Classy Reunion 


FROM PAPERHEART: 
 I've read some MSRs which include Mulder and Scully going to Mulder's 
 high school reunion, but I've never read any at Scully's reunion. 
 Correct me if I'm wrong!) Maybe it's because we all assume Scully's 
 family moved around too much for her to be in a high school for very 
 long. But she must have stayed somewhere to graduate from... so can 
 anyone write an MSR using the "Scully goes to her reunion" setting? Good 
 luck, anyone who takes this challenge...
 By the way Raquel, you're doing a great job, thanks! ;)
 Paperheart

In answer to the challenge, I whipped this up last night. Hope you like it
 :) 

SUMMARY: Mulder drags Scully to her class reunion. Answer to
 EP challenge.
 CATEGORY: MSR!! S
 RATED: G
 SPOILER: Subtle reference to 'Never Again'
 DISCLAIMER: Yeah, right, like you'd ever do this, Carter. Give
 me a break. This is so far from your vision, I don't think the courts
 would even count it as being an infringement, but I refuse to take
 money for it anyway :)
 SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: The cancer is cured here, so
 it's safe to read.
 ROMANCE: Well, in case this gets to other archives besides EP. 
 Yes, this is a romance. But not a real mushy one, so if you lean
 your head the right way and ignore every fifth sentence, you might
 be able to convince yourself that they are still just good friends. 
 <VEG>
 ARCHIVISTS: Please put it anywhere you wish, just keep my
 name attached. Thank you.
 COMMENTS:vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

Classy reunion
 By Vickie Moseley
 vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

Friday, July 18, 1997
 8:15 pm 

"Fox, you're staring," Maggie Scully chided in a soft whisper. Fox
 Mulder looked over suddenly, embarrassed to be caught in the act. 
 Still, he couldn't help but notice the smile in the older woman's
 eyes. "She's fine. She's not going anywhere You can relax,"
 Maggie said and gently reached over to squeeze his upper arm. 
 They were sitting in Dana's living room after a wonderful lasagna
 dinner. Scully busied herself in the kitchen making Irish Coffees
 while her guests made themselves at home. 

"I'm just still . . ." he shrugged, unable to finish the thought. It had
 just been a month since he was certain he would lose her forever. 
 The cure, the remission, had come just in the nick of time. Almost
 as if it had been planned that way, he thought sourly. Maximum
 amount of pain and agony for all involved. He shoved the thought
 from his mind as he heard Maggie whisper again. 

"I know. But the remission is real. The tumor is gone. We can be
 grateful," Maggie whispered. Neither of them wanted the object of
 their discussion, Scully, to overhear the conversation. 

"I am grateful, Mrs. Scully. You have no idea," he sighed. "I just
 wish I could-- I don't know," he stopped again. 

"Believe it's real?" Maggie asked and grinned at the shocked look
 that came to the young man's eyes. "I'd be lying if I didn't admit
 that I'm suspicious, too, Fox. But the doctors have been more than
 thorough and even Dana herself is ready to believe. I think the best
 thing we can do is follow her example, don't you?" 

Mulder grinned broadly. "If the skeptic believes, what are the
 believers left to do?" he asked. 

"Exactly," Maggie responded. "And that reminds me, I have a
 favor to ask." 

Mulder smiled. "For you, Mrs. Scully, anything. Which kidney do
 you need?" he teased. 

Maggie laughed. "Oh, it's not quite that extreme, Fox. Although
 you might have an easier time donating the organ. No, I got this in
 the mail the other day and I think it's just what my daughter needs." 
 She pulled a white business envelope out of her purse and handed it
 to Mulder. He looked at the address. 

"You know, it's a federal offense to read other people's mail," he
 scolded with a grin. 

"Mother's are exempt from that law. Didn't they teach you that at
 the Academy?" Maggie returned with a mischievous gleam and
 Mulder couldn't suppress the laugh that well up in his throat. It
 had been a long time since Maggie Scully had let her inherent sense
 of humor show to anyone. It was great to have it back again. He
 turned his attention back to the letter in the envelope. 

"Her high school class reunion? Gee, that's right, it's her fifteenth,
 isn't it?" he asked not really expecting an answer. "So, what' the
 favor? Of course she can have the time off, but it's here in
 Annapolis. I don't understand." 

"No, it's not that, Fox. See, Dana has decided that she doesn't
 want to go to this reunion. Her reasons are so vague, she doesn't
 have a dress, she thinks the two of you might be called away--you
 know. Nothing that convinces me that she really wouldn't want to
 go. I think she's afraid." 

"Scully? Afraid? Sure you aren't thinking of some other red
 headed FBI agent?" Mulder laughed. 

"No, I mean my daughter, Fox. For some reason, she doesn't want
 to go to this party. But I think she needs to celebrate. She needs
 to get all dolled up, have an excuse to buy a dress that doesn't have
 matching pants to go with the jacket--you know what I mean." 
 Maggie was giving her best sales job on this. "Fox, she NEEDS to
 feel pretty right now. Like she's alive. And I think this is just the
 way to go about it." 

"OK, fine, you've sold me, but I still don't understand where I
 come in," Mulder replied, obviously still confused. 

"Fox, let me spell this out. I want you to ASK her to the reunion. 
 Offer to take her. Nobody wants to go to a high school reunion by
 themselves," Maggie said pointedly. He had to admit, that was the
 big reason he'd skipped his own last two high school reunions. 

"What if she won't go, even if I ask her?" Mulder asked, trying
 hard to keep the whinny tone out of his voice. It might seem trivial
 to her mother, but it was a very real concern to him. He was still
 unsure as to where they stood. Somewhere along the line, her
 illness had pounded home to him just how important his partner
 was to his life. But he wasn't sure the feeling was completely
 mutual. 

Oh, he was sure Scully cared about him. For him, even. But this
 sounded too much like a 'date' and they hadn't been on that level
 before. To be exact, it almost felt like a step _back_ in their
 relationship. He'd held her in his arms when he thought she was
 dying. How in the world do you go from that level of intensity to
 asking someone out on a date? He couldn't stop the flush that
 suddenly colored his cheeks. 

Maggie's hand was on his arm again, seemingly able to read the
 emotions running amok on his face. "Fox, spending time together
 is _never_ a misstep," she said with a knowing smile. "Bill and I
 used to play this game. Whenever he got back to port, he'd call me
 up and ask me out. Just like in high school. He'd even make
 arrangements so that he'd get dressed at work and then come pick
 me up at the house. The kids always thought it was so funny. I can
 remember the four of them standing on the stairs, reminding us to
 be in by curfew. But every relationship needs a little lightness, a
 little fun. Even close friends. Come on, don't be such a fuddy
 duddy," she exclaimed. 

He didn't have time to defend his honor, because Scully entered
 with a tray full of coffee and a bottle of Irish whiskey. Fuddy
 duddy, indeed, he thought to himself, as he poured four fingers of
 the liquor into his cup. 

Monday, July 21, 1997
 8:10 am 

Mulder watched the pencil bounce on his desk blotter. He'd been
 sitting at his desk, tapping the pencil for the last fifteen minutes and
 figured he was good for another half hour at least. It was better
 than staring at the door. 

He'd spent the weekend screwing up the courage to ask Scully to
 her class reunion. Once he got over the initial case of cold feet, he
 had another obstacle. Technically speaking, it was up to HER to
 ask HIM to the reunion. But her mother had been adamant--the
 only way Scully was going to go to this party was if she was
 dragged kicking and screaming. And he was just the kind of friend
 that would do that for her, he smiled to himself. 

"Don't tell me. There was a sale at the video store--in that little
 room in the back," came a lilting voice from the doorway. His
 smile grew as he tossed the pencil back in it's holder and looked up
 at his partner. God, she looks great, he couldn't help but remind
 himself. She'd lost some weight, not that she had any to spare, but
 her hair had it's glossy shine again, and her cheeks were pink and
 healthy looking. Yes, she was her old self again. 

And probably just as stubborn as always, a little voice in his head
 whispered. He ignored it and pushed himself out of his chair. 

"Want some coffee, Scully?" he asked. 

"No, thanks. I had some on the way. Go ahead, though," she said
 absently, digging her laptop out of her briefcase. 

He frowned. This was not how he'd rehearsed the morning. He
 didn't really feel up to ad-libbing, but he was being forced into it by
 circumstances beyond his control. 

"Scully, can I ask you a favor?" he said suddenly. Why drag this
 out, he decided--go for the throat. 

"Of course, Mulder. What is it? Need me to feed the fish?" she
 asked. Gee, he winced silently, he must really be inconsiderate if
 that's what she thought he was asking. 

"No, actually, it's, well, it's more of a favor for your mom," he
 stammered. She looked at him with an eye brow raised. He was
 digging himself a pretty big hole and he'd better have a ladder ready
 to get himself out of it. He pulled the envelope out of his pocket. 
 "Take me to this." 

She stared at him for a full minute, as if she were waiting for the
 punchline. Finally, when it was apparent that he was serious, she
 took the envelope from his hand and looked at it. She heaved a big
 sigh, set her jaw and started shaking her head. Not signs of
 approval, Mulder noted. 

"Mulder," she said, her voice full of disapproval. "Look, this is a
 high school reunion. I don't know why this is so important to
 Mom, I mean, it's not even HER high school reunion. But it's
 NOT important to me. Got it. I don't want to go." She looked
 over and for the first time, realized that it probably took him a fair
 amount of courage to even bring the subject up. Her tone
 immediately softened. "It's not that I wouldn't love to go with
 you. I just don't want to go to this reunion." She hoped against
 hope that would be enough of an explanation. 

By the look of disappointment on his face, it wasn't. "Why not,
 Scully? It could be fun. See some old friends, eat a dinner that
 isn't wrapped in waxed paper, cut a rug--you know, my Mom
 forced me to take ballroom dancing when I was 11 and I haven't
 had the opportunity to practice since Oxford. Come on." 
 Suddenly, Maggie's words came back to him. "Don't be such a
 fuddy duddy." 

Fire flashed in her eyes for a second, and then she recognized the
 words. "I have to remember never to invite you and Mom to dinner
 on the same night from now on," she laughed. "Is it THAT
 important to her?" 

He nodded, his face totally serious. 

Her sigh was one of resignation to her fate. "OK, Geez, I guess we
 can go. But," she said firmly, sticking an index finger directly into
 his chest "the minute I say so--we leave. Got that?" 

He remembered that look. It was the same one she'd had when she
 shot him. "Duly noted," he answered. 

Friday, Aug. 1, 1997
 6:40 pm 

Scully stood in front of her bathroom mirror and smiled. It was
 silly, she knew, to get any kind of enjoyment out of shopping for a
 'reunion dress', but she had to admit, it had been fun. It was the
 first time in months that she'd felt well enough to go shopping. 
 Since her time in the hospital, she'd been so busy getting back to
 work that shopping for herself had been a faint memory. And just
 to get back at her mother, she'd dragged her along for the ride. 

The two of them hadn't had so much fun in ages. They took the
 whole afternoon, crawling every mall in a twenty mile radius. 
 Finally, they found the dress that cried out her name. It was electric
 blue, a color that was stunning on her. The off the shoulder
 neckline was just a little more risque than Scully usually liked, but
 Maggie had insisted. The dress was tailored through the bodice, fit
 tight at the waist before flaring out to a full skirt. It came a full
 three inches above her knees, and with her height, that left a lot of
 leg showing. She'd splurged and bought matching heels and a pair
 of black hose. A tiny 'dance purse', also electric blue, finished the
 ensemble. 

As she dropped her mom off, Maggie made her come in for a
 minute. Going up to her bedroom, Maggie returned with a flat, red
 velvet box. She handed it to her daughter. 

Dana knew the box the minute she saw it. A look of disbelief took
 over her face and her hands trembled as she reached out for the
 box. "Mom, are you sure about this?" she asked. 

"I wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't sure, sweetheart. Go on. Take
 them. Have a great time. They'll be yours one day. You might as
 well take them out on the town." Maggie struggled to keep the
 mist from completely clouding her eyes. She watched, smiling, as
 Dana opened the box and revealed a necklace of perfectly matched
 natural pearls. A set of pearl and diamond earrings were in the
 corner of the box. Dana picked the pearls up off the satin lining of
 the box and stared at them. 

"I used to beg--" Dana said in wonder. 

"I know," Maggie said, smiling at the memory. "You used to beg
 to wear them. But I always told you it wasn't time. That you
 weren't old enough yet." She took the pearls out of her daughter's
 hands and carefully unfastened them to place them around Dana's
 neck. She stood back when she was finished, admiring her work. 
 "They'll be perfect with that dress." 

"I'll be terrified that I'll lose them," Dana said, breathless, as her
 fingers caressed each individual stone. 

"With two FBI agents guarding them--I seriously doubt anything
 untoward is going to happen to them," Maggie laughed. 

Now, Scully stood in front of the mirror, and gently placed the
 string of pearls around her neck. Yes, her mother was right, as
 always. The pearls were perfect. 

A rapid knock at the door made her smile. Just like Mulder, late
 for airplanes, on time for dates. 

She opened the door without looking in the peephole. She'd
 known his knock. But she almost slammed the door when she saw
 the man standing in the doorway. Was _this_ her partner?! 

First, she had a hard time finding him behind the bouquet of what
 must have been two dozen yellow roses. The fragrance wafted to
 her and almost made her swoon. They were beautiful. She
 accepted them gratefully. 

"Mulder, you shouldn't have--but thank you!" she exclaimed,
 taking them out of his hands and going to the kitchen. She didn't
 see the slightly embarrassed look on his face. 

"Some guy on the street corner was holding up traffic until he sold
 all the flowers he had left. I did it as a public service," he attempted
 to cover. 

Scully almost laughed at his discomfort, but caught herself in time. 
 When she couldn't find a vase large enough for the roses, she had
 to settle for an ice bucket to hold them all. The arrangement was
 finally resting on her table and she stopped to look at the man who
 had brought it. 

Mulder look extremely handsome. He was wearing one of his nicer
 suits, dark brown, and it brought out the brown in his eyes. His
 shirt was silk, she'd seen him wear it once or twice before--only
 when he'd forgotten to go to the dry cleaners and his 'everyday'
 shirts were dirty. But the crowning glory was his tie. It was
 tasteful! Very pretty, in fact. A wonderfully artistic palette of
 browns, rusts and orange with flecks of green, blue and gold. 
 She'd never seen it before. 

"Mulder, that tie," she sighed and wolf whistled her appreciation. 

He blushed, really blushed and looked down. "Mom got it for me,
 last birthday. I've never had a reason to wear it." Then he gave
 her the once over. "My god, Scully, you look . . . gorgeous!" 

She smiled demurely and bit her bottom lip, looking down at her
 dress. "Mom talked me into it," she admitted. "And the pearls are
 hers, too." 

Mulder laughed. "Here we are, both of us in our thirties, and our
 mothers are still dressing us," he chuckled. "I'll have to tell your
 mom she has great taste in clothes," he added with a smile. He
 glanced at his watch. "We better take off. Wouldn't want to miss
 any of the festivities." He held out his arm for her to take. She
 smiled brightly and accepted it. 

*****

For some reason, Scully had imagined the reunion taking place in
 her high school gym. She knew better intellectually, she'd seen the
 invitation. Still, it was a bit of a shock when Mulder pulled up to
 the Hyatt Regency and handed his keys to the valet. He walked
 around the car and helped her out of her seat. She almost objected,
 she was perfectly capable of getting out on her own, but then it hit
 her. This was how 'real' people acted. Not partners, not 'buddies',
 a man and a woman going out on the town. She smiled and took
 his arm again, for once reveling in the feel of being 'a couple'. It
 felt good. It felt very right. 

Scully was holding Mulder's hand as they walked up to the
 registration table. Mulder let his eyes graze over the names on the
 name tags. He leaned over and whispered. "Scully, there are only
 women's names on these tags. Where do the guys register?" 

"I went to an all girls school, Mulder. Any 'guys' we had were in
 drag," she whispered back and he nodded. 

They reached the head of the line and Dana smiled at the woman
 sitting before her. Suddenly, recognition hit and both squealed in
 unison. "DAY!" "TERRI!" They reached over the table, almost
 falling, to give each other hugs. 

"My god, Day, it's been--what? Can it really be fifteen years?"
 Terri exclaimed, releasing her friend. 

"According to Sr. Mary Ellen," Dana laughed. 

"Do you believe that? They got 'Attila the Attendance Nun' to sign
 the invitations? Everybody's terrified they'll get a jug if they don't
 show up!" Terri laughed. Then, at a subtle throat clearing, both
 women noticed they weren't alone. 

"Oh, Mulder, I'm so sorry," Dana said hastily. "Teresa Bennett--" 

"Bennett-Anderson," Terri corrected her. 

"ohmigod," Dana said, obviously surprised. She hadn't heard the
 Terri was married. "Uh, Bennett-Anderson," she repeated, "this is
 my--" 

"_friend_, Fox Mulder," Mulder said. The emphasis on the word
 'friend' made Scully shoot him a look, but he ignored her, smiling
 at Terri as they shook hands. Terri looked over at Dana and
 winked her approval. 

"We HAVE to talk," Terri insisted. "I'll be done here in about a
 half hour. I'll find you." She quickly wrote out a name tag for
 Mulder and he plastered it on his lapel. Then he took Scully's arm
 and escorted her into the ballroom. 

The room was dimly lit and there were several tables already filled. 
 A dance floor was cleared to the far right, with a DJ setting up a
 CD player and sound system. Suddenly, Scully remembered why
 she hadn't wanted to come in the first place--she had always stayed
 away from dances. In high school, the yearbook index had her
 picture next to the word 'wallflower'. She tugged at Mulder's arm,
 slowing him to a halt. 

"Mulder, maybe we should--" 

He cut her off with an upraised hand. "I spot a table right over
 there, Scully. Close to the door, so Terri can find you later," he
 smiled and winked. The unspoken look in his eyes conveyed that it
 would be an easy escape later, if they needed it. 

"Great idea," she smiled in return. 

They sat down at the table, and Scully noticed that several of the
 chairs already had napkins over their backs, indicating that they
 were already taken. She looked around and noticed the line at the
 bar. "I guess Father Sullivan's lectures on the evils of drink got
 forgotten pretty quickly," she smirked. 

"Yeah, well, I'm sure there were a few lectures on the 'evils of
 men' that didn't get committed to memory, either," Mulder added
 with an truly devilish grin. 

"Oh, men were all right. I mean, you can't have 12 kids unless you
 nail one, you know," she teased. 

"Only 12," he choked, but recovered quickly. "Seriously Scully,
 tell me. What were you like when you were 'Day Scully'?" 

She smiled a far away, sad smile and ran a finger tip over the rim of
 her water glass. "I was . . . let's see. I was the Secretary of the
 Sophomore class--" 

"Political, and popular," he smiled. 

"Not really. That's the year that we had to keep track of all the
 service hours and they needed someone 'reliable'. That was me,
 old 'Reliable' Scully," she sighed. "And I was in a play once." 

"Which one?" 

"Fiddler on the Roof. We put it on with the all boys school, St.
 Matthew's. I was a 'mother'." 

He raised his eyebrow in question. 

"You know, in the number 'Tradition' they have the 'Mamas' and
 the 'Papas'," she explained. 

"Oh, BEFORE they became a rock group," he nodded in false
 understanding. "No, that can't be, it must have been AFTER," he
 teased. 

"Very funny," she scolded him, but couldn't help but smile anyway. 

"So, you were reliable and 'dependable' if I remember the play
 correctly. Now, tell me about the 'Day' that Terri knew." 

Again, Scully ran her fingertip on the rim of the glass, as if doing so
 would invoke the waters to conjure up the memories for her, letting
 her avoid saying them herself. 

"Terri and I were lab partners. And we shared a locker in gym. 
 She was like me, not that popular, didn't date that much--hardly
 ever. We both," she started laughing, then stopped, but still smiled. 
 "We both applied to the convent together." 

Mulder's eyes flew open in shock. "You--a nun?" he demanded. 

"Mulder, relax. Ask any Catholic girl, it's sort of a phase we all go
 through. I mean, you get 'Vocations' lectures all the time. There's
 even a month were you say this prayer every morning. That kind of
 pressure is going to put the idea in a girl's head somehow. But
 usually, it only sticks with the ones that are really serious. Anyway,
 we were all ready to send it in and word leaked out to Sr. Francis. 
 She was the principal. She called us down to the office and
 everyone in school thought we must have flipped out and done
 something horrible. She sat us down and we had a long talk. 
 Finally, she convinced us that if we went to college and STILL
 wanted to join the Sisters, they'd be glad to have us. But she didn't
 want us rushing into anything. She told us it was a vow, a
 commitment, just like marriage. Not to be taken lightly. And
 definitely not to be entered into simply because we didn't have
 dates to the prom." 

"Was that the reason?" Mulder asked softly, understanding flooding
 his eyes. 

She glanced at him and then turned her attention to study her
 napkin. "I guess that had something to do with it," she admitted. 

Mulder reached over and took her hand in his. "I'm glad she talked
 you out of it," he said, his voice low. A couple pulled up their
 chairs at the table and Mulder quickly dropped her hand, leaving
 her to wonder exactly what he meant. 

The food was served and the table was soon filled with classmates,
 everyone talking animatedly. The men at the table shot each other
 commiserating looks and remained quiet, occasionally joining in on
 stories that they had heard before. After dinner, Mulder got up to
 get them both a drink from the bar. 

One of the other men from the table joined him. The line wasn't
 that long, but everyone was ordering more than one drink, so the
 two men struck up a conversation. 

"How long you two been married," the other man, Tom, asked
 Mulder as they stood, trying to appear patient at the long wait. 

"Oh, we're not married. We're--" Mulder stopped and then
 clamped his mouth shut for a moment. "Actually, we've been
 together for four years now," he said, not bothering to elaborate. 

Tom smiled. "Yeah, Grace and I 'lived in sin' for a while, but her
 Mom was really pushing us to get married. I finally broke down
 five years ago. Man, I thought it would be awful. I mean, I just
 never saw myself as the marrying kind, you know." 

"You don't seem too 'hampered'," Mulder noted. Tom and Grace
 were the most affectionate couple at the table. 

"No, we're not. It's not that different, really. I mean, I've figured
 it out. I was always married to her. In my heart, I knew she was
 the only one I ever wanted to be with. I was just afraid of the
 ritual, the trappings. And I had this really dumbass idea that we'd
 change, that marriage would change our relationship. But it didn't. 
 Well, maybe a little." He smiled broadly. "Her mom doesn't rag at
 us as much any more. And now that Grace is expecting, she's quit
 raggin' at us completely!" 

Mulder shrugged. "Scully and I just never talked about it," he said,
 hoping that would end the conversation. He wasn't really
 comfortable talking about their 'relationship' when he wasn't sure if
 what they had qualified as one. Even so, Tom's words got him to
 thinking. What was he really afraid of? 

"Scully? You call each other by your last names? Weird," Tom
 said with a smirk. Fortunately for Mulder, they arrived at the front
 of the line and ordering drinks ended any further discussion. 

When he got back to the table, Scully was no where to be found. 
 He sat down, looking around at the other tables, wondering where
 she'd gone. 

"Dana and Terri headed for the ladies room," the woman whom
 Scully had identified as Mary Margaret informed him. He smiled
 and nodded, then wondered if running off to the 'gentlemen's
 room' might be too obvious. 

"So, you're an FBI agent, huh?" Mary Margaret asked and
 managed to scoot over the four empty chairs between them until
 she was sitting next to Mulder. "I heard Dana joined up. That
 must be a very exciting job." Mulder couldn't help but notice the
 breathless catch to Mary Margaret's voice. If he was profiling her,
 he'd put 'sexual predator' down as the first aspect. 

"Yes, we're partners," Mulder said, nodding. 

"Gee, that's sweet. But, I bet it gets old, too. I mean, together all
 the time. Familiarity breeds contempt, don't they say that?" Mary
 Margaret huffed near his ear. 

"Actually, I find it very comforting," Mulder replied and sat up
 straighter. If body language could really talk, he was screaming at
 this woman to back off. 

"You know, I can't picture you two together. I mean, I knew Dana
 all through high school and you sure aren't her type. I never knew
 exactly what her type was, mind you, but I do remember that she
 used to go for the brawny, football kind of jocks. Like her
 brothers, you might say. You seem, I don't know--too cerebral for
 Day. She liked 'em dumb--or maybe I'm wrong." 

Suddenly, this little trip down memory lane was too much for
 Mulder. He really didn't want to know what kind of man Scully fell
 for in high school and he sure didn't care to continue being
 undressed by Mary Margaret's eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I think I
 got steak sauce on my tie," he said and quickly vacated his chair. 

He didn't have to go far to find Scully. She and Terri were
 standing just outside the ladies room door. Terri had a Kleenex and
 was wiping her eyes. Neither one of them noticed as he
 approached. 

"I don't know, Dana. I just thought love was supposed to last
 forever, ya know, but he's never home!" he heard Terri say. "What
 am I gonna do? I have a job, but there's no way I can support
 myself and the three kids--and he's a lawyer! He'll get custody and
 I'll never see them." 

Scully reached over and hugged her friend. "It'll be OK, Ter, I
 know it. I've come to believe that things really do work out. I
 don't think you should walk out of a relationship just because he
 spends a lot time at the office. You love him Terri, you know that,
 I know that. And you've never been a quitter. Have you?" 

Terri pulled back and wiped her eyes, but gave Dana a weak smile. 
 "I wasn't when I was around you," she said with a catch in her
 voice. Then, she noticed Mulder, trying to be as inconspicuous as
 possible by a bank of telephones. "Hey, he looks lonely," she
 whispered in Dana's ear. "Hi, Mulder," Terri said. "Here's your
 date. I got her shoulder a little damp, but she's none the worse for
 wear." 

"I didn't mean to intrude," Mulder said meekly. 

Terri grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to Scully. "Nonsense. 
 You aren't intruding. I have a husband to hunt down. Now, I
 expect to see you two out on that dance floor later. Bye for now,"
 she said and walked off toward the party. 

"Are you OK?" he asked Scully. She had a worried expression on
 her face as she watched Terri go. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mulder," she replied automatically. Realizing what
 she'd just done, she took his arm and squeezed it. "I really am
 fine," she said with a smile. 

"I really didn't mean to intrude. I was just feeling a little like a
 piece of meat at the butcher counter--" 

"Ahh, everyone left the table except Mary Margaret," Scully said
 with a knowing nod. "She's been a bitch as long as I've known
 her. So, what did she try? Breathing in your ear?" 

"Scully," he said indignantly. "I don't get mauled and tell." That
 made her laugh. 

"Well, tell you what. I'll make sure to protect you from her. I'm
 really sorry, I should have warned you. She's always trying to steal
 everyone else's men. I mean, she must have assumed--" her voice
 trailed off as she stammered to a stop. "But then, if you're
 interested--" 

He pushed back from her, repulsed. "Scully, please! She makes
 my videos look respectable!" He confirmed his statement by
 putting his arm around her shoulder's. "Come on, I hear the music
 starting up." 

They sat down at the table for a while, most of the couples were
 already on the dance floor. Scully spotted Mary Margaret putting
 the moves on one of her classmates dates and pointed it out to
 Mulder. He smiled and wiped his brow in exaggerated relief. The
 song ended and the opening strains of a guitar solo echoed through
 the hall to an approving mummer from the crowd. 

"Scully, you have to dance with me," Mulder insisted. He was
 already on his feet, pulling her with him. 

"Mulder, I don't dance," Scully lamented. 

"But this is Stairway to Heaven, Scully! Come on! Where's your
 sense of tradition?" he cried and succeeded in getting her out to the
 wood parquet dance floor. 

She stood there, her arms at her sides, looking miserable. "Mulder,
 I really don't dance," she hissed. 

"But I do, and I have to lead," he replied. "Come here." He pulled
 her close to him, placed her right hand on his shoulder and her left
 hand on his hip, then he did the same to her. "There, see, now, just
 rock back and forth on your feet." She was staring down at his
 shoes and he took the opportunity to rest his chin on her head. 
 "You make a good shelf there, partner," he teased. 

She flipped her head back, knocking him off. "Watch it, mister. I
 can always shoot that other shoulder," she growled, but her eyes
 were smiling. 

He pulled her closer and she nuzzled into his shoulder. 

"Mulder? Are we dancing?" she asked, just a whisper in his ear. 

"Gee, it sure looks like it, Scully," he whispered back. He smiled
 when she nuzzled him closer. 

"You know, Scully, I've wanted to tell you. I mean, there's been
 so much going on lately, and your family got first dibs on you and
 all and then Skinner had all those cases for us and I just never got
 the chance--" 

"Mulder, you're babbling," Scully murmured into his shoulder. 

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "I guess I am." He stopped talking
 for a moment and tried to gather his thoughts. "What I'm trying to
 say, what I've wanted to say for a long time, is, Scully, I'm really
 so very happy that you're OK. I mean, that didn't sound right. I'm
 just so damned glad that--" 

She lifted her hand from his shoulder and put two fingers to his lips
 to quiet him. "Mulder, I think I understand." She was just a little
 shocked when he gently kissed her fingers, then moved his face
 down to kiss her on her eyelids. She sighed, and that was all the
 encouragement he needed. In a second, he was kissing her lips and
 she hoped the song would never end. 

He didn't let her go through the next three songs. He would be
 forever grateful to the DJ, who decided to pull all the slow songs
 for this set. 

As they wandered back to the table, she wouldn't let go of his
 hand. They laughed and whispered like kids. It was as if the rest of
 the room had disappeared and they were the only two left. 

Terri found her husband, Jack and brought him over to introduce
 him to Dana and Mulder. The two couples talked for a few minutes
 and then Jack and Terri went off to dance, leaving the partners
 alone at the table. 

Mulder smiled as he saw the happy expression on Scully's face as
 she watched her friend on the dance floor. A brief pang of guilt
 nudged him, forcing a question out of him that he never would have
 asked otherwise. "Do you regret it?" he asked and was
 immediately afraid of the answer. 

She looked at him confused. "Regret what?" 

He looked away, toward the dance floor. "The road not taken,"
 was his only reply. He held his breath and waited for the words,
 both hoping for and fearing the truth. 

She reached over and took his hand again. "No, Mulder. I've
 never regretted it. Not a minute. I've said as much before," she
 reminded him. 

He shrugged and had a hard time looking into her face. "There was
 a time, not too long ago--" 

She knew what he was referring to and drew a deep breath. An
 argument they'd had, after she'd been uncharacteristically reckless. 
 A stupid fight over a desk. Even the memory of the moment
 caused her heart to constrict. But all that was in the past. "Mulder,
 I can't tell you that I won't have days. I can't tell you that I
 haven't wanted to strangle you in your sleep--" 

"Well, you DID shoot me that once," he grinned, trying to soften
 the blow he was expecting to come at any moment. 

She raised an eyebrow, silently letting him know how close he was
 to having it happen again if he wasn't quiet. He shut up
 immediately. 

"Anyway, I can't tell you that there aren't times that you drive me
 crazy," she said, first looking at their hands, then looking into his
 eyes. "But no, I don't regret 'the road not taken.' I never have and
 I never will. There's no where else I want to be. I want to be with
 you." Her eyes widen a little as she realized what she'd just
 admitted and now it was her turn to hold her breath and wait. 

"I want you with me, Scully. Always." He took her hand and
 brought it up to his mouth, placing a soft kiss there. "It's
 something I'd like to work on, actually." 

Her eyes lit up with sudden understanding. Slowly, a smile
 brightened her features. "Well, as Sr. Mary Ellen used to tell us,
 there's no time like the present," she said and welcomed his
 answering chuckle. "Mulder, it's time. Let's blow this place." 

As he helped her up, he drew her into a hug, one of many to come
 in that evening. "So, was it that horrible, my dragging you to this
 thing?" he asked casually as they left the ballroom. 

She hadn't let go of his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "I
 wouldn't have missed it for the world." 

the end.>
 Vickie

Q.: How many alien abductees does it take to change a lightbulb? 

A.: One, but they have to go through extensive hypnoregression therapy to
 remember it. 

Joke from _The Official Alien Abductees Handbook_ by Joe Tripician