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Yup, another old X-Files story...
Scully's POV
For the first time, I am going to have a chance to meet her. The other woman in Mulder's life.
After I went into remission, I thought Mulder and I would take things past the boundaries of friendship. I don't throw away the advice of my family for just anyone. I thought he understood that I loved him. And it seemed to me that he loved me just as much.
We started doing what "normal" couples do: go out to dinner or just enjoy each other's company doing nothing on a Saturday afternoon. We actually held each other's hands and kissed a few times in public.
Things were moving along with the X-Files. My health was in as perfect condition as it could be. Everything was going right, for a change. I couldn't feel more alive.
But all of that stopped with a letter. I was sorting through Mulder's mail while he was in the kitchen getting plates for our pizza when I noticed an envelope with printing on it. Definitely a woman's writing.
I looked at the return address for a name. Williamson. It didn't sound familiar to me. I figured it was probably one of Mulder's numerous sources, courtesy of the Lone Gunmen, for new X-Files. Without another thought, I put it on top of the piles of bills.
When Mulder came into the living room, the letter caught his eye. "Sending me love notes, Scully?" Before I could even respond, he picked up the envelope. After seeing who it was from, he got this incredibly goofy grin on his face. And that's when I knew.
Mulder loved whoever wrote him the letter.
I managed to behave normally for the rest of the evening. Mulder didn't open the letter and I wasn't about to ask who it was from. We said our good nights and I went home to nurse my broken heart.
A few weeks went by with no word from his mystery woman and I started convincing myself that I had read into something that wasn't there. Mulder was still spending nearly every evening with me and there was no time for another woman.
Then one day in the office, our phone rang. I picked it up to find that the caller wanted to talk to "Fox". I knew exactly who it was. I managed to tell Mulder he had a phone call without throwing the phone at him and demanding why every female except me can call him by his first name. I tried keeping myself busy so it didn't seem like I was eavesdropping, but after hearing him call her honey, I left the office.
I walked to the bathroom and gave myself a pep talk in the mirror. I'm Dana Scully. The Ice Queen. I'm supoosed to be able to take whatever the world throws at me and deal it with the greatest of ease. I told myself to go back into our office and demand Mulder to tell me what was going on.
When I came back, my plan was thrown off course. He started talking as soon as I stepped into the office. He said he had to go to New York for the weekend. He would invite me but he knew Charlie was coming out and he didn't want to take that away. I don't know what kind of woman Mulder thinks I am, but joining him to go see his "honey," was not my idea of fun.
I nodded and want back ot filing the expense report. I didn't talk to him again until he came back from New York. And don't even get me started on his "Sorry I blew you off this weekend" gift.
After his trip, he acted like nothing had changed between the two of us. He still stopped by my apartment with take out and a rented movie on a nearly daily basis. He wanted to snuggle with me on the couch until he reluctantly left for his own place. I don't know if he was trying to figure out which woman he wanted to be with or what, but it sure was confusing me.
Every couple of weeks, he would receive a phone call from her at work. Each time, I felt like Mulder and my relationship would take three steps back for every one we had taken. I was getting really weary of feeling used, so I was going to offer Mulder a choice: her or me. But, he beat me to it, which brings me to today.
I should have known something was up when he brought me a Starbucks coffee. Mulder is much more of a "I was filling up my gas tank and I saw they had a 39 cent special on coffee" guy.
"Scully, I'm sure you have noticed that I have been getting more phone calls of a personal nature." I didn't trust myself to talk so I waved him on to continue.
"I don't want my professional life to conflict with my personal one, so I thought I would do what I can to see that it won't happen anymore." I recognized the speech, I gave it to Jack right before I hightailed it out of his life. I stopped listening, saying the occasional OK every minute or so.
"...do you want to go with me to the airport or should I bring her to the office?" Why does he want me to meet this woman? Can't he just let me down and let things be?
I told him I would go with him. There was no reason to stretch this out any longer. He gave me a peck on the cheek and told me he couldn't wait. Did he forget I'm armed and have already shot him once?
The ride to the airport is awkward. Mulder is all smiles and I am trying to keep down the mocha latte he bought me. We walk to the gate together and wait. And wait. After a while, I vaguely register Mulder telling me her flight is late.
Great, could things go worse? No, wait--don't answer that. I know that with Mulder and me, anything can happen.
Mulder must have sensed my tension because he reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Everything will be fine, Scully." I refuse to acknowledge he even said that. He's not the one getting dumped.
Finally, her flight arrives. Mulder jumps up, leaving me in my seat. I think Bill is right, Mulder is a sorry son of a-
"Scully!"
I get up, straighten my suit and prepare myself. When I see the two figures approaching, my eyes widen. How in the world did I not see this coming?
"Scully, I want you to meet my sister, Samantha Williamson."
Mulder, I think, we have got to work on our communication.
Mulder's POV
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would ever happen. And, as my subconscious could tell you, I have had some dreams that would put Freud to shame. Today, the two most important women in my life are going to meet each other.
For the first time since I can remember, things are finally going right for me. After Scully's cancer went into remission, we moved forward in our relationship. More than best friends, not yet lovers. I think the outside world calls that dating.
Things are wonderful. I have corrupted Scully's health nut side and got her craving Meat Lovers' pizza. Scully has finally showed me the finer side of eating bee pollen. But if the guys ever found out, I would deny it with my dying breath. Langly would never let me live it down.
I was so at ease with myself that I found the courage to write Samantha after our disastrous meeting. I told her that I loved her and I'd like to have a future with her, not fight over the past. Even I in my stubbornness could see that she wouldn't listen to what I had to say about her "father."
Imagine my surprise when two weeks later, I received a response. Scully was over that night, sorting my mail. I think she likes to check up and make sure that "Marty" no longer receives mail here.
When I saw the neat piles on the table, the one with someone's handwriting on it call to me. Could it be?
I made some lame joke to Scully to cover any disappointment I might have had. I picked it up. And smiled. I must have looked ridiculous there because Scully asked, "Another crazy lead to a new X-file? Should I go home and pack my bag?"
I smiled and tucked the letter away. There was no way I could tell Scully who the letter was from because I hadn't told her that I met Samantha in the first place.
Hey, it's not my fault everything happened so quickly with her remission. I meant to tell her.
Really.
When Scully left after the movie, I pulled the envelope out and ripped it open. "Fox, I'll call you when I'm ready," was all the note said. I didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.
I really did want to tell Scully about Sam's letter, but things came up like they always do. Besides, I told myself, there was no reason to get Scully's hopes up if Samantha was never going to call.
After a month of hearing nothing from my sister, I was beginning to lose hope. Then at the office one day, Scully picked up the phone and told me I had a call. I quickly ran through the last week's events to make sure it wasn't Skinner, but I didn't need to worry about that.
It was Samantha, who wanted to invite me to her son's birthday party. I was so thrilled, I called her Honey, my mom's nickname for her. She was suddenly quiet. "Don't make me regret this," she warned.
When I hung up, I looked for Scully but she had left the office. I couldn't wait to tell her the news. Maybe she could come with me. I was on the line with my travel agent to book two tickets when I looked at the calendar. Crap. This was the weekend Charlie and his family were coming out to visit.
Now, I may not be the most courteous co-worker, but I do try hard to be a good boyfriend, for lack of a better word. That's why, despite my need, I told Scully to stay here while I went to New York for the weekend. For some reason that got her mad. Oh well, I figured I would buy her something nice and she would forget about it.
On Monday, I came into the office with my gift to her: a Statue of Liberty doll that dances whenever it hears music. Based on the look Scully gave me, I didn't think I got out of the doghouse yet. Actually, I wasn't even sure if I would live to see the end of the day.
Seeing my defeat, I tried to move things forward, giving her a not entirely truthful recollection of how my weekend went. My short term memory seemed to have once again "forgotten" mentioning anything about Samantha.
Despite my efforts to cheer her up, Scully seemed more on edge. I chalked it up to spending time with family members that she hadn't seen in a long time. I knew how taxing, yet rewarding, the past two days had been for me.
After that awkward morning, I acted like everything was normal. Things with Scully and I were still moving along. A movie and dinner were still our dates of choice along with a healthy dose of snuggling and making out.
Samantha called to check in every couple of weeks. After the second call to the office, I asked her if she could call my apartment. But being the butt munch little sister she always was, she refused saying, "You can't tell me what to do, Fox." Which was easy for her to say because she didn't have to deal with Scully's eyes shooting laser beams at her every time she called.
Personally, I think Samantha likes all this power she has over me.
After a couple of months of "Getting to Know You" courtesy of Ma Bell, Samantha asked if she could fly down to DC to see my life. Of course I told her yes. She told me she would fly down the next day before she could talk herself out of it.
This was the best day of my life. I was dating and working with the best woman in the world and my family was slowly starting to accept me. Which reminds me, I really should call Mom and let her know I've been talking with Samantha. Maybe on Monday.
I was so happy the next day I even battled the line at Starbucks to get Scully's favorite kind of coffee. Samantha's plane landed in the late afternoon and I really wanted Scully to greet her at the airport with me. Now I just had to come up with a way to convince Scully to ditch work early.
By the time I reached the building, I had my plan in place. I'd tell her once Samantha got to see how important our work was, she would respect us and not call the office anymore. That would result in us being more efficient. It was a bit of a stretch, but it had Scully's best friend, logic, behind it.
I walked into the office and gave her the coffee. She looked at me as though I had three heads. Uh oh, she knew something up. I started my speech.
"Scully, I'm sure you have noticed that I have been getting more phone calls of a personal nature." Not good, she didn't even say anything. She didn't even bother raising her eyebrows. Why didn't she tell me how much these phone calls upset her?
But I pushed myself to continue. "I don't want my professional life to conflict with my personal one, so I thought I would do what I can to see that it won't happen anymore." I could actually see the walls go up.
Quickly, I finished. I just rushed to the end of my speech before Scully could walk out of the room. "Anyways, she is flying out this afternoon to get to know me better. I really want you to meet her. You know, tell me what you think of her. So, do you want to go with me to the airport or should I bring her to the office?"
She agreed to come with me to the airport. I was so happy, I gave her a kiss. She looked at me disapprovingly. No kissing in the office. Right. Now if I could just get rid of this idiotic smile, we would be batting 1000.
After a few hours of work, we arrived at the airport and I still had that stupid grin on my face. I looked at Scully who was shifting in her seat uncomfortably. I took her hand and told her everything would be fine. I could understand her nervousness. I was a wreck when I first took that trip to New York.
Ten minutes had passed and there was no sign of Samantha. I looked at the display. Delayed. Great, now I was getting nervous.
Time passed and Scully was still quiet. I was about to ask her if everything was ok when I saw people coming from Sam's gate. I jumped up to meet her. I couldn't wait to bring my past and present together to make my future.
When I reached Samantha I turned to introduce Scully, who was still sitting in that chair. Why was she still there? Didn't she know how important this was to me?
As we walked up to her, I see her eyes widen in shock. I did tell her who we were meeting here, didn't I?
Didn't I?
Oh Scully, I think, I've got some explaining to do.
Samantha's POV
So this was the woman who my brother couldn't stop talking aboutthe entire time he was up visiting me.
My brother. It sounds weird to me even though I have been talking to him off and on for the past several months. I still don't know what to think about his claim that my father knew he was looking for me, yet kept my location unknown to him. Fortunately, Fox hasn't brought that up. Though things are moving towards some kind of normal relationship between my brother and I, I would take my father’s side over Fox’s without a second thought.
I suppress a sigh. I still can't believe I let my husband talk me into flying down here.
But I digress, back to "Scully”. I can't believe that Fox actually calls her by her last name. I mean, if they were just work partners, I would understand. But Fox has let me know in no uncertain terms that she is his girlfriend. I think back to when I was dating my husband. If he had called me Spender instead of Samantha, I would have kicked him to the curb.
I'm babbling again.
We find Fox's car and he loads my bags in the trunk. Now normally, seating arrangements in a car are no big deal. In my family, I'm the Mom, I always sit in the front. If I'm in my carpool, I always sit in the back. This situation has got me confused. If it wasn't for the icy look Scully was giving me, I would have taken the seat in the front, no questions asked. Fox is my long lost brother, after all.
Fox speaks up before I have time to say anything. "Hey Scully, why don't you take the back seat? I'm sure Samantha would like the extra leg room in the front after her flight."
I hope Fox wasn't sleeping with her yet. With the look she gave him, he wouldn't be getting any action for the next decade.
I look over to her and offered a smile. "You are more than welcome to have the front." That's me, Samantha Williamson. Peacemaker extraordinaire.
She looks at me with a confused look, almost as if she forgot I was there. "No, that's ok. *Fox* wants to sit next to you."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my brother cringe. I guess the last name calling is a mutual thing.
I shrug. I don't know why she bothered coming to the airport if she was going to act this way. You would think she would be happy for Fox that he was finally reunited with me.
I open the door and saw Fox shooting Scully a glance. If she saw him, she didn't show any outside signs that she did. She slid in the seat behind me.
Fox sat in the driver's seat, biting his lip. I knew he was nervous. Even though we were separated when I was quite young, I still remember Fox biting his lip when he knew he was in trouble.
"So, where do you want to eat, Scully?"
I'm assuming by him giving her control of tonight's plan, that he knows he's done something wrong.
"At home." I heard the unspoken word "alone" added at the end of the sentence.
He looks in the rearview mirror at his girlfriend. "Come on, Scully."
I am disappointed in my brother. I would have never pegged him for being so whipped by his lover. He already has the puppy dog look on his face. All Scully needs is a leash and the picture would be complete.
I shift in my seat, breaking my train of thought. My husband is always saying that I'm too judgmental.
She huffs loudly, though I'm sure she would kick me if she heard me saying that. "I don't care, Mulder. Just go somewhere."
He turns to me and flashes an apologetic smile. Poor Fox, I think, what have you gotten yourself into with this woman?
Mulder's POV
We wound up going to Vince's. I know Scully has been on an Italian kick lately and taking her to the place that serves the best spaghetti in town seemed like a good place to start groveling to her.
I know she is still pissed at the fact that I forgot to tell her who exactly we were meeting. Every time I tried to talk to her, she lived up to her Ice Queen title. One word answers. Laser beam stares. Her eyebrow was permanently in its upright position. It was getting a little tiring.
I screwed up. Fine. I'll probably do twenty more things to make things worse before the night is over. I am human, after all.
Samantha is handling Scully as well as anyone can. She keeps on shooting me sympathetic glances from across the table. I hope Scully doesn't see them. The last thing I need to do is referee a cat fight between the two of them.
Balancing the two is a harder task than I thought it would be.
Scully surprises me by beginning to talk to Samantha. Inwardly, I hold my breath. Scully is unpredictable when she is angry.
"So, Samantha, how long have you and Mulder been talking to each other?"
Well, at least she stopped calling me Fox. That just sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.
My sister looks at me questioningly. I look down at my napkin. There is no way I'm explaining my faux pas to her right now. Or possibly ever. "Um, he wrote me several months ago. About a month after we met at the diner," I hear her answer.
Uh oh, this conversation is not what I want to hear right now. I sneak a peek at Scully. I wonder if I can crawl under the table without calling too much attention to myself.
Scully's eyebrow rose even higher. If I wasn't so concerned for the well being of my manhood, I would have thought it was incredibly sexy. "A diner?"
Now Sam looks really confused. "Yeah, when you were in the hospital for your cancer. My father arranged a meeting."
"Your father?"
Warning. Warning. The red lights are going off in my head. Stop this conversation at all costs. Do NOT let Samantha answer.
"Scully, I love you."
Two pairs of eyes stare at me. I would be staring at myself if I could. What in the world possessed me to say that?
Scully is the first to break the silence that has come over the table. "I've got to go."
I'm no fool, despite what I just said. If I tried to stop her, I'd be talking an octave higher when Scully was through with me.
After she left the table and Samantha looks at me disapprovingly. "I shouldn't have come."
If I thought my heart was breaking with Scully's departure, it is surely shattering now. "Yes, you should have. I screwed up. But please, Sam, don't regret seeing me."
She studies my face for a second. I must look pathetic because she actually reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Want a piece of advice?"
I nod numbly.
"Never tell a woman you love her to distract her. She'll never believe that you really do," she says.
Nodding, I let go of her hand. "Thanks."
Soon after that, I took her to the hotel she is staying in and promise her the next day I would take her to all the tourist spots in D.C.
After I see her walk inside, I floor it to Scully's.
Scully's POV
People say physical aggression doesn't really make a person feel better. I beg to differ. I don't think there was anything that could make me feel as good as I did when I threw my heels at my closet door.
Well, maybe if I threw them at Mulder's head. Perhaps it would knock some much needed sense in him.
I don't think I have ever been so furious in my life. And if I have, it was no doubt because of Mulder.
I still can't believe he said he loved me just because his sister was about to reveal some other secret he "forgot" to tell me.
But what I'm really angry about is the fact for a second when he first said it, I was consumed with bliss. What a fool.
I take off my pantyhose so forcefully, I tear a hole in them. Since my wrath is all his fault, Mulder's buying me a new pair. Images of thigh-high hose with garters fill my head. Never mind, I'll buy my own hosiery.
I manage to get the rest of my clothes off without damaging them. I'm taking a nice, long bath. Maybe then I'll be able to calm my murderous impulses towards Mulder.
Fifteen minutes later, I hear my phone ring. There is no way I'm getting out of my sanctuary. I just now managed to think about my partner without my blood pressure going through the roof.
After I hear my voice on the machine, Mulder starts speaking. "Scully? Are you there?"
Go away, Mulder. I'm not answering the phone.
"Well, um, I guess you're not going to pick up. I just wanted to come over. You know, work things out. Since you're not picking up, I'm going to assume that you're ok with me coming over. After all, you're not one to be afraid to tell me to go to hell if you didn't want to see me." He laughs stiffly. "I'll be over soon."
I clinch my fists. Only Mulder and his backwards thinking would put together that me not answering the phone means I want him to come over. There are times I still question how he got the reputation of being brilliant. Like now.
I pull the plug out of the tub with my toes. I dry myself and put on some of my "weekend clothes”. A pullover sweater and leggings. I don't have time to dry my hair and frankly, I don't really care what I look like to Mr. Forgetful.
Soon after I started putting on a pot of coffee, I hear Mulder's tentative knock. "Come in." Was that my calm voice? Wow, I impress myself.
He walks in with what I am assuming is my leftover food. "HeyScully."
That's it? Hey Scully? Why is he wasting our time again?
"I, um, was thinking about what I said on the way over. You know, at Vince's. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it," he says very softly.
I thought the night couldn't get worse. Leave it to Mulder to disprove one of my theories. "Whatever, you said something and now you want to take it back. Fine." That was more like it. There was no way I was going to let him know he was taking a sledgehammer to my heart.
"Wait," he calls, grabbing my shoulder. "Are we ok?"
Please, someone tell me he is joking. He keeps his newly founded relationship with his sister a secret for months. He tells me he loves me just to keep another secret from me and now he wants to know if everything is fine. No, no, no. Things are all wrong.
I look at his broken hearted look and realize I said all of those things out loud. Oh well, it's better than me saying "I'm fine".
He clears his throat. "I met up with Samantha several months ago, like she said. She thinks Cancer Man is her father. That's what I didn't want her telling you."
"What? He's had her?" I don't know what to think.
"Yeah. She refuses to believe he's anything other than Father of the Year material."
My mind is racing. Why would Mulder put himself on the line like that? Who knows what Cancer Man would do to get any information Mulder told Samantha?
He must have seen my concern, because he continues talking, "I couldn't let her go without trying to reach out to her." He smiles sadly. "She is my sister."
The way he says it is so sincere and sad, I feel my anger starting to subside. "Why didn't you tell me that you were talking to her in the first place?"
He shrugs. "Would you believe I just forgot to tell you?"
I laugh. That would be such a Mulder thing for him to do. "Yes," I answer, "I would."
He walks up closer to me. "Would you believe me if I said I meant what I said at the restaurant?"
I swallow. This is it. If I say the wrong thing, it could set our relationship back to before my remission. I kiss him softly.
"Yes, I would."
The smile that covers his face is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. "And Mulder? I love you too." He grabs me and kisses me for what feels like forever.
I pull away from him. Things may be all right now, but I want to make sure there are no more surprises in store for our relationship down the line. "Is there anything else you need to tell me, Mulder? Any other secrets?"
He bites his lip for a second before answering. "I didn't happen to mention I was married before, did I?"
Scully's POV
For the first time, I am going to have a chance to meet her. The other woman in Mulder's life.
After I went into remission, I thought Mulder and I would take things past the boundaries of friendship. I don't throw away the advice of my family for just anyone. I thought he understood that I loved him. And it seemed to me that he loved me just as much.
We started doing what "normal" couples do: go out to dinner or just enjoy each other's company doing nothing on a Saturday afternoon. We actually held each other's hands and kissed a few times in public.
Things were moving along with the X-Files. My health was in as perfect condition as it could be. Everything was going right, for a change. I couldn't feel more alive.
But all of that stopped with a letter. I was sorting through Mulder's mail while he was in the kitchen getting plates for our pizza when I noticed an envelope with printing on it. Definitely a woman's writing.
I looked at the return address for a name. Williamson. It didn't sound familiar to me. I figured it was probably one of Mulder's numerous sources, courtesy of the Lone Gunmen, for new X-Files. Without another thought, I put it on top of the piles of bills.
When Mulder came into the living room, the letter caught his eye. "Sending me love notes, Scully?" Before I could even respond, he picked up the envelope. After seeing who it was from, he got this incredibly goofy grin on his face. And that's when I knew.
Mulder loved whoever wrote him the letter.
I managed to behave normally for the rest of the evening. Mulder didn't open the letter and I wasn't about to ask who it was from. We said our good nights and I went home to nurse my broken heart.
A few weeks went by with no word from his mystery woman and I started convincing myself that I had read into something that wasn't there. Mulder was still spending nearly every evening with me and there was no time for another woman.
Then one day in the office, our phone rang. I picked it up to find that the caller wanted to talk to "Fox". I knew exactly who it was. I managed to tell Mulder he had a phone call without throwing the phone at him and demanding why every female except me can call him by his first name. I tried keeping myself busy so it didn't seem like I was eavesdropping, but after hearing him call her honey, I left the office.
I walked to the bathroom and gave myself a pep talk in the mirror. I'm Dana Scully. The Ice Queen. I'm supoosed to be able to take whatever the world throws at me and deal it with the greatest of ease. I told myself to go back into our office and demand Mulder to tell me what was going on.
When I came back, my plan was thrown off course. He started talking as soon as I stepped into the office. He said he had to go to New York for the weekend. He would invite me but he knew Charlie was coming out and he didn't want to take that away. I don't know what kind of woman Mulder thinks I am, but joining him to go see his "honey," was not my idea of fun.
I nodded and want back ot filing the expense report. I didn't talk to him again until he came back from New York. And don't even get me started on his "Sorry I blew you off this weekend" gift.
After his trip, he acted like nothing had changed between the two of us. He still stopped by my apartment with take out and a rented movie on a nearly daily basis. He wanted to snuggle with me on the couch until he reluctantly left for his own place. I don't know if he was trying to figure out which woman he wanted to be with or what, but it sure was confusing me.
Every couple of weeks, he would receive a phone call from her at work. Each time, I felt like Mulder and my relationship would take three steps back for every one we had taken. I was getting really weary of feeling used, so I was going to offer Mulder a choice: her or me. But, he beat me to it, which brings me to today.
I should have known something was up when he brought me a Starbucks coffee. Mulder is much more of a "I was filling up my gas tank and I saw they had a 39 cent special on coffee" guy.
"Scully, I'm sure you have noticed that I have been getting more phone calls of a personal nature." I didn't trust myself to talk so I waved him on to continue.
"I don't want my professional life to conflict with my personal one, so I thought I would do what I can to see that it won't happen anymore." I recognized the speech, I gave it to Jack right before I hightailed it out of his life. I stopped listening, saying the occasional OK every minute or so.
"...do you want to go with me to the airport or should I bring her to the office?" Why does he want me to meet this woman? Can't he just let me down and let things be?
I told him I would go with him. There was no reason to stretch this out any longer. He gave me a peck on the cheek and told me he couldn't wait. Did he forget I'm armed and have already shot him once?
The ride to the airport is awkward. Mulder is all smiles and I am trying to keep down the mocha latte he bought me. We walk to the gate together and wait. And wait. After a while, I vaguely register Mulder telling me her flight is late.
Great, could things go worse? No, wait--don't answer that. I know that with Mulder and me, anything can happen.
Mulder must have sensed my tension because he reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Everything will be fine, Scully." I refuse to acknowledge he even said that. He's not the one getting dumped.
Finally, her flight arrives. Mulder jumps up, leaving me in my seat. I think Bill is right, Mulder is a sorry son of a-
"Scully!"
I get up, straighten my suit and prepare myself. When I see the two figures approaching, my eyes widen. How in the world did I not see this coming?
"Scully, I want you to meet my sister, Samantha Williamson."
Mulder, I think, we have got to work on our communication.
Mulder's POV
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would ever happen. And, as my subconscious could tell you, I have had some dreams that would put Freud to shame. Today, the two most important women in my life are going to meet each other.
For the first time since I can remember, things are finally going right for me. After Scully's cancer went into remission, we moved forward in our relationship. More than best friends, not yet lovers. I think the outside world calls that dating.
Things are wonderful. I have corrupted Scully's health nut side and got her craving Meat Lovers' pizza. Scully has finally showed me the finer side of eating bee pollen. But if the guys ever found out, I would deny it with my dying breath. Langly would never let me live it down.
I was so at ease with myself that I found the courage to write Samantha after our disastrous meeting. I told her that I loved her and I'd like to have a future with her, not fight over the past. Even I in my stubbornness could see that she wouldn't listen to what I had to say about her "father."
Imagine my surprise when two weeks later, I received a response. Scully was over that night, sorting my mail. I think she likes to check up and make sure that "Marty" no longer receives mail here.
When I saw the neat piles on the table, the one with someone's handwriting on it call to me. Could it be?
I made some lame joke to Scully to cover any disappointment I might have had. I picked it up. And smiled. I must have looked ridiculous there because Scully asked, "Another crazy lead to a new X-file? Should I go home and pack my bag?"
I smiled and tucked the letter away. There was no way I could tell Scully who the letter was from because I hadn't told her that I met Samantha in the first place.
Hey, it's not my fault everything happened so quickly with her remission. I meant to tell her.
Really.
When Scully left after the movie, I pulled the envelope out and ripped it open. "Fox, I'll call you when I'm ready," was all the note said. I didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.
I really did want to tell Scully about Sam's letter, but things came up like they always do. Besides, I told myself, there was no reason to get Scully's hopes up if Samantha was never going to call.
After a month of hearing nothing from my sister, I was beginning to lose hope. Then at the office one day, Scully picked up the phone and told me I had a call. I quickly ran through the last week's events to make sure it wasn't Skinner, but I didn't need to worry about that.
It was Samantha, who wanted to invite me to her son's birthday party. I was so thrilled, I called her Honey, my mom's nickname for her. She was suddenly quiet. "Don't make me regret this," she warned.
When I hung up, I looked for Scully but she had left the office. I couldn't wait to tell her the news. Maybe she could come with me. I was on the line with my travel agent to book two tickets when I looked at the calendar. Crap. This was the weekend Charlie and his family were coming out to visit.
Now, I may not be the most courteous co-worker, but I do try hard to be a good boyfriend, for lack of a better word. That's why, despite my need, I told Scully to stay here while I went to New York for the weekend. For some reason that got her mad. Oh well, I figured I would buy her something nice and she would forget about it.
On Monday, I came into the office with my gift to her: a Statue of Liberty doll that dances whenever it hears music. Based on the look Scully gave me, I didn't think I got out of the doghouse yet. Actually, I wasn't even sure if I would live to see the end of the day.
Seeing my defeat, I tried to move things forward, giving her a not entirely truthful recollection of how my weekend went. My short term memory seemed to have once again "forgotten" mentioning anything about Samantha.
Despite my efforts to cheer her up, Scully seemed more on edge. I chalked it up to spending time with family members that she hadn't seen in a long time. I knew how taxing, yet rewarding, the past two days had been for me.
After that awkward morning, I acted like everything was normal. Things with Scully and I were still moving along. A movie and dinner were still our dates of choice along with a healthy dose of snuggling and making out.
Samantha called to check in every couple of weeks. After the second call to the office, I asked her if she could call my apartment. But being the butt munch little sister she always was, she refused saying, "You can't tell me what to do, Fox." Which was easy for her to say because she didn't have to deal with Scully's eyes shooting laser beams at her every time she called.
Personally, I think Samantha likes all this power she has over me.
After a couple of months of "Getting to Know You" courtesy of Ma Bell, Samantha asked if she could fly down to DC to see my life. Of course I told her yes. She told me she would fly down the next day before she could talk herself out of it.
This was the best day of my life. I was dating and working with the best woman in the world and my family was slowly starting to accept me. Which reminds me, I really should call Mom and let her know I've been talking with Samantha. Maybe on Monday.
I was so happy the next day I even battled the line at Starbucks to get Scully's favorite kind of coffee. Samantha's plane landed in the late afternoon and I really wanted Scully to greet her at the airport with me. Now I just had to come up with a way to convince Scully to ditch work early.
By the time I reached the building, I had my plan in place. I'd tell her once Samantha got to see how important our work was, she would respect us and not call the office anymore. That would result in us being more efficient. It was a bit of a stretch, but it had Scully's best friend, logic, behind it.
I walked into the office and gave her the coffee. She looked at me as though I had three heads. Uh oh, she knew something up. I started my speech.
"Scully, I'm sure you have noticed that I have been getting more phone calls of a personal nature." Not good, she didn't even say anything. She didn't even bother raising her eyebrows. Why didn't she tell me how much these phone calls upset her?
But I pushed myself to continue. "I don't want my professional life to conflict with my personal one, so I thought I would do what I can to see that it won't happen anymore." I could actually see the walls go up.
Quickly, I finished. I just rushed to the end of my speech before Scully could walk out of the room. "Anyways, she is flying out this afternoon to get to know me better. I really want you to meet her. You know, tell me what you think of her. So, do you want to go with me to the airport or should I bring her to the office?"
She agreed to come with me to the airport. I was so happy, I gave her a kiss. She looked at me disapprovingly. No kissing in the office. Right. Now if I could just get rid of this idiotic smile, we would be batting 1000.
After a few hours of work, we arrived at the airport and I still had that stupid grin on my face. I looked at Scully who was shifting in her seat uncomfortably. I took her hand and told her everything would be fine. I could understand her nervousness. I was a wreck when I first took that trip to New York.
Ten minutes had passed and there was no sign of Samantha. I looked at the display. Delayed. Great, now I was getting nervous.
Time passed and Scully was still quiet. I was about to ask her if everything was ok when I saw people coming from Sam's gate. I jumped up to meet her. I couldn't wait to bring my past and present together to make my future.
When I reached Samantha I turned to introduce Scully, who was still sitting in that chair. Why was she still there? Didn't she know how important this was to me?
As we walked up to her, I see her eyes widen in shock. I did tell her who we were meeting here, didn't I?
Didn't I?
Oh Scully, I think, I've got some explaining to do.
Samantha's POV
So this was the woman who my brother couldn't stop talking aboutthe entire time he was up visiting me.
My brother. It sounds weird to me even though I have been talking to him off and on for the past several months. I still don't know what to think about his claim that my father knew he was looking for me, yet kept my location unknown to him. Fortunately, Fox hasn't brought that up. Though things are moving towards some kind of normal relationship between my brother and I, I would take my father’s side over Fox’s without a second thought.
I suppress a sigh. I still can't believe I let my husband talk me into flying down here.
But I digress, back to "Scully”. I can't believe that Fox actually calls her by her last name. I mean, if they were just work partners, I would understand. But Fox has let me know in no uncertain terms that she is his girlfriend. I think back to when I was dating my husband. If he had called me Spender instead of Samantha, I would have kicked him to the curb.
I'm babbling again.
We find Fox's car and he loads my bags in the trunk. Now normally, seating arrangements in a car are no big deal. In my family, I'm the Mom, I always sit in the front. If I'm in my carpool, I always sit in the back. This situation has got me confused. If it wasn't for the icy look Scully was giving me, I would have taken the seat in the front, no questions asked. Fox is my long lost brother, after all.
Fox speaks up before I have time to say anything. "Hey Scully, why don't you take the back seat? I'm sure Samantha would like the extra leg room in the front after her flight."
I hope Fox wasn't sleeping with her yet. With the look she gave him, he wouldn't be getting any action for the next decade.
I look over to her and offered a smile. "You are more than welcome to have the front." That's me, Samantha Williamson. Peacemaker extraordinaire.
She looks at me with a confused look, almost as if she forgot I was there. "No, that's ok. *Fox* wants to sit next to you."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my brother cringe. I guess the last name calling is a mutual thing.
I shrug. I don't know why she bothered coming to the airport if she was going to act this way. You would think she would be happy for Fox that he was finally reunited with me.
I open the door and saw Fox shooting Scully a glance. If she saw him, she didn't show any outside signs that she did. She slid in the seat behind me.
Fox sat in the driver's seat, biting his lip. I knew he was nervous. Even though we were separated when I was quite young, I still remember Fox biting his lip when he knew he was in trouble.
"So, where do you want to eat, Scully?"
I'm assuming by him giving her control of tonight's plan, that he knows he's done something wrong.
"At home." I heard the unspoken word "alone" added at the end of the sentence.
He looks in the rearview mirror at his girlfriend. "Come on, Scully."
I am disappointed in my brother. I would have never pegged him for being so whipped by his lover. He already has the puppy dog look on his face. All Scully needs is a leash and the picture would be complete.
I shift in my seat, breaking my train of thought. My husband is always saying that I'm too judgmental.
She huffs loudly, though I'm sure she would kick me if she heard me saying that. "I don't care, Mulder. Just go somewhere."
He turns to me and flashes an apologetic smile. Poor Fox, I think, what have you gotten yourself into with this woman?
Mulder's POV
We wound up going to Vince's. I know Scully has been on an Italian kick lately and taking her to the place that serves the best spaghetti in town seemed like a good place to start groveling to her.
I know she is still pissed at the fact that I forgot to tell her who exactly we were meeting. Every time I tried to talk to her, she lived up to her Ice Queen title. One word answers. Laser beam stares. Her eyebrow was permanently in its upright position. It was getting a little tiring.
I screwed up. Fine. I'll probably do twenty more things to make things worse before the night is over. I am human, after all.
Samantha is handling Scully as well as anyone can. She keeps on shooting me sympathetic glances from across the table. I hope Scully doesn't see them. The last thing I need to do is referee a cat fight between the two of them.
Balancing the two is a harder task than I thought it would be.
Scully surprises me by beginning to talk to Samantha. Inwardly, I hold my breath. Scully is unpredictable when she is angry.
"So, Samantha, how long have you and Mulder been talking to each other?"
Well, at least she stopped calling me Fox. That just sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.
My sister looks at me questioningly. I look down at my napkin. There is no way I'm explaining my faux pas to her right now. Or possibly ever. "Um, he wrote me several months ago. About a month after we met at the diner," I hear her answer.
Uh oh, this conversation is not what I want to hear right now. I sneak a peek at Scully. I wonder if I can crawl under the table without calling too much attention to myself.
Scully's eyebrow rose even higher. If I wasn't so concerned for the well being of my manhood, I would have thought it was incredibly sexy. "A diner?"
Now Sam looks really confused. "Yeah, when you were in the hospital for your cancer. My father arranged a meeting."
"Your father?"
Warning. Warning. The red lights are going off in my head. Stop this conversation at all costs. Do NOT let Samantha answer.
"Scully, I love you."
Two pairs of eyes stare at me. I would be staring at myself if I could. What in the world possessed me to say that?
Scully is the first to break the silence that has come over the table. "I've got to go."
I'm no fool, despite what I just said. If I tried to stop her, I'd be talking an octave higher when Scully was through with me.
After she left the table and Samantha looks at me disapprovingly. "I shouldn't have come."
If I thought my heart was breaking with Scully's departure, it is surely shattering now. "Yes, you should have. I screwed up. But please, Sam, don't regret seeing me."
She studies my face for a second. I must look pathetic because she actually reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Want a piece of advice?"
I nod numbly.
"Never tell a woman you love her to distract her. She'll never believe that you really do," she says.
Nodding, I let go of her hand. "Thanks."
Soon after that, I took her to the hotel she is staying in and promise her the next day I would take her to all the tourist spots in D.C.
After I see her walk inside, I floor it to Scully's.
Scully's POV
People say physical aggression doesn't really make a person feel better. I beg to differ. I don't think there was anything that could make me feel as good as I did when I threw my heels at my closet door.
Well, maybe if I threw them at Mulder's head. Perhaps it would knock some much needed sense in him.
I don't think I have ever been so furious in my life. And if I have, it was no doubt because of Mulder.
I still can't believe he said he loved me just because his sister was about to reveal some other secret he "forgot" to tell me.
But what I'm really angry about is the fact for a second when he first said it, I was consumed with bliss. What a fool.
I take off my pantyhose so forcefully, I tear a hole in them. Since my wrath is all his fault, Mulder's buying me a new pair. Images of thigh-high hose with garters fill my head. Never mind, I'll buy my own hosiery.
I manage to get the rest of my clothes off without damaging them. I'm taking a nice, long bath. Maybe then I'll be able to calm my murderous impulses towards Mulder.
Fifteen minutes later, I hear my phone ring. There is no way I'm getting out of my sanctuary. I just now managed to think about my partner without my blood pressure going through the roof.
After I hear my voice on the machine, Mulder starts speaking. "Scully? Are you there?"
Go away, Mulder. I'm not answering the phone.
"Well, um, I guess you're not going to pick up. I just wanted to come over. You know, work things out. Since you're not picking up, I'm going to assume that you're ok with me coming over. After all, you're not one to be afraid to tell me to go to hell if you didn't want to see me." He laughs stiffly. "I'll be over soon."
I clinch my fists. Only Mulder and his backwards thinking would put together that me not answering the phone means I want him to come over. There are times I still question how he got the reputation of being brilliant. Like now.
I pull the plug out of the tub with my toes. I dry myself and put on some of my "weekend clothes”. A pullover sweater and leggings. I don't have time to dry my hair and frankly, I don't really care what I look like to Mr. Forgetful.
Soon after I started putting on a pot of coffee, I hear Mulder's tentative knock. "Come in." Was that my calm voice? Wow, I impress myself.
He walks in with what I am assuming is my leftover food. "HeyScully."
That's it? Hey Scully? Why is he wasting our time again?
"I, um, was thinking about what I said on the way over. You know, at Vince's. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it," he says very softly.
I thought the night couldn't get worse. Leave it to Mulder to disprove one of my theories. "Whatever, you said something and now you want to take it back. Fine." That was more like it. There was no way I was going to let him know he was taking a sledgehammer to my heart.
"Wait," he calls, grabbing my shoulder. "Are we ok?"
Please, someone tell me he is joking. He keeps his newly founded relationship with his sister a secret for months. He tells me he loves me just to keep another secret from me and now he wants to know if everything is fine. No, no, no. Things are all wrong.
I look at his broken hearted look and realize I said all of those things out loud. Oh well, it's better than me saying "I'm fine".
He clears his throat. "I met up with Samantha several months ago, like she said. She thinks Cancer Man is her father. That's what I didn't want her telling you."
"What? He's had her?" I don't know what to think.
"Yeah. She refuses to believe he's anything other than Father of the Year material."
My mind is racing. Why would Mulder put himself on the line like that? Who knows what Cancer Man would do to get any information Mulder told Samantha?
He must have seen my concern, because he continues talking, "I couldn't let her go without trying to reach out to her." He smiles sadly. "She is my sister."
The way he says it is so sincere and sad, I feel my anger starting to subside. "Why didn't you tell me that you were talking to her in the first place?"
He shrugs. "Would you believe I just forgot to tell you?"
I laugh. That would be such a Mulder thing for him to do. "Yes," I answer, "I would."
He walks up closer to me. "Would you believe me if I said I meant what I said at the restaurant?"
I swallow. This is it. If I say the wrong thing, it could set our relationship back to before my remission. I kiss him softly.
"Yes, I would."
The smile that covers his face is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. "And Mulder? I love you too." He grabs me and kisses me for what feels like forever.
I pull away from him. Things may be all right now, but I want to make sure there are no more surprises in store for our relationship down the line. "Is there anything else you need to tell me, Mulder? Any other secrets?"
He bites his lip for a second before answering. "I didn't happen to mention I was married before, did I?"
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