Howard University Hospital

Saturday

1st January 5.20AM

Mulder moved his legs as the Nurse leaned over him to get access to her machinery. The stitches in his shoulder had been replaced and the new heavy duty dressing that was covering them was restricting his movements. The doctor had tried to put him in a sling but Mulder refused, wanting to get back to Scully's side as soon as he could.

He found her in the ICU attached to several IV's that he presumed were saline and blood after all that she had lost. Nurses checked on her hourly and spoke softly to him but his mind was focused on one thing only. Her face.

Her eyes were closed and had been since she was pushed onto the table. He shook his head to rid himself of that image but it was no use, burned as it was into the vestiges of his mind. AD Skinner had sat with him for a while. He remembered vague words about David McLane's body being found but couldn't be sure if it was important or not. As far as he was concerned nothing was important until she opened her eyes for him.

His lids were heavy and getting hard to control but he forced them to stay open. He got off the chair and walked into the adjourning bathroom to splash water on his face. Looking at himself in the mirror, the swollen marks on his cheek were bruising on his face and made him look like he'd gone a few rounds with Muhammad Ali, but even this seemed trivial right now.

Back by her bedside he reached out and took her arm in his hand and gently rubbed his thumb against her cool skin.

"You know Scully, this is surreal." He smiled down at her and leaned over to kiss her lips, grinning with delight as he watched her eyes fluttered open. "Hey!" he said excitedly, kissing her again even as his hand reached for the Nurse's call button.

For a few moments he hadn't the chance to say anything as the room flooded with hospital personnel checking and rechecking her vitals before adjusting her IV's and then leaving the room, satisfied that she would be fine. When left alone the room filled with an expanding silence.

"Hey," she said her voice raspy, so he filled a glass with water and helped her sit up to take a drink. "What happened?"

"He's dead," Mulder said bluntly and watched her eyes wince then wished he hadn't said it so coldly. But then that was how he felt. "I'm sorry Scully."

"Why are you sorry?" she rolled her head from side to side as if stretching her neck and finally settled in a position that faced him. "What was he doing? How did he?"

"I'm not sure. It doesn't make sense."

"Mulder you're only back in the state a week and already you're knee deep in an X file." She laughed a little but seemed to lack the energy needed to prolong it. "His skin…it was…moving." She looked at him for confirmation but he was shaking his head.

"Your tattoo. He…took it." Mulder squeezed her arm. "Or he tried to."

"What?" she struggled to sit up and pulled the hospital gown away from her back. "Is it there?"

Mulder peered around her back to where the gown split open. And there it was…her tattoo was still there. The ink seemed to be more faded than it should be but it was still plain to see and undamaged.

"It's still there." He confirmed and with his hands on her shoulders he eased her back into her pillows. "But he had it on his back. It wasn't there then, after your wrists…after the blood…it was there."

"How…" she sighed as if the conversation was too much for her so he decided to drop it.

"Relax Scully, not now, get some rest and just relax." He pulled his chair closer to her bed but before he could sit down she shifted her body over on the bed, making a space and looked at him to join her. Without hesitation he lay down beside her and curled her body next to his. His arms draped along her, holding her against him while his thumbs pads he stroked gentle circles onto her skin.

"Scully?" he said his voice just a whisper.

"Hmm?" she was already falling asleep.

"I love you."

A contented sigh escaped her lips and he felt her body relax completely against him. "I love you too."

"Happy New Year," he murmured into her hair as he kissed the top of her head and felt his own eyes close over aswell.

The End.

*This story has been... 5 years waiting to be published! Gasp! Talk about procrastinating!

**Thank you Lily and Lisa for the beta that made this piece so much more readable. :)