fandomtownies | Chilly Boulder, Sunday evening

Claudia had been glad to get Scully's call to come join her at the ice cream place. They hadn't talked for awhile, and, hey, maybe if Mrs. Frederic stopped by again she could be all "I AM STILL OUT WITH FRIENDS GO AWAY".

What? It was totally a plan, right?

"Scully, omigosh, have I got stuff to tell -- oh hey there." Claudia reeled back slightly when she spotted Mulder. "Whooooo's your friend?"

"He's an idiot," Scully said, ignoring Mulder's indignant look. "If anyone asks, he's my 'brother' Billy." She grimaced. "Who we drunk-dialed once?" Then she blinked. "What's up?"

"Oh, you're Claudia," Mulder said, holding out is and with a grin. "Anyone who gets drunk with my 'sister' is unique in the universe. Possibly the multiverse, we could take a poll here. Good to meet you."

Who had they drunk dial -- ohhhhhh. "Billy. Right." Claudia may or may not have winked at Scully. "You never mentioned he was hot -- you know, for an older dude."

Scully might have looked like she wanted to pound her head on the counter at Mulder's smirk there, and she said repressively, "He doesn't need the PR, believe me." She ordered her ice cream, informed Mulder, "You're paying," then turned back to Claudia. "He got bit by a vampire, then woke up in the graveyard this morning. Who does that?"

You know. Besides them.

Well, minus the vampire bite thing. "Was he looking for aliens? Had he just destroyed a giant medieval weapon?" Claudia shrugged. "'Cause that stuff sort of happens around here."

Mulder was paying for his and Scully's ice cream, and grinning. "Feel free to get anything you want, it's on me. Especially if there's more you can tell me about destroying giant medieval weapons? I don't think you guys mentioned that when you called."

Far be it for Claudia to turn down free ice cream. "He's way more entertaining than Jake's brothers," she told Scully. She ordered, then turned to Mulder. "See, we built this trebuchet. . . ."

"That really is all there is to it, trebuchet, then an accident, M--Billy doesn't need to hear that," Scully said, eyes wide and hopeful as she stopped eating her ice cream for a minute.

"Oh, but I do, as a concerned adult who cares about his sister's welfare," Mulder said, grinning hugely. "Why were you building a trebuchet in the first place?"

"'Cause we could." Duh. "Then there was this day when everyone was acting all weird, right? And I . . . kinda decided the trebuchet was an affront to God."

Scully would just be facepalming over this, okay?

"Affront to God," Mulder said in reverent, gleeful tones. Even as his face stayed stoic. "Wow. Scully, you were part of this? God told you not to build weapons? Why did you stop with the trebuchet? Why not everything else on the island?"

"'Cause after that was when we got drunk." Claudia snuck a look at Scully's facepalming and grinned. "I think Scully just thought destroying the trebuchet sounded like fun."

"I was temporarily insane," Scully said, taking a decisive bite of her ice cream. She glared at Mulder, then sighed. "And right after that was the calling you. And looking for aliens. Mostly because of the drinking, I suspect. It was a very, very weird weekend."

Kind of made her bitching about his behavior sound petty, but Mulder was like this all the time.

"Stuff like that just kinda happens sometimes around here. I think vampires attacking is new, though." Claudia just hoped no one told that bit to Jake's pack brothers. She had a feeling such a thing would not end well.

"I'm coming back to study this place when I get vacation time," Mulder said decisively. "I thought Sc-- Dana was yanking my chain about what happens here, but this is too amazing not to revisit it. Even with getting bitten by Dracula." Yes, he was still sticking to that story. "So, you have anyone visiting, Claudia?"

Claudia groaned. "My social worker. Everyone else gets friends and brothers to tell embarrassing stories, and I get -- OH MY GOD."

Mrs. Frederic was standing behind Mulder.

"Ms. Donovan," Mrs. Frederic said. "I'm quite impressed with the social network you've built yourself, here."

Scully jumped in her seat and twisted around, eyes wide, then swallowed a bite of ice cream. "Hello? Ma'am." Definitely a ma'am. "It's... nice to meet you?"

Or not, given Claudia's reaction.

Mulder rose from his seat and reached for a chair to offer the new arrival. "Ma'am? I'm Billy Scully, Dana's brother. Won't you join us?"

Never let it be said he hadn't had manners drilled into him, even if he threw them away when he felt like it.

Claudia's brows went way up at the politeness. Mrs. Frederic nodded to Mulder approvingly. "Thank you, Mr. . . . Scully." She took a seat. "I don't wish to take too much of your time, but I must be leaving the island, soon."

"Oh really?" Claudia tried to sound disappointed. She didn't do very well. "And here we were just getting to know each other."

Well, this woman was... kind of terrifying. Scully found her spine straightening the way it did in the presence of Skinner. "I hope you've found everything in order while you were here," she said, trying to sound normal. And glancing at Mulder very quickly. The social worker didn't seemed to have believed them, somehow. No wonder Claudia was freaking out.

See? Claudia totally wasn't the only one who thought she was creepy. "Yeah, everything's totally fine, the state of Minnesota has nothing to worry about. We don't actually need to talk any more than that, right?"

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