TITLE: Meeting in the Open
AUTHOR: Shoshana
EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Gossamer and by request.
SPOILER WARNING: Little Green Men
RATING: PG-13
CLASSIFICATION: V
KEYWORDS: Mulder, Scully, UST
SUMMARY: Mulder fulfills a request.
DISCLAIMER: These characters do not belong to me.
NOTE: Thanks to Sallie, my wonderful beta reader!
Meeting in the Open
By Shoshana
It's a bright September morning and I'm feeling really good for the
first time in weeks. No, we don't have the X-Files back. No, they
haven't reassigned Scully to me as my partner. I am, however, about
to fulfill the one request she made of me during our 'secret'
rendezvous in the basement of the Watergate Hotel--that we meet out
in the open.
I invited her to lunch today, for no other reason than to see her.
That's not exactly what I told her; I told her I had some forensic
evidence I'd like her to have a peek at and maybe give me her medical
opinion on. To be truthful, I miss her so desperately I would
justify a dozen lunches a dozen different ways if I could.
I've had a lot of time to think since the Puerto Rico debacle and I
think a lot about Scully. The electronic surveillance cases I've
been following are mind-numbing, sleep-inducing and beneath my status
as a seasoned FBI agent. I'm just hoping that doing this shit work
will placate the Powers That Be and the files will be reopened, with
Scully on board, of course.
She suggested the restaurant, a croissant and coffee place a few
blocks from the Hoover. She's not at Quantico today for some reason
and is working out of the evidence lab in my building. It pains me
that it used to be her building, too. I'd do practically anything to
have her back by my side.
The plain truth, the honest, whole, unvarnished truth of the matter
is--I'm in love with my former partner. No one has ever gone out on
a limb for me like her, man or woman. That was an epiphany I should
have made before my ill-fated trip to Arecibo. I guess it takes an
earth-shattering extraterrestrial experience and a high-speed chase
from Special Ops troops to bring me around.
I told her I would be a little late, asking her to go ahead and
order for both of us. I hated to do that but I know she has to be
back at Quantico sometime this afternoon and I didn't want to hold
her up. I turn the corner of the block and see her sitting inside
the shop, sipping a mug of coffee with a two-handed grip.
They give customers huge portions here, and I can see her small,
always graceful hands around the brightly-colored cup. The tiny
bells hanging from the top of the entranceway announce my arrival and
I am treated to the largest smile I've ever seen on Dana Scully since
our first meeting over a year ago.
I can't help but smile back. This is the woman who will not let me
give up; the partner who is watching my back even when she's been
told not to. I don't know if she feels the same way I do about her.
I may never know, because I refuse to spoil what we have right now.
She's still my best friend, maybe the only one I can completely trust
with my life.
I take off my overcoat and hang it on the hooks each booth provides,
then sit down across from her.
"Did you order yet?"
"Yeah, the waiter knows you're coming, Mulder. I have another hour
before I need to go; it's a pretty slow day for me for a change."
"It was for me, too, until I had a long distance phone call I had to
stick around the office for. Sorry to be late, Scully." I play with
the silverware, suddenly shy in her presence. "I wish we could see
each other every day."
I don't know why I'm acting like a lovestruck high school boy around
her. I can't quite meet her gaze for the first time in ages.
Perhaps it's how lovely she looks this afternoon. She's put on a
little weight but it compliments her, gives her face a softness it
hasn't had before.
She's always looked a lot younger than her chronological age,
compensating for her youthful looks with sensible clothes and makeup.
Her high heels seem to be her only extreme fashion statement,
allowing her a little height advantage when she needs to make eye
contact with her peers. She always commands my attention, and I hope
she knows that. It's not something I could easily tell her without
stumbling over words.
"It would be nice," she replies, swirling more sugar into her cup
when she sees a waitperson making the rounds with fresh brew.
I lift my eyes and see her pretty demi-smile. I relax a little,
turning my coffee cup over to signal my option to the server. She
pours Scully a refill and splashes it to the brim in my cup, too. We
express our thanks and nod when she says our food will be out in five
minutes.
"So, what did you want me to look at?" she asks, cutting to the
chase.
Now I'm embarrassed. I was so excited about lunch, I forgot to
bring the files. I'm an idiot, I know. She'll forgive me, I hope.
I take a sip of coffee, delaying the awful truth, then say, "Um,
you're not going to believe this..."
She smiles softly, letting me know with just a glance that it's
perfectly all right, that we don't have to have anything specific to
talk about today. We do have things to talk about, things that
shouldn't be broadcast in public. Those can wait. Today is just for
us.
Or not.
"Mulder, I see you're finally showing up for lunch."
Darla, the bitch from Accounting, who couldn't understand why I
stood her up a few weeks ago. I didn't mean to leave her in the
lurch. I just didn't have time to cancel before I left for Arecibo.
She left a smart ass message on my answering machine, one I'm sure
Scully had to have heard when she was looking for me.
It's humiliating to be in this spot--especially since my epiphany a
few weeks ago included giving up playing the field. I haven't been
happy on any of my dates--lunch, dinner, movie or ball game--since I
started comparing other women to Scully. I should have stopped
asking anyone out a long time ago but I've been asking the
secretaries out for so long it was a bad habit I found impossible to
break. I really regret I did it now. Boy, do I.
I try to salvage a little self-composure and bow my head toward
Scully's side of the table, "Darla, this is Dana Scully, my partner.
Scully, this is Darla Henry, from the Accounting department."
Scully nods curtly at Darla, then announces icily, "We've met."
I try to conceal my shock, not caring to speculate how and why she
knows the last woman I stood up. I should stand up, but our server
arrives concurrent with my introductions. She excuses herself and
weaves around Darla, placing our food on the glossy, varnished
table.
"Well, just thought I'd stop by and say hi," Darla says, dripping
with sarcasm.
She probably thinks she's triumphant now, shaming me in front of my
partner. She couldn't be more wrong. She's not the one that got
away, that's for sure. I'm glad I never got involved with her, size
38Ds and all. We probably have very little in common. I just wanted
some action with her and I realize what an abominable asshole I've
been in the past, right under Scully's radar.
It's going to take me a long time to live this down. Especially if
I ever want a chance with Scully. I know she has to be aware of my
reputation as a philanderer. It's not really true. I just haven't
been able to form any good relationships since Diana left. She hurt
me badly and I haven't trusted any women with my heart since.
I've only trusted one woman since Diana, and she's sitting right
across from me at this very minute, eating a cheese omelet and
ignoring my red-tinged cheeks. I haven't given her my heart yet, but
I have given her anything else she'd accept from me, including
loyalty, friendship, and warm socks in the forest. It will be a long
time before I can offer her my love, I know that now.
"So how about those Yankees?" I say, trying to shatter the icy
silence between us.
If Scully were jealous at all, I wouldn't be able to tell. She's
hasn't demonstrated any interest in me other than friendship and I
haven't pursued her, even when I've really wanted to. I knew she
preferred a professional relationship between us, especially once I
got wind of her relationship with Jack Willis, her instructor at the
Academy. It wasn't hard to find some gossips over there to tell me
what rumors were flying at the time.
Meeting him, knowing some of the details of their affair, clinched
my decision not to get involved with her. Until recently. Until I
decided that I will never be able to live without her, that I have to
stop dating idiots like Darla Henry and start building a relationship
with Scully.
If she'll have me. Fat chance, now, asshole.
I try to eat again, picking up my sandwich and taking a few bites.
I'm still waiting for Scully to respond to my opening. I can hear
her eating and drinking quietly in typical Scully fashion but I don't
dare lift my eyes any higher than my corned beef sandwich.
"My dad was an Oriole fan," she says finally.
I perk up and meet her crystal blue eyes. There's friendship
shining there, and maybe a little forgiveness. For what, I'm not
sure, but I'll take whatever she'll give me at this point. I need
her, like I've never needed a friend before, man or woman.
I hope someday she'll feel the same way about me, too.
fin
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