From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 22:19:12 -0500 Subject: A Switch Has Been Flicked by Sunny1013 Source: direct Reply To: sunnyme1013@hotmail.com Title: A Switch Has Been Flicked 1/1 Author: Sunny1013 Rating: PG Category: MSR Archive: Anywhere as long as these headers stay attached. And please let me know. Thanks Spoilers: Rain King Summary: Scully POV. Scully ponder's over the events in Rain King while on the flight home from Kroner, Kansas. Disclaimer: I don't own any of them and am not making one red cent from them. Seated next to Mulder in a real airplane (finally), at a real airport on our way back home from Kroner Kansas, I sit here with my head resting on my seat back and think of all the outlandish places Mulder has drug me to. I come to the speedy conclusion that this is one that will most definitely stand out. A supposed rainmaker of all things... (sigh). If one more person mistook us for a couple, I was going to scream. I have to admit though, looking back on the whole experience I have to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. I think if there is one single thing I can think of in the future to cheer me up on a bad day, it will be to look back on this trip. "Scully?" Mulder asked raising the armrest in between us and leaning into my space. I turn my head towards him and look at him tiredly, the question of "what" on my face and wait for him to continue. "I bet you the weather will be absolutely perfect in Kroner Kansas from now on. Don't you agree?" "Mulder, you may believe that Holman Hart had something to do with the weather patterns, but you won't convince me of it." I don't feel like getting into a conversation about it right now, so I return my head to it's resting position and close my eyes. I know he won't let it go so easily though and he doesn't. "Scully, I can't believe you. After everything that happened while we were there, all the records we viewed of the weather patterns over the years. A cow fell through my hotel room ceiling for christ's sake. That massive thunderstorm happening at the reunion stopped suddenly just as soon as Holman and Sheila expressed their love for each other. In turn calming Holman's emotions, thus calming the storm. Scully, you saw it." "Mulder, you are talking about weather anomaly's which could all be explained by perfectly scientific means. You can't deny that." I am hoping this statement will frustrate him into being quiet so I can get some rest. It usually works. Usually. "Fine. It was all scientific Scully." And with that, he reached into the seat back pocket in front of him and yanked out a magazine. It worked. Subject closed (sigh). I can't help going over the trip in my mind as I rest. On first arriving, the Mayor mistook me for "the Mrs." That's a laugh in itself, like I would ever find myself married to Mulder of all people. Sure, he's my partner, my best friend and I will admit it, he is quite handsome. I sneak a quick peek at him and... yeah, he's pouting. He is also very caring, annoying, honest, exasperating, trustworthy, irritating and he can also be quite a hard ass when the need arises. But, married to him, I don't think so. I remember Sheila herding us through the television studio thinking we were some down on the farm couple who'd won one of their station's romantic get away trips. I smile to myself thinking of the Gunderson's and Mulder's comment to me, "Like looking into a mirror." I almost laughed out loud when he said that and it took some effort not to. I couldn't look at him for a couple of minutes after that, or he would certainly have had me bent over in a gutbusting gale of laughter. I had myself under control by the time we reached Holman's office, but I still avoided looking at Mulder. Darryl Moots is what I would call a smarmy human being. Only out for himself and what a completely ludicrous person to boot (ha ha), I laugh to myself silently at my unintentional pun. How he could have convinced anyone he could make rain is beyond me. If what Mulder believes is true (and though I would never admit it to him, he's usually right), I guess Darryl is going to have to find another field of work. I can't even begin to imagine what that might be. Mulder was so excited when we climbed back into our car soaking wet from the sudden rain burst at Darryl's absurd "rain dance". He was certain we had come upon an anomaly and he was raring to figure it out. I was merely pissed off because I was soaking wet. Needless to say, Mulder was not pleased with my apparent lack of enthusiasm. Then that night a cow fell through his hotel room roof. What are the chances of that. If a cow falling through a roof was going to happen to anyone, it would certainly have to be Mulder. When I heard the crash, I went running to Mulder's room (I certainly wasn't getting any sleep), to find him sprawled on the floor. By the time the emergency vehicles got there he was all worked up. "Scully, that cow had my name on it," he'd said. I checked him for head injury's (a secret pleasure of mine, touching him in any way). Did I just think that...? I sneak another peek at him and he is now bored with the magazine and is looking up the isle for something interesting. "Scully?" "Um hmm," I answer, pretending to be half asleep. "Do you think they are going to be bringing the food around soon?" "Probably," I answer with my eyes closed. "Man, I'm hungry." I reach down into my carry-on and produce a 1/2 bag of sunflower seeds. "Where'd you get those?" "From our room Mulder." He smiled at me taking them and I can see him thinking... (This must be the bag he'd started on while we were there, he must have forgot to pick those up when we left). "Thanks Scully, these should tide me over till the food comes." I smile at him and return my head to its resting place. "Don't leave those shells all over the place, I command him," and he makes no comment. My mind goes back to when Sheila was kissing Mulder in the hallway. (haaahaaaahaaa). God, Mulder was fighting for his life I think. She had a death grip on him like none other I have ever seen. And that red lipstick all over his mouth afterward...(haaaaahaaaa). The he'd tried to seriously draw my attention to the weather radar. When I reached for the handkerchief in his pocket to wipe off the offending stain on his mouth, he actually blushed (chuckle, chuckle). "What are you laughing at Scully?" "What? Oh nothing," I respond. I hadn't realized I'd laughed out loud and vowed to myself to stop this meandering with my mind. Oh, and that bit about giving dating advice to Holman (haaahaaaa). "Scully, what is so damned funny?" "Nothing Mulder, really." I chance a look at him and go into a fit of giggles. "What!" he admonishes. "Dating advice Mulder?" I can't keep the smile off my face. "What's wrong with that? I've dated." "Since when Mulder." "Well," he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "It's been awhile, but I haven't forgotten everything." Just then, the flight attendant chooses to ask us if we would prefer the chicken or fish. Mulder chooses chicken, I choose nothing. I will probably eat the salad he gets with his chicken dinner or the roll. It's our routine. He eats the meat and shares the vegetables with me. I get the salad, if there is one and he shares the roll with me Once we are finished with our dinner, I rest my head once again. I really do feel weary. I didn't sleep at all that first night, what with the banging of someone's shutters. Then the cow incident. Then I found out that Mulder and I were going to have to share a room. That was another time someone mistook us for a couple. The hotel manager told me, "I moved your boyfriends things into your room," I attempted to straighten her on the matter, but she really didn't care one way or the other. Mulder and I have in the past, out of necessity had to share a room before. However, in those instances it seems there was always a chair or couch comfortable enough for him to gallantly sleep in. No such luck this time. God, do I want to even want to go over this memory. My mind has a will of it's own and on the images come. I returned to "our" room happy in the knowledge that there was a flight at 10am the next morning. Mulder promptly began his commentary about his theory that Holman Hart was the one responsible for manufacturing the weather. That it was Holman's hidden emotions manifesting into the anomalous weather events. I was so weary by that time, I didn't have much fight in me, but I tried to give him my best argument. I'm afraid I was unable to give it much umph though. He continued on his tirade while I exited into the bathroom to get ready for (hopefully) a full nights sleep. He went into the bathroom after I came out and emerged a short time later in his boxers and a t-shirt. He has never been one to exhibit false modesty around me. I pretend to pay no attention, (but we all know that I do), and continued with my task of packing. When he climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to his waist turning the tv on with the remote, I raised an eyebrow at him. I'd assumed that Mulder would sleep in the ugly green folding chair in the room or that he would go for the floor. "Mulder?" I questioned. "Hey Scully, look at this. This guy actually wrestles alligators." "Mulder, wha..." actually, I didn't know what to say. He looked at me questioningly as I stood there gaping at him. He finally pretended to get the drift, not that he didn't know exactly what had me stammering from the start. "Listen Scully, I am not about to sleep on the floor of this room. I can only imagine the bugs that are crawling on it, and... that chair holds no passion for me either. This bed is big enough for the both of us and all I intend on doing is sleeping. So if it's okay with you, I would like to sleep in a bed tonight, without worrying about a cow falling from the sky. I promise I will be good. I'll stay on my side, you stay on yours." "Mulder... this is highly..." "Scully, what are you worried about. It's just a bed and it's just sleeping. I promise to stay on my side." I suppose I was too weary to argue at that point since I'd hardly had any sleep the night before. So I sighed in disgruntled surrender and climbed in on the opposite side of the bed. I curled up on my side facing away from him clutching the edge of the bed and prepared to sleep. "Will the tv bother you?" he asked. "No," I answered sleepily. "Can you turn the light out though?" Then the room fell into virtual darkness other than the flickering images of the tv. In just about no time I found myself drifting off. I woke up sometime in the night finding myself pressed into Mulder's side with my head using his shoulder as a pillow and my arm draped over his chest. The room seemed chilled, so I must have sought out his body heat for warmth in my sleep. I heard his soft snore's, thank goodness he was asleep. I don't think I could have handled the embarrassment of the situation if he were awake and had full knowledge that I was the one who crossed the line by drifting from my side of the bed. I slowly extricated myself from him and moved myself back to "my" edge of the bed. The next time I awoke to a completely different sensation. This time it was Mulder pressed into my back (on my side of the bed), his arm was wrapped around me, his nose pressed into my hair he had a leg draped over both of mine, effectively trapping me. I froze, wondering how I was going to get out of this one. I think I actually panicked for an instant at a loss of what to do. This position was so innocently intimate and so comfortable. The feeling of him cocooning my body with his felt... wonderful. I thought about waking him and asking him to get on his side of the bed, but finally decided to just relax and pretend to be asleep just in case he woke up and found where he was. No need to wake him and cause either of us any embarrassment. Soon, I found myself drifting off again. The next time I woke up I was alone in bed and heard Mulder in the bathroom apparently taking a shower. I got up to take my turn in the bathroom when he emerged clean, shaved and donned in his t- shirt and dress pants. If he woke up still wrapped around me, he gave no indication if it. He gave me a cheerful good morning and told me he was going to go talk to Holman and would I pick him up at the tv station. I warned him that we needed to get to the airport soon and he said he didn't need much time. Everything went to hell from there. First there was the fog, effectively grounding us, the episode with Darryl and Sheila (and Mulder) at the station, a big storm was brewing and dropping huge amounts of rain. We found ourselves attending the reunion on Mulder's insistence that we needed to find Holman and Sheila. Mulder was convinced that if Holman voiced his undying love to Sheila that the weather would go back to normal... Suddenly, I feel a hand gently tucking a strand of unruly hair behind my ear. Mulder must think I am asleep. He wouldn't touch me like that if I were awake. I remain still and can feel him looking at me. I wonder briefly how many times before he has touched me so tenderly while I was unawares. I feel his body heat close to me and will myself to keep still and not respond to his nearness. Then I feel him withdrawing back into his own space. I return to my thoughts...and remember standing in that bathroom telling Sheila that the best relationships being rooted in friendship and how one day you wake up and it seems a switch has been flicked and your friend is the only person you can imagine yourself with. (Wise words from a woman who's switch was flicked a long time ago and is to afraid to admit it). I ponder on this and know the truth in the advice I gave. I privately savor a sudden rush of feeling for the man, my partner, my friend sitting quietly next to me. Oh yeah, that switch was flicked a long time ago. I make and impulsive decision and lean over to rest my head on his shoulder and snuggle into him, still pretending to be asleep. I feel his head come down to rest gently on mine and I breath a contented sigh. The End... Author's Notes: I hope you liked my story. I thought I would do something other than Season 7 fic for a change of pace. I'm considering doing a Mulder POV as a counter story. I would like to know what you thought and feedback would be very welcome (sunnyme1013@hotmail.com).