Picking Up the Pieces Part 6
Mulder woke up to find his bed empty. Not an unusual occurrence, mind you, but Scully was no where to be found. As soon as he recognized the hum of the shower, he collapsed back to his slumber. After all, it was only a little after five.
The next time he awoke, over two hours later, it was to the sound of Scully's voice. His eyes struggled to focus as he realized she was on the phone.
"It's the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Richmond. Room 213. It's 555 West Can—"
Mulder flew out of bed, lunging at the phone with a strangled "Scully!" as soon as he realized what she was doing. He hung up the phone and turned to her with an accusing stare.
"What the hell are you doing?! That was your husband, I suppose!" he spat the words at her.
"Yes! But he is my husband! I have to go back to him. We belong together! He needs me," she stomped her foot for affect.
Mulder threw his arms up in absolute disgust. "I don't believe this! What the hell was last night?!"
"I wasn't being loyal to him! You don't understand! He trusted me!" she shouted.
"Yeah, Scully! I don't know what it's like to have that kind of trust," he was livid, fuming. He bit down on the inside of his cheek—hard. He considered this change of course. The bitter taste of copper reached his senses as he looked up at Scully.
"Okay!" he spoke, louder than he meant to. "Okay," he softened his voice, "We still have an hour before he comes. That, and the receptionist won't let him in—"
"No, he's coming for me right now. He's already in Richmond. He just wanted the street number," she responded, as if explaining a simple fact to a young child.
Mulder's eyes scanned the room in a fury. He knew he was running out of time. "Scully, pack your stuff. We have to get out of here."
"I'm already packed. I have to meet Jack in the lobby."
Mulder felt the heat of his frustration spread across his face. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging an the strands. "Just, just give me a little more time with you. We need to talk," he pleaded.
Scully shifted the duffel bag from the left shoulder to her right. Mulder took advantage of her stillness as he gathered what little he had actually unpacked. Not knowing if he would be spending yet another night here, he decided just to check out.
"Okay, just an hour. I really need to get home to make lunch for Jack," she conceded.
Mulder did a double-take, almost positive that she was joking. She was nothing if not sincere. The words 'home' and 'make lunch' left Mulder confused. Since when did Special Agent Dana Scully become Miss Suzy Homemaker for some worthless lush?
"I'm not the same person I was five years ago."
Mulder blinked; he had not realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. He hastily grabbed his rolling suitcase and escorted Scully out of the hotel room. He hoped to find a small coffee shop or bagel bar where he could rationalize with her. Unfortunately, they never even made it out of the hotel lobby.
Mulder made sure Scully stood by his side as he checked out of Crowne Plaza. As they turned to leave, though, he lost her.
"Dana! There you are! I was so worried about you, alone by yourself in a big city!" Jack ran towards her.
Mulder wanted to kill this man. He wanted to scream 'You're wrong! She lived in a big city by herself for years!' Mulder held his ground, subconsciously puffing his chest. He wanted to wrap a protective, possessive arm around Scully's shoulder, but she was already out of reach. He wanted to cry.
The look he saw on Scully's face made him gag. Pure, utter devotion, adoration. She was beaming at him. He watched with disgust as Jack held Dana's hands between their chests in a parent-to-child manner, berating her for leaving. This man had no resemblance to the pig from the ratty apartment. Mulder watched as Scully hung her head in shame, remorse, then nod as Jack whispered unknown promises she must now make to him. As a somewhat objective observer, Mulder noticed the typical abusive husband character, the ability to change his character, turn his charm on.
Jack stepped back, a smug smile on his face, arms crossed. Scully came back to Mulder. "I have to go with Jack. He needs me, and I should not leave him alone like I did."
Mulder searched her eyes, her face, for any signs of sway. As per the Scully he knew and loved…wait, loved?...she left no room for argument.
"You…you promised me an hour. Scully, you have to hear me out, just one hour. Just…one," his eyes searched her face.
The scene before Mulder revealed more symbolism than Mulder cared to psychoanalyze at this point. Scully stood between Mulder and Jack. Between her past and future. Between right and wrong. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood." Mulder cringed at his stream of consciousness.
Scully did not even try to hide her decision, let alone toss him a look of remorse. She walked out of Crowne Plaza Hotel, supposedly out of his life, though he knew better. She stepped into the city life. Too bad she had not taken the road less traveled. It may have made all the difference.
a/n quoting and paraphrasing of Robert Frost's "The Road Less Traveled" used and manipulated without permission. No copyright infringement intended. Expect another updated in 2-3 days.