Title: Love And A Marriage
Author: X_fairy (x_fairy@gmx.net)
Disclaimer: The X-files belong to CC and Mulder and Scully belong to each other, not to me! No infringement intended!
Rating: PG for repeated use of the word bitch
Category: Fowl-fic, some Scullyangst
Spoilers: The End
Summary: Different take on The End - Scully recognizes TFO's evil character and decides to save the world - and Mulder!
Archive: Anywhere, with my name and addy, but please let me know!
Feedback: Anytime!

*******************
Love And A Marriage
by X_fairy
*******************

"She was Mulder's chickadee when he just got out of the Academy." I nearly fell over backwards. Mulder and that... *woman*? I had felt an antipathy against her on first sight, but had wondered why - now I knew. She was going to take him away from me... no, not the way one might think, but she'd take his trust away. Mulder's trust had been hard to earn - for me at least, someone who had a different opinion. He had always trusted those the wanted to believe way to easy. She'd agree with him even when he puts up an absolutely ridiculous theory - and in the end that would destroy him, the lack of a challenge. I had to save him from her. And I had to do it carefully, as to not destroy his trust in me myself.
I went out to my car, sat back in the driver's seat and laid back my head. It would be no piece of cake, that was obvious. It was very difficult to get Mulder off of a theory once he had started to believe in it.
Suddenly I heard a soft knock on the window. I looked up and saw Diana Fowley leaning down to my passenger window. "Agent Scully? Can I have a word with you?"
Whatever it was she wanted to talk about, I didn't want to hear it, but I had to, for Mulder's sake. Reluctantly, I opened the door. "Jump in."
Once she sat, an uncomfortable silence settle about us. At last I spoke up, "What is you wanted to talk about?"
"I know this is hard for you, but..." I was under the impression that it was not the least bit hard for her, she seemed to be enjoying this. For the first time, the word 'bitch' came to my mind. "...you really shouldn't be working on the X-files any more. My assignment in Berlin was impractical, and unfortunately unavoidable, but now I'm back on my old job, and no need for you to be wasting precious working hours on the X-files anymore." She nearly *grinned* at this. "I hope you understand... but it was *me* who discovered them at first, not Fox. I'm very thankful that you took care of him for all that time, but the distance did help us settle our differences. For a long time I didn't feel that way, but now I'm glad we never got a divorce."
Her last words shocked me to the core. It took every last bit of willpower I could muster not to let her see my reaction. Mulder would have some explaining to do... But right now I had to deal with this bitch. "Of course I understand," what didn't mean I'd accept it, "but I'm sure you'll also see my point of view - I spent a lot of time working on these cases, and now I would like to see the results."
"Oh, I'm sure we can make arrangements for you to assist us on some cases - I haven't got a medical degree, unfortunately." What an arrogant bitch! As if I was her little secretary or something! "But you must admit that with my para-scientific knowledge, I'm more qualified for this kind of work."
Slowly but surely I was getting the impression that she was not the least bit interested in the X-files, but wanted to get Mulder back, and if it was only to take him away from me.
I smiled sweetly, no need to arise suspicions, "Oh, I didn't know *that*! I'm sure it will help the cases a great deal!" Wait till I get you, damn bitch!
She smiled one more of her fake smiles, "Well, if you're okay with it! I knew you'd be understanding." She slipped out of the car, and as soon as she was out of earshot, I called Skinner.
"It's Agent Scully, sir. I was just wondering if there are any thoughts of reassigning me...?"
"Reassigning? Why, of course, if you want to request reassignment, I'm sure we can find a satisfying job for you, Agent Scully. But I was under the impression..." he sounded *very* surprised.
"No, sorry, sir, you got me wrong. I'm asking if I am to be reassigned by request of someone else."
"Not that I know of, Agent Scully. And I'm certainly not thinking of dividing my best pair of agents!"
That made me smile. At least *someone* was on my side. "Thank you, sir."
Well, that fear was out of the way - stupid of me to get anxious over some silly comments from the bureau's meanest bitch! Now the problem at hand was to find something that would believably discredit her with Mulder - and unfortunately it had to be true, as I wasn't going to start lying to Mulder because of her! Hmm... the only one I could think of who might possibly have known her was Tom - my old academy pal Tom Colton, whom I hadn't seen or talked to since the Tooms case more than five years ago. Don't look back in anger, they say, but I couldn't forget his attitude towards Mulder - he would never help me to help him. But maybe he would anyway, if I were able to make it believable that Mulder ends up as the loser.... At least what I was trying to do was take away his... girlfriend? Wife? Ex-wife? I didn't want to think about that in too much detail.
I picked up my cell phone again and dialed the number of the VCU secretary. A minute later I had Tom on the line. "Tom, it's Dana."
He was not too pleased, "What do you want?"
"I need your help." I hopped that he would let slip an opportunity to get me to owe him a favor.
And he didn't, suddenly sounding much friendlier, "What can I do for you, Dana?"
"Well, I'm trying to find out something about an Agent named Diana Fowley..."
He interrupted me, strangely seeming to agree with me at least on this issue, "Diana, that bitch? Is she back from Europe?"
"Well, yes... what did she do that you hate her so much?" Don't let him know you do too, Dana...
Tom seemed pleased to have someone to dump his problems upon, "You know, she was my girlfriend for about three years, and about a month or so before she disappeared to Europe she told me that she had married your Mulder guy about six weeks before. Understand why I don't like him?" My second shock today.
"Why did you never tell me?" I asked incredulously.
Now he was embarrassed, "Oh... well... I don't like to talk about it..."
"I understand... Thanks, Tom, you helped me a lot." I disconnected the call and tried to keep myself from cheering. That was far more than I had hopped for! Next question - should I tell Mulder or try to blackmail her?
I decided tell Mulder, that was safer, otherwise she could make me seem like the jealous bitch she really was.
I turned on my car engine and pressed speed dial #1 on my phone. "Mulder? I have to talk to you."
Twenty minutes later I was standing next to him in the room next to Gibson's at the hospital. He seemed to be in a strange mood. Suddenly he spoke up, "Scully, remember what Gibson said this afternoon? That I was thinking about one of you?"
His voice gave me a sting.
"Well, I have to admit I was thinking about Diana.... Did you know I was married to her?"
"Was?" I asked sharply.
"Well, actually I still am... we never got a divorce." It hurt to hear him use the exact same words she had said a short time before. But what he said next was the exact opposite. "You know, at first I was glad that we never got one, I was hoping she'd one day come back, but now I'd prefer it if we had it."
"Mulder, did *you* know that she was Tom Colton's girlfriend at the time she married you?"
His eyes grew wide, "WHAT?"
I couldn't tell him what I had done, so I twisted the truth around a bit to fit my purposes. "I talked to him today, and I mentioned her, and he totally freaked out!"
"Oh, Scully... Are you sure that's true?" His eyes were full of anxiousness.
"I'm pretty sure... Mulder, you should get a divorce as soon as possible..." He looked so lost that I just wrapped my arms around him and rocked him gently. "You're gonna be okay, Mulder... she can't hurt you anymore..."
After I had comforted him for what seemed like hours, I heard my cell phone ring. "Mulder..."
He smiled softly, "I'm okay..."
I picked up the phone, and mere seconds later, nothing was okay anymore. "Mulder - the office is burning!"
We raced to the headquarters, and when we came down the stairs, Diana was being brought up in handcuffs. She was completely out of her mind and screaming at me at the top of her voice, "You damn bitch!! You're taking him away from me!!!! He's my husband!!! Biiiiiiiiiiiiitchhh !!!!!!!!!!"

The End !!