Chapter Text
They’re at LAX waiting for their flight home when his phone rings.
“Mulder.”
“Mulder! It’s Langly. How soon can you get to L.A.?”
“Uhh…” He looks around the bustling airport terminal, half-wondering if the guys are here somewhere and this is some sort of joke. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, I shouldn’t get into it over the phone, but we could really use your help here, man.”
“Langly, you’re gonna have to give me more to go on than that. I can’t just drop everything and fly to L.A. just because you ask me to.”
Scully turns to look at him, eyebrows raised, and he has to curb a laugh.
“Dude, I signed an NDA--” There’s a rustling sound and a muffled, “I told you I should’ve been the one to call him!” before Frohike takes over the phone.
“Mulder! Buddy! How’s it going?”
Mulder shakes his head, smiling, and turns the phone away from his ear so Scully can hear too. She leans in. “Going fine, Frohike. What’s going on with you guys?”
“Listen, we’ve got a bit of a situation here. Some, uh, associates of ours could really use someone with your expertise to help deal with a… well, it’s a little problem. And for reasons of confidentiality, I’m not at liberty to discuss it over the phone. But you trust me, right?”
He looks over at Scully, who rolls her eyes. “I dunno. Do you have any idea how many times we’ve been back and forth to California so far this year? That’s an awfully long way to go just to do you guys a favor when you won’t even tell me what I’m coming out there for.”
“Aw, c’mon, man! I wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t important!”
He laughs. “Relax, Melvin. I’m just messing with you. Actually, you boys are in luck. Scully and I are sitting at LAX right now as a matter of fact, waiting to go back home. I can’t promise she’ll want to join me in whatever mess you guys have gotten yourselves into, but I can come try to help you out.”
“Oh, you son of a bitch…”
“Whoa, easy there, buddy. Better watch your mouth or I’ll get on this plane. Don’t think I won’t do it.”
Scully pulls away and sits back in her chair, shaking her head. She pulls out her notepad and pen, handing them to him before he has a chance to get his own, and he shoots her an appreciative grin. He writes down the address Frohike gives him, hangs up the phone, then turns to her.
“You wanna head home while I deal with the three stooges?”
“Want to? Oh, absolutely. After the night we just had, I would honestly like nothing more than a glass of wine and a hot bath.” She sighs. “But… something tells me that I’ll get all the way back to Washington, only to find out that you need me here to do an autopsy or something, and then I’ll be back on a plane to California tomorrow, kicking myself the whole way.”
“It’s okay to admit that you don’t want to miss out on spending some quality time with Frohike, Scully.” She glares at him, and he chuckles. “No, you’re probably right. Okay, why don’t you get our tickets changed, and I’ll go deal with getting us another rental car.”
“All right.” He stands and picks up his overnight bag, and as he turns to walk away, she calls after him. “And Mulder? You can be the one to call Skinner this time.”
