Dana's stomach felt like it had a thousand butterflies fluttering around inside. Being nervous wasn't something she struggled with. In high school, she had taken all her standardized tests with ease. College exams, the MCAT- no problem. Speaking in public- a piece of cake, and the list went on and on.
But this, this was different. The moment their eyes met from across the crowded coffee shop, her stomach dropped. Her palms were sweaty and she was pretty sure her heart was beating outside her chest. She caught her breath and slowly exhaled. Don't be nervous Dana, she recited to herself over and over again as she continued to walk toward him.
S hit, even Einstein didn't make her feel this way.
She arrived at the table, smiling, but deep down, she was fighting the urge to flee the scene.
"Well, I had a fifty-fifty chance you'd show up," Mulder said, shifting his weight from leg to leg, "I guess I got lucky. Maybe I should play the lottery."
A big grin appeared across his face, sandwiched between his prominent nose and chiseled chin; Dana couldn't help but mirror a smile back and suddenly she no longer wanted to escape. She was relieved and thankful at his light-hearted attempt to break the situation's awkwardness. He certainly was handsome, his appearance settling somewhere between boyish good looks and rugged masculinity.
Mulder eagerly stepped around and pulled back the chair from the table for her, "Here, allow me, Scully," motioning with his hand for her to sit.
She smiled, taking his invitation with a newfound calm, "Oh, that's right, friends call each other by their last names," she said.
Mulder chuckled and she watched him as he moved toward the seat across from the table. But before he sat down, he motioned to the menu board above the counter,
"Hey, let me get you a coffee and something to eat."
She smiled at his offer, "You don't have to do that."
"Oh, but I insist."
Something told her it would be futile to argue. She accepted the offer; telling him her coffee order and deciding on a blueberry muffin for sustenance.
"Great, I will be right back," he said, walking toward the coffee bar but not before he pivoted on his heels, facing her again, "Oh, and don't go anywhere."
Scully tilted her head to the side and giggled at his forwardness, "Don't worry, I won't."
"Good…good," tapping his hip as he spoke, then he turned around and made his way to the counter to order.
Mulder could hardly contain himself at the realization Scully had shown up. While he was certainly busy all week, he hadn't stopped thinking about her.
She was even prettier than he had remembered—big deep blue eyes that didn't have an ending. He could get lost in those eyes. Her skin looked like porcelain, and when she walked up to him, there was a faint hint of blush on both cheeks. Her lips were full and pink, and he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss her.
"Next," the cashier said and Mulder was half-thankful for the sudden distraction away from his thoughts. He sheepishly cleared his throat (convinced the uninterested woman behind the counter could somehow read his thoughts) and recited Scully's order as well as his own. Several minutes later, he returned to the table with a blueberry muffin and two coffees in hand.
"Your nutrients for the day, ma'am," he said in a subpar British accent; then he skillfully placed her coffee and the bagged muffin on the table, careful not to spill a single drop.
In a far more superior British accent, she replied, "Why thank you, sir."
Mulder took notice, "Hey, that's actually really good."
"The muffin; so I've heard?"
"No…the accent."
Scully smiled coyly.
"Ohhhh, I see what you did there," Mulder said, quickly realizing she was teasing him.
"Sorry," she said with a tiny breathy giggle at the end. He waved it off, taking her teasing in stride, "Nothing to be sorry about, keeps me on my toes."
"So, Dana…," He said, ready to learn all about her.
"It's Scully, remember?" She said as she dissected her muffin, "We're friends. Friends call each other by their last names."
Mulder noticed a tiny cute crinkle at her nose as she smiled. Very cute, indeed.
"I was half-joking about that, but if you…," Scully quickly interrupted, "I like it," she said matter-of-factly.
"Okay, Scully, it's settled. We are official, with no take-backs, friends."
He extended his hand and she giggled some more, extending her hand to meet his. The cute crinkle thing was in full force, and he had already decided he genuinely loved it about her. They shook hands like they were making a binding pack. it felt significant to him; holding each other's hand longer than 'normal' handshake time.
His voice slightly hiccuped, and he thought he must have looked like an idiot. But he could hardly contain himself, he knew he was grinning ear to ear, but then again, so was she. He released her hand, and she followed his lead. She took a sip of her coffee then crossed her arms and leaned forward. Her focus made him feel like he was the only one in the coffee shop.
"So, Mulder. What are you studying at the Academy?"
"Right now, just your run-of-the-mill field agent stuff," he continued, after taking a swig of his coffee, "But I'm applying for the BAU when I graduate."
"Behavioral Analysis Unit, right?" Scully said, and he watched her as she continued to pick at her muffin- taking small bites between sips of coffee and conversation.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Impressed that she knew what the acronym meant.
"My dad was in the Navy. Before he retired, there was an incident on his carrier, a sailor went missing, and they later found his body in the engine room. There was a big investigation, and the BAU for the Navy was instrumental in solving the case."
"What happened?" He said.
"Apparently, he had a gambling debt and owed money to one of the engineers. I don't know the details, but your imagination could probably fill in the rest." She said.
Mulder nodded, "Yeah, I bet I could."
"So profiler, then?" Scully asked finishing off her blueberry muffin.
Mulder nodded, "Yeah, that's my goal. I am fascinated by how a criminal profile can aid investigators. Think about it, investigators are often left with the whys, and if a profiler can help with some of those questions, then the case is that much stronger for it. I'm currently working on something that…" Mulder stopped, realizing he might be high-jacking the conversation, "...sorry, am I talking too much?"
Scully, resting her forearms on the table, "No, no- not at all, please continue."
Mulder, like a kid in a candy store, continued, "I was saying…," She smiled (cute crinkle), and he almost forgot what exactly it was that he was saying, "...I'm working up a profile for my behavioral science course right now. It's on an active case, so I can't divulge too much- but I think it's pretty sound, based on the evidence, and well, the nature of the crimes."
"Crimes?" She asked with a slightly higher register.
"Yeah, serial killer. Anyway, our instructor is submitting our profiles to the BAU in Quantico." Mulder shrugged, "So we will see. I figure it's a long shot, but if my profile helps catch a serial killer and lands me my dream job. What's there to lose."
"I find that fascinating, Mulder."
He believed her, though he was slightly embarrassed by her expression of wonderment. She continued, "I mean, think about it, you can offer insight and foreknowledge to change the course of an investigation- stop a killer before they kill again."
He nodded, but he wanted to take the spotlight off him and find out more about her, that was his whole goal, and somehow they had started with him. He quickly redirected, "So Einstein, huh? Tell me about your senior thesis."
"Oh gosh, it will sound boring compared to you."
"Try me," Mulder said enthusiastically.
He was excited to hear everything about her, although he was trying to pace himself, so as not to scare her off; but she didn't seem to mind his exuberant behavior. She looked comfortable and at ease. He must have been doing something right, he thought to himself.
She sighed, "Okay, well, are you familiar with Einstein's theory of Special Relativity?"
Mulder returned an affirming nod. While his undergrad was in Psychology, he was comfortable in all subjects. And he knew enough about Physics to understand the basics. He likened himself to a well-rounded Renaissance man.
"Hmm, my thesis, how can I explain this?" Darting her eyes up to the ceiling in thought.
Mulder watched as she licked her lips, and he wondered if she did it often when she was thinking. "Einstein's theory of Special Relativity refers to the state of existence applied to any physical phenomena without gravity," She said.
Reframing her explanation as an example (maybe she thought he needed it, but he didn't care, he would listen to her every day if he could), she continued, "Essentially, if a twin goes into space, and the other twin stays on earth, then the twin that returns from space will be younger than the one who stayed on earth. In my thesis, I expand on this theory and…," Scully took a sip of her coffee, then brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "…state that if we apply Special Theory to an infinite number of variables, then, we could potentially, that is-transtemporal travel, could or would be possible."
His mouth might have been open, but he didn't care.
"Theoretically, that is." She added one last time, with a slight tint of pink on her cheeks.
Mulder was enthralled. He hung on every syllable. Besides the fact that she was incredibly smart, she was incredibly brave in her quest to rewrite Einstein.
"You mean time travel?" He finally said.
Scully's face turned pinker still, "In theory, yes- I mean time travel."
"Shit, Scully, that's… now that's fascinating." He said, pointing with one finger toward the sky excitedly.
And at that moment, Mulder knew Dana Scully was something special.
Silence settled between them, and while in most situations Mulder would have filled it with small talk, the urge to fill the silence had escaped him. He felt something between them that he just couldn't quite label, but he knew it was right.
Scully rested her cheek on her shoulder and sighed, "I hope so Mulder, honestly, I go back and forth. Is this crazy or brilliant?"
Mulder chuckled, "In my opinion, brilliance and crazy can look an awful lot alike. So I would say you are on the right track."
Scully let out a sigh and took another sip of her coffee. When she was done, she spoke with a laissez-faire tone, "Well, since you seem to think so highly of it, maybe you should be in the front row when I defend…" she suddenly stopped herself, sitting up in her chair- staring at him, her mouth half opened.
Mulder didn't hesitate, he knew she most likely felt embarrassed by her forwardness. He could tell by her flushed cheeks and deer-in-the-head-like stare.
"Save me a seat, I will be there." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Mulder, I was joking. You don't have to…"
"Nope…," he said, interrupting her again, "...it's settled, I want to be there. But there's a catch."
"Oh?" Scully said as she sat up even taller.
"Frohike is having a party this Saturday, would you like to go? It will be a small get-together. "
"Is that the catch?" She continued, "To go with you to a party?"
"Yes, that's the catch."
Scully lowered her head shaking it as she giggled; looking up, she smiled softly, "Sure. I will go with you."
Mulder couldn't help but be excited that she had accepted his offer. "Great! Can I pick you up at seven?"
Scully nodded, "Okay, that sounds good."
"You got a pen?" Mulder said as he tore his napkin in half, "What's your Address and phone number?" He continued.
Scully reached into her purse and pulled out a pen, handing it over as she recited her address to him. Mulder clicked the pen top on the table and jotted down the series of numbers and letters that would eventually bring him to her apartment.
"Great, then it's settled." He said, smiling as he handed her back her pen. "I get to attend your defense, and you get to attend Frohike's party with me."
Scully laughed. He liked her laugh.
"What's so funny?"
She cleared her throat and composed herself, "Well, I seem to be getting the better deal in all this."
"Oh, Scully, you haven't been to one of Frohike's parties."
"Uh, oh. Should I be worried?"
"Nah, I got your back. But I did forget to mention one thing."
"Oh?" She questioned.
"I hope you are a Star Trek fan. Because it's mandatory to come dressed in character." He said.
Silence.
He couldn't read her. She was quiet and her face was serious. He started to worry that she would withdraw from their deal. Maybe the Star Trek party was too much, he thought to himself as he bounced his leg up and down under the table.
Scully slowly raised her hand and with a straight face, she opened her palm in the Vulcan salute, "I promise to come dressed as a member of Starfleet."
Mulder laughed, and let out a sigh of relief, "You had me there for a moment," he said.
She smiled, "It does sound fun. And how can I say no when a soon-to-be FBI agent asks you out on a date that you have to get dressed up for."
Mulder's smile grew bigger at her use of the word date.
He couldn't help it.
Several hours had passed and Scully found herself more and more comfortable as the minutes ticked by. There was a complexity about him that she found intriguing. It wasn't a dangerous complexity (like some of the guys Missy dated), on the contrary, it was as if he was an open book, and she kept turning the pages, captivated by every word she read. She enjoyed listening to him carry on about his time at Oxford and the reasons he decided to study abroad.
"I needed to get away, life on the vineyard can be suffocating." He continued, "You know, see the world a bit."
Scully, on the other hand, had her fair share of seeing the world, "Funny, that's all I did. And when I finally had choices- I decided to stay close to home."
She watched as Mulder nodded in understanding. A brief moment of silence fell between them. not an awkward silence, she thought, but a comfortable one, like she had known him her entire life, silence.
"You know…," she said, breaking the quietness, "... I applied to Oxford."
"Really? Let me guess, you got in, full ride?" He said confidently.
"Oh, are you profiling me now?"
"Maybe, a little." Holding his hand up and pinching his forefinger and thumb together.
"Well Mr. Profiler, as a matter of fact, I did. And just think, I would have been a freshman when you were a senior."
"Yes...," he said, outstretching his arms in a grand gesture, "...but we would have never been able to meet here."
"True, but who's to say we wouldn't have met at Oxford?" She continued, "My sister is a firm believer in that sort of thing."
"Oh, you mean fate?" Mulder said as he leaned back in his chair, "And you, do you believe in fate?" His eyes danced at his question, and Scully took notice.
"Eh, the jury is still out," she said.
Mulder continued, "I don't know, it's a romantic notion to think there might be some sort of cosmic pull out there bringing people together. Maybe Einstein had something to say about it?"
"Oh, he did, and he was not a believer. One thing I know, Einstein was not a hopeless romantic. If anything, he was the complete opposite." Scully said.
She had read enough about Einstein to garner the understanding that he didn't believe in love, commitment, or emotional connection; and if you would've asked her a week ago if she believed the same thing, she might have said yes. But now, after meeting Mulder, her view was shifting. That maybe, just maybe; fate, love, and romance had a place in her world after all.
"Well then, maybe Einstein wasn't as smart as we all think he was," Mulder said with a wink while the corners of his mouth peaked to form a perfect smile.
A smile that peeled away her defenses and threw her world upside down.
Maybe he was right.