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

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~No relationships were seriously harmed while writing this fic~

C. Sept 1999