Marriage (18): "Happiness" by JulietttXF@aol.com Warning! Mush ahead! This one has very little plot: no X-file, really no revelation of any sort. It's just the account of a happy day early in Mulder's and Scully's marriage, right after the honeymoon and their return to work. Dana Scully (Mulder) and Fox Mulder belong to Chris Carter, Ten- Thirteen Productions, FOX Broadcasting, and to Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. As always, a chronological list of the stories in the Marriage series follows the end of this installment. Please also note that I have added the preface "Marriage:" and a parenthetical number to the title, which will be the format from now on. This number refers to the posting order rather than the chronological order, and includes all stories in the Marriage series (both Engagement and Marriage stories). I have made this alteration after receiving mail from readers wanting to know which list of stories is accurate; I update the list with each new story posting, so hopefully this will allow those of you finding them out of order to find the most current list. Author's Note: My apologies for the delay in posting, folks; life has been intervening for months now, and I haven't written anything new for awhile. And I began my dissertation in September . . . fun, fun, fun. . . . Any and all feedback is welcome. Okay to post to a.t.x.c.--thanks, Gil! **************************** "Happiness" by JulietttXF@aol.com **************************** Scully stirred a little, vaguely aware that something had awakened her but not certain of what it was. She sought sleepily to figure out just what . . . and then Mulder pushed back the covers carefully and eased to a sitting position. "Mm-hmmr?" she mumbled, reaching out to lay a hand on his back. He leaned back over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Shhh. It's okay, Scully. Go back to sleep." "'Time izzit?" "Early. Go back to sleep. I'm going for a run." She tried to slide an arm around his waist and pull him back down, but he laughed softly and took her hands in his. "Sleep, Scully. I'll be back in a little while." "Wan me t'go wif you?" she asked muzzily, her eyes mere slits against the weak sunlight just beginning to poke through the blinds. He shook his head in amusement. "No, I want you to sleep. You probably couldn't make it to the end of the block without my holding you up." "Whenni wake up yr gon be'n trubl fr tha. . . ." His brow creased and then he grinned. So he was going to be in trouble, was he? He would just have to see about that. He bent over and whispered against her hair. "Be a good Scully and go back to sleep and when you wake up maybe I'll have a surprise for you. . . ." With that he kissed her again and slid out of bed, tiptoeing carefully across to the dresser to pull out a set of sweats and socks and then to the closet for his running shoes. Scully tried to keep her eyes open but she was just too tired to manage more than a couple of blinks before they slid shut entirely. Too bad, because her husband dressing was one of her favorite sights. Almost as nice as Mulder *un*dressing. And a half-naked Fox at any time was a tempting diversion. She allowed herself a sleepy smile before drifting off again. He watched her as he put on the sweats and for a moment was tempted just to climb back into bed and fall asleep again in her arms, or simply lie there and watch *her* sleep. He loved to watch her sleep. He stood there for another moment, thinking how like a kitten she looked all curled up like that, clutching his pillow to her chest. Then he sighed and headed for the living room. he told himself. Since his marriage he had been eating much better. Well, he had been eating, period. And sleeping. He had been drinking less caffeine because it really wasn't good for him and because he wasn't awake at night anymore, anyway. At first he had been afraid that all the changes of married life would be difficult to bear -- someone else sharing his time and his space all the time, as much as he loved that someone. But he would do it because it was for Dana, and because he loved her. Surprisingly enough, it had been incredibly easy. He loved sleeping in her arms in their bed at night -- a far cry from his lonely hours on the sofa during his bachelor days. He was even sleeping more -- as much as seven hours a night sometimes. In fact, in a way he wished he *would* wake up more often simply to spend time watching her, revelling in her presence. In not being alone anymore. He grinned at that as he set off down the front walk at a jog, being careful to lock the door behind him. Sometimes he felt like a giddy teenager. But this wasn't puppy love. It wasn't even romance. There had been little time in their relationship for romance. At times he regretted that, regretted not having truly *dated* Dana, wooing her with flowers and candy and starlight. But then, that wasn't *him*. It wasn't really Scully, either. They had stakeouts and jokes and trust instead. And that, he thought, jogging along, was really better in the long run. If there were no frills to their relationship there was also no pretense. The intimacy was real and deep and unaffected. There were no artificial barriers to tear down because they had never been erected in the first place. He was learning to be happy again. He picked up the pace and his feet pounded the pavement as he ran. Just running to run. For years he had felt he was running *from* something. After his run he would have breakfast with Scully. He grinned and picked up the pace even more, the thudding of his feet matching the pounding of his heart. ***** Scully tossed and turned uneasily in the hazy state between waking and sleeping. She reached for Mulder's pillow and hugged it again. It smelled like him, but it wasn't the same. Pillows weren't warm. They didn't breathe softly against your hair. There was no steady, strong heartbeat under your cheek to lull you with a sense of security. Above all, pillows didn't reach out and pull you close and hold you as you slept. She thumped the pillow in frustration. Amazing. After so many years of sleeping alone, now she couldn't sleep *without* him. She finally gave up and slid out of bed and grouched her way across the cool floor to the bathroom. A shower and coffee. She knew everything would look brighter once she got some caffeine in her system. She turned on the spray full blast and waited for the water to heat up. She wished *he* were here to share a shower with her. Maybe she'd take another one when he got back. She smiled at the thought and turned to the mirror. A stranger stared back. So her eyelids drooped a little with drowsiness. But her eyes were bright. The dark circles that had seemed a permanent part of her complexion were fading. Her cheeks were faintly flushed. She looked -- younger. Suddenly she began to see herself as others must see her. Was this what marriage to Mulder had done to her? She knew she *felt* wonderful, of course. But she had had no idea that she *looked* any different. This woman who stared back at her looked much younger than her thirty-five years. And just look at that smile. This woman was in love. And beloved. This woman might just have enough energy to run down to the store and get her husband's favorite pastries before he got back from his run. She smiled again, slowly, provocatively, and stepped into the shower. She felt much, much better. And she hadn't even needed caffeine. ***** Ten minutes later, fully awake and relaxed, Dana Scully Mulder stepped back out of the shower. What was that she smelled? Coffee? She reached for her towel to wipe her eyes. It wasn't there. She groped blindly. Suddenly she was enveloped in a big, thick bath sheet -- and an even bigger hug. A hand lifted a corner of the towel to wipe her face tenderly. She looked up at him and smiled. "You're back early." "Mmm. You're *up* early." "I got lonely." She ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Hey, Scully -- I'm all sweaty and you just took a shower." She dropped the towel and hugged him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "Hmm. You're right. What can we do about that?" He simply grinned. ***** They sat in the breakfast nook drinking coffee and reading the paper. Every so often one of them would chuckle over something and then read it aloud to the other. After awhile he became aware that he could no longer hear the gentle ruffling of pages from her side of the table and looked up to find her staring at him. No, *through* him, he amended. "Scully?" When she didn't answer he waved his hand in front of her face. "Scully?" He could see the focus of her attention zoom in on him. "Hmm?" "You were really far away. What's up?" "Oh. Nothing. Just," she shrugged. Then, "Mulder, what *is* that wonderful smell?" "A surprise." She smiled at him. "Oh?" He nodded and grinned back. "Yup. I promised you a surprise, but now I don't know if you deserve it 'cause you didn't go back to sleep." "And whose fault is that?" His mouth fell open. "Not *mine*, surely." She sat back and regarded him gravely over her cup of coffee. "I couldn't sleep." he realized with a thrill. His smile was radiant and her mind snapped back to her self-revelation in front of the mirror earlier. <*I* make him look that way,> she thought, stunned. No wonder everyone had been commenting on how marriage agreed with the two of them -- her mother, Jackie, Bruce, even Skinner. "Dana?" She had been staring again. She smiled. "I was just realizing -- we've changed, Mulder. Both of us. Physically, I mean." And then she told him what she had figured out that morning. He sat back. "Amazing. I thought -- I figured you just looked that way to me 'cause I'm in love with you." "Beauty in the eye of the beholder?" she laughed. "Maybe. But I think it's more tangible than that." "Hmm," he said, dropping his newspaper. "Come here." She rose from her seat and approached him. He reached out and drew her into his lap, his arms wrapped around her waist. "So what does this mean?" She smiled down at him. "That we're good for each other?" "Mmm . . . I already knew that," he said, kissing her nose. "You did?" "Yup. I'm smart that way," he grinned. She leaned down and kissed him and then they sat in silence for awhile. "Mulder." "Hmmm?" "WHAT IS THAT WONDERFUL SMELL?" He laughed and got up, displacing her from his lap. "Breakfast." He retrieved a white box from the top of the refrigerator and handed it to her. She opened it up and smiled. "Ummm -- almond croissants -- my favorite." She looked up at him. "Great minds think alike, Mulder -- I was going to go out and get *your* favorites after my shower. And here you went and got mine -- you're really sweet, you know. . . ."" She stood up on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his lips. He tried to look virtuous and failed. Finally he sighed. "Dana." "Hmmm?" She was placing croissants on a plate to warm them slightly in the microwave. "I -- uh -- I actually got myself a cheese danish," he confessed. "Ate it on the way back." She grinned at him. "You didn't have to hide it, you know. Why didn't you just bring it home?" Home. For once, for the first time since he could remember, he had a home. The mere thought made his heart sing. "I -- I got hungry," he admitted, and she laughed, and then he laughed, and they sat down to a happy breakfast of almond croissants and coffee and good humor. *End* The Marriage Series: (ENGAGEMENT STORIES) "The Gordian Knot" [*] "Start Spreadin' the News" (1-?) [*] "The Talk" [*] "Rings" [*] "Longing" "Lingerie" [*] -------------------------------------------- (MARRIAGE STORIES) "Epithalamion" "Wonders Wrought" (2 parts) "The Last of the Chambord" "Waking" "On the Road" "Happiness" [18] "Girls' Day Out" "Old Habits Die Hard" "Watching the Storm" "The Madness of an Hour" "A Heart-to-Heart" "Not This Time" [*19] "Life Changes" (2 parts) "Mother's Day" [*] "Nursemaid" [*] "Success" "Cherish" "Childhood Lullabies" [*] "Everything I Want for Christmas" [*] "Lullaby For a New Generation" "Lipstick" "Room Service" "A Need For Comfort" [*] [*] These stories are still in the editing process (final titles may be changed when posted); the others may be found on the world wide web and ftp sites.