Title: All Very Simple
Author: Estrellita, aka Erin Kaye Hashet
Rating: G
Category: MSR
Archive: Soitenly! Especially at idealistshaven.com (I love your site!) It's already at Gossamer, though.
Feedback: EKHashet
Spoilers: None
Summary: Maybe the Mulder-Scully relationship isn't so complicated after all.
Disclaimer: If I really owned these characters, this wouldn't be a fanfic-I'd make it happen! So no, Mulder and Scully are the creation and property of Chris Carter and 1013 Productions.
Author's Notes: I don't give a timeframe, but at the beginning of the story they haven't kissed yet, so obviously it's before Millenium.

*****

All Very Simple
by Estrellita, aka Erin Kaye Hashet

In their Lariat rental car, Scully shivered beneath her heavy winter coat. "I am freezing, Mulder," she said through chattering teeth.

"The heat's on," he replied.

"You're kidding." She checked, and sure enoughm it was. "I didn't think it was scientifically possible for it to be this cold."

"Maybe we've got another X-File on our hands," he said.

"Please," Scully groaned, "one X-File in the middle of North Dakota in January is quite enough."

Mulder smiled. "Have you not seen *Fargo*, Scully?"

She gave him a look. "Seeing a movie is one thing, Mulder. Experiencing the cold firsthand is another." Scully yawned. "I need a good night's sleep. I really do."

At the motel, they wandered off to their rooms, which were next door to each other. "Good night, Mulder," Scully mumbled on her way in.

"Good night, Scully."

Scully closed the door and turned down the bed. Then she got right into bed without even bothering to change her clothes. Her head hit the pillow, and she would have fallen asleep right away.

Except that her room was frigid.

"Aargh!" Scully sat up in bed and turned on her bedside lamp. She checked the radiator. It was on, full-blast. Then she looked at the window. It was open, only about half an inch, but it was enough for the ice-cold air to seep through.

Scully went over to the window and tried to push it down, but it was stuck. "Oh, come on," she muttered, pushing harder. "Come ON!"

After about a minute of that, a knock came at her door. "Scully?"

"Come in, Mulder," she called.

Mulder opened the door. "What's going on? I could hear you next door."

"This window will-not-shut!" she said through clenched teeth.

"Why was it open in the first place?" he asked.

"I don't know!" she cried, finally giving up on the window.

"Let me try." Mulder went over to the window and pushed. And pushed again. He had no more luck than Scully.

"Let's both try," said Scully, and they both pushed down on the window. It refused to budge.

Finally, they both stepped back and took a deep breath. "Maybe you should call the management," Mulder said.

Scully exhaled. "One last try," she said. And with every ounce of strength she had in her, she pushed down on the window. This time, it closed.

Mulder looked impressed. "Go, girl."

"Well." Scully sighed. "Thanks for your help."

"No problem." Scully climbed into bed, and Mulder turned to leave. Then suddenly, he turned around. Scully's bedside lamp was still on. He began to walk back toward her. "Scully? You left the light-"

Scully sat straight up in bed. Before either of them knew what they were doing, their heads were moving toward each other.

And they kissed...a long, slow, passionate kiss.

*****

It didn't go any further than the kiss, but still, a boundary had been crossed. Their relationship was no longer platonic, and that frightened Scully. She avoided his gaze all morning, and all of her answers to his questions were short.

They were seated next to each other on a plane back to DC, and the plane had settled high in the air above the country when Mulder said suddenly, "Say something, Scully."

She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"You've barely said a word to me since last night, Scully, so what gives?"

She sighed. "Nothing, Mulder. Nothing."

He looked at her carefully. "Is it about last night?"

"Mulder." She sighed again. "Forget about last night, okay? It never happened."

He stared at her, not understanding in the least. "What do you mean?"

"It was a moment of insanity, Mulder. It didn't mean anything."

He couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean, it didn't mean anything? Scully, just last night I realized that I love-"

"No!" Her interjection came out louder than she'd intended, and she quickly lowered her voice. "No, Mulder, no. Don't you see? We could never be together. It would never work out."

"Why?" he asked, his voice full of intensity. "Tell me why."

"*Why*? Mulder, I could give you a whole list of reasons-"

"You do that."

Scully blinked. "What?"

"You give me a list of reasons we shouldn't be together," he said, "and I'll give you a list of reasons why we should."

She looked at him, not sure if he was serious. "Mulder..."

He had already pulled a small notebook and two pens out of his pocket. He ripped off two pieces of paper and gave one to Scully, along with a pen.

Seeing that he wasn't kidding, Scully thought for a minute before she wrote. Once she did, the reasons came to her quickly. Eventually she thought of eight. She tried to think of two more to make it ten, a nice, round number, but she figured eight good reasons were better than a million weak ones. Eight was enough.

"Done?" said Mulder suddenly.

"Yes," she said, noticing that he, too, had stopped writing.

"Well, let's hear it, then."

She picked up her list and read it aloud:

1. We can't let a personal relationship get in the way of our professional relationship.
2. Skinner wouldn't be very happy, knowing that two partners are romantically involved.
3. I can't have children, if you want them.
4. If we were to adopt, it wouldn't be fair to the kids- we're never home.
5. One of us could die on any one of these cases.
6. One of us might get transferred somewhere else.
7. You aren't exactly on the best of terms with my brother.
8. If we broke up, what would happen to our friendship?

There was a fire in her voice as she read, and saying it out loud only convinced her further that what she wrote was true. Mulder listened to her with a blank expression on his face. When she was done, he handed her his list. It was very short:

1. I love you.
2. You love me- I think.

Scully was stunned. She looked at him, completely speechless.

"Not everything has a big conspiracy behind it, Scully," he said quietly. "There's no need to make this so complicated when it's all very simple." He gave her a long look. "Think about it, Scully."

She had to turn away from him then. Something about the simple, quiet way that he said it brought tears to her eyes.

*****

Monday morning, Scully walked purposefully through the office door. "Mulder, we need to talk."

Mulder looked up from the papers he was absentmindedly shuffling through. "Yes?"

She walked toward him. "You told me to think- and, well, I thought." She stopped in front of him.

He looked at her blankly. "And?"

And she leaned in and kissed him, right on the lips.

And he kissed back.

They came out of the kiss blinking. "I do love you," Scully whispered. She rested her head on his shoulder. "You were right, Mulder. There's no need to make it so complicated when it's all very simple."

The End

Whether you loved it or hated it, PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY! If by any chance you did hate it, though, I shudder to think of what you would have thought of the original version of this story. I actually wrote this several months ago, but only recently edited and posted it. Believe me, it was BAD! Anyway, please be a responsible reader and review!