Chapter Text
The pads of Scully’s fingers rubbed at her forehead. There was a dead body split open on the table and she had forgotten which organs she had already removed. Concentrating on the work today became more difficult as the clock slowly inched forward. With every step she took, she ached for Mulder, from Mulder, and the hours they had spent destroying the springs of her mattress. Or maybe it was the couch. Or even possibly from testing the legs of her dining room table.. then again, it could have been while draining the apartment complex of its hot water during their long shower…
The memories on rewind in the backdrop of her mind had left her almost paralyzed. Forcing her mind into the present, she reviewed her notes for the third time.
“Agent Scully, is there anything specific I should be photographing?” Agent Sharpe asked.
“Yes, make sure we have a close-up shot of the epidermis,” Scully instructed. “I need a clear picture of those flakes. They’re... unusual.”
Agent Lexi Sharpe made her way around to Scully’s side of the table in order to properly zoom in on the area that Scully had outlined. As Lexi leaned in, her coiffed chestnut hair draped around her neck like an expensive stole. Her eyes, a color reminiscent of a dusty road after a downpour, was tactically absorbing, taking in more detail than the average person’s. The kind of woman that made Scully self-aware of every part she thought she was lacking.
Scully opened her notebook and flipped back through the pages. A yellow Post-It caught her eye. It was written in Mulder’s handwriting. It read: Pick up sunflower seeds
She peeled it off and knew her complexion must have matched the color of her hair. Her teeth pressed securely into her bottom lip as she glanced at Agent Sharpe, still busy snapping pictures.
She turned the page. Another Post-It clung to the lined sheet: Jumbo bag
Her stomach did a somersault as electricity traveled up her spine. It didn’t help to get her work completed, but it happened to be exactly what she needed.
*****
A little after four o’clock, body analyzed, blood and tissue fragments cleaned off the sanitized stainless, Scully made herself comfortable behind her computer. She was entering observations into the database, when she felt a heavy hand at her shoulder.
She spun around in her chair. “Mulder, you scared me,” she gasped.
“Just checking in to see how you’re progressing on the case,” Mulder responded.
His familiar rasp sent a bolt of pleasure into her. The same as it did only hours ago when his baritone had hummed between her thighs.
In the presence of Agent Sharpe she could only smile at him nonchalantly and his response was also subtle: a flaring of the nostrils, a slight longing in the eyes, but it still made her insides quiver. Scully glanced over at Agent Sharpe, but the agent was typing away at the computer desk with her back facing them, at least pretending to be unaware. In fact, it wasn’t until Agent Sharpe finished her report that she turned; seeing Mulder there made her smile grow wide. "Agent Mulder, I didn't realize you had come in. It's a pleasure to see you," she said getting close enough to Mulder to make Scully see red. Even worse, Mulder wasn't exactly thwarting her flirtation.
Agent Sharpe bit her bottom lip and tilted her head, grazing over Mulder’s suit with her eyes. Mulder nervously cleared his throat and tugged at his tie with his finger.
“Y-You find anything unique about these bodies?” Mulder asked, turning his attention back to Scully, drawing into her tension filled gaze.
“They were drugged, although the cause of death was suffocation,” Scully said, doing her best to keep her eyes and her voice steady so she didn't step over the line of professionalism.
Lexi didn't know that they were anything more than partners and Scully wasn't about to expose their relationship, but one more seductive glance and Lexi was going to understand why none of the other agents openly flirted with Mulder.
“They also suffered from an acute case of dry skin,” Scully added.
Mulder scratched at the bridge of his nose. “You, uh, get my notes?”
“Yes and you may need to decide on an alternative if this case goes through the night,” Scully returned briskly, her expression unchanged.
“I do have a substitute in mind that may achieve the required results,” Mulder answered, closing in on Scully’s personal space, a smirk daring to appear, quickly pushed away by the pursing of his lips. “When you finish here, if you are so inclined to meet me down in the basement, I’ve prepared some slides for review.”