Title: Four's a Charm Author: Chesa Baker Email: Baker_Chesa@hotmail.com Distribution: Drop me a note so I know where to visit. Spoilers: Up to S6 Rating: PG-13 Classification: S,R,H Keywords: Mulder/Other, Mulder/Scully Romance Summary: Openly based around the infamous Ross and Rachel situation on the show, Friends. Scully's emotions take a serious toll, and a hidden secret is unveiled via voice mail..... Disclaimer: The spooky bunch belongs to Chris Carter XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX What am I supposed to do ? Sit around and wait for you, well I can't do that. There's no turning back. I need time to move on, I need love to feel strong Cause' I've had time to figure it through, and maybe I'm too goof for you, oh Do you believe in life after love ? I can feel something inside me say I really don't think you're strong enough, no Well I know that I'll get through this Cause' I know that I am strong I don't need you any more I don't need you any%20more No, I don't need you any%20more. Cher- Believe XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX There's nothing special about Siroun Halliwell. She's an ordinary woman, attending an ordinary job, standing at an ordinary 5"4", with ordinary black hair, and ordinary brown eyes. The only thing out of the ordinary about Siroun, is Mulder's arm slung carelessly over her shoulder, and they're laughing about something. Who the hell knows. Who the hell cares. Yeah, I'm bitter about this. So what? They've known each other- what, a week now, and he's all snugly and cuddly with her? Dealing with this situation would be a lot easier if she was some rude little bitch, practically clawing at my eyes every time I came into the picture. But truth be told, Siroun isn't anywhere close to being a rude bitch. No. God, no. She's- she's nice, and funny, and kind, and down to earth. She's somebody that I could picture as one of my close friends. Actually, I think that she wants to become one of my close friends. The entire night, she's been defending me whenever Mulder makes a cheap, playful crack about me. She even makes fun of him. I'm really trying hard to hate Siroun. I'm trying to find something about her that bugs me about her, but the truth is, I can't. She's just too- too- likeable. I suppose that I should be happy for Mulder. I'm trying. I really am. I'm just going to deal with this on my own, with the help of- of myself. What happened to all of my friends again? Oh yeah. I lost them because I didn't keep in touch after I joined Mulder's little quest. The only one that I actually have contact with is Ellen, and the only reason for that, is because her son is my Godson. Candidly, I'm a lot more closer to Trent, than I am to Ellen. Mulder whispers something into Siroun's ear, and I swear to God I can feel my heart break into tiny little pieces. I wonder how evident my jealousy and rage would show if I stood up, and marched out of the coffee shop. "Dana?" Where did that come from? That was a male voice, and it wasn't Mulder's because he's got his lips so far up Siroun's ear, I wouldn't be surprised if they got stuck. Glancing around me, my eyes trailed upwards at the guy behind Mulder. Oh- God. My eyes widen to the point where I think they're going to pop right out of my head. "Ed. What- what are you doing here?" I ask him curiously, while standing up from my chair. Mulder moves away from Siroun, and looks over his shoulder. He looks up at Ed, and Ed looks down, and they stare for a while. It's odd, and uncomfortable. The way that Mulder looks at him, it's actually quite funny. I smile weakly at Mulder's telltale disarray of his insecurity. "Um- can you join us?" I ask him. He nods his head, and takes a seat right next to me. "What brings you to DC?" "I moved here a couple of months ago for a job." "That's great. So, how's your arm?" I'm trying to act enthusiastic about seeing him, even though I'm really not. The only enthusiastic thing about him being here is the fact that Mulder's face lit up like Rudoph the reindeer's, and his face contorted into a cautious jealousy. "It's healing.....slowly. I never got the chance to apologize for attacking you. When I was allowed to have visitors, I was told you flew back to DC. Mr. Mulder came to see me though. I asked him to tell you that I was incredibly sorry. He told you, right ?" I turned my head in Mulder's direction, and took the brief opportunity to flash him a semi-angry glare. "Of course. It was the first thing he said." "Listen, Dana, I have to get back to my son. He's waiting in the car for me, but I'd really like to talk with you again." He smiled, and placed a hand over his heart. "I promise that there aren't any voices effecting my judgement." Chuckling, I nodded, and fished out one of my business cards from the depths of my purse. He took it graciously, and bent down to kiss my cheek in a chaste manner. "It was nice seeing you again, Dana." He made a swift exit, and I returned my full attention to Mulder, and Siroun. She had a interested look across her face. Mulder, on the other hand, was not happy at all. "Thanks for telling me, Mulder." "It must have slipped my mind." His tone was flat, and hollow. "Fine, whatever." My gaze trekked towards Siroun, and I shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't introduce him. That was Ed Jerse. An old friend." More like an old mistake. "And obviously not a friend of yours," she said sourly as she turned towards Mulder. She patted his arm softly, and traced a wide circle around his palm. He looked down at her face, and their fingers automatically locked. "Um- It's been really nice meeting you, Siroun. I hope that we can do this again." Yeah. Right. I reached out, and shook her hand firmly. "But I have to go home, and sleep." Tucking in my chair, and leaving a twenty dollar bill for the *coffee* I ordered, I turned to leave the cafe. "Scully-" I turned around, even though my instincts told me to walk straight to my car, and get the hell out of here. "Yeah ?" He handed me my twenty dollar bill, and the tips of our fingers touched. "I got it." "Thanks." And I left them to wallow in my own self-pity. xXx "Mulderman. So- who's the new chick again ?" Langly asked as he tossed me a beer. I graciously caught it, and flipped the metal tab up. "Her name is Siroun Halliwell." "Siroun.... It's Armenian," Byers informed me. I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay. So- do you have any government conspiracies I should know about?" "No. But I'm wondering if you could help me out," Frohike asked. "With what ? Women problems ?" I chuckled hastily after, for the effect. "Something like that." "Actually, it's a friend of ours," Byers cut in. "He's making a mistake, dating this one chick who he just met- when there's this other chick- this spectacular chick who could make Calista Flockhart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Naomi Campbell all look like a bunch of dogs." "I know what you're trying to do." "Wait. we're not done...." Langly grumbled. "Yeah. This other chick- who our friend is too chicken-shit to go after, sits at home, waiting for him to tell her about how he feels, when he's out with the mediocre chick." "I think you lost me." "Cut the shit, Mulder. Why don't you dump her, and tell Scully?" "It's not that easy, guys. I've tried. Believe me, I have. It's just not meant to be. I want it to be- God, I really do. But like I said. It's not meant to be. Not now, however." XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX One baby to another said, I'm lucky to have met you I don't care what you think Unless it is about me It is now my duty to completely drain you A travel through a tube And end up in your infection Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours I like you Nirvana- Drain You XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX -One Week Later- My ADIDAS work out shoes thumped wildly against the hardwood stairs, as I ran fleetly towards my apartment, not stopping for anything, or anybody. I felt as if my bladder was going to collapse from the strain. Holy Shit. As I rounded towards my floor, I shivered, because the damp lyrica work-out outfit stuck to my breasts, and my butt snugly. When I was walking home, this guy, no older than 20, stopped to tell me how great my tits and my ass looked in this navy blue outfit. I felt like slapping him, but he wheeled away on his little bicycle. A middle-aged guy, a little older than Mulder, said that my stomach was to die for. If I had my weapon on me, I would have already used it on the bike kid. I shoved my apartment door open, kicked it shut, as I threw my keys somewhere on the couch. Before venturing quickly to the bathroom, I stumbled on the end table. Harshly, I murmured a string of common curses, and for the door handle. I almost didn't notice it, until I saw a flash of brown, and black. The minute that I noticed that I wasn't alone, I yelped in utter surprise, and annoyance, and anger as I made eye contact with the both of them. It wasn't my bathtub I was angry at. No. It was the patrons in it. I glared angerly at him, and groaned. "Damn it, Mulder!" I shouted angerly. "I have to pee. Fuck," I groaned. I shook my head as his innocent, and sympathetic gaze tried to charm me over. I ran out of the bathroom, out of my apartment, and towards my closest neighbor. Marge was surprised to see me when I asked her in a jumbled rush if I could please use her bathroom facilities. You wouldn't believe the groan that came out of my mouth when I was finished. Mostly, I groaned because I had to face Mulder and Siroun, whom were bathing, and laughing in my tub. With *my* bubble bath, and *my* soap, and *my* bath gels. What the hell were they doing anyway ? Why the hell are they in *my* apartment? I'm going to kill the bastard. I graciously thanked Marge, and strolled back to my apartment. Upon opening the door, Mulder was standing in my living room, in his boxers and a white tank top. He shrugged innocently, and clenched his teeth together in a silent apology. "I'm sorry, Scully. I thought you were spending the night at your mom's-" "Why are you in my apartment?" I asked coldly. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he placed his hands firmly on his hips. "It's raining, and we got soaked. We were only a couple of blocks away from your apartment. I tried calling your cell phone, but nobody answered." "So you decided to just- use my bath? Just like that?" Anger was starting to boil up, and I actually felt my face getting warm. "Why are you getting so angry about this? You've done this before." I closed my eyes to take the momentary opportunity to think. I started to massage the bridge of my nose, and I followed by shaking my head. "You just don't get it. Do you?" I threw an arm over my bare stomach, and opened my eyes again. "Get what, Scully?" I sighed, frustrated with his stupidity. "Just- don't do this again, Mulder. You've turned my apartment into a loaned sex-house. That's not why I gave you my key. I gave it to you for emergencies. Like- if I was trapped in here- or if I was incapacitated. Not for taking naughty baths, with my bath gels, and my-" I inhaled the air, and groaned frustratingly. "And certainly not lighting my special fresia-jasmine armoatherapy candles." He looked at me like he just pissed in his pants, and was too scared to say anything about it. At this particular moment, Siroun emerges from the bathroom, and runs up to Mulder and I. Her shoulder rubs against Mulder's arm as she bites apprehensively on her bottom lip. "Which bath gel did you use, by the way?" Mulder folds his hands in front of his lap, and shrugged. I'm supposed to be angry. I am angry at them. At him mostly for being this fucking stupid. How could he use my bathtub with his- his- oh my God, with his *girlfriend.* This is just sinking in now? It's been a week now, and coming to this realization, I think that I have to throw up now. "Pear-raspberry," Mulder replied sheepishly. "Oh-" I said quietly, before running to the bathroom, and reaching for the edge of the door, and slamming it shut. I clutched my stomach, and knelt down by the toilet. Why is this such a shock to me? Mulder's girlfriend. Oh God. I craned my neck downwards, and emptied out what was most likely the box of Junior Mints I scarfed down before heading to the gym, and the health smothie Girrardo whipped up for me after I was on the treadmill for a half an hour. Maybe it's not Mulder and Siroun at all. Maybe it's all Girrardo's fault. I rose off of the tile floor, and moved towards the sink. Mulder was calling my name from the other side of the door, and I could hear him knocking. The water fell mildly from the steel-faucet. I splashed the water that I gathered in my palms against my face, and rubbed my hands around my temples. Mulder was going to come in soon. I could tell by the way that his pounding ceased, and he stopped calling out to me. I knelt back down on the tile floor, and leaned my cheek against the cool porcelain of my sink. What the hell was wrong with me? My eyes roamed curiously over my bathroom, and that's when it hit me like a fucking freight train. Mulder quite possibly had sex in my bathroom with his girlfriend. "Scully!" I heard from behind; two firm hands settled on my shoulder blades. "I'm fine, Mulder," I mumbled. "Then why did you just vomit?" "Probably a reaction to the health smoothie I had an hour ago." It could be true. "I'm really fine. Trust me." XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX See the stone set in your eyes See the thorn twist in your side I wait for you Sleight of hand and twist of fate On a bed of nails *he* makes me wait And I wait...without you Through the storm we reach the shore You give it all but I want more And I wait for you U2- With or Without You- (with a minor change) XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX "You know what his problem is?" "Hmmm- let me guess. He's dating somebody else?" My gaze traveled upwards to him, and he shrugged. "I guess that I've been talkin' him bout' him too much." "Too much ? No. Too much is an understatement." My eyelids fluttered closed while bringing the glass of wine to my lips. I felt the familiar haze of the essence of the alcohol's potentcy, beginning to consume me. Hell, I was tipsy. Or beyond that. "I'm sorry," I said sedately. I opened my eyes to see Ed staring back at me with a curious expression across his face. "He's just- there. When ever I have to talk- he seems to just....." I giggled. "Pop into my head." "You know what you need ? When I went through my divorce, I experienced the same residual, hateful feelings that you feel. You need closure." My eyebrow arched upwards at his words. "Was I your closure, Ed ?" He rubbed his head, and groaned with frustration. "As much as I hate to admit it....." "S'okay. I was usin' you too. You should have been there when my partn'r was tellin' me bout' you, and stuff. He was angry. It made me feel good." "Um- okay." He took a sip of his forgotten beer, and wrapped his fingers around the neck of it. "You need to train yourself to not feel pain when you see, or even think about them." "You're right, Ed." I tilted my head downwards, and nodded slowly. "I need closure." Leaning forward, I pinched his cheek, and giggled. "Thanks cutie." He simply nodded, and I fished around my purse for my cell phone. Closure. I need closure, and I've got the perfect way to do it. Closure. He's got closure. I'm gonna give him all the fucking closure that he can take, and some more then. Yeah. How bout that ? "Ah ha !" I exclaimed as I held up the sacred item in my hands as if it was the key to the universe. My cell phone. "Okay- just keep it down, Dana." "Kay, Cutie." With well my manicured nails, I punched in the series of numbers that has been too familiar to me over the years. Looking upwards, Ed was gazing curiously at me. I smiled, and nodded my head quickly. He sighed, and nodded too. "Hi- you've reached Fox Mulder. Leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you." The little beep sounded, and I had to pull away from it. God. "Yeah- it's me. It's Scully. Dana Scully. Hmmm- you know what ? I called because- I've been thinkin', and I've been talkin' to somebody- and I'm getting some freakin' closure!" I smiled, and took a miniature sip of my alcohol. "I just want you to know that I'm over you. You heard me right, baby; I am sooooo over you. I don't need you, I don't want you, I don't.... don't love-" I swallowed, and shook my head. "I'm over you, so there!" I punched the end button, and clapped my hands together. "How was that, cutie ?" "Great. You did great, but I think that it's time for you go home now." I rolled my eyes. "And who are you to tell me that I need to go home? Unless you want me to go home with you....." I giggled, and shook my head. "Nah- been there, done that. I think you're right." "I know I am," he whispered. I barely caught it, but didn't pay any attention to him. He's no fun. Just like Mulder. Who I am over!!!!! That's right. I got my fucking closure. Yeah. Closure. -The Next Morning- Oh. My. God. I think that my head is actually throbbing. Is it possible for one's head to throb ? I wasn't sure if was, but now I know for a fact. It feels like I swallowed acid, and it's eating my insides alive. Slowly, but surely, I made my way towards my door, upon hearing Mulder's customary knock, and the sharp call of my name. I gritted my teeth, and the door swung open. God, he looked good. "It's Saturday, Mulder," I groaned, before throwing my left arm around my stomach. "What happened to you? Big party that I didn't know about?" "I was out late. Why are you here ?" "You told me to come over so I could pick up our report." "Oh. Yeah. I forgot. Um- Let me get the file in my room, and a couple hundred milligrams of tylenol." "Really late night, huh ?" "I guess. I don't really..... remember." "Alcohol can do that to you, Scully. Who were you with some friends ?" "Something like that," I mumbled while walking towards my room. "I'm just gonna check my messages, okay ?" he shouted. "Whatever," I mumbled. After a couple of blissful silent moments, his voice rang threw. "Hey! There's a message from you, Scully." Oh- no. xXx "Hey! There's a message from you, Scully." Instantly, I mean- like the second that I finished telling her that there was a message from her, she charged into the room, screaming for me to give her the phone. I held it in my hand, and gripped it even tighter when she lunged herself at me. I tried moving backwards, but she landed on me, with her legs wrapped around my waist. "Mulder give me the phone!" she screamed brutally as she tried frantically to extract the cream-colored portable from my grasp. "Mulder please !" she added even louder. I backed into her sink cabinet, and she finally managed to grab the phone. She threw it in the sink, and I started to breathe heavier, feeling my heart spin off of it's axis, and tumble downwards. "You're- you're over me." Her little pants of breath are fanning against my neck, and my jaw, and my hair; her legs are still around my waist, and locked snugly. "When were you- under me ?" She's still not saying anything. Scully is completely silent, but she's still attached to my waist. I turn my head to the left, and our eyes finally make contact. She swallows hard, my heart skips a beat. She's about to say something, but she's trying to figure out what. Before she even goes and contemplates what it is that she's going to retort with, I feel a bizarre vibration against the side of my leg, and a sharp ringing noise. Instantaneously, I reach into my pocket, and answer the ill-timed call. "Mulder." And holy shit, it's Siroun. She wants to know if I'm still going to pick her up for lunch, and.... and... oh my God. "Uh- yeah," I managed to say, before enduring some more of her psycho-babble, and hanging up the phone. "I have to- um- go." She slid off of my hips, and I left. Like a fucking idiot, I left her apartment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four's a Charm (2 of 2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX I don't know why I did the things I did I don't know why I said the things I said Pride's like a knife, it can cut deep inside Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes. I didn't really mean to hurt you I didn't want to see you go I know I made you cry But baby.... if I could turn back time. If I could find a way I'd take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay. If I could reach the stars- I'd give them all to you. and you'd love me, love me, like you used to do. Cher- If I Could Turn Back Time XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX -About 10 hours Later- The sun was already down, my hangover was gone, and apparently, so was Mulder. I tried calling him a couple of times today, and he never answered, never returned my call. But I'm not going to let this get to me now. I have other things to deal with. Other things besides Mulder. Like.... like this report that I'm working on. That I've- been working on for the past three hours, and I've only gotten to the case number, and the investigators. I ran my fingers through my hair, and leaned my head against my palms to cradle my own head. The way that Mulder left my apartment like that this morning was a clear indicator that he was unsure, confused, and possibly even panicky. Yeah, well he's not the only one who's unsure, confused, and panicky. Is that why I'm sitting in the office? Yesterday, I made a mistake. I let down my inhibitions, (with the help with some white zinfandel) and plunged for the kill. Was it actually a mistake, though ? "I was wondering if you could help me solve the mystery of the horny beast." My gaze instantly flipped up to where the voice came from, and just as my thoughts confirmed, Mulder was standing in front of me, with his arms folded over his chest. "Mulder." "I left your apartment this morning to have lunch with Siroun." Mulder pulled the cotton-clad chair up from behind him, and sat down. His fingers threaded through each other, and he folded his joined hands on the desk in front of him. He was obviously getting ready to tell me something. So I kept my commentary to myself, while studying his features. If you've gotten familiar with somebody's eyes, and know their heart, you can look into their eyes, and know at that moment what their thinking. That's what my dad told me when I was sixteen, and I found Melissa in our pool house, with my boyfriend. He told me that the minute that I see Melissa, I should look into her eyes, and see if I see guilt. Anger. Whatever. Mulder took a deep breath. "Why did you leave that message on my answering machine?" "Why? I don't have a reason for what I said, Mulder. I was drunk- and misguided. I'm sorry." "Are you sure that was all of it?" My eyes flickered over Mulder's, and I remained silent. Suddenly, his hands unfolded, and he stood; the force of his immediate movement, knocked the chair over, and it toppled to the floor with a loud thump. "Why did you have to say that, now? Now of all times? Why, Scully?" All that I could do was stare back at him with a hollow expression. What did he expect me to say? "This is just great, Scully. Just great. The moment that you chose to say that.... God, Scully!" "Damn it, Mulder! Stop being a jerk about this! I said that I was sorry, and that it was a mistake. What more do you want from me, Mulder?" I shouted. He ran his hands down his hair, and groaned. "I want you to-" Mulder's jaw slammed shut, and he closed his eyes. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, where I stood, and walked up to him. I placed my hands on my hips, and waited for him to reply. "I want- you......" His voice suddenly stiffened, and it grew rigid. "This is the first real relationship that I've had since Diana, and now- I don't know what I'm going to do." "Don't do anything, you jerk!" I practically screamed. "I'm sorry for being an- inconvenient blemish in your social life. Excuse me!" I howled as I placed a hand over my heart for emphasis. "I don't need you, Mulder- or your attitude. You can't blame me for everything that goes bad." He turned around expeditiously, and walked through the threshold, leaving the door open. xXx I stopped about a couple of feet from the elevator, and looked upwards. That was great. What did I just accomplish? Nothing. I made her angry, and she's probably in there- trashing my desk, erasing the hard drive on my computer. Something like that. Siroun, and Scully. Siroun- Siroun is..... she's..... she's great. She's wonderful, and kind, and down-to-earth. Somebody that I could picture myself with in a long term relationship. She's the reason why my mood has been upbeat lately. Scully. Scully's everything. She's the reason why the sun goes up, and sets at night. She's why flowers bloom, and why birds sing. She's everything that is good, and every other sappy metaphor that I could use to describe her. Scully's just not everything, she's *my* everything. Scully is life. Languidly, I made my way back to the office, and stood in the doorway, with my hips perched against the wooden frame. She had her side to me, facing the file cabinet. She sat on the chair that I knocked over, with her head buried into her palms. Scully wasn't crying though. No. That's not Scully's style. She was just sitting there, breathing slowly. After minutes of this silent warfare, she slid her palms outwards, and cupped her nose with her index fingers. Her hands were up as if she were praying; her eyes remained closed. From where I stood speechlessly, and silent, I heard the intake of breath she took, and the lethargic release, spilling out of her nose, and mouth. I did nothing. I stood there, gaping at her like a fucking idiot. I tried to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, I leaned my hand against the frame, and perched my head to lounge against it. For what seemed like long, uncomfortable hours, she opened her eyes, and, rose from the chair, missing the fact that I was standing, watching her. Scully leaned over the desk, scooped up our case file, and turned around, where she caught her breath at the sight of me. At first, I thought she was going to start screaming, and yelling. Then, when she didn't do that, I thought she was going to walk right past me, as if this didn't happen, as if I wasn't there, and as if we didn't exist. But she didn't. Scully gradually made it towards me, and stood in silence, looking up into my eyes. Her divine, resplendent blue eyes that contained a slice of heaven, looked through mine curiously. I've caught her doing this a couple of times when we have our *intense* moments. I think that she tries to look into my soul, searching for anything, and everything important. I questioned her about it once, and she told me that eyes are the ultimate gateway to a person's feelings. And you know what ? She's right. A flickering smile began to play across her lips, and I smiled as well, slowly inching my mouth down to hers. Fearing that she was really fooling me into causing some pain on me, I clamped my legs shut. I know that trick all too well, courtesy of Phoebe Greene. Our lips met at last, and our lips fused together like an electrical storm. It was pure bliss, sheer, ultimate bliss that made my head spin savagely out of control. Finally, we pulled away from the embrace, and she stared up at me with hungry, inquisitive eyes. Prudently, I reached forward, and cupped her soft cheek against my palm. I ran my thumb across the tip of her nose. For each stroke my thumb made across the sensitive skin, her cheeks initiated a rosy blush. Jesus, she was so beautiful. Not even a Goddess is supposed to look like this. Tilting forward, our lips met in a kiss that was less chaste than our previous one. Her tongue darted out to skim across my lips, and my mouth dropped open in response. A soft moan released from my lips as I felt the file that was clenched in her hands, fall to the floor. I heard the pliable pop as the papers in the file scattered around us. Scully's arms flew over my body vigilantly; one around my waist, and the other snaked up my back, and through the strands of my hair. My hands clutched desperately at her waist, trying anything to get her closer to me. and holy shit, she's actually enjoying this. XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX So you're scared to show your feelings Baby I do understand Well I don't make a promise I can't keep And I vow to be a real good friend In those big green eyes I see a glow of love I just hope I'm the one you're dreaming of Let me be the one to love you Let me be the one to care Let me be the one to light your flame Oh baby Oh baby Let me be the one Let Me Be The One- Blessed Union of Souls XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX "Oh- no. I'm not letting you do this, Mulder." "Do what? I'm not doing anything." "Okay. Let me get this straight. You got a message from Scully, claiming that she's over you- when you know that she was lying. Then, you confront her, and you guys have a heated fight. When you came back to her, you guys kissed." Byers confirmed. "Uh huh." I fiddled with Frohike's 'naked strip-tease' pen, and frowned. "And now you say that you're- *confused*? What the hell is up with that? You shouldn't be confused about it. You should be happy, and dump that chick you're stringing along," Langly chastised frantically. "It's not as easy as you think." "Please. Explain," Byers said firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. I groaned, and threw my head back to rest on the edge of the cotton-laden chair. "I love Scully. I would do anything for her. She's- God, I've been waiting for her for six years. I've tried so hard to show her how I feel with subtle gestures, and soft, and personal words. I even had this little mission statement on my home computer, saying that I would make it my mission to do this. It was a battle plan of the sorts...." I stood from the chair, and turned towards the wall. "I gave up on trying to show her how I feel. One Friday night, I was sitting at home, and I realised that I'm going to be forty in two years. I'm going to be forty, and I haven't had a date since..... Diana. As much as wanted Scully to be that person, I programmed myself to accept the fact that she was off limits." I faced the three of them, and Byers and Langly were listening attentively, while Frohike's back was turned to me, and he was doing something on the computer. Funny. Out of the three of them, he would be the most interested in my social life, and *especially* in Scully. "So I met Siroun, and everything is great. I have an active sex life, and she's.... God. Siroun's great. She's just...." "Great ?" Langly butted in sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, and placed my hands on my hips. "So everything is great with you. That's great. I suppose that sex is great, and seeing Scully in pain is great, and watching her get jealous, and making her cry must be really great," Frohike interjected. "That's not fair." "What you're doing isn't fair, Mulder," Byers added. "What am I doing?" "Two women adore you, and want you- and one of them is being stringed along like a joke. You need to make a decision, so you can save one of these women the pain," Byers said. "So who's it going to be?" Langly piped in. "My head is telling me to go with Siroun, because it's the easy way out. She's safe ground." "Safe is nice," Frohike grumbled sourly. I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't finished." I threw Frohike's naughty little pen across the room, and it landed next to him. "But...." I smiled, and shook my head. "But my heart screams for Scully. She's what I want, and will always want. Nobody can replace her. I will never want anybody, need anybody, and love anybody as much as Scully." "I'm sensing a 'but' here." "But Siroun is important to me. I don't want to lose her friendship." "Love conquers all. Even friendship, buddy," Byers said with a sigh. "Oh- I know that. I just wish there was a way I could tell Siroun, and keep her as a friend." "It's not possible, man. I'm sorry, but it's like choosing between these women. If you chose Siroun, you'll definitely lose the best thing in your life." Frohike stopped, and chuckled hoarsely. "You'll probably even lose our friendship, because we're on Scully's side." "Hey- you're supposed to be my friends....." "War sucks, dude," Langly chided. "So does love," Frohike added. "No." I shook my head, and smiled. "Not when it comes to Scully." "And Siroun?" Frohike asked. I shrugged. "I wouldn't know. It's only possible to love one woman. I was in lust for Siroun. I suppose that on some... sub-conscious level, she reminded me of Scully. They both like order, and power, and they're both neat-freaks. They both have the same interests too. They both love the sea, and taking long baths, and they're both work-a-holics. But the honest to God truth was...." my voice trailed off while the three of the gunmen waited for me to reply. "Truth was she wasn't Scully." xXx Tucking my knees to my chest, I stared out at the endless expanse of starry sky, and leaned my cheek against my left knee. My father once told me that the stars were tangible proof that heaven existed. Each one of the stars were sanctuaries. And on these sanctuaries, the dead spirits, and watched you while you while you sleep Unfortunately for him, I was taking astronomy in my gifted and talented education class, and I asked him why stars exploded, and died. And you know what? He never answered me. He just shook his head, and patted the top of my head. But maybe he was right. On some nonsensical level, my father, and my sister are sitting on one of those incandescent, fervent balls of energy, watching me, watching them. A smile formed across my face, and I tilted my head up to stare openly at the sky. "Hi Daddy!" I exclaimed as I waved my hand around. I chuckled, and hung my head low. "You forgot your sister." I suddenly heard from behind. I jumped, and made a yelping sound. "Mulder, you've got to stop doing that," I told him firmly. I heard his footsteps as he walked to the window, and took a seat next to the desk, grabbing one of my kitchen chairs. He glared through the window, and smiled. "I do that sometimes; when I feel that Samantha, or Deep Throat, or my father are watching me, I talk to them too." "Is that so?" He nodded; his eyes never left the sky. "Well, I'm surprised to see you." "What do you mean?" he asked curiously. I shrugged. "Last time, you disappeared for 7 hours. It's only been 3 hours." I had to give her credit. She was a real smart ass. A damn good one if you ask me. "I spent the first hour at the gunmen's. The second hour, I drove around. Nowhere in particular. The last hour, I spent at Siroun's." "So why are you here now?" Mulder stood, and I turned around in my fulcrum chair to face him. "Because I need you to take a look at my head. Siroun threw her blow dryer at me." "Why'd she do that?" I tried to sound as uninterested as possible. "Well, she was a little upset when I told her that I wanted us to be friends. She was a lot upset when I told her why." "And then she threw her blow dryer at you?" "And then she threw her blow dryer at me." I couldn't help but smile. He was trying to be as nonchalant, as possible, but it was turning out to be cute. He smiled carelessly, pointing to his head, and I stood from my chair, and crossed the space between us, stopping short at a mere arms distance. "So- why did you end it with Siroun? She was nice." I arched my eyebrow playfully up at him, while shaking my head, and placing my hands on my hips. "You're not seeing another woman, are you, Mulder?" He chuckled, and shook his head. "Nah. Not yet, however." Mulder took one giant step, and we were standing face to face, with our bodies practically touching. "See- there's this woman.... I've been interested in her for a while now-" "Define a while," I interrupted. "Well, candidly, six years. For about three of those years, I wasn't really sure. I mixed up love and lust, and I was confused. I thought that I lusted for her, but really, I did love her. Only after a fluke mistake when she walked in on me, when another woman was kissing me, I came to realize that it was lust, but it was also love." He took his hand and placed it against my abdomen. Silently, I shuddered, and allowed him to sneak a peek at what this man does to me. "Anyway, it was only last summer that I actually tried to do something about loving her." "What happened?" He frowned, and shook his head in a mock-fashion. "Eh- she got stung by a bee who's purpose was to try and turn her into a human/alien hybrid, which almost did, until I came to the rescue as always, heroically saving her from becoming an alien." The chuckle, and full blown laugh that came from my mouth was impossible to escape. It was okay though, because he joined in with me. His hand still rested on my stomach as we laughed, and it finally died down when he began to trace circles around my navel. "My most recent attempt was a couple of months ago, when I tried to treat her to a late birthday present. She thought that I was crazy when I tried to teach her how to play baseball. But, I should have considered it my very early birthday present from her, because I got to hold her for three hours, while she hit these fly balls, which seemed to appear like vanishing into the night sky. God, Scully, she smelt good, she felt good- I guess that's why I couldn't tell her then. I was too wrapped up in what she smelt like. I'm only glad that she didn't know how to hit a ball, because she would have made me stand at a distance." "Well you know what?" I asked. He seemed moderately hesitant to answer me. "What?" "I have a confession to make." I bowed my head to the ground, and shook my head. When I looked up at him, he looked almost petrified. "I was an All State Softball champion for six years straight." The petrified look faded, and he chuckled with relief. The hand that was on my stomach snaked around, and he grabbed the back of my waist, and closed any space that remained between us. I placed one of my hands on the round of his back, and I swear to God, he was trembling. With out dragging our eyes off of each other, our free hands rose up together with our palms touching. Our palms were located a couple of inches away from us, and hovering in the air about chest level. With out further ado, we kissed for the third time. The third time. I'm kissing Mulder, in my living room and.... oh God, our fingers laced together. I'm holding Mulder's hand, with his free arm around my waist, and I'm kissing him. This isn't any kiss. It's a fantastic kiss. So fantastic, I think that I'm trembling too. And all that I can think about right now is, wow. Wow, this kiss is great. Wow, I feel alive. Wow, it's Mulder. Jesus, I think I should be committed, because feeling this good is too good to be true. Mulder starts to pull away from me, and I realize that I'm supposed to breathe. "Scully?" he says after a while. "Yeah." "Do you think that I have a remote chance with this woman?" "I don't know. She might need some more convincing." I pulled his neck towards me. "Wanna convince me?" "More than you know, babe." We kissed again, for the fourth time. xXx Jewel flooded through the room while we made love for the fourth time. Amazing. It was almost five o'clock, and we're rounding up our fourth time. She's moaning, and cursing, and so am I, and it's beautiful. It's all beautiful. When number four ceases to it's delightful end, I lay my head against her chest, and close my eyes. Her hand settles in my hair, and she's cradling my skull to her. "Four was better than three," she rasps out. "And three was better than two." "See a pattern?" Scully asks sarcastically. I feel her lips on the top of my head, and I kiss a patch of glorious sweat-covered skin, just above her belly button. Jewel starts singing about choices, medaphored all up to her meaningful standards. The choice that I made tonight. Or- yesterday. Whatever... I know that it's right. I know that Scully is right for me. She has been right for me for six years, she continues to be right for me, and she will always be right for me. ************************** Done!! - I used lyrics in this story. They are: Cher- Believe Nirvana- Drain You U2- With or Without You Cher- If I Could Turn Back Time Let Me Be The One- Blessed Union of Souls Each of the allotted lyrics seemed to fit with the section that they were divided into. No copyright infringement intended.