From: sweetlifex@aol.com (Sweetlifex)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: "Later" (please read, debut fanfic)
Date: 20 Jun 1995 16:15:42 -0400


authour's foreword:
this story, if it is considered a story, takes place after episode "Soft
light". it is referring to when Mulder first met Scully's colleuge
Detective Kelly, in which the following lines of diolouge are exchanged:
[Kelly: I've heard a lot about you.
Mulder: (Glancing at Scully, leaning in...) We'll talk later.]
My story is basically what happens afterward, when Mulder discusses this
later, with Scully.
All characters are property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and
the Fox Broadcasting Network. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Later"
a *very* short story written by Dulce Vita: "SweetlifeX"
idea conception by: Lenora F. Radovcic
sweetlifex@aol.com
comments are encouraged and welcomed

FBI Headquarters
10:53pm

     Fox Mulder waits in his car outside the front of the building.
He looks at his watch, not impatiently, but axiously. *Where is she?*, he
thinks. Mulder did not often bring Dana Scully to and fro work, but he had
felt obligated to show signs of appretiation towards her, especially
lately, because he did truly appretiate her, so offering rides every now
and then couldn't hurt. 
     Scully looks out through the glass, locating the car, before
she gently pushes open the door. She had been pleasingly surprised he'd
offered to take her home the whole week, it was a sweet gesture. She keeps
her eyes locked with his as she walks toward the car. 
     "Hey," Scully says, with a half-forced, half-not, smile. It
was a long day and what she needed most now was to be home, relaxed. She
takes her hair down and shakes it free after having it pulled back all
day. Scully glances at him. He smiles.
     "Hi," He mumbles. Yeah, it was a long day. They were both
tired, but it was a different kind of tired that they didn't feel often.
The two were worn out, unable to make the intelligent conversation that
they constantly had going. Mulder starts the car.
     "How you doing?" Scully had interrupted his thoughts of her.
     "Um, I'm hanging in."
     "Good.Great." 
The ride seemes to take longer than usual.
     "Scully, I'm sorry about...you know."
     "No, what?"
     "You know...Kelly."
     "Ah, Kelly."
     "Yeah, well, I can tell that..."
     "Can you?"
Mulder shifts uncomfortablely.
     "Well, yeah."
     "I'm fine, Mulder. Really, I am."
     "Good, because-"
Scully puts her hand on his free arm.
     "I know. It's alright."
Mulder seems understands her understanding.
     "So what's this Kelly said with something about knowing all
about me?" He says, trying to lighten things up. He didn't mean to  land
on that particular topic, really, it was just the first thing that came
out of his mouth. He'd actually been thinking about it, that past week.
     "Oh, I don't know, it doesn't matter..."
     "Come on, tell me! Apparently, you talk about me, what did
you tell her?"
     She realizes she still has her hand on his arm and slyly
tries to slip it away. "It's nothing. I was just telling her how you can
be sometimes..."
     "Oh, and how is that?" He kids with her. 
She laughs. "I just told her how damn smart you can be," She pauses to see
his reaction, "On cases, you know."
     "Is that all?" 
     "Well, yes."
     He pretends to look hurt. "I thought you were going to say
that you told her what a great guy I am."
     She laughs even harder at him. "Is that so? Well, what makes
you think that I think you are so great ?"
     He looks at her seriously. "The way you look deep into my
eyes when you talk to me, searching inside my soul for the 'truth' that
we've been looking for, and I know that you believe that it is isn't out
there, that it's in here, between us."
     Scully stares at him.
     He quickly smiles. "Hey, I was just kidding."
     "Oh," She whispers. Scully looks away, out the window, at
her hands, anywhere but him. Everything is quiet for a few seconds.
     Mulder feels the tension and feels bad. Maybe it wasn't
very funny. The car comes to a stop at the light. He reaches over to her
face and tucks her hair behind her ear. 
     "Hey."
     Scully looks over at him and forces a smile. "You really
are a great guy, Mulder. It's exactly what I told Kelly."
     Mulder is taken aback by this and refrains from it
showing through. "Yeah?"
     "Yeah." She hesitates. "You're a good agent, Mulder. We 
go so well together and-"
     "I care about you."
     "-I think that...What?"
     "You mean a lot to me, Scully."
     "I know." She whispers and turns away.
The rest of the ride is silent until they arrive at the house. 
When Mulder turns to face her next, he saw quiet tears slipping down her
face. Mulder takes her hands in his. 
     "What's wrong, Scully?"
     "Mulder, I can't, I just can't..."
     "Can't what?"
     "Everything...everything's been happening and I can't
take this. I don't know, I just don't know if I can keep on doing this..."
     "Hey, it's okay. If I did, anything...."
     "It's not you. It's everything put togther." She still
has control and tries to keep her cool.
     "You know that...that we, I mean, us, our relationship
is everything to me. " He tries his best to help her out. "When you were
gone, Scully, when I thought I had lost you, I thought you were dead, and
I...I lost it."
     "Thank you. For everything." She looks at him, with a
look that said nothing but love and trust. For a moment she wonders 
exactly what she wanted out of him. She knew that she needed him, that
they needed each other, but how far did they need each other? Farther than
this? His concern was so deep that she could feel it. "I need you,
Mulder."
     He cups her face in his hands, and gives her a simple,
gentle kiss. It wasn't passionate, but that's not what either of them
needed then. It was a deep gesture of love. They loved each other, they
both knew it, but not willing to admit it. They needed each other at that
moment like no two people needed each other. They needed to be loved,
held, and caressed. They needed to be sure of each other. It was a simple
need.
     The kiss lingers on a few moments. They both pulled away
and glance at each other, in mild shock. 
     She smiles.
     He holds her hand.
     "You better go."
     "I better, yeah."
 Scully unlocks her door. Before opening it, she leans over and gives
Mulder a quick melting kiss on the cheek that seems to express every
thought in her body. She doesn't say anything and he understands
completely. 
     "Tommorro." She steps out of the car and lightly closes
the  door. It was a forgotten kiss, and both of them knew they would know
nothing of it tommorro.
     "Wait," Mulder stops her and she she turns to him. 
     "You okay, Scully?"
     "Yeah. I'm fine."
     
The end.     

     
technical