Title: Gravity
Classification: MSR
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Through the sixth season...just in case I mention something by mistake.
Disclaimer: The characters that appear are the property of Chris Carter, The Fox
Network, and 1013 Productions. I am not making any money from their use.
Summary: Mulder's heart is breaking, is the answer in the stars?
Notes: This is practice to keep my writing skills sharp. I hope that you enjoy it.
All feedback is appreciated, however flames are for marshmallows, so keep'em.
Thanks to Andrea for your comments, and thanks to MP for getting me started with
the Files.
Archive? Sure, just keep my name and email addy attached. Also, let me know where
to look for them.
Gravity
by The Liquid Sky
Elliottca@Nku.edu
J. Edgar Hoover Building
Friday 4:22 P.M.
Fourth Floor Records Department
Desk Number 19.
Mulder leaned back in his chair with an impatient sigh. The grunt work
was killing him, but he had resolved himself to outlasting Kersh, and everyone else
that thought he was washed up. He stared down at the screen in front of him, the
same file that he'd started on at noon. He heard Scully gathering her things behind
him, and pretended not to notice.
" You want to tag along Mulder? A few of the agents from Fraud and
Wire
Tapping are getting together for beers at Casey's."
" Tag Along? Come on Scully, you know I don't "Tag Along" well. You
go on,
you still have a chance socially and I've got some work to finish here. Besides, a
pretty woman like you should be kicking up her heels on a Friday night."
" Give me a break Mulder, they invited us, it's not like you're crashing."
" Invited us? As in, " Hey Scully, join us for a beer?"
" Semantics Mulder. Tell you what, you stay here sulking, and I'll
see you on
Monday."
" Sulking? I thought that you recognized this as brooding. All of your
magazines say that women find brooding sexy."
" Not this woman." And with that, she wove her way between desks 18,
17,
and 16, and was gone.
Mulder felt a pang of longing as he watched her walking away. He shut
down
his computer, and picked up his jacket. Scully was right, he was being a jerk. No
one
was going to beg him to be friendly, and Scully was there. He could be comfortable
with her anywhere. He wound his way through the desks just as Scully had done a
few minutes before, and stood in front of the elevator. Mulder watched the numbers
light up, as the elevator ascended noiselessly from the first floor. He felt his heart
sink. What was I thinking? he thought. Scully needs time with her friends, time to
be
normal, down time. He stepped into the elevator and pressed G on the panel. Yep,
he thought, another Friday night at home. Alone.
Casey's Pub
5:30 P.M.
Scully poured her beer, and brought it to her lips. It was perfectly
chilled just
like she liked it. She checked the doorway once again, and was not surprised that
Mulder was not standing there. She thought back to the conversation that they had
just before she left, Mulder could be so self deprecating sometimes. It came and
went like the phases of the moon. Must be one of his seasons, she thought. Scully
looked up quickly as a hand came up to her shoulder.
"Hey Scully, Harper here says that he's a better shot than me. We need
a
witness, would you want to come out to the range with us a little later?"
She looked up at the two men supporting each other against the edge of the booth
that she occupied.
" You two seem drunk, maybe you shouldn't go back to the Bureau this
evening. Maybe you guys should grab a taxi and call it a night. How'd you get so
drunk this quickly anyway?"
Dennis swayed, and spilled beer on Dana's sleeve, she grabbed a cocktail napkin,
and dabbed at the spot that was growing on her jacket.
" I'm s-sorry." Dennis leaned towards her with another napkin, and
spilled
beer onto her lap. " Oh gosh Scully, I am so sorry. Why don't I just go sit down?"
Scully stood up, and wiped at her lap. I shouldn't have come here, she thought.
Dennis and Harper sloshed themselves over to the jukebox, and began singing with
two women from Tax Evasion. Mulder wasn't coming. She sighed deeply, blowing a
loose strand of hair from her brow. The women seated next to her had involved
themselves in a conversation about men. Scully didn't feel like she had anything to
add. Michelle from Fraud had asked her where Mulder was, but Scully could hear the
implication in the woman's tone. The question of the evening was 'Where is Spooky?"
and why had he left Mrs. Spooky to her own devices on a perfectly fine Friday
evening. Scully wondered why herself. She picked up her bag, and left a tip on the
table. She felt their eyes boring into her back as she let the door close gently behind
her. A brisk walk will do me some good, she thought. Scully crossed her arms over
her chest, and began walking.
Mulder's Apartment
6:15 P.M.
Mulder pulled his t-shirt over his head, and sat down at his computer.
He
had come home to find that two of his five fish were dead. Of course, he thought.
This day had been a complete loss. From the moment that he'd dragged himself off
the couch 20 minutes late, until the moment when Scully walked out on him. Is that
what you really think? He asked himself. Walked out on you? Mulder pulled up his
journal, and began typing. This was the only place where Scully loved him back.
Dana,
I watched you again today. Chewing your lip when Kersh called. Smiling smugly
after you turned in your completed reports four days early. I felt your triumph as
my
own, as I so often share in your victories. I saw the relief in your eyes as I ran
in--
you know that I am never late. I haven't been sleeping at all lately, but it's worse
than
before. You have haunted my waking hours for so long, I am surprised that it's taken
six years for you to invade my sleep as well. I have been avoiding you because I
can't bear to be with you any longer. I want to be free of you. I don't want to need
you
this way, but I can't help myself. You are my Jupiter, and I am your Ganymede.You
keep me in your orbit by the magnetism of your soul. I could no more break free
from your gravity than a distant moon that circles, and careens towards it's lover
only to be sent spiraling away. Someday, I'll have the courage to say these words
to you, but for now, I am content to watch, and wait, while you destroy and rebuild
me daily.
Mulder rubbed his eyes, and stretched. The clock on his computer read
6:30.
You're pathetic, Mulder. He got up, and went to his bedroom. He felt as though he
could sleep the entire weekend away, and with little chance of seeing Scully, there
was no reason not to. Mulder unplugged his telephone, closed his blinds, undressed,
and slid into his bed. He pulled the blankets up over his head, and waited for sleep
to envelop him.
Mulder's Apartment
8:15
Scully stood outside of Mulder's door and traced the 4 with her index
finger.
How many times have I stood here? She asked herself. How many times have I
raced over here, convinced that Mulder was dead, only to find him no worse for the
wear? Maybe he's on a date? What if he brought her back here? You'll be
interrupting, and you'll feel like---you won't sleep until you know that he's all
right.
He hasn't answered his phone in nearly two hours. Yes, maybe Mulder had met
someone since you left him alone on a Friday night. He had been sending her
signals that something was amiss all day. Every time she looked up at him, he was
averting his eyes, as if he had been staring at her. Why did he have to be so cryptic?
And why has he been avoiding me? We haven't had lunch together in at least a
month. Something is wrong, and I'll apologize profusely if it's nothing, but I know
that Mulder would want me to keep tabs on him. It's what we've agreed to. She
raised her hand from the numbers, and knocked sharply three times. Mulder did
not answer. She knocked again, and waited. There was still no response. She
reached into her pocket, and pulled out her key ring. Scully found Mulder's key
right away, and pushed it into the lock. She turned the bolt, and pushed the door
open, hoping that she would not hear the sounds that she was terrified to hear;
Mulder gasping in the throes of death or passion. The only sound was the steady
electric hum of his computer, which cast a silvery white light across his desk top.
She let her eyes adjust to the dimmed apartment, and listened for sounds coming
from his bedroom, there was still nothing. Maybe he's out, she thought. She
scanned the room briefly, looking for evidence that he had gone out for the evening.
She saw his gun, and his cell phone on the cocktail table, and a half eaten pizza
congealing in it's rippled cardboard box. He's probably just sick, and went to bed
early, she thought. She crept over to his bedroom door, and opened it softly. It
squeaked despite her efforts. She peered into the darkened room, and heard him
breathing deeply. Mulder must be exhausted, she thought. I'll write him a quick
note, just to let him know that I was here, and I'll be on my way. She closed his
door, and crossed the living room to his desk. He kept his pens and paper in the
middle drawer. Scully pulled the drawer open, and saw her name on the screen.
It's addressed to me, she thought. As her eyes made their way down the paragraph,
she felt a lump rising in her throat, and caught a tear that slid down her cheek.
Mulder had poured his heart out to his journal in a way she didn't know he was
capable of. She suddenly felt awful for reading his thoughts. She felt awful for
not realizing how much he loved her, and she felt awful for pushing him away.
I'm terrified of how you make me feel, Mulder. You can't offer me the security that
I really want. That Dana wants, her mind amended. Scully is perfectly happy with
whatever Mulder is willing to give. She bowed her head in thought for a moment.
Their future was riding on her decision, and she felt the weight of it crushing her
heart. If you leave now, his secret is safe, and he will recover in time, to be his
normal self again. Or, you can make the decision to stop breaking his heart, and tell
him how you feel.
Scully sat down on the couch and rubbed her palms together. Mulder
always put her in a predicament. It's part of his charm, he can't help it. I am his
Jupiter. The largest of planets in the universe, and he is my Ganymede, my largest
moon. She smiled at his comparison, and knew what she had to do. She stood and
crossed the room slowly, gliding into his bedroom on spun gossamer wings.
She closed the door behind her, and watched his form rise and fall under the heavy
blanket. The moonlight spilling through the slats of his blinds created blue grey
ladders across his body. She stepped to the side of his bed, and pulled the blanket
back. The snuffling sounds grew louder. She knelt down, and placed her hand on
his cheek, feeling the roughness against her flattened palm. Her fingers smoothed
over the bump in his nose, and the bow that formed his lips. He stirred, as she
lifted the hair from his forehead, and pushed it back. She let her hand rest on his
ear as he opened his eyes.
Mulder closed his eyes again tightly. It was the dream again. Scully
kneeling beside him, caressing his cheek. He could smell her perfume, her lotion,
and her shampoo. She was a cloud of roses, delicate, ephemeral, and he loved her.
He felt his throat constrict with longing. Why did she come to him? Why did she
torture him so?
" Go away, Scully."
Dana let her hand hover above his cheek, unsure of how to proceed.
" Mulder, I came to check on you, you didn't answer the phone or the
door,
I was worried. Are you all right?"
Mulder reached out to her, waking completely as his hand grasped the tiny bones
of her wrist. This was no dream, she is here, corporeal. Something must be wrong.
He sat up fully awake, and aware of his nakedness.
" What is it Scully? Is something wrong?"
" I couldn't get in touch with you, and as per our agreement, I came
to check
up on you."
" I'm okay, I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping lately."
" Would you like to talk about it?" She sat on the edge of his bed,
and
watched him as he ran his hand through his hair.
" It's nothing, Scully, just stress. I'll be okay after I get some
sleep.You can
go on home, I'm sure it's late."
" It's not late at all. I'd really like to talk to you this evening,
will you go some place with me?"
He gave her a questioning look, and she reassured him with a gentle
touch to his arm.
" I promise, it will be worth it."
" Give me a minute to get dressed."
10:00 P.M.
Scully slowed the car, and pulled into a half circular drive. Mulder
looked out of the passenger window, and then back at Scully.
" The observatory? Why are we here Scully?"
" You'll see." She undid the latch on her seat belt, and got out
of the car. Mulder followed her. She climbed the steps that led to the
door, and it opened when she pushed it slightly.
" I called in a favor with one of my lab partners from college.
Come on in."
Mulder looked around at the sparse furnishings, and the smooth round
walls of the half dome building. Scully stood ahead of him, with a
slight smile on her lips. He couldn't help but wonder what she was up
to.
Scully took his hand, and began to ascend a steel ladder that
ended with a narrow platform. He had to wait for her to descend the
second ladder before he could continue his ascent. As he stepped off
the second ladder, he noticed the computers making minute adjustments
to the large telescope that extended beyond the ceiling. There was a
minor whirring sound as the telescope changed position.
Scully looked into the scope and smiled.
" There's something that I want you to see." She stepped away
from the telescope, and he took her place. She heard him gasp in awe, as
the giant, red, swirling mass filled his vision.
" Scully this is beautiful, how did you--?"
" I am your Jupiter, and you are my Ganymede. The gravity that
you've felt over the years is my love for you, Mulder. I've always loved
you." She took his hand and stared into his eyes.
" Scully, I don't have anything to offer you."
" You love me don't you?"
He closed his eyes and nodded. Mulder felt relief flowing over him like
the clouds that encircled the planet that defined his love.
" I do, Scully."
" Then that's enough for me." She took his hand, and he pulled
her into his arms, embracing her, as he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
The End.
I hope that you enjoyed it, all emails will be answered. Thank you,
The Liquid Sky.