From: susanf34@comcast.net   
      
   *NO ARCHIVE*   
      
      
      
   Title: Someplace Else   
   Author: Susan   
   E-mail: susanf34@comcast.net   
   Classification: an in-between scenes vignette   
   Rating: G   
   Spoiler: Pusher   
   Archive: After the Fact site.   
   Disclaimer: These characters belong to each other,   
   not me.   
      
   Author's notes: Watching Pusher in syndication   
   this weekend *twice*, I was reminded of just   
   what an excellent all around episode it was,   
   and I was inspired to write this.:)   
      
   **There was some time between when Mulder shot   
   Modell and when he and Scully were standing in   
   his hospital room discussing what his condition   
   was. So, when did Mulder change back into his   
   suit, and what happened in between that time?   
   This is one possibility...   
      
   Summary: "So, where do you want to go, Mulder?"   
   *******************************************************   
      
   Someplace Else   
   by Susan   
   ~~~~   
      
   "So, where do you want to go, Mulder?"   
      
   "I don't know. I just want to get out of here," he   
   replied, brushing right past her and moving swiftly   
   down the hospital hallway.   
      
   "I'm driving," she called out, hurrying after him.   
      
   Two minutes later they were out in the parking   
   lot and standing by his car. "So, you want to   
   drive, Scully?" he asked, opening up the door on   
   the passenger side, then tossing the keys to her.   
   "Then drive," he said gruffly as he bent down and   
   got inside.   
      
   She got inside too and put the key in the ignition,   
   then turned to him. "You okay?"   
      
   "Other than the fact that I just about blew my   
   partner's head off an hour ago, I'm peachy," he   
   replied sardonically, his eyes looking out the   
   window instead of her.   
      
   "But you didn't shoot me," she countered, roughly   
   turning the key and starting the engine. "I'm not   
   hurt, and neither are you, and right now that's   
   all I care about. Now where do you want to go?"   
      
   "I'll know when we get there," he grumbled.   
      
   She said nothing in return.   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   She wasn't sure where she was going.   
      
   Hell, she wasn't sure about anything after what   
   had happened less than two hours ago.   
      
   She'd watched Mulder put a loaded gun to his head   
   and pull the trigger. She'd watched him then fight   
   for control as she pointed it at her.   
      
   And then she'd seen him get that control back,   
   shooting at Modell several times.   
      
   Though she knew it was wrong, a part of her wished   
   there had been more than one bullet in the gun.   
      
   And despite the guilt she knew he was feeling now,   
   she also knew that Mulder wished it too.   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   They'd been in the car for about twenty minutes,   
   and though he had no idea where she was taking   
   him, he didn't feel the need to question her on   
   it.   
      
   He just knew that he wanted to get as far away   
   as he could from the hospital.   
      
   He almost killed her today.   
      
   And right now, sitting safely in a car that was   
   miles away from there was what he needed.   
      
   But was it what *she* needed?   
      
   Judging from the way her hands were gripping the   
   steering wheel, he wasn't so sure.   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   When she saw the sign for Sherrill Park, she knew   
   it was where she was going.   
      
   Flipping on the turn signal, she took a right at   
   the next stoplight, then slowly drove down the   
   street until she came to the park. She pulled up   
   alongside the curb, stopped the car, and turned   
   off the ignition.   
      
   "Get out, Mulder."   
      
   He looked into her eyes, the same eyes that just   
   an hour ago had pleaded with him to put down his   
   gun, but this time he did what she told him to do,   
   grabbing his jacket, then opening the car door   
   and stepping out onto the sidewalk.   
      
   She got out of the car too, but stayed standing   
   in the street.   
      
   "Why'd you stop here, Scully?"   
      
   "You wanted to get away. I wanted to get away,   
   and this is where I drove. If you have a problem   
   with that, you should've told me somewhere else   
   to go," she snapped, taking her trench coat off   
   her shoulders and throwing it back in the front   
   seat, then shoving the door closed.   
      
   She wasn't sure why she was suddenly acting so   
   irritated with him, especially after what he'd   
   been through earlier, but it was the way she   
   felt, and damn it, he wasn't going to make her   
   feel guilty about it.   
      
   And damn it, she wasn't going to have him feeling   
   guilty about things either.   
      
   What happened to him could've happened to anyone,   
   including her, and despite the fact that seeing   
   him under someone else's control like that had   
   scared the hell out of her, she wasn't angry at   
   him for what he did.   
      
   In fact, right now she was just grateful to be   
   standing here across from him.   
      
   "Let's take a walk, Mulder," she said, walking   
   around the front of the car and slipping her hand   
   into his.   
      
   His mouth dropping open at her unexpected gesture,   
   he didn't immediately pull away like she thought   
   he would, but squeezed her fingers instead.   
      
   And they walked.   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he knew   
   he liked it.   
      
   They were walking on the sidewalk of a public   
   park and holding hands, and though they'd never   
   done something like that before, he didn't feel   
   the least bit uncomfortable about it.   
      
   Of course, they still hadn't talked about what   
   had happened earlier at the hospital, but the   
   more they walked, the more he was able to   
   distance himself from what he'd done.   
      
   And right now, distance was what he needed.   
      
   "I know you don't want to talk about what happened,   
   and I understand that. I also know that you've   
   been beating yourself up over what you did," she   
   finally said, breaking the silence between them.   
   "But I want you to stop it, Mulder. We're both   
   okay, and that's all that matters to me."   
      
   "*Are* we okay, Scully?" he asked, not as sure of   
   her answer as he'd like to be.   
      
   She let go of his hand, walked over to a nearby   
   bench, and sat down. "You're here with me right   
   now, aren't you?"   
      
   "Yes," he answered as he sat down too.   
      
   "Then we're okay."   
      
   He turned to the woman beside him, the woman who   
   at times seemed to know him better than he knew   
   himself, then said, "Yeah, I guess we are."   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   She wasn't sure why she'd decided to stop at this   
   particular park.   
      
   She wasn't sure why she'd been so blunt with him   
   or why it'd been so easy for her to take hold of   
   his hand.   
      
   But sitting here with him now, she was sure that   
   they'd make it through this, just as they'd made   
   it through all the other times their partnership   
   had been put to the test.   
      
   She just didn't know how long it would take.   
      
   "So, are you ready to head home now?" she asked.   
      
   "Are you?"   
      
   "Not really," she replied, taking note of the way   
   the early evening sun was casting shadows on the   
   yellow-orange maple tree to her right.   
      
   "Me either," he said, looking over in the same   
   direction. "I think I'd just like to sit here   
   for awhile."   
      
   "We can stay as long as you want. Though I have   
   to warn you, my mother doesn't like me being out   
   with boys after dark," she said, her voice flat,   
   her attention still focused on the tree.   
      
   Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a quick   
   smile pass over his face, then just as quickly   
   disappear again.   
      
   "Then I suppose we should leave soon. I wouldn't   
   want to get you in trouble with your mom," he   
   said dryly. "You still have my car keys?"   
      
   She pulled them out from her pocket, held them   
   out for him to take. "Yes."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)