From: jude1013@hotmail.co.uk   
      
   Title: Human Nature   
   Author: Jude Tennison   
   Category: Vignette   
   Rating: PG   
   Spoiler: Per Manum, though this is set loosely in late S7   
   Summary: "Everyone does something stupid every once in a while...."   
   Disclaimer: Dana Scully in not mine, Charlie however is, as CC never   
   actually *created* him, merely hinted that he existed...   
   Archive: Anywhere but please ask first   
   Author's comment: Thanks to M for the fantastic beta and advice, and to   
   those who gave me   
   various amounts of feedback on my previous story - always a joy! Thanks!   
   Email me: Jude1013@hotmail.co.uk   
      
      
   "Hi, you've reached Fox Mulder. I'm not in right now, but you know what to   
   do. BEEEEPPPP."   
      
   "Hey, it's me. I was just calling to let you know that I'm okay and that...   
   that I'm sorry, for leaving   
   the way that I did. I just... I need to sort this out on my own for a while   
   and I... I hope that you can understand that. Anyway... I'll er, give you a   
   call tomorrow. Take care of yourself..."   
      
   As she hung up the phone, Scully sank down onto the back step of the porch.   
   Her throat ached   
   from the swollen lump that had become lodged within it, and she swallowed it   
   down. Her voice had   
   become thick and laced with unshed tears towards the end of her message and   
   part of her cursed at herself. She was tired of crying. She was tired of   
   lying... But most of all she was tired of feeling all   
   alone.   
      
   "No one in, huh?"   
      
   She coughed, clearing her throat and blinking back the tears, before she   
   half turned to look up at her brother. "Er, no..."   
      
   "You can try again later."   
      
   "Yeah, maybe..."   
      
   Charlie plonked himself down onto the step beside her, leaving a big enough   
   gap so as not to   
   overcrowd her. Out of all her siblings, Charles Scully was the one everyone   
   thought was most like   
   Dana. Petite, but intricately formed, his face round and yet thin with   
   somewhat boney features. His   
   red hair was a little less bright, but his temper matched hers in intensity.   
   His unwavering strength of   
   character had enabled him to stick up for himself while growing up in a   
   tough naval family. Their   
   similarities had often caused clashes between the two, but above all, it had   
   created a deeper respect and understanding than the other siblings were   
   fully aware of.   
      
   "Do you wanna talk about it?"   
      
   Scully shook her head, forcing out a whisper. "I don't know if I can right   
   now."   
      
   Charlie nodded. She could feel his eyes upon her, and watched as the hand   
   that had reached out to touch her, fell to his side. Scully knew she was   
   never one for expressing feelings; never one to admit defeat; never one to   
   worry about appearances... And yet here she was - miles away from home,   
   sitting on his back porch crying for attention... And she still couldn't   
   bring herself to reach out to someone.   
      
   "Can I make an observation?" He asked suddenly.   
      
   "Sure." Scully still didn't meet his gaze.   
      
   "I know you didn't just come to California to see me and the family, okay?   
   I know that you're   
   running away from something that you don't want to deal with... And that's   
   okay." He watched as   
   her head lifted, eyes cautious and curious. If she was shocked by his   
   statement, she wasn't about to let him know. "I can understand why you might   
   want to get away from things for a while; why you might not want to talk   
   about it." He paused, pursing his lips ever so briefly as he stared into her   
   eyes. "What I don't understand is why you told him that you've come here to   
   sort things out when you are, in fact, quite clearly not."   
      
   "I didn't say that I didn't want to talk about it, I said that I couldn't."   
      
   Her eyes no longer held unshed tears, but pure sincerity. She believed what   
   she was saying. Only   
   her voice still betrayed her, husky tones begging her resolve to break.   
      
   Charlie smiled despite the sadness of it all. "Can you explain how that   
   works exactly, to your little   
   brother here, please? 'Cause I'm just dumb and stupid and, er, I don't get   
   what you just said..."   
      
   A smile emerged briefly upon her face, her eyes alight before casting them   
   down upon the pavement at her feet. "There are things that you don't know,"   
   Scully began as she rose her eyes to meet his gaze. "That none of the family   
   knows, in fact, and I don't feel that I can tell you until this is all   
   sorted out."   
      
   " 'This' being...?"   
      
   "Being the reason why I made that call just now." She picked at some dirt   
   beside her on the porch.   
   A subconscious act that enabled her mind to distance itself from the real   
   issue at hand. Charlie knew   
   the signs - he'd been a victim to it himself many times before. And yet he   
   still watched her   
   distraction, his silence demanding a response of some kind. "This doesn't   
   just involve me, Charlie. I   
   can't tell everyone about it until I've spoken to him-"   
      
   "Him being...?"   
      
   Her eyes rose first, followed slowly by the rest of her head. "Mulder." Her   
   voice came out strong,   
   astounding Charlie as he understandably expected a whisper.   
      
   "Is it just Mulder...?" Words failed him for a moment while his brain ticked   
   over. "Or," Charlie continued, "Does this 'issue' involve anyone else?"   
      
   A silent sigh and lack of response gave him his answer.   
      
   "Dana, what happened? What are you running away from?"   
      
   When she finally raised her head to meet his gaze, her brother saw the first   
   onslaught of tears. She   
   didn't wipe them away as she stared over at him; simply let them fall to   
   stain her cheeks. "I've been   
   so stupid, Charlie.."   
      
   "Everyone does something stupid every once in a while," He squeezed her   
   shoulder, "It's human nature..."   
      
   She laughed, almost nervous as she clasped her hands. "Yeah well, it's human   
   nature that I'm   
   worried about..."   
      
   "Why?"   
      
   "Because you can't rely on it."   
      
   "That's the beauty of it. It's gloriously unpredictable."   
      
   "Yeah well, I don't need unpredicatable right now..."   
      
   "And um, is, er... Mulder being unpredictable?"   
      
   "No," She shook her head, "He's been nothing *but* predictable, which is   
   scary in itself 'cause it's   
   so unlike him..." She saw the confused look in her brothers eyes. "It's not   
   Mulder... it's me. I came   
   here to run away from myself, which is why it's so stupid 'cause no one can   
   do that."   
      
   "Dana-"   
      
   "I asked him to do something for me. The most important thing that I have   
   ever asked anyone in my whole *entire* life!"   
      
   "And?" Charlie watched his sister sigh. "Did he do it?"   
      
   "Yes," she whispered.   
      
   "Then what's the problem?"   
      
   Scully paused, glancing at her hands before taking a deep breath. "I'm   
   scared," she whispered.   
      
   "Of what?" Charlie watched as she lowered her head again and covered her   
   hands with his, forcing   
   her to look up into his eyes. "What are you scared of, Dana?" He asked   
   again.   
      
   "That I won't have control over what's about to happen. That everything will   
   change... Or worse   
   still, that everything will stay the same..."   
      
   Charlie frowned.   
      
   "Charlie... I asked him to be the father of my child." Scully watched as the   
   breath drained from her   
   brother's body, his mouth hanging open in silence, his eyes wide in shock.   
   "And I'm scared... In fact   
   I'm absolutely petrified because I think I've just realised why I asked   
   him..."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)