Date: August 22, 1999

Author: Pendrell's Chick

Email me: doofX@hotmail.com

Rating: PG

Category: UST

Spoilers: Up to the end of season 6 (with references to Squeeze, the
Pilot, Tempus Fugit, Redux, Redux II,  Triangle, FTF, Smallpotatoes,
and Folie a Deux)

Summary:  Mulder finally meets Charles Scully and he's nothing like
his brother.

Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. Yada, yada, yada.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Meet Charles Scully

Scully's apartment
1:15 PM

The argument had been going on for only about 5 minutes but she was
already exhausted.  Scully was used to hearing rude comments about
her partner, but when they came from her own brother she had no
patience to deal with it.  Bill had always been bossy and protective
around her, but ever since their father died a few years ago Bill had
appointed himself family patriarch, much to everyone's chagrin.  It
was a role he took a little too seriously and one that was totally
unnecessary (the Scullys still had a competent, caring, fair and wise
matriarch in the family.  [If only mom was here to take care of Bill
right now.] she thought.

Dana stood face to face with her annoying older brother, in the middle
of a heated battle about (what else?) Mulder.  Looking down at her
icy blue eyes, he declared "I'm only looking out for you, Dana.  He's
got some sort of strange hold over you, and you're unable to see him
for what he really is."

"Which is?" she retorted, with a defiant look in her eyes that meant
'bring it on'.

"He's an emotional leach, sucking the life right out of you!  Just
think where you'd be right now if you'd never met him!  You have so
much potential, Dana, and he's using it for his own gains.  You're his
personal scientist, for Chrissakes!  You should be in a lofty position
by now, not somewhere in a basement office that isn't even yours!  How
can you let him do this to you?!"  His voice rose to a feverish pitch.

"I can't handle this anymore, Bill.  We never talk these days.
Everything has to always degrade into an argument about Mulder.  Your
Mulder obsession has really destroyed our relationship," she commented
sadly.

"And YOUR Mulder obsession has really destroyed our family!" he yelled
at her.

Sensing that she would start to cry, or worse- hit Bill- if she didn't
leave soon, she blurted out, "I can't be here."  Looking around the
room, she found her bag and grabbed it before heading out the door.

"Good one, Bill."  Bill's thoughts were interrupted by the voice from
across the room.  Looking at his little brother he decided to shift the 
focus of his anger.

"Why the hell didn't you back me up?"  He glared with his evil blue eyes.

"I've never even met the guy, so how can I judge him?  You judged him
years before you ever even met him, Bill.  You don't have a lot of
credibility with me on this subject," he answered calmly from the couch.

"How the hell can you deny that her life has been one disaster after
another ever since she met him?" he asked, incredulously.

"It may have been true of any partner she would have had.  You forget
that she's in a very dangerous profession; one in which risks are a
daily reality."

"She should have been a doctor, like mom and dad had wanted!" Bill
couldn't control his anger.

"What about what Dana wants?"  When his brother didn't answer, Charles
continued.  "She seems to truly want to be where she is, and with whom
she is currently partnered.  Any change in that opinion has got to come from 
her, not from you."

"But I can't stand idly by while she destroys her life!  And I don't
know how you can, either!"

"Would you say that Dana is a stubborn person, Bill?"  Charles was intent on 
calming his brother down, hopefully talking some sense into him while he's 
at it.

"Yes," he answered, despite his suspicion of where Charles was directing the 
  conversation.  "She's incredibly stubborn? and pig-headed!  Nothing I do 
seems to convince her of what a terrible decision she's made to stay where 
she is."

"When you're a stubborn person and are told by others to do the opposite of 
what you want, it only strengthens your determination to do as you wish, and 
not change your opinion." Bill considered this silently as his brother 
continued.  "What if Dana were to actually change her mind about this man?  
Don't you think your battle with her on this will only make it harder for 
her to come to your side?  If you back off a little it'll be much easier for 
her to admit that she was wrong, should she ever feel that way.  Your anger 
is actually pushing her closer to him."

Bill sat down in silent defeat.  The two Scully men sat in silence
while Bill processed his thoughts.  After a few minutes he asked, "So
are you ready to go back to Mom's yet?"

"No, I'm going to stay here until Dana returns.  We don't have a key
with which to lock her door, after all.  You go without me and I'll
have her drive me back when she comes home."

"Alright, then.  See you later."

Charles sat in silence for some time, but was the argument had got him
thinking about Fox Mulder.  He had been curious about meeting the object of 
his sister's obvious affection for some time now, and wondered what he was 
like.  Bill had told him a while back that he was tall and lanky, with a 
nose that covered half of his face.  He also recalled something about him 
being a "wuss" who didn't even try to defend himself against Bill's words.  
Something that Bill had interpreted as weak character, and obvious 
cowardice.  Still, it's hard to give his brother the benefit of the doubt 
when he's obviously biased on the matter.

Picking up Dana's cordless phone he pressed number one on the speed
dial.

"Scully?" The phone was picked up on the first ring and, judging by the 
answer on the other line, Charles figured that he had guessed correctly 
about the identity of the "number one" person in his sister's life.

"Uh, yeah, just not the one you mean."  After a little pause Charles
continued.  "This is Charles Scully."

"Uh?" Mulder's voice faltered.  "Hello, Charles, it's nice to finally
meet you?.uh?.what can I do for you?"  Alarm bells quickly went off in
Mulder's head.  [Either something has happened to Scully or Charles
wants to kick my ass as much as Bill seems to want to.]

Sensing Mulder's uncertainty, Charles set out to put him at ease.
[He'll be surprised to find out that I'm not even remotely similar to
the 'Big Guy'.]  "I've always wanted to meet you, but I know it hasn't
been possible because whenever I'm here and Dana invites you to a
family dinner Bill is around.  Is there a chance that we can meet on
neutral turf sometime this weekend?"

"Sure." This time his voice came out as a squeak and Mulder berated
himself for making yet another bad first impression on a Scully.  "Do
you play basketball?"

"Every morning on the base," Charles assured him.  Mulder could hear a
smile in the younger Scully's voice and was put more at ease, reassured by 
the young man's demeanor.

"I'll meet you at the basketball court in Brimly Park in Baltimore
tomorrow morning at 8 am."

"8am?"  Charles groaned when he heard the ungodly hour.  "I'm on
vacation, let's make it 9, okay?"

"Sure, anything for a Scully."  Of course, Mulder had a particular
Scully in mind and had been daydreaming about her when Charles phoned.

"Great.  I'll be wearing the green and black striped tie and a red rose.  
See you then," he teased before hanging up.

Mulder hung up the phone with a gulp.

~~~~~~~~~~

Brimly Park
8:53AM

Charles surveyed the scene and approached the solitary figure shooting
hoops at the court.   The tall man shot from the middle of the court
and sank the ball without it even touching the rim.  Impressed, he
called out, "Nice one!"   [But can you score with my sister?]

Startled, Mulder spun around and came face to face with Charles Scully.  The 
two men took a few moments to size each other up before Mulder broke the 
silence.  "It's nice to meet you, Charles."  He held out his hand, which 
Charles immediately shook.

"I'm looking forward to playing with you.  I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh, really?"  Mulder was nervous.  Just what had been said about him?

"You don't look very much like my brother described- lucky for you,"
Charles said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

At this Mulder winced. He took in the fit, handsome man in front of
him before replying. "And you don't look anything like your brother-
even luckier for you."  Charles let out a hearty laugh, and Mulder was
relieved that he hadn't offended Scully's little brother.

"No, I look much more like Dana than I do Bill.  We have our father's
features."  True enough, Mulder thought.  Charles had Dana's hair
colour (which was brighter than Bill's), and a similar mouth.   The
only feature of Bill's that was evident was his height.

Just as Mulder was beginning to feel comfortable, Charles broke the
spell.

"I have to admit, my real motive for meeting with you was my desire to
speak to you about your relationship with my sister."

Casually playing with the ball in his hands, Mulder feared that his
voice would betray his cool exterior so he just nodded for Charles to
continue.

"I guess the best way to do this is to ask you bluntly, do you love
her?"

Mulder was starting to feel his breakfast rising in the back of his
throat.  Not sure what sort of answer Charles was looking for, Mulder
chose that moment to turn toward the hoop and take a few shots in order to 
buy time.

"Well?"

After taking another shot he finally replied.  "Yes, I do."  Mulder
hadn't even bothered to turn to face Charles as he answered.  He
concentrated on what he was doing, secretly cursing himself for agreeing to 
this meeting.  [Now I'm gonna get it.]  Bracing himself for Charles' 
reaction, he took another shot, and missed.  He took a step to retrieve the 
ball but Charles was faster than him, and grabbed the ball.  Holding it in 
his arms, he moved to stand in front of Mulder.

"Have you told her?"

"Yes, I have."

"You HAVE?" Charles asked in obvious shock.  "What did she say?"

"You really want to know?"  Mulder's voice had a hint of anger in it.

"Yes.  Go on, tell me."  Charles was surprised by this revelation and
was eager to hear all about it.  He'd always been nosey when it came to 
Dana's life (especially when it came to her room?. and her diary.)

"She said, and I quote, 'oh, brother'".   He angrily grabbed the ball
from a dumbfounded Charles Scully, and resumed his shots on the basket.  He 
missed shot after shot.  [No more cool exterior.] he thought to himself.

"I don't get it.  I honestly don't.   I mean, she's obviously in love
with you."

"You would be mistaken."  Mulder's words were coated with
bitterness.

"Trust me, I know.  You're all she ever talks about.  She's thoroughly
devoted to you.  You should hear her argue in your defense."  Sensing
that Mulder wasn't impressed, he continued.  "What were the
circumstances?"

"She had just saved my life, yet again, and I was telling her how much
she meant to me.  Instead of returning my affections she just looked
disgusted and walked out of my hospital room."

"Come on.  I find that hard to believe."  Mulder spun around to face
him, with anger plastered on his face.  Charles explained himself.  "I
mean, she's not cruel.  Was there any reason she may have doubted your
sincerity at the time?"

"The only thing I can think of is that she thought I was delusional,
either from my head injury or from the painkillers they were giving me.  But 
it took every ounce of my courage to tell her that, and I'm not about to do 
it again.  Besides, I've revealed my feelings to her in the past, so she 
should have been able to figure out that I was being truthful in the 
hospital."

"What have you said to her in the past that would have aided in her
interpretation of the events in the hospital?"  Charles was eager for
more information.

"I told her that she made me a whole person.  And on another occasion
I told her that she was my one in 5 billion.  How can you put all of
that together and not see how I really feel?"  Looking down, he tried
to avert his eyes.  [I can't believe I'm having this conversation with
her brother.]

"I know her, Mulder.  She's not going to be the one to do it.  It's
too much of a risk for her.  Showing emotion is tantamount to losing
control- at least in her mind.  You've gotta be the one who's brave."

"But I've already tried!  How the hell should I continue with this
without bruising my ego any more than it's already been battered?!"
His anger was rising.

"It's easy.  You don't have to say anything, you simply show her how
you feel, and provide her with opportunities to show you."  Sensing
Mulder's skepticism, he continued, "Just start off slowly.  I'd start
off by letting her know on a physical level.  Touch her on the arm or
shoulder when you speak with her, tuck her hair behind her ear for her, 
comment on her appearance, and give her hugs at the end of hard cases.  I 
know Dana and she always has to keep up the charade of feeling 'fine'.  
Don't even let her lie to you about how she feels, show her that you're 
there for her emotionally at the end of a hard day."

Mulder nodded at the advice.  It all made sense.  "Go on."

"The next step is to change the nature of your relationship.  Find
reasons to do things together."

Shaking his head, Mulder spoke up. "No, she's off limits on her free
time.  The only way I've been able to insinuate myself on her free time is 
by making mundane cases sound urgent so that we have to meet
immediately.  Otherwise we'd have spent far fewer weekends together
up until now."

"There are other ways, Mulder.  Hmmm? For instance, when you're at work say 
you're tired and suggest to finish up paperwork at her place over pizza, or 
something.  You can end up bringing over a movie, or something, and this way 
you can end up doing something social.  Or even better, suggest that you do 
something that she likes over the weekend.  That shows that you're aware of 
her interests and it'll probably earn you a "yes" a lot faster than a case 
would."

"Okay, these ideas make sense.  Any other ideas?"  Mulder was feeling
a lot more hopeful about his chances now that he had a few potential
strategies that were relatively safe.

"Uh?How do I say this?  Um?"  Charles was struggling for a tactful way
to bring up the next suggestion.

"Just spit it out."  Mulder threw the ball at Charles, in his impatience.

Catching the ball, and setting it on the ground, Charles put his right
foot on the basketball and continued.  "Well, she says that the two of
you rarely just talk.  You obviously know each other well, but do you
ever make the effort to know her on a more personal level?"

Mulder was shocked at the question, and a little insulted.  "I know her 
extremely well, Charles.  Better than she thinks."

"Okay, so how did she break her leg?"  Charles challenged him.

"She never told me about it, but then that's just one minor incident."

"Alright, then.  Can you answer any of these questions??. What was her
political cause in college?  What sort of music did she listen to as a
teenager? Why did she choose forensic medicine?  Which movie gave her
nightmares as a child? Why does she cover that mole over her lip?  What is 
her dream car?  Who was her biggest role model?  Should I go on?"

"No, I get the message,"  Mulder said softly as he considered the
questions that Charles had posed.  [Political cause?  I had no idea
she was politically minded before meeting me.  Music?  I'm not sure.
Disco, maybe?  But I can't picture Scully in polyester.  Forensic
medicine?  Maybe it was to satisfy her investigative instincts?  Scary
movie?  She mentioned liking the Exorcist, but I don't know whether it
ever gave her nightmares.  Mole?  I have no idea, but I wish she'd
leave it alone because I find it sexy.  Damn sexy.  Dream car?  I'm
drawing a blank here.  Her role model?  It could be anyone.  Maybe her
father?]  "So who was her role model?"

"Ask her, Mulder."  Charles said, a little disgustedly.

"Okay, point taken.  You're right.  Thank you Charles, I think I'm
going to take your advice."

"You'd better.  If I don't see something serious going on by her next
birthday (which you have to remember this year) then I'll tell her you
stuck your tongue down my throat and asked me to go into the bushes
with you," teased Charles, in an attempt to relieve some of the tension that 
had crept into the conversation.

Laughing, Mulder replied, "Leave me your number in case it doesn't
work out with your sister."

Feigning a hurt look, Charles answered "So I'm not your first choice?"

With a devilish grin Charles picked up the ball and tossed it to Mulder.  
"Up for a game?"

END