Summary:

Mulder's messed up. Scully's upset. Maggie can fix it.

Prompt #1: it's not to late, let's go.

Hello."

"Hello Fox, it's Maggie."

"Hey Mrs. Scully, how are you?"

"I've called to check in on you. How are you?"

"I'm okay."

Brief silence.

"Fox."

Mulder sighed into the mouthpiece, "I've been better, actually, but hanging in there."

Mulder willed himself up and at the end of the receiver, he heard a small sigh.

"It's not too late; let's go. We can be there in an hour," she said, continuing, "and I can be at your apartment in thirty minutes."

"I don't know Mrs. Scully; do you think she wants me there?"

"Fox. Don't be so foolish. Of course she does."

"But I acted like a complete idiot."

"Oh I know; she filled me in. And you were wrong, but she wants you there. I know it."

"If you are sure, I mean, I can be ready in thirty minutes." Mulder said with a smidgen of self-doubt in his voice.

"Perfect. I'll see you soon, oh, and Fox, don't ever do that again."

"I won't, Mrs. Scully. Trust me, I've learned my lesson."

Mulder hung up.

—--

Forty minutes later, they arrived at their destination. As they pulled up to the curb, two parking attendants greeted them and opened both doors. Mulder made his way around the front to join Maggie at the passenger side.

"You look very handsome, Fox, even with that scruffy beard."

Mulder chuckled at her compliment. He had grown to love his mother-in-law's knack for candor and grace. He had become smitten with her the moment he met her. Was there ever any doubt that his heart wouldn't be anyone else's but Dana Scully's? The Scully women had him the instant he met them.

He wasn't surprised his penguin suit still fit him; he kept up with running and swimming; being fit had its benefits.

"You look amazing as well. I guarantee, I'm going to be the luckiest man in the room tonight walking in with you."

Mulder took Maggie's arm and wrapped it around his.

"You really do know how to make a woman blush, don't you?"

She side-eyed him and he grinned at the comment. They walked up to the front doors, and Maggie added, "No wonder Dana is in love with you."

The words vibrated to his core. Dana Scully was in love with him. He really was the luckiest man on earth.

The ballroom was filled with men in suits and women in fancy dresses. He was nervous and his date must have noticed- she patted his arm.

"You've got this," Maggie said.

Just then, an older man met them at the entrance, stopping them both in their tracks.

"Fox and Maggie! I am so glad to see you both. Dana is mingling over by the stage," he said to them.

"Go ahead, Fox, I'll be okay. Dr. Dennis will get me a drink, won't you?" Maggie said, and the older gentleman grinned at her suggestion. He held out his arm and Maggie released her hand from Mulder's and took the doctor's instead.

"Go, go," she said again, shooing Mulder in the direction of the stage.

"Allright, allright. I'm going," Mudler said, throwing his hands up in surrender. Maggie shook her head and laughed and he watched her and Dr. do-good walk away.

That was Mulder's nickname for him. He was nice enough, but Mulder always teased Scully about the man having a crush on her. But Mulder was obviously wrong; it seemed he had a little crush on a Scully but not his Scully. He walked past several doctors and their guests. Several nodded at him; others waved and said hi.

Here, he was Dr. Scully's husband. Here, he wasn't the center of a conspiracy; he was just Fox Mulder, the husband of the brilliant Dr. Dana Scully, and he was perfectly okay with that.

He pushed through the crowd, and then he saw her. Standing among several colleagues. He stopped in his tracks. The sight of her always took his breath away. She was wearing her black long-sleeve lace dress. The one that hugged her in all the right places and stopped just below her knees. She had her black high heels on—the ones that had a thin strap around the heel.

They drove him nuts when she wore them.

Her hair cascaded down her shoulders. She looked absolutely stunning. He inhaled a deep dose of courage and humility and started his walk toward her. He could hear chatter and laughter coming from the group as he descended upon them.

Now or never, he thought, he was too far in to not move forward. He stepped behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Sorry, I'm late, honey. I had to pick up your mom," he said, leaning over her shoulder and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Scully turned around, and while he might have expected daggers in her eyes, he only saw love. She grabbed his arm and licked her lips as she looked him up and down.

"There you are," she said, then placing her arm through his, "I was getting worried."

Mulder recognized some of the people in the group as doctors she worked with. They waved; one asked him about the Nicks, while another asked about his book. The ones he didn't recognize, Scully introduced him to.

"This is my husband, Fox Mulder."

"We've heard a lot about you, Mr. Mulder," a slender older woman said. "Dana talks very highly of you. She's one lucky lady," the woman finished.

"Oh no, you've got the backwards; I'm the lucky one," Mulder said, and Scully looked up. A tint of pink spread across her face.

"I think we can all agree; we are all lucky to have tonight's guest of honor at Saint Katherine's," the woman finished.

They continued with the small talk for fifteen minutes. Mulder was getting antsy at all the medical talk and Scully must have noticed. She had the uncanny ability to read him in every situation.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" She said to the group. Then she pulled Mulder away by the hand and led him out to the terrace. The night was clear and there was enough chill in the air to cause Mulder's body to react to the temperature change.

She dropped his hand and walked to the railing, her hands on her hips as she turned to face him, leaning against the glass railing. They were twelve stories up and the city sparkled behind her.

"Scully, I…"

"Don't." She interrupted, holding a hand up. Her eyes were watery and he could tell she was trying hard not to let her emotions take over. They stood in silence for a moment.

He was expecting the worst but what he got was Scully.

"I missed you. I was hoping you would come," she said, then continued, "I shouldn't have left." She finished.

He waited a moment to speak. Making sure she was done, when she looked up at him, he could see hope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Scully; I was selfish and stupid." Tears began to fall from her eyes and he took both her hands in his.

"Well, I'm always selfish and stupid, but this time I was more. I'm done, Scully. I'm done chasing the illusive; I'm done looking for things that don't want to be found. But more importantly, im done putting us last."

Scully smiled and squeezed his hands into hers. He pulled a hand away and wiped away a single tear that had escaped her blue eyes.

"It has always been about us. I was just to stupid to realize it."

Scully looked up, her hair moving by the light breeze. Her face softened as she gazed into his eyes, she always had a way of seeing right into his soul. She took her hand and placed it on his cheek, and he made no attempt to hide the lean into her palm, instead taking her hand and moving it to meet his lips.

"Mulder. The one thing you are not is stupid. I admit, you are many things, but a lack of intelligence is certainly not your problem."

He smiled at her half-compliment, knowing very well the many things had caused her some heartache over the years.

"I'm cold. Take me inside," she directed.

"yes ma'am. From now on, I'm taking you anywhere you want to go," he joked.

"Don't say anything you can't deliver on, Mulder."

"Oh trust me. I can deliver Scully. Just you wait."