After spending the next day investigating, they kept coming up empty. Mulder's gut feeling still kept urging him towards Madam Mercier, regardless of Scully's opinion on the matter. While she was in the morgue, he snuck away to have his own reading done, to see if he could get more of an answer to his instincts.
"Welcome back, I see your friend is not with you." Madam Mercier said, with emphasis on the word 'friend.'
"Uh, yeah, she is doing her own thing today. Thought I'd check it out, since she enjoyed it so much."
"Your flattery is generous, but I know she does not believe in my abilities as you do." She said as she situated herself in her normal seat. Mulder made himself comfortable across from her, putting down the payment to make his intentions clear.
"I see a great loss in you, sadness, loneliness. Though there is a high strength in your heart, your soul." She smiled, more to herself than him. "You will be good for her, you should stop doubting it."
"Oh, that's not, she's not -"
"You've found the person to fill your void, don't let her go because of your own self doubt. Allow yourself to be loved, it is of great importance." She said as her voice drifted off. His head shot up, eyes widening at her final words. They were exactly Rosie's words about this task and him taking a vacation. He composed himself, suppressing his own emotions to find answers that pertained to his investigation.
"I'll definitely take that into consideration. Do you get a lot of visitors here?"
"I have many who roam into my shop as you and your friend had. Curious, although one will never admit it."
"Do you only do love readings?"
"I read what I see, what comes to me. Not all are as pleasant as yours. Some, I can not prevent what is coming to them."
"As in, you see their death?"
"No, but I see their misfortunes. For those, their destiny is sealed, the most I can do it give them the happier thoughts to look forward to."
"Do you ever, do anything to speed up the process of their fate?"
"I would never tamper with the life of an innocent soul. If you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to finish." She said as she swiftly stood up and escaped to the back. Mulder ran back to the hotel, needing to look into the files of each of the deceased with more detail.
"Hey, I thought you'd still be at the morgue." He said as he entered their room, seeing Scully on the couch.
"My work there is done. Mulder, all of these people died of natural causes. There's nothing more happening here." She said with an exasperated sigh.
"That may be true, but, just bear with me." He ran to his room to gather the files, bringing them to the main area.
"We've looked through these a million times, there's nothing more we are going to find."
"Madam Mercier said that she would never tamper with the life of an innocent soul, so what if these people weren't innocent in her eyes. What if she saw their past indiscretions, and took it upon herself to punish them."
"When did you speak with her?" Scully's brow furrowed, confused about the information she was being told.
"Oh, uh, when you were doing the autopsy."
"Did you interrogate her, or have a reading?"
"I, uh, thought that having my own reading would open her up to talking, which it did. That's how I got this much out of her."
"So what did she say about your future?" She asked as her eyebrow rose in question.
"Nothing, really. Just pretty much the generic stuff she told you."
"Yeah, but she did tell me something specific, come on, I can tell there's something you're not saying."
"It's nothing. She just told me to allow myself to be loved. It's nothing I don't already know, and just choose to ignore." He scoffed. He busied himself by rummaging through the files, avoiding the line of questioning. She let it go, sensing whatever else he was told, he didn't want to discuss.
"This person was arrested, just a petty theft though. Nothing that I would deem worthy of the great Madam Mercier killing them off early for." Scully said as she tossed one of the files to Mulder.
"How did he die?"
"Uh, looks like he had an aneurysm. Unusual for his age, but not unheard of." She shrugged off the thought. He felt guilty, sensing that she wasn't as invested into this as he was. He promised her some vacation time while they were here, and was going to hold true to his word. However, the dynamic changed, with her upcoming date with Scott.
"I'm going to look into this stuff some more tomorrow, but you should enjoy your time here. I promised you at least one day of vacation, so enjoy it." He said with a small smile. Her face fell, hoping they would be spending that vacation day together. It furthered the confirmation of her thoughts of him not wanting anything to do with her if it didn't involve work.
"Oh, yeah, thanks." She said in a small voice before escaping to her room. There was something absolutely maddening about this complicated man, something that made her completely addicted to him.
The next day, Mulder had already disappeared, leaving her to explore on her own. She walked along the shops on the beach, enjoying the change in scenery. She always enjoyed her solitary vacations, as rare as they were, but this time she wanted to have someone else's company. Rolling her eyes in defeat, she pulled out her phone to dial the already familiar number.
"Yeah, Mulder." His voice was rougher than usual, instinct immediately telling her something was wrong.
"Where are you?" She asked with urgency in her voice.
"I'm uh, a little held up right now."
"Mulder..."
"I'm at the local hospital, it's a long story, but I'm fine." He said with a resigned sigh. She didn't need to hear anymore. Closing her phone shut, without any further discussion, she made her way to find him.
When she arrived, she asked around until one of the nurses finally led her in the right direction. She approached his bed, the curtain halfway closed, so he couldn't see her walking towards him. She slid the drapery back slowly, an apologetic grin already present on his face.
"Do I even want to know?" She asked, eyebrow raising in judgement.
"To be fair, it wasn't even my fault. I thought I had a lead, and he ran. I don't know the beachside cliffs as well as I thought I did, and kind of fell..."
"Mulder, do you realize you could have been severely hurt? That was incredibly stupid of you, to blindly chase someone while unofficially investigating a case. You're lucky all you have is a few bruises." She exhaled deeply, picking up his chart hanging at the end of his bed.
Her hand tightened it's grip on the clipboard, reading his full name. Fox William Mulder. There it was, that name again. Perhaps this could have been the cause of his mood shift, following her reading. But why wouldn't he tell her? Maybe he didn't want it to be true, he didn't want him to be her soulmate. Her heart sank at the thoughts, pushing the knowledge aside. She licked her lips nervously, meeting his gaze again.
"I know, Scully, I'm sorry. I promise, I'm done with the investigation." That puppy dog pout on his lips, she couldn't help but smile.
"Well that's good, because we head back home tomorrow. I'm going to check with the nurses to see if you're cleared to leave. Try not to find yourself in trouble while I'm gone." She playfully glared at him, causing the smirk to touch his lips. He loved seeing her like this, worried for him, tending to his side. He was going to milk this for as much as he could, before having to enter back into reality.
Slowly, they made their way back to the hotel, her helping him get settled. He plopped himself on the couch, wincing at the pain in his ribs. It was only the afternoon, and they weren't leaving until the following morning. He felt guilty again, her having to spend her promised vacation time with him.
"I'm good here, if you wanted to go back to your vacation." He said nonchalantly.
"No, it's okay. I'd feel better knowing you have a babysitter." She teased as she settled on the couch next to him. He smiled, considering there was a smaller love seat beside the main couch, and she chose to sit with him.
"We could, uh, order a pizza later, and watch whatever movies are on TV. I know it's not the vacation you were expecting but-"
"It's perfect." She said with a small smile, turning her attention to the television. He nodded, flipping through channels before settling on a classic movie that illuminated the screen.
Several hours of black and white films later, Scully had dozed off, her head eventually resting on Mulder's shoulder. He smiled to himself, loving every minute of it. He threw his head back, falling asleep himself. When she finally roused, she blinked several times, taking in her surroundings. The television screen was bright in the now dark room, causing her to squint as her eyes adjusted. She finally pushed herself up, realizing she had fallen asleep, and her head eventually ended up resting in Mulder's lap. He had fallen asleep as well, his arm lightly caressing her side. When she glanced at the clock, it was well into the middle of the night, so she covered him with the blanket on the couch, and escaped to her room to sleep. As she settled into bed, she smiled to herself, having this small moment to hold onto.
The next morning she made her way into the main room, seeing him still in a heavy sleep on the couch. He had managed to situate himself on his back, that perfectly chiseled arm resting over his torso. She smiled at the sight, moving closer to gather up the case files that were strewn on the table before them.
Mulder had began to wake slowly, eyes adjusting to his surroundings. She hadn't noticed him staring at her, catching her off guard when she finally looked up. They exchanged coy smiles, her cheeks tinging with color in memory of her laying in his lap.
"Good morning, how do you feel today?" She asked casually.
"I feel like I did something incredibly stupid yesterday." He winced, pain radiating from his side.
"Well, at least you're facing the consequences. Saves me a lecture."
"Our flight doesn't leave until this afternoon, you should go out and enjoy the day." He said sincerely, he still felt responsible for her lack of vacation that he originally promised.
"Why do I always feel like you're trying to get rid of me?" She asked with a heavy sigh.
"No, Scully, I'm not - It's just..."
"I'm just messing with you, relax." She said as she attempted to stifle a laugh at how flustered he became.
"I do feel bad though, I'm sure this isn't what you had in mind."
"I honestly didn't know what to expect, considering this is an unofficial, official investigation slash cover for a vacation." She said with an arch of the eyebrow, smirk fully blossomed on her face.
"Point proven." He chuckled. She plopped on the couch next to him as he sat up in a more seated position. "I, uh, was thinking about something though..."
"Well that's never a good thing."
"Ha ha, Scully. No, I - I'm going to have to give Scott some kind of proof that I took a vacation, and well..."
"Oh. Right."
"I don't have to tell him you came with me, I mean, technically this was work, so I can find another way."
"No, it's okay. I can vouch for you." She bumped his shoulder with hers, playing the situation lightly. He flashed her a tightlipped smile, nodding in agreement.
The rest of the day was spent by them packing up their things. They held their bags at the hotel and decided to take one last walk along the beach. It was the perfect end to their unconventional vacation. They began to approach Madam Mercier's shop, and he could feel nervousness radiating from her beside him. When he glanced down at her, he could see her biting her lip anxiously, a curiosity in her eyes.
"Should we say goodbye?" He asked lightly, gauging the situation.
"I suppose so."
They entered the shop, noticing the lack of presence from the Madam herself. Scully picked up a small crystal that hung from a thin wire chain. She cradled the crystal gently, completely enchanted by the deep purple color.
"Take it, as a parting gift." Madam Mercier said, startling Scully as she appeared from the back.
"Oh, no, I couldn't. That's very generous, but-"
"Please. It will bring you great luck in your very future endeavors." She said with a slight gleam in her eyes. Scully's cheeks tinged with color, bowing her head shyly.
"We were just stopping by, before we left." Mulder chimed in, breaking them both from their conversation.
"I wish you both the best, remember what I've told you. Don't run away from it." And with that, she disappeared to the back of the store again, leaving them both lost in their own thoughts.
Their flight back was rather quiet, neither knew what to say to the other after visiting the shop one last time. It also occurred to both of them that she would be going on a date with Scott soon, leaving their shared vacation as a thing of the past. They both gathered their luggage, and made their way outside. Mulder had left his car parked at the airport, offering to give her a ride home.
"How did you want me to, uh, verify your vacation?" She asked as he pulled up to the curb outside of her apartment. Them entering back into reality suddenly felt like the last thing either of them wanted to do.
"I hadn't really thought about it. I was going to show him my plane tickets, hotel invoice, so I guess you don't really need to say anything. Don't want to create an issue or anything." He shrugged off the conversation.
"Why would it be an issue?" Her brow furrowed, genuinely confused.
"I just mean, it could get complicated, with you dating Scott now." He was being an idiot, and he knew it, but he couldn't control it. The passive-aggressive comments, the stubbornness.
"It's one date, Mulder. That I haven't even gone on yet. I don't see why that would be an issue. Unless, uh-" She shut her mouth, more so her own thoughts escaping without thought. She knew by his recent actions that he wasn't interested in her that way. She shook her head, licking her lips subconsciously as she opened the car door, finalizing their conversation.
"Let me know if you still need me as a witness for you, I'll see you around work." She said clearly annoyed by their conversation. He didn't know what happened, or where the shift occurred, but he could only guess that it was his fault. He nodded as she closed the door, and watched her disappear inside.
He slammed his hand on the steering wheel, angry with himself. Why couldn't he just tell her how he was beginning to feel? Instead, he was practically handing her off to another guy.
By the time Monday rolled around, Mulder had come up with too many different ways on how Scully's date with Scott had gone. He wanted to call, and apologize for simply being an ass for the better part of their impromptu vacation, but didn't want to seem as desperate as he felt. He also wasn't too keen on having to see Scott so early before work to get his next task.
"How was the vacation?" Scott asked, a little too chipper for Mulder's liking. That must have meant the date went well.
"It was fine. Here's my travel information, as proof. Even a nice little hospital stay, just in case you needed to make sure I was there." Mulder said with a little more bitterness than he anticipated.
"Everything looks good, although you didn't need to bring me anything. Dana talked enough about your vacation." Scott said with amused grin on his face. Mulder clenched his jaw at his use of her first name. Like they were already intimately involved.
Scott knew just how to push Mulder's buttons, he always did. Truth was, Scully vowed to herself to not speak about him at all. She was just going to let the date happen. The more the evening went on, the only things she talked about with such excitement and enthusiasm involved him. Scott could instantly tell that it was a sympathy date, a friendly gesture. The way she talked about Mulder, Scott knew he never really even had a chance. Losing a girl to Fox Mulder, that was a first for him. He wasn't going to let it go just that easily.
"I, uh, she was more so there for work."
"So she made a point to say, several times. I don't know who she was trying to convince more...me, or herself."
"Can I just get the next card?" Mulder said, annoyance rising. Scott flashed him a smug smile, retreating to his office to get the fifth card.
"Bring me back the proof, no rush." Scott handed him the card, already distracted by the ringing phone in his office.
Mulder made his way to work, completely in a trance about the revelations of this morning. In all the different ways he imagined their date going, her talking about him was never part of the realm of possibilities. They weren't working on anything together, and he needed to find a reason to see her.
He settled his things on his desk, plopping down in his chair. He played with the envelope, almost afraid to open it. Wishing it had something to do with her. He wiggled the paper loose, sighing at the words on the paper in front of him.
'Go on another date, with someone new. Enjoy yourself.'
It's definitely not what he wanted to read. He didn't know how to even begin to explain this one to Scully. Mentally laughing to himself, as if she was someone he needed to explain things to. He already hated this task, not even having any idea who he would be taking on this next date. He sat back in his chair, scanning the room. No prospects that he was even remotely interested in jumped out at him. The smile on his face only appeared when he saw that familiar redheaded figure walking towards him.
"Morning, Scully. How was your weekend?" He feigned innocence, as if he wasn't reveling in the fact that she talked about him the entire time.
"It was fine, how was yours?" This was weird for them, these casual pleasantries as if they were just acquaintances talking over the coffee pot at work.
"Can't complain. What brings you up here?"
"I was just bringing up my official report on the unofficial case." She teased, causing him to relax a little. They had left things hanging with such an awkward tone set between them. "I also was hoping to catch you, say thank you. I, uh, forgot to when you dropped me off."
"No worries, nothing to thank me for. I'm glad you got to enjoy at least some of it."
"Oh, I'd say it was an overall experience that I don't plan on forgetting any time soon." Smirk touching her lips, he couldn't help but smile. "Did you get your next card?"
She was anxious about the next task, hoping it would allow him to find another loophole to involve her. He winced slightly, but not unnoticed by her. She furrowed her brow in question, exchanging an entire conversation between them wordlessly.
"Yeah, I have another date, apparently."
"Just...you?"
"Uh, yeah." He handed her the card. She read it, repeatedly. Who knew that less than 10 words can cause her heart to sink so fast?
"Oh. Well, any idea who you plan to ask?"
"No, not really. No one really comes to mind."
They both didn't know how to even work around this one. He was mentally scolding himself, wondering if he had taken her to the Vineyard, if that would have changed the direction of the cards for them both. She was hoping that her failed date with Scott would mean that they could move forward together. Neither was ready or willing to admit how they were starting to admire the other, so it remained in the unspoken world between them.
"What if, uh, I set you up with someone? I have a friend, I think you guys would get along." She said craftily. If she could control the situation, perhaps that would give their relationship hope. She huffed a small breath, what relationship?
"Uh, sure. It would save me the trouble of actually having to find someone to do this thing with. Plus, if she's anything like you, I'm sure I'll like her." He said off-handedly, not realizing what his words could mean. The color in her cheeks rose, and he sat up a little straighter as his words replayed in his mind. "I just meant, uh-"
"I'll send you her info, and talk to her about it. I'll see you later." She said with a coy smile as she made her brisk escape.
He smiled, loving this game they played. Hating it at the same time, wanting more from whatever they were. He didn't think she wanted him the same way he did her, but with what Scott told him, his mind began to wonder. Only time would tell, and he still needed to get through this date, hoping that the rest of the tasks involved Scully.