A/N: Hey guys! Oh my gosh. It's been 5 years. I've left school, and got engaged in that time! I read through a few of my fan fics from back in the day, and discovered I left this one unfinished! So here I am, back once more, to finish what I started, and possibly release some more! Keep the R&Rs coming; I need to know what you guys want ;) lots of love, Sophie xx
Sat at home the evening following the meeting with Skinner, Scully curled her slender legs up underneath her and tucked her hands under the blanket draped over her body. Reyes sat at the other end of the sofa staring at her. The television was on in the background, and Scully was vaguely aware of a man screaming from a hospital bed surrounded by nurses. She felt Reyes' eyes trained on her, watching her like a hawk watches its prey before it attacks. She kept her head down, her eyes focussed on her lap. Reyes was worried about her, she knew that, but she wasn't up to talking right now. In fact she hadn't said a word since seeing Mulder in the meeting. It was as though the words had been ripped from her throat, the way she had ripped Mulder's heart from his chest with her love for Reyes.
"Talk to me Dana…" Reyes spoke softly, reaching under the covers for Scully's hand. Scully pulled back, flinching at her touch. Reyes froze, and then retracted her hand, confused at her lover's reaction. Scully remained still, head hung, deep in her own thoughts. She could not get the look on Mulder's face out of her mind, the pain in his eyes, she felt as though, in that moment, she watched his soul breaking in front of her eyes. She knew then that she had made a terrible mistake. She had hurt the person that meant the most to her in the world, but now she was faced with a predicament she could not see a way out of. In order to fix her relationship with Mulder, she now had to hurt someone else she cared very deeply about. She sighed deeply and covered her face with her hands, the way she had found herself doing a lot whilst working with Mulder. She ran through the situation in her head for the fiftieth time that evening and once more she still did not know what she was going to do. Just as she rubbed her eyes and removed her hands, Reyes stood up and walked out of the living room. Scully followed her with her blue-eyed gaze, wanting so badly to say something to her, but finding herself unable. As Reyes disappeared out of the door, Scully's face began to screw up, and when she heard Reyes step on the bottom of the stairs, the first tear rolled silently down her face. Once she started, she could not stop, breaking out into sobs that wracked her body, as tears continued to fall, soaking the cover over her knees. Time passed, and the sobs reduced to silently falling tears, her eyes feeling sore and swollen behind her dark lashes. After what felt like a lifetime, she swung her legs over the sofa, pushing the blanket from her knees at the same time. As she stood, she felt her legs wobble, her knees stiff from being curled beneath her. She grabbed her keys, and left the apartment, headed for the parking lot, and ultimately, her car.
Scully eased herself into the driver's seat, fumbling around with the key, her mind racing. When she finally found the ignition, she slid the key in, and started the engine. Laying her feet over the pedals, she pulled out of the basement. She had no idea where she was headed yet, she just felt she needed to drive. Cruising down the road, she took a right, coming out onto the freeway, and put her foot down. She hit 65mph, and slid her finger onto the left column on her steering wheel, and pressed the raised button, launching the cruise control. She lifted her feet off the pedals and relaxed, breathing deeply and evenly. Suddenly her mind had become surprisingly blank, giving her the impression that even her body had had enough of thinking for the time being. As she drove, she spotted a sign for services coming up. She disengaged the cruise control, taking back full control of the car, and began to slow as she approached the respite. When she had found herself a parking spot, she got out of her car, and locked the doors behind her. Walking slowly into the store, she spied an old lady shuffling along the makeshift pathway that ran along the freeway, carrying a bag. She couldn't help but imagine the bag being full of empty tin cans. She allowed herself a small, inward smile, thinking of Mulder and how he would continuously rib her about how she would one day become one of those ladies if she wasn't careful. As quickly as the thought came, it left, leaving her with the same broken feelings that she had tried so hard to rid herself of all evening. She walked straight up to the counter in the store, readying her wallet, and asked the cashier for a packet of twenty Marlboro Menthols and a lighter. She had tried to convince herself in the past that menthol cigarettes were better for her health than regular cigarettes. Of course, she knew they weren't, but it helped her peace of mind. She exited the shop, and returned to her vehicle, deciding to head back tonwards her home. She knew where she was going this time, and she got up to speed, re-engaged the cruise control, and picked up her new purchases. Tearing open the packet with her teeth, one hand on the wheel, the other holding the box, she felt her pulse begin to race slightly. She didn't know what it was about smoking, but when she did it, she always felt naughty. She once again used her teeth, and pulled free a cigarette. Replacing the packetback on the passenger seat, she ignited the lighter, lighting the cigarette now perfectly balanced between her soft pink lips. As the first plumes of smoke unfurled from the glowing end, she took a deep drag, relaxing back into her seat as the chemicals began working their magic on her stressed out body. She put the lighter between her legs, and pulled the cigarette from her lips, enjoying the sensation of the cigarette between her fingers, and watched in her rear view mirror as the smoke escaped her lips. She took the exit off the freeway, and then proceeded to take another pull from the menthol in her hand, her eyes beginning to roll with the pleasure as the cool minty flavour hit the back of her throat.
After twenty minutes of driving along winding back roads, she arrived at the viewpoint she used to enjoy frequenting. She parked up at the top of the hill, and walked over to one of the deserted picnic tables erected on the side of the hill. She stepped over the bench, and sat down, placing the cigarettes on the table in front of her. She sighed deeply and looked out, taking in the beautiful view in front of her. Below, the city sprawled before her, lights flickering. To both sides of her, trees stood tall, making her feel safe, protected by their strong branches. She removed another cigarette from the packedt and sparked up, feeling at ease for the first time that day.
After an hour of sitting at the picnic bench, alone in the dark, Scullyfan had begun to feel cold, the evening breeze nibbling at her fingers and ears. She had finally hot footed it back to her car, and was now sitting in the driver's seat beginning to warm up. She took a breath, started the engine, and made her way home. As she entered her apartment complex, she noted the time- 1:02AM. She figured Reyes would be asleep by the time she returned, praying that she could relax on the sofa and at least get some sleep before she had to raise herself and go to work. Not to mention make a decision about her life. But she had decided to put that point out of her mind for now. As she entered through the door, she put her keys and cigarettes down of the coffee table in the middle of the room, and looked up. There on the sofa, sat Reyes.
"Since when do you smoke?" Reyes asked in a soft voice. Scullyfan looked at her, and then dropped her head. She gently lowered herself onto the sofa, as far as she could from the beautiful lady in front of her, and took a breath.
A/N: So there you go guys! My first chapter in 5 years! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm so glad to be back! R&R, let me know what I've missed and what you want to see happen next! Thanks all xxx