A pink, orange, and subtle blue hue of dawn greeted me, as I had awakened before my alarm clock had gone off.
The gentle glow of the sun overcame the moon beyond me, and the light from the window gave the room a nice and comforting atmosphere. There was something so magical about awaiting the sunrise. The light slowly but surely flooded into the room to signify the dawn of a new beginning...
I did not rush out of bed and into the shower as I usually would; instead I simply lay there...and took a moment to intoxicate myself with the beauty of it all.
As of recent, I was loving new beginnings.
The thrill of change.
The excitement of possibility.
It was all so invigorating.
I stood outside of the office, checking once more to be sure that I had brought all of the information given to me from Mr. Grossman. I awaited the secret rush I would get from placing it on Mulder's desk, to show him physical proof of the success of the evening that he had never intended on going through with.
Success, also, for reasons other than having acquired the packet of information, but that would be left out. For now, at least. Some day I wished to tell Mulder what really happened on the night I dipped myself back into the (strictly business) dating world. I hoped that some day we would get there.
But, as I warned myself last night, I would take each step one day at a time.
When I opened the door, I saw Mulder grinning at me from his desk.
"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you walk through that door again. You know, with you going on a date with someone who might not be fully stable, and all. I mean, hearing your voice on the phone was enough, but to see you in the flesh is something all together more special," he said.
I shook my head, and suppressed a smile, before I pulled out the folder with the information he had requested.
"Are you not the least bit concerned about this?" I asked, waving it around. He immediately focused, taking the papers from me, and I sat down. He ran his fingers through the pages doing a quick overview, but I had not actually read them. For one, I still was not quite sure what Mulder had been looking for, and assumed it was a more of a personal quest for the X-Files, than an actual case. Sometimes, he baffled me.
I frowned at him as he glanced up at me and shoved the papers aside.
"Yeah yeah, UFO conspiracy. But something much more unusual went on last night with you and Scully, and I gotta hear all about it," he said, curiosity overflowing his body.
"Mulder...you're choosing to discuss me over conspiracy? You sure know how to make a girl feel special," I said, eyebrow raised.
"I would choose you over everything. But you have to give me details on your evening, I'm dying here," he begged, on edge. I found myself more than a little hung up at the first part of his statement. I did not want to overthink everything. But, despite this, I was still overjoyed.
"Yes, but only the details that I am willing to share," I said, and I wished to work up a response from him.
"But... you said you'd tell me everything, Scully... you promised!" he whined softly like a child, intensity in his eyes. I chuckled.
"We went out to dinner, and we chatted. Typical first date type things, I suppose. Only he chose to meet me in an alley, and we did not initially hit it off from the beginning, although we luckily overcame that. He was controlling, it was like he expected me to do what he told me to do. Like I said, we got over that for the most part...but what I have to say next is a little over the top-"
"-He met you... in an alley?" he cut me off, brow furrowed. I took a deep breath and glared at him, as being interrupted annoyed me beyond belief. He caught his mistake and snickered.
"That face, Scully... you give me that look like if I were anyone else in the world you'd just take my head off," he mused.
"I might have to take your head off if you don't let me finish," I grumbled, fully serious.
"I know you think it's threatening, but to be honest it's just adorable. Anyway, please continue where you left off," he suggested, and blew his own flattery off immediately.
Did he call me adorable? I pretended for the moment that my heart had not stopped beating, and resumed.
"As I was saying, the next thing I have to mention is something that I'm not entirely sure of, but it's something that he claimed was true. He said that he could read minds," I said casually, awaiting his response.
"Well, there are documented cases laying around despite all the phonies. I mean hell, Gibson could do it for sure, you witnessed that first hand. Are you saying you don't think Mr. Grossman could read your mind?"
"I don't know what I think," I said in defeat after a long pause. Mulder perked up.
"He must have been pretty impressive to produce the reaction you just showed me," he replied, smile on his face.
"Mulder I don't believe as easily as you do, but I must admit he was quite impressive," I said. He drew back in mock surprise.
"He impressed you. Scully, are you smitten? Because that does not seem very professional at all," he suggested.
"Since when have you and I been professional?" I asked. I could see that he was thinking it over carefully.
"I never have been. Back in the day you were strictly by the book, but eventually my influence got to you. Now you're just slightly professional," he said, a clever gleam in his eye.
"I've been corrupted to my core," I said matter-of-factly.
"I could drive it deeper," he said with full confidence, and nodded his head in response to his own statement.
"Would you want to?" I asked. This was playful banter, of course, but I was without a doubt alluding to more. Mulder seemed pleased by this, and shocked at the same time.
This moment was golden.
Here it was. Do or die time.
"Of course. There's still so much we've yet to do..." He said.
"I think we've done quite a lot," I said, which was not a lie. Well, not completely.
"And are you satisfied with that?" He asked boldly.
I realized that he and I were leaning into each other. I could smell him from where I was, that deep, musky scent from his cologne that followed me around everywhere, even when he was not around. The scent I cherished...
"I'm hard to please. Are you satisfied?" I asked.
"I could please you," he said, and absolutely disregarded my question.
"I never said that you couldn't," I murmured, with a devious smile teased at the corners of my lips.
This was not that bad for a first try. I felt as if he and I were having a magnificent first go at this. For my standards, at least. He leaned into me more, never breaking eye contact, before he moved his lips next to my ear.
"Good. I would hate to prove you wrong, Scully, I know how much you like to be the intellectual," he whispered, and I could feel the heat from his mouth tease the side of my ear. I will not deny that I moved my head just enough to brush the side of his face with mine as he slowly pulled away.
There was an expression on Mulder's face that I have never seen before. His eyes were dark, and his lips curled into a subtle smile. It was...hungry. There was heat in this moment, and a heat that he had not expected (although I'm not quite so sure I expected it either).
We sat like that for a few moments, before I swallowed hard. After we gazed at each otehr for a few moments in silence, we resumed our work as if nothing had happened.
But, he and I knew differently.
We were in this together. Oh yes, yes indeed. An unspoken promise had been signed, sealed, and waited to be delivered.
I do not know if we will ever get to where I want us to be, but the fact is, for the first time, there is pure possibility.