Superwoman (X-Files, Scully)

[lifelove1]

Well, this was meant to be included in my XF drabble thread but ended up much longer than intended, so here goes! Set sometime in Season 3, most likely  Feedback and constructive criticism always much appreciated!

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"You sure know how to make an impression, Scully," Mulder teased lightly, casting a sideways glance at his partner huddled miserably in the passenger seat. He hadn't thought her cheeks, already flushed with fever, could have gotten any redder. He was wrong. 

Mulder could tell that his partner was off as they'd left the motel that morning. Each time she reassured him she was fine it was with a hoarser voice than before, and several times she'd had to excuse herself from witness interviews during sneezing fits. During their last meeting with the county sheriff, she’d let Mulder do most of the talking, only occasionally interjecting a question between coughs.

They wrapped up the interview with time to spare; the sheriff, a simple man in his 60s, had thankfully been more cooperative than most. 

"You folks want some coffee?" he asked kindly as he and Mulder moved toward the door. 

"You know, that would be…" Mulder turned to make sure his partner was following them. "…Scully?"

Scully's eyes fluttered shut as she lost consciousness. Mulder sprinted to her side just in time to slide an arm around her waist and keep her from falling over. He could feel the heat radiating off her body as he guided her gently to the ground. The sheriff hovered over them, grizzled eyebrows furrowed in alarm. "Should I call a doctor?" he said uncertainly.

"No," came Scully's whispered protest before she even opened her eyes. "Just stood up too fast. I'm fine."

Mulder spared her the embarrassment of debating this point in front of the sheriff, but he kept a steadying hand on her shoulder even after he'd helped her to her feet. He quickly apologized to the bewildered officer and promised to follow up in the next few days, then guided his swaying partner out to their rental car.

Mulder could tell Scully was mortified as they pulled out of the parking lot for the long drive back to DC.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled hoarsely, pulling her coat more tightly around herself. 

"Don't be." He fiddled with the A/C knobs on the dashboard for a moment and warm air began to stream through the vents. "I just wish you'd told me earlier that you weren't feeling well."

"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly.  A fine rain had begun to fall, and for several miles the only sound was the swishing of the windshield wipers and Scully's occasional sniffle.

"It's not some kind of…moral failure, you know. Being sick," Mulder said gently. Scully cast him a quick, penetrating look before glancing away, and he sensed that he’d touched a nerve.

"Mulder, I'm a doctor. I'm pretty familiar with Germ Theory," she deflected dryly, muffling a cough.

"I'm just saying, everyone gets sick,” he persisted. “You've taken care of me I don't know how many times."

He could almost hear her next words ("Yes, but -"), but instead Scully sniffled and pressed a knuckle to her nose, breathing shallowly.

"Even Superwoman has to sneeze sometimes," Mulder prompted with the hint of a smile. She just had time to cast him a dark look before burying her face in the crook of her elbow.

"Ishoo! Ishhh! Hah-ishhoo!"

"Bless you."

"Thanks," she murmured. "…Superman."

[silentdreamer789]

Aw, this was great!

[curlyq9393]

THIS IS ADORABLE. Sick, pouty, ever so slightly pathetic Scully is one of the best iterations of Scully. Would love love love to read more from you; all of your stuff is so sweet and your characterizations are always spot on. A million gold stars to you ??????????????????????????????

Edited May 23, 2016 by curlyq9393

[Sapphire]

Oh my God, I love this so much. I'm going to read it one million more times because it's so adorable. 

[NoV]

There can never be too many X-files fics on the forum imho. Something about the set up and relationship between the two agents really lends itself to sneezefics, plus they are always in situations where a sneeze would prove disastrous

[buffysummers]

Omg this is great, I love it! I hope you're gonna write more!

[Xsneezelover3932]

Oh my gosh, I am in love with this!!!! ? My favorite couple ever, and such a great story!! I would LOVE to see more X-Files stories or even a continuation of this one!! ❤️

[EmilyBrown]

I love this one so much!!! The characterization is so spot on, and Scully quietly fighting illness is quite endearing.

[lifelove1]

Awww, thanks for all the feedback, guys! Sorry for taking so long to respond - I got busy but really appreciate the encouragement  I definitely have a few more short X-Files fics in the works so stay tuned!

On 5/30/2016 at 1:55 PM, NoV said:

There can never be too many X-files fics on the forum imho. Something about the set up and relationship between the two agents really lends itself to sneezefics, plus they are always in situations where a sneeze would prove disastrous

I wholeheartedly agree!