Mulder & Scully Attend a Wedding

May 9, 2009

"Bill's decided not to give you away," Margaret Scully announced as she reentered the room where her daughter was anxiously reapplying eye shadow. Dana Scully whipped around, the applicator half way to her face. Her dress, ivory, covered in intricate lace with pearl buttons, and formerly her mother's, fanned out around her body. Even given the circumstances, Margaret had to hold back a smile. She was thrilled to be able to see one of her daughters walk down the isle. It was something she had almost given up on after Melissa's death and once Dana's life became her work.

"What?" Scully exclaimed, the stress of the day leaking into her voice. "Now? He couldn't have done this a week ago, when there was still time to find someone else?"

"Dana," Margaret replied. "Even with a week's notice, who else would you have asked?"

"I don't know," Scully answered helplessly. "Skinner?"

"The best man?" Margaret raised her eyebrows.

"Sure," Scully said. "It would have been perfect.. He'd already put in for the day off, he'd already rented a tux—"

"He already had another part," Margaret reminded her.

"Well Mom, I don't know what to tell you," Scully replied. "It's not like I have a whole lot of options here. I can't ask Doggett, that would just be adding salt to the wound, and besides, we really only worked together for two years. I don't know anyone else. What does Bill think he's accomplishing, anyway?"

"Oh Dana, he wasn't trying to accomplish anything," Margaret answered.

"Really?" Scully said. "Then why did he have to do this today? Why couldn't he have given me some notice if he was thinking about backing out. I know it sounds paranoid Mom, but we both know Bill's never liked Fox."

"Are you claiming that your brother is trying to sabotage your wedding, Dana?" Margaret raised her eyebrows even higher. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? He's just worried about you. He wants what's best for you."

"And he thinks he knows exactly what that is," Scully argued. "I'm forty-five, Mom. I was an FBI agent for nine years. I'm a better shot than he is. I don't need my older brother looking over my shoulder all the time."

"He knows that," Margaret replied. "But you know he has a hard time letting go, especially after what happened to Melissa."

"I get that," Scully said. "And I've been very understanding with his interference in my life up until now, but there has to be a line somewhere, and wherever it is, ditching me on my wedding day is crossing it. I mean, you like Fox. If he doesn't trust my judgment, couldn't he at least have trusted yours?"

Margaret could only sigh and shrug her shoulders, and they stood in weary silence for a few seconds until they heard music begin to play. Scully glanced back to her watch, sitting on the table in front of the mirror behind her. "Damnit," she muttered. "I'm supposed to be walking down the isle right now." She turned back to her mother.. "Well, go tell Bill that if he won't give me away, I'm going to go drag Skinner out of that chapel myself and have him do it," she instructed. "Tell him I'm getting married today, and whether he wants to be a part of it is up to him."

The day had gone surprisingly well. The florist had showed up on time and the caterer had arrived early. The hall for the ceremony was perfectly decorated and the area for the reception had been prepared a day in advance. The guests were now sitting in the pews; they only took up three rows on either side of the alter. The guest list for this wedding was short, only twenty-two people in attendance. During the planning Scully had wished for a larger wedding, but when it came right down to it, neither of them knew many people to invite. The small guest list did make for quite the quaint wedding.

There were only three people standing at the alter: the reverend, Walter Skinner and Fox Mulder. Mulder and Skinner were dressed in flattering black tuxedos. Mulder's tie was the same ivory color as Scully's wedding dress and he had white rose bud in his lapel. Mulder stood with perfect posture as he waited for the bridal march to start.

The cathedral was quiet as everyone patiently waited for the music to start. The silence seemed to echo in the relative emptiness of the building. A lone clock was mounted on the wall the opposite end of the alter: it was five past one. The wedding was supposed to start five minutes ago. Mulder licked his lips and passed a glance to Skinner, who didn't really seem to notice the time. He averted his eyes back to the audience and he could tell a few people realized that it was getting late. He told himself not to worry, that it was a slight hiccup in the plan. When did weddings ever go completely according to plan anyway? This was Mulder and Scully's wedding, so, by nature, something had to go wrong.

Mulder's eyes were glued to the clock. Several more minutes passed, and now Skinner had realized that the wedding was supposed to start almost a half and hour ago. There were murmurs coming from the audience, whispers of doubt. Mulder adjusted his tie and rolled his shoulders, he looked back to Skinner, who gave him an apologetic look.

Skinner leaned over to Mulder. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" He asked in a hushed tone. Mulder shrugged his shoulder and shook his head.

"No clue." He answered flatly.

As soon as Mulder was about to leave his spot to go find out what was going on, the organist started playing the wedding march. Everyone in the room simultaneously relaxed. Although the music didn't bring immediately relief, because still, no bride was produced. Every second that Scully didn't make her appearance felt like a life time. Mulder strained his hearing for the sounds of a car peeling out of the parking lot. At this point, he started over analyzing. As his mind raced a million miles per hour, he almost couldn't blame Scully if she had last second cold feet and hightailed it out of there.

As soon as he was going to call it quits, the door at the end of the isle open slowly, the music changed and Scully's mother first walked down the isle. She gave Mulder the most apologetic look she could muster as she went to take her seat. A few seconds later, Scully and Bill came into view. Instantly Mulder forgot all his worries and watched his gorgeous bride grow every closer to being his wife.