To my loyal readers,
Thank you for being patient with me. Some chapters are harder than others, this was a hard one. Can you believe I already have the ending complete?? I just had a hard time filling the "between" in. I hope you like it. I have some busy weeks ahead with work. But I am committed to getting this story published!!
As expected, Mulder had a difficult time concentrating during the next couple of hours. Once his partner, Agent Stevens, was finished speaking, they took a series of questions from the cohort of students. Scully ended up asking a question, and while his partner tried to answer, Mulder was the one who ended up responding.
"That's a great question, Ms. Scully. Most of the time, the agents who respond to the crime scene are the ones who collect evidence. But there have been instances where pathology has been asked to assist. Usually, those cases are unique and are based on specific needs."
She nodded. "Thank you, Agent Mulder."
It was an oddly sterile exchange but he was just grateful for the interaction, no matter how obtuse it felt. They finished their presentation and left the students.
"Hey, you go ahead. I think I'm going to stick around." Mulder said to Stevens as they walked the halls of the facility.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," he said to Mulder, then patted him on the shoulder, adding, "Hey, I feel good about this group."
Mulder nodded. "Yeah, me too."
Mulder waited an hour at the outside entrance, spitting seeds in a paper cup he took from the cafeteria. So much was riding on the conversation he was about to have with Scully that his stomach was in knots. He was pacing back and forth when the sliding glass doors opened and Scully, along with another one of her classmates, headed in his direction.
"Annie, you go ahead; I'm going to speak with Agent Mulder."
Annie gave Mulder a full body scan with her eyes before she nodded. "Sure thing. See you tomorrow, Dana." Then, turning to Mulder, "Great lecture," she said and Mulder mumbled a half-hearted thank you. He really just wanted Annie to leave so he could talk with Scully.
Annie shrugged her shoulders and left the two of them alone.
"Hey," Mulder said.
Dana nodded, still in full emotional protection mode. "Hello, Agent Mulder."
"Scu…I mean Dana. Thanks for stopping and speaking with me. Do you mind if we went somewhere to grab a bite to eat? I'm starving; I forgot to eat today."
He shrugged his shoulder's and smiled a half smile, fully aware that his attempt at being normal, had him sounding like a robot.
Scully shook her head. "I don't know; it's late and..."
"I promise, Dana. I just want to talk. No funny business." He held up his hands in a half-hearted attempt to make light of an awkward situation.
Scully rested her hands on her hips and paused in thoughtful contemplation.
Mulder waited with bated breath.
"Okay. Let's go. But I'm only going because I could use a fresh cup of coffee," she said.
Mulder grimaced. "Ohhhh. About that, I should probably let you know—the place I'm taking you has shitty coffee."
"Figures," she replied.
She looked exhausted and he had to resist the urge to take her in his arms. At least she said yes; that was something.
Something was certainly better than nothing, and nothing was where he started.
They settled into a corner booth at a 24-hour diner, and while they waited for their coffee, Mulder informed Scully that agents frequently stopped by the small eatery during shift changes on stakeouts.
"Are they like the movies?" She asked him.
"Are what like the movies?"
"Stakeouts," she quipped back.
Mulder chuckled. "Not exactly. Most agents don't do stakeouts; we have an entire division for just surveillance. They aren't agents; they can't carry weapons or make arrests. But they do a lot of the legwork so that the special agents can make arrests."
Scully raised her eyebrows. "Huh, interesting."
There was an awkward silence and Mulder strummed his fingers on the edge of the table.
"Muld…"
"Scu… I mean…"
They both softly chuckled at their attempts to fill the silence.
"You first," she said.
Mulder cleared his throat. "Dana… " he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Clearly feeling bad, she raised her hand for him to stop. "Shit, Mulder, call me Scully; it's driving me crazy that you keep messing up." She finished with an eye roll and he saw a tiny smile appear at the corner of her mouth.
He sighed a breath of relief. "Thank god. Okay, Scully, it is."
She'd be lying if she didn't like the sound of that again. The waitress dropped off their coffee and a breakfast platter for Mulder. They smiled and thanked her before she walked away.
Mulder started. "I want you to have an open mind. This might sound a little far-fetched, but I am telling you the truth. Please, you have to trust me."
Mulder was a lot of things, but he was never a liar. That much she knew. As far as trust went, strangely, she trusted him implicitly. But he had hurt her—and maybe trusting him was different than trusting him with her heart again.
She took a sip of coffee and winced at the temperature. Then she leaned back and crossed her arms. "I do trust you. Don't you know that's why this was... *is* so hard?"
Scully shifted her eyes away from him, fixing her gaze on his plate full of greasy bacon and eggs.
Mulder nodded, then took a couple bites of his toast. He wanted to blurt everything out and make her understand, but he didn't want to push it on her. He took a deep breath and a gulp of his coffee, loosened his already crooked tie and readied himself to lay out, in detail, the events that had gotten them here.
He spent the next forty-five minutes explaining what had gone down the night Diana was in the apartment. And while some of it did seem completely outrageous, it didn't seem to phase her.
"Once Walter Skinner reached out to me, he informed me that he was actually working for the FBI, and they were doing a sting operation on the organized crime syndicate he was supposedly working for."
Scully interrupted him. "So let me get this straight. You were pretending to work for Diana's organization as an FBI agent, but you were in fact an FBI agent working to take them down."
"Exactly," he said.
Scully shook her head. "Right. Because that's not confusing."
She continued. "So why are you talking to me now? If I am in danger."
Mulder shook his head vigorously. "No, no. That's just it; you aren't. We finished our sting and had enough evidence to arrest the members and they are currently waiting for a trial date."
"When?" Scully asked. Her eyes were wide with mixed amazement and relief, unsure of what to make of it all.
Mulder sighed. "Two and a half weeks ago."
"Why didn't you reach out then?" She asked, her voice trailing.
"I wanted to. But then I kept thinking it had been a year already. You'd probably hang up on me," he sighed, then continued, "Honestly, Scully, I chickened out."
Mulder leaned back in the booth, his posture reflecting his vulnerability and regret. Scully nodded. Her eyes scanned his face for any sign of deceit or falsehood but what she saw was sincerity and truth in his eyes.
"You're not a chicken, Mulder. I would have absolutely hung up on you," she said with a tiny smirk.
Mulder returned a soft chuckle, grateful for her ability to make the mood lighter despite the seriousness of the situation.
Another moment of palpable silence overtook the small space between them, then Mulder cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Scully."
He felt the weight of his apology hang in the air as he waited for her response.
Scully took a moment. Carefully choosing her words before she spoke. "I know you are, and I suppose if you felt like you had no other choice, I should be thanking you for protecting me."
"I missed you. There were times when... " His voice cracked and she reached out and grabbed his hand. It was a touch that surged through her entire body.
It was scary and safe at the same time and she didn't know what to think of it. And maybe if reality hadn't been pulsing through her veins, she might have stayed like this—holding his hand.
"Please, Mulder. I'm just not ready; I need time to process," she said softly, removing her hand.
"I understand. I will give you as much time as you need."
"Even with time, there are no guarantees, Mulder."
"I'll take my chances. I've already lost... I have everything to gain."
It took Scully two weeks to tell him she was ready for him to call her and talk outside the lab cohort. Mulder didn't even try to hide his jubilation.
"This is the best day of my life!" he exclaimed. They were working late, cataloging forensic evidence for a case Mulder had just wrapped up and was about to present to a grand jury.
Scully rolled her eyes at his declaration. "Don't be so dramatic, Mulder," she scoffed.
Mulder looked up from his notes. His handsome, boyish grin was plastered across his face. "Oh, I'm not exaggerating. I have time-stamped and stored this moment away in my hippocampus. It will be with me forever."
Scully shook her head and Mulder winked at her.
"Well, why don't you store the time too, because it's ten o'clock and we still have plenty of work to do, Agent Mulder." She said it with a playful sass in her voice.
Mulder earnestly replied, "Yes, ma'am." Then he turned his attention back to his notes. Diligently cross-checking every piece of evidence.
Scully turned her back to him and resumed her study of the blood splatter patterns. All the while, Mulder was unaware of the tiny smile that had crept across her face.
They finished their work an hour later. Scully made sure the lab was ready for Monday and Mulder submitted a courier request through the automated system. They secured and locked the lab, and Mulder waited in the hall while Scully set the alarm.
As they walked the long hallway toward the exit, a quiet stillness settled between them, and the only sound was Mulder's scuffed black dress shoes hitting the shiny linoleum floor. Mulder was the first to break the silence.
"So, can I call you this weekend?" He asked with trepidation in his voice, worried that what Scully had told him in the lab was merely his imagination.
A simple nod from Scully, accompanied by a yes, was all he needed to cement his resolve that nothing was going to stop him from proving himself worthy of her attention.
Once outside, they were met with a chilly breeze in the night air. Mulder quickly noticed Scully shiver.
"Here, take this." He told her as he quickly removed his suit jacket and offered it to her for warmth.
Scully smiled and, without pause, accepted his kind gesture.
"Thanks Mulder."
"Can I drop you off at home?" He asked her.
"No thanks. Annie is picking me up."
A tiny look of disappointment flashed behind his eyes. "Is it okay if I wait with you?"
Scully nodded. "Yes. That would be nice. Thank you."
They stood in silence for a moment before Mulder blurted out. "I hate that I missed the defense of your thesis. I bet you were amazing."
He didn't have long to ponder whether he should have said what he said because Scully turned to him. Her eyes scanned his face, their intent unclear. He simply hoped he was enough and that she would discover what she sought.
With a tilt of her head and a faint smile, she responded. "I'm sorry I missed your graduation."
Mulder's heart fluttered at her sincere response. "It's okay. It wasn't all that. The speaker was boring and the cake tasted like cardboard."
Scully giggled. "Oh, I didn't know Frohike spoke at your graduation."
"Touche," Mulder said, followed by a hearty chuckle.
Her playful banter had him beaming from the inside out. He had a tiny grin on his face that he tried hiding from Scully. He didn't want to jinx anything by scaring her away. He wasn't the most patient person—but for Scully, he'd sacrifice Father Time if it meant being able to just hold her in his arms again.
Minutes later, a small brown vehicle pulled up to the front and Annie waved to both of them through the front windshield.
"Well, I'll see you Monday," Scully said.
"Yes. Absolutely."
She started her walk toward the car, and Mulder quickly beat her to the passenger door, opening it for her. Suddenly feeling self-conscious about what it might look like to Annie. He rubbed the back of his neck and offered Annie a sheepish smile.
If she thought anything of it, she wasn't letting up.
Scully moved into the open space of the vehicle, but before she scooted into the car, she turned to Mulder.
"Oh, and by the way, I'll be home all day Saturday."
"Is 7:30 in the morning too early?" He said with a grin.
Scully rolled her eyes. "goodnight, Mulder."
"Goodnight, Scully."
Mulder shut the car door and silently watched the vehicle drive off, eventually disappearing from his line of sight.
Mulder wasn't joking when he said 7:30 am. Thankfully, Scully had been up early going over some lab results when her phone rang.
"Hello." She answered the phone, knowing exactly who it would be.
A familiar, chipper voice replied. "Hey doc."
Scully smiled against the plastic receiver. "I guess I should've taken you at your word when you mean 7:30; you mean it," then she added, "not a doctor yet."
Mulder chuckled on the other end. "To-ma-toe, toe-ma-toe. You will be soon enough."
"If I don't quit and run away with the circus first," she replied.
A tiny chuckle from Mulder caused her stomach to flip. "What are you doing?"
"Actually, I was going over the Turner file. You?"
"Nothing really; I just got back from a 5-mile run."
"Jesus, Mulder, do you sleep?"
"I haven't lately. I think it's an unhealthy habit I picked up. Work hazard, and all."
Realizing the depth of his vulnerability, Scully paused at the helplessness in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Mulder. I guess I never thought about how difficult your job really is."
"Honestly, Scully, I'm not sure I did either. I don't think I was really prepared for everything that—well, you know."
Mulder finished with a sigh. Scully was keenly aware of the difference in Mulder. A year ago, he was confident, carefree and resolute. But now he seems weighed down by the burdens of his job. Bearing this in mind, it was the same job he was so eager to start.
She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She didn't know if it was Mulder's candidness or their current relationship status. Regardless, she felt the need to be there for him now more than ever. At the very basic level, Mulder was still her friend, and it sounded like he really needed one right now.
She took a deep breath, then, in a leap of faith, she took the next step.
"I could really go for some fresh coffee and pancakes right about now. What do you say about joining me?"
There was a tiny hitch in Mulder's breath that made Scully smile. Then there was a brief moment of silence before he replied. "I'd like that very much."
"Good. Pick me up in an hour. I have a new coffee shop; I'd like to take you too."
"That sounds perfect. See you in fifty-nine minutes." Mulder said.
"You're ridiculous." Scully said, then let out a small chuckle.
"Gotta go—now I've only got fifty-eight minutes."
Click.
Scully hung up the phone and smiled to herself as she rushed to her bedroom, suddenly worried about her wardrobe for their unexpected date