Work Text:
Agent Dana Scully sat with her partner, Agent Fox Mulder, in the car. They'd come straight from work, and Scully was suddenly much more conscious of the way she looked. While she usually came into the office thinking about how to present herself professionally, now it felt more weighted.
Mulder had presented her with a personal case. A friend of a friend, a woman reported missing by the name of Allison Rosenberg. Scully had briefly made acquaintance with some of Mulder's friends; The Lone Gunmen. They a group of geeky, conspiracy-obsessed women with technological capabilities that sometimes extended beyond the bureau's. While Dana Scully had gotten the distinct impression that some of those women were interested in other women... she hadn't exactly pinned down whether or not Mulder shared those interests.
Agent Mulder was a flirt, of course, but that could easily be chalked up to friendly teasing. She was beautiful and striking... but there was also a gentleness, and a genuineness to her demeanor that made her charm feel effortless, almost naive at times. It was maddening and endearing all at once. But Scully was determined to maintain this relationship professionally, not dig too far into it. She didn't know if she was ready to go public as Spooky Lesbian #2 from the basement. Especially not if Mulder didn't feel the same way.
But Mulder was apparently a regular at the bar they were looking into. A mysterious disappearance from and supposedly extraterrestrial substance found at Cam's, a lesbian bar in Quantico. And surely Mulder wouldn't be a regular at a lesbian bar without a reason...
But entering Cam's together, on the arm of Mulder... Scully thought about how she looked; soft brown pant-suit with a cream button up shirt under it, with the collar sitting open over the lapels of her suit. A quick look in the rear-view mirror indicated that her hair was still sitting nicely, softly curling just above her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it self-consciously, hoping Mulder didn't notice how shaky she felt.
Mulder was still wearing navy slacks from work with a soft blue blouse, a few buttons undone revealing just a hint of cleavage. Her hair was a little tousled from her day, softly layered a falling just over her chest. She had removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeves a little, her watch visible on her left wrist. She looked good; comfortable, effortless, competent.
She turned to Scully, aware of how sensitive the situation was. People already talked at work. 'The spooky lesbians in the basement.' Mulder didn't even know if Scully had been to a lesbian bar, if the prospect made her nervous. She had to walk the tightrope of caution, and not let Scully think Mulder thought she was 'weak' in any way. Scully always bristled at the idea of being 'handled'. And however she felt, Mulder knew Scully would put on a brave face, pretend that nothing fazed her. Mulder tried to be gentle, this was her regular bar after all. She'd talked to Julie more times than she could count, and huddled with the Gunmen around the dinky booths to drink and celebrate new discoveries.
Mulder had almost considered offering to go alone, but she knew that to Scully that would probably come off like an insult, and more than that, she wanted Scully on the case. By her side ideally.
"You ready Scully?" she asked, throwing her a soft, goofy smile.
Scully pressed her lips together, and gave her own awkward smile and nod, "Let's go find these lesbian aliens." she joked. That earned her a little snort from Mulder.
Mulder opened the door and put a hand on her lower back to usher her in gently, like she always did. Stepping into the bar first, Scully had to admit to herself that she felt a little intimidated. The bar was a little crowded, it was small and she could smell alcohol, sweat and smoke. There was music playing and the chatter of various patrons, filling the air with a steady hum of sounds. It wasn't that unlike regular dive bars she'd frequented in her past in some ways. And yet she felt anxiety building in her stomach, at the idea that these women would see how out of her depths she felt. Or possibly worse; that Mulder would see it.
There were some couples together, drinking and laughing. A few women dancing or huddled together, whispering flirtatiously in each others' ears. Scully had only had the courage to enter a bar like this once, in college. It had been a less crowded bar. She'd worked up the courage followed someone's directions. She'd managed, feeling little drunk and eager, and feeling giddy at the touch of another woman. But she had been young then; immature. And she needed to focus now. She was a federal agent. She felt relieved to see that a few other women had come straight from the office; she and Mulder weren't the only ones in pant suits. It felt strange to think that she could belong here, be allowed here. After a day poring over X files, and chatting to Mulder.
Mulder had come here, she realised, possibly after a day in the office together. She wondered briefly if Mulder had sat in one of those booths, pressed up against another woman, whispering low. The thought made her feel dizzy and a little sick. She flushed thinking of herself and Mulder huddled up at one of the booths in the back instead, whispering to one another. Or even pressed against one another, dancing. The spooky lesbians indeed.
Mulder interrupted her thoughts, gesturing towards the woman behind the bar cleaning glasses. She put her arm around Scully's shoulders to guide her gently through the crowd and Scully briefly wondered if the people at the bar thought that that was the reason they were here together. To press up against each other. She tried to erase that though from her mind and focused on the woman at the bar. She had dark, curly hair to her elbows a tank top and dark, smudged eyeliner around her big brown eyes.
"Hey Julie!" Mulder called over the music.
"The Fox herself!" Julie called back, smiling in recognition. Mulder rolled her eyes at the nickname, but smiled in return. Scully her cheeks grew hotter, she jealous and curious about a part of Mulder's life she'd never been privy to before. She wasn't used to feeling like she didn't have a stake in any part of Mulder's life. It irked her.
"What can I get you and your friend?" Julie asked, putting a distinctly playful emphasis on the word 'friend'. She eyed Scully curiously, and Scully tried to maintain an air of professionalism while feeling anything but. She could feel the warmth of Mulder's arm around her. Standing side by side in this little bar, she was at the perfect height to notice Mulder's cleavage, straining against her shirt buttons, especially as Mulder leaned over the counter a little. She tried to keep her eyes ahead, focused on Julie.
"We're actually here on official business." Mulder said authoritatively, and Scully felt herself wishing they weren't, "Could we talk to you out back where it's a little quieter?"
Julie looked around and signaled to another woman behind the bar, "Jen, you take over." she called, before leading them back to a storage room.
Julie closed the door behind them so that they had more quiet and privacy before walking back to them, then crossed her arms over her chest, "What's this 'official business', Mulder? Is all the alien shit with Ally?"
Mulder scoffed, feeling a little embarrassed not to be taken seriously in front of Scully. But Scully just watched them, clearly unsure about where she fit into this equation.
"You know I work for the bureau Julie." Mulder groaned, seating herself on a stool by the shelves. She found a stray bottle cap on the shelf and spun it back and forth on her palm absentmindedly, looking up and jerking her head towards Scully, "This is my partner, Agent Scully."
Julie raised her eyebrows suspiciously, "Partner, huh?" she asked, with faint grin.
Scully felt herself blushing, hard, yet again, "We work together on cases, yes." she retorted primly, retrieving her badge to show Julie.
Julie grinned, looking her up and down, and took in her ID, "That's real cute... playing detective..."
Mulder scowled, blushing a little herself, and accidentally knocking the bottle-lid to the floor with a sharp metal 'thwump'. She readjusted herself on the stool awkwardly, trying to regain her composure. Scully found herself feeling a little bit less out of the loop seeing that, and tried to disguise a faint smile.
"Julie, I told you this is important." Mulder huffed, "Regardless of whether you believe Ally's disappearance is linked to an extraterrestrial event, you wanna help don't you?"
Julie put up her hands in defense, "Sorry, sorry. It's not every day I see you walk in with a girl like that on your arm." Scully turned to scan Mulder's expression, wondering who might be turning up on Mulder's arm at a place like this. She felt her heart beating loudly in her chest, but tried to keep her expression neutral. Mulder didn't seem to notice, instead glaring at Julie.
"Julie." Mulder groaned, warning.
Julie sighed, looking more somber, "I'm sorry, I didn't even know Ally that well. She only started working with us a few weeks ago... And I wasn't even here that night..."
"The 12th." Mulder supplied impatiently, "Two nights ago."
Julie ran her hand over her forehead, frustrated, "Right, I'm sorry Mulder... I know Jen was on that night, she might know who else was here, and she usually stays until closing. Let me get her for you."
"I'd appreciate it." Mulder replied tersely from her stool.
As Julie left the room, Scully wondered about who might have appeared on Mulder's arm. If they were prettier than her. If Mulder preferred spending time with them. If Mulder even wanted Scully on her arm. She felt childish and stupid for feeling this way. She was supposed to be a federal agent, a professional. She was supposed to care about solving this case. About Allison Rosenberg. Scully felt the silence in the room as Mulder looked off into the distance morosely.
Jen entered the room shortly. She had cropped, thick curly hair and an oversized red shirt and she was almost as tall as Mulder and commanded a kind of easy authority that Scully both admired and resented. She wished she had that kind of presence.
"Mulder." she nodded to Mulder, who perked up a little in her presence. Suddenly receptive.
"This is Agent Dana Scully, my partner at the FBI."
Jen nodded with a faint smile, and offered Scully a handshake. It was firm and comforting, Scully noted. She found herself returning the smile.
Scully cleared her throat, trying to regain her focus, "So, Jen, you worked the night of Allison's disappearance?"
Jen nodded easily, "Yeah, I got that... goo, or whatever." she gave a small grimace and glanced at Mulder, "The alien stuff."
Scully gave a small chuckle, before smoothing her features, "Well the chemical composition of the 'goo' was certainly unusual..."
"What did you see that night around the time of her disappearance?" Mulder asked.
"I know what you'll say, Mulder," she said, looking at Scully sheepishly, "and I don't know myself, but I think I lost a bit of time or something."
"How much time?" Mulder asked intently.
"I'd say about 13 minutes. I took my break around 5.00pm and I feel like I blinked and I was at the door, and I turned and looked up at that clock there," she gestured to the clock at the back of the stock room. "and 13 minutes had passed."
They talked for a while with Jen, Mulder pressing her for certain details, and Scully taking note of others, interjecting here and there.
---
When they'd run through all the questions they had for Jen, Mulder gave her a card with her number, "If you think of anything else, or anything else turns up... you can call me any time, I'm always available on that number."
Jen grinned at her and winked, and Scully felt a surge of hot jealousy in her gut. "I'm sure you say that to all the girls."
Mulder rolled her eyes with a faint grimace and shook her head, "Shameless, I'm sorry about her." she murmured to Scully. Scully hated that the apology comforted her, and her lip quirked in a tiny grin.
"I guess there's no chance I'm getting your number, Red?" Jen asked, half teasing, half hopeful.
Scully looked back at her, feeling a little startled, almost wondering if she would consider the offer were it not so unprofessional. But before she could respond Mulder spoke; "Nice try Jen, but my partner has high standards." Scully felt a little smug at the retort, and the possessive 'my partner', even if it was only intended as a friendly joke.
"Could I at least offer you girls a drink?" Jen asked, "On the house of course."
Mulder seemed as if she were about to refuse, eyeing Scully warily, but before she could stop herself Scully answered for them both, "Sure."
She met Mulder's quizzical look with a grin, and Mulder smiled back to her, leading her to the bar. Maybe Scully did want to stay here. Trying out a venue where it would be normal if she whispered in a low voice and thought about seeing more of Mulder's thighs...
---
Jen ushered them to a couple of seats behind the bar "What'll it be ladies?"
Scully felt a little nervous, glancing at Mulder. She was a regular after all.
"How about some margaritas?" Mulder replied, smiling at Scully. Scully nodded, trying to focus on Mulder's eyes. That charming smile. They could just be two partners, friends, agents off the clock enjoying a drink. Nothing crazy about that... right? And so what if she fantasised about her partner's body pressed up against hers. She had her neck craned up to focus on Mulder's face, but she couldn't help noting that Mulder's chest was at the perfect height to give her a great view of her cleavage once again. She really needed that drink.
The drinks arrived quickly and they toasted to Jen before taking a sip. Scully watched as the drink traveled between Mulder's lips, down her neck. Her eyes were quickly drawn to Mulder's chest yet again, and it became harder to ignore as Mulder leaned down to speak to her in the crowded room. Scully heard a vague collection of sounds, and watched Mulder's soft lips move, but barely took in a word. She looked at Mulder quizzically and put her hand behind her ear to indicate her struggle to hear. She was grateful for the noise covering for the fact that she was insanely distracted.
Then Mulder leaned in even closer. Their legs pressed against one anothers', and in the crowded, sweaty, sticky bar, Mulder's scent and warmth washed over her as she moved to speak against her ear. This was dangerous.
"How's the drink?" Mulder strained her voice to be heard.
Scully breathed a soft huff of laughter against Mulder's ear, feeling a little giddy and spoke into hers, "Pretty good." she paused a moment then playfully asked, "So you come here often?"
Mulder pulled back a little to face her and laughed, shaking her head at Scully good-naturedly with a smile.
Scully took another sip of her drink, eyeing Mulder curiously. Imagining what a night in this bar entailed for her. She felt curious, but also felt a jealous desire to know everything about Mulder. Everything she did, everything she liked. She licked her lips and finished off her drink. Mulder watched her do so with interest, tentative... waiting. She took another sip of her own drink.
"I think we should get another round." she called, eyeing Jen.
Mulder smiled at her, wondering exactly what Scully was playing at her. Was she trying to prove herself? Was she trying to hit on her? Was trying to work up the courage? Was she scared? Mulder didn't want to push her. But she really didn't want to stop her either... unless she was just delusional, something she not unaccustomed to being accused of.
"Jen!" Mulder called, getting her attention, "Can we get a few more... I think the same?" she looked at Scully for confirmation, and Scully quirked her lip up with a small nod.
"Yeah, the same." she confirmed.
Jen nodded, eyeing them with an amused smile, "Yeah, I can get you more of the same."
Scully licked her lips, feeling that they were dry. She needed that next drink. She wondered vaguely if Mulder would mind much about the dryness if they kissed. She probably wouldn't... Mulder's lips looked soft.
Jen set down the drinks in front of them, and they toasted again. Scully took quick gulps of her drink, licking her lips again, and felt Mulder's eyes on her. She felt herself becoming bolder, or possibly more stupid, and grabbed Mulder's shoulder to pull her down again and speak into her ear.
"What are you thinking?" she felt her words loudly, even though she'd tried not to be too loud, just loud enough. Even amidst the noise of the bar her words felt too loud. She could almost feel Mulder's lip quirk upwards against her ear. Her voice was close, and warm, "I'm thinking I didn't expect to share a drink with you at Cam's, I'm making everyone jealous."
A little giggle tumbled out of Scully's mouth, and Mulder felt it vibrate near her ear. She felt like the luckiest woman on earth. Scully was giggling at her, for her... whatever. It was one of the best sounds she'd ever heard.
"What, because of me?" she murmured into Mulder's ear, knowing the answer and wanting to hear it anyway.
Mulder scoffed, "Yes, because of you," she murmured back, feeling dizzy and shameless. Not to mention wildly turned on, "I've got the most beautiful woman in the room talking to me."
Of all the flirty comments Mulder thrown her way, Scully felt the most ill-prepared to handle this one, even though she'd asked for it. It felt almost surreal. She finished the rest of her drink and put a hand on Mulder's thigh, using it to leverage herself closer towards Mulder's face.
They were so close now, Mulder looking down at her and Scully tilting her face upwards. They both felt tingly and hot and shaky, but at the same time unbearably visible to one another. Mulder softly reached out to softly tuck a strand of hair behind Scully's ear, and Scully caught Mulder's hand in each other her own and drew it to her lips, turning it over to kiss Mulder's palm.
Mulder leaned in closer to speak into her ear again, "Now they're really jealous."
Scully giggled again, that wonderful sound, and Mulder joined her, feeling blissful and high on the experience.
And then Scully licked her lips, and with a determined expression, leaned up to kiss Mulder firmly on the lips. It was tender yet tentative, and unbearably earnest. Mulder tried to restrain the ideas racing in her mind before Scully the moved to whisper seductively, "How about now?"
Mulder felt herself moved as if by instinct to kiss Scully again, feeling herself becoming unrestrained and messy, pulling Scully into her lap. She held Scully closer to her body, grabbing at her shoulders, her back, her ass. Needy. Scully returned the fervour with her kisses and her touch. Gripping Mulder's shoulders and wrapping her legs against Mulder's waist to grind against her.
They both pulled away breathless, and Scully looked at Mulder with a half-shy grin, but Mulder was looking at her in awe. She moved forward to plant a kiss just below Scully's ear and then murmured "Whadya say we get out of here?"
Scully laughed softly and nodded, moving back to give her one more kiss. They both looked at each other and sighed as they realised that meant extricating themselves from one another. They both awkwardly tried to get their limbs to work and stand again, staggering a little. Mulder suddenly remembered that she should leave money for the 2nd round of margaritas and reached into her purse, but Jen caught her eye and mouthed, "ON THE HOUSE. HAVE FUN." Before grinning.
Mulder felt Scully wrap her arms around Mulder's waist awkwardly, pressing against her side, and they attempted to make their way back through the front out into the cold night air. When they managed to get outside, Scully still didn't let go. The silence and openness of the cool air around the felt strange. Though there were a few people walking out at night, and traffic passed intermittently, It still felt different. And Mulder leaned down to wrap her arms around Scully.
"Where to?" Mulder asked, wishing Scully would stay pressed against her body forever.
"Mmm... my place." Scully murmured thoughtfully, "I have a bed."
Mulder nodded, trying to hide how excited she felt at the prospect of sharing her bed, and the things they might do on it.
"I'll call a cab." she whispered, feeling inordinately lucky. Scully nodded, feeling much the same.