A\N: I came to realise the other day that all my stories are romantic, now considering on a general level, I despise romance (Mainly because my best friends are boys - so everyone assumes we must be going out - and the whole storyline of The X Files is about a male and female partnership, centred around TRUST and FRIENDSHIP, which is part of what I love about the show.), this bothered me. Slightly. But then again 'cos it's the X Files it's okay really, well with me anyway... OKAY! Ramble over, basically I decided to write a more friendship-y story that still had the niceness without the romance, just to prove to myself that I could do it :)
P.S. Sorry about that MAJORILY LONG authors note... I have problems ;)
P.P.S. The title means 'friendship warms the heart' in my limited Latin.
P.P.P.S. ENJOY! AND REVIEW (please)!
Amicitia Tepidus Pectus Pectoris
by kenikigenikai
Mulder knocked on her apartment door. He didn't usually visit Scully after work. Well, not straight after work anyway. He knocked a little harder, worry creeping into his veins. He heard her shuffle toward the door and remove the security chain, he sighed a sigh of relief. He panicked too easily.
"Hey." He greeted as she pulled back the door.
"Hi." She replied, glumly, stepping back into her living room, dressed in snug fitting jeans and a old, translucent t-shirt, which her black bra was partially visible through.
"What's up?"
"Nothing really."
"Hmm?" He looked her straight in the eyes "I don't believe you."
"So..?"
"What's wrong?" He asked. She wasn't a natural smiley person, and to most peoples surprise, he was the most cheerful and optimistic of the pair. But when she was with him, small, badly-disguised smiles graced her lips. Now she did not look happy, her eyes looked generally sad, which he didn't see from her much either.
"You don't want to be bothered my depressing thoughts. I wouldn't want to be a burden."
"Scully, you're never a burden."
"Thank you."
"Anytime. Now spill!"
"Okay, okay, it's really nothing."
"Scully, you're miserable, that's not nothing."
She offered him a small smile.
"So, what's wrong?"
"Well I went to dinner at Mom's last night, with Bill and Tara and Charlie and Danni. It was so awkward. No-one knew what to say. I know they blame for Melissa's death, but they make it so obvious!" Tears clouded her vision and she rubbed at them furiously "And then Bill started slagging you off! And I just lost it! I just told them that it didn't matter, that you were my best friend and I loved you, and that I didn't need them, because I had you!"
His heart clenched for her, he had never had the close family, so couldn't feel the pain of losing one.
"And, and, and then Bill said if you were so great, and always there for me, where were you when I was abducted? Where were you when I was shot? I yelled at him, and I didn't even feel bad about it. Mulder he became the enemy, just like Donnie Pfaster and Duane Barry! And then he told me to run along back to you, and Mom didn't even try to stop me, or Charlie! They didn't care, not anymore! What if they never did!" She began to sob softly, trying to control herself, but not entirely succeeding.
"Oh Scully," he murmured, pulling her into an embrace "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." She spoke into his chest, her arms still locked around his waist.
"That's debatable."
"It's not Mulder, it's mine, I should have thought about it, I should have got to her first."
"You didn't know Scully, you thought it was Skinner."
"But I should have."
"How Scully? You can't save everyone, but I wish almost as much as you do that Melissa had been one of the ones you had been able to save."
"Thanks." She whispered looking up at him, he brushed his lips softly against her hairline.
"What else is there?"
"Huh?"
"Scully I can see it in your face, there's something else."
"Some other agents were teasing me today, I don't normally let it bother me, but some of it hurt, really cut to the bone."
His temper flared, but he kept it in check, for her sakes "What did they say?" He asked gently
"At first it was just the usual, they called me Mrs. Spooky and The Ice Queen, but then it got worse, they said stuff like, you only kept me around as a nice bit of skirt, and that you were only fuelling my illusion that I could get somewhere as a woman in the FBI."
He knew her well enough to tell there was something else that had hurt her really badly, something worse that the everyday taunts.
"And?"
She sighed "And they said that Diana was better, everyone liked her more, she was a better agent, that you wished I were her, and the general consensus was she was a generally better fuck too. And then they said that I'd killed my dad, that I'd used some doctor trick to induce the heart attack, that it was my fault."
"Oh..." He murmured, hugging her tighter "Jesus Scully, I don't know what to say..."
"Nothing. Don't say anything, just hug me and make it better for a while."
He hadn't seen her broken like this before, not to this extent anyway.
"Oh Mulder, I don't know what to do!" She practically wailed into his shirt.
"C'mon Scully, you'll- no, we'll figure this out," He rubbed her back in soothing circles.
"You've dealt with pain like this for longer than me, losing and being hated by your family, tell me something that helps, at least for a while." She snivelled slightly
"I know this isn't exactly sensible, mentally and physically, but it helps when you're really down. I promise." He pulled away from her and walked briskly into the kitchen, he rifled around in the cupboards and came back into the living room, brandishing a bottle of whisky.
"No Mulder, I can't."
"What? Why not?"
"I don't drink spirits."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does, why don't you drink spirits?"
She sighed defeatedly "Because one time Dad came back from a stint at sea drunk, on spirits, whiskey and scotch, and he scared me, he really, truly, deeply terrified me. I didn't know that man, I didn't recognise him, he was so damn different! Neither Mom or Dad ever knew I saw that, and it'll stay that way, but I don't drink spirits because of that."
"Oh Scully..." He whispered
"It's not what you think, he wasn't violent, just aggressive, out of control."
"How old where you?"
"Almost eight."
He held her as tight as he could, trying to absorb her pain through the thin layers of clothes they were wearing.
"I've never told anyone about that before." She murmured
"Then thank you."
She smiled sadly at him "Thank you for listening."
"What are friends for."
Her smile was slightly brighter, a small part of her burden lifted from her, shared between them "I'll get the glasses, you open the bottle."
"...Are you sure Scully?"
"Yes Mulder, very sure."
"Okay."
2 hours later they were sat on the couch together, Scully was resting against him, glass of amber liquid in her hand.
"Sooo..." Mulder slurred slightly "Favourite song?"
"Mmmmmm... probably something by The Ramones, or Bon Jovi when I was younger... now... LostProphet - Rooftops, you?"
"You, LostProphet?"
"Yes, does that surprise you Agent Mulder?"
"A little bit, although over the years, if you've taught me one thing, it's to exspect the unexpected with you."
"Fair enough. Your favourite?"
"Either, Savage Garden - To the Moon and Back or Monkees - I'm a Believer."
"I'd have never guessed," She grinned at him, her inhibitions considerably loosened by the alcohol.
"Should I take offense G-Woman?"
"Probably, but I'm hoping you're intelligent enough not to."
"I am." He clarified
"That's good." She nodded her head approvingly, then swilled her glass, before putting it to her lips and draining the remainder of the smooth liquid.
"First time?" He asked, holding out his glass for her top up once she had refilled her own.
"At what?"
"Sex."
"Oh..." She flushed slightly
"Scully?"
"You first."
"Uh, okay then. It was the night of my 16 birthday, she was my next door neighbour, we never spoke again afterwards."
"Oh, I'm sorry." She murmured
"Don't be, she wasn't the brightest bulb..."
"Okay..."
"Yours?"
"I was just 15, he had been my best friend for 6 years, we dated for another couple of months then my Dad got restationed and we wrote to each other for a while, but then it just sort of fizzled out..."
"Sorry Scully."
"I was at the time."
She looked so sad at that moment, Mulder was sure she would cry. But then she looked up at him, and all traces of misery were gone "First car?"
They carried on like that for a few more hours, drinking two thirds of the bottle between them.
"C'mon Mulder time for bed." Scully announced around 3:30am.
"Huh?"
"I don't want to be alone." She whispered, her eyes pleading with him.
"Okay." He took her hand and wandered into the bedroom with her. He watched her strip down to her underwear.
She watched him watching her "Take a picture, it'll last longer."
His mouth dropped open, he was shocked but her rather uncharacteristic comment.
"On second thoughts don't, I don't want Frohike to 'accidently' end up with it." She pulled an old t-shirt over her head and unclasped her bra, sliding the straps down her arms and pulled it off, throwing it into the basket in the bathroom. She then removed clear piercing protectors from her ears and nose and bellybutton. She slid into bed and pulled the sheet up to her chin "You're catching flies." She informed him, her eyes twinkling in the semi-darkness.
"Oh, sorry."
"I'll forgive you if you come warm the bed up,"
"Okay, deal." He tugged his jeans off and yanked his t-shirt off and tossing them both on a heap on the floor. He peeled his socks off and added them to the pile along with his watch. Then he got into bed next to her, wrapping one arm round her waist and the other across her shoulders, effectively pinning her to him.
"Night." He whispered in her ear, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her neck.
"Night Mulder." She replied "Thank you for being here, for me."
"What are friends for." He repeated
"This I suppose."
The next morning they woke up, spooned together.
"Morning." He murmured
"Mawnin..." She mumbled, burying her head further into the pillow.
He grinned at her back, she never had been a morning person. He thought about going and getting her some coffee, then changed his mind. He had a much more enjoyable way of waking her up. For him anyway.
He slipped out of the bedroom, she hadn't moved. He moved silently up to the bed and raised his arms.
"If you drop that water on me, I will castrate you." She said, face still pressed into the pillow.
"Wha? How?"
"I had brothers." Was her only answer.
"Oh, okay then." He placed the glass on her beside table "I suppose you know about pillow fights then?" He snagged a pillow and whacked her over the head with it.
She raised her face and arched an eyebrow at him "I can't believe you just started that." She also grabbed a pillow and began raining blows to his face and chest with it.
"It's on Scully!" He yelled, jumping from the bed.
"Oh, it is!" She replied, leaping from the bed after him, like a giant cat.
They chased each other around the room, fighting, screaming and laughing. After a particully girly screech from Mulder, Scully was laughing so hard she could barely stand. Mulder took this opportunity to grab her around the waist and tackle her onto the floor. After she regained control from her giggles and the force in which she had fallen to the floor. Mulder pinned her arms above her head, and sat on her knees, rendering her completely immobile, he held her wrists with one hand and pushed her t-shirt up around her middle and lowered his head to her abdomen.
"Mulder?" She asked
He grinned up wickedly at her, then blew a raspberry on her exposed stomach. She squealed, and writhed underneath him, freeing one of her legs, she placed it on his chest and almost gently pushed him off her, he caught her arms and pulled her back on top of him. They lay on the floor laughing at their immaturity for close to ten minutes.
"Breakfast?" She asked
"Sure." He agreed, getting up and offering his hand to her.
"Thanks. For everything."
"Anytime Scully."
THE END