"You know me," he says, trying to make it sound lighthearted. "Living the bachelor life. Why don't you tell Skinner what's up? I'll put the order in."
Mulder's the one with cash - only cash, at the moment, he's in no mood to be tracked by card here - and he has absolutely no idea what to say to Walter Skinner right about now. Thanks for finding my ex, please don't tell her about the 'ex' thing. Sorry about how the whole Bureau mess ended up. I'm not going to give you my address, but I still consider you a friend. No. Better to leave things where they are: uncertain, unspoken. If Skinner tries to offer help, he's not sure what he'll do, but it won't be good.
(He can't break down over this. He's not going to break down over this. Fox Mulder doesn't have breakdowns the way normal people do, and he's not about to start now, just because the love of his life has wandered back into his world, looking twenty years younger and ten times as happy to see him.)
He gets up from the table, going to find their poor, beleaguered waiter, and orders a salad to go for Scully. Two orders of steak on top of that, in case Scully smells his and decides she wants that carnivore life after all, with broccoli and mashed potatoes on the side. There's slightly more in his fridge than there was back in the Clinton administration, but he doubts bags of instant Rice-a-Roni will pass muster tonight.
no subject
Mulder's the one with cash - only cash, at the moment, he's in no mood to be tracked by card here - and he has absolutely no idea what to say to Walter Skinner right about now. Thanks for finding my ex, please don't tell her about the 'ex' thing. Sorry about how the whole Bureau mess ended up. I'm not going to give you my address, but I still consider you a friend. No. Better to leave things where they are: uncertain, unspoken. If Skinner tries to offer help, he's not sure what he'll do, but it won't be good.
(He can't break down over this. He's not going to break down over this. Fox Mulder doesn't have breakdowns the way normal people do, and he's not about to start now, just because the love of his life has wandered back into his world, looking twenty years younger and ten times as happy to see him.)
He gets up from the table, going to find their poor, beleaguered waiter, and orders a salad to go for Scully. Two orders of steak on top of that, in case Scully smells his and decides she wants that carnivore life after all, with broccoli and mashed potatoes on the side. There's slightly more in his fridge than there was back in the Clinton administration, but he doubts bags of instant Rice-a-Roni will pass muster tonight.