Fox Mulder had never been a fan of weddings. He found the majority of them superfluous and, quite frankly, at his age, a little depressing. But when Scully had asked him to be her date for her cousin's wedding, he had found himself unable to refuse. She had not been shy about asking, Scully was never shy around him, but Mulder had sensed a bit of apprehension behind her normally casual exterior. After a bit of prodding as to why she had chosen him, she confessed that she did not care for her extended family and that she needed someone to accompany her to the wedding so that she wouldn't feel the need to gouge her own eyes out. As much as he wanted to come up with an excuse not to go, he remembered all the times he wished he had a friend to help him through a family gathering and accepted her invitation.

So here he was, on a Saturday night, watching people he didn't know dance to music he didn't like. Scully had left him alone at their table, declaring that she needed to use the bathroom. Mulder had to admit that if there was one good thing about this night was that he was spending it with his partner. Besides the fact that she looked absolutely stunning in a deep purple lace dress, she was proving to be an excellent source of entertainment. Tonight he was experiencing Dana Scully as he had never seen her before: drunk.

Before the reception began, Scully had made Mulder promise he wouldn't let her get, as she put it, "completely trashed". So far he had kept his word, however, after two and a half glasses of wine in less than an hour she was definitely a little tipsy. Alcohol had a pleasant effect on Scully, making her much more relaxed than normal. Mulder looked on in amusement as she talked to nearly every person who walked by their table, even laughing at the joke of a man who she later identified as her least favorite uncle. In addition to talkative, it seemed that intoxication also made his companion significantly more affectionate. She was constantly touching Mulder, grabbing his hand and holding onto it a beat longer than necessary. At one point he was sure she was trying to play footsie with him under the table, and when he glanced over at her she was looking boldly back with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Now that he had a moment away from her, Mulder was trying very hard to convince himself that his partner's increased friendless was solely due to the alcohol. His relationship with Scully was completely platonic. Sure she was one of the most attractive women he knew, and sure sometimes they engaged in a little harmless flirting, but they were just friends. Weren't they?

Just as he spotted Scully making her way back from the bathroom, the opening bars of Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon floated out of the ballroom's many speakers. He watched her face light up as she recognized the song and before Mulder knew what was happening she was in front of him, grasping his hand in hers and attempting to pull him from his seat.

"Dance with me Mulder, I love this song!" she cried. Deciding it would be in his best interest to humor her, Mulder allowed himself to be tugged out of the chair and led onto the dance floor.

Although he was meant to be leading, Mulder quickly found himself struggling to keep up with Scully. Even slightly inebriated, her dancing skills were far superior to his. Despite the fact he'd been the same height since high school, Mulder still found that his long, awkward limbs made any type of graceful movement nearly impossible. So when the song finally ended and was replaced with Lady In Red, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Slow dancing had always been more his speed. Scully seemed to prefer this change of pace as well, based on the way she tightened her hold on him, pulling him closer so that she could rest her head against his chest.

Being in such close proximity with Scully gave Mulder an unexpected thrill. He was used to sharing confined spaces with his partner, whether crammed in his basement office or spending long hours driving cross country in a tiny rental car, but this felt different. This wasn't going over evidence with Special Agent Scully, medical doctor and all-around badass. This was dancing with Dana Scully, a beautiful woman who couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him. There was a distinctly intimate feel to this kind of closeness.

While the two swayed in time with the music, Mulder allowed himself to just enjoy his partner's presence. It had been years since he danced with a woman, and he couldn't recall it ever being this satisfying. Scully's head was at the perfect height for him to to rest his chin on her copper hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her flowery shampoo. The hand he held was soft and warm, the one on his back unexpectedly comforting. He wondered if she was enjoying this as much as he was.

As if on cue, Scully leaned back so that she could look him in the eye. She smiled up at him and, for a second, the idea of being "just friends" went out the window. In that moment Mulder wanted nothing more than to kiss Dana Scully. She seemed to share his sentiments, the two of them leaning closer and closer until-

"You know you make me wanna SHOUT!"

And just like that, the spell was broken. All around them couples were separating to dance to this new, upbeat song. Mulder cursed himself for being so careless. He had come to this wedding to stop Scully from making bad decisions, not to be a part of something she would regret in the morning. She was drunk for God's sake, not flirting with him. The idea that she actually had feelings for him had been nothing but wishful thinking on his part.

"It's getting pretty late, we should probably go," he mumbled, unable to meet her eye.

Scully, who seemed to have regained some of her rationality, nodded.

The two of them retrieved their jackets from the coat check, Mulder helping Scully into hers, before heading outside. The parking lot was a short walk from the reception hall and although she had seemed momentarily sober, Scully was definitely still drunk, periodically stopping to point out things such as trees and parking meters. Against his better judgement, Mulder reached for her hand, leading her to the car.

After making sure Scully was in her seat and securely buckled in, Mulder got behind the wheel and drove out of the lot. Once they were on the road he leaned back in his seat, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"What's wrong?" Scully asked innocently.

"You know we shouldn't have let that happen, Scully," he replied firmly, trying to convince himself more than her.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Oh right, that. I don't see what the big deal is. We were just having fun."

"The big deal is that you're drunk, Scully," he said, working hard to keep the exasperation out of his voice. He wasn't used to being the rational one out of the two of them. "And besides, we're just friends. We can't risk ruining our relationship."

"What if it doesn't ruin it?"

Mulder was at a loss for words, but was saved the trouble of replying when he glanced over and realized that Scully had already fallen asleep. The rest of the drive went by in silence, leaving Mulder alone with his thoughts. Not daring to consider that she might be right, he did his best to push Scully's words out of his mind. Tonight had been a mistake, plain and simple.

When they finally reached Scully's building, Mulder found himself tempted to leave her asleep and carry her to her apartment rather than having to face her. Much to his dismay, however, her eyes were open before he could unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Good morning, sunshine," she said sleepily. Mulder, trying not to smile, carefully helped Scully out of the car. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her and together they made their way up to her apartment.

After letting himself into the apartment with his spare key, Mulder deposited Scully on her bed, covering her with the blanket folded at the foot of it. Her eyes closed almost immediately and he was sure she had fallen asleep again.

"Goodnight, Scully," he whispered before moving to leave the room.

"Mulder?"

He turned back around to find his partner sitting up in bed, eyes heavy but open. "What is it, Scully?"

"Come here, I have to tell you something," she murmured, gesturing frantically for him to come closer.

Despite the voice in his head telling him this was a bad idea, Mulder walked back over to the bed and crouched down next to her. "What?"

Without warning Scully reached out to put her hands on either side of his face, drawing him towards her. Her mouth was warm against his and the taste of wine was strong on her lips. She pulled away after a long minute, grinning slyly. "Goodnight, Mulder."

"Go to sleep, Scully," he said in the sternest voice he could muster, hoping she didn't notice the smile that was slowly spreading across his face. He stayed crouched by her bedside until he was sure she was asleep, pressing a kiss to her forehead before quietly exiting the room.

Once he was back in his car, he took a moment to collect himself. He was beaming from ear to ear, a warm feeling growing in his chest. He drove back to his apartment and lay awake on the couch for hours, unable to remember the last time he had felt so happy. Maybe tonight hadn't been a mistake after all.