Scully raced to the door and heaved the from handle. "It's locked!" She heard the moans and knocks grow louder at the end of the hall.
Mulder tried the handle himself. It did not give.
"Shit!" He raised his hands above his head. "Fuck!"
"The windows from the back office," Scully said. "We could get out that way." They rushed down the hallway at the same time. Scully counted her lucky stars that the offices were in the opposite direction from where Ruth and Terbell were locked.
Mulder pulled on the door handle. "It's locked," he said. His voice sounded steady but high, the way it did when Mulder was starting to panic.
"How? Why? Wang couldn't possibly have been here."
Suddenly, they heard a knock from the other side of the door.
"H-hello?" Mulder asked.
The voice inside groaned. "δεσπότης," the voice called.
"Wang was chanting that, in the courtroom."
The voice growled and banged on the door.
"They locked up everyone who was hypnotized here, Scully. Or, at least the ones who were too far gone."
"Try the other doors." Scully was already trying the handle of the office next door. Mulder tried the door on the other side. It was almost like a strange dance, as they sashed from door to door.
"They're all locked." Scully said.
"Shit. How many people did they put here?" Mulder held his head in his hand, balancing his elbow with his other hand.
"We're…we're trapped, Mulder. We've got to contact Motsouka."
Mulder pulled out his cell phone and dialed the hotel's number. Scully heard the dial tone emitting from the phone. It rung, but no one picked up. After two minutes, Mulder ended the call. "Shit."
"We can try again in a little while," Scully said. "Maybe Tom is just away from his desk." Her explanation sounded hollow and false – almost bitter in her own mouth. She began to walk to the main entryway – as far away from the groans and moans of the trapped hypnotics as possible. She felt Mulder following her.
When she reached the main entrance, she turns to the right of the front door, and tried not look at Mulder. He sat down against the wall four feet from her. The force of their argument – momentarily forgotten by the bangs and groans – flooded back to her. She still wanted to crawl up at his side and snuggle next to him – at least part of her did. The other part of her was sinking. She was processing now, what his comment could mean. She had been afraid to reveal their relationship to others because she had, in part, been afraid of the consequences of breaking up. But, she realized, she had never thought about breaking up. She could not fathom life without Mulder. A passing memory of him with his hand at the small of her back, or how he smiled late a night, could remind her of what she had lost at any moment. She felt tears well up behind her eyes again and she tried to force them back. There was anger here, too. Why should she care so much about Mulder? Where was her selfhood?
The tears began to fall. She prayed the darkness will conceal them. Mulder was the most important person in her life. That he ran off without her – that he could leave her now – it made her feel like she's done something wrong – like she'd been born almost right, but not quite.
"Scully," Mulder said.
She grunted, keeping her head bent and staring at the wood floor.
"Scully…I…"
She didn't respond.
Mulder' voice cracked. He stood up suddenly, causing her to jump, and began to pace. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I treated you after the barbeque." She chanced a glance at him and caught his eye. He held her gaze for moment and then looked at his shoes. "I know this isn't the right time, but I can't…I'm sorry I went off on my own and left you to deal with Wang. I'm sorry I've punished you for being careful. I'm sorry I said we didn't work well together because it's probably the biggest lie I've had the audacity to believe in my entire life." He let out a dry laugh and she felt him staring at her. "But I know I'm not…I don't deserve…I don't make the effort I should. You deserve someone more secure, more…" He looked up. His were dark and wet.
"I.."
He a half step toward her and stands before her.
"I love you." She hiccupped. "And I'm so…afraid because I've spent my whole life working to be my own person and I know I would follow you…anywhere, or n-near anywhere if you asked me to go." She began to cry in heaving sobs. What a terrible time to do this a strange, detached part of her thought. Suddenly, she felt more panicked. Her priorities were slipping from her, coated in ugly slime.
Mulder's hand found hers. He faced her on his knees. She looked up and saw his face a foot from hers. His eyes look like they are searching her. She focused on them and felt herself begin to calm down. She raised her hand to his cheek.
He kissed her. His lips felt soft. She leaned up to him. He hugged her, wrapped his arms around her as they swayed from their knees on the cold, hardwood floor.
He pulled back. "I love you. I want…I want to deserve you."
She kissed him again, opening her mouth to him this time so that his tongue slid against hers and she moaned. She felt the salt of her dried tears tingle on her cheeks.
Mulder eased them to the floor and together they crawled to the far wall and leaned against it. He pulled his right arm from his coat and covered her with it. She nested next to him, her arms finding his waist.
The building was silent.
"Mulder," she whispered.
"Mmm?" He stroked her back.
"Do you think we can be together and work together?"
Mulder rested his head on top of hers. "Yes. I think we need to change – mostly me. But we can. You're my one, remember?"
She snuggled closer to him. "My one in five billion." She was heavy, now. Exhausted. None of their questions were answered – not really. Wang was still at large. They were still trapped inside the town hall. They couldn't talk to any of the townspeople. But Mulder held her. He'd convinced her. She wasn't losing him, or herself.