A/N: I wanted to get this update to you guys quickly because I know how awful it can be to wait, and I was a little mean with the last chapter's ending. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
The X Files doesn't belong to me.
Scully woke up before Mulder the next morning, which was something that didn't happen often. She was so used to waking up with his arms around her, being greeted with a good morning kiss, even if they had fought the night before. If she was in a better mood, she could've appreciated the last beautiful sunrise in France.
She could understand his concern about his sister and his need to be close with her after so many years of having to deal with the loss of her. She liked Samantha, too, and if she had the option to live in France with Mulder and her, she would. There was a selfish part of her, though, that wanted to take Mulder back to DC with her. She rolled over and looked at him, sleeping restlessly; she had felt him tossing and turning all night. It was clear he hated fighting with her, too.
The hotel room's phone rang. Scully answered it, still lounging in bed. "Hello,"
"Hi, Dana?" it was Samantha. "Is my brother there?"
"He's asleep right now," Scully answered. "Can I help you?"
"Can you tell him I want him to be happy and stay with you? Tell him I'm going to be okay. Also, tell him to call me when he wakes up."
"I will. Thanks, Samantha."
"No problem." she hung up and found Mulder awake next to her.
"Good morning." he placed a tentative kiss on her cheek, then watched for her reaction. She gave him a slight smile, and he released a sigh of relief. "Was that Sam on the phone?"
She nodded. "She told me to tell you to be happy, and that she'll be okay. She told you to call her when you wake up."
"Well, I am awake. How'd you sleep?"
Scully shrugged. "Just okay." Every night she had slept wonderfully, but the previous night had been the same tossing and turning Mulder had been doing. "How about you?"
"Not so great. I couldn't fall asleep."
Scully sighed. "Me, too. You should call your sister. I'm taking a shower." She barely heard any of the conversation, and instead focused on relaxing in the shower. The hotel's soap was amazing; it smelled like honey. She thought about stealing some and taking it back home to DC, if you could bring foreign soap across the boarder.
"What'd Samantha say?" she asked
"She told me not to worry about her, which is kind of a lost cause. She told me to stay with you, because I seemed so happy. She said you were good for me, which I agree with." he took her hands in his. "My sister will be okay. But I have this nagging in me, about my sister. I'm still worried about her."
"That's natural. Those are the brotherly instincts," she said. "Ultimately, it's up to you. If you want to go with the nagging, that's okay. If you want to get on the plane to DC with me today, that's okay. Up to you." she ran her fingers through his hair and contemplated kissing him, but discarded the idea and got ready for the flight home.
Mulder took his own shower, spending perhaps too much time contemplating what to do, standing under the hot stream until it turned cold.
There wasn't much said, he simply began packing once he stepped out of the shower. "Mulder? What's this mean?"
"It means, Scully," he exhaled, "Once again, I am unable to resist you. Also, I feel like I'd be homesick for DC, perpetually gray skies and all. And I can't speak French worth crap."
Scully smiled. "You better get ready, then, we'll miss our flight."
They found Samantha at the airport. "Hi, I'm sorry this is a surprise, I just wanted to say goodbye to my brother."
"It's no problem," Scully said, and Samantha, who was much taller than her (almost as tall as her brother), gave her a tight hug.
"Take care of my brother, okay? He loves you so much..." the younger girl said. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome. You take care, too."
Then Samantha hugged her brother, who was fighting not to cry. "I don't know if I can leave you again," he said. "Please be careful."
"I will. I'll come visit you soon; I'm not gonna stay in France forever. I love you."
"You, too. Be safe, Sam."
Samantha, who had never been much of a crier, not even as a child, buried her face in her brother's shoulder and let a few tears escape her eyes. "I'm so glad I found you again. See you soon, Fox." she sniffed and stepped away, quickly brushing her tears away.
Mulder and Scully had to board their flight, and Scully felt her heart sink as she watched Samantha watch them, standing alone in the sea of people, looking down at her feet. "Your sister is beautiful, Mulder. On the inside and out." she declared.
"I know," Mulder said. "I knew she would like you, too. She loves to roll her eyes at me like someone I know..."
Scully laughed. "We do have that in common."
They boarded their flight and this time an old woman was seated in the third seat next to them, who fell asleep as soon as they got in the air, and to Scully's amusement, so did Mulder.
Scully listened, with her eyes closed, to the laugh track of some sitcom while a fan whirred loudly nearby. Mulder's apartment had no air conditioning. She was wearing only a tank top and shorts, one leg thrown over the side of the couch. She was also listening to Mulder typing across the room, looking for a job.
She turned around on her side and watched an advertisement for GAP, featuring a bouncy family all in back-to-school clothes (and it was only July). "No one is really that happy," Scully scoffed, the heat making her bitter.
"If you get paid that much money for just wearing clothes, you are," Mulder said.
"That's what you should do. Be a cute dad in a GAP commercial. Of course, I'd be embarrassed to tell people you were my significant other, but you'd make money."
"I could be a substitute teacher, I guess...but you don't get paid that much for that," he sighed, leaning back in his office chair, rubbing his eyes. "I hate this."
Things had been a little awkward for them; they had gotten into a few more arguments than usual, leaving a tension between them. They kept their distance for a little while until now, when Scully decided to make things right, but instead ended up asleep on his couch. When they left France, he fell into a sort of depression, making him tense and quick to argue. So she left him alone for a few days.
"Mulder," she said, thinking over the past few weeks and how awful she had felt about them. "Come here." she motioned for him to sit with her on the couch. She laid her head on his chest. "It's probably too hot for this," she mumbled, but she didn't care then.
"I don't mind," he mumbled.
"I'm sorry about how it's been these past few weeks."
"I've been a prick," he admitted. "A stubborn prick."
"So have I, I guess," she sighed. "I hate fighting with you."
"Because I'm a stubborn prick?"
She chuckled. "Because we're both stubborn pricks."
"So, all forgiven?" he asked.
"Of course," Scully answered. They didn't know what to add, so they simply let a silence settle between them. The only sounds that followed were the TV, the whirring of the fan, and both of them occasionally laughing at the dumb jokes on the show.
A/N: This chapter was pretty "filler" because I'm going through a period of writer's block...if anyone has any suggestions let me know. Thanks for reading!
-Lulamae
