From: Jacqueline Palumbo <blue_twilight26@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 08:02:14 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: "Breathe" by Blue Twilight
Source: direct

TITLE: Breathe 
AUTHOR: Blue Twilight
FEEDBACK: Please! Send to blue_twilight@aol.com and make me eternally
happy! ARCHIVING: Anywhere, just let me know.
CATEGORY: S R. MSR CAsefile
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully Romance
RATING: PG13
SPOILERS: No major ones, but this is set somewhere around teh end of
teh sixth season, before "Biogenesis". 
SUMMARY: Mulderand Scully deal
with a strange case, Scully's new friends, and some long-hidden
feelings.

DISCLAIMER: Mudler, Scully, and Skinner are not mine in any way. The
other characters included in this story are my own original
creations.

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


Chapter 1 - A New Case

	Special Agent Fox Mulder sat in his office, contently reading 
through his latest X-file. He looked up happily as his partner, Dana 
Scully, entered the office. He longed to tell her, to show her, how 
happy she made him, but he also knew that there would come a time for 
that and that now was not that time.

	Feigning deep concentration, he nodded an absent greeting to 
her. "We have an interesting new case today from Ashville, Virginia."

	"Oh," she muttered disinterestedly. Usually she could at least 
tolerate the lengthy explanation of mostly bogus cases by focusing on 
just the rhythm of her partner's voice. Today, however, she was 
preoccupied with other thoughts.

	Oblivious, Mulder continued on. "A woman in her early thirties 
was on a blind date with one Roger Morris. The next morning, her body 
was found on a nearby riverbank. An autopsy revealed that she had been 
killed by asphyxiation. Her blood tests showed that she had inhaled an 
extraordinary amount of a highly poisonous gas known as Neronge, which 
was the cause of death. It seems that she had been locked inside a gas 
chamber. So, why is this our case? Well, the strange thing is that it 
was further discovered that the killer had been holding her tightly 
while she was choking on the gas. There were even marks from his teeth 
found on her cheek. This means that he was standing in the chamber 
with her without needing a mask. Now, this is the third instance of 
such occurrences. What does this mean?  That we may have a serial 
killer on our hands."

	Only at this point did Mulder stop to notice that he was both 
asking and answering his own questions. Scully had not said a word 
since walking in. "Um, Scully? Are you okay? You look kind of out of 
it."

	Abruptly, she looked up and asked, "Mulder, have you ever 
noticed that we don't really have lives?"

	The worry that had begun to build up in him resided. He smiled 
and leaned back in his chair. "Come on, Scully, we've had this 
conversation numerous times before."

	"I know, it's just that sometimes I need some time outside of 
the X-files. Some time to just breathe. Can't you understand that?"

	He looked more than a little hurt by her comment. Scully was 
ashamed at this, she had by no means meant to imply that she needed 
time away from him, just from work. "Mulder, I mean..." She was 
interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. "Excuse me."

	She pulled out her phone and flipped it open, aware of his 
gaze on her. "Hello?" she asked guardedly. "Oh, Suzanne!" Her voice 
quickly went from tired and bored to happy and even perky, causing 
Mulder to look quite curious. "Hi! How are you?"

	"Yes, I'm great! Seriously? Wow, you need to tell me all about 
it... You know what? I'll call you back later -- I need to work now. 
Bye."

	Mulder cocked his head at her as she put the phone back 
without comment. "An explanation, Miss No Social Life?"

	"That was one of my new friends, Suzanne Miller. She offered 
to meet me for lunch, you wouldn't mind if I left a little early now, 
right?"

	"Um, sure. Go ahead."

	"Thanks!"

	Mulder watched her intently as she left the room. A whole set 
of new friends? A new fear began to develop in the pit of his stomach. 
A fear that maybe she might find someone to replace him. He was 
shocked by how much this thought upset him.

	Of course, he had known for a long time that he was completely 
in love with his partner. However, the strength of what he felt for 
her still surprised him every time.

	Shaking his head, he tried to forget about it and focus on his 
work. No such luck. 

-------------------------------------------------

	Scully hurried up to the main floor of the building, then out 
to meet her new friend. She felt bad for ditching him as she had, but 
she couldn't stand the thought of possibly losing Suzanne.

	Mulder had become a constant in her life, he was as vital to 
her existence as food or water, but he had also become just as 
expected. She could not imagine him ever really leaving her.

	Suzanne Miller, on the other hand, she worried would ditch her in no
time at the smallest thing. So, for the time being, she was planning
on focusing her energy on Suzanne and her other new friends. It isn't
like anything's going to change with Mulder anytime soon anyway, she
mused wistfully.

	Upon finally arriving at the diner, she pushed these thoughts from
her mind and searched for Suzanne. "Hi!" she said brightly. 

	"Hello, darling!" cried Suzanne. "How are you?" She rose to greet and
embrace Scully when suddenly she froze and looked her up and down.
"Oh, my. Dana, what are you wearing?"

	Scully's pale skin blushed red. "Well, it's what I have to wear to
work..." she began weakly.

	"Forget lunch, hon, we're going shopping. It's no wonder your partner
hasn't made any moves on you."

	Scully instantly regretted ever mentioning Mulder to this woman.
Desperately trying to not sound pathetic, she countered, "Well, that's
not an issue for me as I currently have a boyfriend."

	"Oh," said Suzanne, a little put out. "Well, I'm sure that I'll find
one any day now. Anyways, tell me about him."

	"Umm, maybe later, Suze."

	"Whatever. Let's go shopping!"
-------------------------------------------------
	Back in the office, Mulder yawned and looked at the clock. She should
be back by now. Bored, he got up and decided to take a stroll through
the building.

	He took the stairs up from the basement, feeling very much like some
underground creature emerging from hibernation. He had forgotten how
nice it felt to have company with him. Calm down! his brain screamed.
She's been gone for two hours! You can't be this pathetic. You can
last for two hours.

	Mulder quieted the conflicting voices in his head as he walked down
the building's main hallway. He was immediately struck by the fact
that a majority of people were not at their desks, rather gathered
around something and murmuring. He nearly walked past until he heard
his partner's name mentioned by an eager-sounding male agent. 

	"So, Miss Scully... it is miss, isn't it?" he questioned flirtingly.

	Mulder wasted no time to push to the front of the crowd until he was
next to Scully. "Well..." she was saying.

	"Just so you know," Mulder interjected. "It would be Doctor Scully,
actually."

	The agent backed off, embarrassed. "Sorry, I was just saying...
Anyways, you look nice, Scully."

	Mulder finally turned to examine her more closely. He was near
floored. He always thought that Scully was beautiful, but he had never
seen her dressed like this before. She was wearing a low-cut, blue
sweater that complimented her eyes. Her skirt was cropped short and
her hair fell straight and had a slightly windswept look. At this
moment, to Mulder, she wasn't beautiful. She was absolutely stunning.
	
	"Mulder!"

	"Yes, Scully?" he replied, still slightly dazed.

	"Mulder, please stop looking at me like that! I really would rather
not have everyone I work near crowding around me like this."

	"Sure, of course." He placed his hand on the small of her back and
led her wordlessly through the throng, intensely aware of the feel of
her skin through the shirt's thin fabric.

	"When they were a little away from everyone, Scully stopped and
turned to him. "That was weird. I don't get what everyone was so
worked up about."

	"You look... you look just a little different than usual."

	Scully flushed. "Well I was changing Suzanne took my real clothes and
threw them out!" She uncomfortably pulled on her shirt. "I feel so
prominent and underdressed in this." 

	"Trust me, don't worry about it. You look great."

	"I look very unprofessional."

	"That's not a problem. You know what, we can even cut out of here
early today, alright? You think maybe you'd like to go out for dinner
tonight?"

	"Go out?" she echoed. Like, a date, you mean?

	Mulder smiled and did not clarify. "Yeah, go out. You know, drive to
a restaurant? Eat me dinner? I know you said you had no life, but
seriously, Scully..."

	She gave him a glare, then smiled. "You know what? That would be
really..."

	"Agents Mulder and Scully, get in here!" 

	Both stopped short and turned to face Skinner. "I need to talk to you
two." He looked with interest at Scully's ensemble as the two passed
by him and entered his office. "Interesting wardrobe choice today,
Agent Scully." 

	"Sir, I..."

	"No, I need no explanation. Just a little comment. The reason I
called you in here was to check your progress on the Morris case."

	"Umm..."

	"I thought so. Listen, this case is very important. We fear know that
he will try to kill again. The police down in Ashville are working
full-time on it, but I feel that with your background in deciphering
strange occurrences you would be assets to the investigation team. I
want you two there by tonight, do you understand?"

	"Yes, sir." 

	Skinner noted the apparent disappointment in both their voices.
"What, did you guys have some hot date tonight?" He smiled to himself
at the improbability of this. The total dedication to work of these
two agents was infamous by this point. 

	"We'll be fine, Sir." Mulder stated, noting that for the second time
in just ten minutes Scully's face had turned bright red.

	"Good. You are dismissed. Have a nice trip!"

	


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


Chapter 2 - An All-too Familiar Description


	"'Oh, it doesn't matter,' you said," Scully mocked, on the verge of
growing very irritated. "'A nice, peaceful drive down the eat coast.
We don't need to wait for a plane or anything,' you said. 'How far can
Ashville be? Georgia is just two states away.'" Sighing dramatically,
she glared at him.

	Mulder returned her gaze sheepishly. "I had heard that driving down
the coast was a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime experience."

	She snorted irritably. She really hated long drives and, though she
was sure Mulder had good intentions, over six hours of driving later
she couldn't help a bad mood. "Well, I think it's just a
once-in-a-lifetime experience for a reason, Mulder."

	"See, now I get that." He offered her an apologetic smile coupled
with those sweet eyes that she had never been able to resist.

	Involuntarily, she melted. "Watch the road," she barked, but her tone
was lighter and inside she knew that she had already forgiven him. Why
does he have to be so damn cute? she mused. It would be so much easier
to stay angry at him that way.

	Sensing the change in her attitude, Mulder all-out grinned. "Come on,
Scully, we'll be there any minute now." Without thinking, he reached
down and squeezed her hand. 

	He quickly looked over at her to see her reaction. She was smiling
back at him, the anger of before completely gone. He didn't move his
hand. Somehow, this felt right to him, near meant-to-be, despite all
the obstacles. 

	He wished that he could tell her his feelings. He wanted her to know
that he had loved her nearly since they first met. He wanted to
express that despite everything the bureau said about agents'
relationships he would be willing to take the risk for her. He wanted
to explain how all other people seemed to fade away when she was near
him, and it felt like it was just the two of them against the world,
and that that was okay with him.

	But he also knew he would never say any of those things. There was
too big a chance that he would screw everything up. After all, he
didn't know if she felt the same way. 

	She did. 

	The tension was beginning to grow thick in the car, but neither
Mulder nor Scully were ready to move their hands. With her free hand,
Scully switched on the radio. 

All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to prove
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

	The song's ridiculously appropriate lyrics rang through the car,
causing both occupants to drift into thought. Almost unconsciously,
the car pulled into a service station Finally, Mulder took a deep
breath and began, "Um, Scully, I've been wanting to tell you
something."

	Scully looked up into his eyes. "Tell me what, Mulder?" 

	By this point, both their voices had dropped down to a near whisper.

	"Scully, I..."

	The mood was abruptly broken by the harsh ring of Scully's cell
phone. Dragging her gaze away from her partner's, Scully snapped open
her cell phone and lifted it to her ear.

	"Hello?"

	"Honey!!" It was Suzanne. 

	"I just had to call you. I had the most amazing experience. Remember
how I was telling you about that dating service? Oh my God, you should
have seen my date last night. He was so hot!"

	"Well, that's nice," Scully said, trying unsuccessfully to muster up
some interest in Suzanne's tale of the previous night.

	Mulder tapped her. Scully prepared to hang up as she looked back
expectantly at him, but whatever she had seen in his eyes before had
vanished. "You want some soda?" he mouthed, motioning to the
mini-mart. 

	She nodded, slightly disappointed. Nothing's ever going to happen
here, is it? She thought darkly.

	As Mulder left the car, she turned her attention back to Suzanne. She
was still going on about her date.

	Abruptly, she cut herself off. "You sound fascinated, dear. No, no,
don't protest. I'll change the subject. Guess who I ran into this
morning?"

	"Who?"

	"The scrumptious Lieutenant Varrick."

	Scully blushed a little. "Oh, really? How was he?"

	"He seemed great. He was asking for you, of course. You are so lucky.
It is so obvious that he wants you, Dana." She paused, thoughtful.
"Actually, I'd say that the fact that you already have a guy just
makes him even more jealous to impress you and get you to go to him.
He is totally jealous."

	 Scully couldn't help but smile a little. Lt Varrick had come
unexpectedly into her life less than a week ago. She had met him at a
party with a group of friends. He had been kind and attentive to all
of them, most especially her. By the end of the night, he had become a
part of their circle. Scully was a pretty modest woman, but even she
could sense his deep interest in her, a feeling that she definitely
returned.

	That is not to say that she was in love with him, or even that she
was under the illusion that she could ever fall in love with him.
Scully was well aware of the fact that her heart belonged to her
partner. 

	But it's not like that's going anywhere anytime soon, she reminded
herself. Its impossible. I was overreacting to whatever he was going
to say, he obviously just wants to be friends. He would have said
something otherwise. Might as well have some fun. Lt Varrick would
definitely be some fun.

	Fighting down the guilt and hesitation that had risen up unbidden in
her, she forced a smile and a laugh and replied, "Well, that's very
interesting."

	"Yeah. Lucky for you that you're breaking up with your current
beau."

	"Right." Scully had figured that the best way to get out of her
thoughtless lie was to just tell Suzanne some story about how she and
her "boyfriend" had lots of problems building up and that she was
planning to break it off any day now.

	"I keep forgetting that, despite your not-so-subtle interest in the
wonderful Lt Varrick, you do have who you claim to be some
exceptionally gorgeous boyfriend, no?"

	Scully near groaned. Did I really say that? "Sure."

	"Well, come on, then. Describe."

	"Look, Suze, I really have to..."

	"Oh, no. You are not getting out of it this time. Tell me about him
now."

	"Um, okay..." replied Scully, trying to rack her brain for a
good-sounding description. Just describe the first good-looking guy
who comes to your mind. Make her a little jealous. Take her down a
peg; maybe, she is being extremely aggravating. Actually, she's always
aggravating, but that's beside the point. Why do I so desperately want
to be her friend again?

	With a sigh, she silenced her inner dialogue and began a description.
"Well, he's about six foot, with this adorable shortish floppy brown
hair."  She was working so hard to maintain a normal-sounding tone of
voice that she barely heard what she was saying. "He has these deep,
hazel eyes that you just melt into. He's the most handsome man I
know."

	Suzanne took a deep breath. "Oh, wow, Dana. Um, remind me. Why are
you breaking up with him again?"

	"Because he's not as serious about me as I am about him."

	"Right. Well, I have to go, but I would strongly advise you to
rethink, hon. See you around!"

	"Bye."

	Mulder returned, carrying the two sodas. Handing one to her, he
started up the engine. Scully leaned back in her seat. "Two more hours
of driving. Georgia seems endless, really."

	"Actually, there's a change of plans. We're heading into the next
town. It's called Rylant and I think that our killer struck there,
which means that he's moving north. The cashier was telling me about
it."

	Scully was hesitant until they reached the crime scene, which was
located down by a riverbank. Upon hearing all the details, the woman
in her thirties, the blind date with one seemingly non-existent Roger
Morris, and the presence of Neronge, it became apparent that this was
the work of their killer.

	As they began heading back to their car, Scully looked up at her
partner. "How did you know that this would be the work of our guy,
Mulder?"

	He smiled. "Well, mainly because I am an infallible genius." 

	She playfully shoved him. He laughed and moved closer to her, resting
his arm on her shoulder and leaning down to whisper jokingly in her
ear, "There's a better reason, though. Don't tell anyone, cause I want
to seem like a genius, but honestly, when I first heard the
description, it was just a little too close for comfort, you know?" 

	Scully tried to meet the eyes of her strikingly attractive partner,
but failed miserably. 

	I think that there's another description that was a little too close
for comfort.




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

Chapter 3 -- Begging

	Mulder tapped his fingers impatiently as he read over the coroner's
report yet again. They were finally returning from Georgia after days
of investigation that turned up no more information than they
previously had save two more dead bodies. Whoever this killer was, he
was smart and left no trace. Reading over his profile continuously
wasn't doing anyone much good. 

	He looked over at his sleeping partner enviously. When did this
happen? he wondered, thinking back to their first case together. I
used to be the one who was able to just pass out on planes. Sighing,
he looked down at the only reading material he had.  	
	"Okay, we're looking for a man in his mid-thirties. Probably quite
attractive, confident, and charming as he was able to pick up so many
women. He..." 

	Mulder stopped murmuring to himself at a loud cough from the man
seated across the aisle from him. 

	"Damn government," the man spat. "No respect for the lives of your
average citizen..." 

	Rolling his eyes, Mulder closed the file and ordered another drink.
He and Scully had been sure to book a plane for the trip home after
their regrettable journey down. He had to say, though, that this
wasn't much better.

	"We are preparing for landing," came the pilot's voice. "Please
fasten your seatbelts."

	Mulder looked over at the still sleeping Scully. Gently, he reached
over and brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ears. His touch
caused her eyes to flicker open and she looked up at him groggily. 

	"Hey," he said softly. "Wake up. We're almost home."

	"Finally. I am so tired."

	"Me too. It's pretty late."

	It was 11:00 to be precise. 

	By the time they had gotten their luggage and exited the airport, it
was past midnight. 

	Scully yawned. "See you tomorrow morning, Mulder."

	"Bright and early."

-------------------------------------------------
	He hadn't been kidding when he said bright and early. Scully could
not believe his enthusiastic mood, which lasted all day. 

	In opposition, her mood had deteriorated throughout the day. She had
finally gotten over her tiredness when she got another call from
Suzanne that ended in Suzanne asserting that Scully had better damn
well bring her boyfriend to that evening's dinner party or there would
be trouble. Scully did not want to be embarrassed in front of her
friends by revealing her sad lie. 

	Most especially, she was worried about what Lt. Varrick would think.
He would finally be returning from his trip down south, and she wanted
to make a good impression. She had the feeling that he would lose all
interest in her pretty quickly if he found out that she had done
something as immature and stupid as making up a boyfriend just to fit
in. What am I supposed to do about a date? she mused, trying
desperately to come up with a solution. The party is in four hours!

	Seeing that she was done with her work, Mulder spoke up again. "You
sure you don't want to go catch a movie or something?"

	"Yeah, sorry, I have plans already."

	His eyebrows shot up. That hasn't happened in awhile. "Oh, got a
date?"

	She recoiled at the irony of his words. "Um, no. Actually, I do not
have a date." She sighed, murmuring under her breath, "That would be
the problem."

	"Come again?"

	Scully looked at him, and suddenly a flicker of an idea flashed
through her mind. He is exactly how I described my "boyfriend".
Maybe... Exhaling, the more logical part of her mind rebuked the idea
before it was even fully formed. No, that's crazy! You cannot ask him
to do that!

	Out loud, she told him, "Never mind."

	He smiled. "Okay, okay, be all mysterious. Just let me know how
everything works out tomorrow." With that, he turned back to his
computer and worked hard to make it appear that he was actually
working. In reality, he was fishing around Scully was apparently
extremely occupied with whatever mental struggle she was enthralled in
as she failed to see past his confident veneer. 

	Scully rose and, using much effort, made herself turn to leave. She
was still attempting to drive the lingering idea from her mind. Come
on, you just can't do that, Dana, she told herself sternly. Think how
pathetic it would look. 

	She had nearly talked herself completely out of asking when the
thought occurred to her of how much more pathetic she would look
walking into that restaurant with nothing but another flimsy excuse.
Changing her mind again, she took a deep breath and turned back to her
partner. "Hey, Mulder?" 	"Yes?" He looked at her with interest, easily
sensing her apparent discomfort. 

	"I have a little problem that I was thinking that maybe you could
help me with."

	The lightness in his manner was replaced instantly with deep concern.
"Anything, Scully. Shoot."

	His seriousness, though touching, made her feel even more foolish.
"Don't worry, it's really not that big a deal. And you don't have to
do it if you don't want to, no pressure whatsoever. I mean, it would
be great if you could, but..."

	"Scully," he interrupted, trying to suppress a grin. What has gotten
her so worked up? "Spit it out."

	"Okay. You know my friends from that church group? Suzanne and Lee
and Shannon and Carmine and Varrick?" He nodded, not sure where she
was going with this.

	"Well, they are the first friends that I have had in a long time.
Other than you, of course. And when I first met them, I was more than
a little desperate to fit in. I didn't want them to see me as I could
easily see myself: as an aging, fading, workaholic federal agent who
doesn't know how to have fun." She raised her hand to silence his
protest to this remark. "Anyway, the point is that I kind of told them
that I had a steady, devoted boyfriend." She paused to gauge his
reaction.

	His expression was unreadable to her. The only thing she could tell
was that her revelation was obviously not anything like what he had
been expecting. She felt ridiculous, but at least he wasn't laughing
at her. Not yet, at least. 

	"I know, it was a stupid move on my part, but I wasn't thinking
clearly at the time. I thought that I had it all under control. As far
as they know, I am breaking up with this guy next week. But this
morning, Suzanne called and asked me to this big dinner thing. She
wants me to invite my boyfriend so that they can all meet him. I tried
to decline again, but she won't take no for an answer this time. Which
means that either I find a boyfriend in the next three hours or I look
extremely pathertic and have to explain it all to everyone."

	"I see," he said hesitantly. He thought he knew what she was getting
at, but he wasn't totally sure yet...

	Breathing again, she decided to finally just plunge in and say it.
"Mulder, could you pretend to be my boyfriend tonight, please?"

	"What?!" he exclaimed. It seemed even less believable now that she
had actually said it out loud.

	"Really, it wouldn't be hard. All you'd have to do is just come and
eat and act nice. Please?

	He couldn't help the smile from playing on his lips. "Wait. Dana
Scully is practically on her knees begging me to be her date? Now,
here's an interesting turn of events." He grinned devilishly. "Oh,
Scully, there are just so many things I could say right now." 

	"Spare me." With a glare to hide her embarrassment, she turned to
walk out. Great. I should have known that he'd turn me down. That
would have been just weird on so many levels. It wouldn't have worked
out. Masking her disappointment, she turned to leave. 

	Before she could reach the door, however, Mulder sidestepped her and
blocked her path. In a gentler voice, he said, "Hey, hey. Wait a
minute. I didn't say no."

	"So you will do it?" She tried, but failed, to keep the eagerness out
of her voice.

	"Sure, why not? Just two conditions. Firstly, you answer some
questions of mine truthfully. Second, you owe me a favor."

	Relief washed through her instantly. He was taking this far better
than she had expected. "Okay, no problem. What were those questions?"

	"Number one: how exactly did you describe your date? Like, do I need
to dye my hair? Grow a beard? Get a nose ring?"

	Scully smiled and tried to refrain from blushing at the memory of her
description. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine the way you are. I was
pretty vague."

	"Number two: what should I wear?"

		"It's a pretty nice restaurant, and you want to make a good
impression as it will be the only time they will ever see you."

		"Alright. Lastly, and most importantly..." Scully raised an eyebrow.
That gleam was back in his eyes. "As we will be breaking off our
relationship in a week, I should know -- are any of your girlfriends
exceptionally good-looking?"

		"Mulder!"

		"Oh, right. I'm a one-woman man, now," he drawled. 

		She rolled her eyes and began to walk past him. 

		"So, I'll pick you up around eight?"

	"Yes. See you then." As an afterthought, she looked back over her
shoulder and said sincerely, "Thank you for doing this for me,
Mulder."

	"Anytime, Scully. Anytime." 

	As he watched her retreating form, his smile softened as he
considered the possibilities of that night. 

	This was going to be interesting.



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

Chapter 4 -- Dinner Date

	For what must have been no less than the thousandth time, Scully
shook her head in disbelief at what she was about to do. It was so
unusual for her, and she was having trouble recalling exactly what
possessed her to ask her partner to be her boyfriend. It was all
pretend, of course, but still...

	Well, she thought. Too late to back down now. He'll be here any
minute now. 

	Trying to dispel the feeling of nervousness that was quickly rising
within her, she forced her thoughts to the friends that she was doing
all this for. The guys, Varrick and the significant others of two of
her girlfriends, all treated her with respect and seemed to be
generally nice individuals. Those girlfriends, however, she couldn't
be sure of. They all acted basically sweet, but it was overly so --
enough to make her suspicious. But they are the only friends you have,
and the only ones you are bound to get anytime soon, she told herself.
Except Mulder, of course...

	She sighed. Lately it seemed as if all her thoughts kept coming back
to him. She glanced up at the clock. 8:00 on the dot. 

	Scully rose and straightened out her deep blue dress. The neckline
plunged lower than usual, so she was a little uncomfortable, but by
this point it was too late to change. She made do with wrapping a
silky gold shawl around herself. She picked up her purse and then
walked out to her front stoop, scanning the street for Mulder's car.
He should be here any second.

-------------------------------------------------

	Fifteen minutes later, his car pulled up in front of her house.
Scully was seething, but reminded herself that he was doing her a big
favor. She forced a smile as she climbed into the passenger seat. 

	She looked at him and any anger residing in her dissipated. She
immediately realized that he must have just gotten out of the shower
and rushed over to her. His tie was askew and his still slightly damp
hair was falling so that it was in his face. The scent of his
aftershave permeated the car. 

	He smiled shyly when he realized that she was staring at him, putting
aside the fact that he was doing the same to her. He ran a hand
through his hair and gave her a soft, apologetic smile. "Hello, Dana.
Sorry I'm late."

	She bit her lip and looked away. He had used her first name for the
first time in years, and on his lips it became almost like a caress.
"It's okay," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. Why am I
having this reaction to him? 

	"Dana?" she said smiling, trying to lighten the mood and ease the
tension.

	He grinned and started to drive. "Well, as you are my girlfriend for
the night, I figured I shouldn't call you by your last name, no?"

	She smiled self-consciously. "True, of course."

	"Actually, that reminds me of an important piece of information that
it would eb kind of important for me to have. What is my name?"

	"Oh, right!" She laughed gently and risked another look at him.
"Funny to hear you ask that question. Your name is David. I don't
know, it just sounded right."

	"Hmm, that name does strangely sound suited to me."
	
	"Also, you are a psychology professor at Quantico. We have been
dating for the past four months, and you are affectionate and
well-meaning but distant."

	"Wow, you really dug yourself in deep with this one, didn't you? How
much did you tell them about your fake boyfriend? You do realize
exactly how many things could go wrong, don't you?"

	"Yes!" she snapped. "Thanks for pointing it out."

	Mulder parked the car and looked up in surprise at the sarcasm and
pent-up anger in her voice. He didn't need his psychological training
to recognize that her nervousness was making her extremely tense. He
watched as she began to pick at a loose thread on the front of her
shawl. He reached out and enclosed her hand in his, pulling it away.
"Hey, calm down. Don't worry about any of this. Just think of it as...
I don't know, as going undercover."

	"Great, so now my life is at stake along with my reputation?" she
joked half-heartedly.

	"Bad example." He smiled and released her hand. "Just act like you
have nothing to worry about. Pretend its not that big a deal."

	"I'll try." She hated herself for feeling so vulnerable in that
moment. It was as if his near proximity to her was slowly but surely
breaking down the barriers that she had carefully erected throughout
their relationship.

	Together, they got out of the car and began to walk towards the
restaurant. It was a very nice Italian place with a quaint little
stone pathway that led up to a porch. 

	Mulder looked down at his partner and couldn't help but smile at how
nervous she was. She had faced dangerous killers with more confidence.
"Hey, Scully," he said quietly. "Just thought you should know, you
look beautiful. Don't worry about a thing."

	She blushed happily and felt some of her tension ebb away, Heart-felt
compliments were rare from Mulder, so she knew that he meant them
completely when he did state them. "Okay. We can do this."  

	"Yeah. Come on, we've done this before! How hard could it be?"

	Upon entering the main room restaurant, Scully immediately saw her
group lounging on the couches in the waiting room. They all stood up
and rushed over to her, greeting her with hugs. "Oh, Dana!" Suzanne
squealed. "You look beautiful. Now, introduce me, um, us I mean to
your boyfriend."

	Scully smiled self-consciously. "Everyone, this is my boyfriend,
David. David, this is Suzanne, Cindy, Lee, her husband Rob, Charlene,
her fiancé Eric, and, last but certainly not least, Lt. Varrick."

	Mulder smiled and extended his hand to each in succession. "It's a
pleasure to meet all of you."

	"Oh, no," cooed Suzanne. "The pleasure is all mine." She smiled
brilliantly, oblivious to Cindy's glare. 

	Cindy leaned in next to Scully and murmured, "Oh, it's so not fair.
Suzanne always pushes ahead of me and gets the guy! This one's cute,
too."

	Scully's eyes widened. "Um, this one's also my boyfriend."

	"Yeah, but not for long. Suzanne told us all how you're going to
ditch him next week. We're just lining up our shots, preparing for
then, you know?"

	Scully frowned and moved away from her, making a mental note to speak
to Suzanne sharply about privacy. She looked over at Mulder, who was
chatting amicably with Lee and Eric about the most recent Knicks game,
completely oblivious to the smoldering looks that her girlfriends were
giving him. 

	The conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the head
waiter. "Your table is ready," he announced. They all removed their
outerwear and walked inside to see an elegant table setting next to a
glowing fireplace. Candles lit the walls and a live pianist played in
the background. 

	"Very nice," Mulder said approvingly, as he gentlemanly pulled out
Scully's seat for her. The place on his left was quickly taken by
Eric, much to the annoyance of both Suzanne and Cindy. 

	Lt. Varrick sat himself on Scully's right. "I am so glad that I was
able to make it back here for this. I feel like we haven't had the
chance to speak in forever."	

	"At most it's been a couple of weeks," she said, smiling. 

	"Well, tell me about your life in the past couple of weeks, then,
Dana. I've missed hearing your voice. Fill me in."

	Scully obliged throughout the salad and pasta course, unaware of
Mulder's constant glances. Finally, his curiosity got the better of
him and he quietly asked Eric, "What's up with Sc..., um, Dana and
that lieutenant?"

	Eric winced. He genuinely liked this man, and he was painfully aware
of the fact that, apparently, his girlfriend was planning to ditch him
the very next week. For Varrick, most likely, Eric had assumed. "Well,
they're... friends," he hedged. 

	Mulder wasn't going to let him get away with that. He was, after all,
a professional investigator. "Oh, I see. Close friends?"

	"Why? She never mentioned him?"

	"Not in particular."

	"Oh. Well, I think they're just friends."

	"They damn well better be," Mulder said gruffly, half to himself.
Wait, where did that come from? he wondered. He felt himself getting
as defensive of her as if he really was her boyfriend. Calm down, he
told himself sternly. 

	"Anyways, Eric, about that game last Friday..."   

	Meanwhile, Scully kept looking over at Mulder while Varrick was
talking. Varrick was an attractive man and a good conversationalist,
no doubt, but that wasn't enough. She had wanted to spend this time
with Mulder, talking with him finally about stuff that had nothing to
do with work. But it seemed that he and Eric were thoroughly engrossed
in a conversation of there own. 

	It soon got to the point that even Varrick couldn't miss her
distraction. "I'm sorry, Dana, am I boring you?"

	"Oh, no!" she said, embarrassed. "It's just..."

	He leaned close to her ear. "Nervous?"

	"What do you mean?"

	"Just don't worry, Dana. Come next week you'll be off that hook." He
slowly moved his hand over hers on the table. "And then you'll be a
free woman."

	Mulder looked over to see Varrick's hand slowly running up and down
Scully's bare forearm. He inwardly seethed.  I know I should keep nay
jealousy in check, but tonight she's supposed to be my girlfriend, for
God's sake! What does this pig think he's doing?

	He glared until he made eye contact with Varrick, who abruptly moved
his hand away. Mulder didn't break that contact as he possessively put
his arm around Scully. Varrick clearly got the signal. He coughed and
turned to make a comment to Cindy, who listened to his every word as
if it were gospel.

	"Mulder, why did you do that?" she whispered into his ear, secretly
overjoyed that he had.

	"You're supposed to be my girlfriend."

	"Right." She struggled to smile and pull away from him. It was all
she could do to not allow herself to sink into his arms. She was
forcing herself to remain stiff and unfeeling -- she did not want her
partner to know how much his touch affected her. Things were
complicated enough at the moment.

	The arrival of dinner caused them to move apart, both to Scully's
relief and chagrin.

	Mulder watched her intently, trying to gauge her feelings. He could
have sworn that he felt something pass between them, like a dancing
spark where his hand had touched the bare skin of her arm. 

	Her eyes met his and she blushed. "So, um, David, do you like
your..." She looked down at his food. "Um, whatever that is?"

	He looked at her in amusement. "Oh, yes, my whatever the hell its
called is delicious."

	They both smiled and he continued. "Actually, the last time I had
veal cutlet parmesan was back when I was in college. It was the same
night that my friend got arrested."

	"What?! Explain."

	Mulder grinned and acquiesced to her request. For the end of the main
course and all through dessert, he and Scully swapped tales of their
more entertaining endeavors in college. They remained completely
oblivious to the others at the table.

-------------------------------------------------

	A few seats down, Suzanne wrinkled her nose and turned to whisper to
Varrick. "God, how rude. You'd think they never really spoken to each
other before."

	Varrick raised his eyebrows. "Maybe they haven't. At least not like
that, anyway."

	"What are you saying?"

	"I think you know. I mean, despite the arm thing, they really haven't
been making any physical contact. They haven't even kissed once!"

	"True," Suzanne replied thoughtfully. "I'll have to talk to Dana
about that one."

	Suzanne's opportunity did not come until the end of the meal, when
Scully arose to use the restroom. Suzanne cornered her at the sinks.
"So, Dana," she began sweetly. "Your boyfriend seems great."

	"Oh, he is." Scully couldn't help but sound wistful.

	"Still ditching him next week?"

	"I don't think I really have a choice at this point."

	"Oh, okay. But at the moment your relationship is good?"

	"Oh, definitely."

	"Then why haven't you guys been acting like it? I mean, Dana, you
haven't kissed at all tonight."

	"Well, it's been a busy night," Scully replied vaguely, not liking
the direction this conversation was taking.

	"Understandable. I just wanted to make sure that no one got the wrong
impression. We are watching, you know." She smirked and strode out.

	Scully couldn't help but feel a streak of loathing rush through her
unexpectedly. What business of it is yours? she thought bitterly. Then
the whole spiel about how Suzanne was one of her only friends began
playing through her head, and she tried to calm down before she walked
back to the table.

	Everyone was in the process of retrieving their stuff. Mulder was
extending her shawl to her. Gently, he wrapped it around her
shoulders. The couple said goodbye to everyone and began to walk out.
Scully was painfully aware that everyone else in the party was still
standing just inside the restaurant, watching their progress to the
car. Suzanne had an eyebrow raised and that same smirk on her face.
The others were whispering amongst themselves, obviously referring to
the strange behavior of the pair.

	They were nearing the car now. Scully took a deep breath. What will
one more thing hurt? It won't make a difference -- it's not real. "Um,
Mulder?" she whispered. 

	"Yes?"

	"Can I ask one more favor of you?"

	"Anything."

	"Can you kiss me?"

	He froze and turned to face her, an unreadable look on his face. She
hastened to explain. "I know, it's strange, but it won't be real --
just acting, pretend." She glanced back at the now very interested
group on the porch. "They're watching and waiting, we have no
choice." 	
	He continued to look at her. "You know, Scully, there's always a
choice," he said lightly. 	
	She looked at him questioningly. Then, she softly and sadly
responded, "Of course," and moved to turn away, disappointed beyond
words.

	She was completely surprised by him reaching out for her arm and
turning her back around, then covering her mouth with his. This is all
fake, she had to remind herself. It's just acting.  	But is most
certainly didn't feel like acting for either of them. Her breath
quickened and she leaned into him almost involuntarily. 

	As abruptly as he had pulled her to him, he stepped away. She saw
desire flame in his eyes, but his words sounded calm and composed.
"Good acting."

	She watched him as he moved toward the car and opened the door for
her. She got in without a word. As he walked around the car, Scully
looked back at small crowd of onlookers. Suzanne, Cindy, and Varrick
looked irritated, but the two couples were smiling happily and waving.
Scully waved back and they began to drive away.

	They rode in silence until they reached her house. He stopped the car
and looked over at her. She looked back at him. Neither moved an inch.
The tension grew until they couldn't take it another second.

	"Mulder, I just wanted..."

	"Scully, if that wasn't..."

	He smiled a little. "Go ahead."

	"Well, I just wanted to say that you were right. About the choice
thing." Wow, that was articulate, part of her brain mocked. She was
having trouble stringing coherent sentences together at a time when
words would be important. Looking down, she continued, "I think that
what happened was a choice that we made, and we should talk about
it."

	His eyes widened.
	
	"But not right now. I'm sorry, but I can't right now."

	"Okay. Then that makes it pointless for me to say what I was going
to. Now, tomorrow we have work again -- we're going to have to go back
to being, well, whatever we were before. But whenever you are ready to
talk, I am right here for you. Okay?"

	"Okay."

	Their eyes locked once more. He slowly extended his arm and gently
caressed the side of her face.  "Goodnight," he said softly, forcing
himself to place his hand back on the steering wheel.

	"Goodnight, and thank you." 

	It took every ounce of willpower for Scully to get out of that car
and go into her house, but she finally accomplished that. As she lay
down in her bed and that amazing kiss began to replay in her mind,
however, she began to wish that she hadn't had that "strength". 
	


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

Chapter 5 -- He's Here

	Scully closed her eyes and tried again to get her mind to focus on
the daunting paperwork ahead of her. She was having a lot of trouble
concentrating this morning. Mulder's proximity to her was intensely
distracting, as images of that night's kiss and the possibilities of
what could come flashed through her mind. 

	Yesterday they had spent apart, her at her mother's and Mulder with
the Gunmen. It was bizarre, but even that brief period of separation
had been agony for her. 

	Whenever she tried to concentrate, she ended up with the feeling that
she was in some sort of maze in which space and time and frozen and
endless possibilities stretched out before her, awaiting her decision.
She understood with a mix of terror and relief that there was no way
back to the way things were. 

	She glanced back at her partner. He looked as if he were intensely
interested in his work, but she somehow knew that he was in reality
just passing time, waiting for her to say something. 

	The minute hand snapped onto the twelve on the wall clock. Suddenly,
the maze in Scully's head tilted and twirled, reminding her of a
limited amount of time. From out of the blue, it hit her -- she did
not have forever. She needed Mulder in her life like she needed water
or air, she had established that, but now she was coming to the
realization that, unlike these things, he would not be there forever.
He couldn't be taken for granted. For all she knew, this could be the
last time they sat like this together.

 	"Could I have that file, please?"

	Scully jumped about two feet as Mulder's voice snapped her out of her
reverie. This caused him to smile. "Earth to Scully. Come in, Scully."

	She shot him a glare. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I've got to say,
though, you look a little spacey."

	Ignoring his attempt to inject some humor into the tension between
them, Scully cut to the chase and said, "Mulder, you and I both know.
We need to talk."

	"Now?"

	"Good a time as any."

	The joking retort that she was expecting did not come. "Okay. Let's
talk then. You start." 

	"I just feel like so much has happened between us. There is so much I
could say. You and I..." She was abruptly cut off by the ringing of
the phone. "You should get that."

	"No, let it ring. They'll leave a message. Finish your sentence."

	"Well, I think that maybe we could..."

	The voice on the answering machine caused her to stop. It was a
woman's voice, sounding very sultry. "Agent Mulder," the woman
breathed. "I have some new information for you regarding, well, you
know. Call me as soon as you possibly can. Have a nice day."

	Scully's mouth dropped open a little and looked at him, demanding an
explanation. The mood that had enveloped the room just moments ago had
vanished. Scully sighed mentally. Another opportunity gone. 

	Meanwhile, Mulder was smiling embarrassedly. "That sounded really
bad, didn't it?"

	"Just a little."

	"Well, truth is, its nothing that clandestine. She just has an
overactive sense of adventure."

	"Who is she?"

	Mulder grinned, noticing that her curiosity was piqued. "Oh, well, I
met her back in Georgia and realized immediately that making her
acquaintance would be very worthwhile."

	"But who is she?"

	"We met a couple of times, and I am so glad she's calling back."

	"Mulder, are you playing with me?"

	"I wouldn't do that, would I?" he said, too innocently. 

	"You know you would. Now, give me a straight answer."

	"Come on, Scully. She's just an informant -- she saw a guy who she
thought might be our Roger Morris. I gave her my number in case she
had any information, but honestly I just think she kinda likes me."

	Scully playfully slapped his arm, then turned back to her work.
"Well, you should call her back just in case."

	"No, first you have to finish what you were going to say."

	"I'll say it when I'm ready, Mulder. Not now." The moment had passed
for her and she was back to running everything over in her mind and
debating with herself what the proper course of action was. 

	He looked at her, disappointed, and regretted turning the honest mood
into a joking one. He loved being playful and flirting a little with
his partner, but he also was well aware of the fact that he often hid
behind that humor when he was unsure of where things were heading. He
made a mental note to work on that flaw, even as he picked up the
phone and dialed the informant's number. 

	When the woman picked up, she was crying and terrified. "Agent
Mulder, I need help. I saw him again. I had just hung up from calling
you because I was scared that Morris might have come to DC. Now, I
know he has and it's too late. He killed again!"

	"What?! Look, calm down and tell me exactly what happened."

	"The usual, the usual. Girl found dead in river, all purple due to
gas inhalation, bite marks... It's him! He's here!"

	A look of alarm flashed across Mulder's face. Scully dropped what she
was doing and watched him, listening intently. A strange feeling of
foreboding washed over her as he asked, "What was the victim's name?"

	"Something with a C... Um, Cindy? Yeah, I think so. Cindy Florisk."

	"Cindy Florisk. Are you sure?"

	Scully looked up in alarm at the sound of that name. Mulder was
saying, "Okay, yes, thank you. We'll be right over."

	He hung up and turned to Scully, looking upset. "Roger Morris killed
again. Same style exactly. Scully, I am sorry, but his victim was
Cindy, your friend."

	"No! How did that happen?"

	"I guess she agreed to go on a blind date with him."

	"Oh, my God. Cindy. Last night she called me, all excited. She said
she had a hot date, but she wouldn't tell me with whom. All she kept
saying is that I would be so jealous." She inhaled sharply, fighting
back tears at the irony of that.

	Without thinking, Mulder wrapped his arms around her. "I am so
sorry."

	"Mulder, I don't know if I can do this.  I mean, investigate my
friend's death?"

	"You don't have to..."

	"But at the same time, I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't. I want
to be there, Mulder, when they catch that son of a bitch and lock him
up for good. I want to work and make sure that her death is avenged."

	Mulder pulled back just enough to look down at her face. "Scully, he
will be caught. I promise you that. But I think, for now at least, you
might want to take a break..."

	"Please, trust me. I know what I need to do."

	"I trust you." She knew that he meant that in more ways than one. 

	"We should go now," he said softly.

	"We should." 

	Neither wanted to move. They didn't want to walk out the door and
pretend that it was just another case. They didn't want to look upon
the twisted corpse of one of her close friends. They would, though.
Both of them were people who did what they ahd to do.

	But, for right now, they had a rare moment of peace. They had found
in each other a place of stability, of hope, of faith to keep moving
on. They both sensed it acutely, wondering when the time would come
when it could finally be admitted out loud. If that time ever came. 
	
-------------------------------------------------

	An hour later, Scully was walking down a darkened stairwell in a
Victorian mansion near the banks of the Potomac. She shivered, knowing
that just hours ago someone, possibly Morris, had taken Cindy down
these very same steps. 

	She waited until she heard her partner's footsteps on the stairs
before she continued into the darkened cellar. What she saw in the
corner sent a chill down her spine. Suddenly, this case was getting
way too personal.

	"Mulder," Scully called. "Look."

	 He walked over to her and his eyes followed her extended finger to
the pile of broken containers of gas, all marked "Neronge". 

	"Mulder," she said again, her voice almost shaking. "He's here."


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

Chapter 6 -- Clash

	The tension in the air threatened to suffocate the two sole occupants
of the basement office. It was times like this that the partners'
uncanny ability to read each other seemed more a detriment than a
benefit. 

	Mulder sensed that Scully was not completely over the shock of
learning that her friend had been brutally murdered. He knew that she
wanted to prove that she was strong enough for it and that she
resented him for worrying about her, but he couldn't help it. For what
must have been the twentieth time, he said, "Maybe you should take off
for this case, Scully. It's too close to home for you."

	Scully was growing annoyed. She couldn't stand that Mulder felt like
he had to protect her, she was a strong and capable woman. She gave
him the same answer that she had the past twenty times. "I am fine,
Mulder."

	They both sighed and looked back to their individual work. As much as
they were aware of how much they needed each other, sometimes they
just needed a break, lest too much unspoken resentment boiled over.
Mulder had hoped that Scully had found that release in her new
friends. Now, for obvious reasons, that could no longer be a point of
stability to her. Her only constant was him, as his was her. That was
usually very comforting, except on days like today.

	Shaking his head, Mulder scanned over the photos of the crime scene
again and jotted his own notes. He got the feeling that he was on to
something with this...

-------------------------------------------------

	Half an hour later, Mulder finally smiled. "Scully! I think I may
have figured this thing out."

	She looked up, a mix of hope and cynicism on her face. "Explain,
Mulder.

	"Well, obviously the x-file part of this case is the fact that the
killer can be in the room filled with poisonous gas and not be
negatively affected. Therefore, this 'man' as some may call him
doesn't require oxygen to survive. He can breathe in this poisonous
Neronge gas and live."

	"What?!"

	"Think about it, it fits the modus operandi perfectly. What he'll do
is this: find a pretty girl, charm her into accepting a blind date,
and take her on a tour of whatever old-fashioned house he has rented.
When they get to the windowless cellar, which would have a convenient
airproof door back from when it served as an air raid bunker, he'll
take her inside, slam the door, and begin filling the room with
Neronge."

	Mulder was confused by the expression on Scully's face, but he
continued on. "My profile shows that he takes a perverse pleasure in
watching the girl die from breathing the same air that he is. The
whole time, he'll pull her to him and..."

	"Shut up! Just shut up!"

	Mulder froze and looked at Scully's rage-filled face in shock.
"Scully, what...?"

	"Damn it, Mulder, this isn't a game! It's not some science fiction
novel. This is my friend and she is dead! I refuse to let you take her
murder and twist it so that it fits into some pet project of yours."

	"Hey, calm down. I didn't mean to..."

	"Of course not!" she interrupted, unable to stop screaming now that
she had begun. "You never mean to hurt anybody, or to turn tragedy
into a joke. But you somehow manage to. Hell, are we even pursuing the
truth anymore at this point? Or are we just strolling along, pointing
out oddities and making up stories? That way, you can fit everything
into the nice little box you've created for yourself to package
everything that you've decided is worth believing in!" 

	He opened his mouth to retort, but her glare silenced him. "Make one
comment that even resembles a joke and I swear I'll..."

	"Hey, hey," he began soothingly. He was hurt, but was very conscious
of her state of mind at the moment and was trying to remain calm and
understanding. "Come on, you've been through a lot, why don't you..."


	Any other day, Scully would have let it end there. But today, she
found herself so inexplicably angry that she was filled to tears. She
felt it all coming to the surface now, all the resentment that she had
built up and put aside was coming out now. 

	"You always do this. You always will, won't you? Just close it off,
try to make it all better. Well, you know what? Some things don't get
better. Some things you have to stand and face! The murder of my
friend was real, not science fiction. That's unchangeable, and trying
to talk your way around it is pointless. It's just like your sister --
she is gone. Who the hell knows if you'll ever find her? Who the hell
knows that the last six years of our lives haven't been wasted?!"

	She stopped suddenly as it hit her exactly what she had said. She had
crossed a line in bringing up Samantha, and she instantly regretted
it. 

	Mulder had gone completely silent, barely concealing the rage
building up inside him. 

	"So that's what it has been to you?" he finally said. "A waste of
time?"

	"Mulder, listen..."

	"No, you listen! You've been going on about how insane my quest is,
how much of a fucking waste of time it's been for you, at least let me
say my piece! You can think what you want, and you feel what you want,
I don't care if that's what you want. But would it kill you to open
your mind to some things? Or do you really still think, after all
we've seen and experienced in the past six years, that I am just some
crackpot rouge who is a useless drain of the bureau's time and money? 
	If so, then I apologize. I must have completely misunderstood your
intentions and feelings. I had thought that we had between us built up
trust and respect and l..."

	He paused, painfully aware of what he had just nearly said. After a
moment, he drew a deep breath, and continued in a quiet voice.

	"Look, Scully, I know this case is important to you. I know that it
is your friend. But I don't understand why you can't even listen to a
word I am saying. This type of occurrence, these x-files, they are
important to me. They are my life. And my sister..." 

	He couldn't help the bitterness that began to seep back into his
voice here. "My sister is the most important of them all to me. And
you can think what ever you want, but I refuse to believe that she is
gone forever, that I will never find her, that all our... well, my
searching has been in vain. I cannot believe that. And I don't
understand how you can, either, even after Emily..."

	Scully suddenly stiffened and felt all the sympathy she had begun to
sense vanish. "How dare you. How dare you put my daughter's death in
the same category as your sister's 'abduction'! I... You know what,
forget it. I'm leaving."

	"Wait, Scully..."

	"Go to hell."

	"Yeah, see you there," he said bitterly.

	Clutching her cross, Scully whirled around and hurled the case file
she had been holding at his head. To her shock and anger, he reached
up and caught it in one fluid motion.

	Their eyes met in a glare. Fire sparked between them as the tension
grew unbearable. 

	Scully's head began to pound. A cacophony of emotions ran through
her, and she couldn't tell whether she was more angry or drawn to him.
Either way, she could not turn her gaze from his deep hazel eyes. She
felt the sudden urge to forget all the unmeant bitter words and just
wrap herself in his arms and apologize and kiss his lips. Maybe...

	With that, the anger came back in a flash. In that moment, she hated
him for making her feel like this. Scully was a woman who liked being
in control. She had dealt with guys she was attracted to before, but
not one had thrown her for a loop like this. She needed to get away-
it was all too much.

	With effort, she broke eye contact and whipped out of the room
without a glance back lest her resolve weakened. I have to do
something about this. I need to get back in control.

	She sat down in her car and pulled out her cell phone, punching in a
number unused up until this point that had been given to her weeks
ago. She shuddering sighed and attempted to steady her emotions as the
phone rang. When she finally heard the answering "Hello?", she steeled
herself and forced a smile.

	"Varrick? Hi, it's Dana. About that date you mentioned..."



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

Chapter 7 -- Blinded Date

	Scully hung up her cell phone and sighed heavily. She already
regretted being so harsh with Mulder, but part of her felt too angry
to care or be inspired to do anything about it. She adjusted her seat
and turned the key in the ignition. Suddenly, the passenger door
opened and a tall man sat down in the seat, closing the door behind
him and looking at her steadily.

	"What do you want, Mulder?"

	"Just to know what that was all about."

	"What do you mean?"

	"You know exactly what I mean."

	"Look, we both need time to cool down right now, but how about dinner
tomorrow night? I feel like there are a lot of things that we need to
talk out."

	"You're right, Mulder. There are. But tomorrow night won't work. I
have a date." She mentally kicked herself. She hadn't meant for the
words to come out smugly.

	"Oh," he replied. "Varrick?"

	She nodded.

	He nodded along with her. He wasn't used to being at a loss for
words. After a few moments of awkward silence, Scully couldn't take it
any more. "Look, I have to go, Mulder. Unless you need a ride
home...?"

	"No, I have my car. Scully, about your date... Well, I had just
thought that maybe..."

	She looked at him expectantly. The anger had left her by this point.
She realized that if he said anything resembling what she hoped he
might say, she would be completely swept away. 

	"Maybe... You know what, never mind. Now isn't the time, we're both
tired and upset. I'll see you tomorrow morning." 

	With that, he left the car, leaving feelings of sadness mingling with
the unspoken words that hung on the air. Scully closed her eyes and
let her head bang against the back of her seat. She was upset again.
Worse, from her point of view, she was well aware of the irrationality
of her mood swings in the past two hours. Why I am feeling like this?
Why am I reacting so strongly?

	She began to drive home trying to shove the question out of her mind
because she already knew the answer.

	It was because of Mulder. It was always because of him.

-------------------------------------------------

	The next morning, Scully walked into the basement office, trying to
act as nonchalant as possible. 

	"Good morning," she said simply, keeping her voice atonal. After the
restless tossing and turning and thinking of the previous night, she
had decided to just let Mulder set the tone for the day. 

	He glanced up from his desktop, attempting to size her up in the same
manner. "Good morning to you, too. Well, I guess it's good, anyways.
It is dead hot today, and only bound to get worse. Seriously, I
thought basements were supposed to be cool."

	"Is that why we don't have air conditioning down here?," she queried,
skeptically eyeing the dingy fan that slowly and ineffectively rotated
back and forth. "Or does somebody up there just not like you?"

	"A little of both I'd imagine."

	"Oh."

	He looked over at the clock. He knew that he would be treading on
unsteady grounds with his next comment, but he couldn't resist. "So,
I'm guessing that you are going to be wanting to leave work early
today? You know, to prepare for your date." He couldn't help the hint
of venom in his voice at that last word.

	"Um, I suppose so."

	"What's the guy's name again?"

	"Lieutenant Varrick."

	"Just Varrick? No first name?"

	"Well, of course he has a first name."

	"But you don't know what that name is, do you?"

	She hesitated. "Well... no. Not yet, anyway."

	He raised an eyebrow.

	"Don't give me that look, Mulder. I know what I am doing."

	"Whatever. It's your life."

	She nodded affirmation. "It is my life."

	"But it's my..." He paused and they looked at each other, neither
sure of how to go on. Mulder abandoned the statement for the second
time.

	Instead, he cleared his throat and softened his tone. "How did we get
back to this point, Scully? I mean, just two days ago..."

	Another sentence hung in the air, never to be finished. "Well," he
continued. "It feels like every time that we start to get close, one
or the other pulls away. Why is that?"

	"I don't know."

	"Neither do I. Maybe we should both take some time to think about
that."

	She nodded slightly. She knew that he was right, but she felt too
uncomfortable at the moment to follow his suggestion.

	Too uncomfortable? she questioned herself. God, is that my excuse
today? Why do I always do this? Why do I constantly push him away?

	This thought process was stopped by another voice flashing through
her head like a warning sign: Don't go there! 

	Going there would change everything for good, regardless of the
consequences, and Scully wasn't sure that she was ready for that. She
settled for the question: Why do I psychoanalyze myself so much?

	Regardless of what was or was not going on in her head, though, it
was indeed hot as hell in that room. She shrugged out of her jacket,
thinking nothing of the fact that she was only wearing a tight,
sleeveless top under it. She dragged her water bottle out of her desk
and drained half of it in one gulp. She wiped her forehead and shifted
uncomfortably in her seat, glancing over to see how her partner was
faring.

	Mulder had his eyes closed and his head leaning against the back of
his chair. To anyone else he would have appeared to have fallen
asleep, but Scully knew that this was not the case. He was just deep
in thought. A thin line of perspiration had arisen on his brow. He too
had removed his jacket by this point, and had rolled his sleeves up to
his elbows, unconsciously emphasizing the outline of his muscular arm.
His tie was loosened and he had opened the top button of his clean
white dress shirt. 

	Scully watched intently despite herself as he stretched and slowly
blinked his eyes open, looking directly at her. Blushing, she looked
away and attempted to act as if she had not spent the last fifteen
minutes gazing at him. 

	He looked over her tight top and bare arms approvingly. "Wow, Scully,
it's really getting hot in here," he said, in the tone he reserved for
when he was tossing innuendos at her.

	Against her will, Scully felt herself growing redder. Taking a deep
breath, she allowed herself to slip back into their usual rhythm.
"Gee, Mulder, need some cold water?"

	He gave her a mock glare, offset by his grin upon realizing that they
were working towards letting go of the events of last night.

	"So, Scully, any new ideas on the case?"

	"Not at the moment. I still don't agree with you, but that's nothing
new." She smiled, attempting to convey that she did not mean it
spitefully. 

	He nodded. "Yeah, nothing new. Back to our usual routine, I guess,"
he added, not without a hint of regret in his voice.

	"So you still hold the same position as you did last night?"

	"About the case, you mean?" he asked, not quite managing to keep a
slight edge out of his voice.

	"Yeah. About the case." 

	"Same opinion, then."

	She nodded acceptingly. "Okay. Well, I'll think about it."

	"And I suppose I could consider some of the various logical
explanations that you are sure to offer."

	"Thank you."

	"Right back at ya," he said smoothly, with a wink.

	She rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless. "Let's change the
subject."

	"Oaky. About your date tonight..."

	"Oh, come off it already,. Mulder."

	"No, Scully, I am being serious. That Varrick guy frankly gives me
the creeps. I don't trust him."

	"Mulder?"

	"Yeah?"

	"Are you jealous?"

	"Scully! How could you even suggest such a thing?!" he exclaimed in
mock horror. "Just be carefully, okay?"

	"I always am."

	He nodded and looked back to his computer. He was sure that she
wasn't taking him seriously, but he didn't want to push the issue and
end up in the same position as last night. I probably am just jealous
and being paranoid, he thought to himself. 

	The quiet that had ensued in the room was causing the heat to feel as
if it was bearing down with a vengeance. Once again, both agents tried
to focus in on their paperwork. Their endeavors proved fruitless.

	Throughout that day, they alternated between bouts of idle
conversation, brief spurts of napping, and surreptitiously watching
each other rout of the corners of their eyes. 

-------------------------------------------------	
	
	Scully was trying her hardest to enjoy her meal with Varrick, but her
heart just wasn't in it. He had made the mistake of taking her out to
the little Italian restaurant where she had shared her first kiss with
Mulder. Worse still, their table was located next to the front
window.

	Scully had done all she could to push the memory from her mind in the
past couple of days. But now, gazing out to the beautiful walkway to
the parking lot, she could not stop the images and sensations from
swirling through her head. She was finally forced to admit to herself
exactly how much his kiss had affected her.  

	Sighing, she tried again unsuccessfully to focus on what Varrick was
saying. 

	"I am having one of the best evenings of my recent life, what about
you?"

	Scully looked up at Varrick blankly. "Hmm?"

	The lieutenant had the grace to blush abashedly. "I'm sorry. I'm
boring you, aren't I?" 	
	"On, no, no. Of course not. I am sorry, I'm just having trouble
focusing tonight. I don't know what the problem is."

	But that wasn't true, and both of them knew it. "I'll go get our
coats, Dana. I had a nice dinner."

	"Um, me too."

	"You could try to sound a little less like you wouldn't pay any
amount of money to be somewhere else," he said good-naturedly. "Or,
should I say, with someone else."

	She watched as he walked away from her towards the coat rack. What is
wrong with me? Why can I not enjoy a pleasant evening with an
attractive, intelligent, sweet man who seems to have it bad for me? It
makes no sense. I just can't help wishing he were someone else...

	The realization hit her with an intense clarity that she had not
believed that she was capable of feeling.

	This is it, she decided. This is the end. No more pretending. I have
tried everything in my power to stop it, but at this point I have to
admit it to myself: I cannot picture myself with any man who isn't Fox
Mulder. Fights or not, jealousy or not, insanity or not, he is the
only one for me. 

	This thought nearly took her breath away. She had known this in the
back of her mind since the day she had met him and first gazed into
his deep hazel eyes, but thinking about it that clearly was a new
experience for her. She was surprised to find that she liked it. It
felt as if a burden had finally been lifted off her. She was finally
allowing herself to think . Suddenly, everything seemed possible.
Every molecule in her yearned to rush to his door and...

	Her thought process was interrupted by Varrick's return. He
chivalrously helped her slip on her jacket. Looking anxious and eager,
he smiled and said, "Dana,  I have been getting the feeling that maybe
this place isn't the ideal one for you to loosen up and really talk to
me. Would you want to come back to my place? It's really a very nice
house, spacious and elegant, just off the Potomac."

	Scully frowned distractedly. She knew that she wasn't being sensible,
but at the moment she really wanted to get out of this date. "Um, that
sounds lovely, Varrick, but..."

	"Wait, please, Dana, before you reject me. I can tell that you
haven't been having the best time, and I am extremely sorry if I have
been doing anything wrong. Please, give me one more chance."

	Scully couldn't help but be overcome with the feeling that he was
like a little kid with his first crush having his heart stamped on.
Sighing, she agreed to come along out of pure pity. Not a great
reason, she knew, but it seemed to satisfy Varrick.

	What the hell, she thought as she climbed into his car and they drove
in the opposite direction of where Mulder's house was. We've waited
six years. What's one more night?

-------------------------------------------------

	Mulder tiredly looked up at the clock in his office. He knew that he
should have left work hours ago, but he just didn't feel like going
home. He felt horrible for alienating Scully again, even if she was
only mildly irritated. Maybe he was just jealous. He just couldn't
stand the thought of her in the arms of another man.

	Moreover, he was bored. And being bored left him with no other
options than to sit and ponder what exactly Scully and Varrick were
doing at the moment. He sincerely hoped that it had all remained just
friendly. 

	He had seen the kiss two nights ago as the beginning of a new stage
in their relationship. It was obvious to him that neither of them had
been "just acting". If they hadn't had that huge fight last night, he
knew that he would have been yearning to further explore this new
aspect of their relationship. Apparently, she didn't feel the same
way, though...

	I seriously need to distract myself, he thought.

	He flipped on his computer and connected to the internet. Lazily, he
typed "Lieutenant Varrick" into the search engine. Not that I'm
jealous and it's consuming my mind or anything... he though
sarcastically to himself. 	

	The results slowly began appearing. He scrolled down to the first hit
and opened the page. 	
	What he saw sent him running to his car.

-------------------------------------------------

	One more night was certainly seeming like a lot more for Scully as
she was led through what must have been the tenth parlor of Varrick's
Victorian mansion. "And as great as the rooms are here," he was saying
excitedly.  	
	"Varrick?" she called, and he came back down the stairs. "Sorry, I
was getting you a shawl, its cold down here." He smiled warmly,
looking exactly like a male model. Scully couldn't have cared less at
the moment. "Actually, Varrick, I was going to say that I need to go.
I have somewhere that I should be."

	He made a hurt face. "I can't at least finish the grand tour?" he
asked piteously. 

	A twinge of guilt came over Scully. Varrick had gone through all this
trouble to give her a nice evening. It wasn't his fault that she had
picked this night to realize the true depths of her feelings for her
partner.

	"Okay, finish the tour," she said with a gentle, sympathetic smile.
	
	"And now," he began, grinning. "For the coolest part. I still have
the original, unaltered wine cellar that was built over ninety years
ago. It is in mint condition and stores some of the finest wine in the
area. If you see nothing else here, you have to see this."

	Scully nodded. She was just happy that he hadn't suggested a tour of
the bedrooms. "Sure, Varrick. But then I really do have to go. It's
getting late."

	He chuckled. "Curfew, eh? Well, okay then. Let's go." He took her
hand and lead her down the steep, narrow stairwell to the lower level.
The stairs stopped in a small hall-like area. Ahead of them was a
thick metal door. Scully shivered involuntarily. 

	"Oh, are you cold, Dana? I am sorry, how insensitive of me. Let me go
get you a shawl." He turned and hurried up the stairs.

	Scully sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. Her longing to get out
of this place was quickly becoming a physical need. 

	He soon returned with a shawl, which she donned by herself, refusing
his offer of help. She was past caring about hurting his feelings.
Something about this whoel situation was giving her a strange
feeling.

	"Okay, here it is. The big finale. Voila!" He opened the door and
half pushed, half-escorted her in. She stumbled through in surprise,
her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the light.  	After a minute,
Scully looked around the dimly lit room. It was empty. "Um, Varrick?
There is no wine."

	"What? I'll be right in there, Dana."

	"Look, Varrick, honestly this is starting to give me chills, I need
to leave."

	He blocked her exit by shoving his full frame in the door. "Oh, Dana,
how clumsy of me. I forgot to mention one thing," he said with a
wicked smile as the door slammed closed behind him and the lock
clicked into place. "My full name."

	"What?" Scully tried to sound brave despite the fear creeping up her
spine.

	"Roger Morris Varrick."


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

Chapter 8 -- Rescue?

	The car lurched as Mulder sped down the Beltway towards the row of
elegant mansions along the Potomac. Not surprisingly, it wasn't long
before he was pulled over by a policeman. 

	Rolling the window down and flashing his badge, he shouted, "Damnit,
I'm a federal agent! This is an emergency, you have to let me go!"

	"Please calm down, Sir. You just need to..."

	"No, listen to me! You know Morris? The river killer? I found him and
he is currently with his next victim. Unless you want her blood on
your head, let go to her and call for backup to 59 Wolfe Street.
Okay?"

	The policeman was visibly shaken. "I... I'll go do that right away,
Sir. Right this very minute. I am so sorry. Go, and Godspeed!" 

	Mulder let out a stream of curses as he accelerated the car and
headed towards the house again. "Damn police!" He knew in the back of
his mind that the man was just doing his job, but he was panicking. He
knew that, too. "I can't lose her," he murmured to himself. "Not now.
No ever. Please don't let me be too late!" 

	Not being a religious man, Mulder was not one to pray. Tonight,
though, he needed all the help he could get.  

------------------------------------------------- 

	Scully's face was ashen as the full realization of this horror hit
her. "Oh my God. It's you! You are the river killer. Varrick?"

	"River killer?" he scoffed. "Oh, that title is so impersonal and
melodramatic, don't you think, Dana?" Her chuckled and moved closer to
her. She flinched and began to back away. 

	She could not stop her voice from wavering as she said, "Please,
Varrick, calm down. Don't do this to me. I am your friend, you know
that."

	"Oh, Dana. This is not about friendship. Or love. Or lust, for that
matter. It's about basic instincts -- those intense desires that need
to be sated. I need to kill. It's the only thing that keeps me sane."

	As he spoke, a strange reddish glow came over his eyes.

	"Who... what are you?"

	He just grinned sadistically. "Does that really matter at this point?
Trust me, it will be of no importance to you in just a few short
moments."

	Scully suppressed a whimper as her back hit the cellar wall. She was
out of room to back up. Furtively, she glanced at the door.

	"What, thinking about escape? Come now, Dana, why bother? Death is
not as bad as it's cracked up to be, I'm sure. After all of the
physical and psychological suffering that your body has and will
endure in the next few moments, it deserves some peace at last."

	"No! No, Varrick. You're sick. Maybe you can come with me and talk to
someone...?"

	A scowl appeared on his face. "Oh, right. Now I remember why you
can't understand it. Still waiting for your dashing partner, eh, Dana?
Or, should I say, your 'boyfriend'? Ha, that was so painfully
transparent. Did you know that that type of relationship is not
allowed between partners in the bureau? Not that it matters anymore,
but just thought you should know..."

	"That is none of your business!"

	Varrick ignored her. "You were planning to run to him tonight,
weren't you? Right after our date. I have to say, Dana, that hurts. I
really does. What does he have that I don't?" Stop! Don't answer that.
I know that whatever you say will just make me angrier. 
	You see, Dana, the other women that I killed I did it just for the
pure bliss and satisfaction that is intrinsic in killing. With you,
however, it's personal. You chose someone else over me. Very
unfortunate decision on your part, Dana. I actually did really like
you, almost enough to let you live. But now..." He paused, pulling
aside an old blanket to reveal a canister clearly labeled "Neronge".
"Well, now that's just too bad."

	He kicked the cap off the container and grinned at Scully's terrified
face as she watched the whitish gas seep out into the room.

	"Goodbye, Dana."

-------------------------------------------------

	Mulder's car screeched into the long driveway. He stopped it and
jumped out, not bothering to even remove the keys. He slowed as he
neared the house, drawing his revolver and approaching cautiously.

	From the outside, the whole place gave off the misleading appearance
of being beautiful and full of peace. The sun sinking lazily into the
sky lit up the shadowy corners of the eaves and cast flickers of
sparkling light across the well-manicured grass. On any other night,
in any other situation, the sight would have been breath-taking.

-------------------------------------------------

	Completely oblivious to the tranquility of the moment, Mulder walked
up to the porch and peered through the front window, seeing only
emptiness within. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he readied
his gun. One the silent count of three, he came crashing through the
door. "Scully?!" he yelled.

	There was no response. He swept through the entire first floor of the
house, finding only Scully's deep blue jacket draped neatly across a
couch. "Scully!" he shouted again, his voice growing more desperate as
each moment passed. 

	Mulder came to a dead stop when he saw the door that led to the lower
level. He heard a faint sound coming up the stairway and under the
crack of that door. His mind instantaneously registered the
significance of this. 

	"Oh my God. No! Scully!" he shouted as he barreled down the stairs,
praying that he was not already too late.

-------------------------------------------------

	"Varrick, please," Scully whimpered. She had intended to appear
strong and calm regardless of her circumstances, but it was proving
impossible. The sight of the gas drifting forward until it nearly
engulfed her had robbed her of any emotional control.

	When the Neronge finally hit her, it tasted bitter and cruel. She
felt her eyes begin to tear as she fought the impulse to breathe in.

	Suddenly, she felt Varrick's arms snake around and pull her to him
violently. The shock of that force caused her to gasp, sucking in the
toxic air.

	Varrick grinned as he inhaled deeply, then marked her neck with his
teeth. Scully was too weak to even make an attempt to fight him off.
Images began blurring and spinning in front of her -- the empty
cellar, Varrick's cruel smile, the hazy gas, then, inexplicably,
Mulder's face. 

	Mulder, she thought groggily. I never got to tell him. Then, her head
swam and everything went black. 

-------------------------------------------------
	
	Mulder near panicked when he found the heavy cellar fdoor locked.
Desperately, he readied his gun and fired it directly at the lock. It
exploded and the door crashed open.

	His relief dissipated as he was greeted with the sight of a
still-grinning Varrick letting Scully's body slump to the floor. The
red eyes turned to him. "You're too late," Varrick hissed, chuckling
evilly. He looked down lasciviously at Scully, then took a threatening
step toward Mulder. 

	Reacting completely on instinct, Mulder fired. It hit Varrick square
in the chest. Varrick just looked mildly surprised before his body
completely disintegrated on the spot. 

	Mulder's eyes widened in shock at this, but he pushed Varrick to the
back of his mind as he took in Scully's inert form. Taking a deep
breath, he rushed into the room and swept her up in his arms. He then
ran out, but not before choking on a breath-full of Neronge. 

	Finally, he managed to stumble up the stairs. He was beginning to
feel dizzy form the inhalation of the gas. He heard the blaring of
approaching sirens in the distances and was suddenly grateful for his
earlier run-in with the police officer.

	After what seemed like an eternity, Mulder stumbled against the front
door. Trying to bring the world back into focus, he looked down at
Scully. "Come on, keep breathing. Don't give up, Scully," he croaked
with what was left of his voice.

	He made his way wearily down the porch. When he reached the grass, he
could not help falling to his knees, making sure to slow his fall
enough so as not to injure Scully.

	He lay her gently down on the grass and leaned over her. Despite the
foggy haze that was threatening to overwhelm him, he retained enough
sense to check for a pulse. He was sure that he felt beating in her
neck, but it was faint. 

	Just as he had allowed himself to begin to relax, he heard a choking,
gurgling sound escape her throat. Checking again, eh found that she
had stopped breathing. 

	Summoning every last ounce of his strength, Mulder drew a deep breath
and lowered his mouth to hers, pushing his life-giving oxygen into
here lungs.

	He did this once. Twice. Three times. "Come one, Scully, breathe!" he
pleasded in a strangled, broken voice. "Please." He was growing faint
from hus own expulsion of air.

	Finally, he heard her cough and gasp in a shaky breath. Content that
she was alive, Mulder wrapped an arm around her body and finally
succumbed to the blackness that surrounded him. 

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

Chapter 9 -- Breathing

	"Agents, I just read over your report. It was, well, eye-opening to
say the least. Are you absolutely sure that that is what you want to
officially submit?"

	"It is the truth, Sir."

	Mulder sighed, finding it amusing when Scully did the same. Their
eyes met and something passed between them, something that neither
felt fully ready to explore at the moment. They shifter their gazes
back to Skinner, who was obviously having a hard time grasping the
full story. 

	Mulder, to his own chagrin, grasped it perfectly. Varrick had been
smart, manipulative, and charming. He had no problem finding and
luring his victims to their death. What exactly Varrick was, it was
unsure that anyone would ever know.  	
	For once, Mulder felt no drive to further dwell on this question. He
was content with the fact that his Scully was safe and, for the most
part, unaltered by the event. Her resilience never ceased to shock
him. It seemed that she had been through so much, and yet she was able
to move on and remain steady and strong.

	His musings were interrupted by the A.D.'s next query. "So you are
saying that he just disintegrated before your eyes?"

	"Um, well, yes."

	"Mulder, how much Neronge had you inhaled by this point?"

	"None!"

	Skinner raised a skeptical eyebrow. The look that Scully managed to
capture perfectly looked comical on his face. Mulder coughed and
looked down as he continued, "More importantly, are you both fully
recovered now? They were really worried about you in the hospital,
Agent Scully. Had Mulder been even a few seconds later..."

	"I know, Sir. We're both fine." Scully sounded somewhat short, but
inside she was filled with relief. She had not at all relished having
to wake up in yet another hospital, especially when she learned that
Mulder was being treated as well. Even worse, she had not yet gotten
the opportunity to speak to him at all, as they were called in to
Skinner's office as soon as they were released from the hospital. 

	Luckily, the A.D. seemed to recognize this. "Well, that is very good.
I am sure that you both want to be getting home, now. I know that you
came straight here and I thank you for that."

	They nodded and rose to leave. "One more thing. I just had to say
again how lucky you two are to have one another." 

	They exchanged glances before walking out of the door.

	Skinner sat back and watched them contemplatively. It was apparent to
him that there was a lot more to the story of his two best agents than
met the eye. The intrinsic attraction between the two seemed to grow
each time he observed them together. 

	He knew that, officially, the bureau frowned on such relationships.
However, he felt that in their case, there should be an exception.
They had a unique chemistry that promised that they would work even
better together once all the aspects of their relationship had been
explored. 

	He also understood that tonight would be an important one for them, a
night of many decisions. Silently, he wished them luck, whatever they
decided.

-------------------------------------------------

	Scully looked out the window of Mulder's car as they approached her
home. They had barely said a word to each other the whole ride, each
lost in their own thoughts. Her need to tell him of her newfound
realizations of her feelings was still strong, but now seemed like a
strained time, it would be a bittersweet moment. 

	Or maybe not. But the events of the day had shattered her previous
confidence, and she once again felt open and susceptible. It would be
a big step, a huge change in their lives, and she wasn't sure if she
was ready for that. At the same time, she wasn't sure that she would
be able to wait much longer.

	He eased the vehicle into a spot outside her house. She didn't move.
Scully wasn't completely sure of what her plans were, but, regardless
of anything, she suddenly couldn't stand the though of letting him
just drive away. "Hey, Mulder, would you like to come in?" 

	"Sure," he responded, grateful for the opportunity to spend more time
with her to ensure that she was truly alright. 

	One inside, they shared a bottle of coke, chatting and joking easily
for a brief while on her couch. Soon, a silence arose again between
the two. It spanned until it was on the verge of being uncomfortable.
Shifting, Scully rose and walked over to the window, unconsciously
fixing the curtains.

	Suddenly, she made up her mind. She turned to face Mulder, and he
rose to meet her gaze. 

	"We need to talk, Mulder. We have needed to for a long time, now. But
I think we're both scared. And why wouldn't we be? It seems as if
every time we move to bridge the gap between is, something gets in the
way and we almost lose each other."

	Mulder looked at her, finally at a loss for words.

	"At times like this, I need help and support. And you are there for
me, you always have been. But maybe there is more..."

	"More?" he repeated. "Maybe. But, aside from anything else, I want to
tell you now, again, in case it hasn't been clear enough in the past,
that you mean so much to me. You are my stability, the only one I
trust. We are two parts of a whole."

	"We are."	

	He looked at her meaningfully, unspoken words and intentions flying
between them. "Scully..."

	Without hesitation, she went into his awaiting arms. She felt his
warmth begin to sweep through her whole being and she shivered with
anticipation. Rising on her toes, she moved until her mouth was right
next to his ear. "Fox," she breathed. 

	Mulder felt a shot of energy rush through him. He had long hated his
first name, but when she said it like that... 

	He let out a shaky breath, not sure where all this was leading yet.
"You know, I even made my parents call me Mulder," he said hesitantly,
trying to lighten the mood before the both got carried away. 

	She stepped back and looked at him. "What are we afraid of? Why?"

	"It's against the rules..." he began meekly, but stopped himself.
Since when does Fox Mulder care about breaking the rules? 

	"Honestly, I'm afraid of how things are going to change. No matter
what, I don't want to lose what we have now. Not ever."

	"Neither do I."  She stepped away from him. "I don't think that
anything could take what we have away from us. But it would be a
change. A risk. And if you don't want to go down that path... It's
okay. I'm sorry."  
	She turned to walk into her bedroom, trying to hide her sore
disappointment. She needed to be alone for awhile now, to sort things
through. 

	Without thinking, Mulder strode after her and reached out, grabbing
her arm and swirling her around and pulling her back against him.
"Don't leave," he breathed. "Please. Dana. Forget the risks. I need
you here with me."

	"And I need to be here," she said, matching his intensity. "But it
needs to be real. No more games. No more excuses. No more letting fear
guide our actions."

	"No more," he repeated solemnly. 

	The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. Everything around her
seemed to flicker and fade as she lost herself in Mulder's warm
embrace. She felt heat course through her body, surprised at how
wonderful it felt.

	He pulled her close, needing to feel more of her. His hands slowly
worked their way up and down her back, igniting little fires along her
spine. In tandem, she moved her hands up his chest and down his arms,
feeling his toned muscles under her fingertips.  

	At this, she was gripped with the need to feel more of him. She
quickly pulled off his tie, and her hands fumbled with the buttons of
his dress shirt. Pulling back a moment; he removed first his shirt,
then hers. 

	Slowly, Mulder guided her backwards towards the bed. Scully moved
with him, allowing herself to be pushed down gently, his weight coming
down on top of her. Reaching up, she tangled her hands in his hair as
he ran his hands up and down her body. She savored the sensation of
his soft caresses and found that she was wishing it would never end.

	Abruptly, he drew back and looked down at her, taking great pleasure
in seeing the flame alight in her eyes. Now, that was mingled with
confusion. "Mulder?"

	"Scully," he whispered, his breathing coming fast. "I need to tell
you. Before... I... I love you." 

	Her breathing almost stopped. As clearly as she had known that for a
long time, never in a million years would she have believed that he
would actually say it out loud to her. "I've felt the same way for a
very long time. A very long time. I love you, too."

	He smiled, truly happy for the first time in what felt like forever.
She returned his smile as she gently caressed his face. His lips
descended to hers once more.

	They moved together, each embracing the other, anticipation growing.

	It came naturally for them.

	Like breathing. 

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	Thanks a lot to anyone who read this, I really hope you enjoyed it!

	I love feedback, so whatever you think,, please email me and let me
know! I am  at blue_twilight26@yahoo.com .