Birthday Plans

by Girlyscrem

Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and 
the Fox Network for their wonderful creation.  This is an 
unauthorised use of their characters and ideas.  There is no 
infringement intended, and there is no monetary gain 
involved in the writing and distribution of this story.  This 
is a post 'Memento Mori', pre 'Tempest Fugit' story and may 
contain spoilers.  This is for the enjoyment of EMXC 
members only.  If you would like to share, please ask.  



Birthday Plans    by Girlyscrem

Fox Mulder sat at his desk and thought.  This was quite a 
dilemma.  It wasn't easy to respect the  boundaries that 
remained between them, and still come up with something 
that would express the depths of his feelings for her.  It had 
proven to be an almost insurmountable task until he 
remembered something he had seen at the Air and Space 
Museum during one of his stolen afternoon visits.  The idea 
came into focus and he began to relax as he closed the 
folder.  He should have just enough time to get there and 
back before his partner returned from her day of teaching 
the fine points of forensic science to a new group of 
academy recuits at Quantico.    Smiling to himself, he 
pushed up from his desk, grabbed his coat, and headed out 
the door.

It was only a short walk from the J. Edgar Hoover building 
to the bustling modern structure on the Mall.  As he went 
up the steps of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum he 
was filled with pleasant memories.  He loved this place and 
loved to spend hours walking through the exhibits reveling 
in the wonder of it all.  As he entered, he went by the moon 
rock and gave it a loving caress.

He could still remember watching the historic Apollo 11 
launch, and then just a few days later, watching, along with 
the rest of the world as Neil Armstrong made that fateful 
first human step onto the surface of the moon. He could 
still remember his feelings of awe and wonder as he sat in 
his parent's living room and watched mankind's first 
extraterrestrial step.   He remembered that he had found it 
impossible to sleep that night, his mind whirring and 
overflowing with the ramifications of life beyond his 
earthly boundaries.  For weeks Nothing but thoughts of the 
Apollo 11 mission and speculations about what lay beyond 
that new threshold occupied his mind.   Looking back, he 
could truly recognize that event as one of the most 
profound in his life.  It was because of it that his lifelong 
passion for  things beyond the limits of the earth began to 
form.  

As Mulder left the moonrock, he threaded his way past 
groups of people who had stopped to gaze up at Lindberg's 
Spirit of St. Louis and one of the Apollo space capsules as 
they hung suspended high above the lobby.  That  sight 
never failed to make him pause and reflect upon the great 
leaps of progress that had been made in so short a span of 
time.  Yes, this was indeed a most wonderous place.  He 
would have to come back soon when he wasn't on a 
mission.  He made his way toward the gift shop, hoping 
that his memory again served him correctly and that the 
item he sought was still there.

When he arrived at the small shop in a corner of the 
building, his eyes began to search for the object.  He saw 
shelves full of minature spacecraft, moon maps, solar 
system mobiles, star charts, mugs, flags, pencils, bumper 
stickers, t-shirts, etc. Everything surrounded by laughing 
tourists holding up shirts and Mr. Spock ears each trying to 
decide which prize to take home.  He made his way up to 
the counter and began twirling the fixtures that were 
overloaded with buttons, pins, keychains, and the like. He 
gave several of them the once over, but could not find what 
he was looking for.  He began to follow the edge of the 
counter, gazing over every item he could see.  He was 
about to quit looking when he glanced down through the 
glass countertop and saw it.  It was there in the corner, 
almost hidden by the clutter of trinkets overflowing the 
display.  He flagged down a sales person, made his 
purchase, and headed back toward his office.

The walk back gave him the opportunity to stop by one of 
his favorite Mall food stands.  It wasn't often anymore that 
he could induldge himself freely in a greasy dog with all 
the fixings.  When he ate with his partner, his choices were 
usually confined to those with a much lower cholesterol 
level.  He smiled in resignation and acknowledged the fact 
that over the last few years his life had changed in more 
ways than just his dietary habits.  Why, just the fact that he 
had taken time from his cases to go shopping was a miracle 
in its own right.  And, he was doing it and grinning...my 
gosh, he had almost caught himself humming the theme to 
2001: A Space Odyssey.

Yes, there definitely were changes going on in his life.  He 
had known all along, but until recently had refused to admit 
it.  He had decided to come to terms with his feelings a few 
weeks ago after receiving a phone call from his partner 
from the Oncology Department of Holy Cross Memorial 
Hospital.  It was then, after she had told him of the 
inoperable malignant tumor between her septum and 
cerebrum that he had been shocked into the realization that 
their time together could be radically limited.  After her 
announcement, they had once again joined forces to try and 
keep this life threatening interloper at bay.  It was later, as 
he waited for her outside of Penny Northern's hospital room 
that he had retraced the path of their relationship and 
realized that their lives had become inseparable, one in the 
same.  When he thought about it, he had realized that his 
life had not been the same since the first day she had 
walked into his office.

Mulder now realized that precious Few things had affected 
his life the way she had.  Thinking back, besides her, the 
only things that came to mind were the Apollo 11 moon 
mission, and his sister's abduction.  Each had been a life 
altering event.  Each had left an indelible mark on his 
being, had forever changed the way he perceived and 
functioned within his universe.

He had realized her birthday was coming up soon, and in 
light of his newly acknowledged feelings for her, he had set 
out to find just the right thing to commenorate the 
occasion.  He had to be careful though.  He didn't want to 
get anything that would be perceived by her as being too 
personal...after all, he had never remembered her birthday 
before, not even with a card.  No, he didn't want to scare 
her away...especially not now...so soon after that wondrous 
moment when they clung together in the hall of the hospital 
just after Penny had died.  No, what tenatively began there 
for them had to be open enough so she felt like she could 
go on by herself, to find her own truth.  He knew that, but 
he would be there for her, by her side, every step of the 
way, offering emotional and physical support she could call 
upon if she grew too weary. His mind going through the 
parameters he had set for the purchase, Mulder knew he 
had chosen well.

As he arrived back at the office, he could feel himself 
almost bursting with the satisfaction he felt from finding 
just the right thing.  He could hardly wait until she got back 
so he could piteously allow that he was starving to death 
and that she just had to accompany him to the Mug & Cuffs 
so he could go over the day's activities as he took care of 
his hunger.  

He knew from past experience that she would accompany 
him with little more response than a mild uplifting of her 
eyebrows to admonish him for waiting so long to eat.  

He knew his hunger scheme would work well, and after 
they got there, and he had at least gone through some 
nachos, he would unobtrusively signal the waiters who 
would come over to them singing 'Happy Birthday' with 
sparkler ablaze atop the snowball cupcake.  He thought he 
would do it then, just after the cupcake arrived and the 
waiters disappeared.  When everyone was still looking in 
their direction.  It would be just the right moment.  He 
knew it would catch her off guard and even a bit 
embarrassed.  That would be just the perfect time to make 
his presentation.  Yes, after the song and the cupcake, that 
would be it, perfect.  With his plan in place, Mulder sat 
down, picked up a folder and began thumbing through the 
pages.


The End