A/N: This chapter dedicated to Kaptain Kristi, who gave me the meaning of "Acacia" (thorny) that I was looking for. Oh, and I used the wrong spelling for Acacia's nickname, it's supposed to be cassie to carry a similar meaning). And for griffin14, Rachel, Nilrem the Arch-Sorceress, Wind- Sorceress-Pluto, and Dana-Carter, who all gave me definitions of the word that I didn't know (wow, I feel like a teacher giving extra credit), I have sugar cookies. But not just any sugar cookies! Alien-head shaped ones with gray icing. The bakery lady looked at me funny when I asked her if she could change the icing from green to gray, but it was definitely worth it. Oh, and siliven, faye, Stefany and daydr3am3r, you guys also get Reticulan cookies for your very nice reviews. And to all those readers who've reviewed or not (but I must ask, why not?) thanks for the support.
The following afternoon, Scully sat at her kitchen table, trying to concentrate on her math homework. In order to allow her back to heal properly, she had to make sure that she did not slouch. That meant that she could not do her homework in the attic with Mulder, where they usually stretched out across the mattress, propped up by pillows or simply each other.
As hard as she tried to concentrate on her homework, her mind kept drifting to Mulder and his behavior around Acacia. She could not understand why Mulder had lied to her, because it was evident that he had. Fox Mulder was a horrible liar. Even so, he must have known better than to think that Scully could not handle the fact that Mulder had had a life before their relationship. It did not surprise her that he had had previous girlfriends. She had even had a few boyfriends, despite her frequent moving. What made Scully jealous, for she had come to terms with her jealously, was Mulder's dishonesty. Obviously, he had something to hide.
Their relationship suffered. They were two people caught up in a silly game. Mulder lied to Scully, and Scully knew it. Mulder knew that she knew it. Scully even knew that he knew that she knew he had lied. The list could go on, but it's already tiresome.
Scully did not like stepping around the subject, but she was never one for confrontations. So, the shifty eyes that refused to make contact with hers and the trying-too-hard touches and embraces continued.
Besides the new foil in their relationship, Mulder and Scully remained close. It seemed as if they had completely bypassed that one weakness in their relationship, compensating in other areas. As the taunting from her peers resurfaced with the arrival of who Scully had deduced was the social leader of the junior class, Mulder's loyalty to her doubled. Like the watchful protector, he stared down those who dared to snicker, and verbally and even physically, once, stood up to those crass enough to make a comment.
Wednesday before last period, Acacia and her friends once again approached Mulder, but this time, Scully was not with him. Acacia broke off from the group to talk to Mulder.
"Who's the chick, Fox?"
"My girlfriend, Acacia, you know that."
"Is she as good as me?"
"Acacia, stop." Mulder's voice was stern.
Jason, who seemed to be Cassie's latest beau, broke into the conversation. "Here comes your feisty little slut now."
"Jason. Back off."
"So tell me, is she a true redhead?"
Mulder turned a full 360 degrees and punched Jason square in the nose. Scully, who had heard the last part of Jason's taunts, stood frozen not ten feet away. Jason staggered, only to regain his balance at the last moment, and retaliated with a blow to Mulder's mouth.
By this time, the assistant principal had arrived and took both of them back to her office. The fight was over and the crowd dissipated. Scully stood outside the assistant principal's office through Biology class and left school with Mulder.
Back in the attic, Scully sat primly on the edge of the mattress while she cleaned up Mulder's face and handed him an icepack.
"I cannot you believe you punched that guy, Mulder," Scully gently chided as he winced.
"Scully, he shouldn't have said those things about you." Mulder's voice was still cold with the anger he felt towards Jason.
"But you got suspended," Scully said softly, "And I feel like I am to blame."
"Well, even if it were your fault, which it wasn't, you are totally worth it," Mulder said sincerely.
Mulder gently kissed her lips, inviting her tongue into his mouth. Scully kissed back, but only for a moment.
"How's your mouth?"
"Better with yours," he quipped.
Scully chuckled softly as she shook her head. "I mean, it tastes like blood. Are you bleeding?"
"Oh, sorry. No, not any more."
"No, it's not bad, I was just worried."
"We're like an old couple, Scully. You with your back, and me with my mouth. Just add a walker and some mashed up food and we're set!"
"Aww, how romantic!" Scully facetiously replied.
They were quiet for a moment, each lost with their own thoughts.
"Hey Scully?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think your mom would let you skip school tomorrow? I don't want you to have to deal with those jerks by yourself. If they push you again..."
Scully cocked her head to the side, in thought. "She usually doesn't. But I'll tell her what happened and she will most likely."
Mulder smiled. "Great. We can spend the whole day together."
The next day, Mulder came to the Scully house around eleven thirty. Mrs. Scully had been reluctant to let Dana miss a day of class, but conceded when Dana explained that Fox was not going and that a group of juniors had taken to making her the brunt of their jokes.
Maggie Scully answered the door when Mulder knocked. "Fox! What happened to your mouth?" Maggie asked.
Mulder shot Scully, who had walked up behind her mother, a quizzical glance. "Oh, well, I got in a fight at school and the guy punched me. That's why I couldn't go to school today. Maggie's mouth turned down in disapproval.
Scully chimed in, "It was that guy that was bothering me. M- Fox was just standing up for me."
Maggie Scully nodded and smiled. "Well, we're about to have lunch, would you care to join us?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mulder responded politely.
Maggie Scully walked ahead of the two teenagers. Once Scully was out of her mother's eyesight, she mouthed "Ma'am" with a teasing glance to Mulder, who merely shrugged in concession.
The rest of their day off together was relaxing. After lunch, the two of them had walked along the beach, something they had rarely had time to do lately, with the accident and school and the early sunsets.
After dinner at Dana's house, they had retreated back to his house and in the attic. Mulder and Scully curled up on the mattress, and Spooky readily joined them. Scully rested her head on Mulder's bicep and played with his fingers.
"Thank you for what you did yesterday," Scully said as she kissed the palm of his hand.
Mulder reached over and kissed her hair, "You're welcome. I know the past couple of weeks have been hard on you, I want you to know that you can always come to me."
"I know." And she did know.
"Then I have a question," she replied after a moment. "Why is it that they have a new interest in me all of the sudden? Do you think Acacia's doing it?"
"No, it's not Acacia. She's not like that. I mean, she has a ego complex, but she isn't vindictive and mean like that. I think that Jason was just trying to impress her."
"Oh."
The following afternoon, Scully sat at her kitchen table, trying to concentrate on her math homework. In order to allow her back to heal properly, she had to make sure that she did not slouch. That meant that she could not do her homework in the attic with Mulder, where they usually stretched out across the mattress, propped up by pillows or simply each other.
As hard as she tried to concentrate on her homework, her mind kept drifting to Mulder and his behavior around Acacia. She could not understand why Mulder had lied to her, because it was evident that he had. Fox Mulder was a horrible liar. Even so, he must have known better than to think that Scully could not handle the fact that Mulder had had a life before their relationship. It did not surprise her that he had had previous girlfriends. She had even had a few boyfriends, despite her frequent moving. What made Scully jealous, for she had come to terms with her jealously, was Mulder's dishonesty. Obviously, he had something to hide.
Their relationship suffered. They were two people caught up in a silly game. Mulder lied to Scully, and Scully knew it. Mulder knew that she knew it. Scully even knew that he knew that she knew he had lied. The list could go on, but it's already tiresome.
Scully did not like stepping around the subject, but she was never one for confrontations. So, the shifty eyes that refused to make contact with hers and the trying-too-hard touches and embraces continued.
Besides the new foil in their relationship, Mulder and Scully remained close. It seemed as if they had completely bypassed that one weakness in their relationship, compensating in other areas. As the taunting from her peers resurfaced with the arrival of who Scully had deduced was the social leader of the junior class, Mulder's loyalty to her doubled. Like the watchful protector, he stared down those who dared to snicker, and verbally and even physically, once, stood up to those crass enough to make a comment.
Wednesday before last period, Acacia and her friends once again approached Mulder, but this time, Scully was not with him. Acacia broke off from the group to talk to Mulder.
"Who's the chick, Fox?"
"My girlfriend, Acacia, you know that."
"Is she as good as me?"
"Acacia, stop." Mulder's voice was stern.
Jason, who seemed to be Cassie's latest beau, broke into the conversation. "Here comes your feisty little slut now."
"Jason. Back off."
"So tell me, is she a true redhead?"
Mulder turned a full 360 degrees and punched Jason square in the nose. Scully, who had heard the last part of Jason's taunts, stood frozen not ten feet away. Jason staggered, only to regain his balance at the last moment, and retaliated with a blow to Mulder's mouth.
By this time, the assistant principal had arrived and took both of them back to her office. The fight was over and the crowd dissipated. Scully stood outside the assistant principal's office through Biology class and left school with Mulder.
Back in the attic, Scully sat primly on the edge of the mattress while she cleaned up Mulder's face and handed him an icepack.
"I cannot you believe you punched that guy, Mulder," Scully gently chided as he winced.
"Scully, he shouldn't have said those things about you." Mulder's voice was still cold with the anger he felt towards Jason.
"But you got suspended," Scully said softly, "And I feel like I am to blame."
"Well, even if it were your fault, which it wasn't, you are totally worth it," Mulder said sincerely.
Mulder gently kissed her lips, inviting her tongue into his mouth. Scully kissed back, but only for a moment.
"How's your mouth?"
"Better with yours," he quipped.
Scully chuckled softly as she shook her head. "I mean, it tastes like blood. Are you bleeding?"
"Oh, sorry. No, not any more."
"No, it's not bad, I was just worried."
"We're like an old couple, Scully. You with your back, and me with my mouth. Just add a walker and some mashed up food and we're set!"
"Aww, how romantic!" Scully facetiously replied.
They were quiet for a moment, each lost with their own thoughts.
"Hey Scully?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think your mom would let you skip school tomorrow? I don't want you to have to deal with those jerks by yourself. If they push you again..."
Scully cocked her head to the side, in thought. "She usually doesn't. But I'll tell her what happened and she will most likely."
Mulder smiled. "Great. We can spend the whole day together."
The next day, Mulder came to the Scully house around eleven thirty. Mrs. Scully had been reluctant to let Dana miss a day of class, but conceded when Dana explained that Fox was not going and that a group of juniors had taken to making her the brunt of their jokes.
Maggie Scully answered the door when Mulder knocked. "Fox! What happened to your mouth?" Maggie asked.
Mulder shot Scully, who had walked up behind her mother, a quizzical glance. "Oh, well, I got in a fight at school and the guy punched me. That's why I couldn't go to school today. Maggie's mouth turned down in disapproval.
Scully chimed in, "It was that guy that was bothering me. M- Fox was just standing up for me."
Maggie Scully nodded and smiled. "Well, we're about to have lunch, would you care to join us?"
"Yes, ma'am," Mulder responded politely.
Maggie Scully walked ahead of the two teenagers. Once Scully was out of her mother's eyesight, she mouthed "Ma'am" with a teasing glance to Mulder, who merely shrugged in concession.
The rest of their day off together was relaxing. After lunch, the two of them had walked along the beach, something they had rarely had time to do lately, with the accident and school and the early sunsets.
After dinner at Dana's house, they had retreated back to his house and in the attic. Mulder and Scully curled up on the mattress, and Spooky readily joined them. Scully rested her head on Mulder's bicep and played with his fingers.
"Thank you for what you did yesterday," Scully said as she kissed the palm of his hand.
Mulder reached over and kissed her hair, "You're welcome. I know the past couple of weeks have been hard on you, I want you to know that you can always come to me."
"I know." And she did know.
"Then I have a question," she replied after a moment. "Why is it that they have a new interest in me all of the sudden? Do you think Acacia's doing it?"
"No, it's not Acacia. She's not like that. I mean, she has a ego complex, but she isn't vindictive and mean like that. I think that Jason was just trying to impress her."
"Oh."