#scully family dinner

[darkesttimelinestuff]

"If you don't stop now- "

Day 12 Fictober 

Prompt #14 - "If you don't stop now —"

Find me on Ao3

Dinner at Maggie’s was always a treat for Mulder. He saw how traditional families ate together, joked together, discussed current events that didn’t involve world and life-threatening conspiracies. It was just a normal day at a normal house with a normal family. 

Even Bill Jr.’s jobs about the X-Files couldn’t stop the feeling of home and belonging that washed over Mulder. 

“When are you coming out to visit San Diego, Day?” Bill asked. 

Scully looked from her brother to Mulder, and couldn’t imagine the two of them together for more than a couple of hours  “I’m not sure,” Scully replied, rubbing Mulder’s thigh. “Work has been busy lately.”

“Oh,” Bill waved a hand, “work will always be busy. You have to take time out for yourself.”

“He’s right,” Maggie agreed, swirling the wine in her glass. “It’s important to enjoy your time together.

Mulder nudged Scully with his leg. “Could be good for us to get away. A week in California. I’ve never really seen your old stomping grounds, Scully. You’ve seen all of mine.”

She rubbed his knee, imagining the two of them at the beach, staying up late and indulging in one too many drinks. Her hand drifted higher up his thigh and Mulder choked on his wine.

“You know,” Bill said, “they just opened this great new restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter.”

Mulder dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. Scully’s fingers teased the bulge in his pants.

“Oh, the tapas place?” Maggie asked and Bill nodded. “Oh, I just love tapas. Have you ever had them, Fox?”

Scully’s palm pressed into the crotch of his jeans. Mulder cleared his throat, attempting to sound calm. “I love tapas, Mrs. Scully.” He felt sweat beading his forehead. “They’re great. I don’t think Scully here has ever had them.”

“Oh, you have to try them, Dana!” Tara exclaimed. “Even Matthew likes them and he’s very picky. I’m sure there’s a great restaurant here in D.C.!” 

Scully’s fingers squeezed around Mulder’s growing cock.

“We’ll uh… we’ll look into it.” Mulder’s voice was strained. 

“Fox, are you feeling okay?” Mrs. Scully asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, Mulder,” Scully chimed in, rubbing the head of his now very erect penis. “You’re looking a little sweaty.”

“Oh, dear. I hope it wasn’t the food,” Mrs. Scully added.

“No, it wasn’t,” Mulder reassured. “I’m fine.”

Scully stroked him over the rough fabric of his pants from root to tip and his hips involuntarily flexed into her warm hand. 

When Maggie asked what Matty likes to eat at the tapas restaurant, Tara was more than happy to share adorable anecdotes about her grandson. Mulder had ceased to respond to the rest of the conversation, too engrossed in the pleasure of Scully’s special attention. 

She looked so calm, smiling when necessary, laughing when Tara told them all the cute things Matthew did. Though Mulder had known Scully for nearly a decade, it was clear he had much to learn about her. 

This was a side of Scully he rarely saw. Today he saw the rebel. The girl who smoked her mother’s cigarettes, who stole out in the middle of the night to meet a boy. He saw the young woman who would sneak boyfriends into her room while her parents were asleep, the one who defied her parents expectations and joined the F.B.I.

Precum dripped from his cock and he throbbed against Scully’s firm hands. She was so good, so careful to touch him in just the right spot, but not hurt him through the fabric and zipper. She’d tease the head and caress this length, tease his inner thigh and balls before paying special attention to his head again.

He leaned over and whisper into Scully’s ear, “"If you don't stop now —"

“Fox, are you sure you’re okay? Bill asked. “Your face is very flushed. You should have Dana take a look at you.”

“That’s a good idea,” agreed Maggie. “Why don’t you take him upstairs to the guest room and have him lie down? Let him rest.”

“That’s a good idea,” Scully agreed. “Thanks, mom. Come on, Mulder.” She reached for his hand and pulled him toward the stairs, walking in front of him to cover his massive erection. 

“Okay,” Mulder muttered, barely able to walk. “Sorry, everyone.”

“It’s okay, Mulder,” Bill called. “My sister will take good care of you. She’s very good at what she does.”

#fictober #fictober23 #fictober 2023 #the xfiles #the x files #thexfiles #txf #txf fanfic #scully #mulder #dana scully #msr #the x-files #mulder and scully #fox mulder #Scully family dinner #mulderxscully #mulder x scully #x files #x files fanfic #xf fanfic #fanfic #Bill Scully Jr #Maggie Scully #bill scully jr. #xfiles fanfic #ao3 fanfic #ao3 link #ao3 writer

[atths--twice]

Imagine The X-Files reboot happens. We’re introduced to new agents working in the basement. They find themselves stumped on a case and they look at one another and nod.

Cut to a coffee shop and we see Mulder and the agents. He’s smiling, looking at the file, and thinking of so many things as he listens to them.

“Wow. The case sounds incredibly interesting. I definitely would be all in a few years ago. But now…” He checks his watch and smiles again. “I gotta pick my daughter up soon. I’ll offer what advice I can, but I can’t be late for her.”

When he leaves, we see him watching them, somewhat wistfully, but then his watch beeps with a previously set alarm to pick up his daughter. At the same time, he gets a message from Scully about dinner, asking if he’s still cooking or if he wants her to pick something up on her way home. He grins and nods his head, knowing he’s made the right choice.

And then maybe a young female agent comes to the hospital seeking out Scully, needing some additional advice. She hints at what she knows of Mulder and Scully.

“Oh,” Scully laughs softly, shaking her head. “You have no idea.”

And she crosses her arms and we see that she’s wearing a wedding ring.

These two deserve happiness and family and love- everything they haven’t been able to have. I would love to watch a new group of people working cases so long as the story is good and the chemistry is there.

And if we got to have little chances to look in to Mulder and Scully‘s life… yes please. ❤️

Let me make an addition especially for @baronessblixen because I completely agree with her. 💕💕

I want to see them with their kid. I want to see them enjoy their time with her. Maybe we see her schooling the agents somehow and Scully looks at Mulder and he looks at her and they both say “that’s all you” and then everyone laughs.

I want to see both of them interact with her together doing something as simple as just being at home. Like I NEED it so badly. If we got that, like the “what if” scenarios we saw in the revival, (minus the alien aspect of it) I would be so incredibly happy. ❤️❤️

#the x files #msr #love #possible reboot #I would love to see this

[neptunepenguin]

I think Game Night in Season 5 is one of the best episodes in the entire series.

Rosa finally comes out to her close friends in the 99

The episode shows a turning point in Diaz and Peralta's friendship - they can lean on each other for support

Peralta supports Rosa during dinner with her parents and continues to stand with her even though dinner is a disaster

Rosa expresses to her parents that her being bi is not simply "a phase"

Even though Rosa's parents can't accept her right away, the 99 readily support her and make up for family game night - they are a true family

B99 Family Game Nights will happen weekly!

Everyone brings something different that showcases their personality:

Jake organizes the gathering/Amy brings wine

Boyle brings various games INCLUDING TWISTER!!

Terry brings lots of pizza

Scully and Hitchcock bring snacks!!!

Gina is sassy as always and says she and Diaz could make a fantastic couple

Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place - Holt

#b99 #brooklynninenine #rosa diaz #jake peralta #amy santiago #captain holt #terry jeffords #hitchcock and scully #charles boyle #game night

[stoopid-turtle]

the art of being a skeptical turtle

So this is a personal post more about my experience as a turtle. If you just want to get to the fun list of candies I totally buy into regardless of evidence, just skip down to where the asterisks are. (Consider this like a recipe attached to a blog post)

For those interested in the whole nerdery going on here, let me share that I had a lot of trouble coming to terms with bjyxszd. I wrote a whole series of posts about it to get my thoughts in order. Now I'm fully on the turtle train, but I find myself skeptical of some candies.

This is gonna get super-nerdy so hold on to your butts.

I'm a generally skeptical person. I come by it honestly. My parents literally subscribed to Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptics magazines. They (well, my dad mainly) were capital-S Skeptics. My family talked about logical fallacies, perceptual oddness, and the fallibility of memory over the dinner table.

Please don't back away. I know self-identified Skeptics are typically insufferable. I didn't know this as a kiddo, though, so the whole "thinking about things skeptically" became just my default way of processing stuff. Nowadays, I wouldn't call myself a Skeptic in the way that some in a particularly obnoxious subculture do. But I do tend to be a skeptical sort. I just don't...you know...think it makes me smarter/better/cooler than other folks.

(Actually, it makes me way less cool bc I can single-handedly ruin a fun party by expressing skepticism about something. Nobody likes a wet blanket. I know this)

My bestie in high school always called me Scully to his Mulder. He would believe anything he saw or read, whereas I didn't. Usually, I was right. Like when he totally thought that the Blair Witch Project was real found footage (It's not. Nobody thinks it is now, I know, but it was part of the promo at the time). On occasion, he was right. Like when he told me that some gray clouds we had overheard were from wildfires in Mexico. I scoffed bc, really, we weren't that close to Mexico. But he was right and I learned a valuable lesson on large-scale weather phenomenon. (He's still wrong about there being a picture of a light bulb in the pyramids though)

So, yeah, that's just how I process things. It's second-nature for me. But I reached a point with my generally skeptical outlook where I considered 2 things to see whether I really cared if people were buying into something I thought was false.

The stakes. If a person believes X, what does that lead to? If I don't believe Y, even though it's true, what does that lead to?

There's a whole bunch of political stuff that heightens the stakes. To take a ridiculous (and outdated one), when I was growing up, there was a common story that AIDS hopped from apes to humans because a gay man had sex with an ape and then had sex with other humans. Thus, the AIDS epidemic.

The stakes of other people buying into that homophobic nonsense were (and are) life and death. (If you believe that...uh...bye?) It's something that's worth me being the obnoxious Scully if I hear someone buying into it.

The stakes of, say, my high school bestie believing that The Blair Witch Project was real found footage was...nothing. It just made him want to see the movie more. Nobody was hurt. It didn't matter.

I argued with him at the time, but I probably wouldn't anymore.

The stakes for believing that bjyxszd, here in international fandom, are perhaps higher than the Blair Witch thing. But only barely. If somebody believes in a particular rumor/candy that I don't think is real, it affects literally nothing. We're both still turtles. We have a lot more in common than we do difference with regards to YiZhan. Likewise, the effect of me not believing a candy that may be true is nil. Gg and dd are not impacted in any way.

(I think things may be different for c-fans, but that's not at all a thing I'm qualified to delve into. I can only account for myself in my context)

2. The other thing I consider is the context. That is, how likely are we to know the actual truth?

Scientific claims have a method to test them (and claims that can't be tested are just...not something science addresses). Claims about current events can be researched using journalism methods or whatever. For that homophobic AIDS story, there's ways to prove that it's not true. For the Blair Witch thing...well, the actors went on the talk show circuit for promo so, you know, the real footage myth was quickly lifted.

Celebrities exist in a different context. Like most people, they have a private life that is not accessible to people on the outside. If they choose to open up about that life, then cool. But if they don't or can't do so (like is the case with YiZhan), then they'll try to keep their private life out of sight of fans.

It really hit home to me when I was doing the bts thing how little of dd and gg we saw in the Untamed bts. We see even less of them now. I'm at peace with the fact that I just will never know much about these guys (I wrote a whole post about it). But the fact that there's a big mass of the unknown means that the possibilities are endless. We don't know and we'll never know.

So I don't have any more authority on anything gg or dd related than anybody else does. So why would I attempt to question or dismiss candies that other people find compelling? At the end of the day, there is a truth, but it's not accessible to us, so anything we come up with is just extrapolation.

Which is fine. It's fun. I think there's real stuff going on. (If I didn't, I wouldn't be here) But it means there's no real point arguing about the specific candies.

(and to be clear, I don't see turtles doing this, really. so this is all just me reiterating my own approach to things bc I'm a person who processes thoughts through long tumblr posts apparently) (and it's not a reaction to any particular candy. this post has been in my drafts for ages)

I think I'm a hard sell on a lot of candies, and I'm definitely the fuddy-duddy who just squints and asks a bunch of obnoxious questions about things.

But I ask those questions of myself and don't feel the need to annoy other turtles with them because, honestly, we're all in this boat together. Some candies appeal to particular turtles more than others, and I think we all kinda have our personal preferences for which ones resonate with us. I'm not here to rain on anybody's parade, especially as we all have way more in common just bc we all believe in bjyxszd.

This is all a long-winded way to explain how I think about candies, honestly. Or more, how I assess candies that are new-to-me and figure out whether to buy into it or not. With anything involving bjyx, I also leave a lot of room for there just being an unknown and unknowable. Again, the stakes are low, and if I'm wrong about any particular candy (in either direction), then...oh well? It affects literally nothing.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

So here's the fun part! The list of candies that I fully admit don't have a whole lot going for them (by my stupidly exacting standards) but that I totally buy into just because I like them.

Basically all lip-readings, but especially this one

(if you don't want to click thru, this is the moment from the Nanjing farewell concert where dd and gg seem to flirt about photos while on-stage)

Okay, I know, rationally, that lip-readings are always gonna be shaky. I mean, I've seen Medieval Land Fun-Time World. If I'm honest with myself, I know that the lip-readings are basically fluffy candy.

But whatever. I choose to believe them. This moment, especially, I adore (and it does come with dd posting a bare-faced photo after!). I think their big grins while openly flirting with each other on stage just jazzes me enough to pretend.

It's all true. I totally believe it.

Related to this is:

2. Any and all CPN about dd and/or gg seeing turtle signs and smiling or otherwise reacting positively.

I've seen such CSI-worthy analysis of sight-lines to try to establish with precision where dd or gg is looking at the moment they smile/look happy. I have no idea how much any of it holds up, and it's not worth the bother to try to confirm any of it.

But whatever. I like it. I believe it. I'll probably believe it everytime it happens.

3. Advanced Bombology.

So there's some things that aren't in dispute here. We definitely know that gg suddenly cut an Olay commercial ad from a 2 day shoot to a 1 day shoot, and it's a reasonable assumption that he did so to be at the DDU anniversary episode with GG.

The rest is a little fuzzy. The video details dd being kinda grouchy in interviews before the DDU shoot, and it also shares an anon rumor from a person who claimed to overhear dd in a studio restroom arguing on the phone with gg. This rumor came out a year after the event.

The rest of the video is some interpretation of the boys' behavior/mood in the DDU anniversary ep.

So, like, I get that anon rumors a year on maybe aren't the most solid evidence for anything. But whatever, I buy it.

And the interpretation of the boys' mood seems true to me, especially the moment where the interviewer asks gg if they'd discussed his visit ahead of time. Gg def does a sweatdrop, panic pause, look at dd moment and waits for dd's lead to answer. I find a lot of mood interpretation from videos a bit much, but this feels real.

In fact, the whole thing just feels real. Maybe that's why it's easy for me to buy. It feels like a real argument a couple would have.

4. The 5/22 fight during CQL shooting.

I talked about this back when I was doing the bts in order.

In tl;dr, dd gives gg a bit of a brush-off response to something. gg responds by cold shouldering him and then doing some passive aggressive sniping about how dd doesn't want gg to care about him. dd gets upset, then he apologizes, then they go on to watch something on one of their phones.

The basis of this one is some gossip plus a video shot from a distance that requires reading lips. So we know that's already fuzzy, and I know I approached this with some skepticism in my earlier post. That was just to be rational about things so as to be honest with myself.

In truth, I buy it. I buy the argument. I buy the lip-reading. Again, it feels real.

5. GG's card to turtles

This is one of those frustrating ones I'm having trouble refinding. Darn.

The upshot, and I'm going from memory, is that there's a CPN about a card written to turtles ostensibly from gg. This came with some handwriting comparison to try to match the signature to gg's known signature.

This isn't something I'd place bets on, because...seriously, it's so fuzzy.

But in my heart, I believe it for no reason other than that I want to.

6. DD as gg's mystery driver

Okay, there's a couple such incidents. One quite recently. Where gg's driver is mysteriously masked such that you can't see their face.

And, truth, it could be literally anybody under there. But for me, it's dd. No need to give me painstaking comparisons of hands or whatever. I'm fully in on this one.

7. The bone necklace.

Ack, don't hate me for this one!

When I was doing my posts about stuff that had convinced me that gg and dd were still together, I stumbled with the bone necklace. To me, it's the main thing that convinces me, but if I'm honest, it really is kinda a leap of faith thing.

With the ox-head necklace, we have the fancam footage to back it up as being from gg. All we have for the bone necklace is the timing and the precedent of dd having already worn a necklace from gg. That's shaky, really.

In fact, I think I saw some other dd CP claiming the bone necklace as theirs (I saw them also claiming the Leica camera). I think they're wrong, but I don't have any solid proof to say so.

I think the most I can say is that there are much harder evidences that gg and dd are still together. But these typically involve massive privacy violations so I'm not eager to spread them around (I kinda hate that I stumble upon them, tbh). But in any case, it has me convinced, so if I already know gg and dd are a couple, then of course the bone necklace is related.

But on its own, the bone necklace is a leap.

Okay, that all said, since I (finally) had a photo of dd last time I posted, I'm dropping a random gg photo here. Not my favorite, cause pls don't make me choose, but one that hangs out my head throughout the days.

#bjyx #yizhan #considerations of being a turtle #it starts nerdy and then turns into a listicle #no judgment for just skipping to the candies #gratuitous gg photo #they srsly just wrapped him in cables and then that happened #what is his waist yall #and why's there a car driving up his lapel? #still sexy

[actual-changeling]

Heya! Do you have any msr fic Recs?

I do have a lot! My ao3 bookmarks are all public, so you can go and browse those by fandom since I save every single fic I read. Fake/pretend relationship and anything involving them figuring out their relationship while around people are two of my all time favourite tropes. Here are some of my favourites though, they're either oneshots or completed:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (~66k, E)

Getting home proves to be challenging for our favourite agents. Set during Season 7, after Millennium.

True Lies (~106k, T)

Post-Terma, Scully can't help but think they need protection against any future kangaroo court congressional hearings and comes up with a rather unconventional solution that she proposes of Mulder.

Since We Fell Apart (~23k, T)

Post One Son, Scully is fed up with playing second fiddle to everything in Mulder's life, and decides it's best to just be done with him. Skinner asks her to work one last case for the X-Files - undercover in Arcadia.

Keep It All the Year (26k, M)

Scully is summoned to San Diego for a funeral at Christmastime, and ropes Mulder into her family dysfunction. Set in S6, canon divergent but not wildly so.

The Whole Story (~2.6k, T) by @sisterspooky1013

If they thought Maggie couldn’t tell when two people are holding hands under the dinner table, they've got another thing coming.

The Marriage Spectacular (~20k, M)

Lost FBI agents. Stormy weather. A marriage retreat in a mountainside inn with one room available.

una via (~19k, M)

Mulder and Scully's changing relationship in the period after Amor Fati.

Plus some of my favourite authors whose works I am still digging through and enjoying a lot. There's nothing better than reading a great fic, going to their profile, and then realizing they have like 100 more of them.

Skinfull @baronessblixen OnlyTheInevitable fragilevixen @danascully77 cecily_sass audries kittenscully

I'm probably forgetting a bunch of people, so you're very much invited to add your favourite fics and/or your own (self promo is explicitly welcomed!!).

#alex answers asks #alex watches x files #txf #the x files #x files #dana scully #fox mulder #scully x mulder #mulder x scully #msr #msr fic recs

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Bill Scully, MSR, and Pain (Part II)

And here we have part two to the distinct madness of Bill caught up in MSR whompfic observations-- Season 7 AUs and onward~.

Loose chronological order below~

Alelou's (Alt. Tumblr, Xanadu) Beyond Conception

AU-- Bill and Tara offer their embryos to Scully if she (and Mulder) wants to give parenthood a shot. 

@numinousmysteries/numinous_mysteries's Legacy (Ao3)

AU-- There is no baby, only Mulder and Scully growing closer after the IVF failure during a tenuous Colonization, a happy family, and her mother’s decline. 

MD1016/md1016's (Alt. Tumblr) Sins of the Father (FFN)

AU-- Post Sein und Zeit Bill and his family push Mulder for answers after Scully, withdrawn and unwell, won't explain herself. 

@kyouryokusenshi/Kyouryokusenshi/Kyouryoku Senshi/Char Chaffin's (Annex) Deliverance from Evil (Annex)

AU-- Colonization, but with Bill, Tara, Skinner, twins, and a surprise villainous visit from Krycek.

Chiefchopstix's Let's Settle This Like Men

AU-- S7 Bill and Mulder fight and are taken to the ER after Scully announces her pregnancy to the family.

T. Griffen's Faith

AU-- Post Requiem Bill supports his sister after she reveals her illness is actually a miraculous pregnancy.

ML/ML_is_me’s (Ao3, Gossamer, DW, Invidiosa) Absentee Father

Post Without Bill's rampage is checkmated by Maggie's good sense. Every baby, after all, needs a father.

jeri's (mulderscreek) "O Brother . . .

Post TINH Bill wants to think God will exempt Mulder for his sister's sake.

Dryad's (Ao3) Country of the Crepescule - Do You Like Our Owl?

Post Three Words Bill tries to patch things up with Scully: flubbing their dinner together, caring for a sick Mulder overnight, and meeting her new partner over breakfast the next morning.

Paige Caldwell's Regrets and Resolutions

AU-- Bill's attitude tore his life apart; but, like he and his sister and Mulder, learns to make do and move forward (and even helps freshly returned Mulder scrounge together an outfit for the baby's birth.)

Suzanne Feld/WildwingSuz's Going Solo (Ao3)

AU-- Post Existence Bill empathizes with newly single dad Mulder.

Girlie_girl7's Man to Man Talk 07

AU-- S9 Bill starts being nice after Mulder holds down the sick kid fort.

@mollybecameanengineer/Sareki's Is This It?

AU-- After S9 Mulder, Scully, and William escape CSM's compound with the help of their friends, Bill backs off from his tirade and begins to connect with his oft-hated, sort of brother-in-law.

@drbedeliadumaurier/heartsfilthylesson's fanfic prompt scully has bruises/isolated systems - Chapter 1

Post IWTB Maggie and Bill drag Scully into an intervention after seeing the bruises on her skin.

@suitablyaggrieved/ScullyLovesQueequeg's Holiday Apologies

Post IWTB Bill buries the hatchet after observing a drooping Mulder.

@contrivedcoincidences6/Spooky66/geektime66's For Worse

Post IWTB Bill fights then accepts Scully's decision to stand by her depressed partner. 

@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk’s (Ao3) iclet; if only in my dreams

Pre-Revival Bill gives his sister some much-needed perspective after her separation from Mulder.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

#txf #fic #Collector's Edition #Part II #Bill Scully MSR and Pain #xfiles #x-files #the x files #xf fanfic #numinousmysteries #Spooky66 #contrivedcoincidences6 #MD1016 #heartsfilthylesson #drbedeliadumaurier #mollybecameanengineer #Sareki #Chiefchopstix #T. Griffen #ML #ML_is_me #Dryad #Paige Caldwell #suitablyaggrieved #Kyouryokusenshi #Char Chaffin #WildwingSuz #Suzanne Feld #jeri #Girlie_girl7

[figureofdismay]

okay, my Skinner/Member of the Scully family pitch is actually 'somehow Skinner intercepts Melissa at Scully's apartment bc he's heard that Scully is in danger there, and takes her to a 3rd location (maybe a safe house or maybe even home with his wife???) and warns her to lay low until the standoff with the Syndicate is resolved, thus unwittingly saving her life. Melissa recognizes that Skinner is a man trapped by circumstances and in a grave moral crisis, on the brink of big changes etc, so she makes an effort to keep in touch and befriend him and is eventually 'there for him' when he's adrift during his divorce and Sharon's injury.

Which Scully doesn't find out about until she and Mulder are investigating Skinner and the frame up around the dead escort, only to find Melissa in the mix as well, all "Walter and I made a real connection last year, I know he wouldn't do this thing," while Scully's stuck on "Melissa?? Walter????"

Sharon also Doesn't Die, btw, and even though Melissa has become emotionally involved with Walter, she offers to mediate between him and Sharon bc she "senses" that Sharon regrets letting their marriage disintegrate to that point instead of pushing him to communicate when it could have made a difference, but Sharon's like "you know what, this is too weird, I don't need the psychic sister of one of my husband's agents involved in my potential reconciliation, I need to focus on my recovery and finding myself," and takes off for Taos or something. So Missy capitalizes on Walter's mandatory leave and takes him up to a friend's spiritual retreat center at an old farm in New Hampshire where they can make ceramics and ride horses and sleep late and 'make the most of' of the well appointed guest cabins -- he thinks he's insane for agreeing to this but it's also a nice break after being almost arrested for murder and Melissa is even more appealingly insane than her sister while being 1000% less likely to point a gun at him, which is a nice change of pace.

(Her sister is unaware of any of this and is off sinking a boat, getting stranded, and being menace by megafauna.)

Melissa brings Walter to thanksgiving dinner that year to the shock of everyone besides Maggie, who was the only one she thought to warn. Scully manages to scramble her way through a polite "we don't have to work, do we?? what the hell are you doing here, sir??" only to be met with, "I thought Melissa would have told you," and "Where's Mulder? I thought sure he'd be here, too," which causes her to bluescreen for a moment before exclaiming that she and Mulder aren't dating. Which no one believes, probably not even Scully herself. Melissa shoves a big drink in her hand and drags her aside to tell her how much complexity and conflict there is under her boss's gruff exterior, "and you know he can be a really funny guy. Considerate! We want to have you and Fox over for dinner some time, wouldn't you two like that? Provided that everyone agreed to show up unarmed."

#txf #the x files #i mean no disrespect to the maggie/skinner folks that's definitely funny too!! #but i accidentally persuaded myself on melissa/walter in a 'crack treated way too seriously' way and now i'm Invested #msr #walter skinner #melissa scully #to be honest i have no earthly idea how to tag this #........will the first txf fic i finish in 20 years be crack pairing instead of msr? the potential is there XD

[baronessblixen]

O Holy No (7/10)

Today's prompt: Christmas tree-cutting disaster

Summary: Chaos, trees, and confessions. (wc: 2,351)

Tagging @today-in-fic

After several fits of laughter and a half-eaten bag of chips, her mother finally agrees to take a break. Scully helps her to the couch in the living room and by the time she returns with a blanket, her mother is already asleep. With a smile, Scully drapes the blanket over her, making sure to tug the edges in so she won’t be cold. How often has her mother done the same for her when she was younger?

One cookie victim tamed means there’s still one more loose in the kitchen. She doesn’t know how many cookies Bill has had but judging by his squirrel-like behavior, she fears it must have been quite a few. Back in the kitchen, she finds him finishing the bag of chips their mother abandoned. He glances at her with red eyes and shot pupils. He’s high, all right.

“Where’s the guy?” he asks, chewing with his mouth open.

“Do you mean Mulder?” Her brother nods, stuffing more chips into his mouth. It reminds her of when they were teenagers and Bill, towering over her and Melissa, would steal their snacks and interrogate them, claiming it was his duty when their father wasn’t home.

“He’s walking Toodles. Why?” She pretends to occupy herself with making dinner. Her mother must have been in the middle of cooking when the weed from the cookies hit. Scully has no idea what her mother was planning to make.

“Didn’t expect to see him here. Family Christmas and all.”

“Mom invited him.”

“I respect him, you know.” Scully turns to him, her face full of shock. “You can send him away a million times and he just comes back. He’s like-, it’s like- he’s like Toodles.” Bill snickers and as if to signal that the conversation is over, he opens the fridge, his face disappearing inside. She’s gonna ignore that he brother compared Mulder to a dog and decides it’s still better than Bill hating on him. Though his good-natured mood might just be because of the weed cookies. She’s tempted to keep a few, just in case Bill turns back into a grouch.

By the time Mulder and Toodles return from their walk, a new bond between the two newest family members, Bill has fallen asleep as well. He’s half leaning against the armchair in the living room, a gnawed at carrot in his hand that Toodles steals from him without a hint of remorse.

“Hey, you.” Mulder is grinning and putting his arms around her. He’s been gone half an hour and she missed him. She has it bad. Who knew a kiss and a night of passion could change so much about them? This is what she wants. She doesn’t want this cookie-cutter house that looks like all the others in the neighborhood, with interchangeable families. But she wants this. She wants them to come home to each other. Maybe a dog and maybe… no, she won’t allow herself that dream. Not today. Not this Christmas. It’s been two years since Emily and the memory of her, while scarred, is always present.

“I hope you didn’t power yourself out,” she says, turning around in Mulder’s arms and tipping her face up to his. There’s mischief in his eyes.

“Do you have special plans with me, Agent Scully?”

“I do,” she says and leans up to kiss him softly. She can’t get enough of him and his taste. If she could, she’d drag him upstairs and have her way with him. And judging by his look, that’s exactly what he thinks she’s offering. She’ll have to disappoint him – and herself. “We need to go and get the Christmas tree. Usually, it’s Bill’s job. Today it’s going to be us.”

“I like the idea of us,” he admits, punctuating his words with a kiss. They need to stop kissing or they’ll never get out of the house.

“We need to go – now.”

“What’s the hurry?” Mulder asks, nuzzling her cheek and her neck. He makes a very valid and persistent point and she feels herself give in, her hands gripping his sweater, ready to tear it off. Toodles barks and they jump apart. Mulder grumbles. “Toodles, I thought we were friends,” Mulder says to the dog.

“Toodles is right. We need to get going. It’ll be too late otherwise and Mom would be sad.” She sees the change in his expression. Mulder is too much of a sweetheart and he loves her mother too much to cause her any disappointment.

“Lead the way, G-Woman.”

*

The Christmas farm is crowded, and instinctively, Mulder reaches for her hand. She can barely pay attention to the trees because it hits her that she and Mulder are a couple. They didn’t talk about it; between having sex all night, running into her mother, flying to San Diego, and confiscating weed cookies, there hasn’t been any time for serious conversations. And they aren’t very good at them anyway.

With Mulder’s warm hand around hers, she has to face the facts. They have crossed a line, one they’ve been tiptoeing around for ages. He’s flown across the country to be here with her and her family. What if they’re moving too quickly after all?

“Hey,” Mulder says, unaware of her conflicting thoughts. “What do you think about this one?” Leave it to her partner to choose one of the biggest Douglas firs they have here.

“Don’t you think it’s… too much?” What she really wants to know is whether he has the same doubts she has. Back at the house, everything was fine. Now, with Mulder grinning at her, his hand around the fir, she feels like she did the night they ran into a scantily dressed Diana; she feels the need to run away.

“I think it’s perfect,” Mulder says. “But we can keep looking if you want.” She sees him mouth a “bye” to the tree and her heart fills with love. This is Mulder. Her Mulder. And that’s the root of it all. The fact that this is Mulder makes this whole thing so scary. One wrong step and she’s going to lose him. Not just as her boyfriend – though she can’t imagine ever calling him that – but as her best friend and partner, too.

“What about this one?” The next tree is smaller, but still huge in Scully’s eyes. What if it doesn’t fit? What if they’re making a mistake? “Scully, it’s just a tree.” Mulder’s voice is gentle and reassuring. She nods, trying to keep her lips from quivering.

“Do you want to get one of those mini trees over there?”

“Let’s look at them.” The small trees are as lackluster as Mulder’s expression. He wants the big tree. He’s ready to jump in, just like always. Will she jump in after him?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks her, reaching for her hand again. “Damn Scully, your hand is ice-cold.” He sandwiches it between both of his, warming her. All she can do in return is stare at him. His eyes that are always curious and always searching for hers. His nose that she knows he struggles with and that she just loves. His mouth with the pouty bottom lip that she’s tasted now. His jaw that’s full of confidence and defiance. Her Mulder. Her love. Why was she so scared just moments ago? She's not anymore, not in the least. She opens her mouth, ready to say the words she’s been wanting to say, that he’s already uttered once before.

“Mulder, I lo-”

“Watch out!”

The words cut through the moment and are emphasized by a loud crack and a sound that reminds Scully of an old wooden door falling shut. She doesn’t have enough time to think about it. She sees Mulder blanch and reach out for her. She, however, remains rooted to the spot but turns around, glimpsing a bunch of blurred green before the fallen fir lands on her, burying her under it.

“Help me get it off her!” Scully hears Mulder’s panicked voice and her attempt to assure him that she’s fine almost ends with her having a mouth full of fir needles.

“Holy shit, Scully.” As soon as the tree is lifted off her, she’s in Mulder’s arms. “Are you okay?” His hands touch her everywhere, surveying the damage. “Talk to me, please.” He isn’t the only one waiting for her to say something. There’s a small crowd, some more shocked than others.

“We need a doctor,” someone says.

“I am a doctor,” Scully says. “I am… okay. Really.” Almost as if bored or disappointed, the crowd dissolves, and people continue to go about their business. Except for a man who’s wringing his hands.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “My son, he… I should have made sure there was no one close by.” Mulder takes a step forward and Scully stops him with a hand on his arm.

“Nothing happened. I’m fine.” Mulder winces next to her. Once the man has taken the tree and his son away, she turns to him. His smile is shaky as he plucks a few fir needles from her hair.

“Green looks good on you,” he jokes feebly. “How are you? Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” She feels lightheaded looking at him and trying to keep up with his quick-fire questions.

“I think I-” Mulder catches her around the waist when she falters.

“Yeah, we’re going to the hospital.”

“Mulder, no. No, I’m okay. I just think- I think I need to lie down.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure. Let’s get a tree and-”

“Fuck the tree. I’m taking you home.”

“We can't go home empty-handed,” she says, gently touching his cheek. “Let’s get the first one you showed me. The big one.” She’s ready she decides. Her doubts almost felled her, but she won’t be easily beaten. Her head is spinning as she sits in the car waiting for Mulder. He’s grinning when he pays for the tree. Something good has come out of this after all.

Tara and Matthew are home when she and Mulder arrive back at the house. Matthew skids into her arms with a bright smile and a kiss on her cheek.

“There was an accident,” Mulder says to no one in particular. “We, um- Dana was, well…”

“What happened, Dana?” Tara asked, worried. Bill who must have slept it off is looking her up and down before he glances at Mulder, probably wondering if he can blame him for whatever happened.

“Some idiot-,” Mulder starts and Scully stops him, motioning towards Matthew. “Some guy wasn’t paying attention and a tree fell on her.”

“I’m fine,” Scully says as an answer to the collective gasps from her family.

“Go lie down,” Mulder says softly, his hand on her back. “I’ll bring you tea and something to eat, all right? Take it easy for today.” She finds herself nodding, ascending the stairs. Mulder is about to face Bill, Tara, Matthew, and her mother all on his own.

She removes the suitcase she never got around to unpacking from her bed and crawls under the comforter. The last few days are catching up with her quickly. She feels exhaustion sweep her away, her eyes heavy. She can hear her family including Mulder chatting downstairs and it’s like a sweet lullaby. She’s half asleep when she hears footsteps on the stairs.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” That’s not Mulder’s voice, it’s her brother’s. Scully pretends to be asleep, suddenly feeling more alert. “I’m still not- those weed cookies were something.”

“I just want to be around,” Mulder says softly, and Scully tears up.

“My mother said- when you two were still gone and we were, um, the weed was wearing off, she said to me, she said that you and I aren’t so different. That we both love Dana. I just wanted to know… is it true? Do you love my sister?” Scully holds her breath, thankful she left the door open. She can see their shadows dancing in front of the bedroom, and she can hear them loud and clear.

“More than anything in the world,” Mulder says without hesitation. There’s not a single hitch in his voice. He’s calm and soft-spoken. “She’s my best friend and my confidante. She’s the smartest person I know. She’s amazing at her job. She is kind and passionate. I don’t know why she chose this life, Bill. Or me. But she did. I know you wanted something else for her and hell, some days I do, too. She’s stubborn as a mule – I love that about her, too. So to answer your question, yes, I love her. I intend to be here with her as long as she wants me to be.”

There’s a long pause and Scully wishes she could see her brother’s face. She wishes she could kiss Mulder and pull him into bed with her. The pillow under her cheek is wet from her tears. Happy tears.

“I will still keep an eye on you,” Bill says.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

“And I'm not going to hug you.”

“Oh please, no. I’m just going to check on Dana and see if she needs anything.” A moment later, one pair of footsteps retreats and another comes closer.

“Scully?” Mulder whispers and she can’t help but smile. She no longer wants to pretend. Neither does she want to run away anymore.

“I’m awake.”

“I brought you some tea,” Mulder says, “and a few cookies. Not the weed cookies. Your mother is making dinner. She sent me up to thank you for getting the tree. How are you?”

“Tired,” she says honestly. “Long day.”

“Very.”

“You’re tired too? There’s enough space here.”

“Scully, are you coming on to me? In your brother’s house?”

She wants to admit what she just heard and she wants to finish what she was about to say at the Christmas tree farm. Instead, she tugs him down to kiss him softly and with everything she feels for him. There will be time for words later.

#ficmas2023 #oholyno #this got long omg #reaching the point where it's difficult to read my own writing #i hope you guys enjoy it!! #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

[sisterspooky1013]

Gaslight, Chapter 10/48

Rated X | Read it here on AO3

It’s Saturday. A day to sleep in, to take the morning slow, to spend time with family. They talked about the Farmer’s Market. They talked about ice cream at that new place downtown. They talked about taking the kids to a movie.

Dana lies in bed, awake, watching sunbeams move across the wall as 9am becomes 10am becomes 11am. She tells Cal she doesn’t feel well, that her stomach is bothering her, and he accepts it with concern and compassion. Pepto Bismol, Imodium, Tylenol, ginger ale, Saltines, and water materialize on her nightstand. She doesn’t even remember him coming into the room.

“Are you sick, Mommy?” Abby asks, and Dana nods glumly.

Abby brings her her very best bear, Mr. Boots. Peter brings her a spider in a cup, then smashes it when it tries to escape. She listens as the din fades into silence and the garage door opens and closes. She feels relieved to be alone in her torment.

They want her to forget. But forget what? And who are ‘they’? The man? Did he somehow compel her to forget him? Was it Cal? Is this all an elaborate way to move on from her affair? Why go back eight years? Eight years. Surely she hadn’t been carrying on that long.

Her mother. Does she know? Is she somehow involved? Was she willing to lie to her daughter for the sake of erasing this shameful mistake?

She summons the will to get out of bed. She showers, salted tears co-mingling with too-hot water and running down the drain. Washed away, like her memories. Like her indiscretions. Like her autonomy.

She finds a walkman in Cal’s desk and puts the disc in. She lies on the floor in the guest room and listens to it over and over and over.

You thrill me. I know you, you, you, thrill me. Darling you thrill me. Honest you do.

She thinks so hard it makes her head ache. She pulls out as many details as she can remember from her dreams. The green countertops. His mossy eyes. The way he said her name. Scully. That he loved her. That she loved him back. There are new tears, and the music is drowned out by her sobs of grief. It was taken from her. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to have it in the first place, but it should have been her choice. She should have been allowed to choose.

At first I thought it was infatuation, but oooo it’s lasted so long…

His mouth is hot, his breath and his lips and his tongue. It seeps through her panties, warming the skin beneath, igniting nerve endings. She tries to keep her hips still as he brushes his lips over cotton and lace, dropping wet kisses on her hip bones and the apex of her heat. She hears him inhale deeply, letting it out with a little hum. She has never in her life felt so attended to, so wanted and worshiped. He pins the fabric of her panties between his teeth, tugging it to the side and running his tongue along the seam of her leg. She swells and gushes, anticipation as piqued as a drawn bow, tensed and ready to fire. His fingers hitch under the elastic at her hips, pulling down and down and down…

She startles and sits up abruptly, finding Cal in the doorway with his knuckles mid-knock.

“What are you doing, mija?” he asks, bewildered.

“Um,” she tries, pausing to swallow and collect her thoughts. “I was just trying to get comfortable.”

“On the floor?”

“Yeah. Sorry. How are the kids?”

She rises slowly from the floor as blood rushes to her head.

“They’re good. We saw The Road To El Dorado and went to the park with the big slide,” he says, eyeing her curiously. “Are you feeling any better?”

“A little bit,” she says, offering him a small smile.

He follows her downstairs and she does her best to rally for the children. They tell her all about the movie, and a dead squirrel they saw near the park.

“It looked like this!” Pete says, then lays on the floor and sticks his arms and legs up in the air, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

They have dinner. They get the children ready for bed. She steals glances at Cal, wondering and wondering. What is he keeping from her? What will he do if he realizes she’s suspicious? Does he actually know anything that she doesn’t?

He catches her in the hallway as she leaves Abby’s room, his hands on her hips stilling her.

“Can we watch some TV?” he asks, his expression pained.

“I think—I think I might just go to bed,” she says, avoiding his eye. “I still don’t feel very well.”

“Okay,” he aquiesces, releasing her and taking a step back. “Hopefully you feel better tomorrow.”

She nods, and he moves toward the stairs.

“I’m going to sleep in the guest room,” she says, and he freezes with his hand on the banister. “I just don’t want to keep you up with my tossing and turning,” she adds.

“Okay,” he says defeatedly, not bothering to look at her.

She watches him disappear around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, unsure whether his hangdog posture should elicit feelings of guilt or victory. He must know—how could he not? His love feels genuine, but loving someone does not preclude you from hurting them. In fact, those who love you are the ones who often hurt you worst of all.

She locks the guest room door. She listens to the song until the batteries in the Walkman go dead. She cries—for herself, for him, for whatever it is she lost. She cries because she doesn’t even know. Her tears pull her under, wringing her out to the point of exhaustion. She sleeps.

-

She drapes her body over his, their bare skin hot and electric as she wriggles up until his shaft is nestled in the valley of her thighs. She rocks her hips gently forward and back as he cranes his neck up to kiss her, humming and sighing. She’s so wet, and they’re so ready, he finds his way inside her without the use of their hands. She pauses to acclimate to the sweet, stinging stretch of him, taking minutes to kiss between each added inch until she sits fully impaled in his lap.

He sits up, cradling her face in his hands and kissing her firmly, urgently, as her hips begin to flex.

“Fuck, Scully. I love you,” he groans, and she feels herself rise up to meet him.

“Mulder,” she whimpers against his mouth.

“Mulder.”

-

Peter is pounding on the door.

“Mommy! I gotta show you something!”

Mulder. Mulder. Mulder. Mulder.

She clings to it, scribbling it onto her waking memory so it isn’t lost to the ephemeral anamnesis of sleep.

She pops the lock and the door flies open, and Peter holds out his hand to reveal a screw and a small metal disc. Her head is swimming, and she steadies herself with one hand resting on the door jam.

“I finded this in the garage!” he says proudly, and she gives the objects a cursory examination.

“That’s cool, Pete. Thanks for showing me.”

He tears off down the hallway, gone as quickly as he arrived, and she glances at the bedside clock: it’s after 10:00 am.

Mulder. Mulder. Mulder. Mulder.

Downstairs, she digs through the junk drawer for a pen and pulls out a pad of legal paper. She writes it down every way she can imagine that the sound she heard come from her own lips might be spelled.

Molder

Moulder

Melder

Mulder

Mulldur

Cal is watching her from the sofa, Abby tucked up under his arm. He doesn’t say anything, just follows her with his eyes as she tears the page off the notebook and returns the pen to the drawer, then pours herself a cup of tepid coffee. She makes her way back upstairs, sitting down at the computer in the rec room and pulling up Yahoo.

Molder Cremation and Funeral Planning Services.

Moulder- to slowly decay or disintegrate.

Melder, Thomas. 3311 Lincoln Drive, Tampa, FL.

Mulder, Declan, and Westwood, Attorneys at Law.

Mulldur: no results found.

The phone rings and she ignores it.

Her fingernails rattle against the keys as she thinks. Mulder. It sounds like a surname. If he called her Scully, she must have also called him by his last name. But why? In what circumstance would someone call their lover by their last name?

“Whatcha workin’ on?”

She jumps, crumpling the paper and stuffing it into the pocket of her robe. She turns in her seat and finds Cal at the top of the stairs, eyeing her pensively.

“Just something for work,” she lies. “I remembered that I—forgot something. For work.”

Cal nods, but it’s clear that he’s unconvinced.

“Can we talk? Just for a minute?” he asks, crossing the room and leaning against the wall beside the desk.

“Uh, sure,” she answers nervously. “But the kids—”

“I sent them over to the neighbors’,” he answers, and her heart begins to race. “What’s going on with you, Dana?”

“I’m still just feeling a bit unwell. I think I’m fighting something off,” she says, touching her forehead for effect.

Cal’s chin puckers momentarily. His head jerks toward his shoulder. He swallows, then looks at the floor.

“Please don’t lie,” he says softly. “You know how I feel about lying.”

No, I don’t. She thinks. Someone made sure that I don’t know that anymore.

“I’m not lying, Cal. There’s a bug going around at work—”

“That was Michelle who called,” he interrupts, his eyes still on the floor.

“On a Sunday?” Dana asks, surprised.

“She said you were supposed to see her last week and you didn’t show up,” Cal continues, then lifts his head to look at her. “She said you’ve been having disturbing dreams. Why didn’t you tell me, mija?”

He looks so genuinely wounded, she decides not to outwardly express her anger that Michelle shared her private information with him. Then again, she probably signed something saying that she could. She signed a lot of documents in those first few days, scrawling Dana Rose as though it were a foreign language.

“It’s nothing, Cal. There was nothing to tell,” she insists, though not angrily.

Cal stares at her stonily, disbelieving. She needs him on her side, needs to keep some part of her life held together enough that she can continue searching for the bits that broke off.

“I’m at a hospital,” she says, appearing to relent. “Not St. Agnes, somewhere else. And there’s a man with a gun, and he just keeps screaming. That’s it. That’s the dream, over and over. Sometimes the gun fires.”

Cal visibly relaxes, taking two steps forward and dropping to his knees at her feet. He moves her robe aside and pushes her T-shirt up to reveal her belly, then runs his thumb over the scar there.

“You’re remembering,” he says, and now it is she who sighs with relief. “It makes sense that this would be the memory that breaks through. It was traumatizing.”

He looks up at her, and she forces herself to touch the sides of his face, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks. She wants to trust him, wants to feel that little bit of security and contentment that was so quickly snatched away, but her gut is telling her that he’s not safe. No one is.

“Will you please go see Michelle tomorrow?” he asks pleadingly. “I’m worried about you.”

She nods, and he wraps his arms around her waist, resting his head on her chest.

“I love you,” he whispers hoarsely.

She strokes his hair, hearing the man, Mulder, in her mind. Fuck, Scully. I love you.

“I love you too,” she says rotely.

She plays the part. Loving wife. Attentive mother. It’s all she can think to do.

She dreams of him again. She wakes with the taste of his kiss on her lips. She wonders where he is now.

Mulder.

-

“Calvin sounded distressed when I spoke to him yesterday.”

Michelle is ornery. Jilted. Slighted by a patient who did not comply.

“May I see my release of medical information forms, please?” Dana asks, returning her snark. “I don’t recall giving you permission to disclose what we discuss here to my husband, and if I did, I’d like to retract that.”

Michelle’s mouth thins into a small line.

“Are you taking your medication, Dana?” she asks derisively.

“Yes,” Dana answers flatly.

“And are you still having dreams?”

“No.”

Michelle huffs and tosses her notepad onto an empty chair.

“You do realize you won’t gain anything from these sessions if you’re not honest with me?” she asks incredulously.

“I am being honest,” Dana replies, giving her nothing. “I’d like to see my release of medical information, please.”

Michelle stares at her, and Dana stares right back. It’s a battle of wills that she has no intention of losing. Whoever Michelle is, whatever she’s been asked to do or prevent, she won’t find a compliant patient in Dana.

“I could legally have you committed, Dana. Give me a reason to believe that you’re a danger to yourself or your children, and no judge will deny the request,” Michelle says in a gravely serious tone.

“Is that a threat?” Dana asks, feigning fearlessness as her heart leaps into her throat.

“We’re not getting anywhere today,” Michelle says as she stands and walks around to the other side of her desk. “Come back on Wednesday. Perhaps you’ll be ready to have an actual conversation then.”

Dana exits her office wordlessly, marching out of the building and back to her car with rage grasping her throat. She thinks back to all she shared with Michelle under the assumption that she was an advocate, feeling tricked and foolish.

She’s lost, so damn lost, with no north star or guiding light, nothing to tie herself to that she can be sure is real. She could leave Cal, but then what? Where would she go? Who can she trust?

No one. Not even her own mother.

Adrenaline fades and is replaced by exhaustion, her eyelids sagging as she makes her way towards the freeway entrance. At the last minute, she pulls into a coffee shop instead and parks, afraid that she may not make it back to Ellicott City alive, as tired as she is.

She orders a latte and leans against the wall as she waits. She lets her eyes slide closed as she tries to identify her next move. She could ask her mother, come right out and tell her she knows that something is going on, but if Maggie was willing to take part in this entire charade in the first place, odds are good that she’ll go to great lengths to keep it up. She could hire a private investigator. Perhaps they could locate the man, Mulder. She has little to no information to go on, other than a vague physical description and a last name. She doesn’t even know what region of the country he’s in, or if he’s in the US at all. He could be anywhere in the entire world.

“Just a large black coffee, please. No room.”

Her eyes snap open, and he’s there. He. Him. The man—Mulder. Standing not ten feet away, at the front of the coffee line. She knows his voice, the square of his shoulders, the bridge of his nose. He turns to walk to the coffee bar, right toward her, and she is struck by his hooded green eyes, his full bottom lip.

Fuck, Scully. I love you.

She waits with her heart pounding in her ears for him to see her. For that same realization to cross his face. It’s you, he might say. He can fill in all the missing pieces, make her feel like a whole person again.

But he doesn’t.

He gives her no more than a passing glance, then stands a few feet away and waits for his coffee.

“Latte for Dana,” the barista calls out, snapping her back to reality.

She approaches him, feeling a magnetic pull toward his body. His tailored suit, his chestnut hair: he is a living memory. A beacon. She feels the weight of his arms, the press of his kiss. She stands right beside him and he finally turns to look at her, his eyes scanning her face.

“Mulder?” she rasps out, and his eyebrows furrow. “Mulder, it’s me.”

Tagging @today-in-fic

#the x files #x files fanfic #txf #dana scully #fox mulder #xf fanfic #x files #the x-files

[ur-fav-inactive-writer]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐨'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞...

Request by anon

WC: 619

You were Amy's younger sibling and Amy absolutely adored you.

You had never really felt attached to your gender, you never felt like your assigned gender but you didnt feel like the opposite one either. For years, you thought maybe it was just normal to feel this way

Until, you found out about the term 'non-binary', you read up on it and discovered it described exactly the way you felt about yourself

You were excited to finally figure out your identity, but you were also scared. What would your parents say? What would your brothers say? What would Amy say?

You knew you'd have to tell them eventually, you couldn't keep hearing them use the wrong pronouns and your dead name. It was driving you insane, they had to know

You scheduled a dinner with your older sister Amy, you worked with her but it felt right to do it in a more private way, you had always been close with Amy, she was your best friend

As you began to eat, you told her you had to tell her something. She looked intrigued and urged you to continue after seeing your nervous expression

"Well, um... I'm non binary. I go by they/them pronouns and my new name is (Y/N). And if you don't like that, then im sorry, but it's who I am."

"(Y/N), im not upset about it, I accept you for who are you are, I love you no matter what your name is or pronouns are!"

You were overjoyed that your sister accepted you but you came to the realisation that you'd also have to tell the rest of your biological family and your work family.

You decided to first tell your work family, you'd have your sister there to guide you through the announcement and you were certain you'd have some support

The next day at the precinct, as the briefing came to an end, Amy announced that the two of you had an announcement. You both stood at the front of the room and she looked at your reassuringly. You sighed as you began to speak,

"So um... I thought I should tell you guys that I no longer go by (deadname), I go by (Y/N) and my pronouns are they/them. I'm non binary."

The room went quiet for a moment. You were scared but everyone quickly reassured you that they accepted you for who you are.

Rosa and Holt were especially proud of you for coming out, surprisingly they both gave you a hug (despite not being touchy people) and told you it was a good thing you came out and told everyone who you really are.

Jake thought it was cool and was obsessed with your new name. He made sure everyone got your pronouns and name right.

Scully and Hitchcock try their best to get your name and pronouns right, sometimes they slip up but they do apologise for any mistakes they make. They're old but theyre trying which is what matters

Terry and Holt prioritise changing any paperwork with your deadname and any information that had changed since your transition.

Charles did very good with remembering how to refer to you and gave you a very tight hug while congratulating you for gathering the courage to express who you really were.

Amy started dork-dancing with joy once you successfully came out to everyone, she was so proud she couldn't help it. She hugged you tighter than anyone else.

But then came the hard part, coming out to your family. Amy decided to arrange a family gathering and made a binder on hoe to come out. When you came out to your family, she was right by your side. No matter how your family responded, she stuck by your side the whole time.

#ur fav inactive writer #brooklyn 99 #brooklyn 99 x reader #amy santiago x nonbinary!reader #amy santiago x reader #amy santiago #amy santiago x sibling!reader #brooklyn nine nine #amy santiago fluff #brooklyn nine nine x reader #amy santiago x reader fluff

[leiascully]

X-Files OctoberFicFest Day 24: Perfect

This year, I'm using the October 2022 prompts from @artpromptcal.

There have been few moments in Mulder's life that he could recognize as perfect. This is one of them. He's wedged into Scully's big armchair with Scully's legs draped over his, her head resting on his chest. William sleeps on their collective lap, exhausted from the hard work of slurping down dinner or breakfast or whatever meal they're on. It's late. It might be early. Mulder has no sense of time and his wrist is trapped under Scully's ribs. His fingers are falling asleep. There's milky spit up on his knee.

He is happier than he's ever been. He opens his eyes wider, as if he can take it all in and preserve it in widescreen perfection: the first hours of their family, replaying on a loop in his mind.

#x-files octoberficfest #octoberficfest #leiascully fic #my fic sort of

[numinousmysteries]

Something to Celebrate

@eightnightsofmulder

@today-in-fic

Eight Nights of Mulder Day Three: Celebration

[on Ao3]

December 1995

The case was one dead end after another. They would’ve been back with time to spare, too, if Mulder hadn’t insisted on tracking down and interrogating the missing teenage boy’s estranged father. Unfortunately, he’d been ice fishing off the grid for days with his buddies, an airtight alibi with the walleye to prove it. Once they made it back to Detroit from Billy Graff’s father’s cabin on Lake St. Clair, Billy had been found holed up in a cheap motel with his girlfriend. It turned out his younger sister had caught him sneaking out of the house a week earlier and he’d bribed her to make up a story about witnessing him being taken by a bright light in the sky for their gullible, UFO-obsessed mother.

By the time Billy was safely returned home, the snow that had been teasing the area all week began to fall in earnest. And now they’ve missed their original flight and are stuck in the Detroit Metro Airport for the foreseeable future. 

Even with all the weather delays, the airport is mostly empty. It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is already where they need to be. Officially off the clock, he’s convinced her to have a drink with him at the airport bar. 

“If we get out tomorrow morning you’ll likely make it back for Christmas dinner,” he says, carrying two beer bottles back from the bar to their table. 

She just nods and, fortunately, he doesn’t push it. Last year was her first Christmas without her father and this would be her first without her sister. She feels guilty about leaving her mother with another empty place at the table, but she doesn’t miss facing Bill’s interrogation about her work or having to tell Maggie there are no new leads on Melissa’s murder. 

“I’m sorry I brought us out here for nothing,” he says.

“You didn’t know he made it up,” she replies, staring down at her beer bottle. She understands by now that a sibling gone missing under mysterious circumstances is enough to send them halfway across the country no matter how flimsy the evidence may be. And she knows it’s too sensitive of a point to call him out on.

“Hey,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “Why don’t we have our own little celebration right here?” 

“What are we celebrating, Mulder?”

“Billy Graff is home for the holidays with his family. We both made it through the case unscathed. And I think it’s still Hanukkah.” He gestures over the little battery-powered, flameless candle flickering on their high-top table. “Let’s get eight more of these and we can have our own little festival of lights.” 

She doesn’t have time to protest before he’s off his bar stool, gathering fake candles from the surrounding empty tables. He comes back with both hands full and moves their beer bottles around to make room to line up nine candles in a row.

“Aren’t there supposed to be eight? One for each night?” she asks.

“Oh, Scully, you forget the shamash.”

“The what?” 

“The shamash,” he repeats, acting surprised this isn’t common knowledge for his Irish Catholic partner. “The middle helper candle? The one we use to light the rest?”

“When was the last time you did this Mulder?”

“I’m pretty sure Nixon was in office,” he says. “But don’t worry. Nothing’s changed for over 2,000 years. Here, I’ll come sit next to you.”

He stands and scoots his bar stool until it’s directly next to hers. Their shoulders brush through their suit jackets, and she feels a rush of heat. 

“See, you place the candles right to left, so let’s pretend I already did that,” he sweeps a hand over their improvised menorah. “Then we light the shamash, and use it to light the other candles left to right. Of course, these candles need no oil, pure or otherwise, to keep burning but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

She smiles at him. Her Jewish, agnostic partner, who believes not in God but in astral projection, psychic visions, and chupacabras is guiding her through a bastardization of a religious ritual in the middle of the Detroit Metro Airport. It’s never a dull moment with him.

“Here, I’ll show you,” he says. 

He picks up her hand from the table and covers it with his. They pantomime lighting the middle candle, then using it to light the rest. Even without real flames, his hand feels warm over hers and she realizes this isn’t the worst way to spend Christmas Eve. 

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah,” he whispers in her ear as they pretend to light the candles. “Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.”

“What does it mean?” she asks.

“Oh, you know, the usual,” he sighs. “Bless you God, we thank you for all your wondrous deeds. Although the Yankees haven’t won a World Series in nearly 20 years, so I'm not sure exactly what we’re thanking him for.” 

They’ve mock-lit all the candles now but he’s still holding her hand. She knows she should pull away but she doesn’t want to break the spell. He’s her partner and, she’s slowly starting to realize, her best friend. They don’t do this enough—simply spend time together. That’s not entirely true. They spend nearly every waking hour during the week at each other’s sides, but they’re typically debating a theory or investigating a case, not simply enjoying one another’s company. And for all the times he frustrates, challenges, irritates, and even ditches her, she really does enjoy Mulder’s company. 

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” she says. 

He shrugs, taking his hand off hers to pick up his beer bottle. She immediately notes its absence. “That’s my first time lighting the candles since Samantha was taken. She disappeared a few weeks before Hanukkah, which kind of put a damper on that year’s festivities, and then after that, we stopped practicing.” 

“I understand,” she says, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry if this triggered any bad memories.”

“No, not at all, Scully,” he chuckles. “It was my idea, anyway. Besides, we’re a lot like the Maccabees.”

She isn’t sure where he’s going with this, so she raises an eyebrow as an invitation to continue. 

“We’re the underdogs fighting for what we believe in against all odds, looking for a little light in the darkness.”

He grins at her and she returns the smile. She doesn’t underestimate the significance of him including her in his quest. For so long, he’d been chasing windmills on his own but for three years now he’s had her by his side. She’s seen things she hasn’t been able to explain through science or logic, she’s had her own body manipulated by these shadowy men, and she’s lost her sister to the cause, but she never fled. She never considered abandoning him, tossing him back into the darkness alone. That, at least, is something to celebrate. 

#eightdaysofmulder #eightnightsofmulder #8dom #txf #xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #msr

[muldermuse]

so it’s my birthday in 3 days so i wanted to do some kinda self indulgent hc’s about Fox celebrating reader’s bday

Fox Mulder is kind and caring ok and he is a great listener, picks up on things that you didn’t even know u wanted 

SO u love your birthday and it’s the first one that u and Fox have lived together for 

over the weeks he’s casually prying for bday ideas like he knows u well enough to get u gifts but there is SO much he could get u, he’s kinda doubting himself (and also you’ve only recently moved in together so he wants this birthday to be as special as possible)

so when ur looking at books, he’s making a mental note of every cover u smile at or every blurb u read

when ur window shopping he’s pointing things out to you to gage ur response

and every time u put an item down with a wince after checking the price tag, he’s going back in a few days later with Scully to show her what it is

ur oblivious to all this, like u love your birthday but life is busy so the day creeps up on you without much notice or fanfare

you wake up on the morning of your birthday to a kiss on your cheek from Fox, you move to kiss his lips as he mumbles a happy birthday against them

“so, breakfast is on, coffee is on the table next to you-presented in your favourite mug of course. nothing but the best for the birthday girl”

u hate the thought of breakfast in bed (crumbs????? in the sheets??? no thank you) so after sipping your coffee, u walk into the kitchen to join Fox whilst he cooks

on the table is a huge bouquet of flowers (your favourites ofc), some awfully wrapped gifts and a few balloons

before Fox even realises you’re in the kitchen, you run to put your arms around him and hug him from behind whilst he’s at the stove

“you know that it is basically compulsory to have breakfast in bed on your birthday”

“but you’ve already said that i’m the birthday girl so surely what i say goes...right”

breakfast is great but honestly like how Fox looks should be a present in itself, his glasses are on, he has bed hair and his shirt highlights his broad shoulders

to Fox’s insistence u go back to bed to open your presents. Fox Mulder is a man of many MANY talents....wrapping gifts is not one

he gets u the new book by your favourite other, a bag that u wanted for an age but couldn’t justify the price tag, your favourite perfume and some jewellery. ALSO, he would get u a dumb gift, like maybe every time he’s travelled with Scully he’s bought you a dumb magnet so the final gift is a gift bag FULL of atrocious magnets

the rest of the day is filled with visits from family and some friends

THEN u go out for dinner but he’s surprised u with friends already waiting at your favourite restaurant for you

his hands stays on ur thigh throughout the night and after a few glasses of wine, he’s whispering in ur ear telling you how good you look whilst everyone is distracted with the chat around the table

“this dress is so beautiful on you” his lips nudge your ear, his words slightly slurred

“that’s the fourth time you’ve said that exact thing”

he smirks as his hand tightens around your thigh, he finishes his glass of wine as his lips press to your jaw slowly 

“you know, you have one more gift waiting at home”

your hand rubs up his leg as your eyes meet his gaze

“oh, only one?”

his lips are back at your ear, “as many as you want”

then idk u go home and have loads of sex I WANT TO WRITE SMUT BUT FEEL PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF TYPING IT

like does the end read as like flirty/smutty???? IDK i want to sleep with Fox Mulder for my birthday ok it’s been my dream forever

#Fox Mulder #fox mulder fanfic #fox mulder fanfiction #fox mulder smut #Fox #the x files #The X Files Fanfiction #The X Files Fanfic #the x files fluff #the x files hc #txf #fox mulder imagine #fox mulder headcanon #fox mulder x reader #mulder #agent mulder #mulder x reader

[stephy-gold]

Emily today

There it is the family home where she lived most of her life until college; she see it with so much love remembering the times when she used to play catch with dad, running around chasing butterflies, showing her little brother the stars and constellations, the times when she helped her mother with the garden, the place where she and her friends used to make bonfires.

She’s home even though she has her own home now in the city, were she live alone and sometimes with her partner at the time no need to say her parents doesn’t know about it. She make the effort to stay in contact with her parents but work, partner and life in general makes it hard to do it, her parents understand most of the time but after weeks of not talking to her and just see her life trough social media they would called, yesterday was one of those days.

YESTERDAY

*iPhone rings*

Home-pod “in coming call from Mom”

Emily to her Home-pod “answer the call”

Emily: Mom, Hi what’s up? *getting ready to go out*

Scully: hi sweetheart, we just wanted to talk to you, you haven’t called

Mulder: hello Kiddo, hey what’s the noise?

*looking for clothes*

Emily: sorry mom, oh I’m getting ready to go out so I answer the call with the home-pod

Mulder: you know I don’t trust those things they’re always hearing and spying, who knows who’s listening

*putting the clothes on*

Emily: Dad you’re just being paranoid

Scully: mulder cut it. Sweetheart you’re going out?

Emily: yeah with some friends and Derek we’re heading to the bar

Mulder: be careful, don���t drink too much kiddo

Emily: dad I’m almost 30 not a kid anymore

Scully: well you’re our daughter no matter how old you are

Mulder: well the reason we called you is because we want you to come tomorrow, your brother is coming from college, we want to spend the day together

Scully: that’s if you’re not busy of course

*putting her makeup*

Emily: No mom I’m not busy, yes I will see you at noon tomorrow and I’m sorry for not calling I miss you guys

Scully (a sad understanding tone): we know honey don’t worry about it

Mulder (loving tone): we love you kiddo

Home-Pod “call ended”

Today

*standing in front of the unremarkable house*

The porch creaks more, the house needs a bit of paint, the old swing in the yard is rusty.

Emily enters the house but there wasn’t any noise, they were home cause the cars were outside but her parents nowhere to be seen “MOOOOM!!!!!” “DAAAAD!!” “Anyone home??”

Scully answered from upstairs “sweetheart give us a minute we’re coming” Emily cringe at the thought of what was her parents doing, she likes to believe that they’re not active because well no one wants to know if they’re parents still do it.

Mulder and scully enter the living room to see Emily looking for something in the Tv; Mulder “hey miss Emily how you’re doing kid” he muffled her hair and emily sighs “DAD common” Mulder grinning “I couldn’t help myself”

Scully reach her daughter and gives her a kiss “we missed you honey, we haven’t heard from you”

Mulder “if it wasn’t for your social media we wouldn’t know how are you kid”, the tone of both parents was soft but incriminating towards her daughter;

Emily explains herself a bit annoyed “mom, dad, I told you before that im sorry, it’s just the hospital is always busy, you both know how it is having demanding jobs” she ends with a sigh beating herself for not called them.

William show up “Mom Dad I’m Home” everyone give him a hug and his mom kiss him on the cheek like a little boy. During dinner everyone talks about their respective lives, William is in his fourth year of college almost finishing his degree (he gained a scholarship due to excelled in baseball, he might go pro after college), his adventures as a handsome bachelor and also the academic success he has;

Scully scolded him for date so many girls and partying a bit too much for her liking, Mulder stand with scully but afterwards tell william just to be careful and enjoy his time in college.

Emily told them about her current work at the hospital and the specialties she is interested, Mulder asked her about who’s Derek and she told them he is a neurosurgeon a bit older than her, good looking and nice.

In the afternoon william and emily were teasing each other and having a play full banter about each other’s life, they text or DM regularly, they cover each other’s backs when they don’t want their parents know something, like the fact that emily is been living with Derek for a couple of months, that would be a major shock to the parents not because their old fashion or prude but because emily haven’t presented him and Mulder would be mad at her for being with a man almost 10 years older than her; emily knew that her mother would give her a talk about her experience and all that. Emily cover william partying nature and disasters when he got into trouble because of it; he likes partying and women too much for his own good.

Mulder asked william to help him fixing and moving things in the house that mulder couldn’t do it due to some back pain and his knees.

William “I think your knees can be heard all the way to D.C. Dad”

Mulder shot him a look “laugh while you can Punk but I was your age too and you will get to mine”

Emily teased him about it “what’s up dad? Old man back problems?” but mom cut her off with her famous raises eyebrow look.

Scully and Emily enjoy discussing some cases emily worked on the hospital and some of scully work at the nearby clinic as well. They talk about new procedures and tactics; a few doctors Scully knows at the hospital where emily is doing her residence. Scully always the FBI agent asked more details about Derek but emily didn’t respond despite her mother’s insistence. Scully asked her if she was thinking about family someday, mulder and her eager to have grandkids to spoil, but didn’t want to pressure their children too much about it.

The whole evening was nice. When the time came for emily returned to the city and william went to stay with her to see some friends in town, he would return tomorrow though. The house became lonely again just the two of them.

Sitting on the porch recliners, old people furniture said william.

Scully remembered the time when she was 29, a young woman, medical doctor specialized in pathology, with a new job at the FBI, a whole life ahead of her, knowing her cute, boyish, intelligent and handsome partner, who 30 years later is her husband, she also recalled the times when she too lost contact with her parents due to work and the comments her mother told her about family and kids.

Mulder joined her in the reminiscence, he recalled the first year they worked together and how they were at the time; “scully we were chasing monsters and killers, running around conspiracies and putting our lives at risk when you were 29”;

Scully “I know mulder and now Emi is the same age, where the time has gone?? It’s almost like yesterday we were in the rain at Bellefleur” she give him a chaste kiss;

Mulder “I can’t imagine emily in that situation, I think she’s still so young and green for this world, but that’s hypocritical of us” he sighs defeated;

scully “when I was 29 I’ve already make so many mistakes too, ones that emily didn’t have to learn from her own experience thank god”;

Mulder “well she and William got the better of us”;

scully “but we are now at the other side of the street mulder and is not nice, I’m thinking about the times that I forgot to call my mother for weeks and whenever I was injured she was the last to know about it”;

Mulder “yeah i got it now and I don’t like it either, I missed them so much too and accepting they have their life apart now is heartbreaking”;

Scully “yeah but they’re good kids emily is so intelligent so it is william as well, she is doing her residency in a great hospital, she’s responsible and have a great future a head; William almost finished college and have an amazing future if he decides to practice or going professional on baseball either way”;

Mulder “I know we are so proud of both”. They leave the recliners with a few cracks of knees and head upstairs to call it a night.

Mulder thought “if scully was lucky I maybe could give her one or two orgasm, common friend don’t failed me like the other night” he was grinning while climbing the stairs.

Tagging: @today-in-fic @randomfoggytiger @maybe-its-beyond-words @samucabd @pennyserenade and all my mutuals 💖💖💖💖

Hope you like it 🥹🥹

(I’m a visual person so here it is emily, william, mulder and scully in 2023 and also MSR as parents when the kids where little)

#dana scully #fox mulder #the x files #txf #msr #x files #ao3 fanfic #AU X files #2023 #they’re parents #they have the family they deserve #emily mulder scully #william mulder scully #txf fanfic #msr fanfic #msr family #agent scully deserves to be a mom #x files fanfic #the x files 30th anniversary

[carefulfears]

☕️ + 6.15 arcadia (the episode as a whole, the playing house, etc)

imagine you're in love with your partner and you want him to fuck you so bad and you want to have his babies so bad and then you go on a job where you have to pretend to be married to him and the whole time he's just like "mmhm. you want to fuck me so bad. anyway."

happened to my friend dana.

arcadia is the absolute pinnacle of what i call the "twisted fanfic" that is season 6, and per usual, it all hinges on what is unspoken. this is their first assignment back on the x-files. this is their first assignment since "you're making this personal" (how personal is it now?). since the worst fight of their lives was followed immediately by...congratulations. back down to that office. no one but each other. (till death do you part).

"be like the others...before it gets dark"

arcadia is very allegorical, and the horror lives simultaneously in the uncomfortable perfection of tradition, of suburban matrimony, and the dangers of straying from.

there is danger in cleaving to tradition, for mulder and scully. it reminds them of too much. it's something that they don't really actually want, but are shamefully aware that they should. at the same time, in the "american dream" of the arcadian falls, to deviate from tradition is to be hunted and killed.

and they're simultaneously mocking this life, and the intrusive fact that they'll never have it.

the best part of arcadia, is mulder. this is possibly the most top-tier annoying mulder episode. and it is only so because he's doing it on purpose, and it is grating.

mulder's strategy in arcadia? to fuck around and find out.

people who live in the falls are going missing. it seems to be related to the intense commitment and stress surrounding the community's guidelines. so what do you do? stick a plastic flamingo in the yard. kick a mailbox. dig a pool. put your basketball hoop out at 10:30 at night.

(one of my favorite moments of the episode is when mulder is playing basketball on the driveway, and the neighbors are freaking out, screaming, crying. and he goes to check on win's wife and sees the monster come out, as you just hear someone drag the basketball hoop back into the garage. be like the others before it gets dark, you are not immune. arcadia has consequences.)

it has not been that long since scully asked, don't you ever just want to stop?

Mulder, it's the dim hope of finding that proof that's kept us in this car, or one very much like it, for more nights than I care to remember. Driving hundreds if not thousands of miles through neighborhoods and cities and towns where people are raising families and buying homes and playing with their kids and their dogs, and…in short, living their lives. While we...we just keep driving. Don't you ever just want to stop? Get out of the damn car? Settle down and live something approaching a normal life?

this is the closest to settling down, to normal life, that they'll ever get, so what do you do? accuse her of just wanting to "play house." tell her she "fit[s] in really well here." crack jokes about "honeymoon videos" and crossing the threshold and being "married now," while arranging the bed to where she couldn't join even if she wanted to.

when asked what he does for work, mulder answers that he works from home, "which is great for laura because she gets me all to herself."

this is their first assignment, since their argument over his relationship with diana. and according to him, she just wants him all to herself.

no one ever asks scully what she does for work, though. every woman is introduced as a wife. every dinner table is prepped and cleared by the women, who are then sent away from that table when discussion turns to the circumstances of their society. they hold no input regarding a monster who will "want" them for their husbands' crimes.

mulder even mocks this dynamic, with his sandwich joke. the horror of the falls is tradition, and tradition is predicated on misogyny, on a controlled deficit of visibility.

be like the others before it gets dark: a "normal life" may be perilous, but they'll still never have it. (even when they have the house and the fence for real, he isn't hers.)

and the final shot of arcadia is mulder and scully getting back in the car. driving off, while scully's voiceover informs that the arcadian falls have been named one of the top planned communities in california, for the sixth year running.

#kissing walter skinner on the mouth for sending them to pretend to be married during the most intense and high-strung period of their lives #sometimes he just sits around giggling to himself about what kinda situations he can put these kids in and i love that about him #asks #arcadia #YOU ARE COMING DOWN WITH MEEEEEEE #(hand in unlovable hand) #S6 my beloved my favorite season ever (after s1) #ranking msr episodes 1-10 based on how 'no children' by the mountain goats they are #(which they typically arent bc typically they're just obsessed with each other but when it's down it's down) #forever thinking about the incrementum chapter for arcadia #where scully wonders if this is how he was with diana #that's the other thing it's like...mulder comes from this world of wealthy repression #and it's strongly contextual that he's been married before #and scully's very on the outside of that as well

[randomfoggytiger]

The Scully Family In-Depth (Part XVI): Crouching Cancer, Hidden Motives

The official, canonical introduction of one Bill Scully is at Maggie Scully's family dinner in Gethsemane: freshly off the plane, entertaining and prodding, tongue held (temporarily) behind his teeth. On the heels of Scully's metastasized diagnosis, he is determined to get her to open up so the family can share her remaining days, weeks, maybe months as a unit.

Scully, however, has yet to accept her death (though she pretends to do so to Mulder and herself); and, therefore, doesn't want to address let alone admit to her diagnosis.

GETHSEMANE, THE DINNER BEFORE DEATH

The scene opens on the prepared dinner table, a hired service woman leaving the room just as the camera pans over to Maggie lighting the candles herself. Maggie cannot leave someone else to serve her guests or prepare her table in her own home, hiring on (or accepting someone else’s offer to hire) a helper merely to have another hand on deck. 

It’s a quiet moment to herself, alone in the dining room; and she lowers her guard, appearing somber and contemplative as Dana’s voice floats into the room. Once finished, she follows it back to the front room where her daughter is engaged in conversation with another woman.

Scully is fondly telling a childhood story about her and Bill’s antics, recounting a moment she bested her older brother: “grabbing him by the knees, and then sending him falling backwards and tumbling over me and down the stairs.” It establishes her close relationship with Bill, despite a few rough patches in their past; and that she can (and did) always hold her own against him (which will be relevant later.)  

Maggie walks in, smiling at her; then gives a beaming, hostess grin to Scully's companion.

Scully asks after her brother with a smile-- “Speaking of Bill, is he coming?”-- right as the front door pops open and Bill arrives with a charismatic grin.

Maggie rushes over delightedly to give him a warm, welcoming hug while Scully looks over with shocked surprise that shifts into pleasant surprise. 

Maggie and Bill loudly and enthusiastically greet each other, he with more poise and she with less reserve. As they pull apart, Bill immediately looks around for his sister while Maggie’s eyes remain on his face. 

“Hello, Dana!” he greets cheerfully. 

Scully gravitates to him, happily swinging her arms over while he compliments her (“Look at you”) and scoops her into a hug. “Look at you, my big brother!”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Bill begins, turning to their audience, “my ship was stuck in traffic.” He’s upbeat and confident in his delivery-- used to playing to crowds and secure in their reception of his overtures. 

They laugh at his little joke and the charisma and exuberance he used to help pull it off. 

Scully, too, chuckles-- an exaggerated one that points to their long history and easy rapport-- amused that he’d tried to amuse (and succeeded.)   

Bill, pleased by everyone’s response (even Dana’s), drops his entertainer’s mask and smiles genuinely. Then he immediately switches to the next important item on his list: “Did you get my birthday card?”

“Yes, I did,” Scully pokes, mild annoyance in her tone, “thanks for remembering this year.” 

Scully is unaware Maggie told him about her cancer; and knowing his awareness and her lack thereof, the birthday card becomes a twofold morbid sign: one she thinks must be orchestrated by her mom (and that is true, but in a different way) and one which is really caused by Bill’s utter conviction that she’s doomed to die, and soon.

“Once a decade,” he jokes, getting a real smile from his sister that time.  

From this short, first interaction, we can conclude a few things: 

Bill and Scully are close, in their own way. 

That closeness doesn’t mean he will send her yearly birthday cards, nor will she expect them. 

That closeness also doesn’t mean she will share her cancer diagnosis, even if it’s terminal.  

Scully doesn’t see how hurtful her reticence is to the family, viewing her cancer as hers and not wanting their pity or sympathy. Her family do pity and sympathize, but they also feel rejected, cut out, and less valued because of her distance. 

Not only did it hurt Maggie to be told as a necessity in Memento Mori, it also hurts her to shoulder the burden of her daughter’s decline and sentence of death alone. Being Maggie, she told her son, who sent a birthday card and worked a family reunion into his schedule (despite, as we later learn, having a pregnant wife back in California.) However, he-- like his mother-- is not a great secret keeper; and blabs a few scenes later when he thinks his sister’s behavior has gone out of control. 

Father McCue shows up then-- a surprise to Scully, whose face drops, watching his and her mother’s interactions with suspicion.  

His arrival prompts Bill to ask a more pointed, softened question-- “How are you feeling, Dana?”-- which she avoids immediately with a quick “I’m fine-- let’s get some dinner, huh?” 

Bill smoothly follows her lead (“Yeah, I’m starving”), happy for some normalcy but also guiding her-- with a hand on her shoulder, which Scully doesn’t flinch from or mind-- swiftly out of the room. He likely doesn’t want his very ill sister to be hungry a moment longer than necessary. But he lets his hand drop the second Scully turns to spare a last glance at Maggie, not overstaying his welcome if she chooses to break contact with him.  

It’s very telling of their dynamic: warm and touchy, close with odd periods of little communication, comfort and consideration in and of each other’s spaces, backing away when the other won’t open up emotionally (for now.) 

Maggie is still chatting with Father McCue; and Scully pivots back around, disturbed by the obvious setup on her mother’s part. 

FATHER TAKES HIS MCCUE FROM MAGGIE

Maggie continues hosting during the meal-- pouring for her guests-- while Bill continues entertaining-- making the room laugh with a funny anecdote. Scully, loosened up fully, laughs heartily along with the group. 

An interesting note: Bill looks at everyone’s faces to gauge their level of interest. It’s a consistent pattern of behavior: he’s very clued into others’ reactions to himself and his presentation. A presentable appearance, pleasing manners, and correct behavior seem to be ingrained by Captain Scully (and Maggie, perhaps) into both his duty-minded children. 

Seeing his mother amused but still hard at work, he offers to help her out, despite coming freshly from the plane or the airport or his motel for the party.  

After he leaves, Scully sits quietly, fondly reviewing the past few minutes, a pleasant memory, or an adjacent, family-related thought. 

When Father McCue slides in after he leaves, she’s taken a bit off guard-- feeling awkward only after he tries to reassure “I feel awkward sitting here, I’m sure you do, too.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she begins; but Father McCue rushes on.

“I’ve known your family for so many years… your mother asked me to come.”

Scully is not pleased at this confirmation, looking over at Maggie.  

This is what Scully didn’t want, and why she put off telling her mother as long as possible: not because her mother is second or last place on her priority as Maggie assumes (post here) but because the more people “in the know”, the more outsourcing or advice or opinions she will receive on her choices or preferences. 

She stares at her mother, then looks down-- a silent but understood sign of her disappointment. 

Maggie’s face falls, knowing Dana all too well; and turns back to busywork with a smile, equally guilty and resolute. She doesn’t want to make her daughter’s life harder, seeing Father McCue’s encouragement as a medicine for the soul; but she took a gamble and lost this round.

Scully turns down Father McCue’s “important, and essential” offer to guide her back to the faith: “Father McCue, I appreciate my mother’s concern... and yours. But I’m being treated for my cancer--” Scully doesn’t mince words, knowing Maggie must have spilled the beans to some degree, “-- and I’m taking every precaution.”

It’s incredibly important to note that Scully said “But I’m being treated for my cancer”, not “the doctors have done their best, and I’m prepared to go on my terms”-- because Bill diagnoses her correctly in a later scene: Scully does believe she can cure herself. Deep down, she hasn’t given up yet, as much as she tries to talk herself (and Mulder) into accepting her “fate”; and it’s why she rushes about in Redux to manufacture proof (hope) and suffer a breakdown after her resignation crumbles in Redux II (hopelessness.) 

Father McCue pushes once more, arguing for her return to religion and to God. “Faith can make you stronger.”

Pursing her lips-- annoyed that her boundaries are still being pushed, yet understanding it’s coming from a place of deep concern-- she gently explains. “I haven’t felt a need, um….” Scully pauses to check the crack in her voice. “I have strength. And--”

A phone goes off in the kitchen-- Mulder-- that Bill answers before slowly making his way to tell Scully.

In the meantime, she continues: “ And I’m not going to come running back now. It’s just not who I am-- I’d be lying to myself and to you.”

A LOT IS ON THE LINE

“Dana?” Bill cuts in.   

Bill displays the first signs of distemper that haunt his steps the rest of the series: his face is thoroughly unimpressed, his gestures are clipped, and his voice is short-- meaning, he knows who is on the line, and is not happy about it. 

How much does Bill know about Fox Mulder? Enough to know he’s Dana’s work partner; and that work should not intrude during Scully family hours. 

It’s unlikely he knows a lot about Mulder-- in fact, his knowledge seems very recent, referring to him as “this guy Mulder” in a later scene. Bill begins to piece together the bigger picture when Dana adamantly stands by her decision to get “knocked down at work”, transitioning his questions from her job priorities to her personal loyalties. And as we will learn, Bill doesn’t think Mulder returns that loyalty to Scully-- in fact, he thinks Mulder considers Scully as part of “the job”, (politely) warning him against whatever work project he believes Mulder is bringing to her deathbed in Redux II… then pulling out a tactical strike when he believes Mulder refuses to take the hint. 

Scully is stressed to have to end her conversation with Father McCue so abruptly, awkwardly giving her excuses to the priest before trailing into the kitchen. 

Bill remains in the doorway, waiting for her to join before handing over the phone and ducking back to the counter-- very well-trained, proper behavior. 

“Hey, Scully, it’s me-- sorry to interrupt your dinner,” Mulder says over the line, not sorry at all. 

“No, uh, is something the matter?”

As her partner explains his hot new tip he wants her to come over, now, to investigate, her brother glowers from the counter, contempt pouring from his eyes. Mr. Mulder has already made a bad impression on Bill, it would seem. Moreover, what he’s heard from Maggie-- or what he’s assumed from what Maggie’s told him-- has taken a distrustful shape based on their brief exchange over the phone. One can only assume what little was said-- and how. 

“When?” Scully asks; and at Mulder’s “Right away” she looks over at Bill, unsure how to tell him she’s about to leave. 

He doesn’t need her excuses: Bill knows these types of calls-- has probably had dozens over the course of his career-- and already seems to think Dana will leave before she’s answered yes or no. Meaning, Scully now has a reputation in her family (even in their absence) of putting work as her first priority. And who would pass that impression around? The woman recently put second to chasing a lead-- the Scully matriarch. 

Still, he doesn’t say a word, walking out disapprovingly-- yet without bothering to cajole or talk her out of her decision. 

Scully flinches as he passes: disapproval in any form is still hard for her to handle, coming from her late father, her angry mother, and now her disappointed brother. It’s not outright rejection; but the two are easy for her to conflate. She sighs, then packs her vulnerabilities away and tells Mulder “I’m on my way.” 

A hurried escape into work, it is. 

CONCLUSION

We have only a familial glance at the returned Bill Scully, Jr.: one who is actively engaged with his family, his mother's guests, and even his sister. He anticipates Dana's actions, responses, and their unspoken meanings with uncanny correctness-- an attribute that will come into play pivotally in their next scene.

Moreover, the Scully family seem close despite the distance; the truth, however, is buried between the layers of half-truths and secrets they keep from one another: Scully's declining health, Maggie' motives, and Bill's knowledge.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

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