A/N: I forgot about this story. Totally forgot about it. Ah well...

My hand brushes against something cool and I open my eyes to find myself asleep at a desk. I don't remember exactly what events led up to me sleeping at work, but that is the least of my worries. Something is wrong. I can feel it in every fiber of my body. I feel cold and stifled.

There is a loud knock on the door, and I look up as the door swings open to reveal a shadow.

"We're here for him," it says, coming into the room. It brings an icy chill and I shiver.

"Who?"

"Him. We need him."

"But-"

"He's ours now."

I stand up from the desk as the shadow flits around the room finally stopping at Mulder's desk. The shadow grabs him by the arm and pulls him away.

"What are you doing!? Where are you taking him?"

"Away."

"No! Mulder!"

Mulder just allows the shadow to take him away. I run to follow them, but the door slams in my face. I beat at it with my fists and try to open it, but I am locked in.

"Mulder! Mulder, help me!"

I pound against the door still, my tears becoming sobs and using up the last of my energy. I can hear him on the other side of the door, screaming in agony as they torture him. I fight against the door as hard as I can, hearing his screams getting louder.

"NO! Leave him alone! Mulder!"

Suddenly all is silent.

"Mulder?"

The door opens and the shadow is standing there again, shapeless and colder than before.

"We're done," it announces, pulling a lifeless Mulder to me and dropping his body at my feet.

"NO!" I scream, collapsing onto the floor next to Mulder's body. I shake him as hard as I can yelling his name, trying to bring some life back to him. "Mulder, please," I sob, holding his face in my hands. "Please, don't leave me."

He makes no response, and grows so cold I cannot touch him anymore. There is nothing to be done.

"Mulder no!" I wail. I am aware of someone shaking me, calling my name. The hands are warm, the voice soft.

"Scully? Scully, stop this."


I opened my eyes and found Mulder, one hand wrapped around my wrists, the other gently checking my pulse. The relief I felt at that moment could not be described by any words that I have ever heard. I threw myself against him, needing the warmth and the strength that I always find when his arms are around me.

"It's alright, Scully. It was just a dream."

He pulled me closer while I cried, his arms tightening as if I would slip away.

"I have you, Scully. Nothing can get you."

"They got you," I managed to choke out through the tears. "I couldn't get to you."

"It's not real, Scully."

That only made me cry harder and he pulled me into his lap, tucking me under his chin.

"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm right here. I'm not leaving."

I let myself cry for a long time. I didn't care that I was showing emotion, I didn't care that this whole spectacle had probably woken everyone else up. I just couldn't let him leave me, and I knew he wouldn't leave me if I was crying. I needed his kisses, I needed the comfort of him tucking me back into bed and settling down beside me. I needed the simple ritual. He had done this for me so many times in the past, when we were away on a case and the images were just too much. I needed the familiarity now more than ever.

He was rocking us slowly, his lips in my hair humming and shushing me, much like a mother to her newborn child.

"Please," I said softly as one of his hands found its way to the small of my back. His fingers splayed out there and he dipped his face closer to mine, kissing my tears away.

"I'm here," he said softly. "I have you. You're safe. I'm not leaving."

Maybe they were platitudes or maybe they had been said so many times they had become rehearsed phrases, uttered when nothing else could be said. I didn't really care. They calmed me, returned my frantic heart to normal and stopped my tears.

His soft kisses made their way from my cheeks to my eyes, the tip of my nose, my temples, my ears and back to my forehead.

"I love you," he murmured, his lips still on my skin. I let my body go slack in his arms and I could feel him smile against my forehead.

"Better?" he asked, his hand still rubbing my back. I nodded a little and he gently eased me back into bed. He tucked the blankets tightly around me then lay down and took my hand. Our fingers laced together automatically, as if the years of nightmares followed by comfort had instilled in them a need for each other.

"Tell me about it?"

I shook my head.

"Not right now."

"You were calling for me. What happened?"

He always pressed me like this, and I always let him. I don't know why and I don't really want to know either.

"Someone, something. It took you and hurt you and killed you. I tried to get to you but I couldn't. I tried to save you, but you were already gone."

"I'm right here, sweetheart," he whispered, pulling me a little closer.

"I know you are right now, but someday you won't be. And I hate being reminded of that."

"I do too. But it's not going to happen today and it's not going to happen tomorrow, so don't think about it. Okay?"

I nodded as his hand slipped from mine and glided around my waist to his spot on my back, while his lips came down on my forehead again. This moment was completeness and security and contentment. It was love. Our little dance was so practiced and intimate, one would think it was being performed by an old married couple, not two friends. Two friends who rely on each other for everything, even when they don't get along, even when trust is questioned, even when there is not much faith to be found.

"I probably woke everyone up."

"No, it's okay."

"But-"

"Your brothers and I were the only ones still awake and no one else seems to have been disturbed."

"You were actually interacting with Bill?"

He smiled a little.

"You didn't tell me he liked the Knicks too."

I smiled back at him as he left one last kiss on my forehead.

"Go to sleep Scully," he whispered against my ear. "I'll hold you."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Sleep was coming fast and the last thing I felt was his hand on my back and his lips on mine.

"I love you too," I managed to mumble, just before sleep washed over me and I was carried into a much more peaceful dreamland.