Channels (PG, MSR)

Disclaimer: By now the entire world should know that everything X belongs
 to Chris Carter, Fox and the gang. I don't think I'd be capable enough to own them
 anyway so I guess this is a good thing.

Summary: A chain of events and Mulder's deal with Scully's mom lead to a late
 night dream and Mulder poking around in Scully's computer, making a rather 
interesting discovery.

Notes: - The poems below were written by me over the course of four years but 
they seemed to fit the situation so I decided to use a few of them. 
- Comments welcome at my e-mail address at school:   ac4320@wayne.edu     I'm 
starting my ninth semester at Wayne State so if you're too brutal, my overstuffed 
brain filled with useless information may explode.
- Brain explosion  may make a good X-File but I don't think I'd enjoy it very much. 
Thanks.

Channels
By: L. Sprys

The only sound coming from Scully's darkened living room was the weather man 
telling all of Maryland that the temperature this February day was a balmy twenty-
two degrees. 
 Scully lay on her couch, one arm slung over her head and an afghan covering
 her legs, contemplating whether she should get up and do something productive or
 just lay there and enjoy her day off. She began dozing off before she could decide, 
with the tropical update droning in the background. 

The phone jolted her out of her nap. She knew that it was Mulder, he seemed to call
 at the most annoying times - although she was usually just getting in the shower. 
Scully
 picked up the phone and without saying hello, "this had better be good or else I will 
see to it personally that every sunflower seed factory in this country is shut down for 
good."

Mulder chuckled, "good afternoon to you too. I gather from your tone that I 
interrupted
 something?"

"No, just the weather channel telling me that the temperature in Rome is seventy-
two. Dare I
 ask what's up?"

"Well now, that depends."

Scully sat up on the couch, her mind already kicking into gear, "on what?"

"On how much you like your partner," Mulder asked, his voice dripping with charm.

"I like you fine unless you're about to tell me that Flukeman's back, which in that 
case,
 I don't even know you."

Mulder laughed at this, "no Flukeman, I swear. Actually I wanted to know if you 
would
 mind coming over and helping me clean up a fish tank."

Scully shook her head and smiled, "you always seem to be able to plan your 
catastrophes
 to coincide with my days off. My first day off in about a month, if I recall correctly."
 She turned on the light next to the couch, squinting at the sudden light, "why are 
you
 cleaning  your fish tank? I thought it cleaned itself."

"It does. Unless the bookshelves knock it over and leave dead fish and glass all over
 the floor."

"All right. How did the bookshelves knock over the tank?"

"When the bathroom door slipped out of my hands and caught the corner of the 
shelves."

By now Scully was shaking her head, trying not to laugh, "why in the world did you
 have the bathroom door in your hands?"

"How else was I going to throw it in the dumpster?'

"I'm going to hate myself for this but why did you have to put your door in the 
dumpster?"

"Because I decided to move my new stove in myself and it slipped. Left a big ass 
hole
 in the door."

"Which would lead to the logical question of why do you need a new stove? You 
don't  cook."

"I opened my old one yesterday  and the door fell off. After that, I discovered what 
had 
to be a month old pizza inside, along with  some chewed wires, a mouse's nest and a 
specimen of mold that I think you might appreciate. I decided just to scrap the entire 
thing and start over again."

The calm tone with which Mulder told his story sent Scully into gales of laughter. 
"Mulder,
 you never cease to amaze me. I'll be right over."

Mulder heard Scully's laughter over the phone and decided that maybe the day 
wouldn't
 be such a disaster after all. At least he wouldn't have to clean alone. 

Scully arrived a while later. She made her way to Mulder's door and knocked, still
 finding the entire situation quite amusing. She heard Mulder yell from inside for her 
to
 come in. She opened the door and was greeted by a forlorn Mulder standing amidst 
a 
giant heap of books, papers, tapes, CD's and other assorted junk. The bathroom 
door
 was still leaning on the wall and Mulder had his thumb stuck in his mouth.

Scully stood there with one hand on her hip. She pointed at his thumb, "regressing 
again Mulder?"

Mulder spoke without removing the thumb, "it was either this or bleed all over the 
carpet
 and I don't want to have to clean up anything else." 

"Where is a camera when I need it?" Scully asked, walking over and examining the
 thumb. She took Mulder by the hand and led him into the now door less bathroom, 
cleaning the cut made by the glass and bandaging him up. She looked up at him 
with
 a glint in her eye, "at least you won't have to worry about running into the door in 
the
 middle of the night."

Mulder stuck his tongue out at her, "feeling rather saucy today, aren't we?'

 "It must be the fact that there's fabulous weather in Rome."

"Make you a deal, Dr.. If we finish early enough here, maybe we can fly to Italy and 
see just how wonderful that weather really is?"

"Why Mr. Mulder, are you propositioning me?" Scully said, leaning in closer and 
batting
 her eye lashes.

Mulder knew what he would like to have said, but to avoid the slap he would have 
gotten, he stuck with the safe answer, "not at all."

Scully winked at him and slipped out into the hall, "damn. Oh well, maybe next 
time.
 Now, put your tongue back in your mouth and help me clean up this chaos you call 
an apartment."

Mulder wanted to hit his head against the wall, why couldn't he have said yes, 
dammit. 
Yelling at himself silently, he followed Scully into the living room to attempt to 
reorganize his life.

Over the next two hours, they got the place picked up relatively well. Mulder went to 
put the  vacuum back in the closet when the phone rang. He yelled to Scully to 
answer it. 
She picked it up, "welcome to the wonderful world of chaos and mayhem, otherwise
 known as Mulder's apartment."

"Scully, is that you?"

"Mr. Skinner," Scully felt her cheeks get hot with embarrassment, "how are you?"

"I'm fine. I did dial Mulder, right?"

By now Mulder had come back into the room and Scully mouthed to him who it 
was. 
Mulder made a ghastly face and she had to keep from laughing. "Yeah, he's right 
here."
 She handed the phone to Mulder and whispered, "it's for you."

He whispered back, "thanks a lot."  "Yes sir, what can I do for you?"

Mulder listened for a minute, then replied, "no problem. I'll tell her. See you on 
Monday."

As soon as he hung up the phone Scully groaned, "please don't tell me we're going 
out
 again. I want to stay in one time zone for more than an hour at a time."

Mulder flopped on the now cleared off couch and Scully dropped next to him. He 
turned to 
her, "this must be your lucky day. He only wanted to make sure we saw him first
 thing. It seems that both of us have neglected to follow up on office memos and 
Bureau 
briefings. He's got stacks of paper to dump on us and no more excuses are gonna 
fly."

Scully put her head back and opened one eye in Mulder's direction, "you call that 
lucky?
 I hate Monday morning paper blizzards."

"It's only seven-thirty. Would you like me to call him back and request a case, maybe 
one
 in the Yukon this time."

Scully kicked off her shoes and put her feet up on the table, "touch that phone and 
the
 ice-tea factories go right along with the sunflower seed companies."

Mulder put his feet up next to Scully's and settled in beside her, "you know, you're 
rather
 cute when you feign violence."

Scully tapped him on the thigh, "I know and now I'm going to continue the nap that 
your 
fish tank incident interrupted."

"'Night Scully."

"'Night Mulder."

The phone woke Mulder, and  he sat up with a start, dislodging Scully's head from 
his
 shoulder. He reached over Scully, picked up the phone and growled out a hello. 

Scully thought she must be dreaming because even though Mulder had the phone 
off the
 hook, it continued to ring. Suddenly she realized what was going on and reached 
over
 Mulder's back, turning on his cell phone. "Hello, can you hold on a minute?" She 
tapped
 Mulder on the head and when he turned around, she handed him the phone with a 
grin
 on her face. 

It took Mulder a second to realize what had happened. He took the phone from 
Scully with 
a sheepish look on his face, shrugged his shoulders and hung up the other phone. 
"One
 slightly slow man's phone, use your time wisely... actually I'm lying on the lap of a 
rather beautiful  woman I think you may know .. yeah, just a second..." Mulder 
handed 
the phone back to Scully with a wicked smile on his face, "it's your mom."

"Cute."

He turned over on his back, still on Scully's lap and folded his hands on his chest, 
"I do try."

She just shook her head at him, "Mom, hi, what's up?... yeah, I was helping Mulder 
clean up a giant mess he created and we fell asleep on his couch ... yes mom, I 
know it's
 late but I'm a big girl now. I think I can make it home in a little snow." 

Mulder motioned for the phone. Scully handed it to him with an exasperated look on
 her face. "Mrs. Scully, it's me again. I'll make you a deal. If you'll invite me over for 
one of your fabulous home-cooked meals, I just might be able to convince a certain
 partner of mine to stay the night on the couch so you won't have to worry." Mulder
 listened for a minute, "awesome. See you then." He handed back the phone to 
Scully, "problem solved."

Scully glared for a second then turned back to the phone. "Yes mom ... I know mom 
... 
OK mom ... no, it's all right ... yeah, I see you tomorrow." Scully hung up the phone 
and swatted Mulder with a pillow. 

Mulder still lay on Scully and instead of moving from the warm spot in her lap, he 
took 
the onslaught, laughing the entire time. 

She took one last whack at his head, "why did you tell my mom that. She's got to 
stop 
thinking I'm weak and helpless."

Mulder turned on his side and propped his head up on his hand, "or maybe she just 
doesn't
 want to lose her only daughter to the cruel world that already took your sister."

"Just when I think I have a legitimate reason to be mad at my mom, you dump this 
on me.
 Now I feel incredibly guilty." Scully put her hand on Mulder's shoulder, "when did 
you
 become so insightful about my mom?"

Sadness flashed in his eyes for a brief moment, "because I never had anyone who 
worried
 about me like that." He moved his arm and laid his head on Scully's thigh, "my 
mother
 never seemed to have much time to care about me."

Scully began to run her fingers through his hair absent-mindedly, "thank you for 
letting
 me stay here tonight."

Mulder closed his eyes and gave her a familiar grin, "I wouldn't let the most 
comfortable
 pillow out of my sight that easily, believe me. Besides, if I don't keep you here 
tonight

I don't get my meal tomorrow."

About ten minutes later, Mulder began snoring lightly with Scully's hand still on his 
head.
 Scully  managed to maneuver so that she was lying along side him, still keeping his 
head
 on her stomach.  She reached over for the blanket on the back of the couch and 
laid it 
over both of them, drifting back into sleep a minute later. 

Mulder felt someone looking at him and he opened his eyes cautiously. During the 
night,
 they had switched positions and Scully was now looking up at him with her chin on 
his
 chest and a big smile on her face. He couldn't help but grin back, "why are you 
looking
 at me like that? What did I do now?"

Scully licked her lips, still smiling, "you forgot to feed me. And do you know what 
happens 
when I don't eat?"

 Mulder looked at her mystified, "what?"

Suddenly she grabbed his sides, tickling him mercilessly. He burst out laughing at her 
swiftness, then decided to retaliate. Mulder took his ice cold hands, shoved them 
under 
Scully's shirt and pressed them against the warm skin of her back. She let out a 
squeal that
 only made Mulder laugh harder and she sat up, trapping both of Mulder's legs under 
her. 
She narrowed her sparkling eyes at him, "this means war." With that said, Scully 
walloped 
him on the side of the head with the alien stuffed animal she had given him on April 
Fool's 
Day and had been sitting on the end table. 

Mulder put on his wild man face, "I love a good fight." He pulled the blanket up over 
Scully's
 head and wrapped his arms around the giggling mass, trapping her tightly. In his 
best
 Wicked Witch of the West voice, "I'm going to get you, my pretty, and your little dog 
too."

>From under the afghan came the muffled voice, "I don't have a dog remember, big 
ass 
alligator ate him."

Mulder stood up, picking up both the afghan and Scully, "then I'm just gonna have 
to get 
you then, huh my pretty."

"Not if I can help it." Before Mulder knew what happened, Scully had managed to 
slither 
out of her confines and slip to the floor, grabbing Mulder by the ankles.  Scully yelled 
"this
 day shall live in infamy," as she grabbed the legs of his pants and pulled down as 
hard 
as she could. 

For a brief second, Mulder stood in the middle of the living room in his boxers, 
stunned
 by what his partner had done. Scully was more shocked however, she hadn't 
thought the
 pants would actually come off,  and he took advantage of the situation. He swiftly
 stepped out of the sweatpants, grabbed Scully by the arms and in one fell swoop, 
swung her 
over his shoulder caveman style. "I love a worthy opponent. Any last words, my 
lady."

In a small helpless totally un-Scully female voice, "help, oh, help. I am in peril. Won't 
a 
strong handsome man come to my rescue. I am too weak to defend myself. Where, 
oh
 where, is my prince?" 

All this was said in a monotone and Mulder suddenly set her carefully down on the 
sofa.
 He bowed in front of her and began clapping, "very well done. I think I have to 
concede
 this battle to you."

Scully was amazed that he had given up so soon. Mulder  continued to clap and 
praise
 her. She looked at him, "well, I did learn from the best."

Out of the blue, Mulder pounced on her, poking her in the ribs "you should know by
 now that I never give in that easily." This sent her into gales of laughter, and the 
more 
she laughter, the more Mulder laughed. 

After a few moments, Scully began yelling, "uncle, uncle. I give up."

Mulder stopped his relentless barrage and sat up, raising his arms in the air and 
hollering, 
"victory is mine."

There was a sudden pounding on the wall behind the couch and an angry voice 
through the thin wall, "shut up. People are trying to sleep."

Scully looked up at Mulder, her eyes open wide. She whispered, "what time is it 
anyway?"

He leaned over Scully and picked up his watch from the table behind her head, "it's 
exactly
 4:26 in the morning." With that said, he collapsed on top of her, burying his face in 
her
 shoulder trying to conceal his  laughter. He could feel Scully shaking in a fit of 
giggles
 beneath him. He turned his head and whispered in her ear, "maybe we should hold 
it down 
to a dull roar."

Scully nodded her head, knowing if she opened her mouth to respond, a snort 
would emerge.
 If that happened, Mulder would lose what little control he had left. 

Mulder rolled off the couch and knelt next to Scully, "still hungry?"

Scully turned on her side with her face only inches from Mulder's, "famished beyond 
all 
comprehension. And you know what happens to me when I'm hungry."

Mulder jumped up and pulled Scully up beside him, "I don't think I'll ever forget. 
Now,
 what would you like to eat although at four in the morning, the options are severely 
limited.
 Either we go to the seedy diner around the corner or we make do with what's in the 
kitchen."

She took Mulder's hand and dragged him into the kitchen, "I'm feeling brave." She 
began opening cupboards and pulling out drawers, "if we could make a meal out of 
an
 old screwdriver, a thousand year old  piece of cheese and a book of matches, we'd 
be
 in business."

"If I were MacGyver, I could probably do it." He opened the refrigerator, "otherwise, 
how
 does a massive ham, bologna, tomato, lettuce and pickle sandwich sound to you?"

"Well, if you put the pickle on the side, it's sounds fabulous. I thought you didn't 
have any
 food in the house though."

"It's sometimes better not to question."  Mulder tossed the tomato at her, "here. Slice 
this while
 I hunt down the bread."

Five minutes later, both were back on the couch with the sandwiched on their laps 
and the jar
 of pickled between them. Scully took a bite and with tomato juice dribbling down 
her chin,
"you know Mulder, right now I could be home, in bed, sleeping peacefully. Instead 
I'm in 
your apartment eating pickles and being yelled at by the neighbors ..."

Mulder grinned and finished the thought for her, "and you wouldn't have it any other 
way."

"Exactly."

Scully finished her sandwich and went back into the kitchen, looking for something 
else to eat.
 She came back with a jar of peanut butter, some stale crackers, a half open bag of 
licorice
 and another ham sandwich. Sitting down beside Mulder again, she offered the 
crackers to him. 

"Where in the world did you find those?"

Scully, her mouth already full of peanut butter, mumbled, "behind an ancient box of 
Cheerios
 dated 1992."

Mulder took the crackers from her and spread a generous amount of the peanut 
butter of two
 of them, "I guess I really do need to clean more often."

Moving on to the sandwich, "if you had cleaned, I'd be starving."

He looked at her in awe, "where are you putting all that food? I'm still working on 
my first 
sandwich and the only thing you have left is the pickle juice."

Scully knocked on her thigh, "hollow leg. It's amazing what a person can fit in this 
thing."

Mulder had to laugh, "so if I ever got that peg leg of mine, we'd make a rather 
interesting couple
 wouldn't we?"

Scully offered him her last piece of licorice, "I think we make a pretty good couple 
already. 
Although I'd say we're more unique than interesting."

Mulder  took the piece of licorice and broke it in half. Offering some to Scully, "I 
propose a toast. 
To the most unique people we've ever met and to the only person I know who is 
willing to get 
in trouble with me at four in the morning."

"Also to the only person I know who would make a licorice toast, my best friend and 
occasional pain in the ass. Without him, the world would be an incredibly boring 
place."

"Without you, it would be incredibly lonely." 

Suddenly Scully leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I would miss you 
too." She
 piled the plates and the empty pickle jar on the coffee table, then swung her feet 
around, resting
 them on Mulder's lap. She laid her head on the pillow, then closed her eyes. 

Mulder stared at Scully for a moment, then, "move over, you're taking up all the 
room."
He slid down next to her, pulling the blanket behind him and fell asleep with his 
head nestled 
next to Scully's, his arm resting gently across her stomach.

He woke up slowly, feeling more warm and comfortable that he had in a long time.  
It took
 him a moment to realize that there was someone lying next to him. With a smile, 
Mulder 
opened his eyes and saw a cloud of red hair covering the pillow. She was pressed up 
against
 him with her feet tucked under his leg. He realized that his arm was wrapped tightly
 around her waist. Mulder shifted a little so his mouth was right next to her ear. He 
quietly
 began singing "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog", keeping the rhythm by softly drumming his 
fingers
 on her stomach.  He finished the first verse and was about to begin in on the 
chorus,

when a slightly muffled voice joined in, "joy to the world, all the boys and girls ..."

Scully was half awake when Mulder started singing in that off key voice of his. She 
decided to
 join in;  after all, she was the one who had taught him the song. They finished off 
the verses 
 and after the last word, Scully turned her head, "'morning Mulder."

Mulder reached over his head and picked up his watch off  the end table. He put it 
down and 

slid his arm back around Scully's waist, "afternoon Scully."

She sat up suddenly, nearly falling off the couch in the process, "afternoon? Are you 
kidding?"

Mulder pulled himself up next to her, "unless my watch has learned to lie, or the 
Earth shifted 
its axis, it's 11:52."

"Wow. I haven't slept that late in years."

Mulder ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand wildly on end, "it was because 
you were so close to me. By the way, your mom said we should be there around 
four."

"I guess that means I've got to get going. I want to take a shower before we go and
 brush my teeth. I can taste everything we had for ... whatever meal we ate at five
 this morning."

Mulder scrunched up one side of his face at her, "you up for makin' a deal?"

Scully mirrored the face back at him, "what kind of deal?"

"One where I get ready here, then we go to your place so you can get ready. Then 
we
 go to mom's for dinner."

"Fair enough," Scully paused for a moment, "did you know that you just called her 
mom?"

Mulder gave her a lopsided grin, "well, the way I see it; if she gets to call me Fox, I 
get to call her mom."

"I think she'd approve." Pulling him off the couch and shoving him toward the 
bathroom,
 "now, go take a shower."

Mulder turned around, "you know, there isn't any door. What's to prevent you from 
sneaking a peak at my rippling muscles in the shower?"

Scully picked up his pants and tossed them at his head, "you're just going to have to
 risk it, darlin'"

Clutching the clothes to his chest, "I can still dream, can't I?" He walked into the 
bathroom and a moment later, the boxers and socks followed the shirt and pants
 onto the pile outside the door. 

Scully stared for a moment, then made herself sit down. She had the sneaking 
suspicion
 that if she stayed on her feet, she'd end up following Mulder and adding her clothes
 to the pile. She flipped on the TV and hunted around until she found an old Abbott 
and Costello movie. After about twenty minutes, Mulder reappeared in the living
 room wearing a pair of jeans and a dark green cable-knit sweater. "Wow, getting
 decked out for mom. She may fall over dead in shock."

"Don't get too excited there, doc." Mulder lifted up the sweater to reveal a black t-
shirt
 with the Earth in a rocking chair being pushed by aliens. Underneath in neon green
 print, 'Aliens rock the world!!!'

Scully shook her head, "had to be a gift from Frohike."

Mulder nodded, "he gave it to me in commemoration of 50 years of Roswell."

"Interesting. Is there anything I should know about you and Frohike?"

"Just that he turned me down because he wants you," Mulder replied, batting his
 eyelashes and swinging his hips.

"I think we should go before this gets ugly," Scully said with a smirk. 

Mulder pulled on his shoes and coat, then held Scully's out to her. He opened the 
door
 and ushered her out into the hall, "lead on my lady."

They arrived at Scully's house awhile later. Mulder made himself comfortable on the 
couch 
while she went to get ready. He found a football game and watched until  half 
time, then  flipped to the  weather channel, "hey Scully, it's now 78 degrees in 
Rome. 
How 'bout we skip dinner and go Italian?"

Scully walked into the living room in her bathrobe, drying her dripping hair with a
 towel, "you buy the tickets, I'll pack."

"Don't tease me woman."

Scully laughed, "I'd love to go, believe me,  but if we don't show up for dinner, 
mom'll 
send out the hounds. Besides, you skip out on this, you'll never get another meal as
 long as you live."

Mulder grumbled, "if one Scully woman isn't controlling me, the other one is."

Scully raised an eyebrow at him, "well, somebody's got to."

"Oh, that's not a bad thing. I'd rather have you keeping me in line than anybody 
else."

She finished drying her hair and began to pull a comb through it, "I'll take that as a
 compliment. Hungry?"

Mulder nodded, "a little but I'll wait. When do you want to leave?"

"Well, we can leave anytime. We'll be somewhat early but it won't matter." Scully
 walked back to the bedroom, "do me a favor? Call mom and see if she wants me to
 bring anything?"

"Will do."  A few minutes later he hung up the phone, "nope. All she said we bring 
ourselves and a good appetite."

Scully reemerged from the bedroom wearing jeans and a soft gray wool sweater. 
She 
pulled up the bottom of the sweater to reveal a green t-shirt that  said, 'Kiss me, I'm 
armed.'"

Mulder burst out laughing, "where in the world did that come from?"

"Charlie sent it to me for Christmas last year along with an ornament that had FBI 
written on one side and Frequent Beer Ingestion on the other."

"I could learn to like this other brother of yours."

Scully pulled the sweater back down, "if he got home more often, I actually think 
you
 two just might hit it off. He's rather eccentric himself."

"Cool."

Scully finished tying her shoes, "ready to go?"

Mulder stood up and followed her out the door, locking it behind him, "of course."

"Why do I even ask?"

They arrived at her mom's house about an hour later. Getting out of the car, Scully
 stumbled and began laughing, hanging onto the door. Mulder came around to her 
side of the car with a concerned look on his face, "what's wrong?"

"My foot's asleep and it's hit that pins and needles part."

Suddenly Mulder grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over his shoulder, 
"we
 can't have you walking on that now,  can we?" He proceeded up the walk grinning 
with
 Scully's feet waving in the air. Mrs. Scully opened the door when they reached the 
patio.

"What have we got here?" she asked, smiling at the pair on her porch with a twinkle 
in her eye.

Mulder put on his serious face, "I found her on the side of the road. I assume she
 belongs to you although she's being very uncooperative."

"Why do you assume she belongs to me?" Mrs. Scully asked, thoroughly amused.

Mulder pretended to ponder for a moment, then with a smile, "she's too beautiful to
 be anybody's daughter but yours."

Suddenly a voice called from behind Mulder, "hi mom. How you doin'?"

"Fine honey, although it seems your in a little predicament of your own? You think
 he would let you go if I offered him dinner and a hug."

Mulder put Scully down gently in front of him, "an offer I can't refuse."

All three began laughing and Mrs. Scully gave Mulder his promised hug. She then
 kissed her daughter hello, "you know dear, you'd better keep him. He's one hell of
 a charmer."

Scully looked up at Mulder, "you're telling me."

They followed Mrs. Scully into the kitchen. Mulder made a beeline for the stove and
 immediately began lifting lids and sniffing the contents. Scully shook her head and
 grabbed Mulder by the ear, pulling him over to the table, "I can't take you anywhere
 can I?"

Mulder gave her a lopsided grin, "not when I'm hungry and surrounded by some of 
the
 best smells in the world." He turned to Mrs. Scully, "how come you're one step 
below world class chef and your daughter can't make toast?"

She laughed and handed Mulder a stack of plates and some silverware, "and how
 would you know she can't make toast?"

Mulder's cheeks turned red and he turned helplessly to Scully for help. He found her
 just as embarrased as himself  but with a twinge of a smile at the corners of her lips. 
Mulder looked over his shoulder at Mrs. Scully, winking at her, "wouldn't you like 
to know?" With that, he left both standing in the kitchen while he went to set the
 table in the dining room. 

Mrs. Scully looked at her daughter, "never let that boy go."

Scully put her arm around her mom's shoulder, "I don't think he's going anywhere. 
He 
is rather charming isn't he?"

On cue, Mulder's voice rang out from the other room, "Scully, what side do the forks 
go on?"

Scully cocked her head, then shook it, answering her own question, "most of the 
time 
anyway." She gave Mrs. Scully a quick hug, "I'm going to go rescue Mulder from the
 perils of proper dinnerware arrangement." 

After she left the room, Mrs. Scully smiled when she heard the exchanging banter. 
She 
was pretty certain that neither of them had ever thought of leaving each other again. 

When dinner was over, they lingered at the table, enjoying the view of the falling 
snow 
through the dining room window. Mulder turned to Mrs. Scully, a look of complete
 contentment on his face, "thank you again. I've forgotten how nice it is just to sit, 
relax,
 hang out with your best friend and her mom. My last really good friend was Josh
 Cunningham. We were fourteen  and we'd raid the refrigerator at three in the 
morning. 
His mom would come downstairs and she'd stay up the rest of the night with us, 
telling
 us stories, cracking jokes. We both worshipped her." He leaned forward and put his
 chin in his hands, caught in his long forgotten memory, "she knew how lonely it was 
at my house. She used to give me big glasses of ice tea or hot chocolate and tell me
 that I was welcome anytime, day or night. I slept at Josh's house a lot that year until 
one day, she was killed in a car accident and Josh had to go live with his dad in 
Phoenix.
 That's the last I saw of him."

Mulder was brought back to reality by a soft hand on his cheek and a familiar voice 
in
 his ear, "I'm no Josh Cunningham but I'd like to try."

He stood up and wrapped his arms around Scully, "you've already done more for 
me that
 you'll ever know." He gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead, "besides, you don't 
know
 anybody in Phoenix." Mulder let her go reluctantly and turned to Mrs. Scully, "she 
may
 not make toast but she makes a damn good cup on hot chocolate. Now if you don't 
mind,
 I think I'd like to make everybody some." With that he ducked into the kitchen. 

Mrs. Scully got up to show him where everything was but Scully put her hand out. In 
a 
low voice, "don't mom. Give him a minute to collect himself. The last thing he wants 
is for
 us to see him like this. Anyhow, he has a unique way of letting me known when he's 
ok."

>From the kitchen, Mulder's  voice called from the kitchen, "Scully, where's the 
chocolate?"

"How does he get along without you?"

Scully shook her head, eyes twinkling, "he does ... barely." She called back into the 
kitchen,
 "coming oh great Oxford graduate."

A holler from the kitchen brought Mrs. Scully charging through the door. She 
skidded to a
 stop when she saw cocoa powder all over Scully and Mulder, milk dripping off his 
head,
 pointing an accusative spoon in Scully's direction. "What in the name of God's green 
earth
 happened here?"

Mulder put on his best scowling look, "she called me an Oxford graduate." He 
wanted to say
 more but Scully cut him off,

"He called me a forensic pathologist with the FBI." With that said, Scully collapsed 
against
 the counter in a fit of giggles and Mulder doubled over with laughter. 

It was Mrs. Scully's turn, "I can't take EITHER of  you anywhere. Now, clean this up 
or 
nobody gets dessert."

The kitchen finally passed inspection and, "as a reward, dark chocolate/cherry 
cheesecake." 
She set it down in front of Scully and went to get a knife. 

Mulder leaned over and whispered in Scully's ear, "have you realized yet that you're 
drooling or do you just not care?"

She never took her eyes off the cake, "once you've had a piece of this cake, you 
wouldn't
 care much either."

Mrs. Scully came back holding the knife which Scully impatiently took out of her 
hands,
 cutting giant pieces for each of them. 

Mulder stared at her, "patience is a virtue, Scully."

"Mulder, the law of patience ceases to exist when you have a theory to follow up and 
I have 
cheesecake. It's as simple as that." With a twinkle in her eye, she glanced up at him, 
"besides, you know how I get when I'm hungry."

"And to think, people call me weird." He reached over and took the plate offered to 
him.
 Biting down, Mulder realized why Scully had been drooling. "This has got to be, by 
far,
 the best junk food known to man."

Twenty minutes later, the small cake was gone, Mulder having to share the last piece 
with Scully. He leaned over and rapped his knuckles on her thigh, "I think it's finally 
full. Who knew you could eat your weight in food in a day."

Scully threatened to stab his hand with her fork, "if you recall, peanut butter and 
pickles
 at four in the morning does not constitute actual food." Picking up the dishes, 
"besides, 
I'm going to need a lot of energy to wash these dishes. You should have ate more, 
considering you're going to by drying them."

Mulder stood up beside her, "feel like makin' another  deal?"

Scully squinted her eyes at him, "I'm feelin' lucky. Shoot."

"You dry, I'll wash, your mom sits in a chair and relaxes after cooking an exquisite 
meal."

Before she could answer, Mrs. Scully cut in, "deal." She looked over at her daughter, 
"sorry
 honey but one never passes on a chance to let someone else do the dishes."

Mulder carried the rest of the dishes into the kitchen and dumped them in the sink 
on top
 of the pots already there. He filled up the sink with hot water and soap, dunked his 
hands
 in and began cleaning. He didn't notice Scully's  mom disappear a few minutes later. 
They
 continued to wash and dry in comfortable silence until, "smile."

Mulder turned first and discovered Mrs. Scully in the doorway with a Polaroid 
camera. Quick
 as a flash he spun Scully around, grabbing her in a hug and planting soapsuds on 
her nose.
 Scully looked toward the door with a confused smile on her face and saw the 
camera a 
second too late. Mrs. Scully snapped the picture and hung it on the refrigerator 
before leaving 
the kitchen again, "sorry dear but I couldn't pass this one up."

 Scully immediately turned to Mulder, poking her finger into his chest, "you rotten 
scoundrel.
 You saw the camera."

Shrugging his shoulders and grinning, "so?"

"You at least had time to look somewhat normal. I look terrible in that picture."

Mulder put his head down, resting his forehead on hers, "you could be covered head 
to toe
 in tar and feathers and you'd still look beautiful."

"Both of you make me crazy. How come you can always charm your way out of any 
situation."

He moved his head a little so he could see into her eyes clearly, "it's not charm 
Scully,
 it's the truth."

She looked up at him, tears threatening to fall, and whispered softly, "thank you." 

He moved his hand up and brushed the bubbles off her nose, then wiped away the 
solitary
 tear that had escaped, "I should thank you. You're the beauty in my world." He 
paused for 
a second, "as well as my comfort, my protector and <to get the smile he adored 
from her>
 my occasional pillow." 

Scully gave him the smile as well as a quick hug, "we'd better finish the dishes." 
 She turned around, looking around the kitchen, "where'd mom go?"

"I'm going to take a wild stab at this but I think she may have left the room."

She swatted him with the dish towel, "if only all our cases were that easy."

Mulder bowed in front of her, "you ask the master, you get the answer."

"I give up. Just keep washing sir or we'll be here half the night."

"Master thinks that is a very good idea."

They wandered back into the living room twenty minutes later and found Mrs. Scully
 reading on the couch. "I was about to come look for you two. Thought maybe you'd 
slipped down the drain."

Mulder laid down on the floor in front of the fireplace, "after what I ate, I'll be 
to fit out the door."

Scully sat on the floor next to him. leaning against the chair, "don't get to 
comfortable.
 We'll have to go in a while."

Mulder turned around until he had his head resting on Scully's thigh and his feet 
pointed 
toward the fire, "Mrs. Scully, did you know your daughter makes a wonderful 
pillow?"

Mrs. Scully chuckled, "no, but if it works Fox, don't question it."

"Good advice," Mulder answered, turning on his side and closing his eyes. 

About a minute later, Mulder began to snore softly. Mrs. Scully observed in a quiet
 voice, "when he feels comfortable, he sure makes himself at home doesn't he?"

Scully rested her hand on his shoulder, "that's the thing.  He never sleeps much at 
his
 place but as soon as he comes to mine, he falls asleep almost anywhere. I guess you
 can't really call his house his home at all."

"From the look of things, his home is wherever you are."

She brushed his hair back so she could see him more clearly. The peaceful look on
 Mulder's face made her heart skip a beat, "you know mom, I don't think my home
 would be right without him either. You can't begin to imagine the times I've tripped
 over his size 12 shoes lying in the middle of the hallway. I have stocks of ice tea in
 the cupboard because of him. I find sunflower seed casings in my couch, my 
refrigerator
 is covered with case notes he hangs there. He never puts CD's back in the right 
cases,
 he rifles through my movies - laughing at half of them. He's even got his own coffee 
mug
 that he never washes. And you know the funny thing," Scully looked up with a 
thoughtful
 look on her face, "I can't think of a think that I would want changed. I actually get
 worried when he doesn't call me at two in the morning. I can honestly say that if I 
wasn't
 happier than
 I've ever been, I'd be as confused as hell."

Mrs. Scully came over and kissed her daughter gently on the forehead, "he is a 
rather 
lovable young man isn't he?"

Scully continued to run her fingers lightly over his face, "more that you can imagine."

They sat silently for a few minutes until Scully turned to her mom with a smile, "you 
can
 turn on the TV if you want, it won't bother him."

Mrs. Scully picked up the remote, "if you don't mind, there's an Alfred Hitchcock 
festival
 on AMC. I think 'North by Northwest' is on."

"Are you kidding? I love Cary Grant and James Mason."

She found the channel, "oh good, it's just starting."

Both settled in to watch with Mulder still snoring on the floor. About an hour into it
Mrs. Scully leaned over, "do you want some popcorn?"

Before Scully could respond, a sleepy voice came from her lap, "if it's dripping in 
butter 
and loaded with salt, I could go for some."

Mrs. Scully laughed, "I think I could manage that." 

After she had left the room, Scully looked down at Mulder's still sleepy eyes, "how 
long
 have you been awake?"

He sat up and moved next to her, "about ten minutes but I was too comfortable to 
actually
 think about moving. I just might have to make you my permanent headrest." He 
stretched,
 "the prospect of popcorn made me decide I had better speak up though."

Scully stood up, "as long as I don't have to sit on a cold floor, I think I could handle a 
job
 as headrest." She shivered and sat down on the couch, pulling the afghan around 
her, 
"I should have asked mom for this before but I didn't want to wake you up."

Mulder pulled himself onto the couch next to her, giving her a stern look, "if you 
were
cold, you should have woken me. I don't want to have to explain to Skinner why my 
partner
 has become a popsicle. Think about it, we'd have to take cases in warm climates so 
you
 wouldn't get cold, no more Arctic ice stations or Alaskan expeditions." He pondered 
this
 thought for a minute, then pointed to the floor, "back on that floor. We may be able 
to 
get that trip to Italy after all."

Scully offered half the afghan to Mulder who gratefully took it, "from now on I freeze
 for no man."

He pulled the afghan tightly around both of them, "then I guess I'll just have to keep 
you
 warm now won't I?"

Scully laid her head on Mulder's shoulder, "I should think so."

A minute later, Mrs. Scully came back with a heaping bowl of popcorn and found 
her
 daughter explaining the plot to Mulder. She handed Scully the bowl and sat down 
next
 to her, "I didn't miss anything did I?"

Mulder looked at Scully, his eyes smiling for him, "nope."

The movie finished about the same time the popcorn disappeared. Mulder stood up 
and
 pulled Scully up next to him, "we should really get going. The snow's going to slow 
us
 up a bit."

Mrs. Scully stood up and Mulder gave her an extra big hug, "thank you for 
everything. It
 was fabulous, the food, the company, everything. I'm glad you asked me to come."

"As I recall, I was just living up to my end of the bargain. Just remember, you can 
come by
 anytime. I like having you here, just promise me you'll both stay out of trouble and 
you
can have all the meals you want."

Mulder helped Scully on with her coat, "I think we can manage that, at least for 
little while."

Scully gave her mom a hug and a kiss goodbye, "Love you. I'll call you in a few 
days.
 Thanks again."

Her mom leaned over and whispered in her ear, "you know, you're rather lovable
 yourself." In a louder voice, "now you two be careful, it looks mighty slippery."

Both turned to wave on last time as they made their way carefully to the car. 

Ten minutes later, Mulder turned the car onto the freeway, "at least the roads aren't
 as bad here." He saw Scully's hands clenched and the knuckles turning white, 
knowing
 full well that he was lying to make her feel better. "Maybe we should go back?"

Scully unclenched her fists and peered through the window, "that would involve 
getting
 off the freeway, getting back on, then sliding though three intersections and the
 neighborhood. It'd probably be safer to stay here and go extra slow."

Mulder leaned forward in a vain attempt to see through the swirling snow, "how 
could
 it hit us this fast? It was only a few snowflakes when we left; now I'm lucky if I can
 find the car in front of me." He glanced over at Scully, "you're mom's going to be
 tearing her hair out. Ten to one you've got at least eight frantic messages from her 
when we finally get home."

Scully smiled a little at this, "I can just imaging what they'd say too. 'Dana, why
 didn't you turn around, I'm worried sick, I don't know if you're dead on the highway
 or not, why did you ever join the FBI, why can't you get along better with your 
brothers, Fox really is a nice boy isn't he, call me right now, why couldn't you have
 been a veterinarian like we said, Dana pick up the phone this instant young lady."

"Don't forget 'when are you going to settle down, get married and have me a 
truckload
 of grandchildren?'" He took a quick look at her and found her with her hand 
covering
 her mouth. Mulder gave her his patent half cocked grin, "am I wrong?"

Despite her best efforts, a snort escaped from between Scully's fingers and this undid 
her completely. She put her head back in the seat and laughed until she was gasping
 for breathe. In between gulps of air, "no ...yet again, you have managed to read
 my mother perfectly." After calming herself down a little, "you're rather spooky
 you know that?"

Still staring forward, he stuck his tongue out at her. Then, in a more serious voice, 
"you're not exactly un-spooky either. Although I would have the name tattooed on
 my forehead if I could figure out how to call up Scotty and have us beamed home."

They drove on in silence for the next half hour, the snow falling faster and Mulder's
 grip on the steering wheel getting tighter. He breathed a sigh of relief a moment
 later and pointed out to Scully the sign for their exit ramp. Even though she only
 lived five minutes from the freeway, it was another half hour until they reached
 the apartment. Mulder eased the car up to the curb, turned off the ignition and 
just sat for a moment, grateful not to have slipped into a ditch like so many cars
 they had just passed. He felt Scully's hand on his arm and turned to see the lines 
of tension gone from her face. She buttoned up her coat and looked at Mulder, 
"feel like makin' a deal?"

Mulder thought to himself <she's getting way too much like me> but all he said
 out loud was, "depends on the deal?"

"How 'bout you stay on my couch tonight?"

Mulder raised an eyebrow in her direction, "what do you get out of this little deal?"

She regarded him with serious blue eyes, "I'll know that you're safe in my living 
room and not dead somewhere." 

Mulder winked at her, "why, can't fit a funeral into your busy schedule. I'd expect
 you to make the time and to show up dressed in black, looking gorgeous as
 usual, perfectly willing to off yourself because you couldn't live without me."

A look of pure terror flashed in Scully's eyes and Mulder instantly regretted ever
 opening his mouth. He reached up his hand and lightly cupped her chin, "I'll
 stay if you'll smile for me." 

Scully gave him a small wavering smile but her eyes still betrayed the thoughts
 racing in her mind, "come on Romeo, your couch awaits." She opened the door
 and began slogging her way to the door through the snow drifts. Mulder fell into 
step behind her, holding onto the back of her coat so neither of them would
 get blown away. She managed to open the door despite the hair that kept flying
 into her eyes and Mulder slammed the door shut behind him, trying to keep as
 much of the cold out as he could. They made their way to the door of Scully's
 apartment but Mulder stopped her with his hand as she started to turn
 the doorknob,

"I didn't mean to scare you. Honest. I would never think about trying to get 
home in this," then with a twinkle in his eye that, "besides, the walls are thick
 enough here not to have to worry about neighbors. We can hoot and holler
 as loud as we want." That remark got him a swat on the arm but also 
coveted smile he was waiting for, telling him he was forgiven.

Scully then let them both into the living room and Mulder immediately kicked 
his shoes off as he made his way down the hallway to the bathroom. She stared
 at the shoes for a moment, a warm feeling spreading over her body, suddenly
 irrationally happy that it was terrible weather outside. 

Mulder emerged a minute later to find Scully still standing in the doorway
 with a silly grin on her face.  He walked over to her and got her attention, 
"plotting some insidious revenge against me?"

Scully shook her head, still smiling, "no, why do you ask?"

"Because you're grinning like the Cheshire cat."

Scully took off her coat, sitting  down on the couch to remove her shoes, "I was
 just thinking about what there was to eat." She got back up and made her way
 into the kitchen.

Mulder followed her, "that was no food smile. What are you concocting in the
 twisted little mind of yours?"

She found some left over pot roast and handed it to Mulder, "one - you're right, it
 wasn't a food smile, two - remember, size doesn't count, at least  when one is
 speaking of the brain and three - never ask a girl what she's thinking when
 she has a smile like that on her face." 

Scully walked back out of the room, leaving Mulder to heat up the food. He
 returned a couple of minutes later with two steaming platefuls and absolutely
 no idea what made his partner tick sometimes; he only knew that he would
 rather be here with her that anyplace else. 

Both began yawning as soon as they sat down. Scully put her empty plate
 on the table and disappeared into her bedroom, coming back with a down 
comforter and another pillow. She set them on the end of the couch, "here
 you go." Letting out a yawn that nearly split her head in two, "I'm going to 
bed. Do you need anything else?"

Mulder picked up both plated and deposited them in the sink. Coming back
 into the living room, "just a question. Is it all right if I get rid of these pants? 
I hate sleeping in them."

Scully could see the blush creeping up his face. She didn't want to embarrass
 him further but she couldn't resist, "you are going to leave the boxers on right?"

Now Mulder's face was the color of a tomato, and he couldn't help 
stammering his answer, "of course."

She stood there shaking her head, "that's the second proposition you've passed
 up in two days." Scully was happy to see Mulder's mouth drop open, "just
 trying to keep you on your toes Mulder. Good night." She walked into her
 bedroom and closed the door behind her.

He knocked on her door and when she opened it, Mulder  handed her his jeans, 
"you're good, damn good." He turned and walked down the hallway, leaving
 Scully slack jawed. Mulder turned around before he switched off the light,
 "but I'm still better. Good night Scully." He turned off the light with Scully's 
laughter ringing in his ears, a warm feeling in his heart because the red-head
 <his red-head> in the next room had asked him to stay.

He woke to see Scully sitting on the end of the couch, dressed in black and
 crying silently. He tried to sit up, wanting to comfort her but at the same
 time wanting to demand what was going on. Before he was able to, Scully
 looked across the room and Mulder's eyes instinctively followed. Where
 the kitchen table should be stood a white cross  sprayed with blood. Underneath
 the cross stood a row of stones, which Mulder recognized immediately as
 tombstones. He walked over to them, dropping to his knees, tracing his finger 
over the names slowly: William Mulder, William Scully, Melissa Scully and
 a fourth which made his stomach turn - Dana Katherine Scully. It was this feeling
 that made him realize the agony of the memories that had resurfaced for Scully
 tonight, memories  which he had unknowingly reawakened. How many times
 had he caused her this pain? Too many times to count, he though bitterly. His
 sudden anger was checked when he caught a glimpse of something hanging 
on the cross. Standing up, Mulder realized it was Scully's gold cross. 
it gently, he held it, letting the light catch the brilliance of the gold. 

Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm and an achingly familiar voice in his ear,
 "look closely Mulder."

He spun around to discover no one behind him. Mulder noticed that Scully was
 not on the end of the couch anymore. Confused about what he was told to do,
 he turned back around. The white cross was gone, along with all the headstones
 but one. Looking down, he wasn't  able to get more that a quick glimpse of
 the last hated stone. In the back of his mind, he found what he was looking
 for but before it could register, Mulder bolted up from the couch. 

"Holy shit," he muttered under his breath. Reaching up, Mulder wiped the sheen
 of sweat from his forehead. Glancing around at the comfortably familiar setting,
 he had the sudden and overwhelming urge to make sure Scully was ok. He
 walked quietly to the bedroom and made his way over to the bed. 

Buried beneath the bedspread, curled up on her side, he found Scully with a 
slight smile on her face. Relief flooded through him and impulsively he leaned
 down, kissing her on the forehead. Mulder made his way back to the living room
 in silence. Looking at the couch, he knew that he was done with sleep for the
 night. Instead, he sat down at Scully's computer, hoping maybe she had at least
 one game on it he could occupy his time with. 

After twenty minutes, Mulder had given up all hope of finding anything more that 
autopsy reports and summaries. About to resort to late night television, a folder 
caught his attention, one that wasn't labeled. It sat at the bottom of the screen,
 patiently waiting to be opened. It wouldn't have got his attention at all except that it
 wasn't labeled, all the rest of Scully's files were neatly called by their full names
 or case numbers. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it up. 

Once opened, Mulder didn't find the usual case he expected but a series of poems.
 He scrolled through them, recognizing the authors. He chuckled to himself, 
Scully was a romantic - although she would probably never admit it. He continued
 down, reading a few here and there, until he came to a solid line. Underneath
 were more poems but these didn't have the author's name. He began reading:

I live in fear of the person behind me
Not knowing what he'll do next
will he pass me by without a glance
Or will he stay behind, matching my steps
I often wonder about what I cannot see
I begin to question what will happen to me.
When someone walks behind in your shadow
how do you know he's not following you.
Waiting until no one is around
Grab you from behind without a sound
We've been raised not to trust anyone, anywhere
and who's to say anyone will care
Or they may care but not want to involve
themselves in something they cannot solve.
(They think it's better to protect yourself than aide others
 Just ignore the fact that God said help your brothers)
I live in fear of the person behind

Mulder stared at the screen for a moment. Could Scully have possibly written this?
 He shook his head in wonder. It described both their lives perfectly. It had become
 common place to be suspicious of everyone but each other. He continued to read,
 still mystified:

Just to hold your hand
To look into your eyes
To hear the beating of your heart
	and know that you are mine
I often see you in my dreams
	and protect all that you are
You're one thing in the world to me
	I love with all my heart

By now Mulder knew he should stop reading but he couldn't help himself. If Scully
 had written these, could they possibly be meant for him?  The one thing in the
 world he wanted most was for her to be safe, to protect her from the evil that
 constantly surrounded them:

In my dreams I see him
	being my friend and more
Only there does he love me 
	the way I want him to
Maybe one day my dream
	will come true
And he'll sit by my side
	and love me forever, too.

He thought of all the times he had dreamt about his best friend. He always
 woke up happy after dreams like that:

Across the table he sits
	and he holds my world in his hands
He has the power to destroy it
But he also has the power to restore it
And I know from the bottom of my heart
	He'll only take and adore it.

All those diners they sat in, across from each other, pouring over cases and 
clues. A warm feeling began to spread through his body as he thought of how
 true this was for both of them. Scully could have reported him, effectively
 destroying him years ago, just like Mulder could have blown her off from the
 beginning. Until now, he thought his feelings of adoration had been one-sided:

Cradle me gently
Don't let me fall
Save me, release me
Please hear me call
Your name from beyond
And right along side
Your body, your soul
Will always be mine.

How many times had she held him, helped him through his pain. She saved him
 from the enemy but more importantly, she saved him from himself. Scully was
 more than his savior, she was also the keeper of his soul - without her, he 
wouldn't be whole:

It's better to go out with a fight
	than to just fade away
Shoved in a closet
	or just tossed astray
To be forgotten about
	is the worst in the world
To give up on life
	is a thing not understood
Fight with your might
Be noticed by all
	As someone who fought
		for the glory of her fall!!!

With tears in his eyes, he thought back to those awful days when Scully, his
 Scully, was dying. She had refused to slow down; to be lost in a shuffle of 
paperwork and a maze of hospital corridors. He had never imagined someone
 so small would put up such a fight - she simply refused to give up on the
 life she had fought so hard to gain:

The future's not set, as some would believe,
Anything is possible and dreams are for free.
Whatever you can imagine is within your grasp
Just reach out and touch it, it's yours to the last
You can change anything you set your mind to
Your mind conceived an idea and made it come true
Never give up your dreams if you can
The world would crumble if we followed a plan
Go after your dreams with vim and with vigor
Because then you'll do things you'd never consider

Regardless of what Scully believed, she always told him not to give up on his
 ultimate goal. Together they had discovered that the future could be changed,
 as long as they both kept hoping. He had his family taken away, his life
 threatened, his entire belief system shaking to the point of crumbling but <with
 a smile on his face> they hadn't been able to take away the one thing that was
 most important to him, his red - headed soul mate and confidant:

Above, below, beneath, between
	I love you more 
		for the things unseen
The flash of your smile,
	your soft embrace
The soft gentle curve and line of your face
Your quick wit, your humor, your charm and your grace 
But your greatest quality which rises above:
Your great endearing capacity of love

He had never thought would be able to love someone as he loved Scully. 
Everything he had ever loved had been taken away, and with the exception 
of Scully, never returned. Somehow she had worked her way through the
 layers to find the true core of her partner. He tried to turn off those emotions 
because they hurt him too much but Scully found her way into his heart and
 loved him anyway:

Passion and fire fill up the soul
Seeping through cracks in order to show
Voidless emotion bursting within
Windowless world, less is a sin
Callous and cold, heart full of fire
Passion embraces an endless desire
Twisting and seething, the faith is in needing
The heart reveals that the love is believing

On the outside, Scully was a scientific minded, somewhat rigid law abiding
 professional but inside, as Mulder had recognized years ago, she was a person
 who ached to love and be loved. He caught precious glimpsed of this vulnerability, 
especially when she was tired. She would edge closer to him, needing to feel
 him safe next to her and he never refused her warm embrace. It made his world
 sane for a moment and he cherished those times:

Shh . . . the wind whistles in the trees
Shh . . . the grass mumbles in the breeze
The waves are crashing on the rocks below
Shh . . . the moon seems to tell the stars
Shh . . . the clouds rush by without a sound
The waves are crashing on the rocks below
Shh . . . the birds' whisper from their nest
Shh . . . the house creaks from its rest
The waves are crashing on the rocks below
A child dies and the world's mourn
The sun reveals the heaven's torn

Looking at the date (the only entry that had one) he realized it was written
 shortly after they had come back from San Diego. He thought sadly of the 
child who was, for a brief time, Scully's little girl. He thought he had been
 protecting her from the awful truth but in the end, he only caused her more
 pain. He'd never forget the day they came home. She gave Mulder one of the
 saddest smiles he had ever seen, then gave him a coveted hug. He held her,
 realizing she was crying on his shoulder:

Come to me and share the truth
	Love is eternal
	Love must come first
Follow your heart, follow to me
	Love is all ours
	Love we can see
Feel the caress, the warm heart, the touch
	Wanting to be
	Feeling so much
Open your heart and let it be done
	In mind and in soul
	My heart you have won

She had won his heart the moment she walked into that dark cavern they 
called an office. He should have followed his heart long ago but stubborn
 foolishness had dictated his action. He had always been dashing off to
 hole-in-the-wall places, searching for what he had come to believe was the
 truth. Little did he realize up until now that the truth was always with him, 
always bringing him back - bruised but willing to try again. He had the truth
 of his love for Scully, nothing could ever deprive him of that.

In a sudden flash, Mulder realized what he had to look closely for. He saw an
 image of the tombstone in his head, only this time he had time to read the
 message thoroughly. In the dream, he had never gotten past the name
 - now he read the quote "beloved daughter, friend and wife.  Those we love
 never truly die." Underneath that, "Truth can be found in the heart."  

Mulder whispered to himself, "Bruckman really was right, she won't 
because I've got her in my heart."  To confirm one last suspicion, he looked
 at the dates under the name and smiled when he saw her date of birth but not
 the date of her death. The image slowly faded, forever tucked away in his memory. 

He quickly found a piece of paper and began writing. An hour later, he quietly
 laid the paper on Scully's pillow, gave her another kiss and went back to the
 living room. He laid back down, hoping he'd have the patience to wait until 
morning.

Scully woke around six-thirty,  stretching her tiny frame underneath the covers.
 Something rustled beside her. She reached over and picked up the piece of paper
 Mulder had place there a few hours before:

Dear Scully, 

How could I have ever waited this long to tell you these things? For the first time
 in my life, I can see through the muddled haze that I consider my world. You're
 standing in front of me and all I know is that I want you next to me. You are
 my soul, my life and my love; I'm sorry it took five years to say but it took only 
a second to realize. Just promise me we'll be together for eighty or ninety  years.

I saw you last night
Asleep in your bed 
A smile on your lips
Your hand at your side
Inviting me in
To hold you so close
To never let you go
To love you forever 
As only I know
	I saw you last night
	Asleep in your bed


Awake in sleep, real in dreams
Eyes kept closed but soul open wide
Displaying affection hidden inside
Feeling it deep but disguising its power
Wrenching, caressing, the heart tells the hour
The fire inside is the living proof 
Ask the question and discover the truth


As the years go by;
	I think of you more each day
		at what we had together
		and what we almost lost
because of our foolish ways

We were too scared to try; too frightened to admit
	that our love for each other was more than friendship

As the years go by;
	I often think of you
		looking at me as you often do
		with a gaze of sweet surprise
I'll be forever in your eyes

As the years go by


I wanted to tell you this at two-thirty this morning but I didn't have the heart 
to wake you.

I love you, 
Me (the poor heart sick slob on the couch in your living room. Come find me 
before I go nuts.)

Scully stared dumb-struck at the piece of paper in her hand. She got up and
 walked slowly out into the living room. Mulder was laying on the couch
 sleeping, with a serene look on his face. She silently knelt down in front on
 him, staring at him intently. A moment passed, then Scully reached up and
 gently began to stroke his forehead to wake him up. Mulder's eyes opened
 suddenly and he sat up slowly, not saying a word. At this point he thought
 that maybe he was dreaming again, then he heard the phrase they had both
 been waiting to hear for years, "I love you too." He leaned over and took possession
 of her lips with a kiss that had been five years in the making. Mulder let her go
 a minute later and discovered Scully staring intently at him with serious blue
 eyes, "are you trying to proposition me again?"

Mulder's eyes began twinkling and Scully couldn't help but smile, "damn straight, 
I'm propositioning. I refuse to ever let  the opportunity pass again."

"Then you had better kiss me quick. Remember I'm armed and have a t-shirt
 to prove it."

Mulder grabbed her around the waist, planting a giant kiss on the side of her neck,
 "well, my dear, I plan on doing a lot more than just kissing you."

As she began to tug at the bottom of Mulder's shirt, "I could learn to love
 Monday mornings."

One last comment:
-Here in Michigan, twenty-two degrees in February is considered balmy (first 
paragraph)
-Sorry about the lines that keep appearing, my computer hates me...
-ac4320@wayne.edu