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Published:
2024-11-18
Updated:
2024-11-19
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1,638
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2/?
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The Ex-Files

Summary:

I’m all about jealous Mulder and jealous Scully, pining for each other while firmly denying their feelings. I also refuse to believe they spent nearly seven years in near-celibacy. So, this is my exploration of all their canon-compliant love interests, previous relationships, and maybe a couple of new ones created by yours truly.

I know Scully/Other and Mulder/Other fics tend to stir up a lot of feelings, but fear not, I won’t be adding too many R-rated details. At the end of the day, this is an MRS; we're just taking the long road to get there.

Also, this requires a lot of re-watching, so the updates will be on the slower side.

Chapter 1: Fine Ethan Minette

Chapter Text

It was their first flight of two. Flying back from Portland with a layover in Seattle was the best option if they wanted to get home early. The steady white noise of the plane’s engines provided a quiet reassurance as Mulder and Scully sat in the silence following their first case together. Neither of them seemed to mind the stillness. Scully sat with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the small window, gazing at the black and gray clouds. Mulder, on the other hand, fidgeted in his aisle seat, his long legs barely fitting, flipping through a folder of case notes.

 

“You’re unusually quiet,” Mulder remarked, glancing at her. “I thought you’d be bursting with questions after everything we just saw.”

 

Scully turned her gaze toward him, a small smile curling at the corners of her lips. “I have plenty of questions,” she said evenly. “But I’m still processing everything.”

 

Mulder leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. “Processing?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Scully, that’s the first time you’ve seen something like this. Deep down, there’s a part of you that knows it’s not just strange—it’s impossible. But I’m guessing your scientific mind is trying to explain it away.”

 

Scully gave him a sidelong glance, her eyes sharp. “Labeling things as impossible or attributing events to aliens, magic, mysticism, urban legends, ghosts, spirits, cryptids, hauntings, dimensional rifts, curses, and all the other supernatural phenomena is a cop-out. It’s easier than adhering to rigorous scientific methods. I’m not afraid of doing the hard work.”

 

Mulder chuckled, intrigued by the fire in her voice. There was something about listening to her talk like this that fascinated him. “Maybe. Or maybe it can’t be explained. I’ve learned to trust my instincts in this job, Scully.”

 

There was a long silence between them, the hum of the plane’s engines filling the space. Scully leaned forward slightly, her voice softer now. “Do you believe in it, Mulder? In all of it?”

 

Mulder’s gaze drifted downward, his expression unreadable. “It’s not about believing in aliens or monsters, Scully. It’s about knowing there’s more out there.”

 

Scully didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she watched him, trying to gauge whether he truly believed what he was saying or if it was just his usual self-assuredness talking. The way he spoke, the way he almost seemed to glow with conviction, made her pause. He was unlike anyone she had ever worked with—bright, earnest, and passionate.

 

“Anyway,” she said after a moment, her tone lightening, “believe it or not, work isn’t what’s on my mind right now.”

 

Mulder raised an eyebrow. “Is it that boyfriend of yours you’ve been ignoring during the trip?”

 

Scully’s eyes dropped, momentarily taken aback. Was she that transparent? How did he know? Then again, his reputation as one of the FBI’s top profilers wasn’t just for show. “He’s not happy I’m here,” she said quietly, almost to herself. “He didn’t want me taking this job.”

 

Mulder’s smile was wry, knowing. He’d suspected she wouldn’t last. “So, are you quitting?”

 

Scully met his gaze, her eyes narrowing as she held it for a long beat. "Is that what you think?" she said, her voice sharp, almost incredulous. "That just because I’m a woman, I’m supposed to fall in line, quit my job, and rearrange my life to please some guy?" Her tone was laced with irritation, the suggestion itself was both insulting and absurd.

 

Mulder shrugged. “I don’t know. People do all sorts of things for love.” He paused, then softened, his tone less certain.

 

After a long pause, Scully gave a small nod. “That’s the thing… it’s not.”

 

Mulder smiled, turning back to his case files, almost as if he’d won something. But it wasn’t clear what he’d won. A win over Scully? Over himself? The thought made him pause, but only briefly, before he shrugged it off. Why should he care what she did with this guy, anyway? That was her business, not his.

His gaze flicked to her again, still sitting there, eyes locked on the window, lost in thought. She was a lot of things—rational, reserved, determined—but there was something else. Something he couldn’t quite figure out. She was too good at compartmentalizing. Too composed. What if she was just playing this part? Maybe she was a spy, after all. But the longer they spent together, the more he got to know her, the more that theory began to fade. Mulder shook the thought off, forcing his focus back to the case file. But the flicker of suspicion lingered, stubborn and elusive. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about her felt like a puzzle he hadn’t yet solved.

 

 

One week later...

 

Scully walked into the office, carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a file in the other. Mulder was already seated at his desk, hunched over yet another stack of papers, muttering to himself as usual.

 

“Hey, Mulder,” she said, dropping the file on her desk.

 

He glanced up, barely acknowledging her. “Hmm?”

 

She took a sip of her coffee, glancing at the calendar on the wall. It was nearly the end of the week. “Just so you know,” she said, setting the cup down and pulling a few papers from the file, “I’m not going to be here Thursday and Friday.”

 

Mulder didn’t even look up this time. “Vacation?”

 

“Not exactly.” She didn’t bother with an elaborate explanation. “I’m moving.”

 

Mulder’s head snapped up, brows knitting. “Moving? Where?”

 

Scully shrugged, casually dismissing the detail. “Found a place in Georgetown.”

 

He stared at her, blinking for a moment, processing. “Oh, does this have anything to do with the boyfriend?”

 

“Ex-boyfriend,” she interrupted, her tone flat, as if it were a minor detail in a much larger story.

 

Mulder blinked, his expression softening slightly. “Oh. Sorry about that,” he said, though his words seemed more automatic than sincere.

 

“Mm-hmm. I’m not.” Scully flipped through the case file in front of her, clearly not planning on diving deeper into the subject. “Anyways, I’ll be back Monday. Ready to solve whatever bizarre case you have for us.”

 

She returned her attention to the papers, like moving apartments mid-week was the most routine thing in the world. Mulder, still dissecting the news, shook his head in amused disbelief. Then, without really meaning to, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 2: Obnoxious Tom Colton

Notes:

Before you start panicking, don't worry—there are no romantic entanglements between Dana Scully and Tom Colton. I mean, ew! The only reason he's making an appearance is because he managed to get Mulder to act all territorial. So, I guess he's not a total waste of space...

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was midmorning when Mulder walked into the bullpen, the usual stack of paperwork in his hand. He dropped it on the shelf next to him with a small thud, glancing over at Scully, half-expecting to see her buried in her files. But she wasn’t—she was zoning out, her expression distant and thoughtful.

 

"Hey, you want to grab lunch?" he asked casually, leaning against the edge of her cubicle.

 

Scully turned, looking up at him with a small smile. "I can’t today, Mulder. I’ve got plans."

 

"Plans?" Mulder raised an eyebrow, surprised. She was usually as wrapped up in work as he was. Lunch had become a regular routine between them—a chance to break away from the cases, the constant tension that always seemed to linger in the air.

 

"Yeah," she said, glancing at her watch. "I’m meeting an old friend from the academy. Tom Colton. We were in the same cohort. He’s in Violent Crimes section now."

 

Mulder’s stomach tightened. Tom Colton. The name hit him like a cold gust of wind.

 

"Oh, Colton, huh?" he said, his voice a little tighter than usual. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, forcing himself to sound nonchalant. "I didn’t realize you two knew each other."

 

"Yeah," Scully replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. She must have sensed the change in his tone. "Behind his alpha-male façade, he’s actually a good guy. We’ve grabbed coffee a few times when our paths cross."

 

Mulder’s mind raced, though he kept his face carefully neutral. The jealousy twisted in his gut, sour and unwelcome. *Is that what this is about?* he thought. She's single now, maybe Colton's swooping in…

 

"So, this has nothing to do with you being newly single, right?" His voice came out sharper than he'd intended.

 

Scully's expression shifted—her amusement gone. She leaned back in her chair, eyes locking onto his with an intensity that made his stomach tighten even more.

 

"Mulder," she said, her voice calm but firm, "if you’re trying to imply something—"

 

"I’m not implying anything," he cut in quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. "Just… seemed like a weird coincidence, that’s all. You’ve been single for, what, a few weeks now?"

 

Scully’s lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, Mulder worried she might snap at him. But instead, a heavy silence settled between them, the kind that always made him uncomfortable. Finally, she exhaled, clearly exasperated.

 

"Mulder, Tom’s a friend. I work in a male-dominated field. Most of the people I spend time with—colleagues, friends, co-workers, lab mates, partners—are all men. Should I start implying that you and Reggie are dating every time you two go out for happy hour?" She turned back to her desk, her fingers grazing the paperwork, but her eyes stayed locked on him.

 

Mulder stood there, his mind working overtime to process what she’d just said. Jealous? Was that what this was? Jealous of Tom Colton? No. He couldn’t possibly be. But the way Scully’s eyes had softened when she mentioned him, the way she spoke of him with such casual familiarity—it gnawed at him. It made him feel like an outsider, even though he was supposed to be her partner. He turned and walked out of her cube, his mind buzzing with thoughts he didn’t want to have, his heart beating a little too fast for comfort. 

Notes:

Next stop "Dull Rob" :

Should I even try to give this man a last name?