From: RebelX42@aol.com Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 22:55:44 EDT Subject: Movie Night by RebelX Source: direct Title: Movie Night Author: RebelX Email Address: RebelX42@aol.com Feedback: I understand it's hard to find the time sometimes, but if you have a chance, please. Rating: PG Category: ms friendship, humor Disclaimer: If you want to fight me for them, go ahead. In the words of the Great Fox Mulder, "Bring it on" Summary: A normal night for the duo Author's note: Spoilers, kinda, for the movie Conspiracy Theory XXXXXXXXXX Scully looked up from her laptop and looked over to per partner working diligently. He was searching his desk again for that one more pencil. On the surface of his desk stood what had to be the largest tower of pencils that Scully had even seen. That alone said a lot, regarding who her partner was. Mulder had already used every pencil that he could find in his desk, in Scully's desk, and been blacklisted from the supply room for the next three years. Frustrated that he could not find any more pencils, he slammed his drawer shut. Milliseconds after he set his drawer into motion, he realized his mistake. Scully watched in amusement as he managed to get his fingers in the path of the drawer, resulting in a choked back scream emerging. She tried desperately to keep from chuckling as the tower of pencils fell. Scully watched in silent amusement as the pencils scattered all over the desk and onto the floor, and Mulder nursed his injured fingers. Scully thought. She had been working all afternoon on the back pile of reports that always seemed to grow due to Mulder's "research". Instead of interrupting Mulder's construction project and subject herself to the endless amount of bullshit he managed to come up with, she sat quietly, waiting for him to make the inevitable fool of himself. Satisfied he had done a good job, she asked the question she knew he was waiting for. "Mulder, are you okay?" Scully said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. She told herself "I'd be better if you stopped laughing at me," Mulder retorted. Scully knew him so well, that she was expecting that answer. . She thought. "Can I help it that despite your vast knowledge on the most obscure topics and advanced degree from Oxford, you still managed to miss the class that covered common sense? It baffles my mind that you are able to profile these uncatchable criminals, when you can't manage to keep yourself out of trouble." "Okay, for that comment, you are getting the movie tonight." "I'm getting the movie? I'm the one who did all the work today!" Scully's voice gradually grew in volume as she released some of the stress that had managed to grow the past week. " I'm going home and getting in the bathtub and not getting out till 8 o'clock when I expect you to be waiting outside my door with Chinese and a movie. I want a nice evening, I know that you will manage to complain about any movie that I pick out, and I really don't want to hear it. It's your turn anyway." "Fine," Mulder replied, and sat back into his chair with a smile. "Fine? You've never given in that easily bef -- wait a second," Scully said realizing what sort of movies she might be forced to endure. "May I remind you that I will put in my resignation to Skinner if you bring anything with 'does' or 'greatest' in the title." Scully saw the smile on his face grow larger and he raised his eyebrows a bit. "And you better not be bringing "Clerks" or "Mall Rats" over. I swear those are they stupidest movies I've ever seen." "Come on Scully! Those movies are the best! And Kevin Smith has a new one coming out it's called -- " and he quickly saw the look on her face that said that she wouldn't hesitate shooting him again, and by the looks of it, she would be aiming a bit lower this time. Backpedaling to save what was left of his life, he quickly tried to salvage the evening. "As much as I want to see that new movie, that's not what I'm bringing over." Mulder said, with the shit- eating grin back on his face. "Well, what is it?" Scully asked, not able to control her curiosity, especially where her tenacious partner was concerned. "No, I'm not telling. If you want me to get the movie then it's going to be a surprise." "Fine." Scully said. " I'm going home. Remember: no pornos, no stupid movies, and not before 8 o'clock. I will have my weapon locked and loaded." She said before heading out the door. All Mulder could do was smile. Tonight was going to be so much fun, as long as she gave the movie a chance and didn't shoot him on the spot. XXXXXXXXXXX As Scully walked in the door to her apartment, she secured the deadbolts and then started heading towards her bedroom. As she made her way through her place, she left a trail, first leaving behind her coat and briefcase, then her shoes followed and her suit jacket. As she made a brief stop in her bedroom, her blouse, skirt, and pantyhose followed suit. She traded her underwear for her terrycloth robe and finally reached her goal. She turned the water on full blast and let some strawberry bath salts dissolve under the warm water. Going back into her bedroom, she grabbed the phone and her weapon. One too many people had taken advantage of her apartment. It was not going to happen again. She set the two items on the toilet within arms reach of the bathtub and switched the radio on to an easy listening station. She then set the alarm for 7:45 and sank into the warm bliss that awaited her. The first song wasn't even over before she lost reality to the unconscious. XXXXXXXXXX Mulder paced around his apartment and wondered what to do for the nest few hours. He had the movie, and oh, how he couldn't wait to see Scully's face when she saw what he had. It was too early to go get the food, and his fingers still ached from before, so that put basketball out. He'd already run seven miles this morning and didn't feel like anymore. Cursing his earlier actions again, Mulder strode angrily into the kitchen. Even though he knew his efforts would be in vain, he still went through and took inventory. Freezer -- an old bag of peas used as an ice pack and a package of ground beef permanently attached to the interior of the freezer. He quickly slammed the door unwilling to acknowledge his stupidity earlier by nursing the injury with the ice pack and moved on. Refrigerator -- a stick of butter, an empty milk carton, some cheese he knew was once yellow and a bag of salad Scully brought over so she would have something to eat at his place. Mulder then began rummaging through his cabinets. Not much there either but...yeah. Scully was always taking baths and saying how relaxing they were. He could use some of the dish soap that was collecting dust and try this bubble bath thing. There was nothing else to do, and he was sure that Scully was doing the same thing. It was somewhat comforting to know that even though they were apart that they would still be doing something together. He then walked through his apartment with a new purpose, strode into his bathroom, and started the water. He stripped down to his boxer briefs, added some lemon Joy, and grabbed his radio. Making sure the phone was nearby; he finished stripping and climbed into the mass of bubbles that had overtaken his tub. He gritted his teeth as he tried to slowly get himself adjusted to the scalding hot water. His apartment only got two kinds of water; hot or cold, nothing in between. On occasion, he utilized the hot water option -- darting in and out of the stream of water, but usually he just took a cold shower. It served to both wake him up and get rid of those annoying morning effects. After a few moments, he had adjusted fully to the water and started to stretch out, only to discover that his knees stuck out of the water like a couple of giant mountains. Mulder then tried propping his feet on the edge of the tub, but that only made the back of his knees ache. Fidgeting around in the tub for almost ten minutes, he finally gave up and let the water out of the tub. As he got out of the tub, he looked down and realized that with the amount of bubbles still covering his body, he could go outside and still be reasonably decent. After seriously considering the option of going to Scully like that, if only to see how far her eyes would bug out of her head, he quickly decided that he should only try and tempt death once tonight. He made a halfhearted attempt to dry off and then walked into his bedroom to get dressed. Mulder put on a clean pair of boxers and then a pair of well-worn jeans. Sure there were numerous stains of questionable origin on them, but they were broken in just right, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before they were permanently destroyed one way or another. He then put on his gray t-shirt. Even though Scully never said anything, he knew that it was her favorite shirt. She always seemed to find a way to get close to him when he had that t-shirt on. He then added a navy v-neck sweater. It was cool out, but he knew that once he reached the sauna that Scully called her home, he would shed it. He did not understand how she could keep it that hot all the time. Finally, he put some socks and a pair of running shoes on. He grabbed the video and made his way out the door. On his way out, he grabbed his cell phone and weapon. He was never sure how an evening with Scully would turn out. He checked his watch as he locked up and saw that it was only 6:30. Oh well, he thought. Traffic could be bad, and he walked down the hall. XXXXXXXXXX Scully stirred out of her sleep by a noise in her apartment. She sat up quickly and tried to pinpoint the location. As she was sliding her gun out of the holster, she happened to glance at the clock and saw that it was 7:30. Then she realized that the noise was coming from her kitchen. She muted her radio and listened some more. Who ever this person was, they were going through her kitchen cabinets. Were they looking for china? Well, she thought, they should have researched her more first. Wouldn't find any china or any silverware, which is what they were now doing, messing in her utensil drawer. Scully had a brief moment in her sleep lodged brain that said it almost seemed as if this person was making her dinner. Why would a person break into her house to make her dinner? That's when her brain caught up to her thoughts. Damn Mulder, she thought. I told him eight. I even threatened bodily harm. Is the man an idiot? A smile then appeared on her face and she decided to get even with Mulder. He deserved it for coming over early. Scully pulled on her robe and tied it. She then took the clip out of her gun and made sure the chamber was empty. After making sure there were no bullets in her gun, she crept out of her bathroom. Sliding down the hall, Mulder came into view in the kitchen. By the smell of it, he had brought Chicken and Broccoli, her favorite, and he was busy preparing the plates. As her was bent over the counter, serving the food, Scully ducked in and stood behind Mulder. Then holding the gun up to his head, she pulled back the hammer. The distinct noise caused Mulder to drop the fork and freeze. "You Jerk. I thought I told you not before 8 o'clock" Scully said. "Damn, Scully. You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing pulling your gun on me." "I told you I would have my gun and figured after my warning that you wouldn't be stupid enough to come over early, but once again you surprised me. Well, all I can say is I warned you" Scully said and then pulled the trigger. Mulder barely had time to wince before Scully started laughing. "What are you thinking!" he screeched. "What if your gun had gone off!" Scully was still laughing and then started to notice another smell. "I checked and made sure that it was empty. I'm not that dumb. Besides you would have deserved it." Mulder made a hurt face. "Well, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" "Tell you what?" "Why the hell you are early?" "I was afraid I was going to get caught in traffic," Mulder said. "I got home and decided to take a bath since you are always singing their praises," Mulder added sheepishly. "I hit bad traffic on the way home and wanted to make sure I was here on time. And Hin's was unusually fast tonight. Therefore, I got here a bit early. I certainly didn't think you would shoot me for it." "But why do you smell like lemon?" Scully asked after finally pinpointing the scent. "Mulder?" Scully asked, amusement thick in her voice, "You didn't use dish soap for bubble bath, did you?" By the way his face reddened, she knew she had figured him out. "Hey, that stuff bubbles well. You'd be surprised." Mulder defended. "You should try it sometime." Scully could tell that Mulder was trying to save face, and she just wasn't big enough to let this go that easily. "Well, at least I know what to get you for your next birthday. I can get you some apple bubble bath, and some peach, and maybe even a little raspberry. Then you can really smell like a fruit salad!" "I'll tell you what. You have exactly three seconds to get something more modest on before I prove that I am not a fruit" Scully then realized she was still dressed in only a towel. As Mulder made a threatening grab towards the tie of the robe, Scully skillfully darted away and made her way back to the bathroom, swinging her hips every step of the way. Mulder, remembering a line from a movie mumbled, "Baby, I hate to see you go but I love to watch you leave". He didn't mean to say it loud enough for Scully to hear it, but judging the increased swing, decided that she had. Scully loved to tease Mulder like this. It was the biggest reason that their partnership works so well. He was just tons of amusement. Scully went into her bedroom and traded the robe for a pair of burgundy scrub pants left over from med school. She then threw on some socks and pulled a white long-sleeved shirt. She then pulled the pins out of her hair and briefly ran a brush through. She grabbed her discarded clip and holster from the bathroom and took them out to the living room to put with the rest of her stuff. When she returned to the living room, she found two place settings on the coffee table, Chicken and broccoli on both, fried rice on his and white on hers. There were two bottles of Doc Otis next to the plates along with fortune cookies. Mulder was a great believer in the accuracy of the fortunes. She also noticed the large fleece blanket he had just bought for her was placed on the back of the couch. Scully sat down and waited for Mulder to join her. Just as she was cracking open to Doc's, he plopped down beside her. "Ready for this?" He asked. "Depends on the movie," Scully shot back, taking a swig. If she was going to have to endure one of Mulder's movies, she was damn sure that she would be under the influence during the duration of it. "Wanna guess what movie it is?" Mulder asked. "Wanna get shot again?" Scully countered "Fine, your no fun, you know that." Scully shot hit the look that always made his balls run towards his stomach to get away. He quickly pulled the movie out of the couch cushions and gave it to her. He then quickly glanced around trying to see where her weapon was in case he had to beat her to it. "Conspiracy Theory?!?! Mulder are you serious?" Scully asked as she read the box. "Hey! It has Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. You like both of them right?" Scully shot him the look again and gave the movie back to Mulder. After taking a nice long drink she said, "Sure, Whatever. If you think I'll like it, we'll watch it. Just remember: You may run faster than me, but I'm a better shot." Swallowing deeply, Mulder decided to hope that Scully would find the humor in the movie. He got up and without completely turning his back to her, put in the movie. It was set to start after the previews. He sat back down out of striking reach of Scully and started his food ritual. Scully watched in horror as he turned his chicken a dark shade of brown from soy sauce, and could swear that she felt her arteries hardening at the sight. Instead of another lecture, she just sat back on the couch with her own food and watched the movie. After a few minutes she had to chuckle. This guy was more paranoid than the Gunmen. She almost grabbed the remote to fast-forward to credits to see if the Gunmen were listed as sources for the movie. She was sure she had heard some of these before from them. Instead, she glanced over to Mulder to give him a knowing look, only to catch him stripping out of his sweater. His t-shirt just about came away with it. Scully thought. It just gives me another chance to see Mulder strip. Not that she didn't see it enough already, but most of the time, under less enjoyable circumstances. When she saw what he had underneath, she had to do a little happy dance. He wore the T-shirt! She had never felt a t-shirt that felt as soft and velvety as the gray t- shirt. Now, she thought, she would have to find a way to snuggle with him. And there was a blanket right there too. Oh, it's turning into a good night. As Mulder sat back after taking off the sweater, he caught Scully looking at him. He heard her chuckle before and was dying to know what she was thinking. Hopefully it wasn't her picturing what she would do to his corpse. He grabbed his own food and together they continued watching the movie XXXXXXXXXX As the movie credits rolled, Mulder tried to get some blood flowing to his legs again. Just as he had hoped, Scully had cuddled up with him after they finished eating. Never underestimate the powers of a full stomach, soft t-shirt, and a fuzzy blanket. Lucky for him, Scully seemed to enjoy the movie and he even saw her wipe some tears away at the end of the movie. Another successful evening, he thought. "So what did you think of the movie Scully?" Mulder asked eager to know if he was going to be getting a new partner. "You really like to walk the line don't you?" Scully asked as she stretched across his legs. "Give me a break! That was a good movie, despite the resemblance to my life, Scully. Seriously, did you like it?" "Yeah, Mulder. It was a good movie. But it had Mel Gibson in it, so it would be hard not to like it," Scully teased. "Well, just don't ever call me paranoid ever again. The gunmen are even sane compared to Gerry." "I'll give you that. I've only seen you with one copy of Catcher in the Rye. And as far as I know, you have yet to lock up your tapioca pudding. Then again, you never have any food in your apartment anyway. I'm not sure what you would do if you had any." Scully quickly ducked the pillow that came flying her way. At that invitation, she grabbed her own and knocked him half off the couch. "Ok," Mulder said. "That's war!" And went after her. He got in a good shot and almost apologized when he saw the look her face took, but before he could open his mouth, he had to dodge the hard cushion that was rocketed toward him. Mulder then made a move to chase her, but quickly found himself looking at her ceiling and hearing the most insane laughter. Scully had whirled on him and taken his legs out from under him. As he lay there still stunned, he heard the giggles move into the kitchen. He heard the refrigerator open, shut, and then saw her face entering his vision. "I'm sorry Mulder," Scully said trying to hold back her laughter, and offered him a hand. "I know how much you hate to be beat up by a girl." Mulder just smiled and took her hand. Just as she started to pull him up, he yanked backwards and brought her down on top of him. Scully let out a little yelp and the Mulder quickly found out what she had gotten out of the fridge. Scully let loose a torrent of whipped cream on his face. he thought. He wiped off a handful and rubbed it into her face. He then fought Scully for the can. He managed to pin her arms above her head with one hand, and pried the whipped cream out of her hands. He shook it briefly and made a nice mountain on top of Scully's hair. Both were now rolling around sounding like a couple of hyenas. "You know Scully," Mulder said between gasps, "your only missing one thing." Scully gave him a puzzled look and watched as Mulder went into her kitchen. He came back and with a flourish stuck a cherry on top of the mountain. As the both of them collapsed again with laughter, Mulder added, "Now who looks like the fruit salad?" Scully just grinned and flung a handful of whipped cream at him. Fini.