Disclaimer: No infringement bla bla bla. I own the Driscolls, I wish I was the mayor of Galena, and yeah, I'm giving props to Motorola.

A/N: This is a long chapter, but I had to get some stuff resolved before I could move on.

Chapter 11

Mulder threw his travel bag on the floor of 'Colleen's' room and rolled on to the bed, stretching out his legs. A smile adorned his face as he opened the FedEx envelope and took out his new StarTac cell phone. He was in ecstasy for two reasons, one: having his own phone back, and two: having the hottest, coolest phone that was just released by Motorola. He had ordered two of the slim flip phones, one for him, the other for his partner.

He turned on the power and was relieved to discover the carrier had programmed it as he had requested. He watched the phone power up and the message light come on immediately. As he fumbled with the menu button to retrieve the messages, the phone rang in his hands.

"Mulder."

"Agent Mulder, this is Rick Cramer …Agent Cramer," the man stated nervously. "We've talked in the hallway at work. I'm dating Dana, your partner."

Mulder sat up on the bed and scowled. He didn't recognize the voice immediately, but the name meant something to him. Duh, I know who you are, twerp! he thought to himself, trying to figure out what Cramer's motives were for the call. "Yes, Agent Cramer. How can I help you?" Mulder replied brusquely.

"I'm calling about Dana. I've been trying to reach her since yesterday when I heard about the accident. I've left several messages, but she hasn't returned my call." He paused for a second and then continued. "Is she okay?"

Mulder noted some concern in the man's voice, but was more intrigued by his revelation that Scully hadn't called him. Her cell phone was sitting at the bottom of the pond, but she had Driscoll's phone at her disposal and she could have always called the guy collect from the Inn. Mulder pushed off the bed and paced around the small room as he answered, careful not to give too much away.

"She has some minor injuries and was shaken up a little, but other than that she's okay. I haven't seen her much. I've been working the case. She's been resting at the hotel for the better part of yesterday and today." Mulder commented. "Are you sure she didn't return the call? Maybe she left a message for you."

"No, there have been no messages. I haven't heard from her at all. Assistant Director Skinner informed me today that her injuries were minor." He paused again and then continued hesitantly. "She seemed upset when I last saw her and I was concerned for her welfare…"

Mulder titled his head and raised his eyebrows. Interesting, he thought. So much for her serious relationship. He stepped over to the bed and picked up Scully's new cell phone. He powered it on as he replied, inadvertently cutting Cramer off.

"Her cell phone was damaged in the accident and as far as I know she hasn't received a replacement." Mulder watched the screen as it lit up and the message indicator turned on. He powered down the phone and threw it back on the bed.

"Oh, well, perhaps she didn't have a calling card available to her," Cramer mused.

Mulder turned and pulled back the curtain covering the window. He looked out at the street in front of the house, checking to see if Tracy and Scully had pulled up. The street was empty. Concerned for her welfare? Could you be a little more clinical? Calling card, are you kidding me? I'd be flying across the country if I knew she had anything more serious than a broken fingernail, he thought as his mind latched on to Cramer's last statement. "You saw her before she went to the airport?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, I had lunch with her at her apartment," Cramer replied, falling into Mulder's trap.

"And she was upset?" No wonder he works in accounting and not in the field, Mulder mused. He must have skipped class the day interrogation tactics were covered.

"She seemed to be … I thought it was due to the length of the assignment, because we had plans this weekend." Cramer replied flatly. "When I tried to comfort her, she pushed me away. Was she ...upset at the airport?"

Mulder dropped the curtain when he saw a vehicle rounding the corner. "No… ahhh...I didn't see her at the airport. I met up with her in Chicago." Mulder watched through the sheer window covering as Tracy's car pulled to the curb and the two women unloaded the bags. She was upset before she went to the airport? He watched Scully drag her purchases toward the house and the decided he needed to get off the phone quickly. "Well, I should be seeing Agent Scully tonight, I'll pass the message along that you were looking for her to return the call."

"Thank you Agent Mulder. I'd appreciate it if…," Cramer started to reply. Mulder snapped the phone shut and disconnected the line before Cramer had a chance to ask for the name of the hotel.

Mulder powered the phone off and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans. Then he crawled back onto the bed, making it look like he was napping. His mind was racing as he reflected on the comments Cramer had made. Something doesn't make sense…he claimed went to her apartment and had lunch with her, but during the layover in Chicago, she told me she was starving and ate a large turkey wrap. She wouldn't have eaten that much if she had eaten lunch at home. Mulder mused, getting more irritated about it by the minute. She was upset when she arrived at the airport and did try to hide it from me, unsuccessfully. She hasn't called him in two days and pushed him away when he tried to comfort her? Sounds like something other than lunch occurred and Scully didn't like it. He continued to mull over it, and then heard voices in the hallway and a rattle at the door. He closed his eyes, playing possum.


Scully and Tracy entered the Spinster Sister's Inn carrying Scully's loot and laughing with each other. Joe walked around the corner and eyeballed the bags warily.

"Looks like someone hit the lottery," he commented. He caught Tracy's eye and inclined his head toward the stairs.

Tracy nodded and tried to hide the smile on her face as Scully repositioned the bags in her hand. "No, Uncle Joe. Just Agent Mulder's credit card," Tracy snickered.

Scully looked up at Joe and smiled. "I thought I had only picked up a couple of things, but the bags seemed to have multiplied like rabbits."

Tracy tilted her head, nodding in agreement. "I think J Crew was our downfall. We were more controlled when we were in Gap and the 'Banana'."

Joe shook his head and leaned up against the wall. "How can you tell? It doesn't look like you were controlled anywhere, except maybe Just Relax, since you only have one bag from them."

"Well, having to re-purchase a travel wardrobe puts a whole new perspective on the 'jetting off to the islands and buy it when you're there' concept." Scully replied.

"Yeah, that's not a good comparison. If you were in the islands, you would only need a bikini and a towel," Tracy retorted. "Not thermal underwear and a winter wardrobe." Both women laughed at the irony.

Scully started up the stairs with Tracy following behind as soon as she rebalanced her bags. Joe called after her as she went. "Dana, Nan left you a plate in the fridge, so when you get hungry later, let Zack know and he'll warm it up. He can help you with your wrap if you need, he's a paramedic."

"Thanks," Scully mumbled as she clinched her teeth, her arms straining from the weight of the bags. She turned slightly to Tracy and whispered, "Who's Zack?"

"Oh, hmmm yum! He's the hottie that lives down the street. He works with Joe at the fire station." Tracy said and giggled. "Hmmm, I might have to hang around and use the hot tub later. I could use some rescuing." At the top of the stairs Tracy hesitated for a minute, pretending to readjust her bags as Scully continued down the hallway to her room.

Scully unlocked the door and slipped the bags inside. She saw Mulder sleeping on the bed. Shit, she thought as she shut the door quickly so Tracy wouldn't see him. She turned and met Tracy halfway down the hall.

"I can take these," Scully said and started to reach for the bags.

"No, I got them, I'll just help you into the room," Tracy replied, trying to remain helpful. Keep a straight face, she chided herself. The suspense was teasing her like a birthday surprise.

"No, really, I can get them," Scully retorted, a little more firmly this time.

Tracy set the bags down and gave in, only because she thought she would give herself away otherwise. "Are you sure?"

Scully picked up the bags and maked them closer to her door. "Yeah, really, I've got them." She stood up, blocking the doorway, and took a deep breath, trying to fake a closure with her friend. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired. I'm going to take your advice and nap for a while."

Tracy stood in the hallway with arms crossed. "And think about our conversation?"

"Hmmm, yeah," she replied quietly running her tongue over her lips. "I have a lot to think about. Thanks for taking me today." She stepped over the bags and hugged her friend.

"Wouldn't have missed a girl's day out with you for the world," Tracy replied returning the embrace. "I never realized how much I missed hanging out together."

"Me too," Scully replied, feeling tears in her eyes again. She did miss Tracy's company, just like she missed her sister.

Tracy started down the stairs and then stopped, "Hey, let's all go out tomorrow night. Nest, Jeff and Amy, you and Mulder … we could go to that Italian place downtown." Tracy inclined her head, enticing a yes answer out of Scully. "It'll be like old times."

"Sounds good, I'll talk to Mu… call Mulder and ask if he wants to." Scully replied. Okay, will ya leave already? Scully thought as she backed up, reaching for the door knob. "I'm sure he will. He loves Italian."

"Ok, well, good, let me know!" Tracy said as she descended the stairs. Joe was still standing at the landing when she got to the bottom. Tracy passed the baton to him with a high five and a grin as she walked out the door and headed to her car.

Joe looked up the stairs and shook his head. "It's all up to you now, Betty," he mumbled, and headed back for the kitchen.


Scully groaned quietly as she brought the rest of the bags in from the hallway. She closed the door and locked it, then walked to the wardrobe and started to hang up the items. Mulder opened his eyes and quietly watched her from the bed as she worked, careful not to let her know he was awake.

When she was least expecting it, he started talking. "Hey G-woman, did you max out my card?" He laughed quietly at her reaction.

"Geezus Mulder!' Scully jerked upright and froze in place. "You scared the crap out of me." She turned and looked at him with a scowl on her face.

He rolled out of the bed and stepped to her side, running his hand across the back of her neck and massaging it. He watched her face relax. "Lil' jumpy, Scull?"

She sighed and rolled her neck against his hand. God, that feels good, he always hits that spot, she thought. "Tracy was just in the hallway."

"I know, I heard her," he saw the look of surprise on her face and held up the phone. "I was playing with this."

Scully smirked and arched her eyebrows. "Figures, I'm sure you're going through cell phone withdrawal."

He started fingering the clothes hanging in the wardrobe. "Just about. Did you buy me a coat? I gave the one I was wearing back to Nester."

She stepped over a bag on the floor and pulled a leather jacket from a J.Crew bag. "I bought you a coat."

"Nice," he commented, taking the leather jacket from her and trying it on. It was black leather, waist length and a perfect fit.

Scully looked at him approvingly as he stood in front of the mirror. Hmm, he looks great. I knew he would. "I couldn't resist, you just looked …. really good in Nester's."

"Of course I did," Mulder glanced in her direction with a sly grin on his lips and noticed the way she was looking at him. She had that 'bedroom' look in her eyes. His grin disappeared. Their eyes locked and his breath caught in his throat. She looks like a woman who needs to be kissed, he thought. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. She didn't resist, and in fact, kissed him back. Their tongues danced gingerly within each other's mouths, lips hungrily rubbing against each other as Mulder felt his body heat rise. He struggled out of the coat, dropping it to the floor, and cradled her face in his hands. Scully's hands were around his shoulders, stroking the back of his neck as they were both locked in a heated moment that neither could deny.

Scully pulled back from their embrace first and turned her head from his face. Mulder watched her expression carefully, knowing from experience with her body language that she was about to cry. Her emotional state concerned him. He had heard a lot of tears from her in the past few days, and that, paired with Cramer's commentary, confirmed his suspicion that there was more to her mood than just the accident. He slid his hands to her waist and pulled her into a hug. She felt comfort in his arms and relaxed into him, letting a tear escape and roll down her face.

"Mulder…" she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Shhhh, I don't think that," he replied, interrupting her. He ran his hand over her hair and rested it on the back of her neck.

She pulled back and looked up at his face. "What was I going to say?" she asked him.

Mulder wiped away the tears on her face and smiled at her. "That you didn't want me to think this was happening because of the accident."

She stared at him in silence, her eyes probing his for an answer. How does he know me so well? she wondered.

Mulder leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I know you," he whispered. He took her hand and led her to the bed. They both crawled in and Mulder spooned himself around her.

The psychologist in Mulder was working on overtime trying to analyze Scully's mood as they settled into a familiar position. He was conflicted in his desires. He wanted her physically, and he felt his arousal growing, but he needed to be her friend and get to the bottom of her torment. Judging by her openness to their sharing the room and her reaction to his kiss, he was fairly sure she wanted to take things to the next level. Now just wasn't the time. If he took advantage of her and her emotions right now, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Mulder cradled her head in the crook his right arm and starting massaging her neck with his left hand. He listened to her moan and whisper his name softly. Okay, that isn't helping things, he thought as he felt his arousal straining in his jeans. He moved around on the bed, positioning himself to be able to rub more of her shoulders and neck and conveniently putting distance between their bodies. She didn't object to the separation as he zeroed in on a knot in her shoulder and put pressure on it to loosen it. He ran his hand down the length of her back, feeling the stiffness of the chest wrap below his fingers. As he did so, Scully rolled into a sitting position and looked back at him out of the corner of her eye.

Mulder watched her without saying a word. The look she was giving him was so sexy and alluring. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to push those feelings out of his head.

Scully ran her tongue over her lip and looked back at her partner. She wanted him, that much was true, but just not this second. What she really wanted was a back rub from him, without the chest wrap on. Removing the wrap would mean she would be topless in front of him. He had seen her naked before, so she wasn't feeling modest. She just didn't want to send the wrong message. She was sure that once he started rubbing her back, it wouldn't be long before she was fast asleep.

"Mulder," she whispered and swallowed hard.

"Yes," he replied still staring at her. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He steeled himself for the make love to me statement and quickly tried to think of something to say that wouldn't send the wrong message.

Scully pursed her lips and looked down at the bed. "Will you rub my back?" She tilted her head and looked back into his eyes.

A tidal wave of relief thudded through him and he smiled seductively at his partner. "Yes." Whew, thank God, he said in his head, never taking his eyes off her.

"Will you help me with the wrap?"

He didn't answer, but instead moved over behind her and helped to remove her shirt. He waited patiently for Scully to unclip the wrap and then he reached to assist her unwind it. As the wrap fell away from her chest, he gently pulled her camisole over her head and he flinched when he saw the deep bruising of her ribs. He watched Scully as she covered her breasts modestly with her left arm. Mulder scooted back over on the bed, allowing Scully room to lie down, and then helped her move into the position. He heard her breath catch in her throat.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her hand.

"Yeah," she replied as she slowly rolled onto her stomach. "It's just a little sore."

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm working on these knots," he replied, and smiled. "Lucky for you I can only do this one handed." He went back to work on the knot at the base of her neck.

"Ohhh," Scully moaned again. "Hmmmm, that feels so good."

Mulder felt the heat build inside him again and took a deep breath. He moved slightly on the bed, making sure their bodies weren't touching, and concentrated on working out the tension in her muscles. It wasn't long before his tension went away as well.

A few minutes later, Mulder could tell by her breathing that Scully was asleep. He reached down for the blanket lying at the end of the bed and threw it over both of them. Then he nestled in beside her and joined her in a dream.


The nagging sensation of his full bladder woke Mulder a couple of hours later. He sat up in the bed, careful not to wake Scully, and walked into the bathroom. He closed the door and stood over the toilet to relieve himself. When he was finished, he gargled with some mouthwash and then opened the door and walked back into the bedroom. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it on to try again to retrieve the messages. As soon as the phone powered on it rang.

"Mulder," he answered amazed at the timing. This better not be Cramer again.

"It's Skinner, why haven't you returned my calls?"

"Well, hello to you too … you didn't call me … unless." Mulder rolled his eyes. When he talked to Skinner yesterday, he had told him to call him back on Nester's phone.

"Crap, yes … I called the wrong number. You just received the replacements?"

"Yeah, they got here this afternoon. Tell Kim I owe her big for that." Mulder replied and picked the leather jacket up off the floor. He balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear while he hung up the rest of the clothes.

"I faxed the information you requested to the Dubuque office. You were right about the suspect's background." Skinner paused a moment and crinkled some papers on his desk. "Oh, just so you know, Fritz gave your number to Cramer, so I'm sure he left you a message."

"I talked to him, he was the first call I received on my new phone." Mulder mumbled.

"How'd that go?" Skinner asked, then added, "If you ask me, the guy is acting a little odd."

Mulder smirked slightly. "It's not an act, he is odd. What makes you say that?"

Skinner lowered his voice, "Word about your accident spread around the building pretty quick yesterday. This morning I had a meeting with him and overheard his conversation with Kim before he came in. Cramer claimed he wasn't aware of the accident and hadn't heard from Scully."

As Skinner talked, Mulder walked around the bed and looked down at Scully's sleeping form. He watched her eyelids flutter open. "His last statement was similar in my conversation," he replied softly and walked to the other side of the room as she stirred in her sleep.

"Don't you think that is a little weird, considering the way she's been flaunting their relationship around the office?" Skinner asked, getting annoyed that Mulder wasn't giving him a straight answer.

"Yeah, I do and I'm trying to work that angle. You just need to give me a minute." Mulder saw movement on the bed and watched as Scully rolled over and sat up.

Skinner sighed into the phone, "Well, maybe she's finally realized the truth."

Mulder smiled at the comment and replied, "And what would that be?"

"Mulder, don't start. I wasn't born yesterday you know," Skinner grumbled at him. "Let me know what you find out and if you need me to go kick him in the shins." The line disconnected and Mulder closed the phone.

The sound of the phone snapping shut startled Scully as she was slowly trying to wake up. "What time is it?" she asked as she brought her knees to her chest and covered her breasts with the blanket.

"It's a little after six," Mulder replied. He walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. He reached his hand out and intertwined his fingers around hers, quickly deciding to be up front and ask her what was bothering her. Based on past experience, he knew he wasn't going to get a straight answer right away. In fact, he might not get a straight answer at all.

"Did you sleep?" she asked as he moved closer to her on the bed. She put her legs down and he leaned over them, resting on his left elbow.

"A little," he replied as he repositioned his arm. He didn't want to be pinning her on the bed, because he expected a sudden movement with his next comment. "Your boyfriend called," he state flatly and watched the expression on her face change.

Scully shuddered at the sound of the word 'boyfriend', cringing as if someone had run their fingernails down a chalkboard. A flashback to the incident in her apartment suddenly appeared in her mind and she swallowed hard to push away the lump that was building in her throat. "He's not my boyfriend," she whispered barely audible. "What do you mean he called? On my phone?" She looked at Mulder quizzically.

"No, he called on my phone earlier. He was looking for you," Mulder replied carefully choosing his words. "He said you hadn't returned his phone calls and he was concerned."

"Concerned? Right…. He's not concerned. He couldn't care less about my feelings," Scully blurted out and shook her head. She scampered off the bed, shielding her breasts from Mulder's view, and grabbed her shirt off the floor. She turned her back to him and struggled to pull the shirt on. Her breathing was ragged in her chest as she fought to control her emotions. "What did you tell him?" Her tone was a little hostile.

Mulder stood from the bed and walked to the window to give her a little privacy. "I told him that your phone was damaged and that you didn't have a replacement." He heard her turn around and turned to face her. "Honestly Scully, I was a little surprised when he said you hadn't contacted him. Why haven't you?" he asked and walked to the end of the bed. He didn't like the way she was acting and anticipated her customary 'fine' response any second. He stood at the end of the bed, within arms reach of the bathroom door, so he could block any attempt to bolt in there to escape his questions.

"I don't want to talk to him," she retorted, refusing to look Mulder in the eye.

"I get that," Mulder replied. "What I don't understand is why you haven't called him since the accident. A couple of days ago this guy was your end-all-be-all and now suddenly you don't want to talk to him? That doesn't make sense."

"He's not my end-all-be-all," Scully laughed at the irony. You are my end-all-be-all Mulder, don't you get it? She ran her hand across her forehead trying to figure out how to explain that to Mulder. It would have been much easier just to show him, she thought. She looked at Mulder who was standing at the end of the bed staring at her with those damn brown eyes, patiently waiting her explanation. Scully didn't know what to say... she wanted to tell him to just get it off her chest, but couldn't find the words. How do you tell the man you love you slept with someone else …. Not that 'it' counted as real sex in my book… or any book for that matter. Scully shuddered again at the thought of Cramer on top of her. "I just …." She started and felt her stomach lurch inside. She took a couple of short breaths and turned her gaze from Mulder as tears burned in her eyes again. She felt like she was suffocating. She needed air and to be out from under Mulder's questions. "I … ahh… I don't want to talk about it," she blurted out and headed for the bathroom.

Based on the way she was acting, Mulder suspected that Scully was the victim of some type of assault. She was avoiding his questions and was agitated at the mere mention of Cramer's name, all signs he had been trained to look for in his tenure in the Violent Crimes Unit. Cramer's comments and "odd" behavior was fitting into the puzzle now. Whether the assault was intentional or not, Cramerobviously was aware of it and was trying to act concerned to cover his tracks. The thought of someone, especially a fellow agent, hurting Scully made Mulder angry, but he couldn't let it show, otherwise she would never open up to him. She didn't like it when he came off as over-protective. He watched the emotions play across her face and counted backwards from 10 in anticipation of her bolt. He'd gotten to four when she made her move.

"Ah, ah, ah…wait…Scully," he called as he snagged her by the elbow. He pulled her toward him and she didn't resist. "I don't believe that," he said looking down at her. Her head was down and he pulled her chin up gently to meet his eyes. "Your face and eyes tell another story. I saw you bristle when I mentioned his name. Just tell me what's bothering you."

She looked into his eyes and turned her head, still fighting her battle inside. "I don't know how to … I don't want you to think …" she mumbled as she started to cry.

"I'm not going to think anything and I'm not going to judge you. But whatever this is, it's killing you inside and you need to let it out." He slid his hand down to her hand and grasped it tightly.

Scully looked away from him and ran her tongue across her lip. She stepped back from Mulder, but never let go of his hand. "He fucked me," she whispered.

Mulder was taken back by her bluntness, expecting another cryptic response. He bit his lip trying to interpret her statement. "He forced you to have sex?" he asked her tilting his head.

She shook her head, "No, not exactly," she whispered. "I just …" she didn't finish and walked around the end of the bed and sat in the rocking chair. She never let go of Mulder's hand and he followed her, kneeling on the floor in front of the chair. "I should have known better." She took a breath and looked out the window at the darkened snow covered yard.

Mulder was convinced she was assaulted now. It was typical victim response, trying to justify the event, finding a way to blame herself … that she somehow brought it on. He watched her quietly for a few minutes and when she said nothing, he prodded her. "Scully, what happened?" he whispered.

She took a deep breath and started her story, her voice shaking slightly. Her grip on Mulder's hand was firm. "He came over to the apartment while I was packing and made his intentions clear, dropping hints …" She shook her head and looked down at Mulder's hand clasped securely around hers. "I didn't want to have sex with him. I thought I could just fend him off, but I don't know … I …just gave in because I knew he would go away if I did. I tried to get into it… to get into the mood for it." Scully bit her lip and a tear rolled down her face. "I just couldn't, it was awful and I just wanted it to be over. I know it was a 'quickie' and he got what he wanted, but I didn't want any of it. And then when he was getting dressed he made some stupid comment that sent me over the edge, and I asked him to leave."

She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and leaned her head on her palm. Scully ran her tongue across the inside of her mouth and closed her eyes. "I'm a medical doctor and I just let some guy take advantage of me because I was too tired to fight."

Mulder squeezed her hand and rubbed her arm comfortingly. He mused over the details of her story and his own 'lunch' experience. Diana's intentions were clear as well and he had given in to her, but not because he was too tired to fight. He had wanted to feel something again, needed to have a woman want him again. The chemistry between them was still there and drew him in. And although he made sure to please her before getting his own, his thoughts were on Scully and what it would feel like to make love to her. What he'd experienced with Diana was purely sex, with no emotion behind it, and in his opinion, meant nothing more than a stolen moment in time.

Mulder could identify with the 'give in' that Scully was faced with, not that it made it right in any sensible way. It was an assault, but on the basic element of trust. Scully had trusted Cramer to understand and respect her. He violated that trust and in a sense assaulted her. The description of "getting fucked" was accurate, to say the least.

"Scully, what happened to you is a fairly common thing. It doesn't have anything to do with how intelligent you are or how beautiful you are or what someone thinks of you. It could have happen to me or Nester or Skinner or Byers just as easily. Sometimes the challenges or circumstances we're faced require we take the path of least resistance, or the "give in". It doesn't make it right. I know you feel horrible about it, anyone would. It doesn't make you less of a person because it happened."

Mulder patted her arm and stood up. He shook his legs out and felt the pins and needles sensation drifting through them. "I don't want you to think I'm defending him either. I would much rather knock his teeth down the back of his throat." He noticed her lip turn up in a half smile. "Why didn't you tell me when you got to the airport?"

"I didn't know what to say or how to say it. Then you mentioned that you had lunch with Diana and I didn't want to burden you with my problems." Scully said and finally released the grip on his hand.

Mulder rolled his eyes. "You will never be a burden to me." He paused a moment and looked at her. "We need to talk about the Diana thing."

Scully stood up from the chair and walked to the end of the bed. "Uh, no … we don't Mulder. I understand. You've moved on and you're seeing her again."

"No, you're wrong. I haven't and I'm not," he blurted out.

"Mulder, how can you say that? I saw the looks you gave each other on the Gibson Praise case, the embrace you shared in the observation room at the hospital. You ditched me for her in Arizona." Scully retorted. "She can call your name from down the hallway at work and you'll turn and look. I know that look…" Her voice dropped to a whisper, "because you used to look at me like that."

"Scully, I still look at you like that. You just can't see it because you're so blind with jealousy. I'm not going to deny the chemistry between Diana and I. But that relationship was over long ago. If you would have been in the observation room at the hospital when she was coming on to me, you would have heard me tell her that you were my partner in the X-files and in my life." Mulder felt the tables turn, making it his turn to be defensive.

Scully rolled her eyes, not believing him. "Mulder, she calls you by your first name, something you've never let me do."

Mulder walked to the window and tapped on the glass. "She's always called me Fox. She was my partner and I crossed the line with her. Our relationship was dangerous." He paused for a moment and then turned to face her. "And then I got my heart torn out. I made a decision that I would only be on a last name basis with any partner I had from that day forward. Keep it professional, keep the personal side out of it." He walked around the bed to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Then you became my partner and as much as I tried to keep it professional, I fell for you … fell in love with you. After five years it wouldn't be us to start using our other names." He buried his head in her hair and ran his hand across her neck and started rubbing the pressure point at the base of her skull.

"She flaunts it in my face." Scully replied as she unconsciously leaned into his touch.

"Scully, she does that because you let her. She nearly has a doctorate in psychology. She is a master at playing mind games. She knows it gets under your skin, so she keeps it up. You have the power to change it."

Scully turned in his arms and put her hands on his chest, preparing to continue her argument about Diana. "Mulder..." she began.

He put a finger to her lips to quiet her, and then leaned down for a kiss. As their lips hungrily brushed against each other, Scully felt something within her release in relief. Names were meaningless. She was his, and he was hers, and it was right.

tbc