AUTHOR'S NOTE: I based this story on a song ("Meant to Be") by one of my favorite bands (The Nadas). It's not my best work, but I'm still learning.
It had been a difficult week. Another lead to chase. Another Mulder believes, Scully rationalizes type of case.
They ended up back in her apartment to work together on the final case report. It was late, almost early. They were bent over her laptop, entering the necessary information.
She entered the last couple of sentences and clicked "Submit." Yawning, she stood and stretched. "You hungry?"
Mulder suddenly realized he was ravenous. They hadn't eaten since they'd returned to DC, and that was 12 hours ago. "Yeah…You got anything other than that tofu rabbit crap you call food?"
Scully rolled her eyes. "There's pizza in the fridge."
Mulder fairly sprinted to the kitchen. "Ooh! Pepperoni! You've been holding out on me."
She shrugged. "Sometimes a girl likes a little grease." She had moved to the couch, picking up her phone and putting on some quiet music.
He placed the cold pizza box between them, offering her a slice. She took a large bite and made a face. Four-day-old pizza wasn't nearly as good as fresh. Mulder, meanwhile, inhaled slice after slice.
"Remind me not to stand downwind from you tomorrow," she teased, giving him a playful nudge.
He just smiled, the laugh lines at his eyes crinkling. God, she was beautiful. Her long titian hair had begun graying, just a few strands throughout and at her temples, though she would be the first to completely deny it. Her once snappy blue eyes had mellowed; now their soft shine showed her wisdom and experience. In those eyes were reflected the last 25 years they had spent together. Some of it as partners, some of it as lovers, all of it as each other's only friend.
He rose and held out his hand to her. "Dance with me?"
She gave him a warm smile and got to her feet. Their hands joined, and one of his rested on the small of her back, the spot that always made her tingle all over.
They held each other's gaze. In his eyes, she could see the intertwining of their lives. How their two paths once traveled parallel to each other, until that day she had walked into his office. She was young, fresh-faced, and innocent. He was cocky, arrogant, and judgmental. When those trails crossed, they both knew they'd never be the same.
They swayed slowly to the beat of the song. She leaned in close, laying her head against his chest and wrapping both arms around his waist. His cologne wafted into her nostrils, a comforting, familiar scent that had always grounded her, made her feel safe. The world and all its vices couldn't reach that small, safe bubble in his arms. It had been her refuge many times - cancer treatments, death of her family members, failed IVF…
Losing Emily.
Losing William.
She just fit so perfectly under his chin. It was like she was the missing piece of his puzzle. He had tried making other pieces fit, but there was always just one that he couldn't find. And it was her. He could see that now.
He had found his truth, at last.
"Marry me, Dana."
Everything around her just stopped, including, it felt like, her own heartbeat.
She stiffened and pulled back. Her brows knit together as she studied his handsome features. Did she hear what she thought she heard?
"Mulder…wh-what…what did you say?"
He smiled slightly. "What? You don't remember your first name?"
She sighed in exasperation. "No, not that…the other thing."
"I think you heard it."
His games were so infuriating sometimes.
"Mulder…I…I don't know what to say."
"Scully…I need you. All that time spent in our house by myself, after you left…all I could think about was you, and how I should have asked you a long time ago. I don't know how else to explain how I feel. Please. Marry me."
She was at a loss for words. At one point, marriage and a family felt like they would complete her. Going to work, coming home, making dinner, playing with her 2.5 children, her dog, just being the average Brady Bunch-style family…It had been her dream.
Until him. As the years went on, the dream of the white picket fence faded, being replaced by him. Being at his side. Going where he was. It turned her world upside down…and it had never felt so right.
She put her hands on either side of his face. Gently, she leaned in closer and placed a soft kiss on his lips, their foreheads meeting and their eyes closed.
He was afraid of the answer. He had't really planned to ask her. It had just…happened. But he couldn't deny how he felt. He trusted himself and the question he had asked. Their lives were inexorably wound together. No matter what, there would never be anyone who could match up to her.
He barely felt it, but he could have sworn she nodded slightly.
He pulled apart from her, eyes narrowing slightly. This time, he definitely saw it.
She nodded.