Author's Note:  I'm BACK!  Enjoy!  Many thanks to Jeannine Ackerson
(takakin0@slip.net) for reading the then-incomplete version and giving
comments...  As for the movie mentioned at the end, I hit a blank trying
to think of a more suitable one.

Disclaimer:  Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and associated characters are 
property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting 
Corporation.  I am using them without permission because I can't afford 
to get it, and I'm not planning to make any money from this story anyway.

Any elements not recognized as being taken directly off the television 
show belong to me... Copyright Christina Shuy...  Victoria Jensen also
belongs to herself, of course. 

Comments and other things are much apprieciated and can be sent to 
cshuy@netcom.com.  I like email, so please reply! *smile*

Rating: PG, V, MSR... My FIRST! *grin*
Summary:  Valentine's Day for our two favourite FBI agents and an old 
friend plays matchmaker... sorta.
Spoilers:  VERY small ones for "Memento mori", "Never Again", "Leonard 
Betts", and a few others in passing... but it won't ruin it for anyone 
who hasn't seen the episodes.

Note:  Victoria Jensen has met Scully, Mulder, and Skinner... for 
background on that, read "Old Friends" and "Missing Persons I" on the 
archives, and it's okay for this to go join them.

Wishes, Roses, and Valentines
by Christina Shuy (cshuy@netcom.com)

	It was Valentine's Day.  One of the few dates Special Agent Fox
Mulder dreaded, especially since he was alone this year, as was seemingly
usual.  He dreaded Valentine's Day the way he used to dread Thanksgiving
and Christmas, though in the last few years, those two holidays were more
enjoyable... thanks to a certain person in his life.  But the fact
remained, he was still alone.
	*This* February 14th, though, dawned with a vengence.  As if things
weren't usually bad enough in Washington, D. C., traffic around the city
was gridlocked due to a funeral for an ambassador.  To make matters worse,
he'd woken up feeling inadequate, lonely, depressed, and fearful if he
didn't act soon, he'd lose the person most important to him.  He realised
he didn't treat her very well, especially recently, and had to find some
way to make it up to her.
	'Oh well... I guess I'll just have to be late', he thought, as
traffic was still just barely crawling along. 'First time for everything. 
At least this gives me time to think...'

	Valentine's Day morning dawned no better for Special Agent Dana
Scully.  She awoke that morning in a mood which threatened to drag her
under.  Not only that, she'd dreamt about Ed Jerse and what had almost
happened when he was under the influence of the hallucinogen.  Things
never seemed to go well for her in matters of the heart. And *Mulder*
never made things any easier either.
	'Wait... Mulder's not the reason I can't get a date.  I knew what I
was getting into when I joined the FBI.' she thought.
	She'd also woken up with bloody nose.  With it also being that
certain time of month, she felt doubly uncomfortable.  Blood coming from
two sources.  She wasn't quite sure if that was good or bad.
	She got out of bed at dawn and watched the sunrise, deciding to go
into work, make the best of it, and go out to dinner.  After all, it was
Valentine's Day.  She was going to invite her best friend and, if turned
down, she would go alone.
	Upon her arrival at the basement office, very recently finally
acknowledged as hers as well, she noticed the door was still closed. 
Mulder, for once in his career, was late.  With the fierceness of the
traffic, though, she wasn't entirely surprised.
	Opening the door, she was surprised to see five roses on Mulder's
desk.  Two red, two white, and one which could only be termed 'sunset' sat
in a simple, elegant crystal vase.  A card in an envelope leaned against
the vase.  Though curious, Scully refrained from peeking.
	Turning around, she was surprised to see a vase and *nine* roses
on her own desk.  The same desk Mulder *finally* had brought down.  It had
taken some doing and a lot of moving, but they were now partners in the
full sense of the term, work wise.  Mulder had taken care of things with a
guilty look, and apologised for not doing so sooner.  Repeatedly.
	The roses on her desk were four each of red and white in a small
circle, and then a sunset in the middle.  Another card in an envelope was
leaned against the identical crystal vase holding her roses.
	'I hope they're not from Phoebe...' Scully thought, as she picked
up the card, and sat down in front of her desk. 

	Dear Dana,
		To one of my favourite Americans...
		Happy Valentine's Day.
	Remember to:
		Drag Mulder out to dinner, my treat...
		Don't either of you be alone ever again.
		Be happy!
	With Love,
		V. Jensen. 

	Scully smiled.  She remembered the woman who had helped her
through the initial shock of Mulder's disappearance in the desert of New
Mexico almost two years ago.  One of Mulder's oldest and best friends...
fast becoming hers as well.
	"Secret admirer?" Mulder's voice as he walked in was gruff.  Was it
her imagination or was he bitter about something?
	"You're late..." she turned to look at him.
	Mulder was unshaven, his hair rumpled, and his clothing appeared
slept in, though it was not the same suit, shirt, or unique tie he'd worn
the previous day.  The way he was wearing them, though, started alarm
bells in her mind.
	"Mulder, what's wrong?" she asked, when he didn't reply with a
witty comment, as was usual for him.
	"It's... nothing." he waved it off, sitting down.  Looking at his
appearance closely, Scully raised an eyebrow.
	He picked up the card and opened it, petulantly.
	'The day just can't get *any* worse...' he thought.

	Hello old friend, it's been a while...
	As I know you don't like to be called 'Fox'... =)
	Cheer up, Mulder before you trip on your own lip.
	Both Dana and I care for you very much.
	Remember, you are not alone.
	Let Dana know how you feel... you know what I mean.
	Stop taking her for granted or you *will* lose her.
	Do take care.
		Cheers from London!
			V. J.

	He couldn't help himself.  He grinned from ear to ear.  Victoria
*always* had a way of knowing... and generally cheering him up.
	"Mulder?" Scully noted his grin and smiled.  She had only seen him
smile like that two other times.  Visiting in the hospital after her
return, and in the hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania after she had vowed
not to let the cancer defeat her.
	When he turned the full force of that smile to face her, Dana felt
her heart soaring.  He seemed even more happy to see her.  She was curious
as to the cause of her partner's sudden change in mood... as well as who
the roses had been from.
	When he walked from behind his desk to kneel in front of her as
she sat behind hers slightly, she raised an eyebrow.  The smile on his
face was still as bright as it had been moments before.
	"Scully..." he started, then paused, taking a deep breath. "May I
call you 'Dana'?"
	"If you like..." she answered, returning his smile.
	"Dana, I... how do I say this... okay..." He took another deep
breath and steeled himself.  "I'm sorry.  I've been acting like an
overbearing, insensitive ass.  I'm sorry for everything I've put you
through recently, and in the past.  I've been a jerk and I'm sorry.
	"You're more than just my partner.  You're a good friend who has
been so patient with me, I'm not certain I deserve it.  I am more than
grateful you have stuck around as long as you have.  Especially since the
X-Files have been my own personal crusade since I found them.  As well as
the on-going search for my sister.  I don't know if I should have even
gotten you involved in this."
	Scully smiled.  "If it had been anyone else, Mulder, I think I
might have left a long time ago.  But you... despite everything... you're
still the only one I trust.  You're also a good friend to me."
	"Oh, Scully... what have I done to deserve you?" Mulder's comment
came out with a half-sigh.  She held out her hands and he took them.
	Dana smiled... the warm, friendly, exclusively for special
occasions smile which lit her entire being.  It warmed Mulder's heart and
he smiled back.
	"Aside from that time in Comity, which I'm sure we'd *both* like 
to forget-"
	"True enough."
	"-You have always treated me with respect.  Your wit and sarcasm 
took some getting used to, but that could be said about anyone."
	"Scully, are you coming on to me?" His tone was playful, teasing.
	She gave him her best Mulder-you-are-being-an-idiot look and they 
both grinned.
	"So... now that we've cheered each other up this fine morning, 
regardless of what the date is, what's on tap for today?"
	"Uh... paperwork, I think.  We're a bit behind on that."
	Both agents groaned and got to work.

	A few hours later, they had put a considerable dent in the
backlog.
	"Scully, I'm curious... who were your roses from?" Mulder asked, 
stretching his arms.
	"Oh... a friend." Scully was deliberately cryptic, gauging Mulder's
reaction. "Why?  Who were yours from?  Phoebe?"
	Mulder blanched. "Roses are NOT Phoebe's style.  They're from
Victoria.  It's her way of telling me I've got more than *one* friend in
this world."
	'Bingo!' Scully thought, remembering her guess of who had gifted
Mulder with the roses.
	"You were upset this morning when you first saw them.  Any reason?"
	"I thought you'd gotten more than the-" He stopped to count the 
roses on Scully's desk. "Wait.  Yours are from Victoria too."
	"And how would you know?" Scully raised an eyebrow.
	"She likes to do almost everything in nines and/or fives... five
for me, nine for you.  Why those numbers, I don't know, but it's her
style.  The florist probably had a fit when she ordered them, though."
	Dana nodded, smiling.  "I can only imagine."  Then, she remembered. 
"Mulder, what are you doing this evening?"
	"I didn't have any definite plans.  Why?"
	Before either could reply or react, there was a knock at the door.
	"Come in!" Mulder called. "No one in here but the FBI's most 
unwanted." Scully's eyes sparkled with held-back laughter.
	Skinner walked in, nodding to his two most troublesome agents...
troublesome, but they *did* solve their cases ... more or less.  There was
a curious, bemused expression on his face, as well as a touch of a smile.
	"Victoria's been here as well." he said, noting the flowers.
	"'As well', sir?" Scully inquired.
	Skinner held up the card, also written in DCI Jensen's clear,
distinct script. "She left the card and asked me to let the two of you off
early, which I am going to do right now.
	"When you speak to her next, Mulder, tell her I apprieciated the
roses.  She was right about them being Sharon's favourite colour.  I am
spending the evening with Sharon, and leaving now.  You two get out of
here, and enjoy your evening."
	"Yes, sir." Mulder flashed a smile at the AD.
	Skinner nodded and then walked out, closing the door behind him.
	"Victoria Jensen strikes again..." Mulder grinned, reaching for 
the phone to call his old friend.

	"So... what are you doing for dinner, Mulder?" Dana asked after 
he finished the call to Victoria.
	"I've got nothing planned.  Why?"
	"Go out to dinner with me." 
	"Your date cancel at the last minute?"
	"My date just found out and has yet to answer."
	"Me?" Mulder was surprised.
	"Yes, Mulder.  I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me
this evening.  I made reservations at Ariel's for 7pm.  It's Valentine's
Day.  I didn't want to stay home."
	"You won't have to go alone, Scully.  I'd be glad to go with you. 
In fact, I thought you'd never ask."
	Dana smiled at her partner.  "Let's get out of here.  Pick me up
at 6:30?"
	"I'll be there... with bells on."
	"Leave the bells at home, Mulder."

	Mulder arrived at Scully's a few minutes early.  Despite the fact
they had been partners and friends for several years, he was very nervous. 
It was not every day he had a date with a beautiful woman.  Since the
woman in question also happened to be Scully... his heart skipped a beat
or two.  He had been dreaming of this for a long time.
	Though he had arrived early, he rang the doorbell exactly on 
time.  Dana answered the door in a white silk blouse and full length 
forest green velvet skirt.  Her hair was pulled back in a soft french 
twist, and there were emerald earrings at her ears.
	Mulder had showered, shaved, brushed his hair and changed
clothing, looking much improved.  Then again, almost anything was an
improvement from the wreck he had been earlier.
	"These are for you." Mulder said, holding out the bouquet of 
roses and harebells. "I told you I'd be here with bells on."
	She grinned, laughing lightly. "They're beautiful.  Thank you,
Mulder.  Come in.  Let me put these in water."
	His smile was warm and genuine, as well as full of love.  He 
walked in and closed the door behind him as she went into the kitchen.
	"You look beautiful, Dana..." Mulder smiled as she set the vase 
of flowers on the dining room table.
	"Thank you, Mulder.  You clean up nicely too."  When she smiled 
at him, he thought his heart would melt from the warmth of her smile.
	"Uh... for tonight, would you call me Fox?"
	"Only for tonight?"
	"Well... I want to see how comfortable I am with it."
	Dana nodded, understanding.  He had recounted the events around
visiting his mother in the hospital after her stroke, and how Cancerman
had used his first name.  It had been a shock to find out he had once been
a close friend of the family.
	"Okay, Fox," she stopped to pick up a brown wool wrap draped on a 
chair.  "Let's go." 

	Ariel's was an upscale steakhouse.  It was crowded, as was normal
for Valentine's Day, but with Dana's foresight in making reservations,
they were seated in a minimal amount of time.  The table was a candlelit
booth in a secluded corner.
	Dinner was prime rib for Mulder, and a thick trout filet for 
Scully.  The conversation was light, and generally about Valentine's Days 
of years past.  As it turned out, neither of them had had much luck in 
the past with dating.  The people they went out with before always seemed 
to be out for only one thing.
	"I found it demeaning.  Almost all of the men I've dated were either 
not my type, or wanted only to get me into bed."
	"I can relate.  Women seem to throw themselves at me, but I want
more than just someone to have sex with." Mulder stated.
	"Is that why you've never found anyone?"
	"Well..." he looked uncomfortable.  "Part of it."
	"What's the other part, then?"  Dana leaned closer, interested.
	"You.  You mean more to me than anyone else... even that
entomologist, or Detective White.  I'm sorry about those cases and my
behaviour during them." Mulder's heart was racing by this point.  It had
taken a lot for him to admit this, especially to Scully. He was also
embarassed at his behaviour in the past.  He looked into her eyes.  "You
know I love you, don't you, Dana?"
	Before either of them could say anything, their server for the 
evening arrived with two generous slices of cheesecake with chocolate and 
strawberries set on them.
	"We didn't order this." Mulder said.
	"Compliments of the couple over there, sir." the server responded,
gesturing over to the table a few yards away.
	Mulder and Scully saw Walter and Sharon Skinner smiling at them. 
Walter raised a glass to toast both them and Sharon.  After Mulder and
Scully both smiled and raised their glasses to the Skinners, Walter kissed
Sharon and then turned his attention back to his wife exclusively.
	"That was nice of them." Mulder smiled.
	"Yes it was."
	"Now, where were we again?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, right. 
Dana, you know I love you, right?"  He breathed, not knowing what her
reaction would be.
	"Fox, I..." She stopped.  She *did* know, and was glad he'd
mentioned it.  She smiled. "Yes.  I do know.  I love you too, Fox." 
	"When you say that, it sounds so beautiful.  I never though I'd
like hearing someone use my first name.  From you I love it, and I regret
not letting you call me 'Fox' sooner."
	"I've gotten used to calling you 'Mulder'." she smiled.
	"I would like you to call me 'Fox', though... sometimes."
	He looked into her eyes, searching for the sincerity which had 
always been missing from his other attempted relationships.  It had never
been there while he had been seeing Phoebe at Oxford.  He didn't have far
to search in Dana's eyes.  Finding it only made him smile brighter.
	"It's going to take some getting used to." Scully said.
	"Well, I have a suggestion.  How about only using our first 
names off duty?"
	"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully, it is nice to see you again.  Happy
Valentine's Day." Sharon Skinner's voice interrupted them, and they looked
up to see Walter and Sharon Skinner smiling at them.
	"Mrs. Skinner, Happy Valentine's Day to you as well." Dana smiled.
	"I'll trust the both of you to keep this discreet." Skinner 
stated, nodding at them.
	"Of course, sir." Mulder responded.
	"Good night."
	Fox and Dana watched as the Skinners left the restaurant, then 
looked back at one another.  While they had been talking, they had also 
been taking bites of the dessert which had been ordered for them as a 
gift from the Assistant Director.  They both giggled.
	"I thought I was going to be reprimanded for asking you out." Dana
said, breathing a sigh of relief.
	"I would have defended you.  Somehow, though, I think he 
approves, but we have to do what he says and be discreet." Fox answered.
	"Let's go home."
	The way the statement was phrased was *not* lost on Mulder.

	The drive home was quiet, each of them lost in their own 
thoughts, but their hands were clasped together.  Mulder was having to 
get used to driving one-handed, but he found it was worth it.
	"Won't you come in?" Scully asked, turning to look at him.
	"I would love to." he replied.
	She opened the door and they walked into her apartment.  She
dropped the wrap on the same chair she had picked it up from earlier. 
Mulder shut the door behind him and Scully turned to face him.
	"Fox... there is something I've been wanting to do for some time 
now... may I?" she walked closer to him, and Mulder caught a hint of roses.
	"Of course."
	Dana wrapped her arms around Mulder, pulling him closer to her 
and she kissed him, lightly, her lips only barely parted.
	The moment Dana's lips met his, Mulder thought he would faint.  
Once again, she was doing something he'd only *dreamed* of doing.  He 
wrapped his arms around her and responded intently.
	After holding the kiss for a few moments, she drew away slightly 
and looked into his eyes.
	"Fox... I want to take things slowly... but would you be willing to
just hold me tonight, all night?" she asked, almost as though she were
afraid of his answer.
	"Of course."
	They settled on the living room sofa, Dana leaning against him, 
watching "Mr. Holland's Opus".  The music lulled them both to sleep, and 
by the time the movie ended, both had fallen asleep, Dana in Mulder's 
arms, and Mulder holding tight to her.

---The End---