A/N: For Redwyne's 500 word challenge, in which Mulder or Scully can't sleep and make a phone call at 2am following one of these episodes: Pusher, The Unnatural, Milagro, DPO, Ice, Apocrypha. You pick who they call. In 500 words or less, your phone call must use the words or actions: rock-paper-scissors, a note that says, 'Things are looking up', Bottle of antacids, spinach, and pick one of the following elements: Promethium, Palladium, Praseodymium, Protactinium, Iron. So, away we go, with my first straight XF fic in 4.5 years.
2am
Scully rolled over and batted at her alarm clock. After hitting it several times, she realized that it was her cell phone that was making all the racket.
"Scully."
"Hey, it's me."
"Mulder, why do you always call me at o'dark-thirty?"
"What?"
"What do you want?"
As she waited for him to continue, Scully searched her nightstand for the bottle of antacids. The spinach from dinner was trying to put in an encore performance and being startled awake hadn't helped.
"I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I know how sudden physical activity can take its toll on the body."
"Mulder, swinging a wooden bat at horsehide balls isn't something I would consider physically taxing. Although, next time we'll start with a round of rock-paper-scissor to see who stands where."
"Bring it on. I have an iron will and amazing luck."
"You have an iron head. Malleable and prone to sticking to metal objects."
"Scully, I'm hurt. You don't really think that, do you?"
She stood, any hope of getting back to sleep abandoned. Trying to come up with a safe answer, she wandered into the living room and began emptying her jacket pockets.
"Mulder, is Arthur Dales' twin brother really also named Arthur?"
"Yup. Spooky, isn't it."
As she laughed, she pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket. It was a non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicle wrapper. As she went to throw it away, she noticed writing on the back. As she read it, she began to smile.
"Mulder, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this note in my jacket?"
"What does it say?"
"Things are looking up."
"Well, aren't they? Goodnight, Scully."
"Night, Mulder."
Smiling, she hung up the phone and headed back to bed, sure she'd still get a few hours of sleep before work.
Fin