THE LETTER TexxasRose (a.k.a. Laura Castellano) August 1998 laurita_castellano@yahoo.com This story was written in August, 1998. It was my first piece of fanfic, and reading it over now I wince at the romance-novel type characterization. At the time, I was far more familiar with fanfic than with the actual show. However, some people seem to like it, so I'm re-posting it in response to requests. Archive: Sure, if you want it RATING: R SPOILERS: Anything through Season 5 is fair game Disclaimer: If I owned Fox Mulder, I'd keep him much too busy to solve cases. If I owned Dana and Maggie Scully, they'd be my shopping buddies. If I owned Walter Skinner...well I don't know what I'd do with him, but I'd put him to good use somehow...But they all belong to Chris Carter, 1013, yada yada yada...you know the drill. GUARANTEE: Always MSR, always a happy ending. Really. Trust me. ********** Part 1 ********** Dana Scully was exhausted. Her feet were sore, her head ached, and the feeling in her behind had long since left her. She'd been sitting for the better part of a week, and to an active FBI field agent like herself it was torture. It had been a desperately long week. She'd flown out to San Francisco from DC on Monday evening to attend a three day medical conference, and now, after listening to her colleagues drone on and on about things that she couldn't bring herself to find fascinating any longer (because--and Scully had to admit it was true--everything paled in comparison to flukemen) she was starved for fresh air, exercise, and mostly for the company of a man that she missed terribly. Her lips curved in a smile as she thought of Mulder. They had been friends and partners for several years, but in the three months since they had become lovers, their whole attitudes toward each other had changed. There was a feeling of possessiveness that had not been there before. Well, maybe it had been there, she decided, thinking of her own jealousy on a couple of occasions, but now it was appropriate. She now had a right to feel possessive of Mulder. He was hers. All hers. She was, Scully reflected, the luckiest woman in the world. She was heading for her rental car in the conference center parking lot, thoughts of Mulder and what she wanted to be doing to him right then occupying her mind completely, when she heard a voice calling her name. "Dana! Hey Dana, wait up!" Sighing, Scully mentally re-dressed Mulder and shook herself back to the present. Turning around to locate the voice, she was met with the smiling face of a man she had not seen in years. A man she had once been rather close to. Had once thought, although briefly, might be the man she wanted to marry. His was not a face she particularly wanted to see again, but it was the first halfway familiar one she had seen all week. "Anthony Franklin! What on earth are you doing here?" she exclaimed, a too-bright smile on her face. If Mulder had been there, in all his perceptiveness, he would have seen through her delighted act in a heartbeat. Anthony would never pick up on it. They had been classmates in medical school, and their relationship had burned bright and furious for about six months. They had parted, on friendly terms at least, when he had found someone else. Scully supposed she should have been more upset about losing Anthony, but the truth was that her interest in him had long since waned. There were aspects of his personality that she had never been able to reconcile to her own, and while the sex was good, she had already decided he wasn't the man for her. Things had actually worked out quite nicely when Anthony met Beth. Saved her the trouble of having to find a kind way to break it off. "I was attending the conference, and I couldn't believe my good fortune when I saw your red head across the room. I had to run to catch up with you, though," he joked. "You in that much of a hurry to get back to D.C.?" Scully politely refrained from rolling her eyes. Anthony always talked like that--'couldn't believe my good fortune'--like someone out of a bad novel. "Well, actually, yes I am in sort of a hurry. I've been missing...home," she told him. Leave me alone, her inner voice said. Leave me alone and let me get back to my hotel so I can talk to Mulder. I was almost finished unbuttoning his shirt when you interrupted me! "Home? Or is it a man you're missing?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. "Have you gotten yourself married yet?" Anthony always did know how to come right to the point. No social finesse for him. It was one of the things she had always found vulgar about him. Her mother had taught her that some questions simply weren't polite to ask in any context, but Anthony's parents had apparently neglected to instill similar conversational niceties in him. She bit back a retort and decided the easiest way to get rid of him was to simply answer his question truthfully. "Well no, not quite married, but I am involved with someone, and I do want to get back to him." Dana thought of Mulder, waiting at home for her. He had sounded so miserably lonely on the phone that morning, and he had promised her a welcome home that had made her body tingle all the way down to her toes. She couldn't wait to get back and show him just how much she had missed him during the past few days. He had never really left her thoughts for more than a few moments since she had gotten on the plane. Looking back to wave at him, she'd had to choke back her tears. It had surprised and amazed Scully to witness her reaction to being separated from Mulder. It wasn't like her to display her emotions so easily, but their relationship was so new that even being parted for an hour was difficult. An entire work week seemed like eternity. "When do you leave?" Anthony again interrupted her thoughts and she grudgingly released her mental image of Mulder's delicious bare chest. "Uh, not until tomorrow. I figured by the end of this day I'd be too worn out for a long flight. Right now I'm just planning to go back to my hotel and crash." Take a hint, her mind pleaded with him. Take a hint and leave me alone! "What about dinner?" He asked. "I know I'm starving after listening to that last speaker drone on for two hours." He saw her hesitate and said, "Come on, Dana. My treat. We can catch up on old times." Ah, what the hell, Scully thought. She hadn't eaten that day at all, and was beginning to feel a familiar weakness creep throughout her body which grew stronger at the mention of food. "Well...now that you mention it, I did skip lunch. Yeah, I think I'd like that." She had to admit she was somewhat curious about what his life had been like during the past few years. Maybe he won't ask too much about my life, she thought wryly. Or lack of a life, at least until the past few months. Her romance with Mulder was much too new, too personal and precious to discuss with this man who was now practically a stranger to her. She followed him to the restaurant in her rental. He had wanted to drive her there, but Scully decided this way, if things got too deadly boring, she could make a quick and graceful getaway. Mulder was expecting her call at nine o'clock, DC time, and she could already tell she was going to be cutting it close. Mulder was not the kind of man one wanted to keep waiting. He got anxious when he didn't hear from her. Since her disappearance he still tended to treat her as though she was as fragile as glass sometimes. There were days it irritated her and days she found it comforting. At this point she missed him so much that all she could think about was him naked in her arms anyway. Maybe spending an hour or two with Anthony would help her get through this last, long night without Mulder. To her surprise, Scully enjoyed the evening more than she thought she would. Anthony had kept up with several of their old classmates, and was able to fill her in on the gossip about all of them. With a little nudge of self-mockery she wondered if, later on, he would fill them in on the gossip about her. She had a couple of uncustomary glasses of wine with her dinner, and found herself unwinding in a way she had not done all week. Little by little, Scully began to remember what had attracted her to Anthony in the first place. He could be incredibly self-centered at times, but he had a good sense of humor, and they had a lot in common. Plus, he was a damn fine looking man. The talk at their table flowed easily, and she lost track of the time. Later, after dinner--after they had covered just about every topic of conversation except their respective relationships, after the waiter brought dessert and coffee--Scully decided to go for it. She was intensely curious as to whether Anthony was still married to the woman he had dumped her for. Not that she cared after all these years, but still, no woman likes to be ditched. Although it couldn't really be called a ditch, she reminded herself, since she had been looking for a way to cut him loose at the same time. Perhaps it was more accurately described as a 'mutually beneficial separation'. "So Anthony, how is Beth doing? Any little Franklins yet?" The instant she asked the question, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. The look on his face revealed that all was not wonderful in paradise. He hesitated for a minute. "Things are...not so good, Dana." He rubbed a finger along the edge of the table nervously, barely meeting her eyes. Her sober self wanted to remind Scully that what Mulder called her 'bullshit barometer' was beginning to register high amounts of fecal activity in the area, but her sober self wasn't really in the driver's seat at that point. Poor guy, she thought. Too bad he can't be as happy as I am. She didn't know what to say, so she just gave him a sympathetic smile. He seemed to take that as a cue to go on. "We had only been together about six months when I realized I was married to a control freak. She always has to know exactly where I am, who I'm with, what I'm doing...and then half the time she doesn't believe me when I tell her the truth. I think she's--unbalanced," he said delicately. His fingers had left the table edge and had begun circling the rim of his still almost full wine glass. Unbalanced? Her eyebrow shot up in disbelief, but she wasn't about to accuse him of exaggerating. Scully had known Beth, though, and terms like 'unbalanced' and 'control freak' didn't exactly describe the sweet-natured girl who had lured Anthony away from her. Opting for humor, Scully grinned. "Sounds a lot like Mulder," she cracked. Then she stopped, realizing that he was really, honestly serious. Wildly Scully cast around her memory for the correct etiquette when an old friend tells you his wife is a lunatic. "I'm really sorry about that, Anthony. But if things have been bad for that long, then why--?" She stopped again, knowing the question wasn't polite, but needing to know the answer. Why did someone stay in an abusive relationship? Especially a man? "Why do I stay with her? I'm afraid to leave," he said simply. "And I suppose on some level I still love her." Anthony took a small sip from the glass in his hand. His eyes took on a faraway look and his voice deepened slightly. "I know it sounds so weird coming from a guy," he admitted. "It's usually the woman who is afraid of a controlling spouse, but I just--well I really don't know what she'd do if I left. I don't want to find out." He set his wine glass down abruptly, spilling a couple of drops of the blood-red liquid on the white tablecloth, and Scully jumped, startled at the movement. "Gee, Anthony, I really don't know what to say. I'm sorry..." She felt uneasy with the direction this conversation was taking, but was at a loss as to how she could redirect their dialogue into more comfortable channels. Apparently Anthony felt it as well, because he turned the tables on her quickly. "So tell me about this guy you're involved with. How...involved are you?" His lids partially concealed the spark of jealousy in his eyes, and Scully's slight intoxication kept her from noticing the way he sat back in his chair and regarded her thoughtfully, almost predatorily. She smiled. "Completely, totally involved," she told him happily. "Mulder is--well, he's just Mulder. He's...quite individual," she explained, seeing his look of confusion. "Mulder? That's his name?" "That's his last name. He...doesn't care for his first name, so most of his friends just call him Mulder." "What is his first name?" Anthony asked curiously. Scully hesitated for a moment, then thought, what the hell, it's a great name! "Fox," she said simply. He had abandoned the wine for his coffee cup and at the revelation of his rival's name Anthony almost spewed his coffee all over her. "You're kidding! Fox? What kind of parents name their kid Fox?" Scully's eyes narrowed and she barely contained her anger at him for poking fun at Mulder's name. She had no idea why Bill and Tina Mulder had named their son 'Fox', but she, for one, was glad they had. Although she called him 'Mulder', according to his wishes, she secretly thought of him as 'Fox', and had for a long time. Ever since the night early in their partnership when he had jumped down her throat for calling him by his first name, Scully had taken gaining permission to do so as a personal challenge. "I even made my parents call me Mulder" indeed! she had thought scornfully at the time. She had, of course, since learned that it was as she had suspected--a clumsy lie meant to maintain what he regarded as a comfortable distance between them. His parents had never called him anything but 'Fox'. Well, perhaps they had called him a few other things, but certainly not 'Mulder'. "A unique name for a unique man," she said lightly, hiding her irritation. "Do you two live together?" Zap, right to the point again! Anthony wasn't pulling any punches. She sighed quietly. She wished she had listened to her first impulse and refused to have dinner with him. "Well, not really." Scully was getting a little annoyed at Anthony's personal questions. "We still have our own separate apartments, but we do spend most of our time together in one or the other of them. Speaking of Mulder," she went on, standing quickly and grabbing up her purse, "I really need to get back to the hotel. He'll be expecting me to call." "I suppose should give Beth a call, too," Anthony said heavily as they opened the doors of their respective cars. "She'll probably think I'm out having an affair if I don't." He looked like he might want to say more, but Scully was in her car and driving off before he had a chance. Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, she sped up a little. Mulder was going to be driven to distraction with worry. She was over an hour late with her call to him. As soon as she reached the sanctity of her hotel room, Scully kicked off her shoes, changed out of her business suit into a comfortable t-shirt and shorts, and reached for the telephone. Before she could pick up the receiver, it rang. "Mulder?" she asked, snatching up the phone eagerly. "Hey Dana, it's me." Disappointment flooded over her as she realized it was Anthony's voice on the other end of the line, not Mulder's. "Anthony. What is it?" she asked, closing her eyes in exasperation. She just wanted this man from her past to get out of her life so she could talk to the man she loved and missed terribly. Is it too much to ask? Just to talk to Mulder for a few minutes? "Nothing, really, I just wondered if I could get your home address. We could do Christmas cards or something. I just--it was really nice to see you again, Dana, and I don't want to lose track of you." The sultry tone in his voice made her uncomfortable, and she felt a hot flush spread over her body. Surely Anthony didn't really think they had anything to keep in touch for! "Anthony," she began, "I really don't think--" "C'mon, Dana. Please?" She swallowed her aggravation at him and fought to remain civil. "Uh, sure, OK," she said, reading off her address so he could write it down. She briefly considered giving him a false address, but that just seemed too mean. After all, she asked herself, what harm could a Christmas card now and then do? Mulder would understand about that. After he had finished, she said, "I really need to go now, Anthony." She tried not to sound too abrupt, but if she didn't get to talk to Mulder soon, Scully was afraid she was going to explode. Not to mention what this unnecessary delay was probably doing to Mulder. "Yeah, I know, gotta call Mulder, right?" "Right, I really do need to call him right now. He was expecting my call over an hour ago." "OK, well, goodbye. Oh, and Dana?" "Yes," she asked, with more than a touch of impatience creeping into her voice. "If you ever get tired of this Mulder guy--call me." "Goodbye, Anthony," she said firmly, putting down the phone. "Creep!" she said aloud after she had hung up. "I don't suppose it matters to you that we are both in a committed relationship!" She immediately picked the telephone up again and dialed her apartment, which was where Mulder had been when she had talked to him that morning. She smiled when she remembered what he had said to her. Sleeping in your bed is the next best thing to sleeping with you. She felt herself growing tingly all over when she thought of his hands on her, his mouth... After six rings her answering machine clicked on. "Mulder, it's me. Are you there?" When he didn't pick up, she hung up the phone and called his apartment. Maybe he had gone back there. ********** Mulder paced in the small confines of his living room, occasionally bouncing his basketball against the floor. He kept one eye on the clock on his desk at all times. He had a really bad feeling about this. Nine o'clock. She had said she would call at nine on the dot. And she had the last two nights. Now it was ten-thirty and the phone still had not rung. He had tried calling her hotel room earlier and gotten no answer. All the little excuses he had made up for her in his mind had slowly slipped away with each passing minute, and now he was just trying to keep himself from becoming frantic with worry. Calm down, Mulder, he told himself. You know Scully. You trust her. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation why her call is late--an hour and a half late!--and when the phone rings, she will give it to you. And you will be understanding. And you will both laugh about it. Just because she is a little late with a phone call doesn't mean anything is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Nothing has happened to her. Please, oh please let nothing have happened to her! Ringing broke into his thoughts, and he tossed the basketball aside, grabbing the phone before it could ring a second time. The expression on his face was almost heart-breaking. ********** "Mulder!" he barked into the telephone. "Hey, it's me," she said softly. "Scully, where have you been? I've been worried sick!" He suddenly found his legs would no longer support him, and weakly he sank down onto his couch. Mulder had refused to allow himself to consider the very worst possibilities when she was late with her call, but now he realized that his subconscious mind had been replaying them over and over again, and now that he knew she was safe his relief was almost a palpable thing. "Really, Mulder, it's not that late. I met up with an old friend and we had dinner." She spoke lightly, hoping to ease him out of the mood that he was obviously on the brink of. Instantly he regretted his terseness. "I'm sorry, Scully. It's just that I miss you so much. I've been waiting for your call all day, and when it didn't come on time, I started imagining all kinds of horrible things..." She knew exactly what was going through his mind. I can't bear to lose you again, he had told her so often. She knew he was thinking of Duane Barry. All she wanted right at this particular moment was to be able to put her arms around him and comfort him, tell him she was sorry for worrying him so, and since that wasn't possible Scully decided to wrap him in the solace of her words instead. "Mulder, I'm right here, safe and sound, locked in my hotel room, wishing you were here next to me," she reassured him. "I'm really sorry about not calling sooner, but I just didn't realize that you would be quite this worried." She crossed her fingers as she told the lie. She hadn't wanted to cause him distress, but it had been practically unavoidable, and Scully thought the best way to deal with it now was to put it behind them quickly. "Most guys wouldn't be, I suppose," he said, berating himself yet again for his overprotective feelings toward her. He knew she hated it when he let that side of himself take the reins, but he just couldn't help it. Dana Scully brought out all the chivalrous, non-nineties-kind-of-guy feelings in him. He wanted to watch over her, take care of her, and always keep her safe from harm. Most of all, he never, never, never wanted to have to live without her again. "Our situation is unique, Mulder. I didn't think. I won't do this to you again, I promise." Her voice was soft and gentle, telling him she understood everything he was thinking. She could hear his small sigh of relief from hundreds of miles away. Mulder knew that when Scully made a promise, no matter how small, she kept it. "So, tell me about this old friend," he said lightly, changing the subject. "Was she someone from college?" "Well, actually, it's a 'he', and I knew him in medical school." Scully closed her eyes, imagining his reaction to this news. To say that Mulder was jealous was...well...'understatement' wasn't a strong enough word. He was just so insecure sometimes. He tried to hide it by being flippant, but she knew him inside and out. He could never fool her, not anymore. Hadn't been able to for a long time. "I see." He didn't know what else to say. He was irritated at himself for being jealous, but he couldn't help feeling a knife through his heart at her words. Get a grip, he told himself, taking a deep breath. She loves you, not this other guy. She's said so a hundred times. On the other hand... "Scully, I'm not sure I want to hear about this," he objected. "Not when you're so far away from me and he's right there in the same town!" "Mulder, don't you know I love you more than life itself?" Her quiet question caught him off guard, but it made him tingle all over. This was one of the reasons he loved Scully. She always knew what to say. Always. "I don't know, I'm kind of insecure," he teased. "Maybe you should tell me more." "You are the only reason I have for getting up in the morning. You are the only thing that gives my life meaning. You are the wind beneath my wings," she intoned, smiling sarcasm evident in her voice. "You are--" "OK, OK, I'll stop acting like a jealous boyfriend," he sighed. "Mulder, you bring new meaning to the word 'jealous'!" Scully pointed out. "Aw, Scully, I seem to remember you having had your jealous moments too," he protested. "Remember that Detective White person?" "I was not jealous of her!" Scully insisted. "Just because she was all over you, and you weren't doing anything to stop her--" "Scully, the woman practically tried to rape me! She threw me down on that bed like some kind of animal and was on top of me in an instant! Thank goodness you arrived in time to save my virtue," he added piously, before breaking down into hopeless laughter, Scully joining him, giggling furiously. "Look," she continued when their laughter had subsided, "I'll be home tomorrow afternoon, and then I promise to show you just how much I have missed you, OK?" "Only if you'll let me return the favor," he said, already planning how he would like to welcome her home. "I'll wait for you at your place. It's cleaner." Scully smiled at his practicality. It would be difficult to find the bed in Mulder's apartment, she knew, since she hadn't been there all week to encourage him to put his clean laundry away. "It's a deal, Partner. Now, I'm exhausted and I have an early flight, so we better hang up so I don't oversleep and miss it." "That would put a serious kink in my plans for the weekend," he said gravely. Then, very softly, "I love you, Dana." "I love you too, Fox," she whispered, and then hung up quickly before he could berate her for using his first name. He hated it, she loved it, it was an ongoing debate between them. One day, she vowed, one day you are always going to be 'Fox' to me. Mulder stared at the receiver, grinning. Little devil, he thought. God, how he missed her. Stretching out on his couch, flicking on the television, he prepared himself for a long night of waiting. Just waiting for her to come home to him. He knew he would sleep eventually, but not soon. ********** One Month Later "Scully, I've got your mail," Mulder called to her from the living room, as he was returning from his morning run. He tossed a pile of bills, flyers, etc. at Scully, and a letter fell out. Picking it up off the floor, he noticed the return address, mostly because it was written by hand rather than printed like all the junk mail they normally received. The letter was addressed to 'Dana Scully' (rather than 'Occupant'), and it was from someone named 'A. Franklin'. "Hey, Scully, you got an actual letter! I didn't think people wrote them anymore." He grinned, seeing her look of bewilderment. Scully was in the middle of cooking them a fantastic Saturday morning breakfast, and she looked up curiously as he entered the kitchen. "No one does write them anymore, Mulder, at least not to me. I wonder who it could be?" Recognition dawned as she caught sight of the return address. She knew immediately who the letter was from, and she began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Praying that Mulder wouldn't ask any questions, she turned back to her cooking. She should have known that for Mulder not to ask questions, he would have to be in a coma, at the very least. "Who is A. Franklin, anyway?" he asked curiously. "That name sort of rings a bell, but I can't place it. Someone we once worked with on a case or something?" He began to grab plates and forks to set the table with, a small frown on his face as he struggled to access his memory. "No, Mulder, it's just an old friend of mine." Drop, it, please drop it, she begged silently. "An old friend from where?" Sudden recognition crossed his features as he finally dredged up where he had heard the name 'Franklin' before. "Hey, it's that guy you met when you were at that convention, isn't it? What was his name, Albert? Alfred?" "Anthony," Scully said absently, pretending to be intent on her cooking. "Mulder, could you get the eggs out for me, please?" He opened the refrigerator, glancing at the letter which now lay on the counter atop the pile of other mail. Setting the eggs down next to it, he asked casually, "Well, aren't you going to read it?" "Later, I suppose, I'm kind of busy right now." "Hey, what's breakfast when there is a letter from Anthony waiting for you?" he asked, only half teasing. She switched off the heat under the frying pan and turned around to face him. Putting her arms around his neck, she drew him close to her. "I am busy getting a kiss from the man I love. What's a letter from whatzisname when there's that waiting for me?" Taking his cue, Mulder slid his arms around her waist and proceeded to kiss her until her knees were weak. When they finally broke apart, she looked him in the eyes and asked, "Does that put your doubts to rest? I love you, Mulder, Anthony is just someone in my past. Far in my past. I hadn't thought of him in years until he showed up at that convention." "But you gave him your address," Mulder pointed out, hating himself for not letting it go, but unable to. "Yes, he said something about Christmas cards or something. He called me in my hotel room specifically to ask for it, so it seemed awkward to refuse." "He called your hotel?" Mulder tried to keep the hint of accusation out of his voice, but he could hear it, a faint tinge. He was certain Scully could hear it as well. Scully closed her eyes in exasperation. "Yes, Mulder, and I could hardly wait to get rid of him. I practically hung up on him so I could call and talk to you. The man I love. When are you going to stop doubting my love for you?" He turned away quickly and finished setting the table, so she wouldn't see the hurt look on his face. One thing Mulder had learned in his years with Scully was that she could read him like a book, and he didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. Unfortunately, she knew him too well, and she knew exactly why he turned away when he did. Exasperated, she went back to her cooking, but all the joy had gone out of the morning for both of them. Scully took the damned letter and threw it on top of a pile of bills to pay. She would deal with it later. ********** One Week Later To say that things had been strained between them for the past week would be understating the situation. Dana was angry that Mulder questioned her, and as for Mulder--every time he thought about her getting that letter from Anthony he just felt sick. He knew he had to apologize, knew he had been treating her badly, but once again, he had let his emotions get in the way of his common sense. That seemed to happen a lot where Scully was concerned. He'd been trying to keep such a tight rein on himself that he had ended up shutting her out. Conversation between them had been minimal. He knew Scully thought he was giving her the silent treatment, but the truth was that he was afraid to talk to her. He was afraid that if he let himself speak he would end up saying things that would hurt her, so he took the path of least resistance. His silence hurt her too, he well knew, but it was better than the words he could not trust himself to keep inside, words that should never be spoken to someone he loved under any circumstances. Mulder had lost so many people that he had loved, and he couldn't bear to lose Scully too. He kept his silence, praying to all the gods that the silence itself would not drive her away. The letter had disappeared, and he had no idea if she had read it, answered it, or just thrown it away. She hadn't mentioned it again, and he hadn't dared bring it up. They were walking on eggshells around each other, and Mulder sensed that Scully was also trying very hard not to say something she would regret later. Unfortunately, two people cannot maintain a relationship in silence, and it was beginning to wear on them both. They hadn't made love since that Saturday morning, and for the last three nights Mulder had slept at his apartment and Scully at hers. Leaving the office tonight, she had barely said goodbye. He hadn't been able to kiss her in days. Things were getting worse instead of better, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stand it for much longer. Someone had to bend, and it would have to be him. After all, he was the one who had started this by being such a jackass about the whole deal, he told himself wearily. Driving home, thoughts of spending another night alone in his empty apartment slowly driving him insane, Mulder pounded on the steering wheel in frustration. Digging out his cell phone, he dialed Scully's cell number before he could lose his courage. He had to set things right, no matter what it took. Mulder wasn't proud, not anymore--not where Scully was concerned; he was ready to beg if necessary. Of all the times he had screwed up with her, this was by far the most serious. She had always forgiven him in the past, but he was afraid that, in order to obtain his absolution, this time he was really going to have to grovel. ********** When her phone rang, Scully knew it had to be Mulder. The lost look on his face when she left him at the office this afternoon had almost broken her heart. But damn it all, I did nothing wrong, she raged to herself. He's treating me as if I've been unfaithful, and I didn't do anything wrong at all. Determined not to give in to what she considered emotional blackmail, she answered her phone prepared to do serious battle, but the sound of his voice did her in. "Scully, please don't hang up on me. I have to talk to you," he implored, terrified that she wouldn't hear him out. He knew if she hung up her phone, he wouldn't have the courage to call her back. "I'm listening," she said shortly. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then, quietly, "I can't do this on the phone. Can I come over to your place? Please?" She was silent, and for a moment he thought they had lost the connection. Then she spoke. "OK, Mulder, come on over, but don't plan on spending the night." She pushed the "end" button savagely, hanging up on him as he had done to her so many times. See how you like it, buddy, she thought grimly. Mulder was so relieved that she had agreed to see him that it took him a minute to realize she had hung up on him. Turning his car around, he headed back toward Scully's place, carefully planning how he would say what he needed to say. It wasn't going to be easy. He knew he had been acting like an ass for the past week, but he just hadn't been able to stop himself. Scully had been waiting for him, and she opened the door before he could even knock. For a minute she just stood there looking at him, and he had a sudden fear that she wasn't even going to let him in. Then she stepped abruptly back and waited for him to walk inside. She turned and headed for a chair, leaving him to close the door. Carefully, planning ahead, Scully avoided sitting on the couch where he would be able to snuggle up next to her and make her lose her resolve with his nearness. She heartily resented his treatment of her this past week, and she was determined not to make this easy for him. To her surprise, he didn't sit on the vacant couch, but instead came to kneel down beside the chair she was in. He covered one of her hands with both of his own, and seemed relieved when she didn't draw back. Scully waited for him to speak. She decided that she hadn't created this situation, and she wasn't going to start this conversation. Mulder gazed at their hands lying together for a minute, gathering his thoughts. Finally, he began. "I...I have no excuses for my behavior this past week, Scully. I can't tell you why I've been such a jealous jerk. I don't even know the answer to that myself. I know you didn't do anything wrong, but I've been punishing you just the same. These last few days have been pure hell for both of us, and I--" Mulder stopped and swallowed hard. He glanced up at her, then quickly lowered his eyes again. Now came the hard part. He had never begged anyone for anything in his life. "I know how angry you are with me. I don't think I've ever pushed you this far before, and we both know I can push pretty hard." A small smile flitted over her lips and was gone. "I am asking you--Scully, I'm asking you to forgive me. Please, can't we get back to the way we were?" He stopped there, his voice almost breaking. He couldn't go on. Afraid to look at her, he stared again at his hands covering hers. He was almost unable to breathe while he waited for her to tell him whether he would live or die--Mulder knew if she wouldn't give him another chance, his life was over. After all these years, he simply could not go on without her. Would not live in that place that was hell, ever again. Scully considered what he had said. If he had tried his puppy-dog expression on her then, she would have thrown him out. Stealing a glance at his averted face, she saw only that he was rather pale and drawn. She hadn't really looked at him much this week, because every time she had, her anger had blossomed again. Without warning, it dawned on her just how hard this was for him. Mulder was a proud man, full of spirit. Even in the face of death he never lost his self-assurance or sense of humor. For him to beg her, on his knees, must have cost him every ounce of dignity he had. He had laid out his heart, bared his soul for her, and trusted her not to humiliate him. The thought only made her love him more. Scully was certain no one had ever cared this much for her in her entire life. Finally, after what he knew must have been at least a year, she spoke. "Fox Mulder, you are the hardest person in the world to love, do you know that? Not because it's hard to fall in love with you, but because you find it so difficult to believe that anyone could truly love you. I have quite a job just convincing you that you're worth loving, and sometimes I get tired of doing it." She paused for a long time, and he closed his eyes. He didn't want her to see the tears that threatened to spill over. He had already abased himself enough tonight. There was no way he was going to cry, not even in front of Scully, and he trusted her with his life--with more than his life. "Does that mean we're through?" he whispered shakily. Scully curled her fingers in his hair and pulled gently, forcing him to look up at her. What she saw in those eyes of his melted away any vestige of hardness her heart had left. There was such a raw, naked need in them--it made her want to wrap herself around him so tightly that he would never be afraid of anything again. "Listen to me, because I am only going to say this once. You are the kindest, sweetest, smartest, most gentle, compassionate, caring man I have ever known, Mulder. There's nobody else in this entire world quite like you. I've never seen a person more worth loving in my life. You are everything a woman wants in a man, all wrapped up in one gorgeous, sexy body." A glimmer of hope appeared in his beautiful eyes. Just a tiny one; he still wasn't sure this meant she was giving him another chance. She sighed and continued. "And then, just to balance out all those fantastic qualities, you have some of the most annoying bad qualities I have ever seen. You are the most insecure person I've ever known. Your self-esteem is almost non-existent, and you have this crazy idea that no one could ever truly care about you. You're just so...so needy, Mulder, and sometimes I can't fulfill your needs because I have to worry about my own." "Scully, please put me out of my misery. Are you going to give me another chance or not?" he finally asked in a small, tortured voice. "Of course I will, Mulder. I imagine I'll give you a lifetime of 'other chances'. Just don't be surprised if, in the future, we end up right back at this point. It's going to be hard for both of us to change, and I expect our relationship will be somewhat stormy for all of our lives." It took a minute for her words to sink in. "All of our lives? You really want me with you for the rest of your life, Scully?" he asked, incredulous, his countenance beginning to light up in a way that she had rarely seen. "Mulder, I think life would be incredibly boring without you," she told him simply, happily drinking in the joy on his face. Suddenly he couldn't hold back any longer. He gently pulled her down to the floor with him and began kissing her with all the pent up energy of the past week. His kisses gradually grew less gentle and more demanding as passion took control of them both. Scully met him kiss for kiss, and her last coherent thought was that he would be spending the night after all. ********** Two Days Later "Mulder, you're being an idiot!" Scully was exasperated beyond belief with him. They had started on a new case, and as usual, Mulder's theories on solving it were 'out there'. Vampires, werewolves, flukemen, liver-eating mutants...she never knew what to expect next from this man! She dug in, prepared to do battle, but he just grinned at her. A real Mulder grin, the one that took her breath away. Mulder took stock of himself and couldn't believe he found himself grinning like a fool after she had just called him an idiot. It just felt so good to have things back to normal, he'd have allowed her to call him anything at all. Stifling his joy, he prepared to defend his ideas to the very scientific Dr. Scully. Later that evening, after several hours of working together at his apartment, Scully stretched and yawned. "Mulder, it's ten o'clock. We haven't had dinner, and I'm starving!" Surprised, he glanced up at the clock. The hours had gone by so quickly that he'd had no idea it was so late. This case had captured his total attention, and now that things were right with Scully again he could give work the concentration it demanded. He feasted on the sight of her, lazing back against his couch looking so delicious that he had to look away to prevent himself from throwing down the file folder in his lap and ravishing her right there. Hungry, he reminded himself, she said she was hungry. Presumably for food. Mentally going through his kitchen, he realized the mealtime situation at his apartment was hopeless. "Tell you what, I'll go out and pick us up some dinner. Why don't you lean back and grab a catnap while I'm gone," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Mmmm, sounds wonderful," she murmured, half asleep already. Smiling tenderly, he smoothed her hair back, grabbed his keys and headed out the door. "Mulder," her voice stopped him. "No pizza, ok?" "You got it, sweetheart," he said, his heart singing. It was such a relief that things between them were working out again. He hoped he never heard the name 'Anthony Franklin' again, but he knew that if the guy ever came up in conversation he would have to keep his cool. He never wanted to go through anything like the past few weeks again. Mulder was driving toward their favorite Chinese take-out restaurant, happily thinking of how he planned to spend the next day with Scully, when his cell phone rang. "Yeah?" he answered, wondering what had caused her to wake up from her nap. It just had to be her; no one else would call at this time of night. "Hey, I just remembered some papers that pertain to this case that I left in my briefcase at my apartment. Do you think you could swing by and pick them up for me? They're in the red folder." "Sure, no problem. I'll do that first and then get the food, so it doesn't get cold." "No pizza," she reminded him. "Chinese," he promised. "Yummy. Mulder? Hurry home, I miss you." He hung up, smiling, that warm feeling spreading throughout his body again. It happened every time she told him that she missed him, or that she loved him. She tried to tell him these things often, somehow instinctively knowing that he hadn't received many expressions of love in his life. Ruefully he shook his head. "I am such a head case. Why does she keep me?" he wondered aloud. Reaching Scully's apartment, Mulder let himself in with his key and looked around for her briefcase. There it was on the dining room table. Opening it, he quickly found the red folder right on top. Just as he was about to slam the briefcase closed, something caught his eye. The corner of a white, letter-sized envelope. The words 'A. Franklin'. He froze. Closed his eyes. Tried, really tried to close the briefcase, but he just couldn't make himself do it. He reached out and touched the corner of the envelope. Rubbed his finger along the edge of it for a minute, and then--"Mulder, you have reached a new low!" he whispered to himself, pulling the envelope out from under the stack of papers where it was only partially hidden. He checked the postmark first, to make sure it wasn't another letter from the guy. Nope, same one. And it had been opened. And presumably read. His mouth was dry as he told himself fiercely that he would not, absolutely would not read Scully's mail. He kept telling himself that, right up until the moment when he had the damned letter unfolded and was reading the words, 'Dear Dana'. Mulder tried not to think of how dirty he felt, but he knew there was no way his eyes were leaving that page until every word had been absorbed. Dear Dana, Since we ran into each other at that conference a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. More and more, I realize that what you and I had together was really special. I should never have let you go. If I had had more sense back then, you would be Dana Franklin today. I was such a fool. I would like to go back and repair the damage if I can. Beth and I have split up, and our divorce will be final shortly. I finally got up the courage to tell her I wanted one, and she took it better than I thought she would. Only threw three dinner plates at my head! (Just kidding.) I am planning to be in the DC area in a few weeks, and I will call you so we can get together for dinner and hopefully make some plans for the future. Are you still seeing that guy, Mulder? (His name's not really 'Fox' is it?) I hope he will understand if you choose to come back to me. After all, I had you first. He at least needs to know that he has some real competition for you now. I won't lose you again without a fight. We were fated to be together, Dana. See you soon, Love, Anthony Mulder barely made it to the bathroom in time. His feeling of nausea had grown with each word he read until he couldn't control it any longer, and everything he had eaten that day came up in wave after wave of sickness. Down on his knees in Scully's bathroom after the worst had subsided, he found himself retching again as he thought of the words Anthony had written. What if they were true? What if he did have competition for her affections? Could he win? He wasn't sure. He knew Scully loved him, but still--a normal guy might be better for her. Although from what he had read in that letter, Anthony sounded awfully self-centered for Scully's taste. We were fated to be together? What kind of trashy-novel drivel was that? It sounded so disgusting that Mulder gagged again at the thought. Finally pulling himself together, he got up, rinsed out his mouth, splashed water on his face and headed back to the other room. He had to get out of there before Scully got worried about him and called. He knew he couldn't talk to her until he got himself a bit more under control. If he did, her MulderRadar would instantly alert her to the fact that something was wrong, and he did not want to have to explain this. Although he hated to even touch it again, Mulder carefully re-folded the letter and inserted it back into its envelope. He placed it in the exact spot in the briefcase where he had found it and, grabbing Scully's file folder, slammed the briefcase shut and left the apartment. Driving back home, Mulder knew that he had to get his head on straight, and fast. If she saw him like this, Scully would surely know something was up. Shit, he suddenly thought, shitShitSHIT! She would know as soon as she saw him that something was up! Never in the entire time he had known her had he been able to hide anything from Scully. He had been able to deny things, or refuse to tell her about things, but never had he really fooled her, and since they had become lovers she could get anything out of him. Anything. All it took was a few well-placed kisses and caresses, with the promise of more to come, and Mulder helplessly spilled his guts. It had happened before, and he was pretty damn sure it would happen again. In fact, if he didn't get control of himself, Mulder was pretty damn sure it would happen tonight. I'm screwed, he thought, groaning. I am SO screwed. If she finds out I read her mail she'll kill me. No, worse. She'll leave me. The best thing I could ever hope to have in my life will be gone, all because I couldn't control my morbid curiosity. The only chance I have is to throw myself on her mercy and hope she understands me well enough to forgive me. Hell, it worked before, didn't it? With a start, Mulder realized that he had driven almost all the way back to his apartment and had forgotten all about bringing the food. Cursing himself aloud, he turned the car around again and headed for the restaurant. When he finally entered the small chinese restaurant that he and Scully enjoyed, the smell of food made the nausea rise up in him again. Only the thought of being on his knees on the floor in a public restroom gave him the strength to control it. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Mulder moved up to the counter and made his selections randomly. He didn't care what he ended up with; he knew he certainly wasn't going to eat anything tonight. He at least had the presence of mind to order Scully's favorite, Kung Pao Chicken. If he showed up without that, she would know instantly that something was wrong. Maybe with it he could distract her for five seconds. He smiled grimly at his own hopes. Never happen, he told himself. Not in a million years. Finally Mulder was able to sit down and wait for his order to be completed. He had managed to quell most of the nausea at that point, and his mind was frantically working to figure out some plausible story to tell her when she began questioning him. For the thousandth time he cursed the fact that this woman could read his emotions so easily. He really tried to hide them from her sometimes, but she was so attuned to him that he never could. Normally he didn't mind confessing too terribly much, but this was different. This was way different. What would Scully say when she found out how he had invaded her privacy? He couldn't begin to imagine. He just knew that he would rather die than face her with this particular confession. When he reluctantly opened up his apartment door half an hour later, Scully woke up, stretched, and glanced at the clock. "What took you so long?" she asked casually, eagerly reaching for the fragrant sacks of food he put down in front of her. "Um...traffic," he mumbled, heading for the kitchen for plates and utensils. "At this time of night?" she asked absently. She was too hungry, and the food smelled too good, to dwell on it right now. But when Mulder came back, handing her a plate and still refusing to meet her eyes, she took a good look at him. "Mulder, what's wrong?" she asked immediately, concern evident on her face. "Nothing," he said, heading for the refrigerator and grabbing a couple of cans of soda. The last time he had said 'nothing' to her in that tone of voice, the "nothing" in question had been a broken finger. Sighing, Scully wondered what he had gotten himself into now. She gave him a quick visual check, and everything seemed to be in place. No blood, no limbs hanging at unusual angles, no torn clothing, no evidence of pain. His face was a little pale, though, and it was obvious that something was bothering him. Scully wondered if it was important enough to pursue now, or if she could at least have her dinner first. Damn, Mulder thought to himself. She knows. You haven't been home two minutes and already she knows! In another two minutes she'll have the whole story out of you, and she'll be walking out of here. You better do something, and do it NOW! Deciding to go with the best-defense-is-a-strong-offense approach, Mulder reached down and, without warning, picked up Scully in his arms. She squealed in surprise as he headed for the bedroom, an evil grin plastered on his face. "Mulder! What are you doing?" she demanded, unable to keep the grin off her own face. Their lovemaking had been explosive and spontaneous at times, but never had he carried her, caveman-style, to his bed, and Scully found it incredibly exciting. "Scully, I just went to considerable trouble to bring you that food, and I don't work for free. Payment on delivery, woman!" He set her gently down on the bed and before she knew what was happening he began to kiss her senseless. Fox Mulder in a panic was an inventive Fox Mulder, she decided. This was certainly a new approach to denial for him, and one she could sure get used to in a hurry. She threaded her fingers through his hair and gave herself up to the sensations as his mouth devoured hers. Dinner could wait. ********** He had most definitely turned the tables on her, Scully realized a few days later. Every time she even tried to bring up the subject of what was bothering him--and something was bothering him, she was sure--he would take her in his arms and kiss her until she forgot where she was or who she was or what they were talking about. She hadn't even had an opportunity to use all the little tricks on him that she normally used to get information. Most of the time, in these situations, Scully would have Mulder eating out of her hand, doing her bidding willingly. She supposed it wasn't quite fair to use the fact that he was so vulnerable in her hands against him, but sometimes it was the only way to get him to divulge things to her, and she was his partner. She had a right to know what was happening. In Scully's opinion, after all the times Mulder had kept things from her during their partnership, turnabout was fair play. It wasn't as though she would use her newfound power to ever hurt him, she assured herself. She suspected he was wise to her methods, anyway, and she would have to find a new approach. On a couple of occasions she had almost decided to just leave him alone to work out whatever it was, but when she caught the strange looks he gave her when he thought she didn't see, or when she noticed him pushing food around on his plate but not eating, she knew that whatever this was simply would not go away on its own. No, this was something that they needed to get out in the open and talk about. If she could only get his cooperation, they could repair the damage and put it behind them, but cooperation wasn't one of Mulder's strong points. Face it, Dana, the man makes mules look cooperative, she told herself wryly. She was sure the only food he had eaten since Friday night was his sunflower seeds, and even those were not disappearing as rapidly as usual. He was nibbling on one now, pretending to study a file at his desk, but she knew as soon as she turned her back on him he would be staring at her again. He had been doing it for days. So, something had happened Friday night between the time he had left her and the time he had returned with the food. He insisted he had only visited her apartment and to the restaurant, but he had been gone an awfully long time. Scully wasn't buying his story of a traffic tie-up. Not at eleven o'clock at night. Something had occurred either at her place, at the restaurant, or somewhere in between. Scully closed her eyes and tried to picture Mulder's every move during that trip. She visualized him unlocking her apartment door, casting his eyes around the living room, spotting her briefcase on the table where she had left it. Mentally, she crossed her living room and stood before the briefcase. It wasn't locked, so Mulder would have been able to open it easily. Opening her eyes, Scully stood beside her desk and removed her briefcase from beneath her desk, placed it in the middle of the desk and opened it. Gazing intently at the contents, Scully tried to see what Mulder would have seen on Friday night. She hadn't done anything with the briefcase since then except open it up to casually toss in a file before returning to work, so the view she had now should be very similar to the one he'd had. She refused to believe that he had invaded her privacy to the extent of pawing through her things. Mulder watched her carefully, pretending to read the case file in his hands, and felt his heart sink. It wasn't hard to imagine what she was doing, and he knew the exact moment when her eyes fell on the letter and the pieces fell into place in her mind. Her face remained neutral, but her mouth tightened almost imperceptibly and her eyes glinted angrily. He swallowed convulsively and waited for her to turn her righteous fury on him. Before she could say a word the telephone on his desk rang shrilly, and Mulder jumped, startled. Putting his hands flat on the desk for a few seconds to calm himself, he tried to control the trembling. Every time a telephone rang near him, he just knew it was that bastard, Anthony, calling for Scully. From what he had read in the letter, he knew the sonofabitch was either in town already or would be soon. "Mulder," he answered, hoping it was Skinner calling to assign them some case out of town. Far out of town. Maybe Siberia, even. As far away from Anthony-the-Bastard as possible. "Dana Scully, please," said a male voice on the other end, and Mulder knew, just knew somehow, that it was him. For a moment he considered being a bastard himself and forcing the caller to identify himself, but decided against it. What was the point? He sure didn't want to make himself look bad in Scully's eyes at this moment. She was already furious at his behavior. Wordlessly he handed the phone to Scully, then went and buried his face in the file cabinet. He would have left the room altogether, but his curiosity wouldn't let him. "Scully," she said grimly into the phone, already mentally planning a series of tortures to use on Mulder. He certainly must have a guilty conscience, she mused. He was as jumpy as a cat. When she heard the voice on the other end, she understood immediately. DAMN THAT MAN! she raged inwardly. She'd forgotten all about the stupid letter when she sent Mulder into her briefcase, but there it had been still this morning, poking its little return address enticingly out from under the papers where she had shoved it weeks ago. And Mulder being Mulder, she knew he hadn't been able to resist reading it. Scully was irritated, but her irritation was quickly giving way to amusement. This was just so very Mulderlike. Obviously he thought she would be furious at him when she discovered his snooping--that's why he had been on pins and needles for so long. On the other hand, his method of distracting her from the subject had been very nice... "Dana! It's so good to hear your voice!" Anthony's cheerful tones reached through the line and Scully's heart lurched. This was just perfect timing, she thought wearily. Then the little imp inside her began to nudge at her consciousness. Mulder was afraid of retribution; he'd been fearing it for days. Maybe it was time to put him out of his misery. He did deserve to be punished just a little for prying into her personal things, she thought, so Scully deliberately answered with more enthusiasm than was necessary, "Anthony! Are you in town?" Mulder was only privy to one side of the conversation, but he didn't like what he was hearing. She sounded just too damn happy to talk to the guy for his taste. He felt his heart beginning to rip when she eagerly asked if he was here. "Tonight? I'm afraid I already have plans, Anthony." Mulder held his breath. She sounded so...disappointed. "Well, I suppose we could do that. Yes, I'm sure Fox would like to meet you, too. All right, at eight then. Goodbye, Anthony." Fox? Fox? WHAT was she doing? "Scully--" he began, but she interrupted him, and recognizing the look on her face, he wasn't about to mention her social faux pas. "Mulder, it seems you have a date with Anthony and me tonight. He wants us to meet him for dinner. He wants to meet you." Scully did not look happy, and Mulder wondered if this was his punishment for prying. Still, he had no intention of sitting down to a meal with that man, not unless Scully forced him to. "Scully, you had no right to agree to that for me," he objected. "You must know that the last thing I want is to meet this guy!" "Consider it payback for reading my mail," she said quietly. Mulder paled, then flushed bright red. He couldn't meet her eyes. "I suppose a denial is out of the question?" he asked in a low voice. "Mulder, come here." Scully sat down on the edge of her desk and waited for him to come to her. He hesitated at first, then with a small, resigned sigh, came and stood before her. Her voice and face had both softened, and he hoped that maybe this meant she understood. He still would not look at her, instead focusing his attention firmly on his shoes. Scully reached out and pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him securely. He returned her embrace, holding her so close that for a moment she couldn't breathe. She made a small noise of protest, and he instantly released her and backed away. "I'm sorry, Scully," he muttered. "I didn't mean to hurt you." "Don't," she said, putting her finger to his lips. "Don't ever apologize for loving me and wanting to hold me tight. I don't want you to ever let go of me." Mulder felt a little better when she said that, but the issue was still there. "I really am sorry, Dana. About reading the letter. I didn't mean to do it, I didn't even want to do it. But I just couldn't..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to say in his own defense. "Couldn't stop?" she questioned. He nodded miserably. "It's all right, Mulder. I should have thrown the stupid thing away. I just stuffed it in my briefcase and forgot about it. And if you had been able to resist reading it...well in that case I would have to believe that you were a clone," she said, her eyes twinkling. He finally looked up at her then, hearing the amusement in her voice. His face was still solemn, but there was relief in his eyes. At least Scully wasn't still mad at him, but as far as Mulder was concerned, this wasn't over until Anthony-the-Bastard was safely out of her life forever. "Why?" he questioned. "Tonight, I mean? Why are we meeting him for dinner?" Scully looked annoyed. "You read the letter, Mulder, the guy sounds like he wants to challenge you to a duel over me!" She shook her head, amazed at the attitudes some men still retained even in these more enlightened times. "I don't want to hurt Anthony's feelings, I just want him to go away. The only way I know of to get rid of him gently is to let him see that he has no chance with me, because you are in my life. It's either that or shoot him, and the paperwork over that would be tremendous." She smiled disarmingly as she slid off the desk. "Let's quit work on time for once and go get ready for this thing, shall we? I have to look absolutely stunning tonight. I want to make you proud and make Anthony jealous." "So he wants to duel, huh?" Mulder mused. Then he grinned wickedly. "Wonder who has the bigger gun?" "You do, Mulder, believe me, you do," she purred, gathering up her things and heading for the door. Mulder stood there, dumfounded for a moment before realizing he had just received the ultimate male compliment. "Oh, as if you don't always look stunning!" he called, hurrying after her. ********* Stunning and breathtaking, he thought to himself two hours later, when Scully emerged from her bedroom. She was wearing a dress in his very favorite shade of blue, one that made the color of her eyes stop his heart. He knew the effect she was going to have on every male in the vicinity tonight, and felt a surge of pride that she would be with him. Scully, for her part, looked him over appreciatively. He was such a gorgeous man, even though he refused to believe it. Any woman would kill to be with Fox Mulder tonight, of that she was sure. And he was hers. She saw the way he was looking at her, and decided she had better say something to break the tension in the room or they were never going to make it to dinner at all. The uppermost thought in her mind was throwing him down right there on the living room floor and having her way with him, and she was pretty certain from the hungry expression on his face that he was having similar urgings. "Ready to head for the OK Corral?" she asked lightly. Her voice interrupted his mental image of slowly removing her dress and kissing his way down her delectable body. Jerking his mind reluctantly back to reality, Mulder remembered something he had been meaning to ask her about. "Scully, earlier on the phone with Anthony the B-- I mean with him, you said..." "Yes?" She smiled inwardly, wondering what vile name Mulder had been about to call poor Anthony. "Fox," he said, puzzled. "You called me Fox." "That's your name." He sighed and carefully studied the floor, hands on his hips. "You know how I feel about that." "Look, Mulder, I do know how you feel. I know that name dredges up a lot of bad memories for you, and I know that you must have been teased about it terribly when you were a child. But maybe if we try, we can replace all those bad memories with good ones, hmmm?" He didn't look convinced. "You really have no idea, have you, what a turn-on that name is for women?" That got his attention. "It is? Why?" "Because it's just so darned appropriate! Not only would I be with the best-looking man in town, but I also get to call him 'Fox', what woman wouldn't be impressed with that?" When he still looked skeptical, she changed her tactic. "Mulder, the reason I called you 'Fox' is because of Anthony. We need to convince him of how close our relationship is. You and I understand that there's a certain intimacy in our calling each other by last names, but other people don't realize that. To them, it's a sign of distance, not affection. Normally we don't have to care what other people think, but Anthony is a pest that must be dealt with--unless you want to have him popping up in my life every few months?" "Hell no! After tonight I never want to see this guy again, or hear of him either!" he said defensively. "Well, I believe the best way of getting rid of him for good is to let him know that there isn't anything here for him. That I am completely spoken for. We can't convince him of that if we're calling each other by our last names like old Navy buddies, now can we?" Mulder smiled. "Too bad I left that engagement ring in my other pants," he joked. Scully's heart skipped a couple of beats, until she realized he was only kidding. Damn. "Yes, too bad," she said, the sincerity evident in her voice. "Scully...?" "Dana." "Dana...?" "What is it, Fox?" To his credit, he only winced a little at the name. "You look disappointed." "Would you be upset if I said that I am disappointed?" she asked cautiously. "We'd better get going or we'll be late," he said suddenly, placing his hand in its familiar spot on her lower back and ushering her quickly out the door. Scully almost screamed in frustration. Fox hunting was by far the most difficult endeavor she had ever undertaken. Since she had set her sights on Mulder she had come to realize that he had to be pursued very carefully, or he would run and hide the way he had done just now. Sometimes she wondered if she was going to be eternally chasing this man, never actually catching him at all, just watching him continue to slip through her fingers. No, she vowed firmly to herself. Mulder is going to be mine. He belongs to me. We belong to each other. ********** "Fox, where are we going? You said yourself we were going to be late if we didn't hurry." She relished saying his name, taking every opportunity to call him by it. She was pretty certain Mulder wasn't going to allow it after tonight, so she wanted to get in as many iterations as possible. "You're really getting into this, aren't you?" he asked, giving her a sidelong look. She just smiled in response. "I have to stop off at my apartment for a second. Don't worry, we won't keep Anthony-the-Bastard waiting." Realizing what he had said, he muttered under his breath, "Oops." "Fox Mulder, that's not very nice! You've never even met the guy!" Scully could barely contain her laughter. Anthony-the-Bastard? That was so...so Mulder! He pulled up in front of his building and hopped out. "I'll only be a minute, you should probably just wait here," he told her, and Scully wondered at his apparent nervousness. "Going to get my engagement ring out of your other pants?" she asked jokingly, unable to resist a little teasing of her own. He said nothing in response to her jibe, and just headed up the stairs toward his apartment. Scully stared after him, wondering. What would she do if, after all these years, he did want to marry her? She knew that if they lived normal lives, she would agree to be his wife in a heartbeat, and he probably would have asked her long before now, but their lives were anything but normal. Things were complicated now, just because they had an intimate relationship. There was no way they could ever pull off a marriage without changing everything irrevocably. Sighing, she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She'd been wrong, before. He wasn't all hers. She couldn't have all of him. She just couldn't. She would have to take what she could get and be happy with it. Having any kind of relationship with him at all was infinitely better than none, and she would just have to be satisfied with what they had. He was back, opening up the car door before she knew it, startling her out of her musings. Climbing into the driver's seat, Mulder put his hands on the wheel and stared straight ahead. He made no move to start the car. "Mulder?" she asked tentatively. "Is something wrong?" He shook his head slightly. "Just trying to work up my courage," he said lightly, and she could have sworn she heard trembling in his voice. "You don't need courage to meet Anthony. You're twice the man he is..." She trailed off when she saw his look. There was fear and determination on his face, mixed with something else. Hope? "Dana?" he said, still looking straight ahead. "Yes, Fox?" No wince this time. That was good. "Do you know how much I love you?" he asked seriously. "I think I do," she said, after a moment. "About as much as I love you. We've been through lifetimes together already." "When we first began working together, I told you that nothing mattered to me except finding my sister." "I've always understood that, Mulder." "Things are different now, Scully. Now..." He turned to her, his heart in his eyes. "Now the only thing that matters is you," he whispered. He held out his hand. She followed his gaze down to his palm and gasped when she saw the ring sparkling there. Scully was stunned. For once in her life, she had no idea what to say. She just stared at him for a minute. An engagement ring? But that had been just a joke! Hadn't it? If he was joking with her now... "Well say something!" he said with a nervous laugh. "I just put my whole life on the line here!" "Mulder, are you asking...?" she asked slowly. She couldn't believe she was hearing this, and she wanted to make absolutely sure. She refused to acknowledge that her fondest, dearest wish was about to come true until he made it completely clear to her. "Scully, I don't know how we're going to work this out," he told her honestly. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I want you for my wife." He breathed. Finally. It was out. Mulder looked over at her to see her reaction. She was simply staring at him. Saying nothing. Silently, she held out her hand to him, and he put the ring on her finger. The aquamarine stone glistened in the streetlight. He knew that in the daylight it would be the exact color of her eyes. That was why he had chosen it instead of a traditional diamond. It had occurred to him, while he'd been poring over the different rings available, that their relationship was anything but traditional. Diamonds may be forever, but he and Scully were joined by their very souls, and he wanted a ring that was uniquely her. Uniquely them. Releasing her hand, admiring the glistening jewel in the moonlight, he asked uncertainly, "I take it that's a 'yes'?" "Yes," she said quietly, smiling happily up at him with brimming eyes. "That's all? Just 'yes'? You're that calm?" Scully placed shaking fingers to his lips. "Fox Mulder, if you don't take me upstairs right now, we are going to get arrested." "But what about dinner with--" She cut him off by throwing herself into his arms and kissing him deeply. When they finally broke apart, it was only long enough to get out of the car and run up the stairs. They had things to do, and elevators were too slow. ********** Part 2 ********** Scully yawned and stretched lazily, slowly coming out of a deep and satisfying sleep. Opening her eyes, she glanced around Mulder's bedroom, beginning to remember just where she was and how she had come to be there. She smiled as her eyes fell on the aquamarine solitaire ring on her left hand. What a night it had been! Mulder had always been a passionate man, but last night she had learned the depths of those passions in ways she had never known existed. Dreamily she rubbed her fingers over the spot on her neck where he had suckled her skin until he left his mark on her. A hickey. Scully hadn't had one of those since high school. She almost giggled with delight. It was so juvenile, and yet it made her feel so...so his. Her gaze wandered over his profile as he continued to sleep beside her, and she smiled possessively. She'd been wrong the night before. He could be all hers. He was. Her eyes fell on the clock on the bedside table, and Scully suddenly sat upright. Eight o'clock! Work! Cursing the fact that real life must intrude on their idyllic interlude, she began crawling out from under the warm covers. They had better really move if they were going to make it to the office on time. "Mulder," she whispered, gently shaking the man who was her lover and now her fiance. "Hmph," he muttered, turning and pulling the covers over his head. "Mulder," she called more loudly, pulling them off him again. "You have to wake up." His eyes opened and met hers. "Hey, Beautiful," he said sleepily. "Good morning, Foxy man," she teased, unable to resist the play on his name. "Who gets the shower first?" Mulder grimaced only slightly. He guessed he was going to have to get used to Scully calling him by his first name occasionally. She sure seemed to like it. As long as she didn't do it all the time he supposed he could live with it. "Um...let's shower together," he replied with a wicked gleam in his eye. Scully shook her head reluctantly. "Much as I'd love to, we can't," she told him, standing up and reaching for the first thing she saw to pull over her head. It turned out to be one of Mulder's black t-shirts that he had left lying on a chair. She wriggled the soft fabric over her body and inhaled deeply of the smell of Mulder surrounding her. Mulder tried to ignore how excited he was at seeing her wearing only one of his t-shirts, her hair mussed from sleeping, her eyes still slightly puffy. She would probably be embarrassed if he commented on it, but he had always found her irresistible in the morning. She looked so desirable when she had just crawled out of bed--as though she might be ready to crawl back in at any second. "Why not?" he asked. "We're engaged now, it's ok. I read it in Miss Manners." "My mother would disagree with you," her voice came back to him as she headed out of the bedroom. He sincerely hoped she was going to start the coffee. Glancing over at the clock, he winced. How on earth had they slept so late? Oh yeah, he told himself, we were up late. Really late. He finally located his boxers across the room where they had landed after being pulled from his body by a wild woman the night before, and pulling them on, padded toward the kitchen after Scully. Seeing her there in his kitchen making coffee was so domestic that he had to smile. This woman, he decided, was all he ever would need in his life. Everything else could go to hell. He found himself staring at the ring on her finger, silently thanking whatever gods there may actually be for the chance to claim her for himself before someone else did. On the heels of that thought quickly came another. "Anthony-the-Bastard," he said suddenly. "Scully, we stood him up! We left him waiting at that restaurant!" Scully turned to Mulder and smiled. "Yes, I know," she said simply. He was amazed. "You mean you actually thought about it? Last night?" "Well," she responded slowly, "not after we got upstairs. Once we walked through that door I didn't think about anything but you." He smiled a beautiful smile and she felt rewarded. Muldersmiles were so rare. "But before, yes, I did think about him waiting there. Serves him right, trying to cut in on you!" Her mother had once told her that nothing was more exciting to a man than a woman who was in love with him and showed it. She had been testing out this theory on Mulder for some months now, and it seemed that Mom knew best. She had finally attained her desire last night when he had proposed. "Fox hunting," she mused aloud. "Difficult, but profitable if you stick with it. Glad I won't have to do it any more, though." "Huh?" he asked, clearly confused. "Fox hunting?" Then understanding dawned on him. "Is that what I've been to you?" he teased. "Prey?" "Caught you, didn't I?" she asked, turning to wrap herself in his arms. It was the only place on earth she wanted to be right now. "A long time ago," he whispered, bending down to kiss her thoroughly. After long moments he pulled away from her reluctantly. "I'll shower first and get into the office relatively on time. You can be a little late. As your superior, I'm giving you permission," he added magnanimously. "If we both show up at the same time, both late, it's going to look suspicious." Scully grinned at his giving her 'permission' for anything, but sobered up quickly when she thought of something else. "Does this mean I can't wear my ring at work?" she asked sadly. "I never want to take it off." "I don't think you should, Scully," he objected. "There are surely going to be questions asked, and what will you say? That you are engaged to a mystery man, as you gaze at me adoringly? It'll be so obvious!" He quickly dodged the dishtowel she threw at him. "I won't gaze at you adoringly, then," she said with a smirk. "I'll just look at you the way I always do." "That's exactly what I mean," he called to her, grinning as he headed for the shower. "Jerk!" he heard her say good-naturedly as he closed the bathroom door. ********** When he emerged from the shower a few minutes later, he found Scully in the bathroom brushing her teeth. "Scully, please tell me you're not using my toothbrush!" he protested. "I can't get enough of you, Mulder," she simpered. At his look, she continued, "Of course I'm not, silly. What on earth possessed you to actually have a new, unopened toothbrush in your bathroom cabinet is definitely worth delving into, though. Or were you keeping it on hand for unexpected company?" "Nope, just needed a new one," he replied, pointing to his old, beaten up toothbrush as he climbed out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Scully moved out of his way so he could get to the sink, seriously considering the wisdom of removing that towel and ravishing him again. Deciding it wasn't a good idea, even though it was a very nice one, she satisfied herself by simply caressing his ass as she walked out of the bathroom, causing him to almost choke on the toothpaste in his mouth. "If you'll drop me by my place, I'll shower and change and be in as soon as I possibly can. If anyone asks, you could tell them I called you and that I'm stuck in traffic or something," her voice came back to him from the bedroom. She heard him make a noise of assent around his toothbrushing. Quickly Scully pulled on the party dress she had been wearing the night before. Picking up the t-shirt that she had removed, she held it to her face for a moment. It smelled of Mulder. Smiling, she decided to take it home with her. After all, she rationalized, the man must have a dozen t-shirts, most of them black. Surely he wouldn't miss this one. She could snuggle up in it on nights when he wasn't with her, and pretend that she was wrapped in his embrace. She slipped the shirt into her purse, then walked back into the bathroom to check on his progress. Her breathing quickened at the sight of him, and she again almost decided then and there to make him late for work. The towel had apparently slipped some while he was bent over the sink rinsing his mouth, and now as he stood combing his hair, she could see the curve of his behind peeking out over the top of it. Mulder glanced at her in the mirror and saw where she was looking. Grinning, he asked, "Investigating something, Agent Scully?" "Something I plan on pursuing much further later on tonight," she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Better hurry, Mulder. We gotta get out of here or we'll both be in trouble. Skinner would really be suspicious if we both called in sick today." He put down his comb and turned on her, effectively pinning her up against the bathroom wall. "That's all I get? Just a little peck on the cheek?" he complained as his arms came up beside her to trap her and his body pressed closer to hers. "I was afraid more would lead to...well, more," she said, a little breathless as he moved even closer. She was sure he had no idea how exciting she found it when he towered over her like this. His hands came up and cupped the sides of her face, and he leaned down to kiss her properly. She could feel the hardness of him pressing against her through the damp towel that had now slipped even farther down his hips. Encircling his waist with her arms, she began lightly tracing her fingertips around the small of his back and down into the crack of his ass that the towel had revealed. She smiled triumphantly to herself when she felt him shiver. He was hers. "Scully, stop that," he said tightly. "You know we don't have time for this!" "You started it," she said gamely. "Besides, I have a small favor to ask, and I'm trying to soften you up." She smiled up into his eyes and could tell from the expression on his face that he knew exactly what she was doing. Can't stop me, though! she thought mischievously, never hesitating with the motion of her fingers. "Wh--what is it you want, Scully?" he asked, his voice catching. What this woman did to him should be illegal, he thought. Damn her, she was using her tricks again, the ones that reduced him to a puddle on the floor at her feet and made him say or do anything she wanted. "Fox," she said, putting both her hands on his butt and squeezing lightly, "I want to be able to wear my engagement ring at work. Figure out a way." Slowly she began running the fingers of one hand along the top of the towel, allowing them to slip under it just a tiny bit on occasion. She could hear his breathing deepen as he fought to control himself, but could also tell from the feel of him against her that it was a losing battle. Oh yeah. He was hers all right. "Well," he gasped, "I suppose...we could...make...make up a name." "You mean tell everyone who asks that I'm engaged to someone else?" she stopped the motion of her fingers in surprise. That solution had never occurred to her. "I've got it. The perfect name," he announced, slowly regaining a little control now that she had stopped torturing him. Scully stared at him quizzically. "George Hale." She stood there for a moment, then suddenly a huge smile broke out on her face and she hugged him tightly. "Mulder that's perfect! No one knows about that but the two of us. And more importantly, I won't feel as if I'm being disloyal to you. There, I knew you could figure something out if you put that brilliant mind of yours to work." "Yeah," he said, reaching down to remove the towel and let it drop to the floor. "Now if only I could figure out a way to explain to Skinner why we're both going to be late for work." His fingers slid around and found the zipper at the back of her dress, and in the next moment it was slipping down her body and pooling at her feet. She was completely naked underneath it. He cocked an eyebrow at her appearance, and Scully just shrugged. "Trying to save time," she explained. "Good thinking," he smiled as he picked her up and headed back to the bed. Mulder set her down on the bed and began covering her body with kisses. He worked his way from her fingertips to her shoulders, across her neck, down her arm to the fingers of her other hand. Then he started on her toes, working his way up her legs, bypassing the places she really wanted him, worked his way up her belly and past her neck, finally settling on her lips. Mulder ravaged her mouth slowly, tasting every inch of her. Scully ran her hands along his muscled back, relishing the feel of him inside her mouth, wanting more of him. She gave a small moan, and he grinned and pulled away from her. Her eyes flew open in surprise and she started to protest, but he put his finger to her lips to stop her. Gently urging her over onto her stomach, he began planting soft feather kisses all over her back. Dana felt herself begin to melt. Oh my sweet lord, she thought, he could get me to do anything with that little move! She realized with a sudden jolt that this was what she did to him. Up until now the deck had all been stacked in her favor, but no longer. Judging from the quiet chuckling she was hearing from Mulder, he knew it, too. "Gotcha," she heard him whisper in amusement. "You have nothing!" she moaned in protest, desperately trying to retain some control, not wanting him to be able to manipulate her the way she had manipulated him earlier, but it was all over and they both knew it. He had her number. His low laughter told her she wasn't fooling him, not at all. "Scully? Now I want a small favor." He waited until she made a small, desperate noise of questioning. "Stop calling me 'Fox'," he commanded gently. "I'm never going to get used to it, ok?" "Oh, God, please Mulder, enough," she finally found herself begging. "All right, I promise, no more 'Fox'." Relenting at last, he turned her over on her back again and let his lips travel up her stomach and neck to her mouth once more. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she had never felt so totally his. At that particular moment there was no more Dana Scully, she was simply Fox Mulder's woman. He possessed her completely, and the feeling of helplessness that swept over her was frightening in its intensity, and yet somehow sweet. She would go back to being Special Agent Doctor Dana Scully later, but for now, she existed solely for this man's pleasure, and that was the way she wanted it. She felt her own pleasure increase gradually, until she was clinging to him, almost sobbing, as he gently took her over the edge. She screamed softly into his mouth as she shattered into a million pieces, losing all thought, only feeling, feeling his tongue still ravishing her mouth, feeling him inside her, feeling as if she could stay here forever and just love and be loved by him. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking into her blue tear-stained ones and for a moment his world stopped. What had made her cry? "Scully?" he questioned softly, reaching out a finger to wipe away a tear still on her cheek. She shook her head, a half-smile gracing her lips. "It's ok, Mulder. It's just that I never realized before..." she trailed off. "What?" he asked after a few seconds. "I've always known I loved you, Mulder, but I only just realized this morning that I--I couldn't go on without you. If I lost you..." she shut her eyes against imagining such a thing. Mulder scooped her closer and wrapped her up in his embrace. "I understand. That's just how I felt when you were missing...when I thought you were dying... But Scully, you'll never lose me, I promise. I am yours forever." She held onto him for a few more minutes, just because he felt so good, and then resolutely sat up in bed. "We really have to get moving, you know. The day isn't going away." He sighed. "At this point, Scully, coming in separately just seems silly. Let's just go to your place so you can take a quick shower and change clothes. How 'bout if we tell anyone who asks that I picked you up this morning, and we had some car trouble along the way? I doubt if anyone will notice that we're not there on time anyway." "Sounds like a good enough story," she decided. "But I hate lying, Mulder. I'm no good at it, and neither are you." "What? I've always considered myself a champion liar!" he protested. "Not to someone who really knows you. You can't lie to me, you can't lie to my mom, and you probably can't lie to Skinner either," she pointed out. "At least not effectively." "Well," he said, rolling off the bed and reaching for his clothing, "with any luck there won't be a need." ********* Assistant Director Walter Skinner knew something was up. Mulder and Scully had dragged in late this morning, which was quite unlike them in and of itself. Scully was a very punctual person, and Mulder was never late because he lived for his work. But today...he shook his head. There was just something about them that wasn't quite...right. He had passed them in the hallway earlier, and they had barely acknowledged him, intent on a discussion they were having. Scully, he mused...there was something different about Scully. He decided to wait it out. If it was important it would come to his attention soon. Things always did. The sound of female giggling emanated from one of the offices in the corridor as he headed back to his office after lunch. Skinner just rolled his eyes and continued on until the word "Mulder" drifted out the open door. Stopping to listen, he heard one of the women say, "I wonder if he'll be able to keep on working with her? I imagine his heart is broken. Poor guy." "I'd gladly take her place!" another woman giggled. "That Agent Mulder is a babe! Scully must be crazy to dump him for another guy!" "Yeah, but he's kind of a weirdo," the first woman replied. "Who cares, honey? I'd keep him naked in the bedroom all the time and let him be as weird as he wanted!" Both women laughed at that. Mulder was a frequent topic of conversation among the women--and, truth be told, a few of the men--of the Bureau. Now this, Skinner decided, warranted investigation. If there was speculation that his best team might be splitting up soon, he had every right to call them in and question them about it. Thank goodness for office gossip, he thought. He wondered idly if Mulder knew that he was considered a Bureau pin-up boy. Probably not, Skinner decided. He was so focused on his work that it probably all went over his head. Entering his outer office, he informed his assistant that he needed Agents Mulder and Scully in his office immediately. Then Skinner sat down at his desk to wait. He was determined to get to the bottom of this. Fifteen minutes later, his two most capable--and most troublesome--agents were sitting before his desk. He studied them carefully before speaking. Yes, something was definitely up with them. There was a different attitude between them, something subtle, something that would be easy to miss, but Skinner had not gotten where he was today by missing things. He considered his options. He could pussyfoot around the issue, observing protocols and taking forever to get to the point, whereupon the two agents across the desk from him would insist that nothing was up, or he could just cut through all the bullshit and ask them right out what was going on. Being a man of action, and considering the talent the two people before him had for avoiding issues, he decided the direct approach was best. "Agents, I've called you here today based on some office gossip that I've heard floating around." Seeing Mulder about to speak, he held up his hand to stop him. "You'll get your chance, Agent Mulder. Just let me say my piece. Now, admittedly, gossip isn't the most reliable source of information, but the rumors I've been hearing suggest that the two of you may be considering dissolving your partnership. That is something that I, understandably, would not like to see happen. So what I want to know from the two of you is, what's going on? And don't try to tell me that everything's 'fine', Agent Scully," he said when she opened her mouth to speak. She shut it immediately, and he grinned inwardly. "Sir, what exactly did you hear?" Mulder asked carefully. He wanted to know just what they were dealing with before they began creating lies to protect themselves. After all, rumors flew around about the two of them constantly. There was a better than average chance that this particular rumor had nothing to do with their engagement. His hopes were dashed by Skinner's next words. "I heard that Agent Scully had, and I quote, "broken your heart" and that the two of you were possibly not going to be able to work together any longer," Skinner said, a small smile just barely showing itself at the corners of his mouth. Mulder and Scully looked at each other and instantly burst into simultaneous laughter. Skinner relaxed, knowing that if there was any truth to the rumor their reactions would have been anything but mirthful. "I take it from your outburst that this rumor is unfounded?" he asked dryly. "Sir," Scully said, managing to control her giggles, "I think this may have been the basis for the rumor." She held out her hand to show him her engagement ring. At Skinner's shocked look they both dissolved into helpless laughter again. "Relax, Sir, it's not what you think," Mulder offered. "Scully's had a boyfriend for several months now. It's just...not me," he lied smoothly. "Would you care to share some details with me, Agent Scully? As a friend?" Skinner asked, not sure whether to believe Mulder or not. The bond that these two had was obvious, and he had been fairly certain that their relationship had progressed to an intimate level recently. Since their partnership had seemed stronger than ever, Skinner wasn't about to upset the apple cart with Bureau rules. He also didn't believe for one minute that Scully was in love with anyone but Mulder. "Details, Sir?" Scully questioned, uncertain what Skinner wanted to know. "Who? When? Where?" he prodded. "Well, uh, we haven't exactly set a date yet, Sir. It only happened last night," she demurred. The fact that she had avoided his "Who?" was not lost on Skinner. He proceeded. "Does the man have a name, Agent Scully?" he smiled. "Um, yes Sir. George," she said, with a quick glance at Mulder. "George Hale." "George Hale," he repeated, a sick feeling settling in his gut. Although he knew Mulder and Scully were unaware of the fact, Skinner was wise to their 'George Hale' disguise and had been for some time. Groaning inwardly, Skinner realized that now he was going to be faced with an incredible ethical dilemma. These two belonged together, that was clear. They also worked better together than any other agents he had ever seen. And since it appeared his earlier suspicions about the nature of their involvement had proven correct, it was apparent that their intimacy did nothing to diminish their working relationship. If anything, it had increased their efficiency. With a small sigh, Skinner decided that at this point, doing nothing was probably the best approach. On the other hand, that didn't mean he was going to let Mulder get away with outright lying to him. "Thank you, agents. I'd like to offer my congratulations to you, Agent Scully. That will be all, for now." Scully nodded her thanks. "Agent Mulder, could I please have a word with you in private?" He saw them exchange another glance, but Scully rose to her feet and left the office without protest. Mulder stood, remaining there in front of Skinner's desk. What have I done now? he wondered as Skinner came around the desk to stand before him. Skinner perched on the edge of his own desk and just stared at Mulder for so long that the agent began to grow nervous. "Um, Sir..." he began. "Something you'd like to confess to me, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked quietly. "No, uh, no Sir." Mulder refused to look the man in the face. "I know it's you," Skinner said in a barely discernible voice. The shocked look on Mulder's face would provide Skinner with amusement for the rest of the week every time he trotted out the memory. "Me? I--I don't understand--" He instinctively lowered his voice to match Skinner's tone. "Mulder, I've known you and Scully for several years, and it has not been lost on me how close the two of you have become. If you expect me to buy this story now--" "But it's true!" Mulder protested. "Look," he continued frantically, brushing the hair out of his eyes and beginning to pace in front of Skinner, "I know what everyone says about me and Scully, but those are just rumors. Really!" He turned back to Skinner, presenting his best 'I-would-never-lie-to-the-boss' face. Skinner just smiled grimly. He reached out and took Mulder's arm and pulled him very close, speaking just above a whisper. You never knew who might be listening. "Don't bother denying it, you're wasting your time. Just make sure that word of this never gets back to me above the level of office gossip. If I know about it, I'll have to do something that I really don't want to do. You've been discreet so far, I trust you can continue that discretion." Giving up, Mulder just nodded. Further denial was obviously pointless. "That will be all, Agent Mulder. Please tell Agent Scully that I am very happy for her," Skinner said in his normal voice. "Yes, I'll do that." Turning to look back at Skinner, Mulder paused. "Thank you, Sir. Thank you," he said simply. "Oh, and Agent Mulder?" Skinner's voice grew soft once more. "Never lie to me again." Mulder cast his eyes downward for a moment, then looked at Skinner directly. "No, Sir," he said, slipping out the door. ********** "Skinner knows," Mulder said abruptly. They were at lunch, late in the afternoon since they had come in so much later than usual and had decided to stay after hours and make up their time. He had been unusually quiet since their meeting with Skinner, and Scully wondered what had been said to him after she'd left. She would have assumed that it had something to do with the engagement except for the fact that Mulder had refused to discuss it with her, dismissing her questions with a wave of his hand and a "nothing important". The truth was, he was waiting for a time when they could be alone away from the office, away from potential listening ears of all types. "He knows? How?" Scully was mystified. She thought they had been very convincing. "Guess we won't be winning any Academy Awards soon, huh, Mulder?" He grinned and shook his head. "I don't know, but that's why he had me stay. He wanted to tell me that he knew--and for us to be discreet." He took another bite of his burrito and said, "You know, I don't think I've ever been able to fool that man for very long. He's entirely too perceptive. It's almost..." "Spooky?" Scully finished for him with an impish grin. Mulder smiled and reached over to wipe a bit of taco sauce off her chin with the tip of his finger. He held her gaze as he slowly, slowly drew the finger into his mouth and then, even more slowly, pulled it out again. He could see her blue eyes darken with anticipated desire and his smile widened. He just loved what he could do to her. Hell, she could do it to him, too. It was one of the things that made their relationship special. Shaking her head slightly to force herself back to the present, Scully tried to think of the best way to break her own bit of bad news to Mulder. Finally she decided to just blurt it out. After all, nothing was going to make it any easier. "Anthony called while we were in Skinner's office this afternoon," she announced. "He left me a voice mail." Mulder froze for a moment, then asked, a little too casually, "What did he say?" "Well, obviously he wondered why we never showed last night," she told him, smiling dreamily at the memory of the previous night's activities. "And did you call him back?" he asked, feeling much better at the look that had come over her. He knew what she was thinking of. He was remembering the same thing--the memory of her warm, naked body pressed close to his began to become a little too real, and Mulder had to make an effort to concentrate on the conversation at hand. "Not yet," she confessed. "I didn't quite know what to tell him." "What? Tell him the truth!" Mulder looked shocked. "Surely you're not going to keep this a secret from him, too?" "Mulder, what happens if he decides to get vengeful? What if he calls to check up and finds out you're my partner? He could blow everything for us!" He considered her words carefully for a moment. "Do you think he would?" Scully nodded sadly. "I think that Anthony, when crossed, is capable of all sorts of things." "Scully, I have to admit I find it hard to understand what you ever saw in this guy," he said. "I can't imagine you being close to someone so--controlling." "Well," she sighed, "I was a lot younger then, and more naive. And he can be a lot of fun, really, and very charming. I was a different person then, not the same, self-assured woman you see before you today," she grinned. "Then he doesn't really know you anymore," Mulder pointed out. "Not the kind of woman you are now. He might not even like the kind of woman you are now." "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, wondering if she should be offended. "What kind of woman am I?" He smiled. "You're my kind of woman. You're my woman. Anthony needs to be careful. I'm packing heat." "My, you're a lot more secure now that you have this ring on my finger," she teased. "I've put my brand on you, ma'am," he smirked. "Don't you forget, I'm packing heat too, Mulder!" she threatened playfully. "Just kidding, honest!" he cried, leaning back and throwing his hands up in mock terror. Scully couldn't help laughing at his silliness. He was in such a good mood now that he had officially staked her out. She wondered if this would be the end of his insecurity where she was concerned. She just didn't know how to make it any clearer to him than she already had that he was the only man for her. "So what do I tell Anthony? I have to call him back. He won't just give up and go away. This has to be resolved." "Tell him--oh hell, go ahead and tell him the truth. If he tries to make trouble for us at the Bureau, we'll just deal with it. We're going to have to sooner or later anyway," he said philosophically. Her eyes widened. This was an eventuality that she hadn't let herself think of. "Well Scully, an engagement usually leads to a marriage," he said gently. "At that point lying about the name of the man in your life will become impossible." "Yes, I know you're right," she admitted, "but I just hadn't considered all the ramifications of...this." For a moment he felt sheer terror. "You're not regretting it, are you?" he asked, carefully studying his plate. He knew that if she said the word he would cheerfully give up his career, the X-Files, anything, just to have her in his life. But he didn't want to give up anything--he wanted it all. Scully knew what was going through his mind. She always did. Reaching across the table to grasp his hand, she smiled into his eyes. "I'll never regret it for an instant," she said softly. "Whatever career changes one or both of us have to face, we will always be together from this moment on. We belong to each other now." Mulder reached across the small table to kiss her, unable to wait for a time when they could be alone. After all, he rationalized, no one here knew them, nobody knew that their love was supposed to be forbidden. One kiss wouldn't hurt. No one was watching. He was completely unaware that someone was watching them, and very carefully. ********** Anthony sat in his car outside the restaurant that he had seen Dana and Fox enter earlier. Fox! he snorted. What kind of a man has a name like that? Not one good enough for his Dana, that was certain. He had followed them here, wondering where they were going so late in the afternoon. It was too early to quit work for the day, but too late for lunch, he thought, until he saw them enter the restaurant. Luckily, they had taken a table by the window, so he could watch their every move with relatively little chance of being discovered himself. He wanted to jump out of the car and storm inside when he saw Fox lean across the table and kiss her, but he restrained himself. It wasn't time yet. Then Fox picked up her hand and drew it to his lips and Anthony's eyes caught a sparkle on Dana's hand. It couldn't be--could it? He picked up a small pair of binoculars lying on the car seat beside him and focused on the couple at the table. It was! The sonofabitch had given his Dana an engagement ring! Seething inside, silently cursing Fox Mulder, Anthony began to think quickly. It hadn't taken much effort to discover that they were partners. He wondered if their immediate supervisor was aware that they were also lovers. Most employers frowned on people who worked closely together becoming involved, and Anthony was sure the government was no exception. For a moment he considered making an anonymous call to the FBI to report them, but decided against it. That wouldn't drive them apart, it would likely only bring them closer together, united in their hatred of the person who had upset their lives. No, he wanted Dana to come to him willingly, and the only way to do that was to get Mulder out of the picture. Keeping his eye on the unsuspecting couple, Anthony began to make a plan. ********* Scully called him later from her apartment, while Mulder was changing in the bedroom. "Anthony? Dana. I got your voice message, and I just wanted to apologize for last night...Yes, I know, I'm really sorry, but something very important came up and I couldn't make it. I should have let you know, but I'm afraid I was just...occupied elsewhere, and well, I just forgot...Yes, well...I got engaged last night, Anthony. Fox asked me to marry him...It was a surprise to me, too, but surely you can understand--ok, all right, sure. I'll meet you there at, say, eight?...OK, sure, whatever you want, Anthony. I'll see you then." She hung up the phone and stared at Mulder, who had entered the room dressed in casual, comfortable clothes. Scully caught her breath suddenly. She loved to see him dressed in black. He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited. "He wants me to meet him for dinner. Alone. He said he would feel 'uncomfortable' with you there." Mulder snorted. "I should think so! And you agreed to meet him, right?" Scully closed her eyes wearily. "Mulder, I just didn't know what else to do. I want to get this over with. Ever since I met up with him at that convention a couple of months ago, life has been like a roller coaster. I'm so tired of it all. I want him out of my life permanently so I can just concentrate on us." He was at her side in an instant, enfolding her in his strong arms. Snuggling up to him, Scully rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She felt so safe here with him. Breathing deeply, she relished the scent that had become so familiar to her over the years, the scent that was uniquely Mulder. She felt him plant a kiss on the top of her head and smiled. Thank you, God, she prayed silently. Thank you for sending this man to me. Pulling back a little, she looked up into his eyes. She found his eyes fascinating, the way they could change color so quickly. Right now they were a deep green. He was smiling down at her, and she knew that he wasn't really angry about her meeting with Anthony after all. "Go do what you have to do," he told her. "I'll be waiting here when its over, and then I promise to make you forget all about Anthony-the-Bastard." "Sounds like a deal to me," she said, reaching up to draw his mouth to hers. She intended it to be only a quick kiss, but he slowly deepened it, pulling her even closer to him. Soon she felt herself go weak, and found she was clinging to Mulder just to stay standing. How in the world he could do this to her with a simple kiss she would never know, but oh how she loved it! Finally regaining her senses, she said, "Damn! Can't anything ever be routine with you, Mulder?" She felt, rather than heard, his gentle laughter. Looking up at him she was treated to one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever seen from him. It wasn't often that Mulder actually let himself go and laughed, but he seemed to be doing it a lot more lately. She hoped she was the reason. She had certainly been in a better mood lately because of him. "What?" she asked, smiling herself. "I just love doing that to you," he said teasingly. "I love it when you cling to me helplessly, like some heroine in a romance novel." "Oh yeah? Well let's just see what I can do to you," she retorted, slipping her hands under his shirt and beginning to run her fingertips lightly up and down his back. She felt him tense as he tightened his hold on her. "Scully, no," he moaned, and she could feel him beginning to harden against her. "This is...not the time..." His breathing was becoming ragged. She trailed her fingers down across the fabric of the sweatpants covering his ass. Squeezing him gently there, she allowed her fingers to slowly make their way around to the front of him. With an audible cry, he reached down and grabbed her hands from around him, firmly setting her away from him. "You have to go," he said through gritted teeth. "If you leave him waiting again, there'll probably be hell to pay, one way or another. Let's get this game over with." "Mulder--" "Now, Scully! Go!" He practically pushed her out the door, afraid that if he didn't get her out of there soon they were both going to end up in the bedroom. Finally closing the door on her, he turned back to the room, faced with the problem of what to do about the frustrated state she had left him in. Cold shower or a run, he asked himself. Run, he decided firmly. THEN a cold shower. ********** Dana entered the restaurant where she had promised to meet Anthony-the-Bastard. She grinned at herself--that was how she thought of him now, thanks to Mulder. Pausing to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, she spotted Anthony at a table in a far corner. He looked up at that instant and saw her. His lips twisted in an odd smile as he beckoned to her. She headed that way. "Hello, Anthony," she said as she took her seat. "I was afraid you might not show up." His words were casual, but she could hear the biting tone behind them. "I'm really sorry about last night, it was just--" she began, but he cut her off. "Don't--don't worry about it, Dana. So," he said, lifting her hand to examine her engagement ring, "it was pretty sudden, huh?" She smiled. "Very sudden. Totally unexpected." "Why?" he asked quietly. "Why?" she repeated, confused. "Why what?" "Why was it unexpected?" "Well, because...we'd just never really discussed it." "Did you pick out the ring together?" "No," she told him, puzzled at the direction the conversation was taking. "He just pulled it out of his pocket and surprised me with it." "Really. That means he's probably had it for a while." "I suppose so. I expect he was just waiting for the right moment to--" "And why do you suppose the 'right moment' came last night, when you were supposed to see me?" Dana didn't know what to say for a moment. She wasn't sure exactly what Anthony was implying. Anthony leaned in close to her. "Why did he not ask you to marry him until he was afraid of losing you to me?" Her eyes widened. She wanted to deny what he was saying, but was amazed at how close to home it hit. Their relationship had been so comfortable until Mulder learned about Anthony, and then things had gone haywire. Or rather, Mulder had gone haywire, she corrected herself. "That's it, isn't it, Dana?" he asked, seeing her hesitation. "He just wanted to put his claim on you so that I couldn't move in on his territory." Scully still didn't speak. Images of the past couple of months were running through her mind. Mulder, tense and angry that she had received a letter from Anthony; Mulder refusing to speak to her about anything personal for days on end, drawing farther away from her with each passing day, and then--Fox Mulder on his knees, tears in his eyes, begging her forgiveness. No, she told herself firmly. He does love me. He was devastated when he thought he might lose me. The thoughts of the last few days brought a smile to her lips. It seemed the two of them had spent more time in bed than out of it. But then, she asked herself, hadn't his lovemaking been a little--frantic lately? A little panicked? As if he was trying out all the tricks he had learned over the years in order to impress her. With a sudden pang of jealousy, Scully wondered exactly where Mulder had learned to be such a fantastic lover. He certainly was vastly more experienced than she was. Surely he hadn't learned all of that from Phoebe Greene and his porn videos. She was brought out of her reverie by Anthony reaching across the table to take her hand. "Dana," he said quietly. "Give me a chance. Take a little while to re-think this engagement." Seeing her hesitation, he went on, "I know he's your partner, and I know that's forbidden. How are you going to get around that at work?" "We--we haven't decided what to do about it yet," she admitted in a whisper. Could it be true? Could Mulder have only finally proposed to her in order to defend his territory, like some male animal, setting his mark on her? The thought made white-hot fury invade her being. "Anthony, I have to go. I'm sorry," she announced suddenly, standing up and retrieving her purse. "There's something I need to do." "It's ok, Dana, I do understand. Here," he said, handing her a piece of paper. "Here's the address and phone number where I'm living. I've just bought a house not far from here. Feel free to contact me any time. Even if you...you know...just need to talk." She looked down at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be so understanding and sweet. She had expected anger and recriminations. She reached out to take the paper from him, and he grabbed her hand again, bringing it to his lips briefly. "Remember, I do still care about you, Dana," he said softly. She smiled her thanks at him and left the restaurant. Getting in her car, Scully thought about heading for home, but suddenly the need to be away from Mulder for a while, just to think, overwhelmed her. Pulling onto the freeway, she began driving. Just driving. ********** Mulder glanced at his watch for the tenth time in the last minute, never pausing in his pacing. One fourteen a.m. WHERE THE HELL WAS SHE? He had called her cell phone at least two dozen times; she had it turned off. He had even called his apartment hoping she might be there. He had avoided calling her mother because he didn't want to upset Mrs. Scully just yet--but he was frantic with worry himself. His pacing took him from the front door, through the living room, into the kitchen, around the kitchen table, and back through the living room to the front door again. Every now and then he would open the door and glance outside. He had not seen or heard anything of Scully since seven-thirty that evening--no, he corrected himself--the previous evening, when he had practically pushed her out this same door. He had gone out running, come back and taken a shower, and then plopped himself down on the couch, surfing Scully's cable channels, and waited for her to come home. And waited. And waited. Until he had finally jumped up in desperation from the couch and begun this infernal trail through Scully's kitchen and living room that was leading him nowhere. He had tried at first, as he always did when she was a little late for anything, to make excuses for her. She had had car trouble she would have called me... her cell phone battery was dead Scully would never let that happen... and now he was left wondering where the hell she was, and if Anthony was still with her. If that bastard hurt Scully, Mulder knew that he would kill him. Grimly, he checked to see that his weapon was in place and in proper working order. ********** Scully pulled her car into her parking place, and sat there for a minute, almost afraid to go inside. It was ten minutes until two in the morning, and she held out no hope at all that Mulder would be sleeping peacefully. There was definitely going to be a storm between them tonight. Might as well go on up and get it over with. Sighing, she removed her keys from the ignition and grabbed her purse from the seat, heading up the steps. Mulder flung open the door before she could even get her key out. The next thing she knew, she was wrapped securely in his strong arms, being hugged so tightly she could barely breathe. "Oh god, Scully, I was so worried. Are you all right? Did that bastard hurt you?" He ran his hands over her body as if to assure himself that she was all in one piece. "Mulder," Scully said firmly, stepping inside and closing the door, "Mulder, I'm fine. Calm down." He slowly began to realize that she really was fine. She looked upset, but not to the point of making him want to grab his weapon and go hunting for Anthony-the-Bastard. Once he was assured of her safety, however, he began to be angry. "Where have you been all this time?" he asked in a carefully controlled voice. "Driving," she answered bluntly. Mulder couldn't believe he had heard her correctly. "Driving." "Yes. Driving." "For six hours?" "Five and a half, actually. I did meet Anthony, and he was very nice. Pointed out some things to me that I hadn't thought of. Things that bear discussion." "Why didn't you answer when I called your cell phone?" he asked wearily. Now that she was back, and obviously safe, he was exhausted from all the worrying he had done. "I turned it off." Scully headed into the bedroom, stopping to hang up her coat as she went. Mulder stood as if frozen where she had left him by the front door, never taking his eyes off her. "You turned it off," he repeated dazedly. "You must have known I'd be worried, but you turned your phone off and never thought to call me to let me know you were all right?" "Mulder, I didn't want to talk, I wanted to think." She returned from the bedroom, having changed from her pantsuit into a nightgown and robe. Mulder was so confused that he didn't quite know what to say. At this point he was sure whatever he said would be the wrong thing. "You wanted to think." He was beginning to sound like a parrot. "Mulder, you need to get some sleep. Your place or mine?" "What?" he asked, completely thrown off-balance by her nonchalant attitude. "Are you sleeping here, or are you going home?" she asked, as if speaking to a small child. "Scully, I don't understand--" "Mulder, I'm too tired to talk about it tonight. We'll discuss it tomorrow." Turning, she started back to the bedroom. "If you decide to leave, turn off the lights and lock the door. I'm going to bed," she called over her shoulder. The next thing he knew the bedroom door had closed behind her. The door closing snapped him out of his trancelike state, and he suddenly realized what had happened. She had come home hours late, informed him that she had been just driving around the city with her cell phone turned off, leaving him twisting in the breeze even though she knew that he would be wild with worry about her, and then she had gone to bed! Grimly removing his weapon from his holster, he laid it on the kitchen table. It would not do to be armed for this confrontation. He was much too close to losing complete control of his temper. Striding over to the bedroom door, Mulder tried the handle. It was locked. "Scully!" he called angrily. "Open the door. You can't just go to sleep, we have to talk about this and we have to talk now!" "Go home, Mulder," she called from the bedroom. "I said we'd talk tomorrow." Resolutely, he lifted his foot and a moment later the bedroom door crashed open. Scully stared at him in surprise from the bed. It hadn't occurred to her until that moment just how angry Mulder was. "We'll talk now," he said, and the deceptive calm in his voice belied the fury that she knew he was feeling. Scully had had glimpses of the Mulder temper before, but never had it been directed at her, not at this level. Even though she knew Mulder wouldn't hurt her, she began to be a little frightened. She just wasn't ready to face this yet. Mulder stalked over to the bed and sat down heavily beside her. "Scully, I've been through hell for the past five hours, and you just told me that you were aware of it, but you didn't care because you weren't ready to talk. Would you like to explain that?" His voice was firm and cold, and she knew she had hurt him deeply. "That's not what I said, Mulder. I never said I didn't care, I just wasn't ready--" "May I remind you," he interrupted cuttingly, "that only a couple of months ago you promised me you would never leave me hanging, waiting for a phone call like that again? Did you forget about that, Scully?" Scully swallowed hard. Actually, she had forgotten. She had been so angry at Mulder that she really hadn't cared if he was worried. But now, seeing how tortured he must have been, remorse began to eat at her. "Oh, Mulder, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I was just so angry, I didn't think. I never wanted to do this to you. Can you forgive me?" She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, and as usual, he could refuse her nothing. "Of course I'll forgive you, Scully. I love you. And not thinking is usually my department," he commented wryly. "But Scully, why were you so angry? Were you mad at me?" "Yes," she said, almost inaudibly. "What did I do?" he asked simply. "It wasn't anything you did, it--it was something that...occurred to me tonight. Mulder, when did you buy my engagement ring?" The question took him off guard. "When...? Why would you ask me that?" She could tell he had grown suddenly nervous by the way he began running a hand through his hair. "Did you buy it yesterday? Last week? When, Mulder? I would really like to know." She leaned back against the headboard and waited. Brushing his fingers through his hair again, he beseeched, "Ah, Scully, please don't ask me that..." She never looked away. Mulder sighed heavily. "All right, I'll tell you, but I promise you, it's not the way it's going to sound." He hesitated another moment, and then, "I bought it last year. Before you were...diagnosed with your cancer." The silence was heavy in the room. "You didn't want to give it to me after that." She said it flatly, with no emotion. As if it were a simple fact that they both understood. "No, I didn't, but not for the reason you're thinking." "How do you know what I'm thinking?" He hesitated a moment. "I know what I'd be thinking after a confession like that. I'd be thinking--" "You'd be thinking that you didn't want to marry me then, because I was dying!" "No, Scully--" "You were thinking that if you hooked up with me then, we wouldn't have more than a few months together and then you'd be left alone. That you'd have to deal with losing me all over again. So it was easier just to leave things the way they had always been. That way you could cope with my death easier, distance yourself from it. That was it, wasn't it, Mulder?" She was yelling at him by now, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight of those tears tore at his heart. The last thing he ever wanted to do was make Scully cry. Opening his arms, he tried to embrace her, but she pulled away, too angry at that moment to allow him to touch her. At her withdrawal, he retreated as well. Mulder stood up and backed away from her a step. "Scully, please let me explain," he tried again. "No, Mulder. I don't want to hear it. I already know what happened. My cancer has been in remission for months, but you didn't trot out that ring until Anthony showed up in my life again. Then you needed to stake your claim, keep him from poaching on your territory, so you decided the time was right. Right for you, Mulder. It's always all about you. Well this time I'm calling the shots, and I don't know if I want to go through with this!" His face lost all color, and he suddenly reached out a hand for the wall, as if he was no longer able to fully support the weight of his body. "You don't--you can't mean you want to break it off?" he asked tremulously. At his words, Scully began to calm down a little. She realized this was getting out of hand, and they both had to get a grip on themselves before they went too far. There were things she still wanted to say to him, but she didn't want to destroy him, and from the look of him it appeared she was getting close. "No, Mulder, I don't think that's what I want," she said gently. "I'm just hurt that you waited so long. And I'm tired, and I really don't want to talk about this any more right now." "Seems to me that tonight it's all about you," he observed cautiously. She didn't answer, and a moment later he came hesitantly to the bed and sat down beside her. When she didn't draw back, he reached out a hand to touch a tendril of her hair. "I have to go, Scully. I think we need to spend the night apart." She nodded. "You understand that I'm not walking out on you? That I would never do that? I just feel that we both need a little distance. There is an explanation, Scully, but you don't have to hear it right now." He pinned her with his gaze and continued, "You do have to give me a chance to tell you, though. This subject is not closed. Understood?" She nodded again. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips and stood up to go. Turning back before leaving the room, he said, "Scully? I just want you to know that every time I've told you how much I love you, every time we've made love together...it's been the truth. I have never lied to you about that." "Yes, Mulder, I do know that. I never doubted that you loved me, not really." He stayed. Waited. "Scully...?" "Yes, Mulder, I love you too. I always will. Don't worry." He smiled a tiny smile then, not much, but enough to warm her heart a little. Then he was gone. ********** Part 3 ********** Scully sat up in her bed, thinking, fingering her ring for at least half an hour before she finally picked up the telephone. She knew it was the middle of the night, but... "Mom?" Maggie Scully sat straight up in bed when she heard her daughter's voice on the telephone. "Dana, what is it? Are you all right? Has something happened to you? Or Fox?" Scully smiled wryly at the expected reaction. "No, Mom, everyone's ok. Physically, at least." Maggie could hear the distress in her daughter's voice, and she knew that for Dana to call her in the middle of the night like this, the situation must be serious. "What do you mean, honey?" She sat up in bed and made herself comfortable, because it was apparent that she was in for a long session of mom-talk. "Mom, Mulder and I...we had a big fight tonight." Oh no! Don't tell me this, not after you finally got together! "You didn't break up, did you? Oh, please tell me that you kids didn't make a terrible mistake tonight, Dana!" She sounded horrified. "No, we didn't break up, but...we came close. And Mom, it was all my fault really. I--I hurt him tonight. And I don't know what to say to him." "Tell me exactly what happened," Mrs. Scully instructed. She knew the only way to get to the bottom of this was to get all the details. She was not about to let Fox Mulder slip through her daughter's fingers, not now that Dana had that ring on one of them. It had been obvious to her for years that Fox was mad about Dana, and she wasn't going to let the two of them mess it up now that they had finally done the right thing. After Scully had finished telling her mother everything, closing her eyes in shame at the memory of some of the things she had said to Mulder, she sat back and waited. Like a little girl, she knew that Mom could help make it better. She always had. "Well, Dana," her mother said finally, "I guess what you need to do is ask yourself what is more important, Fox or your pride." "Huh?" Scully asked, clearly not understanding. "So he waited until Anthony reappeared in your life to ask you to marry him--so what? At least he asked, and honey, you know he really loves you." "Yes, I do know that," Scully replied slowly. "Well then what difference does it make? If Anthony coming to town is what it took to make Fox work up the courage he needed to finally ask you, then I say good for Anthony. And don't forget, Dana, you had a lot to deal with this past year. After your cancer there was Emily, and he probably didn't feel right about intruding on your grief then. You know that Fox is a very sensitive man." The more her mother talked, the more Scully felt her own guilt. Poor Mulder, she had really been unfair to him tonight. "What should I do, Mom? I'm not sure if he even wants to talk to me." "Call him, Dana. Call him right now. You know Fox isn't sleeping any more than you are. The longer you two wait to work this out, the harder it will be. In fact, if you can, I think you should go to him. Do this in person. That way you can...reinforce things, so to speak." "Mom!" Scully was almost shocked, but not quite. She knew that her mother was aware that she and Mulder had been sleeping together, and that Mom was not entirely unhappy about it. Scully had finally decided her mother wanted them together so badly that she was willing to overlook a little sin to reach the desired result. "Dana, you will never find another man who loves you as much as Fox does. What ever you do, don't let him get away," her mother said firmly. "You may hang onto your pride forever, but it won't keep you warm at night. Fox will." "OK, I'm going to hang up and call him right this minute. Thanks, Mom. Thanks for always being there for me." "Oh honey," Mrs. Scully said around the lump in her throat. "I always will be here for both of you. Now you children work this out so I can plan a wedding!" Smiling, Scully hung up the phone and pushed the button to speed-dial Mulder. His phone rang four times before the answering machine picked up. Knowing that if he had been asleep he would have awakened and answered, she decided that maybe he had gone out for one of his runs. He did that sometimes when he needed to think. "Mulder, it's me. Listen, I want to come over there and talk to you. I'm--I'm sorry I treated you the way I did tonight. I need to see you, to apologize to you in person. I'm on my way. I'll be there in twenty minutes. I love you..." she added this last softly, but she just had to tell him. She couldn't bear the thought of him sitting alone in the dark, tormenting himself with the thoughts that would be going through his head. Mulder was an expert at self-torture, and she didn't want to add to it. Quickly dressing, Scully grabbed her car keys and headed out the door. ********** Sitting alone in the dark was exactly what Mulder was doing. He had come home and thrown himself down on his couch, not moving, just thinking. He couldn't forget her answer when he had asked if she wanted to break off their engagement. "No, Mulder, I don't think that's what I want." Think. She didn't think it was what she wanted. But she wasn't sure? His hands itched to grab his basketball and bounce it off his floor, but he could just imagine his neighbors' reactions if he did that at three-thirty in the morning. So instead, he sat quietly, hands clasping each other tightly, trying to get a grip on his nervousness. Mulder desperately tried to find some way to blame tonight's situation on himself. After all, he rationalized, if it's my fault, at least I can apologize and initiate the resolution. But try as he might, he was unable to shoulder the blame for this one. Mulder, who usually was guilt-ridden over any such situation, had to be honest with himself. She had left the apartment in a good mood and come home in a bad one. She had deliberately left him wondering where she was, and if she was all right, for hours. She could have picked up that cell phone and called me, he mused, told me she wanted to be alone to think, and then turned it off, but instead she kept me waiting for an eternity, not knowing what was going on. Mulder's analytical mind endeavored to determine what had brought on this uncharacteristic reaction from Scully. Was it something that jerk Anthony had said to her? She must have been really upset to listen to anything that bastard had to say, but it had been a very long couple of months for the both of them. She had even admitted to him before she left that she just wanted it all to be over. That had to be it. She was upset, she wasn't thinking clearly, and that bastard had said something to her and she had grown angry and jumped to all the wrong conclusions. Mulder was fairly certain that Anthony had nudged her thinking in that direction as well. Now he could only hope that she would come to the right conclusions, or at least let him explain his actions. His face flushed with anger as he remembered her accusations earlier. He had known what it would sound like if he told her that the ring had been purchased before her cancer. That was why he hadn't mentioned it in the first place. He had bought it for her, carefully choosing just the right ring for his Scully, just before the Leonard Betts case. He smiled, remembering himself shoulder-deep in medical waste alongside Scully. His stomach still lurched a little when he thought of it. He'd wanted to refuse her, but she had asked so nicely, and looked so beautiful...at that moment he would have jumped into that waste bin head first had she asked. All through that entire case, he remembered, he had been acting a little silly over her, giddy with the knowledge that soon he was going to ask her to be his wife. And then--he had come into the office after a bad night, having a bad day, forced to take time off, time away from Scully--and she had suddenly grown so distant. He had been angry and confused by her behavior, so he had lashed out at her, become a prime jerk, and she had run off and done something incredibly stupid. He'd been able to successfully blame himself for that one, he thought. But after that--oh shit, after that, the big blame, the guilt-trip to end all guilt-trips, when she had discovered she had cancer. And eventually been told that it was because of him. He'd wanted to kill himself then, and if events hadn't intervened he might very well have done so. It seemed their lives had been on an incredible series of ups and downs since then, with them hardly having time to draw a breath in between. At least Scully's cancer was in remission, he reminded himself. Even if she wanted to break it off with him, or even get herself a new partner, he could comfort himself with the knowledge that she was no longer dying. The telephone rang, disturbing his awful trip down memory lane. He stared at it, knowing it had to be Scully, but afraid to pick it up. He listened to the message she left, and smiled with relief. Maybe they could survive this after all. Standing up, Mulder switched on the light and went into the kitchen to start some coffee. It was apparent that neither of them was going to sleep tonight. ********** Outside Mulder's apartment, Anthony had been just about to make his move to enter the building when he saw the light come on. Damn! He had intended to quietly break in, conk Mulder over the head with the crowbar he held in his hand, mess up things and take a couple of items to make it look like a robbery, and then make his getaway. When Dana discovered the next morning that her loverboy had been murdered in a break-in, she would naturally turn to him for comfort. But now his plans were put on hold with the obvious evidence that Mulder was still awake. Silently, Anthony sat back down in the bushes where he had been hiding to reformulate his strategy. ********** Scully pulled up outside Mulder's building, saw the light in his window, and smiled. She knew her mother was right, her pride was no longer important. Besides, she knew Mulder well enough that she should have known he couldn't be guilty of what she had accused him of. She knew his fear of rejection, and just how long it must have taken him to work up the courage to ask her to marry him. The two of them had both been dancing around the issue of their love for each other for years before she had finally gotten up the courage to take the initiative. She smiled widely, remembering Mulder strapped to a bed in a psychiatric hospital, and the way she had taken advantage of his helplessness to begin a physical relationship with him. The look on his face had been priceless! Exiting her car, Scully walked across the grass toward the front door of Mulder's apartment building. She had almost reached it when she heard a soft swish behind her, felt a moment of terrible pain, and then the world went black. ********** Damn, damn, damn, who was driving up this late at night? Anthony stared at the car that had just pulled up, nestling further into his brushy hiding place. The car slid quietly to a stop in front of the building, and a woman emerged. The streetlight glinted off her hair, red-gold, and Anthony realized with a start that it was Dana. His mouth tightened in a frown. What was she doing here at this time of night? He'd known they were sleeping together, of course--he wasn't stupid--but why she would be coming to see Mulder now was a mystery to him. It obviously had something to do with Mulder still being awake, and Anthony felt a flash of anger at the two of them for upsetting his plans. She was drawing nearer and he knew he had to think of something quickly or all his preparations would go to waste. His mind working at lightning speed, Anthony reasoned out the situation. If he couldn't sneak in and stealthily kill Mulder, as he had originally planned, the next best thing would be to set a trap for the other man. Every trap needed bait of some sort, and what better bait to use with Mulder than Dana? Anthony was sure that Mulder would waste no time coming after her, and then he would have the agent at his mercy. Dana would be upset at Mulder's death, of course, but naturally she would turn to him for comfort. She would have to. She wouldn't have anyone else. Stealthily, he crept out of his hiding place as she approached the front door. He took one step up behind her and swung the crowbar, watching her crumple to the ground in front of him. Anthony looked around quickly to make certain they had not been observed, then carefully picked up Dana's unconscious form and carried her around the corner to his waiting car. He lay her in the back seat, uncertain what he would do if she woke up. He had not planned for this. He had planned to leave a dead body in Mulder's apartment. Rummaging through the wide variety of tools and other junk in the trunk of his car, Anthony came up with a roll of duct tape and decided it would do the job. Quickly he bound Dana's wrists and ankles with the tape, hoping that she would not wake up before he could move her to a more comfortable position. After all, he didn't want to hurt his lovely Dana. Then he climbed into the driver's seat and sped away. ********** Twenty-five minutes after Scully's call, Mulder paused in his pacing and crossed to the window to look for her car. Glancing down, he saw it parked on the street, and swallowed nervously. She must be on her way up. When she didn't arrive in the next five minutes, he opened up his apartment door and glanced down the hall. Nothing. Reaching inside to grab his keys, he pulled the door closed and headed down the stairs. He could picture Scully sitting in her car, trying to come up with just the right thing to say to him after their fight earlier. He could also picture her chickening out completely, and if she was in the car, he wanted to find her before she gave up and left. His heart had finally stopped pounding at the idea of losing her, and he wasn't going to let her leave until the situation was resolved completely. Mulder knew he would never sleep again if there was any chance that Scully might break off their engagement. He reached Scully's car and looked inside. It was empty. "Scully," he called softly, peering around in the dark, but there was no answer and no sign of her. Slowly he headed back for the door of his building, tracing the steps Scully would have taken, his eyes darting around, senses heightened by his uneasiness. Uneasiness turned to fear when his eyes caught sight of a small spot on the pavement. Bending down, he touched his fingers to it and brought them close to his face. Mulder's eyes closed and his hands clenched convulsively while he fought to keep fear from giving way to full-blown panic. Blood. Fresh blood. Not a lot of it, but enough to show that a struggle had taken place here. And Scully was missing. Quickly he ran back upstairs and changed out of his light colored sweats into dark jeans and a t-shirt. Strapping on his service weapon, Mulder donned his black leather jacket and left the apartment. He knew he should probably call someone and report her missing, but he wasn't ready to do that just yet. For one thing, he couldn't be absolutely sure that it was Scully's blood, even though he knew in his gut that it was. And for another thing, calling the authorities now was liable to blow their cover wide open. People would ask what Scully was doing visiting his apartment in the middle of the night when she was engaged to another man. Grimly he decided to do a little investigating on his own before he called in the troops. Crossing to Scully's car, Mulder pulled out his keys and unlocked it with the spare she had given him. He carefully examined the interior of the car. There were no signs of struggle here, indicating that she had probably exited the car unaware that there was any danger. As Mulder was about to close the door, he spotted a small piece of paper lying on the seat. He picked it up and saw an address and phone number written in a man's handwriting. Handwriting that his photographic memory recognized, even though he had only seen it once. Anthony. It looked as though he had given this to Scully at their meeting tonight and, in her distress over the entire situation, she had probably carelessly tossed it aside and forgotten it. Could Anthony be responsible for Scully's disappearance? Was it possible that Anthony had followed her here and--but no, why wait to take her when she got here? Why not take her from her own apartment? He couldn't possibly know that she would leave her apartment so late that night. Unless, he considered carefully, unless Scully had not been Anthony's chosen target. Maybe it hadn't been Scully that Anthony planned on paying a visit to at all. Perhaps it had been himself. But then Scully had unexpectedly shown up and... If he took her instead of me... Mulder closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fist convulsively around the paper. I will kill him, he thought grimly. He has hurt her, and I will kill him. Settling himself in front of the steering wheel and quickly adjusting the seat for his height, Mulder started Scully's car. He glanced at the paper again, and drove toward the area where he knew the address to be located. It was a long shot--Anthony might not be the culprit at all-- but at least it was a place to start. ********** Scully awoke with a pounding headache. Forcing her eyes open against the glare of the overhead light, she groaned and tried to move, quickly discovering that she was unable to do so. She was leaning against the wall in a tiny, windowless room, and her hands were fastened behind her back with something that felt suspiciously like heavy tape, binding her to a pipe that ran up the wall. Looking around, she decided she was in what had probably once been a laundry room, but was now empty except for her. Wincing, she closed her eyes, then slowly persuaded herself to open them again. She didn't have time to waste. She had to figure out where she was and how she could escape. Memory came flooding back to her in a rush. She had been on her way into Mulder's building and the last thing she remembered was the sidewalk rushing up to meet her. She had only felt a moment of pain at the time, but now...she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, fighting down nausea. She wished she had her hands free so she could evaluate the extent of her head wound. Probably a minor concussion, she decided, but nothing she couldn't recover from. Right now she just had to find a way out of here. If whoever had done this to her was outside Mulder's apartment, he could be in danger as well. Oh no, Mulder! She closed her eyes in pain at the thought. They could already have gotten to him. Maybe that's why he didn't answer the phone when I called! Oh Mulder, where are you? Are you all right? Are you even alive? The sudden opening of the door made her jump, and the pain in her head exploded again. Scully clenched her fists behind her back and counted slowly to ten, fighting pain and nausea once more. Finally, she opened her eyes just a slit, and then, unable to believe what she was seeing, opened them fully. Staring up at the man who entered the room, Scully felt all the blood drain from her face. "Anthony!" she whispered. "I brought you some aspirin and a glass of water," he said shyly. "I know you must have a terrible headache." Reaching out to touch her hair, he said, "I'm really sorry I had to hit you like that, Dana. I never wanted to hurt you." Scully tried to draw back from him, but she was already leaning against the wall and there was nowhere to go. Reluctantly she allowed him to place the aspirin in her mouth and hold the water glass for her while she swallowed them. When she could speak, her first weak words were, "Mulder? What did you do to him, Anthony?" "Relax, Dana," he said easily, placing the glass on the floor beside her. "I haven't done anything at all to him. As far as I know he's just fine." Scully tried not to make her relief too obvious. She wanted to believe him, but--"Why have you brought me here?" she asked. "You must know that kidnapping a federal agent is going to get you into a boatload of trouble." "Oh, Dana, no. I didn't kidnap you. I just...had to bring you here so we could talk." Scully felt a chill at his words. Didn't kidnap her? This man was not functioning on all cylinders. "What do you call hitting me on the head and tying me up, Anthony?" she retorted gently. "It feels like kidnapping to me!" "I just needed to talk to you, get you to come to your senses," he told her. "I had to save you from making a terrible mistake." The look in his eyes frightened her more than anything. It was loving, and tender, and...blank. There was nothing behind his gaze but coldness. "Mistake?" she asked, again wincing against the light. The pain in her head was getting worse, and the uncomfortable position she was in didn't help. "What mistake?" "Why, marrying Fox Mulder, of course. I couldn't let you marry him when you and I were meant to be together." He explained impatiently, as if telling her something she should already know, and Scully felt her whole body beginning to tremble. She fought valiantly for self-control. "If you wanted to talk to me, why were you outside Mulder's apartment? You couldn't have known I'd go there," Scully asked, afraid she already knew the answer. "I was going to remove the problem from your life," he said simply. "But then you showed up, so I had to change my plans. I decided to bring you here and try to talk some sense into you. That way, maybe nobody has to die." Die? Scully felt sick at her stomach, and she didn't know how much of it was due to the concussion and how much was because of his words. Remove the problem from your life? That obviously meant he had intended to kill Mulder. She shuddered to think how close she had come to losing Mulder that night. If she hadn't called her mother, if her mother hadn't suggested that she go to Mulder immediately, if she had been a few minutes later arriving... Scully forced these thoughts out of her mind for the moment. Dwelling on them would not help the immediate situation. "Look, Anthony," she began, forcing her eyes open again damn it, she was so TIRED, "I don't know what you want from me." "Well, for one thing, I want this," he said, reaching behind her and roughly stripping her engagement ring off her finger. "You won't need this any longer, Dana," he told her, tucking it into his shirt pocket. "You don't need him at all. You have me now." Scully cringed as he reached for her, and when he removed the ring she felt as if her last tie to Mulder had been ripped away. She knew she had to try and reason with this lunatic, but how? And how many times had Mulder himself told here that there was no reasoning with a madman? That they saw the world through their own distorted reality, and no one else's view mattered to them? That would have to be her ticket out of here, she decided. She would have to agree with Anthony. Get him to trust her. Get him to release her. Her eyes narrowed in anger. Then maybe I can blow his brains out for threatening Mulder. "You're right," she lied softly. "I do have you. After you talked to me last night, I realized that my engagement to Fox was a mistake. I was going to his apartment to tell him it was over." Seeing the look of hope he gave her, she went on. "You helped me to see that, Anthony. What you said to me at dinner made me do some thinking, and I realized that I never really loved him as much as I should. Not as much as I loved you when we were together." Dana felt sick and dirty at her own words. She told herself she wasn't betraying Mulder, that it was the only way she knew to get out of this situation with both of them still alive. It's not the first time I've lied to save his life, she told herself comfortingly. Anthony smiled broadly at her words "I'm really glad to hear that you're so agreeable, Dana. That was one of the problems with Beth. She was always fighting me, disobeying me. Do you know she even wanted to divorce me?" She could hear the anger growing in his voice. "Not that I really wanted her any longer, but she was mine. She belonged to me. She wanted to leave me for someone else. And she had the nerve to suggest that I needed to get help!" He laughed. "Well, I took care of her. She didn't want me, but she can't have him either. I removed that little problem from her life." Scully shivered at his words. It was obvious what he meant. He had probably killed his wife's boyfriend, and now he meant to do the same to Mulder, her Mulder! Was he really safe? Was Anthony telling the truth? She had no choice but to believe him for the moment. She couldn't think about Mulder being harmed or she would lose herself in the grief and never find a way out of this situation. They were both startled out of their conversation by the sound of pounding coming from another part of the house. Someone was at the door. Anthony smiled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and quickly shoved it in her mouth, tying it securely behind her head. "I think he's here," he said, winking at her. "Now I'll go remove the problem from your life, and then you and I can get on with things." Scully struggled against the tape holding her to the pipe, but she was weakened from the pain and fighting only made it worse. Frantically she darted her eyes around the room. There had to be some way to let Mulder know she was here! ********** It was just beginning to be light out when Mulder pulled up at the address he was seeking. It was a country-style home, set back on several acres with lots of trees and shrubs around it. Plenty of places to hide if necessary, he thought. He would try the direct approach first, knocking on the door and talking to the guy, and if that didn't work, he would devise another plan. He just knew Scully had to be in that house. Hopefully his conversation with Anthony would give him a clue about what his next move should be. ********* Anthony picked up his crowbar as he made his way to the front door, careful to keep his hand behind his back so that Mulder wouldn't see it. Opening the door, he was confronted with a man who was enough taller than himself to be imposing. It doesn't matter how big he is, Anthony thought slyly, they all fall down if you hit them just right. "Anthony Franklin?" asked the man at the door. "Yes, come in Mr. Mulder. I've been expecting you." Anthony stood back to allow Mulder to enter the room, which he did warily after a moment, looking around quickly for any signs of danger. Apparently Anthony was alone in the room. Mulder kept his back to the door and never let his eyes leave the man in front of him. "I suppose you've come for Dana," Anthony said conversationally. "I assure you she's unharmed. Well, except for that little bump on her head, but that will soon heal." Anthony smiled, and Mulder resisted the urge to draw his gun and blow this asshole to kingdom come. He couldn't risk killing him until he knew where he was keeping Scully. "Where is she, you bastard?" he demanded angrily. "What have you done with her?" "Ah-ah, language, Fox. Insulting me won't help you now." Mulder deliberately drew his weapon and aimed it at Anthony's head. The man had all but admitted that he was holding a federal agent hostage, so he knew his actions were justified. "Where is she?" he asked again, coldly. Anthony stood silently, staring Mulder down, until Mulder cocked the weapon. Anthony could see the other man's finger twitch as it rested on the trigger of the gun. At last he broke eye contact with Mulder, and appeared to give in. "Why, she's right down the hall, Mr. Mulder. Would you like to see her?" Anthony gestured as he spoke, and Mulder reflexively glanced at the hallway he indicated. A split second later his peripheral vision caught the crowbar being swung at his head and he raised his left arm in self-defense. The crowbar caught his left wrist, and the sickening CRACK, coupled with the sudden rush of pain and nausea, told him it had broken. The shock made him drop his weapon and cradle his wrist to his body. At the same time, he lunged his shoulder toward Anthony to try and knock him off balance. Mulder saw the crowbar being raised again as Anthony stumbled backward. Falling to his knees he scrabbled for his gun. Seconds later his left arm was wrenched violently behind him as Anthony grabbed him to prevent him from reaching the weapon. Mulder instantly recognized the excruciating pain of a shoulder dislocated once again, and he fought a sudden rush toward unconsciousness. With his last rational thought he made one more desperate grab for his gun. Triumphantly, Mulder felt his fingers close around the grip. His left arm hung uselessly from his body as he swung the weapon around toward his target. Mulder screamed, partly in agony and partly in anger, as he leveled the gun at Anthony's chest and squeezed off one shot. Anthony fell immediately, the crowbar dropping from his grasp and clanging out of reach. Mulder sagged against the door, willing himself not to pass out from the pain. He tried to take a few deep, calm, relaxing breaths. Even slight movement sent searing fire through his left arm, but he knew he had to pull himself together. He could give in to the agony he felt later, but right now he had to find Scully. Forcing himself to concentrate, Mulder struggled to his feet and started down the hallway, shouting, "Scully! Scully, where are you?" ********** Scully could hear male voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She thought she recognized Mulder's deeper tones and she closed her eyes and offered up a quick prayer of thanks that he was alive, and that he would find her, and that he would be unharmed. Her heart stilled when she heard Mulder's scream, followed quickly by a gunshot. Oh God, please, please let it be Anthony who was shot, she prayed, struggling in vain against her bonds. For a moment longer than eternity there was silence, then incredible relief washed over her when she heard his voice calling her name. Scully blinked back tears, thinking it had to be the most beautiful sound in the world. She tried to yell for him, to tell him where she was, but could only make small, strangled noises with the gag in place. Carefully, trying not to cause any more pain to her head, she swung her legs around to the wall and began kicking it repeatedly. After several iterations Scully was forced to stop; the pounding went straight to her head and made her nausea so bad she was certain she would throw up with the gag still in her mouth and choke on her own vomit. Quietly, taking slow, deep breaths through her nose, Scully waited for Mulder to find her. Mulder was trying every door in the long hallway, opening them and looking quickly inside each room, then ducking out again when it became apparent that the room was empty. He had checked three doors when he began to hear a pounding sound from somewhere farther down the hall. It sounded as though someone was throwing something against a wall. Or kicking it, he thought suddenly. Quickly he reached the last door in the hall and tried the knob. It had an obviously new padlock on the outside of it. Instantly Mulder knew this had to be the place. "Scully, are you in there?" he called, and heard one answering thump. "Stand back if you can!" he yelled to her, and fired his gun at the lock. It shattered, and in the next moment the door went flying open, slamming against the wall behind it. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, both relieved to see the other alive and relatively unharmed. Mulder quickly crossed to her and, pulling out his pocketknife and opening it with his teeth, used his good hand to cut the tape holding her to the pipe. Scully sat up and removed the cloth from her mouth, never taking her eyes off Mulder. He gently pulled her toward him, the useless left arm hanging limply at his side. "Oh, God, Mulder, are you all right?" she asked him, running her hands frantically over his body to ascertain if there was any damage other than his obviously injured arm. "I was so afraid! He wanted to kill you! He said--" "Shh, shh, it's all right now Scully," he told her softly, caressing her hair and rubbing his good hand down her back. "He's dead. I shot him." She looked up at him anxiously. "Are you sure he's dead? Did you make sure?" she asked, trying to regain her composure. "Mulder, he wanted to kill you, he said he was going to 'remove the problem from my life'." Mulder just smiled at her, relief filling him now that the worst was over. "I'm pretty sure he's dead, Scully. He had a hole the size of Nebraska in his chest." "Let me look at him," she demanded promptly, struggling to rise to her feet. "I want to see for myself." Knowing that arguing with her was useless at this point, Mulder carefully helped her to her feet and walked with her back to the front room. Anthony's body lay on the floor in a pool of blood, right where he had fallen. Scully marched over to him and felt for a pulse, relieved when she found nothing. Then, to Mulder's surprise, she reached into his bloody shirt pocket and extracted her engagement ring. Mulder was beside her in an instant. "What's that doing there?" he asked, confused, as he took it from her and wiped off the tiny bit of blood that had stained the band. "He took it from me." Her voice was tight with anger. "Mulder, he killed his wife's boyfriend. She wanted a divorce, and he killed the man. He told me that he had 'removed the problem' from Beth's life. That's what he said he was going to do for me, too. He meant you." She began shivering, and he drew her close again. It was at this point that Scully finally noticed the way he was holding his left arm carefully close to his body. "What did he do to you?" she asked, gently pulling him over to a sofa and forcing him to sit down. Her experienced hands began to feel softly for his injuries, trying not to cause him any additional pain, drawing back when he couldn't conceal a wince. "He hit me with a crowbar. Probably the same thing he hit you with," Mulder answered weakly. Now that the adrenalin rush in his body had subsided somewhat, the fire in his injured wrist and shoulder was starting to return with a vengeance. Leaning back against the sofa, Mulder tried to relax and let Scully do her examination. "I think this might be broken, but it could just be a bad sprain," she said, indicating his wrist, which had already swollen to twice its normal size. "I'm pretty sure it's broken, Scully. You should have heard the cracking sound when he hit me there," he said, managing a slight grin. She touched his shoulder lightly and he bit back a scream, his face losing all color. "Don't! Shit, I'm sorry, Scully, but don't touch it, please..." he murmured, sagging back against the sofa. "It's dislocated again, Mulder." He closed his eyes and Scully realized he was half unconscious with pain. Shaking her head sadly, she reached for a telephone and began dialing. "We have to call Skinner," Mulder told her, rousing himself suddenly. "This mess is going to have to be explained, and maybe he can think of something plausible. Right now I'm just too worn out to come up with any more lies." She nodded and dialed Skinner's number. It was almost five-thirty, maybe he wouldn't be too angry at her waking him up early. ********** Mulder sat next to Scully's hospital bed, dozing in a chair. His broken wrist had been splinted--it couldn't be casted until the swelling subsided--his shoulder returned to its proper location, and now he was sleeping off the effects of the previous night's exhausting activities coupled with a painkiller the nurse had given him. Scully watched him sleeping and smiled. He just looked so sweetly innocent this way. Reaching out a hand, she found she was just able to touch his hair. Scully smoothed it back over his forehead and allowed all the love she felt for this man to wash over her in a wave. She was just so relieved to have him alive. That was how Skinner found them when he entered her room a few minutes later. Scully looked up warily as he entered. She still had no idea what the ramifications of last night would be. Once the whole story came out, it would be obvious that she and Mulder were more than simple partners. With a small sigh, she wondered how long it would be before they were reassigned. "How are you doing, Agent Scully?" Skinner asked, nothing but concern evident in his voice or demeanor. "I'm all right, Sir, it's just a minor concussion. They just want to do the overnight observation thing." "And Mulder?" Skinner asked, indicating the sleeping form. "What about him?" "Broken wrist and dislocated shoulder, he's been all fixed up. Sir--" she began, but Skinner cut her off. "Don't worry about it, Agent Scully. It's been taken care of." She just gazed at him questioningly. "I've just come from a meeting with the Director where I have given testimony and about three tons of evidence as to the effectiveness you two have as partners. I carefully pointed out to him that even though you must have secretly been carrying on a relationship for some time, your work had not suffered in the least. On the contrary, you seem to have achieved a higher case-solve rate since you became involved with each other." "What difference is any of that going to make? Sir, if I have to I'll tender my resignation. Mulder can't lose the X-files--it would kill him." Her face was resolute, and Skinner was struck by the realization that there was nothing Scully wouldn't give up in order to assure Mulder's happiness. "Relax, Scully. Some...friends...have assured me that they will do all that is in their considerable power to see that neither one of you is going anywhere for a long time. I've been doing people favors for years. I just called in a few markers, that's all." She just stared at him. Was there nothing this man couldn't do, if asked? Their conversation was interrupted when Mulder stirred. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was his boss glaring at him. "Well, Mulder, trouble seems to follow you, doesn't it?" Skinner asked gruffly. Mulder gripped Scully's hand convulsively. "Sir, I--" he began, but stopped when Skinner smiled. Actually smiled! Mulder thought for a moment that he must have slipped into an alternate universe. "Calm down, Agent Mulder, I was just having a little fun with you. I figure you deserve it after all you've put me through in the past. I really just came down to see that the two of you were going to recover. Now I need to get back to my office and continue putting out fires. There has, understandably, been an incredible amount of controversy created over this situation." Mulder paled. "Sir--what's going to happen to us?" he asked. Skinner had turned for the door, and now he swung back around to face Mulder. The man was clearly agitated, and Skinner wished he had a definite answer to give him. "I'll let Agent Scully fill you in on all the details that she has, but suffice it to say that I don't think you should worry, Mulder. I think it's going to all work out just the way we want it to." Nodding at the two of them, he left the room. "Just the way we want it to?" asked Mulder, dazed. "Scully, what's he talking about? Are they going to fire us? Reassign us? Shoot us both at dawn?" Scully drew his hand to her cheek and placed it there. She was as amazed as Mulder. "I don't know what he did, but I think he performed some of the old Skinner magic," she told him. "Somehow he's managed to arrange things so that he thinks we will still be able to work together on the X-files. I told him I would resign if necessary, but he said he didn't think I would need to." Mulder stared at the doorway their boss had just vacated and shook his head. "How does he do it?" he asked in awe. "How does he keep coming through for us? And why?" "Maybe he just recognizes a good thing when he sees it," she said, pulling him onto the bed beside her carefully so as not to hurt his injured arm. "Mulder, we need to talk. I have to say some things to you." He felt his stomach knot up, but forced himself to keep his expression neutral. "I'm listening," he said, after a moment. "Most of all, I want to say I'm sorry." He opened his mouth as if to speak and she stopped him. "I'm so very sorry, Mulder. Sorry for all the things I've put you through lately, but mostly I'm sorry about last night...yesterday...whenever it was." She smiled faintly, realizing that time had flown over the last forty-eight hours. "Leaving you at home worrying about me while I drove around fretting was nothing short of cruel, and I'm more sorry than I can say. I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again after that stunt." Her eyes filled with tears, and when Mulder saw them he knew it was going to be all right. She hesitated for a moment, and then carefully asked, "Do you still want me, Mulder?" "Oh Scully," he answered picking up her hand and pressing his lips to her fingers. "I'm always going to want you. I can't do without you." She smiled at him then, a dazzling smile, the brightest he had seen from her in a long time. "That's a relief, then, because I want you, Fox Mulder, more than anything else in this world. I realize how stupid I was to listen to Anthony, but I was just so stressed and confused by all that had been happening that I guess...I guess I just wasn't thinking." "I want to tell you why I never gave you the ring before," he said quietly. "I want you to let me explain it to you." "I think I know why. I think it was because you were afraid I would say yes because I felt sorry for you." His look told her she had hit the mark perfectly. "And then afterwards, so many other things kept happening...and knowing you, you probably couldn't work up the courage anyway," she teased. "But I did ask you to marry me once, Scully, remember?" She nodded happily. "When I was in Maine. I remember. You have no idea how close I came to accepting your proposal then and there, but I thought you were only joking." "I wasn't joking. I was hiding behind a joke," he corrected her. "I knew you would think that. It seemed safe. That way, if you rejected me, I could pretend mock hurt in order to hide the real hurt." "But Mulder, didn't you know by then that I would have done anything in the world for you?" she asked curiously. She had been so open in her adoration of him at times, so obvious about her jealousy, that she thought he must have known all along. How could he miss it? "I guess people in love are prone to a certain amount of insecurity," he offered. "I seem to have gotten more than my share. I was pretty sure how you felt, but I knew I only had one chance, and if you had turned me down I would never have been able to make myself ask again. With all the problems facing us, I was just never really sure that your practical side would let you say 'yes'." "Mulder?" "Hmmm?" he asked softly. "To hell with my practical side. I think it's time to set our wedding date." When she saw the look on his face, Scully knew that she wanted to put that expression of pure joy there every day for the rest of his life. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, almost afraid to believe it. Maybe her head wound was making her say things she didn't mean. "Mulder, you put your brand on me," she said, indicating her engagement ring which he had tenderly returned to her finger a few hours earlier. "Now it's my turn. I want every woman who ever looks at you to know that you belong to me." He whispered softly, "Scully, I've belonged to you from the moment you set foot in my office." He chuckled. "And to think, this all happened because you got that stupid letter!" "Shut up and kiss me, Mulder. I've missed you," she said simply, drawing him gently toward her. Maggie Scully quietly retreated from the room she had been about to enter and silently pulled the door closed. I'll give them ten minutes, she decided. Ten minutes and then I'm going in. Besides, after today they'll have the rest of their lives. ********** THE END