Seeing Is Believing Or Is It?”

First runner up winner Short Scene Contest #3

INT: Contemporary Styles Salon

Mulder and Scully are entering the empty hair salon. A fiftyish lady is in the reception area looking at the appointment book. Scully hangs her winter coat on the coat rack in the corner. At the bottom left of the scene are the following words:

Contemporary Styles Salon
Georgetown
Dec. 31, 1999
5:28 P.M.

CLAIRE: (friendly tone) Welcome (looks at the appointment book) Mrs. Scully. This must be Mr. Scully. (Both Mulder and Scully look at each other and smile.)

SCULLY: (amused tone) It’s Ms. Scully. You can call me Dana. This is my partner Fox Mulder. You can call him Mulder.

CLAIRE: Fox that’s an interesting name. (looks at Mulder)

MULDER: (deadpan) Just call me, Mulder. I made my own parents call me Mulder.

CLAIRE: So is it partners in a professional sense, partners in crime or partners in love? (closes appointment book.)

SCULLY: Professional partners and nothing more. (Scully looks at Mulder and he silently agrees with her.)

CLAIRE: (apologetic) So sorry you two make a cute couple. Can you give me a few minutes, Dana; I need to setup the shampoo area? Mulder, will you please excuse me? (Mulder nods to Claire and she goes to the shampoo area.)

MULDER: (teasing) Which dresser drawer can I have when I move in? (gives her the Mulder smile.)

SCULLY: (playing along) None. I’m taking them all. You can pile your clothes in the corner.

MULDER: (feigned hurt in his voice) Scully, you wound me. I don’t pile them. I throw them in the corner.

SCULLY: (sighs in exasperation) Whatever. Pick me up in an hour. I want to get on the road before it gets too late.

MULDER: (deadpan) Okay, What’s the matter, Scully? Afraid of the Y2K bug? Didn’t you stock up on supplies like I told you?

SCULLY: (serious tone) Nothing’s going to happen, Mulder. The millennium starts on January 1, 2001. It’s that… (Scully stops when she sees Mulder rolling his eyes. Mulder stops when she stops talking.)

MULDER: Okay. One hour. (leaves the salon)

CLAIRE: (calling from sink area) Dana, I’m ready for you.

Scully turns and walks to the sink area. She sits in a chair in front of a sink. Claire puts a black waterproof apron around her neck and helps her lean back into the sink. Claire turns on the water and proceeds to wet Scully’s hair.

CLARIE: (puts shampoo in her hair and rubs it in) So there’s nothing between you and Mulder?

SCULLY: Nope. We’re as different as night and day.

CLAIRE: (stops for a second) Didn’t you hear that opposites attract?

SCULLY: (an uncomfortable pause) So I’ve heard. What about you?

CLAIRE: (rinses out the shampoo) Not much to tell. Been married to Jim for the last forty years. We’re as different as night and day, but our love brought us together. Love does wonders for the psyche. (turns off the water) Okay, you can sit up now. (helps Scully up)

Scully sits up and Claire wraps her hair in a towel. Scully checks the wall clock and it’s 5:58 P.M. Claire shows her to the chair and Scully sits in it. Claire pushes a lever at the bottom of the chair several times to raise it up and takes off the towel.

CLAIRE: (studies Scully’s reflection in the mirror) Dana, how do you want me to cut your hair?

SCULLY: About two inches around and a little in the front. (moves her finger a half inch in the front)

CLAIRE: (smiling) Good choice. You’re hair is going to look beautiful when I’m done.

Claire tilts Scully’s head forward and moves most of her hair out of the way. She begins to cut it.

CLAIRE: So do you have any plans for tonight? It’s New Year’s Eve you know?

SCULLY: I’m going to my mom’s to celebrate with my family.

CLAIRE: Is he coming with you?

SCULLY: (beat) No, he’s not much into the family thing. He’s told me many times that he wants to be alone at New Year’s Eve.

CLAIRE: (momentary pause) On this momentous night when we are going to say goodbye to the 1900’s, he’s going to stay home all by his lonesome. That’s pretty sad for a handsome guy like that. Don’t you think?

SCULLY: (beat) I’ll ask him again. Can you tell me what the time is? I’m on a tight schedule. Mulder’s going to be back at 6:30P.M.

CLAIRE: (looking at wall clock) It’s 6:10. In that case, no more talking. (Scully smiles as Claire gets to work)

As Claire continues cutting Scully’s hair in silence, Scully notices a couple of strange things about Claire as she cuts her hair.

SCULLY: (thinking) Her face looks like old plaster peeling off a wall. I must be seeing things. It must be on the job stress-Mulder no doubt. (looks into Claire’s eyes as she levels her hair) She doesn’t have any irises. It’s totally black. That’s impossible. There’s something gray underneath her hair. Right at her forehead.

SCULLY: (horrified) You’re an alien! (screams like in "The Ghosts That Stole Christmas" and faints in the chair.)

Contemporary Styles Salon
6:43 P.M.

Mulder finds Scully unconscious in chair and lightly taps her cheeks to wake her up.

MULDER: (softly shaking her) Wake up, Scully. Come on, Scully. Time to hit the road.

SCULLY: (startled) Where is it? (looking around the room, but sees no one except Mulder) It was right here standing in front of me. (tries to stand, but trips on the footrest. Mulder catches her.)

MULDER: (concerned) Who? What did you see? (looks around the room then back at her)

SCULLY: (moves away from Mulder and starts pacing) An alien. Classic type. Misshapen head, pale gray skin, large black eyes. (stopping in front of Mulder) Claire’s the alien.

MULDER: (teasing) I think someone’s already started celebrating. (makes drinking motion with right hand)

SCULLY: (angry) I’m not kidding and I haven’t even had a drink today.

MULDER: (concerned) So what you’re telling me is that the kind little lady who was cutting your hair is an alien.

SCULLY: That’s right. (searches the room once more)

MULDER: Come on. There’s no one here and it’s getting late. (sees wall clock. It reads 7:03)

SCULLY: (remembering) Do you have any plans for tonight? (awkward pause) I mean do you want to come with me to moms? (she looks at Mulder intently)

MULDER: (joking) Sure. As long as I drive. We don’t know when an alien is going to pop up. Besides I want to see what your family thinks when you tell them that your hairdresser is an alien.

SCULLY: (gives him the Scully look) Okay, it’s settled. We have to stop at my apartment first then we’ll go to yours.

MULDER: Don’t need to stop at mine. I’ve got stuff already in the trunk. Always be prepared is my motto.

SCULLY: (teasing while raising her eyebrow) And I thought the truth is out there was your motto.

MULDER: Yeah that’s my other motto. Come on time’s a wasting. (looks at clock again and it’s now 7:12)

Scully retrieves her coat from the coat rack while Mulder waits for her at the door. He closes the lights. Mulder puts his right hand on his customary position on the small of her back and ushers her outside. He stops and gives her his car keys. She gets in the car and starts the engine. Mulder turns around and takes the key Claire gave to him a few days ago and locks the door. He literally jumps into the car and they drive off.

SCULLY’S VOICE: (concerned) You just ran a red light.

MULDER’S VOICE: (deadpan) What light? I didn’t see a red light. If we get pulled over, just tell them we’re on official FBI business.

SCULLY'S VOICE: (teasing) You tell them. I’ll be drunk and passed out over here.

MULDER’S VOICE: (teasing) In that case, I’ll tell them that you’re drunk and you saw an alien. (laughs)

SCULLY’S VOICE: (screaming) MULDER!!

MULDER’S VOICE: (concerned) What?

SCULLY’S VOICE: (agitated) You almost ran over an alien.

MULDER’S VOICE: (surprised) Where?

SCULLY’S VOICE: (laughing) Gotcha made you look.

MULDER’S VOICE: (serious tone) Scully, marry me?

SCULLY’S VOICE: (shocked) What did you say?

MULDER’S VOICE: (laughing) Got you back.

THE END

Cloneme
Keeper of Mulder's stiletto weapon
Keeper of Scully’s black and white suit
Keeper of Mulder’s hypno-regression tapes
Keeper of the “Ice” worm

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