My first ever attempt at an X-files fanfiction…hope it's not total crap.
I've known of the show since I was around 5 but never really got into it because it used to scare the bejeezus out of me, but I'm now rediscovering its greatness and couldn't resist imagining my own missing scene.
It takes place after the Shadows episode (season 1), when they head off to the Liberty Bell. Enjoy.
They drove off, slowly making their way out of the residential area and onto the main streets littered with a higher number of tourists and the younger generation out for a night of fun than actual residents. Although Mulder claimed to have never seen the Liberty Bell, despite his many trips to Philly, he hadn't yet asked Scully for directions making her suspect he had planned this little detour prior to arriving at Lauren Kyte's now former residence, but she preferred not to get her hopes up on the ever unpredictable Fox Mulder.
"Hey Scully, could you open the glove compartment and grab me some seeds?" Mulder asked, his right hand casually draped over the steering wheel while his left was propped up on the window of his driver's seat door.
Scully swallowed the need to roll her eyes at his unusual habit of eating sunflower seeds. She did as he asked without replying, not wanting to interrupt the comfortable silence any further, and even went as far to open the bag for him, but taking a couple of sunflower seeds for herself of course.
"Thanks" he said with a smile, grabbing the bag from her offering hand and placing his on his lap for easier access.
Mulder opened the window all the way, allowing him to spit out the seeds while he kept driving. The night was a relatively warm one and the breeze was as relaxing as the pattern of sound made from the cracking and spitting out of seeds, which seemed to play along with the music on the radio turned down low. Scully, being the more reserved one, of course chose to collect her shells in her palm and then lightly brush them off her hand and out of her window. Mulder noticed and couldn't help but smile at her mannerisms.
Scully, however, didn't notice his eye on her because she was busy mulling over the fact that Mulder was eating sunflower seeds. Although she had so far only known him as much as their jobs had allowed/offered, she had begun to notice his tendency to eat them when he was anxious, annoyed or in any type of mood in which he needed to relax. She could recognize the calming effect the seeds had as she had eaten them; the repetitiveness of it and the surprising concentration it took to break the seed just right, down the middle, and eat the inner part and not the cough-inducing shell took one's mind off any unnerving feelings. So what bothered Scully was why he felt the need to eat sunflower seeds now. He had pretty much solved the case, Lauren was off to a better life, and there was nothing to worry about. So why the sunflower seed request?
Mulder could tell she was thinking about something, as her face had that kind of scrunched up look she got when she thought over a case and couldn't figure something out. He chose to not question though, seeing as she didn't seem upset by it and he was rather busy with his own thoughts. He had been planning to take her to the Bell for a while now. Although he found out she had already seen it, maybe even more than a couple of times, he was determined to go with her.
Ever since she had gone out on that date with God-only-knows he felt the urge to somehow put his foot in that door too, finally noticing that she was…well… a woman, feminine and, unlike him, of the social kind who had "a life." Mulder didn't know what he felt for her, but he knew she interested him and he wanted to get to know her better and find just how much he wanted to be part of the that life or how much to allow her in his. Instead of waiting a life-death situation on the field, he thought, why not a small…outing? Was it a date? Did she think it was a date? And that's why the seeds were needed, he was uncharacteristically…nervous? He couldn't find a better word to describe how he felt: a mixture of uncertainty and anxiety.
Meanwhile, Scully was having a new sort of problem: she wanted to eat more sunflower seeds.
The bag was on Mulder's lap…
On Mulder's lap…near…
"Something wrong, Scully?"
"Huh?...Oh, no, I'm fine."
"So you've just been looking at me for the past five minutes because you think I'm pretty?" He looked over at her and grinned.
"As much faith as I have in your ability to win first place in a beauty pageant, Mulder, I was merely going to ask if I could have some more sunflower seeds," she replied dryly.
Mulder gave a small laugh at her sarcasm, told her to go ahead but made no movement to give her the bag, seemingly unaware of her predicament.
She almost sighed at his thick-headedness, choosing to overcome her craving and focus on the pubs and restaurants that passed her window instead of opening that can of worms.
"Problem, Agent Scully?"
She turned to him. "Why do you ask?"
"I thought you wanted to have some more seeds?" She didn't notice the mischievous glint in his eyes.
"If you haven't realized, to reach for them would be out of the question, Mulder, and I'd rather not get into that awkward situation." Scully desperately tried not to blush and turned to look out the window praying that the light from the street lamps would be insufficiently bright to allow him that opportunity to mock.
"Oh…I noticed," she turned to look at him, "But I was under the impression that you'd be at ease and well acquainted with those parts of a man."
"Excuse me?"
"Surely, you've seen your fair share of a man's twig and berries while performing autopsies, Scully?"
Just to wipe the mocking look off his face Scully forcefully swiped the bag away from Mulder lingering a bit longer than necessary, leaving even the King of Innuendo in a bit of shock. She smiled in triumph, her chin held high, and placed the bag on her own lap now, munching away on the seeds of sweet victory.
Mulder shook his head, smiling at her fiery attitude and reached for some seeds, but only made it halfway there before Scully spoke up.
"What are you doing?"
"Just reaching for some of my seeds"
"Oh." She blushed fiercely this time, though it seemed he took no notice.
"So?"
"Yeah, here." And she held out the bag to him before placing it back on her lap.
"Hey, Scully"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you should open the window a bit more, you look a bit flushed."
She scowled at him while he chuckled at her expense and threw a seed at his head.
"Hey! If I hit something it'll be your fault, Scully," Mulder replied jokingly, gesturing to the road.
"Are you sure that was me? Maybe I just have a poltergeist of my own." She smirked, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue at him.
He swerved a bit to spite her, not only causing the car behind him to honk but elicit a small yelp from Scully.
"Mulder!" Despite her raised voice, she couldn't help but laugh at his antics.
"Sorry." He didn't sound apologetic in the least and casually spat the empty shells out the window, as Scully deposited hers in her hand.
There it is:) Hope you liked it! There was actually a bit more to the story, but I kind of liked the short and sweet version, but lemme know if you want the continuation in the reviews, I'd be happy to put up a ch.2 :)
