Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 11:17:04 -0800 From: "the *enigmatic* Dr. Scully" Subject: NEW: Ring (1/1) by Leyla Harrison Ring (1/1) by Leyla Harrison Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Samantha are the creation of Chris Carter. The mysterious "other" character belongs to me and my twisted imagination. US Season 5 Spoilers: Travelers Classification: VA, MSR Rating: R for sexual situations Summary: A wedding ring symbolizes a never-ending love -- but some expressions of love can't be seen. Scully finds out something very interesting about Mulder's past, and can't confront him until she finds out more for herself. ******* FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 6:10PM Scully pulled open the second filing cabinet. Mulder was terribly organized; so where the hell was the Lovett file? She had been looking for it for over an hour now with no luck, and was beginning to think that the file itself was the actual X-File. "Lanergan, Litoff, Liverpool, Lost..." she muttered aloud. Lost? What the hell was a file named "Lost" doing in the file cabinet? She pulled it out, intrigued. As she did, a small glassine envelope slipped out, falling to the floor of the office with a plink. She knelt down to pick it up. Inside was a simple gold band. A wedding ring. A wedding ring? She clutched the tiny bag in one hand and opened the file, flipping through it. There wasn't much inside -- a few letters from a woman, not addressed to anyone, dated back in 1989 and 1990 -- letters talking about love and pain and the inability to continue on like this. And then there was a legal document -- a marriage license -- and copies of lawyers papers -- both with Mulder's name on them. Fox William Mulder, married to Sarah Elizabeth Benson, April 6, 1990. Divorced, according to the law and the decree -- on January 17, 1991. Married? Scully looked up, not because there was anything to look at, but because she couldn't look at the papers anymore. Mulder had been married? She heard a shuffling outside the office door -- Mulder, no doubt -- and she hastily shoved the file back into the drawer, pushing it shut, just as he walked in. "Hey, Scully," he greeted her, looking weary. "How are you, Mulder?" she asked. He paused. "Well, aside from being chewed out by Skinner for the Lovett case, I'm fine. Just fine." He walked over to his desk and took off his suit jacket and slipped it over the chair before sitting down. Scully realized that the little clear bag with the ring was still clutched tightly in her palm. Her fist was closed so tightly that the sharp plastic edges were digging into her skin. "You're here late," Mulder commented, putting his feet up on the desk. "Just trying to finish up some paperwork," Scully said quickly, too quickly. "But I can finish up in the morning. I'm going to head home." She crossed the room and gathered up her coat and her purse. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mulder." And then she scurried out of the basement office, leaving Mulder alone. "Was it something I said?" he wondered aloud after a few moments. ****** Scully was sitting on her couch, her feet tucked under her. A glass of inexpensive Merlot was in front of her on the coffee table, something that she had picked up at a liquor store on her way home. She rarely drank anymore, but she had been in the mood for something, anything, to dull her senses and to help her erase thoughts of the file she had mistakenly stumbled upon in the office. She was on her second glass. So far, it wasn't working. She had taken the ring out of the plastic bag and it was sitting on the coffee table next to the wine glass. She picked it up and examined it for the fourth time since she had gotten home. Finally, with a sigh, she carried the ring and the wine over to her computer and switched it on, waiting for it to boot up. She logged into the Bureau network first, looking up Sarah Elizabeth Benson. She had no criminal record, and no death certificate. She was still alive -- somewhere. Then she tried the DMV records for Maryland. Nothing. The same in DC. But in Virginia, there *was* a Sarah Elizabeth Benson. She lived in Springfield. Scully stared at the DMV photo. Sarah Benson was, according to the records, five foot seven. She had long dark wavy hair and deep brown eyes. Considering that drivers license photos are usually bad, Sarah Benson was an exception. She was beautiful. Scully jotted down the address on a piece of paper and took another deep swallow of the wine. ***** SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA 9:30PM Scully pulled up in front of 1300 Concord Drive. It was a townhouse in a relatively new development; small, but nicely groomed. The area was quiet. There was a dark green Honda Accord in the driveway, and Scully parked her car behind it. She sat in the car for a few minutes, wondering whether or not she should go up to the house and knock, or if she should just drive back home, put the ring back in the file where she found it in the morning and try to forget about this. But she knew in her heart that she couldn't forget about it. And she had a feeling that if she asked Mulder about it, he wouldn't tell her much. Finally, she got out of the car and went up to the front door, hesitating for a long moment before taking a deep breath and knocking. The door was opened by a dark-haired woman -- Sarah Benson. She was more beautiful in person than she was in her drivers license picture. Scully felt an unexpected pang of jealousy shoot through her chest. "Can I help you?" "My name is Dana Scully, and I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I'm here...to ask you a few questions about Fox Mulder." Sarah's face changed from smiling to serious in a flash. She looked over her shoulder and then stepped out onto the front steps. "I'm sorry -- forgive me if I don't invite you in." "That's all right." "Has something happened to Fox?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "No, no, nothing like that. I'm...his partner." Scully realized suddenly that she had no clue what she was going to say to this woman. Why the hell had she come out here? Sarah nodded, waiting for Scully to continue. "I understand that you were married," she finally said. Sarah nodded. "Yes, we were. For a short time. Things...didn't work out. Fox was working as a profiler at the time...his job was very demanding." "I've been working with him for five years," Scully said, choosing each word carefully. "I never knew that he had a wife." "He didn't tell you," Sarah said, more of a statement than a question. "It doesn't surprise me. Fox and I both wanted to forget that we had ever been foolish enough to have gotten married in the first place." There was a long moment of silence as Sarah regarded Scully. "Are you involved with him?" she finally asked. "I mean, personally?" Scully took a deep breath. "No," she said. "But we're very...close. As close as we could be without being involved sexually. You could almost say that we are intimate in every way but one." Scully couldn't believe that she was telling this woman these things -- a complete stranger. Where were these words coming from? Sarah nodded her head again. "I think I understand," she finally said. "Fox told me about you." Scully laughed nervously. "He did?" "About a year ago, he said that his partner was very ill and that he was very depressed. That he was very close to her. You. That he cared very much about you." "You're still in touch with him?" "Occasionally. You see, I remarried. My new husband is, well, a bit jealous of my past relationships. So Fox and I don't talk very much. I've only seen him once since we were divorced." "I see." "May I ask why you're really here?" Scully looked at Sarah, then at the ground, then back up again. "I'm not sure," she finally confessed. "Fox doesn't know that you're here," Sarah guessed. "No, he doesn't." "We had met through mutual friends. I thought he was sensitive, caring -- which he was. But he was brooding. Temperamental. Moody." "I can't say that I was perfect either. I wasn't ready to be a wife -- I was young and impulsive. We both made a mistake. I'm just sorry that we weren't able to stay friends once it was over. But I guess that wasn't meant to be." Sarah paused and ran a hand through her hair. "Does this help you?" "I think it does," Scully answered honestly. "Did he ever...find his sister?" Sarah asked hesitantly. Scully paused for a moment, contemplating telling her about clones and about a man who smoked and a sister who didn't want to see Mulder because of lies that she had been told for years. "She's alive," Scully finally said. "I'm glad to hear that." Sarah sounded relieved, but didn't ask any further questions. "You're obviously very important to him," she said instead, changing the subject. "From what he told me about you, it would seem to me...that you would be very good for him." "I think I keep him in line," Scully replied lightly. "That's not what I meant," Sarah responded. Silence fell between the two women. "Do you love him?" Sarah finally asked. Sure you do, Scully told herself. "Yes," she admitted softly. "I do love him." "You're not here for my blessing. You came here to see who I was -- to know." "You're a very perceptive woman, Sarah." "I think that you must be as well." "If there's nothing standing in your way...then you shouldn't hold back. Life is too short." "And, if for some reason I speak to Fox -- I won't mention your visit." Scully smiled gratefully. "Good luck with your life, Sarah. I hope you've found someone who makes you happy." "I have -- and I think you have." Scully walked to her car and glanced up, watching Sarah stand on the steps until she turned on the engine and pulled out of the driveway. ****** FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION WASHINGTON, D.C. FOLLOWING DAY 8:05AM Mulder opened the door to the office and was stopped short by the sight of Scully sitting in his chair. "Morning, Mulder." "You're here awfully early, Scully. Trying to be the early bird who catches the worm?" He came into the office and hung up his coat, coming to sit down in the chair facing her. "That's a switch," Scully smiled, "you over there and me behind your desk." "Is there something you want to talk to me about, Scully?" "Why would you say that?" "I don't know -- you just have this look on your face like I've done something. Like I'm about to get chewed out for something." "Well," Scully said carefully, "you have done something, but I'm not about to chew you out. Your life is your own, Mulder." "What are you talking about?" Silently, Scully took the gold band from her pocket and placed it on the desk, sliding it across the desk towards Mulder. The smile on his face vanished, as he reached for it, picked it up, and held it between his thumb and his index finger, examining it carefully. "Where did you find this, Scully?" he asked quietly. "In a file with your marriage and divorce papers. Filed under L for Lost. Lost Love, maybe?" Mulder didn't answer. "I'm sorry," Scully murmured. "I don't mean to joke about it." "It was a long time ago, Scully. Sarah was...a sweet girl. But we should never have gotten married. She was young -- I was too focused on my job...we didn't stand a chance." His head was bowed slightly as he looked at the ring. "It was a long time ago," he repeated, finally looking up. Scully nodded. "I was just surprised that you never told me about it." "It was like a blip on a radar screen," he tried to explain. "We loved each other -- but it wasn't enough. We didn't love each other *enough*. We hadn't been through enough to make it want to last." It was as if Mulder could read her thoughts as his eyes locked on hers. "Mulder." Scully could feel her heart pounding in her breast. Christ, she thought, we've danced around this for what seems like forever. Enough already. "Mulder, I...we've gone through so much in the last few years. In the last year. I told you that your life as your own and I meant it. I..." "Scully, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it. I just -- I don't know, Scully." He covered his eyes with one hand for a moment, rubbed them, and then looked across at her again. "I love you, Mulder." He stared at her. "Yes, you heard me right. I love you. And I've waited for so long -- and I'll keep waiting, Mulder. I will." Mulder didn't say a word. He just looked stunned. "I know..." she paused. This was going to be harder. Going out on a limb. "I know that you must love me, in some way. And I'll wait for you to know -- for you to know how to tell me, to find the right time, to find the right way. I'll wait, Mulder. It's worth it. *You're* worth it, Mulder." She could have sworn that she saw tears forming in his eyes. "But now...now, we're going to try to get some of this paperwork done before Skinner is after both of our asses." Mulder cleared his throat and chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." Scully got up and came around the desk. Mulder also stood, catching her arm as she passed him. He pulled her close to him, and before she could object, leaned down and kissed her. His lips touched just the corner of her mouth, softly, lingering there, opening his lips slightly. She darted her tongue out and tasted him, just a bit, and he pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together. Scully could feel his already hard erection pressing into her belly, and her mouth curved into a smile. Mulder released her then, kissing her one last time, his lips kissing her briefly, warmly, full on the mouth. And then the contact was gone. "So," Mulder asked her conversationally, "you want me to do the expense report this time?" "That's not all you're going to do, Mulder," Scully smiled back at him. END -- http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1377 *************************************************** "We all have a dark side; it's bullshit to say that we don't. At some point we're going to have to face that." --Sarah McLachlan