Title: Beyond the Sea: Chapter Two--The New Year

Pairing: Mulder/Scully, possibly Bones/someone later. Not sure yet.

Warnings: Nothing yet...Probably sex and gore (not at the same time ) later.

Word Count: 1,526

Rating: PG-13 for now, higher later.

Spoilers: Through season seven of The X-Files, relationship stuff in Bones.

Disclaimer: The X-Files belong to Chris Carter. Bones belongs to...oh god, it's too late for this. Whoever it belongs to. Not me. Beyond the Sea belongs to Bobby Darin. The New Year belongs to Death Cab For Cutie as much as a phrase like that can have an owner

Author's Note: The Bones parts of this don't take place in a specific timeine relating to the show because it has to fit in with the X-Files timeline (mid-2000 for now), so just deal. It takes place when it's handy for me to have to take place.

Thank you for the lovely reviews. They make me happy and want to write more

The New Year

The first thing Bones said was: "This is my lab."

Scully raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

"Cam says I have to work with you so I will, but I'm in charge and this is my lab."

In all honesty, Scully was more amused than anything else. She hadn't known what to expect from Bones, but this wasn't it. "Okay," she repeated.

A man with short, curly hair materialized next to Bones, waving a piece of paper in the air. "I got it! The soil from this boots contained—" He broke off. "Who are you?"

Scully smiled and held out her hand. "Special Agent Dana Scully. I'm going to be working with you now."

He glanced at Bones. "Since when do we need another fed?"

Scully bristled. "I'm also a doctor," she said stiffly. "I deal with the entire cadaver."

"Yeah, whatever." He turned back to Bones. "Come over here. Let me show you the particles I found."

Scully followed the two over to a microscope. "What did you say your name was?" she asked as Bones looked into the microscope.

"Hodgins. This is a rare form of pollen that only exists in Potomac, Maryland."

Bones looked up, looking exited. "That means—"

"Exactly. It must've been Perkins."

She smiled. "Good work. I'll go call Booth." She disappeared, not bothering to acknowledge Scully.

Hodgins eyed Scully. "Why are you here?"

She paused, torn between a lie and the truth. "My partner left."

"Ouch. What happened?"

Scully frowned. She knew Mulder would want her to tell the truth, but the desire to not be the outcast, the crazy one yet again, was nearly overwhelming. "He was abducted by aliens," she said quickly, forcing it out.

There was a pause. Then, "Seriously?"

She looked up. Hodgins' face was bright, his eyes shining. "Uh, yeah."

"Oh man that is so cool. You have to tell me everything about it."

She stared at him. "You believe in aliens."

"Yeah, so? Clearly you do, and your partner." He paused, eyes widening. "Did you say your name was Scully?"

"Yeah…"

"So your partner was Mulder?"

"Yes."

Hodgins grinned, pumping the air with one hand. "We have so much to talk about."

--section break--

Before Scully knew what was happening, they were sitting down in a small diner opposite the Jeffersonian and Hodgins was looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" he said eventually.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well what?"

"What was it like? You were there, weren't you?"

"I was, but—"

"But what?"

Her temper flared. All of the pent-up sadness, fear and anger that she had felt over the past week surfaced, and Hodgins was the nearest target. "What makes you think that you have the right to ask about any of this?" Scully yelled, standing up. "Did it even occur to you that maybe this was hard for me? That maybe Mulder meant everything to me, and now he's gone? He chose goddamned little green men over me, and now I'm supposed to tell you all about it? I don't think so." She slammed the door as she left, oblivious to everyone staring at her. She was shaking—she couldn't remember the last time she had yelled at anyone like that. When she and Mulder had fought, she was always calm, carefully explaining the problem. She didn't blow up like that; she just didn't.

All Scully wanted to do was go home and stop thinking about all of this, but she couldn't remember how to get back to the Jeffersonian, let alone where she parked. It was the final straw—she had parked in exactly same space every day when she had worked with Mulder, and that was the one place where she was sure her car wasn't. She started crying, sliding down the wall of the building, not trying to hold back anymore.

"Hey, Scully, I'm so sorry." Hodgins crouched down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I got caught up in the moment, but I never meant to—"

"It's not you," she sniffed. "It's Mulder. I cared about the bastard, and I miss him like hell." To hear the words said out loud, especially with the uncharacteristic swears, brought it all home. Again. The worst part was the one person she had turned to was Mulder, and he was gone.

"It's okay," Hodgins said. "Come on, let's get you back to the lab."

Scully nodded miserably. Work came first. Mulder had proved that to her.

"And if you ever need anyone to talk to, aliens aside, talk to Angela."

Scully looked up, surprised. "Who?"

Hodgins was grinning. "My girlfriend, a.k.a. one of the squints."

She frowned. "Squints?"

"Lab geeks. Well, she's not really, but she works with us, so it's close enough. She does facial reconstructions, not to mention the Angelator."

Scully's face lit up, and she hastily wiped tears off her cheeks. "Angela Montenegro?" she asked. "I had no idea I would be working with her."

Hodgins grinned "Yeah, we're pretty cool."

--section break--

The body came in the next day. Scully was already suited up to perform an autopsy and was ready to start cutting when Bones appeared.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Scully looked up. "My job."

"You can't do that yet. Hodgins—"

"—has already taken samples, Angela photographed everything, and Zack is waiting for me to be done so he can clean the bones."

Bones' mouth tightened. She was clearly looking for some flaw, something she could point out, but she couldn't find one. "Next time tell me before you start doing anything."

"Whatever," Scully muttered under her breath. She turned on her tape recorder. "Dana Scully, badge number JTTO331613. Tuesday, May 29, 2000…"

Bones continued to observe as Scully started the autopsy. Scully ignored her completely, and by the time she was done, Bones had left.

"I don't like having new people around."

Scully turned around to see Bones standing behind her. "I noticed," she said dryly.

"Booth says it's because I have issues with being in control, but…" Her lips tightened. "I don't believe in psychology."

"Okay," Scully said slowly, turning back to her microscope.

"But it seems like you're going to be here for a while, and you are clearly good at what you do. So. Welcome to the team." Bones held out a hand, uncomfortably with the prospect.

Still amused, Scully shook it. "I have work to do," she said.

"What are you're looking at?"

An eyebrow raised, she replied, "It's some sort of abnormality in the brain matter, but I can't figure out what it means."

Bones looked at it. "Could it be some sort of genetic abnormality? A disease?"

"No, I don't think so. I gave Zack a sample, so hopefully we'll have some answers soon."

Bones smiled, a mix of approval and something else, something Scully couldn't quite identify. "Good work," she said, and left.

Scully stared after her for a minute, then turned back to the microscope.

--section break--

"Why are you working here?"

Scully continued to put on her coat, saying, "I was assigned here."

Bones leaned against the wall, eyeing her. "Why? We already have Booth, and as far as I knew, there hadn't been any plans to work with anything but bones."

Scully started rooting through her purse, keeping her eyes down. "It's a long story."

"Tell me. If we're going to be working together, I need to know your motives."

Scully almost started laughing. After all her work with Mulder, having her motives questioned here, now, seemed ridiculous. "The F.B.I. wants me out of the way where I can't do any damage."

"Are you going to?"

Scully looked up. "Going to what?"

Bones locked eyes with her. "Cause any damage."

There was a pause. "Only if it's necessary."

Bones continued to look at her, letting the silence spin out. Scully stood up straight, aware that she was being tested in some way. She almost wanted to fail, to stay the spooky one, because it was comfortable, what she was used to. But another part of her was praying to finally be accepted. She was surprised at how strongly she wanted it, but in a way she wasn't.

Finally, Bones smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Scully smiled back. "Thank you," she said, not thinking.

Bones looked confused. "For what?"

Scully thought about it. She doubted this woman had heard of her, or her reputation, and it probably seemed like a very odd question. "For giving me a chance," she said, thinking that wasn't quite right.

Bones looked surprised. "Of course. I give everyone an equal chance."

That's it, Scully thought. I'm finally in a place where I'm judged for myself instead of any reputation. She left, turning back at the last minute to say, "I think I'm really going to like working here."

"Good," Bones said, satisfied.

7