Bonnie Gayle Hood
[email protected]
http://members.tripod.com/xtrordinaryxfiles/index.html
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CLASSIFICATION: Angst, Post-ep, Scully POV
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RATING: G
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SPOILERS: Closure. I think that's it.
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SUMMARY: A short Scully POV of her thoughts on the drive back to DC after Closure.
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DISCLAIMER: (Most writers try to have fun with this but I personally just skip it when I'm reading, so...) Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter, Fox, 1013, David, and Gillian, various others, and the BIG BAD WOLVES...umm lawyers! I don't own em, I just steal, but I will return them and I'll try to return them in better shape then I got 'em:>) If I did own 'em, not only would I be richer than I deserve to be, the UST mumbo jumbo would be a bad memory!
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ARCHIVE: Sure. Just keep my name, e-mail address, and website. I would love to know.
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FEEDBACK: Yes please!
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One if by Land
I'm driving. I can't believe it. Dana Katherine Scully is driving. Okay, okay, I drive. Just not often with Mulder. But now Mulder is my passenger. We were supposed to fly, we had tickets and everything, but Mulder asked if we could drive back instead. I must have whined convincingly enough, so he said that I could be the driver to spice up the deal. I gaped in shock for a second and then agreed.
I think his reason for ground rather than air travel is because he wants time to think before we get back to D.C. and all the hullabaloo that follows. I'm sure whatever happened at Arbutus Ray's house left him with more than enough to think about.
I wouldn't know though. I haven't really received any explanation as to what really happened at ex-nurse Arbutus Ray's house other than his whispered 'I'm free'. Usually when he gives me an obtuse answer like that, he says more later when we're alone, and there aren't strangers milling about. But other than agreeing that I would drive, and then telling me good night before we went off to our respective motel rooms last night, he hasn't said another word. Silent during breakfast, and silent the entire car ride so far. He's just been staring out the window.
Silent isn't Mulder's m.o. Silent is my route. Mulder is the one who likes to hash it all out and get it over with, while I like to retreat into the distance to lick my wounds.
Need I say that I'm hurt? Okay. His not telling me hurts. Trust has been the most essential factor in our relationship. We trust each other with our lives for heaven sake. Since when can Mulder not trust me with the truth?
At least we're almost home. It's been awkward, at least for me, being stuck in a car for hours on end with something this big lying between us. I am angry and jumpy and this heavy as all heck rain isn't helping a bit. I see a 'rest stop 5 miles' sign, and gratefully get over into the far right lane in preparation for my turn.
Once I've pulled into a parking place--as near to the rest rooms as possible--I turn to Mulder.
"Mulder." He doesn't respond of course, so I reach over and touch his shoulder. At my light touch he jumps and spins to look at me with an annoyed frown wrinkling his brow.
"What?" He snaps.
I pull my hand away from his shoulder as quickly as if it had been burned at this new tone of voice. "We're stopped at a rest area," At this, he looks around in amazement, "do you want me to get you something from one of those vending machines? It looks like they have coffee."
"No. I'm going to have enough trouble falling asleep as it is, and we have a meeting bright and early tomorrow."
"Fine," I snap. He obviously wants to be left alone so I'll leave him alone.
"Scully?"
I already have one foot out the door, so I turn around to face him.
"What Mulder?"
"Thank you. Thank you for humoring me."
First he's snappy and now he's thanking me.... Hello, it must be multiple personality day!
I shrug, "I wanted to drive."
Mulder sighs and looks out the window. "I don't mean that."
"Oh, the seance, and talking to Arbutus Ray? That was no problem."
"I don't mean that either."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I mean the whole time you've been on the X-Files with me. Well, maybe it's not humoring exactly, more like putting up with me." He turns towards me and I can see that he looks completely depressed. "I know I'm not the easiest person to be around."
I feel an 'oh brother' coming on, so instead I laugh quietly and open the door back up, but Mulder puts his hand on my arm. "Scully I mean it," he says with a note of desperation in his voice.
Obviously laughter wasn't the intended response. Now I go for the honest, albeit gushy answer. "Then I should say thank you too, Mulder. I know I'm not easy to be around either."
This time I succeed in getting out of the car. But before I close the door I think of something and poke my head back in the door. "I think we get along pretty good though, don't you?"
At Mulder's definite nod I softly close the door and run through a torrential downpour to the women's room. I can feel his eyes on me the whole way.
Once I'm in the bathroom, I realize that there really was no reason for me to stop here, other than to get out of the car and away from him, but it would be silly to go back out there so quickly, so I wipe the lipstick mark off the nearest mirror and study myself in it.
I'm distressed when I notice some new frown lines. Not for the sake of vanity of course, I've never cared about that, I'm just surprised that I'm already at an age where wrinkles start appearing like crop circles. This thought could quickly lead me down the 'am I anywhere near where I pictured I'd be 10 years ago?' path, and I quickly brush the thought away with a shake of my head. Mulder and I make it a practice to have at least one of us in a positive mood when we're together. Then you always have someone to tell you 'no' when you suggest driving off the nearest cliff after every bummer of a case.
Frown lines, huh? Just another thing I can blame on Mulder. I remember hearing somewhere that you have to frown over 10 thousand times to get one wrinkle. I think Mulder's been responsible for at least 99 percent of my frowns. Of course I don't have any smile lines. I hardly have anything to smile about.
Well, enough wasting time. I've put off facing the Mulder du jour long enough.