Disclaimer: The characters and the show are not mine.
After the Case
Special Agent Dana Scully slammed the mug down, causing a shower of overly concentrated coffee to rain down over her kitchen counter, and of course, the paperwork she had yet to complete. Scully continued to argue for her sanity over the brick of a phone pressed to her face.
"Damn it, Mulder! How many times can you expect me to just pick up and go, ignoring the personal consequences of what just happened?" her hoarse voice, growing more shrill with centered rage continued, "Along with any other repercussions thought generally unpleasant, such as, say, prospective unemployment." Heaving a sigh, she made an honest attempt to redirect her anger, putting it into any sort of use- which was at this moment the task of stabbing an ice-cream scoop into a nearly solid carton of Ben & Jerry's Phish Phood.
"I don't know what to say, Scully. I'm sorry, but if this had worked out, we would have had all the evidence anyone could ask for in our hands. But as it is, we don't. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same over again, but I truly am sorry for dragging you into this."
"You really aren't getting this whole partnership concept, are you Mulder?" muttered on a single breath, she offered nothing to his 'What, I- I didn't hear you?'
"Mulder." Scully said this as a fact, as part of the rational explanation of feelings she was about to jump into. "Mulder, all I want is to know what the hell it is I should be doing. I'd like to think the wild goose chases we go on with these cases is what I'm supposed to be doing, a service as part of the Bureau. Unfortunately, I'm not delusional, so that isn't working out too well.
"When we've gone through something like this. this process, and end up having accomplished nothing save ruining the lives of these innocent people, creating a few insomniacs, drawing even more criticism to the files, to the work, and obtaining a mountain of paperwork the height of the Washington Monument. Mulder, it's just that all I want is some clarity." With a sigh surfacing, she glared up and down her kitchen, ending on the bright blue bottle of an all-purpose cleaner peeking out at her from the bottom cabinet.
"I- I want to know whether I should bring out the Lysol kitchen cleaner, or the 409. I feel inadequate in these situations, Mulder." It was at this point that Dana's tone softened, as she forgot anyone was present on the other end. "I've worked my ass off in training, trying to make this job work, and then I'm here, where it seems as if anything I've ever learned over the course of my life is useless, is invalid. Should I clean it all up and start from scratch? This isn't a job for some kitchen cleaner, Mulder. The stains are everywhere, my living room, my carpet, my bed, all over me, even! So the 409 won't be of any use, either. What am I supposed to do now? Change it all? I've grown up like this, and have loved it. But I can't continue with it all soiled."
With a physical jolt, she drew out of her reverie, and stared at the white phone in her hand, disgusted. "Scully? Scully are you there?"
As her finger pressed down up on the tilted red Talk button, she reached out for her coat, and headed out for another stroll.
After the Case
Special Agent Dana Scully slammed the mug down, causing a shower of overly concentrated coffee to rain down over her kitchen counter, and of course, the paperwork she had yet to complete. Scully continued to argue for her sanity over the brick of a phone pressed to her face.
"Damn it, Mulder! How many times can you expect me to just pick up and go, ignoring the personal consequences of what just happened?" her hoarse voice, growing more shrill with centered rage continued, "Along with any other repercussions thought generally unpleasant, such as, say, prospective unemployment." Heaving a sigh, she made an honest attempt to redirect her anger, putting it into any sort of use- which was at this moment the task of stabbing an ice-cream scoop into a nearly solid carton of Ben & Jerry's Phish Phood.
"I don't know what to say, Scully. I'm sorry, but if this had worked out, we would have had all the evidence anyone could ask for in our hands. But as it is, we don't. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same over again, but I truly am sorry for dragging you into this."
"You really aren't getting this whole partnership concept, are you Mulder?" muttered on a single breath, she offered nothing to his 'What, I- I didn't hear you?'
"Mulder." Scully said this as a fact, as part of the rational explanation of feelings she was about to jump into. "Mulder, all I want is to know what the hell it is I should be doing. I'd like to think the wild goose chases we go on with these cases is what I'm supposed to be doing, a service as part of the Bureau. Unfortunately, I'm not delusional, so that isn't working out too well.
"When we've gone through something like this. this process, and end up having accomplished nothing save ruining the lives of these innocent people, creating a few insomniacs, drawing even more criticism to the files, to the work, and obtaining a mountain of paperwork the height of the Washington Monument. Mulder, it's just that all I want is some clarity." With a sigh surfacing, she glared up and down her kitchen, ending on the bright blue bottle of an all-purpose cleaner peeking out at her from the bottom cabinet.
"I- I want to know whether I should bring out the Lysol kitchen cleaner, or the 409. I feel inadequate in these situations, Mulder." It was at this point that Dana's tone softened, as she forgot anyone was present on the other end. "I've worked my ass off in training, trying to make this job work, and then I'm here, where it seems as if anything I've ever learned over the course of my life is useless, is invalid. Should I clean it all up and start from scratch? This isn't a job for some kitchen cleaner, Mulder. The stains are everywhere, my living room, my carpet, my bed, all over me, even! So the 409 won't be of any use, either. What am I supposed to do now? Change it all? I've grown up like this, and have loved it. But I can't continue with it all soiled."
With a physical jolt, she drew out of her reverie, and stared at the white phone in her hand, disgusted. "Scully? Scully are you there?"
As her finger pressed down up on the tilted red Talk button, she reached out for her coat, and headed out for another stroll.