Ok, this is my first try into non-conspiracy stories :) I got this idea, and now I want to run with it.

DISCLAIMER: Mulder, Scully, Pendrell, Skinner and any other XF characters I borrow belong to 10-13 productions, CC&co, and FOX Television. All songs, movies, television shows, and books belong to their appropriate owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The story is mine though. Also any other characters I choose to make up :) Muscoot actually does exist, up here in NY. Not down there, I changed it a little, but it's basically the same :)

WARNING: If you're totally against Scully having a relationship with anyone but Mulder, skip this :)

GETTING A LIFE

by Rachel Ehrentreu

FirePhile@aol.com

Dana Scully sighed and sat down in the movie theater chair. She finally had some off time. In which she intended to do absolutely nothing. She did not want to think during this vacation, she just wanted to vegetate in front of a movie or television screen. Scully had decided to see Mission Impossible, mainly because she thought Tom Cruise was very attractive. She was wearing casual clothes and felt more free then she had in a while. The jean shorts and loose T-shirt were a welcome change from the oppressing suits she was forced to wear in her job. Dana Scully was a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigations. She, along with her partner Fox Mulder, investigated cases that involved unexplainable phenomena, called X-Files. Their cases included mutants, serial killers, alien abductions, missing people, etc.

However, she managed to put all that out of her mind, when the movie started. Tom Cruise was just as good looking as ever. The story was interesting without being too hard to figure out. The ending was explosive and exciting. When the lights finally came back on, Scully was loath to give up the calm world of the movies. Sitting in the theater, surrounded by strangers, she felt incredibly comfortable. As if the problems in her real life did not exist. When she stood up and walked out into the sunshine, she would be going back to her life. Which, she realized as she slowly stood up, was pretty much non-existent.

She opened up the door to the movie theater and stepped outside. The humid air hit her immediately. It was an unwelcome change from the cold theater. The sun blinded her as she scanned the parking lot for her car. She put a hand up above her eyes to block the sun, so that helped a little. It didn't make any sense, the car was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to where she parked the car, but the space was empty. It was then she noticed that all the cars in the parking lot had the "club" on them. Scully's car didn't, because if she had to be somewhere in hurry, she did not have the time to take off the steering wheel blocker. So, she walked around the parking lot, thinking that maybe the movie had made her forget exactly where she had parked her car. However, it soon became apparent that it was stolen.

She took her cellular phone out of her handbag, she never went anywhere without it and dialed the number for the local police station.

"Yeah?" A gruff voice answered.

"Hi, I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, and my car was just stolen out of the movie theater parking lot."

"So you want to file a stolen property report?" The man on the other end asked.

"Yes, I would."

"Make of car?"

"1996 Grey Ford Taurus."

"Licence Plate?"

"I don't remember, but it does have US government plates." Scully said somewhat embarrassed. Actually, it was a new car, she had just gotten it a few days before.

"Anything else you can tell me about it?"

"No, sorry, it was a new car."

"Is there a number I can reach you at?"

"Yes, 555-6431." Scully said.

"Ok, if we find anything, we'll call you." The man said, then hung up.

Scully sighed and pressed end on her phone. There was nothing she could do about the car now.

A thought occurred to her and she quickly searched her handbag. She saw something, then breathed a sigh of relief. She had remembered to take her badge and ID with her. The last thing Scully needed, was to have some teenage kids get a hold of her badge. The ID card isn't very hard to make a fake of, but the badge is. It could have caused a lot of trouble. Then she turned her mind to the more immediate problem, her car had vanished. Her mind quickly flashed to who she could call for help. Mulder was out, he was off on assignment. Even if he wasn't, he would tease her about this to no end. Her Mom didn't have a car. Actually, most people she knew were out of town for the weekend. It was then she saw a familiar face.

"Agent Pendrell!" She called from across the parking lot. Pendrell looked around, the voice sounded familiar. Then he saw the source of the voice, she was dressed differently, but he would recognize her shoulder length red hair anywhere. He was just about to open up his 1995 black Nissan.

"Agent Scully, what can I do for you?" He asked nervously.

Scully walked over to him. "Someone stole my car while I was in the theater." She motioned towards an empty parking space.

"Want a ride home?" Pendrell asked opening up his car door.

Scully considered the offer. A taxi would be too expensive and he was her only shot at getting home. "Sure." She said somewhat reluctantly and got into the car.

"Am I out of your way?"

"Where do you live?"

"Annapolis, Maryland."

"That's on my way." Pendrell lied, his home was actually in a different direction completely.

"Oh, ok then." Scully said as she closed the door and put on her seatbelt. Pendrell started the car and they drove off.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Pendrell spoke. "What movie did you see?"

The break in silence was welcome. "Mission Impossible." Scully answered, nice light conversation, she could handle this.

"Did you like it?"

"It was good. A little far fetched, but most of those movies are." Scully answered.

"Yes, they are."

A period of silence followed. "So what movie did you see?"

"The Rock."

"The one about the FBI?" Scully had heard about the movie and it had gotten pretty good reviews. But the worst way to escape work is to see a movie about it.

"Yes, the one with the FBI. It was funny though. Sean Connery's character threw the FBI Director off the roof."

"Really?" Scully said trying to hide a smile. She could just imagine the director falling to his death.

"Yes, but he didn't die. Connery's character had him hanging by his wrist from a rope He broke the director's wrist."

That was even a funnier image, imagining the director hanging from a building by a rope around his wrist. Scully had to smile. "Sounds like a good movie."

"It was." Pendrell smiled at her. Scully felt him looking at her, but it wasn't a bad thing. It had been a very long time since anyone had looked at her like that. She thought for a little bit and then smiled back at him.

"What are you doing for dinner tonight?" Pendrell blurted out. He couldn't believe he had just asked her that.

Scully thought about her answer. It had been a while since she was on a date and he seemed like a nice enough person. "Nothing, why?"

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Pendrell said quickly. There, he had asked her. Although, he wished he could take it back.

Scully glanced over at the shy computer expert. He was kind of cute, not too tall, had wavy short reddish hair and a goofy smile. The smile is probably what made him seem like a nerd to her. Then again, if life had taught Scully anything, it was you can't a judge a book by its cover. Or something along those lines.

She smiled. Going out to dinner with Pendrell had to more interesting then her usual Saturday night. Which was ordering out pizza and watching a movie on cable alone. "Yes." She answered.

Pendrell almost stopped the car he was so surprised. "You will?" He asked making sure.

"Yes, I will." Scully said. There was something very endearing about a man flabbergasted and tongue tied over her.

"Ok, what kind of food do you want?" Pendrell asked, trying to get control over himself.

"You choose." Scully said. She couldn't decide what kind of food she was in the mood for.

Pendrell thought for a second, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness. "Pizza?"

Scully almost laughed, well, at least she wouldn't be alone. "Sure, pizza sounds fine." She smiled to herself.

"I know a great Italian restaurant." Pendrell said quickly and nervously.

"Where?"

"A couple of miles away. It's called Muscoot's. I go there a lot, we should get a table quickly." Pendrell smiled. He had almost gotten to the point where he didn't feel like a nervous teenager around her.

"That sounds great." Scully said. "Is it formal?" Sounded like they needed reservations.

"No, not at all. Very casual." Pendrell laughed a little.

Scully nodded. She was nervous, for starters, she had no idea what to talk about with Pendrell. First date conversation was usually boring, a mini-autobiography of your date's life. The last thing Scully wanted to talk about, was her life. However, the first twenty or so years were not bad at all. It was only the past couple of years that were painful to discuss.

Pendrell reached over and flipped on the radio. It was getting dark out.

They drove for 15 more minutes, then turned off at Exit 7. They drove on that for about 15 more minutes then turned onto Smith Avenue. From Smith they turned onto Oak Road. At the end of Oak Road was a small restaurant with a lot of cars out in front of it. Next to the restaurant was a small ice cream stand.

The restaurant had a red and white sign over it that read "MUSCOOT'S". It was partially surrounded by trees. Pendrell stopped the car and opened his door. He then went around and opened up Scully's door. Scully stepped out and they walked into the restaurant. Unlike most restaurants Scully had been to, this one did not have any distinction between the door area and the bar. The left side of the restaurant was taken up by a wooden bar where a softball team sat around celebrating their victory that day. A door to the left of the bar probably led to the kitchen. A lone female bartender, dressed in jeans and a Muscoot T-shirt stood behind the bar pouring drinks. Above the bar and to the right sat a 30 inch television with cable. A baseball game was on. Every table in the small place was being used.

Near the bar area was a sign-in sheet. There were many names on the sheet, some were crossed out and there was a time next to those that were crossed out. Near the front was an old aluminum and brass covered furnace. Scully could imagine the warmth it gave in winter. There was no need for it to be used now. Pendrell walked over and signed his name on the sheet.

"It may be about 15 minutes or so. Do you want a drink?" Pendrell said over the din of the crowd.

"I'll have a Samuel Adams." Scully said to him. He then went to the bar to get her drink. He came back a minute or so later, he had one for himself also. He handed her the mug and she took it.

Scully took a sip. She could not think of a single thing to talk about. After about five minutes, she spoke. "You can call me Dana if you like. What's your first name?" He had told her once, but those kinds of things slipped out of her mind quickly.

"Sure, Dana, call me Brian." Pendrell felt odd using her first name, but he realized last names were sort of out of place on a date.

A minute or so later, a waitress called out. "Pendrell!" Pendrell raised his hand and they walked towards the waitress. The waitress led them a few feet to a table, where they sat down. It was only while sitting down that Scully noticed the floor was not quite even. It was angled down slightly. The table was covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth and condiments. The waitress left two menus. There was also a board listing the day's specials on the wall directly across from them.

"So, what's good here?" Scully asked.

"I'd recommend the pizza." Pendrell glanced down at his menu.

"Fine, what toppings?"

"Any you want." He said, eager to please.

"Everything." Scully smiled. She had drunk about half her mug of beer.

"Ok." Pendrell waved over the waitress who smiled and wrote down the order. He also ordered a pitcher of beer. After the waitress left, they started to talk.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything but work." Scully said quite seriously.

"Agreed." Pendrell said, he didn't want to talk about work either.

"Did you grow up around here?" Scully asked, it was the first question she could think of.

"No, I'm originally from New York. How about you?"

"I've lived in so many different places, I am not really sure where I grew up. My dad had a job that made us move a lot." She explained.

"Really, what was that?"

"He was a captain in the Navy." Scully wished she hadn't brought up the subject of her father. That was something else she did not really want to talk about. So, she quickly changed the subject. "Read any good books?"

Pendrell was a bit confused at the change of subjects. Then he realized that her father must not a be a topic she wants to discuss. "Not lately, unless you consider computer manuals interesting." He picked up his mug of beer and took another sip. Scully did the same.

They talked for a few more minutes idly, then the pizza arrived. It was larger then Scully expected and very hot. It was served on a raised metal platter which was put in the center of the table. Pendrell decided to risk getting burned and got Scully a piece of pizza. She thanked him and took a bite. The pizza was really quite good, crunchy and soft at the same time. The toppings were fresh and perfect. It was better then take-out. They ate in relative silence. One thing Scully noticed was how neat Pendrell was with his pizza. The toppings hadn't fallen off onto his plate and he wasn't taking huge bites either. A few times, he put down his slice and drank more of his beer. A few times, she did the same. The next couple of slices went pretty quickly. So did the pitcher of beer. By the time dinner was over, they realized they had both eaten three slices of pizza. They mutually agreed to leave the two leftover.

"That was really good." Scully said standing up after Pendrell had paid the check. He had insisted and since she did not have enough money anyway, had let him. The only problem was, they were both slightly drunk. Scully was feeling lightheaded and free. Which, her rational mind told her was the effect of the alcohol on her system. Pendrell seemed a little giddy also.

"Maybe we should sit in the car a hour or so and let the effects of the alcohol wear off." Scully suggested. She didn't think that Pendrell was too drunk to drive, but if a cop pulled them over and gave him a breathalizer test, chances are he wouldn't pass. Scully did not want to spend the night in the police station.

"That's a good idea." Pendrell agreed so they walked to the car. Pendrell opened up the passenger door and Scully got in and closed the door behind her. Pendrell opened his door and closed the door behind him.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Pendrell asked her.

"Where did you go to college?" It was a dumb question, but one that she would like the answer to.

"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was recruited from there. Where did you go to school?"

"I did my undergraduate work at U of Maryland. Then I went to John Hopkins for my medical degree. I was recruited out of medical school."

"What's your medical specialty?"

"Forensic pathology. I don't have living patients." Well, that wasn't actually true, but she didn't feel like bringing up Mulder.

"I can see why you were recruited. I work with mostly inanimate objects. Help solve technical crimes and work with evidence. The most life I see in my line of work, is a blood or tissue sample." Pendrell realized they were talking about work, but since neither one of them had much of a life, work was all they really had.

"I sometimes wish I had a job like yours. You live in a glass jar, your life isn't threatened, your faith isn't tested, people you love haven't been killed..." Scully trailed off, the alcohol was making her say too much.

"I did lose people I love." He told her very simply. She looked up at him, her eyes questioning.

"My father was a prosecutor and he put Renzala behind bars."

"The famous mafia godfather?" Scully questioned, she had heard of him before.

"Yes, and a month or so after the trial, my brother, sister, father and mother were all sitting at home watching the television. I was upstairs." Pendrell had no idea why he was sharing this with her. It was too personal, but he wanted for some odd reason, to tell her.

"A little after 10 pm, there was a knock on our door. I heard my mother get up to answer it." Pendrell stopped for a second, closing his eyes and then reopening them.

"They shot her, then, according to the investigators, walked into the house and killed the rest of my family, saving my father for last. They didn't think to check upstairs. I didn't even know anything was wrong until I came down an hour or so later for a glass of soda..." Pendrell felt his eyes starting to water. He couldn't help it, as much as he wanted to control his emotions he couldn't.

"Is that why you joined the FBI?" Scully asked gently. Her face was a mixture of sympathy and sadness. As horrible as her life experiences had become, at least she still had her mom and her two brothers. She could not even begin to imagine what it was like to lose an entire family.

Pendrell nodded slightly. "My dad always wanted me to be a lawyer, but after that, I didn't want to risk the exposure. So, I went into a related area of justice. Every time I see evil locked away or killed, my faith in our justice system is strengthened. I fervently hope that those responsible for my family's death are dead or at least suffering. If I was a different type of man, I would have gone after them myself, but I'm not a vigilante." He looked down, afraid to meet her eyes after such an emotional confession.

"I know what you mean." Scully answered softly and she felt her own eyes start to sting. Pendrell lifted his head and looked at her. Unconsciously, they moved closer together. Both felt an almost undeniable attraction. Pendrell reached out and ran his hand through her hair, he had been imagining it for a long time. She moved closer to him, he caressed her cheek and she kissed the palm of his hand. She leaned in and kissed him, he kissed her back. She put her arms around his neck and they kissed for a long time. Her emotions surged and she wanted him right there. However, she reluctantly released him. He moved back over to the driver's side and she moved to the passengers widow. She had really enjoyed the kiss and the contact, he was stronger then he looked. She smiled at him. He grinned at her.

"I think the alcohol has worn off, don't you Dana?" Pendrell smiled at her as he started the car.

"Yes, I do Brian." Scully attached her seatbelt. They drove off.

They talked the entire ride home, mostly about nothing, but both were enjoying it.

It was almost too soon that they reached Scully's apartment. They quickly exchanged phone numbers and kissed goodnight.

"Bye Brian." Scully said while getting out of the car.

"Bye Dana." Pendrell said. He waited until she closed the door and was walking up the steps to her apartment. He then drove off, happier then he had been in a long time.

Scully ran up the steps to her apartment still smiling. She opened up her door quickly, tossed the keys aside and then picked up the phone. She checked the time, it was only around 11:30. She knew exactly who to call.

"Hello?"

"El? It's Dana."

"Hey Dana, isn't it a little late?"

"Yes it is El, but I just came back from a date."

"With who?"

"Brian from work. He was really nice. This could be a relationship El."

"Oh, that's great Dana! One step closer to actually having a life."

Scully laughed. "True El, true."

"Well listen, I have to go, I'll call you tomorrow, I want to hear all the details."

"Sure, I'll be home all day tomorrow anyway."

"Talk to you then, Bye Dana!"

"Bye El!" Scully hung up the phone. She walked over to the mirror. Her lips were a little swollen and her hair was a little disheveled. But she smiled at her own reflection. She had his number and she knew he was going to call tomorrow. "Keep this one Dana." She told her reflection. She walked into her bedroom laughing slightly while getting ready for bed.