From: macspooky@erols.com (Macspooky)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: "A Day Out" by Macspooky, Pt. 7 Generations Series
Date: 27 Jul 1995 20:46:45 -0400


This should be read after "The Ring."  If "The Ring" isn't posted,
please tell poor old macspooky@erols.com who is really new at this!
Thanks.  Well, they are engaged now.  The ring has been bought, but
they are still working very hard and still not sleeping together.
Have fun.  Again, no copyright infringement is intended against Chriss
Carter, Ten Thirteen, Fox or anyone else.  This is PG13.  Thanks to
Gerri for posting it on the net.



                                A Day Out
                                    
                                   by
                                    
                                Macspooky

     Dana Scully bounced out of bed and looked out the window.  It was
a beautiful July day, exceptional for Washington.  She had been able
to sleep with her windows open because the air had been nice and dry,
and it hadn't been too unbearably hot.  What she needed, she decided
was a day out, and she didn't intend to go alone.  She had a finance,
but they had very little time to enjoy each other in that role.  At
work, they perpetually had to hide their relationship, or at least
they had decided they had to, and it seemed that they were always
working.  It was as though the powers that be were trying to keep them
busy with boring cases that required a lot of grunt work and more
paper work than anyone would have believed possible.  Well, today, she
decided, she was going to see her fiance, and they were going to do
something special.  She slipped into a comfortable pair of shorts and
walking shoes, packed a blanket in her back pack, and headed for
Mulder's apartment.
     He didn't answer her knock, so she let herself in with her key.
She thought he might have gone out for a run, but in fact, he was half
asleep, dragging himself up off the couch as she entered.
     "Jeez, Scully," he muttered. "What the hell are you doing here?"
     She knew he was a bear in the morning, so she ignored him, and as
he stood up dressed only in his boxer shorts, she ran over to him and
wrapped her arms around his neck.  Reaching up she gave him a kiss,
her body pressed tightly against his. "Got a little problem I can
solve for you, Spook?" she cooed in his ear.
     "Yes," he replied pushing her away. "I need coffee, and I'm
starving.  The kitchen is that way, Shorts.  I need to take a shower."
     "If I only loved you when you smelled good I'd have left you in
Alaska," she called after him. "Want me to come wash your back?"
     "No, I want you to go wash a coffee cup," he called grumpily. "I
like my eggs scrambled."
     "Grouch," she called after him. While she was preparing
breakfast, she put a load of dirty dishes in the sink to soak and
swatted a roach crawling across the counter.  He really needed a
domestic goddess, she decided.  As a housekeeper, he was a nightmare.
      "Mulder, you've got roaches," she griped hearing him come into
the kitchen.
     "What do you think is holding up the building?" he quipped.  He
felt very nearly human again.
     He snuck up behind her and pinched her bottom.  "Stop that," she
ordered. "Why don't you get an exterminator.?"
     "No more toxic chemicals, Shorts," he said sitting down.  She
brought him a plate of eggs and toast, orange juice and coffee then
sat down with some toast and coffee for herself.  He gazed at her for
a long moment.  "The last time I was around toxic chemicals I said
enough nasty things to you to last a lifetime."
     "Well, thank God that's over."
     "So why are you here?"
     "Because we are off.  I have no one to babysit and the weather is
lovely.  I thought we might take a drive down to Harper's Ferry .
There's a great Barbecue Restaurant down there, and when you aren't
clogging your arteries, we can walk by the river, maybe find a
comfortable place to sit and make out.  No family Mulder.  Just you
and me."
     "I'm clogging my arteries right now, and we can make out here,"
he said.
     "They can find us here and interrupt the making out.  Don't you
want to go with me?" she asked feeling a little hurt.  Sometimes she
wondered about him.  He had bought her such a beautiful engagement and
wedding ring, but seemed cold sometimes, as though he didn't really
want to marry her at all.  Sometimes he seemed almost relieved that
they worked so much they didn't have time to plan things. Well, it
seemed that way at times anyway.  Maybe he was just scared.
     "Of course I want to go with you," he smiled.  He took her hand
and looked at the ring. "I love you, Dana.  Thanks for making me
breakfast.  It was good and I was hungry."
     "I love you too.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  We' better get a move
on."

     "You need to get away from the city for a day," Margaret Scully
informed her friend, "You work entirely too hard.  The office will be
fine without you.  I've packed a picnic lunch and thought we might
drive somewhere nice for the day.  Somewhere away from your work and
my kids."
     Walter Skinner wanted to argue that he was too busy.  There was
always too much paper work, too many important cases to supervise,
Mulder and Scully to keep out of trouble.  Meg looked rather
determined, however, and he had a feeling that she wasn't open to
argument.  He also knew that she was right.  He did very little but
work.  It had been that way since his wife had died ten years before.
Until he had met Margaret, he hadn't wanted to do anything else.  Now,
in spite of the fact that she was a little older than him, he wanted
to take time off to be with her.  He hadn't felt that way about any
other woman except Annie, ever.
     "I think you are right, Meg," he conceded.  "Let me call in and
we'll go."

     Fox drove.  He put the radio on the oldies station and headed up
the Parkway toward the Beltway and I270.  Since it was early, the
traffic wasn't heavy.  Neither, for the moment was his heart.  He
glanced at Dana who was looking out the window, when suddenly the
radio began to play "My Girl."  He began to sing along with it and
reached over and pinched her thigh, feeling good about life.
     She smiled. "Getting kind of fresh there aren't you?"
     "Want me to get a little fresher?" he asked grabbing a little
higher up her thigh.
     "As fresh as possible, but not while you are driving," she
replied.  "You've got a good voice.  You should sing more often."
     "Don't often have a lot to sing about," he said. "But today is
different.  I've got MY Girl."
     "Our exit is coming up," she warned. "We have so much we need to
talk about, Fox.  I just wish there was more time."
     "Hey.  You promised we'd spend the day making out remember?  No
baby..No family."
     She laughed aloud.  They parked their car by the train station
and strolled down the big hill through the town hand in hand until
they reached the National Park and spent some time browsing an old
general store and visiting an exhibit about the history of African
Americans in Harper's Ferry.  Then they went to John Brown's house and
hiked up another hill to the old churches and the cemetery.  It was
very buggy up there, however, so they left and stopped to admire the
view of the convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.  Seeing
that they were alone for a moment, Fox picked his girl up and set her
on a rock.
     "It's much easier to kiss you when you are my height," he teased
pressing his lips to hers.
     "Are you making fun of my height?"
     "Who me?" he swung her down again as a crowd of tourists
approached.  "Let's go down by the river and take a rest."  They
climbed down the stone steps that ran through the town and went across
the street and under the train trestle stopping for a few minutes to
watch some Park Ranger's with nothing better to do check fishing
licenses.
     "Don't they have any murders to solve?" asked Mulder watching one
of them write a ticket.
     'Un Uh.  That's our department.  They check fishing licenses,"
she chuckled.
     "Sounds like Paradise."
     "You'd be bored."  Hand in hand, they walked along the river
bank.

     Margaret was enjoying herself.  Walter was good company.  He was
a very interesting man, and, she sensed, a lonely man who walked a
tightrope constantly.  Although he never said so, she knew that her
daughter and her partner brought him to the brink of despair on
occasion.  They avoided talking about Dana and Fox.  Conversation
about her family tended to be more toward her other children.  They
sat on a blanket by the river content to be in each others company,
wanting the relationship to go further, but not quite knowing how to
proceed.  She knew she loved him.  After Bill had died she didn't
think she would ever love a man again.  He'd been the only man in her
life.  Finally, Walter Skinner couldn't stand it any longer.  He
reached over and kissed her.  He absolutely adored her and knew he had
to let her know.  One kiss was not enough, and he lay her back on the
blanket and kissed her again.  Margaret had never really been kissed
like that by anyone except Bill.  It was different.  It was exciting.
She felt his passion for her.  At first she didn't quite know what to
make of it, wondered whether or not it was right to be doing it at her
age with grandchildren.  Then suddenly, she realized that she was
enjoying it immensely.  She started to giggle, feeling 18 years old
again.  Walter started to laugh aloud, and pulling the blanket over
them, began to kiss her some more.  They hid from the world and made
out like teenagers.

     Fox and Dana strolled along and lay out their blanket.  At first
they didn't realize there was another couple nearby.  Then they saw
the figures under the blanket.
     "How come we aren't doing that?"whispered Dana.
     "Doing what?" he inquired innocently.
     "Whatever they are doing under that blanket."
     "Because I adore you and plan to treat you with respect.  What
would your mother think about you doing that sort of thing under a
blanket in a public place?"
     "I don't think she'd care as long as it got her a grandchild,"
replied Dana wondering why he had such a need to respect her, when all
she wanted him to do was climb on top of her and well, do what people
did to make babies.
     "Looks like things are really heating up."
     "I'll say," she quipped, "I'm jealous."
      Suddenly the Park Ranger appeared out of nowhere.  Bored with
harassing fishermen, he decided to pick on young lovers.  He stood
over the blanket and cleared his throat.  The couple didn't appear to
hear, so he tapped gently with his foot. "You'd better be dressed when
I take that blanket off, or you are going to jail."
     Up popped Margaret Scully and Walter Skinner.
     "Mom," shrieked Dana
     "Skinner," burst out Fox.
     "You know these two?" asked the young ranger.
     "Uh, yeah..I mean yes Sir," said Dana,
     "Aren't they a little old to be fornicating in the Park?"
     "Un...well, I guess not," she replied. "I mean they weren't
fornicating...yet.  I mean you caught them on time, and prevented a
crime, so couldn't you sort of leave if we promise that they will
behave in the future?"
     "Well, I guess no laws were actually broken.  These are your
parents?"
     "Yes Sir."
     "Well," he laughed, "you'd better keep them under better
control."  He walked off still chuckling.  The scene had made his day.
Definitely better than bugging fishermen.  The look on their
faces.....were people that old supposed to do it?  He didn't think so.
     "Were you having a good time, Assistant Director Skinner?"
inquired Fox.
     "Don't start, Mulder," he said.
     "Who me?  Hello Mrs. Scully."
     "Hello, Fox..un...hi Dana.  I can explain...I mean....."
     "Oh, Mom, you don't have to explain.  What you do is your own
business.  Next time just do it at home okay?" she sighed.
     "Dana, what a beautiful ring!" the woman exclaimed seeing it
shine in the sunlight and deciding a change of subject was in order, a
less dangerous subject.
     'Thanks, Mom," she said.
     "So what brings you two down here?" inquired Skinner. "Chasing
UFO's, Mulder?"
     "No Sir, watching the AD make out under a blanket Sir," he
replied.
     "Dana," continued Margaret attempting to diffuse the situation,
"Let me take a closer look.  Sit down.  Oh my.....why didn't you tell
me, sweetie?  Isn't it wonderful, Walter?" she asked, "Looks like Fox
finally popped the question.  Come sit down, Fox."
     Mulder sighed with resignation and took a seat.  There went the
partnership.  Right out the window.  "And I thought Dani was hard to
babysit," he muttered.
     "What was that, Fox?"
     "Oh nothing, Mrs. Scully," he said. "We were going to tell you
very soon, honest.  We were just kind of waiting for a family
occasion."
     "Anyway, it took awhile to get the ring, Mom," said Dana, " and I
was waiting for the right moment to show it off."
     "And I suppose," said Skinner, "that the two of you were going to
get around to telling me about this one of these days?"
     "Where is that Park Ranger?" inquired Fox. "Maybe I should have
told him that it was the Assistant Director of the FBI........."
     "Okay. Okay, I haven't seen any damn ring, Mulder," said Skinner,
"but I swear to God, if the two of you screw up, I will personally
feed you to the lions piece by piece.  Do I make myself clear?"
     "Why ,Mr. Skinner," said Fox innocently, "don't you think it
would look rather suspicious if we changed now?"
     "I can't believe this.  After 10 years, I finally meet a woman I
adore, and she is going to have Fox Mulder for a relative.  What could
I have possibly done in my past lives, Mulder, that warrant having you
for a son-in-law?"
     "WHAT DO YOU mean son in law? asked Margaret.
     "Oh come on, Meg," he said. "You know I want to marry you.  We
aren't kids anymore.  We just act like them sometimes."
     Forgetting herself in front of her kids, Meg wrapped her arms
around his neck and kissed him. "It won't be so bad," she
promised. "Compared to Melissa, he's easy."
     Dana laughed.  She really had ambiguous feelings about this, but
her mom seemed smitten.  She broke into a fit of giggling that she
couldn't quite contain.
     "Is something funny young lady?" inquired Skinner.
     "I can't...I can't promise, Mr. Skinner, that Mulder here won't
walk into the office one day and call you Dad.  He's very difficult to
control." She got to her feet.  "Maybe we better go home and make a
baby Fox?"
     "What's the sudden rush?" he asked rising, alarmed.
     "The sooner it gets here, the sooner it starts calling him
Grandpa."

                         The End