Title: Dancing series 3: Be my baby Author: Tanja E-mail address: voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl Rating: PG-13 Spoilers: Dirty Dancing story Keywords: Pre-xfiles, MSR, Maggie/Skinner Romance Archive: Gossamer and the Souls Entwined Archive always, other sites is okay, as long as you leave me a note :-) Summary: It's fifteen years later. Fox and Dana are working together as special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The FBI is organizing a dance, will this bring back forgotten memories? Some people are in for a surprise..... Disclaimer: Mulder isn't mine, Scully isn't mine, so aren't the rest of the XF-characters in this story. They all belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Network. Author's notes: Here's the last part in the dancing series. I hope everybody likes the story. And thanks to everybody who has given me feedback on the other first two stories :-). Traci thanks for beta-reading my stories :) Dedicated to: Hilary, for bribing me :-() It worked, here's your story Hilary :-) Dancing series 3: Be my baby - Prologue - Fifteen years it had been and the memory of it was still vivid in his mind. A classic summer romance, the rich girl that had fallen in love with her dancing teacher. He remembered the first time he had seen her, a daring look in her big blue eyes, red curls dancing around her laughing face. They danced and the connection had been there from the beginning. It had been a forbidden love, he was 21, she was only 17 years old and on holiday with her parents. Her father had freaked out when he found out his daughter was doing it with her dancing teacher. In the end it had turned out pretty good. Her father had talked with him and they had spent the last week together. But saying goodbye had been inevitable, they had known that. The love was strong, but they were too young and their roads had split. She had given him the courage and strength to make something out of his life. He had gone back to college to study Psychology. 4 years later he graduated at Oxford, as one of the best students of his class. The FBI recruited him and it didn't take long or Fox Mulder was on his way to become one of the best agents the FBI had ever had. Until he discovered the X-files 3 years later. The FBI wasn't too happy with his new interest, but they didn't want to lose one of their best agents either, so they let him continue his work, convinced that he couldn't do too much harm on his own. One year later he was assigned a partner, special Agent Dana Scully. He had recognized her the moment she walked into the basement, how couldn't he? From the day they had said goodbye, she hadn't left his mind one second. The thought of her and the knowledge that one day they would meet again, had kept him going through the years. It was thanks to her that he was where he was now. To his disappointment she hadn't recognized him, or hadn't want to recognize him. She had been professional and friendly and that was it. He was disappointed, but tried to forget. If there was one thing he had learned a long time ago, was that some things in life weren't meant to be. Obviously his relationship with Dana was one of those things, but it hurt to know that she had forgotten so easily. Of course she hadn't. Dana had recognized him too, from the moment she had had to say goodbye she had tried to forget, to put it behind her. It had taken her a long time and she wouldn't admit it to anybody, but she had never been able to completely forget about him. Her life went on, she went to college, studied Medicines, she had a few boyfriends, but those relationships always went wrong, because she kept comparing them to what she had once had. In her head she knew she would probably never see him again, but her heart didn't want to listen to that. She was disappointed when he didn't seem to recognize her, but tried to forget also. Trying to convince herself that it was really over now. He obviously didn't want her and she wasn't going to throw herself in front of him. It had been awkward in the beginning, but they had gotten over it and now, 5 years later, they were partners, best friends, and two people who were ignoring that they had been in love with each other a long time ago and still were. Both wondering if they would ever have the courage to tell the other. J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING BASEMENT There was a comfortable silence in the basement, while Mulder and Scully were working on the reports of their latest case. Or to be more correct, Scully was working on the report and Mulder was trying to work his way through a pile of office memos and junk mail. Most of it could be thrown in the dustbin without a second look. He was about to throw away another piece of useless paper, when his eye fell on the word "dancing contest". When he read it, he found out the FBI Annual Ball would be in two weeks and there would be a dancing contest. His mind drifted away, thinking of the summer he had met Dana for the first time. A whirlwind romance, love at first sight, the best summer of his life and the pain of having to say goodbye in the end. He remembered the long walks on the beach and the long conversations they had together. He wished he could go back and stay there forever with her. He wondered if...., no, Scully would never agree to go with him to the Ball. Or would she? What if they would go, would it bring back old memories? Would there be a chance that....? He didn't dare to think any further, it was over and it had been for a long time, maybe he should just forget about it. That's what he told himself, but his heart told him something different. Told him to ask her to go with him, to fight for what they could have again together, to tell her he loved her, before it would be too late. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that somebody had knocked on the door and Skinner had walked in. "Mulder." Scully said, interrupting his train of thoughts. "Yes?" He looked up to see Skinner standing in the room. "Oh, hello Sir." "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully." Skinner nodded shortly. "Can we help you, Sir?" Scully asked. "Ehm yes, I'm here to bring you your new case file." He handed her a case file, which she quickly looked through. "And I would like to remind both of you not to forget that the FBI Annual Ball will be in 2 weeks, you probably didn't read the memo...." Mulder looked at the piece of paper in his hand, speaking of coincidences. "But it would be a good idea if for once you two would come. You are allowed to bring your own date, there'll be a dancing contest also, but don't worry nobody will force you to join that contest. It'll be just be a night of socializing with your colleagues." Skinner stopped, ready for the protests to come. Mulder thought. He had already been wondering how to convince Scully to come with him and his boss had just made it a lot easier by telling them he expected them to come. Mulder knew that if they wanted, he and Scully could easily join the dancing contest and win. If she agreed to go of course. "Okay. I'll be there." Mulder said. Surprising Skinner, who had expected a discussion and Mulder trying to get out of this obligation. Scully's jaw dropped too. She had seen the memo too and had wanted to go, with Mulder. Old memories had come back, but she had convinced herself that Mulder had forgotten about those memories, had forgotten that they had once been in love, so she had been too afraid to ask him. Too afraid for the rejection and the pain that would inevitably follow after that. God help her, but after 15 years she was still in love with him, maybe even more than she had been 15 years ago. "Agent Scully?" Skinner looked at her expectantly, waiting for her answer. "Yes?" Then she realized he was waiting for her answer. "I'll be there too." She quickly said, avoiding to look at Mulder. Skinner nodded and left the room, still surprised at how easy this had gone. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, both knowing what they wanted to ask, but still too afraid to say it. It was Mulder who broke the silence. "So, who are you taking Scully?" She shrugged. "I don't know, you?" "I thought that maybe we could go together?" He looked at her hopefully. "Together?" She echoed, her heart making a little jump at the suggestion. He mistook the silence that followed as a rejection, thinking that she didn't want to go with him. "Don't worry, just as friends." He reassured her, although that wasn't really what he wanted, but he would do anything, as long as she would go with him. Her face fell. *Just as friends* She should have known there was nothing more behind his question. For a moment she had hoped there would be, oh well at least they were going together. Who knew what would happen? She told herself But going with him as a friend was still better as having to look at him and another woman all night. "Okay." She smiled at him. "Really?" He asked, relieved. He had already been afraid that he would have to look at her and another man all night. "Sure." She smiled at him again. "Great!" He said, for a moment doubting whether he should ask her about the dancing contest, in the end deciding not to. With a smile on his face he returned back to his work. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to do it, but he decided that he was going to do anything to get Dana Scully back as more than just a friend, and the dancing contest might just be the perfect way to reach his goal. TWO WEEKS LATER NIGHT OF THE FBI ANNUAL BALL She was just finished getting dressed and doing her hair when she heard the knock on her door. Looking at the clock, she realized it probably would be Mulder to pick her up. She quickly opened the door and her jaw dropped when she looked at him. The look on his face was mirroring her own. Mulder was dressed in a black tuxedo and had managed to look exactly the same as the night they had danced together on stage, 15 years ago. Great minds obviously had been thinking alike, because Scully was wearing a dress that was very similar to the one she had been wearing the night she had danced in public with Fox. Looking at each other, memories came back. It was as if they were stepping back in time. Mulder found his voice back first. "You look beautiful, Dana." "You don't look that bad either, Fox." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Ready?" He stretched his hand out to her, which she accepted shyly. Hand- in-hand they walked to his car, on their way to the party. J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING FBI ANNUAL BALL Assistant Director Skinner was talking to his date, when something at the door attracted her attention and she gasped. He wondered what was going on and turned around in his chair. He saw Mulder and Scully entering the room, hand-in-hand, but that was all, he had no idea why she was so surprised or shocked. He couldn't exactly tell from the look on her face. "Maggie?" He asked and she looked at him. Her daughter didn't know yet, but they had been seeing each other for a couple of months and that's why he had asked her to be his date for the night. She had hesitated for a moment, but he had convinced her, telling her that her daughter would have to find out sooner or later anyway. "Yes?" "Are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine." She assured him. "Are you sure, you look so surprised. You knew they were coming didn't you?" "I did, it's just that...." She couldn't tell him the truth behind her reaction. When she had seen them entering the room it had been as if she had gone back 15 years in time. Somehow they had both managed to be dressed the exact same way. "You hadn't expect them to be here together?" "Not like that at all. Don't worry, they just reminded me of something from the past." That was all she wanted to say about it. "Oh, okay. Do you want to dance?" "I would love too." She smiled and followed him to the dance floor. Mulder and Scully hadn't seen them yet, probably because they were to lost in their own world to even notice anything else. "Do you want to dance?" Mulder asked softly, looking at her with a smile. "It would be my pleasure." Smiling they made their way to the dance floor and as he put his arms around her and her arms found their way around his neck, they danced. Just like they had done so long ago. Lost in time, lost for the world. When the song ended, they seemed to realize where they were and let go of each other slightly. Looking around for the first time that night, Scully suddenly spotted her mother, dancing with Skinner. Her jaw dropped and so did Mulder's when he followed her look. "I didn't know your mom was going to be here tonight?" He frowned. "Neither did I." She answered, a frown on her face, wondering what her mother was doing here. Suddenly her mother seemed to feel that they were looking at them. She turned around and smiled, pulling Skinner with her, they made their way through the crowd of people. "Hi honey." Maggie grinned and hugged her daughter. "Ehm hi mom." Scully said, still a little shocked. She looked at Skinner who stood next to her mother, his arm around her and he smiled. "Hi Fox." Maggie greeted Mulder. He grinned and quickly gave her a hug. "Hello Mrs. Scully." She gave him a quasi indignant look. "Maggie, Fox. Please don't call me Mrs. Scully, you make me feel old!" "Okay, Maggie." Mulder repeated smiling. "Mom, what are you doing here?" Scully wanted to know. "Walter invited me." Maggie said, looking at Skinner with a smile. Skinner nodded and smiled too. "Oh ehm .... okay." Scully was still completely surprised by the discovery that her mother was dating the assistant director, who also happened to be her boss. They all stood there, all wondering who was going to talk next, when the start of the dancing contest was announced. Mulder looked at Scully, asking with his eyes if she wanted to join the contest. She nodded with a smile and followed him. Skinner turned around to Maggie in surprise. "They're going to join the contest?" "I think so." "But why would they?" "Why wouldn't they, they have just as much chance as everybody else here." Maggie thought to herself. "If I remember correctly from last year, there are some pretty good dancers in the contest." "They can always try can't they?" "Of course they can, I was just wondering." "They might surprise you." Maggie said mysteriously, as they walked back to their table to watch the contest. IN THE MEAN TIME ON THE DANCE FLOOR The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me I'll make you so proud of me We'll make 'em turn their heads Every place we go So won't you please The music softly started to play as time repeated itself. 15 years ago it had been love at first time. He had needed her, from the night they met. If time had been different, if the situation had been different, he would never have let her go, out of his life, but not out of his heart. But time hadn't been right, they had known that they would have to say goodbye. Forever love in a holiday romance. She had given him the strength to change his life, even though he hadn't had her with him, she had still been there, on the background of his life. Never out of his heart completely. 15 years had gone by and they hadn't forgotten. It wasn't over yet, it was still there. And they still hadn't forgotten how to dance together either. Be my, be my Be my little baby My one and only baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby now My one and only baby Maggie was looking at them with a smile. Skinner was looking with his mouth open, wondering where on earth his agents had learned to dance like that. Maggie looked at him with a grin. "Surprised?" "You could say that again. Where the hell did they learn to dance like that?" "Dana fell in love with her dancing teacher 15 years ago, when we were on holiday." Maggie explained. "And he taught her how to dance like that?" "Yes, he did. They spent the whole summer together. Bill and I didn't even know she was seeing him, until the last week. Bill freaked out when he found his daughter rolling on the beach with him. But in the end everything turned out alright." "Well he obviously was a good dancing teacher, because she really dances very well. That explains for your daughter, but how about Mulder?" Maggie had turned back her attention to the dance floor, without looking away from it, Maggie simply said "Fox was a dancing teacher one." That was all she said. It didn't immediately get through to Skinner. He just said "Oh" and turned his attention back to the dance floor. A few minutes later it finally got through to him. His jaw dropped and he turned around to Maggie, his mouth open in complete shock. "Her dancing teacher?!?!?" She looked at him and grinned "Bingo." ON THE DANCE FLOOR I'll make you happy, baby Just wait and see For every kiss you give me I'll give you three Oh, since the day I saw you I have been waiting for you You know I will adore you Till eternity so won't you please Mulder and Scully were still lost in each other on the dance floor, their eyes never looking away from each other. The music played on and the contest continued. In the end there were only two couples left. Mulder and Scully and two other agents. They didn't even notice how far into the contest they were, too lost for the world, until the winners were announced. When they heard their names, Mulder and Scully finally looked up. "We won?" Scully asked surprised, looking at Mulder, who looked surprised too. "Ehm I believe we did." Before he could say anything else, the DJ walked to them and congratulated them, handing them the prize, which happened to be a romantic holiday for two to Florida. Still surprised they thanked him and walked towards her mother and the Assistant Director. "Congratulations you two!" Maggie smiled and gave them another hug. Skinner pretended to be mocking. They looked at him, not sure how to take the look on his face. Teasing he said, faking to be threatening them. "Just promise me one thing you two..." They looked at him, both afraid that they were going to get a lecture about the FBI policy on partners and relationships. But they could exhale safely, a grin spread over his face, when he said. "Don't even think of going to Florida with somebody else but each other." Their jaws dropped, when he said it. Mulder found his speech back first. "But Sir..." "Yes?" Skinner asked in a friendly tone. "I thought..." Scully tried to regain her voice too, not getting too far. "Yes?" "Well we thought the FBI frowned on relationships between partners, so..." "Rules are there to be broken." Was all Skinner said, before he turned to Maggie and asked her if she wanted to dance. She accepted and they made their way to the dance floor. Leaving Mulder and Scully behind in shock. Recovering from the shock, they turned to look at each other and got lost again. Mulder cupped Scully's face with one hand, tenderly caressing her cheek with the other hand. Scully stared back at him, waiting for what to come. His voice trembling with emotions he said. "I need you Scully, I've always needed you. Back then it was you who gave me the strength to change my life. Even though I had to say goodbye to you that summer, I never really forgot about you. I couldn't. I am who I am today, thanks to you." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You do remember?" "Of course I do, you didn't know that?" "I thought..." Her voice was trembling when she spoke. "I thought you had forgotten." "Never." He said firmly. "You walked out of my life, not out of my heart. My heart has always been with you. I love you Dana. I always have and I always will." "I love you too Fox." She smiled sweetly. He took that as the sign to lean down and kiss her on the lips. Breaking away from the kiss he leaned his forehead against hers and whispered "Forever?" "And always." She finished for him, before he claimed her lips in another kiss. Skinner and Maggie looked at them from the dance floor. Taking a realistic view at his lip-locked agents, Skinner said "I guess dancing was not all he taught her that summer." Maggie grinned and sighed happily as she looked at them. Time hadn't changed a thing, their love for each other had never left their hearts. The end Feedback always welcome at voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl. More stories can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/oh/xfshippers/index.html