The Truth Is In The Coffee Mug

The two dreamers collided on an Oak Bluffs beach where Mulder rode his bike an hour each way every day to watch the beleaguered shoot. He didn’t care about filmmaking, shark attacks, or trying to catch a glimpse of Richard Dreyfuss, but he was desperate to escape the house in Chilmark.

For a boy in aching need of distraction, the schadenfreude of the Jaws set provided a welcome relief. One day, a platform towing two pneumatically powered prop sharks capsized and Mulder watched as a team of divers was sent to retrieve it. He sneered at the hubris of the Hollywood people who came to the murky North Atlantic and expected her to behave. As cameramen stopped take after take to wipe the sea salt from their equipment, Mulder felt vindicated knowing he wasn’t the only one to feel thwarted by larger forces beyond his control. 

The tale takes on a different shape five decades later when he tells it to his 7-year-old daughter. From the backseat, Kat laughs along to his stories of the faux sharks’ neoprene skin bloating and distorting as they took on water. She has her mother’s giggle, although she’s more generous with it than Scully. He might not have to work as hard to get Kat to erupt in uncontrollable laughter but they both see this as a good sign—they’ve managed to raise their daughter in relative safety, keeping her shielded from the horrors of the world they know all too well.

They’re en route to the Vineyard, the first time he’s been in years. It was his suggestion. Kat, a self-proclaimed future marine biologist, had already explored all the Virginia beaches in driving distance. While other kids’ interests pivot weekly from trains to unicorns to outer space to ponies, Kat has remained steadfast in her passion for all things oceanic ever since she could talk. 

Scully was rightfully hesitant about him returning to this place of so much pain he assured her it would be alright. And now, heading north along I-95 as it hugs the Long Island Sound, he thinks it just might be. 

***

With her father’s persistence, Kat convinces her mother to let them go see Jaws at the island drive-in. Any fears Scully has of the film terrorizing Kat evaporate when the girl immediately debunks its initial premise—”Great white sharks don’t eat humans”—then drifts off to sleep before the third act. 

They’re sprawled out on a bedsheet, purloined from the rental cottage, next to their car. Scully sits in the vee between Mulder’s outspread legs watching Kat sleep curled up in a ball at her feet.

“I guess we don’t have to worry about shark nightmares,” Mulder whispers in her ear, gravelled monotone plucking at her heartstring. 

“Guess not,” she shakes her head against his chest. “Any chance we’ll catch a cameo of a young Fox Mulder wandering the streets of Amity?

“Nah,” he says, bringing a hand to stroke her hair. “The town scenes were all filmed in Menemsha in May before school let out.” 

“Menemsha,” she repeats. She loves how these names roll off his tongue. Quonochontaug. Aquinnah. Nashawahkamuk. 

She feels him tugging at her to turn around. “C’mere,” he whispers.

Facing him now, she leans in to kiss him. He tastes like buttered popcorn. The drive-in is crowded with locals and tourists alike celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary, but marooned on their bedsheet in the dark she feels as if it’s just the three of them. Their lips part and she kisses the bridge of his nose softly.

“Thank you for bringing us here,” she says. “It’s a beautiful place.” 

“It is,” he replies, and she knows he means it. Together they are reclaiming the Vineyard, the site of his primal trauma becoming the birthplace of new memories.

Scully turns back around to face Kat’s slumbering form, feeling Mulder’s arms wrap around her. On screen, a shark explodes. But here, on their own island, a wound heals. 

***

On their last night of vacation, they stay at the beach until the setting sun starts dancing on the ocean. Scully watches from their towel as her insatiable daughter laughs, running in and out of the surf, the gentle waves lapping at Kat’s feet before receding back into the depths. Mulder stands a foot behind Kat, giving her freedom to play while keeping her in arm’s reach, ready to swoop in if an errant current knocks her off her balance.

“You’re so lucky you got to grow up here,” Scully hears Kat say to Mulder, looking up at her father in awe. “You could come to the beach every day.” 

“It was nice,” she hears him reply. Kat wouldn’t notice the slightest crack in his voice, the brief betrayal of their current happiness, but Scully notices. She sees him smile, too, though. A real smile. 

“But we can come here anytime you want,” he tells Kat.

1. Tell us about your relationship to The X-Files. This could be about how you got into the show in the first place, what it means to you, or anything else you’d like to share.

2. Tell us about your favorite things! Favorite characters, ships, scenes, seasons, arcs, etc.

3. Now what are your least favorite things?

4. Tell us where you fall on the following scales:

SPICE SCALE - Salt only – no spice at all please! i.e., general audience rating. - Black pepper – a hint of spice. i.e., teen rating. - Chili pepper – there’s a bit of a kick! i.e., mature rating. - Habanero – definitely spicy, but most spice lovers can handle it. i.e., explicit rating. - Ghost pepper – only for the spiciest of spice lovers. i.e., VERY explicit/kink rating.

ANGST SCALE - Pale blue sky – no angst, all fluff! - Aquamarine – a little bit of angst, maybe some yearning, nothing too heartbreaking. e.g., the various scenes in Mulder’s hallway. - Cascade ocean wave – a moderate amount of angst, e.g. Pusher or Wetwired. Happy ending included. - Sapphire tears – pain slut. Angst with a happy or bittersweet ending. e.g. abduction arcs, cancer arc. - Catastrophic blues – literally why. Lots of angst with some devastation for dessert, e.g. cancer arc but Scully dies at the end, season 8 and Mulder dies.

5. What’s on your X-Files playlist? e.g. a character playlist, MSR playlist, etc.

6. What are some of your favorite quotes and/or lyrics that you associate with TXF?

7. What are some of your favorite tropes? Are there any you avoid?

8. What is your favorite color or color scheme? These can be specific colors or general categories, e.g. jewel tones, cool colors.