Someday-Part 3/7
Summary and disclaimers in Part 1

*****

It was early afternoon when Mulder finally woke. Scully had
spent most of the time writing notes. It had become habit
for her to write detailed reports about every case she was
involved with, and she had decided to treat this 'little'
adventure like a case. Even if she didn't have a job when it
was over. She had tried to nap next to Mulder, but the sleep
she had received last night had made it impossible to rest. 

She was staring off into space, wondering how long they
should stay at the motel, when she felt his gaze on her. She
turned her head to look at him. "Goodmorning, Sunshine," she
said softly, a small smile on her face. 

Mulder grunted something unintelligible and sat up, rubbing
his hands over his face. Scully let her eyes roam over his
naked torso. Despite his thinness, he was still well-muscled
and sexy. "What time is it?" he asked, looking at her once
more. 

"Just after 3." She glanced at the curtained window, hearing
the voices of a vacationing family pass by outside the room.
"We should probably do some shopping and get something to
eat. You know, play the tourists so nobody gets suspicious." 

"You should have told them we were on our honeymoon. Then we
wouldn't be obligated to even leave the room." 

"Nobody would buy that." Mulder glanced at her
questioningly. "Have you ever noticed how we act in public?
We look like we've been married for years!"

Mulder chuckled, then threw the sheet off and stood to walk
over to the TV, grabbing the remote. Scully let her eyes
track him for a while, then looked away quickly, suddenly
embarrassed. The air conditioner was on high, but she still
felt abnormally warm. "Would you quit that!" 

"What?" He flipped on the TV and walked back to the bed. 

Scully glanced at him. "I can't think clearly with you
walking around butt-naked!" 

"It's nothing you haven't seen before. Even before that
night at the cabin in Hayden Lake." 

"Yeah, well, before Hayden Lake, you'd never walk in front
of me with nothing on!" She paused, thinking back. "Not so
comfortably, anyway." She faced him as he sat back down on
the bed. 

"We never got the chance to enjoy each other's physical
attributes back when you were with the X Files, did we?"
Mulder asked. "We always seemed to be in dire straits
whenever one of us was naked." Scully tried not to smile.
"But I remember using my imagination often enough." 

Scully's eyes widened. "Oh, really? When and where did you
use this imagination?" 

"Oh, anytime." Mulder had a slight smile on his face. "But
most often it was when we were working late in the office. I
especially liked it when you would bend over to get a file
in one of the lower drawers. What a view!" 

"Mulder!" Scully didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

"Then you would suddenly realize that bending over might not
be such a 'polite' thing to do, so you'd squat down. And if
you were wearing a skirt, it would ride up, and that was an
even better view!" 

"You sexist pig!" Scully exclaimed, but there was laughter
in her voice. "All that time I thought you respected me, and
instead you were eyeing me as if I was some piece of..." 

"I was *admiring* you, Scully!" Mulder interrupted. "That's
all! It's not like I was jerking off under the desk!" 

Scully was speechless. 

"Don't tell me you never..." Mulder stopped, looking like he
didn't know how to continue. "Okay, this is going to sound
really egotistical, but you never looked at me that way back
then?" He looked incredibly hopeful. 

Scully was still a little stunned, but that familiar
puppy-dog expression on his face made her smile. "Well, I
guess. Yeah, I...watched you on occasion, wondering..." 

"Why do I hear a 'but' in there?" 

Scully sighed. "But, I never really thought you looked at me
as anything more than a sister, or sexless friend, or even a
mother at times." She felt herself blush again at Mulder's
astounded stare. 

It was his turn to be speechless. For a moment. He glanced
at the TV, as if for inspiration, then looked back at her.
"Scully, do you, by chance, recall moments in our past when
we were pressed together in very close quarters? Do you
remember *feeling* anything unusual? Do you actually think I
was thinking about my mother at the time!?" 

Scully didn't think is was possible, but she felt her face
heat even more. Before she could respond to him (God, what
could she say?), the TV caught her attention, as well as
Mulder's. 

"There is a nationwide manhunt going on today for two
missing FBI agents," the female reporter from CNN was
saying. Pictures of both Mulder and Scully were flashed onto
the screen. "Agent Dana Scully, an Assistant Special Agent
in Charge with the Seattle Field Office based in Spokane,
and Agent Fox Mulder of the Washington D.C. Division, have
both been missing for two days. While the FBI is being
tight-lipped about what may be behind the agents'
disappearance, they are requesting the help from
law-enforcement officials across the country in locating
them. 

"The missing agents, who are former partners, are expected
to be traveling together and are more than likely armed.
Whether or not they are dangerous to the public, the FBI
would not say." The woman continued onto the next story. 

Mulder and Scully sat silent for a while. Then Mulder spoke.
"Rather vague, weren't they?" He paused, a thoughtful look
on his face. "I would have thought the Bureau would have
wanted to keep this quiet." 

"Someone must have leaked it to the press," Scully replied.
"They had to make some kind of formal statement. But you're
right; they weren't very open with their information." 

"Just enough to make people nervous," Mulder nodded.
"They'll think we're a pair of renegade agents out to kill
everyone." He sighed. "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow
to go out shopping." 

She looked at him, a smile on her lips. "Oh, come on. I want
to play tourist while I can. No one's gonna recognize us!" 

Mulder's brow furrowed. It obviously wasn't what he had
expected her to say. "Okay. Let's go." 

Scully tried not to watch him as he dressed, but she
couldn't help it. He pulled on one of her T-shirts to go
with his jeans. It had a picture of a jumping horse and
rider on it and said in big, red letters: JUST JUMP IT! She
thought it made him look cute. 

In deference to the heat, she had put on a pair of shorts
that morning, and couldn't help but feel good when she
caught Mulder looking at her bare legs. It made her remember
what he had said about using his imagination, checking her
out while they were working. She should have been angry. It
was incredibly sexist. But she didn't mind it at all. 

************************************************************
    
Triple M Cafe
Custer, SD

Scully was acting very unusual this afternoon. 

"Every shopping trip or tourist excursion should begin with
a meal," she was saying. Mulder assumed that was why she had
dragged him to the cafe first. He didn't mind; he was
starving. And the Scully sitting across from him, this
blonde, smiling Scully, was so fascinating, so new, he
wasn't about to lose sight of her yet. She was playful,
giggly. Even her seduction of him this morning had been
different. She had always been exciting in bed, a fact that
had awed him upon discovery, but this giddy, almost ditzy,
Scully attracted, amused and confused him. "My mother taught
me that," she finished. 

After the waitress brought them their orders, the two
started eating; but Scully kept chattering. She was telling
him about all the places she wanted to visit: Reptile
Gardens, Bear Country, Wind Cave. She told him how they
should try to get in some hiking or horseback riding. She
giggled and laughed more at that meal than she had in all
the seven years they had worked together on the X Files.
Mulder felt his confusion grow, and his amusement and
attraction began to die. He was beginning to miss 'his'
Scully. 

"Scully?" He finally interrupted her chatter. 

"Gloria," she automatically corrected him. 

"Gloria," he lowered his voice. "Was there something other
than hair color in that bag this morning?" 

Scully beamed at him. "Gee, Rod. I'm only trying to be
'blonde'!" 

Mulder watched Scully's face closely, then saw the sapphire
glint that he had somehow missed before. He must still be
tired! He started laughing. "You are nasty!" 

"I know, I know! Not ALL blondes act like that. Moira's
blonde, and she's one of the most level headed people I
know. She always tells me it's the bleached blondes that
give blondes a bad name, not the natural ones." She
shrugged. "So, I'm just playing the part." 

Mulder shook his head. "And doing a very good job, I might
add. I got really worried there for a minute. The last thing
I need right now is for my calm, rational Scully to lose
it." 

"YOUR calm, rational Scully?" 

Mulder just gave her a smug smile. 

"Okay. Your calm, rational Scully thought of something very
important while you were sleeping." Mulder gave her his
full, serious attention. "Do you remember Chloe Wood? I
introduced you to her back when the X Files were closed and
I was teaching at the Academy." 

Mulder nodded. "She was one of the pathologists down there,
wasn't she?" 

"Actually, she was a virologist. She specialized in vaccine
reproduction before she went to work for the Bureau." 

Mulder felt excitement roar through him. "Where is she now?" 

"Last I heard, she lives and works in Tucson, Arizona. And
I'm almost sure we could trust her to help us." 

"Almost?" 

"Trust No One, remember?" Scully's face became serious. "How
many people we've put our faith in have either turned on us
or died?" 

Mulder became somber. "They'll never know she's involved.
We're still one step ahead of them, remember?" 

Scully's eyes drifted to look outside the cafe window. They
were pensive, worried. 

"Hey," Mulder asked softly. "What are you thinking?" 

"I'm wondering what my mother is thinking about all this. I
hate how my exploits worry her." 

"She has faith in your abilities, Scully." He reached over
and grasped her hand, waiting until she turned her attention
to him again. "And she knows you're with me, now, too. I'd
like to think that would make her feel better about the
situation." 

Scully gave him a soft smile. "You're right. It would. She
knows we'll take care of each other." She glanced down at
her plate. She hadn't eaten much, he saw. But she seemed
pleased that he had eaten all of his meal. She muttered
something about him being too thin, then stood to pay the
bill at the register in the front. Mulder stood to follow. 

"Now what?" he asked. 

She turned that dazzling, blonde smile on. "Now, we get to
play tourist!" 

************************************************************

FBI Headquarters 
Washington D.C. 

Justin Monroe reclined in Mulder's chair, feet on the desk,
watching Cat O'Neil pace the room with amusement. She
glanced at him, her dark eyes flashing. "You know, I'd
really appreciate it if you'd stop smirking at me, get off
your ass, and help me figure out what to do now!" They had
just received word today that they had been taken off
Mulder's case. His disappearance, as well as Agent Scully's,
was being investigated by a team from the Office of
Professional Responsibility. They had made it clear that
whatever Mulder and Scully's reasons for their flight,
neither of them would have a job when they got back. 

Justin, having heard the rumors and stories for years, knew
both agents had been under fire before. Separated, removed
from the X Files, put on probation and/or suspension. They
had survived everything the Bureau had thrown at them, and
had still managed to keep going, solving the most difficult
cases time and again. They were, Justin knew, living
legends. And more than one person in this building, and
elsewhere in the Bureau, were on their side, no matter what
the reasons were for their disappearance. 

"What do you want me to do?" Justin asked his new partner.
"Make my own rut in the floor? We're off the case, O'Neil.
It is out of our hands. This is the X Files, and while their
disappearing act is a mystery, it is not 'paranormal'." He
said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. 

Cat glared at him, her arms folded across her chest. Justin
had to admit that she was a fine looking woman. If he were
interested in that sort of thing, he might be tempted to hit
on her. But he had also learned in the last couple of days
that she had one hell of a temper, one he was quickly
learning to respect.

"We can look into the matter on our own time," Cat told him.
He could tell she was clenching her teeth in an effort not
to yell. "Come on, Monroe. Don't you want to find Scully?" 

Justin sighed. "Yes. Of course I do. But we have a job here.
One I'm not too thrilled with at the moment, but a job
nonetheless." 

A knock sounded on the office door. Justin stood immediately
when he recognized Assistant Director Walter Skinner. "Can
we help you, sir?" 

************************************************************

Skinner stood in the door, his eyes darting between the two
young agents. It was almost deja-vu, he thought, though
these two looked nothing like Mulder and Scully. They were
strangers to this office, even if O'Neil had been working
here for almost a year now. Every time he came down, he
expected to see Scully instead of her. He expected to
interrupt his two best agents intently working on reports or
bickering about a case. He glanced at Mulder's nameplate on
the door; he hoped he wouldn't have to take it down anytime
soon.

With a heavy sigh, Skinner strode into the office. "Have a
seat, Agents." He waited while Monroe and O'Neil sat at
their respective desks; Cat had finally talked the
janitorial staff into moving an old, tiny desk into the
office about a month ago. Mulder hadn't said a word. 

Skinner walked over to the corkboard, glancing up at the 'I
Want To Believe' poster. Then he looked at a picture stuck
in the board with a thumbtack. It was easily visible from
Mulder's desk. It was a picture of a group of about 15
people. 'The Beast Task Force' from Spokane, Washington.
They had taken the group photo the day that Matthew Ross had
been arrested. They were happy, for the Beast had been
killing for more that five years. He noticed both Monroe and
O'Neil in the picture, but his eyes were drawn to two tired
looking agents standing at the edge of the group. Always on
the edge, those two, Skinner thought wryly. 

They were both smiling slightly, but they had an air of
sadness about them, as well. As if they knew that Ross'
capture meant separation for them once again. Mulder was
standing behind Scully, his left hand sitting almost
proprietary-like on her hip. Though he couldn't be sure, it
appeared as if Scully was leaning back against the man
behind her. 

It hadn't taken a rocket scientist to know that something
had changed between Mulder and Scully after Mulder's return
from Spokane. Mulder's behavior had been enough of a clue.
His slight blush when Skinner had asked him, "So, how is
Agent Scully?" the day of his arrival back had spoken
volumes. Rumors about the two of them being lovers had
circulated for years; how else could you explain their bond?
But Skinner had always doubted the rumors. Just like he
doubted the rumors about Mulder and O'Neil that were going
around now. He *knew* they weren't true. But if Mulder and
Scully had finally taken that final step into intimacy, he
was happy for them. 

He turned again to look at his agents. He had asked Monroe
to stay on to help with the X Files indefinitely this
morning, the same time he had told them they were off Mulder
and Scully's case. He liked the young man, despite his
obvious disdain for the work Mulder loved. He and O'Neil
worked well together. They would take care of the X Files.
But they weren't Mulder and Scully.

"Agents," Skinner finally said. "I want you to find Mulder
and Scully." 

Dark brown eyes met sky blue eyes, both startled. 

"Sir," O'Neil started. "OPR has taken over the case." 

"I know," Skinner nodded. "And I'm putting you both back on
it...unofficially." He paused, meeting the eyes of both
agents. "And if you do find them, you will help them with
whatever they ask. Understood?" 

O'Neil nodded immediately, excitement in her eyes. Monroe
nodded after a long pause. "Good," Skinner nodded back at
them. "Prove to me you are both capable of taking over the X
Files by doing what may be the impossible. Just like Mulder
and Scully did for years." With that, he left the office.

*************************************************************

The Black Hills of South Dakota

Mulder and Scully spent that evening and the next day
playing tourist. After finding Mulder appropriate clothing,
including a new pair of jeans and a pair of khaki shorts, he
and Scully set out to see the sights. They were determined
to have the vacation they knew they weren't going to get in
the fall. 

They visited 'Bear Country', a wildlife park, as well as Mt.
Rushmore, fighting the hordes of visitors at the monument.
They decided to visit 'Reptile Gardens', though neither of
them had any fondness for snakes, and were surprised to find
more than slithery serpents. Scully appreciated the colorful
parrots and the tropical flowers. Mulder liked the Bewitched
Village trained animal show, which included a bell-ringing
cow, a dancing chicken, a gun-fighting bunny, and a
gold-mining pig. Scully even managed to get Mulder on a
horse when she talked him into a trail ride just before
sunset. He groaned and complained that he hadn't been on a
horse since he was a kid, and had no desire to get on one
now. But in the end, he seemed to enjoy the ride through the
pines, as well as Scully's compliment that he looked 'pretty
damn good' on a horse. 

It was fun and relaxing. 

If the days were relaxing, the nights were anything but.
Despite the fact that they needed their sleep, it was next
to impossible to just sleep while sharing the same bed. One
touch, and they both went wild. It was almost like a
honeymoon, Scully thought. They couldn't get enough of each
other. 

Finally, early Monday morning, they checked out of the motel
and started driving south. Arizona was their destination,
but they were in no hurry to get there. Neither of them
discussed why. It was simple: They were together, they were
alive. The future was so dark and unsure that they wanted to
take advantage of every second of peace they could find. But
in the end, they knew they had a job to do. 

It was while they were stopping for gas just north of Denver
that they had their first scare. 

Scully had gone into the convenience store to pay for 
the gas and grab something to eat when Mulder saw 
the black sedan pull up. He tensed, but continued 
to clean the windshield of the truck, keeping his 
eye on the car. Two men stepped out, one wearing 
jeans and T-shirt, the other in slacks and a polo 
shirt. Despite their casual dress, Mulder smelled 
'Fed'.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scully step out of the
store. She looked up, noticed the men, and faltered ever so
slightly. 'Stay cool' he told her silently. Without taking
her eyes off the men, she continued walking towards Mulder.
The older man made eye contact with her. She didn't look
away. The man finally did, as if embarrassed, then he and
the other one went into the building. Mulder gave a sigh of
relief. There had been no recognition on the man's face.
Either he wasn't looking for them, or he just never realized
that Scully could be a cute blonde when she wanted. 

Without a word, they both got in the truck and drove away.
Scully swiveled in her seat to watch out the back window.
The men never reappeared and their car never moved. She
faced front again, taking a deep breath. 

They were silent for a long while. Then Scully asked
quietly,"Do you think they were looking for us?" 

"Everyone's looking for us," Mulder responded. "Don't you
watch the news?" Their pictures were still being flashed
from time to time, but the press was losing interest; no one
would tell them why two FBI agents were missing. Mulder was
pretty sure the only people they had to worry about were
Federal agents. And whoever else knew about the vaccine. An
image of a tall, cigarette-smoking monster came to mind. He
was out there somewhere, Mulder was sure of it.

*****

End of 3/7