Chapter Nine

'SCULLY!' He shouted desperately, running towards her.

He couldn't believe what he had just seen. The memory of her cutting a scalpel into her throat, like she was trying to commit suicide blinded his vision. He tried to block it out as it made him feel sick.

She was on the floor, hands splayed out in front of her. Her head was hung low and her hair fell over her face. Mulder felt his heart race in panic. She was injured. He needed to find out how bad.

'SCULLY?' He breathed, finally reaching her. He noticed that she was trembling. She didn't answer. 'Scully?' He asked again, his voice getting more desperate. He crouched down to her level and put his good hand on her shoulder in concern. He could feel her shaking underneath his touch. 'Scully let me see your neck.. you're hurt..' He said in a calm voice but with force, trying to give her the facts. She looked lost but he could see that she was trying to stay strong, like she always did. She glanced at him briefly with sad eyes. Mulder felt his heart stop as she looked so lost. She quickly looked away from him in desperation.

'Let me see?' He said softly, knowing that she was afraid. Reaching towards her face, he pushed her red hair away and tucked it behind her ear and over her shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment as he touched her and responded by tilting her head over to the side so he could see clearer.

'How.. how deep is it?' She asked in wavering voice, trying to keep her gaze steady. Mulder moved his hand to her neck and softly touched the outside of her cut. She winced in response and he looked at her for a moment with apologetic eyes. He was relieved to see that it hadn't gone deep enough to cause a lot of damage. 'How deep is it Mulder?' She asked in scared frustration. Mulder looked at her and saw her anger. She was close to tears, he could sense it.

'It doesn't look that deep. I think you're going to be ok.' He said softly, trying to calm her. 'Scully you're shaking.' He said with a concerned frown. She put her own hand to her neck with a frown and then pulled it hand back to her eyes, seeing the blood glistening on her fingers. She tried to get up.

'I'm bleeding out.. I need a dressing.. Mulder..' She said, her voice still wavering.

'Ok, ok.. I gotcha..' He cooed gently. Mulder helped her up as best as he could with one arm. He looked over to the autopsy table and couldn't see anything that they could use. He felt his chest rise in panic as he tried to find something to help her. He scanned the room desperately. Scully kept her hand on her neck to stop the bleeding.

'Come on, let's go upstairs. They will have something.' He said in a soft voice and she nodded silently, her eyes focusing elsewhere. It was as if she didn't want to look at him because if she did she would break down.

'Scully?' He asked gently, trying to get her to come with him. She blinked a couple of tears away. Mulder sighed in sympathy for her and felt his heart reach out to her. He put a hand to her cheek and raised her head so that he met her eyes.

'Come on, we have to get out of here.' He said in a strong tone. His eyes burned into hers and she slowly began to snap out of it, blinking the tears down her face. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek to brush them away. Quickly, Mulder took her hand and pulled her out of the morgue, he was desperate to get her a bandage.

'Come on Scully, in here.' He said, taking her into the office upstairs. It was empty, they were the only people there. He started to look around for a first aid box. He pulled items off shelves and banged open filing cabinets. Scully watched him with dead eyes. He glanced around at her for a second and saw her expression. Worry rose inside him again.

Finally he saw a red bag at the far end of the left shelf just near the desk. He grabbed it and pulled it down, then turned to her quickly. Scully looked weak on her feet. The blood was spilling through her fingers. Mulder felt panicked.

'Sit down, come on.' He gushed breathlessly, and pulled her over to the desk. He sat her down on the edge of it and knelt down to her. He looked up at her beautiful face and saw her lost expression. He was worried about her, she wasn't usually like this in these situations - she was the strong one.

'Scully..' He cooed, getting the bandage out. Looking at it he grunted in frustration as he saw that he had to get it out of the plastic wrapping. He brought it up to his teeth and ripped it out. 'It's ok..' He said – partly to himself as he was worried that she was going to faint or something. He pushed the bandage up to her neck and applied pressure. She blinked a couple of times at the change of sensation.

'That's it.. hold it there.' He breathed, and she moved her own hand to cover his, applying pressure against her wound with him. She stared down at him and felt her heart explode. He looked so worried.

'Thank you.' She said in a low voice, trying to pull herself together. His eyes bore into her and she felt the tears lace her throat again.

'You ok? You feeling lightheaded?' He asked urgently.

'A little..' She said in a whisper. Mulder gently pulled his hand away from under hers and placed it on her knee. She looked at him in surprise as he moved his hand away.

'I've gotta call an ambulance-' He said in a soft tone, not wanting to panic her.

'No Mulder! I'm gonna be fine..' She cut in.

'-NO Scully.' He said forcefully. 'You are going to get checked out. Just in case.'

And before she could refuse again he got his phone out of his pocket and dialled 911.

He hung up and put his phone back into his pocket. He placed his hand on her leg again, and slowly caressed it reassuringly. She felt electricity run up her leg and she let out a gasp.

'It's going to be here any minute.' He said gently. Scully nodded silently. 'What the hell happened Scully?' He asked, searching her face. She glanced away again. 'It was him wasn't it.. he made you do it.'

'He made me try to kill myself.' She said sadly, and swallowed a tear down.

'That bastard.' He said under his breath, his anger raged inside him.

'Mulder, there was chanting.. and there was a force over me.. I couldn't control it..' He saw her bite her bottom lip and she blinked back more tears. One fell off her cheek and into her thigh. Mulder frowned in great concern.

'Scully.. it's ok.' He whispered. She shook her head, feeling the sadness rise inside of her.

'I'm so sorry Mulder!' She blurted out with a sob. He was taken aback.

'For what?' He asked in surprise. Scully shook her head again and looked in his eyes. She looked so upset. Realization hit him.

'Oh… that..' He said in a low voice, knowing that she was apologizing for their argument. He couldn't help but feel relieved. A small smile emerged from his lips. 'I knew that you were bluffing.' He said with a sly grin, and he was happy to see her let out a tiny laugh.

'It's OK Scully. All I care about now is that you are safe.' He whispered. His smile dropped and he gazed into her eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat.

There was a moment between them as they looked into each other eyes. Mulder continued to rub her leg reassuringly. She pressed the bandage against her neck again and she winced as it made it sting. He couldn't help himself now. He wanted to hold her so badly. Although he hated seeing her upset, she looked adorable.

'I didn't mean it.. I was just so upset about Mom..' She started again.

'Stop.' He said forcefully, and stood up. Scully raised her eyes in surprise. He sat down beside her on the desk and slowly reached around her shoulders and pulled her close. Scully's heart raced at his touch. It was so comforting, so familiar. 'You don't need to explain yourself Scully.. it's ok..' She let herself go at the sound of his words and sobbed, burying her face in his chest. She felt so safe there.

Mulder felt her weight on his arm and it hurt a little, but he did not care at all. This was all he wanted. He felt love rise in his chest as he held her. He never wanted to let her go. He felt so protective of her after what had just happened. He was going to kill that son of a bitch.

'It's all right.' He whispered. She continued to cry heavily. She felt relief fill her as she finally let herself be weak and vulnerable around him. She didn't know why she had tried to be so strong – she had been like this in front of him many times before – even when they hadn't been together. It became clear to her that you can never cry enough tears after the death of a parent. It was just going to take time to get over it.

He kissed her hair and smelt her familiar scent. It was like a drug to him, he couldn't get enough of it. He had missed it so much.

He breathed it in deliriously.

'Oh god, Scully…' He gushed, and he felt her sobs making her body shudder in his arms. He forced himself to stay calm but his feelings for her were overwhelming. He closed his eyes and embraced the moment. He didn't know when he would get the chance to hold her like this again.

The paramedics suddenly burst into the room but they stayed together, wrapped in their embrace. The world around them was not important. Mulder slowly raised his eyes to them and they looked at him questioningly. A young female paramedic looked touched. She smiled a little at the sight of them. Mulder pulled Scully closer to him as they started to check her.

'Thank you.' He mumbled, nuzzling his nose into her hair again.

'We just need to see your injury Mam. Don't worry we won't pull you away from your boyfriend.' The young paramedic said with a kind smile. Mulder felt his heart race and he raised his eyebrows and turned to look down at her, but she was still in his chest, cuddled into him. He smiled to himself as she hadn't questioned it.

Mulder pushed another lock of hair away from her neck and loosened his grip on her slightly. She pulled back from him and lowered her bandage. He lowered his hand to the small of her back. The paramedics were very understanding, obviously used to seeing people in vulnerable states.

'All done.' The young paramedic said as she put the last stitch over her wound. She applied a dressing onto her cut finger and then checked her responses.

'You're going to be ok. Go home and get some rest. Something to eat may be.' She said, as she packed up her bag.

Mulder pulled Scully closer again as they left.

xXxXxXx Mulder and Scully forever xXxXxXx

thank you for your reviews, more to come!