Zakandsara's Drabble Challenge!

[zakandsara]

12.

Fandom: The X-Files

Characters: Mulder + Scully

Disclaimer: Takes place NOW, as in "Holy shit, can you believe there are actually new X-Files on NOW?!"

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"I'm Agent Mulder, this is Agent Dana Scully," he stepped aside, allowed for her to shake the detective's hand. "What exactly happened here?"

"If he knew what exactly happened here, it wouldn't be an X-File, now would it?" Scully mumbled into his chest, looking up at him with a smirk.

He raised an eyebrow and nudged her with his shoulder toward the thankfully distracted detective.

"Hard to say, but by the looks of these footprints, some sort of animal got to him. Maybe a bobcat or a large fox or a-"

"A cheetah?"

Scully whipped around, glaring at him. "A cheetah. In New Jersey." She closed her eyes dramatically and turned back to the detective. "You'll have to excuse him. He's a little out of practice."

Mulder shrugged, pushing past the two of them. "This print formation is very distinct, not to mention the shallowness of the marks - cheetahs are incredibly quick...." He trailed off, examining the soil. "Yeah. It's a cheetah."

Scully rolled her eyes at him and shook the detective's hand again. "We'll call you if we have any questions or leads," she told him, leading him away.

"You really don't believe me?" He asked as she made her way back to the crime scene.

She squatted next to him, getting a closer look. "It's not that I don't believe you," she started, suddenly standing back up. "It's just that I..."

She paused deliberately, bending into her elbow. "Het'Mphtsshhh!!" She wrinkled her nose. "I don't know why you're always jumping to insane, spooky conclusions right away, Mulder."

"Bless you," he told her, ignoring her concern. "You think I haven't done my research?" He stood, leading them back to the car.

"I know you have," she called, speeding up to catch him. "But I haven't had the time to do mine, admittedly. And I'd like to get all the facts before scaring a whole town into thinking there's a man-eating cheetah on the loose."

He instinctively got into the driver's seat, closing the door a little harder than he needed to. It wasn't until he noticed his legs were cramped under the steering wheel that he remembered- Scully had driven them there.

She slid into the passenger seat without saying a word and tossed the keys into his lap. "Go ahead."

He shook his head, making to get out of the car, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Mulder, drive. It's fine."

He paused, thinking it over for a second, finally adjusting the seat. "I forgot how short you were."

She smiled to herself. "We seem to have forgotten a lot about each other."

He started the car, backing out. "Or maybe we've changed more than we realize."

He waited for a response - a rebuttal, more realistically- but was met with silence until he heard her gasp as he turned the car around.

"He'mTSchhhh-oo!!" She sniffled as she lowered her elbow. "Excuse me," she said, checking her phone.

He looked over at her intently, perhaps even with a twinge of nostalgia. "Like that."

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, shoving her phone back into her pocket. "Like what?"

"You used to sneeze in twos," he pointed out, smiling at the distant but pungent memory of them.

She cocked her head. "Did I?"

He nodded. "Yeah, always. One sneeze, 'excuse me,' another sneeze, 'excuse me' again. I always thought, 'Just wait til you're all done to say it.' Every time."

She smiled curiously and shrugged. "I guess I've streamlined over the years."

He let out a soft chuckle. "I guess so."

She watched him continue to drive, a vague sadness or yearning or...something else she couldn't quite pin down lurking behind his eyes. And it startled her, in that moment, to realize that there was something about Mulder she couldn't figure out. That there was any part of him that was a mystery to her. That they, in so many ways, were as good as strangers now. "Mulder?"

"Yeah," he said, hollowly.

"Can we still do this? Are we still...us?"

He furrowed his brow, sighing and shaking his head with a laugh. "You know, Scully, the second I feel distant from you, the second I worry we lost whatever it was that made this work, the second I'm thinking 'We must be goddamn crazy to think we can go back'....you go and say the exact thing that's on my mind."

She laughed, too. "This is much stranger than I anticipated."

He nodded. "You're telling me. We've solved how many X-Files, and we still can't figure out..." He trailed off, looking over at her. "We're still struggling."

She looked at him sympathetically, no words to say and none needed, really. She reached over to squeeze his hand, but let go after just a second. Her breath caught and she buried her nose in her elbow once again. "Heh'MtSchhhiOO!" She started to lower her arm cautiously, but suddenly brought it back up, just in time. "Het'MpTschhhiiO!!" She looked over at Mulder, who was fighting to hold back a smile.

"Bless you, Scully," he said finally.

"Thanks, Mulder." She returned her hand to its place on top of his and squeezed again. "Who says we can't go back?"

[curlyq9393]

I feel like saying "omg this is so amazing" is getting redundant at this point, but I also don't care: OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING. You capture their dynamic from this season so well, which is incredible, considering what a weird point they're at. I love it.

[zakandsara]

Two in one day??! I'm getting back into it, folks!

13. (Very X-Filey number, hope it's worthy. )

Fandom: The X-Files

Characters: Mulder + Scully

Prompt: 96 – Internet, 87 – Hypocrite

Disclaimer: Later seasons, when the Internet was a thing but not yet a thing in our pockets. Also- SURPRISE! A MULDER-HEAVY FIC FROM ME!

"I'm telling you- I'm right."

"We'll see, Mulder..." She led them up the stairs, pulling the door open for him to walk through as she noticed he was, yet again, preoccupied.

He paused at the top of the stairs, hand ready to catch the stubborn sneeze that was building. "Thihhhh...this is puhh.....proof..." he managed to get out, still arguing even while his breath hitched dramatically.

"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it. I've got a busy afternoon of proving you wrong ahead of me." Scully feigned boredom as she watched him struggle, though in reality, she was quite amused.

"HA'RtSCHisshhhh!! HA'iRTsHHHeOO!!" He shook his head like a wet dog and finally stepped through the open door.

She patted him on the back as she followed him into the building. "There you go."

He shrugged her hand off of his shoulder. "Maintain a safe distance, Scully. At least until the verdict is in."

She rolled her eyes as they reached their basement office, but did as he said, sitting in the leather chair across from his desk and even scooting it a few feet further back to make a point. "How's this?"

"We'll see." He sniffled as he booted up his computer. "You're gonna be sorry for teasing me when you realize this is all your fahhh...your faul- HAH'ERtssHHHHeOO!!"

She plucked a tissue from a box at the edge of his desk and offered it, though not leaning too close. "Bless you."

He snatched it and started to blow his nose loudly, but paused with a familiar look on his face. He clamped the tissue down on his nose as best he could and bent forcefully into it. "HAH'mpNXgSHHH!! Ow."

Scully winced, pushing the whole tissue box toward him. "I know your entire theory relies on ignoring my advice as a medical professional, but please don't stifle your sneezes like that."

He pulled a few more out and resumed his previously interrupted nose-blow. "Why not? You do it all the time." He shot her a daring look.

She sighed. "Because, Mulder, it's not good for you. And I realize it's hypocritical but it's a completely different situation with me. And this isn't even about me!"

He grinning, pleased with himself for flustering her. "It's a little about you. You're the reason I'm doing this," he said, pointing to his nose.

She glared at him for a minute before suddenly standing up and joining him on his side of the desk.

He chuckled as she pushed his chair out of the way. "Safe distance! Safe distance!"

"Safe distance, my ass. We're settling this."

He watched as she bent over the keyboard, entering the search terms into their database. She clicked and scrolled, reading faster than he could keep up with, before apparently locating what she was looking for. She zoomed in, saved, and printed the page, dramatically clicking out of the web browser as she pushed past him to get to the printer.

He watched after her, still amused by how under her skin he was able to get until she returned with a few pages of information, which she slammed onto his desk before sitting back down across from him to watch him read.

He leaned back in his chair, biting on the end of a pencil as he perused through her findings. "Interesting..." he muttered as he read.

Scully rolled her eyes, massaging her temple. "Interesting because....you were wrong?"

He quietly placed the pages back on the desk and sat up so he was facing her head-on. "Interesting that you really believed I thought I was allergic to you."

Her eyes immediately shot up, a mixture of confusion, amusement, and rage playing in them. "What? Are you-"

"I had you, Scully."

Her jaw dropped for just a second, before she caught herself and closed it quickly, groaning. "You know, Mulder, I wish you were allergic to me. At least that way, I'd have an excuse to get away from you for a few days."

He grabbed his heart, feigning pain, but his hitching breath distracted him from his teasing her. "Heh'EHtschhHHiOO! Har'TKsHHHeeOOO!!"

"What's with the sneezing, then?!" She exclaimed, realizing she'd overlooked a key element to his prank.

He shrugged. "High pollen count."

She stared at him and, after a minute, slowly rose from the chair and retreated to her corner of the basement. She silently opened a case file in front of her face so she couldn't see him and sat back in her chair, intent on ignoring him. This lasted, surprisingly without Mulder's interjections, for at least an hour. Until suddenly, Scully half-lowered the file and bent quickly into her hand. "Heh'iNgxscht!"

Mulder's head shot up, his face already locked in a knowing smirk. "Hey, Scully, I think I heard somewhere-"

"Don't."

"That you really shouldn't stifle your sneezes. Where did I hear that?" He tapped his pencil against his chin, looking over at her impishly.

Despite her annoyance, she was trying quite hard not to crack a little smile. "Mulder, shut up."

His face broke into a grin wide enough for the both of them. "Bless you, Scully."

She blinked at him slowly, raising the file back up to form a barrier. "I'm definitely allergic to you."

[curlyq9393]

I love these goobers so much.

[lifelove1]

Oh god, TWO new stories?! And they're both amazing!!!!! Like curlyq said, you TOTALLY got the new-but-with-history (as DD said) dynamic of the new season down perfectly in that first one, omg. And even though your Scully stories are tops, you're so good at the Mulder-centric ones as well. The situations, the banter, the sweetness, the way that they know so much about each other and yet still have so much to learn...everything about the dynamic in these is great. I especially loved in the second story when Mulder goes "You do it all the time..." Just the fact that he noticed something like that... *melts* Perfectly exemplifies Mulder's typical "I'm going to blow you off 90% of the time but then be incredibly sweet by remembering obscure details about your life thanks to my incredible memory" moves.

I hope for our sakes you continue to be so inspired by the new season  

[Xsneezelover3932]

Happy sigh...both of these are just. So. amazing!! Your present day drabble was especially awesome. You nailed it as far as where their characters are at now. I'd love to see more present day drabbles. Though I love the back in the day ones so much too. "Scully, back in the day is now." ;-) *swoon* M&S and your stories make my heart happy. Thank you so much!!

[zakandsara]

14.

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Dani Farrington

Prompt: 3- Frightened

 

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"Dani?" 

 

I heard her call, just barely, the moment I passed her office. 

 

"Dani?"

 

Again. Her signature tone that was somehow, at once, intimidating and alluring. 

 

I stopped and turned on my heel, taking the few steps back and poking my head into her slightly open door. "Yes, ma'am?"

 

She motioned for the chair across from where she sat behind her desk. "Sit." 

 

I stepped in, the intimidation returning. I couldn't imagine what this was about. I knew I hadn't don't anything wrong, yet being around Stella, constantly sure and strong and one step ahead of anyone, it was hard to be certain of anything. 

 

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" I asked, watching her sit back and casually cross her left leg over her right. I squirmed in my seat, my legs pressed tightly together. 

 

She took a deep breath and looked at me in the eyes, not challenging me nor questioning me. Simply trusting me, it seemed. "How do you feel as though the team is responding to my leadership?" 

 

She didn't sound necessarily insecure, but I never would've expected a question like this to come from Stella. "I think they respect you a great deal."

 

She nodded. Of course, she knew that much. 

 

"They've no questions of your qualifications. At least none that I've heard," I continued, wracking my brain for any actually useful information I could feed her. "I guess I'm not sure why you're asking me this. It seems you're very confident in your role here. Admirably so." 

 

I looked up at her, hoping she'd be willing to work with me instead of giving me her quiet, icy Stella Gibson stare. But she was too distracted, it seemed, to reply to my uncertainty in any manner.

 

Her brow was furrowed and her mouth hung upon ever-so-slightly. I watched her swivel her chair away from me just a bit, legs still crossed in the dominant-yet-feminine way only she could accomplish. She shielded her nose with the hand furthest from me, dipping behind it and into the back of her arm efficiently. "Hah'IKtSHhhh-oo!" She sniffled quickly and turned back to face me, shaking her head. 

 

"G'bless you," I said automatically, before wondering if that were even the right thing to say to Stella. 

 

She nodded. "I suppose I'm wondering how the men here view me, if I'm being honest. As I'm sure you know, being a woman in a field such as ours isn't particularly easy. I need to know I'm being taken seriously." She looked up at me again, but this time, the fierce vulnerability in her eyes struck me. 

 

"They take you seriously, ma'am. In fact, they're quite frightened of you. Most of us are, if I'm honest. Most of them are," I quickly corrected myself, but it was too late. 

 

She chucked. "You're frightened of me, Dani?" 

 

I felt my face start to flush and covered my eyes with my palm. "Not frightened. That was the wrong word. More like-"

 

"Heh'IKsCHHT-iOO!"

 

I jumped a bit in my seat, my eyes shooting up to meet hers. 

 

She smirked at me. "Startled?"

 

I laughed, relieved at her lightness. "Startled by that, yes. Bless you."

 

"I wish you wouldn't be so tense around me. I understand why the others are so reluctant to engage, but you've worked so closely with me since my arrival. It seems you'd be used to me by now."

 

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it," I said, almost to myself. "It's not you, ma'am. You've been wonderful. I'm just-"

 

"Hah'EKtchhhOO! Goddammit." She rubbed at her nose, clearing her throat. 

 

"Are you alright?" I finally asked her, realizing I'd never before seen her sneeze even once. 

 

Stella nodded. "I've been like this off and on since the weekend. I'm sure it's nothing."

 

"Hayfever, maybe. Now's the time for it." 

 

She shrugged, her mouth suddenly coming ajar again. She took a quick breath in and bent into the top of her wrist. "Heh'tNGXshhh!" She sighed, exhaling in frustration. 

 

"Bless you, ma'am."

 

"Thank you. Excuse me. This isn't exactly ideal for me," she said, seemingly trying to apologize. 

 

"Don't worry about it. You can't help it. Besides," I decided to add, noticing her getting ready to rebut my statement. "If you'd like me to be less tense, you may have to be a bit more open and a bit less..."

 

"Uptight?"

 

"I was going to say 'reserved,' but if you say so...." I looked up at her with a smile, which to my surprise, she returned. 

 

"I can try to work on that. At least with you." 

 

I bit my lip to hold back a grin. "I'm not frightened of you, ma'am." 

 

She gave me a tight but genuine smile. "You don't have to explain, Dani. I asked you for the truth. My feelings aren't hurt."

 

I sighed, a bit relieved. "Even so. That wasn't the right word."

 

She nodded, slowly bringing her arm up under her nose as her breath hitched. "Hah'IKteSChhhh-oo!! Fuck." She massaged her temple lightly, sniffling. 

 

"I think it's the air in Belfast. You're not used to it. You should take something," I told her, trying not to sound motherly nor bossy, merely concerned. 

 

"I've got terrible hayfever in London. Not sure why I'd think it'd be any different here, but I convinced myself enough to have left my prescription at home- HE'NXGKschhT!" 

 

I pushed the tissue box on the edge of her desk closer to her and stood. "Bless you. I'll run out and get you something." 

 

She took one and wiped her nose silently. "You don't have to do that, Dani. That's not your job."

 

I shrugged. "No, it's not." I made my way for the door and turned back just before leaving. "Be back in an hour." 

 

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[Xsneezelover3932]

Wow, excellent!!! You all on the forum with all these The Fall drabbles are really what finally made me watch it, and now I love it! Always loved GA, so I knew I would, haha. Anyway, loved that story! More TF and XFiles please!!! 

[curlyq9393]

How much do I love this drabble? Let me count the ways: first off, it's the fall, which right off the bat means my eyes are total hearts. Also, you write Dani so??? well??? It's kindof amazing. The crush mixed with the fear mixed with the total awe she has for Stella all mixed together is too perfect. And the sneezing! Poor Stella. I can't imagine dealing with hayfever is particularly easy when you're the lead investigator on a terribly frightening case. Amazing, beautiful, a million gold stars to you ??????????

[zakandsara]

15. 

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tanya Reed Smith

Prompt: 50 – Gentle

 

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Stella sat quietly on the tiny cot in her office, not resting nor procrastinating nor nearly able to relax. Just sitting. Thinking. 

 

Thinking about Paul Spector. Thinking about the women he violated, the women she wasn't able to save. Thinking about next steps. Thinking about her team. Thinking about Reed? No. Now was not the time to be thinking about Reed and her kind eyes and her silent brilliance and her fierce grace. Now, though it was nearing midnight and she hadn't slept more than 4 hours at a time in over a week, was the time for Stella to be working. 

 

She stood slowly, stretching her neck and loosening her shoulders. How long had she been in that position, pondering? And how much longer would she have stayed there if she hadn't heard an intriguing little sound reverberate from the hall?

 

She stepped cautiously into the doorway of her office, peering down the seemingly endless florescent-lined abyss of the hallway. 

 

"Still here?" 

 

Stella jumped, a hand instinctively clutching her chest, and then remaining there for comfort once she turned to realize what- or rather, who- had startled her. "I should be asking you that. You're not needed this late," she told Reed, who, even at midnight in slightly wrinkled clothing from the day's wear and her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, looked lovely. 

 

Reed stepped closer to her, squeezing by the woman who hadn't abandoned her post under the doorframe and entering her office. "I had a few things to finish up and the girls are with their father tonight. I figured I might as well." She took a seat on Stella's cot, which somehow became less sad and more inviting with her on it. "Besides, I knew I wouldn't be here all alone."

 

Stella turned on her heel, remaining at the door but facing Reed now. "Lucky for both of us, I suppose," she said, her mouth threatening to curve into a smile. "Hungry? Thirsty?" 

 

Reed shook her head. "I'm all right, thanks. I've just...." She paused, trailing off. 

 

Stella cocked her head, watching the woman slowly bring a clenched fist up under her nose and then bend quickly, and nearly soundlessly, into it. 

 

"Hih'tNgkt!!" Reed wrinkled her nose. "'Scuse me, I was trying to say that I've just eaten." 

 

Stella shrugged. "No room for a nightcap?"

 

Reed smiled up at her as the blonde woman took a few steps closer into the room. "I don't know that I should." 

 

"Oh?" Stella had already produced two glasses from virtually nowhere, and was reaching into a drawer for a presumably poorly-hidden bottle of whiskey. "Why's that?" 

 

Reed didn't answer right away, her hand wavering between her nose and her lap, until she finally bent to meet it again. "Heh'mNgxt!" She sniffled purposefully. "I'm not feeling 100%, to be honest."

 

Stella sat next to her, pressing a glass containing no more than a splash into Reed's hand. "I can see that." She tapped her glass against Reed's, and downed her portion in one shot.

 

Reed looked at her glass skeptically, but shrugged and followed suit. 

 

"Good girl," Stella told her, winking when the dark-haired woman looked over. She swiftly removed the empty glass from Reed's hand and put it next to hers on the desk in front of them. 

 

Reed opened her mouth to speak but was, once again, interrupted by her nose. She turned slightly away from Stella, burying her nose into her elbow. "Heh'MpTngkCHH! Heh'nGkCHH-oo!!" She shook her head, turning back to Stella. "Excuse me, sorry." 

 

Stella looked at her curiously. "Don't be sorry. Are you all right?" 

 

Reed nodded. "Just a cold, I think. It's been going around." She leaned forward, plucking a tissue from a box next to Stella's laptop and wiping her nose. "Though you seemed to have missed out on it so far, lucky for you." 

 

Stella shrugged. "I don't get sick very often, thankfully," she said, almost as if she weren't even paying attention to the sound of her own voice. "I'm sorry, can I just-" She cut herself off and reached over, placing the back of her hand delicately on Reed's forehead. She looked up at the ceiling, waiting several seconds before finally pulling it down. "Hmm." 

 

Reed couldn't help but chuckle. "What is it, doctor?" 

 

Stella smiled back at her, relishing in the lightness of the other woman's teasing. "Seems normal enough." 

 

"I'm not terminal," Reed reminded her with a small giggle. "I'm just....HE'mPhTchhh!! Heh'nKgtSCH!!"

 

This time, Stella leaned forward and pulled out a tissue for Reed. "Bless."

 

"Thanks." Reed blew her nose quietly. "I recognize I'm not at my most attractive right now, so I appreciate you being so nice to me."  

 

Stella let out a dry laugh. "Don't sound so shocked." 

 

"No, no, no!" Reed back-tracked, her increasingly stuffy nose making her consonants dull and heavy. "That's not what I meant. Genuinely. It's nice to have someone to...I don't know....fuss over you when you're not well."

 

Stella pushed a loose lock of hair back behind Reed's ear, a nurturing, almost sweet gesture that was, at once, completely out of character and wholly authentic. "I'm glad to be of service."

 

Reed gazed up at her, reaching up and repeating Stella's motion herself in an attempt to prolong the warmth that radiated from where Stella's hand once was. She sniffled again. "I should get some rest."

 

Stella nodded. "Let me drive you home." She stood, slipping on her jacket before waiting for an answer. 

 

Reed stood, too. "No, you really don't have to do that. There's no need, I'm..." She paused, her breath suddenly catching. 

 

Stella popped her hip and rested a hand on it, almost playfully, watching Reed. 

 

"I'm fihhh...Ha'EnGkshhT!! Fine. Don't look at me like that!"

 

"You're not fine. You may not be terminal, but you're certainly not fine," Stella told her. "Let me drive you."

 

Reed looked down, wanting to argue that it was completely unnecessary but secretly adoring that Stella wasn't thinking at all about what was necessary, rather about what was kind. "Sure. Okay." 

 

Stella smiled a gentle half-smile, putting a soft, guiding hand on Reed's back, and lead her out the door. 

[Xsneezelover3932]

Excellent!!! Nice flip to see a story with Reed as the sneezer and Stella the caretaker! Very nice! 

[Bruyere]

I finally finally got around to watching The Fall and since then I've been hoping that Dani would show up in fic because gosh, so my type and I loved how you wrote her here.

On 3/20/2016 at 0:21 AM, zakandsara said:

"G'bless you," I said automatically, before wondering if that were even the right thing to say to Stella. 

I really like the hint of 'God'  at the start of that blessing. It feels like such a nice touch.

On 3/20/2016 at 0:21 AM, zakandsara said:

"They take you seriously, ma'am. In fact, they're quite frightened of you. Most of us are, if I'm honest. Most of them are," I quickly corrected myself, but it was too late. 

She chucked. "You're frightened of me, Dani?" 

I felt my face start to flush and covered my eyes with my palm. "Not frightened. That was the wrong word. More like-"

"Heh'IKsCHHT-iOO!"

I jumped a bit in my seat, my eyes shooting up to meet hers. 

She smirked at me. "Startled?"

I laughed, relieved at her lightness. "Startled by that, yes. Bless you."

I love that Dani caught herself out there and I laughed at 'Startled?' as well.

On 3/20/2016 at 0:21 AM, zakandsara said:

"I think it's the air in Belfast. You're not used to it. You should take something," I told her, trying not to sound motherly nor bossy, merely concerned. 

And this <3 <3 <3 You do such a lovely job of trying to capture that balance of being worried about someone senior in such a great way, especially when she goes out to get the pills for Stella at the end.

AND THEN there is also Reed goodness?! I am so in love with Archie Panjabi so this was a lovely treat to see.

On 3/24/2016 at 4:01 AM, zakandsara said:

Reed didn't answer right away, her hand wavering between her nose and her lap, until she finally bent to meet it again. "Heh'mNgxt!" She sniffled purposefully. "I'm not feeling 100%, to be honest."

I love that little hovering moment and the purposeful sniffle to underline how she's feeling.

On 3/24/2016 at 4:01 AM, zakandsara said:

"I'm sorry, can I just-" She cut herself off and reached over, placing the back of her hand delicately on Reed's forehead. She looked up at the ceiling, waiting several seconds before finally pulling it down. "Hmm." 

Reed couldn't help but chuckle. "What is it, doctor?" 

Stella smiled back at her, relishing in the lightness of the other woman's teasing. "Seems normal enough." 

Cute and funny and hot <3

On 3/24/2016 at 4:01 AM, zakandsara said:

"No, no, no!" Reed back-tracked, her increasingly stuffy nose making her consonants dull and heavy. "That's not what I meant. Genuinely. It's nice to have someone to...I don't know....fuss over you when you're not well."

Stella pushed a loose lock of hair back behind Reed's ear, a nurturing, almost sweet gesture that was, at once, completely out of character and wholly authentic. "I'm glad to be of service."

Happy sighs. Yes, this. I could easily read little moments like this forever. Gorgeous. and I like that it comes from Reed and Stella who are both outwardly tough but are able to share little moments like this with each other.

On 3/24/2016 at 4:01 AM, zakandsara said:

Reed looked down, wanting to argue that it was completely unnecessary but secretly adoring that Stella wasn't thinking at all about what was necessary, rather about what was kind. "Sure. Okay." 

Stella smiled a gentle half-smile, putting a soft, guiding hand on Reed's back, and lead her out the door. 

Mmm, yes. See above. And the hand on Reed's back is like a little cherry on top of a sundae of perfection.

[curlyq9393]

I never thought I would love Reed as patient and Stella as caretaker, but I totally do??? It seemed very real and authentic which is amazing because that's not exactly Stella's personality. I wish she would take care of me when I had a cold!

[zakandsara]

YOU GUYS ARE TOO KIND. Sincerely, thank you thank you thank you for the incredible feedback. A reward is in order, I think?  

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16. 

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tanya Reed Smith

Prompt: 13 – Care, 73 – Don’t

 

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"Which way?" Stella asked, sitting behind the traffic light on an almost entirely vacant block. 

 

"This is precisely why it would've been easier if you'd just let me drive myself," Reed said, only half-joking. "Left." 

 

The light changed and Stella turned, noticing Reed shivering a bit out of the corner of her eye. "Cold?" 

 

Reed nodded. "Just a bit- heh'tNgkShh! Heh'mphNgxCH!! 'Scuse me," she said, her voice cracking. 

 

"Bless you," Stella replied, matter-of-factly. "You should refrain from stifling them, if you can. You'll give yourself a sinus infection." 

 

Reed gave a quiet laugh. "Speaking from experience?" 

 

Stella looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious." 

 

Reed grinned. "As am I!"

 

Stella rolled her eyes, though Reed could tell she was quite enjoying herself. "Have you ever witnessed me holding in a sneeze like that?" 

 

Reed paused, leaning a bit closer to Stella as she propped an elbow up on the middle console and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you sneeze, period, now that I think of it." She looked up and caught Stella's eye for just a second. "Though I can't imagine you'd make a display of it, if I'm honest. You're much too self-conscious."

 

Stella's mouth dropped open in faux-shock. "Self-conscious?!"

 

"Self-aware, more like!" Reed interrupted her with a hand on the blonde woman's arm. "Not self-conscious. Not a bit." 

 

Stella looked down at Reed's hand clasped around her arm; the dark-haired woman had absent-mindedly begun rubbing Stella's forearm with her thumb. She looked back up into Reed's eye for a moment before turning back to the road. Reed didn't stop. 

 

"I didn't say I made a display of it," Stella finally clarified. "All I'm saying is that it's not good for you to hold back like that. You're going to end up-"

 

"Heh'NkGschhH-oo!!" Reed finally let go of Stella's arm and tented her hands over her nose, bending forward forcefully. "Hahn'tESchhhhiuOO!!" Reed shook her head, sniffling miserably. 

 

Stella reached into the console and pulled out a small pack of tissues, pushing them into Reed's lap as quickly as she could. "Feels better, no?" 

 

Reed laughed from behind the tissue. "Do I really have to tell you you were right at this very moment?" 

 

Stella bit her lip to keep her grin back. "Of course, you don't have to."

 

Reed finished up, another chuckle turning into a small cough. "One more right up here and we're there," she instructed, rubbing her nose. Her breath started to hitch delicately, then urgently, then an odd mixture of the two. "Dahhh...damn it," Reed managed to get out. 

 

Stella looked over at her, a bit concerned. "Hold your breath for a moment, it'll go away."

 

Reed did as she was told, once again, and after a few seconds, the erratic breathing stopped in its tracks. Reed exhaled tiredly. "Is that why I've never heard your obnoxious, monumental, pointedly unstifled sneeze?" she asked, returning her hand to the spot on Stella's arm she seemed to favor. "You know all the tricks?"

 

Stella laughed as she pulled up in front of Reed's flat. "You're going to be incredibly disappointed when you witness what it's actually like."  

 

Reed shook her head. "I've yet to be disappointed by you, Stella," she said, squeezing the woman's arm one last time and leaning back. "I'd give you a proper goodbye, but..." She gestured to her nose, which was now red and impossibly stuffy, and her suddenly hitching breath. This time, however, it came much more easily. "Hah'mphTscHHHeuOO!!"

 

Stella smirked at her. "What's that you were saying about making a display of it?"

 

Reed feigned a frown, and Stella put a loving hand on her knee. "I'm only teasing. Bless."

 

"Thank you," Reed giggled. "You were right."

 

"I know," Stella told her with a wink. "Take care of yourself, please." Stella's voice now took on a gentleness that Reed was quite familiar with herself, as a mother. "And do let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

 

Reed nodded as she slowly let herself out of the car. "You, too. Don't work too hard." 

 

Stella shrugged. "I can't promise anything. Feel better, darling." 

 

"I'l certainly try." Reed smiled, Stella's last word reverberating in her ears. "Thank you. For everything." 

 

"Thank you, for distracting me," Stella said. "I'll see you tomorrow. But not too early," she instructed, punctuating her order with an index finger pointed directly at Reed out the window. 

 

Reed saluted her, slowly turning her back on Stella and dragging herself further from the woman and closer to the bed that was calling her name. And as she arrived at her front door and gave one last wave to Stella, who'd, of course, waited to make sure she'd gotten in safely, she thought to herself how lucky she was to have caught this cold, if simply for the fact that she had Stella to see her through it. 

[curlyq9393]

Oh my goodness gracious, this follow up was too sweet for words. Stella Gibson is such a good soul and I love her a lot a lot a lot.

19 hours ago, zakandsara said:

Reed paused, leaning a bit closer to Stella as she propped an elbow up on the middle console and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you sneeze, period, now that I think of it." She looked up and caught Stella's eye for just a second. "Though I can't imagine you'd make a display of it, if I'm honest. You're much too self-conscious."

 

Stella's mouth dropped open in faux-shock. "Self-conscious?!"

 

"Self-aware, more like!" Reed interrupted her with a hand on the blonde woman's arm. "Not self-conscious. Not a bit." 

 

Stella looked down at Reed's hand clasped around her arm; the dark-haired woman had absent-mindedly begun rubbing Stella's forearm with her thumb. She looked back up into Reed's eye for a moment before turning back to the road. Reed didn't stop. 

 

"I didn't say I made a display of it," Stella finally clarified. "All I'm saying is that it's not good for you to hold back like that. You're going to end up-"

 

"Heh'NkGschhH-oo!!" Reed finally let go of Stella's arm and tented her hands over her nose, bending forward forcefully. "Hahn'tESchhhhiuOO!!" Reed shook her head, sniffling miserably. 

 

Stella reached into the console and pulled out a small pack of tissues, pushing them into Reed's lap as quickly as she could. "Feels better, no?" 

 

Reed laughed from behind the tissue. "Do I really have to tell you you were right at this very moment?" 

 

Stella bit her lip to keep her grin back. "Of course, you don't have to."

I adore the way you've written Stella with such a sense of humor. The show is so serious (for good reason) and Stella is an incredibly serious character as well, but I get vibes from her that she'd probably be wickedly funny once you got to know her.

19 hours ago, zakandsara said:

"I know," Stella told her with a wink. "Take care of yourself, please." Stella's voice now took on a gentleness that Reed was quite familiar with herself, as a mother. "And do let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

THIS part just about killed me, oh my heart.

[Bruyere]

So glad you continued this! I love how Stella is still so composed but that she has this lighter side with Reed.

On 3/28/2016 at 3:49 AM, zakandsara said:

Reed saluted her, slowly turning her back on Stella and dragging herself further from the woman and closer to the bed that was calling her name. And as she arrived at her front door and gave one last wave to Stella, who'd, of course, waited to make sure she'd gotten in safely, she thought to herself how lucky she was to have caught this cold, if simply for the fact that she had Stella to see her through it. 

Adorable. <3

 

[Xsneezelover3932]

Awww!! Loved it! 

[zakandsara]

17.

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tanya Reed Smith

Prompt: 26 – Suspicion

 

At first, she barely registered the knock on the door. Not because it was so quiet, though it was, but because she'd finally gotten into a rhythm in her work after having been distracted most of the morning. The knock got louder, and Stella looked up, realizing she'd been unintentionally ignoring it for the past half a minute. 

 

Her face lit for the first time all day. "Oh."

 

"Oh?" Reed said, stepping in and taking a seat in one of the buttery leather chairs across from Stella. "Working hard, I see."

 

Stella put her pen down and shut her laptop, sitting back in her chair as lazily as she would allow. "I suppose. So hard, I didn't even notice you standing there." She gave Reed an apologetic smile, finally giving her a proper look. "You appear to be doing quite well."

 

Reed shrugged. "I took yesterday to recover. Though having the girls around didn't allow much time for proper rest-"

 

"But you're feeling better?" 

 

Reed smiled at the urgency of her question. "I am, thank you."

 

Stella nodded. "I'm glad." She sat up, sliding her chair closer to her desk and, subsequently, to Reed. "Yesterday was fairly uneventful."

 

"Guess it's good luck I wasn't here, then."

 

Stella smirked, almost to herself. "Or perhaps it was because you weren't here."

 

Reed chuckled. "That so?"

 

Stella gave a quick shrug, suddenly raising the back of her wrist up under her nose. She turned ever-so-slightly away from Reed, dipping to meet her arm. "Haht'EHschhhi-oo!" She wrinkled her nose, turning back and recovering almost immediately. "'Scuse me."

 

"Well," Reed raised her eyebrows. "That didn't take very long." 

 

Stella shook her head. "I feel fine."

 

"That's not what I meant," Reed said, her face threatening to break into a smile. "And you were right- that was fairly unimpressive."

 

Stella laughed, suddenly remembering. "I'm sorry to have disappointed you. It's not..." She trailed off, bringing her arm back up in a now familiar way. "HAH'EhktschhhuO!! One of my strong suits." 

 

"Gesundheit," Reed told her, pushing the box of tissues she'd used just nights ago in Stella's direction. "It's nice to know there's something about you that's less-than-intimidating," she said with a wink. 

 

Stella took a tissue and dabbed at her nose. "Come on. Surely, I don't intimidate you. Not anymore, at least." 

 

"No." Reed bit her lip. "Not all the time."

 

Stella furrowed her brow.

 

"I'm only teasing. Mostly," she clarified. "Getting a lot done?" She motioned to the files piled up on either side of Stella's computer. 

 

Stella sighed. "Trying to. I meant what I said; things have slowed down here over the past few days. It's incredibly frustrating."

 

"I know it is. But you're doing the best you can." Reed almost reached out to put a comforting hand on Stella's, but the blonde woman pulled away before she had a chance. 

 

"Hah'ehKtschhhi-OO!! HAH'IKtshhhh-uhh!" She wiped at her nose again, clearing her throat. "Jesus, I was fine all morning and the moment you arrive, I can't stop sneezing." 

 

Reed noticed her cheeks twinkle with a particularly endearing shade of pink. "It's alright, you're not bothering me." 

 

Stella sniffled. "It's bothering me." 

 

Reed smiled at her, finally resting her hand on top of Stella's. "Try not to take this the wrong way, but you're going to make a terrible patient." 

 

Stella cocked her head. "I'm not sick."

 

Reed shrugged. "That's what I said a week ago." 

 

"I'm not. I feel fine," she insisted. She pulled her hand away and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. 

 

"Whatever you say, I'll believe," Reed said, standing from the chair and making her way toward the hall. She stopped in the doorway. "But I'll also be available to assist, should whatever you say happen to change over the next few hours." 

 

Stella stared stubbornly after her as she stepped away, not sure whether to be annoyed or touched. Lucky for Reed, she didn't have time to decide. "Heh'EHktschhhiuOO!!"

 

Reed popped her head back in. "Gesundheit." She winked once again and finally left, this time, for good.  

 

Stella rolled her eyes, sniffling. She wasn't going to get sick. But if she absolutely had to, she finally admitted to herself, allowing Reed to keep her company wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen.  

[curlyq9393]

Love, love, LOVE this! God, I want to live inside your drabbles forever. Will things change for Stella over the next few hours???? Am anxiously waiting to find out!

[Xsneezelover3932]

Ohh nice!! I like where this is going!!! You write them amazingly well! Can't wait for more!!

[zakandsara]

18.

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Reed Smith, Dani Farrington

Prompts:  74 – Ego

 

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

 

Stella tried all day not to think about it. Every tickle in her throat, every sniffle, every tiny, dull ache in her temple that threatened to turn into a full-on headache at any second, she ignored. And almost successfully, too. Until noon rolled around, and she was getting, she realized, dangerously close to the afternoon briefing she had scheduled with her team a mere day ago when she couldn't have known how much she would come to dread following through. 

 

It also didn't help that Reed, though in an attempt to be helpful, was routinely checking in on the blonde to see how she was doing. 

 

"I'm fine. I told you," Stella would say, keeping her words clipped so that Reed couldn't detect the slight congestion that was slowly becoming evident. 

 

Reed would glare at her, eyebrow raised. "Yes, yes. Of course. My mistake." And she'd leave with a smirk, which at once infuriated Stella and made her feel impossibly close to the woman. 

 

So when, 10 minutes before the meeting was to begin, Reed poked her head in, Stella shouldn't have been so surprised. But she had been quite distracted with a persistent tickle in her nose, and Reed's voice made her jump. 

 

"Sorry," Reed smiled sweetly. "Just me."

 

Stella nodded, her breath almost hitching, but not quite. 

 

Reed took a seat across from her. "What's wrong?"

 

Stella closed her eyes for a moment and held her breath. She opened them, annoyed to discover that nothing had changed. Her nose quivered. "I need to sneeze," she admitted, realizing there was no use hiding it. 

 

Reed frowned, pulling a tissue out of its box and handing it to Stella. "Anything I can do?" 

 

Stella half-laughed and shook her head, taking the tissue and folding it across her hands, waiting with it under her nose. "It'll come. This has been happening for...." She trailed off, suddenly taking a deep breath and bending to meet her cupped hands. "Heh'IktSCHhhiiEO!! Ugh." She wiped her nose tiredly on the tissue and tossed it into the bin. "Excuse me."

 

Reed looked at her sympathetically, but said nothing; she knew Stella wasn't one to be pitied. "Shall we reschedule the briefing? No one would mind." 

 

Stella shook her head. "I would mind. It'll only take a few minutes."

 

"And then you'll go home?" Reed asked, treading lightly. This simple exchange was as far as Stella had yet let her get in the care-taking department, and she didn't want to rock the boat. 

 

"Home? You mean the cot in the corner of my office, or the sterile hotel room halfway across town?" Stella snapped. She immediately put a hand on her temple and shut her eyes again. "I'm sorry. That wasn't-"

 

"No, I can't imagine how homesick you must be feeling." She let out a soft chuckle as Stella sniffled. "No pun intended."

 

Stella looked up at her with half a smile. 

 

"Why don't you come over to mine? I have a not-so-sterile guest room, plenty of tea, and can offer you decent company, if that's the sort of thing you're interested in." Reed looked up at her hopefully, trying to read what she was thinking through her often-unintentionally icy façade. 

 

Stella rubbed at her nose, her eyes fluttering shut. She took a deep breath and turned into her elbow before she could respond. "Heh'EkTschhhuOO! EH'tKshhhiiE-oo!!"

 

"Bless you, ma'am." 

 

This time, Stella and Reed both startled, turning immediately to see Dani standing in the doorway. 

 

"Hello, Dani," Reed said with a tiny wave. 

 

Dani gave a soft smile and nodded at the woman. "Dr. Smith, it's nice to see you."

 

"Time to start, yes?" Stella cut in curtly, gathering her paperwork. 

 

"Yes, ma'am," Dani said, watching her stand and make her way toward her. She paused, though, just before reaching the door, and pressed the top of her hand up under her nose. 

 

"Heh'nGkstch-uhh!" She exhaled slowly. "'Scuse me," she said quietly, walking past Dani and out the door. 

 

Dani looked to Reed, who kept her seat across from Stella's now-vacated desk. "Is she all right?" 

 

Reed shook her head, looking after the woman. "She's got a cold," she told the red-head, standing up herself and making her way toward the exit. "Shall we?" 

 

Dani followed, jogging for a few steps to catch up to Reed. Other members of the team were now trickling into the hallway, all headed in the same direction. "Dr. Smith?" Dani whispered, finally keeping pace with Reed. "Should I do something? Is she going to be okay to run the meeting?" 

 

"She's Stella Gibson," Reed said confidently, stopping in front of the briefing room door and pulling it open for Dani to enter. She added a shrug: "But I guess we're about to find out, aren't we?" 

[curlyq9393]

On March 28, 2016 at 10:49 PM, zakandsara said:

YOU GUYS ARE TOO KIND. Sincerely, thank you thank you thank you for the incredible feedback. A reward is in order, I think?  

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

16. 

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tanya Reed Smith

Prompt: 13 – Care, 73 – Don’t

 

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

 

 

"Which way?" Stella asked, sitting behind the traffic light on an almost entirely vacant block. 

 

"This is precisely why it would've been easier if you'd just let me drive myself," Reed said, only half-joking. "Left." 

 

The light changed and Stella turned, noticing Reed shivering a bit out of the corner of her eye. "Cold?" 

 

Reed nodded. "Just a bit- heh'tNgkShh! Heh'mphNgxCH!! 'Scuse me," she said, her voice cracking. 

 

"Bless you," Stella replied, matter-of-factly. "You should refrain from stifling them, if you can. You'll give yourself a sinus infection." 

 

Reed gave a quiet laugh. "Speaking from experience?" 

 

Stella looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious." 

 

Reed grinned. "As am I!"

 

Stella rolled her eyes, though Reed could tell she was quite enjoying herself. "Have you ever witnessed me holding in a sneeze like that?" 

 

Reed paused, leaning a bit closer to Stella as she propped an elbow up on the middle console and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you sneeze, period, now that I think of it." She looked up and caught Stella's eye for just a second. "Though I can't imagine you'd make a display of it, if I'm honest. You're much too self-conscious."

 

Stella's mouth dropped open in faux-shock. "Self-conscious?!"

 

"Self-aware, more like!" Reed interrupted her with a hand on the blonde woman's arm. "Not self-conscious. Not a bit." 

 

Stella looked down at Reed's hand clasped around her arm; the dark-haired woman had absent-mindedly begun rubbing Stella's forearm with her thumb. She looked back up into Reed's eye for a moment before turning back to the road. Reed didn't stop. 

 

"I didn't say I made a display of it," Stella finally clarified. "All I'm saying is that it's not good for you to hold back like that. You're going to end up-"

 

"Heh'NkGschhH-oo!!" Reed finally let go of Stella's arm and tented her hands over her nose, bending forward forcefully. "Hahn'tESchhhhiuOO!!" Reed shook her head, sniffling miserably. 

 

Stella reached into the console and pulled out a small pack of tissues, pushing them into Reed's lap as quickly as she could. "Feels better, no?" 

 

Reed laughed from behind the tissue. "Do I really have to tell you you were right at this very moment?" 

 

Stella bit her lip to keep her grin back. "Of course, you don't have to."

 

Reed finished up, another chuckle turning into a small cough. "One more right up here and we're there," she instructed, rubbing her nose. Her breath started to hitch delicately, then urgently, then an odd mixture of the two. "Dahhh...damn it," Reed managed to get out. 

 

Stella looked over at her, a bit concerned. "Hold your breath for a moment, it'll go away."

 

Reed did as she was told, once again, and after a few seconds, the erratic breathing stopped in its tracks. Reed exhaled tiredly. "Is that why I've never heard your obnoxious, monumental, pointedly unstifled sneeze?" she asked, returning her hand to the spot on Stella's arm she seemed to favor. "You know all the tricks?"

 

Stella laughed as she pulled up in front of Reed's flat. "You're going to be incredibly disappointed when you witness what it's actually like."  

 

Reed shook her head. "I've yet to be disappointed by you, Stella," she said, squeezing the woman's arm one last time and leaning back. "I'd give you a proper goodbye, but..." She gestured to her nose, which was now red and impossibly stuffy, and her suddenly hitching breath. This time, however, it came much more easily. "Hah'mphTscHHHeuOO!!"

 

Stella smirked at her. "What's that you were saying about making a display of it?"

 

Reed feigned a frown, and Stella put a loving hand on her knee. "I'm only teasing. Bless."

 

"Thank you," Reed giggled. "You were right."

 

"I know," Stella told her with a wink. "Take care of yourself, please." Stella's voice now took on a gentleness that Reed was quite familiar with herself, as a mother. "And do let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

 

Reed nodded as she slowly let herself out of the car. "You, too. Don't work too hard." 

 

Stella shrugged. "I can't promise anything. Feel better, darling." 

 

"I'l certainly try." Reed smiled, Stella's last word reverberating in her ears. "Thank you. For everything." 

 

"Thank you, for distracting me," Stella said. "I'll see you tomorrow. But not too early," she instructed, punctuating her order with an index finger pointed directly at Reed out the window. 

 

Reed saluted her, slowly turning her back on Stella and dragging herself further from the woman and closer to the bed that was calling her name. And as she arrived at her front door and gave one last wave to Stella, who'd, of course, waited to make sure she'd gotten in safely, she thought to herself how lucky she was to have caught this cold, if simply for the fact that she had Stella to see her through it. 

Oh my goodness gracious, this is so sweet and lovely. Stella is such a good soul.

On March 28, 2016 at 10:49 PM, zakandsara said:

I

 

On March 28, 2016 at 10:49 PM, zakandsara said:

YOU GUYS ARE TOO KIND. Sincerely, thank you thank you thank you for the incredible feedback. A reward is in order, I think?  

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

16. 

Fandom: The Fall

Characters: Stella Gibson, Tanya Reed Smith

Prompt: 13 – Care, 73 – Don’t

 

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

 

 

"Which way?" Stella asked, sitting behind the traffic light on an almost entirely vacant block. 

 

"This is precisely why it would've been easier if you'd just let me drive myself," Reed said, only half-joking. "Left." 

 

The light changed and Stella turned, noticing Reed shivering a bit out of the corner of her eye. "Cold?" 

 

Reed nodded. "Just a bit- heh'tNgkShh! Heh'mphNgxCH!! 'Scuse me," she said, her voice cracking. 

 

"Bless you," Stella replied, matter-of-factly. "You should refrain from stifling them, if you can. You'll give yourself a sinus infection." 

 

Reed gave a quiet laugh. "Speaking from experience?" 

 

Stella looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious." 

 

Reed grinned. "As am I!"

 

Stella rolled her eyes, though Reed could tell she was quite enjoying herself. "Have you ever witnessed me holding in a sneeze like that?" 

 

Reed paused, leaning a bit closer to Stella as she propped an elbow up on the middle console and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you sneeze, period, now that I think of it." She looked up and caught Stella's eye for just a second. "Though I can't imagine you'd make a display of it, if I'm honest. You're much too self-conscious."

 

Stella's mouth dropped open in faux-shock. "Self-conscious?!"

 

"Self-aware, more like!" Reed interrupted her with a hand on the blonde woman's arm. "Not self-conscious. Not a bit." 

 

Stella looked down at Reed's hand clasped around her arm; the dark-haired woman had absent-mindedly begun rubbing Stella's forearm with her thumb. She looked back up into Reed's eye for a moment before turning back to the road. Reed didn't stop. 

 

"I didn't say I made a display of it," Stella finally clarified. "All I'm saying is that it's not good for you to hold back like that. You're going to end up-"

 

"Heh'NkGschhH-oo!!" Reed finally let go of Stella's arm and tented her hands over her nose, bending forward forcefully. "Hahn'tESchhhhiuOO!!" Reed shook her head, sniffling miserably. 

 

Stella reached into the console and pulled out a small pack of tissues, pushing them into Reed's lap as quickly as she could. "Feels better, no?" 

 

Reed laughed from behind the tissue. "Do I really have to tell you you were right at this very moment?" 

 

Stella bit her lip to keep her grin back. "Of course, you don't have to."

 

Reed finished up, another chuckle turning into a small cough. "One more right up here and we're there," she instructed, rubbing her nose. Her breath started to hitch delicately, then urgently, then an odd mixture of the two. "Dahhh...damn it," Reed managed to get out. 

 

Stella looked over at her, a bit concerned. "Hold your breath for a moment, it'll go away."

 

Reed did as she was told, once again, and after a few seconds, the erratic breathing stopped in its tracks. Reed exhaled tiredly. "Is that why I've never heard your obnoxious, monumental, pointedly unstifled sneeze?" she asked, returning her hand to the spot on Stella's arm she seemed to favor. "You know all the tricks?"

 

Stella laughed as she pulled up in front of Reed's flat. "You're going to be incredibly disappointed when you witness what it's actually like."  

 

Reed shook her head. "I've yet to be disappointed by you, Stella," she said, squeezing the woman's arm one last time and leaning back. "I'd give you a proper goodbye, but..." She gestured to her nose, which was now red and impossibly stuffy, and her suddenly hitching breath. This time, however, it came much more easily. "Hah'mphTscHHHeuOO!!"

 

Stella smirked at her. "What's that you were saying about making a display of it?"

 

Reed feigned a frown, and Stella put a loving hand on her knee. "I'm only teasing. Bless."

 

"Thank you," Reed giggled. "You were right."

 

"I know," Stella told her with a wink. "Take care of yourself, please." Stella's voice now took on a gentleness that Reed was quite familiar with herself, as a mother. "And do let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

 

Reed nodded as she slowly let herself out of the car. "You, too. Don't work too hard." 

 

Stella shrugged. "I can't promise anything. Feel better, darling." 

 

"I'l certainly try." Reed smiled, Stella's last word reverberating in her ears. "Thank you. For everything." 

 

"Thank you, for distracting me," Stella said. "I'll see you tomorrow. But not too early," she instructed, punctuating her order with an index finger pointed directly at Reed out the window. 

 

Reed saluted her, slowly turning her back on Stella and dragging herself further from the woman and closer to the bed that was calling her name. And as she arrived at her front door and gave one last wave to Stella, who'd, of course, waited to make sure she'd gotten in safely, she thought to herself how lucky she was to have caught this cold, if simpy for the fact that she had Stella to see her through it. 

OH MY GOSH this is such a great drabble. Poor lil sickling Stella. And you capture her voice incredibly well, particularly in the part where she talks about not having a home; my heart hurt for her quite a bit. Luckily she has Reed to make it all better, right? ☺️

[curlyq9393]

Ughhhhhh I don't know why it made me quote a bunch of weird posts???? Using the forum on my phone is a disaster.

[Sapphire]

I'm not sure how I'm only seeing this now, but I'm in love and stalking this thread as usual.

[Xsneezelover3932]

Very nice!!!!! I do hope she takes Reed up on that offer of the guest room!! I'm thinking she will! *cough cough*

Thanks for a wonderful update to brighten my day. 

P.S. I will love you forever if you write more Scully stuff. I am feeling major Scully withdrawals. ?