42 Hegel Place
Saturday August 14, 1999
8:36 a.m.
I awake to the heat of another summer day. I can feel warm air fluttering in the open windows and I can hear the buzz and return noise of the electric fan by the bed. I fume silently about the lack of air-conditioning in this old building, and wonder, again, why we spent the night here instead of in my nice climate controlled apartment. Then I remember. We would have gone, had we made it out of Mulder's apartment...
Long arms wrap around me from behind, and pull me into a warm embrace. I realize his objective and begin to protest before he can muster the energy to whine.
"No way, Mulder. You picked the side of the bed furthest from the fan last night. You can't use your bulk to move me now." I can't see him, but I *know* he is pouting. And plotting. I steel myself to the mattress in order to anchor myself down, to no avail. He picks me up effortlessly and quickly switches our sides.
"Oh, Scully. It's nice and breezy over here." He smirks at me, and I smile to myself to see a naked Mulder reclined at full spread across his bed in order to catch a breeze from his noisy fan. It takes me a minute to realize that I am again free, so I take the opportunity to jump on top of him, and pin him to the bed. My backside now feels the air from the fan, and all he feels is the heat of my body. This appears to have been his plan in any case. Mulder grins devilishly at me, and I cannot help but smile back.
It is awhile before we leave the bedroom.
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
11:27 a.m.
Mulder's building still unnerves me, it is old and creaky, and even on the brightest of days it still remains dark. I've left Mulder in his kitchen scrounging for breakfast, while I venture downstairs to collect his mail. I ride the slow elevator down, blocking out memories of riding in it with Phillip Padgett. My week, hell my month, has been nice; I don't want to ruin it.
I open the tiny apartment mailbox and remove a single white envelope. I absently look at the return address on it, as I make my way back to the elevator. The addresser is a Victoria Ross from Chillmark, Massachusetts. I puzzle over this for a moment, but I make it clear in my mind that I am not jealous. I'm not; not at all. Even as I am repeating this mantra over and over in my mind I cannot help but see Victoria Ross, my antithesis, a tall, brunette with mile long legs, and d-cup breasts...but as I've said I'm not jealous. Dana Scully does not get jealous.
I return to apartment 42 to find Mulder eating cereal from an old Star Trek bowl. I see a younger William Shatner on the side, and I roll my eyes. Mulder will always retain his boyish side. He looks up at me with his velvet eyes, and asks around a mouthful of Frosties, "Any mail?" I nod and hand him the envelope, still tormenting myself with the mental image of Victoria. What a name. It reeks of old money. But, then, so does Fox Mulder...
I see Mulder's eyes narrow upon seeing the addresser's name, and I catch the cloud of confusion that washes over his eyes. Relief and shame wash over me in turn, of course Mulder wouldn't prefer her to me. I am, however, still curious to see whom this Victoria is, so I lean casually over Mulder's shoulder, under the pretense of taking a bite of his cereal, and try to read. Noticing me over his shoulder, Mulder quickly refolds the letter and sets it at the opposite end of the table.
"What was that?" I ask, walking around and climbing into his lap. "A letter from an old girlfriend?" I tease, raising the spoon to his lips to feed him a bite of cereal. He accepts the bite and chews slowly, staring at the envelope the entire time, holding one arm tightly around my waist.
"No, nothing like that. It's just..." he trails off. I pretend to feed him another bite of the Frosties, but at the last moment I detour the spoon to my own mouth. He mockingly slaps my thigh as I chew contentedly. I swallow, and say, "That's what you get for not answering me."
He closes his eyes and sighs. "Scully, it's nothing bad. It's just something I'd rather not think about." I stare at him for a long moment, before he finally caves. "It's an invitation to my twentieth high school reunion."
I try, really I do, to keep the laughter down. He looks so forlorn and pathetic at the moment; puppy dog Mulder all the way. But, damn it, it's funny! I laugh like I haven't in years, and with each giggle the pout on Mulder's face becomes more pronounced. That only serves to fuel my laughter further. From my position in his lap, I am basically laughing in his face.
"I'm pleased you find this so amusing, Scully," he says a bit huffily, "I sure as hell don't".
"Oh, sweetie," I say smothering my laughter, and wrapping my arms around his neck, "I'm sorry. But, here I had been worried about old girlfriends and...oh, God only knows what, but it turns out that it's an invitation to your high school reunion!"
"My *twentieth* high school reunion" he says, emphasizing the twentieth.
I raise my eyebrows at him. "So? It's not a secret, Mulder. You're almost 38."
He closes his eyes briefly. "Don't remind me, please."
I look at him in amazement. "Again, so? You're almost 40. Hell, I'm almost 40. But look at us. Look at you. You run 2 miles practically everyday, swim laps in the Bureau pool, play basketball when you have the chance...and you get a ...steady, workout from me" this last line earns me a smile. "You are sexy and sleek, Mulder. You drive me to distraction. No man has ever done that to me; not my first boyfriend, at 15, not my college boyfriends at 20, and none of my latter boyfriends. I don't care how old you are. I love you now, and I'll love you when you're 75." I take a breath and then add an amendment. "As long as you don't have a beer gut."
He laughs, and grabs my waist. "You little..." he kisses me briefly and leans his forehead against mine. "So, Agent Scully, I'm your boyfriend?"
I smile and nod.
"And you think I'm 'sleek and sexy'?"
"Oh, yeah", I breathe.
"I drive you to distraction?" He really likes this game, I think.
Again I nod.
"So, will you go to my *twentieth* high school reunion with me, and let me...distract you in front of my classmates?"
I bite my lip.
"Only if I'm paid handsomely for this, Mulder."
He kisses my nose.
"Oh, you will be."
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
Saturday August 28, 1999
The day of the reunion has finally arrived. Mulder and I drove up to Chilmark last night, and rented a hotel room. We stopped by first to visit his mother, and as usual, the visit was strained. Mulder didn't tell his mother of the shift in our relationship, but I'm assuming she must have surmised it. She kept giving me looks, not those of an overprotective mother, but rather of a woman who couldn't understand the choices of another woman. This confused and disturbed me, but I'm trying to forget about it. Mrs. Mulder made her choices years ago, and those choices are not mine. I only wish her relationship with her son would be more open.
After leaving Mrs. Mulder's, we drove to the hotel. Mulder was quiet, withdrawn really, so I convinced him to come out with me and see a movie. "The Blair Witch Project" really peaked his interest, and he regaled me for the rest of the night with theories of possessed serial killers, and demonic witches. I argued back with my theories of scared college kids with overactive imaginations and possible satanic cults in the woods around Burkittsville. It felt good to argue outlandish theories, and for a moment, I felt as if we had recaptured the Mulder and Scully of five years ago. But, given the chance I wouldn't trade myself today for the woman I was then. She was me, but I am not her.
This morning passed quickly; we slept late and spent a few hours shopping. I am now mentally cataloging the wardrobe I brought and the new things I have bought, trying to come up with an outfit to wear tonight. I look over at Mulder, intending to ask him to choose for me, to find him staring at the blank, white wall with a funny expression on his face. I call to him and he shakes his head lightly, before looking over at me.
"What are you thinking about? You looked a million miles away." He smiles at my question.
"Have you ever been to Disney World, Scully?"
"Yeah, when Dad was based in California Mom took us to Disneyland. We had a good time. Mom still has a picture of the four of us, posed like stair steps with mouse ears on our heads."
Mulder laughs. "I want to see that sometime, Scully."
I smile. "Why do you ask?"
"Sam wanted to go to Disney World so badly. I think her dream in life was to get Minnie Mouse's autograph. She had this little pink autograph album that she had gotten for her birthday from our aunt. She had a page all marked out for Minnie. Like you, we went without Dad, it was just Mom, Sam and me. I was eleven at the time, and all I was looking forward to was the roller coasters. But, Sam wanted Minnie. Mom turned me loose, and all day I rode the rides and made new friends in the park. When I met back with Mom and Sam for dinner, Samantha was crying. We'd been at the park all day, but she still hadn't seen Minnie. I was supposed to go and ride some more rides with this boy I had made friends with, but I couldn't let my kid sister cry. So, after dinner, I took her hand and we marched all over the park looking for Minnie Mouse."
Mulder stops to take a breath. He walks over to his suitcase and pulls out a small pink book and hands it to me.
"We finally found her just before the park closed. Sam's eyes lit up, and she let go of my hand to run after Minnie. She finally got her autograph, Scully. And Mom got a picture. When we got back to the hotel that night Samantha couldn't stop staring at the signature. She asked me to sign her book, too. Because, without me, she never would've met Minnie."
I open the old album and stare at the signatures in it. There are a few on the first pages that must have been from Samantha's friends. In the very back I find Minnie Mouse's signature. 'To Samantha, Love Minnie'. Right behind that is Mulder's signature. Even if it was written 27 years ago I can still see the beginnings of Mulder's messy scrawl. 'I'm glad you got to see Minnie. Love, Fox'.
"Those were the good times, Scully. After Sam was taken, and Mom and Dad divorced, I became...hollow. I coasted blindly through my early adolescence, but high school was some better. I was on the baseball and basketball teams, and I participated in debates and even the occasional school play. Whenever I thought ahead in my life, I always assumed Samantha would be back by now. It's been 28 years. That's why I didn't want this reminder, Scully. I have lived longer without my sister than I ever lived with her, and that hurts. She may never come back Scully, and I know people are going to ask about her tonight. How can I tell them that I have failed?"
I feel my heart break. How can I convince him...? "Mulder, you have not failed. You've lived a good life. This planet doesn't know what it owes you-us-. You may not have found Samantha, but that is out of your control, love. The important thing is that you haven't stopped. We will find her, Mulder. I promise. But tonight we are going to see people who you haven't seen in twenty years. You are going to wow them with stories of going to Oxford, surviving the FBI academy, and of becoming a heat packing G-man." I stop and grin wickedly, "I put one condition on this, however".
He lifts an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"
"Don't tell them about the Flukeman. I don't think they could take it."
Mulder laughs and comes over to sit by me on the bed. He kisses my cheek. "I'm glad you're coming with me, baby. Even if I can't wow them with heat packing FBI stories, I can almost certainly wow them with you."
I blush, and turn away to look at the clock. 5:27.
"Come on, Mulder." I say, taking his hand and trying to tug him from the hotel bed. "It's time to hit the showers." He looks at me. I smile broadly. "You want to wash my back?"
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
7:37 p.m.
I stare out the car window at the farms and stately old houses outside of Chilmark. The reunion is set for eight o'clock, in a new elementary school slightly outside of town. Mulder explained to me early yesterday that the reunion couldn't be held in the actual high school that he attended as it burned down fifteen years ago. He attended a private high school, graduating with around a hundred others. He told me with a note of sadness in his voice that three of his classmates died in a car crash several years' back. He also shared the thought with me that it is tough growing older. I had to agree.
When we have arrived and parked, I flip down the car's sun visor and look in the lighted vanity mirror. My makeup remains intact, except for the lipstick, and I apply a new red coat of it. I look over at Mulder and say, "What do you think?"
He smirks at me. "What do I think? I think I'm about to get lipstick all over myself; that's what I think." With that he kisses me thoroughly. As predicted he does get lipstick all over himself and it takes me a moment to wipe it off. I reapply again, swatting away Mulder's attempt at yet another kiss.
"Later," I breathe in his ear, "I promise."
Mulder's classmates are going to wonder why he is walking in with such a goofy grin.
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
Gymnasium of Cromwell Elementary School
7:54 p.m.
Entering the gym of the Cromwell Elementary school, I feel a large sense of d�j� vu wash over me. The music playing is music that I listened to when I was teenager, and I swear they have a disco ball suspended over the center of the gym. Mulder takes my hand and leads me over to a table bearing a bright sign asking people to 'Please Sign In'. There are several people behind the table, and they all look up as they hear my heels clicking towards them.
I can see them searching first my face and then Mulder's for some clue of who we are. Glancing up at Mulder I see the recognition in his eyes, a moment before one of the women behind the table smiles and says, "Fox!" rather enthusiastically. I close my eyes briefly realizing I'll just have to deal with his being 'Fox' all evening.
"Marie!" he exclaims, smiling warmly at a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Holly in the Bureau's Computer Records section. I wonder briefly if they used to date, but I swallow that jealousy quickly. He squeezes my hand tightly before letting go to accept Marie's hug.
Marie pulls back and smiles at Mulder, looking him up and down. "You've hardly changed, Fox!" She looks over at me and smiles asking, "Is this your wife? I had heard you were married."
Mulder shakes his head and pulls me towards him. "The marriage didn't work out. I was divorced nine years ago. This is my...girlfriend, Dana Scully." Mulder, bless him, doesn't like the sound of 'girlfriend' either. In the beginning of our non-professional relationship we would say 'partner' but that confused people more than helped them. We assumed that 'soulmate' was too much information of most people, so girlfriend and boyfriend it remains. I will admit, however, to feeling a thrill everytime someone calls me Mulder's wife.
Marie explains to me that she and Mulder were good friends, they met in the drama club their junior year, Marie playing Juliet to Mulder's Romeo. "Unfortunately," she laughs, "That was it for us. We were only friends." She punches Mulder's arm, "Just think what could've been, Fox," she teases. He laughs, and I feel a surge of happiness that this woman is and was his friend. Marie tells us of her life, and introduces us to her husband, Mark. She and Mark have been married for fourteen years and have a twelve-year-old daughter, Barbara. She is an accountant, and is highly impressed at Mulder and my FBI status.
Marie leads us in to mingle with others already in the gym. Mulder and I both now wear name tags, Mulder's proclaiming, "FOX MULDER: VALEDICTORIAN" with his high school picture on it. He was adorable even then with the same goofy smile and floppy hair. My tag simply reads, "GUEST: DANA SCULLY". I had to correct the spelling of my name from SKULLY, which Mulder received quite a laugh from.
Once inside I loose track of how many people I meet who have married, had children, and now have the executive corner office. We are offered more stock shares than I care to recount, but on the plus side I've heard of plenty of Mulder antics. I remind myself to ask him later to give me more details on the uniqueness of the backseat of the driver's ED car. Mulder holds me close all evening, introducing me to everyone with a note of pride in his voice. I lose track of the number of times I am asked if I am his wife, and I mentally remind myself to buy us rings before the next reunion. Even if we are not married, we can pretend for our sanity.
When asked about Samantha, Mulder replies that he is still searching for her. Hearing the note of sadness in his voice, and perhaps the desperation, the subject is always abruptly dropped.
I look at all the pictures hanging around the room; I spy Mulder playing basketball and baseball, I see him in the infamous Romeo tights, and a picture of him looking cute as a button giving his valedictorian address. I ask him what he said in it, and he jokingly replies that he was the original inspiration for the sunscreen line. He sobers quickly and says that he told his class to follow their destinies, as each person in the room had a separate one.
"Have you followed yours?" I ask. He nods and pulls me close briefly. I realize that he doesn't want to be somber tonight just before he whispers in my ear, "Want to dance?"
I am pulled out onto the makeshift dance floor, really just a square made by the dinner tables that have been set out. I haven't danced to disco in ages, and it takes me a moment to find a rhythm. I must say that I never thought I'd see the day in which Mulder and I danced together to "Disco Inferno". To my delight we dance to a few slow songs as well, before we leave the floor.
When we reach our seats, Mulder leans back in his chair and surveys the crowd. "God, Scully," He says in an amazed voice, "it's Mr. Caldwell. I swear he must be in his 80's by now. I thought he'd be dead."
"Who's Mr. Caldwell?" I ask curiously.
"He's the man who pulled me out of my early adolescent funk, and gave me my interest in psychology. I first had him as a teacher when I was fourteen. I was still blindly coasting through life, and I had nothing that really peaked my interest. Mr. Caldwell was the school's psychology teacher, and he claims to have seen the psychologist in me. I owe him a lot, Scully." With this we once again leave our table and head towards Mulder's ex psychology teacher.
At the table where Mr. Caldwell sits alone, Mulder takes the seat next to him and smiles asking, "Do you remember me?"
The older man breaks into a grin and stands up to hug Mulder in his chair. "Fox Mulder, my prized student. How could I forget you? Let's see...graduated Oxford at the top of your class. Entered FBI as a fresh faced agent only to be disillusioned by profiling, although you remain the best there is. Reopened a classified project known as the "X-Files", being partnered with one Dr. Dana Scully." With this he looks at me and nods, "I've watched your work, Fox. I'm proud of you."
For the next hour we sit and tell Mr. Caldwell-Ben-of our work. He is fascinated by our accounts of unexplainable phenomenon, but is more interested in our stories of psychopaths such as Pfaster and Roche. Mulder, in turn asks of Ben's life, and is rewarded with stories of grandchildren and of his private practice. Towards the point when the inevitable lull in conversation occurred, I notice a woman walking stealthily towards our table. She is a tall, brunette, with d-cup breasts...I look at her nametag: VICTORIA FITZGERALD-ROSS: CLASS PRESIDENT. No wonder Mulder didn't recognize her name. Victoria had been married. She comes up behind Mulder and places her hands over his eyes. Ben looks at me and rolls his eyes, and I stifle a laugh. I guess she was an old girlfriend.
"Fox?" She purrs in his ear, "Guess who?"
"Victoria?"
"How did you know?" she pouts. It's quite a show, really.
"I recognized your voice."
She finally releases him, and steps to face him. "Do you want to dance?" Her smile looks dangerous to me.
Mulder looks over to me, and I nod almost imperceptibly. He rises and moves to the floor with her. I look at Ben who also rises and offers me his hand.
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
10:40 p.m.
Mulder walks back to the table where Ben and I sit. Ben gave out after two dances, but Victoria held out for four. I noticed Mulder was starting to look uncomfortable, but before I could get up to offer assistance, he took matters into his own hands, and politely finished his last dance with her. He comes back to me and smiles.
"I never thought I'd dance with an octopus..."
I snigger, "I did notice she seemed to be all hands." He leans over and kisses me.
"You could have come and rescued me, Scully."
"And miss that show?" I smirk.
We look over at Ben who is smiling. "You're a lucky man, Fox," he says, "don't forget that."
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
11:07 p.m.
We are in the car again, heading back towards the hotel. We left the reunion right after Mulder and Victoria's dance, stopping only long enough to get Ben and Marie's addresses. Mulder is, again, quiet.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask, placing my hand on his thigh.
He smiles. "I had a good time."
"Care to elaborate?"
"It was...interesting to see all of them again. Especially Marie and Ben; I can't believe how much we've all changed." He places a hand over mine, still on his thigh. "Plus, I loved watching all the men salivate over you..."
I blush. Mulder smiles. We lapse into silence.
We arrive at the hotel and step out of the car. Mulder wraps his arm around my waist and guides me towards the front doors. A memory comes to me unbidden, and I look up at him as we wait for the elevator.
"Hey, you. Didn't you say I'd be paid well for this?"
Mulder looks at me and raises one of his eyebrows. "Cash, check, or credit?"
I shake my head.
"You, Mulder. I want you."
The elevator dings and opens. We step inside and ride up to our room. I feel a thrill of excitement. I'm about to be paid.
X~X~X~X~X~X~X
End.
This is an elemental fanfic from the HavenGroup. Elements are: electric fan, Frosties, William Shatner, "The Blair Witch Project", Disney World, Elementary school, Holly in the Bureau's Computer Records section, and "Disco Inferno"