Title: Three of a Kind: Party Girl Author: Pattie Rated: PG Category: Post-Ep., H, UST. Spoilers: Three of a Kind Archive: After_the_Fact, Gossamer. Anyone else please write me. Feedback: trish59@444.net Disclaimer: Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Studios own these characters, I claim no filthy lucre for this effort, and I don't mean to break any copyright laws. FBI HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, D.C. MONDAY 8:30 A.M. Fox Mulder had seen and heard some strange things in his life. Perhaps even his life was a strange thing. However, the story of how The Lone Gunmen and Scully freed Susanne Modeski was one thing which had been strange this particular time around, and a story they had told Mulder was even stranger, and a heck of a lot more amusing. As the agent sat at his desk, he just couldn't wait to hear his partner's side of the story. Oh, this was going to be good! Mulder smirked to himself when he recalled Scully's surprise over the phone. He was not in Las Vegas! She muttered something nasty about his three friends and seemed really ticked off. Something she said was actually quite rude, but, she had been through a lot. This time, Mulder hadn't been the cause of that, and to him, it was a joy to be waiting here to listen to his cigarette-smoking, party girl partner explain things from her point of view. When he heard the door open, he tried to keep a straight face. Scully strode into the office sheepishly avoiding eye contact with her partner. As she hung her coat on the rack, she jumped when she heard his voice. "Tough time in Vegas?" Mulder tried to supress a grin. Scully's head was low as she sat at her computer console. "Yup. Lots of noise, gambling, losers and drinkers. Oh, and some international hijinks thrown in for good measure, not to mention Frohike, Langly and Byers. Even saw some guy from Area 51 there. Some Morris... Morris something-or- other. So, how was your weekend?" *Should I laugh now, or face a gun now?* he wondered. "You know, laundry, b-ball at the Y, went to talk to the Gunmen last night, played poker... " "I was drugged!" Scully shouted. Mulder put on his best puzzled look. "Say what?" "I mean, I wasn't myself," she mumbled. "Sorry." "Hey, no problem. I know what air travel does to you. So, I heard you were very successful helping Susanne Modeski get away from the bad guys. Oh, and that you let Langly see his first autopsy." "Yeah, that was unusual. Funny I don't remember him or the corpse, but it was such a busy time. There was so much confusion... " Scully was pretending to look through her e-mail, but she wasn't really reading anything. She was hoping Mulder didn't know what The Gunmen had told her transpired under the influence of that drug Modeski called anoitic histamine. She blushed guiltily when she looked up to see Mulder smirking. She could feel a hundred layers of embarrassment rising to the surface all over again. Mulder pulled himself together. "I'd say you saved Dr. Modeski's life when you helped stage the false shooting. Now THAT'S important. Byers was very fond of her." "Yes, he was. She actually had the courage of her convictions. When she found out that her fiance was not what he seemed, she trusted us to help her do the right thing without turning herself in. Now, she's free... " "And you're free too, Scully." Oops. "I mean, free from the situation there." Scully stood from her computer and was out for bear. "Free? You mean as in... 'free and easy'? Free of my inhibitions? Free as in 'fast and loose'? Because Mulder, I swear, if what the gunmen told me was correct, all I did was have a couple of drinks, smoke a couple of cigarettes, and then pass out. No wait... I didn't mean it to come out that way... " Mulder sat stone-faced fiddling with a pencil. "I know about the chemical that was used, anoitic histamine, and its antidote. I know you did a top scientist a favor by liberating her from the people who were abusing her intelligence and expertise in the name of their 'Project'. You were and still are the FBI's respectible Special Agent Dana Scully, with an impeccable record and spotless reputation. Now, can we get to work?" Scully relaxed back in her seat. "Okay. I'm glad that's all out in the open. Aren't we supposed to be in accounting today?" Mulder was half-way out the door before he said the phrase he had wanted to use since the night before. "Yeah. Let's go, party girl." END