Thank you all for your reviews! They've been very helpful and all lovely so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks for sticking with me. -E x

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I had stormed out of the office, with no real intention of going anywhere. Everywhere I thought of reminded me of her. Scully. My apartment. Scully. Reflecting Pool. Scully. I sat in the front seat of my car, my fingers drilling against my shaky knee as I remembered the morning's events. I was still sat in the bureau's car park, my vehicle had not moved an inch after I'd ran towards it. Scully. Taking a quick glance at my watch, I surveyed my surroundings. It was dark, except for the few lights that illuminated the underground car park. It was completely silent. I could hear the blood rushing through my veins as I attempted to control some of my anger. Scully. Oh god Scully, I want to believe you. Images of her scared face flashed across my minds eye - my photographic memory not helping to shake her shivering frame as I easily overpowered her. Not my finest moment. I took another look at my watch and decided it was time to settle this. I made my way up back into the Bureau lobby, ready to confront Scully a second time. I knew deep down that if she had betrayed me, walking away was the worst thing I could have done. If I stayed with her, I could have used her to my advantage. An impromptu hostage. But had she even betrayed me? Her remark about the photograph being faked had completely slipped my thought processes. No. Don't let her fool you. She's playing with you. Tugging on your heart strings. She is a traitor.

The office door was locked when I finally attempted to open the handle, leaving me to pat down my pockets in order to find my set of keys. There was still a chance Scully was inside, and was preventing me from entering again. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of losing her. You've already lost her Mulder. You never really had her. No. I need her for information. That's why I need to see her. The door opened and I pushed through, seeing the office void of her possessions. On the back of her chair there was a small stain of blood that had soaked through the cushion. Good, she deserves to be hurt. My eyes drifted over the remains of the breakfast she'd bought us and the countless files spread out on my desk. There, pride of place, was the photograph. The photograph that broke me. No Mulder, it opened your eyes. I picked it up in my fingers, delicately scanning the print. The envelope had turned up in my office that morning, pushed under the door. I had no clue who had left it for me. Rubbing my temple with my thumb and forefinger, I left the office for the second time that morning, photograph still in hand.

It was only a short walk to Agent Rovin's office; a specialist in image manipulation.

"Agent Rovin are you busy?" I tried to hide the desperation from my voice. Scully. The fellow agent turned to face me. He was of stocky build, obviously not meant for much field work. He had the remainders of a bacon sandwich stuck in his short wiry beard, and small smudge of ketchup on the corner of his mouth. His posture was soft but his eyes shot daggers at me. Yet another agent who doesn't like 'Spooky Mulder'.

"Agent Mulder. What can I do for you?" He took a glance at the photograph in my clutches and stretched out his arm to take it from me. I let him have it, I couldn't stand holding the filthy artefact.

"I need you to tell me if this photo is manipulated." The agent scanned the image but not before narrowing his eyes at me. It was as if he were scanning me for all my imperfections. All of the lies.

"Agent Mulder, this is a photo of Agent Scully." Scully. Rovin remarked whilst fetching a small magnifying glass from a nearby desk.

"Is it faked?"

"If it is, it's a fucking good one." Moving the curved glass over the image, he studied several shadows and highlights, where the light source was coming from, whether there were any obvious changes in colours. He frowned a little, but I couldn't tell why. Was it completely real and he was just wondering why I'd even asked? Or is this faked? Was she telling the truth? I prayed to a god that I didn't believe in that it was the latter. I watched his fingers trace over the outlines of the two figures. I look at Scully, her eyes were wide and her smile. Oh god her smile. She was laughing, her brilliant white teeth showing, her hair framing her face perfectly, and her lips were as full as I could remember them. She was beautiful. Scully, why do you have to be so beautiful?

Finally stirring from his concentrated state, Agent Rovin looked back up at me. "Mulder this photograph is faked." He pointed over to a reflection in someone's sunglasses. "You see there? You can clearly see the reflection of Dana's 'friend' in the lens of the eyewear belonging to the people walking behind them. But instead of Dana's reflection next to him, it's another man in a suit." I meant to keep my exterior cool and unaffected, but I let out a heavy sigh of relief and my shoulders sagged immediately. Oh god Scully. What have I done?

Snatching the photograph from under Rovin's prying eyes, I shouted my thanks whilst running through the doorway. I needed to call Scully, to tell her I believed her. I pulled my cell out from my coat pocket, speed dialling her home number, but there was no answer after three rings. Three rings meant she wasn't at home, or she was avoiding me. I gave her cell phone another go, but this time it went straight to answer phone. Scully please talk to me. I picked up the pace of my strides, racing towards the basement. Maybe she left me a note? No, don't be stupid. Okay, what if she came back? Just as I was about the swing open the door, and hope to discover my beautiful partner, with her arms outstretched towards me, warm and welcoming, my phone trilled in my pocket. Scully.

"Scully. Thank god you called back. Look, I need to talk to you." There was a silence on the other line. "Scully, you there?" There were some awkward shuffling noises and I instinctively reached to grab recording equipment, fearing the worse.

"Who is this speaking?" The voice was a male and deep. It was calm and unsuspecting, not your average kidnapper's tone. My hand still tentatively searched for a recorder nonetheless.

"This is Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI. Who are you?" My voice began to quaver. Was this all a big set up? Oh god, Scully what have they done to you?

"Agent I am Dr Landy. We have a patient here, Dana Scully, who has been involved in an automobile accident. She's currently in Georgetown University Hospital. We called the first number on her speed dial."

My mind went blank. My skin turned white. I felt weak at the knees. No, Scully. Not my Scully. I braced myself against the nearby desk, trying to take all of the information in.

"She's my partner..." I took an audible gulp. "An automobile accident?" I felt fresh tears cloud my eyes and slip silently down my pale cheeks.

"She was hit by a car whilst crossing the road. She's in the intensive care unit. Her condition is deteriorating."

Deteriorating. My Scully. I gasped and replied back, saying I'd be there as soon as possible. Asking them to call her mother. Asking them to take care of her. I threw the disgusting photograph into the nearby bin. "You may have cost me my partner's life. And if you have. I swear you will pay." I said aloud to the man standing next to Scully's petite frame, a pack of Morley's jammed into his suit jacket pocket, a cigarette already pushed between his lips.