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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.
Summary: Happy Birthday, Fox Mulder! Learn
to have some fun after all those years of
throwing yourself into work to hide
your pain.
Feedback: Feed the author, get more stories!
patfiler2016@outlook.com
Archive: Gossamer. I'll take care of the
rest and make sure it's posted on my site.
Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully and The X-Files
are the property of Chris Carter, Ten
Thirteen Productions and Fox Studios. The
movie title is entirely fictitious. I write
fan fiction for no money and intend no
copyright infringement.
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?
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 he would 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
theater. 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 me 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 somebody'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 theater, 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
was 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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