With Just Words by Pamela O These are Chris Carter's characters run amuck. : ) They are wondering around my mind and all sorts of things happen to them. In this story, Mulder finds out that Scully has been seeing Pendrell socially (Hey! it could happen - read Along the Way if you don't believe me. : ) Anyway, good stuff ensues. It's rated PG for violence, language and sexual content. It's rated *R* for relationship content. Thank you Jennifer and Kaitlin for your help. Thank you Bruce "for all the truth you made me see." Enjoy it or not, but please let me know one way or the other. With Just Words "Hi, couldn't wait to see me or what?" Scully watched her partner's expensively suited back as he entered her apartment. "What did you do, oversleep? We said 6:00." He checked his watch. "It's 6:03 and you're not even dressed, Scully." he said, stating the obvious. Politely covering a yawn Scully said, "No, we agreed to meet at 7:00, Mulder, but come on in. I just put some water on for oatmeal--want some? There's coffee too." "We said 6:00. We wanted to get a jump on the traffic, remember?" They were driving to Richmond to talk to Senator Dobson. She had sensitive information she wanted to share and had requested they meet at her home. "But Mulder, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00. It's still rush hour traffic on a weekday? See how faulty your logic is, her tone of voice asked. "We said 7:00." They were in her kitchen, Scully was checking the status of the water to see if it was boiling yet. Mulder stood by her side. He thought to comment on the green silk robe she wore, and how it appeared that there was nothing on underneath it, but decided against it. It was something he could ponder privately. "Scully, it's already 73 degrees. Oatmeal is a winter breakfast? Don't you watch the commercials?" "Hmm. Well, you know me, bucking tradition is a hobby of mine. I take that as a "no" to my question--you don't want any, then?" "No, since you've got plenty of water boiling, go ahead and make me some while your at it." "Okay. You like cantaloupe. There's one in refrigerator. Slice it for us?" "I can do that. Half or all of it?" he asked, taking off his jacket and putting it on the back of one of the Windsor chairs. "Half for now, don't you think? We'll play it by ear." Mulder found himself smiling. Being here, preparing breakfast with Scully felt very comfortable and natural, especially since he usually opted for just coffee, and more often than not, he was all alone when he did. He even knew by now, three years into their friendship, which drawer held the utensils and which cabinet held the plates so he felt even more at home. "Good oatmeal. Not too watery, not wall paper paste either, perfect." he commented.They were seated at the round oak kitchen table. There were even real flowers as a center piece. "Mine is usually either one or the other. What's your secret?" "Come closer, " Scully said as she inclined her head toward him. "The walls have ears, you know. I read the directions on the box." she whispered. "Ooo, you really do buck convention. I'm scared of you!" They both laughed at their silliness. * * * "Oh gosh, I'd better hurry. It's 6:25." "Well, get going. I'll take care of the dishes." "Thanks. Just rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. I'll go jump in the shower." Mulder wiped off the table, having finished loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters and stove. He had to look a couple of places before he found the broom and the dust pan. After all, his mother had taught him how to do a thorough job of cleaning the kitchen. Just as he was about to continue reading the Washington Post article he'd started at home, there was a knock at the door. Checking to see who it was, he was very surprised, almost shocked to see Pendrell. "Pendrell?" "Mulder?" "Well, looks like we know who we are. Come in, why don't you?" "No, umm. Is Dana..I wanted to see Scully for a minute." His voice wavered in and out of voice timbres, in the way a very nervous person's voice tends to do. "Scully's taking a shower just now." Mulder said. Proud, for some reason, that he would possess that information and this "visiting colleague" did not. "Is there something I could help you with? Was she expecting you?" "No, she didn't know I'd be dropping by. Uh-hum." Pendrell cleared his throat and decided to stop acting like a wimp. "We were together last night and she mentioned the work you two were doing on the spider case. Here's some more information--just more background reading I thought would be helpful. She said she wasn't sure she'd be in the office today, you two are going to Richmond, right? Well, I just wanted to drop this off." He handed Mulder a thin book with photos of brown spiders on the cover. "Oh, yeah. That's not related to today's excursion. But, if nothing breaks with this spider thing, we'll probably be heading out to Arizona by the end of the week. Thanks, I'll see that she gets it, unless you want to wait. She should be done any second now." "No, I don't want to wait, thank you. Please just see that she gets it. See you at work." "Sure thing, Pendrell." He locked the door again. "Damn!" Shaking his head in disbelief he mumbled, "Is the partner always the last to know?" * * * Mulder settled into the oversized arm chair and began to peruse Pendrell's book.It contained various first hand experiences with brown spider bites. Reading about them in regular texts sounded so antiseptic. Actual accounts were pretty horrible experiences. He could learn a lot, if he could concentrate, but he couldn't. Scully and Pendrell! When, how, where, and why did *this* happen! Could he possibly be jumping to conclusions. No. He knew the answer to that one. His instincts told him he was not. Some very clear and disturbing visual images had taken over his thoughts when they were thankfully waylaid by the ringing of the phone. It rang a second time. Then a third, fourth, fifth time. Scully must be still indisposed and he knew from experience that her machine normally kicked on after the 4th ring. It rang a sixth, seventh, and eighth time. Her machine was apparently turned off, and, evidently, this caller had an important message. He went back into the kitchen to answer her phone. "Hello." "Hello, Mulder? Is that you? This is Assistant Director Skinner." "Hello sir. Did you want Scully?" "Yes, but you too. Senator Robin Dobson just contacted me. There's a family emergency and she won't be able to see you today. She wanted me to contact you personally." "I see." He turned to see Scully wearing blue pants, a pale pink blouse and a look that asked, 'who is it'? "Skinner." he mouthed. "Thank you, sir. Good bye." "What?" she asked, putting on her second earring. "Dobson canceled. Family emergency." "That's disappointing. Well, what's Plan B for the morning?" "I don't know. Pendrell dropped this off for you. " He handed her the book. "Sean," she said simply and smiled. "I don't think I've met a more thoughtful man." "It doesn't take a lot to please you, does it? I give you books and magazines and articles all the time. Don't I rate?" "Yeah, but we're partners, it's not same. We're sharing information because it helps us work together on a case. Sean gave this to me so there would be one less piece of information I'd have to locate. He's being kind. When you do it, you're being efficient. See the difference?" "When you explain it that way, it's pretty clear." He retreived his jacket. "Anyway, hasn't anyone ever told you it's the small things that matter?" "No, and frankly no one has ever had a need to." He put his jacket on and adjusted it with a detectable arrogance. "Oh, stop it." Scully said, amused by his adolescent posturing. "And while we are on the subject," he said, "Be careful not to compromise your immune system." "What! I cannot believe you said that!" Scully had gone ballistic in a matter of seconds. "Wait, let me sit down for the full lecture, I haven't heard this since my father died!" Livid, she stormed into the living room and sat on the couch. Mulder followed her, but didn't sit down. "Go ahead. Tell me about not compromising my immune system!!" Too agitated to sit, she bolted off the couch and got right in his face. "I need a life outside of us, what we do. What we do is together is great, I love just about all of it. And, the reason I love it is because I'm working with you. But, you have to understand, it's a job for me, not a way of life like it is for you." "It's not enough." She began to pace a stretch of three feet in front of where he stood, looking at him the whole time and letting her hands add another dimension to her heartfelt expression. "It's not enough unless you are totally consumed by it. I'm not. As strange as that may sound, I'm not. I don't know what's wrong with me," her voice broke with a insincere laugh. "I've been abducted and according to some, violated in unspeakable ways. My sister was murdered. I've seen things and experienced things that make no earthly sense but yet I still want a life separate from all this." She stopped pacing and stood still for emphasis. "How can I do that and you *can't*? Can you explain that to me? Can you lecture me about *that* instead of safe sex!!" "No. I can't explain it, Scully." He inhaled a long while, then slowly let it out. He put his hands on his hips and looked away, it would cost too much at this moment to look into her eyes. "It could have something to do with the fact that I have been finding my way with this thing for almost two-thirds of my life...I don't know. I'm just glad to be able to work with someone I respect as much as I do you. I'm sorry for that comment. I was completely out of line." Scully walked away from him. Her breathing was rapid, the adrenalin was still pumping and her thumping heartbeat actually caused her blouse to rise and fall as it too had a life of its own. She put her hands on her hips, looked out of her living room window, and waited for him to leave. "Say something else, because I'm not leaving it like this." He could read her body language perfectly. "What *is* there to say, Mulder?" "Say I'm forgiven. Say that while your body is with him, your mind is on the other side town with me, say that you'll see me later at work. Something." A small gasp actually escaped her lips, but she hoped he didn't hear it. "Mulder, we'll talk. I'll see you later at work," she said quickly. The tightening in her throat made further speaking impossible. She blinked back tears she was determined would not flow, but she knew she could not hold them in abeyance if she had to face him. Once again, he read her body language perfectly--he knew when not to push. She heard the door open and then close. She walked over to it and locked it. "Shit!" she exclaimed softly. The door represented the bearer she needed, the buffer that would give her time to think clearly. This was as close and as honest as two people could be with just words. It was as intimate and as physically wrenching as a night of sex. Not as pure on one level perhaps, but just as raw and maybe transcending to a higher love? Thoughts like this assailed her. Scully glanced at her watch. It was 7:11. Now that her heartbeat had returned to normal, she decided a second cup of coffee would do her good. Sean would be at work by now. She'd call him and thank him for the book. She wanted to talk to him before she talked to Mulder. She wanted to talk to him *about* Mulder. The End