Chapter 31: "I still love you"
“As usual, your instincts were correct to question the mysterious rash along the female’s hairline.”
“So it wasn’t a post-mortem reaction to a recent hair-dye as Dr. Jackson suggested?”
Scully shook her head in the negative. “As soon as I saw it, I suspected some kind of poisoning.”
“Poisoning? Through her scalp?”
Mulder picks up the case file to review, wondering where he missed the annotation about the victim ingesting a liquid or food. He thought during Dr. Jackson’s initial evaluation, there wasn’t anything to note as far as stomach contents.
“Certainly, she was found dead in the shower, wasn’t she?”
Mulder nodded his head in the affirmative, “Dr. Jackson suggested a cardiac event was a possible cause. But with her being so young and having no previous cardiac history, I thought that theory to be a little suspicious.”
“Leave-in conditioner, applied by someone who maybe does her hair? The victim didn’t apply it herself, otherwise there would be trace of it on her hands. But there isn’t. Whoever did, wore gloves.” Scully pointed out.
“Huh…” Mulder stood there amazed how humans conjure means to eradicate one another.
“So? What kind of poison are we looking for?”
“Nicotine. According to her toxicology report—“ Scully starts.
“Wait, wait, wait a minute—HOW were you able to get a toxicology report so quickly? Dr. Jackson said they wouldn’t have results back for at least a month due to being backed up.”
Scully smirks at him. “Seriously? All I had to do was walk in there, bat my eyes at the lab tech and presto! Instant toxicology report!”
Mulder’s shocked face morphs into one that reads he should have known better, “Ahhh, you used your feminine wiles to get this report.” Mulder tapped his two fingers against the side of her hip in jest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Agent.” Scully feigned indifference and moved to the other side of the table, preparing her protective wear, gloves, mask and goggles, to sew the victim back up for release.
“That’s okay, I still love you…even if you flirted with another guy to get what you wanted.”
Scully clicks her tongue at him, she threads her needle and begins sewing.
“To be honest, I’d do it to.” Mulder leans closer watching Scully work.
“I can see it now. You’d be such a whore, Mulder.” She looks up at him, her goggles catching the overhead florescent lighting. He can’t see it, but she’s smiling at him under her mask.
“A slut for stats.” He volleys.
“A concubine for conclusions.”
“A prostitute for payoff.”
They fall into giggles at how silly they’re behaving.
After Mulder catches his breath, he really looks at Scully as she sews away. Even after working with her for endless hours, he still stunned by her beauty—not only in physicality, but her mind. Just now, as she sparred with him, his heart lurched to do this with her every day knowing he no longer could due to their current circumstances.
“I guess I’ll just take this up to Howard, let him know we’re looking for a significant amount of nicotine that can be mixed with leave-in conditioner.”
Scully hums in acknowledgement, lost in her element.
“Will you be around for dinner? Or are you expected on a flight back tonight?”
Scully takes the surgical scissors and cuts the excess thread. “Unsure, that’s Skinner’s call. He’s the one that made this arrangement.”
Speaking of, Walter Skinner walks into the lab holding a mask over his face.
“Agents.” He acknowledges. “When you’re all through here, I’d like to see you both in my office.” He turns and leaves.
“What do you think that was about,” Mulder asked.
Scully shrugged her shoulders. “Go meet with Howard. I want to freshen up anyway. Meet you in front of Kim’s desk?”
******************************************
“I appreciate you being readily available to assist us with this case, Agent Scully. Seems like your expertise has led to two possible subjects which Howard and his team are out performing arrests as we speak.”
“Of course, Sir. Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Her expertise is invaluable, Sir. So invaluable that we should consider having her return here full-time.” Mulder piped up.
“Thus the reason for this meeting, Mulder, if you’d quit interrupting me.”
Both Mulder and Scully’s ears piqued. Scully’s hands tightened in her lap, while Mulder’s foot jiggled up and down at a fast rate, both thrumming with anticipation at Skinner’s news.
Skinner takes a breath before continuing.
“The X-Files has been re-opened. Effective immediately.”
Mulder jumps up out of his chair and woops loudly, his arms raised in celebration.
“And Scully??” Mulder takes a threatening step towards Skinner’s desk.
“Yes, her transfer has been approved.” Directing his next sentence to Scully, “You’ll have two weeks to have whatever belongings you’ve accumulated in Salt Lake City moved back to Georgetown. But there is still an issue with your sublet. A Mr. Melvin Frohike? Was only just recently advised he will need to vacate the premises. We have to legally give him 30 days to find alternate accommodations.”
Mulder and Scully look at each other in shock.
“Did you know this, Mulder?”
“No, not at all! He didn’t say a thing!”
“He’s been….sleeping…in my bed this whole time?! God only knows what he’s been doing in my bed! I’m going to need a new mattress!”
“Hold on, here!” Skinner barks. “You know this Frohike guy!?”
“So do you, Sir.” Mulder interjects. At Skinner’s confused look, “He’s one third of the Lone Gunmen?”
Skinner’s eye light with recognition. “Ohhh yeah. Well, how convenient for you, I guess.”
“Yes, it is.,” Mulder begins to ramble, “We can kick him out tonight. Order a new mattress before we leave, have it delivered and ready for us to use--“
“Wait a minute,” Skinner stands up behind his desk. “For you to use?’
Scully dips her head into her hands in embarrassment. Mulder basically outed them to their boss.
“I-I—I meant for Scully to use, Sir.”
“But that is not what you said, Mulder. You said ready for US to use.”
The room is silent for an undetermined amount of time. Scully tries to look anywhere but at Skinner or Mulder.
“Just—get out. Get out of my office. Go home. Whether it’s together or not, it’s not my business. Please don’t make this my business even though you’ve been making it my business since 1993. Just do your fucking jobs. I mean, no fucking on the job--Get out!!" Skinner’s bald head blushes a deep pink, he whirls away from them and strides to his floor-length windows to compose himself.
Mulder takes Scully by the arm and hauls her up out of her chair.
They quickly make their way, Mulder holding her arm, into the elevator where they fall into a fit of giggles as soon as the doors slide closed.
“I don’t know what to make of that, Mulder. I’ve never felt so many emotions all at one time.”
They bump into each other as they come out of the elevator and walk to a familiar door they haven’t seen in quite some time. Mulder pulls out his keys and unlocks the door. He holds it open so she can walk through.
“Nice to know they didn’t change the locks on me.”
Scully flips the switch on the wall to turn the light on. They both look around. The office is virtually unchanged. They both sag into each other’s side, taking it all in.
Mulder turns, taking her hands into his.
Her eyes well with tears, thinking of all they’ve been through to get to this moment. She goes up on her tip toes and kisses him softly, languidly.
She pulls away reluctantly, her arms threading around his neck. Her sweet breath dances over his succulent lips.
@today-in-fic @xffictober25
