Scully had chosen a friend for him, and set their date for that weekend. She wanted to keep it as blind as possible, hoping her plan would work. She didn't pick the most unattractive friend she had, but the one who was a little homely. Her name was Sarah, and she lived a simple life working in medical records at the hospital that Scully once did her rotations. Sarah was only a few years older than Scully, so just about Mulder's age. They weren't close by any means, but they kept in touch, sent a casual email to catch up every few months or so. Scully went through a wild phase in med school, and Sarah definitely never found herself in the same scene as her, but they were friendly at work, in a professional atmosphere. She felt wrong, picking her instead of her many other single friends who are drop dead gorgeous, at least in the eyes of all the guys that constantly hit on them when they went out. This was safe, secure. She knew she still had a chance if he went out with Sarah.

The thought made her question if that's what she even wanted, what he wanted. All she knew was that they would never be able to explore that if he hit it off with one of her more lively friends. It's not something she was ready to let go, because she wanted to explore the possibilities just a tad more. She only hoped that the next card didn't lead him further away from her.

Scully sat at the cafe near work, waiting for Sarah to arrive. She wanted to meet with her before her date with Mulder, just to make sure everything was going to go just as planned. She also felt guilty for randomly talking to her, just to go on a date with him. She had been sitting there for about 10 minutes past the time they had planned to meet, getting anxious. Her eyes grew wide, and her faith flew out the window as she saw a somewhat familiar face walking towards her. Sarah was wearing a tightly fitted wrap dress, showing just a modest amount of cleavage she didn't remember her having. She was fit, and her mousy brown hair was now a deep burgundy, accenting her hazel eyes. Scully let out a small whimper of defeat, feeling like she already lost.

"Dana! It's so great to see you!" Sarah exclaimed, embracing her in a tight hug. She also didn't remember her being that bubbly.

"Sarah, my god, look at you! You look great!"

"Thank you, it's taken a while, but I'm finally comfortable with myself now. I'm definitely not the poor, shy girl you remember having to graciously strike up a conversation with."

"Yeah, I can definitely tell. It's great to see you so happy." She meant it, she just hoped that happiness didn't fully involve Mulder in the near future.

"That means so much to me. So tell me, what's new with you? What's the story with this guy I'm supposed to be meeting tonight?"

"Nothing new with me, I don't know if you knew, but I left practicing medicine. Well, in a hospital at least. I'm a pathologist with the FBI."

"I did hear about that, was it because of Waterston?" Scully licked her lips nervously at the question, an awkwardness settling over them. "Oh my god, I didn't mean to overstep. I just heard-"

"Yeah, it's okay. I think everyone eventually knew. It wasn't because of him, but I do think that was my final push."

"Well good riddance, you were too good for him anyway. So tell me, what's with this guy, Mulder?"

"I, uh, work with him. He's...a friend, I guess. It's a long story, but he needs a date, and I thought you would be perfect for him." The old you, at least. She left that mental comment to herself.

"What's wrong with him? Sorry, I always have to ask. I've definitely dated some interesting men in my time."

"Nothing. He's brilliant, and a little exhausting, but in an exciting way. I don't think I've ever met someone so completely enthralling. He's sincere, and kind, once you break through his tough exterior he seems to think he has." A smirk was forming on her face, she was completely lost in her own thoughts. Her eyes widened as she looked up to see Sarah watching her talk about him with such adoration. There was a gleam in her eye, like she could tell how Scully was feeling.

"So, why aren't you with him them?" An amused grin forming on Sarah's lips.

"He's just my friend. I haven't even known him that long, we just - it's not like that with us."

"Right. Well, if you can vouch for him, I suppose I shouldn't be dreading this blind date too much. Although, I do have to question your taste in men." Sarah teased. Scully chuckled, enjoying seeing her old friend. She was still nervous about their date going better than she originally anticipated, but felt like she didn't have a say in the matter.

After lunch, Scully made her way back to work, scolding herself for not noticing the voicemail on her phone. There was a new case, and they had requested she attend the briefing, that started 5 minutes ago. She rushed upstairs, hoping to sneak into the back of the room.

"Only troublemakers show up late and sit in the back." She smiled at the familiar voice in her ear, his close proximity causing a rush of new feelings through her.

"I must be hanging out with you too much."

"You wound me, Scully. But, in all fairness, I was only 1 minute late this time."

"What's the case?"

"Well if you would have showed up on time and are paying attention now, it's a serial murderer and rapist, teenage girls." She nodded, letting out a heavy sigh as she turned her attention to the Special Agent in Charge. They both remained quiet for the rest of the briefing. It was a small team, just her, Mulder and two other agents other than the Agent in Charge.

"I'm going to split you up in teams, Johnson and Dr. Scully, Mulder and Lewis." Agent Collins explained, already distracted by the paperwork in front of him.

"Actually, I was hoping to work with Dr. Scully. Her findings during the autopsy could better help my profile." Mulder piped up quickly. Everyone in the room noticed his sense of urgency, Scully bowing her head to mask the smirk on her lips.

"Fine. We'll meet back here tomorrow, 8:00 am sharp. You're all dismissed." Collins said as he handed everyone their files.

"He means it when he says 'sharp.' Don't be late." Mulder teased as they made their way down to the morgue. "Where were you anyway? I tried to find you before the briefing."

"Oh, I was actually out at lunch with someone."

"Like, a date?" He asked with genuine interest. She could hear the change of tone in his voice, it almost sounded like he was disappointed. She wanted to make him sweat just a little longer.

"Something like that. So, any idea on a profile yet?"

"No, I looked over the crime scene photos, but there's something that I'm missing."

"Well, you're more than welcome to watch me do my autopsy, just stay out of the way." She mock glared at him.

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted, causing her to chuckle.

Scully changed into her scrubs, prepping for the autopsy. Mulder was already bouncing around the room, his attention span was worse than a child. She began the autopsy, losing herself in her work. This was what felt safe for her, comfortable. As morbid as it may sound to others, this was her favorite place to be.

"Anything different than the others?" He finally asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"Nothing that jumps out. The others had strangulation marks, and signs of sexual abuse, just like this one. Is he doing anything specific, what's his MO?"

"I don't know yet. All we know, is that the girls are all between 15-17, and they're all from the same town. They don't look similar, their socioeconomic statuses vary...I just don't know."

"The people in their town don't know of any connection between them?"

"No, the parents of the girls said that they didn't recognize the names of the others. Johnson and Lewis were sent this morning to talk to the parents of this 4th victim."

"I wish I had something different than what the autopsy report shows for the others, but I don't. The only thing I can add is that I think whoever is doing it is young, he's inexperienced, sexually at least. The marks show an urgency, like he didn't know what he was doing."

"You think he could be the same age as them? Jesus, that's a little young to start on a murder career path."

"I definitely think he could be younger in age, based on his inefficiency, yes."

"That might be something I can work with. I'll catch you later." His mind was already bouncing around sporadically, theories already forming. She secretly loved watching his mind work like this, it excited her.

After her autopsy, it had been several hours since she last spoke to Mulder. She knew he was off on some kind of lead, or drowning himself in crime scene photos. The elevator dinged, signaling that she had arrived at the basement floor. She knew exactly where to find him when he had disconnected himself from the world, lost in a case.

"Anything new?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Maybe. I was looking over the photos of each other girls' rooms, and two of them have a similar medal hanging from their vanity mirror. It's dated from about 5 years ago, but it is indeed the same medal."

"Medals look similar, how can you be sure it's the same?"

"It has a bible verse on it."

"Which one?"

"Luke 6:31. I'm not exactly up to speed on my bible versus so-"

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." She said in a small voice. She glanced over at him, his eye had a gleam in it. She was impressing him by the minute, unfolding like a flower.

"Well, well, well...do we have a good little Catholic girl on our hands?"

"Catholic, yes. Good...that's questionable sometimes." The smirk appearing on her lips, remembering all the youthful indiscretions of her past. "Did they go to the same church?"

"I don't know, it wasn't brought up in any of the interviews. We can question the families again, see if anything comes from it." He said as he began to gather his files.

"You leaving early today?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. My date, with your friend, is tonight."

"Right. Well, have fun." She said with a small smile. He could tell she wasn't too happy about him having to go on a date with someone else, though he would never question her about it. They played this game, teetering around their feelings about one another, neither ready to concede about their true emotions.

"I'll see you Monday." He said with a slight nod, making his way to the door. She waved, keeping her back to him. After meeting with Sarah that afternoon, all the hope she had was already gone.

Mulder was nervous for his date, hoping that Scully's choice would prove to him that she wanted to be with him instead. He had only spoken to Sarah, arranging the details of their date. She sounded bubbly and friendly, definitely different than the witty, mostly serious redhead he had become acquainted with. He still preferred the latter.

He waited at the restaurant for her to arrive, becoming more anxious by the minute. He surveyed the room, noticing anyone that walked in through the door. There were a few women who strolled in as if they were looking for someone, but none that matched the description that Sarah gave him. All she said was 'I'll be in a blue dress, you'll know me when you see me.' So he sat, and waited for the blue dress to walk through the door.

It had been 15 minutes of waiting, and he was becoming restless. Finally, the door swung open and in walked a woman in a blue, fitted dress. She wore it well, that much he could at least admire. She had a smile on her face as she approached him, his hopes about what this meant for him and Scully instantly plummeting. She set him up with a beautiful friend, as if she wanted this to work between them. He let out a heavy sigh, and stood to greet her.

"You must be Sarah." He extended a hand, keeping casual pleasantries.

"And you must be Mulder. I must say, you sure did sell yourself short on looks when you described who I was looking for." She said with a flirtatious smirk on her lips. Sarah knew he was off limits, that much she gathered from her lunch date with Scully. It didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself with a little flirting.

"Ah, well, you might be alone in your opinion there." He smiled shyly, taking a sip of his water.

"Oh, I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way."

"So how much did Scully tell you about me?"

"Enough. I think she just wanted us to meet. I must say, it was a rather random request, especially because she hadn't seen me in years before today."

"Today?"

"Yeah, we met for lunch." Sarah answered nonchalantly. That little sneak, she wanted him to believe she had a date with someone. He smiled to himself, perhaps his thinking about her wasn't too far off. It still didn't explain why she would set him up with someone like Sarah. He thought he figured Scully out enough to fix him up with a more simpler friend, someone that didn't hold any striking attributes as Sarah did. That was only if she had actually wanted to be with him herself though.

The rest of the date went smoothly, they both enjoyed each other's company. Sarah knew this man wasn't up for grabs, maybe not officially, and that bummed her out. As much as Mulder was enjoying his time with her, Scully kept popping up in his mind.

Scully was going crazy all night, wanting to know how their date went. She didn't want to seem too desperate, but needed to know, or she would go insane by Monday. She stayed at work longer, hoping to find something in the case that would deem a reason to call Mulder. They were friends, yes, but not the kind of friends to just call each other up and say 'hey how are you? What are your plans for the weekend?' She hated feeling like this, but knew it was her own fault. She was withholding her feelings about him, not wanting to jump into something if he didn't reciprocate.

Saturday morning rolled around, and Scully hadn't slept at all. She tossed and turned all night, just wanting to know something, anything. There was a small ounce of hope in her that this was what Mulder felt like when she had her date with Scott, although he never did ask her about it. Maybe she was just getting ahead of herself, and he genuinely didn't have an interest in her that way. Her heart sank at the thought. She was broken from her reverie by the ringing of her phone, her stomach twisting in hopes it was him calling. No one really, other than work, called her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Who's this?" A woman asked. Scully looked at her phone, seeing it was Mulder's number, and her heart sank further.

"Who's - Sarah?"

"Yeah...who is this?"

"It's, uh, Dana Scully."

"Oh crap, I must have grabbed Mulder's phone by mistake last night. I didn't even notice, I just dialed 1 on my speed dial." That piece of information made Scully smile, giving her a small sliver of hope back.

"Well, I can switch them back for you, if you want." She said a little too eagerly. Sarah smiled, she knew her assumptions about these two were correct.

"Yeah, sure. He probably needs his more than I need mine. Let's meet for coffee and you can just get mine back to me sometime next week."

Scully agreed and disconnected the call, biting her lip to mask the smirk growing. She was going to call Mulder, let him know what happened, but thought against it since it was still early. They met for coffee, Sarah handing over the phone, but not much detail about how her date went with Mulder. She could tell Scully was anxious for information, but decided to let Mulder fill her in on the details.

After their coffee meeting, Scully made her way to Mulder's apartment. She had only been there once, but she remembered exactly where it was. As she approached apartment 42, her nerves began to get the better of her, questioning if she was overstepping. She let out a deep breath and knocked on the door. She could hear him rustling around on the other side, her apprehensions rising.

"Scully? What are you doing here?" He was wearing a gray shirt, and sweatpants. His hair was disheveled, and he looked absolutely adorable to her.

"I believe this belongs to you. It seems you and Sarah switched phones. I just wanted to make sure you got it, in case anything happens with work this weekend." She blurted out, not as smoothly as it sounded in her head.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't even realize I didn't have my phone. Did you want to come in? I don't have much in the aspect of food, but I make a mean pot of coffee." He flashed her that goofy grin she's seen several times, and smiled with a slight nod.

"I didn't mean to intrude, I just wanted to make sure you got it back. I can take Sarah's phone back to her next week sometime."

"How did you get my phone back from her anyway?"

"Oh, we met for breakfast this morning. She called me from your phone, that's how we figured it out. She didn't realize it either." He paused, feeling like an idiot for how that must have looked in Scully's eyes. A woman calling her from his phone. At least she didn't seem too upset about it. He scoffed to himself mentally, why would she be? It's only him that holds deeper feelings for his sometimes work partner.

"Well I'm glad we figured it out before the feds started calling about another dead body."

"Yeah, that would have been an interesting call for her to wake up to." They smiled at each other, enjoying the casual conversation.

"How'd she call you from my phone? She didn't realize what number she dialed?" The sudden thought popping into his head.

"Oh, she - uh, just called the number 1 on her speed dial." Scully diverted her eyes anywhere but on him, taking a sip of her coffee to mask the pure amusement growing within her. His eyes went wide, he was totally caught.

"That's - uh, it was just easier when we were working on cases." She finally glanced up, nodding at his explanation. She suppressed the laugh building at the guilty look on his face.

"So how did your date go?"

"Pretty well, at least in my opinion. I'm sure Sarah had different things to say. There was definitely never a dull moment in the night."

"Yeah, that's not how I remember her. She was always very quiet. I guess she just recently had a coming of age moment or something." The slight scoff escaping her lips, not going unnoticed by Mulder. He kept his comments to himself. It made sense now, confirming that she did indeed try to set him up with someone less interesting.

"Well I'm glad you set it up for us, I had a good time." He gave her a small smile. She nodded, conceding to his interest in her friend. "Let me, uh, grab her phone for you."

He could sense her apprehensions, and didn't know what was causing them. They sucked at this whole talking thing, at least about anything important.

"Thanks, I - uh, I'll get this back to her sometime next week. Unless...you had plans to meet with her again?" She asked, standing by the door. Her lips were pursed with question, eyebrow arched in anticipation.

"Uh, nothing on the immediate agenda."

"Oh, okay." She suppressed the smirk on her lips. She was relieved to hear at least that much. "So, did you get the next card yet?"

"I have a meeting set for Monday."

"Ah, of course. Well, let me know if you need my assistance with that one as well."

"I'm sure I'll find a way to bug you about it." He flashed her that charming smirk, the one that made her stomach flip slightly. She smiled, color tingeing her cheeks. Bowing her head to hide her amusement with his statement, she made her brisk escape.

They were both walking on eggshells around each other, when it came to their feelings for the other. To Mulder, it seemed like Scully was simply there to help him finish his tasks. Like she was somehow roped into it from the beginning, and now felt obligated. For her, it was almost as if he wanted nothing to do with her unless it dealt with the cards. There were occasional glimpses of hope, but they always quickly faded.

When Monday rolled around, both were nervous about what the next card could mean for them. Scully waited anxiously at work, burying herself in a follow up autopsy on their latest victim. At least she knew she wouldn't have to find a reason to talk to him this week, since they were working a case together. She was brought out of her thoughts by the ringing of her phone, startling at the sound.

"Dr. Scully."

"Hey doc, it's me."

"Mm, could you be a little more specific? I know a lot of people who go by 'me.'"

"How about that charming, semi-insane, sometimes partner of yours?"

"Ah, yes. That rings a bell. What do you want Mulder?"

"I was hoping you'd join me for an exciting day at the crime scene of our latest victim. If you play your cards right, there might be a greasy diner lunch thrown in there."

"Well with an offer that tempting, how could I ever refuse? It might help anyway, there's nothing specific that I'm finding from this body. The crime scene might help me narrow a few things down." She let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'll meet you by the main elevators in about 15 minutes."

She disconnected the call, finally admitting to herself that this autopsy wasn't going to show her anything more than she had already seen. She furrowed her brow as she realized that he didn't mention anything about his next card, but didn't seem too distraught about it. Maybe it was because it was another individual task, or maybe it had to do with Sarah again. That thought made her heart sink a little.

She made her way upstairs, meeting him just outside of the elevator. They made their way to the car, him rambling on about his newest theories for the case. She was so lost in her own mind that she couldn't concentrate without knowing.

"Did you get your new card this morning?"

"Wh - oh, yeah. I did." Short, no detail. That couldn't be good.

"Sooo…?"

"Uh, I don't know. They're getting more complex. I might just tap out."

"Mulder, that's a lot of money on the line. You can't just give up now."

"I'm not giving up, I just-" He let out a heavy sigh. There was something he wasn't telling her, that much she knew. "I don't want to be forced into something that I'm not ready for. This next card is definitely a push."

"Well, is there a time limit on it?"

"No, but I'm guessing she wants me to finish them before I'm dead." He scoffed.

"What was the card?"

"That's not important. I think we're here." He unbuckled his seatbelt, jumping out of the car.

He was avoiding something, that much she could sense, she just didn't know what. They were both playing this game, and she didn't know where they stood as far as friends, coworkers, whatever they were. If they were going to get anywhere, one of them needed to step up, she just hoped it didn't need to be her.

They examined the crime scene, her taking samples of anything specific that caught her eye. He was lost in creating his profile, both using work as a distraction from a conversation they should be having. Their drive back to the bureau was quiet, other than bouncing a few ideas off each other about their case. Maybe it was easiest this way, keeping it professional.

"I'm going to run these labs, hopefully I'll get something off them that'll help us."

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll probably be hiding downstairs, going through everything. I just need the profile on this guy." He growled frustratingly. She stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"Hey, we'll get this." He smiled, looking down at her small hand on his arm. Letting out a heavy sigh, he relaxed into her contact. She was magical to him, doing things to him no one else ever could. The next card popped into his head, and he instantly stiffened. She furrowed her brow at the change, all hope for them flying even further out the window than it already had.

She retreated to the morgue, hiding in her own sanctuary. The lab results came back, and something caught Scully's eye. There was a fiber found at the scene, that also matched one found on one of the other victims. She looked around for the other files, and realized that Mulder had all the paperwork. She ripped off her gloves, making her way down to him in the basement.

"Mulder...what the hell happened in here?" She entered the small office cautiously, taking in the sight of strewn papers everywhere. His mind was in a frenzy, the profile coming to him slowly.

"I - I think I almost have it Scully. You were right, he is young. I think he's maybe 16-18, white male, most definitely some kind of masculinity complex. I think he's brilliant, but that might be the only thing going for him. I just can't place his motive, or his connection to these girls. He was rejected in some way, but I can't tell where, how, why." He threw the papers on his desk, defeated.

"That's an ambitious start. Hopefully I can help more, I found a fiber at this last crime scene that matches a fiber found on the first victim. You have all my files, so I needed to confirm, but I think this might be the first step to nailing this guy."

"Yeah, uh, it's around here somewhere." He gave her a sheepish smile, noticing his messy office. She rolled her eyes as she began helping his sift through the papers.

They both were reorganizing the disheveled files, putting them with their respective folders. Scully noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from under one of the reports, and pulled it free out of sheer curiosity. It was the next card, the number 6 staring her in the face. She exhaled deeply, and turned it over, her breath catching in her throat.

'You had two options after the last card was completed. If you chose this one, then she must really be special to you. Take that next step, tell her how you feel. Show her, if words fail you.'

She didn't realize she stopped breathing until the faint sound of his voice startled her.

"Scully, did you find the file?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." She picked up the folder, dropping the card back on his desk. She licked her lips nervously, clearing her throat. "I'm just going to take this back to the morgue with me, and run an analysis on both fibers, confirm the match. I'll talk to you later."

And with that, she escaped out of the door, leaving no room for questions. He was puzzled by her quick change in demeanor, and glanced back at where she was standing. The edge of the card was sticking out from her rushed attempt at burying it, and he let out a heavy sigh.

She wasn't supposed to see this one. He wasn't even sure he was going to finish this task. Well, it was now or never. She needed to know.