Eavesdropping Part 2: Revelations

Sara B. 04/07

From Eavesdropping 1

Mulder waited till he felt it was safe.  His mostly untouched meal sat congealing on the table.  The loneliness that he was feeling overwhelmed him as he realized he just might have lost the single most important person in his life.  He didn’t like admitting it but Scully was right; she didn’t need him but God, he needed her.

He didn’t know if he could fix his rift with Scully but he did know where to start. Mulder pulled out his cell phone and dialed a little used number.  It was answered on the fourth ring, “Sir, it’s Mulder.  I need you to squash Diana Fowley’s transfer request…”

~

“Agent Mulder, you might be aware that it is Saturday and as such this conversation should wait until Monday.”

“But, sir, I need…”

“Yes, you always do.  Well, it’s too late.  Diana Fowley’s paperwork has already been processed and as of a week from Monday she will be officially assigned to the X-Files division.”

“Sir…”

“I haven’t finished, and another agent will also be assigned to the X-Files as her partner.  After the happenings at El Rico it has been determined that, not only is the X-Files division a necessity, it is under staffed and under funded.  Space has been allotted on the second floor and maintenance is working on getting the space ready for you to move in next week.  I’ve already ordered maintenance to leave boxes outside your office.”

By this time Mulder had made his way to his car and damned near fell into the driver’s seat.

~

Monday, Scully and Mulder sat in front of Skinner’s desk as he finished signing several documents his assistant gave to him.  When he finished he handed them back to Kim and took off his glasses.  He surveyed the agents for a moment.  They were both wound tight as they always were, but it was Scully who interested him most.  Her face held a serenity he hadn’t seen in a while and certainly didn’t expect considering he knew she was aware of the reason for this meeting.  Or at least she thought she did.

“Agents, as you are doubtless aware, Special Agent Diana Fowley has submitted a request to be reinstated to the X-Files.  It has been approved and she officially starts next Monday.  Additionally,” Skinner paused to read something from the file in front of him before continuing.  “Agent Fowley’s partner will be Special Agent Marcus Mabrey, he’s…”
Scully interrupted him, “Sir, did you say Marcus Mabrey, the Forensic Psychologist?”

“Why yes, Agent Scully, do you know him?”

“Captain Mabrey, Marcus’ father, was my father’s best friend.  They served together for many years.”  Neither, Skinner nor Mulder missed the slight smile on Scully’s face and they both knew there was a lot more to the story.  Mulder immediately began to worry.

“Also, the division is being moved to a new space on the second floor.  It’s being prepared this week but you can check it out today and make sure it meets your needs.”  Skinner slipped a paper to Mulder that listed the suite of rooms that was to be their new home.  Skinner buzzed Kim and told her to send in the agents who’d been waiting.  The door opened and Diana Fowley entered but Mulder barely noticed, his interest was focused on the man following her.

Marcus Mabrey was tall, taller than Mulder by a good four or five inches.  He had dark, well styled, wavy hair, piercing blue eyes, a generous mouth and, to Mulder’s regret, a really great nose.  The man could only be described as beautiful.  Mulder saw the man’s eyes light up when he spotted Scully and when he turned to look at his partner she was glowing.

“Day!”  He walked over with his hand extended but she pulled him into a hug.  Both Mulder and Skinner were floored over this overt display from the usually reserved Dana Scully.  Mulder felt a tidal wave of jealousy overtake him.

“Marc, why didn’t you tell me you joined the Bureau?”  Then she seemed to realize where she was, “we’ll talk later,” she told him and then winked at him and Mulder had the overwhelming desire to grab her to him and yell, ‘back off she’s mine!’  Only one thought ran through Mulder’s brain, “God, I hope he’s married!”

Introductions were made and Skinner handed Fowley’s and Mabrey’s personnel files and the meeting ended.  Diana Fowley had to report back to her current assignment but, to Mulder’s dismay, Mabrey, having just transferred to DC, was free to stay with them. 

It was lunch time and Mulder drove them to a small place that he and Scully went to when they needed to talk privately.  They ordered then Mulder listened as the two old ‘friends’ caught up.  He observed their body language and knew that there was more than a lost friendship between them.  He’d been able to gather that this was Scully’s first boyfriend and there was something about a prom and a bonfire that got out of control.  They drifted apart during their college years due to the long distance rather than any discord between them.  But the worst news was that Marcus Mabrey was not married as Mulder had hoped, nor was he currently involved with anyone.

“Well, there is one thing the two of you have in common,” Scully said with a laugh in her voice, “you both are lifetime members of the ugly tie society.”  Both men looked down and saw they were both wearing the same tie only in different colors.   

Mulder tuned out for a moment then Mabrey’s laughter brought his attention back.  “I still have them, how could I get rid of them when they remind me of THAT particular first?”

Mulder watched as Scully blushed crimson and he just stared as he realized that this man sitting across the table from him was Scully’s first lover.  He wanted to punch the guy and in his mind he screamed, ‘you may have been the first, but I’m going to be her last!’

They returned to the office, Mulder sat down and checked his messages while Mabrey looked around.  “Day, where’s your desk?”  He asked Scully and Mulder wanted to disappear.  The rest of the day didn’t get any better.

~

Friday afternoon Mulder and Scully walked around the empty office that had been a second home to them.  The contents it once held were all neatly housed in a modern suite of offices two floors up.  The new digs held two pairs of offices on either side of a central space with a small lab space in the back.  Each office pair had a connecting door to the partner office.  The central space housed a conference table that seated six and a bank of file cabinets on one wall.  The place had windows, the air conditioning and heating worked and had all the technology they would ever need but it wasn’t as warm as the little dungeon in the basement.

The partners walked around making their fifth or sixth last minute inspection checking that nothing had been missed and knowing it hadn’t.  Neither was in any hurry to leave.

“Mulder, I know you most likely already have plans but would you have dinner with me tonight?  Sort of a celebration to what we created here.”

Mulder waited a beat too long before answering, “I’m sorry, just forget I asked.”  Scully misunderstood and began to leave.

“Scully, wait, I didn’t answer,” Mulder grabbed her gently by the shoulder.  “I don’t have any plans and I’d love to have dinner with you.  I wanted to ask you but I thought you’d already made plans with Mabrey.”

Scully looked down, “no, he asked me to go out but I thought – I wanted,” she stumbled over her words and her hands were fidgeting.  “It just seemed right that you and I…”

“It is right, this,” Mulder waved his hands around, “this is OUR X-Files, the ones that only belong to you and me.  Upstairs, we have to share but this will always be ours.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted, Mulder.  I mean, I saw your letter of recommendation.”

“Yeah, that, I think that was a mistake.  I didn’t realize it until it was too late and the wheels were already in motion.  I really didn’t appreciate how big a mistake until I saw you and Mabrey together for the first time.”

“Why would that affect you?”

“It was then that I realized what you’ve been going through for the last year with Diana’s presence.”  Scully took a seat on the floor and Mulder, followed neither caring about the dirt.  “He walked in and you pulled him into a hug.  I knew then that you had deep emotions for him.  Dana Scully doesn’t let down her guard for just anyone.  Until then, I thought I was the only one who enjoyed that particular privilege.  Later, at lunch, it was obvious that you two shared an intimacy beyond mere friendship or even former boyfriend-girlfriend feelings.  Scully, I was jealous, I am jealous.  I watched the two of you interact and it finally got through my thick skull that is what you must have been seeing and reacting to since Diana came back.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Scully, I have a confession to make.”  She looked up and he saw the apprehension in her eyes, Lord only knows what she expected him to confess to.  “Last weekend, last Saturday, I had lunch at Barrington’s in the mall.”  Mulder paused and waited.  It took a few moments but suddenly her eyes grew wide and he knew she realized what he was referring to.  “I was in the next booth and I overheard you talking with Ellen.”  He saw her trying to remember the things they’d said, “Your description of me was dead on, I’ve been a bastard.  But then, I’ve always been a bit of a bastard but you always made me, I don’t know, right maybe.  You’ve been my conscience, the best of me and I forgot to cherish that the way I should.  I don’t remember ever being as scared as I was when I heard you say you didn’t need me.

“Diana approached me about putting in a transfer and, I hope you forgive me, my first thoughts were, ‘boy, this will piss Scully off.’  Things have been so tense between us I guess I, hell I can’t even begin to understand why I did it.  When I overheard you and Ellen talking and when you told her about our solve rates I knew you were telling the truth.  It made me remember back when Diana and I started working on the X-Files.  I had to face the fact that it wasn’t all that terrific and after really thinking about it I realized that she stymied quite a lot of investigations.  Nothing big, that I would have noticed but little things.  Missing paperwork or small pieces of evidence never got logged in; just a myriad of little bits that put together paints a nasty little picture of Diana.”

Scully hung her head forward so her hair obstructed his view.  Mulder reached over to get her attention and she nodded but didn’t raise her face.  “I called Skinner to stop the request immediately after you left but it was too late.  He told me then about the plans for the division.  I was going to call you but after hearing what you said I knew you needed some time away from me.”

Mulder shifted a little, “Scully, did you go out with the guy Ellen was setting you up with?”

She shook her head, “no, the guy must have heard what a ‘winner’ I am.  He ran out and got engaged that day.”  Mulder didn’t like the derisive tone of her voice.

“Scully, you have to know that you are a beau…”

“Don’t Mulder, please don’t.  I know what I look like but it’s all the other baggage I bring along.”  Suddenly she jumped up, “we need to get out of here.”  She held out her hand to help him up.

“Scully, let’s play hooky and take the afternoon off, what little of it that’s left.  I’ll make reservations and pick you up at seven.  Sound okay, Partner?”

Scully gave him a huge smile when he called her partner, it had been a long time since he’d called her that and it had been even longer since she felt like his partner.

~

Mulder went slack jawed when Scully opened the door.  The Scully who stood in front of him was the woman he’d seen nearly every day for six years but more; this Scully was what fantasies were made of.  Her hair was pinned up in one of those hairstyles men never understood but always appreciated and her make up around her eyes was darker than usual, which only accentuated her magnificent eyes, and her lips were stained in a deep hue that whispered the pleasures those lips could provide.  She wore a sleeveless dress that kissed her body and ended about two inches above her knees.  Mulder’s gaze followed the line of her silk clad legs to her shoes.  For the first time in Mulder’s life he discovered he had a shoe fetish.

It was Scully’s voice that penetrated the silence, “ready?”

“Yeah, let’s get going, our reservation is in about thirty minutes.” 

They followed the Maitre D’ through the restaurant.  Scully didn’t seem to notice but Mulder saw the looks Scully was receiving.  They were about half way to the table when he placed his hand on her back; he had to fight the urge to pull her tightly against him.  Never before, with any of the women he’d been involved with, had he felt the need to display ownership but tonight, with Scully, he needed to make these men know Scully was taken.  Scully turned and gave him a smile.

Once they were seated Mulder ordered wine for them and they began to talk.  They talked about cases they’d covered in the past and how they viewed each other when they first met.  Mulder told Scully how he was ready to give up when she was so ill and she told him how abandoned she’d felt when he claimed Melissa Ephasian was his soul-mate. Before they knew it the server was asking them about dessert.

Mulder swallowed a forkful of cheesecake, “Scully, this last week has been hell.”

“How so?”

“Every time I called you ‘he’ was with you.  I wanted to talk to you about all the changes we’re going through but you were with Mabrey.”

“Marc and I have not seen each other since ’82, we had a lot to catch up on.”

They were retrieving their coats from the check room and Mulder helped Scully with her wrap.  “Scully, the other night I woke from a really bad nightmare.  Once I caught my breath I grabbed the phone to call you like I usually do.”  Her brow went up, “no, I didn’t call.  I hung up, it was two-twenty in the morning and I couldn’t call you because I wasn’t sure you were alone.”

Mulder watched her expression and waited for her to comment, hoping she’d deny that anyone was with her but she didn’t say anything.  The drive back to Scully’s was quiet; each lost in their own thoughts.

Mulder walked her to her door and they said their goodnights.  Mulder needed to know so before Scully could close the door he blurted it out.  “Scully, were you alone?”

Scully smiled and shook her head, “if you’d called you’d know.  Maybe you should have called.” 

End