Title: Taken

Author: Girlie_girl7

Email: Girlie_girl74@yahoo.com

Date: 02-04-04

Category: MSR

Spoilers: VS 11 timeline

Rating: PG

Archive: Anywhere

Disclaimer: Fox owns ’em

Summary: It’s St. Patrick’s Day and Mulder and Scully

have had a fight.

~ Taken ~

It’s a cold and rainy end to St. Patrick’s Day. The

once a year revelers have pretty much left the bar,

leaving only the hardened drinkers behind and one very

depressed FBI Agent. Fox Mulder sits at the end of

the bar nursing his second drink of the evening. He’s

been here almost an hour, so that makes it two hours

since he and Scully had their fight. His trench coat

lies on the bar next to him while his tie hangs

loosely around his neck. He downs a gulp of green

beer, and lets out a long, deep, sigh.

A burly, rugged faced, old barkeep wearing a nametag

proclaiming him to be ‘Gus’ slowly walks over to the

agent. He mops up the bar and carefully eyes Mulder.

“You’re not a regular and you don’t seen impressed

with it being St. Patrick’s Day so you must have woman

troubles.”

Mulder doesn’t raise his head; he simply nods to the

older man.

Gus grabs a shot glass from the small sink under the

counter and begins to dry and polish it. “She yer

wife?” Gus questions.

“Nope,” Mulder stubbornly says.

“She yer girlfriend then?”

Mulder takes a long drink of his draft. “She used to

be.”

“So you two broke up?”

“Not exactly, but I doubt that I will be seeing her

naked anytime soon.” Mulder pushes his empty glass

toward Gus and points down at it.

Gus fills the mug and pushes it back to Mulder. “Ah

woman, can’t live with ’em and can’t live without

’em,” Gus philosophizes as he polishes another glass.

Mulder takes a sip of his beer; “You married?” He asks

Gus.

Gus puts down the glass and tosses the bar towel over

his shoulder. A long, wistful, look covers the old

mans face. “I was married for twenty years. Her name

was Elle; she had the prettiest head of hair I ever

laid eyes on, shiny like a new copper penny.”

This gets Mulder’s attention. He finally looks up at

the old man behind the bar.

Gus continues to stand in a trance like state. “She

had the biggest, soulful, blue eyes, like the color of

Windex,” he grins.

“I fell for her hard, she was just a tiny little

thing, but my world revolved around that woman.”

Mulder swallows hard and gets a guilty look on his

face. “You two still together?”

Gus sadly shakes his head. “In spirit only, son. She

got cancer and passed away. To this day she has been

the only woman I have ever loved.”

Mulder takes a sip of his green beer but he doesn’t

really taste it.

Gus wipes down the bar and pockets a tip. “I sure do

miss her, at times I don’t know why I continue. We

never had kids so this job is all I have.” He glances

up at Mulder. “I love this job but not as much as I

loved my Elle.” Gus turns away and digs out his

handkerchief to blow his nose on.

Mulder quickly downs his beer and hops off the stool.

He slaps down a twenty and races for the door. He

runs across the street and down the next block as the

rain pelts his face and plasters his clothing to his

body. He sprints up the next street, running in and

out of the heavy traffic with his tie blowing back

over his shoulder and his clothes heavy with rain.

He finally makes it to Scully’s apartment building and

flings the lobby door open. He doesn’t wait for the

elevator instead choosing to race up the stairs,

taking the steps two at a time. He runs down the

hallway, his shoes sloshing and his dress pants

plastered to his legs. “Scully!” He pounds on the

door. “Open up, please. I’m so sorry; it was all my

fault.” There is no answer. He begins to plead,

“Please Scully, please let me in.” He rests his head

against the door as water drips off his soaked hair

and trickles down his nose. “Sculleee,” he softly

pleads.

Suddenly the door is throw open. “Mulder, what do you

think…”

Scully stops short when she sees what condition her

partner is in. “Mulder, what happened?” She softly

says.

He flings himself at her, wrapping his arms around her

satin pajama clad body. He pulls her close, nearly

suffocating her in the process. “Scully, Scully,

Scully,” Mulder softly repeats.

Scully finally pushes away from him. “It’s okay

Mulder, it’s okay,” she soothingly says to him.

Mulder looks down at her, “Oh Scully, I’ve gotten you

wet. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Scully smiles up at him as she leads him

into the living room. “Here, sit down while I get you

a towel.”

“No,” Mulder yells as she leaves the room. “I don’t

want to get your couch wet.”

Scully comes back in. “It’s all right, its just

water,” she says as she hands him a towel and smiles.

“It is just water, isn’t it?”

Mulder finally grins at her, “Yeah.”

Pulling him into the kitchen, she sets him down on a

wooden chair and removes his jacket then places a

towel around his shoulders. She takes another towel

and rubs his hair. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

“No,” Mulder pouts, as he looks down enjoying the view

Scully is affording him while she briskly rubs his

head with a towel.

She finishes drying his hair and tosses the towel

aside. She takes his chin in her hand and as if

talking to a petulant child says, “Mulder, tell me

what’s going on.”

He looks up into her big, blue eyes and pitifully

says, “Scully, I don’t want to fight anymore. We

never know how much time we have left.”

Scully smiles and bends down to bring her lips to his.

“I know. I don’t like to fight either.”

Suddenly the phone rings. “You get that while I make

us some tea.”

Mulder toes off his shoes as he walks into the living

room to answer the phone. “Hello.”

“Hello Agent Mulder, it’s Gus. You left your overcoat

here at the bar.”

Mulder rubs his forehead. “Oh right, I’ll be over in

the morning to get it.

“Good enough,” Gus says as he begins to hang up.

Suddenly it hits Mulder. “Wait! How did you know my

name and where to reach…” but its too late, Gus has

already hung up.

Mulder taps the phone against his chin thinking, and

then he hangs up. “Hey Scully.”

“Yes,” Scully answers as she brings in two hot mugs of

tea.

He turns to face her. “Do you know a bartender named

‘Gus’?”

Scully sits down and hands Mulder a mug of tea as he

settles in next to her.

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you go there often?”

“Occasionally, why?”

“Has Gus ever mentioned his late wife Elle?”

Scully takes a sip of her tea. “No, I didn’t know he

ever had another wife.”

Mulder frowns. “Another wife?”

“That’s right. I know his wife Mary; she bakes the

best baklava I’ve ever eaten. Remember, I brought

some into the office a time or two.”

“So Gus never had a wife named Elle?”

Scully thinks for a moment. “I don’t think so, Mary

told me they have been married for over forty years.”

“Hum, is she a tiny, blue eyed, red head?”

Scully laughs. “Hardly! She’s as big as Gus with

salt and pepper hair and brown eyes. Why do you ask?”

Mulder looks off into space then looks at Scully.

“Because I think I have just been hood-winked.”

Scully frowns, unsure of what he means. “I don’t

understand?”

“Did Mary ever have cancer?”

Scully furrows her brow, “I don’t think so.”

“Are she and Gus happy together, I mean does he

worship her?”

Scully laughs. “Gus and Mary? He calls her ‘the old

ball and chain’ and she calls him… well, I won’t tell

you what she calls him.”

“And they never had any children?”

Scully sits back on the couch. “Mulder, the bar Gus

works at is called ‘The Four Bother’s’, those are

Gus’s sons’. They employ him to give him something to

do.”

“Hum. Do you talk to Gus much?”

“No, not really, but I do chat with Mary while she is

getting my order ready.”

“Have you ever mentioned me to her?”

Scully blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her

ear. “I might have a time or two. Mary is a good

listener. Why?”

“Because I think I have just been taken my your pal

Gus.”

“Taken in. What happened?”

“After our fight, I took a walk.”

“Yes, I remember hearing the door slam.” Scully

comments.

Mulder chooses to ignore that remark. “I took a walk

and ended up in front of this little bar so I went in.

Everyone was drinking and toasting the day so I sat

down at the counter.”

“I take it you were at The Four Brother’s.”

Mulder turns to face her. “Right, and this old

bartender started to tell me a story about his late

wife, and Scully I swear she could have been your

twin.” Mulder frowns and softly says to himself, “I

should have suspected something was up.” He gets off

the couch and stalks around the room as he runs his

fingers through his hair. “How could I have fallen

for that? My deductive reasoning sure let me down

tonight. Maybe it was the booze,” He mumbles.

Scully rises and walks over to her partner. She

gently pulls on his shirtfront, drawing him down.

“Mulder, is it possible that Gus merely brought you to

your senses? I know I am sorry for what I said to you

earlier.”

Mulder looks down at Scully and smiles. “You know

that Gus is a pretty smart guy.” He envelops her in a

hug and doesn’t release her.

Scully lays her head on his chest. “Mulder, you’re

chilled, let’s get you warmed up.”

“Any suggestions, Agent Scully?” Mulder leers at her.

Scully looks up with a feral grin on her face. “Well,

I do have a big, deep, bathtub.”

“And you know how I hate to bathe alone,” Mulder

smiles down at her. He releases her and lets her pull

him toward the bathroom. “Scully, I’d like to go to

The Four Brother’s again.”

“You would?”

“Yeah, and I would like to take you with me this

time.”

Scully wraps her arm around his waist as Mulder drapes

his arm across her shoulder. “I’d like that.”

“And Scully you think you could bring in some more of

that Baklava?”

“I think that could be arranged,” Scully smiles as

they walk into the bathroom, shutting the door behind

them.

~ The End ~