Scully was amazed to see Mulder's apartment was really tidy, and she realised where it was he had disappeared to earlier in the day, he must of came home especially. (He can be really sweet sometimes.) She thought to herself.
"You can take the bedroom, Scully." He said as he closed the door behind them.
"You have a bedroom?" she looked surprised.
"Everyone has a bedroom, Scully."
"It's even tidy." She said as she poked her head around the door.
"That's because I never use it...would you like a drink or something?" he asked polity.
"No thanks, would you think it really bad of me if I went straight to bed?" She asked as she felt her eyes closing.
"Course not, you need some sleep, night." He said with compassion evident in his eyes.
"Thanks, Mulder." She said as she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I really appreciate this. Night." She found her pyjamas. Then got into bed and slipped off to sleep without hesitation.
Ten minutes later Mulder peeped his head around his bedroom door to see if Scully had managed to go to sleep. When he saw her fast asleep he was mesmerised by the way she looked. She looked so peaceful and beautiful that he could have watched her for hours. She looked so at home just the way he had often dreamed of her, in his bed. Under an hour later though he heard her moving around followed by her looking out from behind the bedroom door to see if he were still awake.
"Are you okay?" he knew full well that she would say yes even if she was on the verge of tears.
"The dreams won't stop." She said almost a whisper, "Do you mind if I watch some TV with you?"
"Sure but you don't have to ask, this is your home too, for now anyway." Silently he wished that it might be for a lot longer.
Scully went over and sat next to Mulder on the sofa as he asked "Are the dreams very bad?" She just nodded as the tears started to run down her face. Mulder put a comforting arm around her and she leaned up against him. It wasn't even ten minutes later when she was sound asleep with her head lying comfortably in Mulder's lap. As he heard her breathing slow he carefully threw a blanket over her that had been lying on the arm of the chair and rested his hand gently on her waist. He turned the TV volume down so not to disturb her, to have her this close to him felt strangely soothing. It meant he didn't have to worry about her, as he knew she was safe.
x
Washington DC Mulder's Apartment Friday, 7.30am
Dana Scully awoke with a sigh of contentment as she opened her eyes to the mornings sunrays drifting in thought the partially open blinds. She sat up wearily and stretched, satisfied with a good nights rest, it was the first time she had slept right through, in a long time, even long before the dreams had started. She looked around to find that she was alone on the couch. (Mulder must have gone to his own bed when I was sleeping) she thought to herself and realised that it disappointed her more then she would have anticipated.
The first thing to tingle her senses was the scent of freshly brewed coffee, closely followed by the delicious aroma of fresh baked goods. Mulder peeked around the doorframe from the kitchen giving her an apologetic smile.
"Did I wake you?" he asked with an apologetic gaze to match the smile. His hair was dripping wet and it was obvious that he hadn't long been out of the shower.
"No..." Dana replied somewhat dreamily. "I didn't even hear the shower."
"Good." Mulder took in the appearance of Dana, she looked more relaxed than she had in weeks and it pleased him to know he had a part in that. "How did you sleep?" he asked in his oh so familiar voice of late.
"Good... Really good actually."
"I'm glad. Did you want some breakfast?" Mulder asked.
"Sure..." Dana said, suddenly becoming very aware of the fact that she was sat in front of her partner wearing only her teddy bear pajamas. "Let me just get my robe." She went into the bedroom to find her robe but also found that the bed sheets were exactly how she had left them. (He must have stayed with me on the couch after all and just got up early to get showered) she felt contented once again. She returned to the lounge to find Mulder laying the table with Freshly brewed coffee, warm croissants and fresh orange juice.
"Do all your guests get treated this well?" she asked in a playing tone.
"I don't have many guests." He replied as he thought to himself (am I trying to hard)
Dana found that hard to believe. He was a very attractive man and she had often heard rumours about the reputation he had with women but maybe they were just that, rumours. She flashed him one of her enigmatic smiles as she said "Thank you".
x
Washington DC Mulder's Apartment Friday, 10.30pm
The day had gone quickly for the both of them. Work hadn't really seemed like work, as Dana had managed to convince Mulder, seen as she had a little energy, that it was the perfect day to get some organisation into their basement office. The furniture had been the first thing to be organised. The moving had gone smoothly, that was until Mulder had accidentally knocked over one of the filing cabinets, which resulted in them having to spend an hour re-filing old cases. The day had been tiring but productive, so they decided to treat themselves to a couple of glasses of wine and a film for the evening. The film they had chosen was 'The Mummy' and they were both enjoying it but it couldn't have been more than halfway through when Mulder started to notice that Dana eyes were starting to close.
"Why don't you head to bed Scully? You need to rest."
"Mulder, It's Friday night, I'm sure I can stay awake for a bit longer." Scully protested.
"You need to rest, go on. I'll see you in the morning." Mulder responded in a very final tone but Scully knew that she would be asleep in minutes anyway, the last couple of weeks were really taking their toll on her. Mulder continued to watch the rest of the film reviling in having had his partners company for the whole evening, it was nice not to have to spend the night alone.
As the end credits began to role he heard her moving again then she appeared at the doorway. "You okay?" he asked concerned. This time though she couldn't speak, she just shuck her head as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. He indicated for her to come and join him on the sofa and he put his arm around her once more. It hurt him so much to see her suffering, she was such a strong person, and he had never seen her this bothered by anything. Even when she had been returned to him after her abduction, she had not faltered once, but now, she seemed so weak. All he could do was embrace her and hope that it would somehow ease the pain. He decided that he must have been doing something right because in less than an hour, she was asleep.
x
Washington DC Mulder's Apartment Monday, 11.30pm
The previous two nights had gone much the same as the Friday, Dana would start off with trying to sleep in Mulder's room alone but the dreams would soon come and she would end up on the sofa with her partner. Scully was starting to find it intriguing that she could sleep on the couch with Mulder without having so much as a glimpse of a memory but as soon as she was alone, it was like opening flood gates. She was finding that she could sleep a little longer each time before the dreams came, but they would always come.
Mulder was silently hoping that tonight she might sleep through alone, not because he didn't want her there with him but because he was finding it increasingly more difficult to see her so scared.
She had been in bed now for an hour, without waking, which was the longest in the few nights that she had spent with him. He found himself becoming incredibly tired so he started to doze, it was strange though without her there with him. It wasn't long before he heard it.
"No... no... stop it... Stop. Help me, help me, Mulder!" Mulder sprang to his feet and rushed to his bedroom. She sounded so scared. He opened the door and saw her there, on the bed, alone and safe but she was thrashing about so much, she was still sleeping, still dreaming. Mulder rushed to her side and tried to wake her gently but as soon as he touched her she sat straight up, unable to breathe, gasping for oxygen.
"Dana, Dana its okay, its just a dream, its just a dream." Mulder said to try and calm her as he took her loosely in his arms.
"Its not, its not a dream, it happened, it happened, I can remember what they did... Why... why would they do those things?" The words came out in such a rush that she hadn't realised she was thinking them until they were out. She was sobbing desperately, unable to control herself any longer. Mulder held her gently and rocked her back and forth as she sobbed, he asked her softly "Do you want to tell me about it?"
Her reply was a jumble of words but he was just able to make out "No, no if I tell you it means it happened. It didn't, it didn't happen." The rest of her words were lost between sobs, cries and the pure trembling of her voice.
"Okay, its okay, Dana. You're safe now, I promise I won't let anything ever hurt you again." he continued rocking her and talking gently, trying to calm her but she showed no sign of being able to compose herself anytime soon. It was so painful to see her like this. He held her tight and leaned back on the bed. Calming her down with promises that he would keep her safe, and that she would always be safe with him.
x
Washington DC Mulder's Apartment Tuesday, 7.03am
Dana awoke with a start. She was slightly surprised to find that she wasn't on the sofa but still in bed, she was even more surprised when she realised that her partner was there with her. She looked up to his face but he was still sleeping, that's when it hit her, the memory of the dream was so clear that it was as if she had just woken up from it. She wanted to cry but more than that
she wanted to feel clean, she needed to, she felt so dirty.
She silently crawled out of the bed and headed for the shower, she was careful not to wake him, she knew that the past few days were starting to take there toll on him too. As she stepped under the shower and let the hot water rush over her she silently done her mental swap. At night she was so scared but in the day she couldn't allow herself to be like that. She allowed the sensible side to her logic to come forward to dismiss the fear and irrational feelings.
(It was a dream, only a dream. It may or may not have happened but that's the point, happened - past tense. Its not happening now and it wont happen again, Mulder promised... Mulder! I slept with Mulder!...Its fine, relax. So you slept with your partner, its not like you 'Slept' with him, not that that would be a bad thing...) She mentally kicked herself for allowing that irrational thought to slip though her emotional barrier. (bad thought,) she inwardly cursed (so you slept in the same bed as your partner, its no different than sleeping on the sofa with him, or falling asleep at the same time on a plane. Its fine, it was purely innocent and platonic, just two friends. I needed him and he was there for me, just like he always is.) Dana allowed herself to relax under the hot water of the shower for a few more minutes before drying herself and dressing.
As Mulder began to stir he stretched out his arm to find his partner as he had done for the past few days. But there was nothing there, the feeling under his finger tips was unfamiliar to him. He opened his eyes to find that he was in his bed, alone. It took him a few moments to realised what had happened. He remembered Scully crying out and he remembered comforting her but after that everything was blank. (I must have fallen asleep) he thought (How could I be so stupid, sharing a bed with someone is completely different to falling asleep on the sofa with them. She must feel violated, I've invaded her personal space, oh my god... She probably things I'll try it on next, which I would never do... although I really want too... but I would never do that, not with her being so vulnerable... I'll have to explain.) Mulder pulled on his more comfortable sweats and went in search of his partner.
When Mulder emerged from the bedroom he saw that Dana was in the kitchen pouring a freshly brewed cup of coffee, when she saw him she poured a mug for him too. He headed straight to her. (Best to get this over with) he thought to himself.
When he reached her Dana flashed Mulder a thankful smile and past him his coffee. Before he could even open his mouth, she started the conversation.
"Thank you for last night Mulder, that was by far the worse the dreams have gotten." She paused for a moment "thanks for not leaving me, I don't think I could have bared being alone."
Mulder was taken aback. He was so sure that she would see his actions as invasive that it hadn't occurred to him that it might be what she wanted. He replied honestly "I couldn't leave you like that".
She smiled at him once again and he felt a tingle run up his spine. He loved how much closer they had become in the last few weeks. They had of course always been close but they had also always kept a little back, now that little was gone.
"Anyway, hurry up." Dana said simply.
Mulder gave her a puzzling look before saying "Huh"
"The meeting..., with Skinner remember, about the amount of expenses that have been going through?" Mulder still looked blank "Its at 8.30 and it's 7.50 now, you aren't dressed and we still need to make it across town."
Mulder chewed his lower lip, "Hum... we're going to be late." Mulder said in a nonchalant way.
"No kidding." Dana replied in a more stern voice. "Now get a move on."
x
Washington DC Basement Office Thursday, 1.13pm
The meeting with skinner hadn't gone so well, of course it didn't help that they had been 20 minutes late, Skinner had come to expect that of Mulder but not Scully. Their quota of expenses had been used up within the first three months of the financial year and with only a month to go until the start of the New Year they had in effect been grounded, so no fieldwork for them. Mulder had popped out to get the both of them some lunch from the local deli so Dana was taking advantage of a few minutes alone to call her mother, she had after all not spoken to her in over two weeks because of everything that had been going on. Dana dialled the number hesitantly as she knew her mother would be upset with her for their lack of communication.
"Hi mom, its Dana." She said almost as if to test the water.
"Darling I haven't spoken to you in weeks, is every thing okay? I've tried you at home and left messages, I was really getting worried?" Margaret Scully of course always worried about her daughter, even more so since she had been diagnosed with cancer, which had then gone into remission.
"Sorry mom, everything is fine. The last couple of weeks have just been a little hectic, so I've not been home much." She felt the need to be honest with her mother but she couldn't bring herself to talk about the last couple of weeks, they had been so draining.
"Is it work?" Margaret asked still concerned, she found it hard to believe that her daughter hadn't been able to spare a few moments to check in with her for nearly two weeks, since Dana had left home she had rang her mom every week, at least once. In fact the only time Margaret could remember having no contact with her daughter was when she had been missing, she shuddered to think about it, the only reason she had remained strong through that ordeal had been because of the support of Fox, Dana's work partner.
"Kind of, but anyway how are you?" Dana loved the way she could make a tactical manoeuvre without her mother noticing.
"Oh, I'm fine. So much has happened in the last few
weeks. Bill has been..." She had started to explain what had been happening but had paused mid thought. "... Why don't you come up and visit for the weekend? Then we could catch up properly and you can tell me what has kept you so busy that you couldn't spare a few moments to call your old mum." Margaret had of course only been joking about the later but Dana felt the guilt ping immediately.
"Yeah, sure mom, that sounds good." Margaret Scully had a knack of laying on the guilt in such a way that it was almost not noticeable, (I'll have to find out how she does that) Dana thought to herself. "Oh but, I've been staying with someone and I don't know if he has plans."
"Well if he does then fine but if not why don't you ask Fox to come with you, I'd love to see him again."
"Okay great ..." Dana started then haltered "I didn't say I was staying with Mulder?" Dana asked a little puzzled.
"Oh please darling, Fox is the only man I've heard you talk about in the last three years, well except your brothers of course."
Dana smirked to herself, her mother was of course right. Since starting work on the X-Files back in 1992 Dana hadn't done much socialising and the last date that she recalled having had been a complete disaster. She heard Mulder walking back down the corridor hopefully with lunch, she felt ravished, so she brought the conversation to an end and let that last comment slip.
"Okay mom, I'll see you at the weekend. Take care. Bye mum." Mulder entered the office carrying two large deli bags as Dana put the phone down.
"How is your mother?" Mulder asked as he passed Dana her lunch.
"She's good, she worries, you know what they are like." Scully kicked herself, Mulder had never really had that kind of relationship with his mother. She carried on changing the direction of the conversation. "She's asked me to go up and visit her for the weekend."
"Oh." Mulder said as his heart sank, he knew that he wasn't the only person in her life as she was for him but he had loved having her to himself for the last few weeks and he wasn't sure that he wanted to give her up again yet. He knew of course that he was just being selfish. "That will be nice for you." Mulder took his seat.
Scully had of course noticed the sudden drop in his mood. "She said that you are welcome to come too, only if you don't already have plans that is?"
"I'd love to join you, if you are sure that I wouldn't be imposing?" Mulder replied meekly.
"My mother loves you and you know it." Dana replied. The past few weeks had been stressful and draining, but at the same time her relationship with Mulder had been the most relaxed it had ever been and she was really enjoying it.
x