On a typical Monday morning, Mulder arrived at work no later than eight.
This particular Monday, Mulder found he was running late and scolded
himself for trying to put off the unavoidable. Sooner or later he would
have to face Scully and sooner or later they would have to talk. True,
they were experts at avoiding subjects they deemed too personal, but this
was too important to put off for long.
Mulder felt a wave of relief when he walked into his office and saw signs that Scully had already arrived. The coffee pot was full and the office tidied. On his desk lay a folder labeled 'Spender'. Attached to it was a post-it note stating that the original of this report and it corresponding evidence had been delivered to AD Skinner that morning at 7:30 AM.
Looking up at the clock, Mulder saw it was approaching nine. He settled into his desk assuming that Scully would reappear from the ladies room or wherever she had gone within a couple of minutes. As it got closer to 9:30, Mulder could wait no longer and headed up to Skinner's office.
He found Skinner sitting behind his desk working on paperwork. He was alone. Mulder knocked on the door and at Skinner's nod entered the office and stood in front of his boss.
"What can I do for you Agent Mulder?" Skinner put aside the folder he was reading and looked up at Mulder. He had been expecting him since early that morning.
"Actually, I'm looking for Agent Scully. I know she had planned on dropping off a report with you this morning..." Mulder's voice trailed off.
"Scully was here around 7:30. She dropped off her report on her time with the Smoking Man and asked me to give you these." Skinner pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small plastic bag full of miniature tape cassettes. "She told me that you would be able to provide a better analysis of them than she could."
Mulder took the bag and began turning it over in his hands. He was about to speak when Skinner continued. "Agent Scully also gave me this." He picked up a piece of paper and waved it at Mulder. "It is her resignation effective immediately."
Mulder's mouth dropped open. "Her what?"
"Her resignation." Skinner repeated. "I informed her that I was unwilling to accept it at this time." Mulder sighed in relief. "She looked exhausted. This situation with the Smoking Man and your lover's spat seem to have taken their toll on her."
"We're not lovers, Sir." Mulder said looking totally defeated.
Skinner stared at him a long time as if trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth. "Whatever the specifics, your personal relationship with Agent Scully has affected her deeply. So deeply that she sat here, crying, wondering if she could still be effective as an agent and your partner."
Mulder sat down, the weight of Skinner's words to heavy for him to bear standing up. Scully rarely cried and to do so in front of Skinner was almost unthinkable. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her to take a few days to rest and think about what she wanted to do with her life, inside and outside of the Bureau. I also told her that whatever she decided, I would respect her wishes."
Mulder stared at a spot on the floor. "Do you know where she is?" Mulder's voice was barely above a whisper.
"No."
Mulder rose from his chair and walked over to Skinner's door. He looked, to Skinner, like a man about to face his executioner. He stopped and turned back. "Off the record Sir, what do you think she'll do?"
Skinner sighed. As much as Mulder annoyed him, he hated to see him suffer. "Up until today, I would have told you that there was nothing on Heaven or Earth that would have kept Scully from being your 'partner'." Mulder noticed the special emphasize he placed on the word 'partner'. "Now, though, I'm not so sure."
It took every ounce of willpower Mulder had not to run down the hallway towards the elevator. There was no reason to give his fellow agents anything more to whisper about him over the water cooler.
Reaching his office Mulder threw himself into his chair and began rummaging through his desk until he found the small tape recorder. The tapes, he noticed, were numbered and Mulder carefully inserted the first into the machine smiling slightly. Leave it to Scully to think of actually numbering the tapes.
Mulder jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice asking Scully to pick up her phone if she was still in her apartment. He cringed at the sound of Spender's voice even as he reached for a pencil to start taking notes.
Mulder spent the next few hours listening to the tapes. Laughing as Scully promptly told Spender to put out his cigarette then wincing when Spender had the nerve to question her love for him. She wasn't scared to love him, was she?
Rage filled his body when he heard Scully accuse Spender of drugging her. Had that been the case? Why hadn't she told him? A little voice in Mulder's head reminded him that he had never given her the chance.
The comment that made his blood run cold was the last made by Spender informing Scully that she still had time to walk away. Had Spender planted the seed of doubt in Scully's mind or had he provided a seed long buried with enough light to flourish.
Mulder turned off the tape player and rubbed his eyes, noticing for the first time the loud grumbling coming from his stomach. He looked at his watch and was surprised to find it well past eight. He had spent the better part of the last twelve hours listening and relistening to Scully's tapes. Despite the weariness he felt and the hungry that gnawed at him, he knew he needed to find Scully. Now.
He had a pretty good idea where to start looking.
XXX
Having checked into her hotel shortly after noon, Scully changed into a comfortable pair of pants, opened up every window to let in the fresh sea air, and had collapsed on the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She awoke just as the sun was setting feeling somewhat refreshed.
Scully stretched as she stood and glanced at the room service menu sitting by the phone. She knew she should eat something, but didn't have the energy or the will to do so. Instead she grabbed a sweatshirt, one of Mulder's old ones that hung down to nearly her knees, and went outside.
Scully opened the cabin door and walked out onto the beach. The air was cool, but the sand warm beneath her feet. She breathed the salty air and knew immediately that she had made the right decision to come here, to the hotel where she and Mulder had planned to come together.
Although they originally opted for the honeymoon suite, Scully had rented a simple room that opened out onto the beach. The ocean had always had the power to soothe her soul and rejuvenate her. She hoped that it would do so again.
Scully strolled down to the water and stuck in a toe. The water wasn't too cold and she walked along the sand occasionally getting splashed by an errant wave. She had no idea how long she walked, hours she suspected, because it was full dark by the time she headed back towards her room.
The moon was rising over the water and the sight so beautiful that Scully couldn't bare to go inside. Not just yet. She sat down and buried her toes in the sand feeling more at peace than she had in days. She knew what she had to do. The hard part would be explaining it to Mulder.
Mulder felt a wave of relief when he walked into his office and saw signs that Scully had already arrived. The coffee pot was full and the office tidied. On his desk lay a folder labeled 'Spender'. Attached to it was a post-it note stating that the original of this report and it corresponding evidence had been delivered to AD Skinner that morning at 7:30 AM.
Looking up at the clock, Mulder saw it was approaching nine. He settled into his desk assuming that Scully would reappear from the ladies room or wherever she had gone within a couple of minutes. As it got closer to 9:30, Mulder could wait no longer and headed up to Skinner's office.
He found Skinner sitting behind his desk working on paperwork. He was alone. Mulder knocked on the door and at Skinner's nod entered the office and stood in front of his boss.
"What can I do for you Agent Mulder?" Skinner put aside the folder he was reading and looked up at Mulder. He had been expecting him since early that morning.
"Actually, I'm looking for Agent Scully. I know she had planned on dropping off a report with you this morning..." Mulder's voice trailed off.
"Scully was here around 7:30. She dropped off her report on her time with the Smoking Man and asked me to give you these." Skinner pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small plastic bag full of miniature tape cassettes. "She told me that you would be able to provide a better analysis of them than she could."
Mulder took the bag and began turning it over in his hands. He was about to speak when Skinner continued. "Agent Scully also gave me this." He picked up a piece of paper and waved it at Mulder. "It is her resignation effective immediately."
Mulder's mouth dropped open. "Her what?"
"Her resignation." Skinner repeated. "I informed her that I was unwilling to accept it at this time." Mulder sighed in relief. "She looked exhausted. This situation with the Smoking Man and your lover's spat seem to have taken their toll on her."
"We're not lovers, Sir." Mulder said looking totally defeated.
Skinner stared at him a long time as if trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth. "Whatever the specifics, your personal relationship with Agent Scully has affected her deeply. So deeply that she sat here, crying, wondering if she could still be effective as an agent and your partner."
Mulder sat down, the weight of Skinner's words to heavy for him to bear standing up. Scully rarely cried and to do so in front of Skinner was almost unthinkable. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her to take a few days to rest and think about what she wanted to do with her life, inside and outside of the Bureau. I also told her that whatever she decided, I would respect her wishes."
Mulder stared at a spot on the floor. "Do you know where she is?" Mulder's voice was barely above a whisper.
"No."
Mulder rose from his chair and walked over to Skinner's door. He looked, to Skinner, like a man about to face his executioner. He stopped and turned back. "Off the record Sir, what do you think she'll do?"
Skinner sighed. As much as Mulder annoyed him, he hated to see him suffer. "Up until today, I would have told you that there was nothing on Heaven or Earth that would have kept Scully from being your 'partner'." Mulder noticed the special emphasize he placed on the word 'partner'. "Now, though, I'm not so sure."
It took every ounce of willpower Mulder had not to run down the hallway towards the elevator. There was no reason to give his fellow agents anything more to whisper about him over the water cooler.
Reaching his office Mulder threw himself into his chair and began rummaging through his desk until he found the small tape recorder. The tapes, he noticed, were numbered and Mulder carefully inserted the first into the machine smiling slightly. Leave it to Scully to think of actually numbering the tapes.
Mulder jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice asking Scully to pick up her phone if she was still in her apartment. He cringed at the sound of Spender's voice even as he reached for a pencil to start taking notes.
Mulder spent the next few hours listening to the tapes. Laughing as Scully promptly told Spender to put out his cigarette then wincing when Spender had the nerve to question her love for him. She wasn't scared to love him, was she?
Rage filled his body when he heard Scully accuse Spender of drugging her. Had that been the case? Why hadn't she told him? A little voice in Mulder's head reminded him that he had never given her the chance.
The comment that made his blood run cold was the last made by Spender informing Scully that she still had time to walk away. Had Spender planted the seed of doubt in Scully's mind or had he provided a seed long buried with enough light to flourish.
Mulder turned off the tape player and rubbed his eyes, noticing for the first time the loud grumbling coming from his stomach. He looked at his watch and was surprised to find it well past eight. He had spent the better part of the last twelve hours listening and relistening to Scully's tapes. Despite the weariness he felt and the hungry that gnawed at him, he knew he needed to find Scully. Now.
He had a pretty good idea where to start looking.
XXX
Having checked into her hotel shortly after noon, Scully changed into a comfortable pair of pants, opened up every window to let in the fresh sea air, and had collapsed on the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She awoke just as the sun was setting feeling somewhat refreshed.
Scully stretched as she stood and glanced at the room service menu sitting by the phone. She knew she should eat something, but didn't have the energy or the will to do so. Instead she grabbed a sweatshirt, one of Mulder's old ones that hung down to nearly her knees, and went outside.
Scully opened the cabin door and walked out onto the beach. The air was cool, but the sand warm beneath her feet. She breathed the salty air and knew immediately that she had made the right decision to come here, to the hotel where she and Mulder had planned to come together.
Although they originally opted for the honeymoon suite, Scully had rented a simple room that opened out onto the beach. The ocean had always had the power to soothe her soul and rejuvenate her. She hoped that it would do so again.
Scully strolled down to the water and stuck in a toe. The water wasn't too cold and she walked along the sand occasionally getting splashed by an errant wave. She had no idea how long she walked, hours she suspected, because it was full dark by the time she headed back towards her room.
The moon was rising over the water and the sight so beautiful that Scully couldn't bare to go inside. Not just yet. She sat down and buried her toes in the sand feeling more at peace than she had in days. She knew what she had to do. The hard part would be explaining it to Mulder.