Hi, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Viorna

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Chapter 5

I didn't wake up the next morning until Mulder knocked on my door. Well, it was more like pounded, but it worked as well as an alarm. I was a little disoriented when my eyes first opened; not quite sure of where I was. Then I remembered that we had been trapped out in the swampy countryside of Georgia, and consequently we had to spend the night in a historic, yet rather creepy mansion.

"Can I come in?' I heard Mulder ask through the door.

"Yeah," I replied, at the same time wondering why I hadn't told him to wait until I was showered and dressed.

The door opened and Mulder peered around it, a cheerful but slightly cautious smile on his face.

"I said you could come in; don't stand there with the door hanging open."

He popped all the way in and came over to the bed, and handed me a cup. I sniffed and smelled the most wonderful smelling coffee I had smelt in a very long time. Suddenly, I just was just a little bit more awake.

"Thanks," I said, after taking a sip of the pick-me-up. Then it hit me: why was Mulder bringing me coffee in bed? Well, not exactly in bed, he hadn't brought it with the intention of giving it to me in bed, but he had brought me coffee. He either wanted something, or wanted to talk to me about something.

"Do you need something Mulder?" I asked.

"Well, I need to talk to you about the case," he said.

"Shouldn't we wait for Nicole to talk about the case?" I couldn't help saying.

"We can talk with Nicole, but I want to just talk to you right now."

"Look, I really do have to get ready."

"Well, go ahead, get ready, it won't bother me."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him, and then I got out of bed to shoo him out of the room. But Mulder didn't shoo so easily. He just kept sitting on the bed, without seeming to get the hint that I wanted him out of the room. Finally, after giving him several looks, I told him to leave. Only then did he remove himself from the room. Sometimes he could be so incredibly childish.

I showered and got dressed, all in record time and I was ready to go by the time Mulder decided that I'd had enough time and came back to get me.

We met Nicole downstairs in the dining room where a very plentiful breakfast was laid out for us. Mrs. Monterale and her son weren't there, and that was fine with me. They both made me rather uncomfortable.

Andrea told us that Mrs. Monterale and Peter were still asleep, and that they wouldn't be getting up for awhile, but if we still wanted to talk to them we were welcomed to wait until they were.

Nicole, Mulder and I had a quick conference and we decided that we had gotten all the information from the Monterales that we were probably going to get and we might as well head back to Atlanta.

Before we left, Mulder left our cards along with a short note thanking the Monterales for their help and hospitality, and if they remembered anything to give one of the numbers a call.

It was a long ride back to Atlanta, with none of us saying very much. Up in the front seat though, Mulder and Nicole kept exchanging looks and from what I could tell from where I was in the back seat, the looks were heavy on the flirting side.

I couldn't understand what it was with Mulder and women. Why were they so attracted to him? It wasn't like he had lots of money and possessions to attract them. He actually had a very difficult job; one with long hours and lots of travel. It was hard to keep a serious relationship going. The only thing I could think of that attracted women was his good looks and his charm; his passionate nature. I knew those were some of the things that attracted me to him. Wait a minute; I was attracted to Mulder? Oh who was I kidding? Myself, I realized. I knew I was attracted to Mulder, and had been for quite awhile. I just didn't know how to face that fact and deal with it.

And really, there was more to Mulder than just his good looks, charm, and passionate nature. He was a kind, caring person, and very loyal if you were loyal to him. In some ways, (and I really hated to characterize him this way) he reminded me of a cocker spaniel. For all his quirks he was a wonderful guy and any women would be lucky to have him. That's what scared me: I knew any woman that was attracted to Mulder knew how lucky she was to get a guy like him.

It was rush hour by the time we hit Atlanta, and from then on it was slow going back to the station. When we finally managed to wind our way through the maze of traffic filled streets and pull into the parking lot, we were all a little bit crabby.

We held a brief but frustrating conference about where we should go next on the case. Mulder remarked that he didn't know how much longer our boss was going to let us stay down here without results and Nicole told us that while our help was appreciated, if we had to leave she understood completely.

"I think we need to take another approach at this case," Mulder suggested.

"Oh, how?" Nicole asked curiously.

"Well, maybe we should be looking at it from the angle of who it couldn't have been."

"It could have been anybody," Nicole countered.

"No, it couldn't. There's something we're missing here, something that is going to make everything fall into place, and we'll know it when we find it."

I knew Mulder was right. There was something missing, something that wasn't quite right about this whole case. I couldn't lay my finger on it; couldn't even really describe it. It was more like a vague feeling than anything else.

"Well, what are we missing?"

"I don't know Nicole, but we'll find it. Right now I think we should go over all the evidence again, and then we figure out where to go from there."

"Okay."

"Sure."

We spent the rest of the evening laying out the evidence on the timeline, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. When we finished, there were definitely many pieces missing, and like Mulder said, a piece that would make it all click.

We were all sitting there think about the case when all of a sudden Mulder snapped his fingers and jerked his feet off the desk.

"I think I have an idea," he exclaimed, an excited look hitting his face. "Okay, we know Mr. Monterale was having an affair, right?"

"Right," Nicole acknowledged.

"What do people do when they have an affair?"

"Well, they, uh, they sleep together," said Nicole with a rather bemused expression.

"Yeah, we know that, but where do they do the wild thing?"

"They go and get a motel or hotel room a lot of times," I responded, also feeling a little puzzled.

"Right, so what do we do?"

Nicole and I just sat there with blank expressions on our faces, wondering what Mulder was trying to tell us. Then it hit me.

"We get his bank statements and credit card statements and we see if he'd ever paid for a room. Then we have the hotel, and someone might have seen the woman he was having the affair with," I said and Mulder nodded with a grin.

"Or better yet, maybe they even know her name. If he's sent flowers to her, then we'll find the flower company, and then we'll find her name," he said.

"That's, that's good thinking," Nicole said. "I didn't think of that. I guess I've just been chasing my tail on this case."

"Hey, we're here to help," Mulder told her with a smile. "So what say you we get to it?"

"Good idea."

We tried to get Mr. Monterale's financial records, but unfortunately the bank and credit union had closed for the night, so we decided to try again in the morning. Nicole suggested that we go and get something to eat and just relax for the rest of the night. And as much as I just wanted to hurry up and get this case over with, her suggestion was enticing. We were all tired and hungry and pretty soon we were going to be cranky.

Nicole took us to another restaurant, instead of The Patrol Café. Don't get me wrong; the food there was good, but it was just that hamburgers and hot turkey sandwiches got a little old after a while. This restaurant was quite a bit more upscale and it served things like raspberry cheese cake and steak that couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

We all ordered our food and that included wine instead of ice tea or soda to drink. I made myself a little promise that I wouldn't have more than one glass of wine because somebody needed to drive us back to the hotel and I didn't think that a drunk Mulder and a semi sober Nicole would make for a good combination. Besides, when I drank too much of anything, I never did feel very good the next morning.

Suddenly it hit me that my line of thinking was completely ridiculous, and not only that it, was also wrong. What Mulder did when he was drunk (or sober) was really none of my concern. If he wanted to get involved with Nicole, then it wasn't my place to stop him or even advise him against it. It was his life and he could live how he liked.

So when I had three more glasses of wine, and I caught Mulder looking at me curiously, I gave him a look that could freeze fire. If I was going to mess out of Mulder's life then he'd better do what he knew was good for him and mess out of mine.

Nicole excused herself from the table and as soon as she was out of earshot, Mulder leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Don't you think you've had enough Scully?"

His warm breath tickled my ear and a little shiver ran down my spine. I was almost content to just let the comment slide and enjoy his closeness, but with four glasses of wine in my system I was feeling less inhibited than usual. The alcohol also made me a little more short tempered.

"I think I know when I've had enough and when I haven't," I hissed back. "Now, please hand me the bottle."

Mulder shook his head with a grimace. "You don't need anymore wine for a while," he said, his voice still low. "Why don't I order some coffee and we just don't drink anymore wine for now."

"Mind your own business Mulder. I'll be the judge of how much wine is enough and how much isn't."

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that Mulder was right and that he was just trying to look out for my welfare and possibly save me the embarrassment of being drunk in a nice restaurant, but the rest of my faculties were rather hazy and my dander was up. It wasn't his business how much I drank. The wine was good, I was tired and I figured I deserved a break every now and then. And if he didn't like that he could just go take a flying leap.

"C'mon Scully, let's not get into an argument in a restaurant. I just think you've had too much wine, too fast. Especially for someone your size."

Ooh, that stung. Someone my size; and just what did he mean by that remark? Well, I guessed I'd better find out.

"What do you mean, my size?" I asked him testily.

Mulder cocked an eyebrow and then frowned. "I just meant that you're a small person and that four glasses of wine is going to affect you a lot faster that it would somebody my size."

"Or maybe Nicole's size?"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know very well what that meant."

"No, I don't," Mulder said, shaking his head in bewilderment.

Somehow, the rational, still sober part of my mind kicked in and I realized that I needed to cool down before I said something I really regretted. I stood up and found to my dismay that the room spun a little, but I managed to steady myself and with as much dignity as I could muster, I walked out.

I stepped out into the night and took a deep breath. What was wrong with me? It was like I was losing my mind or something. The rational, sane Dana Scully would've never gotten herself slightly drunk and then started an argument with her partner in a restaurant. I was very definitely losing my mind, or else I needed a vacation.

"Scully?"

I started when I heard Mulder's voice. What was he doing out here?

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine Mulder," I replied, without turning to look at him. "I'm just tired, and you're right, I did drink too much too fast. You better go back, or Nicole will think we both ditched her. I'm going back to the hotel."

"I told Nicole you weren't feeling too well, and that you'd stepped outside for some air. I'm out here checking on you."

"Well, you've checked on me, and you can tell Nicole that I've gone back to the hotel."

"Why don't you come back and get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry. I just need to go get some sleep."

Mulder sighed, but I still didn't look at him. I could guess that he was probably trying to figure out a way to convince me to come back inside, but I really didn't want to go in and sit listening to him and Nicole enjoying themselves. The best thing for me to do was to just head back to the hotel and sleep.

"How are you going to get back to the hotel?" was Mulder's next question.

"I'll take a cab," I replied.

"You'll probably have to call one 'cause I don't see any around here."

"I know that," I said, fumbling in my jacket for my cell phone. As I retrieved it I realized I didn't know the number for any of the cab services in Atlanta. I was ready to sit down on the sidewalk and cry, I felt so frustrated. I just had all this tension and I needed to scream or something.

"C'mon Scully, I'll take you back."

"What, you gonna ditch Nicole?" I was starting find that thought rather funny. It was about time he ditched somebody else besides me.

"No, I'm not ditching Nicole. I'll explain that you're not feeling well, and then I take you back."

"And then you're gonna spend the rest of the night in your hotel room?"

"Probably not. You might not be hungry, but I am and I don't give up the chance to eat food when somebody else is paying for it."

"So you're comin' back here?"

"Yeah."

"Figures," I snorted. "No thanks, I'll take a cab. I wouldn't want you to inconvenience yourself."

A cab was just passing and I stepped out in the street to hail. It screeched to a halt and I hazily figured that I probably came too close to it when I heard Mulder exclaim, "Geez Scully!" I ignored him as I got in the cab and gave the driver the address of the hotel where we were staying.

I made back to the hotel and up to me room in one piece, and flopped out on the bed with a heavy sigh. I didn't even bother to change my clothes, and as I drifted off to sleep I wondered vaguely what Mulder and Nicole were talking about.

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Something woke me up later that night, but I wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that my head hurt and my mouth was all dry and pasty. Or maybe it was the fact that I was still in my clothes. Whatever it was, I knew I needed to get some aspirin or I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.

I dug through my luggage until I found the little bottle of pain relief, and I hastily shook out two pills into my palm and headed into the bathroom to get some water to take them. After I swallowed the pills I found myself wishing for some ice water. But I didn't have any ice. I groaned as I took the ice bucket and my gun and headed for the ice machine.

I was passing Mulder's door on my way back when a sound stopped me dead in my tracks. It sounded like a groan coming from inside Mulder's room. My heart started beating so hard it felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. I didn't want to imagine what had happened to him. All I kept seeing was an image of Mulder lying on the floor, bleeding out.

The adrenaline was pumping hard as I unholstered my service weapon, and then with a deep breath pushed the door open. I quickly scanned the room fearing I would find a badly injured Mulder lying around somewhere, but what I saw on the bed completely threw me for a loop. Mulder was lying on the bed alright, but there on top of him was Nicole. They were both kissing each other like mad and working on the process of undressing each, but it didn't look like they had been at it too long, because Mulder was still wearing his t-shirt and pants, and Nicole was still dressed except for missing nylons and shoes, although her blouse was part way open.

Nicole's sedated and reserved bun had fallen apart, leaving her hair rumpled and very seductive looking. Mulder's hair was rumpled and both their faces were flushed and they were both still panting slightly. It looked like I had interrupted a very heavy breathing session.

Mulder and Nicole just stared at me, frozen, and I stared back at them, frozen. It felt like time had stood still. Then I felt the adrenaline start to drain away, and my legs went all rubbery. I felt a little sick. This wasn't the first time I had stumbled in on Mulder and some woman getting ready to do the wild thing, but it still left me feeling like I had been sacked.

They both started to grow a very bright shade of red and Nicole leapt off of Mulder like he was on fire. She opened her mouth like she was getting ready to say something but then she closed it and began searching around for her shoes.

Mulder ran a hand through his hair and took a breath. For once in his life he seemed speechless, but unfortunately so was I. And then I realized that if I kept standing there it was going to start looking really weird, like maybe I actually did care what Mulder did on his personal time. So I mumbled an apology, turned on my heel and picked up the ice bucket I had dropped and dashed back to my room.

I sank bonelessly down on my bed and dropped my head in my hands. It was getting harder and harder to deny to myself that I didn't have feelings for Mulder. Pretty soon, if I kept acting like I was it was going to be very hard to deny it to the rest of the world too.

A short, mirthless laugh escaped my lips. At least I had cooled their passion. And then again maybe I hadn't. With Mulder, who knew? If he wanted something badly enough, he'd go after it, and I had a feeling Nicole was the same way. Besides, I could feel the sexual tension between them, and one way or the other it would find some sort of relief.

I curled up on the bed, and closed my eyes. I was so tired and my head hurt so badly. I wished I had someone to hold me and make me feel better, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The person I wanted was in the other room, probably sucking on Nicole's ear.

A tear slipped out of my tightly closed eyes and ran down over my nose. I felt like having a pity party, but I couldn't scrounge more than one tear.

Slowly, a deep hazy sleep overtook me, and I didn't wake up until the next morning.