Date sent: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 14:57:59 From: Katrinka Subject: A Small Step (1/1) Title - A Small Step Author - Katrinka E-Mail address - Katrinka@flash.net Rating - G Category - S Spoilers -None at all Keywords - MSR Summary - Scully had a secret about her past that she had hidden from Mulder. A present from Mulder makes her realize that he knew her better then she knew herself. Dedication: for Kabrina, who also loves gymnastics and X-files. Archiving: don't send it to ATXC. It's been sent to Gossamer already. E-mail me if you want to put it anywhere. Feedback: Make an author happy, give feedback! Note: this story involves gymnastics. There have been several world-class gymnasts who have gone on to get their MD. Including Marie Rothelsburger and Karen Janz of the DDR. I wrote this while watching the world championships on tv. Scully had been a team player. Going to several world championships, only making event finals once. Missing a medal by the smallest fraction of tenth of a point. Dana could still see the mistake in her mind. A small mistake, a tiny step that had brought her from winner down to being known as a failure. She retired from world competition after that, putting herself through college with the athletic skill that she had. Over and over being reminded in her dreams of that very, very small step. Dana looked at that point in her past as being just that the past. Years later, she never told her partner about her past. The fact that once she had competed in sports. In a sport that was perfect for her small build. Dana Scully had been a world class gymnast. Even though Mulder happened to get tickets to the Olympics and spent his entire vacation that year watching her former sport in person. She still knew he would never understand. Her one regret, She didn't have any footage of her competing. Even though she could see her failure in her mind, she could never relive it. Dana started to put out feelers on gymnastic lists. She had nothing to trade, so no person would give it to her. She was writing yet again another letter asking for someone to give her a copy, when she realized that her partner, Fox Mulder was looking over her shoulder, reading what she was writing. She quickly minimized the screen so that he couldn't see it. Mulder shrugged, and went on with his work. A week later, there was a knock on her apartment door. She found Mulder standing there, holding a brown-wrapped present. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I have a present for you," he shrugged. "Come in." Mulder followed her in. He was trying hard not to smile. Dana took the package from him, it was heavy for it's size. She sat down on the couch, Mulder sitting down on the other end. "Go ahead, open it," he prompted. Scully opened it, taking the paper off first, then opening the lid. The package was full of video tapes, twelve in all. They were tapes of competitions she had been in. She picked up one, reading it's label. "1983 worlds, team, AA, ef." "Were did you get this?" Her fingers began to tremble so hard, that she dropped the tape. Not answering, Mulder picked it up. He went to the VCR and put it in. Then he turned it on. Scully went back in time. She wore her red hair back in a pony tail, she was wearing a blue leotard with USA place boldly on the back. She chalked up her hands, as she looked at the uneven bars. This was the first time the Americans had two girls in the bars event finals. She could remember her hands shaking from nervousness she was following Maxi Gnauck, the East German, who had dominated the uneven bars event for the past four years. Dana would have to be good very good. Finally the judges gave her the go signal. She raised her hand telling the judges she was ready. Then she was off, swinging the bars as if she had been doing it all her life. Then the dismount, a double back somersault. She had been off balance. She had no choice, she took a step, so tiny, that the untrained eye wouldn't have seen it. There was thunderous applause, she didn't remember that. Then the score was flashed 9.90. The audience began to boo. The Young Dana Scully began to cry, until her coach pointed out someone, in the front row of the audience who wanted an autograph. She had, her tears blocking out the person she had given the autograph too. The tall gangly kid that looked so familiar to her, a person she now knew better then she knew herself. All this time, Fox Mulder had known her secret. He had known because he had been there to witness it. "You where great Dana, I was a big fan of yours." Mulder said, sitting back down. "I was thrilled to finally get to see you in person, and I though the judges robbed you." "Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked. "I tried once, when we first met, but it seemed to bother you, so I dropped it." he looked away from he embarrassed, but that look had been enough for her. Scully realized the feelings Mulder had hidden from her. Dana put her hand on her partners cheek turning it so that she could see his eyes. "I don't think you know how much your gift means to me. how can I ever thank you?" "You don't have too." he tried to pull away from her. "No, but I want too." There was only one way for Scully to show Mulder how much it meant to her. She would have to take a small step. Like before the step would change her life. Like before, there was no other choice. Scully kissed Fox Mulder.