From xing@icanect.net Fri Dec 27 15:13:45 1996 Disclaimer: Not mine. And though the world knows I wish they were, anything and everything that has to do with the X-Files is not mine, and are property of Chris Carter and Co. I promise to give them back, one of these days.... Rating: PG. No sex, swearing, or violence. Warning: No spoilers, Just lots of fluff. Summary: Hmmm... two agents, lots of drinks and even more fluff. Classification: MA, SA, maybe some MSR and the usual fluff you've come to expect from me. Author's Notes: Well, this is another oldie that I found hidden amongst my files, so now here it is. :) Any coments? Suggestions? Please send them to I love and covet email. Thank you so much to everyone that has ever sent me feedback, I really appreciate it. Thanks! Bartender's Lore by: Keri Givens 8-24-96 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Drinking wasn't something that Mulder normally did - unless he had something on his mind. Tonight was one of those times, there was one thing that was, is and had been plaguing him for quite awhile - almost to the point that if he couldn't find a way to resolve it - it would drive him crazy. When he decided that going out on a walk might help to clear his mind he wasn't overly surprised to find his path had taken him to a local pub. "What the heck" Mulder thought as he entered the pub - one drink wouldn't hurt - it might even help loosen him up a bit. He walked up to the bar and settled himself on one of the bar stools. "What can I get you to drink?" Startled by the voice, Mulder looked up and found himself facing a very young looking man. "Aren't you a little young to be a bartender?" Mulder asked. "Not really - I'm 36, I just happen to look young" the bartender replied looking rather offended. "Oh." "So - what will it be?" Mulder glanced over at the shelves filled with bottles for a few moments until he spotted what it was that he wanted. "I'll take a glass of that" he said pointing to a bottled filled with a bubbly amber-colored liquid. "Are you sure that's what you want?" the bartender asked, not quite sure if he had understood Mulder correctly. "Yes I'm sure." "Okay then." he said proceeding to fill up a glass. The bartender placed the glass in front of Mulder, waiting for him to take a sip. Mulder casually turned around on his stool and pretended to watch the other people in the room, only when the bartender had finally walked off did Mulder turn back around. He lifted the glass and took a small sip, savoring the flavor. He began to feel his mind relax . Work was all right in the general sense - Skinner was on his case about some unacceptable report he had submitted on a case, but that wasn't anything new. Yes - work was pretty much the same as it had always been - except for one little detail. The kind of detail that had red hair and blue eyes. Scully. The problem was - he wasn't quite sure why. When had all this happened? When did he suddenly think so much about her that it gave him a headache? It was almost as though all this had suddenly snuck up on him . But in reality he knew that all these "un-parternerly" feelings had been there for awhile - only he had chosen to ignore them. But why? He took a large swallow- finishing the drink. The bartender reached over and re-filled the glass, Mulder took long sip. Things had been fine, until he heard talk about her social life. It had never occurred to him that she might have a life - that she might even go out on dates. Maybe he took her for granted - that she would always been there when he needed her. Not to say that she wasn't there, but now that she had mention that fact that she now had something to keep her weekends full - he wasn't so sure that she would be there. He was feeling downright jealous was the truth of it. He knew he cared about Scully, but he always told himself it was more of a brotherly affection than anything else. You can't go and fall in love with your partner...your best friend - can you? Mulder banged his empty glass on the counter. How he hated whoever was out with her tonight! "Another drink sir?" Mulder uttered something to the effect of "What do you think?" Mulder rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn't really blame the whole thing on whoever she was with tonight, it was just that before he heard anything of her dates - he could go on pretending that he never felt anything towards her. But from that moment that she told him ...... he hated all the things he had felt. And to make matters worse he had gone home and sulked - he had sulked!! What had gotten into him? He knew the truth....the truth was, now that he had admitted his feelings about her to himself - he couldn't get her out of his mind. And that was what worried him. He had never wanted to get involved in another relationship after the pain he had gone through with Phoebe. When Scully first walked into his office - he put up barriers, he didn't want to trust her - in fact he really didn't want to get to know her. He tried everything in his power that would give her cause to leave - but nothing worked. She stayed, proving to him what she was capable of. It often surprised him how strong she was, both mentally and emotionally. She was tough, but not cold like some of those agents back at the Headquarters thought of her as. He saw her pull through situations that would make most agents cringe. But she was only human, she had been through a lot - he had seen her walls down- he had seen her vulnerable side, the side that he wanted to protect and comfort, the side that hurt him to see. What would she think if she knew how he felt? Would it ruin their partnership? He had almost lost her once, the pain that he felt - he couldn't go through with it again. But what if there was a chance? Mulder took another gulp of his drink. Heck - he had always believed in extreme possibilities - why not this? Mulder finished his 5th drink. He suddenly felt good , a surge of hope and happiness washed over him, the burden had been lifted- in fact he felt goodwill towards every person in that room. Yes, Mulder was in a very good mood, a downright friendly mood. He turned to the bartender with a grin. " So, tell me - have you ever experienced any paranormal phenomena?" ........................... 1:08 AM Scully groaned and rolled over in her bed and look at the clock on her nightstand. The phone was ringing. 1:08 AM? She groaned - who on earth would call at this hour? She got up out of bed and walked over to the phone. "Hello" she muttered sleepily "Ms. Scully?" asked the voice "Speaking - who is this?" "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour but this gentlemen here says he knows you. He says his name is Mulder." "Mulder?!? What is going on? Where is he? Is everything all right?" she was instantly awake. "He's fine, just had a bit to much to drink." Scully groaned as she copied the directions to the pub. "Don't let him leave - I'll be there as soon as I can." ....................................................... 1:56 AM Scully pulled up in front of the pub. She glanced at the small dingy building and at the people hanging around the front of the building. "Perfectly lovely....... leave it to Mulder to end up in a place such as this." Scully thought. "You are going to pay for this Mulder" she muttered as she quickly got out of the car and into the building, trying to ignore the comments from the men outside. She spotted the bar . The bartender walked over. "Can I help you?" "Yes - I received a phonecall about a friend of mine..... Mulder." The bartender looked relieved. "Oh good. You must be the Scully he talks so much about." "Talks so much about?" she murmured. "Excuse me?" asked the bartender Scully looked flustered. "Where is he?" she asked. "Over there." He said pointing to table near the back with a large group of very loud men . "What is going on over there?" she asked. "The usual" he shrugged "They come in here and drink a lot, talk some, sing off key ... things like that." 'Sing????" Scully asked with disbelief. "It's amazing some of things you see in here." he said with a smile. "Come on - I'll help you get your friend out to the car." The bartender walked out from behind the bar and headed towards the table. Scully hung back for a minute, watching the bartender weave his way through the tables and chairs, finally reaching his destination. She began to walk hesitantly towards the table. Upon reaching the table she began to hear bits of the different conversations. "..... so I said to the guy - Hey that's my ear man. Can you believe it?...." " ..... Phylis and Tim were kicked out of the hotel after Paul and Chris complained to hotel security...." ".... and this amazing collie helps this teen and his family raise sheep...." " .... and so Zoey admitted that she is not Nick's daughter...." ".... he has to be married three years before he gets any of the money...." This was undoubtedly strange. She scanned the table - Where was Mulder? She really wanted to leave as soon as she could... Now where was that man??? Wait a minute. Scully thought she heard his voice... she walked around towards the other side of the table. Scully could not believe the sight that met her eyes. Mulder, holding a salt shaker up to his mouth for a microphone - belting out the words to "She Blinded Me With Science". She had never seen him this way before. She quickly hurried over to him before he had a chance to further humiliate himself. She touched his shoulder. "Mulder, come on I think it's time for you to leave." Mulder turned to look at her " Ah.... Scudly, jus the person I wasned to see." "Come on Mulder." she said attempting to lift him out of his chair without much success. The bartender quickly hurried over to help. Mulder leaned on the bartender as Scully led the way to the car "Scudly?" Scully turned back to look at him. "Yes Mulder?" "Didn't you like my song?" She wasn't sure what to say. They had reached the car. She opened the passenger side and helped the bartender get Mulder inside the car. She closed the door and turned to the bartender. "How much did he have to drink?" " You know it's kinda funny. He only had 8 glasses ... I've never seen anyone get drunk off of..." Scully cut him off "8 glasses!!! You think it's 'kinda funny'?!? Why on earth did you let him drink that much? No wonder he's like this!! " she yelled angrily. "Hey wait a minute." the bartender said defensively "How was I supposed to know how he'd react to it - this is the first time I've ever seen anyone...." "I don't care if it's the first time!! You should think before allowing someone that much to drink." she spat out. Scully got into the car and slammed the door, jolting Mulder out of his drunken slumber. She turned and looked at him "Go back to sleep Mulder, you'll be home soon." Scully backed out of the parking lot and began the drive to Mulder's apartment. She let her mind wonder as she drove not wanting to risk the chance of waking Mulder with the radio. What had caused him to go to a bar? She knew that he very rarely drank. Actually she had never seen him drink, let alone drunk. Did he have something on his mind? If he did - why didn't he tell her about it? She was worried about him. Scully looked over at the sleeping form across from her. He looked so innocent. She knew he must have something that was troubling him. Would he ever tell her? ....................................... Mulder's Apartment 2: 08 AM Scully pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building and shut off the engine. She touched Mulder's shoulder. "Mulder - time to wake up." Mulder opened his eyes and looked at her " Wha are you doing her Scully?" He looked out the window at the building "Where are we?" She got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door. She struggled to lift Mulder to his feet "You're home Mulder. Let's get you inside so you can get some sleep okay?" ............................... Inside Mulder's Apartment 2: 10 AM Scully struggled to unlock the door to Mulder's apartment while helping Mulder to keep his balance. "Finally!" she thought with some satisfaction when she found the right key to open his door. "Okay Mulder, here we go." she said as she struggled to push open the door, get inside and then struggle to close the door again. "Whew Mulder, this is the last time I do this." Mulder mumbled something incoherent and half stumbled to the couch. Scully quickly followed behind him, wary that he might fall and hurt himself. "Of course, he might really hurt *me* if he fell backwards." she thought to herself. Luckily he made it over to the couch without any major mishaps. Scully sighed gratefully. Well, since Mulder seemed to be fine for the time being, she might as well go home, and see what little sleep she could catch up on before work. Mulder shuddered on the couch, and only then did Scully noticed just *how* cold it was inside the apartment. How could he possibly live in here and keep it so cold? She looked around for something to cover him with. She found nothing in the living room. Where else could she look? She walked down the hall and opened a door. The bathroom. No, she certainly wouldn't find any blankets in there, of course knowing Mulder, she just *might* find one in there. Where else could she find one? She continued down the hall and opened another door and peered inside his bedroom. She was taken back for a moment. Mulder had a bed??? She then noticed the quilt lying at the foot of the bed. "Well at least that was something I could use." she thought as she quickly grabbed it and closed the door and headed back towards the living room. "Well Mulder, I managed to find you a quilt, and since I can't seem to find your thermostat - this will just have to do." she said as she unfolded the quilt. She walked over and laid it on top of Mulder's sleeping form. Mulder mumbled something and snuggled underneath the quilt. Scully smiled. He looked so innocent while he was asleep. She noticed a lock of hair fall across his face. She leant over and carefully brushed it off of his face, only just as she was ready to stand back up, Mulder grabbed a hold of her hand. Scully gasped in surprise and struggled to remove her hand out of his grasp. No luck. "How am I going to get out of this one?" she wondered to herself. She tired once more to remove her hand. "Please let go Mulder." she begged silently. Mulder shifted and opened his eyes. "Scully?" Scully smiled nervously and tucked a piece of hair behind her ears. "Hi Mulder." Mulder smiled sleepily "And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" "I was just checking up on you." Mulder reached over and stroked her cheek. " I guess dreams do come true." he said with a yawn and closed his eyes again. He shifted once more and let her hand fall out of his grasp. Scully sighed and stood up shakily. She needed to go out and clear her mind. She quickly left the apartment and got into her car and began driving. She was soon surprised to find herself back at the same bar she has earlier 'rescued' Mulder from. "Well what the heck." she thought. She was never one for drinking, but in this case she felt as though she really needed one. She quickly made her way inside the pub and walked over to the bar. The bartender noticed her and walked over. " Here to pick up any more of your friends?" he asked with a small laugh. "No, I could use a drink though." "What will it be?" he asked. She glanced over at the rows of bottles. What did she want? She finally spotted a bottle filled with a bubbly amber-colored liquid. "I'll have a glass of that." she said pointing to the bottle. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes I'm sure." she said, growing rather annoyed with the look that he was giving her. "All right then." he said with a sigh and filled up a glass. ............................ Mulder's Apartment 7:30am Mulder groaned. What he wouldn't give to get rid of the ringing in his head. He opened his eyes and realized that the ringing was coming from his cell phone lying on the coffee table. He threw off the quilt and scrambled to grab the phone. "Hello?" he mumbled. "Agent Mulder?" "Yes. Who is this?" A laughed sounded over the line. " I guess you don't remember where you were last night do you?" Mulder was confused to say the least. "What does it matter where I was last night?" Mulder demanded while trying to recall the events of last night. "Well, let's just say your partner needs a ride home." "My partner??? Scully??" "That's the one. Unless you have more than one partner." "Cut the crap!" Mulder yelled angrily. "Hey, chill out." " I will 'chill out' *when* you tell me where Scully is." Mulder hastily grabbed a pen and paper and copied the directions to where Scully was. .................... 7:45 am Mulder pulled up infront of the dingy pub. What the heck was Scully doing in a place like this? And why did he have a sudden case of De ja vu? Mulder quickly shut of the engine and got out of the car and hurried up to the entrance of the pub. He walked inside and found the bartender. "Ah the infamous Agent Mulder returns to scene of the crime." the bartender said with a grin. Mulder resisted all of his urges to deck the guy right then and there. "Cut the crap and tell me where she is." The bartender pointed over to the dancefloor. Mulder quickly hurried over and reeled back in shock at what he saw. Scully was dancing, no swaying was more the accurate description, very closely with some biker guy. "Scully - what are you doing here??" he demanded angrily. "Oh Hi Mulder. This is Rocko." "Rocko?!? Look Scully, I really think we need to get you home now." "You're no fun Mulder." Scully said and stuck out her lower lip and giggled. Mulder groaned and pulled Scully out of the grasp of Rocko. "Come on Scully." "I don't want to go Mulder." "Oh yes you do Scully." "Look, the lady said she doesn't want to go, so she doesn't go." Rocko suddenly said. "And who are you to decide that?" Mulder asked. "Who are YOU?" Rocko said and shoved Mulder backwards. "None of YOUR..." Mulder shoved Rocko and sent him tumbling to the floor. "...business." Mulder grabbed Scully and began to drag her out of the bar. "Come on Scully, I think you need to go home and take a nice long nap." ................................. Outside in the parking lot Mulder finally succeeded in getting Scully within the car. "Agent Mulder?" Mulder turned around and found himself facing the bartender once again. "What?" " I just wanted to make sure that you got her out here okay." "Just fine. Answer one question. How much did she have to drink in there?" "Oh I dont' know. 6 or 7 glasses I guess." "WHAT!?!" Mulder felt his temper rising. The bartender struck a defensive pose. " Hey, how the heck was I supposed to know she would get drunk off of..." Mulder cut him off. "Well what did you think would happen??" "Hey it's not my fault if she can't handle it." "Yeah - well guess what genius - it *is* your fault for letting her have that much to drink." Mulder shouted angrily and got inside the car and drove off. The bartender sighed and walked back inside the pub. .................. The bartender wiped off the counter of the bar. He sighed. "This had been one of 'those' days." he thought to himself. He turned and began dusting off the rows of bottles. He picked up the now empty bottle that had once contained the bubbly amber-colored liquid, and laughed. "Who would have thought Ginger Ale could have such a potent effect on people? They ought to put a warning on this stuff." he said with a smile. "Well one thing is for sure, unless those two sort out their feelings for one another, I'm going to have to buy ALOT more Ginger Ale." he thought to himself and smiled as he threw away the bottle. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Coments? Suggestions? Please send them to Thanks!!