From: "Lindsay Smith" Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 14:14:03 -0400 Subject: What if? (1/1) by Lindsay Smith Title: What if? Author: Lindsay Smith E-mail: smithl26@pilot.msu.edu Rating: PG Category: SRH Spoilers: The End, Fight the Future Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance Summary: Feelings are finally revealled when Scully drags Mulder to a party. Archive: Anywhere, as long as my name stays with it. Authors note: This is only my 2nd attempt at fanfic, so feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy! Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner, and Margaret Scully all belong to Chris Carter and 1013. All other character came out of my imagination. Song lyrics curtosy of Bryan Adams. Dana Scully walked slowly towards the door of the office she shared with Fox Mulder. After the reopening of the X-Files, Skinner had assigned them a new office and was trying to help them begin to rebuild what they had lost in the fire. The new office was at the end of the second floor hallway. But, just like in the basement office, they didn't get many visitors. Scully put her hand on the door and paused when she heard the noise inside. "Oh...oh....yes!!" Slowly she opened the door and peered inside, a smile lighting up her features. Mulder sat in his chair, his back facing the door, feet propped up on the ledge in front of him. He had a pair of headphones over his ears. Scully closed the door quietly behind her and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The gesture startled him and he jumped back, leaning a little too far in his chair, losing his balance and falling over backwards. Scully laughed as he removed his headphones and looked up at her sheepishly. "Oh...hey Scully." "Working hard I see." She smiled and extended her hand to help him up. Once he was on his feet, he picked up his chair and brushed himself off. "Just catching the end of the basketball game." he paused "I thought you weren't coming in today." "I got an early flight and I thought I'd come in and catch up on a few things." "Oh." he carefully sat back down. "How was the wedding? I'll bet you made a beautiful bridesmaid." She blushed at his statement. "Well, I don't know about that....but my cousin sure did make a beautiful bride. The ceremony was wonderful." "Glad to hear it." "So...what have you been working on, besides concentrating on slam dunks?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. He smiled at her. "Nothing new." "Nothing?" She asked, suprised. "I've been gone for 4 days. I expected you to at least have had something up your sleeve. An abduction, a close encounter...." "Nope, nothing." he eyed her intently. "Scully, how can you possibly expect me to concentrate on work while you're out having a good time?" She rolled her eyes. "You call being hit on by a bunch of the grooms drunk buddies a good time?" "Aw...come on Scully. It couldn't have been that bad. Weren't you the least bit flattered?" "Mulder, those guys were so drunk they probably would've hit on you." "Really?" She sighed and walked over to the small pile of mail on the edge of her desk. "So, uh, Mulder....what are you doing next Friday?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the mail in front of her. "Well, I had considered doing my laundry. Why Scully? Are you asking me on a date?" He shot her his patented lopsided grin. She looked up from the mail and smiled. "It's just that, well, you know how highly my mom thinks of you..." He cocked his eyebrows. "Well, she does. And anyway...she kept asking me why I didn't bring you along to the wedding, as if she doesn't realize the two of us have separate lives..." "Maybe you have a life." he chuckled. "So what does this have to do with Friday?" "I'm getting to that. While we were sitting around at the reception people were asking me about work and my mother kept talking about you..." "Really?" he interrupted. "Yes. And as it turns out, a few of the guests live in this area since my cousin is originally from here. Anyway, they're having a get together next Friday and I sorta told them I'd bring you along." "Wow Scully, I'm flattered." He looked down at the pile of papers in front of him. "Unfortunately, I'm not the social type." "Oh, come on Mulder..." She began to whine. Mulder started to chuckle. "Relax Scully, I'm just kidding...I'd love to go." Her smile almost made his heart melt. "Great!" ------------------------------------------------------------------ The following Friday. Scully stopped just outside apartment 42 and knocked on the door. She tried the knob, finding it unlocked, and stepped just inside the door. "Mulder?" She called. "Be ready in a second Scully". he called from the bedroom. She walked over to the couch and had barely begun to sit down when Mulder came bounding out of the bedroom. "Ready?" She asked. "Yeah" he responded, grabbing his leather jacket off the rack. Scully took a moment to eye him over. He was dressed in a nice pair of *tight* jeans and a grey T-shirt, the black jacket he had just put on adding the perfect touch. His hair was still wet from his recent shower, brushed and styled perfectly. She could see that he was clean shaven and could smell the sweet scent of his aftershave. He placed his hand on the small of her back, knocking her out of her reverie. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the door. "Oh...yeah." she smiled, walking in front of him out the door. Now it was Mulder's turn to look at her. She looked perfect in her jeans and short sleeve green sweater, which accented her hair nicely. He was enticed by the delicate trail of perfume that filtered to his nose. Both of them were lost in their own little fantasy world and the ride to the party took place in comfortable silence. Mulder stood behind Scully as she rang the doorbell. A young woman who looked about Scully's age answered the door. "Dana, Hi! Glad you could make it!" she exclaimed, giving her a hug. "And you must be Mulder." she said, turning to him and extending her hand. "I'm Cathy." "Nice to meet you." he smiled, shaking her hand. She led them both in and took Mulder's jacket. They both stood there for a moment, surveying the room. There looked to be about 30 or so people mingling around. Scully spotted her mother talking to a group of 4 women and grabbed Mulder's arm to lead him over there. Maggie Scully spotted them as they made there way across the room. "Dana!" she exclaimed, giving her daughter a hug. "Hi mom." "Hello Fox." Mrs. Scully turned to him and smiled. She always called him by his first name. Mulder never bothered to correct her. "Nice to see you again Mrs. Scully." "So..." one of the women spoke up. "This is the infamous Fox Mulder we've heard so much about." Mulder turned to the 4 women standing there and shook each of their hands as introductions were made. They all engaged in some small chit chat when a man suddenly walked up to the group. He hugged one of the women and turned to Mulder. "Hi, I'm Julie's husband, Bill." "Fox Mulder" he said, extending his hand. "I'm Dana's friend." "Ah yes...I've heard about you." "Really....?" he asked, looking over at Scully, who simply shrugged. "Come on." Bill said, gesturing to a group of men across the room. "I'd like to introduce you to the guys." "Okay". he began to follow but stopped for a second to turn to Scully. "I'll catch up with you later." "Have a good time." she smiled. After the men were gone, all the women turned to Scully. "Oh my god Dana!" Karen exclaimed. "You get to work with *that*!" "What do you mean?" she laughed. "His mom wasn't kidding when she named him. He *is* a fox!" "Oh stop it!" Scully began to laugh harder. "I can see why your mom is so adamant about getting you two together." Scully turned to her mother. "Mom!" "You have to admit Dana, you two look perfect together." "We're *work* partners." she stated. "I'd like to be his partner." Karen said "But work would be the last thing on my mind." Scully rolled her eyes and the women all began to laugh and talk. In the back of her mind, Scully kept going over the previous conversation. She kept trying to push the question out of the back of her mind. "What if...?" She kept stealing glances at Mulder. He had a drink in his hand and a smile on his face as he joked with the other men. Scully noticed that a couple men were moving furniture around, clearing a large area in the middle of the room. "What are they doing?" she asked. "A makeshift dance floor." her mom smiled. Cathy moved over to the Stereo and put on a CD as some couples began to move to the new open space. A young man walked up to Scully and smiled. "May I have this dance?" he asked. "Sure." she smiled back as she took his arm and was led to the middle of the room. She noticed her friend Karen walk up to Mulder and lead him to the floor as well. They had just finished up the first dance when Mulder walked up to the man Scully was dancing with. "May I cut in?" he asked. "Sure thing." he said, smiling and stepping back as Mulder stepped closer to Scully, putting his arm around her. As the new song started, Scully wrapped her arms around Mulder's neck as he snaked his around her waist, settling his hands on her lower back. He looked down at her and smiled. "This must be my lucky night." "Why is that?" "Because I get to dance with the most beautiful girl at the party." Scully began to blush uncontrollably. She buried her face in his chest to try to hide it. Unknown to each other, the same question ran through both their minds, the same one that had been on Scully's mind only moments earlier. "What if...?" Meanwhile, Maggie Scully stood on the side of the room talking with Julie, Bill, Cathy, and Karen. They were all laughing and joking about relationships when Julie gestured toward Mulder and Scully. "Maggie, are you *sure* they're not a couple?" "No...Dana assures me they're just friends." "But look at them." Karen gestured. They all watched as Mulder leaned down to whisper something in Scully's ear and she laughed, a huge smile lighting up her features. "They *do* look perfect together." Maggie nodded. "I haven't seen Dana look this happy in a long time." "Why do you think they're denying their feelings? Is is so obvious that they feel for one another." "That's definately true. I've know Fox for more than 4 years now and I know he wouldn't hesitate for a second to protect her. He'd put his life on the line for her....In fact, he has before." The group looked at her in awe. They didn't know the intricate details of what had gone on with Mulder, Scully, and their pursuit of the X-Files, but Maggie did. Her daughter had confided much in her and she could read between the lines, she knew the truth....her daughter was in love with Fox Mulder. She turned back to the group. "The one thing I know for certain is that Fox and Dana share a dual passion, both for one another, and their work. They're so paranoid about what may happen to them professionally that they are afraid to take any steps personally." "That's ridiculous." Cathy stated. "Many couples carry on professional relationships. In fact, having all that sexual tension is probably no doubt hindering their work." "Cathy!" everyone burst out laughing. Mulder was really beginning to enjoy the feeling of having Scully in his arms. Maybe a little *too* much. Little did he know, she was having the same feelings about him. They were just finishing up a dance when they both took a moment to listen to the words. "Oh you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more I would fight for you - I'd lie for you Walk the wire for you - Ya I'd die for you Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you." It struck a chord with both of them as it pretty much summarized their relationship. Scully's breath caught in her throat as she felt Mulder's hand move up to stroke the back of her neck. She raised her head to look at him and raised her eyebrows in question. "Checking for bees." he smiled. Scully had an immediate flashback to that time in the hallway of Mulder's apartment building. Neither of them had brought it up since it happened. Now the whole incident was back on the surface as they stared deep into each other's eyes. Mulder saw her return his smile and moved closer to her. He brushed her lips hesitantly and when he felt no resistance he began to deepen the kiss. Scully moved even closer, running her right hand through his hair. She opened her mouth to him to admit his tounge as the kiss grew hotter. *Oh god* she thought. *I can't believe this is happening* *Oh god* he thought. *She is so sexy* They were both so lost in the moment that they seemed to forget that they were standing in a room full of people. "Holy Shit!" Julie suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone. She pointed to the middle of the room. Everyone's jaw dropped to the floor, except Maggies. She simply smiled and nodded her head in approval. They all stood staring as Mulder and Scully continued to explore each other's mouths. When Mulder and Scully finally broke apart they just stood there staring at each other, flushed and breathless. They both turned when they heard a small commotion towards the side of the room. Maggie, Julie, Cathy, Bill, and Karen all stood there with huge grins on their faces. Both Mulder and Scully blushed a beat red color as it dawned on them that their special moment was just witnessed as an exciting spectacle to everyone else. As a fast dance song was playing over the speakers they moved away from the middle of the floor, walking hand in hand, towards their friends. "Way to go Mulder!" Bill exclaimed, slapping him lightly on the shoulder when they walked up. Scully was immediately yanked away from Mulder as the 4 women pulled her to another area of the room for gossip time. When they were out of range of the men they all turned on her. "Damn Dana...how did *that* happen?" Karen asked. Scully, her mind still reeling, simply smiled and shrugged. "I thought you said you were just work partners." "Well, they are FBI" Cathy chimed in "Maybe she was performing a legitimate investigation. This got all 5 women laughing hysterically. "One minute we see you guys just dancing, and the next time we turn around you're giving him a tonsilectimy!" "Oh come on!" Scully laughed. "So..." Karen asked. "Who kissed who?" "We kissed each other." "You know what I mean....someone had to have made the first move." "Well...if you *must* know....he did." "And by the way you were going at him, I see you had no objections." "Knock it off!" Scully laughed again. "Shh..they're coming over here." All 5 of them cleared their throats and tried to act conservative. "Ladies." Bill acknowledged them. Mulder was now standing next to Scully. Everyone was staring at them and it was making him nervous. This was so new to him, to *them*. He suspected that Scully was nervous as well. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear and she nodded. Mulder started to head toward the door as she turned to the group. "We're going to go take a walk. We'll be back in a bit." "Take your time." Cathy giggled. Mulder had grabbed his jacket off the rack and was waiting for Scully at the end of the walkway. He was staring up at the night sky and waited for Scully to come up next to him before he turned to her and took her hand in his. He tried to swallow the lump that was obviously lodged in his throat. "Scully..." he paused. "Dana...remember what I told you that night at my apartment?" She nodded. "I meant everything I said. I *need* you. I know this is all happening so fast, back I can't keep this back any longer. Dana...I love you." "I need you too." she smiled, through the tears in her eyes. "I love you Fox." At that he scooped her up in his arms and gave her the biggest hug he could muster without crushing her. He slowly let her go and leaned down to brush her lips with his own. "You do know we're violating bureau policies?" she smiled. "Who cares? Have you ever honestly known me to follow the book?" "You got me there." He saw her shiver and took off his jacket. He gently reached his arms around her and placed it on her shoulders. 'Boy' she thought 'a girl sure could get used to this'. "It is such a beautiful night." he observed. "Having you here makes everything perfect." She smiled, embracing him once again. "Do you want to go back inside?" he asked. "Not just yet. I like it out here, just you and me." she took his hand in her own. "Let's go take that walk." They walked around, hand in hand, for the better part of an hour. They talked about everything from how this would effect work to how they should break the news to Skinner. They had considered not telling him, but they couldn't keep it a secret forever. They finally made their way back to the party and stopped just outside the door. "You know" Mulder said "If we turn and run now, we may be able to make it out of here without being spotted." Scully laughed. "As much as I would love to run away with you right now.." she paused. "I think we should at least make a guest appearance after being gone for nearly an hour." He leaned down close to her ear. "And after that?" She sent him a seductive smile. "We'll see." He giggled and kissed her quickly before opening the door. Scully took off Mulder's jacket and placed it on the rack. Mulder took her hand and led her into the room. "Hey" Karen greeted, seeing them walk in. "Look who's back." Scully smiled as she walked up to her, Mulder still gripping her hand. A lot of the guests had left, there were only about 14 people remaining. Karen and Cathy had been talking while others were either dancing or sitting around playing cards. The song ended about the same time as the hand of cards and a majority of the remaining guests decided to head off. Everyone said goodnight, leaving only Julie, Bill, Cathy, her husband John, Karen, Maggie, Mulder, and Scully. Cathy turned the music down while the men moved the furniture back into place. Cathy, Julie, and their husbands sat on the couch while Maggie and Karen grabbed the two chairs opposite it, leaving Mulder and Scully with the 'loveseat'. Once they were all settled Cathy jumped up to play hostess and took drink orders. Scully offered to help and the two of them made their way into the kitchen. Once they were gone, everyone seemed to focus their attention on Mulder. He had been expecting that to happen. "So..." Bill prodded. "It seems you and Dana have become quite the item." A goofy grin spread across Mulders face and he shrugged. "So I understand you guys have been working together for 5 years. What took you so long?" "I don't know" Mulder shrugged again. "I guess I was just afraid to risk our friendship and partnership." he paused, not sure if he should really admit what he said next. "And I was also afraid that she might reject me." This brought a small chuckle from Maggie. Mulder turned to her. "What?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips. "Fox, I don't know how you could say that. You know as well as I do that Dana has always loved you." Mulder began to blush and was really starting to hope that everyone would turn their attention off him. As if in answer to his plea, Cathy and Scully arrived with the drinks. Everyone settled back in, drinks in hand, and seeing how embarassed Mulder had gotten at their prodding, decided to change the subject. They were all soon laught and joking. Mulder and Scully began to feel more relaxed in this atmosphere. He leaned back on the seat, his drink in his right hand while his left arm draped around the back of the loveseat, his hand resting on Scully's shoulder. She inched her way closer to him, leaning her body against his, her right hand on his knee. After about 2 hours Scully began to yawn and Mulder used that as his cue. "Well, I suppose we should be heading off." Everyone else agreed that it was getting late and they all stood up to say their goodbyes. Scully hugged and kissed her mother, saying that she would call her soon. Then, to his suprise, Maggie leaned over and gave Mulder a hug as well. "Take good care of my baby." she whispered and smiled. Mulder smiled in return and nodded. Maggie knew her daughter was in good hands. Scully was so tired that she was nearly falling asleep on the way out to her car. Mulder was walking with his arm around her. As they reached the car Mulder took Scully over to the passengers side and took the keys from her. She looked at him questioningly. "You're tired. I'll drive you home." She didn't attempt to argue with him. She laid her head back on the headrest and was soon sleeping peacefully as Mulder started up the car and drove to her apartment. He stopped the car outside the building. Scully was still sleeping so he quietly exited the car and ran around to open up her side. He reached inside and unbuckled her seatbelt, gently lifting her out of the car. She stirred a little and groaned. "Shh.." he whispered, kissing her forehead. She rested her head against his shoulder and drifted back to sleep. He made his way to the elevator and up to her apartment with her cradled in his arms. He somehow managed to fish the keys out of his pocket and opened the door, pushing it shut behind him with his foot. He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. This stirred her and she slowly opened her eyes to focus on him. He was now at the foot of the bed, bending over to remove her shoes. He looked up and saw her deep blue eyes staring at him. He smiled and moved to her side. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "I was trying not to wake you." "It's okay." she said, then looked at her surroundings. "Did you carry me up here?" He smiled and nodded. Scully reached up and pulled his head down to her, giving him a soft kiss. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, caressing his cheek. "You're such a sweet man." He gave her a modest smile. "Well, I try." He brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. "You get some sleep. I'll take a cab home." "No." she said suddenly. "Stay Mulder." "Are you sure?" "Of course I'm sure." she almost laughed. "I can't believe you'd even have to ask that." His smile almost melted her heart, but was soon replaced with a look of worry. "We've waited so long....I don't want to rush this Scully." "We don't have to do anything....just hold me Mulder. I want to feel you here with me." "Okay." he smiled. He got up and went over to sit in the chair to remove his shoes while Scully grabbed some pajamas from her drawer and went into the bathroom. When she emerged she was wearing emerald green shorts with a matching short sleeve top. Mulder had shed his jeans and T-shirt and was left only in a pair of blue silk boxers. He was removing decorative pillows from the bed and pulling the covers back slightly. Scully walked over to the opposite side of the bed and they both slipped simultaneously under the covers. Mulder reached his arms out as she snuggled into his embrace. He kissed her softly before she laid her head against his chest. "I love you Mulder." "I love you too Scully." He kissed the top of her forehead and then closed his eyes, both of them falling into a deep sleep wrapped in each other's arms for the first of many nights to come. THE END ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I would never lie. I willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation." - Mulder, The X-Files