Short OneShot. I'm not sure how this idea came to me, but when I just woke up, it formed in my head. I the tune from "Crazy" by Patsy Cline playing and a little snippet of Mulder and Scully. Anyway, here's how it went with a little bit more story, of course.
Two Words
Lady Sanna
X-FILES OFFICE
WASHINGTON DC
3:50 AM
After searching long and hard for details that were similar to their current case, Scully was ready to hit the sack. Actually, she was ready to go home hours ago, but Mulder had kept on calling, asking her to do tasks that took forever to complete. It frustrated her, but she did it anyway. Just for him. Her eyes were bloodshot and were growing tired each second. It was hard to keep up with what she was reading and sometimes she would have to read it a second time just to have it stick in her mind.
She ran her hands through her hair and reclined in the chair, her eyes still fixed on the file in front of her. Her eye lids started to close, but she fought to keep them open. After a few seconds of trying to stay awake, she gave up and let the sleep overcome her. It had been almost a full week since she had a good night's rest.
NEXT MORNING
9:05 AM
Mulder took his usual route into the FBI headquarters and down to his office in the basement. When he arrived at the door bearing his name, he reached into his pants pocket for his keys and was about to unlock the door, but he noticed that it was already unlocked. He carefully turned the knob and opened the door slowly, sticking his head in to see if there was anyone in there. As soon as he saw Scully asleep in his chair, he relaxed and went in.
She was in an awkward position with her head almost about to slide off the back of the seat and her mouth open, emitting a very audible snore. He nudged her, but she didn't wake up.
"Hey, Scully." he leaned in closer. "Scullee, come on, wake up." He shook her shoulder.
Her snore stopped and she slowly opened her eyes. She let out a cry when she saw how close Mulder was to her. He quickly backed away and chuckled.
"Mulder!" she shouted in fury. "Don't you ever do that again!" A tired sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed her temples.
"Sorry," he apologized.
She didn't reply.
A long silence ensued shortly after, making him a little bit uncomfortable. He didn't exactly know what to say, afraid that she would throw something large and heavy at his head and knock him unconscious. Instead, he stayed silent and walked over to the other side of the desk, sitting in her usual spot. He lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips as his eyes wandered about the room.
"So, Scully," he began. "Do you think you could do another, uh, favor for me?"
Scully looked up at him with tired eyes and gave him a 'warning' look. "And what would that be?" Her eyebrow raised.
'Oh no', Mulder thought. 'She's giving me the eyebrow.' He tried to avoid her gaze. "Well, it's, um, it's nothing-"
She cut him off. "Mulder, I might as well know," she said in a harsh tone. "Now what is it?"
"...Okay," he stood and leaned in toward her, resting on his hands, so that they would be able to see eye to eye. "I have four dead bodies at Quantico and I need you to autopsy them."
"Mulder," she sighed.
"I also need you to see if there are any cases which involve any type of abnormal rashes," He started to walk toward the door, but stopped midway. "Oh, and do you think you can pick up my dry cleaning? You know the place right?"
His partner looked at him with astonishment and then stood up. "I can't believe you, Fox Mulder," she spat. "I have had no rest for about a week now, trying to finish up the work that you're leaving me and I've been running around doing autopsies for you day and night. I don't even know what day it is!"
"...It's Friday."
Scully gave him a look that could kill. "After seven years of working together, I can't believe I'm saying this, but sometimes you can be so insensitive." She grabbed her jacket from the chair and left.
Mulder was shocked and a bit hurt. He had no idea that she was overworked. She had accepted his requests without really saying another word. If he had known, he would have stopped asking.
Without wasting another second he followed her out into the hall and stopped the elevator doors from closing. "Wait, Scully! Can we just talk first?" he pleaded.
"Look, I'm tired and I have to go." She pushed one of the buttons. "I'll see you later."
The doors closed and she was gone.
He hung his head and wondered what to do. She was furious at him and she probably didn't want to see his face again for a long while. He leaned against the wall and thought of maybe just making it up to her by buying her something.
"But what would she want?" he wondered out loud.
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
Scully relaxed in her tub, taking a long bubble-bath and listened to some slow jazz on the radio. Her eyes were closed and her hair pulled up in a loose bun. The heat rose from the hot water which steamed the windows and mirror and also acted as somewhat of a sauna. This was her idea of relaxation after a long day, or in her case, a long week. She sank in a little further until the water reached her chin.
The phone rang suddenly and tore her away from her peace. She ignored it at first, but it kept on ringing incessantly. Her brow furrowed for she knew who was calling.
---
"Come on, Scully, pick up," he whispered, hoping that she would at least talk to him.
Her answering machine came on and he ended the call. He sighed in frustration. "Well, I guess, I'm left with my only choice." He eyed his cell phone for a moment and then placed it back into his coat pocket.
---
2 HOURS LATER
A knock came at Scully's door. She looked into the peep hole and wondered why this person was at her door. Calmly, she opened it.
"Hi! Are you...," the delivery boy looked at his clipboard. "Miss Dana Scully?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes, why?"
"I have a delivery for you from a Mr. Fox Mulder." He pulled from behind him a very large bouquet of white roses and gave them to her.
"Oh, um, thanks." Scully smiled.
He had her sign the papers and left. She looked at the roses in admiration. They were beautiful, but they weren't what she needed from him. She longed for something more than just gifts. The fact that he took advantage of her still lingered in her thoughts and brought her back to still being angry at him.
She put the roses aside on the table and sat down staring at them. 'What is Mulder up to now,' she wondered.
Gift after gift was brought to her apartment all throughout the day. She almost thought that it was never going to stop. She had been given chocolates, teddy bears, perfumes, huge gift baskets that contained spa ointments, and even a personal masseuse by a trained massage therapist. After receiving so much and opening her door so many times, she was sure that it would fall off its hinges any second.
Scully was amazed at how much Mulder could afford and how much he was giving her. However, it was all still materialistic and not something personal. Her anger subsided once she thought of how Mulder must feel and turned into concern for her partner.
It was about eight at night when the gifts finally stopped coming and Scully was relieved that she didn't have to sign anything else for the rest of the evening. Her hands rested on her hips when she looked around her apartment that was now filled with all of Mulder's apology gifts.
She turned off the lights and decided to take care of them later. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and read the rest of her novel.
---
Mulder let out a puff of air as he stood in front of his partner's door. He had bought her everything and anything that showed her how bad he felt for what he had done. However, she was still not speaking to him. Her phone had been off the hook since the afternoon and the only means of communicating to her was through his little notes that he wrote on the cards.
This was his last chance to make it up to her. He took out his copy of her key and inserted it into the lock, but before he turned it, he took a deep breath and then proceeded into her apartment, quietly. Once he was inside, he looked around to see if Scully was anywhere in sight. He then closed the door behind him and walked toward her bedroom.
From the hall, he could see her in her bed, reading a book, and a cup of tea beside her on her bedside table. He could tell that she was a lot more calmer and rested the last time he had seen her. Calmly, he pushed the door a little more open and stood in the doorway, waiting for her to notice him.
Scully quickly looked up from her book when she heard the door creak open and relaxed when she saw who was standing in the doorway. Mulder stood there with a disheveled look. The top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Even his hair looked a little more messy than normal.
"Mulder? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Oh, now I need a reason?"
By the expression on her face, he noticed that she wasn't in the mood for any sarcasm. He hung his head in defeat and climbed into her bed, wrapping himself around her small frame. He buried his head in her chest and looked up at her with his puppy-dog look that he knew she could never resist.
When she saw what he was doing, she rolled her eyes. "Oh no, Mulder, that's unfair."
"I miss you," he added, hoping that he would be able to win her over.
She couldn't stand this man. His charm was so uncanny. He could snap his fingers and she would be there in a heartbeat. There was something about him that she couldn't resist and every time she saw him, she would fall in love all over again.
"Look, I know that I've made you do a lot of things for me this past week and I didn't mean to take advantage of you like that," he began. "I honestly had no idea. I don't know how else to make it up to you, Scully. The only thing I can do now is say I'm sorry and hope that you will forgive me."
Scully smiled when she heard this. "That was the only thing I needed to hear from you. Two words and that was it. You should've known that."
"You mean that I didn't have to buy you any gifts and all I had to do was come here and tell you personally? Geez, why didn't I think of that earlier."
She chuckled. "Well, I think the gifts were a nice touch. Besides, they all didn't go to waste."
He scooted upwards, so that he was able to see her face. "Well, I'm glad you liked them, because it cost me more than my monthly pay."
Her eyes widened. "What!"
He smirked. "I'm kidding, Scully, but I would've gladly paid that much to have you at least talk to me again anyway."
She gave him a smile that could melt his heart. He loved seeing her like this. He moved a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear gently and looked into her eyes that held so much emotion. Almost instantly, he became lost in her gaze once more.
Mulder leaned in closer and gently pressed his lips on hers. Scully placed her hand on the side of his face and the kiss deepened. The moment lasted only but a few seconds and when they parted, they could still feel their lips tingling from the sensation. They kissed once more and without breaking apart, Scully had found herself beneath her lover. Her hand ran through his hair and rested at the base of his neck. They parted once again and Mulder rested his forehead against hers trying to catch his breath.
"You know, Mulder, I think this is the best apology gift I have ever had."
CASE CLOSED: SEPTEMBER 8, 2005