From: taffyxf@yahoo.com
Title: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Author: Taffy Northwood
E-Mail: taffyxf@yahoo.com
Rating: NC17 (eventually)
Category: AU, MSR
Archives: Just ask.
Feedback: Never in bad taste
Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner and any
other XF characters are on loan only.
Summary: In 1909 New York City, there were two
distinct and separate worlds: that of the very wealthy
and that of the very poor. Could love bridge the
great divide between those worlds for two star-crossed
lovers?
Author Notes: Like a huge part of the fandom, I've
become absolutely dotty over AU fic. This is my
modest attempt to put Mulder and Scully into another
time and place. Please be aware, this is a
work-in-progress.
Forgive Us Our Trespasses - Katie Scully's story, part 5
"Dominus vobiscum," Father McCue intoned.
"Et cum spiritu tuo."
Katie Scully straightened her spine and tried
to concentrate on the Gospel of St. John. The
reading was one of her favorites, about the many
mansions in the Father's house. Unfortunately,
her mind refused to obey and kept straying back
to Mathew Fox's face.
It was, surely, a sin to be thinking such thoughts
at Sunday Mass, Katie admonished herself. But no
matter how hard she tried to pay attention to the
priest's words, all she could think about was what
it felt like when Mathew kissed her. His lips were
so pliant and soft, his arms so strong as they held
her tight. She'd behaved like a wanton, pressing
herself to his hard body. Katie bit down on the
inside of her cheek in an attempt to focus.
No matter how many reservations she had about
the Church, the teachings of childhood were bone
deep and Katie stood and knelt and made the
sign of the cross in all the right places. Katie
was grateful when it was time to sit for Father
McCue's homily. After walking all over Luna Park
yesterday, her feet were sore.
She glanced over at Charlie, smiling at his mop
of russet curls. On Katie's other side, Maggie
Scully listened intently to the priest. Maggie
was crafty, ensuring her daughter's attendance at
Mass by sending the one person Katie could never
say no to--little Charlie.
Like most Irish Catholic children, Katie had grown
up with the Church as a constant in her life. She'd
attended faithfully, believed without question, and
prepared, along with the other boys and girls, to
receive the sacraments.
But as she grew up, Katie began to see her church as
unyielding and harsh. Mary O'Malley's brutal husband
broke her nose, knocked out four teeth and wrenched
her shoulder out of its socket and the priest
instructed her that her place was with her husband.
Kathleen Sullivan refused to name her unborn baby's
father and the church turned its back on both her
and the child.
As Katie became more aware of the trials of the
women around her, she found herself more and more
disappointed in a church that did little to offer
comfort or help. By the time she was fifteen, Katie
attended church only to please her mother.
Katie followed the congregation as they knelt,
watching Father McCue as he prayed over the host.
When it came time for Holy Communion, Katie stayed
behind in the pew, earning a disapproving look from
Maggie Scully.
After Mass, Katie and Charlie stood under a tree,
waiting for their mother to chat with some of her
neighbors. Finally, Maggie joined her family.
"That's a new hat you're wearing, isn't it Katie?"
she asked. "It's quite fetching."
Katie's hand flew to her head, touching the brim of
her smart little straw hat. Trimmed with navy
grosgrain ribbon and a bunch of bright red cherries,
it was nothing like Katie's usual practical, serviceable
clothes.
"It's new," Katie admitted. She knew where this was
leading and it made her decidedly uncomfortable.
"You know, I can't remember the last time you spent
money on anything that wasn't for the settlement
house."
"Katie's gotta fella," Charlie chimed in, dancing
ahead of his sister's pinching fingers.
"Now, that can't possibly be true," Maggie said.
"Katie would surely tell her mother if she was
keepin' company with someone."
"How is Mrs. Conway feeling these days?" Katie said.
"Changing the subject, are you?" Maggie said.
"Well, all right. You be telling us when you're
ready, I expect. So, will we be seeing you for dinner?
I have a nice chicken to roast."
And an eager Tom Colton would probably be there. Her
brother, Bill, still hadn't given up, no matter how firmly
Katie tried to convince him that she had no interest in
his friend.
Besides, she was hoping Mathew would come around for a
visit. Something amazing had happened between them,
something that both frightened and excited her. She'd
been relieved when he'd accepted her excuse about early
morning Mass. If he'd come in the house with her, she
wasn't sure she would have been able to deny her need
or his.
"Come on, Katie. Ma made apple pie, too."
Katie lifted her brother's cap and ruffled his hair.
"Maybe," she said. "I have some work to do back at
the settlement house. I'll have to see how it goes."
With a pointed look, Maggie Scully nodded. "Come if
you want. I'm not waiting dinner, though. It'll be on
the table at noon--same as always."
Maggie and Charlie set off back to Clinton Street, the
boy turning to wave at his sister.
Katie walked the four blocks from St. Brigid's to the
settlement house, thinking about Mathew Fox every step
of the way. She'd felt a connection to this young man
from the first time she'd laid eyes on him as he
snapped her picture. Katie'd been impressed by the
sheer audacity of the man--the chutzpah, as Shayna
would say. An air of confidence was about him,
as if everything had always come easy.
Every day, Katie met adults who struggled for every
mouthful of food and fought for survival. They all had
the same look about them--something that Mathew was
blessedly free of. It was apparent that Mathew had
grown up in comfortable circumstances. He spoke with
perfect diction, and his manners were impeccable.
But Katie wasn't sure how easy things really were for
Mathew, at least in his present life. His clothes were
shabby and hung on his frame as if they belonged to a
larger man. She worried that he didn't take care of
himself. Katie was sure Mathew didn't get enough to eat,
for one thing.
As she walked up the path to the front door, Katie pushed
back a tiny scrap of disappointment. Somewhere deep down,
she'd hoped to find Mathew lounging on the front stoop,
but no one waited for her.
She opened the door and drew out the long pin that
anchored her smart new hat to her hair. Katie carefully
placed the hat on a small table at the base of the stairs.
The supplies weren't going to inventory themselves, she
thought as she unbuttoned and folded her cuffs over twice.
Katie retrieved her record book from the desk in the
front hall and went into the kitchen.
Pulling a green apron down from a hook, Katie wrapped
it around herself. The house had been a grand home at one
[continued in next message]
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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