Title: Unbreak My Heart - Therapy
Author: Melpomene
Email:
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 3
Keywords: M/O, MSR, S/O, Angst
Summary: What happens when you fall in
love with someone who doesn't love you back.
Author's Notes: Unbreak My Heart is a series.
I originally thought it would only run 4 or 5 parts
but the story just seems to be taking off in new
directions so I'm not sure how long it will be.
I'm really sorry this part took so long--life got
really nuts.
Part 4 - Therapy
"Fox?"
A gentle hand was shaking his shoulder. He woke
to see Margaret Scully's concerned blue eyes.
It took Mulder a moment to remember where he was--
curled up in the hall outside Scully's door.
"Why are you sleeping out here, Fox?" Mrs. Scully
asked gently.
He pushed himself to a sitting position, wiping
a tired hand over his face. The events of the
day before crashed over him--the fear he'd felt
when Scully was held hostage the shame he'd felt
over his causing that situation and the shock he'd
felt at her kiss.
"Um...Scully needed some time by herself. I
was afraid she might need something, so I stayed
out here."
"Fox, that doesn't make sense. Why would Dana
want you to leave? Did you guarrel?"
"She was upset." He prayed she wouldn't press
it.
Margaret Scully nodded, but her expression told
him she really didn't understand.
"Well, why don't you come in and I'll make some
coffee?"
Mulder scrubbed a hand over his face and checked
his watch. God, as if he wasn't in enough trouble,
he was going to be late for his meeting with Skinner.
"I can't Mrs. Scully. I'm going to be late for
work. Will you...will you tell Dana I hope she
feels better?"
Mrs. Scully had her key to Scully's door ready,
so he quickly waved goodbye and rounded the
corner. He didn't want to take the chance of
upsetting Scully should she spot him out in
the hall.
Mulder arrived at work with a few minutes late
for his appointment with Skinner. He hadn't
had time to go home, so his clothes still bore
the wrinkles and stains from the horrible long
day and a night spent on the floor.
"Glad you could make it, Agent Mulder," Skinner
said, frowning at his agent's appearance. Mulder
didn't even attempt to explain. As it turned
out, Skinner was the one doing all the talking
anyway.
"Agent Mulder, you're restricted to desk duty
until the review board makes a decision on whether
there will be any disciplinary action taken. I'd
be surprised frankly if you aren't suspended over
this." Skinner gave him a stern look before
continuing.
"And don't think I'm unaware of your lack of attention
to the X-Files over the last few months. I don't make
a point of getting involved with my agent's private
lives, until their personal issues start to affect
their work. You've been neglecting your responsibilities,
and that has almost cost your partner her life. I don't
think I need to tell you how serious this is."
Mulder was so ashamed, he could barely meet the man's
eyes. Skinner couldn't rake him over enough coals
to make up for what he'd done to Scully.
"I had a call early this morning from Agent
Scully. She'll be on leave until further notice.
I should tell you, Mulder--I've advised her that she
needs to assess whether the trust between you
had been damaged to a point that would prevent her
from functioning as your partner."
"What...what did she say?" Mulder asked, his voice
in danger of breaking.
"That she needed to think about it. You're dismissed
Agent," Skinner said, solemnly.
Mulder went down to his office. He unlocked the
door, trying to imagine what it would be like if
Scully decided she couldn't work with him any more.
Mulder didn't think he could stand that.
Before Ronni had distracted him, he'd realized how
absolutely necessary Scully was to his work and his
life. She was his anchor in a stormy sea.
And now his anchor was gone and he was adrift in
that ocean, not only because of a slip-up that
almost got Scully killed, but because of his reaction
to her kiss. He'd been totally shocked when Scully
kissed him. Not by how weird it felt, but by how
weird it didn't feel.
Mulder had always thought of Scully as a friend--a
best friend, but never as a lover. He'd been vaguely
aware that she was pretty in a wholesome, girl-next-
door way. Like his little sister might have been
if she hadn't been taken. Mulder had never been
physically attracted to the wholesome type. Or to
short women or redheads.
All in all, he'd been rather pleased to realize he
wasn't attracted to his new partner. Mulder knew
how complicated sexual relationships between partners
could get. He'd gotten romantically involved with a
partner when he was a rookie agent and it hadn't ended
happily. Hell, Ronni was just a coworker and things
had gotten way out of hand. Keeping his partnership
on a friends only basis was safe, comfortable, perfect.
He'd never thought of Scully in a sexual context...at
least not until now. Now, he couldn't help thinking
about how soft her lips felt, how sweet she tasted,
her clean, fresh scent.
Mulder doubted Scully would talk to him if he called
her. It was insanity to try, but he had to do it.
He owed her a dozen apologies--for being a weak-willed
sex toy, for getting her hurt and for hurting her
feelings last night. He dialed her number and
nervously waited.
Mrs. Scully answered, kindly telling him that Dana
was sleeping. She said Scully was in a lot of pain
and hadn't slept well that night. He winced at the
thought of Scully in pain. Of course, he didn't want
to disturb her.
While Mulder hung up the phone in his office, at
Scully's apartment, she was just walking into her
kitchen.
"Did I hear the phone, Mom?"
"Dana! You should be resting. Well, now that you're
up, let me make you some breakfast."
"The phone, Mom. Who called?"
"It was Fox, dear," her mother answered as she cracked
an egg into a bowl. Dana had been very specific--if
Fox called, he was to be put off. She wasn't ready or
able to speak to him. Margaret didn't know many of the
details about what had happened to Dana yesterday, but
she had a feeling Fox had done something to upset her
daughter.
"He wondered how you were feeling. Are you sure you
don't want to talk to him if he calls again?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I...I can't talk about it right now,
but I'm not ready to speak to him."
"He loves you, Dana. I could see that when you were
missing. I don't know what he did that upset you so
much dear but I know he loves you."
"I'm sure he does Mom but only as a friend."
"I wish you'd talk to him. He looked so miserable
when I found him this morning."
"You found him?" Scully asked. What did her mother
mean?
"When I got here this morning, poor Fox was fast
asleep curled up outside your door. He seemed so
sad and upset, but he wouldn't come in."
Oh no, Scully thought. She wouldn't be able to handle
seeing Mulder if he came back when she was alone.
"You know Mom, I think I'm going to take you up on your
offer to stay with you for a little while." Scully hoped
her mother would allow her to change the subject. She
just couldn't talk about Mulder any more. "It will be
easier for you not to have to drive out here every day."
In all the times Scully had been injured on the job--even
when she'd almost died after her abduction, she'd rushed
to get back to work. Each time, she'd fought the doctors,
insisting on going back at least on desk duty. Her work
and Mulder were her lifeblood and she needed them both.
But that was before her partner turned to someone else and
before Scully had humiliated herself. Cowardly perhaps
but she just couldn't face going back just now
So, for the next four weeks, the length of time her
doctor had put her on disability for, Scully moved into
her mother's house. She rested, allowed Margaret to
coddle her and generally tried to get her mind off
Mulder, the X-Files, and Ronni Alain.
But most of all, she tried to forget that disastrous
kiss. If anything kept her from returning to the
X-Files, it wouldn't be Mulder's sexual obsession
with Ronni, but her own embarrassment over forcing her
own attentions on her partner. It wasn't like he'd
ever expressed any interest in Scully. He'd never
led her on. She could say that she'd been
under the influence of narcotics and trauma, but
the truth was, she'd only done what she always
wanted to do and it had turned out very badly.
One thing was certain. She needed to apologize to
Mulder for putting him in such an awkward position.
She wasn't sure if it was possible to continue
working with him. It wasn't the embarrassment of
his rejection of her kiss, though that was possibly
the most humiliating thing she'd ever experienced.
Even so, she could get passed that humiliation.
And it wasn't that she had lost confidence in his
ability to have her back. Yes, she had her concerns.
If Mulder couldn't keep his mind on work when he
was on the job, she would be forced to end their
partnership. But she knew he had been working on
the problem and she believed he wanted to change.
No, the insurmountable problem would be working
every day with a man she loved, but who couldn't
ever return her feelings. The pain of watching
Mulder go home to another woman, day after day
after day--that would break her spirit along
with her heart. She didn't know if she could
handle that.
Her mother tried to get her to eat, but Scully
didn't have much appetite. All she wanted to do
was sleep. When she slept, her misery faded away
for a few hours. But slowly her body began to heal.
Margaret Scully was relieved when after a couple
of weeks her daughter started physical therapy
for her shoulder. It turned out that therapy was
just what Scully needed in more ways than physical.
After weeks with her arm in a sling, Scully began
exercising her arm. Getting strength back into
abused muscles was hard work. The therapist had
Scully start by using a weight and pulley device.
The exercises were painful, and Scully grimaced as
she did her repetitions.
"It gets easier." A deep, warm voice drifted
over to Scully. "Hurts like hell in the beginning,
though, if memory serves."
"I'd say your memory is accurate," Scully answered,
grunting with the effort of moving her arm through
the exercise. The truth was, she was annoyed at
having to try and converse when she was working
through painful motions. That is until she looked
up at the speaker.
The man who stood before her leaning on a cane
seemed vaguely familiar, but she was sure she'd
never met him. She'd have remembered a man as
ruggedly handsome as this one. With black hair
and sparkling blue eyes, he had wonderfully mobile
features. His face was deeply tanned, tiny
lines etching a tale of a rugged life. He
flashed her an infectious grin. Scully couldn't
help but smile back.
"You should do that more often," the man said.
"Do what?" she asked.
"Smile," he replied. "It changes your whole
face. You're pretty until you smile, and then
you're breathtaking."
Scully stood there, with her mouth open. The handle
on the pulley machine slipped out of her fingers, and
the weight dropped down with a thunk. Damn. She was
out of practice, having spent so much time with Mulder.
She forgot how to act when a man thought she was
attractive.
"Thank you," she replied when she remembered it was
her turn to speak.
He introduced himself as Joe Clancey and Scully
remembered that she'd seen his picture on the evening
news. A foreign correspondent, he'd been hurt in Africa
covering a conflict between warring tribes. He'd been
captured by one side, after having been shot in the leg.
The story had been all over the news during a couple of
months back, as his news service negotiated his release.
In the end, Joe Clancey had escaped and limped and
then crawled his way to safety in the form of Red Cross
workers. Scully remembered the endless news reports on
Joe's bravery in escaping. Now he was stateside,
undergoing the slow process of rehabilitation for his
injuries.
"My heart is back there," he told her over coffee later.
"I'm going stir crazy wishing I was back where the
action is."
"You remind me of a friend," Scully chuckled. "He's
usually as obsessed as you are with his work."
"Only usually?" Joe asked, laughing. "Doesn't sound
like a very consistent obsession to me."
Scully laughed, and for a moment, the sadness in her
began to ease. Joe was fascinating--he'd been all
over the world reporting the news, usually in the most
dangerous places on the planet. He had a million
stories, that he told her over coffee after their
daily therapy sessions.
Soon, coffee dates turned into dinner dates. Margaret
Scully viewed Joe with a certain wariness. She didn't
understand why her daughter couldn't date a nice
accountant or lawyer.
But Margaret did like the way Dana had finally perked up.
She was pretty sure Joe had something to do with that,
even if he wasn't son-in-law material.
Dana had gone on a shopping spree, buying some pretty
new clothes that showed off her tiny waist and curvy
figure. She'd gotten her hair cut in a flattering new
style and had come home from the hair salon with a
brighter red tone. Dana looked more vibrant and healthy
than her mother had seen her look in years.
Scully knew Joe was planning on going back to Africa,
or the Mideast or somewhere dangerous when he was
healed. She wasn't under any delusion that Joe was
going to be a permanent fixture in her life. It
seemed she had exchanged one man with a quest for
another. The only difference was Joe thought she
was sexy and attractive.
Finally, it was time to go back to work. She was
scheduled to return on Monday, so the Friday before,
she'd gone back to her apartment. It felt strange
seeing it for the first time in four weeks, almost
as strange as it had been after her abduction.
That Friday night, she had a date with Joe.
"Wow. You look amazing," he said when she answered
the door in a clingy blue dress. She picked up her
little silver purse, catching a glimpse of herself in
the hall mirror, smiling with satisfaction. It had
been a long time since anyone thought she looked
amazing. It had been even longer since she thought
she looked amazing.
Joe took her to an elegant restaurant not far from
her apartment. His hand was at the small of her
back as they walked into the dining room. A pang
of sadness hit her as she remembered how Mulder
used to do that. Apparently it hadn't meant the
same thing to him as it did to her because he'd
stopped it as soon as he started dating Ronni.
Her heart skipped a beat as they made their way
to the table as across the room, she saw Mulder and
Ronni leaving a table. Her partner's look was a
mixture of surprise and something that looked a
little bit like jealousy. That was certainly odd,
she thought.
"Who's that?" Joe asked as he pushed her chair in.
"My partner and his girlfriend."
"She's a little...obvious, isn't she?"
Indeed Ronni's breasts were practically spilling
out of the top of her skin tight dress and she was
swaying on her stiletto heels as she and Mulder
walked across the room. Ronni hung on Mulder
as if he was a trophy.
"Wow Scully," Mulder said as he reached her table.
"You look great." Ronni's expression was sour
as Mulder's attention turned to Scully. With
Joe smiling at Scully too, it must have been Ronni's
worst nightmare--another woman getting all the
attention.
"Thanks. I'm feeling much better," Scully replied.
Scully introduced everyone, and Joe stood up to
shake Ronni and Mulder's hands. For an awkward moment,
Mulder and Joe stared at each other. Scully thought
she detected some animosity on Mulder's part, but
that didn't make much sense, so she chalked it up to
a testosterone issue.
Mulder couldn't get over how gorgeous Scully looked.
The contrast was obvious between Scully, looking
quietly sexy in a softly clinging blue dress and
Ronni, looking like a cheap tart. Frankly,
Scully was the winner in the sexy contest tonight.
He wondered who this Joe Clancey was. The guy was
a little too good looking for Mulder's comfort level.
And he was all over Scully--putting his hand
on her back when they walked into the room, holding
her hand as it lay on the table.
Dammit, she was supposed to be out on disability,
not hooking up with some gimpy guy. Mulder didn't
know what was wrong with his leg, but he limped
like an old man.
Mulder had missed Scully so much. She'd been all he
thought about for the last four weeks, much to Ronni's
annoyance. He'd thrown himself into his work,
getting to the office before anyone else, and staying
so late he was on a first name basis with the cleaning
staff. That also didn't go over well with Ronni. After
a while that stopped being as much of a problem as Ronni
got busy at work herself, traveling often on
out of town cases.
"Fox baby, lets go," Ronni said sexily as she
insinuated herself into his side. Her tone made it
clear what she planned to do when she got him home.
Scully looked vaguely amused by his obvious embarrassment.
Joe seemed non-plussed.
"We'd better get going," Mulder said apologetically.
"I'll see you on Monday, Scully."
"Bright and early," she answered.
When they got to her apartment, Ronni was out of
her dress before he got her door open. Mulder
hadn't wanted to make love that night--his mind was
swirling with too many emotions. Jealousy warred
with confusion and the ever present guilt. But
Ronni obviously had other ideas.
In minutes, her tongue was down his throat and her
hands busy in his pants. He tried to fight it,
pushing her away but she was persistent. A man can
only stand so much before the natural sex drive
kicks in. Ronni led him off to bed.
For the first time since he met Ronni, his mind
was on someone else as he fucked her. He couldn't
stop picturing Scully. It was Scully's ripe red
mouth kissing him, Scully's creamy white skin under
his hands. It was Scully he was pumping into.
With every thrust, he thought of Scully's translucent
skin and vibrant hair. He was getting so close. His
Scully was beneath him, accepting him. He was going
to come.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted name at the height of climax.
In one stunning moment, he was brought back to reality.
His breath was ragged and his heart was torn as he
looked down at Ronni's angry face.
"You fucking bastard!" Ronni shouted, pushing Mulder off
her and jumping from the bed as if it was on fire.
"Were you screwing me and pretending I was that fat
ugly cow?!"
"I'm sorry. That was...wrong in too many ways to
count."
"No kidding. Don't you ever--EVER--call me by that
bitch's name..."
"Don't insult Scully," he said, his voice chillingly
serious. He felt awful about what he'd done, but he
couldn't allow Ronni to talk about Scully like that.
None of this was Scully's fault.
"I'll do whatever I please and if you want to be with
me, you'll NEVER do that again!" Ronni was screeching
now, her face red with anger.
"Maybe you're right," he said.
"Damn right!"
"No. Maybe you're right about us. I don't know if
I want to be with you anymore."
Continued in part 5...
Author: Melpomene
Email:
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 3
Keywords: M/O, MSR, S/O, Angst
Summary: What happens when you fall in
love with someone who doesn't love you back.
Author's Notes: Unbreak My Heart is a series.
I originally thought it would only run 4 or 5 parts
but the story just seems to be taking off in new
directions so I'm not sure how long it will be.
I'm really sorry this part took so long--life got
really nuts.
Part 4 - Therapy
"Fox?"
A gentle hand was shaking his shoulder. He woke
to see Margaret Scully's concerned blue eyes.
It took Mulder a moment to remember where he was--
curled up in the hall outside Scully's door.
"Why are you sleeping out here, Fox?" Mrs. Scully
asked gently.
He pushed himself to a sitting position, wiping
a tired hand over his face. The events of the
day before crashed over him--the fear he'd felt
when Scully was held hostage the shame he'd felt
over his causing that situation and the shock he'd
felt at her kiss.
"Um...Scully needed some time by herself. I
was afraid she might need something, so I stayed
out here."
"Fox, that doesn't make sense. Why would Dana
want you to leave? Did you guarrel?"
"She was upset." He prayed she wouldn't press
it.
Margaret Scully nodded, but her expression told
him she really didn't understand.
"Well, why don't you come in and I'll make some
coffee?"
Mulder scrubbed a hand over his face and checked
his watch. God, as if he wasn't in enough trouble,
he was going to be late for his meeting with Skinner.
"I can't Mrs. Scully. I'm going to be late for
work. Will you...will you tell Dana I hope she
feels better?"
Mrs. Scully had her key to Scully's door ready,
so he quickly waved goodbye and rounded the
corner. He didn't want to take the chance of
upsetting Scully should she spot him out in
the hall.
Mulder arrived at work with a few minutes late
for his appointment with Skinner. He hadn't
had time to go home, so his clothes still bore
the wrinkles and stains from the horrible long
day and a night spent on the floor.
"Glad you could make it, Agent Mulder," Skinner
said, frowning at his agent's appearance. Mulder
didn't even attempt to explain. As it turned
out, Skinner was the one doing all the talking
anyway.
"Agent Mulder, you're restricted to desk duty
until the review board makes a decision on whether
there will be any disciplinary action taken. I'd
be surprised frankly if you aren't suspended over
this." Skinner gave him a stern look before
continuing.
"And don't think I'm unaware of your lack of attention
to the X-Files over the last few months. I don't make
a point of getting involved with my agent's private
lives, until their personal issues start to affect
their work. You've been neglecting your responsibilities,
and that has almost cost your partner her life. I don't
think I need to tell you how serious this is."
Mulder was so ashamed, he could barely meet the man's
eyes. Skinner couldn't rake him over enough coals
to make up for what he'd done to Scully.
"I had a call early this morning from Agent
Scully. She'll be on leave until further notice.
I should tell you, Mulder--I've advised her that she
needs to assess whether the trust between you
had been damaged to a point that would prevent her
from functioning as your partner."
"What...what did she say?" Mulder asked, his voice
in danger of breaking.
"That she needed to think about it. You're dismissed
Agent," Skinner said, solemnly.
Mulder went down to his office. He unlocked the
door, trying to imagine what it would be like if
Scully decided she couldn't work with him any more.
Mulder didn't think he could stand that.
Before Ronni had distracted him, he'd realized how
absolutely necessary Scully was to his work and his
life. She was his anchor in a stormy sea.
And now his anchor was gone and he was adrift in
that ocean, not only because of a slip-up that
almost got Scully killed, but because of his reaction
to her kiss. He'd been totally shocked when Scully
kissed him. Not by how weird it felt, but by how
weird it didn't feel.
Mulder had always thought of Scully as a friend--a
best friend, but never as a lover. He'd been vaguely
aware that she was pretty in a wholesome, girl-next-
door way. Like his little sister might have been
if she hadn't been taken. Mulder had never been
physically attracted to the wholesome type. Or to
short women or redheads.
All in all, he'd been rather pleased to realize he
wasn't attracted to his new partner. Mulder knew
how complicated sexual relationships between partners
could get. He'd gotten romantically involved with a
partner when he was a rookie agent and it hadn't ended
happily. Hell, Ronni was just a coworker and things
had gotten way out of hand. Keeping his partnership
on a friends only basis was safe, comfortable, perfect.
He'd never thought of Scully in a sexual context...at
least not until now. Now, he couldn't help thinking
about how soft her lips felt, how sweet she tasted,
her clean, fresh scent.
Mulder doubted Scully would talk to him if he called
her. It was insanity to try, but he had to do it.
He owed her a dozen apologies--for being a weak-willed
sex toy, for getting her hurt and for hurting her
feelings last night. He dialed her number and
nervously waited.
Mrs. Scully answered, kindly telling him that Dana
was sleeping. She said Scully was in a lot of pain
and hadn't slept well that night. He winced at the
thought of Scully in pain. Of course, he didn't want
to disturb her.
While Mulder hung up the phone in his office, at
Scully's apartment, she was just walking into her
kitchen.
"Did I hear the phone, Mom?"
"Dana! You should be resting. Well, now that you're
up, let me make you some breakfast."
"The phone, Mom. Who called?"
"It was Fox, dear," her mother answered as she cracked
an egg into a bowl. Dana had been very specific--if
Fox called, he was to be put off. She wasn't ready or
able to speak to him. Margaret didn't know many of the
details about what had happened to Dana yesterday, but
she had a feeling Fox had done something to upset her
daughter.
"He wondered how you were feeling. Are you sure you
don't want to talk to him if he calls again?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I...I can't talk about it right now,
but I'm not ready to speak to him."
"He loves you, Dana. I could see that when you were
missing. I don't know what he did that upset you so
much dear but I know he loves you."
"I'm sure he does Mom but only as a friend."
"I wish you'd talk to him. He looked so miserable
when I found him this morning."
"You found him?" Scully asked. What did her mother
mean?
"When I got here this morning, poor Fox was fast
asleep curled up outside your door. He seemed so
sad and upset, but he wouldn't come in."
Oh no, Scully thought. She wouldn't be able to handle
seeing Mulder if he came back when she was alone.
"You know Mom, I think I'm going to take you up on your
offer to stay with you for a little while." Scully hoped
her mother would allow her to change the subject. She
just couldn't talk about Mulder any more. "It will be
easier for you not to have to drive out here every day."
In all the times Scully had been injured on the job--even
when she'd almost died after her abduction, she'd rushed
to get back to work. Each time, she'd fought the doctors,
insisting on going back at least on desk duty. Her work
and Mulder were her lifeblood and she needed them both.
But that was before her partner turned to someone else and
before Scully had humiliated herself. Cowardly perhaps
but she just couldn't face going back just now
So, for the next four weeks, the length of time her
doctor had put her on disability for, Scully moved into
her mother's house. She rested, allowed Margaret to
coddle her and generally tried to get her mind off
Mulder, the X-Files, and Ronni Alain.
But most of all, she tried to forget that disastrous
kiss. If anything kept her from returning to the
X-Files, it wouldn't be Mulder's sexual obsession
with Ronni, but her own embarrassment over forcing her
own attentions on her partner. It wasn't like he'd
ever expressed any interest in Scully. He'd never
led her on. She could say that she'd been
under the influence of narcotics and trauma, but
the truth was, she'd only done what she always
wanted to do and it had turned out very badly.
One thing was certain. She needed to apologize to
Mulder for putting him in such an awkward position.
She wasn't sure if it was possible to continue
working with him. It wasn't the embarrassment of
his rejection of her kiss, though that was possibly
the most humiliating thing she'd ever experienced.
Even so, she could get passed that humiliation.
And it wasn't that she had lost confidence in his
ability to have her back. Yes, she had her concerns.
If Mulder couldn't keep his mind on work when he
was on the job, she would be forced to end their
partnership. But she knew he had been working on
the problem and she believed he wanted to change.
No, the insurmountable problem would be working
every day with a man she loved, but who couldn't
ever return her feelings. The pain of watching
Mulder go home to another woman, day after day
after day--that would break her spirit along
with her heart. She didn't know if she could
handle that.
Her mother tried to get her to eat, but Scully
didn't have much appetite. All she wanted to do
was sleep. When she slept, her misery faded away
for a few hours. But slowly her body began to heal.
Margaret Scully was relieved when after a couple
of weeks her daughter started physical therapy
for her shoulder. It turned out that therapy was
just what Scully needed in more ways than physical.
After weeks with her arm in a sling, Scully began
exercising her arm. Getting strength back into
abused muscles was hard work. The therapist had
Scully start by using a weight and pulley device.
The exercises were painful, and Scully grimaced as
she did her repetitions.
"It gets easier." A deep, warm voice drifted
over to Scully. "Hurts like hell in the beginning,
though, if memory serves."
"I'd say your memory is accurate," Scully answered,
grunting with the effort of moving her arm through
the exercise. The truth was, she was annoyed at
having to try and converse when she was working
through painful motions. That is until she looked
up at the speaker.
The man who stood before her leaning on a cane
seemed vaguely familiar, but she was sure she'd
never met him. She'd have remembered a man as
ruggedly handsome as this one. With black hair
and sparkling blue eyes, he had wonderfully mobile
features. His face was deeply tanned, tiny
lines etching a tale of a rugged life. He
flashed her an infectious grin. Scully couldn't
help but smile back.
"You should do that more often," the man said.
"Do what?" she asked.
"Smile," he replied. "It changes your whole
face. You're pretty until you smile, and then
you're breathtaking."
Scully stood there, with her mouth open. The handle
on the pulley machine slipped out of her fingers, and
the weight dropped down with a thunk. Damn. She was
out of practice, having spent so much time with Mulder.
She forgot how to act when a man thought she was
attractive.
"Thank you," she replied when she remembered it was
her turn to speak.
He introduced himself as Joe Clancey and Scully
remembered that she'd seen his picture on the evening
news. A foreign correspondent, he'd been hurt in Africa
covering a conflict between warring tribes. He'd been
captured by one side, after having been shot in the leg.
The story had been all over the news during a couple of
months back, as his news service negotiated his release.
In the end, Joe Clancey had escaped and limped and
then crawled his way to safety in the form of Red Cross
workers. Scully remembered the endless news reports on
Joe's bravery in escaping. Now he was stateside,
undergoing the slow process of rehabilitation for his
injuries.
"My heart is back there," he told her over coffee later.
"I'm going stir crazy wishing I was back where the
action is."
"You remind me of a friend," Scully chuckled. "He's
usually as obsessed as you are with his work."
"Only usually?" Joe asked, laughing. "Doesn't sound
like a very consistent obsession to me."
Scully laughed, and for a moment, the sadness in her
began to ease. Joe was fascinating--he'd been all
over the world reporting the news, usually in the most
dangerous places on the planet. He had a million
stories, that he told her over coffee after their
daily therapy sessions.
Soon, coffee dates turned into dinner dates. Margaret
Scully viewed Joe with a certain wariness. She didn't
understand why her daughter couldn't date a nice
accountant or lawyer.
But Margaret did like the way Dana had finally perked up.
She was pretty sure Joe had something to do with that,
even if he wasn't son-in-law material.
Dana had gone on a shopping spree, buying some pretty
new clothes that showed off her tiny waist and curvy
figure. She'd gotten her hair cut in a flattering new
style and had come home from the hair salon with a
brighter red tone. Dana looked more vibrant and healthy
than her mother had seen her look in years.
Scully knew Joe was planning on going back to Africa,
or the Mideast or somewhere dangerous when he was
healed. She wasn't under any delusion that Joe was
going to be a permanent fixture in her life. It
seemed she had exchanged one man with a quest for
another. The only difference was Joe thought she
was sexy and attractive.
Finally, it was time to go back to work. She was
scheduled to return on Monday, so the Friday before,
she'd gone back to her apartment. It felt strange
seeing it for the first time in four weeks, almost
as strange as it had been after her abduction.
That Friday night, she had a date with Joe.
"Wow. You look amazing," he said when she answered
the door in a clingy blue dress. She picked up her
little silver purse, catching a glimpse of herself in
the hall mirror, smiling with satisfaction. It had
been a long time since anyone thought she looked
amazing. It had been even longer since she thought
she looked amazing.
Joe took her to an elegant restaurant not far from
her apartment. His hand was at the small of her
back as they walked into the dining room. A pang
of sadness hit her as she remembered how Mulder
used to do that. Apparently it hadn't meant the
same thing to him as it did to her because he'd
stopped it as soon as he started dating Ronni.
Her heart skipped a beat as they made their way
to the table as across the room, she saw Mulder and
Ronni leaving a table. Her partner's look was a
mixture of surprise and something that looked a
little bit like jealousy. That was certainly odd,
she thought.
"Who's that?" Joe asked as he pushed her chair in.
"My partner and his girlfriend."
"She's a little...obvious, isn't she?"
Indeed Ronni's breasts were practically spilling
out of the top of her skin tight dress and she was
swaying on her stiletto heels as she and Mulder
walked across the room. Ronni hung on Mulder
as if he was a trophy.
"Wow Scully," Mulder said as he reached her table.
"You look great." Ronni's expression was sour
as Mulder's attention turned to Scully. With
Joe smiling at Scully too, it must have been Ronni's
worst nightmare--another woman getting all the
attention.
"Thanks. I'm feeling much better," Scully replied.
Scully introduced everyone, and Joe stood up to
shake Ronni and Mulder's hands. For an awkward moment,
Mulder and Joe stared at each other. Scully thought
she detected some animosity on Mulder's part, but
that didn't make much sense, so she chalked it up to
a testosterone issue.
Mulder couldn't get over how gorgeous Scully looked.
The contrast was obvious between Scully, looking
quietly sexy in a softly clinging blue dress and
Ronni, looking like a cheap tart. Frankly,
Scully was the winner in the sexy contest tonight.
He wondered who this Joe Clancey was. The guy was
a little too good looking for Mulder's comfort level.
And he was all over Scully--putting his hand
on her back when they walked into the room, holding
her hand as it lay on the table.
Dammit, she was supposed to be out on disability,
not hooking up with some gimpy guy. Mulder didn't
know what was wrong with his leg, but he limped
like an old man.
Mulder had missed Scully so much. She'd been all he
thought about for the last four weeks, much to Ronni's
annoyance. He'd thrown himself into his work,
getting to the office before anyone else, and staying
so late he was on a first name basis with the cleaning
staff. That also didn't go over well with Ronni. After
a while that stopped being as much of a problem as Ronni
got busy at work herself, traveling often on
out of town cases.
"Fox baby, lets go," Ronni said sexily as she
insinuated herself into his side. Her tone made it
clear what she planned to do when she got him home.
Scully looked vaguely amused by his obvious embarrassment.
Joe seemed non-plussed.
"We'd better get going," Mulder said apologetically.
"I'll see you on Monday, Scully."
"Bright and early," she answered.
When they got to her apartment, Ronni was out of
her dress before he got her door open. Mulder
hadn't wanted to make love that night--his mind was
swirling with too many emotions. Jealousy warred
with confusion and the ever present guilt. But
Ronni obviously had other ideas.
In minutes, her tongue was down his throat and her
hands busy in his pants. He tried to fight it,
pushing her away but she was persistent. A man can
only stand so much before the natural sex drive
kicks in. Ronni led him off to bed.
For the first time since he met Ronni, his mind
was on someone else as he fucked her. He couldn't
stop picturing Scully. It was Scully's ripe red
mouth kissing him, Scully's creamy white skin under
his hands. It was Scully he was pumping into.
With every thrust, he thought of Scully's translucent
skin and vibrant hair. He was getting so close. His
Scully was beneath him, accepting him. He was going
to come.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted name at the height of climax.
In one stunning moment, he was brought back to reality.
His breath was ragged and his heart was torn as he
looked down at Ronni's angry face.
"You fucking bastard!" Ronni shouted, pushing Mulder off
her and jumping from the bed as if it was on fire.
"Were you screwing me and pretending I was that fat
ugly cow?!"
"I'm sorry. That was...wrong in too many ways to
count."
"No kidding. Don't you ever--EVER--call me by that
bitch's name..."
"Don't insult Scully," he said, his voice chillingly
serious. He felt awful about what he'd done, but he
couldn't allow Ronni to talk about Scully like that.
None of this was Scully's fault.
"I'll do whatever I please and if you want to be with
me, you'll NEVER do that again!" Ronni was screeching
now, her face red with anger.
"Maybe you're right," he said.
"Damn right!"
"No. Maybe you're right about us. I don't know if
I want to be with you anymore."
Continued in part 5...