Mulder and Scully sat in the sheriff's boat, bobbing along the waves. They were parked as near to the island as they could get and were just sitting there waiting for something to appear. They'd been sitting there for over an hour at this point and nothing had happened.
"How long do you guys want to sit out here?" the sheriff asked them, stifling a yawn.
"As long as it takes," Mulder said, so sure that this would lead to something.
"That could be a long time," she sighed.
"Are we keeping you from some other business you have because we could always get another boat."
"No, I'm fine. I'm just not sure what you expect to find, Fox."
Scully just sat in silence not really paying attention to anything. She was staring at the island, but lost in her own thoughts. She was still thinking about what transpired at her motel room. She and Mulder had kissed. And they both had wanted it. What did this mean? Were they going to kiss all the time now? What if he wanted more? Were they going to do that? Did she want to take their relationship to that level? Maybe kissing was enough. Although the tingles in her body that she got from the kissing told her that it wasn't really going to be enough. But it was all so complicated. Her mind was racing. And she had a hard time concentrating on looking for this mermaid. The whole idea of it was ridiculous, she thought. And she was already freezing and ready to go back to her warm room and contemplate her future with Mulder.
"Have you seen anything yet?" Mulder asked Scully, breaking her out of her trance.
"Nope. I've been staring at the same spot for an hour and so far nothing."
He looked at the sheriff. "Do you have binoculars?"
She reached over to a compartment and opened it up and handed over the binoculars. "Here you go."
Mulder scanned the rocks and saw no movement. Maybe this whole idea was a bust? He wanted so badly to be right, but even if he was right, that didn't mean they could catch this thing in the act. Plus they might have realized they were being watched and that kept them away from the island.
"Mulder, we have no idea when this thing will strike next. We'd have to literally sit out here for days to catch a glimpse. That is if there's something to glimpse," Scully told him, trying to put some sense into him.
"I'm thinking maybe you're right. This was a stupid idea. She's not going to come out when she knows we're watching."
He hated admitting defeat, especially when he felt in his bones he was right about this case. But he couldn't argue that sitting on a boat waiting to see something was a stupid plan. Even if they did see something, what would he do? He couldn't do anything. Not unless he actually caught her in the act of drowning someone. If he glimpsed a person on the island he couldn't just shoot them because he would have no idea if they were the Siren or just some person. He had to catch them in the act. And there was just no way that was going to happen sitting in a sheriff's boat watching the island. He wished there was some other way. He wished he knew who would be next, and when. But right now he felt like his hands were tied. There was no way to prove his theory right.
"Should we pack it in then? Go back to the motel?" Scully asked him.
"Yeah, I guess so. We're not going to see anything here."
The sheriff turned the boat around and they headed back to shore.
They parted ways with the sheriff at the pier and went back to their motel.
"I'm sorry we didn't see anything," Scully told Mulder in the car.
"I know. It's just, I'm so sure that I'm right about this, there's just no real way to prove it. Not until someone else drowns. And that's what I'm trying to prevent from happening."
She could sense the immense frustration he was feeling and she tried to soothe it by putting her hand on his leg and rubbing it.
"Well find some way to catch this thing," she reassured him, not entirely sure she was right.
He took her hand and kissed it and smiled over at her. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better," he told her.
When they pulled up into the lot at the motel Scully wondered what would happen next. Would they go their separate ways or would he come back to her room again? She had no idea what to expect anymore. And there wasn't a whole lot of talking they could really do about the case at this point. Everything was pointing at a dead end. They got out of the car and Scully headed towards her room and looked over her shoulder to see if Mulder would follow her. He did. She figured he just wanted to pick up where they left off and part of her was thinking the same thing. But the more time she had to think about everything, the more unreal it all felt to her. She was nervous.
As she put her key in the lock she looked over her shoulder at him. "Did you want to come in for a little bit?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'd rather wallow in your room than mine," he said dejectedly.
She nodded her head and flipped on the light, while tossing the key onto the table. He came in behind her and just walked past her to the bed where he flopped down on his back and put his arms over his head.
"This bites, Scully," he told her with frustration. "I know I'm right, but I can't prove it. And that's where I always get stuck."
She went over and sat on the edge of the bed. She sighed. "If you are right, then you'll find some way to prove it. You don't give up easily."
"Maybe we should have stayed on the boat longer?"
"I don't think that would have helped."
"It's gonna happen again Scully and we won't be able to stop it."
"All we can do is try our best," she said putting her hand on his leg and patting it.
He looked up at her and smiled.
"Why don't you come lay here with me. Cheer me up a bit?"
She felt her heart flutter in her chest but she did as he asked. She kicked off her shoes and scooted up closer to him and laid her head down on the pillow next to him. She reached out and touched his face gently.
"Don't be too hard on yourself about this case. It's a tough one," she told him softly.
"I just want prevent another drowning, even if I'm not right," he told her. "But I'm pretty sure I am right," he smirked at her.
"You always have to be right, don't you?" she laughed slightly.
"I don't always have to be, but it sure feels good when I am. Especially the look on your face when I am," he laughed.
"You live to prove me wrong, don't you? You love it when my science goes out the window and I stand there with a gaping mouth while you say 'I told you so'. You get off on it."
He chuckled and shook his head. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I get off on it, but it does have a certain tingle to it." He put his arms around her and pulled her closer. "But other things give me that certain tingle too," he said suggestively.
"Oh brother," she rolled her eyes at him.
"What? Don't tell me you don't feel it too. I mean, we kissed today. Lots. There were tingles all over the place."
He leaned in to give her another kiss and she froze momentarily. She didn't know how to respond because it was all so new to her to have Mulder kissing her. She pulled back a little.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing. It's just…well, what's going to happen with us now?" she wondered.
"I don't know. The same thing that always happens with us, except now I can kiss you finally."
"Yeah, but I mean, how far do we take this, Mulder?"
"As far as you want to take it, I guess." He was confused. Earlier she seemed so happy and sure of what they were doing and now she was backing down and getting cold feet. He didn't understand.
"How far should we take it?" she asked him quietly.
He rolled over on his side and propped up his head with his hand and looked at her.
"There are no rules, Scully. This should just be natural. If you're having second thoughts about it…"
"I'm not," she reassured him quickly. "I'm really not. I'm just…nervous. Scared. This is a huge deal. We've been partners and friends for six years. And in those six years we've been through hell and back together. That brings people closer. You're my best friend in the whole world, Mulder. I just don't want anything to change that. I don't want to lose my friend. Or my partner. You know that the bureau can never know about this."
"I know that no one can know about this. Believe me. The FBI already hates me and they'd have a field day if they knew about this. But I kinda think everyone already suspects we're together anyway. There's probably some secret office pool going on about us somewhere," he laughed slightly. "But I don't want you to worry about losing your friend. You're not gonna lose anything. You're stuck with me. I love you. I've always been in love with you. I kinda thought you knew that."
She was momentarily stunned silent at his admission. It wasn't that she didn't know, it was just hearing him say it. He loved her. He actually said the words out loud.
"I-I guess I did know. Somewhere deep inside that you had love for me. I just didn't know it was that kind of love. I thought maybe you thought of me as another sister or just a best friend."
He shook his head. "It's always been more than that. I go crazy without you around. When you were gone and I didn't know if I'd get you back, I don't think I even slept a wink. I was a man possessed. And when you showed up at that hospital, well, let's just say I think security was about to throw my ass out because I was making such a scene about it."
"I didn't know."
"Well you were unconscious but I think I alerted everyone to what you meant to me on that day."
"Everyone except me," she told him softly.
"Well now you know. I love you. I'm hopelessly, madly, deeply in love with you, Dana Scully."
She reached out and touched his face. She just stared into his eyes and tried to keep tears from falling out of her own eyes. "I love you too," she whispered. "God help me, but I think I loved you the minute I laid eyes on Spooky Mulder in that basement the first day we met."
He laughed and kissed her. "Well now you're Mrs. Spooky."
"Kinda has a nice ring to it," she said with a grin.
He kissed her again and things started to get a little steamy, which made Scully panic again. She finally pulled away from him breathlessly and sat up on the bed.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just…well it's getting really hot in here."
"I know and that's just the way I like it," he smirked at her.
"Maybe you should go back to your room now. It's getting late," she said, trying to compose herself. She wasn't sure she was ready to take this next step with him just yet. She was scared.
"You want me to go?" he asked confusedly.
"I-I just think that maybe for tonight, it's best. We've got plenty of time right? We waited six years to get this far. What's a little more time?"
"Are you still scared?"
"Maybe a little."
"You don't have to be scared. I won't bite," he assured her. "Unless you want me to," he added with a suggestive grin.
"Mulder stop."
"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
"I'm just not ready, okay? I need time to process all of this," she told him firmly.
"Okay. I'm not trying to rush you. But you know how I feel about you."
"I know. And you know how I feel about you too. I just need some time."
He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Then you can have all the time you want. I'm not going anywhere."
He hated the thought that he was pressuring her into doing something she wasn't ready to do. But in his mind, they'd waited long enough. It was time to get this show on the road. But he understood that in the last several hours a lot had changed for them. There was no reason to rush it. Something this good was worth the wait. She just needed a little time to get her head together. They'd been Mulder and Scully the FBI agents for so long, the thought of being Mulder and Scully the lovers was a bit much to get used to. He understood. So he would honor her wishes and go back to his room. Not without frustration building in his pants though. He wanted her badly. And it was going to be hard to get up and leave.
"I'll be right next door if you change your mind, okay?" he told her as he got up from the bed.
"I know."
He gave her one last kiss and then he set off towards the door.
"Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
He smiled. "I love you too, Scully."
Then he opened the door and exited to go back to his room.
She stood there for a second and then she flopped back onto the bed clutching her chest. What did I do? Why did I send him away? She thought to herself. She was just panicking. She hadn't had sex with anyone in a long time and having sex with Mulder was going to change everything. She wanted it to be perfect. She wanted to be perfect for him. And she wasn't even wearing matching underwear right now. She wanted to do it right if she was going to cave in and sleep with the man she'd been in love with for six years. But maybe she made a mistake? She didn't know.
The time passed and she finally got off the bed and decided maybe she should get ready to go to sleep. She wasn't tired though. It wasn't really that late like she claimed it to be when she scooted him out the door. She had a book she could read but she doubted her mind could focus on other peoples fake lives when her own life was in upheaval right now. She flipped on the TV hoping that might help. She went through the channels and found nothing on that interested her. Just some sports and news shows and reruns of I Love Lucy. It was no use. All she could think about was Mulder sitting next door. She wondered what he was doing. Was he going as crazy as she was? Probably so. She had left him in a bit of a state when he left. She was a tease. Then she thought about what that might lead him to do alone and suddenly she felt her face flush. He wouldn't do that, would he? Yeah, he probably would. Maybe she had been too hasty making him leave. Maybe she did want to go through with it after all. I mean, if they were going to be together, they would eventually have sex. Otherwise nothing much would be different except it would be more torturous for both of them. That was it. She was just going to go next door and see him. Even if nothing else happened, at least they could spend the rest of the night talking instead of going stir crazy in an empty motel room.
She grabbed her shoes and headed out the door. She was surprised to see Mulder's door open. She glanced in and called out his name.
"Mulder? Are you in there?"
She got no response. Maybe he went to get ice from the machine? She walked around the corner to where the ice machine was and didn't see him. She looked in the lot and the car was still there. She went back to his room and went inside.
"Mulder?" she called again.
The bathroom door was open so he wasn't in there. She found the TV on and a magazine sitting on the table along with a pile of sunflower seeds and their shells. His jacket was thrown over a chair and his shoes were laying in a heap beside the bed.
"Where did he go?" she muttered to herself. Something was weird here. He wouldn't just leave the room open and go someplace on foot without shoes or his jacket. He had to be around there somewhere.
Mulder walked along the pavement in his bare feet. The ground was cold but he didn't notice it much. He was following the singing. It was so loud in his ears that it almost deafened him. But he knew he had to keep walking. He was almost there. He could see the water now. She was waiting for him. Everything he ever wanted was waiting for him if he just got into that water. His head was filled with images of Scully. The song was making him believe that she was calling to him out on those rocks. She was all he could think of. She was going to give him everything and then his world would finally have some kind of meaning. She would give him everything he ever dreamed of and never thought he deserved. All he had to do was swim.
To be continued…..