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Mulder was surprised when he heard a car in his driveway. Scully was the only one with his gate combination and he’d only left her a few hours ago at the airport. Besides, she usually called before she came out to the house and he could probably count the number of times she’d been back since she’d left him on one hand. Unless she was mad at him for some reason, and he couldn’t think of a reason.
Stepping out to the porch, Mulder let the door swing shut behind him and pushed up the sleeves of his grey thermal up his forearms. The lights from Scully’s SUV momentarily blinded him and he put a hand up to block them out. Before the car came to a complete stop, he made his way down the stairs and waited at the foot.
“Hey Scully,” he said, when she opened her door. “Long time no see.”
“Mulder.” Scully slid out of the car and then opened the back door. She grabbed Daggoo out from the back, attached to a leash, and put him on the ground. The dog shook himself and set about sniffing his new surroundings.
“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“Hold this?” Scully asked, handing Mulder the leash and reaching back inside the car to pull out a box filled with toys and a small dog bed.
“Scully?”
Scully sighed and slammed the car door, putting her back against it as she hoisted the box up in front of her. “So, apparently my building doesn’t allow pets.”
“Oh.” Mulder looked down as Daggoo tugged on his leash, straining to get closer to the house, nose twitching, right front paw bent and ready to go.
“So…”
“So…?”
“So until I can figure this out…look, I know you don’t like dogs.”
“I don’t like dogs?”
“You…well when we talked about getting one back…before…”
“It’s the responsibility. You know, fish never needed walking. They never peed on the rug or chewed on my shoes or threw up hairballs in the middle of the night.”
“Well, Daggoo is house trained, I think. And he’s out of the teething stage…I think. He’s also not a cat and…I mean, there’s a lot of space out here. Perfect for a dog to run around.”
“I see. This is an ambush.”
“Just until I figure something out, Mulder. Please?”
Mulder sighed and looked down at Daggoo, who looked up at him and wagged his tail. He could swear he saw the dog smile at him. “I’ve already aided and abetted,” he said. “Might as well harbor as well.”
“Thank you!” Scully grinned and Mulder could see the relief on her face. She pushed away from the car and adjusted the box to make her way towards the porch.
“Not so fast,” Mulder said, tugging her back with a hand on the arm. He took the box from her and traded it for his hold on the leash. “I have a condition.”
“What’s the condition?” Scully asked, wearily.
Mulder looked intently into his partner’s eyes. He’d been quietly biding his time, waiting as the rift that had come between them slowly healed, but he was tired of sitting idle and merely waiting. He missed her too much and something needed to happen soon or he felt they might be in this stagnant limbo forever. Maybe this dog was the answer.
“I’d like to amend my statement,” Mulder said. “It’s not a condition. I’ll take the dog. I just have a request.”
“Which is?”
Mulder leaned down and kissed Scully softly on the cheek. “Promise you’ll visit?” he said. “Whenever, and as often as you like.”
Scully huffed and scuffed the toe of her boot into the dirt driveway. “I have to make sure he’s getting fed, don’t I?”
“And walked. Don’t forget walked.”
Scully nodded once, her eyes somewhere on Mulder’s chin. She reached up and briefly touched her fingers to his jaw, thumb lightly skimming over his bottom lip. It meant the world to him. He would walk the dog seven times a day and let him pee on all the furniture if it meant Scully might just touch him like that again one day.
“All right then,” Mulder said. “Let’s go show Daggoo his accommodations.” He put a hand on Scully’s back and then followed her towards the porch, inspecting the box in his arms as they went. He spotted a water dish and bones and balls and squeaky toys and treats and multiple leashes and he wondered how she’d acquired so many things so quickly.
“Hey, Scully. You rob a pet store on your way here?”
“Shut up, Mulder.”
The End