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Title: Give Thanks Summary: Mulder is having Thanksgiving on his own - but what will change that? Note: This used to be my thanksgiving story with Mulder and Scully, but it's changed into a lot more... mulder upsets scully but what did he say to make her so angry? MSR This is a little thanksgiving story that I came up with. It's pretty fluffy but oh well 1. The Day Before Wednesday, the Day Before Thanksgiving It was November, in Washington. The air was already frozen and most days never rose above 40 degrees. All the leaves had fallen off of the trees. There were Christmas decorations everywhere. "Isn't it a bit too early?" Fox Mulder asked his partner, Dana Scully. She laughed, an uncommon action, "It's almost Thanksgiving, Mulder." He nodded, knowingly, "It gets earlier every year." "If that's what you think, then maybe there should be an X-File," Scully joked. Mulder smiled, liking the good mood his partner was in. She rarely laughed these days, neither of them did. They were both too tired and busy. Scully was realizing this too. She sighed; she never had any time to just relax these days. She lived her work. If she wasn't working on a case, she was talking with Mulder. Not dates, just hanging out as friends. That was one of the reasons that she had decided not to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner at her mother's house. She wanted a time to just be Dana, the sister and daughter, not Scully the FBI agent. Unbeknownst to Scully, Mulder had no place to go for Thanksgiving. He hap planned on eating a turkey sandwich in his apartment. After his fake sister appearing and his father's death, Mulder was not ready to have a meal alone with his mother. He didn't know what Scully was doing, but was sure that she wasn't doing much, she would have invited him. Mulder decided to pose the question while nothing much was happened, "So Scully, where are you going for Turkey Day?" Scully bit her lip, wishing that she wasn't having this conversation. It was an odd feeling for the FBI agent. "Um- probably going to my Mom's." Mulder nodded for a minute, trying to process his feelings. He had assumed that Scully was alone too. He had been hoping for an invitation. The way that she had carefully avoided his question made him think that she wanted to be alone, "Okay," he nodded, "That sounds fun." Scully grimaced, "Yeah. Trust me, its not as good as it sounds." He laughed at her, "I'm sure." Scully felt bad for telling Mulder her plans and not inviting him. The truth was, she could have invited him. Her mother had asked if a certain Fox might be attending. Scully had quickly said no. She had wanted some family time, but now… she wanted more than anything to have Mulder along with her. It would be awkward, but at least Mulder could keep the jokes in perspective. He wouldn't get any romantic notions, which was not necessarily a good thing… Scully sighed and walked to her car, "Have a happy Thanksgiving, Mulder." "You too," Mulder replied, wishing that he could say more.
2. Thursday Afternoon Thursday- Thanksgiving day Scully was in her apartment getting ready to go to her mother's house. It was around one in the afternoon. She had put on slacks and a pale purple sweater. It was brand new, she didn't have many occasions to wear clothing that wasn't' for work. She war wearing earrings that her mother had given her. She didn't much like them, they were too big for her taste, she preferred small jewelry. When she was ready, she went to her car, grabbing only her small purse and a cherry pie. She had offered to bring more but her mother loved to cook for thanksgiving. Scully had almost insisted that she bring a pie. She locked her apartment door and headed to her car. It was cold outside and there was snow on the ground. Scully wished that she had invited Mulder, then, she wouldn't feel so lonely. Scully set the pie on the passenger seat. She put the key in the ignition and started the car. She tuned the radio to some Christmas music. Then after the first few bars of jingle bells, she sighed and turned off the radio. The music reminded her of her conversation with Mulder the previous day. She was quiet. Scully reached for her purse. She had her hand on the phone, she even started to dial Mulder's number, then she realized that it was pointless. Scully didn't even know what Mulder's plans were. She would hate to interrupt him on a family holiday. Scully looked down to put her phone away. She was coasting through the intersection. When she looked up, the stoplight had just turned yellow. She slammed on the brakes, trying to slow down. Her tires squealed on the icy road and she cursed for forgetting that there was ice on the road. The worst thing to do on an icy road was slam the brakes. The car evened out and Scully had control again. She took a deep breath, then jumped when another car swerved in front of her. She couldn't brake in time, with a crash; she slammed into the other car. Within a second, the airbags had flown out, slamming Scully back onto the seat. She was still for a minute, till the bags deflated. Gingerly, she put her hand up to her nose, something red, blood, was on it. She could vaguely see a crushed car in front of her, smoke billowing out. In a trance, she pulled the keys out the ignition, turning off the car and the smoke lessened. Scully unfastened her seat belt and got out of the car, grabbing her purse, which was in her lap. The air outside was icy and cold, Scully looked around to the other driver to see if they were hurt. On the opposite side of the car, a man was climbing out. Scully thought she recognized his hair and facial features, but figured she must be wrong. Still in shock, she waited for the man to get out of the car, it was obvious he was unhurt and no other people were in the car with him. Behind her, a woman's voice sounded. "Miss? Are you alright?" Scully didn't turn around, "I'm fine," she said calmly. "Is there anything that I can do?" the woman asked. "No," Scully was waiting for the man to come and talk to her, if he could walk, he would not need a trip to the emergency room. "I'm going to call 911," the female voice sounded panicky. Scully sighed and turned around, "I'm sure that it's not necessary," she replied, "I'm fine." The woman's eyes grew large as they took in Scully's appearance, "You need to sit down. Hey, Mister?" she called to the man, "I think this lady's hurt." Scully heard the man walking over, crunching on glass and metal, "Okay," he spoke. Scully spun around, she knew that voice. "Mulder?" she whispered. Mulder's eyes widened, "Oh my God, Scully. Are you alright?" She nodded confused and for some reason began to cry. Blindly, she walked into Mulder's arms, feeling guilty and sad and relieved all at the same time. Mulder pushed her away. "We need to get you to a hospital," he told her. Scully frowned, and swallowed, "I'm fine, Mulder." He shook his head, "Look at yourself." Sully glanced down at her shirt. The pale purple fabric was stained red with what looked like blood. Carefully, she poked her stomach. Then she glanced up at Mulder feeling puzzled. Finally, she put her hand to some of the red and tasted it. "Damn," she muttered. Mulder grabbed her hand that was on her mouth, "What is wrong with you?" he said intensely, shocked that his partner would be so macabre as to taste her own blood. He assumed that Scully must have hit her head in the accident. Scully's tears turned to a laugh, "It's not blood, Mulder." He looked at her confused, worried that she had a concussion, "Scully, you've had a concussion, you need to get to the hospital," Mulder saw the woman behind them nod enthusiastically, obviously not comfortable with injuries. "It's cherry pie." She laughed again at Mulder's confused expression, "For Thanksgiving, at my mother's," she added. Mulder frowned, then turned the frown into a grin. "You're not hurt," he was surprised at how relieved he felt. When Scully shook her head, Mulder pulled her into his arms. 3. Car Ride Thursday- Thanksgiving Scully stayed in Mulder's arms for a minute, until the EMS workers arrived. She heard the sirens, blaring in here ears. Mulder let her go, and turned to the EMS workers. A young man looked tired and bored, "Is everyone alright?" he asked. Scully nodded at him, "I'm fine and so is Mulder," she gestured to her partner. "Ma'am, you need to come with us," the man insisted, "You need to lie down, you might have massive blood loss from you stomach," then he raised his voice, "We have a lady here with hemorrhaging in her stomach area." Scully sighed and spoke, "Excuse me! I am not injured. The red is from a cherry pie that was in my car." The EMT laughed, "Really?" Scully nodded, wishing to just leave this scene and all the fuss. She bit her lip and lifted up her sweater, showing her unharmed stomach to the man. Quickly, she jammed her sweater down when she saw the man staring. "I am a medical doctor," she informed him, "I know that I am not injured." Mulder saw the man staring at Scully and frowned. He walked between her and the EMT, "I'll take her home now," he insisted, feeling slightly jealous. He was relieved when Scully looked up at him in obvious gratitude. 'Thank you,' she mouthed. The two agents waited for several more minutes until a tow truck came for Scully's car. It had a huge dent in the front, obviously un-drivable. Luckily, Mudler's car had only a scratch on it. Another scratch in a series of many scratches. Scully paid the men to take the car away and promised to come pick it up after the holidays. Mulder got Scully into his car and put the keys in the ignition. "Where to Miss?" he asked jokingly. Scully opened her mouth, then her phone rang, she sighed and answered, holding a finger up to Mulder, indicating that he should wait a minute. "Scully," she answered. "Dana! Where are you?" her mother answered, "You're late. Are you okay?" Mulder looked at Scully and mouthed, "Who is it?" Scully mouthed back," My mother," resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother would no doubt worry when she told her of the accident. "I'm on the way, Mom. I might be a little delayed though." "Why? Is there traffic?" Mrs. Scully asked. "No," Scully hedged. "What is it then?" Mulder rolled his eyes at his partner's stubbornness, "Just tell her," he whispered. "Mom, don't worry, but I was in a car accident." "Oh my God, Dana! Are you hurt?" Mrs. Scully sounded panicked. "Yes, I'm fine, though I can't say the same for my car." "Do you need me to come and get you? Was the other person hurt?" "No, no, we're both fine, Mom. Mulder is going to drive me to your house." Mulder grinned at this and "Did he drive all the way to get you?" "No, no," Scully assured her, "Um, he was also in the accident, he was in the other car." "Oh, what a coincidence!" Mrs. Scully crowed, "You tell Fox that I insist that he comes to my house for Thanksgiving. That is, if he has no where else to go." "Alright," Scully was suddenly happy; she had an excuse to invite Mulder now. "See you in a bit Mom. Just don't tell Bill and Charlie about everything, don't worry them." "I love you, Dana, sweetie. See you soon." "Bye," Scully clicked the phone off. She turned to Mulder, "Guess what? You're invited to the Scully family Thanksgiving, courtesy of my mother." He laughed, "That assumes that I don't have any other plans." "Do you?' Scully frowned, wondering if she had made a mistake inviting him. "No," Mulder smiled, "I'm honored to join your family in a festive overeating." Scully then realized that she still had her stained sweater on, "Damn it," she muttered, "I still have this sweater on." Mulder wondered what a reaction this would cause. He knew that it had made his heart stop, worrying that she was hurt. "You can wear my coat," he told her. Scully sighed, "I guess I'll have to." "Come on, Scully," he laughed, "I washed it several years ago." "You don't wash leather, Mulder," Scully laughed. When the agents arrived at Mrs. Scully's house, Dana was already an hour late. She put on Mulder's coat, wishing that her mother wouldn't be so observant, to Maggie Scully, this would be proof that she and Mulder were dating, or the equivalent. Scully walked carefully and rang the doorbell. A cheerful Mrs. Scully answered the door, "Dana! Fox! It's good to see you both." "Hey, Mom." "Hello, Mrs. Scully, thanks for inviting me on such a short notice." "Not a problem, I had wanted you to come anyway, it was Dana who forgot to tell you." Scully blushed and avoided Mulder's gaze. She had hoped her mother wouldn't mention that part. She needed to talk to Mulder about this, and their relationship, later. "Um, Mom," she began, "I couldn't bring that cherry pie after all." "Not a problem. We have enough as it is." Mulder finally got Scully's attention and grinned remembering a certain cherry pie… 4. Dinner
To tell the truth, Scully was glad to see her family. She hadn't seen them in a while. Too long. She realized that she must have been hung up in he work, with Mulder. Not, that it wasn't an unpleasant thought. Being with Mulder could be frustrating and confusing, but Mulder was never mean or unpleasant like her brothers. Her brothers had hugged her, apparently, her mother had told them about the accident. Both of them mentioned being glad that she was unhurt. Apparently, the family had been waiting for Scully to arrive. Dinner was already on the table, but not steaming. "I'm so sorry that you had to wait," Scully apologized again. "Don't worry about it, Dana," Charlie laughed, "I'm just glad that you and Fox are okay." Bill grimaced at the mention of Mulder. He disliked the man. Mulder caught the expression, and raised his eye brows. Scully was oblivious to the whole exchange. The dinner was homemade and delicious, Mulder thought. Although he enjoyed eating dinner with Scully and her mother and Charlie and Tara, Bill's wife, Bill was another matter. Throughout the meal, Bill was looking at Mulder and Scully in an angry way. He seemed to resent the fact that the two agents were sitting beside each other and apparently having a good time. "How's work been, Dana?" Mrs. Scully asked. Scully chewed her mouthful of turkey, then lied, "Fine." In truth, the last few months had been crazy. Scully had practically lived at work, spending every spare second on a case. "That's good," her mother answered, having a feeing that her daughter was lying, "Do you want to tell me about it?" Scully shrugged, "It's not been that interesting." Mulder smirked, not knowing why his partner was hiding things, "Actually," he began, "There is this one story… About some men who-" "Mulder!" Scully complained. Bill raised his eyebrows, "Why do you call him by his last name, Dana?" was his cold question. Scully shrugged, not detecting his cold question, "Everyone uses last names at the bureau. It's habit, I guess." "I think it's cute," Tara laughed. Mulder couldn't decide if it what reaction he liked better. He hated Bill's reaction, but didn't really care about it. He had told Scully to not call him Fox. But, to have Tara think that it was cute… Mulder wasn't sure that that was the type of relationship he wanted with Scully. If she didn't want anything, then neither did he. "These are amazing mashed potatoes, Mrs. Scully," Mulder commented. The rest of the dinner was filled with overeating and polite conversation. Mulder was all too aware of the looks Bill was sending him. Scully, however, remained oblivious, used to her older brother's temperament. The dinner continued. After the main course, the entire party went for a stroll, trying to work off some of the calories from the meal. Then, they returned to clean up dishes and eat dessert. After several helpings of pie, none of them cherry, Scully excused herself and Mulder. "I really need to leave now," she said. "Are you sure, Dana?" Maggie asked, "It's only just eight." "Yeah. As much as I love you all, I need some sleep. I'm exhausted." Charlie laughed and raised his eyebrows, "You haven't gone to sleep at eight since you were nine years old." "Whatever, Charlie," Scully laughed, easily falling into banter with her brother. "Can you come and get something, Dana? Charlie?" her mother asked. "Sure," Scully and her brother followed their mother into the kitchen. This left Mulder alone with Bill in the living room, a room open to the entryway. Both of them had heard the conversation between Charlie and Scully. "Listen, Mulder," Bill stood up, suddenly intense, "I want you to stay the hell away from my sister." Mulder frowned "What do you mean?" although he had a good idea what Bill meant. "I want you to keep you hands off of Dana." Mulder stood up, now the two men were face to face, each the same height, though Bill was bulkier than Mulder, "I have no intention of hurting you sister. She is my friend, only my friend, and partner." Bill rolled his eyes, "Don't feed me that crap, Fox. If she is only your friend, then why are you at our house for Thanksgiving? And why is she wearing your jacket?" "I believe that your mother invited me. Your sister didn't want me here. I can see why now," Mulder said scathingly. Meanwhile, Scully was in the kitchen. Her mother insisted that she take some food home with her. Tara and Charlie were also helping themselves to food. "I'll never be able to eat all this!" was what Mrs. Scully insisted. Scully took only a small portion of turkey, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce and a slice of pie, just enough for a small lunch or dinner the next day. She would probably give it to Mulder, she decided, no need to eat more of the food. "Bye Mom, I love you." Scully gave a hug to her mother. "Bye, Dana." Scully hugged her brother and sister-in-law as well. "We should get together soon," Tara announced, "It's been too long." Scully nodded, though she was not sure she wanted to. "Let me go find Mulder." Scully discovered her partner and her brother face to face in the living room. Bill was hissing at Mulder, "If you hurt her, I swear…" "What the hell?" Scully interrupted. Bill jumped back, red in the face, "Nothing, Dana." "What's going on?" Tara asked, looking confused. "Come on baby," Bill spoke to his wife, "We need to get going." Scully had a good idea what the two men had been fighting over, but decided not to say anything. "Let's go Scul- Dana," Mulder said. "He calls her 'Dana'," Bill muttered under his breath. Scully frowned, both at Bill's comment, "Goodbye everyone, Bill. It was great to see you all. I'll miss you, Mom, Charlie, Tara," purposely, Scully hesitated then added, "Bill." "It was nice seeing you again, Fox," Mrs. Scully added. "You too, Mrs. Scully." "You're welcome when ever," she added. "Thank you." Bill's grimace was very noticeable. Mulder put his hand on Scully's back and ushered her out the door. In the driveway, Scully shivered and Mulder put his arm around her. "Thanks," she muttered. "That was nice," Mulder commented. Scully raised her eyebrows, "I think I'll talk to you in the car. Something about a conversation you had with my dear brother." 5. A Little Talk
As soon as they were in the car, Scully turned to Mulder. "What was going on in there Mulder?" She had an idea, but she wanted-no-needed to hear what Mulder had to say. He shrugged, backing his car out of the driveway. "We were talking, Bill just wasn't very happy." Mulder wanted to see what Scully would say. "About what?" she pressed. "He was- warning me," Mulder decided to say. "Huh, did you do something?" she asked, trying to provoke Mulder into telling her what he had said. Mulder sighed, "I know that you heard the conversation Scully, stop playing dumb." "Fine," she conceded, "I heard what you said. But, why did you start it?" "I didn't," Mulder was offended, "It was your damn brother. He got in my face and started telling me what I shouldn't do." "My 'damn brother'?" Scully wanted to know. "We didn't get along very well." There was silence in the car for a minute. Scully wanted to watch the road go by, but decided instead to watch Mulder, it was a more pleasant sight. "Mulder?" She finally asked, in a very quiet voice. "What?" "Thanks." "For what?" Mulder was confused. He hadn't done anything to help Scully, "Scully, I ruined your family Thanksgiving. I got in a car accident with you. I came along to the dinner. I let you borrow my coat. I called you Dana. I fought with your brother." Scully shrugged, "I- I love Bill, he's my brother, I have to. It's just that he still sees me as his baby sister. I know that he doesn't want me hurt. I'm sorry that he, well, he did this when I had my first boyfriends too. Probably scared them away…" she trailed off, not wanting to get into this conversation with Mulder. It was awkward for her, even though she liked him. "Don't apologize for him, Scully," Mulder insisted, "He needs to realize that you are a grown up now. You don't need to be babied. I know that if anyone tried anything with you that you would be able to punch them down," Mulder was not sure that this was true, but hoped it was, he hated to think of Scully being vulnerable. Scully sighed, "Mulder," she complained, "Stop it. You're starting to sound like my brother too. I can take care of myself. You don't have to say that. We both know it." Mulder was annoyed now, "What do you want then, Scully? I can't argue with your brother, but you have to know what we were arguing about. I can't say that you can protect your self but you can't have anyone saying you can't. Why does everything I say get turned around?" Scully bit her lip. She hated arguing with Mulder, it was Thanksgiving, for God's sakes. "I don't want to argue with you," she whispered. Mulder stopped the car when he heard the tears in her voice. "Are you crying?" he asked as he pulled to the side of the empty road. "No," Scully lied as she swallowed. Mulder put his arm around her, "I'm sorry. I know I started this." Scully bit her lip and stopped the tears, "I just don't want my family to see you as some of the FBI does. As 'Spooky' Mulder. I want them to like you." Mulder was surprised, "That's very-thoughtful." Scully was silent for a minute more, then went on, "You can start driving again." Mulder started the car, but planned to stop it if Scully started crying again. He wanted his partner to be happy at least. She deserved it. The two were silent until Mulder turned on the radio station, it was Christmas music. "Do you want me to change it?" Scully asked, trying very hard to forget that she had cried in front of Mulder. "It's fine," he replied. "Really? Yesterday, you were complaining about early Christmas decorations. " Mulder shrugged, he didn't care. A female voice was crooning "Frosty the Snowman". When they reached Scully's apartment, Mulder turned to her. "Thanks for the good time," he said, "Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow so you can get your car." Scully sighed, "God, I'd forgotten all about that. I guess, if you're not busy. Thanks." She opened the door and was about to get out then remembered something, she turned to Mulder, "There's one more thing I wanted to say to you. I heard you say that we were partners to Bill. Is that all? I thought that there was more," she tried unsuccessfully to keep her eyes dry of tears. Mulder frowned, wondering how much to say, "You didn't hear the whole conversation, Dana. I told your brother that we were friends too," somehow, Mulder knew that this sounded lame. Did Scully want something more? Was that what she was saying? "I don't know what's wrong with me," Scully wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, "I must be tired," she had just let that question slip out. She had no idea why she had sounded so jealous. What would Mulder think of her? She sounded like she was pushing herself on him. Scully made herself stay quiet, so as not to say anything else stupid, "'Night Mulder," she said and turned to walk swiftly into her apartment. Mulder started after her, and called out, "Scully! Come here!" She ignored him and walked faster. Mulder waited until she was in the door and started the car, "Damn it," he muttered, "Smooth move, Mulder. Just let her walk away." His only consolation was the fact that he would see her the next day. He wished that he could have talked to her longer. He could have made it clear that he was fine with their friendship, there didn't have to be anything more. Scully opened the door to her apartment and slammed it shut. "Damn. Great, Dana, just great. Ruin the only chance you had to talk to him. You could have invited him inside. Charlie was right, I don't go to sleep at eight. Maybe Mulder could have stayed later, as a friend." After a minute, Scully went to her phone, she dialed Mulder's home number and listened his voice, it soothing her, finally she left a message, "Mulder- it's me. Sorry for the way I left. I don't know what happened. Can you call me? Please? I need to talk to you about tomorrow." After she hung up, Scully realized that she was still wearing Mulder's coat. Sighing, she dialed his cell phone. "Hello?" he answered. "It's Scully. I just wanted to tell you that I still have your coat. I'll give it to you tomorrow. Bye," Her voice still had tears in it. Scully hung up, not wanting to embarrass herself. She knew that it would piss Mulder off, but didn't care. She waited a minute and shrugged off the coat. She put it to her nose and smelled it. It still smelled like Mulder. A pleasant smell. Scully took the coat the put in to back wards, then lay down on her couch, trying not to cry. Her home phone rang and she didn't pick up. It went to the message system and Mulder spoke, "Pick up the phone, Scully. I know you're home, I need to talk to you. Pick up the phone, I don't care if you're mad. It's important. I need to talk to you about something. Damn it, answer the phone!" Scully sighed and covered her head with a pillow; she didn't want to talk to Mulder. The answering machine clicked off and Scully sighed in relief. Now she could just be miserable by herself. After about ten seconds, the phone rang again, it was Mulder, "Dana," he began more gently and Scully moved the pillow off her head, Mulder never called her Dana. "Dana, I need to talk to you, please. I'm sorry, if I did something. Please answer the phone," Mulder waited for a minute, then finally said, "Scully, I'm worried. I'm coming over to your apartment now, if you don't pick up the phone." Scully moved to the phone, but Mulder hung up. "No," she moaned, Mulder was coming to her house.
6. Apartment Scully sat on her couch, putting her head in her hands. She was so- confused. She wanted tine to be alone and think, not to have to think so fast. She needed to know what to say before she actually said it to Mulder. She wanted to throw her phone on the floor and crush it, then she would have an excuse to have not answered. She would have to give an excuse when he came. But, she didn't have an excuse. She had no idea why she hadn't answered. She must have been angry. For a while she sat still, then shook for a minute. Nervous, as she normally was not. 'Get a grip,' she told herself, 'it's Mulder. You can talk to him. You shouldn't be so nervous.' She tried to make herself forget her emotional breakdown in the car. When there was a knock on the door, Scully waited for a minute to answer it. Actually, she waited until Mulder called her name. Then, with a sigh, she went to the door and opened it. She then turned and walked and sat down the couch, without looking at him. Mulder looked at Scully, wondering what was wrong with her. She had his coat on backwards and looked like she might have been crying. He shut her apartment door and walked over. Without a word, he sat down beside her. "Talk to me," he said. Scully was silent for a minute than turned to look away from him, "What do you want?" Mulder frowned to himself, he hated it when Scully ignored him and was silent. But, he also felt her pain and it hurt him too. "Are you alright?" Mulder asked. Scully sighed, but didn't answer. Physically, she was fine, but mentally- emotionally, she was a mess. "Mmmm…" she hesitated. "Is something wrong?" Mulder pressed. "Nnnoo." Scully drawled. "Do you need me to do anything for you?" Scully was tempted to say, go away but didn't. Instead she muttered, "no." Mulder sighed, "Can you please talk in longer sentences?" Scully rolled her eyes and felt a little better, "Why did you come here?" She thought she knew the answer. Mulder was not sure he wanted to be talking about this. "You didn't answer your phone, so I got worried." "Maybe it meant that I didn't want to talk," Scully hinted. "Maybe I did want to talk." "If you want to talk, just do it," Scully whispered. Mulder was unhappy that Scully was so obstinate. Finally, he stood up and turned to leave, not wanting to upset an already fragile Scully. She felt his weight move off the couch and turned, "Where are you going?" He looked surprised at her question, "I'm leaving." "Don't go," Scully heard herself saying, though not knowing why. Mulder was also confused at his partner's reaction. He shrugged, "Sure, Scully." Scully bit her lip, in nervousness, "I um wanted to say sorry for how I behaved. I know that it was pretty childish and not appropriate. We are partners and I should respect you," after a second she also said, "You are my friend, too, Mulder. I don't want that friendship to end," then she shrugged off his coat and handed it back to him, as a gesture. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked. Now Scully shrugged, "Yeah, I guess I do." She meant it as friends, not as lovers or sweethearts; she just wanted to spend time with him. Mulder was secretly glad that Scully had invited him to stay, he took his coat, however and handed it back to her. "You can still wear it," he said. Scully was secretly glad that Mulder had given the coat back, but didn't show it. She patted the seat on the couch next to her and asked, "Do you want any food?" He sat down next to her and responded, "I don't think I could eat anything right now." She laughed, "That's true." For the next several hours, they watched several old Christmas specials on the TV. Scully got progressively closer to Mulder as the night went on. When the Christmas Story was almost over, she was leaning on his shoulder. Finally, she fell asleep on his shoulder. After a few minutes, Mulder moved her so that her head was in his lap and she was more comfortable. Finally, he whispered to her, "You were right, Dana. I came to say something to you. I think, I think that I might love you." 7. A Dream? Scully was half asleep on Mulder's shoulder. She was fell asleep soon after. When Mulder mover her head, she woke up barely. She knew that she was on Mulder's lap, but was still asleep. It was an odd sensation for Scully. She was still asleep, but she was aware of where she was and who was around her. It was like she was in a place half way between awareness and unconsciousness. She was heard Mulder talking to her, saying that he might love her. She was so tired that she couldn't even process the words. A tiny part of his words registered and she mumbled an unintelligible word. Mulder heard Scully stir and froze. If she had heard him… Then, Scully was still. Mulder realized that she could have been listening. "Shit," he muttered in audibly. Scully was out before Mulder uttered the expletive. Mulder waited another half hour before moving. He wanted to see if Scully had been awake or if she was just stirring in her sleep. Finally around midnight, he lifted her up and carried her to her bedroom. Mulder had never actually thought that he would carry Scully. She was lighter than he had imagined. He guessed that it had something to do with height. She was a petite woman. Mulder hoped that Scully was asleep, it would make for an awkward situation if she woke when he was carrying her. Mulder set Scully down on her bed and pulled the blankets over her. He shut the door behind him and decided that it would be best for him to leave, he could call Scully the next day. He didn't like the irresolution of things, but, in truth, he needed time to think about what he had admitted to a sleeping Scully. Mulder left Scully's apartment, not even leaving a note, he figured that she would be more shocked if he had actually slept the night on her couch. The next morning, Scully woke in her bed. She was confused as to how she had gotten there. She moved around and realized that she was still in her sweater from the day before. Scully sat bolt upright suddenly remembering something from the night before. It was a tiny memory, like a dream. She remembered Mulder saying something about- being in love with her? Her head spun and she flopped back down on the bed, sighing in exasperation. She was tired and fell back asleep for a minute. When Scully woke up again, she couldn't remember what she had been thinking about before she fell asleep. She knew that it was important and was furious that she couldn't remember. She wracked her brains to no success. Finally, when the phone rang, Scully got out of her bed and ran to answer the phone. "Scully," she answered sleepily. (AN: I know this is random, but wouldn't it be cool to answer your phone like- Dancer on Pointe- or whatever) "Hey Sleeping Beauty," Mulder said. Scully gasped, suddenly remembering that she had some memory of Mulder saying that he loved her last night, "What Mulder? It's early?" Scully mumbled. "No it's not. Did you sleep all last night?" "Yeah. You?" "No sleep for me," Mulder didn't mention that it was because he had been thinking about her. "Oh. Why did you call anyway?" "What time do you want me to pick you up?" "Pick me up?" Scully was confused. "Aren't you packed?" Mulder joked, "Our plane leaves in two hours." Scully cracked a smile, "Oh, right." Mulder grinned too and laughed, "About your car though? What time?" She shrugged to herself, "How 'bout in an hour or so." Mulder nodded. Scully got off the phone and put her head in her hands. She had heard Mulder's voice. She needed to know if Mulder loving her was a dream or not. She needed to know. It wasn't a choice anymore. "What if he loves me?" she whispered out loud. "What if Mulder loves me?" she said again, as if to prove that it might be real. "What if he doesn't" a tiny voice inside of her said. Scully was so confused and anxious that she couldn't concentrate on anything. Instead she went and took a long shower and got dressed. Mulder knocked and Scully ran to answer. She was flushed and still had wet hair that hung limp around her shoulders. Mulder raised his eyebrows at her appearance. "I need to ask you something," she said urgently. Mulder wondered if it had anything to do with the day before. "What?" "Promise me something, don't think badly of me," she said. Mulder nodded. "I would never think badly of you, Scully." "Listen, I had this memory of- last night- I don't know if it's a dream or not. Maybe you can tell me if it was real." Mulder raised his eyebrows, "Can I come in then?" he took his hand from off the door frame which he had been leaning on. Scully nodded, mouth dry. As soon as he was inside she said, "Mulder, I remember last night you saying that you um- liked me," the last two words were a tiny whisper, "Was it true or did I dream it?" Mulder looked at his partner, who looked traumatized. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep. She had no makeup on and her hair was limp and plain, "Is this bothering you?" he asked and she nodded. "You must of dreamed it," he lied gently, thinking that she was upset over his words. Scully's face fell and she nodded, trying to hold tears back as her heart broke. 8. Hiding Scully had a hard time remembering a more embarrassing time in her life. She had just told Mulder about her stupid, but wonderful dream. He had confirmed that it was a dream. Mulder watched his partner, wondering what was wrong with her. She had red spots on her cheeks and her eyes looked too wet. He wondered if he had said the wrong thing. Still, Mulder was uncomfortable with Scully crying, instead, he took in a deep breath. Scully couldn't believe that she had cried again in front of Mulder, for stupid reasons. It wasn't like she had just been rescued or had just rescued him… She was crying about a dream- a dream! It wasn't even worth mentioning; normally, only it had seemed so real… "Let's go," Scully wished that her voice hadn't shaken. Mulder was puzzled but agreed to go with her. On the drive to the car repair shop, the two agents did not speak to each other, though they both were anxious to talk. Scully got went in and talked to the mechanics about her car. Apparently, her insurance would pay for the damage. Still, she would probably have to get a new car, the damage was pretty obvious and it would cost more to repair it. All the while, Mulder was sitting in his car, looking bored. He was trying to make sure that Scully was okay. He was also trying to figure out what had been bothering Scully so much. She had looked like she was on the verge of tears. Mulder reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds. He started eating the seeds. About an hour later, Scully had worked out a plan with the mechanics and was ready to go. The only problem was that she was not ready to get back in a car, alone, with Mulder. Mulder, however, was not ready to leave, he still hadn't figured out what was wrong with Scully, but he doubted that he would figure anything out anytime soon. Finally, she got back in the car with him. As soon as Scully sat down on the car seat, she was close to tears again. Mulder leaned over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?" he asked. Scully made up an answer, "I'm sad about my car," it was a bad excuse. Mulder realized that she was lying and tried not to laugh, "It was all my fault," he continued on with her story, "Let me at least take you out to lunch. I totaled your car," he needed an excuse to talk to Scully. At this point, Scully practically hated her partner. He was purposely antagonizing her. "I'm fine," she muttered through clenched teeth, "Just take me home, please." Mulder laughed a little bit. "It's not funny," Scully insisted. "Are you sure that you don't want to go to lunch?" Mulder asked, this time serious. "No," Scully was quiet and more serious too. Still in the parking lot, Mulder put his hand on Scully's face to make her look at him. "Can you please tell me what's wrong?" "No, nothing's wrong," Scully wanted to pout, but was a bit more mature than that. Mulder turned to Scully, "Look, I've known and worked with you for a long time. I know when something is wrong with you. Can you at least give me some idea as to what the problem is?" "Damn it Mulder, just leave me alone!" Scully muttered. "Did I say something?" Mulder asked more quietly, then when there was no answer, "What did I say?" Finally, Scully spoke. "Look, Mulder. I had this weird, um, nightmare, last night. I didn't get enough sleep and now I'm tired. Look, I just want to go home, please," she pleaded the last word. Mulder tried one more time, "A nightmare? Do you want to tell me about it?" he wasn't sure that he believed Scully's story. "Drive the damn car, Mulder or I swear that I will get out and walk home," Scully was fed up with Mulder. "Why do you always have to push everything," then Scully realized she was being unfair, "Sorry." Mulder started the car and drove Scully to her apartment. He let her out and they didn't say much beyond pleasantries. At home, Mulder reviewed all of their conversations. Scully had been nice and normal until she had broken down during the car ride home from Thanksgiving. Then she had started crying and ignoring him. She seemed better later that night, but then, the next morning, she had asked him about her 'dream'. Mulder began to wonder if Scully had been awake when he had whispered that he loved her. As soon as he saw that, he realized that he needed to talk to Scully. He put on his shoes and went to his car. Scully woke up from her nap at four-o-clock. She went to answer the door. When she saw that it was Mulder, she resisted the urge to slam the door in his face. "Hey," he said. "Hey." "Did I wake you up?" "Yeah," Scully yawned, hoping Mulder would feel guilty and leave her alone. "Sorry, but I really need to talk to you." "Mulder, I've never seen you this interested unless you're working on a case," Scully observed, trying to act normal, "Is it a new case?" "No. I mean, maybe in a way." Mulder grinned, thinking of a resemblance. "Come in, then. Tell me about it, though I can't see why it 's so important." Mulder followed Scully in. "I have this lead, but the rest of the case is stumping me…" He began. 9. Story Scully rolled her eyes and sighed in resignation. "Why don't you tell me about it, then Mulder?" she said, "I know you won't rest until you do." Mulder was glad that his partner was falling for his little trick, he smirked and began, "A couple of days ago, there was a man who had his friend stop talking to him. He told the FBI that they had been best friends." Scully nodded, urging Mulder to go on. "The man had had a fight with his friend. But, they'd made up. Then, his friend started having weird dreams. The friend dreamed that the man had acted out of character, that he had admitted love to his friend." "Wait," Scully began, "The two friends are gay?" Mulder laughed, "No, one is a woman." "Oh." "So then, the man says that he denied his expression of love to his friends, he was afraid that she would be scared. Only, the friend seemed to be more and more depressed." "How is this an X-File?" Scully asked, confused. Mulder held up his hand and kept talking, "Later, the man came to his house and there was a message on his phone, his friend was missing. She had disappeared out of locked home. The man was devastated. He realized that it was all his fault." "Is that all?"Scully asked. "No. A month later, the man's friend was found dead in a creek, there was no cause of death apparent. The man was devastated, that was when he came to me for an explanation. I had none. I thought that you might," Mulder hoped that Scully would see the similarities between the story and their own lives and take the bait. "Oh," Scully suddenly realized that the story was about her, she had ended up dead. "What do you think?" Mulder asked. "What do you mean?' "How did the woman die?" "It's not an X-file, Mulder," Scully informed him, "It's been proven that people can die of a broken heart." Mulder had all the confirmation that he needed, "Will you please tell me what's wrong, then. What did I say that broke your heart?" "I never said that the woman was- we were talking about a case!" Scully blundered. "Please?" Mulder's voice was suddenly quiet, "You know it wasn't a real case, just tell me what's wrong." Scully bit her lip and mumbled an un-intelligible word. Mulder stood up. Finally, Scully spoke, "Yeah. Okay. It's just that- Was it a dream Mulder? Was it a damn dream or not?" her voice rose. "It wasn't a dream," Mulder told her confidently. "Don't lie to me," Scully whispered, "Damn it, I can't take a lie!" "I know that," Mulder whispered, "I'm sorry." Scully was silent, realizing that Mulder had just admitted that he loved her. "Did you mean it?" she wondered aloud. "Yes." Mulder breathed. 10. Kiss Scully was silent for a minute. Mulder had just admitted that he loved her. He loved her. She had cried and ignored him over it. Mulder leaned closer to his partner, did she love him too? Would it lead to anything? Could it lead to anything? Did she love him? Finally Mulder leaned forward, "Scully?" She nodded, hoping her eyes weren't wet with tears of happiness. "What?" "Is it alright?" In answer Scully leaned forward and went into Mulder's arms. She wanted to cry but couldn't all she could concentrate on was holding Mulder. Mulder was slightly bemused at his partners actions. He still held her. Apparently, this would be his only answer. He wondered if she had loved him for as long as he had loved her. Would they ever talk about it? He wanted to know, but didn't want to take anything too fast for Scully. Finally, Scully broke away, "Why did you lie?" she wondered. "I," Mulder began, wondering how to answer, "You seemed so upset. I thought that you were upset over me saying that. I thought that- what I said- had made you sad or anxious or nervous or uncomfortable." Scully laughed, "Mulder! I thought that we were partners. I trust you with my life. If you have to lie to me about- this- then why do I trust you?" Mulder looked wryly at his partner, "You have a good point. It's just that, I'd rather you be happy. I couldn't stand for you to cry." Scully felt warm inside. He must really love me, she thought. He didn't want her to be sad or depressed. "I appreciate it." Mulder was glad that his partner was taking this better. He had hoped that she had felt the way that he did, but it was too much for him to hope. Scully saw Mulder thinking and was struck at how adorable he looked at that moment, sitting there, admitting that he loved, then probably thinking about some X-File. Scully had always considered herself a brave woman. She was an FBI agent. She was not one to run at small things. Finally, she decided to do one more brave thing. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Mulder's a tiny kiss, one that would be nothing too dangerous if he was to refuse. Instead Mulder held her closer. 11. The Package "Mulder," Scully whispered, after a minute. He nodded and pulled away, "Yes?" "I'm sorry," Scully sighed. "Don't apologize for this," Mulder laughed, "This is- fine." Scully smiled, "I know," she replied, then waited, "That's not exactly what I meant." Mulder was about to say something when a knock at the door made him jump out of Scully's arms. Scully frowned and smoothed her hair. She went to check and see who was at the door. From the peephole, she could see a man. "Who is it?" she called. "A delivery for a – Dana Scully," the man said. "Yes," Scully opened the door and turned to the man, "I'm Dana Scully." "If you'd sign here," the man had a plain uniform on. In fact, everything about him was plain. He had brown hair and eyes. An average height and weight. He had normal features, nothing defined him as abnormal. Scully took the pen he handed her from a metal clipboard. She signed her name and handed it back. The man gave her a package in a brown cardboard box. "Thank you," Scully said and shut the door. Mulder came closer. "What was that about?" "A package," Scully replied, "I have no idea who it's from. That's funny, there's no return address." She walked into her kitchen and grabbed a pair of kitchen shears. Quickly, she tore open the box. Mulder followed; a bit disappointed that Scully was no longer interested in talking, or not talking, with him. Inside the box, there was a small card on top of a larger package. Scully tore open the card. It read: Agent Scully, "There's no signature," Scully muttered, "Kind of a mystery." Mulder grinned, "I'm not in the mood for a mystery right now." "What?" Scully was surprised. "I want to make sure of something." "But," Scully began, "The note said that it was important. I haven't even opened the package." Mulder whispered, "It can wait." Scully frowned, "What's so important?" In answer, Mulder grabbed Scully's shoulders and kissed her again. For a moment, Scully kissed him back, but then she pulled away. "Mulder!" she protested. He frowned, "Sorry," now he was sheepish, like a boy who knew that he had done something wrong. He reached in for Scully and opened the package in the box. Scully leaned over his shoulder to get a better look, "Oh my God," she whispered, "Mulder do you see that?" He nodded. Inside the box lay a single sheet of paper. On it was a detailed drawing of Scully's apartment. On it, there were indications of surveillance devices. Over twenty in all. "How did they?" Scully asked. In answer, Mulder walked over to the nearest outlet and yanked off the cover. As indicated on the drawing, there was a small listening device. He threw the cover down in frustration. Scully went over to him, "Oh my God," she breathed, "Mulder, who did this?" 12. Notes Mulder wanted to tear Scully's apartment apart. He looked for some of the surveillance devices that were the easiest to find, all of them were exactly where the map described. Scully was almost in shock, someone had know her apartment, exactly; it was not a pleasant thought. When Mulder had found enough of the devices to be convinced that the map was correct, he turned to Scully, taking a sheet of paper, he scrawled out a message: Scully, you can't stay here. Pack your stuff and leave. She was silent, they weren't going to risk speaking, then wrote back: Where am I going? Mulder thought then wrote again: My place?? Scully liked that idea except for one aspect: If my apartment is bugged, then what about yours? He wanted to laugh in nervousness. He hoped that it was this idea and not the hope of getting away from Mulder that led her to write that: Right. Motel? Scully was glad that Mulder didn't seem offended: Yeah, I'll get a room. Mulder suddenly had an idea: I should too. If my place is bugged too. Scully nodded, then wrote: I'll pack my stuff and let you drive to get yours, then we can go to a hotel until we figure this all out. Mulder liked that idea but with one modification: How about you pack, then drive me to my house, there I can pack and you can drive me to the motel. Scully rolled her eyes: Your car out of gas? Mulder bit back a laugh and motioned for his partner to go and pack up her clothes. As Scully packed, she was a bit nervous. It was eerie, who had known that her house was bugged? Why would they tell her? And why would they send a package, instead of meeting with her? Mulder and Scully were also silent in the car, in case it too was bugged, it was odd, having to keep quiet. Both of them had many things they wanted to say to the other. Scully knew that, once her vacation was over, she would go and have someone look the map, so as to see who had written it. Mulder was thinking about Scully, how cool she was even after realizing that someone was watching her. She was much less paranoid than he was. Finally, Mulder had packed his bags, Scully drove to the nearest motel and the agents only spoke once they had walked in the doors. "So," they both said at the same time. Mulder laughed. "I'll get the room," when Scully glared at him he amended it, "Rooms. Sorry, Scully, just kidding. She rolled her eyes, but a part of her wondered why she had said anything to him. 13. Hotel Mulder saw that Scully was frowning while they were waiting for the extraordinarily slow hotel manager to get them their rooms. He wondered if his comment about them sharing a room had been too much. He had only meant it as a joke- unless she had said yes. Mulder had been doing that a lot. Testing. If Scully didn't like what he said, he was joking. If she did, it was fine by Mulder. He just didn't want to push things farther than they should go. Scully was mentally beating herself up. She had said no to Mulder's almost hidden invitation to share a room. She wondered if she was being paranoid, like Mulder. Maybe he had only been kidding. If she had gone along with it, she would have been disappointed. Finally, the man behind the desk gave them two keys. They both shrugged and went upstairs. For some reason they had gotten adjoining rooms, the kind with a door in between them. Neither of the agents knew what to think about this. Finally knowing that they weren't being monitored, they went into their respective rooms. They adjoining door was opened and Mulder came into Scully's room. He made himself at home, plopping down on her queen sized bed and reaching for the remote. Scully took it from him, "Mulder," she sat down next to him, perching on the edge of the bed, "We need to talk." He was a bit wary, what was she going to say? "Okay." "I," Scully began, "I wanted to thank you. For everything." Mulder was surprised at this spontaneous thanks, but didn't show it, "I know that," he told his partner. Scully hoped that Mulder was getting her message, "I really, really don't regret anything," she hoped that he would make a connection with their kiss. She hoped that maybe, that part of their relationship could stay intact. "Thank you," Mulder responded, moving his hand up to touch Scully's hair. Scully jumped a bit, then stayed still as Mulder stroked her hair. It was something new, but old. She and Mulder were closer than most partners in the FBI. She trusted him with everything and he the same. There had been many times when they had touch in less-than-platonic ways. Occasionally, there had been embraces, but often it was tiny gestures like this. Scully moved her hand up to cover Mulder's, not sure what she was doing. Mulder stopped at her touch. "It's okay," she whispered, suddenly exhausted from the day and glad that her partner and friend and love was there with her. 14. Breakfast Scully woke the next morning, early. She hadn't gotten enough sleep. Everything made her so nervous. She was as paranoid as Mulder now, with a good reason. Someone had tapped her house. She didn't know who to trust now. All she knew was that she could trust Mulder. After years of sleeping in motels, a hotel was very comfortable. Everything was a better quality. Even the sheets were softer and cleaner. Mulder had left Scully's room at midnight. The two of them had spent almost an hour, just sitting there. Holding hands. They hadn't moved or even talked. Finally, Scully had yawned and Mulder had taken that as an excuse to leave. The two agents had a lot of practice not speaking. A lot of practice talking without speaking. But, last night, both of them hadn't talked about anything actually meaningful. They had just talked about friendship and the joy of being partners. Finally, Scully got dressed and went to meet Mulder. She went to knock on the adjoining door, when a knock came on her normal door. She ran to get it and laughed when she saw it was Mulder. They got breakfast in the hotel's tiny café, complimentary continental breakfast. Scully raised her eyebrows at the selection of microwaveable biscuits and pastries. Instead she settled for fruit and yogurt. Mulder laughed when he saw his partner's expression. "What?" Scully rolled her eyes, "You know that biscuit is a heart attack in a bag," she said disdainfully. Mulder didn't care, he took a huge bite, "Yum," he rubbed his stomach, "You want a taste Scully?" he teased. "No," she was disgusted. "You sure," he waved it in front of her nose. Scully had to admit that it smelled good. She reached her hand out and snatched it away. Gritting her teeth, she took a huge bit out of the end that Mulder hadn't eaten. Mulder thought it was hilarious and almost choked on his coffee, "I told you so," he whispered. "Actually, it is pretty good," Scully said through a mouthful of crumbs, "I think I'll just keep it to myself." Mulder looked at her until Scully sighed and gave it back, suddenly becoming older. She and Mulder had more important things to do rather than argue over biscuits. 15. Glass Mulder knew that he had to stop delaying. This day had been slow and gooey, like honey. He had to stop this dalliance, but everything seemed to move in slow motion. He and Scully ate breakfast. They went back to their rooms and sat down, not talking. They watched TV. They waited for it to be lunch time. They got into the car to get lunch. They drove to a restaurant close by, and ate, mostly in silence. If they did talk, it was about nothing important. Finally they were got back in the car, Mulder turned to Scully. "I think we need figure out what's going on." She looked at him, trying to talk to him with her eyes. Scully didn't want Mulder to be so protective. "Mulder, it's Thanksgiving Weekend. Most of the Bureau is on vacation. There's no one we can go and see." Mulder wondered almost wistfully where the Scully who was emotional had gone. Just a day or two before, she had cried every time she saw him. Now, she was being cold and distant. "What's wrong?" he asked gently, leaning towards her. Scully frowned at her partner, "Nothing Mulder." She hoped that he could leave her alone. Instead of sighing agreement, Mulder turned on Scully, "Why are you cutting me off, Scully?" he asked loudly. Then, in a small voice, "What did I do wrong?" He wondered why his partner was ignoring him. She sighed, "You didn't do anything, Mulder. And I'm not cutting you off." Scully wanted to talk to him, she really did, but she was afraid. Afraid of the consequences of having any sort of relationship. Afraid of the people who were watching her entire life. These weren't things that Scully could do anything about. They were things that she had to wait and let happen. Scully wanted to be in more control of her life. She had been in control of so many other things. It was like her cancer. There was nothing she could do about it. But, she couldn't live her life normally. Mulder knew that she was lying, "I hope that you think that you can talk to me," was all he said. Scully saw that she was hurting Mulder and it killed her. She didn't want to hurt him. She just wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to burden Mulder with her little worries. She didn't want him to resent her. "I know that," Scully said, Mulder would always listen to her, that she knew. She waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she said, "Please drive the car, Mulder." Mulder knew that something new was wrong with Scully, but she was refusing to talk to him. It really was hard to just pretend like nothing was wrong. But, he listened to her request and put the keys in the ignition. They drove in silence, for five minutes. Then Scully stopped looking out the window and turned to watch Mulder drive. She smiled, seeing his concentration but wished that he would give her one of his signature smiles. When they paused at stop sign, Scully spoke, "I'm sorry," she whispered, almost in audibly, just wanting Mulder to smile, once. Mulder only heard Scully's mumble and leaned in closer to hear her. At the same time, he pushed down on the gas, moving the car forward, through the intersection. As he leaned in, there was loud sound, a car backfiring. Mulder jumped closer to Scully automatically, just as a bullet shattered the windshield, and implanted its self in Mulder's seat, where he had been before he had leaned closer to Scully. The safety glass exploded in Mulder and Scully's faces. Mulder's foot was still on the gas and they moved forward, through the intersection and into a light post, making air bags deploy forcefully. After so much noise, everything was dead quiet. Mulder was conscious, but barely, His seatbelt had yanked him forward when the car had collided, leaving huge bruises on his chest and snapping his neck around. Scully had been shielded from most of the glass, but still had some cuts on her hands and face. But, her arm had been caught on something and it was loosing blood quickly. She felt faint and wondered vaguely if anyone would be able to call 911. Then, she saw Mulder, whose eyes were closed, having slipped out of consciousness. She leaned over, wincing as the glass dug into her leg. "Mulder?" she asked. "Mulder?" She was louder this time.. He didn't move. Scully leaned in and felt his pulse, a quick beat. She sighed in relief and moved her hand to smooth his hair away from his face. It was covered in scratches, from the glass, Scully's mind could barely figure out. She wondered how hurt she was, as there was a throbbing sensation in her right arm. But, the though slid away. All she had eyes for was Mulder. Awkwardly, she leaned in to give him a tiny kiss on the mouth, then cried out as her right arm moved into a burning world of pain. She closed her eyes and leaned against Mulder's chest to pass out, barely feeling his shallow breath. 16. Hospital Scully woke to bright lights. Everything was white and clean. She recognized the familiar, but not comforting smell of a hospital; she had been in one too often. The lights made her head spin and she closed her eyes again, hearing bustling of people and the steady beep of her heart monitor. Then, she thought of Mulder. He was something that she automatically associated with 'hospital'. Most of her experiences in one had been with Mulder or visiting him. Scully heard the beeping speed up, as she wondered how Mulder was doing. He had to be okay. She had felt his pulse, before she had passed out and it had been steady. He had to be alright. There was no reason for him to be hurt. Scully, in worrying for Mulder, sat upright, feeling dizzy as the blood rushed from her head. She quickly registered her room, she was alone but, one nurse was rushing towards her. The nurse opened Scully's door and came inside. "Hello, Miss Scully," she said, "I'm glad to see that you're awake, but you really need to lie back down." Scully obeyed but asked in a rough voice, "How is he?" The nurse looked confused, "How is who?" "Mulder," Scully managed. "I'm not treating any Mulders," the nurse shrugged, "Sorry. Why is he here?" Scully's world became panicked. The nurse didn't know any Mulder. That was fine. Except, what if Mulder wasn't at this hospital. What if he was some place else? What if he couldn't be helped by a hospital? Scully's heart went wild again and the nurse looked concerned, "Are you alright, Miss?" Scully mutely shook her head. Nothing was alright if Mulder was hurt. Nothing was fine unless Mulder was fine. "Who is Mulder?" The nurse asked. Scully finally answered, "He was in the same accident that I was in." The nurse frowned, "Are you sure? No one else came in with you." Scully began to hyperventilate, what did the nurse mean? "You mean he di- he's dead?" Scully felt tears come to her eyes. "No, no," the nurse soothed, "I'm sure everything is confused after your accident. There was no one else with you, when the ambulance arrived." Scully went ice cold. Where was he? Then, she felt her arm ache, "What am I on for pain?" she asked, suddenly a doctor, it was almost automatic for her. The switch from emotion to passive. For the first time, the nurse's façade flickered. "Um," she began, "We gave you some aspirin an hour ago." Scully was instantly wary, you didn't give aspirin to an unconscious patient after they had sustained lots of blood loss. "Can I see my chart?" Scully asked coldly. "No, I don't have it," the nurse was too quick to answer. "It's right there," Scully looked at her scathingly and pointed to a clipboard by the foot of her bed. "Oh, the doctor must have left it here." "May I see it?" Scully was quiet and harsh. "No," the nurse insisted. "I'm a medical doctor," Scully told the woman that she thought to be either horribly slow or an impostor. "Fine," the nurse relented and handed Scully the clip board. It took her only five seconds to see that she hadn't been given aspirin. The nurse, who wasn't a nurse, was obviously lying. Scully reached over and hit a call button next to her bed, hoping that someone could come and help her. She counted the beeps on her heart monitor, one, two, three… Then, the door burst open, instead of another smiling nurse, there were five men with guns directed at the fake nurse. The men barked out orders to the woman, telling her to get on the floor and hold up her hands. Scully didn't say anything, but when through the scenario in her head, the nurse had been a fake, come to tell Scully that Mulder was dead. Now she was caught- everything was going to be okay. It had to be. 17. Whirled Colors Scully's world was like a blur of colors. A modern painting. A photograph where someone moved the camera. She could see things, make out shapes, but nothing was clear. And she had to guess at what half the shapes were. Scully's next hour passed in a daze. The men, she wasn't quite sure where they came from, arrested the fake nurse and confiscated several vials of cyanide. Apparently, the nurse had wanted to kill her. Seemingly no one cared for her medical state. She hadn't eaten since she had been in the accident and was tired, but couldn't seem to rest. Scully wondered when someone would notice her. She didn't want to talk, it hurt her throat too much, but neededto figure out how Mulder was. Her mind was too fuzzy to think much. She heard snippets of phrases, but they didn't always make sense. She realized that maybe she was in some kind of coma or a deep, deep sleep. Then, a new voice entered the mix. It was familiar and one that she knew well. It was male, and mostly angry. It was Assistant Director Skinner. From what she could understand, he was wondering why the nurse had come and attempted to poison her. That much was obvious. Scully could have figured that out with only half the words in the conversation, which was about as much as she was getting. Then, they talked about Mulder. His name was mentioned and she thought that he was okay. But wasn't sure. She wouldn't be sure until she saw him, heard his voice. And that wasn't happening until she could stay alert. 18. Me Too Scully awoke her head finally clear. Everything was bright, the light was so white and it hurt her eyes. She wanted to laugh, when she remembered the similarities to the last time she had woken up. Then she remembered. Mulder. Her heart started to race and she knew that she had to be sweating. The beeping on her heart monitor made someone jump. Scully rotated her head a fraction to see her mother waking up from a chair next to her bed. "Mom," Scully whispered voice hoarse. "Dana, sweetheart," Maggie Scully jumped up and walked over to her daughter's bed, "How are you?" "Fine," Scully said, though she wasn't sure. "No, you are not," Mrs. Scully put her hands on her hips, "Dana, someone tried to kill you!" Scully had to restrain a sarcastic comment about the dangers of her job, "But, I'm alive," she said, as if that negated everything else. "Thank god," her mother whispered reverently, "When I heard. Oh, I was so worried. First an accident, now this- this- imposter. She tried to poison you!" "I know," Scully really wanted to know how Mulder was doing. "I came as soon as I heard about the poison," her voice cracked on poison, "I've been here, ever since." "How long?" Scully had no sense of time, she didn't even know if it was the morning or not. Mrs. Scully looked confused, and glanced absentmindedly at her watch, "Oh," she exclaimed, "I was asleep for so long. I think it's Tuesday now." So long. Scully wondered why she had been asleep for so long. Her coma had to have been medically induced. "Mom," she began, "Mom, how is he?" Mrs. Scully had known her daughter long enough to know who she was referring to, "Mulder is fine, sweetie." Scully sighed and relaxed, then asked one more question, "Is he awake?" "I don't know," her mother responded, but saw her daughter fall peacefully asleep instead.
Mulder woke up the day before his partner did. No one had bothered to tell him what had happened to her, knowing that it would make him furious. He thought that she was only sleeping, healing. Mulder wasn't allowed to see Scully or get out of bed. AD Skinner had made sure of that when he visited Mulder. Several threats helped keep him in bed. He finally convinced a nurse to let him visit Scully the same day that she had woken up. The nurse was so tired of his incessant begging that she relented. He was strong enough to walk and did so alone. Arriving at his partner's room around noon. Mrs. Scully was asleep in her chair again and woke suddenly when Mulder opened the door. She stepped outside to talk to Mulder. "Fox!" she exclaimed, "How are you?" Mulder smiled wryly, "Never better, Mrs. Scully." She nodded, knowing what he meant, "I was just going to get some food. I'll let you see Dana, alone," she smiled knowingly and went off down the hall. Mulder waited until she was out of sight and walked into the room. Scully was lying, asleep on the bed, her red hair sprawled out. He took the chair her mother had been occupying and pulled it closer to the bed, then sat down. He sighed and reached for her hand, which was on the covers and attached to an IV. It was cold and tiny in his bigger, warmer hand. Mulder sat there for a while, drifting in and out of day dreams.
Scully dreamt that something was chasing her, a dark shadow. It tried to envelope her, cover her in dark mist. But there was something tugging on her hand, a light white force. It pulled her farther away from the all-encompassing mist. Carrying her to safety. She jumped up, out of the dream, but the pressure on her hand was still there. For a minute, she didn't open her eyes, but then did and gasped. "Mulder!" she whispered. He jumped, as she woke. "Hey." Scully felt right when she saw him. Something had been wrong, but, now it was better. She wiggled her fingers, and felt his grip tighten. She smiled. Mulder's other hand reached up to stroke her hair. His hand felt warm on her clammy skin. "How are you feeling?" he asked her. "Fine," she gave an automatic answer, then changed her mind, "Sore," she changed her answer, "Glad that you're okay." Mulder smiled and leaned down to give her a tiny kiss. "Me too." 19. Revelations
The next days in the hospital were torture for Scully. And like torture, her days were interrupted with bits of relief. Mulder could see her for half an hour, three times a day. Scully savored those moments. Apparently, Mulder was just staying the hospital to make sure he didn't have a concussion, after the car wreck. Scully would have been out before him, except that she had met with the 'nurse'. No one seemed to know exactly what had happened and neither agent could remember the details of the crash. Scully knew that she and Mulder had been leaving a restaurant and that there had been a crash but the rest was a haze. Skinner hadn't showed up again, once he was sure that the agents were going to mend. And with Mulder unable to investigate, no one could take the time to do a thorough check. Her mother had left after she was awake regularly. Scully didn't mind. Her mother fussed too much. She was going to be fine. It just took time. Mulder was bored. He wasn't used to so much time alone, without something to watch on TV. Or without sunflower seeds. Or without pencils. Actually, he had pencils, but, somehow, he doubted that he could throw them into the ceiling while lying down on a bed. He also doubted that it would go unnoticed. He was allowed to visit Scully, but only for what seemed like a second. He was deemed well enough to walk, dragging an IV stand along with him. He didn't get any visitors. So Mulder had a lot of spare time. In that time he thought. He tried to formulate some answers to his two biggest problems. Who was watching him and Scully? What was wrong with Scully? Mulder didn't know the answer to the first one. He didn't think he would know until he could examine the car. He thought there had been gunshots, but it could have been an imagination. The Lone Gunmen could help, maybe. But they wouldn't talk to him except in person. And they would never come to a hospital to talk about something so serious. And Scully. Mulder knew that she felt something. But she had something she wasn't telling him. And it bothered him. Sure, they had separate lives- sometimes. But if something was bothering Scully, then Mulder knew about it. Scully glanced at the clock for the fourth time in three minutes. It was almost time for Mulder to come see her. She hated to admit it, but she kept on waiting for him. The rest of her day was insignificant compared to those few minutes they had together. Sure, she had things to do. But she had read her novel and one could only sleep so much. TV was only good if a movie was on and the hospital didn't have cable. Mulder was her only entertainment. Scully jumped when the door opened. She saw Mulder and smiled, really smiled. Finally he was here. She raised her self up, so that she was propped up on the bed. "Hey." He didn't respond, only moved to sit at the chair next to her. Scully saw him reach out and hold her hand, which had been resting on the covers. She frowned. Was something wrong? "So, how've you been wasting time today?" she asked conversationally. Mulder didn't reply. "What's wrong?" Scully made her voice firm. Finally he spoke, "What do you remember about the car crash?" Scully was nervous, Mulder was never this intense unless it was important. "Um, the car. We were talking. Then there was a." she stopped short, "I don't remember. It was- Then we were stopped and you were unconscious." Mulder looked at her levelly, "Did we loose time?" Scully bit her lip, staggered at what Mulder was implying. 20. Making Up
"What are you talking about?" Scully whispered heatedly, "That idea is," she stopped and sighed, resigned, "Mulder, why does it always have to be about aliens?" Mulder's eyes changed. Seconds ago they had had a spark of energy almost insanity in them, now they were flat and dead as if Scully had hit him. "Because it always is about them." "Is that how you feel, Mulder? Because, sometimes, you're wrong," Scully choked out. Mulder blinked, "Sometimes Scully?" She wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Instead, she lay back down, burying her face in the pillow. She knew it was childish, but Mulder had gone too far this time. Scully felt Mulder sit down on her bed, his IV rattling slightly. He was quiet. Mulder knew that he had upset Scully, but he didn't know why. He had mentioned that their crash may had been caused by aliens and Scully had snapped. He gently put his hand on Scully's back, hoping she wouldn't shrug it off. He needed her to understand. She had before. But then Mulder stopped. Scully was hard pressed to accept anything that Mulder believed. She would only accept things with proof. Government conspiracies are believable with proof. They are easy to prove. There was never concrete proof of aliens. Sure at one time there were bodies or DNA. But mostly, there were memories, and Scully had a hard time believing in memories. Finally Mulder whispered, "Can you understand?" Scully heard Mulder whisper something and muttered, "What?" Then, she felt his arms stiffen and he stood. She looked up to see him storming out the door. "Wait," she called, unsure what she had done. "Mulder! What did I saw to make you leave me?" She tried anything to make him come back. He turned, "You can't change who I am, Scully. You have to live with that." "I don't want to change you," suddenly Scully was quiet. Mulder turned and walked back several steps, "But, you said that you don't understand me." "I never said anything." "Can you understand why I need to know if time stopped?" "Mulder! How are you supposed to tell?" "I don't know Scully, but I need to find out. Don't ask me to change anything." Scully sighed, then shook her head, "Mulder. How can I ask you to change yourself when I love you just the way you are?"
21. Was that the Truth? Scully sighed, then shook her head, "Mulder. How can I ask you to change yourself when I love you just the way you are?" Mulder stopped, eyes wide, "What was that?" he asked, then for once fell silent. Scully didn't know what to say. She hadn't meant to say that, not at all. Pull it together Dana! She told herself. But, she could only look at him. Had he heard her right? What if he took it the wrong way? What if he took it the right way? The two agents just stared for a minute, then Scully broke the silence, "I'm sorry," she whispered. Mulder took two steps towards her, "For what?" "For saying that," she breathed looking down at the sheet and pulling at a thread. "Even if it was the truth?" Mulder said softly. "Especially if it was the truth," Scully mumbled and chanced a glance upwards. Mulder was now right next to her. He sat down on the tiny night stand and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder, "Was it the truth, Scully?" She shrugged his hand off, "I don't really want to say, Mulder," if she affirmed, he might kiss her, and then, then, they would stop thinking about their problems, leaving them behind in place of lust. And the problems would just it worse. "You're thinking too much," he told her, putting his hand on her face. Scully knew he was right, but now pushed his hand off. She saw the hurt in his face, but pushed forward, "I know," she began, but as he leaned closer she muttered, "Don't you dare kiss me, Fox Mulder!" The End Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.
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