A/N: I don't own X-Files. I don't even own the DVDs, so I have to walk to my uncle's house whenever I need a new season... -_-'
This is my first X-Files fanfiction, and OOC-ness is possible -and probable. Set at the end of 'Fire'.
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"Do you want to see a magic trick?" Bob asked, smirking at the agent standing before him.
"Don't do it, Bob," Mulder screamed at him, ready to catch the pyrokinetic if he tried to run, but it was too late. The man's arm ignited, the fire quickly spreading to the rest of his body, then the floor where it crept up the walls until Agent Mulder was surrounded by a cage of flame. He fell to his knees, shrieking not in pain, but because of the memory of his best friend's burning house.
Suddenly, the door burst open and a woman approximately Mulder's age ran into the room. Mulder was nearly unconscious, but felt himself being dragged out of the room.
"Don't leave him alone!" he coughed, struggling to stay awake. The woman retreated back into the room, and a blast of flame burst out of the door, all the way across the hall, causing the heat to flare. The last thing Mulder heard before he blacked out was the dying screams of the woman.
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"Mulder?" Scully said, "Are you alright? Mulder!" The man in question coughed pitifully, rolled over, and gave Scully a weak smile.
"Scully," he sighed, "Thank God you're alright. Scared me there, I thought you'd died, rushing into the fire like that." Scully shifted her weight uncomfortably. How was she supposed to tell him? She finally settled on a direct approach.
"Mulder, Phoebe's dead." Mulder's face fell.
"Wh-what happened?" he asked, trying to process what Scully had told him.
"Close as we can figure, she returned for L'ively and sustained severe thermal injuries. The paramedics tried to save her, but we responded just a hair late." Mulder's eyes squeezed shut, conveying the pain he was in. His skin was in perfect condition, not so much as a burn on him, but to hear that Phoebe had died just after saving him… It was too much.
Mulder let Scully lead him out to his car, neither of them speaking a word. They were halfway down the highway before Scully said something. "Mulder, I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I know you two had something. You seem to be taking it OK, though." The silence settled in again, more tense than before, "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Mulder didn't answer for a few moments, seeming to be deep in thought.
"I don't know, Scully," he said truthfully, staring out the window.
"Do you want to stop somewhere for iced tea?"
"Can we get sunflower seeds too? I need something to take my mind off of things."
"Of course, Mulder," Scully said sympathetically, turning onto the exit ramp and pulling into a gas station. Scully walked in, purchased Mulder's iced tea and sunflower seeds along with a root beer for herself, and got back in the car. She handed the tea and seeds to Mulder, started the car, and resumed the drive back to Washington. The car started rattling, but Scully chose to ignore it. By the time it started shaking, Scully had it pulled over on the shoulder. Mulder got out to take a look at it, but when Scully popped the hood, smoke and steam billowed from under the shiny metal in copious amounts.
"Scully, I don't think I can fix that," Mulder said, leaning in through the window, "We'll have to call a tow truck." Scully nodded her agreement, then showed him that she was already on her cell phone.
"Hello? Yes, I'd like to request a tow truck. Yes. Yeah. We're broken down on i-95 South, by exit 4B. That would be great, thank you." Scully pressed the end call button, and looked over at Mulder, "It's going to be an overnight fix, so we're going to have to stay in a motel." Mulder nodded, stepped out of the car again, and -"Ewwwwww!" Scully spun around to see what had caused Mulder's outburst, and found him backed against the car. Upon closer inspection, there was a large spider on road in front of him, scuttling quickly forward, which he quickly smashed with his shoe. "What was that about?" Scully asked, legitimately curious.
"I didn't know it was there until it was halfway up my thigh," he answered, shuddering. Scully tried to stifle a giggle, at which Mulder cocked an eyebrow.
"So the great 'Spooky' Mulder is afraid of spiders?"
"Scully, it was a big spider!"
Less than ten minutes later, the tow truck arrived, chaining the compact to its tail end, and then lifted it up to the edge of the cab. "This'll be ready for pick up sometime tomorrow," said the driver, handing Scully a card with the address of the mechanic's garage, "You want a lift to the nearest motel?"
"That would be great, thank you," she answered. The three of them piled into the cab of the truck, and they rode to a Red Roof Inn off the side of a road.
"We need two rooms," Mulder said, slapping a credit card down on the counter, "Preferably connected."
"I'm sorry, but we only have one room available," the clerk started, "Would that be OK?"
"That would be fine, thank you," Scully said. The clerk handed them the key to room 211, and they went upstairs to try to get some sleep before their car was ready.
"After you," Mulder said, opening the door for Scully, "I usually take a couch. It's been… A while since I slept in a proper bed." Scully gave Mulder a stern look, but he continued, saying "I'll be fine on the floor."
"I wouldn't sleep on the floor if I were you."
"Then we could share the bed."
"But Mulder-"
"Scully, you're the doctor. Tell me, how much back damage could I cause by sleeping on the floor?"
Scully sighed, but reluctantly agreed and shifted to accommodate his larger frame.
"Scully, is there some ulterior motive to you wanting to share a bed with me?" Mulder asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Scully had to seriously think about it for a moment, passing it off as a joking contemplation before the punchline.
"Yes, Mulder, I am utterly in love with you, and I brought you here to 'do the wild thing'."
"I knew it!" They laughed together, and eventually decided to try for sleep. Half an hour later, though, they were both still wide awake, minds filled to the brim.
"Scully?" Mulder asked.
"Yes, Mulder?"
"You were joking, right?" Scully remained silent, and Mulder added quietly, "I mean, I wasn't."
"Mulder, as much as I would love to have sex with you, it's against Bureau policy. I mean, seriously. You exude sex. And I'm rambling, aren't I?" Mulder chuckled and nodded, and she added "Feel free to shut me up at any time."
And shut her up, he did.
When Scully awoke the next morning, she nearly screamed. What was she doing in a bed with a half-naked Mulder? Then the memories of the previous night flooded back to her. The passionate, tender kiss, how Mulder had refused to go further until they were both ready, and how right it had felt to just lie there with him, encircled in his immense, strong arms. She sighed contentedly, and looked over at him. She was nearly alarmed to see his melancholy hazel eyes studying her.
"Mulder, I'm sorry," Scully started, thinking he was upset with her. He only put a finger to her lips to quiet her, holding her closer and tighter than before, kissing the crown of her head gently. The silence was not a tense one, but a comfortable, amicable silence. "But Phoebe…"
"Doesn't matter. I just used her to see how you felt. Your intentions were clear enough."
"But she-"
"You don't get it, do you? You're all I've ever wanted. All I ever needed. And you're here in my arms. I'd say I'm one lucky man, Dana Scully."
"Mulder, you're not thinking clearly."
"Au contraire, I've thought this through quite thoroughly."
"In that case, Mulder, I'd say I'm one lucky woman."
"Please, we're not on business anymore. Call me Fox."
"OK, Fox," she said, taking pleasure in the way Mulder shivered, "But surely it affected you a bit."
"No, not at all. She did the same thing to me, you know. She was having an affair with the intended victim." They sat in silence again.
"I'm sorry, Fox."
"Don't be. We're together now."