Mulder and Scully were on a stakeout from dusk till dawn. Sitting in their crappy rental car, the two agents quickly lost interest in their surroundings. For Mulder, the majority of his attention was focused the woman next to him. He stared at her unabashedly as she looked out into the dark.
Instead of the normal pantsuit, Scully was clad in sweatpants and an old T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a haphazard ponytail, whilst her glass slid to the edge of her nose. It was a good look for her, or at least Mulder thought so.
Somehow Mulder's gaze went unnoticed by Scully. All she could think of was the sound of the rain hitting the roof.
"Scully?"
"Yes?
"Why did you choose this? This job, I mean."
Scully paused as she pondered the question. She wanted to help people, but she could have done that as a doctor or a nurse.
"I guess I just couldn't stand the thought of having an office job. I wouldn't feel like I was helping anyone if I was sitting at a desk all day. Plus, it would be incredibly boring."
"And you don't think this is boring?" Mulder chuckled, gesturing towards the empty street."
"No, I dont."
Mulder smiled to himself. None of it made sense to him. She was so young, so untainted, so beautiful if he dared to go there. It wasn't that she made a bad agent, it just seemed that such a perfect woman was wasted working with him. Why anyone would volunteer to help Mulder was beyond his understanding.
As if of reading his mind, Scully spoke suddenly, "Honestly, there's no job I'd rather have. Your wild goose chases can be pretty entertaing when we're not about to be murdered." And Scully truly meant it. Though she enjoyed her co-worker, far more than she enjoyed any work they did.
Mulder gave his partner another smile, looking her in the eyes this time. "I just wish I hadn't dragged you into all of this, this mess. You deserve better."
Scully knew that there wasn't anything she could say to make Mulder feel less guilty. So they sat together in silence, watching rain slip down the windshield, thinking about things to come.
