Sara's Reading Nook

A Gift of Love: Scully's Story

Home | About Sara B. | The Library | Comments | Sara B.'s Blog

Title: A Gift of Love: Scully’s Story

Author: Sara B.

E-mail: sabo727@tampabay.rr.com

URL: https://sabo727.tripod.com/

Rating: Mid Teens

Category: M/Angst, S/Angst, M/F Married (stop – do not worry), S/O Married (I told you, don’t worry), MSR

Spoilers: Companion Piece to A Gift of Love: Mulder’s Story.  References to the Fowley eps.

Summary:  Mulder is a fool.  Diana is duplicitous.  Scully is hurt.  Mulder marries Diana and Scully leaves.  Mulder and Scully meet a while later and Mulder is single but Scully is a newlywed. 

Feedback:  Feed my ego!  Please!

Archive: I would be honored, just let me know.

Disclaimer:  The recognized characters are used Without Prejudice and are the property of C. Carter, Fox and the wonderful actors who breathed life into written words, most notably G. Anderson and D. Duchovny who were able to make us believe in the improbable.  No Infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission.  The story and before unknown characters belongs to me.

Gratitude: To Kim Knight, you are the best, thank you.  To my Dennis, enough said.  To CC and Company, who created the X-Files.  Lastly, but my no means least, to the readers, you make this hobby of mine have meaning.

 

A Gift of Love: Scully’s Story

Sara B. 07/06

 

Present Time:

 

Scully stared at the tape with wonder and love.  This was so like Paul, generous and loving to a fault. Clare sat beside her and snuggled in.  “Daddy was pretty great, I miss him.”

“Me too, Peanut, more than I thought possible.”  Dana leaned down and kissed the top of Clare’s dark tresses.  The pain in her heart for the two lost loves of her life felt like it would consume her on occasion.  Only young Clare kept her sane. 

Three years earlier she lost Mulder.  Not to death but to arrogance and stubbornness.  He was mad at her for what she’d been able to dredge up on Diana Fowley.  He wanted so much to prove her wrong that he restarted his relationship with that woman.  After a terrible fight that, in reality, was the culmination of a long going battle, he ran to Vegas with Fowley and they returned married.  That was when she left.  Her bitter words to Mulder were remembered with perfectly painful clarity.

 

Three years earlier:

 

“Goodbye, Mulder, I don’t want to be around when you find out what a lying back stabbing bitch you are married to.  Oh, wait a minute!  You are a lying backstabbing bastard, happy life.”

She’d slammed the door so hard that she was sure she’d broken it.  Not that it mattered to her at that moment.  All she knew was she had to get away from Mulder and his betrayal. 

Even then, she knew it wouldn’t take long for him to realize the truth about Diana but she couldn’t be there to pick up the pieces that time.  She needed to get away to save herself. 

Skinner and the three Gunmen kept her informed and months later Skinner called and told her about the raid and the indictments. 

Skinner told her how Mulder had taken it and about the divorce.  She knew he expected her to return to DC, to Mulder, but by then she’d met Paul and he was helping heal the wounds Fox Mulder left on her psyche. 

Scully didn’t go back but she did follow the trial and the Gunmen filled her in on the details that were not released to the general public.  She had been told that she might have been required to testify and it terrified her.  Paul helped her gird herself in case it came to pass but luckily they didn’t need her.

She’d met Paul after his estranged wife had a serious car accident.  Clare had been in the car and she’d worked on her and she was able to save the girl’s life.  Jesse hadn’t been so lucky.  The team that worked on Jesse brought her back three times before she succumbed for good.  The autopsy discovered she had cocaine in her system. 

She’d see Paul during her rounds.  He was a devoted father and they always took a few minutes to talk. 

Once Clare was discharged she didn’t see or hear from either until a few months later.  Paul called her out of the blue and asked her out.  Their courtship was fast and deep.  He told her all about Jesse and she told him about Mulder, though she never told Paul his name.  She hid nothing and Paul knew that Mulder still owned some of her.  But he also knew that another part of her belonged only to him. 

Paul had been suffering headaches so he had things checked out.  It wasn’t good; Paul had a tumor.  He hadn’t told Scully about it but she couldn’t miss that he was pulling away from her.  One night she stormed over to his house and confronted him and it came out. 

“Well, then I guess we need to hurry up this romance and get married.”  She told him.

“Dana, I can’t do that to you.  I can’t marry you when we both know I’m going to die.”

“Paul,” she said gently, “we are all going to die.  And it doesn’t matter if we get married or not I want you in my life.  We may not have forever but we have now and I…”  She never got to finish because he pulled her to him and that night they consummated their relationship.  One month later they got married during a sunset service on the beach.  Only Clare, her Mom, her brothers and their families, the Gunmen and Paul’s best friend Trey attended.  Clare stood up with Dana.  The three of them went to Hawaii for the Honeymoon. 

They’d just returned home when Skinner called and invited her to the Celebratory Ball.  At first she’d begged off but he wore her down and she knew she owed it to him. 

Clare stayed with Dana’s Mom while Paul and Dana stayed in DC.  Paul had taken her out and made her buy a new dress and all the accessories for the occasion.  He decided to splurge and bought himself a new tux.

They were standing in front of the mirror and they were beautiful.  Paul could tell she was nervous and confronted her about it.

“He’s going to be there isn’t he?”  Paul asked gently.

“I think so.”  Dana answered quietly and she looked at her husband.

“He scares me, you know?” 

“Paul, why would he scare you?”

“Because I know that there is a part of you that will forever belong to him and I’m afraid that you are going to see him tonight and realize you are tied to a dying man.”

Dana wrapped her arms around his waist.  “You don’t get it do you.  You saved me.  He nearly destroyed me, he forced me to do something I never did before; I retreated.  When you came into my life there wasn’t much left, he’d consumed it all.  You gave me back me.  I will always love you and be grateful for that.  Paul, you have nothing to worry about and he has nothing to offer me.”

They’d entered the ballroom and she new the moment Mulder saw her.  She could feel his eyes on her.  Her instincts told her to flee so she reached for Paul.  He saw her fright and pulled her into a hug and kissed her.  “Buck up, babe, face the devil and take away his power.”

“Scully,” Mulder called and she immediately tensed but Paul steadied her. 

She could tell Paul knew this was the man but he didn’t waiver.  She hugged Mulder and then introduced the two men.  It was obvious he hadn’t known she was married and that gave her a slight thrill. 

After dinner she needed some air so she moved to the balcony and Mulder followed her.

“Beautiful night,” Mulder said and startled her.  She wanted to run to Paul but she remembered what he’d said to earlier, ‘face the devil,’ so she did.

“Yes, it is.  I’m so happy Walter has been recognized.  He’s deserved this for a long time.”

“You look wonderful, Scully.  I’ve missed you, you know.”

“Mulder, please, don’t.”  Dana didn’t want to hear this.  Mulder had never once complimented her and she didn’t want it now.

“I love you, I always have.  I made a horrible mistake, one that I’ll pay for the rest of my life.”

“Mulder,” she warned.  “I’ll have to leave if you don’t stop this nonsense.”

“It isn’t nonsense.  I loved you then and I love you now.  I was mad at you and I screwed up.  I know I’m too late but,” He kissed the palm and her body wanted to forgive but her mind stood firm.  “Did you ever love me?”

“What good would it be to go over this, it doesn’t mean anything now, I suppose, considering everything, it never did.”  Dana was proud she wasn’t breaking down.

“Scully, it did and it still does mean everything.  I know I caused all of this but I do love you and I need to know if you love me.”

“You are a piece of work, you know that, Mulder?”  She couldn’t keep the anger from her voice.  “What makes you think I want to hear this; that I want to know this?  You left me in a void.  I was completely bereft and I had to escape just to be true to myself.  Somehow I found Paul.  He loves me unconditionally.  I didn’t have to jump through hoops to earn his trust and his love.  I didn’t have to keep trying to prove myself worthy.  Paul accepts me even though he knows all about,” she stopped before she said too much.  She needed to get out of here and then she heard him, Paul. 

“Are you two catching up?”  He pulled Scully to him and gave her a tender kiss.  “Some woman named Holly is looking for you; she wants to have a talk.”  Dana escaped but the two men stayed behind. 

Paul never told her about their exchange but that night, in the privacy of their hotel room, they exchanged vows more solemn than the ones they exchanged a month earlier.

 

Their lives were good until Paul’s disease made itself known with a vengeance.  Like all life threatening diseases it was a thief.  It stole his memory, starting with bits and pieces then whole chunks.  They spent their evenings with Dana telling him about their life together.  How they met, their wedding and just the small day to day things they did.  She took a leave of absence so she could be with him and they hired a nurse to help.  Paul was a wealthy man before they married and Dana was going to use whatever resources she needed to so that his last days were comfortable and peaceful. 

They would sit on the back deck and watch the waves beat against the shore.  When she’d get up he held her chair until she returned.  Paul lost weight and his hair was gone from the chemo treatments they tried but he was so beautiful to her.

Dana got up to get them some lunch and when she returned she found him holding her chair and staring sightlessly out to see; he’d left her for the last time. 

 

Present time:

Clare replayed the tape. 

“Dana, Babe, if you are hearing this I passed on six months earlier.  I have to tell you one last time how much I love you.  I know that you always felt guilty about Mulder but sweetheart don’t ever think I ever felt cheated.  You and Clare have been my life and my love.  I will forever be grateful that you came into my life and for everything we’ve shared.

“Dana, I’ve been a naughty boy.  I’ve arranged for a similar tape to be delivered to Mulder and my attorney’s have arranged for his transportation.  I made it clear that if he’s involved elsewhere to leave you alone.  But, Babe, you two should take a chance on each other again.  You are both the same people you were then but you are also so different from those two people you were. 

“Remember always that I love you and I love Clare.  You always said I saved you but you never really understood how you saved me.  I love you forever.”

Both Dana and Clare were in tears listening to his words. 

They heard a car pull into the drive and they moved to look out.  A blue Taurus sat in the drive but the driver didn’t get out.  Dana knew who it had to be even though she couldn’t see through the glare on the windows.  She walked to the door while Clare remained at the window.  Dana walked out and she stood on the porch with her arms crossed and nodded once.

Mulder got out of the car and they both moved toward the other, meeting in the middle.  Clare came out and hugged Dana at her waist.  Dana saw the tape in Mulder’s hand and held up the one in hers.  “We’ve been waiting for you, Mulder, Paul told me you’d come.”

Mulder closed the short gap and gathered her into his arms.  Two minds with one thought, “thank you, Paul.”

 

End Scully’s Story

 

A Gift of Love: Mulder's Story

A Gift of Love : Paul's Final Gift

Comment

Llibrary