Title: Fair Enough

Author: mimic117

Email: mimic1172@gmail.com

Rating: PG-13

Setting: Season 6-ish, sequel to Fair Game

Summary: What else are friends for?

Archive: Sure. Have at it. I'll do Gossamer and Ephemeral 
myself, thanks.

Disclaimer: M&S belong to CC, but Darlene, Kelly and Marie 
are all mine. The rating belongs to the MPAA, silly people that 
they are.

Thanks: To my ever-patient Twinsy for the loving whacks 
upside the head.

This one is for bellefleur in celebration of her birthday, which 
is my birthday, too. There's no one I'd rather share it with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fair Enough
by mimic117


Dana Scully's apartment
10:47 AM

"Come on in, Marie. Where are the Terrible Twosome?" Dana 
gestures for me to enter, gracing me with the big, toothy grin 
she reserves for special occasions and special people. 

"Still in the car, primping. Lord forbid there should be one 
strand of hair out of place." 

Dana chuckles softly, the way she does when she's highly 
amused. "How bad was the hangover this morning?"

I smirk as I follow her into the living room. "We would have 
been here sooner if those two could've stopped wallowing in 
self pity. Personally, I drank a lot of water and took some 
aspirin before bed and I feel fine. Best advice you ever gave 
me, Dana."

She smiles again and I feel like the worst kind of friend. I 
wonder if it shows on my face. If Dana only knew the 
discussion going on while we were driving to her apartment, 
she'd be calling Darlene and Kelly something worse than 
"terrible." But I can't bring myself to tell her about the 
whispered conniving up in the front seat. I tried to ignore them 
as much as I could, yet I understood the gist -- Darlene plans to 
seduce Mulder away from Dana. Why she thinks it'll work any 
better now than it ever did in college, I don't know, but 
every time Dana got a new boyfriend, he became fair game as 
far as Darlene was concerned. She'd enlist Kelly's help to keep 
Dana distracted while Darlene cozied up to the current flame. 
The fact that she always made a fool of herself doesn't 
seem to have taught her anything. I can't believe she's 
planning to try her old tricks again.

Maybe it's a good thing we only see each other at class 
reunions these days. 

I'm saved from blurting out what I know by a voice from the 
kitchen.

"I got the faucet working, Scully, but I still think you should 
have the super look at it. I'm a Federal Agent, not a plumber."

It's Dana's partner. Not that we've been formally introduced, 
but I'd recognize that voice anywhere, even after only hearing 
it last night. I'm not sure I'd recognize the face as easily, 
though--he's no longer wearing the smoldering look that first 
attracted my attention in the bar. He's not wearing a shirt, 
either, and it's his chest that's getting most of my scrutiny 
this time, although his jeans are pretty noteworthy, too. They 
ride low on his hips, the ragged waistband sagging slightly below 
his navel. Long, bare feet stick out from under the shredded hems. 
The snug-fitting thighs are faded nearly transparent, frayed 
slashes in the threadbare denim allowing his skin to peek through. 
The fly buttons strain against the frizzy buttonholes, testifying 
to the impressive package that had Darlene drooling last night.

Dana always did have good taste in men.

"Mulder, where's your shirt?"

He holds out a sodden wad of gray in one hand. "It, umm, got 
wet."

"You didn't turn off the valve in the closet like I told you to, 
did you?"

"Of course I did!" Dana raises her eyebrow at him. Mulder 
scuffs his toe on the carpet and suddenly he looks like a 
ten-year-old who's been caught putting curlers on the cat. 
"Eventually." 

"It serves you right." Dana's voice is stern, but there's a 
twinkle in her eyes that belies her tone. The air is electrified 
for a second as he gazes back. Neither of them says anything and 
I have no idea what's going on, but I feel like I should turn 
away to give them privacy.

Mulder is the first to break the connection as he extends his 
hand to me. "We didn't get to meet properly at the bar. I'm 
Mulder."

His hand is cool and firm. 

"Marie. I've heard a lot about you." 

He glances at Dana with a rueful expression. "I'll bet. Sorry 
about last night. That was entirely Scully's idea."

Dana smacks his arm. "I didn't hear you putting up much of a 
fight about it."

"You know I always bow to your superior strategizing skills, 
partner." He salutes. "Where the Captain leads, I follow."

She rolls her eyes, then waves her hand at him and says, "If 
we're going out to lunch, you'd better add to your ensemble. 
You're missing something."

Mulder bounds over to the sofa and wiggles his feet into a scruffy 
pair of sneakers sitting on the floor. Then he throws his arms out 
to the side and exclaims, "Hey! I'm wearing shoes!" The three of 
us watch as his wet t-shirt goes sailing out of his hand. It 
squishes against the far wall. The glower Dana shoots him would 
stop a charging rhino in its tracks, but Mulder just says, "I'll 
get that," and saunters across the room to pick it up. 

When he bends down, a tattered rip in the seat of his jeans 
provides proof of Kelly's speculation last night in the bar--
Mulder isn't wearing underwear. The rip is too large and 
perfectly positioned to leave any doubt. The squeak that 
emerges from my mouth is unavoidable. 

Hands on hips, Dana glares at Mulder's exposed backside. "If 
you're quite through flashing us--" She's interrupted by a 
loud knock on the door. 

Mulder jumps and claps a hand to his ass. Wide-eyed, he 
glances from me to Dana to the door, where the knocking 
resumes amid high-pitched giggles from the other side. He 
points toward the hallway and says, "I'll just go and..." then 
lopes in that direction, long fingers still splayed over the rip 
in his pants. 

Dana yells "Chicken!" and turns toward the apartment door. 
She looks at me and grins. "I told him last night that Darlene 
has the hots for him."

No wonder the poor man looked panic-stricken! Dana was 
probably teasing him about it all morning. I'm glad that she's 
on to Darlene's antics.

When Dana opens the door, I can't believe what I see. That's 
not the same outfit Darlene was wearing when we got into the 
car! She had on a soft, buttoned sweater. Now the tops of her 
more-than-ample breasts, framed by the open sweater, spill out 
of a tight, low-cut, spaghetti-strap tank top. They jiggle like 
pale bags of Jell-O. Her pants are so tight they look as though 
they are painted on. She's wearing black stiletto heels instead 
of the sensible flats I saw earlier. Her makeup is much too 
heavy for the middle of the day and completely unlike what she 
had on before. 

That witch! I have half a mind to march her right out to the car 
and drive her back to the hotel. 

Darlene and Kelly prance through the doorway and hug Dana as 
though they haven't seen her in years. I recognize that tactic. 
They're trying to put her at ease, divert any suspicions she 
might have. If Dana didn't know before that something is 
up, she will now.

When I catch Darlene's eye, she throws her shoulders back 
and gives me a defiant stare. The urge to hustle her out to the 
car gets stronger but Mulder's return stops me from following 
through. 

His hair is spiky-damp and swept off his forehead. He's 
wearing loose khaki pants, loafers and a bright blue dress shirt 
with the sleeves rolled back. I can't help noticing the patch of 
chest hair peeking through the open shirt buttons. 

He looks every bit as good as he did in the ripped jeans. I'm 
really glad, for his sake, Darlene didn't see him like that.

Dana turns to make introductions. Darlene has pulled her top 
down even farther. Her Jell-O bags bounce as she hops 
forward to shake Mulder's hand, her hardened nipples barely 
covered by the jersey top--and nothing else. She's not 
wearing a bra underneath. 

Darlene always did fight dirty. She nudges Kelly with her elbow 
when Mulder turns away to pick up his keys. Dana called them 
the Terrible Twosome. The Trollop Twins would be more accurate. 
It's all I can do to stop myself from knocking their heads 
together.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Mulder asks as he snags a black 
leather jacket from the back of the sofa. 

"Go where?" Dana replies. "You never told me your secret 
plan." 

He waggles his eyebrows. "Papa Joe's." 

"Mulder! That place is a dump!"

"It's not the classiest joint around, but it's got THE best 
seafood gumbo, bar none. Admit it, Scully. Your mouth just 
watered. Didn't it?"

Dana visibly swallows and Mulder smirks. "Okay," she says. 
"So they have good food. But--"

He raises a hand to interrupt. "No buts. You know I'm right." 
He looks at each of us in turn. "What do you say, ladies? If 
Papa Joe's doesn't have the best seafood you've ever eaten, 
lunch is on me. Does that sound fair?"

Darlene would say yes if Mulder asked her to eat out of a 
dumpster. Kelly's nodding like one of those bobble-head dolls 
in a speeding car. I guess it's up to me to be the voice of the 
group.  

"Fair enough." The words are barely out of my mouth before 
Darlene latches onto Mulder's arm like a barnacle with Jell-O-
bag boobs.

"I'll ride with you." Her voice is wispy and breathy, totally 
unlike her usual bold, brassy way of speaking. She practically 
drags the poor man to the door, hardly pausing to let him shrug 
into his coat as she twists the knob and tows him out into the 
hallway. Kelly dithers around, trying to slow us down. Dana 
grabs a jacket out of the closet, then herds her out the door 
and locks it behind us.

Darlene tries to steer the rest of us to Dana's car while she 
rides with Mulder in his. He solves the who-rides-where problem 
by insisting that it'll be more fun if we all go together. 
Naturally, Darlene claims the front passenger seat until Mulder 
insists that he needs Dana to navigate.

One point for the man with the quick mind. I know it won't stop 
Darlene for long, but at least she'll be sequestered in the back 
seat. It's a good thing the car is big enough to fit all of us at 
once. I can only imagine what kind of mischief she would get 
up to, alone with Mulder in the front seat. 

I hear Dana snort as we climb into the car. "Some things never 
change, do they?"

Not when Darlene is involved. Lunch should be interesting, to 
say the least.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Papa Joe's Fish Shack
2:18 PM

As soon as we're shown to our table, Darlene gets the upper 
hand by grabbing the seat on the right of Mulder and 
maneuvering Kelly into the one on the left. That means Dana 
is forced to sit across from him instead of by his side, where 
she belongs. I'm all set to argue with Darlene about it, but 
Dana shakes her head at me, so I let it drop. 

Darlene's cruising for a real earful the first chance I get. 

On Mulder's recommendation, I get the seafood gumbo and 
crab cakes. Not only is the food fantastic, the portions are 
huge. Before long, I'm so full I couldn't eat another bite if I 
was threatened at gunpoint. 

Dana was right about the atmosphere, though. Peeling vinyl 
cloths cover several round, rickety tables in the space between 
the counter and a wall. A plastic tumbler full of silverware and a 
roll of paper towels crowd the salt and pepper shakers in the 
middle of the table. A huge chalkboard with a menu written on 
it is propped next to the cash register. There aren't any paper 
menus or order takers. Once all of us had decided what we wanted, 
Mulder shouted our orders to someone at the counter, then a 
server delivered the food and checks to our table. This may 
not be the ritziest restaurant I've ever eaten in, but I like the 
relaxed, down-home setting.

All through lunch, Mulder's been telling stories about the work 
he and Dana do, but I have to wonder how much he's making 
up. I don't know if he's one to tell whoppers, and Dana's going 
along with him, so I have to assume it's all true. Of course, 
considering what they pulled on us in the bar last night, maybe 
I should take what he's saying with a fairly large dose of doubt. 

Darlene's burst of overly loud laughter at his current tale draws 
the attention of just about everyone in the restaurant. She's 
been flirting with Mulder ever since we arrived, batting her 
lashes at him, touching his arm, laughing uproariously at 
everything he says, tossing her hair, leaning close so he has a 
good eyeful of her cleavage. I think she's nauseating but he 
seems to be taking it in stride. Maybe it was a good thing 
Dana warned him ahead of time.

Kelly taps Dana on the shoulder and calls her name. Dana 
turns, but I can see a smirk twitching at the corner of her 
mouth. If Kelly thinks she can keep Dana busy so she won't 
notice what Darlene is up to, she's sadly mistaken. Apparently 
those two have forgotten that nothing gets past Dana. She 
used to remember tiny details about people and situations that 
totally escaped the rest of us. She doesn't seem the least bit 
flustered by Darlene's little game. Me, I'd be rip-out-her-hair, 
stamp-on-her-instep-in-heels livid if Darlene was messing with 
my man that way. But Dana is talking to Kelly as if nothing out 
of the ordinary is going on. Maybe that's because every time 
Dana says something, Mulder's eyes seek her out, like a plant 
following the sun. It's obvious to me that he's only being polite 
to Darlene, although I don't think Darlene's cottoned on to that 
fact yet. But Dana knows, and she trusts him. 

She's one lucky woman.

Little shuffling noises signal that most of us are finished eating 
and ready to leave. All except Darlene, of course. She'd stay 
right here until tomorrow morning if it meant she could continue 
her seduction. 

Mulder scoops up all of the checks from the middle of the table 
before any of us can sort them out. There's a good bit of 
friendly protest over who's going to pay what, but he just keeps 
shaking his head until we all shut up. 

Then he says, "This time it's on me, ladies. Any friends of 
Scully's are worth more than a measly lunch." He stops talking 
for a second and looks straight at me. "Does that sound fair to 
you, Marie?"

His gaze is locked so intently on me, I can't look away. He's 
trying to tell me something. Something other than what he's 
saying with words. I wonder what...

He wants my approval. No, more than that. He wants me to 
know that he wasn't encouraging Darlene. He was simply 
humoring a friend of Dana's; being polite because she's 
important to the woman he loves. And it matters to him that I 
understand. 

I give him a small smile to let him know that I got it. I can see 
relief in his eyes when I reply, "Fair enough." 

He returns a smile like the one that made me weak-kneed in 
the bar. "Good. That's settled, then." He scoots back his chair 
and quickly moves to help Dana with her jacket in spite of the 
fact that Darlene is holding her sweater out to him. I take it 
instead and try to give her a copy of Dana's raised eyebrow 
while I help her put it on. She scowls at me.

Dana leads the way out the door while Mulder goes to the 
counter to pay the checks. She says, "We're going to stop at a 
store on the way home and pick up some snacks for this 
afternoon. If you think of anything you want, speak up."

Darlene and Kelly start suggesting every junk food you can 
think of, from Cheetos to Screaming Yellow Zonkers to Ding Dongs. 
When Mulder joins us, he throws in with the Ding Dong crowd. Dana 
rolls her eyes at me but I can tell she's enjoying the argument. 
Knowing her, there are already veggies in the fridge and she's 
only planning to pick up low-fat Ranch Dressing and multigrain 
crackers. But she lets the rest of them have their delusions all 
the way to the store. 

I thought we'd be stopping at a grocery store but the building 
we pull up to looks more like the little mom-and-pop places I 
remember from back home. Some of the signs in the window 
are badly faded and the prices are so low they must be from 
three or four decades ago. 

I would have been happy to let Dana and Mulder do the 
shopping until Darlene and Kelly pile out of the car right after 
them. I'm certainly not going to sit here by myself while 
Darlene is loose in the store with Mulder.

As soon as I open the building's door, I wish I'd stayed in the 
car. My friends are standing to one side with their hands in the 
air. A man behind the checkout counter motions me inside with 
his gun. He has an elderly woman in a headlock. She looks 
terrified and I don't blame her. I put my hands up, too, and let 
the door swing shut behind me. 

What timing.

The robber keeps swinging the gun from side to side. He has 
the clerk under control but now, with the five of us, there are a 
lot of people to cover at one time. I guess he wasn't expecting 
company. 

Darlene starts to whimper and Kelly joins her like a good 
stooge. I don't know how they think that's going to help. 
They're just making the robber more upset. They're not helping 
*my* nerves, either. I sidle over to Dana and Mulder. If 
Darlene and Kelly are going to make themselves targets, I'll 
stand next to the calm people.

"I don't have my weapon."

It takes me a moment to realize the whisper I heard came from 
Dana. She didn't take her focus off the gunman, but I don't 
think she meant him to hear what she said. 

Mulder answers, "I do."

She cuts her eyes at him for a second. "Which?"

He lowers his gaze but doesn't say anything. 

Dana nods slightly. "Let me go first."

"Your call."

I have no idea what they're talking about. Still, for some 
reason, it gives me hope. They've been very careful to keep 
their voices down but the robber must have seen their lips 
moving. The gun swivels in our direction.

"Shut up!" he shouts. "No more talking. We're gonna move 
into the back room so grandma can open the safe."

"But I don't--" The woman doesn't get any farther when the 
gunman's arm tightens around her neck.

"You'll figure out something if you know what's good for you." 
He shoves the clerk aside and backs toward a door in the 
corner, keeping us in his sights the whole time. He pushes the 
door open, then motions with the gun. "Grandma goes in first, 
then the rest of you, one at a time. I'll be keeping my eye on 
everyone, so no funny business." 

The robber backs into what is obviously a storage room and stands 
where he can see each person as they walk through the doorway. 
This is not a good sign. Darlene and Kelly start whispering, none 
too quietly. Idiots!

"He's gonna kill us."

"I know."

"This is how it always happens in the movies."

"And the fast-food shootings."

"But this is a store, not a fast-food place."

"Maybe that will make a difference."

"You think so?"

"It probably depends--"

"SHUT UP!" the gunman screams. "I told you once to shut 
your mouths! Now keep 'em shut or I'll shut 'em for you!" 

They're my friends, but they're still idiots.

I see Dana give Mulder a long look before she joins the clerk 
inside the storage room. I don't know what she was trying to 
convey, but his posture is suddenly different. He's poised to 
react. But to what? She never said anything. What is he 
expecting?

I follow close behind Mulder as he trails Dana through the 
doorway. Darlene and Kelly crowd in behind me. It wasn't a big 
space to begin with. Now it feels even smaller. The clerk is 
already working the combination on a safe under one shelf but 
her hands are shaking. The gunman is as far from the rest of 
us as he can manage while still being able to observe everyone 
at once. He waves Darlene and Kelly to move in farther. I 
glance over at Dana for reassurance. She's watching the 
robber very intently, like she's waiting for something. Suddenly 
her eyes roll back in her head and she drops to the floor. 

Darlene and Kelly scream. The robber jumps and swings his 
gun in Dana's direction. Without thinking, I start toward her, 
but Mulder steps in front of me. 

"Don't shoot!" he yells. "She was scared. She just fainted. 
Don't shoot her."

The gunman squares his shoulders and glares at Mulder before 
turning to the trembling clerk. "Hurry up, grandma! You've got 
one minute before I blow a hole in you and open it myself."

I can't believe it. Dana never faints! Not even that time in 
college when we stopped to help at an accident scene on our 
way to lunch. The driver's arm was hanging by a thread but 
Dana wasn't thrown off balance in the least. She grabbed 
someone's belt to use as a tourniquet and got the bleeding 
stopped before the ambulance arrived. Once the paramedics 
took over, she cleaned up and continued on to lunch. I wasn't 
exactly hungry at that point, but Dana packed it away like a 
construction worker. And she's fainting over a man with a gun? 
I don't get it. Maybe something else is wrong. Maybe she's 
sick. Maybe--

"Federal agent! FREEZE!" 

Maybe I should remember what she does for a living. 

Darlene and Kelly scream again. The clerk faints--for real, I 
think. Mulder's hands are still in the air, but he isn't looking 
the least bit cowed or frightened. In fact, he has a downright 
"Gotcha!" smirk on his face. That might be because Dana is 
lying at his feet with a gun in her hand, pointed straight at the 
very surprised robber. I have no idea where she got it from, but 
I'm willing to ascribe it to divine intervention. 

The robber is still holding his gun, probably because he's too 
shocked to drop it. Mulder isn't taking any chances, though.

"Throw it down, asshole," he commands. "She's a very 
accurate shot and she won't hesitate to take you out. Trust me. 
I know."

Dana remains on the floor until Mulder gestures for the gun and 
the guy tosses it to him. Then she slowly stands, never 
removing her focus from the suddenly subdued gunman. She 
asks Mulder, "You have cuffs, too, by any chance?" 

He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a jangle of 
silver. "Don't leave home without 'em." 

While Dana keeps the would-be robber covered, Mulder walks over 
to him and grabs an arm. I hear the *slap-snick * of the cuffs. 
Mulder says, "You have the right to remain silent." 

His mouth keeps moving as the gunman lets loose a burst of 
profanity. I miss hearing the rest of the Miranda warning. 
Dana has her cell phone out and appears to be calling in the 
troops but I can't hear her, either, over the flood of cursing. 
She closes the phone and puts it back in her pocket. 

"I called for an ambulance," she says, "but I should check out 
the clerk while we wait." 

Mulder clears his throat, then puts out his hand, palm up, and 
waggles his fingers. "It might be best to hand over the 
hardware first." 

Dana slaps the gun into his palm before moving to the older 
woman, who's starting to stir. Darlene and Kelly are gone. I 
check out the door and see them huddled together in the 
middle of the store. They're jabbering away, probably fixing the 
details of what happened so that they come out the heroines. 
I'm sure I'll be hearing a completely different version of events 
later tonight. I should help Dana, but I need to know something 
first.

I turn to Mulder, who has their finally-silent prisoner sitting on 
the floor with his back up against the wall, and ask, "Where did 
she get the gun?" 

He grins, then pulls up the leg of his khakis. Strapped above 
his ankle is a holster. 

Well I'll be dipped. That's why Dana fainted! She didn't really 
pass out, she was pretending so she could get to the gun! How 
clever. And very lucky for us that Mulder had it. But then I 
guess I shouldn't have expected anything else. Dana was 
always too smart to let people get the better of her. I should 
have known she'd find a man every bit as smart as she is. 

Like to like, my granny always said. That certainly seems true 
of Dana and her partner.

"Hey!" The guy on the floor tilts his head back to look up at 
Mulder. "She ain't really a fed, is she?"

Mulder looks over to where Dana is helping the dazed clerk to 
sit up. "Yeah, she is. So am I."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Mulder reaches into his back pocket. He pulls out a thin, 
black wallet, then flips it open in the other man's face. "We 
don't get 'em from a box of Cracker Jacks." 

The gunman's eyes widen. "What the hell kinda name--" The 
wallet snaps shut, barely missing his nose.

"Not. Another. Word," Mulder growls. 

I hear sirens scream into the parking lot. Darlene and Kelly run 
to the doors instead of waiting for help to arrive. I hope they 
don't get themselves shot. 

Within seconds, the little storage room is filled with police 
officers, talking over the top of each other, making notes, 
checking out the prisoner and the clerk. It's chaos, but Mulder 
and Dana seem completely at home in the midst of it all. When 
the paramedics arrive, I'm forced to move out into the store or 
be trampled underfoot. 

Now that it's over, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. 
Shock is setting in. My legs are trembling and I'm not sure 
I'll be able to stand much longer. I feel someone's arm around 
my shoulders and I jump. I didn't see Mulder approaching. I 
guess that proves how out of touch I am right now. His hand rubs 
up and down my arm comfortingly. It feels good to lean on him. 
I can see concern on his face when he asks, "How are you doing, 
Marie? You okay?"

It's no wonder Dana loves this man. He's a definite keeper. 

I give him the best smile I can manage under the circumstances. 
"I'll be fine. I'm just a bit shook up is all."

He smiles back and sings, "Uh huh. Uh huh huh, yeah yeah. 
I'm all shook up."

His gravelly Elvis impression makes me laugh, and I realize I'm 
not shaking quite as much anymore. Mulder's slowly guiding me 
out into the parking when something occurs to me. I look back 
over my shoulder at the store.

"Where's Dana?" I haven't seen her since I left the storage 
room. I hope she's okay. 

"She's helping the paramedics with the clerk. They'll be out 
soon."

"Is this what you two do all the time? How does Dana stand 
it?"

Mulder chuckles softly. "Scully's tough. She usually deals with 
it better than I do. Besides, thwarting robberies is just a 
hobby. Our regular work isn't nearly this exciting."

I laugh again, sounding slightly hysterical this time, even to 
myself. Mulder hugs me close for a second before steering me 
toward Darlene and Kelly, standing by the car. "Let's get you 
three where it's a little more comfortable. It shouldn't be too 
much longer before we can leave."

"Don't we need to give statements or something?" I've never 
witnessed a crime before. I'm not sure what I should do. 

When we stop next to the car, Darlene and Kelly move closer. 
Judging by their wide eyes, they probably could do with a hug 
or two as well.

"You don't need to give a statement right now," Mulder says, 
including the others with a glance. "We'll make sure the police 
have your contact information in case they want to talk to you. 
But since Scully and I were witnesses, the rest of you probably 
won't have to go over it again if you don't want to. I'm sure the 
clerk will give a statement, so that should be all they need."

He removes his arm from my shoulders and opens the rear car 
door. "Go ahead and sit down. We should be done shortly." 

Kelly gets in first, followed by Darlene, then me, but this time 
there's no jockeying for position the way there was when we 
left the apartment. 

Now Darlene is so obviously shaken, I'm almost ashamed of 
those thoughts. She can be a real pain at times, but that's just 
who she is. I knew that about her in college and I know she 
hasn't changed, but she's also my friend, and friends don't let 
each other hurt alone. 

I take Darlene's hand and squeeze it. She gives me a wavery 
smile and squeezes back. I'm sure she'll piss me off again by 
returning to her old tricks sooner rather than later, but at 
least she knows I'm still here for her. 

Dana comes out of the store and holds the door open so the 
EMTs can remove the elderly clerk on a stretcher. Mulder's 
been talking to a police officer ever since he helped us into the 
car, but now he turns as if he knew who just emerged from the 
building. Maybe he did. I wouldn't be at all surprised.

He says one last thing to the officer, then moves quickly toward 
Dana. He stops close in front of her and frames her face with 
his hands. They just stare at each other for a few seconds, 
then he presses a kiss to her forehead and pulls her to him. 
She wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his 
chest while he rubs her back with both hands. She leans back 
to smile at him before turning toward the car, one arm still 
around his body. 

Darlene's been watching them with a subdued expression on 
her face. In spite of feeling more charitable toward her, I can't 
resist saying, "Maybe it's time for you to grow up, Darlene. 
We're not in college anymore." She nods solemnly but she 
doesn't say anything.

Dana and Mulder get into the car and we resume our aborted 
drive to her apartment. Dana checks with each of us to make 
sure we're all right, but after that no one says anything, even 
when we stop at a different store. Only Mulder gets out this 
time. He returns before the silence can become awkward 
rather than thoughtful. 

Once we're back inside the apartment, Mulder takes his 
purchase to the kitchen while Dana shows the rest of us into 
the living room. It's good to settle onto the sofa cushions 
and know that we're safe. Kelly sits down next to me, but 
Darlene shifts from foot to foot. I can see moisture sparkling 
in her eyes. Her lower lip begins to tremble.

Here it comes. An Act of Contrition was always the inevitable 
result of Darlene's failed attempts to seduce one of Dana's 
boyfriends. I guess some things really *don't* change.

Darlene flings herself into Dana's arms, nearly knocking her 
down in the process. "I'm so sorry," she wails. "I've been 
acting like such a bitch and putting the moves on Mulder and I 
really didn't mean it you know that and then you saved our lives 
cause I just know that robber would have killed us and I feel so 
awful and dirty and I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for the 
rest of your life and I don't know how I can ever thank you 
enough, Dana, I really don't." 

Darlene's sobbing now so it's a little hard to understand the rest 
of what she says, but Dana seems to get the gist of it. She 
pats Darlene's back and makes soothing noises until her 
emotional outburst trails off into hiccups. Dana retrieves some 
tissues from a nearby end table and hands them to Darlene. 
She waits until Darlene has composed herself, then looks her 
right in the eye and says, "What else are friends for?"

I may burst into tears myself. What Dana and Mulder did went 
far beyond the usual tit-for-tat exchanges of friendship, but they 
seem to see it as no big deal. I don't know how *any* of us 
can repay them for what they did except to be good friends in 
return. 

Dana guides Darlene to the sofa, then takes a seat in the 
armchair. "Tell you what," she says. "The next time you come 
to visit, I'll send Mulder off to investigate something while 
you're here to take temptation out of your way. I keep telling 
him he's too sexy for his own good." 

A bark of laughter from the kitchen is covered by the slamming 
of a cupboard door. Dana smiles at us. "Does that sound fair 
to you girls?"

Darlene looks at me and Kelly, then gives Dana a watery smile. 
"Fair enough."

It sounds like Darlene is finally getting the message. Maybe 
there's hope for her yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE END

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