Disclaimer: MINE! Can I please just have them already? Man!
Spoilers: Nada
A/N: I miss going on drives late at night and peeing on the side of the road and doing cookies on the roof of the parking garage. I am not proofing this because I have a headache. Fail.
"Mulder," Scully whined into the phone. "It's late. I was just going to go to bed."
"It's early and you were going to lay in bed for an hour and try to sleep," Mulder argued.
"How come you always gotta be like that?"
"You sound like a six-year-old."
"Hey, you called me."
"So?"
"So you don't get to choose how I sound."
"Can I choose how you act? Because wow."
"Mulder, what do you want?"
"Wanna go for a drive?"
"Okay."
"I'll get you a milkshake too."
"You don't have to bribe me, I said I'd go."
"This is just insurance so you don't back out before I get there."
"Chocolate."
"Spoon."
"Close?"
"Ten minutes."
"Coat?"
"Heater."
"Shoes?"
"Lazy."
She grinned and put her slippers on and pulled a fleece blanket from her closet before grabbing her keys and heading outside to wait for him. She kept her cell phone pressed to her ear even though they had stopped the shorthand and were now sitting in silence. The night was quiet and slightly warm, but would be cooling off more soon. After the near blizzard this a few months prior, Mulder had come over and begged her to go for a drive with him to celebrate the roads being clear. She'd agreed of course, and it had become a weekly occurrence since then. Sometimes they talked, other times they laughed until their sides hurt. Some nights they were quiet and some nights they fought, but every night, no matter what, they were them and they were there together. And when he dropped her off in front of her building and sat in his idling car, waiting for her to flicker her lights in a final goodnight, that was all either one of them thought about.
She rocked back and forth on her feet as his car pulled up at the curb.
"Hey, how much for the whole night?" he asked. She chuckled and tossed the blanket through his window at him, then walked around to the other side of the car. She slid into the seat and buckled the belt, then took her slippers off and placed her feet on the dash. Mulder looked over at her, smirking at her purple toenails before driving the car out of the parking lot.
"Right or left?"
"Hmm, let's go right this time."
"Okay. Wanna just drive, or do you want to try and get lost?"
"Let's get lost."
"You're in a good mood."
"There is a milkshake coming my way. Of course I'm happy."
"I like you happy. Right or left?"
"Left. I try to be happy more often. I really do. I guess sometimes it's easier to just be."
"Yeah, I know. I wish we could both smile more."
"Hey Mulder, blow some more sunshine up my nose why don'tcha?"
"Yes ma'am."
She smiled and they continued to make their way out of town. They liked to try and find a back road and follow it until it ended, no matter how late it was or how low the gas tank. It was an adventure, one they could control, and it thrilled them. She rolled down her window as they hit an open road, weaving through farms and fields. It hadn't taken all that long to get away from civilization and they both opened their windows, despite the slight chill of the fall night. She was tapping her toes to her own mental music and Mulder grinned, wondering just what was going through her head. It didn't take him long to find out. As the car sped up and the wind rushed in, Scully began to sing.
"Whoa, we're halfway there, whoa, livin' on a prayer!"
Without missing a beat, Mulder picked up where she left off.
"Take my hand, we'll make it I swear. Whoa, livin' on a prayer!"
The glanced over at each other with huge smiles and by silent conversation decided to finish the song.
"Tommy's got his six string in hock, Now he's holding in what he used to make it talk So tough, mmm, it's tough. Gina dreams of running away When she cries in the night, Tommy whispers "Baby it's okay, someday." We gotta hold on to what we've got It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not We got each other and that's a lot For love we'll give it a shot! Oh, we're half way there Oh oh, livin' on a prayer Take my hand, we'll make it I swear Oh oh, livin' on a prayer Livin' on a prayer! We gotta hold on ready or not You live for the fight when it's all that you've got!"
Their voices were terrible, neither could sing to save their life, but it didn't matter to the night and it didn't matter to them. Scully laughed as they finished the song, leaning her head back against the seat.
"Man, I haven't done that in a long time."
"What, acted like a high schooler? Scully I doubt you even did that in high school."
"Well maybe not then, but Missy and I used to sing in the car all the time. Her voice was worse than mine."
"What made you think of that song?"
"I dunno. I guess sometimes I just feel like we're only halfway there, and we have no idea where there is."
"We really are living on a prayer most of the time."
"It's kind of sad, but I think I feel better about it knowing we're in it together," she admitted, rolling up her window. "No one else really gets it."
"It's like when I catch your eye across the room and I know you're thinking what I'm thinking and I know you know it too."
"It's something that's just ours."
"Yeah, I like that."
"Think we'll make it, Mulder?"
"How do you mean?"
"Like survival. Apocalypse. Whatever. Think we'll make it?"
"If we don't kill each other in the process."
"Well that's encouraging."
He chuckled and reached over to squeeze her hand.
"Can I ask you something, Scully?"
"I don't know, can you?"
"You're a brat."
"Not a question."
"Brat. May I ask you a question?"
"You know you don't have to ask."
"You're making me tired."
"Just don't swerve off the road."
"Scully."
"Go ahead and ask, Mulder," she said with a giggle.
"What did you do tonight before I called you?"
"That's a 'Can I ask you a question' kind of question?"
"Scuh-leeeee."
"Okay, okay. Before you called, I had eaten dinner, done a load of laundry, called my mom, washed the dishes, cleaned the bathroom, e-mailed Charlie, vacuumed the floor and watched Jeopardy. Why do you ask?"
"Curious."
"I have often fancied calling you George."
"Does that make Skinner the man in the yellow hat?"
"Hmm, maybe. I'll have to think about it. I'm just glad you're not a cat."
"Ever wonder how curiosity could kill a cat if a cat has nine lives, Scully?"
"Yes, and skinning a cat would kill it too, especially when done in more than one way."
"I want to know what the cats did with all the tongues they stole."
"I think they just drag them in."
They looked at each other and erupted into laughter.
"Mulder, we're weird."
"No one else would ever put up with us."
"I'm glad we found each other then."
"Two in five billion."
"Take it to Vegas, baby."
"I don't know if we have enough gas to get there, but we've certainly got the drive."
"You're a dork."
"Ten seconds ago I was just weird. And you were weird with me!"
"Yeah well," she muttered by way of explanation.
"Milkshake time?"
"Bingo."
They returned to her apartment almost an hour later, having been unsuccessful in their attempt at getting lost, but very successful with their milkshakes. They sat in the car for a while, yawning and talking softly until she decided to turn in.
"What time is it?"
"Just after three. Breaking curfew."
"I'm a rebel like that. Are you going to be okay to get home?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? It's late."
"I'm sure."
"Because if you're the least bit not sure, you can stay over tonight."
"Scully, are you asking me to stay over?"
"Yeah, I probably am."
"Alright. Am I going to have to check under your bed for monsters too?"
"Nah, I got traps."
He snickered as they got out of the car, locking it up and heading inside. Their shoulders brushed as they walked, her stumbling a bit because of her slippers and drowsiness.
"You know," she said as they boarded the elevator. "I could have been asleep by now."
"This was much more fun. Especially when you dribbled milkshake down your shirt."
"If you hadn't insisted that we lay on the hood of the car instead of sitting inside like normal people, it wouldn't have happened."
"The image of you chasing a frozen M&M down your bra is forever burned into my brain."
"Can it."
He chuckled as she unlocked the door and they stumbled inside.
"Lovely and graceful they enter."
"Three in the morning, Scully. Three in the morning."
"I am going to go change. You can do your anal checking of the locks if you want to."
"Anal checking."
"Oh stop."
She sauntered into her bedroom and shut the door, while he checked all her window and door locks. He also checked her fridge to see what she had for breakfast, making a mental note to run to the store before she woke up for more maple syrup. He went into the bathroom and shed his jeans, leaving just boxers, a t-shirt, and his socks on. He used her toothbrush on his teeth and purposefully left his jeans on the floor so they would have something to argue about in the morning.
"Extra pillow?" he asked, knocking on her door.
"Sure, I'd love one," came the reply from the other side.
"Sassy," he commented, opening the door. She was just sliding into bed, looking very content in his Oxford t-shirt. He grinned at the sight and wanted to tease her about it being too big, but didn't want to disrupt the smile on her face.
"First of all, Miss Scully, you have stolen my shirt. Second of all, I did not use your toothbrush so stop looking at me like that. Third of all, do you have an extra pillow I can use?"
"First, finders keepers. Second, I don't mind. Third, it's right here."
She patted the pillow next to her and he sighed and walked over there, grabbing the pillow. She grabbed it too, her eyes showing a playfulness he hadn't seen in a while.
"Mine."
"Scully, I'm too tired for this game. Do I really have to sleep here to get a pillow?"
"Yes."
"But why?"
"Because this is the only way I can get you to sleep in a real bed and sleep all night."
"Fine, but stay on your side. You snuggle."
"Well just throw me in the slammer."
They laid down and he could feel her start to relax. He flopped over to his stomach, then waited a few seconds and moved his legs. He laid totally still then, and counted to thirty, then flipped over again onto his back. He was planning his next move when Scully suddenly pounced on him, landing on his chest and holding his arms down.
"Quit. Moving."
"Hey, I can't help it. I'm a nervous sleeper. If you don't like it, I can go back out to the couch."
She glared, making sure her elbows were placing the appropriate amount of pressure on his ribs.
"You make a point. Game over?"
He rolled enough to dump her off his chest, then laid back against the pillows with a sigh.
"Yeah, game over."
She smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek before retreating to her side of the bed.
"Thanks for playing with me, Mulder."
"You're welcome. Night Scully."
"Night."
Morning would come and he would wake up to her small body nestled up next to his, her arm over his stomach, her hair tickling his nose. He would tease her for looking disheveled and she would grumble in response. They would make breakfast together, argue about his jeans on the floor, and eventually he would leave. But no matter how far he went, no matter how long he was gone, she'd still be her and he'd still be him and they would still be them together.