"No!"
Mulder felt stupid as he stood in front of the closed door, mostly because he knew that everyone downstairs was listening.
"Yes. Open this door this minute, William. You do NOT want me to have to open it myself."
That got William moving. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if his father simply removed the pins from the hinges, kind of like in that old pirate movie Cat liked so much. Still, it was with great reluctance that he unlocked the door.
Mulder didn't really look angry. "We let you have a lock on the door for privacy, but it's not going to stay on the door if you abuse it."
"I don't want her here."
"I don't really want her here either, but we need her help."
"You don't want her here either?" William's voice is surprised.
"Not really. She and I used to be good friends, but that was a long long time ago. Since then I feel in love with Cat, got married, and had a family. That makes things pretty damn awkward between Scully and I, and I'm just lucky that Cat isn't the jealous type."
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean about jealous."
"A lot of women would figure that a man might still have feelings for their ex, and that he might go back to her."
"But you wouldn't."
"Of course not."
Feeling more confident that he and his father share like feelings, William decided to play his hand. "Then you understand why I don't want to have anything to do with her."
"More or less. But you are going to have to talk to her anyway."
"Why?!"
"Because you have to."
William kicked his backpack across the room. "Why do I always HAVE to do things? I had to live with the Van DeKamps, I had to come here, I have to worry about people trying to make me do things! Now I have to talk to the last person I want to?! It's not fair! No one else has to do these things, so why me?!"
"Because life is not fair." Mulder said evenly. "Why did I have to lose my sister when I was twelve? Why did I have to spend my whole career worrying that someone was really going to kill me, like they kept trying to? Why did I have to be taken away before you were born? Why did I have to leave you, and the woman I was then in love with, to keep you safe? Why did doing the right thing lead to missing out on the first eleven years of your life?
"Life is not, nor has it ever been, fair. The younger you learn that, the better off you'll be."
William wasn't sure how to respond to that. On one hand, it galled him that life wasn't fair, but on the other, he was surprised to hear his father talk about what he'd himself had had to do just because. If even adults were slaves to necessity...
"You can make me talk to her, but you can't make me like her, or be nice."
"I know. I just hope you'll be mature enough to put your feelings aside enough to be polite."
With that, Mulder got up and left the room, leaving his confused son behind. After grappling with his feelings for a moment, William sighed, and slowly left the room himself.
Mulder felt stupid as he stood in front of the closed door, mostly because he knew that everyone downstairs was listening.
"Yes. Open this door this minute, William. You do NOT want me to have to open it myself."
That got William moving. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if his father simply removed the pins from the hinges, kind of like in that old pirate movie Cat liked so much. Still, it was with great reluctance that he unlocked the door.
Mulder didn't really look angry. "We let you have a lock on the door for privacy, but it's not going to stay on the door if you abuse it."
"I don't want her here."
"I don't really want her here either, but we need her help."
"You don't want her here either?" William's voice is surprised.
"Not really. She and I used to be good friends, but that was a long long time ago. Since then I feel in love with Cat, got married, and had a family. That makes things pretty damn awkward between Scully and I, and I'm just lucky that Cat isn't the jealous type."
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean about jealous."
"A lot of women would figure that a man might still have feelings for their ex, and that he might go back to her."
"But you wouldn't."
"Of course not."
Feeling more confident that he and his father share like feelings, William decided to play his hand. "Then you understand why I don't want to have anything to do with her."
"More or less. But you are going to have to talk to her anyway."
"Why?!"
"Because you have to."
William kicked his backpack across the room. "Why do I always HAVE to do things? I had to live with the Van DeKamps, I had to come here, I have to worry about people trying to make me do things! Now I have to talk to the last person I want to?! It's not fair! No one else has to do these things, so why me?!"
"Because life is not fair." Mulder said evenly. "Why did I have to lose my sister when I was twelve? Why did I have to spend my whole career worrying that someone was really going to kill me, like they kept trying to? Why did I have to be taken away before you were born? Why did I have to leave you, and the woman I was then in love with, to keep you safe? Why did doing the right thing lead to missing out on the first eleven years of your life?
"Life is not, nor has it ever been, fair. The younger you learn that, the better off you'll be."
William wasn't sure how to respond to that. On one hand, it galled him that life wasn't fair, but on the other, he was surprised to hear his father talk about what he'd himself had had to do just because. If even adults were slaves to necessity...
"You can make me talk to her, but you can't make me like her, or be nice."
"I know. I just hope you'll be mature enough to put your feelings aside enough to be polite."
With that, Mulder got up and left the room, leaving his confused son behind. After grappling with his feelings for a moment, William sighed, and slowly left the room himself.