I'm sorry it's been so long. School's been. . . well, school. But I'm almost done now, and I've gotten excited about this story again, so updates will hopefully be a bit more frequent now. And this chapter's short, but I'm almost done with the next which is much longer.
Chapter 18 (Mulder)
A few members of Scully's family stopped by after graduation, and I was introduced to various aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was extremely grateful for my photographic memory which allowed me to retain the whirlwind of names that were given to me. Despite the amount of time I had known Scully, I had never met many of her relatives in our previous life except for her immediate family and a couple aunts. I enjoyed meeting them now, for watching her interact with them allowed me to see a whole new side of Scully, a side I had been growing more and more acquainted with over the past few months. This Scully was the pre-X-files Scully, the girl with big dreams and ambition who did not let anything stop her. And while the Scully I knew still retained some of those qualities even after eight years on the X-files, she was undeniably different. And yet I found myself falling more in love with her.
Our wedding was one of the main topics of discussion among the relatives. We had set the date, and Scully and her mother had sent out invitations a couple weeks before and had already started planning. I had added my own meager list of family members to theirs, bringing the total number of guests up to around seventy-five. It was more than I had anticipated since Scully had wanted a small wedding, but I expected her mother had something to do with the larger than expected guest list. Of course, I did not really mind one way or the other. The only thing I cared about was having Scully standing beside me at the altar.
I had just finished talking to one of the Scullys' neighbors when I saw Charlie approaching me with two boys about his own age trailing behind him. I recognized one as a cousin I had been introduced to earlier. I was almost positive his name was Tim, but I did not feel like sticking my foot in my mouth, so I waited patiently for Charlie to introduce them. "Mulder, can we go play basketball with Tim and Clay?" he questioned as soon as he was within hearing distance. I glanced over at Scully who was deeply engaged in a conversation with one of her mother's aunts. Since it did not seem that she was likely to surface any time soon, I saw no harm in agreeing to Charlie's request.
"Sure, buddy, sound good," I told him. "I just need to go change." A wide grin split Charlie's face, and as I made my way up the stairs, I heard him telling his friends about how I was the "best basketball player not in the pros."
I made my way outside a couple minutes later wondering how I was going to live up to Charlie's high praise. The boys had already retrieved the basketball and were practicing their shooting. Tim, who was the tallest in the group, was actually a decent shot; he and Charlie seemed fairly evenly matched in ability. The other boy, however, looked to be a couple years younger than Tim and Charlie and also seemed to struggle a bit more with both shooting and dribbling. "How about I take Clay, and Tim and Charlie can play together," I suggested, easily catching an errant ball as it bounced off the rim. The three turned to look at me.
"You just say that because he's no good and you don't want him to feel bad," Tim remarked, glaring at the younger boy. I say the boy's lip jut out, and I quickly stepped in.
"No. I only take the best on my team. Isn't that right, Charlie?" I glanced at Charlie for support, and for a few agonizing seconds, I thought he was going to disagree. Finally, however, he nodded.
"Yeah, Mulder won't play with anyone who's not good," he said. I shot Charlie a grateful look, but he simply refocused his attention on the basketball in his hand, dribbling it carefully between his legs as he moved toward the basket. He was growing fairly quickly, I noticed; it seemed that he had gained an inch or so since the last time I had visited the Scullys. He was in the awkward phase—all limbs and feet and unsure of what to do with his body. I remembered that particular phase well.
Upon reaching the basket, Charlie turned and tossed me the ball. "Shoot for it," he instructed. Obediently, I stepped backwards so that I stood behind the chalk three-point line. I raised the ball to the level of my forehead, eyeing the basket carefully. Bending my knees, I used my legs to propel the ball forward. I knew as soon as it left my hands that it was going into the basket.
Sure enough, the ball sailed smoothly through the net, and Charlie retrieved it with a slight scowl. "You always make the shot," he grumbled.
"I don't always make it," I remarked, catching the ball as he passed it to me.
"You do most of the time."
"And you will soon, too, if you're working on your three-point shot like I told you."
"I am," he promised. "I'll show you later."
I nodded, turning to Tim who was standing just under the three-point line, ready to receive the ball when I checked it. "You ready, Clay?" I called, glancing at my young teammate. The boy nodded, a determined look on his face. I smiled at him, bouncing the ball to Tim. As soon as he bounced it back, he stepped up to me, already attempting to strip the ball from my grasp.
"You might not want to do that," Charlie commented from my right where he was guarding Clay.
"Why not?" Tim asked haughtily. I decided I did not particularly like the kid, and with two quick steps, I dribbled past him, my long legs taking me easily to the basket. I made the easy lay-up, slapping the backboard for good measure. I knew Scully would have teased me for the action had she been watching, but I was looking to wipe the smile off Tim's snotty face.
"That's why," Charlie explained, a note of exasperation in his voice. "You want me to take him? I've played with Mulder before, so I know his moves better."
"No, I've got him," Tim declared firmly.
Charlie chuckled. "No one ever has him," he muttered, but he turned back to Clay, choosing to ignore his teammate. This time, I once more dribbled easily around Tim, moving in Charlie's direction. As soon as Charlie stepped up to help, I passed the ball Clay. The boy caught it, but his face had adopted the look of a deer in the headlights, and he hesitated, unsure of what to do.
"Shoot it," I instructed, turning to pin Charlie behind me. Clay sent the ball flying toward the basket. His form was awful, and the ball bounced high on the backboard before flying straight back at him. He caught it, a look of surprise on his face. Wanting to rid himself of the ball, he tossed it to me. The pass was wide, but my arms were long, and I managed to grab it and pull it into my body.
"You remember your post defense, Charlie?" I questioned, peeking over one shoulder. Charlie groaned.
"You and I both know that no matter how well I remember it, you're going to get me every time." Still, he moved behind me, ready to defend whatever move I made. I faked to the left before turning right. Charlie stepped up, but an over-under move took me around him, and I again made an easy lay-up. Tim stepped over at the end to stop me, but he only succeeded in slapping ineffectually at my elbow.
We played for awhile longer, and after much encouragement and a few truly horrid shots, Clay did manage to shoot something which went into the basket. We were winning 12-4, and it was clear that Tim was beginning to grow agitated. "I've heard you and Dana are having a baby," he remarked snidely as I checked the ball.
"We are," I confirmed, catching the ball when he passed it back.
"But you aren't married."
"We will be soon."
"Before or after the baby's born?"
"After."
"I thought you couldn't have a baby before you were married," Clay remarked from beside me. I turned to him, thinking. I was not sure how much detail I should give the young boy.
"Usually, it happens that way, but it doesn't have to."
"Dad says that you've corrupted Dana," Tim remarked snidely. "He says she used to be such a nice girl, but now you've gone and turned her into a harlot."
I literally saw red when the words came out of Tim's mouth. I gripped the basketball more tightly, telling myself that Tim was simply raised wrong and was only repeating the words of an adult he respected. He likely did not even know the meaning of the word he had used. I vaguely heard Charlie asking what a harlot was, but I could not bring myself to answer. "You know what, Charlie, I'm a little tired," I said quickly. "I think I'm going to go inside for a bit."
"He also said you guys wouldn't last a year. That you'd leave her and the baby, and then she would have to raise it all on her own and drop out of school to take a minimum wage job in order to make ends meet." I closed my eyes, counting slowly to ten as I blocked out the boy's words. I tossed the basketball to Charlie and turned toward the house. I made my way inside, ignoring Charlie's calls for me to return and Tim's taunts about how I could not take him in basketball.
I found Dana in the living room with a group of relatives. Coming up behind her, I placed a gentle hand on her back, and she turned to look at me. I saw the concern and question flash in her eyes, and I silently promised to tell her later. She nodded, unsatisfied with the response but knowledgeable that she would not receive a more satisfying one. Turning back to her relatives, she introduced me. "This is my fiancé, Fox Mulder," she said, gesturing to me. I smiled slightly as they all greeted me.
"I heard the date has been set for August 15," an elderly woman remarked.
"It has." My smile grew larger and more genuine; I could not help it. It still seemed so surreal that in just a few short months, I would finally be wed to Dana Scully, the love of my life. And in even less time, I would finally hold our baby. This time, I would be there for more than 48 hours. I was not in danger; there was no reason why I would have to go into hiding. I would be able to see more than the first two days of my son or daughter's life. I would see his or her first smile, be there for the first word and steps, teach him or her to ride a bike. I was going to be the best father I could be. We had our second chance, and I was not going to waste it.
The conversation turned to the upcoming wedding and birth, and for the entire time, I simply could not keep the grin from my face. When her relatives had moved on to other conversations, Scully glanced up at me. "You seem happy," she noted.
"Over the moon," I agreed.
"Any particular reason."
"Oh, there's plenty. One, I love you. Two, I love our baby. Three, four, five, six, I love you." I grinned wider as she kissed my lips quickly.
"I love you, too."
"You better after I agreed to spend the whole afternoon with your crazy relatives."
"So what happened earlier anyway?" she questioned as we settled onto the couch in a quiet corner of the room. My eyes darkened.
"It's not important."
"Mulder." Her voice had a warning tone I recognized all too well.
"One of your cousins was being a bit of an ass, but it's fine. He's just a kid. I blame his parents more than him."
"Tim?" Scully guessed. I nodded. "Yeah, he can get that way. His dad's worse. I started ignoring them a long time ago."
"Seems like a solid strategy."
"You ready to go meet some more crazy relatives?"
"I'd go anywhere with you, babe."