~~~ February 23, 1994 ~~~


"After what happened last time, I wouldn't think you'd want 
me there at all," Scully said as she licked a bit of cream 
cheese off her thumb.  She had the phone nestled between her 
ear and shoulder, attempting to make breakfast and talk to 
Kathy at the same time.

Only a week had passed since John Barnett had crashed the 
concert and shot Scully.  She still had bruises from the 
bullets' impact on her Kevlar vest.

"You promised you'd come to my recital.  Think of it as the 
reward for having to listen to me practice all those years in 
college."

"So my reward is listening to you play some more?" Scully 
teased.

"You promised," Kathy repeated.  "And I know you like Bach."

"I like Bach," Scully agreed as she finished preparing her 
bagel.  "And I will be there.  It's still at eight?"

"Still at eight.  I'll leave you a ticket at the booth.  
Better yet, I'll leave you two tickets so you can bring a 
date.  Just don't bring another psychotic guy with a gun, 
okay?"

"Let me make a note of that.  No... psychotic... guys..."

"So glad you can joke about it."

"Sorry," Scully said, genuinely contrite.  "I am really feel 
horrible about what happened the last time, and I swear 
nothing like that will happen tonight.  Maybe I'll call my 
mom and see if she'd like to go."

"Dana.  It's your thirtieth birthday.  You're single and 
beautiful.  You're telling me you don't know one eligible guy 
you can take out on a Saturday night?"

"Sure, but once you rule out the psychotic murderers that 
really cuts down on my pool."

"What about Mulder?"

"See the previous rule about no psychotic men with a gun." 
She crunched down on the bagel and walked her coffee over to 
the kitchen table.

"He's too cute to be psychotic.  Besides, that gun of his 
saved my life.  For him, I'll make an exception."

"I don't even know if Mulder likes classical music."

"So ask him and find out."

Truth be told, she had very little idea about what Mulder did 
with his weekends.  The basketball he liked to bounce around 
the basement hallways suggested he might shoot hoops, maybe 
even play with others.  She had asked him outright when they 
had started working together if he was "seeing anyone."  He 
had replied, "Nobody special," which implied there was 
someone -- someones? -- not so special, but Mulder had never 
elaborated any further.

She had a flash of him kissing Phoebe and her face grew warm.  
She pressed her palm to her cheek and took a deep breath.  "I 
don't think so," she told Kathy.  "Even if I said it wasn't a 
date, it would feel like a date and I just don't even want to 
suggest such a thing to him.  We work together."

"Since when does that bother you? You dated Jack, and he was 
your supervisor, for crying out loud."

"Exactly, and let's remember how that ended, shall we?"

"Point taken.  Listen, I've got about a million things to do 
so I've got to run, but I'll see you there tonight, okay?"

"Can't wait."

As it was her birthday, Scully picked out something a bit 
more dramatic to wear than her usual array of business suits.  
She found a dress at the back of her closet, a slinky little 
number with delicate straps, colored a deep purple so dark 
that it almost looked black.  Her hair curled, her make-up 
on, she inspected herself in the mirror.

The last time she'd worn the dress, she'd still been with 
Jack.  Maybe Kathy was right and it was time she got out 
more.

At the concert hall, she picked up her ticket and a program.  
Kathy was sharing the night with a male cellist, someone 
named Wolf Spitzler. Wolf would perform before the 
intermission, and Kathy played afterward -- an apparent 
compromise given the unfortunate interruption of her previous 
recital.

Scully's seat was about two-thirds of the way back but in the 
center.  She crawled over a passel of knees to get to her 
chair.  No sooner had she sat down when she heard a familiar 
voice to the left.  "Excuse me, please."

She looked up and sure enough, there was Mulder.  He wore a 
dark suit and carried a bouquet of flowers.  Oh, God, Scully 
thought.  Kathy called him and told him about my birthday.  
He probably felt obligated to come.  Please just kill me now.

She slouched a bit in her seat as Mulder maneuvered his way 
into the aisle.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said.

"I didn't realize you were coming," she replied as he sat 
down.

"Kathy invited me."

He had showered recently.  She could see the ends of his hair 
were still wet.

"She said it was a thank you for saving her from Barnett."  
He held up his bouquet, which was a mixture of white roses 
and pink lilies. "Do you think she'll like the flowers?  
That's tradition, right?  The soloist gets flowers?"

"Yes," Scully said, kicking herself mentally for not thinking 
of it too.

Mulder consulted his program.  "I didn't bring anything for 
this Wolf guy.  Hope he isn't too offended."

"Hmm?" She was thinking of ways to kill Kathy.  What part of 
'I do not wish to date Mulder' had she failed to understand?

He tried his long legs first one way and then the other.  
"They must have built this place in the middle ages."

"When people were short?"

"When people were into torture."  He made a face as his knees 
bumped the chair in front of him.  Then he looked at her 
knees.  Scully became aware of just how short her dress was 
as Mulder's eyes traveled over her lap.  "I see you're 
managing okay," was all he said.

She clutched her purse closer.  "Just what did Kathy say to 
get you here tonight, Mulder?"

He shrugged.  "Want to come to my recital?"

"She didn't say anything about me?"

He gave her a funny look.  "She mentioned you'd be here.  
Why?"

At least the subject of her birthday had not come up.  Scully 
settled back, relieved.  "No reason."

"My parents took me to the Boston Symphony Orchestra once," 
he said as he looked around at the hall.  "I don't remember 
the seats being this cramped."

"How old were you?"

"Eight?  Maybe nine."

"That might be why."

"Could be," he agreed.  "What about you? You come here 
often?"

Scully couldn't suppress a smile.  "Do I come here often?  
The next thing you'll be asking me, what's a lady like you 
doing in a place like this?"

"You seem to fit in okay."  He looked at her dress again, and 
she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I always wished I could play a musical instrument," she said 
as the house lights dimmed.

"I took piano for a few years.  Samantha and I both did, but 
she was into it more than I was."

"You play?" she asked, turning into her seat to look at him.

"Not anymore.  I can pick out 'When the Saints Go Marching 
In' but that's about it."

"I guess they won't be asking you up on stage then."

"Guess not."

Wolf turned out to be a young man with shoulder-length dark 
hair and a red bowtie.  He had hollowed cheeks and long, 
tapered fingers.  His cello gave off a warm, mahogany glow in 
the spotlight as he took his place in the middle of the 
stage.  

Scully would have liked to learn any instrument, but she had 
a special fondness for the cello after rooming with Kathy for 
two years.  Wolf made it sing a desperate, plaintive song 
that climbed through four registers.  As the pace picked up, 
his hands flew up and down the fingerboard; the cello nearly 
vibrated between his legs.

Mulder leaned over to whisper to her.  "It's a little 
obscene."

"What?"  She turned her head and nearly bumped him with her 
nose.

"That doesn't look like sex to you?"  He pointed with his 
chin at the stage.  "The curves of the cello, the long neck, 
the way he puts his hands all over it.  It looks like a woman 
and from the sounds of things, she likes what he's doing for 
her."

Scully watched as Wolf's left hand dipped lower, into the 
cello-woman's middle region.  His fingers tickled her as the 
bow stroked back and forth across her center.  

"Mulder, you're crazy."

She felt him smile.  "He's seducing that instrument, Scully.  
Mark my words."

His breath stirred the loose curls at the base of her neck 
and she shivered.  Crossing her legs, she ordered herself to 
tune him out and focus on the music.  But it was like trying 
not to think of a pink elephant; all she saw was sex.

The melody intensified, quickening into a frenzy.  Sweat 
broke out over Wolf's brow.  His fingers seemed to bite at 
the strings and the cello quivered.

Scully felt her mouth go dry and her nipples stiffen.  
Mulder's knee grazed hers and she actually jumped.

"Sorry," he whispered.

As the piece built to a close, the piano accompaniment rose 
in a crescendo and Wolf drew the bow with long, deep strokes.  
The dramatic pauses and short bursts of sound held the 
audience riveted.  Scully could practically hear the cello 
yelling, "Yes!  Yes!  Yes!"

Her eyes glazed over and her palms were wet.  That's it, she 
thought.  You need a date. 

Wolf finished and the hall burst into applause.  It took 
Scully a moment to join in, and she glanced at Mulder.  He 
was clapping too, but he leaned into her.  "Need a 
cigarette?" he asked, and she jerked away.

Wolf played two more short pieces before intermission.  
Scully went to the ladies' room to avoid making small talk 
with Mulder during the break.  The lights were flashing for 
people to return to their seats by the time she was through 
the line.

"I was worried you weren't going to make it in time," Mulder 
said, rising so she could pass by him.  His hand grazed her 
hip and her ass brushed the front of his pants.

"Please spare me any of your sexual commentary for the second 
half," she said.  

"I don't know, Scully.  We're talking girl-on-cello action.  
That makes all the guys hot and bothered."

I hate you, she thought, refusing to look at him.

Kathy entered, looking magnificent in her shimmering blue 
gown.  She played beautifully, and Mulder had the good grace 
not to make remarks through her performance.

Afterward, Scully and Mulder waited in the lobby for her to 
emerge.  She carried her cello in a hard white case and her 
cheeks were flushed.  "Well?  How did it go?"

"You were wonderful," Scully said, giving her a hug as Kathy 
set the cello down.  "The Bach especially.  I don't know how 
you get all those notes into a single piece."

"I didn't think I'd make it through the rondo.  It really 
sounded okay?"

"Amazing, truly."

"These are for you," Mulder said as he handed Kathy the 
flowers.  "And they are well earned."

"Oh my gosh, thank you."  Kathy held the flowers to her nose 
and took a deep breath.  "I'm glad you could come."

Speaking of, Scully thought.  She touched Kathy's elbow and 
nodded at the corner.  "Can I talk to you a moment?"

Kathy smelled the flowers again.  "Sure."

Scully led her aside while Mulder studied the posters on the 
wall for upcoming events.  "I thought we agreed he wasn't 
coming," she said in a low voice.

Kathy glanced over her shoulder at Mulder.  "You said you 
didn't want to ask him, and I completely understand that.  
Actually, I'm relieved."  She flashed a grin.  "I really 
wanted to ask him myself."

Somehow, she managed not to let her jaw fall open.  "You... 
you want to go out with Mulder?"

"I was thinking of asking him for coffee.  You think he'd 
go?"

"I can't say."

"Aren't these flowers gorgeous?  He's so sweet!  I can't 
believe you ever called him thoughtless."

"I did?" 

"Maybe you said unthinking?  I don't remember.  You were sure 
pissed at him, though.  How's my hair?  Does it still look 
all right?"

Scully couldn't form words, so she just nodded.

"Great."  Kathy was about to turn around again when she 
hesitated.  "It's okay, right?  You really don't have any 
interest?"

Speak, Scully ordered herself.  "No," she managed to get out.  
Her voice sounded high and thin.  "No interest."

"Thanks, Dana."  Kathy gave her a quick hug, Mulder's flowers 
squished between them.  "I'm so glad you came.  I'll call you 
next week, okay?  We'll have lunch or dinner or something."  
With one last mischievous grin, she was off.

Scully stood rooted to the spot and watched as Kathy said 
something to Mulder across the room.  Whatever she was 
offering, he was nodding.  He helped her on with her coat and 
picked up the cello for her.  They both turned at the door, 
and Kathy waved.

Scully lifted her hand to return her friend's greeting, but 
her eyes were locked with Mulder's; his expression was 
unreadable as he paused behind Kathy.  

Very deliberately, he let his gaze travel up and down 
Scully's body one last time.

And then he was gone.