From: "Tim and Tiff" <timandtiff@worldinter.net>
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 19:07:31 -0600
Subject: Crossing Parallels Parts 1 and 2 by Chiqua, NC17 version
Source: revision

*******************

It took several takes, but they finally had something on film that
Chris seemed reasonably happy with.  Although Scully had wondered
what the near-kiss would bring, she shouldn't have worried.  With
all the people watching, the lights and cameras focused on them
and Chris pausing the filming to give them stage directions, it was
a little difficult to feel anything romantic about the whole
experience.

Mulder had helped put her at ease, cracking jokes in her ear with
his decidedly irreverent wit and parodying Chris's directions.
He had even thrown in some ad-lib that Chris had loved, like
checking himself out in a spoon and arranging and rearranging
himself on the couch.

Finally, it was over and Chris called it a wrap. Scully gratefully
heaved a sigh of relief.  She was deeply involved in a conversation
with Clarissa from Wardrobe over what Scully thought was a 
particularly nondescript suit when it happened.  

"Mommy!"  The cry pierced the air and conversation momentarily
halted, then resumed again as if this were a common occurrence.

Scully turned to see who was yelling for their mommy when a small
bundle of arms and legs attached itself to her leg.  Stunned,
she glanced down to see a little girl with red curls smiling back up
at her.  

"Hello, Piper!" Clarissa said to the little girl.

"Hi, Miss Klissa," the little girl said politely, her tongue
stumbling over Clarissa's name.  She turned and looked back up
at Scully, stretching out her arms in the universal gesture to
be lifted.

Moving as if in slow motion, Scully obediently scooped Piper
into her arms.  In response, Piper threw her arms around Scully's
neck in a giant hug then puckered up and gave her a big wet kiss.
"I missed you, Mommy," she said very sincerely.  "When can we go
home?"

As the child's deep blue eyes settled on her's Scully felt 
something stir within her, something deep and instinctual toward 
this child she didn't know but to whom her heart and body felt 
drawn, as if she were her own.  Still in shock, she clutched the 
small figure to her breast and cradled her.  "Soon, sweetheart.  
We'll go home soon," she whispered.

Chris watched the scene, aghast.  Mulder grabbed his arm and spun
him around.  "Why didn't you tell us Gillian had a child!" he hissed,
his face ashen.  

"I told the nanny to keep her off the set today," Chris explained.
"Piper must have put up a fuss."  

"Do you have *any* idea what this'll do to Scully?" Mulder bit out.

Chris nodded.  "I'm sorry, Mulder, I honestly tried to prevent it."

Seeing the sincerity on his face, Mulder relented.  With a 
curt nod, he headed over to Scully who was listening attentively
to the little girl talking to her.

"...and then I watched Pooh and he had a red b'loon but he broke
it and then Rabbit and Tigger and all of 'em tried to get 'nother
b'loon but they couldn't and then..." she paused for breath
and Mulder took the opportunity to interrupt.

"Who's your friend, Scully?" he said softly.  Scully was about
to reply when Piper launched herself at Mulder.

"Dave!"  Instinctively, Mulder caught her.  She immediately
began digging in his pockets.  "You brung candy?"

Shocked, Mulder looked at Scully.  She was smiling broadly, her
eyes twinkling.

"I think you two already know each other," she said, tilting her
head towards the little girl who had abandoned her search for
candy and was now persistently tugging on his sleeve to get his
attention.  "This is Piper."

"You don't have candy?" Piper said plaintively, her face the epitome 
of bereavement.  "You *always* have candy."

Thinking quickly, Mulder decided the best way out of
this was playing on what children were most known for:
short attention spans.

"What's that you have in your ear?" he queried.  

"Nothing," Piper replied, her face puzzled.

"I think you have something hiding in there," Mulder
replied.  Reaching for her ear, he palmed a quarter.

"See!  You've been stashing money in there!"

At her delighted expression, he palmed another 
quarter and pulled it from her other ear.  "You're
just filled with money," he teased, "got any twenty
dollar bills hiding in there?"

She shook her head, eyeing the shiny coins in her
palm.

"You know, I bet Clarissa would know where there's
a candy machine around here," he whispered
conspiratorially to her.  

With a wiggle and squirm she was out of his arms
and begging Scully to be allowed to find the candy
machine.  With an indulgent smile, Scully agreed and
Clarissa led the little girl off.

Mulder and Scully didn't speak for a moment, each 
watching as Clarissa tried to keep up with Piper.

Finally, Scully spoke.  "Isn't she fabulous, Mulder?"

Hesitantly, Mulder glanced over at her.  She was still
watching Piper in the distance.  "Yes.  Yes she is, Scully."

The small smile on Scully's face and the brightness of her
eyes disturbed him but before he was able to pursue the 
subject, Chris approached them.

Chris had been contemplating how to get Mulder and Scully
away from the studio this afternoon.  A meeting had been
calling weeks ago with cast members to go over the upcoming
finale, movie and Season 5.  The last thing he wanted to do
was make the colossal mistake of telling Mulder and Scully
what their future held.  While they still didn't know what
created the other - be it him writing their lives or him 
merely writing what they lived - he didn't want to take any
chances.

"Um, I'm sorry to inform you guys about this," he began,
"but Gillian and David were scheduled for a photo shoot
this afternoon."

Mulder and Scully exchanged looks.  He hadn't mentioned
this last night.

"Can't it be rescheduled?" Scully asked.

"I'm afraid not," Chris answered.  "It's already been
postponed twice.  Really, it's not a big deal.  You don't
have to do anything except smile and, well, you don't 
even really have to do that."  He grinned apologetically.
"They'll take care of everything for you.  One of the perks
of this business."

"I don't really see as we have a choice in the matter, if
we're going to keep up this charade," Mulder answered for
them.

"Great!  The magazine's representative is right over there,"
he pointed to a very harried looking man clutching a cellphone
in one hand and a clipboard in the other.  "He'll take care
of you."  Chris turned to leave, heaving a sigh of relief.

He was stopped by Scully.  "Wait, what magazine is this for?"

"TV Guide."

*********************************

"Well, Scully, it looks like we hit the big time if TV Guide
wants to take our picture."

Scully smiled at Mulder's sarcasm.  They were enroute to the
photoshoot in the back of a posh limousine.  Mulder was
busy pushing buttons and poking in the wooden panels that
hid a mini-bar, a television and small stereo.  Suddenly,
the glass partition between them and the driver began sliding
down.

"Oops.  Sorry."  Mulder hastily reversed the window, his face
sheepish.

"It could be worse, Mulder.  We could be posing for 'Celebrity
Skin.'"

Mulder caught her eye, a smirk curving his lips.  

"Don't get my hopes up, Scully."

Scully blushed and looked away, unsure of how to respond to 
Mulder's flirting.  She was still trying to figure out how
to categorize their encounters from this morning and afternoon.  
He hadn't mentioned it and neither had she, but that was not unusual.  

So many things passed between them that were never referred to by 
mutual consent.  This could very well never be spoken of again.  
She and Mulder would just continue as if nothing had happened.  
And nothing had...had it?  So the Professor had said they had a 
"link."  So did many people.  But what about the pictures?  

Perhaps, in our world, this is as close as we are destined to 
get, she thought.  Strange, how her heart sank at the thought.  
Scully thought back to when she'd first met Mulder.  She had 
heard so much about him at the Academy.  The students has joked
about "Spooky" Mulder, making fun of his rather extreme ideas.
No one had ever said anything to his face - no one had the guts
to - but a grudging respect was always present for "Spooky."

Scully had laughed with everyone else at some of the stories
that were bandied about regarding Mulder.  And she had been
intrigued and excited when she was assigned to the X-Files,
anticipating meeting this prodigy, yet embarrassment, to the
FBI.

What she had been completely unprepared for, was his incredible
intellect, his intensity, his passion, and his ability to draw
her to him like a moth to a flame.  From the moment he had
turned down the lights and challenged her with his slide show,
she had been lost.  

At first, she had been infatuated, like a student in awe of
a teacher.  Then, almost without her becoming aware of it,
infatuation had grown to need and need to love.  She couldn't
pinpoint the exact moment she knew she was in love with Mulder.
It had stolen upon her like a shadow, not making its presence 
known until it was too late.  He had her now as securely as if
she were tethered to him.  Nothing could tear her from his side
unless he told her to go.  And even then, she wasn't sure she
would be able to obey.

Mulder covertly eyed Scully as she stared out the window, 
seemingly at nothing.  She appeared lost in thought.  Whatever
she was thinking, it apparently wasn't pleasureable judging from
the almost melancholy look on her face.  At times like these, he 
cursed the distance between them.  He knew Scully kept part
of herself hidden from him - be it deliberately or without her
awareness, he knew not which.  It was a side of her that was very 
much akin to a woman who longed for affection and comfort, who 
wasn't afraid to bare her fears and desires.  And he'd 
only glimpsed it on a few rare occassions.  The ordeal with Donnie
Phaster came to mind, when she'd allowed herself to show her fear
and receive his comfort.  

Mulder remembered how he'd felt holding her close in his arms, 
her face buried in his shoulder.  Her body had shook from her 
sobs and he'd gently kissed the top of her head while whispering to
her.  
He'd never known before how much he had longed to comfort someone, 
to be their protector.  His heart had turned over in his chest when he
had 
realized how much Scully had needed him at that moment.  
He had never thought anyone would ever need and depend on him 
again, much less reach out to him for comfort.  Tears of his own had
filled 
his eyes at the depth of his relief and thankfulness that she was safe.

His thoughts were interrupted by the car slowing to a halt and a few
moments 
later, the door was opened for them.  

Mulder exited first, then offered his hand to help Scully out of the
car.


Scully critically eyed herself in the mirror.  She adored the dress
but it had been a long time since she'd worn an evening gown.  She
couldn't 
wear a bra with the dress and it felt decidedly strange to be in such 
feminine attire around Mulder.  She'd always struggled to be recognized

for her skill as an agent rather than be coddled because of her gender.
 
She didn't think Mulder had ever seen her in something quite like this.

"Ready?" the wardrobe mistress inquired.

Scully smiled and nodded to the woman.  She then led Scully out into
the studio where Mulder and the photographer were waiting.

Mulder was wearing a soft yellow cotton shirt and matching jacket.
Scully thought and could not remember Mulder *ever* wearing yellow.
Or any bright color for that matter.

Mulder's breath caught when he saw Scully walking toward him.  Her
dress was amazing.  She was adorned in a shimmering mint green dress 
that clung to her every curve and was secured by slim straps across her

shoulders.  The material undulated around her body as she walked
and Mulder couldn't help but wonder what she wore beneath the gown.
His eyes caught hers and held them until she stopped in front of him.

"You clean up pretty well, Scully." Mulder teased, slowly looking down
her length in appreciation.

"Shut up, Mulder, or I'll start singing 'You Are My Sunshine,'" she
shot back, her mouth twitching in an effort not to smile at his
backhanded compliment.

He grimaced at the reference to his rather cheerful attire and was
about to respond when the photographer started posing them.

"Okay, now I'd like you to be in a classic dancing pose so Gillian,
you stand on the left and David on the right."

Mulder and Scully stood for a moment in uncertainty.  Scully spoke
first.

"Excuse me, but why are we going to be dancing when we're FBI agents
on a show about aliens and government conspiracy?  That doesn't seem
to make sense."

The photographer peeked out from behind his camera and tripod.  "I
thought this would be a better way to exploit more of the sexual
tension on the show.  Don't worry, the pictures I'm going for will
be very moodily romantic.  It'll be great!"  With that he was back
behind the camera, adjusting some lens or filter.

Scully looked at Mulder with some apprehension.  His eyes had a 
mischevious glint which gave her even more cause to be wary.

"Sexual tension, eh, Scully," he said thoughfully, "you been checkin' 
out my butt again?"  He waggled his eyebrows, provoking a laugh from
her despite herself.

"He's probably referring to your video collection," Scully replied.

Mulder grimaced then held out his hand to her.  Scully placed her
palm in his and he drew her to him, placing his hand on her back
where he was met with a welcome surprise.

Her dress was entirely backless, the material plunging low enough
that he hadn't found it yet as his hand slowly explored down her
back.

"Have I mentioned how much I like your dress, Scully?"

"Watch the hands, Mulder," Scully said as Mulder's drifting hand 
finally found the fabric again right above her rear.

The photographer began snapping away.

"But we need to be sure and exploit that sexual tension, Scully,"
Mulder protested softly in her ear, all innocence.  "I'm just trying 
to do a good job."

Scully was unable to repress a shiver at his warm breath caressing 
her skin.

"Cold?" Mulder asked and, without awaiting her response, pulled
her more tightly into his embrace.

Mulder knew he was taking advantage of the situation, but he just
couldn't resist.  He believed without a doubt that the woman he
held in his arms was the most beautiful woman he had ever
encountered.  The fact that she could probably kick his ass only
added to the attraction of her body currently encased in the
satin dress.  He realized that, if he didn't turn his attention
elsewhere soon, they were going to have a repeat performance of
the rather embarrassing situation he'd found himself in earlier
with Scully sitting on his lap.  Only now she was held tightly
against his chest by his arm wrapped around her waist.

He quickly grasped her left hand in his right and smoothly spun
her away from him.  He then pulled her back and clasped her other
hand, moving to silent music.  

Scully hadn't even known Mulder could dance and here he was
twirling her around as if he'd been born dancing.  She laughed
in delight.  She loved to dance.  When she did find time to
go out, it was so difficult to find a man who could really dance
and not just sway and turn in circles on the dance floor.  

The photographer caught on to Mulder and quickly turned on some
music.  Scully recognized the song as "Searching My Soul."  

"I've been searchin' my soul tonight 
I know there's so much more to life 
Now I know I can shine a light 
To find my way back home"

The song's lyrics captured Scully's attention and she wondered if 
Mulder was listening to them.  She searched his face but his
eyes betrayed nothing.

"One by one, the chains around me unwind 
Every day now I feel that I can leave those years behind 
Oh I've been thinking of you for a long time 
There's a side of my life where I've been blind and so...
I've been searchin' my soul tonight..."

The music was exhilirating and the photographer was hurriedly 
snapping photos of her and Mulder laughing as they made up new 
and - interesting - dance moves.

Scully was finally able to squeeze out a sentence between steps,
Mulder's infectious enthusiasm making her smile.  

"Mulder, since when did you know how to dance?"

"I've always known how," Mulder said, "I've just never had much
cause to dance."

"Then why now?" Scully asked, curious to hear his reply.

Mulder pressed his mouth again to her ear.  "Because now I'm 
with you."

Scully didn't have a chance to reply because he had eased her 
into a low dip.  He gracefully pulled her back up into
his arms and stopped dancing, his face inches from hers.

Oblivious to the photographer, Scully's breath caught in her 
chest as his eyes captivated hers.  They seemed to burn right 
through to her soul and dared her to deny what he saw there. 
As if hearing it from a distance, the music filtered into
her ear.

"Baby I been holding back now my whole life 
I've decided to move on now 
Gonna leave all my worries behind 
Oh I believe I am ready for what love has to give 
Got myself together now I'm ready to live."

Scully watched as Mulder's face drew closer to hers.  He paused a 
mere breath away from her lips.  Scully's pulse raced and she
nervously wet her lips, waiting for the first touch of his
mouth.  She was acutely aware of everything about him: the warmth 
of his body seeping through the clothing, the musky smell of his sweat 
mixed with the tang of his cologne, the flexed muscles of
his arms as he held her close enough to feel the full length of
his body through the thin gown.  

The click of the camera brough Mulder up short.  He'd been
so entranced with Scully, he'd completely forgotten that they
were not alone.  Regretfully, he broke his contact with her
and turned to the photographer.  Scully turned as well and the 
photographer snapped one last photo before, recognizing the 
dangerous glare directed at him from Mulder, decided to call 
it a day.

"Okay!  Thanks so much for your time.  We're all done," he said
and quickly left the room, a pleased smile on his face.

Scully watched him leave, then turned to Mulder.  The air felt
awkward between them.  He didn't speak, merely stood still in the
now silent room, staring at her.  Unsure of what to do next, Scully
made no move to leave.  Was he going to finish what he started?  
She was torn, half of her desperately wanting him to and the other
half desperately wanting him not to.  Finally, unable to stand the 
silence any longer, she said "We'd better get going," and turned to 
head to the dressing room - only to be brought up short by Mulder's 
hand on her arm.

"Scully."

She turned.  "Yes, Mulder?"  Her voice sounded breathless 
even to her and she inwardly cringed.  The last thing she wanted was 
for him to think her some lovesick teenager, hanging on his every 
word - even if she did.

He tugged her towards him, pulling her unresisting form close
until they were a mere inches apart.  She could feel the heat
coming off his body.  She was afraid he could hear her heart 
pounding.  The blood now rushing through her veins making the sound
seem loud in her ears.  Her breath caught and held as his eyes
leisurely made their way down her face to rest on her lips.
She invluntarily wet them and his eyes followed the movement as
if transfixed.  His eyes finally lifted to settle a dark, hungry
look on her.   

"I think you forgot something, Scully."

"Wha-" Her reply was lost in the soft confines of Mulder's lips
as they pressed to hers.  Momentarily surprised, Scully didn't
immediately respond to the warm caress of his mouth.  Then a 
shiver passed over her and she closed her eyes, giving in to
the acute pleasure of Mulder tenderly kissing her, his hand
gently cupping her jaw and tilting it upward.  Her arms 
tentatively wound around his neck as she molded herself
more closely to him.

The touch of his toungue against her lips prompted her
to open her mouth to him, deepening the kiss.  He explored
the warm cavern of her mouth, their tongues entwining as 
their breath intermingled between them.  Mulder's hands
slid down Scully's bare arms before sliding around to her back
and gently cupping her satin clad bottom.  He pulled her to him.

Scully moaned softly into Mulder's mouth as she felt the hard
evidence of his arousal pressing insistently against her stomach,
an answering warmth spreading between her thighs.

Sensing the situation escalating beyond her control, Scully abruptly
ended the kiss and pulled away, breathing heavily.  

"I think...we'd better get changed," she said, her voice raw.

She turned and shakily headed to the dressing room, trying mightily 
to appear as unaffected as possible from Mulder's kisses.

Mulder watched her walk away, trying to regain control of
his body.  God, that was incredible.  She was incredible.
His body ached for more, but what did this mean?  For him,
for them?  What now?  

If you have to ask that question then it really has been a 
long time, he though derisively.  He ran his hand through his 
hair and took a ragged breath before heading to the dressing room.

*****************************

In the dressing room, Scully looked at herself in the mirror.
Her face was flushed, her lips swollen and red, her eyes
dark with arousal.  

We can't do this, she thought, shaking her head.  Mulder means
too much to me to screw it up by sleeping together.  But if
Mulder makes love even half as good as he kisses...she quickly 
pushed that thought away.  It doesn't matter.  I *can't* lose
him.  If I sleep with him, eventually, it will end - and then
what?  Keep working together as ex-lovers?  No, that would
never work.  It never does, she thought ruefully.  

She began to dress.

****************************

When Mulder and Scully returned to the set, it was more or 
less deserted.  A few cars parked in the lot were the only
evidence that someone was still there.

"Where is everyone?" Scully asked rhetorically as she
and Mulder surveyed the vacant building.

Mulder was kept from replying when a stagehand materialized 
from a nearby office and headed towards the door.

"Let's ask him," Mulder said, tilting his head in the man's
direction.

They crossed the floor and intercepted him.  He seemed
surprised to see them.

"Shouldn't you two be in the meeting?" he asked quizzically.
"Chris is probably looking all over for you."

"What meeting?" Mulder asked.

The stagehand looked at Mulder strangely.  "You know, about the
movie."

"The *movie*?" Scully said, incredulous.

Shooting a glance at her, Mulder asked grimly, "Where's the 
meeting?" 

The man pointed down a hallway.  "The conference room next
to Chris's office."

"Thanks," Mulder muttered before putting his hand on Scully's
back to guide her ahead of him.

The stagehand shook his head, watching them hurry down the hall.
"Actors."

"So, they're making a movie," Mulder said slowly.

"About us," Scully responded, her eyes meeting his.  "I suppose
this was the reason we had a photoshoot today."

"So we wouldn't be here."  Mulder finished the thought
for her.

They arrived in front of the appropriate door.  Animated voices
emanated from withing.  Mulder rapped lightly before turning 
the knob.

Everyone fell silent as Mulder and Scully entered.  They paused
inside the doorway, quickly taking in the faces that greeted
them.

Chris was there, as was Skinner.  A few others she didn't 
recognize.  Scully heard Mulder's sharp intake of breath 
and looked where his eyes were focused.  Her eyes widened 
as they fell upon the cigarette smoking man, casually perusing a 
sheaf of red papers.

Chris quickly overcame his surprise at their presence and
greeted them in a rather strained voice.  "David, Gill!  Glad
you could make it.  It's too bad we were just wrapping up 
here."

"What do you mean 'wrapping up?'" the cigarette smoking man said.
"You haven't finished explaining exactly what's going on here.
I'd appreciate a bit more time to discuss the script."  He
gestured to the stack of red papers in front of him. 

There were murmurs of agreement among the rest of the people.

Cornered, Chris could only nod in assent.  He flinched 
beneath the accusing stares of Mulder and Scully and had
the grace to blush in embarrassment at his failed ploy.

Mulder and Scully took two empty seats around the large
table.  As he sat down, Mulder said, "Oh, Chris - we didn't
bring our scripts with us.  Would you mind handing us some?"

Chris thought frantically.  That was the absolute last
thing he wanted to do.  "I'm all out, David," he said
evenly.

"I'm quite clear on what we're discussing so I'll be happy
to lend you mine."  Mulder turned to the man who had
spoken.  He was an older gentleman with a kind smile.  Nodding
his thanks, Mulder took the proferred papers.

Chris uncomfortably cleared his throat, his eyes glued 
to the unopened script in Mulder's hands.  Taking his chances on
what this would sound like to everyone else in the room,
he said softly, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh really?  Why is that, Chris?" Mulder said darkly, furious
at Chris's deception.

"You know why."  Chris glanced quickly at the surrounding
audience who were listening interestedly.  "Let's take a
break everyone," he announced.  "Clear the room."

Mulder and Scully remained seated as everyone else filed
out.  When the last person had left, Chris spoke.

"I can't let you look at that script, Mulder."

"I don't think you have a choice, Chris."

Scully watched the battle of wills taking place.  Mulder's jaw
was clenched tightly, the muscles in his body coiled with
tension.  Chris was matching his intensity and seemed ready
to spring at the slightest provocation.

She spoke slowly and evenly, trying to be the voice of
reason.  "Mulder, he may be right."

Mulder broke his gaze with Chris to look at her.  His eyes
showed his hurt at her seeming defection.

"I'm just saying that if we look at this script, we'll be
looking at our future.  It may be good or it may be bad.
Either way, by seeing it, we risk changing it - either
knowingly or unknowingly."

Mulder didn't reply.  He turned and looked at Chris again.
"When does this take place?" he held up the script.

Chris hesitated.  He knew what Mulder was thinking.  But
how could he not answer?  He knew Mulder so well, but Mulder
knew next to nothing about him.  The anger and distrust
in Mulder's eyes were like a physical pain in Chris's gut.
How could he not want to ease Mulder's suffering and try
to gain his trust?  Hesitating, he finally answered, his
eyes flickering briefly to Scully.

"Two years."

Mulder didn't relent.  He had to know.  "And she's there?"

Scully glanced from one to the other.  She didn't follow
what Mulder was getting at.  Was he asking about Samantha?
Did Chris know where she was?  The thought made her heart
pound and she looked at Chris expectantly, her hands
clenched.  Would Mulder's dream of finding his sister
finally come true after all these years?  A part of her
realized with some detachment that she desperately wanted
that for him.  Even if she died in the process of the search,
it would all be worth it if Mulder found Samantha.

Chris knew of whom Mulder was asking.  He'd *created*
Mulder.  He knew what Mulder cared about the most and
it wasn't Samantha and it wasn't the Truth.  

"Yes."

Mulder didn't react.  He remained frozen, as if that one
word had turned his flesh to stone.

Scully's heart leapt with joy.  She looked at Mulder, a
smile spreading across her face.  It was worth it - all of it.
The lies, the agony they had endured, even her pending death -
it was all worth it.  Mulder would find Samantha.

Chris's gaze was still locked with Mulder's.  He stood and
slowly reached across the desk to take the script from 
Mulder's now weak grasp.  Without another word, he left the
room, quietly slipping the door closed behind him.

Mulder felt as if a thousand ton weight had been lifted off
his shoulders.  He wanted to simultaneously jump up and shout
to the heavens and lay his head on the table and weep.  He
settled for staying where he was.  His eyes slipped closed and 
he felt the sting of tears well up behind the lids.  

"Mulder?  What's wrong?"  Scully's hand gently touched his
shoulder.

He opened his eyes.  Scully was staring at him, her expression
concerned. 

He grasped her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly.
"Nothing's wrong, Scully.  Everything's going to be okay."
He sent up a silent prayer of thanks to a God he 
hadn't believed existed.  

Scully still watched him, a small smile on her lips.  

"I'm so happy for you, Mulder," Scully murmured, her hand
squeezing his.

Mulder's smile faded in puzzlement.  "Happy for me?" he said.
What was she talking about, 'happy for him'?

Scully pulled away from his hand, looking at him in confusion.
"Yes, happy for you.  Chris said she'd be there - that you'd 
find her."

Mulder just stared at her, his mouth agape.  "Samantha?"

"Who else?" Scully was getting more confused.  What was Mulder
playing dumb for?  She'd been right next to him, of course she
had heard what Chris said.

"You thought we were talking about Samantha?"  Mulder asked
in amazement.

Her right eyebrow arched, Scully asked dryly, "Is there another
woman you're searching for that I don't know about?"

Mulder shook his head.  "Scully," he reached for her, taking
her face in both his hands and tilting her chin up so their
eyes were inches apart.  He spoke.  "I wasn't asking about
Samantha, Scully.  I was asking about you."

Scully's mind reeled from the implications of Mulder's words.
She instinctively shrank back from his touch, mouth agape.
"But...that can't be, Mulder..." she wavered, her eyes
frantically moving around the room, as if searching,
but seeing nothing.  "He has to be wrong, Mulder," her voice
again resolute.  "I won't be alive two years from now."

"You don't have to believe it, Scully," Mulder said, his
words belying the restrained joy in his eyes.  "Because I do."
Silently, he again took her hand in both of his.

Her eyes, still wide in shock, found his.  The look in his eyes
made her breath catch in her throat.  Strength, love, joy,
hope -- they were all there before her in these windows
to Mulder's soul.  How could she deny him these emotions?  How
could she take away the hope he had found, regardless of what
she believed?  Simply put, she couldn't.  He wanted - no, needed - 
to believe.  And she wouldn't take that belief away from him.

Clasping her other hand over his, she smiled softly.  Her heart
aching slightly as his face split into a beautific smile.

***************************

Mulder glanced at his watch.  Eight o'clock.  After the 
impromptu adjournment of the meeting, he and Scully had
went to their separate trailers, agreeing that he'd come
over at ten to await the Professor.  That left two more hours.

He found a basketball in a corner and idly dribbled it.  Tiring
of that, he plopped down on the sofa and flipped on the TV.
"...just 4 easy payments of $39.95..." flip "...I'm a doctor,
Jim, not a magician..." flip "...Kramer!..." flip "...Let's
be careful out there..." flip.  Nothing on.  Surfing through
the channels, the sound of haunting music made him pause.
Hmmm, this looked interesting.  Ghosts and psychics and such,
if the opening credits told anything about the show.  Settling
back to watch, he was momentarily stunned to see his face and
badge on the screen, overlaid by "David Duchovny."  Then it was
Scully's face and "Gillian Anderson."  When he saw "The Truth
Is Out There," he let out a small guffaw.  It was all so...
dramatic.  Hard to believe people here were watching his life
as entertainment.  

Staring at the screen, Mulder was mystified.  It was Scully,
talking to him on the phone, but he was standing right next
to her in a nondescript motel room.  Mulder's blood ran cold 
when "Mulder" picked "Scully" up by the neck and slammed 
her against the wall.  He realized what it was.  It was the 
bounty hunter.  This was when he'd taken Scully hostage in
exchange for...whatever it was that had been impersonating
his sister.

He was jolted upright when "Mulder" threw "Scully" into the 
table, shattering the glass into a million pieces and rendering 
her unconscious.  Only then did the bounty hunter resume his 
earlier persona.  

Mulder's fists gripped the couch as the image of himself, 
hurtling Scully across the room replayed in his mind.  Scully 
had never told him exactly what had happened in that motel room, 
how she'd hurt her head.  To now see it in living color made 
his gut tighten into knots.  He wondered what else she had 
endured for his sake as he forced himself to look back at
the screen.

*********************

A knock at the door interrupted Scully in her preparations
for a light dinner.  Wiping her wet hands on a nearby towel,
she called out.  "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ms. Anderson.  I thought I'd bring Piper by."  

Scully froze on her way to the door, her heart pouding.  She
hadn't said anything to Mulder, but she'd desperately wanted
to see the little girl one more time.  Cautiously, almost
afraid no one would be there, she opened the door.

Piper was standing on the step next to the nanny, calmly 
spilling a pile of M&M's into her hand from a small brown 
wrapper.  She looked up at Scully and smiled, a brown ring 
of chocolate around her mouth giving evidence to her sugary snack.

"I'm hungry!"

"I tried to keep them from her, Ms. Anderson, but you know how
persistent she can be."  The petite woman nodded her head knowingly
at Scully.

Scully briefly hesitated before replying, "Of course.  I know
how she can be.  It's okay."

"Shall I come back for her later to take her to the house?"

Scully thought quickly, Mulder shouldn't be here for a few more
hours.  If the nanny came back for Piper, he wouldn't even
know.  And she could spend a little more time with her.  She
decided.  "That would be wonderful.  Say about 9:00?"

The woman nodded.  Scully grasped Piper's hand and pulled her
inside.  With a wave to the retreating nanny, she shut the door
behind her.

Seeing Piper's hands, now stained a gooey reddish-orange, Scully
headed for the kitchen with the child in tow. So much for not
melting in your hand, she thought ruefully.

"Let's wash up, sweetheart.  Then we'll have dinner."

Piper obediently followed, awkwardly trying to eat the remaining
candies in the wrapper with only one hand free.

Wetting a towel, Scully scrubbed Piper's face, erasing the 
chocolate.  Unwrapping her hands from the candy was a little more 
difficult.  Only after eliciting a promise from Scully
that the treat would be returned after dinner did Piper release
the grubby wrapper.

Sitting Piper at the table, Scully resumed her dinner preparations.
Opening another can of soup, she dumped its contents into the
already heated pan and quickly made another cheese sandwich.  

In a few minutes, the food was on the table and Scully sat beside
Piper.  Scully spooned some of the soup into Piper's bowl and cut
up the sandwich into small bite-size pieces before filling her
own bowl.

Piper held her spoon in her fist, watching the steam rise from
her bowl.  "Be careful, it's hot," Scully warned the little girl.

"Gotta blow?" Piper asked.

Scully nodded.  Her face creasing into a smile as Piper diligently
bent forward and began loudly blowing air onto the soup to cool 
it.

Scully marveled at the novelty of sitting down to dinner beside
her child.  She's not really your child, a voice inside her
head whispered.  Perhaps not, Scully thought, but that doesn't
mean I'm not going to enjoy every moment with her.  It may
be my only chance....  The thought trailed off, Scully unwilling
to finish it and ruin the swell of happiness she felt.  It had
been so long since she'd felt this happy, this complete.
Amazing what a small child could do.  She felt tears sting her 
eyes and she rapidly blinked them back.  She didn't want to cry,
not even from happiness.  

Scully silently ate, listening to Piper alternately slurping
the soup and telling her in child-speak what had occupied her
day.  She watched Piper avidly, trying to memorize every
facial expression, every word, so she would never forget
this moment. 

After dinner was over and the dishes cleared, Scully realized
she'd better give Piper a bath.  It had been a long time since
she'd cared for a child, much less given one a bath.  Did Piper
like baths or was she going to have to wrestle her into the tub,
she wondered warily.

Scully joined Piper who was playing with some toys in front of the
television.  

"Piper, don't you think it's time for your bath?" she carefully
questioned.

Piper looked up from her toys excitedly.  "Yes!  Gotta get my
toys!"

She dropped the toy car she'd been playing with and ran back to
the bedroom.  Scully followed, relieved that bath time was
obviously not a chore for Piper.

Piper had gotten a bucket full of rubber duckies, boats and
various water toys and was waiting for Scully in the bathroom.
Valiantly trying to take off her shirt which was caught on her 
head, she said, "Fill it, mommy!"

Tugging the shirt off, Scully tousled Piper's hair before
turning the knobs on the tub.  After a little searching, she found
some bubblebath under the sink, she dumped some of that in, too.  
Checking the temperature to make sure it wasn't too hot, she 
finished helping Piper undress before lifting her into the tub.

Scully soaped a washcloth and began washing Piper who paid no heed
to her as she played with her toys, switching hands when Scully
washed first one arm, then the other.  Piper only momentarily
stopped playing when Scully leaned her back in the water to wash
her hair, trusting Scully to hold her.  Finally, Scully finished
rinsing her off and Piper resumed playing.

Piper took Scully's hand, still dangling over the edge of the tub,
and tugged.  "Play with me, mommy," she pleaded.

Scully's stomach turned over.  Every time Piper called her "mommy,"
her heart ached.  God, how she wished she really was her mommy.
She wished she had some hope that - someday - she would hear
her own child call her by that name.

Obediently, she picked up the bright yellow rubber duck.  Filling
the squeak-toy with water, she pointed it at Piper and squirted 
her in the chest.  Piper squealed with delight and promptly 
started splashing Scully.

Ten minutes later, a soaked Scully toweled Piper dry and
stuffed her into the Tigger pyjamas - with feet.  After 
sending Piper into the living room to play, Scully stripped
off her sodden clothes and pulled on fresh garments from
Gillian's closet.

Upon walking into the living room, tv blaring out a commercial,
she was surprised to find Piper asleep on the couch.  She was
clutching a ragged teddy bear to her chest with one hand and
sucking the thumb on the other.

Scully quietly turned off the television before laying down beside
Piper on the couch.  Piper cuddled closer to Scully, tucking her 
head under Scully's chin, and resumed sucking her thumb.  Scully 
wrapped her arms around the little girl and softly stroked her
damp hair.  The perfume of baby powder assailed her nostrils and
she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent and feel of the child in
her arms.  A smile curved her lips as slumber gently overtook her.

*********************************

Mulder silently took in the tableau in front of him.  Scully,
curled on the sofa asleep with Piper in her arms.  

He had come over early, needing to see her after watching their
past replayed for thousands of viewers on national television.  
When she hadn't answered his knock, he had entered the unlocked
trailer, unknowingly walking in on what was undeniably a private
moment.

The candles she had lit gave them both an unearthly quality, a 
mother and her child.  It shook him.  This was how it was meant to be.
This was how *Scully* was meant to be.  Alive.  Happy.  Fulfilled.
A mother.  He hadn't ever realized how much she wanted this.
She never let on, never said anything.  What exactly is she supposed
to say, he thought.  'Hey, Mulder, I want to have a baby.'  
Yeah, *that* came up in everyday conversation.  

God, how he hated to wake her.  Hated taking her dream away from her.
As much as he wanted Samantha back - that was how much she wanted
a child.  Someone she could love and care for, who would love and
need her.  How could he not have known that?  With sudden insight,
he realized Scully wasn't the only one who longed for someone to love 
and a normal life.  Seeing her there, cradling the little girl, he knew
that he longed for the same thing.  In a perfect world, Scully would
be his wife, sleeping on the couch, cradling their daughter.  In a 
perfect world, no one would try to hurt them or take them away from
one another.  He would do anything - everything - to be able to
give all this to Scully.

The strength of his emotions overwhelmed him.  Unnoticed, a single 
tear ran down his face.  He walked over to the
couch until he stood above the sleeping pair.  Silently, he 
watched them sleep.

Scully stirred slightly, a sense coming over her and bringing her
to wakefulness.  A sense of being watched.  Not opening her eyes,
she gripped Piper a little tighter.  She felt a protectiveness more 
fierce than anything she'd ever known.  A mother's protectivness for
her child.  Carefully, she opened her eyes a slit and peered through 
her lashes.

Mulder.  He was just standing there, watching them.  She breathed
a small sigh of relief and opened her eyes fully.

Wait, something was wrong.  Mulder's face looked devastated.  As 
gently as possible, she slipped her arm from beneath Piper and sat 
up on the sofa.

"Mulder?  What's wrong?" she whispered.

He didn't answer.  He was just staring at her.  Becoming alarmed, 
she put a hand on his arm and questioned him again, her voice
more insistent.

"Mulder?  Answer me.  What is it?"

Mulder opened his mouth, then closed it.  "Nothing, Scully," he finally
said, his voice a choked rasp.  "It's nothing."  Then "What are you
doing,
Scully?"  His tone was one of profound sadness.

"Mulder-" she began, then paused.  She took a deep breath, then blurted
"I don't want to go back."

"Neither do I, Scully."

Scully looked up in surprise.  "Then let's go, Mulder."  Her heart was
racing.  All she wanted was right here, within her reach.  "Let's 
grab Piper and go.  We can be out of the country by morning.  They'll
never find us."  She waited breathlessly for Mulder's response.  He
just stared at her.  

Mulder looked down to where Scully was unconsciously gripping his hand
and squeezed, then moved his eyes back up to hers.  It would be so
easy,
he thought, and she wanted him to go, too.  If only he could say yes.
"God, I want to, Scully.  But we both know we can't.  We don't belong 
here.  She's not ours to take."

Scully tore her hand from his.  "She *is* mine," she insisted, her
throat constricting as she held back angry tears, "and I'm taking her
whether you come or not."

Mulder was momentarily paralyzed with shock as Scully brushed past him.
He recovered and followed her back to the bedroom where she had hauled
out a suitcase and was busy shoving clothes into it.

"Scully?  What are you doing?"  He pulled at her arm to still her 
frantic motions.

She snatched her arm away.  "What does it look like I'm doing, Mulder?
I'm leaving."

Panic began to rise in Mulder as he watched her pack.  This was insane.
How could Scully even contemplate stealing another woman's child?  He
couldn't let her leave here - he couldn't let her leave *him*.

"She should be mine, Mulder."

"Think about Gillian, Scully.  You're taking her daughter."  She paused
at this and he held his breath.  He was counting on her naturally
compassionate nature to not allow her to do this.  His stomach twisted
when she resumed her packing with increased fervor.

"I don't care, Mulder.  She should be mine," she repeated.

"Scully - stop." He moved behind her and grabbed her arms, holding
them tightly to still her.

"Let me go, Mulder."  Her voice had taken on a menacing quality and
she had gone still in his arms.  

Dreading what was to follow but powerless to prevent it, he shook his 
head.  "I can't let you do this, Scully."  His grip tightened on her
arms.

In a flash, Scully had ripped her arms from his grasp and had slammed
her elbow backwards into Mulder's solar plexus, knocking the air
from his lungs.  Mulder doubled over, gasping for air and releasing
Scully.

When he straightened, Scully was standing a few feet away, warily
eyeing
him as she assumed a defensive posture.  Her face was pale and tight.

She whispered.  "Don't try and stop me, Mulder.  I don't want to fight
you."

"Then don't, Scully."  His voice was hard.  "This isn't you, Scully.
Look at what you're doing.  Think, Scully."

"I'm always thinking!" she shouted at him, then lowered her voice to a 
hissing whisper.  "What I *never* do is *feel*.  I don't *allow* myself

to feel anything anymore, Mulder.  Well, now I am.  Having a child - " 
her voice cracked and she paused to regain her composure.  "Having a 
child," she repeated, "is all I have left, Mulder.  My life was a path 
that didn't allow for things like a husband, a 9 to 5 job, a family.  
Eventually, I wanted that.  But before I could - they took them away 
from me.  Well now I have another chance.  And I'm *not* going to let 
them take it again."  

"I don't want them to, either, Scully.  But this isn't the way."

"It's the only way I have, Mulder."

Silence.  Scully's breathing was fast and shallow.  Mulder could see
her looking beyond him to the door, weighing her options.  Her eyes
were wild and cornered and he felt as if he were watching a stranger. 
His heart was hammering in his chest and his stomach felt as if he 
were going to be sick.  This couldn't be happening.  He didn't know if
he could bring himself to physically restrain Scully, but he also
didn't
know what other choice he had.

Scully thought quickly.  If she could just get by Mulder, she could
lock him in the bedroom long enough to grab Piper and go.  *If* she 
could get by him.

She made her move.

Feinting to the left to distract Mulder, she turned to the right and 
launched herself at the door.

Mulder saw her feint for what it was and caught her around the waist
as she tried to get by him.  Scully's heel came down sharply on his
instep and he grunted in pain but doggedly kept his arm around her.  
She twisted in his grasp and tried to elbow him again but he
remembered that trick from earlier and caught her elbow as it came
back.

Scully's eyes filled with frustrated tears.  She didn't want to hurt
Mulder but she *had* to get out of here with Piper.  Mulder's arms 
were like bands of steel, effectively trapping her.  She continued to
struggle.

The fight was grim and silent.  Mulder hated himself for how tightly
he had to hold a struggling Scully.  There was barely any
flesh covering her ribs and he could feel each one under his hands.  
His grip had to be hurting her, but she refused to give up.  Her well-
placed kicks to his shins were rapidly becoming unbearable and her
squirming in his arms made holding her like trying to hold a
writhing cat.

Scully suddenly stilled in his arms.  Mulder could feel her heart
racing and the rapid rise and fall of her chest from her exertions.
He couldn't see her face because her back was to him.  His tight
hold loosened only slightly and he remained wary.

"You're right, Mulder," she said.  "I can't do this.  It's wrong."

Suspicious of her sudden acquiescence, Mulder kept his arms snugly
around her.  "Are you sure, Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder.  I'm sure.  Let me go.  I won't go anywhere."  Scully
squeezed her eyes shut tightly and hoped Mulder would be able to
forgive her.

Unwilling to hold Scully against her will any longer than necessary,
Mulder slowly loosened his hold on her.

Scully waited until Mulder's arms were gone, then she whirled, 
bringing her arm up until her fist met Mulder's face.  For a split
second she could see the shock and betrayal in his eyes before her
own filled with tears.  Turning away before Mulder had an opportunity
to react from her punch, she ran through the door, pulling it shut 
behind her.  But before it could latch, Mulder's hand reached through
the opening and grabbed the door.  They briefly wrestled with the door,
Scully vainly trying to shut it even as Mulder dragged it inexorably
open.

Scully finally released the door.  Mulder stood in the doorway, blood
seeping from his mouth.  Scully's eyes locked with his.  What she saw
made her blood run cold.  She had never, ever been afraid of Mulder.
Until now.

She turned and ran down the hallway.  After only a few steps, she felt
Mulder tackle her from behind.  Fear lit her eyes as she began to fall
under his crushing weight, for she saw what Mulder hadn't.  The glass
and wooden table directly in her path.  Then her head hit the table
and the last thing she heard was the horrific noise of breaking glass
before everything went black.

Mulder scrambled to get off of Scully, all anger draining from him.  
"Scully?" he questioned, not really expecting an answer but hoping 
beyond hope that there would be one.  Then he saw the blood.  

"Mommy!!" Piper's scream cut through the stillness of the trailer.

Mulder looked up to see Piper climbing down from the couch.  

"No, Piper.  Don't come any closer.  There's glass."  His voice shook
as he restrained the little girl.  "Mommy will be okay, just stay here,

okay?  Let me take care of her."  Piper looked dubious, but remained
where she was.

Mulder hurriedly turned back to Scully.  Heedless of the glass, he
carefully lifted her in his arms and carried her to the couch.

Glass was everywhere.  Bits and pieces clung to her clothes and her
hair.
Remarkably, she seemed unharmed except for a long gash on her forehead
and a split lip which was also bleeding. With shaking fingers, he tried

to stem  the crimson flowing down her cheek.  Oh God.  He had hurt 
Scully.  He had hurt Scully.  The mantra repeated itself over and over.
 
The image flashed in his mind of what he had seen earlier tonight, the 
bounty hunter in the image of Mulder tossing Scully into a wooden and 
glass table.  Just as he himself had done moments ago.  His self-
loathing rose like bile in his throat.

He dimly became aware of Piper tugging at his arm.  "Is mommy okay?"
She was sniffling and crying, her arm clutching a teddy bear.

Mulder wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.  "Shh, she's 
going to be fine.  She just has a bad cut, that's all."  He hoped
Piper couldn't hear the fear in his voice.  The silently stared at
Scully's pale face, made even whiter by the contrasting hue of the
blood.

Mulder's breath caught when Scully began to stir.  Her eyes slowly
opened and found him.  

"Mul'er?" she said.

"I'm here, Scully.  You're okay."  He closed his eyes in relief as the
vice around his heart began to ease.

"Wha' happened?"

"The table, Scully.  I pushed you -" he couldn't finish the sentence.

Scully's eyes widened as the fight came back to her.  It all seemed
like a bad dream.  What had she been thinking, attacking Mulder like
that?  She groaned in shame as the pain in her fist reminded her of 
its connecting with Mulder's jaw.

"What is it?  Are you okay?" Mulder anxiously questioned, mistaking
her groan for one of pain.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said softly, amazed that he would still give a
damn how she felt.

"Mommy?"

Scully looked down and saw Piper anxiously watching her.  Her heart
swelled and she slowly lifted an aching limb to caress her hair.

"It's okay, sweetheart.  Mommy just had a bad fall."

A knock sounded at the door.  Scully quickly glanced at the clock.  
Nine o'clock.  Her heart sank.  It was the nanny coming for Piper.  
For a brief, irrational moment, she considered not answering the door.
Maybe the woman would just go away and leave them alone.  

Scully slowly lifted her head until her eyes met Mulder's.  Mulder 
willed himself to remain silent.  This was a decision she had to 
make.  If she wanted to keep Piper and run away, he was no longer going
to try and stop her.  Truth be told, there was nothing that would
prevent him from coming with her - if she still wanted him to.

Scully could feel the tears behind her eyes begin to well up.  She
blinked them back.

"Mulder, would you get the door, please?" she requested softly.

He slowly nodded before moving away.

Scully turned her attention back to Piper.  "It's time to go home now, 
sweets."

Piper shook her head vehemently.  "No!  I wanna stay, Mommy."

The plaintive request nearly undid Scully and she struggled to maintain
her resolve.

"No, Piper.  Mommy loves you very much, but it's time to go home now."
Her voice trembled slightly.

"Will I see you tomorrow, Mommy?"

Scully swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a smile to her face.
"Of course, honey.  Of course I'll see you tomorrow.  You be a good
girl
for Mommy, okay?"

Piper nodded.

"Okay, now give Mommy a kiss goodnight."

Piper leaned forward and carefully kissed Scully's lips.  

"Don't forget, Mommy.  Eskimo and butterfly."  

Mulder watched as Piper rubbed her nose against Scully's then giggle
as Scully's eyelashes tickled her.

He motioned for Piper and she came willingly.  Scully didn't turn to
watch as Piper went out the door.

Piper's face was all Scully saw.  She stared at the ceiling,
her emotions numb.  As she watched Piper, her face slowly
blurred, becoming grotesquely malformed.  She knew she 
should do something, cry, throw things...*something*...but it all
seemed to be locked behind a wall and she had no key to release
it.  The passion she felt earlier had evaporated, leaving
her empty and listless in its wake.  The emptiness threatened
to overtake her and for once she was too weary to fight it.
She turned to her side and pressed herself deep into the couch,
overwhelming hopelessness and apathy embracing her.


Mulder worriedly watched Scully.  He was unsure of what she was
going to do next.  He didn't want a replay of the ghastly scene
of earlier.  Did she want him to leave her alone?  She had curled 
up into an impossibly small ball and turned towards the back of 
the couch, her face hidden in the cushions.

His worry overcame his concern that he would be rejected and he
found himself at her side.  He lightly touched her shoulder.  
"Scully..."

When she didn't respond, Mulder sank down beside her on the couch.
"Scully," he tried again, gently tugging on her arm to roll her
towards him.

She just shook her head and tried to pull away.  "Leave me alone,
Mulder.  I'm fine."  Her voice was flat and muffled by the cushions.

Mulder's lips pressed into a thin line.  She was fine.  After all
they had been through tonight, she was again pushing him away.  
Ruefully, he remembered how he had done the same thing when Sam
was taken.  Push everyone away, don't let anyone close because
when you let someone in, all the horror becomes real.  As long
as you allow no one to see the pain, the pain remains at bay.
He'd lived too many years like that, until Scully had shown him
that true freedom from the pain and hurt came when you allowed
someone to share those burdens with you.  Only then did it 
become bearable.  He was damned if he was going to let Scully make
the same mistake he had made for so long.

"You're not getting rid of me, Scully," he said, his voice firm
and loud enough to break through her stupor, even though
he didn't know if his heart could stand her rejection.

Scully said nothing for a moment, then, more forcefully "Go, Mulder.  
I want to be alone."  

"No, Scully," Mulder said resolutely, his heart pounding, "I'm
not going to leave you."  He paused. His eyes closed.  He
desperately hoped he was about to do the right thing.  He had to.
It was his turn to save *her*.  His eyes opened again, his hand 
tightly gripped her arm.  He took a deep breath.  "And the reason 
I'm not leaving you, Scully," he forced the words past the sudden 
fear in his throat, "is because I love you."

The silence in the room seemed deafening to Mulder's ears.

Scully slowly turned toward Mulder.  When her eyes finally found his,
Mulder decided to go for broke.

"I've loved you since you first stepped into the basement with me,
Scully.  I didn't want to - I tried so damn hard not to.  But you
made it impossible.  Everything about you beckoned me, Scully.  
Your insight, your intellect, your questions - your constant
questions.  Your willingness to listen to me - do you realize you
were the first person to ever really *listen* to me, Scully?  Not
to mention how many times you've saved my ass and put yours on the
line for me."

Tears had begun to stream from the corners of Scully's eyes, leaving
tiny wet trails into her hair.  Encouraged, Mulder continued, spilling
everything he'd kept inside for years.

"Do you know when I realized I loved you, Scully?" he asked.  She
shook her head.  "When I sat at your bedside after you were returned
to me, the night I almost lost you.  All I could think of was 
how much I loved you and how I was never going to be able to tell you."
 
His voice cracked slightly with emotion but he kept going, his voice 
now almost a whisper.  "I swore if you survived, I would tell 
you."  His eyes blinked rapidly to regain focus through the blur of 
unshed tears as he fought for control.  "But I didn't, Scully.  I 
was too afraid you'd leave me.  I was a coward, Scully.  But I'm not 
going to make that mistake again.  I'm telling you now, that I love 
you with all that I am, all that I have inside me."

His confession finally came to a halt.

"Oh, Mulder," Scully whispered, "Don't love me," she said, her 
voice roughened by tears.  "Look at what I did to you."  Her eyes 
fixed on the blood now drying on his face.  She slowly lifted 
shaking fingers and lightly touched his bruised mouth.

"It's okay, Scully.  I understand," he said, grasping her hand.
And he really did.  Who's to say he would have reacted differently 
had he been her?  "And I wasn't exactly easy on you, either."  His 
eyes reluctantly fell on the angry cuts on her forehead and lip.  

"Mulder - I'm so sorry."  Scully's face crumpled as the tears began
again in earnest.  She had never felt so lost, ashamed and alone in
her life.  She had turned on the one person who meant the most to her,
who understood, more than anyone, what she must be feeling.  And she
had betrayed him, hurt him.

"Shh, it's okay.  Scully..." Mulder gently pulled Scully up into his
arms, cradling her head to his chest.  Her body shook with the force
of her silent weeping and he held her tightly, wanting her to feel
him there with her.  Her sobs tore at his heart and he knew what it
meant for someone you love to hurt and be powerless to do anything
to ease the anguish.  Unable to do more, he rocked her softly in
his arms, murmuring soothing words to her.

Scully felt as though years of unshed tears were pouring from her
soul.  Grief for her father, for Melissa, for Mulder, for herself.
It all came pouring out, memories and images flashing through her
mind wrenching more sobs from her throat.  The weight of Mulder's
comforting arms only added to her mortification and regret at her 
behavior this evening.  Humiliated, she tried to pull away from
him, but his grasp held her close, unyielding.  Finally, she gave 
up and relaxed into his embrace.  

The flow of tears was now beginning to ebb from Scully's burning eyes. 

She released a deep sigh, feeling as though a great burden had 
been lifted from her heart.  It felt so good to release the years 
of pent-up grief and frustration of the horrors that had befallen 
them - cleansing even.  Scully also realized what had made releasing 
that pain bearable had been Mulder at her side.  The reality of what
Mulder had said - that he loved her - seemed to good to be true.  Had
she been dreaming?  Had he really said all those things to her?

Cautiously, Scully drew back slightly, tilting her head back to look
at Mulder.  

Sensing Scully had regained her composure, Mulder reluctantly released
the firm hold he had on her, loathe to break the soothing contact.  
Scully had finally allowed him inside her walls - though he had
needed to comfort her as much as she had needed to be comforted.
He tried not to notice the growing nausea of panic in his stomach 
from Scully not acknowledging or returning his declaration of love.
Scully needed him now and he wouldn't let her down, he could crawl 
into a hole and die later.  She was looking at him now, those blue
eyes staring at him as if attempting to read his very soul.  He
really did not want to be the object of her attention right now.
Don't mind me, I'll just crawl away and lick my wounds in private,
he thought wryly.

"Mulder-"

Damn!  Now she wanted to talk.  Was this it?  Did he get to hear the
"Let's just be friends" speech?  He had just made the mistake he
swore he'd never do...and now he was going to lose her.  It wouldn't
be the same, not after what he said-

"make love to me."

-no matter how much they pretended- what?  Had Scully just said-

"What did you just say?" he asked, incredulous.

Scully shyly dropped her eyes, her arms slowly winding their way
around his neck as she fitted her body more closely to his.

"Make love to me, Mulder.  Here.  Tonight."

Mulder was speechless.  This wasn't Scully - it looked like Scully
and sounded like Scully - but Scully would never ask him, Fox Mulder,
to make love to her as casually as if she were asking for a lift home.

"Scully?  Are you okay?  Do you feel all right?  Your head...your head
hit really hard, Scully."  He gently probed her scalp for a telltale
bump.

"Mulder, I'm fine," she said, grasping his hand and tugging it away
from
her head.  Her eyes lifted to his and he was immediately transfixed.  
His senses abruptly heightened, he could feel the softness of her
hand holding his.  He could smell the scent of the candles burning
in the room and also the sweeter aroma of her skin.  He could hear
the inhalation of her breath filling her lungs.

"Please, Mulder.  I need you.  Make love to me."  Mulder felt as if he
were caught in a trance and was powerless to do anything less than
what she asked of him.  She said she needed him - not loved him.  His
heart sank.  It was okay, really.  If she couldn't give him her love,
he would take what she could give.  She needed him.  That would be
enough.  He would make it be enough.

Mulder gently brushed Scully's hair back from her face, pausing a 
moment to let the fiery strands slip through his fingers.  He gazed
into her eyes.  She was expectant, waiting for his seduction, avidly
following his every movement.  She looked for all the world as if she 
were a child anticipating a forbidden treat.  The thought awed Mulder. 

He didn't know whether to be flattered or panicked that Scully believed

his making love to her was going to be well worth the wait.  But he 
wasn't about to disappoint her.

His fingers softly traced the line of her cheek before coming to rest
under her chin.  Tilting her face towards his, Mulder leaned down and
delicately brushed her lips with his.  Once.  Twice.  He softly
traced the countours of Scully's lips, his tongue briefly touching
the line where her lips met, seeking entrance.  Mulder felt her shiver 
under his hands as she willingly opened her mouth beneath him, a soft 
whimper escaping her throat.  A flood of tenderness washed over Mulder
and he wrapped his right arm tighter around Scully's waist, pulling her

close, while the other nestled her head in the bend of his elbow.  

Her taste excited him.  Her mouth was so hot, her tongue so soft.  He
could spend hours just kissing her.  But the smooth skin of her neck
was too tempting to resist.  His lips touched the pulse under her jaw,
feeling the strong, rapid beat.  Mulder inhaled deeply, savoring the
intoxicating fragrance of her skin.  He could hear her breath, coming
in small, quick pants.  Her hands clutched his shoulders and he could
feel the tender scrape of her nails as his mouth left a moist trail of 
kisses down her neck.  Her passion amazed him though he had always
suspected its existence.  It now threatened to make him forget his
intentions to take it slow.  The urge to rip off her clothes and bury 
himself inside her was overwhelming.  He struggled to maintain his
control.  
He wanted to take his time.  They had waited so long for this.

Think about something else, anything else, he kept repeating in his
mind.
Anything that would make his body slow down.  Finally, a semblance of
control returned.  Then fled as Scully drew her leg across his,
positioning
herself facing him in his lap.  A groan escaped Mulder's lips as she
pressed her softness against him.  He opened his eyes to find her
staring at him, a look of satisfaction in her eyes.  

"What's wrong?  Don't you want me, Mulder?" she asked, her voice all 
innocence.

Mulder's threaded his hand through her hair, letting the silken mass
tangle in his fingers before closing his hand into a fist, the captured
strands tilting her head back.

Scully gasped at the mild pain before Mulder's mouth came crushing down
on hers.  Her mouth willingly opened under his.  Their tongues entwined
together in a deep kiss that seemed as if they were trying to touch
the essence of the other.  Barely parting enough to breathe, Mulder was
relentless in his seduction of her mouth.  But she wanted more.  She 
reached between them for the button on his jeans, only to find her
wrist 
caught in his grip.

"Not here, Scully."

Startled, Scully was about to ask him why the hell not when she
suddenly
felt herself being lifted.  Reflexively, she wrapped her legs tightly
around his waist.  Mulder faltered in his steps down the hall.

"Scully, don't do that or we'll never make it to the bed," he groaned.

She was hardly any weight at all in his arms and he marveled at how
this
petite woman held such strength and passion.  But if she didn't stop
rubbing against him, he was going to make love to her in the hallway.
She seemed to sense this and relaxed her hold against him.  He thought
he was out of the woods until her lips found his neck.  Her tongue
lapped at the tender skin where his neck met his shoulder and he felt
an answering throb from his groin.  "Scully..." he sighed.  He had to
get to the bed *now*.

Mulder reached the bedroom and pushed the door open.  Walking to the 
bed, he gently laid her down amongst the pillows before quickly 
stripping off his shirt and toeing off his shoes.

Layin down beside her, he gathered her into his arms, his lips
again finding hers.  

Scully's hands caressed his shoulders and back, enjoying the hard 
muscle under her palms.  Pushing his chest gently, he rolled over onto
his back until she lay on top of him.  Her mouth sought the rough
texture of his skin, bestowing tiny kisses along the jawline she had
observed countless times.  Her head sank lower to his neck and inhaled
the faint scent of cologne that still lingered.

Mulder bit back a groan as Scully trailed her tongue down his throat to
his collarbone, the heat of her mouth scorching his skin like a brand.
His hand clutched her hip when her questing tongue found his nipple.
If they wanted this to last any time at all, she was going to have to
stop.

Wrapping his arms around her, Mulder sat up in the bed, drawing
Scully's 
legs around his waist.  His fingers quickly found the buttons on her
shirt and was soon pushing it off her shoulders to reveal her
unencumbered
breasts.  

The faint light filtering through the window made the pale skin of her
breasts seem to glow.  She looked ethereal, like a beautiful porceline
goddess.  Her hair wildly framing her face, its color a burnished gold.
 
Her mouth, glisteningly wet, was slightly parted to reveal pearl-like
teeth.  
Her eyes were darkened by desire, the lashes lowered slightly and
casting
faint shadows on her cheeks.  Mulder was caught by her beauty and
simply
watched her, his eyes drinking their fill and memorizing every line of
her body.

Scully reached down for Mulder's hand, taking it in her own.  She
briefly
hesitated before pressing it to her breast.

"Touch me, Mulder."

Mulder shivered, excitement coursing through him.  His blood seemed on
fire in his veins.  Obediently, his hands caressed her.  Her skin was
cool silk against the roughness of his palms.  His fingertips trailed
lightly across the tops of her breasts before cupping their soft
fullness.  When his thumbs grazed the tips, Scully whimpered, her head
falling back in pleasure.

"Scully - "  Mulder was enraptured.  His mouth was begging to taste
her skin.  Leaning forward, he captured a nipple with his teeth.  A
flick
of his tongue and Scully's nails dug into his shoulders.  He lapped the
exquisite bud before drawing it into his mouth, his eyes drifting
closed. 

His hands moved to the tops of her jeans.  Unfastening them was easy
but they weren't going to come off in this position.  Turning, he
pressed Scully down to the bed, then sat back on his haunches, tugging
her jeans past her hips.  Once they were off, his hands returned to her
hips, briefly stroking her thighs before sliding her panties down her
smooth legs.  Finally, she was naked before him.

Mulder's eyes on her body was intoxicating.  They traveled everywhere,
seeming to memorize the curves and texture of her skin.  The eroticism
struck Scully, her being naked while he still had clothes on.  

His hands were touching her now, drifting up her legs to her hips
before 
closing around the narrow span of her waist.  She had dreamt of this
for 
so long that even now, it seemed a surreal dream.  Her stomach trembled

beneath his featherlight touch, then all thought fled when he nudged
open
her thighs and lightly touched her.

Parting her folds, Mulder caressed her slickened center, the heat from
her body branding him.  Avidly, he watched her face.  She was
beautiful,
her eyes tightly shut while her body writhed on the bed.  Her hands
clutched the bedcovers in tight fists.  Slowly, he inserted one of his
fingers inside her while his thumb continued to massage her clit.

"Ahh...Mulder!" she gasped, her pelvis arching off the bed into his
hand.

Blindly, she felt his lips once again on hers.  Greedily, she opened
her mouth to receive his kiss.  The stroking of his tongue matched
that of his hand and was quickly driving her over the edge.  She
grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from her.  Keeping her
mouth on his, she rolled him to his back as her hands went to his
jeans.

It seemed to take an eternity, but finally his clothes were gone.
Scully stretched her body on top of his, the sensual feeling of skin-
on-skin making her feel drugged.  Mulder's arms wrapped around her,
pressing her closer.  Unwillingly, she dragged her mouth from his,
laying her fingers over his lips when he protested.

"Mulder, I need to tell you -"  He shifted her body atop his, her
legs falling to either side of him.  His erection pressed up to her, 
stroking the swollen flesh between her legs and wrenching a gasp from 
her lips.

"Wait, Mulder," she struggled to keep her train of thought, "I have
to tell you."

"Tell me what, Scully," Mulder mumbled, his mouth finding her shoulder.

"Mulder," she pushed herself upward slightly, away from his tantalizing
mouth.  "I want to tell you, before we -" she paused.  "I love you,
too."

Mulder went still beneath her.  His eyes searching hers, trying to
guage the truthness of her words.

"It's true, Mulder," Scully said, "I've loved you for so long."  Her
hand lightly touched his hair as a small smile curved her lips.  "For
so long," she whispered.

Mulder grasped her hand in his and held for a moment.  She loved him,
too.  He would have taken a moment to savor her words, but she began
kissing his chest and his thoughts were taken elsewhere.

Scully slipped off Mulder to one side and continued working her way
down his body.  She paid particular attention to his stomach.  She
had always been partial to this part of a man's anatomy.  Her tongue
circled his navel before dipping inside.  With satisfaction, she heard
Mulder's answering groan.  His hands were busy touching every part of
her he could reach.  She faltered slightly when his hand slipped around
her backside to touch again between her legs.  It was rapidly becoming
a contest to see who could drive the other senseless first.

Trying to concentrate against the insistent stroking of his fingers,
her hands found his erection.  One hand cupped his balls while the
other
guided his cock to her waiting mouth.  She was rewarded by another
groan from Mulder and his fingers stilled.  

Now undistracted, she slowly licked the length of his cock.  Her tongue
circled the tip but she didn't take it in her mouth and instead lapped
the drop of fluid she found there.  Finally, Scully's mouth closed over
him causing Mulder's hips to jerk upward.  She savored the taste and
feel of him in her mouth, the mere thought of what she was doing to
Mulder
almost enough to make her come.  Mulder's groans filled the room as she
took more and more of him into her mouth, her tongue stroking his
length
and teasing the tip.

Mulder wasn't about to be outdone by Scully and he struggled to
remember
what he had been doing.  With renewed vigor, his fingers stroked
Scully's
clit. He inserted two, then three of his fingers inside her, pumping in
and out as his thumb circled her swollen nub.  He could hear her moans,
muffled by his cock filling her mouth, and she pushed backwards into
his
hand.  

Scully felt as if her body were on fire.  She licked and sucked him,
swallowing his cock until her lips were around the base, taking all of
him in her mouth.  He responded, his hips pumping his cock into her
mouth in time with the pumping of his fingers inside her body.

She whimpered slightly when she felt Mulder's fingers suddenly withdraw

from her, then was puzzled when he shifted slightly, pulling her
legs towards his head.  He lifted one leg over him until her knees lay
on either side of his head.  Slightly embarrassed by the new position, 
Scully tried to pull away but his hands closed on her hips, effectively

keeping her there.

Mulder's eyes drank in the sight before him -- Scully's wet and
glistening
clit mere inches from  his mouth.  He could smell the scent of her
arousal 
and it fueled his hunger.  He parted her knees further, bringing her
closer
to him.  

Scully tore her mouth from Mulder.  She knew what he was going to do
and wanted to stop him.  No one had ever done that to her before - it
always seemed too embarrassing, too vulnerable.  

"Muld-"

Her voice stopped functioning when she felt the warm slide of his
tongue.
It was unlike anything she'd ever felt.  Softer than his hands, it
worked its way inside her folds and found the small bundle of nerves
that was the center of her desire.  When Mulder began licking and
sucking, Scully's legs began to shake.

"Oh, god!"  The scream tore itself from her throat and she could feel
the bite of tears behind her eyelids.  His tongue felt so good...so
good.

Scully's scream shot straight to Mulder's cock and he felt it leap
in response.  He had to be inside her...Now.  He quickly moved
out from under her and pulled her down onto her back.  She seemed to
know what he was doing, her legs parting of their own accord.  With one
stroke he was inside her, stretching and filling her.  Scully's legs 
circled his waist as she arched upward to meet his thrusts. Her lips
were 
parted provocatively and he kissed her.  

Scully could taste herself on his tongue and the sensuality and
intimacy
of it amazed her.  Mulder inside her mouth and body was like a sensory
overload.  His hands held her hips and he shifted angles just slightly,
but it was enough.  Her hands clutched his shoulders as she felt the 
pressure inside her build.  She was so close....  Finally, the release
she sought crashed over her, waves of pleasure washing through her
body.  It seemed to go on and on, accentuated by Mulder still
thrusting into her.

Mulder's mouth leaving hers and his hands on either side of her face 
made her open her eyes.  He was looking at her, his eyes suspiciously
wet and intently focused on hers.

"Scully - I love you," he whispered hoarsely.  Then she felt him
shudder
inside her, his eyes slamming shut.  She reveled in his pleasure, her
ears greedily drinking in his groans as he came.

Spent, he collapsed beside her.  Drawing her into his arms, he kissed
her tenderly.  "Scully."  He made her name sound like a prayer.

Smiling, she curled into his embrace, pillowing her head on his chest,
and quickly fell asleep.

Mulder tried mightily to keep his eyes open.  They had to get up soon
so they would be ready when the Professor came at midnight.  But he
was so tired.  Maybe if he just rested his eyes for a minute, that
would
help....  His eyes drifted closed and soon he was fast asleep.  


The Professor silently took in the scene before him.  Mulder
and Scully enfolded in each others arms, the blissful state of
slumber making them unaware of his presence.  Scully's bare leg
was intimately nestled between Mulder's thighs, her breasts
hidden against his naked chest.

The Professor sighed.  This could complicate matters.  He had
worried briefly about leaving them alone together here, in this
altered reality, but had brushed aside the concern as needless.
They had been together for a long time and had never caused undue
concern in this area.  

He glanced down at his watch.  The coordinates had been set,
now it was only a matter of a few more seconds.  He only hoped
he wouldn't be punished for this new development between the two
agents.

A whisper of wind foretold of the coming tesseract and the 
Professor prepared himself for the swift journey....

*******************

When he opened his eyes, the Professor saw a familiar figure
in a cloud of cigarette smoke standing before him.  Fear 
tightened his chest.

"I see the plans went somewhat more awry than we had thought,"
the smoking man said.

"Uh, yes, um, it was quite unexpected," the Professor stammered
in reply.  "But it, too, can be fixed."

The cigarette glowed briefly as the man drew in a deep breath.
"You had better hope so."  He turned and walked away.

Relief washed over the Professor, making his ashen face again
regain color.  He had escaped punishment...for now.  To keep it
at bay, he had to fix the mistakes that had been made.

He turned and walked toward a laboratory at the far end of the
underground cavern, the opposite direction the cigarette smoking
man had taken.

Inside the laboratory, his staff were already at work.  Three were
grouped around one surgical table, three around the other.  He
quickly grabbed a mask and joined them.

"How is it going?" he asked.

"Well," replied one of the technicians, "they fought at first,
of course, but were subdued."  He nodded toward a hypodermic
needle on a nearby tray.  "Not before he broke Mike's nose and
damn near broke my arm, though.  She was nastier," he 
gestured towards the other table, "quite a fighter.  Since then, 
the work has gone relatively quickly.  We should be finished in a 
few minutes."

"Good.  We want to put them back in position right away."

The Professor retreated to stand by the laboratory wall and wait.
Thank the heavens, he was going to get out of this mess after all.

**********************

Mulder was dreaming.  He was in a warm bed with Scully.  She
was laying on top of him, talking to him, saying something 
important, something he must remember.  She was also very
naked.  Her skin glowed in the low light and he could see
her lips moving, telling him something that made his heart
leap in his chest.  But the words were silent, he couldn't
hear them.  Then it all changed and he was surrounded by men 
in white, plastic suits.  They were taking Scully.  They had 
her by the arms and were pulling her away from him.  

"Scully!"  He violently ripped his arms from those that held
him.  The came at him, faceless behind the dark suit masks.
Blindly, he struck with his fists, making contact once before
being caught again.  Try as he might he couldn't free himself.
Helplessly, he watched Scully as they took her further and
further from him.

She fought.  With her teeth and her nails and any other way she 
could damage them.  But it was hopeless. There were too many.  
Her eyes found his and she cried out to him. 

"Mulder!  Mulder, help me!  Don't let them take me!  Don't let
them - Mulder!"  The last was a scream of agony.  

"Scully!"  He meant it to be a scream, instead it was a tortured
whisper.  "Scully!"

Mulder's eyes shot open.  In a moment he was on his feet, his shaking
hand reaching for his gun.  But it wasn't there.  Only then did he look
around and see where he was.  He was home.  In his apartment.
There were no men holding him down.  There was no Scully screaming 
his name.

Still frantic, Mulder quickly checked the room, his body still
drenched in sweat from the dream, his heart still pounding in his
ears.

Finally, a semblance of calm returned to him.  It was just a 
dream, a really, really bad dream.  Probably stemming from the
night he had listened in horror as his answering maching played the
recorded message of Scully crying out to him for help when Duane 
Barry took her.

But it had been so real....If he tried hard enough, he thought he
could smell her scent on his clothes, feel the softness of her
skin beneath his hands.  His lips ached for hers and he was
rocked by a sense of loss so deep he could feel it twist in his gut.

He sat on the couch and numbly held his head in his trembling hands.  
Think, Mulder, think, he thought to himself.  Get ahold of yourself.  
It was just a dream.  It *had* to just be a dream.  Like all the
other dreams about Scully.  We wrapped up the monkey baby case, 
came back here and I last saw Scully last night.  

Or was it tonight?

He glanced at his watch.  Tonight.  It was 3:37 a.m.  There was no
way he was sleeping any more tonight.  Time for a run.  He had to
get the adrenaline the dream had produced out of his system.  He
jerked on his running shoes and hit the door.

***********************

"Mulder!"  The scream wrenched itself from Scully's throat and she
sat up in bed, her eyes wildly searching the room.  The silence
of the walls mocked her.  She reached for the clock.  3:40 a.m.

She fell back against the pillows with a sigh, her heart racing
in her chest.  Her body slick with sweat, she threw off the heavy
comforter.  The satin of her night shirt stuck to her body and she
impatiently shed its heavy confines.  Naked, she got out of bed
and padded to the bathroom.

A quick throw of the switch and light bathed the room, chasing
away the final remnants of the dream.  It had been so horrible,
she shuddered just thinking about it.  At first it had been wonderful,
she and Mulder in bed together, naked, making love.  More real than
her usual dreams of him which had made it all the better.  Then it
had abruptly turned nightmarish.  Men, in white suits, dragging her
by the arms.  Mulder, his face a mask of terror as he watched them
take her, heedless of the men surrounding him.  

She called to him and he fought to get to her, his wild punches
landing blows on a few of the men before being overpowered.  She
hadn't meant to call out to him, but the fear had been so strong.
She knew they were going to hurt her, hurt them, and the fear had
driven every other thought from her mind.  She called Mulder's
name again, a pain driven into her thigh making it a scream she
knew would devastate Mulder, but was helpless to keep inside.  
Then she woke up.

Scully splashed some water on her face, trying to forget the last
part of the dream and concentrate on the first part - the wonderful
part.  She dried her face and looked at herself in the mirror.  
There, she abruptly stilled.  She seemed to be looking at herself,
but it was as if she weren't.  The woman in the mirror had her 
face, but the expression was different - the eyes were different.
The woman was saying something to her, and smiling.  Then she
turned backward as if hearing her name spoken.  As Scully watched,
a child appeared, obviously the woman's daughter, the resemblance
was so strong.  So strong, she could have been Scully's daughter.
Laughing, the woman pressed a kiss to the little girl's lips and
hugged her tight.

Scully squeezed her eyes shut tightly.  When she reopened them,
the woman was gone.  Scully pressed trembling hands to her brow
as her real reflection stared back at her.  She studied herself
and tried to dismiss the disturbing vision of the woman and child.

Her lips were red and swollen, as if they had been most thoroughly 
kissed.  The sensitive skin around her breasts was flushed and 
scraped as if from a man's beard stubble.  Finally, she noticed a 
soreness between her legs, one that only comes from a certain activity.
 
With trepidation, she slid a hand between her legs.  Her breath
caught in her chest as her fingers found a telltale stickiness.

Oh god, what had happened to her?  What had they done to her now?

Leaning over the sink, she vomited.  

When she was through, she again splashed water on her face and
tried desperately to remember anything out of the ordinary from
the past few hours since she and Mulder had returned to D.C.

But it was like trying to remember the dream.  Her mind grasped
but the gossamer threads slipped from her grasp.  All that
kept hammering at her was Mulder.  MulderMulderMulderMulder.
It had something to do with Mulder.

Numbly, she went to her living room and curled up on the couch,
huddled under a blanket.  Silently, she stared out the window
into the night.

************************

Mulder ran as if the devil himself were chasing him.  Without 
realizing, he found himself running in the direction of Scully's
neighborhood.  He stopped running.  A look at his watch told him
it was now 4 a.m.  He couldn't wake her now...could he?  Tomorrow
was Saturday, he tried rationalizing to himself.  She wouldn't mind,
he was sure...well, almost sure.  He just had to make sure she
was okay.  And he couldn't wait until Monday.  What if something
had happened to her tonight?

A taxi was driving by and Mulder quickly let out a shrill whistle
before he could change his mind.  A word to the driver and he 
was on his way.

************************

A pounding in her mind interrupted another dream.  The beautiful
little girl had reappeared and Scully was giving her a bath.
Scully opened her eyes.  It was the door.  Who would be pounding 
on her door at this time of night?  She glanced at the clock.  
Four-fifteen.  Mulder.  It had to be.  

With a sudden attack of butterflies in her stomach, Scully got
up from the couch, dragging the blanket along with her to cover
her nakedness.  A quick look through her peephole told 
her she had been right.  It was Mulder.  She opened the door.
And was immediately overwhelmed with a sense that something was
different, with him, with her - with them.  There was an intimacy
there that hadn't been present...before?  Before what?  Trying
to shake off the strange feeling of deja vu, she queried him.

"Mulder?  What are you doing?"  

"Scully-"  The frantic look on his face disappeared immediately.

When he said nothing else, Scully again asked, "Mulder?  What are
you doing here?  It's 4 a.m.  Are you okay?"

Mulder seemed to come out of his stupor.  "Yeah, Scully, yeah,
I'm okay.  I just-"  He stopped.

"You just what, Mulder?"

"I just was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by."  He
flashed the grin he knew could get him out of almost anything.

"Oh really," Scully's brow arched in disbelief.  She looked him
over.  He was in sweatpants and a faded t-shirt that looked too
small for him as it was stretched tight across his chest and
arms.  He had on tennis shoes.

"Have you been running, Mulder?  At this time of night?"  She
was concerned.  She knew he didn't sleep that well but this was
a little strange, even for him.  Maybe he knew something about
what happened to her, maybe that was why he was here.  But she
didn't know how she could ask without divulging her own 
revelations.

He didn't answer because he was too busy taking in her state of
dress, or rather, lack thereof.  The blanket was clutched to
her chest, baring her arms and shoulders, the rest trailing behind
her like a train.

Scully cleared her throat and pulled the blanket a bit tighter,
forcing Mulder's eyes back up to hers.

"Are you okay?" she asked, worried despite her mild embarrassment
at his perusal.

"I'm fine, Scully.  Listen, I-," he paused, "sorry I woke you.
I'm going now.  Have a good weekend, Scully."  As long as he 
knew she was okay, he could leave her.

"Are you sure, Mulder?  Do you want to come in?"  Scully held her
breath, wanting him to come in but also not wanting him to.  If
he did, she was sure she would end up telling him about the signs
of sex on her body, the origin of which she was unaware.  But if
he didn't, she didn't know if she'd ever find the courage to tell
him -- or to even acknowledge it to herself.

Scully stepped back away from the door and he could see beyond her 
into the darkened apartment.  The desire to accompany her into that
darkness was indescribably strong - stronger than he'd ever felt it
before.  She looked...incredible.  Mulder had a sudden urge to kiss 
her, a memory of sweet softness and the taste of her mouth drifting 
into his mind.  That's ridiculous, he thought, shaking himself.  His 
imagination was being a little overactive tonight.  There was no way 
he could know what it felt like to kiss Scully.  He'd fantasized it a 
thousand times and would certainly remember if that particular fantasy 
had ever come true.

"No, I'm heading home," he said reluctantly, forcing his tone to
be one of exhaustion.  "I've ran a ways tonight and just want to hit
the sack."

"Oh, okay."

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn she looked disappointed.

"Well, then I'll see you Monday," she said.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The door softly closed.  Only when Mulder heard the snick of the lock
snapping into place did he turn and leave.

*********************

Six Weeks Later


Scully impatiently waited for the doctor to return.  She wasn't feeling
well and wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.  She didn't
know
why she bothered with these yearly gynecological exams anyway, the 
thought tinged with bitterness.  But the doctor's office had called to
remind her of the appointment so here she was.  A doctor herself, she
couldn't bring herself to knowingly neglect the care of her body, even 
though she may want to.  

They had finished the exam and then wanted to take some blood.  Just a
precaution, the doctor had said.  Scully could tell them the exact
state
of the cancer but the doctors always wanted to run their own tests
anyway.  Not that she could blame them.  She'd probably do the same
thing
in their position.  The thought was quickly dismissed by Scully as she
tried 
to curb another wave of nausea.  The flu was going around and it looked

like she probably had caught it.  She hadn't been able to keep anything

down the last few days and was beginning to have trouble hiding it from
Mulder.  
If he knew, he'd want her to stay home and the last thing she wanted to
do 
was sit alone in her apartment climbing the walls.

Finally, after what seemed like an interminable wait, the doctor came
back.

"Sorry for the wait, Dana," she said with a smile, "we wanted to run a
few tests."

"Anything new?" Scully asked, knowing the doctor's face would then
crease
into a concerned frown as she told Scully what she already knew about
the
progression of the cancer.

**********************

Mulder quickly hopped out of his car and entered the cleaners.  He'd 
dropped off some things a few weeks ago and had been too busy to pick
them up.  Well, Scully said she had an appointment this morning and
wouldn't
be in until late so he thought it was as good a time as any to do a few
errands.

"Agent Mulder!  Good to see you!"  Larry, the owner of the store, said
to him.  Mulder had been coming here for years and Larry knew him as
a loyal regular.

"Hey, Larry - sorry it's taken me so long.  Been busy lately.  Lot of
cases."  Actually, there had hardly been any cases, much to his
frustration,
but it sounded good.

"No problem, I understand.  I was going to give you at least another
day
before I sold them," the twinkle in his eye belied his feisty words.

Mulder grinned at the old man.  "I knew I could count on you, Larry."

"Actually," the owner said, "I found something in one of your jacket 
pockets.  I'm glad I looked, you certainly wouldn't want to lose it,
I'm
sure."  He reached under the counter and pulled out an envelope.  "I
put
it in there so nothing would happen to it."  He handed it over to
Mulder.


**********************


"Well, there is some new news, Dana.  Though I'm not sure you're
expecting it."

Taken aback, Scully asked, "Something new?  About the cancer?"

"No, it's not about the cancer," the doctor said carefully. 

"What is it?"  Scully was mystified.


*********************


"You found this in my pocket?" Mulder asked, mystified.  He was sure he
had cleaned out his pockets before bringing them to the cleaners.
He opened the envelope and pulled out the slip of paper inside.  The
envelope floated from his stunned fingers.

"I didn't know you were married, Agent Mulder," Larry said.  "I guess
congratulations are in order."

The words fell on deaf ears.  Mulder hand began to shake slightly,
blurring the photograph he held.  A photograph of Mulder beside
Scully...
who was sitting up in a hospital bed.  Mulder's right arm was around
Scully and his left...his left was cradling the baby she held in her
arms.


*********************


"Dana," the doctor said gently, "you're pregnant."


*********************

EPILOGUE

Professor Krinsky nervously shifted his weight from one foot to
another.  Reaching in his pocket, he withdrew a limp handkerchief
and mopped his sweating brow with a shaking hand.  He cleared
his dry throat and eyed the man sitting behind the desk, cool,
calm and collected.  The silence brought on by his confession to
the smoking man was making him decidely uneasy.  Finally, he
couldn't stand it any longer and spoke.

"It was unforseen, this event.  I don't know how we could have
prevented it."

A puff of smoke escaped the man's mouth as he bit back a reply, "You
could have prevented it by not screwing up in the first place."

Krinsky gulped, his eyes widening.  He might pay for this mistake
with his life.

"How did it happen?" the smoking man asked.

"Uh, sir, well, as I explained before about the cancer, in that
parallel, Gillian - er - Scully, doesn't have cancer.  Hence the
cancer disappeared."

"But it came back, correct?"

"Oh, yes, sir, it did.  But as I was saying, in that parallel, the
Gillian/Scully body was different than here.  In that parallel, 
the body is as fertile as any other normal human woman's.  When
she and Mulder..." he faltered.  Deciding the smoking man didn't
need an education as to the exact nature of pregnancy, he went on.
"So, um, anyway, she was able to conceive."

The smoking man paused, seeming to mull this over.

"But if the cancer came back, wouldn't it be rational to assume
that her condition of infertility would also return?"

"Y-yes," Krinsky stuttered.

"Well then, she most likely will miscarry, won't she."  It didn't
seem to be a question, more of a statement of fact.

"Well, actually," Krinsky said, wondering why he would dare dispute
the man who could end his life on a mere whim, "she could end up
carrying the baby full term.  The pregnancy has remained for six
weeks."

"So, in other words, you don't know what's going to happen, do you,
*Professor*."

His sarcastic emphasis on Krinsky's title made him wince in fear. 
His eyes drifted to the floor when he finally replied in a small
voice, "No, sir, I do not."


THE END