Title: What Happened
Rating: PG13 for violence
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters! I write for pure entertainment.
Summary: Scully and Mulder start their relationship, but something tragic happens. Will they be able to get past it and be happy again?
A/N: I have taken some events from different episodes and twisted them to work in my story. Some of them you may like. Also, if you do not wish to see Scully in a violent attack, I suggest you back out now. Chapter one is safe to read, though.
"Hey, Scully, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Mulder had been trying to gather enough courage throughout the day to ask her that question. "Nothing fancy, I just thought we could kick back and try to get our minds off of work."
"That actually sounds like a good idea," she replied. "What time did you have in mind?"
"How about 6?"
She picked up her briefcase, packed her notes and said, "Ok, I'll see you then." It was only noon, but Skinner had given them a half day off because of the Labor Day weekend. As she walked out the office door Mulder thought about what he should do to get himself, his apartment, and dinner ready for later. He needed to go to the grocery store.
On his way there he had made a mental list of the things he needed in order to clean his place, a few things to help it look homier, and something to eat. He parked his car and went through the sliding doors into the brightly lit store. Upon grabbing a cart he saw a stand with bunches of flowers. He thought for a moment and decided it would be nice to have them there, even if he didn't actually give them to her. He decided on a bouquet of blue daisies. Those were pretty, but simple without making it look romantic. He went down every aisle being sure he didn't miss anything. Mulder wasn't much of a cook, but he could at least fake it. Fortunately for him grocery stores could make food for you! He picked up some fresh fruit, a bag of salad he thought Scully would like, and a bottle of dressing that was suggested on the salad bag. He went to the bakery to get some freshly baked bread and by the deli section to pick up a rotisserie chicken with some sides. After he was confident he had everything he needed he went through the check out and went home.
Mulder spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning his apartment. It smelled faintly of chemicals from the cleaning supplies, but hoped the flowers would help mask it by the time she got there. He managed to take a shower to freshen up and felt proud of himself for the work he'd done. Scully had a good reputation for being on time, so Mulder finished up in the kitchen just in time for her soft knock on the door.
"Welcome," he said, as he opened the door and slowly waved his arm to invite her in.
As he took her coat he noticed the expression on her face. It made him smile because he knew it was a good one. "Mulder, it looks good in here! What did you do? Hire a cleaning service?" She turned to face him after giving his living room a once over.
He gave her a pretend look that said she'd hurt his feelings, and then said, "Nice way to hurt my dignity, Scully."
She smiled knowing it was all in fun. Still, she was very surprised that he had gone through this much trouble. "I thought you said nothing fancy!"
He gave a shrug, trying to be modest, "Come sit down. Everything is ready. What would you like to drink?"
"Do you have any lemonade?" She was doubtful that he did, but decided to test him.
"I do, actually. I thought it would be perfect with our dinner!" He was surprised she requested it. "Great minds think alike, huh?"
He poured them both a glass and sat at the chair across from her.
"Is this homemade?" she asked after taking a drink. "It's very good!
"Thank you! I guess there's one good thing my mom taught me. We used to have it on really hot summer days."
It was then that she noticed the flowers in a small pitcher on his table. "What's this?" she asked.
"They called to me at the store. I thought they looked nice." Truth is he thought they matched the color of her eyes. He could stare into them all day.
She gave a small smile in agreement and said, "So, what's for dinner? I'm pretty hungry!" Scully took another drink hoping the food was just as good.
Mulder lifted the lids of the dishes revealing a beautifully roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, baked beans, pasta salad, and garden salad. "I thought it would be appropriate to have a somewhat traditional meal for a holiday weekend. Dig in, Scully. I'm hungry, too!"
They served themselves the food and had little conversation due to the buffet before them. It had been a while since they'd been able to have a decent dinner with each other. Neither of them could even remember the last time they did. They cleared the table, put away the leftovers and settled down on the couch. "We don't talk much, do we?" he asked.
"You mean, talk, talk? No, I guess we don't, Mulder. I think that's because we're always so busy working. It's nice that we've given ourselves a chance to forget about that stuff for a while."
"Yeah, we should do this more. It feels good to let go for a little bit."
Thirty minutes later Scully was telling Mulder about her prom night and how she and her friends had to be questioned by the police about the fire.
"I can't believe I'm telling you this!" she said as she smiled, blushing a little.
"I can't believe you never have."
"Now, I'm seeing a whole new side of you, Mulder."
"Is that a good thing?"
She nodded her head slightly, avoiding his gaze. Then, looking to him said, "I like it."
There was a slight pause and Mulder saw his opportunity to do what he'd plan to do all day. "Do you ever wish things were different?"
"Do you?" she asked, wondering where he was going with this.
Mulder swallowed and inched closer to Scully. She suddenly realized what he was going to do and became nervous at what her response should be. He was sitting as close as he could, reached a hand up to push her hair away from her face, looked into her stunning blue eyes, and said, "Scully, there's something I've been trying to tell you for a long time now." He licked his lips, giving himself encouragement and continued, "I…I'm in love with you."