A/N: I am sooo loving this story. I have the whole thing planned out in my head, so clear I can taste it. I actually started with the last chapter, believe it or not… wrote it backwards for a while, then got too antsy to post and had to start in the middle. This chapter and one more and then I will super post. And you'll love me for it, I hope.

"So Scully, what's your favorite exhibit at the aquarium?"

"I like the sea otters. And the sharks. And the eels. I can't decide. What about you?"

"I don't think I could decide either. I always liked the touch tanks a lot, but I like watching all the animals underwater. It feels like they're weightless."

She smiled as they went into the aquarium and bought their tickets. One thing that she was loving about this trip was being able to disappear with him. They just became a part of the crowd, able to be whoever they wanted to be. No one really talked to them, and they could enjoy what they were doing instead of having to be investigators. She'd never had such a relaxing vacation before.

They wandered aimlessly through the building reading the placards next to all the tanks, and commenting on the colors of the fish. They spent a while at the touch tanks, Scully giggling as the anemones sucked their tentacles in. They watched as the sea cucumbers moved slowly from place to place and the spines of the sea urchins became rigid.

"Ever touched the stingrays before?"

"No way."

"Scully, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I don't want to touch something that stings."

"Look at the sign. If you touch it just on the wing with two fingers, it won't sting you."

"I don't know, Mulder," she said, watching as he reached in and touched a small stingray.

"Come on. It'll be a bonding experience."

He grabbed her hand and put into the tank slowly. She resisted him at first, but took a deep breath and just trusted him after a moment. Her fingers grazed the rubbery wing of the stingray for just a second before she pulled her hand back.

"Scully, are you scared of stingrays?"

"Not scared. Just cautious. It's like rubbing the stomach of an alligator to get it to fall asleep. It works, but no one in their right mind is going to go around doing that."

"I don't think an 800 pound alligator and a stingray are really comparing apples to apples."

"I don't want to get stung."

"Scully, you trust me, right?"

"I trust you. I don't trust the stingray."

He chuckled and took her hand, leading her away from the touch tanks and towards the sea otter exhibit.

"You like the sea otters, right?"

She just looked at him, her expression one of disapproval.

"Scully, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just…"

"You were scared."

"Okay, yes, I was scared."

"How come?"

She sighed.

"Once when I was a kid, we were at the beach and this little girl went out in the water and got stung by a stingray. I'm think she lived, but we never found out for sure. Ever since then… it's not even rational, but it can't help it. They freak me out."

"I'm sorry Scully. I didn't know."

"It's okay."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple.

"We're okay, right?"

"Yeah, we're fine, but you have to get me something from the gift shop."

"Oh alright."

"Can I have the last pepperoni?"

"It's on my side of the dish, Scully."

"I asked nicely."

"We can split it."

She rolled her eyes and pushed the pepperoni towards him while looking out the window. It was drizzly and gray outside, the perfect day to sit around an old pizza parlor, arguing over the last piece of pepperoni.

"You know what I've been thinking?" Mulder asked, wiping the condensation off of his red soda glass.

"Do I look like Kreskin?"

"Are you saying you believe in Kreskin's powers?"

"Mulder… what have you been thinking?"

"I've been thinking about why the Oregon coast is superior to any coast in the United States."

"Enlighten me."

"New England coast is too harsh. Cliffs and jagged rocks, wind storms and lightning, not to mention it being cold and the water being so salty. It's not a relaxing place because the earth there is not relaxed."

"You sound like Missy, but yeah, I agree."

"Then the rest of the eastern states there's hurricanes and senators and congressmen and no one wants to deal with that on a vacation. The southern states are either swampy, or keep their beaches to themselves, which makes them much better than the rest, but still not number one. Then Florida and California just try to hard. They show off their sun and sand and beach sports, but once you get there it's just a parade of tanned, big boobed, blonde women running around with moronic, in-debt jocks and it's crowded and depressing."

"No offense to those places, but yeah, they're like a sick fantasy world."

"But here, the weather is good, the beaches are nice, the tourists are sparse, and it doesn't try to be anything. It is what it is and that's good enough. It doesn't lure you in with promises of finding a hot date, or boast its wines and cheeses. It really doesn't pay attention to the rest of the world. It's just people living life, and they just so happen to live near the beach. It's pleasant here."

"Mulder, you just profiled the beach."

"Well, profiling is kind of my forte'. I mean look right now. It's raining. California beach goers would be screaming for cover, but here, everyone just puts up their hoods and slips into their rubber boots-"

"Tillamook loafers."

"What?"

"Tillamook loafers. Because they're like regular footwear in places like this, especially the town of Tillamook."

"Okay, so they slip into their Tillamook loafers, and just go about their business. They play on the beach or shop in the stores, or jog down the street. The rain is here, but they exist with it. It's a beautiful way of life."

She smiled and patted his hand.

"You're very eloquent today."

"The gloominess does that to me."

"Well let's go exist in it, and you can tell me more."

"Scully, I love how we understand each other."

"I'm rather fond of it myself."