Title: A Matter of Trust (2/2)
by the Jedi Shipper
Rated: PG-13 for cursing
Spoilers: Ohh spoilers fly here and there.
Category: MSR, Angst 
Summary: Dang, even when she’s not around she’s causing problems. I’m
talking about Diana of course. My take on the ring issue.
Author's Notes: Part of my series. I am assuming that Biogenesis and
everything that follows it never happened. (Cause I wanna that’s why!)
Disclaimer: As much as I wish these people were my creation and I had
millions of dollars and lots of fans, they're not. Surfer dude CC owns
them as well as Fox, 1013,DD, GA, whoever else you want to credit. I am 
getting no money for this story yadda yadda yadda.

	Mulder stared at the door for several seconds. He reached down and
scooped up the two rings, turning on his heel and walking out the door. He 
got into his car and for a moment just sat.
	Suddenly he started slamming his fist into the dash board cursing up a
blue streak. He cursed at himself for saying something so stupid, he cursed at 
Scully, he cursed at Diana. When he was done with that he cursed at himself again.
	When he was done with his little outburst, his knuckles a little
banged up, he pulled out of the parking lot.
	Mulder’s first thought was he needed a drink. In fact, he wanted
several drinks. He wanted to get good and drunk.
	Thankfully his brain caught up with him. He was already in enough
trouble, Scully would be seriously pissed if he showed up drunk.
	That was assuming she would ever want him back.
	He didn’t feel like going home, he defiantly couldn’t go back to
Scully’s yet. Making a decision he headed for the Lone Gunmen’s office. A few 
minutes later he was pounding on the door.
	“Coming, coming hold on a minute,” Frohike’s voice came. Mulder waited
as the thousand or so locks were unlocked.
	“Mulder,” Langly greeted, “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
	“And what happened to your hand?” Byers finished.
	Mulder didn’t answer right away. Instead he went to the couch and sat
down.
	“I uh-, busted my hand because I kind of slammed it into the
dashboard,”
	The Gunmen looked at each other eyebrows raised, and then back at
Mulder quizzically.
	He sighed and finally said, “Scully found my old wedding ring. She
left the apartment, I followed her, we had a fight, she threw me out, and I beat 
on the dashboard,”
	There was a moment of silence.
	“She threw this at me,” Mulder added holding out the rings.
	Another silence.
	“Mulder you’re a damn prick,” Frohike said finally. “How could you
have not told her?”
	“We had to tell her about you two being together. We left it up to you
to tell her that you married Diana,” Langly joined in.
	“Don’t you three start in on me. I’ve been through this once, I don’t
want to do it again. All right, I should have told her but she didn’t have to 
leave like that. She could have stayed and talked to me. She overreacted,”
	“She may have overreacted but she had every right to,” Byers said
reasonably.
	“How do you figure that?”
	“You really are an asshole you know that?” Frohike said. “This has
been coming to you for a long time. You know, you’ve ditched her, you’ve lied to 
her, you’ve put her through endless amounts of shit and expected her to follow 
you. Through all that she has trusted you above all others and for some reason 
even fell in love with you. But Diana Fowley is the only thing that has ever 
made her doubt your partnership. And never once did you stop to reassure her that 
she means more to you then Diana does, that you trust her, that you love
her. At least I’m assuming that’s all true,”
	“Of course it is,” Mulder snapped.  He leaned back against the couch
and pulled a hand over his eyes. He sighed.
	“So what do I do?”
	“Begging for forgiveness would be a good start,” Langly put in	
	“Let her know that you’ll always put her above Diana. That you’ll
always trust her first,” Byers added.
	“And for the love of God get rid of that ring. Oh and remember
something, you don’t deserve her,”
	Mulder half scowled, half smiled at that remark. He left the Gunmen’s
office and drove around aimlessly for a couple of hours.
	He ended up on the bench where he and Scully often came way back when
they’d been split up. A long time ago, Mulder thought, even before her abduction.
	He sat and thought rolling both the rings between his hands. Finally he 
flung the old wedding ring into the murky water below and sprinted back to his car.
	Before he knew it he was back at her apartment, knocking on the door.
	Scully opened the door but stood between him and the apartment. Her
eyes were puffy and red rimmed from crying.
	Almost instantly Mulder’s heart contracted. He hated seeing her cry
and the thought that he was behind her pain made him even angrier at himself.
	“What do you want Mulder? I don’t want to see you right now,” Scully
said finally.
	“I came to say I’m sorry. I was wrong, and I don’t want to loose you.
Please, let me explain?”
	Scully stared at him for a moment. He could see she was still very
angry. Finally she nodded and stepped aside to let him in.
	“I know I haven’t told you the whole truth, but if you’ll let me I’ll
tell you now,” Mulder continued.
	Again Scully just nodded, preferring not to say a word. Mulder
wondered if that was a good or a bad sign. Whatever it was, at least she was 
willing to listen.
	 She sat down on the couch and Mulder sat at the opposite end, not
wanting to press his luck.
	“Scully when I meet Diana, it was right before I found the X-Files.
And after that, no one would believe me. They made fun of me, they laughed at me, 
but she didn’t,”
	“I don’t want to hear this,” Scully said, starting to get up. Mulder
reached out and grabbed her hand.
	“Wait, please, let me finish. Please?”
	Scully hesitated but sat again.
	“She seemed to think like me. I don’t even think I really loved her.
It was just, I was young, foolish and she was the only one who believed me,”
	He took a deep breath before continuing, “So one day, we took a trip
to Las Vegas. We were in a shop when she saw the wedding rings. And it was her 
idea, maybe all the chapels around went to her head. Before I really knew what 
was happening, we were married,”
	Again he paused. “But then, something came up. She was offered the job
in Europe and wanted me to go. She wanted me to leave the X-Files and follow her. 
I said I wouldn’t. I went to sleep and when I woke up there was a note saying that 
she had gone to Europe, maybe I would change my mind. A couple of months later she 
filed for divorce. It never even got into my files,”
	He found the courage to look up at her then. “But Scully when she
showed up, it never changed anything for me. She may have believed me, but you 
believe in me. When I told you that you’re the only one I really, truly trust, I 
meant every word. When I told you, you were my one in five billion, you still are. 
I don’t love her, maybe I never did. I love you. I can’t imagine my life 
without you,”
	Scully looked at him, her lower lip beginning to quiver. This time it
was not with anger, or hurt, but because his words touched her.
	“Please, please forgive me?”
	In response Scully moved closer and opened her arms to him.
	A wave of relief rushed over Mulder as he held her close, silently
thanking God.
	“I’m sorry too Mulder. I didn’t mean to react that badly,” she said.
	“Shh. Don’t apologize. You had every right,” he said, only holding her
tighter.
	He reached up and gently wiped the tears away from her eyes. Then he
reached down and pulled something from his pocket.
	“Do you still want to marry me? One of these days?” he asked gently.
	Then she smiled, a genuine smile, and allowed him to slip the ring
back on her finger.
	“I love you,” she said softly.
	“I love you too,” he said, leaning down to kiss her deeply.
	Somewhere in the back of his mind he recalled a conversation he’d once
had about make-up sex being great. 
	He decided to test that theory.
_____________________________________
Fini! Nope... still haven’t gotten up the courage to do NC-17. Well
what do you think?