Rating: PG for swear word
Spoilers: "Pilot", The movie, "Millenium"
Disclaimer: Oddly enough, I am not Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, or the Fox Network, so I sadly am not making one red cent off of this. "The X-Files", and the characters Scully and Mulder are the brain child of Chris Carter and owned by him. I am just an appreciative fan who had some free time and nothing better to do. I am also an extremely poor grad student, so please don't sue, you won't get nada.
Note: This was written to appease Gillian Taylor who insisted that I post my work. It is a companion piece to "Forever In His Eyes".
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Happy New Year
5. . .4. . .3. . .2. . .1. . .Happy New Year! Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind. . .
I watch them kiss on T.V. Young kids mostly with their whole lives in front of them, but a few my age. . .our age too. Damn. We're not getting any younger are we?
When she first walked into my. . .our office all those years ago, she wasn't what I was expecting. She wasn't supposed to be beautiful. I was expecting a stuffy, glasses-wearing prude who smelled of eau de formaldehyde. No one could just re-write Einstein like that at such a young age, teach science classes at the Academy and look like she could survive outside of a laboratory. I was expecting a spying geek, so when she walked through the door, I figured I could insult her and scare her off by lunch. Then I looked up.
Now, to my credit, my chin did not drop to the floor, nor did my head suddenly morph into a wolf as I whistled at her like some Loony Tune cartoon. But I knew that the next word out of my mouth was critical. If I said her name, I knew I'd give myself away. I faltered for only a moment before calling her Scully. That's the way it's been ever since. . .keeps a certain level of emotional and professional distance between us. Keeps me from just grabbing her during an emotionally charged moment and kissing her. Can you imagine that on the job? "Look Dana! A UFO!" (kiss). Nope, I like her by my side and plan to keep it that way. But. . .
What if? What if I were to take that chance? The one I almost took a year ago in the hallway? Go on and kiss her? If I was wrong, if she recoiled in horror, I could always blame it on "Auld Lang Sine". Cover up and retreat quickly just as I've always done.
Or not.
I turn from the T.V. to look at her. A moment later, she turns to face me and stares up at me with a sort of relaxed serene look that I so rarely ever see anymore. She's so beautiful. I gather what wits I have about me and take the plunge. A start of a new year, a start of a new millenium. . .what better way to start than by coming clean with the one you love?
Love. Yes. Love. Not "like", not "have warm fuzzy feelings about", L-O-V-E. Love.
My lips touch hers. What am I? Crazy?! The rational part of my mind screams. The other 98% tells it to shut up and just go with it.
I don't press advantage, I'd never do that to Scully. I just let it be and half way through the shocked state when I realize I'm actually kissing her, I realize also that she is kissing me back!
Maybe Scully's right. Maybe there is a God after all.
I pull back after a bit and look at her again. She's smiling. Dana's smiling. Good. I didn't completely botch things up like I thought I would. The world didn't end. Mine. . .hers. . .the actual Earth itself. . .the world survived.
Then she turns from me. The spell is broken. What did I do? I screwed up, didn't I? I shouldn't have. . .then I realized what had happened. The world did not end and things will go on as they normally do. Me and Scully, the FBI agents.
The world did not end, but it has changed. I kissed her. We kissed each other. There will be no big bang for us. . .empty space and then Boom! Instant romance for us. It doesn't work that way, and I slowly realize I don't want it to. Good things come to those who wait. It will come in it's own time for us. We've done enough for tonight, it hurts my soul to stop here, but it's a necessity for both of us. We need to take a step back.
"Happy New Year. . .Scully"
"Happy New Year Mulder"
I slip my arm around her and lead her out the door into the new millenium. She leans into me as though it were as natural as could be. Yeah, things have changed.
Happy New Year.