Title: How Do I Live
Author: Melpomene
Email: melpomene1013yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Millennium
Keywords: M/O, MSR, Angst
Summary: How does Scully go on living
now that Mulder has moved on?
Author's Notes: I'd like to dedicate
this to Christie for all her love and
support, and to all the wonderful fanfic
authors who've inspired me over the years.
How Do I Live
Hoover Building
Basement Office
February 1, 2000, 2:15 pm
Scully fingered the cream velum card, tracing the
black printing with one pink fingernail.
You are cordially invited to a dinner dance
honoring Senator George Carolton on the event
of his retirement, February 3, 2000.
She and Mulder had been invited along with the rest
of the task force who had worked on a big case in
Senator Carolton's home state of Maryland. Young
women had been abducted in the Frederickburg area,
their tortured bodies left in schoolyards. The case
had put the final shine on Carolton's senatorial
career when it was solved after he involved Mulder
in the case.
She'd initially fought against Mulder's involvment--
profiling murderers always took a terrible tole on
her partner. But Skinner had insisted that Carolton
wanted Mulder and that between Scully and himself,
they'd have to keep Mulder safe and sane through
the case.
Mulder had solved the case, coming to a conclusion
in his profile that no one could fathom, but he'd been
right. The murderer had been caught and the last
victim found alive. The positive media attention had
allowed Carolton to take center stage as he was hailed
as the man who brought in the renegade FBI profiler and
drove a positive resolution to the case. Scully had
been annoyed at Carolton taking all the credit, but
Mulder was just pleased not to be dead center in the
media frenzy.
So, two weeks ago, she'd had mixed feelings on receiving
the invitation to Carolton's retirement celebration.
Much as she disliked the senator's attention seeking,
it would be nice to dress up in a beautiful gown and
go to the elegant hotel where the party was being held.
It would also be wonderful to see Mulder in a tuxedo.
Her partner was especially gorgeous in formal dress if
she recalled correctly from the L'Ively case. Only that
time, Mulder had been dancing with that bitch Phoebe
Green. This time, Scully would have Mulder all to herself
and after their New Years kiss, she looked forward to
being in Mulder's arms again. Who knows--maybe this
evening would lead to more kisses... sexier kisses.
Scully was in love with her partner, blindingly,
over-whelmingly in love and it scared her more than
any monster she'd ever come across in her work.
She couldn't remember exactly when she fell in
love with him--maybe as early as that first case
when he'd opened his heart to her. But getting too
close to a co-worker was a risk Scully wasn't willing
to take again, so she'd spent six years keeping her
emotions in check. Now, apparently, that one kiss had
left her terribly vulnerable.
Last week, Scully had been uncharacteristically giddy
when she went shopping for a dress for the dance.
Normally, shopping for Scully was a careful, sober
affair. She'd go into the store, grab three or four
suits in her size and try them on without any fanfare.
She'd choose the suit that fit the best, whose color
didn't make her look too washed out and that would
be the one she bought.
The day she bought the shimmery silver-blue dress had
been very different. She'd pictured herself as a
princess, choosing a gown for the royal ball. In fact,
the dress she chose had a rather lowcut top and a
flowing full skirt and she did feel like a princess in
it. It was like no other garment she'd ever worn.
But Mulder hadn't actually asked her to the dance and
now it was Thursday--only two days before the dance on
Saturday. Scully knew he was going because he'd been
complaining about having to get his tux back from the
cleaners in time. But he hadn't formally asked her
and she wondered if he just assumed they'd go together.
That assumption didn't bother her, really. That was the
way they did things, her and Mulder--casual and unplanned.
They didn't go out on dates. Mulder would simply show
up at her apartment with a six-pack and a movie, or they'd
decide to get dinner after work. They hadn't repeated
the New Years kiss, much to her disappointment. Though
she hadn't been able to talk to him about it, that kiss
had been the most wonderful one of her life.
Scully decided to take charge of the situation. She was
good at that when it came to work--shouting orders that
she expected to be obeyed immediately. But when it came to
personal matters, Scully was much less likely to exert
her authority. New Years Eve she'd wanted to kiss Mulder
back, push him against a wall and plunder his mouth, but
she hadn't. But obviously now she needed to be more
forceful. As soon as Mulder got back from picking up
the fingerprint results from their last case, she was
going to take the bull by the horns and ask him to the
dance.
"Hey Scully," Mulder called out as he returned to the
room. "Looks like the fingerprints are a match after
all."
"Good," she answered. "That ought to tie up the last of
the loose ends on this case."
Mulder dropped the fingerprint analysis on his desk and
dropped down into his chair. "As much as any of our
cases get tied up, I guess."
"Um...Mulder, I was wondering..." God, this was hard.
She hadn't been this tongue-tied since she asked Marcus
to the Winter Frolic back in high school. "About Senator
Carolton's dinner dance...I was thinking maybe we could
go together."
"Scully..." Mulder began. He was extremely nervous,
his eyes unable to meet hers, fidgeting with the papers
on his desk. "I'm...ah...I'm going to Carolton's
party with Agent Serence."
"Oh." Great comeback, Scully, she thought to herself.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time. Krystelle is a
wonderful person."
Scully turned back to her work, hoping that she hadn't
revealed how upset she was. Mulder watched her cautiously.
He tried to gauge whether she was angry. She was tapping
hard at her keyboard, much harder than she needed to.
Scully bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying.
How could he do this to her? How could he kiss her not
even two months ago and then turn around and start dating
someone else? Damn him. Obviously their kiss had
meant a lot more to her than it did to him.
They'd met Agent Serence on the Fredericksburg case.
She'd been one of the few agents on the case who wasn't
vaguely hostile to "Spooky" Mulder. Scully actually
liked Krystelle Serence. There weren't a lot of women
that Scully warmed up to, but Krystelle was really sweet
and nice. And gorgeous, Scully thought. Of course,
Mulder would be drawn to such a beautiful woman.
With her long blonde hair and Victoria Secret lingerie
model body, tons of agents were crazy about Krystelle.
She was just the kind of woman Scully didn't like and the
type that Mulder was attracted to. But Scully couldn't
help but like the other woman.
Maybe that had been because Krystelle had been engaged
to Special Agent Craig Jennings. Krystelle had seemed
so in love with Jennings. Scully had been very surprised
to hear recently that the engagement was off.
Mulder hadn't waisted much time asking Krystelle out.
Scully tried to focus on her computer but the screen
got blurry when tears filled her eyes. How humiliating.
She wished a great hole would appear under her desk,
swallowing her up.
"I'm going to head out a little early," Scully said. It
was only 4 o'clock, but she really couldn't stay at work
a minute longer.
"You okay?" Mulder asked, concerned.
"Just a little headache," she answered as she grabbed her
purse. "I'll see you in the morning."
Mulder watched her go, sighing deeply. How the hell had
he gotten in this much trouble anyway? All he'd been trying
to do was help out Krystelle Serence and now Scully would
probably never speak to him again, much less kiss him.
He'd been going to his car one night the previous week
when he'd found Krystelle crying in her car. Never a man
who could pass by someone in trouble and not offer to help,
he'd knocked on her window. Soon, they were at a neighborhood
bar where she told Mulder how devastated she'd been when Craig
Jennings had broken off their engagement.
Krystelle wasn't sure why Craig had done it. Jennings had
just gotten off a brutal murder case and Mulder suspected
the man was suffering the kind of emotional pain Mulder
was all to familiar with. Mulder could only hope that
Jennings would come to his senses before Krystelle's
heart was irrevokably broken.
Krystelle was puzzled and terribly hurt and Mulder's
heart ached for her. Her lovely face was tear-stained
as she told Mulder how much she dreaded Senator Carolton's
retirement dance. Everyone on the task force knew her
engagement had been broken. She didn't want to go to
the party, but her AD had made attendance mandatory as
Skinner had done for Mulder and Scully.
"Would it help if we went together?" Mulder had asked.
He would have loved to ask Scully to the dance,
but after her reaction to their kiss on New Years Eve,
he'd been sure she'd say no. It had been a completely
impulsive move that propelled him to lean over and
press his lips to hers in the hospital waiting room.
She'd kissed him back, and it had been amazing, though
a little restrained. He'd hoped that the kiss would
be a beginning for them, but Scully seemed content to
forget it. Well, maybe she just wasn't interested in
him like that.
"Oh Mulder, that would be wonderful," Krystelle said,
relief breaking over her lovely face. "Thank you,
thank you."
The day after he saw Krystelle, he knew he should
have told Scully. He should have explained that
Krystelle needed a friend right then. He should have
asked Scully to come along with them and to save
him lots of dances. He knew that Scully would
understand--she was a very kind and generous person
and she was fond of Krystelle.
But something kept him from telling Scully. Maybe
he was still hurt over what he perceived as her
rejection on New Years Eve. Maybe he was just afraid
that she wouldn't care--that she'd be glad to have
him out of her hair. So, he didn't tell her and
the days went by until two days before the party
when she asked him.
Scully had tried not to let him see how upset she
was, but he wasn't fooled. She may have really had
a headache, but it was due to him.
The next day, Scully was all business when she got
to work. She wasn't going to let Mulder know how much
he'd hurt her. Scully had been apparently mistaken
for the last few years when she thought that she and
Mulder were growing closer and closer. Mulder
must not have been feeling the same things that she
did or he wouldn't have found another girl.
Poor Krystelle, Scully thought. If only the other
woman knew how hard Mulder was to deal with. Wait
until the first time Mulder ditched her to chase
some lights in the sky. Or put himself in some
horribly dangerous situation in a crazy attempt to
discover some truth. Let's see how long Krystelle
puts up with that behavior.
Scully made sure she had some errands to run that
day, keeping her out of the basement as much as
possible. She went down to forensics to confer with
some of the technicians there on evidence from their
current case.
When she finally returned to the office, Mulder looked
at her longingly. How could he have been so wrong,
he wondered. He'd assumed Scully wasn't interested
in him after her lukewarm reaction to his kiss, but
if that was true, she wouldn't be this upset.
"Scully," he said. "Why don't you come to the dance
with Krystelle and me? I know Krystelle wouldn't
mind."
Was he insane she wondered. Tag along with him and his
beautiful date? Great. Scully'd surely look like the
bratty little sister trailing after the two gorgeous
creatures.
"Thanks, Mulder, but no."
The day of the dance, Scully kept busy and away from
the phone. She still had to pick up her shoes and
get her hair done. One thing was for sure--she had
to look her best tonight if only so she wouldn't
be humiliated.
Scully had called the salon the day before and asked
to up her hair appointment for "the works." So an
hour appointment turned into several as she had a
massage, body wrap, facial, manicure and pedicure.
Scully left the salon feeling much better. She had
allowed the hairdresser to do something a little
different--her hair was no longer the usual sleek
bob, but softly curled around her face. Scully had
to admit that it was very becoming.
Scully went back to her apartment and found there
were half a dozen messages from Mulder, all begging
her to call him back. She just couldn't face his
pity at her dateless status and erased them all.
Glancing at the clock, Scully realized she would
need to hurry if she didn't want to be late. She
took out the lingerie she'd bought for the dance,
back when she hoped the night might end with
romance.
Sighing, she slipped into the ice blue lace demi-bra
and ice blue tiny little panties and then strapped on
the matching garter belt. Carefully, she pulled on the
sheer stockings and hooked the garters on to hold
them up.
Finally, she reached into the closet and pulled
out her dress. She slipped it on and zipped it
up, turning to look at herself in the full length
mirror.
She nodded at her reflection. This was as good as
it got, she thought. The silver-blue material had
a foil like shine to it and it made her eyes look
even bluer than usual. The skirt was full and the
halter top was cut into a low scoop, revealing a
great deal of skin. Scully hoped everything stayed
in place tonight. Spilling out of her dress would
be even more humiliating than her partner taking
another girl to the dance.
Scully called a cab and went downstairs to wait
for it to come. The sooner this awful night got
started, the sooner it would be over.
Four Seasons Hotel
Washington, DC
February 3, 2000, 8:10 pm
"Agent Scully!"
AD Skinner walked the length of the lobby to meet Scully
as she arrived. With his broad shoulders and narrow
waist, her boss was very handsome in his tuxedo.
"You look very beautiful," he said, admiringly.
"Thank you, sir," she answered, blushing. "You look
very distinquished yourself."
"Is Agent Mulder parking the car?" Skinner asked,
looking through the glass doors to the street.
"I didn't come with Agent Mulder, sir." Scully studied
the tip of her blue satin shoe as it peeked out from the
voluminous material of her skirt. God, she hoped Skinner
didn't probe more. She really didn't want to get into
the whole miserable story.
"Well," her boss said, sensing her discomfort. "Why don't we
go into the dance."
He took her arm and led her through the lobby to the ballroom
where the dinner dance was being held. The dance was a very
elegant affair, and much more formal than Scully had ever
been to. They gave their names to a hotel employee who acted
as announcer, booming each guest's name and official title.
"Assistant Director Skinner," the announcer said as
Skinner entered the room and decended the short staircase
to the reception line.
"Special Agent Dana Scully," the man announced. After
carefully stepping down the staircase, she moved along the
line, shaking hands and smiling at congressmen and dignitaries.
"I'll get us something to drink," Skinner said as
they reached the end of the line. Scully nodded her
agreement and began to look around the room.
"Special Agent Krystelle Serence."
"Special Agent Fox Mulder."
Scully turned as the names were announced and Krystelle and
Mulder stood at the top of the stairs. They look perfect
together, Scully thought miserably as she watched them
decend the stairs together. Krystelle looked beautiful in
an off-the-shoulder red sequined dress. Her blonde hair
was arrainged in curls high on her head.
Mulder looked amazing. He was beautiful in jeans and
a t-shirt, handsome in a business suit, but he was stunning
in formal wear. The sight of him almost brought tears
to Scully's eyes, especially when she noted how perfectly
matched Mulder and Krystelle were--both of them tall,
slender and handsome.
"Here you go, Agent Scully," Skinner said, handing her a
glass of champagne. He looked like he wanted to ask her
why Mulder was with someone else, but Skinner apparently
thought twice about it and kept his questions to himself.
They mingled around the reception area, drinking their
champagne and chatting with the other FBI people. Scully
was more grateful than she could express that her boss
stuck with her. It made a bad situation a lot easier
to handle. A band was playing--stuffy music to
Scully's taste, but it fit this formal affair.
"Would you like to dance?" Skinner asked, gesturing
to the dance floor. Having finished with the receiving
line, Mulder was out there with his arms around Krystelle.
Scully watched as he leaned close to speak to the other
woman. Krystelle laughed at whatever he said, her face
lovely.
"Thank you, sir," Scully answered. They moved to the dance
floor and Skinner took her in his arms. Her boss was so
solid, holding onto him felt like holding onto a mountain.
Scully was afraid that without Skinner for support, she'd
have fallen into a humiliating puddle by now.
They moved around the dance floor and Scully found Skinner
surprisingly light on his feet for such a large person.
But how she wished she was dancing with Mulder instead.
Skinner seemed to be watching something on the dance floor.
As he guided her around, she caught a glimpse of what had
caught his attention. Mulder and Krystelle were still
dancing, but Krystelle was no longer laughing. Actually,
she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Craig Jennings gaze stood at the edge of the dancers,
a look of terrible pain on his face as he watched his
former fiancee dance with Mulder. Krystelle's gaze
never left him as he stared at her and Mulder.
"What's going on, Scully?" Skinner asked, nodding
toward Mulder and Krystelle.
"I'm not sure, sir."
Mulder and Krystelle had left the dance floor and were
now talking to Jennings. Mulder stood by awkwardly, his
eyes trying to be anywhere but on Jennings and Krystelle
as the two stood toe to toe deep in conversation.
Mulder seemed to be inching away from the other two.
Krystelle was now fully in tears and Jennings was touching
her face, tears in his eyes too. All around them,
people were dancing and talking, oblivious to the
drama unfolding in their midst. Only Scully, Skinner
and Mulder seemed at all aware of the deep emotion
occuring.
The music had come to an end. Skinner and Scully
watched Krystelle and Craig Jennings as they moved
to the exit, his arm around her waist.
"Assistant Director Skinner," Senator Carolton called
out, "I'm so glad you could come. You too, Agent
Scully. My, my, you certainly didn't look like this
on the case, Ms. Scully. I don't think I would have
been able to leave Silver Springs and come back to
Washington if you had."
Scully hadn't remembered Carolton being such a leering
old gargoyle when he had come out to Silver Springs
briefly to check on the progress of the case. Maybe
he was drunk, but his concentration on her cleavage
was making Scully nervous.
"Scully?" Mulder tapped on her bare shoulder, sending
shivers down her spine. "Would you like to dance?"
Mulder was looking at her with such earnest need and
she really did want to get away from Senator Carolton's
wandering eyes.
"Thank you, Mulder. That would be nice," she answered.
He led her out onto the dance floor and put his arms
around her. Though Skinner had felt like a mountain,
Scully felt even more secure in Mulder's arms. He
held her to him, and breathed in her wonderful scent.
How could someone so strong feel so fragile in his
arms?
"What happened to your date, Mulder?" she asked as
they moved around the dance floor.
"I was trying not to eavesdrop, but I did hear part of
it. Craig apparently had a close call on his last
case--he was undercover and his cover was broken and
he almost died. That effected him so badly--he kept
thinking about how dangerous their both his and
Krystelle's jobs were. He thought it was wrong to
get married when one of them might die at any
minute."
"We all have dangerous jobs," Scully said,
sympathetically. "But we can't stop living just
because our lives may be short."
"I think Craig finally figured that out. I'm not
sure what happened, but he realized how wrong he'd
been and when he saw Krystelle tonight, he just had
to get her back."
"I'm glad for her. She's a very nice person. Sorry
about your date, though."
"Scully, please let me explain what happened with
Krystelle," he begged.
"You don't have to Mulder. I've kind of figured it
out for myself."
"She couldn't face coming to this dance alone, Scully.
She was so upset over Craig breaking up with her."
"I know, Mulder. It's really kind of sweet that you
brought her."
"I didn't think you would want to come with me, Scully."
Scully stopped dancing and pushed away from Mulder
a little. She looked into his eyes, questioningly.
"What made you think I wouldn't have agreed to come
with you?"
Mulder looked down at her, his fingers grazing her
arm. He marvelled over how incredibly soft her skin
was. "You remember when we kissed on New Years Eve?"
"Of course I do," she answered. His fingers were so
warm. Her skin tingled from his touch. "What is this
all about, Mulder? Oh, no...you were disappointed
weren't you?"
"No! Of course not. It was the most wonderful
kiss I've ever had. It's just that you seemed sorry
that you'd kissed me afterward."
"Oh Mulder," she said. "You're soooo wrong. I wasn't
sorry--not at all. I was a little afraid that you
were sorry when you started to crack jokes right
after. It was....just the best kiss."
"Scully, would you be really upset if I kissed you
silly here on the dance floor?" he asked, laughing.
She laughed too, and grabbed him by the hand. "I have
a better idea," she called over her shoulder as she
drew him off the dance floor and through the ball room.
When they got through the lobby, she pulled him into
a small alcove off the coat check area.
"Come here," she said as she pulled him down to her.
"Let's do this the right way."
His lips met hers, his tongue flicking across her upper
lip and then nipping at her lower lip before slipping
into her mouth. She met him nip for nip, her own tongue
exploring his mouth. She wanted to drown in his kiss.
"Scully, I love you. I've known it for years, but I
was so afraid you didn't feel the same."
He kissed her again, his hands straying over the
bare skin of her arms and back. She moaned against
his beautiful mouth, feeling more happiness at this
moment than she ever thought possible.
"I love you, Mulder," she gasped, coming up for air.
"I never thought I could love anyone this much."
"And to think," Mulder said. "We almost missed this."
"But we didn't," she responded as she pulled him down
for another kiss. "Thank God, we didn't."
The End.
Author: Melpomene
Email: melpomene1013yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Millennium
Keywords: M/O, MSR, Angst
Summary: How does Scully go on living
now that Mulder has moved on?
Author's Notes: I'd like to dedicate
this to Christie for all her love and
support, and to all the wonderful fanfic
authors who've inspired me over the years.
How Do I Live
Hoover Building
Basement Office
February 1, 2000, 2:15 pm
Scully fingered the cream velum card, tracing the
black printing with one pink fingernail.
You are cordially invited to a dinner dance
honoring Senator George Carolton on the event
of his retirement, February 3, 2000.
She and Mulder had been invited along with the rest
of the task force who had worked on a big case in
Senator Carolton's home state of Maryland. Young
women had been abducted in the Frederickburg area,
their tortured bodies left in schoolyards. The case
had put the final shine on Carolton's senatorial
career when it was solved after he involved Mulder
in the case.
She'd initially fought against Mulder's involvment--
profiling murderers always took a terrible tole on
her partner. But Skinner had insisted that Carolton
wanted Mulder and that between Scully and himself,
they'd have to keep Mulder safe and sane through
the case.
Mulder had solved the case, coming to a conclusion
in his profile that no one could fathom, but he'd been
right. The murderer had been caught and the last
victim found alive. The positive media attention had
allowed Carolton to take center stage as he was hailed
as the man who brought in the renegade FBI profiler and
drove a positive resolution to the case. Scully had
been annoyed at Carolton taking all the credit, but
Mulder was just pleased not to be dead center in the
media frenzy.
So, two weeks ago, she'd had mixed feelings on receiving
the invitation to Carolton's retirement celebration.
Much as she disliked the senator's attention seeking,
it would be nice to dress up in a beautiful gown and
go to the elegant hotel where the party was being held.
It would also be wonderful to see Mulder in a tuxedo.
Her partner was especially gorgeous in formal dress if
she recalled correctly from the L'Ively case. Only that
time, Mulder had been dancing with that bitch Phoebe
Green. This time, Scully would have Mulder all to herself
and after their New Years kiss, she looked forward to
being in Mulder's arms again. Who knows--maybe this
evening would lead to more kisses... sexier kisses.
Scully was in love with her partner, blindingly,
over-whelmingly in love and it scared her more than
any monster she'd ever come across in her work.
She couldn't remember exactly when she fell in
love with him--maybe as early as that first case
when he'd opened his heart to her. But getting too
close to a co-worker was a risk Scully wasn't willing
to take again, so she'd spent six years keeping her
emotions in check. Now, apparently, that one kiss had
left her terribly vulnerable.
Last week, Scully had been uncharacteristically giddy
when she went shopping for a dress for the dance.
Normally, shopping for Scully was a careful, sober
affair. She'd go into the store, grab three or four
suits in her size and try them on without any fanfare.
She'd choose the suit that fit the best, whose color
didn't make her look too washed out and that would
be the one she bought.
The day she bought the shimmery silver-blue dress had
been very different. She'd pictured herself as a
princess, choosing a gown for the royal ball. In fact,
the dress she chose had a rather lowcut top and a
flowing full skirt and she did feel like a princess in
it. It was like no other garment she'd ever worn.
But Mulder hadn't actually asked her to the dance and
now it was Thursday--only two days before the dance on
Saturday. Scully knew he was going because he'd been
complaining about having to get his tux back from the
cleaners in time. But he hadn't formally asked her
and she wondered if he just assumed they'd go together.
That assumption didn't bother her, really. That was the
way they did things, her and Mulder--casual and unplanned.
They didn't go out on dates. Mulder would simply show
up at her apartment with a six-pack and a movie, or they'd
decide to get dinner after work. They hadn't repeated
the New Years kiss, much to her disappointment. Though
she hadn't been able to talk to him about it, that kiss
had been the most wonderful one of her life.
Scully decided to take charge of the situation. She was
good at that when it came to work--shouting orders that
she expected to be obeyed immediately. But when it came to
personal matters, Scully was much less likely to exert
her authority. New Years Eve she'd wanted to kiss Mulder
back, push him against a wall and plunder his mouth, but
she hadn't. But obviously now she needed to be more
forceful. As soon as Mulder got back from picking up
the fingerprint results from their last case, she was
going to take the bull by the horns and ask him to the
dance.
"Hey Scully," Mulder called out as he returned to the
room. "Looks like the fingerprints are a match after
all."
"Good," she answered. "That ought to tie up the last of
the loose ends on this case."
Mulder dropped the fingerprint analysis on his desk and
dropped down into his chair. "As much as any of our
cases get tied up, I guess."
"Um...Mulder, I was wondering..." God, this was hard.
She hadn't been this tongue-tied since she asked Marcus
to the Winter Frolic back in high school. "About Senator
Carolton's dinner dance...I was thinking maybe we could
go together."
"Scully..." Mulder began. He was extremely nervous,
his eyes unable to meet hers, fidgeting with the papers
on his desk. "I'm...ah...I'm going to Carolton's
party with Agent Serence."
"Oh." Great comeback, Scully, she thought to herself.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time. Krystelle is a
wonderful person."
Scully turned back to her work, hoping that she hadn't
revealed how upset she was. Mulder watched her cautiously.
He tried to gauge whether she was angry. She was tapping
hard at her keyboard, much harder than she needed to.
Scully bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying.
How could he do this to her? How could he kiss her not
even two months ago and then turn around and start dating
someone else? Damn him. Obviously their kiss had
meant a lot more to her than it did to him.
They'd met Agent Serence on the Fredericksburg case.
She'd been one of the few agents on the case who wasn't
vaguely hostile to "Spooky" Mulder. Scully actually
liked Krystelle Serence. There weren't a lot of women
that Scully warmed up to, but Krystelle was really sweet
and nice. And gorgeous, Scully thought. Of course,
Mulder would be drawn to such a beautiful woman.
With her long blonde hair and Victoria Secret lingerie
model body, tons of agents were crazy about Krystelle.
She was just the kind of woman Scully didn't like and the
type that Mulder was attracted to. But Scully couldn't
help but like the other woman.
Maybe that had been because Krystelle had been engaged
to Special Agent Craig Jennings. Krystelle had seemed
so in love with Jennings. Scully had been very surprised
to hear recently that the engagement was off.
Mulder hadn't waisted much time asking Krystelle out.
Scully tried to focus on her computer but the screen
got blurry when tears filled her eyes. How humiliating.
She wished a great hole would appear under her desk,
swallowing her up.
"I'm going to head out a little early," Scully said. It
was only 4 o'clock, but she really couldn't stay at work
a minute longer.
"You okay?" Mulder asked, concerned.
"Just a little headache," she answered as she grabbed her
purse. "I'll see you in the morning."
Mulder watched her go, sighing deeply. How the hell had
he gotten in this much trouble anyway? All he'd been trying
to do was help out Krystelle Serence and now Scully would
probably never speak to him again, much less kiss him.
He'd been going to his car one night the previous week
when he'd found Krystelle crying in her car. Never a man
who could pass by someone in trouble and not offer to help,
he'd knocked on her window. Soon, they were at a neighborhood
bar where she told Mulder how devastated she'd been when Craig
Jennings had broken off their engagement.
Krystelle wasn't sure why Craig had done it. Jennings had
just gotten off a brutal murder case and Mulder suspected
the man was suffering the kind of emotional pain Mulder
was all to familiar with. Mulder could only hope that
Jennings would come to his senses before Krystelle's
heart was irrevokably broken.
Krystelle was puzzled and terribly hurt and Mulder's
heart ached for her. Her lovely face was tear-stained
as she told Mulder how much she dreaded Senator Carolton's
retirement dance. Everyone on the task force knew her
engagement had been broken. She didn't want to go to
the party, but her AD had made attendance mandatory as
Skinner had done for Mulder and Scully.
"Would it help if we went together?" Mulder had asked.
He would have loved to ask Scully to the dance,
but after her reaction to their kiss on New Years Eve,
he'd been sure she'd say no. It had been a completely
impulsive move that propelled him to lean over and
press his lips to hers in the hospital waiting room.
She'd kissed him back, and it had been amazing, though
a little restrained. He'd hoped that the kiss would
be a beginning for them, but Scully seemed content to
forget it. Well, maybe she just wasn't interested in
him like that.
"Oh Mulder, that would be wonderful," Krystelle said,
relief breaking over her lovely face. "Thank you,
thank you."
The day after he saw Krystelle, he knew he should
have told Scully. He should have explained that
Krystelle needed a friend right then. He should have
asked Scully to come along with them and to save
him lots of dances. He knew that Scully would
understand--she was a very kind and generous person
and she was fond of Krystelle.
But something kept him from telling Scully. Maybe
he was still hurt over what he perceived as her
rejection on New Years Eve. Maybe he was just afraid
that she wouldn't care--that she'd be glad to have
him out of her hair. So, he didn't tell her and
the days went by until two days before the party
when she asked him.
Scully had tried not to let him see how upset she
was, but he wasn't fooled. She may have really had
a headache, but it was due to him.
The next day, Scully was all business when she got
to work. She wasn't going to let Mulder know how much
he'd hurt her. Scully had been apparently mistaken
for the last few years when she thought that she and
Mulder were growing closer and closer. Mulder
must not have been feeling the same things that she
did or he wouldn't have found another girl.
Poor Krystelle, Scully thought. If only the other
woman knew how hard Mulder was to deal with. Wait
until the first time Mulder ditched her to chase
some lights in the sky. Or put himself in some
horribly dangerous situation in a crazy attempt to
discover some truth. Let's see how long Krystelle
puts up with that behavior.
Scully made sure she had some errands to run that
day, keeping her out of the basement as much as
possible. She went down to forensics to confer with
some of the technicians there on evidence from their
current case.
When she finally returned to the office, Mulder looked
at her longingly. How could he have been so wrong,
he wondered. He'd assumed Scully wasn't interested
in him after her lukewarm reaction to his kiss, but
if that was true, she wouldn't be this upset.
"Scully," he said. "Why don't you come to the dance
with Krystelle and me? I know Krystelle wouldn't
mind."
Was he insane she wondered. Tag along with him and his
beautiful date? Great. Scully'd surely look like the
bratty little sister trailing after the two gorgeous
creatures.
"Thanks, Mulder, but no."
The day of the dance, Scully kept busy and away from
the phone. She still had to pick up her shoes and
get her hair done. One thing was for sure--she had
to look her best tonight if only so she wouldn't
be humiliated.
Scully had called the salon the day before and asked
to up her hair appointment for "the works." So an
hour appointment turned into several as she had a
massage, body wrap, facial, manicure and pedicure.
Scully left the salon feeling much better. She had
allowed the hairdresser to do something a little
different--her hair was no longer the usual sleek
bob, but softly curled around her face. Scully had
to admit that it was very becoming.
Scully went back to her apartment and found there
were half a dozen messages from Mulder, all begging
her to call him back. She just couldn't face his
pity at her dateless status and erased them all.
Glancing at the clock, Scully realized she would
need to hurry if she didn't want to be late. She
took out the lingerie she'd bought for the dance,
back when she hoped the night might end with
romance.
Sighing, she slipped into the ice blue lace demi-bra
and ice blue tiny little panties and then strapped on
the matching garter belt. Carefully, she pulled on the
sheer stockings and hooked the garters on to hold
them up.
Finally, she reached into the closet and pulled
out her dress. She slipped it on and zipped it
up, turning to look at herself in the full length
mirror.
She nodded at her reflection. This was as good as
it got, she thought. The silver-blue material had
a foil like shine to it and it made her eyes look
even bluer than usual. The skirt was full and the
halter top was cut into a low scoop, revealing a
great deal of skin. Scully hoped everything stayed
in place tonight. Spilling out of her dress would
be even more humiliating than her partner taking
another girl to the dance.
Scully called a cab and went downstairs to wait
for it to come. The sooner this awful night got
started, the sooner it would be over.
Four Seasons Hotel
Washington, DC
February 3, 2000, 8:10 pm
"Agent Scully!"
AD Skinner walked the length of the lobby to meet Scully
as she arrived. With his broad shoulders and narrow
waist, her boss was very handsome in his tuxedo.
"You look very beautiful," he said, admiringly.
"Thank you, sir," she answered, blushing. "You look
very distinquished yourself."
"Is Agent Mulder parking the car?" Skinner asked,
looking through the glass doors to the street.
"I didn't come with Agent Mulder, sir." Scully studied
the tip of her blue satin shoe as it peeked out from the
voluminous material of her skirt. God, she hoped Skinner
didn't probe more. She really didn't want to get into
the whole miserable story.
"Well," her boss said, sensing her discomfort. "Why don't we
go into the dance."
He took her arm and led her through the lobby to the ballroom
where the dinner dance was being held. The dance was a very
elegant affair, and much more formal than Scully had ever
been to. They gave their names to a hotel employee who acted
as announcer, booming each guest's name and official title.
"Assistant Director Skinner," the announcer said as
Skinner entered the room and decended the short staircase
to the reception line.
"Special Agent Dana Scully," the man announced. After
carefully stepping down the staircase, she moved along the
line, shaking hands and smiling at congressmen and dignitaries.
"I'll get us something to drink," Skinner said as
they reached the end of the line. Scully nodded her
agreement and began to look around the room.
"Special Agent Krystelle Serence."
"Special Agent Fox Mulder."
Scully turned as the names were announced and Krystelle and
Mulder stood at the top of the stairs. They look perfect
together, Scully thought miserably as she watched them
decend the stairs together. Krystelle looked beautiful in
an off-the-shoulder red sequined dress. Her blonde hair
was arrainged in curls high on her head.
Mulder looked amazing. He was beautiful in jeans and
a t-shirt, handsome in a business suit, but he was stunning
in formal wear. The sight of him almost brought tears
to Scully's eyes, especially when she noted how perfectly
matched Mulder and Krystelle were--both of them tall,
slender and handsome.
"Here you go, Agent Scully," Skinner said, handing her a
glass of champagne. He looked like he wanted to ask her
why Mulder was with someone else, but Skinner apparently
thought twice about it and kept his questions to himself.
They mingled around the reception area, drinking their
champagne and chatting with the other FBI people. Scully
was more grateful than she could express that her boss
stuck with her. It made a bad situation a lot easier
to handle. A band was playing--stuffy music to
Scully's taste, but it fit this formal affair.
"Would you like to dance?" Skinner asked, gesturing
to the dance floor. Having finished with the receiving
line, Mulder was out there with his arms around Krystelle.
Scully watched as he leaned close to speak to the other
woman. Krystelle laughed at whatever he said, her face
lovely.
"Thank you, sir," Scully answered. They moved to the dance
floor and Skinner took her in his arms. Her boss was so
solid, holding onto him felt like holding onto a mountain.
Scully was afraid that without Skinner for support, she'd
have fallen into a humiliating puddle by now.
They moved around the dance floor and Scully found Skinner
surprisingly light on his feet for such a large person.
But how she wished she was dancing with Mulder instead.
Skinner seemed to be watching something on the dance floor.
As he guided her around, she caught a glimpse of what had
caught his attention. Mulder and Krystelle were still
dancing, but Krystelle was no longer laughing. Actually,
she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Craig Jennings gaze stood at the edge of the dancers,
a look of terrible pain on his face as he watched his
former fiancee dance with Mulder. Krystelle's gaze
never left him as he stared at her and Mulder.
"What's going on, Scully?" Skinner asked, nodding
toward Mulder and Krystelle.
"I'm not sure, sir."
Mulder and Krystelle had left the dance floor and were
now talking to Jennings. Mulder stood by awkwardly, his
eyes trying to be anywhere but on Jennings and Krystelle
as the two stood toe to toe deep in conversation.
Mulder seemed to be inching away from the other two.
Krystelle was now fully in tears and Jennings was touching
her face, tears in his eyes too. All around them,
people were dancing and talking, oblivious to the
drama unfolding in their midst. Only Scully, Skinner
and Mulder seemed at all aware of the deep emotion
occuring.
The music had come to an end. Skinner and Scully
watched Krystelle and Craig Jennings as they moved
to the exit, his arm around her waist.
"Assistant Director Skinner," Senator Carolton called
out, "I'm so glad you could come. You too, Agent
Scully. My, my, you certainly didn't look like this
on the case, Ms. Scully. I don't think I would have
been able to leave Silver Springs and come back to
Washington if you had."
Scully hadn't remembered Carolton being such a leering
old gargoyle when he had come out to Silver Springs
briefly to check on the progress of the case. Maybe
he was drunk, but his concentration on her cleavage
was making Scully nervous.
"Scully?" Mulder tapped on her bare shoulder, sending
shivers down her spine. "Would you like to dance?"
Mulder was looking at her with such earnest need and
she really did want to get away from Senator Carolton's
wandering eyes.
"Thank you, Mulder. That would be nice," she answered.
He led her out onto the dance floor and put his arms
around her. Though Skinner had felt like a mountain,
Scully felt even more secure in Mulder's arms. He
held her to him, and breathed in her wonderful scent.
How could someone so strong feel so fragile in his
arms?
"What happened to your date, Mulder?" she asked as
they moved around the dance floor.
"I was trying not to eavesdrop, but I did hear part of
it. Craig apparently had a close call on his last
case--he was undercover and his cover was broken and
he almost died. That effected him so badly--he kept
thinking about how dangerous their both his and
Krystelle's jobs were. He thought it was wrong to
get married when one of them might die at any
minute."
"We all have dangerous jobs," Scully said,
sympathetically. "But we can't stop living just
because our lives may be short."
"I think Craig finally figured that out. I'm not
sure what happened, but he realized how wrong he'd
been and when he saw Krystelle tonight, he just had
to get her back."
"I'm glad for her. She's a very nice person. Sorry
about your date, though."
"Scully, please let me explain what happened with
Krystelle," he begged.
"You don't have to Mulder. I've kind of figured it
out for myself."
"She couldn't face coming to this dance alone, Scully.
She was so upset over Craig breaking up with her."
"I know, Mulder. It's really kind of sweet that you
brought her."
"I didn't think you would want to come with me, Scully."
Scully stopped dancing and pushed away from Mulder
a little. She looked into his eyes, questioningly.
"What made you think I wouldn't have agreed to come
with you?"
Mulder looked down at her, his fingers grazing her
arm. He marvelled over how incredibly soft her skin
was. "You remember when we kissed on New Years Eve?"
"Of course I do," she answered. His fingers were so
warm. Her skin tingled from his touch. "What is this
all about, Mulder? Oh, no...you were disappointed
weren't you?"
"No! Of course not. It was the most wonderful
kiss I've ever had. It's just that you seemed sorry
that you'd kissed me afterward."
"Oh Mulder," she said. "You're soooo wrong. I wasn't
sorry--not at all. I was a little afraid that you
were sorry when you started to crack jokes right
after. It was....just the best kiss."
"Scully, would you be really upset if I kissed you
silly here on the dance floor?" he asked, laughing.
She laughed too, and grabbed him by the hand. "I have
a better idea," she called over her shoulder as she
drew him off the dance floor and through the ball room.
When they got through the lobby, she pulled him into
a small alcove off the coat check area.
"Come here," she said as she pulled him down to her.
"Let's do this the right way."
His lips met hers, his tongue flicking across her upper
lip and then nipping at her lower lip before slipping
into her mouth. She met him nip for nip, her own tongue
exploring his mouth. She wanted to drown in his kiss.
"Scully, I love you. I've known it for years, but I
was so afraid you didn't feel the same."
He kissed her again, his hands straying over the
bare skin of her arms and back. She moaned against
his beautiful mouth, feeling more happiness at this
moment than she ever thought possible.
"I love you, Mulder," she gasped, coming up for air.
"I never thought I could love anyone this much."
"And to think," Mulder said. "We almost missed this."
"But we didn't," she responded as she pulled him down
for another kiss. "Thank God, we didn't."
The End.