By shawntaw
shawntaw@hotmail.com
 

Spoilers: This takes place shortly after Scully's cancer is cured.
Summary: We are all in flight towards something or away from something.
Rating: PG

Feedback at shawntaw@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I didn't do it, see?! And you can't prove it, see?! Yeah,
Yeah, I didn't do it and you coppers can't prove nuthin'!! (bad James
Cagney imitation)

Note: I am seeing Season 5 episodes for the first time in YEARS on TNT
this month.  Some I have NEVER seen!!! Is "Mind's Eye" cool or what?
Getting all sorts of story ideas....*grin*  Also, keep in mind I have
recently been fascinated with the perception of the Mulder/Scully
relationship from others points of view.  Can you imagine working with
these two? Who wouldn't be drawn in?  This is also inspired by all the
flying to and from Texas I've been having to do recently with my
father's passing.  To distract myself from my fear of flying, part of
the time I'd picture Mulder and Scully a couple of rows ahead of me,
returning from or going to a case.  The back of Mulder's head while he
sat and crunched seeds and his legs sprawled out into the aisle in the
small airplane...and Scully slumped asleep on his shoulder.  *suddenly
getting defensive* Hey, I'm not nuts...I was just passing the time! :P
 And I took a notebook and wrote some fan fic during the flight too.

Well, here's the show.....

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

She couldn't take her eyes off of them.  The infamous "Mr. and Mrs.
Spooky," her partner, Nora, had called them and then waggled her
eyebrows in a suggestive manner that would do Groucho Marx proud.

Sheila's gaze darted of its own accord over to the waiting and weary
partners.  They sat slumped in the tiny North Dakota airport awaiting
their flight along with Sheila and a "lab rat" (another Nora term)
named Ernie.

This case had been a rough one.  A serial killer had taken the usually
serene - albeit frigid - state of North Dakota by surprise, picking
his away across the small state and leaving a trail of broken bodies
behind him.

Unfortunately, no sooner had the perp been caught than the team got a
call from Houston that a series of murders were cropping up along the
coastline of Texas that matched the M.O. of the "Plains Killer" exactly.

Most of the team had been dismissed, but several of the best agents
assigned to the North Dakota case had been ordered to fly out
immediately to Houston.  So, here they were.

The "Spooky's", Sheila, and Ernie.

Ernie twitched his nose again as he watched the small television in
the corner and pushed his glasses up his nose.  Sheila was beginning
to understand where he got his nickname "lab rat" from and if he
convulsively sniffle-snorted one more time she felt like she could
shoot him.  Sheila purposefully looked away from him where he sat at
one of the round tables in the middle of the small waiting area and
felt herself drawn to her right again where Agents Mulder and Scully sat.

Mulder looked pale and rumpled and was leaning forward slightly in his
chair, one leg bouncing up and down.  His eyes traveled from the t.v.
to the clock to the small group of people seated in the surrounding
chairs to Agent Scully and then back down to his hands where his
fingers picked at each opposing sleeve of his jacket.

Scully was sitting beside him, pretending to read a magazine. In
truth, she was keeping an eye on him.

Finally, Sheila saw, she couldn't restrain herself.

"Mulder?" Agent Scully said in a low voice.

He stopped fidgeting to look at her.

"You ok?  When's the last time you ate?"

Mulder shrugged a little, "I think I stole some of your crackers at
lunch when you weren't looking.  Don't worry, Scully.  This case was
nothing compared to some I've profiled.  I'm fine."

She leveled a gaze at him as though he'd said something offensive.

He seemed to realize it and his face tensed up, "The difference is I
actually AM fine, Scully," he said cryptically.

*Wonder what that means?* Sheila thought.

After a moment of staring at one another, Scully sighed.

"You have any seeds?"

"Nope. Out."  His leg bounced crazily and the sleeve picking started
up again.  "Why?"

Scully's brow shot up and she almost smiled.

"Why?  Mulder, If you were a kid nowadays they'd have you on Ritalin
or something."

He looked confused and then realizing what she meant, smoothly stopped
his fidgeting and leaned back in his chair - the picture of cool.

"I have no idea what you mean, dear Agent Scully."

*Dear?* Sheila thought, and wondered if the implications Nora made
were true.

Nora...

Poor Nora.

She was supposed to have been on this flight with them, but was pulled
at the last minute when the continuous crude comments she'd made about
Agents Mulder and Scully made it back to A.D. Skinner via the SAC in
North Dakota.

Sheila sighed.  Nora just spread one rumor too many...made one too
many sly remarks to the wrong people.  In Sheila's opinion, it was
bound to happen eventually.

Scully softly hurumphed at Mulder's endearment and grabbed her
carry-on.  She rifled through it while Mulder looked increasingly curious.

"Whatcha doin'?" he said in a playful tone.

She ignored him and apparently finding what she wanted, stood and
walked away through a door by the restrooms.

Mulder sat up straight, watching the door click shut behind her and
caught Sheila watching.

"I think I'm in trouble," he joked and Sheila found herself smiling at
him. He really wasn't so weird when you got to know him a little.

She had no time to respond though, because Agent Scully reappeared and
click-clacked her way across the room, holding something in one hand.

"Here," she said and tossed something at Agent Mulder.

A small package of sunflower seeds fell into his lap.

"Seeds!" Delighted, Mulder pounced on them, ripping them open with his
teeth, "How did you know they had them?" He asked Scully.

"I didn't.  I saw somebody else go in there and knew it was a vending
room.  I gambled that they might have sunflower seeds in their machine
and they did."  She smiled.

Sheila realized she'd never seen that smile before.  It looked very
pretty on her.  She thought back to the case they'd all just finished
and reflected that there really hadn't been much reason to smile before.

Her attention was called back to the partners when Scully exclaimed
softly, "Oh!," and quickly brought a hand to her nose.

Sheila didn't think it was possible, but Mulder suddenly got paler,
"Scully?"  He reached out toward her, but his partner had already
leapt to her feet and headed for the bathroom.

"Its just a nosebleed, Mulder.  I'll be right back," Scully flung over
her shoulder as she entered the Ladies' Room.

Mulder had stood as Scully walked away, and now he paced toward the
bathrooms and back, not looking very reassured at her words.

"Its this dry air," Sheila offered, wondering what was so upsetting
about a simple nosebleed, "I got one a couple of nights ago too."

Mulder stopped and blinked at her for a moment, and then Sheila
watched his shoulders relax a little.  "I'm sure you're right," he
said, but the color didn't return to his face and he continued to pace.

The bathroom door swung open and Scully appeared.  She was a little
paler, but seemed fine.  Sheila wondered why Mulder was so worried.

"Scully?" He said softly.

"I'm f-" Mulder was facing away from Sheila, but something on his face
must've stopped Scully from saying what she started to say, because
her expression changed, "It was just the dry air here, Mulder.  It
wasn't anything serious."

"You sure?"

Ok, now Sheila was sure there was something going on.  Even Ernie the
Lab Rat was paying attention now.

"Mulder," Scully said in a warning tone and threw a look behind him,
where Sheila quickly averted her eyes and pretended to be watching
television.  *Oh, look...weather system moving into Idaho...how
interesting...I'm not looking at them..nope..* Sheila thought nervously.

Mulder must've understood, because he suddenly backed off and returned
to his seat without another word.

"ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS ON FLIGHT 812.  WE WILL BEGIN BOARDING IN
APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES," the tiny intercom blared.

Scully walked back to her seat and leaned back with a sigh.  Mulder
snuck a look sideways at her, but did not say a word.

But Sheila noticed his leg didn't bounce and he wasn't picking his
sleeves anymore.  She could practically feel the concentration of his
attention on his partner.  It was so thick, it was a presence in the
room.

Ernie cleared his throat and shared a look with Sheila.  His eyes were
worried.  Sheila shrugged slightly at him.  *I don't know what's going
on either*  Ernie looked away with a sigh, dismissively. *Probably
nothing*

"Stop it."

It was said so softly that Sheila could only barely make it out.

Mulder looked at Scully, surprised.  "What? I stopped the fidgeting."

"You're worrying so loudly you're giving me a headache, Mulder,"
Scully looked sideways at him with a quirk of a smile and spoke in
that same soft tone.  Sheila was sure that Ernie couldn't hear it from
where he sat since she could barely make it out herself.

Mulder chuffed a small humorless laugh and stared down at his hands.
"I'll try to keep it down."

"Yeah, you try that," Scully smiled at him now and turned her head
toward him, actively working to catch his eye, leaning over slightly
and looking up into his face.

Mulder caught her look and a bright smile spread across his face.
Sheila swore his eyes twinkled and wished she could see the look on
Agent Scully's face that must've caused his answering happiness.  It
made him look slightly goofy, but so adorable that Sheila thought
she'd melt in her chair.

"I'm really going to be fine.  I'm not going anywhere, ok?" Scully
said, so softly that Sheila could only clearly make out
"..really..fine...not going...ok?" and had to divine the rest.

But it was enough to activate Sheila's radar.  Something was
definitely up with these two.  Something serious.  She wasn't an
F.B.I. agent for nothing.

Something had happened recently that scared them.  Made Mulder think
that he was losing his partner, by the way he acted.  Something that
made him terrified of nosebleeds.  Something that made her pale and
something that made him emanate worry.

Sheila continued to observe them while trying to appear to be watching
the Weather Channel.  She was beyond worrying about eavesdropping.
She NEEDED to know now with a curiousity so intense that it made all
the hair stand up on the back of her neck.  What WAS it about these
two that always had the bureau buzzing?

Why were they so special?

"NOW BOARDING FLIGHT 812 TO DENVER," the announcement was so loud in
the tiny airport, it made Sheila jump.  *Oh yeah, big bad agent*
Sheila thought and rolled her eyes as she hefted her carry-on.

Mulder stood and stretched as Scully wiggled her toes back into those
skyscraper shoes she favored.  Sheila realized she didn't even know
Agent Scully had taken them off.

Before Scully could, Mulder grabbed both his carry-on and her carry-on
and laptop.  Scully stood and straightened and frowned at him.  He
stared at her with a neutral expression until she sighed loudly and
said in a small voice, "I can at least carry my own damn laptop, Mulder."

He blinked for a moment and then surrendered her laptop.

Sheila kept feeling a sharp jab in her side and swatted it away.

"Stop staring. What's wrong with you?"  It was Ernie.

Sheila blinked at him, seemingly suddenly standing by her side.

"What?"

"I said," Ernie repeated, stepping aside as the few passengers
boarding their flight edged past him to get in line for security,
"stop staring at them.  I thought we were all past that.  We've all
been working with the 'infamous Spookys' for - what? - weeks now?
Sure took you a while to get star struck."

She frowned at him distractedly.  He was keeping her from her mission
now.  Find out what the heck was going on with Mr. and Mrs. Spooky.
Their connection was...electrifying.  Their relationship...intense.
It drew you in.  Made you want to know them. To know what they know.
And she definitely wanted to know what had happened to them that would
cause such a bizarre reaction to a nosebleed.

"Ernie, I am NOT 'star struck.'  I'm just...curious.  I mean, after
all the buzz in the bureau and then spending time with them in person,
don't you find them just a little....fascinating?"

He looked at her for a moment.

"You need a life," he stated conclusively, "or a man."  At this he
smiled and offered his arm.

"Going my way?" he pushed up his glasses with his other hand and then
picked up his carry-on and hers.

"I thought nerds were supposed to be awkward around women," she said,
her eyes suspiciously squinted at him.

"Ah, but its not true. Chicks dig 'lab rats'," he grinned and Sheila
couldn't help but laugh.  He was a dork, but in his own way..sorta..cute.

Ernie plopped both his and Sheila's carry-ons onto the table and
started emptying his pockets into the trays provided.  Sheila did the
same while observing the partners in line ahead of her.

Mulder emptied his pockets.  Sunflower seed husks, the small bag of
sunflower seeds Scully had bought him, pack of gum,
medication...*hmmmm*.  Sheila leaned closer until she could make out
the label...Dramamine.  He pulled out his cellphone and his weapon,
along with his identification. He patted himself down and then pulled
out his handcuffs and added them to the pile.

A woman wrote "SSSS" on his carry-on tag.  "Sorry, Agent, but you've
been randomly selected by security."  She was apologetic.

Mulder shrugged.  It made no difference to him.

While Mulder was instructed to remove his shoes and stand on the
footprints drawn on the floor -  spread-eagled - Scully watched from
directly behind him with a slightly amused expression.

She had emptied her own pockets into a tray as well. There were
crumpled tissues, a water bottle she'd been carrying, breath mints,
her weapon, handcuffs and identification, and her cellphone.  Before
she walked through the metal detector though, she handed the gentleman
standing there a small card and leaned forward to softly tell him
something, with some vague gesturing at the back of her head.

He read the card and nodded.  Sheila frowned.  *What the heck was THAT
all about?*

Scully walked through the metal detector and set it off.
Nonchalantly, as though she'd expected it, she assumed the position to
be wanded by a security officer.  Sure enough, it went off when it
passed the back of her head.  But the security officer merely nodded
and handed her back the card, waving her along.

Sheila was so distracted by all of this, that she almost didn't
realize it was her turn to go through the metal detector.

She passed through without incident, just in time to see Mulder
standing in 'the position' looking sheepish while a short male
security person had to climb on a chair to pass the wand over his head.

"Sucks being short," he commented as he climbed down and scooted the
chair to one side, "This isn't the first time this has happened today."

"My partner has to do the same thing so she can glare at me eye-to-eye
when we argue," Mulder said off-the-cuff and smirked at Scully.

Scully merely raised one eyebrow at him, seeming unamused from where
she stood with her arms crossed, watching Mulder being put through the
wringer.

"Ok, sir, here's your shoes.  Sorry about that. Protocol," a woman in
security uniform said in explanation and gave Mulder his shoes back.

"No problem," Mulder sat and began to put his shoes on.

Scully set her laptop by his legs and went back to the table for her
and Mulder's carry-ons.
She hefted one in each hand and started to walk back toward Mulder
when she suddenly got a very surprised look on her face and wobbled.
All the blood drained from her face and she looked sick.

Both bags hit the floor.

Mulder stood - one shoe still untied - and caught Scully before she
fell as well.

"Its too soon. You should've taken more time, Scully," he said.  His
jaw was clenched and he did not try to hide what he was saying to her.

"Its just the treatments; they made me weak.  I'll be fine. I just
tried to do a little too much, ok? Just-Just drop it,"  She sounded
almost desperate for him to drop it, well aware they were once again
the center of attention.

He didn't say anything more.  Mulder just helped her steady herself,
sat down and angrily tied his shoe. He then stood before she could say
anything to him and took all three bags and began to march out toward
the small plane that would take them to Denver.

Everyone else had stood speechless during the entire drama.  Scully
was blushing now for all she was worth, but held her head high as she
turned away from the small group of concerned and curious eyes and
walked calmly out to the waiting airplane - head held high.

Ernie let out a low whistle.  "Ok, I take it back.  There is
definitely something going on."

Sheila could only nod, eyes wide.

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

On board the plane, the passengers took their seat assignments and
stowed their carry-ons.  Sheila and Ernie were seated together right
behind Mulder and Scully since their tickets had all been booked at
the same time by the F.B.I.

Mulder was still not speaking to Scully as far as Sheila and Ernie
could tell when they boarded. Mulder was stuffing their bags in the
overhead compartment and Scully was sitting and staring out the small
window at the surrounding tarmac.

Sheila passed by them on her way to her seat and caught Mulder's eye
as he turned to sit down in the aisle seat.  At first he looked
defensive, but he must've seen her concern because his expression
softened slightly and he quirked a small appreciative smile at her.
She gave one back in return and uncomfortably averted her eyes,
finding her and Ernie's seat.

"Here we are, Ernie," she said for lack of something better to say.

"Yep," said Ernie, being just as creative, "here we are."

She glared at him and he looked embarrassed.  Mulder looked at the two
of them like he might laugh, but only pressed his lips together and
sat down.

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

They were about fifteen minutes into the flight when Sheila heard it.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Scully."

There was a moment of silence during which Sheila held her breath,
waiting for Mulder's benefit.

"I know, Mulder.  But you have to stop hovering.  Its over, just let
me go on with my life."

Sheila could hear his breathing become harsh.  He was very angry.

"Ok, I may be hovering, but its over?? Let you go on with your life???
It just happened, Scully.  You didn't give your body enough time to
recover, even though you are cured. Scu-"

He was cut off by Scully standing and pushing herself past his legs
into the aisle - to his stunned amazement.

"I'm going to the bathroom," was all she said and then strode away
down the aisle.

After a moment, Sheila heard Mulder curse and then what sounded
like..perhaps...very, very soft...crying?..or the sound of someone
attempting not to cry?

*ok, that's it* Sheila was standing and walking toward the bathroom
before she even registered she'd done it or Ernie could protest.
Whatever was going on with these two, it was obvious to her that Agent
Mulder cared DEEPLY for his partner.  Whether or not she returned
these feelings was somewhat of a mystery to Sheila, but she just
couldn't stand by while Agent Scully broke Mulder's heart.  It was
too...heart-wrenching to watch.  He seemed so fragile in some ways,
even in the short time that Sheila had been acquainted with him.  And
yet, she'd seen him bust their last perp by dive-tackling him and
shoving his face in the mud.  The perp had fought back and Mulder had
finally silenced him with a hard right to the jaw.

She shook her head.  He was a contradiction, that man.

Sheila reached the tiny bathroom door and raised her hand to knock,
still unsure what she was going to say.

A sob sounded from within.

Sheila tried the door and it opened easily - unlocked.

"Occupied!" Scully called out weakly, but it was too late - Sheila
squished herself inside and barely managed to shut the door behind her.

Scully's nose and eyes were red from crying and she was trying not to
blubber into a tissue.

"Get out, Agent Holiday," she said and tried to turn away from her.

Sheila licked her lips and decided to go with the truth.

"Look, Agent Scully, I don't know what's going on with you, but its
obviously something serious.  And I want you to know that Agent Mulder
is sitting in his seat at this moment trying very hard not to cry
himself.  I heard him."

Scully's blue eyes were wide and watery above the tissue she held to
her face.  They closed as if in pain.  "He is?" she said in a quavery
voice.

Sheila nodded. "And - to be honest - I just couldn't take it anymore.
 I had to come back here and ask you if you're ok.  I mean, from the
very little I've heard, you've been sick or have undergone some
procedure or something recently.  Are you ok?  Would you like someone
to talk to?"

Scully bent at the waist as far as she could in their confined space
as if in pain.  "We're not usually this emotional," she finally choked
out, "We NEVER make a show of anything personal..especially me."

She sobbed, "But...I-I recently overcame cancer with the help of
regular treatments and ..radical ones as well. It all left me a little
spent."

Sheila swallowed.  Cancer.  Damn, she hadn't known it was that serious.

"You're in remission?" she asked.

Scully nodded. "Completely.  They're calling it a miracle," she
huffed," but that's a whole other story."

She sniffled. "The regular treatments left me weak.  They just ended
the week before this case came along and then with all the long hours
we put in.." Scully's voice trailed off.

"I've been feeling weak."

Sheila thought she understood a little about how hard it was for
Scully to admit that to anyone.  Even the fact she was willing to
admit weakness probably showed how weak she'd let herself get.

"Does Mulder know how you've been feeling?"

Scully shook her head, "No, I had been trying to hide it from him.
But that damn nosebleed.."

She snorted, "And it didn't even have anything to do with my cancer.
I haven't had one in ages, but he remembers and then the suitcases..."
Again she trailed off.

"I probably just need some rest.  Maybe some time off."

Sheila nodded. "I know you don't really know me, but may I make
another suggestion?"

Scully blinked at her, and Sheila decided to take her silence for assent.

"Tell that man out there the truth.  I can tell he cares for you," she
took a deep breath and went for broke, "Maybe even more than just as
his partner. I think he's scared for you."

Scully's eyes became like flint, "You've been listening to too many
'Mr. and Mrs. Spooky' rumors, Agent Holiday.  Mulder is my partner and
my best friend, that is it."

Sheila backed off, but she wondered if Agent Scully knew how easy she
was to read when it came to her partner.

"Ok, but I'm not going to lie to you.  I don't believe you.  I'll let
it go, but I think you'd better get out there and maybe share some of
this information with your 'best friend.'  Don't you think he deserves
that much?"

For a moment, she thought Scully was going to punch her, but then her
eyes stopped sparking and she looked at the ceiling.  Her tongue
darted out to wet one side of her lips and she sighed, obviously
apprehensive.

"I'll take what you've said under consideration, Agent Holiday.  I
appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

And with that, Sheila realized she'd been dismissed.  Scully looked at
her stoically, obviously waiting for her to leave.

*The difference is I actually am fine* echoed in her mind.  Ah.  Now
she got it.

"No problem, Agent Scully," was all she could say as she left the
bathroom feeling as though she'd been told to 'mind her own damn
business.'

*and probably rightly so* she reflected as she grimly made her way
back to her seat.
 
 
 
 

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 Back hurts from sitting here so long, but I'm gonna go ahead and post
it and call it "Part One."  This will NOT be a long drawn out WIP, but
a WIP it apparently is. *dodging Mimic who notoriously HATES WIPs..if
she even reads this one *L*

Oh, tidbit of information..would you believe I got picked randomly
TWICE by security?? The first time it was my whole family..Now I want
you to get a picture in your mind of my 5 year old Autistic son being
wanded and searched and his shoes being tested. *LOL*

Luckily he handled it just fine.  He just had this look on his face
like he was almost...bemused. *L*

ANYWAY, feed me Seymour at shawntaw@hotmail.com.

Thank you for your patience.  I now return you to your regularly
scheduled life. :)
 
 

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________________________________________________________________________
 
 

Title: Flight(Part Two)
Author: shawntaw
Spoilers: This takes place shortly after Scully's cancer is cured. And
you'll need to read "Flight (Part One)"

Summary: We are all in flight towards something or away from something.
Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I didn't do it, see?! And you can't prove it, see?! Yeah,
Yeah, I didn't do it and you coppers can't prove nuthin'!! (bad James
Cagney imitation)

Note: I am seeing Season 5 episodes for the first time in YEARS on TNT
this month.  Some I have NEVER seen!!! Is "Mind's Eye" cool or what?
Getting all sorts of story ideas....*grin*  Also, keep in mind I have
recently been fascinated with the perception of the Mulder/Scully
relationship from others' points of view.  Can you imagine working
with these two? Who wouldn't be drawn in?  This is also inspired by
all the flying to and from Texas I've been having to do recently with
my father's passing.  To distract myself from my fear of flying, part
of the time I'd picture Mulder and Scully a couple of rows ahead of
me, returning from or going to a case.  The back of Mulder's head
while he sat and crunched seeds and his legs sprawled out into the
aisle in the small airplane...and Scully slumped asleep on his
shoulder.  *suddenly getting defensive* Hey, I'm not nuts...I was just
passing the time! :P  And I took a notebook and wrote some fan fic
during the flight too.

New Note since Flight (Part One): OMGosh, Folie a Deux (or however
that's spelled) was AWESOME!!!!! I loved it!!!!  But what I want to
know is, why does TNT put commercial breaks where they OBVIOUSLY
weren't before when it originally aired?? Very frustrating..."Scully,
you're my one in five billion"...longing look shared between them and
then abruptly a commercial.  When they come back, she's in the autopsy
bay! I was wondering if anything had been edited in between because it
seemed so abrupt.  Ah, well....ANYWAY...

Here's the show.....
 

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

Sheila made her way hastily back to her seat, gripping the backs of
the seats as she went along.  Apparently, they had hit some turbulence.

"AhhhhLadies and ahhhgentleman....we seem to be ahhhhitting some
turbulence so if you will be sure to take your ahhhhseats and fasten
your seatbelts...we will ahhhtry to get through this as quickly and
smoothly as we can.  Thank you," the pilot's voice announced over the
intercom in that sing-songy way that pilots always seem to speak.

"Great," Sheila mumbled to herself as she fell into a seat - empty,
thank Goodness - and startled a teenaged girl sitting next to it.

"Sorry," she said and pulled herself upright again.  She looked down
the aisle only to met by two sets of anxious eyes - Ernie's and Agent
Mulder's.  *They're probably wondering what happened in the bathroom*
she thought.

She tried to give an encouraging smile to both men as she unsteadily
approached her row.  A sudden jarring to the right and with a shout of
"CRAP!!" she fell right into Ernie's lap.

"OW!" he yelled and tried to push her off of his lap.  She blushed and
righted herself, straightened her skirt and sat in her seat - buckling
the belt tightly.  Only then did she look over at Ernie.

His glasses were askew and he looked perturbed as he rubbed one of his
cheeks.

"Ernie, did I hurt you?" she asked, reaching out to touch a red
splotch on one of his cheekbones.

"Nah," he tried to be gallant, but she could see the truth, "Well, you
sorta headbutted me in the face, but other than that, hey, I'm fine."

Mulder wasn't paying any attention to him, his attention still back on
the restrooms.

"Is..um..Agent Scully coming? She should be in her seat with all of
this turbulence, don't you think?" Mulder tried to sound casual, but
failed miserably.

Sheila leaned around the edge of the seat so that she could talk to
Mulder quietly and decided to be as honest with him as she had been
with Agent Scully.  What the heck, she figured, she was probably
already going to be pulled from the case like Nora for what she'd said
to Scully already.  None of this was really any of her business, and
yet she just couldn't leave it alone.

"Agent Mulder, she was crying.  She's tired and weak and needs to
rest.  You were right; it IS too soon after the cancer to be back at
work in the field full-time like this," she said sotto voce.

He pulled back from her in sheer surprise.  "Scully told you all about
the cancer?"

"Well, not ALL about it, but enough for me to know that she's feeling
weak and doesn't want anyone important to her to know it," I said,
waiting for him to get the hint.  *YOU are very important to her.* she
thought at him.

"I wouldn't think any less of-" he stopped speaking and his head
snapped up and she just knew that Agent Scully was now making her way
down the aisle toward them.  AND probably burning a hole in the back
of her head with furious blue eyes wondering what she was saying to
Mulder.

Sheila tried to casually sit back upright in her seat and pulled a
magazine from the slot in front of her.  *I'm not doing anything
important..just purusing this magazine and definitely minding my own
damn business* she thought to herself *look casual...look
casual...stop looking guilty damnit!*

Sure enough, after a few moments the shadow of a pair of legs paused
beside her in the aisle.  When the legs stayed for an ususually long
amount of time, Sheila chanced a glance up.

*yep,* she thought, *blue lasers*

Scully's stony stare unnerved her, but she was a good agent in her own
right and had put the shakedown on many a perp in her day as well.
She met Scully's gaze unblinkingly..neutrally.  When Sheila finally
did HAVE to blink, she raised an eyebrow as if to say, "Yes? May I
help you?"

Mulder was still peeking around the edge of his seat at the two of
them and she heard his voice suddenly as the plane bucked and Scully
white-knuckled the seat beside her to remain standing tall.

"If you two are through with your pissing contest, don't you think it
might be wise to sit down?" he directed his question at Scully and -
sure enough - she swung the laserbeams his way, added a squinting
glare, and sat down next to him without a word.

Sheila released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as
Ernie leaned into her space.

"Holy catfight, Sheila, what did you SAY to her in the bathroom?"
Annoyed, she looked at him, about to tell him he watched too much
Batman as a kid. But then she grinned slowly as the perfect answer
came to her.

"I think I told her to crap or get off the pot."

Ernie was speechless.

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

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully with no words passing
between Agents Mulder and Scully.  Well, at least none that Sheila
could hear.

Not that she was trying to eavesdrop.

Ernie eventually did recover from Sheila's little wordplay, responding
with an incredulous, "What? What the hell does that mean?" after he'd
sputtered over it for a while.

She had merely hissed, "Shut up. Later," at him and waved her hand,
gesturing for him to drop it.

He pushed up his glasses, scratched the end of his nose and shook his
head at her as though she were some unfathomable mystery.

To be frank, the lab rat was looking at her like a specimen under a
microscope.

Finally, he leaned toward her again.  "Ok, but you GOTTA explain that
one later.  Dinner's on me," he suddenly grinned and she knew she'd
been trapped.

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

The plane landed safely in Denver, and as the pilot thanked them for
their patronage of his airline he also tried to crack wise.

"Thank you for ahhhflying with us....The ahhhhforecast for Denver
tonight is dark with fast approaching daylight by morning.  Have fun
and we hope you ahhhhfly with us again."

Several passengers rolled their eyes and a few snickered as they
stretched up to get their bags from the overhead compartments.

"Seems to be a better pilot than a comedian. Hope he doesn't quit his
day job," Mulder joked, looking first at Sheila and Ernie and then Scully.

She smiled softly, but said nothing as he fished their carry-ons down
and handed her the laptop case.

The four of them silently exited the plane and entered the bustling
Denver airport from their gate.

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

Sheila reflected that they must look like refugees from a business
conference in their rumpled office attire.  Why none of them thought
to don more casual, comfortable clothing was beyond her.

*must be because we got called out so quickly* she thought, sat down
her bag, linked her hands behind her and popped her arms and shoulders.

Beside her, Ernie flinched.

"Ow! I'm learning all sorts of disgusting personal habits of yours on
this trip.  And to think I was looking forward to getting to know you
better," he crinkled his nose at her.

"Are you always this obnoxious?" Sheila was glaring at him again,
"Besides," she sniffle-snorted with an exaggerated snoring honk,
"People in glass houses..."

To her surprise, he grinned at her again.  What was WRONG with this man???

"I think I like you," he said disarmingly and picked up her bag, "Come
on, let's find somewhere to eat."

Sheila noticed Mulder was smiling bemusedly at them and she blushed.

"I think we better follow him. He seems to know what he's doing,"
Mulder gestured at Ernie's back as he walked away, "Or maybe we
shouldn't feed his delusions?" he laughed.  Scully just stood beside
Mulder as he joked with Sheila, seeming to be nonchalantly waiting for
something.

But Sheila decided she didn't care about Scully for the moment.  Agent
Mulder was being nice and funny and so she went with it.

"Oh, let's follow him," she said as she turned to do so, "I have the
feeling I'm going to need to fuel up to deal with him."

Mulder's huff of amusement warmed her back and she soon heard his
footsteps and the click-clack of Scully's as they trailed her.

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

They were three tables away from Mulder and Scully in the small, loud
cafe'.  As she and Ernie sat, she glanced over at them, but couldn't
hear a word they said.

There was a lot of body language to read though.

Scully was picking through a salad and Mulder was gesturing
emphatically with half a burger as he directed his intense, concerned
gaze at her and seemed to be willing a response out of her.

She just looked....*sad and wilted* Sheila thought and was
disheartened by the fact.

Scully looked sad and wilted.

"Hello?" Ernie said from where he sat in front of her.

"Huh?," Sheila blinked at him, "Oh, sorry."

She took a bite from her deli sandwich, "Hey, thanks for treating,"
she gestured at her plate.

He sipped his Coke and shook his head dismissively.  "I said I would.
 Now, what the heck is going on here? Tell me." He put his elbows on
the table and held his own deli sandwich loosely between his fingers,
leaning toward her - anticipation written in his eyes behind his
smudged glasses.

Those really beautiful blue eyes, she realized, framed with long, dark
lashes.  And he had the cutest laugh crinkles at the corner of each eye.

She shook her head slightly. *I am NOT attracted to Ernie the lab rat*

"So, you've been wanting to get to know me better?" she heard herself say.

*Hello?? Where did THAT come from?* Sheila thought, panicked.  She
certainly didn't want to encourage this insufferable man.

To her shock, he blushed.  This man never ceased to amaze her.  After
his audacity...his 'forwardness' if that was even a word...he had the
nerve to blush?

"Yeah, you heard that, huh?" he shrugged, "I noticed you in North
Dakota.  Thought you seemed interesting and hoped we would get a
chance to talk."

She had no idea what to say.

They chewed.

They sipped their drinks.

Time passed.

"Wow, this is like some kind of warped first date or something," he
finally joked, nervously.

She cleared her throat, "Sorry.  I just suddenly felt pressured to be
interesting and," she started to laugh, "would you believe I couldn't
think of anything to say?"

They both chuckled, dissipating the tension.

"Well, you could finally tell me what's going on with those two," he
gestured with his chin toward the agents sitting a little way away.

Scully was now looking intensely at Mulder and saying something in a
calm, controlled manner.  He was listening completely, his eyes
flicking from hers to her mouth and back.

"That would be gossiping, Ernie.  I don't know if I'm comfortable with
that," Sheila said, returning her attention to the man across from her.

"I think I can figure most of it out; I just need you to fill in the
blanks," Ernie said and then got a contemplative look on his face.  He
sniffled and Sheila waited for the snort, but it didn't come.  He
must've caught himself and stopped.  She tried not to smile.

"She was sick or in danger recently and it was bad.  Bad enough to
cause him to overprotect her and she hates it.  BUT she also overdoes
it, thinking she has to be EXACTLY like she was before...whatever it
was happened," he said.

Sheila's mouth was hanging open.  "I thought you were a lab tech not a
profiler."

He was smiling smugly, "Well, this one wasn't hard and actually I
could've gone either way, but that's another story for another time."

He took a swig of Coke, "What I DON'T know is what you two discussed
in the bathroom that's got her hose in a twist," he said.

Her eyes rolled, "Must you talk like that?"

"Sorry," he corrected, "her panties in a wad."

And then he grinned.

Sheila was about to tell him off when Scully appeared at the table.

"Are you two almost done?" she asked softly, "We better get a move on
if we're going to make the connecting flight."  Her voice was gentle
and non-threatening and she looked directly at Sheila.

"Sure, let's go," Sheila smiled and got a hesitant one in return.

*Apology given and accepted*, Sheila thought.  She was beginning to
figure out how to read Agent Scully.

It was like learning a very efficient language of nuances, gestures
and looks.  It fit Scully perfectly.

The four weary agents picked up their luggage and trudged onward.

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

More waiting.

Sheila was getting a numb butt from all of the waiting.  Ernie had
fallen asleep about an hour ago, and was slumped backwards in his
hard-backed chair, mouth wide open and limbs splayed, snoring for all
he was worth.  Sheila wondered how it was he defied gravity and didn't
crash to the floor.

She hated flight delays.  She hated getting all pumped up and ready to
go, to get on the plane, and then having to sit and not go anywhere.

Sheila sighed loudly, growled lowly in frustration and began to crack
her knuckles, one by one.

At least Ernie wasn't awake to express his disgust at this
stress-reliever.

Sheila looked across and over the seats to where Agents Mulder and
Scully sat.  They were both asleep, and - she had to admit - looking
adorably like two kids who had played too hard and too long.

*We're not sleepy! Honest!* She supplied the imaginary childish voice
in her head and snorted in amusement.  Realizing what she had done,
Sheila wiped a hand over her face and reflected that she must be much
more exhausted than she had figured.

She turned her attention back to the sleeping pair of agents.  She
wasn't surprised that Mulder was asleep.  She suspected that while
profiling the last case they were on, he'd gotten very little sleep.
She could tell by the unshaven, pale face.  By the far-off look and
his bloodshot eyes.  By the stumble in his step and the way that Agent
Scully touched him on the arm and looked up into his face to ask with
her eyes if he was alright.

He always nodded as though she had given voice to her concern and
Sheila had watched from afar or across a conference room and had
marvelled at their connection.

The two sat in a row of seats bisected by a supporting pylon and it
was this pylon that Mulder had fallen asleep against.  He was solidly
asleep, his lips slightly parted, head leaning, chest barely moving,
limp hands at his sides.

Scully was tipped over and resting her head on his shoulder, her hair
covering most of her face.  A magazine lay open on her lap, her small
hands folded on top of it.  If Sheila had to guess, she would say by
the attitude of the other woman's hands that she had expected to fall
asleep.  Scully had arranged herself carefully as from long habit.

As Sheila watched, Scully suddenly inhaled sharply and sat upright.
She looked around confusedly for a moment until recognition lit her
eyes.  Scully tilted her head one way and then the other, stretching.

Her gaze fell on her sleeping partner and she immediately looked
affectionately amused.  She went so far as to breathe a muted laugh
and shake her head slightly.  Feeling she was being watched, Scully
suddenly turned her head and saw Sheila looking.

Sheila didn't try to hide her staring.

"What's funny?" She smiled, hoping that Scully would let her in on the
joke and wasn't still holding a grudge.

Scully's mouth quirked and she looked back to her partner again.  He
didn't move, but continued deep in his slumber, unaware.

"I was just thinking that in all the years we've been partners, he has
always picked on me for not being able to stay awake when we have to
sit for long periods of time, like this.  He never sleeps," She looked
at him affectionately again.  Sheila wondered if she knew that she had
that look on her face.

"Mulder must be exhausted," Scully finished, turning back to Shiela.

"He is," Mulder said, fuzzily, "but his partner moved and left his
whole right side cold and woke him up."  He opened his eyes a crack.

"Why do they keep this airport so damn cold anyway?"

"You're cold?" Scully's attention was immediately riveted to her
partner, not even surprised - apparently - that he was actually awake.

"Yeah, freezing.  Aren't you?"  Mulder sat up straighter and rubbed
his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"I'm not.  Sheila?" Scully looked over at her and Sheila shook her
head negative.

Scully's frown deepened and she put a hand on his forehead.  Then his
neck.  He sat and wearily let her.

"Mulder, you're burning up."

"That figures," he retorted.

"I'm serious, Mulder."

"I know.  Got any Ibuprofen or anything?"

"I do," Sheila said before Scully could answer.

"In my purse," she clarified as the other two agents turned to look at
her, "Just a minute."

She picked it up and started digging.

"Here," she tossed it and Scully caught it.  Mulder took it from her.

"Got any water?" he asked Scully.

Sheila stood and walked over with her water bottle.  Scully wasn't
quite able to suppress her glare and Sheila wondered for a moment if
she was going to get mauled by a jealous Agent Scully.

Mulder simply chuckled.

"Got any blankets in that purse? Kitchen Sink? Secrets to the
universe?" he joked.

"Smoking Man's body?" Scully added and Mulder's eyes widened
incredulously as he swung his head around to look at her.

*Who? What?* Shiela wondered as she watched the two of them start
grinning at each other and then trying to keep from laughing.

"Scuuuullly," Mulder said in a very pleased tone, "Did you just play?"

Agent Scully simply raised one eyebrow and smiled enigmatically.  This
apparently pleased Mulder to no end and his smile widened.

Sheila cleared her throat.  "I won't even ask," she tried to sound casual.

"Long story," Mulder was smiling at her, "VERY long story." He took
his medicine.

Scully said nothing, but was meticulously putting her magazine back
into her carry-on.

"DELAYED FLIGHT 43 WILL BE ARRIVING IN APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES," The
announcement blared,"WE WILL BEGIN BOARDING IN APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30
MINUTES."

"I'm gonna go splash some water on my face," Mulder said, standing,
"I'll be right back."

Scully watched him walk away with concern.

"He'll be o.k. I'm sure," Sheila offered, "He's probably just run down."

Scully nodded, "He does have a tendency to neglect himself when he's
profiling, but I worry about the fever.  Seems like Mulder never does
anything halfway," she half-joked.

Then she said something that shocked Sheila.

"I just want you to know....I want you to know that I paid attention
to what you said.  The cancer already made me resolved to tell him,
I've just been putting it off, I guess, out of-"

Whatever she had been about to say was cut off abruptly when Mulder
suddenly appeared at her elbow.

"Hey Scully, Guess what?  I saw my poster displayed in one of the
shops.  Want me to get it for you?"

Agent Scully recovered smoothly and turned to look up at him.

"No thanks.  My poster should probably say 'I want proof,' don't you
think?"

He smiled and sat down beside her.

*These two have so much history I don't get half of what they're
saying to each other!*

Sheila decided to just look agreeable and go with it.

"FLIGHT 43 WILL NOW BEGIN BOARDING PASSENGERS.  IF YOU-"

The announcement continued as the agents began to gather their bags.

Sheila went to gently shake Ernie and he jerked awake so spastically
that he nearly knocked her over.

Everyone stretched and tried to work the kinks out.

They still had the last stretch of the flight to conquer.

*And miles to go before I sleep,* Sheila thought, *and miles to go
before I sleep.*

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

Ok, I know its short, but I'm REEEAAAALLY tired, so I'm stopping here
for now.  I would've saved it and added to it to post later, but the
threads at Haven about WIPS being unfinished is making me nervous and
making me look over my shoulder for pointy sticks!!*L*  So, here, I
offer this small proof of my continuing effort!! I'm working on it;
honest!  The next part SHOULD be the last part.....

Feedback at shawntaw@hotmail.com

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

Note: I saw Season 5 episodes for the first time in YEARS recently on
TNT. I am also fascinated with the perception of the Mulder/Scully
relationship from others' points of view.  Can you imagine working
with these two? Who wouldn't be drawn in?  This is also inspired by
all the flying to and from Texas I've been having to do recently with
my father's passing.  To distract myself from my fear of flying, part
of the time I'd picture Mulder and Scully a couple of rows ahead of
me, returning from or going to a case.  The back of Mulder's head
while he sat and crunched seeds and his legs sprawled out into the
aisle in the small airplane...and Scully slumped asleep on his
shoulder.  *suddenly getting defensive* Hey, I'm not nuts...I was
just passing the time! :P  And I took a notebook and wrote some fan
fic during the flight too.

Feedback at shawntaw@hotmail.com
 

Here's the show.....

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

This time the agents were seated across the aisle diagonally from one
another.

Sheila twisted in her seat to glance back at them.  Mulder was
stuffing bags into the overhead compartment and Scully was seated in
the window seat.

Sheila leaned to where she could see Scully framed in the triangle of
Mulder's lanky, stretched body and the back of the seat.

"Tell him," she mouthed distinctly at the other woman.  Scully
blushed and looked a little perturbed.  She opened her mouth to say
something, but Mulder was sitting down in his seat and saying
something that Sheila could only partially catch about being ready to
be there already.

Ernie tugged on her sleeve.  "Leave them alone already.  What are
you, the "F.B.I. Matchmaker?"

He began humming "Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match" and she
sighed, rolling her eyes at him.  He pushed up his glasses, snorted
and grinned cockily at her.

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

She was aware of soft, warm, minty breath on her face first.

She cracked her eyes open and her view was filled by liquid blue eyes
framed in black lashes.  Creases fanned away from the corner of each
eye.  They blinked.

Ernie backed off, just a little, and whispered.  "Sorry.  You're
really pretty when you sleep."

Sheila couldn't think of anything snappy.  She didn't even remember
dozing off and she was leaning on his shoulder.  His face was still
startlingly close to hers.  Where were his glasses?  He had the most
beautiful, laughing eyes.

"Thanks," she finally said, raising her head but maintaining the
close distance.  They stared at one another.

"I'm gonna kiss you," Ernie finally said matter--of-factly.

She blinked slowly again and her gaze fell to his mouth.  He licked
his lips and she felt herself do the same.

"Alright," she lamely replied as he moved closer.  Those humor-filled
eyes closed and so did hers as he touched his lips to hers.

He tasted of peppermint and she suddenly felt indignant wondering if
he planned this encounter.  She pulled back.

"You planned this," she accused.

His typical cocky grin appeared on his face. "Yep," he said and then
leaned in quick to kiss her again.

*Well,* she thought *as long as we're clear on that*

She decided to stop fighting it and kissed the lab rat for all she
was worth.

He was a suprisingly good kisser and she felt herself melting toward
him.  His mouth opened slightly under hers and their kiss deepened.

"Ernie," she pulled back and whispered against his lips.  Her eyes
were still closed as his hand snaked around the back of her neck and
urged her back to him.  He kissed her again and mmmmm-ed into her
mouth.

They finally parted to breathe.  His hand was still under the back of
her hair, warming the nape of her neck.  A mere inches from one
another, they stared.

"I knew it," he finally said.

"What did you know?" she said, still in shock.

"That kissing you would be wonderful," he said, for once absolutely
dead serious.

She regarded him for a moment.  He sniffled abruptly and her lips
quirked in a smile as she tried not to laugh at what she now thought
of as a typical "Ernie" characteristic.

"Damn allergies," he said, smiling back and pulling his hand from
her, began fumbling in his pocket for a tissue.

"Let me," Sheila said and reached under the seat in front of her for
her purse.  Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her
attention.

Mulder's leg had stretched all the way into the aisle as he slumped
in his seat, only held up by Scully's shoulder.  Sheila leaned back
in her seat until she could see all of Scully's face and her heart
constricted and expanded at the love she saw there as the other woman
looked at her partner and stroked her fingertips gently down the side
of his face.

"Hey," Ernie said, "please concentrate on one F.B.I. romance at a
time, please."

Sheila scooted correctly into her seat and turned to face him.

"Is that what this is? An F.B.I. romance?" she genuinely smiled at
him.

"Now see there? That is so much more attractive than rolling your
eyes at me," he reached out and ran a fingertip along the side of her
mouth.

Sheila shook her head in disbelief.  "You aren't what I expected at
all. I just can't figure you out."

Famous Ernie Grin.

"Good."

Sheila laughed.

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

They were getting ready to land when she heard it.

Sheila was coming back from the bathroom and the seatbelt lights were
just coming on when she approached Mulder and Scully from behind.

"I need to tell you, Mulder.  Especially now.  Especially with the
second chance we've been given.  I-I.."  Her voice cut off on a
ragged breath.

"I love you."

Sheila was excited for Scully until she got close enough to see that
Scully spoke to a Mulder slumped over in slumber.

Scully's eyes met hers.  "Its a start," she softly defended herself.

"I love you too, Scully," said a rough, sleepy, male voice.

Both women looked at him in shock.

Sheila couldn't see his face from where she stood, but his voice was
barely controlled as he spoke his heart and Scully's expression was
priceless.  He said it again.

"I love you too."

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

Sheila couldn't stop looking back at them, even with Ernie's teasing.

They were whispering.  Occasionally she would smile or he would or
they both would.  Once tears ran down both their faces and he had
reached out and crushed her to him passionately as she sobbed into
his chest.

Now they were trying desperately not to act differently.  That was
especially important given that the agents were about to land and
begin a case.

Back to work.

His feet were tapping as the plane made its final approach and she
reached out to place a hand on his knee, stilling his fidgeting. He
gently placed his hand over the one she touched him with and squeezed.

She smiled softly and turned her hand under his so that she could
intertwine her fingers with his.

Sheila watched the two of them staring at their clasped hands and
knew.

She knew that they had found their way home.

Sheila turned - sighing happily -  and sat back in her own seat as
the plane jostled, landing.

"You ready, sweethahhht?" Ernie leaned into her space and said in a
horrible Humphrey Bogart imitation.

"Ernie," Sheila faced him and said on cue as Ernie grinned.  He saw
it coming a mile away.  She changed the words slightly to fit them...

"This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

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

And thus ends our "Flight."  Thank you for travelling with us.  We
hope that you'll fly again with us in the future.  Until then, we
hope you get to where you're going safely.  Please remain seated
until your seatbelt light is no longer lit.  Thank you.
 

feedback at shawntaw@hotmail.com