Disclaimer:  Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, the X-Files, and associated
characters are property of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Chris Carter,
Ten-Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting Corporation.  They are used
without permission and no copyright infringement is meant.

Any elements not recognized as being taken from the show copyright
Christina Shuy. 

Comments and other things sent to cshuy@netcom.com are much appreciated. 

Rating:  G, MSR but only faintly, Skinner/Mrs. Scully romance, S
Spoilers: none... well, none really
Summary:  Skinner faces his feelings for Margaret Scully.
Note:  this takes place after Mulder and Scully are married.

The Beatles Files:  "You're Going to Lose That Girl"
by Christina Shuy
cshuy@netcom.com

  "You're going to lose that girl,
   You're going to lose that girl.
   If you don't take her out tonight,
   She's going to change her mind,
   And I will take her out tonight,
   And I will treat her kind."

     As Walter Skinner walked up the walkway to Margaret Scully's home,
the words to that song drifted over from the window.  He sighed. 
Emotionally, things were getting much better for him since his wife,
Sharon, had died nearly three years ago.  He'd never thought to love
again, but Margaret Scully... well, she was another story.
    He'd gotten closer to her after Sharon had died in childbirth.  
They'd met over the unfortuante incident which had cost Melissa Scully her
life and gotten to be friendly.  After Sharon's death, however, Margaret
Scully had turned from simply a friend to a lifeline to reality and out of
serious depression.

  "You're going to lose that girl,
   You're going to lose that girl.
   If you don't treat her right, my friend,
   You're going to find her gone,
   'cause I will treat her right, and then
   You'll be the lonely one."

     Since when had Maggie become so interested in the Beatles?  The last
thing he remembered was that FOx Mulder and Dana Scully were great fans of
theirs.  They'd even danced to a Beatles song at their wedding, as well as
attending a Paul McCartney concert during the honeymoon to England.  And
Mulder and Scully, along with their partners Richardson and Jones, were
out of town on a case. 
     Pausing, he climbed the porch steps and rang the doorbell.

  "You're going to lose that girl,
   You're going to lose that girl.
   I'll make a point
   Of taking her away from you, yeah,
   The way you treat her what else can I do?"

     Immediately, someone answered.
     "Hi, Uncle Walter!" Five year old Michelle S. Mulder's face beamed
when she saw her favourite 'surrogate uncle'.  She had Scully's face, but
with Mulder's eyes and hair.  For five years old, she was also almost
frighteningly intellegent.  It was a facinatingly cute combination.  "You
here to pick Clare up?" 
     "HEllo, Michelle.  Your grandmother babysitting?"
     Michelle's head bobbed up and down, and she beamed.
     "SO that's why Maggie's got Beatles music playing." Skinner smiled.
     "Hello, Walter...  Here to get Clare?"  Margaret Scully appeared at 
the door, holding a drowsy little boy with red hair in her arms.
     Margaret Scully and he had gotten to be very good friends.  She'd
been a good friend since before her daughter and Mulder had married.  It
seemed a lifetime ago, and now Sharon was gone.  At least he had Clare to
remind him of what he and SHaron had. Besides, CLare looked almost exactly
like Sharon, even if she was still very young. 

  "You're going to lose that girl,
   You're going to lose that girl.
   I'll make a point
   Of taking her away from you, yeah,
   The way you treat her what else can I do?
   If you don't take her out tonight,
   She's going to change her mind,
   And I will take her out tonight,
   And I will treat her kind.
   You're going to lose that girl,
   You're going to lose that girl"

     Skinner looked uncomfortable.  Then again, he was never great at
expressing his feelings.  It had been what had nearly caused he and Sharon
to divorce so long ago.
     "Uh, well, sort of.  Maggie, we have to talk..."
     Margaret Scully smiled.  "Well, Dana and Fox will be back tomorrow,
and the little munchkins should be sleeping relatively soon.  Do come in. 
Clare is asleep at present."
     Walter Skinner walked into the house, looking more than somewhat
nervous, and sat down.
     "Thanks, Maggie."
     "I'll finish doing what I'm doing and then we can talk."
     Maggie had already started getting the two children staying with her
ready for bed.  Michelle had been in her pyjamas when she answered the
door, holding tight to a teddy bear which had been Skinner's birthday
present to her on her last birthday.  David, as far as he could tell, was
just about to drop off to sleep.
     He looked around and sighed to himself.  Did he have any right to
feel as he did for this woman, who had five grown children, one of whom
was dead indirectly due to him?  At the same time, he wondered if she even
felt the same way.  Friendship was one thing, but being in love was quite
another.
    "Walter, what's the matter?  You look as though your best friend just
died.  What's wrong?" Margaret Scully sat down beside him. 
    "It's... well, it has to do with you."
    Maggie raised her eyebrows.  "Oh?"
    "Nothing bad... well, it might be bad if your late husband had 
anything to say about it." He was so nervous he was stammering.
    "I would think Bill would be happy that I am happy with someone who
loves me as much I love him." She smiled at him.
    Both were speechless and merely sat smiling at each other.
    "Grandma, are you and Uncle Walter gonna get married?" Michelle's
voice startled both of them.
    "Michelle Samantha Mulder, you should be in bed."
    There was a giggle from the little girl.  "Okay!"  Then, she turned,
and ran back up the stairs.
    When they were sure they were alone again, Margaret smiled.  "Out of
the mouths of babes..."
    Walter opened his arms and Maggie leaned into them.  As he leaned
back, holding her, he kissed her soundly and then they sat there, smiling
at one another.

-the end-


"The Truth is Out There.  Trust No One."- from "The X-Files"
Pursuing a BS degree(Electrical Engineering)-EE 332(Systems Analysis)-Su97
"In the moment that you think you can't, you'll discover that you can." -
Celine Dion - "Power of the Dream" "Let's get Dangerous!" - Darkwing Duck.
Looking for work and a place to live... somewhere in the SanFran Bay Area.