Work Text:
[I-5 near Dana Point, 2008 ]
Sitting in the crawl of traffic approaching Los Angeles on a late, sunny afternoon, Scully recalled driving this route with her dad years ago, while living on the naval base in San Diego as a child. It was a rare, yet exciting drive because it meant her dad was able to get discounted tickets for Disneyland at the PX. All 6 of them would pile in the old woody wagon early in the morning for a fun, and long, day in Anaheim. It would be a 2-3 hour drive each way and every time they drove past “Dana Point” Scully’s brothers would poke her incessantly saying they were “pointing at Dana”. Missy would always try to protect her at first, but would invariably join her brothers in the teasing. All three of them would howl with laughter, while all little Dana could do was sit and sulk until dad got annoyed and told them all to knock it off and threaten to turn the car around. How she hated it then, but now she looked back on that memory fondly. At that moment Mulder, who was driving, snapped Scully out of her mini reverie in order to point out that they were passing Dana Point. “Your namesake?” Mulder mused, and followed up quickly with “Because it’s beautiful, like you”. Scully gave him a slight smile and replied “Good save, Buster”.
At this point in the drive she knew they were going to transition on to the CA-1 and spend some time driving the Pacific Coast Highway as they slowly made their way north. It was a relief to leave some of the congestion behind and enjoy the beautiful seaside views. Mulder continued to drive in silence, seeming to also be in a meditative state in this relaxing environment. Scully reflected on the events of the past few weeks and appreciated how unthinkable it was for them to be doing this just a month ago. Even though they were able to establish a settled kind of life in Farrs Corner, they both essentially lived a life of solitude together. It was peaceful, but there was always an underflying tremor of having it all pulled out from them. When the FBI came calling again, Scully was so worried about what might happen - to her, to Mulder, to their relationship. The darkness and violence that the case brought back into their lives was something she never wanted herself, or Mulder to have to deal with again. Truth be told, she was furious about Mulder’s, and inevitably her own, involvement. She was deeply saddened by the loss of life that occurred. The poor women victims, Agent Whitney (although Scully never liked her because she was definitely being way too chummy with Mulder), and even the perpetrators whose crimes were borne out of tragedy. Thinking about all of that made Scully’s stomach turn and the bile rise in the back of her throat, particularly when she remembered Father Joe, the pedo priest, and his aggravating and cryptic messages to her.
Despite her ongoing anger, Scully did have to admit that the case did lead to some things which were very positive. Although the case did a number on her psyche, she knew that it was good for Mulder. She could see brightness in his eyes again and all the gears turning in his brain. She loved that, but she hated the reckless abandon that came when Mulder really got into a case. As usual he had nearly gotten himself killed. Thankfully her quick thinking and the help of Skinner saved his ass…again! Also, Mulder shaved his damn beard. Good riddance to that Scully thought. Mulder with a 5 O’clock shadow could make Scully swoon more than usual, but his unkempt beard did him no favors at all, plus it was scratchy. She made a mental note to forbid him from ever having a beard again. All the turmoil of the case also inadvertently helped Scully deal with some professional stressors which were plaguing her at Our Lady of Sorrows, particularly in caring for Christian, her pediatric brain tumor patient whom she had grown attached to. Although the experimental procedure she performed on Christian was very controversial, she was glad she stood by her convictions to give his parents one more avenue to explore. It was too soon to tell if the procedure would be curative, but so far his imaging was promising. Scully now felt confident that the procedure would at the very least provide him with more healthy time with his family and perhaps allow his parents to come to terms better with the prognosis should it not be favorable.
Of course, most significantly, was that she and Mulder no longer needed to live in hiding anymore. The FBI made good on their promise and not only pardoned Mulder, but expunged his conviction. Pleased with Mulder’s work on the Father Joe case, they even offered to re-credential him in a consulting capacity. Mulder said he would think about it, but told the Bureau he had some important work to deal with first. The day after performing Christian’s surgery, Scully found herself on a plane en route to Bali. Mulder kept his word about getting as far away from the darkness as possible - both literally and figuratively. Two weeks away in a tropical paradise did wonders for them both. Scully was pleased to see color back in Mulder’s complexion, after spending years essentially indoors. She reminded herself to check his vitamin D levels when they got home again. Both she and Mulder also were able to begin healing their relationship during their time away. They talked a lot, which is something they mostly avoided, relying more on each knowing the other so well as to anticipate each other’s needs without ever actually talking. It felt like a turning point in their relationship, where they could finally have dreams for the future, as opposed to just living day by day and sleeping with one eye open at all times. Despite all the trauma and struggles, in the physical intimacy department, neither of them ever suffered, that is once they finally got started, which was years too late by both their accounts. And yet, even their physical intimacy was elevated in paradise, reaching the sublime, Scully thought to herself. She hoped that would definitely be a lasting effect of the trip. But to stop her train of thought before she got too hot and bothered in the car, she reminded herself to be annoyed that Mulder neglected to bring his red Speedo on the trip. Mulder told her that the red speedo was a younger man’s game, but she knew it still would’ve fit just fine, and in fact pointed out that her two piece suit had way less coverage than the more modest choices which were available back in the day. Remembering such a double standard between men’s and women’s fashion annoyed Scully enough to get her thoughts from places she didn’t want them to go until they were at their next motel.
Back in the present Scully thought about the significance of this drive through California. On their way back from Bali there was a layover in California. They decided to break up the many hours of flying with a few days in California, both to extend their time away from cold, bleak Farrs Corner in the dead of winter, and to allow them both to have a chance to honor those they had lost along the way. Especially Emily and Samantha, who lived out their final days in the Golden State. After spending a couple of days in San Diego visiting Emily’s grave and paying a visit to Scully’s brother Bill, they were now taking a slow and scenic drive north to Sacramento. Samantha’s remains were resting in an unknown location, but Mulder made sure she had a headstone placed at the family plot in Raleigh. The FBI, eager to get back in Mulder’s good graces, helped arrange a proper visit to the decommissioned April Airforce Base, which was Samantha’s last known residence. Although Scully was worried about re-opening Mulder’s wounds regarding Samantha, she knew the chance to go there and really spend time there, instead of sneaking around in haste, was important to him. Scully steeled herself to be strong for Mulder in the coming days should he need it. In that moment she gazed at Mulder who was concentrating on a winding section of road, and was so grateful for his comfort when they visited Emily’s grave, and for putting up with her brother Bill, who, she had to concede, definitely still hated Mulder.
As the afternoon progressed the sky turned a range of oranges, violets and pinks. Mulder pulled the car over to a viewpoint overlooking a serene beach. They both stepped out of the car to watch as the sun set and dusky gray tendrils began to make their appearances. Scully shivered a bit in the cool sea breeze and Mulder held her tightly from behind while they enjoyed the moment in silence. Back in the car Mulder drove a bit longer, then pulled over at a gas station to fill up before their rest stop for the night. Feeling a bit parched, Scully went into the convenience store to grab some drinks as well as an assortment of snacks, pausing momentarily to debate on how large a bag of sunflower seeds would be necessary. On the way to the checkout she spied a bottle of bubble bath, and some toothpaste and added those to her basket. Lastly, she stopped at the small wine section to pick out a nice red for her and Mulder. While reading the labels out of the corner of her eye she saw the arm of Mulder’s leather jacket grab a bottle of Jameson from the next shelf. Surprised, Scully looked up and said ”Mulder, I thought you were waiting in the car, and why are you getting whiskey?”
Confused at the question, the man turned to face Scully with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you, but I definitely want to” he said with a toothy grin. Scully’s eyes grew wide as she stared at him and stammered “Oh I’m so sorry, you look just like my partner…it’s uncanny”. “He must be a good looking guy,” the man replied. Gesturing to the bottle of Jameson in his hand he added “As for the whiskey, I’m an author and I need the 3 W’s to write…whiskey, weed and..” “Women?” Scully interjected, with a raise of her eyebrow. The man chuckled and responded “well, I was going to say Warren Zevon, but that too. The name’s Hank Moody, you may have heard of my book: ‘God Hates Us All’". A light bulb went off in Scully’s head, “Oh is that the one that got made into that movie…Crazy Little Thing Called Love? It was adorable, my partner hated it, but he’s never been the romcom type.” Right at that moment Mulder entered the store and Scully caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. She decided that it would be better if he didn’t see his doppelgänger, and she winced at the physically painful memory of the fighting twins Betty Templeton and Lulu Pfeiffer. “Nice meeting you Mr. Moody” Scully said quickly. “Call me Hank,” Moody replied, “and I never got your name”. “It’s Dana,” Scully said, as she rushed off to pay and steer Mulder away.
Before stopping at the motel for the night they grabbed a quick dinner at a diner down the road. Back in the car as Mulder drove the short distance to their nearby motel, Scully asked “why’d you come inside the store earlier, Mulder?” “You were taking a long time and I missed you” he responded. Scully scoffed, “it was just a few minutes, I had trouble deciding what snacks I wanted.” Stealing a glance at Scully, Mulder saw her smile slightly to herself, which prompted him to proclaim “you know I can feel you thinking, right?” Scully shook her head and said “it’s nothing, I just saw a man at the store who I thought was you that’s all, and I’m just laughing at how I could’ve possibly mistaken him for you”. “Oh yeah? Well I’ll bet he wasn’t as good looking as me” Mulder replied. “Hah, well I don’t know about that…” said Scully, to a very wounded looking Mulder.
[XXXXX]
Moody watched Scully as she headed out of the store with her partner. His inner dialogue was raging: She said her partner looks like me, but does he really? Is that man her partner? He is about my height and build, lanky, and with dark brown hair. We even have a similar style of dressing - jeans, dark tee, leather jacket. What did she mean by partner? Life partner? Work partner? Business partner? Why are people so vague these days?
[Venice Beach]
Back at home Moody sat at his typewriter with a blunt hanging from his mouth. He took the occasional drag chased by a swig straight from his Jameson bottle. His agent Charlie had been breathing down his neck about a new book, but that’s the furthest thing from his mind. Moody couldn’t concentrate, he couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious redhead at the convenience store. She was a breath of fresh air from all the stale LA women he’s met. She is beautiful in a classic way, he thought to himself - not full of the Botox, filler, and cosmetic surgery that was so rampant in the City of Angels. Moody closed his eyes and pictured her, she was breathtaking really. He imagined what her life must be like. She had an east coast attitude about her. Not NYC though, he’d know someone from his beloved hometown in an instant, but maybe mid-Atlantic. Probably works at something serious, he thought, maybe for the government or finance or healthcare. Yet, he couldn’t help but recognize something about her that betrayed a bit of west coast chill, perhaps she spent some of her childhood right here in California, he wondered.
Goddamn Moody, if you could get your shit together maybe you could’ve been one of those profilers they show on tv, like working for the FBI. Some real Silence of the Lambs shit. Isn’t that what authors do anyway? Study other humans, figure them out, and put them into a story. It was easy for him really. He saw the Lariat rental sticker on the car she got into so he knew she wasn’t from the area. Based on the stuff she picked up in the convenience store it looked like they were some necessities she might need for spending a night or two: snacks, water, toothpaste, red wine, bubble bath and a boat load of sunflower seeds (that was odd, maybe they were for her partner). Moody would put money on the fact that either she or the partner used to smoke and had an oral fixation and used the sunflower seeds to cope. After all, it takes one to know one, he thought to himself, lighting up a cigarette right at that moment. Look, this profiling stuff is so easy! Well, at the very least maybe I could use this angle in my next book. Still daydreaming of the mysterious redhead Dana, Moody rubbed one out to the memory of her beauty. Finding some post-nut clarity he realized that she must be staying somewhere nearby and decided to look for her.
Moody jumped into his dusty Porsche and started to cruise around motels in the vicinity of the convenience store. After circling around the lots of a couple of sleazy motels Moody realized someone as classy as Dana wouldn’t be staying at such a rundown motel with the junkies and hookers. He was about to head home when he saw a generic silver sedan pull in with a Lariat bumper sticker. Moody thought he must be high when he saw Dana pop out of the passenger seat. Her red hair was unmistakable. He was ready to jump out and lay the classic Moody charm on thick, but then he saw her partner step out of the car. He paused to re-think his strategy.
[Surfside Motel]
After a long afternoon of driving and spending the evening chasing the sunset, Mulder and Scully finally pulled into the motel parking lot. Mulder quipped “sorry we are still staying at FBI-budget motels Scully”. Despite his light tone, Scully knew he felt badly and that she deserved much more. She responded kindly saying “I don’t think I’d want it any other way Mulder, it’s our thing and it’s perfect for us, besides you did splurge on our tropical getaway, which was amazing!” This made Mulder beam proudly. Scully got out of the car and looked around the parking lot. The FBI instincts honed by years on the run never went away and she was surveying her surroundings as she knew Mulder was doing as well. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man in a black, convertible Porsche who was very obviously looking away from her while trying to steal an occasional glance in his rear view. While Mulder busied himself with the luggage and securing a room, Scully approached the Porsche. She was surprised to see Mulder in the driver’s seat. Or rather the man who looked like Mulder.
“Mr. Moody, are you following me?” she asked. “Actually I’m not, well, not intentionally, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you in the store earlier. I saw the rental sticker and judging by your east coast demeanor I figured you were visiting. Based on the items you had in the shop I assumed you were staying pretty close by. I took a chance and decided to check the nearby motels to see if I might find your car and maybe run into you again.” Scully was obviously impressed by Moody’s deductive reasoning and stood with mouth agape momentarily, unsure if she should find this disturbing or fascinating. Sensing a bit of discomfort Moody lightened the tone and said “I’m channeling my inner profiler. I’ve been thinking about it, authors and profilers probably have a lot in common, maybe just a bit more alcohol in the blood with authors.” This got a laugh out of Scully who smiled widely and told Moody “I think you might be right.” Not wanting to miss the opportunity to shoot his shot Moody quickly said “honestly I’m intrigued by you, can I take you out for a drink, Dana?” Scully hesitated for a beat then answered “Mr. Moody…Hank…I’m flattered but I’m spoken for.” Looking slightly defeated, Moody said “Ah, your partner.” “Yes…speaking of him, here he is”. Mulder walked over to Scully, placed his hand at the small of her back and reached for the last small bag she was holding. Scully placed her hand on Mulder’s shoulder and said “Hank, this is my partner Fox Mulder, Mulder, this is the man from the convenience store who I said I mistook for you.”
Moody and Mulder stared at one another in disbelief. Moody broke the silence: “You’re a damn good looking man Fox Mulder. I can see why Dana won’t fall for the old Hank Moody charm.” “Wait, Hank Moody as in the author of “God Hates Us All”? Scully, you didn’t tell me you met Hank Moody?!” Scully, sounding exasperated, said “Mulder you hated A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which is based on his book. I thought you’d be upset that I met him. Sorry Hank, I told you he didn’t like your movie”. Moody laughed and said “To be fair I hate the movie too, Hollywood ruined my life’s work.” Feeling vindicated, Mulder said “See Scully? Can’t believe you dragged me to it. But the book is incredible Mr. Moody, I’m a big fan.” “As long as you don’t punch me in the face when you fuck me, I’ll take the compliment” Moody replied. This garnered a quizzical look between Mulder and Scully. Sensing their confusion Moody then recovered by saying “Inside joke, sorry about that, wait for the sequel”. Moody then asked “So what do you two do?” “Dana here is a medical doctor, and I’m profiler,” Mulder replied. Moody was stunned at this revelation, barely containing his excitement he said to Mulder “You mean like for the FBI?!?” Mulder looked chuffed and said “Something like that, but I do more freelance work these days.” Moody went on to say “I was just telling Dana, that being an author is a lot like being a profiler and getting into someone’s head.” At this Mulder and Scully exchanged a knowing look, both remembering their case with Phillip Padgett. Scully said “Yeah we have some experience with that…” which caught Moody by surprise, “No kidding?!” he says. “It’s a long story, you’d never believe it,” Mulder said. “Try me sometime” challenged Moody. The three spoke in the motel parking lot for a bit. Mulder handed Moody his card and eagerly offered to consult on a future book, as long as Moody promised to not shit on his life’s work the way that “pesky Jose Chung did”. A look of disgust appeared on Moody’s face at the mention of Jose Chung, Mulder looked over at Scully, who just shrugged and said “What? I like his books.” Moody bade them farewell and jumped back in his Porsche for the drive back to Venice Beach.
On the drive back Moody stopped by his usual watering hole. He drowned his disappointment in some vodka sodas and some good weed that he got off his favorite bartender. Normally this would be the time when he’d find some solace in picking up another woman, but he just couldn’t shake the thought of Dana, especially how happy she looked with her partner Mulder. Though they didn’t tell him much, he saw weariness in both their eyes and his newfound author/profiler abilities led him to conclude that they had both been through a lot together. And yet, they stuck by one another’s side. His heart ached a little at the thought and Moody vowed then and there that he was going to make it work with his one true-love, Karen.
[XXXX]
Back at the Surfside Motel, Scully was running her bath water as Mulder was turning the gears in his head. He hollered over the noise to her in the bathroom “I hate to state the obvious, but that man, Hank Moody, looks exactly like me…” “Yep, must be an X-File, Mulder. Now are you joining me in the bath or not? And bring the wine.” “You don’t have to tell me twice!” Mulder said as he threw a wrench into the gears of his brain. He headed to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
[Fin]