4:18 AM
The bathroom lights were annoyingly bright. Mulder mumbled under his breath as he slumped against the wall once more, while Scully stepped over to the sink to wash the bloodstained towel in her hands.
"Alright, Mulder. You're almost set." She called over to the man who was stationed on the toilet seat, leaning heavily against the wall, practically ready to collapse any second.
"Turn the sun off, Scullee. It's hot in herre." Mulder found the strength to utter that much and attempted to strip off his shirt.
"Mulder. Don't do that. Here." She quickly dropped the wet towel into the sink and flicked the lights off; a steady glow from her bedroom still allowing her to see somewhat clearly. "Better?"
He nodded and quit struggling to pull his shirt off - not that he was getting anywhere by trying to fit his head through the sleeve.
Scully sighed, for the countless time that night, and kneeled down in front of her partner, leveling his head with a gentle hand in order to bandage his nose, which was thankfully not broken.
Mulder swayed slightly and gazed dead on at the crouched Scully, mere inches in front of him. Without any hesitation, he moved forward in an attempt to kiss her, but she easily pushed him back with a finger.
"Mulder. Hold still. You'll be good as new in a second."
He either didn't hear or choose to ignore her statement. Again he leaned in, this time halting half way to utter something hardly above a whisper.
"Hmm?" Scully replied, her mind deeply concentrated on securing a large band on his forehead, and unaware of what exactly he was trying to complete.
"Love yah." Mulder responded into her ear, and stayed uncannily still.
The world seemed to halt as Scully let the simple words sink in. Momentarily she froze, not sure how to reply.
Then her mind kicked in, reminding her of Mulder's state, and she sighed - her hopes having been oddly raised just then.
"Hold still and behave, Mulder, or you'll be in a *lot* more pain." She said, her tone cool and collected as she pushed Mulder back into place. Of course, she didn't mean what she'd just threatened.
She was suddenly very thankful for the dimmed lights, for the fear of Mulder noting her redden cheeks and putting 2 and 2 together was all too great. That had been a close call, and thankfully, Mulder seemed to leave it at that.
The mere thought of more pain seemed to get through the dazed agent's head, and he held still, allowing Scully to patch up his face.
Both of them remand silent and the event was forgotten for now.
~~~~~~
Around 20 minutes later, Mulder's bruises were cleaned and strapped up.
Scully proceeded to put away her medical kit and roughly reorder her bathroom, while Mulder yawned restlessly and watched the small woman's movement with keen focus, despite his mind not processing much of what he saw.
Finally, the silence was overwhelming, and he decided to do something about it.
"Where's your llama?"
The question came out of nowhere, and Scully was thrown into a second's worth of panic. She was hanging the last of the wet towels up, and being deep in her thoughts, almost forgetting Mulder's presence.
"Mulder," She began with an intake of air, hoping to keep this conversation simple. "I don't have a llama."
He looked taken aback. The bathroom fell silent and Scully almost smiled. That was easy enough.
"But, Scully. How can you *not* have a llama? That's like not havin' a head attached to your ass!" Although something about that didn't quite sound fitting, Mulder was too out of it to rethink what he'd said.
Damn. So much for the 'quick discussion' part.
"Llamas aren't house pets, Mulder. Especially not for apartments." Scully tried keeping the agitation out of her voice, but failed respectively.
"And heads aren't usually attached to one's behind," she added as an afterthought, making sure to point out the 'usually' part. She could name a prime exception to the statement with ease.
"Oh. Mm'kay."
Maybe she was finally getting somewhere.
"Whad are house pets, then?"
Or maybe she was just digging a deeper hole.
"Dogs, cats, birds. Fish. You, yourself have a tank of fish in."
She let the sentence fade off as she noticed Mulder's body tense. Taking a step towards him, her concern-struck voice broke the uncomfortable hush.
"Mulder. Are you okay?"
He turned to her, eyes full of horror. Scully swallowed and leaned down, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Mulder - what's wrong?"
His worn gaze traveled up to her equally exhausted one.
"Cats."
This was going to be interesting.
"Yes Mulder, cats are very commonly kept as pets."
The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she'd regret it.
"You don't understand, Scully. The cats are evil! They just *want* you ta think they're innocent, loyal, little pet things!"
Right then.
"Okay Mulder. I'll keep that in mind."
A blissful moment of agreed silence followed.
"They're out there."
The change of topic was oddly sudden. Unless, they were still on the same topic of cats, just shifting towards a new theory, sort of speak. With a thoughtful blink, Scully took the bait.
"Who's out there?"
"Them. They. Them." He nodded, as if to confirm the seriousness of the situation.
Scully sighed, shaking her head.
"It's alright Mulder. There's no one outside. We're safe."
She attempted to straighten up but his forceful hands grasped her arms and pulled her back towards him.
"No Scully. None of us are safe with *them* out there. Watching. Waiting. Knowing!"
Scully rolled her eyes but said nothing.
"Shh. Don't talk. I know you're afraid, but it'll be al'ight if we just beat them at der own game."
Scully instantly opened her mouth to protest the accusation of her being afraid, her eyes flaring, but Mulder clamped a hand over her mouth before she could explode at him.
"Do. Not. Speak." It took a lot of will not to bite his hand right then and there. Making a mental note to kill Mulder tomorrow, his partner merely nodded in argument and the hand left her mouth.
Rubbing her jaw overdramatically, Scully sighed and played along, peering out into her shadowy-lit bedroom through the partly open door.
"So what do we do now, *Special* Agent Mulder?" She put extra emphasis on the rank, hoping the overdose of sarcasm would click in his head.
It didn't. Instead, Mulder beamed.
"They'll be waiting for us to come out. So we just won't!" He seemed extremely proud of his logic, and Scully found herself suppressing a smile, despite the fact she didn't feel like spending god knows how long on her bathroom floor, having a survivor contest against figments of her partner's imagination.
"Alright Mulder. We'll wait them out."
She was *so* going to kill him one he was sober - after having him service her for a week or two though: Her apartment would have to be cleaned, a pile of past-due reports would have to be typed, and she'd request a few days of pampering in return for putting up with this.
Sighing, she watched the drunken man cautiously looking around, and she couldn't help but let her anger melt away. Unexpectedly, the thought of what he'd confessed, or more so, blurted out, a half an hour ago rolled around in her mind.
Had he really meant it, or was it just the alcohol or the heat of the moment - their closeness - that forced it out?
She knew she shouldn't be giving it another thought, but it seemed like all she could ask herself right now.
She'd keep a close eye on Mulder tonight, as well as wait until he was clearheaded tomorrow to see if the matter would be brought up.
Knowing she'd be disappointed one way or another, Scully shook her head to clear it before settling down against the wall by Mulder and closing her eyes, just for a second.
It was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~
A/N: Yay. Tis Friday! My first full week of school is over, thank goodness. Writing this has been the one thing keeping me going day to day. This may seem like a closing remark, but fear not - the story will go on. I'm enjoying it too much to stop now. Yah folks just gotta keep reviewing, and I'll be sure to have the next part up by Sunday or Monday at the latest! And forgive the slight mush in this chapter if yew don't go for stuff like that - I couldn't help it =D
The bathroom lights were annoyingly bright. Mulder mumbled under his breath as he slumped against the wall once more, while Scully stepped over to the sink to wash the bloodstained towel in her hands.
"Alright, Mulder. You're almost set." She called over to the man who was stationed on the toilet seat, leaning heavily against the wall, practically ready to collapse any second.
"Turn the sun off, Scullee. It's hot in herre." Mulder found the strength to utter that much and attempted to strip off his shirt.
"Mulder. Don't do that. Here." She quickly dropped the wet towel into the sink and flicked the lights off; a steady glow from her bedroom still allowing her to see somewhat clearly. "Better?"
He nodded and quit struggling to pull his shirt off - not that he was getting anywhere by trying to fit his head through the sleeve.
Scully sighed, for the countless time that night, and kneeled down in front of her partner, leveling his head with a gentle hand in order to bandage his nose, which was thankfully not broken.
Mulder swayed slightly and gazed dead on at the crouched Scully, mere inches in front of him. Without any hesitation, he moved forward in an attempt to kiss her, but she easily pushed him back with a finger.
"Mulder. Hold still. You'll be good as new in a second."
He either didn't hear or choose to ignore her statement. Again he leaned in, this time halting half way to utter something hardly above a whisper.
"Hmm?" Scully replied, her mind deeply concentrated on securing a large band on his forehead, and unaware of what exactly he was trying to complete.
"Love yah." Mulder responded into her ear, and stayed uncannily still.
The world seemed to halt as Scully let the simple words sink in. Momentarily she froze, not sure how to reply.
Then her mind kicked in, reminding her of Mulder's state, and she sighed - her hopes having been oddly raised just then.
"Hold still and behave, Mulder, or you'll be in a *lot* more pain." She said, her tone cool and collected as she pushed Mulder back into place. Of course, she didn't mean what she'd just threatened.
She was suddenly very thankful for the dimmed lights, for the fear of Mulder noting her redden cheeks and putting 2 and 2 together was all too great. That had been a close call, and thankfully, Mulder seemed to leave it at that.
The mere thought of more pain seemed to get through the dazed agent's head, and he held still, allowing Scully to patch up his face.
Both of them remand silent and the event was forgotten for now.
~~~~~~
Around 20 minutes later, Mulder's bruises were cleaned and strapped up.
Scully proceeded to put away her medical kit and roughly reorder her bathroom, while Mulder yawned restlessly and watched the small woman's movement with keen focus, despite his mind not processing much of what he saw.
Finally, the silence was overwhelming, and he decided to do something about it.
"Where's your llama?"
The question came out of nowhere, and Scully was thrown into a second's worth of panic. She was hanging the last of the wet towels up, and being deep in her thoughts, almost forgetting Mulder's presence.
"Mulder," She began with an intake of air, hoping to keep this conversation simple. "I don't have a llama."
He looked taken aback. The bathroom fell silent and Scully almost smiled. That was easy enough.
"But, Scully. How can you *not* have a llama? That's like not havin' a head attached to your ass!" Although something about that didn't quite sound fitting, Mulder was too out of it to rethink what he'd said.
Damn. So much for the 'quick discussion' part.
"Llamas aren't house pets, Mulder. Especially not for apartments." Scully tried keeping the agitation out of her voice, but failed respectively.
"And heads aren't usually attached to one's behind," she added as an afterthought, making sure to point out the 'usually' part. She could name a prime exception to the statement with ease.
"Oh. Mm'kay."
Maybe she was finally getting somewhere.
"Whad are house pets, then?"
Or maybe she was just digging a deeper hole.
"Dogs, cats, birds. Fish. You, yourself have a tank of fish in."
She let the sentence fade off as she noticed Mulder's body tense. Taking a step towards him, her concern-struck voice broke the uncomfortable hush.
"Mulder. Are you okay?"
He turned to her, eyes full of horror. Scully swallowed and leaned down, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Mulder - what's wrong?"
His worn gaze traveled up to her equally exhausted one.
"Cats."
This was going to be interesting.
"Yes Mulder, cats are very commonly kept as pets."
The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she'd regret it.
"You don't understand, Scully. The cats are evil! They just *want* you ta think they're innocent, loyal, little pet things!"
Right then.
"Okay Mulder. I'll keep that in mind."
A blissful moment of agreed silence followed.
"They're out there."
The change of topic was oddly sudden. Unless, they were still on the same topic of cats, just shifting towards a new theory, sort of speak. With a thoughtful blink, Scully took the bait.
"Who's out there?"
"Them. They. Them." He nodded, as if to confirm the seriousness of the situation.
Scully sighed, shaking her head.
"It's alright Mulder. There's no one outside. We're safe."
She attempted to straighten up but his forceful hands grasped her arms and pulled her back towards him.
"No Scully. None of us are safe with *them* out there. Watching. Waiting. Knowing!"
Scully rolled her eyes but said nothing.
"Shh. Don't talk. I know you're afraid, but it'll be al'ight if we just beat them at der own game."
Scully instantly opened her mouth to protest the accusation of her being afraid, her eyes flaring, but Mulder clamped a hand over her mouth before she could explode at him.
"Do. Not. Speak." It took a lot of will not to bite his hand right then and there. Making a mental note to kill Mulder tomorrow, his partner merely nodded in argument and the hand left her mouth.
Rubbing her jaw overdramatically, Scully sighed and played along, peering out into her shadowy-lit bedroom through the partly open door.
"So what do we do now, *Special* Agent Mulder?" She put extra emphasis on the rank, hoping the overdose of sarcasm would click in his head.
It didn't. Instead, Mulder beamed.
"They'll be waiting for us to come out. So we just won't!" He seemed extremely proud of his logic, and Scully found herself suppressing a smile, despite the fact she didn't feel like spending god knows how long on her bathroom floor, having a survivor contest against figments of her partner's imagination.
"Alright Mulder. We'll wait them out."
She was *so* going to kill him one he was sober - after having him service her for a week or two though: Her apartment would have to be cleaned, a pile of past-due reports would have to be typed, and she'd request a few days of pampering in return for putting up with this.
Sighing, she watched the drunken man cautiously looking around, and she couldn't help but let her anger melt away. Unexpectedly, the thought of what he'd confessed, or more so, blurted out, a half an hour ago rolled around in her mind.
Had he really meant it, or was it just the alcohol or the heat of the moment - their closeness - that forced it out?
She knew she shouldn't be giving it another thought, but it seemed like all she could ask herself right now.
She'd keep a close eye on Mulder tonight, as well as wait until he was clearheaded tomorrow to see if the matter would be brought up.
Knowing she'd be disappointed one way or another, Scully shook her head to clear it before settling down against the wall by Mulder and closing her eyes, just for a second.
It was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~
A/N: Yay. Tis Friday! My first full week of school is over, thank goodness. Writing this has been the one thing keeping me going day to day. This may seem like a closing remark, but fear not - the story will go on. I'm enjoying it too much to stop now. Yah folks just gotta keep reviewing, and I'll be sure to have the next part up by Sunday or Monday at the latest! And forgive the slight mush in this chapter if yew don't go for stuff like that - I couldn't help it =D