There's A Way
Chapter 10
After my mother had tried, with limited success, to explain what she'd meant by her 'strays' comment to Jordan, Mulder and I talked to Ms. Schmidt about an offer on the house. Mulder told her that our lawyer would be getting in touch with her on Monday to make our offer official. Once we'd said good-bye to my mother, we got into the car and I looked back over my shoulder as we drove away from the house, still clutching the feature sheet in my hand.
"Don't worry, Scully. I'm sure it'll be ours soon," Mulder's hand was on my knee.
"I know," I covered his hand with mine. "Monday's such a long way away."
Despite the fact that I was looking out of the window I could feel Mulder's eyes on me.
"Fine," he sighed and I was surprised when he pulled the car onto the shoulder.
"What are you doing?" I looked at him in amazement.
"What you want me to do." He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his cell phone.
I glanced into the back seat to see Jordan looking just as confused as I felt.
"I'll try the office first, just in case." He began to dial the phone.
"Hey, Brent, it's Fox Mulder. I didn't really expect to catch you there on a Saturday."
Brent Garrow was Mulder's lawyer and now mine too. I hadn't had a regular lawyer before we were married. There hadn't been any need. Brent had been a part of almost every aspect of the roller coaster ride that Mulder and I had been on since he'd gone to that reading of the wills last June.
"That's too bad," Mulder chuckled. "Maybe you should think about getting a partner."
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I am," Mulder said apologetically after a brief pause.
While cars whipped by us, we sat on the side of the road and listened to Mulder explain to Brent why we needed his services yet again.
"I could fax it to you when we get home," Mulder offered.
"Uh, I'm not sure, hold on a sec," he lowered the phone and turned to me. "What are we offering?"
"She's asking $189,000, right?" I double-checked the sheet.
"Right," Mulder nodded.
"Then offer $189,000," I shrugged.
Mulder opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. "Apparently we're offering the asking price," he spoke into the phone again.
"No," Mulder shook his head. "Yeah, I know, but from the look on my wife's face I can tell she has no intention of bartering."
Raising my eyebrows, I put my hand to my chest to say, "Who? Me?"
"You got that right," he chuckled after a couple seconds and winked at me.
"I will, Brent. Thanks again," Mulder closed his phone.
"What did Brent have right?" I inquired as I took the cell from Mulder to put it away.
"That my life would be easier if I just did whatever you want," Mulder grinned at me before putting the car back into drive.
"He's a smart man," I couldn't help grinning back at Mulder once we were safely on the road again. "So is he going to take care of this?"
"Yeah, I'm going to fax him all of the information when we get home. He's really busy right now, but he said he should be able to get an offer together by Monday."
"Oh." All of the excitement drained out of me.
"Scully," Mulder reached for my hand, "They can't really do anything with an offer before Monday anyway."
"I guess," I squeezed his hand. "I'm not sure why, but I have this feeling that I need to hurry."
"Are you having premonitions again?" he glanced over at me.
"I've never had premonitions, Mulder." Exasperation must have been evident in my tone.
"Well, feelings then, whatever you want to call them. What is this feeling you're having?"
"For God's sake, Mulder, I like the house, that's all. I guess I'm just worried that we'll lose it to another buyer," I tried to explain.
"You're sure that's all it is?" He didn't look convinced.
"Mulder, you know how I am when I see a suit I like. I want to have it right away, okay?" I was sorry I'd said anything.
"Well then don't worry, this will be in your closet before you know it."
Ignoring the way Mulder was patronizing me, I turned to say something to Jordan about what he wanted to do with his new room, only to find him asleep in his bucket booster seat. He'd had a busy day playing with Andrew in the morning and looking at the house in the afternoon. I'd thought maybe Jordan was only still napping because it was routine, but I guess he still needed the rest.
"I'm impressed, Scully," Mulder smiled at me as we pulled into the driveway.
"About what?" I undid my seatbelt.
"You resisted the urge to call home," he squeezed my hand.
"Why are you teasing me?" I pulled my hand away. "That was really hard for me."
"Hey," he said softly as he reached for me again. "I was serious when I said I was impressed. I know it's hard for you," he pulled me toward him.
"I'm sorry," I melted against him and sighed when his arms wrapped around me.
When I felt his lips on my forehead, I lifted my face toward him. "I'm sorry," I repeated as his mouth was descending to mine. As soon as his tongue flicked against my lips, seeking entrance, I knew I was forgiven. We kissed softly and slowly. I stayed nestled in his arms as our mouths moved languidly against each other. It wasn't until we heard a car pass on the street that we reluctantly parted.
"I'll take Jordan upstairs," Mulder told me gently as he smoothed my hair away from my face.
"I love you," I murmured as I pulled him back for one more kiss before we got out of the car.
Everything was fine at home, just as Mulder assured me it would be. Megan was still sleeping and Andrew was in the living room watching baseball. After Jordan was in bed, Mulder joined Andrew in front of the TV. I sat down to read the Saturday paper, but the constant bickering kept distracting me. From what I could make out they were disagreeing about the teams playing. One was Mulder's Yankees and the other was the Red Sox, I think. Several times I thought the disagreement might come to blows, but then one of them would ask the other if he wanted a beer "while I'm up." I gave up trying to read and went into the kitchen to start making supper.
After supper, once the kids were in bed, I told Mulder I was going for a bath. It was only 9:30 when I got out of the tub, but I pulled on a nightie and slipped into bed anyway. Only a couple of minutes later I recognized Mulder's footfalls on the stairs.
"Going to bed early?" he asked softly when he opened the door and saw that I was awake. "You do need the rest."
"Are you going to help me fall asleep?" I patted the bed beside me.
"Sure," he grinned, and quickly stripped to his boxers. I'd often told him that his presence beside me was very comforting.
I pulled back the covers for him and when he climbed into bed I snuggled up to him immediately. He was on his back and I was on my side, with one leg thrown over his. I felt him take a deep breath as his arm tightened around my waist. As we lay there quietly, I began to trace patterns on his chest with my fingers. Fingers that soon wandered to his belly. With my head on his chest I could feel his heart beating faster and his breathing rate had increased as well. When my fingers made contact with his thighs, he finally spoke up.
"Scully, what are you doing?" His voice was raspy.
"Well, Mulder," I began, "I know from previous experience how you respond to my touch, so I was hoping that this contact would stimulate the flow of blood to the spongy tissue in your penis."
"Scully!" he choked in protest.
"Oh look!" I slid my hand into his boxers. "It worked."
"You had no intention of going to sleep, did you?" his voice was gravelly.
"I didn't," I admitted as I stroked his erection.
"And you got me into the bed for the sole purpose of your sexual gratification?" His hips shifted as I continued to caress him.
"That's not true," I retorted with a huff. "I had your sexual gratification in mind, too."
"I love the way you think," he breathed.
"C'mere then," I slid my hand out of his boxers and tugged on his arm.
Mulder needed no further encouragement. As his lips were covering mine, he slid his hand under the hem of my nightgown. Instinctively, I parted my legs to give him better access to me.
"God, Scully," he groaned when his hand first touched me. "You shaved when you were in the tub."
"I did," I lifted my hips off the bed. "I thought you liked me this way."
In answer his mouth began to devour mine.
"Like you this way?" he panted when he pulled back. "Scully, you don't have to shave yourself for me to like you."
"I know that, Mulder," I cupped his face with my hand. "I meant, I thought you found it sexy."
"I do, but believe me, it's far sexier to know that you think about what I might find sexy," his fingers were gently teasing my smooth skin.
"Don't you think about things like that?" My eyes had drifted shut as I enjoyed the sensation of his touch.
"Honestly, Scully, not really," he paused to press a tender kiss against my lips. "I tend to think more about how beautiful you look when you're naked, or the way you look at me when we're making love, or the blissful expression on your face when you come."
"God, Mulder," I groaned and parted my legs even further.
"And if I'm not thinking about that, I'm thinking about how soft your lips are, and how I love the way they feel on my cock. I also think about the way you touch me. You touch me a lot. Did you know that, Scully?"
"Do I?" I felt him shift. I opened my eyes in time to see him positioning himself between my legs.
"Yes, you do," he bent to kiss me again. "You are always touching my face, or my hands and you can't seem to keep your hands off my ass."
"Yeah?" Grinning up at him, I hooked my thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and pushed them down as far as I could. While I squeezed his well-developed muscles, he absently pushed his boxers the rest of the way off.
"I also spend a great deal of time thinking about how fantastic it feels to be inside of you," he sighed as he pressed the head of his cock against me.
"I think about how wonderful it feels to have you inside me, too," I confessed breathily.
My admission had barely passed my lips when Mulder began to slide into me. I couldn't help moaning and arching my head back.
"You are so amazing," he growled as he began to ease out of me again.
"That feels so good, Mulder," I opened my eyes to find his burning down at me.
"You like that?" his eyes seemed to darken even further.
"Yes, it's incredible to feel every inch of you like that," I shuddered.
"Christ," he grunted as he took his time pushing into me again.
"Mmm," I savored the way his cock felt as he slowly filled me. I could feel every contour of him inside of me. "All the way out," I pushed at his belly when pulled back again.
"Like this?" he held back for a moment and then entered me again.
"Yes," I nodded feverishly. "And pause here for a second," I grabbed onto his ass when he was all the way inside of me again. I shuddered at the sensation.
As we continued this almost torturous pace every nerve ending inside of me became sensitized. Each one practically screamed for Mulder's touch and when this need was deliciously fulfilled a new ache would begin. Even though neither of us was moving quickly, we were both panting and beads of sweat were forming on Mulder's forehead. My entire body was trembling and I was starting to get dizzy. I doubted that we'd be able to keep this up much longer.
With his next stroke, Mulder began to quake. "Scully?" he sounded like he was pleading with me.
"Yes, now!" I hoped he would understand that I wanted him to speed up.
My concerns were quickly put to rest when Mulder began to thrust into me with all of the vigor I needed to send me over the edge. As my body became taut and I began to shake, I heard Mulder call my name. He seemed to pulse endlessly inside of me.
"Scully," he whispered my name again as he collapsed to the bed and pulled me on top of him.
"Was that okay?" I asked as I settled myself against him.
"Okay?" he chuckled. "That, Scully, was phenomenal."
"Mmm," I snuggled against him. "I thought so, too, but I was worried that I might be slowly driving you crazy."
"You were," he tightened his hold on me. "But in an extremely good way."
I knew it wouldn't be long before I drifted off. I assumed that Mulder would wait until I was asleep and then slip out of the bed to join Andrew downstairs. He needed far less sleep than I did and I never expected him to stay in bed with me when he'd end up laying there staring at the ceiling. So I was quite surprised to hear him snoring softly in my ear before I'd had a chance to succumb myself.
I was equally surprised to find that Mulder was still in the bed when I woke the next morning at 6:30. I was dismayed, however, to find that my stomach was upset again. When I got downstairs I starting boiling water for tea, popped some bread into the toaster and let the puppy outside. My stomach was beginning to churn like it had the previous morning. Taking deep breaths, I tried to prevent yesterday morning's nausea from repeating itself.
When the toast popped up, I took it to the table and began to nibble at it. By the time the kettle began to boil the queasiness in my stomach had started to wane.
It took me two trips to cart everything I needed, but soon I was out in the fresh air with my toast, tea and the baby monitor. I was glad that I'd grabbed my robe before I came downstairs, because it was decidedly fresh outside. Guinness seemed to like the chilly morning air and settled happily at my feet while I ate.
About half an hour later Mulder joined me outside. He still looked a little rumpled, but he was dressed for a run.
"I didn't think you'd sleep this long," I smiled up at him.
"Neither did I," he chuckled and stretched his arms over his head. "I'm going to head out for a run," he bent over to give me a quick kiss.
"Did you check with Andrew? Maybe he'd want to go, too," I wondered.
"I stuck my head into his room, but he was still asleep with his pillows over his head," he shrugged.
"How can he breathe like that?" I started to worry right away.
"I dunno, but I checked, and he was breathing," Mulder assured me.
"Weird," I shook my head.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Mulder squatted down to look at me.
"Fine," I lied with a smile. I had no idea what was wrong, but I didn't see any need to worry Mulder over what was probably a mild stomach flu.
"I'm glad," he tucked a stray strand of hair back behind my ear. "You look so much better than yesterday."
"Thanks, sweetie," I laughed. "Now get going. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."
Not long after Mulder left, the rest of the house began to wake up. With Megan's company, I got dressed and then brought her downstairs. Shortly after that Jordan and Andrew had joined us in the kitchen.
"How'd you sleep?" I smiled at Andrew when he wandered into the kitchen.
"Like a baby," He gave Megan a tickle.
"Do you always sleep with the pillows over your head?" I laughed as I handed him a cup of coffee.
"What?" He looked up at me in surprise. His cheeks grew faintly pink.
"Mulder went by your room to see if you wanted to go out for a run with him. He said you were sleeping with pillows over your head," I worried that I'd brought up a touchy subject.
"Oh, I got into that habit in college -- loud dorm. It was the only way I could get any sleep," his cheeks flushed further.
"I never had any problems," I chuckled. "But I'm sure Mulder would love to tell you how I can sleep anywhere, any time."
"You're lucky," he sighed. "Thanks for the coffee."
"No problem. I'm making pancakes. Would you like some?" I nodded toward the batter.
"I don't want you to go to any trouble," he held up his hands.
"I'm making them for the Megan and Jordan. It's no trouble," I assured him.
"Megan eats pancakes?" he seemed surprised.
"Yeah, I make her silver dollar cakes and she eats them with her fingers," I explained as I began to pour batter onto the griddle.
"She must get awfully messy," he remarked as he poured some cream into his coffee.
"I don't give her any syrup," I laughed.
"Oh," his cheeks started to grow pink again.
The back door opened and a sweaty Mulder burst into the kitchen. "Mmm, pancakes," he sniffed the air.
"Not until you have a shower," I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"I thought you liked me when I was hot and sweaty," he began to walk slowly toward me.
"Mulder..." I giggled as I felt a blush creeping up my neck.
"Admit it," he waggled his eyebrows.
"Don't you dare get me all sweaty," I pointed my spatula at him.
"Admit it," He was inches away from me.
"Okay, okay. I like it when you're all hot and sweaty," I laughed.
"Thought so," he leaned in and kissed me. "Save some pancakes for me," he grinned as he turned to leave the room.
When I looked at Andrew to shake my head, I was amused to find him staring at his coffee, blushing furiously.
When breakfast was over Mulder decided he should return the Gunmen's van before they concocted some covert recovery operation. Jordan had commented on the van several times so Mulder took him along. I left the cleaning of the kitchen for later and played with Megan, knowing that she would fall asleep in about hour. I brought her toys to the living room to play with her. She seemed content to simply remove the toys from the laundry basket and hand them to me. Each time she handed me a toy I'd thank her, and say something about the toy. I'd either tell her what color it was or I'd say the name of the toy. When the basket was empty she filled it up again.
By the time Mulder and Jordan got back, Megan was asleep and I had started to clean the kitchen.
"I'll do this," Mulder slipped his hands around my waist. "Why don't you do something with Jordan?"
"My pleasure," I turned in his arms and gave him a kiss. "Are you going to make lunch too?"
"If you like," he returned my kiss. "Anything in particular?"
"Nope," I smiled and after another quick kiss I left to find Jordan.
Apparently, he'd enjoyed taking the dog for a walk the previous morning, because he wanted to go again. It was almost noon when we got back. Luckily, I'd brought a plastic bag with me. Once I'd disposed of my doggie treasure and washed my hands I helped Mulder with lunch.
After we'd finished the meal, Andrew offered to clean up.
"There are four of us and one of you, Andrew," I pointed out. "You shouldn't be cleaning up after us."
"I feel like I should be doing something," he explained.
"You sat with Megan yesterday," I reminded him. "Now get out of here."
"Okay," he laughed. "I do have a few errands I have to run."
With Andrew gone and the kids napping, the afternoon seemed very quiet. I retrieved the Sunday paper and sat with my back against the arm of the couch and my feet in Mulder's lap while he watched the Redskins game.
I was in the middle of an article about preserving woodwork in older houses when the phone startled both of us.
"Probably my mother," I said as I got up.
"Hello," I smiled when I answered expecting to hear my mother's voice.
"Put Andrew on," a terse female voice ordered.
"Uh," I was taken aback. "I'm sorry, he's not here. Could I take a message?" I assumed I was talking to the charming Leigh.
"I'm not stupid, bitch. I know he's there. Put him on," she spat.
"Excuse me? You have no call to speak to me like that."
At the astounded tone of my voice, Mulder flicked off the TV and sat up.
"I'll talk to you any fucking way I please, you lying whore --"
I stopped listening and hung up the phone, my hands shaking with rage.
"An obscene phone call?" Mulder was on his feet.
"You could say that," I unclenched my teeth. "I think it was Leigh."
The phone began to ring again as I finished speaking.
"I'll get it," Mulder moved toward the phone. "Hello?" he sounded cautious. He paused only for a moment.
"Look, Leigh," the anger in his voice surprised me. "I don't care what's happened between you and Andrew, you have no right to speak to my wife like that."
Mulder had no idea what Leigh had actually said to me, but I surmised that the look on my face must have given him a fair indication.
"Somehow I doubt that you are a stupid woman, so I trust that you know how foolish it is to make threats like that against a federal officer," he put the phone down heavily.
I was glad that Megan and Jordan weren't around to hear Mulder speak in that tone of voice. I was sure he would have scared them both. The phone was barely back in it's cradle when it rang again.
"What?" Mulder practically yelled into the phone. His face fell almost instantly. "I am so sorry, Maggie. We just had a couple of nasty phone calls."
Taking the phone from Mulder, I explained the saga to my mother. She, too, was perplexed as to why this woman would've let a man like Andrew slip through her fingers.
When Andrew returned he was mortified to hear what had happened. He promised to talk to Leigh and make sure she didn't bother us again.
"I don't think she'll be calling back," Mulder chuckled. "I don't think she realized at first who she was talking to."
"If I were you Andrew," I jumped in, "I wouldn't bother calling her back. She wasn't calling to apologize or make amends -- she was spewing venom."
"I am so sorry that you got dragged into this," he sat down and put his face in his hands. "I don't know why I didn't break up with her a long time ago. She kept saying things would be different, but they never were."
"Women like that don't change, Andrew," Mulder shook his head. "The sooner you realize that the better. I learned that lesson the hard way. Sometime I'll tell you about my experience at Oxford, when Scully's not around. She's heard it often enough already."
"You can say that again," I chuckled. "But seriously, Andrew, I think you are well rid of that woman."
"You sound like my mother," he grinned. "She can't stand Leigh."
The mood in the room seemed to lighten dramatically and the rest of the day passed smoothly. Before I went to bed that night I remembered how queasy I'd been that morning. I decided it might be prudent to eat something light before I went to bed. Opting for some yogurt and a banana, I ate in front of the TV. If Mulder thought there was anything strange about it, he made no comment.
Being that the next day was my first back at work, I set the clock for six. When the alarm went off, both Mulder and I groaned. I'd slept for 8 hours and I still felt exhausted. As I was staggering to the bathroom, I felt that familiar twinge at the back of my jaw. It was the only warning I got.
Since I'd eaten before I went to bed, I had plenty to throw up. Mulder was at my side almost instantly with a glass of water and a cold cloth. When my stomach finally stopped convulsing, I slumped against him. He put the cloth on my neck and held the glass to my lips. After a few minutes I was able to sit up on my own.
"What's going on, Scully? You were so much better yesterday," Mulder lifted up my chin to look at me.
I shook my head slightly.
"What does that mean?" He sounded wary.
"I'm sorry," I took a shaky breath. "I didn't want you to worry."
"What happened?" He sounded more concerned than angry.
"My stomach was upset when I woke up, but after I had some toast I was fine. I didn't mention it because I thought I was getting better," I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
"Well you obviously aren't better," he wrapped his arms around me. "I think you should go see your doctor."
"Today is supposed to be my first day back at work," I protested. "I'll be fine once I have some toast."
"How long are you willing to let this go on? So you call in sick. Who cares? Your health is more important. I want you to see your doctor -- and I want you to see him today."
In the three months we'd been married, Mulder had never spoken that emphatically to me. I suddenly realized that he was as scared as I was. I couldn't stop the tears from spilling onto my face.
"I'm sorry," I buried my face in my hands and wept.
"It'll be okay," Mulder pulled me onto his lap. "You'll be okay. But you have to see your doctor."
As much as the security of Mulder's arms comforted me, they could not stop the anxiety from building inside me. I didn't share his certainty that as long as I saw my doctor, I'd be fine. He hadn't helped before.
"I'll call Dr. Zuckerman's office as soon as it opens," I promised him, my voice still shaking.
"It'll be all right," Mulder pressed his lips to my forehead.
I tried to take comfort from Mulder's assurances, but even his gentle touch was not enough to stop the dread that had begun to spread through me.
end chapter 10