He arrived at the restaurant a little early and looked to see if they had already arrived. They weren't there, so he retreated to the bar over to the right of the large room to wait. He'd gone home after work, showered and put on his best suit and a tie that Scully had mentioned she liked. Since that was a rare occurrence, it was easy to remember. Instead of a drink, he ordered a Coke from the bartender. The fact that he desperately needed a drink had convinced him it was a bad idea.
He spotted them as they entered. She had obviously gone home and changed as well. He didn't know that dress, but she looked fabulous in it, damn it. Short, a little full at the hem so that it moved with her steps. Tight bodice, low cut enough to be enticing, but still demur, no sleeves. And not black. She'd chosen something in blue and it made her eyes . . . but she was Tony's date, not his. Why couldn't he just slink out the back? Instead he waited until they reached their table. Tony pulled out her chair instead of the matre'd, then took his own seat.
Tony had taken the seat across from Scully, not beside her. Confident bastard, wasn't he? He took a long pull on the soft drink and rose.
Tony looked around the restaurant. Apparently they'd beaten this Mulder here. He started to say something when Dana stiffened or something, a small movement, but he opened his mouth to ask what, when he saw where she was looking. A man was approaching, tall, dark, broodingly handsome. He was wearing a custom-made suit, Armani it looked like. Several women turned to look at the man as he passed their tables without noticing.
To Tony's stunned surprise, the male model approached their table, and held out his hand. "You must be Tony."
"M-Mulder?" Belatedly Tony rose and shook the man's hand. Good lord, this was Mulder? "Pleased to meet you."
Mulder smiled at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. As Tony watched, Mulder circled the table and took the seat beside Dana, leaving the chair with its back to the room empty.
"Are you alone tonight? I made reservations for four." Tony saw Dana's face color, but she didn't speak.
"Oh, I figured tonight was for us to get to know each other. I didn't want to have to bore a date with learning anything new about me." Mulder grinned, again nothing in his eyes and Tony realized he hadn't spoken to Dana.
As though realizing that himself, Mulder turned to her and Tony thought he winked, but couldn't be sure at this angle. "You clean up nice," he said to her and she glared at him for an instant, then it was gone.
"Thanks for joining us tonight," she said a little formally.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I hear the steaks here are the best in town."
The waiter appeared then, announcing the specials for the evening and taking their drink order. Tony noted that Mulder only ordered iced tea and for a change, so did Dana. Tony ordered a bottle of wine for the table and a seafood dip as an appetizer.
Once the three were alone again, Mulder spoke up. "So, Tony, tell me about yourself. The good stuff, pretend I'm her father and you have to impress me."
"Mulder - " Scully practically hissed at him, but he gave her a genuine smile and turned back to Tony.
They talked then, Mulder in mild investigator mode, pulling out information that Tony didn't realize he was giving. When the food arrived, Tony recognized he hadn't learned a thing about Mulder that he didn't already know. "Your turn, Mulder. Tell me about yourself."
Mulder obliged, keeping to surface things, Oxford, the Bureau. He gave away little, though he seemed to be sharing openly
They'd gotten through their steaks and at Tony's insistence were pursuing the dessert menu when it happened.
The main door burst open, and three men in masks entered the restaurant. The matre'd was shot before Tony realized anything was happening. He jerked violently, then realized that Dana and Mulder had become ultra calm. Without comment, he saw Mulder slip Dana's clutch purse from the table in an almost invisible motion.
"Everyone stay in your seats, no cell phones." The tallest of the three men was speaking. "We shouldn't be here very long. We want your money and jewelry. Don't mess with us and you won't be hurt." One man ducked into the kitchen and Tony watched as the waiters and cooks were herded into the large room and forced to take seats at an empty table in the corner. The third one began approaching the first table. This one gathered wallets from the men and silently demanded the necklaces and rings from the two women. The speaker stayed at the door, his eyes moving rapidly over the room, taking in all movement, his gun prominently displayed.
Tony looked back at Mulder and realized his companions were, well communicating for lack of a better word. Neither had spoken, but something had passed between them.
The gunmen were efficient, quick, one taking each side of the room and making sure their weapons were obvious. Things were under control, the gunmen's control, but people were cooperating, until the silent one reached a table three from theirs. The woman there, an older aristocratic type, refused to remove her diamond earrings. "They're mine and you can't have them." She spoke down to the man as though he were a servant who had been rude.
The gunman seemed to nod to her, then without missing a beat, shot her in the face. Tony gasped; there were screams from all over the restaurant. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mulder seeming to stare at Dana, then she nodded.
Mulder's hand was a blur to Tony as he pulled the gun from behind his back. Without a word, without even standing, he shot the gunman nearest the door, causing him to fall back. But even as Mulder's shot was ringing in Tony's ear, a second shot, so close in timing to the first that for an instant he thought it was one long sound, Dana had shot the second gunman, the one that had shot the older woman.
Mulder's gun was trained on the third man who had frozen in place. "Drop it," Mulder said quietly, but with the full authority of the US of A behind it. The remaining gunman nodded and squatted to place the gun gently on the floor. He rose immediately with his hands in the air.
Screams still seemed to be echoing off the walls as Mulder approached the man, his shield open in his left hand. "FBI, stay calm!" Mulder secured him with handcuffs that had appeared as quickly as the gun had. Dana did the same for the man she had shot. Mulder warily approached the first man - the speaker of the group, his gun at the ready, and checked his pulse. He muttered something but Tony didn't catch it. Dana obviously had because she hurried to his side. She too checked the unconscious man and shook her head.
"The police and ambulance are on the way. Please, stay in your seats," Mulder said loudly upon rising.
How could he know that, Tony wondered, then saw that Dana was on her cell phone, handling just what Mulder had already assured the people was happening. Dana had come to dinner with him armed? It hadn't occurred to him. And the, the communication between the two of them . . . they had made their plans and carried them out without a word being spoken. Was that how partners did these things? The Social Security Administration didn't assign partners, but would he ever be able to follow someone else's thoughts like those two had?
Tony glanced over again at the dead woman on the floor just a few feet from him and reaction hit him. Bile rose in his throat and he struggled to keep it down. He could have been shot. Dana, Dana and Mulder had saved his life, the lives of everyone in the place. He watched the woman he was beginning to truly care for handle the gruesome mess.
The police were there very quickly, the ambulance right behind them. Two people were dead, the first gunman, from Mulder's bullet and the older woman, shot by the shorter robber. That man and the matre'd were wounded and removed by stretcher while the bodies were left were they lay while the police took over. The patrons and workers at the restaurant were moved to the far side of the restaurant and told to wait.
Dana had glanced over at him several times, a worried look in her eye, but she'd smiled at him, and he had in turn motioned for her to continue. Now with the police taking control she approached him and he rose.
"Tony, I'm so - "
"You were magnificent, Dana! I'm still in shock, I know that, but you, you saved us all. That little guy didn't care who he hurt, I saw his eyes. He enjoyed shooting that woman." He had Dana in his arms, and she had allowed hers to encircle his waist, but she was too aware that Mulder's eyes were on them. Even with her back to him, she could feel his gaze.
She broke away shortly. "Tony, the police are going to have to take your statement. I'm going to move you to the front of the line, then I want you to go on home."
"What about you?"
"I'll get a ride. I'll have to be here for awhile, I, we discharged our weapons."
"To save our lives!"
"Yes, but Mulder and I will have to be interrogated. It's procedure and takes awhile. Please, I'll call you tomorrow."
"I don't want to leave you."
"I'll feel better if I know you're away from all of this."
He looked deep into her eyes and after a moment, nodded. "Call me when you get home."
"It'll be late - "
"Call me anyway. I won't be sleeping."
She nodded, understanding in her eyes. "I'll call, come on. I'll introduce you to the detective."
*****
It was very late when she opened the door to her apartment. She turned then to look up at Mulder. "I didn't need - "
"I didn't mind. Are you okay?"
She blinked. "Yes."
"It wasn't the way you expected the evening to go."
She gave an unamused laugh. "No, not exactly, but you were a perfect gentleman, except of course for shooting that man."
"Maybe someday I can learn to fit in polite society," he agreed.
Her smile was more genuine then. "Have a seat," she offered.
He shook his head. "I should get on home."
"Oh, yeah, it is late."
He nodded. "And you have to call Tony." He turned toward the door so she couldn't read his face at those words.
"Oh, right. Mulder . . . I'm very glad you were beside me tonight. That could have - "
"Don't. Of course I had your back. I always will. Make your call and try to get a little sleep. I'm pretty sure we're going to be called in for further reports in the morning. Only the DC police have had at us so far."
She opened the door for him and to his surprise, let her arms go around his waist as they had with Tony earlier. "Thank you."
He tilted her chin up towards him and kissed her forehead. "Any time. Nite, Scully."
"Nite," he waited just outside the door until he heard the deadbolt slide.
*****
A marriage proposal? She hadn't expected that. She had purposely not explored it, and it was too soon. She and Tony had only been dating a few months. Besides, her career didn't lend itself to a family life. Okay, she gave Mulder grief about that, but in order to do the job it had to be that way. Didn't it? The travel, the investigations that she couldn't share . . . Mulder.
Not that she and Mulder had that kind of intimacy, but they were close. They had to be, it was a major part of their jobs. She was aware she sounded slightly defensive, even to herself. They spent a lot of time saving each other's lives. They had to be in each other's heads in order to be successful.
This was only because of the trauma of the other night. Part of her understood that, but he couldn't see it. He was so . . . awed over what she and Mulder had done. He couldn't seem to see it as just her job. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't something that should have impressed him so.
"Dana, we're good together, I know you care about me. I hope you know how much I've grown to care about you. And after the other night, I realize I don't want to wait to get on with my life. We both could have died at that restaurant. There is no reason to wait. Dana, join me for the rest of our lives."
That's what he'd said. She hadn't realized how affected he had been by that night until then. She should have seen it. He worked for Social Security and she . . . she hunted down aliens and sewer monsters with Mulder. And as for Mulder . . .
She rolled over in bed, unable to get comfortable. Okay, honesty time, she was physically attracted to Mulder as well. Hell, what woman wouldn't be - that long lanky body, thick chestnut hair that flopped over his forehead, those eyes that seemed to change colors with his moods; that lower lip - okay, enough. He was her partner. If she weren't observant she wouldn't make a good agent, but that was enough.
The last thing she should be doing was cataloging Mulder's attributes. And it wasn't like Tony wasn't attractive as well. His hair was nearly black it was so dark and his eyes were chocolate and deep. He had a good sense of humor and, at least so far, had been very tolerant of the demands of her job. Would that continue if they were married? How would she feel if he went macho and didn't want her to continue her work? And it was her work now, not just Mulder's.
It wasn't like Tony was going into this completely blind. He knew her work, her unschedulable schedule. Hell, he'd lived through a shoot out that hadn't been exactly scheduled.
She hadn't told him about her abduction, she had thought it too early in the relationship. Besides, it was over and there was no need to bring it up. He knew that Mulder had rescued her from something she wasn't allowed to talk about - okay, he didn't know she was the one that wouldn't allow her to talk about it. How was she supposed to explain what had happened in Antarctica? She didn't understand it herself and there was no way she was going to tell him Mulder's theory.
He hadn't spent much time with Mulder. After the night of the robbery, he hadn't asked to set up another dinner, though he and Mulder had talked on the phone. Tony had called him to thank him as well after that night. Mulder was a part of her life, part of her family. She needed for them to get along. She needed to talk to Mulder.
*****
"He seems like a nice guy, Scully." At least he had his voice back. For an instant there he'd been completely unable to speak. Marry Tony?
"He is," she said quickly, watching him. How much was she seeing? She had been . . . happier lately, lighter and that had to be because of the new man in her life. What was he supposed to say? Stay with me, be miserable, but with me? He was a selfish bastard, he knew that but . . .
"Then, then I say go for it. You deserve that life you've always talked about. If he's the one, if he really makes you happy, you shouldn't let him go."
After a moment she nodded. "Thank you." It was only a whisper but he heard it and his heart sank even lower.
He leaned over from where he was propped against the desk and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You have to invite me for Sunday dinner occasionally, and maybe Thanksgiving."
"Count on it," she managed to say. She rose and headed out the door of the office. That was a good thing, because there was no way he could make it to his feet. Marry Tony? The two of them hadn't been dating that long. What had happened? What had pushed him to ask her so quickly?
Were they intimate? She wasn't pregnant; at least he was sure of that. Why the fucking hurry?
Scully let herself in the women's room and locked herself into the last stall. Okay, Mulder thought she should do this. He thought she should marry Tony. Her mother thought Tony was a nice man, Bill was ecstatic that she was seeing someone. The doubts she had were just nerves. Everyone had nerves when they contemplated getting married.
*****
Mulder had only thought things had moved quickly for the engagement. He'd had no idea a wedding could be put together that quickly. Mrs. Scully must have pulled out all of the stops. Neither of her brothers had been able to come on such short notice, but neither Scully nor Tony wanted to wait.
Scully was on the phone with her mother once again, going over Margaret's endless lists. "Dana, you need to call Ellen if you want her to stand up with you."
"I know, I've just been so - "
"Dana, you have to take some time for yourself. I know you have a demanding job, but you only get married once," she missed Scully's wince, "and you need to take the time to make it special."
"Mom! I've bought my dress, I've put in for a week off at work - "
"And you haven't called Ellen. Is there someone else you want to stand up with you? I know you don't get to spend much time with her anymore, but I thought she was still your best friend."
Scully couldn't help the flash to Mulder's face. Best friend, yes, not exactly someone she could ask to stand up with her at her wedding. "I'll call her now, okay? I have to get off the phone."
"Let me know what she says."
"I will. I'll call you tonight." She hung up then and only afterward realized she hadn't said goodbye. Too many years with Mulder. She'd apologize later. She took a deep breath and dialed Ellen.
"Hello?" Scully could hear a dog barking and children yelling in the background. For an instant she froze.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Ellen's voice sounded a bit impatient now.
"Ellen, I'm sorry. It's Dana. If this is a bad time - "
"Dana! No, it is not a bad time. It's a perfect time." Dana heard a door shut and the sound cut off. "Girlfriend, you called just in time to keep me from committing murder, I'm just not sure if it was going to be the dog or one of the kids."
Dana laughed dutifully.
"So, tell me why I'm not out there strangling someone. What's the chance of us getting together?"
"That's why I'm calling. I need a favor."
"A favor? Sounds interesting, give."
"I, I'm getting married and I want you to stand up with me."
There was a dead silence for a moment. "Married? Dana! You dog! It's your partner, right? The jerk? I can't believe - "
"No, no I'm not marrying Mulder. I met a, I met Tony Sutton and we're getting married in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Dana . . . "
"I'm not pregnant," Scully said dryly. "There's just no reason to wait. We're adults."
"I know, I didn't mean to . . . Dana is everything okay?"
Scully closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes, Ellen, everything is fine. I should have called you earlier but I've been working and - "
"It's not a problem, I'm glad you called. So, what am I wearing and if you say pink ruffles I'm hanging up now."
At that Scully did laugh. "No, I would never do that to you. I know you well enough to know that you've spotted this perfect cocktail dress that you're dying to get, but have no excuse. Right?"
"You're evil, Dana."
"So get it and wear it. It's not pink, is it?"
"Dark green."
"Perfect!"
"That's not really fair, Dana. You're supposed to have a little more input than - "
"Wear black sandals. There, I've put my stamp on it."
"I don't have to dye shoes to match? What will Mom say?"
Scully felt herself relaxing. She should take the time to touch base with Ellen and her other friends occasionally. Now that she was going to be a married woman, that's what she'd do.
*****
The ceremony would be simple. They were in the chapel at Father McCue's church. Scully could see her mother's eyes were bright with unshed tears. Tony's father was standing up with him as best man. Now there was something that would never have happ- She brutally shut off that line of thought, unsettled that it had even occurred to her. The gunmen were here, looking solemn and uncomfortable in suits and ties, except of course for Byers. It was sweet of them to come. She did a double take when she realized they were sharing a bench with Skinner.
She didn't see him. He must have decided not to come. The room was too small to miss him. He was happy for her, no that wasn't strictly true, but he had tried to make her believe he was. This was hard on him, she could tell he felt like he was losing her, but that wasn't going to happen. She had no intentions of leaving the Bureau or the X-Files.
Tony walked with her down the aisle, since there was no one to give her away. She would never ask Mulder for that, and it was a good thing since he hadn't shown. Father McCue smiled down at them and suddenly she stiffened slightly. She didn't turn, she didn't look, but she knew that Mulder had slipped into the back of the chapel. He had come.
*****
God, why was she so nervous? She wasn't a virgin. It had been a mistake to wait. She'd only gotten more and more nervous as the wedding got closer. Wasn't that the groom's role? Her mother had tried to talk to her. She was aware of that, so she had avoided her. She certainly didn't need a birds and bees talk.
She couldn't say Tony wasn't trying. Champagne in the room, strawberries and chocolate. So why the hell did she think she was cheating on - No! She was married, maybe for just a few hours, but she was married. For better or worse until death . . . oh god. What had she done?
She had to leave the bathroom. It hadn't taken her this long to get into her wedding dress. Think about him, think how patient Tony was being. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
The maid had been in and turned down the bed, the obligatory chocolates on the pillow. Tony rose from the couch as she joined him. Noel Coward came to mind, pajamas with a matching robe. Mulder would have on cut offs and a ragged - stop it damnit!
He smiled at her and held out his hand. She took it and felt him squeeze her fingers. "Your hands are like ice, Dana. Come on, have a seat." He handed her a glass of champagne. She forced her hand to steady and started to take a sip.
"A toast, Dana."
She met his eyes. He was a lovely man; he could see her nerves and was trying to make her comfortable.
"To new beginnings and growing love," he touched his glass to hers. Her eyes welled up and she nodded, taking a sip. He watched her for a moment, then "Dana, are you ready to go to bed?"
"Yes, thank you, Tony."
He winked and held out his hand to escort her to the bed. Looking at it caused her mind to falter if not her step, but she moved with him and he seated her on the side of the king-size mattress. He gently removed the robe of her peignoir set and smiled at her. He shrugged off his own robe and reclined on the bed, pulling her down with him.
He was only kissing her, helping her to relax and it was working at first. When he lowered the spaghetti strap she forced herself not to retreat and began fumbling with the buttons of his pajamas top. He was her husband, it would be okay.
He did everything to please her and she began to relax in earnest. Her body wanted to respond. She needed to let it, how long had it been since she'd made love with anyone?
He took his time, making sure she was ready for his attentions. When he finally entered her, her eyes closed to appreciate the sensations. She could feel herself begin to come. "Mmmuul - " her eyes flew open. Oh god, had she stopped in time? She hadn't said Mulder's name? Oh god. His eyes were closed, and he didn't seem to have heard, thank goodness.
How could she have allowed herself to be off guard like that? But on the other hand, how could she have known it was Mulder's name she would moan when she came? She couldn't let this happen again. Tony was her husband, for better or worse.
Then he was coming inside her and collapsed atop her for a moment, then rolled to her side. "Damn, Dana, that was incredible."
She managed a smile. "Thank you," she whispered.
"No, thank you." He tucked her up against him. "Give me a little reload time. This evening is just beginning."
She buried her face in his shoulder and didn't speak. Maybe for him, she didn't dare let herself go again. She couldn't trust herself. She could fake it, she had in the past, lots of women did. It would be okay, she would make it okay, somehow.
Author's note - Now you can go read Total Honesty and it will make more sense. Just couldn't leave it 'here'.
Mulder,
Scully, the Lone Gunman and Skinner all belong to