After The Deal  5/5
By Raine
rain@isomedia.com
Rating: PG 
Category: SAR
Spoilers: Ascension, Momento Mori, Gethsemane
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"Dr. Scully?" The woman in white walked around for a 
moment before returning to the main desk area.  The 
receptionist answered her.

"She in examining room three.  Oh, are those for her?  
They're gorgeous. My god, how many are there?"

"I don't know, at least a dozen."  As the receptionist and 
another medical examiner were admiring the yellow roses, 
Dana came out.  It was hard to miss the huge mass of 
flowers, so she walked over, peeling off her gloves and 
smiling.

"Wow, someone has an admirer.  Did you and your 
husband have a fight, Marsha?" 

The women looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" Dana looked genuinely puzzled.  Her frown 
deepened at the laughter that followed.

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Dana Scully walked into the dimly lit restaurant.  It was a 
hallmark of her loneliness and craving for non-work-related 
conversation that she was here at all.  Looking around at 
the dull gleam of the surroundings and the hushed, silent 
service, she revised her earlier opinion slightly.  If she were 
to have a blind date, at least it was someone with taste.

She sighed as the chair was pushed back underneath her.  It 
was probably some stranger who'd seen her and thought all 
this would impress her. Internally, she braced herself for an 
evening of letting someone down gently.  The thought 
almost made her bolt.  No.  Dana Scully would not run off 
like some coward.  If she were going to move on with her 
life, taking chances was part of the package.  

Although she fervently hoped the attention was coming 
from some source other than her work, she knew that's 
what it had to be.  All she really ever did was go to work 
and come home.  Who else would know where the she 
worked, know her name?  She drew a blank. 

The slim redhead in the played with the hemline of her 
black dress nervously as a man walked up.  She couldn't 
decide if it was too short, if she should have worn 
something more conservative.  It wasn't a new dress, she 
didn't expect to need to impress this guy, yet...When he 
didn't pass the table, she looked up to make eye contact.  
Her breathing stopped on the same beat as he said 
hesitantly, "Hello, Scully."

Frozen.  She was frozen in place, her mouth hanging 
slightly open in shock.  Her blue eyes snapped closed and 
back open to confirm the previous judgement.  Recovering, 
she managed, "Hello, Mulder.  How did you find me?"

Dana wanted to take back the words as soon as she heard 
them coming out of her mouth.  Mulder looked like he'd 
been slapped.  With an effort, he managed, "Nice to see 
you too, Scully."

"Dana, not Scully." Why was she being so abrasive? She 
longed to see him. As if in response, he appeared like 
something out of an old romance movie, wearing a suit and 
tie, looking gorgeous, and she attacked him. "Sorry, I um, 
you startled me.  I-It is nice to see you again, of course it is. 
Please sit down, Mulder."

"Fox, not Mulder." The wry twist of his lips was just as she 
remembered. The waiter came over and the man she used 
to know ordered a bottle of wine.  Dana shook her head in 
confusion.  This was all happening so fast.  Her mind 
needed information, and she had none to offer it.  Finally, 
she gave in to the pressure.

"Did you send me those roses?" Dana was about to add, 
'Mulder', to the end of the sentence but stopped herself, and 
she didn't feel comfortable with his presence, never mind 
calling him 'Fox'.

For the first time, he smiled.  He was apprehensive, but he 
liked the image of her getting the flowers that formed in his 
mind.  "Did you like them?" His sister had threatened to 
call a certain redhead and tell her everything she knew if 
Mulder didn't submit to her plans.

How she'd pried the information out of that closed mouthed 
dirty old man, Mulder would never know.  He did think he 
knew, however, what he was going to do with the 
gray-haired munchkin when he finally saw him in person, 
though.

Dana shrugged.  "I love them.  They're beautiful.  I'm just 
not sure why you sent them."

Mulder smiled easily in response.  This, he could handle.  
"I just found out you were in the area.  I don't know, it 
seemed like the thing to do." He shrugged slightly, an 
unconscious mirror of her action.  "I'm glad you enjoyed 
them."  

The server returned and poured them two glasses of wine.  
After a pause, they ordered.  Sipping their wine, they stared 
at each other.  Finally, Dana laughed nervously.  "This is 
strange."

"I agree." Mulder grinned.  "You still haven't called me by 
my name.  Is it uncomfortable?"

She hesitated and said it anyway.  "I tried to call you that 
before, when we were partners, and you wouldn't let me.  
Isn't it a little late now, Mulder?  I didn't think-"

Mulder's grin had slipped away.  He interrupted her.  "That 
was a long time ago, Dana.  Besides, as I recall, I wasn't the 
only one pushing for distance."  He regretted his words 
instantly.  This was all wrong, he should never let Sam talk 
him into this. 

Dana paled visibly.  It all came back to her in a rush, her 
deal with the smoking man, the possible consequences, the 
last night she'd seen Mulder before she left the FBI.  
Shaking, she pulled herself out of the low chair and rushed 
out of the restaurant after murmuring an apology to the 
stunned man across from her.

Mulder waited only a moment before throwing a bill on the 
table and rushing out after her.  She was outside opening a 
cab door.  Her coat was still clutched in one arm.  What 
had happened to make her leave so quickly? "Dana, wait! 
Please!" 

She hesitated just enough for the cab to pull away without 
her.  He came close enough to hear her cursing.  "Dana, 
what is it?  What did I do? Please." He was gripped in the 
fist of a fear that she knew everything, she knew he'd been 
in her apartment, she hated him for the sick bastard he was.

She stood frozen for a second, torn.  Finally, she said, her 
voice level and emotionless, "Okay.  You want to know so 
badly, Mulder?  I'll tell you.  I can't do this." Her hand 
moved in the space between them.  "What we had, our 
partnership, it's over, Mulder.  I think this is the wrong 
thing to do, it's dangerous." 

She stared at him, her eyes penetrating his, willing him to 
understand. Her cheeks were flushed, reddened from the 
cold.  Mulder longed to stroke her cheeks, to warm her 
numb pink flesh with his hands.  He did nothing, though, 
standing before her as she spoke.  "I can't handle seeing you 
anymore, Mulder.  I need to forget about that part of my 
life."

Another cab came to the edge of the curb, tires rolling 
through a pile of half-melted snow.  It stopped beside them.  
White flakes drifted down, illuminated individually 
underneath the overhead street lamp.  As Dana Scully 
opened the cab door and got in, he heard her say softly, 
"I'm sorry, Mulder.  Goodbye."  The cab door slammed 
shut, and in the cold, Fox Mulder watched as she was 
driven away.  Too late, his mouth worked, but his 
protestations remained frozen in his throat.

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-END-

Well, I like this one better, but I know a lot of people will 
disagree with me.  It just seemed more real somehow.  Yes, 
I am writing a sequel... Comments to: rain@isomedia.com