OUR CANCER YEAR: BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

By Sara Lynn

 

*DO NOT ARCHIVE WITHOUT PERMISSION* I like to know where my story goes :)

SUMMARY: Mulder’s attempt to make up for the disaster of Scully’s birthday.

SPOILER WARNING: You won’t die if you’ve never seen these episodes, but it might help make a little more sense. Allusion to the first act of Tempus Fugit and conclusion of Max (references to Scully’s Birthday - cause it’s the day after mine). Never Again. Post-Momento Mori (but no clear reference made)

TITLE EXPLANATION: The title of the series comes from a graphic novel by Joyce Brabner (Sweet, sweet woman) and Harvey Pekar. I do not claim it as my own, I just thought it would be appropriate for what it is.

RATING: Not for Children under 17

CONTENT WARNING/CLASSIFICATION: S, Definite MSR -- sorry, Non-shipper. Can’t please everybody

INSIGNIFICANT NOTHINGS: While writing this story, I was watching VH1 for inspiration (not that it matters). They have a show called "Pop-Up Video" where they tell you little fact during the videos and I was watching The Cars "You Might Think" and I saw that it was edited by Danny Duchovny. Hmm? (Yes, that is David’s brother)

DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully are creations of Chris*t* Carter (According to Creative Loafing) and owned by Twentieth Century Fox. Anything else I mention in here probably isn’t mine. Even the two excess characters. You’ll see why.

 

* ~ * ~ *

 

Abhorring. The only word Dana Scully could think of to describe Monday mornings in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Not that she found her job abhorring, not in the least. In fact it was the best job she could have. Each X-file was a challenge to her scientific mind. Dana lived for a challenge. In her job and in her love life. She had to be partnered with Fox Mulder and then fall in love with him. Never in her life was anything simple. Why should it be simpler now?

Mondays usually brought a new case to the basement. Some were fun; others were bland and stupid. Dana rubbed her eyes and let a small smile settle on her face. Anything was fine as long as she was with Mulder.

The grumbles outside and final opening of the door broke her reverie. Mulder came in, juggling two mugs of coffee in his hands and a file in his mouth. "De frught mpgh ist uhrs." Dana came around and took the file out of him mouth. He let out a strangled sigh as he held up the mug in his right hand to Scully. "Decaf. Skim milk. Two Equals."

Dana sipped the contents. It was perfect. Mulder knew her very well and noticed her eyes glance over to the file folder lying on her desk. He moved past her and placed his hand over the folder before she could open it.

"You’ll like this assignment." He said knowing that his abrupt motion had piqued her curiosity.

"What is it?" This should be interesting, Scully thought.

"A UFO sighting."

Dana’s eyes went incredulous and she attempted to hold back the laughter. It was such a simple case. "Why?" was the only word she could get past the laughter.

"The sighting was made by an FBI agent in Atlanta." This only got him The Look. "A friend of mine said he saw something that worried him and wanted to find out what really was going on. That would be all they need after that Richard Jewell incident that one of their agents was seeing UFOs."

Sounds too simple, Scully thought.

"So, you and I have a flight at 1." Mulder said as he walked around his desk. "I’m gonna check my e-mail then go home to pack."

Within minutes Scully had everything she needed packed in her briefcase and was almost out the door. "I’ll pick you up at eleven-thirty."

* ~ * ~ *

 

The long flight into Hartsfield mixed with rush hour on I-75 made the car ride unbearable. Dana tapped her nails against her head in annoyance. The clock on the dashboard said it was 6:29, way too late for any hopes of accomplishing work for the day. She sighed taking the halt in traffic to look out over the skyline of pinks, oranges and purples. It was so beautiful.

Mulder pulled off the highway to drive down the suburban streets of Marietta. Expensive houses began to give way to the rural farms and occasional mansion. Finally Mulder picked one and drove into the driveway. The circular gravel path encased the grand water fountain. The entire plantation was lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Your friend’s an FBI agent?"

Mulder shrugged. "His sister owns the house. She rents it out for special occasions."

The inside was even more amazing that the outside. The small foyer gave way to the sunken living room with a vaulted ceiling. Decorated in antebellum furnishings, the most modern feature was the crystal chandelier. On both sides on the room, curved staircases leading to the bedrooms upstairs. Dana was about to make a comment to Mulder, but he had disappeared.

She stepped down the front steps to take in the elegance on the room. It was so big, Dana barely noticed the woman come out of the kitchen. Her blonde hair sat in a braid on her shoulder. The dress she wore was very light and hung nicely on her frame. Her face was bright under the soft tan. "You must be Dana! Fox told us all about you." She came over to shake Scully’s hand. "It was so great of the two of you to come here. I heard that Fox was bringing you here and I thought it would be so appropriate for you two to . . ."

"Laurie!" came from the two men leaning on the second floor railing. Scully saw that one of them was Mulder and the other was a man that could have been his brother. They walked down the staircase to where the women were standing. Before she could open her mouth again, Mulder’s companion was pulling Laurie out the front door.

"I’ll see you tomorrow, Mulder."

"Bye, Danny." He waved to the man before turning to Scully. "Everything’s fine. Danny said dinner’s been set out for us."

In fact, dinner was an extensive buffet of foods. The only lights were the two long candles in the center of the array. Dinner was quiet with only a few words passing between Mulder and Scully. Dana felt almost full when Mulder jumped up from the table to suggest they go into the living room.

"I’ve got a surprise for you." She looked up at him like a small child as he lifted her from the chair to stand. "Go sit down on the sofa and close your eyes."

Dana had closed her eyes just as Mulder told her to do. Alone on the fainting couch awaiting the results of the tinkering she could hear feet away. She could tell that the chandelier light had been turned off and the light was focused far from her. "Happy birthday to you . . ." Her eyes opened wide. " . . . Happy Birthday to you . . ." Mulder came closer to her holding in his hands a heart shaped cake and two candles in the shape of threes. " . . . Happy Birthday dear Dana . . ." He knelt in front of her, holding the cake at her face level. " . . . Happy Birthday to you." He smiled softly at her, waiting. "C’mon, Scully. Make a wish."

Dana thought for a second, then blew out the candles. This was so sweet. After the interruption of a case on her real birthday, it was her first chance to really celebrate. It would also be a thrill to see what Mulder did for an encore of the Apollo 11 keychain. As he placed the cake on the coffee table in front of her, he pulled out a box from behind the arm of the large chair. It was a lingerie box. A plain white box wrapped in a silky looking red bow. An emblem that has always been associated with Victoria’s Secret occupied the lower right corner.

"I saw it and . . . thought you’d like it." He handed her the box and stepped around to turn on the chandelier again. Dana looked at the box and then Mulder. What could he possibly have gotten her from a Victoria’s Secret? Would it be a non-existent teddy or crotchless panties? Maybe something as sensible and ambiguous as a set of pajamas than would once again affirm her thoughts that Mulder saw her as nothing more than his stoic partner. She removed the ribbon, placing it down next to her cake and opened the top. On top of the tissue paper sat an envelope addressed to DANA. Not Scully. That was a step toward the positive, right? She opened it to find a card inside.

‘Our lives had been intertwined since day one . . .’ She opened it to read the inside. ‘ . . . But it’s never been easy. I can’t say what a feeling it is to know you’re there for me.’

Dana noticed the greeting card sentiment end and Mulder’s scrawl begin. ‘You are my truth, Dana. I will never be able to pay you back for what you have done. But I’d like to start . . . look up.’

Dana did as the card said and saw Mulder kneeling before her with a bouquet of almost two dozen roses in his hand. She almost dropped the box on her lap. Never in her wildest dreams did Dana Scully expect Fox Mulder to give her roses. She took them from his hand and brought them to her face. The natural perfume overtook her olfactory sense. She sighed caressing her face with the petals. "It’s been so long since any man gave me flowers."

"You deserve to get them more." His hand reached up and brushed the skin of her cheek with his thumb. Just like every time he need to affirm she was truly alive and with him. A simple caress that conveyed more than any words could. "Look inside the box." He held up the package to Dana, waiting for her to rip away the veil and see her present. She peeled back the paper and her jaw dropped. With two fingers carefully grasping each spaghetti strap, she pulled the nightgown out of the box and held it to the light. It was shade of pink Dana had never seen before. "Its called Rose Petal Pink. Do you like it?"

"It’s beautiful." Mulder’s face spread with a smile at her comment. She glanced back down at the box, noticing the small sprig of pink left in the box. She pulled it out and lost her self-control. "Mulder, this isn’t what I think it is."

"It matched the gown." He finally stood and came to sit next to her. His hands pushed the stray strands of red hair back and looked at her bright face. He was sure that none of this was a mistake.

 

* ~ * ~ *

 

Mulder helped her eat away at the sheet cake. Dana couldn’t help her appetite when she found out the inside and filling was made of chocolate mousse. She even went as far as to decorate Fox’s face with part of it. He just wiped it away before repeating the movement on her face. She giggled; ready to wipe it off when he pinned her hands down and leaned in to lick the cream off. She shut her eyes as his tongue made the initial contact. She let out a sigh that sounded more like a cry that stopped him. Her lips were wet and slightly parted. What else was he to do but join them in a kiss. The first real touch of lips and nether wanted to separated. They pulled out at the same point, gasping for air. Dana shivered involuntarily. Mulder just watched, amazed that any woman could produce such a love inside him.

"Would you like to show me how the nightie looks on you?"

She was about to dismiss his comment as typical Mulder innuendo, but with everything he did to make it up to her for the disaster of her birthday it was the least he deserved. "I guess." Before she had completed her thought Mulder had her gather in his arms and started up the staircase to the master bedroom. Dana looked around the large room and nearly fainted. It looked like a dream. The large picture window displaying the moonlit garden just outside. The furniture was antique and the four poster bed was the main feature. The white eyelet comforter had to be soft to the touch. Dana rushed over and flopped onto the center laughing. Fox just watched.

"Mulder, I could die here." She looked up to see the frightened look on his face. Her words struck deeper than she meant for them to. She clutched her nightie in her hand and started to walk away. "I’m going to put this on." She glanced back before moving into the bathroom.

Fox sat on the edge of the bed waiting as Dana emerged. Her hands tugged at the high hem, trying to salvage some dignity as she came out. Fox wouldn’t let her.

"It’s a little short."

"It’s beautiful." He stood walking closer to stop her hands. "It belongs on a body like this." He took her hand and twirled her around. His sigh made her feel better. She barely noticed his hand slip down her hip until it was too late. He lifted the back of the nightie and was looking down at her right hip.

She gasped. In the excitement of the moment she lost her control and Mulder was taking advantage of it. It would have upset her more but he was only looking at the tattoo. She had almost forgot it was there. He hadn’t.

"I feel overdressed. Wish I had something as nice as this to wear." Dana pulled out of his embrace and went to her suitcase. She extracted a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms and handed them to him.

"They’re large on me," was all she said as she waited for him to go into the bathroom and change. He just stood back and began to remove his pants. Dana turned her back quickly amazed at the brazenness of Mulder’s actions. The tap on her shoulder let her know it was ok to turn back. She came face to face with Mulder’s bare chest. "Oh my." She said in a whisper.

"Not bad. The waist isn’t too tight. Legs aren’t too short. Not bad." His hands rested on her shoulders. Dana closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable to happen. Mulder pulled her closer to him and began to slow dance with her to the invisible melody. She opened her eyes, shocked at this change in her mind. "Can you hear it? I can feel it. All I want to do is hold you close and sway." His hands stayed between her bust and hips while hers circled his waist. They barely moved, just holding each other.

 

* ~ * ~ *

 

Morning came and found them lying askew on the master bed. Dana Scully lay on one side, face up. Her arms hugged her body tightly in the waking hour. The pink negligee contoured to her body like a glove. Sheets forgotten during the night lay tangled with her tiny feet. Fox Mulder, only a few inches away, laid face down in only the silk pajama bottoms Dana gave him. He gave up any hope of having the sheets and welcomed the cold air on his back.

The soft mewing that came from Dana’s red-stained lips awoke Mulder from his sleep. He crawled over and placed his head on her breast. The warm feeling on her skin awoke her from the light sleep she laid in. "Mulder?" She questioned softly.

Her only response was a sigh of happiness.

"We wore ourselves out last night." She felt him nod and decided to continue. "It was very romantic of you to set this up."

"Only for you." Fox raised his head to see Dana looking happier that ever. He crossed the short space between them and kissed her lips. The touch elicited a smile from both of them. It was full of promises neither wanted to break.

Dana pushed Mulder off her body and raised herself off the bed with the aide of the iron bedpost. She heard another sigh as she stood. The nightie she wore was short, barely hiding the matching panties.

Wanting to get back to business, Dana decided to change her clothes. The brief flicker of self-conscious embarrassment crossed her mind. Was she truly comfortable with Mulder to the point she could change in front of him? He wasn’t very uncomfortable when he decided to change right in front of her last night. Why should she be? Just in case, Dana turned around as she pulled the negligee over her head. She stretched her arms over her head, turning it to see Mulder’s eyes watch her so intensely before coming up from the bed to stand behind her. She looked up to see him glaring down. It was her fault. She pushed him. She taunted him. She seduced him. Now she had to pay the price.

Fox reached up from her waist to cup her breasts on both sides. She felt weightless, leaning back to Fox’s chest for support.

"Did you let him do this?"

Dana’s eyes flew open before she even knew they had shut. A man she adored, loved and risked her life for was in the most intimate position she had ever put him in. His words had placed her in an uncomfortable bind having to rekindle the horrors of her night with Ed Jerse.

"No." She said firmly, but in a whisper of her normal voice. "I . . . I didn’t sleep with him, Mulder. I couldn’t." Her eyes shut again, this time to stop the onslaught of tears before he saw. Her breathing hitched. Her secret was blown. Mulder spun her around to face him, but she couldn’t. He lifted her chin to look up at him. The tears had begun and she tried desperately to hold them back. "I never wanted to . . ."

"Dana . . ." His hands rested on her upper torso, brushing up and down in short strokes. "I love you. Everything I did last night was to make you happy. *This* was going to be for you. I wanted to show you you don’t need to go pick up some guy to find what you want. Let me be everything for you. Please?"

Dana nodded slightly, sniffing back any remaining tears.

"Will you let me make love to you, Dana? You have such a beautiful body. I can’t imagine letting anyone else touch it. I want to be the only one. I want to lay you down on that bed and never let you go." Dana shut her eyes, nodding.

Fox raised her small body into his waiting arms and carried her over to the pillows piled against the headboard. Her red hair spread like a fan against the white eyelet case. His hand started at her tear stained cheek and trailed down the soft expanse of her shoulder to return to her breast. The gentle squeeze he gave was enough to get a response. A soft moan that drew his lips closer and into a deep, passionate kiss. Mulder could barely support his weight and fell on top of her. She jumped slightly as his erection pressed into her with a want stronger than she had ever seen in this man. His hands were all over her, each pad of his fingertips memorizing another part of her. She tried to do that as well, but her hands could only go as far as his lower back. With a force she never knew she possessed, she reached up with her feet and pushed down Mulder’s pajamas and boxers in one fell swoop.

"Scully! You’re gonna have to show me how to do that sometime." His mouth began the downward assault on her body as his hands divulged her of the tiny panties. She was bared to him now, as vulnerable as he was. The writhing of their bodies drove them towards each other.

"Mulder . . ." His face picked up at the deep moan from the back of her throat.

"Fox. Whenever I’ve dreamed of you and me making love, you call me Fox."

"I do. In my dreams, it’s always Fox." She closed her eyes, preparing for the sudden movement into her. One fluid motion that Dana felt all the way down her spine. Her slight shiver did not get passed Mulder. He pulled her to him until she felt comfortable.

"You feel good. It’s been a while since I felt . . ." His slow withdrawal out and push back in conveyed the feeling without words. She shook again so slightly that it rocked his entire body. "Oh, Dana."

"Fox." Her head fell forward to his shoulder, her arms wrapped around them to brace herself. "I love you so much. I never thought this would happen. After all the near-deaths between us . . . I can’t believe it." She felt his move once again, his control building from the top of his back.

Fox couldn’t respond. He grasped Dana’s hips firmly and brought her down upon him. It was so perfect that Dana barely noticed her screams as she squeezed the life out of him eliciting the same screams from his throat. They fell drained of any energy to the bed and rolled apart. Dana raised herself on bent elbows to look over at Fox. His eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow.

"Fox?" She touched a soft sculpted nail to an erect nipple. His eyes burst open and instantly knew where he was. His eyes cast over the nude body next to his. She pressed a hand into his chest, smiling brighter than he had ever seen her.

"That was fucking incredible!" Fox tried to raise himself but quickly fell back to his former position. "You and I need to do that more often."

"I know. Thank god we don’t have to meet anybody ‘til after noon. Oh god I’m sore. It’s been so long."

"I know. But it’s never been like that."

Dana picked herself up and straddled Mulder’s stomach. It was the feel of his hot skin against hers that made her toss her head like a teenager in laughter. "So, Fox . . . Could I have a repeat performance before we have to get back to ‘Mulder’ and ‘Scully’?"

Fox was happy to comply.

 

* ~ * ~ *

The sun finally decided to make its appearance. Dana shifted on top of Fox’s body. She finally opened her eyes to the feeling of someone stroking her hair. She turned her head to see Fox staring at her.

The soft hazel pools were too much. Dana leaned down and kissed his pouting mouth finally waking up. "There isn’t a case here."

Mulder just shook his head. He raised them both up to look at each other.

"So why did you go to all this trouble?"

"I love you." He shrugged, pulling her to him to feel her body heat next to his. "I hated that you and I never really got to celebrated your birthday."

"This was a good way to make up." She said turning her entire body to press against him. "I can’t think of another thing that you could do to make this better."

Fox pushed Dana off him and placed her on the bed. She watched curiously as he walked across the room to where his pants laid. "I know this probably isn’t the right time to do this. You’d probably would found it more romantic I did it last night, before everything happened." She noticed him walking back with a small blue velvet jewelry box in his hand. He sat down next to her before continuing. "I have thought about it and stopped letting everything else get in our way." He cracked open the box and heard Dana’s gasp.

Inside, cushioned in the folds of red, was the most beautiful diamond and gold ring Dana had ever seen. She couldn’t breath as she fell the finger under her chin. "Will you marry me, Dana Scully? I know I can make you happy. Marry me."

She tried to breathe. Fox had taken her hand in his and slipped the ring on. She started crying. Dana never cried. Mulder looked at her in a sympathetic hurt.

"Fox, I . . ."

"You said you loved me . . . I can’t imagine being with anyone else."

She sighed in the break of tears. "No, I do want to marry you. I can’t believe your asking me. Yes. I’ll marry you."

Fox gasped his reply. She said yes. She said YES! His arms hugged her body to his and jumped off the bed. He swung her around in his arms, really laughing for the first time since Dana had met him. He was happy and that was enough to convince her she was doing the right thing.

* ~ * ~ *

Fox stood in front of the Justice of the Peace, waiting for Laurie to stop messing with his tie. She worked for a living making sure everything was perfect for the special moments in others lives. This is just part of it he told himself. When she finally finished, Mulder finally relaxed. He ran a hand through his hair to make Laurie shudder.

The garden was perfect in the wake of a sunset. The lantern lights were swaying gentle in the evening breeze. He looked up trying to calm himself, but Laurie’s coo made him turn his head to see what was happening. His breathing stopped as soon as he saw the woman being escorted by Danny.

Dana walked out of the doorway holding a bouquet of magnolias that bloomed during the early spring in time for the wedding. Her dress was a pure white that gave her skin that peach color that made her look alive. The front of the skirt came down to her ankle allowing her to walk in the high heels. The back came down much farther allowing it to trail behind her. The top was strapless, turned in a cuff to allow a slight glimpse of cleavage. Her hair was pulled on top of her head in a twisted and neat coif only allowing tiny wisps and tendrils to escape and frame her face. Soft pink makeup barely touching her features making it look like she was completely natural.

She stood next to Fox, taking the moment to smile at him. This was really happening. They were getting married.

 

THE END