Man, this took way too long to write, but it's done and I'm happy with it.

This is for those who asked for more Scully/Reyes. I hope it's good.


"I know this is an unusual assignment and it may result in some uncomfortable moments, but I have faith that the two of you are our best choices," Skinner swivelled away from the glare Scully was directing at him.

"Did you only choose us because there are about five other female agents at this level and we're the only ones who are even remotely close?" Scully asked, crossing her arms and continuing to glare at her boss. Instead of answering, Assistant Director Skinner handed them the file of their suspects and dismissed them to go home and get ready for the night.

Monica nervously fiddled with the file in her hands, not having spoken at all during the briefing. Not only was she going undercover to a gay bar, she was going with Scully to a gay bar that she had been to a handful of times since moving to D.C. The only reason they were going there was to see if two suspects thought to be involved in a government hacking make contact. All they had to do was see if they show up and say when the second suspect arrived so Doggett and whoever was assigned to be with him can make the arrest. Scully and Monica were told to have a good time and really try to blend in, but that's going to be hard when Monica walks in and is instantly served her drink of choice by the bartender who definitely has it memorized.

"Um… why don't you drive over to my place when you're ready, this place isn't actually very far from my apartment," Monica suggested and practically ran to her car after Scully agreed.

Monica looked through her closet, trying to find the most comfortable outfit without looking like trash. Ignoring the few nice dresses she had, she finally decided on just wearing low rise jeans and a white tank top, some skin peeking from between. It was just a bar after all. She then nervously paced her room for awhile before she started stress eating in the kitchen. What if someone at the bar mentioned her being there before? And then ask about Scully after she had previously rambled on about being lonely? "Dear God, I hope this isn't a mess."

A knock at the door made the brunette jump. It was nearing eight o'clock so it was the perfect time to go to a bar, but they might have to stay there for hours. Monica pulled open the door to see a similarly dressed Scully, only she was wearing a navy blue spaghetti strap tank and had half her hair pulled up, spiking out of the small bun on the back of her head. For a moment Monica just took in the sight of Scully in casual, going-out clothing and smiled. "You look great, Dana. It's not often we get to dress down on the job."

"I hope I look… y'know, the part enough," Scully said awkwardly while playing with the hem of her shirt. Monica busted out laughing at the redheads words.

"You look great," she said again.

They walked side by side to the bar, the door illuminated by a pink neon sign giving the name "Cherry Blossom." Monica held the door open for her pretend date — well, she's not exactly sure if that's their cover or just friends — and followed in behind her, immediately looking to see if the owner who knew her was there. She didn't see the woman, but it was still early.

Scully looked around at the pale lighting changing shades around the room as the colored bulbs didn't quite match. She walked over to the bar with Monica trailing behind, who was still looking to see if she knew anyone before settling beside Scully.

"What would you two ladies like to drink?" the young woman behind the bar asked. She must be new, because she was younger than all the other bartenders and Monica had never seen her before.

"Rum and coke, extra ice, please," the brunette answered, hoping that the ice would slow down the chance of her getting inebriated.

"Just a glass of Merlot," Scully smiled and the woman started getting their drinks.

As soon as they got their drinks they started discussing the suspects. "Joanne Henderson is the one we're sure is behind the hacking. She's a very tame person who doesn't go out much so that's why we think she has a partner. She's been visiting this bar on multiple weeknights and it's not close to where she works or lives. Her partner could be the woman with blue hair in the picture we were shown, but we won't know unless she shows up tonight." Monica nodded along to Scully's rambling, somehow she'd known Monica hadn't looked over the new information they got that afternoon when they were told they were going undercover. Probably because she looked so nervous when she first opened the door earlier.

"This isn't a very busy bar, so when one of them does come we'll have to look as if we don't even notice them," Dana took a sip of her wine. Monica's stomach flipped, a new wave of nervousness, wondering what the other woman could have in mind.

They sat sipping their drinks for awhile, making comments here and there about the case and pointless things. Monica paid attention, though. Watching Dana breathe a laugh at her interesting interjections, the curve of her lips when she'd offer a closed smile down at her wine. The brunette was pulled out of her gazing when a loud group of women entered the bar, yelling to the bartender for shots.

An hour passed of them slowly nursing their drinks. Neither suspect had come in yet, and that was concerning. Not only because they might not show up, but also the longer they had to stay there the more they would end up drinking. And, a high chance of someone coming in who'd recognize Monica.

Almost another hour passed and Scully was on her third glass of wine while Monica munched on an order of cheese fries, having been ignoring her mostly full second tumbler of rum for awhile. She spun around in the chair and put an elbow up on the bar, turning her head towards her partner to talk when she noticed a woman staring at her from the loud group that came in earlier. Monica did a double take, which caused the tall blonde to smile and start coming her way.

"Oh no," Monica grumbled quietly and put her hands in her lap, not able to keep the cool and relaxed demeanor. Scully turned her head to ask what was up before she saw a woman stopping in front of Monica.

"Hi," the blonde smiled and played with her long hair.

"Hello…" Monica uncomfortably responded to the woman who seemed vaguely familiar.

"Didn't I see you here last weekend sitting in this same spot?" She came a little closer, reaching out to brush her hand against Monica's arm while Monica internally panicked.

"Uh, I don't think so. I haven't actually been to this bar before, I'm, uh, new in town," she lied.

"Are you sure? I could've sworn I saw you sitting here all by your lonesome, pouting over a glass of rum and coke," her smile turned into a smirk.

Scully, with her eyebrow quirked and wondering why this woman thought it was okay to come up to someone when they were clearly here with someone else, even if this was just for work, watched the scene unfold. Had Monica been here before, though? She never thought she seemed like the type, but right now it didn't matter. She didn't want to take the chance of their cover being blown, so she slid her hand over Monica's thigh and lovingly looked at her.

"She just moved here for me. We've been in a long distance relationship for too long," Scully said, still not looking at the other woman as she rubbed Monica's thigh before slipping her hand into hers and entwining their fingers.

Well, that answered Monica's previous question. They were definitely undercover as a couple. Her cheeks faded into a deep blush, but the blonde was clearly deciding whether or not she could continue flirting with her.

"Well, I'm Alice. So, if you need anything," she lowered her voice a little, "you know where to find me." She slid a piece of paper with her number scribbled on it into the hand Scully wasn't holding. Scully's head snapped her way with a glare, but the woman just quirked her lips before turning away.

That was an unexpected reaction from Dana, Monica thought, even though they were undercover.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Scully let go of her hand and turned back towards the bar. "We just can't get distracted or let our cover be blown. That woman was even rude thinking she could just come over and completely ignore that you were here with someone else."

If Dana's cheeks weren't already red from the wine, Monica would've seen a slight blush from what she'd just said. The redhead was very unsure about this assignment and didn't know how to feel about acting this way with her partner. She realized they could've just come here as friends, but she chose to be a couple and had an itch that it was an unconscious decision of curiosity. All she knew was that she needed another drink to keep these butterflies fluttering around in her stomach at bay.

It was now ten thirty and the two were annoyed waiting for their suspects to show. Monica noticed that Scully had worked on her fourth glass of wine much quicker than the other three while she herself had not so accidentally spilled her drink so she could ask for another without having to drink the last.

"Monica, this is so boring," Scully practically whined.

"Well, there are some billiard tables if you wanna go play," she reached over and brushed the hair out of her partners pouty face. "And that'll keep you from drinking so much too, your face is so red from that wine."

Scully narrowed her eyes briefly before softening her features again and informing Monica that she sucks at pool.

"It's okay, I'm not great either, but at least it's something to do," Monica stood and waited for Dana to follow. Instead, the redhead held out her hand and Monica took it, allowing her to hop off her stool and not fall over.

"Thanks, Mon," Scully said and Monica's stomach flipped at the nickname. It was nice, but what was even nicer was that when she began leading the way Scully didn't let go of her hand.

"So you know how to play, right?"

Scully nodded. "I think so…"

"You don't sound so sure." Monica handed her a cue stick and grabbed the rack to organize the balls, but stopped when she realized Dana was still holding her hand.

"Sorry, Dana, but I'm gonna need my hand back," she smiled down at the redhead whose cheeks turned redder and let go after apologizing.

Monica quickly put all the balls in the correct order before putting the rack up and grabbing some chalk. Suddenly Scully was beside her, pulling her down to her height. "One of our suspects just walked in," she whispered against her partner's ear, sliding her hand down her arm to make the contact look more natural. Monica nodded slightly and pulled away to start the game.

"You can break if you want," Scully offered, trying to keep them focused on the game so it didn't seem obvious that they were now keeping an eye on the woman seated at a booth facing towards them.

Monica broke and immediately knocked in a striped ball, quickly sinking another before it was Scully's turn. The redhead chalked up the end of her cue, trying to remember exactly how she held it the last time she attempted to play, years ago, when she was in middle school. She held onto the cue and put the end through her middle and forefinger, creating an unstable bridge with them as she leaned forward. Monica watched on as Dana pulled back the cue and then completely miss the cue ball.

Coming to her side the brunette said, "Dana, here, hold the front end in your hand like this." She demonstrated and watched Scully try it out. "Now, come over on this side. You have a much better shot from this angle." Monica led her around the table and then positioned her behind the cue ball. "Okay, now lean forward and use your wrist to steady your hand." That was going to be pretty hard judging by the amount of wine she'd had. Wanting to correct her position even more, the taller woman came close behind her, leaning over her to make sure she was lined up closely. Scully's breath caught in her throat as she felt the gentle hand at her hip, the other close beside her on the table. If she thought she wasn't steady before...

"Next, you're gonna pull back," she stepped a little further to the side so Scully could pull her elbow back, "and then gently tap the cue ball right in the center." Scully did as she said and the cue ball hit a solid, leaving it right on the edge of a pocket. She made a sound of annoyance.

"It's okay, you'll get better," her partner told her as she lined up for her next shot.

Scully glanced at their suspect to see that she was watching them. "Only if you help me," she said sweetly, causing Monica to barely hit the ball she was aiming for.

"Of course," Monica cleared her throat and took a sip from her tumbler. "Come here."

Scully slid in front of Monica and looked up to smile at her. "We have a certain pair of eyes on us, don't want to look out of place."

"Well I'm happy to have a place for you." Even as she said it she reprimanded herself and blushed a deep shade of red. Scully's smile back was awkward, but not uncomfortable, so at least she knew she didn't just fuck up.

Monica once again put her hands on Dana's hips and positioned her where she needed to be. She really didn't want to let go. Scully could feel her hesitation in backing away and once again wondered if her partner might be into women. Could she be into her? The thought worried her a little, but it also excited her and piqued her curiosity. She knew it wasn't right to tease someone in this situation, but she wanted to know if she would feel anything herself.

As Monica started moving away, Dana quickly stopped her hand and subtly tugged it back to her hip. "I, uh, lost where I'm supposed to be hitting the ball," she said in explanation. Monica's stomach was once again churning with butterflies as she curled around the small redhead to point to where she should be hitting. Scully tapped the cue against the white ball and hit another solid that fell into the pocket along with the other solid that had been left teetering on the edge.

Dana grinned widely and turned, feeling Monica still close to her. "I did it!" And Monica chuckled. "You did, and now you get to go again."

Going back around the other side of the table, Scully looked to make sure their suspect was still seated at the booth. She was and had company. Although, it wasn't their other suspect and Scully rolled her eyes seeing that it was the rude blonde from earlier.

"Help me again?" Scully picked which ball looked easiest to hit and then waited for Monica to assist her.

"Always," she heard the brunette mumble and smiled. Monica really was sweet… and always treated her so well, Scully recalled, and she realized now that a lot of what she says could easily be taken as flirting. It had just all gone over her head before. Was this why Monica was so nervous when she opened her apartment door earlier? Was she nervous about the possibility of having to pretend that this was a date? Scully was confusing herself, but she didn't have any problem treating this like a date. Fake or not, she was having fun and starting to have real reactions to her beautiful partner.

"Just put me in the right spot again, I'm gonna try figuring out how to aim this time," Dana instructed. As she felt Monica place her hands back on her hips, Dana didn't take any time before leaning over to aim, pushing her ass back against the other woman. Monica's hands tightened on her hips and Scully grinned. Yeah, this felt interesting, she thought. She aimed and shuffled her feet, slightly rubbing her ass against the brunette. She swore she could hear Monica's breath quicken as she took the shot and sunk her third ball.

"Nice to see you've finally found a little lady," a voice behind them said, causing Monica to jump back in surprise and shame. The woman smiled at the pair and Monica remained silent, eyes wide, cursing that the friendly owner she had become friends with and vented to when she drank was here.

"I'm Karen, the owner," the beautiful, tall, dirty blonde introduced herself to Scully.

"Dana," she answered, and glanced at Monica. Clearly she knew her, judging by her panicked look.

"Oh, Dana! Monica's mentioned you a few times." And that answered the question of if Monica had been to this bar before, Scully thought. "You're even more beautiful than I imagined!"

"Oh, thank you," Scully saw her partners face turn red for the hundredth time that night. So, she'd talked about her to this other woman, at this bar… she smiled at the warm feeling spreading through her. "It's wonderful to meet you." Scully then turned to Monica. "Buy me another drink?" At the nod, she took her hand and led them back over to the bar. Karen moved to the other side and fixed Monica's usual, causing Scully to chuckle and reach over to take the brunette's hand again as it sat in her lap.

"Don't worry, Mon," she whispered near her ear and made an unconscious decision to kiss her on the cheek, hoping she understood that she didn't mind being talked about and… didn't mind getting a bit closer.

Now with a vodka tonic, Scully looked over to thankfully see their blue haired second suspect walk in and approach Joanne Henderson.

"Looks like our job is done."

"Time to just enjoy ourselves," Scully said when the brunette finished her call to Agent Doggett and then laughed at Monica's nervous attempted smile.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scully wondered aloud, causing her partner to look down at their joined hands in her lap.

"You never know how people will react… I wasn't scared, but I didn't want to risk an uncomfortable relationship between us."

"Well, no, you don't know how someone will react. But… if you take that leap of faith, it could be a good reaction." The brunette looked up and Dana smiled at her. "I'm not going to judge you, it doesn't bother me in any way. I'm glad I know now," she squeezed Monica's hand, "and now a lot of things make sense," Scully looked down, blushing before lifting her eyes back up to meet Monica's curious look, showing that she understood that all those times Monica had actually been hitting on her.

"Thank you, Dana," Monica whispered, hoping she was heard.

"And," Scully said, hopping off of her barstool, "if I may say, you look amazingly beautiful, Monica." She smiled at Scully's repeating of the words she had said long ago. "You wanna get out of here?" Dana asked and held out her hand.

Monica took the shorter woman's hand and stepped down. "Where would you like to go?"

"I'd like to walk you home. Maybe we can hang out for a bit?" She suggested nervously.

"Yeah, I would like that."

They said goodbye to Karen and pushed open the door to see Doggett and his partner approaching the building.

"They're in a booth by the door," Monica informed him. He raised an eyebrow at their joined hands, but said nothing, only nodding at the info.

They walked back to Monica's place slowly and mostly quietly, occasionally swinging their joined hands back and forth. They were both nervous, both not sure exactly what Scully meant by "hanging out." Dana still wasn't sure if she did want to initiate anything, but she was imagining what it could be like with a woman, how soft and kind Monica always was to her. She was an excited bundle of nerves.

The ride up in the elevator was excruciatingly slow. They both wanted to groan in frustration, but were too nervous to make a sound. They walked to her door and finally Monica couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Dana… I'm having an extremely difficult time attempting to read you. I don't understand your actions tonight… it seemed like you were, um, interested, but that was all undercover and before you really knew…"

Scully blushed and tried to think of what to say. "I really don't know… I mean, I had a lot of fun tonight and then Karen saying that you have talked about me before… I don't know what I feel, I've never really thought… You are so kind to me, Monica. You make me feel happy and the friendship you've provided me in these last few horrible months… I feel so loved. I know I obviously have only begun to think differently tonight, but this is exciting and I think what I feel towards you as a friend would be even better if I took one step forward…". She ended her ramble on a shaky breath and Monica stepped closer.

"Are you sure this is what you want? Even if this doesn't work out, even if you're only confused about your feelings and it doesn't turn out the way I'd wish… I will still be here for you, there's no need for us to worry," she said gently.

Scully nodded, looking down at her shoes. "It's what I want. I want to try to make what we have special. I want to try. Just…"

I don't know, I'm… I'm not good at this, could you please just kiss me or something," she demanded, knocking aside her nervousness for a moment.

Monica looked down at her almost uncertainly, but then curled a finger under the smaller woman's chin. She gently caressed Scully's cheek for a moment, looking into her eyes and seeing the begging in them for something to happen. She leaned in, whispering a soft "Dana" before their lips connected. Scully's eyes remained half-lidded for a moment before sliding closed and enjoying the new sensation of kissing the soft lips of a woman.

Scully brought her hands up to Monica's neck and held her there, rubbing her thumbs back and forth along her jaw. One of Monica's hands was on her waist, the other had moved further down to her hip as she gently pushed the smaller woman against the door. They pulled away at the need for air and Monica looked for any positive or negative reaction. Judging by the shy smile growing on her partner's lips, she very much liked kissing her.

"I think we've been out in the hallway a bit too long, how about we go inside?" Scully nodded and followed her in.

"I'm always amazed at how big your apartment is, as well as jealous," Dana said, trying to switch tracks after what just happened so she wouldn't make a fool of herself. "Where did you get all this beautiful artwork?" She looked around at the large paintings around the living room and small sculptures and vases littering many shelves, genuinely curious.

"Most of it's family heirlooms from Mexico, some is from friends who know how much I enjoy art. Would you like some water?"

After making Monica explain the many art pieces and finishing her glass of water, Monica suggested they call it a night.

"I have a guest bedroom and some clothes you can sleep in, although they'll definitely be too big," she smiled.

Scully took the pants and t-shirt she was given into the bathroom to change and wash her face. She sighed heavily at the length of the pants and carefully walked out of the bathroom so she wouldn't trip.

"You don't have anything smaller?" she asked and Monica burst out laughing at the sight of her tiny partner drowning in her clothes.

"C'mere," the brunette patted beside her on the bed and Dana trudged over. She sat and Monica pulled one leg up into her lap and rolled the pant leg up a few times to her ankle before doing the same to the other. Scully smiled warmly and, when she was done, scooted over to the other side of the bed.

"What're you doing?" Monica's brows furrowed.

"Going to sleep," the redhead replied, climbing under the covers and looking expectantly at Monica.

"Oh…"

Scully lightheartedly rolled her eyes and lifted the covers up, inviting her to snuggle in the chilly room. Monica slid in beside her and Dana turned the other way, waiting a few uncomfortable seconds before reaching back to drag Monica's arm around her waist.

"Goodnight, Monica."

"Sweet dreams," she replied, intertwining their fingers.

The two laid in silence for minutes, thinking about the progress of events from the day, and then Monica heard the quietest whisper coming from Dana.

"This is definitely what I want."


Thank you for reading!

Ideas or wishes, no matter how small, for my next fic are welcome!