Title: The long drive ahead
Author: TeaL
E-Mail: Talitha_1121@yahoo.com
Flames will be used to torch any documents, legal
or otherwise, that state Mulder and TFO were ever
married.
Distribution: If you want it it's yours, just don't
change anything and if you haven't archived anything
of mine before send me the addy where it's going ;)
Rating: G
Keywords: UST
Summary: Response to fic challenge; Scully's cancer is
leaked to the FBI, Mulder and Scully overhear fellow
colleagues discussing them.
Authors Note: I added a little something for the
JAG fans out there......lol
Dedicated to : Rach, Mer, Erin Blair, Claire, Holly, Nana,
jenn, Emily, Susie, Kimi and Mary...The best fic writers
I know! If jenn ever works out how to clone muses, can
I have yours?
THE LONG DRIVE AHEAD
by TeaL
Dana Scully entered the F.B.I building feeling like the new
girl in a large, strange high school. After the weekly check
up with the doctor currently monitoring her cancer had turned
up some unwanted and slightly unnerving results, she'd agreed
to take the rest of the day and the following day off.
Wednesday morning, having awoken feeling refreshed and ready
to work, she'd arrived back as early as possible.
Scully knew she'd already lost too much time because of this
disease.
It was stealing time away from her and she was determined not
to lose anymore.
She couldn't afford to.
Now, as she walked confidently down the hall, she could feel
the eyes of nameless agents on her.
Scully knew she had a reputation but it was still frightening
that so many agents knew who she was simply because of who
she was partnered with while she had no idea who most of them
were.
Dana Scully had taken two whole days off.
They probably thought she was dying....
she was.
Special Agent Catherine Mackenzie watched sadly as fellow
agent and old friend Dana Scully past her in the hall
without even a glance, without any indication she'd noticed
the agent who was standing mere inches away.
Agents Mackenzie and Scully has worked together briefly on
a straight forward case that hadn't required much thought
when Scully first joined the bureau.
Back then they'd both been young, green agents and had
accepted the no-brainer willingly. Both having a medical
background, they'd worked well together and soon formed
a strong friendship.
They quickly solved the case and proved themselves worthy
of the F.B.I, but with that recognition came reassignment
to different sections with new partners.
The last words they'd spoken to eachother back then was
a promise to keep in touch but it had proved difficult and
slowly they had drifted apart.
Yet they'd always managed a quick 'hi' or a fleeting smile
while rushing by eachother in the halls. Occasionally a
promise to do lunch sometime was murmured and although
neither followed it up it reassured them that the time
spent together as partners was not forgotten and the work
they did was still appreciated.
Now, after being so coldly ignored, Mackenzie wondered
if it was worth trying to keep the small, barely glowing
ember they called a friendship alive.
'Would Scully even notice if it died out?' Mackenzie
though angrily, 'Would she even care?'.
Realising she'd been standing, glaring down the hall
long after Scully had disappeared from view, Mackenzie
sighed and stepped into her office.
She greeted her partner of four years and sat down to
begin another day at work.
"Morning Scully", Mulder greeted his partner and best
friend when he finally arrived, late, in the basement
office, "I didn't expect to see you back today" he
added.
Scully glanced up at him from where she sat on the
opposite side of his desk.
Mulder caught the look.
"Okay, I *did* expect you back. I know you had enough
trouble staying away for as long as you did"
'Did you miss me as much as I missed you?', he added
silently.
The phone call from her out of the blue Tuesday afternoon
had confirmed even back then that she wouldn't be able
to stay away any longer. After jokingly telling her how
much he'd managed to get done without her he'd added
"So what can I help you with anyway Scully?" and had been
surprised by her "just checking in" reply. A reply
which Mulder translated to 'I'm bored and just needed
an excuse to hear your voice'
"Actually", Scully began, "I feel fine, believe me
if I didn't I wouldn't be here. I know I can beat this
Mulder, but I wont help anyone if I wear myself out
trying"
Mulder nodded, satisfied she was telling the truth
about her health and emotions for once, and placed the
file he'd been holding on the desk infront of her.
"Feel up to it?", he asked.
Scully raised an eyebrow at him and picked up the file.
"Skinner gave *us* a new case already?", she asked in
disbelief.
Narrowing her eyes at him she added "Or is this just
for you while I sit here alone doing background checks?"
"It's for the two of us to work on *together*. Skinner
trusts your judgment Scully, he trusts that if you
didn't feel one hundred percent you would have taken
more time off and anyway..", he continued, "do you
really expect me to go cross-country on my own?"
Scully smiled as she added "You mean do I really believe
Skinner would *let* you go alone, Mulder he doesn't
trust you to bring yourself back in one piece"
"Haha Scully", Mulder said lightly.
Retrieving the file from her he asked, "you ready?"
Scully stood and walked ahead of him out the door, as
Mulder followed behind he smiled to himself.
He couldn't be happier having her back and well
again, if only it was for longer this time.
This disease that was slowly killing his partner
physically, was much quickly killing him emotionally.
"Wait a sec", Special Agent Theresa Forrest's voice
echoed through the empty parking lot, "We can't go
anywhere until I make sure we have that file".
MacKenzie nodded and watched her partner lean against
the large brick separator behind her and begin to sift
through the large bag she always brought along when they
went on a case.
"Hey MacKenzie you okay?", Theresa asked a few moments
later.
MacKenzie shook herself out of her reverie and focused her
eyes to find her partner crouched in the middle of
papers, clothes, makeup and CD's.
It always amazed MacKenzie just how much Theresa could fit
in that bag, and she tended to pack like a high school
cheerleader who was going to an away game.
MacKenzie smiled, "yea I'm fine, I was just thinking about
someone"
"Oooh who is he?", Theresa's eye's sparkled with curiosity
for a brief second before she continued removing the
contents of her house from the bag.
MacKenzie laughed softly, "no, nothing like that", she
said shaking her head, "Just as old friend who ignored
me earlier"
"Anyone I know?"
"Maybe", MacKenzie said, "Dana Scully?"
"Oh", Theresa said softly, "I'm really sorry Cath, you'd
think considering what she's going through she'd be
spending more time with her friends not pushing them
away."
"What?", MacKenzie asked confused,"What's she going
through?"
"You don't know?", Theresa asked and was surprised when
MacKenzie shook her head impatiently.
"She has cancer"
"What?", MacKenzie gasped, "Is it serious?"
"Yes", Theresa said as gently as possible.
When her partner had processed the information Theresa
added, "I'm surprised you didn't know , it's all over the FBI
If I knew you hadn't heard I would have told you immediately.
I guess I assumed the fact that you hadn't mentioned it was
because you didn't want to talk about it"
"But it's just a rumour right?", MacKenzie asked desperately.
Seeing the sadness consume Theresa's usually bright
eyes, MacKenzie knew it was the truth.
Dana Scully was dying.
Mulder and Scully made their way to the rented car they'd
been assigned for this particular case. The cars they'd
been assigned lately were getting worse and worse, they'd
gone from shiny to rusty in a matter of months.
Mulder often wondered if it had something to do with the
federal government having some small money issues, while
Scully was sure it had something to do with Mulder's track
record for trashing government property.
Though she never actually voiced her opinion on the vehicle's
conditions, Mulder always did and was about to when a voice
on the other side of the concrete separator beside him stopped
him.
"I can't believe Scully has cancer and never told me!", A
female voice exclaimed.
Scully glanced over at Mulder, her eye's wide, but he
quickly hushed her with a look before she spoke.
Quietly she moved over to his side of the car and
listened.
"I think it's a huge secret that was leaked by the wonderful
F.B.I", a second voice added.
"But I would have been there for her, she knows I would
have dropped everything in an instant to help her through
it, we were best friends...once"
"It isn't like she's alone, she has Spooky by her side.
Come on Cath, if you were her would you want or need anyone
else?"
"Theresa!", a voice scolded.
"Oh come on, you've seen the way she looks at him, there's
more than friendship there"
Scully recognised the one named 'Cath', she also recognised
the warm feeling spreading across her face.
Mulder glanced over at her and mouthed 'You know
them?', Scully nodded and quickly looked away hoping he hadn't
seen the sudden colour change on her normally pale complexion.
"You'd have to be blind not to notice it", MacKenzie said
laughing softly before adding seriously, "Right now though
I'm focusing more on the fact she's dying and never bothered mentioning it
to me"
Theresa saw the moisture in MacKenzie's eyes and said
gently,"Look, she probably didn’t want to worry you"
"If it was the other way around and I was that sick I'd tell
her, I'd believe as a friend she'd have a right to know
whether it worried her or not!" MacKenzie voice rose with
each word and she attempted to blink the forming tears away.
"It would worry her, you know that"
"I know", Mackenzie sighed and gave her partner a small
smile, "Sorry for yelling, I'm a little upset right now"
"Understandable"
"I need to talk to her when we get back"
Theresa began throwing everything back into the bag , "Just
think about what you're going to say before you do speak
to her okay", she knew she was giving MacKenzie advice
she didn't need so to lighten the mood she added, "Ya
know, someone does needs to tell Scully that now would be
the best time to tell that gorgeous partner of hers how
she feels"
MacKenzie laughed softly and shook her head.
Smiling, Theresa placed the bag's strap over her shoulder
and stood,pulling the bag up with her.
"The files aren't in here so I guess we'll have to search
the office"
As two pairs of footsteps headed back into the F.B.I
building, Mulder fumbled for his keys.
Scully swallowed the lump in her throat as she moved to
the other side of the car eager to put some space between
them.
She didn't know what was more embarrassing; knowing people
thought that way about them or that Mulder had been standing
beside her and had heard it too.
Right now the fact news of her cancer had leaked was the
farthest thing from her mind though she knew the full weight
of that particular piece of bad news would hit her soon
enough.
Mulder turned the key in the lock simultaneously unlocking
both doors, Scully was already seated before he'd even had
the chance to remove the key.
As she fastened her seatbelt and waited for him to start the
car she sat thinking about what she'd just heard.
She couldn't deny her feelings, but that didn't mean she was
planning on acting on them. She wanted to but the timing
just didn't feel right to her.
vMaybe Theresa was right, maybe now *was* the best time, even
if it didn't feel like it.
It worried her the timing would never feel right and she'd
never have the chance to tell him how she felt.
She *did* love him.
What worried her most was if it was that obvious to
everyone else, why wasn't it that obvious to him?
Scully once again tried to swallow the ever persistent
lump as a feeling of dread washed over her.
What if it was that obvious to him but he didn't share the
feelings.
They finally pulled out of the parking garage with a rare
awkward silence between them, both unsure of what to say
and neither looking forward to the long drive ahead......
THE END
Feedback Lovingly embraced at Talitha_1121@yahoo.com
http://www.angelfire.com/ms/msrfanfic/
~No relationships were seriously harmed while writing
this fic~
C. Sept 1999