Hi everyone, I'm so sorry it's taken me a bit longer than normal to get this next bit out to you. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing the last chapter! :)

When Scully woke up and wandered through to the kitchen the following day, there was no sign of Mulder. She pulled her old cardigan closer around her, annoyed with herself for thinking that Mulder had actually been there when it was obviously some strange kind of dream.

Then the cup of coffee sat waiting for her on the worktop caught her eye, and she felt a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself. He had been there, and by the looks of it he meant to come back. Walking over, she found a note next to the cup:

Scully

I went shopping, your fridge is empty. Be back soon

Love, Mulder

She sipped at the drink in confusion, not sure what all her feelings were telling her about Mulder being back. Unwilling to think about it further, she headed for the shower, enjoying feeling the water beating down on her and running away, as if it could wash away all of the bad things that she kept feeling.

A long time later, she finally managed to make it out of the shower, slipping into a T-shirt and sitting herself on the end of the sofa nearest the door. She flicked on the TV, not bothering to change the channel. She wasn't really watching it anyway, her mind unable to leave the thought of her partner wandering her house and what he could be after, or what it all meant. She shivered slightly, the cold hitting her again as her hair dripped comfortingly down her back, allowing herself the luxury of her thoughts, especially those about happier days with a certain someone.

Mulder used the spare key that he had found in the kitchen to let himself back in, carrying tons of bags of food that he had fetched. He saw Scully instantly, saying nothing as he headed into the kitchen to put away the shopping and seeing that she probably hadn't even noticed that he had come back.

Looking back through the kitchen door once his job was done, he sighed sadly as he saw her sitting bolt upright on the sofa still, her face turned away from the TV and fixed firmly on the floor as she sat lost in her own thoughts. A lump that seemed so familiar rose in his throat again as he watched, wondering how it had come to this between them when they had been so close before. He wondered what atrocity Scully must have suffered for the strong woman to be reduced to this.

Making a decision, he walked over to her, seeing her look up at him warily. He put a cup of coffee onto the table in front of her, and held up the DVD he had brought back with him.

"Pretty Woman?" he asked innocently, seeing the beginnings of a smile on her face at the thought of him watching Pretty Woman. He smiled innocently back at her, popping the DVD into the machine and seeing some of the guardedness leaving her face when he picked up his own mug, settling onto the seat furthest from her. Secretly, he was thrilled when she didn't leave when he arrived.

A few moments into the DVD, he glanced across to notice that Scully was shivering quietly, his eyes quickly glancing over her T-shirt and still slightly wet hair. His heart went out to her, and he wandered to her room, fetching the soft, warm dressing gown from the back of her chair.

Moving to put it around her shoulders, Mulder stopped his hands as he saw her flinch, knowing he was going to touch her. Instead, he laid it over the arm of the sofa, smiling gently as she looked nervously and took his seat again.

"What did I miss, did the heart throb come into it yet?" he asked, seeing he smile and shake her head. "Put that on, Scully, you look freezing."

He turned his head back towards the TV, watching her out of the corner of his eye and relaxing slightly when he saw that she did as he asked. She settled down into the warmth and softness of the dressing gown with a contented sigh, not noticing that Mulder smiled as she did so, feeling instantly better.

Throughout the film she risked slight glances at Mulder, careful to drop her eyes instantly if he looked as though he were going to look round. She shook her head, wondering why he was really there, and what he was hoping for. Sternly telling herself off for being so judgemental, she was surprised when he stomach flipped over as he turned and smiled at her, shocked that she still felt so strongly for him after everything. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, determined to enjoy the film and the bit of time she had with him.

Looking over as the credits started to roll, Mulder smiled lovingly as he saw that Scully had fallen asleep. Even in sleep she had a slight frown on her face, and he tenderly leaned over, brushing a stand of hair from her face.

Lifting her easily, Mulder walked gently to her bedroom, lying her softly on her bed and pulling the covers over her. She wriggled slightly with a moan, the frown deepening for a moment before she fell into a deep sleep again. Mulder stood watching over her for a moment, his brain working over time. He was shocked at how little she weighed, knowing that she must have lost a lot of weight over the past few months. He sighed sadly, wishing he could stay watching her forever, but knowing that he had to do something useful.

Heading back downstairs, he pulled out the ingredients for Scully's favourite meal, easily remembering what that was as he remembered all of the other little things that made Scully smile. Keeping his fingers crossed, he hoped that the smell of something that she enjoyed eating would encourage her to eat a little more.

As Scully woke up, some strangely familiar and delicious smell met her. Sitting up, she grabbed a jumper and padded down to the kitchen, surprised to see that Mulder was indeed still there and was the cause of the smell. Unsure what to do with herself, she leaned against the doorframe with a small sigh.

Mulder turned around on hearing the small noise and grinned at her, seeing her watching him with the same nervous look. He pointed to the pan.

"Spaghetti alla Mulder," he quipped, pleased when she smiled slightly at the joke, hovering uncertainly in the doorway. "Just as you like it if I remembered right."

He noticed her unease, and pulled out one of the high chairs from beneath her breakfast bar, pushing it so that she was close enough to watch what he was doing, but far enough away to feel at ease and to be able to talk if she wanted to. Gratefully she perched on the chair stiffly, missing Mulder's sad look as he realised that he hadn't seen her relax once since he got there.

"Smells good," she admitted after a moment, seeing him turn with a surprised smile.

"Yeah? Well, only the best for you, Scully." He paused to throw some more ingredients in, having to admit to himself that it did smell good. "It'll be done in a minute."

He chatted away, his mood improving when Scully smiled in the right places, even offering a word or two into the conversation from time to time. Grabbing a spoon from the drawer, he dipped it into the sauce, carefully holding it out to Scully.

"Here, try," he offered, glad that she listened and leant forwards to take the sauce from the spoon.

She licked her lips, smiling the biggest smile he had seen from her since he got there. "It's good," she reassured him, and he smiled back, flicking off the heat.

"I'll trust you then. Dinner is served," he chuckled with an Italian accent, spooning spaghetti out onto the plate and hearing Scully chuckle as he dropped half of it back into the bowl when it slipped away. He eventually managed to get it all out onto the plates, passing Scully her portion with a knife, fork and spoon.

"You don't have to eat yours with me, Scully, if you're more comfortable eating elsewhere?" he offered, happy when she shrugged and sat down opposite him.

Tasting a bit, his eyes lit up when he realised that he had it spot on. He wolfed down a huge bite, Scully actually laughing for the first time when a bit of spaghetti that he sucked flew up and smacked against his cheek.

"You laugh now, but I still remember somebody trying to eat those ribs on a case once..." he quipped, seeing her grin widen as she remembered too.

"It wasn't my fault they were messy," she replied with a slight pout.

"Well, it's not my fault the Italians invented long spaghetti," Mulder replied, seeing her smile again as she took a dainty bite of her dinner.

Mulder wolfed down his dinner, chatting and making sure that the atmosphere wasn't awkward the whole time he was sitting there. He was a little dismayed that Scully didn't eat much from her plate, but reminded himself that at least he had seen her eat something nutritious, and that would have to do for now.

Scully wrapped her arms around herself in the comfy looking baggy jumper as soon as she had finished, pushing from the table and padding off to her room shyly. Mulder watched her leave, knowing that he was heading in the right direction, but wishing that he had a better idea of what to do to help her.

Heading to bed later that night, Mulder decided to check on Scully before turning in. He wasn't surprised when her room is empty, and once he reached the top of the hill she was sitting there again. Standing behind her, he sighed gently, wishing there was something he could do to make this better for her. She was already shivering from the cold.

He sat down next to her, careful to leave some distance between them, and watched her softly. She sighed, resting her head on her crossed arms which were balanced on her knees, making it clear to Mulder that she was closed off to him still. Patiently, he waited for her to take her time, just happy to be near her.

"I like it up here. It's peaceful and not complicated," she whispered after a few moments, and Mulder smiled gently back at her, despite the fact that she hadn't turned towards him, and he knew that she wouldn't see.

"It is beautiful."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence again as Mulder gave her the time that she needed to sort out what she was thinking. Eventually, she spoke again.

"You have me confused," she admitted, sighing slightly. Mulder raised his eyebrows in surprise, waiting patiently for her to carry on. "After all this time, you were the last person I expected to see here. I just...I don't know where I stand, or when you're going to leave again."

Mulder was shocked, just remembering to close his mouth that had dropped open before speaking.

"Scully, I'm not going to leave. I promise you that," he said, seeing her close her eyes as if she were in pain. "I should have called you sooner, but it's only recently that I realised how wrong I had been about everything."

She looked up at him with frown, confused about what he had just said. He smiled reassuringly at her before she looked away again.

"Skinner brought me, and he showed me how much you actually cared about me. I'm sorry, Scully, I should have given you a chance to explain your choice, especially after you came half way across America to sort it out. I'm so sorry, and I just hope it's not too late to sort this out."

She sat in silence, her gaze lost in the distance, but he knew that she was listening. He could see the slight softening of her face as she listened to his words, feeling hopeful again that she was at least letting him stay. He smiled.

"I missed you like crazy, Scully. And I still love you just as much as I did before."

He was surprised when she put her head down on her knees, sobbing as her hands came around her shoulders so she was hunched up into a ball. He felt his heart breaking to see her so sad, his hand moving out to her before he remembered to stop it in time.

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently, hearing her trying to control her sobs.

"I never thought I was going to see you again," she replied between sobs, her hands tightening around her shoulders. "I went everywhere to try and find you and explain to you. I feel like...like such a failure because I messed everything up."

He sighed, wanting to fold her in his arms and knowing that he couldn't. "You're not a failure, Scully, that was my fault." He paused for a moment, seeing that she was still crying. "Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head, suddenly sitting up resolutely and wiping her eyes as the coldness came back into her eyes again.

"I don't know what you want, Mulder, or if I can give it to you. But I do know that if you're going to leave, I'd rather you did it now."

He sighed gently. "I'm not going to leave Scully. Not unless you really want me to, and even then you'd have a fight on your hands." She smiled slightly, and he grinned back. "I want a lot of things. But right now, I'll settle for just being with you, and trying to help."

He knew he had said the wrong thing instantly as all of her barriers shot up again. "You can't help me."

"Well, I'm willing to try," he replied softly, seeing her gaze in the distance again and knowing that he had lost the small window that he had. He stood slowly, looking down at her lovingly.

"Are you ready to come in yet?"

Shaking her head, he nodded, walking back to the house and leaving her to her own thoughts, hoping that she would come to the right conclusions where he was concerned.

So that's the next bit! I think Mulder's finally starting to break through some of the Scully thaw! Hope it was OK, and please let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading everyone :)