"Sorry I'm late, Scully, but I stopped to–whoa." Mulder walked into his basement office to find a stack of furniture and woman atop his desk at the center of the room. At the bottom of the pile sat the grey hulking thing around which the room centered, then came a solid wooden chair, and finally Scully herself, working intently on the light fixture.
"You stopped to what, Mulder?" she prompted after a few seconds of stunned silence, not pausing in her activities.
"What are you doing?"
"I finally got fed up with the–unh–" she twisted the large bulb loose from the ceiling "–lighting arrangement in here, so I decided to change it. Where did you stop?" She didn't miss a beat.
"Uh," he stated, looking down at the small crumpled bag in his hand. "Cookies. I got you one, too."
"Thanks." Glancing over her shoulder at him, she said irritably, "You can come inside, Mulder."
"Oh. Sure." He stepped through the door and closed it behind him, searching for a place to set his bag down. He settled on the top of the file cabinet, then turned to Scully, wondering what to do. "So what brought about this–sudden urge to change the light fixture?"
"It's hardly sudden," she began climbing down with some difficulty, holding the old fixture carefully to her breast as she descended.
"Here," he took it from her, glad to be of some use, and handed her the new one. She stood back up and became immediately focused on the ceiling again.
"Thanks. I asked you last month to make it a little brighter in here, and you said you'd think about it." Glaring at him, she twisted a metal piece into place in the ceiling. "I guess you haven't thought about it."
"No, I–I have. I guess I was just afraid you would find me too attractive under a brighter light–that you wouldn't be able to hold back any longer. Was I wrong?"
Scully chuckled into the arm against which her mouth was pressed. "No, of course not, Mulder." Another glance was shot over her shoulder, and he could see the amusement in her eyes. "But I want to take that step. Who knows–maybe I'll be so blinded by your...your masculinity I'll have to fling myself at you."
"Ooh, then let me help you with that light." Grinning, he began to climb onto the desk to stand beside her, but was cut off with a--
"No. I'll finish this myself, okay?" Suddenly serious again. Mulder shrank back, disappointed.
"Okay."
There was a longish pause. Then Scully said, "I guess I just wanted to break up the monotony a bit." Mulder had an undeniable urge to protest against this claim of 'monotony,' but she could see it, still fixated on the light, so she continued. "Considering that we just finished that case, I knew we were going to have to dig through the files for something else to do. I wanted–I want to be able to *see* the files this time." She paused again. "Did you get the rulings back from court?"
"Yeah. Ms. Carlson and her cronies got twenty-to-life." He heard a faint sigh from overhead.
"There." Her arms lowered. "Finished." She turned to him. "Help me down?"
"Gladly," he smiled mock-flirtatiously at her, reaching up to grasp her by the waist. A quick jump, and he lowered her to the floor beside him, where she straightened her suit jacket once again in an almost-desperate attempt to remain professional. Mulder chuckled and reached up to get the chair off the desk. Scully went to the light switch behind him.
"Let there be...light." She flicked it on, and they both blinked at the sudden brightness. Mulder let the chair fall the last few inches to the floor. They each looked around the office, and their eyes finally fell on each other.
"Wow."
"Yeah. Well," she clapped her hands, then rubbed them together. "Let's get digging."
"You stopped to what, Mulder?" she prompted after a few seconds of stunned silence, not pausing in her activities.
"What are you doing?"
"I finally got fed up with the–unh–" she twisted the large bulb loose from the ceiling "–lighting arrangement in here, so I decided to change it. Where did you stop?" She didn't miss a beat.
"Uh," he stated, looking down at the small crumpled bag in his hand. "Cookies. I got you one, too."
"Thanks." Glancing over her shoulder at him, she said irritably, "You can come inside, Mulder."
"Oh. Sure." He stepped through the door and closed it behind him, searching for a place to set his bag down. He settled on the top of the file cabinet, then turned to Scully, wondering what to do. "So what brought about this–sudden urge to change the light fixture?"
"It's hardly sudden," she began climbing down with some difficulty, holding the old fixture carefully to her breast as she descended.
"Here," he took it from her, glad to be of some use, and handed her the new one. She stood back up and became immediately focused on the ceiling again.
"Thanks. I asked you last month to make it a little brighter in here, and you said you'd think about it." Glaring at him, she twisted a metal piece into place in the ceiling. "I guess you haven't thought about it."
"No, I–I have. I guess I was just afraid you would find me too attractive under a brighter light–that you wouldn't be able to hold back any longer. Was I wrong?"
Scully chuckled into the arm against which her mouth was pressed. "No, of course not, Mulder." Another glance was shot over her shoulder, and he could see the amusement in her eyes. "But I want to take that step. Who knows–maybe I'll be so blinded by your...your masculinity I'll have to fling myself at you."
"Ooh, then let me help you with that light." Grinning, he began to climb onto the desk to stand beside her, but was cut off with a--
"No. I'll finish this myself, okay?" Suddenly serious again. Mulder shrank back, disappointed.
"Okay."
There was a longish pause. Then Scully said, "I guess I just wanted to break up the monotony a bit." Mulder had an undeniable urge to protest against this claim of 'monotony,' but she could see it, still fixated on the light, so she continued. "Considering that we just finished that case, I knew we were going to have to dig through the files for something else to do. I wanted–I want to be able to *see* the files this time." She paused again. "Did you get the rulings back from court?"
"Yeah. Ms. Carlson and her cronies got twenty-to-life." He heard a faint sigh from overhead.
"There." Her arms lowered. "Finished." She turned to him. "Help me down?"
"Gladly," he smiled mock-flirtatiously at her, reaching up to grasp her by the waist. A quick jump, and he lowered her to the floor beside him, where she straightened her suit jacket once again in an almost-desperate attempt to remain professional. Mulder chuckled and reached up to get the chair off the desk. Scully went to the light switch behind him.
"Let there be...light." She flicked it on, and they both blinked at the sudden brightness. Mulder let the chair fall the last few inches to the floor. They each looked around the office, and their eyes finally fell on each other.
"Wow."
"Yeah. Well," she clapped her hands, then rubbed them together. "Let's get digging."
