More for Mona
Mona put the last touches on VG's page and then logged on to upload. She liked the quiet of this time of day, hovering somewhere between Sunday night and Monday morning, but neither one nor the other. It was peaceful and serene, a welcome contrast to RL.
She snorted a little at that. RL. She was thinking in internet-speak. Time to shut down the computer and do something else. She thought of the tempting stack of hardcovers she had picked up at the second-hand bookstore. Sudden visions of a warm mug of tea and pillows plumped just ~so~ invaded her slightly tired brain, and she decided to indulge in a little bit of quiet reading.
A soft but firm rap on her front door startled her. For a moment she felt a panic surge within, because late night knocks usually didn't mean anything good, but then a strange feeling of déjà vu settled over her. She scarcely even had to look out the peephole to recognize who it was. She tightened her robe, wondering briefly why they never showed up when she was dressed, or at least wearing something other than terrycloth and flannel, and opened the door.
"Where's the little guy?" she asked.
"Sleeping," the tall man answered with a grin that made her knees turn liquid. Suddenly she was glad of the wooly layers, hoping desperately that they muffled the sudden temperature spike from her all too observant guest. "And after all the stuff you've written, I think you'd be the last person to call him little." The gleam in the frost-blue eyes was beyond wicked.
Mona fanned the blush heating her cheeks. "Uh, right. So, if he's sleeping, what are ~you~ doing here?"
The tall man shifted a bit, holding out the hand he'd been hiding behind his back. A wrapped bouquet of roses perfumed the air between them. She took them from him and buried her face deep into the soft, dark blooms. "Wow. This is nice."
The big guy shrugged. "Yeah, that's what we said. Figured we owed you a thanks." He looked a little awkward, as if such gestures were not usually his style, but there was unmistakable sincerity in his smile.
Mona grinned so wide her cheeks hurt. "Most people just send me an e-mail. This is ~really~ nice."
Her guest hesitated a moment, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "You deserve it. Take care, okay? And keep writing. You've got people depending on you." He was gone so fast that if it weren't for the roses, she never would have believed he'd been there. For a minute or two she just stood there enjoying her flowers, but the sound of her computer running files reminded her that she was still online. Damn.
She was about to log off and shut down when a sudden impulse seized her. She surfed over to her goplay address, and sure enough she had two pieces of mail. The first one was an URL to Virtual Flowers. She followed the link and found herself with a screen full of sunflowers, and the message:< Hey, no matter who's writing, I'm still just a lowly grad student. But if I had the cash, these'd be real. Man, you were awesome. Keep it up, 'cause last night was ~way~ better than getting shot at. TTYL, B>
She smiled, and saved the page to her hard drive. She'd never be able to show it to anyone, really, but it was nice to have the proof, all the same. She sighed happily, and then went back for the other letter.
This time the URL link led her to a virtual postcard site. She laughed aloud at the picture of Niagara Falls, and the short message. She laughed again, knowing darn well who'd sent ~that~ message. Mulder was not a 'kisses' kind of guy. At least, not with anyone other than Alex. She logged off at last, and went about putting her roses in water.
A half an hour later she was sound asleep on perfectly plumped pillows, a well-worn hardcover open across her stomach. All was right with the world.
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End