Chapter Three - Welcome To The Neighborhood
Richard and Jodi Buckland arrived at their new house shortly after one o'clock the following afternoon.
Pulling into the driveway Mulder was relieved to find no neighbors waiting for their arrival. He turned off the key and turned to Scully "At least we don't have to worry about our neighbors helping us move in this time."
"Thank goodness" Scully said stepping out the car.
The house that had been rented for them was a cute little blue Cape with a well manicured lawn and a large perennial garden.
"Looks pretty nice" Mulder said walking up to the door holding his suitcase. "Shall I carry you over the threshold?"
Scully shot him a dirty look and brushed past him through the door. The inside of the house was pleasantly furnished. A quick look around by Scully found two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, family room and large eat-in kitchen. It was the perfect house for a professional couple.
While Scully was exploring the house, Mulder brought in several large trunks. They were in actually filled with very little, but Mulder and Scully wanted to give the impression that they were staying for more than just a week or so.
Scully joined up with Mulder in the kitchen. He was standing in front of the open refrigerator holding a carton of orange juice in his hand. He looked at Scully a bit guiltily.
"Great, they supplied us with food too." Scully said peering into the fridge. "Mulder, don't drink out of the carton"
Mulder looked at the open carton in his hand and at Scully and promptly began looking for a glass.
He poured some juice into the glass and drank it down in one long swallow. He gave Scully a small smile. "My name is Richard, remember?" he said teasingly.
Scully was about to come back with a proper retort when there was a knock on the front door. Scully and Mulder looked at each and went out to the main hallway to see how it was.
Standing on their front stoop stood a very attractive man well over six feet tall with sandy brown hair and huge brown bedroom eyes.
Scully took one look at him and started to see what the appeal of the sex parties could be.
The man thrust out his hand to Mulder who was standing in the doorway with his arm draped casually over Scully.
"Roger Metcalf" the man said pumping Mulder's hand. "President of the neighborhood association. I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Thank you" Mulder said "I am Richard Buckland and this is my wife Jodi."
Roger shook Scully's hand and she could feel the electricity flow from him. "This guy is a chick magnet" she thought to herself after she was released from his grip.
"Tuesday night is when we usually meet up by my pool. We throw some stuff on the grill, have a couple of frozen drinks and take a dip in the pool. Do you think you could swing by and join us or are you too tired from your trip here?"
Mulder and Scully exchanged a quick glance and then Mulder said "Sure we would love to - what can we bring?"
"Not a thing. We would never think of asking you to bring something on your first day here."
Roger left shortly after that and Scully and Mulder went back into the house.
"They don't waste much time" Mulder said after the door was shut.
"No they don't" Scully agreed. "I had better go unpack my clothes and dig out my bathing suit."
"Me too" Mulder said following Scully upstairs into the bedroom.
They worked in silence as they both put away their own clothes. The house had two bedrooms but they decided to use only one just in case one of the neighbors stopped by and started snooping around.
Sleeping arrangements had yet to be discussed, but both assumed that Scully would take the bed and Mulder would bunk out on the couch the way he did at home. They assumed people would think he had fallen asleep in front of the television set if they spotted him through the living room window.
"So Scully, or should I say Jodi, any thoughts about the little party tonight."
"Not much besides the fact that I am dead tired and that I would rather curl up with a good book than make small talk with the beautiful people of Berkley Minnesota - but I guess it can't be helped."
"You and me both" Mulder said even though he had to admit that he was looking forward to seeing Scully in her bathing suit. "I don't think we will get a whole lot of sleep on this case. From what Lydia Bennett said, these little gatherings happen two or three nights a week."
Roger's house was just down the block from Scully and Mulder's so they opted to stroll down the street. Scully said nothing when Mulder casually draped his arm over her shoulders as they strolled.
Roger and another neighbor Brian were chatting on Roger's front lawn and spotted Mulder and Scully as they walked down the sidewalk.
"So what do you make of the new kids on the block?" Brian said taking a sip of his beer.
"They seem nice enough but I think we should hang low until we get to know them a bit better."
"Okay - I will go tell the others that there will be no special activities tonight."
Brian turned to walk around to the back of the house just as Mulder and Scully approached the house.
Roger walked up to greet them shaking Mulder's hand and giving Scully a peck on the cheek.
"I am so glad you made it. I can only imagine how tired you both are. But hopefully a nice juicy steak and a dip in the pool with help you get your energy back."
"Sounds good to me" Mulder said still keeping his arm around Scully.
"Come on in the house and I will show you where you can change."
Mulder finished changing first and waiting patiently outside the bathroom for Scully to emerge. When she did, it took everything he had not to gasp out loud at the sight of her.
Scully was dressed in a simple black one piece bathing suit that featured a low cut front and an even lower cut back.
He walked over to join her and bent over to whisper in her ear "Wow!"
Scully smiled at him and then took his hand and headed towards the pool saying "It's show time Richard."
Roger was waiting for them by the pool and gave them each a tall cool drink and then escorted them around the pool introducing them to everyone.
There were probably another 10 couples lounging around or splashing in the pool. All of them were either in their late twenties or thirties and all of them looked like they stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad.
Scully and Mulder smiled and made small talk. Luckily for them, they spent so much time in each other's company that they were very comfortable and natural with each other. The only difference in their behavior from that they exhibited every day was that they were touching each other a bit more often.
Mulder decided that he liked touching Scully and was pleased when he felt no sense of disapproval at doing so from his partner.
Finally after about four hours the party began to break up. Scully and Mulder said their goodbyes promising to meet up at Brian's house Thursday night to sample some new wine he had brought back with him from California.
Scully and Mulder strolled back to their house with their arms around each other. As soon as they entered their house, they split apart both feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"That wasn't so bad" Mulder said heading into the kitchen to grab a drink. "I think I will take a couple of minutes to write down all the names I can remember. That way we can start running checks on everyone in the morning."
"Well, I am going directly to bed" Scully said barely stifling a yawn.
"Want some company?" Mulder teased from the kitchen wondering for a split second what he would do if she actually said 'yes'.
"Very tempting, but I think I will pass. Good night Richard."
"Good night Jodi"
The following day Mulder and Scully busied themselves at the house. Mulder spent a good portion of the day on his laptop running checks on the people who had attended the party the night before.
Scully organized their belongings and when she was done, actually opted for reading a book out in the backyard.
The sun was warm and inviting and Scully happily sunk into her chair looking forward to reading a mindless novel. She felt a bit guilty about doing it, but Mulder had reassured her that she would be working well into the night on their field report so she should take advantage of the nice weather.
She had just turned to the first page when someone called out to her.
"Good morning young lady" a female voice called.
Scully lifted her eyes from her book and saw an elderly woman of at least 70 standing next to the hedge dividing their property.
Scully gave the woman a quick wave and got up from her chair and walked over to her.
"Good morning" Scully said smiling down at the smaller woman.
"Good morning dear." The woman said holding out her hand. "My name is Agnes Murphy and I live right next door." The woman gestured to the small white Cape behind her.
"Very nice to meeting you Mrs. Murphy. My name is Jodi Buckland. My husband, Richard, and I just moved in yesterday."
"Please call me Agnes dear. I saw you when you arrived but wanted to give you a chance to settle in before coming over and saying 'hello'."
The two women made small talk for about five minutes and then Agnes invited Scully and Mulder over for tea.
"I know it won't be as exciting as the parties Roger throws, but perhaps I can tempt you with my homemade cookies."
"We would love to come visit" Scully replied and it was decided that she and Mulder would head over around four that afternoon.
The women parted company and Scully went in to tell Mulder about their engagement that afternoon.
"Homemade cookies and gossip. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon."
End of chapter three - suggestions? Comments?
Richard and Jodi Buckland arrived at their new house shortly after one o'clock the following afternoon.
Pulling into the driveway Mulder was relieved to find no neighbors waiting for their arrival. He turned off the key and turned to Scully "At least we don't have to worry about our neighbors helping us move in this time."
"Thank goodness" Scully said stepping out the car.
The house that had been rented for them was a cute little blue Cape with a well manicured lawn and a large perennial garden.
"Looks pretty nice" Mulder said walking up to the door holding his suitcase. "Shall I carry you over the threshold?"
Scully shot him a dirty look and brushed past him through the door. The inside of the house was pleasantly furnished. A quick look around by Scully found two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, family room and large eat-in kitchen. It was the perfect house for a professional couple.
While Scully was exploring the house, Mulder brought in several large trunks. They were in actually filled with very little, but Mulder and Scully wanted to give the impression that they were staying for more than just a week or so.
Scully joined up with Mulder in the kitchen. He was standing in front of the open refrigerator holding a carton of orange juice in his hand. He looked at Scully a bit guiltily.
"Great, they supplied us with food too." Scully said peering into the fridge. "Mulder, don't drink out of the carton"
Mulder looked at the open carton in his hand and at Scully and promptly began looking for a glass.
He poured some juice into the glass and drank it down in one long swallow. He gave Scully a small smile. "My name is Richard, remember?" he said teasingly.
Scully was about to come back with a proper retort when there was a knock on the front door. Scully and Mulder looked at each and went out to the main hallway to see how it was.
Standing on their front stoop stood a very attractive man well over six feet tall with sandy brown hair and huge brown bedroom eyes.
Scully took one look at him and started to see what the appeal of the sex parties could be.
The man thrust out his hand to Mulder who was standing in the doorway with his arm draped casually over Scully.
"Roger Metcalf" the man said pumping Mulder's hand. "President of the neighborhood association. I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."
"Thank you" Mulder said "I am Richard Buckland and this is my wife Jodi."
Roger shook Scully's hand and she could feel the electricity flow from him. "This guy is a chick magnet" she thought to herself after she was released from his grip.
"Tuesday night is when we usually meet up by my pool. We throw some stuff on the grill, have a couple of frozen drinks and take a dip in the pool. Do you think you could swing by and join us or are you too tired from your trip here?"
Mulder and Scully exchanged a quick glance and then Mulder said "Sure we would love to - what can we bring?"
"Not a thing. We would never think of asking you to bring something on your first day here."
Roger left shortly after that and Scully and Mulder went back into the house.
"They don't waste much time" Mulder said after the door was shut.
"No they don't" Scully agreed. "I had better go unpack my clothes and dig out my bathing suit."
"Me too" Mulder said following Scully upstairs into the bedroom.
They worked in silence as they both put away their own clothes. The house had two bedrooms but they decided to use only one just in case one of the neighbors stopped by and started snooping around.
Sleeping arrangements had yet to be discussed, but both assumed that Scully would take the bed and Mulder would bunk out on the couch the way he did at home. They assumed people would think he had fallen asleep in front of the television set if they spotted him through the living room window.
"So Scully, or should I say Jodi, any thoughts about the little party tonight."
"Not much besides the fact that I am dead tired and that I would rather curl up with a good book than make small talk with the beautiful people of Berkley Minnesota - but I guess it can't be helped."
"You and me both" Mulder said even though he had to admit that he was looking forward to seeing Scully in her bathing suit. "I don't think we will get a whole lot of sleep on this case. From what Lydia Bennett said, these little gatherings happen two or three nights a week."
Roger's house was just down the block from Scully and Mulder's so they opted to stroll down the street. Scully said nothing when Mulder casually draped his arm over her shoulders as they strolled.
Roger and another neighbor Brian were chatting on Roger's front lawn and spotted Mulder and Scully as they walked down the sidewalk.
"So what do you make of the new kids on the block?" Brian said taking a sip of his beer.
"They seem nice enough but I think we should hang low until we get to know them a bit better."
"Okay - I will go tell the others that there will be no special activities tonight."
Brian turned to walk around to the back of the house just as Mulder and Scully approached the house.
Roger walked up to greet them shaking Mulder's hand and giving Scully a peck on the cheek.
"I am so glad you made it. I can only imagine how tired you both are. But hopefully a nice juicy steak and a dip in the pool with help you get your energy back."
"Sounds good to me" Mulder said still keeping his arm around Scully.
"Come on in the house and I will show you where you can change."
Mulder finished changing first and waiting patiently outside the bathroom for Scully to emerge. When she did, it took everything he had not to gasp out loud at the sight of her.
Scully was dressed in a simple black one piece bathing suit that featured a low cut front and an even lower cut back.
He walked over to join her and bent over to whisper in her ear "Wow!"
Scully smiled at him and then took his hand and headed towards the pool saying "It's show time Richard."
Roger was waiting for them by the pool and gave them each a tall cool drink and then escorted them around the pool introducing them to everyone.
There were probably another 10 couples lounging around or splashing in the pool. All of them were either in their late twenties or thirties and all of them looked like they stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad.
Scully and Mulder smiled and made small talk. Luckily for them, they spent so much time in each other's company that they were very comfortable and natural with each other. The only difference in their behavior from that they exhibited every day was that they were touching each other a bit more often.
Mulder decided that he liked touching Scully and was pleased when he felt no sense of disapproval at doing so from his partner.
Finally after about four hours the party began to break up. Scully and Mulder said their goodbyes promising to meet up at Brian's house Thursday night to sample some new wine he had brought back with him from California.
Scully and Mulder strolled back to their house with their arms around each other. As soon as they entered their house, they split apart both feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"That wasn't so bad" Mulder said heading into the kitchen to grab a drink. "I think I will take a couple of minutes to write down all the names I can remember. That way we can start running checks on everyone in the morning."
"Well, I am going directly to bed" Scully said barely stifling a yawn.
"Want some company?" Mulder teased from the kitchen wondering for a split second what he would do if she actually said 'yes'.
"Very tempting, but I think I will pass. Good night Richard."
"Good night Jodi"
The following day Mulder and Scully busied themselves at the house. Mulder spent a good portion of the day on his laptop running checks on the people who had attended the party the night before.
Scully organized their belongings and when she was done, actually opted for reading a book out in the backyard.
The sun was warm and inviting and Scully happily sunk into her chair looking forward to reading a mindless novel. She felt a bit guilty about doing it, but Mulder had reassured her that she would be working well into the night on their field report so she should take advantage of the nice weather.
She had just turned to the first page when someone called out to her.
"Good morning young lady" a female voice called.
Scully lifted her eyes from her book and saw an elderly woman of at least 70 standing next to the hedge dividing their property.
Scully gave the woman a quick wave and got up from her chair and walked over to her.
"Good morning" Scully said smiling down at the smaller woman.
"Good morning dear." The woman said holding out her hand. "My name is Agnes Murphy and I live right next door." The woman gestured to the small white Cape behind her.
"Very nice to meeting you Mrs. Murphy. My name is Jodi Buckland. My husband, Richard, and I just moved in yesterday."
"Please call me Agnes dear. I saw you when you arrived but wanted to give you a chance to settle in before coming over and saying 'hello'."
The two women made small talk for about five minutes and then Agnes invited Scully and Mulder over for tea.
"I know it won't be as exciting as the parties Roger throws, but perhaps I can tempt you with my homemade cookies."
"We would love to come visit" Scully replied and it was decided that she and Mulder would head over around four that afternoon.
The women parted company and Scully went in to tell Mulder about their engagement that afternoon.
"Homemade cookies and gossip. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon."
End of chapter three - suggestions? Comments?