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Title: Together Apart - I Need To Know them, guys. I promise I'll return them in almost new condition after playing with them. Besides, I'm a teacher; how are you gonna get any amount of money from a teacher?! Summary: A scene I wish had been in the season nine opener. This is an e-mail from Mulder to Scully. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey, So how's the kid? Is he sleeping any better? I hope he likes the little I miss you. Whenever you were away from me I had your necklace. When Duane Barry I wish there was a different way to do this. We made this decision together, but I wish I could tell you that I've got some really good leads, but I will not lie I promised to tell you everything that happens. And I will. So far, thankfully, I better go. The place is starting to get more crowded. Take care. Kiss him for me. Tell him what a great baseball player his Dad is. I love you. George H. Scully pushed back from the computer. A couple tears teased at the corner of her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall. Her glasses reflected the bluish light of the computer monitor as she reread the entire letter. This time she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. A soft noise behind her pulled her attention away from the computer. "Shhhh," she instinctively soothed as she patted William's back. The baby lay sleeping on his side in the bassinet. He hadn't actually woken up; he was just making those sleeping noises. Scully recognized it but took the opportunity to comfort her baby. She studied him with loving but concerned eyes for a minute before turning back to the monitor. Should she…? 'I need to know…' She started to reach for the phone but hesitated as the usual concerns flooded her consciousness. She reasoned with herself, using his words, 'You're not protecting me by not telling me ' However, another voice countered, 'But, what can he do about it? He's not here… he can't do anything. It would only upset him. He might even come back. And that would not be good.' She closed her eyes and wrestled with herself for several moments. 'I need to know…' Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed the phone from its cradle on her desk and dialed the number. As she waited for the person to answer, she repositioned William's blanket and smoothed the hair over his ear. "Hello?" the voice on the other end answered. "Byers," Scully replied, turning back to the computer. "I need a babysitter." That was the code Mulder had set up with the guys for her to use when she needed to contact him. "Can I bring him over this afternoon?" The End
Title: Together Apart: Sister Spooky's Reply them, guys. I promise I'll return them in almost new condition after playing with them. Besides, I'm a teacher; how are you gonna get any amount of money from a teacher?! Summary: This is Scully's reply to Mulder's message in "I Need To Know." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi, I'm glad you're getting settled there. Things are proceeding as we expected here. I took the job we discussed. It does We miss you. He's drinking a bottle and a half at a time! Quite the growing boy! My Mom watches him when I'm at work and loves every minute. She's enjoying He is doing well, but there is something I need to tell you. I struggled with A strange woman told us about experiments to make super soldiers. Then, we found Please, do not come rushing home. We have to do as we said we would. Then, you Sister Spooky Mulder slowly worked his jaw as he stared at the monitor. His glasses reflected the words on the screen as his eyes flittered back and forth, rereading the message again and again. His lips curled slightly as he read her signature. They only posted to newsgroups under aliases, hoping to avoid anyone's notice. He liked the signature she'd chosen. Loud laughter distracted him and his attention flew over to a group of twentysomethings gathered opposite him, in the corner of the café. Had they seen his expression they would have withered and died. He was not handling this news well and their happiness and noise were only souring his mood. Shortly, the group's conversation dropped to a normal volume and he returned his attention to the computer screen. His eyes revealed his internal struggle: he wanted to rush out the door and get on the first plane back to D.C. However, the rational voice in his head said he could not. It had never been more dangerous for him to be in D.C. And it was dangerous for Scully and William for him to be there. He repeated that over and over in his head to drive out the irrational voice that cried, "They need you! Go home. Go home and protect your son and Scully." But, he was protecting them by staying away. However much it killed him inside to be away from them, he was protecting them. He swiveled the mouse and clicked. Typing quickly, he stopped occasionally to take a sip of his coffee, which had grown cold as he'd read Scully's letter. Most of the time, however, his gaze remained intensely focused on the monitor. After a couple minutes of typing, he reached for the mouse again and clicked. The sound from the speakers told him his message had been posted. He played with his wedding band briefly before moving the mouse again. A new window popped up on the screen and he began typing once more: Sister Spooky..." He stroked his chin and neck as his eyes explored the ceiling, searching for "Don't worry. I'll stay the course. Thanks for telling me. I know how hard that The End Title: Together Apart: The New Deal Summary: Just who was Mulder writing to before he wrote Scully last time? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scully sat on her couch, feeding William. His sucking was intermittent, his eyes closed, and his breathing regular. He was almost asleep. She should put him to bed, but she needed to keep him close to her for just a few minutes longer. She loved these times with him, especially since she'd returned to work. It was just the two of them, at least for this little while. Soon enough, other thoughts would fill her head. She looked over at the computer monitor. She'd signed off from the Internet before feeding William, but it was as though she could still see his post on the screen. 'I know you're worried, but he's fine. We'll find out what is going on' She wanted to think only of 'I love you,' but 'I'm going to find someone who can tell us about that ship' was troubling her. Who would help them? They already had the Gunmen, Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes working with them. They were doing all they could. Who could he possibly mean? She looked down at William, who was now asleep. She kissed his forehead, fulfilling Mulder's request. "That was from your Daddy," she whispered soothingly as she moved over to his crib and laid him in it. After straightening her robe, she smoothed his hair and smiled. He was so peaceful. She moved his stuffed Bullwinkle a little closer to him. As she crossed the room, a sudden thought entered her mind. She swiveled quickly and looked at the computer screen. Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. "He couldn't possibly…" she said to herself. Of course he could. And he had. After all that has happened, I never thought I'd be writing to you. You helped 1 Marita Covarrubias looked up from the letter and nervously scanned her surroundings. The bowling alley was pretty quiet. It was, after all, Thursday afternoon. The morning leagues had left long ago and kids were just now getting out of school. There were a grand total of five people bowling at two lanes. There were three men sitting at the bar nursing beers and two workers behind the counter engrossed in lacing bowling shoes. No one even seemed to notice she was there. Her pale hands trembled slightly as she closed the locker from which she'd gotten the letter. She folded it and returned it to the envelope before walking calmly out of the building, her eyes constantly checking around her. She noticed nothing out of the ordinary as she spotted the VW van pulling around the corner into the parking lot. When it stopped in front of her and the door slid open, she hesitated before moving into it. "What are you doing?" Frohike asked as he held the door open. For a moment, Marita looked as though she wanted to run away, but instead she moved toward the van. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing," she mumbled as she slid onto the seat next to Frohike. Frohike slid the door closed and Langly headed the van out of the parking lot. A tense quiet fell over the group as they rode for several long minutes. Finally, it was Langly who couldn't take the silence any longer. "So what did he say?" Marita looked up briefly at Langly before returning her gaze to some unseen point out the window. She just shook her head. The words from the letter turned over and over in her head. 'Did you ever imagine I'd come back?' That last one sent a shiver through her. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes to stop the memory. Langly shot an exasperated look towards Byers, who turned back to Marita. "What does he want you to do?" Byers restated the question. Marita shot a sharp look at Byers. "HE contacted YOU. He told you to find me. Don't tell me he didn't tell you his plans." All three of the men looked away from the woman and out the windows and the tension level inside the van rose quite rapidly. "You're kidding." Marita was incredulous. "He didn't tell you…" She shook her head. "I thought that now, since Scully and… that maybe he was finally trusting someone else." She let out a short laugh. "Guess not." "Hey, he told us his plans," Frohike protested. "Really?" Marita's tone was very sarcastic. "Yeah," Frohike reiterated. "Mulder trusts us. Look you may be hot and all, but don't go making out like he doesn't trust us, woman." "Frohike," Byers interjected. "It's okay. I'm sure Miss Covarrubias didn't mean anything by that." Frohike exhaled slowly and looked away. "It just seems there's been a change of plans and he hasn't had a chance to tell us. In fact, he told us to work with you and help you however we can." Marita's eyes narrowed. She knew she was going to need some help getting the information Mulder requested. All her contacts were either dead or wanted her dead. She'd been hiding in Tunisia with Strughold these last several months, waiting to see what would happen and fearing the worst. All their work, and it was now being used against them. There would be no new world order with the Consortium in charge. Mulder was right— she had no power, no place now. He was offering her a chance to at least have a place in defeating the aliens now. There was no chance she could work for the other side. Mulder was her only chance now. "Okay," she announced suddenly, startling all three men. "I need to find a ship. You guys can do that can't you?" The three men exchanged excited glances. "Watch us," Langly answered with a thin smile. The End
Title: Together Apart: Their First Christmas Summary: It's Christmas.Do you know where your Mulder and Scully are? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Together Apart: Their First Christmas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merry Christmas, Sister Spooky. I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve. I hate being this far apart Hope you got the stuff I sent through the guys. Of course, I know you won't Give him a big hug and a kiss from his old man. I love you. George Scully didn't even wipe the tears from her face. They were all she had of him right now and she was going to relish them. This was the fourth time she'd read the message posted at the alt.sport.basketball newsgroup and she knew she'd read it numerous more times before morning. His last message at alt.duke.basketball had been reread countless times. She'd get no sleep tonight. She clicked off from the Internet and walked over to the window. There was no white Christmas in D.C. this year. It was a clear night and the moon cast a warm glow amid the Christmas lights in her neighborhood. Her mind played over Mulder's note and imagined him standing in front of her. She could see his face, eyes and mouth smiling at her. She could even hear his voice saying her name. She was pulled from her reverie as something on the street caught her eye. A white van was parked just down from her building. She knew that van. 'They delivered the presents hours ago. Why were they here now?' she wondered. The knock on the door told her that question was about to be answered. She crossed past the Christmas tree to the door and peeked through the peephole. She quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "What are you guys doing back here?" she asked, sounding more perturbed than she really was. "We forgot a gift," Langly explained in a low voice as he pushed past Scully. She followed him. "What gift?" She looked from Langly to Frohike, who was just coming through the door. "One we couldn't deliver earlier with Skinman here," Frohike explained. Byers followed Frohike inside and shut the door behind him. Scully looked at Frohike expectantly. "Well, where is it?" "Right here." The voice got her attention, as she'd heard it just moments ago in her head. She looked at Byers and realized it was not Byers at all. Her eyes widened and a wide smile filled her face. "Merry Christmas, Scully," Mulder mumbled into her hair as she fell against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "'Scuse us," Frohike mumbled as he and Langly walked out of the living room into the hallway. They weren't surprised that the couple didn't seem to notice their exit. Mulder pulled her face away and looked into her eyes. "Surprised?" "Mulder." she said through a laugh. He took her face in his hands and they exchanged a long, slow kiss. "Merry Christmas to you," she whispered around the kiss. A few moments later, the Gunmen reentered the room and Byers had joined them. They stood there for several uncomfortable moments as Mulder and Scully continued their greetings, seemingly unaware of anyone else in the room. It was Frohike's repeated throat clearing that finally got their attention. Mulder looked up as Scully slipped under his arm. "How was the climb up the fire escape, Byers?" "Wonderful," Byers deadpanned. "Almost as much fun as that stray dog I ran into two streets over." "Just count your lucky stars it wasn't snowing," Frohike reminded. "Well, Mulder, the place is clean. The sweep earlier showed no buggies," Langly informed. Scully's eyes narrowed. "You checked for bugs?" "Yeah when we were dropping off the presents, while you were changing William. and then when I went to the bathroom. Very clean," Frohike clarified. "So," Byers said as he moved to the door, Frohike and Langly following him, "we'll be here at 5AM to pick you up." He'd opened the door and was already through it before he'd finished. Langly followed. As Frohike walked out, he turned around and smiled. "Have a great evening you two." He closed the door behind him. Mulder walked over and locked the door as Scully closed the blinds. When they turned back to face each other, smiles filled both their faces. "What do you want to do first?" Mulder asked mischievously. Scully didn't answer aloud. She walked over and took his hand and led him into the bedroom. Mulder's eyes fell on the bed. He'd longed for this moment for so long. He looked to Scully, who was smiling back at him. His hand slid up and gently caressed her cheek. He moved in toward her, his smile widening with each inch erased between them. She slid her arm around his back and looked down. He followed her gaze down to the crib and saw his son sleeping there. The baby's chest rose and fell evenly as he snored quietly. Mulder inhaled sharply. He hadn't seen such a beautiful sight in his life. "He's grown so much," he mumbled more to himself than to Scully. He'd only been gone two months ago, but he'd missed so much. The smile faded slightly from his face as he touched William's cheek and felt his warmth. "Go ahead," Scully encouraged in a whisper. The gentle prompt was all he needed. He reached into the crib and picked up his son. As he lifted him to his shoulder, tears filled his eyes. A few moments later, he suddenly realized they were seated on the bed and Scully was leaning against him, though he had no idea how they'd gotten there. She gently brushed the hair from William's face. Mulder wanted to speak, but words failed him. Instead, he just sat there staring rapturously in his son's face. He tenderly played with his fingers and toes. He took note of his light red hair that curled around his face. His fingers touched William's jaw, studying the baby's lips that were most definitely from his mother's. Then, he became aware of the features that were from him. He grimaced a little, realizing his son had inherited the Mulder nose. And those were his ears. The smile returned to his face: William was a marvelous mix of he and Scully. They sat there for a long time. No words passed between them. William slept as Mulder memorized everything about his son. Scully gently massaged Mulder's back and occasionally patted her son or smoothed his hair. After almost a half hour had passed, Mulder turned to Scully. "Guess we should put him back to bed, hmm?" he asked in a soft voice. Scully nodded and they rose in unison. Mulder slid the boy back into his crib and Scully arranged the sheet and blanket over him. "Sleep tight, buddy." Mulder turned around and fell back against the bed. He looked up at Scully, who was standing in front of him. "Wanna open your presents?" he asked in a low voice. She nodded her head. He returned the nod and started to get up, but she pushed his shoulder down. He looked up, confused. She leaned in, planted a light kiss on his cheek, and then whispered in his ear, "You're my present. I want to open you first." Mulder slid his arms around her waist and pulled her onto the bed next to him. "I just wish I had a bow," Mulder laughed against her cheek. "I'll just rip off your wrapping," Scully teased around a breathless kiss. Scully was true to her word, but she didn't rip anything. She carefully, teasingly undid each button of his shirt, kissing his chest and stomach as she did. Mulder watched in blissful awe as she slowly, torturously slow, unzipped his jeans. Once she had him undressed he pulled her up and rewarded her with a passionate kiss. Their tongues danced together as their bodies became reacquainted. Hours later, the sky was lightening outside. Inside, William was now lying between them, having awakened moments ago as his parents had just finished making love for the last time that night. The baby was awake, adding to Mulder's happiness. He could now see those marvelous blue eyes. They lay there quietly playing with each other, savoring the last fleeting moments before Mulder would have to go away, again. The couple shared kisses in between lavishing kisses on their son's forehead and hands. William was enjoying the attention immensely. "You know I bought him a mobile," Mulder broke the silence. Scully looked at him. He saw a fleeting moment of fear cross her face before mock anger took its place, making him regret the tease. "Don't even," she warned. "He's fine, Scully. You know it was probably Melissa coming back to play with him," he tried again. Her face was now expressionless as she studied their son, who was trying to shove his foot in his mouth. She was in no mood to joke about it. Mulder took her chin in his hand. "We're going to find out what is going on. But," he paused a moment to make sure she was looking at him, "I can tell you that this little guy is perfectly normal. He was made the old-fashioned way. No scientists had a hand in this." His eyes sparkled for a moment. "Well, just one." He smiled as she flashed a smile at him. "Who is it?" He knew exactly what she was asking him. He wrestled with himself for a moment. Old habits die hard and he was so used to protecting his Scully. However, he'd promised to tell her everything and she'd promised him the same. He would fulfill all his promises to her. "Marita." This didn't seem to surprise her as he'd thought it would. "Why?" was her only question. He slowly exhaled. "She'll find out about that ship and what they were doing. She still has some connections, but she's looking for a side. She can't go with the other side. She knows that." Scully was busy playing with William's pajamas. He decided to continue. He knew she was listening, though she didn't really want to hear. "I got the guys to find her and I managed to get a note to her. She's decided to work with us. She's not stupid." Scully just nodded as she gave William his pacifier, which he'd tossed aside earlier. Silence fell over them as they returned to just enjoying each other's company. "Scully, I don't know when I'll be able to come back again." He hated saying the words, but knew time was getting short. "I need you to know I am doing everything I can to get back here." "And so am I," she interjected. "So are all of us. Agent Doggett nearly got fired trying to uncover evidence against Kersh after you were gone. We all nearly died on that ship. We're trying everything to stop this." He interrupted her with a kiss. "I know," he murmured in agreement as he continued kissing her. After several seconds, William's squeal broke their kiss and they both immediately soothed him. "What is it, buddy?" "Shhh." But they soon realized it was not a squeal of pain or fear because he was laughing. "I think he's enjoying all this attention," Scully said, looking at Mulder. Mulder kissed the baby's cheek. "Merry Christmas, William. I'll make this full-time as soon as I can." He looked up at Scully and added, "I promise." As Scully leaned over to hug Mulder, she noted the time on the clock on the bedside table: 4:59. She closed her eyes and held him tight. The End
Title: Together Apart: I Saw You That Night ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dana- I've postponed writing this for far too long. Your last message was hard to I saw you that night. For a fleeting moment, I could see you clearly on that platform. I saw your What you don't know is that I heard you calling for me in that quarry. Acting on I saw you run away and could feel your terror. I started after you but stopped I couldn't, Dana. I could not come to you, then. It's far from over. I cannot I've been entertaining the thought that perhaps all your prayers were answered: I want it to be over as much as you do. We're just not there, yet. Soon, I hope. I've moved. I couldn't go back. I thought they might know where I'd been if they I guess this will have to do. It's a poor substitute for holding you. I have Write soon. Tell me all about him. And you. Everything. Yours-
Scully's lips curled in a coy grin as her eyes danced across those last few "Scully?" She turned from the computer and her smile was quickly replaced by a burst of laughter. Assistant Director Walter Skinner was standing in the doorway between the hall and the living room holding a half-naked William. "Is this diaper rash? Do I need to put some of that cream on him?" he asked, his voice filled with seriousness and concern. "Ummm…" Scully stalled, stifling the laugh. She didn't want to hurt Skinner's feelings. He'd come over to help, hoping to cheer her up. It was exactly a week ago she'd almost seen Mulder again. One week ago that she'd nearly had him in her arms. It'd been six days since she'd messaged him. Skinner had checked with her each day to see if she'd heard from him. She didn't have the heart to tell him that was making it worse. Not hearing from Mulder was bad enough, but having to report that to Skinner each day was excrutiating. Skinner had shown up at her door tonight with Chinese food and a six-pack of Sol. He'd told her to have some dinner and take a couple hours off. He would baby-sit. "No problem," he'd said. "I can handle a diaper change and some playtime." That had been exactly twenty minutes ago. "Let me see…" She stood and walked over to check William's tiny rear. "It looked a little irritated to me," he explained as the baby squirmed in his arms and started to fuss. "Shhh…" Scully soothed as she rubbed her son's arm, quieting his fretting before it grew louder. "It doesn't look too bad," she started but decided to change her tact when she saw Skinner's eyes fall. "But, you know what?" She looked up at the Assistant Director. "Better safe than sorry. It does look a little red. Some cream couldn't hurt." Skinner's face brightened. "Come on, William, let's get you buttoned up again so we can get back to playing with Bullwinkle." Skinner hurried off with William to the back of the apartment, leaving Scully alone again. She walked to the kitchen, replaying Mulder's message in her head. Now, she'd have to wait for him to send word, somehow, of where he was so they could make new plans for his return. She frowned. She hated not knowing where he was and not having his return plans in place terrified her. She grabbed a bottle of Sol out of the refrigerator and stuffed a slice of lime into the bottle. As she leaned against the counter, she took a drink of beer and began to formulate her return message to Mulder. He needed reassurance she and William were fine. He needed to hear what William was doing. He needed to know everyone was doing everything they could to get him back home. He needed to know they needed him. She started across the living room to the computer. A wicked smile filled her face. He needed a little newsgroup sex. The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Title: Together Apart: Sex, Truth, and Photographs Summary: The next installment in the Together Apart series. This takes place after Trust No 1. "Every day I fight that voice inside me that wants to run and hide saying, 'This is not happening.' It is happening. I will do whatever it takes to make it stop happening. In the meantime, we have to make the best of this. I like your suggestion of newsgroup sex." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Together Apart: sex, truth, and photographs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Crescent City Internet Caf was quiet this night. The blond girl seated behind the counter glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. She frowned when she saw it read seven o'clock. Surveying the customers, she saw a woman seated at a table near the serving counter and a college-aged man typing quickly at a computer near the door. In the back corner, a man sat at the computer, his eyes focused intently on the monitor screen. This seemed to cause her expression to sour even more as she grabbed her cup of machiatto and took a long gulp. The phone rang, startling her a bit, and she swooped it up quickly. "Crescent City Net Caf," she answered. "Oh, hey... No, I'm not going to make it... I have to work... I KNOW, of all nights... well, Jim called in sick, the rat! So, I'm stuck... I'll close down at 9 so maybe I can meet y'all at Houlihan's after the parade..." The girl was talking rather loudly, pulling Mulder's attention from the computer. He scanned the caf from his spot in the back. These days he was always very wary of his surroundings. Reassured it was safe, he wiggled the mouse and the nearby printer whirred to life as it printed his message. He watched the printer as it worked, his expression revealing that his thoughts were miles away. When the printer stopped, he slipped the papers out, folded them, and stuffed them in his jacket's inside pocket. After clearing the history trail, emptying the recycle bin, and rebooting the computer he was using, he left the cafe. He didn't look at the woman behind the counter as he passed, but if he had he'd have seen her half-smile as she said to herself, "One down, two to go." As he exited the building, his senses were bombarded at once by the sound of drums and yells, the smell that was a mixture of the fair and the zoo, and the sight of a couple in brightly colored costumes drunkenly weaving their way past him. The woman narrowly missed colliding with him as her companion pulled her down the sidewalk. He watched them as they headed toward the source of the sound and smell. His instinct told him not to follow them. He should head back to his apartment and have his simple meal of a hot dog and Ore-Ida tater-tots. He should get off the street and into his chosen asylum. There were so many things he should do, but there was an odd compulsion that pulled him up the street toward the source of his sensual bombardment. At each corner, more and more people joined him on his journey. He slowed whenever someone approached, scrutinizing them to make sure it wasn't one of "them." He was one of a precious few not is some outlandish costume. As he rounded a corner, a churning sea of people was suddenly before him, jumping and yelling and grabbing at the objects being thrown at them from the brightly lit floats passing by. He'd purposely picked New Orleans because he knew he could disappear down here in the French Quarter. He'd told himself he would not go to Mardi Gras because he had nothing to celebrate and he might be seen there. However, after he'd accidentally stumbled upon that first parade and observed it from the back of the crowd, he'd become addicted. He liked being around the people. He'd always considered himself a loner, but now, without Scully and William he needed to be around all the people he could. The parades afforded him that opportunity while still allowing him anonymity. He watched as the spectacle swept past-- floats, lights, horses, bands, but mostly the people. There was a never-ending procession of people that flowed down the street past him. An obviously inebriated woman in a tight, white T- shirt threw a purple necklace at him. "Happy Marrrdi Graaaa," she slurred. Mulder nodded back, but a shocked expression filled his face when he saw that the woman's Tshirt was hiked up on one side exposing her breast. He considered telling her she was uncovered, but she was already moving down the street. As she passed, men's eyes widened and smiles teased at the corners of their mouths. Mulder thought he'd seen just about everything during his tenure at the X-Files, but he'd seen some sights here that truly surprised him. He liked that. There was some comfort in uncovering the unknown. As the last float passed and the crowd headed off toward Bourbon Street, he reluctantly left them to head back to his apartment. As he walked, thoughts of Scully and William filled his head. He patted his jacket pocket, eager to get in private where he could read her words again. Back at his apartment, he quickly started his not-so-gourmet meal and made his way to the couch. Of course, this couch was nothing like his couch at home. He'd covered it with a blue sheet to hide the awful tweed fabric upholstery that had several gaping holes. Once seated, he pulled Scully's message from his jacket pocket and read it once again: Mulder- I wish I could be speaking these words to you. Just a little over a I felt you there that night in the quarry. Though I wanted to see you Your comments about God sending us William for a higher purpose are Mulder smiled widely and his chest swelled with pride. His Scully was entertaining extreme possibilities. How long had he waited for that? ... I received the information about your location. Hopefully you've "Yes I did," Mulder mumbled to himself as he pulled a large envelope from under the couch cushion. He remembered his relief when he'd picked up the package from Frohike at the bus station day before yesterday. Frohike had insisted on delivering it to him, not just leaving it in a locker. He'd taken a plane, two buses, and a train to cover his trail. Mulder suspected Frohike wanted to report back to Scully how he looked. It was good to see a friend again, even if he couldn't really talk with him. He reached into the envelope and pulled out a smaller envelope. Inside, were pictures of William. 'Bless you, Frohike,' he thought as he perused the photos of his son. The little guy had grown so much! Mulder was still a bit dismayed to see his nose on the baby, but he looked most like his Mom. Thinking of Scully pulled Mulder's attention back to the message. I wish I had more to report about what we've found, but we have found In the meantime, we have to make the best of this. I like your His smile evolved into a smirk and his eyes narrowed as he focused intently on this part. He'd suggested that just to shock her, never suspecting she'd actually take him up on it. She was always surprising him and this was a very, very pleasant surprise. Realizing he was still holding the baby pictures in his hand, he carefully put them back in the envelope and stuffed it back under the cushion. He'd memorized them last night, anyway. Right now, Mommy and Daddy needed some quality time. Well, their version of quality time... ... Last night after I put William to bed, I went into the bedroom and The timer in the kitchen rang, startling Mulder and pulling his attention away from Scully's message. For a couple seconds he struggled with himself: to keep reading or to eat? Finally, he decided he wanted to savor Scully's attempt at newsgroup sex. It would make a great dessert. He shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to get the image of Scully in his Knicks shirt out of his head. "Later," he mumbled as he set the paper down on the couch and headed to the kitchen to get his dinner. The End **************************** Author's Notes: This little story came to me in the midst of some Mardi Gras festivities. What could be a better place to hide than New Orleans? Especially at Mardi Gras? I have never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I was born and raised in the birthplace of Mardi Gras. Therefore, my descriptions are probably more in line with that Mardi Gras than New Orleans. Forgive me if they are inaccurate by New Orleans standards. Mardi Gras is almost over, so let me get in one last, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" Apologies to Steven Soderbergh for the title, but it seemed appropriate. Hope you enjoyed it. Please send feedback to spookyteachr@home.com.
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