Title: Kroner Author: DM E-mail: unruhe1121@hotmail.com Feedback: It's how we're paid. . . can this also count as my disclaimer??? Rating: G Category: V, R Key words: Mulder/Scully Romance Spoilers: Rain King and a tiny one for Triangle Disclaimer: Okay, just to cover my tracks. . . Not mine; they belong to 1013 Productions, FOX, and most importantly, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Summary: "He moves closer and whispers, "do I do it for you, Scully?" He glances down to my lips and a breath hitches in my throat. He licks his lips and continues, "do I flip your switch?" Notes: Pure fluff in honor of Valentine's Day. Many, many thanks to Carol for the idea and the countless hours she spends cleaning up the mess I make when I start writing. This one's for you. All of my other stories may be found at my website: http://www.geocities.com/dmldr42 Kroner By DM Kroner, Kansas Cool View Motor Court 7:14am I'm just finishing drying off from my shower when I hear her. "Mulder! Holman's here." "Be right out." In the past six years of our partnership, Scully and I have never shared a room before, but thanks to a ton of flying hamburger crashing through the roof of my room, we've finally ended up as roommates. Out of courtesy, I let her shower first. For such a "no frills" kind of woman, she sure takes long enough to get ready. Now we're late and she's yelling at me to hurry up. Like an idiot I forgot to take my clothes in the bathroom with me and I have to venture out into the room in only my towel. As the door swings open, Holman looks up and an amused grin spreads across his face. He looks me up and down then glances at my partner and his smile widens. I want to hurt him. Instead, I thank him. "Thanks for the lift, Holman. I'll be ready in just a minute." "My pleasure, Agent Mulder." His voice is far too suggestive and I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable in my current state of undress, so with a suitable glare, I grab my shoes and clothes and head to the bathroom to finish getting ready. I can hear them talking and that worries me for some reason, so I hurry even faster. When I exit the restroom sweat is trickling down my forehead and I'm out of breath. "You okay, Mulder?" she asks, worry furrowing her brow. "Yeah, let's go. We don't want to be late." Holman and I drag our luggage to his car while Scully checks out. The weather has cleared up nicely, thanks to Holman's obvious good mood and it looks like our flight might actually be able to take off this time. "You did it, didn't you?" I look over at him and the same stupid look is still on his face. This newfound love thing is getting to his head. "Did what?" "You told her." His eyes are literally two shades brighter. Cupid's arrow hit him all right. I'm guessing in the head. This guy has issues. "Holman-" I begin to warn, but stop when my partner exits the office and heads back into our hotel room. She must have forgotten something. My eyes follow her until she disappears inside. She's so tiny, it cracks me up. It's not so much her size alone, but for such a strong, independent, beautiful woman, you'd expect her to be more physically imposing. I've often wondered how she packs it all in there. I suppose it's like they say, though, good things come in small packages. "Now *that*, Agent Mulder, was gazing." "Wha-" it's only then that I realize I'm grinning like an idiot and Holman is standing right next to me taking it all in. "Look, I'm not one to give advice, especially on matters of this kind, but you've got it bad." "Holman, I don't want to talk about this anymore." "You made me listen to you, now I'm going to make you listen to me." I turn to face him and square my shoulders, hoping to instill some sort of fear, but he just keeps right on talking. "I'm going to pay you the same favor your partner paid me last night. Did you know Agent Scully talked to Sheila?" "Yeah, so-." "Do you know what she told Sheila?" "What are you getting at, Holman?" My patience is really running thin at this point. "What I'm getting at, Agent Mulder, is that your partner, your *friend*, Agent Scully, all but told my Sheila she was in love with you." I'm a bit taken aback, but I think I know what he's up to. "Nice try, Holman." He just stands there. Looking at me. Seriously. He can't be serious. There's just no way. I kick at an invisible pebble imbedded in the drying mud as I process what he's just said. Scully wouldn't do that. Would she? "Go ahead. Ask." His voice is soft now, and against all better judgment, I actually want to believe him. "What did she say?" I concede. . . out of curiosity. "Well, some mumbo-jumbo about how the best kind of relationships are rooted in friendship." "She was talking about you and-" "And something about a switch being flipped and how she couldn't imagine being with anyone else but you." I do a double take and I swear I've got a severe case of whiplash because my head hasn't whipped around that quickly in all the years of my existence. "She said that?" Holman nods and a smile creeps across his lips. "Tell her." I run a trembling hand over my face as I absorb this new information. Then, suddenly she's here. "Can you believe they tried to charge us for the night the cow fell through your roof, Mulder?" I turn quickly at the sound of her voice. "Told me it wasn't their fault the cow thought he could fly." She stopped once she saw me, concern softening her voice. "You okay, Mulder? You look a little pale." "Fine," I croak, then clear my throat. "Fine." It's going to be a long flight home. XxX American Airlines Flight 213 11:47 am We've been in the air for over two hours now and if he doesn't stop bumping into me, I swear I'm going to use my weapon. Mulder has been fidgeting ever since we sat down and unfortunately I'm stuck in the widow seat with nowhere to go. I release a rather loud sigh, hoping he'll take a hint. Then, not two seconds later, his elbow makes sharp contact with my upper arm. "Mulder! What is the matter with you?" I hiss, trying not to raise my voice. It's already throbbing and I know I'm going to bruise. He doesn't look at me, instead lets his eyes study his unusually tame neck -tie. "Sorry, Scully. . . I was trying to crack my," he gestures to his finger, then finishes in almost a whisper, "knuckle." "Mulder, you've been acting bizarre ever since we left Kroner." I keep my eyes focused on him, waiting for him to make eye contact. Sometimes I feel more like his babysitter than his partner. Finally he glances up, but can't hold my gaze. "I'm not acting bizarre." He looks like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Seriously, Mulder. Are you feeling okay?" "I'm fine. Great. Peachy." I don't know what's gotten into him, but I'm not up for figuring it out at the moment. So, I nod, sit back and let the issue rest. We've just finished yet another long, tiring, absolutely ludicrous case, and I have better things to do than try and figure out what is ailing my partner at this specific point in time. I could spend my entire life trying to put together that puzzle and I doubt I'd ever find all the pieces. Two minutes later is when the tapping starts. His foot is attempting to set a record, keeping time to some tune that I'm sure can only be heard in the head of Fox Mulder. I turn to him, exasperated. "Would you like me to ask the flight attendant to bring you a coloring book, Mulder?" He's not amused, I can tell. Good, because I'm not either. His foot takes a break from its constant thudding and he pauses, his mouth on the verge of speaking, when he decides better. He squirms a little bit in his seat then finally excuses himself. "I'll be right back." It's not until he leaves that I release a sigh, allowing all the pent up frustration to exit my body. Mulder has a knack for getting under your skin faster than one would think is humanly possible. But he doesn't mean to, and that's what prevents me from exploding at times. He'll be pushing you past your limits one minute, and in the next, restore your faith in mankind. He's intense, dedicated, kind, thoughtful, sincere. The list could continue on and it's because of those things that I let little episodes like this slide. I'd rather live with his imperfections than live without everything else that makes Mulder, Mulder. He's my best friend, he knows me. Better than I know myself, I sometimes think. So, I tolerate him, and he tolerates me. I know I rub him the wrong way often enough myself. About 15 minutes have passed, and I start to wonder where he's gone. There isn't a line for the restrooms. There's not too much trouble he can get into inside the confines of an airplane, but then again, he's Mulder. I wouldn't be surprised if he talked his way into the cockpit or something. His charm is another quality I could add to that list of mine. He can talk his way in or out of almost anything. It's amazing how quickly my irritation dissipates when it comes to Mulder. All of a sudden he's here. "What happened to you?" I ask, almost expecting to hear about his spur of the moment flight lesson. "Miss me?" witty, as always. "Oh, of course, Mulder." I say this with the utmost sincerity and even bat my eyelashes for full effect. I pat his seat, motioning for him to sit down. This elicits an almost comical response as he sits down eyeing me suspiciously. Every once in a while I like to throw him for a loop. I use this ability sparingly, for fear it might lose its effect. I pat his hand and give him a warm smile then pick up one of those complimentary magazines the airlines offer and begin to skim through it. He's quiet for a while and I'm relieved to note he's no longer fidgety. "So, you think Holman and Sheila will make it?" "Hmm?" I glance up. "Holman and Sheila. Cute couple, don't'cha think?" He's not comfortable right now. I can tell because his hands are all over the place. Playing with his tie, smoothing his shirtfront, scratching his nose. There's something on his mind. "I suppose so, Mulder." I'm entering this one cautiously. Whenever Mulder has something on his mind, one should always strap on the metaphorical safety hat. He's good at shaking things up. "Can you imagine, though? Harboring those feelings for so long." "Holman isn't what I would call an overly. . . confident person." "Life is too short. If you love someone, you should tell them." He's so serious all of a sudden. Maybe he's just reflecting. He does that. Often. So, I inject a little humor, hoping to lighten the mood. "You're not going to profess your undying love for me here, are you, Mulder?" His mouth twitches slightly and a smile forms there. "I just thought there was something you might want to tell me." "I see." I don't think I like where this conversation is heading. It's a bit too close to home. There's something between us; there's been something there for quite a while now, but we've never once dared put a name to it. Please tell me he's not trying to do that now. With much trepidation, I continue. "So you want me to profess my undying love for you, huh?" "I just want you to tell me the truth." He looks into my eyes and I can't look away. "The truth?" I don't like that my voice has become uncharacteristically soft and throaty, but it doesn't seem to bother my partner. His smile sends a strange warmth through my entire body. He moves closer and whispers, "do I do it for you, Scully?" He glances down to my lips and a breath hitches in my throat. He licks his lips and continues, "do I flip your switch?" Flip his switch? Do I flip his. . . Oh no. Sheila. No, no, no, no, no. How did he? When did? Oh, this is bad. Concentrate, Dana, or this could get out of hand fast. His smile grows wider as he gazes down at me. He knows. He's got me right where he wants me and I have two options. I can fold, or I can play. "You've always flipped my switch, Mulder." Playing strangely appears to be the easy way out this time. I don't usually play his game, but this time I don't have much choice. What I don't understand is how he knows about my conversation with Sheila. Or, what made her think I was referring to my partner, for that matter. "See now, doesn't that feel better?" He leans back and reclines his seat, folding his arms across his chest. "Like a big weight has been lifted off your shoulders." Smiling, he then proceeds to shut his eyes, indicating he's finished with our conversation. I'm incredibly confused. What does he think he's doing? For the first time I'm actually getting mad. "Is that it, Mulder? I tell you how I feel and you decide to take a nap?" "What do you want me to say? "His eyes are still shut and my patience is really running thin. "Fine, Mulder. Fine. You think this is funny. . . this little game that you're playing." "You already know I love you." Wha? He's completely rendered me speechless. I just gape up at him, there's nothing else I can do at this point. He looks back down at me and his lips flirt with a grin that is so big, so honest, that my heart feels like it's completely full, so full it could burst. "I've told you, Scully. You just didn't believe me." My stomach is almost queasy; in the past five minutes my emotions have been on one heck of a roller coaster ride. "When?" is all I can manage right now. "After the Bermuda Triangle incident. I might have been medicated, but I knew what I was saying." I tear my eyes away from him. I can't believe this is happening. He continues, "it wasn't until Holman-" "Holman?" "Sheila told him about your conversation." "Oh," is all I can manage. "He wanted to return the favor." My eyes meet his again as he continues, "Scully, I know this isn't our time. But, I'm hoping one day it will be. I do love you and when that time comes, I'll be able to show you just how much." He takes my hand and pulls it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "But, until it does, just knowing that I `flip your switch' is enough for me." I can't help but smile somehow feeling reassured despite the humiliation I felt only moments before. The `fasten your seatbelt' sign appears as the plane hits some turbulence. Mulder leans over after he's finished buckling up and whispers, "by the way, nice metaphor. . . `flipping a switch.' I like it. Very poetic." "Shut up, Mulder." I sit back, and eagerly await our landing. End. Valentines may be sent in the form of feedback. :) unruhe1121@hotmail.com Thank you for reading!