Work Text:
"Remind me again why we're here?"
Scully playfully nudged him as they stood in the center of a large hotel ballroom. People in formal wear mingled about, stopping at various tables situated around the edges to place their bids.
Skinner had informed them they'd won (lost?) the lottery this year to staff the charity silent auction the FBI sponsored annually. Most agents were thrilled at the chance to spend an evening dressed up and mingling with the DC elite...but they weren't most agents.
Although Scully initially balked at the idea of spending a precious Saturday night at a work function she admitted she didn't hate the fact that they weren't off on some case hundreds of miles from home so close to Christmas.
She stole a glance at her partner as he surveyed the crowed warily. She'd second guessed herself when she put on the black floor length gown with an asymmetrical neckline earlier this evening. But any doubts were erased when Mulder stopped by to pick her up and his jaw practically hit the floor. She'd blushed and told him he didn't look so bad himself. Which was the understatement of the century. He looked devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo.
He looked at her then, a smile forming on his lips. "What?"
Their relationship had been teetering toward something the past few months. She could feel it. In the past she would've been embarrassed to be caught staring at him so blatantly but she simply shook her head slightly and smiled back at him.
After a beat, he grazed her shoulder and motioned to the bar at the far end of the ballroom. "I'm going to grab us a couple drinks."
"Mulder, we're working," she gently admonished.
"Hey, 'tis the season," he winked.
She watched as he purposefully made his way through the crowd.
"Dana!"
She turned and her eyes widened as she saw a familiar face approach. "Daniel? But...what are you doing here?"
"I'm on the Board of Directors at GW University Hospital. Moved here a few years ago." His eyes skimmed her from top to bottom and back again before adding, "You look fantastic." She caught the subtle predatory gleam in his eye that made her uneasy. "You know," he continued, "I've been to several of these but it's the first time I've seen you here."
"Well, I don't usually attend these types of functions."
"Ah yes, you're busy saving the world through...what was it I read?...investigations into the paranormal?" He gave her a sarcastic smirk.
She considered the man before her. Was he any different than the one she'd left all those years ago? The self-assuredness that she'd once found appealing just felt patronizing to her now. Nothing like Mulder, she thought. Even when he didn't fully trust her in the beginning there was still respect. He had questioned her motives for staying too but it came from a place of concern and, dare she admit it, love.
Just then her partner appeared at her side carrying two flutes of champagne and she quickly grabbed one. "Oh! Um...Daniel this is Agent Fox Mulder. Mulder, this is Dr. Daniel Waterston. He was my...professor in medical school."
She could see the older man sizing him up as they shook hands. "Pleased to meet you," he said in a way that sounded like he was anything but. "I was just discussing with Dana how her talents are being wasted at the FBI."
She saw a slight tensing of Mulder's jaw that would be imperceptible to anyone who hadn't known him as long as she had. "Actually, I'd say it's a perfect fit. Her medical expertise is critical to the success of our division."
Daniel scoffed at him, "Right, I'm sure chasing aliens and monsters is exactly what she'd hoped to be doing at this point in her career." He turned his attention back to her. "You know, I'd really like the chance to reconnect...both professionally and personally."
On instinct she grasped Mulder's free hand with her own. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea." She looked up at her partner as he raised his eyebrows slightly. She sincerely hoped their unspoken communication wouldn't fail her now.
Daniel's eyes narrowed as he waved his hand vaguely between them. "So you two are..."
"Together, yes," Scully interrupted him before he could put a label on it.
"I assumed you were just coworkers."
Mulder, not missing a beat, simply stated, "Well, we're not just coworkers although we certainly started out that way. She means more to me than I can ever truly express."
His voice had dropped to almost a whisper as if the last sentence was meant only for her. He brought their interlaced fingers to his lips to place a gentle kiss to her knuckles. She blushed from head to toe under the intensity of his gaze and she felt the air crackle with energy between them.
After what felt like an eternity Daniel cleared his throat. "Well...good seeing you, Dana." She was only vaguely aware of him retreating back into the crowd.
Mulder absently rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. "So...old friend of yours?"
"Not really," she smiled affectionately at him.
A waiter passed them and they took the opportunity to place their untouched champagne flutes on the tray.
She decided right then she wouldn't be content to wait and see when the teetering would finally send them over the edge. Their hands still entwined, she pulled him determinedly towards the ballroom exit.
"What are you doing?" he asked, amusement in his voice.
She slowed only long enough to give him a heated look. "Giving fate a push."