Okay, this is the end!

I want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed this story: Lou, mgladwdm, meesh25, Katie, xdaigonstarx, and ArafelSedai!

Also a special thanks to Mulder's Girl who reviewed every single chapter. That makes me so happy!

Lastly, a huge thank you to my sister, who is amazing and helped me a lot with this chapter!


Chapter 9 – Breathing

"Agents, I just read over your report. It was, well, eye-opening to say the least. Are you absolutely sure that that is what you want to officially submit?"

"It is the truth, Sir."

Mulder sighed, finding it amusing when Scully did the same. Their eyes met and something passed between them, something that neither felt fully ready to explore at the moment. They shifter their gazes back to Skinner, who was obviously having a hard time grasping the full story.

Mulder, to his own chagrin, grasped it perfectly. Varrick had been smart, manipulative, and charming. He had no problem finding and luring his victims to their death. What exactly Varrick was, it was unsure that anyone would ever know.

For once, Mulder felt no drive to further dwell on this question. He was content with the fact that his Scully was safe and, for the most part, unaltered by the event. Her resilience never ceased to shock him. It seemed that she had been through so much, and yet she was able to move on and remain steady and strong.

His musings were interrupted by the A.D.'s next query. "So you are saying that he just disintegrated before your eyes?"

"Um, well, yes."

"Mulder, how much Neronge had you inhaled by this point?"

"None!"

Skinner raised a skeptical eyebrow. The look that Scully managed to capture perfectly looked comical on his face. Mulder coughed and looked down as he continued, "More importantly, are you both fully recovered now? They were really worried about you in the hospital, Agent Scully. Had Mulder been even a few seconds later…"

"I know, Sir. We're both fine." Scully sounded somewhat short, but inside she was filled with relief. She had not at all relished having to wake up in yet another hospital, especially when she learned that Mulder was being treated as well. Even worse, she had not yet gotten the opportunity to speak to him at all, as they were called in to Skinner's office as soon as they were released from the hospital.

Luckily, the A.D. seemed to recognize this. "Well, that is very good. I am sure that you both want to be getting home, now. I know that you came straight here and I thank you for that."

They nodded and rose to leave. "One more thing. I just had to say again how lucky you two are to have one another."

They exchanged glances before walking out of the door.

Skinner sat back and watched them contemplatively. It was apparent to him that there was a lot more to the story of his two best agents than met the eye. The intrinsic attraction between the two seemed to grow each time he observed them together.

He knew that, officially, the bureau frowned on such relationships. However, he felt that in their case, there should be an exception. They had a unique chemistry that promised that they would work even better together once all the aspects of their relationship had been explored.

He also understood that tonight would be an important one for them, a night of many decisions. Silently, he wished them luck, whatever they decided.


Scully looked out the window of Mulder's car as they approached her home. They had barely said a word to each other the whole ride, each lost in their own thoughts. Her need to tell him of her newfound realizations of her feelings was still strong, but now seemed like a strained time, it would be a bittersweet moment.

Or maybe not. But the events of the day had shattered her previous confidence, and she once again felt open and susceptible. It would be a big step, a huge change in their lives, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. At the same time, she wasn't sure that she would be able to wait much longer.

He eased the vehicle into a spot outside her house. She didn't move. Scully wasn't completely sure of what her plans were, but, regardless of anything, she suddenly couldn't stand the though of letting him just drive away. "Hey, Mulder, would you like to come in?"

"Sure," he responded, grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with her to ensure that she was truly alright.

One inside, they shared a bottle of coke, chatting and joking easily for a brief while on her couch. Soon, a silence arose again between the two. It spanned until it was on the verge of being uncomfortable. Shifting, Scully rose and walked over to the window, unconsciously fixing the curtains.

Suddenly, she made up her mind. She turned to face Mulder, and he rose to meet her gaze.

"We need to talk, Mulder. We have needed to for a long time, now. But I think we're both scared. And why wouldn't we be? It seems as if every time we move to bridge the gap between is, something gets in the way and we almost lose each other."

Mulder looked at her, finally at a loss for words.

"At times like this, I need help and support. And you are there for me, you always have been. But maybe there is more…"

"More?" he repeated. "Maybe. But, aside from anything else, I want to tell you now, again, in case it hasn't been clear enough in the past, that you mean so much to me. You are my stability, the only one I trust. We are two parts of a whole."

"We are."

He looked at her meaningfully, unspoken words and intentions flying between them. "Scully…"

Without hesitation, she went into his awaiting arms. She felt his warmth begin to sweep through her whole being and she shivered with anticipation. Rising on her toes, she moved until her mouth was right next to his ear. "Fox," she breathed.

Mulder felt a shot of energy rush through him. He had long hated his first name, but when she said it like that…

He let out a shaky breath, not sure where all this was leading yet. "You know, I even made my parents call me Mulder," he said hesitantly, trying to lighten the mood before the both got carried away.

She stepped back and looked at him. "What are we afraid of? Why?"

"It's against the rules…" he began meekly, but stopped himself. Since when does Fox Mulder care about breaking the rules?

"Honestly, I'm afraid of how things are going to change. No matter what, I don't want to lose what we have now. Not ever."

"Neither do I." She stepped away from him. "I don't think that anything could take what we have away from us. But it would be a change. A risk. And if you don't want to go down that path… It's okay. I'm sorry."

She turned to walk into her bedroom, trying to hide her sore disappointment. She needed to be alone for awhile now, to sort things through.

Without thinking, Mulder strode after her and reached out, grabbing her arm and swirling her around and pulling her back against him. "Don't leave," he breathed. "Please. Dana. Forget the risks. I need you here with me."

"And I need to be here," she said, matching his intensity. "But it needs to be real. No more games. No more excuses. No more letting fear guide our actions."

"No more," he repeated solemnly.

The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. Everything around her seemed to flicker and fade as she lost herself in Mulder's warm embrace. She felt heat course through her body, surprised at how wonderful it felt.

He pulled her close, needing to feel more of her. His hands slowly worked their way up and down her back, igniting little fires along her spine. In tandem, she moved her hands up his chest and down his arms, feeling his toned muscles under her fingertips.

At this, she was gripped with the need to feel more of him. She quickly pulled off his tie, and her hands fumbled with the buttons of his dress shirt. Pulling back a moment; he removed first his shirt, then hers.

Slowly, Mulder guided her backwards towards the bed. Scully moved with him, allowing herself to be pushed down gently, his weight coming down on top of her. Reaching up, she tangled her hands in his hair as he ran his hands up and down her body. She savored the sensation of his soft caresses and found that she was wishing it would never end.

Abruptly, he drew back and looked down at her, taking great pleasure in seeing the flame alight in her eyes. Now, that was mingled with confusion. "Mulder?"

"Scully," he whispered, his breathing coming fast. "I need to tell you. Before… I… I love you."

Her breathing almost stopped. As clearly as she had known that for a long time, never in a million years would she have believed that he would actually say it out loud to her. "I've felt the same way for a very long time. A very long time. I love you, too."

He smiled, truly happy for the first time in what felt like forever. She returned his smile as she gently caressed his face. His lips descended to hers once more.

They moved together, each embracing the other, anticipation growing.

It came naturally for them.

Like breathing.


So… what did you all think? I really hope that you enjoyed this story, as I had a good time writing it. Please review and let me know what you thought one last time!

Also, I am working on a series of one-shots, some that take place after this story and some that are standalones. If you're interested, look out for those in the next couple of weeks.

One more time, thanks for reading, and have a great summer everybody!