disclaimer: not mine, don't sue
Chapter 28: Violation
Dana Scully had done and said many things to Fox Mulder over the four years she was with him, but he never reacted to one like he had her comment in the car on the way home from her graduation. The fact that she would even say that hurt him very much. She surprised herself by saying what she did. But she wasn't taking it back.
It was 1:00 by the time they arrived back at the dorm. That gave Scully just enough time to change out of her gown and into something more practical, then get something started for dinner. She knew her mother would also stop by the store and get something, so she didn't hurry.
"Mommy, I'm tired," Will complained to her once more as she took off her jewelry, among them the heart necklace that Mulder had given her so long ago. She never took it off. There was a bit of a clink as it hit the bottom of her jewelry box.
"Alright, Will, let's get you down for a nap," she said, picking up her son and laying him down on the bed. His little eyes closed almost immediately, and she realized what a joy it was to watch her son sleep. He was so content and happy. The past four years had just flown by.
"Scully?" she heard at the door.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying not to sound annoyed. She knew the effects of what she had said to Mulder.
"Your mom's on the phone. She's wondering what she should bring."
"Tell her just to bring dessert. I was going to make something."
With that, Mulder left, but not before giving William a loving look. He couldn't remember his life without them. He didn't want to, even in times like these.
The day was getting warmer, and with all the people crammed into the small space, Scully knew it was going to feel hotter inside than outside. She pulled on a skirt and nice top to go with it. She looked springy. A fluff of her hair and she was ready to pretend to be the perfect mother/student/girlfriend again. The façade was never ending.
As she suspected, her mother brought more than just dessert. Even though Scully had made a huge meal of mostacolli, her mother brought potato salad, chicken, and meatballs from the deli near their hotel.
It was 2:04 when Daniel showed up, and the whole celebration was already in progress by then. Nobody suspected that Mulder and Scully weren't speaking. She jumped up to get the door, knowing only one person it could be.
"Hello Dana," her professor said, standing in the hallway with a huge smile. She hugged him for the second time that day and invited him in.
Her family usually made small get-togethers feel outrageous, and Scully knew that. Mulder didn't seem to mind. He had been starved of family his entire life, so the closeness and loudness wasn't really a problem to him. Scully hated it, though. Sometimes she wished that her family were as reserved as she was. Why did they have to over-do everything? This was her graduation, damn it! At one point, Scully couldn't take it any more and snuck off to her room, where William was still sleeping.
"Dana?" she heard a familiar voice ask. Dana. Not Scully. Not Sis. Not Sweetheart. Dana. Her birth name. She didn't know there were tears in her eyes until she turned to look at Daniel and found that he was blurry.
"Dana? Dana, what's wrong? What's the matter?" he asked, deeply concerned. He rushed over to her side, sitting down next to her on the bed and taking her hand.
"This isn't my life," she sobbed.
"I didn't think so. This seems a little too over the top for you."
She was and wasn't surprised that Daniel was the only person who understood.
"I'm sorry. I know I should be happy, but, I've been so lost lately…"
"It's okay, Danes. It'll be okay," Daniel said, bringing her in for a hug. Scully happily accepted, even was thankful for the gentle caress he provided on her knee.
It started out totally innocent. Then his hand moved up and touched the hem of her skirt.
"What are you doing?" Scully asked, pulling away, not wanting to admit to herself what was happening. Suddenly, she was 17 again.
"You're sad," Daniel told her, moving his hand higher, "I'm trying to make you feel better."
"I suggest you take your hand off my leg."
"But you have such pretty legs. They really are gorgeous, Dana--"
"Stop," she said, not loud though, because her son was sleeping not three feet away. She grabbed Daniel's hand, but he just cupped her face.
"Don't tell me you don't want this, Dana, don't lie to me."
"If you don't take your hands off me I will go out there and call the police. Jail would be a welcome place after Mulder gets done with you."
"You wouldn't send me to jail. I'm your mentor. You're biggest influence."
"You're a scumbag."
"You wouldn't send me to jail because what if it got back to the university? You got an A in my class, Dana, 100% on every test… and now that you don't need me anymore, you're going to go and tattle? Don't you think they'd suspect something?"
"They wouldn't suspect anything," Scully said, though she had dropped his hand, which was making it's way up her leg again. She was unsure, and he saw it.
"What would your family think? After what happened with Ethan…" he posed a scenario. She had told him about Ethan. She thought she could trust him.
"You can't do this," she said, a little louder than she should have. Her heart stopped for a minute when William stirred.
"Shhhh, wouldn't want to wake up your little boy," Daniel said. Scully felt utterly helpless as his hand moved higher and higher. She kept telling herself that she could do something; that Daniel couldn't get away with this. But everything he said was 100% true. She wished she had never even heard of skirts when Daniel slipped his hand between her legs and applied pressure. Because she didn't want William to wake up to this, she kept quiet, but couldn't stop the tears from making their way down her cheeks. She wondered how far he was going to go.
He fingered her a little, then decided to restrict himself.
"Come on, you've been gone for too long. They're going to wonder where you went. When he removed his hand, it felt like heaven. Scully sniffled and nodded, showing that she agreed. Before she got up, Daniel put his hand on her shoulder.
"You could tell someone, but your life would go down the drain. The cops wouldn't believe you, your parents would be ashamed, and your boyfriend would leave you in a second. Remember, I hold your life in my hands."
About fifteen minutes after Daniel had left, Mulder realized that he had seen Scully very little that day. He knew she was upset with him, but she wouldn't avoid him because of it, especially at a family party. He went looking for her, and finally found her on the floor of the closet in their bedroom, crying.
"Scully? Scully, what's the matter?" he asked. She just continued to cry.
"Nothing. Nothing, just go away."
"No, Scully," Mulder said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't!" she yelled, flinching at his touch, "Just go away, Mulder!"
And he did.
