Zakandsara's Drabble Challenge!

[zakandsara]

I'm trying a thing. It's likely to be (or start out as) mostly X-Files, but don't be the least bit surprised if some different material slips in there. First installments, for your reading pleasure:

01.

Fandom: The X-Files

Prompt: 22- Embarrassment

Characters: Dana Scully, Monica Reyes

Disclaimer: I know, I know. Scully without Mulder is kind of sacrilegious. But I'll get there.

She sat on the couch, her second glass of red wine in hand, her foot tapping gently and incessantly against the edge of the sofa. Why was she so nervous? She'd seen the other woman every day for the past few months, worked with her closely and constantly, been to her apartment already...hell, she'd assisted during William's birth. But something about this evening was different, and Monica knew pretending it wasn't would only make her nerves skyrocket.

"Dana?" She half-whispered. The red-head had disappeared into her son's room about 20 minutes previous, upon hearing his cranky whimper through the baby monitor.

Scully had sighed, practically peeling herself away from her comfortable spot across from Reyes on the couch. "I'm sure he just needs to eat," she looked up apologetically. "Make yourself at home." She stood up and sashayed away, starting to unbutton her shirt as she left. She turned back as she reached the door. "Have some more wine," she ordered with an is-she-flirting-or-just-being-friendly eyebrow raise.

Monica shook her head at the not-so-distant memory. She had tried not to look at Scully's bra, her bare stomach. She was about to feed her son, for Christ's sake. She wasn't showing off for your amusement, she had to keep reminding herself. But amusing it was. And now, halfway through her new glass of wine, Monica was getting antsy. She scooted on the couch toward the bedroom, craning to see inside. Perhaps she'd fallen asleep?

"Dana?" She tried again, a little bit louder. Suddenly, from behind her, a small squeak rung through the monitor. Monica stood, picking it up and turning the volume louder. She held it up to her ear, hearing only breathing for a bit, until again: "N'gtCH-ee!!" Monica giggled, sitting back down with the monitor to her ear like a teenaged boy clandestinely hovering over his radio to hear a baseball game during family dinner.

"N'gxSHHt-ew!!"

Blankets rustling.

"Hi'NKschhhtEW!!"

Footsteps. The door creaking. Dana, shirt still unbuttoned, suddenly standing feet away.

Monica quickly set the monitor back down as Scully, eyes half-closed and breath hitching, took a slow step toward her. She finally bent tiredly into her elbow. "Hi'nKgSCHHHiEE!!"

She straightened up, shaking her head.

"You sure know how to make an entrance," Monica said, noticing Scully's cheeks turning a particularly endearing shade of pink.

She suddenly remembered her stomach was still exposed and raced to rebutton. "My god, I'm a mess."

"You're fine, I was just teasing." Monica stood, fetching Scully's wine glass from the table where she'd left it, and returned it to the flustered woman. "Relax."

Scully nodded, wrinkling her nose. She did her best to hold her wine glass steady with one hand as she turned, cautiously, into the other. "Hih'KNtsCHHiiEO!! Dammit," she mumbled, face flushing again. "'Scuse me."

Monica smiled graciously at her. She leaned in a bit closer, the wine and the unexpected messiness of the night and the sweet vulnerability of the woman before her finally catching up to her. She pushed a loose wisp of hair back behind Scully's ear and clinked her glass to the red-head's before she even had time to process or protest the small gesture of intimacy. "Salute."

02.

Fandom: The X-Files

Prompt: 41- Run

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

Disclaimer: Earlier in the series, around season 3, by which point they've begun to like each other so much, it can only manifest as grade-school level contempt.

Trees whipped past them in a blur as leaves crunched and branches cracked angrily under their boots.

"Watch your left!" Mulder shouted at Scully, who, despite her significantly shorter legs, had sprinted a great deal ahead of her partner.

She effortlessly dodged a boulder, keeping her flashlight steady in front of her as she continued on. After a minute more of their chase, though, she started to slow down. She came to a gradual stop, realizing they hadn't caught sight of their target in quite some time. "Mulder," she sighed, trying to catch her breath.

He came to a stop next to her, breathing just as heavily. "Why'd you stop?"

She shrugged, putting her head back into the cool night air and taking a deep breath. "I'm not sure that was him we were chasing."

He shot her a look. "Scully," he paused, putting his hands on his knees to try to quell his huffing and puffing. "I saw him."

"You saw something," she corrected. "Besides, it's not worth it to waste our time and energy on what might just as likely have been a raccoon or a deer-"

"Or a killer?"

Scully rolled her eyes, starting back in the direction of the car. "Whatever, Mulder," she sighed, finally regulating her breathing as she once again gained ground on him. "I could've still been in bed!"

He groaned, jogging to catch back up with her. He put an amicable hand on her shoulder, trying to lighten to mood. "Scully-"

She paused immediately, catching Mulder off guard; it usually took at least half the drive home to get her back on his side after he pulled something like this. But instead of conceding, or more likely, challenging him, she turned away from him, bending at the waist with a sneeze that was surprisingly loud amid the still forest.

She straightened back up, shaking his hand off of her arm. "Excuse me," she spat, almost as an order, as she pushed past him.

"Scully, come on! I wouldn't have brought you out here if I thought it was anything but our guy!" He walked sideways facing her, occasionally tripping over a rogue branch. "It's not even that late."

She scoffed, slowing down a bit but this time not even bothering to stop as another sneeze escaped her. "It's later than I'd like to be out alone in the woods with you, Mulder. No offense."

"None taken. Bless you."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't even. I was in the bath!"

He kicked a hidden rock and stumbled ahead of her. She tried to hold back a snicker. "Scully, are you coming onto me?"

She swatted at him, without even looking. "You are digging yourself a deeper hole, my friend."

He sighed. "Well I am sorry!" He kept his gaze on her, throwing a genuinely apologetic stare in her direction. Nothing. He shook his head, regrouping. "Alright, as long as you're already annoyed with me, I might as well compliment you on your need for speed. I mean, Jesus, Scully, if that had been him, you'd have caught him before I even reached your time zone."

Scully smirked to herself. Mulder noticed, but pretended not to.

He continued to ramble from behind her, knowing she was listening and enjoying his praise despite how hard she was trying not to. He knew this'd work better than groveling. "To tell you the truth, I'm feeling pretty grateful right about now for all those times you shot down my invitation for a morning jog."

She turned back to give him a gloating stare, which he found so utterly charming, he nearly forgot they were supposed to be arguing. "Maybe I should thank you for refraining from crushing my ego all these years."

"Maybe you should."

As they reached the car, she paused at the door, turning around and bending into her hands once more to let loose with a couple of impressive sneezes.

He unlocked the car and got in the driver's seat, looking over at her as she buckled herself in beside him. "Or maybe you didn't shoot me down to keep from bruising my pride at all. Maybe it's just because you're allergic to running." He leaned over and made to tweak her nose, but before he had the chance, she grabbed his hand mid-air like she was snuffing out an annoying fruitfly.

"Don't overthink it, Mulder," she said, slowly letting go of his hand and turning to him with an impish smirk. "I'm just allergic to you."

03.

Fandom: The X-Files

Prompt: 97- Fashion

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

Disclaimer: Season 6- no shame in their flirtation game.

"What about these, Scully? Red? Black?"

Mulder held up a pair of gloves in each hand, weighing his options. He looked to Scully, who'd been flicking through a rack of hangers, unintentionally ignoring him. He couldn't blame her, though. They'd been at it for over an hour, and he was still no closer to settling on a gift than the minute they'd walked in.

He dangled a pair of the gloves in front of her face. "Earth to Scully," he said in his all-too-familiar alien voice.

She swung around. "Sorry," she smiled. She pulled the gloves from his hands and rubbed them against her cheek. She wrinkled her nose. "Too scratchy."

He sighed, tossing them back on the shelf. "Scullleeeeey," he groaned. "You're supposed to be helping me! I don't know what women want."

She opened her mouth to comment, but he put a hand up and amended his statement before she could get there.

"I don't know what women want for Christmas."

"She's not 'women,' Mulder. She's your mother. She hasn't dropped any hints in the past year? Broken any dishes? Lost any jewelry?" She waltzed past him, making for the display of cozy slippers that spanned almost an entire wall. "Think. You're a profiler, for God's sake. You should be the best gift-giver in the world."

He followed her, making a point to squeeze or pet each and every pair that caught his eye. "That's the trouble- I should be, but I'm just not. You see the presents I've gotten you. A keychain, a night at the batting cages-"

"'Superstars of the Super Bowl?'" She gave him a knowing smirk as he looked down, a little embarrassed. "Oh, come on, Mulder! I loved all those gifts! They may have been a little-"

"Spooky?" He caught her eye as he held a sweater up in the middle of the two of them, considering it.

She smiled. "Right. But I loved them because I would never have gotten them from anyone else."

He shrugged. "Maybe that's just because everyone else knows how to shop." He held up a sleeve of the sweater and touched it to her cheek. "What do you think? Pretty nice, huh?"

She paused, taking a small step back.

"No good? What, too unoriginal? Is it the color? You hate it, don't you?"

She shook her head, slowly bringing a hand up under her nose. "HIH'ktschh-oo!" She backed up a bit more, turning into her elbow. "Hih'kntSHHH! Hih'tnSCHHeOO!!" She straightened up, rubbing at her nose. "Is that wool?"

He fiddled with the tag, flipping the sweater nearly inside out before he could find it. "Yeah. 100%."

Scully pushed his hand back toward the rack. "Hiht'ngkSCHHiO!! I'm allergic."

He shoved it back into the sea of similar sweaters and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her away from the section. "Jeez, I'm sorry, Scully."

She shook her head, her breath hitching softly. "Hih'ETschhhiEO!! It's okay; you didn't know." She cleared her throat, sniffling. "I'll be fine in a minute. Just makes me sneeze."

He smiled at her apologetically, and made a mental note. If actually bringing Scully to the store couldn't even give him an Earthly idea of what to get her for Christmas, he thought, at least now he knew what not to give her.

[curlyq9393]

So I've had an incredibly stressful/lousy last couple days and I was sitting in my car, getting ready to leave work, I thought, "Man, you know what would make me feel better? If zakandsara posted that drabble thread." And I went and checked and didn't think the universe could be that perfect BUT IT IS. THESE ARE THE BEST. I have so many feelings about flirty-but-pretending-they-aren't-in-love-when-they-so-are msr and GAHHHHH. Love. Just love.

[curlyq9393]

Also: Monica Reyes? More like Monica GAY-es, amIright?

[The Kneezle]

I'm usually not one for female sneezing, but this is getting me! Very nice

[zakandsara]

I know at least a couple of you are enjoying these, for which I am very grateful. (I'm looking at you, curlyq. When are your magical drabbles going to enrapture us again?!) So, an update for ya:


04.
Fandom: The Fall
Prompts: 67- Worship, 95- Rage
Characters: Stella Gibson, Paul Spector
Disclaimer: I guess kind of spoiler-y in its general content for the end of season two, though most of what could be considered spoiler is just summary on my part, and the rest is made up.

Paul sat across from her, his gaze somehow, at once, steely and disconnected, wholly engaged and empty. He had requested her presence and she knew, despite her better judgement and the counsel of her peers, that she had to be the one to speak with him.

And so she did. She allowed him to muse and to spew excuses and to confess what he wished to and to justify his actions and to damn himself and to, in the process, turn her from an object of interest into an object of disdain and back again. But now they reached a standstill, and he seemed to be all out of hate, all of out answers, all out of questions, all out of life. He seemed to have bled himself dry.

Stella stayed, though, waiting for any sign that he might want to reveal more. He kept his eyes locked on her, which had made her severely uncomfortable at first, which of course was his intent. So as not to give him the pleasure, she made a conscious effort to show no signs of discomposure.

Until, after about 8 minutes of dead silence, 9 since her last question which he had ignored with a hollow scoff, her nose started to itch. Swiftly, as discreetly as she could with someone's full attention on her, she rubbed at it with one quick movement of her index finger.

Paul's eyes narrowed, and his head cocked a bit to the side. The more she watched him watch her, the more she realized how like a hawk he was. He had set his eyes on his prey, and didn't dare let anything distract him from his inevitable attack.

She sat back in the cool metal chair, trying desperately to avoid showing this man any weakness. But it was no use. She pinched her nose and bobbed forward with a valiant attempt to keep the sneeze under control.

"Hn'gxCHt!"

She sniffled purposefully, regaining her composure immediately and staring back at the subject. He look curious, almost confused, but still said nothing. He simply continued to watch.

He watched as her eyes slowly started to narrow, as her hands made their way back up to her face, and she pitched forward, quite powerfully for such a small person, and quite unapologetically, too.

"Heh'nKgschh! He'NGkshht-oo!!"

Paul shifted in his seat, sitting up closer to her. "God bless you, Stella." The corners of his mouth turned into a self-righteous smirk.

This maddened her more than she would've imagined. She fought the urge to give in to the angry chills that threatened to run through her body. "You're a religious man?"

He, again, suddenly and totally shut down at the prospect of confrontation, the smugness in his eyes dulling into contempt.

"I didn't think so." She finally stood up, bending over the table to get closer to him. "How dare you speak to me like you know me." She leaned in so she was inches from his face. Her voice was a near-whisper, but the venom in it was enough to startle even a snake. "How dare you speak to me like you're human."

His gaze followed her as her heels clacked thunderously against the sterile floor of the room. She slammed the door behind her, leaving him alone with no one to fix his carnivorous eyes upon. He let out another empty, broken chuckle, and resumed staring at the spot she had once occupied.

Unlucky for Paul Spector, Stella Gibson was prey to no one. No, she was, in fact, such a dangerous predator, that he'd never even known he was being hunted until after he was already caught.

05.
Fandom: The X-Files
Prompts: 30- June, 78- Shut Up
Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder
Disclaimer: I'd be willing to bet at least 85% of Mulder/Scully fics could be affixed with the prompt "shut up."

Mulder stepped into the dark, musty office he shared with his partner and shook out his hair like a wet poodle. The rain didn't usually bother him- it was always Scully he had to talk down at the first hint of a storm cloud- but it was summer and it was humid and the rain only made it all worse. He tossed his umbrella into a pile of old newspapers next to the door and collapsed in his desk chair. The day had just begun and the gloomy weather already had him feeling like he wanted to be back in bed.

He glanced across the room at the tidier half, noticing his partner was 6 minutes late. Scully was never late. And if she planned to be, he recalled, she at least had the wherewithal to phone and let him know.

He glanced down at his phone, willing it to ring. Thirty seconds of deafening silence later, he started to fiddle with his watch. Maybe it was broken, he tried to rationalize. Maybe it got wet and crashed. Maybe-

Before he could come up with another hypothetical, the door swung open and a late, dripping, miserable Scully walked in. "I know, I'm late. The rain and...." She trailed off, uncharacteristically tossing her umbrella next to Mulder's. She ran her fingers through her damp hair and made her way to her desk, stopping right before she could sit. Her back was to him, but Mulder could almost picture her every move as he watched her bend to meet the crook of her elbow. "Hih'ngTSCHH! Excuse me," she mumbled, finally taking a seat.

Mulder tried not to smile, but an out-of-sorts, messy Scully was something he almost never got to witness, and it was, though pathetic, quite amusing. "Bless you. You okay over there, G-woman?"

She peeked over the files she had been shuffling through and shot him a look. "I'm fine. You know how much I hate-"

"The rain? Lucky for you, we get to spend the day in this lovely, expertly furnished office," he said, waving his arms like he was a gameshow host presenting the grand prize.

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't in her normal, playful mood today, and Mulder couldn't quite pin down why yet. "Did you find anything else out about the....the Hahhhh...."

He looked up at her curiously, her hand wavering under her nose, unsure of whether to commit or to return to the desk. She finally took a sharp breath in and her hand indeed shot up purposefully to catch her sneeze.

"Hi'KNtchhh! Hih'iktSCHH!!" She brought her hand down slowly, a vaguely hazy look still on her face. After a second, it appeared she decided she was done and she shook her head blearily. "Sorry. The Harley case."

"Nothing you don't already know. You have a cold, Scully?" He asked casually, flipping through a file.

She rubbed at her nose discreetly, quickly pulling away the second he looked up at her. "When was the last time you saw me at work with a cold?"

He put a fist under his chin and raised his eyebrows, dramatically combing his memory bank. "No data entries found," he admitted, winking at her.

She laughed softly, sniffling once again. "Allergies," she admitted. "This kind of weather this time of year always makes me crazy." Her nose twitched at the thought of what was going on outside the window.

"Big bad Scully's being brought down by a couple of pollen spores? I never thought I'd see the day." He smirked at her as her breath started to hitch again.

"Muhhh...Mulder?" She managed to get out before bending into her elbow again. "Hih'ETschhuOO!" She peeked up at him over her arm. "Shut up."

Edited November 15, 2015 by zakandsara

[curlyq9393]

I LOVE these. I actually said "DRAG HIM, STELLA" aloud during the Fall drabble, and--much like Mulder--messy, out of sorts Scully is one of my favorite versions of Scully, too

[zakandsara]

Not gonna lie, I didn't think I'd be so great at regularly keeping up with my writing. But it appears as though drabbling has won my heart. A few more, for now:

06.

Fandom: The Fall

Prompt: 28 – Assignment

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tom Anderson

The floorboards in the stairs creaked dramatically as she carefully navigated the crime scene, her small flashlight in one hand and her notebook in the other, just in case.

"Anderson?" She called out to the young detective with whom she'd been assigned to work, at least for the afternoon. It had only been about a hour, and she didn't quite trust him yet nor know just what to make of him. And she'd be damned if she was going to let a subpar investigator slip up and impede her progress. "Did you see this?"

He sidled up next to her. The way he carried himself read as, in Stella's opinion, a bit too arrogant for an investigator of his age and status. Nevertheless, she had to admit there was something about him that charmed her more than she could've anticipated. She didn't quite care for being wrong in her judgements, and this particular situation had her facing a rather speedy and unwelcome, yet undeniable, defeat.

"Lamp's been knocked over."

He crouched down, pushing a few of the shards of glass around with the end of his pen. "You think there was a struggle here, in the living room? That's not like him."

Stella shook her head, slowly looking around the room as though expecting to discover something any second. She took a step back from the younger man, surveying the area for just a moment before turning slightly away from him into her shoulder. "Ha'IKschhh! Hah'IKtsCHHH!!"

He stood up, looking toward her but avoiding direct eye contact. "Bless you."

She nodded passively, scanning the room with her icy eyes. "There's a cat in here. Likely was startled when it heard the killer enter and knocked the lamp to the floor," she explained, not as a theory, but as a fact she had effortlessly uncovered and wasn't looking for a second opinion on. She walked through the room, bending to look under each dresser and side table. She opened a closet door and shined her flashlight around as she peeked in.

"Should I mark this as evidence then?" He asked, stepping away from the pile of glass.

She looked him up and down, her eyelids slowly fluttering as she did so. "Heh'EktCHHH-oo! What do you think?" She didn't mean it as a challenge; she simply enjoyed the endearing, blank look upon his face when he was confronted- especially by her.

He bit his lower lip, which she found somehow simultaneously infuriating and adorable. "I think it's irrelevant to the case, as it stands."

She waltzed past him, making her way back down the stairs. "Very astute observation, Detective," she answered him with almost a verbal wink. He may not yet have been the best investigative partner, but he was quite an amusing specimen to behold. And, as Stella felt in spades as she descended the staircase in her leather skirt and almost-too-high heels, he didn't seem to mind the view either.

07.

Fandom: The Fall

Prompt: 94- Photo

Characters: Stella Gibson, Jim Burns, Tom Anderson

He followed her down the stairs, taking two at a time to catch up to her before she exited the flat.

"We've got nothing new to show to Burns. It's all as the case report stated." He tried to sound collected, but the slight waver in his voice was glaring to Stella. He was nervous.

"Correct," she responded coolly, removing her gloves and tossing them into a garbage bin she had spotted in the foyer as they had entered. She shoved her notebook and flashlight into her pockets and pushed the front door open, stepping out into the dreary day. "HA'eKTschhh!!"

As the door swung open, an orange blur weaved expertly through the small gap between Stella's legs and Tom's, and disappeared into the bushes lining the street.

Tom jumped a bit, startled by the sudden visitor. "A cat, indeed," he confirmed, as though he hadn't quite believed before it brushed up against him.

"Did I not say so?" Stella reminded him, suddenly spotting a scummy man with a camera across the street. "Oh, fuck."

He looked down at her as they started to descend the few concrete stairs that led from the door. "What's wrong?"

But before she could answer, her nose twitched urgently, and she bent into her hands. "HA'ikSHHHt! H'eKtssCHHH!!" She stumbled a bit on the stairs, the distraction almost causing her to lose her balance.

Anderson, his over-confidence now coming in handy, was ever-so-quick to put an arm around her back to steady her. "Bless you," he told her, leading her to the car that awaited them at the end of the sidewalk.

He opened the car door for her, now spotting the photographer himself. "Bugger off!" he shouted across the street as he shut Stella's door angrily.

She smirked to herself inside the car. At least in this instance, Anderson was dead right; Burns was not going to be happy.

----------------------------------------------

He slammed the newspaper down on her desk, his hands practically shaking with frustration.

"What in God's name is this supposed to be?" ACC Burns shouted at her, pointing to the photo on the bottom right of the front page.

It was Stella and Anderson, his arm around her, her hands half-covering her face. The caption read: "Investigating romance? DSI Stella Gibson is comforted by unidentified handsome young detective as the case apparently starts to break her down."

She chuckled in her seat, looking up at an enraged Burns. "You've got to be joking."

He tore the paper off the desk, throwing it across the room. "Does it look like I'm joking? You know you're being watched, Stella, and yet you put on a goddamn show at the crime scene. Crying in Anderson's arms? I mean, Jesus, are you trying to sabotage this case? Your reputation?"

She sat up, calmly staring at him as he continued to have a tantrum. "I was sneezing, for fuck's sake, Jim. Are you going to suspend me for having allergies? Christ, pull yourself together."

He stared back at her, his anger turning slowly into confusion, and melting silently into embarrassment, which only made him angry again. "Watch yourself, Stella," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"Would this enrage you as much if it were a woman I was seen with?" She sat back in her chair, eyeing him up, knowing he wouldn't respond not because he didn't know the answer, but because he did. She narrowed her eyes at him and lowered her voice. "I suggest you turn around and walk out of this office right now before you continue to make a fool of yourself."

He maintained eye contact for several long seconds before turning, enraged, to leave.

"Oh, and Jim?" She called to him just before he reached the door.

He turned back, knowing with everything inside of him that it was the wrong decision.

"If you ever feel the need to come in here and shout at me again for something so blatantly, painfully, embarrassingly ridiculous, it'd be in your best interest to stop, take a deep breath, and go fuck yourself instead." She stood up, meeting him in the doorway. She began to shut it slowly, forcing him out. "I'll be sure to relay your message to, what was it, the 'unidentified handsome young detective.'"

Burns glared at her, opening his mouth several times to speak, but ultimately deciding whatever Stella might have to say in rebuttal wasn't worth it. He stormed away, kicking the newspaper into the hall as he left.

"Thanks for stopping by," she called down the hall, picking the paper back up and returning it to her office with a wicked grin. "And he thought we'd have nothing to show to Burns...."

08.

Fandom: X-Files

Prompt: 16- Three, 92 – Victory

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

They sat silently in their basement office, Mulder sifting through some slides in between solo rounds of tabletop football and Scully rolling her eyes at him in between typing up their latest case report.

"Are you winning or losing?" she finally asked, after about 45 minutes of seeing him flick a folded up piece of paper across his desk out of the corner of her eye.

He looked up over his makeshift goal. "Score's 21-35. So, both, I guess."

"I don't know, Mulder," she sang, tilting her head to see him. "If I were calling it, I'd have to declare you the loser."

He chuckled. "You might be right, Scully. How goes the report?"

She shrugged. "You know the case. Pretty straightforward. Although I am having trouble deciding whether or not to include our pitstop to the World's Biggest Coffee Cup in my official findings."

"Where's the trouble? I think Skinner would be verrry interested to know just how little sleep one would get if a full mug were consumed."

Scully resumed typing. "Still more sleep than I get..."

Mulder sighed, putting his game aside and picking the pile of slides back up. It was one of those action-less days where he could only concentrate for a few minutes before becoming antsy. He put the photos down and rested his head on top of his hands, watching Scully type away.

"May I help you?" she finally asked after several minutes, without even looking over.

He stayed in his position. "Don't let me bother you, Scully."

"After 6 years, I practically have a degree in ignoring you, Mulder," she said, suddenly turning into her hand. "Heh'nTschhiO! Heh'iNtschhiEW!! 'Scuse me," she said, shaking her head.

Mulder tilted his head, still looking up at her. She noticed his slight repositioning and turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

"I'm waiting, Scully," he said, pseudo-cryptically, like a preschooler with a secret he couldn't wait to tell.

She stared blankly at him, her facial expression alone dripping with sass. "For?"

He shrugged, not giving it up that easily. "I give it about 20 more seconds."

She rolled her eyes, yet again, and waved him off, returning to her work...but only for a few seconds, until she brought her hand back up under her nose. She hardly stopped typing as she bent down once more. "Heh'kNteschhiOO!! 'Scuse me," she mumbled, automatically.

Mulder smiled. "For that. Bless you."

"Thanks," she replied, distracted. Scully looked at him for just a second, finishing up her report, and noticed his goofy grin. She finally stopped typing and swiveled her chair to face him. "What is so amusing?"

"You," he told her. "You didn't notice that you always sneeze in threes?"

She cocked her head at him, crossing her arms over her chest. She was bewildered both by the fact that he knew more about her than she did and by the fact that that endeared her to him endlessly. "No, I don't," she responded, not so much disagreeing as disbelieving.

He finally sat up, laughing. "Scully, you just did!"

She struggled to find an argument. "Well, I did that time!"

He threw his hands up in mock-defeat. "You may possess the authority to deem me the loser at finger football but you cannot so easily deny that I know you, Dana Katherine Scully," he pointed his finger at her, punctuating each syllable. "M.D.," he added, for emphasis.

She scoffed. "Whatever, Mulder. Are you going to get any work done today or are you just going to sit there and profile me?"

"That depends," he said, putting his head back in his hands and gazing at her. "On how much time it'll take for you to admit how well I know you before the next three."

Scully wrinkled her eyebrows. "Mulder, you're crahh-" She stopped herself abruptly, swiveling her chair around and out of his sight line. "He'tNGkschhhew!!" She swiveled back around, dramatically slowly, her eyes locked in an icy glare at him but her mouth itching to break into a grin.

His smile was big enough for the both of them. "One down, two to go."

Edited November 19, 2015 by zakandsara

[curlyq9393]

I couldn't live to be 1 million years old and I would still not be tired of Stella Gibson absolutely dragging men, oh my goodness. And that X-Files drabble? I could totally see that happening in the show and I'm kind of bummed that it never did.

[lifelove1]

I know at least a couple of you are enjoying these, for which I am very grateful.

More than a couple!! These are marvelous. The last XF fic almost made me squee out loud

[Sapphire]

I used to be active on this forum about ten years ago and never come on anymore. However, I googled Gillian Anderson fanfiction and found yours and curlyq's and I have been reading each one repeatedly for a month now. When you update, I'm elated. My tastes are completely in sync with the way the two of you write, and I have an enormous G.A. Crush. All of these are perfect. I hope you continue to have the time to write these because I'm in love.

[curlyq9393]

I just finished rereading all of these because I'm a certifiable crazy person and they're all still so so so good, oh my lord

[Sapphire]

I just finished rereading all of these because I'm a certifiable crazy person and they're all still so so so good, oh my lord

I've read them all three times, including yours.

[zakandsara]

You guys are the best and I love you and I love writing for you because you keep being THE BEST. Just one, for now. <3

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09.

Fandom: X-Files

Prompt: 98- Favor

Characters: Dana Scully, The Lone Gunmen

"I still don't understand why Mulder couldn't do this himself," Langly mused, slurping soda from a comically large cup as he leaned over the computer. A few drops spewed from his straw and landed on the keyboard.

"Langly! If you wouldn't mind keeping the liquid away from this very expensive state-of-the-art machinery..." Byers scolded him as he wiped it up with a handkerchief he had pulled from his pocket.

Scully rolled her eyes from her seat next to him. "How much longer is this going to take?"

Frohike moved closer to her chair. "Why, you got a date?"

"I have a date with my bathtub and a big glass of red wine," she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "Is it ready to send to Mulder yet?"

"Almost," Byers assured her, typing away at the coding of a program Scully had promised she'd have analyzed while Mulder was called away. At the present moment, though, she couldn't imagine that what he could offer her as a return favor would ever make up for her afternoon spent with these men.

Scully furrowed her brows, groaning dramatically as she watched on.

"No!" Frohike suddenly shouted, getting up from his seat and squeezing in between Scully and Byers. "You won't get anywhere replacing that line with an equation like that!" He pointed at the screen a little too enthusiastically, bumping both Scully and Byers in the process.

Scully stood from her chair slowly, her hand fanning her face ever-so-slightly.

"You okay, Scully?" Langly cocked his head, watching her. The other two men ceased arguing and followed suit.

She shook her head, her eyes fluttering and her breath suddenly catching. "Heh'nGxSCH! Heh'TNkgCHH! He'KnTShhhh!" She rubbed at her nose purposefully, sniffling.

"Gesundheit," Frohike told her, offering a handkerchief of his own.

"I'm all set," she told him, wrinkling her nose. She pressed the top of her hand against it, shutting her eyes tightly and holding her breath for a few seconds before pulling it down with a sigh.

"You alright?" Byers looked over at her, now unable to concentrate on the program.

Scully nodded. "Something's bothering my nose," she told them, looking around the cluttered room for a clue.

"That's just Langly; don't worry, he'll get his monthly shower this week," Frohike said. Langly spat his straw at the man in response.

Scully rolled her eyes once again, turning slowly into her elbow as her breath began to hitch. "He'tNkgSHHH! Heh'NgXSchhh-OO!! Damn," she mumbled, pinching her nose to try to alleviate the itch.

"You know, it's bad for you to hold your sneezes in. A woman in Nebraska blew her eyeballs straight out of her head doing that," Langly told her, matter-of-factly.

Scully glared at him. "I'll take my chances. Byers, are you ahhh...HE'nGkSChhhT!! Done?" She cleared her throat, now sniffling like a little girl out in the rain.

"We're looking at at least another half hour to get this the way Mulder wants it," Byers told her apologetically. "Do you need some water?"

Scully shook her head, making her way back over to the desk. She bent over in front of Frohike, scrawling her cell number onto a pad of paper. Just as she wrote the last number, she turned quickly into her shoulder. "Heh'NKgScHHHt! I've got to get out of here. I'm allergic to something and it's driving me crahhh...hehhh...." She stood up, pinching her nose shut.

"Ah, ah, ah! Eyeballs!" Langly reminded her.

"Heh'EEktSCHHHiiEO!!" She bent double, turning away from the three men who watched on in amusement.

"At least you saved your eyeballs, but my eardrums were the casualty. Jeez, Scully," Langly said, dramatically rubbing his ears.

Scully shot him a look. "That number is to be used when, and only when, this is ready for me to come pick up. Do you understand?" She looked at each of the three men and waited for them to nod back at her before grabbing her coat and her keys and making her way to the door. "Godspeed, gentlemen."

They all watched her leave, waiting a full minute before Byers and Langly turned to Frohike.

"What?!" He asked them, playing innocent.

Byers chuckled. "We told you the cologne was a bad idea."

"What'd you think, you slap on some eau de Frohike and she'd fall madly in love?" Langly added.

Frohike shrugged, picking up the pad of paper and wiggling it around in front of them. "I did get her number...."

[Sapphire]

OMG this is so adorable! Thank you for the update.

It came to my attention tonight that Gillian Anderson is in a show called Crisis, so I'm checking it out shortly. If it's good and if/when I begin a Drabbles thread, maybe it can work its way in.

[zakandsara]

10.

Fandom: X-Files

Prompt: 34- Relief

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

Mulder watched her from his desk often, perhaps more than would be considered normal and definitely more than he would ever admit to. But he found her endlessly fascinating: the way her eyes darted across the computer screen as she did research, hungry to soak up every ounce of information they could. The way she gently, absent-mindedly sucked on her lower lip as she wrote, her loopy, controlled cursive filling notebook after notebook as their difficult cases came on more and more frequently. The way she'd sometimes look up at just the right moment and nearly catch him staring before he'd quickly look away, still able to make out her curious smirk out of the corner of his now-averted eye.

He tried to get his work done without getting distracted, he really did, but the thought of him missing something- anything- she did consistently won out over the threat of having to stay late once she left for the day to complete his projects.

Today, of course, was no different. He scrawled notes on his calendar, checked his email, attempted to read up on a few leads, but couldn't manage to focus on any one thing for long enough to make a difference- except for Scully.

He had noticed that she seemed particularly restless today, and the usual calmness that anchored her corner of the office was replaced with her almost incessant small but deliberate movements.

He finally looked up at her fully after about two hours of fruitless peripheral investigation. Her face was cocked up toward the ceiling, her mouth slightly parted and her eyes squinted at the fluorescent overheads. She stayed that way for a few more seconds before sighing dejectedly and refocusing on her computer.

Mulder smiled to himself. "Whatcha doin', Scully?"

She looked up, startled at his sudden involvement. She shook her head. "It's nothing."

He put his pencil down, looking up at the same spot she'd just given up on. "What's so interesting up there?"

She laughed softly to herself, shaking her head. "Honestly Mulder, there's nothing up there." She wrinkled her nose ever-so-slightly, a tic that no one else in the world would've noticed but him, and rested her index finger under it.

"You have secrets written on the ceiling? You keeping a secret admirer up there? Thinking of redecorating?" He teased her, knowing she'd cave if he weren't too serious.

She rolled her eyes, finally bringing her finger back down. "I'm trying to coax out a sneeze. It's been stuck all morning," she told him. "No secrets," she added, looking back up at the ceiling for a split second.

He smiled. "Anything I can do?"

She shrugged, her breath starting to catch. She held a finger up telling him to wait and raised her elbow, turning so that her nose hovered over it. "Hehh...hehhh....damn it!" She brought her elbow down, sniffling. "This is torture."

Mulder bit his lip to keep from grinning. "You were so close!"

"'Close' does not alleviate the massive pressure that's pounding in my sinuses, does it?" she snapped at him, rubbing her temples. She looked up at him after a minute. "I'm sorry. I'm just-"

"Frustrated? Annoyed? Sniffly?"

"All of the above." She pulled a tissue from a nearby shelf and massaged her nose. "How's your research going?" she mumbled from behind it.

He nodded. "Getting there." He looked down at the blank form in front of him, moving a set of photos to the foreground so he didn't have to look at his lack of progress. "What do you think-"

She suddenly gasped and turned, just in time, away from her hand that held the tissue and into her opposing elbow. "Heh'MPsTCHhheOO!! HEH'TkSHHHeeOO!! HE'mphTShHHiiEO!!" She returned to the tissue and blew her nose softly. "Good God."

Mulder laughed. "Bless you, finally."

"Sorry, I'd usually make some attempt to rein them in, but I-"

"Don't apologize, Scully. You feel better?"

She nodded, her lips threatening to curl into a smile. "You have no idea. Now I can actually get some work done."

Mulder nodded his agreement and looked down for only a minute before his eyes instinctively shot back up to her. Well, he thought, that makes one of us.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are semi-consistently longer than drabble length, it seems, so sorry about that! Though I haven't received any complaints yet.

[zakandsara]

OMG this is so adorable! Thank you for the update.

It came to my attention tonight that Gillian Anderson is in a show called Crisis, so I'm checking it out shortly. If it's good and if/when I begin a Drabbles thread, maybe it can work its way in.

Thank you!!! I'm so glad you're enjoying them. I watched a few eps of Crisis....if she weren't in it, I would've been very bored and angry that I'd spent any time on it. But looking at her for a few minutes an episode was worth it.

And as far as your own thread goes.....I hiiiiighly encourage it.

[curlyq9393]

I will literally never ever complain about these being longer than the average drabble because, oh my goodness, you just GET this pairing so. effing. well. The dialogue never feels forced or stilted the way some fic dialogue does; it's totally natural, like these could all be missing moments from the show. I am smitten. Totally smote.

[Sapphire]

It may seem like I am stalking this thread ... BECAUSE I AM. Love, love, love!

So far I'm not sure about Crisis, but I will probably continue watching for obvious reasons.

[curlyq9393]

Life update: still in love with these (my own thread should have an update pretty soon too ☺️)

[Xsneezelover3932]

Dying!! Love these! More please!!

[curlyq9393]

I am rereading these and am being reminded anew of just how lovely and well written they are

[zakandsara]

11.

Fandom: The X-Files

Prompts: 36 – Miserable, 100- Airplane

Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder

"I get the window seat," she spat, cutting in line ahead of him just before they reached the front.

Mulder rolled his eyes; she'd been in a mood all day. It wasn't his fault they were called away last minute. It wasn't his fault she hated the humidity in Florida, which is where Skinner got wind of a case involving seniors who'd been disappearing on the golf course of their community. And it definitely wasn't his fault that she was, it appeared, fighting off the beginnings of a cold - something she hated even more than the Florida heat.

"You got it, Scully," he acquiesced, knowing to mess with her now would be a very bad move. "Lemme grab your bag." He reached for her carry-on as they neared their row

"I can do it." She pulled it away from him quickly, shooting him a look over her shoulder before suddenly burying her nose in it as best she could. "Hm'ngXtch!" She wiggled her nose, hands too full to deal with it herself, and hoisted the heavy bag up into the overhead bin herself. She slid into the row and plopped down into the window seat, already seemingly exhausted. She rubbed the underside of her nose with her index finger.

Mulder followed suit, shoving his much lighter briefcase in next to hers and sliding in next to her. "Bless you."

She looked up at him, her eyes sharp and full of sheer annoyance. "You never say 'bless you.'"

He chuckled, shaking his head. She was more on edge than he'd anticipated. "Sure I do."

She shrugged, her mouth dropping slighting open. "Not to me," she managed to get out before drawing in a sharp breath and pitching forward into her hand. "Hm'tKschh!!"

"Okay, Scully. Then I'll continue to not say it," Mulder said, holding his hands up in defeat. He watched her pull a tissue from her pocket and wipe her nose gently and felt a brief but un-ignorable pang of worry.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned away from him, looking out the window. "What a miserable day."

He leaned over her to see: the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the birds were swooping. He couldn't help but smile. "A beautiful day as seen through the eyes of one unnamed miserable FBI agent."

She turned away from the view, forcing him back in his seat. She sniffled, looking up slowly as her breath began to catch. "Hmt'chishhh!! Hm'Ktshhh-oo!!" She blew her nose, this time with less restraint. "I'm not miserable."

Mulder chuckled at her stubbornness. "You have a cold, Scully. It's okay"

"I don't have a cold. I'm just...hehh...Het'Mphtshhh! Damn it," she mumbled, sniffling into a new tissue.

"Bless you," he said again, giving her a coy look.

She almost smiled from behind her Kleenex. "Maybe I am a little bit miserable."

He nodded. "Just a little bit."

She rested her head back on the seat and shut her eyes, dramatically pouting. "Why Florida?"

He laughed. "Florida's not so bad. Perhaps the salty sea air will clear out those sinuses of yours." He reached over and tweaked her nose.

She opened her eyes immediately at his touch, shooting him a look. "Unless you want me to be..." She trailed off, wrinkling her nose. She raised a balled-up tissue to meet her face and bobbed quickly into it. "Hm'ptSchhhh! Hm'tEschhoo!! Ugh."

Mulder pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, which, much to his surprise, she took gratefully. "You were saying?"

She rubbed her nose on it, clearing her throat. "I was saying, don't touch my nose. I'm already trying not to sneeze every other second, I don't need you interfering." She gasped and pinched her nose with the hankie and bobbed into it silently once, twice, three times. She finally sat back, exhaling exhaustedly.

"Jeez, sorry, Scully. I didn't know you were so sensitive." The pang of worry was back, but this time, it was mixed with guilt, and Mulder didn't like that one bit.

She shook her head. "I'm not sensitive, Mulder. Besides-" She paused and cut herself off, bending silently into the handkerchief one more time before taking a shaky breath and turning away from him. "HET'mphhEEschhhOO!!"

He watched, worried and somehow slightly intrigued. "You okay?"

She nodded tiredly. "I think I'm done for now."

"Well, one would think that last one would be satisfying enough to last you for days," he said with a laugh.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't make fun of me. I'm sick."

"Not making fun! I'm impressed! I'm not sure the baby who juuust stopped crying in Row Z heard that one though, would you mind doing it again?"

She ignored him, pulling a neck pillow from under her seat and settling in. "Shut up, Mulder."

He laughed, but followed her orders. He sat quietly for a few moments, watching her breathe calmly and try to will herself to sleep. "Scully?" He half-whispered after a minute.

"Mmm?"

"Did you say you were sick?"

She opened one eye slightly and looked over at him as though she'd kill him if she had the energy. But she simply sighed, closed her eyes again, and focused on her breathing. Until a couple seconds later, when she just couldn't help herself anymore: "Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

[curlyq9393]

ahhhhhhhhhhh AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This is adorable! I'm so so so glad you're back!

[lifelove1]

Oh my god I've been checking this thread religiously in hopes you'd post another update yessss!! This is my favorite story of yours yet!!! Everything is perfect

[Xsneezelover3932]

A-mazing!!!!! I too have been checking religiously for an update. I was so excited to see you posted! Loved it! Can't wait for more. I'm hoping people are watching the new episodes and getting inspired to write some amazing fics/drabbles!!