I do not own Mulder/Scully/The X-Files or their brand of awesome.

The title is from a song I heard called 'Hold you tight'.

Enjoy!

-Dru

;

The tears were hot against his fingers as he brushed them off her face and through her hair.

"You're safe."

He had learned long ago (from her) to never say 'it wasn't real' after a nightmare. After his many bouts of waking up in the middle of the night, shaking and sobbing inconsolably into her shoulder he gently learned to never say those words because he never heard those words. She eventually would console him. She always did, even if some nights it took the sweet, only slightly off-tone sing-songs into his ear. Sweat soaked through Scully's nightshirt and stuck to his bare chest as she clawed at him, seeming unable to get as fully close to him as she desired. The sharp cries hadn't stopped. Mulder grabbed her arms to stop the frantic tugging. His heart was aching.

"Scully…you're safe. I'm here." He nuzzled her cheek lovingly, trying to calm her down but Scully pulled away from him.

"You were…gone," Scully sobbed. "You were gone and I saw my dad…I saw my dad and Melissa and then they were gone again." Scully cried and accidentally rammed her forehead into Mulder's collarbone at another fevered attempt to press herself against him. Guilt was beginning to lie heavy in his chest. So many times Scully had stayed up with him, holding him and rocking him and nuzzling quietly at the soft spot under his ear until he could breathe normally again. Until the darkened images of Samantha and the hovering lights in the sky began to fade. He could feel Scully's heart beat wildly as he held his palm against her chest.

"I'm still here," Mulder stated calmly. He twisted a tight knot out of her hair with long fingers. He kissed away a tear and then another and on the third one he made his way to her lips so she could taste the salt lingering on the tip of his tongue. They lay quietly for a minute, Scully completely entangled in Mulder's limbs. Mulder licked the last traces of stubborn tears that had trailed down her neck. Scully shivered, partly because the heat of his mouth was beginning to overwhelm her still-vulnerable senses and partly because the air had kicked on and her sweaty shirt had begun to cool uncomfortably against her skin. Mulder couldn't help but feel a little helpless and embarrassed. What was one expected to do when the emotional center of their life began to crumple? Melancholy, sleepy, dark eyes met his.

"You're shaking," Scully whispered. She moved a strand of messy brown hair away from his forehead and held his face in her hands. He held her. The first shades of light lavender light of morning began to bleed through the window. He closed his eyes and inhaled her deep vanilla (deep Scully) scent. Even though the moments of panic had subsided and Scully was looking up at him with new eyes that were now begging him to play Mulder still felt the need to lift her chin and whisper gently against her cheek.

"It'll be okay Scully. It'll all be okay."

A smile formed on Scully's face before she gently forced Mulder's shoulders down to her mattress. As the morning painted their skin shades of fiery orange and white, Scully nibbled at Mulder's bottom lip and she knew.

She knew.

It would all be okay.