Title: Touch

Author: AntheaMS

E-Mail: Anywhere. Just email me first

RATING: PG

CATEGORIES: SR

SUMMARY: Fox Mulder had recently divorced his wife, only to see someone else waiting for him at the end of the tunnel.

Dana was a very patient woman. So patient, that she could wait hours for a particular friend to arrive and not be frustrated. But this time, she is. It was not that she was impatient, but making her wait 5 hours for his arrival was too much. She sat moodily on their bench, not the bench, but their bench. They had claimed it as theirs the first time they were separated. Ever since then, they had met there, whenever they had something on their minds that could not be spoken in their office.

She crossed her legs, folding her arms, and waited. If he's not here in five I'll leave, she thought to herself, tapping her foot against the ground. She was dressed in a white blouse, paired with a pair of black slacks. Her long red hair was tied up in a loose pony tail.

A slight touch to her shoulder a few moments later alerted her to his presence. She turned, not expecting to see his face marred by tears.

"Oh my gosh, Fox, what happened?" she asked, guiding him to the bench and making him sit down.

Fox sniffled a little, eyes watery, "Diana is asking for a divorce."

She started, even though she didn't like that blond bitch, she understood that Fox had loved her. She patted his back reassuringly, murmuring soft words of reassurance to him. "I'm so sorry, Fox. I'm so sorry."

She understood too well the pain of losing someone you really loved. Just a few months ago, George, her former husband, left her for some tall leggy brunette. Heartbroken, Dana had gone to Fox for comfort. They had sat there through the night, her crying into his shoulder. It was lucky that Diana was away then, for she would have thrown a fit if she had seen both of them together like that. Even though she and Fox had a purely platonic relationship, there had been rumors going on for years about their relationship.

He did not know how long had he sat there, crying like a small child, wrapped in Dana's warm embrace. All he knew was that he was safe there, safe from the pains and evils of the world.

"Danes," he whispered at last, struggling to keep his tears in check, "she's taking Samantha away."

Dana jerked her head up at that. Samantha was the only reason Fox did not divorce Diana earlier. He had wanted to give her a wholesome childhood, and a complete family. As a child, his father had abused Fox, and his mother had not cared. It was only when the social service people had started asking questions about his constant visits to the hospital that the truth had come out.

He was immediately sent off to another foster home, one where he had first met Dana. As children, they had hit off immediately, and he spent all his waking hours with her. Even as young as he was, it was evident that Fox cared for Dana. He was there for her when she received her results, had gotten overprotective when she went for her first date, and was there to comfort her when her marriage to George collapsed.

It thus startled her to know that Diana had asked for custody of Samantha. How could she? She thought angrily. She knew that Fox loved Samantha. "How could she?" she said out loud, furious, "she knew how much you love Samantha!" she exclaimed, "that bitch is going to pay. Wait till I get my hands on her…"

Fox looked up at her, a small smile playing on his lips. Dana looked at him, getting irritated, "how could you take this lightly?" she demanded.

Fox's smile got even larger, "easy. You always get angry enough for the two of us. I just have to seat back and let you express your anger." The smile was a full-blown grin now. Infected by his smile, Dana could not help but to let a small smile slip out.

They sat there for what seemed like eternity, smiling like fools.

"What are you going to do about it?" Dana asked at last, coming back to reality with a crash. She laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth emitting from him.

Fox sighed; his breathe ruffling her short, red hair, "I'm going to try to appeal against it. Not that it would work."

"Why not?" she asked softly, drawing circles on his palm. She enjoyed the feeling of being close to him again. It had been years since they had such an opportunity to be close to each other and talk. Though they still meet up occasionally, both usually have obligations to fulfill, and could only spend a limited amount of time with each other. Now that they were free, Dana hoped that they could be what they were in the past: best friends.

Fox looked down at the woman lying on his shoulder. If only she knew. He sighed, "She's going to use our relationship against me. Even though she knows that we treat each other siblings, she would try to use our closeness as a reason as to why Samantha should not stay with me, not that I mind our closeness of course," at that, he shot a roughish grin at Dana, while she hit his arm playfully. They had been the closest of friends ever since they met, and had considered each other siblings all this while. Truth to be told, their relationship could never be described in words alone, for it's too wonderful to even put a name to it.

"The worse thing is," he continued, frowning, "I walked in to her doing the dirty deed with my best friend." He spat the last line out bitterly, and Dana cuddled closer to him. She had never heard him speak like that, and it scared her. Fox had never sounded so sad, angry, and hateful at the same time before. He had always been gentle, even when speaking about her past boyfriends and his parents; this time though, he seemed so bitter. What's happening? She thought to herself, shivering a little.

Fox wrapped an arm around her as he noticed her shiver, ensuring that she was safe from the cold. "Let's get back to your apartment," he murmured at last, noticing that Dana was nodding off. She nodded blearily, struggling to stand up. Fox, upon noticing her difficulty, pulled her up, supporting her to her car. He opened the passenger's side, making sure that the safety belt safely secured her, before taking the keys and walking over to the driver's side.

After some major adjustments to the seat and the rearview mirror, Fox was comfortably settled. He gunned the engine, smirking as he pulled out of the parking lot and into the night.

He did not know how long had it been before he reached Baltimore. All he knew was that Dana's soft breathing had finally slowed, into the deep breathes of sleep. He relaxed a little knowing that she was safe. When he finally reached her apartment, he got her out of the car carefully, carrying her past the guard and into the lift, not before locking the car doors.

He had ignored the curious looks he was getting as he made his way to her apartment. Struggling a little with the locks, he finally made his way in. Fox had always enjoyed Dana's apartment, as it reflected her personality to a t. He entered her bedroom softly, still carrying her steadily in his arms. He laid her down on her bed, making sure that she was comfortable before pulling the covers up and lying atop it.

It was when he tried to move away that Dana stirred, mumbling a faint 'don't go' before cuddling up to him. Fox was stunned, before making himself comfortable. He had never seen Dana so needy before. Ever since he knew her, she had always been the strong one, comforting and protecting him from his night terrors. He sighed softly, wrapping his arms around her. When he was sure that Dana was asleep, he closed his eyes, surrendering to the darkness.

Some say that this is the night where Fox Mulder slept with Dana Scully, finally relieving each other of the sexual tension that seemed to surround them, while others say that they were just good friends comforting each other in the wake of traumatizing events. However, to the both of them, it was the start of a beautiful relationship, one that would forever be remembered as the romance of the century.

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End

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Author's notes:

I must say, this is one of the hardest stories to write. I tried not to think of Gillian and David, but unfortunately, it didn't work out well. Much thanks to WL and Helena for keeping me awake to type this beta-ed edition out. Kudos to Penny Daza, the author of Friends even in Childhood, my introduction to XF fanfiction. I've tried to minimize the use of any swear words and offensive sexual terms. Read and Review!