The Wedding from Hell By Xenith xenitha@yahoo.com Disclaimer: The X-files belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions, not me. I'm only borrowing the characters for now. I'll put them back when I'm done. Rating: Variable---R for now, but probably NC-17 later :) Category: H,and SA Keywords: MSR, Muldertorture, Scullytorture, Bad caterers, some Humor, some Angst Spoilers: Thru 6th season, without Biogenesis Archive: Sure! Spooky’s yes! Feedback: Love it! Love it! E-Mail address: xenitha@yahoo.com Discussion List: Yes!!! Yes!!! Summary: Mulder and Scully get married and discover just how dangerous a wedding can be. Author’s Note: This follows TBishop's "Brass Bed" and takes place in the Abattoir universe. If you want continuity, it follows the Chicken Soup series (Just A Cold, Chicken Soup, Misery Loves Company, etc through TBishop’s “Brass Bed”). If you missed 'em and need a set, send me an e-mail and I'll ship the file to you. And profuse thanks are in order to TBishop for making Brass Bed such a funny and smutty excursion, I thank you for "Break-the-bed Ted". Mulder doesn't, but I do. ***Further note. Wedding gifts (.gifs) can be sent care of DScully@xenith.freeservers.com. All wedding .gifs will be displayed on Wedding From Hell webpage (currently in process). The URL will post with the next section of the story. Dana says thanks to all those who RSVP'd. They aren't registered anywhere and would prefer linens, china, silver or nice decorative things. Mulder wants alien-themed stuff from Archie McPhee; Dana just shushes him. The Wedding From Hell Scully looked down at the top of Mulder’s head. He just knelt there, staring right back up. Mournfully. She had been avoiding this decision all day, unwilling to believe that he could be serious. No, it was more than that. She wanted him to be absolutely sure that he really wanted this, and she wanted that confidence for herself. When he had proposed last night, at the height of his orgasm, her first impulse had been to laugh and not take him seriously. Of course, she’d had other things on her mind at the time. Her lips quirked just a bit. Last night was...something. For a wonder, that brass bed was still standing. And Mulder’s admittedly funny attempts to propose all day had been entertaining but hardly serious. Maggie had been amazingly patient with them both, convalescing from chicken pox under her motherly eye. She had seemed amused by Mulder’s attempts to force an answer from her daughter. But as the day progressed, and Mulder obsessively continued to press her for an answer, the reality had slowly dawned on Scully. He really was serious. He really meant it. He wanted to marry her, Dana Scully. All this jelled as she looked down at the ring he had just placed on her trembling hand, held between his equally trembling palms. She met his pleading eyes and began a slow smile. She could see his knees beginning to quiver with fatigue and nervousness. She gently removed her hand from his and folded her arms across her chest. “Oh, I don’t know Mulder. There would have to be some negotiation about custody of the television remote.” “Scully, you’re killing me here! I’m on my knees, and boy do they hurt....” Mulder met her eyes and sighed. “Okay, you get the remote, but I get custody during basketball season. Fair enough?” “Well......and then there’s the matter of the toilet seat. I really get tired of lowering it after you’ve been....” Scully found herself the victim of a sudden and unplanned bear hug. “So, how about it, Agent Scully?” Mulder whispered into her hair. Scully nodded. “Yes, Mulder, I will marry you. Are you really sure you want to do this?” She looked up at him doubtfully, but Mulder had already grabbed her left hand and was kissing her hand, where the ring was. It was loose, but she closed her hand around it, then held him close. “God, Mulder I love you,” she whispered into his ear. “Well, it’s about time,” Maggie said as she came forward to admire the ring. “I think you put Fox through more than enough torture, Dana. It’s about time you accepted!” Maggie turned to Mulder and hugged him. “Welcome to the family, son.” Mulder returned the hug, grinning from ear to ear. Maggie stepped away, smiling. “So, when are you going to set the date? You need to call Father McCue, you know, for the pre-Cana classes.” “Pre-what?” Mulder looked bewildered. “Pre-Cana. You have to go through classes before you can be married in the Church,” Scully said absently, admiring her ring. Then she looked up and saw that Mulder had blanched. “I do want to be married in the Church, you know,” Scully said, suddenly worried. “You don’t have to convert or anything....Mulder, are you okay with this?” Mulder jerked out of his reverie. “Yeah, I’m okay. Scully, I’d marry you in a hangar filled with flying Elvises. You set it up. I’ll go.” He gave her his best ‘panic face’, then grinned. “Don’t worry. After mutants, alien colonists, clones and vampires, how hard can it be?” “I’m getting married. I can’t believe it, I’m marrying Mulder....” Scully could hear herself muttering under her breath, and she couldn’t seem to shake the broad grin on her face. And the ring was so beautiful. She loved sapphires. She moved back into Mulder’s embrace and decided to relieve him of any lingering doubts about whether she really wanted to marry him. When they broke up the clinch, Maggie had gone to the phone and was telling Tara the news. As she planted tiny kisses along Mulder’s hairline, Scully wondered idly whether Bill would break furniture when he found out, then realized that she just didn’t give a damn what he thought. Mulder had such fascinating lips. And they’re all mine! she thought gleefully, moving back toward them. Mulder pulled her into his lap and she began admiring the ring. “So, Scully, do you want to run off to Las Vegas and do this in style?” “Oh no, Mulder, not the Elvis impersonator!” Her look of horror must have transmitted itself to Mulder because he started laughing. “Okay, no Elvis impersonator. St. Patrick’s on some fine Saturday with Father McCue officiating....” “Mrs. Fox Mulder....feels funny.” “Sounds funny. Does that mean that I can’t call you Scully any more?” Mulder began nuzzling her neck and Scully could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. “Mulder, you can call me anything you want to, as long as you keep doing that...mmmmm. So, am I allowed to call you Fox now, since we’ve been lovers for months and I’m marrying you?” “Nope. I’m Mulder. Nobody says my name quite like you do...Mmmmmuldddder. I like it. Better than Fox. You wouldn’t believe the fun people made of my name when I was a kid....and the obscenities you can make out of it.” Mulder worked his way over to her earlobe and began gently sucking at it. “Ohhhh, I can imagine. Okay....mmmmmMulddder it is......And you can call me Scully. Mulder, would it bother you if I didn’t change my name?” Mulder abruptly stopped nibbling and turned her to face him. She gave him a worried look, hoping he wouldn’t take it wrong. To her relief he was smiling. “Well, I can’t really call *you* Mulder, can I?” Mulder grinned. “Although I’ve never really had a chance to call you Dana much. I know how much your professional identity means to you. I’m not so much of a chauvanist that you have to do that.” He leaned back in the chair, pulling her with him. Scully could feel herself relaxing against him. His body was nice and warm in this rather chilly house. She held her hand out and wiggled her finger to make the stones catch the light. Mulder held her hand and admired the ring with her, then enclosed it in his larger one, planting a kiss on each knuckle, until, by unspoken consent they disentangled themselves from each other (and the chair) and went upstairs to celebrate. TWO WEEKS LATER “Scully, you look fine, now come on.” Mulder held open Scully’s car door while she anxiously gave her makeup one last look. He impatiently glanced around the Hoover Building parking lot. “Skinner wants us in his office in five minutes.” “You’re sure I don’t look pocky any more?” “Positive. In fact, you’re beautiful, Agent Scully.” Scully moved ahead and Mulder gently guided her along the hallway, his hand in its familiar place in the small of her back. The remainder of their stay with Maggie Scully had been uneventful, although Maggie had made a comment about wanting to paint the guest bedroom after they left. “I hadn’t realized how much that room needed painting. Why there’s a scrape mark as big as my hand behind that brass bed, and I swear the drywall is dented....” Maggie hid her smile behind her coffee cup as both Dana and Mulder flushed guiltily. And that reminded him. “Scully, you never answered my question.” Mulder followed Scully into the empty elevator at the Hoover building and punched the button for the executive level. “What question? I already said I’d marry you.” “Not that one, the other one. Was I as good as Break-the-bed Ted?” Scully stifled a giggle. “Mulder, you were and are a hundred times better than Ted could ever hope to be. There, does that satisfy your male ego?” Mulder’s response was to grab Scully and give her a passionate kiss, deepening it until they were both breathless. They roused, startled from the embrace by the sound of applause. Scully peered out through the open elevator door at the crowd of agents from the bullpen, grinning and clapping, and she blushed furiously. “How long has that door been open?” she muttered under her breath. “Long enough,” Mulder answered. “Well, they have to know some time, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just smile and flash them the ring.” Fighting her embarrassment, Scully gave the group a defiant smile and held up her left hand, wiggling the ring finger. To her surprise, the applause started up again, accompanied by whoops and shouts of congratulation. She and Mulder were both grinning as they approached the doorway to Skinner’s office. Kim stood there smiling. “I wondered what all the noise was about. I’m so happy for you both, congratulations!” Mulder grinned and moved ahead into Skinner’s office while Scully showed Kim the ring. The inner office door was open and Skinner stood next to his desk, trying unsuccessfully to look stern. “Well, Agent, I understand that some congratulations are in order.” Skinner motioned Mulder to take a seat. “I’ll leave the door open so that Agent Scully can join us when she’s ready.” “Thank you sir.” Mulder sat and felt suddenly apprehensive. He and Scully knew that the Bureau didn’t have any formal rules against agents dating or marrying. But there were good, honest reasons not to allow husbands and wives to team together as field agents. “Agent Mulder, I know that you’re concerned about the effect your news might have on your partnership with Agent Scully. Since you two called me the other day, I’ve been considering whether I believe it will have any effect on your ability to function as a team.” “Sir, shouldn’t Scully be here to hear this too?” Damn, if he’s going to break us up Scully should be here. I couldn’t stand to tell her that we’ll be separated, not now. “No, actually I’m glad that Agent Scully is otherwise occupied. This allows me to talk with you privately. I have no plans to break up a successful team. You two have worked together for 7 years now and have a phenomenal solve rate.” Mulder began to relax and leaned back in his chair. “However..” Skinner raised his hand. “I want to be sure that you understand, Agent Mulder, that being married has its responsibilities.” “What do you mean? Like taking out the garbage?” Mulder grinned. “You aren’t going to explain the birds and the bees are you?” “No, what I mean to say is that if you’re making a commitment to that woman out there, you have a responsibility not to put yourself into stupid, life-threatening situations for the sake of your own curiosity or need to know.” Skinner glared at Mulder and leaned forward. “Do you know how lucky you are? You and Scully have a relationship most of us only dream of, but she’s been through hell, chasing after you. I can’t tell you how many hospital rooms I’ve met her in, waiting for some doctor to pronounce on whether you’d live or die. By marrying this woman you owe her a responsibility to avoid bringing extra pain into her life. And by God, if you go around taking stupid chances you’ll answer to me. The prospect of comforting your bereaved partner was hard enough, but I am *not* going to comfort a grieving widow! Do I make myself clear?” Mulder now found himself guiltily slumping back into his chair, just as Scully arrived. She took one look at his posture and sighed. “Is it that last expense report, sir? Honestly, we couldn’t find those receipts.” Mulder just shook his head mutely. Skinner smoothly gestured her into a chair. “No, nothing like that Agent. I was just congratulating Agent Mulder on your engagement. And I’d also like to express my best wishes to you too. I’m looking forward to supervising the first husband-wife team in this division.” Scully lost her look of worry and began to feel more confident. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mulder slowly looking less tense, but he occasionally shot Skinner uncomfortable glances. After the meeting Scully stopped Mulder in the corridor outside the basement office. “Okay, give. What was it he said to you?” Mulder hemmed and hawed. “He...uh...congratulated us and...uh...wanted to talk about our partnership.” “But he just said that he wouldn’t reassign us, we’re staying together aren’t we?” Scully flashed him such a worried look that Mulder gathered her into his arms and held her close. “Of course. We’re still working together like always. He was just warning me that as a married man I need to stop taking dumb chances.” Mulder moved back and met her eyes; she was smiling. “I’ve been saying that for years. It looks like you finally listened.” “Yeah, well, it isn’t every day your boss threatens you with grave bodily harm if you disobey.” “Then see to it that you listen to him!” She opened the office door and he followed her in. “It *is* good to be home again,” Mulder looked around the room with satisfaction. “So, shall we get it on?” He grinned and pulled a file off the stack, handing it to Scully. She smiled back and took it over to her desk. TWO MONTHS LATER “Mom, I look like a pregnant chandelier!” Scully eyed her reflection from the mirrored podium. The dress, which had looked so beautiful on the hangar, had expanded into a crinolined horror. She vainly tried to subdue the lacy puffs that projected out from her waist. “I look like Scarlett O’Hara on steroids!” she wailed. Maggie tried to hide a smile, without success. “I think you look sweet, honey. It’s a lovely dress, but maybe a bit flouncy for you. How about this other one?” The stark satin sheath soon joined the crinolined wonder on the chair, rapidly followed by the white-lace-over-satin-with-bows, the organza and dotted swiss, the white satin suit (I don’t want to look like I’m at work, mom!), the ivory gown with bustle (Just put a ‘wide-load’ sign on my butt!) and the bias-cut silk that left nothing to the imagination. “Mom, you can see my *nipples* through this thing!” Scully whispered in horror. By the end of the day they had hit five stores and lost count of the number of white dresses tried on and rejected. Maggie had begun to worry: Dana was beginning to mutter about eloping to Vegas and Elvis impersonators. “At least then I can where whatever I damn well want, “ Maggie had heard Dana say under her breath. “Honey, why don’t we rest a while and think about this. You don’t have to buy off the rack, you know. Your father and I put aside money so that you girls could have the nice weddings we never had. You could have a dress made, just for you.” “Mom, I don’t want you spending your savings on something like this....” Scully started but her mother interrupted. “Dana, you and Fox have loved each other for so long and been through so much that I want this wedding to be perfect. You deserve that. The money’s there, and that’s why we saved it. I’d like you to have the dress you want. There were times when I honestly didn’t think I’d see this day...” Maggie couldn’t go on, but Scully knew what she was thinking, about the cancer and Melissa. “Okay, Mom. Let’s get some more bridal magazines and have something made. Something perfect.” ***************************** The Wedding from Hell--part 2 “All right, Mulder. I’ve talked with Father McCue and we’re set for the weekend after next.” Scully placed two pamphlets on Mulder’s desk. He set aside the casefile he was reviewing and picked them up. “Set for what?” He opened the first pamphlet and began to scan it. “Catholic Engagement Encounter. This is how Father McCue recommends we satsify the Pre-Cana requirement.” At Mulder’s blank look she added, “So we can get married.” “Oh. Do we have to go away for a weekend? Can’t we just buy a book or something?” Mulder leered and stretched out an arm, snagging her by the waist. “How ‘bout the Joy of Sex?” He reeled her in and began nuzzling behind her ear. “No, Mulder, we can’t buy a book. We have to go to class and prove that we have what it takes to be married. Father McCue will be there..ahhhhmmmm...he says we’ll have a new couple facilitating; they’re supposed to be very good. They’re from California. This is oiur chance to learn about our relationship...mmmm...communication...a little lower...ahhhh..improve our intimacy skills...yeah, that’s right...” Scully leaned back . His lips had moved steadily down from her chin into her cleavage, finally releasing a breast from her bra, his tongue playing with her nipple. Mmmmm...yeah. Gotta wear more of these v-necked sweaters. “Any more intimacy skills and we’ll be doin’ it on the desk....” Mulder murmured into her skin. “Not that I wouldn’t like to try it...” “No...we have to keep our minds on business, or Skinner won’t believe we can work together as a couple.” Scully regretfully kissed the crown of Mulder’s head, then gently pulled away from his caress. Mulder sighed and picked up the pamphlet again. “So, where is this held? Wait a minute, it’s at a monastery? Scully, we can’t *do* this.” “What’s wrong?” Scully rearranged her clothing and craned her neck to read the pamphlet he held. “They house the men and women separately! We can’t even share a room!” Trying to control her giggle Scully eyed Mulder’s panicky expression. “Mulder, this is the Catholic Church. We aren’t married, so they’re assuming we’re...uh..virgins. Or at least they’re pretending we aren’t doing what they damn well know we are.” “And at every opportunity....” Mulder grinned at Scully’s flush. “Okay, I guess I can do this. But if they try to make us construct a tower of office furniture, I’m leaving.” Engagement Encounter Weekend St. Joseph’s Monastery Mulder eyed the huge banner over the doorway with distaste. “Welcome Engaged Couples” it read. “Scully, are you sure we shouldn’t follow up on the Sullivan case? I mean, leprechauns in America, you don’t see that every day....” His voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of her set expression. Oh. Okay. Well, he considered, I’ve faced hordes of man-eating aliens for her, carried her for a mile across antarctic tundra, even attended a Scully family dinner with Bill present. All for her. I can do this. “I’m sorry, Scully. You know how these things get me. I’m here. I’m committed.” Scully’s face softened. “I wouldn’t ask this of you, Mulder, but we have to do this so that we can get married. I’m glad that you agreed.” “I can do this. But I still can’t believe they won’t let us share a room. We might as well be in summer camp!” Scully grinned and, in a lightening lunge, grabbed him by the ears and pulled him forward for a deep, long, satisfying kiss. When he could breathe again Mulder laughed. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand, but what was that for?” “Just reminding you of why we’re doing this. And don’t forget, it’s two nights without sex for me too. This will be something to carry you forward until Sunday. And I have something special planned for Sunday...” “Oh?” Mulder’s eyes gleamed. Scully, his ice-queen had turned out to be wonderfully imaginative and inventive in bed. Sunday, huh? Well, the faster they started, the faster it would all be over.... “Besides, “ Scully went on. “My priest says that adversity is good for the soul. A little enforced celibacy will be good for you.” She grinned and slipped out of the car. Mulder followed her to the trunk and hauled out their bags. They walked through the entrance..’Abandon hope, all ye who enter here..’ Mulder silently intoned to himself, and led the way to the sign-up desk. A couple who must have been the leaders stood behind the table, chatting with the people signing in. Mulder couldn’t control his grin. “Hey, Scully! Do you suppose there’s any truth to the old adage that long-married couples start to look alike?” “Mulder that’s just a super...” Scully stopped and choked off a laugh. The couple both wore that indefinable California look: blonde, tanned, wearing matching pink polo shirts and khaki pants. They looked like they’d walked out of the pages of the same L.L. Bean catalog. “I bet they even have the same underwear, although he probably has less lace on his bra...” Mulder hissed and Scully punched his arm. “Mulder, shut u...Hello..” She found herself shaking hands with the male part of the ensemble as they reached the head of the line. “Hello, welcome to Catholic Engaged Encounter. I’m Gordon Simmons and this is my lovely wife Leila. We’ll be the group leaders. And you are..?” “I’m Dana Scully and this is my par...uh..my fiancee Fox Mulder.” Mulder reached out his and and gave Simmons a firm handshake whose grip left Simmons surreptitiously rubbing his hand. “Glad to meet you, Gordon, Leila..” Mulder’s smirk was a little bit worrying to Scully. He only wore that look when he’d already classified and dumped the person he was talking to. Oh, Mulder.. “Play nice...” She elbowed him again and turned a bright smile on Gordon. “I’m sorry, what was that?” Gordon asked. “Uh, I said, it’s nice to be here...” She could feel Mulder snickering quietly and silently resolved to give him a stern talking-to as soon as she could get him alone. “I’m glad you’re looking forward to the experience. Fox, Dana, I think you’ll find that it deepens the appreciation you have for each other. Here are your name-tags.” Gordon handed them adhesive labels and Scully noted that Mulder’s said “Fox”. “Oh, he doesn’t like to be called ‘Fox’, just ‘Mulder’.” Scully explained. Gordon raised an eyebrow and quickly penned another label, handing it to Mulder. “So, is it really true that Scully and I can’t share a room?” Mulder asked plaintively as he picked up his overnight duffel again. “Scu...? Oh, you mean Dana? Yes, we house the men and women separately. The Church insists. Since there aren’t any other couples in just yet, why don’t I walk you to the men’s quarters. Leila can show Dana her room.” Gordon led the way down a long hallway to a series of small rooms, each with two beds. “Here, you’ll be staying here. So, I know you like to be called by your last name. Does Dana go by her last name as well? Do you normally call her by her last name?” Gordon looked at Mulder a bit strangely. “Oh yeah, we call each other by our last names all the time. We work together, and it’s easier that way.” Now for some fun. “Besides, she insists on..uh..punishing me if I call her by her first name. At least I can’t if I’ve been bad.” “Uh, right....We’ll be meeting as a group for dinner at 6:00 p.m. The bathroom is down the hall, and the lounge is up the hallway, turn left. Um..I’ll see you later...uh..Mulder.” Nobody said he couldn’t have a little fun with the Californians.... Dinner was a strange meal. The other 27 couples had arrived and Scully found that she and Mulder had been assigned to the same table with the Simmons couple. But Gordon Simmons kept flashing her the strangest looks. She gave Mulder a suspicious glance, but he just returned it with an innocent look and went back to his meal. After the meal was over, Gordon led them into the lounge and handed around notebooks. “These are your notebooks. You will be doing some relationship-based writing assignments and will trade responses with your partner so that you can discuss your feelings and attitudes about such things as spirituality, children, sex and love.” Then Gordon passed out some photocopied sheets. “Here is your first writing assignment. We’ll discuss that after the group introductions.” Sitting them all in a circle on the floor, Gordon began. “I’m going to introduce myself, telling you how my wife and I met and the thing I love most about her. She’ll introduce herself, telling how I proposed to her and what she loves most about me.” Oh no, Scully brought her hand to her mouth. I can’t tell about that...Mulder and I in a brass bed, the feel of him on top of me, pumping away inside me, his cry at the moment of climax...the dent in the wall...she snuck a sideways glance at him to see an evil grin on his face. If I don’t, he *will*, I know it. Shit. And in the Church you’re not supposed to be having sex before marriage. Hell, I’m not a teenager, I’m in my thirties! Of course I’m having pre-marital sex. Shit. Shit. She sat apprehensively as the other couples introduced themselves. Most of the first meetings were at work, on a blind date. The proposals were over dinner, on a date, just understood over time. Then it was Mulder’s turn. “We met in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building when she was assigned to be my partner. And the thing I love most about her....” Mulder paused, his eyes going soft. “Of the many things I love about her, the best is her intrinsic honesty and her commitment to the truth.” Oh shit, shit, shit. My turn. “Ummmm, Mulder proposed to me while we were making love (I’m blushing, I can feel my face heating..damn!)” She could hear a low appreciative murmur and laugh filter around the room. “And the thing I love most about him is his basic integrity, his belief in truth and his willingness to sacrifice himself to find it.” She felt Mulder’s left hand reach for hers and she held it close while his right arm reached around her shoulders and squeezed. She could see a few raised eyebrows at their comments. The other couples had had more mundane loves: she makes me laugh, he supports my career goals. Are we so very different? she wondered. I feel like we live in a different world. Maybe we do. We’ve done too much, faced things that would make these other people run out of the room screaming in terror. After the introductions, Gordon discussed the first homework assignment with them. “I want you to think about these questions, and write about it, but do it alone. Away from your partner. Frame your answer as fully as you can and put it into your notebook. You have the rest of the evening to work on it and we’ll discuss it tomorrow.” Scully looked down at the paper in her hand. Oh no. Mulder the atheist will have fun with the first one...and the second one...Oh no. The questions read: 1) When I look at my spouse to be, do I see him/her as a real gift from God? 2) Is there anyone who would have any objection to our getting married? Why? ***************************** The Wedding From Hell: part 3 After the group broke up, Scully fell into step with Mulder. It was getting late, after 9:00 p.m., and she had to do her ‘homework’ but somehow she didn’t want to let him go. She could tell that he felt the same. “I guess I should go,” she said nervously. “I wish you didn’t have to,” Mulder said seriously. “It’s funny, but since we’ve been sleeping together, I haven’t had any nightmares. Not about Samantha....or other things.” Scully could guess what those ‘other things’ were. Mulder was recovering well from his abuse at the hands of Kurt Willard, but there were still deep emotional scars. She reached out and clasped his hand, then pulled him close. “I don’t want to leave you. Not for a second,” she whispered into his chest. “Do you think they’d throw us out if we went and slept together in the car?” Mulder laughed, she could feel the sound deep in his chest. “They’d probably excommunicate you and forbid me from ever seeing you again. Nope, we have to follow the rules or we don’t get the little piece of paper that says we can get married. I’ll be okay.” He pulled back and she looked deep into his still anxious eyes. “No, really, I’ll be all right,” he insisted, then kissed her and waved as he walked towards the men’s side of the building. Scully debated blowing off the entire weekend and getting him the hell out of here. No. Mulder still had his pride and if he said he’d be okay, she had to accept that. But that wasn’t going to stop her from worrying about him. Mulder’s Room His room mate had already arrived and was seated at one of the two desks, busily writing in his notebook. He looked up at Mulder’s entrance. He was about six feet tall, with Slavic features and built like a Sumo wrestler. Mulder blinked. Why did he always get the strange ones? “Oh, hi! I guess you’re my room mate for the weekend. I’m Xochi, but my friends call me Joe. I’m workin’ on my assignment...” “Hi, I’m Mulder. I don’t remember seeing you at the group meeting.” Mulder pulled up the other chair and sat down. “That’s because I wasn’t there. Erin, my fiancee, got here early but I had to work late tonight. She gave me the notebook and stuff. Man, isn’t this just the biggest pile of crap you’ve ever seen?” Joe held up the notebook. “First, I’m not Catholic, I’m an atheist. Second, who the hell cares whether somebody approves of our marriage? I mean, whose business is it, anyway?” Mulder smiled. Maybe this room mate would work out after all. “Yeah, I know. But my fiancee is Catholic and she wants this really bad. So, I’ll do it for her. I guess that’s what counts. So...” Mulder grinned impishly. “Not that I’m trying to cheat or anything, but what did you put for question number 2?” Scully’s Room Scully had introduced herself to her new room mate, to her surprise another redhead. “Yeah, I think they’ve got a matched set,” Tracy laughed. “So, I was really impressed with your honesty in the group meeting. I could never have told them that!” “Well, I didn’t have much choice. After Mulder expounded on my honesty, I couldn’t very well lie about it. He was basically daring me to tell the truth, so I took him up on it.” She could feel herself blushing again, and bent over to take off her shoes hoping the act would hide her face. “Oh, well..that’s men for you. You just got one with a sense of humor. Paul is like that, always playing practical jokes. I’ve almost got him out of the habit. Mind you, I’ve threatened to pull my gun on him a time or two when he really pissed me off...” Tracy stopped when she saw Dana go still. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m only joking. I’m a cop, so I carry in the line of duty but I’ve never shot anybody.” Scully was interested. “Really? I’m an FBI agent, so’s my fiancee. Where do you work?” The rest of the evening was spent in girl talk, although, Scully reflected later that she probably shouldn’t consider a discussion of the relative merits of service weapons and the difficulty of getting kevlar vests that *fit* really girl talk. Finally they both decided that it was time to start writing. Scully knew that she’d been putting it off. Okay, first question. That was easy, mostly. Mulder was a gift from God, usually. But she knew that she’d be half a person without him. She remembered an e-mail she’d sent him not so long ago--”When you’re cut, I bleed.” That about summed it up. And there’d been a lot of bleeding, internal and external. The wonder of it was that it had only strengthened their already strong friendship. Maybe it was because they’d had to fight so hard for each other. Losing him now would be like losing a limb...or an eye. She sat in thought, meditating about the last year and all the horror it had contained. But they were past that. Time for the happy ending now. Okay, now for question number 2. Oh my. Bill. How to explain Bill? Okay, Bill disapproves of the marriage. Say why? Tell the group about the X Files, the alien colonists, the consortium, black oil, her abduction and cancer.....If they think Mulder and I are strange now, they’ll think we’re psychotic after I explain all this. Make it short. “My brother Bill disapproves of the marriage because he dislikes Mulder and considers our jobs at the FBI as being too dangerous. Marrying Mulder keeps me invested in a dangerous job.” And it does. Wherever he goes, I go too. Whether he wants me along for the ride or not. I hope he’s okay tonight. He’s right, since we’ve been sleeping together so regularly, I can’t recall any nightmares. He used to wake up screaming.... It isn’t the sex that made him complain about the living situation. He’s scared. Damn. I didn’t take him seriously, and he couldn’t tell me what was really bothering him. I wonder how many times I’ve shut him down like that? Scully began to put her shoes back on. “Tracy, I might be back pretty late and I have my key. So don’t be surprised if I come in...” “Just before morning? Hey, I’m planning to sneak out to bunk with Paul, he’s got a single. So if you two want the room tonight, I’m fine with that.” Scully smiled. “I feel like I’m in college, trying to evade the housemother. I’ll take you up on that....I’ll be back in about 20 minutes then.” Mulder’s room Mulder focused on the paper in front of him. Gift from God? Sure, Scully was a gift. She was a whole Tiffany showroom, but God? He shook his head. God didn’t enter into his worldview much. Too much pain over time, too much evil out there to believe in a loving deity. No, Scully was incredible but God hadn’t given her to him. He’d fought for her, suffered for her, damn near died for her sake. And she was worth every tear. I’m not writing that. Not if I have to read this in front of those simpering refugees from a commune. Okay, move on to number 2. Bill. Shit. What to write about good old brother Bill, who hates my guts and would shoot me where I stand except he knows that Scully would drop him first. Got to write something. Explanation...? He finally scribbled onto the paper: “Scully’s brother Bill doesn’t like me. He thinks I endanger her by being her partner, that I don’t protect her enough. I don’t, and I should.” He was finishing the last sentence when he heard a tap on the door. Joe opened it, and there was Scully, her eyes anxiously searching the room for Mulder. “Hi,” she said breathlessly. “I came to see how you were doing.” “I’m fine. This is Joe, my room mate.” Mulder waved toward Joe, who nodded then sat back down to his own notebook. Scully wandered over to Mulder’s desk and scanned what he’d written about Bill, then snorted. “You can’t protect me any more than you are. But what you put is pretty much what I said as well. And it’s Bill’s tough luck that I’m staying just where I am.” She leaned against Mulder’s chair and began running the fingers of one hand through his hair. He’d been letting it grow (at her insistence) and it was just the right length to twine her fingers through. “Mulder, I have a proposition.” “Oh really, Agent Scully? And what would that be?” Mulder leaned back and gave her his best leer. “My room mate informs me that she’ll be sneaking out to share quarters with her fiancee, leaving the room to me. Would you care to completely torpedo the house rules about consorting with the opposite sex with me?” “Oh my, Agent Scully! You are talking about breaking the *rules* here!” Mulder’s eyes lit. “This is the best offer I’ve had all day.” “You’ll have to get up early and come back here so that it looks like you slept here.” Scully moved forward and wrapped both arms around the still-seated Mulder’s chest, resting her chin on his shoulder. “How ‘bout it?” “Can we go now?” Giggling like teenagers they snuck back to Scully’s now-empty room. It was then that Scully realized...twin beds. The room had twin beds. Oh no. “Mulder, I...” she shook her head and began laughing. “Okay, we’ll try it, but if you get your elbow in my eye again you sleep on the floor!” “Fair enough. And this is a metal bed, Scully. Do you suppose it’s as sturdy as, say, brass?” All conversation ceased after Mulder was ‘thwapped!’ in the face with a pillow. And at Scully’s insistence, they were careful to keep the noise down so that the neighbors wouldn’t hear. Mulder woke in the gray dawn. A quick look at his watch showed that it was 5:00 a.m. Probably time to get moving. He didn’t want to move. He liked it right here, just fine. He always slept better when Scully was there. Somehow, she chased the nightmares away. Or when he had one, she was there, and she understood. Hell, she had nightmares of her own. He was glad she’d suggested this. This twin bed seemed larger than the one in Scully’s old bedroom. Or maybe it was just because they were both over the chicken pox now, no more itchy skin. Anyway, he’d slept with her in his arms, pressed close enough to feel her heart beat, hear her breathing. How many years had he craved that? Too many. But he was a patient man and had determined early on that he’d wait for her to decide she was ready for a relationship. Of course, he had Walter and Sharon Skinner to thank as well. The story of their failed marriage, and especially their wedding pictures, had finally jarred something loose in Scully. It had made her decide that she needed him *now*, and wasn’t going to waste any more time. He sighed and felt her snuggle closer, then tightened his arms around her. She was his now, and it would take an army of aliens to keep him away. Oh well, time to go back to his room and the pretense of chastity. Mulder carefully climbed out of bed, tucking the blankets back around Scully, then quickly put his clothes on. Yup, maybe the twin bed wasn’t a sleeping bag, but two naked bodies do keep you toasty warm of a night. He kissed her gently on the forehead, then padded out to his room. To Mulder’s great amusement, he wasn’t the only night time traveller. He could see the shadows of men and women moving quietly from room to room, women filtering back to the women’s side and men going back to the men’s quarters. He nodded companionably to the guy in the room next door as he unlocked the door and went in. He decided that he was too keyed up to sleep, so he did the next best thing and put on his running clothes and went for a run. The air was crisp and cool, just right for a jog. Man, he didn’t know how he was going to survive this weekend thing. It was bad enough having to pretend that they were sleeping in separate room, but those questions! I was right. Scully and I don’t talk much. We kind of communicate telepathically. There’s so much about her I don’t know. She’s quiet, reserved, hates showing her feelings unless she’s comforting somebody else. Her compassion is the one soft emotion she doesn’t hide. And me? Mr.-takes-7-years-to-manage-a-marriage-propo sal....Well, it’s a good thing I can stand rejection. It took multiple tries just to get an answer. She loves me, but does she really want to marry me? Is that what all her hesitation was about? Maybe I joked about it too much. Maybe I joke too much, period. She can’t tell when I’m being serious. Oh, she knows how I feel about the big things: aliens, the X Files, life and death. But the little stuff? We’ve never really discussed it. We’ve never really talked because we’re scared, scared that we’ll secretly discover something that will ruin what we have. Some deep, dark secret. Well, she knows all of mine, or has met them. Mulder checked his watch. Time to go back and face the Californians. ***************************** The Wedding From Hell: part 4 Breakfast was nauseatingly healthy. Mulder picked at his whole-wheat toast (chosen over a serving of Wheatena) and longed for some real butter to spread on it, not that tofu-soy crap they were serving. No eggs (cholesterol, y’know) or meat (the weekend is vegetarian). He pushed the scrambled tofu around his plate and thought longingly of the sunflower seeds he’d packed in his duffel. Even the coffee was decaffeinated. Scully, sitting brightly next to him, was clearly enjoying her yogurt (with bee pollen). That made him feel even more sour, although she’d graciously offered to share. After his first growl, she’d shut up, wisely realizing that it was the caffeine deprivation talking. “Well, everybody, I hope you all slept well. We have a busy day planned.” Gordon was wearing an aquamarine polo shirt today. Leila (his lovely wife) had a matching Indian cotton dress “We’re going to start with your notebooks. We’ll meet as a group and discuss the answers everybody came up with, then talk about issues of family and friends and how they will fit into your new relationship as a married couple. Then we’ll have some more exercises for you to do.” Simmons led them all back to the lounge and Mulder took his place next to Scully on the rag rug. She was wearing his favorite white tee shirt with cashmere sweater and looked luscious. He had been less inspired, and had donned an old FBI academy sweatshirt, faded and comfortable. And a good thing, too. This room was cold! Simmons was talking...oh, he was having people read the answers to question number 1. Question 1. Oh shit! Mulder had forgotten to write anything. Sure, he’d thought about it but hadn’t put anything down because of the “God” thing. Whoops. Fake it. “And you, Mulder..what did you say?” “Um, in my view Scully is a true gift in my life. But I don’t attribute her presence to God; I don’t believe in God. We’ve worked very hard to remain partners, and I consider myself lucky to be marrying her.” “And you, Dana, what do you think about that?” “About what?” Scully looked puzzled. “I’m glad he sees me as a special person in his life.” “No, the fact that he’s an atheist. You are obviously not, since you plan to be married in the Church. Has it ever occurred to you that someday you may find his lack of faith a problem?” Scully smiled. “Mulder doesn’t lack faith; he just doesn’t put the same labels on his faith that I do on mine. We believe in the same things, we just use different terms for them.” Way to go Scully! I mentally chalked up one for the home team. “How about you, Mulder? Does the fact that Dana is religious bother you?” “It didn’t until I found out I had to do this weekend,” Mulder smiled, more than half serious. “Scully’s always had her own faith and it works for her. Why should I question her beliefs when she’s been willing to live with mine?” Simmons was smiling. Must have answered right. Whoop, next question. “And what about children? How do you plan to raise them? As Catholics or as atheists?” Whoa, there....stop right there. He could see Scully cringe just a bit. Simmons couldn’t know about Scully’s past, or her infertility. But it still enraged him to have this prick asking things like this in a public place. He grabbed Scully’s hand and could feel her trembling, with rage or emotion he couldn’t tell. “Any children we may ever have will be loved, cherished and taught values. Their religious belief is between my wife and myself,” Mulder forced the words out grimly. “If my wife wants to raise children with a Catholic belief, I’ll go along with it because I know it’s important to her.” “Fair enough. Now, Dana, how did you answer the first question?” Mulder was still feeling outraged but squelched it. This was all part of the program, make the participants think and question their values systems. Basic psych. “I do consider Mulder a gift from God. Sometimes more than others.” There was an appreciative laugh at that. “But his presence has meant so much to me during the difficult times of my life, that I don’t think I could do without him now.” Scully’s eyes were shining as she met his glance. Mulder squeezed her hand and smiled back. Simmons moved on, mercifully, to the next couple and Mulder had time to think. Children. Would they have any? Would it be safe to have them? Knowing what he did about the future, he wondered. And if old CGB Spender ever threatened a child of his..nothing and nobody would stop him from killing that bastard. They’d wanted Samantha, and they’d kept her. Could the same thing happen to a child of his? Save that problem for the future. “Hey, Scully, what say we sneak out and see if there’s a good burger joint nearby?” Mulder whispered into her ear. Scully just frowned and shook her head. Damn. Stuck here in karmic hell. Oh, Simmons had finished with the group thing and everybody was standing up...for...a...ohmigod, no! Not a group hug..... Mulder found himself in a circle with Scully to his right and a strange man to his left in a massive group hug, while Simmons spoke some inspirational words about unity and love which left Mulder cold. Oh god, please let there not be a wine and cheese reception after... Scully caught his look of horror and stifled a snort. Mulder was clearly experiencing flashbacks to the last training session they hadn’t made it to. Well, this was his comeuppance, and no escape. Simmons began handing around sheets of paper with more questions. Great. Mulder looked at his and his eyes widened. It read “I feel angry when my partner _____________”. “Okay everybody, please look over the question and answer it as fully as you can. You and your partner will be discussing your answers together, but I’ll be wandering around facilitating things. It’s important to learn how to air your grievances, to fight fair when you disagree. That’s what this little exercise is supposed to promote.” Scully was already sitting down and had begun writing. Mulder craned his neck and tried to read it, but she just looked up and covered the writing with her hand. Damn. Okay, two can play at this...Mulder sat down and pondered the question. Mulder had just finished his answer when Simmons got around to them. “Well, Mulder, why don’t we start with you? I’d like you to read and explain your answer. Dana, please listen without interruption. You’ll have your opportunity to respond to Mulder’s statement. The important thing is to really listen to what is being said. So, Mulder, how did you answer the question?” Mulder gulped and shuffled his paper. “I don’t think I really want...I mean, Scully never makes me mad...” “Mulder, that isn’t the question. It isn’t whether she makes you mad, but what actions she takes make you *feel* angry. There’s a difference.” “All right.” Deep breath. “Uh...Do I have to do this?” “Just read it, Mulder,” Scully said flatly. “Uhhh...well, I feel angry when Scully doesn’t believe me. I mean, when I get a case and give her my take on it, she often dismisses what I have to say without really listening to my reasoning...” Scully opened her mouth to interrupt, but was stopped by Simmons’ raised hand. “Okay Mulder, can you give us an example?” “Well...for example, we had to go to Chaney Texas, to investigate these mysterious murders. *I* knew it was vampires from the moment I got the case, but Scully kept ignoring the evidence, even after I was attacked and almost killed by one. She didn’t start believing me until she was locked in a car with one.” Mulder looked up defiantly. “And I still say he had buck teeth. And then, there was Antarctica....” Simmons looked a little pale. “Uh..okay. Dana, do you have a response?” “Yes. I do.” Scully was pale but focused. “Mulder, I saw no evidence of vampires until the pizza guy got up and walked out of that morgue. Up to that point, it just looked like a string of murders to me; and you had to admit he was wearing fake fangs when he attacked you.” Mulder shook his head. “Well, what about Antarctica? You saw those aliens, they were attacking us while we were climbing out of that giant space craft. Heck, even when we were up onto the ice sheet, it flew over! You saw it; you had to! And you still don’t believe it was real.” “Mulder, I’ve said before that I believe that *you* saw those things. Me, I was semi-conscious the whole time and my memories are very confused. I *know* that I would have died there if you hadn’t come after me. But I do know that you saved me, and that’s enough....Mulder, I may not always agree with your opinions but I do respect and trust your judgment. But I am a scientist and I have to be true to my training. I wouldn’t be a useful partner to you if I didn’t.” She shot him a look imploring his understanding. Mulder smiled and shook his head. “I know, Scully. I just get frustrated sometimes. But I’m grateful for your insight. You keep me honest.” Simmons pulled his handkerchief from his pants pocket and swabbed his forehead. “Dana...uh...why don’t you go ahead.” Scully looked down at her paper, suddenly shy. “Well...Mulder, it was hard to decide what to write about, but the thing that makes me feel angry is when you ditch me and go off to investigate things without me there to back you up. A few years ago when you went chasing off to Dead Horse, Alaska after that shape-shifting bounty hunter, I almost didn’t find you in time. Skinner had to beat up your informant just to get your whereabouts. And by the time I got there you were almost dead from that retrovirus.” She looked away from the paper and stared into Mulder’s eyes. “Mulder, I was the *only* one who knew how to treat you. They were killing you there, in the emergency room. If I hadn’t gotten there when I did, you would be dead now. “ “But Scully, that was years ago..I haven’t ditched you recently...” “Yes. You have. Two words, Mulder: Bermuda Triangle. You damn near died looking for that ghost ship; you were half dead when we pulled you out of the water. If we hadn’t pulled strings with the Navy, we wouldn’t have located you. And you didn’t leave me so much as a note to let me know you were gone. Do you know how that made me feel? Do you?” Scully could feel herself clouding up. “Mulder, when you needed me the most, I wasn’t *there*. I’m supposed to guard your back, but I can’t defend you if you leave me behind. I can’t stand the thought that you might be hurt or killed while I’m miles away, searching for you. Mulder..” She took a deep trembling breath. “When Kurt Willard had you, I wasn’t *there*. I was miles away. I wasn’t *there*. And I should have been.” “Scully...” Mulder leaned forward and took her in his arms. “Scully, I didn’t ditch you then....” “No, I ditched you, “ Scully murmured into his chest. “I know, we talked about it and I know you wanted me to get away. I know it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t. But I wasn’t there when you needed me, Mulder. And I can’t be unless you let me be there.” “Well, I guess that goes for me, too, Scully. You need to let me be there for you, too. I know how hard it’s all been for you. I want to hold you when you’re scared, that’s what I’m there for. I want to guard your back just as much as you want to guard mine. Partners?” Scully nodded, snuffling. “Yeah. Partners. Always.” Simmons looked relieved. “Well, I see that you two are communicating well together. You...certainly seem to have an exciting life...um...I think I’ll go help that couple over there..” Simmons got up quickly and scurried across the room to another couple. “So, what do you think got to him? The shape-shifting bounty hunter or the vampires?” Mulder murmured into her ear. “I think it was the alien space craft in Antarctica. But at least you didn’t bring up colonization and genetic experimentation.” Scully snuggled closer. “Naw...he would never have believed that!” ***************************** The Wedding From Hell: part 5 They worked through more questions that afternoon, but neither Simmons or his wife made any attempt to ‘help’ them with their discussions. Mulder had to grin. He could see Simmons casting anxious glances in their direction all day. He’d look at them, then turn away when Mulder caught his eye. Dinner was uneventful. Okay, dinner was flavorless, a vegetarian chili without enough chili in it. Mulder stoically munched his way through it, reminding himself that this was fuel...And the wine from the local Dominican vineyards...well, he’d had better salad dressing. Okay, enough griping, he thought to himself...at least Scully seems content. “Everyone, your attention please,” Simmons tapped on his water glass. “I’d like to introduce the weekend’s spiritual director, Father McCue. And emergency prevented his joining us sooner. He will be speaking to us after dinner and will celebrate a mass later tonight in honor of the weekend. Any and all are invited to attend.” Mass. Wondered when they’d get around to that....Mulder pondered to himself. Scully doesn’t understand my affinity for aliens; well I don’t get her fondness for angels. Still thinking, Mulder followed Scully and the rest of the group into the lounge, and took their accustomed seats on the floor. Father McCue placed himself in front of the group and began to speak. Mulder found his mind wandering. All the love and unity stuff was inspiring, he supposed. Oh yeah, the Biblical stuff...meaning of marriage...Of course he was planning on cleaving to his wife and foresaking all others...in fact he hoped to do some cleaving tonight if possible. Not a problem. He and Scully were a team, and they’d suffered too much to risk it for anything. Mulder’s hand crept forward and gently clasped his Scully’s. She turned a radiant smile on him, then focused on Father McCue again. She was looking sad tonight....Oh.. McCue was talking about birth control and the Church’s opposition to it. Stupid Church. “Scully, you okay?” Mulder whispered into her ear. She nodded, but still looked sad. “I wish we had to worry about things like that...” She turned back to McCue, then looked down, trying to hide her emotions. Mulder wasn’t fooled. He snuggled in closer and draped an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll have kids, just you wait. We’ll manage. Little Sculders running through the house....with green eyes and red hair.” “And medium sized noses?” Scully whispered back. Mulder fingered his proboscis and nodded. “Okay. I have faith in you. If you say we’ll do it, we will. Somehow.” Mulder held her tighter, conscious that she’d just given him a gift. She believed him. Even though parenthood would be vastly difficult, expensive, maybe impossible, she believed him. He could feel himself smiling and he planted a kiss on top of her hair. McCue finished his talk and came over to meet Dana and her new fiancee. “Mulder, is it? I can’t tell you how glad I am to meet you at last. Dana has spoken about you so much.” Father McCue held his hand out and cordially shook Mulder’s. “I hope that I can persuade you go come to mass tonight. I plan to bless all the couples. And you two especially.” “Father, Mulder isn’t Catholic. I don’t think...” “No, Scully. I’d be happy to attend. I’ll be there,” Mulder said gravely. Scully was speechless. By the time she could stop staring at Mulder, Father McCue had gone on to greeting another couple. “I’ve never seen you in a church, barring weddings and funerals. What gives?” Mulder paused to gather his words. “Scully, you’re going to mass tonight with me or without me. Am I right?” Scully nodded, and he continued. “So, you aren’t going alone. I’ll be there too. Beside you, just as you have always been beside me in my beliefs, whether you shared them or not. How can I do any less?” Mass was more inspiring that Mulder had expected. Father McCue seemed to go out of his way to draw everyone in and, when he wandered through the crowd scattering holy water, he smiled especially broadly at Mulder and Dana. Mulder felt a vague sense that the blessing had taken, then shook himself. This was silly...wasn’t it? Before dismissing the group for the evening, Simmons had another set of questions for them to meditate on quietly in their rooms. As the couples split up, Mulder grabbed Scully’s arm. “Tonight?” he asked anxiously. She nodded and grinned. “Tracy is meeting Paul at midnight. Stop by then. I’ll be waiting.” They exchanged a quick kiss and parted at the hallway entrance. Scully followed Tracy into the room. Tracy flopped down onto her bunk and stretched out. “I will be so glad when this weekend is over and I don’t have to sneak around to see my own fiancee. God, I’m horny.” Scully giggled a little as she took her shoes off and sat in the desk chair. Tracy had amazed her with her earthy down-to-earth attitude and language. “Well, it’s only one more night. And you’re sharing his room tonight anyway.” Tracy shook her head. “It’s not the same. You can’t make noise, you’re sneaking around.. I’m a grown woman, not a teenage girl with a virginity to protect. This is ridiculous.” Tracy scowled at the ceiling, then began a slow grin. “I’ve decided what I’m going to give Paul for my wedding gift to him, though.” Scully put down her pen. The questions could wait, and she rarely had a chance for real ‘girl-talk’ in her busy life. “So, what are you giving him?” “Well, I thought about all the things I could buy for him, but y’know it wasn’t right. He can buy himself anything he really wants, and I wanted it to be a gift that only I could give him.” She gave Dana an evil grin. “Then I realized what I could get him. He’s been after me to videotape us making love, and I’ve been refusing. He says I’m prudish, and I say I’ve got a big butt. But I thought about it and I think that’s what he’s going to get. I have a new video-camera and an imagination. Oh, and a Victoria’s Secret catalog. He won’t know what hit him.” She rolled over and cupped her chin in her hands. “So Dana, what do you think? Am I crazy?” Scully found herself blushing. Damned pale skin... The idea was...interesting. Very interesting. “No, I don’t think you’re crazy, but what if somebody gets hold of the video?” Tracy waved her hand dismissively. “Then they see a hot couple having really hot sex. And besides, we’ll be married! It’s not like it’s a sin or anything. And he does look good on camera. I don’t mind watching him in action.” Scully could feel her skin temperature rising. Oh yes, Mulder did look good on camera, didn’t he...oh my yes. “Um, I think it’s a very original idea. He’s sure to appreciate it.” She went back to her homework assignment and tried to answer the next set of searching questions, but the image of she and Mulder making love under a video camera kept intruding. No, this was sick...too many weird memories...but it was the first time they’d had sex. Good sex, too. But how would Mulder take something like that? Later----1:00 a.m. Scully’s room Aaaaahhhhh Scully, we ought to go on these weekends more often....Mulder tried to keep his voice down after the best sex of his life. Scully had been....passionate wasn’t the right word, Aroused? Yes but more than that. Incredible. Uninhibited. Imaginative. He vaguely wondered if he’d be able to walk in the morning after a blow job like that.....and he didn’t really care. Tonight she hadn’t allowed him to touch her, but devoted every moment to his pleasure and he was pretty sure he was going to pass out soon. And die with a smile. “So, Mulder...what do you think? You aren’t saying much...” He could hear the mischief in Scully’s whisper. “I’m trying to muster the...uhhmmm....energy to tell you that...ohhhh...anything you ever want is yours...” She let his penis fall from her mouth and caressed his balls, her gentle squeeze making Mulder jump. “Oh, I already have that...” She began mouthing her way up his penis, making him shiver, then moved to his belly and up his chest. “I’ve been wanting to ask you...how are you about all this? I mean, the sex..is it okay? Any nightmares or flashbacks or anything?” Mulder looked down at her lovingly. “No, no nightmares lately. I’m looking forward to a honeymoon with the sexiest woman alive.” Scully laughed a bit. “My room mate Tracy, the cop, told me what she plans to get her fiancee for a wedding gift. She’s going to make a honeymoon video with him; she says he’s been wanting it for a long time and thinks it’ll shock him silly.” “Nothing wrong with some home-made erotica,” Mulder grinned. “You’d be a natural. Now if you had just let me have that digital camera in Arcadia, we might have some home movies by now....” Oh Mulder, she smiled to herself, I still have that video camera.... “So you still wish we’d made that film, huh?” Scully eyed him closely, looking for any remaining memory of that warehouse and another videotape. “Oh yeah, Scully...you are so sexy when you snap on that latex...It was all I could do not to throw you onto that carpet and do the naked pretzel right there in suburbia.” “I’ll tell you a secret, Mulder. I was ready to drop you to that carpet and consummate the ‘marriage’ then and there. But...I wasn’t sure of you yet. Wasn’t sure of myself...I’m glad we’ve passed that milestone.” “Me too.” Mulder held her closer as she continued her exploration of his body. Wow, if church retreats did this to his Scully, they needed to go more often! Breakfast Mulder was tired. Very very tired. But content. He’d made it to his room just before the breakfast bell. Quickly rushing through a shower, shave and clothing, he took his place next to Scully and glumly eyed his bowl of Wheatena. Oh well, last time I have to eat it. “Mulder...Mulder..” Scully was gesturing at him. “Huh? What is it?” He whispered back. “Your shirt, button the collar of your polo shirt....quick!” Scully sounded like she was fighting giggles. Mulder looked down and found a bright red hickey strategically placed in the middle of his chest, just below his throat. He turned to Scully and grinned. “Now why would I want to hide that? Just marks me as yours, doesn’t it?” He left the collar open and grinned his way through the morning. Scully blushed but took it all in stride, even when Father McCue noticed it and smiled. Sunday, 3 :30 p.m. Mulder slammed the trunk and walked back to where Scully was deep in conversation with her room mate, Tracy. “Thanks for your address! I’ll be sure to send you an invitation to the wedding. And thanks for the suggestions...Oh, Mulder, this is Tracy, she was my room mate.” Mulder looked from one petite redhead to the other and grinned. “For a moment, I thought Scully had cloned herself. Glad to meet you. So you’re the lady who gave up her room for us.” “Oh, it was no hardship. Paul was getting lonely. Dana, give me a call when you find your dress! I’m dying to see it. Oh...looks like Paul is ready to go. I’ll see you around.” She caught Scully’s eye and her grin broadened. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Mulder couldn’t understand why Scully was blushing so hard as they walked back to the car. Too much sun, probably. 7 Days later Mulder slid into the red leatherette booth. Tony’s was famous for its triple garlic pizza. Scully never wanted to eat here, said it made her stomach turn, so he usually went here with the guys. Oh, there they were. “Hey! How ya doin?” Mulder called as they came over. “So, it’s the soon-to-be-married guy!” Frohike grinned and sat down, followed by Langly, whose only comment was, “Pitiful, when another one goes down.” Byers just looked at Mulder wistfully. “So, I’m here. We gonna order some pizza?” Mulder looked around at the Gunmen. They returned expectant grins. “What? Is my shirt stained or something?” Frohike grinned even more broadly. “Mulder, we just wanted to take you to lunch, congratulate you on your marriage to the lovely Agent Scully and tell you what your wedding gift will be.” “Why, guys...I’m touched. What is it? Lifetime subscriptions to TLG?” “Thought of that, decided not to,” said Langly. “No, we thought of something more useful, we hope,” said Byers. “We want to cater the wedding. I mean, we’ll hire the caterers, book the room and pay for it. No...we insist.” “But guys, that’s expensive! Even cake and champagne runs pretty high,” Mulder shook his head. “I should know, I’ve been pricing them.” “Well, we have some money set aside and we’d like to give you guys something special,” Byers insisted. “Besides, we got a deal on the caterers. These guys aren’t too expensive and they have a hall we can rent. And their food is just great!” Frohike smacked his lips. “Their gazpacho is to die for.” “Well, I think I need to check this out with Scully. She’ll want to know about the menu, the cake, stuff like that.” “Bro, we’ve got you funded for a sit down dinner for 50 with band. You just tell Scully to see these guys and they’ll take care of everything.” Frohike grinned and dug into his pocket. Mulder took the card Frohike offered, then his eyes narrowed. “You came by this money honestly, didn’t you?” Three sets of innocent eyes stared right back. “Of course we did,” said Byers. “We’ve been investing in the stock market and our...um..research has paid off.” Mulder just shook his head and put the card away. Better not to ask about some things. He decided to apply himself to his triple-garlic pizza. That Evening “Phew! Mulder, what have you been eating? Dead cats?” Scully wrinkled her nose as she pulled away from Mulder’s kiss. “Or have you been eating at Tony’s again?” “Yes to the second. So the breath mints didn’t work, huh? Say Scully, the guys want to give us a great wedding gift: they want to throw the reception for us.” Mulder pulled out the business card and showed her. Scully looked doubtful at first, but she had to admit that she was grateful for the offer. She had some financial news for Mulder. “Um..Mulder, I think I will take them up on the reception thing. I found the dress I want today. Or rather, I found the design I like. It’s a beautiful dress, heavy white crepe and I know it’ll look wonderful. I’m having it made and it’s even over Mom’s budget....” Mulder smiled. “How much, Scully?” “Three thousand, five hundred eighty-seven dollars and...um..forty-two cents.” Mulder raised his eyebrows. “And forty-two cents, huh?” Scully nodded. “Mulder, all the other dresses made me look like a giant pin-cushion. With beads. This one...well, it’s the dress I always dreamed of...” Scully smiled a little shyly. “Well, then you have to get it. We just won’t take that trip to Oregon like we planned.” “I think we can manage that. Between our savings and Mom’s contribution, we can handle the wedding costs, the rings, photographer, the dress and the trip, thanks to the guys’ wedding gift. Bless their hearts.” Scully was silent and snuggled next to Mulder on the couch, nose still wrinkling at the garlic scent. Then a thought occurred to her. “Mulder, they didn’t get Tony’s to cater...” ***************************** The Wedding From Hell: part 6 “God....mmmmmmm...Scully....,this is so incredible! I have never, in my entire life experienced anything like this! Scully, you never cease to amaze me!” Mulder gave a blissful sigh and looked lovingly into her eyes as he popped the last morsel of chocolate Bavarian cake with allspice and ginger into his mouth, then pushed his empty plate away and leaned back against his chair. Scully, a slower eater, just giggled and applied herself to her tiny sliver of chocolate Bavarian cake. She and Mulder had already inhaled a dinner of boneless lamb in rosemary and garlic with shiitake mushrooms served with crispy potato cakes (with herbed fromage blanc), winter asparagus and pumpkin gratin served in tiny individual ramekins. She’d sampled the wedding cake (lemon cream with raspberry curd) on her earlier visit. Looking at Mulder’s orgasmic facial expression, she assumed that he agreed with her about the menu for the wedding reception. “Mulder, I’m glad you’re happy with my choices. But you should praise the cook, not me. I just went with his suggestions.” Mulder shook his head and took a sip of wine. “I just can’t believe that Frohike and the guys found this place. I half expected rubber chicken and equally rubbery green beans on my plate, not decadent gourmet food.” Mulder gestured around the tiny restaurant in which they sat. “This restaurant may be small now, but in five years people will be fighting for reservations!” “Yeah, Albert only just graduated from the Culinary Academy two years ago, so he’s still making a name for himself. I, for one, hope to be kept on his favored customer list. He just started the catering part of the business last year; fortunately he has some cousins who help him out pretty regularly and don’t need to be paid much. Lowers the overhead.” Dana picked up a morsel of cake, popped it into her mouth, then licked her fingers. Wow, this chocolate was good. She was glad she’d opted for both the lemon wedding cake and side desserts as well. But she’d better watch her portions or she’d never fit into her wedding dress---not to mention the *special* lingerie she was bringing for the honeymoon. “Well, I picked up the rings,” Mulder said, a little nervously. “Um...they’re a little different than we discussed.” “What do you mean, different? We agreed on plain gold bands.” Scully fixed him with a suspicious look. Mulder fished into his pocket and pulled out two ring boxes and opened the first at random. A man’s ring lay nestled inside, made of white and yellow gold, scored with a pattern....of “X”s. The woman’s ring he produced next was more delicate, but repeated the pattern. “Mulder. No. Absolutely not! I will NOT wear the X Files on my finger for the next forty years!” Scully didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She’d sent him out to pick out some wedding rings, and he’d returned with the equivalent of a handful of magic beans. Mulder gave her an imploring look. “C’mon, Scully. I *like* these rings. They sort of symbolize our partnership, our life together. You *have* to admit that the X Files have been at the middle of every significant happening...” “You mean every significant *injury* we’ve ever dealt with..” Scully interrupted. Mulder pleadingly held out the ring and Scully took it, inspecting it more closely. Mulder’s ring had been engraved per her instructions: “I believe in you”, while the woman’s ring had Mulder’s inscription “My one in five billion.” She sighed. Well, they weren’t as bad as she’d thought. They were heavy gold, nice rings really. And since they’d been engraved, she thought they were stuck with them. “Okay, Mulder. But if you ever tell me you’ve bought some magic beans, I’m leaving you!” Mulder just grinned and silently took the rings back, returning them to their boxes. “So, how did the wedding shower go?” Scully blushed. She was still embarrassed about the shower that Holly at work had managed to pull off. She and Kim, Skinner’s secretary, had secretly gathered all the female agents in the building, as well as most of the secretaries and administrative assistants and thrown a blow-out surprise shower for her the day before. Mulder had quietly grinned and left the room, commenting “There’s too much estrogen in the room for me! I’m outta here.” “It was great. Say...you didn’t know about this, did you?” She gave Mulder an accusing glance. “Well, they did ask a few questions about your clothing size, color preferences, things like that....And I *had* happened to chance a look at the Victoria’s Secret catalog hidden in your desk...” Mulder gave her an evil grin. “As far as I’m concerened, I benefit from the gifts as much as you do!” Scully had no choice but to grin back. “Okay, but five lace teddies has to be a record. And I won’t even discuss the scented massage oils and the uh gift certificate for Susie’s Sensual Shoppe. There wasn’t a single piece of Tupperware in the bunch.” She sipped her wine. “And your bachelor party, does it have to be the night before the wedding? I swear, if you lurch down that aisle or have any bruises or marks on you, I’ll kill you myself!” “We have to do it the Friday before. Skinner’s out of town for two weeks before the wedding and I want him there to keep the guys’ enthusiasm within bounds. They were talking about hiring a stripper and I don’t think they believed me when I said I wasn’t interested in watching some silicon bimbo dance for me.” “Oh? Should we be investigating hormonal problems in you, Mulder?” Scully’s eyes narrowed. Mulder’s interest in, uh, adult entertainment was of long duration. “Oh, nothing wrong with my hormones, but why settle for a fake when I’ve got the real thing waiting at home?” Mulder gave her his bedroom smile and Scully shivered. Maybe it was time to go home, spend a not-so-quiet evening together. Mulder met her gaze and nodded. She smiled back, understanding, and they gathered their things to leave. Before exiting, they found Albert at the doorway. “Albert, that was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life!” Mulder said fervently. “I think we’ve chosen the right menu for the reception.” Albert grinned. “I’m glad you liked it. I always appreciate it when people enjoy my cooking. Okay, we’ll decorate the hall and have everything ready for you on the 18th. May you two be as happy as couple as Elise and I!” “Thanks, I think we will,” Mulder gave Scully a tender look before grabbing her hand and leading her out to the parking lot. Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Blackie’s House of Beef Dana picked at her salad. The rehearsal had gone well enough, she supposed. Her dress wasn’t ready yet, so she’d worn an old evening gown. Mulder had looked great (no surprise there), and Bill looked wonderful even if he had spent the evening glowering. She was glad that they’d chosen conservative bridesmaid dresses. Ellen, her maid of honor with Tara as a bridesmaid had both agreed that forest green gowns were reasonably attractive. Whoever designs bridesmaid gowns must hate women, she mused. Certainly, most of the dresses they’d seen looked like they belonged on failed prom dates. Now the guys were looking good. Frohike was Mulder’s best man with Byers as an usher. Langly had flatly refused to be part of the wedding party if it meant he had to “wear a monkey suit, man!” So he would just be a guest. And of course, Bill was giving her away. The flowers had been ordered, red and white roses to go with the general holiday theme of the wedding. Music was Mulder’s job. Scully fervently hoped he’d told the truth when he swore that there’d be absolutely no Elvis compositions in the ceremony. She knew he’d been tempted. Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of raised voices. Oh no, not Bill again. He’d in a temper throughout the meal, and the wine with dinner hadn’t mellowed him. His belligerent voice could be heard over Tara’s attempts to shush him. “He’s a prick! He’s a jinx and he’s gonna get her killed! You mark my words, unless she gets far, far away from that sorry-ass bastard we’ll be attending her funeral. Give her away, that’s just what I’m doing---leading her to her doom!” Bill affixed contemptuous eyes on Mulder, who sat rigid in his chair, clearly wishing with his whole heart that Bill would just go away. Suddenly, Dana was mad, and frustrated and fed up. Bill had been making these noises for years and nothing would ever satisfy him. Why should Mulder, her future *husband* be subjected to this? She got up. “Bill, I think we need to talk. Outside.” She led him past the doorway and into the lobby of the hotel next door. “Okay, say your piece. This is your last chance, because then I am going to marry Mulder and *you* are going to shut up. For good!” “Damn, it Dana!” Bill swore under his breath. “If you marry that asshole, he’ll get you killed. I’ve tried to make this work, tried to grit my teeth and just get through this, but I can’t. I just can’t hand my little sister over to the man who’s going to endanger her at every opportunity!” Dana could feel her own teeth clench. “Bill, *nothing* that has happened to me was Mulder’s fault. *Everything* that I have experienced was the result of my own choices in life. Mulder loves me and would willingly die for me. And, as it happens, I feel exactly the same about him. There *is* no other man on this planet for me except him. I am going to marry him next week and nothing you or anybody else can say will change my mind.” Her eyes narrowed. “You tried to talk Mulder out of it, didn’t you? He looked depressed this morning but wouldn’t say why.... You tried to persuade him to drop this.” Bill looked shamefacedly at the floor. “Yeah, I called him this morning at the office. I knew you were going for a dress fitting because Tara went too. I gave him all my reasons, and he agreed that you are in danger fairly often. But he wouldn’t give you up, or the idea of marrying you, even though he admitted that in all likelihood you or he will die in the line of duty, the way things are going.” Bill grimaced. “He said you were a grown woman and made your own decisions.” “You’re damned right, I do! And I am going to marry Mulder if I have to draw my weapon and force him to that altar!” At the expression on Bill’s face, she gave a sad laugh. “No, it isn’t that. I’m not pregnant. God, I wish I were, then maybe I’d get less friction about this. This is my decision, Bill. He’s my man, and I want him.” Bill gave her an entreating look, then shook his head at her frown. “Well, then I can’t be a party to it. I can’t give you away and hand you over to the man who’s going to see you killed or maimed. I’ll be at the wedding, but I can’t give you away. I’m going to wait in the car. Tell Tara, would you?” Dana watched Bill walk swiftly out to the parking lot. She sat down on one of the couches in the lobby and pondered. Well, at least he hadn’t written her out of the family. She supposed that this was the best compromise under the circumstances. Mulder would only have to see Bill at a distance, at family gatherings. Everybody else liked him, Mom, Charlie, Tara and especially her little nephew Matthew. What a father Mulder would make. Charlie wasn’t coming to the wedding, was stationed in Germany and couldn’t get leave and his family lived there with him. She supposed that Mom could give her away, but she knew Maggie was shy in big crowds. She’d hate it. Of course, there was somebody else she could ask. She returned to the restaurant and quietly pulled Mulder aside, explaining the problem. Mulder’s face took on his stubborn look, lower lip firmly pushed out. “So he just ditched you, huh? So much for the overprotective big brother.” Dana shook her head. “No, I guess it’s more accurate to say that I fired him. I couldn’t see him treating you disrespectfully, and won’t tolerate it any more, brother or not. I think I have another candidate for the honor, if he’ll do it.” She smiled. “We’re meeting with him tomorrow.” Monday, December 6, 1999 Office of Walter S. Skinner “Good morning, agents. I hope you brought your expense reports with you.” Skinner noted how relaxed and happy both agents seemed lately. Good. The last year had been hellish on them both and he was grateful that they’d finally connected. “How are the wedding plans going?” “Oh, they’re going just fine, sir,” Scully said shyly. “Actually, we wanted to discuss some of those plans with you if you don’t mind.” Skinner smiled. “I’ve got the leave approvals on my desk. Don’t worry, you’ll have a real vacation this time, not just another sick leave.” “Oh, it isn’t that.” Scully found herself hemming and hawing a bit. Mulder remained silent, damn it. He was letting her handle this. Okay, well it was her brother and her problem after all. “You know that my brother Bill was originally going to give me away at the wedding? Well, as it turns out, he can’t do it. And we...*I*...was wondering whether I could ask you to give the bride away.” Scully looked at a Skinner suddenly gone still. Then Skinner broke into a big grin. “Of course I’ll give the bride away. I’d be honored. But what about your other brother?” Scully shook her head. “Out of the country and can’t get leave. And my mom would hate walking me up the aisle. She’d do it, but she gets stage fright. We appreciate your agreeing to do this.” “No, Dana, the pleasure is all mine,” Skinner said cordially. “I’ve been waiting for you two to get together for seven years and now I’m glad to be the one to walk you up the aisle.” He gave them a concerned look. “I’m leaving town tonight for that conference and I won’t be back until the Thursday before the wedding. Will that cause problems?” “We’ll coordinate everything through Kim. And we can make last minute changes on Thursday and Friday,” Scully said reassuringly. Skinner nodded. “All right, then, back to your expenses. Mulder, didn’t you ever study arithmetic in school? I can’t believe the figures you’ve arrived at here.....” December 18, 1999 3:00 a.m. Scully heard the rattling of the key in her door and threw off the afghan, running over to open it. She opened the door to a sorry sight. Fox Mulder stood there, reeking of booze, cigarettes and other things she didn’t want to name, supported by an equally blasted Walter Skinner. “C’n we come in?” asked Mulder blearily. Scully was speechless as she opened the door and the two men stumbled in. Mulder collapsed on the couch while Skinner found an armchair. Scully just stood there, arms folded across her chest, eyeing both men sternly. “I take it the bachelor party went well?” She asked crisply. “Oh yeah...was great, wasnnn’t sir?” Skinner propped open an eyelid. “Yeah...real good pardd..par...party. Don’ worry...no strippers...nothin’ wild. Jus’ drinkin’. And bad jokes...” Mulder nodded. “Good booze, baaad jokes.” Scully tried unsuccessfully to bite back her smile. “And just how many bars did you hit?” Skinner beamed at her jovially. “Five? or wazzit six? Mulder, you got the mem’ry. H’many wazzit? Mulder?” He didn’t get an answer. Mulder was already fast asleep on the couch. Scully covered him gently with the afghan and then led Skinner to the guest bedroom, where she poured him into the bed, only stopping to help him off with his shoes. “Agent Scully...?” Skinner said as Scully went to close the door. “Yes sir?” “Jus’ want you t’know, I was always on y’r side, you ‘n Mulder’s. Din’t always have choices, but always on y’r side. I’m glad y’r getting married.” Scully smiled. “Thank you sir.” Then she closed the door. ***************************** The Wedding From Hell: part 7 December 18, 1999 Noon “C’mon Mulder, time to get up..” Scully tugged at the sodden lump that was her intended. She paused bemusedly. This time tomorrow, he’d be her husband. She’d be Mrs. Fox Mulder (what the heck, she wouldn’t use the name Scully *all* the time..). Husband. Wow. She fought down the silly grin and knew she had to be strong, disciplined. Had to get Mulder to the church on time. “Mulder..wake up!” She tried to shake him, then heard Skinner’s unsteady footstep behind her. He looked about as bad as Mulder did, but with an evil gleam in his eye. “Let me try, Agent Scully,” he suggested. “Agent Mulder, report to my office in five minutes with all your expense reports for the past five months! Your shoddy paperwork is ridiculous!” He barked, then stood back as Mulder erupted from the couch and stood shivering before them. “Huh? Wha...I’ll get ‘em, where are they? Huh?” He stopped when he saw that both Skinner and his fiancee were laughing. “Hey, that’s not fair...” He grabbed his head and sighed. “Oh, my head...” “But it worked,” Scully said placidly. “There is coffee in the kitche as well as aspirin, antacids and any other painkillers I could scrounge. The toast is just about done.” Skinner was still grinning as he led the way to the table. Mulder stumbled after, giving his boss envious looks at his apparently unaffected state. Skinner sat quietly down and applied himself to his coffee and toast. Mulder sipped his coffee and helped himself to the aspirin. Hopefully he’d feel human soon. It was his wedding day...wow...suddenly he felt better. And even more so when a pair of cool hands felt his forehead, then kissed him. “No fever, just hangover. And I thought I had trouble holding my liquor.” Scully smiled, including them both in her beam. “I’m heading over to the church now. Tara took the dress over, and the hairdresser will be working on me and the bridesmaids. Mulder, your tux is in the closet fresh from the cleaners and so are your black shoes. I laid out black silk socks on your bed...” Mulder reached back and grabbed her around the waist. “Woman, I’ve been dressing myself for over 30 years, I think I can manage this...” “Well, from here on in you’ve become *my* responsibility, so just make sure your socks match!” She disengaged herself, then planted a deep, passionate kiss on Mulder’s lips. “Until we meet at the altar...” she breathed. “Oh yeah...” Mulder breathed back and watched her go. “You’re a lucky man. I hope you know that,” Skinner said quietly. Mulder nodded. “I know.” 3:00 p.m. Mulder found himself standing at the entrance to St. Patrick’s church, tugging at his cufflinks. Skinner stood placidly beside him, watching Mulder out of the corner of his eye. “They’ll be here. Don’t worry.” Mulder smiled nervously. “It wouldn’t matter, except Frohike has the rings. If he loses those, Scully will kill me.” He looked around. “Think I’ll go check on her.” Skinner grinned. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” “Shit, if it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all!” Mulder called over his shoulder as he headed for the room where the women were dressing. He could hear the sounds of feminine laughter as he tapped at the door. He was met by Tara Scully, dressed in a flowing gown of deep green. “Tara, can I see Scully?” Mulder affixed his best puppy-dog pleading expression on his face. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride before...” Mulder pushed open the door and found Scully seated before a mirror, her hair done and finishing her makeup. “Hi, gorgeous,” he said as she got up and turned to face him. He almost passed out. She stood in a floor length gown of some sparkly, semi-translucent fabric in a champagne color that flowed with her every movement. And the neckline....oh my...it plunged and plunged... “Hi Mulder,” Scully said softly. “Do you like the dress?” Mulder closed his gaping jaw and tried to pry his eyes away from her breasts, which the dress covered--almost. “Um....oh yeah, I love the dress...Oh yeah...” He had *never* expected his prim, businesslike Scully to ever look like this. Even naked she’d never looked this beautiful. Then he realized. “Hey, it’s not white.” “No, Mulder it isn’t. I tried on about twenty dresses before I realized that the reason I hated them was because they looked like ‘wedding’ dresses: stiff, ruffly ugly confections. I hated looking like a human pincushion. I decided against the white dress with veil. So Mom and I found a seamstress to make what *I* wanted. And why should I wear white? I’m hardly a virgin, and I’m not a sixteen year old bride. I’m a grown woman.” Mulder grinned appreciatively as she spun in a circle, making the beads sparkle. “Oh, you’re a grown woman all right. I’m just glad you’re spoken for, otherwise I’d have to ask you to save me a dance at the reception.” She slinked over to him and snuggled up very close. “Oh Mulder, I’m saving much more than a dance for you tonight...” she whispered in his ear. He could feel himself beginning to sweat in his tux. “I think I know why they don’t let the groom see the bride before the wedding. They’re afraid they’ll ravish her before she gets to the altar!” Mulder tugged at his collar while Scully giggled. He allowed himself to be shoo’d from the room and returned to the front of the church. Maggie Scully had just arrived, driving Teena Mulder from her hotel. “Mom! How are you feeling?” Mulder beamed as he helped her from the car. “Oh, I’m just fine Fox. My, you look wonderful today,” Teena smiled wistfully. “It just doesn’t seem that long ago you were just a child. Now you’re getting married. Did Dana like your grandmother’s ring?” “She loved it. It hasn’t left her finger since I put it on her, except for the occasional autopsy.” Mulder stopped at Teena’s grimace. Oh yeah, Mom wa sensitive. Noting Mulder’s expression, Maggie tactfully took Teena’s arm. “Why don’t we check on the girls? They can probably use some help dressing.” Teena nodded and allowed herself to be led away. A battered VW van pulled up and disgorged Frohike and Byers, both resplendent in tuxes matching Mulder. Langly parked the van and returned to the group “Hey man, you’re lookin’ good!” Mulder called as Langly approached. Langly, too had made an effort, wearing neatly pressed black cords with matching tuxedo t-shirt. Langly just grinned and adjusted his glasses. Mulder and the groomsmen wandered into the church and got a good look at the decorations for the first time. Mulder stopped, stunned. There were flowers, of course: the red and white roses he and Scully had chosen, and the church was wreathed in evergreen for Christmas. But the Scullys and the Gunmen, he supposed, had also decorated the church with light. Tiny votive candles, hundreds of them, were perched all over the tall, ornately carved altar, lighting up the niches and bringing the front of the church into a golden glow. The altar itself was ablaze with more of the points of light. “Did you guys do this?” Mulder breathed in awe. “Yup. We got together with Tara and Maggie earlier today. Had to send you two off right,” Frohike grinned. “I’ve got fire extinguishers in the corners, just in case.” Mulder just grinned back and admired the church, greeting the guests as they filtered in. Finally, Langly went in and took his seat while Byers and Frohike helped to seat the guests. Mulder backed into a far corner of the church and stood, fidgeting nervously. “Sorry you didn’t bring your weapon?” Skinner asked drily. “I’ve faced down liver-eating mutants, vampires and things I can’t even describe but I’ve never been this scared.....” Mulder looked around palely. “I wish they’d let me hang out with her until the wedding starts. At least then I’d know she isn’t going to cut and run at the last minute like any sane person.” Skinner grinned. “Agent Mulder, Dana Scully gave up any pretense at sanity years ago when she elected to remain your partner. Don’t worry, I’ll get her to the altar safely.” The musicians had arrived, a classical quartet, and began playing soft music. More guests filtered in. Mulder got more nervous. “I wish Scully hadn’t picked Pachelbel’s Canon in D for this wedding...it was originally written for a funeral, you know, “ Mulder muttered distractedly. Then he saw Father McCue and two altarboys, ready to process in. “Hello, son. I’ll see you two at the altar,” said Father McCue and winked. The first altar boy took a better grip on the large cross he carried, and at McCue’s nod, started the procession in. Both mothers appeared at the doorway. “It’s time, Fox,” Maggie smiled. Teena approached Mulder and kissed him. “Congratulations, my darling boy. I hope you’ll be very happy.” Mulder gave them both a quavering smile and made his way to the front of the church. In the distance he could see the bustle at the rear as Frohike paired with Maggie and Byers escorted Teena in. When both mothers were seated, Frohike joined Mulder up at the front of the church, while Byers took a seat. “Courage, man. You can do this,” Frohike whispered. Mulder nodded, his eyes focused on the entrance. The soft classical music faded away to be replaced by a passage from Beethoven, Pathetique, 2nd movement he thought. First Ellen, in a green velvet dress carrying red and white roses with more roses in her hair, then Tara dressed the same, walked slowly into the church. He found himself craning his neck, seeing only a glimpse of golden light in the entryway. The music changed to a trumpet solo, it’s triumphant call ringing through the church as his Scully came up the aisle. She glowed with golden light, the tiny votives catching the sparkles on her dress. She wore no jewelry, not even her cross. She didn’t need any. And she had no veil. Her only ornament was another bouquet of red and white roses, tied with gold and green ribbons. She was simply herself, completely and honestly his Scully, coming to him in a cloud of light. He couldn’t think of anything more fitting. The trumpet solo ended and Skinner grinned at Scully as he placed her hand in Mulder’s. Scully stood on tiptoe and gave a surprised Skinner a quick kiss. “Thank you, Sir. For everything.” “My pleasure, Agent.” A beaming Skinner backed away and sat down next to Maggie. Mulder gave Scully a long appreciative look, which she returned with interest. Then they followed the priest to the altar. A few rows back, Langly elbowed Byers. “Hey man, what’s wrong? You’re supposed to be *happy* for them.” Byers sniffled a little. “I *am* happy...and a little jealous.” The service passed Mulder in a golden blur. He was intensely conscious of Scully next to him; he could swear she was glowing. He certainly felt like he was. Oh, what? Oh yeah, the vows. He cleared his throat and addressed himself to Scully using the words that they had chosen: “I, Fox William Mulder, promise to be your lover, companion and friend, Your partner throughout our lives, Your ally in conflict, Your greatest fan and your toughest adversary, Your comrade in adventure, Your student and your teacher, Your consolation in disappointment, Your accomplice in mischief, Your strength in your need and Vulnerable to you in my own. And most of all, your friend in our shared search for truth. I take you to be my wife and promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” He could see tears trembling on her lashes as he slipped the ring on her finger. He could hear the quaver in her voice as she repeated back the words he’d just said to her, promising to be his partner, his support and all the things she already was and now would be for the rest of their lives. Her fingers trembled as she pushed the ring with the X’s onto his finger. He could never remember the rest of the mass, just the feel of her fingers in his and the smooth gold of the ring. He thought that they sang the Ave Maria, when Scully went to lay her bouquet at the statue of the Virgin Mary and said a prayer. He breathed a quick prayer then, too, hoping that the God Scully believed in would protect her and take care of them both. Then, they were in a receiving line, laughing and being congratulated. Scully was teased more than once about her dress, but she just said proudly, “My husband likes it, and if it’s okay with him, it’s okay with me!” The photographer grabbed them and forced them through the formal portrait ordeal. But Mulder didn’t mind, he couldn’t wipe the shit-eating grin off his face and figured it couldn’t hurt. By the time they got to the reception, the party was going full blast. Frohike had helped him find a band with a guy who sang Elvis songs. When Scully got a look at the singer’s sideburns, she frowned a little then shrugged. Mulder decided he liked the shrug. It made her shimmer all over. The dinner was as delicious as the one they’d sampled and the guests were raving over the lamb, the table decorations (tiny boxes of truffles in red and gold boxes sitting on They cut the cake, a two tier lemon creme with raspberry filling, and delicately fed it to each other (avoiding a food fight by prearrangement). Scully successfully disposed of her wedding bouquet (Tracy caught it), and Mulder gingerly relieved her of her garter while she giggled. Frohike grabbed it in mid-air. “Oh no, does that mean I’m going to see that thing on his rearview mirror for the next ten years?” Scully asked doubtfully as Frohike did a victory dance, twirling the garter around his finger. “Probably. I think you made his day,” Mulder smiled, then felt Scully tug his arm. She held her finger to her lips and pulled him into a neighboring banquet room, currently unused. She pulled him over by the windows. “Mulder, I just wanted to tell you that I love you, now, away from all the chaos.” She planted her hands on either side of his face and leaned in for a kiss. They both raised their heads when they heard whistles and cheers from behind them. The wedding party had followed them. “Come on, the honeymoon can’t start yet! You haven’t danced!” yelled Frohike, still carrying the garter. Mulder and Scully laughed and ran back into the main room, holding hands. “You’re right, we have to dance. Wife, may I have this dance?” Mulder held out his arms and Scully walked into them, holding him close. The singer, who looked suspiciously like Elvis, began to sing: “Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you....” Scully gave Mulder a long, suspicious glance. “I knew Elvis would be in there somewhere. But I love the thought.” “Of course,” Mulder just grinned back and they continued their dance. Other couples filtered onto the dance floor and soon the room was full of dancers. Frohike approached Skinner, standing wistfully on the sidelines. “Hey, Skinner, would you like to join us in a private toast? I brought some of the good stuff.” Frohike held out a small silver flask. Skinner grinned. “I’d be honored,” he replied and followed Frohike back to a small storeroom. Byers and Langly were already waiting, gleefully sipping at a confiscated bottle of champagne. Skinner picked it up and read the label. “Vouve Cliquotte! Where did you find this?” “Mulder gave it to us. Said his mom had bought them a case as a wedding gift and he wanted to share the wealth.” Langly grabbed an empty champagne flute and poured Skinner a glassful. Reaching back to put the bottle down, Langly lost his balance and fell back hard against some wooden packing crates stacked against the wall. Fumbling for his balance, he hung onto the top crate, putting his full weight against it. The pile of crates wobbled and fell over, breaking with a crash. Skinner and the gunmen stood back, silently watching a deadly pile of handguns, ammunition, sub-machine guns and assault rifles pour from the cases. ************************ Wedding From Hell part 8 Skinner and the Gunmen just stared at the gleaming pile of weaponry for a moment, then Skinner knelt down and began to examine the guns. He lifted a gun. “This is a Colt M16A2. High powered sub-machine gun, it can easily pierce level 11 kevlar. This is a military weapon. And this is a Benelli M1, 12-gauge shotgun.” Byers had knelt beside him and was looking over a handgun. “This is a Beretta, isn’t it?” Skinner nodded. “All these are weapons of choice for terrorists, high-powered and high quality. I assume that the rest of these cases have the same contents. There must be ten cases here...hundreds of weapons.” Skinner frowned bleakly. “I thought one of the waiters looked familiar and I just figured out where I’ve seen him before.” He got up, dusting the knees of his trousers. “I’m going to get Mulder.” “Are you sure you want to tell him? I mean, it’s his wedding day.” Frohike cast a worried glance at the guns and then at Skinner. “He wouldn’t thank me for keeping him in the dark. I’ll get him.” Skinner returned in a few minutes with a laughing Mulder. “Sir, I don’t understand what all the secrecy is abou....” He saw the burst crates and the pile of weapons on the floor and fell silent in mid-stream. “Do you know anything about this, Agent Mulder?” Skinner asked quietly. Mulder shook his head, stunned. “No sir. We just rented the hall. What’s going on?” “The waiter at my table looked familiar and I just remembered where I saw him. I opened a file three days ago in the Domestic Terrorism unit. Derek Brown is a known member of a terrorist militia group called the Sons of America. It’s been suspected for some time that they’ve been stockpiling weapons and shipping them to their various group centers. After Waco we’ve kept a low profile on the investigation, but I think this will blow the case wide open.” Skinner sighed. “I’m sorry to interrupt your reception, Agent Mulder...” Mulder tore his eyes away from the guns. “That’s okay, sir. Should we cancel our plane tickets?” “Oh no. This doesn’t involve your division at all; you two go ahead. But I need to alert Agents Simonds and Richardson.” He stopped. “Did you hear that?” The music and noise from the main room had died down and a single man’s voice could be heard shouting. “Don’t anybody move or I’ll mow you down!” “Damn,” said Mulder. “He must have seen you come out to get me and figured out we found the guns.” His face grew pale. “Scully’s in there!” “Hold it. Sudden movement might compel him to fire.” Skinner eased open the store room door slightly. “He’s on the far side of the room. Looks like all ten of the waiters are involved. They’re armed and scattered around the room. Damn! The hall is stuffed with law-enforcement out there, unarmed, and we can’t do a thing!” Mulder bent down and retrieved a Beretta, loading it. “We can arm ourselves and hope to have a chance of using it.” He loaded a second one and stuffed it into his cummerbund, then joined Skinner at the door. He could hear the Gunmen nervously arming themselves as well. “Oh no...” A furious Albert, still in chef’s hat and apron was stomping out of the kitchen toward Brown. “Derek, I hired you because you’re my cousin and Aunt Nita said you needed the work! How could you do this? We’re family!” Brown stared coldly at Albert. “The Sons are my family. You’d better get out of the way or, cousin or not, I’ll shoot you where you stand.” “You wouldn’t! We grew up together. Please Derek..” Albert walked slowly toward Brown, who raised his gun. Albert gave a yell and ran for Brown, wrestling him to the floor. “Now!” hissed Skinner and the men slipped out of the store room, scattering into the far corners of the hall. Mulder found Scully huddled behind an upended table, watching three FBI agents trying to take down one of the waiters. “Are you okay?” she asked tensely. “I’m fine.” Mulder pulled the second Beretta out and held it out to her. “So, how do you like your reception?” Scully calmly eyed her husband. “Mulder, today I’m a bride, the happiest day of my life, the day I’ve looked forward to since I was a little girl. I spent two hours having my hair done, got a pedicure, a manicure and spent over $3000 for this dress. This is my goddamned day, so shut the fuck up Mulder and hand me the stupid gun!” She grabbed the Beretta and pointed it over the table just as a bullet came whizzing over their heads. The two agents had subdued the one terrorist, but there were nine still free and armed. “My mom. Is she still here? How about your mom and Tara?” Mulder asked anxiously between shots. “They left about twenty minutes ago. Mom drove Tara and Teena back to the hotel, thank God. Bill’s still here, somewhere.” “Bill? What the Hell is he doing here?” Mulder squeezed off another shot and noted that one waiter was taking out the Christmas tree. He could see all the little white porcelain doves exploding into puffs of dust, like skeet. “He came to apologize. Said he was unreasonable and that I was competent to make my own choices. He came to the wedding, “ Aim and fire. Aim again. “He stood at the back. He also said he met a man who claimed to be an old family friend, extended his best wishes to us.” “Oh? Who?” Mulder squeezed off a shot and scanned the room. Two more waiters down, four more actively firing. Where were the other three? “Bill said he was older, wrinkled, wearing a gray trenchcoat. And smelled strongly of cigarettes. Bill said he was watching the ceremony really closely, looking kind of sad.” Aim, fire, duck. Oh, Tracy got one of the Berettas. Damn, she’s good--winged one of the waiters. “I can’t blame him for being sad. He was never invited. Talk about evil fairies and their gifts....” “What was that, Mulder?” click-click-click “Damn. I’m out of ammo. Do you have any more?” “No. It’s all back in the storage room. Here, take my gun and cover me. I’ll go back and get more. Hey, there’s Bill. I think he has the same idea. Cover us.” Mulder gave the gun to Scully and scuttled over to the storage room door, meeting Bill Scully there and running in after him. “More ammo?” Mulder asked breathlessly. “Yeah. I was over in the corner with some agents that got pinned down. We’re about out.” Bill ran to the corner and began scooping up ammunition. Mulder joined him, stuffing pockets. “Well, I’m glad you came to the wedding after all. It made Scully happy.” “I did it for her. Not for you. I still think you’re a prick, and this reception is just one more thing she’s had to face because of you, so don’t think I’m doing you any favors.” Bill ran back to the door, followed by Mulder. “You’re never going to understand this, Bill, but I really don’t care what you think. I only care about my wife’s well-being, and she cares about you. God knows why.” Bill turned to reply to Mulder, then found himself pushed back against the door, falling over backwards and landing on Mulder. Derek Brown ran into the room, gun drawn, then slammed the door behind him. He trained his gun on the two men. “Okay, empty your pockets and nobody has to get hurt.” Reception Hall Scully wondered dimly what had become of Mulder. Her count was up to eight waiters either injured or subdued. If the agents were low on arms and ammo, the waiters hadn’t started with much either. Once the fighting got down to chair-legs and fragments of the Christmas tree, the battle was more even. She had remained crouched behind her table, forgotten by most of the room, Mulder’s gun now empty. Mulder. It was taking him an awfully long time... She heard a banging sound and men wearing kevlar vests poured into the room. Waiter number nine was quickly subdued. She got up and cautiously surveyed the room. Where was number 10? And what the Hell had happened, anyway? She saw the door to the storeroom open and was overjoyed to see Mulder framed in the doorway. Skinner hurriedly ran over to him and as they began speaking, she could see the black muzzle of a gun pointed at Mulder’s head. He’d found waiter number 10. She hurried over and found herself in a crowd of D.C. SWAT team members. “No, I’m an FBI agent. Sorry, I don’t have my badge. Yes, I’m the bride...please let me through. They have my partner hostage...” The door was closed and Skinner was huddled with the SWAT team leader. They both looked worried. “Agent Scully. I’m sorry to have to tell you that Derek Brown is holding Agent Mulder and your brother Bill hostage in there. He wants safe conduct out and money or he’s threatening to kill them.” A team member handed her a kevlar vest and she struggled into it, slipping it absently over her dress. “Mulder knows that we don’t deal with terrorists...” she said, her voice low. “We’re trying to figure out a way to get them free of there. The room is small, without even a ventilation duct, so teargas is iffy....” Scully listened to them plan, but for the first time in a crisis she felt frozen. Mulder was in there... Her husband was in there....This was the reason she’d always been shy of commitment. She’d always been terrified of loving somebody, then abruptly losing them..... Store Room When the gunfire had died down, Brown had had Mulder look outside and report on the melee. “You’ve lost. All your guys are either shot or arrested and the local SWAT team is pouring in. The FBI won’t be far behind. You’ve lost. Why don’t you just give it up without any more bloodshed?” “I can’t do that. I’m sworn to die before I betray the cause. And I’ll take you two with me if I need to.” Brown spat and held the gun steady. Bill and Mulder waited quietly, watching the gun in Derek Brown’s hands, as he held it without a quiver. “You, Mister Newlywed--you go to the door. Tell ‘em I’ll exchange you for my freedom and $10,000 cash. Any tricks and your bride is a widow before the day is out.” Mulder had delivered the message to an anxious Skinner. They both knew the size of the weapons stockpile in the crates. There was no doubt that Brown could make good his threat. “Skinner--” Mulder looked over his shoulder, then back at his boss. “If I don’t get out of this, will you tell Scully...” he said softly, then fumbled for words. Skinner nodded. “I’ll tell her if I have to, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary, Agent.” The gun pressed more firmly against Mulder’s temple and he was forced back into the room. Brown locked the door behind him and propped a chair against it, then forced the men to the far side of the storage room, away from the open cases. “This doesn’t have to end badly, “Mulder said softly. “You decide what happens here, and nobody has to get hurt. You’re outnumbered. At least if you give up now, the Sons of America haven’t lost another soldier...” “I said, I’m ready to die for the cause....” “I know that. But wouldn’t it be better to live for it? You don’t do the cause much good shot down by cops....” Brown was starting to look doubtful. Good. “At least alive you can continue to work for the cause. I know how very much you believe in it...” Mulder kept up a soothing litany, hoping either to talk their captor down or to buy time for the teams outside to find a way to rescue them. He could feel Bill quivering with impatience, unhappy at the enforced stillness. Mulder kept throwing cautionary looks Bill’s way. He could sense that Bill wanted to explode, just stop the talk and take control back. Can’t focus on Bill. Got to focus on Derek, he’s the one with the gun. Hope Bill has enough good sense not to...damn! Derek’s attention was focused so entirely on Mulder that he didn’t see Bill edging away from Mulder, taking himself out of direct view. A sudden noise from outside the room startled Derek, and Bill chose that moment to dive for him. Bill hit him at the waist, throwing him over. Mulder cursed Bill silently but was a split-second behind him, pinning him while Bill wrestled the gun away from Derek. Bill sat on his captive and began happily tying the man’s wrists in front of his body with the tie from the man’s tux. Mulder opened the door. “It’s okay, our guy is down,” he called to the assembled firepower. A kevlar clad Scully ran and gave him a flying hug. “Damn it, Mulder! Don’t *do* things like that! You frightened me.” She snuggled into his collarbone as Mulder held her close. “Yeah, well it took a little help from his brother-in-law to get this guy, sis.” Bill got up, leaving Derek on the floor and sauntered toward Scully. Mulder turned, ready to give him a wise-ass response and saw Derek diving for his weapon. Bill must have put it down when he was tying Derek. “Bill!” As Mulder lunged forward he could see Derek grab the gun in his tied hands and aim it point blank at Bill’s back. “No!!” Mulder pushed Bill out of the way and heard a tremendous noise. Blood. There was blood everywhere. The world was covered with it. He was on the floor, he guessed dimly. Somebody was yelling, and he could feel hands on him, tugging at his collar and his tie. He blinked and saw Scully hovering overhead, bloody streaks on her face, her hands crimson red, her vest streaked with it. “Scully....you’re hurt...” he whispered. “No, I’m not. Lie still.” She grabbed the hem of her $3000 dress and yanked. A long strip of fabric came loose, scattering tiny beads to land and float in the blood. He could dimly see it flowing, pulsing away from his body. She bunched the rag into a ball and pressed it against his neck, hard. “Ow! What...?” “You got shot. It hit an artery..shit...” It wasn’t like Scully to swear, then he saw what she was swearing at. More blood, pulsing in time to his heartbeat. A terrified looking Skinner ran up and dug for a handkerchief. “Here, Scully, use this.” Skinner handed her the white cotton handkerchief. Scully looked at the wad of fabric in her hand, red and sodden. She shuddered and grabbed the cloth offered, pushing it down onto the wound. She looked up at Skinner as she spoke urgently. “Go find a towel, or a tablecloth or something...And get the paramedics. NOW!” “Scully....” Her eyes returned to Mulder’s face. “Scully, I want you to know that this has been the best day of my life. I love you...” Mulder could feel himself getting cold. He could vaguely see Skinner pulling off his jacket, Scully tucking it around him. Too bad he was going to ruin it; Skinner’d never get his deposit back. Everything sounded so far away. Cold. It was so cold. “No...Mulder...no, not like this. You can’t go like this.” Scully’s hands were trembling where she pressed against the wound. The cloth was red and soaking again. She looked around vainly for another cloth to use and tore another strip off her dress, adding it to the compress. “Mulder, you can’t go yet. You have to hold on. Don’t you dare give up like this! Mulder? Mulder can you hear me?” Anguish in her voice....”Damn it, where are the paramedics?!!” ************************ Wedding From Hell part 9 When Mulder had appeared at the storeroom door, announcing that the last terrorist had been subdued, Scully was waiting. At the first sight of Mulder, whole and uninjured, she had run full speed and thrown herself into his arms. Safe. He was safe. Then she heard Bill, bragging as usual, and pulled her head away from Mulder’s chest. She saw the terrorist stretch his bound hands for the gun just in reach, grab it, aim it for Bill. She felt Mulder yell, then pull abruptly away from her to dive for Bill. “Mulder...no!” was on her lips, but it was too late. Bill pushed out of the way, Mulder took the bullet in the neck. She saw blood fountain out of him as he collapsed to the floor. She sprinted towards him and heard a shot, Skinner’s gun, she thought. The terrorist went down and stayed down. She threw herself to her knees next to her husband. Mulder’s eyes were opening as he struggled to sit up. “Lie still. No I’m not hurt,” she told him sharply, watching the blood pump out of him in time to his heartbeat. Artery. If it was the carotid, Mulder was dead as he lay there. Please God, let it be the jugular; lower pressure, there’d be a chance of saving him. Without regret she ripped a hunk of fabric from her gold dress and made a compress for Mulder’s wound. He’d stopped arguing, getting paler. She could see the sweat beading his face, skin felt clammy under the hot blood flooding her hands. He was trying to say good bye. Damn it, Mulder, don’t you say goodbye to me yet! We’ve barely started. We never had a chance to really start. Not today. Not now. We’ve never had a chance! Mulder’s eyes flutter closed and he falls into silence. Wrap Skinner’s jacket around Mulder, try to keep the shock down. Grasp at straws. He’s dying....Keep pressing the wound, try to stop the blood. He’s dying...he’s really going to leave me this time and I can’t stop it..... Add another strip of fabric to Skinner’s handkerchief and her original dress fragment. Press, hold..pray. Breathe, Mulder, breathe. Mulder’s eyes opened again and he just looked up at her, that deep look that meant he was studying her, learning her soul. He smiled a little and they closed again. She bent forward and put her lips to his ear. “Mulder, if you die on me I will never forgive you. Got that? Please, please just hold on for me...” Skinner appeared with a stack of dish towels and silently handed them to her. She took two, folded them and jammed them on top of the wound. “Where are the goddamned paramedics?” she gritted, here eyes never leaving Mulder’s face. “On their way. There was a backup on the freeway, traffic accident, and they had to go around it. How is he?” Dana tried to control her voice; keep it professional and cool. “He’s suffering from hypovolemic shock; he’s lost a lot of blood, and quickly. Unless we get him to a hospital soon, very soon....” her voice trailed off and she pressed harder. Skinner disappeared and she could hear him shouting in the background that any paramedics who showed up were to go to the back room, immediately! The paramedics arrived, at last! and took over. Dana shucked off the kevlar vest and followed the gurney our of the hall. She saw that her hands were red with drying blood and absently wiped them on her dress. While they were loading Mulder, she sadly noticed the white Mustang, parked forlornly in front of the hall, still decorated with crepe paper roses and a ‘just married’ sign. Skinner came up to her. “Dana, I’ll meet you at the hospital. Don’t worry about the car, I’ll see to it.“ Scully nodded and got into the ambulance. She saw a second ambulance arrive, for the other wounded she supposed. The other wounded at her wedding reception. Skinner watched the ambulance leave and went back into the room. He found Byers, Frohike and Langly standing together talking solemnly. “How is he?” Byers asked. “Still alive, and on his way to the hospital. Agent Scully’s with him. I was wondering if you could arrange to have the Mustang towed somewhere safe? I don’t think Scully will want to deal with it today.” Frohike nodded. “I have the spare key and I can get into Mulder’s garage. Not a problem.” “Good. Byers, would you go to the hotel and inform Mrs. Scully and Mrs. Mulder of the...er...occurrences here today? Maybe bring them to the hospital? I think that Agent Scully will need the support.” “Of course. They’re at the Plaza? I’ll go get them.” “How about me?” Langly asked. “You might try praying.” Skinner bleakly eyed the pool of blood drying on the storeroom floor and went to check on the other wounded. In the ambulance the paramedics continued to work on Mulder. Dana silently watched and listened, knowing better than to interfere. First one, then a second large bore IV was hooked up, trying frantically to replace the fluids Mulder had lost. His blood pressure had fallen to 80 over 40 and was dropping, pulse was in the 140’s and thready. Even though he was on oxygen, she helplessly watched him start to choke and gasp for air. He had never regained consciousness. Georgetown Hospital. Thank God. She followed the gurney into the ER, where she was gently but firmly pried away. They saw the blood all over her; was she hurt? No, I’m not hurt. I’m fine. It isn’t my blood. The nurse wanted to know about next of kin, was she a relative? “Yes, I’m his par...I’m his wife,” Dana faltered and fell silent, lightly caressing the rings on her left hand, now encrusted with blood. The nurse gave her an understanding nod and sat her down with a cup of coffee and the admittance forms. Then she went to wait in the waiting room. That was where Maggie and Byers found her, a small figure in a stained and crumpled dress, huddled in a chair. As they approached they could see her absently twisting the rings on her left hand while she stared expressionlessly into space. “Honey? How are you?” Maggie sat down next to her and enfolded her in a hug. “Mom? Oh Mom, he was dying...” After a long silence, Scully whispered into mother’s embrace. “I couldn’t do anything. I was there this time, and there was still nothing I could do...” “Honey, there’s always something you can do. You can pray. You’re doing that, aren’t you?” Dana nodded dumbly, while her mother stroked her hair. Maggie looked up as Bill walked into the waiting room, his expression a mix of embarrassment and worry. “Dana, I’m sorry about this. How is he?” Scully looked up. “How do you think he is? He almost died from loss of blood on the way over. He’s been in surgery for the past 45 minutes. We haven’t heard anything yet.” “I’m sorry, Dana...I...I thought that terrorist guy was tied up. I thought it was safe.” Bill sat down and looked at his hands. “He saved my life. He took the bullet meant for me.” “Yes. He did,” said Scully coldly. “Just like the sorry-ass son of a bitch to do something heroic, huh?” Bill gave her an angry look. “I never said he wasn’t brave, he just attracts trouble like a magnet. Today was a prime example; I’m just surprised that the mayhem wasn’t more widespread.” “William, that’s ENOUGH,” said Maggie. “You can go wait outside. I don’t think that Dana needs to hear this sort of talk right now.” Bill silently got up and stalked out of the room, brushing past Skinner who was standing in the doorway. “Honey, why don’t we get you a shower and change of clothes? Fox won’t want to see you looking like this when he wakes up, will he? I talked to the nurses at the desk and they said you could shower and change into some surgical scrubs in their locker room. How about it?” Scully looked up and wiped her cheek, smearing the blood. She glanced down at her hands, and her rings again. “I guess you’re right,” she said doubtfully. “But what if Mulder needs me? What if...? I can’t leave. Not until I know.” “I’ll stay here and if there’s news I’ll come and get you, right out of the shower if need be. Don’t worry, honey, it’s covered.” Scully nodded and gave her a watery smile, then wandered off to the desk and was soon being led to the locker room area. Seeing Dana leave the waiting room, Bill returned and sat down. “I didn’t mean to hurt her...” he began, but his mother interrupted. “You never do, but you always succeed. Can’t you understand, this is the man she’s chosen? She’s married to him now; what hurts him, hurts her.” “Yeah, but it wasn’t my fault Mulder got shot,” Bill mumbled. Maggie gave him a long look. “I’m going to get some coffee. And some air.” She left, walking briskly. “You’re right, it wasn’t your fault that Agent Mulder was shot,” a gravel voiced Skinner approached. “Actually, I blame it on Mulder.” “You do?” asked Bill hopefully. “Oh yes. He was the trained professional in the situation and should have been able to maintain control of events. According to your statement, Agent Mulder tried to negotiate with the terrorist for your release, and Brown was actually beginning to listen. Then you took it upon yourself to attempt to overpower Brown, even though he was armed. Agent Mulder, seeing that further negotiation would be useless, joined you and helped subdue the man.” Skinner moved in front of Bill and stared down at him coldly. “Then Agent Mulder made a poor decision. As the trained professional, he should have properly restrained the man and ensured that all weapons were completely out of the suspect’s reach before opening that door. Instead, he trusted *you*, an untrained non-professional, to do the job: poorly, I might add.” Skinner increased the intensity of his glare, making Bill shrink back against the cushions. “*You* tied the man with his hands in front of him, left the man’s weapon within reach and TURNED YOUR BACK on him so that you could try to one-up Agent Mulder.” Skinner fell silent then continued, a look of disgust on his face. “Agent Mulder knew he was working with an idiot and failed to take that into account. Thus, you were able to endanger yourself, forcing Agent Mulder to take steps to save you from your own rank stupidity. And thus, Agent Mulder is lying in that operating room through his own fault. And if your sister becomes a widow today, it will be Mulder’s poor judgement that causes that, no blame to you. So, you can finally say that you proved that you’re a better man than Agent Mulder.” Skinner gave Bill a withering look and strode out the door, followed closely by Byers. Bill sat alone and all was quiet. In the shower, Dana washed the blood out of her hair, off her face, off her hands, then stood under the spray of water and cried. She knew how close his chances were. Only married a day...and the wedding was so lovely. Those vows. Mulder had written them, trying to describe their partnership. And he had. She looked at her rings, now clean and shining. How long it had taken them to admit romantic feelings, and what terrible adventures had forced those admissions. “They should name a hospital wing for us,” Scully whispered with a wry smile. Those long months while she and Mulder both recovered from Kurt Willard’s sexual abuse. And then chicken pox. Mulder had looked so funny with his face all pocky. She hadn’t told him how cute she’d thought that one pock mark on the tip of his nose was; hadn’t wanted to make him self-conscious. And she’d let him propose to her for a full day before she’d accepted. Well, she wanted that time back now, she thought fiercely. She wanted all of it. And she wanted all those 7 wasted years with him, wanted back that time so that she could be his lover and not just his partner. She wanted that time, and now there might not be any left. Just today, and the last year. Time to get out of the shower. Her skin was wrinkling. The blood was gone, but she could still feel it on her skin: Mulder’s life, all over her. She sighed and toweled herself off, dressing in the oversized green scrubs. Just outside the waiting area, Skinner spoke to Byers. “Why isn’t Mrs, Mulder here? “ Byers shrugged. “She said she had a migraine and that we should call if there was any news. From what Mulder has said, that’s fairly consistent. She hates hospitals; has for years, since Samantha was taken.” Skinner nodded. Fro