"...And Washington Talks" A Xena/Hercules/X-Files Crossover
by Carolyn M. Wallace
SPOILERS: This short story contains references to events that happened in the XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS episodes "IDES OF MARCH," "DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN" and the entire India arc.
DISCLAIMER: "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" are copyrighted products of Renaissance Pictures and Studios USA. "The X-Files" is a copyrighted product of Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Television. No copyright infringement is intended, nor should it be inferred.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a strange, twisted way, this is a sequel to my story "Cleveland Shocks."
"...And Washington Talks"
A Xena/Hercules/X-Files Crossover
DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
7:45 PM
Dana Scully dropped her briefcase on the foyer table, hung up her trench coat and made sure that she'd locked the door behind her. "What a week..." she murmured under her breath as she kicked off her pumps and carried them into the bedroom. She dropped the shoes in the closet, took off her suit jacket, pants and blouse, and threw them all in the hamper. She felt physically and mentally soiled after a long day in the morgue, and even the fact that her autopsy would put a killer behind bars for decades to come didn't do much to erase the stain his vicious act left on her soul. Dana ran her hands through her collar-length red hair and scrubbed furiously, as if to shake her foul mood right out of her head. Then she smoothed her hair down, took a deep breath and counted to ten. It was Friday night, and for the next sixty-two hours she would not have to deal with imaginary Hanta viruses, ghostly apparitions, child molesters, or serial killers--all the usual fare that came to her by way of being an agent on the FBI's most unusual cases.
"This is definitely an International Coffee moment," Dana said with conviction. She pulled a terry-cloth robe over her bra and panties and went to the bathroom. At the tub she turned the hot water on full strength, giving the cold water faucet only a half-twist. On impulse, she sprinkled some bath salts into the steaming water and within seconds the air was filled with the scents of lavender and chamomile. Satisfied, she walked over to the kitchen to boil some water.
As the microwave timer ticked off the seconds until the water boiled, Dana went through her china for a cup. After a moment's hesitation, she finally pulled out the huge hand-made mug Melissa had given her several Christmases ago. Their brother Bill had derided it as being "nothing but a bowl with a handle," but Melissa had painted on the side the words, "You're not just my sister, you're my best friend," and it had instantly become Dana's favorite coffee cup. Now that Melissa was gone, however, she treasured the mug even more. She only used it on special occasions--times like today, when she needed to remember than she had people who appreciated and loved her. With great care, Dana put the mug on the counter and spooned in several tablespoons of French Vanilla Café (deemed acceptable in her mind because it was both decaffeinated and sugar-free), then checked the tub while the microwave finished its job.
Forty-five minutes later, clean, sweet-smelling, and warmed inside and out, Dana stood in front of her freezer contemplating dinner. Cooking something from scratch was out of the question, but she always kept a few of the healthier frozen dinners on hand for just such emergencies. It wasn't the herbed chicken and wild rice that caught her eye, however, but the small carton of chocolate frozen yogurt rimed with frost in the back of the compartment. Dana allowed that part of her brain that contained her medical training to elaborate on the importance of a balanced diet, then shrugged, picked up the yogurt and grabbed a spoon.
She dropped the yogurt on her coffee table and went to the wooden case that housed her video collection. She had a particular tape in mind--ah, there it was. "Meeting of the National Coroner's Association: Nov. '97." Dana popped the tape into her VCR, hit "Play," and dropped onto her couch with a sigh of contentment. A twitch of the remote turned on her TV, and by the time she'd pried the lid off the frozen yogurt, the first notes of Joe LoDuca's heroic "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" theme were filling the room.
"Hercules" was one of Dana's guilty pleasures. She thoroughly understood that the show was the intellectual equivalent of Twinkies and Jolt Cola, but she liked it anyway--just not enough to actually admit it to anyone. She knew with a cold certainty that if her partner Fox Mulder ever found out, he would never let her live it down (hence the labeling of all her Herc tapes with more esoteric titles like "Meeting of the National Coroner's Association." Dana might be paranoid, but she was a thorough paranoid).
This episode was one of her favorites. She didn't know who had the idea to put Hercules in a dance contest, but, whoever they were, they were brilliant. And who would have guessed that Michael Hurst (who usually played Herc's sidekick Iolaus) would have such a flair for directing? Dana could only surmise that Mrs. Michael Hurst was an extremely lucky woman, because her husband certainly knew what women liked. When the video reached the scene where Hercules (actor Kevin Sorbo, naked to the waist and gloriously sweaty) stopped hauling logs just long enough to take a lemonade break, Dana was glad she had the frozen yogurt to cool herself down.
Yes, "Hercules" was a terrific show, and Dana had been sad when it ended. The fact that its sister show, "Xena: Warrior Princess," continued on was little comfort to her, for despite the strong female lead (an idea of which she heartily approved), Dana had never been able to warm up to the show. Thus, it turned out that the only times she'd watched "Xena" was when there had been a crossover with some of the characters from Hercules.
Dana dropped the empty yogurt carton on the coffee table and stretched out full-length on the couch, smiling as Hercules entered the dance floor in a sparkling gold and black bolero outfit. There was Michael Hurst, applauding Herc from the edge of the floor in his cross-dressing role of the dance teacher, Widow Twanky. Yes, as director or actor, in or out of drag, Dana approved of Michael Hurst! She'd only wished the show had developed his character in more depth; there was so much that they could have done with Iolaus. Dana remembered one of the few "Xena" episodes she'd seen, where Hercules and Iolaus had teamed up with the warrior princess and her friend Gabrielle to restore Prometheus' gifts to humanity. During the episode, Gabrielle had hinted to Iolaus that she thought she might be his soulmate--now that would have made for some great crossover episodes in Dana's opinion!
She was still pondering that idea when she fell asleep.
***
FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT
8:15 PM
Fox Mulder stood in his kitchen, staring down at the box in front of him with a dubious expression on his face. Finally, he shrugged. If the aliens' "black oil" hadn't killed him, it was doubtful that a day-old, unrefrigerated pizza would do him any harm. He slid a couple of slices onto a plate, grabbed a beer and a paper towel, and headed for his living room.
A quick scanning of the TV listings only served to depress him--"Farscape" was a repeat, and there was nothing on the Learning Channel, Discovery, or pay-per-view that he hadn't already seen or wasn't really interested in. Mulder frowned at the thought of eating another dinner in silence and went to the bookcase that held his video collection.
It was a fact that he shared with few people, but Fox Mulder happened to own one of the largest and most diverse collections of pornography in the United States, quite possibly in the Northern Hemisphere. As he opened the doors of the bookcase, however, he decided that he wasn't in a "hard-core" mood–what he was looking for was something milder, maybe something with a touch of humor. One of his rare smiles crossed his face as he came across a tape labeled in Byers' meticulous handwriting, "Lesbian Subtext: Real or Imaginary? You Make the Call." As Mulder pulled the video from the shelf, a yellow Post-It® Note fluttered to the floor. Mulder finally deciphered the note to read, "Check out the scene at 0413--does Hurst know what we like or what?" His smile grew wider; Frohike didn't have the penmanship of his fellow "Lone Gunman," but any scene he recommended was bound to be good. He put the video in the VCR and sat back with the remote in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.
***
"Are you sitting on the soap?"
"I was wondering what that was!"
Mulder shook his head. Only on "Xena" would you find a hot tub scene in ancient Greece. But Frohike was right; Hurst knew what appealed to men. Mulder raised his beer in a silent toast to Frohike, Byers, and Langly (collectively known as the "Lone Gunmen" and the men who had gone to so much trouble to create this compilation tape for him). As he swallowed his beer, he realized ruefully that the Lone Gunmen were probably the closest things he had to friends. Most people found Mulder's world, with its aliens, murderers, conspiracies, and cover-ups, a little off-putting, to say the least.
Of course, he did have Dana Scully as his partner, a special relationship hallowed by FBI tradition and their own intense working relationship. They had solved innumerable mysteries, brought countless criminals to justice, and had saved each other's lives time and again...but they didn't "hang out together." Late at night, when he slept alone on his couch with nothing but the burbling of his fish tank to keep him company, Mulder often wondered what Scully did in those hours that they were apart. Did she ever think about him the way he thought about her?
Mulder yawned, stretched out on the couch, and closed his eyes, letting the TV's drone put him to sleep as he considered the inscrutable Agent Scully.
***
Xena looked down at her friend with eyes filled with love and concern.
"Are you certain you want to do this?" she asked.
The warrior-bard hugged her friend tightly. "Certain," she said. As she pulled back, she added, "Xena, you know we'll have hundreds of lifetimes together. Just this once, just this one life, I want to share with him."
Xena smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. "But you know what they say," she teased. "You can't have just one."
"I'll always love you, Xena, you know that," her friend said softly.
Xena paused for a moment, then roughly brushed the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I do. Come on, you've got a wedding to go to!"
***
Iolaus could never remember feeling so nervous before--not even at his first wedding. And yet this felt so right that he couldn't contain his happiness--he knew he was grinning like a fool, but he couldn't stop it.
"Are you ready, buddy?" Hercules asked.
"As I'll ever be," Iolaus answered, rubbing his hands together briskly. "Let's do it!"
"You're certain?" Hercules asked. "This is really what you want to do?"
"Aw, Herc," Iolaus said, putting a hand on the big man's shoulder. "You know I'll always be there for you. It's just that this one time... well, I want to be there for her. Do you know what I mean?"
Hercules put his hand over Iolaus' and smiled. "Yes, I do. Besides, it would be selfish of me to keep you to myself all the time, and heroes aren't selfish, right?"
"Right," Iolaus grinned with relief. "So let's go do it!"
The two friends made their way through the crowd to the altar. As they passed, people reached out to pat Iolaus on the shoulder and wish him well.
"Good luck, Iolaus," Salmoneus said, wiping away a happy tear.
"Better you than me," Autolycus said, sliding a finger across his mustache.
"Just... make her happy," Joxer said before turning away, his face clouded. Iolaus didn't reply, couldn't reply, but grabbed Joxer in a bear hug before continuing.
"Don't worry about Joxer," Meg said, kissing Iolaus on the cheek as he passed by her. "I'll make him happy. Now hurry up; she's waiting for you." Iolaus looked up in surprise to discover Meg was right--his bride was already at the altar, smiling at him like the sun breaking through a cloudy day.
As he and Hercules reached the altar, Iolaus wondered at the long, twisting path that had finally brought him to this perfect day. When he had first met her, she had been a peasant girl with dreams of being a bard. Now she stood proudly beside him, a warrior as skilled as her partner Xena, but with the same beautiful spirit that had captivated him so long ago. Iolaus thought his heart would burst in his chest, he was so happy.
"Shall we begin?" Aphrodite asked with a smile.
"I think you'd better," Hercules replied dryly. "I'm not sure how much longer Iolaus can hold out!"
"Very well," the love goddess answered, all her frivolity put aside as she officiated at this happy but momentous occasion. She lifted her hands over the bride and groom. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two people in the bonds of love, a joining which will last throughout their lives and for all eternity."
The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur for the blond hunter. He remembered saying "I do," then listening with relief as his bride echoed his words. That was followed by their first glorious kiss as husband and wife, the cheers from their friends and family, and an outrageous party where Iolaus was afraid he drank a little too much...everything leading to this precious, precious moment alone with the woman he loved in their marriage bed.
"Do you feel married?" he joked as his hand ran lovingly over her naked shoulder. His wife pretended to consider this question seriously, then shook her head.
"No, I don't really think so," she said with a frown. "Maybe you ought to do something about that!"
"Believe me, I will!" Iolaus countered. He gathered her in his arms, kissing her fiercely. Gods, she tasted good! Her lips promised him all the pleasures of the Elysian Fields, and, when they joined, her body fulfilled all that her lips had offered. He lost himself in their lovemaking, until it seemed that she was entering him even as he entered her, their bodies and souls mingling in perfect unity. As their passion crested and overwhelmed them, Iolaus realized with a dazzling clarity that Aphrodite had spoken the simple truth--theirs was a love that would last throughout all eternity. "I will always love you, Gabrielle..." he whispered in her ear.
"And I you, darling," she murmured. "But I did think you'd remember that my name isn't Gabrielle any more!"
"What?" But Iolaus could only watch in shock as his bride's features melted like wax to form a much different face...a face that had definite masculine characteristics. A face that he...that she knew...
***
Dana refused to open her eyes, afraid of what she might see. She could feel the lean muscles of a strong, male chest beneath her hands and cool air brushing her naked skin. A moment passed in horrified silence before an all too familiar voice drawled, "Well...so this is what you do on your weekends."
Dana rolled over to one side of the bed, clutching the sheets to her chest. "Yup. I'm working my way through the phone book and I finally got to the 'M's'." She opened her eyes, now willing to look at anything but the knowing green eyes of her partner. Partner in more ways than one, she thought and shivered, but whether it was embarrassment or passion, she couldn't tell. "So where are we and how did we get here?" she asked. Enough morning light escaped the drape-covered window to allow Dana to take in the expensive furnishings of the room they now shared.
Mulder leaned over to pick up a leather folder from the nightstand, grateful that Scully was examining the wallpaper and so would miss seeing how badly his hand was shaking. As he read the gold leaf letters on the front of the folder, he whistled softly. "Well, I can answer that first one. Would you believe we're at the Grand Hyatt?"
"What?" Dana exploded, turning to Mulder in surprise. "But they charge over three hundred dollars a night!"
Mulder grabbed at a piece of paper that came fluttering out of the folder, read it, then handed it solemnly to Dana. "Which someone has already paid for," he told her. "The entire weekend, in advance, in cash."
"Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Tuss," Dana read, a frown creasing her brow.
Hearing Scully read the receipt aloud triggered a realization that had escaped Mulder when he'd read it silently to himself. "Heph-es-tus," he said, "Otherwise known as Aphrodite's husband."
Dana finally looked at Mulder, her eyes wide. "I had a dream..."
"That you were getting married," Mulder said softly. "And Aphrodite was performing the ceremony."
"How..." Dana began, then stopped when she saw the look in Mulder's eyes. "You too?" she asked, her voice slightly husky.
He nodded. "Hercules was your best man; Xena was my maid-of-honor."
Dana lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "But this is impossible. For pity's sake, Mulder, they're fictional characters! From a cheesy, 'chop-socky' TV show, I might add."
Mulder dared to put a gentle finger to Dana's throat, lifting the cross necklace that invariably rested there. "You always had to wear your amulet--you never took it off."
"Besides," Dana continued, ignoring Mulder's comment and trying to ignore his touch, "Iolaus and Gabrielle were never even married!"
"But maybe they were supposed to be," Mulder replied. "Wasn't there some story about Iolaus and Gabrielle being soulmates?"
"Xena was Gabrielle's soulmate," Scully insisted, but she couldn't help remembering her thoughts of the night before.
"Who says you can only have one?" Mulder retorted.
Dana turned toward Mulder. "Let me get this straight. Are you really championing the theory that you and I are the reincarnations of two fictional characters?"
Mulder shrugged. "Who's to say what's fictional? In another universe, you and I could be fictional. But I'd like to table that discussion for the moment; we've got much more pressing issues at hand--such as how we got here, who really paid for the hotel, and where our clothes are."
"Right!" Dana agreed. There was a minute's silence, then she continued. "Uh, could you close your eyes, please?"
"After all we've been to each other?" Mulder asked with his typical deadpan humor, but Dana noticed that he did as she'd asked. She went to the closet and found two Grand Hyatt robes and a leather briefcase, but no clothes. She put on one of the robes and grabbed the other, then picked up the briefcase with her free hand.
"Turn on a light, will you," she asked as she walked back to the bed.
"Can I look now?" Mulder asked, smiling up at her with his eyes tightly closed.
Dana sighed. "Yes, you can look now," she said, then, when Mulder opened his eyes, she threw the robe at him. "Here's something you can put on," she added innocently.
Mulder caught the robe, pulled it to his chest, then reached out with his left hand to turn on the bedside lamp. As the light flared, something glittered on his hand...something Mulder knew had not been there twenty-four hours before...
"Oh my God," he whispered. He looked up at Dana, who was still wincing from the sudden change in lighting. "Scully, give me your left hand," he ordered.
"What is it, Mulder?" Dana asked, but she laid the briefcase on the bed and gave him her hand. By now her eyes had adjusted to the light, so she too could see what Mulder what staring at.
"Oh my God," she echoed. "Where did they come from?" she asked, her throat suddenly dry. Sparkling on her left ring finger were a stunning diamond solitaire and a gold wedding ring encrusted with smaller diamonds. Mulder wordlessly showed Dana his left hand. It wore a wider band also studded with diamonds--obviously a match to Dana's. She sank to the bed, her knees suddenly weak.
"It was a dream, right?" she asked. "I mean, we couldn't possibly be married. We couldn't possibly have gotten a license after five o'clock on Friday, let alone found a priest... I mean, there are months of Pre-Cana sessions and..."
Mulder put a hand to Dana's lips; she stopped and turned to him. "Maybe we should look in the briefcase," he suggested.
"Right!" Dana pulled the case over so that it sat between them, then opened it cautiously. She stared at the contents in disbelief.
"It's blank paper, Mulder! It's nothing but blank paper!" Dana shouted, grabbing a sheaf of pages and waving them under her partner's nose. Then her mouth dropped open as the pages flickered with a golden flame. In a moment the flame had disappeared, leaving behind, not ashes, but sparkling letters on pristine linen paper. Dana's eyes scanned the page quickly, then handed it to Mulder.
"'Hi, Curly! It's been a long time,'" Mulder read. He looked up at Dana quizzically.
"She..." Dana swallowed, then began again. "It was Aphrodite's nickname for Iolaus."
"Oh," Mulder answered. He read on. "'I know you asked me to stay out of your love life, but there is only so much a goddess can take, you know? I've been watching you two for the last six years, and I have to say, Curly, you've changed a lot this time around. The boy I knew in Corinth would have been all over her in a month! (I know, I know, she's the man this time, but you know what I mean.)'" Mulder glanced up from the page to look at Dana; he was rewarded by seeing a blush creep up her throat and over her face.
"Now don't get on your moral high horse, Curly, I didn't do anything against your will or hers--his. I gave both of you the chance to refuse, and you both said you wanted to do this. Okay, so maybe it was in a dream, but you didn't know that at the time, did you?"
"Hercules asked if I was sure..." Dana said faintly.
"Xena asked me the same thing," Mulder said. He took a deep breath. There was still more to read, but this couldn't wait. "Scully... Dana... I... there's something I have to tell you."
"No, Mulder, it's okay..."
He took her hand. "No, it's not. I...I would have done the same thing, even if it hadn't been a dream. I just didn't think--you've always been so professional--I didn't... I was afraid if I told you how I felt, you wouldn't want to be my partner any more."
"Oh, Mulder," Dana said. She squeezed his hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. He gave her a small smile.
"Uh, I think that maybe, if it was just you...I mean, when we're alone...I think maybe I'd like it if you called me 'Fox.'"
Dana leaned closer to him. "Fox," she said, then pressed her lips to his. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him, the message from Aphrodite fluttering to the floor unnoticed. Within a few minutes he learned that, impossibly, it was even better when they were both fully awake.
***
"All right," Dana said as they stared up at the ceiling in perfect satisfaction. "Assuming that, as fantastic as it sounds, we really are the reincarnations of Gabrielle and Iolaus, how come our history doesn't match theirs? I mean, in our Greek mythology, Hercules was a mentally-challenged bully, and there never was a Xena or a 'Twilight of the Gods.' Of course, their worship fell out of fashion, but still..."
"Maybe souls can cross universes," Fox suggested. "You know, in search of the perfect place to learn the next karmic lesson. We know from the shows that the gods were able to travel from one universe to another. And, come to think of it, there's a theory that humans never create anything without input from a 'higher power,' 'advanced master,' 'angel,' whatever you want to call it. Maybe the gods from that universe inspired the people who made 'Xena' and 'Hercules.'"
"There's a scary thought," Dana said. "American television in the hands of deranged Greek gods from another universe."
"I find it somewhat comforting," Fox said. "It explains 'Baywatch,' for one thing--it's got to be Poseidon's favorite show. And now that we know the truth, so many things make sense. You going into the FBI to protect people and bring villains to justice, just as you did with Hercules. And you and your autopsies--dead people never bother you because you've been dead so many times yourself."
"And you--so idealistic, always searching for the one great truth, no matter the cost." Dana kissed him. "I always admired that, you know."
"But wait, there's more," he said, returning her kiss. "They say that friends often reincarnate together to help each other achieve their karmic goals. Think about it..."
Dana looked at Fox, confused, but then her face suddenly cleared. "Frohike, Langly, and Byers!"
"Joxer, Autolycus and Salmoneus," he said smugly.
"But what about Hercules and Xena?" Dana asked. "They were our best friends--why aren't they here?"
"According to the show, Hercules never died. He's in another universe acting as their Kevin Sorbo. And Xena..." He turned away, suddenly silent.
"Fox, what is it?"
"She always protected me," he said softly. "She went with them so that I would be safe."
"Oh my God...Samantha! Oh, Fox, I'm so sorry."
"No, it's all right now. That's all behind me. Besides, now I know that I'll see her again."
"Must have been quite a shock for an atheist like you," Dana teased. "Finding out gods really exist."
"Oh yeah? I'd love to be a fly on the wall at your next confession," Fox teased back.
"My conscience is perfectly easy--Iolaus was dedicated to the Light, and so am I. I just happen to believe that that Light shines through the Catholic Church. And sex is only a sin if you're not married--and apparently we are."
"Maybe we ought to confirm that," Fox said, bending over to pick the message from Aphrodite off the floor.
"'By the way, you're not really married,'" he read on the very next page.
"Oops," Dana sighed.
"'I figured Dana's mom would totally kill her if she eloped and did the family out of a big church wedding.'"
"Ouch," Dana sighed again. "Maybe we should elope!"
"Works for me," Fox said. "But wait, there's more. 'I just wanted to show you two the truth that was in your hearts. The rings are a gift from Hephy and me, a little something to push you both in the right direction. I trust I can leave the rest to you from here on out.'" He showed the page to Dana. "She underlined 'trust' three times."
"Guess we better not disappoint her," Dana replied.
Fox quickly scanned the rest of the letter. "And that's about it--she says that, as far as the hotel is concerned, we're Mr. and Mrs. Tuss, beginning their honeymoon with two days in the nation's capitol. We've got the receipt, so I guess we can stay here all weekend."
"But without our wallets, we're going to get awfully hungry. As a matter of fact I'm starving right now."
"Then call room service," Fox replied as he looked through the briefcase one more time. He came up with a thick handful of twenty dollar bills and handed them to Dana.
"Do you think they're real?" she asked dubiously.
"You doubt the mighty Aphrodite?" he replied with mock horror.
"But what about our clothes?" Dana insisted. "Monday will come eventually, you know." Fox handed her the last page of the letter. "'Your clothes will appear at six a.m. Monday morning, and not one minute before,'" Dana read sarcastically. She looked up at the ceiling. "Thanks a lot!" she shouted.
"You could be a little more grateful," he said, pulling her to him once more. "After all, if she hadn't interfered, who knows if we'd ever have admitted how we felt to each other."
"But I still don't understand how," Dana said thoughtfully. "I thought Xena and Eve brought about the Twilight of their gods. I know I watched Hercules kill Zeus!"
"Who's to say what 'Twilight' means? You could never take what the Fates said literally. Maybe, as you mentioned earlier, it just meant that their worship fell out of fashion. Maybe you can't really kill a god--just remove them from play for a while."
"A two thousand year while?" she said with a frown.
"Hey, when you're immortal..." Fox shrugged.
"At least Aphrodite doesn't appear to have any hard feelings about the whole thing."
"Maybe she thinks a lifetime with you will be punishment enough," he joked.
"A lifetime?" Dana repeated softly.
Fox took her hand and kissed it. "Dana Scully, will you marry me?"
"But what about our jobs? Fox, think this through!"
"I already have. The FBI never did me any favors anyway; they'll be glad to see the back of me."
"You'd quit the FBI?"
Mulder shrugged. "Remember, I only joined to find out what happened to Samantha. Now that I know... well, maybe it's time I tried something different."
"Like what?" Dana scoffed.
"Like writing," Mulder grinned. "Apparently I used to be pretty damn good at telling stories."
"But what about Spender? What about the conspiracies?"
"Dana, don't you think we've done enough for one lifetime?" Mulder asked gently. "Maybe it's time to let the Lone Gunmen take over the conspiracies. I'll help them all I can with the books I'll write. And besides, I'm not asking you to quit; I know how much you love what you do. You can transfer back to the medical section and still put criminals away--just, please, don't risk your life any more. If I'm only to get one lifetime with you, I want as much of that life as I can have."
"Oh, Fox," Dana said, resting her forehead against his.
"You still haven't answered my question," Mulder reminded her.
"Yes, Fox."
"Uh...is that 'yes,' you haven't answered my question, or 'yes, I will'?"
"Yes, Fox, I will marry you."
His reply was entirely nonverbal, but Dana understood him well enough.
***
THE GRAND HYATT
WASHINGTON, D.C.
6:15 AM
Dana hummed as she showered. What a difference one weekend, one day, can make in a life, she thought. She and Fox had removed the wedding bands, carefully placing them in the briefcase for future use, but she had left the engagement ring on at his insistence. As soon as they got to work this morning, Fox would turn in his resignation and she would request a transfer. She grinned as she imagined Assistant Deputy Skinner's reaction, then wondered what would happen to the X-files. She shrugged. The X-files had existed long before she and Fox had joined the FBI, and they would exist long after they were gone. Someone would take over for them; that was just the way the universe worked.
As she scrubbed, her fingers traced over the tattoo on her ankle. Fox had been quite surprised when he'd discovered it, a memory that made Dana grin all over again. "Everyone gets the tattoo they deserve," she'd been told, but she hadn't known how true that was until this weekend. Her tattoo was a representation of Ouroboros, the world snake eating its own tail, which supposedly represented the endless cycle of Nature from its end to its own beginning. She'd chosen it without conscious reflection, but now she understood why--as a reminder that she had traveled this path before, on other worlds, in other lives.
She turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a long white towel. "Your turn," she told Fox as she walked out of the bathroom.
"You know, we could have saved water by showering together," he pointed out.
"And then we'd never get to work on time," she replied. "Go on--get in there before I change my mind!"
"Right away, mighty hunter," he said, kissing her on the cheek as he passed.
"He's not little, he's not blonde, but he can still be irritating," Dana sighed. "Oh, well, I suppose I'll get used to it in a decade or two." She smiled to herself and started getting dressed.
THE END