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It had been six months. Six interesting months. Months of getting to know one another on a personal level. They had known each other on a professional level for so long, that it took a little time for them to get comfortable just calling each other by their first name. And having to hide their relationship at work had made even that small step hard.

As far as all the denizens of the J. Edgar Hoover Building knew, not much had changed between them. They had noticed a marked change in her relationship with her partner, though. Now, instead of her going out with him in the field, she stayed in Washington, where she did the autopsies he wanted, and reviewed the data he sent back. He rarely came back to Washington, and when he did, his visits were short, he seldom ventured into the basement office they had shared. Their conversations, formerly so relaxed and free-flowing, were now terse and stilted.

The rumor mill had it that she had grown tired of non-stop traveling, and no movement on his part for a personal relationship. That she had wanted to settle down, but he wanted to keep hunting little green men, and vampires, and werewolves. That they had had a huge argument, and she had given him an ultimatum: it was either her, or his quest. He couldn't have both. And so he had left, and they had become nothing more than fellow researchers, no longer partners.
Of course, that's not what happened at all. Yes, there had been an argument. But he had left, not because of any ultimatum issued by her, but because he knew he had lost out to another man. Worse, he had lost her to a friend.

Scully had anguished over the decision for weeks afterwards, wondering how Mulder was coping, hoping that he would eventually forgive her. Skinner had done everything he could to help her through the grieving period, trying hard to be understanding, but not wanting to say too much one way or the other.

His own relationship with Mulder had deteriorated to the point that any meetings with him were done with both men standing. Neither wanted to give an inch. Mulder had felt betrayed, and rightfully so, but Skinner was a resentful that this man was somehow diminishing the happiness he wanted to feel.

And they were happy, once they had gotten through the first couple of months. Even though they had known each other for more than 7 years, it was like starting over. He was actually courting her. Calling her for a date to go eat, or to the movies. They'd stay at her place and watch a movie, or, if he had to work late and they couldn't see each other, they would talk on the phone for hours. And once or twice a month, they would leave Washington behind, venture out into the surrounding states, and spend a weekend together. Then, oh Lord, then, they would become wild and passionate lovers, sometimes not leaving their hotel room for the whole weekend.

No, no one at the JEH Building had a clue about the changes in their lives. A.D. Kersh knew, but had decided not to give them any problems. Kimberly may have suspected, but would never say anything. When Skinner and Scully were inside the Building, they went about their business as usual. He had not visited the basement office often, before this, and he made it a point not to do it now. She did not call his office to talk to him. They held no meetings alone, there was always someone else around. If they saw each other in the corridors, they might nod and say good-morning, but never did they give any outward sign of what was going on in their minds.

And on those Fridays when he left early to meet her for a weekend, he would tell Kimberly, "I'm going to be out of town for the weekend, Kimberly. Doctors' orders."
And she would believe him. Because when he came back on Monday, he was always relaxed, stressfree, almost, well, almost happy. The same way he had come back to work that Monday so many months ago following his heart attack. He had been positively beaming that day. Hmmmm, looks like sometimes it took a little jolt like that to get the man to relax.

And when he returned, Kimberly would always ask him if he had a nice visit, he'd always say, with a little smile, "Yes, Kimberly, it was just what the doctor ordered."

So, it was with some surprise when, on this Tuesday morning, Scully looked up to see him standing in the doorway of the basement office, gently knocking on the wood.

"Yes, Sir," she said, with a quizzical look, "um, can I help you?"

He turned to look behind him, to make sure no one was passing, then took a couple of steps inside and started to close the door.




"I'm sorry, Sir, but I'd prefer to keep it open. It would not do either of our careers any good if there was any talk of impropriety."

He stopped, gazed at her for a moment, then nodded and swung the door open wide. "You're probably right. *ahem* I, uh, I actually came down here because I need to let you know of some travel plans that have suddenly dropped into my lap. They're not official business," he said hurriedly as she opened her mouth to speak. "They're, uh, family, uh, family business." He took another couple of steps in, turned again and looked out the door.

She got up and went around to the front of the desk, and leaned against it, resting her backside against the edge. She folded her arms, waiting for him to explain.

"Uh, I just got a call from my sister, Kate. The family is meeting at my dad's place this weekend. It seems he's calling for all of us to come visit so he can tell us of his plans for his estate." He stopped and laughed, a trifle bitterly. "If you can call a 15-acre truck farm an estate. I think he's gonna let us know he's leaving it to his wife. I really don't want to go to hear that, but Kate is insistent that I come. She says that our father is 90 years old, and while he's still competent he wants to talk to us about what he plans to do."

"Well, then, Sir," she asked, "what's the problem. Just go. Kate's right, it may be one of the last times he has to do this. I mean, it's not like you have any other personal plans this weekend, right? Go. You'll regret it later if you don't."

"Uh, yeah, well, I'm going, but, uh, the problem is that they want YOU there, too."

She raised startled eyes to him. She knew his sister was aware of their relationship and very much in favor of it. But, he had 4 brothers and 2 other sisters, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet them on such short notice.

"Me? Why? I mean, we haven't been together that long, have we, that I have to meet the family now? And especially at a time like this, during a very personal meeting of the whole group."

The thought of having to meet them all at one time made her quail inside. She was not an easily intimadated person, but she was currently involved with the baby brother of a large family. She was secure in her love of Skinner so that she didn't need their approval. But still, if they decided to withhold it, for what ever reason, it would color whatever future they might have together.

"Well, like you said, my dad's old and this might be the only chance he has to meet you. And because they'll all be there, it'll make it easier. We won't have to drag out the introductions over months. One weekend, and you're done."

He was talking rapidly, hoping to convince her without have to resort to begging.

"But, Sir," she sighed. The look in his eyes was enough to win her over. He wanted her to go with him, not just to introduce her, but as a buffer against what ever might happen.

"All right, I'll go. When do we leave?" <Please say Saturday, please say Saturday> she kept repeating over and over. An extra day to prepare would make things easier.

"Friday afternoon. I'm sorry, Da...Agent Scully," he amended as he hear the elevator ding. Who ever was on it must have gone the other way. "I'll call you tonight to let you know exactly when." He turned to go, but her voice stopped him.

"Why didn't you tell me tonight? Why now?"

"I wanted to tell you in person. It just seemed....better."

"You told me here because you knew I wouldn't pitch a fit here, right?" He glanced at her sheepishly. "Sir, you're very sharp."

"Ain't no flies on me, Agent Scully," he grinned as he turned again towards the door. But once again her voice stopped him.

"Have I told you today that I love you?", she said softly. "And that you have a nice ass?"

He grinned over his shoulder, "I seem to remember something to that effect being said early this morning." He gave small wave and left, pulling his face back into its usual carved-in-stone look.

She sighed. Oh, Lord, why had she said yes? She chuckled, "Because you can't refuse him anything, you idiot."




Wednesday she went shopping after work and bought several bright t-shirts (Yeah, yeah, but this was different. They were new), a couple of over-size shirts to wear over them, a new dress in case they did go out, and all new underwear.

"Good grief, Dana, they've never met you. They won't know any of the stuff is new, so what does it matter?" Skinner was sitting on her sofa, looking over her purchases. He held up a pair of panties with a matching bra and raised his eyebrow in inquiry.

Scully snatched the underwear out of his hands, "*I* will know they're new, and that makes a difference. And even if some of the stuff is things they'll never see, at least I'll feel like I've made every effort to make you proud of me." She sat down on the sofa next to him, carefully folding her purchases.

He took the shirt she was folding out of her hands and turned her towards him. "I'm always proud of you, don't you know that?" He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. As he started to kiss her again, there was a knock on the door.

"I forgot to tell you, my mother is coming over," she said with an apologetic grimace. "Sorry."

He let out a long exasperated breath as Scully jumped up to answer the door. "Hi, Mom, come on in and see what I bought!" She led Margaret Scully over to the sofa and started to unfold everything she had just folded. Skinner stood as she came around to greet him.

"Hello, Walter," smiled Mrs. Scully as she stood on tiptoe to kiss Skinner. "Well, what have we here? My goodness, Dana, I haven't seen this much color on you in years. These will look great!"

"Uh, if you ladies will excuse me, I need to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Scully." Some habits died hard, especially in the presence of others. He was startled when Scully flapped her hand in farewell. What he didn't see was Margaret Scully making motions with her hands and face for her daughter to say a proper good-bye.

"Huh? Oh. OOOoooohhh. Wait, Walter." She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Will you be able to come over and stay with me tomorrow night?", she whispered. "I thought you could fill me in on what to expect with your family. Besides, I'm gonna be nervous, and I was hoping you could find a way to allay my fears." She grinned suggestively at him, as she ran one hand down the front of his shirt, stopping just above his belt buckle.

"I can't. I've got a meeting first thing Friday morning, and a couple of field agents from Detroit are coming in late tomorrow afternoon to prepare for their presentation. I'll be working with them to make sure they have everything they need. I'm not going to get away." He whispered into her ear, "That's why I was hoping to stay tonight."

"Rats," she sighed, "well, if I had known I'd've made other arrangements, but as it is....." She gazed towards the bedroom, where her mother had taken the clothes to fold, giving them time to say good-night. "The best laid plans, etc, etc. What time do we leave Friday?"

"One-thirty. It's about an hour and some to Charleston, my brother A.J. will pick us up, then drive us to Kate's. It'll take about an hour to get there, maybe more, if A.J. is as slow as he used to be. I'll call you later tonight with the rest of the details. I'll see you later." He kissed her, then called out to her mother, "'Nite, Margaret. It was good seeing you. Good night, darlin', I love you."

"I love you, too." After another brief kiss, Scully closed the door behind him, and leaned against it for a moment. So many brothers and sisters. She just hoped she could keep them all straight. She headed towards her bedroom, calling, "Mom, wait till you see the shoes I got to go with the dress."

Thursday was a ver busy day for both of them. Scully had received a mountain of data from Mulder that needed to be sorted and researched, Skinner was trying to clear his desk so that after his meeting tomorrow morning, he and Scully could go to the airport.

Kate was calling him with daily bulletins. First, they were to stay with her, but then her daughter asked her to babysit her year-old granddaughter and she couldn't refuse. So, now Skinner and Scully were staying with his older sister, Marilyn, on their farm. He wasn't sure how Scully was going to react to this, but they had no choice. Kate had been extremely insulted when he suggested they stay in a motel.

"What? You're too good to stay with family?"

"No, Kate, that's not it. It's just that we don't want to put anybody out. And Marilyn has enough helping out around the farm without a couple of visitors dropping in for the weekend." He thought he sounded perfectly reasonable.

Kate thought otherwise. "Exactly who are you calling visitors, Walter Sergei Skinner?" <Oh, lord, he'd done it now. She never called him that unless she was upset.> You and Dana are family."

"She's not family, Kate," he reminded her.

"Only cause you move slower than glacial drift. As far as I'm concerned, she's family until I'm told otherwise. You, however, are mighty close to be excommunicated. Marilyn will be devastated if you don't stay with her. She's already said so. A.J. will pick up and take you directly to her place. She'll have supper, so don't worry about eatin'. Later, maybe you all can meet us at the Rocky Road. That'll give her a chance to meet us a few at a time. Okay? Good. See you Friday night, Baby." She hung up without giving him a chance to talk.

"Please," he said to the dial tone, "don't call me Baby."



Friday morning Scully decided to not go to work at all. Instead, she got her hair washed and trimmed, her nails done, and went over her checklist again of things she was taking. She even managed to buy a small gift for Marilyn. Even though she had never met the woman, she felt that the small porcelain box was something she might like.

She had hoped that Skinner would pick her up to drive to the airport together, but he told her he was running a little behind and for her to go on ahead. Because they were flying out of one of the surrounding regional airports instead of National or Dulles, she decided to leave extra early to make sure she got there with time to spare.
She was at the gate by 12:30, pacing impatiently for Skinner to show. He'd better make it, or she was gonna have his head on a platter. Then she'd hand it to Kate, who would probably drop-kick into the nearest lake. Finally, at 1:00 she saw his bald head floating above the heads of the other passengers. She sighed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God, you're here, I was ready to send out a seach party." She smiled, but did not receive an answering one. "What's wrong? Do you have the tickets? Did you forget something? What's wrong, Walter?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said, avoiding her look. His eyes kept darting around, as if he were searching for something. He jerked his head around to look at her after she hit him on the arm with her fist.

"Will you tell me what you're looking for? You're making me even more nervous. Oh, rats, come on, we're boarding." She was frustrated and now a little concerned. What had happened to make him so uneasy?

They showed their boarding passes and entered the small jet. It was a Boeing 737, the carrier, a regional airline that connected a lot of the surround state capitols to Washington. Skinner stowed their carry-ons in the overhead bin then sat in the aisle seat, so during the flight he could stretch out his long legs. He was still wearing his business suit; obviously he had not had the time to change into anything more comfortable.

At last, after disentangling the seat belts, both sat back with a sigh. Neither listened to the bored stewardess as she went over the pre-take-off spiel concerning the belts, the exits, and the price of the beverages. Finally, when the pilot announced they were prepared to take-off, Scully turned to Skinner.

"All right, what happened? You don't look happy, so I'm assuming something at work has caused this tension. Don't try to lie to me, Walter, just tell me what's going on." She turned as much as her seatbelt would allow to glare at him.

"I...I've been thinking that maybe this isn't such a good idea. You going home with me. I mean, it's kind of a personal family matter, and you're going to feel left out, and I worry about....."

"About what? About what you're family is going to think of me? Or what I'm going to think of your family? Which are you ashamed of, Walter, me or them? Are you embarrassed to take the woman you're sleeping with, without the benefit of marriage, to meet your family? Is that it?"

His look of shocked suprise was answer enough. "Dana! No! That's not it at all. I told you, I'm proud of you, who you are, and what you mean to me. If I could post it one the message boards at the FBI, I would. I want everyone to know about us. And I have no doubt in my mind that my family is going to fall in love with you, too." He looked down the aisle of the plane, watching the hostess serve drinks. "It's just that, well, my family is, is not what you're used to."

"You mean tall? What the hell do you mean?"

"Look, my family has always been of rather, uh, humble means. Not poor, but definitely within spitting distance. They are simple, country people, most of whom still live with 25 miles of home. I just don't want you to be....disappointed."

She sat staring at the back of the seat ahead of her. She finally spoke softly, so softly he had to lean his head down to hers to hear.

"Do I really appear to be that much of a snob that you would think I would look down my nose at your family? I can't believe I present that kind of image. Walter, you forget, my father was in the Navy. That meant we moved every couple of years. I was always on the outside looking in at the cool kids, the kids who had known each other since kindergarten. And we never had money. Never. Which made me even more of an outsider. I couldn't afford what the other kids took for granted. So, don't you dare assume that I'm going to be judgemental about the things your family has or doesn't have."

She turned her back to him and stared outside the small window. He realized he had hurt her feelings, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He tried to put his arm around her, but she moved away. And so they sat in silence as the jet took them closer to what was shaping up to be a less than fun-filled weekend.


Scully reclined her seat back and continued to stare out the window, withing minutes, her head was drooping onto her chest. Skinner moved his seat back level with hers, then lifted the armrest and pulled her over towards him so her head was on his shoulder. He figured she must really be tired when she didn't protest. They rode like that for half an hour, until a sudden pocket of turbulence caused the plane to shudder and drop a little. She awoke with a start, looked around wildly for a moment until she remembered where she was.

"How much longer?", she asked as she yawned and tried to stretch in the narrow confines of the seat.

"About 20 minutes. Did you get a good nap?" He put his arm around her shoulders and this time there was no protest.

"Hmmmm, it was okay," she said, nestling awkwardly. "I should still be mad at you, but I decided to forgive you so we can enjoy this weekend."

"Oh, decided all that in the two minutes you were awake before you started to snore so loud that the other passengers wanted to throw you out the emergency exit, did you? I had to fight them off, telling them that you were a federal officer and they could face criminal charges if they even tried. I've been holding them off with my gun for the past 45 minutes."

"Aaawwwww, my hero." She turned her head and kissed his cheek, just before another huge yawn took over. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm so tired. I guess it's just a relief to finally be on our way. Still nervous about me meeting them?"

"I've not ever really been nervous about that. I..I just don't want to have to sit there on Sunday and hear my father tell us he's leaving the farm, the farm my mother loved, to that woman he's married to."

"Do you really think that's what he's planning to do? And would it really be such a bad thing? I mean, there are 8 of you kids, if he leaves it to her, that would save a lot of fighting over who gets what."

Skinner sighed, "I just don't want her to think she can come prancing into the family and end up with something my mother worked so hard for. Besides, the farm is between my sister's place and my brother George's farm. It should rightfully go to them so they can extend their acreage. Not to some woman who married my father for what she could get out of him."

"So, they haven't been married for very long? Why did I get the impression from Kate they had been married for years?"

"Look, Dana, it's not how long they've been married, it's why she married in the first place."

"How long *have* they been married, Walter?"

He cleared his throat, "Ahem, 31 years. But, still, like I said...."

"I'm sorry, the engines must be interferring with my hearing, did you say *3l years*? You consider that *prancing* into a marriage and taking over? Whoa, I knew things moved slower in the South, but this is ridiculous."



Skinner was getting exasperated, "Look, until you meet her, you can't judge." He breathed heavily, then said, "My father was restless when he was younger. He couldn't seem to sit still in one place too long, without getting an itchy foot. And my mother followed him everywhere. They were both from West Virginia, in fact had known each other since they were kids. He took off for the fist time toGod knows where when he was 15. He'd be gone awhile, then go back home to re-group, I guess. The mountains always seemed to call him back, I guess.
"My mother was born and raised on one farm, her parents had probably never even been to the state capitol. You know the type, their roots extended to the earth's core. My mother did leave for a few years to get her teaching certificate, but went back home as soon as she could. She taught for a few years, then, when she was about 21 or 22, my dad came back and proposed. They got married the next year, and everyone thought Roy Skinner's roamin' days were over.
"Instead, they left the next day for Florida, and they didn't stop moving around until I was born. For seventeen years, she followed him where ever he decided to try his luck next. We were all born in different states, except for A.J. and Marilyn.
"Finally, when I was born in Oregon, my mother told my dad that she'd had her fill. She had 8 kids, no real home, and she was tired. She wanted the kids to go to college and make something of themselves, but they couldn't do it if they kept leading a gypsy's life. So, when I was a couple of weeks old, he packed us all into an old Ford sedan and we came home. We stayed with my Aunt Suddie until he found a farm that my mother thought might have some potential."

"I'm surprised he settled down so quickly, Walter. Most people like that don't adjust very well to living in one place."

Skinner chuckled, "Oh, he didn't adjust well at all. He'd get the itch to move and off he'd go to the coal mines, or to work in a glass factory, or hear about a job in some new factory opening up and decide he had to try it. He was never gone long, though. And the older kids ran the farm with my mother. And they all went to college, just like she wanted. It took some of the a while, what with having to work the farm, too, but eventually every one of them graduated. I remember watching her face as the Dean of whatever school would call the name of one her children, and my mother's face would shine like thre was a light inside her head. She never even saw me graduate from high school. I never got to see that light go off for me."

Scully said softly, "How did she die, Walter?"

"Pancreatic cancer," he said tersely. "They diagnosed it a couple of months before my 17th birthday; she died a week after my birthday."

Scully's heart went out to him. She reached up and kissed his mouth. "I'm so very sorry. How awful." Skinner didn't say anything or even respond to her kiss. He sat looking back at the distant past, remembering the pain of losing his mother, a pain that came back now.

"Then, a couple of months after she died, my dad came home and announced to me that he was getting married. I wanted to kill him, I was so angry. How could he re-marry when my mother had just died? We didn't have a headstone yet, and he's out looking for another wife. He said I had no right to tell him how to live his life, and if I didn't like it, I could leave.
"I did, for a couple of weeks; I went to live with Kate and her husband, but eventually they talked me into going back. They were newly-weds and I was a punk-ass kid, so I did go back home. But only until I turned 18, then I joined the Marines so I could get away from that conniving bitch.
"Do you know what really hurt the most? He'd only known Noretta for a couple of weeks when they decided to get married. She was a waitress in a diner, was a lot younger than he was, and definitely on the prowl. She found this old fool who had just lost his wife, and played up to him so he'd marry her and she could move into a ready-made life of ease. So, that's why I don't want her to have the farm. She did nothing to earn it."

He grew silent again, and she let him alone. He was still struggling to accept this marriage, even after 31 years.

"Sometimes, though," Scully thought to herself, "being married for 31 years earns you a lot more than a farm. It just depended on the man."

The pilot announced that they were going to land and the hostess when through their request to replace their tray tables and put their seat backs up. Within a short time, they had landed and taxied to the jetway. Skinner stood and stretched his back, then reached above for their carry-on luggage. Because they had been sitting towards the back of the plane, they were one of the last to exit.

"I hope A.J. is on time, for once," Skinner muttered as he searched the crowd, looking for his brother. "Oh, no. Oh, my God."

Scully looked around until she saw a tall man dressed in a black suit with a black tie. He had not one hair on his head, and he was wearing dark sunglasses. He also sported a small gold loop in his right earlobe. He was holding a sign, such as chauffers used to find their fares, only instead of saying "Skinner", he had written on it, "FBI Mole". His face was set in a rigid mask. He looked so much like Skinner that she laughed. Except, of course, for the dark glasses and the earring.

Skinner strode rapidly to him, leaving Scully to follow more slowly. She heard him exclaim, "A.J., what the hell do you think you're doing? For God's sake, put down that sign, people are staring!"

A.J. Skinner's face broke into a huge grin, he dropped the sign and grabbed his little brother in a bear hug. "Hey, Dub, how'd you know it was me? Did the sign give me away? Or was it my handsome good looks?"

The two brothers slapped each other on the back in that universal male greeting meant to convey affection without being mushy. Skinner put one arm around A.J.'s shoulders and turned towards Scully.

"Dana, this is my brother, A.J. Or what used to be my brother. Now, I'm wondering if maybe we should get him checked for some kind of possible mental illness. None of the rest of us are quite so, uh, antimated. A.J., this is Dana Scully."

"You are such a liar. YOU, Dub ol' boy, are the only one who's as stiff as a board." He went over to Scully, who had extended her hand, but instead of shaking it, he took in both of his, bowed low, and kissed it. "Enchante, mademoiselle." Skinner rolled his eyes.

Scully giggled at his performance, and gave a small curtsey. "Nice to meet you, kind sir. Walter, you didn't tell me you had such a handsome and gallant brother."

"Ah, discerning as well as beautiful. Dub, get the baggage while I escort this fair maiden to yon coffee shop. My friend, Don, is boarding a plane to whisk his way southward to Florida, and we're waiting for his flight to be called."

He pulled Scully's hand through his crooked elbow, and off they went, leaving Skinner to deal with the heavy baggage.
He followed them as they made their way through the crowd, watching A.J. regale Scully with observations concerning the coming weekend. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. They at last came to a small coffee shop, and A.J. led them to a table where another man sat. He, too, was bald. "Lord," thought Scully, is everyone in Charleston without hair." She smiled as A.J. made the introductions.

"Don, this is Dana Scully. Dana, this is my friend, Don." A.J. had placed one hand on the other man's shoulder, and Scully saw him give it a small squeeze. She smiled at Don and said hello, but in her mind she was wondering how Skinner was going to react to meeting his brother's lover.
She was startled when Skinner reached over and shook the man's hand and said, "Hey, Don, how've you been? It's been a long time. How's your mom?" Obviously Skinner knew all about his brother and had no problem with it. However, it would have been nice if he had at least told her what to expect. For that matter, she had no idea what to expect from any of them. She wondered what other surprises were in store for her with his family.



The four of them settled into the hard plastic chairs around the small table. A.J. grabbed a passing waitress and order lemonade for them all. Scully drank hers greedily when it was served, she had had nothing to drink on the flight, and the tart, sweet taste quenched her thirst.
Skinner would look at his brother, then shake his head.

Finally, he said, "Will you take that thing off?" He gestured to A.J.'s head. "You look like a pirate."

"Aha," said A.J., "but a very dashing pirate, don't you think, fair lady? Methinks my brother doesn't approve of my, uh, attempts at humor."

"I like the earring. It does indeed make you look like a pirate, a very daring, bloodthirsty one," she smiled.

"The earring? Oh, no, I wear that all the time. He's talking about this," and A.J. reached behind his head and pulled. Scully watched in amazement as he tugged at his scalp, and the whole thing slid off. He shook his head, and curly silver hair fell into place over his head. He threw the latex scalp onto the table and ran his fingers through his hair. "Aaaaahhhh, that feel so much better. It was a little constricting. I don't know how you manage to wear one all day, every day, Dub."

"Ha, ha, very funny," deadpanned Skinner.

"It's my idea of a little joke, Dana. Dub has a tendency to be overly serious. Or haven't you noticed? Ah, maybe not, after all love can be very blind. Did you tell her anything about me? Obviously not, if she's shocked by the fact that not only am I extremely handsome without hair, I'm even better looking with. And I suppose you left out the little fact that I'm gay? Tsk, tsk, Dub, I thought better of you."

"I thought it would be better if she got to know you without any prejudical statements from me, such as you're an idiot. Or that you wet the bed till you were 12. Or that....."

"Enough! All right, you win," he said with a sigh. "I guess I'll just have to fill her in myself. But not now, because I think they just called Don's flight. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to walk to the gate with him, and I'll be right back. Don't leave without me. Oh, wait, you can't. I'm driving."

The two men walked towards the boarding area and Scully turned to Skinner, "Walter, what else haven't you told me about your family that I might need to know? I would like some kind of information before I meet them so I don't look like a complete idiot." She was just a little put-out with him.

"My family is no different from anyone else's, so there's really not much to tell. You'll see that when you've met them all. They're just normal people, with normal lives, making things work the best they can. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not sure I know everything myself. I've been out of their lives for so long, I'm sure there's things about them that they haven't told me, too. Okay?", he asked. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth. "Mmmmm, you taste like lemonade."

"Break it up, you two, or I'll call a cop," A.J. said. "Come on, people, we need to get moving if we're going to make it in time for supper with Marilyn. She's invited me to eat, and I'm not about to miss it."

Twenty minutes later, their luggage stashed in the trunk of A.J.'s Toyota Camry, they were on their way to the small town of Alonzo, 45 miles outside of Charleston, West Virginia. Scully was sitting in the back seat, which she had loudly claimed as her own so that she could stretch out. Skinner was riding shotgun but only after a heated argument with A.J. about the merits of his driving.

"A.J., you're so damn slow. You drive like an old lady. C'mon, let me drive, I'll get us there a lot faster."

"No, little brother, I love my car and you're not about to scatter pieces of all long the highway. Just sit back and relax, loosen that tie, and enjoy the scenery. Comfortable, Dana? Good. Now, ask away at those questions that are fixing to burst from you. I'll answer best as I can."

"Okay, A.J., first, why do you call Walter *Dub*?"

"It's a Southern thing, darlin'. His name is Walter Sergei, which we all thought was retarded, but Momma was insistent. So, we, the brothers that is, decided to call him Dub, short for DoubleU, the first leter in his name. We weren't about to call him *Baby* like the girls did."

"A.J.", Skinner's tone was threatenting.

"Baby? They call him Baby? Oh my God, Walter, how cute!!" Scully kept repeating the name under her breath, to Skinner's chagrin.

"Well, that was the only thing cute about him. Uh, anyway, what else do you want to know?" A.J. glanced over at Skinner, who was not looking pleased. A.J. shrugged, oh, well, in for a penny.

"Okay, enough about *Baby*," she said with a chuckle, "what about you? Do you live in Alonzo?"

"Oh, now, darlin' child, I live in Charleston. I'm computer systems analyst for the state government, and my employers thought it would be nice if I lived near my work. So, in spite of great personal sacrifice, I have a home here." He smiled to show he was teasing about the sacrifice. "Besides, my daughter and her children live here, and I like being close to them."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes, darlin', I tried the holy state of matrimony once, but all I got out of it was me. I was hoping for, who knows. A sense of acceptance, a desire to see what all the fuss was about, or maybe I was trying to create a home and family but went about it the wrong way. All I know is, I hurt my wife, for which I am forever ashamed. But we did manage to create a beautiful young woman. I hope you get to meet Barbara the next time you come home."

Home. Scully was startled by his use of the word in connection with her. This was Skinner's home; was it to become part of her sense of home, too? Right now, when she thought at all of home, she thought of her mother's house. That was home. Her apartment was home-like, but it never would have that feel of family. But, if she and Skinner stayed together, these people, this little corner of West Virginia would become her home and her family, too. Is that what she wanted? Was she ready for that?

"Dana, Dana, wake up. We're coming into the thriving metropolis of Alonzo, West Virginia. You don't want to miss the five-dollar tour." AJ's voice drifted into her dream and she sat up with a start.

Oh, Lord, what was wrong with her? She couldn't ride fifteen minutes in a car withou falling asleep. She closed her mouth, wiped her chin, and blinked her eyes. She looked over at Skinner was looking out his window at the houses that they were passing. She caught AJ's eye in the rearview mirror and gave a sheepish grin.

"I guess all the excitement of the trip has caught up with me. Sorry. Is this Alonzo? It's pretty. Is it very big?"

AJ chuckled, "Alonzo is almost a metropolis compared to some of our neighboring villages. There's about 25,000 people here, one high school, a middle school, 3 elementary school, a few small industries, a Walmart, enough churches to keep everybody feeling guilty, and a gorgeous old city hall. Our main street/downtown area is thriving in spite of Walmart; it has some really good small restaurants, and such. It really is a nice place to live and raise a family.
"Look, there's the high school, from which every Skinner child has graduated and where our sister Shirleen is a chemistry teacher and her husband Jake is the principal." AJ made a left turn and drove down a tree-lined street. "That's Woody's office. He and his wife Raelynn are both accountants. They take care of probably 85% of the businesses here."

"Woody?", asked Dana.

"Dub, does she even know our names? He's another brother, darlin', his real name is Woodruff. I think he might be meeting us tonight at the Rocky Road, that is if y'all are up to going."

"I don't know, AJ, I'm sure Dana's tired and would rather stay in." Skinner turned in his seat to look at Scully, "Right, Dana? You don't want to go out tonight, do you?"

Scully immediately said, "Oh, no, I think it would fun. Let's go, Walter, I'm anxious to meet some more of your family." She smiled sweetly at him, but was thinking, that'll show you, jerk, not to use me as an excuse when you don't won't to go out.

Skinner rolled his eyes and turned back around to face the front with an exaggerated sigh. Scully saw AJ give her a wink in the rearview mirror. That's telling him, sweetheart.

"How much farther till we get to, uh, Marilyn's house?" She was going to have a hard time keeping everybody straight. Hopefully it would help when she had faces to go along with the names.

"Their place is about 5 miles outside of Alonzo. She and her husband John have the farm on the west side of Daddy's place. George and Faye have the farm on the east side."

"George?" Another quizzical look from Scully, who slowly shook her head in confusion.

"Oh Christ. Okay, darlin' listen close. This gets real confusin'. Roy, Jr. is the oldest. He's 65, I think. Next is Shirleen, she's 63. Then, Marilyn, 6l; me, I'm 60, but think I look much younger don't you? Then George, he's 57, Woody, 55, Kate, with whom you are already acquainted, she's 53 if she's a day, and last but not least, the little darlin' of the clan, Walter, aka Dub and/or Baby, 48. And that's just the brothers and sisters. I'm not even going to try to name all the in-laws, kids, grandkids, dogs, cats, cows, horses and pigs.
"Once you've met everybody, it'll be a lot easier. Or harder, who knows. For the meantime, just remember that you've already met the best ones of the bunch. That would be me and Kate. Dub is another story altogether."

"AJ, don't call me Baby."



AJ turned onto a narrow county road and rolled down his window. The countryside was beautiful; the sun was making it's way down the western sky, backlighting the tall trees. The sky was clear, and the wind coming in the window was warm, but held the promise of a little chill once the sun went down.

Scully reached into her purse and took out her brush and a lipstick. She raked the brush through her hair, and barely touched her lips with the dark color from the tube. Skinner turned slightly to watch her. He knew she was nervous, so he stretched out his hand for her to take. She gripped it hard and gave him a shaky smile. He smiled back, trying to reassure her.

"Here we go," said AJ as he turned onto a long gravel driveway. Clouds of dust rose behind the car, and Scully could see a house surrounded by huge trees. It was a one-story brick house that had probably been modernized sometime in the last 20 years. It had a long covered porch that stretch completely across the front and down the west side of the house.

There, on the porch, with her arms folded, stood a tall, gray-haired woman. She was solidly built, not fat, but slender would never be a word to describe her. She was wearing an apron over denim pants and a t-shirt. As they drove up and parked under one of the magnificient trees, she came down the three steps of the porch and ran over to open Skinner's door.

He got out and she grabbed him in a hug. "Oh, Baby, it's so good to see you. How are you? Let me look at you; you look so good." Skinner wrapped his arms around his sister and held her close, burying his face in her neck. "I've missed you so much, Dub, I'm so glad you're gonna stay here."

AJ opened Scully's door and helped her out. He leaned forward and whispered, "She hasn't seen him in years. When he was here some months back, he wouldn't see anybody but Kate and Roy, Jr. He was having a hard time, and everyone just stayed away. So, this is the first time some of us have seen him in 15 years."

Scully ducked her head. She had been the cause of his hard time, and she felt guilty for it. She watched as Marilyn held Skinner's face in her hands, tears in her eyes, looking at him as if to memorize every feature. She hugged him again, and then released him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Oh, my goodness, how rude of me. I'm so sorry," she said as she approached Scully. "How do you do, I'm Marilyn, Baby's...I mean, Dub's sister. Welcome, welcome to our home." She held out her hand for Scully to shake, but changed her mind and gave her a hug instead. Scully was surprised at first, then put her arms around Marilyn and hugged her back.

The two women separated with an embarrassed laugh. "Hi, I'm Dana Scully, and I am so very happy to finally meet you. Walter has told me so much about you." She glanced over at Skinner and he gave her a sheepish look. He nodded slightly, acknowledging that he'd now fill her in on everyone.

"Oh, goodness me, how awful. I hope he left out the bad stuff," she chuckled. Turning she said, "AJ, get their bags and put them in the girls' old room. That one has a bath connecting to the other bedroom, but that one's been turned into a sewing room/guest room, so no one will bother you. Dub, go change out of that suit, you look as out of place as bear at a church social. Come on in, honey, make yourself at home. Do you need anything? Wanna use the powder room? Do you need something to drink before supper? It's almost ready, I sure hope you like chicken'n'dumplings, and I've got some fresh corn....."

Marilyn put her arm around Scully and led her into the house, chattering a mile a minute. Scully didn't attempt to speak, but just nodded every once in a while to indicate she was listening. Skinner helped AJ unload the car, then took the bags into the small bedroom he was going to share with Scully. This had surprised him, he thought for sure Marilyn would want them to sleep separately. He was beginning to think he really didn't know his family very well.

He changed into jeans and a long-sleeved navy blue shirt. It felt good to get out of the restricting business suit he had worn all day. He followed Marilyn's voice to the kitchen, where Scully was sitting with a glass of iced-tea. When she looked up and saw him standing there, her face lit up, and she gave him a smile. He looked so good standing there, relaxed against the doorframe. He smiled back at her and her breath caught in her throat.

Marilyn was bustling around, getting the last few dishes ready for the table. However, she wasn't so busy that she didn't see the look that passed between her brother and this beautiful woman. She smiled to herself, happy that at last Baby had found someone to love and who obviously loved him. Please, God, let it be forever.

"Whacha grinnin' at, Mar?", said AJ. "You look like a possum eatin' brars."

"Shut up, AJ," she snapped as she popped him with a dish-towel. "Unless you wanna eat on the side porch with the dogs?"

Scully had offered to help Marilyn get things ready, but was shooed to the side porch. "Sorry, hon, but it's my kitchen and I know where everything is and it's faster if I do it myself. Just go sit out there and watch the sun set. I won't be a minute." She turned and yelled for AJ who had gone to the front porch, "AJ!! Get your sorry ass in here and finish fillin' those glasses with ice. Dub, you go on out to the tractor barn and get Jake. Tell him to wash up out there, I don't want no mud on my clean floor."

Scully wandered around the house, finally settling in the living room. The house had three bedrooms; a large master bedroom with heavy dark furniture, and two smaller bedrooms connected by a bath. The smaller of the two had, indeed, been turned into a sewing room. A sewing machine was situated along a wall between two long windows. It had a futon with a brightly patterned cover, a rocking chair, and a cabinet that Scully guessed had material and sewing supplies.

There was a family room off the kitchen that contained a tv, a box full of toys and a rather sophisticated computer set up with a fax, a printer, and a scanner. Even the smallest farms must be using computers to keep track of things.

There was also a glass cabinet, full of ribbons and trophies. Must be things their kids have won in 4-H, or FFA, thought Scully. And there were pictures everywhere. Every room seemed to have at least one wall with portraits or photos of all sizes.

In the living room was a rather large wedding portrait. Scully guessed that the woman was Marilyn posing happily with a very handsome blond man who was at least 4 inches shorter than she. He was dressed in a dark, western-cut suit, gazing up into Marilyn's eyes. The happy bride was wearing a white knee-length suit, white tooled cowboy boots, and a white Stetson hat with tulle wrapped around the crown and trailing down the back. *Western*? Hmmmmm.
Finally, Skinner came in and found Scully staring at the photo of Marilyn holding a couple of fat twin babies. He put his arms around her and squeezed. He nuzzled the back of her neck, and then planted a noisy kiss behind her ear. "Supper's ready," he muttered into the same ear. "And so am I."

"Sorry, A.D. Skinner," she grinned as she turned in his arms, "but you're gonna have to reel it in. There's no way I'm going to embarrass myself by making love to you in your sister's house."

"Well," he said as he kissed her lips, "if you weren't so noisy, no one would know. Owwwww. That hurt!" She had pinched his arm rather vigorously.

"MARILYN!! Dub's making out with his girl in your living room!! Do you want me to throw a bucket of water on them, like you do your hounds when they get frisky?"

"No, AJ," came back the response from the kitchen, "I just re-upholstered that furniture. Hit'em with fireplace scoop. That always works with ol' Ned when he gets carried away. Y'all come on in here and eat before it gets cold."

"Who's Ned," asked Scully. "One of her kids?"

"You might say that," said AJ as he led them to the dining room. "It's her prize Tennesse black-and-tan hunting dog. She's won a lot of prizes with that ol' dog."

There was a lot of shuffling of chairs and rearranging before Marilyn was satisfied with the seating. The chair at the head of the table was empty, but almost immediately the door between the kitchen and the dining room swung open and the man in the bridal picture came in. He was still as handsome as when that portrait had been taken, his hair was still blond, but now shot through with silver. He walked with a slight limp. He smiled shyly at Scully, and shook Skinner's hand.

"How you, Dub? Howdy, ma'am, I'm Jake Benjamin, it's mighty nice to make your acquaintance." He had a pronounced Texas accent. Well, that might explain the clothes in the portrait.

He sat at the head of the table, and Skinner reached out to take a hot roll from the basket at his elbow.

"WALTER!" Marilyn's voice was sharp, and Skinner immediately dropped the roll. Instead he took Scully's hand and then his brother-in-law's. Scully then noticed that AJ had his hand extended also, so she put hers in his and bowed her head.

"Lord," intoned Jake, "bless this food, the harvest of your bounty, for the enrichment of our bodies. Thank you for the safe arrival back home of these our loved ones. Continue to bless us all as we deserve, and please let the price of barley go up. Amen."

"Amen," the others all muttered. Skinner squeezed Scully's hand before he let go.

"All right, everybody, dig in. I'm sorry there's not more, but I had to babysit MarJac's little one and he's a handful."

Scully looked at the table which was covered with dishes containing chicken'n'dumplings, corn, some kind of small brown pea-like vegetable, small red potatoes with a butter, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, salad, rolls, and cornbread.

Skinner chuckled at Scully's reaction while passing her a bowl. "Yeah, Marilyn's not happy unless there's enough food to feed a small Asian nation. I'm disappointed Mar, I was hoping to get some of your fried chicken."

"Oh, Lord, I forgot," she jumped up and went to the kitchen and came back with a platter on which was a mound of crispy golden fried chicken. "Help yourself, honey. These wolves won't leave a thing if you're not fast. And y'all leave room for dessert. I've got an apple pie, a chocolate pie, and a pecan pie that need to get eat."
Scully groaned.



Thirty minutes later, after everyone had eaten themselves into a stupor, Scully said to Marilyn, "I was noticing all the photos on your walls. They're excellent. The photography reminds me of some of Ansel Adams works. Did you do them?"

"Naw, not me. I can't take picture without cuttin' the tops of people's heads off, or getting my finger over the lens. Jake did those. He had been doin' some before his accident, but afterwards it became sort of mental therapy."

"If you don't mind me asking, was it a farming accident?"

Jake smiled, "No, ma'am, not exactly. I used to ride bulls in rodeos and one decided to pirouette on my calf. Broke both bones and did a number on the muscles. So, I gave a ridin' to become a farmer."

"That's how we met," said Marilyn as she started to clear the table. "I was going to a little college in Abilene, Texas, and I was homesick so I got started going to rodeos to pass the time. Well, one night this real good-lookin' cowboy walked by, real slow, and I was struck dumb. Which for me says a lot. He walked by a couple of times, and everytime he did, I'd stare. Which is just what he wanted. He was wearing those tight Levi's jeans, and they fit his butt real good. You know how some guys just look good enough to eat when they're wearing jeans, right?"

Scully glanced over at Skinner, "Oh, yeah, I know just what you mean." She leered at him and he blushed.

"Yeah, me, too," said AJ. "Tight buns, long legs, hat pulled down over their eyes. Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmmm."

"AJ!" Skinner threw a roll at him.

"Well, it's true!!"

"Anyway," said Marilyn laughing, "I decided if I was gonna meet that boy, I'd better get involved with rodeoin'. So, I learned how to barrel race, so's I could follow him around. Thing was, I was really good. I won lots of ribbons, and trophies, and was often chosen as Rodeo Queen. Well, I got his attention all right.
"After I graduated from college, I came back here to try to get a teaching job. Well, I finally landed a position with the junior high and as I was gettin' ready for my first day, there was a knock at the door and there stood Jake. He was leanin' on a crutch and his leg was casted from hip to hock, but he still looked good in those jeans. We got married 2 months later, and I never did teach. Except for my own kids, that is. I tutored them as much as I could, till they got where they were doin' stuff I didn't know."

"Tell her about your wedding," said AJ. "Momma was furious. She wanted Marilyn to get married in a dress like Grace Kelly's and Marilyn flat put her foot down."

"Yep, I figured rodeoin' was what brought us together, so by heck, I was goin' to have a rodeo wedding. We got married in the middle of a practice ring, and Momma was so mad, I thought she was not goin' to go. But she did, and her words to me on my wedding day was, *Marilyn, I just hope you don't end up in a cow-pile marryin' this boy.* And I told her, *Momma, it was cowshit that brought us together, so's I'm not worried about steppin' in anymore.* By the time she died, she thought the world of Jake, and said I somehow managed to land on a bed of roses."

Jake went to his wife and put his arm around her waist. "I'm the one that got the roses, a whole bouquet." And he kissed her full on the mouth.

"Jake, I've never hear you talk so much in my life," said AJ. "What is the world coming to?"

Scully helped Marilyn clear the table, but was summarily sent away when she offered to help wash.

"No, you will not. Baby, take Dana down to the old pond. We got a path cleaned off, and it's a real purty walk this time of the evening. We put some benches out there, so's you can watch the moon come up, if you're inclined. Or maybe," she said with a grin, "you can watch the submarine races."

"Marilyn!", said Skinner with a shocked chuckle. "Please!"

"Submarine races? In a pond?" Scully laughed, "I might have been led to believe a story or two like that when I was a kid in San Diego, but I don't know if any girl's going to be believe that here in the middle of West Virginia. She'd have to be pretty dumb."

"Or, pretty smart," Marilyn winked. "Go on, now, but grab a sweater cause it might be a bit chilly. But don't be gone too long; Kate, Woody, and George are goin' to the Rocky Road and they want you all to meet them there."

Skinner and Scully grabbed a couple of light jackets from their luggage, then went out onto the side porch. The sun had dropped below the tree-line, and sky was already dark in the east. He grabbed her hand and they went towards a path that would lead them off eastward, into the woods.

"Hey, where y'all going?", came a shout from AJ. He was sitting iin a rocker on the front porch, but stood when he saw them pass near the corner of the house. "Going to the old pond? Oh, let me come too, I'll show Dana where we used to hide from Momma when we were trying to get out of chores." He started down the steps, when Marilyn's voice stopped him.

"AJ! Get on in here, I need your advice on some, uh, new curtains I'm plannin' on makin'."

"Marilyn, for the love of God, just cause I'm gay, it don't mean I know one thing about decorating. Call Shirleen and get her advice." AJ started down the steps again.

"AJ!! Get yourself in here this minute!! Before I slap you some sense into you!"

Her tone did not allow for any leeway. AJ sighed, and turned to slowly retrace his steps. Skinner grinned and he pulled Scully by the hand further down the path. Within a minute, they had lost sight of the house.

The path was slowly darkening as the sun set lower, but it was still beautiful. It was just wide enough that the trees didn't close in overhead, and they could see the first stars brightening. They strolled hand in hand, not talking, just enjoying the scenary. After about 10 minutes they reached a large pond. Here and there were scattered aluminum park benches, dark in color, probably painted green so they wouldn't clash with the surrounding woods.
Skinner and Scully sat on one and she snuggled close to him. Marilyn had been right, it was getting chilly. Skinner wrapped her in his arms, and they shared a long kiss. They had not had a chance all day to be alone, and now took advantage of the opportunity. At last, she pulled away and laid her head on his chest, where she could hear his heart beating.

"I like your family, Walter, at least what I've met of them. They're very good people. I'm glad I came. And you were so worried!"

He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you like them. And they like you, too. Not that it makes any difference. I love you and that should be all that matters. Right?" He tilted her her back very gently kissed her lips, then smiled. "Too bad we didn't bring a blanket. That grass over yonder looks nice and soft, and we'd be real secluded, so you could make all the noise you want." His hand moved from her face to stroke her throat and then continue downward till he was able to cup her breast.



She smiled back, "Walter, you are an old horn-dog, you know that? If I didn't love you so much, I'd be offended." She pulled his head closer for another kiss, and then stopped. "Where's that music coming from? While I appreciate good romantic background, that definitely is not what I'd call romantic. Is there a house nearby?"

Walter had started kissing her cheek, her neck, his hand still on her breast, squeezing it softly. "MMmmmm? What music, don't hear anything." He moved his hand lower to her hip, but she stopped any further progress.

"Walter! I'm telling you there's someone else out here. Listen!"

Skinner stopped with an exasperated sigh, but did cock his head to listen. There was music, close by, hip-hop from the sound of it. The only houses close enough that they might be able to hear music from was his father's and his brother George's. And he doubted seriously either of them would listen to anything like that. He let go of Scully and stood up. He thought he could barely make out the shape of a car about a hundred yards away, around the curve of the pond. Somebody up was trespassing and he was going to go over there and send them packing. He started around the edge of the pond, Scully scurrying to keep up. When he got about 50 feet from the car he stopped and squinted, trying to see if anybody was in it. The car had parked at the end of a wide lane that led between Marilyn and Jake's farm and his dad's. It was probably cut through the woods in order to bring pick-up trucks in when his brothers wanted to fish without having to go to the houses.

He saw no one, but could hear voices. "Oh, my God, that's my brother Roy's old 1964 Mustang convertible. He cherishes that car as much as he does his wife. Why the hell would it be out here? Unless it's been stolen."

"Why would anybody steal it then bring it to your family's farm, Scully said softly, "No, I suspect it's not been stolen. Listen," and she put her finger to her lips.

They could hear voices, young people from the sound of it. A girl gave a high-pitched laugh and a male voice tried to shush her. "Crystal, come on, quit laughin'. This ain't funny, I can't get it open!"



As Skinner started to move toward the car, Scully put her hand on his arm. "Be careful. You don't know what you're getting into."

"Oh, I've got a pretty good idea," he said. He strode over to the car; the ragtop was down and he looked in. Scully saw him reach in and pull up a young dark-haired boy, probably 16 or 17 years old, by the back of his shirt. The boy let out a squeal and started flaying his arms. Skinner reached under the boy's arms and locked his hands behind the kid's head.

"Get out of the car, young woman. Scully, get over here and make sure she doesn't run. Now, who the hell are you and what are you doing with my brother's car?"

The young woman, who looked to be about 16, sat on the deck of the car adjusting her sweater and her mini-skirt. "Oh, my God. JT, JT quit fightin'. It's my Grampa Roy's brother, the FBI man. Oh, Lord, oh, Lord, I'm gonna get it now." She jumped out of the car and went over to JT who was now lying in a heap on the ground. "JT, quit squawlin', he's not gonna hurt you, are you, Uncle Dub?" She batted her eyes at Skinner, it was obviously a ploy she used many times on a lot of older male relatives.

"You're Roy's granddaughter? Young lady, what are you doing out here with this, this bag of raging hormones in his car? He doesn't let anyone drive it, not even me." Skinner was stroking the fender of the car, a look of longing in his eyes.

"Well, he wanted me to take it to my friend Amber's house, cause they're gonna store it for him under a tarp in their barn. But I can't drive standard, so JT said he'd drive me. And we thought we'd just stop here for a minute to, uh, look for frogs. For a science project. At school." She smiled innocently at Skinner.

Scully was hiding her smile behind her hand. "Ahem, Crystal, that's your name, right? Crystal? Well, Crystal, you have to be careful. Because sometimes those frogs can bite, and then you might end up with a lot of little tadpoles."

"Oh, that's okay, ma'am, we use protection. 'Cept, JT couldn't tear the tin-foil open. Sometimes I wonder how he manages to dress himself," she said with a shrug.

"Crystal, you're way too young to be having sex, protected or not. You really ought to consider the consequences," said Scully with a serious look. "You have to think about what could happen. And if you're ready to seriously commit to someone before you jump into bed with them."

"Are you Uncle Dub's girlfriend? The one that's a FBI agent, too?"

Scully looked over at Skinner; he was still admiring the car with JT who seemed to have gotten over his fright. "Yes, I guess you could call me that. My name's Dana Scully." She held out her hand for the girl to shake.

"Well, Miss Scully, do you ever consider the consequences yourself, before you jumped into bed with Uncle Dub?", the girl said as she shook Scully's hand. She raised her eyebrow, then went to stand over by the two men, who now had the hood of the car up, admiring the engine.

Scully stood for a moment, dumbfounded. She had no answer, not for Crystal, not for herself. She couldn't even say the child was rude, because basically it was true. She might not have thought too far ahead when she and Skinner had become intimate. She went to join the three under the hood.

"Crystal, why is Roy storing his car? I would think a barn would be the worst place for it." Skinner was checking hoses, moving battery cables, all those things men do under a hood to show they know what they're looking at.

"Uh, well, uh,...." Crystal looked over at JT, who shrugged. She sighed, "He said he wanted to make sure you didn't ask to drive it. He said he wasn't about to replace the clutch again, and he'd just replaced the lifters and didn't want you throwing a rod."

Skinner stood with his mouth open. "That was over 30 years ago when I did that. Good Lord, doesn't he think maybe I've gotten to be a better drive in that time? I'm not exactly as immature as I was then."

"He said he wadn't takin' no chances. He said it's easier to clean off a little chicken poop than it is to replace the engine. He said....."

"I get the picture."

"Well, you know what, Crystal? I just happen to need a set of wheels while we're here, and I think this may just fit the bill," Skinner said rubbing his hands together. "I tell you what, I'll take you to your friend Amber's house and then Miss Scully and I will take it over to the Rocky Road so's AJ doesn't have to drive it. How does that sound to you?"

"I think my Grampa Roy is gonna cut me out of the will. I don't know Uncle Dub, he's real fond of this car, and if something happens, he's gonna kill me. Why don't you just let us take it on to Amber's like I promised," Crystal said. She really didn't want to get into trouble, and she had a feeling this would put her into deep, deep shit.

"Do you think your Grampa, or for that matter, your momma and daddy are going to be happy when I tell them about finding the car out here. And what I found going on in the backseat? Hmmmm?" Skinner knew he had the kids right where he wanted them. They looked at each other and got into the back seat.

Skinner jumped over the door into the driver's seat and started the engine. He revved it up and threw back his head and laughed. He looked over and saw Scully still standing next to the car with her arms folded. He motioned for her to get in and she slowly made her way around the front of the car to the passenger's side. As she passed between the headlights he honked the horn. She jumped and slapped the hood of the car.

"Walter!!! Cut that out!!!" She slid into the front seat, muttering under her breath, "Immature asshole."

"Scully, you got your cell?" When she shook her head no, he turned to the kids in the back, "Do either of you have a cell phone?"

Crystal held out a small flip phone, and Skinner took it and punched in his sister's phone number. "Hello, Mar? Look, tell AJ to go on without us. We found another ride. Yeah, yeah, okay, just leave the back door unlocked. See you later."

Skinner backed the car up and turned in the direction of the county road. With a great spinning of wheels and grinding of gears, they shot up the lane. Crystal covered her eyes and shook her head. Maybe she should have let him tell her momma. It would have been bad for a while, but she knew that if he hurt this car, it would be bad for a very long time.

Marilyn slowly hung up her phone. "Oh, Lord, Jake, he's got Roy's car. Crystal and JT must have been parkin' down by the pond. If he does anything to that car, Roy'll have a stroke." She turned to AJ, "You've got to go stop him, tell him to leave it at Amber's like Crystal was supposed to do. Convince him, AJ, talk some sense into him."

AJ didn't move from his chair. "Are you kiddin'? He's got the blood lust now and there'll be no livin' with him till he gets it out of his system. And why would he listen to me? He thinks he's Richard Petty and he'd just say I don't understand the thrill. And he'd be right. I know nothin' about cars. Remember, I'm the one who put a quart of oil in my gas tank. Lord, did that thing smoke."




When they reached the end of the lane, Crystal told Skinner, "Turn east and go about 3 or 4 miles. You can't miss the entrance to their place, it's got two tall gates posts with big ball lights on top. It'll be on your right. But, Uncle Dub, be careful; the county-mounties sometimes have speed trap up they....."

Skinner grinned, a wild look in his eyes, "I'm not gonna speed, Crystal, don't worry."

Scully turned around and looked at the two kids in the backseat, "Make sure you're lap belts are fastened! They'll help a little if Darrell Waltrip does something stupid."

JT and Crystal looked from Scully to each other and grabbed each others hands. Scully turned back around and made the sign of the cross.

"You people have not faith in me," he laughed. "You forget, I was trained how to drive high-speed chases by the FBI."

"Didn't you fail that course, Walter?", asked Scully, her eyes wide and focussed on the road ahead.

Skinner let off of the clutch and goosed the engine. Kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel, he pulled out onto the narrow road, accelerated as quickly as he could, then quickly shifted again. By the time he shifted into third, they were already travelling a 60 miles an hour.

"God damn it, it won't shift into fourth," he yelled over the whin of the engine.

"It's a three-speed transmission, sir," yelled JT from the backseat.

"Oh," said Skinner, and released the clutch. The car shot forward. As they passed a billboard advertisement for Gold Bond Itch Powder, a car pulled out and started following them. Suddenly, there was flashing blue and red lights and a siren.

Scully turned to Skinner, who had started to slow down, "Good going. I'd like to see you get out of this one. He should throw the book at you for being so...... rrrrrhhhhh." She tried to rake her fingers through her hair to control it, but it was so windblown that there was no way. She didn't have her purse; she started to turntoward Crystal when she felt a tap on her shoulder. The girl was already handing her a brush.

The officer took a long time getting out of his patrol car and coming over to the driver's side. They knew he was running a check on the plates to see if it had been reported stolen. Finally, they heard him get out of his car and walk slowly up.

"License and registration, please."

"Uh, sure, Officer, here's my license, but I'm not sure where the registration is, heh heh," Skinner chuckled. "Just taking my brother's car out for a little spin."

The deputy sheriff didn't say anything, he was checking the federal driver's license that Skinner had presented. He shined his flashlight into Skinner's face. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Dub! Dub Skinner, you old horse theif.!!"

Skinner squinted against the light in his eyes, "Tommy? Tommy Thomas?" He opened the car door and stood up. The two men grabbed each other and the male ritualistic back pounding was initiated.

"Oh my God, it's been 25 years or more, how you been, you old bastard? Let me look at you." They were standing side by side, punching each other's shoulder. "Dub, what happened to your hair? Musta burned it off thinking all them nasty thoughts you used to tell me about. Who's that you got with you?" Tommy shined the light into the backseat, "Hey, JT, hey Crystal. You two been down by that ol' pond again? What have I told you. And who's that? Is that Becky Baker? Oh, oh, sorry ma'am. How do you do?" He tipped his mounty hat at her.

"Uh, Tommy," said Skinner hurriedly, "this is Dana Scully. She's, uh, she's....."

"She's Uncle Dub's girlfriend," Crystal was getting bored. "She ain't that old skank Miz Baker."

"Crystal!", said the men in unison.

After introducing Tommy as his best friend from 2nd grade until they finished high school, Skinner turned back and started talking to Tommy about the car. He reached in and popped the hood, and they both disappeared under it. Not to be left out, JT jumped over the side of the car and joined them.

Scully turned to Crystal, "Who's Becky Baker?"

"Oh, she's an English teacher at school, and she's real skanky, Dana. I think she used to be an old girlfriend of Uncle Dub's when he was in high school. She's been married a couple of times, and when she heard he was gonna be in town, she got all excited. I heard her tell another teacher in the teacher's lounge that she was gonna get him this time, girlfriend or no girlfriend. That'd be you. She said she still remembers what he likes and was gonna make sure he remembered, too. Said no high-falutin' federal bitch was gonna stand in her way. That'd be you."

"I got it Crystal, I got it."

Crystal continued, "She's probably gonna show up at the Rocky Road. She knows Uncle George and Uncle Woody go there on Friday nights, and she's sure Uncle Dub'll show, too. So watch out for her, Dana. You'll know who she is by the smell."

"I beg your pardon?"

"She bathes in some ol' cheap perfume, "Shalimar," I think. You can smell her before she comes into a room. And she wears a lot of makeup, tryin' to hide her wrinkles, I guess. She's real old, probably at least 40 or maybe even 45. Eeeecccch."

"Old?", Scully laughed. She remembered being 16 and thinking 30 was old. "Thanks for the heads-up, Crystal, I appreciate it."

"No problem. By the way, when do I start callin' you *Aunt* Dana? Do I do it now, or do I wait until you all get married? Y'all are gettin' married, right?" Scully stared at the young girl, her mouth opened. "I...I...I...."

Just then, Skinner got back in the car and said to Tommy, "Thanks, man. I'll see you tomorrow."

"No problem, Dub. Just be careful with that clutch. Roy'll have your ass under glass if you mess up another one." He tipped his hat again to Scully, "Ma'am", then walked back to his patrol car.

Skinner pulled out more slowly onto the road and proceeded on to Amber's house at a much more sedate rate. Scully didn't say anything, just stared out into the darkness encroaching on the road. That little girl kept coming up with some very provocative statements, things that Scully had never really thought about. Was it because she wasn't worried about it, or because she didn't want to think about it?

After they dropped Crystal and JT off at Amber's front door, Skinner turned back towards town. "Why you so quiet?" He reached out to take her hand. His accent was getting thicker the longer he stayed around.

"Nothing," she said, smiling at him. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"I love you," he said, his eyes never leaving the road.

"And I love you. Very, very much." She said with tears in her eyes. She was grateful it was dark and that he was concentrating on the road. She didn't want to have to explain, and was not even sure she could.

"If this was 30 years ago, I'd get you to sit on the console so I could put my arm around you. But I'm afraid Tommy might not approve."

"If this was 30 years ago, I'd be 7 years old, and you wouldn't even want me any where around," she chuckled.

They finally pulled into the crowded parking lot of a long, low building. The tall neon sign out front announced that this was, indeed, the Rocky Road Lounge and Bar, in bright pink and green lights. Skinner got out and went around to hand Scully out of the car. As she straightened up, he pulled her into a long kiss, his hands stroking her back. She clung to his waist, and when they broke from the kiss, she buried her face into his shoulder. He held her close, rocking slightly from side to side.

"It's okay, they're gonna love you. Besides, Kate's here and she'll talk enough to keep things moving. Come on, I want the boys to meet you and love you as much as I do. Well, maybe not that much," he grinned.

She grinned back. Let him think it was nerves that was causing her to cling to him. She wasn't ready to explain that it wasn't nervousness but something much more intangible. Something she couldn't really name herself. Or maybe she was nervous and was just wanting it to blame something else. She'd have to think about it tomorrow.
Oh, God, she'd only been here one day and she was already thinking like Scarlett O'Hara.



Skinner held the door for Scully, and the first thing that hit her was the warmth and the stale air. Outside, it had been cool, almost chilly, and riding in the convertible had been down right cold. It was like stepping into a sauna inside the barroom. There were a not a lot of people, but with the lack of windows and the fact that almost everyone seemed to be smoking made it almost unbearable at first. In fact, the combination of beer, bodies, and cigarette smoke made Scully's stomach roll over. She swallowed hard to overcome the nausea, willing herself not to puke in front of Skinner's family.

The barroom, she didn't understand why it would be called anything else, was a long room with high ceilings. The door they entered was in the middle of one of the long walls. To the right was the bar itself, with stools and a brass rail. The left, along the short wall, was a bandstand where a band was set up to play. The musicians were not yet on the stage, but their various instruments were set onto stands, awaiting their arrival. In front of the stage was a parquet wooden dance floor. Tables were scattered all around the room, and in one corner were 2 pool tables, green-shaded lights hanging directly over them from the ceiling. The rest of the decor was typical of any bar anywhere in the country. Neon beer ads, metallic versions of old tobacco ads, signs warning of what would happen to anyone exhibiting inappropriate behavior, and three or four ceiling fans working hard against the pall of smoke hanging from the ceiling.

Scully was gazing around the room when Skinner took her by the elbow and pulled her in the direction of a table in the corner, away from the bandstand. Seated at the table were AJ and Kate, along with two other men and their wives, Scully assumed. The men looked so much like Skinner that she couldn't help but grin. The only difference was that both of them had salt-and-pepper hair, lots of it. She was beginning to wonder if maybe Skinner was not the norm for the family as far as hair, or lack thereof, was concerned.
Kate was waving franctically at them, smiling so hard that Scully was afraid her muscles would freeze. As they got closer Kate jumped up and grabbed Scully in a hug. Skinner went over and hugged his brothers, slapping them on the back and then leaned down to kiss each woman in turn on the cheek.

"How are you, honey? It's so good to see you again. Are you okay? You look a little tired. C'mon over and meet some more of the clan. Put your sheet away, Ralph, you know I ain't talking about that kind of Klan," she said sharply to a man sitting at a nearby table. He had looked up from his beer and turned in his seat when he heard her say the word *clan*. "You oughta be ashamed a'yourself, anyway."

Kate turned back towards the table, and introduced Scully to the others. "Honey, this is Woody and his wife, Raelynn, and this George, and that's Faye." Both men nodded their heads and shook her hand. This was going to be a challenge, they were very similiar in looks. It would be easier to keep the wives straight, Raelynn was tall, very pretty, and dressed in a pair of tight jeans with a red gingham western shirt with a ruffle around the yoke. Faye was a little older looking, still pretty but a little faded from the hard work associated with being a farmer's wife. She was shorter than Raelynn, but still several inches above Scully, and she was just a little plumper than her brother-in-law's wife.

Scully and Skinner sat down in the wooden chairs, and a waitress brought a tray laden with long-neck beer bottles. As she started to pass the bottles around, Scully asked her in a soft voice, "Could I get a club soda, or maybe a Sprite, please?"

"Sure, honey, let me see what we got and I'll bring it to you," she said with a smile as she popped her chewing gum. "Be right back."

"What's the matter, Dana? You aren't sick, are you? Dub, why'd you bring her here if she's not feeling well?", Kate asked her brother with a frown.

"I didn't know she was feeling bad! Are you okay? Do you wanna go?", he was a picture of concern.

"No! No, please, I'm fine. It's just that it was cold coming over here in that convertible, and when we walked in it was so very warm. It just took me by surprise for a moment. That and the fact that we ate enough at Marilyn's to kill us. I'm fine, don't worry. I just need something cold." She smiled reassuringly at them. She did actually feel better. She just wasn't ready for a beer, yet.

"I sure hope I can keep everyone's names straight," Scully said to the handsome man across the table from her. "Your Woody, right? You and your brother look so much alike, I'm afraid I'm going to get you two mixed up. Please forgive me if I do." She smiled at him, and was startled when he laughed. George, AJ and Skinner had been deep into conversation, heads close together, with Skinner telling them about the trip over in the Mustang. All three looked up at one time.

"Hey, George, poor Dana thinks she's gonna get us mixed up! I'm sorry, ma'am, that was rude, but that's the first time since I was a kid that I've heard that one. And I suspect ol' Dub's ass is fixin' to be grass, and you're gonna be the ridin' lawnmower that's gonna cut him down." He continued to chuckle as the others all joined in. Everyone, that is, except Kate who was looking daggers at Skinner, who in turn was looking sheepish. Again.

"Okay, what did I miss? Obviously I've made some huge gaffe and I'm beginning to think that I seriously need to start asking Kate before I make any more comments." She turned towards the older woman for some kind of explanation.

Kate sighed and shook her head. "I knew I should have called you myself. I should never have expected this big ape to even think about bringin' you up to snuff on all our family's little, uh, differences."

"Oh, c'mon, Kate. I don't even think about most of this stuff. It's just the way things are. I mean, it's so much a part of who he is that I forget about it. He's Woody, that's all. Just like AJ's just AJ. I didn't think it was anything important. Besides, I was a li'l ol' bitty kid when it happened, and I've never known him any other way." Skinner was pleading with Kate, who sat with a stern look on her face. The others were smiling, thoroughly enjoying his discofort. Except for Scully, who was growing impatient.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on, before I put my foot into something else?", she demanded.

"Walter, tell her. You shoulda done it earlier; now, go on with you and tell her." Kate looked like an irate school marm, arms folded, lips drawn into a thin line.

"Uh, okay, well, uh, see, Woody's not called *Woody* just because of his name. He's called that because of his, uh, leg." Skinner smiled nervously.

"His leg."

"Or lack thereof."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, actually," said Woody, "I do have a leg, but it's in the shop getting repaired. I broke a hinge playin' baseball."

Scully turned towards him, her face red with embarrassment. "You have a prosthesis."

"Yep. Since I was 13. I had osteosarcoma and they removed my left left leg. It's not a big deal, I mean, that's been, oh, over 40 years ago. Don't be mad at ol' Dub, ma'am. He was a little kid when it happened, and he's always known me without it. In fact, most people around here do just take it for granted. I apologize for my brother's stupidity, but he didn't mean nothing by it. Will you forgive him? Please? He's ignerunt but kinda cute, dontcha think so?" Woody smiled, and looked so much like his baby brother that Scully couldn't help but smile back.

"Well," said Kate, "I oughta skin him alive. Poor Dana, gettin' throwed in with this wild bunch and not knowin' what to expect." She gave the smaller woman a hug and patted her shoulder.

Skinner kneeled down beside her chair, "I'm sorry, darlin', honest. I wouldn't embarrass you for the world. Please forgive me, *again*, for bein' such a jerk." He took her hand in his and kissed the palm. He turned sad, puppy-dog eyes up to her. "Please? Don't be mad," he said softly.

Scully was surprised at his use of the word *darling*, he seldom called her anything but Dana when they were in public. And to use the word in front of his brothers came as a shock. Maybe that's why she relented, or the fact that he did look so remorseful.

"All right, on one condition. That I find out right now if there is anything else I need to know before I meet another member of this family and make a fool out of myself," she said. The others laughed, and Skinner blew out a sigh of relief. Then he did something so totally out of character that it took her breathe away. He kissed her, but not a quick peck on the lips, oh, no. An actual open-mouthed kiss that melted her insides.

The kiss ended when his brothers started cat-calling. She couldn't speak, and when he kissed her forehead, she leaned against his lips to catch her breath.

"Hey, Dub, get a room."

"I wish I could," whispered Skinner into her ear. "I love you."

"Hey, boy, you gonna make us look bad."

"What I wanna know is how did he learn to kiss like that when he ain't never had much practice. 'Cepting his old pillow."

"No secrets, no secrets, if you can't say it out loud, then don't say it."

"Don't you clowns have anything better to do than to harrass me?", Skinner said as he sat back down in his chair. He reached over and pulled Scully's chair closer to his, then reached for her hand. His sister and two sisters-in-law exchanged knowing looks.

"Okay, now, are there any more little foibles that I need to know about before I meet Roy and Shirleen," Scully asked, taking a sip of her club soda. The others looked at each other and shrugged, shaking their heads.

"Well," said AJ, "maybe we should tell her about Roy bein' a midget, and that Shirleen was born a boy, but due to a horrible encounter with a field tiller, she's now a woman."

"AJ!!!", the others shouted.

"I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding."

The waitress brought over another tray-load of beer, and asked Scully if she wanted another club soda. She told her no, that she was ready for a beer and the woman left to get another long-neck.

There was a lot of laughter coming from the group around the table, as Woody told outrageous stories about the pranks he and his brothers pulled with his prosthetic leg. Scully never seen Skinner so relaxed and out-going, trying to top Woody's stories with some of his own.



"Yeah, one time," said Woody, "me and George were in some ol' bar down in Georgia, and we had been doin' some pretty heavy drinking. And the bartender came over and told us we were goin' to have to leave cause we were getting kind of loud. He said he'd never seen one ol' boys drink as much as me, and not be pukin' my brains out. He said, *You drink like you got a hollow leg* and I was bein' a real smart ass, so I dropped my pants, and unstrapped my leg, and said, *By God, you right! I do have a hollow leg.* That ol' guy never even blinked, just reached down and took off the bottom part of *his* leg, and said *Well, if you're gonna keep drinkin', I suggest you give this one to your brother.* I liked-a peed myself laughin'."

As the others burst out laughing, Skinner said, "When I was a real new agent with the Bureau, I was chasin' this ol' boy on foot, and I finally got him cornered in an alley and he's standing with his back to me, cradlin' one arm with the other, like he had been injured. I yelled in my best Eff-Bee-Eye voice, *Stop, Federal Agent! Raise your hands above your head.* And this guy says, *I cain't*, which, of course, pissed me off. How dare he tell ME no. So I yelled again, *Put your hands in the air!* and again he says, *I CAIN'T*. All right now I'm really unhappy, *Do it or I shoot!*. So, he slowly raises one hand, and when he did, the other arm fell off. He'd broken the strap on his harness durin' the chase and had been holding on to it to keep from losing it. You ever try to handicuff a one-armed prisoner when you're laughing? It idn't easy."

"Oh my God," laughed Scully as she wiped tears from her eyes, "you never told me that."

"Oh, look, the band's comin' out," said Raelynn. "Hey, honey, yoo hoo, over here." She was waving at the band members as they came out from a room behind the bar.
The seven members of the band all came over to the table and started hugging the ladies and shaking hands with the men. Through all the confusion, Scully was able to gather that they were all related to the Skinner family. It seemed that two of the men were sons of George and Faye, one was the son of Roy, one was Shirleen's son, another was Marilyn's son, and the two women were Woody's daughters. They all hugged their Uncle Dub and shook hands with Scully. She gave up trying to remember everyone's name and just smiled at each in turn.

"They're called *Cuz*, and they're wonderful," said Faye, smiling proudly. "They used to be called *Cousins under the Skin* but thought the name was too long for the marquee out front, so they shortened it. This is their avocation, because they only play here on the weekends. But, still, we all couldn't be prouder of them." One of the tall men hugged her.

"Thanks, Aunt Faye. So, are y'all ready to dance till you drop?"

"Well, not me," said Woody. "I'm gonna have to play wallflower tonight."

"That's what you get for slidin' into home plate, Daddy," laughed one of the women. "What made you think you could steal home, I'll never know."

"I'd'a made it, too, but the hinge broke, and my leg jack-knifed. But we still won," he said with pride.

"You're incorrigible," laughed the woman. "Any dedications? Requests? Something slow, Uncle Dub?", and she grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Maybe later, Dawn. I'm not that good, and I want her drunk enough that she won't feel my boots treadin' on her toes." The band members laughed and started moving back towards the bandstand.

"Aw, come on, Dub, you gonna say you've forgotten how to two-step? Girls used to line up, wantin' to dance with you. I can't believe the Fred Astaire of Alonzo has lost his touch," said George.

"It's been a long time since I danced, George. I don't think I can quite carry it off like I used to. And I don't want to have to take Dana back to her mother and tell her I broke her foot dancin' to some ol' Randy Travis song."

"You DANCE?", said Scully.

"Oh, Lord, she knows less about him than she does us. Dub, don't you ever TALK to this woman? I mean...," AJ stammered to a halt, blushing as red as the check in Raelynn's blouse.

Scully burst out laughing, "Occasionally, AJ. Very occasionally."

As the band started checking the microphones and their instruments, the four ladies at the table got up to go to the restroom. But, instead of heading towards the door marked "Heifers", Faye led them to the bar, where, after a whispered conversation with the bartender, they were admitted to the room where the band had been waiting to go on.

"They let us use the employee restroom instead of the public one," she said in explanation to Scully. "That one can get real nasty, especially when those ol' girls get to pukin'. This one's pretty clean, considering it's unisex. Go on, Dana, you first."

Scully entered the little watercloset, did her business, washed her hands and came out, "Next," she said smiling at the three older women sitting together on a cracked leather sofa.

"That'd be me," said Raelynn. She got up went in while Scully sat down between Kate and Faye. Kate put her arm around Scully.

"You okay, hon? You still feelin' sick?"

"No, Kate, honestly. It was just the smell when we first walked in. And we had eaten so much at Marilyn's. I'm better now," she smiled reassuringly at Kate.

"All right, well, if you get to feelin' bad, let us know and we'll get you back to Marilyn's," Kate said, patting the younger woman's arm. "I'm next, sorry, Faye, but I'm just a tad more desperate." She jumped up and went into the toilet area as Raelynn came out.

"I keep tellin' her she needs to take Detrol, but she won't listen," said Raelynn. She sat beside Scully, "How are you enjoyin' yourself so far, Dana? They're kind of a large chunk to swallow all at once, aren't they? But, they're the best people in the world. And I want you to know, I don't think I've seen Dub in this good a mood for, Lord, 20 years, right, Faye?"

"Yep. The last time he was here a few months ago, he wouldn't see any of us, but the time before that, which must have been 15 years ago or more, he was....", Faye shook her head. "I don't know, he seemed so unhappy. But then, he's been like that for a long, long time. I've known the Skinners all my life, and after his momma died, Dub was a changed kid. It got worse after Viet Nam."

Kate came out of the bathroom, and Faye went in. Raelynn turned to Scully, "Woody has been worried about Dub for a long time. He was afraid that as Dub got older and closed himself off even more from us, that one day he'd might do something....drastic. But tonight, he seems so....so different. I know Woody's thrilled. No matter how much those boys rag on each other, they really do love one another and are concerned when something is not right."

"I think the reason for that change is right here," said Kate, patting Scully's knee. "Dana, thank you for givin' me back my baby brother. I'm so happy to see him happy."


The four ladies came out of the employees' room and stood for a moment to adjust to the change in the lighting and the din of the music. The band was playing Hank Williams, Jr.'s, "All my Rowdy Friends" and the dance floor was filling with people. Scully looked over to find their table and saw Skinner standing beside it, talking to a woman. She was standing very close to him, holding his arm at the biceps. She was smiling and when she'd speak, he'd have to lean down in order to hear her. She'd put her mouth close to his ear, and as she would lean forward, she made it a point to rub her breasts against his arm.

The three sisters-in-law all came to a screeching halt, bumping into each other. "Oh, shit," said Kate. "It's that bitch Becky Baker."

"Oh, my stars," muttered Faye.

"Now, Dana, honey, listen, she's an old friend and....." started Raelynn.

"I know who she is," said Scully, "Crystal filled me in."

"Dana, she's not worthy of your concern. When Dub was here before, she heard about it and tried to see him. He absolutely refused, so I know he's not interested. Just, just don't do anything you might regret." Not knowing Scully's attitude towards female cats sniffing around her man, Kate was worried about what she might do.

Scully smiled, "Don't worry, ladies. I'm not going to create a scene. Shall we join the men?"

Skinner was smiling politely at Becky Baker, but when he would stand up straight, his head would swivel around, looking for Scully. His brothers were sitting straight in their chairs, pointedly looking in the opposite direction. This way, when asked why they didn't help him out, they could always say to Skinner, "Sorry, Dub, I never even noticed her."

The look of relief on his face when Scully walked up was so obvious tht Scully knew she wouldn't do anything to make him feel bad. The band finished the song and started a slower-tempo version of a Garth Brooks song. Skinner grabbed Scully's arm and pulled her by his side.

"Dana, this is an old friend of mine, Becky Baker. Becky, this is Dana Scully." He smiled nervously at both ladies.
Crystal had been right, Becky Baker did wear very strong perfume. But the comments about a ton of make-up were exaggerated. She was pretty, a little taller than Scully, and built small. She was wearing a black mini-skirt that showed off her excellent legs, and a low-cut white blouse that gapped at the neck when she moved. And she moved a lot, so that everyone knew she was wearing a very demi-bra. But the thing that struck Scully the most was her eyes. They were an unusual green, but they were cold, calculating. While she smiled warmly at Scully when introduced, she was evaluating her at the same time, sizing up her competition. She must have come to the conclusion that Scully was no threat, because she was suddenly very friendly.

"How DO you do, Miss Scully," she said, smiling broadly. "Welcome to our little town. It must seem real backwards and provincial when compared to a big city like Washington DC. After all, we not very sophisticated here, just simple country folk. You must be bored to tears and anxious to get back to life in the fast lane."

"It's nice to meet you, Becky," said Scully, purposely using the other woman's first name. "It's always a pleasure to meet some of Walter's *old* friends. <Oooo, that was mean, Dana> Actually, I've not seen much of the area or met many of the people. Just Walter's family. But, if they are any indication of the rest of the people here, I don't find them simple or provincial at all. They are wonderful, and I hope they invite me back again."

"Yes, well, maybe *they* will invite you back," said Becky, her tone indicating that she thought now that Skinner had seen her again, he'd lose all interest in Scully.

"Won't you joing us, Becky?", asked Scully. "I'm sure Walter would like to catch up on everything that's happened in the 30 years since he's seen you last."

Skinner was stricken. "Oh, shit," he thought, "now I'm in for it."



Becky slid into the chair that Scully had been sitting in, so that now no matter which side Skinner sat, he would not be next to Scully. The three older women all glared at Becky, then Faye and Raelynn jerked their heads at their husbands to make them move over. Kate was a little more blunt.

"AJ, get up and move over!"

"Why? I'm fine right here."

"AJ," she said through gritted teeth, "move your ass NOW."

Scully had to hide her smile. She took pity on the poor man, "AJ, what's this music? Is it a two-step? Come on, teach me how."

"NO," shouted Skinner, "I mean, I wanted to teach you." He definitely did NOT want to be left here with Becky Baker.

"It's all right, Walter, let AJ show me how. You go ahead and catch up with Becky on all your old friends." Scully smiled sweetly at Becky, then looked up to wink at Skinner. He relaxed a little, thankful that Scully was being so understanding. But, he tensed again when he sat down and Becky put her hand on his thigh. "Help me Lord," he prayed silently.

The band was playing "I'm a Member of a Country Club" and AJ took Scully out onto the dance floor. "All right, hon, put your hand on my waist, and I'll put my arm around your shoulder like this. Now, just follow me, and don't look down. Now, it goes like this......" and he started counting the steps. After a couple of missteps and a lot of laughter, she finally caught the rhythm and was gliding around the floor.

They stayed out for another number, and were joined by George and Faye. Raelynn went to another table to talk with friends and Woody got his metal crutches and went to the restroom. Skinner was closely watching Scully out on the floor. She was laughing at some nonsense AJ was telling her. Skinner smiled, she was having such a good time, and she fit in so well with his family. He had been worried that, like Becky had said, she might find them provincial or backwards. He should have had more faith in this woman. His eyes softened as he realized, again, just how much he loved her.

"I'm sorry, Becky, what'd you say?" He realized that Becky was trying to tell him something. She had leaned forward and scrunched her shoulders together a little so that he could see right down the front of her blouse. While this may have set his groin to burning in high school, he now found it kind of cheap. Besides, her breasts were too big; he preferred something a little, uh, smaller, something he could cup in one hand. Oh, hell, NOW his groin was burning.

"I SAID, for the third time, I've missed you, Dub," she said in a sultry voice. "I've never stopped thinking about you. You've always been the one I wanted. Why don't you meet me down by the pond on your daddy's place, like we used to do when we were kids. I'll bring a blanket and a bottle of wine, and we can relive some of those times. What do you say? Okay?" She was rubbing his thigh, her hand creeping higher and higher.

"I don't think so, Becky. It's been a long day, and Dana is tired. We'll probably just back to Marilyn's and go to bed. Besides," he said, picking her hand up by the wrist and placing it in her own lap. "I love this woman more than life itself, and I'd never do anything to hurt her. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Becky? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go dance with her. See you sometime in the NEXT 30 years."

He got up and left her sitting there open-mouthed. He cut in on George, who was now dancing with Scully. George went over and cut in on AJ and Faye, leaving AJ standing in the middle of the dance floor. He decided to go the bar; there was no way he was going to sit back down at that table with that she-cat.

The band was playing "Amarillo by Morning", and Skinner pulled Scully close. He kissed her hair, and they moved together as one. Scully was surprised at how gracefully and effortlessly he danced. She had no problem following him. There were so many things she didn't know about this man. She tilted her head back to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me you could dance? What else about you don't I know?", she said.

"Well, if I tell you everything at the beginning, what'll we talk about for the rest of our lives? It's better if it all comes out a little at a time," he chuckled. "Then you might not be so anxious to run away."

She buried her face into his shoulder. The rest of our lives? Is that what she wanted? Is that what HE wanted? They needed to talk about their future. Where was it headed? What did they both expect? She knew he was going to hate talking about it, as most men do. But she had to have some kind of idea. And they would talk about it, but not tonight. Not this weekend. She wanted just to enjoy this time together. She reached up and kissed him, bringing a smile to his face. He laughed and they did a quick turn.
Scarlett Scully would just put it off till another time.

They danced a couple more dances, one fast, one slow, then went back to their table. Becky had left and was now sitting at the bar alone. The waitress came back with more beer, and Scully asked for a glass of ice water. Beer just wasn't going to take care of her thirst.

They all sat around, listening to the music, clapping loudly, whistling, making general nuisances of themselves. The table was soon strewn with bottles and glasses. Woody pulled out of his shirt pocket four long, fat cigars and handed them to his brothers.

"Macanudos, No. 9," he said proudly. "A client gave me a box and man, let me tell you, these are fine cigars." There was a rustle of wrappers as the four men opened them and admired the smooth tobacco leaf wrap. They all bit off the ends and spit them on the floor, the women giving them disgusted looks. Matches were found and soon all four were puffing away like steam engines.

"MMMMmmmm, man, these are good," said George. "Smooth, flavorful."

Faye looked at him, "Like you'd know. Only cigars you ever smoked was them little "Swisher Sweets" that come in a package of 5 for $2.00. Give me a break."

The others laughed, including George. "Yeah, well, that's what makes these so good."

"You know," said AJ as he blew out a thick stream of smoke, "cigars are the only long thing a straight man will admit to putting in his mouth and enjoying. That way, they can suck away, and not feel guilty."

The women all laughed until tears rolled at the stricken look on the other three men's faces. George and Skinner slowly put their cigars down, but Woody kept puffing away.

"Well, personally I believe that Freud said it best when he said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

George and Skinner looked at each other, shrugged and picked up their cigars again. "Right on, brother," said Skinner.

Scully got up and kissed Skinner on his bald head, and excused herself to go to the restroom. She made her way behind the bar, nodding at the bartender. Becky must have left, because the seat she had occupied was empty. Scully went in to the water closet, but when she came out, sitting on the sofa was Becky. The older woman had obviously had a lot to drink, because her eyes were slightly unfocused. Scully had stuck to water or soft drinks, knowing that as tired as she was, alcohol would make her feel worse.

She started past the sofa when Becky stood up and blocked her way.

"So, Miss High-and-Mighty FBI Agent, you think you've got ol' Dub snared. Well, let me tell you, you little bitch, I can have him back with a snap of my fingers. Why he thinks he's so in love with you, I'll never know. You're scrawny, and snooty, and you look like you'd be an ice queen in bed. I know what he likes, and I can give it to him seven ways to Sunday. He'll get tired of trying to melt you and then he'll come back to me, a real woman who knows how to satisfy a man. And then, he'll be mine and you can go back to whatever mundane little life you led before."

"He told you he loved me? Well, then knowing that he's an honorable man who seldom lies, I think you'd better take him seriously. And as for you getting him back, it's not gonna happen. While you may be very well-versed in satisfying a lot of men, I happen to know what satisfys him. And you may think I look like an ice-queen, but just remember, most volcanoes are covered in snow, but deep down is an unquenchable fire. Now if you'll excuse me, my man is waiting for me."

"Not sofast, bitch, I'm not finished......"

"Get out of my face, Becky. I'm a federal agent, and I pack a gun. I also have a very long fuse, but you're reaching the end of it. You really don't want to make me mad. I shot my own partner once because he did something stupid and pissed me off. Now, get out of my way."

The other woman stood for a moment, unsure whether to believe Scully or not. Finally, not willing to take a chance, she moved. "Whore," she shouted as Scully went out the door.

Well, that wasn't pleasant, thought Scully. She almost felt guilty making Becky believe she was wearing her gun. It was actually packed away in her luggage. And she HAD shot Mulder once, but only to prevent him from making a fatal mistake. Oh, well, what she didn't know wasn't going to hurt her. Besides, if the old bitch did try to make a move on Skinner, she could always unpack her weapon.




When she got back to their table, the others were standing and getting ready to leave. The band had finished their first set and came over to wish their parents and aunt and uncles good-bye.

"Leaving so early?", said Scully. She looked at her watch, it was 12:30. "Oh, guess it's not THAT early. Come on, Walter, let's go, too, I'm really tired."

"You sure?", he said as he stifled a yawn. "We can stay if you want to."

"No, we're both dead on our feet, so let's go." She moved with the rest of the family towards the door. "Give me the keys, you're not driving." The others watched to see if she could get them away from the big man.

"No, I'm fine, honest, I've not had that much to drink. Besides, it's standard." He was really wanting to drive the little Mustang again.

"Walter," she said, standing with her hand out. "I've got two brothers, trust me, they taught me to drive a standard."

"But....," he started.

She stood looking at him, wiggling her fingers. He sighed and pulled them out of his jeans. "Okay, boss, if you say so." The others laughed and another round of good-byes ensued.

Finally, they got to the car, and Scully made him help her raise the rag-top. It had gotten noticeable colder and she didn't want to freeze on the way home. They rolled up the windows and she turned the heater on full blast. Within minutes they were on the county road, following George and Faye. George had said he would signal where she needed to turn into Marilyn and Jake's driveway. The trip back was at a much slower pace.

Skinner was leaning back in his seat. He reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Did you have a good time?" He stroked her hair, and stuck his finger in her ear.

"Quit! You're gonna make me wreck. Yes, I had a wonderful time. I haven't laughed so hard in years. I love your family, Walter. They have such a good time and are so warm. You should be very proud of them."

"I am, they are the best people on earth. Uh, sorry about Becky Baker showing up. She's...she's got a lot of problems. But I don't want to become one of them. She made a move on me, wanting me to meet her down by the pond. I told her to forget it, that I was with the woman I love and that as far as I was concerned she could take a hike. Becky, I mean; not you."

"You told her you loved me?", Scully took her eyes off the road for a moment to look at him. "You actually said that?"

"Sure, why not?", he said as he yawned and stretched. "It's true, isn't it? I do love you and I want everyone to know. Why? Did you think I'd keep it a secret? Dana, I want to the whole world to know; that's what makes it hard at work. I can't tell anybody." He closed his eyes and yawned again.

George turned on his turn signal, then turned it off, then back on again. She flashed her lights to let him know she understood, then turned slowly into the driveway. She parked the car under the big tree by the front porch. She and Skinner got out of the car and went to the back door, which had been left unlocked. Before they went in, she stopped and pulled Skinner's head down to hers. She kissed him, forcing his lips and mouth open so she could tease his tongue with her own. He wrapped her in his arms and returned her kiss with increasing passion.

"Oh, Dana, please," he muttered into her hair as they embraced after the kiss. "We can be quiet. I just....."
A light clicked on inside the front part of the house.

"So help me God, the next we come visit, it's the Best Western, I don't care who's feelings we hurt," Skinner sighed.

They climbed the three steps to the porch and he opened the screen door, which squealed on hinges that needed oiling.
Scully chuckled, "My mother used to do the same thing at our place. She'd never let my dad oil the hinges, because that way she always knew what time we came in. There was not sneaking in after curfew with her early warning system."

Skinner led Scully across the darkened porch and into the kitchen were he snapped on the light. He went to the refrigerator and opened the door, then stood looking at the contents.

"Walter, you're not going to eat, are you? It's almost 1:00 a.m.," whispered Scully.

"No, I'm, uh, just looking for some water. Go on and get ready for bed, I'll be there in a minute." He leaned down and started rummaging inside.

"You're worse than a teenager," she chuckled, then went into the bedroom to get her gown. She had brought two, one long-sleeved cotton that buttoned to the throat, and one nylon with thin straps and a low neckline. But it was colder than she thought it was going to be, and she was tired. So, it was gonna be the virginal white for the night.

When she came out of the bathroom, she found Skinner sitting in bed with the covers drawn up to his waist, eating a piece of cold fried chicken and a roll. He was shirtless with a paper towel draped across his chest to catch any crumbs that might fall. He licked his fingers when he saw her come in, then used the paper towel to wipe his mouth.

"Be right back," he said as he jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He was wearing a pair of flannel draw-string pajama bottoms. "Don't go to sleep just yet if you can help it."

She crawled into the queen-sized bed after making sure there were no crumbs to stain the sheets. It was freezing. She pulled the covers up to her chin, and curled on her right side to face the wall, hoping to warm up a spot. She tucked the gown around her feet, and shivered. Within a couple of minutes, he was back, turning off the light and slipping in behind her. He pulled her close to him, spooning in order to give her maximum body warmth. She straightened her legs out and he lay his left on top of hers. She lifted her head and he slipped his right arm underneath her, wrapping it around her shoulders. With his left arm around her waist, he held her close.

"I like the gown," he said, "it makes you look like some Victorian lady trying to protect her modesty. Good thing I already know what's under there, or you might be fightin' off my crude advances." With his left hand he started rubbing her stomach, slowly moving it down lower and lower. He kissed her neck, then her shoulder through the material.

"Walter," she started, but he interrupted her with a chuckle.

"I'm only teasin', I'll respect your wishes, THIS trip. But the next time, you'd better have a ready supply of nightgowns, cause I'll probably ruin'em all, rippin' off your very tempting body." He propped up slightly on his elbow and leaned forward to kiss her. "Good night, my wonderful love," he whispered in her ear.

"Good night, Walter, I love you," she sighed. Within minutes, she felt his breathing change to the slow rhythm of sleep. She felt so warm and secure in his arms.
This trip was so different from the others they had taken together. On those, they had spent getting to know each other. At least, she thought they had. They would spend a lot of time talking about work, talking about their ambitions, talking about Mulder. And Scully knew she had told him everything about herself. Her family, her childhood, her fear, hopes and dreams she had when she was young.

It wasn't until this trip that she realized how little she knew about him. Oh, he had told her all about Viet Nam, and college, and the Bureau academy, and his first years as a new agent, even the years married to Sharon and his sense of failure that it didn't work out. But he had revealed next to nothing about his childhood and adolescent, those years that formed him into the man he was now. He had closed off that to her. But, now, whether he liked it or not, she was finding out about the real Walter Skinner, the one he kept hidden from everyone, including himself.
And so far, she liked what she had heard. She snuggled closer to him. He was such a good man; warm, loving, funny, caring. She wished that everyone in Washington could se how wonderful he was, but she knew that would never happen. That Walter Skinner was the professional one, and it would not change. It was the persona that got him where he was today. THIS Walter, the one that was coming out into the sunshine for the first time in years, was the one he'd reveal only to her and his family.

Washington. She was going to have very mixed emotions about going back. In less than 24 hours she had grown to love these people and the feeling of home that permeated everything. She wanted to stay here, live in the small town, become an even bigger part of the family. She wanted to wake up each morning, wrapped in Walter's arms, feel him kiss her awake. As long as they both worked for the Bureau, with him as her superior, this was not going to happen. They'd both slip back into their professional demeanor, becoming once again Agent Scully and A.D. Skinner. And their only respite, when they took weekend trips.
She decided that's not what she wanted anymore. She wanted to become an intergral part of his life, sharing everything that happened out in the open, not closeted away. But she wasn't sure if he wanted the same thing. He had never mentioned it after his first declaration of love. Maybe her mother was right when she said that a man won't buy the cow if he got the milk free. Maybe he was happy with their arrangement. She was not going to pressure him to make a committment one way or the other, though. Better to be given cold left-overs than to get none of the banquet at all.

She sighed, and Skinner loosened his grip and turned over onto his left. She shivered, not because of the loss of his body heat, but because she didn't want him to move away from her. She turned over also, and spooned behind him, putting her arm around his chest. He muttered and started to snore very lightly. The rhythmic sound soon lulled her to sleep, and she dreamed of nothing at all.



The next morning, Scully woke to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying. She checked the clock radio on the nightstand beside the bed and saw that it was 9:00 a.m. Lord, she had overslept! She had wanted to get up early, thinking that because this was a working farm, everyone else would be up very early. She didn't want to look like someone who routinely slept late.

She jumped up, grabbed clean clothes and ran to the bathroom. She quickly showered and washed her hair; she was sure it smelled like cigar smoke. She put on her makeup, blow-dried her hair, and dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a soft long-sleeved lavender shirt. Lately, she bought several things in the soft color; she liked the way it looked with her hair. She went back into the bedroom, where Skinner had burrowed under the quilts. He had opened the window last night, to let in fresh air, she supposed, but it had made the room very chilly. The day was already warming up, and promised to be beautiful.

"Walter. Walter! Wake up, it's almost 9:30. Get up, we don't want to keep Marilyn in the kitchen all morning. Get up, sleepyhead." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the small portion of bald head that was not covered. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Scully went towards the kitchen, but as she approached, the smell of the bacon began to make her stomach turn. Jesus, she must still be tired from yesterday's traveling and then all they had done last night. She paused at the kitchen door, letting the bile that risen to her throat settle before going in. She forced a smile as the woman at the stove turned around.

"Good morning, Maril....., oh, I'm sorry. I thought...um, where's Marilyn?", stuttered Scully.

The tall woman frying bacon smiled shyly. "She's out doin' a couple of chores, and I had come over early to leave a cake, and I told her I'd make sure you and Walter had some breakfast. Coffee's over there if you want some, and there's juice in the fridge." Her voice was soft, tentative, as if she were afraid of making too much noise.

"That's very kind of you. I don't usually sleep this late; I must have been more tired than I thought. You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble to cook for us. We could have waited till lunch. My name's Dana Scully," she smiled as she extended her hand.

The older woman looked at Scully's hand a second before taking in her own. It was a rough, calloused hand; she must have always worked very hard. She was about 65 years old, a woman who had probably never been considered attractive; she wore no make-up. Her hair was gray, short, worn in a style that would not require much work. She was dressed in a pair of dark blue knit pants and a polyester print shirt popular among older women.

"How do you do," she said softly. "I'm Noretta Skinner."

She smiled at the look of shock that passed quickly over Scully's face. "Not exactly what you were expecting, huh? From Walter's description of me, you must have been expecting a painted hussy, with long nails who never did anything." She shook her head slowly and shrugged her shoulder.

"No, no, actually, Walter's never told me anything about you. I was just...I mean, I'm....," Scully stammered. She stopped before she said anything stupid, then smiled, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Go on, now, sit down, I'll have some breakfast for you in a minute. I've got bacon fried and I can make some eggs. Or would you prefer ham and gravy? The biscuits are right out of the oven." Noretta bustled around the kitchen, setting out orange juice, napkins, pouring Scully a cup of coffee.

The thought of food at that moment was far from Scully's mind. She said, "I tell you what, let's wait a minute, I'll just start with some juice and coffee. We ate so much last night that I'm still not hungry. Why don't you sit down and talk with me instead. Please?"

"Well, I...sure, sure, that'll be nice. Let me get a cup.....morning Walter." She froze where she was by the sink.

Skinner was standing in the door, all ready dressed, glaring at the older woman. He was struggling with whatever inner voice that was telling him to say something rude. "'Morning, Noretta. Dana," he turned towards Scully, dismissing the older woman from his mind, "do you have any aspirin? I have a headache and need some water. I can't find any in the bathroom."

"Uhmm, yeah, sure, it's in.....", she was interrupted by Noretta who had opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. Scully took the bottle from her with a smile and patted her hand, "Thank you, Noretta. Here, and here's some juice. Noretta's offered to cook us breakfast, isn't that......?"

"I'm not hungry," growled Skinner. He tossed four of the aspirin into his mouth and gulped down the juice. "I'm goin' outside to find Jake." He turned and strode angrily out of the kitchen, the screen door slamming behind him.
Scully stood with her mouth open. How unspeakably rude!!! She had never seen him act that way. She set her mouth in a thin line, and turned back towards Noretta. "I am so very sorry. He has no right to act like that."

"Oh, please, Miz Scully, it's all right. He's, he's not changed much since he was a boy. I was kinda hopin' that after all these years he might have finally come to accept me, but I guess that's askin' for too much."

"Noretta, he's 48, almost 49-years-old. He's acting like he's still 17. I think it's time he made peace with the past and accept things as they are." Scully shook her head, "I can't believe he'd be so...."

"Well, he feels he has a right to still be angry with me. He thinks that I usurped his mother's place when I married Roy. But, that's far from what happened."

"What did happen, Noretta? I've only heard Walter's version, and I know from experience, there's more than one side to every story. Come on, sit down. I really want to know, if you don't mind telling me."

Noretta stared at her hands for a minute before speaking. "Well, you know Walter's momma died from pancreatic cancer. From what I heard from the other kids, she was took real fast. They didn't exactly have time to come to terms with her bein' sick, cause before they knew it she'd died.
"And Walter took it real hard. He started drinkin', ya know how some men are. They can't handle the pain, so they try and drown it," said Noretta with a small shake of her head.

"If not in alcohol, then in work," said Scully, thinking of Mulder. "to the exclusion of everything and everyone in their lives."

"Yeah, I gather that Walter did just that after he joined the FBI. Worked all the time. That's probably why he lost his *first* wife," said Noretta unconsciouly making Scully number two already.

"How long did you know Walter's dad before you got married?", asked Scully.

Noretta shook her head, "That's another reason Walter's always been so angry. See, one night, about a month after Frances died, Frances was Walter's momma," she explained to Scully, who had looked confused by the name. "About a month after the funeral, Roy came into this li'l ol' diner I was waitressin' at, and he ordered coffee and apple pie. He started talking to me, just idle chit-chat, nothin' excitin'.
He did that every night for a week. Then, finally, on a Sunday night, I'll never forget it, he asked me if I'd marry him.
"I already knew his wife was dead, cause he told me that the first night. I asked him why he wanted to marry me, and he said he needed someone to keep house and help him on the farm. He didn't want to just hire a housekeeper, said it might cause gossip if he had some woman living with him out here, what with all his kids been mostly grown. Walter was gettin' ready to graduate high school, and Roy figured he'd go on to college like the rest.
"He told me that he was almost 60 years old, too old to start learnin how to cook and clean, and he wasn't goin' to expect his young'uns to look after him. Said if I'd stay married to him for 10 years, I'd eventually be allowed to take over some of the bookkeepin' and money matters. But not afore then. Said I shouldn't count on gettin' his farm, cause that was goin' to his kids. And not to expect him to give me any babies, cause he had all he wanted."

"Well," said Scully, "at least you knew what you were getting into. But why did you agree? He certainly didn't make it sound very pleasant."

"Miz Scully, I had been waitressin' since I was 15. I was 34 years old, had never had any kind of decent home life. Most of them ol' boys I had hooked up with were worthless; drunks, junkies, abusive, only I didn't know to call it abuse back then. Thought it was just the way men were. And I didn't want no kids. I was the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters, I'd had my fill of diapers, and bottles, and puky kids.
"So, what Roy was offerin' didn't sound too bad. He said he'd give me a week to think about. The next Sunday, there he was, and I said yes. I told him I needed a week to train someone to replace me. So, the next Saturday, he came by again, I had my suitcase packed and we got married in front of a justice of the peace. He took me to his place, and all hell proceeded to break loose."

"Was everyone very upset? That must have been horrible." Scully couldn't think of anything worse than getting married and then having to do battle with your husband's family.

"Actually, the older ones were real acceptin'. They knew how their daddy was, and thought it might be a good idea. He had told them what he had planned, so they were prepared. But, he hadn't been able to tell Walter everything. When he had mentioned what he planned to do, Walter got real upset and I think spent the week before we got married drunk almost all the time.
"When we were gettin' my things out of the back of Roy's ol' pick-up, Walter came in, roarin' drunk on moonshine, yellin' and carryin' on, callin' me a whore, sayin' I was tryin' to steal what his momma had worked so hard for. Roy's not easy to anger, but he was mighty angry right then, told Walter he'd better keep a civil tongue in his head. When Walter spit at me, Roy hit him with his fist. They got into a terrible fight, and the older boys had to separate them. Walter kept screamin' how he wanted to kill us, he was cryin' and carryin' on, blood streamin' down from his nose.
"Roy told him to leave and not come back until he could act like a decent human bein'. He stormed out, shoutin' he'd never be back. He went and lived with Kate for a while, but he came back after about a month. He apologized to his daddy for fightin' with him, but he never said a word to me. And that's pretty much how it's been for the past 31 years.
"Me and Roy, we built a good life together, I even came to love the ol' coot, and I think he may even love me, in his own way. He never hit me, and over the years he learned to trust me with more and more of his business. All the kids call me Momma-Noretta, 'cepting Walter, of course. And all their kids and grandbabies call me Grammy. I've got no regrets, I've tried to do the best I could to make Roy a good wife, I ain't never spent his money without asking him first, and I've never done nothing to disrespect his memory of Frances.
"So, there's my story, as sorry as it sounds," she smiled. "Can I get you more coffee? How 'bout some food now?"

Scully reached over and took the woman's hand in hers. "I'm so sorry, Noretta. It's hard to believe that he would ever act that way and I'm disappointed to think that he put you through that. Walter's been very unfair to you. He needs to grow up."

"Don't say nothing to him, Miz Scully. It'll only make him more resentful, and might cause some problems for you two if he thinks I've been trying to win you over to my side. Which I'm not. I'm happy with my life, and I don't want to say anything that'll cause him any more unhappiness. And from what I hear from Kate and the other girls, he's very, very happy with you. And I'm glad for him, cause he deserves it."

Scully got up from her chair so she could hug Noretta. "You're pretty special, you know that? And please, please stop calling me *Miss Scully*, my name's Dana."

Scully and Noretta heard the front screen door slam, followed by a high-pitched elderly voice, "Yoooo hoooo, Marilyn! You in the kitchen? Where's Dub and his lady friend?"

"Come on in, Miss Suddy," called Noretta. "Me and Dana," she smiled shyly, "are in the kitchen drinkin' coffee. You want some?" She lowered her voice, "That's Walter's aunt, Suddy Bowman. Frances was her older sister. Come have a sit, Miss Suddy. Why, who's that with you? Is that Gretchen? Hello, baby, how you doin'? Come give Grammy a kiss."

An small elderly woman was slowly walking with a little girl about two years old holding her hand. The little girl let go and ran up to Noretta and threw her arms around her neck. Noretta picked her up and gave her a loud kiss and hugged her tight.

"Dana, this is Walter's Aunt Suddy. Miss Suddy, this is Dana Scully. Isn't she the prettiest thing? And this little angel is Gretchen Skinner, one of Shirleen's grandbabies. Come on, sweetie, let Grammy give you a cookie." She turned and took the little girl to the pantry where a pig-shaped cookie jar yielded home-made sugar cookies.

The old woman was looking Scully up and down, her head tilted back to get a better view with her bifocals. She gave an imperceptible nod, and held out her hand. "How do you do? I'm Sue Dean Ranger Bowman, it's a pleasure to meet you. Where's my no-good revenoor nephew?"

Scully laughed as she shook hands with Aunt Suddy. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Dana, and I think Walter's hiding out in the barn. I never exactly thought of him as a revenoor, though. I guess that makes me one, too."

"If all revenoors looked like you, them ol' boys that make moonshine would be linin' up to get arrested. So, Dub's still be an asshole, huh? That boy never was the brightest crayon in the box, but I would have thought by now he'd've given up his relentless and highly unbecomin' stance. Well, I gotta admit, I don't see what you see in him, but I guess it's lucky for him that love is blind. And Noretta's right, you are pretty."

The back door squeeked on its hinges, and Marilyn and a woman who could have been her twin walked in. Marilyn smiled at the group gathered in her kitchen. "Aunt Suddy, how are you? Dana, you feelin' okay after last night? Dub's in the barn, layin' in a stall with a blanket over him. He says his head hurts too bad to face the sunshine. He's gonna be surprised, cause all the boys are goin' fishin' in a little while, and they're plannin' on draggin' him along."

The other woman walked over to Scully, "I'm Shirleen, Dub's older sister. Marilyn gets to talkin' and forgets her manners. It's nice to meet you. Kate has told us all so much about you and how she enjoyed visitin' with you in Washington." She reached down and hugged Scully, who was becoming used to the spontaneous hugs dispensed by the family.

"Thank you," she whispered.

All the women in the room wiped their eyes as tears had suddenly become the order of the day. They laughed to cover the awkward moment, and little Gretchen ran over to Scully, arms raised, wanting to be picked up. Scully reached down and picked up the little girl, who promptly laid her head on Scully's shoulder, popped her thumb in her mouth, and reached back to play with Scully's hair.

Scully started to twist slowly in place, patting the little girl's back. Within a minute, Gretchen had fallen asleep. The other women looked at each other in surprise.

"She never goes to strangers," said Shirleen. "She took to you real quick."

"It's cause babies can smell a momma. They'll instinctively head to one, ever time," said Aunt Suddy. "So, when are you due?"

Scully misinterpreted the question, "I work at the FBI with Walter. He's my superior." She was gently patting the baby's back.

"Naw, hon, I meant, when's the baby due?", Aunt Suddy asked again.

"I'm not pregnant!", Scully exclaimed. "I....I'm not able to have children."

"Who says?", persisted the old woman.

"Three different doctors, all experts in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. I have no ova, so will never be able to conceive." Scully didn't want to be rude, but the old woman was treading on a very sensitive subject. "As much as I would want to give Walter a child, there's no way."

"Aunt Suddy," said Marilyn, trying to distract her from an obviously painful part of Scully's life, "how about some coffee and a couple of biscuits. Noretta made them for Dub and Dana, but I don't think they're gonna eat."

But the old woman was not to be detered. "Well, I don't know who you saw, they're idiots. Trust me, girl, you're pregnant."

"No, she's not Aunt Suddy, now leave her alone." Skinner walked over to Scully and put his arm around her, and kissed her head. "You okay?", he whispered. Scully looked at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. "Aunt Suddy, I haven't seen you in dog's years and the first thing you do is start makin' pronouncements."

He went over and hugged his aunt, lifting her off her feet. She ordered him to put her down, then gave him another hug and pinched his cheek.

"Dub," she exclaimed, "what happened to your hair?"

After another round of hello kisses and hugs, Shirleen took her granddaughter from Scully and went to lay her on a pallet laid out on the floor of Marilyn's bedroom. Skinner sat down with his aunt to have a cup of coffee and some biscuits with bacon. He gobbled down three and would have reached for a fourth, but Scully moved the plate away from him.

"Cholesterol, A.D. Skinner, cholesterol," she admonished.

"Fine, be that way, but I'm on vacation and I feel like I should eat what I want," he grumbled. "Right, Aunt Suddy? Shouldn't a man have a right to eat his favorite foods when he's taking some time off?"

"What's your cholesterol, Dub?", she asked.

"240," he muttered.

"Hmmpf, a might high, ain't it? Listen to your woman, Dub, she knows what she's talkin' about. Now, are you boys gonna go fishin' or not? I've come for a hen party and I can't enjoy it if you're standin' around make calf-eyes at Dana. Get goin', boy, 'fore I have to raise my hand to ya."

"I thought you came to see me?", asked Skinner. "You'd rather spend time with people you see all the time, than your favorite nephew and his lovely lady?" He smiled his most charming smile.

She was unmoved. "Yes, I would. Now, begone, and catch us a good mess of catfish, cause I think everybody's meetin' here for a fishfry this afternoon. Go on, you can play kissy-face later."

"I'm gone, I'm gone," he raised his hands in surrender. He gave Scully a quick peck on the cheek, and the back door slammed after him.

"I'd better get hamburger patties out of the freezer. And I think I've got some hotdogs, hmmmm, buns, lettuce, tomato.....", Marilyn was muttering under her breath.

"Why are you going to get hamburgers out?", asked
Scully. "Won't it be too much food if they catch fish?"

The women all laughed. "They ain't gonna catch anything," said Noretta. "Jake and George have that ol' pond stocked with the smartest catfish you've ever seen. They go out there every afternoon and throw corn on the water and them ol' mudcats come up and eat. They would make good eatin' if anybody could catch'em. But, if you throw a line in there, they totally ignore it. Which is just what Jake and George want. They've made pets out of them things."

"Yeah," said Shirleen, "they're just usin' that as an excuse to get away from us and to talk cars and boats and guns. Which gives us a good excuse to talk about them."

"Well, I gotta get goin'," said Noretta, "I'm supposed to take Roy to the bank. Jefferson Davis is goin' to meet him there for a little business. I'll see you all later." She got up and headed for the door.

"Wait, Noretta, I have an errand I need for you to run," said Aunt Suddy. "I'll walk with you out to the car." The two ladies left arm in arm, Aunt Suddy speaking to Noretta in a low tone.

"Jefferson Davis? Someone named their son Jefferson Davis? I thought anything connected to the Civil War was not pc now," said Scully.

"Well, Jeff's dad is from Mississippi, and has one of the best senses of humor you're ever gonna meet. It's not too often you meet a black bank manager named after the president of the Confederacy," laughed Marilyn.

Aunt Suddy came back into the kitchen carrying a large box. Shirleen took it from her and placed it on the kitchen table. It was a cardboard box that paper towels had been shipped in to the local grocery store. On the top, in black felt marker, someone had written "Walter S. Skinner". She opened it and started to unpack the contents.

It was filled with all sorts of things. A long christening gown, once white but now yellowed with age, was laid carefully on the table. "That was Dub's," said Aunt Suddy. "Frances would want you to use it for your own baby's christening."

"Mrs. Bowman," started Scully, "Aunt Suddy, I'm sorry. I keep telling you, I can't have children. As much as I want to be a mother, it's not going to happen. It's like a knife in my heart everytime I think about it. Please, could you just drop it?"

"Now, look here, girl, I'm tellin' you, I know you're pregnant. I was a county extension nurse for 50 years and I *know* the first signs of pregnancy. You can not believe it if you want, but in another 3 weeks, when you haven't gotten your period, you'll see. And you'll know I was right." Aunt Suddy sniffed and turned back to the box.

"Aunt Suddy, I have to take medication to have periods every month. I got my period this morning. I'm NOT pregnant." And she burst into tears.

"Marilyn! Shirleen! Y'all in the kitchen?" Kate's voice preceded her into the room. She saw her two sisters standing over a sobbing Scully and immediately ran over to her and gathered her in her arms. "There, there, darlin', don't cry, don't cry. Sue Dean Bowman, what did you say to her? Don't deny it, your face is as guilty as sin."

"I didn't say anything!", the old woman said indignantly. "I just told her I thought she was pregnant and she kept sayin' she couldn't get be. Then she said she got her period this morning, and started to cry. I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'm sorry," she said in a contrite voice.

Scully was weeping bitterly on Kate's shoulder. "It's so unfair! It's so god-damned unfair. I love Walter so much and I can't give him a baby. He deserves that, don't you think, Kate," she pulled back from Kate's embrace, "don't you think he should have what all of you have? A..a..," she hiccupped, "a home, a wife who loves him, kids, a dog. And what does he have instead? Me!! He should leave me and find someone who can give him what he needs. I should leave him so he can. I should just walk right out of his life and..and...," she was getting hysterical but she couldn't help it.

"Dana! Dana! Stop it!! Stop it right this minute! Don't you even think about leaving Walter! It would destroy him! He loves you more than anything or anybody, including us. He needs you, Dana, we need you. If you want children, you can have children. There are so many babies all over the world that need a good momma and daddy, you can adopt a dozen if that's what you want."

Scully's sobs were slowing, "I know that, I know we can adopt. But, Kate, I want to give him one. I want to feel his baby growing inside me. I know that's selfish, but when you can't have something, it's suddenly the one thing in this world that you want the most. He probably doesn't even think about it, but I do. And it eats at me." She moved out of Kate's arms and sat down, holding her aching head in her hands.

Marilyn handed her a glass of water and went to the bathroom to get a moistened face cloth. She tenderly wiped Scully's face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Dana, he loves you, that's all that matters. The rest will come in its own time. Including children. One way or the other, there will be children. God works miracles all the time, you can't give up hope."

"A friend told me the same thing. He said you can't give up on a miracle," smiled Scully through her tears. "I just hope it comes soon," she whispered.

The three sisters stood stroking Scully's hair, patting her shoulder, rubbing her back. Aunt Suddy stood slightly apart, shame-faced at the heartache she had caused this young woman. <God,> she prayed silently, <You took my nephew's momma away from him before he was ready; please, please, let him and this young woman get their heart's desire. Give them a child. Give them a child and you can take me. I'm old and ready to go home to You. Let them have a chance to bring forth a new life. Please.>

Scully's hiccups slowly stopped, and she smiled through watery eyes. "I'm so embarrassed. I'm never this emotional. Never. Please forgive me for ruining your hen party. Can I see the rest of the things in the box, Aunt Suddy. Please?" She took the old woman's hand.

"Of course, darlin', of course you can. I've got everything in here that Frances saved from when he was little. I've got a box for every one of the kids, but Dub's the only one who doesn't have his. I'd be honored if you'd take it home with you. I'd give it to him, but he'll lose it. And I know his wife will take good care of it."

"I'm not his wife, Aunt Suddy."

"Not yet, darlin', not yet."

As Aunt Suddy unpacked the box, Scully realized she felt so much better. She seldom had any kind of emotional outburst like that, even with her own mother. But these women were so warm and loving and had made her feel as if she were part of the family that it had seemed the most natural thing to do.

However, she would not do it again. Once was enough, otherwise they would think she was weak, and that's not how she wanted them to think of her. She had always been strong, level-headed. Her father had expected it of her, any sign of weakness was discouraged. In fact, Mulder had expected the same thing. Not that he had openly discouraged any weak moments, but neither had he ever really encouraged her to open up about her fears and hopes and desires. And it had become part of her makeup never to talk about them.
She picked up a picture frame that held a photo of the Skinner family. It must have been taken years before Frances death, because in the front was a petite woman holding onto the shoulders of a small boy, trying to keep him from squirming. There was a tall man standing to her left, his hands clasped in front of him, and all the others were surrounding them. The two boys and one girl sitting cross-legged on the ground must be George and Woody and Kate. The two older girls stood by their mother, and the two boys were next to their dad.

The little boy looked like a scamp. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, bare-foot, with a big gappy-toothed grin. His hair was short and spiky, and even though his mother had him still for a moment, you could tell he was usually in constant motion.

The other pictures were the same, as if the cameraman had had to hurry to capture any moment of stilness in him. He was hanging from trees, or sitting on a horse, or swinging from a rope swing out over a creek, ready to drop in at just the right moment. And he was constantly smiling, clowning, making faces. If one of his brothers or sisters was in the picture, they usually wore an expression of consternation, as if he had barged in on their grown-up moment. Or else, they, too, joined in for a moment, putting him in head-lock, or riding him on their shoulders, or flexing their muscles with him.

Scully couldn't help but laugh at the pictures as they progressed from newborn, all red faced and black, black hair, to fat naked 6-month old, lying on a blanket, through his elementary school pictures, all the way to high school graduation. His senior picture, though, was a revelation. In it, he had long hair, and a sad sullen look. It must have been taken after Frances's death. In all the previous school pictures he had been smiling, but in this one he looked as if he was daring the photographer to try to make him smile. Poor, poor Walter.

More pictures. Marine boot camp, graduation, Viet Nam. Kate said that he had sent them to her, and she had put them in the box, hoping one day he'd want to look at them again. You could always spot Skinner in the group photos of his friends. He was usually the tallest, shirtless, thin, not filled out as he was now, and always with a beer can in his hand, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. Then, the photos of him recovering from his wounds, more sadness, his expression now completely closed.

A couple of wedding pictures; he was in a dark suit, Sharon in a short white dress, with a tulle veil suspended from a circlet of flowers. A picture of them cutting their small, three layer wedding cake. She was smiling, happy, as any bride is on her wedding day. He was smiling, too, but it never reached his eyes.

"If you don't want those, Dana, I'll keep them," said Shirleen softly.

"No, no, I do. They're part of his life, it's not something I can deny, nor can he. It's all right. But, when wasn't this given to Sharon when they were married? Or did she return it after their divorce?", Scully said as she held their wedding portrait to her chest.

"I didn't give it to her," said Aunt Suddy. "I don't know why, something just told me to wait. And I was right. Not sayin' she wouldn't have taken good care of all these things, but I just felt that....it's hard to explain. It just didn't feel right."

"But why are you giving this to me? You hadn't even met me yet. How do you know that I might not...that Walter may not want to....", she swallowed noisily, "you better keep this, at least for now."

"I was goin' by what Kate had told me. And as each of the others met you, they would tell me how changed Dub was. How much like his old self he was. How he looked at you, and you at him. And then, this mornin', I saw it for myself. No, hon, you're part of this family, whether you get married or you don't, this is now your home, too." She reached out and hugged Scully, "Welcome home, Dana."

Each of the women in turn hugged Scully and welcomed her. "My goodness," laughed Marilyn, wiping her eyes on a dish towel, "we're just gettin' entirely too emotional here. We need to start tellin' Dana what a rotten child he was, or she's gonna think he's ready to be put up for saint-hood."

"Not quite," laughed Scully, "I've seen his nasty side, and he...." she stopped and blushed, "I mean...oh, Lord !"

They all cackled like hens proud of their latest accomplishment. "Hon," said Shirleen, "I sure as hell hope you've seen his nasty side. Otherwise, it just ain't NO fun. Right, ladies?"

A chorus of that's right, sister, amen to that, and Aunt Suddy muttered, "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, my memory ain't that bad that I can't remember scarin' the cows in the barn."

"Look," said Kate picking up the picture of him as a newborn, "didn't I tell you he was ugly?"

The rest of the morning was spent pouring over all the rest of the Walter-memoribilia and preparing for the afternoon's cook-out. Marilyn and Shirleen made gallons of potato salad and cole-slaw, Kate volunteered to make baked beans, telephone calls were made to the sisters-in-law to remind them to bring buns, home-made pickles, desserts and ice. Roy, Jr. was supplying the soft drinks and beer; he'd pick them up from Walmart when he left work as the pharmicist there.

When word spread among all the daughters and sons, more phone calls came in as they invited themselves with promises of bringing even more food. By the time 2:00 came around, what had started as a cook-out by the pond for the brothers and sisters ended up being a monstrous 75 people. Several of the children would not be able to go, much to their own regret, because of prior committments, or sick children, or in the case of AJ's daughter, too far to travel. Kate's youngest daughter would be not coming, either because she was too far along in her first pregnancy to risk coming out to the farm.

"Now, listen, Dana, honey, nobody's gonna expect you to remember names. Or faces. Or children. At least, not this time. So just sit back and enjoy the afternoon, shake a few hands, kiss a few babies, and don't worry. Pretend your runnin' for office or somethin'," was Aunt Suddy's advice. "Just remember, the tall ones are Skinners, the short ones are probably an in-law, or in some cases, out-laws, dependin' on the state of the marriage."

At 2:30, the food was packed in the back of Marilyn's Ford F-250 pick-up. She and Shirleen and Aunt Suddy would drive to the pond via the lane off the county road, Scully and Kate would walk. Scully went to the bathroom before leaving; she hadn't ever quite learned the trick of peeing the in woods. Hmmmm. That was odd.

She and Kate took off at a leisurely pace, with Kate pointing out different plants and trees. It was a warm afternoon, Scully had wrapped a jacket around her waist in case they stayed after sundown when she knew it would get cool.

"You like it here, Dana? We aren't drivin' you to distraction yet, are we? We can be a little overpowerin' at first. I remember my husband used to say we were like maggots. There was so many of us that we seemed to cover over anyone that came near. He loved gettin' together with everybody."

"What happened to him, Kate?", asked Scully.

"He died of multiple sclerosis when he was 40."

"I'm so sorry," Scully said softly.

"Oh, I know, hon. But at least we had a 15 good years together. Shirleen's first husband died when he was 30 of cancer, they'd only been married 7 or 8 years. Left her with two small children. She married Robert a few years later and had two more kids. Life and death are constants, Dana, you never know when either might happen."

They arrived at the pond to find trucks and cars parked all along the grassy verge. The five stalwart fishermen, Skinner, AJ, George, Woody, and Jake sat in lawn chairs, sunburned and scratched up from mosquitos and chiggers.
Scully went to stand beside Skinner. He reached up and put his hand on arm and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Ewww, you stink!!! You smell like sweat and," she sniffed, "is that cigarettes? Since when do you smoke?"

"Blame it on my brothers and brother-in-law. AJ broke out a pack and I had to be sociable, didn't I? You, on the other hand, smell absolutely delicious. Like baked beans, and mustard, and hamburgers. I sure hope y'all brought a lot. We caught nothin', zip, zero. I still say there's not a fish to be found in this ol' pond."

"Yes, there's plenty. Only, how are we going to cook this stuff? Open fire? Somebody bring a hibachi?" Scully was looking around for some kind of grill.

Just then a big black pick-up pulled up, towing a huge black 55-gallon drum with wheels and a smokestack on a flat-bed trailer. The younger men seemed to know just what to do; one jumped up on the trailer and checked the propane tank underneath the belly of the grill. In minutes, there was a a fire going and burgers were being slapped on the grill.

Kids were running around, babies were crying, an impromptu game of touch football was started by some of the men. Scully was amazed that all of these people were the result of one man and one woman and their love for one another.
Skinner got up and took her hand. "Here comes my dad. Now is as good a time as any to meet him. Then, I'm going up to the house to clean up. I'm scrachin' myself raw." And he led her over to his father, a man he looked amazingly like. Except Roy Skinner had a full head of hair.

Roy Skinner was 90 years old, walking without the aid of cane, but resting his hand lightly on Noretta's shoulder to steady himself over the uneven ground. He was slightly stooped with age, and thin. Scully, with her medical knowledge, could see that it wasn't illness that caused his thinness, but the natural progression of age. He had no tremor, no hesitation in his walk, and his eyes showed that he was still very much alert and aware of everything around him. As he made his way through the crowd, his grandchildren and great-granchildren would come up and hug him and Noretta. Except for some of the very young children, he knew everybody's name and had a word for each of them.

Skinner went over and hugged his dad. The old man clenched his son to him, patting him on the back and muttering into his ear, "I'm glad you're home, boy, I'm glad you're home." He let go and rubbed his wet eyes with the back of his hand. "Now, let me meet this young woman ever body's tellin' me is so wonderful. C'mere girl, and let me lookatcha."

Scully stepped forward, hand extended, "Hello, Mr. Skinner, I'm Dana Scully. I'm very happy to finally get a chance to meet you."

Roy Skinner clasped her hand and looked her up and down. She never flinched from his gaze, but stood there with her head up, smiling slightly. "Nice to meet you, too, Miss Scully. You know my wife, Noretta, I believe. She's done nothin' but sing your praises all mornin'. I can see she was right about one thing, you are pretty."

Scully laughed, and leaned forward to hug Noretta, which surprised the woman. Noretta glanced quickly over at Skinner, who stood unmoving. But Roy, Sr. was beaming proudly. Here seemed to be a woman who followed her own instincts and didn't let his youngest son intimidate her.

"Well, sir," said Scully as she stepped back and took Skinner's hand again, "I'm not sure you should believe too much what Noretta or the others say about me. They may just be trying to butter us both up, so I'll get this big lug
off your hands."

"Well, personally," grunted Roy, Sr. as he sat in a lawn chair that Noretta had placed behind him, "I don't see what you see in him. Is he always this surly? He looks like he ate nails for breakfast and they disagreed with him. And that bald head. Mmh, mmh, mmh. He's just like his grandpa Ranger."

"Oh, no, sir, he's not ALWAYS surly. Once in a while I can coax a smile from him. When he gets to be too unpleasant, I just hold up a picture of the former attorney general and tell him he's starting to look like her. That pretty much snaps him out of it. And besides, I like running my fingers through his hair, that is, what there is of it." She smiled lecherously as she rubbed her hand across his shirt front.

"People, I AM standing here, ya know." Skinner was blushing furiously on top of his sunburn.

Roy, Sr. cackled. "I just bet you do. Dub, you better be careful, boy, this one's got your number. And why are you still standin' there? You smell worse than an outhouse. Go on, get cleaned up afore this lovely young woman decides she'd like a much, much older Skinner. Get a chair and sit here beside me, Miss Scully. Let's gossip about everbody while Dub's gone."

Skinner went and got Scully a chair, which he placed next to his dad's. "I'll be back in a while," he said, "no fair talkin' about me while I'm gone," he warned.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Would we do that?", she asked innocently.

"Yes, you would," he laughed, catching her face in his hands. "You like nothing better than to get everybody to tell you what an evil child I was, just to make yourself feel superior. Well, I'll be back in 30 minutes, and my ears had better not be burnin' while I'm gone, or somebody's gonna have to pay. And make sure you save me some burgers, I'm starved. I've had nothing but a couple of aspirins and some old beef jerky that George had in his truck." He kissed her lightly on the lips, then turned and left.

"I do believe the boy's in love," said Roy, Sr. "He'd'a never done that with that other woman he was married to. Always seemed sorta removed from her, no matter how hard she tried to fit in. Come on, sit down and let's watch the circus."

As Skinner moved down the path that led back to Marilyn's, he turned to look at his father and Scully. She was leaning toward him, listening to whatever he was telling her, and laughing. Noretta hovered nearby, getting a pillow for Roy, Sr. to put behind his back, fetching him a cold drink from the large ice cooler. Then, when she did finally sit down, Roy Sr. reached over and took her hand. Skinner's stomach clenched. It should be his mother sitting there, taking care of his dad, meeting Scully and learning to love her.
But it wasn't, it was this, this interloper, who had replaced his mother in every way. He'd heard the grandchildren call her "Grammy". He'd seen his sisters and brothers smile at her and hug her, just as if she deserved their affection. How could they betray their mother like that? Oh, sure, they had told him why Dad had married her, and how she had become an important addition to his life, taking care of him, taking more and more responsibilites as he grew older. But, he didn't need her for that, he had all these children.

Marilyn and Shirleen and Kate could have just as easily taken care of his house, and the boys could have helped with the farm and any other business he may have had. Granted, they all had families to see after and lives to live, and Skinner himself was no where near to help, but the others, they could have done it. Somehow. Maybe, maybe, if his dad hadn't married Noretta, he would have stayed here and worked the farm himself.

He thought about that. Would he really have been happy here? Marrying some local girl, raising a bunch of kids, always living close to the edge financially. His life at the Bureau, in spite of his lonely private life, was everything he'd ever dreamed of. He was good at his job, proud of his work. And of course, there was always Dana. He'd have never met her. And he honestly didn't think he could have loved anyone else as much as he loved her.
And would it have been fair for the others to have to try and handle everything while he was off living the life he wanted? Probably not. Maybe his dad had thought of all of that when he was considering marrying Noretta. But, why did he have to marry her? He could have just as easily hired her. But, then, that might not have been such a good idea, either. If he was married to her, he could be assured that she would take a vested interest in his well-being. That may have been his plan at the beginning, but Skinner suspected that over the years his dad and Noretta had grown to love and respect each other.

Skinner had reached the house, and went quickly to the bedroom to retrieve clean clothes. He cleaned up in record time, grabbed his jacket off the bed where he'd flung it, and started back down the path to the pond. He was about halfway there, and already he could hear the sounds of his family. Lord, there was a lot of them, close to a hundred when everybody was together. They could fill a small church all by themselves.

He wondered if they would all show if he and Scully decided to marry. For that matter, would she marry him? He knew he wanted to, but maybe, maybe she was happy with their arrangement. All he knew is he enjoyed falling asleep with her in his arms. And when he woke up this morning and she wasn't there, he felt as if he had lost a part of himself. And she was only in the next room. No, he wanted to make her a permanent fixture in his life. He wanted her as his wife, so they could grow old and comfortable with each other. Now, all he had to do was convince her.

He looked up, and as if she knew he was thinking about her, she was suddenly in front of him. "I was worried, you took so long," she said as she approached him.

"I did not, I've been gone less than 25 minutes. You just wanted to get away from that crowd that's over there." He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her neck. "It can get a little overpowering at times, when we're all together."

"No, that's not it, I love being with all of them. I just..I missed you," she admitted. She pulled his face close to hers. "I love you." She kissed him, pressing her body close to his.

He moved his lips from her mouth to her jaw and then her ear, where he nibbled lightly at the lobe. "You just want me for sex," he whispered as he ran his hands up her back. "I'm just a sex object to you, aren't I?" He brought one hand to the front of her shirt and started unbuttoning it.

"That's right, you're my own personal sex toy with Everready batteries. I expect you to keep going and going. But not, today," she chuckled as she pulled back, trying to re-do the buttons he'd already managed to open. "Today is an off-day. You know that."

"I know, I know," he said as he unbuttoned the same ones she'd just done up. "I'm just wanting a taste of what I'm missing." He was kissing her neck, then back up to her mouth. "You know what I like about your bras," he said against her lips, "front closures." He unsnapped her bra and cupped her breast. She clung to him as he moved his mouth down her throat, kissing, licking her skin, finally nibbling at the soft swell of her breast before reaching its hardened peak. He gently took the nipple in his lips and she gasped. Still cupping it with his hand, he squeezed gently, stroking the areola with his thumb.

"Walter, stop. Walter, please stop."

He moved his mouth softly over her breast, "Quiet, Agent Scully, before I have to silence you some other way," he said thickly.

"Walter, STOP." She spoke loudly. "We have an audience."

She stepped back and turned away. Skinner looked up to see four of his younger great-nieces and nephews staring at them.

"You're a nasty man," said one of the little girls. "I'm gonna tell." And she took off running, the others following her closely.

"Oh, shit," said Skinner and took off after them.

Scully straightened her clothes and followed at more leisurely pace, figuring it be best if she didn't try to join the foot race back to the crowd. As she came around the bend to where the party was going full swing, she saw Skinner kneeling down beside on of the smaller children. She had fallen in the dirt and was crying.

Scully heard Skinner say to the little girl, "I'm sorry, it's okay, come on, it's not bleeding. Here, let me kiss it to make it better." And he leaned down and kissed the poor scratched little knee. Then he picked her up and swung her up on his shoulders, where she wrapped her hands around his head. He clasped his hands behind her back, and she rode in triumphant over the heads of her jealous cousins.

The little girl who was going to snitch ran over to AJ and announced loudly, "Unca AJ, I want my dollar."

"Not now, Jenny, later," he was trying to hush her.

"No, I want it now, you said if I'd go play spy you'd pay me. I want my dollar."

"AJ, you bribed these kids to check up on me?", Skinner said. He swung the little girl on his shoulders down and approached his brother.

"Not to spy on you, just to make sure you were okay," said AJ, slowly backing up.

"Nunh uhhh, Unca Dub, he said he wanted me to see what you and that pretty lady were doin', and that he'd pay us each a dollar if we'd tell him." The little mole turned back to AJ, "It was discussin', Unca AJ, he was kissin' her boobies, like some ol' titty baby. And she was smilin'."

The crowd that had gathered around roared with laughter, and even Skinner was having a hard time keeping a snarl on his face. Scully stood back and covered hers with her hands. Her shoulders were shaking and for a minute everyone thought she might be crying until she burst out, "Busted, Assistant Director Skinner!"

"Way to go, Dub." "All right, Uncle Dub." "Jennifer, get over here before I tan your backside!" "Oh, girl, I'm tellin' you, always use the barn."

AJ threw a bill at the little girl, "Here Jenny, here's $5, now scram."

"AJ, I oughta take you out and beat the stuffin' out of you, but you're such an old man, it'd probably kill you," laughed Skinner.

"Hey, it was finally time I got some pay back for what you did to me," protested AJ.

"What the hell are you talkin' about? I never spied on you with any of your, uh, friends!" Skinner scanned his memory, no, he was sure he'd remember something like that.

"You remember when we were kids and when Momma would check to see if we were runnin' a fever she'd put her hand under your shirt and feel your chest? Well, when I was about 16 and you must been about about four years old, when you happened upon me and Winnie Palmer makin' out over behind the barn. You ran yellin' into the house to Momma that the ol' girl I was with must be powerful sick cause I had my hand under her blouse and was trying to blow air into her mouth. Momma came out there and ran Winnie off and slapped me upside the head, tellin' me I could do better than that. I'm sure the reason I'm gay is because of that traumatic experience." AJ was the picture of injured pride.

"Aw, hell, AJ, you was already gay, you just didn't know it yet," said Woody. "Besides, Momma was right, if you were gonna try a little experimentin' you could done a whole let better than Winnie Palmer. That girl was so ugly, she'd curdle milk. I wonder whatever happened to her?"

"She left to go to college, married some poor medical student, and now he's one of the most successful surgeons in Richmond, Virginia," laughed Shirleen. "She's absolutely gorgeous now, and rich as sin."

The men over by the grill rang a brass cowbell to let everyone know that the food was ready. Everyone gathered close and reached for the hand nearest them, until everyone was holding hands. Roy Skinner looked over his family, tears filling his eyes. He lifted his head and said simply, "Thank You." "Amen" was chorused throughout.
He sat back down in his chair and everyone waited for Noretta to serve his plate and her own. Then, the mothers with small children lined up, followed by the older adults.
Last in line were the adolescents and young adults who kept up a constant complaint. "Hey, Marla, don't take so much 'slaw. Leave some for the rest." "TWO burgers, Uncle George?" "Break out the Pepto, Mamaw Marilyn's eatin' baked beans."

Skinner and Scully stood in line with the younger people, listening to their chatter. He was trying to point out those nephews and nieces he knew, but they had all changed so much over the past 15 years that they were virtual strangers to him, too.

Finally, with loaded paper plates and drinks balanced carefully, they made their way back to where Roy Sr., Noretta, and Aunt Suddy were sitting in chairs. Everyone was sitting on the ground, or in the beds of pick-ups or on the park benches scattered around the grounds. Skinner and Scully sat on a blanket that had been spread in front of the elderly threesome.

"Noretta, why didn't you get me some beans? I love Kate's baked beans. And where's my slaw?", complained Roy Sr.

"Roy, I ain't sittin' up all night with you complainin' of a sick stomach. You know you can't eat them beans. Same with the slaw, that cabbage'll mess you up good. Now, just eat your burger and be quiet," she admonished. "Oh, lord, you've got mustard on you mouth. Wipe it off. No, no, not there....never mind, let me do it." She took a paper
napkin, spit on it and gently wiped the old man's mouth.

Skinner sat stunned for a moment, remembering Scully doing exactly the same thing to him at a carnival when he'd gotten chili on his face. He didn't want to admit it, not now, not ever, that maybe Noretta had been a good thing for his father. Someone who cared for him, and maybe even loved him. She hadn't turned out to be the heartless gold-digger he'd assumed when he was a kid. Maybe, instead of still thinking like that sad, sullen child, he needed to see her as an adult would.

The next thing he knew, there was an arm wrapped around his neck in a choke hold. Scully looked up startled, but no one else seemed to pay the slightest attention. The arm belonged to an older man, bigger than the other members of the family, huskier.

He muttered into Skinner's ear, "What did I tell you would happen, boy, if I ever caught you drivin' my car again? Hmmm?" He tightened his hold. Skinner was clawing at the arm. "Well, what'd I say?"

"You said," he managed to squeek out, "that you'd skin me alive."

"That's right, I did. And you took it anyway. Now, you're gonna pay, boy."

"Roy, for God's sake, that was 30 years ago. I'm better now, honest. Just ask Dana, right Dana? I'm a good driver now, right?" Skinner was trying to nod his head, but Roy's massive arm was preventing much movement.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?", she asked innocently.

Both Roys laughed, and Roy, Jr. relaxed his grip. "Woman's smart, boy, much smarter than you. Hello, I'm Roy, Jr. You must be the cause of this huge gatherin' of reprobates and scalliwags." He smiled at her and she was again struck by the similarities in all the brothers.

"I must admit, I never seen such military precision in a picnic before," said Scully as she shook his hand. Skinner was still rubbing his throat and swallowing carefully. "You're all right, Walter, he wasn't holding your neck tight enough to do any damage." She turned back to Roy, Jr. "I can't believe that all of this was accomplished in less than 2 hours. In my family, we would have taken two days and a hundred phone calls. But look, everyone's fed, the leftovers are being packed up, and the grounds are being policed. I suspect in another hour, you won't even be able to tell anything took place here."

"Well, ma'am, with a family as large as this, everyone has to know what to do, and what's expected of them. Otherwise, can you imagine the chaos that would ensue? Lord, it'd look like the Bay of Pigs invasion. Now, tell me, what the hell do you see in this scrawny no-good punk?"

Scully leaned forward and said in a loud stage whisper, "He likes my boobies."

"DANA!!!"

Roy, Jr. roared with laughter and slapped Skinner on the back, sending him sprawling. "You got yourself a pistol, there, Dub."

As the afternoon sun lenghtened the shadows, mothers started gather children, teens started heading towards their cars and everyone came to say good-bye to Roy, Sr. and Noretta. "Bye Papaw Roy, Bye Grammy." "Bye-bye, Aunt Suddy." 'Night, Uncle Dub, 'night Miz Scully."

Little Jenny came up and stood in front of Skinner. "You still a nasty man." Skinner grabbed the little girl and tickled her till she screamed for mercy. He let her go, gave her a kiss on the cheek and sent her back to her embarrassed mother. "Sorry, Uncle Dub. She's awful, I know," shrugged the young mother.

"Don't worry about, uh, hmm, hon, she'll get her payback one of these days." He turned to Scully and whispered, "I have no idea who the mother is. Do you think she's one of Marilyn's?"

"You've got me, they're your relatives," she whispered back.

Soon, only the eight brothers and sisters and their spouses remained. Roy, Sr. stood up and stretched. "All right, I'm expectin' ever one of you tomorrow at my place at 2:00 sharp. And I mean ever single one of you. Not your kids or grandkids, just you eight and your, I believe the term is, significant other. It's very important I talk to you. Now, I'm going home, cause I'm wore out. Noretta! Oh there you are. Come on, you too, Suddy. Let's get movin' or else it'll take us old dinosaurs all night to get home."

"Night, Daddy" "Good night, Daddy, sweet dreams." "Be careful Aunt Suddy, the ground's kinda soft there." "Sure you don't want us to drive you, Daddy?" The three moved slowly off, waving to the small group standing by the pond.

"Why don't y'all come up to the house and we'll sit on the porch for awhile, before the mosquitos get too bad," said Marilyn. "I can make coffee, and we've still got lots of desserts. I think Jake may even have a small taste of 'shine buried somewhere in the pump-house."

"I never had no such thing," said Jake. "Your brothers leave it there, in case of emergencies, like snake-bite, or...."

"Yeah, sure, Jake, whatever. Come on, let's get movin'. I could sure use a bathroom and good rockin' chair."

They started toward Marilyn's house, couples holding hands, leaning on each other for support when the ground become less familiar as the dusk deepened. AJ and Kate were arguing over whether or not to make ice-cream.

"AJ, it's too damn cool for ice-cream. If we were gonna make it, we shoulda done it earlier in the day."

"Yeah, but Mouse, what's a picnic without ice-cream? We've always had ice-cream, we can't break tradition," AJ insisted.

"AJ, you're gonna be fat as a pig, if you don't stop eatin' so many sweets! There's plenty of desserts, we'll slap some Cool-Whip on something and you can pretend. Now, hush," said Kate.

Skinner and Scully were bringing up the rear of the procession. Walking hand in hand, listening to his brothers and sisters conversations, enjoying the peace of the evening. They both wanted the same thing, although neither told the other. They wanted this to continue, *this* being the feeling of family. She wanted to join this large, rowdy bunch of people who loved loudly and intensely. She wanted to feel that when she came here, she wasn't a visitor, but a welcomed family member.

They reached the farmhouse and there was a stampede towards the bathrooms by the women. The men, who had felt not need to try and hold it when there was a perfectly good tree line available, went onto the front porch, laying claim to the rockers. Shirleen's husband Robert, Jake and George went into the kitchen to start brewing coffee. Kate came out of the bathroom that was off the bedroom being used by Scully and Skinner and started slicing pies.

"Lord, I feel like I've lost 5 pounds. My back teeth were floatiin'. If we had stayed out there much longer, I was fixin' to go for a swim in that pond, just so's I could relieve myself."

"And kill the fish? I don't think so," laughed Robert. "Didn't you ever learn to pee in woods, Kate? I thought an old country girl like you would be able to go anywhere."

"Nope, I was never good at it. When I was a kid, I always ended up wettin' my socks. I'm just gonna slice this apple pie and this pecan pie. If anybody wants something else, they gotta come get it themselves."

As the women came out of the two bathrooms, they were given a tray loaded with slices of pie on dessert plates, or mugs of coffee. When Scully's turn came, there was nothing left to carry.

"That doesn't seem fair, you all have done so much work today, and I've done nothing," she complained.

"Hon," said Kate, "enjoy it. This time you're a guest, next time you come, you'll be expected to work cause you'll be just another member of the family." Kate smiled and they went to the porch together.

The six rockers had been scooted in a semi-circle and were occupied by Woody, Robert, Shirleen, Marilyn, Jake, Roy Jr., and his wife Rachel, a quiet woman who just watched and laughed at the antics of the others. The other ten were sittin on the edge of the high porch, or on the steps.
Scully went to sit next to Skinner, whose long legs were dangling off the porch. She had helped herself to a piece of pecan pie and he was eating a piece of apple. She held out her fork with a bite of pie on it so he could taste it. As he chewed, he leaned towards her to quickly kiss her lips. She smiled and moved a little closer to him.

"Good God, boy, you're worse than a teenager. You keep bein' all lovey-dovey and I'm gonna take you out back behind the woodshed and beat some sense into you," laughed Roy. "You're startin' off all wrong, you're gonna let her think you're soft. You gotta be rough and tough. RACHEL," he said loudly, "get me some more coffee, woman, and be quick about it."

"Roy," said Rachel in a soft voice, "get up off your lazy ass and go do it yourself. I'm no slave, and I'm too damn tired to move."

"See? That's the way you do it," Roy said as the others laughed and Kate reached up to high-five Rachel.

"Roy, Jr., you can tell me what to do with that ol' car of yours, but this one, this one's mine and I'll do what I want." Scully looked up at him with an *Oh, Yeah?* look. "I mean, as long as she says it's okay," he amended quickly.

"Damn straight," said Scully. The women were all hooting with laughter. He put his arm around her waist and she leaned against him.

"Well," said Woody, "all that smoochin' and hand-holdin''ll stop once you get married, right Raelynn? You'll have your hands full with too many other things, including babies to find the time to.....owwww, what'd you do that for?"

"Sorry, I thought I saw a mosquito on your leg. Musta been mistaken."

"You slap mosquitos, not pinch'em," whined Woody, rubbing his leg where she'd gotten him.

Skinner and Scully had both frozen at his words. Instead of coming back with a quick retort, both sat silent, unsure of what the other wanted. The momentary awkwardness was broken by AJ.

"Do y'all remember when we used to play "l-2-3 Red Light" and "Mother, May I" out on Daddy's lawn when the old people would sit out on his porch like this? And catch lightnin' bugs in our hands?"

"They weren't old, AJ," said Shirleen, "our parents and aunts and uncles were probably a hell of a lot younger than we are now. They couldn't been more than mid-thirties. They just seemed old to us."

"By the time I was able to play," said Skinner, "they were closer to my age now. It's kinda hard bein' born so late in a family. Not many kids were left to play with, except for Cousin Lamar and his sister Rita. And they were about as much fun to play with as a dead dog. Those were the dumbest two kids I have ever met. Made me feel like an absolute genius. Whatever happened to them?"

"He got his PhD in Physics, decided he absolutely hated the research, so he's runnin' a auto-repair shop in Alonzo. She's out in Silicon Valley, doin' God knows what," said Marilyn.

"Well, thanks," laughed Skinner, "that makes me feel a whole lot better about myself."

They sat out on the porch, watching the full moon come up, reminiscing about growing up on the road and then life on the farm, once their father settled down. They talked of old friends, old times, misadventures, and dealing with sadness.

"Dub, do you remember when that ol' dog of yours died, what was his name, wadn't it Roger or something? And you wanted a funeral for it? So me and George put that ol' dead dog in a cardboard box, and we toted it out to where that big sycamore tree is? And we had a wonderful funeral. I was the minister, George was the choir director-slash-funeral home guy, Kate was the choir-slash-mourner. I got to preachin' and Kate got to cryin' and you stood there pattin' her on the shoulder saying *It's okay, Moose, he's just a dead dog.*"

As the others laughed, George said, "Yeah, but I had the hardest job of all. I had to dig the hole for that box and it wadn't no small box. And the ground was hard. Do you remember what we did, Woody? We waited till Kate took Dub back up to the house, and we took that box and threw it in the compost heap. We filled the hole, which wasn't very deep, back up with dirt, and for a year, Dub would go out there a lay flowers on that spot, thinkin' his dog was buried there."

"What? My dog wasn't buried there? Man, that's mean! I spent a lot of time out there, pourin' my heart out to an empty hole," said Skinner. "And to think, he ended up in a compost heap." He shook his head.

"Well, not exactly. Daddy found the box, I imagine it wadn't hard, the smell was horrible, and the next thing I know he's draggin' my tail off to rebury that thing in the woods. I was sick for a week," said George.

Jake had brought out a quart mason jar filled with a clear liquid. The men all took turns sipping from it, though each had a different reaction. Skinner's quick intake of air and then gasp was an indication of its potency.

"Want a taste, Dana?," he asked. "It's good, if you like to drink lighter fluid. Might as well find out what all the songs are about."

"NO," shouted all the women. "No," said Kate, a little more calmly. "It's really awful, hon, don't try it. You'll regret it cause you'll never get the taste out of your mouth. Right, girls?"

"That's right" "Mmmm Hmmmm" "It's vile, hon, leave it alone" came the chorus of responses.

"Okay, if you say so," shrugged Scully.

"Do y'all remember Momma makin' us sing?", asked AJ. "She'd line us all up and we'd have to entertain for which ever of the aunts and uncles were here. We got pretty damn good at it, too."

"Momma loved to sing, she was always singin', or hummin' to what was on the radio. Or she'd just sing alone," said Shirleen. "I guess that's what I missed the most those first few years. Comin' home and not hearin' her sing."
"She loved country, although when Elvis came along, she did seem to get her feathers ruffled if anybody said anything negative about him. Said he was a good boy who loved his momma and people shouldn't criticize him. I'm glad she never knew what a junkie he turned out to be. She always thought if a man took care of his momma, he could do no wrong," said Roy, Jr.

Skinner took the jar from AJ's hand and took another drink. Scully gently removed it and wrapped his arm in hers. The talk of his mother was getting him down, and she didn't want alcohol to make it worse. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he stared out into the dark.

"Remember her favorite church hymm? It was "There is a God" and she loved for us to sing it cause there were so many parts," said Marilyn. "Especially for the girls. Three-part harmony. Anybody remember the words?"

"Yeah, we sing it at least once a month at church," said Shirleen. "*There is beyond the azure blue....*" and the others joined in as they remembered the words and the tune.
Skinner jumped off the porch, "I'm goin' for a walk," he said.

"Want me to come?", asked Scully as she prepared to jump down also.

"No, I'll be back later." He moved off into the darkness.

"Let him go, hon," said Kate softly. "He'll be back. He's still tryin' to come to terms. We did it a long time ago, but he's never accepted her death with any peace. Give him a little time."

The others sat around for another hour talking, singing, laughing. But, without Skinner sitting beside her, Scully had lost her enthusiasm. She had tried to follow his progress down the path, but he was quickly lost in the shadows. Finally, the others stood and said good night, promising to be over early so they could all go to Roy Sr.'s place together. None knew what to expect, but knew their father, even though most of the them were well over 50, was not a man to be defied.

Scully went in and said she would help Marilyn wash up the cups and plates, but Marilyn announced she was tired and was going to bed. She'd take care of the dishes in the morning. Scully asked if it was all right for her to wash them, it would give her something to do until Walter came back.

"Knock yourself out, girl. I'm not goin' to refuse help. But, I think you ought to just go on to bed. He'll be back in a bit, don't worry. I suspect he's sittin' in the porch swing we have suspended from a tree over in the side yard. When you go out the back door, just follow the path to the right, it'll lead you right to it. But, considerin' it's a little nippy out, he'll be back ready to jump into bed and warm up. Good night, Dana."

"'Night, Marilyn. Sleep well." Scully sighed. She turned on the hot water and filled the sink with dishes and dishwahing soap. She started washing and soon got into the rhythm, wash, rinse, rack. There was something soothing about the routine. It gave her something to do with her hands, while her mind went over the day.

It had been a wonderful day, actually, in spite of her little emotional outburst this morning. What came over her, she'd never know. And the box that Aunt Suddy had given her. She wanted to go over everything that was in it again, slowly, so she could absorb as much as she could of her lover's early life.

The picnic, meeting a large portion of his family, their stolen moment that was so rudely interrupted. She felt the familiar tightening in her pelvis when she thought of his love-making. She loved everything about the way he made her feel when he was kissing her, touching her. Get a grip, Scully, she admonished herself. Not this weekend.

She finished the dishes, wiped off the countertops, then wiped the refrigerator. Good Lord, Marilyn was going to think she didn't like her housekeeping if she kept this up. She turned off the kitchen light and went back to their bedroom. She grabbed an over-size t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms and went to shower. She needed to get the dust from the picnic off her skin. She showered, washed her hair, cleaned her face, brushed her teeth, and still Skinner wasn't back.

She peered out the window, but saw nothing but the moon shining on the out-buildings. She sat on the bed and pulled the box marked "Walter S. Skinner" towards her. She opened it and laying on top was the christening dress. She took it out and stroked the soft cotten material. She lifted to her face and thought she could detect the sweet baby smell of powder and baby lotion. She knew that after 48 years it was impossible to actually smell them, but it didn't hurt to pretend. The tiny buttons, the little tucks, the long skirt of lace. She shook it out to see it full length and a small bonnet fell out.

She had seen these before, but hadn't realized they had been around for so many years. It was a tiny bonnet, just big enough for a newborn's head, made from a handkerchief and cleverly shaped by a few stitches. Supposedly, when the wearer of the bonnet got married, the stitches were to be clipped so it could be carried by a bride. If the baby had been a girl, she carried it; if it had been a boy, then his bride carried it. Aunt Suddy must not have known it was in there, or she would have given it to Sharon to carry when she married Skinner. Scully held it in her hands, delicately straightening the satin ribbons. She smiled sadly, wondering if maybe she'd get to carry it. But, he had not said anything about their future. She was uncertain as to what to think, what to plan, what to hope for.
She held the little bonnet to her cheek, then lay down on top of the covers, looking at a few of the photos in the box. He'd been so happy as a child, so free with his smiles, so full of life. She fell asleep, and dreamed of that mischievious little boy.

Scully awoke shivering. She was still lying on top of the covers, but now the room was cold. She reached over for Skinner, but he still wasn't there. She checked her watch: 3:00 a.m. Where the hell was he? Now she was getting worried. She got up, put on her bathrobe and pulled a quilt off the bed. Wrapping it around her and slipping on a pair of shoes, she went into the kitchen, hoping he would be sitting at the table. Nothing.

As carefully as she could, she opened the back door, praying it wouldn't squeek. She went down the back steps, and stood for a moment in the moonlight, getting her bearings. Marilyn had said he was probably in the old porch swing under a tree. All she had to do was follow the path to the right. At least, she think she said the right. She hoped she was heading in the right direction, she didn't fancy spending the night shivering in the woods, waiting for daybreak to find her way back.

She walked slowly down the path, the moon was bright and caused deep shadows in the woods. She had no idea how far to go before she should reach the swing. She took her time, peering into the shadows, hoping to see some movement to indicate where he was. What if he wasn't there? What if he had gone to the pond? She should just go back to the house and wait. Let him freeze out here if that's what he wanted.
She turned to go back when he called her name. "Scully, what are you doing out here? It's 3:00 in the morning, you should be asleep."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "I was asleep, but when I woke up and you weren't there, I got worried. Are you all right? Come back to the house, Walter, it's cold." She walked toward his voice, then saw the flare of a lighter as he lit a cigarette. When he didn't answer, she sat down beside him on the swing. She reached for his hand, and found it to be ice-cold. She started to rub it, but he moved away. When she tried to wrap the quilt around him, he protested.

"I'm fine, Scully, leave me alone."

Scully? Why was he calling her Scully?

They sat for a time in silence, he was slowly smoking the cigarette. He finished that one, and started to reach for his pack again. Where he got them, she had no idea, but he seemed determined to smoke the whole pack tonight.

"I saw you coming, I saw you leave the house. I could hear the door squeek, even though we have to be 100 yards from the house. When I was in Viet Nam, I used to be point when we'd go out on patrol. My sargeant was a Hispanic guy and he called me "El Gato" cause he said I could see in the dark like a cat.
One night, my platoon was to go out and he told me to take point. But I'd been smokin' pot and drinkin' beer for three days and was pretty hung-over. I told him I didn't feel like it, to let somebody else take it for once. He was pretty laid back; if he had been like any of those other assholes he'd've chewed my ass out and told me to take point anyway. Instead, he told this new guy to do it. Said he needed to learn how. Well, this guy, who'd been in Nam all of 2 weeks, led us right into an ambush. Had missed every sign the Cong had left. They got us all, the only survivors were me and two other guys who had fallen behind because they were sharing a joint. Everybody was slaughtered, me and the other two were pretty bad, in fact they thought I was dead. I shoulda died. I shoulda died."

"Why?", she asked softly.

"Go back inside, Scully, I'll be in in a while. Just, go on." He stood and walked around behind the swing.

"Don't close me out, Walter. Not now."

"Look, we have to go to Dad's tomorrow, then maybe we can see about getting a flight back tomorrow night. I think it's time to go back to Washington. I think it's time to return to the real world. This might have been a mistake to come out here. Whatever you may have built up in your mind about this place, it's not our reality. It's just a nice fantasy."

"A fantasy? Why? Because I got to see you as what you once were? What you're really like, under that hard exterior? The shell you've built to keep the pain out? Sorry, but I don't think that's make-believe. I think what I've seen here is the real Walter, the one who wants to be let out, but that surly other won't let him."

"Oh, please. That's so much mumbo-jumbo. The Walter Skinner you know *is* the real one. There is no other Skinner. The one that my brothers and sisters have led you to believe existed is dead. And he's never coming back."

"Marry me, Walter."

"What?" He turned back towards her, unsure he'd heard her right.

"Marry me."

Skinner stood looking at her, bathed in moonlight. With her fair skin, she looked lumenescent. He could tell she was shivering slightly, from the cold or from the enormity of what she had just said, he didn't know.

"I love you, Walter. I want to be a part of you. I want to wake up beside you, go to sleep in your arms. I want to know that when I leave, I'll come home to you. And I want you to do the same, to know that where ever I am, that's your home. We could live together, but it wouldn't be the same. I don't want to bind you or chain you down, but I want the security of knowing that neither of us can just walk away. Marry me."

"No," he said firmly.

"No?" She had expected hesitation, but never, never this. "You'd better have some damn good reasons why not?" She was stunned, anger was starting to fill her.

"I don't think now is the time...."

"When? When do you suggest we talk about this? On the plane back to Washington? In your office? Or are you going to send me a memo?"

"Leave me ALONE. God, it's been 25 years since the last time I smoked one, but I'd kill for a joint right now. Or a beer. Or a quart of Jake's moonshine." He lit another cigarette, and started to walk off.

She ran after him and grabbed his arm to swing him around.
"Don't you walk off. You face me, face me and tell me why you don't want to marry me. Is it because you are afraid? Is it because you don't love me? It is because you just have been using me for your own pleasure? That none of the love-making we've done has meant anything to you? That I'm just an easy lay? If that's true then, here, let's do it now, right here, you've been wanting it all weekend, well here I am." She was seething. She stripped off her t-shirt. "If I'm just another screw for you then this ought to be easy."

She started to remove her pajama bottoms, but he reached out and gripped her wrist. "For the love of God, stop it! You'll catch your death. Put your shirt back on before someone sees you."

"NO!", she shouted. "NO! Tell me, tell me now what suddenly changed your mind about us. Tell me why you're locking yourself up again. TELL ME!!!" She reached down to the gravel path and picked up a handful and threw it at him. "Quit hiding behind things, Walter, quit hiding behind work, and alcohol and that cold contenance that keeps people from getting close. It's time to join the human race again, Walter. It's time to acknowledge the pain." She reached down and threw another handful. She was shivering, but kept throwing gravel till he finally caught her hand.
He moved his hands up her arms and gripped her tightly, so tightly that she flinched.

"You don't know what pain is, Dana," he said through clenched teeth. "I watched my mother die because of my own selfishness. If I had paid more attention to her when she complained of being tired, if I had been less self-involved, I might have been able to make her go to the doctor. They might have been able to catch it earlier, and she'd still be alive today. But I didn't. I was too worried about my own life to even think about hers.
"The same with my platoon. If I hadn't wanted to dull the pain of being in Nam, I'd've been on point and none of those guys would have died. They'd've all gone home to their mothers, and would have had wives and children and led full lives, instead of dying in that jungle
at 19. I carry those ghosts every day of my life. My mother's, my sargeant's, all those guys in my platoon, even Sharon's. I ruined her life, too. Well, I'm not ruining yours." He was still gripping her arms, shaking her with his intensity. He dropped his hands, and sat down in the swing.

She stood rubbing her arms, knowing she'd be bruised. She reached down and picked up her t-shirt and slipped it over her head. She was shivering so badly, she had a hard time putting on her robe and knotting it.

"And so you're going to continue being selfish?", she asked.

"How is not marrying you and preventing you from getting hurt being selfish?"

She sat down beside him, not touching him. "Your mother had pancreatic cancer, Walter. It's probably the hardest type of cancer to diagnose. There are no tests, no early signs or symptoms, nothing. By the time the patient has any kind of symptoms, it's too late. It's not like cervical cancer, which can be diagnosed with a pap smear, or a breast cancer which can be seen on mammogram. How were you, a mere child, going to know that your mother was sick? She didn't even know she was sick, until it was too late. Quit carrying that burden, Walter. There was nothing, nothing you could have done."

"I should have known, I should have known."

"And as for your buddies in Viet Nam, there's no guarantee you wouldn't have missed the signs of ambush as well. You're not infallible, Walter. No man is. If you had been leading point, what makes you think that you wouldn't have died, too? Would that have made you happier, Walter? Would you have rather died? If you say yes, then you are the most selfish man I know. You would rather your family suffer the pain of losing a brother and your father his son, than have to face the possibility of being human."

"I can't live with this anymore, Dana. I'm so tired." He put his head in his hands.

"Then, let me share it with you, Walter. Think how much easier it'll be if you can just let me share it with you."

Skinner stood up, "Let's go back to the house. You've got to be freezing." He held out his hand, and she slipped hers into it. It was so small, so cold. He resisted the urge to put her arm around his waist, to draw her close and use his body heat to warm her. He knew if he held her, he'd be lost.

"Walter...", she started.

"Not now, Dana."

"When?"

"Not now."

They walked in silence back to the house and went in the back door, no longer caring if anyone heard them. They went into the bedroom, she removed her robe and he made her lie down so he could tuck the blankets around her to help warm her. She watched his face, hoping for some sign, some indication of what he was thinking. But he never looked up.

"I'm going to shower and then I'll go to bed. Don't wait for me, you look exhausted. I'll hurry so the noise won't bother you," he said as he straightened.

"Walter, kiss me," she said, reaching out and gripping his jeans leg.

"Stay under the covers," he said and put her hand back under and smoothed the sheet and blanket over it. He leaned down and kissed her quickly on her forehead, then turned towards the bathroom.

"I love you, Walter."

He paused for a moment, then continued on into the bathroom. She lay there, thinking of the things he told her, wishing with all her heart that she could make him see the reality of what had happened to his mother and his friends, instead of that fairy tale that he had built up in his mind. It was set in stone, as far as he was concerned. To him, it was truth, and not a story created out of untreated depression and survivor's guilt. She doubted that he'd even acknowledge the fact that he was depressed, nor would he ever seek treatment. It would be a blow to the image of himself that he carried. He was supposed to be hard, in control, unaffected by the things around him. She knew now how frustrated Sharon must have felt, trying to live with someone who held things so tightly in check.
Skinner finished showering and put on clean clothes. He went to check on Scully, and found her asleep, her hand tucked under her cheek, the other arm lying on top of the blanket. He could see the bruises on her upper arm where he had held her It was a perfect impression of his hand. When he bent down to click off the bedside lamp, he saw that her face was stained with tears. He had caused all of that; he was already inflicting pain on her, the one person in this world he would die for, and he was hurting her.

He turned off the light, picked up the quilt she had dropped on the floor, and went into the sewing room. He lay on the futon, using his arm in lieu of a pillow. He missed her body next to his, her warmth, her soft breath on his neck. But this was right, this was the way it needed to be. This would be his penance for the rest of his life. To live without her and her love. Just as the families of all his friends had to live without them, and as his father had lived without his mother.
But, he thought, his father had moved on with his life. He had survived without his mother, in fact had learned to love again. And, the families of his friends. He was sure they, too, had finally accepted life, and moved on. Built lives without their sons, brothers, husbands, fathers; accepted the fact of their deaths, missed them always, but still found a way to keep going.

But he couldn't do that. He was the cause of all their pain, he had to pay the price. It was his burden, and he would carry it for the rest of his life. And he was not going to share it with anyone. Least of all Scully.

Scully woke from her dream, her heart pounding. She'd been trying to rescue a small boy who was down a well. She could hear him calling to her, begging her for help, but the well was dark, and she couldn't see him. She had tried yelling for someone to bring her a rope, anything, so she could throw it to him and pull him out. But no one had come. She thought about jumping down there with him, holding his head above water, till she could figure out how to bring them both up. But she couldn't scale the sides of the well, each time she tried, they got higher. Finally, the little voice got fainter and fainter, until there was only silence.

That's when Scully woke up, tears streaming down her face.
She reached over and found Skinner's side of the bed empty. She checked her watch: 7:00 a.m. She could hear noises in the kitchen, so she got up, put on her robe, flinching with the pain from her arms. She examined them and found finger marks all the way around. She was sure Skinner had no idea he was hurting her when he was holding her arms. He kept himself too tightly reined in to ever become violent towards her. But this would be added guilt for him to carry around, if he saw the marks.

She went into the kitchen and found Jake making coffee. "Good morning," she said.

"'Morning," smiled Jake. "Marilyn's havin' a bit of a lie-in this mornin, so I thought I'd get up and make some coffee. It'll be ready in a minute. Would you like some breakfast? I'm not too bad a hand at huevos rancheros."

"No, thanks, coffee's fine. Ummm, do you know where Walter went? He got up really early."

"Yeah," said Jake, pouring coffee into a mug and handing it to her. "He said he was gonna walk over to George's and see if he could borrow a car. Didn't want to use one of my ol' pick-ups, and since Roy, Jr. took the Mustang, I guess he felt he needed to get some wheels. Said something about drivin' up to the old cemetary where his momma's buried. I suspect he'll be back directly to pick you up and take you there."

"Mmmmmm," she was trying to be noncommittal, but knew that Skinner was not going to be taking her with him.

"That was some dust-up you two had last night," Jake said, peering at her over the rim of his coffee mug. "Ever'thing okay?"

"I'm sorry, did we wake you? We were so far from the house, I thought no one could hear us." She flushed, remembering trying to strip in order to get Skinner to react to her.

"Naw, I was awake. Got an old man's bladder, and it gets me up ever night. Dub seemed pretty angry. You okay?"

"I'm..I'm fine. I just, I guess I said something that pissed him off."

"Musta been a doozie. I've known him for 30 years or more, and ain't never seen him get so upset about anything. What'd you say to him?"

"I..I asked him to marry me. He said no, rather emphatically," she smiled but her eyes were shiny with tears. "Well, guess you can't say I didn't try."

"That boy needs his ass kicked. No, that's not true, he does enough of that himself. He needs to learn that it's okay for him to be happy. That he's not being disrespectful to his momma if he finally makes a good life for himself with someone. His momma was a wonderful woman, and she'd be hurt if she knew that he was cuttin' himself off from the rest of the world because of her."

"I know that, but how can I make him understand that? I feel like I'm facing a wall that stretches as far as I can see in all directions. And there's only one door through it, but it's locked and I don't have the key to open it."

"Maybe you do, and you just don't know it yet."

Jake moved past Scully to get to the sink and as he did he patted her arm. He stopped when he heard her quick intake of air between her teeth and saw her flinch. He turned towards her and gently took her wrist, pushing up the sleeve on her robe till he came to the dark bruise on her upper arm. He looked into her eyes, searching for some fear, some indication that this had happened before. He dropped her hand and reached for the other. She held his gaze and slowly pushed up the sleeve herself.

"He has never hurt me before, Jake. I don't even think he knew what he was doing. I'm not the kind of woman who will put up with an abusive relationship. No matter how much I love him, I would leave him in a heartbeat if he ever tried to hurt me. This was an accident, nothing more. Just...don't tell Marilyn. I don't want her to think badly of him. Please."

"The problem with Walter is that we all have spent too many years protecting him, Dana. It's time he grew up. It's time he stopped feeling sorry for himself, and accepted the fact that life isn't fair, that people die, and that we are supposed to go on living." Jake turned and stomped out of the kitchen, the back door slamming as he went out.

Scully closed her eyes and sighed. God, she couldn't wait for this trip to be over. She just wanted to go back home, lock herself in her apartment, and find some way to start over. Her relationship with Skinner was dead and Mulder would never forgive her for deserting him.

She went back to the bedroom, changed into a long-sleeved sweater to hide the bruises, and put on her make-up. She used more than she normally did, but she was trying to hide the circles under her eyes. She was so tired, and she was getting a headache. On top of that, she had stopped bleeding. Usually her period lasted 3 or 4 days, but she had bled very little yesterday, and today there was nothing. She wondered if she had forgotten to take all of her Provera. That could account for the headache and the slight nausea. She'd have to count the pills when she got back to Washington.

She went back into the kitchen to find Marilyn munching on some toast. "Morning, Marilyn, did you sleep well?" She poured herself some more coffee and put two slices of bread into the toaster. She was getting entirely too comfortable here, she needed to go back home and resume her normal life. Or whatever would be passing for normal now.

They passed the time sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and going over the events at yesterday's picnic. Marilyn was trying to sort out all the kids and grandkids, but it was tough going. There was just too many of them. Jake came in and gave his wife a kiss, nodded at Scully without really looking at her, and told them he was going to go on over to George's. He needed to check on George's old tractor and thought he do it before they had to go to Roy Sr.'s place.

Marilyn only asked about Skinner once, but when Scully gave her a rather vague answer, she let the matter drop. She, too, had heard the angry voices the night before, and figured they were taking some time apart to cool off.

The phone rang incessently. The sisters and sisters-in-law kept playing a version of phone tag, calling each other to find out when they were all going to meet, what they were wearing, should they eat before they got there, etc.
Finally at 12:30, Marilyn suggested that she and Scully start walking to George's farm. They'd have to pass her dad's place first, but thought Scully might like a glimpse of where Skinner had spent his childhood before everyone showed up. As they walked past, Marilyn pointed out the sycamore tree that had held the boys' treehouse, and the supposed grave of Skinner's dog.

They got to George's just as Kate and AJ pulled up. "Hi, darlin'," said Kate, "where's that no-good brother of mine." She smiled at Scully, but caught Marilyn's slight shake of her head out of the corner of her eye. "My, my, don't you look pretty? Come on, let's go in and see if Faye has any sandwiches made. I'm so hungry I could eat a cow on the hoof." She put her arm around Scully's shoulders and gave her a pat, which caused Scully to flinch ever so slightly. She glanced quickly at Marilyn over the shorter woman's head. Marilyn raised her eyebrow slightly and gave an imperceptible shrug.

"AJ," she shouted to her brother. He had already laid claim to a rocker on the porch. "Go find the other boys, tell'em we'll be leaving in a while."

"But, Kate, they know....."

"Go, AJ, just go do what I said." Kate knew Scully would never open up in front of all these people, but she still wanted to make sure that this young woman felt safe and protected. She didn't know what her brother had done, but she knew that if any of the other brothers suspected he had done anything to hurt her, they would mete out appropriate punishment. And if they didn't, she damn well find out why the hell not.

Inside Faye's kitchen the women were making sandwiches, fixing glasses of iced tea, and having a grand time. Kate kept up such a constant stream of chatter that the others didn't notice Scully's silence. When the sandwiches were made, they loaded a tray and Raelynn volunteered to take it out to the men who had all congregated in the barn. Rachel went with her carrying two one-gallon thermoses of tea. They went out the back door, calling to the men to come help with the heavy loads.

When they came back, the other women were sitting around the kitchen table eating their own lunch. Raelynn's face was grim, and she silently signaled for Kate to meet her in the master bedroom. Rachel distracted the others with a story about finding the men outside with an ancient copy of *Playboy* Everyone but Scully knew this was a lie, but went along with it. They figured what ever prompted this outrageous lie, they'd find out about it eventually.
Kate and Raelynn came back into the kitchen and Kate announced it was time to finish up and get moving. They were all going to walk over, and they might as well start. When Scully questioned whether or not she should go, Kate clicked her tongue.

"Of course you should," she said. "Daddy said he wanted all of us there, including you. So, let's get going. And don't worry about Dub, he'll show up over there directly, if he knows what's good for him. Raelynn, Dana and I are going to start over there now, why don't you tell the *MEN* that you all can catch up to us as soon as they're through with their little bit of business."

She guided Scully out the door and down the path that would lead them back to Roy, Sr.'s house. Raelynn waited until they were out of sight, then brought the other women up to speed. Shirleen and Marilyn shook their heads sadly, and Faye sat down heavily in a chair.

"What do the men plan on doin'?", she asked. She knew they would never let him get away with this.

"Somethin' they should have done a long time ago," said Raelynn. "I'm sorry, Marilyn, I know he's your baby brother, but he's gone too far this time."

"What did Jake say Dana told him?", whispered Marilyn, tears forming in her eyes.

"That it had never happened before, that they were arguin' and she said something to upset him, that she'd never put with a man who hurt her but that he didn't mean to do it. The usual."

"Well," said Shirleen, "they'd better be quick, cause Daddy won't be happy if any of us is late. Are they goin' to wait for him here, or meet him at Daddy's?"

"They're goin' to wait for him over there. That way they won't have to drag his sorry ass all the way there. Come on, they're waitin' for us," said Raelynn as she led them out the door.

Kate and Scully walked in companionable silence up the tree-lined path. Scully was thinking about what she'd do once she got back to Washington. Kate was wondering if she still had that medical kit at her father's house. She suspected she was going to need it.

When they reached the porch, Kate yoo-hooed and Aunt Suddy opened the door. "Come on in, we've got the living room all set up. Where's everyone else? They'd better not be late, or Roy'll have their hides."

"No, Aunt Suddy, we're early. The rest are comin' in a little bit. How's things goin'? You look good."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Go on out to the kitchen, Kate, I need to talk to Dana, here, for just a minute. Come on in here, sweetie," and the old woman led Scully into a little bedroom. Sitting on the bed was a giftbag with a bow and tissue paper peeking out the top.

"This is for you, hon. Now, don't say anything. I know what I'm talkin' about and this is the only way to prove it."

Scully gave her a quizzical look, then spread the handles of the bag apart. She shook her head slightly and set her mouth in a grim line. "I've told you, Ms. Bowman, it's......"

"Just go find out for sure. Now. There's two, just so's you can double check. Go on, girl. Go on." And she pushed Scully toward the little bathroom.

The others came into the front yard just as Skinner drove up in one of George's pick-ups. The Marilyn, Shirleen, Faye, Raelynn, and Rachel kissed their husbands then went into the house, not even acknowledging Skinner.

"Dub," said Roy, Jr., "come on in the barn for a minute, we need to talk to in private."

"Can't it wait, Roy? I want to talk to Scul....Dana, real fast. It's...it's important."

"No," he said emphatically. "Now, Dub." The others had circled around Skinner and were slowly manuevering him towards the barn door.

"Uh, okay, sure." He opened the door and went in. He stood in the middle of the large clear space and his brothers positioned themselves around him. Jake positioned himself by the door, so that no one could come in without him letting them in, and no one could escape.

"What's up?", Skinner asked, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"That's what we'd like to know," said Roy. "What the hell happened last night?"

Skinner tensed, "Nothing. Nothing happened."

"Then how did Dana get those bruises on her arms?"

"She showed you bruises?"

"Naw," drawled Jake. "We were in the kitchen, and when I patted her on the arm, trying to make her think things would be all right between you and her, she flinched like a beat dog. I made her show me. If you had been anywhere around, Dub, I'd'a kicked the shit right outta you."

"Look, I have never in my life hurt a woman. Never. I..I didn't mean to hurt her last night. I grabbed her arms, and I guess I was a little out of control, and I must have squeezed too hard. When I saw them, I wanted to die. I would never hurt her. You've gotta believe me. Did...did she say I did it on purpose?"

"No, she told Jake that it was an accident. That she had said something to piss you off. Takin' the blame. She said she asked you to marry her and you said no. Boy, is there something wrong with you?"

"Yeah, there is," growled Roy. "He's 48 years old and refuses to grow up. Keeps expecting us to feel sorry for him cause he lost his momma. He goes around sabotaging every good thing that happens to him so he can keep playing the martyr. Well, boy, I'm sick to death of it. I've put up with a lot of shit from you because Shirleen and Marilyn asked me to. But, now, you've gone too far. I don't give a good God-damn how upset or out of control you get, you don't hurt women. You hear me, boy?" And quick as lightning, Roy backhanded Skinner across the face. His glasses flew off, and Robert reached down and picked them, putting them in his shirt pocket until they were through with him.

Skinner's cheek burned where Roy's hand had made contact, the inside of his mouth was cut, and he spit blood. "I swear to God, Roy, it's never happened before, and I would die before it ever happens again. I love her, Roy, I really do, and I deserve whatever you do to me." He stood straight and tall, waiting for the next blow.

"Are you going to marry her?", asked AJ.

"I don't know," said Skinner softly. He turned towards AJ and sadly shook his head. "I..I said some awful things to her. I told her she didn't know what pain was, the pain of losing someone. I..I had forgotten she'd had a sister who was murdered. I feel bad about saying that." He hung his head. "I want to apologize to her."

"You know, boy, that's been your problem your whole God-damn life. You've always considered your grief so much more important than anyone else's. For thirty-fucking-years all I've heard is *Poor Walter, Poor Walter, he was so young when his momma died.* Well," said Roy slowly approaching Skinneer again, "what about the rest of us? We lost our mother too. I was the oldest, she had been part of my life a hell of a lot longer than she was in yours. And yet, *I* had to subjugate *my* grief in order to pay homage to
yours. Tell me Walter, does that seem fair to you?"

Skinner braced for the blow he knew was coming, but Roy didn't raise his hand. Instead, AJ spun him around and hit him with his right fist. Skinner dropped to his knees, blood spurting from his nose. He shook his head to clear it and looked up into AJ's face. It was twisted with anger, and he had his fist cocked ready to hit Skinner again.

"Poor Baby, loses his momma, can't get along with his step-mother, goes off to Viet Nam and gets himself shot. Don't say anything to him, AJ, he's had a hard life. I am so tired of hearing that I could scream. What about poor AJ? Oh, but no, he's not had anything bad happen to him, has he? He hasn't watched 15 of his friends die from AIDS, he hasn't had to bury someone who meant more to him than life. He hasn't had to listen to his children cry because they were tormented by people for their father's lifestyle. Poor Baby, well, Baby can kiss my ass." He hit Skinner again, knocking him flat.

"Get up, Walter. I'd give you a hand, but as you can see, I still don't have my leg back. Oh, that's right, you consider this just so much a part of me, that you don't even think about it, do you?" said Woody. Skinner slowly raised himself to his knees, then straightened to face his brother. "I'm glad, I'm glad you don't consider me a cripple, that's good. More people should be that open-minded. But, unfortunately, they're not. So, for more years than I can remember, I've had to put up with unwanted sympathy, and stares, and jokes behind my back.
"But, you know, Walter, I've managed to survive all that. I've gone on and made a pretty damn good life for myself and my family. But, for some reason, you never have. You stand there with two, count them, *TWO* good legs, and for some reason, you still haven't learned to stand on your own feet. Walter, there is a cripple in this family, but it's not me. It's you. And yours is self-inflicted. You've wallowed in self-pity for so long that you've wasted a good part of your life. And now, you're going to lose what may be your last chance at happiness because....why? Do you even know, Dub? Or is it just so ingrained in you now that you can't help it."

Woody moved back slightly, braced himself on his crutches, then kicked his foot out, catching Skinner in the crotch. Again, Skinner dropped like a rock, holding himself and moaning. The other men all flinched in sympathy.

"Nice move," said Jake, nodding his head in approval.

"Crystal was playing with my crutches one day and figured out how to do it. Good defensive move, cause nobody's ever expecting it. Sorry, Walter, if I'd'a had my leg, I'd'a used my fist. You okay?" Skinner moaned loudly, but gave a slow nod of his head.

"Damn, Woody, that's not fair. Now I can't hit him," said George. He kneeled beside Skinner, who was still writhing slightly on the floor.

"Look, Dub, I guess what's concernin' us is that we're worried that you're wasting your life. That you're carryin' a load that's not yours to carry. And that it's time to lay it down, and go on with your life. Look, Shirleen and Kate and AJ have all lost people they loved. And yet, they have managed to go on with their lives. You need to do the same. Marry this woman. I believe you when you say it was an accident. And I know you love her, it's written all over your face when you look at her. Don't let her get away, cuz you ain't never gonna find another one as good.

"Walter, remember that story AJ told about what Momma said to him when she ran Winnie off? She told him he could do better than that. Well, I think Momma would say that you've got the best there is in Dana. And she'd be pissed as hell if she thought you were ruining your life because of her. She always wanted you to be happy, and she'd want that for you now, too. Don't dishonor her by continuing to make yourself a martyr to her memory."

There was a knock on the door, Jake opened it a crack and Kate's voice could be heard. "Daddy's wantin' you all in the hosue now."

"We'll be right there," said Jake.

"Is he hurt bad?"

"You okay, Dub?", called Jake. Skinner sat up and wiped the blood from his nose.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, hurry and get him cleaned up. Daddy's gettin' impatient."

Roy held out his big hand and helped Skinner to his feet. He pulled him into a bear hug and said, "Walter, we just want you to have a good life. We love you, you ugly gorilla."

Each of the brothers in turn came up and hugged him, then left to go into the house. Robert handed him a bucket with water and his glasses. Skinner smiled gratefully, and plunged his head into the water, washing off the blood and dirt. He found an old towel hanging on a hook, and dried his face and hands. He tried putting on his glasses, but his cheek was swollen where first Roy, then AJ had hit him. He squinted in order to see where he was going, and he too headed into the house.

Everyone was all ready assembled in the living room. Scully was sitting between Aunt Suddy and Kate, both of whom were holding her hands. She was staring into middle space, but looked up when Skinner came into the room. She gasped at his appearance, his eye was starting to close, his lip was cut, and his cheek and nose were swollen. She started to rise to go to him, but the two women held her down.

"He's fine," whispered Kate.

"But.."

"Looks like he mighta run into the barn door," said Aunt
Suddy. "Always was clumsy."

Roy, Sr. looked at his youngest son and nodded his head. "Hope you've learned whatever lesson you was needin' to learn. If you didn't, then you musta gone stupid on us. Sit down, boy, I wanna get this over with."

"If it's okay, sir, I'd prefer to stand." His scrotum was still hurting and he wasn't sure he'd be able to sit too long.

"Heh, heh, hope you weren't plannin' on usin' that thing any time soon," chuckled the old man. "Looks like you mighta been put out of commision for a day or two. Finally got to use that kick, Woody?"

"Yes sir," smiled Woody. "He dropped like a rock." Skinner gave a weak smile as the rest laughed. Except for Scully, who had gone back to staring at nothing.

"All right, then, now the reason I....."

"Dad?", interruped Skinner.

"What, Walter?", said Roy with an exaggerated sigh.

"Can I please say something first?"

"Can't it wait?" Skinner shook his head. "Well, make it quick, boy, the blood's poolin' in my legs."

"*ahem* Yes, sir. I..I just wanted to apologize to, uh, everybody. I guess I hadn't realized how selfish I've been all these years. And it was quite forcefully brought home to me this morning," he chuckled as he touched his sore face. The others laughed softly. Scully turned vacant eyes towards him.

"I'm, I'm sorry. I've done nothing but think of myself and how things have affected me. I didn't stop and look around at the hurtin' the rest of you were sufferin'. And that's my loss. I have this wonderful family that I should have turned to and learned from, instead I shut you out. You all have an amazing amount of grace and dignity, something I seem to be lacking. I hope you all will forgive me and give me a chance to be a better brother.
"And, Daddy, I'm sorry I've been so unspeakably rude to your wife. Momma would have kicked my ass if I had done that in front of her. Again, I was only thinking of myself. I didn't stop to see that Noretta has been a good wife to you, and that I should be grateful that you had her in your life. Noretta, will you be willing to start over with me? I promise to do better."

The older woman looked over at her husband. He shrugged, "It's your decision. Personally, I think you should take him out and stomp a mudhole in him, but if you're willing to give it a shot, be my guest."

She turned back to Skinner. "All right, Walter, I'm willing to try again."

"Thank you," he said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You are a fine lady for bein' so gracious to a worthless bum like me."

Noretta blushed and gave Skinner a shove. "Go on with you."

"Is that it, can I say my piece now?", asked the old man impatiently.

"No, sir, one more thing." He went over and kneeled in front of Scully. "I'm so very sorry." He took her hands in his and kissed them. "I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness, because what I did was unforgivable. But you have my promise, my oath, it will never happen again." He had his head bowed over her hands.

"Walter, I..."

"Not now, girl, wait," said Aunt Suddy. "Turn around, Dub, and sit here in front of me. Let your Daddy get on with his preachin'."

"Thank God," exclaimed Roy. He was excited and was starting to pace in the small space left for him to stand. His children were wiping their eyes and blowing their noses after Skinner's little speech. But Roy was unaffected, he knew his son would now be a better man. He never gave his word unless he meant to keep it.

"All right, now, in case any of you have failed to notice, I'm an old, old man. I'll be ninety-one on my next birthday, if I live that long, and I decided it's time to start settlin' my affairs. Hush, all of you, I'd rather do it this way, so's there's no fighting afterwards.
"I was never able to give you all much when you were growing up. I wish I could have, but maybe it's better I didn't. It made you all work hard and make your own successes. I'm proud of every one of you. There's not one bad apple in the whole bunch. You've all raised good families, and I'm proud of them, too.
"Now, what I've done is, I've taken some of my money that I've saved over the years and divided amongst you all. It's not much right now, but, when I die, the rest will be divded equally. Noretta, hand out them envelopes. I went to the bank yesterday and Jeff Davis helped me get these all made out."

Noretta handed each one of the eight a long white envelope with their name on it. Gasps were heard as each opened theirs. "Daddy, what the hell?" "Oh my God!" Marilyn started to cry, and George looked as if he'd been frozen. Skinner looked at his check and then up at his father. "Where did you get this kind of money, Dad?" The old man smiled.

Skinner handed his check to Scully, who looked down at it and then back to Skinner. The check was for $250,000, made out to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Skinner.

"Uh, Dad? There's two million dollars in cashiers checks here. And you said this is *some* of your money? Exactly how did you save this much money off of a two-bit farm. You..you haven't been doing anything illegal, have you?" Skinner's face was tight with worry. This was more money than any of them had ever seen.

Roy, Sr. cackled, "See, Noretta? Didn't I tell you he'd be the one to think his old man was some kind of drug lord? Boy, you always play true to type." The old man slapped his knee, and Noretta smiled and shook her head.

"But, Daddy, seriously, where did you get this kind of money?", said Kate as she turned the check over and over in her hands, as if searching for a punch line.

"You all remember your cousin Rita, right? The ugly one with the buck teeth and the crossed-eye?" They all nodded. "Well, about 25 years ago, she come to me and asked me if I'd loan some money to a friend of hers that was starting a new business. He had invented some fool thing, and she was sure it was gonna change the world. I think she was also tryin' to hook that ol' boy. Anyways, I happened to have $10,000 that one of AJ's friends had given me for that old armoire of my grandma's that used to be in the barn. Why he wanted that big old thang, I'll never know, but he was tickled pink, so to speak, to get it."

"I remember that," said AJ. "Mark eventually sold it at auction for $50,000. You shoulda held out for more, Daddy."

"I was just glad to get rid of it. Anyway, I had that
little bit of money, so I gave it to her. She said it would help a lot and that if the company ever went public, he'd probably send me stock in it. I figured she was just bull-shittin' me and didn't think anymore about. Well, it must not have helped much, cause a couple of months later, she was back, askin' if I could see a way to let him have a little bit more.
"Well, I didn't have $10,000 but I did have $5,000 that I had put away for a rainy day. So, I told her this would have to be the last time, cause the piggy bank was now broke. She promised it would be, and that was the last I saw of her or my money."

"Daddy, why did you let her have that? You shoulda saved it, cause you never know when you're gonna need that kind of money," admonished Roy, Jr. "If I'd'a known about it, she'd'a never gotten it."

"Well, it's damn lucky for you that you didn't know. About 5 years went by, and one day in the mail I get a big fat envelope and inside is stock certificates with a note. It said, *Thank you, Mr. Skinner, for helping me out when I needed it. Keep these, because one day, they may be worth a great deal.* And it was signed, Bill. He had sent me 100,000 shares in his company. I knew that I hadn't given him enough money to warrant that much stock, but when I called him to try to return some of them, he said no. That I had been one of the few that hadn't asked for their money back, and that had been willing to give it to him with no questions asked. Nice boy."

"Daddy, what was the name....."

"I'm comin' to that, Woody. So, every quarter I'd get a nice check in the mail from the earnings, and I would just put it in the bank. One day Noretta asked if she could have a little, cause some of the ladies in town were startin' one of them investment clubs and she wanted to join. I gave her, how much was it Noretta?"

"A thousand dollars, Roy."

"Yeah, a thousand dollars and she started investing with her club. Turns out she's got a real good head for that sorta thing. That club did real well, till she pulled out. Decided she'd rather make her own investments without have to share. She always was kinda tight with her money, weren'tcha, darlin'?"

"Well, somebody had to be."

"So, when I seen how good she was, I let her have a little bit more and told her to invest for me, too. She's real cautious, doesn't like to many high-risk stocks. Also likes to deal in commodities. This bust that's happened ain't affected us much, cause she was reading the warning signs months ago, and pulled out before everybody else did, and made an absolute *killing*." He smiled proudly at his wife.

"Daddy, please tell us the name of the company that started you on the road to high finance," begged Woody.

"What was the name of that company, Noretta? I'm gettin' old and can't rightly remember too well anymore."

"Cut the crap, Roy, you remember as well as I do."

Roy cackled again, "Yep, but I like to watch'em squirm. It was Microsoft."

"Microsoft. You loaned Bill Gates $15,000 and he gave you stock in Microsoft. That's hard to believe, Dad." Skinner shook his head. "And you still have the stock?"

"Well, some of it. I sold it off just before the government, YOUR government, Dub, sued him. He told me to keep at least 50,000 shares and after the Feds split the company, I'd end up with shares in both entities. So I did."

"You talk to Bill Gates regularly?", asked Roy, Jr.

"Not too often, he's busy. But once in a while he call. Anyway, what with all the investin' and stuff, me and Noretta are doin' pretty well. We don't spend a lot, because we don't need a lot. This farm is paid for, we have a good car, I got cable, and Noretta's got her computer in the room off the kitchen. We're happy, right Noretta? And I thought before I died, that I'd let you children know what to expect. I've got trust funds set up for every one of you, so there shouldn't be a lot of estate taxes. The deed to this farm is already made out to the person who's gonna get it, so again, the government shouldn't be able to take too much.
"There's only one stipulation with this money I'm givin' you right now. Do NOT spend it on your kids. This is your money. Do something nice for yourselves, then save the rest. I don't want to see no fast sport cars, or minks, or other falderol. I know Jake could use a new truck, and Roy Jr.'s fixin' to retire, so I'm hopin' you spend it wisely. I'm hopin' Dub uses some of his to have a nice weddin' here in Alonzo. But whatever you two decide to do will be fine with me. I ain't got a lot to live for anymore, but I want to live long enough to see that."

"Uh, Mr. Skinner, I'm not sure that we'll be......", started Scully.

"Tell him, Dana."

"What?", she turned to Aunt Suddy.

"Tell him now. Roy needs to know that there's a lot to live for, and he needs to hear this now."

"But...."

"Tell him or I will."

"Shouldn't I tell Walter first?"

"Tell me what? Will somebody please explain what the hell you two are talking about?" Skinner was getting frustrated with the back and forth between the two women.

"I..", Scully swallowed. "I.." She went over to Roy Skinner and placed her hands on his arms. She could feel the wasted muscles that come with advanced age. But his eyes were still sharp, and he wasn't missing anything that was going on. Everyone had stopped their excited whispering about the checks and turned to watch Scully.

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"I can't hear too good, honey, you're goin' to have to speak up. Say it louder."

She looked at him and knew he was lying. He wanted her to say it where everyone, especially Skinner, could hear. She looked around at everyone, the women were watching her, Marilyn's fingers were crossed, and Kate was wearing a big grin. The men stood looking as lost as Skinner.

"I'm pregnant."

"Yessss!!!!", shouted Kate, pumping her fists in the air. "Woooohoooo!!!"

"No, that's...that's impossible. You can't be. I've seen the reports, there's no way. Yesterday you were....are you sure?" Skinner was still sitting on the floor, stunned.

"As sure as I can be without a physical exam. Aunt Suddy gave me two home pregnancy tests and they are both positive. The bleeding I had was very light, so it was probably nothing. I'll have to get checked to make sure everything's okay, but the way it stands, yes, I'm pregnant." She kneeled down beside him. "Are you...are you disappointed? Because, if you are, don't worry. You don't have have any more contact with him or her than you want. I can raise the baby alone, if that's what you'd prefer."

"Like hell he will," said George. "Unless he wants to go
back out into that barn."

Skinner sat staring down at the check in his hand. "I guess
we'll have to get married now," he said softly.

"No, no we don't. Not because of the baby. We can just keep living like we've been doing, and you won't have to do
anything you don't want. Don't think I'm going to pressure you to get married just because I may be pregnant."

"Huh? Oh, no, I meant we'll have to get married to cash the check. As for the baby, try and keep me away. I can't believe this. I..I can't...." he painfully pulled himself up to kneel along side her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. "I love you, Dana. Thank you," he kissed her lips again, "thank you," he kissed the single tear coursing down her cheek, "thank you," he slid his hands carefully down her arms and pulled her close.

The others in the room started laughing and crying and slapping each other on the back. They went and hugged their father and step-mother, stepping around Scully and Skinner who were still kneeling.

He whispered in her ear, "Are you happy about this? Do we need to talk about it?"

"Why do we need to talk? I'm so happy I could cry. I thought this was something we'd never be able to experience. Oh, Walter, I can't believe it! Pinch me, so I'll know I'm not dreaming."

"Are you kidding? My brothers would finish me off if I did," he laughed. "No, darlin', you're not dreaming. Not if the pain in my knees is any indication. Let's see if we can get somebody to help me up. My balls are still hurtin' and I can't get up by myself."

Roy, Jr., and George helped Skinner to his feet, and when he was standing as upright as possible, everyone had to hug him. Then they hugged Dana. Then they hugged him again. Aunt Suddy was announcing to everyone how she knew it all along.

"There's never been a Skinner man married to an infertile woman. It just don't happen. Y'all remember your daddy's brother Elwood? His wife Ruth was married before and never, in 15 years, did she ever get pregnant. Then, after her husband died, she married Elwood, he laid with her one time and she was pregnant. Damnedest thing. Even AJ's got one young'un."

"Thanks, Aunt Suddy. Just cause I'm gay don't mean I can't procreate."

"Exactly," she laughed. "Ya know, God must love Skinners cause He made so damn many of them."

Everyone hung around for quite a while, laughing, talking, congratulating Skinner and Scully. She took him into the kitchen to clean up his cuts and make sure his nose wasn't broken. She declared that he would live, although he might not be able to take part in certain *activities* for a couple of days.

Finally, Roy, Sr. called them all back together once again for one more announcement.

"Now, I told you all that the deed to the farm was already made over to the person who's gonna inherit it." He turned to Skinner, "Dub, I know how you always felt that this farm was your momma's and you didn't like Noretta bein' here."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Daddy, that was wrong. Please, give her the farm, she deserves it more than anyone," said Skinner.

"Well, she don't want it. She's decided to buy a small house in Alonzo with a couple of acres. In fact, she's already done it. Soon as I'm in the ground, she'll move in. Woman always has been practical. Says she don't want to get stuck tryin' to keep up this place. Just needs a couple of acres to grow her dang fool flowers and a few tomatoes and pole beans."

"Them flowers aren't foolish, Roy. They're pretty and give me happiness. So, you just hush up." Noretta placed her hand on the old man's arm.

"Yeah, well, you can't eat'em, so they're foolish. Anyway, I've got the farm made over to you, Dub. I'm hopin' when you retire from the government, you and your pretty bride and that baby will move back here. Course I know the baby'll probably been in high school and won't want to come, but at least you and Dana'll have a place of your own."

"I..I don't know what to say. Thanks, Dad. But it should rightly go to George and Marilyn. They could divide it up and make their places bigger."

"Why the hell would I want more land at my age?", asked George. "I'm too old to wanna work that hard anymore, and now, I won't have to. Take it, Dub. You ain't no farmer, but you can at least enjoy the beauty of the place."

"What about it, Dana? Do you think you could retire here?", Skinner asked as he went to stand near her.

"I could manage," she smiled.

Everyone started to leave about 4:30. Skinner, Scully, Kate, Marilyn and Jake walked back to Marilyn's while everyone else went to George's to get their cars. When they reached the house, Skinner and Scully claimed two of the rockers and sat on the porch, watching the wind stir the
tops of the trees.

"What are we going to do when we get back to Washington?", asked Scully. They were holding hands and rocking at the same slow pace.

"Well, first, I guess we need to talk to your mother. Ask for your hand and all that." He leaned over to kiss her hand. "Think she'll have any objections?"

"If I am indeed pregnant, she'll probably be eternally grateful. Do you think I really am pregnant, Walter?" She laughed, "I'm the doctor and I'm asking YOU!"

"I certainly hope you are. And if you're not, we'll get married anyway and do our damnedest to create one. How's that sound?" He tugged on her hand until she got up and went to sit gingerly in his lap.

When she was seated comfortably for both herself and him, he leaned her back in his arms and cradled her. He lay his hand on her abdoment, just below the top button on her jeans. "How big would he be right now? Would I be able to feel him?"

"No, silly. *He* or *she* is probably only about 6 weeks into development and is still very very tiny. My uterus is way down here," and she moved his hand down to just above her pubic bone, "so you'd not be able to feel anything. Oh!", she gasped as he moved his hand lower till it was between her legs. "*I* can feel that, however."

"DUB!", yelled Kate from inside the house. Skinner moved his hand to Scully's hip, as if innocently holding her in place on his lap. Scully shook her head at his wicked smile. "Do y'all want something to eat? We can go into town and eat the Shoney's if you all want."

"Uh, no thanks, Kate," he said as she came out onto the porch, "I'm really tired, and I just want to take a nap. Sleepin' on that futon last night nearly killed me. And of course, the boys playing Drop Kick Dub hasn't made me feel any better. So, I'll pass, but if you wanna go Dana, you can."

"No, I think I'll just stay here with you. Now that I know there's a possibility I'm pregnant, I'm suddenly very tired. Psycho-somatic symptoms," she chuckled.

"Well, all right, but when we get back, we'd better hear some kind of wedding plans," said Kate. "See you all in a little while."

The three of them climbed into Jake's pick-up truck and Skinner and Scully waved as they drove up the drive. "Now's our chance," whispered Scully. "Come on. I'll race you to the bed."

"Uh, Dana? I wasn't kidding about being tired. I don't think even "Reveille" being played at full volume would wake certain, uh, sore members right now. I'm sorry. Forgive me? Rain check?"

"We've got the rest of our lives, my love. Come on, I'll tuck you in."


Editor's Note:
The question now is, does THE END or THE BEGINING go here?