Fais me Sourire: The World Is New Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono Rating: General. All fluff here;) Category: SRH Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance Spoilers:none Summary: Scully's having a very tiresome day when she gets an uplifting phone call from Mulder while hearing a song blasted at a too high volume. I do like feedback, so please write me at RhiaRamsay@aol.com. Flames can be stored and used in the winter for when my bedroom becomes too damned cold. The Flaming French-Fries and the rest of this story is dedicated to my sister, Missy for always taking my Save Ferris CD and for making me realize one of the other songs on the tape was perfect to be from Mulder's point of view. Fais me Sourire is French for 'make me smile' (or something close to that). It's a happy series, I'm gonna give it a happy title. Eyh, my favorite part. The X-files are not mine. They belong to SurferBoy Chris Carter. Vera is mine. The song 'The World Is New' belongs to Save Ferris. The World Is New Elizabeth L. Iacono March, 2015 Special Agent Dana Scully-Mulder unlocked the door to the apartment and held it open for the nervous teenager standing behind her in the hallway. When the teen didn't budge from studying the pattern on the carpet, Scully sighed, exasperated, and spoke. "Vera Katheryne Mulder, get in there now," she said with an ominous tone. Vera glanced up at her mother, and even though they were the same height, Vera even slightly taller in her boots, Dana still managed to look down at the recalcitrant teen. Her color changing eyes she'd inherited from her father were darkened with embarrassment. She slowly shuffled in and sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Scully shut the door behind her and walked over to stand in front of Vera. Dana's blue eyes were hard as her and Vera looked at each other. Vera started the conversation. "Now I know how Dad feels when you chew him out." Dana's jaw tightened, and Vera winced. <> she thought. "What was out there that was so interesting that you and two of your friends had to trespass on private property and get arrested for it?" Dana said, in actuality trying not to laugh at how much Vera looked like Fox. She saw Vera begin to chew on her lower lip, a nervous trait she'd inherited from Dana, she got the feeling this was going to be a doozy. Vera sighed and said, "You better sit down for this one." Dana half smiled. "Why? Afraid I'll faint from shock from what you did?" Vera ran a hand through her red-brown hair. "No. You'll probably fall over laughing at the familiarity of the situation." Dana sat down next to her. "Oh, great. Mom warned me you'd turn out exactly like your father." "Speaking of Dad, where is he? A flight from Chicago can't take this long." Dana leaned back against the arm of the couch. "Probably got stuck in this rain we're having. Now stop stalling." Vera grimaced. "Awright. But technically we weren't trespassing. The house is on school grounds and the handbook says students are allowed on the prop..." "Get on with it Vera!" Dana cut her off. "Well, see, there's a rumor going around the high school about the old house on the far corner on the property." "And this rumor is?" Dana prompted. Vera held her head in her hands. "tsjd shfejfg jdf hsfjgjso bs ajdf djsdj fhjrs," was the sound that came out of her mouth. "Excuse me?" Dana asked. Vera lifted her head. "The house is supposedly haunted by a student who died there twenty years ago." It was too much for Dana. The laughs started pouring out from her lips. "This is what they called me out of an autopsy for?" Vera lifted an eyebrow and grinned. "Yeah, and the next time I see Director Skinner he'll bring up what a chip off the old block I am." Dana stopped laughing and smiled at Vera. "Don't worry, it was just a boring old guy anyway. No X-File there. C'mon, let's get dinner." Dana stood up and brushed off her pants. Vera trailed Dana into the kitchen. "Y'know 7:30 is a little late for dinner. How about we just order a pizza?" she asked hopefully, not wanting to eat more leftovers. "Nice try, Hon, but I need space in this freezer, and we're cleaning it out." Scully pulled open the freezer and pulled out some hamburgers and French fries. "But you did say my burgers tasted better than McDonalds's." "Good enough." Vera took the fries from her mom and started putting them in the toaster oven to warm up, while Dana popped the burger's in the broiler. "Hey Mom, how am I gonna explain to David and Ben why I'm not getting into trouble for this?" Dana straightened up and shut the oven door. "Because you have a genetic predisposition for getting into trouble and landing in jail. It wouldn't work to punish you because you'd go out and get into trouble again-just like your Dad." Vera gave off a Mulderish smirk. "Yeah, and anyway I know they're not gonna be pressing charges against us because I, uh, accidentally mentioned that my parents were SAC's at the FBI." "You didn't!" "Well, at least I didn't say what divisions you were in charge of." Dana looked at Vera. "If it's D.C. police they know perfectly well Fox Mulder is the head of the Paranormal Investigations division and that I run the Paranormal Pathologies." "Well, it didn't hurt." Vera raised her head and sniffed the air like a bloodhound. "What's that smell?" Dana looked to the right where the toaster was now up in flames. "Oh, crap!" She ran to get the fire extinguisher while Vera went searching for baking soda or powder-whichever one you use for it. By the time she'd found it Dana had the fire extinguisher out from the pantry. "Which one do we use Mom?" Dana grabbed the box from Vera, opened the toaster oven door, and tossed it over the fire. "That one. It'll be easier to clean up." Dana gingerly prodded at the blackened French fries now covered in white powder. "There goes dinner." Vera dusted some of the powder off of her red T-shirt. "So how does pizza sound now?" "Better than this." Dana handed the tray with the burnt fries on it to her. "Try and get these off of here. I'll scrap the burgers and call for pizza." Vera grimaced and took the tray from her with two fingers. Dana walked over to the stove. "And don't worry about getting into trouble," Dana continued her conversation from before. "You're almost sixteen. Everyone's supposed to get into trouble around this age." "Did you?" Vera grinned knowing full well the answer would be no. "I'm talking about your father's side of the family." "Yeah, I can just bet you were a little altar girl when you were young." Dana glanced at her from by the kitchen phone. "They didn't have altar girls when I was young." She turned her attention to the phone. "Hi. Yes I'd like two large pizza's..." Vera finished cleaning the toaster tray and pushed it back into the oven. She turned to her mother, just hanging up the phone. "When's the pizza coming?" "Half an hour." "All right. I'm gonna go upstairs and finish that blasted geometry homework." As she walked out of the kitchen Dana heard her mutter "Whoever invented geometry ought to be dragged out to the middle of the street and shot," quoting the old Garfield cartoon. Dana walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch. This day just wasn't going right for her. Fox was away in Chicago, she'd gotten a whole load of paperwork from one of the pairs of agents under her because they'd messed up a case, and then got stuck doing an autopsy that was sent to her because no one else would do it. And that was before the call from D.C. police. She glanced around the large apartment her and Fox had bought when Vera was five. It was actually more like four houses in this one old brick building that was in surprisingly good condition. The two apartments on the lower levels had two floors each, a basement, and a backyard. The upper apartments got two floors also, but they had an attic and a rooftop garden. Dana smiled as she looked out the sliders to the backyard. Their half was pretty big, and surrounded by an eight foot tall rock wall on all sides, with a door going out to the walkway that separated the other yard. The backyard was what got Vera's attention when they first moved there. She claimed it looked like it was from 'The Secret Garden', her favorite movie. She'd even made Fox put up a rope swing in a big tree in one corner. And he certainly wasn't going to refuse her when she turned that lost little puppy face on him. The only one who was seemingly immune to it was Dana, who'd had enough experience from dealing with the two of them. Dana was startled out of her memory when she heard the phone ring. She reached for the portable phone and pressed talk. "Hello." -It's great hearing your voice again- echoed over the phone lines. Dana grinned. "You just called me three hours ago, Fox. How was the flight?" She could practically see his slightly green face over the line. -I didn't know it was possible to get seasick from a one and 1/2 hour plane flight. At one point the plane had to have dropped at least five feet.- "That bad, Fox?" -Yeah. I'm at Dulles now. I'll be home in about half an hour. What's for dinner, Dana?" "Pizza." -I thought it was clean out the freezer week?- "It was until the French fries caught fire." -Oh. Well, I'll see you soon.- "Okay. Love you." -Love you too.- And with that Fox hung up. Dana smiled and hung up her own end. Hearing from Fox always made her smile. She found it hard to believe they'd been married for over 16 years-and she still hadn't shot him again. Dana picked up the newspaper from the coffee table and was ready to read it when she heard the music come down through the ceiling. "Can't she use her headphones?" Dana whined. Like any teenager, Vera had a tendency to listen to music blasting at top volume. Dana walked over to the intercom in the wall. "Vera, turn it down a little, will, you, please?" Dana waited for a minute, having not received a response. The volume of the music didn't abate. It was time to go upstairs and turn it down herself. When Dana got to Vera's open door, she slowed down. Vera was sitting with her feet propped up on her desk, and her room was pretty clean for a time when there was no company over. As Dana was about to open her mouth she heard the words of the song that had just started. I was sitting and waiting Just thinking, contemplating my life when I heard the phone I picked up the receiver And I did not believe her When I heard a voice say you're not alone When I down and I am blue All I have to do Is close my eyes and think of you And the world is new. Dana closed her eyes for a second and thought of Fox. Just a simple, short phone call from him was still enough to make her break out into a silly grin, like the one that was forming on her face now. The song continued. Life was getting hectic And thing were unexpected When I first received your call But now it is the best thing That filled up what was missing And now my life is envied by all <> Dana thought. When I am down and I am blue All I have to do Is close my eyes and think of you I was sitting and waiting Just thinking, contemplating my life when I heard the phone I picked up the receiver And I did not believe her When I heard a voice say you're not alone When I am down and I am blue All I have to do Is close my eyes and think of you And the world is new. The song ended and Dana took her chance to speak. "Loud enough?" Vera startled at the question and jumped. Unfortunately, when she jumped her foot caught the rung on the chair, taking the chair and her geometry book along for the fall. They all ended up in a pile on the floor. Vera looked up from the floor at her mother's smile. "Don't you listen to any music from this century, V?" Vera smirked as she stood up and righted the chair. "Nope," she joked and paused the CD player. "If it's got a 2 in the thousands spot I won't touch it." She glanced at Dana. "But if you're in the market to hold a ninties party then talk to me." Dana rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just turn it down a little, okay? I can hear it through the floor." "Gotcha." Dana turned and walked out the door. As an afterthought she turned back and said "Oh, and by the pizza ought to be here in about 15 minutes so don't get too comfortable." "Yes, Ma'am." Dana exited the room once more. As she walked down the hall she heard the tune of "Come On Eileen" come out of the door. "Hey, V, this is '80's!" she called back. "Remake!" was the yelled reply. Downstairs, Dana finally had a chance to catch up on the daily news and sat in peace to watch Eyewitness news on channel 7 (these are NY stations, I don't know the ones for D.C.). Twenty minutes later Dana was close to falling asleep right there, when she heard the doorbell ring. "Took ya long enough," Dana grumbled as she walked to the door to get the pizza. In a moment of forgetfulness, she forgot to check the peephole, which worked to her advantage. When she opened the door, she found a smiling Fox Mulder there, holding their dinner in his right hand. "Miss me?" he asked. Dana smiled and grabbed his tie and pulled his mouth to hers. "Very much. Now get in here and give me that pizza. We're starving." Fox laughed and walked in. "And who said just men are ruled by their stomachs?" He threw his trenchcoat on the sofa, then doubled back, picked up the coat and hung it in the closet. Dana threw back over her shoulder "I see I've trained you well over the years." Fox faked a laugh as he walked into the kitchen where Dana was quickly setting the table with paper plates, napkins, and some glasses. "What's that smell?" he asked. "Don't ask," Dana grumbled angrily. Fox decided on a little harmless teasing to get her mind off the subject. "And who ever said Dana Scully never loses her cool?" "Don't mock me Fox. I've had a rough day and I am still not afraid to hurt you." Fox's face grew concerned. "What happened?" he asked. "Not much. Just a bunch of minor things that have a tendency to catch up on you by the day's end. Call Vera down for me will you, please?" "Of course." Fox turned to the intercom. "Hey V, dinner's here!" This message got through quicker than the first one. Fox immediately heard her shut the music off, and then the sound of footsteps running down the upstairs hallway, and then taking the stairs at least three at a time. The whirlwind called Vera ran around the corner and barreled into Fox at top speed. "Hey, Dad!" Even though Fox felt pretty much fine. the day had taken its toll on Fox too and he had to remind himself that he wasn't that young anymore. "Hi to you too." "How was Chicago?" she asked. "Fine. Now sit down. Dinner's ready." Vera rolled her eyes and went to the table, followed quickly by her parents. "So what happened today?" Dana smiled. "Well, for one, Vera got arrested." Fox's eyes shot to her. "For what?" Dana's grin turned evil. "Oh, no..." Vera said. This was going to be a long night for her. back