I do not own the X-Files or the characters. Credit belong to Chris Carter and the rest of the crew. The song is from my favorite singer of all time, Frank Sinatra. However, I do own the fic. Please do not take anything from this without permission. Thank You.
Once again, thank you to all of those who have reviewed. You are always an encouragement to me.
Okay, ready for chapter three? This one's going to be more romance than action. Enjoy!
Five's A Crowd
Chapter Three
Lady Sanna
After long, hard hours of trying to capture the insane Mr. Carson in the alleys of Washington DC, it was time that Mulder and Scully had a break. Chasing after him was frustrating and challenging, even though he was 68 years old. Maybe there was something paranormal about him. The FBI were already taking multiple tests on his brain activity as Scully had requested and anticipated the results that would come out the next day. However, she let them slip out of her mind just this once and enjoyed the evening to come with clear thoughts and a carefree attitude.
Before dropping Scully off at her apartment, he had asked her out to dinner to celebrate with him. She smiled, extremely flattered, and accepted his invite. As soon as she got up to her apartment, she immediately started to get nervous. She didn't know why exactly. It was just dinner with Mulder. She had done it plenty of times, so why get the butterflies now, she wondered.
Mulder had made reservations at the most famous French restaurant in DC at 8:30. Looking at the clock, she rushed and thought of putting together an elegant yet simple, outfit. She didn't want to look overdressed, but she didn't want to come in with her work look either. With a few of her choices laid out in front of her, she picked out a light green dress that flattered her every curve and accentuated her features. Then she pulled up her hair into a loose bun with a few tresses hanging loosely at the sides of her face. She looked at her full-length mirror, rechecking her outfit, hoping that it wasn't too much.
She heard a knock at her door shortly after. Standing behind it was Mulder with a bouquet of brilliant red roses. When she opened the door, his mouth fell open when he saw her all dolled up for the evening. He told her she was beautiful as usual and gave her a peck on the cheek before they left for the restaurant.
"Hold on, Scully, because you're just going to fly out of your seat when you see what French restaurant we're going to," he said as they were nearing the building.
"You know, Mulder, I could've just settled for our usual: iced tea, pizza, and a night of old sci-fi movies."
He glanced at her. "Well, I thought we could do something different this time. Besides, I know that you won't miss the pizza once you get a load of the food at this place," he assured her. "And then after, we can have dessert." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
She laughed at his remark. "Whatever you say, Mulder."
When she looked out the window, she saw her favorite restaurant, basking in all it's glory and bathed in the moonlight. It was called the most romantic place to dine in DC and she had always wanted to go, but reservations were tight. Some people even said that they had to reserve two months in advance. She tried, but she never could, especially because of her out of control schedule. One minute she would be home, comfortable on the couch and the next minute, she would be out in the middle of nowhere, dirty and aching from running around so much.
"We're here." Mulder pulled into the valet area.
Her eyes widened and her excitement built each second. "Here? Are you serious?"
The valet greeted her warmly, opened her door, and helped her out of the car. Mulder quickly came to her side and offered his arm. Taking it, she looked up in awe at the beautiful and detailed architecture of the place. The statues of the mythological beings ordained the front entrance posing with their lovers in a romantic embrace.
Once they entered, her breath was taken away a second time. The atmosphere was just as she had imagined it. The romantic theme played out in every corner, light or dark. The fresh perfume of just picked flowers captivated her senses and she was lost in world all her own.
"Hello, Monsieur," The waiter turned to Scully and gave her a friendly smile. "Madame. Welcome to Le Rouge De Rose. What is the reservation under?"
"That'll be under Fox Mulder."
He skimmed the page with his finger trailing down the list of names, most of them high class, well-known names in DC. "Ah! Here it is," he said, then taking two menus and leading toward a table with a white name card that had 'Fox Mulder' printed elegantly on it. He helped Scully into her seat and handed them the leather bound menus.
"Wine from the finest vineyard in France?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you," Scully replied for the both of them.
He poured the dark, red liquid into the wine glasses and set them in their original places. "Enjoy," he said and bowed slightly before leaving and tending to the other guests that were waiting to be seated.
Scully looked at her partner with an expression of shock plastered on her face. "Mulder, how did you ever get a reservation?"
He gave her a smug look. "Oh, I have connections," he shrugged as he took a sip of the imported wine.
"You?" she asked, unconvinced. "Spooky Mulder has connections to people other than those who are involved in a government conspiracy?" She took a taste of the delectable wine before continuing. "Wow, I'm impressed."
"Just impressed?"
"I'm very impressed," she added.
"Good, but wait until later. You'll be more than impressed, Scully."
She could tell that he had something obviously up his sleeve, but what, she could not say. Instead of spending her time guessing, she picked up the somewhat heavy menu and tried to decide on what to get.
"You know, I think I am already more than impressed just by looking at this menu," she commented. "But these prices! They're unbelievable. I mean, ten dollars just for a small shrimp cocktail?"
Mulder eyed her from the top of his menu. "Oh come on, Scully. You have to treat yourself once in awhile."
After a few minutes of choosing, comparing, and rethinking, the waiter came by and wrote down their orders. He bowed slightly before he left and took the menus off their hands. Moments later, he came back with breadsticks for them to enjoy while they waited for their meal.
OUTSIDE LE ROUGE DE ROSE
Angela quickly tried to run to the white van in her heels and tight dress, hoping that she wouldn't trip and fall onto the hard gravel. She knocked on the back doors and Phoebe was there to open them for her from the inside.
"Where have you been? You were supposed to be here 25 minutes ago!" Diana scowled. She crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.
"Hey, you know that looks are important in this kind of a restaurant," she said as she pulled out her lipstick from her bag and applied it carefully using a compact mirror. "So, anyway, what's the plan for tonight?"
Phoebe turned on the monitor that was hooked up to a hidden camera near Mulder and Scully's table. "Well, to make it short, we're just staking out for now, but we're going to head on in soon. Diana had pulled some strings and made a reservation at eight."
"Gotcha," the detective replied.
They became silent, hoping to be able to hear them over the music of the live band playing nearby. Nothing interested them. Everything that they talked about was either about work, family, or their unborn baby. It was all the usual things that couples would talk about and it bore them, since they weren't the ones that were conversing with Mulder.
"You know what makes me angry?" Phoebe began, "Mulder has never taken me to a place this grand before and he was never as comfortable with me as he is with Agent Scully."
"Yeah, you're right," Diana agreed. "And he never even gave me that special look that he's giving to Scully right now."
Angela pouted. "Well, at least you two got to spend more time with him. I only had a few days to try to get to know him more and then poof, he was gone."
After minutes of reminiscing, they decided to head inside and resume their stakeout from there. When they arrived, the waiter went through his usual routine of asking about the reservation. Diana gave her name and waited patiently for him to find it. The waiter's brow furrowed as he flipped through the pages of the reservation book.
"I'm sorry, but I do not see your name in here, Madame," he responded. "Are you sure you made the reservation for tonight?
A worried look crossed all three faces.
"I'm pretty sure that I did," she said in an upset tone.
"Well, without one, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Before they were ushered out, Diana tried one more time to get them in. "Look we'll do anything to get in to this restaurant. We'll even take the smallest table-"
The security guard pulled her arm. "Ma'am, either you go out quietly or we'll have to physically remove you," he warned.
Phoebe and Angela were already pushed outside and they stood out there watching the scene from the window like lost dogs out in the rain. They crossed their fingers, hoping that Diana would be able to find a way.
"Oh, come on, this is very important to me and my friends. Please, we're um," she hated to say the word, but forced herself to let it out just this once. "Desperate! You see, my friend only has a certain amount of days to live and she has always wanted to dine here. It's been a dream of hers," she lied.
The waiter rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, fine." He snapped his fingers and a waitress appeared from around the corner. "Take this lady and her friends to table 32."
The waitress had to hold in her laughter. "Right away." She took three menus and led them to their table.
Mulder and Scully enjoyed their time alone just talking about their lives and their past. It was the most normal conversation that they had, but of course, Mulder had to bring up something paranormal. Scully just went along and shared her theories as Mulder, in turn, also shared his theories and how that got him his nickname.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the singer of the band announced. "We'll be playing some of Frank Sinatra's famous songs just for those couples out there, so grab your partner and head on down to the dance floor and have a good rest of the night," he said with a smile. "Hit it, George!"
The conductor raised his baton and the band started to play, "The Way You Look Tonight." The music filled the room with the familiar tune and almost everyone got up and danced to the swing-style song.
Mulder stood up and offered his hand, "Dance with me?"
Scully blushed, not expecting Mulder, of all people, to ask her. This reminded her of the time when they danced to Cher when they were on one of their cases. "Mulder, I-" she began.
"Come on, Scully," he begged with his big puppy-dog look that she couldn't resist.
Giving up, she took his hand and he led her to the dance floor. She couldn't help but smile whenever she was in his arms. They danced closely amongst the other couples and enjoyed every minute.
-Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.-
---
Phoebe, Diana, and Angela all watched from afar, throwing Scully dirty looks and wishing that it was them instead of her dancing with Mulder. Angela drank her wine all in one gulp and slammed it down on the table.
"I can't believe that they even placed a table here!" she said angrily.
They had been placed at the cheapest table available. It was embarrassingly placed in between the waiter's 'In' and 'Out' doors. They were being constantly hit with the door as they swung repeatedly and sometimes strongly when the waiters entered or exited.
"Calm down," Diana commanded. "At least we got in."
Angela crossed her arms and leaned against the back of her chair.
"And," Phoebe began. "We have great food." She smiled as she put a forkful of her order in her mouth.
"Easy for you to say. You're European. I don't even know what this stuff is," Disgusted, Angela pushed away her plate.
---
Scully chuckled when Mulder started to mouth words as if he was actually singing to her. All night, she kept on blushing and it was all because of her crazy partner that always knew how to push the right buttons.
-Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm And your cheeks so soft, There is nothing for me but to love you, And the way you look tonight.-
"So, what do you think?" he asked as they kept up with the beat.
"It's all wonderful, Mulder," she replied with a smirk. "Thank you."
He nodded and gave her a smile that could melt her heart. For once, everything was going according to plan. Usually, they would be interrupted by something totally unexpected, but tonight the paranormal must've given them a break just for this occasion.
They looked into each other's eyes with all the love, respect, and trust that they had for one another. Everything that they had been through was all there and they never regretted being there for each other. Whether it was chasing down monsters, ghosts, or little gray men, each precious moment was cherished.
-With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.-
Mulder showed off his dancing skills that were rarely ever shown and twirled her around then dipped her oh so smoothly.
"Wow, Mulder," She exclaimed in amazement. "I didn't know you could do that."
He shrugged slightly. "Well, I took a few classes back when I was younger. My mom thought that it would be productive for me, since I was always in front of the tv watching star trek."
She laughed. "I didn't know that. Anyway, I think they paid off, don't you think so?"
-Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you...
Just the way you look tonight.-
---
"Can you believe that he never took me dancing?" Diana scowled. "Actually, we never did anything as nice as this," she stated after a moment of realization.
"You know what? I'm ready to ditch this place. I'm tired of getting hit by these doors all the time!" The detective gathered her things and paid her part of the bill. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She stood up, fed up with seeing all the romance between Mulder and Scully.
Suddenly, just as she stood to her feet, a waiter with a large, chocolate pie exited and then tripped over her chair. The dessert wobbled and landed right in her face which then traveled down all over her dress.
Phoebe, Diana, and the rest of the people around them could only stare in shock. Angela practically screamed with horror as she could feel the pieces of pie slide down the back of her dress.
The waiter tried to apologize, but she wouldn't let him. She kept on throwing curse words at him as she ran out of the restaurant with her two companions quickly following after.
Mulder and Scully turned to see what had happened and only saw a blond with pie all over her running towards the doors.
"Geez, I wonder how that happened," Scully said.
They shrugged and let it slide, not wanting to worry and have the evening ruined. They resumed dancing and amazed the other couples with their slick moves.
"Mulder?" She asked as the song was drawing to a close
"Hm?"
"Let's get out of here," she whispered in his ear.
The warmth of her breath made the hair on his neck raise on end. Knowing what she had in mind, he grinned and pulled her away from the dance floor, carefully navigating through the dancing couples. Before leaving, he paid the bill and gave their waiter a generous tip. The cashier thanked him and they were well on their way back to Scully's apartment.
-Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.-
-TO BE CONTINUED-
/This chapter is dedicated to my all time favorite singer, Ol' Blue Eyes AKA Frank Sinatra./