Author: SyndicateGirl
Archive: Yes, definitely! But please keep my headers attached and let me know where it is if you can. Thanks!
Spoilers:
Rating: G
Classification:  Response to fanfic challenge: Story must include: 1. Polar bear; 2. Homer's Odyssey; 3. Baked potato
Summary: A clandestine meeting at the zoo.
Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are Chris Carter's and 1013 Productions', not mine, unfortunately; no infringement is intended. Please don't sue - I'm a writer, and have no money! :D

TITLE: Family Outing at the Zoo

He peered over the top of his book for the third time in 5 minutes as another child ran past him.  It was winter break, and the zoo was crowded with kids and their parents.

He had briefly considered coming to the zoo without a book, but the idea of a man in his late 30s sitting alone on a park bench made him think twice - a book would be a good prop.  

Besides, it served as entertainment.  Although not many people would peg him as a lover of classical literature, he was.  He enjoyed reading about grand adventures and fickle gods, and Homer’s The Odyssey had held his interest since he was a little boy.  

The book also served as a distraction for his mind.  He was anxious to see her.  Like a schoolboy waiting for his crush to arrive.  

He was also anxious to see their son.  Nearly 8 months old, now.   

He always felt a mixture of pride and guilt when he saw his little boy.  He had never meant to find himself in bed with his best friend’s wife, but one day it had happened.  

He remembers it as though it were yesterday.  He had watched his best friend whisper a few harsh words to her before leaving her alone at a party.  She looked devastated, but put on a brave face.  He remembers silently hating his best friend for hurting such a beautiful creature.  

At first, he had innocently stepped in to offer his best friend’s wife a ride home, but one thing led to another, and they found themselves in each other’s arms before the end of the evening.  

His best friend had been gone for weeks, and by the time he returned, she was pregnant.  

He remembers feeling guilty then, as his best friend proudly went on about how he was going to be a father.  He had no idea that his wife carried the child of his best friend.

He felt guilty now, too, as the affair had continued even after the birth of the baby.  

The guilt over the affair, however, would always be chased away at the sight of her, and of his son’s smile - a smile so much like his mother’s, with a mischievous edge to it that always made him chuckle.  

Finally the clicking of heels brought him back to the present, and he looked up in time to see her pushing a stroller towards the bench. 

Wearing a soft turquoise coat, and a dark blue dress, she was the picture of beauty in his eyes.  She was looking around, either trying to spot him, or to make sure the coast was clear.  When she finally settled her eyes on him, a smile spread across her face. 

Her pace quickened and he stood to meet her, giving her a small kiss, “I missed you,” he said, leaning down to smooth his son’s hair, “both of you.”

“We missed you, too,” she answered with a smile as he slipped an arm around her.  They walked into the main part of the zoo, her pushing the stroller, his arm still tightly around his most prized possession.  To any passersby the would like a typical married couple, ad he liked it that way..  

They made their way to the lions, then across to the tigers.  When they got to the polar bears, squeals of excitement and giggling were coming from the stroller.  

He laughed, watching his son trying to climb out of the stroller to get a closer look at the white, fuzzy baby bear.  He picked him up, “You don’t want to go in there, sport, you’d be dinner for those bears.”  

His son laughed, oblivious to the words, and it made them all smile.

After a few more minutes with the polar bears, the 3 of them made their way to the restaurant inside the zoo.  Just like him, his son loved baked potato, with extra butter of course.  

He’d laugh every time his son’s tiny hand would reach out, desperately grabbing for more potato.

After dinner, they made their way to a set of benches near the polar bears.  The plan was to keep their son occupied while they talked, but he had already fallen asleep in the stroller.  

The two of them talked for a long while until finally 7 o’clock neared, and a voice came over the loud speakers that the zoo would be closing soon.  

She looked up at him, “I don’t want this day to end.”

He smiled, kissing the top of her head, inhaling the floral scent.  He wished he could carry the scent with him until they met again, “I don’t either, my love, but we’ll meet again soon.”

“Promise me?” she asked, a sad tone in the back of her voice.  

She always asked that, always in that tone, and it broke his heart every time.  He knew what she was going home to at night.  

A life filled with tension brought home by his work weary best friend.  A life filled with unnecessarily harsh words, and cold actions.  

“I promise you,” he pulled her closer, “You know that I love you, Cassie.”

She smiled, leaning against him, “I love you, too, Bill.”

CSM: Nothing vanishes without a trace...burn it!