Requiem Part 1! This is a multiple chapter thing, folks! You're welcome. Also, a lot of this is dialogue, forgive me.
Enjoy!
Scully emerges from the bathroom early the next morning to find her boyfriend's concerned face staring back at her. She sighs inwardly knowing he hears her vomit for at least five of the possible fifteen minutes she is in the bathroom.
"Mulder, I'm fine. It was something I ate," She remarks as she crawls back into bed beside him. Mulder knows she is lying but keeps quiet. Instead, he teases, "You made sure to brush your teeth, right?"
"Shut up, Mulder," Scully mumbles into her pillow before turning away from him hoping that a bad stomach is all that is the matter with her. Part of her fears that her cancer is back, but she simply dismisses the thought and goes about her Saturday with Chloe and Mulder as if nothing is wrong.
At the office on Monday, Scully is all too aware of her partner's constantly watching her. Finally, she snaps, "What?"
Surprised by her outburst, Mulder manages to find the words to explain, "I just wanted to know if you felt better."
Realizing her faux pas, Scully apologizes. She takes a deep breath before finally answering, "Mulder, I'm fine. Um, I talked to Skinner before I came down here. He said they're going to have someone in here in the next couple days to go over our expense reports."
Groaning, Mulder asks, "Again?"
"They do this every year," Scully deadpans. After a moment she asks what area of the office he wants to clean. With a sigh, Mulder answers, "My desk, I guess."
True to their word, the FBI sends a man down to review the agents' expense reports.
"I'm Agent Chesty Short," The balding accountant introduces. Mulder tries to hide a snicker as he introduces himself and Scully. Nodding, Chesty states, "I'd like to conduct each of these interviews seperately. We don't want partners influencing each other's answers. Now who wants to go first?"
Scully and Mulder merely stare at each other before Chesty answers for them.
"Agent Scully? If you don't mind going out in the hall, I'm going to talk with Agent Mulder."
Nodding, Scully gives her boyfriend a reassuring glance before leaving the office. Knowing she will be waiting around the building for at least a couple hours, Scully decides to stretch her legs and conveniently get Chloe lunch and take it to the school. Leaving the lunch in the office an hour later, Scully makes it back to the basement just as Mulder and the accountant exit the office.
"Agent Scully?" Chesty asks before leading Scully into the office. Mulder makes a face at her to which his girlfriend tries hard not to laugh at. Left alone in the building, Mulder sits in the basement hallway before taking out his cell phone and calling The Lone Gunmen. An hour later, Mulder hangs up his phone and puts it back in his suit pocket just as the door to his office opens again.
"Thank you for your time, Agents," Chesty formally states before telling them that he will see them next year. Heading back into the office, Mulder and Scully exchange annoyed glances.
Mulder takes his desk chair back as Scully sits in the chair. They are silent for a moment until Scully asks what Mulder does for an hour.
"I called The Boys. They say hello by the way," Mulder answers. Scully smiles answering, "Tell them I say hi back."
"What did you do?" Her boyfriend questions. Scully shrugs answering, "I took Chloe lunch at school."
Grinning at how great a mom his girlfriend is, Mulder states, "That was really sweet of you."
Scully shrugs.
"I heard Chloe complaining about a test the other day, so I figured I'd make her day a little better."
"What did you get her?" Mulder questions suddenly hungry.
"Pizza, her favorite. I left a note for her to share it with her friends," Scully replies as she remembers her mom leaving her notes in her lunch growing up. A wisful expression creeps across her face as she realizes the opportunity she misses with Chloe the last few years or so. Bringing her out of her thoughts, Mulder asks Scully, "Are you okay?"
Scully nods answering, "I just thought of something my mom did for me growing up. I just wish I could've done it with Chloe."
"Yeah?" Mulder asks eager to hear more about his girlfriend as a child. He listens for an hour as Scully tells him about her childhood and is rather upset when the phone rings. Answering, Mulder tells his girlfriend, "Agent Chesty wants to see me in his office."
Raising her eyebrow, Mulder answers, "Bureaucratically speaking, I'm the head of the department. I'll be back soon."
Scully takes her boyfriend's hand and squeezes it gently before he leaves. Once the door closes, Scully immediately takes over his desk chair. Putting her feet on the desk, Scully tries to comfortably take a nap in the chair, but after fifteen minutes, her legs begin to tense. Standing and stretching, Scully soon takes stock of the bookshelf to see if there is actually anything worth reading. She scans the shelves and smiles at the picture of her and Mulder. Taking it in her hand, Scully studies the photo. Remembering their first case, Scully cannot believe the trust she has in him now is the same as then. Putting the picture back, Scully's eyes are soon drawn to the 'I Want to Believe' poster on the wall. After a while, she hears the office door open and her partner's footsteps as he enters the office.
"'I think I'm in big trouble'," Mulder remarks once he stands next to Scully who is still looking at his poster.
"'Oh, Mulder, how many times have they tried to shut us down?'" Scully reassures. Sheepishly, Mulder answers, "'Yeah, but I never actually assaulted an auditor before.'"
Surprised and amused, Scully asks if her boyfriend hurt Chesty. Neither of them like him very much. A little prideful, Mulder answers, "'I reduced his vision a little bit.'"
Before either of them can speak again, the office phone rings. Answering and turning of speakerphone, Mulder announces himself. Surprised as Billy Miles, the man from their very first case is on the line, the agents listen to the man's plea. After hanging up, Mulder teases slightly, "'More alien abductions, Scully.'"
Pretending to debate the situation, Scully sarcastically answers, "'I don't know how we could possibly justify the expense.'"
"'We'd probably turn up nothing.'" Mulder adds.
"'Let's go waste some money'," Scully replies before they grab their jackets and head out the door.
An hour later, Scully enters Mulder's building to find Chloe calling out to her. Hugging her, Scully asks, "How was your day?"
"Good! My mom gave me a pizza for lunch today. According to her note, I had to share though."
"Good thing you have friends," Scully teases as Chloe adds, "And a hungry boyfriend."
Already in the elevator, Chloe realizes she has nowhere to hide as Scully raises her eyebrows in astonishment. Excited for her daughter, and a little worried, Scully asks who it is. Shaking her head, Chloe tries to divert the topic.
"Does your dad know?" Scully asks instead. The lack of a reply leads Chloe to answer, "I didn't want him to freak out."
Exiting the elevator, Scully tells her daughter as they walk down the hall, "You're going to have to tell him, Chlo."
With a dramatic sigh, Chloe announces, "I know, I'm just afraid of what he will do."
"Legally, he can't kill him," Scully jokes unlocking the door. Entering the apartment, Chloe calls out, "Dad! We're home!"
They hear some form of a reply from his bedroom. Noticing the suitcase sitting on the sofa, Chloe's expression changes as she asks, "Do you two have a case?"
Smoothing her daughter's hair, which earns her a side eye, Scully answers, "Yeah. We leave in a couple hours. I already called Rachel, and she said you can stay with her."
"I can stay on my own," Chloe argues.
"No, you can't," Mulder answers as he puts some toiletries in his suitcase. Kissing his partner, he asks where her suitcase is.
"In my car. We can put it in your trunk when we leave," Scully answers before asking what Chloe wants for dinner.
"Nothing," The teen calls over her shoulder as she heads to her room. Hearing her door slam, Mulder and Scully share a look.
"I'm tempted to take her door off if she does it again," Mulder remarks before helping his girlfriend make a quick dinner before the leave.
Arriving in Oregon late in the night, the agents find a motel before getting a call from Billy.
"Hey," Mulder answers putting his suitcase down. Scully waits to see what the call is about before heading into her room. Hanging up, Mulder tells his girlfriend that Billy wants to meet them in the morning to start on the case.
After working with Billy Miles for most of the next morning, Mulder and Scully soon look up another victim by the last name of Hoese. Finding out the address, the agents head there. When the door opens Scully shows her badge and states, "'Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Hoese. We're with the FBI.'"
Confused, the woman asks, "'Is this about my husband?'"
Recognizing the woman, Mulder questions, "'You're Teresa? Teresa Nemman?'"
"'Yes'," She answers wondering what her maiden name has to do with anything.
"'Seven years ago you came to Agent Scully and I for help. You were afraid of being abducted'," Mulder explains hoping she remembers them. Realization dawning on her, Teresa is instantly willing to talk to them. When her baby cries from inside the house, Teresa invites them inside. Picking up her baby, Teresa comforts the infant and offers the agents a seat. They thank her and sit down while Scully keeps her eyes on the baby. Noticing, Mulder gives a quick glance at his girlfriend as Teresa apologizes, "'I'm sorry... I sort of lost it when I realized who you were.'"
Tearing her eyes away from the baby, Scully states, "'We, uh... we came to see if there's anything that you could tell us that might help to find your husband.'"
"'We had no idea you were his wife'," Mulder admits. Thinking for a moment Teresa begins, "'I don't know if it's important. Maybe I just hope it's not but Ray and I have a connection that's even deeper for us.'"
"'He's an abductee, too?'" Mulder asks.
"'He kept it a secret from almost everyone. It doesn't make you real popular around here'," Teresa begins as she gently rubs her baby's back. When the whimpering subsides, the mother continues, "'His experiences were a lot more terrifying than mine. He was taken many times and tested. I have extensive medical records on him and photos of his scars. I'll get you the files.'"
Handing the baby to Scully, Teresa goes to get the documents. A little embarrassed, Scully glances at Mulder. If the IVF treatments had not failed, she could be holding their own infant right now. Almost reflexively, Scully wraps her arm protectively around the baby as she reaches for a rubber duck on the table. Cooing, Scully asks, "'What do you see?'"
Wistfully, Mulder imagines her holding their own child as Scully begins to sing softly to the baby. After a moment, the baby begins to squirm.
"Hey, it's okay," Scully reassures squeezing the duck one more time. Mulder holds his hand out for the duck and begins to dance it in front of the baby's face. The baby smiles happily in Scully's arms as Mulder continues to entertain.
"Is Mulder funny?" Scully coos just as Teresa comes back with the files. Mulder puts down the rubber duck that is still in his hands and thanks Teresa for the files she places on the coffee table. Noticing Scully is still focused on the baby, Mulder opens one of the files. A loud cry from the baby causes Mulder to look up sharply.
"I'm sorry," Teresa begins when Scully hands the baby over. Mulder shakes his head replying, "I understand."
Surprised, Teresa looks between the two asking, "You have children."
Before Scully can answer, Mulder replies, "A daughter. She's fifteen."
Nodding, Teresa tells the pair that she will be back and that they can look over the files. Once she leaves, Mulder whispers, "You okay?"
Scully tucks some hair behind her ear answering, "Yeah."
He decides to let the topic rest. Ten minutes later, Teresa comes back and Mulder and Scully bid their leave thanking her for letting them see the files.
Later that night, Mulder looks over the crime scene photos in his motel bed when he hears a knock on the door. Putting a photo down, he calls out, "'Who is it?'"
Hearing Scully announce herself from the other side of the door, Mulder gets up to see what she needs. What he finds is a shaken and sick girlfriend. Concerned, he asks, "'What's wrong, Scully? You look sick.'"
"'I don't know what's wrong'," She replies letting Mulder usher her into his hotel room. Silently, Scully goes to Mulder's bed shivering and eager to curl up in the blankets. Mulder, watching his girlfriend curl up on the bed, quickly shuts his door and walks toward her.
"'I, um... I was starting to get ready for bed and I started to feel really dizzy- vertigo or something- and then I just... I started to get chills'," Scully explains as her boyfriend makes room for her on the bed. Pulling the blankets back, Mulder asks if she needs a doctor. Shaking her head, Scully replies, "'No, I just... I just want to get warm.'"
Climbing into the bed, she lets Mulder take her shoes off and tuck her in before lying next to her over the blankets.
"'Thank you'," Scully mumbles. Cuddled together, the couple is quiet. Scully tries to get over her dizziness as Mulder's guilty conscious sets in. Finally, Mulder whispers, "'It's not worth it, Scully.'"
Scully tries to figure out what her boyfriend is talking about before simply asking, "'What?'"
Carefully, he gently demands, "'I want you to go home.'"
Dismissing the demand as concern, Scully whispers, "'Oh, Mulder, I'm going to be fine.'"
Realizing she thinks he is merely being nice, Mulder explains, "'No, I've been thinking about it. Looking at you tonight, holding that baby... knowing everything that's been taken away from you. A chance for motherhood and your health and that baby. I think that... I don't know, maybe they're right.'"
"'Who's right?'" Scully asks trying to figure out where this declaration comes from.
"'The FBI. Maybe what they say is true, though for all the wrong reasons. It's the personal costs that are too high.'"
Processing his words, Scully starts to cry silently knowing he is right. Holding her tighter, Mulder whispers, "'There so much more you need to do with your life. There's so much more than this.'"
Still crying, Scully turns to look at him. Cradling her face in his hands, Mulder softly states, "'There has to be an end, Scully.'"
Gently, Mulder kisses his girlfriend's cheek before leaning his head on her shoulder. Finding his hand, Scully takes it and kisses it softly before holding it like a lifeline. The pair falls asleep together and wakes up with Scully disentangling herself from her boyfriend and the blankets the next morning.
"You okay?" He mumbles. Scully hums a postive response adding, "I just need to use the bathroom."
When she comes back, Mulder is sitting up in bed picking up the pictures that are still on the bedspread. She goes to his side of the bed and begins to put her shoes back on.
"Your dizziness is gone?" Her boyfriend questions. Scully nods adding, "Fine, now."
"What do you think it is?"
"Vertigo," Scully answers quickly. "I'm going to get a shower."
"Yeah," Mulder answers as his girlfriend sees herself out of the motel room. Fifteen minutes later, Mulder gets a call from his cellphone and immediately pounds on Scully's motel room door. Opening it in just her bath towel, Scully looks at her boyfriend with an arched eyebrow.
"We need to get to Teresa Hoese's house. She's been taken," Mulder states. Scully's eyes go wide as Mulder follows her into the room. Getting dressed quickly, Scully asks her boyfriend to give her a report on what he knows. Shaking his head, Mulder replies, "Not much. I got the call from Billy a few minutes ago."
Grabbing her suit jacket, Scully tells Mulder they can leave.
Entering Teresa's home twenty minutes later, Mulder goes straight to Billy as Scully watches a deputy take Teresa's baby. Turning toward Billy, Scully jumps into the investigation asking if Billy is sure Teresa is taken by aliens.
"'The door was open'," Billy answers before leading the agents into the nursery. Just walking into the room, Scully instantly turns to Mulder when he asks what she sees on the floor. Scully looks at the substance as Mulder remarks, "'The same thing as out on the road. You've seen it before.'"
Glancing back at the carpet, Scully states, "'Yeah. I have. We both have.'"
Visions of Emily come to mind as Mulder leaves the room.
"'What is it?'" Billy asks.
"'It's a biological toxin emitted as a gas through the bloodstream'," Scully explains as Billy questions where it comes from. Answering him, Scully replies, "'From what is arguably an alien.'"
Suddenly a bout of dizziness overtakes her as she is thankfully caught by Billy who asks if she is okay. Standing upright, Scully answers, "'Yeah.'"
"'You're sure?'" He asks. Scully nods, "'Yeah, I'm fine, thanks.'"
After she passes out in the woods less than an hour later, Mulder makes sure they get back to D.C. as soon as they can. Flying back to D.C. a day later, Mulder sits next to Scully who glares at him.
"What?" He asks innocently. Sighing, Scully mumbles, "You told that passenger I may be contagious."
"So I could sit next to you," Mulder explains. "I'm worried about you."
"Don't be," Scully argues still rattled herself. The couple is quiet for a while until Scully whispers her boyfriend's name. After a moment she admits, "I don't want it to be cancer."
Mulder simply takes Scully's hand in his before whispering to her that everything will be okay.
A day after they get back, Mulder and Scully prepare to meet Skinner. What the red head does not account for is her boyfriend grabbing his personal items from his desk drawer.
"Mulder, where are you going?" Scully asks as her boyfriend grabs his keys and wallet from the office. Sighing, Mulder answers, "Skinner and I are searching for clues that could lead us to Miles. We'll be gone for a few hours tops."
Frowning, Scully answers, "Don't promise what you can't keep."
Smiling softly at his girlfriend, Mulder answers, "It'll be fine. Just tell Chloe I won't be home for dinner tonight."
Scully nods before grabbing Mulder's hand in reassurance. Squeezing her hand, the couple heads to the elevator. When the doors close, Scully whispers to her boyfriend, "Be careful?"
Nodding as the elevator doors open to Skinner's floor, Mulder answers, "I will."
As they enter the hallway, Scully stops her boyfriend.
"You okay? Are you dizzy again?" He questions. Shaking her head, Scully unclasps her necklace and gives it to him. As she clasps her necklace around his neck, Mulder asks, "What is this for?"
Looking him squarely in his eyes, the red head answers, "Luck."
He smiles down at her and resists the urge to kiss her before they head on to Skinner's office.
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