Part 2 of 2

Skinner just looked at her, his expression making it
clear that he wasn't buying her story.

"I think you know why we didn't tell you, sir," Mulder said. "The minute we informed you of our marriage, Scully would have been back at Quantico and I would have been back on violent crimes. That's if we were lucky. Otherwise, they'd probably send Scully to Seattle and me to Miami!"

"With all due respect, sir," Scully chimed in, "we
didn't get married so we could spend LESS time
together."

"The rules are there for a reason, agents," Skinner
said, his voice almost gentle.

"Yes, and it's a good reason," Mulder said, surprising both Skinner and Scully. "If a married couple were part of a larger division, the other agents within that division would be at a disadvantage. They wouldn't have the level of backup or support from the couple that the husband and wife gave each other. It would create an uneven playing field. If we were still part of the anti-terrorism squad, like we were briefly a couple of years ago, this situation would be wrong. But we're not. The X-Files function as an independent investigative unit; a two-person unit. We don't work with other agents on a regular basis so, quite frankly, I don't see that it matter what our personal relationship is!"

Skinner sighed. "The X-Files could be closed at any
moment. I think you both know that. It's happened
twice before. What would you do under those
circumstances?"

"I'd go back to Quantico and Mulder would go back to
violent crimes," Scully said.

"And if one you were assigned somewhere else? Away
from the Washington, D.C. area?" Skinner asked.

"I'd go wherever Mulder was assigned," Scully replied. "If it weren't possible for me to continue to work for the bureau in that location, I'd try to get on with a local coroner's office or see if I could find a teaching position of some sort."

Mulder turned his head to stare at Scully, amazed.
"Scully, I would never expect you to trash your career with the bureau for the sake of our marriage!"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be willing to trash our
marriage for the sake of my career," she replied
briskly. "My career is important to me. However,
although it might not be politically correct for a
well-educated woman to say so nowadays, my marriage is more important to me than my career.  Although I would hope I'd never be put in the position where I'm forced to make such a choice, if push comes to shove I'll quit the bureau before I'd try to sustain a marriage in which we lived in different time zones."

Skinner held up his hand for silence. He wasn't
surprised that Scully would offer to give up her
career if it caused a conflict, or that Mulder would
object to such a move.

"IF I buy your arguments and allow you to continue to
work together," Skinner said, "the arrangement would
only be temporary."

"You mean you'll let us continue to work as partners
on the X-Files?" Scully asked.

"I'm considering it. In the past six months, your
solve ratio has gone up and complaints about Agent
Mulder's sometimes erratic behavior have ceased. The
situation seems to be working. But - and I say this as a friend, to both of you - I'm not sure I'd be doing you a favor."

"Why not?" Mulder asked.

"Because," Skinner said slowly, "in my opinion, the
danger of a married couple working together doesn't
lie in the fact that their marriage can cause damage
to their careers. It's more likely that your mutual
career could hurt your marriage."

"Why?" asked Scully.

"A man - excuse me, Agent Scully, a person - has the
right to expect a certain level of unconditional
support from his - or her - spouse. Support that may
be impossible to give when you have a professional
disagreement and may cause resentment when it is
withheld."

"I'm not saying you don't have a valid point, sir,"
Scully said softly, "but, with all due respect, you
tried to keep your personal and professional lives so
entirely separate that we worked for you for years
before we realized you even *had* a wife! And, well,
it honestly didn't seem to do your own marriage a lot
of good."

Skinner looked at both agents. These two had been
through more in the past six years than most people
went through in twenty. The deaths of William Mulder
and Melissa Scully. Agent Scully's abduction and
subsequent cancer which had been as hard - if not
harder - on Mulder as they had been on Scully herself. And he'd lost track of the number of times both agents had been hospitalized.

Skinner sighed. "You're both sure you want to continue to do this? Agent Scully could be reassigned to Quantico and we could find someone else to work on the X-Files with you, Agent Mulder."

"No sir. I don't want to do this without Scully. I'm
not even sure I could. If you're going to reassign
her, I'm formally requesting reassignment for myself,
also. Indeed, I believe bureau policy requires
reassigning *BOTH* parties when two agents from the
same division get married or otherwise become
romantically involved. If you remove Scully from the
X-Files and let me continue to work them, it would
create the impression of sexual discrimination. As if
she were being punished for our marriage, but I
wasn't."

Skinner allowed himself a small smile. For Fox Mulder
to voluntarily offer to relinquish the X-Files was a
sign of true love if he'd ever seen one.

"We're sure," Scully said softly.

"A couple of points, then," Skinner said, drawing
smiles and looks of gratitude from both agents. "You
will continue to be discreet. As I'm sure you're both
aware, there has been speculation about the exact
nature of your relationship for years. It's probably
always that way when a man and woman work so closely
together. Do not give your detractors any more fuel. I must say that I've never seen either of you behave in a suggestive manner during your professional hours, so I don't think that will be a problem.  When - and it will be when, not if, agents - you are reassigned, I don't expect any whining. Also, and this is important, if you're ever asked, let it be known that I knew of your marriage from the beginning. The fact that you tried to hide it from me for six months makes you both look bad."

"But won't that cause problems for you, sir?" Scully
asked.
 
I'm a big boy, agents. If I'm questioned about my
decision to make an exemption to bureau policy for the two of you, I can handle it."

"Thank you, sir!" said Scully.

"Yeah, thanks!" Mulder agreed.

"You can go now, agents," Skinner said.

Mulder and Scully walked toward the door, his hand
resting gently on the small of her back. "Oh, and one
more thing, agents."

"Yes sir?" they asked, turning slightly to face him.

"Unless it's absolutely necessary to avoid blowing
your cover in front of agents from the local field
offices, let's quit charging the bureau for two hotel
rooms if you're only going to be using one, shall we?"

"Yes sir," Mulder and Scully answered in unison,
smiling at him.