"At The Car Wash"
By: Denise Schoppe dschoppe@hotmail.com
Feedback: Love some!
Archive: Knock yourself out!
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Keywords: MSR, Humor
Summary: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and a car wash fund-raiser. What more is there to say?
Author Notes: This is supposed to be pure fun. The idea, I think, was better than the story came to be. You have to do some reading between the lines. I didn’t want to go into too much detail, but I didn’t want to leave too much out, either. Plus, I had no idea how to start it. I hope it came out OK and makes since.
Disclaimer: Guess what! I don’t own them! Big shocker, huh? Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen and all those people own ‘em. I just took ‘em out for some fun on a Saturday afternoon! Don’t sue. Lord knows, I don’t have anything you’d want.
<- - - And Away We Go - - - >
It was unusual for Fox Mulder to have a Saturday free. However, they did pop up from time to time and when they did. . . he ended up being bored. There were no cases to investigate, his partner was no where to be found, the office was too dark and cramped, his apartment felt like it was getting smaller, and hanging out with Frohike, Byers and Langly just wasn’t, well, what he wanted to do. Even his basketball didn’t seem very entertaining. It was a beautiful day outside, which only added to his boredom.
To fight his boredom, Mulder decided to just get in his car and see where he ended up. So far, he’d gotten nowhere. He’d driven around all morning, gotten something to eat at a drive through window so he could just continue driving around, and it was now about time to - get gas.
As he pulled into the gas station he noticed that around back a group was having a car wash as a fund-raiser. Mulder shrugged and pulled around back. He climbed out of his car as a young girl came towards him. He stretched and waited for her to approach. He came to the conclusion that she had to be between 16 and 18 years old.
"Are you going to let us wash your car?"
Mulder had to grin at her enthusiasm. She made it sound like a privilege. To him it was always a pain in the butt to do.
"I don’t see why not."
The girl smiled.
"Great! We are raising funds for next school year - to buy uniforms and stuff with. I hope you don’t mind waiting, we have a few cars ahead of you."
She pointed to three cars being washed. Mulder looked in that direction. A petite red head caught his attention. He continued to watch her as he responded that it was no problem.
The girl returned to the other girls to tell them about their new customer as Mulder walked towards the station. His eyes never left the woman that had caught his attention. She was familiar, yet different to him. He’d never seen her like this before - but he liked it.
"You noticed her too, huh?"
Mulder turned to the voice. A big man stood by the windows of the station watching the girls washing the cars.
"Excuse me?"
The man laughed.
"The red head. I’ve been watching her for over an hour. You know, I’m supposed to be a real tough guy, but I have yet to get the guts to go say hello to her."
"Well, she does have a powerful presence."
"That she does."
Mulder walked into the station. He picked up a soda and a bottle of water. He paid for the drinks and went back outside.
"I think I’ll go say hello."
The man turned towards Mulder.
"Hold up, mister. I saw her first."
Mulder just shook his head.
"I noticed her a long time ago."
He began to walk towards the group. He suddenly felt almost shy. She was knelt with her back to him, beside the back tire of the car she’d been working on earlier attempting to spray all the soap off of it.
"Hello Dana."
She stood up slowly and turned towards him. As she did, he looked her over quickly. She was dressed in black shorts, a white tank top that revealed a black swimsuit underneath, sandals, her hair was pulled back from her face with a headband, she was smiling and her eyes shined with a look of joy that almost completely masked the pain the past six years had brought to them.
She looked him over as well. Dressing in jeans, white T-shirt and tennis shoes he looked like he often did when she’d stop by his apartment. He too was smiling, though, and his eyes shown with an innocence that took her by surprise.
"Mulder. Hello. What are you doing here?"
"I thought you might be thirsty."
He held out the bottle of water he’d purchased. She took the bottle, noting that it was her favorite brand.
‘So some things hadn’t gone un-noticed.’ She thought. She arched an eyebrow.
"Thanks. So you just happened to have an inspiration that I’d be thirsty at this exact moment in time at this exact location of DC and you just decided to come on down here?"
"Call it a feeling. No, actually, I was bored so I went driving around, and well you know I can’t resist a group of girls thoroughly soaking themselves."
She nodded and looked around at the group as they worked. She was carefully planning her next move. She caught the eye of one of the girls who had heard Mulder’s comment. The girl winked and nodded. Scully smiled as she turned to Mulder. She opened her mouth to reply.
"Well…"
At that moment she lifted the hosed she’d been holding and soaked Mulder from head to toe.
‘I can’t believe I just sprayed my partner with a water hose.’ She thought. ‘But he asked for it.’
Mulder stood there for a moment. He looked down at his now drenched jeans and felt a drop of water roll down his nose. He looked up at the woman who stood before him with an expression that was a mix of joy and fear.
At that moment he leapt at her. She screamed slightly as she erupted into a fit of giggles. He reached for the hose that she had tried to hide behind her back. She successfully avoided his first attempts to catch her, but finally he prevailed. He caught her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Mulder, no!"
He shook his head. He carried her over to a bucket of water and soap.
"You wouldn’t!"
He didn’t respond. He simply put her down and held onto one wrist and he reached for the bucket.
"Mulder!"
He then poured the bucket over her.
"You asked her it Scully!"
She stood there for a moment with an expression of shock on her face. He started to walk backwards slowly. His eyes never left her face. She reached down and grabbed a sponge that had been in the bucket. She then took off after him. She tried to catch him, but he kept dancing just out of her grasp. Finally she threw the sponge with all her might. It hit him square in the face. They stopped, looked at each other and fell together in a fit of laughter. As their laughter subsided, Scully looked around her.
"You know, I’m supposed to be the one here keeping these girls from doing what we just did."
Mulder looked around. His car was now the center of attention as his was the only vehicle left to wash.
"Uh, Scully? Mind if I ask how you got this job?"
"Didn’t I tell you? I’m quitting the FBI to be a cheerleader sponsor."
Mulder looked at her and grinned.
"I hear they have great benefits."
"Oh they do. I’m just trying to figure out which one I like more: car washes or bake sales."
Mulder laughed.
"No, actually, a friend of mine from college called me. Shannon is her daughter."
Scully pointed at one of the girls.
"I owed her a favor. The woman has a memory that won’t stop. Anyway, she was supposed to chaperone this car wash, but had something come up. She called me last night and asked if I’d do it. Since we just finished our last case, and you hadn’t called to set up a ghost hunt, I had no reason to turn her down."
Mulder nodded.
"How long have you been out here? I tried to call this morning."
Scully laughed.
"Believe it or not, we’ve been out here only about two hours. I had to go get ‘trained’ to do this."
"You’re kidding me."
She shook her head.
"Sir, you’re car is ready."
Mulder turned to the girl who had welcomed him earlier.
"What do I owe you?"
"How ever much you think we earned."
Mulder looked at Scully.
"Well, I don’t think I have that much money on me, but here’s - "
Scully leaned over a pulled a twenty out of his wallet.
"I know how you do these thing’s Mulder. You are the world’s worst tipper and I don’t trust you to pay fair."
Mulder just stared at her. The girl took the twenty and walked off.
"World’s worst tipper!? Don’t trust me!?"
She tilted her head and smiled slightly.
"Care to prove me wrong?"
Mulder grinned.
"Love to. Pick you up at 7?"
"Make it 6. I might just let you message the cricks out of my neck this job is giving me."
Mulder laughed.
"Six it is then."
He leaned over a kissed her lightly on the cheek.
He walked to his car. He opened the door and just as he was about to get in he turned back around and looked at Scully.
"Have a garbage bag to cover my seat with? I’m a bit damp."
The End, Finish, No More, Done, Yadda, Yadda, Yadda
08/07/1999