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Rated: PG
Category: Story, MSR UST, Birthday Fic.
Spoilers: No real spoilers, but I have set it during the
beginning of Season 2.
Feedback: Feed the author, get more stories!
patfiler@hotmail.com
Archive: Gossamer. I'll take care of the rest and make sure it's
posted on my site.
OCTOBER 13, 1994
Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. That's who he saw in the mirror that
morning, as he shaved and readied himself for work. It was the man's
birthday, and all he wanted was his sister Samantha back where she
belonged: among family.
Mulder's mother called just before he left the apartment to wish him a
"Happy Birthday" very briefly, and his father left a message at the X-Files
Office saying the same thing, and also rather briefly. He was used to that,
though. His sister was missing and no one knew whether she was dead
or alive, his parents had gone through a bitter divorce, and he wasn't
spending much time wishing them their "Happy Birthday's" as he had
chosen long ago to throw himself into his work.
Special Agent Dana Scully had been assigned to debunk Mulder's work
while acting as his partner in the many paranormal cases and criminal
investigations that had come their way. She just couldn't debunk anything
Mulder had told her, or anything she had seen for that matter, and they
had developed a trust in each other.
It had been a year now since her assignment to the X-Files, and they were
both aware of each other's dates of birth.
At about 11:10 that morning, Scully looked up from a long autopsy report
and turned to her partner. "Mulder?"
He just kept typing up a profile.
"Mulder?"
"Just a minute. I don't want to lose my train of thought here. Okay. Now, you
were saying?"
"You know, I didn't see one card in the Inbox or in the e-mails this morning.
You'd think someone would say something." How could she broach such
an awkward subject? She knew he was very private.
"About what, Scully?" There he was, typing once again.
"Happy Birthday, Mulder."
"Thank you, Scully. Now let's get this finished so we can go to lunch sometime
today."
*Well, what was it with that man*, Scully wondered. Why was a simple "Happy
Birthday" such a touchy subject that all he could offer was a monotone "Thanks,
Scully", sit there without expression and just go on with his work? "But it's your
day, Mulder!"
"It's just another day and we're up to our ears in work. Can we please just get
things done? There's this great horror movie tonight I don't want to miss, it's
probably sold out or will be by the time I get tickets, and... "
"Okay. Forget I said anything." She returned to her file and while she felt slighted,
she thought it best to let Mulder be.
After a couple of minutes, Mulder apologized. "I'm sorry, Scully. I just haven't felt
like celebrating in a long, long time."
"No. I'm sorry. I was prying."
Mulder managed a small grin. "I'm used to people 'prying'.Tell you what, let's go
to lunch. I'll buy."
"Oh, okay." That was a surprise, the sudden change of mood. As he was
generally polite, perhaps he thought his response to the birthday wish had been
rude and he somehow regretted that. Scully grabbed her coat. "I'll buy, Mulder.
It's the least I can do."
Lunch went well at a local deli, although Scully couldn't help but wonder why
Mulder thought of his birthday as 'just another day'. She could have sworn he was
peering around the place to make sure no one would jump out with streamers
and balloons to yell out, "Happy Birthday". Even during their conversation, it
seemed as though he couldn't have cared less that it was the anniversary of his
birth, and Scully made sure to steer clear of the subject. It was strictly work, tasks
that needed immediate attention, and waiting for either another out of this world
tip or an assignment from upstairs.
They had been back in the office about two hours, when Scully came up with an
idea that might help Mulder know that someone cared and that he was special.
She remembered a movie that was playing that night he would just love. She
knew he hadn't seen it. She could have laid odds it was the one he was dying to
see that night. He probably didn't have a date, even for this occasion. Who wants
to sit in a movie theatre alone on their birthday?
"Mulder, I'm going upstairs for a few minutes. Can you do without me for a while?"
"Uh huh." Mulder seemed deeply engrossed in his work, but wheels were turning
in his head as he remembered childhood birthdays with cakes and presents, and
Samantha. He knew hewould be thinking more about her on this day. There had
been years when they had celebrated each others' birthdays laughing, playing and
opening presents. Things seemed to change for him after Samantha went missing.
Scully soon returned and startled him out of his reverie. "Well. I've never been known
for scaring anyone! What's going on?"
"I was just thinking, that's all. Maybe it's the second coffee I had at lunch getting me
jittery. Are you nearly done with the Carson file?"
"Almost. I just need to add my final recommendations to the Medical Examiner's
Office and I'm done. How about the psychological overview?"
"Just a couple more paragraphs and that should do it. If we get it upstairs in time,
we just might be able to leave early."
Scully smiled. "I was hoping for that."
"Why. What are you up to?"
"Well, I'm not up to your paranoia right now, so let's just get busy. Personally, I'd like
to get some things done around the apartment for a change."
"Okay." Still, Mulder couldn't help but be suspicious. The last thing he needed was
a surprise party. He didn't want to rain on any one's parade, even if it was his own.
Mulder and Scully had returned from submitting their report to the Assistant Director
just as the phone was ringing.
Scully ran to the desk shouting, "I'll get it."
*What the heck is that all about?* Mulder hadn't seen her run to that phone the entire
year she had been working with him.
"This is Agent Scully. Yes. Yes, I did. Okay. Well, thanks anyway." Damn. The box
office had mistakenly taken her order when the place was sold out, or so she was
about to tell Mulder.
"Who died?"
"Um, that was the box office. I've been wanting to see this movie and tried to get
tickets, but they're sold out." They were not sold out. She had played the Joker's
card and she would repent for that lie soon, she promised herself.
Mulder just smiled.
"What, Mulder?"
"Friday the 13th is living up to it's reputation." He returned to his seat behind the
desk and started looking through his notes.
As Scully leafed through memos, she smiled. "You're superstitious. Why didn't I
know that already?"
Mulder sighed. "Maybe because you don't really know me as well as you think. I'm
not superstitious. I was just making one of my smart-assed remarks."
"Oh. Okay. I think I'll just get right back to work." Scully felt about three inches tall. She
realized perhaps she didn't know much about her partner after all, but then Mulder
had been talking about this movie for weeks.
Mulder looked up from his work. "If it's any consolation, Scully, I didn't luck out on any
tickets. To tell you the truth, we were so busy I wasn't able to get back in time to get
down to the theatre. Anyway, I just want to be alone."
"Uh huh." Scully stood up and walked straight over to the desk. Face to face with
Mulder, she looked him straight in the eye and said, "I got them. And before you say
anything more, I know we don't talk much, probably don't know each other very well even
after a year of working together give or take a few days, but I am taking you to dinner.
Nothing fancy, just your preferred diet of greasy burgers, and then the movie."
"You don't mean... "
"Yes I do: 'The Peripheral War of Zedon.' And don't say... "
Mulder broke into a wide grin, then controlled himself. "Will you still respect me in the
morning?"
Scully only smiled. "We'll see."
"This could be interesting." Mulder closed the file he had been editing and opened
another, as Scully smiled out of his view at a filing cabinet.
6:23 PM
OFF CENTER DINER
WASHINGTON, DC
It was nothing too fancy, but not what you'd call a greasy spoon exactly. Mulder
ordered a double cheeseburger with fries, and Scully stuck to a simple Caesar salad.
Scully insisted they have wine instead of beer with dinner, and it did take some
convincing, but Mulder finally agreed.
"Okay, Scully," Mulder bit into the burger at the half-way mark. "Why not? It's my birthday."
He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't worrying, so Scully saw that as a good sign.
"Well, you could be a little more enthusiastic, you know." She took a sip of wine and
continued. "I mean, someone else is paying, you're not alone in your apartment eating
cold pizza, and you're with somebody -- even if it is your skeptical, overly-pragmatic
FBI partner."
He leaned back on the old vinyl-backed chair, dabbing ketchup from the corner of his
mouth. "You're right. You know, it's been years. There was one year at Oxford. Some
of the guys got together and... Never mind. I was sick for three days straight, and some
of the girls were looking at me and snickering. I never did find out what happened."
His face turned ashen, his tone serious. "Birthdays are supposed to be a family affair,
you know, and I don't mean to put a damper on things, but none of the birthdays after
Samantha disappeared were the same. When we were all together, whether it was her
birthday or mine, Mom's or Dad's, that was better than the past 20 years were."
Scully finished her salad and leaned forward. "Mulder, this is your day! There's no other
Fox Mulder, so let's focus on celebrating instead of talking about the past. You can't
take back those years. You can only live in the present and hope the future holds a lot
of good things. Like that movie that starts at 7:00." She put a few bills on the table and
stood.
"Wait, Scully. Sit down. Why are you doing this? I don't quite understand."
Scully sunk back into her chair. "Do you need a reason for a friend to help you mark your
birthday? Give me some credit, Mulder. I'm not part of some body's plan to keep you
busy. I'm giving you something you deserve and obviously there've been no presents,
cakes or parties. Take it for what it is: A friend treating you to a couple of meals and a
movie just for your birthday. And may I also remind you it's a movie you've been looking
forward to seeing for weeks? Indulge me!"
That hit home. "Yeah, I guess I've been so wrapped up in work and I haven't trusted many
people in so many years, it's just become habit to be suspicious of everybody. So, get
me to that theatre, partner!"
"That's a lot better!" Scully found herself smiling. She sensed Mulder was beginning to
soften, and found that a pleasant change from his brooding she'd seen earlier that day.
AMC LEOWS GEORGETOWN THEATER
3111 K STREET N.W.,
WASHINGTON, DC
8:36 PM
As Mulder held the door for Scully, he decided he had better be honest about his opinion
of the movie. He was sure she hadn't a clue as he had kept, or thought he had kept a
poker face.
They began walking down the street toward one of the parking lots they had found to have
space for Scully's car, and it was tough going on a Friday night. The lot was five long
blocks away, and three blocks to the left.
"Not that bad a movie, Mulder. The special effects were... they were... " She hadn't the
heart to tell her partner the movie he had waited to see was crappy.
"Oh, they were special all right. Quite the departure from... they were interesting. That's
the word: 'interesting'."
"Yeah." Scully looked down at her shoes and the colorful leaves that had begun to grace
the streets. "Why don't you just say it was the WORST sci-fi story of the Century!" Again,
she had succeeded in making Mulder laugh.
When he caught his breath, Mulder admitted, "Yeah, it was a lousy movie, Scully, and I
thought I'd seen some bad ones. This one took the cake, wouldn't you say?"
Scully thought over that last remark. A cake. That's what had been missing from Mulder's
special day. A Birthday Cake. Hadn't they passed a little Mom and Pop diner that had a
reputation for cakes and ice cream? She was pretty sure they might have a cake on hand
and if they were lucky, one that was still whole and could use a personalized touch?
"Mulder?"
"Yeah. For a second I could have sworn you were in another world. What's on your mind?"
"Remember Stinson's Desert and Ice Cream Parlor over that way?"
"Scully, you're pointing away from where the car is, but okay. What about it?"
"I could use a snack right now."
"The popcorn was kinda stale. I saw you put the bag under your seat."
"Well, I had intended to dispose of it in the proper manner, but I forgot. Anyway, let's stop
in at Stinson's for something. It'll save me from raiding the fridge when I get home."
"Okay." Mulder was a bit skeptical. "I didn't know you sometimes ate anything that wasn't
from bees or trees. If I were home right now I'd probably be digging into a bag of potato
chips and salsa anyway."
*Ah,* she thought. *This is going to blow my caloric intake, but it's worth it.*
STINSON'S DESERT AND ICE CREAM PARLOR
WASHINGTON, DC
9:12 PM
It was easy enough to find a booth in the place. The outside temperature had to be at least
fifty degrees. As a server approached them, Scully waved her off and stood. "Is Sophie
around?"
The waitress nodded. "Right in back, but Ma'am, you can't go back there."
"Scully, who's Sophie?"
"One of the owners. I just need to ask her something. Don't worry." Then Scully whispered
something to the waitress and was allowed into the back of the establishment.
*What's she up to?* Mulder was beginning to wonder. Memories came flooding into his
conscious mind. Samantha's fourth birthday, his own ninth birthday, cakes and candles and
a lot of picture taking. Birthday wrap. That was something he now only saw in stores and
although the rocking chairs, teddy bears and cartoon pictures printed on the wrap were
soothing to most people, he tended to feel sad whenever he saw it. Since he was 13,
nothing was ever the same.
"What kept you, Scully?"
"Oh, just wondering about the frozen yogurt." She took a seat. "So, since it's so cool outside,
maybe we should order something a bit warmer."
"Here?"
"Yeah, here, Mulder. Some hot chocolate, with marshmallows and just maybe... "
A woman who could only have been Sophie entered the area smiling, bearing a white frosted
cake with a few hastily drawn rosettes and some writing. Mulder couldn't make it out until it
was on the table.
"Enjoy, Sir. And somebody didn't pick it up, so I thought my last customers of the evening
should have it."
"Scully..." Mulder cautioned.
"No, no! It's on me!" the owner continued. "Enjoy."
Scully waved her hands. "Honestly, Mulder, I had no idea there was any cake left, but I had to
ask. I didn't plan it."
Mulder's face fell. "Oh."
"But it was Fate, don't you think?" Scully remembered the night they were on stakeout looking
for Eugene Tooms.
"It must be," Mulder agreed. He read the sugary blue lettering on the cake. 'Happy Birthday
to... A Very Special Friend'. Scully, you really shouldn't have... " Now he felt happy and guilty
at the same time.
"Yes, I should have. Somebody should have, Mulder. Because it's not just another day!"
"Thanks, Scully. Something tells me I needed this."
That made her day as well.
Everything that had happened that day, except for the sold out movie ticket incident, which
had been quickly resolved, was not typical of any Friday the 13th. He would think of that day
for years to come, and know that someone, Scully, would always be looking out for him in
spite of himself.
END
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