Rockabye Baby
Fate brought them back together in a basement office to investigate an alien abduction after a chance meeting and one night stand ten years earlier.
August 1985
"Another beer, please", Dana Scully called, lightly tapping her hand on the counter to get the bar man's attention, not that she need to; her knee length bodycon strapless black dress already did that for her.
Smiling she collected her drink, heading over to where she and Ellen had agreed to meet up earlier for a night out on the town. Thankfully there was one free table left in the joint, not that she was planning on spending her whole night here.
Scully was glad that she was finally finished her degree, the last few years having been both rewarding and challenging as a Physics major, but she was ready to start Medical School next month in Washington, that she was sure of.
The bar was pretty busy for a Thursday night, which was a welcome change. The lights were dim and music was blaring quietly enough that you could still hear the chatter of the people in the next table but still loudly enough to block out your thoughts if you were so inclined.
It wasn't the greatest bar in town, often harbouring more than a few dodgy looking individuals but was usually okay if you either were with someone else or looked like you were, at least, waiting for someone else.
Scully didn't expect Ellen to be here for another twenty minutes or so, considering her friend's usually terrible time keeping but she nonetheless looked around as though she was expecting someone at any moment.
Suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder, Scully turned around, immediately preparing herself to tell either some sleazy or some creepy jerk off but stopped when she caught eyes with the man in front of her.
At over six feet tall, he was the dictionary definition of tall dark and handsome, nicely built with warm hazel eyes, full pouty lips and a nose that looked a little too large for his face but still seemed to suit him."You expecting someone?", he asked, gesturing to the seat next to her.
Scully smiled despite herself. "Not for a while", she replied, deciding it best not to appear either overly cautious (something about him told her he was a genuine guy) or overly liberal (considering the rare occasion where her judge of character had been a little of. She hadn't decided that he wasn't a pscho yet).
"You look stunning by the way", he said as he sat down next to her, wearing a lopsided grin.
Scully smirked into her beer, the cool condensation like icy dew on the outside of the glass bottle feeling like frost against her palm. "Are you trying to pick me up?", she asked teasingly, setting the bottle back down on the table in front of him. She didn't mention that she wouldn't mind being picked up by a guy like him, especially now that she had a little extra liquid confidence in her system.
The guy chuckled softly, revealing to Scully that he had, on top of everything else, a nice smile. "Not that I would object to that if you're suggesting that you want me to take you home or anything, but I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a long time ago not to deny myself the simple pleasures of existence."
Scully rolled her eyes, turning to face him properly. "You're a psychology major or something, aren't you?"
"Wow, you don't even know my name and you already know my life story." The guy smirked devilishly, hiding that he was, internally, quite impressed. He saluted her jokingly, "You got it in one. Final year at Oxford, here we come!".
"Alright Mr Psychology Major, I'll bite. What's your name?".
He grinned deviously, his hazel eyes alight with mischief and false shock. "You bite?" he asked, for the first time actually sounding more flirtatious than genuine.
Scully laughed, "That was a serious question".
"Well, if I told you that then you'd definitely think I was trying to pick you up"
"I'm not going to sit here talking to you if I don't know your name, genius", Scully replied sarcastically even though she was secretly enjoying their banter. He came across like a intelligent enough individual, something she found nearly more attractive than everything else she'd seen so far from him.
"Fox Mulder."
Rolling her eyes again, Scully looked up at him unconvinced. "Yeah right, buddy and my name is Albert Einstein", saying the first name that came to mind. After all, she had lived, breathed and preached Einstein for the past few months considering that her senior thesis had been a rewrite of his twin paradox.
"Oh really, Mr Einstein", he said going along with it teasingly. "I had no idea that you were a gorgeous redhead. I always thought you were some old guy with crazy hair and a knack for coming up the scientific theories that no one seems to have the balls or the brains to contradict."
Frowning Scully replied almost on instinct, "Actually there is quite a few errors in many of his theories and it's very possible to rewrite them."
Mulder smiled goofily, genuinely interested and impressed. He suddenly realised why he had found this woman so captivating from the moment he laid eyes on her, she oozed the perfect balance of brains and beauty, a combination that he immediately couldn't resist.
"You're a physicist?", he asked, knowing already that she might be the death of him.
Scully nodded, "But it's not my endgame. I'm going to medical school in DC in the Fall".
Observing him for a moment, she realised that he didn't seem as full on flirty as he did earlier, more intrigued and impressed. For some reason, she decided that she liked this even better. Now that he was impressed by her she could definitely have some fun trying to turn him on. "So now are you going to tell me your actual name?"
"What can I say? My mother either hates me or has a really weird sense of humour, either way I learned how to fight which is one thing having a name like 'Fox' will teach you".
Scully watched him, trying to detect whether he was kidding or not. She saw a quick flash of pain in his eyes when he mentioned his mother but it was gone so quickly that Scully thought she had imagined it, either way she tried to cheer him up.
She wasn't looking for anything emotional tonight and there was no point in starting something that she wouldn't be able to finish. She was, after all, leaving soon. "Alright, prove it?".
Mulder smirked teasingly but obliged as he began digging around in the pocket of his denim jeans, fishing out his wallet. Reaching inside, he pulled out his student card and brandished it in front of Scully as though he were an FBI agent in some cheesy cop movie. "Something tells me that you're one for hard evidence."
"Well, I'm a scientist. What do you expect?", Scully smirked to herself, sliding closer to him.
She wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or what could have possibly possessed her to say what was suddenly on the tip of her tongue but immediately she knew the comment would press his buttons in just the way she wanted. "But evidence is not all I like hard."
Mulder looked at her a little astounded but mainly just lustily, bloody rushing to his groin. Usually, he was the one who would be doing the the picking up in bars but here in front of him was a woman who was purposely trying to turn him on, in the middle of a busy bar no less.
Something about the thought and the redhead in front of him drove Mulder wild. It was almost as though he had a connection with her, like meeting her was something that was supposed to happen.
He held his cool though, or at least he hoped that he did. Mulder leaned in close, his breath on her neck and his lips brushing against her ear. "In that case, I have an experiment you might be interested in."
Scully rolled her eyes at the cheesiness of the line but smiled despite herself, leaning into him.
Even if she just wanted to release some pent up sexual energy with this Mulder guy, she really did feel drawn to him somehow. Almost like he was a magnet pulling her in.
"Alright", Scully agreed, taking him by the hand and pulling him into a standing position. "In the name of science".
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The following morning...
She felt warm, like really really warm. Reaching blindly across her mattress, her fingers came into direct contact with the sleeping form of Fox Mulder. His smooth and muscular body both soft and hard against her early morning touch.
Trying to ignore her pounding headache, thanks not only to the beers she had drank at the bar but to the three quarter bottle of tequila that she had shared with Mulder when they had stumbled into her apartment after a pretty intense make out session in the back of a cab that had several buttons of Mulder's shirt undone and her skirt shoved halfway up her thighs.
Mulder had been a generous lover. She could still hear his husky whisper as he had slipped inside her, both of them ready and throbbing with want. "Let's take it slow so we can last long", he had whispered hotly against her neck.
She couldn't have agreed with him more.
Squinting against the light, Scully couldn't help but look at Mulder, really look at him. She didn't know much about him but if she wasn't leaving soon she would have been interested in finding out for herself.
But that just wouldn't be the case.
Despite herself Scully couldn't help feel a little disappointed at the fact.
After all, Fox Mulder seemed to be a genuinely good guy and Scully knew that they were quite hard to come across.
He was intelligent, handsome, funny and very very good in bed. Not to mention that something about him felt oddly familiar, like she could trust him, like she knew him and that she's always known him.
As crazy as it may sound, that was how Scully felt. She thought her weird feelings for him would vanish in the light of day when she had gotten her head together and the affects of the alcohol she had been drinking had worn off.
They hadn't.
She smiled sleepily, humourlessly. Her and Fox Mulder wasn't even worth considering. She barely knew him, but she did know that they were headed in two very different directions, him to Oxford and her to DC. There was no point in asking him out.
It could never be.
"Should I be worried that you're watching me sleep?", Mulder asked teasingly, voice muffled against the pillow. "I'd be so disappointed if your were an axe murderer."
Scully chuckled, leaning against the headboard. She pulled the covers up a little bit over her body. Mulder had seen pretty much everything last night but in the light of day she did feel a little vulnerable with a man who was practically a stranger in her bed, a stranger who she was going to have to kick out pretty soon considering that her parents would be coming around it pick her up later as she had planned to stay with them at home until she started in Washington the following month. "I'm not an axe murderer, Mulder", she said quietly. "But I do have to start packing soon."
"Pack?", Mulder asked sitting up. "Are you leaving today?". He couldn't help but feel disappointed at the thought of not seeing her again.
He had only known her a few hours and didn't even know what her name was but something about her captured his undivided attention. He was like a moth being drawn to a flame. Something deep inside told him that their meeting was not a coincidence, they were supposed to meet.
Scully nodded sombrely. She knew it was crazy, that it was absolutely mental, but in that moment she wanted him to stay or to stay with him, either one or the other or both, she wasn't sure. "My parents are collecting me in a few hours. I'm going home until I start Medical School in September"
Silence hung between them like lead, dragging on their shoulders as she accepted their truth and he let her words seep in.
The air around them tasted of sex and disappointment.
"You know, I was planning on asking you out this morning?", Mulder said softly, sensing that she might feel at least somewhat similarly to how he did if her disappointed expression was anything to go by. "At least after I'd figured out what you're name was."
"It wouldn't have worked, Mulder. I'm going to DC and you're going back to London. There would be no point in starting something that neither of us will be able to finish."
He grimaced slightly at her words, the truth stung. "I guess you're right."
Scully smiled sadly, squeezing his fingers. She had had one night stands with guys in the past and usually had never felt any kind of remorse about saying goodbye and parting ways with them the following morning. She couldn't for the life of her rationalise why it was so different with him but it was. "Dana Katherine Scully", she said quietly. "That's my name."
Mulder smiled seemingly upset but still a little goofily, sitting up in the bed to meet her. Gently, he placed both of his hands on either side of her face. He took in every little inch, committing her features to memory, freckle by freckle. "I think our timing might have been a little off, Dana", he admitted, stroking the apples of her cheeks with his thumbs.
Scully watched him, his warm morning breath tickling her face, his nose centimetres from her's. She watched how his beautiful hazel eyes studied her just as she studied him. She rested both of her hands on his back, gripping his hip bones lightly. She didn't want to let go of him yet."Just a little", she agreed quietly.
And just like that they were kissing. She wasn't sure who instigated it but it didn't matter. Mulder's lips glided graceful across hers, his warm and inviting tongue tasting her lips for a point of entrance. She responded in kind opening her mouth for him and reaching in to explore his.
It wasn't hungry or needy or passionate like their kisses the night before had been, this was soft and sweet and cautious.
A goodbye when you're not quite sure what it is that you're saying goodbye to.
XXXXXXXXXXXX 9 years later XXXXXXXXXXX
Scully sat back on her daughter's bed, straightening her own boring grey plaid suit as she did. "Sweetie, you need to brush your hair before you go to school. You know that", she said with a sigh, reaching across the single mattress to grab the soft pink hair brush off of the locker beside the bed.
Erin Charlotte Scully looked up at her mother with big pleading hazel eyes. "Mom do I have to?", she whined, eyeing her long curly knotty red hair. "It hurts when I do it."
Scully smiled affectionately, eyebrows raised at her very reluctant eight year old. Looking at her daughter was a lot like looking like a miniature version of herself save for her eyes, chin, lips and height(considering that Erin was already up to Scully's shoulder and was taller than nearly everyone in her class at school). "Then I'll do it for you."
"Fine."
Scully smiled despite herself at Erin's behaviour, unfortunately her daughter had picked up on her stubbornness and her tendency to describe circumstances and situations that she disliked and would rather avoid as 'Fine'.
It was hard to believe that Erin was almost nine years old.
It only felt like yesterday when her not yet twenty year old self had first told her parents that she was pregnant. They had been a little upset and angry at first but after a few weeks they had come around and embraced the prospect of becoming grandparents ten years or so before they had ever thought they would.
After Erin was born, her parent's had been godsend and had helped her immensely to look after her little girl. After a couple of pretty hard months adjusting to motherhood, Scully had gone to medical school and qualified as a doctor with a whole new purpose than she had nor had before she had Erin.
She used to want to do well in life for her own sake but now she had Erin too and her daughter had meant more to her than anything else in the entire world ever since she had first seen her on an ultrasound nine years ago.
Erin had been pretty much the best kid Scully could possibly imagined. She usually behaved pretty well in school, save for a few occasions where her imagination had run off on her and she had managed to confuse even her teachers on the nature of reality.
All in all though, Erin was a great little girl and after eight years of it being the two of them against the world, Scully couldn't imagine her life without her.
Erin sighed tiredly, turning around to give her mother full access to the back of her head. "You okay this morning, Mom?", she asked almost knowingly. "Nervous about the new job today?", she asked observantly, as though she was reading her mother's mind.
Scully nodded. "A little but I'll get over it", she replied with a sigh. There was no need to hide those sort of things from Erin. Scully had found that if she was honest with her daughter about the happenings in their lives than her daughter would be honest with her as she grows up.
Scully was starting at the FBI today in a special division for unexplained phenomena called 'The X-Files'. She wasn't sure what to make of the whole thing just yet and at first she had no idea why someone with her credentials would be even wanted down there.
But it was becoming fairly obvious that she had been hired to try and put some kind of scientific credence to these X-Files, if it was at all possible of course.
"I'm meeting the department head of 'The X-Files' today. He's going to be my new FBI partner", Scully said, trying to drag the brush through her daughter's hair in a way that both wouldn't hurt her and would get out the tangles.
Erin nodded, understanding most of what her mother just said, trying not to wince as the knots in her hair started to get untangled. "Mom, I get that you're not going to be a doctor anymore and hat you are not in school to be an agent anymore but what are you going to be doing now", she asked curiously. "Like, what is 'The X-Files?'".
Scully sighed deeply. She should have known this question would come up either today or tomorrow but she hadn't for the life of her come up with a reply that wouldn't make Erin burst with excitement.
Almost as soon as Erin had learned to read she had pick up just about every paranormal fiction/science fiction book that their local librarian had deemed suitable for her age group (and even a couple that weren't but she still managed to cajole her way into being able to borrow them) and practically inhaled them.
"We will be investigating unexplained case", Scully replied simply.
Erin turned around instantly, looking up at Scully with complete excitement, her eyes shining as though it was Christmas."Unexplained, as in paranormal like aliens and big foot and vampires and werewolves and government created mutants...", she said rambling off and listing about a hundred different other things that Scully hadn't even heard of.
"Erin, you know that none of those are real", Scully said half sternly and half amused, she tapped her affectionately and playfully on the nose with the head of the brush. "And none of them are going to help you get to school on time or me get to work on time so we've really got to go."
Erin whined quietly, mumbling something about the Roswell Crash in New Mexico in 1948 and how 'real' that was but nonetheless followed her mother out of their Georgetown apartment.
"Mom, just do me a favour?".
"What's that, Sweetie?"
"Don't get eaten by a sasquatch".
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Scully headed down the corridor to what would be the basement office of 'The X-Files' division. She wasn't entirely sure what to expect coming down here.
Would her partner be totally crazy like everyone else at the FBI thought he was?
She knocked gently on the door.
"Nobody down here but the FBI'S most unwanted".
At the sound of his voice, Scully immediately felt herself begin to panic as recognition began to set itself in like a switch had been flicked.
Surely she couldn't have imagined it? There's was no way she could have forgotten her daughter's father after all.
Scully pushed open the door, hoping that she would be wrong but realised as soon as her eyes fell on him that she had completely and utterly hit the nail on the head.
Sitting down in front of her, dressed in white dress shirt and black trousers, was Fox Mulder looking even better than he had ten years ago if that was even possible. His hair was slightly tousled and he had a pair of round rimmed reading glasses perched at the end of his nose.
"Mulder?", she asked incredulously, hardly daring to believe her eyes. She stepped inside the office, watching how his face broke into a smile at the sight of her.
Mulder stood up to greet her, extending his hand in what would have been a friendly manner apart from the fact he held on a little too long for just a simple greeting between two people who had never met before.
"Dana Katherine Scully", he said with obvious recognition. "I had hoped it was you."