TITLE: Breakdown AUTHOR: Lowen E-MAIL: lowenguard@aol.com RATING: PG CATEGORY: Story/Romance KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully romance ARCHIVE: Gossamer-yes. Anywhere else ask first, please. SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully are stranded on a desolate stretch of highway and are faced with their feelings. COMMENTS: This is my first fic. Please feel free to tell me if I need to take up a different pastime, or if I might ACTUALLY have a little potential. Don't worry, I've got racquetball equipment on layaway. THANKS: I would like to thank Chris Carter for creating these characters in the first place. I would also like to thank LC, Shan, Shannon, Emily, Rach and Cortney. You guys were my support in this endeavor and I won't ever forget that. Special thanks to LC, who was my editor and creative consultant. DISCLAIMERS: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder and the X Files are all owned by Chris Carter and 1013 productions. I am merely borrowing them and having a little fun. Any lawsuits filed against me would result in a very large waste of your time and the ownership of eight angry cats. Breakdown By Lowen Dana Scully opened her eyes to what sounded like applause. She blinked groggily, but the world refused to focus. She blinked again before she realized what the problem was. *Rain* It was pelting insistently against the windshield, smearing the view of the road in front of them to a dark blur. She stretched as much as the cramped space would allow. *Why can't we ever rent a Rolls Royce?* She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window. *Why's it so hot in here?* Halfway into the act of reaching over to turn on the air, she found the culprit. Mulder had thrown his coat over her while she had been sleeping. *Figures* She spent the next five minutes trying to decide whether or not he had been making an attempt at chivalry. *Probably thought I'd make a convenient coat rack* Sighing, she gave up. There was no figuring out Mulder's motives, no matter how often she traveled with him. Folding the coat neatly, she placed it in the back seat and snuck a glance at her partner. He was squinting through the windshield towards what she hoped was the road. The storm had picked up it's intensity, buffeting the car harshly. "Should we pull over for a while, Mulder?" "Why?" *Oh great* "Well, I'd like to remain in one piece. You can't keep this tin can on the road much longer, the way this storm is blowing." "Just relax. It's not much further to the hotel." "Oh, joy. Safe haven at the roach motel." Mulder shot her a quizzical glance that had just enough humor in it to infuriate her. She gritted her teeth and said nothing more. It was obvious that he was eager to investigate, and nothing would deter him. *Just like always* She decided that perhaps she'd better let him concentrate on driving. Spending the night with Mulder in a ditch in.....in...wherever the hell they were didn't sound appealing to her at all. *Well, maybe just a LITTLE* She smiled to herself at the thought, and looked absentmindedly out the window. Large green blurs flew by, interrupted every now and then by a dark streak. She couldn't stand it any more. "Mulder, where are we?" "Nebraska." "Oh, thanks." He looked at her curiously. She had never forgotten a case location before. Something was definitely bothering her, but he didn't want to push. She seemed to have enough on her mind without him prying. His eyes returned to the road, but his thoughts kept straying back to his partner. Scully sighed and leaned against the window, closing her eyes. This whole trip was so dreary. *Feels like I ought to be going to a funeral* She watched the blur of scenery fly by without consciously seeing it. She was lost in mid thought when she dozed off again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The storm was raging so much that he was having difficulty keeping it on he road. Mulder decided that maybe Scully had been right. He eased over onto the shoulder of the highway and parked the car. There was no use in driving until this let up. They'd end up in Mexico if he tried. Of course, Mexico wouldn't be half bad. *Scully would have my head* He grinned and looked over at his partner. Asleep again. "Scenery's that exciting, huh?" He leaned back in his seat and wondered if he should drape her with his coat again, remembering her look of annoyance the first time. He looked at her longingly. *She looks so beautiful when she sleeps* Carefully, so as not to wake her, he placed his coat around her shoulders. Leaning back in his seat, he sighed and prepared to wait. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Scully awoke, she found herself alone in the car. Mulder had draped his coat over her again. She massaged her temples. *He's trying to drive me crazy* For a moment, she thought perhaps they had made it to the hotel and Mulder had just let her sleep. As she sat up, she discovered that reality wasn't going to be so kind. They were parked by the side of an empty stretch of highway. *What NOW?* The rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast and menacing. She threw the coat in the backseat, not so neatly this time and clambered out of the car. "Mulder?" "Over here." She found her partner in back of the car, regarding something on the ground disdainfully. "We're stuck." "What?" He pointed, and her eyes followed in direction. The shoulder of the highway had turned into a brown soup that only vaguely resembled mud. Their left rear tire sank deep into the muck. *Perfect* "Want to push it out?" "Yeah. You get in the car and start the ignition. When I yell, put your foot on the gas." She walked slowly back to the car, picking her way around mud puddles. She found the keys on the dash. Sighing, she turned the key in the ignition. *You don't have to push TOO hard, Mulder* "Okay, now!" She put the car in gear and flattened her foot on the gas. The tires were slipping and sliding through the sludge. *No traction* A loud cry from outside caused her to start. She put the car in park and removed the key. Setting a new speed record while in heels, she ran in the direction from which the sound had come. "What's wro--" She stopped in mid sentence when she spotted something large, angry and brown sprawled out in the mud. *Now THERE'S something you don't see every day.* "MULDER?!?" He gave her a chill look and climbed slowly to his feet with as much dignity as he could muster. This was a challenging feat, considering he was covered from head to toe in muck. "You rang?" She was trying hard not to laugh, but it was a losing battle. He stood by stoically as she guffawed, saying nothing. Finally, she gained control and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mulder. You just look so funny." "Thanks for your concern." "What happened?" "I slipped, that's what." "Oh. Are you okay?" "What do you think?" She giggled, and he regarded her icily. He stalked off towards the car, and she followed doggedly. "Mulder, I'm sorry, really." He snatched the keys from the seat and marched past her silently. Opening the trunk, he grabbed his suitcase and opened it. "I'm going to change." "Out here? On the highway?" "Yes. I haven't seen a car go by here in hours." He had grabbed a towel and was wiping off his face and hands. She shrugged and decided not to pursue it any farther. "How are we going to get out of here?" "Use your cell phone. Call Triple A, call a tow service, I don't care." She left him and climbed back into the car. She really hadn't meant to laugh, but he had looked so odd. *And adorable* She dialed the number for Triple A and completed the call. Still giggling, she looked on as Mulder sat down grandly. He was clean now, or at least as clean as could be expected. "Triple A said they'd be here first thing tomorrow. It seems they're short a few workers." "Great." "Mulder, really, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed." He looked at her and she held his gaze coolly. Then, an odd thing happened. They both cracked up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A two-inch thick case file and a bag of sunflower seeds later, it had grown dark. Scully rubbed her tired eyes and collapsed back into her seat. The storm had passed, and the sky was clear. Scully looked out the window at the wondrous spectacle before her. The highway that had at first seemed desolate was now illuminated by stars brighter than any she had ever seen. "Wow." "Wow what?" She started, not realizing that she had been speaking aloud. Mulder took off his glasses and looked at her intently. For a moment she got lost in his eyes. *Wow* "Scully, wow what?" Crashing back to reality, she shook her head to clear away the last remnants of her daze. "Oh, I was just amazed by how bright the stars are out here." Mulder looked out the window, just realizing that it had grown dark. He always got too caught up in cases he was reviewing. "They are spectacular, aren't they?" Scully nodded and watched her partner's face for any expression of the amazement she had felt. "I haven't seen stars this bright since I was a kid. Sam and I used to--" He stopped in mid thought, swallowing the pain the memories caused. Scully sighed inwardly, wishing that there was something she could do to help ease his pain. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. He smiled wearily at her, glad for her company. "Thank you." "For what?" "For putting up with me. I know it can't be easy." *Nosiree* "You're welcome." "Scully, there's something I've always wondered." "What's that?" "Why DO you put up with me?" "What do you mean, Mulder?" "Well, with all that you and I have been through, why did you stick with me? I know I've never exactly been reliable, or pleasant. You could've asked to be reassigned. I've often wondered why you haven't." "I couldn't do that, Mulder. You need me. You'd have been put in an institution by now if I had left. Besides, I don't leave friends." *Especially when I'm in love with the friend* "There's one other thing I've wondered." "What?" "Why are we just friends? Everybody I know thinks we're the perfect couple." "I don't know, Mulder." *I'm afraid, that's why* Her heart skipped a beat as his eyes took on a feeling she had never seen before. *Love? Longing?* "Scully, I want to be more than just friends." She stopped breathing for what seemed an eternity, but finally managed to mutter a reply. "So do I." His gaze was like a magnet, drawing her nearer and nearer. *Ohmygod, such beautiful eyes* And they were, shining feelings that had been pent up for years with such force it took her breath away. The warm hazel of his eyes reflected all the love and pain that he had felt for Scully. She only wished that she hadn't waited so long to tell him how she felt. Mulder was having a hard time keeping his heart rate from skyrocketing. Scully was as beautiful as he had ever seen her. She looked like an angel in the pale starlight. Her hair floating about her face was red as flame. Her eyes were so blue and deep he thought he could see straight to the sounds of her being. When their lips met, they kissed with more passion and heart than either had thought possible. Pouring their souls in it, they revealed what they could not with mere words. They clung to each other with the tenacity that one clings to life. Time stopped for both, and they neither knew nor cared about anything but that moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Both were so caught up in the kiss that when a loud tapping was heard at the window, they started in fright. Mulder broke away and looked towards the window, blinking in the blinding beam of a flashlight. He looked back apologetically at Scully and grinned sheepishly. Turning the key in the ignition, he rolled down the window. "Is there a problem?" The light was removed and a police officer materialized in the window. "Evenin' folks. Need a ride?" Mulder shot Scully a questioning glance and she nodded an affirmative. "Sure. We got caught in the storm and had to pull over. Our tire's sunk into the mud." "Well, we can fix that first thing tomorrow. I'll get a tow truck out here so you can be on your way. Where're you headed to?" "Thank you, officer. We've got reservations at a hotel about a half hour from here. Can you take us there?" "No problem." They climbed slowly out of the car, each savoring the memory of the kiss. As they sat down in the back of the police car, Mulder shot Scully a look and they both smiled. *For once I'll be GLAD to get to the hotel* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE END