Disclaimer: Any one you recognize belongs to CC. Brian is my creation, and I am proud of him.
Rating: PG (it IS a date, after all)
Warning: Scully/other romance
Spoilers: none
Dana sipped her drink, savoring the taste of the wine. She was
silly to be nervous, she thought. *Then again, it's been awhile.*
She glanced up at the man across the table, studying the dark,
curly hair, the black eyes and olive skin. *Nice.* she thought for the
hundredth time since that afternoon.
He was gazing at her warmly, a half smile on his lips. She
blushed a little and smiled back at him.
"So, Brian, how long have you lived in D.C.?" she asked, casting
about for something to say.
"About 8 months. The museum hired me away from the University of
Chicago and I moved here to help out in the archives."
"University? Did you teach?"
"One or two classes," he answered. "But I spent most of my time
on research and at digs ... either up to my arms in dusty old books or
crawling around in holes." He grinned and her heart skipped a beat.
She took another sip of her wine. *Careful, Dana old girl. Don't
wanna drink too much of that.*
"You didn't tell me what you do." Brian observed after a minute.
Dana thought quickly. She didn't want to get into the explanations
about the X-files, and really wasn't in the mood to discuss work at all.
She was afraid he would be intimidated by her training as an agent and she
rather liked the way he was reacting to her. So, she compromised.
"I work for the government. I'm a pathologist." That should do
it. He wouldn't want to discuss autopsies over dinner. And it was the
truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth.
The food came then and they busied themselves with eating and
small talk. As dinner progressed, Brian and Dana relaxed a bit more and
soon his hand covered hers on the table. She liked the way his hand felt
on hers and she intertwined her fingers with his.
Dinner was soon over and the bottle of wine sat empty on the
table. Dana glanced at her watch and was amazed to see that it was 11:21.
"Oh, look at the time!" she frowned.
"Is it really that late?" He was surprised.
Dana sighed. "Yes. And I have a flight at 8:20 a.m."
"A flight? Taking a vacation?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm consulting on an autopsy in Council
Bluffs."
"You do that often?"
She nodded. "More than I like sometimes. I spend alot of time
out of town."
"Oh."
She sighed again and said. "I hate to say this, but I still
haven't packed for the trip. I really need to get home."
He nodded, smiling. Brian pulled her chair out for her, offering
a hand to help her stand. She took the opportunity the gallant gesture
provided to look him over, covertly. He was tall, with broad shoulders
and a muscular chest. "Built like a line backer" she thought, remembering
how solid he had felt when she had literally walked into him at the museum
earlier that day. He had grabbed her around the waist to keep her from
falling and she had gotten lost in his dark eyes. After introducing
themselves (My name's Dana....I'm Brian) he had asked her to dinner,
agreeing to meet at a small restaurant they both knew.
Her eyes traveled up to his face. He had a strong jawline, and a
generous mouth that curved into a sexy, sensuous smile. She could see his
Italian heritage in his features.
Brian helped her put her coat on and escorted her to the parking
lot, offering her his arm.
"Did you drive?" he inquired.
"No, I took a cab. My car's in the shop."
"May I give you a ride home?"
She smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."
Dana had arranged to meet him at the restaurant because she wanted
to get to know him better before letting him know where she lived. After
talking with him all evening, she felt that he could be trusted...that far
at least. So, after he opened the car door for her, she gave him her
address.
As he drove, they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Dana was
really enjoying Brain's gentlemanly gestures and they way he acted as
though she were delicate and precious. "If he knew what I did on a
day-to-day basis, he'd probably react differently. It's hard to view
someone who can disarm a man twice your size as delicate" she thought.
"And I could definitely get used to the way her treats me."
Brian's demeanor was different than Mulder's though. When Mulder
held open doors or tried to carry her luggage, or any one of a hundred
other small things, he made her feel helpless or smothered. When Brian
did it, she felt *feminine* without feeling weak.
She glanced over at Brian as he drove, his strong flat hands
resting on the wheel. He looked ever at her, catching her eyes with his
and smiling. He returned his gaze to the road but one hand stole over to
rest on Dana's where they lay in her lap.
He glanced at her again, as if to check her reaction. When she
turned her hand over and slid her fingers between his, he looked relieved
and his smile got bigger.
*He really does have a nice smile.* she thought to herself.
She was enjoying this immensely. A nice, normal date. Wow. And
if things kept going like this, she would have a nice good-night kiss to
give her some sweet dreams tonight. She was *sure* she was going to be
dreaming of him.
"Um...Dana...." Brian's voice brought her back to reality.
"Yes?" she asked, quietly.
"I, uh, really enjoyed this evening. Would you...I mean...I'd
like to do this again. If you would." She smiled at the nervousness in
his voice.
"I would like that, Brian. I had a good time." She squeezed his
hand as she spoke. He gently squeezed back.
They pulled up in front of her building and he got out to open her
door. He offered her his hand and as she got out of the car, her purse fell
to the cement. Brian picked it up and handed it to her.
"That's heavier than it looks, " he remarked, "What have you got
in there?" He sounded amused.
"A little bit of everything," she quipped with a little laugh,
thinking of the .38 Lady Smith and the wallet with her badge that were
practically the purse's only contents. She never went anywhere unarmed.
She knew she would eventually have to tell him exactly what she
did for a living, but she didn't want to ruin the normalacy of the
evening.
He insisted on walking her to her door, to see her "safely inside"
and slid an arm around her waist as they went into the building.
"So, when can we do this again?"
"I don't know when I'll return. Could be in a day or two, but
it may take as long as a week. Can I just call you?"
A shadow crossed his eyes at her words. She could tell he thought
it was a brush off. She added softly, "I promise...I'll call."
They reached her door then. She turned to face hem and took both
his hands in hers, gazing into his eyes. He searched her face for a
minute, then relaxed and smiled. He extracted his wallet and took out a
business card. As he handed it to her, he said "Call me anytime."
He took her hands again and raised them both to his lips, brushing
the backs of her fingers so gently that she barely felt it. A tightness
began in her abdomen, a heat that escalated as he slowly leaned over and
gently touched his lips to hers. A small sigh escaped her as he stepped
back and stared intently at her. As he leaned over to kiss her again.....
...her door flew open and Mulder appeared.
"Scully, where...." Mulder's voice died in his throat as he took
in the scene in front of him.
Dana stood there, looking stunning in a soft green dress. Her
hand was held by a muscular man who was obviously about to kiss her. And
from the look on her face, she was't happy about being interrupted.
*Whoops!* he thought, *I'm dead now!*
"Yes, Mulder?" Her voice was even and firm, but the look she gave
him told him that this had *better* be good.
Mulder cleared his throat and said "Skinner moved the flight up.
There's another body and they want us there first thing. The flight leaves
in 90 minutes...." his voice trailed off. "I tried to call your cellular,
but you didn't answer."
"I left it at home. I didn't want to be bothered." She glared at
him.
"I'll ... uh...I'll just wait in here, shall I?...umm..."
Mulder slunk back into the room.
During the exchange, Brian had loosened his grip on Dana's
hand, about to drop it, when she tighted her fingers on his, letting him
know she had no intentions of letting him do so.
Once Mulder shut the door again, Dana sighed and looked up at
Brian apologetically.
"Sorry about that, " she said quietly.
"Is he your...I mean, are you two..." Brian looked unhappy.
"Mulder is a colleague, and no we are not." She said this firmly.
"I will give you two a formal introduction next time, ok?"
Brian looked happier at that, though confused.
"Look, I have to pack. I will call you tomorrow from Council
Bluffs -- I promise." She put a hand on his neck and pulled his head
down so his face was closeer to hers. She kissed him firmly on the lips.
He kissed her back, lifted his head, then covered her mouth with
his again. He pulled her to him, an arm encircling her shoulders.
She slid her other arm up his broad chest, resting her hands on
his shoulders as her lips parted slightly. His tongue slipped into her
mouth, hesitantly, then with passion as she responded by teasing his
tongue with hers. His arm slid from her shoulders to her lower back as
his other hand cupped the back of her head, the fingers tangling in her
hair as the kiss deepened.
Dana was surprised to find herself pressing her body firmly
against his muscular form. After an eternity of losing herself in his
kiss, she came up for air. She rested her head against his chest and her
hands caressed his shoulders as she tried to calm her breathing.
His hand still rested on her head, idly stroking her auborn
tresses. She could feel his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his
breath as well. She looked up at him and smiled.
He released her, reluctantly. He took her right hand in his and
once again kissed it, his lips lingering on the soft skin. As he did so,
he gazed deeply into her eyes, then whispered, "Good-night, Miss Dana."
He turned and walked briskly down the hall. Dana thought she
heard him whistling as he turned the corner.
********
"His name is Brian Anderson. He is an archeologist at the
Smithsonian. I met him this morning at the museum. We had dinner. It
was very nice and he was a *perfect* gentleman. Is the interrogation
finished now, Agent Mulder?" Dana was trying to be patient, answering his
rapid-fire questions as she packed her suitcase.
"How do you know he's not one of Them?" he demanded.
She stopped and looked him right in the eye. "I guess I don't.
But I had planned to run a background check on him anyway. I'm not stupid. I know what the dangers are. But I don't think he is." She began packing again.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know, Mulder. But you know, it was just so nice to have a
normal, sane date. No mutants, or cannibals or serial killers."
Mulder nodded. "I know what you mean. But please, take your cell
phone next time. I was worried when I couldn't contact you. OK partner?"
She closed and locked the suitcase. "OK...partner. Thanks for
looking out for me."
"Anytime, Scully." he replied as she locked her door and they
headed down the hall. "Anytime."
END
Author's Comments: Scully does see Brian again in my story "Second Date". I wrote this one in the belief that Dana needs to have an evening out with a nice, normal guy. I'm a NoRomo at heart, I guess.