From: Nicole B 
Subject: Shadowplay, rated R for language and adult situations
DISCLAIMER:  As we all know, the X Files and the characters of Mr. Mulder,  
Mrs. Mulder, Cancerman, and Fox Mulder belong to Chris Carter, 1013  
Productions, and Fox.  Used with love but not permission.  Rated R for 
very brief profanity and adult situations. This story is my theory 
concerning the reason for the conversation between CM and Mrs. Mulder at 
the beginning of Talitha Cumi.  
 
 
June 11, 1965 
 
For several hours, Rebecca Mulder sat in her husband's favorite chair, 
the green leather wingback by the window. She stared blankly out over the 
ocean beyond the window, her mind racing. How was she ever going to        
explain this to Bill? 
 
At her feet, three year old Fox sat playing with his favorite toy car.  
Periodically he looked up at his mother with a quizzical expression, 
baffled by her unusual silence.  At one point, he tugged at her skirt, 
and when she looked down, he said, "I love you, Mommy."  Rebecca looked 
into her son's enormous green eyes, and felt her own fill.  "Come give 
Mommy a hug, Fox," she managed to say, and buried her burning face in  
her little son's tee shirt. 
 
Outside on the water, Bill Mulder piloted the silver and blue ski boat over 
the choppy water, while behind him, his best friend glided effortlessly on 
his waterskis with all the skill and practiced care of a professional.  
Bill looked back over his shoulder and laughed to himself, amused by the 
serious look on the face of his friend.  Bill shook his head and thought, 
"Can't that guy ever just relax and have fun?" 
 
As if he'd heard Bill's thoughts, the man on the skis abruptly dropped the 
tow rope and for just a moment continued over the water by force of 
momentum before falling into the water with a noisy splash.  Bill steered 
the boat into a wide turn and came back to the man calmly treading water.  
Bill cut the engine and reached over to help his buddy into the boat.  The 
tall man in the red bathing trunks flopped into the bottom of the boat and 
rolled onto his back.  Looking up and squinting into the sun, his blue eyes 
glowed with cold fire as he said, "Got a cigarette, Bill?" 
*************************************************************************** 
That night Rebecca stood at the stove, mechanically stirring a pot of pole
beans while Fox stood beside her, jabbering excitedly about going on 
waterskis for the first time the next day.  Rebecca tried to act cheerful
and normal for the sake of the child (both children now, she thought, have
to think of both children now), but she didn't quite pull it off.  
Fortunately, little Fox was too preoccupied to notice.  He was usually 
such a serious child, seeing him so animated was something Rebecca didn't 
get to enjoy often enough, and she tried to be excited for him.  Rebecca 
and Fox both turned at the scratchy sound of a match being lit.  The tall 
man stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a smugly amused look on his face.
"When are you going to tell him, Rebecca?"
"Don't talk about it in front of Fox!" she said sharply, and little Fox 
looked up at her, confused and a little frightened at the unaccustomed 
anger in his mother's voice.
"Fox, your father is taking a shower.  Why don't you go take him a clean
towel?" the tall man said kindly, and handed Fox a peppermint.  When the 
child was gone, the man walked towards Rebecca, putting out his arms to 
embrace her.  She turned quickly, presenting him with her back. He stopped
and took a step back, amused by her agitation.
"You can't let it go on forever, Rebecca.  You aren't planning to wait  
until you deliver to tell him, are you?"
"I can't tell him.  It would kill him.  His wife and his best friend.., 
God, it sounds like the plot of a bad movie!"
The tall man laughted and drew on his cigarette.  "Do you have to smoke 
those filthy things in my house?  They make me sick to my stomach!"  
Rebecca said irritably.  The tall man shrugged and wet the cigarette at 
the kitchen sink, and dropped it into the trash can.  "Some things can be
taken care of that easily.  Some things.....present more of a problem. How
are we going to take care of this problem, Rebecca?"
Rebecca whirled to face him.  "Don't refer to my child as a *problem, you
son of a bitch.  No matter who its father may be, it is still *my* child!"
The tall man shrugged.  "The semantics are unimportant, Rebecca.  What is 
important is how we are going to deal with Bill."
"What about Bill?" said a voice from the hall, and the tall man turned to 
see Bill Mulder standing behind him, holding Fox in his arms.  "Deal with
me how?"
Rebecca turned back toward the stove, her heart pounding.  This wasn't the
way I wanted this to happen, she thought.  I don't want to hurt Bill.  He 
is a good father to Fox, and he tries to be a good husband.  It isn't his
fault that his job makes him....distant.  How much did he hear, she 
thought desperately.  Please, God, don't let him find out like that!
The tall man took a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket and said,
"I think I'll go outside and smoke this.  They seem to make Rebecca ill, 
and we don't want that, do we?  Would you like to come out with me and 
look at the stars, Fox?  Maybe we'll see a shooting star, or....something.
I think your Mom and Dad want to have a talk."
Neither Rebecca or Bill said anything until they heard the screen door shut
behind Fox and his father's friend.  "What is it, Rebecca?"  Bill said
softly.  "You have something you need to say to me?"
Rebecca looked at the man standing in front of her, and her eyes filled 
with hot tears of shame.  "Bill, I just want you to know, I never meant 
for this to happen....."
"What, Rebecca?  Never expected to stoop to fucking my best friend?  Or 
never expected to get knocked up by him?"
Rebecca stared at him, shocked.  "He told you?  The bastard, he told you!"
"He told me nothing, Rebecca.  Do you think I am a complete fool?  I heard
your sordid little conversation.  God, how long has this been going on, 
Rebecca?  Carrying on with that black lunged bastard, right under my nose.
What about Fox?  Did you wait for him to take a nap, or did you just lock
him outside to play?"
Rebecca sobbed painfully.  "I'm so sorry, Bill.  Whatever you want to do,
I'll do.  I'll give you a divorce.  Fox and I will leave here today."
"Do you really think I would let you take my son away from me, woman?  
That is, if he really is my son."  Bill snorted and turned away from her.
"He is your son, Bill, I swear.  And I would never try to take him away
from you.  Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it."
Bill was silent for a very long time.  Finally he said, "You'll do 
nothing, woman.  We will go on exactly as we always have.  You will never
see that man again, I'll see to that, and you wil give my son a brother or
sister in a few months time.  We will never speak of this again, ever, and 
Fox will never know."  Bill turned and walked out of the kitchen, and 
Rebecca heard the front door slam behind him.  She tensed, expecting to 
hear loud voices and sounds of violence from the front porch, but she heard 
nothing.  When she went to check on them, she found Bill, his friend and 
little Fox, gazing up into the night sky, looking, it seemed, at something 
that only they could see.
**************************************************************************
November 21, 1965
Rebecca lay back against the hospital pillows, exhausted from 12 difficult
hours of labor.  She had been rewarded with a little girl, a beautiful
little girl with silky hair and grey eyes which would soon turn the 
crystalline color of arctic ice.  The door opened, and she looked up.  A
nurse came in bearing a large flower arrangement.  "More flowers for you, 
Mrs. Mulder," she said cheerfully and placed them on the table.  She handed
Rebecca the card and walked out.  Rebecca opend the card slowly and read 
it.  It said, 'Congratulations on your new addition.  I know she will be 
as beautiful as her mother.'  the card was unsigned, but Rebecca knew the
hand that had written it.  She slowly replaced the card in its little 
envelope as the dorr swung open and Bill came in, bearing chocolates and
flowers.
"How do you feel?"
"Just tired.  Did you see her?"
"I saw her.  She is lovely, like her mother."
"Bill, I....."
"Rebecca, don't say anything.  We promised we would never speak of it 
again, and I want to keep that promise.  Fox will never know, and I will
raise Samantha as my own daughter."  Bill sat on the edge of Rebecca's 
bed and kissed her forehead.  Rebecca thought there was a strange look in
his eyes, but she decided it was only her own weariness and lingering guilt
that made her think so.  "Everything will be all right.  After all, I have 
big plans for Samantha, Rebecca.  Very big plans."
THE END

    Source: geocities.com/area51/portal/1720/archive

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