Disclaimer: They are not mine. I never owned them, or stock in them, or action figures in them. I do not personally know someone who owns them, nor have I even shaken hands with someone of that caliber. I make no money off of this. If anything, I spend money expanding my hard drive so I have room for all the stories that my coffee-addled mind spits out.

Spoilers: Season 6. I really need to pretend that season and Diana never happened. It really takes up a lot of my time.

A/N: I just found this. I must have been peeved when I wrote it. Or maybe I was coming off that nasty 15 page paper in Dev. Psych and I wanted to kill the world. I don't remember when I wrote this... but I am glad I did. And yes, it does follow the "Diana splits them up" story line. Live and learn, ladies and germs.

September 1

She was ready to claw his eyes out. It was one ditch too many, landing him in the hospital. And Diana Fowley had been involved. Things were not shaping up well for her partner. He was back at work today, cocky and arrogant, and feeling mighty proud of himself. Getting injured had been for naught, as they hadn't even found what they were searching for. Scully was not above believing that Diana had somehow benefited from the escapade.

"Scully? Hello?" Mulder said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What?"

"I just asked you a question."

"Well, I wasn't paying attention."

"You haven't been paying attention to me all day."

"What do you want?" she yelled, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Whoa, why are you mad at me?"

"Who said I was mad at you?"

"Your voice just did. What did I do?"

"It doesn't matter, Mulder."

"If it's making you yell at me, then yes, it does matter."

"It's never mattered before, it's not going to matter now. Let's drop it."

"No way. You've never yelled at me like this before. Something is really wrong and I want to fix it."

"It's not worth it to hash it all out. We've done it before, nothing changed, so let's just learn to deal with it and move on."

"But Scully, we're partners. We have to make this work."

"We're not partners, Mulder. I don't know when you talked yourself into believing that, but we haven't been partners in a long time."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're my boss, Mulder. Being partners implies equality. I am completely beneath you, doing exactly what you want me to do when you want me to do it, telling you what you want to hear and taking your side at the risk of everything else in my life. You only pay attention to what I want and need long enough to persuade me to stick around. And when I'm not good enough, you ditch me. You don't care about me, no matter how much you have lied and told me that you do."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes I am! You've been lying to me for a long time. "Oh Scully, I trust you, you're the only one I trust, you're my one in five billion." That was just crap. Who says stuff like that? No body unless they're manipulating someone. The only way you would ever place your complete trust in me is if I was Diana. She is the only one you trust."

"Well, you obviously don't trust me!"

"When have you given me reason to?"

"Look, as long as we're being honest, let me just tell you what I think of you. You're closed minded and judgmental and weak. You pretend that you're strong and can handle anything, but the time comes when you can't and your emotions screw up the case. You're out to prove that you can make it in a man's world and you do it at the cost of a case. You never want to hear any other idea than your own. You're dependent on what I think of you and you constantly seek my approval. You expect me to trust you implicitly, but would never give me your complete trust no matter what I did. You close yourself off to everyone around you, never letting anyone in. It's no wonder you haven't had a date in years. It is true what they say about you. You are an ice queen."

His words stung, but she refused to cry. It wasn't worth it. This whole relationship, this job. None of it was worth it anymore.

"I'm going home."

"You can't."

"I'm leaving," she said, quite emphatically as she took her jacket off the rack. "You're going to sit there and you're going to let me go."

"This fight isn't over."

"I think we've both said enough to last us for a while," she said quickly as she turned and headed out the door.

Mulder walked back over to his desk and slammed his fist into it as hard as he could. He shouldn't have said that. He knew that those were the things that would hurt her the most. How could he be so stupid? He was a jerk a lot of the time, and not the greatest partner in the history of the world. He deserved what she had said. She didn't deserve any of it. He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number quickly. She red buttoned him. He groaned and dialed again, getting her voicemail.

"I know you're ignoring me and you have every right to, but don't stay mad too long. We need to talk about this. You're my partner, no matter what you think. Scully, I am not going to apologize over the phone. Call me back."

He looked at the clock and decided to give her an hour head start before tracking her down.

Scully was just finishing the dishes when someone knocked on her door. She knew who it was, but she answered anyway.

"Mulder, I think you need to go home."

"No, we need to work this out."

"We don't. There's nothing more to talk about. I don't even want to look at you right now, much less spend hours talking to you, so let's just leave it alone."

"Scully, don't be dumb."

"I'm not. This is the first time I've been smart. You need to leave right now."

"Let me in."

"I can't. I'm sorry," she said softly, closing the door. He pushed against it from his side and walked into the middle of her living room.

"I'm staying here."

"Fine. I'm going to bed."

"Scully-"

She stopped halfway to her room and turned around, her eyes spitting fire.

"Mulder, I want you to get out and I don't ever want you to come back."

"What?" he whispered.

"You heard what I said. Please get out." She was on the verge of tears now.

"I can't do that to you or to me," he said as she began to walk away. He followed her and grabbed her shoulder, hoping to restrain her. The right fist to his jaw caught him off guard. She didn't hit him that hard, but it was enough to startle him. When he finally figured out what was going on, she was already in her room, curled up in bed.

"Scully."

"Mulder, if you have ever had any care or respect for me, you'll leave now."

"Why?"

"Because. I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

She sat up slowly, resigning herself to the fact that they were going to do this now.

"Mulder, we can't work together anymore."

"Why?"

"Because we just… we just can't."

"Just because you're mad at me-"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you finally told me how you feel about me. Unfortunately, what I know now makes it impossible for us to work together anymore. I'm going to request reassignment from Skinner in the morning. You'll be able to get a different partner and then maybe we'll both be happier."

"I don't want a different partner," he said as his eyes threatened to tear. "I only want you."

"I don't want you," she said softly, shaking her head.

He left the apartment.

Scully was quiet for a long time, looking at the spot of carpet where he had been standing. She wasn't sure she had meant what she said.

A/NII: I love a good spirited fight, but Golly!