Title: "Just Another Maniac Monday"

Rating: PG

Spoilers: None, just small mentions of Never Again and Sixth Extinction.

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will.

Author’s Note: Incredible! I wrote this story in my office!!

Summary: Scully gets ready for her date.

Archive: Yes, just tell me where so I can visit.

Feedback: Please!!, nancye_2000@yahoo.com

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"Just Another Maniac Monday", by Nancy Espinosa

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"Come on, sit down"

Dana Scully got up of her chair to sit in front of the big mirror. One hour. She was waiting there for an hour even with an appointment and finally was her turn.

All week long thinking if she should cut her hair, dye it or maybe some permanent. Cut it?, maybe. Dye it?, yes why not, her red hair was not so red anymore and maybe dye it with a stronger red would be a good idea. Permanent?, definitively not, it was not her style.

"The same?"

"No, I’ll try something different today. Cut it shorter, just above the ears but with volume and I want to give it a little more color, can you dye it?"

"Sure, which color?"

"I want to keep the red hair, but maybe you can color it redder, something strong"

"I have the perfect color for your skin tone and eyes, you’ll love it"

She smiled through the mirror to the feminine man standing behind her and who was about to make a little transformation in her.

"A hot date?"

"What?"

"Dana, I know you. It’s not common for you to come here and ask me to try different things in your hair, it’s not who you are, who are you trying to seduce?"

God, "seduce", like she were a femme fatal. It was just a date. She smiled to him.

"I’m not going to seduce anybody, Jerome. It’s just a simple date."

"It’s not a simple date Dana. If that was the case you shouldn’t be here. You want to look fantastic for this guy, don’t you? This is exciting! I haven’t had a date in?let me think?a month, yes, that’s pathetic and more because it was an awful date, that man was really boring!"

Scully actually laughed and thought this man goes out on dates more frequently than she did.

"Well, you actually have more dates than me. This is my first date in three years and I remember perfectly the last one. It was a very handsome man but he almost killed me."

"Oh my God, why Dana?"

"He was not sane. His head was really messed up. It was a shame."

"Well, I thought being an FBI agent was dangerous, but I didn’t think your dates had to be too."

"They don’t have to. In fact I’m really excited about tonight, I can’t wait."

"And who’s the lucky man?"

"A man"

"I know is a man! But who is he, how long have you known him?"

"I just met him this Monday"

"Wow, he’s quick!"

"I don’t think so?" she whispered to herself.

Jerome started working on her hair. First she dye it with the color he told her about. It was a shiny dark red. In her hair was not too dark, her previous soft color made it clearer. It certainly looked great on her. The contrast with her pale skin and her blue eyes was knocking.

The hair cut she asked for was short. Shorter than she usually wears it but she had a beautiful face and the cut made her look younger. This woman certainly looked fine with anything. She was about to leave when Jerome suggested a manicure and pedicure courtesy of the house.

"I’d love to Jerome, but you don’t have to do that, I’ll pay for it"

"Oh no. For you anything my darling. Just a little gift to celebrate your first date after so much time."

"Thank you. But I think the manicure will be enough, my feet are well done and he’s not going to see them, there’s no need to."

"I wouldn’t be so sure sweetheart. Everything can happen even when you only met him a few days ago."

"I wish, but I don’t think this is the case, not that I don’t want to, but because I don’t want him to think I’m an easy girl."

"Come here, sit down and give me your hands. Louise!! Come here and bring all the necessary to give Dana the special pedicure!! Come on come on."

Scully did as Jerome said. He started giving her the manicure as Louise did the pedicure. Soon she closed her eyes and lost herself with the constant massaging in her feet thinking about her date. Jerome interrupted her thoughts.

"So, Dana, tell me more about this man."

"I told you I only met him last Monday. But I can certainly say he’s a wonderful man."

"Where did you met him?"

"At work."

"He’s a new guy or something?"

"Not exactly. He has been there for a very long time."

"Darling, would I need to get the words out of your beautiful mouth with a curl? Don’t answer my questions with short sentences!!"

Scully had to laughed out loud at that. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk about it but it was still a little odd even for her to talk about a date. So much time had passed since?well, since Ed Jerse, for example and she obviously was nervous, it was not a common date, she knew this man could be the man of her life, maybe her future husband and father of her children, her adopted children in this case, something she certainly would do if he agreed.

"Ok Jerome, I’m sorry. It’s just that this date thing is still a little strange, you know. I really want to make it work, it has been so much time?.and I really want to settle and have a life."

"You really like him, Dana. But it’s not a little hasty to be thinking about a possible marriage? I mean, you’ve known this guy for four days?I’m not saying you’re not worth enough or that this guy wouldn’t be willing to marry you, on the contrary, but don’t rush things darling, you’re still young and beautiful."

"I’m not that young Jerome. I’m 36 years old. I don’t have so much time anymore, maybe if I were 25 I’d think different, but not now, not anymore."

She remembered how she imagined herself as a wife and mother. It’s not that this was her goal in life, but after all it’s something every woman dreams about, every woman in her own way according to her personality. But life always is so different than you dream of it. Just see the last seven years of her life, it had been something she never imagined she could live or endure. But she doesn’t have any regrets. She chose that life. She could’ve just walk away so many times under different circumstances, but she didn’t and now she can’t imagine herself living another life. The X Files are her life. The X Files changed her life. For better or for worse. The X Files changed her.

She’s not a normal woman living a normal life. She’s a different kind of woman living an uncommon life. She’s a woman who has to bear in her shoulders the weight of knowing so many things, of having seen so many things. Monsters, gene mutations, paranormal situations, ghosts, witchcraft, voodoo, cannibalism, twisted minds, abductions, aliens, the Global Conspiracy for the Colonization of the Earth. She’s not a skeptic anymore, but she can’t admit it to her partner. She has to maintain the balance in their partnership. She can’t start to agree with him and his theories. That could be dangerous. Their secret in solving cases and finding answers is based in his intuition and her logic. This combination lead them to solve more cases than when he was on his own and they can’t lose what they have accomplished in these years. So, she has to maintain her skeptic position.

And despite all that, she now founds herself thinking in love and future. This date really got to her. What would his partner think if he could read her mind, again, and know what she’s thinking. No. It’s not the moment to start thinking about him. Her mind has to be focused on her date, tonight.

Jerome and Louise finished their work with Scully’s hands and feet.

"Ok Dana, we’re finished?.with your hands and feet. But now I need to know what are you gonna wear."

"Why?"

"Because I’m going to put on your makeup. You’re not thinking in going to your date with a white face, aren’t you?"

"No, but I was going to do that myself."

"No. Not tonight. Tonight you’ll look like a princess. No, not a princess. A Queen!!, now sit down on that chair and tell me what are you going to wear."

Scully described what she was planning to wear that night and Jerome started working on her. Not that she needed a lot of makeup or something, but just something different than she was used to, to make a notable difference.

A minutes later he finished. Scully looked herself at the mirror. She certainly looked different and at the same time, she was the same Scully.

"Jerome! Who’s that woman in the mirror?"

"It is you Dana!, you look wonderful right? I tried a more sophisticated look for you but keeping it natural too. It’s not too difficult to do that with you, you were born beautiful, I’m just standing out what mother nature gave you."

"I really like it. Thank you. How much I owe you?"

"Nothing darling. Just come back tomorrow to fill me in with every detail of your date, all right?"

"All right, you got it."

"Ok, now ush ush!!, go, you need to get ready"

"Bye Jerome and thank you again."

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The restaurant was beautiful. A sophisticated and elegant place. This guy really wants to make an impression, she thought. She asked for the reservation her date made. The man told her he was already there. She turned her head and saw him.

She approached the table and smiled at him. He returned the smile, with a sparkle in his eyes. She looked so beautiful. Different. But the same. She was wearing a little black dress. Bare back, low cut, hem above her thighs. Very short. No pantyhouse. High heel sandals. Her hair, he noticed, is shorter and more brilliant. And her face, God, she really is beautiful.

He got up and help her sit down on her chair. They smiled at each other and held gazes for a moment. He looked so handsome. He was wearing a black smoking. The place was very elegant so he had to. He was almost the same guy, but she could read something else in his eyes, that sparkle in his eyes made him look?.much more attractive.

The waiter approached them and they ordered an appetizer.

He was hypnotized by her. He was glad he asked her to this date, but he didn’t now how to break the silence, fortunately she was the first to talk.

"Did I made you wait too long?"

"No. Actually I just got here when you arrived. But I’d have wait for you all night just to have the privilege to see you, you look beautiful tonight Dana."

She lowered her face fearing he could see her blushing. Blushing? How can this happen to Dana Scully, aka "Ice Queen"? And it was strange to hear someone called her Dana, only her family called her that. But it was nice not to be called Agent Scully for one night.

"Thank you." Almost a murmur.

The waiter arrived with a bottle of red wine. She noticed it was a very good wine?and expensive. Finally they ordered their dinner.

They held a good conversation during dinner. Talking about trivial stuff. She liked that. She usually didn’t talk much about everyday things. She was getting used to talk only about aliens, monsters and conspiracies. It was good for a change.

She stared at him while he talked. Beautiful mouth certainly. Beautiful eyes too. All about him was beautiful. She thought he was a box full of surprises, she was seeing something in him. Something she didn’t expect, something she hadn’t seen in years in other men. She thought about Jerome’s words. But no. It’s not a little hasty. He could be the man of her life for sure. This man had knocked her out tonight. And she wasn’t nervous anymore. She wasn’t worrying about what to say next anymore. This man made her feel so comfortable with him and with herself, something she didn’t feel since a long time ago.

After dessert, he quickly asked for the check. He needed to get out of there with this beautiful and intelligent woman as soon as possible. He wanted her. And he knew she also wanted him. I’m a lucky man, he thought. Lucky for the courage of asking her to go out, lucky for her possitive answer and lucky because nobody in the building had the balls to asked her first. He knew she had half the building at her feet. Lucky me!

"Dana, what do you say if we get out of here? I’d like to be with you in a more comfortable place, what do you say?"

She was excited with his invitation. An invitation she wasn’t going to decline.

"Sure, I’d love to. Where are we going?"

"What about my place?"

"Ok."

They got up and headed to the door. He placed his hand on her lower back. She shivered at the sensation of his touch.

"I cleaned my apartment just for you Dana"

"Really? That’s a new one Mulder, but I’m glad I won’t have to look for my clothes in the middle of a dark messy bedroom."

"Don’t love me so much! I love you too Dana!"

She smile and told him what she didn’t say to him on Monday.

"I love you too Mulder, me too?"

Mulder smiled at her and hold her while they waited for a cab.

Scully thought: certainly I just met him on Monday, at least the Mulder in love with me.

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What did you think? Scully on a date with another guy and thinking about marry him? No, never. I’m a shipper to the bone.

Comments and feedback: nancye_2000@yahoo.com