Scully slowly buckled her seatbelt, watching blankly as Mulder transferred Eddie Van Blundht into the police car, enforcing the importance of this prisoner's captivity. She stared at the way he moved his hands when he spoke, the irritated lines that creased around his forehead as he argued with the officer who was standing next to him. What a fool she had been, thinking Mulder could possibly care about her prom dates and crushes, her first kiss or the day her baby brother was born. How could she have mistaken her partner, her best friend, for a stranger? Inside her sharp mind raged for answers, tearing at her memories, all the quirks and habits and jokes of her partner she had collected over the years. And the more she poured over the memories, the tiny golden moments untouched by monsters of fear or pain, the more she relaxed into them. She remembered the smooth silk of Mulder's tie as it brushed across her chest when he hugged her in the hospital. The blue and white striped one he wore on special occasions. Or the shape of his glasses on the day they first met, or the shampoo that he had said smelled good on her, or the exact time at which she had walked in on he and detective White, limbs entangled on the bed. All these memories, all these exact, pristine trophies to which she clung so tightly to, and yet she had still fallen prey to the trap of someone who had simply assumed his form.
Interrupting her muse, the car door opened as Mulder slid into the driver's seat, huffing as he slammed the door behind him.
"They'd better keep a close eye on him." Mulder said irritably, shooting a scowl in the direction of the officer. "He's caused enough trouble as is."
Turning the keys in the ignition, Mulder began to drive, and for a moment the partner's lapsed into silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. After almost ten minutes of complete soundlessness Mulder broke the silence, grinning from ear to ear as he turned to face Scully:"Did you really think he was me?"
"Of course I did," Scully snapped "Why else would I have let him into my apartment?"
"So you thought he was me when you were about to kiss him?"
Scully felt her breath catch in her throat and the heat rise to her face. "Look Mulder, if you're just going to harass me, then drop it, okay?" She was put off by the angry way he voice came out sounding, and she toned it down as she continued. "Mulder, I'd had a lot to drink and I wasn't thinking straight… and besides, you… and mean, he kissed me." Scully flushed crimson at these words and busied herself with reading the map in her lap.
"So…" His voice was slow and measured, as if he was tiptoeing around a bomb that might go off without warning. "… You wanted to kiss me?" His tone was joking in the way that only Mulder's could be, but beneath the light jesting lay a serious question. He wanted to know.
"Well… I… I…" Scully was stunned to silence as she blubbered over the right words. "I was drunk….I wasn't thinking clearly… I… I…I.." Her words were cut off as Mulder laughed a planted a kiss on her forehead, his tongue barely grazing her temple and causing her eyelids to flutter closed as she memorized this moment.
Far too quickly it was over and he pulled back, eyes twinkling with mischievous contentment. "Of course you were." Mulder replied, chuckling as he pulled a bag of sunflower seeds from the glove box. "Seeds?"
Scully laughed, feeling her embarrassment swept away as she grabbed a handful. "Thanks."
"Anytime." Mulder expertly cracked a seed open with his teeth, tossing the shells out the window before continuing. "How about some pizza at my place? We can create a secret handshake to prevent future shape shifting aliens, monsters, and genetic mutants from seducing you."
Scully couldn't help but laugh. "It's a date."
THE END