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THE BELLMAWR MINI-HALL
By: Jennifer Maurer

**

Prologue: A Fine and Natural Sight

"We like our fun and we never fight
You can't dance and stay uptight
It's a supernatural delight
Everybody was dancing in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight
Everybody's feeling warm and bright
It's such a fine and natural sight
Everybody's dancing in the moonlight..."

--King Harvest, "Dancing in the Moonlight"

**

The Bellmawr Mini-Hall
Bellmawr, New Jersey
April 24, 1999
10:13 PM

I'm sitting in the corner of the basement, gazing in awe and delight at the sight before me.

Scully is having the time of her life.

In fact, she's dancing the twist and laughing her head off.

I should mention that we're not in the office. We're in the Bellmawr Mini-Hall, which happens to be in the basement of Bellmawr Fire and Rescue No. 16.

I'm here with Scully at a family gathering, which is remarkable enough in itself, I suppose. What has bowled me over, though, is seeing Scully dance. I didn't think she had it in her. I mean, I've seen her laugh and even goof around a little, but actually dance? Never would have called that one.

Scully's mother is sitting next to me at one of the round tables placed around the edge of the room, ringing the dance floor in the center. When she sees the look on my face, she reaches over and squeezes my hand.

"Seeing Dana so happy..." I begin, and then I have to stop and swallow the lump in my throat.

As Scully spins around to face my direction, she gives me one of her wide grins that I see so rarely, and waves at us. Mrs. Scully and I wave back at her.

"I know, Fox," Mrs. Scully replies, "It's wonderful."

Let me go back to the beginning and explain how we got here.

**

Part 1: An Invitation

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

--Ferris Bueller

**

FBI Headquarters
Washington, DC
March 25, 1999
12:47 PM

"Mulder, let's go to lunch."

I looked up at Scully with some surprise. Since she had come back to work after being shot by Peyton Ritter, she'd been eating lunch at her desk. Yogurt with bee pollen. Yuck. I wasn't sure if she was eating that way because of her injury, or because she wanted to. There didn't seem to be a polite way to ask.

"Okay," I replied. "Got your yogurt all ready?"

"No yogurt today. I was thinking hot dogs from the cart on the corner. My treat."

"Ooh, Scully, you know what I like," I chuckled, as I followed her out the door. Underneath, though, I was wondering what had brought about this change in her lunch habits. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen Scully indulge in what she would consider "junk food." And while we used to have working lunches together all the time, since we lost the X-Files and were relegated to the bullpen, we'd been going our separate ways for lunch more and more often.

We walked out of the building and I followed Scully over to one of the many food carts across the street. After we got our food, she surprised me again by leading me over to a nearby park bench, rather than going back in the building. It was still chilly out, but Scully didn't seem to mind as she tucked into her hot dog with gusto.

For awhile we ate in silence. I had my usual order of two dogs, so Scully finished first, and sat watching the passing crowds. When I had finished eating and sat back to relax, she turned sideways in her seat to face me.

"Mulder, I had a bit of an ulterior motive in asking you to have lunch with me today," she said, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

My heart sank down to churn in my stomach with my lunch. This is it, I thought. Getting shot was the last straw, and Scully's going to leave the Bureau. She's going to say she's sorry, but now that we're off the X-Files, she doesn't want to spend the rest of her career doing background checks and investigating piles of manure. She's moving on. She'll always be my friend, and she hopes I'll be happy.

Oh, I had rehearsed this speech on her behalf a thousand times in my own head. I had it all figured out, how she was going to say goodbye.

While I was thinking these grim thoughts, Scully was digging around in her purse for something. She found it and looked up at me, then frowned at what must have been a disturbing expression on my face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"I wanted to ask you something, actually. I received this in the mail the other day," she said, handing me what looked like a long postcard folded in thirds. I read what was inside.

*Because you play a special part in my life, my joy will be complete if you share in the celebration of my 65th birthday and retirement.

Saturday, the 24 of April at seven o'clock in the evening.
Bellmawr Mini-Hall
25 Stiles Avenue
Bellmawr, NJ
RSVP to Marlene by April 1, 1999*

"As you can see," she continued, turning the card over in my hands so I could see the outside, "It's addressed to 'Dana Scully and guest.' I was wondering if you would be my guest and attend the party with me."

Before I could even get any words out to answer her, I had to swallow the giant lump in my throat. She wasn't leaving, thank God. I had dodged that bullet yet another time. For now, anyway. My brain still trying to process everything, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Who's Marlene?"

"My mother's sister."

"How many siblings does your mother have?"

"Just two; her sister, and an older brother. But you're not answering my question, Mulder. Would you like to go with me?"

This was a tricky question to answer. Would I like to spend personal time with Scully? Absolutely. Would I like to spend time with a bunch of Scully's relatives, most of whom probably hate me by reputation? Thanks, I'll pass. She picked up on my hesitation easily.

"Bill's not going to be there," she said, "He can't make it. Neither can Charlie, although you have nothing to fear from him, just for future reference. You guys would hit it off, I think."

"Okay," I said slowly, still trying to stall. I knew what my answer was going to be, I just didn't know how to say it.

"It's not a 'date,' if that's what you're worried about," she added, "Just come as my friend."

Oh, Scully, I thought. Being mistaken for your date is the last thing I'm worried about. I'd prefer it, actually, especially if it was you making that assumption.

"I don't know, Scully. I'm not really a party kind of guy."

"Well, I'm not really a party kind of girl, either. But I think this could be just the thing we need to lift us out of the doldrums. Admit it, Mulder, you haven't been happy lately."

I nodded. That went without saying.

"It's going to be a good time. Lots of food, if I know Aunt Marlene. A roomful of my relatives who I'm sure would be glad to regale you with scandalous stories of my youth."

She waggled her eyebrows, imitating me.

"So what do you say? Life is short. Let's have some fun."

Life is short, indeed. I had been reminded of that yet again after Scully's recent injury. She had quickly healed in body, but her spirit still seemed subdued. I wanted her to have some damn fun for a change.

"You should go. Have a great time."

Her face fell slightly.

"You don't want to come with me?"

"I would feel strange in a situation like that. Why don't you ask Frohike, he'd be thrilled," I said, trying to make a joke and failing miserably.

You'll have a better time without me, I added silently.

"Okay, then," she said, reaching over to pluck the invitation from my hands. I felt like a world-class jerk.

"I'm sorry, Scully, it's just that..."

"You don't have to apologize. It's fine. Come on, we should be getting back."

All the way back to the bullpen, I kept wishing I could rewind this lunch hour and record over it.

**

Part 2: Accepts With Pleasure

"It's a long walk towards a good time
It's a big hill you have to climb
And you got to be willing...

If you've never seen a good time
How would you recognize one?
How would you even find one?"

--Sinead O'Connor, "'Til I Whisper You Something"

**

2630 Hegal Place, Apt. 42
Alexandria, Virginia
March 25, 1999
7:42 PM

I was home about an hour when my phone rang.

"Mulder."

"You're a stupid asshole," Frohike said.

"What did I do now?"

"I just spoke with the lovely Agent Scully."

"Why are you bothering her?" I asked.

"*She* called *me*. Why don't you just go to the damn party with her?"

"She called to tell you about *that*?"

"No, she called to invite me to attend the party as her guest."

I blinked. Never in a million years had I expected Scully would actually take me up on that suggestion.

"You didn't accept, did you?" I asked incredulously.

"If I were a lesser person, I would have. Or at least suggested she take Byers; he's more presentable. But since I am your friend, I told her I'd have to get back to her. Which will give you time to compose a speech about how sorry you are for your churlish refusal. Even though I would *kill* for an invitation like that."

"Since when are you my social secretary?"

"Listen, Mulder. How many times has this woman followed you into dangerous situations? Or just on wild goose chases? Without one peep of complaint? And now she asks you to do something as simple as escort her to a party, and you say no."

I hadn't thought it possible, but now I felt even worse than I had when I'd turned Scully down.

"It's *not* simple. If she'd asked me anyplace else, I'd go with her, you know that. But I know I'm not welcome in a roomful of Scully relatives. It would just make things harder for her."

"She doesn't think so. But that's not the point. It's a party, for Christ's sake, not an international peace conference. No matter how *you* would feel, *she* would be happy, and isn't that what's most important here?"
 
"Yes."

"Good man. Give me ten minutes to call her back and say I've checked my busy schedule, and I must regretfully decline. Then you call, and accept the invitation with pleasure."

"Who talks like that?"

"Hey, unlike you, I have manners. You're getting a copy of Emily Post for Christmas."

After we hung up I paced a circle around my coffee table, trying to figure out what to say.

I thought about what she'd said regarding life being short, and we should have some fun. If she wanted me to join in this fun with her, I couldn't deny her that. If she asked me to join her, then she must already know it would work out with her family.

I let 15 minutes go by, just to be safe, then I dialed Scully's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi. What's up?"

"I just wanted to...talk about what we discussed at lunch today."

"Don't worry about it. I understand why you said no."

"Well, the thing is, Scully, I'd like to change my answer, if it's not too late."

"Oh, Mulder, I'm glad you changed your mind. I know this isn't your usual thing, but we'll have fun. You'll love my aunt; she claims to have seen a UFO."

"Seriously? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I don't know. It never really came up."

I stifled a laugh at this statement.

"Anyway," she continued, "The party is next Saturday in Bellmawr, New Jersey. My mom's leaving Friday to help get things ready, and I'm going up Saturday afternoon. We can drive up together, get hotel rooms. I'll make reservations."

"Sounds good. It's not black tie or anything, right?"

"No, no," Scully laughed, "You don't even need a suit. Sweater and slacks is fine."

"Okay, it's a date," I said, then immediately bit my tongue. Scully continued as if I hadn't just dropped that word like a grenade.

"If you can pick me up by 2:00, that will give us plenty of time to get there; the trip is about two and a half hours, and the party starts at seven," she said.

"I'll be there with bells on," I replied.

"Great. I'm really looking forward to it. And Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I'm glad you changed your mind."

"Scully...you wouldn't really have taken Frohike, would you?"

Oh, crap. I hadn't meant to bring that up, but it just slipped out.

"Mulder, did he talk you into this? I'm sure he meant well, but don't come with me unless you really want to."

"I really want to," I said, "But why me?"

"I wanted to bring a guest," she said lightly, "It's more fun when you have someone to go with. Just between you and me, you were always my first choice."

I didn't tell Scully that, fortunately for me, Frohike already knew that.

**

Part 3: Getting There is Half the Fun

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."

--Douglas Adams

**

I-295 North
Mount Ephraim, New Jersey
April 24, 1999
3:52 PM

I looked over to see Scully with a little grin on her face. She'd smiled more today than in the past six months. The sight did my heart good.

"So, Scully," I said, "Give me the lowdown on who's going to be at this shindig."

"Basically, a bunch of my aunts and uncles and cousins. Some friends and co-workers of Aunt Marlene."

At the mention of Scully's relatives, my palms started to sweat a little. Maybe she hadn't really thought this through. I decided to come clean with her about my doubts.

"Scully, the reason I declined your invitation at first is...I was afraid it would create a difficult situation for you with your family."

"I appreciate your concern, Mulder, but you have nothing to worry about. Everyone is going to love you as much as I do."

I was flabbergasted. I wanted to just stare at her awhile, my jaw hanging around my knees; instead I kept flicking little glances at her so I wouldn't run off the road. She just smiled at me.

"What? Y-you love me?" I stammered like an idiot.

"Yes, I do," she said simply.

"But then why...I-I mean..."

Of course, at this critical juncture of our conversation, the Holiday Inn appeared on our right.

That was actually okay with me; it was a chance to drop the subject for now. I didn't want to have the rest of this conversation in a moving vehicle. My nerves couldn't take it.

I was never so glad to see a hotel in my life. I pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. We sat there for a moment in silence. I squeezed the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, trying to slow my brain down long enough to string a coherent sentence together.

In my wildest dreams, this was not how I'd thought Scully would tell me she loved me. I hadn't even been sure she ever would. Of course, I'd never imagined *I* would tell *her* while high on drugs after being rescued from the Bermuda Triangle, but these things happen. At least to us.

"Ready to venture forth?" she said gently.

"What does that mean?" I snapped. Venture forth into the hotel? Or venture forth into...well, something a whole lot bigger. I wasn't sure of the answer to either question at this point.

"It means: are you ready to go inside and check in?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied, getting out of the car.

We went inside. It hadn't occurred to me until then that since Scully had made the reservations, both rooms were on her credit card. I tried to pay for my own room, but she wouldn't hear of it. I was her guest, she insisted, and the room was on her.

The elevator ride up felt awkward. I opened my mouth a few times, but nothing would come out.

We got off on the sixth floor, and I followed Scully down the hallway.

"Here we are; I'm 605, and you're 607, right next door," she said, turning to hand me my key card. "We don't have to leave until around 6:30, so there's plenty of time to relax and get ready."

She looked at me as if she wanted me to say something, but I wasn't sure what.

Was she sorry for what she said in the car?

Why tell me now? Why this way?

I couldn't do it. I needed to process things a little more before I could say anything to Scully. My brain wouldn't stop spinning.

"Okay," was all I said, "I'll knock on your door then."

She nodded and went into her room. She didn't seem upset, but with Scully it was always hard to tell.

I let myself in next door, dropped my suitcase, and flopped down on the bed.

**

Part 4: Happiness

"Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times."

--Anonymous

**

Holiday Inn
Runnemede, New Jersey
April 24, 1999
6:26 PM

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. Yes, I was presentable. Freshly showered and shaved, dark gray dress slacks and a slate blue, v-neck sweater. I practiced my most winning smile. Hello, I'm Dana's extremely normal and not at all dangerous FBI partner. Please like me.

I had planned to spend my afternoon brooding about that one sentence of Scully's:

"Everyone's going to love you as much as I do."

That had just about knocked me off my feet, but as I started to think about it, I realized it could have meant a lot of things.

"Mulder, you're a swell guy, and I'm sure my relatives will think so, too."

"Mulder, I have ordered my relatives not to openly hate you, or else."

"Mulder, I'm just as madly in love with you as you are with me, and I don't care who knows it."

That last one was my favorite choice.

However, rather than pacing my hotel room, pondering all possible hidden meanings in Scully's declaration, I had dozed off shortly after we arrived. Must have been all the time I spent worrying instead of sleeping the night before.

I started to get a little jittery again as the afternoon wore away, checking my watch every few minutes as 6:30 approached.

I could do this. I faced more dangerous things than Scully's relatives every day.

I knocked on Scully's door right on time.

She opened the door, looked me up and down, and nodded in appreciation at my appearance. I checked her out as well: she wore black pants a little more snug than what she'd wear to work, and a black top with a gray and white swirly pattern on it. Her hair was styled with a wave in it. She looked great.

Except she was a few inches shorter than usual.

"Did you shrink since I last saw you?" I asked.

"Must be the shoes," she replied, extending one foot for my inspection.

Sure enough, her shoes had a low wedge heel, instead of her customary three inch chunky heels.

For some reason, the shoes were the last straw.

"Scully, let's talk for a bit before we leave, okay?" I said, ushering her back into her room. She sat on the edge of her bed. I sat on the other bed across from her.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, "I mean, first of all, the shoes..."

"Do my shoes disturb you that much, Mulder?" she replied, tilting her head and looking down at them with a little smile. "I don't wear them often. They're my dancing shoes."

"Okay, this is what I'm talking about! Since when does Dana Scully have dancing shoes? And what is with the 'love' remarks?"

That sounded so much better in my head.

Scully got up, and for a second I thought: this is the part where she throws me out. Instead she sat down next to me and took my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.

"Mulder," she said, looking straight ahead, "I had a lot of time to think when I was in the hospital recently."

I had been watching her in profile, but at that statement I closed my eyes and turned my head away. She healed faster than expected, yet I still flinched when I thought about her most recent brush with death.

She noticed my mood and leaned in closer to me. I took the opportunity to slip my arm around her shoulders, and she didn't resist. In fact, she put her arm around my waist and let her head rest on my shoulder.

Wonders never cease.

"I was very lucky to have survived," she continued, "And not for the first time. I realized that over the past few years, I've pushed a lot of people out of my life. Not only that, but I've lost my sense of...fun. *We* used to laugh, you know, Mulder. In fact, I recall laughing my ass off in the middle of the night in a cemetery on our first case together. But over the years bad things happened to us, and I gradually let those events rob me of happiness. I guess I've finally allowed myself believe that I deserve joy in my life, and it's up to me to find it."

"Scully, you deserve all that and so much more," I said, and kissed the top of her head.

"When I got the invitation to this party, while I was home recovering, it seemed like...a sign. Someplace to start. I knew coming here and celebrating with family would make me happy. What makes my joy complete is having you here to share it with me."

I turned and wrapped both arms around her, too overcome to reply at first. I've beat myself up a million times for all the ways Scully has been hurt because of me. It never really occurred to me that I brought her any joy.

"Mulder, I do love you," she whispered, her lips close to my ear, "I didn't know how to say it before. But it's so simple, after all. I just love you, very much."

Being me, I couldn't let it go at that.

"Scully, when you say you love me, do you mean you're *in* love with me? Because I'm *in* love with you," I choked out.

I felt her lips curve in a smile against my neck. She pulled away just enough to look in my eyes.

"I am so *in* love with you, Mulder, it's crazy."

I just stared at her. I still couldn't quite believe my good fortune. I'd put myself out there before, and had my heart handed back to me. It wasn't that I didn't believe Scully, exactly.

I just wanted one more sign, to be absolutely sure.

As if she could read my mind, she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine.

This was the kiss I'd always dreamed of.

After a few moments we reluctantly broke the kiss and looked at each other with matching grins.

"Ready to party?" she asked.

"You know it," I replied.

We left the room hand in hand, and didn't let go until we got in the car.

And that brings us to the present moment.

**

Part 5: Everybody's Feeling Warm and Bright

"Everybody here is out of sight
They don't bark and they don't bite
They keep things loose, they keep it tight
Everybody's dancing in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight
Everybody's feeling warm and bright
It's such a fine and natural sight
Everybody's dancing in the moonlight..."

--King Harvest, "Dancing in the Moonlight"

**

The Bellmawr Mini-Hall
Bellmawr, New Jersey
April 24, 1999
11:01 PM

As the music shifts to a song with a slower tempo, a smiling and slightly disheveled Scully weaves her way through the crowd to our table. I pat the empty seat next to me, but Scully reaches for my hand and hauls me to my feet.

"Come on, Mulder, dance with me," she says.

"Scully, I don't know how to dance," I reply, which is also what I told her when she tried to drag me out on the floor earlier to join in all the twisting.

"Everyone knows how to slow dance."

"I don't."

"Then it's high time you learned. Up, up, up. Let's go."

This time I allow myself to be led onto the floor, where couples are slowly swaying back and forth under a revolving disco ball. Tiny flecks of white light circle the room like stars.

"Okay, here we go," Scully says. "We hold our right hands together, out like this. You put your left hand on my waist, and mine goes on your shoulder. See, Mulder, it's easy. Then we just sway back and forth to the music, turning as we go."

"You lead," I murmur, which makes her giggle. I draw our right hands in between our bodies and press them over my heart.

We're dancing. I'm dancing with Scully. This is amazing.

"Scully, you never stop surprising me."

"Because of the dancing?"

"That, yes, but mostly because of the love."

She doesn't say anything, just turns a beautiful smile up to me.

"You're sure, right?" I ask, "About the love?"

Scully stands on tiptoe until her lips are next to my ear.

"I'm very sure."
 
 

~*End*~
 

The inspiration for this story was this incredibly awesome video on YouTube, which you should all check out immediately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8MzgjI5QRU