Title: Thank you American Express (1/1) Author: Catriona Wimsey who's ditching the pseudonym kristy thomas email: condon@uq.net.au Archive: if you want Classification: V, S, hints of UST. Rating: PG Spoliers: none but it's early season 6 Disclaimer: 1013 FOX. CC and I have NOTHING in common. He is male I am not. He is rich I am not. He can write I cannot...... Nor as a matter of fact do I own american express, funny that. Summary: Even Scully can be spontaneous. Feedback: please, please please! If you want depth I'd move on. Not sappy, not mushy, and not likely to happen but is nevertheless a nice fluffy ride. ------------------ Thank You American Express by kristy thomas "Thank you, ma'am." No, thank you American Express. Tucking the credit card back into my purse, I make my way to the door and then back out onto the street. Glancing at my watch, I realise lunch break is half over and I still haven't bought the bagels I was hustled out of the building for. I curb a slight smile at the thought of Mulder sitting at his desk in the bullpen pretending to work but instead psychoanalysing the other poor souls trapped in a similar mundane existence while waiting for me to reappear with his bagel. You know, I hadn't intended to walk past that particular shop front. I hadn't even bought lunch yet. The deli's a few blocks from the Bureau but it sure beats the cafeteria food or the tired, week-old sandwiches that the vendor sells from the cart he pushes through the bullpen. Traipsing down to the deli for lunch is worth the walk for a decent lunch and has the added bonus of escaping the bureau and the constant scrutiny from everyone around us. But like I said, I hadn't intended to walk down that side of the street, I hadn't intended to stop and stare at that little slice of heaven they offered in the window, and I most certainly had not intended to walk away from the travel agent with a max ed out credit card in my purse for a vacation in the Virgin Islands. Pushing the deli door open I sigh. There goes that new laptop I'd been saving for. "Agent Scully." I look up to see Agent Leighton from Fraud, giving me a smirk from the counter. Tall, blonde, breasts sticking out about a yard in front of her. "Leighton," I reply, giving her a polite nod and hoping she'll leave it at that. Agent Leighton, or *leg over* Leighton as she's more commonly known. I swear that woman would have spent about as much time on her back in the last few years as Mulder and I have in the field. "How's your partner?" "He's good," I reply automatically, before giving my order to the attendant behind the counter. "Oh, I'll bet he is," she smirks, grabbing her lunch and gliding past me and out the door. Closing my eyes, I sigh. I need a vacation. I deserve a vacation. No prying, bitchy agents, no menial background checks, no Kersh and no Bureau. No doubt about it. Buying that ticket was not a mistake. Buying the extra one may have been. ++++++++++++++ "Hey, Scully!" Turning around, I see Mulder jogging down the street towards me. "Aren't you supposed to be up to your elbows in background checks?" I ask, handing him his bagel. "I thought a nice trip down the Mall would be better for us than eating at our desks in the bullpen. Come on Scully," he says, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me along behind him. Walking down the Mall, Mulder spots a vendor and gives me a pitiful look. "Scully," he whines, "I'm thirsty. You got any money?" "I bought lunch," I reply giving him a pointed look. "All I need is a couple bucks, I'll pay ya back," he says, snatching my purse and running off towards the vendor before I can stop him. "Mulder, just what the hell do you with your money anyway?" I yell to his back. Moments later he returns, handing me a mineral water with an iced tea for himself. As Mulder begins stuffing the change back into my purse, I sit down on a bench and take out my lunch and open my water. "You bought tickets to the Virgin Islands?" Shit, shit, shit! "Ah, yeah," I respond calmly. Dammit, I shouldn't have let him anywhere near my purse, the nosey bastard. You would have thought I'd have learned after the day I caught him studying my Tampax box. "You bought two?" "Yes," I reply tersely, taking a large gulp of water. "For how long?" "A week." "You bought two tickets," he repeats, staring at me intently. "Yeah," I reply, one for me and the other for my imaginary friend. I answer his silent question. "Probably, my mother." Mom? Mom? I'm taking Mom? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Single, thirty-five year olds do not take their mother to the Virgin Islands. As if suddenly burnt, Mulder shoves the tickets back into my purse and virtually tosses it back to me, avoiding my gaze. The happy mood he's been in all day abruptly vanishes and he goes all stony faced and distant on me. Disappointed? I take a better look at his face. Jaw set, dodging my gaze, he's not disappointed, he's angry. Geeze, if you want to go that badly, Mulder, just ask already. "Scully, don't lie to me," he says quietly, looking out across the mall. Huh? "Huh?" "I thought you respected me more than to lie to me." "I just bought them today," I start, confused. "Scully, I know you're just trying to protect my feelings but really, I'd rather hear the truth than be lied to." What? The truth? The truth is that I wandered past a travel agent and got sucked in by the promotion. Yeah, I admit it, the white sand and sunshine on that poster got to me, so I bought two tickets for a week in paradise. It's a packaged deal, and I was only going to buy one, but then an extra ticket was only a couple hundred more than what it costs for just the single. So rationally, it made good economic sense. "If you're planning on going to the Virgin Islands with some guy, then you don't have to lie to me. You don't need to protect me from... whatever, I'd be happy for you." Yeah, I can tell you'd be overjoyed, especially since you're staring off in the other direction and won't look at me. "Mulder..." I sigh, shaking my head. I thought this was pretty clear between us. Not right now, but it will ALL come later. A silent but mutual agreement. And why does he always assume the worst, that there would be no way in the world that I would even consider going anywhere with him in my free time. And then to add insult to injury, he jumps to the automatic conclusion that there must be some other guy and suddenly our little unspoken agreement is null and void. "No, it's okay Scully," he says taking a big bite of his lunch. "No, no it's not okay. Mulder listen to me, I am now telling the absolute truth. I am not running off to the Virgin Islands with some guy, all right?" "You're not?" He asks, genuinely surprised. "No." "I didn't plan on buying any tickets to go anywhere, but I admit it was pretty spur of the moment--the offer was really good and, well, I need a relaxing vacation. And the second ticket was only a little more than what it cost for one, so it made sense." "So you really are going with your Mom?" "Yes--no. She probably wouldn't come," I sigh, rubbing my forehead, "She wouldn't want me to spend that much money on her." "But they're non-refundable," he replies, looking across at me thoughtfully. Really? Thanks for reminding me Mulder. "I know." "Then who are you going to take?" That's a good question. A very good question, seeing how I don't have Missy, or any really close friends. "You want to come? My treat." "I don't think so Scully," he laughs softly, running a hand through his hair and once again looking away. "Why not?" I ask, more offense coming through then I would have liked. "It's not you, Scully," he chuckles at my self consciousness. "You said a relaxing time. Last time I checked, relaxing and Mulder rarely appear in the same sentence." "I do want to relax, but at least I know with you there I won't be bored. Possibly annoyed, but not bored," I kid. Shaking his head, Mulder replies, "But the point of this trip was a vacation away from me." "When did I say that?" I demand. "You implied it." "When." "Well... uh when you said-" "No Mulder, you assumed it," I reply cutting him off. "I'm offering you a nice vacation. This is where you're supposed to graciously accept." He gives me a long look before shaking his head. "Come on, Mulder. When was the last time you went on a proper vacation?" "You should find someone else to go with. I'd just end up ruining the whole week for you. I'd unconsciously go out of my way to stumble across a murder, a case or something that could be vaguely disguised as an X-File and have to investigate it. You'd get mad, we'd fight and it'd be all my fault." "I'm willing to risk it Mulder. If we happen to stumble across something than so be it." "But Scully..." "But what?" "Scully... Scully you might meet someone you like down there and then I'd just be in the way," he says quietly, while intently studying the iced tea bottles label. I'm not sure how much clearer I have to make this. I want him to come. "Mulder," I reply with growing irritation, "if you don't want to spend a week with me, then just say so." "No, no." "Well, than what's the problem? It's not like the background checks can't wait." "I know. I just, I just don't want to be a burden." "I wouldn't be asking you if I thought you were a burden." He looks up and studies me closely. I say this very slowly, "I want you to come with me." "Really? Are you sure?" Oh god, he's surprised. Genuinely surprised. Each day I'm having more and more trouble believing these boy genius stories. "Yeah, really," I reply, giving him a grin. Once again he scrutinizes me closely and after a long moment his gaze falls down to his shoes before slowly turning back up and giving me a shy smile. "Thanks, Scully." I sigh happily. A week in paradise with no background checks, no Bureau and plenty of time up our sleeve. And guess what? Already I'm feeling oddly relaxed, spontaneous, uninhibited, and with Mulder I never know what might happen on the spur of the moment. Thank you American Express. end I swap chocolate eclairs for feedback! condon@uq.net.au thanks goes to cynthia and mary for their betas!