Title: "Deceiving Appearances"
Author: Heather Horn
Rating: PG
Category: Angst, UST
Summary: Mulder and Scully are on the trail of the faceless alien rebels, but Scully sees no reason why they shouldn't just pack up and head home. Aggravated with Mulder's stubbornness, Scully storms off, finding herself face-to-faceless with one of the rebels. Only to discover that the science she has believed in for so long could not be trusted, for Mulder is the one who holds her true faith.
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Disclaimer: The X-Files is copyright of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and the FOX Network. No money is being made off of this. No copyright infringement intended.
"Mulder, there's nothing here." Scully said, agitated. "Let's just go home."
"No, Scully, I think we've got something!" Mulder encouraged his partner.
"What?" Scully challenged.
"I don't know." He replied. Scully raised her eyebrows and gave him a look, arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head.
"Mulder, how do you think you're going to go about convicting these faceless alien rebels? They're faceless, remember? They can transform into anyone. They have no identifying marks!"
"Y'know, you're real sexy when you're angry."
"Mulder!" Scully yelled, raising her normally calm voice a notch. "Get it through that head of yours. This is going nowhere! Let's go back to D.C., and I bet you by tomorrow morning you'll have another X-File sitting on your desk."
"Scully, you don't understand!" Mulder cried, his voice tightening.
"What don't I understand, Mulder? Why do you think we should pursue this case? You're right, Mulder, I don't understand. Maybe you can explain it to me on the way back to D.C. I'm booking us on the next flight out of this ghost town."
"Ah-ha!" Mulder exclaimed, chuckled a tad at the ignorance of his partner. "A storm's a-brewing, Scully. We'd be lucky if we could get out of here by tomorrow night." Scully looked out the window of Mulder's motel room. Sure enough, rain was already beating steadily down. Scully was about to open her mouth to reply with a snide remark, but a bolt of lightning brought the room into darkness. Mulder got up and took a flashlight from his bag. "In the meanwhile, Scully, why don't we go over these files one more time?" Mulder was using his wry sense of humour to try and get a laugh out of Scully. However, at this time, Scully didn't find Mulder's wise cracks the least bit amusing.
"No, Mulder, why don't *you* go over those case files one more time. The storm will be long over before you find any leads." Scully stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her.
Mulder considered going after Scully, but decided against it. It wouldn't do him any good. He constantly had to remind himself that Scully wasn't as open-minded to the idea of other forms of intelligent life. He picked up the file and began reading through it.
While Mulder looked for something that he might have missed the first time around, Scully sat in her motel room in the dark, weeping. She sat on the rock-hard bed; hugging a pillow that she imagined was Mulder. Her tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks as she heard a light knocking at the door.
Scully hiccuped, wiping her eyes and trying to make herself look sane. Then she unlatched the door after she saw Mulder through the peephole.
"Hey," he said softly. "I'm sorry. Can I come in?"
Scully nodded, opening the door wider for Mulder. He came inside and they both sat on the bed. After a moment, Scully put her arm on Mulder and discovered that he wasn't wet at all from the rain. He must have been, though. His motel room was on the other side of the parking lot. Scully had gotten soaked herself from running to her room from his, but not a drop of water lingered upon Mulder.
"Mulder?" Scully asked abruptly, taking her arm down quickly. "Why aren't you wet?"
Mulder, or whoever this man was, went straight for Scully's neck. Pushing her downward, trying to gag her. She pushed and kicked at him, trying to escape. Scully felt herself loosing strength. She took a swipe at his face and the mask began to peel off.
Scully knew now.
Mulder had been right.
Mulder!
Scully screamed his name the best she could with the rebel's hand barren around her neck. Over the rain, Scully knew Mulder couldn't hear her, but she needed to say his name one last time.
It won't be long now, she thought, growing weaker by the second. She could feel her face changing colour as she gasped for breath. In her head, she silently said her prayers, ready to join her father and sister at any given moment. Then a shot rang out, and the figure dropped Scully forcefully to the floor as he fell onto the bed himself and began to spontaneously combust.
"Back of the neck." Mulder said simply, blowing on the tip of his gun and sticking it back in its hoist like the heroes in movies. Then he ran to Scully's side, her limp body motionless. Mulder checked for a pulse, but heard nothing.
Damn it, he thought, please don't be dead! Mulder titled Scully's head upwards and pinched her nose. Then he gave two long, slow breaths. In the middle of the second breath, Scully's eyes popped open. Mulder was about to stop and give her some room to breathe, but he found himself unable to move. Was that Scully's tongue he felt in his mouth? They kissed for a moment, ending it with a sweet giggle. Then Scully said in a quiet voice, so soft that Mulder had to put his ear to her mouth, "I had you big time." Mulder smiled.
"You okay?" He asked, leading her over to an armchair.
"I'm fine." She said, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth and patting for Mulder to sit down next to her on the chair.
Mulder sat.
Scully rested her head on Mulder's shoulder, this time assured that it was the Real McCoy by his drenched clothes.
"Mulder, I thought I'd never see you again." Scully said, fighting back tears. "But you saved me. I don't trust my science and logic anymore. I only trust you."
Mulder rubbed her cheek lightly and smiled down at her. Scully returned the smile. Mulder let out a nervous laugh. The tension had arrived and it was there to stay. After that night, Mulder and Scully still looked at each other the same, but differently too.
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"Deceiving Appearances" was written by Heather Horn on February 26, 1999
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