2Late winter-spring 1999
It had started out innocently, coming into their lives like a quiet whispered warning.
A memo was sent out that a virus was going around and everyone needed to be vigilant in order to avoid catching and spreading the sickness. A brightly colored page was attached, demonstrating steps to proper hand washing, and how to cover coughs and sneezes.
Everyone had chuckled and shrugged it off, before getting back to work, making calls and typing up paperwork.
But within two days, another memo had gone out, stating the seriousness of the virus. Suggestions were made to keep distance from one another and again enforced being vigilant with hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes.
Two days later, masks were distributed and Mulder looked at Scully with worry in his eyes. Older individuals and those who were immunocompromised were most at risk.
Taking his mask, Mulder had grabbed her elbow and pulled her into an empty room. He had stared at her, words trying to form but unable to do so, as his mouth had opened and closed, and he shook his head.
"I'm okay, Mulder," she had said, squeezing his arm. "Yes, I was ill, but it was different, as you know. I'm okay."
He had taken a deep breath, his hand going to the back of her neck, his thumb slowly stroking the small scar that lay there. She had smiled and nodded, her hand on his chest.
Stepping back, he had put on his mask, and then looked down at the one she held in her hand. She had nodded again and put her own mask on before they had left the room.
Another two days later, the bullpen they were in, had been rearranged, stretching out the space between the desks, in order to place distance between each agent. As a result, she had been moved to another room, and neither she nor Mulder had liked that.
The point of separation was to keep their distance and yet, she had been by his desk or he had been by hers more often than would probably be wise. Though they had been masked, it was still wise to stay away from one another.
They had been through enough quarantines in the past six years to know the drill, but this felt different. His eyes on her as he had stood in the doorway, checking on her periodically through the day, made her smile behind her mask.
On the eighth day, a day Mulder would later call the new day of rest, they had been told to go home and stay in place. Gathering up paperwork, any open cases that could be worked at home, they had left the office, still masked, and walked to their cars.
They had stood in front of her car and stared at one another. He removed his mask, his mouth moving as though to speak, but the words had not come out.
Grasping his forearms, she nodded, her mask still in place as she got in her car and drove away.
She had stopped at the grocery store on her way home, stocking up on enough food to last for at least two weeks.
That night, she had called Mulder to be sure that he had done the same, not relying on takeout delivery, in case the person coming to his apartment was infected with a virus they were all hoping to avoid.
"No, Scully, I was smart and went to the store," he had said and she heard him sigh. "Are you okay in there, Scully?" She had smiled, remembering him asking her that years ago, in a different type of quarantine situation.
Her next phone call had been to her mother, to be sure she had enough supplies to last her for a few weeks, if the greater D.C. area was going to be on a lockdown.
"Dana, you know how stocked my cupboards always are, no matter that it's just me here now, you know I tend to overbuy," her mother had said, reassuring her she was okay.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Scully had gone to bed, with at least a small weight lifted.
It had now been two days of, for lack of a better word, self quarantine. Everyone was in their homes, staying in place to slow down the spread of the virus.
Deciding that the time at home could be used wisely, she worked on the open paperwork that needed to be finished, crossing that off the list early
The cases in front of her did not interest her at the moment, her brain racing too quickly, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. The news was on constantly, playing in the background, causing her to shake her head and sigh as she paced around the apartment.
The phone rang, and she smiled, knowing that it would be Mulder calling for the fourth time that day. Being cooped up was not something that ever worked out well for him. He was a ball of energy most of the time and now being stuck inside, it was like trapping a rat in a maze.
"Scully, I've finished this paperwork, cleaned out my desk drawers, the fish tank, cleared off the coffee table, and did two loads of laundry. How much longer will we be inside?" he said with a sigh and she heard him falling heavily on the couch.
"Mulder," she sighed, sitting on her own couch and muting the television, although her eyes remained on the screen. "You don't have to stay inside your apartment. You can go out and take a walk, or go for a run even. You just need to be aware and keep your distance from other people."
"Might as well stay inside then," he grumbled, and she laughed. "So, how much have you gotten done today? I'm sure that you have plans to organize things over there." She chuckled again, thinking of all the things she could do, now that she had the spare time.
"There are things I could get to and ohh.. I do have some medical journals I've been meaning to read," she said, leaning forward and unearthing them from the two magazines she had bought at the store the other day.
"Wow. You're really living it up over there, Scully," he said and she could practically hear him roll his eyes. She smiled and leaned back on the couch with the medical journal on her lap.
"It may not be something you enjoy, but I do. So although the situation we find ourselves in is not great, I will take the time I have been given to catch up on my reading," she said, watching the television with a sigh. She heard snoring and she laughed.
"What? Sorry… I must have dozed off there," he said, putting on a tired voice. She rolled her eyes and sighed again.
"Okay, I've heard you, Doctor Scully. Maybe I'll try to run some of this energy off, as long as you say it's safe."
"I do. Just keep your distance."
"Not a problem here. Talk to you later."
"I'm sure I will."
He laughed and they hung up. She smiled as she set the phone down and soon became engrossed in the medical journal, completely losing track of time.
The phone rang beside her, causing her to jump, her heart racing. Shaking her head, she licked her lips and let out a breath.
"Scully."
"Hey, Scully. It's me."
"I thought you were going for a run?" she asked, setting the journal down, and standing up to stretch.
"Uhh… I did. I am. Uhhh… do you want to go for a walk?"
"What?"
"Keeping our distance, of course."
"Mulder, where are you?"
"Look outside."
She stood up and walked to the window looking through the blinds to find him standing in the middle of the street staring up at her apartment. He smiled and waved with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Mulder, you ran all the way here?" she asked, staring down at him.
"Not the whole way. It was quite far." He smiled and shrugged again. She sighed and let the blinds go with a quiet clatter. "Bring a jacket, it's cold out." She smiled as he hung up and she went to get dressed.
Walking outside, she took a deep breath of cool fresh air, as she went down the stairs to meet him in the street. She stopped on the curb, keeping the designated amount of distance away from him.
"Hey," she said with a smile.
"Hey." He smiled back and turned to his left, walking down the middle of the street.
They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, glancing at each other every so often. Finally, she could not stand it any longer and she stopped, turning to face him.
"You know, it's about ten miles from here to your place, right?" she asked him, a smile tugging at her lips.
"I did know that, yes. I know it even more now."
"No, I think you'll know it when you get home," she said, the smile now covering her face.
"I can't disagree with that," he said, smiling at her and cracking his neck. She laughed and they continued to walk down the street, still keeping the recommended distance between them.
They did not talk much, smiling at each other more than anything else, happy to see one another, even though it had only been two days, and they had spoken many times in between.
Her hands were beginning to get cold when they circled back toward her apartment.
She stood on the curb and he stood in the street with a smile. Giving her a nod, he stepped back and waved.
"See you tomorrow, Scully," he said and she scoffed.
"Seriously? I think you'll change your mind once you wake up in the morning and your muscles are screaming at you," she teased.
"Nah, I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a shake of his head and waved again, heading to the left and beginning to run. She smiled and shook her head, heading up the stairs and into her apartment.
The self quarantine and staying in place continued for the next three weeks. She called and checked up on her mother every other day, discussing what they had done or the lack thereof, laughing at past memories and catching up on what they would do when they were able to live as they had less than a month ago.
Every day though, she would put on her tennis shoes, load up a backpack with water bottles, some snacks, two blankets, and leave her apartment to meet up her with Mulder.
Nearly ten miles was far for only one of them to travel, so they had decided to meet in the middle, which happened to be a public park with benches that were facing one another, but far enough apart that they would not be breaking any rules set out by the CDC.
Mulder had taken to calling their times together, Ravioli Meetings.
"Because we are meating in the middle. Meat. In the middle. You get it, Scully?" he had said, a huge grin on his face, laughing at his own joke. She had rolled her eyes and smiled as he winked at her.
Laughing as she zipped up the backpack and set out, she thought of the last couple of weeks and how much she looked forward to meeting up with him. It seemed strange to look forward to them as much as she did, considering she had seen him on a regular basis, every day for the past six years.
However, when they were told they had to stay away from one another, it made the need to see the other even greater.
She blushed as she thought of Agent Michael Sprout and his partner Agent Lori McKay, knowing without a doubt, that neither of them were meeting up in parks, talking about nothing as they ate together, or simply walked around; being together, yet keeping a distance between them.
She knew what others said about her and Mulder and normally she brushed it off. She knew the truth about them, but she wondered what the rumor mill would have to say about their almost clandestine meetings that were taking place during the weeks of the quarantine. There was nothing nefarious and yet she knew what others would think if they saw them.
Shaking her head, she picked up the pace, not caring what others would say. Mulder was her friend, in fact he was pretty much her only friend, and she would have missed not seeing him every day. He was not far, it was good exercise for both of them, and it broke up the monotony of their days, so why the hell should she be worried about what others would possibly think?
When she arrived at the park, she found that Mulder was not there yet. Looking around, she thought perhaps he was close by, as he was usually there first, surprising her as he was almost always running late for everything.
Shrugging, she set the backpack down on her bench and unzipped it, taking out the blankets she brought with her. Laying one on his bench, she added a bottle of water and the snack container she had brought for him, it being her turn to do so.
Sitting down, she glanced at her watch, thinking she had possibly gotten their ravioli time mixed up. No, it was their usual time, and he was still not there. Worry began to set in, and she took out her phone, about to dial his number, when she heard him calling her name.
Turning her head, she saw him waving at her, still some feet away. He jogged over with a happy smile and she saw he had a deli bag in his hand.
"Hey, sorry. I thought I would get something extra even though I know it's your turn. I pass by this deli each day and the bread smells so delicious, it kills me not to go in and grab something. Today, I changed that and got us each a little treat." He took his own food out and then set the bag on his bench and backed away.
She stood up with a smile and picked up the bag, walked over to her bench, and they each sat down. Opening the bag, she smelled bell peppers and she closed her eyes, already knowing what he had bought for her: a bagel egg sandwich.
Unwrapping it, she took a bite, as it warmed her hands. He grinned as he watched her and she smiled back as she chewed. They were silent as they ate their bagels, the chilly spring air blowing around them. Throwing out their trash, they drank their water and smiled at each other.
"So, what's the plan for the day?" he asked, leaning back, his arms along the back of the bench. "What's set to be organized and arranged today?"
"Who says I have any plans?" she teased and he stared at her and shook his head.
"Please. By the time this quarantine is lifted, I won't recognize your place. You've probably moved your bedroom furniture to the second bedroom and rearranged the living room." She laughed and he smiled.
"What are your plans, Mulder?"
"God, so much. I've been able to get so much done with all this free time," he spread his hands wide and she nodded.
"Uh huh," she laughed. "I won't recognize your place, as it will be even more cluttered than usual."
He nodded and smiled, sitting forward and sighing, his hands clasped over his knees. Staring at her, he shook his head.
"How much longer can we live like this?" he asked softly and she sighed, shaking her head.
"As long as we need to, I guess," she said with a shrug.
"I miss you," he said suddenly, his eyes holding hers.
"Miss me?" she laughed, thinking he was joking. She waved at him and smiled. "You can't miss me, I'm right here. You've seen me every day."
"It's not the same," he said quietly. Her breath caught and she swallowed hard.
"What could you miss? What's different?" she asked him softly. His eyes widened and he shook his head.
"So much. Look how far apart we are, for one thing," he said, gesturing between them. "This is not like us." She laughed and then quieted as his face remained serious.
"What else?" she asked, itching to stand up and go to him.
"Touching you," he said, his eyes searching her face as her own widened. "Your scent. Your knock at my door. Listening to you snore softly when you fall asleep as we watch a movie."
"I… I don't snore," she whispered, her heart racing, and breath ragged. He smiled and she let out a breath. Standing up, she shook her head. "You… Mulder… you can't say those things, Mulder."
She started to hurriedly pack up the backpack, putting her water bottle inside along with her snack container, and her blanket. Zipping it up and putting it on her back, she could hear him protesting and saying her name.
"Scully. What are you doing?"
"Mulder," she said, her head down and her eyes closed. "This quarantine ban is going to lift soon and we will have to go back to life as it was and you saying stuff like that…" Raising her head and opening her eyes, she looked at him. "You can't say stuff like that. You… you just can't… I…"
She started to walk away and he called her name again. She kept walking, scared to turn around and let him see how much his words had affected her.
They needed to stop these meetups. If this was how it was going to be, with him thinking they were more than they were, then they had to stop. How was she supposed to work with him, in close proximity, when he was telling her that he missed touching her and the way she smelled?
She missed all of that too; his touch and the scent of him and his cologne. She missed it so much, but she was smart enough not to say it out loud.
Or was she stupid?
She shook her head, knowing that she had made the right decision. Cutting off access to one another was also a good decision. It had to be done, as much as she did not want it to be so.
As she passed an apartment building complex, she heard loud, ear-piercing shouting from all around her. Whipping around, she looked on as people came pouring out of their apartments, crying, laughing, and hugging one another.
"What's going on?" she asked a man who was standing close to her.
"They lifted the ban! We're from from the lockdown! They found something that is going to help this virus!" He grabbed her and hugged her, spinning her around in a circle. She laughed as they stopped and felt tears in her eyes.
Mulder.
Stepping through the throngs of people who had gathered outside, she hurried back to their benches, hoping Mulder was still there.
He was gone and suddenly she felt like crying. She had messed everything up, scared of her feelings and worried how things would proceed once they were back to normal. She had pushed him away, when all she really wanted was to pull him close.
People began to pour into the park, dancing, singing, and laughing. She was jostled about, as she turned to head back home, feeling defeated and alone in a larger crowd than she had been in in days.
Almost to the exact spot where she had heard the ban was lifted, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around, meeting Mulder's eyes.
The blanket she had left for him was hanging over his shoulder, and she watched his mouth do that adorable thing where he could not figure out the words he wanted to say. With a laugh, she flung her arms around his neck and held him tight.
His arms went around her waist, and he lifted her off the ground, spinning her around as they laughed. Setting her down, he looked into her eyes and shook his head. Once again she made the first move, holding his face in her hands and leaning forward to touch her lips to his, softly and hesitantly.
Their kiss deepened, as all around them people shouted and celebrated, singing and laughing, and fireworks even went off, much to the delight of those gathered around.
Pulling apart, he looked at her and shook his head.
"What was that nonsense you were saying earlier? About going back to how things were? Because…"
"Shut up," she said, reaching out again and kissing him, rising on tiptoes to do so. "That was a very stupid thing to say."
"I could have told you that, if you would have stayed and listened," he said against her lips, before kissing her again, as people continued to celebrate around them, but all they focused on was each other.
2008
"And that's really how it happened? People were just fine?"
"Well, it wasn't an instant miracle, but it sure felt like it at that moment," Mulder said, smiling at Scully, as she held their five-year-old daughter on her lap.
"Because you missed Mommy so much?"
"Exactly."
"And you missed Daddy?" she asked, turning to look at Scully with her big hazel eyes that were so much like Mulder's.
"That's right, my sweet." She kissed the top of her head and smiled at Mulder, remembering the happiness she felt that day.
"Oh, are you telling that story again?" said a bored voice, as their eight-year-old son came into the room, sighing a big sigh as he sat beside Mulder. "You guys have told me that story so many times, I know it by heart."
"Well, we weren't exactly telling you were we, bud?" Mulder asked, tweaking him on the nose. He laughed and laid his head on Mulder's shoulder.
"I guess not."
"Mmm-hmm," Mulder agreed and they all laughed.
"Did you and Mommy get married right away?" their daughter asked and Mulder shook his head.
"Not right away, no," he said, reaching for her and pulling her into his lap, as he put his arm around their son. "It was a very confusing time for a few more days, but we did spend time together."
Scully stared at him with wide eyes, silently begging him not to tell them what they had spent their time doing. He smirked at her and gave her a small shake of his head.
"Was Mommy's apartment different when you went in?"
"Not that I noticed at first," he said, smirking once again at Scully. She shook her head and gave him a warning look. He laughed and kissed the top of both of their children's heads. "No, there were things that were different in our lives, but the constant between us was the same."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he said, tickling them both. "That sometimes things change, but they can also stay the same. Things with your Mommy and I did change, but they were also the same. She was the one constant in my life and always has been." He smiled at her with a wink and she smiled back.
"Now, you two monkeys, it's time for bed."
"Oh, can't we just have one more story?"
"Tomorrow, my sweet children. Tomorrow. Now go brush your teeth and we'll tuck you in."
They both scrambled up, shoving each other good-naturedly, as they hurried to the bathroom, arguing over who could be the fastest and be done the quickest.
Mulder stood to his feet, reaching out his hands to help pull Scully to hers. He put his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug, as they listened to their children fight over the toothpaste. They both chuckled and she raised her head to look at him with a smile on her face.
"You know, I know it was a very serious epidemic, but without that virus we wouldn't have either of them. I know you know that, but…"
"No, we wouldn't have. There were many factors that went into creating the life that we have now and I wouldn't change a day," he said with a smile.
Raising up on her tiptoes, she kissed him; lightly and sweetly, as the sound of two children racing to their bedrooms echoed through the halls.
"Our little virus babies," he said with a smile, and she smacked his chest.
"Don't call them that," she said with a laugh.
"You're right, I should be more accurate and say virus baby," he said with a chuckle.
"One of many," she said with a smirk.
"Yes, but ours was the first one born of the new year, so that makes him very special indeed. Got his name in the paper and everything, didn't it?"
She laughed and nodded, pulling him in for another embrace, remembering the day she found out she was pregnant, inexplicably and miraculously. And then the day that miracle was placed upon her chest, exactly at midnight, on the dawn of the new millennium.
She laughed again and pulled back to look at him, shaking her head.
"And to think they had wanted us all to practice social distancing," she said and he laughed with her.
"Everyone was concerned with having enough supplies, but apparently nobody thought to stock up on condoms," he said with a laugh and she snorted, dropping her head to his chest, as she laughed with him.
"Mommy! Daddy! Come tuck us in!"
He kissed her once more and reached for her hand, letting go as they got to the doorway of the kids bedrooms. Smiling, they went to say good night to their children, giving them a kiss and a cuddle each. Crossing in the hall to switch, he stole a kiss, and made her laugh.
Turning off the lights and closing their doors with one last goodnight, he reached for her hand and pulled her close, dancing her across the hall to their bedroom.
No distance between them.
Not ever again.
