My Dear Spanish Eyes

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
10: 33 a.m. EST
December 18, 1995


Agent Fox Mulder walked into J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, a dark shadow over his head. The only thing he was looking forward to was seeing his partner, Dana Scully. With his wavy brown hair, and soulful hazel eyes, many women would've said Fox Mulder was handsome, except for the fact that most of the FBI thought of him as "spooky".
Mulder didn't mind much, though. He was oblivious to the teasings and snickers behind his back. He took the elevator down to his basement office. He shivered as he entered his office. Doesn't anyone put heat down here? he thought. He let a smile faintly cross his lips as he saw his partner sitting at his desk sifting through a file. She looked up at him and smiled genuinely.
" Hey, Cheerful. What's up?" she asked kindly, seeing the glum look on his face. He shrugged off his overcoat.
" Got up on the wrong side of the bed today." he muttered. Scully raised her eyebrow in a perfect "Dana Scully" look.
" I don't mean to pry, Mulder, but you sleep on a couch. And if I'm not mistaken, there's only one way to get off a couch."
He sighed exasperated.
" Well, what have you got there? Looks like another case for us."
Scully flipped the file closed and handed it to him.
" A supposed UFO landed in Helena, Montana. A few people have reported sightings, and the local police have transferred the case to the FBI. Assistant Director Skinner immediately assigned the case to us." Mulder laughed.
" I wonder why. We must be gaining a reputation, Scully."
She smiled at his comment. " Actually, Mulder, you already have a reputation. I think it's me who's gaining one."
Mulder winced. " Ouch! That was harsh. Well, what are we waiting for? We need to catch the next flight out to Helena, Montana." Scully's blue eyes widened as Mulder put back on his coat.
" But Mulder, I'm going to need to pack." He threw her coat at her.
" We can buy some there."

US Airways Flight # 18374
3:30 the same day
Central Standard Time

Scully looked out at the plains as the airplane flew over the Dakotas. She marveled at the vastness of the open dry land. She leaned back in her seat and glanced over at Mulder who was busily typing in her Mac Notebook. She looked down at the hem of her skirt, and noticed that there was a thread hanging out. She tore it off absentmindedly. A stewardess stopped by their seats.
" Would you two like anything to drink?" she asked. Scully smiled at her.
" Yes, I'll have a gin and tonic, please."
The stewardess scrutinized her for a moment. " May I see some ID?"
Scully laughed in disbelief and pulled out her badge. The stewardess glanced at it and handed it back to her rather quickly. She turned to Mulder.
" May I get you something?" He looked up from his laptop and thought for a moment.
" I'll just have a coke. Do you need some ID for that?" The stewardess blushed and shook her head. She went off to get their drink and they were alone again. They sat in silence for a moment.
" Scully, can I ask you something?" Mulder asked timidly, his voice to soft, too self-conscious. Scully furrowed her eyebrow in confusion.
" Of course you can, Mulder."
" Why don't we talk? I mean, we talk, but we don't really talk. You're my partner, my best friend. I trust you with my life. So why don't we talk? Why?" Scully looked at him and saw that he wasn't meeting her eyes.
" I don't know, Mulder. I really don't."
At that moment, the stewardess was back with their drinks. With that, the spell was broken. Scully reached for her drink, thankful that she had something to occupy her mind. She took a sip and almost gagged. Mulder looked over at her questioningly.
" Something wrong, Scully?" he asked. Scully looked at him sheepishly and set down her drink.
" I don't know why I ordered gin and tonic. I've never even tried it before."
" Then what drove you to even think about it?" Mulder asked. Scully shrugged her shoulders.
" My father used to drink gin and tonic whenever he was on a plane. Maybe that's why." Mulder gestured to his untouched coke.
" You can have my coke if you want. I never drink anything when I'm on a plane. It makes me sick.
Scully smiled and picked up his coke. " You're too good to me." she said. Mulder smiled and looked back at the computer.
A few moments of silence passed, and Scully stared out the window, feeling left-out. Mulder had given up typing and was talking to the man across from him. Scully strained to hear bits of their conversation.
" Well, I happen to think Hustler is way better than Playboy..." she heard Mulder say. She smiled to herself and tuned out. She felt a trickle down her lip, and touched her fingers to her face. They came away blood red, and she leapt to her feet, grabbing her bag with her.. Swirls of nausea caused her vision to blur, and she stumbled the few feet to the bathroom, Mulder's voice carrying along with her. " Scully? What's wrong?"
Scully fell into the stall and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser, setting her bag on the tiny counter. She pressed it to her nose until the bleeding stopped. She sat on the toilet seat, waiting for the nausea to pass. A knock came on the door. " Scully, are you OK? Let me in." Mulder said. Scully smiled despite her sickness. " I can't let you in, Mulder, there's no room anyway." She could almost see Mulder's pout. " Come on, Scully. I have to make sure you're OK."
Scully lifted a hand and opened the lock. The door opened and Mulder stepped in with her. She saw him close the door and stood up to make more room. " Mulder, what are you doing?" she said, half joking, half serious. She and Mulder moved around to make room for his large frame. Scully was acutely aware of the closeness of their bodies, but her nausea pushed the thoughts aside.
Mulder finally situated himself on the toilet seat, and Scully stood facing away from him, not wanting to let Mulder see the blood-stained towel.
" So Scully, what do they think we're doing in here?" he asked suggestively. Scully groaned. " I think only you would think like that, Mulder." she said.
Silence swept through the bathroom as Scully continued to hold the towel to her nose. Mulder fixed his gaze on the back of Scully's legs.
Scully was intensely aware of Mulder's nearness, and wondered why she noticed. Mulder, staring at her legs, was intrigued by a small run that ran from the top of her calf to the middle of her thigh, right where her skirt ended. " Hey Scully, you have a run in your stockings, right...here..." He touched the run with his finger.
Scully jumped at his touch. " Jesus Mulder!" she exclaimed. " You scared me. There's a run?" she asked, trying to get the attention away from herself. " Yeah, it's right here." Mulder said, tracing the length of the line. Scully held back her shiver, not wanting Mulder to figure out something was wrong. She reached a hand into her bag and drew out a bottle of clear nail polish. " Here." She said simply. Mulder took it from her and laughed. " You want me to paint your toenails, Scully?" he asked teasingly. " No, Mulder, I want you to dab a bit of the polish on each end of the run so it doesn't continue." She said.
Mulder unscrewed the cap, and proceeded to dab a bit of the polish on her leg. Scully shivered once, but Mulder was so absorbed in the nail polish that he didn't notice. Once he was finished, he gave the bottle back to Scully. Scully relaxed and was about to turn around, when she jumped again. " Mulder! What are you doing?" she asked. Mulder was blowing on the back of her leg, trying to get the polish to dry. " Just trying to dry the polish, Scully, calm down." He said.
Scully opened the door of the bathroom and stepped out. She walked hurriedly back to her seat. Mulder joined her soon after. He sat down next to her in silence.
Excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen, but we're running into a few navigational problems. We're about 100 miles off course, so we will be delayed about half an hour. We are also heading into a nasty storm over North Dakota, and we might hit some mild turbulence, so be prepared.
The captain's voice sounded strained, and Scully's instincts told her that the storm might be worse than they were letting on.
Mulder turned and looked at Scully. " So, Scully, back to where we were. Why don't we talk to each other?" Mulder asked. Scully forced her eyes to Mulder's. " I don't know, Mulder, maybe we... maybe we just don't..." she stuttered. She wanted to say 'trust each other', but she knew it would break Mulder's heart if he knew she didn't trust him. " Maybe we don't have the time." She finished.
Mulder didn't answer her, he just stared into her eyes. Scully looked away embarrassed. " Mulder, what are you doing?" she asked. " You have the nicest eyes, Scully. I never noticed them before. My mother used to call eyes like yours ' Spanish eyes '." He said.
Scully blushed slightly. " Mulder, I..." she started, but her words were cut off by the pressure on her hand. Mulder had covered her hand with his, and was looking at her with tears in his eyes. " I want you to talk to me, Scully." He said.
Scully opened her mouth to answer, but a jolt shook her. The plane wobbled again and again. Scully grasped Mulder's hand, wanting something to comfort her. " Mulder..." she gasped. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he was there. " It'll be alright, Scully." He said. The plane stopped shaking, but Scully didn't let go of Mulder's hand, nor did she want to.
The plane landed safely in Helena around 8:30 p.m. central standard time, and Scully gratefully got off the plane as fast as she could. Since there was no baggage to be held up by, Scully and Mulder went straight to the rental car dealership that was hosted by the airport.
When they had gotten their car, they headed out to the crime scene. The route on the map took them right out into the middle of the forest. A police roped told them they were in the right place. Mulder immediately got out of the car, and began heading out to where he thought the UFO might've been.
Scully hung around by the car, looking at the beautiful landscape. Mulder looked back to see where she was. "Come on Spanish Eyes, move those high-heeled feet." He said good-naturedly. Scully looked over at him and smiled. " First you compliment me about me eyes, then diss me about my shoes? I'll never understand you, Mulder."
Scully lead the way into the forest, when they got to a clearing devastated by a once raging fire. Mulder walked straight into the ash and soot and began rummaging through the debris. Scully stood on the outskirts. " Mulder , there's no sense looking through a pile of ash. At nine o'clock at night. Let's go find a hotel and call it a night, OK?" Scully called. Mulder looked up at her. " We'll come back tomorrow." He said with determination. He walked out to join Scully and she grabbed his hand. " Mulder, you're not going to find your sister in there, you know." She said. Mulder nodded and they headed back to a hotel, hand in hand.

Rising Star Hotel
Bringham, Montana
10:30 p.m. CST

Scully lay on her back, staring up at the brown ceiling. She had tried to get to sleep for hours, but the lumpy mattress kept her awake, and her back aching. She let her thoughts wander to Mulder. How was she able to hold his hand, and let him comfort her when she was keeping him at bay from her feelings? She knew she was in love with him, she'd known for a long time. She was completely, hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with Mulder, and it felt wonderful. That was the motive for not talking completely with him. There were times when all she could do is think about Mulder.
She found herself getting off her bed, and walking to the doors that separated the two rooms, pulling on her bathrobe as she walked. Her hand hadn't even touched the knob, when a knock came from the other side. " Scully, are you still awake?" Mulder asked, his voice muffled from behind the door. Scully couldn't help letting a smile cross her face. " Yeah, Mulder, I'm awake."
She opened the door, and Mulder stepped in. " Is your bed any more comfortable than mine?" he asked jokingly.
Scully smiled again and shook her head. " I felt like the princess and the pea." She said. Mulder laughed. " Well, only half of it is true. You certainly are a princess, but there's no pea under your bed."
Scully marveled at him. He could tease and flirt with her like nothing was going on between them. I wonder if he knows... she thought. She had a fleeting thought that she ought to tell him. I can't ... I couldn't bear it if he didn't love me back. I would just die. She told herself.
" Well, Mulder, I'm sorry to say, but if I'm a princess, then what could you be? The frog that I kiss?" she said teasingly. She turned her back on Mulder to tie another knot in her bathrobe.
When she turned around, Mulder had a sly look on his face. " What are you thinking, Mulder?" Scully asked., afraid of what the answer would be. Mulder opened his mouth to speak, then raced forward and flung Scully over his shoulder, and held her legs. " Mulder! Mulder, what are you doing?" Scully screamed, " You're going to get me really sick!" she cried, laughing. " Put me down, Mulder! Now!"
He spun her in a circle before flipping her onto her bed. She sat up, tears pouring down her cheeks from laughing so hard. Mulder sat next to her. " Hey Scully?" he asked. Scully looked over at him. " Yeah Mulder?"
" If I'm a frog, and you're a princess, isn't the logical thing to do is kiss him?" he asked cheekily. Scully laughed, then a voice whispered a comment in her head. He loves you, Dana. Go for it! Scully looked over at her love, and placed a hand on his cheek. " Will you turn into a handsome prince?" she asked seriously. Mulder nodded. Scully smiled. " Well then, let's live happily ever after."
He lowered his lips to hers, and Scully felt that her heart would burst. She and Mulder sat locked in their embrace for minutes, then Mulder slid his lips over to her ear. " I love you, I love you My Dear Spanish Eyes."