BAR LIES
Disclaimer:
Not mine. I'm just borrowing them because they're too cute for their own good.
Notes:
Chapter three! Just as a note to those is may affect: there's a scene in this chapter where a man shoves a woman against the wall, it's just after Mulder and Scully walk up the stairs.
Special thanks to Jas again for proofing and editing!
And thanks to those who've subscribed and commented, always appreciate feedback :D
DOWNTOWN, WASHINGTON
MAY 16th, 9.10PM
"Here we are," Mulder announced, offering his hand to Scully after getting out of the cab. The beat of the music coming from inside the building they'd arrived at thrummed in her legs as soon as her feet touched the pavement.
They'd left behind the picturesque Grecian restaurant in favour of one of the bars they'd investigated earlier in the week. A wry smile had spread across her lips before she could stop it as she glanced at Mulder. "We're going on another succubus hunt?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as he linked arms with her and walked them past the bouncer.
"Not quite," he said, weaving them through the crowd in the direction of the bar. "I figured we could go out for some drinks, have some fun, let our hair down…" he trailed off and grinned when he caught sight of the look on Scully's face. "…and keep an eye out for any leads on the succubus."
"Very professional," Scully replied, placing her clutch down on the bar as she settled herself onto a stool, Mulder joining her.
"I also figured we could have a bar lies competition." he added, waggling his eyebrows as Scully asked him to elaborate with a look. "What? You've never told any bar lies for free drinks?"
"No," Scully deadpanned. "I usually just get free drinks."
"I walked into that one," he laughed, scanning the bar. "Pick a bar tender," he said, leaning in close to her. "Then tell him a lie that might get him to give you a free drink."
"Okay," she drawled, leaning against the bar and resting her chin in her palm. "Turn around and survey the crowd or something Mulder, they'll know we're working together if you're watching too."
He laughed but did as he was told.
She let out an exaggerated sigh that was barely audible above the music and made eye contact with one of the bar tenders.
"You okay there?" he asked when he made his way over to her. "You look like you're having the time of your life slouched on that stool."
"Oh yeah," she replied, tracing her finger in a pile of salt. "I've had a really long week at work and I figured, hey, why not go on a date to start this weekend off nicely. The guy's a bit of a dud though." She couldn't help smiling when she caught Mulder cough out of the corner of her eye.
The bartender took her lowered head as a cue.
"Not going well either, huh?"
"No, he went to the toilet about ten minutes ago and either he's managed to flush himself down the U-bend or he's climbed out the window and escaped," Scully sighed, wiping her finger on a napkin.
"Leaving you here all alone? Man must be daft."
"Must be," Mulder muttered under his breath.
"I know!" she exclaimed, shaking her head for emphasis.
"What are you drinking? I'll get you one on the house."
"Are you sure?" her eyes widened in mock-innocence.
"Yeah, think of it as a pick-me-up," he smiled, picking up her salted napkin.
"Oh, well in that case, could I have some of the house red?"
"Of course," he grabbed a wine glass and searched the back counter for the right bottle. "Here you go," he said, pouring out a generous measure and handing it to her.
"Thank you so much," she said, taking a sip and glancing at him from under her eyelashes.
Another customer snapped his fingers to get the bartender's attention, and he wandered off with an apology.
Mulder turned around, a bemused look on his face. "Guy's a dud, huh?"
"A total dud," she said, and took a long sip to hide her smile.
"And I thought this date was going so well!"
"So it is a date, then?"
Their eyes locked and it seemed for all the world as though someone had turned down the music as Mulder reached up a hand to her cheek and leaned in closer, his lips greeting hers in a cautious kiss that lit her nerve endings on fire.
"Does that answer your question?"
Free wine abandoned on the counter, she pulled him back to her by the lapels of his jacket and returned the kiss with a curious one of her own. "Yes."
She felt elated – and not just because this was her fourth glass of the evening. The gentle contact of his hands on her waist sent a shiver across her skin and she sighed lightly when he drew back, watching as he turned to smile at someone behind the counter.
"You work fast," the bar tender from earlier commented. "This the missing dud or someone new?"
"Someone new," Scully said, heat searing across her cheeks as she adjusted herself back onto the stool properly.
Mulder chuckled beside her. "Well, I should hope I'm not the dud."
The bar tender smiled. "You know, there's booths upstairs if you want some place a bit quieter than here."
"Booth, Scully?" Mulder asked, offering his hand.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Do I get a say in this?"
The grin she got from him in reply was all she needed to know. She picked up her glass before the bartender could change his mind and they made their way through the crowd, their steps out of time to the dance track that pounded through the very air of the room. Hundreds of colognes, perfumes and alcohol mingled, the scents adding to Scully's already light-headed feeling and she tightened her grip on Mulder's hand as they dodged the care-free waving arms of the dancing crowd. The sound of the party fizzled out as they slipped through the archway labelled 'The Lounge', falling into step with each other as they ascended the stairs.
A loud bang sent a shudder through the stairwell as the door to the lounge crashed into the wall at the top of the flight. A well muscled man pushed a woman back toward the wall, pinning her beneath him as she attempted to writhe away from him.
"She doesn't look happy," Scully commented as Mulder halted her before they walked into the couple.
"She doesn't," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Hey, you want to back off that lady a little there?" he tapped the man on the shoulder, soliciting an annoyed grunt.
"Fuck off!" the man growled, continuing his ministrations.
"It's okay," the woman added. "I can handle this."
Mulder bristled, his need to defend clashing with the 'I'm not a damsel in distress' look the woman fixed him with. "If you're sure…"
"I am."
Mulder shrugged, frowning as he pushed open the doors to the upstairs bar. Scully felt bad about leaving the woman in a potentially harmful situation, but if she was okay with it then they would have to be too.
It was considerably less crowded here, a fraction of the people downstairs shuffled on the dance floor and booths lined the perimeter of the room. "Want to test your bar lie skills again?" Mulder asked as they approached the counter, smiling when Scully raised her eyebrows.
"I haven't seen your bar lie skills in action this evening, Mulder," she said, leaning against the bar and fixing him with her best challenging look.
"Well, I thought your beginner's luck might have worn off on the journey up here."
"Uh huh."
He grinned sheepishly as he leaned on the bar, a crisp note appearing in his hand as if by magic. Eventually he caught the attention of a young woman, who moved gracefully down the counter toward them.
"Hey," she greeted, nodding to both of them. "What can I get for you?"
"What were you drinking again?" he asked Scully.
"House wine," she said, swilling the liquid left in her glass. "But I have this to finish yet."
"You can have two, I'm not judging," he waggled his eyebrows at her before turning back to the counter. "I'll have a house wine and a beer."
"Coming right up," the bar tender said, turning away from them to make their drinks.
"Watch the master, huh?" Scully teased, beaming when Mulder frowned at her.
"I'm working on it, you can't rush these things," he smiled as the bartender placed another wine glass in front of Scully before turning away again to locate his beer.
She let her hand come to rest on his arm, a gleeful smile in place. "I'm not as well-versed in this game as you, Mulder, but that looked an awful lot like you placed a regular order to me."
"Just you watch," he replied, turning to wink at her.
"Anything else for you?" the bartender asked, not looking up as she removed the lid from his beer.
"Uh, no, that's it thanks."
"That'll be seven dollars then please."
Scully sniggered, unable to help herself as she saw a look on his face that told her his big ol'brain was working furiously to try and find a line that would save him from losing at his own game. His ego would never stand for it.
"So how's your night been?" he asked as he handed over the money.
"Alright, so far." she replied, placing the note in the till and getting his change for him. "Yours?" she asked absent-mindedly, smiling at Scully.
"Yeah, we're just unwinding," he said as he fished his wallet out of his pocket to put the change away. "It's been a very long week, hasn't it?"
"A very long week." Scully said, taking a sip of her original wine.
The woman checked the bar for any new customers before speaking again. "Where do you work then?"
"We're with the Bureau," Mulder said with an air of nonchalance that made Scully nearly choke on her drink.
"Oh really?" the woman replied, grabbing a cloth and wiping down the bar. "So it was a busy week hunting down wanted criminals then?"
"Try aliens."
The bar tender raised an eyebrow, studying Mulder and Scully in turn to check for any signs he was joking. "You're kidding me?" she said.
"No, we actually try to solve the cases that no one else can explain," Mulder elaborated.
The bar tender gave Scully a pitiful look. "You let me know when you need a refill honey, something tells me you're in for a long night." she said before wandering back down to the other end of the bar.
Mulder grimaced as Scully burst out laughing. "Don't say it," he said, holding an index finger up in warning.
"Well, you got me another drink anyway," she smiled, raising her glass for him to toast with his bottle. "Cheers!"
"I know what you're thinking Scully," he started, signature Mulder-mischief grin back in place. "But that usually works."
"It wasn't even a lie," she laughed as he slipped his arm around her waist, steering them toward a booth away from the bar. "Surely telling a 'bar lie' by definition would involve a lie?"
"That one usually works," he protested. "It usually gets laughed off and they offer me a drink."
"Except she laughed it off and offered me a drink instead."
"It must be a pity thing, she must think you're out on a date with the local fool."
"Poor thing," Scully said, cupping his cheek in her hand when she placed the wine glasses safely on their table. "You seem to get that reception wherever you go."
He rolled his eyes as she slipped into the booth before him, shuffling close to her when he sat down. "Way to kick a man when he's down," he said, letting his hand rest on her knee.
"You know you're my fool though, right?" she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I assumed as much," he replied, resting his head against hers after leaving a kiss on her forehead.
She took in a breath of a scent that was distinctly him and closed her eyes, a serene quietness settling over them despite the volume of the bar. She was vaguely aware that this was still very much uncharted territory for them, but it felt so right – it felt even better than she ever imagined it would. Any casual encounters they'd shared before were beginning to pale in comparison and she was trying her best to silence the thought that told her that any moment now consciousness would begin to creep in and she'd roll over and find herself alone in her bed.
He took a swig of his drink, his voice pulling her from her thoughts. "This isn't actually a bad bar when you ignore the fact it's a potential succubus haunt," he said lightly, grinning when Scully fixed him with a raised eyebrow.
"The staff are certainly very nice," she said, pointing to her drinks and smiling when he shook his head.
"So, what do you want to do next?" he asked when she drained the last of the wine from her free glass.
"Good question," she started, rather enjoying just sitting in the booth making small talk with him. "What other tricks have you got up your sleeve for me?"
He laughed, his shoulder rubbing against hers. "Depends on how open you are to some of my, uh, more intimate suggestions." he moved his hand a fraction further up her leg.
"More intimate than our own little booth, huh?" she asked, resting her hand on top of his. "What exactly do you have in mind, Mulder?"
He was silent for a moment as he studied her face, Scully spying an uncertainty in his gaze that she finally recognised as the same nervousness she'd also been grappling with. Mulder was holding back on her in case he pushed things too far. She knew he had feelings for her – he'd tried to confess those on several occasions – but she'd never allowed herself to fully believe it, choosing instead to put his words down to the circumstances preceding them. A pang of sadness echoed through her at the thought of Mulder ever believing she didn't want him, it was so far from the truth.
He was all she'd wanted for a long time now, and she'd be damned if they lost the progress they'd made this evening.
"Well, I was thinking maybe we could dance, you could get that second free drink and when you're ready we can go back to my place?"
"Oh yeah? And what would we do there?" she asked, wanting to hear him say it.
"Well," Mulder said, a slow smile curling his lips. "We could have more drinks, if it's not too late we could watch a movie, and then…" he trailed off, raising an eyebrow.
"Then..?" she prompted.
"I want you to stay the night."
Her heart fluttered as she looked at him, the hopefulness tangible in the air between them as he waited on her reply. A smile tickled at the corners of her lips as she processed his suggestion, raising her hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into her touch, watching her from under his eyelashes as she sat up straight and kissed him, lips lingering as she revelled in the sheer delight that simple action brought her.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked against his mouth, pleasure beginning to coil in her as his fingers traced motifs on the small of her back.
"Well, I'd rather you gave me a straight 'yes' or 'no'," he grinned as their lips met again. "In that preventable sexual harassment lecture they made me attend a few weeks ago, they were very hot on cons-"
"Mulder, shut up." she instructed, running her tongue along his lip. He opened his mouth without hesitation, gently capturing her lower lip between his teeth before drawing back.
"Just checking – that roughly translates as a…?"
"Yes, Mulder. I'd love to." she rolled her eyes, sealing the deal with another kiss.
They sipped their drinks and laughed and joked as the DJ worked his way through his playlist, Mulder eagerly pulling Scully up and out of their booth when the opening notes of Cher's Walking in Memphis sounded across the speakers. "I seem to remember you enjoyed this the last time we danced to it," he beamed at her as he took her hand in his, the other snaking round her waist and pulling her close.
She smiled as they swayed in time to the music, rolling her eyes as he spun her around and pulled her back into his swaying embrace in time for the chorus to start up again. "I did enjoy it," she told him, laughing as he started to mime along with the song. They had almost free reign of the dance floor here, the other patrons gliding about with them instead of into them. The people that moved around them were nothing but blurs out of the corner of her eye, her undivided attention on Mulder as he guided her around the dance floor. It was almost as though she was seeing him for the first time – and in many ways she was. The easy smile that shaped his lips and the warmth in his eyes as the closing bars of the song rang out told her a similar thought must have been running though his mind too.
The quietness between them was disturbed when Two Princes by Spin Doctors came on, Mulder's face lighting up as he sped up their slow dance to something more lively.
They danced their way through a dozen or so songs, only stopping when the final notes of a particularly cheesy ballad faded and the next tune began. Mulder pulled her close, slowly waltzing them in a circle. "Do you still want to collect that free drink or do you want to head back to mine?" he asked, slightly breathless as he rested his forehead against hers, eyes flashing mischievously in the disco lights.
Scully smiled, knowing the answer he was hoping to hear. "Let's hail a cab," she said, unable to stop the smile as he squeezed her tight and tucked her neatly under his shoulder, steering them back toward the stairs. The woman they'd tried to help earlier with the pushy gentleman friend was nowhere to be seen now, and Scully hoped that meant she'd managed to enjoy her night sans-aggressive partner.
They were instantly hit by the refreshing coolness of the night time breeze as they stepped outside, walking in step with one another and out of time with the crescendo of songs that permeated from the bars that lined the street. A line of taxis milled around the approach to the crossroads, their drivers stood chatting beside their vehicles.
"Could we get a cab to Hegal Place, Alexandria, please?" Mulder asked as they drew closer to the cabbies.
"Yeah, 'course," one of them replied, pointing at his car. "Hop in that one there, I'll be with you in a second."
"Thank you." Mulder said, opening the back door of the taxi and holding it open for Scully to get in. "After you," he pretended to bow.
"Why, thank you Mulder," she replied, smoothing her dress and getting in.
They settled into the back seat in the cab, shielded from the wind and noise of the outside world. For a moment, time stopped, and they were lost in their own thoughts, swirling around the same feeling of euphoric disbelief.
"Alexandria, someplace, right?" the cabbie asked, sliding into the driver's seat and bringing the engine to life.
"That's the one," Mulder replied, glancing across as the streetlights illuminated the planes of Scully's face.
Scully's attention was elsewhere as the cab glided away from the curb. She couldn't be certain in the darkness, but she was fairly sure she could see the burly man from the stairwell sprawled out in front of the bins. She shook her head, very briefly allowing herself to contemplate the fact it might be related to the case-with-no-leads they'd been chasing all week. No, she thought, turning her attention back to Mulder. There's no way.