7. Contact
For all of his life, Fox Mulder had wanted to make contact.
Contact with a bigger entity, a foreign species, another kind of intelligence. Contact with the truth.
Contact with other people... not so much.
There's only ever been one human being he truly needed. He could hide forever with her, contently shutting the world out. In hindsight, that might have been part of their problem. Today, however, he wanted it all.
Smiling faces. People talking with full mouths. A hand pouring coffee into his cup.
Human contact.
It was breakfast time, and the old-fashioned diner was buzzing with people. He wanted to absorb their presence and rinse out the Black Mirror-ish nightmare from last night.
Next to him, Scully lolled lazily in her chair, looking as tired as he felt.
Contact – he was craving it.
xxx
What am I even doing here?
Her brain screamed loudly at her hands for picking up the cell phone, but old habits die hard. How many hours had she spent staring into that tiny display which held the knowledge of the world and funny cat videos on top?
Connecting, when in truth every kind of connection left her untouched and lonesome.
Casting a glance at the man beside her, she put her phone down, surprising him and herself by covering his hand with hers.
It was warm and so very familiar.
He gave her a genuine smile, before following her lead and laying the phone aside as well. His thumb brushed her fingers, as if to confirm the connection.
"You wanna get out of here?"
She yawned, covering her mouth with her free hand.
"I'd love to, but my house has blown up."
He grimaced.
"We should probably check on it."
"Serves it right, it tried to kill me."
He chuckled. She yawned once more.
"No, seriously. I think I need to sleep before facing that mess. What about your place."
He wiggled his head.
"You remember that scene from 'The Birds' when Tippi Hedren turns around and the whole playground is full of ravens?"
"I think it's crows."
His mouth curved up into a very private smile.
"You're so much prettier than Google. But that bird scene? That was my living-room last night. Just with cute twinkling drones. Not so cute when they're trying to kill you."
"They're probably gone by now. You're scared?"
"Me? Noooo."
The O of his mouth evolved into a full-fledged pout.
"However..."
"Mulder... hotel?"
She yawned another time, and he joined in.
"Hotel. Come on, let's get some shut-eye."
He didn't let go of her hand, as they stepped out of the diner into the dazzling morning sun.
xxx
The hotel had seen better days, but there was no video surveillance in the lobby and they were allowed to pay cash.
Scully watched Mulder asking for a room, one room as in singular, and didn't even pretend it wasn't what she wanted. Her mind wandered back to her birthday morning and their encounter in her bed. Had it only been twenty-four hours ago?
A pang of sadness rose in her chest, as she thought about her house, her furniture, her keepsakes, but the moment was fleeting, as her eyes turned back to the man in her company.
The outcome could have been worse, way worse.
He chose that moment to tilt his head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Almost done here. They even found toothbrushes for us."
She was beyond tired and could only muster a nod.
Eventually, they got their room. It was old-fashioned and dust grains were dancing in the bright light that shone in through the windows. Averting his eyes, he crossed the space in four big steps, closing the brown curtains. Shutting the world out.
For now, this room was their cocoon, and nothing was allowed to intrude, not even sunlight.
Without bothering to hide, she simply started shedding her clothes, leaving them as a pile on the floor. He watched her, unashamedly, registering her beauty, noticing her bruises.
Traces of getting blown up and shot at.
Closing the distance to her, he carefully touched her side, the familiar milky-white of her skin purplish discolored.
"Are you OK?"
She nodded.
"Nothing but hematomas."
"Good."
"What about you?"
He grunted and, following her lead, pulled his shirt over his head.
"Scully, I'm too old for this shit."
Her gaze roamed over his skin, finding nothing graver than bruises and scratches. Then he was naked in front of her; for there was nowhere to hide and nothing left to pretend.
"Shower or sleep?"
"Sleep, just sleep."
He nodded, taking her small hand into his bigger one once more.
The bed was only queen size, but Mulder and Scully didn't care. Today, they didn't need much space. Under the covers, they found solace and comfort, nothing but skin separating them. Sleep came almost instantly, but even then, he didn't let go of her hand.
Not once.
xxx
The house smelled like bonfire nights, only colder.
A few hours of sleep and a shower had revived her spirits, and it was mid-afternoon, when Scully finally made her way to Bethesda. Mulder had wanted to tag along, but she'd sent him home. This was something she needed to face alone.
She was shivering, as she took in the ruins that used to be her living-room. Not much could be saved here, but fortunately, the fire hadn't spread to the rest of the house. Bedroom, bathroom and kitchen were undamaged – aside from the stench.
Undamaged, she mused, were they really?
She used to feel safe here, but once again, safety had only been an erroneous belief.
Looking around one more time, she shrugged. It was a nice house, but she'd never really loved it. She'd bought it soon after leaving the home she'd shared with Mulder. While she'd never had a rebound guy, she'd taken a rebound house.
Scully was relieved to find most of her personal items intact. The wooden box Mulder had given her was a little scorched, but its precious content was unharmed. She looked at the Polaroid photo, her hair disheveled by the wind, his face full of warmth and devotion. Her birthday card was there as well. She opened it, her eyes tracing his well-known handwriting.
Scully,
you know I suck a cards, but this is from the heart.
Yours,
Mulder
She needed to tell him that he didn't suck at it that much.
Her fingers touched the last item in the box. It was a printout from a video surveillance camera, showing herself talking to her child.
Closing her eyes, Scully took a deep breath, searching in the clouds of her mind for the familiar feeling that indicated her son's presence. She found it soon, as if he'd been waiting for her. William as a baby, his sweet scent, his little mouth on her breast – all those memories that used to hurt her, she summoned them and tried to send them his way; tried to send warmth and love and reassurance.
I'm here, thinking of you.
I'm here, listening.
Be safe...
Her cell chose that moment to interrupt, and she blinked in confusion, as the connection was torn apart.
"Yes?"
"I'm calling you from a drone-free house. And I've already cleaned the mess the raccoons have made."
"Raccoons?"
"The drones didn't close the front door after chasing me out."
She couldn't help smiling.
"They didn't?"
"What about you? How bad is it?"
"Actually, not that bad. But it might take a few weeks until I can move back in. My insurance company can provide me with a temporary apartment."
"What? Uh... I mean... well."
"What is it?"
Even though he wasn't there, Scully could practically see disappointment written all over his face.
"I just assumed you'd come home..."
"Home..."
"Well, not home. But... you know what I mean."
Her voice turned to a whisper.
"Is that what you want, Mulder?"
She could almost hear his heartbeat, for it was beating heavily in his throat.
"Dana... You know what I want."
Inhaling a shuddered breath, she closed her eyes, standing at a crossroads once again, pondering the risks. A lifetime of following him – where had it led her? Where could it possibly lead her now?
"Well, the temporary apartment is quite close to Forowa Sushi, so expect me in half an hour. But, Mulder?"
He was grinning, grinning like a fool.
"Yes?"
"We're going to Ikea."
Still grinning.
"Anything you want."
xxx
I can see them.
He's pushing a shopping cart full of plates, pillows and candles. She's bouncing on a bed.
Is that an Ikea store?
I shake my head, but have to smile nonetheless.
They are strange people.
I can see her often, but I like it most when she's with him.
She always feels warm, but together, they're like sunshine on my skin.
To be continued...
