Mulder's Mom by Tracy E. Aiken ( teanc@erols.com) Catagory: SRA Rating: R Summary: A personal tragedy strikes Mulder and the only person who can help him survive is Scully. Disclaimer: The X-Files and the characters Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Television and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. A special thanks to Joni -- thanks for everything -- especially being willing to being my sounding board. Feel free to archive and post to atxc, just please keep my name and email attached. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder's Mom Part 1 of 4 It had been a long and grueling day when Mulder received the telephone call from Sgt. Smalley over at DC Police Headquarters. "Are you sure?" "I don't know Mulder, I think it's him, but maybe you and Scully should come down here and sit in on the questioning, see what you guys think -- *you're the experts*." Mulder and Scully had been chasing a rapist, not their usual fortay, but the Skinner had them working on the rapist case because he trusted them. His reasoning was that he needed his best people on this one. It seems that a friend of the Attorney General's had been attacked -- in the Attorney General's home. The friend had been staying to take care of the place while the AG was out of town, doing her a favor and she had gotten more than she had bargained for, that's for sure. So Skinner, feeling the heat from above pulled Mulder and Scully to see if they could find this perp. Rape isn't a federal crime, but breaking into the AG's house, that's another matter. "Smalley, are you really sure, last time you called you were sure you had him, and it turned out really bad -- you do remember this, don't you?" "Yes, *Spooky*, I do," Smalley hated being told he was wrong-- and he'd had just about enough of a certain pair of Federal Agents. "Scully and I'll be down shortly, don't start without us." "Hey, Scully, you busy?" "Depends." "Scully...." "You asked, Mulder." "Smalley wants us to come down to a suspect questioning, he thinks he's got the guy." "Again?" "I know, I asked him that too, but he thinks we should at least sit in and hear what he has to say." "On one condition do I do this, Mulder." "And that is...." "That this be our last task for the day, it's almost 3:30 now, by the time we finish at the station, it'll be 5:00. I'll even buy you dinner, if you rent the movie -- deal?" He never knew what got into his partner, not that he was complaining, he loved spending time with her away from the office, in his opinion he didn't see enough of her. "It's a deal, Scully. Grab your coat," he said walking toward the door. The ride downtown had taken longer than expected, for it was raining out, and everyone in DC knows that when the first drop of water hits the road, everyone stops, creating possibly the worst traffic jams available. When they finally made their way to headquarters, and into a reserved parking spot, it was pouring. Not just raining, but an out and out downpour. Mulder looked at Scully and shrugged, "might as well get it over with," and he was out of the car running to stand under the eve of the building waiting for his partner. Scully hated being caught without her umbrella. She just knew that she was going to look like a drowned rat when she made it to the building's overhang, because that's exactly what Mulder looked like -- a drowned rat. All of a sudden the rain let up a bit and Scully decided to make a break for it and made it with little water damage. She smirked at Mulder as she passed by him to go into headquarters. Mulder, feeling mischievious, suddenly shook his head, quite resembling a dog, making sure to get Scully a little wetter. She froze in her tracks and turned quickly to him. "Mulder," she said, trying to keep the anger down to a controlable level. "Yes, Scully," he said, like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. "Walk through that door and go find out what holding room they are going to use for questioning." "Where're you going, Scully," he asked, trying not to smile. "To dry off a bit, it seems I got a bit wetter than I'd originally thought. I'll be right back." Mulder thought maybe he'd gone a bit far, but she had had such a smirk on her face. He'd make it up to her later he decided. Half an hour later Scully found Mulder with Smalley in front of one of the holding rooms. When she peared inside she could see a uniformed policeman guarding the suspect who was sitting at the table, staring at the officer. "Has he said anything," Scully asked? "Nope, just keeps staring at the person guarding him." "It doesn't matter who," Mulder inquired? "It don't seem to, but there've only been a couple of guys, why?" "I want to try something. Scully, will you stand guard for a little while, I want to see his reaction to you?" "Sure, Mulder." "Smalley, call your guard out." Smalley did as Mulder had requested and Scully was now in the holding pin and the perp wouldn't even look at her. Scully saw Mulder motion for her to move in front of the suspect and she did. All he did was shift in his chair so he wasn't facing her. Scully knew that Mulder had latched onto a theory, but he'd decided not to share it yet. "I think I've seen enough, Smalley. I don't think that's our guy, let's go in and question him some, but in the end I think we'll be letting this one go." Scully was glad when Mulder walked in the door, she was hoping he'd found out what he wanted to and when they made eye contact, he confirmed that he saw what he needed to. They let Smalley and another detective question the suspect while they moved to another corner of the room. "What were you looking for, Mulder?" "His reaction to you...not you particularly, a woman -- and he wouldn't, or maybe couldn't look at you. I don't think that this is our guy." Mulder's cellular rang and he excused himself to answer. Scully listened to the final questions wondering where Mulder had gone -- he'd been gone for about 15 minutes. She didn't think that he'd leave without telling her. The movement of chairs brought her out of her revory. Smalley announced that the suspect could leave, but to please notify them if he was leaving the area for any length of time. Scully and Smalley chatted for a few minutes and then he excused himself, explaining that he had a meeting to be at and that he'd be in touch. Scully wandered around headquarters for a few minutes before spotting Mulder. He was sitting stock still on the bench, just staring, but at nothing in particular, clutching his cellular. Before she knew it she was kneeling in front of him. Taking ahold of his hand, she managed to pry the phone out of his hand and placed it on the bench. "Mulder, can you hear me?" But there was no response. She began rubbing her hands along the tops of his thighs, trying to reassure him of her presence. She didn't think that she was getting through to him till she saw a single tear start down his cheek. Suddenly she wiped the tear away and he grabbed her hand that was on his cheek and held it there, closing his eyes, barely restraining himself from completely collapsing. She shifted so that she was on her knees between his knees. He moved to pull her into his embrace and collapsed against her, sobs wracking his body. No one would be disturbing them, she'd found him back in the farthest corner of headquarters, where there were no desks, just benches. She didn't know anything else to do other than hold him and let him cry. She didn't know the cause, but was glad that she was there for him. After about 10 minutes of softly stroking his back and running her fingers through his hair, he began to come around. Slowly the sobs stopped and the sniffles began. She knew that this wasn't the last time she would hold him this way, he was recovered for now, but something important had happened. He eased his hold of her and she shifted back a bit so that she could see his face. She cradled his face with her hands and wiped the remaining tears away with her thumbs. She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him whisper, "can we go home?" End of Part 1 of 4 From raquelm@urjwc.ucla.edu Thu Apr 17 19:58:57 1997 Subject: EP> Mulder's Mom (2/4) From: Raquel Montoya -------- Mulder's Mom by Tracy E. Aiken Part 2 of 4 She stood and held her hand out to him. Slowly he reached for her hand and finally stood up. They walked in silence to the car. She took the keys from him and helped him into the passenger side. They drove to his apartment just as they'd walked to the car, in complete silence. She knew he'd talk when he was ready, and not until then. He could be just as stubborn as she could and she knew that he wouldn't do anything till he was good and ready. Finally they arrived at his apartment door which she opened with her key. He went straight for the bathroom. She could hear him throwing up, but she didn't know whether or not to go to him, ultimately her concern won out and she gently opened the door to see him heave again. She stood beside him, holding him as he was sick. At first she thought he'd throw her out but again he surprised her by grabbing the hand she had around his waist, supporting him. When he was finished, he slid down to sit on the cool tiles as she grabbed and wet a washcloth. He didn't know whether it was her presence that made him feel better or the attention from her as she rubbed his face with the cool cloth. After a few minutes he reached for her hand and held in in his. When she looked into his eyes, he said, "thank you." "Come on, Mulder," she said as she helped him to stand, "let's find you some sweats to change into." She led him to his bedroom and sat him down on the bed while she found the clothes she sought. All he could do was watch her. She had determined that he was in shock, but from what she didn't know, but it appeared that he was coming around. When she brought the clothes back to the bed, he reached for her and pulled her into another hug. Sitting on the bed holding him, she heard, "I'm okay, Scully." He pulled back and looked at her. "I'm not sure what I would have done without you today." "What happened?" "Scully...." "It's okay, you don't have to...," she didn't get any farther because his finger stilled her lips. "My Mom died this morning, that phone call I received was the funderal director." "That's how you found out?" He just shook his head. "I'm so sorry," she said taking his hand in hers. "He just assumed that I had been told, he was contacting me about the remains -- I didn't even know she'd wanted to be creamated...." "They had already...." "Yea, I told them to hold the remains that I'd be around to collect them probably tomorrow." "Can I do anything?" "Just what you are," he said squeezing her hand. "I'll call Skiner, get us on emergency leave, when do you want to go to the Vineyard?" "Scully, you don't have...." This time her fingers stilled his lips. "When are we leaving?" "Tomorrow morning?" "Okay, I'll go call Skinner. Why don't you pack." He squeezed her hand one more time as she got off his bed and headed to the living room. He could hear her talking to Skinner. He wondered how he got so lucky to have a best friend like Dana. Scully, not Dana -- where had that come from? He decided to start his packing and contemplate Scully. A few minutes later she walked back into the bedroom to find him all packed. "That was fast?" "I usually keep a basic bag packed, just in case, you know." "You want to know something? I do too." "What now?" "Skinner has pulled us from the AG investigation and given us a week's leave. I need to pack. Do you want to come with me or stay here?" "Do you mind?" "If you come with me, not at all, I wouldn't have asked if I did..." "Let me just grab a couple more things and I'll be ready." "Take your time." Mulder wandered around his apartment for a few more minutes and finally was ready. He walked back into his bedroom to find that Scully had laid down to wait for him. He just stood in the doorway watching her. He couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. "I'm not asleep?" "How do you do that?" "What, know when you're watching me?" He didn't know what to say. All those times he (thought) he secretly watched her, was she really awake? "It's okay, Mulder. I watch you *sleep* too," she said as she sat up and got off the bed. As she passed him in the doorway, she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and then went to wait for him by the car. Mulder was floored. She had known that he watched her -- and he was still alive. AND what about that KISS -- she kissed me, he pondered as he grabbed his bags and headed toward the car. When he finally arrived she had opened the trunk and was waiting to help him put his baggage inside. The drive, again, was in silence, but this time it was different. Mulder was thinking about the kiss -- actually he could think about very little else and he had this funny smile on his face. Scully was just as bad. She didn't know what had prompted her to tell him that she watched him sleep. But somehow it felt like a relief know that he knew. And then there was the kiss. Why'd she done that. She could tell herself that it was to reassure him, but she knew better than that and now she hoped he did too. But there'd be time for them later. Now she needed to concentrate on him and helping him get through the next week. When they arrived at her house he asked her to open the trunk. He grabbed his small overnight bag and followed her up the pathway. She let them in and noticed the light blinking on the answering machine. As she went to play the messages, he put his bag in her closet, out of the way. He could hear a man's voice, asking about next weekend. He didn't know she was seeing anyone. Slowly, he walked back out to the livingroom, not wanting to interrupt or intrude. "I just need to return one call and then we can think about dinner, are you hungry?" "A little, do you want me to...." "No, you can stay," she said placing her hand on his crossed arms. She dialed the number and asked for B. "Hi, how are you. I got your message -- I'm sorry, I can't make it next weekend. Okay, I'll talk to you later. I love you, too. Bye." Now Mulder was very confused. Scully could tell by looking at him that he wanted to know what that was about. "You can ask," she said teasingly. "I have no right...." "My brother was trying to get me to come down to Norfolk next weekend. He's leading a training mission all week but couldn't get a flight out till late Sunday." "Scully, you don't need to...." Again her fingers stopped his sentence. "Bill can find playmates down there just fine. He doesn't need me to come down and entertain him. He's a big boy. Now you said you were hungry?" "Yes. What do you feel like?" "I don't know, what about you?" "Pizza?" "That's fine -- it's speed dial 2." "You reprogrammed it? What's 1?" "You," she said as she walked into the kitchen. She was getting glasses down when he came to stand behind her and put his arms around her waist. At first she was shocked and then relaxed into his embrace. "How're you doing?" "Better, here, *right here*," he said hoping to emphasize his point clearly. "Thank you." She eased herself back from him enough to turn around and pull him to her. "I wish I could take the pain away." They held onto one another till the doorbell sounded. "That must be the pizza, does it have any vegetables on it, Mulder?" "Broccoli and spinach -- and double peperoni," he said as he grabbed his wallet and went to open the door. When they finished with their dinner it was still early, but Scully could tell he was exhausted. She collected their dishes and deposited them into the sink to worry about later. On her way back out to the livingroom she grabbed another bottle of wine and some fresh strawberries and some cream that she'd picked up at the market earlier in the week. Mulder had turned on the television and was surfing intently. God help her remote, she wasn't sure it'd last through the night. "Wine, Mulder?" "Any beer in the house?" "I think so -- probably Sam Adams, you know where it is," she said as she placed the berries and cream on the table in front of them. A minute later Mulder was back from the kitchen, beer in tow. "Ooooo, fresh berries -- I love these, Scully." "Good, sit down and have some. There's fresh cream, too, if you want." Mulder sat very close to Scully and grabbed a couple of berries. She dipped one of her berries into the cream and slowly brought it to her mouth, slirping the cream off the berry. Mulder was mezmorized. Scully noticed him staring at her and said, "what?" "Nothing." "It's not nothing -- what?" "Your slirping skills are very good." She could feel the blush and knew that she was as red as a beet. "Don't be embarassed, Scully. You and I know each other probably better than anyone other than your mother -- you don't have to hide from me," he said as he grabbed another berry and held it for her to bite. She bit the berry with trepadation, and only when she grazed his finger and he sharply exhaled, did she realize that he'd been holding his breath. Her eyes quickly found his. His were reassuring and trusting -- and tired. She could tell that he was fighting sleep and that was the best thing for him right now. "Mulder," she said as she took his hand, "we have a long trip tomorrow, we should get some rest. Now I know it's early, but you look exhausted and you've had an emotionally draining day, so come on," she said as she stood and walked them back toward her bedroom. "Now I want you to change into whatever you're going to sleep in and get ready for bed. Go." He started to protest then decided that if she wanted to play mother hen, he'd let her. So he gathered his things and went into the bathroom. When he emerged she was sitting on the bed in royal blue silk pajamas. He was frozen in the doorway, staring at her. When she noticed him staring she patted the bed next to her. As he sank down to the bed, she grabbed his hand. "I know today has been one of the worst, but Mulder, if you need anything, please ask." "Scully, thank you -- you've been great today, I don't know what I'd do without you." "Well, I don't plan on you finding out, okay?" He smiled at her and then yawned. "Looks like somebody's ready for bed?" He started to move off of the bed when she stopped him. "Where're you going?" "To the couch...." "I don't think so, that couch is at least 2 feet shorter than you are, even I'm not comfortable sleeping on it -- so you definitely wouldn't be. So just stay put." "Scully, sure?" "Yes, now get in bed." "Yes ma'am," he said as he turned back the covers and laid down. Scully climbed in after him and turned on her side to face him, proping her head on her fist. "This isn't uncomfortable for you, is it, Mulder?" "Truth?" "Always." "I can't think of *any*place I'd rather be. Will you do something for me?" "If I can...." "Well...will...you...never mind, goodnight, Scully," he said scrunching down in the bed. "Not so fast," she said as she laid her hand against his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "What is it?" "Can I hold you?" She just smiled at him and scooted over and in a flash she was cocooned by his arms and body. She thought to herself that this is the best place in the world, I never want to live without this closeness. End of Part 2 of 4 From raquelm@urjwc.ucla.edu Tue Apr 22 19:19:46 1997 Subject: EP> Mulder's Mom (3/4) From: Raquel Montoya -------- Mulder's Mom by Tracy E. Aiken Part 3 of 4 Many hours later she awoke, still in his arms. When she looked at his face, she could see that he'd cried in his sleep. She could still see the tear tracks along his cheeks. He woke when she dried the last of the tears off of his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." "I can't think of a nicer way to wake up. What time is it?" "Almost six -- we should get up soon and try and beat some of the rush hour traffic out of the city." "You're right, are you packed?" "Yes." "Okay, you go grab the first shower and I'll start breakfast." She didn't move. She didn't want to move, she was very comfortable and like the position she was in. "Mulder that means one of us has to move." "Yes, it does." Still neither of them moved. "I like it right here," Mulder confessed. "Me, too, Mulder. Me, too." Finally it was Scully who moved first. She eased out of his arms and immediately missed the warmth. "What would you like for breakfast?" "How about a bagle and cream cheese." "Sounds good, you go grab a shower and meet me in the kitchen." Mulder was busy puttering around the kitchen when he noticed her watching him from the doorway. "Coffee, Scully?" "Please. I even saved you some hot water." "Thanks...your bagle is on the counter, cream cheese next to it. Berries in the bowl." Mulder didn't use all the hot water either, in fact most of his shower was rather cold. He kept remembering what it felt like to hold Scully all night long -- one of his fantasies fulfilled. When he emerged from the bedroom, he was wearing black jeans and a polo buttondown. His leather jacket was laying across the arm of the couch. "Can I fix you any breakfast, Mulder?" "I'm not really hungry right now, but how about I pack a couple of bagles to go -- that way if we get hungry we can have them to snack on." "Okay. I took my stuff down to the car...." "By yourself?" "Yes, by myself." "I would have done it for you, you didn't have to...." "It's done, now let's get you packed and ready so we can head out." Half an hour later they were on Interstate 95 heading north. They took turns driving and by early afternoon they were on the ferry headed over to Martha's Vineyard. After they disembarked they were sitting in the car in the harbor parking lot. "Mulder, are you okay?" "I'm sorry, just thinking. Where would you like to stay -- we have several options. If you want to be near the beach, there's the beach house or closer in town, there's a house or a hotel if neither of those appeal, your choice." "How about by the beach, if that's okay with you." "Beach house it is." Half an hour later they stood out in front of an old house. "This is where I grew up -- mostly. This is where Sam...." "Mulder, we don't have to stay here if it's too uncomfortable." "No, it's okay, come on, I'll show you around." Mulder opened the door and held it for Scully. The place was still full of furniture and surprisingly clean. "Mulder, shouldn't there be dust...?" "I had someone clean and air the place out -- I figured you'd want to stay here." "Why?" "The ocean. I know you love the ocean." "Thank you," she said as she kissed his cheek again. "Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand. He showed her around the house and where her bedroom would be and how his was right next door. Through his bedroom, you could walk out onto the deck and look at the ocean. Standing behind her he took her in his arms. She relaxed against him. "There aren't that many tourists here now, so the beach is pretty much ours." "Thanks for letting me be here. If you need anything...." "Thank you, Scully. I need to go run a few errands, will you be okay here by yourself?" "I think so, do you want me to come with you?" "No, why don't you get settled. I'll be back in a couple of hours -- I'll even stop by the grocery store and get stuff for dinner. Any requests?" "Heaven help me, but I trust you," she said smiling. "Have I ever led you astray? Don't answer that." "Okay, I'll go unpack. Is there anything that needs to be done here, while you're gone" she asked smiling? "No, feel free to explore -- it's a great old house -- I'll be back soon, I promise." Scully had unpacked and was down looking around the kitchen when she came across an old cookbook called "Cooking Kosher." She took the book and began flipping through recipes when Mulder walked in. "Whatcha reading?" "An old cookbook I found -- "Cooking Kosher." "I remember that -- I used to love to look through it, helping Mom plan the next weeks meals -- it was always something we did together." "Did she let you help her cook?" "It wasn't allowed, boys didn't cook, according to my father -- but Mom let me help when he wasn't around." "Did you get all your errands done?" "Yes, I talked to the Funeral Home, grabbed some groceries, oh, and I saw my old Rabbi in the grocery story -- he said we should stop by the Temple if we get time." "Rabbi?" "Yea, Rabbi Abraham -- he's a great old guy -- he's gotta be getting close to 80 -- we used to sit and talk for hours after Temple." "Temple, Mulder?" "Why do you look confused? Didn't you know I was raised Jewish -- I thought you knew that, I'm sorry." "No, Mulder, there's nothing to be sorry for -- I just didn't know -- I didn't realize...." "I stopped practicing a long time ago. Listen, I'm gonna go for a short walk, I'll be back shortly -- do you need any help putting these things away?" "No, I'll find places for the groceries. Have a good walk." An hour and a half later Scully was still in the house, alone. She was beginning to worry about Mulder and his propensity for getting himself into trouble. She decided to walk outside to see if she could see him. Looking up the coast, she saw him sitting on some rocks overlooking the ocean. A few minutes later she sat down beside him. He was quiet for a few minutes and then all of a sudden he asked, "do you think she knew I loved her? I mean we haven't gotten along, really along, since Sam disappeared. It was like Sam held everything together and when she disappeared so did everything else." Scully took his hand in hers. "I believe she knows you love her. Maybe it couldn't always be shown or felt, but love isn't something that you can turn on and off, Mulder. There's faith, hope and love, the greatest is love. She gave birth to you, Mulder, she was your Mom, no matter what happened there will always be this bond between you -- even in death, you can still feel her, can't you?" He just shook his head. He was crying again. Slowly she moved so that she was holding him to her chest, one arm over his shoulder and one around his waist. He grabbed her hands when they landed on him and enclosed hers in his. He brought them to his mouth and kissed her hands gently. They sat that way for what seemed to be at least an hour. She holding him, cradling him, rocking him, drying his tears. "I hope she knew I loved her, I wish I could tell her just one more time -- I can't remember the last time I did," he sobbed. She instinctly held him tighter until his sobs quietened. "Scully?" "Mmmmm," she said, her mouth next to his ear. "You know I love you -- don't you?" "Yes, I do. I love you, too." "It's more than that, Scully," he said turning in her embrace so he was now facing her, "I'm in love with you." "That's good, because, I'm in love with you...." He simply smiled at her and then slowly he leaned down and kissed her softly. "Mmmm, Mulder, let's take this inside, by the fire." "Are you cold?" "A bit, but getting warmer by the second," she said smiling and kissing him. "Come with me, I'll keep you warm." "I had no doubt." He led them back inside and sat her down in front of the fire she laid earlier. He lit the fire and grabbed the wine she had left out and two glasses. They laid in front of the fire, simply touching and kissing and holding one another. "I love you, Dana." "I love you, too, Mulder." "Fox." "Excuse me?" "You can call me Fox, I mean if you want...." "I love you, Fox," she said smiling. He loved hearing his name come from her lips -- it was as if it was meant to be. He kissed her. A kiss full of passion and promise. She kissed him as if her very life depended on it. When they broke away from one another, they were both panting, in the middle of sensual play, kissing and nipping. Mulder moved her on top of himself. They fit together perfectly, like they were made for one another. She began nibbling on his neck and on his earlobe. He felt like he was coming home for the first time in a long time. He arched his hips toward her. She gound herself into him and both moaned at the sensations they were feeling. "I want to make love to you, Scully." "I want to make love to you, Mulder." "Come upstairs with me?" "Here, Mulder, in front of the fire." "I love you." "Me, too, Mulder, me too." They lay spent with their limbs all tangled together. He was gently stroking her hair, where her head rested against his chest. She could hear every heartbeat, feel him take every breath -- she was in awe. "Scully...you know I love you...." "Yes, and I love you." "I don't ever want to be without you." "You won't, if I have anything to say about it -- I promise." "Would you promise that in front of God and a Justice of the Peace?" Suddenly she sat up and looked into his eyes. "Are you serious?" He just shook his head. "I love you and want to be with you always -- marry me -- marry me, here, this week." "Yes." "Yes?" "Yes," she said as she lowered herself to kiss him. They made love well into the night and into the morning. The next morning found Mulder and Scully at the Funeral Home. "Scully, she wanted me to spread her ashes, here on the Vineyard." "Anyplace specific?" "Where ever I choose -- it says she trusts my judgement. She trusted me, Scully," he said with a smile. Later that day they had an appointment with the family attorney. "Mr. Mulder, Mr. Jenkins will see you now." "Want to come," he asked Scully? "Are you sure?" He just held his hand out for her, which she gladly took. End of Part 3 of 4 From raquelm@urjwc.ucla.edu Tue Apr 22 19:20:08 1997 Subject: EP> Mulder's Mom (4/4) From: Raquel Montoya -------- Mulder's Mom by Tracy E. Aiken Part 4 of 4 After they finished with all the legalities, the will was read. "Everything is in order, she made sure of that. Everything comes to you, all the houses, everything. The bank accounts will be turned over as soon as we have death certificates, should be about a week or so and at that point I'll have papers for you to sign. I'll of course FedEx them down to you. If there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate and I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Mulder." They were quiet on the ride back to the house. Mulder immediately took his mother's remains and went out to the beach. Scully didn't know whether or not to follow him, but in the end decided to give him a few minutes and then go out. When she finally sat down next to him, he grabbed her hand and held it tight, like it was his lifeline. "Are you going to spread her ashes here, on the beach?" "Yes." "Can I ask why?" "She used to come out here to sit with me after I'd had a run in with my father -- which seemed like it happened all the time after Sam. She'd attend to my cuts or scrapes but mainly to my pride." "Are you saying...?" "I can't talk about it, Scully, not now, okay -- just know it happened and I'm who I am today because of it, both good and bad." "This is a special place for the two of you, I think you made a very wise choice in choosing to spread her ashes here." "Thanks." "I'll leave so you can have some time alone," she said as she started to get up. "Please don't go." "You sure?" "Stay, please." "Of course." Mulder began spreading her ashes around their special place as Scully watched him. He cried for the mother he once knew. For the mother who took care of his cuts and scrapes so many years ago. "I hope you know I love you, Mom," he said collapsing into Scully's waiting arms. They sat out in that special spot for the rest of the night, not speaking, just simply holding one another. Finally, Mulder said, "I love you, come on let's go inside there's some things I need to explain to you." "You heard when Jenkins said all the houses and everything came to me?" "Yes." "Us. Ours." "Mulder...." "When are we getting married?" "As soon as we find a Judge or Justice of the Peace to marry us." "How about tomorrow?" "Just name the time and place, Mulder." "Good. There are still some things I need to explain." "The houses?" "Yea, between my parents there were five houses. Two here on the Vineyard, one in Greenwich, one in Rhode Island and one in DC." "Where's the one in DC?" "Between Mass and Wisconsin." "Dunbarton?" "Yea." "And why don't you live there?" "It's too big for one person, now two on the other hand...." "Is there a garage attached?" "Yes." Houses in Dunbarton, especially those with garages attached were considered mansions. They were multi-million dollar homes. "Mulder...how are we going to pull this off and keep our jobs?" "We'll figure it out." "So, what are you going to do with all these houses?" "We, Scully, we, and I think selling the other house on the Vineyard and the one in Greenwich is step one. I think we should live in the one in Dunbarton and that leaves the summer home and this one. Both of which are very managable from DC, actually I've been taking care of these two for a while now. There's one other thing you should know about. If I left the bureau today, I'd never have to work ever again -- and that's just my trustfund." "Trustfund?" "Do you know that when your flustered you repeat one word?" "Mulder." "See what I mean. I'm kidding, Scully, relax. But yes, to answer your question, there are many different trustfunds. With all the properties and stocks and cash the portfolio is worth about $50 million -- and that's on the low side." "So why do you work?" "To find the answers that money can't buy." "I understand." "So, tomorrow?" "If you can find a Judge or Justice that will marry us." "How does 11:30 sound?" "You're kidding?" "No, there was an opening." "No, I mean when did you find time to do this?" "Earlier today I did some checking." "I love you, Mulder." "I love you, too. Let's go to bed." The next morning Scully was a bundle of nerves and Mulder's calmness didn't help matters at all. "Aren't you nervous?" "No, why would I be? I love you, and I know you love me -- what else is there to worry about?" Mulder drove them into town to the Justice's office. There were several other couples getting married and they were his last appointment for the day. Forty-five minutes later they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Fox Mulder. "So, are you going to take Mulder or keep Scully? You'll always be Scully to me." "Socially, I'll be Mulder and professionally, I'll be Scully." "Sounds like a split personality to me...," he said teasingly. "Why don't you go by doctor, you have every professional right to?" "It just seemed too pretentious to me. A Ph.D. just means I studied longer and learned more -- its not like I can save a life, Scully -- *you* are a doctor. And besides I don't think the world could handle two Dr. Mulder's." "I love you." "I love you, too, Scully." "How are we going to pull this off, Mulder -- this worries me? We could leave the bureau." "We could. Like I said, we aren't hurting for money, we have a place to live, rent/mortgage free. I could research on my own." "Not on your on, I'd be there." "Or you could practice or teach." "We have options, Mulder. I'd like to stay with the bureau, if that's possible and I still want to be your partner." "That's where we are going to have trouble." "We could just not make a formal announcement and not say anything until someone called us on it?" "Then I think we really would see Skinner blow his top, Scully. I think we can trust him." "If we can, perhaps we should just sit down with him and try to figure this out." "Let's do that, but out of the office, perhaps in the new house, we can have him over for dinner." "Socializing with Skinner, Scully?" "If he helps us in the end, it'll all be worth it -- I promise." "Let's go for a walk, Scully." Their time on the Vineyard was almost over. Tomorrow they would drive back to DC and explore their new house. They got an early start and made it to Mrs. Scully's by lunch time. Scully stood on the porch and rang the bell with Mulder standing behind her, holding her hand. "Dana, Fox -- come in out of the cold." She hugged each of them and took their coats. "Fox, I'm sorry about your mother." "Thank you, Mrs. Scully." "Did you two just get back?" "Yes we drove down this morning. We wanted to talk to you about something, if you have some time?" "For you two -- always. Would you like some lunch and we can talk in the kitchen?" "I'd love some, Mrs. Scully, I'm starving." "On one condition." "Deal, what?" "You either call me Maggie, or Mom -- is it safe to assume we are going to discuss that ring on my daughter's left hand?" "Yes, Mom." "Congratulations," she said as she hugged her daughter and what she assumed was her fiance. "When's the wedding?" "It was day before yesterday, Mom." "Dana?" "We got married on the Vineyard -- just the two of us." "Why don't we finish this in the kitchen." "Is she upset," Mulder whispered in Scully's ear? "No, she just wants to be busy -- she might be a little but it'll be okay." "What would you two like for lunch?" "Any homemade soup in the freezer, Mom?" "Of course, Dana -- is that what you'd like?" "Yes, please. Mulder?" "Soup sounds great, thanks. Can I do anything?" "Just sit." Scully heard it first, someone was coming down the back staircase. Mulder looked at Scully, who was watching her Mom. Suddenly Walter Skinner appeared on the landing in his robe. "Maggie I woke up and you weren't in bed...," he suddenly noticed Mulder and Scully sitting at the table. They both said, "Mom....." End of Part 4 of 4