Stakeoutby Sheryl Martin
The cool night air rushed in as Dana Scully rolled down the car window. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Fox Mulder.
ÒI hate this.Ó He shrugged in reply.
ÒSomeone has to take night shift.Ó
ÒI guess so.Ó She yawned. ÒBut surveillance on a counterfeiter?Ó
ÒNo one else was available.Ó Fox reached into a paper bag at his side. ÒHelp yourself.Ó He pulled out a chocolate bar.
ÒIs that bag full of candy?Ó She peered inside. He nodded.
ÒEnergy.Ó
ÒSugar rush.Ó Dana chose a thick dairy milk bar.
ÒSurvival rations.Ó
ÒFattening and unhealthy.Ó
ÒAphrodisiac...Ó He grinned at her. She tore the wrapper off with her teeth, not looking at him as she bit into it.
ÒThis is great.Ó She said, staring out the window. ÒIÕm spending a Saturday night in a car with a chocoholic.Ó
ÒCompared to what?Ó Fox mumbled through a mouthful. ÒHey, youÕve got atmosphere, good company...Ó He flicked on the radio, finding a rock station. ÒGreat music... what more could you want?Ó
ÒA date? A life?Ó She stared at him with a smile, shaking her head. ÒI know... weÕve had this conversation before...Ó
ÒAre you calling me insensitive?Ó He put his hand over his heart. ÒIÕm mortally wounded, Scully...Ó
She chuckled. ÒAll I meant was that it would be nice to meet people who IÕm not afraid are out to kill me.Ó
ÒWell, dying in bedÕs been one of my life-long ambitions.Ó He quipped.
ÒMulder, IÕm serious.Ó Dana was glad he couldnÕt see her red face in the dark car. ÒDonÕt you ever want to get a life?Ó
ÒAnd leave all this?Ó He motioned at the garbage in the bottom of the car with his chocolate bar. Throwing up her hands in mock exasperation, Dana pulled out a medical magazine, taking another bit of her bar.
ÒScully...Ó
ÒHmm?Ó
ÒWhy donÕt you have any dates?Ó
ÒAh...Ó She frowned. ÒItÕs hard to set up anything when you might be called away at any minute.Ó It sounded good...
ÒOh.Ó Fox nodded. ÒAnd ending up in quarantine is rather restrictive, I guess.Ó
ÒYes.Ó She looked over. ÒWhereÕs the drinks?Ó
ÒRight behind my seat.Ó Dana leaned over, brushing against him as she dug in the bag. The gentle scent of her perfume hit his senses as she moved next to him. ÒNo orange; settle for grape, I guess..Ó Listening to the rustling of the paper bag, Fox tried to focus on the song playing on the radio and ignore the thoughts racing through his mind.
ÒTurn around bright eyes...Ó
Dana plopped back into the seat, opening the can. Taking a deep swallow, she listened quietly.
ÒEvery now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes...Ó
Suddenly the car seemed a lot smaller...
ÒAnd if you only hold me tight, weÕll be holding on forever...Ó
ÒSo...Ó She swallowed noisily. ÒWhatÕs for dinner?Ó
ÒWell, we can always order in pizza...Ó
ÒLiving in a powder keg and giving off sparks...Ó The song blared.
ÒTo a car?Ó
ÒThey say they deliver everywhere.Ó Fox dialled his cel phone. ÒCanÕt hurt to try... busy signal.Ó He put it down on the dashboard. ÒOnly another six hours to go, anyway...Ó He rolled down the window, taking advantage of the darkness to exhale deeply. For some reason heÕd been holding his breath...
ÒSo, any ideas?Ó Dana threw the magazine down at her feet.
ÒLetÕs call a friend.Ó
ÒAt two in the morning?Ó
ÒHey, sheÕd be awake...Ó With a grin he punched in the number. Holding it up so Dana could hear it ring, he let it go for over a minute.
Ò... St. George...Ó
ÒJackie!Ó Fox laughed. ÒDid I wake you up?Ó Dana couldnÕt help chuckling.
Ò...No... is there some reason for this?Ó
ÒOh, weÕre just stuck on surveillance and thought weÕd give you a ring.Ó
ÒIt was MulderÕs idea.Ó Dana said loudly.
Ò... Right... you couldnÕt just call the psychic hotline, Mulder?...Ó
ÒGee, are we keeping you up?Ó He chortled.
Ò... Not me, Mulder...Ó They heard a whisper in the background. Ò... You two go play G-Men in the dark, okay?Ó
ÒDid we catch you in the middle of something?Ó Fox grinned mischievously.
ÒIn the middle of someone... good night, you two. If the only thing you can think of to do in a dark car at night on a boring shift is to call me, then you both need professional help.Ó She laughed. ÒIÕm disconnecting the phone now... bye...Ó The line went dead.
ÒGuess MartyÕs in town.Ó Fox deadpanned.
ÒI guess so.Ó The thought hit them both at the same time. They sighed in unison, quiet enough to not hear the other. Suddenly the car seemed small again...
ÒAh... IÕm walking up to the all night coffee shop to get something. You want a sandwich?Ó Dana opened the car door.
ÒSure... surprise me... keep your phone turned on in case I get swarmed.Ó With a laugh she got out, walking down the street ahead of the car.
ÒShe gives me feelings that I never felt before... IÕm breaking promises, sheÕs breaking every law... She used to just look good to me, now I find her simply irresistible...Ó Mulder rested his forehead on the steering wheel, listening to the song. Thanks a lot for the torture, God...
A half hour later Dana tossed a club sandwich at him. ÒThey made it up fresh while I waited.Ó She dug into her own meal. ÒSo, been busy?Ó
ÒJust listening to the radio...Ó
ÒRight.Ó She looked at her watch. ÒThis is a very long night...Ó They ate in silence. A soft breeze blew through the car, bringing the smell of freshly-cut grass to them.
ÒThere used to be a large field by my house.Ó Dana mused. ÒUsed to love to run in the tall grass and play hide and seek...Ó
ÒWere you good at it?Ó Fox took a sip of his drink.
ÒIÕm not sure.. I think sometimes they didnÕt look for me on purpose...Ó She smiled. ÒI loved to just move around and watch them find the others.Ó
ÒAnd you passed Surveillance Techniques with flying colours at the Academy, IÕm sure...Ó Her nod made him grin. ÒIÕm surprised. But then, most voyeurs start off like that.Ó
ÒMulder...Ó
ÒSeriously.Ó
ÒAnd who just called up Jackie in the middle of the night?Ó
ÒYou let me...Ó
ÒLike I could stop you... if anyoneÕs a voyeur in this car, itÕs you.Ó She chuckled at his pained expression. ÒDonÕt give me that puppy-dog look... IÕm not one of those women at the office that works on.Ó
ÒWell, then IÕm going for a short walk. You can watch me and the house.Ó He slipped from the car.
ÒDonÕt be too long.Ó She warned. ÒNo tricks, Mulder...Ó
He stretched his arms above his head, hearing the satisfying crack. With a yawn, he walked away from the car.
ÒI would fight for you... IÕd lie for you... Cross the line for you... IÕd die for you... You know itÕs true; everything I do, I do it for you...Ó The radio filled the car.
Reaching for her half-eaten chocolate bar, Dana took a bite, watching him intently... She shook her head. Must be coming down with something - she thought she might be running a temperature...
Fox stepped back into the car. ÒSo... anything happen?Ó
ÒI gained twenty pounds from your candy stash.Ó
ÒI wonÕt tell.Ó He smiled. ÒAnd IÕd never notice...Ó Dana softly smiled back at him, drowning in his eyes for a split-second...
The phone rang. Mulder picked it up hastily. ÒMulder...Ó He looked at Dana. ÒNo, thatÕs okay... right.Ó Dropping the phone, he grinned. ÒIt just got cancelled.Ó
ÒYour stash?Ó
ÒThe stakeout. It just got pulled. WeÕre free...Ó He stared at her. ÒAh... want to get a coffee before I drop you off?Ó
ÒYes.Ó Her eyes met his. ÒThat sounds good.Ó She pushed the bag at him. ÒBut next time, not so much chocolate, Mulder. I think itÕs addictive...Ó
ÒThere are worse things to be addicted to, Scully...Ó He turned the car on, pulling away from the curb. ÒAnd better things as well...Ó
************************Songography: "Total Eclipse of the Heart"; "Simply Irresistible"; "Everything I do, I do it for You"...
"If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats."Richard Bach -- "Illusions"