Title: Things That Make Mulder Wonder or The Enigma That Is Dana Scully
Category: X-Files (MSR)
Summary: A whole pile of post-eps for episodes in season 6 and 7 (not necessarily every episode), revolving around Mulder's thoughts, particularly about Scully.
Rating: PG (for language,mostly) - this might change per chapter
Spoilers: Spoilers up to seasons 6 and 7. You'll know if you read the title of each chapter which episode it pertains to.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

I started these a long time ago, part of my "old" collection of fanfics. I've found them, tweaked them a bit (if I could), and added a few episodes as inspiration struck. Some are better than others, but I hope you like them. Warning: they are pretty sappy, most of them.

Sorry about the length of time it took to get this one out. It needed tweaking, then like just got super busy. The rest will come faster! I sometimes re-read these and I think they are totally sub-par,then sometimes I read them and think they aren't half bad. I'll let you judge for yourself.

Feedback is always much appreciated. Thank you in advance for any comments/criticisms. They put a smile on my face always. :)

Two Fathers/One Son

Usually it was the cases that kept him busy and distracted. Despite the fact that she was always in close proximity, when his brain had an X-File to wrap itself around, he was able to push his libido aside. However, background checks just didn't cut it, and his hormones were working on overdrive. He was hyper-aware of her, to the point that it would ache to sit in the bullpen with her just behind him, her soft voice in his ear, her smell distracting him. He would lean back in his chair and tease her until she sighed, exasperated, and left her desk, or threw something at him, just like he did with the girls he liked in grade school.

He was starting to slip, however, and he needed to get away from her and work off the tension. The basketball court always did it, but when she showed up, skirt, heels and all, making that sexy walk down the court… he couldn't help but check her out. Another thing he used to do in grade school was show off. He tossed the ball effortlessly into the net. Her easy banter and her smile was worth pissing off his teammates.

Her message, however, was unexpected. He hated that his curiosity was piqued, especially since he was so leery of anyone tossing him a bone pertaining to the X-Files. But he followed the lead anyway, separating from Scully, and slightly annoyed to find Jeffrey Spender at his desk. He couldn't think of a person he least wanted to help, but the search for the truth was too strong, and he found himself researching late into the night. When Scully found him, he was still reluctant to trust Agent Spender or whoever sent him, but he trusted Scully.

"I don't believe him, Scully," he said as she drove them to the hospital where Cassandra Spender was. "I don't believe that suddenly he wants my help. I'm not even sure Cassandra can tell me anything I don't already know."

"She's come back, Mulder. She saw things, heard things. She remembers. She might have answers. I need those answers."

What she needed, he was willing to give.

He almost regretted seeing Cassandra when she spoke of his sister. He saw the moment that Scully found herself regretting it. Don't you know, Cassandra, he wanted to tell her, Scully might want answers, but more Earthly ones. Aliens don't cut it. Mulder believed her though, and he knew exactly where to go next.

Scully on admin leave was productive. Mulder on admin leave was destructive, self-pitying, discouraged and sinking baskets on his own since his teammates all had jobs. Once again his libido caught up with him, and seeing Scully strut down the court with a box piqued his curiosity, but it piqued something else as well.

She brought him back with a picture of his father. He wondered when the apprentice had surpassed the master. The only difference was that her conspiracy theories came with proof. His came with more questions.

Having someone ask you to kill them to save their life was a choice he never wished to ever have to make again. Thankfully, he didn't have to make the choice. He wondered if he meant 'unfortunately' instead. The situation Diana had put them in was nothing to be grateful for.

Scully was quiet as they were transported in the back of a truck, surrounded by people in full quarantine gear. It was dark and they were being debriefed or something, he wasn't listening. He was too busy wondering where Cassandra was taken, and if he'd made a mistake not shooting her when he could. He looked to Scully. Her eyes were closed in resignation. He wondered what she was thinking.

He was rubbing the water through his balls when the door opened. He expected another man in a plastic suit to tell him to get out, but instead Scully was escorted in by a woman, told to strip, and get under the shower. Mulder managed to keep his eyes forward for a long time, but the days of him being a creature of solitude were gone in 1993, and he turned to make contact with her. He couldn't help it. He let his eyes flicker down, caught a glimpse of beautiful, pink tipped breasts, and looked back into her eyes before his body reacted too much. She looked at him, and then turned around, not embarrassed, not angry, just… Scully. He wondered if she'd caught a glimpse as well, and if she did, he wondered what she thought.

He should have known, however, not to get between two extremely intelligent women as they argued, particularly when he wasn't sure whose side he was on. Scully stormed out, and he was alone with his ex… relatively alone.

"Your partner's got a great attitude," Diana said.

"She's got a point. Are we suddenly contaminate free? What are we doing here, Diana? Where is Cassandra?"

"I can't tell you, Fox, just know that by doing this, I have saved you."

He took her statement at face value though he had no reason to believe her. He had no reason to disbelieve her either. He'd once trusted her with everything, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Mulder wasn't sure if he ever loved Diana Fowely. He was young when the slightly older, much more savvy agent entered his life. Reeling from a quickie marriage and quickie divorce he held on to whoever believed him, and Diana believed him. She gave him credence when he found and fought for the X-Files. He felt he owed her for that. Eternally. Believing in him was career killing stuff. Just ask Scully.

Ever the optimist, he tried to cheer Scully up when all she could do was scowl. The simple grey dress looked great on her, particularly since her legs were bare and the dress was short. She kicked him out of the locker room after his third attempt at making her smile, and it was serendipitous because he bumped into a blonde woman he hadn't seen in a long time.

Once again, Scully didn't say a word as they were driven back to their apartments. The car stopped in front of her home and she got out without so much as a goodbye. Mulder sighed, wondering if it would ever be simple between them. Five hours later he was at the Gunmen's doorway.

He was more angry and defensive than sincere about trusting Diana. He wondered when his friends became her friends, and why he felt cheated that they seemed to take her side over his. When he said she was making it personal, he didn't mean to offend her. There was no question who was more important to him personally or professionally. There was no choice. He just didn't want her to threaten to leave. She couldn't leave.

"Fuck up," Frohike mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Mulder said, knowing exactly what it was. He knew he was a fuck up. He was more skilled at being a fuck up than anything he'd ever done in his life.

"You blew it, dude," Langley said, shuffling off to another computer. "She's right. Your ex is up to something. No one buries files that deep if they aren't afraid to have them seen."

He stormed out then, more furious than ever. He was going to get answers. He was going to prove he wasn't a fuck up. He was going to go to Scully and say it wasn't personal, Diana was a colleague, and a trusted one at that. She was nothing personal to him.

It was a surreal evening, still reeling from Scully's anger, to pointing a gun at CGB Spender and hearing things he wasn't sure he wanted to hear, to accepting Diana's kiss without returning it. He would get his partner, and he would show her, he would prove it to her, that Diana was on their side, and that the truth was at their fingertips.

It didn't work that way, however. He chose his partner over Diana, as he always would when put to the test. Skinner put himself on the line for them once more. And though Scully backed him up to an extent in Kersh's office, he could feel the distance between them. He'd screwed up royally this time. Diana was nowhere to be found, and neither was CGB.

"Lunch?" he asked, as they once again returned to their desks in the bullpen.

"No," she said. "I've got some things to work on."

"We just got off of leave," he said, "there isn't anything to work on."

She didn't smile. She didn't even look at him. Instead, she sat at her desk, flicked on her computer, and ignored him.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" he asked with a sigh.

"Thanks, but no. I'm fine."

He wondered if she knew that those words hurt exponentially more than Diana's betrayal.