Disclaimer: Already done this for M/S & the X-Files, so this disclaimer's for the songs. They're not mine, they belong to their respective artists, writers, producers, record companies, whatever. I didn't write them, cuz my poetry/songs aren't nearly that good, and I only wish I could make money off of them, cuz I could use it. Just in case you were wondering.
Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who reviewed that last chapter. I love it when you guys do that! It was especially interesting to hear all the different takes on the M/S relationship. Everyone seems to have an opinion on that. For the most part, you guys seem to accept the idea as long as they don't get too love-y dove-y. Hope this suits your specifications. If not, please tell me, cuz I don't want this to get sappy, either. Anyway, this chapter – maybe even the rest of the story, I don't know – is based heavily on those dreams that Scully was having of Mulder in "Within," the season eight premiere where Scully was witnessing him in captivity. My whole premise is that she was having these visions before he was even abducted. (See, my friends and I are convinced that Scully's psychic, despite herself, but if I say anything more, I'm afraid I'll give the plot away.) And on with the story…
When the Night Falls On You
Chapter Two: Waking Nightmares
About fifteen songs later, Scully collapsed on the couch, laughing more form shock that they had kept it up for this long than from exhaustion. They had been dancing for almost an hour, and they had shimmed to "Love Shack," did the electric slide to Mustang Sally, swing danced to "Zoot Suit Riot," two-stepped to "Jeepers Creepers," done the Hustle, the Time Warp, even the Macarena, just to name a few. They "slow-danced" to "Twilight Time," but they couldn't really take that one seriously.[1]
Mulder turned toward the computer, paused the CD, and went to join her on the couch. As he was walking toward her, she realized that she had discovered two very rare things. One, she had found a man that could dance. Two, she was actually having fun with her partner.
"The CD ain't over yet, Scully. You tried out already?" he asked as he sat down next to her.
"No, I just need a minute before I start getting my groove on again."
"Ah, come on, the next song isn't a very strenuous dance song."
"Alright." Scully seemed to put a lot of effort into getting up, but he suspected it was more for show. He went back over to the computer to restart the CD. After a second, Scully could hear the intro to The Pretender's "I'll Stand By You" emitting from the speakers. Mulder made his way over to her and drew her into the closed position. There was a moment of awkwardness as they realized just how close they were, and but it didn't take long before they had relaxed.
Once they had gotten a little more comfortable, Scully's mind began to stray. She started to remember all the horrible dreams she had been having lately. They were still hazy – despite the fact that she had been having the same one over and over for weeks now – but the implications of it were still there. It was interesting what she remembered and what she had forgotten. She remembered seeing him. His image was distorted, as if she was seeing him through a cloud, or some frosty piece of glass, but it was still him. She had worked with him long enough, seen his figure enough to recognize the man she cared about so much, even through the vagueness of a dream. His exact position was lost in the haze of the dream, and she wanted to say he was lying down, but that wasn't quite true. She was convinced that some higher power was trying to tell her just by the things that had remained in her conscience memory that the details didn't matter, just as long as she understood what was going on. And, boy, did she ever know. He was being tortured. Held down. Tested on. Like he was some sort of lab rat. No. Worse. He was one of those unfortunate beetles little children find in their back yards and pull to pieces while they're still alive just to see what it looks like on the inside. She was horrified. This was her friend, her best friend. Someone she cared about. Someone she –
She wanted to help him. She tried to get to him. Because they had no right. Because she owed him that much. Because she couldn't bear to see someone she cared about so much go through so brutal a violation. Because she had been through it herself. Because he was calling out to her. Not his mommy. Not some woman he had been with in the past. But her. His voice echoed in her ears until it got to her head, where it resonated in her skull. From there it moved down her spinal column, through her skeletal system, whereupon it seemed to permeate the rest of her body until finally it seemed as though her entire body shook with it. "Scully!" he cried. "Scully!" over and over again.
She tried to reach him, tried desperately to get to him, to set him free, to get him out of there, to tend to his wounds and to comfort the emotional scars she knew would linger long after his body would heal. "Scully! Scully!" But something stopped her. She had no name for it. It was just a force that kept her from getting to him. "Scully! Scully!" It was agonizing. "Scully! Scully!" As if someone just wanted her to know what was going on, but deprive her of the means to do anything about it. "Scully! Scully!" As if she was watching a tape of what had been done to him after the fact. Mulder was already gone and there was nothing she could do for him. "Scully! Scully!"
She always woke up from it in a cold sweat, and sitting bolt upright in bed. It terrified her, always. She had tried to decipher what it could possibly mean, but no interpretation she could give it soothed her. She thought about going to outside sources to figure it out. Find someone more experienced than she to help her out, but she didn't feel comfortable telling anyone else about it. After all, what would some middle-aged flower child know about her life? Her dreams? Her nightmares? The only person she would have felt comfortable telling was her sister. Missy would have known what it meant, and she would have kept it in the bag that she was starting to become a believer. Yes, she would have trusted Missy with such knowledge. But Missy was gone now.[2] She remembered the story her mother told her after her abduction about the dreams she had experienced.[3] She remembered the appearance of various dream dictionaries throughout her mother's house afterward. It had started a big argument between them. At the time, she was not ready to believe, and even thought she still wasn't sure that she was ready now, she knew she wasn't ready to admit defeat to her mom. Not just yet.
So, she disregarded the dreams all together, convincing herself that they were just some unconscious fear of hers surfacing and nothing more. The only problem was, they kept coming back.
She had been in her head for less than a minute, but it seemed to her to be an eternity. Reliving the awful memories of the past several nights had brought her deep into the recesses of her mind and, as she pulled out from it, something came to her – a realization of sorts, or perhaps some sort of sudden burst of intuition. Whatever it was, she knew, at that moment, that this dream – this nightmare – would become a reality. She was going to lose the most precious thing in her life. Mulder would soon no longer be a part of her life.
She was petrified. She tried to find some rational way to explain it, to clam herself down, but her thoughts were all jumbled up together.
*It's just some fear of mine surfacing*
*You're becoming as paranoid as him*
*You were dreaming again, Scully*
*It's the only explanation*
*I'm even calling myself by my last name*
*I must be going crazy*
*Well, you know what they say*
*Folie a deux*
*I've been spending too much time with him*
*I gotta start to get out more*
As she had regressed into that place between sleep and awake in an attempt to recall her dreams, the two partners had inched nearer and nearer to each other as they became more comfortable with being so close. Without realizing it, she had nearly pressed her body up to his and was lightly resting the side of her head on his chest. He was a bit surprised that she had been so forward, despite how tender she had been in the gesture. He didn't mind, though. In fact, he was pleased to know that she felt so comfortable with him. Despite all their years together, and all that they had been through, he thought they held back a lot, and he was delighted that things were different, even if it did last for only this one night.
The mood changed abruptly, though, and all of a sudden, it was as if the woman he was dancing with had been overcome by some arctic chill. He heard her draw in a sudden breath of air and felt the body he held so close to his own heave as Scully tensed up. He had been in a terrible situation like this, which did, indeed require a trip to the Arctic to set things right, and he reacted quickly, despite his own fear of what it could possibly be this time.
"Scully? You okay?" he implored.
It was as if she hadn't even heard him. He peeled her body away from his to look at her face. She looked like she was miles away, but he could still see the pained, frightened look on his face.
"Scully?" he asked again, desperate this time.
The only thing that brought Scully out of her little trance was his voice, desperately calling for her to snap back into reality.
"Huh? What?"
"You okay?"
She took a second to answer him. She looked at Mulder with such a sad and lonely face, realizing that no matter how much she tried to shake off the feeling that had just overwhelmed her, no matter how much she tried to rationalize and explain it, that it was just too powerful. She was going to lose him and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me, Scully." He wasn't angry when he said it. More concerned. She had given herself away in the long pause, and they both knew it, but what bothered Mulder most was the look on her face at the time. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me."
Scully panicked. She couldn't tell him the truth. Not now. She had hardly even digested it herself. But she couldn't insist that nothing was wrong. Not anymore. He had seen right through that. Besides, she owed him more.
"I – I don't want to talk about it right now."
"Scully, whatever it is –"
"Please. I'll tell you later, but not now," she said, stopping him, not knowing if there would ever be a later for them. She felt the tears begin to well up inside her. She pushed them back, trying desperately to not give away any more indications of how much this was bothering her than she already had. Besides, she knew he was worried, and she didn't want to agitate his fears any more. For now, they were together, and who knew how much longer it would last.
"Well, is there anything I can do?"
"Just...keep dancing."
Oh, Why you look so sad?
The tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
But don't be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
Cause I've seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
So, If your mad, get mad
Don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
But hey, what you've got to hide
I get angry too
But I'm a lot like you
When you're standing at the crossroads
Don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
Cause even if your wrong...
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
And when,
When the night falls on you baby
Your feeling all alone
Walking on your own
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
To be continued…
[1] You all remember the incident in the car in the totally amazing/awesome episode called "Kill Switch," right?
[2] Scully's sister, Melissa "Missy" Scully, was shot in "The Blessing Way" and died at the end of "Paper Clip."
[3] In the episode "Acsention," Mrs. Scully meets up with Mulder after Scully's abduction and tells him that she had a dream that Dana had been taken.