Title: Lights in the Sky
Author: Ink Cat
Rating: K+
Summary: Patrolling the National Mall (no, it's not a shopping complex) wasn't what Mulder and Scully had in mind for the Fourth of July, but maybe it won't be so bad after all, especially considering the fireworks (and they're not the kind that you light with a match!) A short little MSR fic for the Fourth.
Author's Notes: Yeah, yeah, I know, it's already the fifth, but in my defense I started writing this on the third! Happy Independence Day!
Disclaimer: I don't own Mulder & Co. I think that they belong to Fox, if not to Chris Carter.
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"Mulder?" she offered.
"Nah, I'm good."
Scully plucked a bottled water from the cooler before letting the lid fall closed. Scooting toward the truck's tailgate, she sneezed.
"Bless you."
"Thanks."
"What's up with you?" Mulder asked. "You've been sneezing all night."
Scully rubbed her sore nose. "I think I'm allergic to the smoke."
Mulder grinned, taking another gulp of his soda. "Quit being such a wet blanket, Scully."
She tossed him a good natured sneer before blowing her nose into a handful of Kleenex.
They cast a glance out across the parking lot. To the casual passer-by they seemed to be a normal couple, but those who knew what to look for could see the wary glint in their eyes, their tensed muscles, and the bulges at their hips. The two tailgaters were FBI agents, and they were undercover.
Their cover wasn't particularly deep, though. Simple assignment: stay at the National Mall, keep your eyes open, break up any trouble. They weren't to admit that they were agents, but in a crowd this big the two doubted that anyone would even notice them, let alone suspect that they were government law-enforcers.
There were FBI all over. The National Mall always drew troublemakers, and on holidays more so than ever. The Bureau was prepared to handle anything from fist-fights to explosives to assassination attempts, quickly and quietly. There was a planned grid-system, and agents were stationed at every cross-section of the lines, even in the fireworks pit and up on the steps of the Washington Monument. The agents rotated every hour; Mulder and Scully had been there since seven when the first picnickers had arrived.
She clutched at her hip suddenly and pulled a silently pulsing cell phone from her pocket. She flipped the cover open, pulling the antenna up as she did so.
"Scully."
She listened for a moment before hanging up and replacing the phone. Sliding off the tailgate, she turned to face her partner with a smile.
"Time to play Mall Cop."
&&&&&&
They had to look convincing. They lugged out a cooler and a blanket, stepping on toes accidentally-on-purpose, apologizing profusely. They moved to a few yards away from their next station and signaled imperceptibly (a wave and a "Hey, Connie!" in the other direction) to the two men they were relieving. They loudly packed up, complaining about needing to work in the morning. Mulder and Scully moved in. They lay down the blanket and set the cooler down while exclaiming loudly to each other about their great timing.
Mulder plopped down on the blanket. Leaning closer to his partner so that their 'neighbors' couldn't hear, he asked "How's your nose?"
She took a seat with a comfortable sigh. "Better. Now that we're away from the parking lot the air's less smoky." She adjusted herself, slipping off rubber flip-flops. "I almost pulled my badge on those kids, my nose was that sore."
Well, the kids had been lighting firecrackers in the street. They weren't supposed to do it, but Scully had let it slide. They were being careful with them, and the parking lot had already been closed off, so no cars were driving through. And, she admitted, she hadn't wanted to ruin their fun. They had enjoyed the lights and colors so much, their little faces lit up (literally and figuratively) charmingly beyond the ring of sparks.
He tweaked her nose. "Oh, come on, honey," he said, putting heavy stress on the last word for the benefit of the surrounding civilians. "You wouldn't have done that."
She rolled her eyes at him. "The fact that you know me so well sometimes makes me uncomfortable."
"Confucius says: the scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar."
"You're just saying that to be a wise-ass, aren't you?"
Mulder looked serious, nodding in pretended shame. "Yes'm," he said before breaking into a grin.
Shaking her head Scully opened the cooler again. She passed Mulder a slice of watermelon, taking one out for herself.
She spat a seed into the grass beside their blanket.
"Do you remember being scared a watermelon would grow in your stomach when you were a kid?" Mulder asked.
"Yup." She put the rind in an empty plastic bag and lay back. Propping herself up on her elbows, Scully looked up at the velvet blue of the sky. Mulder, following her gaze, did the same.
"You can't see the stars," she remarked quietly. "We've drowned them out."
Mulder was silent for a moment. "There were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven."
Scully turned to look at him. "That's very poetic, Mulder."
"Thanks."
Scully considered her partner briefly before asking him, "Do you regret knowing all that we do, all of our technology and scientific advancements?"
"Sometimes. Ignorance is bliss, after all. I miss how simple things were before we knew so much. I miss the times when it was so easy to believe in something bigger than yourself, when things happened just because that was how things were. When a rainbow was just a rainbow and not refracted light on excess rain water. When it was easy to believe that if you only tried hard enough you really could stand in the colors." He glanced at his partner. "What about you?"
"I don't know. I try to balance what we've lost with what we've gained. Technology does great things, but at what price? Do we even know anymore?" She groaned, pulling herself to her feet and stretching. "We really should be paying closer attention to the crowds," she said in a lowered tone.
"The fireworks are in…" he checked his watch, "Fifteen minutes. I don't think we're going to have much trouble."
She sat back down again, rubbing the concealed gun at her hip. "Why did we get put on patrol anyway? Isn't this the sort of thing P.D. usually deals with?"
"After last year's bomb scare and the gang fight they decided to add security. P.D.'s stretched thin policing other trouble areas of Washington. FBI offered to cover the Mall, and Skinner wanted the best agents out here." Mulder grinned. "You should be flattered, Scully."
Scully shook her head. Running a hand through her hair, she pulled it back in a loose ponytail. "I think that this is his way of punishing us for your last stunt."
"It wasn't my fault."
"Right. Just like that thing with the frogs wasn't your fault either?"
"Exactly." The other agent stood, looking over towards the parking lot. He flipped open his cell phone. "Hey, Pete, how much later are we going to stay here?" he paused. "Okay. Thanks Pete."
Scully looked up at him questioningly.
Mulder offered her a hand and he helped her to her feet. "Agent Barrilow says that we can leave right after the fireworks. They're decreasing the number of patrols after the show."
She glanced at her watch. "The fireworks should be starting any second, now."
A moment after she said this, the people nearest the Pit started cheering. The first shot off with a boom and a trail of purple sparks before bursting into a flaming flower high above their heads. Scully looked out over the hundreds of people crowded onto the damp grass, their faces turned up to the lights. Her head flicked up again, and colors passed over her face in rapid succession, green, blue, gold, and red battled for claim over the sky. The sparks flew up and flared before falling back towards the earth in lazy spirals.
Scully felt hands on her shoulders. Turning her head to the side, she saw that her partner stood behind her. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her. His hands traveled down her arms to grasp her own. Unthinkingly he wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned back onto his chest. He felt warm and solid and surprisingly, wonderfully, close. Her eyes slid closed. After a moment they pulled their lips apart, and she faced the front, still enclosed in his arms. He brushed a kiss over the top of her head as they silently watched the rest of the fireworks, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd and the smell of smoke. Mulder leaned closer to her face. Mumbling softly against her ear, she heard "Beautiful."
"The fireworks?" she asked vaguely, still gazing up at the sky.
"No. You."