Scully woke with a start, sweat pouring from her. She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 5:33 am. She may as well get up now; she obviously wasn't going to get back to sleep. Pushing back the covers she swung her legs over the side and stood up. Shivering slightly she grabbed her robe and walked into the kitchen, wrapping it round her and tying it up as she went.
She poured herself a mug of coffee and went and sat down on the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her. She stared into space, lost in her thoughts. Why was it, two years after it had happened, she was still getting nightmares about what he'd done to her? They weren't as bad as they had been; before she'd been waking up 3 or 4 times a night, every night, with nightmares about it.
Now it was just occasionally, but they were still just as intense. She shivered involuntarily, thinking about the time Evan Chandler had held her captive and ultimately about how he'd raped and tortured her. At the time, she'd thought she would never be able to get back to normal, but gradually over the months and years that had passed she had regained some of the self-respect that Evan had robbed her of. The sound of her alarm coming from her bedroom jolted her back to reality. Slowly she stood, put her mug in the kitchen and walked to her bedroom to get ready for the day.
Scully reached the basement office in the FBI Building that she shared with her partner Special Agent Fox Mulder at about 7:45 am. She was surprised to find the door shut and locked; Mulder was usually always there before she was. Maybe he overslept, she thought to herself as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. Flipping on the light she bent to pick up the mail before walking over to her desk.
She'd been working with Mulder for nine years and she'd had a desk for about four of those years. She sat down and flipped on the computer before looking through the mail. There was one letter for her. Surprised; Mulder usually got all of the mail sent to their office, she put down the other letters and ripped hers open. She pulled out the contents, unfolded it and was about to read it when the telephone ringing interrupted her. Slightly annoyed, she picked up the phone; refolding the letter and shoving it back into its envelope.
"Scully?"
"Agent Scully, the Assistant Director would like to see you and Agent Mulder now instead of 8:30. Something else has come up for that time and the only other time he can see you is now." As Kimberly spoke, Scully glanced around at the otherwise empty office and wondering where the hell Mulder was. "Is that alright Agent?"
"Yes Kimberly, tell A.D. Skinner I'll be up in a few minutes." She hung up before Kimberly could query why she'd said 'I' and not 'we'. She immediately picked up the phone again and dialed Mulder's cell. She tapped her nails impatiently on the desk as she waited for it to connect and as it started ringing.
"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered under her breath. Suddenly the ringing stopped and a voice came down the line.
"Mulder."
"Mulder where the hell are you? Skinner's brought the meeting forward. He wants to see us now."
"Shit!" Came the reply from the other end of the line and Scully couldn't help but smile slightly.
"That doesn't answer my question," she replied with mock seriousness.
"I'm stuck in traffic. I've been sat in my car for about 15 minutes now and we've barely moved an inch. Do you think you can stall Skinman?"
"I don't think so. This is the only time he can see us."
"Goddamn it! I swear if this doesn't start moving soon I'm gonna start walking." On the other end of the line Scully shook her head.
"Mulder look I've got to go otherwise I'm gonna be late too. Just try to get here as soon as you can." She hung up the phone and dashed out of the office to the elevator.