Author's note: this was something I'd published on Gossamer back in 2007... I'd forgotten about it then came across it and re-read it and LOLed... I was in dire need of a beta back then haha. Anyway, a fluffy story I wrote. I apologize for formatting weirdness... future stories will not follow suit, this one I took from Gossamer. Carry on.

"La Isla Bonita"

Category: MSR/angst lite

Rating: NC-17 for the good stuff (extreme sexual content and adult

language).

Spoilers: Big on "Milagro", some other goodies wrapped in there a well

I want to be where she sun warms the sky

When it's time for siesta you can watch them go by

Beautiful faces, no cares in this world

Where a girl loves a boy

And a boy loves a girl

- "La Isla Bonita", Madonna

Another Saturday alone.

It was hard being alone some days for Scully, especially with the case involving Padgett. He had dug so deep into her psyche, it was frightening. He had her innermost thoughts and fears all spelled out on paper. Black and white, seemingly uncomplicated as it was laid out on paper.

He said she was in love. Was it true? She wasn't sure. Or maybe she was. It was something Scully wasn't yet willing to admit, even after 6 years. Too many what ifs, nothing was for sure.

Scully hated feeling vulnerable and Padgett's words made her vulnerable to everything, with her heart on her sleeve. She was trying to recover from it, hoping the incident would slowly seep out of Mulder's mind so they could move on with life, but Mulder never forgets anything.

So as a result, here she was, another Saturday alone. Scully had resulted to hiding out on the weekends, trying this "out of sight, out of mind" theory. It had been three weeks since the Padgett case had closed. She wondered how many more weekends she'd have to spend alone while she figured out what she needed to do.

The first weekend she was so bored she went to the mall a few blocks away from her apartment to just shop. It had occurred to her at that point that with the demands of her job that sometimes she forgot how to be a girl and just shop. So Scully decided to humor her feminine instincts. And what a guilty pleasure it was! While she was pondering at the edge of the food court which horrible restaurant to indulge herself in she spotted a giveaway booth. They were giving away a 10-day trip to Maui in Hawaii.

Not that Scully expected to win (who has good luck like that? Certainly not her). But it would be the perfect rest and relaxation opportunity to recover from the Padgett incident, from work, and for her to get her head on right. Hell, she didn't even remember the last time she even took vacation. She probably had so many days stored up that she could retire a year early with the FBI.

Regardless, some lucky couple who deserved it would win, and she would still be here. Life goes on.

At that particular moment, Scully was curled the couch with a book, when suddenly her cell phone rang.

She checked the caller ID. Mulder.

Scully contemplated letting her voicemail pick it up but who was she kidding? She couldn't hide from him forever. She missed him.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Scully, what are you doing?" Mulder asked, urgently.

"I'm heading out the door to run some errands Mulder," she lied. "What do you need?"

"Oh, I was just bored, you know. Workload's been pretty light these past few weeks" he explained. "And I was going to head over to see Frohike and the guys and wondered if you wanted to go."

"Wow Mulder, you must be bored." Scully quipped. "As much as I'd like to spend my Saturday knee-deep in government conspiracies and computer nerds, I get enough of that during the week in the office."

Mulder chuckled. "Awww c'mon Scully. You'll break Frohike's heart."

"I hate that for him but I have several things I need to take care of today that need to get done Mulder." Scully said seriously. "Maybe some other time."

"Okay Scully, be that way" he sighed jokingly. "If you change your mind, call me."

They disconnected and Scully sat the phone back on the end table.

She wasn't sure why she continually pushed him away. But it was starting to affect her. Maybe it was the fact that Padgett called her out on the fact that she was in love. But ever since she reads those words (and Mulder read those words) she hasn't been the same.

She'd been in love with Mulder for years but she'd been able to push those feelings aside until now. Now he was all she could think about and it was becoming difficult to not key into his apartment at night and crawl into his bed and snug up in his arms.

Even at the office, she felt herself stealing looks at him. He'd be at his desk, his feet propped up, thumbing through a case file and chewing on those sunflower seeds with that gorgeous mouth. It was hard not to wonder if he'd give her body the same attention with his mouth. Sometimes her mind headed south fast and she had to escape to the ladies room to regroup.

This has got to stop, she thought. This madness has got to stop.

The trilling of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. It was probably Mulder asking her to reconsider skipping out on the visit to the Lone Gunmen. But she was in the middle of figuring out what to do about him.

She let the phone pick up to voice mail. As soon as she heard that beep indicating she had a message, Scully picked up the phone to check it.

An unfamiliar man's voice was on the voice mail.

"This message is for Dana Scully. This is Marty Narowski with Apple City vacations. This is concerning the drawing at the Cross Creek Mall. Please return my call before Monday at 555-1298. Thank you."

Scully's jaw dropped as she listened to the message. It couldn't be. There was no way she won that drawing. What about the deserving couple so in love? Why didn't they win?

Then it occurred to her. A deserving couple did win. It was clear to her now what she needed to do concerning Mulder. Hawaii was the opportunity of a lifetime for so many reasons. Neither she nor Mulder were big on beaches, but at least she could talk to him there, without him running for the hills. He'd at least be stuck there until the trip's end.

Scully picked up the cell phone and dialed Mr. Narowski's number.