Disclaimer: I don't own them, quit rubbing my nose in it.
Spoilers: Nah.
A/N: This popped into my head. It won't go away. Don't worry, no one is vying for Scully's affection. I promise. And please don't harp on me for the details. Just be patient, they will come, just like the people if you build it.
She'd often heard stories of a phone call changing someone's life. She never put much stock in it. After all, the call wasn't what changed the life, it was the message that was reported on the phone. But she thought all that before she got the call that changed her life.
"Scully," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"As in Dana Katherine?"
She blinked at the voice, not expecting it at all. It would be more likely for the Easter Bunny to call her at work.
"How'd you get this number?"
"Your mom still loves me."
She couldn't help the half smile that tugged at her lips. Even after everything...
"Dale."
"She does. I can't help it."
"Why are you calling?"
"I'm in town. I want to see you."
"I look the same."
"No ya don't Freckles."
"Shut up, Dale," she giggled, glancing at the door to make sure Mulder hadn't returned. He would never let her live down a giggle.
"Just dinner? We won't even go somewhere romantic, I promise. We can go to Dairy Queen."
"That's where you took me on our first date, and look what happened."
"Maybe we'll just go through the drive thru this time."
She sighed and checked the time.
"Alright, I'll meet you at 7."
"I'll pick you up."
"How do you know where I live?"
"Because my life is that stalker song."
"I can't believe you still have Peter Pan syndrome."
"And Toys R Us."
"Some things never change."
"And therein lies security. So your place at 7?"
"I'll be there."
"Bells?"
"I put them away after Christmas, but you can imagine them."
"Bye Dana."
"Bye Dale."
She hung up the phone and chewed on her lip. She hadn't heard from Dale in over 9 years. She hadn't thought about him in at least 7, if not more. Well, maybe she had, but she hadn't dwelled on the thoughts. Dale was a part of her life, but a part that was over. She had moved on.
The grin on her face told a different story.
"Who blew sunshine up your nose?" Mulder asked as he came into the office. She gave him a look.
"Come on, Scully. Give."
"Give what?"
"Why are you grinning like you just snuck chocolate?"
"No reason, it's just... Friday."
"Meaning?"
"I get to sleep in tomorrow, that's all."
"I see."
"In fact, I think I'm going to head out a few minutes early."
"Pajama's, ice-cream and Doris Day movies?"
"Basically. I'll see you on Monday."
She grabbed her jacket off of the rack and headed out the door, her stomach becoming upset because of the lie. Sure, he had lied to her before, straight to her face when they both knew it was a lie. But she had never out and out lied to him, and it really bothered her. She took a deep breath and shook it off. She wasn't going to think about lying to Mulder when she had more on her plate.
Dale Sheridan.
She felt sick. Not disgusted sick, but nervous butterflies flapping wildly kind of sick. What was going to happen tonight? She and Dale had always had that annoying connection, the one where he could read her thoughts. They also had chemistry that probably couldn't be measured by any kind of scientific device whatsoever. People always said they were like two tornados colliding, but she was sure it was much worse than that. Tsunamis was more like it. Tsunamis and Mt. Everest erupting and an atom bomb thrown in the mix. They were volatile. That's why things had happened so fast, and ended before either one of them could catch it.
She took a deep breath as the knock on the door registered in her mind. He was here. There was no turning back. She stood from the couch and opened the door.
And it was Dale.
Just as she remembered him, with a few more subtle lines on his face. His blue eyes danced as he looked at her, his lips quirking up into a smile. He smelled the same, like leather and Old Spice. His teeth were still sparkling white and perfectly straight, and his once sandy hair had a light dusting of gray at the temples. He wore his age well.
She took one last deep breath and met his eyes, and suddenly she was back in college, seeing him across the room and feeling her heart stop. She was silly and 19 and the grin he shot her made her weak in the knees.
"Hey, Sugar."
She was a goner.
"Hi," was all she managed to get out before the smile practically split her face in two. They regarded each other for a moment before she stepped aside to let him in. The door clicked behind him and she couldn't help crushing her face into his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist. He chuckled a little and returned the fierce hug.
"Miss me?" he asked.
She giggled and tipped her head up to look at him.
"Apparently you never took those humility classes I suggested."
"You suggested them and threw a book at my head. I didn't take you seriously."
She shrugged and he pulled away a little to look at her.
"You've been told you're beautiful, right?"
"Yeah, but I knew it already."
"I guess we should find a place where we can get two for one on those humility lessons."
"Might be a good idea."
"Ready to go? I made reservations."
"Dale Michael Sheridan, how many times have I told you not to waste your money on places that serve tiny portions in weird sauces?"
"Dana Katherine Scully, how many times have I told you to quit telling me what to do?"
She grinned and grabbed her purse as he held the door open for her.
"Probably gazillions, but I never really listened."
"I knew it!"
She smiled as she locked her door and followed him out of her building and to his car.
"Now how come you didn't spring for a car this nice when we were together?" she asked, eying the Lexus.
"I thought you liked driving around in the Hoopdie."
"Honey I wasn't wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes, I was wearing them to protect my identity."
"Ah, you kill me."
He held the door for her and she slid in to the passenger seat, suddenly feeling very off balance. Mulder never held the door for her. At least not anymore. She shook the thought from her head. She felt guilty enough about lying to him earlier, she wasn't going to spoil the night by comparing him to Dale.
They were escorted to a high backed round booth in the back corner of the restaurant and she slid in daintily, trying to remember the last time she had been out to eat with anyone besides Mulder. It had been long enough that it was depressing to think about.
"Wine?" Dale asked as he settled in next to her at the round table.
"No thanks."
He nodded and asked for a glass of water for each of them. The waiter smiled and handed them their menus, then left them alone.
"Baked manicotti," Dale guessed, glancing over at her. She scoffed.
"I've changed, Dale, I swear."
"You still tap your fingers on the menu."
She halted the unconscious movement and glared at him. He grinned back at her and held her gaze until she smiled.
"You never were very good at resisting me."
"You never were very good at going easy on me."
"You're tough."
"Shut up, Dale."
"Yes ma'am. What are you going to have?"
"Eggplant parmesan."
"Health nut."
"Dale, why are you here?"
"Business."
"That's not what I meant. You've probably been to DC dozens of times in the last 9 years."
"And you've probably been to New York just as much."
"But this is the first time you called. Why?"
He was quiet for a while, even through the waiter bringing their drinks and taking their orders. She watched him as he slid his finger around the rim of his glass, his eyes trained on that and nothing else.
"Dale?"
"A lot of things happened in the last few years. I was engaged. My fiancé left me last month. I realized that the only time that I was truly happy was when I was with you. I didn't come back here to desperately try and get you back. I'm smarter than that. I just wanted to see you. Check in."
"Dale, you have never checked in. What's going on?"
"Nothing. I'm just getting old. Trying to reclaim past glory."
"I'm a past glory?"
"You know what I mean."
She smiled as his hand found hers on the table.
"I've missed you, Dana."
"I've missed you too," she said, surprised that she actually meant it.
"You have?"
"I saw you every day for six years, and then nothing. It was a hard transition."
"I know."
His fingers threaded through hers and they stared at each other, all the old feelings resurfacing. It scared her to death.
"It's alright, Dana," he said. She remembered he could read her mind, she just forgot how eerie it was. She was about to reply when the waiter returned with their food and they moved apart almost imperceptibly.
The warm food helped to restore some clarity and they ate in silence for a while.
"Hey Dana?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you hear about Dave and Trish?"
"What about them?"
"Quadruplets."
"Seriously?"
"That brings the tally up to 7 kids now."
"Wow. I never pegged them for more than one kid. They were always so... golfy."
"Golfy?"
"Yeah, one of those couples that... I don't know, plays a lot of golf."
"Are you joking?"
"No."
"Golfy."
"Yep, golfy."
"So tell me about work."
"Let's not talk work."
"Why not?"
"Because. It's Friday. I don't want to think about work again until Monday."
"Your mom said you don't normally have free weekends. Your partner drags you hither tither and yon."
She felt a slight flame of defense rise within her, but she quelled it.
"He's... energetic."
"You enjoy it."
"I do."
"You two get along?"
"He's my best friend."
"You love him."
"What?"
"I can see it in your eyes."
"I don't love him, Dale. I care about him. I miss him when he's not around. I'd rather be with him than anyone else, but that's just a comfort thing."
"If I hadn't called, you'd be with him tonight."
"No I wouldn't."
"You're wondering what he's doing right now."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are."
"Dale, knock it off. He's my partner and my friend. That's all."
"You forget, I can always tell when you lie."
"I'm not lying."
"You love him."
"Alright fine, maybe I do, but I'm not in love with him."
"I never said 'in love' Sugar."
She sighed and suddenly remembered why she had erected those careful walls around herself. Once they were down, she was done for.
They walked down the hallway slowly, their hands brushing together every few steps. She was feeling so free. There had been no debates about reticulans, Bigfoot, or Area 51. She hadn't rolled her eyes once or sighed in exasperation or even put her hands on her hips. It was a nice change even though something still felt incomplete.
"Want to come in for coffee?" she asked, opening her door.
"As long as it's not Yuban."
"It's not."
"I'm in."
She smiled as he followed her inside and shut the door behind them.
"I'll just be a minute," she said, pressing the answering machine button on her way to the kitchen.
"Hey Scully, it's me. I'm going up to Boston in the morning; my mom needs help with some paperwork. I'll be back Sunday afternoon. I'll have my phone on if you need anything. Also, just a heads up, Skinner called after you left tonight. He wants last months expense report on this desk at three on Monday. It's your turn, Scully dear. See you on Monday. Have a good weekend."
She grinned to herself and started the coffee. Ever since they had started splitting up the paperwork duties evenly, he was much more aware of how much work she actually did around the office. It was a nice change.
"He calls you Scully?" Dale hollered from the couch.
"Yeah. He said it once, and it just kind of stuck. I call him Mulder, so I guess it's fair."
"It's like you're football players or something."
"Works for us," she said, joining him on the couch. He smiled and took a picture frame off the side table and raised his eyebrows at her.
"You know my mom and her camera."
"I think this picture needs explaining."
She smiled as she looked at it.
"Mulder has this thing about the piano. He thinks that everyone should know how to play because it exercises both sides of your brain or something. He was trying to teach me how to play. I was being stubborn."
"I know that face."
"You suffered through it a lot."
He grinned and put the picture back, then leaned against the couch. She rested back against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her. It had been a long time since she had felt like this- able to breathe.
"Dana?"
"Hmm?"
"How come you're still single?"
She snorted and turned a little to look at him.
"Dale, I don't have any time to be not single."
"You'd make time."
"I can't. I have too much invested in the work. It's not a nine to five job, Dale."
"I've gathered as much."
"Maybe someday."
"I'm surprised you don't have kids. You'd make a great mom."
The words pricked at her heart, but he didn't know he was hurting her, so she kept quiet. As well as he knew her, as close as they had been there were some things that she didn't need to tell him now.
"You've always thought that. You even asked me that one time, "Dana can we have a baby?" I thought you'd found Johnny's ganja stash."
"I forgot about that."
"I never did."
"If money hadn't been an issue, what would you have said?"
"I would have said yes."
"Really?"
"Of course. We were already married, having a baby was the next step, right?"
"We put it off too long."
"Maybe."
"Do you think a baby would have saved us?"
"It sure would have slowed us down."
"I never fell out of love with you."
"I know. We were just going in different directions. We were so young, Dale. We should have waited to get married."
"Yeah."
They were quiet for a while, his fingers tracing over her shoulder. It had been an amicable divorce. She was in the middle of her residency, he was finishing up his law degree- it had been a recipe for disaster no matter how much they loved each other. Add their youth into the mix, and the split was practically inevitable. She never wanted to divorce him, and he never wanted to divorce her, but in their inexperience and naïveté, they hadn't seen any other options. They had always meant to keep in touch, but life had a way of stepping in between them. They could have made it work, but they didn't. That was the long and short of it.
She sighed closed her eyes. It had been a long week, an even longer day, and one more moment of warm quiet would make her fall asleep.
"Dana, you want that coffee?"
"No."
"But I do."
"Then get it."
"Let me up."
"No."
He pinched her side gently and she yelped, moving away just far enough that he could get up.
"You're evil," she complained, rubbing her side.
"I like caffeine more than I like you. Where are your mugs?"
"Cupboard by the fridge, jerk."
He chuckled and came out of the kitchen with a mug for each of them. He handed one to her and she grimaced.
"What?"
"You put honey in it."
"You always have honey in your coffee."
"Not anymore. Only cream. Honey freaks me out."
"Sure."
She stood up and went into the kitchen to fix her drink. Dale just rolled his eyes at her as she sat down again, tucking her legs up underneath her.
"So what have we not talked about yet?" she asked, taking a sip of the coffee. There was still honey residue in the cup, but she ignored it.
"Um... I don't know."
"Hmm. Three hours and we've exhausted all avenues of conversation. We're sad."
"Can I ask you a personal question then?"
"I suppose."
"Your mom mentioned that you were sick last year. In the hospital."
"How long were you two on the phone?"
"A while. How sick were you, Dana?"
She sighed and settled her mug on the side table.
"I called Father McCue."
"Wow."
They were quiet for a while, and he finally looked over at her.
"You could have called me."
"Dale..."
"I know. But you could have Dana. I would have been there in a second."
"I know. But there was nothing you could have done. And I'm okay now. I promise."
"But what if you would have.... I mean, we never would have.... we just..."
"No closure. I know."
"Don't let that happen to us."
"I won't. Next time I almost die, I'll call you."
"Dana-"
"I'm not trying to make light of it, Dale. It was a big deal, I know. But it's over."
"Your mom says the hospital is about the only place she sees you anymore."
"Mulder and I do get into our share of scrapes."
"Maybe you need to slow down."
"What are you, Bill?"
"No. Keep doing your job. Don't quit that. Just please, be more careful."
"No one has ever said that before. It's always just "Dana, take a desk job" or "Just ditch your sorry excuse for a partner, you don't need him." No one ever cared enough to see what I want."
"Dana, I know you. You're not going to quit. You're too loyal."
"This, coming from the man I divorced."
"All unholy matrimony aside, I would never ask you to leave a job that you love."
"I know."
He smiled and tugged her over to his side of the couch, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Just try and stay safe. That's all I want."
"I'll try."
"I should probably go. It's getting late and I have some work today before my meeting tomorrow."
"They're making you work on a Saturday?"
"It's a big case, Sugar."
"Smart to put you on it when I'm sitting here as a distraction?"
"I have a two track mind."
"I don't know if I should be flattered or offended."
He leaned down and kissed the crown of her head.
"I'll call you tomorrow. Dinner and a movie?"
"Sounds good."
They walked to the door where she hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around him in a hug.
"I'm glad you're here."
"Me too."
Their eyes met and her heart fluttered a little. Was he thinking what she was thinking? Apparently so.
His lips danced close to hers for a moment before capturing them. Her eyes slid closed and she let herself relax into it, following him when he started to pull away. She had missed this man, and she had missed being kissed like this, but as much as she was enjoying it, something was missing. She ignored that feeling and deepened the kiss, running a hand through his short hair. He gently pulled away after a moment, catching his breath.
"Dana."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"I'm not complaining."
"What do we do?"
"I leave and we think about it tomorrow."
"Yes, tomorrow. At Tara."
"Goodnight, Dana."
"Night. I love you."
"Love you too. Go get some sleep."
She shut the door behind him and sunk down on the couch. She hadn't been good and kissed in years. It was nice. It made her happy. But the second the back of her mind flashed Mulder's face in front of her, she started to feel guilty.
But there was nothing between them. They were best friends, and that was all. If she was happy with Dale, then he should be happy for her. It should be that simple.
So why did she feel a dark cloud looming over her now?