Walter Skinner sat rigidly in the window seat oft the California-bound flight with his eyes firmly fixed on the magazine he'd had the presence of mind to buy from the airport news stand, and tried to keep the lines of professional conduct firmly in place. As usual, his two seat mates were rather blurring that line. He certainly didn't begrudge Scully falling asleep on Mulder's shoulder. After all, she had to be beyond exhausted, and gravity might just have easily pulled her to his own side of the seat.
That soft smile that Mulder directed to his partner when he thought no one noticed was rather pushing the bounds of professionalism, as was the way his hands lingered when he gently settled her head against her own seat back when he stood up. For a fleeting instant, Skinner wished that line didn't exist, so he could say 'let her lean on me for a while,' but it did, and so he didn't.
Skinner was surprised to feel Scully's hand clutch his arm a moment later. He turned to look at her, thinking she'd wakened, but her eyes were shut, even though her cheeks were wet with tears.
"Agent Scully?" he murmured.
A moment later, Scully gasped and her eyes opened wide. She glanced wildly around the plane for a moment, then hastily moved to withdraw her hand from Skinner's sleeve. To her surprise, he covered it with his own and squeezed briefly.
"Mulder?"
"He went to the washroom. Are you all right?" Skinner asked quietly.
"I…it must have been a dream," she muttered, dazedly reaching up to touch the tears on her cheeks.
Skinner produced a clean handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her. "What happened?"
"I saw Mulder's mom. She was asking me to look after him. I know that must sound crazy, but it seemed so real."
Skinner smiled gently. "Agent Scully, I think I can honestly say, that's the most reasonable thing I've heard all week. Think about it," he continued, in response to her puzzled expression, "you've been up all night taking care of him. You'd just performed the autopsy on Mrs. Mulder, and you have to assume Mulder would have spoken to her about you over the years."
"So…you think it was real?" she asked, her voice still hazed with sleep.
"No, Agent Scully. I think it was a dream," Skinner replied, but his voice didn't seem quite so certain as his words.