Title: Avoidance Author: fran58 Feedback: I would be truly overjoyed. fran58@jahoopa.com Category: V, MSR slop Rating: PG Archive: Yes - just let me know. Spoilers: First season-ish, very slight for Ice and Darkness Falls Disclaimer: Characters owned by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and 20th Century Fox. Summary: A simple family dinner could be a turning point for Scully. Author's Note: Yes, I know the time line is not correct. But what the heck. Doesn't seem to bother 1013. Thanks much to addicted2fanfic and Fabulous Monster for the help and support. Avoidance It was the most terrifying thing Dana Scully had ever seen. The small package appeared innocuous, sitting under the tree, wrapped in heavy stock midnight blue paper, tied up with a white ribbon. The lights from the tree reflected off the shiny paper. She must have stared at it for five minutes before escaping into the warmth of her mother's kitchen. "Mom, what's in that box?" "Which box, honey, the one from Ethan?" Maggie was stirring a pot of something that smelled like chicken. "How would I know?" "He didn't say anything?" Scully asked. She twisted her fingers together nervously. "No, he didn't say anything. áWhy would he say anything? Why are worried about a Christmas present? You got him something, right?" áMaggie looked up from the concoction she was making and glanced at áher daughter. áDana's brow was wrinkled, a look that Maggie associated with trouble, but what trouble could there be with a simple Christmas present? Scully shrugged. "Nothing, its fine. I think I'll go shovel the walk before anyone else gets here." ********** The rhythmic movements of lifting and lowering the shovel soothed Scully. Bend, scoop, throw. Bend, scoop, throw. No thinking involved. She wouldn't think about it. Maybe it wasn't what she feared. God, she hoped it wasn't what *that*. It had been a joke for God's sake. Didn't he know that? Maybe it was just a nice necklace, or a bracelet. No, the box was too small. Maybe earrings. Yes, earrings. That's what it must be. Scully felt a wave a relief wash over her. Earrings. Yes. Good. She almost smiled as she stamped her feet to drive some warmth back into them. Should have put boots on, she thought. Her ears were cold too. No hat, no boots, what the hell was she thinking? That box, that's what she was thinking. Scully stomped up the rear walkway and into the house and stowed the snow shovel in the back hall. Stepping into the kitchen she could hear voices filtering in from the front room. Ethan had arrived, as well as Bill and his wife. She hadn't been out that long had she? Maggie caught sight of Scully in the kitchen. "Come on out, honey. Ethan is here." Scully made her way to the front part of the house. "Hey! You look frosty!" Ethan smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You feel frosty too." "Yeah, well, its frosty outside," she said and smiled at him. "Where's Melissa and Dad?" "Missy's plane is late," said Maggie. "Look's like they'll both miss dinner." Amidst the babble of voices, the door bell chimed and Maggie crossed the room to answer it. She opened the front door to reveal a tall, brown-haired man. For a moment, Scully didn't recognize him, then, with a lurch of her stomach, she did. Mulder. What the hell was he doing here? "I invited him, honey," said Maggie. "I said that out loud?" Scully asked. "Yeah, and I'm really happy to see you too, partner." He gave her a lopsided smile that made her heart pinch in her chest. "I'm sorry, Mulder, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I was just surprised. I mean, you don't even celebrate Christmas, do you?" Mulder was still smiling. "Forgiven. And yes I do. Every now and then. When it's warranted. How could I turn my favorite partner's mom down?" "Your only partner, Mulder." "Yeah, well there is that." ********** Dinner was an exercise in indigestion for Scully. She had done her best to keep Ethan and Mulder from talking to each other, all while advoideing having to talk to either one herself. She didn't bother to ask herself why. Much like the tiny, but ominous box, she just didn't want to think about it. Scully and Scarlett O'Hara would make quite a pair where thought avoidance was a concern. Her efforts blew up in her face when Mulder and Ethan sat down next to her, one on each side. "So have you known Scully long?" Mulder craned his neck around Scully to get a better view of Ethan. "Couple years, why?" Ethan asked. Scully could feel Mulder shrug. "I dunno, just curious. Sometimes getting information out of her is like pulling teeth." Scully snorted. "Pot, meet kettle." "What?" "What do you mean, what? You leave me in the dark half the time about what's really going on." "No. No I don't." "Yes, yes you do." "When?" "When? All the time." "Come on, Scully, name one time. Just one." "I can give you a list. You want it in alphabetical order, or chronological?" Scully chose that moment to glance up and notice her brother Charlie grinning at her. Now what? "Hey Ethan," Charlie said. "Tell Mulder about that time when you and Dana got stranded in, umm, what was the name of that town? Lutson? Where was it? Minnesota? So anyway, you were stuck in Lutson for days and days. You had gone there to go skiing and the resort had to shut the slopes down for whatever reason. And you had nothing to do but hang out in that cabin for days and days. Right, Dana? Too bad there wasn't something like, say, a nice resort-town shopping area to relieve the tedium. I mean, what the heck did you *do* the whole time?" Scully glared at him and then shot a look at the other end of the table and was relieved to see her Mother apparently deeply involved in a discussion with Tara. She noticed that there was a piece of dinner roll stuck to the side of Tara's face. Scully felt Mulder looking at her expectantly. "What?" "So wasn't there?" Mulder asked. "Wasn't there what?" "A nice resort-town shopping area, like Charlie said." Scully looked at him for a moment and decided ignoring the question was the safest route. She turned back to Charlie. Time to change the subject. "So Charlie, where are Chris and the kids? She kick you out again?" Scully asked as innocently as she could. It was Charlie's turn to glare at her. "Maybe." "What was it this time, too many disorderly conduct arrests? Did you total the car again?" "You know," Charlie said to Mulder, "most people think Dana is very prosaic, but I've always found her imagination quite interesting. You've worked with her pretty closely for a while now, what do you think?" "Imagination? Scully's usually sticks pretty close to the facts." Mulder answered. "She seems to have a very vivid imagination lately." "Charlie, I did not make up that car accident you had!" Charlie continued as if he hadn't heard Scully. "What was that I heard about you two being locked up together in the Arctic? And there was some kind of worm thing involved, wasn't there? áSounds pretty fantastic." Scully could feel Ethan shifting beside her while Charlie continued. "What about that time you had to stay the night at that deserted house out in the boonies. Bet there weren't any shopping areas there either." "When was this?" Ethan asked. Scully shrugged. "Mmm, a few months back. We tracked a suspect to the location and got stuck. Car trouble." "Why didn't you call for help?" Ethan asked. "Ethan, the place was deserted. There was no phone. We managed to flag another motorist down the next morning." "You guys should get cellular phones," Charlie suggested. "Then maybe you two could avoid getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere again. After two or three incidents like that, you'd think the Bureau would wise up." He popped a roll into his mouth and chewed enthusiastically. Ethan frowned. ********** "All I'm saying, Dana, is that maybe you should be more careful." "Ethan, I am careful. This is my job. Things happen. I'm not going to apologize for it." "Look, sweetheart, I just don't like the idea of you stuck in a deserted area all alone." Scully chafed and moved away from Ethan. They were in the kitchen, supposedly on cleanup duty while everyone else finished dessert in the dining room. "I'm not an idiot. It was fine. Besides, I wasn't alone. Mulder was with me." Ethan snorted. "How could I forget?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means that he and this new job - they both interfere with us, that's what it means." "Interfere how?" Scully asked. "Dana, he's with you all the time. When he isn't with you, he's calling you, trying to drag you off to some weirdo werewolf sighting or something. I want you here with me. The way things used to be." "I'm sorry, Ethan." Scully said softly. "I don't know what to say. I know things have been different. I guess I was counting on you to understand. I can't change the nature of the job. Now that I'm with the X-Files, that's how things are." "I thought you were going to give this assignment some time and then request to be transferred. That's what you said, anyway. You would do you stint, write your reports, declare Mulder a loony, and move on." "I never said I would declare Mulder a loony! I didn't even know the man. Besides, he isn't crazy." Ethan raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, Ethan. He does have some out there ideas, but that doesn't mean that what he does has no validity." "Dana, I just think it's time to move on so that we can move on." Visions of the tiny blue package loomed in Scully's head. She held tightly onto the dish towel and said quietly, "I'm not so sure about that anymore. The work is very interesting. And challenging. I don't know if I want to leave yet. There is so much to learn." She ignored the niggling voice in the back of her head reminding her that it wasn't really that simple. ********** The paper came off like a peel and fell to the floor. She fingered the box, not wanting to open it, not wanting to think about the expectant expression on Ethan's face. Come on, Dana, be a trouper, she told herself. Can't be any worse than having your body invaded by life-sucking green bugs. Letting out a breath, she lifted the lid. Earrings. Thank God. She felt a smile spread across her face. "Thanks. Thank you, Ethan. They're beautiful." She held them up to the light still smiling. Turquoise set in silver. The card in the box had the words æhandcrafted' spelled out in black on thick cream paper. She was reminded of Melissa. "Not a problem. They'll look great on you. Everything does." Ethan said and bent low to place a kiss on her cheek. ********** "Thanks for coming, Fox, it was a pleasure to finally get to really talk to you," Maggie said escorting Mulder to the door. "Thanks for the invite, Mrs. Scully." He replied. Maggie turned back toward the front room. "Dana, honey, Fox is leaving!" Scully popped her head around the corner. "Mulder, I'm sorry, I didn't realize...Hang on, I'll walk you to your car." "No, Scully, it's ok, you don't need to." "I want to," she replied, appearing from around the corner again, slipping on her jacket as she walked to the door. "I need some air anyway." The snow was falling again in big, soft, downy flakes. It muffled the sounds around them and covered Mulder's hair in a cap of white. Scully loved the stillness that seemed to fall over everything when it snowed like this. As a child, she had imagined the earth turning into a quiet, peaceful, white fairy world. Mulder began to say something, then stopped when he saw her smile. "Something funny?" He asked smiling back. "You look like a snowman, Mulder." "So do you." They stood like that, smiling at each other for a moment, before Mulder began again. "I, ah, I was passing by the kitchen while you and Ethan were cleaning up," his eyes slipped away from her face. "I truly didn't mean to eavesdrop, Scully." Scully interrupted. "Mulder, it really doesn't concern you." "But I think it does. I don't mean to be the cause of contention between you and Ethan. I don't want to screw things up for you. Even if I do think he's a wienie." Mulder couldn't help but grin. "You've been talking to Charlie, haven't you?" "Just a bit." Mulder leaned against his car. "Mulder, what happens between me and Ethan is between me and Ethan, ok?" Mulder nodded and she went on. "That said, I don't want you to be concerned. You're not interfering, at least not in the way Ethan inferred. Whatever's happening, it's not..." she stumbled on her words, struggling to find the right ones. "It's not the X-Files that is solely the cause, no matter what anyone thinks. I will not let Ethan, nor anybody else, dictate where I work." Her lips quirked. "Or who I let drag me off to isolated locations in the middle of the night." Mulder expelled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and nodded, relieved. He flashed her a quick smile that made the night suddenly warmer. "Did you mean what you said about the validity of the X-Files, Scully?" Scully crossed her arms in front of her. "I generally don't say things I don't mean, Mulder." "Well, than, partner, I'll see you at work." He shook the snow from his hair and opened the car door and slid in. "Bright and early," he said with mock severity. Scully watched as Mulder pulled away from the curb and gave her a quick wave. She lifted her hand in response. His taillights were made hazy by the falling snow, and she felt herself smiling again as she watched them fade away, crossing her arms more tightly, as if hugging a secret. Slowly, she turned and made her way back to the house, ignoring the temptation to linger in the falling snow. She realized, albeit reluctantly, that she and Ethan needed to talk. Had needed to talk for quite some time, and that putting it off wouldn't make it any easier. Scully hesitated at the front door, letting her hand rest on the knob, reluctant to move. Then mentally shaking herself, she took a breath and pushed the door open, revealing her family inside, and the waiting Ethan.