Emotions. Everyone had their own way with dealing with their emotions. Some people would eat. Others would not eat. Still, other people would go kick the ass of the person who had affected their emotions so greatly. Scully ran. Running let her truly be in her own head. And because her emotions were worn out, she needed to inflict the pain that she was feeling on the inside to her body on the outside. Trail running, she had decided. Rough terrain, curving paths, and steep hills were just the things that she needed.
Half-way through her run, as she was thinking hard about how she was going to try to fix hers and Mulder's friendship, her foot caught on a tree root. She violently tumbled down the hill that she was about to descend, knocking her head on a small rock on the way down. Once her body reached the bottom, she laid in the grass, trying to catch her breath. She put her hand to her head and pulled it back to see the warm, sticky blood that she had expected to see.
"Hey! Are you okay?" a voice yelled down at her from the top of the hill.
Soon there was a body at her side. She looked up into a pair dark blue eyes.
"Can you tell me your name?" the man asked, obviously trying to assess her head injury.
"Dana," she answered, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "And I'm fine. It's just a little cut."
"I would actually call that a gash," he corrected her. "I'm a doctor. I've seen my fair share of head wounds, and that may need some stitches," he informed her, helping her to her feet. "My name is Eric, and I've got a first aid kit in my car. Would you mind if I checked you out?"
"Not at all," she gave him a small smile.
Eric was a very good looking man. Model-type good looking. He was about a foot taller than her, with dark brown hair and those stunning dark blue eyes. His body was very athletically fit. As far as Scully was concerned, he could check her out all day long if he wanted to!
"It doesn't actually look too bad once cleaned off," he told her, referring to her head wound. "Let me bandage you up, and that should be all you need."
"Thanks for doing this," she told him. "I mean, nowadays, most people would have just run on by." Did she really just say 'nowadays'?!?!?! Shit.
He smiled at her. "Well, I like to think of myself as a gentleman. I would never leave a beautiful lady lying on the ground bleeding. Then again, that could just be the doctor in me."
"I went to med-school," she told him. "But I traded being a doctor in for joining the FBI."
"Ah, so you're a tough cookie! Well, as your current doctor, I'm going to have to recommend that you see me at least one more time before I clear you for trail running again. How about dinner next week?" he flirted, shamelessly.
"I'll have to check my schedule," she played hard-to-get, "but that sounds great."
The two of them chatted a little bit longer before she gave him her number and got in her car to leave. Saturdays are nice, she thought. She couldn't wait for next week. She was happy that she had come out to the trails as a way to keep her mind off of Mulder. Well, she found a new way. A tall handsome way, named Eric.
*
Scully had gone on several dates with Eric, and it was only two weeks since they had meet. Her life was going way better than it was two weeks ago. She and Mulder were now at least speaking, though only over work issues, and nothing too friendly was ever said. It was more like they tolerated each other. Which was fine with her! She had other things to think about. More pleasant things. Like kissing Eric.
"Agent Scully?" a voice broke through her thoughts.
She looked up to see one of the many receptionists. She was holding an arrangement of flowers.
"These were delivered for you," she told her, girlish excitement in her voice.
"Oh. Thank you!" Scully said, standing and taking the vase full of flowers from her.
"Who's the lucky man?" the girl couldn't help to ask.
Scully blushed a little bit. "A guy that I have been dating for only two weeks."
"Wow. Flowers already? He's a keeper!" she smiled and walked away.
Scully noticed that some of the other agents, mostly women, were looking enviously at her flowers. She couldn't help but to smile to herself. She placed them on the corner of her desk and sat back down, plucking the card out of the arrangement. She ripped it open and read: Dana, These past two weeks have been wonderful. You're smart and beautiful, and I hope that our relationship can bloom. Like these flowers. See you tonight, Eric
Scully blushed again. She was reading the card over and over again, when a very familiar voice broke her thoughts this time.
"What are those?" Mulder gestured to flowers as he took his seat. He turned his chair around to face her desk for the first time in weeks.
"Flowers," she simply said, sounding almost annoyed. Now he wants to talk to me...
"Yeah. I can see that. I mean, what are they for? Did I miss your birthday again?" he sounded a bit worried.
She sighed, "My birthday was in February, Mulder." She paused to decide whether or not she should tell him. It wasn't any of his business, but she kind of wanted to rub it in that she was dating someone and he was alone. As usual.
"If you must know, they're from a guy that I have been dating."
"You're dating someone?!" he asked, sounding shocked.
She looked him in the eye. "I am capable of getting dates, Mulder. Some men think that I'm smart and beautiful!" she waved the card at him.
Mulder quickly snatched it out of her hand and read the short message quickly before tossing it back at her.
"'Like these flowers'?!" he quoted. "That's got to be the cheesiest thing that I have ever heard."
"I think that it's sweet!" she defended Eric.
"Yeah. He just wants to get in your panties," he told her quietly, putting an arm on her desk to lean in closer so no one would hear him.
"How do you know he hasn't gotten in to them already?!" she whispered back, somewhat defiantly.
He laughed at her. "Because men who have already gotten what they want don't send flowers and write cheesy little cards!"
"Well, Eric isn't like other men," she eyed him pointedly. "He's a gentleman. And only says things that he means."
"This Eric is like every other man. We only want one thing, Scully!" he patted her arm and moved his chair back around to face his own desk. "But I'm happy for you. He has made you seem less miserable," he told her over his shoulder, smiling so that she knew that he meant it light-heartedly, and did not want to start another fight.
"Thanks," she rolled her eyes.
Mulder stared at his computer screen, not really reading the words that were on it. Scully had a boyfriend. One that sent her flowers and seemed nice. And all that he had done the past two weeks was fight with her. He still loved her and regretted everything that he had said to her. Half of the stuff he said was just to hurt her. She was his best friend, and he knew what to say to hurt her. He knew that he had lost his chance with her. First a bee, now a boyfriend. He ran his fingers through his hair. All he could hope to do now was to try to be the good friend that he once was. And maybe this other guy would screw things up for himself somehow. Just maybe.
