New! The Barbecue Series 12: Fireworks 

Date: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 
Category: Story, MSR, MulderANGST 
Rating: PG-13 for some language. 
Spoilers: Let's just say through season 6, to be safe. 
Summary: Mulder's gone and done it again, and Scully's got to learn to deal 
with it. 
Archive: Yes 
Disclaimer: The names you recognize belong to 10/13 productions and Chris 
Carter. I'm just borrowing them, and since I've learned to play nice in the 
sandbox, I promise to return them in one piece. 
Introduction: It picks up in the Barbecue Series Universe and follows the 
incidents of # 11, but since #11 is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, 
this time 'round you really do not have to read it prior to this one.....(Of 
course I'd love you to, but t'aint a necessity.) 
Oh, and as always a special thank you to my CyberMuse, Vickie Moseley, for 
teaching me the fine art of compromise. <G> 
The Barbecue Series 12: Fireworks
By Susan Proto (STPteach@aol.com) 
Part 1/2 
Monday, July 5 
"Scully, I said I was sorry. I thought we'd be back in time," I say for what 
must be the thirtieth, maybe fortieth time this day. I am met with a stony 
glance, and realize my contrite tone is getting me absolutely nowhere. Quite 
frankly, I'm getting a little sick of it. 
"Damn it, Scully, what the hell do you want me to do?" I retort angrily. 
"Nothing," she responds in kind and with a glare that pierces right through 
me. 
I've already picked up my bag and go to reach for hers, but she beats me to 
it and picks it up in an angry huff. Fine, if she wants to be that way, then 
this is just fine. 
Damn it. I hate it when Scully is angry with me; especially when she has 
good reason to be. I'd done it to her again. I'd gone off on a wild goose 
chase, which of course didn't pan out. It did, however, lead to an 
inexplicable comedy of errors, which in turn led us to miss the one and only 
flight that would have returned us to Maggie Scully's house in time for the 
annual Fourth of July barbecue. 
So now, instead of walking side by side with my partner I am walking about 
five steps behind her in an effort to avoid any more of her scathing glares. 
She is royally pissed off, and I can't say as I blame her. 
It's a wonder the woman stays with me. 
And the amazing thing is, if this had happened last year, I would have 
probably gone into a state of panic and assumed she would not stay with me. 
There was a time I couldn't imagine Dana Scully ever sticking it out with me 
for the long haul. 
But no more. 
I have to smile at this thought, which of course screws me into the ground 
even more, because Dana Scully just happens to pick this particular moment to 
turn around and look at me. 
Oh boy. 
"Mulder, I don't know what the hell you find so damned amusing, but I am so 
mad right now, I don't even want to think about finding out. I will go get 
the car. You will stay here. I may come back and get you," she says and 
then turns on her heels before I can even think about uttering a response. 
Oh boy, take two. 
This is just another 'wonderful' memory for me to have about the fourth of 
July. I shudder involuntarily and rub the faded scar tissue on my leg 
unconsciously while I wait for Scully to return with the car. 
I'm pretty sure she's going to return with the car. I mean, after all, I do 
have her luggage. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
The ride takes an extra fifty minutes longer to get to Baltimore due to the 
holiday traffic. As we pull up to Mom's house, I am relieved to see not only 
Mom's car, but a couple of rentals as well. This is a good sign, as it means 
Charlie and Billy are still here. 
Okay, so I can live without Billy, but I know Scully really wants to see her 
nephews and niece. I'm looking forward to seeing Charlie and Karen again, as 
well as Tara. Like I said, I can live without Billy. 
I push the trunk release and step out of the car. I go to pull out the 
overnight bags we'd packed in anticipation of staying the night at Mom's 
place before we return to our apartment in Georgetown. 
Yeah. It's definitely _our_ place now. I've informed the landlord at my 
place in Alexandria that I am letting the lease run out, so he can start 
shopping it around. Though, at the moment, I wonder if that's such a wise 
idea. 
Scully is not a happy camper. 
I am counting on her family to rouse her out of this foul mood, or at the 
very least, to act as a diversion until she cools off and starts talking to 
me again. 
She grabs her overnight from my hand. "Scully," I cry out with, admittedly, 
a bit of a whine. 
"Don't, Mulder. Just, don't." She turns and walks away from me. Now I'm 
not a happy camper. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
As we enter the door to the house, Scully calls out, "Mom?! Billy? Charlie? 
Anybody home?" 
"Dana? Sweetheart, is that you?" cries out Maggie happily. 
"Mom! Oh, Mom, I am so sorry we couldn't get here yesterday," she says 
apologetically. 
"Oh, we are too. It was such a nice day, though it was so hot. Was it hot 
where you were, Sweetheart?" Mom turns slightly and appears to notice me for 
the first time. 
"Oh, Fox, I didn't see you. Hello, dear." She reaches up and over to plant 
a kiss on my cheek. She's still smiling, so apparently Scully hadn't told 
her I'm the reason for our being a day late to the annual Scully Fourth of 
July extravaganza. 
"Come on you two, everyone is in the backyard. I'm sorry, you just missed 
Walter. He was only able to stay for short time, as he said he had a 
mountain of paper work to complete. Imagine having to work on the fourth of 
July holiday weekend!" 
"Yes, imagine that," I hear Scully grumble. 
Oh, yeah. This is going to be a very long day. 
"We were grilling some burgers and hot dogs for a lunch. There should be 
some left over for you to eat," she says. 
I smile slightly at this. The last time I was here was right after the 
Diamond incident over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. I had an 
inexplicable craving for a hamburger, and everyone was very excited (everyone 
except the cow, I guess) and watched as I took the first bite. 
It smelled really good. I figured it would taste just as good. 
Well, it wasn't quite like I remembered it. I mean, it was okay, but I don't 
know, it just wasn't the same. I remember I took a couple of bites and then 
set it down. Maybe it was because I still wasn't feeling a hundred per cent, 
or maybe Scully's crazy ideas of how to eat healthier are finally rubbing off 
on me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
I follow the Scully women to the back door and as it opens I hear Mom's voice 
ring out, "Look who finally found their way home!" 
I hear a caphony of voices calling out 'Dana' and 'Aunt Dana' and then hear 
Scully laugh out loud in response, so I hang back a little behind the screen 
door. I don't want to take this welcoming away from her. 
I watch as she follows Mom down the small flight of stairs and runs into the 
arms of her nephews, Daniel and Matthew, and niece, Briana. Her face lights 
up from the sheer joy of seeing these children surround her with their hugs 
and kisses. 
Then I see Charlie and Billy rise from their seats and walk over to her. She 
tries to untangle herself from the embraces of the children in order to give 
them a proper greeting, but gives up and simply reaches over the little ones' 
heads and embraces her brothers in a hug. 
Karen and Tara soon take their husbands' places, and I watch the women greet 
one another warmly. Some minutes pass by when I hear my name spoken aloud. 
"Hey, Dana? Ya finally did us all a favor and left Mulder at home?"

How is it Bill Scully, Jr. can manage to make me feel about as valuable as 
the soil a potted plant sits in? 
"Mulder didn't come?" asks Charlie. Good ol' Charlie. I have at least one 
ally. "Oh well, we'll catch him next time I guess." 
So much for allies. I can't help but wonder for a split second if this 
reaction is in response to the turn of events of our last visit with one 
another, but then just as quickly I scratch that thought immediately from my 
mind. Charlie's good people. I know in a pinch I can count on him. 
I turn and start trudging in the opposite direction towards the front door. 
Just as I'm ready to step outside, I hear my name again. Only this time, I 
have to smile. 
"Unc-key Mulder?" 
I turn and look at Matthew Scully. He's about two and a half now, but I'm 
amazed at how much he's grown since I'd last seen him. And he now says 
Mulder a whole lot more clearly, though I kind of miss the ''Muddah.' I 
smile broadly at him and greet him. 
"Hello big boy! How ya doing Matty?" 
"Unc-key Mulder, where you going?" he asks accusingly. How do kids know 
these things, I wonder. 
"Umm, I was just going to the car, Matty, to umm, get something I forgot." 
Actually, there is a bag that has presents for the children and for Maggie 
still in the car. "You want to come with me to get it?" 
"Uh-huh!" he says happily as he nods his head vigorously. He manages to open 
the screen door and runs to me with a force I didn't think was possible for 
such a little kid. I scoop him up and find myself showered with hugs and 
kisses. 
Damn. I can get used to this. But that's for a later discussion; that is if 
I can ever get my partner speaking to me again. 
I carry Matty out to the car with me and retrieve the bag. It's not too big, 
as Scully and I made the discovery that the smaller the child, the bigger the 
box the present is found in. However, as the children grow up, the boxes 
get smaller; unfortunately not cheaper, but definitely smaller. 
We picked up a new barbecue set for Mom, which is one of the reasons Scully 
is so pissed off with me. Our late arrival precludes her from using the set 
for the holiday dinner she'd prepared, so that's one of the main reasons I'm 
in the doghouse. I think she'll like it anyway, and with the amount of 
barbecues she has, it certainly won't go to waste. 
I suspect Daniel will bounce off the walls over the Game Boy Color we got 
him, and Briana should get a kick out of the Barbie Doll Fairy Tale 
accessories kit we brought for her. I can only hope Matty will enjoy the 
Little Tykes basketball hoop we bought for him. The sucker is actually 
expandable, so he'll get a few years out of it. We figure we'll keep it 
here, at Mom's house in Baltimore, so he and his cousins will have something 
to play with when they visit. 
Guess who picked out the basketball hoop? 
Just as I'm trying to figure out how to pick up the bag and the large box 
containing the basketball hoop while still carrying Matty, I hear the front 
door open and slam shut all within seconds of each other. 
"And here I thought we'd lucked out," Bill says sarcastically. I look at him 
and simply stare. I've learned it best not to answer Billy's attacks 
immediately; it frustrates him more. I grin slightly at this thought and 
then hear him demand, "Matthew, come here." 
Billy reaches over and practically grabs the child out of my arms. This 
man's attitude confuses the hell out of me. He runs hot and cold whenever 
he's around me. Sometimes he appears to actually tolerate me, and then other 
times he seems to despise me, as is apparently the case now. 
I blanch a bit when I hear Matty cry out; I don't know if he's in pain from 
being handled roughly or from the distress of being pulled out of my arms. 
Either way, it bothers the hell out of me that Billy can be so damned mean 
spirited. 
"Hush, Matthew, Daddy's got you," he says almost harshly. "Dana's not too 
thrilled with you at the moment, is she?" he asks with an almost gleeful tone. 
"Why? What did she say?" I ask feigning innocence. I figure I'm not about 
to give this guy any more information than necessary. 
"Oh, she didn't have to _say_ anything. I can just tell. It's because of 
you she missed being with her family yesterday, isn't it?" he practically 
hisses. 
I try to stand stoically, but I guess my eyes give me away. He gloats, "I 
knew it! You sonofabitch little shit! I knew it was because of you!" 
"Unc-key Mulder a little shit?" echoes Matty. If it weren't so damned true, 
it would be comical. 
"Yeah, Matty, Uncle Mulder's a little shit," I whisper aloud much to the 
surprise of the eldest Scully sibling. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End of Part 1/2 



The Barbecue Series Part 12: Fireworks
By Susan Proto (STPteach@aol.com) 
Disclaimers in Part 1 
Part 2/2 
My plan to leave Baltimore and return to the Georgetown apartment at this 
point fails miserably, as Mom opens the front door and commands the three of 
us to return to the backyard immediately. Oh hell, it didn't work the last 
time I tried to runaway from a Scully family barbecue, so it's probably just 
as well my skulking off into the noonday sun was nipped in the bud.

I follow all of them into the backyard and am surprised to be greeted 
enthusiastically by Charlie, Karen, and their two kids. Tara comes over next 
and gives me a warm hug and kiss, which I return in kind. Tara and I have 
maintained our email correspondence ever since she'd developed Bell's Palsy, 
which happily, seems to have gone the way of the world. 
"You look good, Tara," I acknowledge with a smile. 
"I feel great," she responds happily. "It's nothing more than a bad memory." 
I give her another affectionate squeeze and then walk over to Scully with the 
bag of gifts along with Matty's basketball set. I figure she'll want to give 
the kids their gifts; after all, she is their aunt. I'm just the adopted 
uncle, though admittedly I hope to change that in the not too distant future. 


I only hope I haven't done anything that will make my partner in crime, and 
life, want to postpone that little act. 
She looks at me and takes the gifts wordlessly. She's still steamed with me, 
but I think I see her anger waning a bit. I hope so. I don't know how much 
more of this I can take. 
Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I'll take it for as long as she needs to dish 
it out. I deserve it this time. I'm the first to admit it, I screwed up big 
time. I never should have gone off to meet with that informant; of course 
hindsight is great when the informant never shows up. 
I'd left her a note detailing everything I was doing. I didn't ditch her. 
Well, not in the literal sense of the word. I told her exactly where I was 
going, and I told her to call me on the cell if she needed me. I told her to 
take a taxi to the airport and meet me there if it seemed to be getting too 
late. 
Which she did. 
Because I was. 
And we missed the one and only flight, because she refused to leave on the 
flight without me. 
She loves me, but she doesn't like me very much at the moment. 
Which is why I'm shocked as shit to hear her say, "Okay you guys! Uncle 
Mulder and I brought some gifts and I think they may be for people under 
twenty-one! Mom? Mom, that includes you, you know!" 
Maggie laughs out loud and says, "Dana, you are getting wiser and wiser in 
your old age." 
The kids of course come clamoring around Dana, and she hands Mom her barbecue 
set, Daniel his Game Boy Color, and Briana her Barbie accessories. Then she 
does something that surprises me even more. 
"Mulder," she says softly, "I think you should be the one to give Matty his 
gift." 
She does love me, doesn't she; I think she may be starting to like me again a 
little too. 
"Hey Matty! Come here, big guy. This one's for you," I say excitedly. 
Matthew practically flies to me and tries to rip the paper, but he's having 
trouble getting under the seam. Finally, I can't stand the suspense anymore 
and I help get him started. As Matthew and I start shredding the gift wrap 
into a thousand pieces, I hear Matthew chirping, "Back-et-ball! It 
back-et-ball!" 
"Guess who picked this present out?" Scully asks rhetorically, but at least 
she's smiling. 
"Whoa, that' s way cool, Matty," says Daniel excitedly. 
"Wanna play, Dan-il?" asks Matty hopefully. 
I see him look at his Game Boy with a real sense of yearning, but then I 
notice Daniel look at Matty's expectant little face. "Sure, I wanna play, 
Matty! Can Briana play too?" When he sees Matty's head nodding up and down, 
vigorously affirming Briana is more than welcomed to join in the fun, Daniel 
holds up his hand so the baby can give him a high five. 
Charlie's son is turning into one helluva nice kid. 
Of course, now Unc-key Mulder gets to set up the basketball set. Oh, the 
joys of being considered one of the family. I smile at this thought; the 
joys of being a part of any family. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
God bless Little Tykes toy company and their propensity for all in one, solid 
pieces. I get the basketball hoop set up with a modicum of problems and 
watch the kids play two on one. Briana and Matty team up against Daniel. 
I'm itching to join in the fun, but I keep seeing Billy glaring at me from 
the corner of my eye. 
I think I'll leave the kids alone for now and chow down on my burger. Okay, 
so the taste has improved somewhat from last time but, and I cannot believe 
I'm even thinking this, I kind of miss the healthy stuff. Damn, that woman 
really has rubbed off on me. 
As I eat, I take a chance and snatch a quick glance of Scully munching on a 
hamburger piled high with onions, tomato, lettuce and cheese. So much for 
eating healthily. (It never ceases to amaze me what an iron stomach this 
woman has. I guess she's not the best FBI forensics pathologist for 
nothing.) Finally, she looks up and meets my gaze. 
Don't turn away, Scully. Please. I need you to forgive me on this one. 
Before I can continue my silent pleas, I feel a strong hand on my shoulder 
and hear Charlie say, "So, Mulder, how the hell have you been?" 
He sits down next to me and I break away from my primary objective and look 
at Charlie. "Fine, just fine." 
"How's the shoulder?" he asks referring to the gunshot wound I'd received 
May. 
"Okay. It's fine. Got full range of motion and everything," I reply 
encouragingly. 
"That's great. When Mom mentioned you were out in the field on an 
assignment, I was really surprised. I couldn't believe you received 
clearance already," Charlie says flabbergasted. 
"Well, I'm actually still on limited field assignment. Scully and I were 
asked to join a team to profile an UNSUB. We were able to help wrap the case 
up pretty quickly. Scully picked up on a really important clue during an 
autopsy," I inform. 
"Hey, that's my sister the detective for you," Charlie says with a grin. 
"But I don't understand. If you were able to help solve the case quickly, 
how come you didn't make it back for yesterday's shindig?" 
Am I a shmuck or what? I mean, if I left the door open any wider
for that question, I'd be creating an entrance for Paul Bunyan! 
"Yes, Mulder, why don't you tell us why my sister didn't make it to 
yesterday's shindig," chastises Billy. 
Scully looks up quickly at the sound of her brother's tone, but she says 
nothing. I'm not sure what that means. Scully's been angry with me before, 
that's a given. But she's always kept it between us; she always fights fair. 
Or at least she used to. 
I feel as if I'm being ambushed. 
I see Mom is about to say something, but Billy glares at her, and for the 
first time in a long time, I see Maggie Scully back down. I guess she's a 
little annoyed with me too. I should have made sure Scully was back home 
yesterday. 
But I had to go and follow up on a stupid hunch. 
"I __, I umm," I stammer. God, I haven't stammered since I was Daniel's 
age. "I was following up on some information. I had to meet an informant, 
and I was late coming back. Scully decided to wait for me instead of taking 
our scheduled flight back." 
"I decided to wait for you instead of taking__! Mulder! I didn't simply 
decide to wait for you! I had no idea as to where the hell you were, or what 
the hell happened to you! Do you really think I would just leave without 
knowing if you were dead or alive?" Scully berates me in frustration. 
I look at Scully in total shock. Where the hell did this come from? She's 
been angry with me before, but she's never lambasted me in front of anyone 
else before. I mean, she's always saved the browbeating for a private 
moment. 
Then I look around and realize I'm outnumbered. Scully's on her home turf 
and she's used to speaking her mind in front of her family. Hell, I suspect 
when she was growing up, as one of the youngest, she didn't have a choice but 
to speak her mind if she ever wanted to get a word in edgewise. I realize I 
am dead meat. 
"I left you a note," I say weakly. 
"A note. The man says he left me a note." I watch as she reaches into her 
pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. 
My note. 
Shit. 
"This is the note my partner leaves me; my considerate, thoughtful, and 
concerned partner's words. 'Got a call from a possible informant with 
information. Am within cell range, so call if a must. Be back soon. If it 
gets late, meet me at airport. I'm packed. Love, Mulder.' 
"Well, at least he signed it _love_ Mulder," Tara points out hopefully, to 
which Bill draws in a very sharp breath. 
I could have sworn I told her what it was about. I could have sworn I told 
her where I was going. I could have sworn __. Shit. I really did ditch 
her, didn't I? 
"Scully, I'm sorry. I really thought I'd ___," I begin contritely. 
"Oh save it, Mulder. I don't want to hear about it now. I'm still too 
damned angry," she says in a hushed but irate tone. 
I guess she still doesn't like me all that much. I blew it big time. I 
look at her, but I keep my mouth shut. I don't want to prolong the argument 
any more than necessary, but she's obviously not ready to forgive and forget 
quite yet. I stand up and ask if anyone needs something cold to drink. I 
hear all gracious refusals, with the exception of one grunt, and go inside to 
escape the heat. 
Literally and figuratively. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
I wander around inside the house and find myself in Scully's old bedroom. 
Though it hasn't been kept as a shrine, like my sister's bedroom was kept 
after her abduction, there are still enough remnants of Scully's past to make 
it interesting to check out. 
I look at the top of her chest of drawers and find a tattered copy of Little 
Women. I remember my mom read that to Sam; she'd finished it shortly before 
Sam had been taken. I remember Sam kept saying she was just like Jo, because 
Jo and Sam were nicknames that could be boys' names. 
I always teased her and told her she was like Amy, the spoiled sister, but in 
my heart I knew she was most like Jo too. She had an adventurous spirit, my 
little sister. Just like Jo. 
I suspect Scully always saw herself most like Jo, too. I can't picture her 
in any other role. 
I take note of the formal, high school senior picture that stands framed on 
the corner of the chest. I see a serious, judicious Dana Katherine staring 
back at me. Even then, she was prudent with her smiles, and this picture 
lacks the warmth of my favorite one of her. 
I take it out of my wallet. It's the one that was taken at a crime scene. 
She's looking at a piece of paper in my hands and she's leaning into me so 
she can see it more clearly. 
And she's smiling. 
What the hell she had to smile about at that crime scene is beyond me, but 
when I saw it, I told the staff photographer to make me a couple of copies. 
I keep the original tacked up on the bulletin board at the office, but I also 
keep one copy in my wallet and another in the drawer of my nightstand at home. 
Sometimes I wonder how Sam would have looked at her High School graduation. 
I wonder if she would have been voted most likely to succeed or most popular. 
I suspect she would have been more popular than me, that's for sure. 
Then I see another photo that catches my attention and I gasp. Scully's prom 
dress is a shade of blue that I imagine matched her eyes, though it's 
difficult to tell from the faded colors of the picture in front of me. 
Still, she looks so beautiful. 
I don't know why that surprises me. But I mean, her beauty just kind of 
sneaks up on you, ya know? My Scully is not what you would call a classic 
beauty. I mean, she's short, her hair tends to frizz, she can wear a scowl 
with the best of them. And she's tough. Damn tough. 
But when my girl smiles, she can take my breath away. She's a beauty all 
right. 
And still damn tough. 
I'm about to pick up one of the little trophies she has on top of the 
nightstand when I hear young voices coming from another room. I quietly walk 
out and approach what was once Melissa's room and is now the nursery. 
I hear the voices of a young boy and his sister and eavesdrop on their 
conversation. 
"I don't get it. Why doesn't Uncle Bill like Uncle Mulder?" Briana asks. 
"We've talked about this a hundred times, Bree," moans Daniel. 
"Daniel, I don't get it. Uncle Mulder is so nice, and Aunt Dana really, 
really likes him," she retorts. 
"Look, I like Uncle Mulder, Mom and Dad do too. I know Aunt Tara likes him, 
and Grandma really likes him. And shoot, Matty loves him. It's just Uncle 
Bill who hates him, though I don't think he hates him as much as he used to 
hate him," Daniel explains very seriously. 
"Did Uncle Mulder do something to make Uncle Bill mad at him?" asks Briana 
curiously. 
"I think he just loves Aunt Dana," answers Daniel. 
I never realized how wise children can be. 
I imagine having conversations with Sam; most often about my father's 
business friend. Now Bill Scully is a pain in the ass, but he's nothing 
like the sonofabitch my father had called _friend_. 
This bastard did some pretty horrible things to Sam and me; things that I'm 
only just beginning to truly remember and talk about, thanks to the therapist 
Skinner recommended during the Memorial Day weekend. But Sam and I used to 
talk till all hours of the night after the _friend_ came for a visit. 
I think it was those talks that helped to keep me sane. 
God, I miss her. 
I love Scully with all of my heart, but I miss my sister. 
"Uncle Mulder? Are you okay?" 
I startle and look down to see Briana and Daniel looking up at me with 
concerned expressions. 
"What?" I choke out, and then I realize what the cause of their concern is. 
I quickly swipe at the tears that have unconsciously trickled down my face. 
"I'm fine, you guys. I must have gotten something in my eye, ya know? You 
go on and play." 
I turn and quickly retreat into Scully's room only to find it impossible to 
hold back the flood of emotion any longer. I sit down and sink into the too 
soft mattress and hold my face in my hands. 
I don't know how much time has passed; it could have been just a few seconds, 
or it could have been several minutes. I really don't know. But I find 
myself calming down and pick my head up from my hands to find a pair of deep 
blue eyes staring me directly in the face. 
"Unc-key Mulder? You sad?" asks Matty way too seriously for a little guy 
like him. But even though he's little I respect him too much to lie to him. 
"Yeah, Matty. I'm a little sad, but I'll be okay. I promise." 
"Okay." And he reaches up and grabs my face with his two little hands and 
gives me a kiss right on the shnoz. He then smiles that delectable Scully 
smile and I have no choice but to return it. I give him a kiss right on his 
nose too, and he giggles at that. 
"Go on and find your cousins, Matty. I'll be down in a bit, okay?" He nods 
his head, still very seriously, and turns to leave. I watch him begin 
walking out when I realize Scully's standing at the door. 
"How long have you been standing guard?" I ask as I stand up very quickly. 
"How long have you been crying?" she replies. 
I sigh out loud now. I'm out of explanations, I'm out of apologies. I've 
screwed up, I've begged for forgiveness, and I'm still waiting for my act of 
penitence to be received. 
She simply stands there and I don't know what she expects me to say at this 
point. So, instead, she surprises me and she speaks. 
"It was about Samantha, wasn't it?" she asks softly. When I look at her with 
my mouth agape, she elaborates, "You thought the informant had information 
about Sam, right?" 
I slowly nod my head. "It seemed viable." 
She nods her head in acknowledgment too and then says, "It's been a long time 
since you've taken off on me. It's been a long time since you've received 
any specific information regarding Samantha." 
I look at her and I know my expression shows my wonder at the connection 
she's just made. It has been a long time since I'd ditched her, and I've 
thought it was because I'd made a real commitment to this woman to not cause 
her any more grief over my whereabouts. 
But the first time an informant dangles a so-called piece of evidence in 
front of me that might pertain to my sister, I run head first into the 
nearest darkened alley. 
I am a colossal, self-centered, self-absorbed, shmuck. 
But I think what has me equally dumbstruck is the realization of how long 
it's been since I've actively sought any information on the specific 
whereabouts of my sister. I mean, sure, we've dealt with the consortium and 
Cassandra Spender and talked about my sister, but a very long time has passed 
since I actively engaged in any kind of search for Samantha Mulder. 
Suddenly I feel the room spin and I feel my body sway a bit. Just as 
quickly, I feel the pressure of Scully's hands pushing my shoulders down so I 
am forced to sit back down on her bed. "Lower your head between your knees, 
Mulder." 
This woman is wasted in pathology, you know. I know this for a fact as I 
feel her rub my back in a circular motion and hear her murmur soft words of 
comfort. After a while, I feel the earth still and I lift my head up. 
"I'm sorry, Mulder." When she sees my shocked expression, she quickly 
explains. "I'm still angry as hell that you ditched me. This will never, 
and I do mean _never_ happen again. Do you understand me?" I nod my head as 
quickly as my still rather unsteady equilibrium will allow. "I'm serious 
about this, Mulder. I will not allow you to scare the hell out of me 
needlessly ever again." 
"I do understand and I am sorry, Scully. I really thought I'd left you 
clearer information." 
"Well, that's what I'm apologizing for," she says thoughtfully. "I didn't 
give you a chance to explain. It wouldn't have staved off my anger and 
frustration, but at least my fear that this crappy ditching habit of yours 
had resurfaced could have been alleviated. And I only added fuel to the fire 
by refusing to give you a chance to explain, and that was pretty damned 
adolescent of me," she admits with a hint of a smile. 
"I really am sorry," I say. 
"I know. You really miss her, don't you?" she asks. 
"You miss Melissa?" I ask and note the sudden welling of tears in those 
beautiful baby blues of hers. "Oh, Dana, I didn't mean to make you cry. I 
just wanted __." 
"__No, I know you didn't want to make me cry. It's just that I realized how 
much longer you've had to live with this sense of loss; this void. Oh God, 
Mulder, we'll find her. We'll figure out where she is and we'll find her. I 
promise. And next time, how 'bout we go see the informant _together?_" 
I knew there was a reason I love this woman. She has me figured out to a 
tee, and she still sticks with me. 
"So, you ready to join the family again?" she asks lightly. 
"Yeah, but I have one question. How did you know I was up here?" 
"Daniel and Briana came and got me. They were worried about you, and then 
Matty insisted he come with me to find his Unc-key Mulder," she explains. 
"You've got some terrific kids in your family, Scully," I say sincerely. 
"_We've_ got some terrific kids in _our_ family, Mulder," she corrects. 
"Someday, I'd like for us to make some additions to those kids," I say a 
little self-consciously, as I'm not sure how those words will be received. 
"Well, they won't let us adopt unless we're married, Mulder," she replies 
matter of fact. 
"Well, I guess we'd better do something about that, G-Woman," I say a little 
more confidently. 
"Yes, I should think so," Scully replies with luminous smile. 
Oh, yeah. I know we're in love, but now? I think we're finally back in 
'like.' 
And I suspect the fireworks are only just beginning. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End of Part 2/2 
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