Title: New Beginnings Author: Angela W. Tapw63@hotmail.com Category: MSR (Mulder/Scully married) Rating: R Summary: Mulder and Scully, having been removed from the X-Files, try to adjust to their new jobs. Timespan/Spoilers: This is part of my "married" series. In that series, it comes after "For Better? Or Worse?". In the "real" X-Files universe it would come sometime after the end of Season 7, I guess, but I think the only spoiler is a vague mention of "Dreamland". Also, depending on how Season 8 of "XF" plays out, this may not make too much sense after it's begun. Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. The ones recognizable from "The X-Files" are the property of Chris Carter and 1013 Produc- tions. John Lau, who is mentioned briefly in this story and who appeared in one of my previous fanfics, is the property of Aaron Elkins. Special Agent Fox Mulder paused by the door and looked at his wife. This was too weird. It was so ordinary, so un-X-Filey, that it scared him. But, he reminded himself, as of yesterday he and Scully weren't on the X-Files anymore. And they weren't partners anymore. He'd been assigned to a violent crimes task force on serial killers, due to his recent work on a high-profile X-File that had led to the arrest of sev- eral serial killers involved in a satanic cult. Assigned, hell! He was heading up the damned thing! Scully would be back out at Quantico, mostly teaching, sometimes doing lab work. She was on a light schedule due to her recently diagnosed pregnancy. So just do it, he told himself. Kiss your wife goodbye and go to work. Millions of men do it everyday. For a man who's faced down serial kill- ers, aliens, monsters and Cancer Man, not to mention dozens of pissed- off bureau superiors, it shouldn't be that hard. But it was. Because, as much as he was looking forward to their new life - having a baby, publicly announcing their marriage to all and sundry, moving to a new house - he couldn't help feeling a bit of bit- tersweet longing for the part of their life that was over now. He'd never again sit across from Scully in their basement office or a low- rent motel room and bat around theories involving mutants, UFOs or the paranormal. Scully was thrilled with her pregnancy, though. It was something she'd been told was impossible and he knew she'd be a great mother. He'd screwed up enough things in her life during the years they'd spent together. He wasn't going to mess this up for her when she was so happy. "Bye, sweetheart," he said, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "I'll give you a call sometime later today, let you know how things are going." "Okay. I'll probably be out at Quantico until mid-afternoon, then I'll be back here." "Don't wear yourself out." "I won't. I love you. Bye." Mulder stepped into the suite of offices where the task force was meeting. He had his own office and even a secretary. He was pleased to see that the woman assigned to work for him was in her 50s and somewhat overweight. The last thing he'd want would be a pretty young secretary like Skinner had; such a woman might make Scully feel uncomfortable. There was also a large meeting room and several desks in the outer office. He sat down at a table at the front of the meeting room. The original members of the task force had been selected by others in the bureau, but he would have the option of reassigning agents he couldn't work with or requesting others to work on the task force if he felt they could make a contribution. Members of the task force began drifting in; most were younger than he, no one he knew. Finally a familiar, if not particularly welcome, face came through the door. Tom Colton. They'd worked together years ago and didn't particularly care for each other. "Hey, Spooky, you actually going to be running this show?" Colton asked. "That's what they tell me," Mulder replied. "Where's Scully? Don't tell me she finally came to her senses and dumped you?" "She's out at Quantico. And, far from coming to her senses and dumping me, she's lost her mind completely and married me. Which is why we're no longer working together," Mulder said. Colton gawked at him. "You're serious?" he asked. "You and Scully - Mr. and Mrs. Spooky for real?" Mulder held up his left hand so that his wedding ring caught the light. "For real," he confirmed. When all eight of the agents who had been assigned to the task force were in the room, Mulder called the meeting to order. "Okay, I think everybody knows why we're here. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder. I've been with the bureau for almost fifteen years and I've spent most of that time as a pro- filer. In the past few years, there have been an increase in the number of reports of murders attributed to serial killers. This is despite a significant drop in the nationwide total of overall violent crimes. We're here to ask some questions - and hopefully find some answers - to help law enforcement agencies across the country deal with these kill- ings." "I guess the first question is why have the number of serial killings been on the increase," suggested Colton. "No, Colton, the first question is IF the number of serial killings have increased in the past decade," Mulder replied. "But, you just said. . ." stammered the only woman agent present, a tall, thirtyish blonde. "What I said was, the number of reports in which murders are attrib- uted to serial killers have increased. Does this mean there are really more serial killers on the loose than 20 years ago? Or does it just mean that law enforcement agencies are getting more efficient, making connections that wouldn't have been possible in the days before comput- erized databases? Could it possibly even mean that law enforcement agenices are getting lazier, and prefer to lay the blame for virtually any murder in their area on a serial killer who selects his victims at random, rather than do the tedious legwork of investigating each murder victim's background inidvidually to find out who might have wanted him or her dead?" "It's similar to the questions that were asked about the increase in domestic abuse complaints in the 1980s, isn't it?" asked an Asian-Amer- ican man. "Some people looked at it as bad news, that more Americans than ever were beating their wives or kids. Other people thought it was good news; that it didn't mean the violence was any worse than it ever had been, just that people were getting more open about filing com- plaints." Mulder gave the younger man a grin. "There you go." Special Agent Dana Scully walked into Quantico and headed for Agent Ann Palmer's office. The older woman smiled when she saw her. "Dana! I couldn't have been happier when they told me you'd volun- teered to take over half my classes so I could spend more time with my husband during his illness. It was very kind of you," she said. "I'm happy to do it, Agent Palmer, but to tell the truth I was looking for some lighter duty for reasons of my own." "I'd heard you were quite ill with cancer a couple of years ago, my dear. Don't tell me you're sick again?" "No, it's not that," Scully said with a smile. "Although I guess my illness is at least partially responsible. You see, I'm pregnant and because I was so ill that time - not to mention the fact that I'm over the age of 35 and this is my first baby - it's considered a high-risk pregnancy." "Why, Dana, that's lovely! I didn't even know you were married," Agent Palmer suddenly coughed then said, "Of course, a lot of women choose single motherhood these days." "I'm married, Agent Palmer," Scully assured her. "Do you know Agent Mulder?" "That young agent who doess all the excellent profiling work? Why, yes, I believe I've met him. You worked with on the X-Files, if I'm remembering correctly. Is he your husband?" "Yes, he is," Scully answered with a smile. Assistant Director Walter Skinner called Holly Patterson into his office. "Have you heard the news about Agents Mulder and Scully?" "No sir, I haven't seen them this week," she replied. "I went down to their office earlier this morning and found it empty. What's happened to them? Did they finally get busted for being married?" "More or less," Skinner replied dryly. "Agent Mulder is back on Vio- lent Crimes and Agent Scully is back out at Quantico. What I need you to do, as soon as possible, is get their personal information changed in the bureau database." "What am I to change?" "Their marital status, obviously, and also make sure that both their home addresses are listed as the apartment that's currently shown as Agent Scully's home address. And one more thing," Skinner said. "Yes?" "When you first found out the X-Files agents were married, the three of us asked you to keep it quiet. Now, if possible, work it into casual conversation that you've been aware of their marriage for quite some- time." Holly grinned. She liked Dana and her husband and was glad to help them pull off whatever was going on here. "Yes sir," she replied. Mulder glanced around the conference room. Everyone else had left for lunch. He guessed he ought to go grab himself a bite to eat, too, but he wasn't really hungry. Maybe he could give Scully a call on her cell phone, see how things were going out at Quantico. "Mulder?" he looked up to see Skinner's broad-shouldered frame filling the doorway. "Yes sir?" "You up for lunch?" "Er, yeah, sure," Mulder replied. When the two men were seated across from each other in a restaurant a few blocks away from headquarters, Mulder asked, "Is there something you need to talk to me about, Skinner?" "No, not really," the older man answered, "It's just that I remember my first day as an assistant director, as clearly as if it were yester- day, although it's almost ten years ago. I was kind of lonely and con- fused. Thought you might be feeling something similar, that's all. I mean, having to give up the X-Files and take over a task force, all in the same week that you've learned you're going to be a father. . .it's a lot to deal with." Mulder was surprised, then gratified, to realize the invitation to lunch had been proferred out of nothing more - and nothing less - than honest friendship. "It's not that I mind taking over the task force or even losing the X-Files. It's the fact that Scully and I won't ever be able to work as partners again that's bumming me. I'm happy about the baby, I really am. I guess I just sort of want to have my cake and eat it, too. I keep thinking of crazy things - things most men would con- sider a real annoyance, like all the times she shot down my theories with her scientific knowledge and all the times she told me I was nuts - and how much I'm going to miss that being part of my daily routine." 'You know, even though the X-Files have been deactivated, I'm still the A.D. in charge of that division," Skinner said slowly. "There may be an occasional case which, in my professional opinion, the bureau doesn't have a current investigative unit capable of handling it." "What are you saying?" Mulder asked. "I'm saying that for the next year or two you and Scully are going to have a lot to deal with, what with the baby and everything. But, after that. . .I won't ever be able to get away with assigning you both full- time to the X-Files again, even if they should happen to reopen that division. Not now that the whole bureau knows the two of you are mar- ried. It's not really the kind of job suited to parents of a young child, anyway. However, if once a year or so, I happen to make a couple of phone calls to Quantico and Violent Crimes to ask if I can borrow a couple of their agents for a temporary investigation, I think my request will probably be granted." "You mean Scully and I could work together again?" Mulder asked. "On occasion. If you think Scully's mother would be up to an overnight babysitting job now and again." Mulder grinned and Skinner and nodded. When Mulder got home, he found Scully in the bedroom crying. Except for a brief phone call that afternoon which began with her characteris- tic "Mulder, it's me" greeting, they hadn't spoken all day. He knew she'd been home since mid-afternoon, but didn't know what was upsetting her so. "Dana? What's wrong, sweetheart?" "Nothing. I'm fine," she replied. "Damn it, Scully, don't *DO* this to me! I thought we were past all that. Just tell me what's bothering you!" "But it really IS nothing. I mean, it's just a pregnancy related hor- mone-surge or something. I'm crying over something so stupid. . .A few days ago, we thought I might be seriously ill. Now that I know I'm not only healthy, I'm having a baby, I ought to be on top of the world. And, honestly, I'm absolutely thrilled with the idea of us becoming parents! It's just. . ." "Tell me. Please? Even if you're just crying over a broken nail or the cancellation of your favorite television show, that's okay. I want to know." "Okay," Scully said with a sigh. "But it makes me sound like such a hypocrite." "What?" "Well, you remember how I always used to talk about - oh, hell, let's be honest, how I always used to WHINE about - how much I wanted a normal life? A husband, a dog, a child, a house?" "Er, yeah, I seem to remember you mentioning it a time or two," Mulder said with a smile. "It's just that now that I've got it - a wonderful husband, a baby on the way, even a dog - it's just hit me how much I'm going to miss the life we DID have! I'm going to miss dashing all over the country with you, investigating possible UFO sightings and mutant serial killings. I love being your wife, but I hate not being your partner anymore. It's just sort of making me sad to think we won't ever work together again." "Skinner and I had lunch today," Mulder said. "Um, have we moved to a different topic of conversation?" Scully asked, somewhat confused. "No, it's still the same one. And it shows how much we think alike, even when we're apart. Because I was kind of grousing about the same thing. That, as much as I love the look on the faces of people like Col- ton when I tell them we're married, it was sort of upsetting to think we'd never work together again. Want to know what Skinner said?" "Sure." "He said he was still in charge of the X-Files division, even if it's inactive and that he's fairly sure, once the baby is old enough to be left with your Mom for a night or two, he would come across an occa- sional case that only the two of us could handle." "You mean we could work together again?" Scully asked with a smile. "Once in a while," Mulder agreed. Scully threw herself into his arms. Mulder pulled her into his lap and rocked her gently for a few moments. Then he kissed her. An hour or so later, Scully stirred in her husband's arms and said, "I was wondering if you'd like to hear my ideas for what to name the baby." "Sure. What did you want to call her?" Scully laughed. "We don't know it's going to be a girl, Fox. Most men want a son, anyhow." "Sweetheart, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, I am not 'most men'. I want a daughter. A tiny, beautiful redhead that I can spoil rotten." "Why?" Dana asked, her voice soft. "Because of Samantha, I guess," he said quietly. "And Emily. Even Mel- issa, to a certain extent, although she was an adult when she died. It just seems that we haven't had very good luck with our female relatives and I suppose it seems like a daughter would be sort of a. . .catharsis of those experiences." "I understand your feelings; I want a son for almost the same reasons, except in reverse. It seems like a daughter would arrive with too much baggage; that everytime we held her you'd think of Samantha and I'd think of Emily. A baby boy would be more like a fresh start, for both of us." "I guess we'll just take whichever God sends us and love our baby with all our hearts, huh?" "You've got that exactly right, lover." "Okay, so what did you want to name the baby?" "Well, if it's a boy I assume you don't want to name him Fox Junior, right?" Scully said, then laughed as her husband made a face. She knew he hated his given name. It had only been since their marriage that he'd allowed her to use it and, even now, he requested that she only use it in private or at family gatherings; never in public. "So I thought William Samuel Mulder would be a good name. William because it was the name of both of fathers. Samuel partially because of Samantha and also because it was the name of my grandfather; my mother's father." "Yeah, I like that. Just so long as we don't call him Bill or Billy. But William or Will or Wim, those would be fine. What did you have in mind for a girl?" "One of the reasons I kind of want a boy is because I thought it would be easier for us to agree on a name. The one I'd like for a girl is Mel- issa Samantha Mulder. But I guess you'd rather it be Samantha Melissa, huh?" Mulder was quiet for a moment. "No, I think Melissa is better. If that's what you want, we'll go with it." The next day, Mulder and his squad were analyzing evidence from sev- eral unsolved murders in Gulf Coast states. The local sheriff's and police departments investigating the deaths had begun to wonder if there might be a link, since all the victims were white males between the ages of 15 and 40. "Okay, I want everybody to pair off, look over these reports, see if you can come across any other parallels among the deaths. If you're an agent with less than ten years of experience, hook up with someone with more than 10 years of experience," Mulder said. Mulder noticed with a small smile that Colton immediately gravitated to the only woman on the team. The oldest agent there, a black man in his 40s, took on a very young agent who must have been just out of the academy. Two other agents paired off, also, but they must have been just under and over the ten year limit he'd imposed, because they both seemed to be in their 30s. That left Chan, the young Asian-American agent, staring at Mulder in perplexity. "Okay, Chan, you come with me," Mulder said. "Where are we going?" Chan asked. "Out to Quantico to have some of the physical evidence analyzed." "Would happen to have anything to do with the fact that Scully's out at Quantico, would it ?" asked Colton. "Hey, when I want analysis done, I go for the best," Mulder replied, "and she's the best." Not just at scientific analysis, either, he thought, but didn't get into that with Colton. As they walked out to the car, Mulder flipeed on his cell phone. "Hey, Scully, it's me." "Hi, Mulder. What's up?" "Got time to look over some evidence for me, give me an opinion? Then maybe have lunch?" "Sure, if you can get over here quick and we're back from lunch early. I've got a class scheduled at one." "We're on our way." "We?" "I'm bringing one of the younger agents from my team with me." "Okay. See you in a bit." "Bye." As they got into the car, Chan said, "No Charlie jokes, okay?" "What do you mean?" Mulder asked as he manuvered the car out of the parking garage. "When you go into law enforcement and your last name is Chan. . ." "Oh. Yeah, I get it. Try growing up with a first name like 'Fox' if you want to get teased about your name. What IS your first name, anyway?" "Andrew." "Well, I'll call you Chan. You call me Mulder. Everybody calls me Mul- der." "Even your wife?" "She calls me Fox sometimes, but only when we're alone. Never in pub- lic." "I've heard a lot about you two," Chan said. "Yeah, we've always attracted a lot of attention. I'm not even going to bother trying to sort out fact from fiction, unless there's some- thing specific you want to ask about." "No, I think I'll just wait until I meet her. You're not at all the way the rumors paint you. Well, the spooky ones, I mean. Most people at the bureau seem to vary between two extremes on you - you're either a total nutcase or one of the brightest agents the F.B.I's ever had." "Depends on what day it is," Mulder deadpanned. Scully was in the lab, checking her e-mail. Oops! Here was a high-pri- ority summons to appear before a board of inquiry on allegations of misconduct. Tomorrow afternoon. Well, it wasn't like Skinner hadn't warned them. Just then, Mulder walked in with another agent. "Hey, how are my girls?" he asked, dropping a kiss on Scully's cheek. "I'm fine," she replied dryly. "The baby is fine, too, but not neces- sarily a girl. By the way, Daddy, did you check your e-mail this morn- ing?" "You mean that board of inquiry thing? Hardly like it'll be the first time for us, Scully. Oh, hey, this is Andrew Chan, one of the members of my task force. Chan, this is my wife and former partner, Dr. Dana Scully." "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Scully," Chan said, reaching out to shake her hand. "Just Scully is fine," she replied. Turning to Mulder she said, "What did you want me to look at?" "This," he answered, handing her an evidence bag. "What is it?" "Not going to tell you. I want a clean analysis, no hint that you were biased beforehand by unfounded suspicions." "Okay." After Scully had completed her analysis, she glanced at her watch. Five minutes past noon. "If you still wanted us to to do lunch, we're going to have to move fast. I've got to be back here in less than an hour to teach a class." "We can go to Owens," Mulder suggested. "It's just around the corner." "I can meet you back here at one," Chan offered. "No, don't be silly, we want you to come with us," Scully replied. "I wouldn't want to intrude," Chan said. "No, really, I want to find out what kind of boss Mulder is," Scully said. "Besides, when we're alone he tends to act like Ricky Ricardo in the episodes where Lucy was pregnant." "Okay," Chan agree with a laugh. When they were seated and had ordered, Scully said, "Do you mind if I ask you something kind of personal, Chan?" "No, go ahead." "Is your ancestry Chinese or Korean or what?" "A little of each, with some Irish thrown in." "Irish?" Mulder asked skeptically. "Yeah," Chan answered. "My father's parents are Chinese immigrants. They came to America right after World War II. My father was born in San Francisco; I was born there, too." "And your mother's side?" Scully asked. "Mom is the result of an Irish-American father and the war bride he brought back from Korea. She was born in Kansas. For some reason, though, people always look at me like I'm insane when I wear my "Kiss me, I'm Irish" button on St. Patrick's Day." "I can't imagine why," Mulder said dryly . "So, how'd you end up in the bureau?" "Well, my grandfather - the Irish-American one, not the Chinese immi- grant one - was a cop for 35 years after he came back from Korea. He was still on active duty when I was a kid and to me that was just the most exciting thing in the world. I wanted to grow up to be just like him. But my Dad, and his parents, wanted me to grow up to be a professional. You know, doctor, lawyer, something like that. So, I became a lawyer and joined the F.B.I. This way, everybody's happy. My father and his parents get to tell people I'm a lawyer who works for the Justice Department; which, technically speaking, is true. And I get to carry a badge and a gun and maybe, someday, even get to say things like "Freeze, I'm a Federal Agent!" "Stick with Mulder if you want excitement," Scully suggested. "You'll get more than you can handle." As they reached Quantico, Mulder parked the car and said, "You can wait here, Chan. I'm just going to walk Scully in; I'll be right back out." "Sure thing." "Mulder, I'm pregnant, not handicapped," she pointed out as they walked through the main doors with his hand on the small of her back. "I'm perfectly capable of walking in by myself." "I know," he replied with a smirk. "I just wanted a chance to kiss you goodbye without Chan taking notes." "Oh. Well, okay. This is the classroom I'm teaching in." "Hey, Scully, you know that inquiry board we've got tomorrow?" "Yeah?" "You want to really give them something to talk about?" "I've only got a couple of minutes before I have to start my class, Mulder." "Long enough. Trust me?" "With all my heart." Mulder placed his hands on either side of her face, effectively trap- ping her between the wall and his body. Then he leaned down and kissed her. It was long, slow and deep. Scully stood on her tiptoes and reached her arms up to his neck, pulling him closer to her. They'd kissed even more passionately than this before, but certainly never in public! When he finally came up for air, he said, "See you tonight." "Um, yeah, bye," Scully murmured with a smile on her face. The next afternoon, Mulder and Scully were both in a corridor at head- quarters. Skinner had told them to wait there to be called into the board. "Why, Agent Scully, fancy meeting you here!" Mulder said in mock-surprise. Scully gave him her famous "Scully-look" and he grinned. "Agent Mulder, they'd like you to come in first, please," the secre- tary said. Mulder scanned the faces of the inquiry board. Skinner was his only ally. Neither Kirsch nor Cassidy cared for him, and he didn't know any of the others. "Let's begin," A.D. Joanna Cassidy said. "Agent Mulder, just for the record, do you know an Agent Dana Scully?" "Of course." "Could you desribe your relationship with her for us, please?" Cassidy asked coolly. "She's my wife and former partner." Mulder was pleased to see both Kirsch and Cassidy start at that. Skin- ner didn't move, but one corner of his mouth twitched slightly. The others just looked confused. "Could you repeat that, please?" Cassidy said. "Agent Scully is my wife. She's also my former partner," Mulder answered. "I. . .see," Cassidy said slowly. "So you and Agent Scully are married to each other?" Mulder resisted the temptation to say "That's what 'she's my wife' generally means." After all, it wasn't only his career that was on the line here, it was Scully's too. With a baby on the way, they couldn't afford to get suspended. So he answered, politely, "Yes ma'am, that's correct." "May I assume your marriage is a relatively recent event?" Kirsch asked. "Relatively, yes," Mulder replied. He didn't see where Kirsch was going with this. "As in, you got married within the past few days?" Kirsch asked dryly. "No sir," Mulder answered. "We've been married for several months." "Didn't you and Agent Scully work together on the X-Files until just last week?" Kirsch asked. "New Beginnings" (Part 2) Disclaimed, summarized, etc. in Part 1 "That's correct," Mulder agreed. "Are familiar with bureau regulations that prohibit spouses from work- ing in the same division?" Cassidy asked. "May I say something?" Skinner broke in, speaking for the first time. "Of course," Cassidy said. "When Agent Mulder and Agent Scully worked on the X-Files, I was their direct superior. They requested a temporary exemption from the policy that prohibits immediate family members from working in the same divi- sion," Skinner said. "The agents made a compelling case for not being immediately reassigned and I agreed to their request, with the stipula- tion that they accept reassignment without complaint or appeal at such time as I deemed it necessary. If you have a problem with that, I would suggest you take it up with me." Cassidy took a deep breath. She turned to the secretary and said, "Could you ask Agent Scully to join us, please?" Scully walked in and sat down beside her husband. Cassidy said "Good afternoon, Agent Scully." "Good afternoon, Assistant Director Cassidy." "We're just trying to clear up what is, apparently, a misunderstand- ing," Cassidy said. "Just for the record, would you please tell us what your relationship to Agent Mulder is?" "Agent Mulder and I are married," Scully said. "Prior to our marriage, and for a brief time thereafter, we were partners who worked on the X- Files together." "Was your marriage a. . .secret from other employees of the bureau, Agent Scully?" Kersch asked. "I wouldn't use the word 'secret' exactly," Scully said slowly. "Assistant Director Walter Skinner, who was our supervisor, was aware of our marriage. So were several other members of the bureau." "May I have their names, please?" Cassidy inquried. "Holly Patterson, one of the researchers at headquarters, has been aware of our marriage for quite some time. Also John Lau, the Special Agent in Charge of the Honolulu Field Office. Agent Mulder and I were under S.A.C. Lau's temporary supervision for over a month while we worked on a case in conjunction with the Honolulu Field Office, and we felt it was only fair that he be made aware of our personal relation- ship." "Otherwise, no one at the bureau knew of it?" Kirsch asked. "When A.D. Skinner agreed to our request that we be allowed to con- tinue working in the same division after our marriage, he asked that we be. . .discreet," Scully said. "For that reason, we didn't wear our wedding rings during working hours and we refrained from the normal, er, public displays of affection common to newlyweds. Neither Agent Mulder nor I have ever lied to another agent - or to anyone, for that matter - about the exact nature of our relationship. On the other hand, I suppose it would be fair to say that we followed a sort of "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. Unless a fellow agent or local law enforcement official specifically ASKED us if we were married, we didn't volunteer that information." "A.D. Skinner, would you mind telling us exactly WHY you felt it nec- essary to make an exception from bureau policy for Agents Mulder and Scully?" Kirsch asked. "As most of you are aware," Skinner said, "the F.B.I. receives a cer- tain number of requests every year to investigate certain. . .occur- ances that are somewhat outside the parameters of normal bureau business. The bureau has maintained, on a sporadic basis, a small divi- sion known as the X-Files to investigate said occurances. Quite frankly, that division has been opened and closed more frequently than screen door on a summer day. I simply thought it would be more prudent to wait until we knew whether or not the division was going to remain open to reassign Agents Mulder and Scully. Removing Mulder and Scully from the X-Files and assigning two new agents to that division, only to have to reassign the second pair of agents a few months later, seemed an inefficient use of bureau personnel. As it turns out, the X-Files have, in fact, been deactivated. I can't see that the bureau suffered in anyway from having a pair of related agents work in the same divi- sion temporarily." "The original point of this inquiry was to investigate allegations of improper sexual conduct bewteen Agents Mulder and Scully," Cassidy said. "Excuse me, ma'am, but am I being reprimanded for having a sexual relationship with my own husband?" Scully asked. Cassidy sighed. "No, of course not, Agent Scully. You and Agent Mulder are free to go." Once outside, Mulder turned to Scully with a grin on his face and held up both hands, palms turned toward her. Scully smiled and gave him a quick high five. A week later, Mulder, Chan and Colton were in a sleazy strip joint. It was, actually, business-related. The task force was trying to get a fix on a serial killer who seemed to be working his way northward, preying on hookers and strippers. The way Mulder had it figured, the killer's next stop should be right here in the Washington area. "We need to designate a driver," Mulder said. "At least two of us are going to have to drink if we don't want to blow our cover." "I'll drive," Chan said. "My alcohol tolerance is pretty low, so I couldn't drink much and still remain alert anyway." Mulder tossed his keys to the younger man and said, "You, too, Colton. I'm not having any agents under my direction getting busted for D.W.I." Colton grumbled something under his breath, but slid his keys across the table. Mulder drank, glanced occasionally at the girls - none of them nearly as pretty as Scully, some of them heartbreakingly young - and kept up a constant visual survey of the room. According to the only would-be victm to escape alive, the perp was a white male in his 20s or 30s, average height and weight, long hair and scraggly mustache. Unfortu- nately, that description could apply to any of half a dozen men in this club, and probably an equal number in the club he'd sent another three agents to. He'd left the two youngest agents off this paricular assign- ment. "Hey, big boy, want to pay a little extra for a lap dance?" Mulder heard as one of the dancers propositioned Chan. Chan gave a quick side- ways glance at Mulder, who nodded his head almost imperceptibly. Chan wasn't drinking, so he had to have some excuse for being in the club. During the past week, Mulder had learned that the younger man wasn't married or involved in any sort of serious romantic relationship, so that wasn't a factor that needed to be considered. Colton watched with envy, Mulder with indifference, while the dancer writhed on top of Chan. "Want to go out back? I'll give you a blow job for 25 bucks," the dancer offered. Before the startled young agent could answer, Mulder leaned forward, "Go, pay, but pump her for information instead of fun," he whispered in Chan's ear. Chan nodded and left. "We just lost our designated driver," Chan slurred. "He'll be back," Mulder replied. When the bar closed at two, the three agents stumbled outside. Colton had drank too much to be of any real use, but Mulder and Chan watched carefully to see if any of the dancers were being followed or lured into vehicles. After 45 minutes, it seemed apparent that their killer hadn't been working that particular club on that particular night, so Chan drove the older agents home. First he droppoed off Colton, then turned to Mulder. "Where do you live, Agent Mulder?" "Alexandria; no, I mean Georgetown." "Which one?" Chan asked, amused. "Georgetown," Mulder repeated and gave the address. "It was Scully's place before we got married. I used to live in Alexan- dria. I guess we need to buy a house, now that we're having the baby and all." Chan nodded. Although not totally smashed, the way Colton had been, it was obvious that Mulder was slightly muddled. When they reached the apartment building, Chan went ahead and helped his boss up the stairs. "I am fine," Mulder said, enunciating each word carefully. "Give me my keys, go home and get some sleep." While Mulder fumbled at the door, a dog started barking inside. Chan heard a quick rustle of footsteps that came to a stop on the other side of the door, then an amused female voice saying, "It's okay, Elvis. It's only Daddy, home a little later than usual." Just as Mulder finally inserted the proper key, the door was opened from the inside. "Hi, lover, are you," Scully began, then caught sight of Chan and blushed. "Oh, hello, Agent Chan. I take it you were the designated driver for tonight's excursion?" "Yes Ma'am. We, uh," Chan said. "It's okay, Chan," Mulder said. "Scully knows where I've been and why. Thanks for the ride home, but I did not need you to walk me to the door. I'm your boss, not your prom date." "Good night," Chan said. Scully and Mulder murmured "Good night," in unison and closed the door. "Yuck, Mulder!" Scully said as soon as the door had closed. "You smell like you've been in an all-night poker game with Cancer Man!" "Can't be helped," Mulder replied. "Trying to catch garbage, you gotta spend some time at the dump." He reached for his tie and tried to unknot it. "Need some help?" Scully asked gently. "Yeah, probably." "Have fun?" "No. I was working. I would have rather been home with you. I was a good boy. I didn't drink and drive and I didn't look at the strippers anymore than absolutely necessary to avoid blowing my cover. They weren't nearly as pretty as you, anyway." Scully smiled and said, "So what do you want, Mulder, a merit badge?" He grinned mischievously and said, "No, I want what Chan got offered by one of the dancers working the club." "And what would that be?" "A lap dance and a blow job?" By this time, Scully had managed to get her husband's tie and jacket off, as well as removing his holster and weapon. She paused in her task of unbuttoning his shirt. "What's a lap dance?" "Want me to show you?" "Sure," she said, popping open the last button and sliding the shirt off his shoulders. Mulder, who was suddenly feeling reasonably sober, brought his hands to the belt of his wife's robe. "What do you have on under here, any- way?" "Why don't you open in and find out?" Mulder tugged the robe off so it fell in a pool at her feet. She was wearing a midnight blue teddy that he'd given her for Christmas a few months earlier. "Wow, Scully! You must have been anxious for me to come home!" "Well, I figured the teddy's not going to fit much longer. I might as well get some use out of it while I can." Mulder reached over and grabbed the chair from near the desk, then sat down in it. He pulled gently on her wrist and said, "Now, you sit down in my lap." Scully sat with her body at a right angle to Mulder's, both her legs on one side of him and feet crossed primly at the ankles. He chuckled softly and murmured, "No, not like that. Face me, straddle me." Scully got up and complied. "Like this?" she asked. "Mmm, exactly. Now you. . .dance. Wiggle on me." Scully nodded and began rubbing her bottom up and down his thighs. The look on his face and the obvious, growing sign of his arousal encour- aged her. After a few moments, she removed her hands from his shoulders and scooted even closer to his erection. She leaned back , placing her hands behind her on his knees. The position thrust her breasts up into his face and brought their centers into contact with each other, albeit through several layers of clothing. Mulder reached up to touch her breasts. "You look bigger," he said as he traced her nipples through the flimsy cloth. "One of the signs of pregnancy," Scully said gently. "Swollen breasts." "Can I use my mouth or are they still tender?" "Just don't suck too hard and I should be okay." Mulder lifted her breasts out of the teddy and lightly licked first one, then the other. The feel of his tongue on her skin made Scully squirm even more. She was finding this whole interlude extremely arous- ing. "Okay, now I want you to slide down between my legs and use your mouth," Mulder suggested softly. Scully nodded and knelt between his open thighs. Smiling mischievi- ously, she tugged his zipper down with her teeth. Good night! Mulder thought hazily. Where does a nice Catholic girl get ideas like that? Then he couldn't think anymore, because Scully was taking his arousal in her mouth, sucking and licking at him like a lol- lipop. She kept at it until she could taste the first drops of his impending orgasm. Mulder hadn't really mentioned if he wanted her to let him come in her mouth or not. She enjoyed oral sex as a form of foreplay, but honestly didn't care for it much as an end to itself, although she'd done it for him a couple of times. "Mulder?" "Don't stop, baby." "Can't I get back up in your lap? Put you inside me?" "Oh. Yeah, sure. C'mere." He tugged Scully to her feet and reached for the snap at the crotch of her teddy. He managed to undo it and she gasped at the sensation of his fingers brushing against her core. Scully sat back down in her husband's lap and impaled herself on his arousal. He slid all the way in and began using his strong arms to move his tiny wife up and down on him. Their climax was virtually simulta- neous. When Scully could speak, she said softly, "Come on, lover. Let's get you into bed." They stumbled into the bedroom, where they managed to remove the rem- nants of their clothing and snuggled together under the covers. The next morning, the assembled members of the task force noticed that they seemed to be missing their boss. "Where's Agent Mulder?" asked the lone woman agent. "Ooooh, my head!" moaned Colton. He was echoed by another of the agents, who had been at the other club. "Agent Mulder worked real late last night," Chan offered. "Except for the two rookies, we ALL worked late last night," replied the oldest agent on the team. "Yeah, but none of us had to go home and face the Ice Queen," Colton said. "Who?" "You know. Agent Scully. Mulder may be a bit on the spooky side, but I still feel sorry for him being married to her." "Dr. Scully seemed real sweet the couple of times I've met her," Chan said. "Are you kidding? That woman acts like she's got permanent PMS!" snapped Colton. "Why is it everytime a woman doesn't act like sugar and spice, men want to blame it on her reproductive organs?" asked the woman agent. 'Well, if that WAS her problem, I guess being pregnant is alleviating it," Chan said, trying to make peace. Colton and several of the other agents stared at Chan in silent amaze- ment. This was the moment Mulder chose to finally walk in. He was smil- ing. "Why so quiet?" he inquired. "How can you look so chipper after working almost all night and drink- ing too?" asked an agent who had obviously NOT been the designated driver for his part of the team. "One of the benefits of being married to a doctor, I suppose," Mulder said carelessly. "No hangovers." In truth, his happy mood - despite only four hours of sleep and at least four mixed drinks the night before - was indeed due to his wife, but not to her medical degree. He'd woken up with a raging hard-on and discovered, to his delight, that Scully finally seemed to be over her morning sickness and was more than willing to accomodate him. Nothing like a double-header between two and nine a.m. to put a man in a good mood at work, he thought. On his way to headquarters, Mulder had stopped and ordered flowers to be sent to Scully out at Quantico. No reason, he just enjoyed the fact that he could make such gestures publicly now. He wasn't particularly surprised when his cell phone beeped just as he was leaving for lunch. "Mulder, it's me." "Hey, Scully." "Thank you for the flowers. But, um, our anniversary's not 'til next week." He chuckled. "Do I have to have an excuse to send you flowers? Can't it just be because I love you?" "Of course," she said, her voice soft. "They're gorgeous." "Glad you like them. I should be home at a reasonable hour this evening. Want to go out to dinner?" "Sure, but I choose the restaurant." "Scully, I am deeply wounded. Are you casting asperations on my abil- ity to arrange a fine dining experience?" "Chaco Chicken, Mulder. Need I say more?" He laughed. "Okay, sweetheart, okay. Lady's choice tonight." "Just for dinner or all night long?" "What do you. . .Scully!" She laughed, murmured "Bye", and hung up. When Mulder re-entered the conference room after lunch, the buzz of conversation again came to an abrupt halt. Several of the agents shot sidelong glances at him, then suddenly became absorbed in their paper- work. "Okay, what is it?" Mulder demanded. "What's, um, what, Agent Mulder?" the team's rookie agent asked. "What's going on around here? Everytime I walk into the room, every- body goes silent all of the sudden. Obviously, the rumor mill has started again. Believe me, agents, I'm used to it. Quite frankly, I don't care whether the scuttlebutt has be dancing with Elvis Presley at an all-night mini-mart or talking to little green men through sublimi- nal messages on my TV screen. However, since it seems to be impeding your ability to focus on the task at hand - serial killers, remember them? - let's have it. Go ahead and tell me the latest asinine rumor, I'll tell you how much truth - if any - there is to it, and we can all get back to work." There was only silence. Finally, Mulder glanced at Guillbeau, the old- est of the agents, and said, "Agent Guillbeau? Want to enlighten me?" Agent Guillbeau sighed. "There has been a certain amount of interest in your relationship with your former partner, Agent Scully." Mulder was surprised, but his face didn't show it. "Agent Scully and I are married now. I thought everyone here was aware of that fact." "The rumors are that, er," Guillbeau hesistated. "Go on, Agent Guillbeau," Mulder said. "I know you didn't start the rumors and, no matter how outlandish or distasteful they are, I might as well hear them now." "Well, there is some speculation that your marriage was a rushed affair due to your wife's pregnancy." Mulder swallowed. It hadn't occurred to him that most of the bureau was hearing of their marriage and impending parenthood at the same time and might draw such a conclusion. "I didn't know people still actually gosspied about things like that. However, just to set the record straight, we've been married for almost a year. We were granted a tem- porary exemption from the policy that prohibits married couples from working as partners, so we could finish up some on-going cases in the X-Files. One of the conditions of the exemption was that we remain dis- creet about the change in our personal relationship, so it wasn't gen- eral knowledge among other bureau employees that we were married. We only found out about the baby a couple of weeks ago. Any more ques- tions?" When no one said anything, he clicked on the slide projector and flipped off the lights. "Okay, then. Back to work." Author's e-mail addy: tapw63@yahoo.com