Happiness: Green-Eyed Monsters Author: shawntaw Category: MSR, Au Rating: G Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I am making no profit. I also do not own Slim Fast. Summary: After the cat's out of the bag..what then? DEDICATED TO THE DIEHARD "HAPPINESS" SERIES READERS. I APPRECIATE YOU MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY KNOW!!:) Feedback makes me very happy at shawntaw@hotmail.com :) TO DANI WHO HAS MADE A WEBSITE OF MY STORIES: www.geocities.com/corran_14776/shawntaw.html Thank you.:) Dedicated to Mimic....what a fun idea about jealous secretaries!:) ********************************************************************* * ****** The three women huddled together over Karan's desk, whispering about the scene in the cafeteria the day before. "She didn't!" "She did! Oh, I can't believe you chose yesterday to start your Slim Fast diet, Abby! I wish you had come to lunch with us!" Abby was super-model tall and slender and no one could ever understand why she sporadically went on diets. She always said it was to keep her figure in check. She smoothed manicured fingertips over the front of her skirt. "I gained 3 pounds. You know I like to stay at-" "Exactly 125 pounds," her two friends chorused. "Yes, we know," Victoria said, rolling her eyes and nudging Abby with her elbow as she started to pout. "Oh, don't sulk, Abby. You know we're just kidding. Its just that if any of us doesn't need to diet, it is you." Victoria was very down-to-earth and carried herself with a very laid- back grace. She tended toward the practical, yet came across as a natural beauty instead of frumpy. But, she was also short and fought her curvaceous figure constantly. Karan held up her hand to silence the two ladies standing hunched conspiratorily on either side of her desk. "Hello? Back to the story?" She cocked a sarcastic eyebrow at the two of them behind her stylish glasses. She was the sharp one, always the one with the plan. Karan also had a biting wit that she was able to draw, aim and fire at a moment's notice. "Ladies?" They nodded and fell silent. "Anyway, she stood ON THE TABLE and - I swear to you - serenaded him! Seems they're getting married," Karan finished her tale. Victoria was nodding at Abby in agreement. Abby crossed to a chair in front of Karan's desk and sat heavily. "And I missed it all for a can of Slim Fast at my desk and catching up on some paperwork," she stated, disgustedly. "Yep," Karan said succinctly. "It wasn't even chocolate," Abby groused, "It was that vanilla crap." The other two women shook their heads with sympathy. "Well, you missed quite a show, that's for sure," Karan finally said with a sigh and took a sip of coffee. They sat in companionable silence, each lost in her own thoughts. "I used to have a thing for Spooky," Victoria sighed. Karan snorted. "Who didn't? The only problem is he would never give any of us the time of day. Oh, he's a wonderful flirt, but when it comes to dating any of us-" "I dated him." Victoria and Karan stared at Abby with their mouths open. "WHAT?!" Karan said finally. Abby sipped her own coffee and lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow at the other ladies. With a Mona Lisa smile, she repeated, "I dated him." "When?" Victoria was leaning forward in her seat. "Oh, right before he left the VCU," Abby shook her head and seemed lost in thought, "But, he was a different guy then." "What do you mean and why the HELL didn't you tell us this before?!" Karan knew that Abby had been in the secretarial pool a long time, but had never suspected that she'd actually had personal experience with Agent "The Fox" (as he was secretly dubbed by the ladies in the pool) Mulder. "Oh, he smoked, ran around, drank like a fish.....he was a mess really," Abby sipped her coffee again, "And I didn't tell you because a girl has to hold on to SOME of her good stories to surprise her friends with later, doesn't she?" This last was said with a grin. Karan snorted. At that moment, Agents Mulder and Scully came into view, making their way among the desks of typing and filing secretaries, obviously heading for accounting. Several ladies stopped typing to appraise the couple. The two agents were, of course, the hot topic of conversation since the incident at lunch yesterday. Karan's lips curved as she noticed that the two males that were in the secretarial pool were just as entranced with the man and woman navigating through the area. *Doesn't matter what sex you are; loving juicy office scandal comes with the territory.* Karan had to restrain a laugh. ********************************************************************* * **** "Just keep walking," Scully muttered, feeling Mulder's hand flutter nervously in its usual place at her back, "I'm the one that should be embarassed, not you." Mulder just barely grunted his disagreement, acknowledging they couldn't get into such a discussion at the moment. They arrived at the accounting section. Victoria practically killed herself speedily taking her seat at her desk in that area, wanting to overhear the conversation. "Yes?" The main secretary said, looking over her bifocals. "Assistant Director Skinner directed us here? Something about signatures?" Mulder said and then cleared his throat. "He must be very displeased with you two," the matronly woman said, finding the documents, "He usually just messengers the paperwork." She laid the papers out on her desk and indicated where to sign. Scully leaned over to sign as Mulder answered. "He said that if we were going to keep giving the accounting department headaches, the least we could do was show up in person so that they could get the satisfaction of telling us off...I believe that is a direct quote," Mulder added with dry humor. "Ah - Agent Mulder, sign here - " she pointed, "I believe he is refering to your accounting of expenditures. Some of the claims on your reports are pretty outrageous," she was glaring at him over her glasses. Scully was standing with her arms crossed, waiting for him to get himself out of this one. He simply signed his name and stood. "All true though," he simply said. She opened her mouth to argue with him, but took in his stubborn stance. "Oh, never mind. I can't fuss at you today; I hear congratulations are in order?" Scully blushed to the tips of her ears, and Mulder smiled slightly. He looked over to Scully and then back to the woman seated in front of them. "Um, yeah," he said. "Well, consider it an engagement present from the Accounting Department. No fussing today," the middle-aged woman waggled her finger at them, "But ONLY today, Agents." She studied Scully suddenly. "You CAN'T be embarrassed, sweetheart. Not after yesterday!" Scully blushed deeper. "I - ah - that is, this openness about us," she waved her hand vaguely between she and Mulder, "is still taking some getting used to." "I see," the woman nodded, "well, just start treating it like a normal engagement, dear. You know the first thing a woman does when she gets engaged?" Scully shook her head at the secretary, a small smile beginning on her lips. "She shows off her ring; let's see," the older woman grinned and stood with her hand out. Mulder's face broke into a grin as well. "Go on, Scully. I don't mind." Still blushing, but unspeakably happy that their engagement was being treated normally and not with teasing and gossip, she stuck her left hand out for the other woman's inspection. "Oh my. Lovely. Agent Mulder, you have exquisite taste." Mulder's turn to blush. "Thank you, ma'am," he said politely. "Vera. My name is Vera," she turned, still holding Scully's hand, "Tori? Come here and look at Dana's ring." Scully smiled at Vera. This woman was creating normalacy for her. Tori stood, smiled at Scully hesitantly and then stepped forward to see the ring in question. "OH! Its gorgeous! Abby! Karan! Come here!" Two more joined the ogling women. Abby looked directly at Mulder and smiled a secretive smile. Mulder swallowed. *What will she say to Scully?!* "You've been nothing but good for him, Agent Scully. I can tell he is very happy; congratulations," Abby said sincerely to Scully. Scully eyebrows leapt at the personal tone of the tall woman's well wishes. *Oh well. That's in the past.* "Thanks," she decided to say to Abby. Abby pulled back out of the now small crowd of ooohhing and aaahhing women and put a hand on Mulder's arm. "I meant what I said, Mulder. She's good for you. She takes the spooky out of 'Spooky.'" she joked. "Thanks, Abby," he replied, relieved and patted the hand on his arm. She smiled and walked back to her desk. When Mulder turned back to watch Scully, she was peering at him with her eyebrow arched inquiringly. He shrugged *long time ago* at her. She hummed contemplatively at him, but let it go. ********************************************************************* * ** ...and I'm back!!! (doing Rocky dance, arms up triumphantly!) It ain't much, but its something. All because of a fortune cookie. *L* I ordered Chinese food tonight and the fortune cookie said (I kid you not.) "Happiness is in your future." I took it as an omen to give it a shot and I was able to come up with something this time!:) PLEASE FEEDBACK!!!