Dana had barely slept the night before. Trying to cram two days of work into one night, she had stayed at the hospital until half past two in the morning. When she was finally in bed at three, it took her forever to fall asleep. In part, it was because she would finally see Mulder again the next day, but she also felt uneasy about leaving her new special-needs patient in the care of her colleague, Doctor Brown. Not because he wasn't a good doctor, or she didn't trust him, but because no one was as familiar with the patient's condition as she was, since she had spent the majority of the last few weeks researching, and most important of all, gaining the old man's trust. These were the kind of worries that kept her awake more often than not, these days. Thus, when Scully eventually did fall asleep, it felt like she had merely blinked, when her alarm went off at six.
By noon, she was so exhausted that she spent her break napping, and woke up far too late, and only when Doctor Brown knocked on her office door, to receive the arranged briefing on Scully's patient, as well as the appointments and meetings he was supposed to fill in for her between Monday and Wednesday the following week.
"And if there is anything else you need," Dana handed her colleague the list she had made, "you can always reach me under my private phone number. Do you have anymore questions, William?" She knew Doctor Brown would do just fine, nevertheless she hated leaving him alone with all these tasks.
"I've got the list, and I'll start reading through those files," he pointed at the neat pile on Dana's desk, "as soon as I'm back in my office. I believe for now, I'm all set. Thank you." He smiled reassuringly.
"Alright, great. Then I'll leave you to it." Scully looked at her watch. "It's almost five, so I'll get going soon. Thank you-again-for jumping in on such short notice." She got up from behind her desk and shook his hand formally.
After her colleague had left with the files, Scully tossed her keys, planner, and notebook into her handbag, picked up her phone, and dialed he Number Mulder had texted her earlier.
"Hey, Mulder, it's me. I'm about done at work. Are you all settled in?" Dana asked once he picked up.
"I got to the hotel ok. Just got out of the shower. I can be at that pub in about half an hour... I think." He replied a little muffled, probably putting on his shirt.
"Great. I'll see you there." After hanging up, Scully changed from her burgundy scrubs into the forest green jumper she had brought from home, locked her office door behind her, and hurried to catch the bus to the Strand.
About twenty-five minutes later, she found herself standing in front of The Wellington.
She was excited, yet surprisingly nervous. Scully took a deep breath in, entered the pub, and scanned the room to see if Mulder was already there.
She smiled widely when she spotted him at a table in the corner. He looked up as she approached him, and his face lit up.
"Look at you! Wow!" He rose from the red couch and embraced her tightly.
"Hey, you!" Scully greeted him happily, pressed firmly against his chest.
"I love the hair." He ran his right hand through her long, copper curls.
"Thank you," she said, blushing a little, "I thought I'd try something new."
"It looks great, really suits you." He gave her a warm smile, which Dana returned instantly.
"Have you ordered yet?" she asked, as Mulder offered her the seat across from him. "I'm starving!" she added, after realizing that she hadn't eaten all day.
Mulder shook his head and handed her the menu.
Mulder's Fish&Chips and Scully's Sweet Potato and Goat's Cheese Pie were served with a pint for Mulder and a glass of Pinot Grigio for Scully within half an hour. During that time, they had awkwardly discussed the topic of Mulder's flight and arrival in London, and Scully's day at work.
"Mmm this is good." Scully muttered appreciatively, after taking her first bite.
During the first half of their meal, they remained rather quiet, unsure of what to talk about. Scully was so happy to see him again, that she couldn't help but look at him, whenever she got the chance, whenever he was focused on his food. Oh, how she had missed him. His soft, brown hair, those gentle eyes, his smooth, perfect lips. She sighed contently.
