Diana was sitting on the couch when he arrived back at the apartment.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Mulder said, slamming the door behind him. Her face was blank. Almost chilling.
He continued, "You have some nerve showing up at my apartment. And how the hell did you get in here anyway?" He waited for her response. Nothing.
She just sat there, staring at him.
"You know what? Never mind. I want you gone." His voice was louder now and he could feel an uncontrollable anger rising up from inside of him.
Silence.
"Are you done?" Diana said.
Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Am I done? No, Diana, you are done; get the fuck out!"
He pointed to the front door, but all she did was ignore him. Clearing her throat, she spoke, "Fox. I'm only going to explain myself once. And when I'm done, you will be left with a choice. I urge you to choose wisely."
Diana's voice was cold and detached—it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Sit down." She told him, motioning to the chair across from her.
"No, thank you. I'll stand." He was still shocked at the level of comfort and control she was exhibiting.
"I work for some very powerful people, Fox. People who've had their eye on you ever since your time at Oxford."
"What the fuck are you even talking about? You're crazy." He said, placing his hands on top of his head in frustration.
"Listen to me, Fox! You are going to graduate and you will be assigned to the BSU. But if you don't do what these people want, your family and the people you care about could be in danger."
"That's it! Get the hell ou—"
"Listen! Fox, you have to trust me when I say...nothing you have done since Oxford has been a coincidence. Us, your assignment, none of it. And what I did tonight was for Dana Scully's protection."
"Don't you dare say her name!" There was vitriol in his voice now.
"Fine. But it doesn't make any of this less real. If you ignore what I'm telling you—your parents, your sister, your friends, her—you risk it all. If you love any of these people, I suggest you do as I say."
Diana stood from the couch. She was dressed in a black suit that hugged every curve of her body, and she walked toward Mulder. Standing a few feet from him, she held out her hand.
"I'd offer you a free fuck for old times sake, but my guess is you might not be into that anymore." Patting him on his shoulder now. Mulder flinched at her touch and moved away.
He clenched his fist; he had never wanted to punch a woman before, but then again, Diana was no woman.
"What are you saying, Diana?"
"You work for some very powerful people now, Fox; you are an agent and we've planted you in the BAU of the FBI as your cover. You will be contacted in a week with your first assignment. Oh, and Fox, don't think we don't know where Ms. Scully lives, goes to school, when she has her period, and how you made her come in the front seat of your car. We know everything."
Mulder eyes watered at the mention of Scully in danger.
"Goodbye Fox. This will be the last time I see you. Your new handler is Walter Skinner. He will be in contact later this week."
With that, she left.
Mulder ran to the bathroom, crouched over the toilet and vomited from the bombshell of information that Diana had just dumped on him. His mind was spinning, and his body was shivering—he was in shock.
He stood in the bathroom as the water ran down the sink.
He only knew one thing. He could never contact Scully again.
He could never jeopardize her life and he'd rather die before putting her in danger. He needed to figure this out. Then get himself out of it (whatever the fuck, 'it' was) and when it was safe, he would reach out to her.
Only when it was safe.
1987
Dana hovered over the bathroom stall, throwing up her coffee and bagel with cream cheese (well, at least it was light cream cheese; no real loss there). She shook her head in disbelief when she was done and pulled the toilet paper from the holder, wiping her mouth.
How in the hell could this have happened? What were the chances?
She was standing by the sink, using a wet paper towel to wipe her face with cool water, when Annie walked in.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry, I suddenly became really nauseous. It was probably my nerves and the lack of sleep."
"Dr. Stewart told us to take a break. He asked me to check on you. What do you want me to tell him?" Annie asked her.
Dana nodded slowly, looking at her colleague through the bathroom mirror. "Are the FBI agents still there?"
"Yeah, the tall, handsome one is pacing back and forth in the hallway, while the other one is talking to Dr. Stewart."
She pondered; she could go home and start over tomorrow, but she wasn't about to give Fox Mulder the benefit of him thinking he had gotten the best of her. Even though he clearly did. She rolled her eyes at her internal dialogue. The reality was that she only had one choice. She was staying. And whether he effected her or not, it didn't matter because this was her life. She wasn't going to let him get in the way of her future.
"Tell him I'm fine. I will be right out."
"Okay. I'll tell him. We have twenty minutes."
"Thanks Annie."
"No problem. See you out there."
And she left Scully alone. Then, seconds later, the bathroom door opened again but this time it wasn't Annie. This time, it was him. It was Mulder.
She turned to face him, her mouth half open to speak, but words eluded her. It was Mulder that got the first word out.
"Scully—"
"Don't. It's Dana."
"Dana, let me—"
"This is the girl's bathroom. Agent Mulder. You must be confused."
"Dana, please. You don't understand."
"Don't I? Because, from my understanding, you said you'd call, and well, it's been a year. And I'm pretty sure you never called. So tell me, what don't I understand? It all seems pretty clear to me." She couldn't look him in the eyes for too long because she was sure she would start crying.
"Not here." He told her. His hands were on his hips and his face was so intense, she had to remind herself to breathe.
Her cheeks flushed with crimson as she spoke. "Oh, my God! Mulder, I mean Fox, Agent, whatever I call you now. You've got to be kidding."
He sighed, "Mulder. You call me Mulder."
Then he added, "I'm sorry, Scully."
Her knees almost gave out when he said it. She didn't even have the energy to correct the way he used her last name this time either. She sighed softly and while she wanted to keep her wall up, Fox Mulder was slowly making his way past her protective barrier.
He moved closer and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her last bit of control, signaling for him to stop.
"Well?" She said, anger oozing with every word.
"Well. Well, it's a long story. And we have to get back. Please, Scully. Can I talk to you after the presentation? Please?"
She looked him over. He was even more handsome than she remembered. His eyes were still soft, and they still had a way of seeing right through her.
She only managed a nod as her reply and a look of relief washed over his face.
"Now can you leave me alone?" She said, her voice trailing as she looked down at her shoes.
She needed to gather herself before she joined the lecture again, and his presence was making it hard to even think, let alone function in a group.
She leaned against one of the ceramic sinks, her hands still crossed in front of her chest. She was sending him a clear message.
One he clearly received because he nodded at her request. He only hesitated for a split second before he turned and left her alone again to process what had just happened.