Barron’s Does Take-Out

Sara B. 04/06

Mulder found her leaning over the fence that separated the beach from the parking lot watching the waves.  A smile played on her lips as he approached her from the side.  The case was over and she was dressed in casual clothes and she let the wind do miraculous things to her hair.

“Looking a little satisfied with yourself there, Scully,” Mulder said solemnly.

“That would be because I am.  We solved this case that had been plaguing the local police for three months and the local FBI office for two.  We come here and in less than a week we’ve got a suspect in custody.  I think that warrants a little satisfaction,” Scully responded smugly.

“Sixteen people are dead; sixteen people’s families had to bury their loved one,” came his terse response.

Mulder saw Scully’s body stiffen but she didn’t turn toward him.  “Yes, sixteen people are dead, fifteen before we were even called and the sixteenth was discovered before our plane landed.  There are sixteen tragedies but excuse the hell out of me for celebrating that there won’t be a seventeenth.  That another family won’t have to identify the body of their son, daughter, husband or wife from the few remains that monster left behind.  No one else will have to know the indignities that the victims suffered.” 

Now she turned, but it was away from him so now he saw none of her face.  “If you want someone to suffer with you in this morbid self flagellation for something you had no control over, you’ve come to the wrong place.  I will not let you, or anyone, make me feel guilty for the job we did here.  They had nothing until we showed up.  It took the Spooky squad, with our unconventional methods and outside the box thinking, to solve this case.  Me, because experience has taught me to look for the unexpected when examining the bodies; something I learned from working on the X-Files, I have to add.  And you, because, well, because, Mulder, you are a fucking genius,” Scully said vehemently.  

Mulder’s head jumped up at what she said.  Not just the words but the force and feelings behind them.  She’d turned again and was looking at him; he could see her surprise at his surprise.  Her eyes softened.  “Mulder, you can’t not know that.  You are, without any doubt, not only the most brilliant person I’ve ever met but you also know how to use that brilliance to help.”  She shortened the distance between them.  “I just wish you weren’t so hard on yourself.”  Scully turned back to face the beach.  “I’ve never said this before, I suppose I thought you knew without me having to say the words, but now I think you need to hear them.”  She reached a hand out to him and drew him closer.  “Mulder, you’re my hero.  You’re brilliant but you are also compassionate and empathetic.  You frustrate me with your out there ideas but I envy your being able to have them.  I love that I’m privy to see you work, that you share that with me.  I only wish that you would let yourself enjoy the successes as much as you suffer the losses.”

Mulder tugged her to him in a tight hug and rested his head on hers.  “Thanks, Scully.  You’re right, we do have reason to celebrate but I just can’t let it go that easily.”  Mulder’s voice still reflected the melancholy of his mood.

Scully pulled back and placed a cool hand on his tear wet cheek.  “You wouldn’t be my Mulder if you did.  But, that is another reason you have me around.  I’m going to take you out to dinner at Barron’s.  They cook your dinner out where you can watch.  We are going to have some wine and I won’t even nag you to eat any vegetables and I insist that we indulge in dessert.  We are going to relax and talk about anything you want, except work.”

“Sounds like a date, Scully.”  Mulder smiled at her.

“You know what?  It is a date, our first date.”  Scully returned a smile.  “That is assuming that I remember how to date.  It’s been awhile.”

“Scully, do you kiss on the first date?”  Mulder teased his mood was lightening.

“If my memory serves me right, the answer is that it depends on whether I liked the guy well enough to want to kiss him.”  Her attitude turned flirtatious.

“Do you like this guy well enough to kiss him?”  Mulder asked, pointing to himself.

Scully ran her hand up his arm and pulled him forward to whisper in his year.  “Mulder,” her voice was low and seductive, “I like this guy well enough to sleep with him.” 

She was walking back toward their motel by the time Mulder recovered.  He watched the sway of her hips for a moment then called out to her, “hey, Scully, does Barron’s do take out?”

Scully half turned, “why don’t we find out?”

End Story

Time to pay the piper – Feedback please!