A/N: Sorry this update too so long. I decided to change the ending here so I hope you enjoy - Scully is back.

It's later in the afternoon and I am hunched over paperwork at my desk when her figure finally graces the entry way.

I blink rapidly twice, ensuring I'm not imagining her. "Scully," I breath as I half rise from the chair when I realize she is tangibly there. Her face is still pale, highlighted by the terrible lighting in here. Her stitches at her temple look angry and red.

"I was giving my statement to the Annapolis police department. I'm sorry I missed your calls," she responds, walking into the office, deliberately not making eye contact with me. She tries to move normally but I see the minute details of soreness and pain.

"I know. Skinner told me. I could have gone with you," I come back, a little too eagerly. Might as well show all my cards. "I could have taken you."

She shakes her head. "I stayed at Mom's last night. She took me this morning. I was fine, Mulder."

Thank God she wasn't alone last night. I spent hours wondering if I should call, if I should check on her. I should have known Mrs. Scully would have taken care of her.

Scully stops at the edge of my desk. "Oh… good," is all I am able to respond with.

Then, there it is again. That uncomfortable silence. It lays heavy in the air of the office. A second, then another ticks by and I'm frozen. I don't know what to say, how to start.

Scully takes the lead, delivering us out of the quiet. "What are you working on?"

I finger the files in front of me. "Uh, the Grendel file. Skinner asked for the report as soon as possible."

Her eyes come close to finally meeting mine. She raises an eyebrow. "You? Doing paperwork?"

I give her a shy smile back. Maybe we are not as broken as I thought. "Sure thing. I'm full service, you know-" I stop as soon as I realize what it's going to sound like but it's too late. I see her betray a slight cringe. Crap.

"Scully…I-"

She shakes her head and turns away from me. "I'm tired, Mulder. I think… I think I'll go home to rest." Scully starts walking towards the door.

Crap! This can't be happening, I can't let this happen. My pulse has increased, pressing a pounding heart against my ribcage. "Scully," I call out to her as she reaches the doorway.

She doesn't turn around but drops her head, defeated. She reaches a hand to grip the door frame, leaning slightly on to it. "Don't, Mulder. Please, don't. Just let me go. I'll be fine… we'll be fine." Her voice is shaky and forlorn.

I swallow thickly, what have I done?

Scully unsteadily continues, "Give me a couple of days. It'll be fine. Just let me go." She's stated her case. She needs her space, some distance and then we'll be fine. She takes a tentative step in the darkening hallway, taking herself further from me.

"No," I reply, my tone dry and harsh. I am desperate.

"Please, Mulder," she pleads softly, her back stiff and straight. "It can all just go back to the way it was."

I take a deep breath. Flip. Here goes everything. "No," I repeat, the edge lifting from my voice, making it softer, quieter. Here goes my admission. "I don't want to go back to the way it was, Scully."

The silence again. Then a horrible thought settles into my stomach like a stone. What if she doesn't want to go in this direction? Did she really want things the way they were? When we both kept our silence, when we denied the one truth that was hidden between us?

Finally, ending my agony, Scully turns and locks her crystal blue eyes with mine. Her eyes are swirling with so many emotions. Anger. Sadness. Humiliation. Hopelessness. Oh, Scully, what did I do to you…

"Scully," I plead softly, begging her for something, some sign of hope. I come around the corner of my desk. I am afraid to cross the rest of the distance between us so I stop there, waiting for her next move.

There is a small inflection, a crinkle in her eyes. "I could use a…" she falters, her gaze dropping.

It's so hard for her to ask for help, for anything. I prod, trying to help, "What?"

She blinks and returns her blue eyes back to my hazel ones. "A ride. I could use a ride home. My mom drove me to Annapolis office this morning. I got a ride here. I don't want to ask her for another ride home."

I nod, a little to eagerly. "Sure. I can do that." It's something. It's a start. It's all I need.

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She's trapped in the car with me. It's the closest we've been since our bodies entwined and our lips were locked. The electric and uncomfortable energy is almost tangible between us. Neither of us can escape as I drive us down the road. If I don't do it now, I'll lose my momentum, my courage from earlier in the basement.

"I meant it," I bulrt out, breaking the silence.

Scully gives me a sideways glance. "What?"

She's not going to make this easy. "I don't want things to go backwards. I know I messed up. I know I… hurt you. I'm sorry." She folds her hands neatly in her lap and nods. I continue, "We have… had… have…" Right words, why are you evading me? "Our partnership, both at work and our friendship, I value it so much. Scully, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you… ever… The suddenness of what happened between-"

"Sudden? You didn't know? You didn't see this coming?" She cocks her head and gives me a curious look.

I return the perplex look as I shoot a glance at her. Did she just tell me she's had feelings for a long time? How much freaking time have we wasted? "No. I know- I knew it was there on my side of the field. I know how I feel about you, Scully. You… you have a good poker face."

She gives me a shy smile. "Yes. I suppose I do. I've worked very hard at it all my life. I… Thank you, Mulder."

Again, this woman completely confuses me. Why is she thanking me? "For what?" Getting her attacked? For abandoning her yesterday? For trapping her with this half-assed and lukewarm declaration of feelings? Never been more obvious I don't have much relationship experience.

"For saying No. For stopping me in the office. For being the brave one."

I give a shake of my head. "I didn't take the first step. I'm not the one who kissed me." I paused, consider it briefly, and then go for it. "And a damn fine kiss it was."

A blush graces her cheek bones as she tucks a stray strand of red auburn hair behind her right ear. Damn, this woman is beautiful.

"I'd like a second change. If that's okay with you? I'm not saying I'm not going to mess up again. But I'd like to see where we could go." Was there really any question of where this was going? This was all or nothing. There was no middle ground between her and I if we crossed this line. She is my earth, my air, my life. Without her, there is nothing.

"I think we could," she returns gently.

I'm grinning as we pull up to her place. We both get out of my car and walk slowly to the entrance. I'm not sure what to do. I think the same is true for Scully. We pause at the door way, neither sure of the next move.

"Do you…" "I think…" We both start at the same moment. A nervous laugh escapes me. I'm still carrying an unsettling feeling around instead of me despite how well the conversation in the car went. I don't know why, I just am. It sort of scares me. Scully smiles shyly up at me. I nod at her, offering her to go first, trying to be a gentleman. Ladies first but really it's cowardice. I want to know what she wants to say to me.

"I was… Would you like to come up with me?" she asks me softly.

I nod before she finishes the sentence. "Yes, Scully. I would love to."

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Scully is on the other end of the couch, her back against the armrest. She has an afghan draped over her outstretched legs and a cup of tea in her petite hands. I'm at the other end, a beer in one hand and relaxed back with my long legs strewn out in front of me. My free hand is resting on her feet, rubbing them absently.

We've been talking for hours, the sun has set. The darkness has engulfed the world outside but in here, there is light between us. I can see it shimmering in her eyes. The easy way we slipped back into our connection. Relief has been seeping deep into me, full relaxing me after a great dinner and hours of conversation. I have my Scully back. I didn't ruin us, my chance.

A small yawn escapes Scully, she tries to hide with the cup but I notice.

I give her delicate feet a soft squeeze. "Am I not good enough company? Tiring of me already?" I tease.

She gives me a half-smile and shakes her head. "No, it's just getting late."

There it is again, my cue to leave. I nod in agreement and take my last swig of the beer I'd been nursing for an hour. "Yeah, I guess I hadn't realized the hour."

She unravels herself from the afghan and rises from the couch gracefully. "I'm tir-"

I interject, "Don't worry. I'm leaving." I really don't want to leave but I don't want to actually hear her asking me to leave from her lips.

Scully shoots me a dirty look. "No. You interrupted me. I was going to say… well, I guess I'm tired of waiting for you to make a move. Come to bed." There is a heat in her eyes and slight blush on her cheeks as I watch her walk away from me and down the hallway to her bedroom. She has shocked me into a dumbfounded silence. Did I really just hear that? I'm not imaging that just happened?

I swallow thickly. Don't screw this up again, I remind myself. And with that I don't allow any more time to pass and follow the path she took moment earlier. I follow my Scully.

A/N: It's almost done, one last chapter...