TITLE : Stranger before my eyes

TITLE: Stranger before my eyes

AUTHOR: M & S Shipper

SPOILERS: Everything is fair game up to the end of season 7, excluding requiem.

RATING: R (Mostly for Language)

CATEGORY: Romance

ARCHIVE: Yes please, just let me know where, so I can visit.

DISCLAIMER: Any remotely interesting characters aren't mine and remain the property of Chris Carter, Fox and ten thirteen. No copyright infringement intended, only meant as a small shrine to a show that has become so much more than just a show.

SUMMARY: Mulder has changed and Scully is afraid of the man he's become.

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Cuisine

Washington

8.34pm 30th April

"Mulder, I'm impressed!"

Oh, thank god, that's all I needed to hear. The stiffness in my shoulders subsided noticeably as I began to relax. She liked the restaurant I had picked and believe me the decision had been agonising. I didn't want to look like I'd been trying to hard, but I also wanted her to see I'd made a real effort.

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know. A hot dog, something deep fried." Her voice was light and teasing. Happiness transcended her features and made her even more beautiful than usual.

"And yet you still agreed to come? Must be the company that enticed you."

"In a manner of speaking." She leaned in as if to whisper a secret. " I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Scully, I'm crushed." I replied, as I clutched at my chest, dramatically over acting some kind of broken heart. She was laughing now, and not just a chuckling, a full belly laugh. This was an extremely rare occurrence, which in 7 years I had only seen just a few times. Obviously tonight she was letting down a few of those walls she had so studiously built up. My mind was full of the possibilities.

The waiter showed us to the table and in a tricky maneuver I managed to slide in front of the him and pull out Scully's chair for her. Nobody would ever say Fox Mulder wasn't a gentleman. She gave me a sweet smile, which melted me instantly before gracefully seating herself. I moved around to the other side of the table and also sat down. After making a grand deal out of presenting us with menus the waiter left.

We sat for a moment not saying anything, but we were by no means silent. She looked at me with eyes that had such warmth and intensity that I was all of a sudden overwhelmed. The menu offered the only distraction so I began to study it intently.

"What are you going to have Scully?" I said after a few minutes.

"I have a fair idea."

My head shot up to see what she was referring to, but her menu remained unopened on the table. I suspected her eyes had never left mine and I flushed at her innuendo. That was my area of expertise, but now she was using flirting against me. This Scully was definitely new to me, but by no means unwelcome.

"I was thinking about the Rib Eye Steak myself." She laughed at my rapid change of subject and finally began to examine her own menu.

"The vegetable crepe sounds nice." Her decision was fast, too fast, I didn't have time to collect myself. Pull yourself together Mulder, this was your idea, now act like a man and stop it.

"Would you excuse me for a second?" I got up from the table and headed directly for the men's room.

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As I watched him quickly depart from the table I smiled widely, it was so funny to see just how much of an effect I was having on him. The always collected Mulder I knew was gone and in his place was a school boy who stumbled over his words as well as his feet.

With nothing else to do I found my eyes moving about the room taking in the view. It was a beautiful restaurant, I had always known it was here but never had just the right occasion to come. Mum never liked places this fancy, she preferred a more relaxed, informal setting for birthdays and special occasions.

I saw our waiter moving through the crowd with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and smiled. So this is what he'd been up to, how sweet. I had assumed he'd gone to throw up in the bathroom or something, looking as nervous as he did, but this was lovely.

The waiter placed it next to the table and began to pour out the drinks. Mulder was returning to the table just as the waiter left. Standing up from my chair I leaned in and whispered thank you in his ear before kissing him on the cheek. I sat back down again only to notice the quizzical expression on his face.

"What was that for?"

"The champagne, that was such a nice thought." His eyes still hadn't registered comprehension of what I was saying. "You did order this bottle, didn't you?"

"I'd love to take credit for it Scully, and if I'd known that's how you would have reacted.." He motioned to his cheek and the faint imprint of lipstick still visible. " I would have ordered a whole case but no it wasn't me. Maybe it's complementary."

"Yeah maybe.." My voice drifted off as I remembered all the calls I'd been getting lately, and wondering if there was any connection. I had gotten one today that was unlike any so far. A voice had stated what a lovely couple we made and then hung up. I was making far too much out of nothing. There was no way this was connected. Mulder was right it was probably a complimentary bottle from the restaurant.

"Are you ok?" I heard his soft voice enter across my thoughts.

"I'm fine Mulder." This was not going to ruin tonight, I wasn't going to let it. I forced a smile through my doubts and fears and began to talk about lighter things.

The meal was wonderful but not as good as the company. Mulder relaxed dramatically once he'd had a glass of Champagne and I'll admit I did too. We spoke about topics I have never broached with him before about family, life, travel, everything. There was no mention of cases and definitely no awkward moments as you get in many first dates.

We got the bill and wandered over to the register on the way out.

"I just wanted to pay this." Mulder said as he handed over the check. He wanted to pay for the meal himself and I didn't even argue, for some reason I let him be the chivalrous man he was trying so hard to be tonight. It felt like a dream that I never wanted to end.

"There's your card sir and thank you for dining with us tonight, we hope everything was satisfactory?"

"Yes everything was wonderful, especially the Champagne, thank you for that."

"Don't thank me, a gentleman was in here earlier and he insisted on sending it to you. Said you made such a, now what was the words he used…' lovely couple'."

My sharp intake of breath caught Mulders attention immediately, and he spun around to see what was wrong. Silently I cursed myself for being so obvious but it was uncontrollable. That line about us being a lovely couple, it was the same one I had heard today on the phone. He'd been here, the voice, the voice that seemed to follow me everywhere.

"What, what is it?" Mulders eyes were intense and searching for some kind of explanation. I frantically tried to come up with one. There was no way I could tell him this, not after I'd kept all those calls a secret from him.

"I… thought I saw someone I knew…… but I was mistaken. Are you ready to go now?" My eyes would not meet his, but I knew he was still staring at me.

"Are you sure that's all?" Why does he never just drop things. No wonder I say 'I'm fine ' as often as I do, he's always on my back about one thing or another.

"I'm FINE." Defeated he held the door open for me and we left.

His car pulled up outside my apartment and I felt the tension flare up immediately. What was the etiquette here? It was a first date, I never kiss on a first date. On the other hand I've known this man for 7 years now, are we now exempt from the same rules as everyone else? The decision was avoided momentarily as he got out of the car to walk me to my door.

"Did you want to come in for coffee?" Did I just say that, my mouth was working without my prior consent or knowledge.

"I better not, early start tomorrow."

"Ok, I understand."

There was an awkward silence for the first time tonight. Both of us were thinking the same thing. Would we kiss? He was only inches away from my face now and I could almost feel the heat emanating off his body. His after shave smelt delicious tonight, and I thanked god he never wore this one to work or I would never get anything done. He opened his mouth as if to say something and then changed his mind. His head inclined slightly and I noticed the distance between us becoming smaller.

Unconsciously I rolled up onto my tiptoes and leaned, ever so slightly, into him. His plump lips grazed mine so delicately that I hardly knew we were touching, except for the warmth, which was mesmerising. It was a timid kiss, a trial to see how I would react. When I didn't pull away he deepened the kiss further invoking sparks of feeling I had long forgotten existed.

Feeling as though I was under a spell, and only half awake I melted into the strong arms that had entwined around my waist. I was grateful for them, as I knew my legs had become unsteady and I was unsure if they were supporting me at all.

I let my lips fall open only slightly and he instantly understood the invitation, working my mouth open further with his tongue. His exploration was gentle as we tasted each other for the first time. I responded shyly at first and then with more confidence as we fell into an intoxicating rhythm.

Taking my lower lip between his own, he bit it gently. I returned the gesture by nipping playfully on his upper lip. For so many years I had dreamt about doing just that. I pushed my tongue into his mouth running it along the roof. I felt him delicately begin to suck on it and the feeling was making me dizzy.

Only as he began to draw away from me did I realise we had been pressed into my door. The absence of the warmth of his body against mine made me shiver slightly. Well, that combined with my accelerated heartbeat and the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"Well, goodnight then Scully." He said, literally beaming, then he turned on his heel and left before I could even begin to think about replying. With shaking hands I opened the door and entered my apartment on a high.

What a wonderful night. I pulled the door closed behind me and turned to head for the bedroom, but my jaw hit the floor when I looked around. Nothing was in its usual position. The lounge was turned over, my computer was smashed, there was china all over the floor, as well as upturned drawers and papers scattered everywhere.

Suddenly thrown on my guard, I retrieved my gun from my purse and checked to see if there was someone still here. The bed room door was slightly ajar and I moved to it silently and slowly. My FBI training had returned to me as I followed procedure by checking in a methodical manner all possible hiding places.

I let out the breath I'd been holding onto for minutes now, when I realised no one was there. With that breath came the tears. It was not just the fact that so many items precious to me had been broken, but someone had touched everything and seen everything I had. It made everything dirty and tainted.

In the living room I collected my purse and found my mobile phone with shaking hands. There was no avoiding this now. I had to call him.

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Mulders Car

Georgetown

11.46pm April 30th

After so many years I can finally say that I am happy. I have found something I had never thought possible, not just a woman I trust but I love with all my heart, so much so that it clouds my thinking. She is my equal in every way, and hopefully my partner soon in every aspect other than just work.

My cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much, but no matter how often I berated myself I couldn't seem to stop. How long had it taken for me to become one of those sappy fools I had always hated. A day?

My phone began to chirp and I chuckled at the name that appeared on the screen. Pressing in the green key I raised it up to my ear.

"Well hello there. Miss me already?" There was only silence at the other end of the line. "Still finding it hard to speak hey, you must have it bad."

There was still only silence on the other end and I instantly became worried. "Scully, are you all right?……… Answer me if you're ok." My voice was firm but there was no masking the slight waver of my emotion.

"Mulder, I need to you." Her voice was broken and fragile.

"I'll be right there."

Without thinking I reversed back up the street and parked haphazardly in front of the building. Leaping from the car, I didn't even bother to remove the keys from the ignition, or to shut the door, my mind continued on its single purpose of finding Scully.

I stormed into the building frantically, her door was closed but not locked as I threw it open, almost tearing it from the hinges in my haste.

"Scully? Where are you?" Not hearing a reply I went further into a panic as I checked the kitchen, her bathroom and finally her bedroom. I found her huddled on floor, tears streaming down her face.

I had only left her for a few moments what could have happened. Scared to touch her in case I made anything worse I, finally looked around me. The apartment was trashed. Everything suddenly made sense.

"Oh Scully I'm so sorry. Was anything stolen?" She shook her head and I understood what had upset her more. It was one thing to have something taken but at least you could rationalise it. They needed the money, or it was local thugs out for the night. This was different, far more personal. It was an invasion of privacy for no other reason than to scare the occupant.

Well as far as I could tell mission accomplished. She was scared to death. Something was still not right though, it was not like her to fall apart like this. We had seen so much over the years and this paled in comparison. There had to be more to it. I moved over to her again. She didn't flinch when I put my arms around her, on the contrary actually, she pulled me closer.

"Is there something more to this Scully? Something you're not telling me." I studied her tearstained face as she turned it up to mine. There was something else, I could tell, it was written all over her face. She only shook her head though. Considering her state, I decided to leave it at that, for now, but there was no way I was dropping the matter completely.

"I'm sorry to call you back here Mulder. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's ok. I want to be the one you call, I will always be here for you no matter what."

"Thank you." Scully was no longer crying now, but she made no effort to leave my arms, nor did I pull away. It was nice to comfort her like this and only occasionally would she let me do it. We couldn't say like this forever though, I got up and went to the phone to call the police.

They got here fairly quickly and examined the scene, dusting for a few prints here and there, but looking fairly unhopeful about the whole situation. One thing was puzzling though, there was no forced entry to door or any of the windows, which meant either they had a key, or that Scully had left the door unlocked. Both scenarios seemed unlikely. I tried to think back to see if she'd locked the door behind her, but that was one detail my photographic memory had missed.

It was after 3 before everything was finished up with and we both dead on our feet.

"Do you want me to stay?" She looked up at me with shock and surprise and finally I realised what my suggestion had sounded like. I quickly added. "On the couch of course."

"If it's not to uncomfortable.'

"Scully," I said raising my eyebrows at her. "I sleep on the couch every night, it's just a change of scenery for me." She forced a laugh that I think was more for my benefit than the actual thing but it was still nice to hear. She headed to her linen closet and retrieved a pillow and quilt for me.

"Thank you." She said as she handed me the bedding.

"Stop thanking me ok, it's nothing really." She blushed at this and nodded.

"Ok, goodnight then."

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Basement Office

FBI Building

9.26am May 3rd

"Mulder! Stop it!"

This was the third time I had caught him staring at me from over the top of his case file, and each time I caught him he looked more sheepish than the last. It made him look gorgeous, but how was a girl meant to get anything done!

I tried to focus on my report but it just wasn't happening today. Who was I kidding, it hadn't been happening for days now. The phone calls and then my apartment being trashed had put me off balance.

Still, I couldn't talk about this with Mulder, even though my rational mind screamed for me to do it, my heart said no. There was no way I was willing to risk what we had begun to build. I knew Mulder well, he would never do anything to endanger me, and if that meant distancing himself from me, he would do it. No, there was no need for that, there had been no more phone calls since the break in, so maybe this horrible nightmare was over.

Looking up I found him staring at me again.

"This is getting ridiculous Mulder."

"I'm sorry." He looked genuine but this time he didn't continue his reading, he began to look more intently at me. "Scully, I have been wanting to talk to you about this for a few days now, but I wasn't quite sure how to start."

I knew what was coming and inwardly groaned.

"What is it?" I said trying to appear innocent.

"I think there was more to the other night than you were letting on. You were very scared."

"Mulder my house was ripped apart, I'm sorry if I wasn't as together as you would have expected." My voice rose in anger. He looked shocked at my strong reply. I knew I sounded more suspicious by letting his words get to me, but I was never any good at lying.

"Hey calm down, you haven't been yourself and I'm worried about you."

"Don't be! Why do you always feel the need to protect me? You make out like I am a small child or something, but I'm not, I 'm a federal agent for god's sake. I can take care of myself!" My words were harsh, and I could tell I'd hurt him.

"Obviously, that's why you called me the other night in hysterics is it? Well, If that's taking care of yourself, I'd love to see you when you're actually in trouble!" His eyes had darkened as he lashed back at me, hurt. I had brought this argument on myself, but it was better than telling him the truth.

"I'd bet you'd love that wouldn't you. You could ride in on your white horse and save me then couldn't you. Well I have news for you, I don't need you, I never have and I wish to god we'd never kissed. Then maybe you wouldn't have got such a screwed up notion in your head of having to look after me all the time. You smother me, do you know that? I wish you'd just leave me alone!"

"That I can do!" His expression was the same as if I'd slapped him, I guess the word had that same impact. He pushed out his chair and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. My head fell forward as I lost control of my emotions.

"Forgive me Mulder," I whispered. "But I can't tell you." The tears continued, unstoppable.

In the state I was in I didn't hear anyone enter the office behind me until it was too late. I felt a large wad of cloth being forced against my mouth. I struggled desperately, kicking and screaming, but to no avail. The cloth muffled my sounds and his grasp was far to strong for my legs to do any real damage. The cloth was damp, and as the vapors entered my nose and mouth, I began to feel dizzy.

The realisation dawned on me that I was helpless I stopped thrashing my legs around and succumbed to the darkness that swallowed me up.

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End of Part Three.

Stay tuned for part 4.

Is anyone still out there reading this?

Please review for me.