Disclaimer etc. in Prologue...


Menage a trois 
By DanaK35

PART THREE


"Who is Scully?" Rachel propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him.

"Why?" Mulder turned on his side and faced her. 

She looked beautiful, her hair in disarray, not a trace of make-up left on her face. "You talk in 
you sleep..." 

He felt himself flush. "Scully? She is...she is my partner!" 

Her eyebrows shot up. "Your partner? Well, she must really be on your mind, if you even talk 
about her in your sleep!" 

'Shit!' he thought and got up, going into the bathroom to splash water on his face. He looked at 
himself in the mirror. 'You're such a creep, Mulder' he told his reflection. He felt awful, guilty 
because he had spent the night making love to Rachel. And more guilty because he had only 
thought of Scully. Rachel was a wonderful woman, she deserved better. Same party, different 
day - Scully deserved better, too. 

"Anyway..." she had come into the bathroom and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her naked 
body against his bare back sent shivers down his spine. "Actually, I don't care if you mumble 
your partner's name, after all, I am the one in your arms." She kissed him, up the length of his 
spine and soon he forgot everything around him. 


*************************************


After a nearly sleepless night, Scully spent Saturday doing chores. 

When she wasn't traveling this was the one-day when she would sleep late, enjoy a leisurely 
breakfast and then set out to do her grocery shopping, pick up her laundry and clean up around 
the apartment. 

This Saturday was different. 

She finally got up at six to make herself a cup of strong tea and afterwards straightened her 
apartment in a hurry. Her thoughts constantly drifted back to Walter Skinner and the way his 
dark eyes scanned her face.

In the afternoon she had promised her mother to go shopping and the two women spent the 
day at the mall, strolling through the shops, buying toys for Bill's children and spending hours in 
Waterstones. 

Margaret wondered briefly what was wrong with Dana, who seemed absentminded and 
depressed, but her daughter didn't want to talk about it. "Do you want to come over for dinner, 
Dana?" 

Scully shook her head. "No, Mom, I just want to spend a quiet evening at home." 'Brooding over 
my life, Mulder and a certain Assistant Director, whom I don't seem to be able to forget.' 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Mom, really" 

They parted and Scully returned to her apartment. 

To her surprise there was a message from Walter Skinner on her machine, asking if she had 
gotten home all right, and whether they were still on for coffee the next day. He had left his 
home phone number and Scully picked up the phone to return the call. 

He picked up after the second ring. "Yes?" 

"It's me, I got your call, yes, and I think we are still on for tomorrow, aren't we?" 

**********************

Dana Scully was sitting at the small table in the window of the coffeehouse, reading a book, 
when Walter Skinner entered. 

He took his chance to admire her, before she would look up. She was dressed in black jeans 
and a black turtleneck, her hair was falling around her face in soft waves and she was wearing 
glasses, which made her look like a college student rather than a 35-year old FBI agent. 

"Hi!" 

She looked up and her face lit up in a smile when he sat down across from her. "Hi!" She 
answered and put the newspaper aside.

The waitress showed up beside the table and they ordered lattes, a blueberry muffin for Scully 
and a bagel for Skinner.

They started chatted about this and that, but Skinner felt that there was something on her 
mind. "Scully, let's cut the chatter for a moment," he interrupted after a while. "What's wrong?" 

She ran her hand through her hair and then looked at him. "I've been giving this a lot of 
thought..." she started and a shiver ran down his spine. 'This doesn't sound very good!' 

"You know that Mulder and I haven't been getting along lately...with the X-files being assigned 
to someone else and all..." 

'No kidding,' he thought. 

"It has just gotten worse and frankly I have had it, Skinner, I feel like I am taking two steps 
forward and three steps back; I have felt this way for a long time, but now... never mind, I 
have been thinking seriously about accepting the job as SAC up in Boston!" 

Boom, there it was! Skinner was surprised at how much this news shocked him. He wanted to 
scream: 'NO, don't...not now!' but he just nodded and cleared his throat. "Is this decision final?" 
He asked. 

"Pretty much, I just...I guess I wanted to hear your opinion before I hand in my transfer 
request." 


"As your former superior officer I have to respect your decision and I also agree with you...the 
tension between you and your partner is palpable and I think it could turn out to be 
counterproductive... the job is a great opportunity" He picked up his cup and took a mouthful of 
coffee. 

"And?" Scully leaned over the small table and looked at him, her blue eyes blazing, one eyebrow 
raised, willing him to give her another reason to stay. 

"And what?" 

"It sounded as if there was more..." 

He took a deep breath. How could he tell her that he would miss her, that he would have liked 
a chance to get to know her better, that he had discovered these unfamiliar feelings about 
her? 

He settled for "As a person, a friend I have to say it's a pity..." 

She smiled sadly and reached for his hand. Her own seemed so small in his rough ones. The 
image of these hands caressing her bare back crossed her mind and she blushed. She finished 
her coffee and glanced outside, it had started to rain and she looked at the dark clouds with 
dismay. 

"Can I take you home, Scully?" 

"That's a great idea...."

They didn't speak on the short ride to Scully's apartment and when he finally stopped the car, 
there was an awkward silence between them. "Thanks again for a nice time, Skinner, we should 
have done this earlier..." She said smiling. 

Skinner's dark eyes rested on her face. His hand came to rest on her arm and a warm feeling 
flooded over her. "Yeah, we should have done a lot of things earlier..." His voice was calm. 

"Boston is not that far..." She whispered. 

Skinner looked at her intensely, he didn't break the touch, he just looked at her with these dark 
eyes and that serene, sad expression. 

Scully was overwhelmed by what she saw in his expression. Regret and something 
else...something she had never expected to see in this man's eyes. Desire. 

He wanted her. 

And she realized that she wanted him, too. 

And that would just make things even more complicated. Her gaze fell on his sensual mouth and 
she closed her eyes. 

"I'd better go, Skinner!"


****************


Mulder was already sitting at their desk when Scully stepped off the elevator on Monday 
morning. He was on the phone and she shot him a surprised glance as she shrugged out of her 
coat and set down her laptop.

He hung up. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully. 

To cheerful for Scully's taste. She regarded him suspiciously "What's going on, Mulder?" 

"Nothing! Hey, Scully thanks again for the report...I owe you!" 

"I know, Mulder, you do big time..." the ringing of the phone interrupted her and she picked up 
"Scully!...yes, send her up! There is a Rachel Williams for you, Mulder!" 

He nodded, pretending to intently study the fax in front of him and suddenly it became clear 
what was going on. Rachel Williams had to be THAT woman!

"Mulder!" 

Scully turned around to look into a pair of bright green eyes. 

Mulder jumped up from his chair nervously and quickly moved between the two women. "Rachel? 
What's going on?" 

She moved closer and touched the lapel of his charcoal gray suit. "I was just in the 
neighborhood and wanted to tell you in person that I had a great time this weekend!" 

Scully's heart sank at the obvious innuendo and she turned her eyes heavenward. 'Oh brother!' 
sitting down, she busily started connecting her laptop to the network and flipping it open. 

From the corner of her eyes she saw Rachel moving even closer and cleared her throat. Mulder 
immediately took one step back. "Ah...Rachel...this is Dana Scully, my partner!" 

Rachel went rigid next to him and stared at Scully, jealousy washing over her. This was the 
woman whose name he mumbled in his sleep? No wonder. 

She regained her composure and extended her hand to Scully, who had gotten up and quickly 
looked at the new woman in Mulder's life. Tall, slim, buxom, long chestnut hair pulled back in a 
loose ponytail, bright red business suit, red lips. "Hello, nice to meet you!" she said calmly.

"Nice to meet you too, Dana, may I call you Dana?" 

"Sure, whatever, excuse me, I have to see AD Skinner!" With that she picked up an envelope 
and stepped around them, disappearing down the hallway to their superior's office. 

"Well, Fox, that was awkward...!" 

Mulder shrugged. "It's just not very often that we meet each other's personal relations!" He 
answered casually and glanced over his shoulder were Scully had walked off to. 

He wondered what she had to discuss with Skinner.


*******************************


"So your decision is final?" Walter Skinner settled back in his chair and regarded Scully across 
the desk. 

"It has just become final!" She sat there, dressed in one of her no nonsense business suits, her 
hair neatly tucked behind her ears. 

What a difference from the woman in the coffeehouse. 

Still, spending that time together away from work had changed his view about her, he was 
more at ease in her presence, he felt something waking deep inside him and he began to enjoy 
that. Skinner cleared his throat - he seemed to be doing that a lot lately - and nodded. "I 
understand, Agent Scully! You will need to turn this in to AD Kersh." He then said and handed 
her the letter back, his fingers touching hers briefly. 

She got up. "Thank you, Sir!" And turned to leave. 

He got up from his desk and was at her side with two big steps. "Dana...I..." for a moment he 
was lost for words, his urge to take her into his arms was overwhelming, but instead he just 
said "Good luck!"

She nodded and quietly closed the door behind her. 'That leaves Mulder!'


********************************


Mulder was alone when Scully got back to their cubicle. AD Kersh had not been as sorry as 
Skinner to see her leave.

"I see Ms. Williams has left us?" It came out sharper than she had intended.

"Yeah, she couldn't stand he cold in here". His sarcastic reply came promptly and she flinched. 

'This is why I am leaving' she thought and sat down across from him. 

"Mulder." 

"What?" 

"I just handed in my request for transfer." 

His head shot up, his eyes widened in surprise, then turned dark. "What did you just say?" 

"I am leaving, Mulder, I think it's for the best...it's just...we...we're not partners anymore 
Mulder...we destroy each other and I can't let that happen." She swallowed hard and tried to 
hold his gaze. 

"We've had some rough times, Scully." 

"I know, and when I told you I would see this through with you that day in the park I meant it." 
she replied, suddenly weary. "But so many things have changed...I mean look at us, we keep 
bitching at each other; this is NOT good!"

Mulder looked down on his hands. How could she do this to him? He felt as if someone had 
ripped his heart out. "If that is you decision, then fine, Scully, I just wish you would have told 
me before you made it!" 

He gave her one of his looks and she wanted to tell him that she couldn't stand seeing him with 
another woman, when things were still unresolved between them, that she wanted him back, if 
only as her closest friend, but she couldn't... 

"Why, Mulder, would it have made any difference?" Her eyes blazed like cold, blue fire. She was 
getting angry at his self-pitying expression. 

"Yeah, I need you..." She looked up gazing at him sharply. "There is so much we still don't 
know, we've might even get the X-files back..." 

'Of course,' she thought angrily, 'the X-files, his Holy Grail!' Out loud she said. "I am sorry, 
Mulder, I have made my decision...for various reasons...one of them being that I don't think we 
work as a team anymore - too much has happened between us!" 'Huntsville happened between 
us and Rachel Williams just happened!' 

He looked at her across the desk, his eyes dark and hurt. "Nothing that we couldn't change, 
Scully." He answered in a low voice. 

"Too much, Mulder, too much has been destroyed...and there are some things we cannot make 
undone!" He was silent at that and she got up, picking up her belongings. "You are leaving right 
NOW?" 

"Yes, I am taking a few days off to get everything ready - the position I have taken is up in 
Boston!" 

Now, someone was trampling on his heart. He was without words. "I see..." was the only thing 
he could mumble.

She hesitated for a moment, hoping for one crazy second that he would try to talk her out of 
it, but he didn't. Tears welled up in her eyes and she bit he lip to keep them from coming. 
"Good-bye, Mulder!" she whispered and stepped out into the hall. 

It broke her heart to see him like this, sitting at his desk, head bent, forehead resting on his 
palms. But she had made the right decision.

She had lost him long ago and now it was time to face the consequences.


*****************************


One week later

"Yes, I'll let you know as soon as I'm there, hey it's not as if I was moving to the moon, Mom! 
Look, I really have to go now, my plane leaves in an hour...no I am sure...bye." Dana Scully 
hung up and speed-dialed Mulder's number. 

"This is Fox Mulder..."



'Damn his answering machine!" She had been trying both his cell phone and home number 
constantly but had not been able to locate him. 

She hadn't wanted to leave without saying good-bye but Mulder had been elusive. It was as if 
he didn't want to speak to her and he probably didn't. Sighing, Scully picked up her bag and 
looked around one more time at her now empty apartment.

Her furniture was on the way to Boston and the place looked cold and deserted. Just an empty 
apartment, stripped of its personality. She pulled the door close behind her and descended the 
stairs. The cab was already waiting and she got in without looking back. Had she done so, she 
might have noticed the lone figure standing in the shadow of a huge tree across the street. 

Mulder stood motionless, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He had watched her move 
around the apartment and when she stepped out into the bright light of the entrance he had 
gotten one last look at her face, framed by bright red hair. His heart started beating rapidly as 
she glanced up but she got into the cab without noticing him. "Bye, Scully." He mumbled and a 
single tear rolled down his cheek. 

She was gone and the world as he knew it had suddenly stopped turning.


*********************************


"The cellular customer you have been...." Walter Skinner put down the receiver and sat back in 
his desk chair. 

He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. Her home number was 
disconnected and the cell phone just gave the same electronic message.

She was gone. 

Gone before he'd had the chance to get to know her. 

Gone before they'd even started...what? What exactly had happened between them? A couple 
of phone calls, two dates...true there had been some tension, but apart from that...nothing 
HAD really happened. "I don't know why I am kidding myself..." He mumbled. 

He'd been watching her for what seemed like years now. He didn't even remember when he 
started paying closer attention to her, but one day it had just hit him how beautiful she was, 
how incredibly sexy for all her professional demeanor. Of course he'd never pursued it, after all 
he had been her superior officer...it had been a secret admiration until he had bargained for her 
life. The thought of her dying had stirred something deep inside him and so he sold his soul to 
the devil for her life and lost. Now he couldn't get rid of the demons that haunted him. Infecting 
him with nano-atoms had just been the beginning. 

Maybe it was just as well that she was gone. 

Being with him could turn out to be as endangering for her as being with Mulder or the X-Files.


End part 3