Comments, complaints and just plain talk to sheryl_martin@tvo.org
Talk, talk...by Sheryl Martin
Dana Scully let out a deep sigh as she tossed her glasses on the top of the desk, watching them skitter close to the wooden edge. Across the room, Fox Mulder looked up from his stack of files.
"You alright, Scully?" His face held just the slightest trace of worry. She nodded.
"Just tired of this. Every time they decide to audit us for lost equipment and receipts it drives me up the wall. I know that paperwork makes the world go around, but why we have to do enough for the entire Bureau escapes me..."
"Well, if you wouldn't lose your cellular phone so much..." He ducked to the left as the crumpled paper ball flew by him. Her phone rang; saving him from any further barrage.
"Scully..." Her face lit up. "You don't have to ask me twice... yes, I'll check with him, though I don't think it's much of an imposition on his schedule..." She hung up the phone. "St. George wants to know if we want to have lunch at Brandy's..."
Mulder closed the folder quickly. "Well, all work and no play..." The phone rang on his own desk. He listened quietly; then sighed. "Skinner wants me for a minute or twenty. I'll meet you there..."
*************
The Canadian smiled as Dana slid in beside her in the small corner booth that practically had their names engraved in the wooden table.
"Thought you'd be ready for a break." Jackie St. George lifted a glass of pop to her mouth. "I'm hiding from Rosie for a few hours. Seems that our recent security problems up in Ottawa has sent a bit of a shockwave through the system... and I'm supposed to be working right now on an entire paper to upgrade security for the Embassy."
"And?" Dana reached for the ever-present bowl of popcorn. St. George shrugged.
"I'm there. That's enough, in my opinion..."
"Oh, such a large ego for such a small brain..." A deep rumbling voice caught their ears. The pair looked up to see a man standing by the booth, glaring down at St. George. Getting to her feet, she stared at him.
Dana let out her breath slowly, trying to imagine how to avoid a fight this time. For some reason Ed, the bartender, had not banned them yet, but maybe this time... She sized up the opponent. Barely under forty, she figured... the lightest trace of grey on his temples standing out against his dark brown hair; neatly cropped back. Standing with his hands in his pockets; he smiled at the woman in front of him.
"And now she's reduced to hanging out in sleazy bars with FBI agents..." He whispered. Mulder suddenly appeared behind him, quietly sizing up the man as he faced St. George.
"Better than dating your students..." She shot back. "And as I recall... sleazy was more your area of expertise than mine..."
"But you were such a good student..."
Laughing, he snatched her up in a bear hug, twirling her around as they both broke into hysterics. Mulder looked at Scully, one eyebrow raised in question. She knew what he was thinking of, and she felt her face grow red at the same time as a small ache shot out in her soul for Jack Willis.
Dropping Jackie back onto her feet, the tall man grinned. "Still trying to save the world, hmm?"
"Who else is going to do it?" She chuckled. Turning to the pair, she gestured with her hand. "Agent Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, this is Devon Williams... he used to be my instructor."
"Taught her everything I knew." Devon smiled warmly at Dana, shaking her hand.
"Which left lots of room for everything else." Sliding back into the booth, she motioned for him to join them. "What the hell are you doing down here?"
"Passing through for a series of seminars. About a week or so, I think. Which you would know about if you ever read your memos..."
"Let me go get you a beer..." Jackie moved out from behind the table again. "And no stories..."
He lifted his hands. "Oh, I promise..." As the woman walked towards the bar, Devon grinned at the two agents. "I'm a compulsive liar."
"...So she grabs the rope and swings out into the gap. We thought she had been watching reruns of Romancing The Stone; because she slams into the side of the tower." Jackie put the beer down in front of Devon, wincing at the memory. "Ker-Wham! And she slides down to the ground; shaking her head..."
"A real expert." Fox waggled his eyes at Jackie, who snarled back.
"So for the rest of the exercise we were calling her St. George of The Jungle..."
Jackie put her hand on Devon's arm. "Right. And you remember what I did to the first two trainees who called me that..."
He shrugged her off. "And I remember that I still pulled rank..."
Dana sat with a smile, watching them banter back and forth. Devon was charming, cute... She caught herself counting the weeks that had passed since her last real date. When she hit double digits, she stopped.
"So..." Dana snapped back into the conversation; enjoying his mellow tones. "I've got to head back to the hotel. Got two meetings in the morning and I need to check my notes." The tall man stood up. "Can I drop you a call sometime?" She realised with a shock that he was talking to her, not Jackie.
"Oh... yes, sure..." She stuttered, aware of Mulder's gaze. He smiled, turning his attention to Jackie.
"I'll talk to you later on. Rosie's got my number at the hotel - oh, and she wants you back in the office in an hour."
"So who's in charge here?" Jackie grumbled. "Man, give her a raise and suddenly she becomes efficient..."
Dana watched the instructor walk out of the bar, her mind racing. It wasn't that she was crazy over the guy or anything, but he had such a likable personality that you couldn't help but wonder...
"Hello?" Jackie waved a hand in front of her face. "Dana? Earth to Dana?"
"Hmm?" She blinked. "Oh, just thinking..."
"So..." Fox leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table top. "Exactly how close were you with Devon? And should Marty be warned?"
"None of your business, Fox Mulder." St. George said with a smile. "None of your dammed business..."
***********
The next day the phone rang, interrupting their paperwork again. Scully snatched the receiver up, grateful for any break.
"Agent Scully... it's Devon. Devon Williams..." The deep voice paused. "I was wondering... I've got tonight free because they cancelled one of my meetings; and I thought maybe you could join me for dinner." He spoke quickly, not letting her answer. "No, this isn't a date... I mean, it's just that I don't have anyone else in the city to see other than Jackie, and I thought that..."
"I'd love to have dinner." She heard herself say. Mulder's head shot up from behind a stack of paper, his eyes sharp. Giving her address quickly, she hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Fox asked nonchalantly, snapping a pencil tip on the desk.
"Oh, Devon. Wants a tour guide for the evening."
"What, Jackie isn't enough for him?"
"Mulder..." Scully peered over her glasses at him. "I don't think that they dated back in the Academy. I didn't get that impression..."
"Well, they seem pretty close. And as I recall, there isn't a lot of problems these days to interpersonal relationships in most agencies... or in the Academies." With a shock he heard the grating tone in his voice. "I'll take these back to the archives." Picking up a few folders, he left the room.
Dana looked after him, frowning. Devon was just asking for someone to talk to... wasn't he? And what was Mulder's problem?
***************
The restaurant was quiet and French; the service super-efficient and the food delicious. Dana looked over the wine glasses at Devon and smiled.
"So you knew Jackie from the time she joined the Service..."
Devon laughed, nodding. "She was such a rookie... had to fight every step of the way or she wasn't satisfied that she had earned it. And even when she had won the day she still wasn't happy." He looked into the red wine, swirling it around in the glass. "She's a lot better down here. And being engaged..." He chuckled. "Hard to imagine that. When I heard about it I wondered who had finally tamed her..."
"I think it's a mutual thing." She smiled. The warmth in his face made her feel so relaxed, so safe... It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to date; but the time just had never been there. And how do you date outside the Bureau? Suddenly she realised why St. George and Skinner had gone out for dinner and lunch so often in the past. Even with no romance in the air; it was still a relief to sit and talk to someone who knew what you dealt with; who knew what you had to live and die with. No shop talk; but the calm effortless talks of life being on the edge; of working for the law and still not knowing what every day would bring. And she was having a wonderful time.
Mulder, on the other hand, was not.
Staring at the television set, he grunted at the jokes until the commercials came on; then turned the mute on. Picking up the phone, he dialled a familiar number.
"Hi, this is Dana Scully. I'm not home..." Punching the disconnect button, he typed in another number.
"St. George..."
"It's Mulder..." He paused, trying to find the words. "So... what's up?"
"The Canadian dollar by .02 cents. I'm ecstatic." Her voice was thoughtful. "Any problems?"
"No... well, I'm wondering how safe Scully is with Williams..."
"Excuse me?" He could hear the smile in her voice. "Want to rephrase that one, bright eyes?"
"I mean, is he any danger to her? You know, there's still plenty of people out there that want to dispose of us..." His voice trailed off as he realised what he sounded like.
Jackie chuckled. "Believe me Mulder, she's as safe with him as she is with me. You, on the other hand..."
"You're not helping."
"You know, you almost sound jealous that she's out on a date..."
"Good night, St. George."
"Good night, Mulder." She hung up with a chuckle.
He punched the mute button again on the TV control. Maybe the SciFi Channel had something on...
**************
Devon was the perfect gentleman, walking her to the front door. He shuffled his feet, smiling warmly at her.
"I had a great time. I'd heard from Jackie how nice you were, but now I see that she wasn't exaggerating. For once." They laughed. Dana nodded in reply.
"Well, she's a good friend."
"Can I call you again?" Devon asked quickly. He held his breath. She paused, then smiled.
"Sure. Next time let me get a day off work and I'll show you Washington - I know most of the great spots the tourists always miss."
"Thanks Dana... it's good to have someone outside of the Service to spend a little time with." Squeezing her arm lightly, he walked back to his car.
Slipping inside her apartment, Scully frowned. She had had a great time with him, but there was something strange... Not that she felt that she ever lacked in the attractiveness department; and she could certainly find a date if she wanted too, but Devon was just different... a wonderful man to spend some time with. But she felt... If she could put a name to it, it would be like she was betraying someone. But she couldn't say who.
"St. George..."
"It's Dana."
"Of course. Why am I surprised at this?" She laughed. "What now?"
"You and Devon..." Dana looked at the closed door, then moved to the kitchen to put the kettle on for some coffee. "Were you two ever... you know..."
"You're not allowed to ask that..." She sighed. "Let's just say that most of the Service thought we were, for a while..."
"I had dinner with him tonight."
"And?"
"I enjoyed myself. A lot. He's a wonderful man..."
"I know. And he's good at what he does. Let's just say that if I had half the knowledge he's got tucked away in his mind, I'd be too wise for you to stand me."
Dana poured the hot water into a mug. "I just... I dunno... it was a great night but I don't know if I want to see him again."
Jackie frowned. "What, did he make a move on you?"
"No, no... nothing like that. He didn't even try to kiss me." Dana added the cream. "In fact, he was a perfect gentleman."
"I was wondering..."
"What?"
"Nothing... I got a call from Mulder tonight."
"Oh?" Dana took a hot sip. "What did he want?"
"He seemed concerned about you. I'd almost say... jealous..."
"You'd almost say anything, St. George."
"Good night, Dana..."
"Good night, Jackie."
******************
"St. George..."
"Jackie? It's Dev..."
"Once again, I am surprised... What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing... just wanted to ask you a few questions about that friend of yours, Dana..."
"Shoot."
"Great choice of words. Is she... is she dating her partner?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I just got this impression in the bar that they were kinda a team..."
"Well, they are. And they're not. You know the routine." Jackie smiled. "You had a good time, hmm?"
"A great time. So why hasn't some man snapped her up already? You know how hard it is for anyone in our field to find someone..."
"Hey, I'm doing my best to fix that problem." She chuckled. "Glad you get along with her so well. I heard from her tonight already. She had a wonderful time too."
"You didn't... tell her, did you?"
"Dev, you swore me to secrecy. I don't kiss and tell."
"Not from what I've heard..."
"That's going to cost you." She laughed. "Listen, if you want to ask Dana out again, you go ahead and do it. Hell, you can handle this. You did with me and the rest of the Service..."
"Thanks, St. George..."
"Night, Dev..."
Jackie put the phone down and rolled over in bed. Marty frowned as he wrapped his arms around her possessively.
"I don't mean to sound like I'm prying..."
"But what the hell am I doing?" She smiled. "You're not going to believe this..."
"Oh, I believe in a lot of things I never used to..." The man smiled. "Starting with Dragons..."
"Hmm..."
*******************
Mulder scowled as Scully dropped her coat on the chair, moving to her desk.
"So... how was the date?"
"Fine." She turned on her computer and briskly set to work. He watched her for a few minutes.
"He's a nice guy?"
"Nice guy."
"Seems like a nice guy."
"Mulder..." She stared at him. "What is your problem?"
"Nothing, nothing..." He twirled a pencil in his fingers. "If you want to go off and risk your life with strange men who we know nothing about..."
Her face grew red with anger. "Look, he's not a stranger. Jackie knows him, and he's an interesting man to spend an evening with."
"Or morning."
"Mulder..." Getting to her feet, she strode over to glare down at him. "What I do in my free time is none of your business."
"When it affects your performance it does." His voice was beginning to rise as he felt his jaw tense.
"Prove it. Prove that one date with Devon Williams is jeopardising anything that I'm doing in the Bureau; or with this section or with any of our cases." She seethed as she stared down at him. "Well?"
"Forget it." He looked down at the file, making circles on the yellow legal pad with his pencil. "Just forget it. Do what you want."
**************
Jackie looked up as Devon walked into her office, letting out a low whistle as he stared around the room.
"My, my... you are moving up in the world, aren't you?" He grinned.
"Not as fast as if I learnt to keep my mouth shut." She replied. "What's up?"
Sprawling over the couch, he frowned. "I was wondering if I should tell Dana... I mean, I really like her and all that..."
St. George stuck her feet up on the edge of the desk, leaning back in her chair. "Well, I can tell you that she probably won't be surprised. Dana Scully is one of the best people I've met in the game. And her and Mulder have saved my life more than once..."
"I gathered that." He mused. "The world's changed since we were together, hasn't it?"
"For the better, dear... for the better." Jackie smiled. "If you trust her, go ahead and do what you want to do. I know it's hard for you... hell, it was hard for me to tell them some of my secrets..."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is there some things about Jackie St. George that I don't know about?"
She scratched the palm of her left hand. "A few things, Dev... but you know you'll always have a special place in my heart."
"And you in mine, St. George of The Jungle..."
*******************
Devon called her at home that evening; not ten minutes after she had gotten in the door.
"Do you feel like a movie? I hate to go to these things alone..." She had smiled at the tone in his voice; a sort of honesty that she admired in men. Like Mulder.
The movie had been nice; the two drinks at the restaurant just as wonderful as their dinner had been. And he had walked her back to her apartment and up to the front door.
"Dana..." Dev pursed his lips. "I think I want to tell you something..."
"First come inside." She unlocked the door. "Believe it or not, there are still some things I don't want my neighbours to know about me."
Chuckling to himself, the dark-haired man followed her into the living room. Taking his coat off, he sat down on the sofa. She went into the kitchen.
"Want some coffee?"
"Sure." He listened to her bustle in the other room for a second. The phone rang. "Want me to get that?"
"Please..." She shouted.
"Hello..."
"Hello?" Fox paused. "I'm looking for Scully... ah, Dana Scully." He gritted his teeth.
"Just a second... This is Agent Mulder, right?"
"Right."
"She's just around the corner in the kitchen." Getting to his feet, he strode around the couch and into the other area. Handing the portable phone to Dana, he returned to the living room.
"Hello?"
"Scully..." Fox tried to keep his voice steady. "So, entertaining again?"
"What do you want, Mulder?"
"I was wondering if you were going to be able to finish that audit tomorrow... or if you were planning to come in late."
"I'll see you in the morning, Mulder. And we'll finish that paperwork before lunch."
"Goodbye, Scully."
Clicking the phone off, she put it down on the counter top angrily. He was acting like a jealous lover. And there was no reason why. She wasn't cheating on him... cheating on anyone, actually.
"Dana?" Devon's mellow tone broke her concentration. "Are you in trouble with him?"
"No... well, not really. He's just... protective of me." She smiled. "We've been through a lot together."
"I understand." He took a deep breath. "I... I thought he might be jealous, you know... of me taking you out and all."
"Well, he has made a comment about that here and there..." She admitted. He sighed.
"I was afraid of that. You know, I get tired of a society that always makes it seem that every time a man asks a woman out, it's for the sole purpose of getting her into bed."
Dana nodded, pouring out the coffee. "True. Stereotyping is one of our worst enemies. I'm sure Jackie had to fight every step of the way, being a woman... I had to."
"And the secrets you don't want to tell anyone because it's not acceptable at the time..." Devon rubbed his nose. "Ah... hmm..."
"What's wrong?" Dana leaned on the counter, studying him closely.
He let out his breath slowly. "Let's see how I can do this without making a fool out of myself..." Pausing, he took a sip of coffee. "When Jackie made that joke about us dating, it was a half-truth." The CSIS instructor looked into the dark liquid in the mug. "It was a cover. A... lie."
"You're gay." Dana said softly. He smiled.
"Nice way of putting it." Devon chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"
"No." She said quickly. "I just... picked up on some vibes..."
The man nodded. "Back in the eighties, when I was an instructor for Jackie's squad, the rumours started about me. It still wasn't that fashionable to be out of the closet, and you know that there still isn't that much freedom for most people in government positions. So Jackie agreed to play my girlfriend for a while; to make it look good for me. I would have been blackballed; kept back from any promotions and the usual crap."
"You could have fought it..."
He shrugged. "Laws are one thing; public opinion another. Even now I only tell people who I can trust. That's why I swore her to secrecy; and I have to ask you to do the same. You can tell Mulder; that's fine with me. But I can't risk anyone taking this back to the Service. The suspicions alone are enough to get me in trouble."
"It's not right." She sighed. "You're a good man."
"What's right is very different from what goes on." He grinned. "From what I've heard of you and Mulder, you should definitely know that by now."
Dana laughed. "True..." She smiled. "Thanks for trusting me."
Devon nodded. "I just... it's great to spend time with you, and I didn't want you to think that I didn't find you attractive or anything; but..."
She put up her hand. "Don't worry. I was more worried about how I felt about just going out with you."
"I might be back at the Embassy on and off for things... Jackie knows; if she'd ever read those memos..." He sheepishly smiled. "Would you mind if I called you now and then for a quiet night out?"
She smiled. "I'd like that. It's nice to just sit and talk sometimes... Whenever you can reach me, that is... I do end up in the oddest places at times..."
"No problem. Thanks..." Devon sighed. "I guess Mulder is chomping on the bit to protect you, right?"
"Chipping his teeth down to the roots..."
************
Dana sat at her desk quietly, noting the glare Fox kept sending every few minutes her way. In a perverse type of way, it was a bit of a relief to find out that Devon was gay. She felt better that she hadn't been cheating on Mulder. Which she couldn't be, since they weren't dating. Which made it redundant. Which gave her a headache if she thought about it too much.
Fox chewed on his bottom lip, stopping only when the skin got too tender to touch. It was her life, and she could do what she wanted. If she wanted to date some guy that had also taken Jackie out, then fine with him. Seemed kinda ironic that she was dating a Canadian, but then it was her business. Not like they were a couple or anything. Not like he couldn't call her any time he wanted. He bit down hard on the sensitive skin, letting out a yelp.
"Mulder?"
"Yah?"
"You alright?" She peered over at him. Nodding, he put a napkin to his mouth.
"I'b finb."
"Mulder..." Dana took a deep breath. "He's gay."
Fox stared up from the napkin. "Whatb?"
"Devon. He's gay." Dana shuffled the papers atop her desk. "He swore Jackie to secrecy and me as well. And you're not going to tell anyone either."
"He'b gab?"
"Yes... and I might see him again when he's in town. But it's totally platonic. It always was."
"Oh." He pulled the bloody paper from his mouth. "Well, it's none of my business, anyway."
"Right." Dana smiled. "Gee, maybe you should call him while he's here. Perk up your social life..." She laughed as the wadded up napkin landed on her desk in a weak attack.
"I wasn't worried." Fox mumbled. "I just get concerned when new people hang around my partner..."
She nodded, picking up the pencil. "Right." Her eyes met his, soft and warm. "Thanks, Mulder."
"No problem, Scully."
********************
"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."Richard Bach - "Illusions"