The four disappointed and exhausted people entered the restaurant and sat at the most secluded table they could find. Their moods were as varied as the people in the booth. Mulder's mood picked up a little bit when he started to notice the alien décor, while Scully, who had seen the decorations earlier, seemed to be fascinated by Mulder. Grissom looked like he was about to collapse, having been up for about 24 hours at this point. Sara, on the other hand, looked like she was ready to pull a double, the lack of rest taking apparently no toll on her. She sat fidgeting with the silverware, one leg bouncing under the table.
The winking waitress appeared at their table and gave Grissom and Mulder the once over. Sara noticed her and let out a disgusted groan. Grissom tried to hide his amusement, while Mulder returned the once over. Scully rolled her eyes.
"Long day, huh? You four look like you could really use a drink. So, what can I get ya?" The waitress asked winking at the men.
Sara quickly spoke up. "I'll have a beer. Bud Light if you have it."
"Make that two." Grissom added.
Mulder looked at Scully with an unspoken question. She nodded. "Make that four beers," he said.
The waitress left and quickly returned with the beers. Sara grabbed her bottle and took a big long gulp, while the other three simply sipped on theirs. Sara soon finished her beer and had waved the waitress down for another. Grissom shot a worried glance at her but said nothing. Noticing his look, she drank the second beer slowly. The waitress quietly returned to their table to leave a few menus and went to attend to the other customers. Mulder and Scully perused the menu, trying to decide what to order. There wasn't much of a choice—Alienburger or Alienburger with cheese, both served with a side fries. There were a few other items on the menu but none seemed too appetizing. Grissom and Sara, who already knew what was on the menu, took the time to people watch.
Grissom seemed to be watching one person in particular—a good-looking man in his thirties, who seemed to be totally fascinated with Sara. Sara hadn't noticed the man looking at her because she was giving dirty looks at an older woman who seemed to be eying Grissom. Neither seemed to notice the other patrons, both male and female, who appeared to be checking out Mulder and Scully. No matter who they were looking at, all the other patrons of the restaurant seemed to be focused on the four weary travelers. You could probably chalk it up to the fact that they were four strangers in a small town where everyone knew each other. Or it could be due to the fact that they were four attractive people. Whatever the case was…all eyes were on them.
The waitress returned to take their orders and scurried back to work. It was after she left the table that Grissom realized that they seemed to be the center of attention, which made him quite uncomfortable. Sara sensed his discomfort and gave him a pat on the back. "What's the matter, Griss? Is the ogling and leering bothering you? I think that woman in the corner is undressing you with her eyes."
"Really? Where?" he asked looking all around.
"My mistake. It wasn't the woman in the corner."
"Maybe it was the woman sitting next to me."
"In your dreams."
"Always in my dreams…never in my reality," he said wistfully.
"It could be your reality. All you have to do is say the word." Sara informed flashing him her 'Grissom Smile'.
"The word." Grissom looked at Sara and then himself. "I guess it didn't work."
"Maybe I should rephrase that." Sara added with a laugh.
They fell quiet, both thinking that the alcohol must be affecting the other. Mulder and Scully had quietly watched the banter. They looked at each other and smiled. Scully leaned in to Mulder and whispered, "Do they remind you of anyone?"
He leaned in to her and whispered back. "Yeah. They're a little like us, only the roles are reversed. It's kinda strange."
"Must be an X-File." Scully quipped. Mulder let out a little chuckle.
The waitress returned with their meals. They ate in silence, consuming their meals relatively quickly. When they were all finished Mulder ordered them all another round of beer. He excused himself as the booze arrived and went out to check on the truck. Everything checked out fine and he rejoined his companions.
In the disappointment of not being able to leave town they had forgotten to check if there were rooms available at the Inn. Grissom and Mulder were elected to be the ones to find out. They left the women and went in search of the now-elusive waitress. Two attractive young men at the bar took that as their cue to move in on Scully and Sara. They swaggered up to the table and took the empty seats.
"Hi, I'm Rick and this is Danny." Rick was about 6'3" with wavy black hair and beautiful blue eyes. Danny was a little shorter with short blond hair and sparkling green eyes.
"Can we buy you ladies a drink?" Danny asked.
Sara and Scully exchanged an uncomfortable look. "We have drinks, but thanks anyways. We're actually waiting for our friends to return," Sara said, trying to be polite to the young men.
"Those two old guys?" Rick asked, seemingly perplexed as to why they would rather be in the company of the 'old guys'.
"Let me tell you, you ladies are way too hot to be with those two," Danny added.
"Hey, Danny, it's okay. If they want to spend quality time with their fathers we shouldn't get in the way," Rick said, seriously believing that Mulder and Grissom had to be Scully and Sara's fathers. Otherwise, who would choose those guys over me, he thought rather arrogantly.
"All right, that's it. You guys have about two seconds to get your asses out of here before I kick them," Sara said angrily.
"Hey, calm down. We only offered you a drink. You don't have to go all bitch on us," Rick said, as he and Danny stood.
"I know you didn't just call me a bitch. You must have a death wish. Hey, guess what? Your two seconds are up." Sara jumped out of her chair and went after Rick. Scully quickly jumped up to stop her. Rick and Danny both took a step backwards and backed right into someone. They both turned around and were looking in the faces of Grissom and Mulder.
"Is there a problem here?" Grissom asked, a little angry that someone had upset Sara to the point of violence.
"If there is, I'm sure we could settle it outside," Mulder added, standing his ground and looking tougher than he actually was.
Rick and Danny looked at each other and then back at the two men standing in front of them. They both figured that a fight with these two might not be such a good thing. "No, sir. There's no problem. We were just leaving," Danny sputtered, trying not to sound too scared.
"Okay, then," Mulder said, as he stepped aside to let them pass.
Grissom didn't move though. "I think you should apologize to these fine young women before you go," he added, giving them both a look that made them shiver with fear.
"I'm sorry," Rick said before making a beeline for the door.
"I apologize. We were way out of line." And with that Danny fled.
"And they say chivalry is dead." Scully remarked as she took her seat.
The other three took their seats also. Sara was trying hard but she couldn't contain the smile that forced its way onto her face. Ah, Grissom, my knight in cotton armor, she thought to herself. "Hey, Grissom, did I ever tell you…you're my hero?" she said, unable to keep a straight face.
They all laughed before Grissom said with a smile, "I don't recall ever hearing that from you. I'll have to remember that."
"What about me, Scully? Am I your hero?" Mulder asked.
"No…Grissom is my hero. They were more afraid of him than they were of you. In fact, they were probably more afraid of Sara than they were of you." Scully teased.
"Ouch, Scully, that hurt." Mulder placed his hand on his chest in mock pain.
"We are heroes, Agent Mulder. We just saved two lives. Sara would have killed those guys if we hadn't intervened." Grissom said, taking a sip of his beer.
"They are lucky you showed up when you did. I do have my gun and it would have been justifiable since they called me a bitch." Sara declared.
Changing the subject Scully asked, "Did you manage to get us rooms?"
Mulder and Grissom looked at each other. Mulder answered, "Uh, yeah…one small problem though. Because of all the UFO sightings in the area there are a lot of sky-watchers in town. They only had two rooms available."
"So, what are we gonna do?" Sara asked.
"Well, we'll have to share." Grissom stated the obvious.
"We can do this three ways. You beautiful ladies can share a room and Grissom and I can bunk together, or Scully and I share and you and Grissom share," Mulder explained to Sara, "Or the last one, and I don't think Grissom here would like this pairing too much, no offense to you Scully, Grissom and Scully share and Sidle and I bunk together." He said, waggling his eyebrows at Sara, who tried her best not to laugh before Mulder continued, saying, "Let me just add that I'd prefer not to have to sleep with another guy."
Much to everyone's surprise Sara said, "Okay, Agent Mulder, it looks like it's you and me."
"What?" Grissom asked a little baffled.
"Relax, Grissom, I was only joking. As odd as this may sound, I'd feel more comfortable bunking with you." Sara rested her hand on his arm trying to get him to relax.
"Please tell me there are two beds in the room?" Scully whined.
"Oh…I left that little part out? Each room has one queen size bed. Sorry, but you'll have to sleep with me." Mulder said with a smirk.
"God, you better not snore, Griss." Sara teased. "Because if you do, you're sleeping in the truck."
"What do you care? You don't sleep." He decided a little banter would lighten up her mood.
"Yeah, well, you might interrupt my reading." She huffed with a hint of amusement.
"Like I'd be able to sleep anyway, with you in bed with me." He realized his little slip a tad too late. Mulder and Scully looked at the pair and raised their brows waiting for a response.
Sara smirked. "I soooo have a great response to that, but I'm not going to say it with Agents Mulder and Scully around."
The FBI agents looked a little disappointed. They all fell silent for a moment, looking around and giving dirty looks to the people staring at them. Mulder was scanning the room when he noticed a pool table. "Who's up for a game of pool?" he asked.
"I am," Sara answered. "How much money do you have?"
"Do we have a pool shark in our group?" Mulder inquired.
"Actually, I've never played before. You may have to teach me." Sara said innocently.
"I don't believe you," Mulder said, "You'll probably whoop my ass."
Sara stood up and asked, "So, are we gonna play or talk about it all night?"
"Oh, we're gonna play." Mulder responded with a smirk.
Sara and Mulder headed over to the pool table and started their game. Grissom and Scully watched them from their table. The waitress appeared and Grissom ordered another round of drinks. She quickly returned with their order and disappeared. Sara appeared to be having a lot more fun with the game of pool than Mulder, probably due to the fact that she was indeed kicking his ass. Grissom watched them long enough to come to the conclusion that Mulder was not going to put the moves on Sara. He had noticed earlier in the day that the FBI agents seemed to have a special connection. The pair seemed to care deeply for each other and he figured that Mulder's interaction with Sara was nothing more than harmless flirtation. He had a feeling that Agent Mulder's heart belonged to the woman sitting across from him.
"So, how long have you and Agent Mulder been partners?" he asked Scully, breaking the silence between them.
"Oh, it's been over ten years." She answered.
"And you've worked on this special paranormal phenomena unit the whole time?"
"Yes. We've been working on the X Files for almost the whole time. They've shut us down a couple times throughout the years."
"The X Files?" He asked with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"They used to put all these kinds of strange unsolvable cases filed under U. Eventually there was no more room to file under U, so they started putting the weird unsolvable cases under X because there was plenty of room there. So…The X Files. That's Mulder's version of it anyway." She explained.
"I see. Are you a skeptic or a believer?"
"I started out as a skeptic. I approached our cases with a scientific mind. But over the years and with the things I've seen…I've come to accept the possibilities. The stubborn scientist in me, though, can't say that I believe wholeheartedly like Mulder does." She looked at Mulder and took a sip of beer. "I need proof, while Mulder will believe just about anything."
"Sounds like you two are nothing alike." Grissom noted.
"Like day and night." She responded with a chuckle. "What about you and Sara? How long have you been working together?"
"She's been working for me for about four years now. I knew her long before that though." He divulged.
"You two seem to have a special connection." She commented.
"I was thinking the same thing about you and Agent Mulder." Grissom revealed.
They shared a smile before turning their attention to the pair playing pool. Grissom's eyes were on Sara as she leaned over the table to make a shot. The 8 ball sank into the corner pocket and Mulder let out a groan. Sara patted him on the back with a satisfied grin on her face. Mulder was whining about Sara cheating as they returned to the table and took their seats.
"Did the two of you enjoy watching Sidle kick my ass?" Mulder asked as he took a swig of his beer.
"We weren't paying much attention to you. We were talking, but we did see the end. Good job, Sara, his ego needed a bruising." Scully said.
"Thanks, Scully. So, what were you talking about? Or is it private?" He asked Scully with a wink.
"We were talking about the usual…work." Scully replied.
"I doubt you could get Grissom to talk about anything else." Sara said. "You could probably get him to talk about bugs, but that falls under the work category. Doesn't it Bugman?"
"Bugman?" Mulder raised his eyebrows in question.
"I'm an entomologist." Grissom stated.
"An entomologist/forensic scientist, a doctor/FBI agent…we have some overachievers here. What about you, Sidle?" Mulder asked.
"I went to Harvard. I'm nothing special." Sara answered.
"Ivy League, huh? I went to Oxford. In our youth, we were all probably a bunch of nerds too smart for our own good." Mulder said with a grin.
"Speak for yourself." Scully huffed.
"I'm not gonna lie about it, I was a geek," Sara declared.
"You're still a geek," Grissom pointed out.
"It takes one to know one," Sara teased.
They all chuckled at Sara's comment. In unison the four grabbed their beers and took a drink. They all noticed and burst out laughing. The laughter subsided and the group fell silent. Mulder looked at his watch and said, "I should probably go check on the truck again."
Before he could get up Sara said, "I'll go check on it. I could use a little fresh air."
"All right." Mulder tossed Sara they keys.
Sara stepped out into the cool desert night and took a deep breath. The Little A'Le'Inn was a nice place, but since it was a restaurant/bar, they allowed people to smoke and the stench of cigarettes had started to get to Sara. She stood just outside of the door for a minute breathing in the fresh air, marveling that she willingly put that smoke in her lungs once. She soon felt better and continued with her task of checking the truck. She unlocked the back and looked inside. The bodies were still there and nothing seemed to have been tampered with, so she locked it back up. She leaned against the truck, deciding she would breath in some more clear air before rejoining the others.
Back inside, the other customers had seemed to lose interest in the group and were now busy minding their own business. Grissom noticed the change and let out a sigh of relief. The FBI agents were having a quiet conversation, while Grissom was glancing at his watch waiting for Sara to return. He was starting to wonder what was taking her so long, worrying that something had happened to her. Stop worrying, Gil, she's probably just enjoying the fresh air. But what if there was a problem with the truck? She'll be fine she can take care of herself. He continued to argue with himself.
Mulder and Scully were busy talking and Grissom was busy looking at his watch and arguing with himself, so no one noticed the man that had been eying Sara all night follow her outside. He had waited a few minutes after she left, watching her companions for the right moment to slip out. The three left at the table seemed to be distracted so he took that as his opportunity. He inconspicuously made his way outside. He stood in the shadows watching Sara check the truck. He watched her lean against the vehicle, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to make his move.
Inside the Inn, Grissom was becoming more worried with every passing second. Mulder noticed the concerned look on his face and asked, "Is something wrong?"
Grissom was a bit distracted but heard Mulder's question. "Sara's been gone a while."
"Maybe we should go and make sure everything's okay," Mulder suggested.
Grissom nodded and the two men made their way to the door. They stepped outside and saw no sign of Sara. Grissom's worry increased instantly. They checked the truck and everything was fine there. They looked around the parking lot but could not see her.
"I don't like this," Mulder said, concern evident in his voice.
"Me either," Grissom agreed.
The men started searching the parking lot, but couldn't find Sara. They were approaching the farthest and darkest end of the lot when they heard a noise. They shared a glance, worry etched in both their faces. They quickened their pace and headed to the source of that noise. They broke into a run when they heard Sara yell, "Get the fuck off me!"
The man had Sara between two vans. Mulder pulled out his gun as they approached and waved to Grissom to go around one side while he went around the other. Mulder cautiously went around the vehicle, while Grissom ran to Sara's aid. He felt a sharp spike of fury when he saw what was happening. The man had Sara on the ground and his hands were all over her, pulling at her clothes and groping. She was trying her hardest to fight back, but he was about three times her size and on top of her. Sara let out a scream just before Grissom pulled the guy off of her. The guy stumbled back, obviously drunk, and then he lunged at Grissom. Sara scurried out of the way quickly, while the attacker swung at Grissom but missed. Grissom, filled with rage, hit the guy in the jaw. The blow did little to stop the man and he took another swing at Grissom, connecting with his eye. Grissom managed to punch the guy in the stomach but received another hit in the face from the assailant.
He was about to hit Grissom again when Mulder appeared with his weapon drawn and shouted, "Stop right there! I'm a federal agent and I will shoot!"
The man stopped with his hand in a fist ready to swing. He looked at Mulder and back at Grissom. He contemplated trying to finish this fight but decided kicking a guy's ass wasn't worth getting shot and he dropped his hand to his side. Mulder quickly approached the man and handcuffed him. He patted him down and 'accidentally' elbowed him in the gut. The man let out a groan and started slurring something about police brutality.
While Agent Mulder was taking care of business, Grissom rushed over to Sara, who was standing a few feet away with her back to the men, staring off into the night. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was trying to catch her breath. Grissom laid his hand on her shoulder gently and asked, "Sara, are you okay?"
She didn't answer and from his position behind her, it appeared that she was crying. He slowly turned her around and pulled her into a hug. She immediately wrapped her arms around him. He held her close, rubbing her back soothingly. She was trying her hardest not to cry, but couldn't keep the tears from silently spilling down her face. Grissom felt the wetness on his shirt and tightened his hold on her. He was fighting the urge to leave her for a minute and go kill that guy with his bare hands. He resisted the urge knowing that Sara needed comfort.
Mulder approached the pair and said quietly, "I called the sheriff. He'll be here in a few minutes to get this guy."
"Thank you, Agent Mulder." Grissom replied not letting go of Sara.
"He'll need statements from all three of us," Mulder gently informed the pair.
Grissom turned his head towards Mulder and nodded. Mulder walked back over and grabbed the criminal and pushed him back towards the Inn. He was uncooperative in walking with the agent, so Mulder grabbed him by the arm and dragged him roughly towards the entrance to the restaurant. Scully walked out of the door just as Mulder and the perp were walking up. She looked at the man in cuffs and then at Mulder, clearly confused and worried.
"Mulder, what's going on?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
"We came out to check on Sidle, but we couldn't find her. We started searching the parking lot and we heard her yell. We ran over to her and found this asshole attacking her. He and Grissom got into a little fight. I pulled my gun and stopped the fight, handcuffed the guy and now we're waiting for the sheriff." He informed her.
"Is Sara okay?" She asked concerned.
"She seems pretty shaken up. Grissom's with her." He pointed across the parking lot at the pair still in an embrace.
Grissom squeezed Sara a little tighter before pulling back. She let her arms fall to her side and kept her face down. He cupped her face in his hands and lifted her face up but she kept her eyes down. He gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs and said, "Sara, please look at me."
She lifted her eyes to meet his. He saw the fear still there. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered weakly.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need to see a doctor?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said, her voice a little stronger. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." He looked at her a little confused. She was just attacked and she's asking if I'm all right? It was then that he realized that in his scuffle with the psycho he did take a couple hits. With the adrenaline from the encounter rapidly wearing off, he started to feel the pain in his left eye and the left side of his mouth. He stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth and tasted blood.
"You don't look fine, Griss. You're bleeding. You have a cut above your eye and a busted lip. You're probably going to have a nice shiner soon." She said, feeling a little better. The corners of her mouth were even threatening to form a smile.
Noticing that she was beginning to act more normally, he let out a sigh of relief. He slowly brought his hands down to rest them on her shoulders. "You scared the hell out of me," he admitted. "Did that guy do anything…I mean did he…?" he trailed off not knowing how to ask.
"He had just attacked me when you and Agent Mulder arrived. I was taking a little walk around the parking lot when he came up from behind and pulled me in between those vans and pushed me up against one. He tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. He kept trying to grab me and I was fighting to get away from him, but he was so drunk he stumbled and fell on top of me. I yelled at him to get the fuck off me, and then you and Mulder showed up. You know the rest." Sara explained in one breath.
"You seem to be handling this very well," Grissom observed.
"Nothing really happened. I don't want to think about it. I just want to forget this ever happened and keep going."
"Well, you may have to put off forgetting about this for a little while." She gave him an odd look and he added, "The sheriff just arrived and we have to give him our statements. Can you handle that?"
"I can handle anything," She said walking off confidently to give her statement to the sheriff.
Grissom let out a heavy sigh and followed her.
Sara gave the sheriff a quick replay of the attack. Grissom and Mulder gave their statements also. The sheriff took his time reading the guy his rights and getting him in the car while Grissom wondered how he ever got anything done. He seemed to be the slowest man in law enforcement. Sheriff Maxwell finally got finished going over the night's events with the group and asked Grissom about what he had found out at the scene. Grissom gave him a vague description of all they had discovered and told him that the Las Vegas coroner had picked up the bodies. He told him that he would inform him of their findings once the bodies and evidence were properly processed. The sheriff didn't seem to really care and gave the group a laconic, "See ya around," before he left.
The quartet watched as the taillights of the sheriff's car disappeared into the darkness. Mulder turned to the other three and said, "Who else needs another beer?"
"I sure could use a couple more." Sara replied.
"I think I need another one too." Grissom added.
Scully sighed and joked, "Peer pressure…you three are a bad influence on me."
They went back in and reclaimed their table. Mulder ordered them another round. Grissom was very concerned about Sara and kept looking at her every few minutes to make sure she was okay. She noticed his anxiety and felt like she should say something to him, but she didn't know what to say. Nothing had really happened, the guy manhandled her a little, but Grissom arrived just in time to save the day…or night. The incident hadn't really affected her like he thought it had, she had been in worse situations. She felt the need to put him at ease.
"I know you're worried, Grissom. I'm fine, really." She quietly told him, with a small smile.
"Are you sure? You were pretty shaken up earlier." He asked softly.
"It had just happened. I was scared until you showed up. I just needed a few minutes to deal with it." She explained.
"And now you've dealt with it?"
"Yes. It was no big deal."
"Sara…"
"Grissom, please, I just want to put it behind me." She interrupted.
"Okay, but if you want to talk or anything…I'll be there for you." He offered her, gently touching her shoulder.
She was a little stunned by his gesture. She smiled at him and reached up and patted his hand. Feeling the need to touch her for as long as possible, he left his hand on her shoulder a few minutes before pulling it away to grab his beer. Sara didn't know what to think about this Grissom that she had been seeing since they left Las Vegas. Maybe he had changed over the last year and she hadn't been paying enough attention to notice. She quickly discarded that idea thinking, when do I not pay attention to Grissom. If he's around I'm watching him. If he's not around, well, he's always on my mind. I would know if he changed that drastically. He's just worried about me, that's all. He saw that guy attacking me and decided to be nice. But he's been nice to me since we left Vegas; maybe he's trying to be friends again. She turned to look at him, curiously trying to put the puzzle together.
The waitress approached the table and informed them that the bar would be closing soon. They ordered another round and she quickly brought their drinks.
Mulder looked at the others around the table and thought back on how long a day this had been. He grabbed his beer, raised it up in front of him in a toast and said, "Thank God this day is almost over. Here's hoping that tomorrow will be less eventful and a lot less stressful."
The other three nodded in agreement and the four of them clinked their bottles together. Mulder and Scully took a long swig of their beer, while Grissom just had a sip. Sara, on the other hand, chugged down what was left in her bottle. She slammed the bottle down on the table and said, "Aaahhh! That's the second best way to end a bad day."
"What's the first best way to end a bad day?" Grissom inquired.
Sara smirked at him and said, "I don't think you want to know."
Grissom gave her a smirk of his own, "Try me."
"Let's just say it involves a man, a woman and a bed." She let out a small laugh as the smirk disappeared from Grissom's face.
"Well, it looks like you'll be ending your bad day in the best way. You two, a man and a woman, have to share a bed." Mulder cut in, a huge grin on his face.
"That's not exactly what I meant." Sara said. "And what I had in mind…Grissom would have no part of."
Much to Sara's surprise Grissom asked, "What makes you so sure?"
"The word NO comes to mind." She replied.
"That was then…and this is not going to be discussed in front of other people." Grissom whispered, suddenly realizing that the FBI agents were hanging on their every word.
"You're right. That is a conversation for another time. I'm exhausted. I just want to go to bed and sleep."
"All right, I'll just pay our bill and we'll go to our room." Grissom said, searching his pockets for his wallet.
"I'll pay the bill," Mulder stated. "It's the least I can do, since you guys are helping us."
"Are you sure? We can split it." Grissom said.
"It's on me." Mulder wandered off to pay the bill.
Scully stood from her seat with a sigh. "You two have a good night."
"You too, Agent Scully." Sara said as she stood.
"Good night." Grissom added standing up.
Scully walked over to Mulder who was standing by the door waiting for her. He held the door open for her and they exited the Inn. Grissom walked Sara to the door with his hand on the small of her back. She was still wondering what had brought about this change in him, but wasn't about to complain about the attention. He held the door open for her and they went in search of their room.