TITLE: Just Another Transaction 
AUTHOR: aRcaDIaNFall$ 
FEEDBACK: arcadianfalls@yahoo.com.au 
RATING: PG 
SPOILERS: none! 
CLASSIFICATION: H, MSR 
SUMMARY: A different perspective on Mulder and Scully's relationship. 
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I have no idea if ATMs in the US operate differently to
those here in Australia, but please just ignore any inaccuracies and
enjoy the story. :] 
--> http://www.geocities.com/arcadianfalls// 
  
  

Just Another Transaction 
by aRcaDIaNFall$ 
  
  

I seem to be the bane of some people's lives.  

They approach me with impatience, grimacing as they check their
watches, barely glancing at me as we conduct business. Then there's
those who are nervous about approaching, scared by the rundown
neighbourhood. Even at night, despite the bright light shining over my
sign, they try to hurry me, nervous of whatever might jump out of the
night and mug them of the money just landed in their hot little hands. 

There's regulars, hundreds of them who stop by on their way to the
convenience store across the street or the cinemas further down or the
nightclub on the corner. Some of them turn up same time week after
week, month after month. I'm an insitution in their lives. I like that.
Of course, there's some that stop by on their way through town,
strangers who barely glance at me. 

But that doesn't that mean I don't watch them. 
  
  

Strangers. They're talking as they approach me. He's tall, with big,
angular features. She's a good foot shorter, red hair, blue eyes. Both
of them in suits. Wonder who they work for. They don't smell like
bankers, at least. When you work for someone for so long you get that
sense. 

He pauses, searching for his wallet. "I didn't know about the monkey,
okay? I thought the elephant had worked alone." 

Though I'm practically next to her, she ignores me completely as she
stands there, hands on hips. "Mulder, you dragged us across the country
to investigate a psychic elephant. What's next, chasing after wild
geese?" 

"Touche, Scully." He finds his wallet and produces a card, nudging her
aside to feed it into my slot. I politely request his PIN but their
discussion obviously takes higher priority to his transaction. 

"You know, we're here in beautiful San Fransisco and our flight out
isn't for another whole eight hours. What are you complaining about?" 

"I think you pretty much just summed it all up, Mulder." She pats me.
"Just hurry up, okay?" 

"What, you've got somewhere else to be?" 

"My motel room, catching up on some well-deserved sleep." 

He shakes his head mournfully. "Oh, Scully, Scully, Scully... I thought
we could make this a night out on the town." 

Her expression says it all. She crosses her arms, staring hard at him.
He shrugs. "Fine." 

Finally, I get some attention. He turns back to me, jabbing in his PIN
as easily as if spelling out his name. She lets out a cry of "Hey!" and
I realise that she's been watching him. Sheesh. Normally other people
at least pretend to look away when the transaction gets this personal.
I mean, a PIN is a private thing. Watching somebody enter theirs is
like watching them pee. It's just not done. And yet, here she is,
watching him enter his as though it were something as irrelevant as
flipping TV channels. 

"Hey!" she says again. He presses 'enter' but I ignore his request for
the moment, knowing that the processing it requires will distract me
from what is about to transpire. The accusation and amazement in her
tone have me intrigued. 
"Mulder, your PIN is 22364?" 

He looks like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"What about it?" 

"22364? As in, February twenty-third, sixty-four?" 

He looks at her, his mouth moving as if he's trying to answer, then he
quickly turns to face me again. I quickly grunt my way through some
calculations and put up the next screen. He jabs at the withdrawal
button. He's sweating a little as he waits for the next step. He knows
she's watching him, though he can't see the confusion and amusement
playing across her face like I can. 

"Mulder?" She smiles as though she's about to burst out laughing.
"Mulder, your PIN number is my birthday?" 

He's still panicking, but he manages to produce a sheepish grin for
her. Her amusement turns to grinning disbelief, that 'awwwww' pouty
sort of look people get when they see a cute puppy. She's touched. She
finds the fact that he's used her birthday as a PIN romantic. Well, I
guess if a guy is calling you a name like Scully things are bound to
get off to a slow start. 

"How long have you been using it?" 

He clears his throat. He's gone red. Hoo boy, talk about slow start...
"Five years... five and a half. Uhm. Maybe six." 

"So tell me something, Mulder," she says softly. "If you've been using
it for six years, how come you still never manage to remember the
actual date?" 

A nervous chuckle. He turns back to me, entering the amount, choosing
his account type and waiting for me to spit the cash out. But no way.
I'm not going to let him have it that easy. I'm fascinated by this
situation.  

He pulls a face as I process things, chugging along at a leisurely
pace. Hey, I'm entitled to take my time. I work hard, 24-7-365. 

She's waiting for her answer. She wants one. She'll wait all night if
necessarily. And if she will, I will too. Hey, I've always wanted to
figure out pi to the millionth digit. 

"I guess I'm not the easiest person to buy for," she remarks, watching
him. "I guess you, the macho man, would find it too scary to walk into
a store and buy a girl a bottle of her favourite perfume..." 

She's taunting, but there's no malice. There's something flowing
between them like electricity but it sure ain't malice. She's grinning,
and it's not just because this is fun. She just can't get over the fact
that he used her birthdate for his PIN. She loves it. 

"Mulder?" She giggles. Yep, she loves it.  

He's hovering uneasily, not wanting to look at her. She touches his
sleeve, trying to put on a straight face but failing. "Mulder, look at
me." 

He gives me one last, longing gaze, as if expecting me to save him.
Sorry buddy, but I'm on the girl's side. You're not getting the cash
til she gets an answer. 

He turns to look at her. He's getting all defensive, as if afraid she's
going to tear our his heart and stomp it into the floor, but she
reaches up to cup his face in her hands. Then, standing on her tiptoes,
she draws his face down to hers, and she kisses him. 

Now, as you might be able to imagine, this isn't the sort of thing I
get to see every day. Sure, you get the couples who slobber over each
other as they pass by me or wait in line, but never before have I seen
a scene of such sweet simplicity. It's like watching a first kiss.
Heck, that might very well have *been* their first kiss. They're
certainly awkward enough about it, at first. 

She lets go of him but he doesn't relinquish his grip on her hips.
Pretty possessive way he's touching her, if you ask me, but she doesn't
seem to be complaining about it. She's still grinning, like before,
that so-amazed-I-just-might-cry look. He's grinning, too. All that's
missing is the violins. 

Okay, not that I'm incapable of appreciating this momentuous event, but
there's work to be done here, people. This sort of emotional scene
disagrees with my wiring. 

I spit out his card, my most obnoxious beeping accompanying it. He
breaks their gaze sheepishly and grabs the card, then the money and
transaction receipt, shoving them in his wallet. Now he's definately
got something more interesting on his mind. *Well.* Excuse me if I feel
a little slighted, a little used. 

"That's all I've really ever wanted from you for my birthday," she
tells him, smiling. "Maybe that's worth remembering it for." 

He nods, holding up his wallet. "22364. Shouldn't be too hard." 

She tilts her head to the side in acknowledgement and offers him her
hand. "Come on, Mulder. We're in beautiful San Fransisco and our flight
out isn't out for another eight hours. What are we hanging around here
for?" 
  
  

They leave, holding hands, walking close together. Again, I'm
abandoned. Okay, so she forgot that it was me that sent that whole
lovey-dovey chain of events into action and she treated me like I was
just another nameless, faceless, drone of an ATM. I won't hold it
against her. It's a part of the job. Hey, at least I had some fun
watching them, right? 
  

Next transaction, please. 
  

fin.