TITLE: Autumn Terrace 2 BY: Karen Conrardy DATE: March 29, 1999 RATED: PG-13 for one dirty word and one very dirty word CLASSIFICATION: VA, MSR ARCHIVE: Anywhere (Please, let me know) DISCLAIMER: I only wish they were mine. I think about them so much, sometimes I think they have taken up permanent residence in my head. No infringement of any kind is intended. SUMMARY: Scully does some thinking of her own at 450 Autumn Terrace, Arcadia Falls, San Diego County, California AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, I didn't intend a sequel to "Autumn Terrace" but I got requests for it. Here ya go! You might want to read "Autumn Terrace" first to see where this is going. It should still be here on ATXC or Ephemeral. If not, I can send it to you. I'll take any and all feedback at xkarenc@gateway.net It will be cherished and I promise to reply. Scully walked back up the stairs, leaving a moping Mulder behind on the couch. She didn't know why she felt bad for leaving him down there. It's not like he never slept on a couch. Actually, she was perturbed by his constant teasing. She had put up with teasing from her older brothers all her life. She'd never been able to snap out a witty comeback, and she still couldn't. Normally, one or two innuendoes were all he would try and then he would take in her disdainful look and give up. This situation they were in made it a breeding ground for this kind of behavior and he didn't know that it was wearing her down. One more attempt at a kiss or cuddle and she might take him seriously. That's something he would never know, though, she would make sure of it. The first time they had come this close she had the better part of a bottle of red wine under her belt and a very engaging "Mulder" animatedly listening to her every word. She had been so shocked and embarrassed by that encounter that she had vowed to never let him see her that way again. And then the next time, well she had decided that that was Mulder's selfish egotistical way of getting her to stay. True, she would have let him kiss her, in fact she had wanted him to, but that didn't mean she was blind. She hated having that feeling, wanting him but knowing he didn't feel that way. Mulder was a complicated man but she didn't think he had many secrets left from her. She didn't think he was capable of giving back that kind of love. Mulder didn't have anything left to give. His parents had taken that away, not to mention Phoebe. She and Mulder had a dynamic partnership, a bond that some people might be envious of, but they didn't talk about it. They didn't really talk at all. That's just the way they were. She had the distinct feeling that if he had kissed her, and if it had progressed into something more, their communication, or lack there of, wouldn't change. And that bothered her. Sure the sex would be great, intense, wild. Everything she craved, but not emotionally deep. Never romantic, that would be going too far. She wanted him, she wanted him with all her being, but not like that. Not when it would be sex on weekends, in dark hotel rooms in the middle of nowhere, hidden from the world, never advanced or discussed. All she knew was if he didn't stop the teasing now that she would break. She was weak. It hurt even to admit that to herself. But she had wanted him so much for so long she was reaching the end of her rope. She would either give in to his flirting-or she would leave him. She remembered what it was like in the beginning. She used to smile, get embarrassed by his little pokes at her. A funny comment used to make her blush. But now she had conditioned herself to be stiff and serious. She had perfected her eyebrow quirk and the rolling of her eyes. She didn't think twice about cutting him off in front of strangers anymore. This time they had from the incident in Antarctica until the events with the Spenders and that conniving cunt, Diana had given her a lot of time to think. She had come very to close to leaving again; it was a waste of her aptitude doing background checks and investing fertilizer consumers. Though to leave him would be slinking off in the night, moving away, disconnecting her phone. She didn't have the strength to do that. He would find her. He would go to her mother. The Lone Gunmen were nothing if not resourceful. And standing before him again, with the words of quitting on her lips was something she couldn't bring herself to do. He'd probably try to kiss her again and she would melt into a puddle at his wingtips. Why did leaving him feel like a divorce? Why did dating another man make her feel like she was having an affair? What she really wanted was to have the X-Files back. They had become a part of her existence just like they had his. They were challenging and exciting. And now that they had she was hopeful things would be better between them. Maybe back to the way they used to be, before Emily, before the cancer, before Diana. He was acting like nothing had ever happened and that infuriated her. He didn't acknowledge the almost kiss. Maybe he thought she didn't remember. He never apologized for his transgressions with Diana. He obviously thought his behavior didn't warrant one. Well he was wrong. She went into the bedroom and shut the door. It was dark and peaceful up here in this beautiful house. But it was also lonely. She realized she only felt this way when he was in the same building with her, never when she was at home. She hung her robe neatly on the back of the bathroom door and slipped into bed. She wondered if he would get any sleep down there. She was beginning to think she wouldn't get any herself. She lay there listening to the silence, replaying the evening's events in her mind. This whole case was par for the course for them. Shacking up under a guise in Suburbia Hell. Would it always be this way for them? She rolled over onto her side to catch the light coming in the window. She studied the ring on her finger, turning it this way and that. It was all they had in evidence that fit her and it happened to be a beautiful piece. It wasn't actually a traditional wedding set as it was lacking an engagement ring. It was a band filled with a sparkling cluster of diamonds. It was lovely yet simple. She reached up to turn on the light so she could study it more carefully, away from the observant eyes of her partner. She turned it towards the light and noticed an inscription engraved on the inside. She squinted to make out the letters. "M to S 2-23-99" She jumped as if she had been poked with a hot metal rod. No, it couldn't possibly be. It was a coincidence, a huge coincidence, an X-File even. She would even admit to that. No way. She squinted again, reading it over and over. A birthday gift? From Mulder? Astronomically impossible. No way he could have set this up. The gears in her head started to turn. It was the only ring in evidence that fit. Jake Connors showed it to her twice while she was looking through the box. But there was no way Mulder would know her ring size. Was there? Why hadn't he given it to her? How was she supposed to know it was from him unless he told her? He was giving himself an out. Or her an out. However you looked at it she didn't know how she was supposed to proceed from here. Should she go downstairs and confront him or pretend that she never noticed it? If she pretended and he didn't say anything it would hurt. Something told her that he would let the opportunity slip by rather than risking an uncomfortable encounter between them. This was it. She was tired of the smoldering looks, the silent appraisals, the sexually laden comments. This covert gift was more than she could take. How could he be such a bastard half the time and then do something so romantic-so-.normal? She hated secrets, even more so, she couldn't keep them. She had always been a terrible liar. She got up from the bed and went downstairs. She walked to the end of the couch and stopped. She stared at him laying there covered in the blankets she had given him; his feet propped up on the arm in front of her. He opened his eyes and gave her a knowing smile. Suddenly she was touched as tears crept to the corners of her eyes. She should have been angry for him playing this trick on her-but it was such a nice trick. Her mouth opened and closed, she didn't know what to say. His smile turned tender, silently asking for forgiveness. "Happy Birthday, Scully?" He offered softly. The hot tears she was holding back sprang forth and she covered her face, her ring twinkling in the light from the streetlamp. -The End- ADDITIONAL AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, so now I know there has to be another part. I really never intended for there to be a sequel to the first one but I got so many wonderful requests that I couldn't resist. You guys have got me on a roll. Thank you for all the encouragement. You can hit that reply button now-