Hi! Fanfic Reading Person again! This morning in sunny California it was raining cats and dogs, and we lost power for an hour or so. And I was trying to read when this really absurd thought popped into my head: I wonder how Mulder and Scully are dealing with the power loss down in the basement? I mean, I could see just fine because it wasn't completely black outside, but there aren't any windows in the basement (I think), so the word blackout would be completely accurate. The fact that they're on the East Coast and it was only raining on the West really didn't register at the time. So I wrote this. If the style is really confusing, just say the word, and I'll see if I can maybe rewrite it - I mean, *I* get it, but then I wrote it. If I didn't get it, then we'd have a problem. I KNOW that there have been plenty of "Mulder and Scully get trapped by a blizzard" stories (I've read most of them), but I'm not sure if anyone's done this. Once again: if I'm not the first, sorry, and if I am the first, sorry again. Send me comments on this (to EPurSeMouve@goplay.com, if you will). I love comments. I respond to all of them personally. I jump up and down with joy when I get comments (my family can attest to this). When a trickle of praise for "The Night Before X-Mas" found it's way into my mailbox, I started spinning my little brother around the room (Eric is subject to most of my mood swings, I'm afraid). Oh, if you want to post this to ATXC, please do. More readers equal more comments, and I love comments (I'm getting repeditive). If you want to post "The Night Before X-Mas" also, I'd love it. PLEASE POST, in fact! Chris Carter, not I, owns everyone you recognize here. If I started running around claiming that I was CC and I was the brainchild behind our Dynamic Duo, people would think I'm even more insane than they already believe me to be. And that's a stretch. Sheesh - I need to stop writing intros longer than my stories. I just get a wee bit carried away, sometimes. This is to my parents, who will tell me in two minutes to get the heck out of their bedroom (which is the only room we have internet access in). I don't know what I'd do if they weren't nice enough to let me in at all - sulk, I guess. I love you two! Enjoy! ____________________________________________________________________________ ___ Blackout By EPurSeMouve (EPurSeMouve@goplay.com) It was just another ordinary Sunday in the basement when: "Hey! It's dark!" "Good call, Scully." "Why did the lights go off?" "It was raining pretty heavily this morning. Storm probably knocked the power out." "Great. Aren't there supposed to be emergency lights or something?" "Not in the basement. We aren't considered an essential department." "How flattering. What are we supposed to do? I can't see an inch in front of my face." "I don't know. Wait it out?" "Do we have a choice?" "Not really. Scully, what are you doing?" "Mulder, in the past three and a half years, we have used exactly 166 flashlights during the course of an investigation. I know - I fill out the requisition forms. The odds are very high that one of those 166 flashlights is somewhere easily accessible in this office." "I think I remember seeing one in one of the filing cabinets. Let me check....." "Mulder!" "What?" "I am not a filing cabinet!" "Oh. Sorry. Hey, here it is!" "Then turn it on." "I did." "Then why is it still dark?" "Um, I think the flashlight was filed under R." "R as in.." "Recharge?" "Mulder! What are we supposed to do?" "Calm down, Scully. We'll just find the door and get out of here." "Okay. Where is the door?" "I think it's over here..." "Mulder! I'm not the door, either!" "Oh. Sorry. Again." "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were doing that on purpose." "What was that, Scully? Couldn't hear you." "Nothing, Mulder. You find the door yet?" "It should be right here..." "Mulder! That's the desk!" "Oh, right." "For someone with a photographic memory, you sure are having a hard time remembering the layout of our office." "All right, Scully, YOU find the door." "It's right.....here." "Well, I'll be damned." "It's called a sense of direction. Comes in handy for navigating, locating cars in parking lots, and finding stuff in the dark." "You don't have to rub it in, Scully. Hey, it's dark out there, too!" "Brilliant, Mulder. It'd probably be a better idea if we just stayed in here. Safer, at least. I have a hard enough time finding my way out when the lights are on - we'd probably end up getting hopelessly lost." "So what do we do? Just wait it out?" "I guess." A few minutes pass. Then: "Mulder, I just thought of something." "What is it?" "That report we were working on..." "Yes?" "Let me clarify: that report we were working on with your laptop, which was plugged into the wall..." "You mean..." "The report which you, of course, were saving at regular intervals...." "Um, Scully, about that...." "You did save it, Mulder, didn't you?" "Um, maybe once..." "And when would that have been?" "Right after we typed in our names?" "Mulder! It was twenty pages long! It's all gone? The whole day of work?" "I think I remember most of it, if it's any consolation." "Mulder, if I could see you, I would hurt you." "Luckily, we're in the middle of a blackout." A few more minutes pass. Then: "Mulder, you don't thing they've forgotten about us?" "Not by accident." "They'll probably send someone down to get us out. Wouldn't they?" "As far as I can recall." "Has this ever happened before?" "No." "Great. Mulder, I'm really bored." "I know what would occupy some time..." "Mulder, no. We can't. We're in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, for crying out loud. It would be entirely inappropriate." "Just one.....bout, I promise. It'll be fun. You know you want to..." "Well, we are in the middle of a blackout. It's not like anyone will ever find out. Only for a few minutes, though." "Scully, you underestimate me. Come over here - I don't think I'd be able to find you." "Brace yourself, Mulder, for you're going down." "Bring it on, Scully...." Then, in unison: "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war." They scuffle for a few minutes. "Hey, Scully, watch it! You're going to tear off my hand!" "Mulder, you can't use your other arm. It's against the rules - you know that!" "Ha! Almost got you!" "Almost is right." "Scully, stop pulling my hand like that! You're throwing me off balance." "Which is the point. Hey, almost got you that time!" "As you said, almost is right. Hey, got you! One, two, three, four, I win the-" "Oh, no you don't!" A loud thump, a crash, and some muttered curses ensue. Then: "Scully, I can't feel my hand!" "Would you get off me, Mulder!" "Hey, we landed on my desk!" "I know. There's a mug digging into my back." "Be careful! That's my good mug!" "Let me get-" "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" "Light!" "AD Skinner!" "Sir, we can explain..." "Good to hear, Agent Mulder. In my office, two minutes." The door slams. "Hey, it's dark again!" "Mulder, you're not going to tell him that we fell on the desk during the course of a game of thumb war, are you?" "No, of course not. I'll figure something out." "Great. Here's the first challenge. Where's the door?" "I think it's over here..." "Mulder!" "Sorry, Scully. Hey, is that shirt silk?" "Polyester, Mulder. We all can't wear Armani." "You in Armani? That I'd like to see." "Upstairs, Mulder. Skinner awaits." The End BTW: This probably didn't make much sense if you've never heard of a thumb war. Basically, you and another person hold hands with your thumbs pointing up, 'facing' each other. Then you try to pin down the other person's thumb with your own. Sorry! ______________________________________________________________________ "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." -one of my keychains Proud founder of the PMNA (Pro-Mulder's-Nose Association) - Join today! On-hiatus (homework pending) fanficker Ringleader of the X-Phile Teens With Too Much Homework, Too Many Sports, Too Many Honors Classes, and Not Enough Time support group Co-Chief X-Phile of Los Altos High School Leader of the LAHS Extreme Possibilities Brigade (Mulder and Scully Relationshippers - UST Moment counters). Writer of Gargoyles/other crossovers Tactful Drooler/Worshipper of David Duchovny (Red Speedo Society forever!) And Offical 300 Wing Loony "I'm not weird - I'm gifted." -another one of my keychains Cool Quote of the Week: "Yeah, I like X-Files too. I only get to see it...." -Phone operator dude during Jeff Goldblum's second scene (in the cable company's HQ) during "Independence Day"