Okay, here we go:
Chapter two
-------------------------------------------------------------Scully breathed out a contented sigh as she settled down onto
her white and blue striped couch. She was now clad in
comfortable jeans and a sweat shirt. /Hot chocolate, a good
movie and some time for myself...a perfect evening.../
She had really enjoyed leaving Mulder behind in their messed-
up office. Even though the guilt was nagging at her now she
thought that once in five years she was allowed to do
something like that. Not that he would stay there and clean
up anyway...
Also, he had gotten that card for somebody and although she
really didn't want to know who, she wondered how this person
had captured his heart.
/Well, I hope she knows what she's getting into. He sure
isn't easy to cope with./
/Oh, he's okay. You just have to get used to him./
/Oh?/
/Yeah./
/Somebody else is getting used to him. What now?/
/Now...I want to forget about it./
/Well, good luck!/
She shifted into an even more comfortable position and took
another sip of her hot cocoa. /Ahhh, just great! I just want
to forget about Mulder's private life-well... if I were in
it --/
Suddenly interrupting the train of nice thoughts was an
annoying loud knocking on her door. /Who the hell could that
possibly be?/
Refusing to get to her feet just now she called out to the
intruder: "Who is it?" /And it better be someone good.../
"Scully? It's me!" She'd gotten her answer. Someone good
indeed/Mulder. Who else?...no one else./
"Okay, I'm coming! Hold on a sec!" Reluctantly she set the
mug down on the coffee table, pried the blankets away and
headed for the door.
She opened the door with a half amused, half curious look and
was well aware of the fact that Mulder's first sight of her
would be of a Scully with raised eyebrows. /Maybe that'll
show him I want to know what he wants fast so maybe I can get
rid of him soon again./
But when she took in his sight---the tousled hair, the sweaty
shirt, the slumped form as he leaned against her door frame--
she had to smile. /Quite a little far from home for a jog,
don't you think, young man?/
He smiled his lazy, lopsided grin at her and looked
sheepishly away from her gaze to the ground.
"Do you think you could give a glass of water to a poor and
tired beggar? I'd be grateful forever."
"Sure. Come on in." The friendliness in her voice surprised
even her.
/I thought you wanted to get rid of him?/
/Well, a few minutes won't kill me.../
/What if he wants to stay longer?/
/Then he'll stay! Satisfied?/
/Yup!/
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" He'd said it with a
question to it. A hesitant Mulder?... interesting!
"No, no. I was just sort of enjoying some quiet time. But I'm
glad your here. It was kind of boring."
/Ah, and where did that come from?/
/Well, I want him to know he's welcome./
/Oh. And why?/
/SHUT UP! That's definitely my business!/
/Okay/
And surprisingly enough that was the last she heard of the
voice that evening.
Of course they didn't stop at a glass of water. They settled
with having dinner in front of the TV, watching the rented
movie together.
When the credits rolled they were already busy with coming up
with something new to do. The most interesting --and safest--
idea seemed to be watching television. So Mulder who was
closer to the remote started flipping through the channels.
As luck had it, there was a special on alien abductees which
Mulder of course wanted to watch. "Oh, no, you won't, Mulder!
Thanks to you, I have to deal with those wackos over 70 hours
a week and I sure don't want them to occupy my life any more
than they do already."
"Oh, come on, Scully, I wanted to watch it. I had just
forgotten about it. So now I can watch it here. Good thing I
didn't miss it."
"Well, too bad you came over, because this is my TV and I
want to watch something else."
"Well, then I guess, you'll have to get the remote back
from me---"
He didn't have time to complete his sentence because Scully
was already grabbing for the remote. She was balancing on her
knees on the couch facing him and reaching for it. He yanked
his arm up just in time so she couldn't quite reach the
object in discussion.
She was short. She knew it. But she wouldn't give in. Not to
him. "Give...it ... back... to ...me... NOW!" She
punctuated each word with the effort to reach the remote. By
now she was leaning on his shoulder with one hand, reaching
up with the other and kind of bouncing up and down to get to
his right hand.
Because he was leaning back so far and Scully was bouncing
and pushing him so much, Mulder lost his footage---um, knee-
age---they both fell back, she on top of him. He tried to
stretch his arm even further away. He wasn't about to let her
win. Now they were really wrestling because of the piece of
plastic.
"Hey, Scully...I think...you have to grow ... a little
more ... if you wanna beat me..." Mulder got out between
chuckling.
"Oh, yeah? ...See this?" Scully answered and pulled herself
along Mulder's body so her face was almost on the same height
as his and now she was covering most of his body. All the
while she tried to get to the remote control again. /Ahh,
getting closer!.../
Mulder was so surprised to feel her like that, that the
remote fell out of his numb fingers all together and it hit
the floor with a loud "thump".
Scully looked at him with her right eyebrow raised as if to
say /all your fault/ and he answered her with his best
wounded-puppy look. A smile crept in to both faces and Mulder
joked, "Who has to get up and get it?"
They looked at each other and had to laugh at their childish
behavior. It was nice to just play around with the other.
Noticing their position Mulder laughed even louder and said,
"Oh man, Frohike would have loved being in my situation."
Scully stopped giggling at once and stared, frowned, then
glared at him and finally pulled away. Mulder recognized his
mistake and wanted to apologize when suddenly the telephone
rung. Scully sighing loudly got up and picked up her phone.
"Scully."
"Well, hello, lovely Agent Scully, I was wondering if you'd
make it to our little date anyway."
Could it be worse? No one else but Frohike. Talk of the
devil! "Um, sorry ... no, I won't make it to our date. I'm
kind of busy with work here, so I guess we'll have to
postpone it."
Mulder was snickering back there on her couch. /Oh, oh! He's
listening...don't say anything you're gonna be sorry about./
Then he looked at her expectantly. He wanted to know who it
was. But for his remark just a few moments ago he deserved to
be fooled. An idea started to form in her head as she thought
about ways how to make him squirm. He would not find out that
her date had only been with Frohike.
He mouthed: 'Who is it?'
She shook her head as Frohike continued to talk on the other
side of the phone line and mouthed 'shh!' back. Scully
noticed Frohike had said something and that she hadn't
listened to a word. "Sorry, what did you just say?" Scully
asked.
"I asked if you knew when you had time again. What's
distracting you?"
"Distracting? Me? Nothing."
Mulder chuckled and then said quietly mocking hurt feelings:
"So that's what I am to you now? Nothing?"
Scully sent him a glare that would have killed a lesser man.
"Who was that? Who's there?" Frohike sounded concerned.
"Who said what? Nobody's here." Scully was getting annoyed.
She needed to get rid of Frohike! Fast! Mulder chuckled even
louder and said teasing her "Oh, now I'm a nobody? Scully,
I'm really hurt."
"Was that Mulder? Is he over at your place?" Scully could
tell that Frohike felt betrayed---and, come to think of it,
it was the truth.
"I'm sorry, I really can't talk now. I'll call you some other
time, okay? Bye." Scully hung up before Frohike had even had
the chance to reply. Now Mulder was really interested. "Who
was that? Someone I know?"
"No, Mulder you don't know him." Scully wanted to change the
subject, her gaze settling on the TV she said: "Mulder, would
you please change that channel. I'm really tired of hearing
those abduction stories."
When she looked back at him, she noticed Mulder suddenly
looked really down. He was biting on his lower lip; so deep
in thought he even did what she had told him to: He got up
from the couch, picked up the remote and turned the TV off.
"Was that the date you canceled?" He asked frowning down at
her carpet.
"Yes." She said truthfully.
She had to giggle at his drawn-together eyebrows and the pout
his mouth showed. He was so depressed. As she laughed he
turned his gaze to her and asked still frowning: "What's so
funny?" Scully new she had to tell him the truth. She wasn't
able to let him sulk, she felt too sorry for him. She smiled
and then took a deep cleansing breath and spoke to him with a
big and open smile on her face.
"Your face Mulder, your face. You know, it was only Frohike
who invited me to have dinner with him. He wanted to go today
because he thought I was a desirable woman and would be busy
tomorrow on Valentine's day. I really didn't want to go so I
told him I had to work till late. I didn't say I just wanted
to clean the office. Don't tell me you're jealous of
Frohike?"
The relief visible in his face made her giggle a little more.
She could read him like a book. He was soooo cute! Like a
little boy who was told that Santa would find him even if he
was on vacation somewhere. Stuffing that 'cute-thought' in
the most far-away corner of her mind she asked:
"Now that we solved the TV problem, what shall we do?"
"Dunno. Any ideas?"
"Um...let's play 20 Questions. I start asking."
"Sure. Shoot."
"Never say that to an armed woman." Both settled comfortably
back onto the couch. "Okay, here we go. What do you think is
the worst thing about our job?"
"Definitely the hospital stays." Mulder hadn't even needed
one second to think.
"What?" Scully was thrown off.
"Is that the next question?", Mulder asked.
"No. Forget it. Uh, what's the best about the hospital stay?"
"That you always get me out early." That made Scully smile.
"And what's good about that?" Scully was having fun.
"That you come by and are my Mulder-sitter and pamper me
because you are worried about me."
"Usually it's justified.", she said under her breath.
"Huh?"
"Oh, never mind."
"OK."
"What's the best thing about your job?"
"You are my partner." He said it dead serious. As if there
was nothing strange about it. That made her feel proud. That
made her feel great. He noticed her blushing and smiled. He
was really being sweet today.
"Why's that so good?"
"That's not easy to answer. Can I pass on that one?"
"Okay, but you have to tell me why it's hard to answer."
"Because there are several reasons."
"Oh, okay. Which was your favorite case up until now?"
"Oh, come on, Scully, ask me something easier."
"Answer!"
"I don't know. I can't think of a whole case as my favorite.
Maybe specific incidents."
"List some."
"Of course, the first time you came into my office." She
smiled and motioned him to continue. "And when you came to
visit me on my stake out in front of Toom's house." /If
there's an ice tea in that bag, could be love/ It was unsaid
but not unheard. "And one of my happiest days was when I
heard that your cancer went into remission."
A long pause.
"Those are three. No more?", Scully asked.
"Each time afterwards, when I know you're safe."
An even longer pause.
He looked straight into her eyes. She saw sincerity shining
in his. She looked away and cleared her throat to ask her
next question. She needed a safer subject. Quick.
"What did you want to be when you grew up?"
"I already told you once: an astronaut."
"Oh, yeah right, I remember. The NASA case."
"And you?"
"Hey, I'm asking the questions right now."
"Oops, sorry." He said with a smile. He wasn't sorry at all.
"Come on, hurry, Scully. I want my turn."
"Favorite color?"
"Red."
"Mulder...you're color-blind."
"That's why. The red traffic lights don't bother me.", he
joked.
Good, he was lightening the mood. "Favorite number?"
"Seven"
"Favorite toy?"
"Scully, I'm shocked!"
"Mulder, for heaven's sake! Not grown-up toys! Kids' toys."
"Does the basket ball count?"
"No" she let out an irritated sigh.
"Too bad. My fish?"
"Mulder, the last one died three months ago."
"Really? You didn't feed them?"
"Mulder..." It was a warning.
"Hey, I'm thinking, okay? Rubber Ducky?"
"..."
"Huh?"
"Forget it ..."
"Okay. Ask a different question."
"Gladly."
"Well?"
"Why do you let my mom call you Fox?"
"Uh... do I have to answer?"
"Yep!" Her smug face made him feel even more uncomfortable.
"I just don't want to argue with her about it." Scully had to
laugh. "Yeah, I can understand that." "How many questions do
we still have?"
"Seven"
"Oh, no! Come on, hurry!"
"Did you have pets when you were a girl?"
"Yeah, We had a dog once but he ran away. And then we had to
move so we never found him again."
"Sorry."
"That's okay. Go on."
"Where was I?"
"At question number ten."
"Okay. What did you want to be when you were a grown-up?"
"A doctor."
"Figures. What's your favorite flower?"
"Hm... don't know? Red roses?"
"You're easy."
"I'm just not as complicated as you are. That's a
difference."
"Oh, yeah?" He smiled. He wasn't really hurt.
"Yeah. Next question." She smiled, too.
"What did you think before you came into my office on the
very first case the very first time?"
"Well," could she confide in him? Of course she couldn't tell him how mad she
was at her bosses for partnering her with 'Spooky
Mulder'./Let's try, but weaken the truth./
"I wondered what you did to make them send me down into your
dungeon to look after you. I wondered how you thought and how
you worked."
"And after we talked?"
Oh, oh. Another no-no. She couldn't possibly tell him how
sexy she had thought he was. Um..."I wondered how you ever
made it into the bureau with your alien religion." /But I
guess looks can compensate for faults. He really looks sexy
in those glasses of his./
"You see, Scully, I didn't let them know until it was too
late." They had fun teasing and laughing together.
"Which mutant did you hate the most?"
"The one that ate my dog."
"I'm sorry about that, you know that, right?"
"Is that the next question?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I know."
A pause with a lot of staring into the other's eyes.
"Which is your favorite mutant?" Mulder recovered first.
"Phoebe Green"
"Phoebe? Mutant?" He chuckled although he was puzzled she
would pick Phoebe out of all but he admitted, "Well, maybe
you could say that she's a monster." They both laughed. "Why
is she your favorite?"
"Because I knew I'd beat her if she ever became really
dangerous."
"Oh, you'd beat her in any aspect."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Hey, wait a minute, your not supposed to ask
questions."
"Sorry. Then you ask."
"What was the worst thing in your youth?"
"Moving from one place to the other."
"What's your original hair color?"
"Some mysteries are not for you to investigate."
"Why?"
"Every woman has her secrets. Didn't you know that?"
"And you won't tell me yours?"
"No. And that was your last question."
"It was not!"
"Yes it was. Should I count them for you again?"
"OK, OK. But I still have one more question I want to have
answered. Will you give one more?"
"That was one already." She teased him. "Sure."
He moved a little closer to her and looked deep into her
eyes. She raised her right eyebrow and turned all her
attention to him.
"Okay. I know I asked you this question before but it's
important to me that you answer it truthfully."
She didn't like how serious this had turned. She tried to
lighten the mood with a joke: "That's my partner. Always in
search for the truth."
He gave her a small smile and asked his question: "Would you
change the last five years?"
Suddenly she realized. She saw it in his fearful eyes. He was
afraid she blamed him for everything that had happened to
them. He sometimes had those periods of self-blame. /Oh,
Mulder.../
She gathered her thoughts. "Mulder, there are some things
that happened that I'm not happy about, to say the least", he
nodded in understanding, "but I'd never go back and change
being partnered with you. We both lost a lot over the last
few years and while I regret letting some things pass by,
I'll never regret working with you. And--", her voice rose
with conviction while she grabbed his collar and stared at
him, "Fox Mulder, don't you ever think it was all your
fault! It's not and I want you to know it. Am I making my
self clear?"
"Yes, you are." He smiled a small tentative smile at her.
Good. She had read his intentions for questioning her
correctly.
They each looked at the other and smiled. That was when
Scully had an idea how to get their thoughts away from the
subject.
"What about your sunflower seeds? Bring them?" "Yeah, sure.
Why?"
She curled her finger in a way to show him that he was
supposed to come closer. He obeyed.
"We'll take them as currency for our games", she whispered
conspiratorially into his ear, "because you need something to
pay me with when I win."
"And just what makes you so sure that you'll win? You're
gonna cheat on me?", he said with a big grin on his face.
This was going to be fun.
She smiled her patented enigmatic little Scullysmile at him
and simply said: "You just wait. You'll see."
He saw it, that's for sure. Not only in the office was she a
challenge but also in every board and card game he had ever
known in his whole life.
When he had lost almost all his sunflower seeds, he thought
they finally would stop playing card games. He had had enough
of it. When he revealed that idea to her she only laughed and
told him matter-offactly: "Oh, Mulder, and I thought you'd
want to play strip poker with me."
He could only croak out the two words: "Strip Poker?"
He always had thought he was the one making that kind of
sexual innuendoes. She usually was the controlled, reserved
one. She was certainly good at ignoring those remarks when he
threw them at her. But once again he had proof that she was
always good for a surprise. "Uh ... sure, Scully. Why not."
Scully smiled triumphantly at him and started shuffling the
cards. She dealt them and they played. The funny thing was,
Mulder started winning, so she lost first her earrings, then
her socks and finally her sweatshirt--which left her in a
body hugging T-shirt and Mulder was staring at it. Though she
lost, she didn't feel quite as mad as she could have --
because of his staring, of course.
After 20 minutes she was tired of the game, though. She
couldn't afford to lose more clothes.
"Mulder, why are you winning now?"
"Oh, Scully, because I let you win before and I'm tired of
losing." Well, his losing hadn't been voluntarily, but not he
had so much more to fight for. And actually, he was simply
having more fun winning now than he would have had before.
Scully stared at him and tried to read his thoughts.
No such luck. "Hmpf. Well I don't want to play anymore. Let's
do something else."
"Spoil-Sport." He chuckled but decided not to push it any
further. "Sure, Scully, whatever you want. How about talking
a little?" Since they both thought it a safe occupation they
decided to do just that. Soon they were laughing again over
cup of hot cocoa at memories of old cases and childhood
memories.
It was nice for each of them to see a different side of the
other; so the comfortable feeling of happiness settled over
them. After a while they talked less and less and watched and
smiled at each other more and more. Their gazes met and held
the other, passing soothing words of friendship and ...
something else between them.
By now it was already past midnight and both were starting to
get tired. The yawns hidden behind the hands had increased in
the last half hour and so they both decided it was time for
Mulder to go. None of them wanted the night to end.
"I guess it's time to take you home, Mulder." "Yeah, well, I
could call a cab, you know."
"Oh, nonsense. I'm not that tired. Just let me get my
jacket."
While she pulled on her leather jacket and went in search for
her keys he packed the cards away and threw the shells of the
sunflower seeds away. They had both snacked a lot. They were
both ready at about the same time.
"Okay, Mulder, let's go."
The drive back was quiet and both were lost in their own
thoughts. The lights whizzed by and the ride was over way too
soon.
On his door step he swiveled around and hugged her fiercely.
He said: "Thanks for the evening, Scully, I really enjoyed
myself."
Thrown by his actions she could only reply, "Anytime, Mulder,
I had fun, too."
When he finally let go of her he smiled sheepishly at her
shocked face. "Well, I guess I'll see you on Monday, right?"
Scully knew this was his way of saying "I'm sorry for my
emotional outburst," so she smiled at him sweetly, patted his
upper arm and said, "Yes, you will." Mulder, on the other
hand, now knew that she wasn't mad at him, so he grinned at
her while she turned around and headed out the building
towards her car.
As she unlocked her car door she felt observed, so she looked
around without seeing anybody. Then her gaze somehow wandered
up to the windows of Mulder's apartment. And sure enough--
there he was looking at her. Her stomach made a few
somersaults and then she waved at him before she got into her
car. And, waddaya say, he waved back!
End of chapter two.
Didya enjoy it till now?