Beth Locke sat down across from Dana Scully. "Nice
restaurant," she said.
"Better than you're used to, I'd imagine."
"Yes, well my—Fox doesn't have the best culinary taste
in the world. I think Alex is helping a little, though."
Dana noticed the hesitation after 'my'. Beth—aka Samantha
Mulder—still couldn't seem to master the word 'brother' when talking
about Fox Mulder, but then again, neither had Mulder started calling
her 'sister.' It was all a little too new. Dana smiled. "I know
what you mean. I've seen the insanity."
"And yet you've survived all these years. I'm impressed."
"I didn't ask you here just to talk food."
"I didn't think so. Is something wrong?"
"I just wanted to get to know you better. I have the feeling
you could use a friend right now, and I know you don't know anyone
else here except your brother."
"No. I'm supposed to go and meet my mother this weekend.
It's all a little strange. I mean, I'm over thirty" she grimaced
"and here I am, meeting family for what seems like the first time.
If I could remember anything it would be so much easier. But I
can't. Has Fox said anything to you?"
Dana smiled again. "What?" Beth asked.
"I can't get used to you calling him 'Fox,' that's all."
"I've noticed that I'm the only one who does it. I could
call him 'Mulder', I guess, but it's a little weird. I mean, he is
my brother."
"I think he likes it when you call him that."
"How is he?"
She shrugged. "I can't get him to tell me anything. I've
talked to Alex, a bit, but he doesn't seem to open up about anything."
She paused when the waiter came to take their orders. When he had
left, she continued. "It was so difficult on him when he was
looking for you. I almost thought that he wanted answers more than
he wanted—" She stopped.
"More than he wanted his sister. And he has me, and no
answers." She sighed. "That's what I was afraid of."
"He loves you."
"He doesn't even know me. I don't know him. We're two
people who are just being thrown together. I don't know how to do
this. I've never had family. And now I'm going to go meet my
mother. God, I need a drink." She laughed. "Will you join me?"
Dana looked at her watch, looked at Beth, and pulled out
her cell phone. "Hi, Mulder. It's me. I'm not feeling very well—
no, it's nothing serious, just a little under the weather. I'm just
going to go home and lie down. I'll be back in tomorrow morning.
Yes, I'll phone you if I need anything. Don't worry." She put the
phone away. "So, what's your poison?"
They took cabs home. It was a long, martini- and wine-soaked lunch.
They talked for hours, and Dana couldn't remember the last time she
had so much fun.
The difference in environmental upbringing was very much in
evidence with Beth. Even though she was raised in a relatively
austere environment—an orphanage—she described it as a happy
place, and she had been surrounded by other children, both older
and younger. Mulder had always been a loner, especially after Sam
disappeared. The burden that his parents had placed on him from an
early age still weighed heavy on him.
Alex was helping with that, though. Being in love did
wonders for Mulder. He was sleeping more, eating better, getting
regular exercise—Dana snorted at that thought—and he looked
better than he had since she knew him.
The phone rang, knocking her out of her daze.
"'Lo."
"Dana? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine, thanks. You?"
"Are you sure you're okay? You sound strange."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Great. Who is this?"
"It's your boss."
"Oh, Walter, sir, yeah, thanks, fine. Why are you calling?"
"Agent Mulder told me you had called in sick this afternoon.
I was concerned. Are you drunk?"
"Yes, sir, I am. Did we have a date tonight?"
"Yes, actually, we did."
"Oh." Pause. "You want to come over?" She tried a
mock-sexy voice.
Walter laughed. "I think that taking advantage of that
offer in your present condition could be a prosecutable offense."
"Aw. Well, okay. I'll see you tomorrow then." She air-
kissed the phone. "'Bye."
"Goodnight. Get some sleep."
"'Kay."
The world was a painful place for Dana Scully the next morning.
She arrived at work ten minutes early, and made an extra-strong
pot of coffee. She took several aspirin, drank a glass of water,
and drank her first coffee as hot as she could stand it. When Mulder
walked in, she still felt as if every sound was being magnified ten
times just for her.
"Good morning, Scully. Are you feeling better today?"
He gave her a big smile, and put a package of donuts down in front
of her. "I brought you breakfast."
She grimaced at him and pushed the package away. "I'm fine,
thank you. Why are you so unbelievably cheerful this morning?"
"I talked to my sister last night. She called me up and
asked me if I wanted to go swimming at eleven o'clock last night.
In the river." He grinned at her. "I managed to convince her to
wait until daylight. She told me she really liked you and that she
was glad you'd had lunch together."
"I can't believe she ratted me out."
"Well, she wasn't exactly of sound mind at the time. I
believe she was under the influence of several quarts of gin." He
sobered. "Is she okay?"
"Yes. She just needed to blow off a little steam. I guess
I did, too." She made a face. "Next time I'll forgo the wine and
take her to the shooting gallery."
"With my picture on the target?"
"She's not angry, certainly not at you. She's just—
overwhelmed, and confused, and scared. She likes you."
"And you?"
"I like you, too."
"That's not what I meant."
She smiled, a little wearily. "I'm okay. It's been a
rough couple of months. I didn't want to get another tattoo" he
wrinkled his nose at her "so I went and whooped it up with your
sister. I like her. She's good people."
"I'm glad you like her. I think she needs a friend."
"Yeah, don't we all." She looked pointedly at him.
"I'm fine."
"Uh-huh. That's not what Alex has been saying."
He looked a little ashamed. "I knew it was a bad thing
when you two became such good friends."
"You have to talk to him, Mulder. Even you macho types
have to speak once in a while. Or do you just grunt at each other
when I'm not around?"
He smiled. "Not all the time."
She put a hand up. "I don't want to hear about it. But,
honestly, Beth's got a lot of things bottled up about this whole
situation, and you must, too. You can't tell me that it's not
hard not knowing what happened to her."
"Of course it's hard. But I always said that I wanted to
find her, and I did."
"No, you always said that you wanted to know what happened.
And you don't. And you may not get to find out. That has to be hard
for you."
"I have her back. It should be enough."
"But it isn't, is it? And you feel guilty for wanting more.
So, you ignore it, and don't talk, and generally behave like—like
Fox Mulder. And that can be really annoying sometimes."
"I had no idea I was so bad."
"You're not. We care about you, Mulder—Alex, and Beth,
and I. But we can't help you if you don't talk about it." She sat
down on his desk. "I know a ten-minute pep talk is not going to
change your life, but you really need to think about this. I mean,
where do the X-Files go now that your search is over? Or is it
over?"
"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I feel like the search
was more important than the discovery sometimes."
"Wow. An honest emotion from Fox Mulder. I'm impressed."
"I am a person, you know."
"Yeah, well, acting like one and not Superagent is nice to
see." He was about to answer, when she cut him off. "And don't get
all defensive on me. You know I'm right."
"You know, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."
"Takes one to know one."
He laughed. "I like this side of you. Please take my sister
and get drunk more often."
She groaned. "Another evening like that and I'll have to
join a twelve-step program. And we have a meeting with Skinner this
morning."
"'Skinner'? I take it we did not have a date last night?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I didn't. That is, I was
supposed to—"
"Ah, great, nothing like a frustrated supervisor first thing
in the morning."
She glared at him. "Have you nothing better to do than to
cast aspersions on my love life?"
He put his hands up in surrender. "I give up. Is your half
of the report finished?"
She sighed. "I hope so. You?"
"Freshly typed and completely implausible. He'll love it."
"I need more coffee."
"Maybe you'd better bring the pot."
Beth was waiting outside of their office when their meeting was over.
"You look a lot better than I feel," Dana said.
"The secret is to take the aspirin before you go to bed.
And B-12. And, if all else fails, throwing up is always an option."
She laughed. "Don't let this facade fool you, though, I'm crying on
the inside."
"Sounds like the voice of experience," Fox said.
"You should see me at karaoke," she grinned. "I'm a disco
queen." She did a mock-John Travolta stance. He groaned. "I know,
I know. Elvis is the only King. You are such an easy target
sometimes."
"Why did you come by?"
"I need to cancel our dinner tonight. And tomorrow, too."
"Something wrong?"
"No, I'm just going home for a couple of days. To Vancouver,"
she added quickly. "Don't worry, I'll be back for the weekend, as
planned."
"Is everything okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I've just been neglecting some friends,
and there's some legal papers that I need to sign about Jack's will,
and the house, and I didn't bring very many clothes with me, and—
don't take this the wrong way, but I need to touch base for a
little while."
Dana discreetly excused herself.
Beth leaned against her brother's desk. "I'm at loose ends
right now. I don't really belong here. Hell, I'm not even actually
a U.S. citizen, I think. Or am I? I can't work, and there's only
so many days you can spend in the Smithsonian before you drive
yourself insane. I think the guards know me by name."
"I could take some time off. I should have thought of that
sooner—"
"Oh, god, could you imagine? The two of us together, staring
at each other for days on end? No, I need to do something. I need
to make some decisions, and I have to do it alone. Please understand."
"I want to spend more time with you," he looked stricken.
"I know. Me too. I'll be back, I promise." She sighed.
"I know this has been harder on you than I could ever imagine. In a
way, it was easy for me. I just don't remember. I don't have
anything haunting me." She took his hand. "I will be back. I
won't disappear again."
"When are you leaving?"
"I've got a flight this afternoon. I'll be back Friday.
Not much of a visit, but I need it."
He nodded. "I understand."
"Thank you." She hugged him, a little awkwardly. "I'll see
you Friday."
"Call me, and I'll pick you up."
"You don't have to—"
"Call me," he said firmly.
She nodded.
"So," Dana asked when she came back into the office. "Is everything
okay?"
"Uh-huh."
She nodded, pursing her lips. "Are you going to talk to
Alex, or will I have to shoot you again to immobilize you?"
He smiled. "I'll talk."
"Good. You'd better. I'll know, you know."
"Don't you always?"
Lunch was quiet. Walter had a meeting with some of the higher-ups—
nobody she really had to worry about now, not for the same reasons—
and Mulder went over to see the Lone Gunman. He tried to persuade
her to join them, but she begged off. The passes and lustful
glances were lessening now that they knew she was seeing someone,
but still...
She called her mom, who was not at home, then decided to
forgo lunch altogether and go shopping. She needed some new shoes,
having ruined yet another pair in a swamp last week. She wished
Beth hadn't left for the airport already. She suspected another
afternoon off would do her a world of good.
She was in the middle of deciding between the sensible brown
pumps and the sensible tan pumps when her cell phone rang.
"Scully? Frohicke's got some photos here you've got to see.
You remember that airborne bacteria case that we worked on a couple
of months ago? Well, it looks like it's back, and you'll never guess
where."
She sighed. "I'll meet you in twenty minutes, Mulder."
She hung up and turned to the salesgirl. "I'll take them
both. Do you have any hipwaders in stock?"
They spent the afternoon examining the photos, which Dana thought
looked more like a particularly bad case of scabies than a flesh-
eating bacteria. She excused herself after a couple of hours to
go to Quantico and check on some test result she was expecting on a
body that had been brought in two days ago. All in all, it was a
quiet day.
She hoped to have a make-up dinner with Walter to apologize
for missing the night before, but he ended up having to work late.
She shook her head at the message she found on her desk. Between her
frequent trips away and his ever-growing workload, they had almost
no time together.
Mulder went through the rest of the day in an untouchable
mood, trying not to show how much Beth's leaving had affected him.
She sighed to herself, resolving not to get involved again until
she was asked. Let Alex handle the dirty work.
She bought herself some take-out italian on the way home,
and picked up a video. Her briefcase was filled with unread reports
and unfinished research, but she couldn't summon any enthusiasm for
her job this evening. Sometimes it was just all too much of the
same thing.
The video was a romantic drama, with a sappy ending, which
did nothing to improve her mood. She almost pulled a bag together
and went back to work for a late-night workout, but decided to try
for a complete night's sleep instead.
She was glad of her decision on an early night when she was awakened
at five the next morning. Her partner gave her the details of a UFO
sighting that had been reported in New Jersey. Not Paris, not New
Orleans, New Jersey. She sighed.
They caught the earliest flight out—seven-thirty. She
packed for a three-day stay, but about twenty minutes after they
arrived it was obvious that the whole thing was a hoax, an attempt
to cash in on a tabloid reward for proof of extraterrestrial life.
It was a laughable site—it looked convincing in photos downloaded
over the Internet, but in person, it was patently obvious that all
the "mysterious" markings in the field were man-made. Even Mulder
was upset over the assignment. His tip had come from a previously
reliable source.
They arrived back in D.C. at 8pm. Alex was there to meet
Mulder, and she waved them off, deciding to call herself a cab and
tuck into bed.
A hand on her shoulder after she passed through the metal
detectors nearly made her draw her gun. She turned around, looking
straight into the eyes of Walter Skinner.
"I'm glad I didn't shoot you earlier."
He smiled at her. "I appreciate it."
She giggled. "I threatened Mulder yesterday to immobilize
him. Maybe you should do the same to me. A nice career-ending
injury, but non-life-threatening."
"Such as?"
"Oh, I don't know. Back pain is too debilitating, head
injury could be fatal... How about you just wing me in the leg?
I could fake it from there."
"Well, if you're sure..."
She nodded. "At this point, a couple of days in the
hospital is looking like a perk."
"Is it that bad?"
She sighed. "No. It's actually not. It's just—I'm
frustrated." He raised an eyebrow. She smiled and snuggled closer
to him, pulling the blankets up over her shoulders. "I don't mean
that. I mean, I don't know if we're doing a good job anymore.
I don't know if we're making any sort of a difference. That's what
I always wanted to do. Now that Sam's been found, Mulder just doesn't
have the old fire. I hate to say it, but I think having Cancerman
around may have been good for him."
He nodded. "I know what you mean. There's not much of a
challenge anymore, is there?"
"No. And it's not just that. I never intended to spend the
rest of my life in the X-Files. I don't know what I want, though.
I feel at loose ends."
"Do you want to get married?"
She stared at him. "Are you serious? Is this a proposal?"
"It could be. I've been thinking about it. I know we
haven't really talked about it, but I've always thought that we were
good together. I love you, Dana." He kissed her. "I want to talk
about things like this. I don't even know if you want children—"
"Whoa. Let's get back to the proposal part."
"Dana Scully, will you marry me?"
She smiled. "Yes, I will."
Alex Krycek stretched, rolling over and up against his sleeping lover.
At least his lover who was trying to pretend he was sleeping. He
leaned up on one elbow, peering over Mulder's shoulder.
"I know you're not asleep, you know."
Mulder groaned and opened his eyes. "I should have stayed
on the couch tonight."
"So, the honeymoon's over already?"
"No, but I don't want to keep you awake all night."
"The honeymoon is definitely over."
Mulder rolled over, looking Alex in the eyes. He leaned up
for a kiss, which quickly turned passionate.
After giving in for a few minutes, Alex pulled away. "This
isn't going to work."
"What?"
"Sex. We'll both enjoy it, and then be right back where we
started."
"Which is?"
"You tossing and turning and not talking to me. Or out on
the couch. I want you to tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong. What could possibly be wrong?" Mulder
got up and out of the bed, standing at the window and staring out
into the darkness.
"Whatever in the world?" Alex sighed, then pulled himself
out of bed, and wrapped his arms around Mulder. "Mulder, if I thought
that you could just get over this, I'd leave you alone. But it's
been this way for weeks now, with no sign of a break. You need to
talk to someone. I love you, and I want it to be me."
Mulder tensed, then turned and slid his arms around Alex.
"I know, I do, too. It's just hard."
"What is?"
"I've got what I wanted. I have my sister back. Only, it's
not really my sister. I don't know how my mother's going to react.
Scully's unhappy with the work. I'm unhappy with the work. I love
you, and I'm neglecting you, and I don't know how to fix it. Any of
it." He kissed Alex. "And I love you, and I have my sister back,
and I'm doing what I've wanted to do, and I don't know why it's not
enough. You're enough, and she's enough, and it's enough. And, with
the exception of you, it's not enough."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For telling me."
"Did it help?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a lot better."
Mulder laughed. "Well, that's what's important."
Alex smiled. "I thought it was me."
"No. You're the good part. You're the best part. And Sam,"
he started, "Beth, I mean—I've just got to try and get to know her."
"You didn't really get Sam back. She's gone, for good, it
seems. But you can have something else, have someone else. Beth
can be someone else for you. She's a good person, kind, lovable.
And she has a lot of room in her heart, I can tell. You can't be two
kids together anymore, but you can have a sister again, if you want
one."
"If she comes back."
"She'll come back, she promised. Don't worry."
Beth's plane landed late Friday afternoon. Alex and Mulder both went
to pick her up. They saw her step off the plane.
If she hadn't waved at them, they might never have known it
was her. She looked wonderful, relaxed and smiling, about five years
younger than she had when she left, even considering what jet lag she
must have experienced from the quick succession of flights. She was
wearing a wicked-looking dress, soft silk, heels, and she had had her
hair done. It cascaded down her back in soft curls.
"Wow," Alex said. "This girl knows how to relax. How did
she have time for all of this?"
Mulder shook his head, still staring. Beth came through the
gate, and walked over to them. Just before she reached them, a man
came up behind her and put his hand on her arm. She turned to talk
to him, smiling. She took a card before they parted.
"Hi, guys," she said, linking her arms with both of them.
"Miss me?"
"Who was that?" Mulder asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Just some guy who was talking to me on
the flight. Why?" She grinned at him. "You're not getting all
big-brotherly on me, are you?"
"If he doesn't, I will. You're definitely too beautiful to
go out alone in that outfit."
She beamed at Alex. "Thank you, kind sir. I'm starting to
feel like a female again. I packed and came in such a hurry before
that I hardly brought anything with me. And, it's starting to get
nice out again, so I thought I'd splurge." She looked at Mulder. "I
brought a lot of stuff, too, so you're both going to have to help me."
He smiled at her, catching the inference. "You had a good
trip?"
She nodded. "It was what I needed. I'm glad to be back,
though."
"I'm glad, too. I—I missed you."
"Good."
Both Mulder and Alex started laughing.
"What?" she asked.
Dana had invited the three of them over to her apartment that evening
for dinner. Mulder thought it might have something to do with Beth
coming back, but when they arrived and saw Walter Skinner there, and
the look on Dana's face, he realized that was just a periphery.
She had been better at work, calmer, more relaxed. He didn't
know why, but he suddenly had a feeling that this was some sort of a
momentous occasion.
They made it through dinner, dessert, and still nothing.
They relaxed around each other, chatting amiably. Mulder was
beginning to think that the feeling was all in his mind, when Dana
brought out another bottle of wine and uncorked it, passing around
glasses. She looked over at Walter and said, with a smile, "We have
an announcement."
Beth was beaming at her.
"Shall I do the honors?" Dana asked Walter.
"By all means."
She took a deep breath. "We're getting married."
Beth jumped up to hug her. "I'm so glad. I knew it as
soon as I walked in. Do you have a ring? A date? I need details!"
Dana laughed. "You're more excited than I am!"
"Darn straight. It's always much less nerve-wracking and
much more exciting when you're not the bride." She went over to hug
Walter.
Alex was looking at Mulder, concerned, before he turned and
gave Dana a hug. "Congratulations, Dana. Happy?"
She beamed at him. "Absolutely."
"I hope you stay this happy." He kissed her cheek.
Mulder got up. He and his partner stared at each other for
a little while, before the rest of the them decided to discreetly
go into the living room for a few minutes.
"Wow, Scully—married? When did you decide this?"
"Yesterday, actually. I wanted to tell you all together.
I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not. I'm happy for you." He walked over to her,
and took her hand. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
She nodded. "I'm not helping you anymore. I don't have
the old feeling for the job anymore. I've got to try something
else." She smiled. "Would you have guessed that this would ever
have happened five years ago?"
"No. Five years ago, the world was a different place."
"It's better now."
"Yes." He looked at her a minute, then kissed her. "I hope
you have all the happiness that you deserve."
She laughed. "I hope I get more than that!"
"It's not possible."
"If you make me cry, Fox Mulder, I swear—"
He put his hands up in surrender. "All right, don't shoot!"
He put his arm around her waist, and they walked out to join
the others. Mulder sat down beside Alex, taking one of his hands.
Beth smiled quietly, before turning back to Dana. "You still haven't
given me any details."
"I only really have one decided. I—I lost my sister a few
years ago, and I was wondering—would you stand up for me?"
"Dana, thank you. Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Yes. It's going to be small—just a quiet
wedding, I think. Walter?"
"Actually, I was going to ask you to stand up for me, Mulder."
"I'd be glad to, sir."
"Then it's settled. All we have to do is pick a date."
"The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned."
Dana pulled the calendar off of her desk. "How about two
weeks from Sunday?"
"Two weeks?" Beth asked. "Wow, you really do want a
small wedding."
Dana smiled. "I have most of my family around me right now.
The rest of the relatives can join us. We'd all fit in this room,
probably."
"There was something said about a ring." Walter pulled a
small box out of his pocket. "No better time, I'd say." He opened
it in front of her. Inside was a pear-shaped emerald solitaire.
"I thought of you when I saw this."
"It's beautiful." He slipped it on her finger. They kissed,
and embraced. She wiped away a tear surreptitiously. "None of you
will be happy until I start bawling, will you?" she laughed.
"We never did have a toast," Beth said, coming back to the
room with the wine glasses on a tray. She passed them around. When
everyone was ready, she raised her glass. "To the future," she said.
"The future."
Dana
by Mona Ramsey
"Thanks for meeting me."
