I don't own The X Files or its characters. The X Files is the property of Chris Carter, and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
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Chapter 26 by AnarchyX-Phile
When they were back in his car and on their way home, he glanced over at her, "when do you want to tell our families?"
"Let's celebrate it privately tonight and we'll tell everyone tomorrow."
"Mmmm, and how do you want to celebrate it privately?" he asked as he wagged his eyebrows at her.
"Chocolate covered strawberries and wine." She said quickly as she flashed him a smile.
"More strawberries?" he asked as he rolled his eyes. "Didn't you get enough the other night?"
"Hey, don't sass your future wife. I want what I want." she said as she reached over and slapped his shoulder playfully.
"I want you…and I always get what I want." He said as he glanced over at her again before looking back at the road.
"And I want you covered in strawberries and chocolate… and you better make sure I always get what I want."
"Fine, I'll stop at the store and get us some." He relented, though it wasn't really a compromise since she had him craving fruit now.
She smiled triumphantly and looked out the window before a small frown tilted her lips as she groaned. "Your mother—we're going to have to tell your mother."
"Why do you say it like that?"
"Because I have the distinct impression that she doesn't like me…especially since you told her that I stood you up." She gave him a stone-cold stare as her mouth turned into a shaming frown.
"Of course she doesn't like you—she thinks you're a gold digger."
"What?!" she screamed as she turned in her seat until she was facing him. He had said it so nonchalantly that she would have thought he was kidding if his face wasn't so serious.
"Well yeah, and it probably won't help that we're engaged after only a week and a half."
"But…why would she think that? I don't even know how much money you have!"
"Look, we both know that you're marrying me for my penis—but maybe you should let my mother think you're marrying me for money rather than telling her the truth."
"I'm not gold digger!" She said as she slammed her fist against the arm rest, a few silent moments passed before she cleared her throat. "But…just out of curiosity, how much money do you have?"
"Ahh, there's my little digger." He laughed as he reached over and put his hand on her leg and squeezed it. She rolled her eyes and put her palm over his, rubbing the back of his hand for a few minutes.
"Does your mother really think that?"
"Who cares?" he asked as he shrugged his shoulder. He vividly remembered the look on Teena's face when he told her that he was moving Dana in with him; even though he worded the entire conversation to show that he was the one that made the decision that she move in—Teena still urged him to slow things down with her.
His mother had always worried that the family's money would entice the wrong sort of women for him; she had disapproved of every woman he ever brought home, so finally he had stopped bringing them home. But Dana was different and he didn't give a damn what his mother thought of her—he knew the truth even if she wouldn't accept it.
But then he heard her small voice interrupt his thoughts and he felt his heart ache. "I care, Mulder."
He sighed deeply and looked over at her, "no baby, she won't think that about you," he promised as he grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips. He laid soft, wet kisses along the back of her hand before twisting her hand so that he could kiss the underside of her wrist. "Now, back to our private celebration…"
She smiled softly and cupped her palm against his face. "I do love you—I've never wanted your money. I don't really have a need for it. I've gotten along this many years without it…I'm more than capable of continuing on my own." She said, feeling the intense urge to defend herself.
"Hey," he said as he reached up and grabbed her chin, tilting her head up until she was looking him in the eyes, "you're not doing anything on your own ever again. You don't have to." Her brows furrowed and he pulled the car to a stop at a red light and leaned over to kiss her, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against the skin in front of her ear. "No one will ever think poorly of you, I can promise you that."
"But how can you promise that?"
"Because I'm not going to let them—you belong to me, you are what I say you are."
She shivered at the dominance in his voice, the predatory look in his eyes as though he'd slaughter anyone who even thought something negative about her. "And what do you say I am?"
"Beautiful, loving, wicked smart, erotic and sexy as hell—someone I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with."
"Good answer," she said as she leaned forward to kiss his him. "The light turned green," she said huskily as she put her hand on his face and pushed against his cheek until his eyes were pointed back on the road.
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They went into a grocery store a few blocks from their apartment and went in search for strawberries. They were standing at the counter waiting to ask the salesperson for the number of strawberries they wanted dipped when Dana heard someone call her name.
She turned her head and cringed when she saw a man standing there waving wildly at her. She pasted a smile on her face and stepped over towards him, "how have you been?" she asked nicely as she glanced behind her to see Mulder talking to the saleswoman.
"I've been great actually, I started a new job and really got my life on track—believe it or not." He smiled.
"That's good—I'm glad to hear it."
"What about you?" He asked as his eyes ran down her body.
She shuffled uneasily on her feet and tightened her jacket across her chest before she cleared her throat; she lifted her left hand and let her engagement shine against the store's bright lighting. "I got my life on the right track too."
The man's face blanked as he took a step backwards. "Congratulations, that's good to hear. I guess that's who you were standing with?"
She turned her head around only to find Mulder was gone. She looked around the produce section but didn't see him anywhere. "Yes, that was him. We're kind of in a hurry…" she said as she tried to figure out where he would have gone.
"I'll let you go. Congratulations again."
Dana nodded and started walking down the ends of the aisles as she looked for Mulder's dark hair. She finally found him on the other side of the store holding up two boxes as he read the backs of them. "What did you find?" she asked as she stepped up beside him.
"While you were busy talking to your boyfriend…" he said as he glanced over at her and gave her a narrow smile, "I thought of a way to spice up our relationship and keep you in my bed." He held up the boxes he was reading and heard her laughter bubble up into the air as she read their labels: Edible Panties. "Do you think cherry or grape would taste better?"
"Get them both and maybe you'll get lucky twice tonight."
"Why didn't I think of that?" he said with a wink as he stacked both boxes in the cart and started towards the cashier.
"What kind of wine did you get?"
"The good kind. Are you going to tell me who your friend was?"
"Just a guy I use to know."
"Is he crazy like your other boyfriend?"
She smiled and nodded her head, leaning towards him slightly so he could hear her whisper, "maybe I drive them crazy."
He grinned darkly and leaned down to press a quick kiss against her parted lips. "You certainly drive me fucking crazy." She hummed a soft sort of laugh before she pursed her lips and let him kiss her again. "How well did you know him?"
"Not well at all." She said as she slipped her hand into his hand and laced her fingers between his.
He smiled and pulled her against his side, kissing her forehead, "good answer."
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Mulder didn't even give her enough time to set the groceries on the dining room table before he was pulling at her shirt, throwing it into the kitchen floor as he grabbed her up in his arms and forced her legs to wrap around him. She was laughing gently against him as she worked to get his shirt off while he carried them into the living room, tossing her unceremoniously on the couch.
He tore into the edible panties box and tossed her the gummy underwear; she tried to hide her frown—she knew it was going to feel good having him eat it off of her, but the thick texture felt quite disgusting as she slid it up her bare legs and positioned it between her legs.
He watched her with obvious delight and soon as she stopped messing with it, he jumped her again and climbed on top of her; he lowered his head until he sucked her nipple into his mouth but then he felt her hands on his shoulders, pushing him down as she arched her back and thrust her hips closer to him. He laughed and let his hands wonder down to her legs, his large palms pressing against her inner thighs as he jerked her legs apart.
He kissed down her stomach and over to her hip, biting harshly at the bone until she thrust her hips upwards again and ran her fingers through his hair, silently begging him to move lower. He hummed against her skin and buried his head between her legs, his tongue darting out to lick the red candy underwear.
"Mmmm, eat me," she growled with a smile as she wrapped her legs around his neck and grinded her hips against his face. He laughed against her and slid his hands under her ass, lifting her up and pulling her fully against him as he opened his mouth as his teeth began ripping at her panties.
It didn't taste at all like cherry and the plastic, waxy taste was so strong that he couldn't taste her arousal either. He shuddered and felt his stomach lurch at the awful taste but he kept at it because it seemed to be doing something for her.
He slid his finger into her wet body and ran his tongue along the edge of the panties, letting just a sliver of his tongue slide against her skin. She moaned and he saw her hands twist into the sheets. "Oh God…" he said against her center as he reached up and grabbed her legs, trying to loosen her grip around his neck so that he could sit up. "I think I'm going to be sick." He choked as he ripped himself away from her and ran into the kitchen, leaning over the trashcan as his stomach flipped again.
"What's the matter?" she asked as she slid her shirt back on self-consciously and walked over to him. He was still leaned over the trashcan but he reached out and grabbed the underwear and ripped them off her body, throwing them away and sliding the trashcan under the counter.
"That was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted."
"Hey! You use to like the way I taste." She said with her hands on her hips.
"Trust me, it ain't you, baby." He said as he gagged again and went over to stand in front of the sink. "God, I can't get that taste out of my mouth."
"Do you want some wine?" she asked as she rubbed her hand down his back; he gagged again and a hard shudder ran through his body. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked as her eyebrows furrowed; she wrapped her arm around his back and felt the shivers ran through him.
"This is definitely not how I imagined tonight."
"It's okay," she said, trying her best to hide the disappointment in her voice but it was painfully obvious.
"I'm sorry, honey." He said as he stepped away from her and walked down the hall towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. His eyes caught her reflection in the back of the mirror as she stood in the bathroom doorway watching him.
"Would you like to try grape?"
"Throw that shit away." He groaned as he shoved his toothbrush into his mouth and began scrubbing as hard as he could until his gums started bleeding.
She shrugged her shoulders and tossed the unopened box in the bathroom trashcan before she turned walked back into the living room, picking up their groceries and putting them away. Before she went back into the living room, she grabbed up a strawberry and began nibbling on it as she went to the bookshelf and began going through his movie collection.
Most of them were science fiction movies with a few true crimes documentaries. "You have horrible tastes in movies, lover." She said loudly as she bent down and began going through the second shelf.
"Then we can watch something on TV," he mumbled as he hobbled over to the couch and collapsed on the cushions.
She looked at him and frowned, his face was pale and a light sheen of sweat was glistening on his forehead. "You want a soda?" she asked.
He smiled warmly at her and shook his head, "No, Dr. Scully, but there's something else I want more. Come here." He said as she stretched open his arms; she smiled and laid down on top of him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his chest.
"Tell me what you want out of life." He said as he smoothed his hand over her hair and she wiggled and settled comfortably against him.
"I want to be happy."
"And are you?"
"Very much so," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him, letting just the tip of her tongue brush against his lips before she pulled back. "What do you want out of life?"
"A wife, children, a home, a satisfying job, a vacation every four months." He named off his list quickly.
"Been giving it a lot of thought, huh?" she laughed as she rubbed her hands against his shoulders, letting her fingers dig into his muscles and work the tenseness out.
"It sounds cheesy and you're going to roll your eyes, but it's all I've thought about since I met you." His fingers began toying with the ends of her hair; in the background he could tell the sun was beginning to set and since they hadn't turned on any lights, the room was slowly growing darker and darker.
"When you came into my office the first day, what was going through your mind?"
"How beautiful you looked when you were concentrated on something. When you were explaining the process to me, your face relaxed and your eyes turned this brilliant shade of bright blue. I was so tongue-tied that I barely said anything the entire meeting, and then…when you didn't show up at the bar…well, I thought I blown it with you."
"I had no idea you were interested—not until you asked to take me to lunch the next day. Who would have thought that less than two weeks later we'd be here?"
"I hoped but I didn't think it would happen. I thought I was going to date and romance you for years before you'd agree to marry me."
"Oh I still expect plenty of dating and romancing… but I know what I like when I see it."
"People are going to doubt that this is real, but I need you to understand that the way I feel about you…there's nothing more real than this. I need you to trust me."
Dana shifted her body up higher so that she was looking straight down into his face, her hair tumbling down and the soft curls caressing his face. "You have so much more than my trust. Kiss me." She said as she lowered her head and pressed her lips against his.
For the rest of the night, they laid together and when the sun began to rise the next morning, their heavy, tired eyes fell shut as their swollen lips whispered final 'I love you's' before falling asleep.
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After work the next day, they drove to his parent's home an hour out of the city. Dana had been nervous all day and hadn't been able to eat any breakfast or lunch. To top it off, she had been in a sour mood on the drive up after she realized she hadn't grabbed her change of clothes before they left the apartment this morning—so now all she had to wear was her black Bureau scrubs.
"I can ask them to meet us at a restaurant…" Mulder offered as he looked over at her, her hands moving restlessly in her lap.
"I'm not hungry, I'm fine." She said as she stared out of the window.
"You haven't eaten in forever…at least eat some seeds." He said as he handed her a handful of sunflower seed and watched her throw one in her mouth, her little teeth working hard to crack the shell. "Stop being nervous…it's not like they can tell us 'no.' Sam is going to be over-the-top excited—I don't think she believed I'd had the balls to ask you."
"I like your balls." She said as she cut her eyes quickly towards him with a small sly smile on her lips.
He smiled widely and put his hand on her leg, "we're going to be fine. Plus—we have a belated celebration for tonight. I distinctly recall you requesting anal sex and I'm not passing up on that offer."
Her lips parted in embarrassment as she put her hand over his lips, stopping him from saying anything else. "Mulder," she whispered quietly as she shook her head. He stuck his tongue out and licked her fingers, tasting the salt from the sunflower seeds lingering on her skin. She gasped and her eyes rolled shut before she pulled her hand away and leaned back in her seat.
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Teena saw Fox's car pull into the driveway and she watched them get out, Dana fixing her hair in the window before she grabbed hold of Fox's hand and started towards the porch. Teena knew immediately why they had asked to visit and she felt her heart begin racing in her chest.
She was losing her son.
Dana smiled politely as Bill Mulder swung open the door and welcomed them inside; Dana knew he was there the day Mulder brought her home from the hospital, but this was the first time she had actually seen him and she was therefore surprised when he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a loose hug.
Mulder smiled but as soon as Bill let go of her, Mulder pulled her back against his body, wrapping his arm around her waist and letting his hand rest on her lower back. They heard Samantha long before they saw her as she clambered down the stairs in workout clothes and reading glasses on. "Dana, I didn't know you were coming. How are you two love birds?" She asked with her eyebrow quirked.
"Where's mom?" Mulder asked as he shot her a warning glare. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before Sam looked down and saw their engagement ring.
They all moved into the living room and saw Teena still standing near the window, her hand over her throat. She slowly turned to face them and was willing back the tears in her eyes, "it's good to see you," she said softly as she walked over to give Mulder an awkward one handed hug since it was obvious he wasn't letting go of Dana.
"What did you need to talk about son?" his dad asked as he sat down in an armchair while Sam stretched out on the couch. Teena went over to sit partially on the armrest of Bill's chair.
"We have some news...really good news." Mulder said before he cleared his throat and looked down at Dana who looked on the verge of throwing up. "Yesterday…I asked Dana to marry me." Samantha's jaw dropped as she stared at them, Teena swallowed hard, and Bill just started smiling.
"And I said 'yes.'" Dana said nervously as she held up her hand to show them the ring, her hand slightly shaking as she tried to read their expressions. Sam was obviously going to be excited once the initial shock wore off, his father was already smiling, but his mother almost looked…brooding.
Sure enough, during Dana and Teena's stare down, Dana was caught off guard as Sam ran up and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I can't believe you said yes!" she squealed, torn between making a joke about her brother and screaming in excitement that she now had a soon-to-be sister-in-law. Dana laughed and wrapped her arms around Sam, so glad that she was gaining a new friend through this decision, but then she was pulled away from Sam and wrapped once again in Bill's arms.
"Teena and I were so afraid Fox would never make this step—I'm so happy for you both." He said in Dana's ear.
"Thank you, sir." She said as she gentle returned the embrace.
"Call me Bill, you're a part of the family now." He said as he leaned back and looked into her face as though he was seeing her for the first time. Dana smiled and nodded her head, stepping backwards as she felt Mulder grab her hand again.
All that was left was Teena. Both Dana and Mulder turned their attention to her as she came forward. She hugged her son tightly, whispering something in his ear that made his hand clamp down painfully hard on Dana's hand before she pulled away and quickly hugged Dana.
"I uh… backed a cake when you told me you were coming. Will you come into the kitchen and help me, Fox?" She asked and walked out of the room.
Mulder frowned but let go of Dana's hand and followed her out of the room.
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"I understand that you are a grown man, son, but you've got to admit this is a little too soon for an engagement announcement."
"I know it is…we're just so…in love." He said, knowing it sounded a little childish.
Evidently his mother thought so too as she chuckled softly. "No doubt you are—I worry about her."
"Stop it," he said as he waved his hand dismissively at her. "I know exactly what you're thinking and you're wrong. You're wrong about everything."
"I hope so, son…but what if I'm not? Will she sign a prenup?"
"I'm not going to ask her to—she can have everything I have."
"That's very irresponsible, Fox. Did she tell you she wouldn't sign a prenup?"
"This isn't about money—it's never been about money. Hell, she makes more money than I do!" he snapped, cutting Teena's rant off mid-stream. "She's the sole director of an entire branch at the FBI—she doesn't need or want my money…or should I say your money? Because I don't want it either."
"Fox, you need to watch what you say. I'm just trying to look out for you, I know what's best."
"You don't even know her—you disliked her before you talked her… hell, probably before you even saw her."
"She's got you wrapped around her little finger. If she says jump, you jump."
"Because I love her. I'll do anything for her because I want to—not because she's manipulating me."
"But will it last? How well do you really know her?"
"I know what I need to know, Mom. And you need to understand that she's the woman I've chosen. Now, you know me well enough to know that I don't care if we have your approval…but for some reason, Dana does care about what you think." His mother's mouth straightened into a flat line as she listened to him. "She doesn't know anything about our money, I never told her and she never asked. As a matter of fact, the first time we had lunch together, she refused to let me pay for her bill."
"She wears that ring quite proudly. How much did that cost?"
"Why are you so set against her? She's proud of the ring because it's our engagement ring."
"I'm against this because I don't think either one of you should rush into a decision as important as this so recklessly. All I'm asking is for you to give me time to get to know her before she becomes my daughter-in-law."
"We haven't discussed a date yet. I would love nothing more than to get married tonight, but I have feeling Dana is going to want to wait a while. She wants to talk to you, just you and her, before we leave. I don't know what she wants to talk about, but I'm asking you to be considerate to her—she really does want you to like her."
Teena nodded and stood up, wiping her hands down her skirt to smooth out the wrinkles. "You can send her in here and I'll talk with her. You said her name was Dana?"
Mulder gave his mother a dramatic eye roll as he walked to the door, "very funny," he said just before he stepped outside into the hallway. He could hear Dana's laughter coming from the living room and Samantha's voice got louder as she talked the laughter.
He smiled and went into the living room, watching her eyes light up when she saw him walk into the room. He stopped in the doorway and watched her interact with his dad and sister, her blue eyes occasionally flickering over Samantha's shoulder so that she could smile sweetly at him.
He cleared his throat and stepped fully into the room. "Dana, you're up." He said as he motioned for her to go into the kitchen to talk to his mother.
The smile on her face faltered slightly and Sam busted out laughing, "I know exactly how you feel; it's like dipping you in blood and throwing you in a pool with a hungry shark." She looked at Sam and frowned, shaking her head. "Or…or soaking you in kerosene and shoving her in front of a dragon—it's all really quite accurate."
"Sam." Mulder said gruffly as he gave her a nasty stare.
She shrugged and leaned back against the couch, smiling smugly at Dana as she stood up and fixed her clothing. "Well, I'm glad she said yes—for the past couple years, I've been afraid I'd never get to be an aunt."
"Well that may take us longer than a week and a half to accomplish." Dana said softly as she walked around the couch and headed for the door.
"No hurry, next month is fine with me." Bill said, getting a laugh from everyone except Dana who was on the fighting back the urge to throw up again.
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An hour later, Dana walked out of the kitchen with a platter of cake pieces as Teena followed her into the living room.
"Sam gave up and went back upstairs to study." Mulder said when he noticed his mother looking around the room for her.
He went over to sit next to Dana while Teena divvied out the cake on saucers and passed them out to everyone. She took a deep breath in and looked at Mulder with a small smile on her face, "congratulations on your engagement, son." She said as she lifted the cake to her mouth.
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They said their goodbyes 30 minutes later and went back out to their car; they knew Teena and Bill were watching from the living room window so they fought the urge to kiss each other but Dana couldn't help but wrap her arms tightly around him and bury her face in his chest.
"Well it could have gone worse." He laughed as he kissed her forehead. "What did you and my mother talk about for so long?"
"That's just between her and me," she mumbled against his chest as her nails dug into his back, needing to feel him closer. "I'm starving." She said as she sighed and went to pull away.
"For me or food?" he laughed as he lifted his hand to run his fingers through her hair.
"Both."
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So I think it's painfully obvious that I hate Teena Mulder's character; I NEVER liked her in the series. No worries though, she can't mess anything up with Sculder! I'm going to be wrapping this story up very soon (four more chapters) but I love these characters so much that I'm going to be creating another story, Episode 2 if you will, with the same characters with new cases.