A/N: If you wanted fuzzy happiness, then this is not the chapter for you. Still very important, so you should still read it. :)
Mulder and Scully quietly ate their breakfast. Not much had been said between them, besides the fact that they had both had pretty much the exact same dream, only from their own perspectives. Scully was newly creeped-out, while Mulder was amused. His amusement had gotten him nothing but dirty looks and a silent Scully. He still insisted that it was a past life, and that they had been married, which would explain a lot of their bickering. She, of course, still refused to believe and decided to remain silent on the subject, hoping that her silence would shut him up. It had finally worked.
"Hey," he spoke up, "I'm going to run this picture of what you think is a ring over to that jewelers across the street. See if he can help us out. I'll meet you outside."
He stood up and pulled a twenty out of his wallet.
"Here," he placed it on the table in front of her. "Make sure to tip well." He gave her a smile before leaving.
Now he leaves! she thought, slightly annoyed. However, she did think that his over-protectiveness was kind of cute.
She finished her meal and left the twenty on the table. She smirked at her actions. He did say to leave a good tip...
Scully sat on the bench outside of the diner. The sun felt good on her skin while she was waiting for Mulder. He was taking a longer time than she thought he should, but it was Mulder. He always talked too much.
She stood up and smoothed out her simple black dress. She walked around in a circle around a big oak tree, dragging her fingers across the bark of the tree's trunk. Luckily, she was short enough that the branches didn't even come close to skimming the top of her head. Mulder, however, would have had a harder time. She remembered how she loved to climb trees with her brothers when she was a little girl. She contemplated doing it now, but quickly shook that thought from her mind.
"You ready?" Mulder's voice broke into her thoughts.
She looked up at him. He really was one of the most handsome men that she had ever seen. Especially with him back into one of his suits.
"Yep," she answered, taking his offered arm.
As they began to walk, she asked, "Did you find out about the ring?"
"Uh, yeah. The old man recognized it. Unfortunately, he sold it a few years ago."
"Does he remember to whom?"
"Again, unfortunately, he's not the one who sold it. His nephew sold it. His nephew also just happens to be Tony, Claire's fiance. Needless to say, we won't be getting any information from him anytime soon..."
They made their way to a little outside congregation. They stood in the back, next to one of the police officers- Mulder was sure that his name was Luke.
"It's nice of you two to come," a voice spoke up from behind them.
They turned and recognized the kind face of the town mayor, Vance Malloy.
"It's not a problem," Scully told him.
He nodded. "Thank you, again, for everything you two have been trying to do for our town. It's a shame that we keep having town get-togethers at memorial services."
They both nodded, not knowing what to say. They were used to dealing with crime scenes, but not really the aftermath of them.
Mayor Malloy gave them each a warm smile and shook Mulder's hand before leaving them.
They stayed standing at the back and watched as people took their seats in little white folding chairs. An older couple, a young man, and a teenage girl all walked up to the closed casket and each placed a hand on it.
"That's Claire's momma, daddy, and two younger siblings," Luke whispered to Mulder.
He nodded, not sure if he was thankful for the narration.
The family took their seats. The mayor said some words of sorrow and how the town had lost another one of its brightest young citizens, and in this case, one of its protectors. A few friends got up to share memories and stories about how good of a person that 'their' Claire was.
Tony, Claire's fiance, was the last to speak.
"Baby, I was counting on us being together forever. Now I'll never know what should have been," the grown man sobbed. He placed a simple gold wedding band on the casket and another one on his left ring-finger.
Scully couldn't take it. She turned and ran. She ran as fast as she could, back out to the town, and up the hill to the cliff with the waterfall, where she led Mulder on their second day there.
"Scully..." Mulder said softly, speaking up to let her know that he was there.
He had easily chased her down. He was faster than she was, after all.
She had her back to him, but she turned at the sound of his voice. She walked straight into his arms, wrapping her arms firmly around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her, as well.
"We don't deal with this," she explained to him, her head buried in his chest. "We don't deal with the family and the loved ones. We take care of the crime, not the people it left behind."
"I know," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
He didn't think that this was the right moment, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He took her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs, and lowered his lips to meet hers. To his surprise, she moved her arms to wrap them tightly around his neck, pulling him closer. They stopped kissing for a split second, in order to breathe, and then she attacked his lips with hers. He could feel how emotional she was through the kiss, he could taste her salty tears. She was holding onto him like she was afraid to let go.
Mulder was the one who broke the kiss. He had to say what was on his mind.
"Sit down with me," he told her, flopping onto the grass, taking her hand, and pulling her down with him.
He sat cross-legged, as did she. She scooted as close to him as possible without actually being in his lap. He took her hand and entwined her fingers with his.
"Scully," he began after taking a deep breath, "we watched Tony speak about the person that he loved most in this world, and about how he lost her. But that doesn't have to happen to me because the person that I love most in the world is sitting right here, next to me. I love you. I will not lose you. I know that I'm a selfish person, but when it comes to you I will do anything to keep you safe. I will do anything to be with you. I need you."
"We need each other," she corrected him. "I hate this feeling of weakness- helplessness. You give me strength. Though, I'm not sure that I can do anything anymore without you by my side."
"Scully," he said, running the back of his hand over her damp cheek. "I have something to show you."
"What?" she asked, wiping her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand and waiting for his answer.
He took her right hand (he didn't want to freak her out any more than she already seemed to be) and slid a ring onto her ring finger.
"Do you recognize that?"
She looked down. It was a ring that looked just like the one Édouard gave Léonie in her dream. She looked back up at Mulder, speechless. She pulled off the ring to inspect the inside. Sure enough, there they were. The initials 'E.N. & L.S.' She looked up at Mulder again, even more speechless.
"It was at the jewelers," he explained.
"You- Why- You-" Scully couldn't find her words.
"I guess it was something like fate," he told her, smiling. "Do you still not believe in past lives?"
"Did you- I mean- how did-" Scully still couldn't speak properly.
"I bought it. Thought that you would like to have it. Plus, it proved that I was right."
"That's what took you so long," she finally managed to say.
"That's what you have to say?! Not 'Mulder, you're always right' or 'Mulder, I'm sorry for ever doubting you'?"
"Mulder..."
"I think that this also proves that we're meant to be together, Scully."
"This is a lot for me to process... Added to what I was already feeling..." Scully looked back down at the ring. She slipped it back onto her right ring-finger. It fit perfectly, of course.
"What are you feeling?" he asked.
Scully looked up at Mulder and shook her head, fighting back more tears.
"Tell me," he said softly, taking her face in his hands and grazing his lips against hers.
"I can't. I can't even think of the right words to say... I just... My heart hurts," was all she could get out before the tears started again.
"Why?!" he whispered, slightly shocked at this revelation.
"Because! I failed that poor man! It's unfair for me to be sitting here with you, when he has lost the love of his life. And, I'm selfish, Mulder, because all I can think about is how lucky I am that I still have you and that I would never give you up. Never. Not for anyone. And I want to leave, Mulder. To run away, so that I can keep you with me and not put us through this, but I know that's wrong. And I-I-" Scully couldn't finish her thought before the sobs took over again.
Mulder pulled her into his chest. He wished that he could take some of her pain away.
"It's okay to be selfish sometimes, Scully," he told her. "But we're not going to leave. I know that leaving would tear you up inside even more in the long run. I know from experience the regret of not doing the right thing for all involved, not just yourself. You always do the right thing. Whereas, I always do the right thing for me."
"You're not that bad, Mulder," she said into his now tear-stained shirt.
"Am I not? Though, you haven't denied me being selfish..."
"Oh, you're selfish," she murmured. "But you are always so sure of what you want, that I don't have the heart to stop you."
"Well, thank you. All my heart wants is you, and I know you won't stop me in that!" Mulder kissed the top of her head.
"Never."