A Cold Snap
Written in response to the XF Writing Challenge on Tumblr.
Warning - this chapter contains possible spoilers for the XF Revival based on what we've heard so far.
She's too cold to sleep. Ever since she and Mulder parted ways, she's struggled to get warm at night, even with a thick blanket and her comforter. It wasn't as if she used to use Mulder as a human blanket in bed – most nights they tended to keep their own space – but there was clearly something about his presence that was warm and comforting.
Sighing to herself, Scully decides to be brave and go in search of another sweater. She pushes back the comforter and sits up, inhaling sharply as her bare feet hit the cool wooden floor. She'd moved into her apartment just over three months ago, but had yet to redecorate. Her photos decorate her dresser, including one of a smiling baby William that still felt like a stab to the heart each time she looked at it. Her plum-colored floral comforter – the one that Mulder disliked, claiming it called his manhood into question – covers her recently purchased king size bed, but still it didn't really feel like home. She tries not to think of home too often, though after the day she's had today, it's hard. Mulder has been on her mind all evening. She's resisting the urge to call him.
She'd been tired of the commute to work. Tired of a lot of things in fact. Tired of chasing monsters, tired of coming second to Mulder's obsessions, tired of waiting for the call to tell her that Mulder had landed himself in hospital yet again, or asking her to identify his body. Mulder had laughed off her concerns, not taking her seriously until one day she packed her bags and said her goodbyes. He didn't even try to stop her, as though he'd been waiting all these years for her to see sense and leave. Of course they'd spoken since she'd left – they couldn't go cold turkey after more than twenty years of talking almost every day (abductions and deaths aside) and there had been one or two "moments of weakness" as she'd called them, but she had been determined to at least try and live a normal life. Whatever that meant.
Rushing back into bed, Scully immediately scoots back under the blanket and buries herself in her comforter, unable to stop herself from shivering despite the extra layer of clothing she now wears. Resigning herself to the fact she's not going to be sleeping anytime soon, she lets her thoughts wander back to earlier that evening. Before she can even stop herself, she's reaching out for her cell phone on the bedside table and dialling the all too familiar number.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulder is too hot to sleep. The bed sheets are pooled at the bottom of the bed and the comforter now rests on the floor after he kicked it off in frustration earlier that evening. The air con is on but doing little to cool the sweltering temperature in the room If Scully were there she'd go get ice chips from the freezer and maybe grab a fan too from the spare bedroom, but she's not. Instead she's probably sleeping soundly in her new apartment just over an hour away. It was closer to work, she'd told him as she'd packed up her suitcase and loaded it in the trunk. Closer to normality, his brain had supplied. He'd known it was coming for a long time – ever since Scully had given up her life to go on the run with him he'd been waiting for her to leave. It still cut through him with a knife when she finally did.
Of course he blames Scully for the fact he's so hot. When they shared a bed he'd often wake up in the night to find she'd stolen the covers. Now she was no longer here, and there was no one to keep him cool.
The shrill sound of his cell phone ringing breaks Mulder free from his thoughts. His right arm shoots out and he grabs the mobile and answers within seconds. "You woke me up".
Scully smiles in spite of herself. "I find that hard to believe Mulder. You answered on the first ring. Or are you sleeping in bed with your phone these days?"
"It's Siri. I can't resist her voice." He hears Scully huff out a laugh down the phone. "You ok?" Glancing over at the digital alarm clock, Mulder realizes there has to be some reason why she's calling him just past midnight on a school night.
"I can't sleep", she says, and he detects the sound of her shifting in bed. "I'm cold."
Mulder stops himself before telling her that he could find ways to keep her warm. Once upon a time she humored his innuendos but now things are different. "Have you tried switching off the air-con? I know how much you miss the morgue."
"Ha. Ha."
"Well not to rub it in Scully, but I'm suffering with a heatwave here."
"You are?"
"The windows are open. The air-con is on full blast."
"You're killing me here Mulder."
"I'm about to take off my pants. What are you wearing?"
She doesn't play the game. "Two sweaters, pajama pants and I'm about to put on a second pair of socks."
"Oooh Scully, you know what I like." He can almost see her rolling her eyes. "Keep going."
She ignores him. "I think the heating is broken."
"I can come take a look at it if you'd like." Home improvement isn't his strong point, but over the years he's got by. It's amazing how he managed to pass the time while being shut away in hiding.
"It's late."
"It is late," he agrees. "Maybe tomorrow." He tries not to sound too desperate, too needy, but the truth is he misses her. He wants to see her.
"I only got home a little while ago."
"From work?"
"No". A slight pause as she hesitates. "From a date."
He'd known it was coming the moment she'd left. "Did you have a good time?" he asks, trying to sound casual. He fails.
"I wanted to see if I could do it."
"Do what?"
"Live a normal life."
"And can you?"
"His name is Tad", she says, bypassing the question. "Tad O'Malley."
"Tad? Is that a real name?"
"I don't know Fox, you tell me."
"What does Tad do?" He imagines he's a doctor or a surgeon who works with Scully. Tall, dark, intelligent and rich, maybe with a few kids from a previous relationship. He'd give Scully all she's missed out on, Mulder thinks with a pang.
"He's a news anchor."
"A news…" He doesn't sound like Scully's type. "Did this Tad…" he says the name disdainfully. "Wine you and dine you and treat you like a lady?" Like she deserved.
"He tried."
"And did he get a goodnight kiss?"
"It was the first date Mulder. I don't put out on the first date."
"But didn't –"
"We were different."
Yes, he thinks. They were. "Will you be seeing Mr O'Malley anytime soon?"
It feels like forever until she finally answers him. "No, I don't think so."
He releases the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "No?"
"No. I don't think I'm cut out for a normal life." She corrects herself. "I don't think I want a normal life."
"What do you want?"
"Right now I just want to warm up," she says, not quite answering the question, yet telling Mulder what he wants to hear.
"Get over here Scully." He says the words before he can stop himself, not wanting to push her away, but the truth is he wants her. He needs her back in his life and his bed. Before he can apologize he hears Scully inhale, before the line goes dead. "Damn it". Wondering if he's messed things up yet again, Mulder contemplates calling her back but decides against it. He'll pop round tomorrow, he tells himself, under the guise of inspecting her heating, and then he'll say he's sorry for taking things too far.
He's just dozing off, barely forty minutes later, when he hears the sound of a key in the lock. Unless burglars somehow found the spare key, he knows who it is. He flicks on the lamp and waits, his heart pounding as he listens to his visitor make her way up the stairs. The door opens and he hears rustling as she removes her jacket and pads over to the bed. "Mulder, it's me," she says, as she picks the comforter up from the floor, places it over her side of the bed, then crawls underneath it, immediately drifting into Mulder's arms. Right where she belongs, he thinks. Her hands move around Mulder's body, and immediately he hisses. "You're freezing Scully."
She gives him a mischievous smile, one he hasn't seen for some time, but would do anything to see again. "So warm me up then."
This was fun! If anyone has any requests or suggestions for future stories, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.