Please enjoy this story that takes place directly after Fresh ( /s/8399451/1/Fresh) -Put this behind the fancfiction url.


Prologue

Arcadia, Indiana

September 22nd

8:17am

When Scully awoke the next morning, she was far sorer than she had been the evening before. Her head ached and her muscles complained as she turned over in the hotel bed. The warmth behind her, Mulder's arm draped over her, and his sleeping face all reminded her of the events of the previous night and day. It was a relief that Bernard Tribbet had not been her first thought. Had she been in her own room, attempted to sleep, and not knocked on Mulder's door last night, Tribbet would have certainly been swimming in her head as well as in her dreams.

As it had turned out, however, Mulder's kiss was what her mind focused on as it roused from a dreamless sleep. The intense emotional event clouded out even the worst possible memories of her abduction at Tribbet's hands.

As she stirred, Mulder's hazel eyes drifted open and blue and hazel met. Both agents smiled at the other. Unwilling to allow a night's sleep to let their better senses come over them and go all professional again, Mulder propped himself up, leaned in, and kissed Scully gently. She relaxed against his kiss, lying back down on the lush pillow. He would not go further, he decided. It was far too soon after a traumatic event and they both needed less excitement for a time. That didn't stop him from wanting it, however and he forced himself to pull away from the kiss in order to keep control.

Scully's breath came short as Mulder pulled away and her blood heated in waves. Sitting up, her aroused state was rudely interrupted by a sharp pain that traveled from her head and down her spine. She groaned, touching her head gingerly.

"Aspirin?" Mulder offered, knowing what ailed her. From her statement he knew that Tribbet had dealt a blow to her head with her own gun. His own head fared no better with Tribbet and a baseball bat. She nodded and he stretched all the while pulling himself out of bed. Pulling out a bottle of pills from his overnight bag, he ran the tap and offered her a cup of water. They both took the aspirin and lay back down.

Scully closed her eyes again, but Mulder, now wide awake ran through the events of the past twenty four hours in his head. One day ago, he had thought Scully was dead, had found what he believed to be her body on the floor of her hotel room. The memory made him unconsciously reach out and touch Scully, as if to assure himself that she was still here and his rescue was not simply wishful thinking in the midst of his grief.

She opened her eyes at his touch and turned toward him, "Mulder, what is it?"

He realized then that his eyes were full of tears as one dropped on Scully's collar bone. Mulder just shook his head with a smile, unable to voice what had been going through his mind. Scully's head tilted to one side, still prompting him to explain his sudden emotion.

"I uh, there was a lot left undone, and now it's like I was given a second chance." He tried, hoping that it made sense to her. To his relief, she nodded and Mulder placed the tenderest of kisses on her forehead. Her hands came up to stroke his cheeks, but of their sore bodies demanded more rest. Scully pulled the pillow beneath her afflicted head and was soon asleep again. Mulder took longer, his hands running down the soft skin of her arm as he watched her sleep until weariness overtook him as well. No one bothered them and even Skinner allowed them to sleep until they would emerge themselves.