Date sent:        Tue, 17 Mar 1998 21:58:19 -0600
From:             schirmer@uslink.net
Subject:          "BETWEEN YOU AND ME" (1/1) by Josh Schirmer


Although it's a tired and boring genre (The magazine quiz), and one I'm
particularly sick of, you wouldn't believe how much fun it is to write.
Sure, it's not gonna win the 'Spooky' or anything, but it makes for a quick
and enjoyable little read. Please keep comments coming to
<schirmer@uslink.net>. I enjoy hearing from anyone!

TITLE: "Between You and Me"
AUTHOR: Josh Schirmer
E-MAIL: schirmer@uslink.net
FORWARDING NOTICE: Please put this on Gossamer, and forward to AXFC. Ask
before anywhere else.
SPOILERS: None
RATING: PG, for minor language flares
CLASSIFICATION: S, H, M/S UST
SUMMARY: A stupid bet between friends, a few spilled secrets, and one
awkward moment, and neither come out worse the wear.

* * *
"Between You and Me" (1/1)
by Josh Schirmer

"So remind me again -- why the hell am I doing this?"

Mulder smirked, wrapping his fist tightly around the arm of a small chair
in the corner of the crowded hotel room. He slid it through the matted,
vomit-green carpet near the edge of the no doubt uncomfortable bed. It was
a fact, he had learned over his years of work with the FBI, that the
purpose of hotel beds was to make life miserable. The sheets were too
starchy, the pillows too thin, and the blankets not heavy enough to keep a
small cat remotely warm. And it was the same in every hotel.

He sighed heavily, a relaxing groan, as he let himself sink into the
softness of the chair. He raised his feet, kicking off his tight, black
loafers, and rested them upon the evil bed. He rolled his ankles in
circles, stretching them out after a long day. And the last thing he needed
was a horrible night's sleep in an evil hotel bed. Maybe he'd just sleep
like this, in the chair with his feet up.

Then again, this wasn't even his room.

Scully walked out of the bathroom, her attire changed from her workday
G-woman suit into a gray sloshed tee shirt and jeans. She looked almost
normal, like an everyday woman. It was the type of thing Mulder would have
made some sort of comment at, but he wasn't looking. His eyes were shut
tight in a relaxing mode. Already he had become too comfortable.

"Because," Scully reminded him, picking up a magazine from the small wooden
table near the bed. "You lost the bet." She plopped down beside his
outstretched legs, the bed suddenly moving, pulling him from his
'near-asleep' phase.

"Oh, c'mon!" Mulder protested, bringing his head up from it's laid back
position. He needed to look at her when he was arguing. "How was I supposed
to know that caffeine free and regular Pepsi taste EXACTLY the same? It was
a stupid bet." That was true. And he had learned something from it -- place
a stupid bet, get a stupid punishment.

"What's done is done," Scully shot back. "Now, I put up with you all day on
that pointless werewolf chase that got us no where..."

Mulder protested again. "The only reason the suspect didn't turn into a
werewolf was because it was the middle of the day!! We have to wait until a
full moon! Everybody knows that werewolves onl..."

Scully kept talking, not phased, interrupting Mulder's whines. "...I put up
with the chase that got us no where because I knew tonight YOU would be the
one who would have to suffer." She smirked, glaring with a devilish look.
"And you know what? It was worth it."

Mulder sighed heavily again, tossing his head back against the awaiting
softness of the chair. "Alright, alright," he groaned. "On one condition:
No one EVER, and I mean *EVER*, hears about this, okay?"

Scully considered it, before finally beaming, "I'll think about it."
Another sigh from the peanut gallery. She laughed at that. "Now, are you
ready?" she asked.

"No," Mulder groaned.

"Too bad," Scully finished. She grabbed the magazine she had brought to the
bed, thrusting the cover up towards his embarrassed face. He looked up,
just to make sure that his punishment would be carried out. He was met face
to face with large, blue, block letters; they seemed to taunt him and laugh
at him. 'Don't know the difference between caffeine free and regular Pepsi,
Mulder?' they asked. 'Now you get to face us!!' He threw his head back to
the softness of the chair.

Cosmopolitan.

Damn it.

Scully, satisfied with his reaction, brought the magazine back to her,
opening it, beginning a search through the endless pages of perfume ads. "I
have to admit, Mulder," she said, her eyes following the images flipping in
front of her. "I knew you were crazy. That's something five years of work
would have taught me. But I never, EVER, would have guessed you would have
been so stupid as to..."

"Are you done?" Mulder shot back.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she threw back. Finally, near the center
of the magazine, she found her grail. "Here it is!" she laughed. Mulder,
curious, came out from hiding within the grasp of the chair and slowly bent
over to see. He shuddered at the mere name of it, and the fact that he was
now LOOKING at one wasn't helping.

The Cosmo Quiz.

God, have mercy on my soul.

"Now," Scully began. "You know the rules. You answer every question
TRUTHFULLY, alright? That means NOT LYING. Are you getting this?" Mulder's
groan was sufficient enough answer. "C'mon, Mulder. I won't tell ANYONE
what you say. You can trust me."

"I believe my slogan was 'trust no one'," Mulder sniveled, keeping his eyes
shut and his head in it's laid back position. "You remember that?"

Scully paid the query no mind. "Alright," she smirked, stretching her legs
out further on the bed, her feet nearing his. "Question one. You and a
friend go to a movie with a woman you both like..."

"God, just kill me now," Mulder pleaded, interrupting her.

"... with a woman you both like," Scully continued, her voice a little more
stern. "And she begins to talk with him. Halfway through the movie, they
start making out. Do you (a.) ignore them? (b.) ask them to stop? or (c.)
get up and leave?" She raised her nose from the magazine to stare at him.
He said nothing. "Mulder?"

"(D)," Mulder chose, starting to smirk. "Get up and waste both of them with
your weapon of choice." Scully smacked his leg with the rolled-up
publication. He thrust his head up, startled. In a moment, he relaxed, and
wrinkled his brow. "Hey! What was that for?"

Scully glared, frustrated. "Listen, it's YOUR fault you don't know the
difference between regular and caffeine free Pepsi, alright? Now you have
to suffer the consequences. Now answer the damn question."

Through a heavy sigh, Mulder mumbled, "(B)."

"B?" Scully asked, surprised. She began to laugh hysterically. "B?!" she
choked out through her wailing cries.

"Hey, c'mon!!" Mulder tossed back. "That whole situation would be just..."
He paused, changing the subject. "And besides!! You said you wouldn't
laugh!"

"No, no, no," Scully said, trying to recover through her giggles. "I said I
wouldn't tell anyone else. Laughing is a WHOLE different matter. Just where
did you get the idea of not laughing from?"

"You gonna hassle me, or you gonna read me the questions?"

"Sure, sure," Scully said, bringing her face back down to the magazine. She
scanned the pages, looking for where she had left off. Finding her place,
she opened her mouth and spoke. "B...!"

"That's it," Mulder said, standing up. "I'm leaving." He reached for his
coat, draped over the side of the evil bed.

"No, stay!" Scully whined. "No more laughing." She threw her hands up in
the air, forming the little 'scout' symbol. "Scout's honor," she proudly
declared. She looked at him, hoping he would sit back down. This was too
much fun! Slowly, Mulder appeared to consider the option.

"All right," he finally said, draping his coat back over the bed. "But no
more laughing! You promised." Scully nodded, pleased with his decision. He
slumped back down into his chair, throwing his feet back on to the bed near
hers.

"Question two," she began again. "You're a married man..."

"Skip it," Mulder shot.

"What?" Scully asked, a little angry with the constant interruptions. "Why?"

Mulder sighed, leaning his head back towards the the comfortable seat. "I
just never plan on getting married, that's all," he said, closing his eyes
again.

Scully's jaw dropped, her eyes wide. For a moment, she just stared, not
able to believe that. "Wh..." she began, but stopped. What the hell was
this? She had known him -- what? Almost six years? And he had NEVER brought
this up! Why? "I had no idea," she tried again.

"It's just..." Mulder said, bringing his head back up again. "I dunno. It
just doesn't suit me. You know what I mean?" He smirked again. "I mean, can
you imagine old 'Spooky' with kids?"

Scully couldn't believe it. She had always planned on starting a family,
just as soon as she could find the time. In other words, just as soon as
she and Mulder went their separate ways.

Frankly, maybe marriage wasn't a good answer.

She found herself caught staring at him, her mind flooding to the different
aspects of their relationship. She found herself scared. She loved him,
there was no doubt about that. But not in THAT sense. But that's not what
scared her.

What scared her was she wouldn't give him up.

"Scully," Mulder snapped, breaking her from her trance. She shook her head,
clearing the thoughts. "We still doing this, or am I on probation?"

"No," she said, turning back to the open magazine. "Don't start something
you can't finish. Now, where were we?"

"Skipping Question 2."

"Ahh... Okay, Question three," she began. "You have tickets to the NCAA
Championship basketball game..."

"Now you're talkin'!" Mulder joked, sitting up again, suddenly enthusiastic.

"... but your best friend has suddenly taken ill, and you can't go with
them. Do you (a.) ask someone else? (b.) go alone? or (c.)..." she paused,
reading the rest of the question. THIS should be interesting! She finished,
"or (c.) stay with your friend?" She smirked, looking up.

It was obvious he was choosing his answer carefully. He pondered the
question, staring into each different aspect. "Uh..." he said, his mind
working hard. "Are we talking about the same best friend from the first
question?"

"What different does THAT make?" Scully asked.

"Well, if the best friend from question one was making out with a WOMAN,
well... that kinda limits out..." He stopped, catching himself before he
said anything.

Scully smirked wider. "What, Mulder?" she pried. "What does that limit out?"

"C," he suddenly said, not finishing his sentence. Scully smirked even
wider. He was a smart man. He knew when to joke, and when to keep his damn
mouth shut. And she respected that.

"Moving on," she persuaded through her own smirk, trying to get her mind
back on the quiz. "Question four - You..."

"I think you cheated," Mulder suddenly spat.

Scully looked up from the magazine. "Excuse me?"

"During the bet," Mulder said. "I think you cheated. I think I guessed
right, and you just wanted to see me suffer like this." Scully couldn't
believe what she was hearing. Cheated?! It was a stupid bet!! "After all,
you've suffered for years behind my stupid theories, right? Why not get me
back?"

"First of all, I didn't cheat," Scully protested, suddenly angry. "You just
can't tell the difference between regular and caffeine free! Admit it,
Mulder!! You just can't tell the difference!"

Both sat silent. And both pondered the same thing. How tired were they?
God, they were fighting like school children over the stupidest thing in
the world! Scully began to smirk at herself, and Mulder did the same. He
began to chuckle. She did the same. In a moment, both were howling with
laughter, unable to contain themselves. "C'mon," Mulder instructed through
his dimming laughter. "Let's finish this thing."

"Mmm-hmm," Scully said, trying hard to settle down. Taking a few deep
breaths, the last remains of laughter died out, and she began to relax.
"Now, question four," she said. "You've just lost someone incredibly close
to you, and you have no one to turn to. Do you (a.) wait it out? (b.) take
your own life? or (c.) search for some meaning?" She suddenly felt touched;
how ironic was that question. She brought her eyes back to Mulder.

"Do I even need to answer that one?" he asked, knowing exactly what was on
her mind. She smiled, shaking her head.

"Naw," she said. "That's okay."

"So," Mulder asked, removing his legs from their spot on the bed. "Are we
done? Can I go yet?"

"There's a few more questions, Mulder," she said.

"C'mon, Scully," he protested. "It's been a long day of werewolf hunting.
I'm worn out. You can't tell me you aren't tired."

Scully sighed. "Just one more question, Mulder. Then we'll call it even."

Mulder sighed back, much heavier than the one she had just thrown. He threw
his feet back on the bed, his toes reaching out and touching hers. She
looked towards her feet, surprised. Was that a pass? Or was he too tired to
even notice? "Shoot," he said, asking for the question.

Scully nodded, a little disoriented by Mulder's feet. "Question five - You
and your partner of the opposite sex have worked together for years. What
they don't know is that... is that..." her voice paused, suddenly slowing.

"... Is that you're completely in love with them."

An awkward silence wrapped the room, and the two found themselves caught in
another stare. Mulder suddenly noticed his feet. JESUS!! What was he doing!
Quickly, obviously uncomfortable, he threw his feet off the bed and on to
the carpeted floor. His face suddenly showed a look of horror, but he
didn't turn away from her looming eyes.

Scully looked at him, the same horrified look taking it's toll on her face.
What was this? Why had the room gone so silent? Sure, she didn't like it
any more than him, but still... what if Mulder DID see her that way? Was
that so wrong? She was an attractive woman, and she had spent a lot of time
with him, and... oh, hell! It wasn't Mulder! That's why! "Mulder," she
said, unable to finish her sentence.

But he bent in closer, leaning towards her confused face. "Scully?" he
asked. Did she really see him THAT way? he asked himself. Was she really
'completely in love with him'? No, no, he told himself. That doesn't work.
WE don't work. She and I are complete opposites.

Opposites attract, 'eh?

He leaned in, standing over her, the room still wrapped in silence. What
was going on? Why couldn't they joke about this question, too? What was
wrong with them? Were they just being stupid?

Or was it something more?

Scully stood to meet him, standing not more than a foot from him. Both
continued to stare. They poured deep into each other, studying each other's
every move.

'Do we dare?' she questioned herself.

'We don't work!' he told himself.

There they stood.

Time stood still.

"Mulder," she said again. He leaned in, awaiting whatever she had to say.
It was up to her. Make us or break us, Scully. We won't come out worse for
wear either way. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the
words. And so, she turned, peering into her heart, and said...

"Star Trek's coming on in three minutes."

For another moment, there they stood, both confused as hell. 'Star Trek?'
she asked herself. 'You're experiencing the MOST romantic moment of your
life and you come up with 'STAR TREK' Oh, well. You did the right thing.'

"Well," Mulder spoke. "It's been real. Thanks for the punishment, but I
gotta get going. I'm tired, and like you said," he paused, letting a
bright, smart-ass smirk shine through. "Star Trek's on in three minutes."

"Yeah, okay," Scully said, pulling away. Mulder leaned for his coat, taking
it up into his hand, then bent down and pulled up his loafers. He carried
the bundle to the door, his partner following close behind. She opened the
door, calling, "Sleep well," as he stepped out into the hallway.

"Mmm," he agreed. "You, too." He smiled as she closed the door, brushing
him away. As she closed the door, she couldn't help but wonder... wonder
what all of that had been about. Had it been some sort of juvenile
misunderstanding? His idea of a joke, maybe? Knowing Mulder, after all...

Or had it been more?

She rested her back against the door, her mind wandering. She threw her
head back, almost pantomiming Mulder's head-resting antics, and began to
smirk. "Well, Scully," she told herself. "Place a stupid bet..."

And she began to laugh.

Slowly, she walked over to the bed, clearing her mind of all thoughts, and
flipped on the TV.

Star Trek.

She laughed a little harder.

She slumped into the bed, and began to watch, tossing the magazine to the
floor.

* * *

END