Title: I Hope You Dance
Author: SkepticalScully
Rating PG
MSR/Angst
Archive: Anywhere, the more promotion the better, just let me know where!
Has any one ever heard the very pretty country
song by Lee Ann Womack called I Hope You Dance? I
have and it has inspired me to do a fan fic. It's
probably going to be very sappy but if I don't get
it down on paper, it's going to drive me crazy!
I Hope You Dance
December 22, 2001
The FBI held a formal Christmas party at a very nice
hotel every year in New York City. Federal Employees
were invited from all over the east coast every year.
They'd only been holding the Christmas Eve party for
about five years, and so far, they had had quite a
good outcome. Only a few came from outside New York,
but maybe in the future, different places like
Pittsburgh and D.C. would have their own.
This was the second time Mulder and Scully had been
invited to go, but they had other plans that year. Or,
Scully had other plans that year. Anyway, Skinner gave
them the cards earlier in the week and advised them
that it might be good to go do something nice. He told
them to leave a day earlier, take some of that
vacation time to go see Times Square before it got
crowded. Whatever he meant by that.
The plane ride was quiet. Scully was fidgeting the
whole time. What was she going to wear? That was her
main worry. Not even how embarrassed she was to wear
something more fancy around Mulder. Like, he had
probably never seen her in jeans or shorts let alone a
gown of some degree. But right now, she had to find a
dress store and a dress that she could afford before
tomorrow night. That shouldn't be too hard for her
though, she wasn't that meticulous. She just wasn't
used to getting THAT dressed up.
Mulder noticed her discontent, but he blamed it all on
the plane ride. He wouldn't admit it but planes
weren't exactly the best experience himself. He'd
never been on a plane headed for disaster, per say.
All that normal X-Files job stuff happened, but planes
were very vulnerable. All that was holding you up was
some thin steel. Therefore, he understood why Scully
was always fidgety on planes. Nevertheless, he never
let that stop him from sleeping on the way.
He and Scully usually engaged in some sort of banter
throughout the trip. He would doze off for a while
and then she'd wake him up when they were almost there
and he'd make some wise crack that wasn't funny. Most
of the time, some of it was about their current case,
but for the most part, they put that away until they
were off the plane.
This time, there was a little bit of a lack of
communication because really, there was nothing to
talk about and no case to back up those odd silences
when neither of them could think of anything to say.
Therefore, Mulder was a little fidgety himself because
he wanted to say something.
He tapped her arm. "Scully?"
She looked away from the window. "Yeah?"
"Um," he searched for some conversation starter. It
usually wasn't that hard. He grinned stupidly, then
reached into the drink tray and pulled out a Planters
package. "Want my peanuts?"
Scully allowed half a smile for his benefit but shook
her head. "No, I still have mine."
"Suit yourself." He said and tore into the package.
She rolled her eyes.
"So, Scully, you have any idea where you would buy a
tux in New York?" he asked nonchalantly.
Scully felt somewhat relieved to hear that he too, was
a bit anxious about finding something to wear, but
geez, he just had to find a tux that fit him! Women
had so much more to deal with! What color should the
dress be? Straps or strapless? Ruffles? Poof? A big
bow in the back? Elegant or plain? The list was
endless!
Finally, the plane landed at JFK. They found their
bags after a considerable time spent looking for them
and went to the hotel. It was nearly dinnertime when
they were settled in. Scully was just going to have
something room serviced, however, Mulder had different
ideas. Scully didn't know what had gotten into him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the bed and
out the door before she had any time to protest.
"Mulder, what are you doing?"
"Scully, we didn't come to New York to eat Hotel food.
We do that all the time, have some fun, Scully."
She just shook her head in amusement and was dragged
down the hall.
December 22, 2000
6:56 p.m.
"Mulder-" she stuttered. "You didn't make
reservations-did you?"
He shrugged and grinned. "Me? Make reservations? I
thought you'd know me better than that, Scully."
But she saw through his façade and was slightly
touched. "It's an expensive restaurant, Mulder."
"I know. So?" he asked her pointedly.
She sighed and they were led to a table, which was
clothed in thin white linen. There were two taper
candles burning on each end of the table, and a basket
of bread was immediately set on the table. Mulder
smiled at the man, mumbled politely, "thank you."
Scully leaned over the table and said softly. "Mulder,
you didn't have to do this."
Mulder shrugged. "It's part of your Christmas present,
Scully."
She leaned back, arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow,
and then narrowed it: "part, Mulder? Should I ask?"
Mulder refused to look at her. Instead, he focused on
taking the blue cloth napkin off the table and
spreading it on his lap while he said, "No, you may
not."
She nodded, her mouth a thin line as she said
sarcastically, "Great."
"Don't worry, Scully. I won't do anything you wouldn't
do."
9:34 p.m.
The hotel was about seven blocks away and hey decided
they would walk back even though the night air was
chilly. It was relaxing though. No chasing monsters or
being stuck up to their elbows in God only knows what.
So, what if it was only twenty degrees out? It's not
like they couldn't handle a little brisk walk.
Moreover, it would make that hot bath Scully was going
to take when they got back to the hotel all the more
relaxing. Oh yeah, after this walk, she was going to
need it.
They walked in silence most of the way back, just
staring at the city lights. It really was quite a
difference than being out in the middle of nowhere. In
the middle of nowhere, you could see the stars but
here, the stars were hidden. The silence was
comfortable though. Through eight years they had
gotten used to the silence and could feel comfortable
without talking for a long time; words didn't always
need to be said to get a point across-or an idea or
thought.
At the hotel, they sighed in delight when they finally
returned to the warmth. She still shivered though;
casting off the last bit of cold, knowing that bath
was waiting for her. At her door, she turned to
Mulder. She gave a smile and she wondered, 'is this
the same Fox Mulder I know?' The Fox Mulder she knew
had good intentions, he could be sweet, but he was
absent minded at times and she didn't know him to ever
show a romantic side. Not that she was looking for
romance from Mulder, but that's what he had been
leading towards tonight. She wasn't sure how she felt
about that. She berated herself. It was just a dinner
with Mulder. That was harmless. She had eaten dinner
with Mulder in countless restaurants over the years.
Just none as fancy as this. "Thank you for dinner,
Mulder." She said, then felt her face turn red and
quickly turned towards her door and unlocked it.
She heard Mulder chuckle quietly behind her and
blushed even more. She blamed her clear, light skin
and red hair at times like these. "Good night,
Scully."
"Goodnight." She said and shut the door. She leaned
against it, safe. She was safe until morning. She
pushed away from the door towards the bathroom to
start her bath. She didn't wait for it to fill
completely, but undressed and sank into the steaming
water. Now, THIS was relaxing. There wasn't anything
better than a nice hot, relaxing bath. She sighed
contentedly. The world could go by without here when
she was in this state, and she didn't care if she was
left behind.
December 23, 2000
Scully slept until eleven. When she woke, the room was
filled with a cold sunshine. She checked her watch;
sure that it couldn't be that late. She never slept
that late, all night through. Plus, Mulder should have
awakened her. He never slept that late either. She got
up, dressed, and went across the hall to Mulder's room
and knocked. He didn't answer.
Maybe he had gone out to find his tuxedo for tonight.
That reminded her that she had to find herself
something to wear. Now was a time she wished she had
some other wardrobe, but she never got dressed up like
this so she hadn't been in need for such an outfit.
Not sense her brother got married, and that had been
borrowed from her sister. Well, she would have one
now, hopefully.
She went back to her room, gathered her things and
left the hotel. She found a few stores, but most of
the dresses in them were just too expensive. Getting a
bit distressed and frustrated, she finally found a
store that looked to be a little bit more in her price
range. She went in.
She found a couple of beautiful dresses, but she
wasn't sure if any of them were right for her. She
looked at a few black, simple dresses and finally
tried a couple of them on. They weren't right.
Afterwards, one of the employees, a woman Scully could
tell was the kind of woman who thought she was better
than everyone else, came over and smiled. "Can I help
you with a dress?"
Scully could do just fine on her own, but the woman
moved past her and reached for a dark wine red dress.
"This will go lovely with your hair," she said,
holding it up to Scully's front.
Scully took the dress as the woman moved around and
picked something else out. "How formal is the event
you are going to?" She asked.
Scully groaned quietly. Scully had met her share of
snobby people in college. This is where it got them,
she thought. But she answered her anyway, figuring it
might make her back off. "It's an FBI Christmas
Party."
The woman stared back at her and Scully knew she'd
made a mark. It wasn't immediately evident on her
face, but Scully knew what she was thinking. "Oh. How
nice. You're going with your husband?"
Scully laid the red dress she was holding on the rack
closest to her. "No. My husband is going with ME." And
she walked way and out the door. She wasn't about to
give her money to this store, wasn't about to purchase
anything from them. This is why she never went to
these things, she thought. They weren't worth the
effort.
1:10 p.m.
When Mulder got back to the hotel, he took a shower
and then went to Scully's room. "Hey, Scully." He
closed the door, and then fell into one of the chairs.
"Make yourself at home, Mulder."
"So, you ready for the Christmas Party tonight?"
She sighed and made a disgusted face. He tilted his
head. "Why not?"
"It's not that, Mulder. But when I went to look for
something to wear tonight, the lack of courtesy is an
X-File in itself."
He chuckled. "So you didn't find anything?" he looked
disappointed.
"No, I finally found something. I hope it's not too
formal. But why don't you go get ready? It's already
five O'clock."
"I can take a hint." He said and left her to get
ready.
7:03 p.m.
As they walked through the doors, Scully was happy to
find that she wasn't over dressed, or underdressed.
Mulder looked sharp in his tuxedo, and fit right in
with the other agents. As Scully looked around the
room, she decided she was happy they had come after
all. They found a table and sat down. It was a large
room and there were maybe fifty or sixty other people
there. There was a bar and a band playing Hark the
Herald Angels Sing. Most people were talking, very few
actually dancing.
A man came over to the table just as Mulder was coming
back with two drinks. He looked familiar to Scully,
but she didn't know his name. "Agent Scully, right?"
Mulder set the drinks down. The agent turned to him.
"I'm Peter Hausenmier. I've seen you both around."
Mulder shook his hand, glanced at Scully, then
gestured towards the empty chair. Peter shook his
head. "Nah, I just thought I would come over and say
hi."
Agent Hausenmier left and left Mulder and Scully to
themselves. Joy to the World began playing and a few
more agents arrived. Scully and Mulder conversed with
a few of them, finding out that it seemed to be just
them and agent Hausenmier who were from D.C.
A couple hours later, Scully was hot and excused
herself. A couple too many drinks and the high
percentage of body heat was making her flushed. She
stepped outside and saw that it had begun snowing, and
now there lay a good couple of inches on the ground.
She stood and peered up at the white flurries
fluttering down from the darkness. She stared up
through the branches of a leafless tree catching the
flakes. How peaceful such ordinary things could be.
Earlier she had been happy she had come to this party,
but in actuality, it was quite boring. For her at
least. Mulder seemed to be enjoying himself, which was
unusual because she didn't think he seemed to be much
different than her in this aspect. Or least she had
thought so. But Mulder had been striking up
conversations enthusiastically the better part of the
night. So she had excused herself to get some fresh
air.
She shivered. She hadn't brought her jacket out with
her; had just left, not thinking about the cold.
She felt something around her shoulders, startling
her, and found Mulder at her side. "Sorry, I kind of
just left you go tonight."
A little surprised, she looked at him. "Oh." She
pulled her arms through the sleeves. "Oh, that's
alright, Mulder." She said quietly, but hadn't thought
that he had noticed. "You don't have to baby-sit me."
Those words were out of her mouth before she realized
what she had said. "I mean-"
He stepped back a little. "Yeah, please explain what
you meant."
Scully hadn't expected that from him. "I didn't mean
to say that, Mulder-that's not what I meant-"
"You mean-" he nodded his head. "I know what you
meant." He replied with finality, shook his head
slowly and walked off quickly back.
Scully was shocked at his behavior and took a few
steps forward, but Mulder hailed a taxi and got in
without a glance behind him. The snow wasn't peaceful
anymore. All it was-was cold.
10:56 p.m.
He wasn't at the hotel, or he just wasn't answering
his door. In either case, the only thing for Scully to
do was go back to her room. She felt lonely. Mulder's
actions earlier puzzled and frightened her. Those
words hadn't meant to come out of her mouth. She
hadn't even thought them through before she'd voiced
them. She didn't even know what she meant herself;
just that Mulder was free to talk with other people.
He didn't have to try and keep her attention, or
involve her in everything. She wasn't a total social
outcast. She was doing fine on her own.
Another bubble bath would do nothing to calm her mind
so she didn't even take one. Instead, she shredded her
clothes, leaving them a heap on the floor and climbed
into the shower. As she thought about it, his entire
behavior the last couple of days was odd. First, the
excitement to go to a Bureau Christmas Party, which
should have been the last thing on earth that he would
want to attend; second, the dinner last night, and
third, tonight.
She didn't think anything of coming to the party, and
dinner-although unusual-was nice, if Scully wasn't
sure what to think about it-but tonight made those
events stick out. Something had to be bothering him,
and the question was: was it her? She hadn't said
anything, or acted in any way that would turn him off-
at least she didn't think so. It was HIS idea to come
to this thing, not hers.
She sighed. Turned the water off and wrapped a towel
around herself. Forgoing her usual nightly routine,
she slipped into her pajamas and climbed into bed,
wishing not to deal with anything at all until her
mind cleared. Let him sulk and then talk to him
tomorrow when his head was also cleared. The only
thing troubling her mind as she tried to fall asleep
was that she didn't know where he was.
At about four in the morning, he arrived back at the
hotel. He stopped at Scully's door, a hand raised to
knock, but knew that she had probably gone to sleep
and he didn't want to wake her, so he returned to his
room. His remark to her earlier had probably startled
her, much as it had him. He was blocks away from her
before he realized what he was doing, and by the time
he had gone back, she was gone. He walked around New
York for hours, and even the hot shower he jumped into
did not expel the chill that seemed burrowed in his
bones.
He lay on his bed for a while, thinking. This wasn't
how he had planned tonight. What she had said had a
truthful meaning, and whether she meant it or not, or
if she even knew what she had really meant, he did.
And perhaps things should change. He made up his mind
what he was going to do, and then he was finally able
to sleep.
11:42 a.m.
"Mulder, it's me." Scully knocked on the door again,
but he didn't answer. Either he wasn't there or he
wasn't answering; she wasn't sure which was better.
Never had she seen Mulder act this way, or refuse to
face the problem soon after.
They were leaving in a few hours and she really didn't
want to fly back to D.C. on a bad note, and she didn't
want to do it on the plane.
She began packing, leaving the door open so she would
hear him when he came back. She was placing her
suitcase on the chair by the door when he came back.
She sighed. "Mulder," she called. He didn't seem to
hear her, but continued to unlock his door. She called
more sternly, "Mulder."
He turned around. "Hey, Scully." He stepped over to
her. "Listen, I just heard that there's a severe snow
storm watch and many of the flights have been delayed.
We're probably going to be stuck here one more night."
She started to say something. "Mulder-"
He looked down at the keys in his hand. "I'm sorry
about last night, Scully. I shouldn't have left like
that."
She almost laughed, but not because she thought it was
funny. Her tone was serious, "No, you shouldn't have."
He took a deep breath and looker into her eyes. "I
don't want to be on bad terms with you, Scully."
"Neither do I-"
He cut her off without meaning too. "I just think you
should think about what you really meant last night. I
think it'll do us both some good." With that, he
turned back to his room, leaving her standing there.
1:12 p.m.
She took a walk. The snow had stopped for a while, but
now it was coming down softly again. Scully shivered,
pulling her coat tighter around herself. She didn't
want to go back to the hotel just yet, but she was too
cold to walk any longer.
She went into a diner, stepping out of the twenty-
first century and into the 1960s. There was a jukebox
in the corner, yellow and white, red and white, green
and white checkered table clothes; a black and white
checkered floor. Framed paintings, drawings, and
photographs of Elvis lined the walls.
All the booths were taken so she had to settle for a
stool at the counter. She ordered a cup of coffee, but
nothing else.
"Agent Scully. I didn't expect to see you here."
The voice startled her; she turned around. "Agent
Hausenmier."
He sat on the stool beside her. "Hi." To the waitress
behind the counter, he replied, "A coffee." He
returned his attention back to Scully. "Have you heard
about the snow passing through? Supposed to be one
hell of a storm."
Scully nodded, sipped her coffee. "I heard."
He young agent looked around. "Alone?"
Scully looked up, "hmm?"
He was using hand gestures. "I mean, your partner's
not here with you?"
She held the mug in her hands. "No. He's back at the
hotel I suppose."
Hausenmier was handed his coffee. "Thanks. Everything
all right? I mean I don't want to pry. You seem down."
Scully gave a thin smile. "Everything's fine. Tell me
something, Agent Hausenmier-"
"Call me Pete."
"Pete. What made you come to the party?"
He smiled, gave a laugh. "A bet."
1:30 p.m.
Mulder paced. She usually didn't stay out for this
long. When she went for a walk, she usually was back
within an hour. Plus, the weather outside was another
factor in his worrying. If she didn't come back soon,
he'd have to change his plans. Their plane was still
on schedule but if they missed it, oh well. He opened
his door and looked out into the hall when he heard
keys in the lock but it wasn't her. He paced some
more.
"A bet, hmm? Those can do damage."
He gave a hearty laugh. "When you lose, yeah. I live
on risks. Plus, I think I have this one covered."
"What did you bet?" Scully wanted to know. She
refilled her coffee.
Pete winked. "I can't tell you that."
"I see. Because then you'd have to kill me."
"Exactly!"
After a couple of coffee refills later, Scully
realized that what Mulder had said earlier had been
true, but it didn't mean anything, she told herself.
She quickly stood, fumbling with some bills and laying
them on the counter. "Pete, it was nice to meet you
and talk with you, but I just remembered something I
have to do."
She hoped she wasn't too late and Mulder was still at
the hotel.
2:14 p.m.
There was a knock on his door, and he quickly bounced
off the bed and grabbed the remote, flicking through
the channels, and looking nonchalant as he called out,
"it's open!"
To his relief, it was Scully. "Mulder, I need to talk
to you."
He flipped off the TV and sat up.
1: 48 p.m.
Pete Hausenmier paid for his coffee, then stood and
headed for the door. Earlier this morning, he had run
into that other agent-Fox Mulder. After saying hi, he
continued on, when suddenly, Mulder came jogging down
the hall, halting him. He thought it was kind of
strange that this guy wanted him to go look for his
partner, but he thought, 'oh, what the hell? I have
nothing better to do.' Of course, he hadn't expected
to find her, but coincidentally, when he went into
that little diner to warm his insides, she was sitting
there. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say,
just that he wasn't supposed to let her know the
reason he was really there.
Now, apparently having the effect on her he was
supposed to, he was on his way back to the hotel. He
would never understand these two. Granted he had just
met them, but he had heard a lot about them. He had
only been with the bureau for three years, much
inexperienced compared to most of the agents he worked
with, but he was very much life experienced. During
his weeks in training, there had been much talk about
these two, hidden down in their office, scouting out
cases that dealt with the paranormal. Apparently,
Mulder had lost a sister and was still searching for
her, believing that her disappearance was because she
was abducted by aliens and the very men he worked for
were responsible. Actually, Pete had to laugh at it.
Or else, he would be up nights; his head full of
thoughts about whether he was doing the right thing,
whether this was his calling-to fight justice.
Well, the woman, Scully. He hadn't heard quite as much
about her; guessed Mulder was more interesting then
she was. Not that she didn't get her fair share of
whistles and 'she's a looker' from the guys (no
respect). He had heard about her having been
'abducted'. It was a big joke for everything. They had
lots of stories; that she hadn't really been abducted,
but that she'd gotten pregnant because her and Mulder
did the 'wild thing' and she had to go away until
she'd had the baby. Oh, there were plenty of them.
He'd heard them all. But since he'd actually met them,
he found the memories in the back of his head annoying
him. Those guys didn't know what they were talking
about. Like he had said, he had life experience, he
was a good judge of character, and first impressions
were usually right.
There was one thing that the guys had been right
about-although they went about it in a rude mannered
way. There was definitely chemistry between the pair.
It radiated off them like a sun-baked ham. He was so
interested in them last night, delighted to actually
meet them, so he had been watching them all night. He
caught the side-glances Mulder kept giving Scully as
he talked to other agents in the room. And Scully's
quick glances at him, mournfully, like she wanted him
to come back over to where she was sitting, or she
wanted to go over to him, but didn't want to intrude.
Actually, she looked like she wasn't sure of herself.
Or sure of him.
Suddenly, he wasn't in much of a hurry to get back to
Washington.
2:28 p.m.
"I know you don't need baby-sat, Scully. I think the
whole point of you saying that showed me that maybe we
spend too much time together...sometimes. We both need
our own space, I just...I just like being around you."
There. He'd said it. The tightness in his chest that
he'd been filling all day was slowly receding. He
waited for her answer.
Her face turned color and she avoided his eyes,
seeming to let his words sink in deeper before she
answered him. She wasn't quite sure WHAT was going on
these last few days. She was a jumble of confused
thoughts. How could something she hadn't even meant to
say turn into such a heated topic? How could it turn
into something good? She wasn't complaining. "I think
you're right, Mulder. And when you left last night, I
was completely at a loss as to how it affected you so
easily. And what ever you're thinking, I really didn't
mean it last night. I still don't mean it."
His lips curled up slightly. Anyone else but Scully
would have missed its impact. "I think I acted the way
I did because I wanted to spend time with you and I
was a bit disappointed that you didn't want the same."
Scully scooted forward in her chair and rested a hand
on his without any idea what she was doing. "Oh, but I
do."
A full-fledged grin enveloped his face this time, and
he quickly pulled her to her feet and started for the
door. "Let's get married, then."
Scully wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. "Wha-?"
"Let's do it lets get married, now."
She tried to pull out of his grasp, contemplating
whether or not he was serious. She hoped he wasn't;
didn't know what she should do or say to make the
moment more comfortable. He seemed to be enjoying the
moment, but she was terrified (at the same time she
felt a rush) at his spontaneity. "You're joking."
"No, I'm not." He replied; the door was open.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she was
holding, and tugged out of his hand. Thankfully, the
smile on his face and the mischievous sparkle in his
eyes told the truth: just a joke. Well...at the
moment, anyway. But he was still going through the
door; no sign of stopping. "Mulder, where are you
going?"
"Come on, I still have that other half of the
Christmas present."
Scully groaned but followed him; she HAD to know what
he had up his sleeve. It was Mulder; it could be good
or it could be bad...very, very bad.
Outside the hotel, he hailed a cab. The snow was still
falling, although it had slowed down a little. The
streets were wet and slushy-traffic moving sluggishly
by with a slick sound. Several cabs passed by without
slowing, and Mulder stepped further into the street,
lifting his arm. One slowed down and pulled to the
curb. Mulder opened the back door and let Scully in,
then went around and spoke to the driver in a hushed
tone. The driver, nodding his understanding, satisfied
Mulder, and he joined Scully as the car pulled back
into traffic.
"Mulder, what do you have going on?" Scully asked.
When he didn't reply; just stared at her as if he
didn't understand English, she raised an eyebrow in an
attempt to force him to answer. Usually it worked to
some degree, but not this time. He shrugged and
replied, "you'll find out soon enough."
She huffed, then leaned against the door, away from
Mulder as far as she could, and stared out the window,
watching the flakes of snow hit the window and
disappear.
At the stop light, Mulder reached into his pocket and
pulled out a blue paisley hanky and got Scully's
attention. She eyed it warily.
"Relax, it's clean." He folded it into a triangle,
then began to roll it up.
"That's not what I'm worried about."
He chuckled, then raised the blind fold towards her.
She instinctively pulled back. "Please, Scully?"
She succumbed, and let him wrap it around her eyes and
tie it in the back of her head. "Can you see?"
She shook her head, but testing her to make sure, he
raised his palm in front of her face, drew it back and
then brought it forward quickly as if he was going to
hit her, stopping only inches from her face. Either
she was good or she couldn't see; she didn't flinch.
The light turned green, and the cab made a left onto
the next street. A few minutes later, it stopped and
pulled to the curb. Mulder got out, went around and
opened Scully's door once more. He helped her out and
led her to the sidewalk. He paid the driver and then
stared up at the large building before him. He led her
to the door, opened it and led her inside.
A round man, dressed in black pants, a white shirt,
and a red vest with the name tag Herv on it, was
waiting them. "Agent Mulder." He shook his hand.
"Right this way."
Scully leaned close to Mulder and whispered. "Can I
take this off? I feel ridiculous, Mulder."
"In a minute."
Mulder led her through an opening and down a hallway
through another door. Then the floor began to slope
and he lead her down that. Then he turned to his right
and pushed her ahead of him. Using her hands to feel
her way, she began to figure out where she was. A row
of seats. Mulder stopped her and pushed gently on her
shoulder for her to sit. Then he disappered for a
minute and when he came back, she smelled popcorn.
Something clinked together like glass. He sat down
next to her, setting whatever he had down.
"Can-"
"In a minute." She heard a pop, a hiss, and then he
was pouring something. She coughed from the overdose
of butter. Finally, she felt him reach behind her and
untie the hanky. He handed her a glass of wine, and
she saw that she was in a movie theatre.
She made a tiny sound, then turned to him, "Mulder-?"
He handed her a bowl of popcorn. "I know you don't
like butter on yours, so you get your own."
On the movie screen, a picture came on. The picture
began counting backwards from ten. She could hear the
projector in the room above and behind them. He rose
his glass in the air and clinked it against hers.
"Merry Christmas, Scully."
She looked at him. She didn't know what to say. He
didn't want her to say anything, anyway. He rose his
fingers to his lips, "shhh. It's impolite to talk
during a movie."
The movie came on and Scully's jaw dropped. "Oh
my...Mulder..."
A woman, dressed in a 1940s black dress, with a large
hat on her head, a veil in front of her eyes, crossed
a street and stopped at a large building; jewelry in
the window. She ate a muffin and sipped coffee, just
staring at the jewelry. Then she walked away down the
street. The name of the jewelry store was Tiffany's.
She kept glancing at Mulder as they watched the movie,
but he would not favor her with a glance, or let her
speak. It was agony, but she endured it.
Holly: He's alright! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor
slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I
haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong
to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I
don't want to own anything until I find a place where
me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is
but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's.
Paul: Tiffany's? You mean the jewelry store?
Holly: That's right. I'm just CRAZY about Tiffany's!
She found herself staring at his hands as they rested
on his legs. She couldn't concentrate on the movie,
although she knew it by heart. It was one of the
things that surprised her about Mulder. He couldn't
remember such common things as her birthday, yet he
picked up on those little things about her. He just
KNEW. Not once had she ever mentioned anything about
this movie. He may have seen the book in her
apartment, or he may have seen the videotape laying
around, but she had never once said a word.
This was what surprised her and scared her the most.
HOLLY: If I could find a real-life place that made me
feel like Tiffany's then- then I'd buy some furniture
and give the cat a name! I'm sorry you wanted
something... Oh! the telephone.
PAUL: It's just that I was supposed to meet somebody.
This is 10 o'clock, Thursday morning, isn't it? I just
got off a plane from Rome and I'm not too sure.
HOLLY: Thursday! This Thursday?!
PAUL: I think so.
HOLLY: Oh, no! It can't be Thursday! It's too
gruesome!
PAUL: What's so gruesome about Thursday?
HOLLY: Nothing, except that I can never remember when
it is coming up. Wednesdays I usually don't go to bed
at all because I have to be up to catch the 10:25, and
they're so particular about visiting hours. [brushes
teeth] Would you be a darling and look under the bed
and see if you can find a pair of alligator shoes.
I've got to do something about the way I look. I mean,
a girl just can't go to Sing Sing with a green face.
He glanced over at her several times throughout the
movie, finding her staring elsewhere. That was Scully,
her mind always wandering and thinking. But he knew
she appreciated it and he knew that he couldn't have
picked anything better to give her.
6:45 p.m.
Afterwards, Mulder gathered the glasses and bottle of
champagne and led Scully back to the front of the
building. She walked silently behind him. As he talked
to the man he'd met earlier, Scully walked outside.
Mulder joined her after a couple minutes, and together
they took a walk.
Without any warning, she crossed the street. Night had
fallen, but the city lights kept everything bright.
The snow had begun to fall again and everything was
white. There was a small park, deserted by all the
children. The stars were not very bright here within
New Yorks lights. Scully stopped. She stared up at the
sky as the snow fell between the branches of the bare
trees. One could imagine the snow itself being tiny
stars, falling from heaven. She found herself feeling
like she could stand her for hours, just staring up.
It seemed so endless. So big.
"Are you okay, Scully?" He came to stand beside her.
She nodded but didn't say anything. After a moment,
she felt a hand snake their way through hers and she
looked at Mulder. "Come on, let's go back. It's cold."
Tears glistened in her eyes, but she shook her head.
"In a while, Mulder." She wiped the tears from her yes
and gave a nervous laugh that was barely audible. "I'm
a mess."
Then he did something she wasn't expecting. He put an
arm around her shoulder, "We'll be a mess together
then, okay?"
She put her arm around him and hugged him. Heard him
chuckle. Her head fit so perfectly in the cradle of
his arms. She whispered, "Thank you for everything,
Mulder. Dinner last night-the movie tonight-it was
perfect."
"Your welcome, Scully." He said.
She leaned back a little so she could look at him.
"How did you set that all up? That movie?"
"It's a long story." He smiled. "It's my secret
anyway; maybe someday."
She laughed lightly in his embrace. "It's an X-File."
Somewhere, the Christmas lights twinkled off the
traffic lights, electric poles, and buildings. At a
nearby skating rink, laughter rang out and music began
playing. They swayed back and forth for a while,
dancing to the song. The snow flakes grew larger, but
there was no wind. For a moment, the traffic stopped.
Then a gush of wind blew lightly, tousling their hair
and invading their warm circle. The traffic resumed,
horns honking and engines growling. He kissed the top
of her head. There was a mutual, unspoken
understanding, and they both walked away.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the
ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Chorus
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
2nd Verse
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth
takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
(Repeat Chorus)
Counter Melody
(Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us
along)
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and
wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
Bridge
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the
ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
2nd Chorus
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Repeat Counter Melody)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Counter Melody Out)
Please, I would appreciate any fan fiction! Writing
means more than just writing about Scully and Mulder
and its more than just a hobby for me. Do unto others
as you would have done unto you.
Thank you!
