The first time Scully fell asleep with Mulder, she was extremely embarrassed. They had been sitting on her couch, hardly knowing one another really, and she fell asleep as they were going over a case. He brought over Chinese food, a thick file, and wore a sheepish grin. They ate at the table, but eventually moved to the couch after the meal.
Pages upon pages were pored over and Mulder began discussing other cases he read that held relevance to this particular one. They had been out of town recently and her sleep pattern was very out of sync, so his words began to lull her to sleep.
She woke up an hour later, sitting up straighter to find him still sitting on the couch, looking at the file, his glasses on.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. I think you drooled on me," he said with a huge grin. She cleared her throat and brushed her hair from her eyes before getting up and walking into the kitchen.
Her cheeks were flaming as she cleaned up the mess from their meal. She did not fall asleep in front of people like that, but something about him made her feel comfortable enough to do it. She just hoped he was not upset or thought less of her.
"You want the rest of that chow mein? Or is it up for grabs?" he asked with a smile, coming over to the table. "I'll just eat it out of the carton, if you don't want to keep it." She looked at him, waiting for some crack about her falling asleep, but he just smiled.
Smiling back, she handed him the carton as he picked up his used fork and started shoveling it into his mouth, while she rolled her eyes. He was thin and in good shape, but his eating habits always amazed her.
Last week, they ate at the buffet the hotel provided and he had at least three full plates of food. When they left, he looked at her, nodding toward the ice cream shop across the way. They walked over and he got a triple scoop in a cup, with hot fudge and whipped cream. She got one single scoop of chocolate and marveled again as he ate it, where he put it all, and how he was not affected by heartburn or an upset stomach. That is, until he knocked on her door at midnight asking if she had any antacids.
"Sorry about falling asleep earlier," she said quietly, as she watched him eat the remaining chow mein. "I don't usually do that, especially if I'm working. I don't want you to think …"
"No need to apologize. I know sometimes I can drone on and on," he said with a smile, as he slurped up the noodles. "Plus we've been out of town … I understand." He shrugged as he finished up the food, stood up and put his fork in the sink.
He walked over to the coffee table and gathered all the case files. He put his glasses in his coat pocket along with his keys. Turning around, he smiled at her and headed for the door. She followed him, ready to lock it when he left.
"See you tomorrow, Sleeping Beauty," he teased and she laughed softly. "Stay away from any spindles you might see, or I'll have to do this paperwork on my own." She laughed again and he opened the door and stepped out. Waving as he rounded the corner, she waved back before closing the door.
Leaning against it for a few seconds, she smiled as she shook her head. He was stubborn and driven, but he had a funny sense of humor and he looked good in those glasses, though she would deny it if asked. Locking the door, she stepped away, turning off the lights as she headed to bed, a smile unwilling to leave her face.
Plane rides were always a problem. Well, not so much the plane ride as the turbulence. Sometimes when they hit an exceptionally bumpy patch, Scully would lose her stomach for a minute. Boats, ocean waves, that she could handle, but sudden drops while high in the sky, took her breath away and wreaked havoc on her equilibrium.
She started to carry motion sickness pills and take one before getting on a flight. It helped, but also made her tired for a little while. When she was, the only way to feel better was for her to take a nap. It might be an hour, or longer, but she would need to sleep to get past the drowsiness.
Sometimes, though, they needed to discuss the case, especially if they had not had a chance the day before. Should she take the motion sickness medication, that would be off the table. However, if she did not, she would feel nauseated once they landed. It was a toss up over which was the best idea.
On one such trip out to a case, she did take the medication. The night before, she was at her mom's house and her brother had been visiting. They got into a fight, him telling her that the job she had was far too dangerous and she needed to find something safer. She told him to keep his damn opinions to himself, unless he could offer up anything positive to say.
Before it got too much further, her mother stepped in, telling then both to stop. They had, though barely, remaining outwardly civil to each other. Still raging at him on the inside, Scully left an hour later and drank half a bottle of wine when she arrived at home. Needless to say, the seven a.m. alarm was not welcome when it began to beep.
Head aching and knowing it would most likely be a bad flight, she took the motion sickness medication, as they waited to board. Sitting down by the window, she sighed with relief as she closed her eyes and the shade, and leaned her head against the dark window. Mulder situated himself beside her with a sigh of his own, the file most likely on his lap.
They were heading out to California, with a two hour layover in St. Louis along the way. Mulder kept quiet during takeoff, but once they were able to put down their tray tables, he did so, causing Scully to open her eyes and turn his way.
"Jack Turner claims that his teenage son, Stephen, is under satanic influence. Says he is acting differently: up at odd hours, eating strange foods, sitting and staring at nothing, then screaming for no reason. He thinks he may be involved with some kids in town who call themselves The Reckoning," Mulder said, handing her a photo which she took and studied, her eyes beginning to feel heavy.
"Is it too much to assume that Stephen is simply taking some kind of mind altering drugs? Causing him to behave erratically?" she said, her words slurred even to her own ears.
"It's possible. However, he's not a kid who has been into drugs in the past. This group he's been seen with, however, they have been known to cause trouble. Small things like knocking down mailboxes, to bigger things like breaking car windows, or animals being found killed and skinned," he said, handing her another picture and she grimaced at the image she saw.
"I understand the killing of animals can be a sign of satanic rituals, but it could also simply be kids being awful and doing terrible things, with nothing to do with Satan," she said, her eyes closing as she handed him back the picture. "Mulder, I need to sleep for a little bit. Let's talk about this during the layover, okay?"
"Okay, Scully," he said, with a soft chuckle, as she turned her head and leaned against the window. She was already half asleep, with even her fingers feeling heavy.
She opened her eyes after an undetermined amount of time, to find her head on Mulder's shoulder, with his head resting on hers. She could hear him breathing steadily, suggesting that he too had fallen asleep. He rarely fell asleep on short flights, but maybe he had a long night like she had.
Either way, she was not fussed. Closing her eyes again, she leaned into him more. She breathed in his Mulder scent, and tried to fall back to sleep, relishing the closeness and comfort he provided.
They were on a stakeout, one in which they were required to stay overnight in some rundown building, watching the street below. Relief was coming in the morning, to allow them to head back to their motel, to shower and sleep, before heading back to switch.
Scully had come down with a cold which was making her sneeze and blow her nose constantly. She felt miserable and ached all over, wanting nothing more than to lay down in that sleazy motel room with the lumpy mattress and pass out, but they had four hours to go.
"Scully, you look awful," Mulder said to her, as she blew her nose yet again. "Let me call it in and they'll send someone over to take your place for the next few hours. Or go try to rest. That overstuffed chair isn't too big, but it's better than trying to find any comfort; sitting in these damn folding ones."
She shook her head and blew her nose again. "I'm find, Mulder. Stob, I'm find," her stuffy nose causing her words to sound off. Rolling her neck and then rubbing at it she blew her nose again and heard him chuckle.
"I don't think you're as "find" as you think you are, Scully," he said, before putting his hand on her neck and gently massaging it, causing her to moan. "Five minutes, and then you lay down, deal?"
"Find," she mumbled, as she dropped her head, making him laugh again. He rubbed her neck, upper back, and shoulders. She moaned repeatedly and when he was done, she got up and sat in the chair, as promised.
"Here," he said quietly, causing her to open her eyes as he set the tissues down beside her.
"Thank you," she said, breathing heavily out of her mouth, her nose both stuffy and leaking simultaneously. He handed her a tissue and she wiped at it as he walked back to his post. Blowing her nose once more, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"Scully. Scully, wake up," she heard Mulder saying and she fought to open her eyes. With a hum, she started to doze off, when she heard his voice once more. "Scully, you need to wake up, they'll be here soon. Come on. Scuuuuuuullyyyy."
"Okay, I'm ub," she said, opening her eyes, and looking at him. He was looking through the binoculars, but glanced at her with a grin when he saw she was awake.
She sat up and his suit jacket slid down as she did. Reaching for the tissues, she smiled at the thought of him covering her as she slept. Six sneezes and four tissues later, she stood up and stretched, laying his jacket on the chair.
"I slept the whole timeb?" she asked, as she sat down beside him, and he nodded. "Ugh, I feel so bad. Not find anymore." She leaned her head back and sighed, breathing hard and groaning.
A knock sounded at the door, and they both turned to find the replacement agents walking inside the room. Scully stood up and she felt Mulder beside her, standing up as well.
"Hey there. You see anything spooky last night?" Asked one of the agents, before they both guffawed and elbowed one another. Scully stared at them, her head pounding, and opened her mouth to say something, but Mulder stopped her with a shake of his head.
He picked up his jacket and put his hand on her back, escorting her out. When they got to the door, she paused as she looked back at the agents. They were still laughing as they took off their jackets and sat down in the seats they just vacated.
Quickly, before she could change her mind, she licked the palms of both of her hands, put them on the inside and outside doorknob and rubbed them all over, making sure her germs would not be missed. Mulder looked at her with wide eyes and stifled a laugh as he walked out behind her.
"Hope they enjoy getting sick," she said with a sneeze, as they walked down the stairs and out the door to their awaiting car. Mulder laughed loudly as they got in and she closed her eyes, already tired from that small exertion.
Mulder drove them to the motel where she took a hot shower, put on her pajamas, fell into bed, and slept for another eight hours. When she woke up, she found cold medicine, crackers, and three bottles of water beside her bed. She took the pills with a smile, ate a few crackers as her stomach rumbled, and drank down one entire bottle of water.
In three days, when Mulder was sick in bed, she brought over chicken noodle soup and crackers to his apartment, quietly laughing when he told her he was "find" as he blew his nose again and sneezed repeatedly.
"Seriously?"
"I'm sorry. I really am," Scully said with a yawn. "It's been a long day."
"Still, falling asleep during Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It's almost sacrilegious," Mulder said, shaking his head. He stood up and took their plates and extra food into the kitchen, and she followed silently behind him.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she kissed him in the middle of his back, then laid her head against it. "I am sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He chuckled and turned around in her arms, his own arms going around her.
"I'm sure we could think of something," he said with a smile, leaning forward to kiss her. He walked her backwards, bumping into the wall on the way to his bedroom. She laughed and broke from their kiss, pulling away from him, and taking off her shirt as she walked through his bedroom door.
Clothes scattered to the floor as heavy breathing and gasps filled the room. He kissed down her body, taking his time to make her toes curl. His name tumbled from her lips over and over as she crested and fell, her fingers buried in his hair, her legs trembling.
Entering her, their flesh becoming one, she wrapped her legs around him, gasping at the pleasure it gave her. The feel of the muscles in his back, his arms, and his legs as he drove them toward ecstasy together, made her heart race. The way he loved her with his body was beautiful and she craved more of his touch even as he was all around her.
"God, Mulder," she cried out, as she dug her fingernails into his upper arms, falling over the edge once more. He breathed her name as he followed her over that edge, and she held him tightly to her.
"I think you falling asleep during every movie night, isn't such a bad thing," he said against her throat, his voice raspy, causing her core to throb. "If it means we end up doing that, I'll have to search my collection and plan which one to watch next." He kissed the hollow of her throat and raised his head, smiling at her.
"Will this be from your collection, or your collection, Mulder?" she asked, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Trust me, Scully, if it was from the collection, you definitely wouldn't have fallen asleep," he said, kissing her neck again, then her breast, his tongue laving her nipple.
"Mmmmulder," she moaned, and he traveled back up to her neck. "I don't need to fall asleep during a movie for it to lead here. If we could work from this bed …" she said with a saucy smile, before his lips captured hers, making her ache. "But, hmmm, maybe we should watch one from the … collection next time, for scientific studies of course." He kissed her again, his tongue slowly stroking hers, as she moved her body against his, needing more from him.
"I'll have to have a look around as I haven't needed them for a while. A beautiful redhead has become a frequent visitor in my thoughts, and recently, in my bed," he whispered against her mouth, and she arched into him, as his fingers danced down her body. She shuddered against him, her sole focus zeroing in on how he seemed to know her so well, so quickly. As though he always knew how she would like to be touched.
It was a while before either of them fell asleep that night, the need to explore, taste, and touch, far to overwhelming.
The warm wind ruffled her hair and she opened her eyes, blinking in the sunlight, as she woke from her little cat nap. She looked at Mulder beside her, his fingers running softly up and down Faith's back as she lay sleeping on his chest, and she smiled. His eyes were closed and he wore a smile of his own.
The wind blew again and he opened his eyes and caught her staring at him. His smile grew wider as he searched her face. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. How was your little nap?" She grinned and moved closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder, and a hand on Faith's tiny back.
"It was perfect," she whispered, closing her eyes and snuggling closer. "Just perfect."
He hummed, kissing the top of her head, their hands meeting on the back of their second little miracle, their thumbs interlocking and palms overlapping. The warm spring wind blew again, calm and pleasant, as they both closed their eyes.
The world could move on around them and they would not care. All that mattered was the three of them lying together on the old, soft quilted blanket, in the warm grass outside of their little unremarkable house.