June 1992
Mulder tries to stifle a yawn with his fist, but it escapes anyway. "Sorry. No rest for the wicked, huh, Scully?"
They'd just gotten a flight home after a doppelganger case, and are already being sent to investigate something else, less than ten hours later.
"No, no rest at all," Scully tells him. "Ethan keeps complaining that he barely sees me."
"Oh." Mulder tries hard to ignore any mention of her boyfriend. From the last time around, he knows that Ethan is history just months after Scully joins him on the X-Files. ::I hope I never have to meet the poor bastard. I'll have so much trouble not calling him "short-timer".:: "They don't even schedule us enough time between cases to hit the restroom," he says instead.
She looks amused. "If you need to pee, I can get a car from the motor pool myself."
Mulder is sure that he surprises her by taking her up on the offer. "Thanks a lot. I'll meet you down there."
"I thought you were just being figurative."
"Nope. I bought a Big Gulp at the airport, remember?"
"Okay, Mulder," she says, and he wonders if she realizes that she's wearing a small smile.
He darts into the men's room because he really does need to relieve his aching bladder. He almost moans when he's finally able to go.
"So you're working with Agent Mulder," A disembodied voice says as Mulder approaches the motor pool.
Mulder freezes when he hears the exaggerated way that the unseen woman says his name. Deciding to eavesdrop, he backs against the wall, where he's sure that shadows will hide him from anyone who happens to wander by.
"Yes, that's right." Scully's voice holds an uncertain note, clearly unsure about what the other woman is getting at.
"There are a lot of women at the bureau who envy you," the voice remarks to Mulder's great surprise. "Plenty of girls would like to have the chance to work under him, if you know what I mean," the woman continues.
"He doesn't seem to be dating anyone, or at least he's never mentioned a girlfriend, and I know he's not married, so what's stopping these 'girls'?" Scully asks.
"What's stopping them is that he rarely looks twice at any of them." The other woman sighs. "What a waste."
There's a pause, then Scully haltingly asks, "You don't think, he's...um..."
"Gay? No. There was this woman a couple of years ago...If you'd seen them together, you'd know he's not. She took off on him without warning, from what I heard, though. No one much liked her, but he did, so most people figure that he's nursing a broken heart."
"Oh. That'd explain a lot."
There's the sound metal sliding across the top of a desk. "Well, here are your keys. It's in space 107."
"Great, thanks."
By the time he backtracks through the building, Scully is waiting for him in their newly acquired Ford Tempo. "Sorry, it was busier in the men's room than I expected."
"Guess we're not the only ones on a tight schedule," she says as she tosses him the keys.
"Scully, you're scientifically inclined. What is it that you expect to find when we land in Pittsburgh?" Mulder asks with a hint of a smile.
"Well, not a dragon," she says, also smiling.
"What, not even a Komodo or bearded?"
"I suppose it's possible that the dragon someone saw wandering downtown in Pittsburgh could be a Komodo dragon or bearded dragon, but it sure as hell isn't the twelve foot long dragon like the person who reported it claims."
"My money is on alligator," Mulder tells her.
"An alligator?" She looks like she's about to laugh.
"I hear that Pennsylvania has find sewer systems. Lots of places for a flushed baby alligator to grow up."
She's giggling by the time he turns on the car.
Hoover Building
October 31, 1992
Given that it's Saturday morning, very few other people are in the building. They wouldn't be themselves if their flight hadn't gotten back so late, and if Blevins hadn't insisted that he wanted a report on the case they had just finished within 18 hours, no exceptions. There is no way that Mulder can tell her, but he assumes that they are being punished for her not meeting expectations as a spy.
"So, Mulder, what are your plans for the night?" Scully asks, looking up from what she's writing. They have been taking turns writing reports, and it's her turn. He's mostly there for moral support, and to help remember details.
It's on the tip of his tongue to make a quip about trying to talk her into bed that night, but he doesn't.
:: Slow and steady, Mulder.:: He reminds himself for the 4000th time since finding himself back in 1992. Although it was his first impulse upon finding himself back in time, meeting Scully again, to immediately start hitting on her, he found it necessary to remind himself that in the past that strategy has worked out poorly for him. There were girls in college and afterwards that he was able to immediately charm. But they also almost immediately dumped him. :: Keep thinking about saving her from that nut Duane Barry. Come on to her too soon and you'll blow it long before you get the chance to put your plan in motion..::
"Um, I bought five of those big bags of chocolate at the grocery store, and a bowl three times the size of my head covered in ghosts and bats. I figure that I'll carve a pumpkin, prop the door open, and watch scary movies between trick-or-treaters," he tells her.
"Five bags of chocolate, Mulder? It sounds like you'll be the hit of the neighborhood."
He gives her a wry smile. "I give my landlord enough trouble without having him be pissed at me because somebody toilet papered or egged the hallway. How about you?"
"I don't know what I'm doing tonight."
"You don't know? I'm shocked."
"Ethan told me he bought tickets to something, but wants what they're for to be a surprise."
"Oh. You must trust him to know your tastes, then."
"Pretty much. Which horror movies?"
"What?" He gives her a puzzled look.
"You said that you're going to watch horror movies. Which ones?"
"I guess it depends on what's at the video store. I was hoping for a few 80s classics, like The Changeling and Poltergeist."
"Poltergeist?" She shivers. "I hate that movie."
"You do? I know the bodies in that movie aren't as fresh as the ones you're used to dealing with, but-"
"Not the bodies. The clown."
"You're afraid of clowns?"
"When I was three, Bill had a birthday party and my parents hired him a clown. Let's just say that it didn't go well for me."
Mulder nods. "If we ever encounter a clown on any of our cases, I promise I'll shoot it for you."
"My hero," she says sarcastically before getting to her feet. "It looks like this report is done. As soon as I drop this off upstairs we can get the hell out of here."
Mulder glances at the wall clock. "Maybe you'd better take the elevator."
Less than five minutes after Scully left, Mulder hears footsteps outside the door. They are much too loud to be hers, so he wonders who might be there. He doesn't remain in suspense very long, because a nervous looking man wearing a visitor's badge soon pops his head into the room. "Hi, I'm looking for Dana Scully."
Mulder does not have to read the name on the visitor's badge to know that this is Scully's boyfriend, Ethan. It only takes him a minute to assess the man. Even though it's Saturday afternoon, he's wearing a dress shirt and perfectly pressed khaki pants. His hair is raked back so severely that you can see teeth marks from the comb. :: He looks like he should be out giving people Watchtower magazines.:: Mulder thinks disdainfully before bothering to answer. "You've found the right place."
Ethan looks relieved. "You must be Fox Mulder then."
"I must be," Mulder says flatly. "Scully didn't say that you were coming."
"Scully?" Ethan looks slightly puzzled. "You FBI people, calling each other's by your last names..."
Mulder stares at him.
"Um, I thought it would surprise her with lunch," Ethan says in a rush. It's clear that Mulder has put him on edge again.
"I've never taken her for the type of person who likes surprises, but I guess you know better," Mulder replies. "So, speaking of surprises, where are you two going tonight? Don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise."
"The circus is in town this weekend. She told me once that she'd never been, so I bought us tickets. I suppose it's a little silly, but I'm hoping that she finds it endearing rather than cheesy."
"Good luck," Mulder says, trying to force himself to sound like he means it.
"Thanks."
Two seconds later they both hear the sound of Scully's heels on the tile in the hallway. She looked surprised when she enters the room. "Ethan? What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to invite my best girl to an impromptu lunch," Ethan tells her with more confidence than he has displayed in his exchange with Mulder.
"That sounds great. You have good timing too, because we were just about to leave."
:: Don't ask me to lunch too. I don't think I can pretend to like this man long enough so you don't think I'm a jealous prick.:: Mulder thinks to himself before getting to his feet. He holds his hand to Ethan, and the other man gives him a startled look before shaking it. "It was nice to meet you, Ethan. But if you excuse me, I have several errands I need to run."
"Oh." Scully looks slightly disappointed, and he sure that she intended to ask him to join them for lunch. "Have a good Halloween then, Mulder."
"You too."
As Mulder walks through the Hoover building, he tries not to smile broadly. Scully is afraid of clowns, and her idiot boyfriend is taking her to the circus. He doesn't know what he was worried about. Ethan is sabotaging himself much more easily and creatively than Mulder ever could.
Hoover Building
November 2, 1992
"So, how was Halloween?" Mulder asks as soon as he and Scully enter the office in the morning.
At first she doesn't say anything, but slowly shakes her head. "There were clowns involved," she says flatly.
"Were you armed?"
This makes her smile. "Of course not."
"What I said Saturday, I meant it. If we ever see a clown, I will shoot it for you."
"I believe you. It's not comforting, but I believe you."
"Have you seen any ghosts today?" Mulder asks.
"Ghosts?"
"I've been reading on Catholicism a little bit. Today is All Souls Day, right?"
"Yes..."
"Doesn't that mean you see dead loved ones?"
"Mulder! You haven't done enough reading. You're supposed to think about your dead loved ones, not see them," she says, exasperated. "The point is praying for those in purgatory, not having an audience with them."
"That's disappointing. I thought it would be a little more hands-on, like than day of the dead down in Mexico."
"You sound like my brother Charlie," Scully says with a laugh. "He wanted all souls Day to be like the day the dead too. Of course, he was seven."
"Charlie, hmmm? I take it that's the brother you like best."
"Why do you say that?"
"Whatever you say your older brother's name, little worry lines show up on your forehead. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that there is some clashing there," Mulder says teasingly.
"If you had an older brother, maybe you could understand."
"I am an older brother."
Neither of them say anything after that, both suddenly reminded of why Samantha Mulder hasn't had to worry about him being an overbearing sibling.
Bill and Margaret Scully's Home
Early December 1992
Around December, Scully is itching to get back to something like a normal life, so she escapes, albeit in the company of another man, to her parents' home. ::Away from the X-Files,:: Scully thinks, ::away from my crazy partner, away from the madness that has us running like chickens with our heads cut off month after month.::
"Mrs. Scully, good to see you again, Mr. Scully." Ethan Minette shakes hands with the captain after briefly hugging his wife.
"What brings you down here?" Margaret Scully smiles, not at all surprised or dismayed by the sudden visit.
Her daughter fidgets nervously, unlike her confident companion. "Just stopping by, since we were in the neighborhood, Mom," she says.
"I see," her mother says, and nudges her husband. "Well, you're welcome to stay for lunch, we've got plenty of munchies since Bill and Tara are here."
"Bill's here, too?" Now Scully looks surprised, and she looks up at her father, who nods. Nodding a bit too proudly, she notes. "Well," she says, recovering her equanimity, "I guess Ethan will be meeting more of my family." She and her boyfriend follow her parents inside, where another couple is sitting comfortably in the living room.
"Dana." Tara smiles, standing, and Scully warmly hugs her sister-in-law. It still boggles her mind that this strong, loving woman is actually married to her bossy older brother, but then again, she counts the woman as a saint. "Can you believe they're letting him stay seven months? Perhaps they're afraid he's forgetting how to walk on land." She grins.
"Hey, little sister." Her brother envelopes her in a massive hug. Ergh. "Contrary to what some people believe, they're just giving me more paperwork to do, stuff I can do on land," he says the last two words to his wife, who grins back impishly.
"Hi there, Bill Scully," he says, giving Ethan an over-firm grip.
Ethan doesn't wince as he shakes the other man's hand just as firmly. "Hi, Ethan Minette," he says.
"I like him." The tall, broad-shouldered man beams at his sister, "He's not like the other guys you used to bring home."
"Bill," Scully sighs, "high school was another lifetime ago." There's something unsettling about her brother liking her boyfriend, it just feels odd.
"No, Bill's right, you did pick some," Her father pauses, "unsavory characters."
Ethan raises his eyebrows, as she pretends to let their insinuations roll off her back. Fat chance. Even her mother knew to change the topic. "Well, Dana, how have things been going lately?"
Scully smiles gratefully at her mother. "I just got back from a case in Georgia, and, and I just thought I'd like to see you guys again before I get sent goodness knows where."
Ethan nods. "I thought I'd be flying more for my international litigations work, but Dana keeps flying all over the place." He smiles at her, and she smiles back, a little tentatively.
"I guess all the Scullys have some wandering blood in them." Her father beams. "Bill's in the Navy, Charlie's a satellite engineer, Melissa's," he sighs, "finding herself, and Dana's in the FBI. I thought you'd be the one to settle down first," He looks at his youngest daughter.
"I am," she says, "as soon as things settle down at work."
"When will that be?" Bill wonders, in his blunt fashion.
"Good question," Ethan says, looking directly at her.
"Whenever it is, I hope you don't make Ethan wait too long," Her father adds helpfully.
Ooh, kiss of death. Perhaps she hasn't outgrown her youthful rebelliousness after all. "I think I'll have some tea," Scully tells her mother, as Tara gives her a sympathetic glance.
Hoover Building
Monday
Familiar staccato clicks on the tile announce her arrival before she opens the door. Scully nods to her partner, taking a sip of coffee from the styrofoam cup before she puts her purse down. " Hey, how's the homies?" Mulder asks, tossing another wadded paper ball into the trash. ::It's amazing how his game improves when he's not on a case, he thinks, that, or the ceiling gets full of lead.::
She raises that infamous eyebrow as she takes off her coat. Ooh, shpooky. "The 'homies', as you put it, are fine. In fact, I got to spend time with my brother Bill and his wife, as well as my parents."
Mulder suppresses a shudder at the mention of her brother. He wonders if the other one, Charles, would be any more mellow. Or less of an asshole. "...and I'm guessing everything was just peachy in the Scully household."
She smiles a little. "As a matter of fact, yes, it was. Well, there was that one thing," and with that her smile fades. "But didn't anything *unusual* happen here?"
He shakes his head vigorously. "No, nothing worthy to be sent down here. No, what was that one thing that happened?" He leans forward, curious.
She sighs, regretting having brought it up. "Well, it wasn't a big deal, really," she starts, when she sees him leaning forward on his elbows, his chin resting on his hands, and makes a face. "Jeez, nothing *did* happen around here, did it?"
"Come on, Scully, don't make me beg for the juicy details," Mulder whines, putting on the full puppy-dog eyes, complete with pout.
"Brother." She snorts, but, allowing herself the luxury of turning away from him, "Well, if you must know, I almost got engaged."
Mulder almost falls over. "What?" He blinks.
"Yes," she says, turning around to see her tall partner's jaw hanging. "But with your keen powers of observation, you might detect something missing here," she says, holding up her hand. "Ethan's a nice boy, but we were moving too fast, and I don't see myself getting married anytime soon." She chuckles a little and bends down to retrieve her purse, while her partner gathers his wits.
::Okay, so she's not engaged, she's just dumped her boyfriend, thank you God,:: he rejoices inwardly, while his face betrays nothing of his emotions, as usual. One of these days, he's gonna crack a smile and freak her out, but in the meantime, it's all he can do not to jump up and down, hug her, and yell at the top of his lungs, "You're not getting married! Yes! No little Minettes running around!" Aloud he says, "So should I say congratulations or sorry?"
She smiles, "Neither. I'd still be your partner, married or not, Mulder. You can't scare off a Scully that easily."
He smiles back. ::That's for sure,:: he nods, ::your mom stuck up for us God knows how many times, and Bill sure wasn't shy about expressing his feelings. Neither did Melissa, as I recall.:: At that last thought, he sobers up, remembering his mission. Nobody else should have to suffer, nobody else, like Melissa, should have to die. "Good to know," he says aloud.
"This is one of those times I'm happy to be a man," Mulder tells her.
"Oh?" she asks, arching an eyebrow. Her look is slightly defensive, as if she expects him to try to hit on her now that he knows she's single.
Which isn't what he has in mind at all. "As a man, I can say nothing at all about the demise of your relationship. Now, if I was one of your female friends, I'd have to tell you he's scum, I never really liked the guy, you could do much better, and I know this guy I'm sure you'd hit it off with," he says with a grin.
"But you and Ethan spoke to each other for all of five minutes the entire time I dated him, so how could you hate him?" she asks reasonably.
"Doesn't matter. The extra X chromosome would force me to hate him even if I didn't know he existed until you mentioned breaking up with him."
Scully smiles slightly. "You sound as though you've investigated this."
"I do have a degree in psychology, Scully," he says with mock arrogance. "And I've watched a lot of TV."
"That explains it."
"And, you know, the phenomena is an x-files. Much like the one about why women can't go to the bathroom alone. Which is another reason to be happy to be male."
"You wouldn't want to go to the bathroom with me?" Scully teases him.
::No, because I wouldn't get to see anything!:: "Well, maybe if you promised to bring a can of air fresher."
She throws a paper clip at him, but doesn't seem upset, which makes him happy for the rest of the day.
