This is an original story written by me based on the characters and
situations created Chris Carter and Fox Broadcasting Inc...I continue to
try my best at character development, uresolved sexual tension and
dialogue. Comments, etc. welcome as always. 

Since people seem to be clamoring for stories about M+S when they're off
duty, I wrote one, hope you like it. This story takes place this season
(obviously sometime after Scully's abduction) and I call it....

Confessions 
by Unicorn83
(3/25/95)

Chap. 1
Tuesday evening - Dana Scully's apartment, Washington, D.C.
 
     Agent Dana Scully had just about enough of her mother for one day,
much less, the week. Her mother had ceaslessly reminded her that her
cousins wedding was this weekend and she still didn't have a date.  It
wasn't as if she didn't try, men, it seemed, weren't interested in going to
weddings unless they knew for sure that they would get "something" out of
it.  Why did life have to be so complicated?  
     "What about Mulder?"  
     "Mulder? Mom, where did you come up with that?"  Mulder was hardly the
'wedding' type.  
     "He seemed so concerned for you when...and, well a mother can hope."  
     She knew her family liked Mulder after the Duane Barry incident, he
was the only member of the bureau to come visit her in the hospital and
many nights her mother found him asleep by her bedside.  "No mom, it's not
a good idea."  
     "But why?"  
     "We've gone over this before...we're partners and..friends, nothing
more and I don't want to complicate the situation by inviting more than
that." Dana could hear her mother sigh.  
     "It wouldn't hurt to ask."

Wednesday morning-FBI HQ

     Agent Fox Mulder was looking over some photo's sent over by his
'friends' at the Lone Gunman.  They had acquired a few new UFO shots and
thought Fox might want to check them for authenticity. One was a fake.  But
a very good fake.  Mulder could hear his partner, Dana Scully, coming down
the long winding hallway to their cramped secret corner office in the
basement of the J. Edgar Hoover building.  So secret, that if you didn't
know it was there, you'd swear it was a fileroom.  Well, it WAS a fileroom,
once...and not that long ago either.  It originally contained all the
bureau's X-Files from the day they opened their doors until now.
     Scully came into the office and found Mulder hunched over his desk
with a magnifying glass...examining photos of some sort. UFO's most likely.
 Since she already knew that he was aware of her presence, she didn't
bother to annoy him with 'Good mornings' and such. Mulder hated mornings
and he hated the morning smalltalk almost as much.
     Mulder was preoccupied with the next photo when Scully's phone rang.
Distracted. He put down the magnifying glass and looked up. Scully came
running in from the other room, hot coffee spilling generously over the cup
and onto her hand before she could answer it.  "Hello...mom, what's wrong?"
 Mulder heard the fear and trepidation creep into Scully's voice and he
tensed, until she visably relaxed and began to rub at her scalded hand. 
"No..now I told you..." she looked self consciously over at Mulder and
turned her back to him in a mock semblance of privacy.  "It doesn't matter
that..." Mulder went back to examining the photo's. "No...I'm not
asking...no I will not." Mulder could faintly hear Mrs. Scully on the other
end pleading her case with Dana, who was being stubborn as usual.  "You
will not...FINE, anything to get you off the phone..." Scully turned around
to face Mulder.  "Mulder...are you doing anything this Saturday?"  
     Mulder didn't even raise his head to answer, he didn't even need to
think about the answer, he knew without checking, even as Dana knew. "No,
why?"  
     Scully paused and took a deep breath, "Would you like to accompany me
to a wedding?" Mulder waited, then slowly looked up, his glasses dangling
off the end of his nose like bifocals...Scully could envision Mulder 20
years from now with bifocals hanging from the end of his nose and silvery
grey hair looking much as he did now.  He inhaled and exhaled. His chest
rising and falling in thought.  She knew what his answer was before he said
it. Why did she bother to ask? She felt like she waited forever for his
answer. Well, say it and be done, she thought.  
     "Sure." and Mulder dropped his gaze back into the photo.
     "Dana...Dana..answer me?"  Her mothers voice broke the spell of
surprise. 
     "I'll talk to you later mom, bye." Absentmindedly Scully hung up the
phone.  "What did you say?"  
     Mulder looked up, he knew she was surprised and decided to play it for
all it's worth.  "I said sure...why? Don't you want me to go?"  
     Dana wasn't expecting him to agree, far from it, she assumed he'd
laugh or make some sort of childish comment.  
     "I love weddings." 
     Dana continued to stare at him in surprise.  "OK Mulder the jokes
over."  "What?"
     Mulder leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest,
"was there a joke?"  He was smiling with that lopsided boyish grin which
she found so smug, arrogant, self effacing, ingratiating and irritating and
she was furious at him for having her play the fool. "If you didn't want me
to go..why ask?"  
     "I asked because..." 
     "Because your mother told you to..because you were sure I would say
'No'?  Why?"  
     Scully shut up and glared at him. "Never mind..." 
     "No, I want to know why you asked?"  
     "I asked because I don't want to go alone..."  
     "And?" 
     God, he could be so annoying at times. "And I knew I could bring you
with no strings attached..." 
     "And?"  
     What else did he expect to hear? "And because my mother just told me
one of my my ex-boyfriend's will be there..as the best man."  
     No he's not, Mulder thought, if he WAS the best man...he'd have
married Scully rather than letting her get away. 
     "So it's a date." 
     Scully looked up in surprise. "No, your escorting me to the wedding." 

     "Why, are you planning to meet someone else and leave me all alone?"
after he uttered those words Mulder's face grew dark and took on a serious
expression, grave, solemn, brooding and it scared Dana to see it.  
     "No, I'm bringing you so I'll have someone I can be with who
understands me..."
     "Why me, you must have other...friends who could go?" 
     "Mulder, I don't need any complications in my life right now...I don't
want any."
     "But it's the complications that sometimes make life interesting..." 
Mulder wiggled his eyesbrows at Dana suggestively.  
     "Maybe..but I said 'no strings attached' remember...?"  
     Mulder sat up in his chair and stretched, "And what makes you think I
don't want strings either?"  
     As Scully paused in thought,Mulder sighed aloud, stood up and moved
around the desk, "Scully, I don't want to be a sloppy second..either you
want me there or you don't."
     Reluctantly, Dana had been avoiding complicating their professional
relationship for as long as possible, hoping it was only her who had these
feelings. A schoolgirl's crush.  But now she knew she was wrong.  And she
wished she wasn't. But she couldn't lie, but maybe she could 'omit' parts
of the truth to salvage their working relationship,"I want you to
go..really."  
     Then Mulder smiled warmly and it softened her heart, "I'm glad...and
you should know...I love to dance." And when he said that his eyes were
already dancing.

Chap. 2
Early Saturday morning-Fox Mulder's apartment.

     Agent Fox Mulder was walking around the bedroom in his flannel boxers
staring into his closet.  He hadn't slept all night and he couldn't decide
what to wear.  Scully had seen most of his suits, or combinations thereof,
in the last 2 years.  And..get a grip Mulder, it's only Scully.  She's not
even interested in you-you're just a warm body. But he wanted this to be
special. He knew she'd probably wear something plain but tasteful with a
high neckline. But he still wanted her to remember this day.  All he needed
was a chance. Shit. It was 9 am already.  He needed to pick her up in 1
hour and he still had a lot left to do.

9:55am Dana Scully's apartment.

     Agent Dana Scully was waiting impatiently for Fox Mulder to pick her
up.  She looked at her watch again. 9:55am. The wedding started at..then
she stopped and tried to compose herself.  Get a grip Dana, that a man
should make you forget yourself.  He's just like any other.  It's Mulder
for God's sake. He'll probably show up late in a rumpled suit with no gas. 
Just as Dana had collected herself down to the point that she was calm, the
doorbell rang.   

     When Scully opened the door, Fox Mulder didn't know what to say. He
had never seen her look so...God, he couldn't even find the words to
describe her. Beautiful was not strong enough.  But it would have to do.
She was wearing a tight black dress with a lowcut revealing neckline,
strapless, and off the shoulder which also gave a generous view of her
legs. And she smelled great too. Mulder swallowed nervously and tried to
screw down his courage, if she looked like this all night, God knows
what'll happen.

     Mulder was leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe when Scully
answered. It was like a scene from an old movie and he was the leading man.
 He looked handsome.  Had she never noticed that before?  He was even
wearing cologne. He looked suave, a first for Mulder, and he looked calm,
like Cary Grant.  Unlike her, whose throat went dry, so dry she couldn't
even choke out words.  

     Well don't just stand there stupid..do something.  Mulder's conscience
reminded him to say something, "Scully, you look...great."  Fumble. Great,
what a choice for words.  It was like he was describing a car. He wasn't
sure what to say next but then he remembered the flowers hidden behind his
back.

     If Dana Scully wasn't already surprised at his appearance, she was at
his bringing flowers.  Mulder had reached behind his back and pulled out a
dozen roses.  Scully was at a loss for words and didn't know what to say. 
     "Mulder, maybe we should call each other by our first names, just for
this evening..."  
     "You want to forget about work?" Scully took the flowers from Mulder
and walked inside. 
     "No, I just want us to act normal for one evening..." She was putting
them in water when Mulder realized how dry his throat was. He felt like a
schoolboy on his first date.  Thank god he didn't have to shake hands with
anyone, his were clammy and damp.  But Scully was the picture of poise and
grace, nothing seemed to phase her. Not even the flowers.
     "The flowers are beautiful..Thank you." Mulder was happy that she
liked the flowers, he wasn't sure if roses were appropriate but then he
needed something special.  She deserved something special. 
     "Is that a new suit?"  
     "What this, no, I just don't wear it to work...I save it for special
occasions." Untrue, Mulder thought, he had bought the suit no less than 20
minutes ago for four hundred dollars. 

     Scully was flattered that Mulder broke out the special suit just for
her.  She, on the other hand, had spent close to five hundred dollars on
the dress she now wore.  And she hated designer fashions, but Mulder seemed
to like it and that's all that mattered.  "Shall we go?"  
     Mulder helped Scully with her coat and they walked down to his car,
where he opened the door and helped her in.  How unusual, at work I'm lucky
if he reaches across and unlocks the door.

Chap. 3
11 am The Christ Church
  
     Mulder and Scully sat in the church for a little under an hour, the
usual amount of time to perform a wedding but Mulder was getting a little
edgy after about 30 minutes.  Scully chalked it up to his short attention
span with organized religion and his inability to believe in the power of
God.  But then he can sit for hours watching video's and never move, go
figure.
     The hour passed slowly, at first Mulder daydreamed about himself at
the alter, with..he looked over at Scully, but then it gave Mulder the
opportunity to observe John Sydney, Scully's ex-boyfriend, in action.  He
was a little over six feet tall, about two hundred pounds and either ran or
swam to keep in shape.  He had piercing blue eyes and strikingly blonde
hair (maybe dyed) and was a rich, successful Harvard MBA with a thriving
practice.  And he was divorced.
     Scully had noticed John Sydney the minute they entered the church but
was lucky enough that she wouldn't have to make contact with him until the
reception.  She smiled at Mulder. Thank God.

12pm The Reception

     After departing the church, the entire crowd of wellwishers drove on
to the banquet hall to await the bride and groom with Scully and Mulder
among them.  For the cocktail hour, Mulder had an opportunity to spend some
time with Mrs. Scully and Dana's sister Melissa, dazzling them with his
jokes and quick wit while at the same time keeping a close eye on Dana for
any signs of Sydney.
     John Sydney entered with the rest of the bridal party and they wasted
no time getting down to the task at hand-the toast.  After the toast was
made and appetizers served, the band struck up some notes and Mulder found
himself drawn irrestibly to the dance floor.  "You said you liked to
dance...now prove it."   
     At first Mulder was enjoying his dance with Scully until he noticed
John Sydney skulking just outside the dance floor lights watching them. 
Waiting for his turn.  Well, that just goes to show how much Sydney knows,
Mulder and Scully could probably dance all night since they both liked to
run to keep in shape.  Sydney, on the other hand, was not amused and
definitely not patient as he wandered out onto the floor during a slow
dance and tapped Mulder congenially on the shoulder.  
     "Mind if I cut in?"  
     Actually I do, but a look at Scully quelled his fears and he wandered
off to sit down at the table with Mrs. Scully.

     "They make a good looking couple don't they?" Mulder sighed outloud. 
How could he compete with this man from her past.  
     Mrs. Scully touched him gently on the arm, "I don't recall that she
came with him to the wedding...do you?"  Mulder looked over and Mrs. Scully
was smiling warmly at him.  She understood what he felt, she knew. "But I'm
sure that if you go back to the floor for the next dance she'll still be
there...waiting."  Mulder nodded, took a reassuring swig from his drink,
straightened his tie and decided to go back out there.  Damned if he wasn't
going out without a fight.

     "So Scully...who's the guy?"  Dana looked up at John Sydney, even
after 7 years he was still handsome and unfortunately he knew it.  
     "Mulder...Fox Mulder..we work together."  
     "I heard you still weren't married...something I could do to change
that..?"  
     Scully laughed quietly, "I heard you just got divorced..already
looking for number two?"  
     Now it was Sydney's turn to laugh, "I still think about you...about
us..we were good together..it could be like that again."  
     Dana looked up at him, desperation evident in his eye.  "That's the
past John...I'd rather put it behind me."  
     "But we WERE good together..or don't you remember?" John tried to
lower his head to whisper in Dana's ear but she leaned back to avoid it.  
     "I also recall you being very upset about my going to medical
school.." 
     "I was..you should've come with me to Boston, we would've been happy."

     "You mean like you and Karen.." Karen was John's ex-wife, who also
happened to be one of Scully's best friends at the Univ. of Maryland.  John
stiffened at the mention of her name. 
     "No, with Karen it was different. But you're not different, I'm not
different."
     "That's where you're wrong John, I am different...I grew up..and so
should you." 
     "No, you're the same Dana I left at the train station 7 years ago.." 
     "No I'm not, take a good look at me John, you don't know me, you might
think you do, but you don't know who I am now, you haven't known me for 7
years." 
     "But I've thought about you Dana...you deserve better than the life
you have now...let me make it up to you."  
     "No, I like the life I have now...I'm happy and I wouldn't trade it
for the world."  Consciously Scully began to search the crowd for Mulder's
familiar face hoping he would come and 'bail her out'.  
     "And what about marriage and family? You used to want those things?" 
     Dana stopped dancing, "I still want them but I'm not going to
settle..I'm worth more than that now." And Scully turned on her heel and
walked away.

     Mulder was leaning by the bar waiting for Dana and Sydney to stop
dancing so close.  Mulder recognized that all he ever wanted in life was
dancing in Sydney's arms right now. What a sobering thought. He watched
just long enough to see Sydney lean over and try to whisper something in
Dana's ear, in disgust he turned away, blind to Dana avoiding Sydney's
obvious advance.  Mulder downed another drink and when he turned back, Dana
was standing by his side.  
     "How much have you had?" 
     "Enough." 
     Dana took the unfinished glass from his hand and put it back on the
bar. "Then I think it's time to head back to the table and eat something."
Mulder was quiet for most of the main course but his mood had lightened up
considerably around desert when they made another pass around the dance
floor.  Sydney watched them from afar and decided that he needed to get
this "Mulder" out of the picture.

     "I'm heading for the ladies room...don't wander off without me?"
Mulder just smiled in response to Scully's request.  "And don't finish my
plate either." At that comment Mulder pouted like a little boy.  All in all
the evening went well, her mother adored him and Sydney, well, his hold on
her had crumbled away over the years.  Now all she felt was pity.  The man
she really wanted to be with was here tonight, with her, and the evening
was still young.

     Mulder sat patiently at the table waiting for Scully to return for
another dance but in the meanwhile, John Sydney had wandered up and plopped
himself in the seat next to Mulder.  
     "Mulder, that's an unusual name.." 
     "Yeah you could say that." Mulder obviously didn't plan to engage in
too much small talk and continued to watch for Scully's return.  
     "How long have you and Dana been seeing each other?"  
     Mulder stopped and needed a second to think, did Scully tell this guy
they were 'seeing' each other?  "Not long...why?" 
     "Just curious...you know, you're a very lucky guy.." 
     "Don't I know it...look, John.." 
     "Dana was telling me all about you two on the dance floor..she was
mentioning you're in the same line of work." 
     Mulder turned to look directly at Sydney, testing his resolve, Sydney
stared unflinchingly back. "Oh, and what did she say?" 
     "What matters is that Dana deserves better than the life she has
now...and the life you can give her is no different...I can give it to
her...all she deserves and more."  
     "Then why didn't you?"  
     "Well, we all make mistakes, and now I know what I should've done 7
years ago...mistakes I'm willing to rectify." 
      "And what did she have to say about that?" 
     "Well, Dana...you know..she wants us to start from scratch again..."  
     The words needed little time to sink into Mulder's brain, he already
knew that Dana deserved better and suddenly he felt very inadequate next to
John Sydney.  
     "Are you sleeping with her?" 
     Mulder was jogged from fleeting thoughts of life without Dana. "That's
none of your business." Mulder snapped.  
     "I was just curious..." Mulder stood up from the table and began to
move away but John Sydney followed him outside into the hallway. And then
stood directly in front of him, blocking his path. "You know what they say
about the quiet ones..eh Mulder."
     Mulder tried to move around Sydney again, "You're out of line" but
Sydney continued to refuse to let him pass. Mulder was aware that Sydney
was goading him and so far it was working like a charm, although he didn't
know why. Maybe he's hoping to get her back? 
     "I hope she's not holding out on you Mulder, because you don't know
what you're missing." 
     Mulder took a deep breath and poked Sydney in the chest with his
finger, "Look, I'm warning you.." Mulder refused to let any man slander
Scully like that, no matter who or where.

     Dana Scully was looking forward to the rest of the evening when she
emerged from the bathroom to find her upset mother coming to find her.  "I
think John's trying to start a fight...with Mulder." Dana rushed back down
the hallway and turned the corner just in time to see Mulder shove Sydney
against the wall. But the fight didn't last long. Mulder was smart enough,
and angry enough, to hit John Sydney first with an uppercut followed by the
overhand which knocked him out.

     "What the hell did you think you were doing? Who gave you the right?" 
Mulder looked sorry and solemn standing in the hallway as ministrations
were being liberally handed out to the now conscious John Sydney.  Scully
was far beyond angry, he'd never seen her this mad. "Why? Mulder look at me
when I'm talking to you...why?"  
     Mulder looked up, but he couldn't tell her what Sydney said, he was
too embarrassed to hear the comments himself. 
     "Mulder it was childish and irresposible for you to handle it this
way..I might've expected it from him...but from you? Tell me why?" 
     "I...I can't." he was intentionally stonewalling her, was he hiding
something?  
     "I have a right to know what was said?"  
     "No, never mind...let's just leave." 
     "I'm not leaving until this is cleared up...now TELL ME what he said!"

     "Fine, you want to know, he asked if we were sleeping together."  
     "And?" Scully knew there was more and that he was reluctant to tell,
he was protecting her.  
     "It was the only way I could shut him up." Mulder whispered. 
     "Tell me." Dana moved closer, hoping her effect on him would be
enough.  
     "He.." Mulder looked away ashamed, "he told me about the things you
did together...when you..." 
     "Stop." Dana said quietly, her hands curled up into fists and she held
them motionless at her side.  
     Mulder felt guilty at having told her...furious that Sydney would
share their private moments..regret that he couldn't take away the hurt she
was feeling right now. He wanted to make it up to her...to take her in his
arms and reassure her that it didn't matter to him. Scully turned her back
coldly to him. 
     "I didn't want him speaking like that about you...I'm sorry, I lost
it, but I don't want anybody speaking like that about you, ever."  Mulder
was sincere, he was trying to protect her, he cared for her, for her
feelings, for her honor. 
     "Mulder, I'm not interested in him..I chose this life freely, I could
have chosen another just as easily, but I didn't.  I'm doing exactly what I
want to do.  John could have found me years ago if he really wanted
to...the same as I could've found him.  I don't care what he said..."  
     "BUT" 
     Scully turned back and held her hand up to Mulder's lips to continue,
"Mulder, we're not children, we've both had relationships like this that
will pop up from time to time...we can't share everything." Scully sighed
and dropped her hand. 
     But Mulder carefully reached for it,held it tightly and pulled her
close, "Why?"
     Scully leaned into Mulder, who dropped his forehead until it touched
hers, "Because we're not making any commitments to each other.." Not now at
least, thought Dana.  
     "But who says I might not want to be committed?" they both smiled and
laughed simultaneously realizing what he'd said.  
     "Because I'd rather we take each day as it comes."  
     "Scully, you mean take it one day at a time." 
     "Yeah, something like that."  Dana Scully looked up into Fox Mulder's
hazel eyes, liquid with emotion.  What did she see, guilt, anger, love?  He
was infuriating and iressistable and she continued to stare into his eyes
and could think of nothing she'd rather do at this moment than to kiss him.
But not here, not now, not like this..so she grabbed his hand and started
to drag him back into the reception hall, where the song "Everlasting Love"
was blaring steadily in the background.  
     "Dana, where are you taking me?"  
     "Back inside, the night's still young Mulder and the way I figure
it...you owe me at least one more dance before it's through."

The end.