text version
Title: The Beach
Author: Devin
Email: franny122004@gmail.com
Website: http://dancing-through-life.com/
Rating: G
Category: SR
Keywords: MSR
Spoilers: Bad Blood
Summary: A memory and a revelation.
Disclaimer: Not mine, I do actually get that.
Author's Note: In response to MSR Preservation
Society's 'Baby Fic Challenge' and XF Safe
Harbor's 'Happy Memory Challenge'. Thanks to
Cathey for betaing for me.
Scully made it all the way to the elevator before
she lost it; the absurdity of their report finally
getting to her. Mulder stared at her strangely and
was only able to catch a few key phrases she
gasped out. "Buck teeth... drugged..." Tears were
now streaming down her face due to her laughter.
She quickly wiped some of them away as she leaned
against the elevator wall trying to catch her
breath. "I'm sorry. It's just that... Oh, I just
don't get you sometimes."
The elevator doors slid open and both stepped out
onto the parking lot level. "Well we could always
go to your place and try and solve a few
mysteries," he said, waggling his eyebrows to go
with the perfectly delivered innuendo.
"I'm not cooking."
"Thai?"
She nodded, "Seven," and then, still smiling, went
off in search of her car.
***
An hour later they sat curled up on Scully's
couch, each with a plate of food and a glass of
soda, watching the news. "So what was so funny
this afternoon?"
"Oh, that. It was just that your parting shot in
Skinner's office was too much on top of everything
else. I mean buck teeth, Mulder?"
He didn't even pretend to look sheepish. "I have
no idea what you're talking about."
"Actually, I think it's kind of sweet that you
still get jealous after almost a year."
"Well I am freaking adorable."
This earned him a laugh and a peck on the cheek.
"Yes you are." She turned back just in time to see
a 'baby' commercial come on. "What would you do if
you had a kid?"
"You mean as soon as they came out, or one thing I
would want to do overall with them?"
"Overall."
He considered carefully. "Well besides the obvious
of just trying to make sure they grew up healthy
and happy..." he paused, collecting his thoughts.
"Usually when I've thought of being a father trips
to the beach always pop into my mind."
This piqued her interest; she'd been expecting
something about baseball or B-movies. "Why?" she
asked softly, not wanting to break the spell they
had formed with the beginning of this
conversation.
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye but
then kept his eyes forward and adopted the face
she had come to know as his 'memory face'.
"After Samantha was taken it was difficult for a
long time. I remember both my parents trying to
comfort me, but they were just as devastated as I
was," he took a deep breath and continued. "One
Saturday we were all just sitting at home, not
really doing anything, and my dad looked up
suddenly from his newspaper, looked outside and
declared that we were going to the beach.
"My mom jumped on the idea immediately. She packed
a picnic lunch, told me to grab some towels, and
we loaded up our car and drove to the beach.
"We did everything. Joined a volleyball game, had
a water fight, went swimming, but you know what I
remember the most?"
Scully wasn't sure if this was a rhetorical
question or not so she just shook her head.
The small nostalgic smile that had formed during
his story broadened. "I built a sandcastle with my
dad. We worked together for an hour or so, joking
around, almost destroying it more than we were
building it. It's one of my favorite memories. We
were a family again."
Scully didn't know what to say at the end of his
story so instead she gently reached out and put a
hand on his cheek, turning his head. She kissed
him softly and tenderly. When she pulled back she
rested her head on his collarbone.
"So, should we be taking the kid to the beach
weekly, or once a year?"
He pulled back so quickly that she almost fell
over but he caught her by the shoulders and turned
her so they were facing each other. "What?"
"Well I just wanted to know the plan," she
answered, pretending she didn't know what his
question really meant.
"You mean... you're... you're..."
"I believe the word you're searching for is
'pregnant', Mulder." Before he could answer she
handed him a file folder that contained a
sonogram. "The doctor was very amused when she
heard I thought I had the flu and took great
delight in proving my theory wrong."
He didn't answer; just stared at the still frame
of their barely developed child. Just as she was
starting to worry he let out a whoop of joy and
grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug.
"This is unbelievable!"
"Can I quote you on that? I knew I'd find
something you didn't believe right off the bat."
The End
