The untold scene(s) behind the episode, "All Things."

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the sad excuse for a PC I typed this up on.


Was it a dream?

A strange illusion?

The last 48 hours played through Scully's mind like an old movie, as she stirred. The only point the grainy memories cleared were focused on that woman. The blonde in the tan jacket and hat. She recalled first seeing her when she was talking with Mulder on the phone. Then again, when she guided the Agent to the temple. A place and experience only Post-Mulder Scully could appreciate. Finally, when she led Scully directly to Mulder, in front of the hospital. How is it all these many paths and choices all seemed to point directly to...

Scully awoke, her eyes adjusted to her surrounding and immediately identified it as her partner's apartment. She recalled their conversation on the couch, his solemn words lulling her to a peaceful slumber. Feeling the afghan brush against her face, she took in the familiar musk that was Fox Mulder. He must have covered her while she slept. She was warmed by his constant thoughtfulness, recalling his other gentlemanly gestures when he entered the room.

"You're awake," he observed, standing in the doorway that led to the next room.

When she gave no immediate answer, aside from a small smile, he continued, "You've only been out for about forty-five minutes."

Hearing his voice, Scully instantly recalled her dream. The woman in the jacket... Mulder... the temple... Mulder... her vision... Mulder... slowing down... Mulder... Daniel... Mulder. Could it have really been so...

Obvious?

Mulder was still speaking, "I ordered some pizza, if you're-" But he was cut off when she suddenly stood, the afghan falling carelessly to the floor.

Keeping his gaze, as she always did so effortlessly, she approached him slowly.

All the pieces seemed to gracefully fall into place within his hazel eyes.

"It's you," she whispered, just audible enough for him to hear.

Mulder stood, paralyzed by her peculiar, yet serious tone. His eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern.

"It's always been you," she breathed, closing the gap between them. Her heart raced as she placed a hand on his chest, the other wrapping behind his neck.

Her close proximity prompted his own heart to pound in his chest. Surely, she felt it beneath her palm? His mind raced as he tried to comprehend just what was happening. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words died instantly when she finally pulled him down to her.

This time, there was no Goddamn bee.

Slowly, her lips captured his in a kiss that ignited the ember he constantly carried within himself that was Dana Scully.

For a fraction of a second, his unresponsiveness made her apprehensive. But her fears were instantly put to rest when she felt his arms encircle her, pressing her body firmly against his.

Without hesitation, the kiss deepened. Mulder was pleasantly surprised to discover she tasted sweeter than he'd ever imagined. For several powerful moments, they stayed like that. Bother eagerly, yet cautiously exploring this new phenomenality. Although, it had been present for quite some time now, the sexual tension that had eventually encompassed them over the years was comforting and yet, maddening. Finally, the relief and longing they kept in check for years was released and coursed through their veins, unrestricted.

Mulder released her lips carefully. He rested his forehead against hers, drawing a ragged breath. Warily, he opened his eyes, only to meet hers. The eyes he adored bore into his, prompting him to instantly kiss her again.

Two minds became one as they slowly, albeit clumsily, made their way back through his apartment to his bedroom.

What came next were hushed giggles, wrestled sheets and soft moans.

o0o

Several heated minutes later, they laid tangled in Mulder's bedding, catching their breath. His head rested upon her should, face nestled in her disheveled hair, body wrapped around her petite form. He traced lazy circles about her chest and shoulders. Patterns, she had no doubt, were crop circles.

The overwhelming feeling that seemed to sedate them was very simple, yet usually just out of their reach: true happiness.

Scully mulled over their earlier conversation and was the first to break the calm silence.

"Mulder.."

"Hmm?" he responded lazily as his five o'clock shadow tickled her neck.

Turning in his embrace, eye to eye, she sighed. "Mulder, I want you to know," she whispered, cupping his face in her small hands. "Given the opportunity to go back, to do it all over again, I would never make a choice that didn't lead to you. I wouldn't -couldn't- choose a path I could not travel beside you."

Her kind words and tear filled eyes always pulled at his heart strings. He felt as though he, too, may begin to cry.

"Scully, I-" he began, but was interrupted by the doorbell.

They exchanged puzzled looks, before Mulder instantly remembered. "Pizza," he recalled. He kissed her brow, before sliding out of bed and pulling on his jeans. At the door, the pizza boy announced the total, however Mulder, still delirious with joy, wasn't really listening. He handed the boy a twenty, grabbed the box, thanked him, shut the door and locked it.

Meanwhile, Scully, too, had exited the bed. She glanced about for something to quickly put on, before deciding on one of Mulder's discarded dress shirts. After slipping it on and fastening a few buttons, she made her way to the living room.

Mulder turned from the door, box in hand, but fumbled, nearly dropping it when he caught sight of his partner. There she stood, leaning against the doorway connecting the rooms, dressed only in his shirt, arms crossed, with a playful smile upon her lips. Her creamy thighs peeking out beneath the white cotton.

"Jesus, Scully," Mulder gasped quietly.

His partner's eyebrows arched up in question, "What?"

No doubt she was oblivious to just how beautiful she looked just then. But how could she be? The woman had seen herself in a mirror before, hadn't she?

"You really have no idea, do you?" he whispered, mostly to himself.

"Mulder?" she became somewhat concerned. What was that face he was making about?

"Nothing," he answered sheepishly before adding: "This still feels rather hot," he gestured to the box in hand. "I think we should give a few to cool off."

Placing it on the coffee table, he approached her with a boyish grin. Immediately, they embraced one another in hungry passion. Grasping his shoulders, Scully leapt into his arms, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Mulder held her tightly against his body with ease and navigated his way back to the bedroom.

o0o

Mulder awoke the next morning alone. His bed devoid of the warmth he was certain had been present the evening before. Or had it all been a dream? A marvelous, yet torturous fantasy?

He sat up and glanced about. "Scully?" he called. No one answered.

It was then he noticed his complete lack of clothing. He usually at least sported pajama pants to bed, but falling asleep completely nude wasn't beyond his realm of normalcy.

Rubbing his face, he peeked at his bedside digital clock. 7:36 AM. He was late.

"Shit," he exclaimed, jumping out of bed and hastily grabbing a suit, his usual work attire, from the closet.

As he finished his tie in the mirror of his bathroom, he noticed something. A single red hair clung to the edge of the sink. Scully. Had she really been there, last night? If not, then when last had she used his bathroom? They spent so much time together, the hair could have easily fallen off him. Transferred from what, a car seat headrest? Desk chair? He wracked his brain for an explanation, as he gathered the last of his necessary belongings.

Just as he was rushing to the door, he caught the white square atop the coffee table out of the corner of his eye. The pizza he had ordered, still untouched in it's box. It wasn't a dream. Those details dancing in his head were indeed memories. Her smile. His dress shirt. Her taste. The way she gasped his first name. Her declaration. It had all been real.

Locking the door behind him, he couldn't seem to run down the hall fast enough.

o0o

Scully sat behind Mulder's desk, blankly staring into space. She replayed the events of the night before in her head over and over again, to her delight. She had always imagined, hypothetically, that had they ever crossed that line, she'd be wrecked with regret and embarrassment. But this was not the case, and couldn't be further from the truth. However, there were complications to being involved with someone you worked closely with. Just as she pondered this, the office door opened.

Mulder strolled in, a paper tray holding two styrofoam coffee cups and white paper bag in hand. The door closed behind him, leaving only a static silence of the computer monitor between the two Agents.

It was Mulder who first broke this silence. "Must've left early," he commented, approaching the desk.

Scully glanced from his face, to the contents he was carrying, back to his face.

"I was going to make you breakfast," he continued, "And, when that inevitably failed, buy you breakfast." He placed the tray atop a small stack of papers.

"Coffee?" she observed, finally speaking.

"And muffins," he added, gesturing to the bag. He had considered doughnuts, however Scully rarely consumed unhealthy foods, but muffins were healthy, right?

Silence, again, proceeded them.

"We have to file a C-12," she blurted out.

He immediately recognized the form she was referring to: Agent Fraternization Admission. "What?" he asked. "Why?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "Because it's required?" Perhaps, it was the military upbringing, but to Scully, rules were to be obeyed. All rules. Even stupid ones.

"Scully," he rounded the desk and grasped her shoulders. "They'll split us up." Did she not understand this?

She sighed. "Yes, I know," she admitted, glancing away.

He gently pulled her chin up, to meet his gaze. "That's just bureaucratic bullshit meant for rookie Agents whose partnership is altered or dysfunctional because they crossed that line. That's not us, Scully," he tried to explain.

Her eyebrows furrowed at his words. "That's not us, Mulder?" she asked. "Our partnership -our relationship- hasn't changed?"

"I don't believe so," he murmured.

Immediately, he recognized the emotions that crossed Scully's face in an instant: Confusion. Comprehension. Horror. Fear. Heartbreak. Fury. Then the mask formed. And while her face remained neutral, he could see her eyes aflame.

'What's wrong with you?' his inner voice raged, 'Fix it!'

"At least, not for me," he added, the words leaving his mouth before he could better articulate them.

'IMBECILE!'

"That's...fine," she stammered out, avoiding his eyes as she rounded the desk, making her way to the door. She had to get out. Get away from him. Now. Before the tears fell, and she really looked a fool.

"Wait, Scully," Mulder grabbed her arm, making her face him. "That's not what I meant. You misunderstand,"

"No, I believe I understood it perfectly," she said, icily, and attempted to escape his grasp.

But Mulder wouldn't release her. "Scully, I've known I've loved you... for years," he confessed, causing her to still. "Just please allow me explain," he pleaded. When she didn't protest, he continued. "It.. was when you were taken that I first realized just how much you meant to me. You weren't simply a colleague, a partner. You were more. And, when you were finally returned to me, I knew I needed you. You had to be a constant in my life, even if you didn't want to continue with the X-Files.

"Then, when you became sick. When that illness threatened to take your very life, I couldn't see myself without you. Couldn't bear the thought.. I knew it. Right then. That I loved you, and would do anything to make you well again. I broke into the damn Pentagon for that chip - for that minuscule chance." He watched the memories of the cancer flash through her eyes, as tears welled up.

"But it wasn't until Emily that I was truly aware. The very moment I saw the way you looked at that little girl you just met. The love in your eyes. I knew I didn't just love you, Scully, I was in love with you. I adored you. And, I wanted to do everything I could to help your little girl, to protect her, to keep her with you." Grimacing at the painful recollection of her daughter, the tears finally cascaded down her face.

"Do you.. do you remember when we first met her doctor, Dr. Vinet, at the hospital? He walked out and asked if we were her parents? Every fiber of my being wished so badly to say, 'Yes.' I wanted to shoulder that weight, that burden and blessing with you, Scully. I wanted to be that man. I wanted you to know you weren't alone in this. You never have been."

He cupped her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"This step we've taken, it's simply a fantasy come true to me," he scoffed at himself. "In my demented head, we've already been romantically entwined for eons."

Feeling the sobs building in her lungs, Scully clutched the lapels of his jacket and buried her face in his chest. She wept quietly as Mulder rubbed her back and kissed her hair.

It was then the office door opened, revealing A.D. Walter Skinner. "Agents, I-" he began before noticing their position.

The partners froze. Scully held her breath, face still hidden in Mulder's chest.

Skinner's brow shot up, expecting a politically correct explanation for their embrace.

"Oh," Mulder spoke as if he finally realized what their ambiguous posture must have implied to their boss. "Scully recently learned a close friend of hers passed," he explained, patting her back in what he assumed was a 'there, there' manner.

Skinner's face relaxed and turned apologetic. "I see," he mumbled before clearing his throat. "I'm sorry for your loss, Agent Scully. But if you two could come up to my office, when you're ready, I think I've got a new case for you." He gave Mulder a small nod, then closed the door as he left.

Mulder felt Scully shake in his arms, but it wasn't from grief any longer. Finally lifting her face to his, she grinned, attempting to hold back her giggles. In turn, causing him to chuckle. They had a short laugh together, relieved Skinner had bought the story.

Eventually, Scully sighed and stepped back, out of her partner's embrace. "Mulder," she spoke in her let's-be-reasonable voice. "How is this really suppose to work?"

He took her hand in his. "Simple," he reasoned. "We just need to separate Agent Scully and Agent Mulder from-" he paused. He didn't want to say 'Girlfriend Scully and Boyfriend Mulder.' That sounded far too adolescent. "-Dana Scully and Fox Mulder." he continued. "When we're at work, we'll work - completely professional. When we play, however," he gave her a devilish grin, "We'll play."

"Mulder," she continued in that voice, although it seemed to have lost some of it's resolve, "You can't just will it to be true."

"Says who?" he countered. "We've handled far more difficult tasks than this, and you know it." Taking her other hand, he peered straight into her eyes. "Come on, Scully. Are you with me?" He couldn't do this alone. But he also couldn't just pretend it didn't happen, either. And he wouldn't allow some bullshit policy to destroy seven years together.

Seven years. Had it really been that long? All the cases. All the near death experiences. Running from this. Chasing that. Waking up in hospital beds. Recovering, only to do it all over again. All leading up to this very moment...

Scully squeezed his hands and smiled, knowing she'd regret it if they didn't at least try, "Always."

"Alright," he beamed. Then turned to the desk, picking up an X-Files folder and handing her a coffee. "You're familiar Morley Tobacco, right?"


And that's my basic understanding of what occurred in "All Things." You have to admit, Scully appeared to have an extra spring in her step after that ep. She was more lively, and all around simply happier. I like to imagine it's because she and Mulder were secretly together, behind closed doors. :)
Oh yeah, the C-12 thing is completely made up. I have no idea if there exists an Agent Fraternization Admission form. C is merely my first initial, and 12 is my birth month. And the Morley Tobacco thing is a reference to the next episode, "Brand X," which is presumably, their next case.
I apologize for any and all errors. I usually don't post the same day I write something up, but I was just too excited.
Reviews are appreciated. Even a simple, *thumbs up* or *thumbs down* will do. :D