I never really write any early MSR, so while I'm trying to get inspired for my other stories, I thought I'd try this short lil thing. Hope you enjoy! Beta's by the lovely xfilesdiaries aka admiralty.

Sometimes Mulder worried Scully's association to him prevented her from being able to make more friendships within the bureau. He wondered if, before being assigned to the X-Files, she was the type to go out for drinks with friends after work, hang around the office with people she enjoyed, laugh when jokes were made about the spooky guy in the basement.

Call him selfish, but getting all her attention for this past year of partnership had been more than he could ever ask for. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd been so openly comfortable around another person, let alone someone so incredible. Now he wasn't just excited to come into work to investigate, but more often than not, his excitement stemmed from the fact he was able to see her. The guilt couldn't help but gnaw at him, though, when he realized while she finally gave him the human interaction he so craved, he was probably keeping her away from all the potential interactions she wanted.

It was times like this that solidified that was probably not the case.

This was the first time he and Scully had to do the FBI fitness test since becoming partners. It was mostly just done to make sure field agents could chase and apprehend a target. They'd already finished the independent race with perfect times, now they just had to stand in line and spar. It didn't matter who was the winner or loser, you just had to prove that you knew what to do.

These were the only times he was immersed in an environment with other agents and, to be honest, he hated it. He knew what his reputation was, and he could feel everyone staring at him. He felt like he was Sasquatch, just wandering into the public unannounced. No one dared to approach, just walked passed and gawked, sometimes making passing comments to those around them under their breaths. Because of this, he expected Scully to stay away and do her own thing, but instead she stood next to him in the corner and, much to his surprise, shared his grief.

Apparently Scully's desire to socialize was even less than his own. "I don't see why this is necessary. Doesn't our record alone and the fact that we are apprehending suspects on a daily basis prove, you know, that we can apprehend suspects?" she sighed, pulling on her hair with both hands to tighten her ponytail.

"I'm surprised you're not socializing more. I thought you knew some of these people before the X-Files?" he asked, hoping she didn't take his comment as an implication that he didn't want her near. He was just genuinely curious why she wouldn't take the opportunity to get a reprieve from him.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand in front of her face as if dispelling the crazy notion from the air. "They're not worth my time." He smiled at the implication being that he was. "I'm not the mingling type." For a second he entertained the idea that she was just saying that because she felt bad no one except her would talk to him, but he waved it away like she had. If there was one thing he'd learned about Scully in their short time together, it was that she never did or said anything just to placate him.

His attention was drawn to her when she threw her head back to drink the last of her water bottle. Mulder'd honestly been trying to avoid looking at her too much in fear she would catch his gaze wandering. She was wearing tight nylon runners leggings and a tight tank top to match. Most of the women here were wearing far more revealing athletic attire, but Scully was just radiant. Even as her hair fell from her short ponytail and she was sweaty and flushed from exertion.

"Is my hair falling out or something?" She asked. Caught.

However, before he had a chance to answer, the instructor reigned them all in and split them up into pairs based on physique. He was paired with a tall nerdy guy from the Financial Unit, why he needed to be here Mulder did not know, and Scully was with a short woman who was talking her ear off. Scully looked over at him and gave him a pained smile and he immediately missed their time by themselves in the corner. While he thought the rumors they were married were condescending and tired, he couldn't help but feel out of his element without her by his side.

They stood in their respective lines and waited their turns. Scully's line was moving substantially faster than his. The men liked to milk the opportunity to exert their physical dominance, he supposed. A chance for them to showcase their masculinity as if it was a pheromone to the women. He rolled his eyes at the thought and was glad his partner from Finances didn't look the type.

Scully ended up getting to a mat before he did, and he was glad he had the opportunity to watch. Not that he hadn't seen her take someone down before, but it was just fascinating to watch. She and the other woman stood on the mat face to face, shook hands, and waited for the count down. Her partner naively tried to strike her immediately, allowing Scully to gracefully duck under her arm and slide around her side, pinning the woman's arm behind her back before she even had a chance to see what was happening.

With ease, Scully grabbed her other arm in the crook of her elbow and swiped her feet out from under her, preventing her from being able to kick. The instructor began counting down from ten and the match was over within a mere moment. Scully let the woman go as soon as the whistle blew and she stretched out her hand to offer assistance. She smiled politely at the woman and Mulder could see a blush spread across her cheeks when everyone around her started applauding the quick take down. That was another one of his favorite things; seeing others appreciate Scully as much as he did.

A loud thud drew his attention back to the mat in front of him where there was a beefy homicide agent throwing around a younger guy. He was being unnecessarily rough and even the ref seemed put off, though he didn't say anything. All the guys around cheered as he violently kicked the young man in the leg and hit his back before pinning him in a headlock. Mulder silently thanked the fact he didn't have to fight a 'roided out' guy like him and let his attention wander around the room until it was his turn.

He was last in his line and, from how quickly the matches on the other mat went, he was likely going to be the last match. Most of the women filed out and left after their match was over, but he saw Scully sticking around against the wall, eyes flicking around the activity of the room before inevitably returning to him. He waved at her gently and smiled when she playfully returned it.

He was curious why she was staying. Was she here because she needed to talk to him after, or was she here because she wanted to watch him on the mat. He was embarrassed with himself for how much he hoped it was the latter. It struck him that this oddly reminded him of high school, when he'd be playing basketball and he'd try to slam dunks to impress the cute cheerleaders on the side.

He had to remind himself that this was Scully, his partner, and trying to impress her with displays of masculine agility and strength was probably not the best thing to do. Though, he knew he was going to try it anyway. She started smiling and he became embarrassed when he realized he'd been staring at her, but then she started pointing to his left.

"Sp-Mulder, are you coming?"

Mulder started and realized his partner was waiting for him on the mat. "Sorry," he apologized, stepping up.

"Too busy checking out his little wifey," the beefy homicide agent teased, making the surrounding group of men laugh.

He didn't reward the comment with a response and just got into fighting stance. "Three, two, one!" the instructor called out before blowing the whistle. The finance guy went low and tried to pick Mulder up, presumably trying to replicate something he saw on WWE. Mulder rebuffed him by dropping low and using one of his legs to sweep the other guy off his feet.

As he did this, he saw the homicide agent was talking to Scully, leaning one palm against the wall as he invaded her personal space. Scully didn't seem to be paying him any attention though as her eyes were still focused on Mulder's match.

His attention probably should have been focused on his match too, because his opponent took his moment of weakness to pounce on him and knock him off balance. Mulder fell from the impact, but quickly regained his footing, grabbing the man's wrists in one hand and pinning him down to the mat with his leg trapping the man underneath him. He was making sure to do it in a way that exuded pressure and not force while keeping a good distance between their bodies.

He struggled for a moment before giving up as the instructor counted down. As soon as it was over, Mulder helped the guy up and wished him a good game. However, unlike the other matches, the men all started to walk away, either distracted by something else or simply leaving since it was over.

"Good match you two. Now that everything's over, I have to go report these scores. Make sure to tell everyone they're free to go," the instructor said, taking off his whistle before heading out.

Mulder turned to thank his opponent for a good game, only to discover he too was gone. Curious, he made his way over to the group that was huddling, but he didn't have a good vantage point. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked the people around him.

"Brad challenged Mrs. Spooky to a match since she was the best woman," one answered over his shoulder.

"What?" Mulder asked incredulously.

The man turned around and his cocky smile died on his face when he saw who he had been talking to. "Oh, uh, sorry Agent Mulder."

Mulder paid him no mind as he elbowed his way to the front of the crowd, worry gnawing him away. There was something malicious about this and it put a bad taste in his mouth. He knew Scully could handle herself, but a strong surge of protectiveness coarsed through him. His anxiety didn't subside when he could finally see them.

Brad was probably Mulder's height, but with the build of a wrestler. He could probably make a brick wall flinch just by looking at it. Mulder felt uncomfortable just seeing him on the mat with Scully, who looked like a child standing next to this man. This wasn't right. The gym wouldn't have paired them together; she may be strong and nimble, but that didn't really matter with such a significant size difference. The only rational thing he could think of was that he somehow antagonized Scully into accepting a challenge. Nothing about this boded well with him.

The countdown started and all the men surrounding the man started cheering when the whistle blew. Immediately Brad grabbed for her, but Scully was quicker, weaving away from his grasp so elegantly that it almost looked like a dance. Her avoidance took Brad by surprise and he stumbled, creating a laugh from the crowd.

Mulder didn't need to have a background in profiling to know being laughed off just added fuel to the fire. Brad wheeled around and hit Scully in the side with a the back of his fist, causing her to fall in shock, though she didn't scream. He wanted nothing more than to run onto the mat and wring his neck, but he knew Scully would be mad at him for intervening.

By nature, he felt compelled to throw himself into every situation. Being partnered with Scully had been a learning curve for him. When people said that the gender dynamics in opposite-sexed partnerships were tricky to navigate, there was a bit of truth in it. He didn't find it difficult in the way they acted; like the woman was a liability or that the sexual attraction would be too much, though there was plenty of attraction on his behalf; but it was difficult because he wanted her to know he respected her and he wanted everyone else to do the same.

Sometimes he had to check himself over things he hadn't given a second thought. Was he explaining something to her that she already knew? Was he being inconsiderate of her personal space? Occasionally they'd be doing something stressful and he'd see her get pale, or she'd get really quiet before reaching in her purse before grabbing a Midol. He worried that he was pushing her too hard when she was on her period and he should be more considerate. Then after he asked himself all these questions, he worried if that would be considered 'treating her differently' and he worried if that, in and of itself, was sexist. He didn't want to make it sound like it was so hard dealing with her womanhood, he just wanted her to know how much he respected and valued that aspect of her.

All too often he had to watch her get dismissed because of her gender, and it infuriated him. Men talking to him as if she wasn't there, men looking at him while she talked as if asking for silent confirmation she was worth listening to, or men who leered at her with poorly-disguised intentions. It took him awhile to realize what was happening, what this odd behavior was, but as soon as he did he was disgusted. Scully had told him time and time again that they couldn't react poorly because it would just perpetuate the stereotype women were emotional or sensitive. This often meant he couldn't react on her behalf when he wanted to.

Like now.

He saw the pain register on Scully's face for a split second before she masked it. He bent down to lunge at her, but Scully was quicker. She did a sort of somersault in between his legs and pivoted on her butt so she could kick him in his, sending him falling to his knees. Scully took the opportunity immediately by throwing herself on his back, grabbing his arms to pin them behind him.

The crowd started cheering at her impressive moves and he felt another surge of pride well up in him. However, he simply was too strong for her to be able to hold his arms like that. He quickly shucked one free before sending his elbow back harshly. It landed squarely on her chest, clearly knocking the wind out of her. Everyone gasped with her at the absolutely illegal move. Hitting was frowned upon, but throwing elbows and knees was forbidden.

His fists clenched at his sides until he was afraid the skin might tear. The jovial nature of the room fell slightly and he saw some people catch sight of him before immediately leaving. Even they didn't like where this was heading.

The man wheeled around and initially grabbed one bicep, his meaty hand completely engulfing her arm, while he slid the other hand in between her legs to grab her thigh. He lifted her up into the air with a triumphant smile and Mulder almost ran onto the mat, afraid he was going to toss her onto the ground. Scully, per usual, was one step ahead of him and kicked his ribs with her free leg, doing it with the meat of her thigh instead of her foot as to keep it clean.

Brad yelled in pain and dropped her, but she was able to land on her feet. The relief was short lived as he quickly recovered and used his full weight and both hands to shove her. A cry escaped her involuntarily as she fell onto her hands and knees. A self-satisfied smirk erupted on Brad's face as he loomed over her, leaning down to grab her arms and pinning them to the mat while shoving his knee in the middle of her back.

It should have ended there.

The rule was, if a person was unable to move for ten seconds, the match should be called. It was clear there was no way for Scully to get her hand back, so he could just stand there and hold her arm while the timer counted down. He didn't. Everything about this was already too rough for Mulder's comfort, but then he really crossed the fucking line.

He slid his knee off her back and eased himself down, pinning her with his weight to the mat by simply laying on top of her, moving himself so one hand grabbed her wrist while the other held her shoulder. Mulder couldn't see Scully at all since the man completely covered her.

But he could hear her. "Get the fuck off me!" He saw Brad's body rock a few times and he knew Scully was fruitlessly trying to buck him off. Mulder knew she'd be pissed at him, but he's never been able to control his temper as well as she could and he was furious.

He pushed aside the group of men gawking, stepping up the mat and grabbing the man roughly by the shoulder "She said get off," he shouted with enough force it seemingly sucked all the other noise out of the room.

Everyone stood in stunned silence as Brad rolled away a little bit to see who was touching him. "Come on, Spooky. We're just doing a training exercise."

He barely heard what was said because all he could focus on was the small part of Scully's frame that was revealed to him. Her hands were pressing against the mat with so much force that he could see the muscles in her forearm straining. He also could see the ugly red imprint of a hand on her bare shoulder where he'd been holding her down.

Mulder raised his foot, pressed it into his side, and pushed him with so much force, he rolled off of Scully and onto his back. Mulder couldn't even rejoice in Scully's freedom because the sight in front of him caused the rest of the world to stop and the blood to pound in his ears.

The man had a full-blown erection; he'd been getting turned on from attacking Scully.

Mulder saw red and he felt like his rage was in control of his body. He leaned down, grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt and punched him so hard in the face that a sickening 'crack' resonated in the room. All went silent as Mulder attacked him, landing blow after blow wherever he could.

He didn't know how long that lasted until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder followed by Scully screaming, "Mulder, stop!" His fist remained in the air as he turned to look at her. She looked scared and worried and he felt ashamed for putting that look on her face.

He shoved him back down and took a few steps away from him. "What the fuck man?" Brad spat, clutching his nose, which was pouring blood over the front of his shirt.

"That wasn't a sparring match, that was a full blown assault!" Mulder screamed as several men rushed to help him up. From the looks he was getting now, he'd been wrong earlier. He wasn't Sasquatch invading their domain, he was Godzilla ruining it.

"They were just having a little fun, come on," one of Brad's work partners defended.

"If that's what you think a woman looks like when she's having fun, I feel bad for your wife," Mulder seethed.

It looked like there might be another fight until Scully jumped between them. "Just take him out," she demanded. They regarded her with contempt before she added, "Now!" The room quickly cleared out, accompanied by a series of grumbles and snide remarks. Eventually, the metal doors closed, and they were left alone.

Guilt overwhelmed him and an apology started pouring out of him almost involuntarily, "Scully, I'm so sorry. I was-"

The look of shock on her face as she whirled around stopped him mid-sentence. "Mulder, why would you possibly be sorry. I don't want to think how far that might have gone if you hadn't intervened. What could have happened if you weren't there."

He'd been so worried that he'd insulted her pride by interrupting, that her confession brought on a new wave of guilt. Had she been waiting for him to step in earlier? Had she laid there on the ground with that guy's dick grinding against her thinking that her partner was watching and enjoying it at her expense? "I should ha-," he started, but she interrupted him like she hadn't heard him in the first place.

"I just feel stupid. I was distracted, so I didn't realize this guy played dirty," she sighed.

"No, Scully. It's not your-"

"It is though. I should have known what he was doing. He was egging me on, implying that it would be impossible for a woman to beat him, and I was just too blinded by my irritation and my desire to prove him wrong." She sounded thoroughly pissed at herself and she raised a hand to fix her hair, but she stopped to wince.

His overwhelming need to apologize for his actions were superseded by his concern for her well being. "How bad did he hurt you?"

She blew out air in exasperation and shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think anything's really hurt, I'm just sore."

"May I?" he asked, pointing to her hair. Maybe he didn't help her in time then, but the least he could do was fix her hair. He was relieved when she nodded, granting him permission.

He raised his hand up and grabbed her elastic band, tugging at it slowly so it came undone without catching or ripping any strands. Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch and he ran his fingers through her hair to get out the tangles. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Mulder, you don't need to-"

"No, please let me explain." He looked at her face for a response, but she just remained silent, allowing him to continue. He started gathering her hair up in his hands to redo her ponytail. His actions were a little clunky since he was two decades out of practice. The last time he had done this was for Samantha. "I feel guilty that I hadn't stopped him sooner. I just didn't want it to look like, or for you to think I was implying, that since you were a woman you needed a man to save you. I was scared you would think it was implying I didn't think you could handle it, or that you don't know your limits."

He paused, trying to gauge a response, but she hadn't moved. "It just-bothers me. And don't take this the wrong way, I've seen you take down guys bigger than him with ease, but I didn't like that he was using how tiny you are to assert dominance over you. With the mindset he was in, there was no chance for you to win fairly. And then when I saw he was-" Mulder trailed off, almost unable to voice the words.

"Getting off on my distress?" Scully finished, disgust evident in her tone.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I just got overwhelmingly protective. I didn't want you to be mad at me for being, as you put it, 'territorial.' Now I realize it might have looked to you like I was just sitting back and enjoying it like the others, and I-"

"No," she asserted, turning around as soon as he wrapped the band taut one final time. "I would never lump you in with them."

The conviction that was in her tone and written on her face gave him a sense of pride. Almost like if she believed he was a good man, then it must have been a fact. "Mulder, you've never treated me as weak or less than even when I was thinking it myself." To him, she was impenetrable, a force of strength that blew him away. His heart hurt that she would ever think any less. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I trust you implicitly. Please never question that."

He smiled at her words and gently pulled her into a hug, happy when he felt her return the embrace. He nuzzled his chin into the crown of her head before placing a kiss to her hair. She pressed her cheek into his chest and gave a little content sigh.

It was clear then, and it'd be clear for the next twenty-five years; it didn't matter how many blows they would take, they'd always be there for each other.