Title: Next Time (1/1)
Author: RocketMan >lebontrager@harding.edu<
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully do not belong to me. They are owned by CC,
1013, and FOX Network. No infringement is intended. No offense is meant
to be taken.
Rating: S, PG
Dedication: To Lori H. who inspired this, unbeknowst to her.

Next Time

She watched the clock and waited for the right moment, the exact time
when she knew he began to unwind, relax, put his feet on the desk and
unravel from the day.

The hours dragged by and she knew he had this certain schedule that he
automatically kept on the days when they were in the office. For a man
who claimed to be very messy and disorganized, he had a very distinct
routine and she could predict it at any given time.

At least, when they were in the office. In the field, on a case, she was
way far behind. His mind made so many innane jumps that a rational
thinker like herself couldn't possibly keep up.

He sighed: the first signal; his eyes closed briefly: the second sign.

And then he tilted back and propped his feet up on the desk, a case file
in his hands.

She licked her lips anxiously, feeling quite ridiculous because she was
so nervous about talking to Mulder.

"Mulder?"

"Yup?" he said, eyes glancing to her for a moment.

"I need to talk to you....okay?"

"Unh-huh." he murmured, brow furrowing as his mind began thinking on the
case he held. She could see the wheels spinning, the feet of his brain
taking a running start for one of those amazing leaps of intellect
again.

"Mulder."

"I'm here."

"No, you're not. Look at me." she said, growing disgusted with him
again.

He sighed and looked up, eyes clearly indicating that he had every
intention to continue thinking on the case and not her words.

"We need to talk about some things, Mulder. This is important." she
said, feeling as she spoke that a huge weight was being pressed harder
down on her shoulders.

He was not paying attention.

"Mulder!"

He gave her a sheepish frown and nodded. "Sorry. I'm listening, now."

She took a deep breath and said, "Mulder, I need to know what happened
while I was in the hospital."

His face closed down on her and the defenses were slammed into place.

"Why?"

"Because I keep getting these . . . warnings . . . I don't know who
sends them, but they all say that I need to find out what 'my partner'
is hiding from me . . ."

His face turned sort of white and she wished she hadn't brought it up,
but she needed to know what had happened. Whatever it was, it had
changed him completely. He didn't believe in anything anymore . . . not
even in them.

"Scully . . . nothing happened important that I haven't told you." he
said, knowing that in a way he was lying . . . but Samantha wasn't as
important to him anymore. He was cast adrift . . . lost in the tides of
the directionless. 

"Are you sure?" she said.

His face exploded with hurt and she knew that was a very wrong thing to
say.

"Don't you trust me?" he hissed.

Her face blanked.

The phone rang jarringly loud. He snorted and grabbed it, almost causing
the phone to fall to the floor.

"Mulder." he said tersely and listened for a few moments.

He hung up after jotting something down and he looked at her with an
apology written all over his face.

But he would never say he was sorry.

"Scully . . . I have to go see about this . . . We'll talk later, all
right?"

She sighed and slumped in the chair.

He came over and took her shoulder in one of his large hands. "Next
time, Scully. All right? Next time."

She watched him leave her, his shoulders shrugging into his coat, his
step more somber and heavy than usual.

She sighed and dipped her head into her hands, brushing away any sign of
the tears that threatened to spill over.

He was so dense sometimes . . . so incredibly hurtful . . . and he
didn't even mean to be, or even notice it.

She collected the day's paperwork and stuffed it in her briefcase, then
stood, taking deep breaths to quell the odd ache that had risen in her
heart.

"All right, Mulder. Next time. No problem." she said softly.

But the heavy hard feeling in her lungs choked the words and they came
out more twisted and sorrowful than she had meant.

Next time.

She always gave him a next time.


end
adios
RM