Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Standing in front of the building that was going to be her home for the next three months, Stella finally allowed herself to get nervous. She was clinging to a map of the campus, and where everything was. She’d circled her dorm building, as well as the local pool, and the building where she would have most of her anthropology classes. She couldn’t quite believe that she was actually here, that this was actually happening.

About a year ago, she’d jumped at the opportunity to go and study abroad, which was how she’d ended up here, standing at the Maryland University campus. She was thoroughly prepared, or at least she’d thought she’d been, but it was very different to actually be here, to actually be this far away from any friends and family. (Though she didn’t seem to mind the latter too much.)

She licked her lips nervously, then glanced at the few suitcases that she’d brought along with her. She’d been reassured by her roommate – someone she’d written some letters back and forth with, just in case – that there was already furniture and that all she needed to bring were her clothes. It still felt like not nearly enough to stay here for three whole months.

She took a step forward, grabbed as many suitcases that she could drag along, and walked over towards the door. She tried to open it, realised that it wasn’t opening and then glanced around in frustration, looking for any sign of how she could get in. Someone must have seen her struggling, because the door was promptly opened by a redhead with piercing blue-grey eyes and a dazzling smile.

“You gotta use your student ID and scan it there—” she pointed to the side of the door, where there did indeed seem to be a card reader. “It’ll unlock the door for you, next time.”

“Thank you,” she said, her accent already giving away just how far away from home she was.

“Oh! You’re British! You must be Stella Gibson then.” The redhead held her hand out towards the blonde, before realising that she didn’t really have any hands free, not with the amount of suitcases she was dragging along. “I’m Dana Scully, we’ve been exchanging letters? I’m your roommate for the next few months.”

“Hi—” Stella smiled, though she still felt uncertain about this all. She just needed one sign, and she’d be running back home to the UK. “Pl—”

“Let me grab some of those suitcases,” Dana seemed unaware that she’d talked over Stella, and immediately reached out to grab at least two of the suitcases. “Our room is on the fourth floor, so it’s going to be some exercise getting up there. Trust me, you don’t want to do that when you’re drunk, or worse.”

Stella only nodded, then followed the redhead up to their room. The halls were pretty devoid of any character, besides the clear spots where students had thrown up in the past, or where trash would regularly collect. The blonde braced herself for the room, expecting it to be much of the same, but she was in for a surprise.

The room was homey and surprisingly light, considering that there was only one window. There were two beds on the opposite side of the room, one already made (quite neatly, Stella had to admit) and another bare except for a pillow and a duvet. There were two desks standing in the neighbourhood of the window, so that they had as much natural light as possible. There were a few plants here and there, a few posters on the walls and a two-person sofa right next to the door. The closets were at the end of the beds, Stella’s was open, since Dana appeared to already be putting the suitcases in it. This room was clean, but lived-in. She could see herself living here.

“This is beautiful,” Stella muttered.

Dana stopped attempting to stuff the suitcases in the closet, and beamed at Stella. “Thank you. The plants are a present from my previous roommate, I don’t really have a green thumb. They might be a very temporary addition.”

“You’d think that someone who’s training to keep people alive can keep some plants alive as well,” Stella joked, as she made her way over towards the empty bed, dragging her two suitcases along.

Dana giggled, and Stella already knew that she’d give anything to hear that noise again. “It appears I have a knack for looking after more complex beings than just plants.”

Now that she was in a safe space, and she didn’t have anywhere else to go for the rest of the day, Stella felt herself relax. She looked over at her roommate, at her bright red hair, at the way her blue -grey eyes seemed to sparkle as she laughed, the freckles that were splattered all over her face, along with some clearer birth marks, the sharp nose—Stella knew a good-looking woman when she saw one, and Dana Scully most definitely was one of those people. And even worse, she seemed to be unaware of just how beautiful she was, if the flustered look was anything to go by.

“Well, luckily for you, I’m quite decent at watering plants at regular intervals,” the blonde smiled, as she turned her full attention towards her bed. (She couldn’t quite believe that this was going to be her bedroom for the coming three months.) She should probably start unpacking.

“Isn’t that convenient. I knew having a roommate from abroad was good for more than just company with a hot accent.” Seemingly unaware of her words until she’d actually said them, a blush spread across Dana’s face when she’d called Stella’s accent ‘hot’.

“Oh, trust me. I am good for a lot more than that, Dana,” Stella grinned, as she lifted one of the suitcases onto the bed, opened it and went looking for her bedlinen. Once she’d found hers – a darker purple with light lavender flowers splattered near the bottom – she started to quickly and efficiently make the bed.

“We’ll have to find out, then,” the redhead dared to glance over her fingers, lowering her hands after she’d hidden behind them.

The moment that Stella was done making her bed, she sat down on top of it and turned towards Dana. “So, what is there to do for fun around here?” She would end up studying most of the time, since that was what she was here to do, but having some fun wouldn’t harm anyone.

“We have our local pubs, of course,” Dana said. “We have our sports terrains on campus as well, including a gym and a pool. The best parties are usually held in downtown College Park, but I’m sure that you’ll figure that out soon enough. Plenty of posters around campus.”

“Thank you,” Stella hummed. “Would you like—”

Once again, Dana interrupted her after she’d glanced at her watch. “Oh, shit, I have class in like ten minutes, and I have to be on the other side of campus. Gotta dash. Feel free to help yourself to anything in our fridge for tonight, I’ll tell you where the stores are tomorrow!”

And just as quickly as Dana Scully had dashed into her life, she was gone again, in a whirlwind of red and jeans.

--~--

Over the course of those three months, Stella found plenty of things out about Dana Scully. For instance, her middle name was Katherine, a fact Stella learned when she’d found Dana’s lost student ID after a particularly wild night out. She also learned that Dana liked to keep that a secret from most people in her life, because she hated being fullnamed by anyone but her father.

Something she quickly discovered was that Dana was a workaholic: she would work all day and all night, if it meant that she would reach a deadline, or study enough for an upcoming exam. It was clear that she took her studies seriously, unlike some others running around. One of the more endearing facts that Stella found out was that Dana could sleep anywhere. It happened more than once that the anthropologist would come back from a lunchtime class, only to find the little redhead napping away on her bed, snoring ever so quietly.

When that happened, Stella would tiptoe around her, and sit on her bed with her back against the wall, pretending to study. It was a rare occurrence that she would get to watch her be for any period of time, let alone when she looked so innocent and so … small. (Not that Stella really cared about how cute and adorable Dana looked. Stella had discovered ages ago that she functioned better with regular sex, but none of the obligations of a relationship, and her roommate wasn’t going to be an exception to that rule.)

So she made a point of bringing back a few people to the room every time that happened. Well. At least for the first few days. After that, the two of them had had an awkward little conversation about how the room was a place they shared, and how Dana would rather not wake up in the middle of the night to noises of sex because Stella couldn’t keep it in her pants. From then on out, she’d made it clear that she returned to the other person’s room.

All in all, they got along fairly well, and during the weekend they made a point of it to go out and do at least one thing together. They went out to grab something to eat, or they went out shopping, but Stella found herself looking forward towards these dates. (Even if neither of them really called them that.)

As the end of her exchange program neared, Stella tried to make Dana promise that they would keep contact, even if an ocean would end up divided the pair of them. They exchanged phone numbers and addresses, and promised each other to write at least once a month.

In Stella’s opinion, the three months were over way too fast.

--~--

Dearest Stella,                                                                                                            20^th of March, 1990

You won’t believe what happened! I have been recruited by the FBI! After I graduate in a few months, I will be going to the Academy, where I’ll be trained as a proper FBI agent. My father – and my entire family, really – would prefer it for me if I went into medicine, but I feel like I can be of more help here.

Seems like we’re going to go down the same path in the end!

Can you believe that I forgot my birthday this year? If it hadn’t been for your letter arriving a few days after, I would have not celebrated at all. I blame my exams, of course, and how busy I’ve been studying for them. Though, honestly, I would have been delighted if the day had just passed without anyone paying any attention to it. Thank you for the present, though! I’ll make sure to make some time to read it. It feels just like the right book for me.

How are you doing? How is your training going? Anyone in your life I should know about?

Lots of love,

Dana.

Dearest Dana,                                                                                                             6^th of November, 1991

You were right. I was indeed being summoned into the office to get a promotion. You are now writing to Detective Sergeant Stella Gibson. This means I won’t have to wear my uniform anymore, unless it’s a formal occasion. I’ve cursed out that bloody uniform more than once, so you can only imagine just how relieved I am.

I solved the case too, no thanks to you. Your suggestion to talk to the younger brother again seemed to have been the key to solving all of it. Remind me to buy you a drink for that when we see each other again.

What about you? How is teaching going? Students treating you right?

Yours, as always,

Stella

My dear Stella,                                                                                                           12^th of September, 1992

Your case sounds like a proper mystery. A shame that you can’t tell me much more, I would love to help, even from this side of the pond. You must know that I’ve loved getting a peak into the investigative side of it all through your letters.

But now it turns out that I will have my own shot at it! While I’ll miss teaching dearly, they have assigned me to a certain Fox Mulder to work with him on the X-files. These are cases the Bureau has deemed ‘unsolvable’ for one reason or another. We’re still in our early days, but I know that I am meant to provide a sober, scientific view on the entire thing. Mulder believes a little too fast, and a little too easy. I want proof of everything that he is claiming.

I think we’ll be working well together.

In fact, we’ve already gone and ‘solved’ a case together in Bellefleur. We haven’t necessarily found a scientific reason behind the killings, but it’s stopped, so that’s enough for now. I feel like a lot of my career is going to be like this from now on.

I hope you have more cases where you can actually take people to court in the end than I do.

All my love,

Dana.

Dana,                                                                                                                            19^th of February, 1993

Your last letter worried me. Your adventures with Mulder keep getting more and more dangerous. Please be careful, I’d rather have you in one piece the next time we meet up. No more drinking poison until I’ve stopped by, okay? I’m saving all my days off, in order to come and visit sometime soon, maybe? It’s been too long since I’ve seen you. Maybe sometime next year, around this time? Then we can celebrate your birthday together!

I am moving into my old mom’s house, since she’s decided to move in with Steve. I’ll add my new address and my new phone number at the end of this letter.

Yours, as always,

Stella

Dearest Stella,                                                                                                            15^th of May, 1994

They’ve finally shut down the X-files. I’ve returned to teaching at the Academy, which I think is probably the best in this situation. I miss travelling around, solving the most ridiculous cases, but it’s probably for the best. Mulder isn’t taking it as well as I am, though, and I worry about him. But I don’t have contact with him anymore, I can only catch glances of him in the hallways sometimes.

I will be calling you soon, for a more nuanced update.

I’m really sorry this letter is so short, Stella, but I can’t say much here.

I think I might need a holiday. Coming to London always sounded like a wonderful adventure.

Loads of love,

Dana

--~--

It was November 1994, and Stella was at home, waiting patiently for a call from Scully. They had taken to calling more regularly since the X-files had been shut down, mostly because Scully felt rather lonely without her friend by her side. Even now that the files were open again, and she and Mulder were working together again, they continued to call on a weekly basis.

Stella refused to tell Dana this, but she worried about her. It was almost every other week that she seemed to get in trouble, in danger, and ended up being shot at. But it was par for the course, and Stella knew that she wouldn’t be able to change the other’s mind on this matter. This was the job she’d chosen, en Dana seemed to enjoy it, in her own way. It gave her purpose. She was the last person to deny someone their purpose.

Dana’s call was late, however, and Stella was getting more and more worried. It wasn’t like her friend to be late with a call. Sure, sometimes a case got in the way, but even then Stella would get a quick call from the car, or during the flight, to let her know that they’d need to reschedule. But this time, nothing. At all.

After half an hour or waiting besides the phone, she ended up ringing Dana herself. She bit her lip nervously, as the phone rang once, twice, thrice.

“Scully?” A man picked up, his voice almost desperate as he called out the name of her friend.

“No, this isn’t—I’m trying to contact Sc—Dana. We had a call scheduled half an hour ago.” Stella assumed that this must be Mulder, the man that she’d heard so much about.

“Who is this?” He sounded accusatory, maybe even a bit paranoid, which made the worry in Stella’s stomach only intensify.

“Detective Sergeant Stella Gibson, from the Met in London,” she said. “And who is this?”

“Special agent Fox Mulder, Scully’s partner in the FBI. Why exactly do you need her?” Definitely paranoia, Stella decided. She had used her full title, mostly to make it clear that she was one of them, part of law enforcement, in an attempt to calm Mulder down. The other had used his full title to make it clear who he was to Scully, a protective tone to it all.

(Who was he to feel protective over her friend?)

“We just wanted to call. She was my roommate back at university, we keep in touch.” Stella couldn’t bring herself to tell Mulder that she was worried, that she didn’t trust him to keep her safe while they were travelling all over America.

“Well, Scully is not available at the moment.” Mulder moved the phone away from his ear, and Stella could tell that he was about to hang up.

“Then where is she?” Stella called out, hoping that he would be able to hear her still.

There was no reaction from the man, or no immediate one at least.

“Mulder? Where is Dana?” The longer that question went unanswered, the more nervous Stella seemed to become. He had her phone, he expected her to call this number to get back into contact. The only thing she could think of was that Dana was taken by someone. “Okay, who has her? I’m coming over to help with the investigation, I’ll be booking my plane as soon as this call is over. Where are you? Still in Washington?”

“Gibson—” For a moment, she could hear the hurt in this man’s voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. “—There is no investigation going on at the moment. She’s … she’s been taken by aliens. She’s been abducted.”

Stella was stunned into silence. She then quietly started to laugh, because that was ridiculous. Aliens didn’t exist. And if they did, they wouldn’t be interested in this rock full of apes.

“We’ve caught the person who abducted her initially, but he said that she was gone, that she’d been taken. We don’t … we don’t know whether we’ll be able to get her back,” Mulder said, his voice once again breaking.

“Then I’ll be making my way over for the f—” She didn’t want to talk about the funeral, about having to say ‘goodbye’ to her friend. (It was way too soon.) “How long has she been gone?”

“A week and four days.” She’d been gone that long and nobody had contacted her? When they found Dana again—if they found her again, they would have to have a conversation about this.

“I’ll be there tomorrow. Where can I find you, Mulder?” The two exchanged addresses and numbers, so that they could reach each other again. They exchanged a few words after that, and then they’d hung up, and Stella was once again alone.

She couldn’t believe this. Her friend, the red-headed FBI agent who could take on the world, had disappeared. Whether it was done by aliens, or humans, it didn’t matter. She was going to make her way to the States once again, and she was going to do anything she could to find her Dana again.

--~--

She was greeted by Mulder in the airport. She knew what he looked like, mostly thanks to a picture that Dana had sent her along with one of her letters, and thus made her way straight to him. “Mulder,” she said, as a way of greeting. “Any new developments?”

Stella could feel his eyes roam over her body, settling upon her face eventually. She knew she looked horrible after a twelve hour flight, but she wasn’t going to lose any time getting refreshed, or combing her hair. It didn’t matter, not now.

He shook his head.

“Right. Talk me through the case, Mulder,” she snapped at him, as he didn’t seem to react immediately. “Come on, I didn’t come here to dawdle and wait till she possibly turns up again.”

“You look just like her,” he eventually managed. “Just … blonde.”

“Mulder—” She sighed. She knew this, it was something that they had laughed over in university, about how they could be sisters who were split up at birth. “I’m not her, and we have no time. Talk me through the case.”

“Yes, of course,” Mulder seemed to pull himself together again, and launched into an explanation of the few facts they knew. It wasn’t much, but it was something to go off.

Immediately, Stella snapped into detective mode, and she went to look through everything that she could in a desperate attempt to find out where her former roommate had ended up. She barely slept for three days after she’d arrived, and that would probably have gone on for much longer if Mulder hadn’t called her, one evening.

“Gibson,” she snapped into her phone.

“There’s news. She’s been brought into a hospital.” Mulder’s emotions were difficult to read over the phone, and Stella was usually pretty good at reading people. “She’s still in a coma, but she’s still breathing.”

She was still alive. Dana Katherine Scully was still alive, and kicking. She couldn’t find the right words to express just how happy she was to hear that news, how relief was coursing through her body.

“Gibson?” Mulder asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Yes, I’m—which hospital? I will get there as soon as I can.” There must be a cab willing to drive there, right?

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.” Once again, they exchanged information, and then all Stella could do was wait. Five minutes, then ten, but eventually, after fifteen minutes, a car pulled wildly up in the street where she was waiting. (She didn’t mention just how cold she was, how much she was freezing. She wasn’t going to complain when they were going to see Dana who was in a coma.)

“Get in,” he said, as he threw open the door where she’d usually sit as a driver. This was something that still weirded her out. This just was the wrong side.

She didn’t even say anything, she just got in and wrapped her coat a little tighter around herself. She couldn’t say anything, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything, and instead just sat there as he once again took off, driving way too fast through the streets. The hospital wasn’t that far, he’d explained over the phone before, and they’d end up being there soon enough. True to his word, they’d only been driving for a good twenty minutes before they arrived at the hospital. She jumped out the second that the car was parked, quickly followed by Mulder.

They stormed through the hospital, right into the intensive care unit, only to skid to a halt right in front of Dana’s bed. The pair of them stared at the unconscious redhead for a moment, for just a minute, but not for long. Mulder’s anger soon overtook him, and he went off to demand answers. Stella, on the other hand, couldn’t bring herself to move. She just stood there and stared.

“Dana,” she whispered, her voice breaking. She stumbled forward, only to be stopped by a brunette a few years older than her.

“I’m Melissa,” she introduced herself. “I’m Dana’s sister. You must be Stella.”

The blonde tore her eyes away from Dana, and towards the other Scully sibling. “Uh, hi,” she whispered. “Yes, that’s me. How … do you know anything else about her?”

“Dana is deciding whether to remain or pass on.” Melissa said softly, as if that was the most normal thing to say in a situation like this. “She said that you’re an old friend.”

Her bottom lip started to tremble, but Stella quickly attempted to keep it under control. No way was she going to cry here, in front of Dana’s family. “You could say that, yes.”

“Come over here,” Melissa gestured to the spot next to her. “You can feel her if you stand over here.”

Stella was already sceptical about this entire situation, and she opened her mouth to tell her that it was all nonsense, but she couldn’t. So she walked over, a little hesitant, and stood there as Melissa guided her through this all. And while she couldn’t feel Scully any more clearly than she had before, at least she’d tried, which was more than what Mulder was ready to do. For a believer, he certainly protested loudly that he couldn’t feel anything.

Mulder didn’t stick around after that, he was too determined to go after whoever had done this to Scully, something that Stella couldn’t bring herself to do. She knew she should be doing what Mulder was doing, it was exactly why she had come here, but now that she’d found Dana … she couldn’t bring herself to leave her side.

So she stuck around, visiting when she was allowed to do so, and then went home with Maggie and Melissa Scully, to help them through it all just as much as they were helping her. She was there when they’d unveiled the tombstone, and once again had tried not to cry at the sight of it. Her friend had only just turned thirty, it was too early for her to already leave this life.

She could sense that Mulder felt the same, though neither of them said much more, besides the feeling that it was too early. Neither of them were ready to give up just yet. Stella was running out of vacation days, and her flight back was coming up soon. She only had a few days left, and she had the feeling that Dana wouldn’t even be dead before she’d have to leave. She feared that she’d have to miss the funeral, which was the last thing she wanted. She’d feared that things would speed up once they took Dana off of life support, but no, even then she kept trucking on. (That was a good sign, Stella told herself. She just wasn’t convinced.)

On her last full day in America, Stella decided to spend the morning away from the hospital. She could no longer be there, she couldn’t stand watching her die in that bed for a second longer. It felt like she was watching her father die all over again. She’d spent most of the morning packing everything up, when her phone rang. Grabbing the phone, she didn’t even bother looking at the caller ID.

“Gibson,” she said.

“Gibson, it’s me.” Mulder said, in lieu of a proper introduction. “I think you should come to the hospital.”

“What? Why? Has something changed?”

“I just … think you should come, Stella.”

Immediately, she abandoned everything that she had been doing, and stormed out of the hotel room (where she’d barely even stayed. What a waste of money.) She was close to the hospital this time, and could walk there within ten minutes, if she hurried. And soon enough, she stormed into the room where Dana had been for the last few days, only to find it empty.

She turned towards the nearest nurse, clung on more tightly than necessary to her arm. “Where’s Dana Scully? She was here for the last few days.”

“She’s been moved to a different room, ma’am. Room 203.” The nurse said.

After a quiet ‘thank you’, she dashed off, in search for the room that held Dana. There was a pit in her stomach, because why would they have moved her? Either she’d died, and this was a chance to say goodbye, or she’d woken up. Stella didn’t know which one to hope for.

She burst through the door, only to spot Dana sitting up in the bed, surrounded by her sister and her mother. Surprise flashed over the redhead’s face as she spotted Stella, but it soon melted away into a fond smile.

“Mom said that you’d come over,” Dana said, her voice soft and gentle. “I didn’t dare to believe it was true.”

“Dana,” Stella whispered, as she rushed over to the redhead’s bedside, and gently pulled her into her arms. “You woke up.”

The two women clung to each other for a good minute, during which neither of them said anything. They just held on to each other, just made sure that the other was actually there. She was vaguely aware that Mulder briefly stopped by to bring a few sets of clean clothes for Dana, but he was gone again by the time that she pulled back.

Stella gently cupped Dana’s cheeks, then took a moment to trace with her thumb the pattern of the freckles that she’d become so familiar with over those three months that she’d spent in America. Then, in a very impulsive manner, she leaned closer and pressed a kiss to Dana’s forehead. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. Dana was still alive. Dana had woken up again.

She wasn’t going to lose another person she cared about.

There was a blush on Dana’s face as Stella made eye contact, a smile so uncharacteristically soft spreading across her face.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Stella said.

“I saw you, when I was … y’know. I was in a boat, and I saw you and Melissa.” Dana glanced over at her sister, sending her a gentle smile as well. “I’m glad you were here when I woke up, Stella.”

“Anything for you,” the blonde replied. “So what now? What do the doctors recommend now?”

“Well, a week or so on bed-rest, and then back to work,” Dana shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “They still don’t know what was wrong with me, so once I’m okay again, they are going to let me go.”

“Oh. And you’re sure going back to work is the best idea?” Stella still worried, even though she tried not to be.

“Yes. What else should I do? Sit around here, wait for something else to happen to me?” Dana pulled away a little from Stella, out of her embrace. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Stella. So I’m going to go back to work as soon as I can.”

“Dana—”

“My mom has been trying to convince me to rest too, I don’t need another mother in my life.” Dana’s annoyance radiated off of her, and Stella knew better than to press on.

So the blonde got up from the bed and nodded. “Of course. I should probably get back to packing anyway. I’m glad you’re getting better, Dana, and I wish you the best.”

The room was silent for a moment, as the two headstrong women tried to decide whether they should go on fighting this ‘fight’, or whether they should let it go. In the end, it was Dana who spoke up.

“When are you going home again?”

“Tomorrow,” Stella said, relieved that the subject had been changed.

“Tomorrow already—? How long have you been here in the US?” Dana looked so worried for a moment, so beaten by the fact that her friend was leaving already.

“About a week,” she said. “The week I was going to take off to see you.” The moment that she said that, she regretted it, since pain flashed across Dana’s face. This was supposed to have been their week of fun, of forgetting work. Too bad.

“Okay. Well, safe travels, Stella. And call me? Please?” Dana pleaded, because she didn’t want this to be the cause of their broken up friendship, and Stella felt the same. So Stella nodded, and smiled.

“Of course, Dana. Once I’m done packing, I’ll call you, okay?”

The two of them exchanged a nod, then Stella said goodbye to Mrs Scully and Melissa. The latter enveloped her in a hug, then gently patted her back.

“Thank you for being here for my sister,” she whispered, quiet enough so that Dana wouldn’t hear it. “She won’t admit it, but she cares a lot about you.”

Another nod from Stella, before she left the hospital and prepared herself to go back to the UK. She called Dana that evening, and it felt like nothing had changed at all, if she didn’t think too much about the fact that Dana had been in a coma, less than twelve hours before. Soon afterwards, Stella found herself on the plane back home, and back to work.

--~--

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 02/23/95

Dearest Dana,

First of all, happy birthday! I know you prefer it if this day comes and goes, but I am not about to let you forget your birthday again.

You will be proud to hear that I am taking the Inspector exams next week. Who knows, next time I email you, I might be Detective Inspector Gibson. Just a few more days, and then we’ll know. Apart from that, there’s not much new in my life.

I miss you, and can’t wait to come over and actually spend some time with you. Maybe during the summer? I can already plan a vacation in July, if you are free around that time?

Yours, always,

Stella

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 09/30/95

My dear Stella,

I have horrible news. My sister Melissa has been shot in my apartment. Her funeral is in a few days. I know you’ve met her only once, but you seemed to get along fairly well back then. It’s all because of the damned X-files, because we got too close to the truth.

I’m sorry. I can’t tell you much more.

I have finally found the time to send you the set of towels that you left behind when you visited here. They should be there in a few weeks.

Lots of love,

Dana

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 01/01/96

Dearest Dana,

Happy new year! Here’s to a year without trauma and losses. Hopefully we can see each other again this year, because there’s nobody I’d rather see again. Work is still the same, of course, though I get more of my own cases now that I am an inspector. I have my own DS who helps me on my cases, though it depends on who they assign to me. So I remain, for now, partnerless.

Talking about partners, how is yours doing? Is Mulder still the stubborn ass that I got to know in 94? I hope he’s treating you well.

Yours,

Stella

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 05/09/96

Dearest Stella,

Queequeg died. I know you never met him, but he was the dog of one of the victims on a crime we investigated. I took him home, because I thought he was adorable and it was better than sending him to the shelter. He was a Pomeranian and I’m sure you would’ve loved him. I always pictured you as a dog person, really. You’d appreciate a dog’s loyalty.

A crocodile ate him. We were investigating a series of deaths surrounding a creature in the lake. Or something, think like Nessie in Loch Ness and you’ll be close enough. You know how that sort of cases put Mulder in a strange sort of excitement, because he’s always glad to have some proof of the extra-ordinary. But it just turned out to be a bloody crocodile. And a bloody big one too.

I sort of miss him, even though he was in my life for about six months. Is that normal?

Lots of love, as always,

Dana

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 11/28/96

My dearest, Dana,

London seems so boring when I hear of all your adventures. You faced off against inbred mutants? All I do is investigate normal crimes, rather boring ones. But then again, I don’t envy you. At least I know what to expect, while you always have to go look for the unexpected.

People here are talking about my career, are telling me that I will go far. I hope I will. Dana, we’ve already come so far since we were both students sharing a dorm, haven’t we? Look at us now. Ready to take on the world.

Yours, as always,

Stella

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 02/13/97

My dear Stella,

Once again I have to email you with horrible news. I have cancer, Stella. It’s a nasopharyngeal tumor in a place where they can’t operate, and the chances of survival are slim. We think it is caused by something that we removed, a chip we found in the aftermath of my abduction. I don’t know what else to do, what else to say. There’s a chance it’ll go into remission with radiation but …

There’s a whole lot of women who went through the same thing I did, and all of them are dead.

I just wish that I could see you once more, but I know you are too busy at work to make it. I hope you are, in a very, very selfish way. I don’t want you to see me suffer. I want you to remember me at my best. Remember when we used to go out every weekend? We’d go to museums, and restaurants, and even though we never named them as such, I think those were dates, Stella.

Do you remember that one time that we went hiking? How you tripped over your feet and sprained your ankle? I had to carry you back home, carefully, and then you refused to go to the hospital. You said that there was no point in having a medical student as a roommate if I couldn’t take care of your ankle.

I want you to remember that Dana, Stella. The one who’d get drunk with you at the end of a long day of work. The one who’d sleep in the middle of the day after a difficult deadline. The one whose hair you’d dye at the end of every month.

I know I should’ve told you before, and I don’t expect you to say it back, but I love you. With all my heart. But this is goodbye. I won’t email you anymore. I won’t answer your calls. Please, Stella, respect my wishes.

I love you.

Yours, for as long as we both shall live,

Dana

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date sent: 02/13/97

Dana,

Fuck that.

Stella

--~--

It had barely been a year since Stella had seen Dana, but the difference was indescribable. The detective had done everything that she could to get to the States as quickly as she could, remaining in contact with Mulder the entire time. He kept her up to date with Dana’s disease, with how bad she was, and how urgently Stella needed to stop by.

In May, it seemed that Dana was getting so bad that they were getting into a ‘now or never’ situation. Luckily, Stella’s plans already mostly aligned with that plan. After packing everything she needed for a three week stay in the States, she jumped on a plane and made her way to the hospital where Dana was staying.

During the entire flight, she kept telling herself that Dana was going to be okay. That Dana was going to get through this, just like she had with the coma. Something miraculous would happen, and she would end up being perfectly fine. She wasn’t going to die, Stella wasn’t going to lose someone else to cancer. (She couldn’t stand the idea.)

Every time she thought back to Dana, she could only imagine a weak version, a pale version, who would throw up constantly, like her father had done. Every time she imagined what she’d look like, her brain would provide her with the worst image possible. Her stomach was twisting like nothing before for as long as she was in the air, and even after she’d landed. It took her a few hours to travel to Dana’s hospital, though, and before she would get inside, she was stopped by Mulder.

“Gibson,” he said, his eyes darting around.

“Mulder,” she replied, a nervous smile around her lips. “How is she?”

“She doesn’t want to see you, and I think you should be prepared for that.” Mulder glanced at something over her shoulder. “Listen, I have to go, I have one last chance to keep her alive, but it’s now or never.”

“What room is she in?” Stella’s stomach twisted again, and her chest seemed to be getting a little bit tighter than it was before.

“348. Keep her safe, Gibson. If anything happens to her while I’m gone, I’m blaming you.” And just like that, Mulder dashed off again.

Stella remained alone in front of the hospital, her chest seemingly getting tighter and tighter. Her heart was starting to pound in her ears, overwhelming everything that was happening around her. She shouldn’t be here. She should’ve stayed in London, should have respected Dana’s wishes, no matter her own feelings on the matter.

She barely noticed the hand on her shoulder, who was starting to guide her inside the hospital. She barely realised that she was having trouble staying on her two feet, her limbs suddenly too weak to keep her standing upright. What was she doing here? Why had she decided that her selfish wants were more important than Dana’s wishes? She was the one who was dying, after all. Not Stella.

“Madam?” She finally heard a voice, loud enough to pierce through the noise of her pounding heart. “Miss, are you alright?”

Yes, she was alright, was what she wanted to say, but she felt overwhelmed with everything that was going on to say so. So she shook her head, weakly. She was then guided to one of the chairs in the waiting room, and gently forced to sit down.

“I’ll go and get a nurse,” the stranger said, and then she was alone once again.

Stella should go home. Stella should just go back to the UK, and listen to what Dana had told her. After all, it wasn’t as if there was anything that she would be able to do for her. But before she could bring herself to stand up again, before she could actually leave, there was a nurse standing in front of her. It was one of those nurses with a kind face, and therefore a kind heart.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” he repeated the question that had been asked before. “It looked to me like you’re having a panic attack.”

Stella shrugged a little, not wanting to admit that yes, this was possibly what was going on. Sadly enough, this wasn’t the first time that this had happened. Her breathing had sped up, had gotten close to hyperventilating, and it seemed like the nurse had noticed this as well.

“Breathe with me, ma’am,” the man said, as he started to count while he was breathing. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, hold, one, two, three, out, one, two, three, four, five, six. Initially, he went rather fast, but as Stella’s breathing calmed down, the nurse’s counting slowed down as well. Eventually, the pounding in Stella’s ears lessened, her dizziness passed, and she managed to get back onto her feet without feeling like she was going to collapse anytime soon. She sent a weak little smile towards the nurse, thanked him, and then pulled herself together.

She was going to go see Dana. Even if she’d send her away immediately, at least she would’ve been able to hold her once more.

Pulling herself together was surprisingly easy, considering the situation. She had expected that she would feel jittery and nervous for the rest of the day, but as she arrived at room 348, she was surprisingly calm. She knocked on the door, then heard Dana’s voice telling her to come in.

Stella opened the door, then walked in with a nervous smile around her lips. “Hi, Dana,” she said quietly.

Dana’s eyes widened, then filled with tears as she realised who was standing there. “Stella,” she whispered.

Maggie was also sitting in the room, along with a man Stella didn’t know. She pulled him onto his feet, and then made her way towards the door. “We’ll leave the two of you to talk. Dana, darling, would you like to have some more of those ice chips we got you before?”

Dana nodded weakly, as she clearly attempted to blink away those tears. “Thank you, mom.”

Stella remained right where she was until the only people in the room were her and Dana. It was then that she walked over towards the chair that Maggie had previously occupied. She could feel Dana’s eyes on her, but refused to acknowledge her until she sat down.

“Stella—” she said again, as her hand reached out towards the blonde’s. “I’m … I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

But the detective simply sat there, in that chair, taking in everything that she could see about Dana Scully. It’d only been a good ten months since they’d last seen each other, but she’d already changed so much. While Dana had already been on the thinner side, now she was so thin that her cheekbones protruded in her face, her collarbones were more pronounced than ever before, and Stella didn’t doubt that if she were to check her chest, she would be able to see her ribs. Her eyes looked sunken in her face, and it was clear that she was in some sort of pain. On top of that, however, she looked so sick. So close to death. The detective was determined to stick around, now even more than ever, until the end came for her friend.

“You have no jurisdiction over me, agent Scully,” Stella replied. “I’m not going to go anywhere.”

“Damnit Stella,” she hissed, though there was no heat behind her words. “I asked you one thing, and even that you can’t respect.”

“Because it was unreasonable to ask that of me, Dana,” Stella’s voice was just as soft as the other’s.

“I’m not going to say anything else to you, then.” She huffed, as she attempted to roll over. She tried to grab the railing of her bed, but she missed a few times before she succeeded.

Stella suspected that something had happened to her sight, probably because of the location of the tumour. The detective had tried to look up what possible symptoms could be for this type of cancer, had talked to one of the doctors who worked closely with the Met, and they’d told her that blurry or double vision were one of the possible symptoms.

“Good for you,” Stella said softly, before she reached into her bag and pulled out the book she’d been reading. She pretended to read, but really, she was keeping an eye on her friend.

Fifteen minutes later, Maggie and that man returned, and immediately she rushed forward towards Dana. “Sweetheart, your nose is bleeding again.”

Stella immediately jumped up, the book already forgotten and abandoned. Nosebleeds? Again? She was reaching for one of her handkerchiefs, but Maggie was already holding a paper napkin, was already carefully removing the blood from under her nose. “I’m fine, mom, I’m—”

“This is all Mulder’s fault,” the man scoffed again, causing the three women in the room to twist their head in his direction.

“No, it isn’t, Bill. He had nothing to do with this,” Dana said, some of the fire returning to her tone.

“If he hadn’t taken you in with these X-files, then you wouldn’t be here, then Melissa wouldn’t be dead—” It was clear that Bill had been carrying this with him for a while now, Stella thought. “We would still be a family, and we wouldn’t be losing you.”

“Bill stop it! Mulder didn’t even assign me to the X-files, it was the FBI. Besides, that man is one of my best friends.” Dana glared at the only man in the room with a fierceness that reminded Stella of the woman she’d gotten to know at Maryland University.

“I think you are upsetting Dana,” Stella said quietly, yet loud enough for everyone in the room to hear them. “It’s probably best for you to leave for now.”

Bill’s face immediately turned towards Stella, his eyes narrowing at her. “Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“I am Detective Inspector Stella Gibson,” she said, her voice a long more stable than she’d thought it’d be. “I am Dana’s friend, and you are clearly upsetting her.”

“Upsetting—do you even know who I am?” Bill scoffed.

“You are Bill, probably a family member, because not many people are allowed to visit Dana at the moment. I assume that you are a brother, considering the similarities between the pair of you. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you are upsetting her. I think it’d be best if you leave.” Stella paused for a moment, for dramatic effect. “Now.”

Bill seemed flabbergasted by her words, glanced at his mother and his sister, then stormed out of the room when neither of them seemed to stand up for him.

Dana turned towards Stella, finally seeming appreciative of her presence. “Thank you, Stella,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, Dana.” She walked back to the chair, then she sat down once again.

“Okay, maybe I’m not entirely angry that you’re here,” the redhead said after a few minutes of silence. “But you could’ve … I don’t know, you could’ve let me know.”

“How could I have let you know, Dana? You’d told me you wouldn’t be accepting any of my phone calls.” Stella frowned a little, though she tried to keep her face as neutral as possible.

“I would’ve picked up, Stella. I was just trying to … I was trying to give you an ‘out’. You mentioned that your father had died from cancer and I didn’t want to bring up any bad memories.” She actually sounded rather sorry, at the end of it all.

“Oh Dana …” Stella’s control over her face broke, and her bottom lip trembled a little. “It would’ve been worth it—it is worth it to be able to say goodbye. I don’t want you to die alone, thinking that Mulder and your family are the only people who love you.”

“Stella, you don’t have to—”

“Because I do, Dana. I do love you.” Stella finally made eye contact with the redhead, as she bit her lip to keep it under control. “And I wanted to tell you that at least once before you die.”

“I … I love you too, Stella.”

Panic was once again rising from Stella’s stomach, because she wasn’t someone who loved, who told people that she loved them. She hadn’t told anyone but her father this.

“So I can stay?” She asked, her voice finally displaying the emotions that were coursing through her. It trembled, causing her to swallow tightly.

“You can stay.”

Stella got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out for Dana’s hand. She squeezed it gently, then raised it and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. Glancing up then, she caught a very, very mild blush spreading across Dana’s face. “You are so beautiful,” Stella whispered.

“Don’t lie to me, I know I look horrible,” Dana scoffed quietly. “Lie down with me, Stella.” She paused for a moment, before she attempted to tug the detective down on the bed with her. Stella chuckled quietly, then took off her shoes and scooted into the bed with Dana, who promptly wrapped her arms around her.

It was quite comfortable, Stella realised after a few minutes, and soon enough the pair of them drifted off to sleep, curled up in the safety of each other’s arms.

--~--

Stella became aware of the world again when two voices were whispering to each other in the room.

“Did Dana ever say anything about this before?”

“No, Bill, I told you already, she didn’t.”

“It’s unnatural, mom.”

“This is your sister you’re talking about. Now I’ve already lost one daughter, I am about to lose another, so we’re not going to say anything about this and make Dana spend the last few days she has away from someone she loves. I don’t care whether you think this is unnatural or not, you are going to play nice, okay?”

Stella yawned dramatically, signalling to the two others that she was awake. “Good morning,” she hummed, as if she had not heard anything at all. “What time is it?”

Bill scoffed, and immediately left the room again rather than say anything else. It was clear that he wasn’t a big fan of Stella, that she’d stepped on his toes, but if she had to tiptoe around every man who had a problem with her sexuality, she would barely get out the door each morning.

“I’m really sorry about him,” Maggie said quietly. “He’ll warm up to it eventually. He’s just going through … We’re all going through a lot.”

“That doesn’t make it alright,” Stella said, her voice just as quiet as Maggie’s. “I understand that it makes it difficult, and that it’s never easy to change your world view, but love is love. Love will always be love, no matter who’s doing the loving.”

Maggie nodded, slowly.

“I have felt an attraction towards Dana ever since I met her, and she’s my oldest friend. I am not saying that I am in love with her, but … I care about her. I want the best for her. And this is very obviously not it.” Stella turned her gaze towards Dana, the look in her eyes soft and gentle, in a way that she had never allowed it to be. She leaned closer, then pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

That gesture caused Dana to stir, and her eyes slowly opened to take in the room. As she realised that she was still in Stella’s arms, a smile quickly spread across her face. “Hi,” she mumbled.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Dana,” Stella attempted a joke.

“We will, Stels,” she whispered back, as her eyes slowly fluttered shut again. “We will.”

Stella tensed up, but once again her face betrayed almost no emotion. She didn’t know whether it was because of the nickname, or the constant reminder of Dana’s impending doom. “Maybe in a year or ten,” she chuckled weakly. “Or maybe I’ll be the one in hospital for once.” She clearly didn’t sound convinced at all, but she was trying.

“Maybe. I could take care of you for once.” There was a small smile around Dana’s lips, one that told Stella that she was relaxed and content right where she was.

“Hmm, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Stella hummed.

“You would totally make a horrible patient, Stella.” Dana chuckled once again, as she opened her eyes again and looked right up at her friend. “You would refuse to be told what to do by anyone.”

“Quite right,” Stella nodded.

Dana opened her mouth again, but they were interrupted by Mulder storming into the room. He was holding on to a small vial, which he was holding out towards Dana as if it meant everything in the world. (And maybe, to the pair of them, it did.) “I got it, Scully.” He said, before he realised just who was in the same bed as his partner. (Stella could see it in his eyes. He did not approve. It made her curl up around Dana even more, just to prove a point.)

But the redhead pulled away from her, then slowly pushed herself up to look at Mulder. “Is that…?”

“Yes.” Mulder smiled.

“Right, and now for those who are not in the loop?” Stella raised an eyebrow at the pair of agents.

“There’s no time. I gotta talk to a doctor.” And just like that, Mulder was gone from the room again.

“Well, he’s gotta be my favourite person in the whole wide world,” Stella mumbled.

Dana chuckled softly, but as she looked at Stella, the detective could tell that something had changed. There was hope. Within a few minutes, doctors came rushing in, and they chased Stella off the bed with a single look. She rolled her eyes at the entire ordeal, but she let them roll Scully out of the room, leaving her alone with Maggie.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, mostly because Stella didn’t know what to say. But that was okay. They could deal with that, they could sit in silence for a while. In fact, the detective picked up her book once again, and picked up where she had left off.

She’d almost made it through the entire book before Dana was returned to the room, along with Mulder. Dana looked exhausted, but happy, somehow. Maggie jumped at the sight of them, a question written all over her face that she didn’t need to actually ask for the other two to understand. Stella, however, was still in the dark, still had no idea what was going on exactly.

“We put it in. It might take a while, but there’s a chance the cancer will go into remission now.” It seemed to be enough for Maggie, those words from Mulder, but not for Stella.

“What did you put in?” She demanded to know. “That little metal bit you showed to us earlier? Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?”

“How much do you know?” Mulder asked, clearly not that eager to explain everything again.

“Clearly not enough. I know that Dana seems to believe that this has something to do with some chip you took out of the back of her neck.” Stella glanced back at the redhead. “Which is ridiculous to begin with, but I’ll go along with it for now.”

“We put a new one in the back of her neck again, my source told me that it’d stop everything.” Mulder grinned. “All we have to do is wait.”

It was at that point that Dana seemed to realise something. “Hold on! Mulder, you’re not supposed to be here!”

“That’s all been resolved, Scully. It’s … it’s all right.” Mulder shrugged a little.

“No, you’ll still—they’ll know that you killed that man in your apartment, they’ll—” Dana paused. “Put it all on me. If we… You have to put it all on me.”

“Scully—I won’t say it again, it’s all figured out.” Mulder insisted this time, glancing worriedly at Stella.

So the detective reached out, and gently placed a hand on Dana’s arm. “It’s okay, Dana. For now, at least.”

Since Stella was keeping an eye on Mulder this time, she could see the look of displeasure pass on his face as she called his partner ‘Dana’. It was one thing for a partner to be protective in the field, to make sure that both of them came out of every situation alive, but quite another to be this possessive outside of the field, in their personal lives. Unless—

A knowing little grin spread across Stella’s face as she slowly made eye contact with the male agent. He loved her. In his own way, of course, but he loved her, just like Stella did. Only she had acted on it, and for once, she’d come out on top.

“So what do we do now?” Dana asked, glancing at both Stella and Mulder.

“Now, we wait.”

--~--

There was nothing as nerve-wrecking as waiting for something to happen. Stella got into the habit of reading for Dana, after she had sheepishly admitted that her eyesight was not what it used to be. She didn’t usually admit a weakness, not like that, but Stella had already suspected it. So she’d gone to her hotel room one evening, leaving Dana in the expert care of Maggie Scully, and went to grab all the books that she’d brought to the US from home to read on the flight.

Her favourite was A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, and that was the first one that she’d started to read. It was more than once that Dana had fallen asleep listening to Stella’s voice. They hadn’t talked about what they were now, but it was Stella who could be found in the hospital room most evenings, not Mulder. Of course, the male FBI agent was still around, still stopped by plenty of times, but only during allowed visiting hours.

The first test was done six hours after the chip had been inserted, but there was no sign of any change just yet. The second one after twelve hours, but it was only on the third test, eighteen hours after insertion, that something had changed.

The cancer had gone into remission.

Chapter Text

That summer, Dana took a few weeks off work, and travelled all the way down to London for the first time in her life. It had started as a case for her, and Stella knew that, but she had decided to have Mulder travel back to Washington while she remained in the UK for a while. It was a rather impulsive decision, but the FBI agent knew that she wasn’t going to regret it. A few weeks with Stella, where neither of them was in any deadly danger?

She couldn’t wait.

Upon arriving in London, the two agents were met by Stella, who was waiting with a sign that read ‘my redhead and her partner’. It made Dana chuckle as she ran over towards her, pulling her blonde in for a gentle kiss.

“Hi,” Stella whispered the moment she was close enough.

“Hi,” Dana smiled back at her. “I can’t believe I’m actually here.”

“Neither can I,” the detective was grinning, as she held onto Dana as tightly as she could. “Welcome to the UK, agent Scully. What brings you here? Is it work, or pleasure?”

That made Dana laugh, and unbeknownst to her, the two people closest to her basked in the sound of it. It was too rare an occasion that Dana Scully laughed, so when it happened everyone wanted to commit the moment to memory. “Work first, then pleasure,” she grinned. “As I’m sure you know, Stells.”

“Shall we get to your hotel, then? I took the opportunity to upgrade you from the crappy hotel that the FBI booked for you two,” Stella finally glanced at Mulder, who smiled right back at her. They’d bonded after Scully’s latest brush with death, and they got along now. Mostly. He had accepted her in Dana’s life, and Stella relied on him for information about Dana when she didn’t want to hand it out.

“Oh, Stella, you didn’t have to do that,” Dana said softly.

“Ah, maybe not, but I wanted to. Besides, you’re closer to where I live this time.” Stella shrugged. “Let’s say that there’s some selfishness involved as well.”

“Could you take us to the Met HQ afterwards?” Mulder asked. “We’re supposed to meet with a detective Cortez around lunch-time.”

“Noon,” Stella corrected him automatically.

Mulder rolled his eyes at her, and once again Dana chuckled. “That’s usually something I do,” she told the man.

“This time Stella deserved it,” Mulder huffed.

“Come on, let’s get your luggage dropped off at the hotel, and then I’ll get you ready to work. I should be getting in myself.” Stella offered a hand to Dana, who promptly took it. The two ladies took care of Dana’s luggage, while Mulder was left to his own devices. (But then again, the man only had luggage for a few days, while Dana for a few weeks.)

Once outside of the airport, Dana insisted on taking the Underground, despite Stella insisting that a cab really was faster. But the FBI agent wouldn’t hear any of it, and let go of the blonde’s hand in order to prove her point. Dana happily left behind a stunned Stella, as she beelined towards the Underground station.

In the end, it turned out being a busy, sweaty ride back into London, surrounded by too many strangers for Stella’s comfort. More than once did she think of pulling out her badge and pointing it at people who got a bit too close, but every time she thought about that, Dana seemed to sense it and she put a gentle hand on Stella’s.

In the hotel, Stella quickly checked them in, since she’d made the reservation in her name, rather than Scully’s and Mulder’s. They had two rooms, next to each other, but there was no door that linked the two of them. It wasn’t the first time that Dana sent an angry email at three in the morning, saying that Mulder had once again stormed into her room through the linked door to chat about the case, or aliens, or as was often the case, both!

Mulder was dropped off in his room, but Stella accompanied Dana into hers. Once they were alone, the blonde pulled her redhead into her arms, pulling her in for a soft, yet passionate kiss. They hadn’t seen each other for at least a few months now, and both Dana and Stella felt a little touch deprived.

Stella quickly took control, and had Dana pinned against the wall before she could protest. The kiss got a little heated, and the detective was starting to tug on the blouse that Dana was wearing. She managed to pull it out of the pencil skirt that she was wearing, then started to undo the buttons, but before she could get anywhere, there was a knock on the door.

Dana groaned softly. “It’s gonna be Mulder with some ridiculous theory.”

“We could just ignore him,” Stella suggested.

“Doesn’t work, trust me,” Dana mumbled, as she carefully pulled the blonde away. “Yeah, out in a sec!”

Stella pouted at the redhead as she quickly buttoned her blouse again, before stuffing it back into the skirt so that she looked exactly the way that she had arrived in the hotel. The only sign that they’d been snogging mere seconds ago was the fact that her lips were just that little bit redder than they’d been before.

Once Dana deemed herself presentable, she opened the door to reveal, indeed, Fox Mulder. “Come on, if we hurry up, we can see Big Ben and Westminster before we have to meet Cortez.”

Stella raised an eyebrow at the excited Mulder. “Never took you for someone to see the local sights.”

“Well, when in London…” He grinned, before he turned towards the elevators of the hotel.

Dana and Stella exchanged a look, before closing the hotel door right behind them and following him downstairs, right into the rest of London.

--~--

They ended up having enough time to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and some of St James’ Park before they had to make their way to Scotland Yard. Stella guided them inside, of course, and waved them past the entrance with ease.

She was greeted by a few detectives, and she returned the greeting. However, she walked with a purpose, her emotions carefully hidden by a mask that she always wore at work. She could feel Dana’s eyes on her, but didn’t say anything to her at all. It wasn’t until they had arrived in DI Cortez’ office that she glanced at her again.

“Detective,” Stella said, a polite but gentle smile around her lips. “Your reinforcement from the FBI has arrived. This is special agent Fox Mulder, and special agent Dana Scully—” The blonde took in a breath. “—my girlfriend.”