From: Laura Herold <76021.3043@CompuServe.COM>
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: NEW: Tuesday Night (1/1)
Date: 8 May 1996 02:56:49 GMT


"The X-Files" belongs to the folks at Fox. I am using the characters 
and backstory without permission. No infringement is intended.

Comments may be sent to 76021.3043@compuserve.com

Tuesday Night
by Laura Herold

X-Files office
6:42 pm

	Scully stood in the doorway and looked over at Mulder who 
was seated at his desk, hunched over a newspaper, staring 
intently at something. She walked in and picked up a file she 
needed to write her report.

	Mulder looked up. "Scully, take a look at this," he said, pointing
to the newspaper.

	Scully walked over to his desk and looked at the paper. His 
finger was on an advertisement for a science fiction movie. 
She wasn't sure what his point was. "Does this have to do with 
a case, Mulder?" she asked.

	Mulder leaned back in his chair and smiled. "This has to do 
with overpriced junk food, sticky floors, and uncomfortable 
seats," he said.

	Scully still didn't see what he was getting at. "What are you
talking about?" she asked.

	"The 7:25 show," Mulder said standing up. "But we have to go 
now: I don't want to miss the previews."

	"You want to go to a movie?" Scully said.

	"This one looks good," Mulder said. He met her gaze. "You don't 
have anything against the American cinema, do you, Scully?"

	Scully smiled. "Of course not," she said. "OK, what the hell. Let's
go."

--------------------

Twin Cinemas
7:15 pm

	Scully paid for the tickets while Mulder stood in line for 
popcorn and sodas. She almost couldn't believe that she was 
there with him doing something so... normal.

	She let him pick the seats, and he went in a row on the left, 
near the back of the almost empty theater. He walked all the way 
to the seat next to the wall. Scully sat down next to him. For a 
few minutes she just stared absently at the advertisements 
flashing on the screen and listened to Mulder munching on the 
popcorn. 

	It was strange for her to be there with him. It was almost 
like a date. Scully smiled to herself. She wondered what Mulder 
was thinking. "Mulder," she said softly. "What are we doing here?"

	He shrugged. "Seeing a movie," he said.

	"That's the only reason we're here?" Scully said.

	"Should there be another reason?" Mulder asked.

	Scully just looked back at the screen. The lights dimmed
and the previews began: a comedy, an action film, another science
fiction film. She didn't find any of them very intriguing. She looked
over at Mulder. He seemed to be absorbed in what was on the screen,
but after a second he looked at her. He offered her the popcorn, but
she just shook her head and looked back at the screen. She heard 
him set the popcorn container on the floor and slouch down in his 
seat. 

	The feature film began, and Scully tried to concentrate on it. It
had a ridiculous premise about people meeting aliens on another
planet. She wondered if Mulder believed this stuff like he did the 
crap he read in the tabloids.

	After an hour her thoughts started to wander. She thought 
about the report she should have been writing and other things 
she had to do around the apartment.

	She came back to the present when she felt warm skin touch 
her hand where it rested on her leg. She wasn't really surprised. 
Mulder laced his fingers with hers. She didn't look at him. She 
just continued looking at the screen.

	"Dana," Mulder whispered. 

	She looked at him but didn't say anything. She just squeezed 
his hand. Mulder smiled and looked back at the screen.

	Scully tried to remember the last time she had sat in a movie
theater holding hands with a guy. It must have been a hundred 
years ago. There was a certain charming innocence to it that 
gave her a warm, comfortable feeling.

	Back on the screen the good humans and aliens were in an
epic battle with the evil humans and aliens. There were a lot
of blasting guns, and whenever one of the aliens was hit green
blood would spurt out. Scully almost laughed, but somehow it
seemed a little too close to home. 

	Mulder leaned over to her. "Pretty realistic, huh?" he said
softly.

	"I can't believe I paid to see this," Scully whispered back.

	Mulder slipped his hand away from hers and picked up the
popcorn. Scully reached over and dug her hand into it. It was
covered in that slimy pseudobutter. Eight billion calories,
she thought as she stuffed some into her mouth. She took a
sip of the huge soda that was probably the small size. She
wondered how anyone could drink that much soda. At just
that moment she heard Mulder suck down that last drops of
his drink. She sighed.

	On the screen the hero was in a clinch with one of the 
female aliens. Scully looked at Mulder, who was intently
watching the scene, and wondered again why he had asked
her to go with him. "Fox," she whispered.

	Mulder looked at her and leaned over closely. "Do you think 
they're compatible?" he asked softly. Scully looked in his 
eyes, and he leaned closer until his lips touched hers, gently, 
chastely, briefly.

	"Do you want to go?" Scully asked.

	Mulder shook his head. "I don't want to miss the end," he said.

	Scully rolled her eyes to the ceiling and leaned back in
her chair. 

--------------------

9:34 pm

	They walked out into the warm night air. Scully felt good, at 
peace. It was a nice feeling to have. "Well, I guess..." she started.

	Mulder put his hand on her arm. "Walk with me," he said,
indicating the walkway that led along the strip of shops next
to the movie theater.

	Scully just nodded. For a minute or two they walked together
in silence.

	"What did you think of it?" Mulder asked.

	"It was ridiculous and illogical," Scully said.

	"The movie or the kiss?" Mulder said.

	The word "both" came into Scully's mind, but she didn't say it.
"The movie," she said.

	"You're supposed to suspend your disbelief, Scully," he said.
"It's just make believe."

	Scully smiled. "The movie or the kiss?" she said.

	Mulder looked at her silently and then looked away. They 
continued walking. "Thank you for coming," he said finally. 

	"I wasn't doing you a favor, Mulder," she said. "I wanted to
come."

	"Right," he said. "That was just your sort of thing."

	"Maybe not," she said. "But I did want to spend time with 
you... away from the X-Files."

	Mulder nodded. "Do you ever think about what it would be like
to be doing normal cases?" he said. "Do you ever wish that you
weren't stuck with the X-Files?"

	"I'm not stuck with anything, Mulder," Scully said. "And yes,
I have thought about it."

	"I've thought about it too," Mulder said. 

	Scully was a little surprised by that. "*You've* thought about
that?" she said.

	"Yeah," Mulder said. "Even I have have a desire for normalcy
sometimes."

	"What do you think you would be doing if the X-Files didn't
exist?" Scully asked.

	Mulder shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "But I probably 
wouldn't be here with you. And that means things would have 
been a hell of a lot worse then they are."

	"Thank you," Scully said.

	"You're welcome," Mulder said. They reached the end of the
walkway, and he stopped, turned, and faced her. "Scully," he 
said, "I just wanted you to know where I stand."

	She wasn't sure what to say. All that came out was, "OK."

	Mulder turned away. "We should be getting out of here," 
he said. "Skinner wants that report first thing in the 
morning."

	Scully put her hand on his arm, and he looked back at her. 
"What I mean is: I feel the same way," she said.

	Mulder stepped up to her and slid his arms around her. He 
lowered his face to hers, and their lips met, much more
passionately than before. Then he pulled her to him and 
held her tightly in his arms. Scully closed her eyes and held 
him just as tightly. 

	Finally, after a long, long time, Mulder sighed and pulled away.
He lightly brushed a few strands of hair away from Scully's face. 
"Time to go home, right?" he said. "Back to business as usual."

	"Business as unusual," Scully corrected gently.

	"Right," Mulder said.

	The two of them walked back toward the movie theater in
silence. They had driven there separately, so Mulder walked
Scully to her car. "See you tomorrow," he said, turning to go.

	"Fox," Scully said.

	Mulder turned back.

	"Let's do this again sometime," Scully said.

	Mulder smiled. "OK," he said softly. "Good night, Dana."

	"Good night," she said. She watched for a moment as he
headed off in the direction of his car. Then she got into her
car, started it, and turned on the radio. She flipped through 
a number of stations, passing various popular songs. She 
wasn't in the mood for any of those. When she found a
classical music station that was in the midst of a Mozart
symphony, she stopped. She turned the volume up and 
listened for a moment before pulling out of the parking
space and heading home.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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