Monica always stayed in contact with Scully during cases. After William was born, Scully had gone back to teaching at Quantico, deciding that the F.B.I. was too risky with a young son at home. Even so, she was glad to provide scientific insight if Monica and Agent Doggett where on a case. The typical routine ended with Monica showing up at Scully's apartment when she got back from the case and debriefing her friend on whatever had happened. No matter how serious the details of the case, the two of them usually ended up trading random stories over a glass of wine to relax. After a year of this, Scully had learned to simply leave her spare key under the doormat for Monica, in the event that she arrived at an inconvenient time. In the event that Scully was asleep when Monica entered the apartment, the brunette would check on her quickly, then leave her to sleep and return in the morning. One particular night, that seemed to be how the routine would turn out, but it wasn't.
Scully was asleep when Monica got there, but it didn't last long. As soon as the door was opened, a loud cry could be heard from the apartment, and the cry wasn't William's. Upon hearing it, Monica's heart began to race as she sprinted to the bedroom. Had she developed feelings for Scully over the past year? Yes, she had, and the idea that Scully could possibly be in danger sent her into a frenzy.
She entered the room to see the redhead curled up tightly underneath the blankets, her face buried in a pillow. There was no one else in the room, no immediate signs of danger. Monica was confused for a moment, seeing no signs that the cry had come from the smaller woman. As she got closer, however, she could see Scully shaking beneath the covers.
"Dana…?" Monica said softly, going to Scully's side of the bed to check on her. Even with the intention to comfort her, she would never dare to get into bed with Scully without her permission. When there was no response other than sudden fearful movements, Monica determined that Scully was still asleep, having not yet escaped her nightmare. Monica knelt beside the bed and placed a gentle hand on Scully's arm. She felt the shaking suddenly stopped, now replaced by a tense stillness, as if Scully was halfway between sleep and full wakefulness. Before Monica could say more, Scully shifted and curled up even tighter, clutching her pillow as though it was a life raft.
"Don't… you can't…" the sleeping woman murmured, tears in her eyes.
"Dana, wake up, you're safe at home. William is safe. You're not alone, Dana, I'm right here." Monica always tried a gentler approach first, hoping to make the terror go away without having to wake the poor woman up. It often worked, but this time was different. Scully seemed stuck in her nightmare.
"Don't take him… Where…? No! No, let go of me!" Scully said, her words beginning as a murmur before she shouted at the end. Monica reached over to touch her, this time shaking her arm more forcefully.
"Dana, wake up! Dana, listen to me, it's just a dream and you need to wake up!" She said, louder than before. It didn't help that Scully was a heavy sleeper these days, meaning that Monica had to use a harsher and louder tone of voice than she would have preferred. There was a sudden gasp and Scully's eyes snapped open. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness rather quickly and focused on Monica's silhouetted figure next to her.
"Monica…?" She whispered before shutting her eyes tightly and dissolving into quiet sobs. Monica stood and tried to hug her, an action that was reasonably awkward with Scully in bed and Monica still half standing on the floor. Without saying anything, Scully moved over to make room for Monica. The brunette carefully climbed onto the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around Scully's shoulders to comfort her. She rubbed her back gently, comforting her as she cried.
It was half an hour before Scully finally calmed down, her head resting gently on Monica's shoulder.
"You got back later than you said you would…" She whispered, trying to divert the attention from what had just happened.
"The flight got delayed…" Monica sighed. "You had another nightmare tonight, didn't you?"
"Yes… It was like two in one this time, it was… horrible." Scully said softly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Scully shook her head. Monica remained silent, not wanting to press her too much.
"Do you want to try and get some sleep?" Monica asked after several long moments.
"Will you stay…?" Scully asked softly. The nightmares that plagued her made her more restless, and it seemed that Monica's presence was the only thing that could calm her.
"I'll stay as long as you want me too, Dana…"
Scully nodded and looked up at her friend for a moment before returning her cheek to it's place on Monica's chest. Her last thoughts before she dozed off consisted of the feeling of Monica's lips gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head and wondering if- and possibly hoping that- it could possibly mean something more than a friendly comforting kiss. It was a topic to be discussed in the morning.
