Disclaimer: The X-Files was created and therefore is owned by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting. I am using these characters without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. I also do not own any of Sarah McLachlan's songs, unfortunately.
Summary: After the events of the Truth, Scully and Mulder figure out what happens next.
Title: As the End Draws Near
Author: AllyBallyBee
Classification: PG
Keywords: MSR, UST
Spoilers: Not really anything although seeing The Truth would definitely help to understand a bit more.
A/N: This is taken from some inspiration I got whilst listening to Sarah McLachlan's song 'As the end draws near' when I suddenly thought 'oh, that fits them perfectly!'. Just a little drabble; inevitably angsty because, well, it's me! There might be more of these by the way. Sarah McLachlan really works well with my angst-y version of the story that is Mulder and Scully.
Timing of this is just before they end up in the motel room at the end of 'The Truth'.
For Kaylee for being so supportive.
They stood on the cliff, over-looking the valley below. Inches away from each other, separated by all the time that they had spent apart; separated by that which they had not spoken of yet.
***
Finally, the truth. It felt like it should have been more profound; more overwhelming. They shouldn't be able to stand here like this, motionless, lost in the sunset. And yet, here they stood, silent, baffled by the beauty of the sun descending towards the horizon. They had searched so long for the mystery behind the stars that they seldom took the time to just watch; spent too much time running to stand and just...be still.
"What do we do now, Mulder? Where do we go?" she almost whispered, not wishing to break the silence.
"Honestly, I don't know. I've known this truth for a long time Scully, I thought that you would never have to know"
"But I do know now, Mulder. I fought for all of these things as hard as you did. Maybe harder in some ways." She turned her head away from him, crossing her arms across her chest; protective, striving to keep the hurt for William from her voice. "I'm asking you what happens to us, to this truth that we've fought so hard for all these years."
"We can't go back, you know that. They'll come looking for us. We have to..." he sighed, turning his body towards her. His eyes remained at her feet, "we have to run. If we go back, we're putting others in danger...it's not just us anymore. Doggett and Reyes, it's them now as well."
"I never thought we could go back, Mulder. I know that, knew that." She turned towards him and grasped his fingers, their age-old symbol of trust, comfort. "I meant us." She motioned her finger between the two of them. "What happens now to us? So much has happened this past year...to both of us. William...you leaving...losing him..." Her sob escaped, seeming to come from her very soul. Once again, she turned towards the horizon, controlling herself, reigning in her emotions. She had spent so much of the past year trying to keep her emotions at bay, shutting out Doggett, shutting out the world, that the freedom that she had once shared with Mulder hadn't been easy to regain since she had got him back. Since she had first seen him in that cell and thought she had lost him forever.
He was silent for a while and she wondered whether he was going to answer her at all. She looked towards him and wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time since she saw him in that cell how she had lived...survived...without this man for this past year. It seemed incomprehensible to her now; even more inconceivable how she had let him go in the first place.
"Scully, this battle was always mine." She let go of his hand. "No wait, listen. At the beginning, it was always me trying to find Samantha, trying to uncover anything that I could that would lead me to her. Lead me to understand anything...everything about her disappearance. And then you came into my office and suddenly, I had someone else to think about. Someone else to look out for. And, at first, I didn't like it. I think you knew that, I'm not very subtle." He took her hand and lifted her chin, ensuring that she could see the attempted humour in his eyes. "But then, you...you got into my mind and you made me see that it wasn't okay anymore for it to be just my battle. And it felt really good to have somebody by my side and with me when I was against...everybody else. And I'll be forever glad that they decided to send somebody down to the basement to investigate me because you've become my best friend." He let go of her hand and delicately stroked his thumb down her cheek.
She got lost in his eyes. Always had done when he touched her like this.
"It's me and you, babe"
"Mulder, don't call me babe." Rolling her eyes, she turned her face away from him and his hand fell from her face.
"Can I call you darling?"
"Only if you want me to kick you in the shin." She smirked and watched him from the corner of her eye. It had always been easier to slip back into mutual humour than to talk about all the other things in their lives.
"I want to be with you again, Scully. I want it to be us. I need to learn you again. Please allow me this."
"Always, Mulder, always." She moved towards him and into his waiting arms. She was almost surprised to find, although she was unsure as to why, that she still fit perfectly. She knew she always had. Looking up into his eyes and seeing the devotion and the love and the passion there, she knew why.
***
Holding each other, arms finding home, it would have seemed to an outsider that they had forever been together; that it had always been like this.
***
Into the valleys,
the shadow of death,
grieves silently across the darkened sea.
This is it, we stand alone,
we can see it all from here,
the starless night across the mountainside.
No one left to talk to,
there's nothing left to say.
Into the valleys...
You and me, we stand alone,
we can see it all from here,
stretched far and wide,
the barren skies,
fighting a silence,
from deep inside.
Into the valleys...
You and me...
Into the valleys,
the shadow of death,
grieves silently it's in you and me,
it's in you and me...