Title: Slip Sliding Away
Disclaimer: Look at the bottom of your shoe. That is my net worth. Do I look like I own anything to you? I mean, hey, if I owned anything related to the X-Files do you think I'd be here? (Yes, but that's beside the point.)
Summary: Set in season six after Milagro: Scully needs a vacation from the X-Files so she goes somewhere she thinks even Mulder won't find her. When an X-File threatens to ruin her getaway and Mulder turns up, what will she do?
Author's Note: I know. The last chapter was rather depressing, but don't worry. I always write happy endings. I can't stand any sad endings. So, where were we?
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Day 18
Piper Maru (Ballroom)
I sit here at this table in the back, alone. It is dark enough that no one should notice me and close enough to an exit so I can make a clean getaway. Matt walks up and collapses into the chair across from me.
"You look beat." I tell him as he sips his drink.
"Not so cheery yourself, I see. Why so glum?"
"You go first."
"I told my family. They we a bit shocked at first, but supportive of my decision. So, I'm happy. They're happy. I rush off to tell Antonio the good news, to see if I can introduce him to my family, and he springs it on me. I can't introduce him to anybody because he isn't ready to admit he's gay yet."
"Ouch. So your boyfriend's in the closet?"
"Sadly... Beat that."
"Alright, I see your 'Boyfriend is Trapped in the Closet' and I'll raise you 'I Just Lost Any Chance at Being with the Love of my Life'."
"Oh-no! What happened?"
"He wanted to talk, but I realized that it would never work out because he doesn't trust me. I broke it off before it even started."
"I fold, you win. That sucks. I think I'm going to nominate you for the most dysfunctional couple of the year."
"I think we already won that one."
"I give up. I knew I shouldn't have meddled. It's always best to let nature take its course. Maybe you haven't lost every chance."
We sit quietly. I don't think he's right. Mulder and I obviously weren't meant to be together. If we were, it shouldn't be this hard.
I listen to the music floating across the room. 'Somewhere, beyond the sea, she's there waiting for me. My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships that go sailing.' Drunk Girl must be able to sing when she's sober. She and her sister are doing a great rendition of "Beyond the Sea".
I wish I could dance, but Matt isn't in the mood.
Same Time
Same Place
I see her sitting across the room. She's not as dressy as the other night, but Scully is just as glamorous in her simple dress. I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could make things better, but how do you fix a rift wider than the ocean? We've drifted so far in the last day. She's only on the other side of the room, but she might as well be on another continent.
She and Matt are talking, both look rather depressed. I listen to the music and remember where I've heard this song before. Boggs sang it to try to prove to Scully that he was channeling her father. In the end, she'd rationalized herself out of believing, but for a while, she'd almost convinced me to believe. Somehow, we always seemed to be opposites of each other. When I believed, she was skeptical. When I was skeptical, she believed. She always managed to ground me when I needed it or inspire my sense of wonder when it needed to be revived.
I miss her and she's not even gone yet. She was going to leave though. I could feel it. She'd probably written a draft of the letter already.
"Fox, dear?" Diana voice called me back to reality. "Is something the matter?"
Dear? Since when was I her 'dear'? I was beginning to dislike her. She was clingy and controlling. Why the hell did I even let her stay on the X-Files with me? She hadn't done anything to further the X-Files. She hadn't sacrificed anything to help the cause. If anything, she'd held me back and slowed me down. By agreeing with everything I said we'd overlooked other possible answers and evidence.
I'm suddenly desperate to escape. I want to talk to Scully, to apologize for everything, to make her see how much I needed her. Why couldn't things ever be easy?
"Fox?! What's wrong with you? You just keep staring across the room. What's so interesting?"
Across the room, Scully slips quietly out of the room. I finally turn to face Diana.
"I'm going to step out for a moment. I need some fresh air."
She's about to say something but I'm out of the room so fast I don't know if she even spoke.
Outside, Scully is leaning on the railing, fascinated by the waves below. I'm startled when she speaks.
"Someone once told me I was like the ocean. I never quite understood why until this trip."
"So how are you like the ocean?"
"I hold everything inside, all the good things and the bad, covered by a surface that appears never to change. Then, every once in a while, I let it all out and all the good things and bad spill out in a massive storm. I'm a hurricane waiting to happen."
"I think you're wrong. You are like the ocean. You may look hard and cold on the surface, but underneath, there is unimaginable beauty. You're only a hurricane when you're mad."
She smiled at the last statement, but as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared and was replaced by a frown.
"I've decided to leave the FBI."
"I can understand why you may want to do that. I've been thinking about all the things you said to me and you're wrong. I trust you more than anyone in the world, Diana included. I was just distracted by her. You were right about her. She is leading me away. If it weren't for you, there probably wouldn't be any X-Files left. The only reason I've distanced myself, was because I wanted to protect you. I hate seeing you hurt and I wouldn't be able to live myself if I ever hurt you. I'll understand if you're not ready to go to another level, but I don't just need you, I love you."
She's still staring out into the ocean, but now there is a tear running down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb and turn her to look at me.
"Please don't do this to me. I don't have the strength to endure another scene like the one from your hallway."
"No bees here."
"That's not the point Mulder. I can't handle it if we get close and then pretend it never happened. Do you realize this is the only the second time we've ever spoken of the moment in your hallway?"
"I know what you mean Dana. But answer me this one question: Was Matt right?"
She opens her mouth to speak, but suddenly, we hear commotion and gunfire from inside. She looks at me a moment before she draws her gun from out of nowhere and rushes inside.
I pull my gun from my holster and follow her inside.
In the ballroom, I see Diana and Matt in a standoff with five men armed with big guns. Scully is crouched over a passenger who has been hit. Her arm is injured; the blood is running down her skin as she rips the hem off her dress to bandage the wound.
"I'm fine. It just grazed me." She whispers to me as the people in charge step from behind the gunmen.
It was Dr. Lit and Ms. Starr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Bum, bum, bum!!! (Suspenseful organ music) The plot thickens! Now, sadly, I must go and cram for a big test tomorrow. Review on!
Disclaimer: Look at the bottom of your shoe. That is my net worth. Do I look like I own anything to you? I mean, hey, if I owned anything related to the X-Files do you think I'd be here? (Yes, but that's beside the point.)
Summary: Set in season six after Milagro: Scully needs a vacation from the X-Files so she goes somewhere she thinks even Mulder won't find her. When an X-File threatens to ruin her getaway and Mulder turns up, what will she do?
Author's Note: I know. The last chapter was rather depressing, but don't worry. I always write happy endings. I can't stand any sad endings. So, where were we?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 18
Piper Maru (Ballroom)
I sit here at this table in the back, alone. It is dark enough that no one should notice me and close enough to an exit so I can make a clean getaway. Matt walks up and collapses into the chair across from me.
"You look beat." I tell him as he sips his drink.
"Not so cheery yourself, I see. Why so glum?"
"You go first."
"I told my family. They we a bit shocked at first, but supportive of my decision. So, I'm happy. They're happy. I rush off to tell Antonio the good news, to see if I can introduce him to my family, and he springs it on me. I can't introduce him to anybody because he isn't ready to admit he's gay yet."
"Ouch. So your boyfriend's in the closet?"
"Sadly... Beat that."
"Alright, I see your 'Boyfriend is Trapped in the Closet' and I'll raise you 'I Just Lost Any Chance at Being with the Love of my Life'."
"Oh-no! What happened?"
"He wanted to talk, but I realized that it would never work out because he doesn't trust me. I broke it off before it even started."
"I fold, you win. That sucks. I think I'm going to nominate you for the most dysfunctional couple of the year."
"I think we already won that one."
"I give up. I knew I shouldn't have meddled. It's always best to let nature take its course. Maybe you haven't lost every chance."
We sit quietly. I don't think he's right. Mulder and I obviously weren't meant to be together. If we were, it shouldn't be this hard.
I listen to the music floating across the room. 'Somewhere, beyond the sea, she's there waiting for me. My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships that go sailing.' Drunk Girl must be able to sing when she's sober. She and her sister are doing a great rendition of "Beyond the Sea".
I wish I could dance, but Matt isn't in the mood.
Same Time
Same Place
I see her sitting across the room. She's not as dressy as the other night, but Scully is just as glamorous in her simple dress. I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could make things better, but how do you fix a rift wider than the ocean? We've drifted so far in the last day. She's only on the other side of the room, but she might as well be on another continent.
She and Matt are talking, both look rather depressed. I listen to the music and remember where I've heard this song before. Boggs sang it to try to prove to Scully that he was channeling her father. In the end, she'd rationalized herself out of believing, but for a while, she'd almost convinced me to believe. Somehow, we always seemed to be opposites of each other. When I believed, she was skeptical. When I was skeptical, she believed. She always managed to ground me when I needed it or inspire my sense of wonder when it needed to be revived.
I miss her and she's not even gone yet. She was going to leave though. I could feel it. She'd probably written a draft of the letter already.
"Fox, dear?" Diana voice called me back to reality. "Is something the matter?"
Dear? Since when was I her 'dear'? I was beginning to dislike her. She was clingy and controlling. Why the hell did I even let her stay on the X-Files with me? She hadn't done anything to further the X-Files. She hadn't sacrificed anything to help the cause. If anything, she'd held me back and slowed me down. By agreeing with everything I said we'd overlooked other possible answers and evidence.
I'm suddenly desperate to escape. I want to talk to Scully, to apologize for everything, to make her see how much I needed her. Why couldn't things ever be easy?
"Fox?! What's wrong with you? You just keep staring across the room. What's so interesting?"
Across the room, Scully slips quietly out of the room. I finally turn to face Diana.
"I'm going to step out for a moment. I need some fresh air."
She's about to say something but I'm out of the room so fast I don't know if she even spoke.
Outside, Scully is leaning on the railing, fascinated by the waves below. I'm startled when she speaks.
"Someone once told me I was like the ocean. I never quite understood why until this trip."
"So how are you like the ocean?"
"I hold everything inside, all the good things and the bad, covered by a surface that appears never to change. Then, every once in a while, I let it all out and all the good things and bad spill out in a massive storm. I'm a hurricane waiting to happen."
"I think you're wrong. You are like the ocean. You may look hard and cold on the surface, but underneath, there is unimaginable beauty. You're only a hurricane when you're mad."
She smiled at the last statement, but as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared and was replaced by a frown.
"I've decided to leave the FBI."
"I can understand why you may want to do that. I've been thinking about all the things you said to me and you're wrong. I trust you more than anyone in the world, Diana included. I was just distracted by her. You were right about her. She is leading me away. If it weren't for you, there probably wouldn't be any X-Files left. The only reason I've distanced myself, was because I wanted to protect you. I hate seeing you hurt and I wouldn't be able to live myself if I ever hurt you. I'll understand if you're not ready to go to another level, but I don't just need you, I love you."
She's still staring out into the ocean, but now there is a tear running down her cheek. I brush it away with my thumb and turn her to look at me.
"Please don't do this to me. I don't have the strength to endure another scene like the one from your hallway."
"No bees here."
"That's not the point Mulder. I can't handle it if we get close and then pretend it never happened. Do you realize this is the only the second time we've ever spoken of the moment in your hallway?"
"I know what you mean Dana. But answer me this one question: Was Matt right?"
She opens her mouth to speak, but suddenly, we hear commotion and gunfire from inside. She looks at me a moment before she draws her gun from out of nowhere and rushes inside.
I pull my gun from my holster and follow her inside.
In the ballroom, I see Diana and Matt in a standoff with five men armed with big guns. Scully is crouched over a passenger who has been hit. Her arm is injured; the blood is running down her skin as she rips the hem off her dress to bandage the wound.
"I'm fine. It just grazed me." She whispers to me as the people in charge step from behind the gunmen.
It was Dr. Lit and Ms. Starr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Bum, bum, bum!!! (Suspenseful organ music) The plot thickens! Now, sadly, I must go and cram for a big test tomorrow. Review on!
