Bathrooms and Other
Benefits
Sara
B. 03/06
~X~
Dana Scully checked
her watch as she fought with the afternoon traffic. She was running late picking
up her son, Will. She finally got to the turn off for the school and found a
place to park. It was parent teacher night and she was meeting Will and his nanny,
Trina, at the school. Who knew that that damned fool Daniel Waterson would choose
today to try and chat her up, again. If he didn’t stop soon she was going
to have to talk to his wife.
She made it to the
door and saw Will with Trina. With them was a girl, who, from his description,
she determined had to be Will’s ‘bestest friend’, Samantha, and a tall man she assumed to be Samantha’s
father.
Will ran to her
as soon as she got in the door.
“Moooom!” He screamed until she scooped him and they twirled around. She put him down and he pulled her to meet his friend.
“Trina, I’m
so sorry I’m late; Waterson again.” Dana said to her friend and nanny.
“No problem,
Dana. I’m going to get going, I still have those last minute things to
finish, then I’m heading home and I’ll see you Monday.” The
two women hugged and Trina left.
Will pulled on her. “Mom, this is Sam,” he put his arm on the girl’s shoulder.
Dana bent down and
extended her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Samantha, I’m
Dana.” The girl was a little shy but Dana’s gentleness won her over
and she shook her hand. Dana stood and went to address the man only to find him
having an argument on his cell phone.
“No, Kathy,
I’m not out with anyone. I’m at my daughter’s school.” He turned and gave Dana an embarrassed smile.
“No, I can’t, not tonight.” It was clear from his demeanor
that the woman on the other end was not used to not getting her way. “If
that’s what you want, fine. Just do me the favor of removing my number
from your phones.” He hung up without giving his caller the chance to say
anything. It began to ring immediately and he stared at it for a moment before
shutting it off.
Dana held her hand
out. “I’m Will’s mom, Dana Scully.”
“Fox Mulder,
Sam’s dad. Nice to meet you, Dana.”
He paused for a moment then added, “Scully, Dana Scully, not Dorsett
like Will’s?”
“I kept my
name for professional reasons.” Dana forced her mouth to stop, she felt
like a fool. “Well, I guess we should start the tour, Fox.”
“Um, please
just call me Mulder. Only my parents, the ex-wife and anyone who wants to annoy
me calls me Fox.” He flashed his ‘I’m so adorable’ smile.
“Uh, sure,
not a problem.” She smiled back her ‘does he sell used cars too’
smile.
Mulder read her
expression and almost laughed; Dana Scully was not the typical woman.
“Dad, we need
to get in there. Mrs. Campbell will be waiting for us.” Sam said to her father.
“Yeah, Mom,
we can’t wait for you to see our dia, um, diarma.” Will prodded him
Mom.
“Diorama. Did you and Sam make a diorama?”
“Yeah, and
it’s great. It has dinosaurs and trees and all sorts of neat things. Come on!”
The foursome was
leaving the auditorium and they moved to the side of the hallway. Will looked
up at his mom a little shyly, waiting. She looked down at his anxious face then
broke out into a great smile and she scooped him up. “Will, that was the
best diorama I’ve ever seen.” She put him down but kept one arm on
him as she pulled Sam over to share a three-way hug. “You two make some
great team. I’m so proud of both of you.” Sam started giggling and snuggled her face into Dana’s neck.
Mulder watched with
envy. Dana seemed so at ease with her son and now his little girl too. He wished he had that magic. “Can your old man get a
little of that sugar, Sam.”
The girl hurled
herself at her dad. “I think your project was the star of this whole show.” He leaned back and looked at Dana. “And,
if Dana and Will will join us, I’d like to treat us all to some ice cream. Would
that be okay?”
“Actually,
I have a little celebration arranged at our place. Will wanted to invite the
two of you over for cake and ice cream.”
Mulder followed
Dana’s car to a well appointed neighborhood not too far from where he and Sam lived.
The house they stopped at was an old beauty that obviously had been lovingly restored.
Will ran up to Mulder’s
car just as he’d gotten Samantha out of the back. The little boy took both
their hands and led them to the front door. “Mom went in through the garage. She’ll meet us inside.” Will
proudly held up his key like it was the Holy Grail.
The door proved
to be a little much for the boy so Mulder opened it. Dana was standing about
five feet from the door holding a decorated sheet cake that read, “Will and Sam, bestest friends forever.” Behind her the room was filled with balloons floating around.
“Come on,
this sucker’s kind of heavy.” She led them to the dining room where
the table was set with a white cloth, cloth napkins, china dessert plates and silver dessert forks and spoons. She carefully placed the cake down and went to get the ice cream.
Mulder looked around, punch was on the sideboard and she had festive flower arrangements and even more balloons.
Dana came back and
started dishing out the ice cream and handed him the knife to cut the cake. “Why
don’t you two go get settled in the other room and we’ll bring it out to you?” The children left to find their seats. “It’s a
good thing this is Friday, it will take all weekend for them to climb down from the sugar rush.” She finished dishing the ice cream. “I hope you don’t
mind that I did all this?”
“No, I’m
just envious that you thought to do all this.” Mulder answered good naturedly.
“Will’s
been talking about this parent teacher project fair for weeks so I know how important it was for him. He just raves about Samantha, she’s a lovely child.”
“I’m
lucky, she’s a great kid.” Dana saw a touch of melancholy in his
eyes.
“We’d
better get this sugar fest to them.” She quickly said trying to lighten
the mood.
Mulder and Dana
sat on the divan and watched as the two children played until they exhausted each other and fell asleep on some cushions on
the floor.
“I guess that
is my cue to take my girl home and get her to bed.” Mulder started to rise. He really didn’t want the evening to end.
It was the first time in, he didn’t remember how long, he just enjoyed himself.
He and Dana talked about all sorts of subjects while the kids played. She
told him how Jamie, her husband, had been an architect and that he’d been quite successful. But his real love was restoring old buildings. This house
was his private joy. It had already been restored by the time she’d met
him. She told him how Jamie had been struck by a hit and run driver on his way
to the hospital. They never found the driver who witnesses described as being
a woman with long dark hair. She’d been driving fast and aggressively but
she’d only tapped Jamie’s truck however they were on ice and he lost control and went over the side of the overpass.
Dana, too, had had
a nice time and couldn’t believe how she’d opened up about Jamie. Mulder
was a terrific conversationalist and had been really interested in Jamie and the house.
He was also a good, if not very confident, father who openly adored his little girl.
He seemed to feel that he lacked parenting skills but if Sam’s attitude toward him was any indication, he was
too hard on himself.
“Why don’t
you let her sleep here? She can have one of the spare bedrooms. You can pick her up in the morning.”
They picked up their
children and Mulder headed toward the stairs in the main hallway but Dana redirected him toward the kitchen. She stopped in front of a small door and struggled to open it. Inside
was a small elevator. “This way is a whole lot easier than climbing those
stairs.”
“Done this
before I take it?” She nodded and they squeezed in. “Cozy.”
“It’s
either this or the dumb waiter in the kitchen. Or you could climb those stairs.” She smiled and raised her eyebrow.
“No, this
is fine, really. Just the right size.”
They reached the
second floor just as he finished trying to dig himself out. They exited and he
followed Dana to a room halfway down the hall, it was Will’s. “Do
you think she’d prefer to sleep alone or here with Will? I mean would she
feel better if she woke up with him, someone she knows?”
“I think that
would be best, otherwise she might get scared.”
They woke them enough
to get them changed for bed and push a toothbrush around their mouths. Dana gave
Mulder a pair of Will’s pajamas for Samantha to sleep in.
Mulder pulled the
door closed behind them. “I don’t think they really ever woke up
through all of that,” she commented.
“Yeah, they’re
pretty out of it.” He examined the moldings. “This really is a beautiful house; your husband was an artist.”
Dana smiled with
pride. “Yes he was. Would
you like to see the rest of this floor?”
She showed him the
other bedrooms then came to the last room on the floor. “This is the master
suite, my room. They walked in and Mulder was amazed at the room. It was the largest room on the floor, taking up the same space as the other rooms together. “Jamie wanted this to be our sanctuary.” She opened
a door to the left to reveal a large bathroom and dressing area. The tub was
located to the right and the separate shower dominated the center of the room. The
toilet and bidet were in a small closet like room just inside the door.
“Heck, you
could have a party in that shower,” Mulder said in awe
“I’ll
remember that, it would save cleaning up. It is also a steam bath. Jamie always teased that I married him for this bathroom.”
“I think I’d
marry him for it,” Mulder teased.
She showed him to
the sitting area of the bedroom. There were two comfortable looking chairs with
ottomans and two of the walls were lined with books. She opened the curtains
that dominated the far wall and revealed that it led out to a deck.
Mulder noticed that
there didn’t seem to be a TV in the room. “No TV?”
“No, we always
believed that a bedroom was for two things and neither was ever enhanced by television.”
She walked away leaving Mulder with his jaw dropped.
“Want to see
upstairs?”
The top floor had
been converted into a small well furnished apartment. “This is supposed
to be used for visiting relatives but no one really uses it much. My brothers
and their families have stayed here a few times. My mom and Dad live close so
they don’t stay over and Jamie’s parents died two years ago in a boating accident.” She picked up a story book that was lying on a table. “Mostly
it’s only Will who comes up here when he needs some alone time. Why a six
year old needs alone time is beyond me.” Dana yawned. “I think the downstairs will have to wait for another time if you don’t mind. I’ve been up since four.”
“No problem,
I’m getting a little tired myself.” They started heading toward the
stairs.
“I’ll
call before I pick her up.”
~X~
Mulder
walked into the cafeteria with his friend and colleague Christian Drummond. They
were partners and they had just moved their practice into the building. They
had been looking for a new location and asked Dana about the building her office was in.
She told him that it was a good location and had ample parking in the garage attached to the medical arts building. Mulder and Chris checked it out and signed the lease.
The
two men got their food then found a table. They were talking amicably over their
lunch when Mulder heard, “how are the new digs, Mulder.” It was Dana.
“Great,”
he motioned for her to sit.
“Only
for a minute. I have to get back.”
She placed her tray down.
“Dana,
this is Christian Drummond, Chris, Dana Scully.” Mulder introduced the
two.
“So
you’re the one who pointed Mulder to this place. Great building, nice office
spaces.”
“I’ve
been here four years and never had any problems.” She glanced at the clock.
“Mulder,
it has been good seeing you. Chris, nice to meet you. I have to get back.” She picked up her tray and started
to leave then turned back. “Mulder, what time are you dropping Sam off?”
“Seven,
is that okay?” She nodded and waved.
“You
have been holding out on me. Dating all those dim-bulb-diva-bimbos was just to
throw me off the track that you had that little number.” Chris accused
as he watched Dana maneuver through the crowd.
“You’re
joking. Dana is my friend. Her son
and my Sammy are best friends. We met about last year at our kid’s school. She takes care of Sam when I have a date or something.” Mulder couldn’t believe Chris thought he’d date Dana.
“Oh,
so she’s married. Too bad.”
“Widowed,
actually. Don’t tell me you’re interested in her?” Mulder was surprised at Chris’ reaction to her.
“Interested
in her? Have you looked at her? She’s
gorgeous and she seems really smart.” Chris picked up his tray. “If I wasn’t married I’d have her number already.
You really need to take those blinders off that keep getting you involved with those boob job babes and take a look
at some real women.” Mulder just stared at his friends retreating back.
~X~
Mulder
walked into the room to see Dana and the kids rough housing on the floor. The
‘gruesome twosome’ was ganging up against Dana but she was holding her own.
She may be little but she was agile and quick. Mulder watched and was
laughing his head off.
He’d
dropped Samantha off the night before and she stayed with Dana and Will while Mulder spent the night at Cyndi’s.
Dana
saw him first and yelled, “Enough! Sam, look who’s here.”
“Daddy,”
the girl yelled as she ran to him and he scooped her up in his arms. “Eww,
Dad, you stink.” Samantha plugged her nose.
Dana
walked over with Will. “That is some mighty potent perfume you’ve
got on there. Whew.”
“You
smell bad,” was Will’s contribution. Dana saw Mulder’s embarrassment
and decided to ease his discomfort. Dana clapped her hands. “Come on kids. Sam, go up to your room and get your
things. Will, you go help her.”
“Her
room?” Mulder asked.
“She’s
here so much and they aren’t six anymore, she’s already eight and he will be next month. I figured she might as well use one of the unused rooms. She
picked the one next to mine and we spent a day decorating it for her. I have
to tell you that your little girl has very mature taste in decorating.”
“Oh,”
there was no accusation or animosity in what she said but Mulder felt more than a little embarrassed. He spent a lot of time with the three of them but every weekend he was out.
Sometimes he’d be gone for the entire two days.
“Mulder,
next Friday I need you to watch the kids. I have an engagement that I have to
attend.”
Mulder
knew he had plans with Cyndi. “I have plans, can’t Trina watch them?”
He
watched Dana’s face fall in disbelief then annoyance. “Sure, no problem,
I’ll just tell Trina she can’t go to her mother’s ninetieth birthday celebration in Georgia because you have a date with the latest Betty big boobs. Or
maybe I should tell the committee that I can’t pick up my award because you don’t want to sit the one time that
I asked you to. Yeah, let me just call Justin now and have him pick up my DC
Doctor of the Year award. I’ll have him say that we just couldn’t
disappoint your over active libido.”
“Momma?” Will called from the staircase, clearly frightened.
Her voice had risen drawing the attention of the two little ones.
Dana
took a moment to calm down before responding. “Will, Samantha, we need
to discuss some things. Would you two go up to Will’s room, please? I’ll come get you when we’re done.”
She
waited till they were gone and then she turned back to Mulder. “Her name
is Cyndi and she doesn’t have big boobs,” Mulder said viciously.
“They
all have big boobs. Big boobs, brown hair and very little in the way of brains. They are all narcissistic and self centered.
Their looks feed your monumental ego and they are easily expendable when you tire of them. They are all interchangeable. But that isn’t what this
is about.”
“What
is it about?” He snarled; how dare this dateless wonder judge him and his choice of women.
“In
the last two years Samantha has stayed over at least one night of every week. Sometimes
she stays an entire weekend; coming here Friday night and not going home until after school on Monday. Last spring I took her with us to Colorado while you went to Bermuda with your latest ‘Mensa’ candidate.” Dana
said sarcastically. “Do you know how many times Will has stayed with you? None, not one time.”
Mulder
moved to say something but she didn’t give him a chance. “That isn’t
to say that I mind her staying here; I don’t. I love that little girl as
if she were my own. I wouldn’t do the things I do if I didn’t love
her.” She walked to the couch and sat.
“I really needed you to watch the kids this one time, it is important to me.” Her head shook and she pulled her shoulders back. “Don’t
worry, I’ll find someone to watch Will for me. You go have another night
of meaningless sex.” She jumped up and headed up the stairs.
Mulder
had seen the tears in her eyes and part of him wanted to follow but another part was just too mad. Besides, she was right; and that just made him madder.
A
few minutes later Samantha came out of the elevator with her bag. She walked
past her dad but wouldn’t look at him. She climbed in the car and it was
only because she couldn’t work the restraints that caused her to finally acknowledge him. She didn’t talk the entire trip home.
~
Mulder
called for take-out to be delivered. He’d had to call and cancel a dinner
date with Cyndi and she’d been a royal bitch about it so he not only cancelled his date for next week but their relationship
all together. He felt like a weight had been lifted.
Dana’s
words came back to him. Not she said about him not holding up his end of the
work. He hadn’t reciprocated. True,
until now, she’d never asked but he could have offered to take the kids off her hands sometimes. Or he could have joined them on the outings she arranged.
No,
he was thinking about how she described his girlfriends and, unfortunately, he had to admit she was right about that too. They were all the same. He also remembered
what Chris said that first time he met Dana. How he should take a look at real
women. Chris too was right; the women he dated were not ‘real women.’ Not in the sense that they would be stay with a man till the end, no matter what. They were temporary enjoyments; pretty toys.
Like Diana, as soon as she found out how hard it was to take care of a baby she was gone. Dana, on the other hand, would be right along side the man she was with and he’d be lucky to have
her.
~
Thursday
Mulder walked into the cafeteria. It was fairly late so the majority of the lunch
crowd was gone. Chris and Dana were seated together talking animatedly between bites.
He hadn’t seen or even spoken with her since her, well deserved, outburst on Saturday. Mulder got his food and moved to join them. Dana got up and
excused herself as soon as he reached the table.
“What
the hell was that all about?” Chris asked as they watched Dana tossed her
food out and exited. “She damned near ran from here.”
“I
really messed up. She needed me to sit with the kids on Friday and I tried to
weasel out of it. She told me in no uncertain terms where the hell I can get
off. The worst part is she was right in everything she said. Now she’s mad at me and Samantha can’t even stand to be in the same room with me until I make
up with her mother.”
Chris’
head jerked up, “mother?”
“Yeah,
Samantha, in all of her eight year old wisdom, informed me that Dana is the only woman that she could ever call mom. That Dana is the one she wants for her mom and that Will wants me to be his dad. Then she asked why I only see those, her words mind you, silly women when I should
fall in love with Dana.”
“Wow,
out of the mouths of babes, huh?”
“Sam
talks to Dana every night and has her read her a story at bed time. I guess it’s
something they do when she stays there.” Mulder tossed down his fork, no
longer interested in eating. “Chris, why didn’t you ever tell me
what a jackass I’ve been and how foolish?”
Chris
just laughed. “Some lessons you have to learn on your own.”
~
Dana
walked quietly into the parlor and placed her award on the mantel. It was made
of crystal and was engraved. Eventually the award would migrate to her study
but she wanted Will to see it in the morning.
She
moved back looking at the award and listening to the silence. She’d hired
a teenage girl that Trina knew to sit tonight. She’d arranged for the girl
to stay the night because she wasn’t sure when she would get home and she knew she wouldn’t want to put the girl
in a cab late at night. The moon peeked from behind a cloud and the light from
the large full moon hit the award and refracted sending colored light throughout the room.
“Beautiful,”
she whispered.
“You
got that one right. And that award is nice too.” Mulder said from the couch. He wasn’t talking about
the lightshow.
“Mulder!” He’d shaken her nerves. “What
the hell are you doing here?”
“Quiet
down, would you? It was hard enough getting those two to sleep the first time.”
He
put his feet on the floor and stood up. “I’m just doing my part and
taking care of our kids. I got here at eight and sent Jennifer home in a cab;
paid her for the whole night. I was hoping to catch you before you left.”
“But
you had plans, I don’t understand?”
“Cancelled
those plans permanently. Cancelled that whole ridiculous relationship, if that’s
what you call it.” He turned the light on and looked at her. She was dressed in a deep green off the shoulder figure hugging gown that trailed behind her and had a
tantalizing slit up the front. Her hair was tamed down and her make up looked
smoky. She reminded him of one of the glamorous movie stars of the thirties. How had he missed this for over two years? “You
look really beautiful, Dana.”
She
looked at him a little doubtful trying to judge his sincerity. Something in his
eyes told him he was telling her the truth and she quietly thanked him.
“Hey,
do you mind if I crash here? It’s after two. I can sleep with Sam or Will.” He almost slipped and
said, ‘or you’ but he caught himself in time. It was too soon in
his redemption process for that kind of mistake.
“Mulder,
there are two unused bedrooms up there. Take either of them. We’d better
head up, those two are both early risers.” She reached down and removed
her shoes and flexed her toes on the throw rug before moving to go up.
~
The
next morning Dana walked into the kitchen to find that the coffee was already made.
Mulder sat at the counter reading the paper and the two children were eating cereal.
They all looked up and wished her a good morning. She grabbed a cup of
coffee and surveyed the room. It was just a little surreal for seven thirty in the morning. She saw Mulder nod at the kids and they went to her.
Will
gave her a hug and Samantha kissed her cheek. “We’re proud of you,
Mom, I mean, Dana.” The little girl stammered. Dana hugged the stuffing out of them.
~X~
Mulder
walked in and found Dana on the phone. “No, Mom. Will and I will be there on the twenty-seventh. I told you
we are spending Christmas with Mulder and Samantha.” She looked over at
Mulder and rolled her eyes. “Mom, please stop it. They never change their plans to accommodate our schedules so why do you always expect that Will and I
do? Is it just because I’m not married?” She listened for a moment. “I know, but we’ve
had these plans for three months. And yes, I know that his cousins want to see
him but Sam is as close to a sister as he is ever going to have. They deserve
to be together on Christmas.”
Mulder
watched her frustration. Maggie and Bill Scully could be formidable opponents when they wanted something. But Dana was up to the challenge; she was their daughter. “That’s
it, Mom, you too, Dad. You have two choices.
Either Will and I show up at Bill and Tara’s on the twenty-seventh or I cancel our tickets and we stay home.” She waited a beat. “I thought that
would be your answer. But I’m warning, you if Bill Jr. gets on my back
I will leave on the first flight home. So you had better warn him.”
She
hung up the phone and fell onto the couch. “They still giving you a rough
time about the Holidays?”
She
nodded. “And they still have a month to keep nagging. But, I think I got through to them.”
“They
are your family. We could celebrate Christmas early or when you return.” He offered.
“Mulder,
you and Sam are my family too. We may not be the Walton’s but we’re
family and we belong together. Those two kids would be devastated if they didn’t
wake up and open their presents together on Christmas morning. And I know
how I’d feel if I couldn’t watch them compete for who can open fastest.
You’d miss it too.”
“Oh,
yeah. These last two Christmas’s have been some of my favorite memories.”
They
just sat there for a moment and Mulder took her hand. A lot of things had changed
in the last year and a half. Mulder no longer dated, choosing instead to spend
his time with Dana, Will and Sam. Until he’d found this contented life,
he hadn’t realized how unfulfilled he’d been and how angry. He had
finally let go of his anger at Diana. Dana was right, they were a family. There was only one small change that needed to be made.
“Hey,
we need to get working if we’re going to have this place decorated before Trina brings the kids back.” Dana said as she pulled Mulder up.
~
Christmas
Eve was quiet. The four of them had gone to Midnight Mass and they’d just
gotten Will and Sam to bed. Mulder and Dana pulled all the presents from their
hiding places and put them under the tree. Dana insisted that they pre-sort the
packages to save the fuss in the morning.
They
sat on the couch side by side drinking mulled cider and watching the tree lights. Mulder
put his arm around Dana and pulled her to him. It was their first kiss; it felt
like coming home.
“Dana,
I think it’s time we faced some facts.” He nipped at her lips as
he spoke and her breathing became shallow.
“Such
as?” She managed.
“We
are a family. We love each other and we love our kids. Dana, we need to make this legal.” She pulled away for
a moment then kissed him with a passion he’d never experienced before.
Mulder
pulled away and stood. He picked her up and headed for the stairs. He looked up and the tall staircase and resigned himself to climb them.
“Mulder, the elevator.” Dana said breathlessly. “I don’t want you worn out before we get to bed.”
Mulder
placed her gently on her bed and joined her. Hastily they divested each other
of their clothes. Once they were naked they began to explore their bodies. When the time was right Mulder reached for a condom.
She took it from him and opened the wrapper. He groaned as she put it
on him. Mulder positioned them and he gently prodded her entrance.
“Dana,
how long?”
“No
one since Jamie.”
“Dana?”
“I
waited for the right man.” She kissed him deeply and he pushed into her.
~
Hurried
footfalls came racing down the hall and Dana’s bedroom door burst open. Will
and Samantha ran in and jumped on the bed waking the lovers.
“Hurry! Mom, Dad, its Christmas! Get out of bed
and down stairs.” The two kids chimed in unison before they ran out.
Mulder
watched them slam the door as they left. “They didn’t seem too surprised.”
“Are
you kidding they’ve been trying to marry us off since we met four years ago. I’m
just glad we were covered.” Dana answered as she reached over and pulled
him to her.
“I
have to tell you, woman, for such a long dry spell you haven’t lost your touch.”
“Does
that mean you are not just marrying me for my bathroom?”
End
Bathrooms and Other Benefits 2: More Benefits
