SAN DIEGO, CA
Scully arrived back at the house just after 5pm, completely spent after performing her last two autopsies for the day. She hadn't planned to perform a second one today, but figured she didn't have anything else to do. She was still feeling slightly irritated at Mulder's passive attitude during their phone call at lunch, and she had been dwelling on it for the rest of the day. She chided herself for how ridiculous it was that a man she had only known for 2 days could cause such a reaction from her. It mostly vexed her because she didn't feel that she was in a place to ask him why he was acting so different all of a sudden.
Scully let out a heavy sigh and made her way to Tara, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.
"Hey Dana! I didn't hear you come in. How was the first day?" Tara asked, busily moving around.
"It was good, just a little long. Anything I can help with?"
"Sure, you can start prepping the salad."
Tara looked over at her sister-in-law and noticed the shift in mood from the giddy woman grinning into her phone this morning.
"Anything else on your mind?" Tara asked, not sure how to approach the conversation. She knew that Dana was not one for talking about anything in her personal life until she was good and ready to share.
"What? Oh, uh no. Just - just a long day I guess." Scully answered solemnly.
"You're just in a different mood from when you left this morning, that's all." Tara answered with an assuring smile and a gleam to her eyes.
Scully blushed recalling her morning conversation with Mulder, and the banter that Tara had witnessed. She took a deep breath and began to tell her about Mulder, and how foolish she felt to be in this mood. She didn't have many friends, and honestly, it could be nice to engage in a normal conversation with someone for once. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her cell phone chimed from her purse hanging by the door. She quickly wiped off her hands and made her way to the front foyer.
"Hello?" She answered rushed, slightly out of breath.
"Hey Scully, did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Mulder! Hi, uh, no my phone was in the other room."
"I know I was supposed to wait for you to call me tonight, but I uh, just wanted to let you know I might be out of a service area, so I thought I'd just call now." He said, with a secret hint in his voice. When he booked his last minute flight, the only one available had a 3-hour layover in Utah, and he knew he would be up in the air when she tried to call later.
Scully's mood instantly plummeted even more. She didn't know why she felt like he was hiding something from her, but she couldn't shake the feeling. She was also looking forward to talking to him later tonight to hopefully assure her that he was just caught at a bad time earlier. There was no reassurance now, and she became annoyed. "Oh, sure, fine." She answered shortly.
Mulder noticed the change in her voice and slightly panicked. He wanted to surprise her, but he was starting to feel his plan failing as her mood shifted and she began to close herself off. He didn't want to flat out tell her that he was coming to see her, but he didn't want her to completely shut him out either. He had to play this just right.
"Don't sound so excited to talk to me, Scully." He said in a joking tone, hoping to ease the mood.
"I'm actually in the middle of helping with dinner, so I might have to go soon. I wasn't planning to talk to you this early." She answered, flat toned.
"Sorry I called so early, and that I'll be out of reach later. I would love to make it up to you though. I know you said before that you love boats and being on the water, and that you didn't really have any plans this weekend, so I uh-" Mulder became flustered, realizing he was taking a huge leap. She heard him let out a long breath and continue. "-uh, I booked for you to go on a whale watching cruise tomorrow morning. I thought you might enjoy it. I hope I'm not overstepping here, and you don't have to go if you don't want to. I can email the ticket to you, I just thought you would enjoy it..." His voice drifted off.
Scully's breath caught in her throat at his gesture. All of the doubt that was clouding her mind throughout the day dissipated as she reveled in what he had done for her. She had told him about her dad on their first 'date' and mentioned how much she missed him since he had passed away from a heart attack the year prior. She told Mulder about how close to heart Moby Dick was to her since it was shared between her and her father, like their own little sanctuary that they found in a book. She didn't have any words to thank him, and her affection for him grew immensely in that moment. The grin that she had earlier that morning crept back onto her face.
"Oh, Mulder. That's - that's amazing. You really didn't have to do that." She managed, trying to hide the emotion in her voice.
"I wanted to, I hope you enjoy it, it looks like it will be the perfect day for it." Mulder answered, shyly.
"I, um, wish you were here to enjoy it with me." She said in almost a whisper.
Mulder's grin grew as he was now assured that his plan was perfect. "Me, too, Scully. We'll have to find fun things to do together when you get back, I can think of a few already..." He answered in a teasing, yet sultry tone.
"I'm going to hold you to that, Mulder." She responded, matching his voice.
"Oh, Scully, you can hold me anywhere you'd like." He teased. "But I do have to get going, I'll send you all the info tomorrow and try to talk to you before you head out. Goodnight."
"Okay, goodnight, Mulder. And again, thank you, this - this means a lot to me."
She chuckled to herself as she disconnected the call. The smile not escaping her lips as she felt content in their comfortable banter again. As she walked back into the kitchen, Tara noticed the change in her mood again and an instant gleam shone through her eyes.
The next morning Scully woke up feeling better rested than she had in a while. She had escaped upstairs the night before, calling it an early evening from a long day, but truthfully she was running from the interrogation that she could tell was about to ensue. Tara didn't push much at dinner, and for that she was grateful, but when she offered her a glass of wine and a movie night on the couch, that's when Scully bolted. She smiled at her childish behavior, but she wasn't ready to share Mulder with anyone, not yet.
She began to dress for her whale watching cruise, and changed into tight, dark jeans and a comfortable, blue sweater that had a slightly lower v-cut than she would normally wear in public. It hugged her in all the right places, accentuating her fit curves, and bringing out the color in her eyes. She knew Mulder wouldn't be there to see the outfit in person, but she figured pictures would have the same effect on him. He had only seen her in her work suits, and knew this would be a nice change. She only wished she could see his reaction in person.
"Good morning, Dana! You look nice, plans for today?" Tara said in her usual, chipper voice.
"Morning, yes, uh, I am going to on the whale watching cruise." Scully mumbled, in search for coffee.
"Oh they are great! Bill and I have been a few times before Matty was born, you'll love it. It looks like a beautiful day for it, too!"
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It was, um, a surprise." Scully said smiling into her cup.
"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your mystery phone calls that you won't talk about, would it?"
"It might."
"That's all I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?" Tara said, exasperated.
Scully chuckled. "For now at least. Maybe more, later."
"I'm looking forward to it. I know I haven't been in this family long, but this is the happiest I've seen you, so keep whatever is putting this smile on your face." Tara exclaimed.
"We'll see, it's all relatively new, whatever it even is. I - I'm very interested in seeing where it goes..." Scully began to say until she noticed her sister-in-law staring at her with an amused expression. "...but I have to go, don't want to be late. We'll talk later, bye!" She finished, practically running out the door.
SAN DIEGO WHALE WATCH
Scully had received the information from Mulder's email and found her way to the cruise. It was a busy morning, since it was a Saturday, and she found herself fighting through the crowd for the best spots on the boat. She found a spot on the side railing, towards the front and finally relaxed. She took a deep breath of the ocean air and felt herself float into her own little nirvana.
She was only briefly brought out of her reverie when the boat began to move, further into the ocean. Scully took in the serenity that the salt water brought her and began to just smile at the moment that Mulder had gifted her. She began to look around at the people on the cruise with her and could easily spot the tourists from the locals. She watched as kids played around on the deck, and couples snuggled together in the cold, morning, ocean air. Just as she was about to turn around to face the water again, she noticed a familiar face walking towards her with a smug grin, and her breath caught in her throat.
"Beautiful day for whale watching, isn't it?" He asked as he raked in the sight of her and did a once over on the sweater she was wearing.
"Mulder?! What the hell are you doing here?" Scully's eyes widened but a smile began to curve at her lips.
"Well it's nice to see you, too, Scully." Mulder responded, still sporting his smug grin.
"Mulder...I...what are you doing here?" She repeated, still shocked by the fact that he was standing in front of her nearly 3,000 miles from where she left him standing dazed in a parking lot not even 2 days ago.
"My my, is Dr. Dana Scully at a loss for words? We should probably jot this day down for the record books." He teased, stepping closer to her.
She had to admit, she was at a loss for words. No man, or anyone for that matter, has ever made such a grand gesture for her. She was still so confused by what their relationship even was, and was slightly terrified about how quickly it was moving. She never expected him to fly out here and be with her on a weekend off, but here he was. She knew that the Dana Scully a week ago would have ran far away from this situation, and never looked back. She never considered herself to have a relationship phobia, it just worked out that way. But the Scully that she had been these last few days with Mulder exhilarated her, and she wanted to explore this new person.
She stepped forward, closing any space left between them and leaned up to kiss his lips. It started out as a feather soft kiss, but she deepened it by pulling his head down towards her, melding them more together. When they finally broke for air, she smiled at the stunned, yet blissful look on Mulder's face.
"I...uh...Scully, wow." He stammered.
She chuckled and raised her eyebrow, still only inches away from his face. "Who's speechless now, Mulder?" she whispered into his lips.
He smiled back at her and knew he was in for an eventful weekend. As he was making his way to San Diego, he began to doubt how she would react to him just showing up half way across the country. He never wanted to scare her at how strongly he threw himself into relationships, when they really mattered, and tried to take it slow. But he also knew that he wanted to spend time with the woman who captivated his every thought for the past month. He was falling hard, and fast.
"Please feel free to use that method to shut me up, anytime." He teased back.
She chuckled, and step slightly away from his embrace, placing her hands on his chest to maintain the contact. "l'll make a mental note. But really, Mulder, what are you doing here?"
"I, uh, when you said you had a somewhat free weekend, I wanted to spend it with you, so I rushed off the phone to book the next flight out. That's where I was last night, flying to get here." He answered sheepishly.
Scully mentally put everything together and felt embarrassed for thinking that he was dismissing her initial hint of wishing to spend the weekend with him. He had not only picked up on it, but made it a reality. She looked up into his warm, hazel eyes and felt herself melt inside.
"Mulder, this really is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. The cruise was enough, but getting to spend it with you makes it that much more special." She smiled at him as she caressed down his arms, and clasped their hands together.
"I'm glad you think so, because I also have lunch planned after this, if you, um, didn't have plans already."
"No, no plans until dinner. Tara got a babysitter and needs a night out away from the baby."
"Good. You're mine until then."
"I'm pretty sure I'm yours anyway." She mumbled under her breath as she turned around to face the ocean again. She leaned forward on the railing and took in this moment as she felt Mulder move in closer behind her. She leaned back into him and let out a content sigh as he smiled down to her.
Mulder had made the lunch reservations at a popular seafood place right on the water. Afterwards, they strolled along the streets, hand in hand, enjoying the companionable silence. They were both lost in how perfect this day was, that they had smiles plastered on their faces.
"Dr. Scully?" She was broken from the spell and looked up to see the lead Agent of their investigation standing before her, Agent Carmichael.
Mulder felt Scully instantly stiffen and release his hand. When he looked down at her, he saw her entire demeanor change and wondered who this man was that caused the sudden shift in persona.
"Agent Carmichael, how are you, sir?" She responded, her tone slipping back into the familiar Dr. Dana Scully that Mulder was first introduced to.
"Very well, just enjoying the weekend, beautiful day for a walk!" He said in a friendly tone, gesturing to the leash in his hand and the dog attached.
"Yes, it's nice to have a break from the case, I'm sure." She smiled tightly back at him.
Mulder wanted to break the awkward conversation and introduce himself to the Agent, but didn't want to feel like he was overstepping Scully. He respected her work persona, this was just the first time he had a glimpse of it since their relationship evolved a few days ago. He also wondered if it would always be like this any time they were around her colleagues. He shook his head at the thought, he was jumping way ahead. He brought himself back and noticed that Agent Carmichael was making a gesture at him.
"Well, I'll let you be on your way, I can see you're enjoying your weekend." Carmichael looked towards Mulder, with a sly smile on his face. Around the rumor mill, it was said that they were sending the 'Ice Queen' as the expert pathologist for this case. When he first met Scully, she didn't seem as cold as they had made her out to be. Sure, she upheld a professional persona, but she wasn't totally off-putting. He never expected to see the stoic doctor laughing and smiling giddily, holding hands with a handsome stranger. It was like he saw a completely different person, until he stopped to talk to her.
"Yes, sir. See you Monday." Scully answered, slightly bowing her head.
Carmichael looked between the two again and walked past them with a smile on his face. He couldn't wait to get the rumor mill going with this one. No one would ever believe him.
They strolled a little further in a silence that shifted from content to slightly uneasy until Scully spoke.
"Mulder, I - I didn't mean to not introduce you back there. I just, don't really know what this is yet, and I didn't want to bring anything into my professional life. I'm not usually known for being very personal at work, and I just, panicked I think. I'm sorry..." She drifted off.
"Hey" He lifted her chin to bring her face to his, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I know this is new, and it's been quick, but I'm interested in seeing you more. A lot more. I just didn't want to scare you off. I totally get keeping professional and personal separate, too. We can go at your pace, Scully."
She smiled back at him, and felt at ease in his confidence. "I think if I haven't ran after you stalked me for a month and flew 3,000 miles to see me, I'm not going anywhere, and I - I'm interested, too." She returned his soft kiss.
"You wound me, Scully! But does this mean you'll wear my jersey at the game on Friday, now?" He wagged his eyebrows and teased.
"Don't push your luck, Mulder. No man ever truly gets a claim on Dana Scully." She pointed at his chest with her finger.
"Oh, challenge accepted."
She blushed at what his response implicated and looked down nervously, licking her lips. Mulder smiled at this reaction and grabbed her hand to lead her towards where their day began.
"I should get you back, it's getting late, and you have a dinner date to get ready for."
Scully groaned, "I honestly think it's an interrogation disguised as a night out."
"Interrogation? Have you been a bad girl, Scully?"
"Not the way you might hope. Tara just wants to know what's put me in such a good mood lately."
"You mean, like handsome authors who sweep you off your feet?" He leered at her.
Her eyebrow shot up. "Something like that, but I would never give you the satisfaction to admit it." She teased back.
He chuckled and led her back to her car. He had taken a cab over from the hotel he was staying at, and now it was time to part ways. She leaned her back against her rental, and he covered her front side with his. The parting kiss they shared expressed so much passion and many future promises between them. They smiled at each other as they finally broke apart, but neither made an effort to move from their closeness.
"You should get back." He whispered into her mouth.
"Yeah..." She whispered back.
"I don't have anything planned for tomorrow, since, to be honest, I didn't know how today was going to go, but I would love to see you."
"Of course." She smiled at him. "Today was, it was perfect. Thank you, Mulder."
"Well, now I'm going to have to find a way to top perfect, Scully. But I'll think of something. Call me after dinner, I'll be up." He joked as he stepped back slightly from her.
She nodded and took his hint, opening the car door. She gave him one final, chaste kiss before getting in her car and driving off.
Scully and Tara made their way to a nearby restaurant for an early happy hour. As they situated themselves in a booth and ordered their drinks, Tara wasted no time getting directly to what this evening was really about.
"So, do I get to know more about this mystery phone caller now? It is later." Tara teased as she sipped on her drink.
Scully let out a heavy sigh. "I knew there was an ulterior motive to this night out."
"Oh come on, Dana! It's just us girls talking."
"Fine, but no one else gets to know anything said tonight, especially if they have the last name Scully."
Tara chuckled. "Alright, I promise I'll try to be good. You know they'll figure it out eventually though, you just seem - different, happy."
Scully smiled to herself. "I guess I am. It's weird, I've only known him for maybe 3 days, and he just makes me feel...I don't know how to explain it. Normally this kind of thing would make me run for the hills, but I find myself running straight to him instead. It's like I'm a completely different person when I'm with him."
"Why try to hide this fabulous man then?!"
"I guess I'm just waiting for it all to come crashing down. It seems too perfect, he seems too perfect. If I'm not the one running, then something else has to happen eventually to cause this to end in a disaster."
"Geez, Dana. What a romantic you are." Tara teased. "Maybe this perfect man is just what you need, and nothing is going to happen. You haven't run yet, maybe you won't, not from him. I've never seen you like this. Just enjoy it."
"Maybe you're right, I'm just excited to see where it goes. We kind of made things official today, that we're dating." Scully grinned into her drink.
Tara grinned back at her. "So when do we get to meet this mystery man?"
"He, uh, actually is here. He surprised me at the whale watching cruise this morning, and then we had lunch and walked through the city."
"Perfect! Invite him for dinner tomorrow at the house, I'm not taking no for an answer."
"Tara, I don't think-" She was cut off by the look on Tara's face. She let out another heavy sigh. Telling her about Mulder was one thing but actually introducing him to anyone of the family was taking another step in Scully's book. She didn't know if she was ready for that, but also knew there was no way to get out of it. "I'll ask him."
Tara nodded, knowing she was getting her way. They continued their evening talking a little more about Mulder, but ventured into discussions about work and the family. They wrapped up a somewhat early evening and began to make their exit. As they stood outside waiting for their cab, Scully saw the familiar face approaching them. She smiled at him shyly as he walked closer.
"Mulder, we really need to stop meeting like this." She teased.
"I, uh, was hoping to steal you for a late dessert. When we talked earlier you said this is where you would be, so I just took a chance." His voice drifted off, seeming embarrassed. Scully found this adorable.
"Well, I don't mind, but you'll have to ask permission of my keeper. This is Tara, my sister-in-law." She introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tara." Mulder said, shaking her hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you, mystery man." Tara teased. "And don't let me stop you from continuing your evening. I'll see you back at the house later, maybe." She smirked as she stepped away to get in the cab that pulled up.
Scully's eyes widened, and her face tinged bright red. She bowed her head, mumbling her good bye to Tara.
Mulder held out his arm for her to link hers through. "Shall we?"
They spent the rest of the evening at a small cafe nearby, just talking more about - everything. They both were amazed at how easy the other was to talk to, and reveled in this moment. After dessert they strolled through the city lights, hand in hand, mirroring their earlier date. Neither wanted the evening to end, but they knew they had to slow the pace. Scully was scared at how fast she was falling for this man, it was extremely unlike her, and that's what terrified her more. Mulder knew that if he spent the rest of his evening with her, he would fall to the point of no return.
They called the cab, and decided to split it, taking Scully home first. They sat in the backseat of the cab, their hands intertwined, like they had been doing it for years versus the 3 days they really knew each other.
"Oh, Tara would like for you to join us at the house tomorrow for dinner. She insists, and it's not so much of an invitation as it is an order." She said in a serious tone, no real emotion for him to vibe from.
Mulder chuckled. "I would love to, if that's okay with you." He answered, a little unsure of her tone.
"Yes, I don't mind." She sighed. "You, uh, you're the first guy to meet anyone from my family, since - well since high school, I guess." She answered in almost a whisper.
"Scully, I can respectfully decline, if you're not ready. I told you that we are going at your pace here." He assured her.
"I know, and I appreciate that, it's just all new for me. I - I would like you to come to dinner." She smiled at him, still slightly uneasy.
"Thank you, I promise I will be on my best behavior." He teased.
"It's not you I'm worried about."
"Well, considering Tara's a fan, I think I can handle her."
Scully's eyes widened slightly, she hadn't even told Tara who Mulder was. She was still trying to secretly finish the book before she gave it to her sister-in-law, as intended. "I, uh, I haven't exactly told her who you are." She whispered.
"You didn't give her my gift?"
"Uh, no. Not yet." She avoided looking at him.
"Scully."
She sighed. "I was trying to finish reading it before I gave it to her. I guess I also didn't want her hounding me even more about you. All she knew was that I was with some mystery guy, she didn't even know your real name until tonight. Mulder, I'm sorry, I-" She stopped her words as she finally looked at him and saw the familiar smirk appear on his face. "What?"
"Nothing, you're just really cute when you get flustered." He leaned over and kissed her. "Maybe if you finish the book before dinner tomorrow, I can give her the present myself. Take all the hounding first hand."
"I wouldn't subject you to a Tara interrogation like that."
"Nah, I can take it. I'm a smooth talker, great with my words."
"Mulder, when I told you to get new material, I didn't mean going from cheesy pathology jokes to cheesy writer jokes." She teased.
"You're making me pull out all my best moves here, Scully. Give me some credit." He chuckled.
A lighter mood filled the cab for the rest of the ride. She didn't know how he could understand her so well and be able to pull her out of any doubts she had. She always felt at ease when he was around, and she was beginning to not want him to ever be away from her.
The next day they spent together exploring San Diego from the beaches to the Science Center in Balboa Park. Tara insisted that she had dinner handled, and instructed them to not come back to the house until at least 5. They arrived exhausted at around 4:30 and spent the next 30 minutes making out like teenagers on the front porch before they went inside.
"Hey, Tara. We're back." Scully said, making her way into the kitchen.
"Dana! Right on time, dinner is just about ready, if you want you can get the-" Tara stopped talking as she turned around and took in the way Dana looked. Her hair was disheveled, and her lips were swollen. Tara's grin couldn't have been bigger.
"What?" Scully asked, wide-eyed and guilty.
"Nothing, just looks like you had a good day."
Scully blushed and made a quick break for the bathroom. She took in her appearance in the mirror and groaned at what she saw. This was definitely not the composed Dana Scully that everyone usually made acquaintances with. She couldn't help but smile as she fixed her hair and ran water over her face.
She found Mulder in the kitchen getting drinks ready for dinner and chatting with Tara. Scully couldn't help but revel in how easily he meshed into her life. They all sat down at the table to enjoy the meal, but it didn't take long for the questions to ensue.
"So, Mulder, is that a family name?" Tara asked.
"It's actually my last name. Not a fan of my first name, Fox." He smiled shyly.
"Fox. It definitely suits you." She smirked.
Scully blushed and became very interested in her food. She was relieved that Mulder was the primary focus of dinner tonight, and almost felt bad for putting him in this position. Almost.
"So how did you meet Dana?" Tara continued.
Both Mulder and Scully paused and weren't really sure how to answer the question. In reality, he had been watching her for a month before he even met her. That's not exactly a plot for a rom-com, but it worked for them. They hadn't really discussed how they would explain their unique situation, given that Mulder kept his profession rather hidden. She looked at him and let him lead the discussion.
"I actually am a psychologist. I, uh, study people's behavior and was at Quantico as a favor." Mulder answered carefully. He looked at Scully and noticed the impressed look on her face. He winked at her, and she shyly looked down at her plate again. She had to admit, he did have a way with words. Technically, he wasn't lying.
From there the conversation flowed, and the interrogation subsided. They both offered to help Tara with the dishes, but she refused and sent them into the living room to wait until she finished getting dessert and coffee ready. She didn't get to entertain many people, and she was taking full advantage of the opportunity.
After dessert, Mulder began to make his exit, since he had an early flight the next morning. As he was gathering his things, Tara took the dessert dishes to the kitchen and Scully disappeared upstairs. When she came back down, he caught a glimpse of her waving the book in her hand. He smiled, and knew that she was waiting for him to leave to give Tara the gift. He walked over to her, closing in on her personal space, and gave her an amused look.
"I finished it last night." She said in only a whisper that he could hear.
"How nice of you to share." He teased back.
She swatted at his arm and chuckled. "Shut up, Mulder. I figured you would want to give her your gift, personally."
Before he could answer, they both heard Tara walking back towards the front door where they were standing. He nodded and took the book from her hands. "Tara, thank you again for a great evening. It's been a while since I had a home cooked meal."
"It was my pleasure! It was nice to meet you, I hope I see more of you soon." She said with a sly smile, causing Scully to blush and look slightly away.
"I hope so, too. Oh, this is a gift, from a friend. I know you're a fan, and it's the least I could do for giving me a wonderful evening." He said secretively as he handed her the blank covered book.
She looked at the book, puzzled, and opened the front cover. She let out an audible gasp as she read the inscription, and flipped to the first page to see the title of the newest, unreleased, M.F. Luder book staring back at her.
"Oh my! How - how did you even-?" Tara was at a loss for words as she flipped through the pages and finally looked back up at him with wide eyes.
He chuckled at her reaction and winked at her as he headed out the door. "It was nice to meet you, Tara. Thanks again." He walked out the front door, leaving Tara standing shock still, as she looked up at the devious smirk on Dana's face. Scully then followed Mulder outside to say their goodbyes, closing the door behind her.
"I don't think she's ever going to move from that spot, Mulder." She chuckled as she stepped into his embrace.
"That was kind of fun. I've never signed a book for an actual fan before, it almost makes me want to do book signings." He joked, bringing her closer to him.
They stood there in their embrace until the cab showed up to take Mulder back to the hotel. They both knew her stay here was going to seem even longer than it originally was, but they both had the memories of the weekend to keep them in their world of bliss until they were able to be together again. He kissed her in a passionate goodbye, and they reluctantly broke apart.
"I'll call you tomorrow when I get home. I- I'll miss you." He whispered.
She smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek, caressing his face. "I'll miss you, too." She gave him a final kiss, and he made his way to the cab. Scully watched him drive off, and felt like a part of her had left. She sighed and made her way back inside to the questioning look of her sister-in-law.
"Dana! What the hell?" Tara asked, still holding the book in her hand with a surprised look on her face.
Scully had to cover her mouth to try to hide how amused she was. "Like he said, it was a gift from a friend."
"A friend?! Dana this is the newest M.F. Luder book that doesn't even come out until next month. Not only that, he has never signed a book before, because no one knows who he is. How did - what - unless..." Scully watched the wheels turn in Tara's head as she pieced everything together. She knew she was on the right track when her eyes popped out of her head. "He's M.F. Luder?!"
Scully faked a yawn, and got up from the couch to head upstairs. "Well, I'm exhausted, and I have an early morning tomorrow, I'm going to call it an early night. Thanks for dinner, Tara. Enjoy your new book." She smirked and made a brisk exit.
FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT
Mulder had landed early the next morning, still encompassed in the bliss of his weekend in San Diego. As he entered his apartment, and went to put his luggage away, he was struck on the back of the head by an unknown figure hiding in the shadows. He was completely taken by surprise, and his last thought was of Scully as everything faded to darkness.
When Mulder finally awoke, he panicked. He groggily took in his surroundings, and found himself tied to a chair in an unfamiliar apartment. Before he could fully comprehend the predicament he was in, the assailant made his appearance.
"Who are you? What the hell do you want?!" Mulder growled, wincing at the pain in his head.
"I'm Duane Barry." He said in an eerily calm voice.
"What the hell do you want with me?" Mulder became aggravated, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
"I waited all weekend for you to come back from wherever you went on Friday. I haven't seen the redheaded doctor in a few days and had to adjust my plans. You, are the key to getting her." Barry flashed an unnerving smile that caused a chill to run down Mulder's spine.
Mulder knew this man standing before him was psychotic, to say the least. He could see it in his eyes. He didn't know what he wanted with Scully, or what his intentions even were with him, but he knew he wasn't going to let him get near her. He had to slip into psychologist Fox Mulder, and gage the situation.
"What makes you think I'm your key to this redheaded doctor?" Mulder asked cautiously.
"I've been watching her. I know that she is going to save us, when the aliens come. I've done my research, and she's the one. The one to save us. I need her." He responded, pacing nervously.
It was then that Barry's words hit a realization with Mulder. He paled as the pieces began to come together to form a horrific puzzle. This madman was after Scully because of him. His newest book caused Barry to tip over the edge of insanity. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. He wasn't bringing Scully into this if he could prevent it. He wanted to protect her from the mess that he indirectly created, and needed to find a way to get through to Duane Barry.
The only thing Mulder knew for sure in this moment, was that he was going to miss his phone date with Scully today.