Chapter one (picks up at the end of Orison)
"What if it wasn't God?" Scully's eyes dropped as there was a knock on the door.
"Sorry to interrupt, we're just gonna need a couple more minutes with the victim - "
Mulder crossed the room in two bounds and shoved the police officer out the door and stepped out with him, closing the door behind himself and arguing in hushed tones. Scully knew she'd have hours of questions ahead of her and was dreading it as she finished packing a bag, avoiding areas of her room she was instructed not to touch, so she was surprised when she got to the hallway and Mulder was closing the door to the last police officer.
"They will need your clothes in this evidence bag but otherwise your previous statements are enough for tonight and we can go. You've got a hotel close to work, but Skinner said to take as much time as you - "
"I don't need time off work."
They locked eyes and Mulder knew there was no point in arguing now. Maybe once she was cleaned up and out of her apartment she'd think more clearly. He didn't say anything as he handed her the evidence bag for her clothes and a pair of scrubs. Only when she raised her eyebrows did he nod at the scrubs and explain, "they asked that you not take clothes from home as you might disturb the crime scene so I got these from your car."
Scully changed and left the clothes in the evidence bag by the door as they left. Neither of them said a word on the way to the hotel and Scully was grateful for the quiet.
Mulder checked her in and carried her stuff to her room for her then stood awkwardly by the door as she sat on the bed. She raised an eyebrow at him when she noticed him staying near the door; they had hung out in dozens of hotels on cases before, so she wasn't sure why he was shifting his feet and avoiding her eyes.
"Mulder?" She could not bare the thought of him treating her differently or thinking of her differently now that she had taken a life unnecessarily. After all, Mulder had gotten there in time to save her, as he always had; he had had Pfaster cornered. She didn't need to shoot. Her stomach was in knots as she waited for his reply. He had reassured her at her apartment but what if it was just to make her feel better?
He finally met her gaze and smiled sheepishly, which just confused her further. "I… Look, I know you like your space but I... I'm not gonna sleep tonight no matter where I am and I'd really like to stay close by. I can ask if any other rooms on this floor are available but I - "
Scully interrupted him with a forceful, "no!" And his face fell. He started to apologize as she said, "I mean… I would like it if you stayed… with me… here… not in another room…" Scully hadn't even considered the fact that he might leave for her sake. Contrary to what he'd said she didn't want space, she didn't want to be alone. She was relieved he wanted to stay, relieved his feelings didn't seem to change.
Mulder reflected her look of relief back to her. "Yeah, of course, Scully. Thank you." He moved past the bed and sat in a chair on the other side. From this angle he could see her back and he gasped, causing her to jump. "Scully, you're bleeding! Your back!"
She started to twist to try to see her back but winced in pain and muttered, "oh yeah." Mulder waited for her to elaborate, eyes wide. "He threw me against the mirror."
Mulder let air out of his lips loudly. "I brought your medical bag, one sec." He hopped up and rummaged quickly through the bags he'd left by the door. He found a new t shirt first and tucked it under his arm while he found the medical bag, which he opened but suddenly felt like this bag was more personal than a purse, so closed it and brought it to her instead.
She took it and the shirt to the bathroom but paused at the door and turned abruptly, not realizing Mulder had followed. They bumped gently and both apologized.
"Sorry, I was just going to ask if you could help - "
"Sorry, I figured since it's your back you'd need help -"
They both smiled and nodded. They walked into the bathroom and avoided each others' eyes as Scully emptied the necessary contents of the bag onto the counter then awkwardly muttered, "okay, I'm going to take my shirt off now."
She turned away from Mulder and peeled her shirt slowly off of her back. Mulder swallowed a lump that formed in his throat as he saw the red, nasty gashes and dark blue bruises already forming across her entire back. The contrast between her pale skin and the many bright colors that didn't belong made his stomach churn.
"There are tweezers on the counter if you see any shards of glass." Mulder couldn't believe how casual Scully sounded, as if she were giving him instructions on how to make a salad.
She was right, of course; there were a couple small pieces of glass that he could see. He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he picked up the tweezers.
"Just… tell me if you need a break or something. If it hurts…" he knew it was going to hurt and that she should have gone to a hospital, or at the very least let the EMTs take a look. The cuts all looked fairly shallow, but there were many and it seemed like they all bled too much for their size.
He picked out the few pieces of glass without a word or wince from Scully. He could see her hands balled into fists, practically drawing blood, but he also knew she wouldn't say anything. He began to disinfect the cuts and that cause a small stir from her, so he paused.
"I'm fine." She said too quickly, almost like a reflex. He would have rolled his eyes at the phrase if he weren't looking at her bruised and bleeding back. "Really, keep going."
It wasn't long before she was putting a new shirt on and turning to face him. She glanced up quickly at him. "Thanks."
"As if you haven't had to put me back together several times! Glad I was useful for once." They both relaxed a little at his joke and headed back into the room. She sat on the bed and as he started to walk past her, headed for the chair, she reach out for his hand and stopped him. He stared in surprise as she once again avoided eye contact for what felt like the millionth time today.
"You can… it's more…" she couldn't find the words so she just patted the bed next to her. She finally looked at him and her eyes finished the question for her. He knew she wanted to be close but didn't want to say it. He sat down slowly and smiled sheepishly at her. She leaned on his shoulder without hesitation, and he automatically wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him, careful about his arm placement on her back. Despite Scully's best efforts, a small sob escaped her as she buried her face in his chest.
"Oh, Scully… I'm here…" he was immediately reminded of the first time they'd caught Pfaster and how she'd cried into him then. He was grateful Scully killed that son of a bitch so he could never make her feel this way again.
They stayed that way until Scully pulled away, turning her head away from him and wiping her face.
"You should get some rest Scully." Mulder leaned back on the bed and pulled back the covers. "Can you sleep on your side so you don't hurt your back?"
Scully smiled. "I'm in luck; I'm already a side sleeper."
Mulder just smiled in response as she stood and walked to the head of the bed. He watched her slide in gingerly then he stood and stepped toward the chair. "I'll just…" he locked eyes with her and saw a new expression on her face he didn't recognize. Without breaking eye contact she pulled the covers down on the other side of the bed. He maintained her gaze as he kicked off his shoes and stepped toward her. He realized then he hadn't packed any of his own clothes or anything to sleep in but was still struck by Scully's intense eye contact so he just froze in place. A flash of doubt passed over her and he snapped out of, hoping to bring that look back.
"I - I didn't bring clothes for myself. I just realized. I…" he couldn't finish his sentence because she was crawling toward him on the bed. She sat on the edge in front of him and reached for his belt. He jumped backward and that expression from earlier returned. Was it lust?? He swallowed so hard he was sure she heard it.
"Don't you usually sleep in your boxers anyway? I don't mind." She reached again for his belt, this time looking at him for approval. Consent? He took a deep breath and gave a curt nod. He kept his eyes on the ceiling while she undid his belt, afraid that if he watched her he would not be able to keep it PG. But he couldn't help himself, he glanced down not sure he'd ever get the chance to see this again. He was surprised to see her watching his face instead of her hands, which made his mouth go dry immediately. No, this would not stay PG. He cringed as he felt himself grow hard. She slid her hands down his sides as she dropped his pants. Suddenly she stood, pressed up against him as his mouth hung open. She reached up and his eyes widened, thinking she was reaching for his face. Was she going to kiss him?! Instead she began unbuttoning his shirt. He gulped audibly again, not even caring if she heard it. Then very suddenly she crawled back to her side of the bed, lying down facing him. His mouth hung open and he wondered for a second if he had just imagined that. He looked down to confirm his pants were really on the floor and his shirt was unbuttoned, but was still not convinced that happened. He pulled his shirt off and stepped out of his pants, crawled into the bed, lying on his side, face to face with Dana Scully.