#no date for krycek

[starbuck09256]

Hot date?

Tagging @today-in-fic and @xffictober2023

Mulder POV

Set in season 2 during Sleepless

Scully doesn’t shake Kryceks hand. I feel a little smug about it. Scully and I went through a lot last year. While we didn’t always have the easiest of partnerships, the large amount of respect and admiration for her has only grown in recent months. As much as I tried to step away after The X-files were closed it didn’t work. She is still here by my side helping me when she can. I know she misses the fieldwork, she loves the challenge of the unexplained almost as much as I do. I lean back after she explains how a man can think they were being burned alive yet not have a single burn on his body. Her expertise and knowledge continue to amaze me as I smile as Kryceks asks his follow-up questions. I pick up a recent article she has lying on the side of the desk. It’s one that I sent her yesterday. I grin at the notes and highlights she has already jotted down. The one at the bottom, stating “There is not nearly enough room on this page or any of the others to describe how wrong and incredibly fabricated this is”. Given all that she has done for me in recent weeks, I know I need to take her to dinner. Then I hear Krycek saying something to her about dinner as well. Confused I lift my head up in curiosity. 

“I am wondering if you would have dinner with me, sometime this week Agent Scully,” she looks up at him in confusion. “I’m sorry, you mean to discuss the case?” I can see the shadow of her face and know that Krycek has made her uneasy. While I would like nothing more than to go up and wrap my arm around her and explain clearly that she is not on the market. She is on the market. I know she isn’t seeing anyone socially. There are days I wonder if I could get a refund on my Oxford education because, until this exact moment, I didn’t realize I should be dating Scully. Krycek chuckles and shakes his head reaching his hand out towards. Scully's eyes flicker to me quickly but I know she can handle this on her own, and my own interest in her makes it imperative to hear her answer. “I would want to know if you would like to go on a date with me?” Krycek asks, he pulls his hand away since Scully put some distance between them. “I don’t think so, Agent Krycek? Was it?” Ooh well played Scully, well played. Not only did you brush off his question you also illustrated quite clearly his unimportance. I can’t help but grin just slightly. Krycek seems a bit confused at being denied. “Why? Are you seeing someone? It's just dinner,” Scully takes a step towards him. My former partner will not be pushed around by anyone, ever. I can’t say that I’m not a tiny bit thrilled to have her unleash on him. Krycek is an annoying little yes man who makes me want to question any personnel who thought he was Agent material. “Actually, Agent Krycek, I’m interested in someone else, though I’m sure you would be an adequate dinner companion.” Scully's eyes now land directly on mine right at the moment she said she was interested in someone else. I have to resist the urge to point at myself. A man can dream, that this spitfire woman, whose brilliance and tenacity have certainly captured my heart, would be interested. “Well, alright Agent Scully,” Krycek leaves it alone.

 Part of me is surprised he seems like the kind of creep who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Krycek reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone dialing as he gestures that he will be right outside when I’m done. 

I walk over to Scully. She looks up at me with a small smile. I bite my lip. “I didn’t know, he wanted to ask you out,” I say because really I didn’t. While of course, I have thought about Scully in not-so-professional ways. It wasn’t until minutes ago that I realized I could ask her out. I could spend my evenings with her in that cozy apartment of hers, arguing about cryptoids and the validity of space crafts that have crashed into the sea. She shrugs. “Well, he certainly isn’t the person I was hoping to ask me out when you two walked through the door.” My brave woman. She has played her hand, and I am grinning wildly at her. “I might have come to the conclusion just a few minutes ago that now that we aren’t partners in a professional sense, we could in fact be partners in a more personal manner.” I step close to her, invading her small space, which doesn’t make sense to me as she takes up so much of my mind some days it’s hard to think of her as tiny or small. She looks up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, “You just now thought of that? I thought you went to Oxford?” she teases and I am already moving my hand up and down her arm. “Tonight dinner?” I ask. Please say yes Scully. Because it’s Friday and I want the entire weekend to make up for the fact that you and I could have been enjoying each other for months in non-platonic ways. “Pick me up at 7?” She says, her soft smile is the one she gives me when she figures out the small clues I leave for her to uncover. I reach up tucking an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. “Absolutely,” I say. She nods softly. 

Her voice takes on a soft undertone “I’ll email this over to you when I’m done. We can talk about that article you sent yesterday.” She is all of a sudden a little shy and I adore it. “Oh, I don’t know Scully I have other things I think we need to talk about tonight. Like if I should bring my go-bag and what your favorite breakfast foods that I can make you are?” She shakes her head laughing and hits me with the file folder. “Get out of here Mulder, I need to leave soon to get ready for my hot date.” I chuckle heading to the door. “You mean I need to leave and get ready for my hot date,” I say to her.  We grin at one another and as I turn to grab the handle for the door. Her shy voice is back. “Maybe pack for an extended weekend, since we have Monday off, after all.” The shit-eating grin I have when I walk out of the morgue drives Krycek a bit nuts as he sulks back to the bullpen. 

[swiftzeldas]

Hey, I don't appreciate being ditched like someone's bad date.

alex krycek + the x-files (season 2)

[muldermuse]

Fox Mulder Masterlist

Fox Mulder X Reader: One Shots

Peanuts

You meet an interesting stranger at a bar

First Date

Your first date with Fox

Halloween Party

Your boyfriend, Fox Mulder, convinces you not to go to your work Halloween Party

The Best Medicine

Fox takes care of you when you are ill

Jealous Fox

Fox gets jealous when he sees a coworker flirt with you

Houseplants

Fox helps you move into your first apartment

A Hard Day

Fox helps you through a bad mental health day

The Name Game 

You and Fox struggle to decide a name for your kitten

The Most Haunted Forest in South Carolina

Fox invites you camping 

Jealously, Jealousy

Fox doesn’t like how interested Alex Krycek is in you

Okay is not enough (Part 1)

Your family are being held captive by one of Fox’s previous encounters

Fox Mulder X Reader: Headcanons

Protective Fox Mulder

Fox has a crush on his coworker

Subtle ways Fox shows he has a crush

How Fox acts around Reader

Reader gets jealous of Fox’s new coworker

NSFW version of above^^^

NSFW Fox thoughts

Fox misses you

Reader’s birthday

Your cat loves Fox

Fox cheers you up

Forgetful mornings with Fox

Fox misses you after a trip (some nsfw)

Fox loves lingerie (some nsfw)

Dad!Fox Mulder

Dad!Fox Mulder 2

Modern Fox Mulder

Fox is a Buzzfeed Unsolved fan

Halloweeny Fox Thoughts 1, 2 and 3

Muldermuse October Writing Fest

Spooky Pyjamas (Dad!Fox Mulder x Reader)

A new family tradition is started

A Halloween Announcement (Fox Mulder X Reader)

As title states...it’s a halloween announcement

Trick ‘r Treat (Fox Mulder X Reader)

Fancy dress SMUT

Halloween Party (Cat Dad!Fox Mulder X Reader)

Fox has a party with your cat

Haunted House (Dad!Fox Mulder X Reader)

You come home from work to a haunted house

Halloween Card (Dad!Fox Mulder X Reader)

Fox receives a special card from his family

Ghosts (Modern! Fox Mulder X Reader)

A drabble about doing a ghost walk with Fox

Fox is creative (Modern! Fox Mulder X Reader)

Fox loves Halloween recipes

Ghost Hunting (Fox Mulder X Reader)

A hc about ghost hunting with Fox

[deathsbestgirl]

Tell me everything about how insane Scully is please!

how insane is scully????

you guys. i mad it through a lot of s1-3 and then started doing random episodes. this is LONG and incomplete. but you've been waiting so long already. so, under the cut:

my favorite crazy thing about scully is in the pilot, she's assigned to debunk mulder's work, and in the middle she's ready to run back to the fbi to tell them he's right because of dirt. she's known the man a few days and runs to his room to undress in front of him & run into his arms!! her face buried in his chest. she has him whipped on the first day, chasing after her. and she'll follow him anywhere.

in deep throat, mulder runs off on his own and next thing you know, scully takes another government agent hostage at gunpoint (with his own gun??) to get mulder back. she teases him, calls him crazy. he likes it so much she never stops. sucker.

in squeeze, scully just has to stick with mulder because he said she was right & played with her necklace. she has to know every thought in his head. she calls him to gossip about colton because now they're best friends.

in the jersey devil, scully whines when mulder sends her home alone, bails mulder out of jail, ditches her date the moment mulder pages her, turns down a second date & follows mulder...threatening to hurt him for teasing her. she's told her friends he's cute and tries to justify why he isn't an option. and it isn't because they work together. (as much as we say she's not getting into another relationship with a superior / colleague...she would, also insane behavior)

in ghost in the machine, scully meets jerry and dislikes him instantaneously just because he was mulder's partner (she's his partner). she knows mulder's profile without any doubt in her mind, but she still asks mulder to confirm. she tells mulder to go get a beer, as if she doesn't already know he can't stop (and even if he could, he wouldn't)

in ice, she very nearly attacks hodge for suggesting she's been infected because she was yelling at mulder. she pulls a gun on mulder and refuses to give up on him, she goes in to talk to him alone. she tackles a man twice her size with no hesitation.

in eve, she answers the phone in mulder's room!!! (this is silly but clearly, they never gave a second thought to being in each other's rooms lol)

in fire, she hates phoebe right off the bat. scully knew her game before mulder told her anything, but she asks him questions anyway. she single-handedly solves the case and gets that woman back out of his life...then scares him with a fake accent. she takes the sherlock joke and makes it hers & mulder's. phoebe who?

in e.b.e. she meets the lone gunmen, calls them the most paranoid people she's ever met, then proceeds to become the most paranoid person you've ever met, most paranoid person in the world.

in tooms, she lies to skinner to give mulder an alibi. she participated in an illegal stakeout so mulder wouldn't get himself killed. she calls him fox and tells him he's the only person she'd put herself on the line for. she is completely devoted.

in erlenmeyer flask, she teams up with a man she doesn't trust to get mulder back. she goes into a top security government facility to steal an alien fetus, and figures out the password deep throat didn't tell her about.

in little green men, she sets up a secret meeting with mulder using their little code. she talks about george hale, lets herself into mulder's apartment, hacks his computer, and tracks him down to puerto rico. where they end up running from the military. she can barely keep her hands off him.

when krycek shows up, scully snubs him because he's working with mulder. scully is his partner, she's his friend. she doesn't trust anyone else with him — and she's right.

in duane barry, she inserts herself into the hostage situation, to the point they let her talk to mulder to guide him...as the rest of them have failed. she finds the metal implant, scans it at the grocery check out, correctly surmises what it's for (at least one purpose), and screams for mulder. i also think she manages to get her necklace off so mulder will know he's on the right path when he finds it (someone else pointed this out, idr who i'm sorry!!) she remembers squeeze.

in end game, mulder knows he couldn't tell her about his sister because she would have sacrificed herself. while he's in martha's vineyard (?) she's running around d.c. on her own as she's being followed. doing all the things he taught her to evade them.

in dod kalm, she goes on his unsanctioned trip to the middle of the ocean and forces him to drink the little water they have, refusing to take it for herself. the entire time they're stuck there, she figures out what's happening and that's how the doctors save them & reverse the aging effects.

in anasazi/the blessing way, she's nearly shot and makes sure mulder doesn't go back to his apartment and instead comes to hers. she undresses him and puts him in her bed while she investigates to exonerate him. she shoots mulder and drives him across the country to albert hosteen. she tells teena mulder that mulder is okay, after walking to her mother's house with no shoes to tell maggie mulder is dead and argue with her sister. she attempts regression hypnosis but she can't do it because she doesn't have mulder.

in revelations, god is sending her signs and she believes she's supposed to protect kevin. she gets defensive at mulder's derisiveness toward religion and she doesn't hold it against him. in the end, she doesn't push and goes to confession instead, accepts his help with her coat. it's enough.

in war of the coprophages, she calls mulder all day on their day off. she rationalizes everything he finds. when he starts talking about bambi, she sleeps with the phone in her hand for when he calls again. she doesn't want to hear him talk about another woman but she does it anyway. "are you sure it wasn't a girly scream?" and then she just drives out to meet him because no one investigates with mulder except her. smart is sexy. after he asked her what she was wearing after she spouted off about darwin.

in syzygy, i don't even think i need to say anything here. she's just so insane and i love it. she's jealous & petty & mean, but also very honest about how she's feeling. in the end, they're still in sync but she is going to drive like a maniac because she's still mad.

in grotesque, scully is once again prepared to hate mulder's former boss. she doesn't need to know anything and she yells at this man for how he treats mulder. this is a woman who grew up with brothers for sure.

in pusher, scully doesn't believe mulder when he theorizes about modell's abilities. but the second he's the target, she believes. she doesn't hide her fear for him and she walks into that hospital room blind with only a bulletproof vest on. she doesn't run when he tells her too. she will never leave him.

in home, she's thinking about motherhood and having kids and asks mulder about his family. when he swings his head around to her at the question, she stares right back. i swear it's a challenge.

in the field where i died, she yells at mulder for not telling skinner the truth (she never rats on him). she still goes with him to his regression. she doesn't believe these are past lives, but she takes the information he shared and digs into the archives. she finds the american revolution era names. she tells him she wouldn't change a day.

tunguska/terma: she is held in contempt of congress to give mulder time. she trusts his instincts and not her own. she tells the court about the government conspiracy of men and continuously avoids their questions, pushing forward about the lawless men.

in never again, she likes ed because he's interested, because she can talk openly with him without consequences, because he's a sad man & a little dangerous. but then he's really dangerous. she only goes out with ed because she thinks mulder only cares about the work and not her. she gets a tattoo.

in memento mori, she only tells mulder about her cancer. she chooses to investigate instead of pursue treatment right away. she apologize to skinner. she rights letter after letter to mulder, begging forgiveness & asking him to go on. talking about how she feels him close. when she decides to start treatment, she asks mulder to bring her things & call her mother. in the end, she decides to abandon typical treatment and live with cancer.

in gethsemane/reduxes, she doesn't tell mulder he cancer has metastasized. she continues to work, getting injured on the job. she tells police the dead man in his apartment is mulder, she lies to skinner & the fbi. she runs herself ragged to the point she collapses. she begs mulder to blame her & save himself. she's adamant mulder can't trust skinner, even after skinner was shot because he tried to keep melissa's case open.

in chinga, she has no idea how to take a vacation anymore. she can't ignore the x file she stumbles into and she believes it's the doll. she microwaves a little girl's doll to save a woman.

in pine bluff variant, scully chases after mulder when they lose contact. some unknown pathogen just killed someone. she rewatches the tapes after she's sure she saw mulder let whatshisname get away, but stays silent in the meeting. he won't tell her anything but it doesn't stop her from investigating. she can't believe that he's betraying his country, and hiding anything so big from her. it gets to the point skinner has to tell her and she rails at him & that other guy for endangering mulder. she's his partner!! and she makes more headway in a few days than these other idiots did in weeks. she's relentless.

in tithonus, scully has to work a case without mulder and she hates it. she insists it isn't an x file but i think she knows. she's endeared toward fellig despite herself. she asks 'how can you have too much life?' she knows the pain of dying, of leaving people behind, of not being able to finish everything you started. she can't get enough despite all the pain & struggle. she has things to do, someone she wants to be with & they aren't there yet. and when she's got, and fellig tells her to close her eyes, don't look at him — she does it!! in this vulnerable moment, on the cusp of death, she believes. she believed him almost instantly.

in mulder & scully meet the weremonster, she approaches suspects ALONE. mulder scolds her for it both times. she tells him 'you forget, i'm immortal'

in home again, maggie dies and she loses it. she's sobbing, refusing to let them take maggie, mulder tries to get her to take time and she refuses. it's a stark contrast to her grief in beyond the sea. he can't stop her but he can be with her. we hear her call mulder 'fox' for the first time since tooms.

in the my struggles (idk which one lol) scully is desperate to save mulder. she knows what's coming and she can't lose him. "you need him, and i neee you." the truth is she needs william too, and he's so close now. she never tried to find him to keep him safe (supposedly) but for mulder, she'll take the risk. and maybe stop fighting herself for once. she's unbearably good, but her & mulder are the only ones who can save the world and she can't do it alone. (crazy, crazy, crazy)

other things: scully thinks mulder's porn habit is funny, endearing. she doesn't seem to have any (real) negative thoughts or feelings about it. she argues with him relentlessly about his theories/actions/decisions, but never in front of other people. in front of others, she backs him up, defends him, or stays silent (pine bluff variant). but she will good-naturedly make fun of him to strangers ('he chews the furniture' and something in humbug & quagmire). on friday nights, she stays home cleaning her gun, reading books, reading medical journals & writing for them. she loves jose chung. she believes in the possibility of time travel but not in science's current abilities to achieve it. she remembers every word mulder has ever said (dreams, ftf hallway speech). she literally hangs in his every word and incorporates it into her worldview, her behavior, who she is as a person. scully dedicated herself to mulder in the pilot, before she knew what it meant. and once she did know what it meant, she stayed and stayed and stayed. she believes in him so much, in what he can achieve that it drives her to do crazy things herself. something she always had in her, but now she can let it out. it has a purpose. and dana scully with a purpose is someone you don't mess with and can't be hidden in the shadows (despite the effort of a global conspiracy).

[carefulfears]

Omgosh I’m currently part way through my first rewatch of the xf and sweet LORD earth s2 scully was really ready to risk it all… maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but those first few eps in s2 when they’re separated from each other are possibly some of the most romantic in the whole show. If they’d been professionally separated for much longer they 100% would have started dating then.

if they'd been professionally separated for much longer i think they would've committed scientific horrors. perhaps an act of terrorism. they BOTH got bangs. scully was BEGGING to autopsy a body covered in sewage and mutant worms to spend 5 minutes with him. when she flipped the photo of samantha on his desk to signal him to meet her at their secret meet-up spot, and all she wanted to do was ask if he's okay and ruffle his hair skjfdks. these are grown ass adults who work in the SAME BUILDING and have cell phones and they have super-secret codes and hiding places. they're best friends. scully lecturing at quantico and freaking her students the fuck out spiraling about how life is meaningless. they worked together for a year and have been separated for likeeeee maybe a few weeks, btw. when a kid said she sounds "spooky" and she looked like she was about to cry sdfkjshf. when he's emailing her case notes and she's TALKING ALOUD BACK TO THE EMAIL all giggly. ("'there have been reported abductee paranoia in UFO mass abduction cases…' i was wondering when you'd get to that...")

when he was partnered with krycek and she's sooo jealous that someone else gets to work with him that she REFUSES TO SHAKE KRYCEK'S HAND. and then calls mulder later to be like :( do u like him better than me :( SHE LITERALLYYYY ASKS HIM THAT!!!

you're right, it is very romantic, in that it's very loving, but also they behave as though working at different desks is like....the most gothic devastation that could ever happen to them. there's genuinely a cute level of innocence to it. also....makes me think again of how laughable any discourse of scully just "tolerating" him or not really wanting this life is. the woman was near HYSTERIA.

thanks for chatting, i hope you're enjoying your watch!!! <3

[randomfoggytiger]

randomfoggytiger's Fictober Wrap Up, 2023

My first Fictober has concluded; and I decided to throw together my entries, thoughts, and acknowledgements into one post for posterity.

*****

Fictober Fics

"The Dead Are Everywhere, Scully"

Mulder and Scully reunite in the afterlife, two skeletons dancing in the rain and the mud.

"Regardless of His Actions Last Night"

Queequeg, alive and savage, joins Scully on her Chinga vacation.

"As Agent Mulder Says, There Are Many Different Kinds of Vampires" Part I

Mulder and Scully are attacked and turned into vampires by Ronnie Strickland. Scully's crisis begins when her faith seemingly rejects her.

"Time Passing in Moments"

Post Fight the Future Scully brings Halloween to Mulder, determined to give him a break while they wait and wait and wait for OPR.

"As Agent Mulder Says, There Are Many Different Kinds of Vampires" Part II

Mulder encourages Scully not to give up on her faith, both of them choosing to face potential death by holy fireball rather than letting her live in fearful limbo.

"There's Something Up There Mulder"

Scully realizes that Tooms is likely a distant relation of the Gender Bender Brethren (Amish hats are mentioned.)

"I Wonder If You Think It's Safe Enough to Indulge Yourself"

Metaphorical similarities between Mulder's supposed red-green colorblindness (which he does not have) and red-hot Phoebe Green.

"How Much You're Like Ahab"-- Mulder parallels his and Scully's crime scene eating habits to those of their cannibalistic pets.

"The Truth Is Out There-- But So Are Lies"-- Scully ruminates on her partner's ease with lying; and her ability to save him from Them and himself.

"Something Approaching a Normal Life"-- Mulder realizes Scully had invited him to (a disastrous) Thanksgiving to distract himself from the anniversary of his sister's abduction. He plans to return the favor.

"Preying on the Weak and Vainglorious"-- Post Sanguinarium Mulder ruminates on bad luck and bad ends; and Scully insists he's beautiful.

"Kids Today, Huh?"-- 2023 Mulder sinks into a slump after listening to a mopey song all day. Scully reasons him out of it.

"Is Being Made a Fool Of a Crime, Agent Mulder?"-- Mulder and Scully celebrate life, the dead, and all the Roadrunners and Wile E. Coyotes of the world. (My "happy birthday in a way, Mulder" fic.)

"We Need to Get Help"-- Mulder contemplates the glaring similarities between Gender Bender and Never Again and the new differences in his partner.

"We'll Think of Something"-- The Unnatural Scully grumbles over Mulder's tendency to run off into trouble. She goes, anyway.

"End of the Road"-- Mulder's peace after Closure.

"He Had Parents Who Loved Him"-- The Mulder family and baseball.

"I Think She Was Just Trying To Get Away"-- Scully reminisces on Mulder's distance and need for distraction post Monday.

"You Don't Know the First Thing About Me"-- Krycek has fixed opinions about the Syndicate, Mulder, Marita, and morals.

"My Religious Convictions Are Hardly the Issue Here"-- Scully and Mulder try to tackle her fears post All Souls.

"I'm Tired"-- Scully draws parallels between her Tithonus experience and Mulder's Sleepless and Demons one.

"Life’s Just a Path”-- If Melissa were alive post Fight the Future and Millennium, she'd never let her sister live it down.

"I Think He’s a Hard Kid to Love”-- Post Schizogeny Scully is sent on a case with Mulder to unofficially help Skinner's friends, one of which is a bear. (Prompts and artwork contributed by my two sisters.)

"Mulder Will Be Back”-- Jeffrey Spender sneers at Mulder's "hubris."

"Easy for You to Say”-- Post First Person Shooter Mulder is enamored with his little battle girlfriend.

"No More Paranormal than a Change of Wardrobe”-- Freshly-dating Mulder and Scully's lifestyles don't quite match yet; but the effort is worth it.

"What Must a Mother Go Through”-- Post Emily Mulder reasons Scully out of her Mrs. Peacock comparisons.

"Watch Over You Wherever You Go”-- One Breath Maggie remembers the many reinterpretations of her daughter's necklace.

"Your Ideas Are Weirder than Ours”-- The Lone Gunmen are woken by two very grumpy-with-each-other special agents.

"Doesn’t Make Him Less of a Miracle”-- AU Mulder tries to fight colonization and wrangle his "sea monster" child at the local ball pit.

"Sooner or Later a Man’s Gotta Face His Demons”-- Post Amor Fati Scully prods Mulder on a stakeout about his lack of Samhain hunting.

*****

My Thoughts

It's been a few years since I've committed to a daily creative project, but this month flew by. It was a joy to prove myself, in a way; and an even greater privilege to take other people's prompts and turn them into stories. I'm proud of the work I put in, proud of how they turned out, and proud that they entertained anyone who read them.

I did discover a personal writing flaw: grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Which, given that I write and "edit" everything in under an hour and that my brain autocorrects and rewrites while I'm actively writing, is understandable. There are multiple reblogged versions of my finalized fics because I would spot an error and edit after publication but not before the readers hit. And that's okay! (When my Ao3 submission goes through, I'll upload each fic "in its final form", so no sweat there.)

*****

Trivia

Each fic was named with a quote from The X-Files, mostly from Mulder and Scully but also by various side characters (Phoebe Green, Krycek, and Maggie, namely.)

I tackled Scully's religion a lot this month as a way to work out my frustrations with her episodes: her belief in the series has always been chocked up as "yes man" syndrome; and I believe it did a disservice to Scully, multi-layered character that she is. I hope it did her a little more justice.

In a way, I dedicate "The Dead Are Everywhere, Scully" to @enigmaticdrblockhead-- whose writing not only influenced that piece but also sticks with me to this day-- and @perpetually-weirdening-- whose interest in an immortal Scully breathed life into this idea.

In a way, I dedicate "The Truth is out There, But So Are Lies" to @suitablyaggrieved: the discussion we had (concerning Mulder's ability to lie quite well) rattled around in my head until I put it down "on paper."

In a way, I dedicate "Something Approaching a Normal Life" to Baroness Blixen, who is the master of weaving angst and fluff into her holiday fics.

In a way, I dedicate "I Wonder If You Think It's Safe Enough to Indulge Yourself" to @settle-down-frohike because it reads more meta than fic (while also reading as fic.)

In a way, I dedicate "He Had Parents Who Loved Him" to @television-overload, whose baseball fic inspired by Field of Dreams still takes up space in my noggin.

And I think that's all my thoughts for now~.

*****

Acknowledgements and Thanks

@baronessblixen for encouraging me to write this month-- another boost on the long list of encouragements you've given me~.

@agent-troi and @welsharcher (my Fox Mulder Singleton Club members) for their generous prompts. Truly touched by both of you: your loooooooong list, agent-troi; and your vibey suggestions, welsharcher.

@wexleresque for your vampire prompt (that was a fun fic challenge), and your "looking up at the sky" prompt (which challenged me to tackle older years Mulder and Scully.)

@stephy-gold for her Nessa Barrett song prompt (which I plugged into older years Mulder and Scully)-- I learned something new and tackled a genre that is not my favorite (songfic.)

@tossingmyglossymane for the post Monday prompt, which was more challenging to write than expected (and turned out great.)

@xxsksxxx for the prompt about Scully's cross necklace-- that was an initial struggle to nail down until I tied it back to Maggie; then it flowed~.

Anon for the prompt wanting Mulder to mull over Scully's words in Gender Bender (which tied, I thought, perfectly into his confusion in Never Again.)

Thank you to my sisters for the fall prompts that lead to Bernie the Bear (and another thank you to my younger sister who let me include her doodle for that day's Fictober entry.)

And thank you to everyone who engaged, liked, reblogged, and anything else! (I always like to dip in and out of the Notes section to see how each person responded differently to each fic-- a bonus game: make guesses and see if they're correct.) There are too many to count, so I'll just include a few off the top of my head: @dd-is-my-guiltypleasure, @amplifyme, @pianogirlxf, @scullys-scalpel, @teenie-xf, @agertiegirl, @improlificinsarcasm, @borogirl, @tofuttim, @mysteryness, @rosedyl, @spidey-is-tired, and others~!

*****

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

Tagging @today-in-fic and @xffictober2023 and @fictober-event

[reallyundistinguishedbitch]

Say what you will about season 7 of the X Files, there are certainly some clunkers in the season. However the season finale fucks and I will not be taking any criticism. Marita and Krycek cuntily teaming up to fuck over CSM. Krycek later pushing that musty old man down the stairs to the sound of me cheering, no matter how many times I’ve watched the episode. All the Mulder and Scully moments, including the bed cuddles. The reenactment of their first date case. The shot of everyone, including the Lone Gunmen, eating Chinese and talking government conspiracies. That final moment between Scully and Skinner, with the topic of a missing Mulder hanging over the scene and the fact that Scully is pregnant and the father is missing. Just!! It has sooooo many fucking good moments and it makes me go insane every time I watch it.

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E4: Sleepless

Case: In Alex Krycek's first episode, our story begins, not with Alex Krycek (booo), but with a man's apartment starting on fire and the man calling 911, except when the fire department arrives, there is no fire, but there is a dead guy who we later learn died from believing he was burning to death. Weird! Cue credits.

As we wait for Alex Krycek to arrive, Mulder receives cryptic information under his door from an unknown source (tho I bet I know who the source is! X, my beloved...) leading him to the case of the imaginary fire. The problem is that another agent has also been assigned to the case... my friends, Alex Krycek, our favorite piece of shit rat bastard, has entered the mfing chat. (He stands right in front of Mulder as the tape Mulder's listening to goes, "I'm waitin' here like some kind of a bimbo," which I thought was extremely apt.)

While Mulder does his best to keep Alex Krycek out of the loop (and also bring Scully INTO the loop) more weird deaths happen. We are then formally introduced to X—Mulder's newest (and absolute best) informant, who fucking hates him and hates being his informant and who has extremely angry homoerotic energy with him every time they interact. (In my notes, that no one reads but myself, I have "X!!! X and Krycek in the same episode <3" written down, in case you were curious how I felt about that.)

Anyway, yada yada, turns out there was a secret experiment done on some military dudes in Vietnam, and they have not slept since. This apparently gives one of the dudes the power of the Force, as he's able to convince people that they're experiencing things that aren't really happening, such as burning to death. He has decided that he and the others he served with are all horrible sinners who committed war crimes and should die, so that's why he's going around murdering them with his mind (or something, I wasn't 100% clear on his motive).

Alex Krycek is on the case! (With Mulder ig.)

Mulder won't shake Alex Krycek's hand as he's waitin' there like some kind'a bimbo; Alex Krycek is ditched like someone's bad date; Scully meets Alex Krycek and is deeply unimpressed (and also won't shake his hand); Mulder warms up to Alex Krycek over the course of the episode, which is ofc very hilarious to anyone who has watched this show before; Alex Krycek mistakes a Bible for a gun (hate it when that happens); I have in my notes "they should make out" and I'm not sure if it's referring to Mulder and Alex Krycek or Mulder and X, but either way, I mean like, yeah; and it might be entirely possible that Alex Krycek... isn't quite who he says he is...👀 (He's bad. He's a bad guy. We all know he's a bad guy. But he's also bad at being a bad guy and also bad at everything else, and that's why he's my favorite forever and ever amen. 🙏)

Does someone die in the cold open: Yes, and it makes Scully very confused when she does the autopsy later

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, and as I'm writing this I'm realizing how absolutely robbed we were of Mulder doing a slideshow for Krycek, wtf

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Lol, nah. Wonder who could have possibly stolen it...

Whodunit: Really, really, really bad insomnia

Convictions: They're all dead and also they have no evidence or files. Zip nada nothin', y'all

Did they solve it: Lol no. I mean, technically yes, they know what happened, but they have no proof of it at all and can't do an investigation into it. Ig I'll call it a "no, but" and give them experience points and let them add X to their inventory. And Krycek, but they don't want him there lol.

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: My three-legged cat, Krycek, and all the poor veterinarians who have no idea how to pronounce his name.

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 14 (streak broken. aw man, too bad someone stole all your evidence, whupsie. who could have done such a horrible thing 😔)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 6 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8 ½ (dude was holding him at bible-point) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 14 (i'll say her very overt jealousy of krycek counts)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (she does but i don't believe we actually see her doing it)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 18 (once on the phone and once in person, and X is so mad about it too looool. bro literally says "i don't want to be here," like, buddy, you are there on your own accord! you are so salty and it's entirely your own doing! god i love him)

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 4 (i know someone said it, but idr who. i think it was krycek tho, talking to mulder)

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2 (X said "the truth is STILL out there" so almost there, but not quite)

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 9

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 2

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 1!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 11½ (ok but i did still forget to pay attention to where the episode took place lol) 

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5

[lesbianmarrow]

txf but mulder is a woman is really good #lesbian mulder and scully forever however I still think that in a scenario where both mulder and scully were men mulder would say some deeply unhinged “I wish I were a woman so that I could marry you” stuff with varying degrees of sincerity all of the time

i don’t disagree and i think the mulder/krycek stuff makes a persuasive case for giving mulder weird compelling homoeroticism but i just can’t get too invested in the idea of gay guy msr because like well we already have bashir and o’brien don’t we. it occurs to me that mulder’s rocky dating history and scully’s jealousy would come off extremely misogynistic with gay guy msr and that would be really really funny. but then i guess that just circles around to channeling kirk/spock

[vampirewalterskinner]

Arguments:

Walter Skinner

Fruity hands and fruity walk

Couldn’t confide to his wife how he felt/what he was going through but told Mulder.

Arrested that one guy with his pelvis in “Pusher”

Seems to be on first name basis with a lot of women at work (at least calls them by their first name, except Dana, but she’s too much of a dom for him to pull that and he knows it). When a man has that many female friends it’s a little 💅

I’ve only seen queers rock the long sleeve sweaters (tucked) and khaki pants, especially in warm weather.

That ass would be wasted otherwise 😤 double cheeked up on a workday afternoon

It’s literally in his middle name :D it’s a joke i swear

Dana Scully

That look she gave the tech girl after she asked if she would have to type with her tongue.

Very femme but also HELLA butch. Definitely a dom. Ladies get you a girl who can do it all 🫠💖

When she tucks her hair behind both of her ears it’s an iconic queer woman look and I half expect her to start slicking her hair back for a more masculine approach.

She grew up Catholic I mean we all know how that goes lmao

The bi/pan/lesbian awakening of girlies everywhere.

I need her to be queer so there’s at least a ghost of a chance of her stepping on me 🫠

Fox Mulder

His entire relationship with Alex Krycek. Seriously guys wtf was that.

With all the porn he owns/watches you can’t tell me he hasn’t at least dabbled in gay porn. Watching it. Not making it. I mean 👀 perhaps.

Rewatch the episode “Grotesque” he used to fuck around with his teacher maybe even date and it was a shitty relationship I’m not joking. “I wouldn’t dirty my knees for him.” I’m sorry what

Dressed up as Spock as a kid, an iconic queer character

He flirts with men in canon. Some say it’s Fox being sarcastic. I say it’s queer man sass.

The whole vibe of him and that senator 🥴 boy likes older men, don’t he?

Alex Krycek was not given as an option because then there would be no contest. He would win with 100% of the votes.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

I'm starting to watch X-Files so feel free to send in any characters you'd like me to write for in the future. It helps me keep track of who I should be paying particular attention to; especially when they're minor characters I would probably forget about if I didn't need to write for them later on.

Here's a list of all the requests I've received in the past:

Meeting and Dating Fox Mulder

Meeting and Dating Walter Skinner

Meeting and Dating Alex Krycek

Meeting and Dating Samuel Hartley (miracle man)

[bakedbakermom]

WIP Tag Game

tagged by @thursdayinspace Thank you, these kinds of asks fuel the fic machine!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Okay so this is kind of a challenge because not all my WIPs have docs, some are just notes in a notebook or cards in a box, but I will do my best...

annex-2

evb

first-time

free use

midnight

praise smut

selkie casefile

Sharing is Caring

Sounds

Undine

Zombie Darlings (this is for lines I've cut from other fics that I don't want to lose)

FD

s8 fixit AU

Krycek tapes nc

ffm

cnc

millenium awkwardness

skinner and william

skinner spills the beans

concussion cuteness

aftercare

wtf is up with 42

revival era smut

afterglow

first time (dating)

fta

stolen shirt

s8 baby shower we actually deserved

post-stained (this one won't let me write it)

post hollywood ad fluff

meta thoughts

My Actual Novel

Holy crap I'm going to be writing fic 'til I'm 90 (positive).

Please feel free to ask questions about any of these; talking about them helps me flesh them out and feel motivated to write!

No pressure tagging @phillippadgettwrites @storybycorey @slippinmickeys @baronessblixen @cecilysass @freckleslikestars @agent-troi @aloysiavirgata there are too many beautiful amazing writers I know and love here, I cannot possibly tag you all, but please if you see this I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON.

[muldermuse]

Hellooo , I am so happy I found your blog because there are not enough Fox Mulder fanfictions. Which I don‘t understand because he is so lovely. I‘m not sure if you are still doing requests but I hope you do. So my request would be about Mulder and the reader , both working at the fbi and they are dating but never told anyone specifically about it (besides Scully). And maybe it could play around season two when Krycek was introduced and he doesn‘t know that Fox and the reader are dating and he starts flirting with the reader in front of Fox. And he gets jealous and the reader is finding it really funny. And maybe in the end Krycek finds out because Fox and the reader kiss. I hope it makes sense and you can add anything you like of course!! :)) it’s just the rough structure (love your other stories btw)

hi angel!!!

thank u so much for sending this through. ive just posted the fic: it's called jealousy, jealousy and it's here!!!!!!

hope u enjoy <33333

[teiasviago]

22, 33, & 39 for the X-Files asks! 💙

22. How do you feel about that bitch Alex Krycek?

33. Favorite season finale?

Last time I said "The End" and that's still true. Scully hugging Mulder in the burnt husk of their office? Scully's angst over Mulder and Diana's relationship? Gibson calling Mulder out on thinking about them and then outing Mulder as a damn coward LMAO.

39. When do you think Mulder and Scully first started dating?

I think they started dating (officially) in "The Unnatural" because they weren't both ready for the kissing and sex, their full commitment, until then. Season two is funny with that: Scully's ready before her abduction but not after, and Mulder isn't ready before her abduction but is after. I think that after Scully recovered from her cancer, she resolved not to be the reason they didn't get together, and then after "Detour" she realized that Mulder needed more time (which lasted until "The Unnatural"). Then there was Emily and the X-Files being shut down and Scully almost being reassigned to Utah and then Diana... Scully had accepted that Mulder was the one for her all the way back in "Memento Mori" but Mulder hadn't really allowed himself to want her completely since then. They're kinda at odds like that a lot, like what gives one the realization that they wanna take the next step is often the same thing that shuts the other down for a while.

X-Files Asks!

[carefulfears]

I hate when people dismiss the Phoebe thing as Scully simply having been jealous. She was his best friend first, and she did what any good friend would have

yeah it's pretty reductive, honestly. scully has been very protective of mulder since the pilot; the first 3 episodes of the show are literally her committing to him, holding a man hostage at gunpoint to find him, and cutting ties with her friends who make fun of him.

this was largely her arc in squeeze, after only having known him for a couple of weeks, as she defends him to colton multiple times

and, in the end, concludes that she would rather be “on the side of the victim” with mulder than climb the ladder with her classmates, and tells colton to fuck off the next time he’s rude about her partner

in ghost in the machine, she's disapproving of jerry from the moment they meet, knowing literally nothing about him except that he used to work with mulder

and she instantly recognizes the profile that jerry presents as mulder's work, whispering to him to ask if that's his, to which he replies "forget it, no" and then later fibs and says that jerry apologized for stealing it (once you tell your best friend you can't go back lol)

all of these examples pre-date her behavior in fire, and are episodes where she's put in situations navigating mulder around other men

y'all remember the first time she met krycek and just flat out refused to shake his hand lmao

i touched on this a little bit in my post on fire, but scully really was just so enthralled by him from the very beginning. she grew up on a military base with her navy captain father and two brothers, and her only relationships have been with older men in power.

she instantly is so aligned with mulder and that there's something different in him than she's used to, but she's aware that the openness and softness that she's so drawn to in him makes him more vulnerable, and she's desperate to protect it

in beyond the sea, the very next episode after fire, she screams at boggs that if mulder dies she'll gas him into hell herself, and boggs tells her that he's tasted the afterlife.

that it's a cold and dark place, and mulder's looking in on it now. she replies, "it might be a cold dark place for you, but it's not for mulder"

she knows him, and she's so moved by him and what he wants to do in the world. these are the values that she left medicine to follow.

"jealousy" honestly doesn't even compare to the kind of ferocious protectiveness that she feels towards him from the very start, she really doesn't trust anyone around him for anything. they can't possibly get it like she does, if they treat him that way.

he may not care if people call him names or steal from him or try to make him walk through fire, but he really is just her best friend. and she can't stand it.

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Edition: Diana Fowl(ey) Play-- Part IV: S6-S7

These are Diana Fowley's crazy adventures through the remainder of S6, her rapey actions of S7, and a little post-death effects on the remaining living.

Loose chronological order below~

@fashionbooksboozefeminism's Hunter's Moon

""Since Christmas, you’d found it increasingly hard to get Mulder’s attention, but your suggestion you’d uncovered some new information had secured you a weekend lunch date. You sensed early on that Fox’s heart wasn’t quite in it but you strung out the work talk as long as you could, sprinkled in references to articles you’d read in the hope you’d have chance to share what you’d learned. Once he began to look impatient you requested a chaperone home and you knew New England manners would guarantee you an escort.""

Post The Ghosts That Stole Christmas Diana and Mulder see a pretty sweater as he walks her home. He coldly shuts down any romantic overtures, buying it for Scully.

pauraque's (DW) Blood Orange

""She dug her long, already-sticky thumbnail into the waxy, dimpled surface, and felt the damp white interior of the peel bunching up and getting jammed into the tender borderline of the nail bed. She pulled, and felt the strangely satisfying almost-pain of that tug against her fingernail.""

Krycek morbidly watches Diana splice open an orange.

Shoshana's Rivalry

""Diana," was all Scully said, angry at the presumptuousness of this woman.

"I'm really sorry to disturb you. I know you're probably curious where I've been, Dana."

"Actually, I haven't given it much thought, Diana. We knew you were still alive, and that was sufficient knowledge for me at the time.""

Post Arcadia Scully extends her claws when Diana drops in, amusing Mulder (and herself.) They discuss nicknames over lunch.

CultureisDarkB 's When Two Women Collide

""Special Agent Diana Fowley. I’ve heard quite a bit about you and your abilities to apply behavioural models to criminal cases.”

“I’ve heard of your unique background as well.” Mulder placed his hands on his hips and stared back at the wall. “So, where do we begin?”

 “We start with a brain scan and psych evaluation.” Diana glanced at her watch. "It’s too late to head to the lab. I think we’ve done all we could do tonight.” She looked up at Mulder and smiled. “Want to go to dinner?”

Mulder fidgeted, biting at his bottom lip, combing his hair with his hand. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“What if I am?” she flirted back.""

An epic sweep of Mulder's relationship with Diana in the past, building up to the present and navigating his relationship with Scully through these rough waters. It culminates in Milagro. HIGHLY recommend.  

@xfmaweezy/XFMaweezy/kishamaweezy's

Ninety Seconds

""Diana!” Fox quietly greeted her as he opened the door wider and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. “Everything okay?”

Fox looked as though he had been preparing for bed, an observation that confused Diana. It was still early by Fox Mulder standards. Her Fox had slept very little, dropping off wherever he was; usually on the  couch in front of the television. 

This Fox had showered and brushed his teeth. The scent of soap and toothpaste wafted toward Diana on the warm night air that was blowing in through the open windows. This Fox wore loose shorts and a clean T-shirt; his feet bare and his hair damp."" 

Pre-One Son Scully-- high on drugs and clad in pretty pajamas-- shocks a more sympathetic Diana during her impromptu late-night meeting at Mulder's.

Ninety Minutes (Ao3)

""By some cruel twist of fate, Diana had found herself on yet another task force working closely with Fox and his tiny partner, who was still wearing a cast on her broken left wrist. But it wasn’t the case that had her all out of sorts, it was her visit to Fox’s apartment after the apprehension of the convicts—a visit she’d convinced herself was only about the X-Files—that set her mind and her heart adrift. She hadn’t been able to function properly since, a dangerous state of mind to be in given her line of work. But she couldn’t get the image of a half naked Dana Scully out of her mind, nor the syrupy sweet affection Fox lavished upon her as she clung to him, unaware of Diana’s presence."" 

Diana is sinking at a work function; but leaves early when Mulder sings a love ballad to Scully.

MulderScullyShipper's After the Fact

""Hello?”

“Fox, I… oh, it’s you. Is Fox there?”

Scully rolled her eyes at the familiar voice and glanced at Mulder as he came back into view, holding the beer bottles in his grip. “Agent Fowley.” Mulder stopped in his tracks and watched her as she spoke on the phone. “No, he’s a little busy right now.""

Post Milagro Scully and Mulder navigate the aftermath as a united team, clearing up Diana's lies and ignoring her whenever she tries to barge into their lives.

@admiralty-xfd’s (Ao3) the whole truth

""Scully...” he was moaning, and every time the name escaped his lips it pained her. “I need Scully.”

“Fox, it’s me, it’s Diana,” she said. She bent down and touched his shoulder.

“Scully…”

She didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t Scully, she couldn’t be Scully. But she could tell he was in pain and she wanted to help him.

“We should get you to see a doctor,” she suggested. She realized as the words came out how stupid they sounded, considering the only thing he’d asked for since she’d arrived had been, in fact, a doctor. But she couldn’t bring herself to call the woman she knew he was in love with.""

Biogenesis Diana is in love with Mulder, empathizing with his pain and out of depth in this strange, twisted mytharc development.

JourneyToX's Dirty, Dirty

""He is miserable, and sick. But that's good. His weakness makes it easier.

He trusts me like no other, and of all his follies, that is his greatest. Good, this will be simple, with his trust.

Women have done this before. Soft flesh and hard hearts, pillow talk and power. I must focus my mind, as well, and think only of him. How often I have thought only of him, dreaming of his handsome face stretched in ecstacy, as ashy breath washed over me and nicotine stained hands pawed me. This time it will be real, and a pleasure.""

Biogenesis Diana thinks she has Mulder wrapped around her fingers, ignoring his weak pleas for Scully. He ends up dampening her moves.

Jori's

Undone

""Fox Mulder is mine now. In his current condition, I can have him. Again. He is confused, doesn't know what is happening to him. And the person he relies on most is over a thousand miles away.""

Biogenesis Diana seduces Mulder; but stops mid-effort when he snaps out of his fog and screams bloody murder for Scully's help.

Invisible Bond

""Hello, Diana. What are you doing here? Come to pick up whatever you didn't take the first time around?" I ask, glaring at her.

I hardly knew her, all those years ago, but I never liked her. Perhaps because I saw her eventually turning into me. If she stayed with Fox long enough, they would dominate her life, too. She seemed the type that would easily follow along with the 'plan,' the type that wouldn't fight them. Just like me. She would know it was wrong, but she'd have no power to pull herself free.""

Amor Fati Diana adds legitimacy to CSM's demands of Tena, reassuring her that Mulder would be in safe hands.

Namarie/namarie24's (MuldersCreek) Splitting at the Seams

""She looked at him coolly. "What are you talking about?"

"Spender. Scully was right. How long have you been working for him?" Mulder realized that he was yelling. He pushed himself to his feet. "How long, Diana?"

"You're confused," she said, her face revealing nothing. Her thoughts, however, revealed shock and some fear. "You need to calm down."

Biogenesis Diana gets her mind read; and ends up stun-gunning Mulder into submission. Scully helps him heal after rescuing him.

Trixie 's (Whisper of X, Alt. page) Lies I Told Myself

""I am a liar.

Those words freeze in my throat; I would never speak them aloud, not in a million years. To admit to what I am, what I have become, would assure my certain downfall.""

Biogenesis Diana sneers at Scully, envies Krycek, and lies to herself about Mulder's loyalties. She subdues him and tucks him into a ward.

KatyBlue's (@lilydalexf's reccs) Taking Flight (Gossamer)

""...My fingers run over the curved glass, the faint crackles of static electricity and dust impeding their progress. I trace Mulder's left leg down to his foot and stop there, watching his face. Feeling almost as if he can see me there and is looking back, a silent plea in his eyes.

Get me out of here, Scully, it says.

I feel something soften inside me at his image. Hidden from the two people behind me. For a moment, I forget where I am, lost in a strange, bemused melancholy. Then I remember, but the words inside my head slip out anyway. "Have you ever played baseball, Agent Fowley?""

Biogenesis Diana venomously tries to prevent Scully from seeing Mulder. Skinner avoids eye contact; but takes up for his agent.

dee_ayy's The Watchman

""People come to see him, if that's what you call it. But not while I'm here--though once it happened. A woman, all haughty with authority. Swinging that long brown hair of hers, flashing that badge to get them to let her in long after visiting hours were over. But there are no visitors on this ward anyway. No one should see a loved one like this.

Yet she came. When she walked in I immediately paged the doctor.""

A nurse orderly understands Mulder, gaining his trust through compassion and pity. He's brushes off Diana on Mulder's behalf.

Nynaeve's Reason Does Not Know

""Seven years ago I did not know her for the actress she is. She spoke to me the words I had longed to hear. She won the trust I was too willing to bestow. A child shattered by events over which he had no control, the son of parents withdrawn, unable after that night to unwrap themselves from the tatters of their lives, she found me an easy target, a man who easily mistook her affectation of love for the emotion itself.""

Amor Fati Mulder sees into Diana's soul, realizing how deeply she believes in her lies.

BoneTree/Todesfuge's (@lilydalexf reccs)

Elegy with the Sound of the Ocean Inside It

""He clenched his hand on his temples, the voice lilting like a song in his head. It was so familiar. Velvet. Soft as a snake.

Diana.

He could hear the Captain coming closer, but it was too late. A few steps and he staggered toward the railing on the ship's starboard side. An instant later, William Scully calling his name, Mulder was flailing in cold air toward the water, right before his world turned to ice.""

Amor Fati Mulder dreams about meeting Will, not wanting Tena's forgiveness, seeing Albert Hosteen again, and trying to escape Diana's suburban dream life.

Agent L's (MuldersCreek) Willing Sacrifice

""Diana..."

His voice, rusty from disuse, is nonetheless loud in the quiet room, the word clearly spoken. I fight an unreasonable jealousy of this woman who betrayed him, who nearly killed him and yet still claims his loyalty, feeling small and selfish to resent him for not calling out for *my* name.

"Please. Don't let him..." His voice sinks to a whisper, a plea, and I realize he is back in the operating room, begging for her help. If she walked into the room at that moment, I would kill her for the anguish she put him through...still puts him through.""

Amor Fati Scully rescues a barely cognizant Mulder, patching him back up. As he slowly recovers, she becomes enraged at Diana's harsh, pitiless actions.

DM's

My Touchstone

""I would be lying if I said I did not feel threatened by Diana. I was, although I knew in my heart that the feeling was irrational. Mulder and I had been together too long, and traveled too far for someone, such as Diana, to come between us. I had faith in Mulder, and that faith is what carried me through and kept me from giving up. And, giving up was one thing I knew I would never, could never do.""

Post Amor Fati Scully struggles more with Diana's death than Mulder.

My Constant

""I was a little bit more than surprised to see Diana Fowley when I walked into the boardroom that morning. I was so preoccupied with getting under Agent Spender's skin that I didn't bother to scan the room to see who all was in attendance, an act that normally keeps me busy during such meetings. I can honestly say that the thought of replacing Scully with Diana, now that she had returned, never entered my mind. Although it has now come to my attention that it indeed did cross my partner's mind. When I realized how she felt, I was floored. Diana was my friend; I still cared for her but would never dream of giving her the space in my heart that belonged to Scully.""

Post Amor Fati Mulder had a pleasant relationship with Diana; but is shocked how affected Scully is by her death.

Philiater's Unattainable

""He closed the lid on her designer coffin with its designer contents. All gloss and superficial trappings made plain. It was a sad ending really.""

Post Amor Fati Mulder witnesses Diana's cremation in her wedding dress (AU to me), pondering on her relationship with CSM.

Elanor G.'s In Medias Res

""By contrast, Mulder could barely sense his own mother's thoughts - elusive, faint, not much more than a thin disquiet stream of worry. And the gray man who leaned over him...he must have been part of that consuming dream, because Mulder could sense nothing. His mouth twisted in a bitter grin.

"I got the clearest picture from Diana, probably because she was deliberately trying to open herself up to me. It was...bad." And it had been bad to see the way Diana pictured herself, the many layers of self- justification and self-delusion.

It was worse to see the madness hidden beneath her crisp exterior.""

Requiem Mulder explains how crushing Amor Fati was to him-- telling Scully about how twisted and sick Diana was. Scully wishes she could have heard his thoughts.

 Pattie's Scully, Hands Down

""Granted, Diana was once of interest to me. However, I soon found that her type of beauty was only skin deep, and the other stuff went straight to the bone.

There was no way I was going to ask Gibson what he read, and he was mature enough, even at his age, to leave the subject alone.""

S9 Mulder ruminates on Scully's jealousy towards Diana, intending for Gibson to send it to Scully when he goes on a solo mission.

Mssilverwoods 's Amalgam

""Fox Mulder seems to never get past this tribute to those mawkish Lone Gunmen. He still looks puzzled, as if uncertain of what those who are cremated there might make of it. It's somewhat galling to see their names bathed in the pale morning sun.

Beside him, Scully comments as if she can read his mind. They smile in that bittersweet way, wishing they could ask, seek clarity from the dead, and check they know them well after all the years apart.

As if.""

Post S11 Mulder and Scully visit Diana's gave. Her ghost observes them.

Enjoy!