From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   CHAPTER 8   
      
   Epilogue …   
      
   Scully sat and waited patiently until Mulder was finished then she   
   threw her head back and roared with laughter.   
   "So what is this; the plot to some novel you're writing?"   
      
   "It's true, Scully.  I swear.  Every word is true."   
      
   "Yeah, and I'm five foot nine and all those Victoria's Secrets models   
   that you love so much are naturally endowed!"  Scully scoffed.   
      
   "I knew you'd never believe me so I asked them to see if I could take   
   you up there."   
      
   "And they're waiting outside to … what … beam me up to their   
   spaceship?"  Scully grinned.   
      
   "They are going to speak with the Elders and see if they can get   
   permission.   You'll love it, Scully, it's beautiful."   
      
   "So exactly where were you, Mulder?  Shacked up with some flight   
   attendant?"  Scully fingered the belt on her robe.   
      
   "I swear to you, Scully.  Every word I said to you was true."   
      
   "Go home, Mulder; and sleep it off.  I've got to get some sleep."   
      
   "OK.  I'm going.  I am really tired and anxious to get home.  But be   
   prepared to take a little trip.  Oh and one thing more …" He stopped   
   at the doorway and turned back to take her in his arms and kissed her.   
      
   "What was that for?" she asked, a little flustered.   
      
   "I'm just happy to be alive; happy that you're alive, and that Walter   
   and Alex are both alive and well.  And I've been thinking; maybe you   
   and I ought to think about getting married."   
      
   "Married?" Nothing he had said could have surprised her more.   
      
   "It's something to think about."  He grinned and with another quick   
   kiss, he left.   
      
   Scully stood, rooted to the floor, her finger tips touching her lips   
   where Mulder's had just been.  With a happy smile, she went to bed.    
      
      
   ~*~*~   
      
   The next morning as she hurried to get ready for work she was annoyed   
   when the door bell rang.  She grabbed her purse to leave and opened   
   the door to find a delivery man standing there with a huge bouquet of   
   red roses.  She took them and closed the door.  She fumbled for the   
   card, found it and read, "Are you thinking about it?" and it was   
   signed F.M.   
      
   She sat the large crystal vase on the coffee table and forgot for a   
   moment that she was going to be late for work if she sat much longer.   
    She leaned over and gave the roses   
   a long sniff and inhaled deeply.  Heavenly; she thought to herself   
   then read the card again.   
      
   She had just about convinced herself that Mulder's late night visit   
   was all a dream but this proved that it wasn't.  Was Mulder really   
   asking her to marry him?  And would he do it this way?  It's not like   
   she would expect him to do anything in a traditional way; but wild   
   stories in the middle of the night and then roses?   
      
   Reality dawned on her again and she hurried off to work.  She didn't   
   hear anything from him for the next three days then when she got home   
   for work he was waiting on her door step.   
      
   "Well hello there," she said as she walked up to him, leaning against   
   her door.   
      
   "Hi.  I brought you something."  Mulder said handing her an envelope.   
      
   "Come on inside.  Have you been waiting long?  I would have been here   
   sooner but there was a tie-up on the freeway and …"   
      
   That's all she got out before he turned her around and kissed her.    
   She stared at him in shock.  "Mulder, are you feeling all right?  I   
   mean, I've never seen you like this before; roses and kisses?"  She   
   tried to hide her skepticism and nervousness.  Was this what she   
   really wanted?  She had certainly dreamed about it often enough but   
   with the real thing facing her, did she really want to complicate   
   their relationship with marriage?  A thousand questions passed through   
   her mind while she closed the door and deposited her coat and purse on   
   the couch.   
      
   "I'm fine, Scully; better than I can ever remember being.  Come here."   
    He took her hand and they sat down on the couch together.  "I know I   
   should have called or something, but if you don't have anything   
   planned for the evening, I'd like to talk.  I mean really talk, just   
   you and me.  Could we do that?"   
      
   Scully took in a deep breath and thought, here it comes!  "It's   
   Friday, Mulder, and I don't have anything planned at all.  What about   
   us did you want to discuss?"   
      
   "First I want you to open that envelope.  Then we'll talk."   
      
   "OK."  She smiled a little nervously as she slid her fingertips under   
   the flap and opened it.  She pulled out a card and on it was a neatly   
   printed invitation to a wedding; Walter and Alex's wedding.   
      
   "Oh my God!  Is this real?  The seventh; that's tomorrow.  Is this   
   some kind of joke?"   
      
   "It's no joke, Scully.  I can hardly wait for you to see them.  They   
   came down this afternoon for a visit and gave me this to give to you."   
      
   "I still don't believe it, Mulder.  Skinner and Krycek?  I mean, come   
   on."  She got up and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water; a   
   little disappointed.  She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.  He   
   followed her and took a seat at her kitchen table.   
      
   "Scully, every word I said to you the other night was true.  They live   
   together, they work together, and they love each other.  Ten minutes   
   with them and you'll see for yourself.  This is your chance to see   
   that everything I said is true.  Will you come?  Will you let me take   
   you up there?"   
      
   Scully leaned against the counter sipping her water.  This was not   
   what she expected; not at all.   
      
   "And just how do we get there?"   
      
   "They'll come for us.  They're going to call in a little while.  I   
   told them I needed to talk with you first."   
      
   "So this is what you wanted to talk with me about?"  She took a seat   
   opposite him.   
      
   "That and a few other things."  Mulder looked down as he fiddled with   
   a crease in the table cloth.   
      
   "Like what?"  A little spark flared stubbornly inside of her.   
      
   "Like maybe if you saw how happy the two of them are together … it   
   might give you ideas."  He finally looked up at her.   
      
   "Ideas?"  She prompted.   
      
   "Like maybe you might want to get married too.  I mean, don't you   
   think it would be kind of nice to be with someone; to have that   
   someone there for you all the time?"   
      
   She smiled at him then and reached over and covered his hand with   
   hers. She knew this was probably as close to an actual proposal that   
   she was ever going to get from him and it was enough.   
      
   "Yes; I think that would be very … nice."    
      
   "You do?"   
      
   "Uh huh."   
      
   "Then you have been thinking about it?"  Mulder asked eagerly.   
      
   Only every waking moment since I first met you, she thought but said   
   just, "Yes, I've been thinking about it."   
      
   "You think it's a good idea then?"   
      
   "The institution of marriage is an old and valued tradition.  It's one   
   I've been brought up to admire and respect.  I always hoped that one   
   day it would happen to me.  I just never imagined it quite this way."   
      
   "You mean not with someone like me?  You expected it to be a doctor or   
   a lawyer or some nine-to-five business man?"   
      
   Mulder's phone sounded then and he pulled it out quickly.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)