The Truth is Out There--Scene 15 from XF3
by Lolabeegood

E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com
Distribution: Archive freely with my name attached.

Rating: R
Categories: S, R
Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance, Post-IWTB
Spoilers: IWTB
Summary:  The truth is something Mulder & Scully may have to 
pay a steep price for.

Author's Notes: 

Ever since I watched IWTB I have thought of the ideal way to 
start and storyline a third movie.  So, after much thought 
and deliberation I have a series of scenes that I have written 
for the third XF movie.  The scenes will not necessarily run 
right after each other but they are in sequence.  They are 
more like scenes I would like to see in the XF3 that develop 
character, tie loose ends, and add plot interest.  

I do not own the characters and I don't make any money from 
this.

Enjoy!

***********************************

Mulder stood off to the side not listening to a word Jeremy 
was saying about him.  He couldn't stop thinking about William, 
or Patrick, as he preferred to be called.  His son.  The 
young boy who he had yelled at, pushed down, and doubted all 
day.  The young boy who has no memory of him before today.  
Mulder wished silently that he could erase this day and start 
over again.  He looked down at his hands as they shook in 
front of him and shoved them into his pockets.  

How could he not know?  How did Scully, his skeptical partner-
in-life, believe while he refused to?  The boy looked undeniably 
like him, but Mulder had assumed he had been created to be 
that way.  He knew intimate details about Scully, but Mulder 
had assumed those were things implanted in his memory.  He was 
so scared...and Mulder had done absolutely nothing to alleviate 
his fears, choosing to protect Scully instead.  In the few 
hours Mulder had a chance to be a father to his son, he had 
been no better than his own father, something that made him 
quite ashamed of himself.

He looked up through glazed eyes at Scully as she stood at the 
back of the packed audience.  She watched him intently, 
wavering between joining him and staying where she was.  She 
took a step toward him and he put out his hand telling her to 
stop where she was.  He could get through this, he had to. 

He took a deep breath and looked at all the people in the 
audience.  They had come to listen to him, to talk with him and 
he needed to be there for them for the next hour and a half.  
It was probably the last time he would be in public as Fox 
Mulder again, the publisher would be royally pissed.  After 
tonight he would do everything in his power to fix what had 
unfolded between him and William today, even if it took him 
the rest of his life.  He would protect his family at all 
costs.  

"...and without further ado, Fox Mulder" Jeremy chimed and the 
audience clapped.

Mulder walked to the podium smiling to the crowd.

"Thank you for such a warm welcome" he looked out at everyone 
"I hope I live up to all those nice things Jeremy said about 
me."

The crowd laughed at his joke and Mulder started to introduce 
his novel.

"This book, my first book, 'Deceive, Inveigle and Obfuscate' 
was a work of love.  I loved my time at the FBI and on the 
X-files and I enjoyed re-living those special days in my life 
through my writing. My partner Murphy and I, sacrificed a lot 
for our investigations and, although we didn't love everything 
about our work," he snickered with the audience "we appreciated 
being on the journey together." He paused to smile up at Scully 
and clear his throat  "The part I'm going to read for you 
tonight..."

"Ms. Scully?" Barbara, the store manager approached her.

"Yes?" Scully answered quietly, trying not to disturb those 
around her.

"I was talking with Jeremy earlier and he said you and Fox would 
like to go to a pub tonight, preferably one with a live band?"

"Yes, we're looking for a nice night out" she answered quietly.

"Well, there is a pub called The Fiddler that is only a few 
blocks away, I called them and they have a live Celtic band 
tonight."

"That sounds great.  Is it a busy place?"

"Apparently this band is quite popular so they fill the place."

"Sounds perfect" Scully smiled at her "thank you for finding out 
that information for us.  We don't know Chicago well."

"No problem.  I've been there before and it's a very nice place."

"Would you...would you like to join us?"

"Join you?" she asked obviously happy.

"Uh, yeah, Jeremy will be there and we'd be happy to have some 
company, maybe there are a few others here to meet Mulder that 
would like to..."

"Oh heavens, yes!" Barbara said a little too loudly.

"Shhhh" someone sneered from the last row.

"Sorry" Barbara whispered "I know of quite a few of our regulars 
that would be thrilled to spend some time with him."

"Great" Scully smiled.

"Maybe I'll call over...explain who is coming and they'll set aside 
a table for us?"

"Sure." 

"This is so exciting!" Barbara chirped as she left to make another 
call.

Scully looked back up at Mulder.  She knew his mind was in overdrive 
and that he was struggling to get through this very public end to 
his public life.  She had tried to comfort him when the news that 
Patrick was indeed their son hit him full force.  He had sat down, 
struggled to speak, and looked at her with such a pained expression 
that she knew, in that moment, he had considered himself the worst 
person on the face of this earth.  As much as she was happy to 
have her son back, she was equally saddened by the fact that Mulder 
was feeling so guilty about how he had treated Patrick.  She needed 
to find a way to get the two men in her life on the same page.  She 
also knew that protecting Patrick was foremost in both of their 
minds.  

She stood and watched Mulder read a particularly lively part of 
his novel involving a character called Fanshawe which was based 
on Alex Krycek.  She also watched him sign books for patrons, 
pose for pictures with fans, and get into detailed discussions 
about conspiracy theories before Jeremy interrupted and explained 
there were others waiting.  She knew he would miss this aspect 
of his life and was happy he was going out with such a bang 
tonight.  There were well over a hundred people here for his 
reading and many of them mingled around her discussing how 
charismatic and intelligent he was.  She couldn't help but 
smile, she had discovered these things about him many years 
ago.  

"We're going to have to wrap things up in the next few minutes, 
Fox has had a very busy day" Jeremy apologized to the crowd.

He walked over to Scully and stood close beside her "They love 
him, you know."

"I...I can see that" she answered back hastily.

"He's good looking, smart, funny, knows how to use a gun, and 
can spout off about any subject from love poetry to new cloning 
theory."

"That he can" she smiled to herself.

"We have received so many requests for copies of the second book 
it's sure to make the New York Times list as well."

"Really?"

"Really" he said with a smile "You and Fox will be living 
very comfortably off the profits from these two books alone.  
Never mind the other 4 he's signed on to do."

"When is he supposed to have the next one done?" she asked.

"He has until March to submit his first draft.  I'm sure he'll 
get it in early like the other two."

"Yes" she responded as Jeremy left her side to rescue Mulder 
from the crowd.

"I've got a few people joining us" Barbara said as she walked 
up behind Scully.

"Oh, sorry, you startled me" Scully jumped.

"Sorry" Barbara apologized "Is Fox ready to go?"

"Jeremy is just rescuing him now" Scully smiled at the pair 
"How about we meet you there?  Which direction is it?"

"Just go out this exit and walk 3 blocks to your left.  It's on 
the corner, you can't miss it, it's called The Fiddler."

"We'll be there shortly" Scully told the woman. 

She watched her walk back to a group of about 10 people and 
tell them Mulder and she would meet up with them.  The group 
buttoned up their coats and walked out of the bookstore.  

"How'd I do?" Mulder asked as he sidled up next to her and 
put his arm around her waist"You were wonderful Mulder" she 
smiled up at him "there's a group meeting us at a pub called 
The Fiddler down the street, there's a live Celtic band 
playing there tonight, supposed to draw quite the crowd."

"Great" he smiled and pulled her a little closer "I'm in the 
mood to celebrate."

Scully knew him all too well.  Despite the smile on his face 
she could see the uncertainty behind his eyes.  He was still 
struggling with some demons but was putting on one hell of a 
show for anyone that was watching them.

"Hey" she said looking at him in the eyes "You and me" she 
reached up to touch his cheek.

"You and me" he confirmed as he closed his eyes and softly 
kissed the tips of her fingers.

"Are you two ready to go?" Jeremy asked as he approached 
them.

"Ready when you are" Mulder turned to face him "I feel 
like celebrating with my girl here."

Ten minutes later they squeezed into a packed pub with 
very loud music and a lively audience dancing in front 
of them.

"We got a table" Barbara yelled over the music when they 
entered "It's a little tight though."

Scully looked over at the large group of people squished 
into a booth and smiled.

"That's okay" Scully countered "Mulder likes to dance."

"He does?" she asked quite surprised.

"Oh, yeah," Scully smiled "you should see him go when he's 
had a few drinks."

Barbara looked over at Fox Mulder who was leaning his whole 
body across the bar placing an order with the bartender.  He 
returned with two beers and gave one to Scully.

"Slainte" he said as they clinked glasses.

They joined the group at the table and found it hard to engage 
in conversation over the loud music.  The 'regulars' from the 
bookstore had about a million questions for Mulder and he 
was nice enough to patiently answer them despite the noise.  
They finished their first beers and Mulder was quick to 
order for them as soon as the glasses were almost empty.  
This continued throughout the night with Mulder and she 
knocking back 4 beers each before the band took a break.  

During the break Mulder got into a very intense discussion 
with a conspiracy theorist about Area 51 and Scully found 
herself confirming to a bunch of women that she was indeed, 
Murphy.  Jeremy had bought 2 rounds of shooters for the table 
and Scully could feel the sting of  Sambuca in her throat.  

The band started up again and Mulder grabbed her to dance.  
Scully knew this would be the hardest part of the night.  
She was not a recluse, but dancing in front of people while 
completely sober was something she always had difficulty 
with.  Luckily, the dance floor was packed and a few others 
from their group joined them.

Scully had always admired the way Mulder was so free with 
his body, how he moved with such ease and with little care 
for what others thought.  He gyrated his hips loosely and 
drank from a pint that he held in his hand.   She was 
always thinking of what to do with her arms, how to shuffle 
her feet, and how to sway her head.  When she danced with 
him holding her it was always easier, but this was not that 
kind of dancing.  She had to admit, she did enjoy the Celtic 
music, and was happy they didn't have to go to some punk 
bar tonight.  She stumbled over her feet and Mulder caught 
her.

"Whooa, there Scully" he said quite loudly. 

"I'm fine, Muulllerr" she swayed in his arms. 

She heard the snickers of those around her.

Just then a slow, breezy fiddle song started and couples 
paired off on the floor.  Mulder placed his hand firmly on 
her lower back and pulled her close to him.  They swayed 
slowly on the floor and Mulder made a show of bumping into 
another couple.

"Sooorryyyy" he slurred as he patted the woman on the head.

"Muulllerrr, stop" she giggled "Sorry, he's had a little 
too much...a little too much to drink." 

"No problem" the man said as he danced his partner away 
from them.

"You're soooo bad" she smiled up at him as he took another 
swig of his beer.

"This is fun Scully, I should get you drunk more often" he 
whispered into her ear.

"You remember the first time we danced?" she laughed into 
his chest.

"Oh, that was just bad" he laughed back "but I made up for 
it at that Cher impersonator concert."

"I wasn't asking about that time" she looked at him with 
her eyes sparkling.

"You mean the time in the office?"

"You know that's what I'm talking about" she whispered in 
his ear.

"Isn't my behavior tonight humiliating enough without 
bringing that up?" he growled as he moved them forward 
nearly side swiping another couple.

"This just reminded me of that" she giggled as she thrust 
her hips ever so slightly against him.

"You mean, I had an erection then too?" he murmured low 
into her ear.

"Oh, boy did you ever" she laughed.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again?" he 
asked as he took another drink from his pint.

"I'm drunk Muuulllerr" she giggled "I can't be held 
responsible for what I...for what I say."

"Is that the excuse you're working with?" he smiled down 
at her.

"You...you were sooo embarrassed" she said as she stumbled 
backwards and brought him with her.

"I was hoping you didn't notice it."

"How could I not?  That thing was practically drilling 
a hole through me" she giggled.

"You don't seem to mind it now" he said gyrating against 
her.

"Things are different now, back then..."

"Back then...I was humiliated and you...you were about 16 
shades of red" he interrupted. 

"I blamed it on the Spanish music." 

"I blamed it on your tight skirt" he smiled back and 
took her hand to guide her back to the table, stumbling 
as he walked.

"Hey, you two" Jeremy smiled up at them from his seat.

"Jeremy" Mulder said as he plopped his empty pint glass 
down on the table "we're going to call it a night."

"Man, you two know how to party" Jeremy said as he got 
up "let me call you a cab." 

"No,"  Mulder said as he slapped him on the back "we'll 
just pick one up out front."

Jeremy frowned "Okay,...if you're able to."

"Bye, everyone" Mulder called to the various people 
still surrounding them "See you next time we're in Chicago."

"Shhhh" Scully giggled from under his arm. 

They both stumbled outside and a bouncer hailed them a 
cab.  Within minutes they were at their hotel and muddling 
through the lobby.  Mulder pushed both the up and down 
button and Scully scolded him loudly.  

"Now we'll have to wait longer, and I have to P-E-E" she 
whined.

The walked into the elevator and slammed up against the 
mirrored wall with a loud laugh.  Mulder pressed the 
buttons for all the floors and the door closed.

A woman sitting on the bench near the front entrance 
spoke into a microphone hidden in her collar.

"They're here and from the looks of their condition they're 
not going anywhere for the night.  Did you say they had 
over 7 drinks each plus shooters?" she waited for the 
response "Yeah, we're not going to see their hung over 
asses until late tomorrow."

The elevator opened on the second floor.  Mulder and 
Scully swiftly walked through the hall toward the 
second room they had booked earlier today under an alias.  
They shut the door and went to change their clothes.

"You think we're good?" he asked as he pulled his shirt 
over his head.

"I think we were perfect.  Not too over-the-top to look 
fake but just enough giggling and stumbling to look 
authentic" she said as she whipped off her shoes.

"Those two shots Jeremy bought were a little strong 
though."

"Yeah, that and the non-alcoholic beer made me have 
to pee every 5 minutes" she said as she tossed her pants 
aside.

He changed into some blue jeans and pulled a sweater 
over his head.  She shimmied into her cords and pulled 
on some boots.

"We have to get to Patrick fast.  Did you see that woman 
in the lobby?"

Scully nodded her head in agreement as she tugged on a 
turtleneck.

"They're already tailing us."

Scully went to the washroom and pulled on the wig of long 
brown hair she had purchased earlier today.  She adjusted 
it to look natural, went to work on her eyebrows with a 
brown pencil and put on some dark lipstick.

"I sent the Hermes wrap to my mother this afternoon" 
Scully called from the washroom.

"She'll like that" Mulder said as he joined her "I'm glad 
we had some time to get things ready this afternoon before 
they knew where we were."

Mulder stood next to her and pulled on the cap with long 
scraggly hair sticking out of the bottom.  He too adjusted 
it on his forehead and pulled some of the hair around to 
the front.

"God Scully, you look like a Bond girl and I look like I 
belong on Wayne's World" he snickered.

She looked at him in the mirror and smiled "Ready?"

"Ready" he replied.

They tucked their things into a backpack and opened the 
window to the fire escape.  Mulder surveyed the alley with 
his night vision goggles and nodded that it was all clear.  
He and Scully made their way down to the alley and to 
their parked SUV in the DePaul garage.  They would be 
with Patrick soon.

************************

The end of Part 15