Chapter 16: Offers on the Table
8: a.m. Portland. Mulder stands in Moondance’s dining room staring out the windows at her porch, her front yard, and the basketball hoop. He is dressed in the suit Scully bought him. The tie is hanging untied around his neck. His cell phone is against his ear. His tone is both exasperated and affectionate, but more exasperated as the conversation continues.
“Scully, I told you I am coming home today, but I am not going on any damn military cargo plane. Don’t you remember my time in a military prison? Why should I trust the military?”
Scully had given him a brief description of her assignment yesterday which began this exasperation in their conversation. Did she think about calling him to tell him she was doing something that dangerous? Didn’t he have the right to know if she was risking her life that way? Scully had given him an earful about the numerous times he had accepted dangerous assignments or just taken off on his own without explanation. He started to say that all those examples were before they were…Then he realizes that now is after they have been… What are the rules when you are partners with someone you once lived with and had a son with, but with whom you were no longer romantically involved? What were they to each other now? FBI partners, friends, family?
“You can’t tell me why Skinner wants to meet at the house instead of the office?” Mulder has never been able to refer to the house where he now lives, but once had lived with Scully, as anything but the house since she left. In his mind the house was theirs and if she wasn’t there that didn’t make it any more his and so he always called it the house. Scully told him she didn’t know. She hired cleaning people to go restore it to some order for him. “Tell Skinner I will be there, but I can find my own way home.” Mulder has contracted a plane to take him home. He will be traveling with a solar expert who he has asked to help him understand the sun’s magnetic field, the north and south polarities and how solar flares occur. He wants to understand how the attack happened and why his memories were protected.
Off the phone with Scully, he is trying to tie his tie, but struggles with it still frustrated with his conversation with Scully. There is something she isn’t telling him. Moondance has been to the door of the dining room many times with coffee and has turned around without delivering it. She is trying not to hear the conversation, but it is clear Fox is talking to Agent Scully. There is a tone in his voice she recognizes from when he used to be frustrated with her on occasion.
Moondance walks in now and asks Fox if she can help with his tie. First he sips deeply from the coffee she hands him and then he puts it on the table. He lifts his head up and opens his arms resigned to his incompetence at ties. She starts to make the loops. She asks him if he remembers their morning routine and his eyebrows rises. “The one from earlier…” She laughs. “No, our other routine.”
She reminds him every morning for the year they lived together before he left for work she would tie his tie and say to him, she says it now as she tightens his tie, “Are you sure you have to go, G-Man?”
Chapter 16: Offers on the Table
9 am Portland. Mulder is standing in Moondance’s dining room staring out the windows at her porch, her front yard, and the basketball hoop. He is dressed in the suit Scully bought him. The tie is hanging untied around his neck. His cell phone is against his ear. His tone is both exasperated and affectionate, but more exasperated as the conversation continues.
“Scully, I told you I am coming home today, but I am not going on any damn military cargo plane. Don’t you remember my time in a military prison? Why should I trust the military?”
Scully had given him a brief description of her assignment yesterday which began this exasperation in their conversation. Did she think about calling him to tell him she was doing something that dangerous? Didn’t he have the right to know if she was risking her life that way? Scully had given him an earful about the numerous times he had accepted dangerous assignments or just taken off on his own without explanation. He started to say that all those examples were before they were…Then he realizes that now is after they have been… What are the rules when you are partners with someone you had once lived with and had a son with, but with whom you were no longer romantically involved? What were they to each other now? FBI partners, friends, family?
“You can’t tell me why Skinner wants to meet at the house instead of the office?” Mulder has never been able to refer to the house where he now lives, but once had lived with Scully, as anything but the house since she left. In his mind the house was theirs and if she wasn’t there that didn’t make it any more his and so he always called it the house. Scully told him she didn’t know. She has hired cleaning people to go restore it to some order for him. “Tell Skinner I will be there, but I can find my own way home.” Mulder has actually contracted a plane to take him home. He will be traveling with a solar expert who he has asked to help him understand the sun’s magnetic field, the north and south polarities and how solar flares occur. He wants to understand how the attack happened and why his memories were protected.
Off the phone with Scully, he is trying to tie his tie, but he has never been especially good at this and he is frustrated with his conversation with Scully. There is something she isn’t telling him. Moondance has been to the door of the dining room many times with coffee and has turned around without delivering it. She is trying not to hear the conversation, but it is clear Fox is talking to Agent Scully. There is a tone in his voice she recognizes from when he used to be frustrated with her on occasion.
Moondance walks in now and asks Fox if she can help with his tie. First he sips deeply from the coffee she hands him and then he puts it on the table. He lifts his head up and opens his arms resigned to his incompetence at ties. She starts to make the loops. She asks him if he remembers their morning routine and his eyebrows rises. “The one from earlier…” She laughs. “No, our other routine.”
She reminds him every morning for the year they lived together before he left for work she would tie his tie and say to him, she says it now as she tightens his tie, “Are you sure you have to go, G-Man?”
Mulder remembers and says his part of the routine. “The world is dangerous and it's my job to make it safe.”
Moondance opens her eyes wide and says in a coquettish voice “and are you the only man who can make it safe?”
Fox smiles. “Do you remember when I said ‘ hell no’, called in sick and we spent the day in bed?”
“I’m pretty sure that was the day William was conceived.” Fox seems to like that thought. He kisses her lightly on the mouth, a husbandly morning kiss from a 1950s sitcom. “Are you the only man who can make the world safe?” Her voice is not flirtatious. It is sad. “Today, I may be. I have to go.” He pulls her to him for a hug. They hug tight, but not passionately.
She moves away from him, goes to a little desk, opens a drawer and brings out a plain folder and a pen. “Before you go, I drew up divorce papers.” He looks at her quizzically. “I do have a legal background, remember, and this is straight forward. I abandoned you. There’s no property division or custody issues.”
“Is this a performance issue because I can improve with practice…”
“I obviously drew these up before last night.” She puts the folder and the pen by his coffee cup on the dining room table. He nods somewhat curtly. “I’m not signing. I don’t want a divorce.”
They stand quietly for a few minutes. He says softly, “You want to divorce me, Felicity? If you tell me you don’t love me or you don’t want us to try to…I’ll sign.”
Felicity touches his right clavicle and he pulls her close with his right arm. “You will love me forever, but you are also in love with another woman.” “Scully and I are not together like that anymore.” Felicity looks at him straight in his eyes. “It's complicated.”
“She is the mother of your other son, the one who was given up for adoption?” He nods. She continues to look at him. “My sons have two wonderful mothers and because of me they had to make decisions which were hard.” “Those decisions were hard on you as well.” He nods. “Scully thought there was too much darkness within me. She couldn’t take it.” “This morning you said you were a changed man.” “I’ll always be dark, Moondance, I just have a few more places where light can get through today.” Fox and Felicity bring their heads together and he kisses her lips a little more passionately now. Felicity moves her face away but remains in his arms. “Scully isn’t even attracted to me in that way now.” Felicity laughs. “Are you serious?” He looks at her. “Of course she is. Do you still not know the effect you have on women?” He doesn’t know what to say. “It sounds like you are trying to convince me to do something different when all I want to do is celebrate having you back in my arms. If you want a divorce, tell me.”
“All I want to do is get down on my knees and beg you to love me and not her. I,” Felicity voice breaks, “have never loved anyone but you.” Felicity thinks of what Fox had said to her when she left her fiancée at the alter. Maybe she had a better offer on the table. She thinks of his explanation of why he had broken up with Diana to marry her. He had a better offer on the table. “I want you to consider all the offers on your table now because if you commit to me nothing will ever separate us again.” He thinks of how much pride she has. She doesn’t want to be a consolation prize. She begins to move away from him,but then quickly comes back and his arms go back around her.“There is one thing you have to promise me no matter what your choice is about divorce. Even if you go back to live with Agent Scully.” There is an urgency in her voice and he nods and holds her. Whatever she wants. “Promise me we will be friends forever, swear it! Swear it!” He hugs her as tight to him as he can with his eyes closed. Then he cups her face with his hands and stares into her eyes. “Friends forever, I swear.” He kisses her as if she might be the last woman he will ever kiss.
She leaves and he sits at the dining room table. The folder is beside him. He thinks of Scully. He thinks of Felicity. Images and memories of each alternately runs through his mind. By the time his son drives into the drive way to pick him up and take him to the airport, he has made up his mind. remembers and says his part of the routine. “The world is dangerous and it's my job to make it safe.”
Moondance opens her eyes wide and says in a coquettish voice “and are you the only man who can make it safe?”
Fox smiles. “Do you remember when I said ‘ hell no’, called in sick and we spent the day in bed?”
“I’m pretty sure that was the day William was conceived.” Fox seems to like that thought. He kisses her lightly on the mouth, a husbandly morning kiss from a 1950s sitcom. “Are you the only man who can make the world safe?” Her voice is not flirtatious. It is sad. “Today, I may be. I have to go.” He pulls her to him for a hug. They hug tight, but not passionately.
She moves away from him, goes to a little desk, opens a drawer and brings out a plain folder and a pen. “Before you go, I drew up divorce papers.” He looks at her quizzically. “I do have a legal background, remember, and this is straight forward. I abandoned you. There’s no property division or custody issues.”
“Is this a performance issue because I can improve with practice…”
“I obviously drew these up before last night.” She puts the folder and the pen by his coffee cup on the dining room table. He nods somewhat curtly. “I’m not signing. I don’t want a divorce.”
They stand quietly for a few minutes. He says softly, “You want to divorce me, Felicity? If you tell me you don’t love me or you don’t want us to try to…I’ll sign.”
Felicity touches his right clavicle and he pulls her close with his right arm. “You will love me forever, but you are also in love with another woman.” “Scully and I are not together like that anymore.” Felicity looks at him straight in his eyes. “It's complicated.”
“She is the mother of your other son, the one who was given up for adoption?” He nods. She continues to look at him. “My sons have two wonderful mothers and because of me they had to make decisions which were hard.” “Those decisions were hard on you as well.” He nods. “Scully thought there was too much darkness within me. She couldn’t take it.” “This morning you said you were a changed man.” “I’ll always be dark, Moondance, I just have a few more places where light can get through today.” Fox and Felicity bring their heads together and he kisses her lips a little more passionately now. Felicity moves her face away but remains in his arms. “Scully isn’t even attracted to me in that way now.” Felicity laughs. “Are you serious?” He looks at her. “Of course she is. Do you still not know the effect you have on women?” He doesn’t know what to say. “It sounds like you are trying to convince me to do something different when all I want to do is celebrate having you back in my arms. If you want a divorce, tell me.”
“All I want to do is get down on my knees and beg you to love me and not her. I,” Felicity voice breaks, “have never loved anyone but you.” Felicity thinks of what Fox had said to her when she left her fiancée at the alter. Maybe she had a better offer on the table. She thinks of his explanation of why he had broken up with Diana to marry her. He had a better offer on the table. “I want you to consider all the offers on your table now because if you commit to me nothing will ever separate us again.” He thinks of how much pride she has. She doesn’t want to be a consolation prize. She begins to move away from him,but then quickly comes back and his arms go back around her.“There is one thing you have to promise me no matter what your choice is about divorce. Even if you go back to live with Agent Scully.” There is an urgency in her voice and he nods and holds her. Whatever she wants. “Promise me we will be friends forever, swear it! Swear it!” He hugs her as tight to him as he can with his eyes closed. Then he cups her face with his hands and stares into her eyes. “Friends forever, I swear.” He kisses her as if she might be the last woman he will ever kiss.
She leaves and he sits at the dining room table. The folder is beside him. He thinks of Scully. He thinks of Felicity. Images and memories of each alternately runs through his mind. By the time his son drives into the drive way to pick him up and take him to the airport, he has made up his mind.