Scully waited outside of the little souvenir shop in Tennessee as Mulder questioned the owner. It was overly hot inside, though outside did not seem much better. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck and she lifted it to allow a breeze to reach it, closing her eyes as she hummed out a breath.
"Thanks again," Mulder said and she opened her eyes to see him coming down the squeaky wooden stairs. He grinned at her and she frowned. How could he be so chipper in this weather?
"Come on," he said. "She said there have been sightings not far from here."
With a groan, she got into the car, the air conditioner blasting out heat before it began to cool down. Sighing with relief, she held her hair up again, moving her head from side to side.
"Here," Mulder said and she glanced at him. He held out his hand with his fist closed, a small smile on his lips.
"What is it?" she asked with some trepidation.
He chuckled and opened his fist to reveal a small, rough cut rock in multi colors of blue.
"Oh, not what I was expecting," she said, letting her hair fall as she took the rock from him. "Why?"
"It reminded me of you."
"A rock? A rock reminded you of me? I'm flattered." She gave him a look and he laughed softly.
"The color of the rock reminded me of you. I should have specified," he said with a smile. "It's the color of your eyes."
"Oh," she said, taken aback as she stared at the rock.
"Anyone could say your eyes are blue, but sometimes they're this color," he said, pointing to the lighter color. "And then sometimes… they're like this." He pointed to the darker color and hummed softly. "They aren't just blue. Not ever."
She ran her thumb over the surface of the rock and exhaled through her nose.
"Thank you," she whispered and he hummed. Glancing at him, he smiled with a shrug and a smile.
"So," he said, putting the car in reverse. "Let's go find that monster. We're not far off."
She laughed as he backed up, sliding the rock into her blazer pocket. He glanced at her again and she covered his hand on the gear shift, squeezing once and letting go. He nodded and they began to drive away, the rock turning over and over in her fingers.