Mulder woke to the sound of birds chirping through his phone alarm. He hated the sound of traditional alarms and recognized that his body responded better to the peaceful sounds of nature.
He reached over to find Scully's body missing from the bed. He squinted his eyes open and rubbed his face with his hands, he could see a faint light coming through the bathroom and the scent of freshly brewed coffee warmed his senses.
"Good morning Dr. Mulder."
Scully stood in the bedroom doorway, leaning on the door frame, a cup of coffee in one hand and the other resting on her hip. She was already dressed for the day, wearing a black pants suit, her hair still wrapped in a towel. She looked beautiful and he marveled at her ever predictable punctuality.
"Is that for me?" he asked, sitting himself up against the headboard.
"It is, I already had mine." She walked over and handed him the cup of hot coffee, but not before taking a seat beside him. She leaned in, and placed a warm kiss on his lips.
Soft , he thought. Her lips were so soft.
She placed her hand on his bare chest, "How did you sleep?"
"Pretty good," he smiled widely, "once we actually went to bed."
Scully's cheeks turned pink at his words and he thought she radiated in stunning after-glow.
Giggling, she shook her head and patted his chest. She hoisted herself up from the bed and headed to the bathroom, "Very funny, but you better get out of that bed and get ready, you have an eight am meeting to get too."
She turned around and glanced at him, "And Mulder, we don't want to be late to work."
One thing he knew about Dr. Dana Scully, she did not like to be late.
On their drive to work Scully wasn't worried about the day. In her mind, she wasn't threatened by Diana, but she was extremely apprehensive of the woman's motives toward Mulder.
She deduced that Mulder's quiet demeanor was most likely him preparing for his morning meeting with Diana. He hadn't said much after he left her trailer for his own to get ready. He dressed sharp, wearing black slacks, a dark gray v-neck pullover sweater and a crisp white T-shirt underneath. Smiling to herself, she made a mental note of how hot he looked in dark gray.
She sensed he needed some reassurance, or maybe she needed it, either way, breaking the silence, "It's going to be fine, Mulder. We just have to get through these next few days."
"I know, Doc, I feel really good about us. It's Diana and what she might have up her sleeve that I'm most concerned about."
"Well, whatever it is, we can handle it together. Remember we are a team."
She reached over the middle console and he met her hand with his. He nodded in agreement; eyes on the road as he drove.
She had a deep inkling that his nod was more out of comfort toward her than out of agreement with her statement, but she shoved the feeling back.
Diana's rental car was already at the clinic when they arrived. Mulder parked the car and squeezed Scully's hand before they both stepped out simultaneously and walked side by side. When they reached the back clinic door, Mulder held it open for Scully to enter and she took a deep breath to counter the ominous feeling she was experiencing.
Katy was the first to greet them, "Good Morning doctors, you both look well this morning." She smiled at both of them. When she walked by Scully she grabbed her hand and winked at her.
Scully had grown to appreciate Katy's ability to speak what was on her mind. When Mulder had joined the clinic Katy was the first to let Scully know how attractive he was and that she thought her and the "handsome doctor" would make a cute couple.
"I did some fishing around Dana, and he's single, and you're single, so I'm not sure what the problem is." Katy had pointed out to her one evening as they were closing the clinic up at the end of the day. "Call me crazy," Katy had said, "but there's something about you two, a certain magnetism when you both are around each other, maybe it's kismet or something."
At the time, Scully had laughed at the notion, but now she marveled at how spot on Katy actually was.
Katy's voice grounded Scully back to the present, "I will stop by your offices to bring you both your patient lists," she continued, "Oh and Dr. Mulder, that Fowley woman is in your office, I asked her to wait in the waiting room, but she insisted on waiting in your office."
Katy turned to them both and added, "I'm sorry, but I really don't trust or like her."
Scully felt a slight chill at her words, but Mulder chuckled, "It's okay Katy, I do appreciate you looking out for me." He turned to Scully, "Gotta go doc, see you after my meeting?"
"Absolutely."
Before he stepped away from her, she grabbed his forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Then she mouthed silently, Team .
Mulder walked into his office and Diana was sitting at his desk. Mulder thought she looked put together in her appearance. She was focused on her laptop and her eyes never broke from her screen, "Shut the door, Fox."
He knew her game, but what Diana didn't know was that Mulder was different from the Fox Mulder she had known in the past.
"How are you, Fox?" Diana stood up, laptop in hand, and walked over to Mulder, invading his personal space. "You look well, it is so good to see you."
He backed away from her, creating any distance, allowable in the small office.
"Hello Diana, I am doing very well."
He needed to set clear boundaries, he'd keep everything professional, guiding the conversation toward work, "What sort of paperwork do you need from me in order for you to complete your audit?" He certainly didn't want to exchange pleasantries. Nothing about this was pleasant. He just wanted to get their meeting over with and move on.
"We need to talk, Fox." She motioned toward his desk, "Please, your desk," she continued, "I'm not here to cause disruption in your life, truthfully when I saw your name on the case file I was pleasantly surprised."
She smiled and sat down across from his desk in the office guest chair. "If I'm being honest, it was the reason I took this case."
As he walked around his desk and took a seat, Mulder studied her face and her body language, it's what he did , and he noticed a shift, she started to relax.
"Fox, I've been doing a great deal of self-reflection and I believe I owe you an apology for the way I treated you in our relationship."
He thought she seemed overly confident in her apology.
Diana continued, "That is one of the reasons I picked this assignment, I wanted to make amends."
Mulder might have been surprised at her declaration, but he wasn't convinced of her motive. She continued to recite her apologies and regrets to him, and he nodded in return, offering an occasional affirming nod and I see . All the while he carried a deep knowledge that Diana never does anything without an aspect of self preservation attached.
He wasn't going to let his guard down.
"So Fox, I'm curious, why don't you tell me a little about Dr. Scully and your relationship with her."
And there it was, what he knew was coming. Scully wasn't his superior and vice versa, he was not hers. There wasn't any standing rule per se with DWB of doctor or colleague relationships. And hospitals are riddled with interdepartmental relationships. However, with that being said, he knew that Diana could manipulate any situation, given the opportunity.
"Nothing much to say, Diana. She is an excellent doctor with the utmost professionalism and care for her patients. She is quite remarkable, actually."
He didn't lie to Diana, but he didn't tell her the nature of their relationship either. It was none of her business.
Mulder made a judgment call, he knew if Diana had any knowledge of the true nature of Scully and his relationship she would use it against them, and he would not let that happen.
Diana leaned back in her chair and Mulder could tell she was thinking.
"Interesting."
He watched her open her computer and place it on her lap, she let out a deep sigh and spoke, " Well, shall we get to work then?"
And just like that, Diana switched gears. He knew she hadn't finished her line of questioning, but she was certainly done for the moment. He didn't know if that was a bad sign or a good one, but he suspected the former.
They spent the next hour combing through paperwork. Primarily reviewing his workload and the type of therapy sessions he had administered. Patient confidentiality kept Mulder from divulging details, but caseload numbers were all typical standard procedure for inventory purposes.
When they were done, Diana thanked him and excused herself from his office.
He was left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. But before Mulder could dissect his thoughts on the past hour, a soft knock interrupted him and Scully peeked through the door,
"Mulder, can I come in?"
She had her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail and several loose strands had framed her face. Her black jumpsuit contrasted against her white doctor coat and he thought he couldn't admire her more than he already did.
She was stunning .
He lovingly smiled at her, "Hey, Doc! Of course, yes, come on in."
Scully walked into his office and shut the door behind him. "Diana just closed herself in my office, she looked focused. Did everything go okay?"
He could tell she had a hint of worry on her face and he wanted to instantly reassure her. He stood up and walked over to her, leaning against his desk, he opened his arms beckoning her into his proximity. She obliged and he wrapped his arms at her waist.
"Everything went fine, my paperwork was spot on," he continued, "don't worry, Doc, all is good."
He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead and she hummed into his chest. He loved her soft noises and he recognized each one was a subconscious reaction to a particular feeling she was having at that time.
But Mulder was worried. He was worried at the implications of Diana's line of questioning.
Why did she specifically ask about his relationship with Scully? He had a jarring feeling that Diana wasn't done with him yet.
"I have to go now." She tilted her head up offering her lips to his and he returned to her a quick kiss.
"I love you, I will see you later." Scully said.
And with that, Scully left his office, leaving him alone with his thoughts, now able to dissect the morning interaction he had with Diana.
Diana knew what she was doing of course. She could tell right away there was something more between the pretty petite doctor and Fox. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. In her mind the solution was easy: get rid of Dr. Dana Scully and she would have a better opportunity to reconcile with Fox.
Part of her even relished in the thought. If she couldn't have him, then no one would.
She knew his commitment to the Navajo clinic would be up soon and he would be returning to Boston, she had already traveled from New York to Boston several times since she took her new job. Her tenure at Harvard had afforded her the opportunity to make the trip once a month. She wasn't naive to the thought it would be difficult, but she was up to the challenge.
Diana knew of several openings within DWB, and with a few phone calls and her recommendation she could have Scully removed from her current duty before her commitment was up. She would just have to find the right location and make an offer Dana Scully couldn't refuse. She would get to work, plotting her next move.
Diana knocked on the door to Mulder's office. She had a five o'clock meeting scheduled with Scully later, but first Diana wanted to speak with Fox, she needed another crack at him.
"Come in."
Diana walked in, "Hello Fox, do you have a minute? I'd like to run something by you."
She could tell he looked irritated, but she was confident she knew how to work around his moods.
"It will only take a minute, I promise. I just really need your input."
"Sure Diana, but a minute is all I have, I need to finish up some patient case notes."
Diana crossed his office and took a seat in the chair opposite of his desk.
"I've been thinking about Dr. Scully and the amazing work she has done here. You said it yourself, she is an exceptional doctor." She continued, "In fact, my visit will be cut short because of the impeccable record keeping and data she supplied in her report."
"Does this mean we passed our field check?"
"Oh yes, absolutely. I am very impressed."
"That's great Diana, I'm really glad you noticed all the important work Dr. Scully has done here. She really is exceptional."
She noticed a slight glimmer in his eyes as he spoke about the red-headed doctor. It bothered her slightly, but she didn't stray from her script.
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "Good. I'm glad you agree with me. Because I requested a change of deployment for her. I believe her expertise and excellent work ethic would be invaluable in our Azores field clinic."
The look she was waiting for. Shock.
Mulder knew Diana was crafty, but requesting a field move for Scully was downright dirty. Diana flashed him a smirk and he knew this was all an elaborate game to her.
"You said so yourself, Dana is the best of the best. She deserves this move."
He knew if he protested, Diana would make an issue of it but if he agreed to her suggestion, he felt like he would be agreeing to something he couldn't even imagine. Losing Scully.
"She's not really needed here anymore, Dr. Hosteen can handle the clinic and the immunization rates are up considerably, she has done what she needed to do." She continued, looking down at her watch while she spoke, "Do you see any reason why this move wouldn't be prudent? You know I value your input, Fox."
"No Diana, I don't."
All he could think of was getting Diana out of his office and finding Scully, he had to let her know Diana's plans.
Scully reached into her coat pocket for her phone, checking the time, It was five fifteen and Diana wasn't in her office. She decided to pop in on Mulder one last time. She made her way to his office and when she approached the door she noticed it was slightly cracked, she pushed it open and saw Mulder at his desk and Diana in the chair across from it. She felt the tension in the air and she instantly knew something was off.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"
Mulder stood up, "No, of course not Dana, come in."
Dana . Scully knew something was definitely up by the use of her first name.
"I..uh, Sorry Diana, I went to my office and you weren't there, but I can go wait in my office if I'm interrupting." She turned to leave, but Diana spoke up.
"No, of course not, come in. Actually, I was just telling Fox the good news. I was going to tell you when we met, but since you are here now, come sit by me."
Diana patted the seat next to her, motioning Scully to sit. Scully walked over and stole a quick glance at Mulder, she thought he looked flustered and she wished she could talk with him, but Diana was present.
Diana . What did Diana say to him?