TITLE: Redeeming the Time, part 3
AUTHOR: bellefleur
EMAIL ADDRESS: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: No; beyond part 1, I'm only housing 
the rest of this at my site until it's finished.
RATING: PG
CLASSIFICATION: S, A
SPOILERS: Tooms, Little Green Men
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; they belong to CC, FOX, etc.
SUMMARY: Sometimes, you have to love someone enough to let 
them go.

* * * * *
* * * * *

Scully's back was to the door when she heard it swish open, 
followed by a familiar voice.  "Agent Scully, slicin' and 
dicin'.  Just like old times."

She snapped off her latex gloves and took a moment to compose 
herself before she turned to face Mulder.  She didn't waste 
her breath on pleasantries.  "I have a very pissed off medical 
examiner in Minneapolis who wants to know why the FBI pulled 
rank on him and shipped a body to Seattle--and I'd like to 
know the same thing." 

He didn't bother to look guilty, just disappointed.  "That 
means you didn't do the autopsy?" 

She sighed and brushed past him to get to the sink.  "That's 
beside the point, Mulder.  This isn't like 'old times.'  I'm 
at a field office, not Quantico.  You can't send me cases that 
have nothing to do with our geographical jurisdiction."  

While she washed up, he leaned close behind her, practically 
towering over her.  "That M.E. examined five other victims 
before this and didn't find a sliver of evidence on any of 
them.  He refused to hear any of my suggestions about what to 
look for.  You're the only person who could examine this body 
with an open mind."  

She dried her hands and discarded the paper towel.  When she 
turned to face him, she had to lean back against the counter 
to gain some space.  Chewing on her lip, she wondered if there 
was some way she could tell him what she discovered without 
proving him right. 

He said excitedly, "Scully, you're holding out on me.  You 
found something, didn't you?"  Even after all this time, he 
could apparently still read her well.  

She used her best clinical voice, trying not to encourage his 
enthusiasm.  "On the victim's neck, I detected a trace amount 
of an unidentified biological substance."  Sensing he was 
about to pounce, she quickly added, "But just because it's 
unidentified doesn't mean it's unidentifiable."

"So, what do you think it is?  Ectoplasm?"

She was about to offer a rebuttal, until she realized he was 
teasing her.  "I sent the sample off to the lab and put a rush 
on it.  But even so, I don't know if there was enough for them 
to analyze, and I wouldn't expect the results back until 
tomorrow morning--at the earliest."

But her tempering words had no such effect; Mulder was 
beaming.  "I knew you were the best, Scully.  God, I miss 
this."

His eyes on her were intense, making his proximity suddenly 
feel overwhelming.  She wasn't sure what exactly "this" 
referred to, but she thought it was best to put some distance 
between them.

Crossing the room as she shrugged off her lab coat, she said 
over her shoulder, "You didn't need to fly all the way out 
here just to hear the autopsy results."

"I do have enough sense to realize that I couldn't send a body 
unannounced without showing up to do some major ass-kissing."

She hung up her coat and turned to look at him.  She couldn't 
read on his face whether there was an intentional innuendo in 
his statement.  "I think the ass you need to be kissing is the 
M.E.'s."

He shuddered theatrically.  "Please, Scully, don't scar my 
delicate mind with that image.  He's a very overweight, very 
unattractive old man.  I really want nothing to do with his 
ass."

She rolled her eyes and turned to gather up the paperwork for 
the report.  "Great," she mumbled, "what that really means is 
I'll be left to clean up your mess and smooth things over with 
him."

"Sorry," he said, but without much remorse.  "Can I at least 
make it up to you by taking you to lunch?"

She glanced at her watch.  It was well after lunch time, but 
she hadn't eaten yet.  She was so consumed with this autopsy 
that she didn't realize how late it had gotten.  The report 
still awaited her, as did a soggy tuna sandwich sitting in the 
lab fridge.

Her rumbling stomach made the decision for her.  "Fine, but 
let's make it a quickie."

She didn't realize how her words sounded until they were 
already lingering in the air, too late for her to take them 
back.  To his credit, Mulder kept his mouth shut.  She tried 
not to acknowledge his smirk as she led the way out the door.

* * *

Although Mulder had offered to take her anywhere she wanted to 
eat--and she seriously contemplated the most expensive 
restaurant she could find, just to get him back for pulling 
this little stunt--she settled on the quaint cafe down the 
block.  When she saw Mulder turning up his nose at their 
mostly vegetarian fare, she felt she had gotten a measure of 
revenge after all.

They sat at a table by the window, chatting about the case 
over sandwiches and the view of a fine day outside.  After a 
while, Scully decided it was time to redirect the 
conversation.  She had to seize this opportunity while she 
could.

Focusing her eyes on her plate, she said as casually as 
possible, "I'll try to finish up the report before I leave 
work today.  I pick up Anna from daycare a little after five.  
You're welcome to come by for dinner, around six or so."

At his silence, she looked up.  He seemed fascinated by the 
limp pickle on his plate.

Finally, he said, "I'm still working on this case.  I really 
should get back right away."

Scully tossed aside her remaining crust, digging into her 
reserves of patience.  She thought they had made progress over 
the last few weeks, but apparently not enough.

Only a week after she last saw him, that day at the park, a 
package had arrived for Anna.  It contained a stuffed zebra 
and a Nerf basketball set.  There was a return address, from 
Hegel Place in Alexandria, but no note inside.  Scully debated 
for three days whether to contact him, and finally called, 
only to get his voice mail.  She said a simple thank you for 
the gift, and that if he'd like to call back, Anna wanted to 
say thank you herself.

There was no return call, but another package arrived a few 
days later.  Some coloring books, featuring unicorns and 
trolls, and a 48-pack of crayons.  Still no note, but this 
time he answered when she called.  He explained that he'd 
included no card simply because he didn't know what to say.  
She understood.  Was he supposed to sign it "Love, Dad," or 
"Yours truly, Mulder"?  She didn't know what to tell him, so 
she handed the phone over to Anna.

If three times made a habit, then this pattern had developed 
into a ritual.  A package arrived, Scully called, and Anna 
happily chattered at her father until she ran out of breath or 
attention.  Scully was hoping this visit to Seattle was an 
excuse for him to take the final step and come see Anna in 
person.  But if it was, he was still reluctant.

Scully poked at her rejected potato chips and decided to try 
the indirect approach.

"Did I tell you we still have the flowers you sent?"

"After two weeks?  I thought they would've wilted by now."

Scully smiled.  "Well, Anna learned how to press flowers 
during their craft time at preschool.  After I started finding 
flowers tucked into all my medical textbooks, I decided to 
introduce her to drying them instead.  I think the pink stains 
in my organic chemistry book are permanent." 

"Oh, so that's what she was talking about."

"What?"

"Anna.  She told me that her flowers were smooshed.  I thought 
she meant something happened to them."

"No, they're preserved indefinitely and proudly on display."

"Huh."

They fell silent and both went back to playing with their 
napkins.  Scully was willing to take one more stab at the 
conversation.

"You know, she only needs so many stuffed animals."

"Overkill, huh?"

"Well, they're good for hugs, but they're no substitute for 
the real thing."

He sighed.  "Scully, I can't stay.  I think it's better if she 
didn't even know I was in town."

Scully wanted to ask petulantly why he'd bothered to come in 
the first place, but she held her tongue.  She was trying not 
to be frustrated with him.  After all, this was a mess of her 
own making, and she bore no small amount of guilt for that.  
By telling Mulder the truth about why she had left, that she 
was trying to spare him the difficult choice between his 
daughter and his sister, Scully had only given him ample 
reason to doubt himself.  Now, she was attempting to undo not 
only four years of absence, but several weeks of uncertainty 
and self-recrimination.  

She was trying to pave a path between father and daughter; but 
rather than starting from scratch, it seemed that first she 
had to jackhammer a row of ill-laid stones.  It was hard work, 
and she was beginning to weary of it.

Scully tossed her crumpled napkin onto her plate and pushed 
back her chair.  "You know where we live if you change your 
mind."

Mulder nodded noncommittally and pulled out his wallet.  They 
hadn't gotten their meals to-go, so he still needed to pay the 
waitress.  Scully rose from her seat.  After only a brief 
hesitation, she headed for the door.  Mulder could find his 
own way from here--wherever he decided he was going.

* * *

When the knock sounded on the door a little after six, Scully 
thought it was their neighbor.  She was genuinely surprised to 
see Mulder standing there, smiling sheepishly.  She hadn't 
heard a word from him since she left him at the cafe, and she 
honestly didn't expect to see him again tonight.

"Hi," she greeted, hearing the disbelief in her own tone.

"Hey," he said shyly.

Recovering from her surprise, she moved aside to let him 
enter.  Anna was glued to the TV, a fact that embarrassed 
Scully since she hated the thought of using it as a 
babysitter.  But she doubted Mulder would care.  

They stood there silently, watching Anna across the room, her 
back to them and face upturned toward the set.  When Mulder 
made no attempt to move beyond the foyer, Scully had a 
horrible flash of memory and felt compelled to ask, "Are you 
staying?"

He winced as her jab hit home.  "Uh, yeah, for a while.  My 
flight leaves at 8:30.  I need to get back tonight."

She nodded, understanding that he was already pushing the 
limits of turning this business trip into a personal 
excursion.  After all, there was a killer on the loose, and 
Mulder was their best chance at catching him.

"Can I take your coat?"

That seemed to shake his inertia.  He removed his overcoat and 
jacket, yielding them to her outstretched hand, and took his 
first tentative steps into the living room.

He hadn't made it very far by the time Scully finished hanging 
up his garments, and she realized she would have to take the 
initiative.  The ice shouldn't seem so hard to break now, 
except they kept letting it freeze over again.

"Anna?" she called.  There was no response.  Suddenly, Scully 
had never found Sesame Street so annoying.  She picked up the 
remote from the arm of the couch and swiftly silenced the 
television.  Anna's head swung around to seek out the 
offender, but her eyes made it no further than the unexpected 
visitor standing next to Scully.  It took no more than a 
moment for her to adjust.

"Daddy!"  Anna leapt up and flew at him, wrapping her arms 
around his knees before he had time to react.  

Scully blinked away the water welling in her eyes and headed 
back to the kitchen.  These two could handle things from here.

* * *

By the time Scully finished washing the dishes and checked the 
clock, she was startled to find it was almost eight.  She 
hurried into the bedroom, where Mulder was still awkwardly 
crowded next to the child-sized table, helping Anna to color 
in one of the books he had sent her.  Scully hated to disturb 
them, but if Mulder didn't leave immediately, there was no way 
he was going to make his flight.  And that would only be with 
some badge-flashing and sprinting for the gate.

"Mulder?"

He looked up from his intense concentration on the picture, 
his eyes a little unfocused as they settled on her.

"Have you checked the time?" she asked.

He glanced at his watch, then back at her, showing no 
reaction.

Apparently, he'd forgotten.  "Your flight.  You're going to 
miss it."

He shrugged, unconcerned.  "There's another flight out at five 
a.m.  I won't be able to do anything else on the case until 
the morning anyway.  Besides, our biggest break right now is 
that slime you found, so there isn't much we can do until we 
get the lab report."  Then he turned to Anna and said, "Can I 
have the red, please?"

Scully was totally unprepared for that answer.  "Okay," she 
said, feeling a little stunned, and left them to their 
coloring.  Only then did it occur to her what eight o'clock 
usually meant in their household.  But the pair seemed so 
contented, there was no way she was going to interrupt again 
to tell them it was Anna's bedtime.

Half an hour later, Anna figured it out for herself.  With 
droopy eyelids, she wandered out from the bedroom to where 
Scully sat on the couch.  

Anna handed over her pajamas.  "Help me with jammies, Mommy."

Scully glanced toward the bedrooms and saw Mulder hovering in 
the hallway.  She could tell he was uncertain whether he 
should be helping with the bedtime ritual or not.  It was a 
long way to go from playmate to parent.  They had labeled him 
"Daddy," but they had yet to define what that meant.  For the 
progress they had made, there was still so much ground left to 
cover.

But, one thing at a time.  Scully gathered her sleepy girl 
into her arms and rose from the couch.  "C'mon, let's get you 
ready for bed."

It was obvious Anna was tired when she didn't put up much of a 
fight about going down for the night.  She didn't even beg for 
a bedtime story, but she did insist on Mulder tucking her in.

Scully waited in the doorway while he sat on the edge of the 
bed and leaned over to kiss Anna goodnight.

The little girl said around a yawn, "Can you go swing with me 
tomorrow?"

Mulder cast Scully a forlorn look.  Stroking Anna's hair, he 
answered sadly, "Not tomorrow, sweetheart.  Maybe some other 
time.  I won't...I won't be here tomorrow.  I have to go 
away."

"'Cause you live far, far away?"

"Yeah," he said softly, "'cause I live far away." 

"Then will you come back?"

He paused, then said with assurance, "Yes, sweetie, I'll come 
back someday."

"Okay.  Say night-night to Bear."  And just like that, she had 
accepted his promise.

Scully said nothing to him as he slid past her into the 
hallway.  She could tell that the exchange weighed heavily on 
him.  She slipped in to kiss Anna on the forehead, then 
exited, leaving the door ajar behind her.  

In the hall, she found Mulder leaning against the wall.  He 
let his head drop back against it with a soft thud.  "Shit."

She didn't reprimand him for his language, so close to Anna's 
door, but she did gently push him toward the living room.

"What is it?"  She was almost afraid to know.

"I don't have my luggage.  Or a hotel room.  I wasn't planning 
to stay this long."

"Oh," she said with relief, fearing his comment would be 
something else entirely.  "You can sleep on the couch.  Use 
whatever you need in the bathroom."

He smiled a little.  "Including the Disney Princess bubble 
bath?"

She smirked.  "Just try not to use the last of it.  Anna might 
not be too happy."

He blinked at her innocently.  "Oh, I thought that was yours."

She slapped him playfully on the arm.  "C'mon, I'll find you 
some blankets."

* * *

When Scully rose at six a.m., she wasn't surprised to find the 
couch empty, a neat bundle of blankets and pillows shoved off 
to the corner.  But she thought maybe there would be a note of 
some kind, on the coffee table, in the kitchen, even the 
bathroom.  But there was nothing.  She tried not to be 
disappointed.  After all, this was the man who never said 
goodbye on the telephone.  Who sent packages without a card or 
a name.  It was one of Mulder's communication skills they 
still needed to work on.

They were in the middle of breakfast when the phone rang at a 
little after eight.  Scully hoped it wasn't the preschool 
calling with a last-minute cancellation, like they had a month 
ago when Jordan Lucas came down with the chicken pox.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Scully, it's me."

She was almost speechless.  It had been a long time since 
she'd heard that greeting.  All of their recent calls had been 
initiated by her.  In fact, until now, she didn't even know 
for sure that he had her new phone number.

"Mulder.  Did you make your flight?" she asked, just for 
something to say.

"Yeah, we just landed.  Taxiing as we speak.  Hey, I know you 
need to get to work, but I wanted to call and wish my girls 
good morning."

Girls?  He didn't use the plural, did he?  She must not have 
heard him right.  Surely, he was only talking about Anna.  At 
least, that's what Scully chose to assume.  

"Hold on, she's right here.  But we do need to keep it brief."

Scully handed the phone over and let the two talk for a 
moment.  Before she knew it, Anna was already handing the 
phone back.

"That was quick."

"Short and sweet, Scully."  There was a slight pause, and 
somehow she felt he was holding back a joke about her height.  
"They're deplaning now, so I need to go."

"Okay."

There was another pause.  But he hadn't hung up yet.  "Call me 
when you get the lab report."

"I will."

And then she heard a click and a dial tone.  She sighed.  It 
wasn't quite a goodbye, but for Mulder, it was close enough.  
But maybe she shouldn't be disappointed at that, she realized.  
They'd already had enough goodbyes.  

"Until next time, Mulder."


* * * * *
* * * * *


Find my stories at: http://bellefleur1013.tripod.com

Send feedback to: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com