Just when he thought it had been too late, he heard splashing near the edge of the woods. Scully popped up out of the water and somehow hoisted herself onto dry land. He heard her gasping for air. "SCULLY!" Mulder swam wildly back to the shore towards her. When he reached her, she was coughing and spitting out water. Her shoulder was still bleeding. He crawled out of the water and tried to hold her, but she jerked away. She got up from the ground, still coughing and spitting and holding her wounded left shoulder with her right hand. "Scully?" Mulder questioned. "Scully, you're hurt. Let me see..."

"I'm fine Mulder. I'm fine. Just a flesh wound," she said as her coughing subsided. She then held up her left hand to Mulder, revealing the shiny disc that she had safeguarded.

"Come on," he said to her. "Let's get out of here."

Back at Mulder's apartment, Mulder and Scully stood around the Lone Gunmen. Frohike put the CD into the laptop computer. They waited. The CD drive hummed and the computer beeped. The screen went black. They waited some more. And then Frohike said, "There's nothing on this."

"It's empty," Langly offered.

"Completely, Byers added.

"No, it can't be." Scully was exasperated. "It can't be. It's got to be on there." Scully attempted to boot the CD once more. Empty. Her heart sank and her stomach flipped. She felt sick. Used. Ashamed. She had risked her life. Mulder's life. For NOTHING.

"You were right, Mulder. I should have walked away. What the hell was I thinking? Who are these people? Why must the truth always stay buried? I risked it all for NOTHING! NOTHING!" Scully ran out of the apartment and barreled down the hallway towards the elevator. Mulder ran after her, just as he did at another time, in the same hallway a few years back.

"Scully, please don't go!"

She stopped, turned around, and with tears in her eyes, said softly, "You were right." She looked defeated.

He slowly walked up to her and gently took her in his arms, being careful of the bandage wrapped around her shoulder. She allowed herself the pleasure and the comfort of once again being held by Mulder. He placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "We have a lot of life to live yet," he said calmly.

Scully released herself from his embrace and took hold of his hands and squeezed. Their eyes locked. Reluctantly, she let go of his hands, one and at a time, breaking their connection. She turned away to walk to the elevator. Mulder watched her push the 'Down' button and then he returned back to his apartment.

End

AN: Thanks for reading!