Bubbles
by bellefleur

Email: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com
Rating: PG for some swearing, but only by the author.

Pure and unadulterated spoilerfic.

Warning: Here be spoilers.

Actually, I'm hoping that these are not actually spoilers for 
the X-Files revival, and that by the time episode 10x01 airs, 
this story will be completely unfamiliar, because it has no 
resemblance whatsoever to any scene or character in the 
episode (I mean that in a good way). But for the spoilers we 
have as of July 1, 2015, this is my attempt to (re)write the 
story in the only way that it could reasonably go down.

Really, if you don't want to know any spoilers, you shouldn't 
be reading this far.

Disclaimer: I refuse to accept as canon that Dana Scully would 
ever, in any way, shape, or form, have any kind of physical, 
emotional, or interpersonal connection with Tad O'Malley. If 
CC wants to write this as canon (which I hope he does not), 
then he can most certainly have these characters, because I 
don't want O'Malley, and I don't recognize this Scully.

Author's (other) notes: This is therapy for me. Bad writing 
always inspires me to write fanfic, or in this case, bad 
spoilers. And if by some chance you have no idea what spoilers 
I'm referring to, I am going to leave you in your blissful 
ignorance, where I wish I could return to join you.

But, to give you some context, this is a particular limo 
scene.


*****

Scully looked at her watch again, impatiently tapping the toe 
of her spiked-heel shoe against the sidewalk. That talk-show 
guy had called her again, cryptically saying that he had 
another important lead for her and Mulder and needed to pick 
them up as soon as it was dark. She didn't mind having an 
excuse to get out of the review meeting early, but she 
couldn't keep taking time off work for these clandestine 
activities. She was a doctor now, not an MIB. She was more 
than willing to help Mulder find medical proof for his 
theories, but she didn't need crackpots like O'Malley getting 
her embroiled in covert operations. There was more than enough 
of that to go around with Mulder, thank you very much.

Scully was about to try calling Mulder again, when a limo 
turned the corner and pulled up in front of her. The doorman 
that had ushered them into the limo the last time jumped out 
of the front passenger seat and opened the rear door for her. 
She cordially nodded her thanks and climbed in.

She fully expected to find both Mulder and O'Malley in the 
back of the limo, but it didn't take long to notice that a key 
person was missing.

"Hello, Dana. I'm glad you could join me." O'Malley smiled at 
her smarmily. She supposed some women might find his smile 
charming, but it just reminded her of a weasel.

She felt the limo pull away from the curb as she got settled 
into her seat.

"Mr. O'Malley. I haven't been able to reach Mulder. Where are 
we picking him up?"

"Oh, all in good time." He reached for a cooler in the center 
console. When she and Mulder were here previously, on their 
way to meet Sveta, O'Malley had offered them chilled bottled 
water from the same cooler. Ever the gentleman, she mused 
beneath her annoyance. 

Scully turned away for a moment, looking out the tinted window 
to try to discern where they were going, but the glare of the 
internal lights bouncing off the dark windows, mixed with the 
darkness outside, made it hard for her to track exactly where 
they were.

A popping noise to her left caused her to turn her head. 
O'Malley sat there next to her with an uncorked bottle of 
champagne, from which he was filling a glass. He offered her 
the half-filled glass.

"Champagne?" he asked.

Scully grit her teeth. She really had no patience for this man 
or whatever game he was playing. Common courtesy almost made 
her reach for the glass, but she felt too strong a compulsion 
to toss the fizzy liquid right into his smarmy face, so she 
simply ground out, "No, thank you." 

He shrugged and took a sip from the glass, setting down the 
bottle. "There's plenty more, if you change your mind."

She huffed out a sigh, her patience stretched to its breaking 
point. "I was under the impression that you had important 
information for Mulder and myself, and that both of us would 
be joining you on this excursion. If this is not the case, 
then I ask that you return me to my office immediately. I 
don't have time for this."

"Oh, Dana. Can I call you Dana?" He smiled again--the weasel.

"No, Mr. O'Malley, you may call me Dr. Scully." Her impatience 
was quickly shifting to high alert. She suddenly felt very 
confined, alone with him in this secluded space. She glanced 
at the door. It didn't appear to be locked, but she didn't 
know what kind of locking mechanism might be in place. She was 
suddenly very grateful that Mulder had insisted that she start 
carrying a concealed weapon. Leaning back in her seat, she 
felt the solid weight of the small weapon pressing against her 
body.

"Dana, I admit that I did invite you here under false 
pretenses. I was hoping for some time alone together, so we 
could get to know one another. I have reservations for us at 
the finest restaurant in the city. Normally you'd have to wait 
months for an opening, but I got us a small private table, for 
tonight. What do you say?"

"Reservations?" she asked incredulously. "You want me to have 
dinner with you?"

"Dinner, maybe drinks. My entire evening is at your disposal."

She regarded him closely through his attempt at boyish charm. 
Maybe he wasn't that dangerous, just a little cocky, and 
completely self-absorbed.

"I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression, Mr. 
O'Malley, but I'm married."

He looked genuinely shocked by that information. She suddenly 
doubted that he did half as much research as he claimed on his 
show.

"Married? But you're not wearing a ring."

She smiled tightly at him. This wasn't the first time she'd 
had to explain this to someone. "Not everyone wears a ring. In 
my line of work, it's not very convenient. I'm frequently 
scrubbing up for a procedure or putting on gloves. Besides, my 
husband is allergic to metal, so he doesn't wear one either."

Scully's phone came to life in her pocket. She recognized the 
ring tone before she even looked at the phone. "Speak of the 
devil."

Pivoting away from O'Malley for some small semblance of 
privacy, she answered the phone. "Mulder, where are you? I've 
been trying to get a hold of you all afternoon."

"Well, I've been a bit...indisposed. Hey, Scully, you wouldn't 
happen to have Skinner's phone number, would you?"

"Don't you have his number on your phone?"

"On my phone, yes. But that's not in my possession right now, 
and I only get one phone call."

"Oh, Mulder, tell me you're not..." She felt a tension 
headache coming on at the very thought. Weren't all those 
years as a fugitive enough to keep Mulder from doing something 
to get himself arrested? Oh, right--this was Mulder.

"'Fraid so."

She sighed. "All right. Just tell me what precinct, and I'll 
be there as soon as I can."

After he gave her the information, she ended the phone call 
and turned back to O'Malley. "Let me out of this car. Now." At 
his slight hesitation, she added, "I'm armed, Mr. O'Malley. 
Don't make me demonstrate for you the accuracy of my aim."

He immediately reached for a button to communicate with the 
driver. "Please pull over at the nearest taxi stand." He 
turned back to his passenger, still smiling a little, but this 
time looking more disappointed than self-assured. "The offer 
still stands, Dana. If you ever find yourself a little lonely 
and looking for company..."

"I have all the company I need, thank you. Mulder and I have 
been together for a very long time, and we've been through a 
lot together. I certainly haven't come this far with him just 
to leave him now, especially not for someone else." She added 
under her breath, "No matter how much trouble he gets himself 
into."

The limo came to a stop, and before Scully could reach for the 
handle, the door sprang open, the ubiquitous doorman standing 
there to usher her out.

"Thank you," she said as she accepted the offer of his hand to 
help her step out of the low vehicle. 

O'Malley called to her from inside the limo. "Next time, 
Dana."

"Goodnight, Mr. O'Malley." She turned toward the first taxi 
she saw and didn't look back.

******
******