Title: Ordinary World
Author: Samantha Mallory
Spoilers: Everything up to and including the Provenance/Providence two- parter.
Summary: Scully begins her search for Mulder in the most unlikely of places.
Rating: PG for very mild language
Disclaimer: If I owned these guys, seasons eight and nine would have been very different. Suffice it to say, the X-Files belong to Chris Carter, 1013, Fox, and so on. "Ordinary World", from which I got the title and a couple of sentences, is a wonderful song by Duran Duran. It belongs to them and their record company, I guess.
Author's Notes at end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scully ducked inside her apartment building as quickly as she could. It was raining heavily outside, and she didn't want William to get wet and catch a cold. Especially not now.
Exactly a year ago, Scully had managed to get her son back from the horrid destruction of the UFO cult. She hadn't heard from Mulder in longer than that. Since that last disaster, she and William had not been bothered once. No more threats had come against his life or Mulder's. Even the unusual high iron content was gone from William's blood. Scully knew better than to think it was an end to the whole nightmare, but she couldn't help but wonder.
When she reached her apartment, she set William's carrier down so that she could unlock the door faster. She rested her head against the cool wooden surface for the moment and thought back on her day.
It had been her final day at the FBI. Only a few people had known that she had turned her resignation in two weeks ago. She could actually count the number on one hand. Her supervisor knew, as well as Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes. That was it. She hadn't even told her mother yet, not even when she had picked William up from her house just a short while ago.
Scully unlocked her door and brought William inside, heading straight for his nursery. In the car, he had been cooing and waving his hands around, but now he looked like he was getting sleepy. She changed his diaper quickly and fed him with a minimum of fuss before putting him in his crib. Scully couldn't help smiling at the sight of her sleeping son, the miracle that she never thought she would have.
When she found herself a normal job, Scully would be able to spend a lot more time with William. She wasn't sure what she was going to do now that she wasn't an FBI agent, but she thought it may be along the lines of opening a private practice as a general or family practitioner. She was a doctor, and she might as well act like it. But first, she was going to take a few months of rest and vacation time. She had more than enough money saved up for that. She was considering going somewhere warm, where she could just be Dana, a single mother with nothing more to worry about than the well-being of her son.
Today had really been no different from any other day at work. No one had tried to say goodbye, mainly because no one knew she was leaving. And those few that did know worked at headquarters, while she was all the way out at the academy in Quantico. That didn't mean they weren't going to try anything. Scully had the sneaking suspicion that Monica was going to show up tomorrow and try to take her to a "surprise" party, where there would be many drinks and gifts. Scully wasn't sure that she could handle that at the moment.
She moved into her darkened living room. The apartment seemed too quiet without the sounds of her son's gurgling. There was only the rain hitting her window and the soft bubbling sound coming from the aerator in Mulder's fishtank to keep her company. Scully couldn't help but wish that Mulder were there with her right now. To hide from those lonely thoughts, she turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio, but she couldn't escape the ghost of Mulder's presence. Where was her best friend when she needed him most? She felt tears stinging her eyes and shook her head. She wouldn't cry for the past. There was an "ordinary" world for her to find and learn to survive in.
With a sigh, Scully gave up and turned off the radio. She sat on her couch and flipped through the TV channels. She so rarely watched television that she didn't even know what was on anymore. Of course, there was one conversation that she had overheard at work a few days ago about a show called "Strange Doings". It was supposed to be very good. Scully strained, trying to remember what it was about. With a flash she remembered. A team of experts who investigate the paranormal. Sounded like reality TV to her.
With a quick glance at the clock, she realized that it was going to start in five minutes. Scully figured it couldn't hurt to watch it. It wasn't like she had anything else to be doing. She found the right channel and left it there while she quickly prepared herself a small bowl of popcorn. If she was going to be a couch potato, she might as well do it right.
The theme song alerted Scully to the beginning of the show. She grabbed her popcorn and a diet soda and got back to her couch just as the credits ended. She felt a brief moment of annoyance at that. She was usually curious as to who starred and wrote, but it wasn't really that important.
Today's show was about mothmen. Scully felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. How appropriate. It wasn't really a surprise to her, though. Hadn't there just been a movie recently that had mothmen in the title? So of course people were thinking of them. It just seemed unusual that the first episode of "Strange Doings" that she watched would remind her of one of her former cases.
It really didn't take long for Scully to get caught up in the show. The characters were very amusing, constantly exchanging sarcastic comments and innuendo when they weren't busy examining a dead body or a bit of evidence. There were four of them, three men and a woman, investigating a sighting of mothmen in Florida. It all made her laugh until they set up camp about halfway through the episode. Two of the men, Drake and Jose, went off in search of firewood while Dani and Ray stayed behind to try and light tinder for a campfire. When they were unable to light the soggy moss yet again, Ray threw up his hands in defeat.
"I was told once that the best way to regenerate body heat was to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with somebody else who's already naked," Ray stated dryly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Dani. She raised an eyebrow at him in a look of barely contained frustration.
" Well, maybe if it rains sleeping bags, you'll get lucky," Dani replied.
Scully stood up from where she had been lounging on her couch. Had she just heard what she thought she did? Or was she just projecting her memories onto the television show? Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Drake and Jose. Scully settled back onto her couch. She was willing to let this go as a coincidence, but it still rattled her a little.
Scully had even managed to relax by the time the show ended. The mothmen had managed to get away undetected, so the team was driving back to headquarters. Ray was driving, and in order to lighten the mood, he turned on the radio in their Jeep. The opening notes of "Joy to the World" could be heard softly. Scully sat up a little straighter on the couch.
"Why don't you sing, Dani?" Ray asked.
"You don't want me to sing. I can't carry a tune," she replied. Ray merely gave her a sort of puppy dog expression with his eyes. Dani sighed and began singing, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog," in the flattest voice Scully had ever heard.
That was a little bit too much coincidence for Scully. It was possible that someone may have come up with that line about sleeping bags, but she didn't believe anyone other than Mulder could have paired that with a rendition of "Joy to the World."
She practically ran for her computer, causing her remaining popcorn to spill all over her couch and the floor. Scully thought briefly about how hard it was going to be to clean that, but that thought was chased away by her internet search.
Within moments, she had the information that she wanted. The episode of "Strange Doings" that she had just watched had been written by one Marty Williams. That was enough to confirm to Scully that it was actually Mulder, as she recognized where both parts of the name came from. Marty was a name that he had used on occasion in the past when he hadn't wanted to give his real first name. Scully had found this out when Mulder asked her to check his messages when he was away one time and she found a message from a phone sex line. It was a slightly amusing memory. Even more obvious, though, is where the last name came from.
"You really love our son, don't you?" Scully asked the paper she had printed out. She sighed and put down the paper, getting back to her computer. She had some investigating to do. After all, that's why they put the 'I' in FBI.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THREE DAYS LATER
With a click, the door to Marty Williams' apartment swung open a bit. Scully grinned from where she was kneeling before the door frame. She really would have to thank John for the set of lock picks. They came in handy on occasion.
She stood, dusting off her black slacks. There was an inordinate amount of dust on the floor before the door, but that could probably be explained by LA's proximity to several deserts. Scully tucked her picks back into her purse before opening the door far enough for her to go inside. The first sight of the apartment shocked her.
Empty. The apartment was absolutely empty. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for many years. Dust covered every surface several inches thick, and the wallpaper was peeling at the edges. Scully felt a sinking sensation at the confrontation of all this emptiness.
She didn't know how this could be. The Gunmen had painstakingly researched the whereabouts of Marty Williams. They had traced all correspondence and bills and paychecks back to this place. It didn't make sense that he wouldn't live here.
Unless Marty Williams really was Mulder. He would be so afraid of discovery that he would not live at the residence he secured for the sake of having a home address. When Scully thought about it, it did make a certain kind of sense. If you used Mulder logic, that is.
She sighed and locked the door to the apartment before leaving it. It looked like she would have to start at the beginning of her search. First, Scully would contact the Gunmen and see if they had found anything else. Then, she would just have to wait and cross her fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONE WEEK LATER
Scully sat on the park bench tiredly. She was immensely glad that she had left William with her mother before haring off to LA in search of Mulder. This investigation had proved much more difficult and long than she had originally anticipated. Hopefully, she would find some clue soon so that she could bring her search to a close and reunite both with the man she loved and her son.
The Gunmen had tried so hard to provide useful information for her, but there was very little they could do. Twice, they had found other possible residences for Mulder, but both times they had been empty. Out of desperation, Scully had even gone to the studio to ask after him, but they said that they only saw "Marty" when he came in for brainstorming sessions. The executive producer was able to give a description of what he looked like, though, and it definitely matched Mulder.
Griffith Observatory was emptier than usual at this time of day. Scully couldn't understand why so few people were here as the sun set. The glorious reds and golds reflected off the ocean on the other side of the city and illuminated the Hollywood sign. It was actually very romantic. Too bad Scully didn't have anyone to share the view with.
A slight breeze picked up as the night encroached. Scully shivered, wishing that she had brought a jacket with her. As though her wish had caused one to fall from the sky, a brown leather jacket settled around her slight shoulders.
"Looking for me?"
Scully stiffened at the sound of the low, very familiar voice. She slowly turned, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"Mulder!"
Mulder grinned at her surprise, his white teeth showing clearly against his dark skin. Scully noticed many little details about him all at once. He was much tanner than before, like he had been spending a lot of time at the beach. He was thinner, and he looked exhausted. She worried that perhaps it was a result of loneliness, but she didn't want to make assumptions.
"Not feeling talkative either, I see." Mulder continued to smile, a smile of pure joy, something that Scully had seen only a few times. "I guess it is possible for people to change."
Scully didn't respond, instead throwing herself into Mulder's arms. Before she could really think about what she was doing, she captured his mouth in a deep kiss. Her lips crushed his bruisingly, and their tongues clashed hungrily. They seperated only when oxygen became an issue.
"I missed you, too," Mulder said, panting slightly.
Scully laughed and slapped Mulder lightly on the arm. "Why were you hiding in LA? Writing for a television show, no less."
"I know it was dangerous, but I was hoping you would find me. I wrote some very original scripts for "Strange Doings," but on occasion, I would write one based on our cases." Mulder paused. "Is that how you found me?"
Scully nodded. "The first episode I watched was about mothmen. After that, it was a simple matter of tracking down the man that wrote the episode. Or at least it should have been simple." She arched an eyebrow at him questioningly.
Mulder chose to ignore her last comment. "Well, if you enjoyed that, you should watch some of our upcoming shows. For Christmas, we have ghosts, and for New Years, we're doing a zombie episode."
Scully looped her arm through Mulder's and began to lead him to the parking lot. "You really wanted me to find you, didn't you?"
"I did tell you that I was lonely."
"So," Scully began cautiously,"what do you think of the sound of Dana Williams?" Her arm was nearly jerked out of its socket as Mulder came to a sudden stop. She looked back and saw that he was completely shocked.
"Are you proposing to me, Scully?"
"Only if you want to be proposed to."
He began to chuckled, a rich sound that Scully hadn't heard in much too long. "Sure. What do you think of Vegas?"
Scully laughed, and the sound rose to the heavens and caressed the stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: What do you think? I know the ending's a little weak, but I kinda ran out of steam. Mainly, I just wanted to wrap up the X-Files in my own way. Please, please, please, let me know what you think. It'll give you good karma.
Author: Samantha Mallory
Spoilers: Everything up to and including the Provenance/Providence two- parter.
Summary: Scully begins her search for Mulder in the most unlikely of places.
Rating: PG for very mild language
Disclaimer: If I owned these guys, seasons eight and nine would have been very different. Suffice it to say, the X-Files belong to Chris Carter, 1013, Fox, and so on. "Ordinary World", from which I got the title and a couple of sentences, is a wonderful song by Duran Duran. It belongs to them and their record company, I guess.
Author's Notes at end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scully ducked inside her apartment building as quickly as she could. It was raining heavily outside, and she didn't want William to get wet and catch a cold. Especially not now.
Exactly a year ago, Scully had managed to get her son back from the horrid destruction of the UFO cult. She hadn't heard from Mulder in longer than that. Since that last disaster, she and William had not been bothered once. No more threats had come against his life or Mulder's. Even the unusual high iron content was gone from William's blood. Scully knew better than to think it was an end to the whole nightmare, but she couldn't help but wonder.
When she reached her apartment, she set William's carrier down so that she could unlock the door faster. She rested her head against the cool wooden surface for the moment and thought back on her day.
It had been her final day at the FBI. Only a few people had known that she had turned her resignation in two weeks ago. She could actually count the number on one hand. Her supervisor knew, as well as Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes. That was it. She hadn't even told her mother yet, not even when she had picked William up from her house just a short while ago.
Scully unlocked her door and brought William inside, heading straight for his nursery. In the car, he had been cooing and waving his hands around, but now he looked like he was getting sleepy. She changed his diaper quickly and fed him with a minimum of fuss before putting him in his crib. Scully couldn't help smiling at the sight of her sleeping son, the miracle that she never thought she would have.
When she found herself a normal job, Scully would be able to spend a lot more time with William. She wasn't sure what she was going to do now that she wasn't an FBI agent, but she thought it may be along the lines of opening a private practice as a general or family practitioner. She was a doctor, and she might as well act like it. But first, she was going to take a few months of rest and vacation time. She had more than enough money saved up for that. She was considering going somewhere warm, where she could just be Dana, a single mother with nothing more to worry about than the well-being of her son.
Today had really been no different from any other day at work. No one had tried to say goodbye, mainly because no one knew she was leaving. And those few that did know worked at headquarters, while she was all the way out at the academy in Quantico. That didn't mean they weren't going to try anything. Scully had the sneaking suspicion that Monica was going to show up tomorrow and try to take her to a "surprise" party, where there would be many drinks and gifts. Scully wasn't sure that she could handle that at the moment.
She moved into her darkened living room. The apartment seemed too quiet without the sounds of her son's gurgling. There was only the rain hitting her window and the soft bubbling sound coming from the aerator in Mulder's fishtank to keep her company. Scully couldn't help but wish that Mulder were there with her right now. To hide from those lonely thoughts, she turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio, but she couldn't escape the ghost of Mulder's presence. Where was her best friend when she needed him most? She felt tears stinging her eyes and shook her head. She wouldn't cry for the past. There was an "ordinary" world for her to find and learn to survive in.
With a sigh, Scully gave up and turned off the radio. She sat on her couch and flipped through the TV channels. She so rarely watched television that she didn't even know what was on anymore. Of course, there was one conversation that she had overheard at work a few days ago about a show called "Strange Doings". It was supposed to be very good. Scully strained, trying to remember what it was about. With a flash she remembered. A team of experts who investigate the paranormal. Sounded like reality TV to her.
With a quick glance at the clock, she realized that it was going to start in five minutes. Scully figured it couldn't hurt to watch it. It wasn't like she had anything else to be doing. She found the right channel and left it there while she quickly prepared herself a small bowl of popcorn. If she was going to be a couch potato, she might as well do it right.
The theme song alerted Scully to the beginning of the show. She grabbed her popcorn and a diet soda and got back to her couch just as the credits ended. She felt a brief moment of annoyance at that. She was usually curious as to who starred and wrote, but it wasn't really that important.
Today's show was about mothmen. Scully felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. How appropriate. It wasn't really a surprise to her, though. Hadn't there just been a movie recently that had mothmen in the title? So of course people were thinking of them. It just seemed unusual that the first episode of "Strange Doings" that she watched would remind her of one of her former cases.
It really didn't take long for Scully to get caught up in the show. The characters were very amusing, constantly exchanging sarcastic comments and innuendo when they weren't busy examining a dead body or a bit of evidence. There were four of them, three men and a woman, investigating a sighting of mothmen in Florida. It all made her laugh until they set up camp about halfway through the episode. Two of the men, Drake and Jose, went off in search of firewood while Dani and Ray stayed behind to try and light tinder for a campfire. When they were unable to light the soggy moss yet again, Ray threw up his hands in defeat.
"I was told once that the best way to regenerate body heat was to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with somebody else who's already naked," Ray stated dryly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Dani. She raised an eyebrow at him in a look of barely contained frustration.
" Well, maybe if it rains sleeping bags, you'll get lucky," Dani replied.
Scully stood up from where she had been lounging on her couch. Had she just heard what she thought she did? Or was she just projecting her memories onto the television show? Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Drake and Jose. Scully settled back onto her couch. She was willing to let this go as a coincidence, but it still rattled her a little.
Scully had even managed to relax by the time the show ended. The mothmen had managed to get away undetected, so the team was driving back to headquarters. Ray was driving, and in order to lighten the mood, he turned on the radio in their Jeep. The opening notes of "Joy to the World" could be heard softly. Scully sat up a little straighter on the couch.
"Why don't you sing, Dani?" Ray asked.
"You don't want me to sing. I can't carry a tune," she replied. Ray merely gave her a sort of puppy dog expression with his eyes. Dani sighed and began singing, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog," in the flattest voice Scully had ever heard.
That was a little bit too much coincidence for Scully. It was possible that someone may have come up with that line about sleeping bags, but she didn't believe anyone other than Mulder could have paired that with a rendition of "Joy to the World."
She practically ran for her computer, causing her remaining popcorn to spill all over her couch and the floor. Scully thought briefly about how hard it was going to be to clean that, but that thought was chased away by her internet search.
Within moments, she had the information that she wanted. The episode of "Strange Doings" that she had just watched had been written by one Marty Williams. That was enough to confirm to Scully that it was actually Mulder, as she recognized where both parts of the name came from. Marty was a name that he had used on occasion in the past when he hadn't wanted to give his real first name. Scully had found this out when Mulder asked her to check his messages when he was away one time and she found a message from a phone sex line. It was a slightly amusing memory. Even more obvious, though, is where the last name came from.
"You really love our son, don't you?" Scully asked the paper she had printed out. She sighed and put down the paper, getting back to her computer. She had some investigating to do. After all, that's why they put the 'I' in FBI.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THREE DAYS LATER
With a click, the door to Marty Williams' apartment swung open a bit. Scully grinned from where she was kneeling before the door frame. She really would have to thank John for the set of lock picks. They came in handy on occasion.
She stood, dusting off her black slacks. There was an inordinate amount of dust on the floor before the door, but that could probably be explained by LA's proximity to several deserts. Scully tucked her picks back into her purse before opening the door far enough for her to go inside. The first sight of the apartment shocked her.
Empty. The apartment was absolutely empty. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for many years. Dust covered every surface several inches thick, and the wallpaper was peeling at the edges. Scully felt a sinking sensation at the confrontation of all this emptiness.
She didn't know how this could be. The Gunmen had painstakingly researched the whereabouts of Marty Williams. They had traced all correspondence and bills and paychecks back to this place. It didn't make sense that he wouldn't live here.
Unless Marty Williams really was Mulder. He would be so afraid of discovery that he would not live at the residence he secured for the sake of having a home address. When Scully thought about it, it did make a certain kind of sense. If you used Mulder logic, that is.
She sighed and locked the door to the apartment before leaving it. It looked like she would have to start at the beginning of her search. First, Scully would contact the Gunmen and see if they had found anything else. Then, she would just have to wait and cross her fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONE WEEK LATER
Scully sat on the park bench tiredly. She was immensely glad that she had left William with her mother before haring off to LA in search of Mulder. This investigation had proved much more difficult and long than she had originally anticipated. Hopefully, she would find some clue soon so that she could bring her search to a close and reunite both with the man she loved and her son.
The Gunmen had tried so hard to provide useful information for her, but there was very little they could do. Twice, they had found other possible residences for Mulder, but both times they had been empty. Out of desperation, Scully had even gone to the studio to ask after him, but they said that they only saw "Marty" when he came in for brainstorming sessions. The executive producer was able to give a description of what he looked like, though, and it definitely matched Mulder.
Griffith Observatory was emptier than usual at this time of day. Scully couldn't understand why so few people were here as the sun set. The glorious reds and golds reflected off the ocean on the other side of the city and illuminated the Hollywood sign. It was actually very romantic. Too bad Scully didn't have anyone to share the view with.
A slight breeze picked up as the night encroached. Scully shivered, wishing that she had brought a jacket with her. As though her wish had caused one to fall from the sky, a brown leather jacket settled around her slight shoulders.
"Looking for me?"
Scully stiffened at the sound of the low, very familiar voice. She slowly turned, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"Mulder!"
Mulder grinned at her surprise, his white teeth showing clearly against his dark skin. Scully noticed many little details about him all at once. He was much tanner than before, like he had been spending a lot of time at the beach. He was thinner, and he looked exhausted. She worried that perhaps it was a result of loneliness, but she didn't want to make assumptions.
"Not feeling talkative either, I see." Mulder continued to smile, a smile of pure joy, something that Scully had seen only a few times. "I guess it is possible for people to change."
Scully didn't respond, instead throwing herself into Mulder's arms. Before she could really think about what she was doing, she captured his mouth in a deep kiss. Her lips crushed his bruisingly, and their tongues clashed hungrily. They seperated only when oxygen became an issue.
"I missed you, too," Mulder said, panting slightly.
Scully laughed and slapped Mulder lightly on the arm. "Why were you hiding in LA? Writing for a television show, no less."
"I know it was dangerous, but I was hoping you would find me. I wrote some very original scripts for "Strange Doings," but on occasion, I would write one based on our cases." Mulder paused. "Is that how you found me?"
Scully nodded. "The first episode I watched was about mothmen. After that, it was a simple matter of tracking down the man that wrote the episode. Or at least it should have been simple." She arched an eyebrow at him questioningly.
Mulder chose to ignore her last comment. "Well, if you enjoyed that, you should watch some of our upcoming shows. For Christmas, we have ghosts, and for New Years, we're doing a zombie episode."
Scully looped her arm through Mulder's and began to lead him to the parking lot. "You really wanted me to find you, didn't you?"
"I did tell you that I was lonely."
"So," Scully began cautiously,"what do you think of the sound of Dana Williams?" Her arm was nearly jerked out of its socket as Mulder came to a sudden stop. She looked back and saw that he was completely shocked.
"Are you proposing to me, Scully?"
"Only if you want to be proposed to."
He began to chuckled, a rich sound that Scully hadn't heard in much too long. "Sure. What do you think of Vegas?"
Scully laughed, and the sound rose to the heavens and caressed the stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: What do you think? I know the ending's a little weak, but I kinda ran out of steam. Mainly, I just wanted to wrap up the X-Files in my own way. Please, please, please, let me know what you think. It'll give you good karma.