DELIBERATIONS PART 2 By: Melynda Scarborough UgnTooms@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Category: Very Little MSR Keywords: Mulder/Scully/UST Spoilers: None, really that I can think of. Archive: Sure, why not? Summary: The sequel to Deliberations, this one from Scully's point of view Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Maggie Scully, and Bill Scully do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them from the creative genius that is Chris Carter. These characters belong to Mr. Carter, 1013 Productions, and FOX Broadcasting. No profit is being made by this story and no copyright infringement is intended, so please don't sue me because I don't have any money anyway! :) Author's Note: This is only my second fanfic attempt, and if you didn't like the first one, you probably won't like this one. But, that doesn't mean you can't read it anyway, you know, just to be nice. I want to thank all of my friends for not accosting me about my story subjects and for not making fun of me when I finally permitted them to read them. So, in other words, this is for Thea, Kerri, Lori, Derrick, Mike, Sarah, David, Sam, William, and especially Michael. Who said he liked my writing, but I'm still not so sure. Thanks ;) *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "The ability and determination to search for the furthest truth lies within us all, but only a certain few actually have the courage to go and search for it. Those are the ones most critized and most strong." --Me ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ DELIBERATIONS 2 By: Melynda Scarborough The traffic through DC was horrible at this time in the morning and she really should have known better than to leave so late. Sure, Georgetown isn't that far from the metro-DC area, but the construction in the area slowed, and everyone around her, to a gradual halt. Agent Dana Scully silently cursed the traffic and started to impatiently tap on the steering wheel. "I'm going to hear it from Mulder when I get there...if I make it." She grumbled and she clicked on the radio station. "It's 8:45 in the a.m. and if your stuck in traffic right now, your probably not going anywhere for awhile." The annoying-voiced DJ announced. "No shit." Scully growled as she click to another station. Finally, the traffic started to move, just as the radio station started in on traffic jokes of their own. Scully sped off the highway and slowed again once she reached Pennsylvania Avenue. "I'm almost there." She breathed, thankful to be almost out of her private hell. Agent Scully parked her car in the parking garage below the J. Edgar Hoover Building and started her voyage to Mulder's--no, wait, it was her office too. Passing through the usual routine security checks, she made her way down to the basement of the large building. She burst through the door. "Traffic. It's hell out there." The dark haired man sitting behind the desk in the corner of the room only nodded. "Why are you so cheerful?" She asked sincerely. "I just found out who was running the Gulley case." "That's the case you profiled about a month ago, isn't it?" "Yeah, the S.A.C just decided that I might know what I'm talking about." "Well, who is it?" "Jeremy Florence." "Florence? I thought that they had kicked him out awhile ago." "No such luck." Mulder groaned. "So...who'd he send to get your notes? I know that's one of the things bothering you." "Colin Gray. If there's an FBI agent more eager to get out in the world and shoot at people, I have never met him." She shifted quietly and listened as Mulder described the young agents' ability to piss him off. "Mulder? Why do you even bother working for the FBI? You knew that you'd have to work with people, but you seem to hate everyone. What would you do if they tried to separate us again?" "I'd quit." He said bluntly. Scully only stared at him with her most skeptical look. That's so sweet, she thought, stupid-but sweet. "You can't be serious Mulder. You'd give up everything?" Mulder didn't respond. She shifted again, uneasily, and then decided to change the subject before she freaked Mulder out of talking at all. "So...anything new today?" She asked as enthusiastically as she could. "Nope. Nothing new today. We have to go upstairs and give Skinner that narrative, remember?" "Oh, yeah...the alien thing. I remember now." "Scully, please. That was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life and I apolygize that you were there to witness it." She smiled. That alien thing was kinda funny, but she's seen him in more embarrassing situations than that. So what, so he chased a few cows around a small town in Kansas. It wasn't his fault that the farmer had spiked the water they had drank...but it was pretty funny. She had been thinking about what he had said earlier and suddenly she said: "Mulder, I think I would too." "What?" He said, surprised out of his reverie. "Quit. If they tried to separate us again. These people couldn't have expected us to last so long together. They know how much we trust each other and I don't think I could go through that again. Besides, I don't think there's anyone I could trust more than you Mulder." He smiled weakly, but she was happy with any sort of response. "Then what would you do? If they separated us, I mean? We'd both be out of a job." "I'd probably go back to medicine. It's good to have something to fall back on." "Would you happen to need an assistant?" She tried not to laugh, but a slight giggle slipped passed her lips. Mulder smiled again, and slightly jumped when the phone rang. Scully sat back in her chair and watched him talk quietly over the phone. She admired that man...no, she loved that man. Their's was the one relationship that had proven to her that you could actually love someone without sex. When Mulder slammed down the phone, she jumped back into reality. "That was Skinner," He said. I figured that, she thought. "He wants to do this the boring way. No one seems to have much to do so he wants you to go up first." Damn, she thought. She got up and started to gather the necessary things. "Don't say anything I wouldn't say." Mulder said, smiling after her. She smiled smugly. Dana Scully started her ascent up to Assistant Director Skinner's office. She and Mulder had been called up there so many times she could probably make the trip with her eyes closed. She had a worried feeling in her stomach. She didn't like to report on cases without Mulder there. She didn't like to talk behind his back, although she had always written those reports... She walked swiftly through the halls, passing an occasional familiar face. They always seemed to look down on her with pity because she had been teamed with Mulder, but she was glad things had turned out that way and if anyone of those agents dared to say anything about him in her presence, she'd beat the shit out of them. Finally, she arrived at the A.D.'s office. The usual secretary wasn't there. Instead, there was a older woman with brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. When Scully arrived, her smiled thoughtfully and Scully smiled back. "Are you Dana Scully?" She asked in a soft voice. "Yes. Assistant Director Skinner called me up." "Yes, of course, he'll only be a moment. I'll let him know that your here." Scully nodded. Shortly after, Skinner appeared in the doorway and invited the petite agent inside. "Have a seat Agent Scully." Scully took her usual seat and looked at the chair where Mulder would have sat. "What's going on with this case Agent Scully? Both yours and Agent Mulder's reports are--well, odd." Scully nodded. "Agent Mulder was following a lead on a 'multiple abductee' and when we arrived in the area, she was no where to be found. We stayed about two days to help to search for her, which I realize wasn't part of the case, but I convinced Mulder that we should help. They found the girl 14 miles out of town in a ditch." "Dead?" "No, sir. She was still alive, but severely disoriented. Eventually, after studying her charts, I realized that she had been drugged. Probably abducted too, just not by aliens. It turns out that a farmer by the name of Alec Turipes was drugging certain people's drinking supply. Including that of Agent Mulder and myself." "And that's the explanation for the cow thing?" Scully tried to hide a smile when she realized that Skinner didn't find it as amusing as she did. "Yes, sir." Skinner nodded. "And how is Agent Mulder now?" "Oh, he's fine now sir." Scully said smiling. Skinner started to rise out of his seat, which was a clue to Scully that her narrative was all ready over. She rose and started to leave. "Tell Agent Mulder that I won't need to see him until tomorrow." "Yes, sir." She said as she started to leave. She walked out of Skinner's office and passed the his assistant's desk without even acknowledging her farewell. She was actually, sort of dazed at the swiftness of Skinner's meeting. She started her descent into the bowels of the FBI Building. She was never one to fanatize about men, but her whole trip she was quietly thinking of some of Mulder's lousy jokes, smiling softly to herself. She imagined his smile and she was content. His smile could always make her feel better, but she couldn't ever tell him so. All his talk about them being spilt up again was starting to scare her until he cracked his joke. His dry sense of humor cheered her up. Finally, she arrived at the elevator that would take her back down to Mulder, her best friend. If she could bring herself to think like him for just one moment, she would have thought soul-mate. She rode the elevator down and walked down the dark, empty hallway. The door to his office was still, slightly open. She pushed on it quietly to find Mulder sitting at his desk, quiet and dazed, laughing silently to himself. "What's so funny Mulder?" She asked, allowing her voice to disrupt his silence. "You're back all ready?" He asked, surprised. "Yeah, Skinner doesn't want to see you until tomorrow though. So, what was so funny?" "Nothing. I was just thinking." She smiled inside. "Oh." "What?" "I didn't say anything." She said, smiling. Mulder smiled back to her, she was wondering what he was thinking about. She had little hope that he was thinking about her, but there was always that small possibility. She decided not to ask. She looked at him again, just to see that smiled that she loved to see and she sat back in her chair once again, fully content with everything she had suffered through to be sitting across from someone she loved so completely. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* El Fine So...comments? questions? death threats? Send them all. All are welcome, just as long as I get mail! Send them to: UgnTooms@aol.com