Chapter Text
Scully pulls up to the pier and exits her rental. She easily spots Mulder standing with two local officers. She gives him a hint of a smile as she approaches, knowing that he doesn’t expect her to be here. She hopes her presence is a pleasant surprise.
Mulder looks surprised, but not exactly happy. Scully’s smile falls.
“What are you doing here, Scully? I thought you were busy with the autopsies,” he asks, his tone more concerned than irritated. He looks fidgety.
“I got done early,” she says. “I thought you’d be happy for my help.”
“Always,” he says warmly. He puts his arm around her shoulder and begins leading her back towards the parking lot. “I just think it would be better if you let me handle this part of the investigation.”
Scully pulls away, shock and hurt stirring up within her. The little voice in her head cruelly whispers that he doesn’t need her, doesn’t want her, that she’s holding him back.
“What the hell are you talking about, Mulder?” She’s ready to be angry, but his tone is so gentle that she decides to save her full fury until she hears more.
He takes a deep sigh, looking exasperated as if she should already know.
“Scully, you read the file. According to local legend, the witch reappears every hundred years to steal the youth and beauty of any lovely young woman who goes on that island. You saw what happened to those girls.”
She’s not sure what any of this has to do with her, and she’s not in the mood to play games. She just autopsied three vibrant young women whose lives have been cut short by some sick individual, who she would very much like to apprehend.
“Mulder, this was the work of a very disturbed human. The idea of a centuries old witch who sucks the life out of younger women is not only ridiculous but reinforces a harmful stereotype that women of a certain age are not to be trusted, even dangerous.”
He smiles down at her. “I don’t know Scully. Promise me you won’t take a bite out of any apples from suspicious old ladies just to be safe.”
She rolls her eyes. Mulder and his jokes.
Scully lets out a little huff and marches past Mulder to catch up to the two officers, plastering a winning smile on her face.
“Let’s go see where the bodies were found,” she says with authority.
The portly middle aged officer looks nervously to Mulder. “I thought your partner couldn’t join us.”
“Well, my day opened up,” she says through gritted teeth.
Scully sees them exchanging meaningful glances and her anger rises. How dare they conspire to keep her from the crime scene? Mulder has never done this to her before, and she cannot believe he’s pulling it now.
She feels her cheeks getting red, which only makes her angrier. She opens her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but he starts talking before she can.
“Oh for God’s sake, Scully, all the victims are beautiful women. You’re a beautiful woman. Could you please just humor me and not make yourself a target?”
This is… not what she thought he was going to say.
“Oh, thanks guys, no one tried to stop me from going,” Officer Alice Jones huffs, only half kidding. Her partner gives her an apologetic shrug.
“I suppose I could type up my reports,” Scully mumbles, suddenly unable to look Mulder in the eye.
He guides her towards her car.
“Thanks Scully,” he says. “You know how it is, I don’t want to risk having to train a new partner.”
She smirks and gives him a tight smile before getting in the car and going back to the motel.
Mulder watches her drive off. He silently thanks whichever Higher Power managed to convince Dana Scully to actually go along with his request.
He turns and heads back to the officers and the little rowboat that will take them to the cursed island. Time to stop a witch.