Part 22
Downstairs Scully is packing up her briefcase. She has decided to pursue Mulder's lead and is heading to Connecticut by herself to interview Margery Stadnick, a 57 year old widow. She stuffs the file folder into the rear pocket of the briefcase and tosses a couple of pens inside before closing it. She glances around on her table and sees the two tickets to Saturday's ball and immediately thinks of Craig Willmore. She feels badly about how she had treated him the other evening. Although she is not romantically interested in him she wants to somehow make it up to him. She slips the two tickets into an interoffice envelope with a note:
Agent Willmore,
I would like to apologize for the other evening. Thank you for being so understanding regarding my sudden departure. I was very concerned for my partner, Agent Mulder as he has no family to see to his well-being. I hope we may remain friends in the future. Please take these two tickets to the Post Valentine Ball on Saturday. Please take someone that can return your sentiments as I cannot at this time.
Sincerely,
Agent Dana K. Scully
Scully starts to pick up her briefcase and laptop computer case, but puts them down. She walks behind Mulder's desk and opens his top drawer. Inside are his two tickets. She takes them and puts them into her pocket. She then picks up her baggage and walks to the door placing the interoffice envelope into the outgoing mail.
********************
Thursday Evening 2/16
"So Mrs. Stadnick, you say you heard ET's voice coming through the refrigerator", says Scully glancing in an old Fridgedaire ice box.
"Yes! He said that I had been abducted and that he was back to ask me the secrets of my planet. He wanted to know where I got this", she moves in beside Scully and picks up a whipped cream can. "He said that it was the most advanced form of science he had ever seen and wanted to know if I could trade him some for some special minerals from his planet."
Scully tries hard not to roll her eyes as she closes the refrigerator. "Is there anything else you can think of Mrs. Stadnick?"
"Oh yes! He wanted to know if I could get him some of those little Reese's Pieces candy things." Mrs. Stadnick nods and smiles.
"Mrs. Stadnick, do you partake in the drinking of any alcohol in your home? Or do you perhaps use any sort of medicinal drugs or herbs for a medical condition?", asks Scully.
"Do you mean do I drink or take drugs?", asks Mrs. Stadnick glaring?
Scully nods.
"No, I don't. And I don't appreciate being accused of being that type of person either! I know what I heard. I won't stand here and be accused of being a liar Ms. Scully. That nice Agent Mulder was so polite on the phone. He didn't make me feel like I was crazy. Why did you come and not him?"
Scully looks down and says, "He wasn't available for the assignment Mrs. Stadnick. As his partner I felt it was important to continue his work in his absence."
"Oh he went on vacation huh", says Mrs. Stadnick nodding. "He probably needed one if he has to explain everything to you everyday."
Scully's head snaps up. "Mrs. Stadnick Agent Mulder is currently missing. Our partnership is fine and I am sorry for having upset you. I will fill out my report and turn it in to my superior, perhaps Agent Mulder will be able to visit you at a future time." She walks to the door and leaves Mrs. Stadnick standing there.
Scully gets into her car and starts to drive. Its already 6:00 PM but she doesn't want to stop at a hotel. It was too early to stop. If Mulder had been there they would have hung out in one of their rooms debating the case or would have watched a movie. She drives along for an hour before she picks up her cellphone.
"Mom, its Dana. I just crossed the stateline into New York. I wanted to know if it would be okay to come over tonight. Its going to be late though."
"Why of course honey. I'll wait up for you. Is Fox with you?"
"No Mom the kidnappers still have him and I feel so damn helpless. I just need you Mom to help me get through this." Scully begins to cry.
"You just get here and I'll take care of my baby girl", says Maggie Scully softly.
Scully hangs up and continues to drive.
*********************
Its about 1:30 AM and Scully pulls up to her mother's house. Her mother is at the door before Scully can even ring the doorbell. She opens the door and Scully flys into her mother's open arms. "Mom, I am so scared. I did something that I shouldn't have done. I gambled with Mulder's life and now I think I may have lost him forever." She openly sobs into her mother's neck.
Maggie leads Scully to her sofa and holds her. "You love him don't you?"
"Yes", sniffs Scully. "We finally admitted our feelings Tuesday night. We only had about sixteen hours of being together before he was taken from me. Seven years of driving miles and miles with him across the country, not telling him how I really felt and then finally I tell him and poof he is gone."
"You can't blame yourself Dana. He wouldn't want you to worry about you. Fox is strong. He will survive this. You will both get through this. You've gotten through a lot worse in the past. Only good things can be in store for you in the future." She sees the ring dangling from her daughters neck and reaches for it. "Did he give this to you?"
"It was in a safety deposit box of his that I have access to. He had wanted me to retrieve something in the box if something was to happen to him. I needed that item to negotiate the deal and so I panicked and went immediately to get it. There in the same box I found this ring with a note. Mom, he has loved me since we were paired in 93'. I've been so blind. Here I was a serious scientist looking for only the facts to prove our work and I didn't see the facts right in front of me. I dismissed his comments as only flirtatious jokes, but he was trying to tell me that he loved me for seven years. He bought this ring two years ago and had never had the courage to tell me how he really felt. He even carried it around with him sometimes with the intent of speaking up, but he never did. If he never gave it to me I would have eventually found it, but only if he had died as I am executor of his estate." She continues to cry.
"Well he has proven his love for you in the past by the things that he has done for you. He never gave up looking for you when you were missing. You should have seen how distraut he was. He got thin and he hardly slept. I don't know if I ever told you this, but he even wore your cross the entire time you were gone. And don't forget who fought to get your cure for the cancer." Maggie smiles down into her daughter's tear stained face. "He'll be back honey. If theres one man who can do it - its Fox Mulder." She hugs her daughter to her and lets her fall asleep on her shoulder.
Downstairs Scully is packing up her briefcase. She has decided to pursue Mulder's lead and is heading to Connecticut by herself to interview Margery Stadnick, a 57 year old widow. She stuffs the file folder into the rear pocket of the briefcase and tosses a couple of pens inside before closing it. She glances around on her table and sees the two tickets to Saturday's ball and immediately thinks of Craig Willmore. She feels badly about how she had treated him the other evening. Although she is not romantically interested in him she wants to somehow make it up to him. She slips the two tickets into an interoffice envelope with a note:
Agent Willmore,
I would like to apologize for the other evening. Thank you for being so understanding regarding my sudden departure. I was very concerned for my partner, Agent Mulder as he has no family to see to his well-being. I hope we may remain friends in the future. Please take these two tickets to the Post Valentine Ball on Saturday. Please take someone that can return your sentiments as I cannot at this time.
Sincerely,
Agent Dana K. Scully
Scully starts to pick up her briefcase and laptop computer case, but puts them down. She walks behind Mulder's desk and opens his top drawer. Inside are his two tickets. She takes them and puts them into her pocket. She then picks up her baggage and walks to the door placing the interoffice envelope into the outgoing mail.
********************
Thursday Evening 2/16
"So Mrs. Stadnick, you say you heard ET's voice coming through the refrigerator", says Scully glancing in an old Fridgedaire ice box.
"Yes! He said that I had been abducted and that he was back to ask me the secrets of my planet. He wanted to know where I got this", she moves in beside Scully and picks up a whipped cream can. "He said that it was the most advanced form of science he had ever seen and wanted to know if I could trade him some for some special minerals from his planet."
Scully tries hard not to roll her eyes as she closes the refrigerator. "Is there anything else you can think of Mrs. Stadnick?"
"Oh yes! He wanted to know if I could get him some of those little Reese's Pieces candy things." Mrs. Stadnick nods and smiles.
"Mrs. Stadnick, do you partake in the drinking of any alcohol in your home? Or do you perhaps use any sort of medicinal drugs or herbs for a medical condition?", asks Scully.
"Do you mean do I drink or take drugs?", asks Mrs. Stadnick glaring?
Scully nods.
"No, I don't. And I don't appreciate being accused of being that type of person either! I know what I heard. I won't stand here and be accused of being a liar Ms. Scully. That nice Agent Mulder was so polite on the phone. He didn't make me feel like I was crazy. Why did you come and not him?"
Scully looks down and says, "He wasn't available for the assignment Mrs. Stadnick. As his partner I felt it was important to continue his work in his absence."
"Oh he went on vacation huh", says Mrs. Stadnick nodding. "He probably needed one if he has to explain everything to you everyday."
Scully's head snaps up. "Mrs. Stadnick Agent Mulder is currently missing. Our partnership is fine and I am sorry for having upset you. I will fill out my report and turn it in to my superior, perhaps Agent Mulder will be able to visit you at a future time." She walks to the door and leaves Mrs. Stadnick standing there.
Scully gets into her car and starts to drive. Its already 6:00 PM but she doesn't want to stop at a hotel. It was too early to stop. If Mulder had been there they would have hung out in one of their rooms debating the case or would have watched a movie. She drives along for an hour before she picks up her cellphone.
"Mom, its Dana. I just crossed the stateline into New York. I wanted to know if it would be okay to come over tonight. Its going to be late though."
"Why of course honey. I'll wait up for you. Is Fox with you?"
"No Mom the kidnappers still have him and I feel so damn helpless. I just need you Mom to help me get through this." Scully begins to cry.
"You just get here and I'll take care of my baby girl", says Maggie Scully softly.
Scully hangs up and continues to drive.
*********************
Its about 1:30 AM and Scully pulls up to her mother's house. Her mother is at the door before Scully can even ring the doorbell. She opens the door and Scully flys into her mother's open arms. "Mom, I am so scared. I did something that I shouldn't have done. I gambled with Mulder's life and now I think I may have lost him forever." She openly sobs into her mother's neck.
Maggie leads Scully to her sofa and holds her. "You love him don't you?"
"Yes", sniffs Scully. "We finally admitted our feelings Tuesday night. We only had about sixteen hours of being together before he was taken from me. Seven years of driving miles and miles with him across the country, not telling him how I really felt and then finally I tell him and poof he is gone."
"You can't blame yourself Dana. He wouldn't want you to worry about you. Fox is strong. He will survive this. You will both get through this. You've gotten through a lot worse in the past. Only good things can be in store for you in the future." She sees the ring dangling from her daughters neck and reaches for it. "Did he give this to you?"
"It was in a safety deposit box of his that I have access to. He had wanted me to retrieve something in the box if something was to happen to him. I needed that item to negotiate the deal and so I panicked and went immediately to get it. There in the same box I found this ring with a note. Mom, he has loved me since we were paired in 93'. I've been so blind. Here I was a serious scientist looking for only the facts to prove our work and I didn't see the facts right in front of me. I dismissed his comments as only flirtatious jokes, but he was trying to tell me that he loved me for seven years. He bought this ring two years ago and had never had the courage to tell me how he really felt. He even carried it around with him sometimes with the intent of speaking up, but he never did. If he never gave it to me I would have eventually found it, but only if he had died as I am executor of his estate." She continues to cry.
"Well he has proven his love for you in the past by the things that he has done for you. He never gave up looking for you when you were missing. You should have seen how distraut he was. He got thin and he hardly slept. I don't know if I ever told you this, but he even wore your cross the entire time you were gone. And don't forget who fought to get your cure for the cancer." Maggie smiles down into her daughter's tear stained face. "He'll be back honey. If theres one man who can do it - its Fox Mulder." She hugs her daughter to her and lets her fall asleep on her shoulder.