Chapter 10

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Mulder asks her.

"Yeah...let's see what's on TV." She says, reaching for the remote. She turns on the TV and zaps through the channels, stopping at a old western movie.

"Western, Scully?" Mulder asks with a smile.

"I like cowboys." She just says.

"Uhuh..."

"All right...you're allowed to pick a movie, Mulder." She says, handing him the remote.

"No, Scully. I-" He says.

"Do it, Mulder."

"No...It's okay...we'll just watch the western. I really like them, too." He says but Scully shakes her head.

"Change the channel, Mulder." She says to him.

"Okay...if you want me to." He mutters and begins to zap through the channels.

"The news are on...let's watch that..."

"Okay." Scully says and yawns.

"Tired?" He asks.

"Mmhh..." She mutters and nods. "But I don't wanna go to bed."

"Then lie down here on the couch." He says. She smiles and lies down on the couch, resting her head on his lap.

"You don't mind that I'm using you as a pillow, do you?" She asks.

"I don't mind." He says quietly, looking down at her face. She's looking at the TV but Mulder isn't. He's looking down at his partner he has been working with for almost 6 years now and for the first time in days he recognizes some peace and joy in her eyes. It's very hard for him to see Scully the way she has been lately, afraid and confused. Suddenly her facial expression changes. In an instant she's deathly pale and her eyes are filled with tears. She sits up quickly and points towards the television. It shows pictures of a young woman and it says that she has been raped yesterday by a man, whose face she couldn't describe because of a mask he had been wearing all the time. The only thing she remembers clearly is a tattoo on his left hand, a dragon. The rapist is still on the loose but the police is on to him. The woman is in the hospital in bad shape but she's going to be okay in a few weeks... at least physically.

"Og god..." Scully whispers, her voice breaking. Mulder cradles her into his arms and runs his hands up and down her back to comfort her. He really doesn't know what to say to her so he keeps his mouth shut.

Scully lets herself sob into his shoulder for a few minutes until the anger rises in her. She wipes away her tears, angrily. Scully hates it to cry! And to cry in front of Mulder might be one of the worst things in the world to her. She fears it! She fears to break down or to feel vulnerable in front of him, it makes her look so weak...that's what she's thinking. She takes a deep breath and pulls away from him.

"I'm okay." She just says, faking a smile.

"Scully..." Mulder says, softly.

"Really, Mulder, I'm fine." She tells him.

"How can you possibly be fine, Scully? I am not fine...you need to let me in. Open up to me and stop pushing me away, Scully! Do you trust me? I mean...do you really trust me?"

"I do trust you, Mulder." She swallows. He nods.

"Okay then... what are you feeling right now? What are you thinking?" He asks her.

"What?" She asks, confused.

"It's a simple are you thinking right now, Scully?"

"I-I hate it to cry...I hate to cry in front of you because..." She stops, shaking her head.

"Just tell me, Scully..." He says to her, gently.

"I just...I don't want you... I don't want you to think that I'm a weak person and can't handle such things." She tells him, not looking at him.

"Scully," He sighs "I would never think any less of you just because you cry. It's okay to cry, I've told you that before...I mean I cry, too, you know...a lot actually but I think you already know that." He tells her, smiling softly.

"No, I don't. You never cried in front of me..."

"Yes, I did...you were sleeping, though. When you were fighting against your cancer...one night I cried at your bedside in the hospital...I was totally wasted."

"Oh, Mulder. I didn't know about that." She says, softly.

"Of course not...you were sleeping soundly." He tells her with a smile.

"But when my mom had a stroke I cried, too. You comforted me..." He says a little later, remembering the sad moment.

"Yeah...I remember that" She says, quietly.

"All I want to say is that it's okay to cry. And it's okay to be comforted by someone...please let me be the someone, Scully." He says softly, cupping her cheek. Scully yawns, totally ruining the moment. She lets out a chuckle. "Sorry." She whispers, smiling.

"Am I boring you, Scully? He asks, laughing.

"I'm just tired..." She tells him, leaning into his touch. He grins and wraps an arm around her, holding her close to his side.

"Please let me be the someone, Scully..." He whispers into her ear.

"You know you are, Mulder."

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A/N: Do you still like it? I could do some chapters more if you want me to...please review! :)