Disclaimer: I do not own Special Agent Fox Mulder, Special Agent Dana Scully, Inspector Phoebe Green, Mrs Scully, Frohike or anyone else I might mention. They all belong to Chris Carter.
I'd just like to let you know that I wrote this ages ago and I'm just putting it up. But it's been edited a ton of times, so it should at least be grammatically correct.
Playing With Fire
Cold . . . very cold. Mulder started shivering as he slowly came back to consciousness. He groaned, the beginnings of a migraine already pounding in his head. He cracked one eye open and instantly closed it again. Somehow he was in the drunk tank. Mulder raked his brain, but he couldn't remember how he had gotten there. Or why he was so cold. "A black out," he thought to himself. "Why would I drink myself into a black out?"
"Are you finally up?" a gruff voice asked.
Mulder opened his eyes again and saw a police officer. "Yeah . . . What happened?" he asked, sitting up and looking around blearily.
"You tell me," the officer said.
"Where're my clothes?" Mulder gasped when he realized why he was so cold.
"Don't know," said the officer. "You were found outside your apartment, passed out."
"Can I call someone?" Mulder asked.
"Yep," the officer said and led Mulder out of the cell and to the phone. Mulder leaned against the wall as he dialled the number that he knew so well. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall while the phone rang.
"Scully," she answered.
"It's Mulder. Could you come pick me up?" Mulder asked.
"Where are you?" Scully asked, concerned.
"In the drunk tank," Mulder muttered. "On 12th Street."
"Mulder!"
"Look, I'm sorry. Could you just get me? And bring a blanket?"
Scully sighed. "What kind?"
"I dunno. Big," Mulder replied.
"What's it for?" Scully asked.
"Me."
"Mulder . . ."
"I'm not sure where my clothes are, ok?" Mulder replied, feeling his cheeks heat up.
"What on earth happened, Mulder?"
"If I knew that, I'd know where my clothes are," Mulder replied.
Scully sighed again. "I'll be over as soon as I can. Bye, Mulder."
"G'bye, Scully," Mulder said and hung up. The police officer escorted him back to the cell and Mulder sat down, waiting for Scully.
About fifteen minutes later he saw her walking towards him. She stopped in front of the bars and looked at Mulder. "What happened?" she asked again.
"I don't know," Mulder replied.
"Does it have anything to do with the fact that a certain Phoebe Green is in town?" Scully asked.
"I don't know," Mulder repeated, exasperated. This time, however, he was lying. Not that he could remember everything, but he did remember being in his favourite bar having a couple of drinks before heading home for the weekend and running into Phoebe. After that . . . nothing.
Scully sighed and handed Mulder the blanket. "Come on."
Mulder followed Scully outside to her car. He was about to get into the drivers seat, but realized that there was no chance Scully was going to let him drive and sat in the passenger side. In a couple of minutes, they arrived at Mulder's apartment building. He raised an eyebrow when Scully got out and followed him into the building.
"I want my blanket back," Scully replied. "I can't sleep without it."
"Your blankie?" Mulder teased on the ride up to his apartment.
"Yes," Scully mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I got it for my sixth birthday."
"And you let me borrow it?" Mulder asked.
Scully nodded, following him out of the elevator and towards his apartment.
"Thanks."
"No problem," Scully replied and closed the door of the apartment behind her.
"I'll be right back," Mulder replied and went into his bedroom.
Scully sat down on the couch, wondering if she should go see Phoebe. She was almost positive that she had something to do with this.
Mulder came out a couple of minutes later in jeans and a black turtleneck. "Here," Mulder said, tossing her the blanket.
"Thanks," Scully replied and started folding it. "Are you sure this has nothing to do with Phoebe?"
After a quick internal debate, Mulder sighed and said, "I met her in a bar on the way home. I think she took me back with her to her hotel, but I'm not sure. After that, zip."
"What hotel?" Scully asked, hugging the now folded blanket against her chest.
"The Marriot. I think," Mulder replied.
"Thanks," Scully replied and left, slamming the door behind her.
"Is Phoebe Green staying here?" Scully asked the clerk at the desk of the nearest Marriot, her temper very, very short.
The clerk must've noticed it since he answered, "Yes ma'am," after quickly consulting a list.
"What room?" Scully asked, amazed at her own good luck.
"That's confidential," the clerk said.
I'm an old friend of hers from school," Scully explained. "I want to surprise her."
"I'm still not sure if I should tell you . . ." he said.
Scully sighed. "I haven't seen her in over fifteen years. I really wanted to surprise her, but if you can't tell me . . ." Scully started to walk away, hoping that the clerk would pick up on her "disappointment".
"Wait! She's in room 223," the clerk said.
"Thank you," Scully replied and took the elevator up to the second floor. She walked down the hall, trying to calm herself down. Scully knocked on the door of 223 and waited for Phoebe to answer.
"Agent Scully! What a surprise," Phoebe answered, her voice far too happy to be real.
"What did you do to Mulder?" Scully asked, almost surprised at how angry her voice came out.
Phoebe stared at her. "I-I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.
"Oh no?" Scully asked, giving Phoebe her best not-someone-to-be-messed-with look. "When I went to pick up a naked Mulder at the drunk tank this morning, he said that he met you at his favourite bar and you brought him back to your hotel . . . to here."
"Yes, he came over. He left at about midnight," Phoebe replied.
"What happened to his clothes?" Scully asked.
"I don't know," Phoebe answered.
"Then why are they on your chair?" Scully asked, pointing past Phoebe and into the room.
Phoebe quickly glanced behind her and then looked back at Scully. "Alright. We were both a little drunk. We came here and slept together. I can't remember anything after that."
"W-why was he found naked outside his apartment building?" Scully asked, trying to keep the shock out of her voice.
"I don't know," Phoebe replied.
"I think you do," Scully said in a voice that was scarily calm.
"I dropped him off there after . . ." Phoebe stopped. "After he said something."
"Said what?" Scully asked.
Phoebe smirked at her. "You wouldn't want to know."
"Why not?" Scully asked.
"Because it's about you," Phoebe said, still smirking.
"It would have to be good if you were angry about it since I know you hate me," Scully replied. Jokingly, she added, "I'll bet he said my name instead of yours when he climaxed."
"Yes, actually," Phoebe said. "Now I really have to go. Good bye, Scully." Phoebe slammed the door in Scully's face.
Scully stared at the door in shock, this time totally warranted. Mulder had said name? Impossible. Scully remembered that Phoebe was famous for her mind games and credited it to that. She walked slowly towards the elevator, trying to get the image that Phoebe's words had created out of her head. "It's impossible," Scully thought to herself. "Totally impossible." Scully thought about when she had seen them dancing, and then kissing. Mulder had initiated that kiss, and then it was definitely Phoebe, not her. However, Scully cut that thought off before it could go anywhere, as thinking about the kiss infuriated her.
"Don't think about that," she told herself. "Think about what you're going to say to Mulder." That presented a problem, since what she wanted to do was storm into his apartment and scream at him. But she wouldn't do that to Mulder. She wasn't that angry . . . yet. All she really wanted to know is if this thing with Phoebe was going to continue. If it was, Scully honestly didn't know what she would do. But she wouldn't think about that, either. It wouldn't happen.
All too soon, Scully found herself standing outside Mulder's apartment and knocking.
"Scully?" Mulder asked. "What're you doing here?"
"You slept together," Scully replied.
"We did?" Mulder asked.
"Yes," Scully replied, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
"I suppose I'm going to get one of your lectures. 'Don't drink, Mulder. You shouldn't endanger yourself like that'," Mulder said, the last part in a mocking tone. When he saw the look of hurt on Scully's face, he added, "I'm sorry. I just have a killer migraine."
"Actually, I'm not going to give you a lecture," Scully replied, ignoring the last part of what he said. "I just wanted to know if you are going to continue to see Phoebe."
"Why?" Mulder asked.
Scully's mind raced. She hadn't anticipated asking that. "Because I don't want to end up bailing you out of ridiculous situations again," Scully joked. More seriously, she added, "Besides, I don't want your . . . 'relationship' to interfere with work."
"No other reason?" Mulder asked, eyeing Scully.
"Are you suggesting I have any interest in your sex life with Phoebe?" Scully asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't like the direction this conversation was going, but she refused to let it show.
"Yes," Mulder said.
Scully forced out a short laugh. "Well, I don't. That's the only reason."
Mulder looked at Scully one more time before answering, "I don't know. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully."
Scully felt her heart drop and her knees shake. She suddenly felt as if she was in a world all by herself, where nothing existed except for her and the immense pain she felt.
"Scully? Are you ok?" Mulder asked, noting her expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Scully replied, trying to come back to reality. "I gotta go," she said and walked off quickly, leaving Mulder standing in his doorway, staring after her.
"Scully, wait!" he called and jogged down the hall to where she was. When she turned around, Mulder could've sworn he saw tears in her eyes, but they were gone so quickly thought he must've imagined them. "If you don't want me and Phoebe together, all you have to do is say so."
"I want you to be happy," Scully said and offered a small, forced smile.
"I can't be happy if you're not," Mulder insisted, going closer to Scully and pulling her against his chest.
"That is such a cliché," Scully said as if she and Mulder were still a foot or two apart.
"I don't care. I care more about you than anyone else and I hate seeing you upset," Mulder said comfortingly.
"Then why aren't you having sex with me instead of Phoebe?" Scully asked herself. Out loud, she said, "Then be with her."
"Dana, please answer me honestly. Are you jealous of Phoebe?" Mulder asked softly.
"No, of course not," Scully said in fake surprise and pulled out of Mulder's embrace. "I think it's great that you're finally with someone."
"You're lying," Mulder said.
"I am not," Scully replied. "I really have to go, Mulder."
Mulder sighed. "Bye, Scully."
"Goodbye, Mulder," Scully said and turned the corner and out of Mulder's sight.
As soon as Scully got home, she took off her coat and shoes, wrapped herself in the blanket that still smelled of Mulder and sat down on her couch with her copy of The Exorcist playing on the TV. She fast forwarded through the making of the movie and settled down to watch.
About halfway through, the phone rang. Scully paused it, trying to convince herself that she didn't jump, and answered.
"Are you free tonight?" Mulder asked.
"Yeah . . . why?" Scully asked.
"Because Phoebe invited us to see an art opening," Mulder replied.
"No," Scully instantly responded. "Why would I want to watch you two make out all night?"
"Scully?" Mulder asked, obviously stung by the remark. "What's wrong? I thought you were ok with me and Phoebe."
Scully sighed. "I'm sorry. I am. I'm in the middle of watching one of my favourite movies and I'd rather not."
"Alright. See you Monday morning then," Mulder replied.
"Bye," Scully said and hung up. She started watching again and quickly got absorbed. No matter how many times she saw it, Scully could always lose herself in world of black and white, where good always triumphs over evil.
Monday morning
Scully walked into the office she shared with Mulder to find Mulder and Phoebe kissing. Scully stared for a couple of seconds and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Not really thinking about where she was going, she ended up in the bathroom. She walked into one of the stalls and locked the door behind her. Scully set her briefcase down on the floor and sat down on the seat, her head resting her in hands. She was overreacting and she knew it, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she cared about was that she should be the one kissing Mulder and Phoebe should be the one who walked in and whose heart was in the long, slow, painful process of breaking. "If Phoebe even has a heart, that is," Scully thought.
"Scully, open the door," Mulder said, knocking on the door of the stall and jolting Scully out of her thoughts.
"Mulder! This is the woman's bathroom!" she exclaimed.
"I don't care. Open the door," Mulder repeated.
Scully decided that he wasn't going to go away until she did as he asked and opened the door.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to walk in," Mulder replied.
"Naturally," Scully replied and ushered him out of the bathroom with her suitcase. They walked in silence back to their office, where Phoebe was sitting in Mulder's chair. "I don't know about in England, but here in the states we have to work," Scully said to Phoebe.
"Yes, in fact, we do. However, we don't have to do as much, as the crime rate in England is much smaller than in the US," Phoebe shot back.
"The US is so much larger than England, so it would have a larger crime rate," Scully replied.
"Rate is proportional to the population, so the size doesn't matter," Phoebe replied.
Before Scully could say anything else, Mulder shot her a warning look. Scully glared at him, and at Phoebe, but sat down at her desk and started working.
"Bye, Fox," Phoebe said and left, kissing Mulder lightly on the cheek.
The rest of the day was spent in an uncomfortable silence, the tension so thick that both of them considered leaving multiple times during the day. Of course, they were both far too dedicated to their work to actually leave, but the feeling of not being wanted was strong.
One week later
The rest of the week had passed in much the same manner; Mulder and Scully only talking when they absolutely needed to. Luckily, for both of them, they didn't have to go on any cases; it was all paperwork. The weekend seemed to have eased things up a bit, however, because when Scully came into the office, she greeted Mulder with a cheery, "Hello."
"Well, good morning Scully. Glad to see you still have a voice," Mulder replied, raising an eyebrow.
Scully's eyes dropped. "I'm sorry. I know I was being childish."
"It's alright," Mulder said, still puzzled by Scully's change in mood.
As soon as Scully sat down at her desk, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Scully called, leafing through her case looking for the paperwork she needed.
"Mulder, can I talk to you for a minute?" a British voice asked. It took all of Scully's self-discipline not to say something rude, but she managed not to.
"Sure. What is it?" Mulder asked.
"Privately?" Phoebe added.
"Ok. I'll be right back," Mulder said and followed Phoebe out of the room.
A few minutes later, Mulder came back.
"What was that about?" Scully asked.
"Nothing," Mulder said.
Scully looked up at her partner. "Are you sure?"
"Quite," Mulder snapped.
Scully got up and walked over to him. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said soothingly, "You can tell me."
"No I can't," Mulder insisted, shaking Scully's hand off his shoulder.
Scully looked at him, the hurt clear in her eyes and in her voice when she said, "Ok."
Mulder sighed and replied, "I'm sorry. I just got . . . news."
"Bad news?" Scully asked.
"Not necessarily. Just news," Mulder said.
"If it was just news, you could tell me," Scully replied.
"I don't want to hurt you," Mulder explained.
"Are you engaged?" Scully immediately asked.
Mulder laughed, "No, of course not."
Scully let out a breath that she wasn't aware she had been holding. "Then what is it?"
"Nothing," Mulder replied.
"Fine," Scully said and went back to leafing through the case file.
Two Months Later.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Scully said cheerfully, walking into the office and holding a single red rose.
"Same to you," Mulder said, fighting the urge to smile at how happy she was. "Why are you so happy?" he asked.
"Am I not allowed to be happy?" Scully asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course you are," Mulder answered.
"Well, there is actually a special reason," Scully admitted.
"Oh?" Mulder asked.
"Someone left this outside my door this morning," Scully said, waving the rose in front of Mulder's face. "This is the first time I've gotten anything for Valentine's Day since grade school when we had to give cards to everyone."
"Who was it from?" Mulder asked, sharing his partner's excitement.
"I don't know," Scully said. "But that makes it more interesting. I get to figure out who my secret admirer is. Can you believe it, Mulder? I have a secret admirer."
Mulder smiled hugely at her. "Nope. Don't believe a word you say."
Scully laughed and hit him lightly on the head. "Well too bad because it's true."
"Good luck finding out who it is," Mulder said. "Practically the entire bureau thinks you're hot."
Scully blushed slightly. "Thanks for the encouragement," she said and finally sat down on her desk. She put the rose between two huge books and started working.
"Scully, why are you crushing your rose?" Mulder asked.
"I'm not. I'm pressing it," Scully replied. "I want to save it."
"Ok," Mulder replied and went back to reading a profile.
A couple of minutes later there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Scully called out and looked up.
Phoebe walked in, looking the worse for wear. Her hear was messed up and she wasn't wearing any make-up. There were large bags under her eyes and her clothes were messy.
"Phoebe? What's wrong?" Mulder asked, concerned.
"I-I've had a miscarriage," she croaked.
Scully's head shot up. "What?"
"Y-you can't be serious," Mulder said, shocked.
Phoebe nodded miserably. "It was so stupid. I was pulling on my sweater last night as I was walking up the stairs and I tripped. This is all my fault, Mulder."
"What's going on?" Scully snapped.
"Scully, be quiet," Mulder said and put an arm around Phoebe, who started crying. "Shhh . . . it's ok. This is not your fault. This could've happened to anyone."
Scully looked at Mulder in shock. He had never been that rude to her before. Yes, of course he had told her to be quiet, but only when they were on a case and were looking for someone.
"Yes, but it happened to me!" she said. "I killed my baby. Our baby."
Scully stared at Mulder and Phoebe before grabbing her briefcase and running out of the room. She got to her car as fast as she could and locked all the doors. Scully could feel tears in her eyes, but wanted to get as far away from Mulder and Phoebe as she could before she let go.
Scully started driving. She wasn't thinking about where she was going until she pulled up in front of her mother's house. She rang the doorbell and as she waited for her mom to answer, she finally started to cry.
"Dana? What's wrong?" Mrs Scully asked as soon as she opened the door.
"M-Mulder," Scully stammered.
"Come in, sweetie," Mrs Scully said and led her daughter inside and to the living room, where she sat her down on the couch. "What about Mulder?"
"H-he and P-Phoebe," Scully replied, stilly crying. Suddenly she realized what she was doing, and what she had done. She had run away from work and was now sobbing in her mother's living room, all because of a guy. "This is pathetic," she thought to herself, but that only made her cry harder. She moved into her mother's arms and rested her head on her shoulder.
"Who's Phoebe?" Mrs Scully asked.
"M-Mulder's girlfriend," Scully said through her tears.
"Fox has a girlfriend?" Mrs Scully asked in surprise. "Since when?"
"Two months, one week and three days," Scully said.
"What happened?" Mrs Scully asked.
Scully told her mom the whole story, starting from when she picked Mulder up at jail, and ending with her here, at her mom's house, crying. "And I feel so stupid for taking this so hard. I should be back at work, comforting Mulder and working!" Scully ended. She had stopped crying, but the threat that she would start again was still there. "In fact, I should go back now," Scully said and started to stand up.
"Oh, no. Dana, you are not going to back to work today," Mrs Scully said. "You should stay home and rest."
"But-" Scully started to protest.
"No. I'm going to call Mulder and tell him you're not going to come back today," Mrs Scully insisted and got up.
While she was making the call, Scully wondered why Mulder didn't tell her when he found out that Phoebe was pregnant. Scully's eyes widened as she realized that that must've been the news Phoebe had told Mulder about two months ago. She grabbed the nearest pillow, put it up to her face and screamed as loudly as she could.
Scully felt her mom's hands on her back, trying to calm her down. But right now, Scully didn't want to calm down. She wanted to get all of her anger out of her, and quickly. "Mom, do you have any clothes I can borrow?" Scully asked.
"For what?" her mom answered.
"Jogging."
"Yes," Mrs Scully answered and led her daughter to her room and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt.
"Thanks, Mom," Scully said and quickly changed. "I'm gonna go running for a while. I'll come back." Scully started her run by running down the stairs and to the door. As soon as she opened the door, the icy February air hit her in the face, and she almost decided to stay at home. "No . . . I'm not giving up," Scully thought and ran out the door, closing it behind her.
After a half hour, Scully regretted her decision. She was cold, hungry, tired and about an hour's walk from home, as there was no way she could run anymore. Cursing, Scully started the long walk home.
About five minutes later as Scully was crossing a street, she heard a car honk at her. "I'm going as fast as I can!" she yelled and jogged the rest of the way. The car honked again and pulled up next to her. "What is it?" Scully yelled. "It's not illegal to cross the street!"
"I know that," a very familiar voice said.
Scully's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as she saw Mulder get out of the car. She quickly started running again, using all of her strength to get as far away from Mulder as she could. Apparently, "all of her strength" wasn't very much because she ran out of breath after only a couple of steps. She felt Mulder's hands on her back and she shook them away.
"Want a ride?" Mulder asked.
"No . . . thanks . . ." Scully huffed. "I'm . . . fine."
"You don't seem like it," Mulder replied softly.
"Well I am!" Scully snapped and started walking away from Mulder.
"I'm sorry. I know I should've told you," Mulder said, easily matching Scully's stride.
"Yes, you should've," Scully replied, walking faster.
"But it doesn't really matter anymore, since Phoebe had a miscarriage," Mulder said.
"And what were you planning to do? Marry her?" Scully snapped.
"No. She was going to go back to England and I would visit every summer, maybe Christmas," Mulder answered, starting to get a little annoyed at Scully's out-of-character rudeness, even though he knew it was justified.
"We still have to work during the summer," Scully reminded him angrily.
"I am aware of that, but I am also aware that you are a very capable person and you can fend for yourself, and if you need any help, there's the whole bureau at your beck and call. Phoebe, not exactly the most popular investigator in Scotland Yard, only has me," Mulder shot back.
"I don't care!" Scully yelled and started to run again.
"I've never known for you to run away from your problems, Scully!" Mulder yelled back. "But if that's the way you want it to be, fine!"
Scully could feel the tears come again and she had to stop because they were blurring her vision badly enough that she couldn't see. She sat on the ground and leaned against the wall that bordered somebody's yard. Scully put her head in her hands while she waited to hear Mulder drive away, but he didn't. Instead she felt him sit down next to her and wrap and arm around her.
"I'm sorry," Mulder apologized.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Scully replied, trying to regain control of herself. "I was rude, selfish and completely disregarded your feelings. I know you were only trying to do the best for you, Phoebe and your child."
"Katherine," Mulder said softly.
"What?" Scully asked.
"We were going to name her Katherine," Mulder replied quietly.
"That's my middle name," Scully said just as softly.
"I know," Mulder said.
Scully started to cry harder. She leaned her head on Mulder's chest and said, "I'm sorry. For Katherine, for my behaviour, for you, for Phoebe and just for the world in general."
"Scully, most of this has nothing to do with you," Mulder said softly, wrapping his arms around his partner.
"How can you still be so nice to me after how mean I was to you?" Scully asked, pulling away from his embrace.
"Because I can never be angry at you for long," Mulder replied.
"Mr Cliché strikes again," Scully said, smiling slightly.
Mulder smiled back at her. "Do you want a ride?" he asked again.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," Scully replied gratefully.
"Not at all," Mulder replied and stood up. He held his hands out to Scully and she took them, pulling herself up.
"Thanks," she said gratefully and followed Mulder to his car. "I'm at my mom's."
"I know," Mulder replied.
"Oh? How?" Scully asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Because I already checked your apartment," Mulder replied.
Scully smiled at him, and then started shivering. "Do you mind if I turn the heat on? I'm really cold."
"Of course not," Mulder replied.
Scully smiled gratefully at him and turned the heat up to full blast. She moved as close to the heaters as her seatbelt would allow for the short drive back to her mom's house.
"Thanks," Scully said again, getting out of the car.
"Any time," Mulder smiled. "Do you want me to come in?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine," Scully replied.
"Are you sure? I can't imagine you being fine right now," Mulder asked again.
"I'm sure," Scully said and smiled. She walked up the stairs to her mother's house and let herself in. "I'm home, Mom!" she called out.
"Are you ok?" Mrs Scully asked, coming in from the kitchen.
"Yeah. I'm going to go take a bath, ok?" Scully replied and walked upstairs.
She went into the bathroom and quickly stripped off her clothes and turned on the water as high as it could get. Scully mixed in some lavender scented bubble bath mix and lit a couple of candles. She smiled bitterly to herself as she thought about how romantic this was, but she would never have the person she wanted to share it with.
"Stop thinking about Mulder," Scully said out loud to herself and climbed into the tub. She turned off the water and sighed contentedly as she settled back into the bath. The warm water enveloped her and the lavender made her quite sleepy. She quickly fell asleep to the mercy of her dreams.
SCULLY'S DREAM
Scully snuggled back further against Mulder's chest in the candlelit bath they were sharing. "I love you, Fox," Scully said softly, finally being able to tell him how she felt and to call him Fox.
"I love you too, Dana," he whispered in her ear and started tracing it with his tongue.
Scully smiled happily and leaned further against him. She could feel Mulder's hands creeping along her body towards her breasts, but before they got there, the bathroom door opened and Phoebe walked in.
"Scully! What're you doing?" she yelled. "Is this the way you treat me after a miscarriage?"
Scully stared at Phoebe in confusion. What was she talking about? Mulder was hers, and always would be. "What?" she asked.
She felt Mulder's large hands pushing her off of him and out of the bath. "Yeah, Scully. What are you doing?"
"But I – you – you said you loved me," Scully stammered, close to tears.
Mulder laughed, a horrible, cruel, cold laugh that made Scully's tears start to fall. "No I didn't."
"Yes you did!" Scully cried out, stamping her foot as tears streamed down her face and splashed onto the floor. "You said that you loved me!"
Mulder got out of the bathtub and walked over to Phoebe. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "You must've made it up. I hate you."
END SCULLY'S DREAM
Scully woke up with a start. The water around her was cold and all the bubbles were gone. However, Scully didn't notice any of these things because she was too busy crying while at the same time telling herself that it was only a dream; that Mulder didn't hate her at all. In fact, he had said many times that he loved her as a friend. Not as a lover as she would've liked, but still.
Eventually Scully calmed down enough to get out of the freezing bath and drain the water. "Dammit," she muttered to herself when she realized that she didn't have any clean clothes since she was at her mom's. Scully wrapped the towel around her and walked out of the room and down the stairs to the living room to find her mom.
"Mom, do you have any clothes I-" Scully started to ask her mom, but stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw that Mulder was sitting on the chair, opposite her mom who was on the couch. She felt her face heat up and quickly rushed out of the room and back upstairs to her mother's bedroom.
"I can't believe I did that," Scully said when she heard her mom come into the room. "I feel like such an idiot. I don't even want to know what Mulder is thinking about me."
"He's thinking that you didn't know he was there and therefore it wasn't your fault at all," a voice that was clearly masculine answered.
Scully whirled around and saw Mulder standing in front of her. "Mulder! What are you doing up here?" Scully asked, turning away from him again.
"Several things. First off," Mulder took his hand out from behind his back and tapped Scully lightly on the shoulder. She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw that he was holding a single, red rose.
"What's this for?" Scully asked softly, taking it from him and smelling it.
"Well, when Phoebe was upset, she accidentally knocked the books with your rose off the table so I got you another one," Mulder explained.
"So it was you who gave me the first one?" Scully asked, looking up from the rose.
"No," Mulder replied.
Scully sighed. "Guess I'll never find out. What else did you want to tell me?"
"Well, Frohike wanted me to ask to ask you if you got the information you asked for," Mulder said.
"What informa-" Scully started, confused, until she realized what Frohike must've been talking about. "I did not ask for that information!" Scully said indignantly. "Besides," she added, "I already knew it."
"What was it?" Mulder asked.
"Nothing," Scully said in a very end-of-the-matter voice. "What else?"
"I wanted to let you know that Phoebe's going back to England," Mulder replied.
Even though she didn't want to, Scully turned around to face her partner. "What? When?"
"As soon as possible. Tomorrow, I think," Mulder answered, walking over to Scully.
"Why?"
"Because of something I said," Mulder replied, now only a couple of inches away from Scully.
"What? When you said my name when you climaxed the first night you were together?" Scully asked.
"I what?" Mulder yelled, blushing bright red and stepping away from Scully.
"She didn't tell you?" Scully asked, surprised even though she knew that she shouldn't be.
"She did tell you?" Mulder gasped.
"Yeah . . . when I went over to see what had happened," Scully replied, a blush creeping into her own face.
"Oh . . . well, no. That's not why," Mulder replied, his face still very red.
"Then why?" Scully asked.
Mulder walked back over to Scully and ran his hand down her cheek. "Because after two months of lying to you, of not being able to talk to you as I could before, and today, when you ran out and I realized just how much this mattered to you, I couldn't keep on hurting you."
Scully felt herself start to smile, even though she didn't want to. "Thank you," she said.
Mulder smiled back at her and said, "Any time."
Scully's smile widened and she leaned against Mulder's chest. "I love you," she whispered into his shirt.
"What?" Mulder asked.
"N-nevermind," Scully replied, blushing again.
"Tell me!" Mulder insisted.
"No. However, there is a huge favour you could do for me," Scully replied, pulling back.
"What?" Mulder asked. "You name it, I'll do it."
"Leave so I can get dressed," Scully replied.
"As you wish," Mulder said and walked out with an exaggerated bow.
Scully laughed slightly, smiling hugely. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to be around Mulder without having the thought of Phoebe lurking in the back of her mind. Mrs Scully came in a couple of seconds later, interrupting her thoughts. "What sort of outfit do you want to wear?" she asked.
"I dunno. A shirt. A long skirt. Something warm," Scully said and smiled at the choice her mother had made. Mrs Scully handed her daughter a tan skirt, a light purple shirt with a low neckline and burgundy tights. "Thanks," Scully said and started to change as her mom left. When she was done, she looked into the full-length mirror on the back of the door. Scully smiled to herself; she looked really . . . "Well, maybe Frohike was right," Scully thought. The only real way to describe herself right now was, frankly, hot. The neckline was lower than she would usually wear, and the slit on the skirt was higher than she was used to, but she decided that she didn't care, and that her mom probably did it on purpose.
Scully flashed her reflection one last smile and went back downstairs. When she saw Mulder, she smiled slightly, and Mulder smiled back.
"Your mother invited me to stay for dinner. Is that alright?" he asked.
"Of course," Scully replied. "I'm gonna go help Mom make dinner. You can do whatever you want."
"No you aren't!" Mrs Scully called from the kitchen. "You are going to relax with Fox!"
"Are you sure?" Scully asked sceptically.
"Yes!"
"Alright," Scully replied and walked into the living room with Mulder on her heels. They sat down next to each other on the couch as Mrs Scully called,
"Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes, so don't get to comfortable."
"Ok," Scully replied and turned to Mulder. "Do you want to go back to England with Phoebe?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"No, of course not," Mulder replied, quite surprised.
"But you love her . . ." Scully trailed off, unsure of whether her words were true.
Mulder laughed slightly. "No I don't."
"Then why did you spend the past two months, one week and three days with her?" Scully asked. At Mulder's incredulous stare, she added, "What?"
"You were counting?" he asked softly.
Scully blushed and looked down at her lap. "Yeah."
"Well, no. I don't love her. I was with her because . . . I don't know."
"Mulder, I know that you're lying," Scully replied.
Mulder felt a slightly blush creeping up his neck. "Well, I was lonely," Mulder said. "And she was really good in bed," he added quieter, all in one breath.
Scully stared at him. "Mulder, I'm always here for you. If you're ever lonely, just call."
"Yeah, but the question is, are you good in bed?" Mulder asked, winking exaggeratedly at Scully.
Scully blushed slightly and looked away again. "But that was it?"
"That was it."
"Oh . . ." Scully replied. "You have no idea how stupid I feel."
Mulder laughed again. "Don't."
Scully smiled slightly at him. Before she had a chance to respond, Mrs Scully called, "Dinner's ready!"
Mulder and Scully stood up and walked to the kitchen in silence. When they saw what had been set up, they stopped.
"Mom!" Scully said. "What's going on?"
Mrs Scully smiled, proud of herself. "I thought you and Fox might enjoy dinner together."
"A candlelit dinner?" Scully asked, her eyebrows raised again. "I must be setting a record for eyebrow raising," she thought to herself.
"I dunno, Scully. This has possibilities," Mulder replied.
Scully turned to stare at him, and then laughed at the look on his face. "But what about you, Mom?" Scully asked her mother. "You need to eat too."
"I'm going out for dinner," she replied. "And then probably over to a friend's house."
"Are you sure?" Scully asked.
"Of course," Mrs Scully replied and walked out of the dining room and left.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me, Scully," Mulder replied, waggling his eyebrows at her.
Scully laughed again. "Just be quiet. I didn't set this up."
"I know," Mulder replied. "But I intend to make the best of it." He walked quickly in front for Scully and pulled her chair out.
Scully smiled at him. "A true gentlemen."
"Of course," Mulder replied and sat opposite Scully. Mrs Scully's dining room table could fold out to accommodate the entire Scully family, but it could also fold up to be just the right size for two. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes until Mulder said, "Scully?"
"Yes?" Scully replied.
"Do you love me?" Mulder asked softly, looking Scully in the eyes.
Scully looked up at Mulder in surprise, but quickly adverted her eyes before she answered, "What would make you think that?"
"How upset you were about Phoebe," Mulder replied, still watching Scully.
"I just didn't want her to hurt you like last time," Scully replied softly, going back to eating.
"Not at all jealous?" Mulder asked.
"Well, a little, yes. She seemed to be replacing me, and after so many years as your partner, it hurt," Scully admitted. "And, in answer to your first question, I love you with all of my heart. As a friend."
"Nothing more?" Mulder asked softly.
Scully suddenly realized that Mulder had moved and was now crouching next to her chair.
"What if I said that I was in love with you?" Scully asked softly.
"Then I would kiss you," Mulder replied softly.
"And if I said I wasn't?" Scully asked.
"Then things would go on as they always have," Mulder answered.
"I love you," Scully whispered, looking Mulder directly in the eyes.
"I love you too . . . Dana," Mulder said tenderly and kissed Scully softly.
"Mulder, wait," Scully replied, pulling away from him.
"I'm sorry," Mulder said quietly.
Scully laughed softly. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that don't you think it would make more sense if we went to my house?" she asked.
Mulder laughed as well. "Yeah." He stood up and extended his hand to Scully. "My lady?"
Scully smiled and stood up. "Hang on. I want to write a note to Mom." Scully went over to a drawer and took out a piece of paper and a pen. She quickly wrote "Thanks for the dinner, Mom. It was really good. Mulder and I are going over to my place. I'll give the clothes back soon. –Dana," and put it in the middle of the table.
"Your chariot awaits," Mulder said and offered his arm to Scully. She took it, laughing, and followed Mulder outside to her car.
When Mrs Scully got home and saw the note, she smiled. The dinner was barely eaten, so she knew that her daughter and Fox and left soon after she had. "Finally," she thought to herself and set about cleaning up the uneaten dinner.