A LITTLE GOLDEN BOND

by Sara Lynn

 

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

SUMMARY: Scully finds the ring (sequel to Promise Ring)

SPOILER WARNING: Travelers (It will make no sense if you haven't heard the stuff about the wedding band)

RATING: PG

CONTENT WARNING/CLASSIFICATION: MSR -- cause I can't write anything else.

DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully are mine. I've got them on my wall (does that count?)

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I live in Atlanta (and yes, my house is still here). I have never been to Massachusetts, I don't know the area around Martha's Vineyard, so my geography stinks. Please forgive me.

* * *

Dana Scully is not a nosy person by any means, but when she found a wedding band in his top desk drawer, she had to know. What was Mulder doing with a wedding ring? She never knew he was married. What kind of woman would Mulder have married? What if he still was married? Somewhere there was a Mrs. Fox Mulder and she never knew.

The shock was a little too much. She plopped into Mulder's worn leather chair rather unladylike but she did not care. "He was married?!?" She whispered under her breath. Suddenly she wanted to find her. Dana took hold of the thin drawer in the center of Mulder's desk and yanked it out, clear off its tracks. She dumped it's entire contents on the desk and started rummaging through.

Pencils. Some keys that went with the filing cabinets. Two unlabeled floppy disks. Pencils. A note with her handwriting. It looked like it was years old, probably from the beginning of their partnership. She stared at the messy note asking if he wanted to go to dinner before tossing it aside. Some sticks of gum. Pencils.

She sighed, vibrating her lower lip with the blowing of air. Opening the side drawers, she couldn't see anything helpful. The last heart from the Roche case. A shoebox with his running shoes. A picture of Samantha. Dana opened the back to see is there was another picture behind it, but it was a dead end.

The drawer on the other side was officially his … hobby… drawer, but she checked anyway. A few men's magazines. She lifted them slightly and shook out anything loose. A few subscription cards fell out, but that was all. Below that, videos. Actually video cases with Mulder's handwritten labels. She laughed at some of the titles. 'Alien Probe'. 'Attack of the Venutians'. 'Abductions of the Playmates'.

Dana's investigation was cut short by the sound of someone opening the door. She shut the drawer as she saw Mulder walk in. He muttered a hello as he struggled to remove his coat. Walking over to his desk, he noticed a change.

"Are we spring cleaning, Scully?"

She didn't know what to do, so she'd come clean. "I was looking for a pen and I found this." She held up the gold band, which he quickly snatched from her. "We've been partners for five years and I had hoped that in that time, we had shared almost everything." He looked at the ring and then at Scully. "You never told me you were married."

"Scully, I…"

"It's fine. I guess we don't know each other that well to share those little facts with each other."

"Scully, don't …"

"Don't what? Get upset? I mean I have laid myself bare and let you in. That didn't obligate you to reciprocate."

"I'm not married, Scully. I never was married."

"Then why do you have that?" She pointed to the object in his hand.

"Because you gave it to me."

"What?" She jumped out of the chair, trying to stare down Mulder, but from 5'3", it was a little hard.

"When we were kids."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you were 15, you lived in Hanover, Massachetts."

"How did you know that?"

"Listen to me for once. We went to high school together that year, right before you moved to Baltimore. You gave me this ring as a promise. Any of this seem familiar?" Dana just stared at him. Mulder was getting frustrated and sat her down in his chair, moving to his knees in front of her.

"You let me stay over at your house because of a family disagreement…"

"Your father had beaten you." Mulder looked back at her wide eyes, she did remember. She nodded as if it had all come back. "We were playing Gin."

"Yeah."

"You slept in my bed."

"Yeah, I did." He smiled. "Do you remember what you said about this ring?"

"That if we didn't get married in fifteen years… It's been over fifteen years!"

"Almost twenty." He nodded in agreement. "I waited for you."

Dana clasped her hands over her face. How could she had forgotten? How did she not recognize her childhood lover the moment she met him? "Why did you tell me before?"

"I was afraid." He took hold of her hands and gripped them between his. "When you came here, I was worried you were with somebody. I wanted you to be the one to say it. I… I forgot myself for a while. Somewhere five years passed… "

"Mulder, it was a childish promise. You didn't have to keep it."

"What if I said I wanted to?"

"What?"

"I do want to marry you." For a minute, silence surrounded the basement. "Dana, I know it was a silly thing to hold onto…"

"Actually, it's incredible sweet."

"This means a lot to me." He placed the ring in her palm, waiting for her to decide.

"I've judge all my boyfriends by you." She laughed. "Even when I didn't remember, I would look at men I was with as too short, too dumb, too … not you. You were the only one that fit every criteria, and I made myself think I couldn't have you."

"You had me the entire time."

Dana looked up and saw a tiny flick of happiness shine through Mulder's eyes. It was strange. She had looked into his eyes thousands of times and never saw it. That flicker had always been his when he was younger. It had changed and matured. So had Fox. He was more built. He was scruffier. He had grown into a man. "I didn't know."

Mulder nodded and groaned as he lifted himself off the floor. In an impressive move, he lifted Scully out of the chair and took the seat for himself. She teetered a bit, but caught herself by hugging Mulder around his neck. "Remember anything else about being kids?"

"That you were bad at cards."

"I was great at kissing thought." He smiled. So did she. "I've learned quite a bit in the past twenty years. Want me to show you?" Her smile was a yes and he tipped her chin slightly to hold her still as he leaned in. Their lips touched and it was as if they hadn't been apart. Dana wet her lips and managed to open Mulder to a more intimate kiss. Their bodies pressed against each other. With an inaudible pop, both felt as if the room had gotten hotter. "Whoa. Where did you learn that?"

"You're not the only one that grew up."

"You turned out very nice. Filled out quite a bit."

"Hey!" She slapped his shoulder, managing to still get a laugh from him.

"Would it be in bad taste to finish this conversation in a better setting? Say … in bed?"

"Fox Mulder! What would my mother say?"

"That you shouldn't sleep with a man you're not married to."

"But you are married to me." She said as she slipped the ring on his finger. "It's just not official yet."

They both laughed. This was not the end by a long shot.

 

End