I may just have missed it, since I came into the Oblivion side of TES so late, but I'm surprised not to have seen anyone talking about how much of Shivering Isles is...the right term would be "wish fulfillment," I think. For the Hero of Kvatch specifically.
Particularly, I'd like to look at the siege on Passwall. The town of Passwall isn't particularly large—bigger than Hale, but that's not saying much—but it's well-protected, with a strong perimeter wall and good defenses, with a guardian literally built to purpose. It's extremely important to the Shivering Isles as a whole. It's where some of the realm's most important work is done, most notably Relmyna's fleshsmithing, and it's an important place for the people of the realm because it's where everyone starts. The citizens of Passwall are decent people with their own issues and their own stories, some make good decisions and some don't. It's the first place the Hero of Kvatch sees what the Shivering Isles are capable of, and it sets the stage for the rest of the adventure. It's where anyone who wants to move forward in their own adventure proves themselves worthy to be a subject of the Madgod, whatever that means.
Passwall is a mirror of Kvatch, as the Hero never got to see it. Kvatch wasn't particularly large—bigger than Chorrol, but that's not saying much—but it was well-protected, with a strong perimeter wall and good defenses, with a guard regiment trained to purpose. It was also extremely important to Cyrodiil as a whole. It was where some of the nation's most important work was done, being the home of the Temple of Akatosh, and it was an important place for a lot of citizens in Tamriel because Akatosh is where the Empire started. The citizens of Kvatch were, and the handful left still are, decent people with their own issues and their own stories, some of which made good decisions and some of which didn't. It's the first place the Hero of Kvatch saw what the Oblivion Crisis was capable of, and set the stage for the rest of the adventure. It's where the Hero of Kvatch proved themselves worthy of protecting the last heir of the Empire, whatever that meant.
But here's the key difference: they reached Kvatch too late. By the time they got there, the Great Gate that ripped the city apart had served its purpose and been closed, leaving the city in ruins and the vast majority of its citizens dead. There was hope that there may have been some survivors left in the castle, but it was just hope, and it ended up being for nothing; everyone who wasn't in the temple was dead, and very few of the handful of guards would survive the ensuing struggle.
The hero of Kvatch was forced to push through alone, into the oldest, most defensible structure in the area, the castle, leaving the guard behind to hold off the horde while they attempted to find something that made those losses worth it, some hint of life left in the midst of the maelstrom—and they failed. The leader of Kvatch, Count Goldwine, was dead by the time the Hero found him. They'd never know exactly how he died or how many people died with him, and in the end they couldn't even retrieve his body, only a symbol of his office to bring to his last surviving guard.
The Hero couldn't even help to rebuild Kvatch, and the few citizens left would spend the rest of the story lamenting the deaths of their loved ones in a makeshift settlement a mile outside the home they loved so much.
In contrast, when Order lays siege to Passwall, the Hero is notified immediately. The city is ransacked and the citizens have disappeared by the time they get there—either having abandoned the town, been struck down, or turned traitor—but there's still a full regiment of Saints or Seducers left to push back Jyggalag's forces. And, most importantly, even if every single one of those defenders dies in the ensuing struggle, they'll come back. They're Sheogorath's personal dremora, it's impossible to lose any of them forever. They'll all be back, all it takes is some determination and patience on the Hero's part, and they'll get to see every one of them again.
The Hero of Kvatch pushes through alone, into the oldest, most defensible structure in the area, Xeddefen, without hope for survivors but for a chance to deactivate the Obelisk that's ripping the Fringe apart—and they find a survivor. Not just any survivor, either, but the leader of Passwall, Mayor Shelden, who tells the Hero exactly what happened, how he wound up here, what's happening. Instead of running away, he throws himself into the fray and helps the Hero fight off the forces of Order, knowing that at least one of the priests is a friend who betrayed him, because protecting his city is worth more than his life or his own feelings. The Hero of Kvatch personally deactivates the Obelisk, in the exact way they weren't able to close the Great Gate.
When the Greymarch ends, Passwall is restored to its former state. The people return to the homes they lost, the Hero of Kvatch has crafted them a new guardian to make sure this never happens again, and life goes on.
This happens over and over throughout the story of the Shivering Isles, including the very end: Martin was forced to give himself up forever, taking hold of a role and power he never wanted to protect people that didn't know him, losing himself to Akatosh and leaving his people without a leader. Jyggalag was at last able to return to himself, freed from a role and power he never wanted that forced him to rule over a sphere that would never understand him, finding himself once more and leaving the people he'd ruled over as Sheogorath with the Hero of Kvatch as their leader, someone who had already proven how far they would go to protect them.
I think the Shivering Isles presents the happiest ending the Hero of Kvatch could ever have. It's not a true do-over, not really, but it's as close as they could ever get—and this time they know exactly what to do to make sure things turn out right. What happier ending could a hero whose story is built on failure and death and sacrifice possibly want?
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I always feel like Mulder doesn't get enough/any comeuppance for the whole Diana arc. I know you have a list of Diana fics but do you have any specific recs for where he is truly made to suffer consequences?
Collector's Edition: One Son's Repentance
I believe Mulder's suffering and consequences were meted out in Biogenesis-Amor Fati: circumstances which forced him to confront and reform the cracked foundations in his psyche.
That aside: there weren't any on-screen scenes that addressed One Son's rift, now were there? And while the writers and actors and crew barreled onward towards more laughs and light times, viewers were left a bit short-changed, I'd say.
Which is what fanfic's for, isn't it?
Loose chronological order below~
@baronessblixen's
Never Cold With You By My Side
Her anger dissipates as she catches sight of Mulder in that too-small bed, looking like a giant sleeping in a dwarf’s bed. There’s half a smile on his face and a hopeful gleam in his eyes that disarms her. Tonight, it’s not enough. It may not be his fault that they’re locked in here, but when push came to shove, he chose Diana, the path of least resistance.
“I want to sleep,” she says, squashing whatever hope he might have had of making her laugh with his jokes tonight. “It’s been a long day,” she adds.
AU-- Mulder and Scully spend a night in Fort Marlene.
Mulder gets really mad at Scully for running from their feelings
“Look at me, Scully."
"No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m giving you privacy.”
“I didn’t ask for privacy. I don’t want privacy.” I want you, his mind screams.
“Well, why don’t you ask Agent Fowley back then. I’m sure she’d love to keep you company.” Before he can utter another word, she passes by him and walks out without a glance back.
One Son Mulder and Scully are at cross-purposes.
Fictober Day 18: At The Crossroads
“This isn’t just about us stranding here, is it?” She doesn’t answer. “Is it because of-”
“It’s not,” she says too quickly.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“It’s not because of anyone,” she says, turning to him and staring straight into his eyes. She won’t say the other woman’s name. She’s not important. “It’s because of me.”
“You don’t want to be doing this anymore.” Mulder lets go of her arm as though burned by her touch.
Post-One Son tensions are heightened by a broken-down rental and scorching temperatures.
Making Progress
“No, Diana. That was all you.” Mulder’s voice picks up, is louder now over the fake laughter on the screen. “No, I did not. Not once.” If only Scully could hear Diana’s side of the conversation. Mulder is quiet, appears to listen. He sighs once, runs his hand over his face.
“Scully is my partner, Diana.” Scully stands up straight, takes her lower lip between her teeth, worrying it. She should not be here, should not be listening in on this private conversation. But why can’t she leave?
Arcadia Scully overhears Mulder's phone call.
In Sickness And in Health (Ao3)
The waitress wanders off, leaving Mulder and Scully alone with their thoughts and their silence. He starts playing with the salt and pepper shakers, his hands unable to stay still. Scully wishes she had something to say. Anything. She watches and waits for the waitress and their food. Her stomach is in knots. She knows it’s not just because she hasn’t eaten anything in a while. It’s because of whatever is happening between her and Mulder. She wants things to go back to normal, but she still flinches when he touches her. The way he treated their first case back still leaves a sour taste in her mouth. The way he treated her, as his wife, even more so.
Maybe they should have sent Diana with him.
Post-Arcadia Scully and Mulder draw back together when she's hit with a nasty case of food poisoning.
@queeenpersephone/light_loves_the_dark's
wishbone
If Diana’s a liar, then Scully will be the only person to hold him without hurting him. And as much as he loves her, the idea that only one person has ever loved him without ulterior motives is almost unbearable. Is he that hopeless? Is he that unloveable?
He’s ready to bark at Diana to give them a minute when Scully catches him by the wrist, and the fact that she’s still willing to touch him makes him hate everything a little less. He wants to touch her too: everywhere. To climb over her and into her and block out the past few months in the solace of her body. For now, he settles for turning back to her without a second thought to Diana, watching as she breathes in and out before speaking. “If you love me,” she says carefully, her voice breaking on love, “prove it.”
One Son Scully refuses to join Mulder and Diana.
in this metallic silence
“It has been six years,” Scully says quietly, like she is empty. Like she has lost a fight that he didn’t even know they were having. Lost a war while he has been on a different battlefield altogether. “If I am still just assigned to you, I should go.”
Post-One Son Mulder's trust in Diana is finally torn away after Scully is injured in the field.
Erin M. Blair's
Never Me
Does he trust me?
Sometimes, I wonder.
One Son Scully is fed up with the lies and deceit.
Mistaken Moments
"Are you going to quit?" asked Mulder.
"Is that what you think I should do?" inquired Scully. Her eyes flashed with anger at Mulder. "Sometimes I don't think you really trust me. You have droned on and on about how not to trust other people but then you placed your trust with Diana Fowley. And I wonder why." Mulder and Scully were both in the elevator towards the basement office. As Scully watched the floors go by, she turned towards Mulder, "I wonder why you trust her."
Post-One Son Skinner has to facilitate a vacation for his emotionally bruised agents.
@minuete-blog's Done
“No. We’re done. I’m done.” She looked at him slightly wide-eyed, stunned at her remark seeing the mirrored expression on Mulder’s face. Did she genuinely feel that way?
One Son Scully reaches her limit.
@contrivedcoincidences6/Spooky66/geektime66's Things you said #10 (Ao3)
He sees her there, still in her car but she doesn’t see him. Scully’s face is in her hands and her shoulders are shaking. The need to run and comfort her overwhelms him. He can count on one hand the times that he’s seen her cry.
Before he can second-guess himself he knocks on her window, startling her.
One Son Mulder promises to verify Diana's trustworthiness.
Diadem's
Scene 15 - Winner Takes All
Some little part of you must know that I love you. I never told you, it wasn't really necessary. But I'll be there when you fall, Mulder, and as always I'll be right beside you to pick you up again.
One Son Scully doesn't know what Mulder sees in Diana.
Maybe and Movement With Time
id he ever find me useful? Were my theories, my versions of events ever taken seriously, or was I simply around for amusement value? Did he ever find me attractive, as a woman, rather than a gun-toting authority figure? I thought he did. Maybe he didn't.
Post-One Son Scully navigates her complicated feelings with distance, looking for evidence of Mulder's loyalty and devotion.
Dianora's Impasse
The ride back from the Air Force hangar passed in tension-laden silence, none of the passengers in the car ready to discuss what they had seen, or the carnage they had witnessed. Despite her inner turmoil, Scully half-dozed for much of the ride, the physical and mental exhaustion of the past 24 hours finally catching up with her. She was looking forward to a long hot bath and then a good night's sleep, but when Skinner pulled up in front of Scully's apartment building, Mulder got out of the car too.
"What are you doing?" she asked, slamming the car door shut.
"I'm going in with you, so we can talk."
One Son Mulder stubbornly clings to Diana's friendship, forcing Scully to prod the limits of his loyalty.
Vehemently's Rainbow Sign
Agent Spender matched his white dress shirt, the arterial red a startling speckle on skin and cloth alike. Mulder noticed the gauze padding that blood was gluing to the man's ribcage. Scully, who had worked hard to forget her rotation in emergency medicine, saw instead the face upturned, nostrils gaping and half-open eyes revealing only the whites.
They stood together like that, in the hallway, while the elevator took on its passengers and began to close. Before the doors had closed all the way, the paramedics began shouting to each other. There was just a glimpse to be had of a man climbing astraddle the gurney before the doors were shut and all they saw were their own dull reflections.
Post-One Son Mulder pieces together the breadth of Diana Fowley's duplicity.
@is-on-its-way/Ophelia_is_a_nun's In the name of the Father, the Skeptic and the Son (Ao3)
He did have to talk to Scully. The stooges had been a little bit right. He had been a jerk at their place. But not because Scully might have been wrong, because he had so much else on his mind that seemed so dire at the time. Preventing an invasion of colonist aliens for one. That when she’d made it clear she didn’t trust his judgement, it had been the last straw for his patience. But he’d been dismissive and mean in a way he’d never been with her. He’d hurt her, and he was terrified she would leave him for good. He needed to try to make this right.
Mulder, Scully, and the aftermath of One Son.
JLB's Car Ride
We haven't spoken for the last ten minutes, but I will not be the one to break the silence. I refuse to give in first even though I know that this entire situation is strange and I should make allowances. I'm driving Skinner's car, which he graciously offered to us since he had to stick around and oversee the official investigation. Part of me wishes I that I had insisted on staying, that I had just let Mulder take the car and go by himself. I could have caught a ride with someone else later. But then I would have been avoiding the inevitable, not confronting this head on. Not like I'm actually confronting anything now, but at least we're sitting in the same car, even if it is in complete silence.
But I refuse to speak first. I will not do it. For a variety of reasons. Yes, I'm still angry with him.
One Son Scully and Mulder are goaded into tears and confessions.
@all-these-ghosts/all_these_ghosts's what happened in the scene at the Lone Gunmen between Mulder and Scully in Two Fathers/One Son?
“I went to her apartment,” he says. For a moment his eyes lose focus, and she goes very, very still. “After what you said at the Gunmen’s. I went to see if I could find any evidence that she…that she’s what you say.”
She can’t keep the hope out of her voice. “Did you?”
“No.” And the hope evaporates. “But while I was there, the Smoking Man stopped by.”
Her eyes flash up to his. “At her apartment?”
“He said he was looking for his son,” Mulder says, “but I don’t—I don’t know anymore. Diana didn’t seem surprised by any of it. Not the fact that he was there, not the fact that the world as we know it was about to end.”
There are so many things she wants to ask him, but she stays quiet, waiting for him to go on.
Post-One Son Mulder and Scully are reinstated.
Vesalius's The Estrangement of Shared Purpose
At the sound of her voice, Mulder stopped and looked up. Scully solemnly held his gaze for a moment, and then spoke again.
"And if we..." she paused briefly, placing emphasis on the "we", "are going to look for answers, we need to talk."
Mulder stiffened, blinked slowly, and said quietly: "About?"
"About our ability to continue working together."
"Are you saying you want to quit?"
"No. I'm saying I have concerns about our ability to work together effectively as partners."
AU-- Post-One Son Scully's frustration forces Mulder to open up about his past.
Brandon D. Ray's There But By the Grace of God
Diana. How could I have been so wrong about her? How could I have failed to see the signs? Especially when my own partner, the one I have come to trust as no other, my one in five billion, kept trying to get through to me, kept rubbing my nose in the unpleasant facts that I didn't want to see, didn't want to hear, didn't want to know. How could I have been so blind?
Scully... I'm so sorry.
Post-One Son Mulder's contemplation.
Shoshana's Breathing Room
Mulder glanced through the peephole, saw Scully, and threw open the deadbolt. The knock had sounded familiar but he'd been nervous all day since young Spender's blood was found in their basement office. He was less concerned about Diana's whereabouts, not wanting to dwell on her betrayal.
He didn't want to think about his ex-partner and sometime friend because he didn't want to face Scully.
Post-One Son Mulder and Scully have an honest conversation about his guilt.
Jennifer Brady's Laughing Out Loud
"That's it? I sign this, and we're back?" I ask, running my fingers over Mulder's jittery scrawl.
He smiles a bit and nods. "That's it,"
I quickly grab a pen and try to unwrinkle the paper. Mulder's right behind me, I can feel his breath. All of a sudden, I am struck with a realization. If this is going to happen, it's going to be on my terms.
AU-- Post-One Son Scully seizes an opportunity to forge her own conditions.
@agent-troi, @tofuttim, and baronessblixen's Eden
Mulder’s arms wrapped around her completely, like he was afraid she would escape.
“What are you doing, Mulder?” she whispered.
“I…” his voice was tight, unsteady. “I need you to be still for a moment, to let your guard down and hear me. Can you do that?”
“Okay…” Scully said cautiously, realizing the warmth and pressure of his wrapped arms instantly brought her comfort.
“I’m sorry.”
AU-- Post-One Son Scully is furious over the events of the past few days (if not years.)
@alienbaby-babymama's 12 Days of Ficmas (Ao3)
He didn’t want to believe it.
“You told me you loved me.” Diana barely hears his muffled statement but she’s prepared with her retort.
“I told you a lot of things I didn’t mean.”
Post-One Son Mulder has to know.
amorfati3215's
I watched AmorFati and actually had a dream about it last night.
When he’d walked into the office earlier that morning he’d hoped for an easy day; he had a headache brewing, no doubt a result of little sleep the previous night, and for once he just wanted to go eight hours without arguing with Scully.
Post-One Son Scully is not letting the matter go.
Prompt: Post ONE SON.
So instead she enquiredabout vacations further afield, and ten minutes later found herself booked on abreak to St Lucia in the Caribbean. Sun, sea, relaxation, not to mentioncopious amounts of rum and somewhere Mulder wouldn’t think to look - it wasjust what she needed.
But now she was back, and as Scully walked into the Bureau building, she felt a ball of anxiety in the pit of her stomach as she prepared to face her partner once again.
AU-- Post-One Son Scully finds herself replaced by Diana.
@foxmulders's daniel waterson just knocks on scully’s door, hoping to rekindle things
In all the years she’d known him, Daniel had never ended a lecture a minute early or a second late. Which is to say: The man had an uncanny sense of timing.
AU-- Post-One Son Daniel Waterston shows up on Scully's doorstep.
@gaycrouton's Up Close and Personal
"What part of 'I want to be alone' was confusing, Mulder?" she asked, venom lacing her tone. She took a few steps forward to confront him but was shocked at the damage her room had taken in such a short amount of time.
"Trouble in paradise?" an unexpected voice teased from behind her.
Scully jumped forward and whipped around, immediately making eye contact with the last person she expected to see: Alex Krycek.
Post-One Son Scully and Mulder's distance is broken by a particularly cruel manipulation on Krycek's part.
@cecilysass's One Hand Tied (Ao3)
Scully doesn’t see the point of this kind of charade. Surely she understands that the gig is up. Surely she doesn't think anyone is fooled by this friendly, reasonable persona she puts on. Surely she doesn't think Mulder is softening towards her. Is she actually attempting to win him back?
There's abruptly a bitter taste in Scully's mouth behind the gag. She hopes that’s a ludicrous idea. But Mulder has not been entirely predictable where Diana is concerned.
AU-- Post-One Son Diana Fowley preys on Scully's growing distrust, ferreting Mulder away under the guise of lovestruck abandonment.
@actual-changeling's
the definition of insanity
They will try again tomorrow, and maybe it will be different, maybe they will mend and heal, maybe she will slide her fingers between his and squeeze.
Maybe they will find the truth tomorrow.
Post-One Son Scully is struggling to forgive.
agent_starbuck's What You Don't Know
“Scully…” he breathes, her name rolling thickly off his tongue, and her belly flutters at the way he says it. She hates that he can do that. Even when she’s furious at him. She settles a palm against her stomach, willing the sensation to go away. It never does.
Before she realizes it, he’s made his way to the living room, planting himself on the coffee table across from her.
“I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have second guessed you or your intentions. I don’t expect you to forgive me. But at least let me try to make amends.”
His confession is a breath of fresh air to her weary soul. It is definitely a start. But she needs more than his cool, practiced and calculated words.
Post-One Son Scully takes a personal day.
@lotsoforangesoutside's Mulder’s Chickadee (Ao3)
“Was she your partner like… I was?” Scully never beat around the bushes, he knew.
“Are you asking me…” His voice trailed off.
“The Boys called her your chickadee.” She spat. “Though I certainly don’t want to ever be reduced to Mulder’s Chickadee, yet… How personal was she to you, Mulder?”
He wondered if he should get up and put some clothes on. This is Scully, his heart reminded him, Scully will never hurt you.
His brain chose this exact moment to pipe up about him being shot in the shoulder.
Post-One Son Scully confronts Mulder over what TLG had said.
Defnotmeyo's Unnamed
Mulder will forever remember that from the last meeting in Kersh’s office, Jeffrey proved himself the bigger man.
Dribble. Bonk. Mulder rebounds the ball. The thunk of his dribble echoes in his maniac mind.
There are more apologies to be made. Considering Diana’s body was not among the remains of El Rico.
“Thou-thought they could sleep with the enemy.” A statement. A gaze. A skeptical eyebrow. And a billion apologies swallowed in Kersh’s office.
Post-One Son Mulder dribbles the ball as he processes.
Lynn Saunders's Unbreakable (Gossamer)
"Don't think, Scully. Don't talk. Just listen," he says in his rushed, single-minded manner, all in one breath. He has wandered through the grimy streets, through the storm raging outside, to stand here looming in her doorway, dangerous in his black leather jacket. His hair is slicked back, dripping rainwater down his collar.
"I don't know where things started going wrong or why we've been acting this way when we're together... but I'm not leaving until we fix it."
Post-One Son Scully brings to mind Melissa's courage.
@wtfmulder's Sharp Turn Blues
Scully looked surprised by his entrance which made him feel worse. It was her intention, then, to brush it all off, let it fester, only to add it to a checklist she could later refer to when she eventually came to her senses and left, like she’d threatened just days before. She sat on the floor with her knees tucked in, a microwaved meal going cold on the coffee table . Something dramatic and mind-numbing played on the TV.
“Mulder?” She asked, making no move to get up. She was tired, so, so tired, he could see it on her face. He imagined what it must have looked like before he’d burst in, the listless shoveling of bland food into a sullen mouth, a half hour flipping through channels only to land on something she didn’t even like.
She sat down again on the couch, farther from him this time. She stared at her fingers, which were folded in her lap. “Do you want to be with her?” Scully asked, her voice so low he could hardly hear.
He thought for a moment. Part of him did, maybe–the part that hated himself and thought he deserved whatever misery Diana had to offer up. But that part had always been prone lies and terrible self-destruction. What his heart wanted was right here, glowing in a rumpled bathrobe and bare feet, but bruised by his miserable tendencies. “No,” he said.
“Do you love her?” Impossibly, quieter. Still, she didn’t look at him.
Post-One Son Mulder's apology spills into more.
thenonexisting's life is just a game. - Chapter 1
“You smell good, Mrs Petrie,” he rumbled.
Just like that, the veneer shattered.
“Stop.”
Hands thrown up, she pulled entirely away from him and hopped off the counter. Stumbling dizzily towards the sink, she ran the water and splashed her face. Wake up, Dana.
AU-- Arcadia Mulder and Scully have a short and painful post-One Son discussion.
Anne Haynes's Friendly, Whole, and First Day Back
Her dark eyes were sympathetic. "I heard other things, too."
"Spender's resignation?" It wasn't what she meant, and he knew it, but he wasn't going to talk to her about Scully.
"Seems he's cleared out of town." She gave a little shrug, uninterested. "But that's not really what I was talking about--"
"We're just settling in. First day back." He changed the subject with a faint air of desperation. The cafeteria seemed close and small. He looked across the table at Diana and felt something dark and mean curl in his gut. Suspicion, something he'd fought against when Scully tried to bring her own doubts to his attention.
Post-One Son Scully and Mulder struggle back in their partnership, wanting to vent and understand and find their own answers.
EPurSeMouve's Dinner
She raises her eyebrows, confused. He thinks it's confusion, at any rate. He is just starting to realize that there is so much about her he doesn't understand...
"It's been a while, Diana. Three weeks. And I've been doing a lot of thinking, trying to figure out a lot of what happened... It still doesn't make a lot of sense. But I can't help wondering about what role you had in all of this."
Post-One Son Mulder realizes the old Diana is gone.
yukla's like a lonely house
Scully’s hardly listening anymore. Grab dinner, he said.
As if they’re stopping at one of the endlessly sticky dinners on the side of the road after a long day of investigation with nothing to show for it, tossing change over the counter in exchange for the country’s gummiest cheeseburgers. As if they’re doing overtime on a weekend and pulling cold, smushed sandwiches out of their bags to wolf down before returning to their paperwork. As if she hadn’t been waiting on this moment for ages now, as if she hadn’t summoned all the courage in her body preparing herself for this night, hoping that he would feel the same. She’d assumed he did.
Scully nods sharply to herself, feels her stupid, lonely, dangly earring bounce off her jaw with the movement. That strange hot feeling, high in her face now, creeps into the space behind her eyes, and with sudden clarity, she recognizes it as humiliation.
Post-One Son Scully believes Mulder no longer has romantic intentions.
Vivian's Amends
"Scully, I'm sorry."
"Mulder, this is not your fault."
"I mean for, well, for all of it." He ran an agitated hand through his hair. He took a few more steps, and stood still, his back facing her. She could practically see him struggling for words.
Despite the unremitting pain in her wrist, Scully felt the tension she'd been carrying for the past weeks slowly begin to slip away. Glancing outside, she noticed the gloom was beginning to dissipate. "It looks like it's letting up a bit," she noted. His shoulders dropped a notch, and his stiff posture eased.
Post-One Son Scully realizes Mulder is trying to show he cares, in his own way.
@leiascully's Endeavors Too Short of Desires
There are days lately that they just prickle at each other until the air is so charged he isn't sure one of them won't take a swing. He gets smug and she gets arch and he wants to remind her of Scully-that-was with the bad suits and the naivete, but the quips dry up when he looks at Scully-that-is, who might just shoot him to shut him up, her eyebrow cocking almost audibly as a pistol. It was easier when they were upstairs, Moose and Squirrel against the Badinovs. Now they've won and they're back in their weird seclusion, and he spends all day trying not to think about things. Diana and Spender and the enormous scar on Scully's stomach and a normal life and that's just for starters. Scully nags at him: he should be thinking of his knees, his cholesterol, his prostate, his geriatric future chasing phantoms, and he almost blushes under her cool stare as she dissects him and gets irritable about that.
Post-One Son Mulder ruminates on Scully's innumerable losses and the endless road pitching them perpetually forward.
@settle-down-frohike's Desert Woman
He mourns not meeting her first, before anyone. He can’t help wanting to assume the best in anyone who’s ever even pretended to understand him, but he wishes he could, for both their sakes.
Post-One Son Mulder, Scully, and TLG at a birthday party.
OnlyFoxMulder's Sunshine in the Rain
Indignant at first, it took a long drive and a greasy burger from his favorite hole in the wall to see the light. Then, he called Scully. It was late, definitely after midnight, and he found her awake and willing to finally conquer the growing space between them. In the end, it worked. After that night, the air felt lighter; they allowed themselves to joke with each other again, even flirt a little bit when the mood struck them. He was delighted to have her back, the giddiness he felt every morning returned. She was smiling again, albeit less than she did before Diana, but she flashed him many of her cute tight-lipped smiles that made his insides turn over.
Post-Milagro Mulder mulls over his and Scully's post-One Son reconciliation after Padgett's attack.
fxckthishit 's You're It
Her breath hitched as his voice twisted something painfully within her. Foregoing the feeling, though, Scully stiffened her spine and crossed her arms. “What’s there to talk about?” She got her coat, “I’m not abandoning you, Mulder, if you are worried about that. I don’t know about you, but my priority has always been my work and the X-files.” She started heading out the room before turning around at the doorway, regarding Mulder with a look. “We’re partners, Mulder. I still got your back. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the scene,” she turned around and walked away, leaving Mulder dazed with only the receding sound of her heels, the cacophony of his muddled thoughts and an eerily familiar scent.
AU-- Post Amor Fati Diana Fowley is alive and squirming her way back into Mulder's life, forcing Scully to erect inner walls for the sake of the partnership.
Shoshana's Recovery 01, Recovery 02, Recovery 03, and Recovery 04
From my conversations with Scully and the journal entries I've made it through so far, we were both going to deny that moment ever occurred for the sake of our partnership. The indignity of having the X-Files ripped out from under us, the embarrassment of scut work like background checks and fertilizer investigations must have suppressed my libido in a big way.
Most likely, and from what I read between my own lines, I lost my nerve, waiting for her to give me some sign, show me how she felt. I wasn't willing to take the risk and lose her forever, not after she chose to stay with me, X-Files or not. She remained my partner, my best friend all last year. And I'm so very grateful for that. But something must have happened last February that shook her up, made her extraordinarily sensitive to the mere mention of Diana's name.
AU-- S7 Mulder wakes from an injury with amnesia; and, via Scully and his journal, slowly catches up on the past year's events.
BONUS
Flywoman's The Blessed One Bites the Bullet
"Here it is," he said triumphantly. "Diana Fowley, Special Agent
with the VCS from September 1985 through October 1987. Seems she was suspended from duty following a joint panel investigation into certain unauthorized extra-governmental employment opportunities."
"Drugs?" Scully asked. "Weapons? Embezzling Bureau funds?"
Frohike consulted his sheet. "Apparently she played a starring role in a soft core porn film with some nobody called David Doo-chuhvnee."
Crack-- Post-One Son Scully ends up siding with Diana Fowley.
Ryo Sen's Revanche
Pulling the antenna up with her teeth, Scully punched the Send button and answered, "Scully." She felt supremely stupid with a phone to each ear.
"Who are you talking to?" Mulder's familiar voice demanded. "Your phone's been busy for hours."
Scully paused, unsure how much she wanted to confide in her partner. Deciding to share as little as possible, she asked, "What's the problem, Mulder?"
AU-- Post-One Son Scully's nightmares begin to unravel her abduction memories.
@writingwell/RocketMan/Darkstryder's Refuge of Lies
Mulder kept too much from her. If some police department somewhere found something about Emily or the other fetuses, she wasn't confident that Mulder would tell her.
And now, she'd been e-mailed this article about an unknown virus, her contacts were reporting some suspicious stuff, and large quantities of medical supplies were being moved across the globe, through holding companies and warehouses that had no real board of directors.
The worst news of all. . .three microbiologists had disappeared, two pre-natal doctors had been lost at sea, and thirteen virologists were either reported missing or presumed dead.
She was going to be sick. This couldn't be happening all over again.
Post-One Son Scully and Mulder are caught up in the Consortium and Rebel war.
@mldrgrl's Looking Back: Nine Moments That Changed Things
“Sorry,” Scully said, jumping in surprise and then fumbling with the keys.
Mulder put his hand on her wrist and she held her breath. “You could tell me we’re going to Florida,” he said, “and I’d say my overnight bag is in the trunk. You could tell me we’re going to Switzerland, and I’d say, good thing my passport is in the glove compartment. Scully, you could tell me we’re going to McDonalds and I’d say I love French fries.”
It was quiet for the next few moments and Mulder ran his thumb over the side of Scully’s wrist. She sniffed lightly and then inclined her head towards him, but cast her eyes down to his knees.
“You know I don’t like McDonalds,” she said.
Mulder smiled at her and her lips curled slightly as well. “You could also just tell me you’re taking me home,” he said.
“And what would you say to that?”
“I’d say, maybe you’d like to come up for awhile. Unless there’s somewhere else you need to be.”
Mulder and Scully's personal journey from Alpha to Millennium.
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