- 8 -
She watched as he packed his bag, staring in despair at his moves. She
didn't want him to go. She could sense that it would all come to a
dramatic end if he did. But he had made his decision and she knew
better than anyone that he was unstoppable.
When he put his cell phone in his bag, she stopped him. 'Don't,' she
said, 'they'll check and take it out. You should hide it. I'm pretty
sure they won't strip you down to the bone.' Her hand lingered on
his, and they both looked at it.
'I'm sure stripping is not a part of their agenda,' he grinned back,
shoving the cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. 'But you're right
of course. I should be careful.'
'And check the room they give you for bugs. You can never be sure
enough. And '
'Scully, I know what I'm doing,' he said, stopping her before she
could finish. He took her in his arms, forcing her suddenly to lean
into him. Her first reaction was to shove him away, but then she
embraced him and put her head against his chest.
'I have this feeling I won't see you again,' she whispered, looking up
at him. He didn't respond at first. Then he smiled and made sure she
saw him. 'You don't think you're getting rid of me that easily? I
promise you that we will stay in touch constantly. The moment it gets
rough, you get me out of there.'
'I'm just afraid he's going to prevent us being in touch.'
Mulder sighed and moved away from her, closing his bag. 'I don't want
to go through this again, Scully. You know I have to do this. If I
don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. We've never backed out
of a rough spot before. Why should I start now?'
'You're leading yourself by your emotions, Mulder. That's what I fear
the most. You're not doing this because you believe it's the best way
to act. You do this because you don't want Vickie to become another
Melissa. But you said it yourself; Dominique is a more dangerous
Ephesian. As soon as he figures out that you're there for a purpose,
he'll kill you and you'll have no defence. You can't take your gun in
there. You'll be an easy target to him.'
'Then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't figure it out,' Mulder
said, putting his bag on the floor. 'I'm not afraid of him, Scully. I
just don't want you to panic on this. I need you now more than ever.
You need to pull yourself together and be there when I need you.'
'I'll always be there for you,' she responded. 'I just don't like the
idea of you being locked up in there. I dread the idea that you might
be fed medication or drugs. It's the rational side of me speaking, I
know. I wish I could come with you.'
'I know.' He smiled reassuringly. 'The fact that you'll be around to
cover my back, is enough to keep me up and about in there. Trust on
that.'
'I only trust in you,' she responded seriously.
He didn't need her to say that. From all the doubts in the world that
he had ever had, there was one that had been resolved a long time
ago. There was just one person he trusted and she stood right in
front of him, ready to do anything to help him.
That alone, was more than enough to take this dangerous step.
Scully knew that. When they said their goodbyes, she took the back
door, allowing her to leave in the darkness and unseen. They both
knew that her presence in his apartment could mean his end, yet they
couldn't deny that they needed to say goodbye in a proper way.
And so she left, as if she had no right to be there any longer. And he
spent the last night in his apartment by himself, staring into the
darkness while the VCR played one of his favourite movies. But for
the first time, he didn't watch it.
She watched as he packed his bag, staring in despair at his moves. She
didn't want him to go. She could sense that it would all come to a
dramatic end if he did. But he had made his decision and she knew
better than anyone that he was unstoppable.
When he put his cell phone in his bag, she stopped him. 'Don't,' she
said, 'they'll check and take it out. You should hide it. I'm pretty
sure they won't strip you down to the bone.' Her hand lingered on
his, and they both looked at it.
'I'm sure stripping is not a part of their agenda,' he grinned back,
shoving the cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. 'But you're right
of course. I should be careful.'
'And check the room they give you for bugs. You can never be sure
enough. And '
'Scully, I know what I'm doing,' he said, stopping her before she
could finish. He took her in his arms, forcing her suddenly to lean
into him. Her first reaction was to shove him away, but then she
embraced him and put her head against his chest.
'I have this feeling I won't see you again,' she whispered, looking up
at him. He didn't respond at first. Then he smiled and made sure she
saw him. 'You don't think you're getting rid of me that easily? I
promise you that we will stay in touch constantly. The moment it gets
rough, you get me out of there.'
'I'm just afraid he's going to prevent us being in touch.'
Mulder sighed and moved away from her, closing his bag. 'I don't want
to go through this again, Scully. You know I have to do this. If I
don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. We've never backed out
of a rough spot before. Why should I start now?'
'You're leading yourself by your emotions, Mulder. That's what I fear
the most. You're not doing this because you believe it's the best way
to act. You do this because you don't want Vickie to become another
Melissa. But you said it yourself; Dominique is a more dangerous
Ephesian. As soon as he figures out that you're there for a purpose,
he'll kill you and you'll have no defence. You can't take your gun in
there. You'll be an easy target to him.'
'Then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't figure it out,' Mulder
said, putting his bag on the floor. 'I'm not afraid of him, Scully. I
just don't want you to panic on this. I need you now more than ever.
You need to pull yourself together and be there when I need you.'
'I'll always be there for you,' she responded. 'I just don't like the
idea of you being locked up in there. I dread the idea that you might
be fed medication or drugs. It's the rational side of me speaking, I
know. I wish I could come with you.'
'I know.' He smiled reassuringly. 'The fact that you'll be around to
cover my back, is enough to keep me up and about in there. Trust on
that.'
'I only trust in you,' she responded seriously.
He didn't need her to say that. From all the doubts in the world that
he had ever had, there was one that had been resolved a long time
ago. There was just one person he trusted and she stood right in
front of him, ready to do anything to help him.
That alone, was more than enough to take this dangerous step.
Scully knew that. When they said their goodbyes, she took the back
door, allowing her to leave in the darkness and unseen. They both
knew that her presence in his apartment could mean his end, yet they
couldn't deny that they needed to say goodbye in a proper way.
And so she left, as if she had no right to be there any longer. And he
spent the last night in his apartment by himself, staring into the
darkness while the VCR played one of his favourite movies. But for
the first time, he didn't watch it.