~~~ February 23, 1999 ~~~

"Dana, don't worry about those, dear.  I'll get them."  Her 
mother rose from the table and took the dinner plates out of 
Scully's hands.

"I don't mind, really."

"It's your birthday," protested her mother's date, Martin.  
"Sit down and let us serve you."

Scully smiled tightly and lowered herself back into her 
chair.  Mom had started dating her dentist, who also happened 
to be Scully's dentist, about six months ago.  Scully had 
brushed her teeth three times before dinner and was still 
afraid to smile in front of him.

"Tara, do you want coffee?" her mother called from over near 
the sink.

"Is it decaf?"

"I'm afraid not," Scully told her.  "Sorry."

Tara touched her tummy where her second child grew.  "Then 
none for me."

"I'll have some, Mom," Bill said as he laid his arm across 
the back of Tara's chair.  "I can drink for both of us."

Tara slapped his arm.  "You wouldn't think it was so funny if 
you really were eating for two."

Bill moved in to smooch her and Scully looked away, but there 
was smooching behind her as well as Martin nuzzled her Mom by 
the coffee pot.  Scully studied her hands instead and 
wondered whether it was time to get another manicure.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see wax dripping down 
the side of the dinner candles.  Later, the party over, she 
would have to pry it from her wooden table with a butter 
knife.

She'd have wine glasses with dried sediment in them and a 
fridge filled with left over prime rib and half a chocolate 
cake.  Assuming Bill didn't eat more than half for himself, 
that was.

He'd come through her house like Grant took Richmond, 
snatching up everything that a fourteen-month-old baby might 
want to put in his mouth.  The results looked like a tiny 
army had pillaged her apartment, leaving it bare from the 
floor to the three-foot mark.

Matthew had been put to bed before dinner, leaving her the 
only woman at the party without a date.

"So it's back to work tomorrow for you, huh?" Tara asked her 
after a sip of water.  "That's really great."

"Hmm?  Oh, yes.  Back to work." 

Scully had not told them about Cassandra Spender's death wish 
or their trip through government de-con quarantine or the 
burned bodies in the air hangar. As far as her family knew, 
she'd been home recuperating from a gunshot wound to the 
abdomen for the past six weeks.

"I can't get over how good you look," Tara said with naked 
envy.  "Took me months to get back in shape, and all I did 
was push a baby out.  You look like nothing ever happened."

Scully didn't want to disturb the notion by showing off her 
matching front-to-back scars.

"You don't think it's too soon?" Bill asked.

"I think I'm healthy enough to work," she replied lightly and 
scooped up the empty wine glasses from the table.

"Hey, you can't be over here just now," her mother said, 
shooing her away from the counter where she fussed over the 
cake, as if Scully hadn't already seen it hours earlier upon 
their arrival.

The doorbell rang then.  "I'm up.  I'll get it," Scully said 
as she wiped her hands on a dishrag.  "And it better not be 
some singing birthday telegram!" she called back from the 
living room.

Her smile faded when she opened the door and Mulder stood on 
the other side.  "I'm going to California in my mind," he 
said, pushing past her before she had a chance to invite him 
in.

"That's Carolina," she corrected him with a sigh as she shut 
the door.

Laughter sounded from the kitchen and Mulder cocked his head 
like a dog listening for squirrels.  "You have company?" he 
asked, looking incredulous.

"It's been known to happen."  She folded her arms and looked 
at him.  "What do you want, Mulder?"

He shoved his hands in his leather coat.  "I, uh..."

"Honey, who is it?" Her mother came out and she stopped short 
when she saw Mulder.  "Oh, hello, Fox."

For reasons totally unknown to her, Mulder always turned 
about sixteen years old in the presence of her mother.  "Hi, 
Mrs. Scully.  I'm sorry to interrupt."

"No bother," her mother said politely.  "We were just about 
to have dessert and coffee.  You're welcome to join us if you 
like."

Oh God please no.

"No, thank you," Mulder said, and Scully released a breath of 
relief.  "I can't stay."  He met Scully's eyes and elbowed 
the air.  "Is there somewhere we can talk for a second?"

She hesitated a moment before conceding. "In the bedroom.  
Just don't wake the baby."

She led him past the spare room where Matthew slept and 
turned on the bedside lamp in her bedroom.  "What is it?"

"Happy birthday," he said.

There was no way he came all this way to tell her that.  
"Thank you."

He looked around at her room, and she became aware of the two 
bras she had laying across the back of her chair.  
"Tomorrow's the day, huh?  We finally have the X-files back."

"Yes, a victory we can celebrate tomorrow on our six a.m. 
flight to Orange County."  She was still not sure about the 
wisdom of flying into an airport named after John Wayne.

"About that."

She eyed him warily.  "What?  Has the plan changed?"

"No, nothing like that.  Still three disappeared couples out 
in LA-LA land.  I just..."

"What?"

"I can't help noticing that your heart doesn't really seem 
into it.  These past two weeks, I've been down feathering the 
nest, and you... well, I'm not sure what you've been doing.  
I've hardly seen you."

"So you came here to give me a pep talk?"

"No, I came to give you an out," he said soberly.

The words hit her just like the bullet had, square in the 
gut.  "I see," she said when she could speak again.  "I can 
feel free to walk away, is that it?"

"You were always free," he said.  "I'm just not sure you knew 
it."

"Don't tell me what I knew."  He was so God-damned certain of 
everything all the time, even her feelings.  She was tempted 
to grab her gun and shoot him in the belly, but it would just 
make a mess on her carpet.

"I'm not asking you to leave."

"Oh, aren't you?"

"No.  I'm asking if you want to."  He took a step forward.  
"We have a new case, Scully.  Have you even looked at it yet?  
Have you even glanced at the file?"

"If I haven't, that proves something to you?  You want me to 
leave my family out there alone while I scrutinize every 
letter of the case notes?"

"Of course not."

"Then what?  What is the point of all this?"  She was close 
to shouting now, but she couldn't help it.  "You come over 
here on my birthday of all days, to what?  To lecture me 
about my level of determination? To dump me like a prom 
date?"

"Dump you?" He truly looked shocked. "I came to make sure you 
weren't hanging around out of some sense of duty.  I'm not 
telling you to do anything, Scully.  I'm asking."

"Asking if I want to leave."

"Yes."  He bit his lip.  "Do you?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him.  "If I say yes, 
who'll get on that plane with you tomorrow?"

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "I...I don't know."

"God, you're a crappy liar."

"The ticket is in your name," he reminded her.

She'd had enough.  She stalked in front of him to her closet 
door, which she yanked open with a ferocious tug.  "David and 
Nancy Kline, married six years, no kids, missing since last 
July twelfth. He was a computer programmer for a local 
software company; she was a partner in an interior design 
firm.  No history of violence and no traces of foul play.  
David's mother reported them both missing when they failed to 
show up for Sunday brunch as scheduled.  Their car was gone 
and there was no sign of forced entry in the house.  No one 
has seen or heard from the Klines since.  No credit card 
activity, no bank withdrawals."

She hefted her suitcase and threw it out in front of Mulder, 
where it nearly landed on his toes.

Breathing hard, she continued: "The Klines were the third 
such couple to go missing from the Arcadia community since 
1991.  How am I doing so far?"

She didn't give him time to answer.  She bent over in front 
of him and jerked down the zipper on her suitcase, revealing 
neatly packed sweater sets and a whole lot of shoes.  

Her hair fell in her eyes as she stood up and she blew it 
back onto her forehead with an angry breath.  "I've been 
packed since Thursday," she told Mulder.

"Scully."  He was smiling at her with that dopey look he 
sometimes got.  She still wanted to slap him.  Before she 
knew what was happening, he had come around the suitcase and 
pulled her against chest.  "Welcome back," he said.

She stood stiff in his arms but didn't pull away. "I never 
went anywhere, Mulder."

He backed off and motioned to the bed.  "Sit down.  I brought 
you something."

She stayed right where she was as he sat on the end of her 
bed.  "What is it?"

He patted the mattress.  "Come here."

"I have to get back," she said, but she did as he asked.

"This will only take a second."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a black velvet box.  
Her heart lurched to a halt and her eyes flew to his face.  
The only birthday present he'd ever given her was a key 
chain, and she was pretty sure that hadn't arrived in black 
velvet.

"Don't look so panicked," he said, sounding delighted.  "It's 
part of your disguise."

He handed her the box and she opened it to reveal a diamond 
engagement ring and a wedding band.  "Where did you get 
this?"

"Oh, I just had it lying around."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but he did not elaborate.

"Try it on," he said.

Scully took out the diamond and admired it under the light 
for a moment.  "This looks real."

Still Mulder said nothing.  "Okay, I'll put it on," he said, 
reaching across her to grab the ring and her hand.

He was just slipping it on when the door opened and Bill 
stood there.  "Dana, are we going to..."  

When his jaw dropped, Scully realized what kind of picture 
she and Mulder made.  "This isn't what it looks like."

Bill did an about face.  "Mom!  You're not going to believe 
this -- he's proposing!"

He was tattling on her just like he had when they were kids 
and she'd overturned her mother's sewing kit with all the 
different buttons separated into neat little bins.

Mulder slipped the ring on and she waggled her fingers.  "It 
fits," he said, pleased.

She smiled.  "So it does."

Her name was on the ticket and the ring fit her finger.  That 
was enough for her.

Her mother arrived in the doorway then, her eyes round and 
her face flushed.  "Dana...?"

"Relax, Mom.  It's for work."

"You're getting married for work?"

"No one's getting married," Scully said as her mother grabbed 
her left hand to look at the ring.

"With a stone this size, someone ought to be."

Bill crowded in behind them, his features set in a deep 
frown.  "What the hell is going on here?"

"What's going on is that we're all leaving my bedroom," 
Scully said as Matthew began to fret in the next room.  She 
started steering bodies toward the door.  "Out.  Now."

"I wish someone at work gave me a rock like that," Tara 
murmured.

"You're married," Bill told her, thumbing his chest.  "You 
have all the rocks you need right here."

"You can say that again," Mulder muttered from behind Scully, 
and she giggled.

"Stop it."

"Fox?" Her mother called from the kitchen.  "Since you're 
pretending to be married to my daughter, I insist you have 
some cake."

Scully shook her head and gave Mulder The Look.  He took the 
hint.

"No, thanks," he called back.  "I've got some packing still 
to do."  He poked Scully in the belly.  "Not all of us can be 
an over-achiever."

"Pack something tasteful. I don't want to be married to a 
slob."

She walked him to the door and leaned on the edge as he 
crossed into the hall.  "Mulder."

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get the rings?"

He looked at his feet.  "They belonged to my parents," he 
said, and pulled out the matching male ring from his jeans 
pocket.  "I had Mom's resized.  Their marriage didn't make it 
but I thought the rings deserved a second chance.  What do 
you think?  Bad karma?"

"I think... I think they're lovely."

He smiled a bit and leaned back towards her.  She closed her 
eyes and felt his breath on her face an instant before his 
lips grazed her cheek.  "Happy birthday," he whispered.

"Are we ever going to get cake around here?" Bill hollered 
from behind her.

She reached up to hold Mulder but he had already pulled away.  
"Mulder, wait."

"I'll see you at the airport tomorrow." He paused 
meaningfully.  "Honeybunch."

"Don't you start."

"Cutie pie?"

"Mulder!"

He was grinning as he turned and walked down the hall.  "Good 
night, Love Muffin."

She shut the door loudly enough that he would hear the slam 
and returned to eat cake with her family.  The rings felt odd 
on her hand, but she left them on anyway to get used to 
seeing them there.

"God, the shine will about put your eye out," Tara teased.

"More cake, sweetie?" her mother asked, and Scully opened her 
mouth to decline only to realize she wasn't the one being 
asked.

"Just another sliver," Martin said.  "And don't tell the 
other dentists on me, okay?"

Everyone laughed, but Scully noticed her mother's hand as it 
caressed Martin's shoulder.  Her mom no longer wore a wedding 
band.  When had that happened?

"Dana?"  Her mother sounded concerned and Scully jerked back 
to attention.  "I asked if you wanted more coffee."

"Uh, half a cup, please."  She forced a smile and held out 
her cup for pouring.

"You okay?" her mom asked as she topped off the coffee.

"I'm fine." The light caught the diamond and it winked back 
at her, their secret kept.

~~~~~~

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