Setting the Record Straight 2: Conversation with Bill

Sara B. 06/06

From Setting the Record Straight

Mulder was channel surfing when his phone rang.  He looked at the caller ID and smiled.  “If you miss me this much why not just come home and see me in the flesh, Scully?”

“Wrong Scully.”

Mulder choked, “Bill?”

~

“Yep, betcha didn’t expect that did you, Mr. Mulder?”

Mulder panicked, “is Scu, I mean, is Dana all right?  Has something happened to her?”  Bill Scully just nodded.  This guy’s first concern was Dana’s well being, just like she told him. Suddenly Mulder’s pleading voice came through the phone.  “Bill!”

“Sorry, just distracted.  Dana’s fine, there’s nothing wrong.  It’s just, well she and I were talking and,” Bill stopped trying to figure out what to say.  “Mr. Mulder, do you think you could come to Mom’s and join the family reunion for the weekend?”

It was Mulder’s turn to be distracted.  “Bill?”  It was only one word but both men heard the question.

“Listen, I know I’ve been a hard ass where you’re concerned but, like I said, Dana and I were talking and I think I may have misjudged you.”  Bill stopped then added, “a little.”  Mulder barked out a laugh and Bill followed.  “So, will you come?”

“Does Scully, I mean,” Mulder went to correct himself but Bill interrupted.

“It’s okay, call her Scully, we all know who you mean.  No, I didn’t ask Dana but I know she’d be happy if you came and, Mr. Mulder, I’d appreciate it if you’d join us.  Besides, you’ll get to meet our brother Charles.  Dana tells me that you tease her about him.  I assure you he does exist, same with his wife, Jeanne, and their three rugrats, Mike, Paul and Katie.”  

Mulder didn’t know what to make of this offer.  Part of him wanted to go, Scully was there and he always enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Scully, at least when it didn’t involve a hospital or convalescents of some kind.  The other part worried that Bill was setting him up. 

“Mr. Mulder, are you coming?”  Bill asked with a tone of hope in his voice.

“It’s just Mulder and I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Good, that’s really good.  I’m not telling Dana so it will be a surprise.”

~

Mulder approached the house with trepidation.  This visit was either going to be a good thing or a disaster rivaling Hiroshima.  The only thing that stopped him from turning around was the hope that this would please Scully.

His knock was answered by a boy that looked to be around eleven or twelve.  “May I help,” the boy started to say then changed, “hey, you’re Mulder, Aunt Dana’s Mulder, right?”

“I’m Mulder,” he held back saying anything about being Aunt Dana’s.

“Great,” he turned back to the house and yelled, “Hey, everyone, Aunt Dana’s Mulder arrived!”  This announcement was followed by a stampede of running feet headed toward the door.

“For goodness sake, stand back and let the man in.”  Mrs. Scully admonished the children, which from Mulder’s quick count, seemed to be about seven possibly eight.  “Fox, come in.  Dana didn’t mention you were coming but you know you are always welcome.”

“I wasn’t, I mean, Bill called and asked me to come,”  Mulder stammered.

Maggie’s face was confused for a moment but quickly hid it.  “Well, I am so glad that he convinced you.  I know Dana will be thrilled; she was quite vexed with you for turning down her invitation.”  She was leading him toward the back.  “Dana’s out back trying to teach Matty how to ride a two wheeler.”  She looked at him conspiratorially, “it’s been quite amusing.”

“Mrs.,” Mulder started but she gave him the famous Scully stern look and he knew instantly what was wrong.  “Maggie, as much as I want to see Dana, I think I should talk with Bill.”

“Maybe you’re right.  Why don’t you go to the study and I’ll send Bill in.”  Mulder had the impression she wanted to shield the rest of the guests from what could be a very volatile situation.

~

Mulder was examining the navigational charts that lined the walls of the study when he heard the door open and close.  Bill had arrived.

“Those were Dad’s, Mom had them framed for their anniversary one year.”

“I don’t know what it is about maps but they fascinate me; these are a true testament to the cartographer’s art,” Mulder said as he turned.  Bill stunned him by smiling. 

He handed Mulder a drink.  “That’s iced tea.  I remember Dana mentioning that you don’t drink much and I thought we could both use our full faculties for this conversation.”

“Thanks,” Mulder smiled a little wistfully remembering another conversation about iced tea with a different Scully.

Bill pointed toward the maps, “Dad was an incredible seaman and left quite the legacy.  I’ve had a lot to live up to.”

“You’re lucky, Bill.  I’ve had to live down my father’s legacy.”

“Sorry to hear that, no man should have to be shamed by something his parents did.  It isn’t like you had any say in the matter.”

“Yeah, well,” Mulder’s words failed him.  He wasn’t expecting Bill to be so understanding.

“Mulder,” Bill began, “I think I owe you a huge apology.  When we met it was a really rough period for me.  Missy was gone and it looked like Dana was leaving us.  I needed somewhere to focus my anger and I set my sights on you.  I placed every bad thing that happened to Dana on you.”

“I can understand that,” Mulder said while taking a sip of tea.

Bill chuckled, “Dana said that about you.  She said that the only person who thought less of you than me was you.”  He pointed at Mulder with his hand holding his drink.  “Today Dana and I had a really serious talk about you and after really listening to her, maybe for the first time, I think maybe we both should re-examine our positions.”

Mulder was curious as to what Scully had said.  “Wha, what did she say?”

“I won’t go into all the details but I will say that the man she described was not the man I’d built up in my head.”  Bill looked toward the maps again.

“Why listen to her now?”

“I had this idea that you were some sort of Svengali for her.  But now I understand that Dana Scully makes her choices for herself and to think otherwise is an insult to her and maybe you too.”  He stood and walked to the bookshelves. 

“I suppose in some ways she will always be that little moppet that regretted shooting a garter snake and followed my friends and I around just hoping we’d let her play basketball or baseball with us.”  Bill pulled down a photo album, opened it and handed it to Mulder. 

Mulder looked at the picture of a small girl with a long braid and wearing overalls holding a bat in a classic batter’s stance.  “Wait a minute,  Scully played baseball?” 

“Oh, yeah.  Good hitter and great arm; played right field, why?”

Mulder chuckled and shook his head.  “I once gave her batting lessons.”

Bill took the album and turned toward the back.  “She’s holding out on you.”  Mulder looked at a series of pictures, Scully leaping for a ball, sliding head first into second and holding a trophy for ‘Most Valuable Player’.  “Those are college; she led them to division championship three years running.”

“She told me she had better things do to than hit balls around,”  Mulder said incredulously. 

“Maybe she liked the way you coached her?”  Bill looked at him knowingly.  “Mulder, she was a tomboy if the boys did it, she had to do it too and she tried to do it twice as well.  Her biggest problem, besides being a girl, was her size.”  Bill sat back down.  “But sometimes that was a major asset.  People, men mostly, underestimated her.”

“Still happens all the time.  Then she comes in and zings ‘em; they don’t know what hit them.”

“You never did though, did you?  You looked beyond her size and pretty face and found out what she has inside.”  Bill was beginning to like the man he’d hated for so long.  There was something that he just couldn’t figure out but then he understood.  “Dana comes first to you, doesn’t she?  When I called earlier she was your first concern.”  His head was nodding just slightly.  “She means as much to you as you mean to her.”  

“Your sister is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I know that if I’d never met Dana Scully there wouldn’t be a Fox Mulder.”

“She said the same thing about you.”  Bill was deep in thought for a moment.  “You two really should do something about that.  How long has it been since you two fell in love?”  Mulder’s head dipped.  “Are you telling me, man, do you mean you two have never,” Bill didn’t finish, he didn’t have to.

“Mulder, I’d like to start again and really get to know each other.  We’re both part of Dana’s life and I don’t see that changing any time soon.  What do you think?”

“All I can say is you’re Scully’s brother, that’s all I need.  It’s all I ever needed,” Mulder said earnestly.

“Fine, what’s say you and I join the rest of the Scully clan?  I know there are quite a few that are curious about Dana’s mysterious Mulder.”

The two men stood and headed toward the door.  “I got a taste of that when I came in, what is that all about?”

Bill laughed and patted Mulder on the shoulder.  “Whenever the gangs all around and Mom wants to corral the kids she makes Dana tell them about one of your cases.  They all have their favorite Mulder stories.”

~

Maggie watched the door to the study anxiously.  When it opened her heart fell to her feet.  She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Bill and Fox walk out laughing. 

Maggie walked over and asked, “Everything okay?”

Bill looked at Mulder and replied, “Yeah, Mom, we’re fine.  Now I think Mulder here would like to see Dana.  Do you know where she is?”

Maggie smiled and told Fox that Dana was out back playing for the annual Scully shuttlecock tournament.

Mulder stood near a tree watching Scully defeat a tall sandy haired young man.  The man rallied for a while but ultimately Scully won out.

Amid the cheers calling for Dana was one voice saying Scully.  Scully turned and saw him and she broke out into a glorious smile.  “Mulder!”  She called as she ran toward him.  “You’re here?”

“Bill called and asked me to come so we could talk.”  Scully’s brow lifted.  “I just left him; I think we’ve come to a new understanding.”

“I’m glad for that; those ‘Mulder ruined your life’ stories get pretty boring after a couple years.”

Mulder leaned in close and whispered, “So, Scully, you want to explain the finer art of baseball?”  Mulder couldn’t hide his smirk at Scully’s shocked expression.  ‘Scully, you are so busted,’ he thought.

Scully composed herself and decided it was now or never time.  She looked him right in the eye and said in a sultry sigh, “I’m always up for some good one on one,” she paused and trailed a finger down his jaw, “coaching.”

Mulder’s jaw dropped and he had a hard time swallowing.  Scully turned and walked toward the house.  Mulder soon recovered and ran to catch her.

Over to the side Charles walked up to Bill.  “So that’s Mulder.”  Bill nodded but didn’t say anything.  “Mom says you two had a talk and you seemed to be getting along.”  Again Bill nodded. 

The two men watched the interchange between their sister and Mulder.  Mulder leaned into Dana.  They weren’t close enough to hear but whatever he said shocked Dana.  “He’s gonna pay for that,” Bill said knowingly and Charles agreed.

They watched as Dana moved to within a hairs breath from Mulder, his reaction to her words was immediate.  It took a moment for Mulder to recover his senses then they saw him trot after Dana.

“Whipped,” they said in unison as they high fived each other.

End