I know you've all gotten pretty used to a frequent update schedule. But, tomorrow I start back up with a full time job and two part-time jobs. So, updates will come less frequently. I won't abandon this story but feel free to drop in and say "hey" either on my tumblr as kathybopeep or twitter as kathysuxx and politely remind me to get my butt in gear ;)
"Dana!"
Scully stopped in her tracks, her fingers mere inches from the "Down" button on the elevator. Detective Rizzoli appeared beside her, looking somber. Scully noticed that along with an aura of sadness, the Detective was wringing her hands - a habit that Scully noticed she did frequently.
"Yes, Detective Rizzoli?"
"How many times do I gotta tell you? Just Jane is fine. I'm not trying to strike the fear of God into you like a recruit."
"Alright." Scully smirked and motioned vaguely towards the basement, "Going down?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind, I'd rather hang down in the morgue today."
Scully nodded and hit the button. They both stood in silence and walked into the car once the doors had opened. She'd only just gotten to the morgue, thanks to traffic. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rizzoli watching her. Not in a sexual way, in the way Mulder would scan people for their behaviors and body language.
It was nice; to be seen, to be observed. Scully used to despise attention for any , once Mulder had become engulfed in his mind he rarely looked or spoke to her. Even after he'd gotten past his trauma, the looks of adoration were simply replaced with conversational eye contact. Nothing more, nothing less. Had he fallen out of love with her; or was she simply not worth the effort? Either way, the attention right now was nice.
"So, what brings you down to the morgue today, Detective?"
"Dead people, usually," Rizzoli deadpanned.
A small laugh escaped Scully, easing the tension between her and the Detective.
Rizzoli motioned towards the morgue,"C'mon , I'll tell you in there."
Scully nodded swiped her badge and let them both in. It was pretty quiet today, thankfully. The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve was always slow, as opposed to the common Holiday homicide myth. Everyone was either rushing to meet a deadline or procrastinating until the next year. Scully had let all the assistants take off to save on budget and so she could have some time to think. After years of teaching and being around hundreds of people in a day at the hospital, Scully rarely got downtime - especially being the only M.E. in the area. They had plans to acquire more, but nothing would happen until after New Years.
"I don't like the holidays," Jane paced slowly around the darkened morgue, swinging her feel childlike. "Christmas to be more exact. I hate Christmas. The Holidays they...they just don't have the same appeal as they used to."
"From working homicide?" Scully guessed. The holidays had always been a sore spot ever since Emily but that was not a story she wanted to volunteer today - as if any sane person would believe it anyway. It was normal for someone who saw death daily to be sensitive to times of cheer.
"Not really," a deep sigh punctuated Jane's lament. "I-uh, my fiance left me a few months ago and Christmas was her favorite holiday. I'm not doing so well 'celebrating' alone. In fact, I fucking suck at it."
Dana's arms dropped from across her chest to grab Jane's hands. They stood there for a moment, gathering their bearings. A sudden pang of Deja Vu flashed through her.
Different person, different basement.
"My husband left me. Last week. It's why I was gone." Scully explained although she knew the Detective was smart enough to make the connection. She peered up and saw Rizzoli's brown eyes starting to water. The cracking of the tough Bostonian's exterior was enough to make Scully swallow a sob.
No. She could not handle this right now. She was not allowed to break at work. Dana Scully did not cry at work. She could count the number of times she'd broken down on the job on just one hand. The last time had been when she'd instructed her residents at Quantico how to acquire forensics from an infant and before that when she'd visited Mulder in the Military prison after giving Wiliam up for adoption.
"I'm sorry, Dana. I didn't mean to unload onto you. I just- I don't really have anyone here to talk to. My partner died last year and the only two guys up there are my brother and Korsak, who is more like my father than a Sergeant."
Jane wiped under her eyes and sniffed back any other emotion. "Also if they saw me cry, I'd have tampons in every one of my desk drawers until I hit menopause."
"Well," Scully started, her voice thick, "I'm not quite in the right place to discuss my situation in the open, but I appreciate you confiding in me. I feel like I walked into Boston without introducing myself or making friends. That's my fault. I was, actually I still am trying to work on that. I apologize if I've been impersonal or crass this past year. I'm not sure why, but it's also a small fraction of the reason my husband left. I have a hard time opening up to anyone, and the only person who knew me completely disappeared in the wind."
Jane moved her hands away and Scully gasped at the scars she felt as the Detective's palms slide out of hers. What kind of scarring was that?
Rizzoli shook her head, brown curls bouncing erratically. Dana understood, that also was not a story for today. She felt better knowing that she was not the only one who did not share her pain in bulk.
"So, since traffic kept me busy for most of this afternoon, can you tell me who I'm looking at?" Scully cleared her throat and walked towards the sink. "You said it's pretty open and shut." she looked over her shoulder.
"Well, his I.D. and credit cards were in his wallet, and the gallery owner said that there had been a fight between patrons a few hours prior. I have my brother canvassing the area. Thankfully the snow hasn't melted so maybe we can get something off the alley." Jane looked at her phone, reading off her notes. "We're running him through the system. It's pretty obvious that he died from a stab wound. But, we have no murder weapon or motive really. The owner just wanted us to clean up and get out of there in time for their opening tonight."
"Okay. Are you sticking around for the autopsy or should I just call you when I'm finished?"
Jane looked at the clock. "Dana it's almost five, you're almost done for the day. I think he can wait until tomorrow."
Scully stopped washing her hands and pondered the Detective's words for a minute. Not much was going to happen between tonight and tomorrow. They already knew the COD and the crew was working on the details. It was strange to be able to work without the sense of urgency. Well, obviously a murder is better solved sooner than later, but cutting open a body and not knowing what to find and worrying if the FBI is going to pull the rug out from under them was different than stopping to work for the day. She nodded slowly.
"So, Jane, " Scully tried out the first name thing. It came pretty easily. "What kind of art is the gallery exhibiting?"
"Something anti-Capitalism, I think. That's totally not my element, why?" Jane raised a brow.
"We seem to have more in common than I originally thought. Would you like to go take a look at the opening?" Scully inhaled, she was not good at asking people to do things. Blame that one on codependency and the whole 'being federal outlaws' for a decade. Mulder usually knew what she wanted before she did.
"Uh no," Jane laughed and saw Dana's face fall a little, "But there's a good bar around the corner with fried pickles so good you'll cry when they're gone. Game for that?"
Scully's face perked back up after she realized that she had not been rejected. Dana Scully, the cold-as-night Medical Examiner, had made a friend.
"I'll grab my coat. Text me the address? Give me an hour?"
Jane nodded and waved as she opened the morgue door and left. Scully watched her leave and felt a little happiness permeate the blanket of grief she'd been carrying around. Maybe some time out will help her heal faster. It wasn't much, but she had broken out of her sorrowful shell and interacted with someone, someone who didn't look for messages in newspaper classifieds.
She loved Fox Mulder, with all of her heart and she knew he loved her too. But, right now she needed to be the Dana Scully that she loved. She had spent too long doing what others wanted of her. Time and age had shown her many times just how precious life was. So, she decided to get well mentally and physically - she owed it to herself.
