange the weekend that she put her little dig in about Melissa and you. Your life speaks for itself, Dana. You have seen and done so much. I am so proud of you and of you, Fox. It was my damnable Scully pride that wouldn't let me tell her. I just couldn't say that Melissa and I had lied. I'm sorry Fox. I'm sorry I pulled you into this whole mess. I'm sorry I accepted your offer of this wonderful house. I'm sorry I didn't tell Maeve the truth on the phone." Maggie started to sob and it tore my heart in two. I moved to kneel at her side and hugged her. "Don't cry, Maggie. It's okay. I understand." I held her in my arms until she stopped sobbing. I looked over at Scully and she was desperately trying to keep from crying too. "I guess that answers why Scully was in my bed." I tried to lighten the moment and saw pain flash across Scully's face. "Scully, are you all right?" "I wasn't going to force you out of your bed, Mulder. I can sleep on the chaise." I was stunned. Scully wasn't opposed to sharing a room with me. She thought I didn't want to help them. I knew right then what I had to do. I stood up and told both of my beautiful, prideful Scully women to stay there. I would be right back. I charged down the hall to my grandfather's office. I knew the combination to the safe. It was in the information the lawyers had given to me after my mother's death. The joy of an eidetic memory is that sometimes you remember happy, important things rather than just every bad thing that you ever read or saw. I quickly sorted through the contents, shut it, and raced back into the library. Scully and Maggie were sitting together on the sofa. Both women looked as if they had just had a good cry and had made peace with each other. "Everyone happy now?" I blurted out. "Happy, Mulder?" Scully shot me the brow, but I could see her lips quirking towards a small smile and knew I wasn't dead meat yet. "Yeah, well, you know. Don't women feel better after a good cry?" I kept digging that grave. Now Maggie was starting to get irritated with me. I had to act fast or I really was a goner. "Maggie, Scully, I know you both better than almost anyone on earth. I know that your basic honesty will force you to tell Maeve the truth before the weekend is over. I know that doing that will make you both uncomfortable and unhappy for a long time and I don't want either one of you to be hurt. I have the perfect solution." I moved to Scully's side and fell to one knee. I picked up her hand and looked into her eyes. "Scully, will you marry me?" I opened my other hand and slid the ring I selected on her third finger, left hand. Both women were speechless. Then both women burst into tears. "Mulder!" "Fox!" "Geez! You'd think I just shot your dog and burned the flag on your door step." I tried to tease. "Mulder, that's the sweetest thing you have ever done, but I can't get you any more involved in this." Scully said. I look back and forth between both women. Mrs. Scully was still sniffling but smiling. "Fox, I don't know what to say." "Look, Scully, Maggie. Just say yes." I squeezed Scully's hand and smiled at her. "I know you don't want to lie, Scully and this way you won't be. Just think of it as a favor I can repay to Melissa. She helped me out once when I was in a really dark place and I never got the chance to thank her." I could tell Scully was weakening at the mention of Melissa. "You can say we had a difference of opinion later and canceled the engagement. The whole thing will blow over and Maeve and Fiona will never know the difference." Scully and her mom exchanged looks. I knew I had won! For at least a while Scully, the woman of my dreams, was going to be my fiance. I would work on making it permanent as we went along. The whole day sped by. There was still a lot to do, according to Mrs. Scully, to get ready for the Irish Scullys arrival. Scully and I were in the way as often as we were help around the house, so we decided that we would check the boats and get them ready to use. Scully was Ahab's daughter. She loved the sea and was a surprisingly good sailor. We checked out the various boats in the boathouse and contacted the shop at the local marina to make a few adjustments and repairs. We took care of fueling up all the boats and shopping and stocking the galleys with snacks and beverages. We packed a picnic supper and took one of the small sailboats out for fun. I was surprised that I exhibited no signs of seasickness. When I thought the whole thing through, I came to the conclusion that my level of trust in Scully was the deciding factor. That night, we fell into bed and slept like babies. I had insisted that we share the bed on our first night as an openly engaged couple. If we were going to convince Maeve and Fiona that we were truly together, we had to make sure all the staff thought it was true from the beginning. Nothing is secret around a household this size and as catty as Fiona sounded, she would be the type to question the maids about our personal lives. Scully reluctantly agreed, reminding me that Bill would have to be dealt with as soon as he arrived. I didn't care. I felt I could take on the world and win. I was going to be sleeping with Dana Scully for almost a week. At least when this was over I would have enough to feed my fantasies for years. The next morning was straight out of one of my best dreams. I woke up on my back with Scully plastered to my chest, her legs tucked between mine, and my arms wrapped around her. As soon as I was awake enough to grasp that my Scullyblanket wasn't a dream, I realized that if she woke up she would be aware of my erection. I apparently had discarded the pajama bottoms I was wearing last night and just had on my boxers. I decided to live dangerously, so for a few moments I lay there enjoying the feeling of having her in my arms. Her silky hair tickled my nose with its fresh scent. Her cheek was pressed to my chest; her ear must have been directly over my heart. As I became more and more aroused, my heart beat faster. As still as I was everywhere else, it seemed that this is what woke her. Scully sighed contentedly then inhaled deeply as she stretched. She placed a kiss on my sternum, then became very still. I could feel her head move ever so stealthily as she lifted her eyes to my face. Before she thought about it, she returned my smile with a sleepy one of her own. Suddenly, she must have realized where everything was, exactly, and quickly moved to her side of the bed. I rolled over with her and forced her to look at me. "Good morning, Sunshine. Ready to face the day?" I teased. "Not as ready as I will be after I have some coffee," she was willing to play. "Well, why don't you grab a shower and I'll go down and bring us some back. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you before we join the rest of the household." She nodded but got a worried look on her face. "Don't worry, Scully. It's nothing painful. I'll be right back." I pulled a pair of jeans on over my boxers and I raced down the back stairs to the kitchen, fully intending on sneaking in and preparing a tray for us before anyone else was up. I was surprised when I slid to a halt in the kitchen doorway and encountered a full house. Maggie, Brenda, Roger, and all the new staff were sitting down to eat a huge breakfast. I made some sort of excuse and pilfered a good-sized portion of their meal and a carafe of coffee to take back up to our room. I thought I was home free until I heard Maggie reminding me, "Don't forget our first guests will be here in about two hours." I managed to grin around the piece of bacon I had shoved in my mouth and raced back up stairs, hoping to catch Scully before she was fully dressed. Juvenile? You bet, but a guy could hope, couldn't he? Scully was seated at the dressing table combing her hair. I stopped short and looked at her. She had on a blue tank top with spaghetti straps and white shorts. She was barefoot. I could tell that she didn't have on a bra with her tank top. I was mesmerized by the way her breasts moved as she ran her comb through her hair. She caught my eye in the mirror and I saw the corner of her mouth quirk up. "Up or down?" Her voice was soft with early morning disuse. "Huh?" I was able to muster. "Should I wear my hair up or down? If I don't do something with it now while it's wet, it will be mass of curls when it dries." I swallowed hard and managed to reply, "Please, let it stay down and curly. I've never seen your hair like that before." She held my stare for a long moment then smiled and laid down her comb. "Okay." She turned to face me. "Looks like you cleared out the kitchen, Mulder." "Fox." I said. "I want you to call me Fox while we're here. Please." "Mulder..." she began. "And Dana. I want to call you Dana. I want us to be a normal couple this weekend, Scully. I don't want your relatives to have any reason to doubt you or Maggie or Melissa." I knew I was using the big guns when I said Melissa's name. I put the tray of food down on the table by the window. "Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?" She walked over and sat down. She lifted a couple of lids and began to serve us both a plate. I sat down beside her and poured our coffee. "Yes, that and a couple other things." "Things?" she said before she bit off a bite of toast and jam. "Well, I want to talk to you about touching and kissing." Scully choked on her toast and had to take a sip of orange juice to wash it down. "I'm not trying to take advantage, here Dana, but I think we should make an effort to touch frequently and to let others see us kissing occasionally while your relatives are here." "I see. You've been thinking about this a lot?" Scully asked. "Or just since we all agreed to this little masquerade?" Things were getting a little tense so I said with a teasing leer, "Oh, I've always thought we should do more kissing and touching. I seem to remember offering to do that honeymoon video with you a long time ago." Scully laughed and the tension was broken. She gazed at me off and on while we finished our breakfast. Finally she seemed to make up her mind. "All right, Fox. I agree. Let's just not make this triple X material, okay?" As I grinned and nodded my agreement, she continued. "Now, tell me about this ring." She lifted her left hand up and held the ring in a beam of sunlight filtering through the curtains. The diamonds in the ring were old, but perfect and set in platinum. The sunlight caught it just right and prisms of color spread across the table. I gently clasped her hand in my two and brought my lips down on the ring. "It was my Grandmother Mulder's ring-but not her wedding ring. It was made from a piece handed down in her family. The diamond came from Tiffany's in London, years ago. Gram had the setting changed when I was born. It was supposed to go directly to me when I graduated from Oxford-for my future bride. But by that time she had died and my Grandfather and I were no longer on speaking terms and he refused to follow her wishes. I found it when my Mom died. Gram left a letter with it that both Dad and Mom kept. It was like having her back for a moment when I read it. She was the only adult in my life I trusted before I met you and your mom. Everyone else had lied to me and let me down. Did you read the inscription?" "No," she said with surprise. She pulled the ring off and held it in the sunlight again. "To Fox and his Vixen" I grinned and shrugged. "Fox was Grams' idea. Everyone thought it was because that was her family name, but she told me she had had a vision about me before I was even conceived. She said I was going to grow up to look just like her father and if I was to be saddled with the Mulder name, I needed a good honest first name to go with it." Scully smiled as I plucked the ring from her hand and slid it back on her ring finger. I kissed the back of her hand and she blushed. "Mul...Fox there's no one here to see you kiss me now." "I'm just practicing, Dana." I pulled her closer to me and lowered my lips towards hers. "Surely we should share a kiss for our engagement." She smiled her enigmatic smile again and slid her hand around the back of my neck. "Yes, I think that would be appropriate, but don't call me Shirley." Our smiling lips met gently and then pulled away slowly. She had her eyes closed. I watched her face for signs of rejection and brushed my lips against hers again. She was surprised by my second kiss and gave a soft gasp as her eyes popped open. I took full advantage and swept her lips with my tongue and proceeded to explore her mouth. I was almost shocked into inaction when her tongue began to probe back. We continued to kiss for some time and only stopped when an insistent knocking at the door brought us both back to reality. We both were surprised to find that she was straddling my lap, our arms wrapped around each other tightly. Her blush was so adorable, I wanted to tell her, but the knocking continued. "Dana! Are you in there?" It was Maggie and she sounded agitated. Scully jumped up and raced to the door. "Mom, what is it?" "I'm sorry to interrupt your breakfast but Bill and Tara just pulled up and the airport limos are right behind them. Everybody is here and I need your help." Maggie said as she rushed in the opened door. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm all dressed and we were just finishing our discussion." Scully's glance skirted towards me and away, the becoming blush stealing across her cheeks again. "I'll grab a quick shower and be right down, Dana." I said. I stopped by her side and gave her a quick kiss on her warm cheek and shooed them out the door. Fifteen minutes later I joined the crowd in the dining room. The new cook had performed wonders and a breakfast buffet was being served. I looked around the room for Scully and thought I saw her standing with her back to me until I realized that this woman had on different clothes and was taller than Scully. I darted a quick glance around and found my Scully on the other side of the room talking to a very unhappy Bill. I decided the other woman must be one of the O'Brien's and headed over to rescue Scully. "Bill, it's good to see you again." I said as I stuck my hand out. Scully had to jab him in the ribs, but he did offer his hand. I was prepared. We stood there glaring and trying to break each other's fingers while acting as if we were old buddies. "Mr. Mulder." Bill Scully grunted. "Hey, Bill, is that any way to address the man who's going to marry your sister?" I couldn't resist the tease and squeezed harder. "What?" Bill's bellow stopped all conversation in the room. His grip on my hand tightened even more. Scully glared at me. With every eye in the room on us I decided to use this to enlighten everyone at once. "We decided to use this shindig to make the public announcement, Bro. Dana and I are getting married." I slapped him on his other arm with my free hand. He dropped my hand as if he were holding a snake. "When?" Bill managed to get out through his gritted teeth. "Oh, we haven't set a date yet. We have to meet with our boss and decide when we can get a few months off for the honeymoon." "Months?" he managed to croak. "Yeah, I always wanted to go around the world with Dana, and I don't want to miss a thing." I beamed at my bride to be and from the fire in her eyes, I was going to be in big trouble-that is if I survived Bill's wrath. I knew he would take the reference to going around the world as a sexual remark and be pissed. He had every right to be angry about being blindsided about our 'engagement', but he was wrong about the sex reference. What I wanted to do with Dana in the privacy of our room was our business. I would never share that information with anyone but her. But sometimes, it was just too easy to mess with his head and I couldn't pass up a golden opportunity. I have always dreamed of taking a long, leisurely trip around the world and in recent years, Scully has been the companion of choice on this journey. I have fantasized about us visiting everywhere from London to Paris, Rome to Istanbul, Alexandria to Cape Town, Madagascar to Calcutta, Australia to Tahiti and finally on to Japan and Hawaii. In fact, it would probably take three trips around the world to hit all the spots I want to explore with Scully. That is if she ever would accept my proposal as anything but a way to protect her Scully pride. But I wasn't going to tell this to Bill either. Both Tara and Maggie took Bill's purpling face as a clue to come join us. "Dana! I just heard the good news. I'm so happy for you." Tara said. "Let's see your ring." Scully held out her hand and a bevy of women appeared from around the room to inspect her ring. Ohhhs and Ahhhs were heard and then the sound of a woman clearing her throat made the crowd part like the Red Sea as Moses stood at the shore. This must be Aunt Maeve. As she carefully inspected Dana's ring, I inspected her. She was short and carried her age well. She had strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. I could see my Scully looking a lot like her when she was that age. Everyone waited for her opinion on the ring. Her lips pursed and the tension seemed to build. I shot a glance at Dana and found a look of curiosity and humor on her face. Maggie's face was placid but I thought I caught a glint of anger in her eyes. Finally Maeve looked Dana in the eye and smiled. "Lovely piece of jewelry you have there Dana." She quirked her eyebrow and then winked at me, "I expect there's more where that one came from, eh, Fox?" I barked out a laugh and nodded. "If I remember, the Mulder women have never had a deficit of possessions. It's love they've always lacked." She looked at me to see how I would take her cryptic statement. "Dana will never feel a lack of love in her life. She gives so much to others that her return is one hundred fold." I was quick to respond. "She will always be surrounded by the love of her family and friends." "But what about you? Do you love her?" She brazenly asked me as she latched her hand on my forearm. I stared into her eyes for a moment trying to divine her reason for this insulting line of questioning in front of the entire family. I saw concern and curiosity driven by a keen intelligence and just a hint of suspicion. I didn't see a reason not to answer her so I told her exactly what was in my heart. The silence in the room was almost deafening. "I like and admire Dana Scully-my best friend-more than anyone I have ever met in my entire life. I appreciate and cherish every moment that I am able to share with her. I have and will continue to protect her with my life. I would take down anyone who tried to harm her, in any way, for any reason. I trust her and love her with every fiber in my being." As I finished I heard Scully gasp. I reached for her without looking in her direction and our fingers intertwined. Maeve O'Brien began to smile at me and then nodded her head. "I knew Melissa was right about you two." She had just given our engagement her blessing. "Now, please, make yourself at home. Maggie has everything under control and will be able to get everyone settled. Dana and I have plans for this morning so we probably won't see you all until dinner." I turned and smiled at Scully and drew her over to Maggie to say goodbye. "Maggie, we'll be around if you need us. I've got my cell phone on and you have the number." She nodded and kissed me on my cheek. "You two relax and have some fun today," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'll settle Bill down," she said just for our ears. "Don't forget that Charlie will be here later this afternoon." Scully and I left the dining room and walked through the kitchen to the back stairs. "I would like to get a sweater and take a bike ride around the property, if that's okay with you. Or if you'd rather, we could go back out on one of the boats." Scully hadn't spoken a word since Maeve inspected her ring and she was beginning to worry me. Was she trying to think of a kind way to tell me that she didn't love me? All my insecurities flooded back and I was suddenly cold with fear. "Or do you just want me to go away for a while and let you enjoy your family?" "Fox, I think I would like to go sailing later, but I would like to go back up to our room and talk right now." I was so nervous I couldn't speak. I nodded my head and we walked up the stairs still holding hands. This small gesture gave me some hope. I walked in the room as Dana shut and locked the door. I stood looking at the bed we had shared last night. It would never again remind me of my grandfather. Years of terror meant nothing in comparison to the innocent moments of bliss I had experienced with Dana Scully in that bed. Scully moved past me to sit down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Her silence made me nervous so I began to talk to fill up the silence. "I have always hated this house-this room in particular holds bad memories for me. When I was a small child I was forced to stay with my grandparents for weeks at a time. Grandmother was wonderful and we used to spend most of our time together in the kitchen or the summer house. But when Grandfather was home, we weren't allowed to socialize with the servants. We couldn't go to the summer house without one of grandfather's henchmen. And after she died, my time here was sheer hell." "Why did you hate this room the most?" I turned away so that I didn't have to watch her face as I spoke. "That's one of two remaining secrets, Sully." I gathered my courage and decided to let her know just how pathetic my life really had been. "This is where my grandfather lived at the end of his life. He had a stroke and was too proud to leave this room again. He had the bench from the coach house brought up and placed at the end of his bed. When he felt I deserved to be punished he would have me bend over that bench and beat me until he felt I was appropriately sorry. When he became too weak to carry out my punishment from his wheelchair, he would have my father or his assistant, Owen Purdy, beat me. He had used the same bench on my father when he was a boy and for some reason my dad would take out his anger towards it on my backside. Purdy was a sadistic bastard and would actually get off on beating me. Even my Grandmother couldn't stop what happened in this room." I felt her gentle hand on my arm. "We should have moved to another room, Mulder. No one should have to contend with memories like that." I turned and smiled into her eyes. "It's okay. I didn't really recognize the room when I first walked in. Your mother did a great job of remodeling it." "Yeah, but it's the same bed frame, even if it's not the same mattress..." she tried to reason. "It doesn't look anything like it used to, Scully. I just didn't want to see the bench again." "I'll make sure Roger burns it before we leave." She gave me a sad smile. "My hero!" I smiled back at her. "Mulder, come sit down." She patted the cushion next to her on the couch. I walked over and sat down like the condemned man. "Mulder, Fox, why did you tell my Aunt Maeve those things?" Her clear blue eyes were warm and inviting. I contemplated my answer for a time before responding. "Dana, I told you to call me Mulder on one of our first cases together, do you remember it?" She smiled and nodded and began to speak, but I placed two fingers over her lips to stop her. "I was afraid of you from the beginning. I knew you were sent in to close me down. I thought you were one of them at first. By the Tooms case, I knew you were everything I had ever looked for in a woman, but I was afraid to trust you-to trust my judgment about you. I pushed you away and tried to distance myself with my words. I found out how miserably I had failed when Duane Berry kidnapped you." I got up and started pacing, finally stopping in front of her again. I waited until she was looking directly into my eyes and said, "I realized while you were missing that you were more than a partner to me. You were my compass. You were my heart, and that scared the living crap right out of me." Once again I was unable to stand still. Again with the pacing, this time ending up at the window. "I was so lost, Scully. I couldn't find you. Nothing I did turned up a lead; it was as if you vanished off the face of the earth. Even your mother was losing hope." I moved back to the couch and picked up her hand. I had to touch her for this part. "I was sent to California on a case. I did something incredibility stupid and had sex with a suspect, Kristen Kilar." She drew away from me as if burned. I grasped her hand in terror. I felt that if we didn't connect now, all would be lost. "Please, Scully. Wait. I knew it was a mistake as soon as I kissed her, but I was totally alone. I was afraid I would never see you again and she felt so empty. I wanted her to drain me of all feelings too. I wanted to die, but I couldn't kill myself until I was sure you weren't returning. I wanted her to kill me and relieve me of the burden of responsibility for my actions. Can you understand that?" Scully turned her face from me for a moment, then a miracle. She looked back and nodded. "That's how I felt about Ed Jerse." I forced myself to nod in understanding back at her, but felt my stomach spasm. "When I realized I was going to live and you were eventually returned to me, I was ashamed. I felt like I had defiled our relationship. I felt unclean. I didn't deserve you. I didn't even deserve to feel the love for you that I did. So I pushed it all down and held it in for years. I reasoned that I couldn't give you what you need, but I could be there for you and be your friend. I knew eventually a wonderful woman like you would find someone to love and would leave me, but I was willing to accept anything you would give me for as long as it was available." I looked down and saw her small, strong, white hand in mine. My Grandmother's ring sparkled as if drawing radiance from her skin. "When you were diagnosed with cancer I knew it was my fault. If you weren't working with me on the X-Files you wouldn't have been a target. They were willing to destroy you to get to me. I knew that if your days were numbered, mine would only be a few longer. I had plans to take out as many of the Consortium as possible before I died. I asked the guys to help me plan it. But then I got my second miracle, Scully. You recovered and I was once again too afraid to tell you how much you meant to me." I rubbed my thumb over the sensitive palm of her hand as I spoke. "Having the privilege of being your partner has changed me, Dana. You've done more to help me mature and grow than any other individual in my entire life. You've given me focus, and self- confidence and strength through your belief in me. I've never known how you did it. One moment you would tell me I was full of shit and the next, you would give me your unending support. At first it made me crazy, but soon I could see the difference. You didn't believe in my beliefs, you believed in me." Tears welled in my eyes. "Oh, my God, Scully! Do you know what a gift that was to me? To have someone as moral, intelligent, educated and grounded in science as you, tell me you believed in...me? It was a revelation. Through your convictions, your trust in me, I grew to realize that I am a better person than I thought. I am not personally responsible for everything from Samantha's abduction to the reduction of the ozone layer." I smiled and she smiled back. "Recently, I began to realize that I am no longer that emotionally arrested 12 year old who suffered the major trauma of his sister's abduction. I'll never grow up completely-I hope part of me never does-but I am capable of liking myself and of sustaining love for someone else. That someone is you, Scully-Dana. I love you. Everything I said to your Aunt Maeve is true. I love you and I want to marry you." Scully closed her eyes and I could see her chin begin to tremble. I started to feel weird and realized I hadn't been breathing. I forced myself to inhale and waited for her words. I had just laid my bare soul at her feet and all my hopes for happiness were hinged on her next few sentences. When she opened her eyes there was so much pain there. I was taken aback by her reaction. "I love you too, Mulder-maybe too much." Scully rose to leave the room. "I can't marry you." I lunged to my feet and grabbed her by her upper arm, spinning her to face me. She would not look me in the eyes, but stood there with her hair shielding her face. I wrapped my left arm around her shoulders and swiped her hair behind her ear with my right hand. I placed two fingers under her chin and brought her beautiful face up so that I could read her eyes. I was blown away by the depth of her passion and love for me shining there. Why was she denying us this chance for happiness? "Tell me, why do you love me too much to marry me, Scully?" I whispered. "Tell me why my love isn't enough." All my old self- doubt was crowding back. "Mulder, you do love me. I know you do-but it's the love any healthy, single male would develop for his female partner. You say I complete you and I do. We are a team. I know I fill a void for you and you are grateful. I am at times your mother, your surrogate wife, your little sister, your best friend, your doctor, and your comrade in arms. I know you love me, but it wouldn't be enough." "You say that I have helped you grow in the years we've been together. I want to let you know that you have helped me grow, too. I thought I could close myself off from others and keep the pain of loss from touching me. I had convinced myself I didn't need passion in my life. But you showed me that a life without passion is unacceptable. You are so passionate in all your beliefs, and you have held fast to those beliefs when life has thrown its worst at you. And now, I find I can't condemn you to live without that passion in love. The worst mistake two people who love each other as friends can make is a entering a marriage where only one of the spouses feels passionately in love with the other." As she spoke I grew more and more angry. "What the hell do you mean, Scully. Do you think I am not passionately IN LOVE with you?" She lifted her chin and nodded. "Mulder...it's not you." she cleared her throat and tried again. "Mulder, I know I'm not the type of woman that you find sexy. You would grow tired of me. You would... stray and that would kill me." I stood there and searched her eyes. "What do you mean not the type of woman I find sexy?" For a moment her eyes flashed blue fire then became clouded with pain again. "For heaven's sake, Mulder." She said with a touch of exasperation. I could see her temper rising in the blush of her cheeks. I continued to wait for her explanation. "Phoebe, Diana, Dr. Bambi, and now Kristen Kilar to name a few," she spat out. I must have still had a clueless look on my face. "Damn it, Mulder! I know I'm not tall with big boobs. I can't be those things for you!" Clarity was dawning. Could she really be that insecure? "Scully, I know I'm the psychologist here, but think about what you just said." She gave an exasperated grunt and turned her back to me. "Scully! Do you really think I am so shallow? Well, we both know at one time I was, but don't you think that I have grown in my expectations as to a life partner as surely as you?" "Yes, those women hold a certain physical appeal. They are women who fit the body-type parameters of Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt's life-long wet dreams. They are who that 12 year old boy I outgrew was told was the ideal for women. But look harder, Scully." I drew her body back to rest against mine. "They are just a female representation of me. Tall, beautiful, smart and empty. It was easy to be with them. They didn't require me to be a whole person. They only wanted what they saw on the outside. None of them cared about what was inside enough to stick around. Choosing them was just another way to fuck myself over- another way to prove that I was unlovable." "I didn't choose any of them to give my heart to, Scully. I choose you. I chose a beautiful, sexy, woman whose grace and passion has supported and nurtured me while her formidable intelligence and honor has driven me to strive to be the best I am capable of being." "I wake up at night terrified that you have discovered I am not good enough for you. That's why I call sometimes. I just need to hear your voice. Whether you're angry because I woke you up or you're glad I called, I can hear the acceptance in you voice. I live for that, Scully. I live for you. I love you." She turned to face me, but took one step back. "I know you think your love would be enough, Mulder but..." Her voice trailed away. A shutter went through her whole body. She closed her eyes and hung her head. As she wrapped her arms across her torso and turned slightly away from me I realized that we had not been this far apart since she was abducted-at least in spirit. "But what, Scully?" I gently questioned. She shook her head and whispered. "I can't talk about this right now, Mulder." I turned to leave the room, but stopped. What the Hell? I marched back to stand directly in front of her. "No." I said as I grasped her hands and pulled her to me. "No. If we don't talk now we will never talk about this again, and I can't allow that to happen." I felt her resist me and I did something I consciously never do. I used my sized to overrule her. I pulled her into my embrace and forced her to look at me. "But what, Scully?" I pushed. "But you would be bored with me and leave me Mulder. Maybe not in name, but in spirit-in body." She obviously thought that this settled the entire argument, but I was still clueless. "Scully, you will never bore me." I smiled to encourage her. It was obviously the wrong thing to do. "Damn it, Mulder! Do I have to spell it out for you?" She struggled to leave my loose embrace. "Yes." I bit out, tired of this whole puzzle but unwilling to let go of the only woman I have ever loved until it was solved. "All right! Here it is, Mulder. You love me. I love you. You are a brilliant, intense, sensual, sexy man. I am an intelligent, focused, controlling woman." Once again she looked at me as if she had explained everything. "And," I said. "Jesus, Mulder! Don't you understand?" She sobbed. "I cannot match your passion. I will never be an equal partner in a sexual relationship with you. Is that clear enough?" I was shocked. Scully felt we would not be compatible sexually? "Scully, is it because of the tests during your abduction? Did they do something else to you?" "Oh, Mulder!" She broke down and sobbed against my chest. "No, it's not that." "Then what are you trying to say? Please, Scully. I'm not trying to hurt you. I need to understand." She searched my face as if to memorize it before saying goodbye. I was suddenly very afraid. "I am incapable of achieving orgasm during intercourse, Mulder. I have had sex with several partners and used multiple positions and sex toys and I have never achieved orgasm. Maybe Fiona is right. I should join the convent." I was shocked. My Scully, my focused, intense, passionate partner thought she was frigid. I couldn't help myself, I began to smile. I knew it was a mistake immediately. "Are you laughing at me, Mulder? Am I so pathetic that you are going to laugh directly in my face?" Her voice rose in pitch as her perceived humiliation washed over her. "No, Scully." I wiped the smile off my face. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm relieved that this is the only reason you have for not accepting my proposal." "What do you mean? I told you all the reasons I cannot accept you." The Scully eyebrow was starting to rise and Lord help me, so was my erection. I must be sick. I have always found an aggressive Scully a total turn on. I don't know how many times I have held back during the course of an arrest so that I could watch her take down the perp on her own. Scully is the strongest person I know, but she has always feared being perceived as weak. I've thought about this a lot and I have come to believe it is partially due to being the little sister but mostly due to her struggles during medical school and in the Bureau to achieve equality and recognition. Petite, beautiful and intelligent wasn't an automatic door opener in the good old boys network. She's had to be twice as good as others to be perceived their equal. Somehow during her struggle to become Scully, MD, FBI, she has lost her confidence in herself as a woman. If I am going to convince her to marry me she has to rediscover Dana. "Mulder?" I had been thinking and staring at her for so long she lost her patience with me and turned to leave. "Scully, wait." I said as I slid my hand up her arm. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to compare the Dana Scully I know to the verbal picture you just drew of yourself." She turned back to me and I took the opportunity to capture her other shoulder, cutting off her route for escape. "Scully, Dana, can we talk about this?" "I don't know what else there is to say, Mulder." "Please?" I drew her back toward the couch to sit down. She didn't agree, but she didn't say no either and I knew that was a good sign. "Scully, Dana, Scu... what do you want me to call you?" I wanted her to be comfortable with this conversation and this was as good a starting place as any. She turned her sad blue eyes to me and considered my question for a moment. "Dana. Call me Dana." I nodded in acceptance. This was good. She was responding to me as a woman and not as my partner. I picked up her hand and intertwined my fingers with hers. "Dana, have you ever had an orgasm?" Her blush started on her chest and moved upward until she was bright red. She licked her lips and tried to answer me a couple times before she was able to stammer out, "Yeeesss." At my small nod she elaborated. "When I dream sometimes and when I... masturbate." "Have you ever had an orgasm when some one else was watching?" "Mulder!" Her eyes displayed her surprise at my question. "I meant as foreplay, Dana. Have you ever come from manual or any other type of foreplay?" She looked down, but answered, "No." I was silent for so long she started to squirm again. "What are you thinking, Mulder?" "I am thinking that being the intelligent woman you are, you have probably checked with your doctor for any physical or hormonal problems." She nodded. "My gynecologist suggested that I see a counselor or sex therapist." "When was this, Dana?" "This was years ago when I was teaching at Quantico. I had just broken up with Jack and was feeling very insecure about my choices and my femininity. Of course, I was assigned to the X-Files right after that and I just pushed it to the back of my mind." "Why didn't you pursue it?" I was truly curious. "Well, at first we were too busy and I felt like I was always struggling to keep up with you. Then, later, I didn't feel the need to change anything." "But why? Did you think you would never have the opportunity to have a relationship again?" "No," she said in a whisper. "I... I fell in love with you and that made it a moot point." "Huh?" She had loved me for years? Was that what she was saying? "Mulder, you are my partner and you never expressed any interest in me beyond friendship. My personal problem did not stand in the way of maintaining either our professional relationship or our friendship. If that was all I could have with you, I decided that it would be enough. Other than an occasional pity party and a quart or two of Starbucks Almond Fudge Swirl ice cream I have never regretted my decision to not pursue treatment." Once again she became uncomfortable under my gaze. I was trying to fit my brain around her narrative. She loves me. She believes she is frigid. She loves me passionately. She has had orgasms when she dreams... "Dana, tell me about the dreams..." I floundered for words. 'Dreams that make you come?' 'Dreams that stimulate your orgasms?' I didn't want to scare her away, but I needed to know what excited her enough to make her come in her sleep. Her voice dripped with sarcasm, "Do you want me to lie down on the couch while you analyze me, Mulder?" "No, Dana, I am not trying to analyze you. I am trying to see if there is any hope for our future happiness together." I snapped back at her more sharply than I intended. Lord this woman could irritate, aggravate, and stimulate me quicker than anyone I have ever known. "I'm sorry, Mulder." "I'm sorry, Dana," we said at the same time. "Hey!" I gently tapped her on the arm. "What happened to Fox?" She just rolled her eyes at me and smiled. "That's a stretch for me, Mulder." "I know, but it's really important to me for you to call me Fox right now. I love how you say my name." She smiled and nodded her agreement. "I'll try...Fox." "C'mere." I said as I moved toward the bed. Her eyes got as big as saucers. "I'm not going to jump you, Scully. I just want us to get comfortable and be able to talk." "Wouldn't the couch do?" She asked weakly. "Remember last night, Dana? We were all snuggled up and it was easier for you to talk to me. That's all I want. I just want to hold you and make you comfortable while we talk." I crooned to her as I drew her down to the bed. It was like coaxing a frightened kitten to take food from your hand. And like that kitten, my Scully had claws I wanted to avoid. She slowly reclined on the bed with her back to me. I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her back snug against my chest, her head resting on my arm. We fit together as if we were made out of one piece and cut apart at birth. I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and let out a sigh. "See, Dana? This is better isn't it?" I said after I felt her relax and actually snuggle her sweet little ass deeper into the pocket my hips provided. "Yes," she whispered. "Now, talk to me about anything that comes to your mind." I let her start the conversation. I knew we would get around to her feelings eventually and I was prepared for everything except what she said. "How about..." she cleared her throat. "How about those Yankee's, Fox?" I started to laugh. Deep, gut crunching, belly laughs tore through me. Leave it to my Scully to avoid the discussion about emotions. I continued to laugh and she started to giggle too! She turned slightly and watched me as I finally calmed down to a smile. "I love to see you laugh, Mulder." "Oh, you do, do you? How about you? Don't you like to laugh?" I said as I pounced on her and began to tickle her. Soon she was shrieking with laughter and begging me to stop as she tried her hardest to tickle me back. "I'll stop, but only because I want to talk. Truce, okay?" I said as I finally climbed on her and held her arms down. She nodded her agreement and I moved over to pull her to me again. This time, our legs automatically entwined as I slid my arm around her. She rested her head on my arm again and brought my hand back down toward her to hold in her hands. My top arm was stretched out over her waist again. "Dana, who was your first lover?" I asked and was surprised when she answered. We talked for over an hour and would have continued except the toll of the memories she was sharing tired her out and she slipped into a sound sleep. Her every revelation had shocked me. Her first sexual experience was essentially date rape. She knew it was wrong, but was not able to make anyone believe that it had happened the way she saw it. Daniel Waterston was an ass and Jack Willis may have loved her, but he certainly didn't deserve her. She had never felt good enough for these men. They had never treated her like the sensual, beautiful, person of value that she is. Dana isn't frigid; she was justifiably terrified of trusting anyone in an intimate situation. I slid from the bed and stepped into the hall. I buzzed the kitchen and asked them to send up a lunch tray-something we could eat cold. I paced until the food was delivered then sat back down on the couch to think until she woke up. How in the world could I compete with years of insecurity and bad luck? I let my eyes wander over to Dana. She was perfection. As my gaze slid from the top of her silky hair to her surprisingly sexy feet, I was drawn toward the bed. I knelt on the floor beside the bed and watched her as she slept. I laid my head down on my left hand and was picking at the quilt absentmindedly when I realized which one it was. It was the quilt my Grandmother made for my wedding bed. She had delighted in embarrassing me each time I would call or visit, letting me know how far along she was on the quilt. I was surprised and happy to see it being used on the bed. When she died the quilt disappeared and my Grandfather never mentioned it. I was sure he had destroyed it. "Hey, what are you thinking, Mul...Fox?" Dana's voice was soft and sleepy-seductive. "It must be a good memory, you are smiling." I glanced up to see her watching my face and I nodded. "I was thinking about my Grandmother. She made this quilt for my wedding bed. She drove me crazy while she was making it, always teasing me about falling down on my end of the bargain." "Did she want you to help her sew it?" Scully smiled. "No. She told me she fully expected me to have picked out a bride by the time the quilt was done, that was my part of the deal." "So, what happened?" She pushed herself up and stretched in the middle of the bed. I felt a blush wash over my face as I said, "I, um, I was seeing Phoebe by the time it was almost done. Grams must have finished it and put it away, because I never saw it again. I thought my Grandfather destroyed it when she died." "Your grandmother was obviously a smart woman," she said cryptically. "I ordered us some lunch," I said as I stood up. "Are you hungry?" "Yes, actually I am." She seemed surprised by her own words. "Let's see what the cook rustled up for us." I smiled and held out my hand to help her off the bed. We walked over to the table by the window and prepared our plates. We ate in companionable silence for a few moments. I found myself taking sneak peeks at her and was surprised when I caught her gazing at my mouth as I ate. "Have I got something on me?" I asked as I wiped my mouth with my napkin. "No." Her voice was low and sexy. She lowered her eyes and put her sandwich down. "I was just thinking about our discussion." "What part?" I asked, swallowing hard. "The part where you said you love me." She gave me a small smile. "Is that really true?" "Yeah," I replied. I didn't know how to reassure her more than I already had. "I do love you." "Good," was all she said as she started eating again. I was stuck on the fact that she fell in love with me years ago. "Dana, how long?" I asked. I hoped she would follow my thinking without my having to give her a long explanation. She looked at me quizzically for a moment and then inhaled sharply. I could actually see her swallow and prepare to speak. "It started at Icy Cape, Alaska. When they locked you away, I was terrified that they were right and you were going to die. My heart almost broke when I thought about living without you and I realized I was starting to have more than just inappropriate feelings for you." She lifted her eyes to mine to let me read the truth of her words. "I didn't verbalized the truth to myself until months later. I held it to my heart and let it be enough. You said, you..." "When did I fall in love with you?" I asked. She nodded and I had to smile. I wondered if she would believe me? "I have thought about this for a long time. I told you I realized I was IN love with you when Duane Berry kidnapped you. I have gone over this time after time in my mind and I finally realized when it started." I picked up her hand and kissed it as I continued. "Dana, I think I fell in love with you when I was fourteen." At her surprised hoot of laughter I grinned back. "Hear me out, please, Scully." She grinned and nodded, but I could see her skeptical, prove-it-to-me Scullyself shining through. "I was always somewhat a loner, but after Sam was gone, I began to dream of having someone to share my life with-a soul mate. As much as I hated my name, I was intrigued by foxes. Did you know they mate for life, just like wolves? I actually talked to my Grandmother about it. She told me that she knew I would only love once so I should choose carefully. Every time I became involved with a girl or woman, I would ask myself if she was the One, but the answer was always no and I got tied of waiting. Enter Phoebe and I gave up on ever finding the right woman." "Years later, as I was reading your thesis, I remember asking myself if the woman who wrote this was possibly the One, but dismissed it as romantic hogwash. Then you walked in our office and I knew I was in trouble. I felt sure that Blevins was using you as the instrument to shut me down. Not only were you smart but you were the anti-thesis of everything I had previously found attractive in a woman. You were fresh and open and so damn cute. You weren't dark and moody, you were light and redemption. You seemed to glow with youth and vitality and a purity of soul that drew me to you like a magnet. To repeat, I was scared shitless." I smiled ruefully and touched her cheek. "I had had years of practice at denial and I went into full mode. I convinced myself that I could scare you away with our first case. But even as I was plotting your resignation as my partner, I was wondering if you would hate me so much that you wouldn't go out with me after we were no longer partners." "My decision lasted about a week. You took everything I threw at you on our first case. You were amazing." The blush that graced her cheeks was adorable, but I didn't dare tell her that. She looked down again and cleared her throat as if trying to get the courage to speak again. "Do you..." she hesitated then went on. "Do you really think that we could be compatible-for life, I mean?" I was so proud of her for asking the hard question first. "Yes, I do." "Do you really want to marry me, Fox?" She took my breath away. I had dreamed of her asking me this question for years. "Yes." I was finally able to growl. "Even though I can't give you children?" she whispered. "Yes." "What if I can't accept it. What if I cannot live with the thoughts that there will never be another Mulder." "Do you think I am so shallow that my love depends on my progeny, Scully?" I was half joking, half mad. "It's important to me, Muld...Fox." was all she said. I realized what she was trying to tell me. No matter how much she loved me or I loved her, her inability to have children would keep us apart in a way nothing else would. "What is this, Scully. Another way to deny that our love for one another is right?" "No, Mulder, don't you see? If I deny you children, I will have committed the greatest sin of all." "Don't give me any of this Catholic School claptrap, Scully. If I am able to have children, from what ever means, it will be my child. There are all kinds of options for us..." I trailed off as I saw the set look on her face. She truly believed that this was a valid reason for us not to marry. "Fox, I know that you are important in the scheme of things. I cannot prevent you from having children of your own. It is something I feel in my heart, something beyond you and me. I, I don't usually have unsubstantiated hunches this strong about things. I am telling you it's more important than you or me or us. It feels necessary for the continuation of our world, that's how strongly I feel about it." "I can't believe after all we've said to one another that you will let a 'hunch' keep us apart." I snarled. "I thought I was supposed to be the crazy, Spooky one." I couldn't stay and talk to her any more. To be so close to my dreams and have them yanked back because of a 'hunch' was more than I could bear. I turned and walked past her toward the door. It was Scully's turn to grab my arm. I glared down at her hand and said, "I need to be alone for a while Scully. I'll try to be back by supper time, but don't hold up the meal for me." I stormed down the back stairs and out of the house towards the ocean. I took off at a dead run and didn't slow down until the house was out of sight. It was dark when I returned home. I had walked and ran for hours. I had stopped at a small drive-in tourist trap for something to eat earlier, but I was starved by the time I got back. The house was dark; everyone was probably in bed. I quietly removed my shoes and socks and padded barefooted towards the kitchen. Suddenly, I was body-slammed into the wall. My left arm was twisted up against my back so high I was standing on my toes to keep it from breaking. "What the hell?" I growl. The man behind me used his foot to spread my legs and forced me to come down off my toes, even though he didn't release the pressure on my arm. I could feel his hot breath as he crowded me closer to the wall. His right hand was wrapped around my right wrist and it felt as though he was trying to break that as well. I was not going down without a fight and began to struggle through the pain. This guy was good. He countered my every move. All my exertion got me was out of breath. He's not even breathing hard. "Who are you and what do you want?" I growled. There is no answer from my assailant, so I tried again. "It's me you want, let's at least take this out of the house so no one else gets hurt." I am thinking of Scully upstairs, sleeping and unaware of the intruder in the house. If he hurts her, I will find some way to kill him, I promise myself. "What do you care about any of the other people here?" He hisses and slams me against the wall again. I can feel blood flowing from my nose now. "Look, I know the combination of the safe. I'll open it if you promise me to leave and not bother any of the other guests. There's more than enough for you there." I tried to reason with him. "I heard that there's another safe in the master bedroom," he whispered. "Let's go up there and clear that one out first." "No!" I can't let him near Scully. "I moved everything from the upstairs safe to the office today." "I think you protest too much. Why don't you want me upstairs?" He's obviously picked up on my fear. "And don't lie to me, I can tell if you're lying. What's up there you're trying to hide?" I closed my eyes and decided that the truth was less dangerous than a trip up the stairs. I had to protect Scully. He gave my arm a slight jerk to make me talk. "Look, my partner and her mother are up there sleeping. I don't want them to wake up while you're here. I don't want her hurt. Take anything you want down here. Take the jewelry and cash from the safe. Take the paintings. Take the silver. Take anything you want, but please don't hurt her-them." "She means that much to you, huh?" His voice had lost the angry growl, but I could tell he was still not convinced. "She... she means everything to me." I choked on the next words as I beg. "Please, just do whatever you came to do or take whatever you want and leave her...them alone." "If you care so damn much about her, why was she crying earlier?" He growled in my ear as he slammed me against the wall one more time before releasing me and stepping back into the shadows. I felt a fresh gush of blood from my nose as his words sunk in. "Who the hell are you? How did you know she was crying earlier?" A lamp was switched on and momentarily blinded me. "Let me introduce myself," he said as he moved toward me again. "Charles Scully." I put my hands up as if to surrender. When he got close to me with his hand extended to shake, I fake a handshake and knock him to the floor. I quickly immobilize him and wrap my arm around his throat, my knee in his back. With my free hand I grabbed his hair and shoved his face into the wood. At least his blood didn't get on the rug. "Nice to meet you, Charlie." I said. "I've heard your name for years, but until now, I thought you were just a figment of Scully's imagination." Suddenly the hall was flooded with light. "What's going on here, Mulder?" Scully was standing there with her gun in her hand. "Mulder, you're bleeding." She rushed toward me. "Just introducing myself to your brother, Scully." I said as I pushed off him and stood up moving back far enough to avoid the leg sweep he tried as he sprang to his feet. "Charles Richard Scully, I expected more from you. This is something Bill would try." She said with disgust tinting her voice. "Come on you two. You both need to get cleaned up." She turned her back on us and moved down the hall towards the kitchen. Without a backwards glance she hissed "And don't try any more macho-smuck posturing behind my back, either." I eyed Charlie and he watched me. When she turned and glared at us both, we both gave in and after a little shuffle to determine who would go first, we followed her to the kitchen. Scully pulled the first aid kit from the pantry and was cleaning us up without speaking to either of us. When she had determined that I didn't have a broken nose and had bandaged Charlie's small cut on his cheek, she put the kit away and turned to the stove. "I'm going to have a cup of tea. Do either one of you want one?" I grunted and moved to the refrigerator to scout up something to eat. I pulled out a beef roast and the fixings for a sandwich. "Does anyone else want a sandwich?" I asked as I began to cut the beef. "Mulder, let me do that. You sit down. Charlie, do you want something? A sandwich?" "Yeah," he said. Moments later we were eating when Maggie walked into the room. "I thought I heard someone down here...." she said and halted. "What's going on down here?" She tilted Charlie's face towards the light to examine his burgeoning black eye above the cut on his cheek. "Oh, Charlie. I asked you to let it go until morning." Obviously everyone knew what was going on but me. Never one to miss an opportunity to spoil my own appetite, I had to ask. "Would someone want to let me in on why I was assaulted in my own home by my partner's brother tonight?" Charlie growled and started to rise from his seat, but his mother's hand slapped down on his shoulder, effectively trapping him in his chair. Scully took a sip of her tea and answered. "Mulder, it's all a misunderstanding. Charlie came up to see me right after you left today and got the wrong impression about why I was crying." "Wrong impression, Jesus Dana! You were sobbing your heart out because this S.O.B. had walked out on you. What was I supposed to think." "Excuse me, Charlie, but this S.O.B. had just been begging your sister to marry him and was given the biggest horse-assed excuse I have ever heard about why she couldn't. I left so that I wouldn't say something to hurt her like she'd just hurt me. I have never walked out on Dana and I never will." I threw down my napkin and strode over to Scully's chair. I pulled her up into my arms and lifted her chin to force her to look into my eyes. "I love you Dana Katherine Scully and I want to marry you. I am telling you right here and now that if you don't marry me, I will spend the rest of my life alone and I will never accept another to replace you. So get used to the idea. Either you marry me and we somehow find a way to change your vision or we don't. Either way, I will never accept another love, never share my body with another woman in order to create an offspring. I will have you or no one for the rest of my life." I heard Maggie gasp as I lowered my lips to Scully's. She seemed to melt into me. Her kiss was everything I had ever dreamed it would be. It was hot and sweet and gentle and loving. I wanted to kiss her for the rest of my life. "What's everyone doing up this late at night?" Roger's voice broke through the haze that Scully's kiss caused. Didn't anyone ever sleep through the night anymore? "Hey, Roger. I was just..." "He was just telling Dana that he wants to marry her as soon as possible." Charlie interjected with a wicked grin. "Do you know anyone that can marry them tomorrow?" Roger was surprised for a moment, but began to grin as he pretended to think about the question. "Well...... tomorrow is July 4th and all the village offices are closed, but I'm sure I can rustle up someone to marry them on Friday the fifth. That is, unless you want to have a priest perform the ceremony." "Friday will be great, Roger. After all, we'll have the entire family here and I know the Gunmen would love to drive up and join us. How about it Dana? Friday?" I was halfway joking with her. Tonight would be perfect for me, but if she really didn't want to marry me, even this short time would give her an out. "Friday evening would be perfect, Fox," Scully said as she gave me a sardonic look. Apparently she thought that she was calling my bluff. "Good thinking, Honeybunch." I said as I hugged her. "That way you can find something to wear and we can make some arrangements for the dinner." I knew I was treading on thin ice with the nickname. "Sure thing, Poopyhead. I think with all the women here, we can handle a simple wedding. How about you, Mom?" Scully grinned evilly at me. Maggie just looked at us as if we had lost our minds until our words sank in. Suddenly, she flashed us a huge smile. "A wedding Friday? No problem. I'll go call Father McQue right now to see how we should handle this." And she was out the door. Scully's eyes got big. She realized that she had just committed to marrying me on Friday. "I think we need to get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow." I said and whisked her up the back stairs. "Mulder, I need to clean up the kitchen." She tried to turn back, but I was way ahead of her. "I'm sure someone will take care of it in the morning, if it doesn't get done tonight." I wanted to be alone with her in our room. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to, well, I guess I could wait one more day for the rest of it. Besides, I needed to call a few people and invite them up for the wedding. Scully and I had decided to call Skinner and ask him to the wedding. I had-er-let her call. He likes her better. We were both surprised when he accepted the invitation to the wedding but declined the directions we offered to fax to him. He told us he was already joining us tomorrow. He had accepted Maggie's invitation earlier in the week and she had already given him directions. I hadn't said anything to Scully prior to the call, but I actually got enough nerve up to get on the phone and ask him to stand up for me. He was speechless at first then accepted. I half way expected him to refuse me. The next day our big Fourth of July picnic was turned into a wedding preparation day. Surprisingly enough, Aunt Maeve was a big help. It seems that she had organized several weddings for Fiona alone and knew all the shortcuts. I spent the day running errands for Maggie, Maeve, and Brenda and just plain running away from Fiona. Father McQue had called the Archbishop and got a special dispensation or whatever it's called for us to be married Friday. He was going to be there along with the justice of the peace that Roger called and set up. That way we would be legal in the eyes of God and man. I had called the guys and all three were going to be there with bells on. They offered to tape the wedding, too. I agreed after I got their solemn word that they would not bug any of the dressing rooms, the women's bedrooms, or our room. I think Frohike was a little disappointed. The best part of the day was the fireworks display that night. Scully and I were out on the ocean in one of the smaller sailboats watching the display. It was the first time we had been alone since we woke up that morning. I had to admit to her that I had been avoiding her. I was scared that she was going to call the whole thing off. I almost did when Charlie and Bill decided that the three of us needed to have a little bonding time and forced me along to have a beer before the fireworks. I was sure I was going to spend my wedding day in traction. I was pleasantly surprised. Both Scully men were, if not cordial, at least not hostile and I didn't come home with a new bruise or a broken bone. I did get the "We'll kill you if you ever look at another woman" Speech. I would have given it to Sam's fiance if I had had a chance, so I didn't mind the entire experience at all. I think I surprised them about that. Before I knew it, it was 5:00pm on my wedding day. I was wearing the one good suit I had brought with me and pacing in the garden by the kitchen entrance. Skinner was grinning as he approached me. Somehow his amusement was more grating on my nerves than usual. "Mulder, it's an hour before the wedding. What are you doing out here?" Did I dare tell him the truth? What the hell. "I'm watching for Scully." I said. "Mulder, she's going to be coming out the back door to the terrace when the wedding starts." His voice was soothing as if he were talking to the perp in a hostage situation. "Why are you out here?" "I know that. I'm watching to make sure she doesn't get cold feet and take off. I can see the front path, the garage and the beach from here." I said. "Mulder, if she hasn't dumped you in the past few years, I doubt that she will desert you now. Let's go in the house where it's cooler." His grin was almost too much to bear. I sighed and nodded. I knew she wouldn't leave me at the alter, but I wasn't sure her brother's wouldn't spirit her off. We turned to walk toward the house. "By the way, Mulder, as your best man shouldn't I hold onto the rings?" Skinner casually asked as we walked into the house. I stopped and gawked at him. At my stricken look, Skinner began to laugh at me. Not a polite chuckle, but big booming laughs that brought the attention of several of the people nearby. "You don't have a ring for her? She spent all morning shopping and getting ready and you don't have a ring for her? There have been people in and out of here all day, going into town, getting supplies and making preparations, and the only thing you needed to do was get a ring and you forgot? She's going to kick your ass, you know that don't you?" "I had other things to do, you know." I sputtered. "I just didn't..." "What? What was so important you forgot her ring?" Skinner shook his head as he spoke. "I, uh, I was taking care of the wedding night accommodations and plans for our honeymoon. By the way. Our formal request for the next week off has been e-mailed to your office." "What's happening Mulder, Skinman?" Frohike and Byers joined us. "Mulder forgot the rings." Skinner said with a grin. Both of the Gunmen looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Scully's going to kick your ass! You know that don't you, Mulder?" Frohike growled at me as if he wanted to get in the first kick. "Hey, I was busy." I tried to explain. "What's going on dudes?" Langly joined us. "Mulder forgot Scully's wedding ring." Byers offered. "Oh man, Mulder. Scully's going to kick your ass! What are you going to do?" Langly backed away from me as if afraid to be near the bulls eye of the target. They all stood there gawking at me with the same morbid fascination that a three car pile up on the freeway holds. I gave a disgusted grunt and walked down the hall to the office. I already had the safe open when they filed into the room laughing at me. I let them enjoy themselves for a moment and then pulled out the ring tray and started looking for the match to the diamond ring I had given Scully just two days ago. "Holy Shit, Mulder! Where did all that come from?" Frohike exclaimed as he picked up the jeweler's loupe and started examining several of the more extravagant pieces. "You've got a freaking fortune here," he said with a little more respect. "Most of it's from my father's family. Some came from my Mother's side. It's just stuff that my Grandfather held onto." I said. "Everything but this," I held up the matching band. "This was designed for my wife by my Grandmother. She used the best of the old diamonds from her inheritance to have it made. It matches the engagement ring I gave her." "Why did you say you forgot her ring, Mulder? You knew you had this here." Skinner asked. "I didn't forget the ring, I forgot to get it engraved today." I said as I placed it in Frohike's outstretched hand. "I wanted to.." "There's already something inscribed in it." Frohike said as he looked at it. "Must have been something my Grandmother did," I said. "What does it say?" Frohike cleared his throat and tried to speak, but just shook his head and handed it back to me. "Look for yourself." I switched on the desk lamp and held the ring under the light. As the words came into focus, all the breath was knocked out of me. Tears came to my eyes as I thought of the wonderful woman who was the one of four people in my life who had given me unconditional love. "What's it say, Mulder?" Skinner asked. "It says," I choked up so I stopped to clear my throat. "It says 'Love for Eternity - FWM'. It goes with the engagement ring." "How come it has your initials on it already? It's like she knew you would forget to have it engraved." Byers said with a touch of awe in his voice. "FWM was my grandmother's initials. Frederica Wilkinson Mulder." I answered. "What does the engagement ring say?" This came from Frohike. "It says if you five don't hurry up you're going to be late to the wedding. What are you doing here, Mulder? Having second thoughts about marrying my sister?" Bill Scully's voice boomed from the doorway. He stepped in toward the desk and as soon as his eyes spied the tray of rings they bugged out. "Where the hell did you get all that?" He growled. "It's just a few of the family jewels, Bill. Scully gets to pick out her favorites tonight after the wedding." Langly teased him. Bill Scully glared at all of us and marched out the door. "I'll tell them you five are in here checking out the family jewels and will be there as soon as you're done." "Damn!" Skinner said. "I better go make sure he doesn't say something stupid. You pick out your band and get out to the terrace, Mulder. I'll go muzzle Bill." "We're going to go man the camera's. Good luck, Mulder." Langly patted me on my shoulder and left with the other three. I was still blown away by the thoughtfulness of my Grandmother's gift, but made short work of picking out a man's band that somewhat matched the platinum of Scully set. I glanced at the inside to see if there was an inscription and I found one. 'To WTW Love FWF'. It was my Grandmother's first husband's wedding band. No wonder she designed the diamonds in platinum. It fit me perfectly. It made me feel like her blessing was given to our marriage. I quickly stored the rest of the jewelry and hustled out to the terrace. I handed the two rings to Skinner just before the music started. I will never forget my first glance of Scully as she walked towards me. She had not let me see her dress, so I didn't have a clue to what she had found. I guess I expected it to be a tailored suit of some brighter, but appropriate color for work. I knew no matter whatever it was that she wore, she would be beautiful. I wasn't prepared for the vision walking towards me on Bill's arm. I let my gaze slide down to take in the entire picture of beauty that she made and then met her eyes and barely looked away again. She was dressed in some kind of flowing white dress with a little bit of creamy lace trim. She was carrying a bouquet of white daisies and mixed through out were Bachelor's Buttons in shades from the same white to the deepest purple. Most of them were the blue of her eyes. The only reason I knew the name of them was that they were my Grandmother's favorite flower and grew in huge wild banks of color all over the estate. Her hair was down and she had let the natural curl take over-just the way I liked it. She had a wreath of daisies, corn flowers and ribbons in her hair. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. I wanted to commit to memory every second of our wedding. No problem-I do have an eidetic memory-but as soon as I saw my bride, I totally zoned out. I remember her wide blue eyes, so full of love. I remember her lush, cherry red mouth and the way she nervously licked her lips before speaking. I remember the blush on her cheeks and the tremor in her hand as I slid the wedding band on her finger and whispered "Forever" to her. I remember the tears in my eyes as she made the same vow to me as she slipped my ring on my finger. I remember kissing her and the way I felt-as if I had finally, finally come home to the truth for which I had been searching my entire life. Every thing else is a blur except that I remember thinking it was a good thing that the guys were taping the entire ceremony. And then we were alone, driving away to the marina to spend our wedding night on the largest sailboat in my Grandfather's fleet. I knew how much Scully has always loved the ocean. What better way to spend our wedding night than out on the open sea with all the stars in heaven shining above us. When we pulled up the to docks, Roger was waiting for us. He had taken care of the special provisions I had asked to be stocked on board. We were going out alone. Scully was a good sailor and knew how to handle boats even larger than this. I felt confident we would be okay. In addition to the sails on the boat, there was a fully functional diesel engine and enough fuel to get us home from half way to Florida. And just in case, I had already taken my Dramamine. We both changed into casual clothes and cast off. It was still a while until sundown and we wanted to get as far out as we could before dark. We didn't have a destination in mind, just away. Scully was still at the wheel when I brought up the picnic basket I had requested. I spread out the meal on the deck and called to her. She indicated that we should lower and secure the sail. As soon as that was done, I threw out the anchor and met Scully as she was coming down the stairs to the lower deck where I had arranged our picnic. It was easy to forget how petite she was in her dress shoes, but her deck shoes made the difference more evident. I stopped her on the second step and our eyes were even. "Hey, Scully. Are you ready to eat?" I was finding it difficult to speak-my heart was so full of love for her. "That's Dana, or Mrs. Mulder to you, Fox," she teased. "Yeah, I'm starving. I couldn't eat a thing all day." She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a long, sweet kiss. I lifted her up slightly, off the stairs and held her close to my heart. I carried her over to the picnic basket and kissed her again before I put her down. We pulled the cushions off the seats and sat down on the deck while we ate. I had packed her favorite wine, a crisp white wine that went well with the variety of food Mrs. Amos had prepared. Soon we were both full and relaxed as we watched the sun set off the stern of the boat. We put away the food and I carried the basket below deck to get it out of our way. I grabbed a couple blankets, some more pillows, a couple mugs and the thermos of hot chocolate on my way back up on deck. "I'm glad you brought a blanket, Mulder. It's getting a little chilly with the breeze over the water." Her eyes lit up when she spied the thermos. I just grinned. I had other plans on how to keep us warm later, but for now, a little snuggle under the blankets while sipping Scully's favorite hot chocolate made with Kaluha would be a good start. We decided to go forward to the stern of the boat for a better view of the rising moon and the stars. Scully moved to settle in the v of my legs, her back resting against my chest as I leaned against the mast. I wrapped her in my arms and she settled the blanket over both of us. It was relaxing to just sit there sipping the steaming chocolate-the woman I have loved and admired for over seven years in my arms. I heard Scully sigh and peeked at her. She had the most beautiful Mona Lisa smile on her face. She looked happy. "A penny for your thoughts." I couldn't stand not knowing what she was thinking. "Mmmmm... Mulder, right now I'm not thinking anything. I'm just allowing myself to feel happy." Her voice was low and slow and sexy. Not wanting to spoil the moment, I pushed my curiosity aside. I am not one who enjoys quiet introspection in the dark. Too many of my memories start with being alone in the dark-memories that have haunted me as nightmares for decades. I cannot sleep alone without a background of sound and light provided by the television or others. It's a sad testament to my life that I can sleep more soundly in a room full of agents investigating a serial killer than I can in my own home during a power outage. Sleeping in adjoining hotel rooms on the road has always been a comfort to me. When I wake up from the throes of a nightmare, chances are Scully will be there for me. I know I've woken her up with my moans and cries many times. Over the years, her soft voice and soothing hands have helped me survive. But now, I have more than just the promise of survival. I have everything I have come to need and desire snuggled up to me, wearing my wedding ring. I picked up her hand and played with the rings that identify her as a woman who has made a choice and find it hard to believe that Scully's choice is... me. She turns towards me enough to slip her arm around my waist and snuggle into my chest. Her cheek is rubbing against me right over my heart. I can feel my heartbeat increase as she begins to stroke my neck and arms and chest with her hands. She tipped her head back to look into my eyes and said with a smile, "Are we really here?" I smiled back at her. I know what she means. This has a feeling of unreality to it. It's almost as if we are back in the throes of the hallucinations during the field trip we took to Asheville a few months ago. "I don't care if it's real or make believe, Scully, I don't want to wake up this time. I'm never going to give you up again." I said with a smile, but the underlying force of truth is clear in my voice. "Me too," is all she says. Her voice is soft and sexy and low. I try to think of how to start the conversation I want to have with her about our wedding night without screwing it up and hurting her feelings. My mood darkens as I calculate the risks of addressing her problems and our relationship. She must be a mind reader. I can practically feel her pulling her courage together to face this discussion. "Mulder..." "Scully..." We spoke as one. And laughed as one. "You first," she said. "No, Scully. You go first." I am a coward. I don't want to risk losing this closeness, even if it's just for five more minutes. "Okay." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Mulder, this is our wedding night." She stopped and made an impatient noise like a 'tsk' at herself. "I mean, Mulder, Fox, this is our wedding night and I don't want anything to spoil it. Not even me. I mean, especially me-my problems... with... sex." She stopped and moaned and buried her face against my chest. Then she did something I never expected. She growled. "Grrrrrrr!" I couldn't help it. I had to laugh. "Scully!" I peeled her off my chest so that I could look into her eyes in the modicum of light that the boat rigging gave off. My intelligent, educated, erudite partner was at a loss for words. I was so full of love for her at that moment I couldn't think of a single word to say to ease her. I guess it was catching. "Scully, I love you," were the words of wisdom I was able to muster. I felt my erection begin to swell as I spoke the words I had wanted to say a thousand times in the past months, hell, years. "Ah, Mulder!" She twisted in my arms to face me and practically climbed my body to get closer. "I love you so much. I feel like every one of my fantasies are about to come true." She started to kiss me. Small, quick, passionate kisses rained down on my face and neck and upper chest. "I want our first time to be filled with passion and love and no regrets..." I could hear the hesitation in her voice. "Scully... Dana, I want the same thing, but if you are not sure that tonight should be the that night, I can wait." I said, even though it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. "I'm willing to wait for our wedding night until you are more comfortable with a sexual relationship with me, if that's what you need." I swallowed hard. I'm not sure, but I think I said a prayer to Scully's God to not let that be what she wanted. She pulled away and I could see tears in her eyes. I was damning myself for hurting her again when I finally noticed the smile that trembled on her lips. "You would do that for me, wouldn't you?" She kissed my lips and I could taste her tears when she pulled away. "I would do anything in my power to make you happy. Even if you had chosen to leave, and was positive it was the only thing that would make you happy, make your dreams come true, I would walk away. It would kill me, but I would do anything to make you happy." I had taken her face between my hands and found I was stroking her cheeks with my thumbs-wiping the tears away as they raced downwards. Her smile suddenly disappeared. "Don't say that Mulder. No one should have that kind of power over you. Especially me. I need to know that you would stay and fight for our relationship, our love." She practically glared at me. "Now hear this! This is your Captain speaking! The only thing I need in this world is to be with you. I don't care where or when, rich or poor, young or old. I need you, Mulder. In case I haven't gotten that through your thick head yet. I. Need. You." Her blue eyes seemed to absorb the dim light surrounding us and reflected it back in a blaze of passion. "I love only you." Something in me broke. Something that I had not even recognized as a barrier erected against love, broke and washed away. I thought I knew how much I loved her before, but now I was overwhelmed with the rush of love and passion that I felt for this woman. I had heard her acceptance to my proposal and believed in our love. I had heard our wedding vows and believed she loved only me. But suddenly, my very soul was free-free to love her and believe in her love for me. I could let her love me. It sounded so simple, but until this very moment, it had been beyond my reach. I had been willing to give her all my love, but I never felt worthy of accepting her love for me. Now that was gone. I had felt this kind of relief when I found out the truth about Samantha's death. That had been a mixed blessing. Grief over my lost sister. Relief over knowing the truth of her life. But the change in my spirit, in my soul that her words released was profound, life altering. I knew now that I did have the strength and conviction that I would need to fight for her. Her expression changed from determined to delighted. "You understand, don't you? You finally get it." I nodded and gave her a hard, quick kiss. "Yes!" I kissed her again. "Yes, I do." I grinned at her. God! I wanted her. As I looked at her smiling back at me I could tell she wasn't done talking yet. I needed to hear what she had to say soon. I wasn't going to be in any shape to stop before long. I lowered my lips to kiss her again, but gave her the opportunity to stop me. "Mulder, wait. I need to finish this," her look of appeal gave me the strength to back off. "I don't want to postpone our wedding night. I want to make love with you. I need to feel you and hold you and touch you and have you make love to me as I make love to you. I just need to ask one favor of you." "Anything, Scully. Ask me anything." I saw her brow start to rise. "All I am asking is that you allow me to respond or not respond without taking it personally. I don't know exactly what my problems were with my previous lovers. I know I didn't love them or trust them as I do you and that has to make a difference. But I don't know that if we do make love, I'll have a climax with you. I want you to understand that I will enjoy our lovemaking either way." "Scully,..." "Mulder, I promise, I'll get help, either counseling or therapy of some sort. We can do it together. I don't want to wait to begin our physical relationship, but I must know that you can accept the fact that I may not climax without it destroying your enjoyment." "Do you mean, will I feel guilty if you don't come?" "Yeah," she blushed. I thought about her question for a while. I wanted to give her as truthful a response as possible. The hormonal male side of my answer popped into my brain first. "Yes and no. I know I will feel some guilt if I come and you don't. I will always want you to enjoy our lovemaking as thoroughly as I will. I'm torn by this whole dilemma. On one hand, I want to throw you down and rip your clothes off you and fuck you senseless. I want to mark you as mine. I want you to be bonded to me through the sense of touch, smell, and taste. I want the world to know that we're together. I want us both to change on a cellular level and become as one. One unit, no intruders ever allowed again." I watched her breathing quicken with my words and, unbelievably, found myself growing harder. "But will that guilt be self-destructive? Will I find my enjoyment diminished or destroyed if you don't come? Probably somewhat diminished, but I have to tell you Scully, I'm just about at the end of my ability to cope with celibacy. I think the answer is yes, I will be sad that you didn't fully experience our lovemaking if you don't come. But I also know intellectually and emotionally that you will enjoy the closeness and the physical pleasure sex will hold for you. Hopefully, that will help keep me from dwelling on the subject." I paused to gather my thoughts before speaking again. She sat there, straddling my lap, her hot sex pressed against my cock. Her breasts were inches from my chest and I could feel and see how hard and tight her nipples were as she occasionally brushed up against me. She stared at me for a long time. Her face was as impossible to read as ever, then I saw the beginnings of a smile. "Mulder, we think and talk WAY too much!" She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to her for a kiss. "Shut up and love me, Mulder. I'm your wife and it's you duty to keep me happy for the next fifty years." She was teasing me! "Oh, and who's going to take over then?" I teased back. "It depends on how good the first fifty years are. I just might renew your contract." She moved to pull my shirt off. Her hands were so Scully-both strong and soft. I stopped her when she was done with my shirt by grabbing her hands and bringing them to my lips. "I love your hands, Scully. I have memorized every time you ever touched me. I can remember why and how, but I've never been able to reproduce the actual feeling of being touched by you. Thankfully, I don't have to try to any more." "Where do you want me to touch you, Mulder?" she whispered. "Touch me here." I said as I raised her hands to my face and hair again. "Touch me here." I said as I placed her hands on my heart and then slid them over to caress my nipples. "Touch me here." I said as I lay her hands on my stomach. "Touch me here." I said as I pressed her hands to my erection. Her strong fingers closed around my cock, through my clothes and I shuddered with need. Too much more of this and I would come before I even got us undressed. "I think I've got it now," she said with a mischievous grin. She made quick work of divesting me of my shorts and briefs, removing my shoes as she slid them down and away. There was something very intoxicating about being naked before her while she was still fully dressed. Her eyes devoured me-as if she had never seen me naked before. "Scully, what are you thinking?" She took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eyes. "I'm thinking I have been a bigger fool than I thought. I should have drugged you and made love to you years ago and let you think it was all your idea. I could have been sooooo happy for years." Her voice was joking, but I could tell there was a trace of regret there too. "Strip for me, Scu...Dana. I want to see you naked in the moonlight." I sat propped against the mast and watched her struggle with my request. I knew she expected that we would be lying down and covered by the blanket when she was undressed, but I didn't want that. I knew she didn't really want that either when she stood up and began to slowly remove the few pieces of clothing she was wearing. It was as if she could hear music in her head and she was actually stripping for me. It was making me so Unfuckingbelievably hot to watch her. My balls began to tighten up and I realized that I was stroking my cock in rhythm to her movements. When she was done, she sank back down between my knees. My breath was ragged and I was so close, so close to loosing my cool like a teenage boy. "Jesus, Dana. You're beautiful. C'mere." I stretched out my hand and waited for her to give me hers. When she did, I knew that everything was going to be all right. The electricity that shot between us was almost more than either of us could take. I stood and moved her over to the rail. I kissed her and told her to stay right there for a moment. I moved the cushions around for maximum comfort and spread one of the blankets over them. I left the other blanket on the side for right now. I picked up the thermos and the mugs and slid them in the window of the bridge, out of the way until later. I turned back to Dana and found her watching me. Her eyes slid over my body and made my knees weak, my heart pound, and my cock throb. I took the two steps back to her and wrapped my arms around her, bringing her entire body into contact with mine. Her skin was cool in the night air, but I was hot enough for us both. I knew I had to slow this down. "C'mere, Baby." I said as I eased us down on the blanket. "Let me touch you." She looked so beautiful, lying there. She wasn't trying to seduce me, but she looked so fuckable that I had to pull in a deep breath to calm myself. "God! You are so beautiful, so perfect." I managed to say. "Mulder..." "Fox." I said as I stopped her words with my fingertips on her lips. "Fox and Dana. We'll always be Mulder and Scully to each other, but Fox and Dana are only for us. For our private world where there is no tomorrow, only right now." "Fox, I am hardly perfect, let alone beautiful, but you make me feel that way." Her smile was almost shy. I needed to kiss her. I wanted to find every erogenous spot on her body. I wanted to know her. I wanted to explore and map and stash every sensitive area away in my mind so that I could fall into the memory of my exploration when we were apart. I kissed the shadow of her jaw and remembered the first time I had sat at my desk and contemplated kissing her there. If I wanted to, I could recite the day, time and case number we were working on. This was good. This would slow me down and I may have a chance to make love to her without embarrassing myself by shooting my load before I even enter her. I kissed her eyes and her nose and paid special attention to her ears. I found the sensitive spot just below her right ear that made her shiver and moan. I licked and kissed my way down her throat, as I threaded my fingers through her hair. I moved to suckle her clavicle and back up her throat to her chin and as I hovered over her lips her eyes opened. The raw passion I saw there nearly destroyed my resolve to go slow. My cock twitched and almost took control. I gave her my best evil grin and said, "Good try, Dana. But I'm in control here." She realized that I was on to her. Her lips curved into a small smile as I began to kiss them. "I'll have to try harder, I guess," she said as I deepened the kiss. Our lips sucked and nibbled and kissed for long minutes. I finally grew too aroused to play and swept her lips with my tongue. She moaned into my mouth and allowed me entrance. We dueled for control, our tongues giving and taking, stroking and teasing. I have never enjoyed kissing more. Finally oxygen deprivation drove us to part. We both smiled and quickly began again. I hadn't kissed a woman this long since I was fifteen and knew it was all the action I was going to get. Our fingers brushed and intertwined. I realized we both had been touching only each other's face and hair. We were so evenly matched in our desire so far, it was almost scary. I decided to take it to another level. I let my lips close over hers and deepened my kiss. My fingers began to trace down her throat to her breasts and I could feel her nipples grow hard in anticipation of my touch. We continued to kiss and touch each other for an eternity. I was lost in the magic of Dana, my wife. As I thought about her in this new light I felt my control slip another few notches. My kisses turned harder. My breathing got ragged. My hands grew more desperate to touch her intimately. I realized that this was the entire length of our courtship. I mean, yeah, we'd been together as partners for seven plus years, but most of those years had been fully clothed and the armor of professionalism pasted in place. She was now my wife, my mate, my woman. I had just the next few minutes to make sure she was as hot for me as I was for her. I felt my muscles tense and pump up. I got this high from lifting occasionally. This hormonal, adrenaline high that made me feel as if I could do anything, could take on the world and win. I could feel it as I anticipated fucking Dana Scully. My wife. Suddenly I knew why the agents that had a good marriage were able to cope better with our jobs than the single agents. My god, if I could feel like this, could know that this fan-fucking-tastic feeling was waiting for me each night when I climbed into bed with this sexy, beautiful woman, I could cope with anything the job threw at me, too! "Fox, you're thinking too much again." Dana growled. "God, I love you," was all I could say before I latched onto her breast with my mouth and began to suck as hard as I could while my tongue laved and teased her nipple. Her groan of pleasure spurred me on. Soon, she was not willing to simply stroke her hands over my body as I worshipped her breasts. She began to move her hips in small little circles and the volume of her moans increased. "Mulder, I need you to touch me." I hummed as suckled her other breast and then let it go with an audible pop. "I am touching you, Dana." "I need you to touch me lower." She said as she raked her fingernails over my shoulders and chest. I couldn't help but tease her. I began to kiss down her stomach, stopping to kiss the scar on her abdomen. I shuddered as I thought about how close I came to losing her that time. "It's okay," she said as if she read my mind. "I'm okay." I smiled as my lips continued to slowly kiss towards her sex. I knew she was a real redhead. I actually had managed to ascertain that fact on our first case. The bra and panties she had worn when she asked me to check her back had appeared to be childlike and sensible, but the thin fabric had done nothing to hide the beauty of her red hair from me. It had given me a thrill to hold that secret knowledge to myself. I don't know how many times I had wanted to blurt out my knowledge when I had been subjected to some insensitive asshole contemplating on whether she was or wasn't a real red-head over the years. At first I had just smiled and shook my head when they started to speculate. As my love and respect for her grew, so did my lack of tolerance for that kind of talk. It had been years since anyone had made that kind of speculation in front of me, and the last time it had been a new agent who was quickly hushed by his partner. I can still remember my amusement at the furtive glances they threw at me while discussing the importance of keeping Agent Scully's pubic hair color a taboo subject. But knowing the color and having free access to touching and stroking said pubic hair was two different things. My fingers stroked through the tight curls and encountered the top of her sex. Another shudder racked my body. I let my lips follow my fingers and began to kiss her. I felt her tense up. Ah, we were at the point of tension. I widened my area of touch. Smoothing my fingers down the inside of her thighs. I could feel her relax again. Each time my lips or fingers came back to stroke her sex, she would tense up. This was not good. Finally she sat up and pulled me with her. She kissed me with need and an intensity that took my breath away. She pushed me down flat on my back and began to kiss me as I had done to her. Her lips were everywhere-so were her hands. She kissed me and lathed my nipples with her strong little tongue. She hummed as she kissed down my torso. I was so turned on the breeze that washed over us made my balls tighten and my cock jump. She moved down my body, angling out from my side. I soon was looking at her beautiful, heart shaped ass as she nuzzled my cock and teased the tip of it with her tongue. I reached out to squeeze the white globes of her ass and was completely taken by surprise when she took me into her mouth. I surged uncontrollably and hissed, "Damn, Baby, give me a clue here will you? I don't want to hurt you, Scully." She gave me a throaty laugh and continued to give me the best blow job I had ever been privileged to receive. I was lost in a hormonal fantasy and on my way to shooting my load when I realized that she had moved to straddle me and her sexy little ass was right in front of my face. Scully and I were almost a foot apart in height, but fortunately for me, most of that difference was in the length of our legs. Don't get me wrong, nothing about Scully was out of proportion, just the difference in our torsos were not as accentuated as that in our legs. I pulled her closer to me and curled forward to kiss the creamy skin pulled taunt over her cheeks. I used my hands and lips to touch and kiss and stroke her. I was almost lost in the pleasure her mouth was giving my cock, but I couldn't let go yet. I needed to stave off my orgasm. I didn't want to end our lovemaking this quickly. I am realistic enough to recognize that I am almost forty years old and wouldn't be able to reload for a half-hour or so after I came. I slid my fingers down the crack of her ass and let them move forward to touch her sex. As I continued to bite and kiss the cheeks of her ass, I realized that she had become aroused from sucking my cock. Her sex had been tight and dry when I tried to kiss her earlier, her fear controlling her response. But while she was concentrating on giving me pleasure, her body relaxed and the scent of her arousal began to surround me. I pulled her closer to me, succeeding in lowering the intensity of her mouth on my cock and, after tilting her hips, allowing me better access to her. I soon was lost in the sensation of sex with Scully. I know I asked her to call me Fox and said I would call her Dana, and she was Dana, my wife. But she would always be Scully to me. My wonderful, tasty Scully. I licked and kissed and stroked her from her pubic hair to her anus. Everything about her was sweet and salty and tasted like heaven. God, it had been so long since I had been enveloped in the scent of a woman. I enjoyed this so much more because it was with Scully, the woman I loved enough to commit to for the rest of my life. I moved to insert first one then two fingers into her tight little cunt. I was beginning to worry that she would be too small to take all of me inside. Her walls squeezed my fingers and then seemed to relax slightly. I was relieved. It had been a long time for me and she had reassured me that it had been the same for her. I felt sure, now, that we would fit, even if it were very nearly too snug. I almost laughed. A wise ass-remark kept circling my brain. 'And the reason that this is a problem is?...' I hummed my amusement as I began to suckle her clit again. She began to move her hips to counter my strokes. My fingers curled and sought out her G spot. When I found it, she sucked on me so hard, I thought my brains were going to be siphoned out through my cock. I managed to hold on, but just barely. I continued to lick and nibble her clit as I drove into her with my fingers. Her legs began to tremble and the walls of her vagina clenched and tightened unbelievably more. I knew she was close. So was I. I began to moan and stroke up into her mouth with my cock. She took me into her mouth as far as she could and moved to use her hands to hold the rest of my cock and to caress my balls. As I withdrew from her mouth on the downward strokes she began to swirl the head of my cock with her tongue. I was lost. I pumped wildly into her mouth. She controlled my strokes with her hand and let me know she was okay with my actions with the sweet little whimpers of need she was giving me. Her hand moved off my balls to stroke the sensitive area between them and my anus. I took this as a sign as to her desires and moved my left hand from her thigh to stroke up the globe of her cheek and trace the swell of her ass, down the crack and let my finger lightly rest on her anus. She jerked and clenched even harder and as I stroked her in every conceivable spot I could reach with my hands and my lips and my tongue and even, even my nose, she came. Her orgasm was powerful-long and almost violent. I gentled my touch as she came down, not wanting to reach the point where pleasure segued away to pain before I was ready to release her. Her scent that stirred me before changed from one of need to one of completion. I was overwhelmed with tenderness towards her. That is until she moved her finger to slip inside my anus and stoked my prostate with an upward crook of her finger. I began to babble and try to warn her I was going to shoot cum into her mouth if she didn't move, but her only response was to suck a tiny bit harder. I slammed my hips up, arching my back as my cum shot out and flooded her mouth. She tried to swallow all of it, but I was so turned on my load was too much, too fast. The two neurons in my brain that still were capable of working pulled a piece of cum trivia into my mind. I had read somewhere that they had clocked the average speed of ejaculate at twenty-five miles an hour. At the time I was intrigued at how one got to volunteer for that study. Now, I could only grin mindlessly and think that they probably would have to revise the record upward if we had been part of the study. God, how I loved this woman. I was basking in the glory of the last few contractions of my balls and of Scully's tongue bath, when my purple haze was penetrated by the realization that Scully was crying as she licked and kissed me. Oh, God! Had I hurt her? What was wrong? I lifted her and moved her around so that I could see her eyes, but she didn't want me to see her tears. She snuggled into my arms and buried her face in the crook of my neck. Her kisses mingled with her tears against my throat and shoulder. "Scully," I croaked. "Dana, are you okay?" She nodded and continued to sob quietly. I tried again. "Dana, it doesn't feel like you're okay. It feels like you're crying." I said. "I am crying, Mulder, just not for the reason you think I am. Please, just hold me for a while." I decided that since she was not pulling away from me, she knew what she needed. I spread the spare blanket over our cooling bodies and tried to comfort her while giving her the space she asked for. Her tears shuddered to a halt and her breath evened out. I thought she had gone to sleep when she spoke. "That was incredible, Mul...Fox." Fox, Mulder, Mulder, Fox. What should it matter what she called me when we made love, but it did. I want to be her Mulder-just as I want her to be my Scully. I don't care if she starts calling me Fox at work in front of everyone. I don't care if she calls me Fox when we are alone or when she refers to me to one of her family. But I realized suddenly that when we are like this, close and warm and basking in the afterglow of incredible, earth-moving sex, I want to be her Mulder. So I told her. "Scully, I know I asked you to call me Fox, but I've just realized that I want you to call me Mulder." She pulled away enough to peek at my eyes as she silently asked why. "I don't know exactly, it just feels right. I guess for all those years we worked together, but I was not able to touch you, I let your voice calling me Mulder become my heart's desire. It's silly I guess. Call me what you want." I said suddenly feeling unsure and shy about my request. She silently gazed at me for a moment and then shook her head. "It's not silly. I think of you as Mulder. My Mulder. And I think you're right. All those years I was denied your touch, I would let your voice flow over me and when you would say 'Scully' in that honeyed growl of yours, I could believe that you loved me as I loved you. Mulder and Scully it is. I don't have a problem referring to you as Fox occasionally, but when it's business or personal, I want it to be Mulder." We smiled at each other. Once again we agreed on something totally. Maybe it was an X-File. Now, I just needed to find out why she was crying. She settled into the crook of my neck again and sighed a contented sign. I laid there and stroked her back and arm for a while until I couldn't stand the suspense any longer. "Scully, why were you crying?" My voice was barely above a whisper. I thought she wasn't going to answer me again. I was afraid she was upset about something that had happened. She pressed her lips to my throat in a long, sweet kiss. Her voice was soft and loving, so unlike anything I had ever heard from my partner, or Dr. Scully, but everything that was Dana Scully when she spoke to a victim's loved one or to a child. "I wanted to say thank you, but the beauty of it all just overwhelmed me, Mulder. I cried because it was my first time ever. And I cried because it was my first time, ever, with you. It had to be with you. I love you Mulder. I have for such a long time, but I never realized how much that love defined me and made me a whole person. Whole all except for this last small piece that our relationship could provide. I cried because it just felt so damn good to be a woman in love with you Mulder, and not Special Agent Scully or Dr. Scully. Just Dana Scully Mulder, bride and woman in love. Does any of this make sense to you?" She gave me a small chagrined look as she finished. "Yeah, I know what you mean. A little over a week ago I was wading through the cesspool of a mind of our last perp and you were up to your elbows in autopsy data. And here we are now. Married, in front of your entire family and our boss and friends. How did this happen so fast?" I laughed with delight. "You know that this doesn't necessarily mean that my problems are over, don't you Mulder?" Her voice grew quiet again. "Yes, I do. I think you should still talk to a therapist, and maybe we should go to a few sessions together. I know we have a great deal of rapport and a lot of conversation is unnecessary between us for many topics, but it wouldn't hurt to get a little help to smooth away old hurts and help establish new pathways of communication for us." "Spoken like a true psychologist." She teased. "Just kidding. I agree, Mulder. It couldn't hurt and we can decide later just how long we need to pursue it." We were quiet for a few moments, enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat and the stars above us when Scully giggled. "Was that a giggle I heard from you, Mrs. Mulder?" I decided I wanted to call her that as often as I could. "Yeah, I was just thinking about a week from Monday when we go back to work." "Care to share?" I asked. "Well, it's nothing much really." I could feel her lips curl into a smile against my shoulder. My curiosity was definitely in need of satisfaction. "Come on, Scully. Give." I growled. "Well, it's just that every time you and I come back from a case or a vacation Agent Mason always seems to lie in wait to grill me on where we've been, what we've done, who you were with." She snorted. "I guess this time, I'll have something to tell." "Mason? I don't remember an Agent Mason. Where does she work? What does she look like?" "Who says it's a she?" Scully's giggle broke out into a major belly laugh. "Agent Mason from Bank Fraud? That kid?" I exclaimed. "That Agent Mason was asking information about me?" "Interested?" she teased. "What do you think?" I growled as I stroked my erection against her satiny skin. "I think you're going to be too busy satisfying your wife to have any time to date, Mulder." "I think you're right, wife." Funny, but Scully didn't have a problem achieving an orgasm the second time that night when she was on her knees before me as I completely lost control and turned feral on her. Nor the third when we bowed to convention and wound up in a standard missionary position, our kisses soft and tender. Or even for the fourth time we made love that night, up against the mast of the ship, my cock impaling her over and over. Around dawn a stiff breeze came up and she began to shiver with cold, even completely covered and snuggled up next to me. I carried her down to the main bunk and tucked her in. I sat on deck and watched the sun rise over the water before cleaning up our blankets and cushions. I wanted Scully to be here with me, but I knew she was exhausted. I had loved her long and hard and frequently throughout the night. I was feeling more than a little smug right now, but I knew it would catch up with me later. I check the anchor chain and decided to join my wife below. As I walked across the deck to the hatch, my eye was caught by the life preserver hanging on the rigging. 'Mischief's Mistress'. My Grandmother had hated the name of this boat. Staring at the name gave me an idea. I decided to join Scully below and think about it later. The next morning we decided to sail up the coast for a couple days before we returned to the Vineyard. We both wanted time alone to get used to our new relationship. We put in at various ports and did some sightseeing, but mostly kept to ourselves. I was surprised at how many men I had to stare down as they flirted with my wife, but I was shocked at how many women were overtly aggressive towards me. I never knew marriage was such a chick magnet. When Scully and I discussed the entire situation we decided that all those single men and women could tell that we were on a hormone high right now and were drawn to the raw sensuality they felt vibrating off the two of us. After that we spent about six hours below deck trying to dull that beacon of sex we were oozing, but we never did prove or disprove our theory. We fell asleep before we could go back to shore and check out our theory. Neither of us had any complaints with how things worked out. We sailed back to the Vineyard and spent a couple days with the rest of the family. I actually managed to secretly arrange for Roger to prepare Scully's wedding gift while we were away. On our final day there I was waiting out on the terrace off the living room for Dana to get dressed so that I could show her the wedding gift I had for her. She had been pretty upset with me. We had been together day and night and she hadn't had a moment alone to get me even a token gift. It only took me a couple hours of diligent arguing to convince her that she was the greatest gift I had ever been given. A pair of cool hands slid around my eyes. I smiled and leaned back, but quickly realized something was wrong. I twisted away as I stood up, pulling my gun out of the holster at my side. I flicked off the safety before I realized that it was Fiona standing behind me. Her lips were parted in an 'O' of surprise. Her small pink tongue licked her lips. Her breath became ragged and her pupils dilated as her nipples hardened. "Mmmmm, Fox. You certainly know how to handle that weapon. Are you as skilled at all one on one confrontations." I was shocked at her blatant come-on. I didn't know what to say that wouldn't show how repelled I was by her inappropriate behavior. Only the splash of red I saw standing in the doorway kept me from replying. "He's good, Fiona." Scully said as she walked across the terrace to move to my side. "But his scores are never as high as mine. I guess it's that female protectiveness that comes to play. What is mine I intend to keep, at work and at home." She smiled up at me as she moved slightly in front of me to mark her territory. "I'm sure you understand that don't you, Fiona? But then, maybe you don't-how many times have you been married now? Three? Four times? Perhaps you just haven't found a man worth keeping as I have." She took a step back into my arms and I had to hide my smile in her hair to keep Fiona from seeing me grin. She couldn't have made her point more clearly if she had peed in a circle around me. Damn, I felt great. Fiona huffed off into the house. Scully turned to me and rolled her eyes. "I knew that was coming before we left. I'm glad I was here to handle it. I should have warned you about her." "I kind of had her figured out already, Baby. After all, who wouldn't want to think that they could steal the man of a fantastic woman like you?" She just rolled her eyes again and said, "Good save." We were on our way in a few moments. Before I pulled out onto the main road from the driveway, I had convinced Scully to put on a blindfold. I didn't want her to guess where we were going before we got there, but as soon as we pulled up and I opened the car door she knew we were at the marina. "What are we doing here, Fox?" Her curiosity was peaked. "Just a few more moments, and we'll be there." I said as I led her to the surprise. When we were standing in the perfect spot, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her as I slid the blindfold from her eyes. Our kiss lengthened but stayed tender instead of hot. I eased back and watched her face as her eyes fluttered open. "I love you, Scully." She smiled up into my eyes and said, "I love you too, Mulder." We stood there grinning at each other for a moment or two. Finally there was a sound of someone clearing his throat behind her. We smiled at each other and she turned to see who was there. Maggie, Brenda, Roger and, surprisingly, Aunt Maeve stood on the dock in front of our sailboat. "Mom? What are you doing here? What are you all doing here?" "They're here to help christen our newest addition to the family." I teased her. The four moved aside and Scully gasped. There, in shining new paint, was the newly renamed boat. 'SCULLY'S PRIDE' in twenty inch letters graced the end of the beautiful sailboat. "What do you think, Dana?" her aunt asked. "I think it's a perfect name," her mother interjected. "I love it." She turned and smiled at me. I had not received as many Scullysmiles in our entire partnership as I had received during the last few days as her husband. I definitely was getting used to them. "That's not all, Scully. I didn't just rename it, I had my lawyer draw up the papers and I gave it to you. It's all yours." "Mulder? Why did you do that? I don't feel the need for expensive gifts. I already have your love, that's all I need." She scolded. "Scully, I'm the one who was given the priceless treasure when you agreed to share your life with me. You're the one who loves to sail. You're the one who will care for her. She's yours." "Are you two going to stand out here in the sun arguing, or are you going to smash this perfectly good bottle of champagne over the bow to christen her new name?" Roger grumbled. "Don't rush them, old man! There are two more bottles of that excellent year cooling in the galley right now." Brenda fussed affectionately at her husband. We all laughed as the celebration began. Scully and I returned to work on July 15th. We asked AD Skinner to let us make the announcement about our marriage. We had actually planned to say a few words before the monthly staff meeting that morning, but as luck would have it, it didn't work out that way. Scully and I were returning from Skinner's office, walking through the bullpen towards the elevators. We were dressed no differently than any other staff-meeting day. We were not walking closer or talking softer or gazing at each other. AD Skinner had stepped from his office and called me back for a word about my budget presentation due later that afternoon. Scully continued to walk toward the elevators to wait for me. True to her word, Agent Mason called to her and after a furtive glance in my direction began to lean into her personal space, speaking earnestly to her. I put my hand on Skinner's shoulder and asked if I could get back to him. He saw Mason's body language and said very quietly, "Don't hurt him Mulder." I grinned back at him and marched up to rescue Agent Mason. I heard Scully consoling him as I approached. "Yes, it's true. He did get married while he was off. I'm sorry this upsets you so much, Agent Mason." The sincerity in her voice was not fake. She did feel sorry for the young man with a crush. "Scully?" I said as I stepped up to the elevator and flipped open the file in my hands. She pushed the button and with a final consoling smile towards Mason, stepped to my side. Several agents rushed to surround Mason, male and female. Obviously he told them the news that had shocked him and they all jerked around to watch us. The elevator arrived at our floor and the doors opened. I pretended to be totally engrossed in the file Skinner had given me, but was aware of every movement. We stepped on the elevator and turned to face the front. Tom Colton, it had to be that asshole, silently mouthed the question everyone was afraid to ask with me right there. "WHO?" As the doors closed Scully raised her left hand in a flourish that would have been the envy of every spokeswoman on television and displayed her wedding and engagement rings. "ME!" She silently mouthed back as the elevator doors shut in front of their stunned faces. I gave her a sideways look and decided to tease her a little as we descended to the basement. "You know, Agent Scully, pride goeth before a fall." "You may be right, Mulder," she grinned. "But remember, Scully pride brought us both our heart's desire, so it can't be all bad." "Not bad at all, Mrs. Mulder. Not bad at all." xxxxxxxxxxx Hope you liked it!!!! FatCat