Mulder looked in shock as he realised that Scully wasn't well and it took a lot of tugging on his arm by Maggie before he came back to himself. He immediately got up off the bed and followed Tara out of the door, wanting to get to Scully as quickly as possible. All three rushed down the stairs heading for the kitchen with Tara leading the way and Maggie holding Mulder's arm. They all rushed through the door and Maggie gasped out loud seeing her baby girl lying motionless on the floor. Mulder sank to his knees beside her head and gently caressed her cheek, speaking to her in a soothing voice. Maggie quickly recovered from the shock of seeing Dana so still and rolled up her sleeves with a determined look on her face.
"Charlie can you lay her head down and come round to this end of her. We need to elevate her feet to get the blood flowing to her head again. Tara could you fetch me the blanket from over the couch, she's pretty cold."
"Sure Mom."
"Yes Maggie."
Both of them did as she had asked and Mulder continued his loving whispers and gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand that he held. Maggie got a washcloth and wet it in the sink before coming to kneel on the other side of Dana's head. She made to wipe her face with it but, seeing Mulder's distraught expression, she instead handed it to him to do. He looked at it strangely as if it were foreign to him but then shook himself out of the trance he was in and began bathing her face. Maggie picked up one of the cushions from the kitchen chairs and placed it on the floor underneath Scully's head while Mulder tenderly lifted her head up off the floor. Tara came back in with the blanket in her hands and held it out to Maggie.
"Here you go Maggie...is there anything else I can do?"
"Thanks Tara. I don't think there's anything to be done but wait. She'll come back round when she's good and ready...she didn't hit her head did she Charlie?"
"No, she fell straight into my arms...she just slumped over in the chair and I caught her. I did fall onto my backside once I caught her but I'm pretty sure she didn't hit anything."
"Good...that means she has just simply fainted."
Maggie draped the blanket over her daughter's body and tucked it in around her sides, leaving her arm free for Mulder to hold onto her hand. Tara excused herself when she heard Bill come back in the front door having finished putting all of their luggage in the car. Maggie asked her to keep him out of the kitchen whilst Dana recovered so as not to upset her again and she readily agreed. Maggie watched her go and shook her head as she thought of what her son had caused this time.
"Maggie...Maggie? I think she's starting to come round."
Maggie was jolted from her thoughts by Mulder's happy announcement. She turned her attention once more to Scully who was indeed beginning to stir. Her head moved slightly from side to side and her fingers clutched at Mulder's hand before her eyelids began to flutter. Mulder ceased movement with the washcloth and instead stroked his fingers along one of her cheeks. She turned into his caress as her eyes opened fully and looked confused to see his face looming above her. She looked around the kitchen at the three others, still disorientated and wondering what on earth had happened to cause her to be lying on the floor.
"Wh...what happened."
"You passed out Scully...you fainted. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes...I think so anyway."
She scrunched up her brow in concentration as she tried to recall the events leading up to her collapse. When she remembered, she suddenly closed her eyes against the tears that had instantly sprung into her eyes and turned her face away from Mulder. Realising immediately that she had just remembered their conversation, Mulder rushed to rectify the situation.
"Scully...Scully. Please look at me Scully."
"Why should I Mulder...for one last look before you disappear out of my life? I can't...it's too..."
"No Scully...please, would you just look at me?"
"Fine...Mulder, are they tears on your face? Were you crying?"
"Yes Scully...I started to cry just as soon as I walked away. I realised what a stupid thing I had just done...I can't do it."
Charlie and Maggie both looked away as the two began to cry together while Mulder finished his explanation in hushed, private whispers. Maggie had already gotten up from the floor and Charlie was just about to do the same, intending to leave the two alone for some much needed privacy, when suddenly the kitchen door flew open. Bill stood on the other side, glaring at the sight of Mulder embracing Scully while she lay on the floor and cried. Tara looked over at Maggie apologetically and then tried to prevent her husband from getting any closer to the pair of them by laying a hand on his arm. He swept her arm aside however and crossed to stand right behind Mulder, his fury evident on his face.
"What the hell have you done to Dana now?!"
"Bill..."
"No Mom...that's it, I've had it with him. Get out of this house now!"
Bill jerked Mulder up to his feet by his collar and started to push him out into the hall. Mulder didn't resist but rather helped Bill on their way through. As they got to the front door though, Mulder shook himself free of Bill's grasp and walked into the lounge instead of going out the front door as Bill had expected him to do. Surprised, Bill didn't have time to react before Mulder was completely inside the lounge and he had no choice but to follow him in there. Expecting Mulder obey his command to leave the room, Bill was again surprised when Mulder turned round to face him and began to speak.
"Bill I've sat by ever since I arrived on Friday whilst you took shots at me. I've allowed Dana, Maggie and Charlie all to fight back for me, myself instead agreeing with most of what you had to stay and not thinking I had a reason to argue. They've been fighting my battle for me and I have just stepped back and let them but this time...this time I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to go and hide in a corner and hope someone will stand up for me or you'll get bored and go away. No, this time I'm standing up for myself because now I can see how much all this is hurting Scully."
"How much YOU are hurting her you mean."
Tara, Charlie, Maggie and Scully had all followed the two of them through to the lounge, expecting there to be more violence and now stood listening to what they were saying. Still slightly shaky, Scully had leaned on Charlie for support as they walked through and now sat perched on one of the arms of the sofa, the others all standing beside her. All four mouths dropped open when they heard Bill's last statement and all tried to object but Maggie was the only one who had recovered from her shock sufficiently to make any noise.
"Bill!"
"Maggie no, let me. ...See Bill, that's where you're wrong. It's not me who's causing her all this pain. It's taken me a while to realise that. Every time you've said anything to me I've agreed with you - I've taken it as the truth but when I walked into that kitchen just now and saw her lying there...I know that it was because I was going to leave."
"There, you admitted it...it was because of you."
"Yes it was, but not because I'm IN her life but because I was about to do as YOU wanted and step out of it for good. That would have hurt her far more than you think that I have already done as was evident by her distress. I was going by what you thought was best for her but now I realise that it's not your decision to make. You don't get to make the choice of whom Scully spends her time with - she does! Why are both you and Charlie allowed to choose whom you want to be with and be happy with but you refuse Dana that same privilege? ...It's actually not even a privilege, it's a right - her right."
"Mulder you don't get to choose that either...Dana is my sister and I have the right - the duty - to look out for her; to stop her from making such a big mistake as to go out with you."
"Well Bill, Scully is a big girl and she can make her own decisions and I would never again assume to make them for her as you have done. I was leaving because I thought it would be best but I can see that I was doing the same as you were and taking her right to choose away from her. And as for me being a mistake - surely you're not suggesting that she was in that state before because she wanted me to leave, or that she was glad I was going?"
"Who knows Mulder...maybe she was. I mean how much can you really want to be with her if you gave up so easily? You were just about to leave her Mulder...and we are supposed to believe that you LOVE her?"
"I DO love her Bill...and I could never leave her. ...I could never leave you Scully, even though I said that I could. I was wrong...it would kill me to walk away and I promise you now that I will never even consider going. I'm so sorry...I thought that I was doing what was best for you...but I know I was wrong. I am so, so sorry Scully."
Mulder had turned away from Bill and instead faced Sully as he spoke his last part. A solitary tear slid from his eye and ran all the way down his cheeks as he looked at her, pleading with his eyes that she would understand. Hoping that she would be able to forgive him his earlier cowardice, he stood absolutely still in wait for her to make a move. She reached out her hand to him and beckoned him closer, taking his hand in hers as soon as they were near enough for their fingers to touch. His fingers trembled and she laced hers through them but his faltering steps grew more sure as she pulled him across to her. Soon they were in each other's arms, embracing and smiling through the tears that were falling from both pairs of eyes.
"Oh Mulder."
"Scully I'm so sorry...will you forgive me?"
"Of course I will but never...and I mean NEVER do that to me again. I couldn't bear it Mulder...I just couldn't."
"Ssshh. Don't cry anymore. I promise I'll never even think about it again, okay? I couldn't do it either...I barely even made it to your room before I broke. I would never be able to survive without you."
Scully buried her face in his neck as she pulled him even more tightly to her and he hid his face in her hair, concealing the tears that he had shed whilst they were talking. They rocked each other gently as they continued to embrace and then pulled back so that they could look into the other's eyes. Mulder wiped her tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs just as she was doing the same to his. He leant in and pressed a tender kiss onto her lips before pulling back and once more turning to face Bill. Bill's face had grown stony as he had watched the reconciliation taking place and he was now glaring in disgust at the two of them. He opened his mouth to speak but before he got a word out, Tara crossed over to him and silenced him with a look.
"Bill, I know you don't like me and probably never will but you have to believe me when I say I love your sister. I love her more than anything in the world and I could never - EVER - do anything that would harm her intentionally. My life is worthless without her and if you can't see and accept that then..."
"Then nothing Mulder, he will just have to accept it. Yes Bill, you will because I love him too and no matter what you say, he isn't the cause of any of the bad things that have happened to me or to this family. The only thing that he has ever done to hurt me was to tell me he was leaving and that was all because of you. See he loves me so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness in order to keep this family together - he was only leaving because he thought that it was what I wanted, or needed."
"Dana..."
"No, Bill...I don't want to hear anymore of what you have to say. I'm sorry that you can't see how much we love each other, how much we need each other and how happy we are when we're together but we have tried to show you, explain it to you and if you still can't see it then it's only because you're too selfish to see it."
Bill once again opened his mouth to comment but as he did so, he finally became aware that the rest of his family were all standing waiting for the next thing he said. He looked from his mom to his brother, from his sister to his wife and shook his head in defeat, knowing that he would not win if he continued arguing with Mulder and Scully. He shrugged his shoulders and let his arms drop from being folded across his chest to fall by his sides.
"We better get going Tara...can you go get Mattie."
Mulder looked a little relieved that he was just going to go but the others all breathed small sighs of disappointment. They had all be hoping that what Scully had just said to him would finally make him see sense but it was obvious that he was not going to change his mind about Mulder. Tara left to get Mattie and the room remained in awkward silence as they waited for her to get back downstairs. Charlie went though to the den to get Jess and his kids so that they could all say goodbye. All of them traipsed outside to watch the three of them get into their car and, as they pulled out of their parking space, Bill rolled down the window to say his final goodbyes.
"Bye Mom...see you on Saturday."
"Have a safe trip Bill, Tara. Give your parents all the best from all of us."
"Sure Maggie...see you all on Saturday."
"Bye."
They all waved as the car turned the corner and disappeared from sight, all then turning to go back into the house. Mulder caught hold of Scully's arm just as she turned to follow them and tugged on it slightly so that she moved nearer to him. She came willingly into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and staring up at him. With one arm remaining around her waist, he brought his other hand up to her cheek and caressed it as he began to speak.
"Scully...I just wanted to apologise again...I..."
"Mulder it's okay. You already said that you made a mistake and we're okay now."
"Scully...what did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Mulder..."
"No...I know I don't really deserve you so to have you here with me...I must have done something. I told you before; whatever it was...I'm so glad I did it. So glad."
"Mulder..."
Finding herself at a loss for words, Scully instead made her point by pulling Mulder down towards her upturned face and joining their lips together. They stood outside for a long time, kissing and talking and reassuring each other that they were going to be okay. Eventually, Scully began to shiver from the cold and Mulder picked her up in his arms and began carrying her into the house.
"Mulder...put me down. I can walk."
"Yes, yes you can. But you don't have to...don't think I've forgotten that you weren't very well earlier. You should be in your bed and that's where I'm taking you."
"I'm fine now Mulder...but I suppose if you want to join me there then I could put up with going to bed for a couple of hours..."
"You wicked woman you..."
They reached the doorway and Mulder trailed off as he turned back round, taking one last look at the end of the street where Bill's car had vanished from sight. Scully turned her head to see what he was looking at, and she immediately realised what had made him pause and grow quiet. She gave him a soft squeeze and planted a small kiss on his cheek before turning his head so that he was looking into her eyes.
"He's gone now Mulder...let's just enjoy the rest of the holiday together."
Mulder nodded in agreement and carried her up the stairs to the bedroom, determined to make the most of their free time. He knew that there was nowhere he would rather be and that the holiday would be one of the best he'd ever had...well, at least until Bill returned for the New Year's celebrations.
THE END!!!!
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"Charlie can you lay her head down and come round to this end of her. We need to elevate her feet to get the blood flowing to her head again. Tara could you fetch me the blanket from over the couch, she's pretty cold."
"Sure Mom."
"Yes Maggie."
Both of them did as she had asked and Mulder continued his loving whispers and gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand that he held. Maggie got a washcloth and wet it in the sink before coming to kneel on the other side of Dana's head. She made to wipe her face with it but, seeing Mulder's distraught expression, she instead handed it to him to do. He looked at it strangely as if it were foreign to him but then shook himself out of the trance he was in and began bathing her face. Maggie picked up one of the cushions from the kitchen chairs and placed it on the floor underneath Scully's head while Mulder tenderly lifted her head up off the floor. Tara came back in with the blanket in her hands and held it out to Maggie.
"Here you go Maggie...is there anything else I can do?"
"Thanks Tara. I don't think there's anything to be done but wait. She'll come back round when she's good and ready...she didn't hit her head did she Charlie?"
"No, she fell straight into my arms...she just slumped over in the chair and I caught her. I did fall onto my backside once I caught her but I'm pretty sure she didn't hit anything."
"Good...that means she has just simply fainted."
Maggie draped the blanket over her daughter's body and tucked it in around her sides, leaving her arm free for Mulder to hold onto her hand. Tara excused herself when she heard Bill come back in the front door having finished putting all of their luggage in the car. Maggie asked her to keep him out of the kitchen whilst Dana recovered so as not to upset her again and she readily agreed. Maggie watched her go and shook her head as she thought of what her son had caused this time.
"Maggie...Maggie? I think she's starting to come round."
Maggie was jolted from her thoughts by Mulder's happy announcement. She turned her attention once more to Scully who was indeed beginning to stir. Her head moved slightly from side to side and her fingers clutched at Mulder's hand before her eyelids began to flutter. Mulder ceased movement with the washcloth and instead stroked his fingers along one of her cheeks. She turned into his caress as her eyes opened fully and looked confused to see his face looming above her. She looked around the kitchen at the three others, still disorientated and wondering what on earth had happened to cause her to be lying on the floor.
"Wh...what happened."
"You passed out Scully...you fainted. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes...I think so anyway."
She scrunched up her brow in concentration as she tried to recall the events leading up to her collapse. When she remembered, she suddenly closed her eyes against the tears that had instantly sprung into her eyes and turned her face away from Mulder. Realising immediately that she had just remembered their conversation, Mulder rushed to rectify the situation.
"Scully...Scully. Please look at me Scully."
"Why should I Mulder...for one last look before you disappear out of my life? I can't...it's too..."
"No Scully...please, would you just look at me?"
"Fine...Mulder, are they tears on your face? Were you crying?"
"Yes Scully...I started to cry just as soon as I walked away. I realised what a stupid thing I had just done...I can't do it."
Charlie and Maggie both looked away as the two began to cry together while Mulder finished his explanation in hushed, private whispers. Maggie had already gotten up from the floor and Charlie was just about to do the same, intending to leave the two alone for some much needed privacy, when suddenly the kitchen door flew open. Bill stood on the other side, glaring at the sight of Mulder embracing Scully while she lay on the floor and cried. Tara looked over at Maggie apologetically and then tried to prevent her husband from getting any closer to the pair of them by laying a hand on his arm. He swept her arm aside however and crossed to stand right behind Mulder, his fury evident on his face.
"What the hell have you done to Dana now?!"
"Bill..."
"No Mom...that's it, I've had it with him. Get out of this house now!"
Bill jerked Mulder up to his feet by his collar and started to push him out into the hall. Mulder didn't resist but rather helped Bill on their way through. As they got to the front door though, Mulder shook himself free of Bill's grasp and walked into the lounge instead of going out the front door as Bill had expected him to do. Surprised, Bill didn't have time to react before Mulder was completely inside the lounge and he had no choice but to follow him in there. Expecting Mulder obey his command to leave the room, Bill was again surprised when Mulder turned round to face him and began to speak.
"Bill I've sat by ever since I arrived on Friday whilst you took shots at me. I've allowed Dana, Maggie and Charlie all to fight back for me, myself instead agreeing with most of what you had to stay and not thinking I had a reason to argue. They've been fighting my battle for me and I have just stepped back and let them but this time...this time I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to go and hide in a corner and hope someone will stand up for me or you'll get bored and go away. No, this time I'm standing up for myself because now I can see how much all this is hurting Scully."
"How much YOU are hurting her you mean."
Tara, Charlie, Maggie and Scully had all followed the two of them through to the lounge, expecting there to be more violence and now stood listening to what they were saying. Still slightly shaky, Scully had leaned on Charlie for support as they walked through and now sat perched on one of the arms of the sofa, the others all standing beside her. All four mouths dropped open when they heard Bill's last statement and all tried to object but Maggie was the only one who had recovered from her shock sufficiently to make any noise.
"Bill!"
"Maggie no, let me. ...See Bill, that's where you're wrong. It's not me who's causing her all this pain. It's taken me a while to realise that. Every time you've said anything to me I've agreed with you - I've taken it as the truth but when I walked into that kitchen just now and saw her lying there...I know that it was because I was going to leave."
"There, you admitted it...it was because of you."
"Yes it was, but not because I'm IN her life but because I was about to do as YOU wanted and step out of it for good. That would have hurt her far more than you think that I have already done as was evident by her distress. I was going by what you thought was best for her but now I realise that it's not your decision to make. You don't get to make the choice of whom Scully spends her time with - she does! Why are both you and Charlie allowed to choose whom you want to be with and be happy with but you refuse Dana that same privilege? ...It's actually not even a privilege, it's a right - her right."
"Mulder you don't get to choose that either...Dana is my sister and I have the right - the duty - to look out for her; to stop her from making such a big mistake as to go out with you."
"Well Bill, Scully is a big girl and she can make her own decisions and I would never again assume to make them for her as you have done. I was leaving because I thought it would be best but I can see that I was doing the same as you were and taking her right to choose away from her. And as for me being a mistake - surely you're not suggesting that she was in that state before because she wanted me to leave, or that she was glad I was going?"
"Who knows Mulder...maybe she was. I mean how much can you really want to be with her if you gave up so easily? You were just about to leave her Mulder...and we are supposed to believe that you LOVE her?"
"I DO love her Bill...and I could never leave her. ...I could never leave you Scully, even though I said that I could. I was wrong...it would kill me to walk away and I promise you now that I will never even consider going. I'm so sorry...I thought that I was doing what was best for you...but I know I was wrong. I am so, so sorry Scully."
Mulder had turned away from Bill and instead faced Sully as he spoke his last part. A solitary tear slid from his eye and ran all the way down his cheeks as he looked at her, pleading with his eyes that she would understand. Hoping that she would be able to forgive him his earlier cowardice, he stood absolutely still in wait for her to make a move. She reached out her hand to him and beckoned him closer, taking his hand in hers as soon as they were near enough for their fingers to touch. His fingers trembled and she laced hers through them but his faltering steps grew more sure as she pulled him across to her. Soon they were in each other's arms, embracing and smiling through the tears that were falling from both pairs of eyes.
"Oh Mulder."
"Scully I'm so sorry...will you forgive me?"
"Of course I will but never...and I mean NEVER do that to me again. I couldn't bear it Mulder...I just couldn't."
"Ssshh. Don't cry anymore. I promise I'll never even think about it again, okay? I couldn't do it either...I barely even made it to your room before I broke. I would never be able to survive without you."
Scully buried her face in his neck as she pulled him even more tightly to her and he hid his face in her hair, concealing the tears that he had shed whilst they were talking. They rocked each other gently as they continued to embrace and then pulled back so that they could look into the other's eyes. Mulder wiped her tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs just as she was doing the same to his. He leant in and pressed a tender kiss onto her lips before pulling back and once more turning to face Bill. Bill's face had grown stony as he had watched the reconciliation taking place and he was now glaring in disgust at the two of them. He opened his mouth to speak but before he got a word out, Tara crossed over to him and silenced him with a look.
"Bill, I know you don't like me and probably never will but you have to believe me when I say I love your sister. I love her more than anything in the world and I could never - EVER - do anything that would harm her intentionally. My life is worthless without her and if you can't see and accept that then..."
"Then nothing Mulder, he will just have to accept it. Yes Bill, you will because I love him too and no matter what you say, he isn't the cause of any of the bad things that have happened to me or to this family. The only thing that he has ever done to hurt me was to tell me he was leaving and that was all because of you. See he loves me so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness in order to keep this family together - he was only leaving because he thought that it was what I wanted, or needed."
"Dana..."
"No, Bill...I don't want to hear anymore of what you have to say. I'm sorry that you can't see how much we love each other, how much we need each other and how happy we are when we're together but we have tried to show you, explain it to you and if you still can't see it then it's only because you're too selfish to see it."
Bill once again opened his mouth to comment but as he did so, he finally became aware that the rest of his family were all standing waiting for the next thing he said. He looked from his mom to his brother, from his sister to his wife and shook his head in defeat, knowing that he would not win if he continued arguing with Mulder and Scully. He shrugged his shoulders and let his arms drop from being folded across his chest to fall by his sides.
"We better get going Tara...can you go get Mattie."
Mulder looked a little relieved that he was just going to go but the others all breathed small sighs of disappointment. They had all be hoping that what Scully had just said to him would finally make him see sense but it was obvious that he was not going to change his mind about Mulder. Tara left to get Mattie and the room remained in awkward silence as they waited for her to get back downstairs. Charlie went though to the den to get Jess and his kids so that they could all say goodbye. All of them traipsed outside to watch the three of them get into their car and, as they pulled out of their parking space, Bill rolled down the window to say his final goodbyes.
"Bye Mom...see you on Saturday."
"Have a safe trip Bill, Tara. Give your parents all the best from all of us."
"Sure Maggie...see you all on Saturday."
"Bye."
They all waved as the car turned the corner and disappeared from sight, all then turning to go back into the house. Mulder caught hold of Scully's arm just as she turned to follow them and tugged on it slightly so that she moved nearer to him. She came willingly into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and staring up at him. With one arm remaining around her waist, he brought his other hand up to her cheek and caressed it as he began to speak.
"Scully...I just wanted to apologise again...I..."
"Mulder it's okay. You already said that you made a mistake and we're okay now."
"Scully...what did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Mulder..."
"No...I know I don't really deserve you so to have you here with me...I must have done something. I told you before; whatever it was...I'm so glad I did it. So glad."
"Mulder..."
Finding herself at a loss for words, Scully instead made her point by pulling Mulder down towards her upturned face and joining their lips together. They stood outside for a long time, kissing and talking and reassuring each other that they were going to be okay. Eventually, Scully began to shiver from the cold and Mulder picked her up in his arms and began carrying her into the house.
"Mulder...put me down. I can walk."
"Yes, yes you can. But you don't have to...don't think I've forgotten that you weren't very well earlier. You should be in your bed and that's where I'm taking you."
"I'm fine now Mulder...but I suppose if you want to join me there then I could put up with going to bed for a couple of hours..."
"You wicked woman you..."
They reached the doorway and Mulder trailed off as he turned back round, taking one last look at the end of the street where Bill's car had vanished from sight. Scully turned her head to see what he was looking at, and she immediately realised what had made him pause and grow quiet. She gave him a soft squeeze and planted a small kiss on his cheek before turning his head so that he was looking into her eyes.
"He's gone now Mulder...let's just enjoy the rest of the holiday together."
Mulder nodded in agreement and carried her up the stairs to the bedroom, determined to make the most of their free time. He knew that there was nowhere he would rather be and that the holiday would be one of the best he'd ever had...well, at least until Bill returned for the New Year's celebrations.
THE END!!!!
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