56.

The Royal Carlton Hotel, Baltimore.

Friday 30th August, 2008, 8.45pm.

Scully was sat in the window seat of their 'living room' in the hotel suite. She stared out at an impending thunder storm. She could see the haze of heat rising from the tops of cars in the parking lot. Mulder was talking to her about something although she wasn't listening. Tears sprang in her eyes every word he spoke drove her crazy. How could he have brought his mistress to their weekend? She couldn't listen to his words. Everything he was saying was lies… he didn't love her, if he did, he couldn't sleep with her supposed best friend. Love was about being faithful. Not having two women at the same time. She had expected more from him. Those promises of having been faithful for six years… LIE. The unending love he had for her… LIE. The fact he wanted to marry her… LIE!

She toyed with the diamond ring, taking it off and then placing it back sometimes she would rub the stone against her top to shine the diamond. She thought about Mulder and Monica and what they were doing. How could they when she was pregnant? How could they do it any way? Her best friend and her partner… They were probably better suited but hadn't she got him first. Hadn't she taken six years to realise her love for him and he the same. Why did that have to change? Why did Monica have to steal it from her? She loved Mulder with every ounce of her body and soul. Why did it have to be Monica?

Perhaps they were better suited. Monica had stronger belief in Mulder's cause and she hadn't needed to be 'won around' to the concept of life out there. It had taken her so long to accept it. Had Mulder needed someone to unconditionally believe? It was the same with Diana Fowley. He had been blinded to her devious ways because of her belief in the 'Truth'. Monica was not like her but there were similarities there. They both were tall, leggy and slim with brown hair and eyes. Monica by far was the prettier but Scully couldn't shake the fact she had seen this in her dream. Mulder had been with a dark haired woman. Was that how life was meant to be? Was she to have to be alone? Always wanting him but never having him. She looked at him wondering how he could profess love to her when he was obviously seeing, and sleeping with, her friend. She was angry and hurt and he was just chatting away to her as if nothing was wrong. As if everything was perfectly normal.

"Are you listening to me?" Mulder asked Scully for the third time.

"NO!" she turned her head and glowered at him. "Why should I?"

"It was important."

"To you, I have more pressing things on my mind, like YOU!" Mulder just stared at her not understanding or knowing why he was her main concern but at the same time feeling flattered she was putting him as her main priority.

"Why?" he asked as casually as he could muster. Things were not great between them and he only had a few hours before things changed for the better, at least, he hoped for the better.

"I know what you are hiding from me."

"Oh yeah?" Mulder swallowed hard… how could she have found out? He hadn't said anything for her to uncover the truth? Had Monica decided to confess everything? Was it the phone call? It must have been. How did she know?

"I know you've been having an affair with Monica."

"W - What?" he looked at her shocked, stumbling over his word, his mouth fell open as he thought about it. He loved her and he wanted her to understand everything that had been going on. He wanted her to see that bringing her away was for them to sort things out. Since the threatened abortion, William's return and her return from Australia things had been hectic to say the least and now… he had ruined everything.

"You and Monica have been having an affair. Don't lie to me Mulder. I saw her in the foyer… Why else would she be here?"

"I don't know." He lied, not meeting her eye, something Scully noticed faster than lightening.

"Oh I think you do! Your cosy little meetings, the f*cking phone calls, the wonderful 'how can I repay you?' remarks. Mulder I am NOT blind nor am I  stupid. I may love you heart and soul but you can't feel that way about me if you can lie and cheat on me. With my best friend how could you?" Scully's voice levels increased with every word escaping her lips. She fought those tears threatening in her eyes. The ones that would make her look weak when she was strong, much stronger than this.

"I am not having an affair. I swear to you!" he said his hands held in the air.

"I don't believe you. For the past few weeks you have spent more time with Monica than with me and your children. You seem to forget I have another on the way and could do without this stress. If you don't want to be with me then just leave." She snatched the ring from her finger and held it out to him.

He looked at her as if she had gone crazy. He refused to take the ring from her. His eyes met hers in blind confusion. What was she saying? Was she crazy? He knew her hormones went haywire when she was pregnant but this was a little too much to bear. He did want to be with her, it was just necessity right then to see Monica.

"Dana, calm down."

"I will not CALM DOWN. How could you do this to me? How could you do this to me with my best friend with Monica? I love you both and you have made me want to hate you. I can't but I want to. Please don't lie to me Fox. At least treat me with the respect and courtesy I deserve. If you love her go… And if you love me… please stay." Scully chastised herself for sounding so needy – please stay – she sounded like a love sick schoolgirl. This only added more fuel to her anger.

"I am not having an affair with Monica."

"Then why is she here? It can't be FBI business because she would have told me!" the tears fell then softly at first. Her eyes looked like pools of oceanic blue and he wanted to dive right in and steal away the pain that was etched within them.

"Dana? Please calm down for the baby's sake." He paced the room slightly which made her all the more agitated.

His cell phone rang as she was about to respond. 'If he answers that is it' she thought and he did. Throwing the ring at him, which landed upon the floor, she screamed at him to go and pushed him towards the door with all her might. Opening the door she pushed him through it, he landed upon his backside in the hall. He should have put up a fight but was scared that if she fell or got hurt then the baby could be hurt too.

"Stay out!" she bellowed at him before slamming the door and sinking behind it she began crying with all of her might.

How her heart ached for him but she couldn't stand being lied to, not now, not ever.

* * *

Mulder stared from his position on the floor at the closed door. What was she thinking? He tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. He could hear her crying but knew better than to try and comfort her through solid oak. Speaking into his phone he said just four short words.

"I'm on my way." Scully heard him through the door and cried louder as she heard his footfalls faded away.

*   *    *

It was over an hour later when a soft tap was at the door. Scully stood from her position on the sofa in the room and slowly headed to the door. She had just stopped crying, her eyes were red and puffy, Scully sniffed before opening the door. As she opened it a foot, clad in a heeled boot, stopped her from slamming the door closed again. A hand pushed the door back. It was Monica.

"What the F*ck do you want?" Scully said turning away from the door and heading back to the window. "Come for his clothes have you?" she said venom lacing her voice.

"No, Dana, I haven't. I have come to explain."

"There is nothing to explain, Monica, You wanted Fox and you took him from me. It is as simple as that. I thought you were my friend."

"I am."

"You see, that's where you and I disagree. A friend doesn't steal a life partner, a friend doesn't even consider sleeping with a lover and a friend doesn't take the children's father away! Just answer me one question… why? Wasn't John enough for you?"

"How did you know?" Monica asked… no-one knew about her and Doggett, at least she thought not.

"Come off it Monica! Every time you spoke about him your face had smugness to it. I can't compete with you, Monica, I'm not going to try." From the corner of her eye Monica spied the Diamond ring. She picked it up from the floor. "Take it. I don't need it anymore. Maybe you can choose who you want to marry!" Scully said her voice cracking with impending tears.

"Dana, he chose that ring for you. We have never and will never be involved. I admit it to you… I love John. I always have and could never love Mulder." She walked towards Scully wanting to shake her to her senses but Scully turned her back to her friend.

"Then why take him from me? You know how I feel about him." Scully pleaded to her. "I thought we were friends."

"We are!" Monica took Scully firmly by the shoulders making Scully look at her. "I haven't and never would do anything with Mulder because he is yours and he loves you." Their eyes locked and for the first time Scully saw the truth her friend was telling her. Monica's eyes couldn't lie, at least they never had.

"Then what are you doing here? We were meant to be spending time together, alone. Why are you both lying to me?" Scully pleaded for the truth, if there was another explanation, she needed to know.

"Dana, we aren't. There is a logical explanation. Please just give it time and you'll know." Scully looked like she had swallowed a wasp at that point. Her face grew red and screwed up in preparation for what she had to say. Shaking Monica from her she took a deep breath.

"Don't treat me like a child. I saw you together! You were playing lovers at the jewellers, the lovey-dovey phone calls, the secret meetings. What other reason but your AFFAIR is there for all that?" she turned her back on her one-time friend.

"Come with me!" Monica pulled Scully by the arm into the bedroom and shut the door. Spinning her to face the door she watched as Scully's face turned from blood-red anger to pale with realisation to a happy smile.

"W-W-What's been going on Monica?"

Hanging on the back of the door, in a dry cleaning see-through bag, Scully saw the white gown which could be nothing else but a wedding dress.

"We've been planning your wedding day. Its tomorrow!" Scully looked at her friend and hugged her as a solitary tear trailed down her cheek.