There's A Way
Chapter 7
With each passing day that week Scully had grown more and more annoyed that I wouldn't tell her where we were going on our date. When I'd left for the office that morning she was almost frantic.
"Mulder, if I don't know where we're going, how will I know what to wear?"
"You always look nice," I'd grinned at her.
"Mulder!" her eyes had narrowed and I knew it was time to stop joking.
"Dress casually -- where we're going, jeans will be fine."
"Jeans?" she'd almost sounded disappointed.
"It's our first date. I want to see if I really like you before I spend any serious money on you," I'd laughed.
"You mean you want to see if I put out," she'd chuckled wryly.
"That too," I'd grinned and dashed out the door before she could connect with her right. She'd landed it before and it packed a wallop.
I spent the morning trying to finish up as much of the paperwork as I could. I didn't want Scully to have to worry about it on the weekend. If I hadn't had a department meeting that afternoon I would've managed to get it all done. As it was I cleared up the majority of it. At eleven I made my daily phone call home.
"May I speak to Dana Scully, please?" I asked in my nasal voice when she picked up the phone.
"This is she," Scully sounded a little hesitant.
"This is Fox Mulder calling. I just wanted to make sure we were still on for our date tonight."
"Mulder," she sighed, but I could hear her smiling.
"I'm going to pick you up at 7, right?"
"Yes, but aren't you coming home for supper?"
"Well yeah, but I'm still going to pick you up. And I know it's not our normal routine, but could we have supper as soon as I get home? I have some stuff I need to do before 7."
"Okay..." she sounded confused.
"Great -- I'll see you about five."
I had one other confirmation call to make to solidify my plans. Once that was done I went for an early lunch and then actually prepared for the meeting. Having read the agenda and brushed up on some of the items, I was able to go into the meeting feeling satisfied with what I'd accomplished.
Usually I went into such meetings with a sense of impending doom. It wasn't that anything significant or horrendous ever happened in these meetings, I usually just went in having no idea what was going to be discussed. It was sort of like that recurring dream I used to have in high school where I'd get to school and not be able to remember my locker combination and then realize in horror that I was naked, too. Taking a few minutes to look at the agenda left me feeling in control. It seemed Scully was starting to rub off on me.
Thinking about Scully rubbing against me began to have other affects so I had to quickly push those thoughts out of my mind. The agenda of the meeting easily changed my mood and by actually focusing on what was being discussed, the meeting went by fairly quickly. Surprising everyone in attendance, I even participated. Skinner was shocked enough to stop me after the meeting.
"Mulder!" he called as I was about to walk through the door.
"Sir?" I stopped and turned to face him.
"I was surprised to see you here. I was expecting you to send, uh,..."
"Agent Guernsey?" I offered.
"Right," he nodded. "I didn't expect to see you here. Why the sudden interest in department meetings?"
"Actually I was more interested in not scaring Andrew out of the FBI so early in his career," I lowered my voice.
"Scaring him?" Skinner wrinkled his brow.
"These meetings are enough to make anyone consider flipping burgers an exciting career option," I chuckled.
"It's all part of the job, Agent," Skinner didn't seem amused.
"I was kidding, sir. Scully reminded me about the meeting this morning and asked me to come and take notes -- something about staying in the loop," I shrugged.
"Right," Skinner nodded. "She starts again on Monday," he said as if he was explaining it to himself.
"It'll be nice to have her back," I smiled at the thought of having Scully back in the office with me again. It would be different with Andrew there, but at least Scully would be there too.
"Mulder," Skinner chuckled, "You see her all the time."
"No I don't," I shook my head. "I don't see her all day."
"You've got it bad," Skinner laughed and walked away shaking his head.
He obviously didn't understand that I didn't see Scully now as much as I used to. We used to see each other all day at work and then almost every night after work too. If we didn't see each other we were on the phone. I didn't have it that bad, I was just used to seeing her all of the time, that's all. But before I could explain that to him he was gone, not that it was any of his business anyway.
After shaking off my boss's comments I headed back to my office. Andrew was sitting in front of my desk poring over a document.
"New case?" I asked as I sat down.
"Uh, no," he folded it up and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"Oh," I shrugged and fired up my computer. "Looked official."
"Mmm," he mumbled. "How was the meeting?"
"It was the most excitement I've had in the last -- 2 hours."
"Boring, huh?"
"Yeah, but Scully wanted me to go. I'm just going to type up my notes and then head home. We've got big plans tonight," I smiled at him.
"Okay, it's a pre-nup," he sighed.
"I beg your pardon," I stopped typing to look at him.
"The document, it's a pre-nup," he clarified.
"Oh," I was a little taken a back. "I didn't realize you were getting married. Congratulations!" I held out my hand to shake his.
"Yeah, I asked her two weeks ago," he nodded. "Yesterday she said yes, but handed me that."
"Her family is wealthy?" I was curious.
"No."
"Then why does she want a pre-nup?" I was confused.
"If we divorce she wants a guaranteed income," he pulled the paper out of his pocket to look at it again.
"Okay," I shook my head and began to type again. "Where is she expecting that to come from?"
"My family has money," Andrew's voice was muted.
"I see," I glanced over at him. "I guess you have some thinking to do."
"Not really," he took the paper and tore it up. "It's a moot point. My family would never have agreed to it. I'm just surprised that I didn't see it sooner."
"See what?"
"That she was only interested in my money," he sighed again as he tossed the scraps of paper into the garbage.
"At least you found out now," I pointed out.
"She's not going to take this well," he tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth.
"I don't think I'd be worrying about that," I raised my eyebrows at him.
"I'm not sure how to tell her," his fingers were drumming on his leg. "And then what? She has no place to go. She followed me here."
"Look Andrew, she's the one that was looking for the pre-nup. She brought this on herself," I reminded him.
"I know," his shoulders slumped. "I guess I'll move out."
"So now you're going to let her put you out of your home?" I was amazed.
"I can't put her out on the street," he picked at his shoe.
"And where will you go?" I tried to play the pragmatist.
"I'll get a hotel for now," he suggested.
"And then what?"
"Then I'll look for a place of my own."
"Good thing your parents have money," I chuckled.
We fell silent as I continued to peck away at the keyboard. I couldn't help thinking about how lucky I was to have someone like Scully. It had never occurred to me how rare unconditional love is. Thinking about her made me smile to myself.
"What?" Andrew interrupted my thoughts.
"What what?" I held up my hands.
"You sighed."
"Did I?" I smiled. "Just thinking about my wife."
"Yes, you're very fortunate," he nodded. "Dana is beautiful and smart and one of the nicest people I've ever met."
"And taken," I reminded him, making him laugh. But his words only reinforced how lucky I was feeling. His comments about Scully being nice reminded me about how ticked off she'd been that I'd been giving Andrew a hard time.
"Hey," I spoke up suddenly, making him jump. "You could stay with us until you get a place."
"I wouldn't want to put you out," he shook his head.
"No, we've got a spare room. And besides, Scully would kick my ass if I let you go to a hotel," I informed him.
"Shouldn't you ask her first?" he cocked his head at me.
"I'll tell her at supper. I'm sure she'll be fine with it," I assured him.
"Thanks, Mulder," he reached out to shake my hand. "I really appreciate this."
"It's no problem. But how are you going to get out to Arlington?" I remembered that he'd taken the bus to the barbecue.
"In my car," he shrugged.
"I thought you didn't have a car. You took the bus last time," I furrowed my brow.
"Leigh had it that day, so I took the bus," he smiled sheepishly.
"And you're not going to leave that for her too?" I laughed.
"Uh, no," he grinned.
"You know, Andrew," I began after a few seconds, "I'd make sure I got the name changed on the lease if I were you."
"Good idea," he nodded. "I'll call my lawyer."
After a bit of cajoling, I convinced Andrew to take off early to deal with his life. Shortly thereafter I left to enjoy mine.
Supper was ready when I got home. Maggie was still there -- I'd asked her to stay to sit with the kids. I could have asked our neighbor, but I wasn't sure how late we'd be out. Throughout the meal Scully kept giving me puzzled looks. I loved that she had no idea what I was planning. When we were finished I took a few minutes to play with Megan and Jordan before I dashed upstairs to change.
"Bye," I grinned as I pulled on my shoes.
"Fox," Maggie laughed at me. "You've had Dana in a tizzy all day."
"Why?" I played innocent.
"Because you won't tell her where you're taking her on this date," Maggie sighed in exasperation.
"Date?" I feigned shock. "You have a date tonight, Scully? Is there something I don't know about our marriage?"
"See, mom," Scully shook her head. "See what I have to put up with?"
"Have fun on your date," I gave Scully a quick kiss. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"I don't go that far on a first date," Scully tossed her head.
"First date?" Maggie looked confused.
"We never actually dated, mom. Our relationship just sort of happened," Scully tried to explain her way out of what she'd said. As far as her mother knew, Scully and I had been together for a while before we got married. I doubted that she now wanted to explain to her mother that we'd fibbed about that part.
"I see," she nodded. "So you're making up for lost time?" she smiled at me.
"Well, apparently Scully is," I tried to look hurt.
"Get out of here, Mulder," Scully pushed me toward the door.
"And now she's kicking me out. Why is it the husband's always the last to know?"
"Argh!" Scully growled and thrust her hands into her hair.
"Bye," I grinned again as I opened the door. When I left Maggie was laughing and Scully's cheeks were getting red.
It was six o'clock when I pulled into the Gunmen's alley. Earlier in the week I'd arranged to borrow the van. None of them were thrilled about letting me use Ruby for something as mundane as a date, but I threatened to sic Scully on them if they didn't. When it occurred to Frohike what we might be using the van for, he agreed instantly. I could hear the wheels is his perverted little brain spinning. When I picked up the keys I didn't tell him that all he'd get pictures of was some necking. How stupid did he think I was?
Before I went home again, I stopped off at a car wash to clean up the interior. It wasn't filthy, but it was hardly Scully clean. After spending half an hour vacuuming and cleaning I drove home. When I turned onto our street I was surprised to see an unfamiliar car in the driveway. I had planned to just honk from the curb, but I decided I should see who was at the house.
"Hey," I called when I opened the door.
"Hi, Mulder," Scully called from the kitchen. "We have company."
It was then I saw the suitcases against the wall of the foyer. I'd forgotten to tell Scully about Andrew.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath and immediately wondered how mad she was.
When she walked out of the kitchen her eyebrows were raised, but she didn't look that angry.
"I'm sorry," I whispered as soon as she was close enough to hear. "I meant to tell you, but I was thinking about something else. He needed a place to stay because --"
"That's okay, Mulder. He already explained. He just about left again when he realized you hadn't said anything, but my mom convinced him to stay. She's feeding him," Scully chuckled.
"Thanks," I breathed and bent to press another kiss against her lips. "I'll just apologize and then we can go, right?"
"Yeah, I wasn't sure if we should, but Andrew insisted. He said if he felt like he was interfering, he'd leave."
Good man, I thought to myself. After I apologized, I left Andrew in Maggie's capable hands and escorted my date out to our love mobile.
"The van?" Scully laughed as soon as she saw it. "Is there a mattress in the back?"
"No, but I could get one if you like," I grinned.
"I'll pass," she looked at me sideways.
"No movies for Frohike?" I asked as I opened her door.
"Is there a camera in here?" she gasped and looked around.
"Frohike knew why I was borrowing it. What do you think?"
"Part of me wants to torture him, Mulder," Scully lowered her voice when I'd walked around and opened my door.
"And that's the part I love the most," I waggled my eyebrows at her.
"Does that seat move back?" she asked as soon I sat down.
"Yeah," I grinned and pushed it back as far as it would go. I'd barely straightened up when Scully climbed onto my lap. Her hands were in my hair, her tongue was in my mouth and I was in heaven. As she continued to kiss me she wiggled around on my lap and moaned into my mouth. Her kissing me alone would have been enough to get me going, but her little act had my cock throbbing. I couldn't imagine what it would do to Frohike.
"Okay," she pulled away from me, breathing hard.
"Are you sure you don't want to torture him some more?" I kissed her chin.
"Maybe later," she smiled slyly as she scrambled off my lap and sat down. "We should go before my mother comes to see why we haven't left yet."
"Probably," I grinned and started the engine.
"So are you going to tell me where we're going now?" she asked as soon as we were moving.
"Nope," I grinned and re-adjusted my jeans, trying to make myself more comfortable.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a pain in the ass, Mulder?" Scully glared at me.
"Yup."
"Fine," she sighed. "Surprise me."
"That was the general idea," I flashed a smile at her.
"How about a hint," she lowered her voice and her eyelids.
"That's cheating," I warned as I turned onto the ramp that led to I-66.
"I-66? Where are we going? Work?" she rolled her eyes.
"Nope," I informed her brightly. "But I will give you a hint. I'm taking you someplace that I think you've slept before."
"That's a big help. Where haven't I slept?"
"Touche," I chuckled. "Okay, I'll try to narrow it down. You probably slept there in pajamas."
"I guess that narrows it down a bit," she smiled.
"And you weren't in a bed," I grinned.
"I wasn't in a bed?" she repeated. "Did you see me?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?" she furrowed her brow.
"I'm not positive, but I'd be willing to put money on it," I was enjoying myself thoroughly.
"This is worse than not knowing," she huffed.
"I love you," I beamed at her.
"Shut up, Mulder," she tried to sound indignant but she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
After that she stopped trying to figure out where we were going and began to tell me about her day with the kids. She was in the middle of telling me how Megan had shown her displeasure with her lunch by tossing it onto the floor when I pulled off the Beltway.
"Okay, now I have absolutely no idea where we're going. We're in the middle of nowhere," she looked around.
"I just thought it would be nicer not to take the highway and we have plenty time," I explained.
"It's been a while since I've been on a country drive -- for pleasure," she remembered to add. "This is nice. Thanks, Mulder," she smiled at me.
Suddenly the distance between us seemed like a yawning chasm. I wanted to touch her, to hold her hand, something.
"There is only one problem with this van, Mulder. The seats are too far apart," she smiled softly at me.
"Stop that!" my stomach flip-flopped.
"Stop what?" her eyes widened.
"Stop thinking the same thing I am. We haven't been married long enough," I winked at her.
"Seven years as partners may have helped a bit," her smile broadened.
"Just a bit," I chuckled. "But I think you knew everything I was thinking two minutes after we met."
"Only about some things," she smiled.
"We got there, Scully. It took us a while, and the ride was bumpy, but we got there," I wanted to hold her again.
"Even though the ride was rough, I was right where I wanted to be," her face was serious. "I prayed it would smooth out eventually, and it did."
She turned to look out of the window. I knew she didn't want me to see the emotions on her face. Before I could tell her that I felt the same way she screeched and I almost lost control of Ruby.
"Oh my God, Mulder. Pull over."
With my heart racing, I pulled the van onto the shoulder.
"What?" my hands were shaking.
"Back up," she was craning her neck to see behind us.
After putting the van into reverse, I backed up until we pulled in front of a house.
"Okay, stop," she looked at me excitedly and hopped out of the van before I'd come to a complete stop.
"What?" I got out to follow her once I had the van in park.
She said nothing, she just pointed to a sign in front of the house.
"The house is for sale," I nodded slowly.
"It's gorgeous isn't it?" her face was alight.
"You scared me to death because you like this house?" I was incredulous.
"Sorry," she looked at me apologetically and briefly.
All I could do was reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. The next I knew she was pulling me toward the driveway.
"What are you doing, Scully?"
"I want to see inside," she looked at me like I was a moron.
"Scully, you can't just go barging in," I tried to slow her down.
"I was going to knock," she shook her head.
Before I knew it Scully had talked the owner, Mrs. Patel, into showing us the house.
"We're having an open house tomorrow, but I don't see the harm," she'd agreed.
The house was older and Victorian in style. The rooms were large and had hardwood floors. There were five bedrooms upstairs and two baths, like we already had. Scully couldn't see all of it fast enough. She practically dragged me from room to room.
"What do you think, Mulder?" she asked once we were back in the kitchen, looking out into the back yard. Mrs. Patel stood in the entrance of the kitchen while we talked.
"It seems nice," I smiled.
"Nice? I love it!" her eyes were dancing.
"I noticed," I chuckled. "But I didn't know we were looking."
"I wasn't really, but I don't really want to live in that house forever. I was staying there for Jordan," she explained.
"I was never all that comfortable there, either," I confessed.
"Well, they are having an open house tomorrow. Why don't we bring him by to see the house without saying anything first. See what he thinks?" she suggested.
"He's only four, Scully. I think he'd get over it even if he didn't want to move," I reminded her.
"I know, but I'd rather he felt like he had some control," she squeezed my hand.
"Let's talk about this in the van," I lowered my voice. Scully looked a little confused, but nodded in agreement. "What time is that open house tomorrow, Mrs. Patel?"
"It starts at one. Are you going to come back?" she smiled.
"Yes, we're going to bring the kids back to look at the house, too," I smiled.
After saying our thank yous and good-byes, Scully and I walked back out to the van. Once we were settled, Scully turned to me.
"What did you want to talk about?" she sounded concerned.
I paused for a moment before I began to speak. I wasn't sure how to tell her what I was thinking, so I just started to talk.
"Look, Scully, I know you're concerned about Jordan and how changes might affect him, but you can't let him control our lives. If you want to buy the house, we'll buy the house."
"I know, Mulder, but if the idea really upsets him..." she didn't sound convinced.
"I doubt it will, and don't you think it would be easier on him to move now rather than later? Once he starts school and makes friends, moving will be harder on him," I wished we weren't having this discussion in the van. I was having a hard time judging her reactions.
"True," she said softly.
"And I really don't want him getting the idea that he can control major decisions. If we do that, we'll be creating a little monster."
"I know," she sighed. "Can we at least break it to him gently?"
"Of course," I chuckled. "We could bring him tomorrow, see what he thinks and then tell him that we are thinking of buying."
"Yeah," she agreed and then fell silent. We drove on in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly Scully drew a quick breath. "Mulder? Do you think I coddle Jordan too much?"
I quickly looked in the rearview mirror, and seeing no one behind me, I pulled off the road again. Scully stared at me in surprise.
"C'mere," I patted my lap when I'd stopped the van and moved the seat back.
Without pausing for a second, she popped her seatbelt and immediately got into my lap. I put my arms around her and held her tightly.
"I never meant to imply that you were coddling him, Scully. Jordan needed your love and attention. I think it's the only thing that got him through this," I pushed her hair out of her face to look at her. She smiled at me, but her eyes still looked sad.
"But you think it's time for me to stop coddling him," her weak smile faded.
"Not exactly. I think that it's time for Jordan to learn that his sense of security comes from us, not from a house," I tried to explain what I was thinking.
"I guess that makes sense," she admitted and leaned more heavily against me.
"You moved a lot when you were a kid and you felt secure, didn't you?" I kissed the top of her head.
"Okay, Mulder, you've made your point," she chuckled. "And you're right. Jordan should feel attached to us, not a place."
"I'm right?" I lifted my head and leaned back to look at her.
"Yes, Mulder, you're right," she rolled her eyes at me.
"You admit I'm right? My life is now complete," I grinned and gave her a quick kiss.
"So are you going to tell me where we're going now?" she changed the subject.
"Nope," I quickly stole another kiss. "But I'll show you." I pointed to the northeast.
"What am I looking at?" she turned in my lap.
"Over there," I gave her chin a soft push in the right direction.
In the setting sun it was hard to see, but the big screen was visible over the wooden fence.
"A drive-in?" she laughed. "God, I haven't been to a drive-in since..."
"Since you were a kid?" I offered.
"Yeah, and my mother would make us put our pajamas on before we left. I never even used to make it through the kid's movie," she chuckled and snuggled close to me again.
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," I laughed, "But try to stay awake tonight, okay?"
Ten minutes later I had the van parked toward the back of the drive-in's lot and Scully and I were both fiddling with speakers.
"Want some popcorn?" I turned to her after I had my speaker hooked onto my window.
"Sure," she smiled. "Want me to come with you?"
"No, you stay here and guard Ruby," I winked at her. "Want something to drink, too?"
"Yeah, diet whatever, please."
By the time I got back the previews had already started. Judging by the number of cars, I shouldn't have worried about parking at the back.
"I didn't even see what was playing," Scully announced when I got back into the van.
"Apollo 13."
"I guess that explains why no one is here," she laughed.
"I didn't come here for the movie," I explained as I handed her the soda.
"Oh yeah?" she arched an eyebrow at me. "Then why did you come here?"
"For the drive-in experience," I told her seriously. "The movie is irrelevant."
"I see," she nodded her head slowly. "And what exactly is involved in the 'drive-in experience'?" she made quotes with her fingers.
"This is it, Scully. Being in a car, eating popcorn, bad sound..."
"That's it?" she grinned slyly at me.
"What else would there be?" I tried to sound innocent.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I always thought making out was a big part of the 'drive-in experience'," she made the quotes again.
"Well that might be your experience," I tried to sound aghast.
"Okay, if you don't want to," she took a sip of her soda and looked up at the screen.
I watched her staring intently at the screen for a few seconds. I could tell she was trying not to smile. I was waiting patiently for her to put her drink down, but she didn't. And I could see her lips curving up around the straw. She was teasing me on purpose and I wasn't going to stand for it.
"Can I have a sip of your soda, Scully?"
"You hate diet drinks," she looked at me askance.
"I try them every now and then to see if my opinion has changed." It sounded perfectly rational to me.
She looked like she didn't believe me for a second, but she handed me the drink anyway.
Without taking a drink, I opened the door of the van and tossed the cup onto the ground.
"Mulder!" Scully gasped. "Why did you do that?"
"It was distracting you," I told her calmly.
"Distracting me? From what?" she'd turned in her seat to face me.
"From me," I reached out quickly and pulled her onto my lap.
My lips were on hers before she could protest. If she'd been planning to resist, she must have changed her mind immediately. She practically melted in my arms. As our tongues began to slip into each other's mouths, I closed my hand over her breast. Through the fabric of her shirt and bra, I could feel her nipple harden. I groaned into her mouth. She must have felt my erection against her hip because she was rubbing against me.
"Don't you want to watch the movie?" she panted when we broke for air.
"Movie? What movie?" I began to nuzzle her neck.
Talk of a movie made something click in my brain. In an instant I had a flash of a little man wearing a leather vest, eating popcorn and leering at a TV screen. My hand fell away from Scully's breast and I straightened up.
"Goddamn Frohike and his mini cameras."
end chapter 7