Summer Cases
Author: Denise Schoppe

Email: dschoppe@hotmail.com

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Anasazi (in a way), The End/The
Beginning/TF/OS (sort of, I guess)

Keywords: Humor, MSR, Scully POV

Archive: Anywhere as long as my name & e-mail addey
are attached

Summary: Scully takes a break between cases - and gets
more than she bargained for.

Disclaimer: Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are the
property of Chris Carter, 20th Century Fox and 1013
Productions. The characters have been used without
permission for purely non-profit entertainment
purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: I have never used a tanning bed myself.
I do it the old fashioned way - go outside. Several of
my friends do tan and I drew all of my information
from what they have told me.

=================================================================


I hate the summer.

No one realizes how hard the summer months are for
Mulder and me. Our cases are long and trying. During
the summer months, we usually have only one or two
cases. That is, if Mulder doesn't drum up some haunted
house, strange lights in the night sky, or some other
"unexplainable" biological species.

What makes the cases longer is the fact that they
don't usually fall under the realm of the X-Files.
During the summer months, most Agents take vacations.
Their children are on break from school and they want
to spend time with them. That's fine with me. That's
wonderful, in fact. The only problem - missing Agents
mean that other Agents end up doing double duty.

Mulder and I are both unmarried, have no dependents,
and do work on expendable cases. Plus, we really do
end up with the, as Mulder says, the scut work.

The thing our superiors don't understand is the fact
that these cases put a major strain on our
relationship. We spend 80% of the time arguing. Mulder
is bored, and that irritates me. I get irritated and
Mulder becomes more bored. He claims that if he can't
seem to do anything right, then he won't do anything.
Which never comes true, because in the end, he always
solves the case about five seconds before I do.

But I digress.

We have just finished a case. For once we ended it on
a Friday, so I am going to relax this weekend. My
first order of business - tanning. I always where
suits, so you would think that me having a tan or not
wouldn't be a big deal. I've never been a big tanner,
but I do envy the other women agents who come back
from their vacations with deep tans. Not only that,
but it would just blow Mulder away. Actually, it's the
latter of the two that made me really want to do this.


It's funny. I have never really cared how other people
view me. I have a lot of self-esteem. Oh sure, once in
awhile that fails me, but it does that to everyone at
times. Recently, though, I've cared more and more
about how Mulder views me. I think it was about the
time that Diana Fowley entered the picture. Or rather
re-entered it.

Mulder has seen me at my worst. Now I am determined
for him to see me at my best.

So here I sit, trying to get my courage to climb into
this tanning bed. My logical side says that tanning
makes you age faster. That it isn't the healthiest
thing in the world. My frivolous side says that
sometimes a girl just has to go alittle crazy for the
man she - well, you know.

My frivolous side wins. I climb into the bed. It's a
relaxing, warm sensation. The lotion I bought makes my
skin tingle lightly and I quickly forget my logical
side, the latest case, everything. Everything except
for that nagging thought that has consistently hung in
my mind for months now. That feeling in my chest that,
at times, threatens to explode. In my contented state
I drift off to sleep.

=====================

One Hour Later

I am awakened to the sound of my cell phone ringing.
The bad has long since turned off. IT was set for
twenty minutes. Since I was the last one for the day,
other customers hadn't kicked me out. I am sore as I
slide out of the bed to answer my phone.

"Scully."

"It's me."

"Mulder, I don't care."

"Don't care about what?"

"About what ever case you have dug up for us to do. We
just finished the longest, most monotonous case we
have ever done, it is Friday afternoon, and I have an
appointment with a bubble bath."

"Who says I found a case?"

"Mulder, I just know."

"So you are psychic. Maybe I should come over and do
alittle investigating tonight."

I can't help be smile at that.

"Mulder."

"OK, OK. Yes I found a case. What do you know about
poltergeists, Scully?"

"Enough, but I have a feeling I am going to learn
more."

"I will be at your apartment in two hours to pick you
up. I'll explain then."

The phone clicks and I sigh. He knows, before he calls
that I am going to go. He is just being polite, if you
can call it that.

I wince as I pull my clothes on. As I evaluate the
damage, I see my skin turning a nice pink.

Only twenty minutes and I burned? That's just not
right. Yes, it's been awhile, but not that long.

The lotion. They sold me the wrong lotion. "Tingle
Factor 3+" Damn. I did tell them that this was my
first time, didn't I?

=====================

Two Hours Later

"Wipe that smirk off of your face Mulder."

"I'm not smirking."

"Look in the mirror."

"I'll pass. You're much more fun to watch."

"Mulder, I am warning you. I have my gun."

"OK, OK." He holds his hand up and steers with his
knees.

"Listen, where ever the hell we are headed, we have to
stop on the way to get me some aloe gel."

"No problem. But uh, Scully. I saw you only three
hours ago. How do you burn every inch of your body in
three hours?"

"I'm just talented I guess."

"That's one talent I don't want."

"Mulder, shut up and drive."

FINISHED

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