Mulder's words shock her. She sits rooted to the spot, her anger surprising her with its sudden ferocity and she takes a few moments to compose herself, to think carefully about what she wants to say. As she catches up with him and they walk towards their requisitioned car, she notices the tension in his shoulders and the way he won't meet her gaze.
She wanted to say something long ago, when he said something similar to her after Antarctica, but that was before she knew how he felt about her and before they'd become intimate. Her insecurities about their relationship, about Diana, prevented her from confronting him then. She wasn't about to let it slide now.
They drive in uncomfortable silence for a while before Scully starts speaking, her words careful and measured.
"Mulder, you told me that I keep you honest. Now you're saying you want me to just stop doing all of that? Stop being myself?"
Mulder's attention is on the road but he shifts uncomfortably in his seat, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
"I just get frustrated when you can't believe... after all you've seen, Scully. Especially now. Especially after all we've talked about and shared."
"Pull over." Scully says, in a voice that doesn't allow for an argument, and Mulder obliges. After they've parked, she unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to face him directly.
"Mulder, I'm not suddenly a different person now that we've fucked."
She sees him wince at her use of profanity. She rarely swears but finds it useful to get her point across when she's particularly passionate about something. He gives her his full attention.
"I do what I do so you can ground yourself, Mulder. How frequently have you been right from the start? Not very often. But together we come to a compromise, after I challenge you. A lot of what we find is incredible and unexplainable and not grounded in our current understanding of science, but I need to approach it from that direction. I can't do anything else and you are being unfair when you expect me to do so."
"So you ARE admitting that I'm usually right." He says this with a sheepish expression, his mouth turned up in a half grin and an apology in his eyes.
Scully rolls her eyes and pats his arm. Apology accepted.