She woke up fairly early, as the sun came through her window, and seagulls called outside. The smell of the ocean on the early morning breeze was intoxicating, and she could have stayed there forever. She stood up and threw her robe on, then drew open the glass door that led out to the deck.

People dotted the sand, already out enjoying the sunshine and water. The waves made the most comforting noise and the wind that ruffled her hair had her seriously thinking about capturing it in a bottle. This was the most blissful way to wake up, and she felt as if nothing could ever go wrong here.

She went into the bathroom and opened the frosted window. She could take a shower and still smell the ocean this way. Her shower was fast and she was soon dressed, knocking on Mulder's door. He was dressed and ready to go, looking more rested than she had ever seen him.

"Let's go to the beach," she said, sliding her sunglasses on. She'd gotten some sun over the last few days. Her hair had blonde streaks in it now, and try as she might to prevent it, her nose and cheeks had turned a light shade of pink. She didn't seem to mind.

They got into the car and drove the few minutes to the beach. The sky was popsicle blue and cloudless, but the wind kept the heat at bay. She left her shoes in the car and he could see her relax as soon as her feet hit the sand. Her father had loved the sea, and had it in his blood. His daughter was all about the beach. Mulder could see how at home she felt here. How tranquil and free she felt in the salty air. It was a nice change.

He joined her and they walked along the wet sand, picking up and examining shells, discarding the broken ones. They found mostly mussels and half sand dollars, cracked clam shells and tiny bits of white spirals. She was like a little girl when she happened to stumble across a whole shell, one that had survived the washing up on the shore, the feet of humans, and the curiosity of seagulls. She would pick it up and look it over, then take it to the water to rinse it off. She'd dry it off on her jeans, then place the shell in the pocket of her hoodie, and continue on her way.

He wasn't sure he ever wanted to start a morning differently.

They didn't talk very much, just enjoyed each other's presence. Their vacation was coming to a close, and it seemed that the slower they drove, the slower they talked, the slower they did anything made the trip seem just a little longer. He glanced back and looked and their footprints in the sand, side by side. Sometimes they were closer together, other times far apart as they went to retrieve shells. But they always came back together.

He could have plotted out their entire partnership on the line of their footprints.

"Look, starfish!" she announced, tugging on his hand.

There were indeed tons of starfish littering the sand. They must have washed up when the tide had been higher. He watched as she walked over to one and picked it up. She studied it for a moment before throwing it back into the ocean. She picked up another and repeated the process, and had thrown at least five back before he caught up to her.

He could have mentioned that the task of throwing the starfish back was a big one and would take forever. He could have teased her about the way she threw. Instead, he stooped down and picked up a starfish and threw it back into the ocean. There weren't as many as he had thought, and in a few minutes, all the starfish had been returned to their rightful home.

Scully walked over to the water and knelt down, rinsing her hands in the tide. Mulder crouched down next to her and did the same, the shock of the icy water sending a chill up his spine. She sat quietly, looking out over the water, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"I've always liked how everything disappears over the horizon," she mentioned, as a wave licked at their feet. "It's like, if you travel far enough, all you see is ocean. There's no job, no family, no stress. Everything else just floats away. You can just be. Maybe that's why they say that when you grow grim about the mouth and feel like knocking people's hats off, you should take to the sea."

"Probably," he agreed, standing up and drying his hands on his pants. "It makes you feel so small, but still significant."

"Yeah."

The silence stretched between them for several minutes before she stood up.

"My feet are frozen," she exclaimed with a little chuckle. "What was I thinking?"

He chuckled and took her hand and they made their way back down the beach.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked as their hands swung slowly between them.

"Let's see. We went shopping. We went to the Cheese Factory. We went to the boardwalk. We had seafoam. We went to the pizza place, and the aquarium. We had a beach bonfire. We swam in the ocean. We fed seagulls. There's only three things left to do."

"Only three?"

"We need to go to a light house. We need to find a candy shop and watch them make saltwater taffy, and we need to eat dinner at a real seafood restaurant."

"Alright. Which lighthouses are we close to?"

"Heceta Head is close, but we can go to Yaquina Bay or Cape Meares."

"Pull out your map and we'll hit all three."

"Then come back here for salt water taffy and seafood?"

"It's a plan."

They got in the car and she pulled out a map. After a few minutes of running her finger along the page and biting her lip, she nodded.

"We'll have to drive south, and I think we can only hit the two in Newport."

"Just tell me where to go."

She grinned and directed him to the highway. They'd driven a lot in the last week; up and down the coast and back again. Neither of them really minded. They just enjoyed being together, even if they were stuck in a car.

He turned the radio on and found a station they could both tolerate. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she looked out the window. Years had been taken off her appearance in the last few days, and he promised himself then and there that they would be back. She needed this, just like he needed to run. It was vital to her spirit.

"I don't think I can walk anymore," Scully said, raking her hair out of her eyes. They had just finished the tour of the lighthouse and were back on solid ground. The car was parked pretty far away and she looked towards it with trepidation.

"What are you going to do, crawl?"

She sighed and gave him the puppy-dog face. He sighed back.

"Hop on."

She giggled (yes, giggled) and hopped on his back wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I feel like a third grader," she commented as they headed towards the car.

"You look like a third grader, Pinky."

"Stop making fun of my sunburn."

"It amuses me," he replied, planting a gentle kiss on her wrist.

"We don't do this," she said as he stepped over a curb.

"Do what?"

"Act like normal people."

"We're usually too busy working."

"Oh that."

He grinned and settled her on the ground so he could open the car.

"So what's next, salt water taffy?"

"Yes sir. I saw a place across the street from where we were shopping yesterday."

"You just want to go shopping again," he said as they slid into their seats.

"I'm shopped out. I just want some taffy."

"You still have sea foam at the hotel."

"I know… but I need taffy too."

"You amuse me greatly."