Margarita Confessions
By Katie Phillips
January 2004
Disclaimer Info: I know they don't belong to me and I appreciate
CC letting Scully go out for the evening.
Rating: PG-13 No sex happens in this story, but it is discussed
Keywords: MSR, Humor
Spoilers: Triangle, but only a little
Archive: Sure, why not. Just let me know where.
Feedback: It makes me very happy. E-mail me at
[email protected].
Summary: Scully's friend Ellen prompts Scully, with the help of a
few margaritas, to confront Mulder about his feelings for her.
Special thanks to Sallie who helped this become a better story.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to anyone who has had one (or
two) too many and made a bit of a fool out of themselves.
XXXXX
Dana Scully nibbled on a nacho as she listened to her friend Ellen
gently interrogate her about her partner. While Scully rarely
shared her personal feelings on anything, let alone Mulder, with
Ellen she was different. They had known each other forever, and
they kept very little from each other. Ellen had just moved back
into the DC area and was dying to catch up.
"Dana." Ellen sucked a large glop of sour cream off her finger.
"Have you and Mulder made it official yet?"
Scully looked at Ellen over the top of her margarita glass,
eyebrows raised. "Official? What are you talking about?"
Ellen took a sip of her own drink and looked at Scully
suspiciously. "You two aren't still in the closet, are you?"
Scully put down her drink and gave Ellen a baffled look. "Let me
put it simply Dana, since you seem to be playing dumb tonight. Have
you and Mulder let people in on the fact that you're seeing each
other?"
Finally understanding, Scully shook her head and smiled at her
friend. "Ellen, Mulder and I aren't involved like that. We're
just partners, nothing more. What made you think we were seeing
each other?"
Ellen put her head back and roared with laughter, causing the
people at the next table to glance over at her. "Oh Dana, that's
priceless! You don't have to keep up the professional image with
me. I'm your best friend. God, I know all your best secrets. You
can't fool me."
Scully, who was chewing on a large bite of nachos, shook her head.
"I'm telling you the truth Ellen," she said with her mouth still
partially full. "There's nothing between us. Really."
Ellen gave Scully a long hard look as if to appraise the validity
of her statement. "Dana Scully are you trying to tell me that
there is nothing romantic going on between you and Fox Mulder?"
Scully took another bite of nachos and nodded her head. "Nothing
between you and the man who spent God only knows how much of his
own money to travel all the way to Antarctica to save your life?
Are you really telling me that he has never mentioned how he feels
about you?"
Scully began to shake her head but stopped mid-shake. "Well, there
was that time after he almost drowned." She stared off into space
as if trying to visualize the scene.
"Go on." Ellen prodded her.
Scully took another drink of her margarita before speaking. "He
was investigating what he referred to as a 'ghost ship,' and he
almost drowned. He was still in the hospital and after he told me
about what had happened on the ship--remind me to tell you about
that later--he said. . . "
"Don't stop now Dana." Ellen signaled to the waiter to bring
another round. The night was getting more interesting by the
minute. "Tell me what he said."
"He said 'I love you Scully.'"
Ellen was surprised at the hint of disappointment in Scully's
voice. "Dana, that's wonderful. What did you say to him?"
Scully was staring at the plate of nachos as if it was the most
interesting thing in the world. "Oh brother!"
"Don't 'Oh brother!' *me*, Dana Scully. Tell me exactly what you
said and how you said it, and what Mulder said back to you."
Scully snorted and finally looked up from the plate of nachos.
"You misunderstood me Ellen. I said 'Oh brother!' to him. He was
pretty heavily drugged at the time, so I figured. . . ."
"I can't believe you Dana. After all these years, he finally says
it and you put him down." Ellen shoved more nachos into her mouth,
but kept talking. "I guess the real question here is whether or not
he meant it. If he did, he was probably waiting for some sort of
sign from you . . ."
Scully stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Ellen, what makes you
think he meant it? That he even knew what he was saying?"
Ellen smiled and shook her head. "Dana, have you ever noticed the
way he looks at you when he thinks no one is paying attention?"
"No, how?"
"Pretty much the same way you look at him."
"And how exactly do I look at him?"
"You have that 'eyes of love' look, like he's the most important
person in the universe."
"Oh." Scully didn't know what to say. How could she have been so
clueless?
"Drink up my dear. You'll need your courage tonight."
"Why?" Scully was starting to feel nervous.
"We're going to have one more drink, or maybe two, and then I'm
going to drop you off at Mulder's apartment. You have to find out
how he feels about you."
"What if he doesn't feel the way you think he does?" Scully
clutched at the margarita the waiter presented to her.
"That's simple, you just apologize like crazy for being 'so drunk'
when you showed up at his apartment. You can blame it all on the
booze."
Scully looked at her friend with grudging admiration. "You're one
devious woman Ellen. We'd better make the last drink a double."
XXX
Fox Mulder wandered around his apartment aimlessly dribbling his
basketball, trying desperately to think of something to do. Most
Fridays he managed to come up with some sort of excuse to visit
Scully at her apartment, but tonight she was out with her friend
Ellen.
He felt bad for himself but glad for Scully. She hardly ever got
to socialize. Her work on the X-files had disrupted or severed the
relationships she'd had with most of her friends. The only person
he knew she kept in constant contact with was Ellen. Even when
Ellen and her family had moved temporarily to California, he knew
that Scully called her at least every other week.
Mulder had met Ellen on several occasions and liked her very much.
When she was around, Scully seemed to take life less seriously. So
much so, that the last time Ellen visited, it had taken Scully a
full forty-eight hours to get over her hangover.
Mulder threw his basketball into the corner and plopped himself on
the couch. He picked up the remote and began surfing through the
channels. He had gone through all 121 channels twice, finding
nothing to interest him, when he finally broke down and flipped
over to the Skin channel. He leaned back and sighed as he watched
the two women on the screen begin to peel the clothes off the man
sandwiched between them. It wasn't as much fun as hanging out with
Scully, but it beat the hell out of watching C-SPAN all night.
XXX
Mulder jerked awake at the sound of knocking on his door. He
glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was only 10:30 PM.
He got up, turned off the TV and stretched, before heading for the
door. He was a bit surprised that the sight of two women going down
on the man on his TV screen hadn't been stimulating enough to keep
him awake.
Mulder looked through the peephole and saw a slightly swaying
Scully. He took a deep breath as he opened the door, thinking that
only bad news could have dragged Scully away from her friend and to
his doorstep.
She staggered past him into the living room. When she turned to
face him she promptly fell off one of her shoes. Looking totally
annoyed she bent over and pulled them both off, flinging them over
her shoulder in the process. One landed on Mulder's desk and the
other bounced off his fish tank. "I hate being short Mulder!" She
walked up to Mulder and tilted her head way back so she could see
his face. "And I really hate having to wear heels all the time.
Do you have any idea what a pain in the neck it is to have to wear
them every single day of your life just so people don't think that
you are as short as you are?"
Mulder didn't speak but shook his head in response to the question.
He had only seen Scully drunk once before and was very interested
to find out why she had come to him in this condition. "How much
did you have to drink Scully?" he asked, fighting the urge to still
her swaying body.
Scully snorted but stopped to think before answering. "Two beers
and one. . .no, two. . .no, three margaritas." She smiled up at
Mulder trying hard to focus on his face. Ellen was right, he was
really good looking. She leaned a bit closer to him and whispered
"We talked about you Mulder. Ellen thinks you're hot."
Scully swayed a bit more and Mulder reached out to steady her.
"Maybe you should sit down Scully."
"Okey dokey." Scully allowed Mulder to lead her to the couch and
sat when he gave her a tiny push down. "Don't suppose you have
anything to drink here Mulder."
"Sure, I'll make some coffee." Mulder turned and began to head for
the kitchen.
"No Mulder! No coffee yet!" Scully said a bit too loudly. "I
don't want coffee yet. If I do, I won't be able to ask you." This
comment fascinated Mulder almost as much as it worried him. What
could possibly make Scully so uncomfortable that she had to get
drunk to talk to him about it?
Mulder started the coffee before pulling two beers out of the
fridge. He fought the urge to let his imagination run wild,
forcing himself to wait to see what Scully had to say. He grabbed
a bottle opener and headed for the living room, stopping abruptly
when he realized that Scully had flipped on the television and was
watching it intently.
Mulder stood between his partner and the TV set, laughing as Scully
leaned over, trying to see around him. "Move Mulder, I want to see
whether or not she sleeps with him." Mulder put down the beers and
sat down beside her, taking the remote from her hand.
Scully moaned with disappointment, as Mulder pushed the 'off'
button. "I'll tell you a little secret Scully. She has sex with
him several times."
"Glad someone is getting it tonight." Scully mumbled before
leaning back. She gave Mulder a sidewise glance and a smile slowly
spread across her face.
"What?" Mulder asked, thoroughly enjoying this brand-new side of
Scully.
"I was thinking about what Ellen said. She's right you know, you
are hot."
Mulder managed to keep his voice serious, stifling a laugh.
"Thanks, Scully."
"You are more than welcome Mulder. I do have a question though,
Mulder." He raised his eyebrows encouraging her to continue.
"Being as hot as you are, you could have any woman in the Bureau.
Hell, you could have probably any woman at all." "Why bother
with *that*," she waved a hand at the television. "when you can get
the real thing any time you want?"
Mulder paused before answering. He wanted to make sure he got it
right. One wrong word and Scully could be out the door and in a
cab on her way home. "Did you ever stop to think that I don't want
just any woman?"
Scully looked at him shocked. "Oh my God Mulder, are you gay? You
could have told me, I would have understood. Some of my best
friends are . . ."
Mulder silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "I think I
should have stated my position a little more clearly Scully." He
removed his fingers and waited until he saw her eyes focus in on
him. "First, for the record, I am not now, nor have I ever been,
gay."
"Thank God!" Scully sighed, swaying as she leaned over to pick up
her beer. Mulder found her response curious but chose not to
pursue it, at least not now.
He took the beer from her hand, forcing her to look at him again.
"Second of all Scully, the reason I don't go picking up women to
satisfy my male urges, is because I don't want to."
"Why not, don't you like sex?" Scully looked at him puzzled.
Mulder stifled another chuckle. "I love sex Scully. In fact,
there are few things in life I like better. I don't want to
because I don't think it's right."
"Oh, you're against premarital sex. That is disappointing,
Mulder."
"Scully, I'm not against premarital sex. If I was, how would I
know that I liked it so much?"
"Oooh, good point."
"Thank you Scully. I don't think it is right to sleep with one
woman when you are in love with another."
"Mulder, you're confused. I'm not in love with another woman. I'm
not even gay."
Mulder chose to ignore the mental image that had just popped into
his head. "I know you aren't gay Scully, I was speaking more
hypothetically."
"Oh, Okay. Let's see if I have this straight. . .no pun intended.
You love sex, which is great, especially since I think you would be
the kind of man who actually makes sure a woman enjoys herself. ."
She stopped then, having totally lost her train of thought.
Mulder, who was enjoying the conversation immensely, leaned closer
to Scully so his lips were close to her ear. "I always make sure
the woman enjoys herself."
Scully turned until their lips were almost touching, their eyes
locking. "You do?"
Mulder leaned even closer. "I do."
Mulder's lips had almost reached their destination when Scully gave
him a gentle shove. "I gotta pee Mulder." She wiggled off the
couch and hurried into the bathroom, surprising Mulder with how
much grace she still possessed. He scolded himself for almost
kissing her. There were rules about taking advantage of a drunk
woman, and Mulder knew he was on the verge of breaking every single
one of them.
Scully returned a minute later and plopped herself back on the
couch, turning once again towards Mulder, and crossing her legs
Native American style. She looked much younger and absolutely
adorable.
"Where were we Mulder?" Scully became silent as she tried to
remember. Mulder hoped that she had forgotten that he was about to
kiss her. "Oh yeah, you had just told me how much you liked sex
and that you were waiting for someone special."
Mulder nodded, relieved that she had forgotten about the near-kiss.
Scully grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on. Within seconds
they were witnessing a dark-haired man ravaging a blonde with his
mouth. "How can you watch this stuff Mulder? She's not even a real
blonde."
Mulder glanced at the set and then at her partner. "How do you
know that Scully?"
Scully looked at him like he was an idiot. "The hair on her head
doesn't match the hair, um, elsewhere." She looked back at the TV,
tilting her head as if trying to get a better look at what the man
was doing. "I'm a real redhead. You know that, don't you Mulder?"
Mulder answered her quickly, afraid Scully would try to prove her
point. "Yeah Scully. Everything about you is real."
"Damn right!" Scully said, looking back at the TV. "I guess I can
see some of the appeal of these movies." She sounded almost like
her normal self, analyzing a piece of evidence Mulder had presented
to her. "It does make me feel . . ."
Mulder grabbed the remote and snapped off the TV. Scully began to
pout, when he tossed the controller across the room. "Come on
Mulder, don't you want to watch porn with me?"
"Maybe some other time, Scully." Mulder was trying desperately to
regain control of the evening, *and* his partner.
"Promises, promises." Scully frowned when she realized that she
had finished her beer. She shook the bottle for a minute as if by
doing so, it would magically be refilled. She looked at Mulder who
shook his head. "Spoil sport." She put the bottle down and leaned
sideways so her head rested on the sofa cushion.
"You still love her, don't you Mulder?"
"Who?"
"They have plenty of crop circles in England, Mulder. They would
keep you busy for awhile until you get a job at Scotland Yard."
Mulder had been able to follow most of Scully's rambling
conversation, but was now totally confused.
"What are you talking about Scully?"
"I'll take care of the X-files for you Mulder. The Gunmen can help
me."
"Why would I leave the X-files?"
"To be with *her*, silly. The woman you love."
Mulder took a minute to process everything Scully had said. "Are
you talking about Phoebe?"
"Of course I'm talking about Phoebe. Mulder you are such an idiot
sometimes. You know you still love her."
Mulder leaned over and grabbed Scully by both shoulders forcing her
to sit up. "Look at me, Scully." He voice was loud enough that
she felt compelled to comply. His eyes were darker than normal,
and burned with a subtle anger. "I am only going to say this once
and I want you to believe me."
"I want to believe, Mulder." Scully tried to keep herself focused.
"Unless you're talking about aliens. I'm not quite sure I will
ever totally believe in aliens."
Mulder clamped his hand over her mouth. "Scully, I'm not in love
with Phoebe Green, and I have not been in love with her for a long
time. I'm not sure I ever was *really* in love with Phoebe anyway.
Our relationship was pretty much only physical." He removed his
hand from her mouth.
"Got it Mulder. You don't love her but you did love having
premarital sex with her."
Mulder sighed with frustration. Part of him wanted to bring Scully
back to her apartment and see her tucked safely into bed. The
other part of him sensed an opportunity to nudge their relationship
along a bit. He would have to be careful though, very careful.
Scully leaned toward Mulder slightly, and whispered in his ear.
"I'm glad you're not in love with her, Mulder."
She leaned back a bit too fast, and ended up lying on her back
staring at the ceiling. This time Mulder didn't bother to stifle
his laugh, as he bent over, grabbed Scully's hand, and tugged her
back to a sitting position. She smiled at him briefly, but her
smile was quickly replaced by a frown.
"You don't think I am pretty, do you Mulder?"
Mulder was a bit taken back by the question, but it suddenly dawned
on him what Scully had been trying to say all evening. "No, I
don't Scully."
Scully sighed deeply, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She had her
answer.
Mulder put one finger under her chin and lifted it until her eyes
met his. It broke his heart to see the sadness there. "I don't
think you're pretty Scully. I think you're the most beautiful
woman I have ever seen." He watched her face closely as she
absorbed his words. The frown was replaced by a smile, which was
then quickly replaced by a look of confusion.
"I wasn't sure you meant what you said when you said it. You were
pretty drugged up at the time Mulder. Even so, I probably should
have told you right then and there how I felt, instead of
pretending I didn't believe you."
Once again Mulder had no clue what Scully was talking about, and
watched her closely as she got up from the couch and began to
wobble unsteadily back and forth across the room. Scully often
paced when she was trying to figure something out, and Mulder found
it interesting that she did the same thing even when she was drunk.
"If you really meant what you said, then why haven't you done
something about it?" Scully stared at him intently. "All this
time and nothing. Nothing at all." Having finished her little
speech she stumbled over to the wall and leaned her forehead
against it. "At least I know where I stand now. Could you call me
a cab please? I think I want to go home."
Mulder got up and walked over to her. Placing one hand on either
side of her face, he leaned in and held her head still, so he had
her complete attention. "Where was I when I said whatever it is
you're talking about to you Scully?"
Scully released a rather unladylike snort. "What happened to that
photographic memory of yours Mulder? You were in the hospital, you
had just been pulled out of the ocean."
Mulder smiled. Finally something that made sense. Scully, in a
very round-about way, was asking him about the time he had told her
that he loved her. Mulder tightened his grip on her shoulders, and
peered at Scully intently. She was swaying a bit more now. "What
is it that you came here to ask me, Scully?"
She looked up at him and saw only tenderness in his eyes.
Tenderness and something else, although she was too fuzzy to
recognize exactly what it was. Scully felt herself getting dizzier
by the minute. "Did you mean it Mulder?"
Mulder had opened his mouth to answer, when he saw Scully's eyes
roll back in her head. He caught her as she slumped forward, and
lifted her limp body with ease. He carried Scully into his room,
and lowered her gently to his bed. Mulder bent to kiss her
forehead, and covered her with a light blanket. "Sweet dreams,
Scully."
XXX
Scully opened her eyes a crack and the slight light in the room
caused her to shut them immediately. She tried again, and this
time was able to keep them open. Thankfully the room was shrouded
in darkness. The blinds over the windows had been drawn so only
small streaks of light were able to get in.
As she slowly gathered her wits, Scully realized that she had
absolutely no idea where she was, or how she had gotten there. She
closed her eyes again, willing her head to stop pounding long
enough for her to remember. Slowly her memory returned.
Drinks with Ellen. Lots of drinks with Ellen. What then? She
vaguely remembered discussing Mulder with Ellen at great length,
and then getting into a cab and heading over to his apartment. She
opened her eyes with a start and looked around her. She was lying
in Mulder's bed. She took a deep breath and lifted up the covers.
She sighed in relief when she saw that only her shoes had been
removed.
"Oh no!" Scully sat up quickly, causing her head to spin, as she
remembered not only how she had removed her shoes, but pretty much
everything else that had happened the night before. She leaned
back against the pillows hoping against hope that she hadn't
totally destroyed all of Mulder's respect for her.
Mulder must have heard her, for the bedroom door opened and he
walked in carrying a tray holding a large glass of water, aspirin
and most importantly, two cups of coffee. He put down the tray and
handed Scully the glass of water and two aspirin tablets. "Here
Scully, before you say anything, take these." When she'd swallowed
the pain reliever, he passed her a cup of coffee. He picked up the
other one and motioned to the bed. "May I?" Scully nodded, not
able to meet his eyes.
"How are you feeling Sleepy Head?" Scully looked up at him and saw
nothing but affection in his eyes. "Do you realize it is almost
noon?"
Scully shook her head and closed her eyes, savoring the coffee she
was sipping. She opened her eyes and found Mulder watching her
intently. No doubt he was wondering how much she remembered.
"Thanks Mulder." She said it under her breath. She didn't
particularly want to discuss the night before but knew that she
couldn't avoid it for long.
"If you're wondering Mulder, I think I remember everything, only
I'm hoping that I wasn't as big a fool as I think I was."
"You're very cute Scully, when you've had too much to drink. You
should go out on the town more often." He tucked a piece of hair
behind her ear, wondering if now would be the right time to clarify
things.
"Mulder, did I really ask you if you liked sex?" Scully could feel
a blush creep across her face, and she couldn't quite bring herself
to look at him.
"Yes you did. You also seemed to be quite happy to find out that I
did."
Scully's blush grew a deeper shade of red. "Did I ramble on about
the night we pulled you out of the ocean?" She glanced at him out
of the corner of her eye. He looked more amused than annoyed. She
didn't ask anything else, continuing to sip her coffee and stare at
a small speck on the bed.
"You did ask me something about that, you know. Right before you
passed out."
Scully looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I guess I missed your
answer." She put the coffee cup back on the tray and positioned
herself so she was leaning against the headboard. She wasn't sure
what his answer had been, but knew that she had to find out
eventually.
Mulder saw Scully steel herself in preparation for his answer, and
immediately felt sorry for her. He put down his coffee cup and
climbed up farther on the bed so he sat beside her. He leaned his
head back against the headboard and looked at her. "We watched
porn together, Scully."
"We did?" That particular memory had evaded her. "Oh we did."
Scully suddenly remembered the sight of the man having oral sex
with a woman, and cringed. Mulder saw her expression and gave her
a gentle poke in the ribs with his elbow. "Last night you said
porn turned you on. I thought you were going to ask to borrow my
private collection. Unless you rather to watch it *with* me. . ."
Scully chuckled. She knew Mulder was trying to lighten the mood.
She appreciated his effort but couldn't stand not knowing any
longer. She turned and looked directly at him. "What did I ask
you Mulder?"
He looked at her with such intensity that it almost took her breath
away. His eyes seemed to be smoldering with emotion. "You asked
me if I meant it." His eyes held hers, daring her to look away.
Scully saw the challenge in Mulder's eyes, and didn't flinch. "Did
you Mulder? Did you mean it?"
His eyes softened immediately and he reached over and stroked her
face tenderly. "Yeah Scully, I meant it." He leaned over and
kissed her lightly on her forehead. "I plan to start proving it to
you as soon as you feel up to it."
Scully smiled and scrambled out of bed, the pain in her head
notwithstanding. "Where are you going?" Mulder asked, amazed that
Scully could even move.
"Stay right there Mulder. I'm going to find more aspirin."
XXX
End of story
By Katie Phillips
January 2004
Disclaimer Info: I know they don't belong to me and I appreciate
CC letting Scully go out for the evening.
Rating: PG-13 No sex happens in this story, but it is discussed
Keywords: MSR, Humor
Spoilers: Triangle, but only a little
Archive: Sure, why not. Just let me know where.
Feedback: It makes me very happy. E-mail me at
[email protected].
Summary: Scully's friend Ellen prompts Scully, with the help of a
few margaritas, to confront Mulder about his feelings for her.
Special thanks to Sallie who helped this become a better story.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to anyone who has had one (or
two) too many and made a bit of a fool out of themselves.
XXXXX
Dana Scully nibbled on a nacho as she listened to her friend Ellen
gently interrogate her about her partner. While Scully rarely
shared her personal feelings on anything, let alone Mulder, with
Ellen she was different. They had known each other forever, and
they kept very little from each other. Ellen had just moved back
into the DC area and was dying to catch up.
"Dana." Ellen sucked a large glop of sour cream off her finger.
"Have you and Mulder made it official yet?"
Scully looked at Ellen over the top of her margarita glass,
eyebrows raised. "Official? What are you talking about?"
Ellen took a sip of her own drink and looked at Scully
suspiciously. "You two aren't still in the closet, are you?"
Scully put down her drink and gave Ellen a baffled look. "Let me
put it simply Dana, since you seem to be playing dumb tonight. Have
you and Mulder let people in on the fact that you're seeing each
other?"
Finally understanding, Scully shook her head and smiled at her
friend. "Ellen, Mulder and I aren't involved like that. We're
just partners, nothing more. What made you think we were seeing
each other?"
Ellen put her head back and roared with laughter, causing the
people at the next table to glance over at her. "Oh Dana, that's
priceless! You don't have to keep up the professional image with
me. I'm your best friend. God, I know all your best secrets. You
can't fool me."
Scully, who was chewing on a large bite of nachos, shook her head.
"I'm telling you the truth Ellen," she said with her mouth still
partially full. "There's nothing between us. Really."
Ellen gave Scully a long hard look as if to appraise the validity
of her statement. "Dana Scully are you trying to tell me that
there is nothing romantic going on between you and Fox Mulder?"
Scully took another bite of nachos and nodded her head. "Nothing
between you and the man who spent God only knows how much of his
own money to travel all the way to Antarctica to save your life?
Are you really telling me that he has never mentioned how he feels
about you?"
Scully began to shake her head but stopped mid-shake. "Well, there
was that time after he almost drowned." She stared off into space
as if trying to visualize the scene.
"Go on." Ellen prodded her.
Scully took another drink of her margarita before speaking. "He
was investigating what he referred to as a 'ghost ship,' and he
almost drowned. He was still in the hospital and after he told me
about what had happened on the ship--remind me to tell you about
that later--he said. . . "
"Don't stop now Dana." Ellen signaled to the waiter to bring
another round. The night was getting more interesting by the
minute. "Tell me what he said."
"He said 'I love you Scully.'"
Ellen was surprised at the hint of disappointment in Scully's
voice. "Dana, that's wonderful. What did you say to him?"
Scully was staring at the plate of nachos as if it was the most
interesting thing in the world. "Oh brother!"
"Don't 'Oh brother!' *me*, Dana Scully. Tell me exactly what you
said and how you said it, and what Mulder said back to you."
Scully snorted and finally looked up from the plate of nachos.
"You misunderstood me Ellen. I said 'Oh brother!' to him. He was
pretty heavily drugged at the time, so I figured. . . ."
"I can't believe you Dana. After all these years, he finally says
it and you put him down." Ellen shoved more nachos into her mouth,
but kept talking. "I guess the real question here is whether or not
he meant it. If he did, he was probably waiting for some sort of
sign from you . . ."
Scully stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Ellen, what makes you
think he meant it? That he even knew what he was saying?"
Ellen smiled and shook her head. "Dana, have you ever noticed the
way he looks at you when he thinks no one is paying attention?"
"No, how?"
"Pretty much the same way you look at him."
"And how exactly do I look at him?"
"You have that 'eyes of love' look, like he's the most important
person in the universe."
"Oh." Scully didn't know what to say. How could she have been so
clueless?
"Drink up my dear. You'll need your courage tonight."
"Why?" Scully was starting to feel nervous.
"We're going to have one more drink, or maybe two, and then I'm
going to drop you off at Mulder's apartment. You have to find out
how he feels about you."
"What if he doesn't feel the way you think he does?" Scully
clutched at the margarita the waiter presented to her.
"That's simple, you just apologize like crazy for being 'so drunk'
when you showed up at his apartment. You can blame it all on the
booze."
Scully looked at her friend with grudging admiration. "You're one
devious woman Ellen. We'd better make the last drink a double."
XXX
Fox Mulder wandered around his apartment aimlessly dribbling his
basketball, trying desperately to think of something to do. Most
Fridays he managed to come up with some sort of excuse to visit
Scully at her apartment, but tonight she was out with her friend
Ellen.
He felt bad for himself but glad for Scully. She hardly ever got
to socialize. Her work on the X-files had disrupted or severed the
relationships she'd had with most of her friends. The only person
he knew she kept in constant contact with was Ellen. Even when
Ellen and her family had moved temporarily to California, he knew
that Scully called her at least every other week.
Mulder had met Ellen on several occasions and liked her very much.
When she was around, Scully seemed to take life less seriously. So
much so, that the last time Ellen visited, it had taken Scully a
full forty-eight hours to get over her hangover.
Mulder threw his basketball into the corner and plopped himself on
the couch. He picked up the remote and began surfing through the
channels. He had gone through all 121 channels twice, finding
nothing to interest him, when he finally broke down and flipped
over to the Skin channel. He leaned back and sighed as he watched
the two women on the screen begin to peel the clothes off the man
sandwiched between them. It wasn't as much fun as hanging out with
Scully, but it beat the hell out of watching C-SPAN all night.
XXX
Mulder jerked awake at the sound of knocking on his door. He
glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was only 10:30 PM.
He got up, turned off the TV and stretched, before heading for the
door. He was a bit surprised that the sight of two women going down
on the man on his TV screen hadn't been stimulating enough to keep
him awake.
Mulder looked through the peephole and saw a slightly swaying
Scully. He took a deep breath as he opened the door, thinking that
only bad news could have dragged Scully away from her friend and to
his doorstep.
She staggered past him into the living room. When she turned to
face him she promptly fell off one of her shoes. Looking totally
annoyed she bent over and pulled them both off, flinging them over
her shoulder in the process. One landed on Mulder's desk and the
other bounced off his fish tank. "I hate being short Mulder!" She
walked up to Mulder and tilted her head way back so she could see
his face. "And I really hate having to wear heels all the time.
Do you have any idea what a pain in the neck it is to have to wear
them every single day of your life just so people don't think that
you are as short as you are?"
Mulder didn't speak but shook his head in response to the question.
He had only seen Scully drunk once before and was very interested
to find out why she had come to him in this condition. "How much
did you have to drink Scully?" he asked, fighting the urge to still
her swaying body.
Scully snorted but stopped to think before answering. "Two beers
and one. . .no, two. . .no, three margaritas." She smiled up at
Mulder trying hard to focus on his face. Ellen was right, he was
really good looking. She leaned a bit closer to him and whispered
"We talked about you Mulder. Ellen thinks you're hot."
Scully swayed a bit more and Mulder reached out to steady her.
"Maybe you should sit down Scully."
"Okey dokey." Scully allowed Mulder to lead her to the couch and
sat when he gave her a tiny push down. "Don't suppose you have
anything to drink here Mulder."
"Sure, I'll make some coffee." Mulder turned and began to head for
the kitchen.
"No Mulder! No coffee yet!" Scully said a bit too loudly. "I
don't want coffee yet. If I do, I won't be able to ask you." This
comment fascinated Mulder almost as much as it worried him. What
could possibly make Scully so uncomfortable that she had to get
drunk to talk to him about it?
Mulder started the coffee before pulling two beers out of the
fridge. He fought the urge to let his imagination run wild,
forcing himself to wait to see what Scully had to say. He grabbed
a bottle opener and headed for the living room, stopping abruptly
when he realized that Scully had flipped on the television and was
watching it intently.
Mulder stood between his partner and the TV set, laughing as Scully
leaned over, trying to see around him. "Move Mulder, I want to see
whether or not she sleeps with him." Mulder put down the beers and
sat down beside her, taking the remote from her hand.
Scully moaned with disappointment, as Mulder pushed the 'off'
button. "I'll tell you a little secret Scully. She has sex with
him several times."
"Glad someone is getting it tonight." Scully mumbled before
leaning back. She gave Mulder a sidewise glance and a smile slowly
spread across her face.
"What?" Mulder asked, thoroughly enjoying this brand-new side of
Scully.
"I was thinking about what Ellen said. She's right you know, you
are hot."
Mulder managed to keep his voice serious, stifling a laugh.
"Thanks, Scully."
"You are more than welcome Mulder. I do have a question though,
Mulder." He raised his eyebrows encouraging her to continue.
"Being as hot as you are, you could have any woman in the Bureau.
Hell, you could have probably any woman at all." "Why bother
with *that*," she waved a hand at the television. "when you can get
the real thing any time you want?"
Mulder paused before answering. He wanted to make sure he got it
right. One wrong word and Scully could be out the door and in a
cab on her way home. "Did you ever stop to think that I don't want
just any woman?"
Scully looked at him shocked. "Oh my God Mulder, are you gay? You
could have told me, I would have understood. Some of my best
friends are . . ."
Mulder silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "I think I
should have stated my position a little more clearly Scully." He
removed his fingers and waited until he saw her eyes focus in on
him. "First, for the record, I am not now, nor have I ever been,
gay."
"Thank God!" Scully sighed, swaying as she leaned over to pick up
her beer. Mulder found her response curious but chose not to
pursue it, at least not now.
He took the beer from her hand, forcing her to look at him again.
"Second of all Scully, the reason I don't go picking up women to
satisfy my male urges, is because I don't want to."
"Why not, don't you like sex?" Scully looked at him puzzled.
Mulder stifled another chuckle. "I love sex Scully. In fact,
there are few things in life I like better. I don't want to
because I don't think it's right."
"Oh, you're against premarital sex. That is disappointing,
Mulder."
"Scully, I'm not against premarital sex. If I was, how would I
know that I liked it so much?"
"Oooh, good point."
"Thank you Scully. I don't think it is right to sleep with one
woman when you are in love with another."
"Mulder, you're confused. I'm not in love with another woman. I'm
not even gay."
Mulder chose to ignore the mental image that had just popped into
his head. "I know you aren't gay Scully, I was speaking more
hypothetically."
"Oh, Okay. Let's see if I have this straight. . .no pun intended.
You love sex, which is great, especially since I think you would be
the kind of man who actually makes sure a woman enjoys herself. ."
She stopped then, having totally lost her train of thought.
Mulder, who was enjoying the conversation immensely, leaned closer
to Scully so his lips were close to her ear. "I always make sure
the woman enjoys herself."
Scully turned until their lips were almost touching, their eyes
locking. "You do?"
Mulder leaned even closer. "I do."
Mulder's lips had almost reached their destination when Scully gave
him a gentle shove. "I gotta pee Mulder." She wiggled off the
couch and hurried into the bathroom, surprising Mulder with how
much grace she still possessed. He scolded himself for almost
kissing her. There were rules about taking advantage of a drunk
woman, and Mulder knew he was on the verge of breaking every single
one of them.
Scully returned a minute later and plopped herself back on the
couch, turning once again towards Mulder, and crossing her legs
Native American style. She looked much younger and absolutely
adorable.
"Where were we Mulder?" Scully became silent as she tried to
remember. Mulder hoped that she had forgotten that he was about to
kiss her. "Oh yeah, you had just told me how much you liked sex
and that you were waiting for someone special."
Mulder nodded, relieved that she had forgotten about the near-kiss.
Scully grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on. Within seconds
they were witnessing a dark-haired man ravaging a blonde with his
mouth. "How can you watch this stuff Mulder? She's not even a real
blonde."
Mulder glanced at the set and then at her partner. "How do you
know that Scully?"
Scully looked at him like he was an idiot. "The hair on her head
doesn't match the hair, um, elsewhere." She looked back at the TV,
tilting her head as if trying to get a better look at what the man
was doing. "I'm a real redhead. You know that, don't you Mulder?"
Mulder answered her quickly, afraid Scully would try to prove her
point. "Yeah Scully. Everything about you is real."
"Damn right!" Scully said, looking back at the TV. "I guess I can
see some of the appeal of these movies." She sounded almost like
her normal self, analyzing a piece of evidence Mulder had presented
to her. "It does make me feel . . ."
Mulder grabbed the remote and snapped off the TV. Scully began to
pout, when he tossed the controller across the room. "Come on
Mulder, don't you want to watch porn with me?"
"Maybe some other time, Scully." Mulder was trying desperately to
regain control of the evening, *and* his partner.
"Promises, promises." Scully frowned when she realized that she
had finished her beer. She shook the bottle for a minute as if by
doing so, it would magically be refilled. She looked at Mulder who
shook his head. "Spoil sport." She put the bottle down and leaned
sideways so her head rested on the sofa cushion.
"You still love her, don't you Mulder?"
"Who?"
"They have plenty of crop circles in England, Mulder. They would
keep you busy for awhile until you get a job at Scotland Yard."
Mulder had been able to follow most of Scully's rambling
conversation, but was now totally confused.
"What are you talking about Scully?"
"I'll take care of the X-files for you Mulder. The Gunmen can help
me."
"Why would I leave the X-files?"
"To be with *her*, silly. The woman you love."
Mulder took a minute to process everything Scully had said. "Are
you talking about Phoebe?"
"Of course I'm talking about Phoebe. Mulder you are such an idiot
sometimes. You know you still love her."
Mulder leaned over and grabbed Scully by both shoulders forcing her
to sit up. "Look at me, Scully." He voice was loud enough that
she felt compelled to comply. His eyes were darker than normal,
and burned with a subtle anger. "I am only going to say this once
and I want you to believe me."
"I want to believe, Mulder." Scully tried to keep herself focused.
"Unless you're talking about aliens. I'm not quite sure I will
ever totally believe in aliens."
Mulder clamped his hand over her mouth. "Scully, I'm not in love
with Phoebe Green, and I have not been in love with her for a long
time. I'm not sure I ever was *really* in love with Phoebe anyway.
Our relationship was pretty much only physical." He removed his
hand from her mouth.
"Got it Mulder. You don't love her but you did love having
premarital sex with her."
Mulder sighed with frustration. Part of him wanted to bring Scully
back to her apartment and see her tucked safely into bed. The
other part of him sensed an opportunity to nudge their relationship
along a bit. He would have to be careful though, very careful.
Scully leaned toward Mulder slightly, and whispered in his ear.
"I'm glad you're not in love with her, Mulder."
She leaned back a bit too fast, and ended up lying on her back
staring at the ceiling. This time Mulder didn't bother to stifle
his laugh, as he bent over, grabbed Scully's hand, and tugged her
back to a sitting position. She smiled at him briefly, but her
smile was quickly replaced by a frown.
"You don't think I am pretty, do you Mulder?"
Mulder was a bit taken back by the question, but it suddenly dawned
on him what Scully had been trying to say all evening. "No, I
don't Scully."
Scully sighed deeply, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She had her
answer.
Mulder put one finger under her chin and lifted it until her eyes
met his. It broke his heart to see the sadness there. "I don't
think you're pretty Scully. I think you're the most beautiful
woman I have ever seen." He watched her face closely as she
absorbed his words. The frown was replaced by a smile, which was
then quickly replaced by a look of confusion.
"I wasn't sure you meant what you said when you said it. You were
pretty drugged up at the time Mulder. Even so, I probably should
have told you right then and there how I felt, instead of
pretending I didn't believe you."
Once again Mulder had no clue what Scully was talking about, and
watched her closely as she got up from the couch and began to
wobble unsteadily back and forth across the room. Scully often
paced when she was trying to figure something out, and Mulder found
it interesting that she did the same thing even when she was drunk.
"If you really meant what you said, then why haven't you done
something about it?" Scully stared at him intently. "All this
time and nothing. Nothing at all." Having finished her little
speech she stumbled over to the wall and leaned her forehead
against it. "At least I know where I stand now. Could you call me
a cab please? I think I want to go home."
Mulder got up and walked over to her. Placing one hand on either
side of her face, he leaned in and held her head still, so he had
her complete attention. "Where was I when I said whatever it is
you're talking about to you Scully?"
Scully released a rather unladylike snort. "What happened to that
photographic memory of yours Mulder? You were in the hospital, you
had just been pulled out of the ocean."
Mulder smiled. Finally something that made sense. Scully, in a
very round-about way, was asking him about the time he had told her
that he loved her. Mulder tightened his grip on her shoulders, and
peered at Scully intently. She was swaying a bit more now. "What
is it that you came here to ask me, Scully?"
She looked up at him and saw only tenderness in his eyes.
Tenderness and something else, although she was too fuzzy to
recognize exactly what it was. Scully felt herself getting dizzier
by the minute. "Did you mean it Mulder?"
Mulder had opened his mouth to answer, when he saw Scully's eyes
roll back in her head. He caught her as she slumped forward, and
lifted her limp body with ease. He carried Scully into his room,
and lowered her gently to his bed. Mulder bent to kiss her
forehead, and covered her with a light blanket. "Sweet dreams,
Scully."
XXX
Scully opened her eyes a crack and the slight light in the room
caused her to shut them immediately. She tried again, and this
time was able to keep them open. Thankfully the room was shrouded
in darkness. The blinds over the windows had been drawn so only
small streaks of light were able to get in.
As she slowly gathered her wits, Scully realized that she had
absolutely no idea where she was, or how she had gotten there. She
closed her eyes again, willing her head to stop pounding long
enough for her to remember. Slowly her memory returned.
Drinks with Ellen. Lots of drinks with Ellen. What then? She
vaguely remembered discussing Mulder with Ellen at great length,
and then getting into a cab and heading over to his apartment. She
opened her eyes with a start and looked around her. She was lying
in Mulder's bed. She took a deep breath and lifted up the covers.
She sighed in relief when she saw that only her shoes had been
removed.
"Oh no!" Scully sat up quickly, causing her head to spin, as she
remembered not only how she had removed her shoes, but pretty much
everything else that had happened the night before. She leaned
back against the pillows hoping against hope that she hadn't
totally destroyed all of Mulder's respect for her.
Mulder must have heard her, for the bedroom door opened and he
walked in carrying a tray holding a large glass of water, aspirin
and most importantly, two cups of coffee. He put down the tray and
handed Scully the glass of water and two aspirin tablets. "Here
Scully, before you say anything, take these." When she'd swallowed
the pain reliever, he passed her a cup of coffee. He picked up the
other one and motioned to the bed. "May I?" Scully nodded, not
able to meet his eyes.
"How are you feeling Sleepy Head?" Scully looked up at him and saw
nothing but affection in his eyes. "Do you realize it is almost
noon?"
Scully shook her head and closed her eyes, savoring the coffee she
was sipping. She opened her eyes and found Mulder watching her
intently. No doubt he was wondering how much she remembered.
"Thanks Mulder." She said it under her breath. She didn't
particularly want to discuss the night before but knew that she
couldn't avoid it for long.
"If you're wondering Mulder, I think I remember everything, only
I'm hoping that I wasn't as big a fool as I think I was."
"You're very cute Scully, when you've had too much to drink. You
should go out on the town more often." He tucked a piece of hair
behind her ear, wondering if now would be the right time to clarify
things.
"Mulder, did I really ask you if you liked sex?" Scully could feel
a blush creep across her face, and she couldn't quite bring herself
to look at him.
"Yes you did. You also seemed to be quite happy to find out that I
did."
Scully's blush grew a deeper shade of red. "Did I ramble on about
the night we pulled you out of the ocean?" She glanced at him out
of the corner of her eye. He looked more amused than annoyed. She
didn't ask anything else, continuing to sip her coffee and stare at
a small speck on the bed.
"You did ask me something about that, you know. Right before you
passed out."
Scully looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I guess I missed your
answer." She put the coffee cup back on the tray and positioned
herself so she was leaning against the headboard. She wasn't sure
what his answer had been, but knew that she had to find out
eventually.
Mulder saw Scully steel herself in preparation for his answer, and
immediately felt sorry for her. He put down his coffee cup and
climbed up farther on the bed so he sat beside her. He leaned his
head back against the headboard and looked at her. "We watched
porn together, Scully."
"We did?" That particular memory had evaded her. "Oh we did."
Scully suddenly remembered the sight of the man having oral sex
with a woman, and cringed. Mulder saw her expression and gave her
a gentle poke in the ribs with his elbow. "Last night you said
porn turned you on. I thought you were going to ask to borrow my
private collection. Unless you rather to watch it *with* me. . ."
Scully chuckled. She knew Mulder was trying to lighten the mood.
She appreciated his effort but couldn't stand not knowing any
longer. She turned and looked directly at him. "What did I ask
you Mulder?"
He looked at her with such intensity that it almost took her breath
away. His eyes seemed to be smoldering with emotion. "You asked
me if I meant it." His eyes held hers, daring her to look away.
Scully saw the challenge in Mulder's eyes, and didn't flinch. "Did
you Mulder? Did you mean it?"
His eyes softened immediately and he reached over and stroked her
face tenderly. "Yeah Scully, I meant it." He leaned over and
kissed her lightly on her forehead. "I plan to start proving it to
you as soon as you feel up to it."
Scully smiled and scrambled out of bed, the pain in her head
notwithstanding. "Where are you going?" Mulder asked, amazed that
Scully could even move.
"Stay right there Mulder. I'm going to find more aspirin."
XXX
End of story