Classification: TRHA

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Probably none here.

Summary--Scully and Mulder are going to be parents....and then as new life begins, some other lives end. Don't worry, our heroes don't die! I'm not that malicious!

Disclaimer--by now we all know that 1013 Productions and Fox Television own these guys. So let's sing the chorus once again...
 

Allelon

"We're on a healing path
We're on a rollercoaster ride
That can never turn back
And if you love me
And if we really try
Make the seconds count
And we can close our eyes..."

"We Close Our Eyes" by Oingo Boingo/Copyright 1986 by Little Maestro Music. Used without permission.

April 6, 1998
Quantico

"Dana, have you ever gone to Seder?"

"No, I can't say as I have."

We were finishing up from a long day of class; we had been working on bullet trajectories, entrance and exit wounds, going over ballistics, and it had been tiring. Dana was still nauseous, so we got more breaks than usual. I wondered how long it was going to be before they were going to go public. It wasn't as if they could hold out indefinitely, and the gossip was already flying off the walls.

"Tomorrow night's the first night of Passover. Miranda and I are having Seder. You and Mulder are welcome to come."

"Let me ask him. I'm not sure how long it's been since he celebrated any of the holidays." She rubbed her eyes and sank back in her chair. "Personally, I think it would be fascinating."

"It's really neat. We don't do the whole eight days, but we always do first night and have a Seder."

"The holidays have to be hard," she said gently.

"They are. But they're still a part of my life, and they mean a great deal to Miranda. I owe it to her to make the effort, and as difficult as it can be, I feel better than if I didn't make the effort at all."

"Did you ask the boys?"

"The boys. Ah, the Gunmen. I did. I know Langly's coming. Says he's never been to one before, either."

"Let me tell Mulder. I'll e-mail you tonight."

***

April 8, 1999
Passover at Allison's

I had left work early to pick up Miranda so that we could tackle our space at Public Storage and figure out where the Passover dishes were. I had a beautiful set of them that my in-laws had given us as a wedding gift. We did finally find them, with not much time to get them through the dishwasher, and we ended up walking out with more stuff that was not going to be able to fit into our very cramped two-bedroom. I was really going to have to think about moving someday...

But not right now. I had done most of the food prep the night before, or there was no way I was going to be ready at sundown. As it was, we had more than a little time pressure going on.

But it got to be a half hour before sundown, and to our surprise, Miranda and I were ready. We had pulled out our Haggadah--it had been Eric's--and the table was set with our holiday dishes.

"So Mom? Are we like the only Jews here tonight?"

"Not if you count Mulder."

The doorbell chimed, and Miranda opened the door to find Dana and Mulder on the doorstep, bearing a very nice bottle of Passover wine. I hate wine, but it's part of the ritual--you have to drink it four times at various stages in the celebration--and it was very sweet of them to bring quality stuff.

"I haven't done this in years," Mulder commented.

"Did you get to ask the questions when you were growing up?" Miranda wondered.

"No, my sister was the youngest, so she asked them...until she disappeared. Then we stopped celebrating."

"That really sucks," Miranda commented.

I pulled Dana into the kitchen and signed to her as obliquely as I could. "Is this going to cause him a lot of bad memories?"

Dana shrugged. "Probably not. And I did suggest that perhaps doing it in a different set of circumstances might be healthy. And I do want our child to have traditions."

"Well, we'll see what happens."

A loud set of knocks on the door--had to be Langly, Byers and Frohike.

"Glad you decided to join the fun," I motioned them in.

"Well, since it's not a federally mandated holiday, we have no problem with this...and it's something I never did before," Frohike smiled. He had put on what he probably considered to be his best clothing--a plaid jacket from the Goodwill, green pants, and a bright yellow shirt. He had skipped the fingerless gloves tonight. "Happy Passover, my dear." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and I hugged him back.

"Thank you for inviting us," Byers said graciously.

"Hey, it's more fun when you have it with people you care about." I said it before I even realized I had.

"Hey Allison. I didn't know what you bring to a Seder. So I brought these." Langly handed me a large bunch of spring flowers in a riot of colors. Awesome!

"Thank you. They're beautiful! Miranda, grab a vase, would you?"

"Oh, cool! Flowers!"

"Okay, people, sundown is less than ten minutes away, so let's get ready to sit down and enjoy. Mulder, do you want to explain how this works a bit while I finish getting everything ready?"

"Uh-sure." He sat everyone down and began to explain some of the history of the holiday and the significance of the foods and customs, when to drink the wine, the questions Miranda would ask. Looking at him, it dawned on me: this guy was going to be a really good daddy. I don't know why. But it was an impression that stuck with me. I could see him explaining this to his own kids. And doing a damn good job of it.

Watching Dana, I think she was thinking the same thing. Her eyes were moist as she drank him in. I remembered doing the same thing to Eric. Feeling this overwhelming rush of love.

Focus, Allison, focus. It's starting.

Eric, I prayed, be with us tonight. You are truly loved and missed.

***

"That was wonderful," Dana said as they got up to leave. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"The pleasure was ours," I assured her.

"Allison, thank you very much. It was really...special to be able to celebrate something I once had again. And to enjoy it."

"You're welcome, Mulder. I'm glad you came. Next year in Jerusalem?"

"How about at your home instead?"

"Deal."

"Allison, once again, you have outdone yourself in the area of culinary talent," Frohike complimented as he donned his hat. "I'll be happy to come to any holiday celebration you care to hold, even Ramadan."

"Frohike, people fast during Ramadan."

"Then I guess that wouldn't work, would it? Thank you dear."

"Thank you, Allison, it was a delight," Byers prepared to exit.

"Langly, you ready?" Frohike called.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay and help Allison do the dishes. I'll catch the metro back later."

"Whatever."

A chorus of goodnights and the house was quiet. It was nearing midnight, and it was a school night, so I let Miranda off the hook as far as dish detail went. Besides, I had an assistant, whom I had no idea was going to offer.

"Figured you'd like some cleanup help."

"Couldn't hurt. Thank God tomorrow's Friday. I'm beat."

We started clearing the table and bringing everything into the kitchen, which was a challenge; the kitchen did not have an abundance of counter space. We also had two cats attempting to scope out the leftovers, of which there were very few, but they were determined.

"C'mon, Motley, down!" Langly picked up my calico, who was not a frequent beggar, but when she was, she was irritatingly persistent.

Screamer, the black cat, had jumped from the countertop, but was yowling her demands that she receive tidbits.

"Could be worse. I could let Tiny in from the garage." Tiny was, ironically, the name of my very large dog.

"You seen Mu and NY Times?" He asked, referring to my other two females.

"They hate company."

"They come out when I'm here."

"You're not company."

"What would I be, then?"

What, indeed?

***

April 19, 1999
Allison's townhouse

Exam week at Quantico. No captioning, no interpreting until a staff meeting that wasn't happening until Thursday. I seriously needed the opportunity to catch up on my dictionaries and preparation. I also needed to tackle the townhouse with a vengeance. Miranda had had a party on Saturday night, and the place still showed signs of the havoc wreaked upon it by fifteen eighth-grade girls. I needed to get my animals to the vet to have their vaccinations updated. I desperately needed some new shoes; one DC winter had killed my combat boots which had withstood five winters in Los Angeles. My teeth needed cleaning, and I had hoped to get into the dentist Dana recommended this week.

Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans. Then wait for the phone to ring.

It was my father-in-law. My mother-in-law had passed away that morning. It was not totally unexpected; she was 81 years old and had been suffering from Alzheimer's for many years, and in the last year, she had declined precipitously. Still, my initial reaction, uncharitable as it was, was to groan aloud.

"Shit." Now I had to go to a funeral, which was taking place tomorrow morning. I needed to get tickets to the Bay Area for both Miranda and me, and I needed them now. Fortunately, I had resources.

"Lone Gunmen."

"Turn the tape off, Frohike. It's Allison."

"Oh, hello dear. How are you? Have you recovered from the sound thrashing you received at bridge the other night?"

"Yeah, but not from Miranda's bash. Frohike, I need a favor."

"Go ahead, dear."

"Frohike, my mother-in-law died this morning. I need to get to the Bay Area tonight to bury her tomorrow. It's the Jewish thing, you know."

"Cheap seats, I presume."

"You presume correctly."

"I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Computer criminals did have their uses.

***

I grabbed Miranda from school. Upon informing her that her grandmother had died, she burst into tears, but not for the reasons I had expected.

"Mom, I really can't do another funeral. Not after Daddy's. I really can't. Please don't make me go."

"Well, sweetheart, I do have to go to Hayward, and I'm going to be gone until probably Wednesday night. And I won't let you stay alone for that long."

The phone rang again. I have days where I hate the phone. This was one of them.

"Yes?" I was feeling a bit stressed here, and being polite was getting to be a challenge.

"This is Maryland Relay with a call from Dana Scully. Have you used relay before?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Dana began to type out her message. "Hi Allison. Well, it's official now--the Bureau knows what Mulder and I have been up to. And by the way, we're getting married on June 18. We got engaged this weekend!"

"That's great! How did the cheeseheads take it?"

"Pretty well, all things considered."

"Dana, I'd really love to talk, but right now, I have to get to the west coast for a funeral. My mother-in-law passed away this morning, and the funeral is tomorrow morning. Be thankful you're Catholic. I'll be back in town Wednesday night."

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not unless you can give room and board to a thirteen-year-old that does not want to do this."

"Why don't I ask my mother?"

"Dana, are you sure? I'd hate to impose on her."

"Allison, my mother would love it. I'll call her right now and get back to you in a few minutes."

"Dana, really appreciate this. I really hate to make Miranda endure another funeral."

"Yes, I know how that one works."

***

Dana, ever-efficient, called back and stated that her mother would be delighted to have Miranda. Miranda was thrilled. Since her school was in Virginia, and Mrs. Scully lived in Maryland, she was going to miss a couple of days of school, which she said she could live with. I was really going to owe Mrs. Scully big time. And Dana kindly offered to come at lunchtime and take Miranda to Annapolis.

I may have strange friends, but better ones you would not find anywhere.

The phone rang again. "Hi."

"Hello, it's Frohike."

"You'd better have the tape off, Frohike."

"I found you a flight on American Airlines. It's not a non-stop, and it's out of Dulles, not national, but it leaves at 5:10 and gets into Oakland at 9:35. Decent fare. Not the best, but then, I didn't have much to work with."

"Frohike, you're awesome."

"All the girls say that. That will be two tickets?"

"No, make it one. Miranda says she doesn't want to go, and Mrs. Scully is playing hostess with the mostest for her."

"Ah, Mrs. Scully. Delightful woman. How will you be paying for this?"

I read him off my Visa card number.

"And Frohike? I'd better not see any charges to 976 numbers or skin magazines on this card."

"Allison, I would never do that to you." I could almost hear a wicked grin forming at the other end of the line. "Now Mulder, that's another story."

***

It was getting to be on to 3:00, and I was getting antsy. Langly was supposed to deliver the tickets to my house--I said I would pick them up, but Frohike offered free home delivery--and seeing that I was short on time and patience, I accepted.

At ten after, the doorbell rang. Langly was on the front porch. He was carrying a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Thanks for coming by. It's been a pretty whacked-out day."

"Hey, no problem. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, now that I have tickets, I can. Really appreciate your doing this, Langly, but I've gotta bail."

"Well, I thought I'd come with you, so we can bail together."

I didn't recall inviting him. Did I object? I wasn't sure, and I didn't have time.
 

The flight was delayed. No explanation given, just that we were going to have to wait in the terminal another 45 minutes. I had brought along my laptop computer, and we passed the time playing "You Don't Know Jack" and I had soundly beaten Langly each time. I don't think anybody would have guessed I was on my way to a funeral.

Finally we boarded. We had to put away the game, since we had to be at cruising altitude before we could open the computer again.

"Feel like getting your ass kicked again once we're airborne?"

"You're getting cocky, Allison."

"Yeah, but I am winning."

We went through the whole spiel about what to do in the event of an emergency, blah blah blah, sat back, and were greeted by the captain with the announcement that we were stacked up to take off, and we would probably get off the ground in about 30 minutes.

"Sorry about your mother-in-law," Langly offered the condolence gently.

"Thanks. It wasn't unexpected. She was going to be 82 next month, and her health had been terrible for years. In a way, it's a blessing. That sounds really cold, doesn't it?"

"No."

"Actually, I feel worse for my father-in-law. He buried his son not six months ago, and now he's burying his wife. I'd actually be surprised if he makes it through the year."

"Funerals get real old in a hurry."

"That they do."

"Are you staying at your father-in-law's?"

"No, I'm going to stay at the Quality Inn nearby. His house is really small. I'll go back and visit after the funeral tomorrow for a while, hang with my sisters-in-law. Ever been to a Jewish funeral?"

"I pretty much stay away from funerals as much as possible."

"Well, you don't have to attend this one if you don't want. I do appreciate the company, but you can skip the funeral if you like."

"I might head up into the city and check out some friends at the WELL."

"That's cool. If I have enough time, I'll go up to my mother's in Sausalito tomorrow night. Of course, I don't even know if she's home."

We finally took off, and played a few more rounds of Jack, all of which I won, by the way. I took a paperback that I had been meaning to read for months out of my purse, and Langly asked if he could play around on my computer. I handed it over to him, and we became silent again.

"Hey, wake up, we're in Dallas," he shook me by the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, we gotta switch planes, and we've got about fifteen minutes to do it. So get your running shoes on."

We barely made the connecting flight to Oakland.

The flight attendant announced that this would be a dinner flight. I hadn't had a chance to eat during the day, and even the thought of airline food at this point was promising.

"I'm starving. I don't care," I assured Langly.

"Ah, but I have a secret cache of goodies in here." Langly unzipped the front pocket of his backpack, and pulled out animal crackers, Oreos, some Reese's and one Snickers bar.

"That Snickers bar is mine, Langly."

"What are you willing to do to earn it?"

"Langly, I haven't eaten all day. I'm hungry. I'm crabby. My mother-in-law just died. So hand over the Snickers bar and no one gets hurt."

"Bought it for you anyway." He lightly tossed it at me.

"Liar."

"Not true. I'm a Reese's guy myself."

"Good thing, or you'd have to wrestle me for it."

"Not a bad idea, actually."

(What the hell was going on here?)

We munched away. "Want to play Jack again?"

"No, I think my manhood has taken enough abuse for one day."

"Wussy."

"I will, however, challenge you to Tetris."

"That's a guaranteed loss for me, Langly."

"Why do you think I offered?"

I played--and horribly lost--several games of Tetris. Langly could work the screens all the way through the game, to the most advanced, and was designated by my computer to be the new champion.

"Feeling better now that you've kicked my ass?"

"Totally."

"Glad to hear it. Hey Langly?"

"Yeah."

"You come over to my house every week. I play cards with you and your 'business associates' every week. I've been an overnight guest in your home. So I have one question for you?"

"What's that?"

"Is Langly your given name or your surname?"

"My surname. I don't use my given name."

"You do have one, I presume."

"Yeah, I do."

"So what the hell is it?"

"Ringo."

"As in the Beatles?"

"Yeah. My sister was a huge Beatles fan when I was born, and she and my brother picked out the name."

"And your parents went with this?"

"Obviously."

"What year were you born, by the way?"

"1963."

"What day?"

"July 12."

That had been mine and Eric's wedding anniversary, but I did not mention it to him at this point.

"Another summertime kid."

"Yeah. I hated it. Everyone was away during my birthday."

"Same here. I'm not much of a party person, but people tend to be gone in August, so I really didn't do much in the way of celebrating when I was younger. Miranda and Eric were both in October, which they considered to be a good time of year to have a birthday."

"What days?"

"Eric's is the 13th. Miranda's on the 25th."

"Mulder's on the 13th, too. Guy was born on Friday the 13th, and he's had that kind of luck following him all his life. Although that seems to be changing for him."

"Think he and Dana'll be good parents? I do."

"Yeah, the kid will have a strange life, but for Mulder and Scully, this is like the best thing that could happen to them. It's time for them to have a little bit of happiness in this life. That kid will be totally loved."

"A little bit of happiness." I sighed.

"I guess your life's been pretty shitty for the last six months or so."

"You know, it's weird. It's been the most horrible time of my life...and just when I want to completely wallow in self-pity, and I think nothing decent will ever happen again, something really wonderful happens. Like today. I get a call from my father-in-law and my mother-in-law is dead. And then I get a call from Dana. She and Mulder got engaged over the
weekend."

"No shit."

"They're gonna do the deed on June 18. They also went official this morning. Now all the Bureau knows what they've been doing. It's a shame in a way; speculating on what they had--or had not--done was like a major side business in the Bureau. They're going to need a new source for gossip." The flight attendant offered coffee, and I accepted. "Fortunately, in organizations like the FBI, nobody ever allows the gossip mill to go dormant for any length of time. If they can't find something, they'll make it up."

"All the news that's fit to blab."

"Gossip is what makes organizations go round."

"Yeah, makes cyberspace go round too."

"You spend a lot of time on the Net."

"Yeah, pretty much all of it. I don't know very many flesh and blood people anymore. I certainly don't trust much of anyone anymore."

"In the flesh or in cyberspace?"

"Both."

"Do you trust me?"

He gave me a long, rather quizzical look with those light blue eyes. "Yeah, I do. Do you trust me?"

I gave it a moment. Did I?

"Yeah, I think so."

***

April 20, 1999
Home of Sheldon Gerstein
Hayward, CA

We buried my mother-in-law. I said Kaddish for her. I ripped the black ribbon from my shirt. In Jewish custom, you rip a hole in your shirt near your heart to show your sorrow, although nowadays, people tend to rend a black ribbon from their clothes to demonstrate the same thing--without the loss of wardrobe.

It had been late when we arrived in Oakland. Langly plugged my laptop in--even Quality Inns have jacks now--and started hunting up friends in the Bay Area. I fell asleep before he left. He did not attend the funeral; I did not expect him to, nor was I even certain I wanted him to. While there was nothing to explain about our relationship to one another, I did not want to give the appearance to my father-in-law that there was another man in my life so soon after his son's death. (Why was I even thinking about this?)

There was a luncheon afterwards, food brought by the friends they had that were still alive--when you get to be over 80, it's amazing how many of your friends are gone. My two sisters-in-law, Emma and Lydia, were there, and I had the chance to talk to them for a long while, which was really nice. I continued to talk to both of them over the phone frequently after my move to DC, but I hadn't seen them in a long while. Not since...Eric's funeral.

My father-in-law looked as if the last breath of life was about to be sucked out of him. He showed no emotion--I think any emotion he had had been buried at this point. My comment about him not lasting the year began to really hit home: I honestly felt he would go soon.

Emma, one of my favorite people in the world, though, while clearly saddened by her mother's death, was far more concerned with how she was going to deal with the future. The house had been pledged to the nursing home when my
mother-in-law entered it. They had virtually no assets left. Emma worked in educational lobbying, which paid shockingly poorly. She had no savings at all. Lydia, a pharmaceutical chemist, made a somewhat better living, but she had been working on her PhD and was running out of money faster than she could write her dissertation.

I still had the proceeds from Eric's life insurance and the proceeds from the sale of our house. I had put Eric's life insurance aside for Miranda's education, and the house money was going to have to go for another house within the next 18 months or it was going to be capital gains time.

Fuck it, I said to myself. I have a decent job. I do all right. I'm not starving. I can pay for Miranda's education out of my own salary. I would have to discuss this possibility with Emma, but I knew that it was something Eric would have done himself.

I told Emma that if she ever needed a place to be, she was always welcome in my home.

It got to be late in the evening before I even became aware of the time. The last two days had been a blur, but it was a different blur than the one that I experienced after losing Eric. I realized what the difference was: losing my mother-in-law was sad. Losing my husband had been tragic.

And that pissed me off.

I was thinking about heading back to my hotel room, when my father-in-law's doorbell rang. In view of the hour, and the fact that people had just wandered in without ringing or knocking all day, it seemed a bit odd.

Langly.

"Hi, is Allison here?"

"Yes, she is." Fortunately, Lydia answered the door, and Lydia has no equal when it comes to odd acquaintances, although I was catching up to her.

"Hi, Langly." I turned to Emma and Lydia. "This is my friend Langly from DC. Langly, these are my sisters-in-law, Emma and Lydia Gerstein. And this is my father-in-law, Sheldon Gerstein." My father-in-law actually shook his hand.

"Sorry about your wife, sir."

"Thank you. You've been looking after my daughter-in-law and granddaughter." It was said as a statement of fact, no judgment in his voice.

"Well, we try to look after each other. You've got a really nice family. I just wanted to say I was sorry and see what Allison was doing."

"Thinking about heading back to the hotel. Flight's early, you know."

"Yeah, well, I think I might stay a few extra days here, although Frohike and Byers are gonna have my ass in a sling. You don't mind, do you?"

"Langly, it's your life. I have to be back for a meeting on Thursday. And I don't want Miranda missing too much school."

"Hey, I might even get some good stuff for our next issue," Langly went on.

I hugged my sisters-in-law goodbye, and then I embraced my father-in-law like it was going to be for the last time.

"God bless you, Dad."

"And you too, Allison. Thank you for coming. It meant a great deal to me."

He then turned to Langly. "Thank you for coming by, and for caring for Miranda and Allison."

"Hey, no problem."

***

The hotel was not far away, and I had rented a car, so we drove back to the hotel together. I started gathering my things up and called the desk for a 5:30 wakeup call.

"I'm gonna head back up to the city now. I'm gonna be staying with some friends there, and I'm coming back on Friday. Frohike said if I stayed any longer he would send Mulder after me."

"Could be worse. He could send Dana after you. No escape there."

"Ain't that the truth. Anyway, Allison, I'm really sorry about all this. I'll see ya on Saturday, okay?"

Then he gave me a hug.

And I hugged him back.

***

June 18, 1999
St. Finbar's Church, Annapolis, MD

The Day had arrived.

I think Dana had wanted to have a simple wedding, done quietly. I think Mulder wanted to run the two of them off to Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator.

In the end, Mrs. Scully had won out, and had thrown together a wedding in less than eight weeks. I began to wonder if the United States would be a more perfect union if Maggie Scully were in charge. The thought frightened me.

Miranda, of course, was thrilled by this development; she adores weddings. Dana surprised and flattered her by asking her to be in the wedding party with her two sisters-in-law as bridesmaids.

Then she shocked the hell out of my by asking if I would be her maid of honor.

While Mrs. Scully was clearly the director on this tour de force, there were certain areas in which Dana thankfully overruled her. One was on the attire for the women in the wedding party. Mrs. Scully was operating along the lines of traditional, puffy, overdone dresses in pastel colors, those things that make everyone who wears them look live fat petit fours. Dana, however,
was having none of that, and chose simple cobalt blue dresses with slim, flattering lines.

Dana and Mulder also insisted that a rabbi take part in conducting the ceremony. Mrs. Scully seemed uncertain how to deal with this until the priest obliged without fussing.

Beyond that, we left it in her capable hands. I long ago decided that when asked to be in a wedding, I would go along with whatever the bride selected and keep my mouth shut. So I was pleasantly surprised at the fittings with what she had chosen for us to wear.

"Great color with your hair and eyes, Mom," Miranda assured me. It looked stunning on her as well--Miranda is dark like Eric, but she has my blue-grey eyes. She looked so grown up it was scary.

Walter Skinner, of AD fame, was to be the best man at this gig. That meant we were going to have to work together. Until this time, I had had very minimal contact with him, and I had always found him cold and unapproachable. But his affection for these guys was obvious. I had a chance to reevaluate my opinion of him over the preparations. I think I had blamed him for a lot of what had happened to me, since he had been the messenger boy, and I contemplated the possibility that I had been unfair to him.

The wedding was scheduled for three o'clock on a Friday afternoon. The turnout was terrific--Mrs. Scully had received positives on nearly all of the 175 invitations she had sent. Either Dana and Mulder had more friends and allies than they thought, or people were just looking for any excuse to get out of work early on Friday. I sincerely think it was the former,
though.

The Gunmen were to be ushers in the wedding. It was quite a hoot to see them dressed up in penguin suits. Frohike actually cleaned up pretty well, and Byers of course looked as if he had been born to wear a tuxedo. Langly, however, shocked the shit out of me.

He had put away his usual black-framed discount eyeglasses for contact lenses, which made his pale blue eyes not so pale. That platinum mane, which usually flew about wildly, had been neatly pulled back into a very tidy ponytail. Without all that hair covering half his face and the cheesy glasses dispensed with, it occurred to me that he had really nice facial bones.

And in a tux, he looked positively...sexy.

Being somewhat compulsively early by nature, I was one of the first people at the church, and I was wandering around when the three of them strolled in.

"Hey, you're on time!" I called teasingly.

"Don't forget, people have guns here. My dear, you look absolutely divine," Frohike gave me a kiss on the cheek and a compliment that was utterly sincere.

"And you look pretty suave and debonair yourself."

"You think so?" Frohike was like a little kid sometimes. He looked momentarily uncertain.

"Yes, you do." He wasn't ever going to be on a studmuffin calendar, but he did look dapper and cheerful. And being Frohike, he would take his obligations to his friends very seriously.

"You like very nice, Allison," Byers assured me as he kissed me on the
other cheek.

Langly was just staring.

"Wow." He was staring at me.

"Thanks." I actually blushed--not something I do often, but it's one of the curses of redheadedness.

"You look killer in that color," he said admiringly. "And you oughta do your hair like that more often." I had it pulled back into a cobalt satin ribbon with tendrils curling off the side.

"I would, but I'd spend half my life in the bathroom," I laughed. "And I could singlehandedly make AquaNet rich." I gave him another once-over. "You're looking pretty studly yourself, dude."

"Thanks. The shoes are killing me."

"Yeah, I hate fancy shoes. I'll be crippled before the night is over." I looked down at the black satin shoes I was wearing, with raised soles and a three and a half inch heel. I was going to die in these. My feet were already hurting, and nothing had happened yet.

"They make your legs look good, though," he observed. Jesus, I was blushing again.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to be helping the bride here, so I'd better go back and see what I can do, although I think Mein Fuhrer has things under control."

"Ah, Mrs. Scully is here, I see."

"Oh, yeah."

"Cool. See ya on the walk down. Too bad you're walking with Skinner."

"Why's that?"

"It'd look better if we walked together."

I laughed and vanished into the back where Dana was getting ready.

***
We all stood in the nave of the church, and then the music started.

Mulder walked out, with Skinner following him closely. Then the Gunmen took their places behind them.

Miranda walked first. She looked absolutely gorgeous. My baby girl had turned into a beautiful young lady. She was followed by Karen and Tara, her sisters-in-law, and then it was my turn. I prayed mostly that I wasn't going to kill myself in these shoes.

It was time. There was this vision in white at the entrance to the sanctuary. I had seen the dress, and I had seen Dana in it while she was getting ready, but she was now positively breathtaking. Apparently the effect had not been lost on Mulder. He looked as if he had tears in those big hazel eyes, which were full of joy and wonder and love. Accompanied by her brother Bill, she walked slowly, taking in everything around her and letting all the rest of us absorb her.

Eric and I had been married in a rabbi's study, so we had much less ceremony in our wedding. But the emotions were all there. Watching two people so in love being joined together...it's what life is about, and then some.

It was a beautiful, personal ceremony, done in spoken English and in sign language. I translated the priest and rabbi, and both of them spoke and signed their vows. There were blessings in Hebrew as well, ones that I knew. I don't think there was a totally dry eye in the house.

"What God has joined let no man put asunder."

Then the walk back up the aisle, following the new Mrs. and Mr. Mulder, who were actually running to the front of the church, smiling and laughing. Skinner took my arm, and he smiled. Really smiled.

"That was probably the most beautiful wedding I've seen," he marveled.

I wasn't going to argue.

We all walked out front--Miranda ended up walking with Langly, and they were obviously hassling each other on the way up, judging by their expressions, which included a good deal of sneering and tongue-sticking-out.

"That was awesome," Langly said as he gave Miranda a light, friendly shove.

"Yes, it was."

"Was it this awesome when you did it?" he asked.

"Yes, it was. It was quieter, and the crowd was smaller, but it was still incredible." I turned to him. "I don't know about you, but I'm taking my shoes off. My feet are flaming hotter than a bulletin board on a bad day."

"That's a plan."

We waited for everyone to go through the receiving line, by which time we had eliminated our offending shoes.

"Mom, what did you do with your shoes?" Miranda, goddess of fashion, reproached.

"I wanted to avoid becoming a paraplegic," I announced.

We then had the interminable post-wedding photographs. Langly and I remained barefoot. Dana and Mulder's image of us on that day was going to forever be unshod.

***

The reception was held in the backyard of Mrs. Scully's house. She had rented a dance floor, DJ, and tons of tables and chairs. There were flowers everywhere--and even better, the weather had cooperated. It was a wonderful day in the low 80s, with a lot of sun and blue skies. No complaints on the food, either--Mrs. Scully definitely did not do the rubber chicken thing. I sat at the head table, and I still had my shoes off. The guests tortured Dana and Mulder by banging on their glasses every 40 seconds or so, so I don't think they were getting much to eat, but I also don't think that that was their primary concern.

It was time for Skinner to offer a toast, and he did.

"Mulder, Scully, for the last seven years, I've watched you two get into more trouble than two people should ever be allowed to encounter. I've seen you witness more agony, more heartbreak, and more emergency room visits than I can count. You have witnessed horrors no one should ever have to. And I've bailed your butts out more times than I care to think about.

In equal measure, I now wish you love and happiness always."

And we drank to that.

Dana had passed over most of the nausea that seems to be a staple of early pregnancy, and she looked positively radiant. She was only faintly showing in the abdomen, but she had definitely acquired a chest, something which was not lost on Mulder. He was glowing in equal measure. I had no idea the guy could do such great things for a tux, but the tux had the advantage--he
didn't get to choose his own tie.

I never think of Dana and Mulder as particularly fun people. I have enjoyable times with them, and they are witty and erudite, and they are the best friends a person could have. But this wedding actually had a huge element of fun to it. Even Mrs.  Mulder, whom I had met the day before and had thought to be a rather chilly soul, seemed to be enjoying herself.

I had danced several dances and decided to take a break. Langly showed up shortly thereafter, an extra drink in hand, which I gratefully accepted.

"I think Mulder and Scully are very happy," I commented.

"Oh, yeah. No argument there. It's been a pretty cool occasion. Too bad they don't get to go on their honeymoon for a while."

"Yeah, that sucks, but they said when the little one is six months old, they're off for the romantic getaway of a lifetime."

"Feel like getting away from the madding crowd for a while?" Langly motioned his thumb to the outer edge of the yard.

"Yeah, I could handle that. There are an awful lot of people here, and I'm starting to feel a bit closed in."

We were still sans shoes. As much as I was enjoying myself, stepping into the relative quiet of the front yard was a huge relief. I was about to light a cigarette when Langly tapped me on the sleeve.

"Isn't that Mrs. Mulder?"

"Sure looks like her. Do you know who she's talking to?"

"Oh, fuck. I think so. Shit. On their wedding day."

The voices from Mrs. Mulder and a gentleman in a dark, expensive suit, who was lighting a cigarette, were somewhat raised, and they did not sound happy.

"So who is that guy?"

"It's Cancerman. And I don't think he was on the guest list."

"Should we tell someone?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Let's hang back here and make sure she's okay. I really don't feel like having this guy fucking up Mulder and Scully's wedding day."

I lit my cigarette and offered Langly one, but he shook his head.

"Stay here. I'm gonna get Byers and Frohike."

I sat on the front porch, sipping my drink and smoking my cigarette. I strained to hear the conversation between Mrs. Mulder and the smoking man, but I could not make out the words. They were down the sidewalk, and I didn't really want to get any closer.

Langly came back, but not with Byers and Frohike. He had Skinner with him.

"What the hell?" Skinner was not in the mood for this, and unlike Langly and me, he stalked over to where the two of them were arguing. Skinner is a big guy, and he's not the sort of person I want to meet up with in a dark alley, particularly when he is pissed off. And he was definitely pissed off.

There was a short, angry exchange between the three of them, and then Skinner walked back to where we were sitting.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't pass this along to Mulder and Scully."

"Hey, we don't have a problem with that," Langly assured him.

"Good. Now come back and join the party." It was an order.

The smoking man walked away, but Mrs. Mulder made no move to leave the spot where she was standing. She appeared to be physically unharmed, anyway.

"So Allison?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna dance?"

***

Last dance of the night. Mulder and Dana dedicated it to all of us, the guests. It was "Because You Loved Me."

Langly and I had danced several dances all day, but not like this one. This was slow-dance time. And I started to have a reaction to him I did not expect.

I think it was sometime during that dance that I crossed the Rubicon.

Because when it was over, and he bent down to kiss me--not one of the friendly, hi-howya-doing type kisses we all exchanged regularly--but a real, man-woman type kiss, I didn't object.

I kissed him back.

END OF PART 8