CHAPTER 5
When they let go of each other, Mulder grabbed her hands. "There's so much to say, Scully."
"I know. How've you been?"
"Oh, I'm alive, I guess." He smiled at her warmly. She hadn't seen that smile in so long, and it brought back so many memories. She smiled back at him.
"You're probably hungry. My mom has lunch out on the back porch. Their conversation was rather frivolous and ignored the fact that they hadn't seen each other in four years. But an undercurrent of tension crackled in the air. There was much to be said, but it would have to wait. He didn't ask why she was here or how she was handling her husband's death. It wasn't that he didn't care. They just weren't sure how to talk to each other anymore.
They walked through the living room to the dining room and out the sliding door onto the big back porch. The picnic table was set for three. The children had already eaten and were playing on the swings. Margaret was sitting at the table, watching them. She stood when her daughter and Mulder walked outside.
"Fox, dear. Are you doing well? Are you getting settled alright?"
"Yeah, We're all moved in."
Dana flinched at the "we" part of his statement, but didn't say anything.
Mulder hugged the older woman warmly and kissed her cheek. The three sat down at the redwood picnic table. Dana gazed down at her children playing. Mulder followed her gaze to the swing set. She looked over at him and realizes that he had never met her kids. She had a moment of doubt and worry, but called them over anyway.
"Emma, Danny, come over here for a minute." The kids looked up at the sound of their mother's voice, and then came running over. Well, Danny hopped and Emma crawled.
"Mulder, I believe you've met Miss Emma." She changed her tone of voice. "Emma, this is Mr. Mulder."
"Hi there Mr. Mulder. I'm a doggie and my brother is a rabbit. Who are you?" The girl stood right in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"I'm a friend of your mom's. We used to work together."
"Mulder, this is my son Danny," Dana said, gesturing to the boy peeking out from behind her shoulder.
"Hi sport. Well, aren't you all grown up? How old are you?" Mulder asked him good-naturedly.
"This many," he said, holding up all ten fingers.
"Really, I would've guessed you were at least 26. Oh well, guess I'm not a good guesser."
Dana laughed and kissed Danny on the forehead. "You two can go play again." She sent him in the direction of the swingset with a pat on the back. He hopped off toward his sister who was already crawling in circles, pretending to be a good doggie.
"Well, Scully, you're boy looks good for 10."
"He's two and a half, actually."
"I figured as much. You know, the last time I saw Emma, she was tiny. It's kind of strange seeing her all grown up. You've really got some great kids. They both look just like you." Mulder was watching them as they played on the swings, having given up the doggie-rabbit game.
Dana knew that Mulder was lying to her. Danny may have looked like her, but Emma had a lot of her father in her. Her eyes, her nose, and her facial structure were all definitely not from Dana. All she had from her mother was her hair. Both her children had inherited her red hair. Danny's was a more strawberry blond, like his father's, but Emma's was dark auburn, and thick.
The kids continued playing in the yard below while the adults sat on the porch, eating a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and iced tea. The conversation centered around the weather and the state of foreign affairs and the latest movies. No one wanted to delve below the surface for fear of stirring up something that might make the situation any more uncomfortable. It was awkward because there was obviously something that each of them wanted to say.
They sat in silence when the generic topics ran out. Finally Margaret came up with something to say. "Fox, how is Sierra?"
Before he spoke, he looked at Dana. She looked confused. He cleared his throat. "I think the final hearing is going to be good. They gave me a trial period with her, and we have to be back for a follow up on Monday next week. If she passes with the shrink, and they say she's adjusting well, she's with me for the long haul. She's at a friends right now, till 5- ish." He glanced at his watch.
Dana was insanely curious as to who this Sierra was, but she didn't have the courage to ask him now, afraid of what she would hear. Was she his daughter with another woman? Had he sued for custody?
Margaret looked between the two young people sitting across from her and saw in their eyes the need to say a lot. And she knew it wouldn't be said with her and the kids here. She looked down at Emma and Danny. They were running in circles; lots of energy, as usual. It was a beautiful day, and they would probably love to go to the park. She stood up an gathered the dishes and carried them into the house. When she came back out five minutes later, she had Danny's stroller with her.
"Dana, I'm going to take the kids to the park, okay dear? Danny, Emma, do you want to go to the park?" They immediately froze and looked at their mother.
"Can we, Momma?" Emma asked, jumoing up and down.
"Alright, but be careful and mind your gramma."
"Grammy, Grammy, can I ride my bike?" Emma was hanging off her grandmother's arm, tugging on the edge of her shirt. Danny had already settled himself into his stroller.
"Yes, Emma. Let's go get your bike out of the garage." She leaned over and buckled Danny into the stroller. She pushed it back into the house and toward the attached garage. She stuck her head back out the sliding door and said, "We'll be back in an hour or two. There's more tea in the fridge."
With that, Dana and Mulder were alone.
She looked at him. "Well, Mulder, I think it's time we talk. What'd you say?"
When they let go of each other, Mulder grabbed her hands. "There's so much to say, Scully."
"I know. How've you been?"
"Oh, I'm alive, I guess." He smiled at her warmly. She hadn't seen that smile in so long, and it brought back so many memories. She smiled back at him.
"You're probably hungry. My mom has lunch out on the back porch. Their conversation was rather frivolous and ignored the fact that they hadn't seen each other in four years. But an undercurrent of tension crackled in the air. There was much to be said, but it would have to wait. He didn't ask why she was here or how she was handling her husband's death. It wasn't that he didn't care. They just weren't sure how to talk to each other anymore.
They walked through the living room to the dining room and out the sliding door onto the big back porch. The picnic table was set for three. The children had already eaten and were playing on the swings. Margaret was sitting at the table, watching them. She stood when her daughter and Mulder walked outside.
"Fox, dear. Are you doing well? Are you getting settled alright?"
"Yeah, We're all moved in."
Dana flinched at the "we" part of his statement, but didn't say anything.
Mulder hugged the older woman warmly and kissed her cheek. The three sat down at the redwood picnic table. Dana gazed down at her children playing. Mulder followed her gaze to the swing set. She looked over at him and realizes that he had never met her kids. She had a moment of doubt and worry, but called them over anyway.
"Emma, Danny, come over here for a minute." The kids looked up at the sound of their mother's voice, and then came running over. Well, Danny hopped and Emma crawled.
"Mulder, I believe you've met Miss Emma." She changed her tone of voice. "Emma, this is Mr. Mulder."
"Hi there Mr. Mulder. I'm a doggie and my brother is a rabbit. Who are you?" The girl stood right in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"I'm a friend of your mom's. We used to work together."
"Mulder, this is my son Danny," Dana said, gesturing to the boy peeking out from behind her shoulder.
"Hi sport. Well, aren't you all grown up? How old are you?" Mulder asked him good-naturedly.
"This many," he said, holding up all ten fingers.
"Really, I would've guessed you were at least 26. Oh well, guess I'm not a good guesser."
Dana laughed and kissed Danny on the forehead. "You two can go play again." She sent him in the direction of the swingset with a pat on the back. He hopped off toward his sister who was already crawling in circles, pretending to be a good doggie.
"Well, Scully, you're boy looks good for 10."
"He's two and a half, actually."
"I figured as much. You know, the last time I saw Emma, she was tiny. It's kind of strange seeing her all grown up. You've really got some great kids. They both look just like you." Mulder was watching them as they played on the swings, having given up the doggie-rabbit game.
Dana knew that Mulder was lying to her. Danny may have looked like her, but Emma had a lot of her father in her. Her eyes, her nose, and her facial structure were all definitely not from Dana. All she had from her mother was her hair. Both her children had inherited her red hair. Danny's was a more strawberry blond, like his father's, but Emma's was dark auburn, and thick.
The kids continued playing in the yard below while the adults sat on the porch, eating a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and iced tea. The conversation centered around the weather and the state of foreign affairs and the latest movies. No one wanted to delve below the surface for fear of stirring up something that might make the situation any more uncomfortable. It was awkward because there was obviously something that each of them wanted to say.
They sat in silence when the generic topics ran out. Finally Margaret came up with something to say. "Fox, how is Sierra?"
Before he spoke, he looked at Dana. She looked confused. He cleared his throat. "I think the final hearing is going to be good. They gave me a trial period with her, and we have to be back for a follow up on Monday next week. If she passes with the shrink, and they say she's adjusting well, she's with me for the long haul. She's at a friends right now, till 5- ish." He glanced at his watch.
Dana was insanely curious as to who this Sierra was, but she didn't have the courage to ask him now, afraid of what she would hear. Was she his daughter with another woman? Had he sued for custody?
Margaret looked between the two young people sitting across from her and saw in their eyes the need to say a lot. And she knew it wouldn't be said with her and the kids here. She looked down at Emma and Danny. They were running in circles; lots of energy, as usual. It was a beautiful day, and they would probably love to go to the park. She stood up an gathered the dishes and carried them into the house. When she came back out five minutes later, she had Danny's stroller with her.
"Dana, I'm going to take the kids to the park, okay dear? Danny, Emma, do you want to go to the park?" They immediately froze and looked at their mother.
"Can we, Momma?" Emma asked, jumoing up and down.
"Alright, but be careful and mind your gramma."
"Grammy, Grammy, can I ride my bike?" Emma was hanging off her grandmother's arm, tugging on the edge of her shirt. Danny had already settled himself into his stroller.
"Yes, Emma. Let's go get your bike out of the garage." She leaned over and buckled Danny into the stroller. She pushed it back into the house and toward the attached garage. She stuck her head back out the sliding door and said, "We'll be back in an hour or two. There's more tea in the fridge."
With that, Dana and Mulder were alone.
She looked at him. "Well, Mulder, I think it's time we talk. What'd you say?"