From: msnsc21@aol.com   
      
   ok to send to newsgroup; I will send to Gossamer and Ephemeral.   
   Thanks!   
      
   September 12, 2004   
   Title: CLear Sighted   
   Author: ML   
   Email: msnsc21@aol.com (feedback always welcome!)   
   Distribution:  Yes to Ephemeral and Gossamer, or if you've archived   
   me before.  If you haven't, please drop me a line and let me know,   
   and leave headers, etc. attached.  Thank you!   
   Spoilers: Theef, maybe a little foreshadowing for the last eps of S7.   
   Rating: NC17   
   Classification: Vignette   
   Summary:  In the aftermath of the Peattie case, Scully and Mulder   
   make some decisions.   
      
   Disclaimer:  Who are these people?  They just sort of   
   sneaked onto the page when I wasn't looking.  I don't   
   have any control over them, and I certainly don't own   
   them.  No harm or gain intended by this story, just a   
   little fun.   
      
   =====   
      
   Clear Sighted   
   by ML   
      
   Scully folded each piece of clothing carefully, placing it just   
   so in the suitcase.  She looked critically at her work and took   
   a few things out again, folding them neatly on the bed and re-   
   arranging the contents of her case before replacing them.  She   
   closed her eyes and ran her hands over each item as she put it   
   back.  She could see them clearly from memory as much as from   
   the feel of them.  Soft cotton panties.  The slight silk and   
   lace roughness of her bras. Would she know what she was holding   
   if she could only touch them and not see them?   
      
   What if she'd never regained her sight?   
      
   "Ready to go?"  Mulder lounged in the doorway, tucking his   
   phone back into his pocket.   
      
   "Almost."  Scully quickly tucked a black silk camisole under   
   the rest of her clothes, her previous meticulousness   
   forgotten.  How long had he been standing there?  Had he   
   watched her playing blind?   
      
   If Mulder noticed, he said nothing.  "Skinner says hello."   
      
   Scully nodded, concentrating on her suitcase.  "Has another   
   case come up?"   
      
   "Nope," Mulder said, approaching the bed.  "I told him we   
   still had a few loose ends to tie up and we'd be back in   
   a day or two."   
      
   "Do we have loose ends?"  Scully asked.  "I thought we were   
   done here."   
      
   "Just a few things to see to," Mulder said.   
      
   "Oh."  Scully finally looked up at him.  His face was bland   
   and unreadable.  "Then why am I packing?"   
      
   "We're still checking out," Mulder said.  His expression   
   gave nothing away, but something in his eyes told her that   
   he was up to something.   
      
   "Are you going to make me guess, Mulder?"   
      
   "That's part of the fun, Scully," Mulder said.   
      
   "For you, maybe," Scully muttered as she finished her   
   packing and followed him out to the car.   
      
   Mulder felt more unnerved by the episode at the cabin than   
   he let one, and more than Scully appeared to be.  But in   
   their long association, he knew that wasn't necessarily the   
   case.  She felt things deeply but seldom made her feelings   
   obvious.  In fact, she was less likely to break down in   
   front of him now than she was earlier in their partnership.   
   He missed that.  He missed being allowed to offer her comfort.   
      
   He didn't really want her to break down.  He wanted her to   
   know that she could, and he'd be there for her.  He'd had   
   so many of his own crises recently, and she'd been the one   
   to pick up the pieces for him.  He wanted to reciprocate.   
      
   Scully wasn't sorry to spend another day in San Francisco.   
   She suspected that Mulder had something up his sleeve, but   
   she couldn't tell what.  It could be a case, despite what   
   he'd told her just now.  Or it could be something else.   
      
   The "something else" had been on her mind lately.   
   Emotionally, they were probably as comfortable with each   
   other as they'd ever been.  Yet something was still missing.   
   They were in stasis, each waiting for a sign from the other.   
   They'd exchanged a few heartfelt declarations, even a kiss,   
   but nothing had changed.   
      
   Is he waiting for me or am I waiting for him?  Scully   
   wondered.  Reluctant to come right out and ask, she thought   
   she'd try some of Mulder's tactics.  Maybe a few well-   
   placed innuendoes would give him the idea.  If not, then   
   she'd try something else.  Anything but the direct   
   approach, she thought ironically.   
      
   Before long they pulled up in front of an elegant apartment   
   building.   
      
   Scully raised her eyebrows at Mulder.   
      
   "It's compliments of Dr. Wieder," Mulder said.  "This is   
   his `pied-a-terre'."   
      
   Her eyebrows couldn't go any higher than they already   
   were.  She waited until they were alone in the elevator   
   to speak.   
      
   "Mulder, what's going on?  I thought we were done with   
   this case."   
      
   "We are.  He offered the use of this place to us.  He said   
   he was prescribing two days of recuperation for you, and   
   would call Skinner himself to tell him so."   
      
   She didn't think that this was the sign she'd been waiting   
   for.  This was Mulder taking care of his partner.  That   
   wasn't necessarily bad, but not what she'd expected, or,   
   if she'd admit it, what she'd hoped.   
      
   Scully's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed.  "We can't   
   accept this, Mulder.  It's not right."   
      
   "Why not?"   
      
   "What did you say to Dr. Wieder?"  Scully asked   
   suspiciously.   
      
   "Honestly, nothing at all.  He thought of this on his   
   own.  He wouldn't take no for an answer.  I thought we   
   should accept his offer.  Why?  Is there something you   
   need to get home to?"   
      
   "Well, there's work," she said.   
      
   To Scully's amazement, Mulder replied, "It'll keep.  I   
   agree with Dr. Wieder, you need some down time."   
      
   She bristled a little at this, as he thought she might.   
   "I'm fine, Mulder."   
      
   "Yes, I know you are," Mulder said patiently.  "I'm not   
   trying to say you're unfit to work.  We've both been   
   through worse.  But it takes a toll, Scully."   
      
   An unexpectedly personal reply from Mulder.  He didn't   
   admit to weakness any more easily than she.  Their most   
   recent trip to California still loomed large in her memory.   
   Maybe he wanted this for himself as well, but couldn't say   
   it.  Well, she could take care of her partner, too.   
      
   "Consider it a thank you -- a reward for successful   
   completion of the case,"  he added.   
      
   "I'm not sure I'd call it entirely successful," Scully   
   said.  "No one came out of it unscathed."   
      
   "I know, Scully.  Nan Wieder and her father are dead,   
   despite our best efforts.  Dr. Wieder has that to deal   
   with as well as the underlying cause of their deaths.   
   But we saved him, and I think he's a decent man, and a   
   good doctor.  And we saved his daughter.  That's   
   something to be happy about."   
      
   It was a decent outcome, better than some of their   
   cases, but Mulder was happiest because Scully seemed   
   to have escaped permanent injury.  Happy, and amazed   
   that she hadn't immediately claimed it was hysterical   
   blindness or some other perfectly rational scientific   
   explanation.   
      
   "You're right, Mulder," Scully said.  Another amazement.   
   "I guess I should look on the bright side."  Her   
   expression and tone belied her words, and Mulder   
   wished he could do something to change that.   
      
   Scully reflected that this was one of the few cases   
   lately during which Mulder had sustained no injuries,   
   definitely a plus.  Viewed in that light, the outcome   
   was better than she could have expected, really.  She   
   couldn't be ecstatic, but she could deal.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)