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Title: Late Night at the Hoover II: Lunch Author: fran58 fran58@wonderhorse.net Category: V
Rating: G
Feedback: Of course <g>
Distribution: Wherever - just let me know. Spoilers: Uh, first season
Disclaimer: Characters owned by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and 20th Century Fox.
Summary: Set early in the series. "She said she was having lunch with a friend."
This takes place after Late Night at the Hoover. (http://www.fran58.net/authorspgs/wonderhorse/stories.htm) You can probably understand this on its own, however.Author's Note: Thanks to addicted2fanfic and probe for the beta, Pacquin for suggestions, and to bcfan for proding.
Late Night at the Hoover II: Lunch
Scully began to gather her things for lunch. Mulder knew the signs. The little table that stood a short distance from his desk was littered with her papers. God forbid she would leave without putting them in neat stacks.
"Lunch plans?" he asked.
"Mmm. I'm meeting a friend."
Mulder rose. "It's not Colton again, is it?"
Scully stopped fussing with the papers in front of her and looked at him. "And what if it was?"
Mulder frowned. "Just that I would have thought that you'd have learned your lesson where Colton's concerned. He probably just wants to pick your brain again."
Scully half-smiled and focused on shutting off her laptop. "Tom has his own brain."
"Yeah," said Mulder "But yours is better."
"Was that a compliment? I should probably write this down." Scully looked up at him again. "Don't worry, I'm not meeting Tom."
"Then Dick? Harry?" Mulder walked around the desk. "You know, if you really wanted to impress him, you should have picked that blue skirt you used to wear."
Scully raised her eyebrows.
"Not that there's anything wrong with what you've got on now," Mulder backtracked.
"I'll remember to call you in the morning for fashion advice."
Scully bent over and dug in her briefcase and extracted a set of keys. "Besides, that skirt doesn't fit me any longer. I'll say one thing for Ethan, when we were together, he managed to work those extra pounds off." Catching Mulder's look of consternation, she blushed. "I didn't mean... it was just that we used to go running together in the mornings. I've been slacking off." She grabbed her coat. "Gotta go," she mumbled and was out the door.
XxXx
Mulder gazed at Nora and wondered if she would prefer to hear about Eugene Tooms or the Beast Woman from Jersey.
Probably neither. The inhabitants in the Bureau's Accounts Payable Department weren't known for their wild imaginations.
Mulder tried to remember what he used to find so interesting about Nora. She did like basketball, he remembered. That was a plus. She had played in college. She had an athlete's body. Long and lean, great legs... that was it. He had loved her legs.
Somehow they seemed to have lost some of their charm.
Mulder caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Scully. Scully at a table in the corner with Skinner's Deputy Assistant Director, Spencer Warren. Nora followed his gaze.
"That's you new partner, right?"
"Mmm."
"Already having lunch with Warren. She's a fast worker." Nora sipped her coffee.
"No."
Nora blinked. "No? No what?"
Mulder looked at her. "No, not a fast worker. She isn't like that."
Nora looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, I can only think of three reasons why she'd be eating lunch with him. She screw up at work lately?"
"Not that I know. And we've been working pretty closely. She said she was having lunch with a friend, but..." Mulder shook his head.
"Okay then. It's either a date, or a job offer." Nora put her cup down firmly. "Ready to go? I've got to get back."
Mulder felt a pang in his chest.
XxXx
When Scully didn't call him after lunch, as was her habit, Mulder went upstairs to the bullpen in search of her. He stood in front of her empty desk and stared until a voice heckled him.
"Hey, Mulder, staring at the desk isn't going to make Little Spooky suddenly appear. Poof!"
Little Spooky. Cute. Mulder turned to the other agent. Penski, if he remember right. "Has she been back at all this afternoon?"
Penski lifted a shoulder. "Haven't seen her. But then, I'm not her keeper."
A mellow voice came from behind Mulder. "She's usually back by 1:30 or so. Maybe she had a meeting today. I'll tell her you stopped by."
Mulder turned and smiled. "Thanks, Budwalla. I would appreciate that."
The afternoon hours ticked by slowly. Mulder went home without hearing from Scully.
XxXx
The knock was almost tentative.
"It's open."
Scully stepped into Mulder's office, a set of keys dangling from her fingers. Her laptop and briefcase bumped against one knee. "I wasn't sure you'd be in this early."
Mulder looked up as she deposited her things on the table. "Seems like we missed each other yesterday afternoon."
Scully concentrated on re-stacking a few stray files. "Yes. Sorry about that. I got caught up in something and had trouble getting away."
Mulder opened his mouth to ask if ?getting caught up' had been personal or job related, then stopped himself. None of his business, really. Instead he nodded and asked her if she had turned up any more information on the disappearance of Darlene Morris.
XxXx
Scully had been quiet all day. True, even at her most exuberant, she wasn't what Mulder would call loud. This quiet was different. As if she had toned herself down.
It disturbed him.
She cleared her throat in a way that made Mulder think she had bad news.
Super.
"Mulder..." Scully looked up from her laptop. She was at that table a few feet from his desk again. Her table.
"Yeah?"
She rose and walked to his desk slowly. "I may have done something..." she paused, flustered. "I told Deputy Assistant Director Warren..."
Mulder sighed impatiently. "Spit it out, Scully. How bad can it be?" Secretly, he thought it could be very bad.
"Sorry. I've been feeling guilty about his all day." She fingered the hem of her jacket. "He offered me a position with the VCU. They liked the work I did on the Tooms case."
"You did do a good job." Mulder forced himself to look pleased.
"Thanks."
A moment ticked by. "And?" His throat was dry.
Scully blew out a breath. "And I turned him down."
Mulder closed his eyes briefly. "What's so bad about that? Other than he probably thinks you're actually crazy enough to be down here with me now."
Scully dropped her gaze. "It's bad because they weren't just angling for me. They wanted you, too."
Mulder laughed. "If they wanted me in the VCU, why not just ask me? Why be so circumspect?"
Scully worried her lower lip. "Because they have asked you. And you made it clear that you wanted to stay here." She motioned stiffly around his office.
"I'm not following."
"And I'm not explaining well. I think," she looked at him. "I think that they thought if they could get me to transfer, that you might be persuaded to follow." She glanced at him again, cheeks pink.
The afternoon sun was just beginning to filter in through the meager windows that lined the top of the office walls. Mulder watched the sunlight play over the top of his partners head. Her lips were pursed. "Well," he said.
Scully turned pinker. "I'm not sure what they were thinking. I tried to explain that they had the wrong idea. Anyway, I said no."
Mulder nodded.
"And I'm sorry I didn't consult you first." She drew a long breath. "I'm not ready to give this job up, but I had no right to decide something that affects both of us on my own. It just seemed like the right thing at the time. It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that you might want to have a say."
He stood unmoving, letting this news sink in.
"Anyway, I gotta run," Scully mumbled, looking embarrassed. She quickly powered off the laptop and stowed it in its case. Looking back, she gave Mulder a tight lipped smile. "See you later."
Mulder snapped to attention. Scully was already by the elevators and he had to run the short distance to catch her. The doors were opening and he put one hand out to hold them open.
Still in the hall, Scully glanced away from the doors and back at him. "I'm really sorry, Mulder."
"No, Scully, it's okay." The doors bumped against his hand and he let them close. "You were right." He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Your instincts are good. You did exactly what you should have." He reached past her waist to punch the elevator's ?up' button again.
A small, relieved smile tugged at one corner of Scully's mouth. "Are you sure?"
"Of course." He turned to go, then hesitated. "You know, Scully, they might have been angling to get me into the VCU, but don't sell yourself short. You did good work. They would have taken you with or without me. They'd be fools not to."
Scully closed her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled fully, brilliantly. "Thanks. I'll see you then. Tomorrow." The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside.
Mulder stood in front of the closed doors for several moments., then laughed.
End
If you enjoyed this story, please feed the author.
Title: Late Night at the Hoover II: Lunch
Author: fran58
Details: 8k · G · Series · 01/04/06 · Email/Website
Gossamer Category(Keywords): Vignette [UST, Friendship]
Characters: Scully/Mulder
Pairings: Mulder/Scully
SPOILERS: First Season
SEQUEL TO: Late Night at the Hoover
SUMMARY: "She said she was having
lunch with a friend."
This takes place after Late Night at the Hoover.
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