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randomfoggytiger · 1 month

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Collector's Edition: Bill Scully, MSR, and Pain (Part I)

How to melt the Abominable SnowBilly, Season 2 through Season 7 (IVF arc not included.)

**Note**: I had to eliminate fics not specifically related to an illness or injury because the word capacity on Tumblr is uncharitably short.

Loose chronological order below~

SammyLovesASOIAF's I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

He chuckled to himself. The Scully siblings were a weird juxtaposition of different traits. Bill Jr. was strict, Melissa was carefree, Scully was careful, and Charles—well, he was always in absentia.

AU-- Post One Breath Mulder is almost creamed by a firework before Bill Scully saves him.

@living-in-unreality/@television-overload/ContentsPriceless's beautiful (Ao3)

The pieces slowly come together in his mind, everything he knows about Fox Mulder. His mother must have seen it long ago, hence her willingness to help him this morning. And he would have stood in the way.

Bill Scully can see the love in Mulder's attempts to paint on Scully's makeup for her.

MldrItsMe's A Favor

“Should Dana be out of bed?” Bill grumbled.

Mulder involuntarily squeezed Scully a little closer to himself. “She asked me to,” he said. He thought better of adding “hold her” and just let the situation speak for itself.

AU-- Redux II Scully is suffering on her deathbed: 96 pounds and swiftly losing independence.

@scully-loves-ruthie's cancer arc: mulder sneaks a dying scully out

Bill will storm into her hospital room after, a firecracker beneath a teacup ready to explode sending the fine shards of his rage into the newlyweds. He’ll find himself frozen his fuse stamped out at the sight of his sister’s frail and fading body wrapped like a puzzle piece inside Mulder’s arms, the couple sound asleep.

AU-- Redux II Bill doesn't rip Mulder's head off after finding out he and Scully were quickly married.

intrepidment's Bill and me

"You had talent for medicine, Dana, everyone admitted that. You would've had every right to be haughty, but you never flaunted your talent then. Then you changed your mind, you became an investigator, and suddenly you're this overconfident professional."

I opened my mouth to rebuke him, but I had to admit he was right. Somewhat.

Post Redux II Bill and Scully have a siblings' semantics fight over Mulder's napping body.

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN) Number 9 for the dialogue prompt.

Mulder hasn’t got very far when he hears Bill call out, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Post Redux II Bill gives Mulder his version of a blessing.

@lotsoforangesoutside/@lotzzoforangezoutside‘s (Ao3) Seven Pound and Six Ounces (Ao3)

He’s never held a day-old baby before this one.

And now, Fox Mulder can proudly say that he has held one, changed his diaper, and napped with the tiny thing like a log in the cradle of his arm.

With his other arm held by one Dana Scully, his hand holding hers. On the sofa in her big brother’s living room.

Post Emily Bill lets Mulder and Scully be.

soverysesual's The Truth Not Considered

He frowned as he observed the scene in front of him: his sister was sitting up, her head resting in an awkward position as she dozed, the mug of tea precariously balanced in one of her hands, while Mulder held her other hand grasped between both of his, as if he was clinging to her for dear life.

Post Emily Bill (reluctantly) helps Scully get comfy next to Mulder.

Marguerite's (Ao3) When the Bough Broke

Bill is standing between us and the embers of last night's fire. Scully has not stirred; I still keep her within the circle of my arms. Her brother's face is unreadable. I make a helpless gesture with my hand, but he stops me and points to my face. It's still wet with tears.

Post Emily Bill finally understands and becomes comrade-in-arms.

pen-paper-aliens/theficisoutthere/aka PPA's 95 ❤️

She’s still holding that hand when we walk in, nobody notices, or if they do, they don’t care. Bill notices too, but even he doesn’t say anything. What do you say to a mother who lost a child she never knew?

AU-- Post Emily Bill lets his sister find comfort in her partner.

Jen's (mulderscreek)

Christmas Eve & Airports and Christmas & Mrs. Scully's House

"He's upstairs," Dana said and could swear she heard Bill mutter something under his breath.

AU-- S6 Scully convinces Mulder to join her and her family for Christmas and ends up nursing his unexpected strep throat.

@baronessblixen‘s (Ao3)

Christmas With The Scullys (Tumblr)

“My bed,” she says, just to clarify. She hears a clatter from behind her and doesn’t need to turn around to know that Bill is there and listening.

S7 Bill and Scully battle it out after she brings an injured Mulder to the Scully family Christmas party.

O Holy No - Chapter 7 (Tumblr)

“Where’s the guy?” he asks, chewing with his mouth open.

“Do you mean Mulder?” Her brother nods, stuffing more chips into his mouth. It reminds her of when they were teenagers and Bill, towering over her and Melissa, would steal their snacks and interrogate them, claiming it was his duty when their father wasn’t home.

AU-- Mulder and Scully, newly minted couple that they are, both fly out to Bill's house for Christmas... and are greeted with unexpected shenanigans.

Shoshana's

Almost Home (4/4)

"Hey, wife," he said, approaching her from behind.

Mulder wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I don't think Bill suspects a thing," she told him gravely.

AU-- Post Requiem Mulder is returned with ongoing medical complications; but that doesn't stop the leftover Conspiracy or Bill Scully's lingering concerns.

And salliejohns's

Mr. Mulder, Mother Maggie, and Empty Place Settings

It was a big risk, but it paid off well. We were able to establish contact with our old boss and he came through for us, sending Bill Scully, Jr. a cryptic message about his dry cleaning.

AU-- S9 Bill is happy to find his sister and her partner alive in California; but that doesn't erase the pain of losing touch with his mother while Maggie raises baby William in hiding.

Hestia01‘s (Ao3) The Next Great Adventure Chapter 1 and Chapter 5

"Bill, they're here!"

Bill looks around, now looking concerned for his mother's grip on reality. "Who's here?"

"Dana's here! She brought Fox along, too! You can't see them, but they stayed!"

Giving his mother a pitying look, he nods indulgently. "Sure, Mom, whatever helps."

AU-- The crack adventures of Mulder and Scully after death (Skinner hoarding their poster and Bill getting his comeuppance included.)

@incidental-ao3/incidental's

Keep It All the Year

“Where’d he go?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Got in a cab,” he said. “I don’t know where to.” Scully groaned.

“Maybe one of you should stay put so the other can find them,” he said, but she wasn’t listening at all.

“He left his phone at the hotel, I bet he went back to get it,” she said, barreling passing Bill down the stairs and grabbing the keys.

AU-- S6 Mulder is dragged out to Scully's torturous family Christmas in San Diego, where the franchise becomes a complete disaster all the way 'round (Diana included.)

bluesamutra's una via - Chapter 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6

Dana had been at death’s door before he showed up at the hospital with a computer chip and a story straight out of a Michael Crichton book. Bill had stood by in disbelief when she, a woman of science, trusted him enough to put it in her neck.

And yet.

And yet, he had watched from the shadows of her room, unseen, when Mulder crept into her room that same night and wept silently into her hand.

AU-- Post Amor Fati Bill Scully's family reunion takes a serious turn when Matthew almost drowns and Mulder injures his shoulder during the rescue.

@scully-eats-sushi/ijustknew's

You're Not Alone and You're Not Alone II

She’d barely stepped inside their mother’s home before Bill had started inspecting her injuries, making her instantly regret not wearing a turtleneck. He went so far as to grasp her chin and tilt her head up to get a better look at them. Irritated, she’d shoved his hand away and declared “I’m fine” before stepping past him to embrace her mother.

Post Millennium Mulder and Scully are navigating their relationship post episode, with their own personal complications as well as her family, profiling, and on-the-job demands.

Red0313's Nothing Breaks Like a Heart

We make eye contact. He knows I am awake. I can’t even fake it. This should be good. Kick a man while he’s down, literally.

“Mister Mulder, I see you’re going to be just fine. That seems to make my sister very happy,” he huffs. Something’s eating him up.

S7 Bill observes his sister's pain and penance after Mulder takes a bullet for her.

Susan Proto’s Barbecue Series 14, The - Labor of Love

She must have picked up Matty, because all I hear from him now are soft whimpers instead of hysterical crying. And then I hear her ask, "What happened, Bill?"

"He got hit by the Harley. He ran into the street and got hit by the Harley."

A Harley?

AU-- Mulder has been bullied by Bill for years, and finally sets his foot down after the other throws away his engagement ring.

@tatooedlaura-blog/tatooedlaura/Laura Sprys’s Always Been Yours

Mulder was out of the shower and in the kitchen helping Scully with a makeshift dinner when Charlie and Bill walked through the door. Scully's eyes swam again when she saw her older brother. Hugging her tightly, he looked over toward Mulder and nodded his head.

In shocked surprise, he walked over a shook Bill's hand, "hello again."

AU-- S7 Maggie is unexpectedly killed in a car accident; and Bill keeps to himself while Mulder prevents Scully from falling apart.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

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randomfoggytiger · 2 years

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X-Files Collector’s Edition: Meet The Mulders

Mulder’s childhood is only touched on briefly in the series; but it’s enough: stern, cold handshakes and cool, unanswered questions with a silencing slap to punctuate. These fics dive into the Mulder family dynamics as it rips horrifically in half. (A separate post shall be made for fics that deal exclusively with Bill Mulder, Tena Mulder, or Samantha Mulder.)

**Note: I spell Teena as “Tena” because that was how it was spelled in a Two Fathers/One Son script, and if that’s what Chris Carter wants... *shrugs*.*)

I attempted to keep these in “chronological order by author”’; but-- c’est la vie.

(Gossamer links are acting weird, but they’re worth the extra step to read.)

Childhood and Pre-S1 Fics

Dryad’s (Ao3)

Bird Song

““Is he asleep yet?" Bill asked, peering over her shoulder.

She smiled. "Almost. He's so tired he can barely keep his little peepers open, but he keeps trying nonetheless.””

A look at new, proud parents. Lullabies and newspaper clippings.

2790 Vine St. (Gossamer)

“Fox idly kicked the settle's bottom panel, unable to decide which was worse, staying at home or going to the party.”

The parties of polite society in the wake of Sam’s abduction are empty, vapid, torturous. Mulder observes the party, disconnected without a tangible anchor.

Though It Be Winter, Still Our Heart Beats

“She was a different woman now. Only the faint pinking of her cheeks and the subtle flare of her nostrils betrayed her emotion.

"Bill, you promised!" As always, he was helpless in the face of her anger.”

Mulder has joined the FBI, and Bill dreads telling Tena. Both begin to plot how to derail their son from his goal.

pokeitlikejello’s Baby Loves Pain

“He tried everything to calm her. He made faces, he made funny noises, he tickled her. But nothing worked. It was then that Fox spotted his father’s fishing boots and hat near the hall closet.”

Little boy Mulder is left to watch after toddler Samantha. This short shows his touchingly sacrificial nature. The adult tensions build quietly in the background.

muldertorture’s (Alt. Ao3, FFN) Chilmark MA 02535

“Fox looks like an average young man.” A beat. “Looks, however, are quite often deceptive, aren’t they Teena?”

Tena begs for assurances from CSM while he observes Mulder and Samantha playing. As with CSM, there are no guarantees, and plans always change.

@leiascully’s (Ao3) Armada

“But the boat sailed on, one of so many, beyond his reach.”

As so often with neglected children, Mulder’s zest for play takes a macabre turn as he seeks attention from his already disconnected mother. Tena’s nature is one of distance even before Samantha’s abduction.

MistressKat’s Summer of ‘73

“Something about Fox’s expression shifts and softens; he knows exactly what she’s talking about. Over the last few weeks, they’ve spent a lot of evenings huddled together on the landing, listening to their parents fighting in hushed voices.”

Samantha wants desperately to escape the mounting weirdness at home. Mulder’s heartfelt promise of “next time” is one he ultimately can’t keep. Tena’s resigned willingness to give up Samantha simmers in the background.

@agirlcallednarelle/Tabith Jean‘s

But You Said (Ao3)

““See? I told you he would come if we needed him!’ Samantha hissed loudly. Fox grinned the same pursed smile he had seen on Samantha a moment before....”

No one likes bullies, and little spitfire Samantha tolerates them even less. She holds her brother to his promise; and is proud when he keeps his word.

Absolution

“His footsteps echo through the hall louder than they did before. Though he never thrived on exuberance, it came as part of the package of having young children, and this new, restrictive silence unnerves him.”

Bill Mulder is hollowly seeking redemption through his work, unable to bridge the gap with his furious wife and troubled, driven son.

Foxsong’s Sins of the Father

“Knowing he would only lose him, Bill had steeled himself from the beginning against loving this child too well, and his reticence toward Fox had been made all the more painfully apparent when Samantha was born. He had loved Samantha with a ferocity that shocked him.”

A twist on the family dynamic: Mulder had been part of the inoculation program from a young age in what was-- Bill had assumed-- prep work for his abduction. When CSM switches up the children, Bill is left floundering: he has no relationship with his son to build, and whatever one he has left with Tena (who is portrayed as the loving glue of their family) will deteriorate if CSM makes good on his threat to tell the truth.

Anonymous/Rebecca Rusnak’s (mulderscreek) Black is the Color

“Bill is my friend, possibly my only true friend. Certainly the only friend who knows who I was. And I know this is dangerous, but I feel a connection to Bill and his family that I cannot force myself to break.”

CSM’s POV-- it’s fascinating to ingest fics posed as sympathetic reads, because it cuts to the heart of this man’s martyr complex. This one is particularly poignant because it mixes in shame from the fallout of the Syndicate’s actions and self-righteous superiority at “filling the hole” left in Mulder’s life. What’s even more fascinating is that CSM isn’t Mulder’s father, just a sympathetic “mentor.”

ijustknew’s Before and After (Tumblr)

“One night, after nearly a month of deafening silence, Mulder’s father announced that Mulder was going back to school. Mulder wanted to protest that he couldn’t bear it, that he couldn’t stand the people and the questions, but his father’s word was law, so Mulder nodded and went to bed.”

Mulder’s status as funny older brother and distinguished student crumbles in the wake of Samantha’s abduction.

@badforthefish/Scarlet’s With Fortune and Men’s Eyes

“She did try to tell herself that she was only being strong for her remaining child, but deep down, she knew the ugly truth: she simply didn’t love her little girl enough to crash and burn.”

A fascinating deep dive into Tena’s POV after Sam’s abduction. Bill, shattered at the loss of his favorite, begins to hate Tena’s unaffected attitude. Tena, glad she kept her favorite, by turns soothes and shuts out her son.

I love this particularly because it taps into my niche XF belief: CSM was Sam’s father, not Mulder’s, and Tena strongly suspected it.

Joann Humby’s Half Life- 1976

“Problems solved are battles won. In retrospect, perhaps it has been for the best. Unable to cling to me, Fox has learned self-reliance, independence, strength. My young man, my pride and joy.”

Tena’s callousness dressed up as gentile unconcern shines like a giant, gaping beacon of selfishness. She is so ingrained in her excuses that she disregards the silent censure of the responsible people around her.

Sarah Johnson/RaEnright’s

How to Catch an Alien 01

How to Catch an Alien 02

““Don't use them fifty-cent words with me, Fox boy. All ye need to say is yer sister's missin and you saw them grey men steal her."

"Yeah." Fox scuffed his shoe. "You think I'm crazy now."

"Not't'all. You come with me, son, and I'll help ye. I seen them grey men too....”

Young Mulder meets an old man in a bookstore; and the two become friends in their quest to gain answers from extraterrestrials. Mulder’s new radio works so well it intercepts a military plane and almost get him in big trouble.

Vickie Moseley’s (Ao3, Gossamer) Consequences (Gossamer link)

“The anger turned to dread. It was the one thing that he'd thought about, the one option he'd taken hours to consider. He couldn't let Fox anywhere near him for longer than the length of a weekend. If the syndicate decided to test him again, this time they would surely go for the boy. ...So he had to keep the boy at arm's length, shuffle him off to his mother, where he'd be safe. At least, that was what Bill prayed he was doing. “

Vickie’s specialty is Mulder hurtfic, not a genre I care much for (and it must be done well.) However! This was quite the character study into the conflicted, tortured mind of Bill. He forgot his weekend, then forgot his son’s birthday, then realized his son was gravely ill. His depth of reined-in heartbreak and failure is explored interestingly.

stellar_dust’s (Ao3) Home for Christmas (Ao3)

“When Teena walked in with her packages twenty minutes later, she couldn't believe her eyes - Fox and Samantha, curled up together beside the Christmas tree, reading. She paused at the door and smiled, watching unseen, on her way upstairs to wrap the last few presents. I'm so blessed, she thought, and turned away, unwilling to disturb them. Now if only Bill weren't working late, everything would be perfect. ~*~ That was the year they got Stratego.”

The long-term effects of Samantha’s loss. Mulder’s happy Christmases devolve into avoidance, and perpetual pain and loss through Pheobe and Diana. Scully and TLG eventually improve his outlook; and even Tena finally sends a gift and an invite, though pitiful and empty. (The fic ends with Mulder telling Scully about his history, but that’s extra reading~. I usually stop after Tena’s death.)

Canon Divergent and AU Fics

Deannie’s Best Loved

“The unspoken threat was unmistakable. They'd already given him his choice--his best loved, or everyone. They'd make good on the threat if he left now. And not only would his son be gone, but his wife and daughter as well... “

A canon-divergent fic starring Bill and Tena being unwitting victims. CSM intercepts the two of them at party and prevents them from saving their children. Bill chooses Tena’s safety above the kids, eventually destroying their marriage.

The story leads up to Bill’s death-- where I like to stop reading-- before it continues into Anasazi plot.

memories_child’s Four Ways Teena’s Life May Have Turned Out Differently

“She wonders, every day, if she made the right decision. And then Samantha calls her name.”

These vignettes-- sought-after socialite to sober wife to sorrowful mother -- work great separately but even better as a whole. It turns canon-divergent after the abduction, since it was Mulder who was taken, not Sam.

@cecilysass‘s (Ao3) The Boy on the Beach (Ao3)

“There was a tightness in Scully’s chest as she watched the boy’s face, the set of his jaw. How could she ever explain why she wanted him to be nothing but endlessly kind to his sister? How could she convey to a twelve-year old boy the brokenness of a thirty-two year old man — a man who would sit on a motel room floor, speaking to his new partner in hushed tones about the defining loss of his life?”

This time travel casefile (set post Amor Fati) quickly derails, trapping Scully in the past. Realizing there is time to save Samantha from being abducted, she travels to Martha’s Vineyard and helps them evade CSM and his goons. Adult Mulder, wracked with guilt over his cruel words in their last fight, reaches her just in time. CSM is finally dealt with, and all’s as well as can be in their universe.

Although the present-day content is canon-divergent (according to my headcanon), and I skip any ~spicy~ adult moments (because that’s not my cup of tea), the intensity of the writing and the character voices is fascinating. Standouts moments were: Scully and the kids hiding in the tree, and Mulder crying over the newest faxed photo.

Most of these fics (and authors) are already well-loved; but they still deserved to be highlighted for their quality and interesting perspectives.

Enjoy!

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