at six am on the dot, just like every morning, an alarm blared from the small clock radio on the night stand. a thin hand shot out from under the thick duvet, smacking snooze once, just like every morning. dana scully grunted as she pulled her blanket up over her head, burrowing further under the blanket and shivering as a draft of the chill november air drifted its way under to join her, looking for warmth of its own, shelter from its cold patriarch. five minutes later, the alarm went off again, and scully sat up, rubbing sleep form her eyes. she knew if she stayed in bed any longer, she'd never wanna get out, and that wasn't really an option these days.
she slid out of bed slowly, shivering as her feet touched the cold wooden floor, and shuffled to the bathroom, turning the shower on and padding to the kitchen to work on her coffee while the water warmed. from there, she shuffled back to the bedroom to find a suit for the day, settling on a black three-piece with a skirt.
just like every morning.
a slow sigh passed her lips as she climbed into the shower. yes, her job was exciting, there was no doubt about that, but there were some days when the mundanity of it all got to her, struck her like a blow to the stomach. granted, it was tough to find a dull day in the x-files – especially with mulder jumping around the way he always did, waving files and cases in her face and gabbing about UFOs and god knows what else. her heart tugged lightly and she felt a small, but fond smile touch her lips. there were many, many ways to describe fox mulder, any number of them more than accurate. scully's favorite, though, was hers.
not that she'd ever tell him that.
he was, though. he was her mulder. hers and hers alone. there had been other women, naturally - and for her, other men - but at the core of things, it always came down to herself and mulder. always there for each other, no matter what. keeping each other in check, making sure to reign each other in when they needed it, grounding each other. mulder was always there to make sure she didn't overthink things too badly, to make sure she never lost the sense of wonder that made her want to pursue science and a doctorate in the first place; conversely, she was always there when mulder needed to dial his theories back a bit, when he got too physical or loud with a suspect, or when he just needed someone to hold his hand - figuratively and literally.
which happened a lot these days, but she didn't mind. there was something about knowing that mulder put that faith, that trust in her, that made her feel warm and happy inside. and when he actually needed someone to hold his hands (or when she needed someone to hold hers), there was no greater comfort for either of them than his big, calloused fingers closing around her little, smooth digits, or the way that her hand fit perfectly into his, how their palms and fingers lined up just right.
a shiver tickled down her spine and scully turned the water off, climbing out of her shower and wrapping herself in a towel. she yawned slowly as she dried her hair and brushed her teeth, then pulled her suit on and adjusted the cross that hung at her throat. shoes and her jacket followed, then her briefcase and the carafe of coffee split into two travel mugs (because she knew mulder had probably forgotten his, as he did most mornings), and she was out the door. her car was cold as she climbed in, and she was glad for the quick heating system it carried. the air hit her cheeks, warming them almost as quickly as they had chilled outside, and she headed for work, still lost in her thoughts.
the drive to work was as short as ever (just like every morning), and she parked and checked herself into the building without incident. the halls were quiet as she meandered her way to the office, nodding here and there to other agents as she passed them. they nodded back, their smiles polite but a little tight – as she expected. since she'd begun working with mulder she'd found that most smiles directed towards her were a little more guarded, a little tighter. which was to be expected when one worked with "spooky" mulder, but she wouldn't have it any other way.
nudging the door open with her hip, she peered in, then leaned against the doorjamb for a moment, watching mulder as he puttered around the whiteboard they kept against one wall. his lean form was as nice to look at as ever, and she found her eyes traveling a little lower than they should. snapping her gaze back up, she observed his shoulders and the way his fingers moved as he tapped the whiteboard, muttering to himself about this and that. moving into the office the rest of the way, she set the coffee on his desk with a little tak, smiling when mulder spun on his heel.
"scully!" he crowed, bounding to her in three swift steps and winding an arm around her shoulders. she laughed quietly, holding up a hand and stepping away to set her things down, then allowed him to pull her against his side again. she smiled as he guided her to the projector, waving his hands wildly as he told her about a case in a tiny town on the edge of florida, just like every morning.
perhaps, she decided, mundanity was not the worst of all things.