AU | alt. meeting - Scully x Mulder
SATURDAY
Head bowed, nimble fingers rummaging in the pocket of her large overcoat. Water trickling from damp hair down her neck and under the collar of her coat, heavy on frail shoulders.
"That's not necessary." The voice quipped, sharp, overly polite.
Scully looked up half-way through the woman's sentence, fiery red strands entangling in dark lashes, blurring her vision briefly.
"No- I..." She attempted to protest, her free hand raising and brushing the locks out of her eyes. The woman's eyes pointed toward a brooding man sitting at one of the tables. "That guy already paid, doll." She winked, turning on her heel to check with one of ladies behind her.
With a quiet huff, the redhead moved away from the gentle buzzing of the crowd and towards the counter where her coffee would be placed once it was made. Her abdomen warmed at the thought of finally getting a good cup of coffee.
"A Skim Hazelnut Macchiato for Dana Katherine!" A loud, thick british accent called out.
Off to the side, Scully had been drumming her nails across the hardwood counter, watching the patrons in the cafe running around engrossed in their daily routines. The booming voice jolted her out of her daydreaming, straightening her coat and brushing off imaginary lint, Scully veered to the left until she reached the counter.
"Yeah, Hi! That's me, yep." She muttered, handing over the folded up receipt in her hand and taking the coffee that was then in turn offered out to her.
Holding the cup close to her chest, Scully turned back around to survey the room, navy eyes scanning the room as she walked towards the sitting target.
"Excuse me? Hi-" Sharp eyes looked up from their perusal of the Newspaper set out in front of them.
"Hello, Dana."He rolled the letters around in his mouth, getting used to the unfamiliar taste.
The side of his mouth quirking up as he watched her eyes widen for a split second, his gaze traveling across her face and resting on her eyes. After a prolonged moment, Scully shook her head, a soft laugh scratching the back of her throat.
"Uh...I don't take coffee from strangers." She said softly, digging her free hand into the pocket of her coat, rummaging around for some loose change.
"We aren't strangers." His voice was steady, confidence lacing his words.
Scully paused, fingers placing a few notes on the table next to his half-filled coffee cup. Why not humour him? Quirking an eyebrow upwards, lips pursed. "We aren't?"
He shook his head slowly, lifting his cup and taking a large swig. Shoulders raising and eyebrows creasing together when the back of his throat was hit with lukewarm coffee grains. "No." He hummed, raising his hand to grab the waiters attention.
"You come in here every Saturday around 1pm... you either work really long nights or have quite an all-consuming job." He spoke quietly, fingers tracing the ceramic handle. "I noticed just over a month ago when a young man spilled his coffee all over you," his lips quirked up again, this time at the hilarity of the memory. "You scolded him like a 6 year old." He smothered a silent smile, eyes flickering up from the table and resting on her lips. "I've been pretty captivated ever since."
A steady blush was creeping out from underneath Scully's shirt and spreading across her chest, her body betraying her, blotchy skin peeking out from underneath her coat. "I- uh..."She cleared her throat, tongue darting out to swipe at the chapped skin of her bottom lip.
"What can I do ya for?"
The waiter having deciding to make an appearance now, giving Scully time to gather her thoughts and save face. Clearing her throat again, heat flaring in between her legs as the 'strangers' eyes met hers once again. "Sorry...uhm-" She motioned to him, wracking her brain to recall if he'd mentioned his name.
"Mulder..." His eyes remained on hers, mischief sparkling underneath those baby blues of his.
"Right. I should...I have to go." Scully spoke softly, motioning her thanks to the waiter and to Mulder.
She hadn't taken more than 3 steps before she heard his voice again, hope billowing through his words. "Dana, wait I-" She turned back towards him, raising her coffee to take a craven sip.
"Scully." She pressed, earning her a widened smile in return.
"Scully." He repeated. "Can I buy you a coffee next week?"
A hidden smile flickered behind the styrofoam of her cup.
"I'll be seeing you, Mulder."
SUNDAY
Carrying a large tray of assorted Danish pastries, it was almost big enough to completely tip her off balance, Scully made sure to follow in the footsteps that her mother was taking; step-by-step, slide by slide, so that she didn't crash into Mrs. Henderson's shrubs or trip over her pet chihuahua, 'Sandra'. She was also pretty sure she had made it her mission to constantly dart in front of her legs when she wasn't paying enough attention.
"Damn it!" She muttered, her heel getting caught in a crack in the pavement. "Sandra!" She hissed, shooing the dog away.
"Dana?" Her mother's voice rang out from around the corner. "Are you alright?"
With an exasperated sigh, Scully leaned her at an angle, trying to put all of her weight onto her other leg and maintain a steady grip on the tray in her nimble hands.
"Yeah- I'm..." A gust of cold wind scattered warm hues across her face, sticking to the lip gloss on her mouth and catching in her eyes. "My...heel is stuck!"Now attempting to pull her foot out of her shoe.
Maggie Scully appeared beside her, having always been as quiet as an afternoon in the countryside. "Let me take those." She grabbed the tray from her daughters hands, moving to stand further in her line of sight. "Do you want me to grab somebody?" She asked, worry creasing between her brows.
"No!" She exclaimed. Her mother's eyebrows now shot up further towards her hairline. "No, no. It's fine. I'll work it out." She said softly, quieter.
Leaning down, Scully pulled at the straps encasing her now swelling ankles, attempting to pull the clasp off from around the strap. Her hair was getting more volume to it, whether it be because of the humidity in the air, or her flinging her head around for the last 2 minutes. She didn't know. But, it wasn't the look she was going for for the quiet church dinner.
"Are you okay?" A quiet voice asked, the tall silhouette mostly hidden by the phthalo green shrubs.
The sudden shock of an unfamiliar voice combined with their unacknowledged presence, knocked the air from Scully's lungs as she flung herself backwards; the sheer force of her body falling backwards pulling her stockinged foot out of the strapped shoe, her back making contact with the pavement behind her with an oomph.
The body that belonged to the voice moved quickly, the light around his body fading in and out of the darkness that was beginning to set.
"I think... I hit my head." She tried not to laugh, adrenaline pulsing through her veins like crack through an addicts.
The man kneeled down beside her body, pressing a hand to her neck and wrists to check her pulse. His fingers brushing the hair out of her eyes and running through the strands to feel for any protruding lumps or bleeding. "How are you feeling?" He asked pointedly. "What's your name?. Do you know what day it is?" His voice was calm, his eyes now focused on her own.
"I'm okay." Scully squeezed her eyes shut, moving to sit up more straight.
My head is killing me.
"Dana did you- oh my god!" Maggie ran towards her daughter quickly, kneeling beside her and pressing a hand to her shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Shaking her head, Scully moved to stand, the two people on either side of her helping her to stand up. "It's okay. I'm just really tired today." She forced a smile, pain flickering across her face when she straightened her back.
"We need to finish setting up. I'll go grab some ice, but we have to get moving."
Her mother was mumbling about something in the background, her voice fading as quickly as the man that had been consumed by shadows, the kind stranger who had helped her. Was he a stranger? I hadn't even looked at his face. Everything is so dizzy right now. My head is heavy.
Reaching one of the eskies just inside one of the open doorways, Scully rummaged around making sure to grab the largest pieces of ice she could get her hands on and wrapping them in a tea towel from the table.
"You're lucky the ice police aren't surveillancing."
Scully paused, raising the towel to her head and pressing the cool material to the sore part of her skull.
"They'd have to handcuff me to stop me." She turned around slowly, her bones aching much more than they should have been for such a small fall.
Half of the ice spilled out from the tea towel that was clasped in her hands, the material bunched in her closed fist. "Oh m- Mulder?"
"Scully?"