TITLE: Full Circle AUTHOR: aRcaDIaNFall$ FEEDBACK: arcadianfalls@yahoo.com.au RATING: PG SPOILERS: references to Fire, All Things, Pilot, Diana-arc, etc. CLASSIFICATION: AU, MSR/UST SUMMARY: Sequel to Something Challenging. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tadaaa! Finally, I'm back! Sorry for the negativity the last week or so, I've been in a bit of a funk. But my muse and I are on speaking terms once more (and watching The Unnatural the other day didn't hurt, either). Anyway, enjoy it - this is the last installment! --> http://www.geocities.com/arcadianfalls/ Full Circle (1/2) by arcadianfalls Monday 3.52am. She'd only been gone fifteen minutes when the phone rang. I picked it up, knowing who it was even before I heard the crisp tones. Sheepish and apprehensive, but still decisive in her surrender. "I'll go with you to Jersey." I grinned widely. "Where are you, Scully?" "I just stepped through my front door. Why?" "Just wondering." I tossed myself down on the couch, stretching out comfortable. "Are you working tomorrow?" "Today, you mean? Yeah, I'm on eight til four. Which means if I'm lucky I can catch about three and a half hours' sleep before I have to leave for w- ...Why?" "You, me, Jersey. We can leave after your shift tomorrow afternoon." "Mulder..." "Come on, Scully! I thought you wanted to see this girl! We'll drive up, stay overnight, see the girl and be back by midday Tuesday." A moment of indecisiveness, then a sigh. "Fine. Tomorrow afternoon." I grinned again. "Attagirl." 3.47pm I leaned back in my deskchair, feet folded comfortably atop piles of paperwork as strains of Beethoven filled the air. Suddenly, the music cut and the line clicked. "Mulder?" She sounded a little out of breath, rushed. I snatched up the receiver, unbalancing myself and almost falling out of my chair. "I'm here. You sound like you're in the middle of something." "About six different things, actually." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. It's a slow afternoon. Are you ready if I'm there in half an hour?" "Actually, I'm going to be stuck at work a while longer... Skinner's called me to his office about my ...temporary incarceration." "Skinner? He's your boss?" "Yeah. Assistant Director, or one of. How about you swing by here to pick me up about four thirty?" "Well..." I could almost see her running through the logistics in her mind. "Are you packed already?" "Bag's in the trunk of my car." "I guess that works -" Another voice, distracting her. "Hang on a sec." She must have dropped the phone from her face, because I could no longer hear her breathing, but I could still hear what followed quite clearly. A female voice, young and mischievious. "Weekend away, Dana? I didn't realise you were so serious about this guy! I've never seen you move so fast." A pause, then a quick, firm answer. Defensive? Embarrassed? Coy? "It's not a weekend away. I mean, it's not like that... He just wants my opinion on a case." "Dana, that's one of the most transparent excuses I've ever heard! God, you're adorable." "Joanne-!" "Come on! You haven't stopped talking about him all week. Well, much as you ever talk about anybody. You've got that look on your face... You're totally into the guy!" "Joanne, he's still on the line..." That half-embarrassed half-laugh, half-whine. "Great, I want to talk to him..." Muffled laughter and protests, a scuffle. Then the phone picked up again. Scully. "Sorry, Mulder. Listen, I've... I'm..." It sounded as though she was still struggling to control her laughter. I grinned widely. So she'd been talking about me... She seemed to finally get herself under control. "I've got a couple more patients to see then I'm on my way." "Great. I'll meet you in my office." "See you then." Hesitation, then, "Bye, Mulder." Somehow we'd gotten into the habit of just hanging up on each other without saying goodbye. Maybe for me there seemed no point because she'd rarely left my thoughts the past week. But, still, it was a nice change, taking the time to acknowledge each other. "Bye, Scully." 4.28pm. I was in the office, collecting the relevant paperwork and packing away the rest of the files stacked two foot high on my desk, when there was a tap on the open door. Scully. She gave me a quick, 'here I am' smile. I grinned. "Hey, Scully. Just finishing up. Come on in." She stepped in, gazing around, that amused curiosity of last time tempered by familiarity, comfortability both with me and my work. She was in black pants and an emerald green close-fitting sweater, with visitor ID badge hanging from the lapel of her a heavy black coat. The green looked stunning but I still preferred her in blue, loving how it brought out her eyes. "So, how was your day? Uncover any government conspiracies?" Her tone was gently teasing, eyebrow raised ironically. I smiled. "Not so far, but the night is still young! What about you? Save the lives of any crazy daredevil FBI agents?" Smile. "No. Just your usual run-of-the-mill life-or-death situations. I don't think your reputation is in any danger." "My reputation?" "Super crazy daredevil FBI agent." A throat cleared. "Agent Mulder?" We both swung around. AD Skinner stood in the doorway. "Agent Mulder, I just came down to get the Simpson file from you before you left." "Sir..." I glanced across at Scully. "Uh, sir, this is a friend of mine, Doctor Dana Scully. She's helping me on the Rogers case, the stigmatic." He glanced over her in quick appraisal, then nodded, offering his hand. "Doctor Scully." A quick rifle through my files yielded the case folder. I passed it to him. He thanked me with his usual grimness, nodded again to Scully, and left. "He's mad at you about something," she observed, as soon as the door closed after him. "Wouldn't have anything to do with your hacker-stalking activities, would it?" "It might. I think he liked you, though." "You're kidding, right?" "For a second I thought you might even get a smile..." "Is he that bad-tempered?" "Probably not. Probably only when it comes to me. We don't exactly see eye to eye. He thinks I've got an ...attitude problem." Her lips quirked. "I can't imagine why." "Another reason why I need you around the place. I bet you'd turn him into a softie in no time." A brief flash of a smile. "Yeah. Right." 5.06pm. Her car, so naturally I'd let her drive. She was getting tired, though, lifting a hand from the steering wheel to smother a yawn every so often. Too many late nights and strange hours, not to mention still recovering from the flu. And most amazingly, not a single complaint. "Want me to drive for a while?" "I'm fine, Mulder." "What sort of an answer is that? C'mon, Scully. You've been on your feet all day. Besides I'm used to driving longer distances." She glanced across at me, then shrugged. "Another half hour, then we swap." Aside from a brief interchange as we'd set off, the conversation in the car had been at a minimum. She was tired, her concentration on the road, and we'd settled into a comfortable silence. It was a different sort of silence from those we'd experienced in the past couple of days. More matter of fact. Had we already reached that familiarity of an old married couple? She spoke up. "Favourite childhood memory." I smiled. "My ninth birthday. My dad took me to a Knicks game and I got to meet the team. You?" "My family used to go camping every summer, all of us. One year my dad was out at sea and we had to go without him. It just wasn't the same, you know? Then, the last night we were there, he turned up. They'd gotten back ahead of schedule and he drove all the way out there to be with us, just that last night. We spent that whole night sitting around the campfire, wanting to hear stories and tell him everything we'd been doing. We wouldn't let him go, we'd missed him so much." I was watching her. "You still miss him." "Yeah, I do." She drew a quick breath, then exhaled slowly. "Your question." I thought it over. "First kiss?" "Eighth grade. His name was Scott Williams and he was a year or two older than me. His family lived on the base, down the street from us." "Ah, a tender romance." "Hardly." "How'd it happen?" "We were all over at his place, just watching TV or something. Missy was best friends with his sister, Meredith, and as usual they'd ditched me and I was stuck with the guys. Scott's brother had something that Bill and Charlie wanted to see out in the yard, and all of a sudden it was just Scott and I sitting there. Next thing I knew he was trying to shove his tongue down my throat." "Charming. What did you do?" "Pushed him off me, ran home and cried my eyes out. It was absolutely humiliating." "It was hardly your fault." "Try telling that to a conscientious, twelve-year-old Catholic schoolgirl. I couldn't so much as look at another guy for months." I did the math. "You were twelve in eighth grade?" "I was skipped ahead." "Yeah. Me too." She glanced across at me, a small smile on her lips. So you know what that feels like, too. "Your turn. First kiss?" "I was ten, and she was the most beautiful girl in my class. Her name was Jessica. Tall, skinny, long dark hair... I was smitten." "And was she as taken by you as you were by her?" "Hey, I was captain of the basketball team in gym class. I was a catch. The girls were falling over themselves to get to me." "Uh huh." "Well, maybe not that much of a catch. But she saw to it that the rest of the school knew we were 'together', soon enough. I endured the scorn of my peers to spend lunchtimes holding her hand." Scully's lips quirked. "Sounds like love. How did it end?" "She dumped me. Broke my heart." "Yeah, right." She glanced across at me, but must have seen I wasn't smiling. "Seriously?" I half-shrugged, trying to make light of it. "My parents were making life pretty miserable at home for my sister and I. I was looking for some support and affection. I just put too much faith in her being that person." "Sounds like you were a pretty intense ten year old." "I guess I was." She nodded, glancing over as she flipped on her indicator and pulled off the road. "Your turn to drive." The changeover relieved some of the awkwardness of the last topic before we launched into the next one. Her question. "Shortest relationship you've ever had." "Does that include one-night-stands?" "No." I glanced across at her, curious. "Have you ever had a one-night-stand, Scully?" She met my gaze, looking a little uncertain, a little embarrassed. "No, I haven't." It was the answer I'd expected. She was so conscientious, so serious. She wouldn't sleep with anybody unless she was willing to make a commitment, and know that her feelings were reciprocated. I grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, you wouldn't." She looked at me curiously, as if not sure whether she was angered by the comment or not. Then she shrugged. "You didn't answer my question. Shortest relationship?" "Discarding the one-nighters, the casual affairs and the women I never called back... shortest serious relationship would have to be the first love of my life, Jessica. Twelve days before she got sick of me and went back to her giggling girlfriends." "What about the longest?" I hesitated. Well... I didn't want to tell her but I didn't want dishonesty between us, either. The truth won out. "Eighteen months. We were married for the last five of them. She was - is - an FBI agent. I haven't seen her for six or seven years." I could see that the news shook her. "Oh.." She took a second, trying to gather her thoughts. "Is she why -" "Why I want you to join the bureau? No. She's very much in the past." "But if you married her... She must have meant a lot to you." "She did. But then she divorced me." "That must have hurt you." "It did. Just about ripped me in two." "What kept you going?" "Work." She nodded, knowing. "I'm sorry." I shrugged. "I've moved on." I hesitated a fraction of a second before adding, "I have you, now." "Mulder..." She sounded uneasy. Afraid that I was investing too much in such a new relationship, maybe. "I trust you, Scully. That's all I mean. I trust that you won't hurt me." She nodded, but the frown still marred her forehead. A bittersweet smile. "I was going to ask about most destructive relationship, but I think that question has already been answered." "Actually..." I demurred. "I think that one's a tie. When I was at school in England there was a girl... Totally swept me up. It was a wild ride. When we split, I was a mess." "Sounds like you have a propensity for destructive relationships." "Are you so surprised I've avoided relationships entirely the past few years?" "No, not really." She smiled. "You've had a tough ride, Mulder. But they're not all that bad." We were silent the next while. To be honest, her questions had drained me, emotionally, and I was relieved by the silence, an opportunity to regather my strength. We stopped just before seven at a roadhouse, my usual choice when I was in the area. One of the waitresses, Tracey, caught my eye as we entered. "Evenin', honey. Take a seat and I'll be right with you." Scully and I slid into a booth, settled on opposite sites of the table. "So, what's good here?" "Pretty much everything." "What are you having?" "Chilli fries." "Make that two." I grinned. "I like a woman who can eat real food." She held my gaze with that precious tolerant amusement. "And a side salad." All though dinner she was smiling at me as we talked. I grinned. "You're very flirty tonight." The smile widened. "I am, aren't I?" An impish shrug. "I guess I'm having fun." "I'm glad you're having fun." Wistful, for a moment. "Yeah. Me too." The last part of the drive we'd hit peak-hour traffic and the timing of our arrival at the motel was less than perfect. A harried looking mother was trying to get directions from the clerk while controlling three unruly boys, the oldest ten or eleven, the youngest only four or five. The older boy swung his fist at the middle one, but missed and caught his youngest brother. The boy started bawling, and the mother started yelling. I grinned at Scully. "Kids, huh?" The three boys were dragged outside and Scully and I stepped up to the counter. The clerk recognised me. "Agent Mulder..." He glanced at Scully. "Would you like one room or two?" My heart started to hammer in my chest. Were we here as a couple? Or was she here in a professional capacity, only? Romantically involved or just friends? It was a defining moment. I looked at Scully, so gorgeous and smart and strong, meeting my gaze with cool curiosity, and I chickened out. "Two." 9.22pm. I was stretched out on my back, flipping TV channels, when she knocked on the door. "Mulder?" "It's open." She let herself in and stood, gazing at me for a few moments with arms folded. She was in a pair of purple silk pajamas, pulling the white terrycloth robe tightly around her. We hadn't said much since the motel clerk had held out the two keys. She'd murmured something about unpacking and taking a bath, flashed me a brief smile, and disappeared into her own room. I'd proceeded to bang my head against a brick wall for the next ten minutes, almost unable to believe my own stupidity. She smiled slightly. "So..." I flicked the TV off and tossed the remote down, sitting more upright to face her though I wasn't sure what to say. Was she mad? Disappointed? Confused? No, she didn't seem any of those things. If anything, she seemed curious, intrigued. Time for caution. Time to tread gently. "What are our plans for tomorrow?" "Visit Kayleen Rogers at the halfway house where she's staying. I said we'd be there around nine." She nodded. I beckoned her closer, and she sat on the edge of the bed, watching me as I moved to sit beside her, feet on the floor. Finally, she sighed. "Mulder..." "What is it?" She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just not really sure what's going on here, what's happening between us." She paused. "I asked you, once, what we were..." "And I told you. We're whatever you want us to be." "I don't know what I want us to be, Mulder. I don't know..." A heavy sigh. "With Greg, with all my past relationships and all your past relationships... I don't know if either of us are ready to get into something else. And I'm just afraid that rushing into this might mean ruining it, and this relationship... it's special, Mulder. It's unique. Neither of us can afford to lose it. I know you appreciate that." I gazed at her. "You're disappointed though, aren't you?" She smiled, suddenly, a wide, sheepish smile. "Well, you are very attractive." "Attractive, huh?" "In an obsessive sort of way." I smiled. "You keep that up..." I warned. "Oh?" Chin tilted up in playful defiance. "...And I'm going to have to kiss you." She held my gaze for a second, still smiling, though shy uncertainty flickered in her eyes. I reached for her hand, squeezing it cautiously, running my thumb over her palm. Her smile stretched wider, pleased. Encouraged, I leaned in, my other hand moving to her cheek, but my lips had barely touched hers when she suddenly ducked out of the way, trying to free her hand. "Mulder..." I pulled back, letting her go. "Yeah... I know. Not yet." Standing a few steps away she looked at me, folding her arms. She was embarrassed, regretful. "Sorry. I shouldn't have encouraged you. I do want to, but..." "Not now. And not here. One step at a time." "Exactly." I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "My fault for being so very attractive." She smiled sheepishly, and I patted the bedcovers again. "Sit down. I'll keep my distance again this time, I promise." To prove it, I moved back, stretching out on my side on the bed so I could watch her. She sat down cautiously, lifting her head to return my even gaze. "I lied before." "About what?" "About never having had a one-night-stand. I was twenty-two, and I had a fight with my boyfriend... I was mad at him. So I slept with one of his best friends. I never told anybody before. Even Adam, my boyfriend... he didn't know. It's one of the worst things I've ever done." "We all make mistakes. Some of us... we make more mistakes than others do." She didn't smile. "What's the worst thing you've ever done in a relationship?" "I was dating one of identical twins... and I slept with the other one." "Did you know it was the wrong sister?" "Yeah, I did." I shrugged it off. "What about you?" "I had a relationship with one of my professors... Then I discovered that he was married, with a daughter almost my age." "Ouch." "Yeah." "What did you do?" "I broke it off as soon as I found out. And I left. I didn't want to be responsible for ruining his marriage." "That must still weigh on your conscience." "Sometimes it does." She hugged her robe closer around her. "Why did your parents divorce?" "My mother believed that my father was responsible for my sister's abduction." "How?" "My dad... He worked for the state department. He was involved in a lot of ...unsavoury activities." "But what does that have to do with your sister?" "It's a long story." "I'm listening." I nodded, reaching out to catch her arm and tug her closer. "Then you'd better get comfortable." She obeyed, listening as I relayed to her what I knew of my father's work, my experience the night Sam disappeared, its effect on me and my parents' already shaky marriage. She fell asleep just past ten, curled up on the covers alongside me. I watched her for a few moments, just soaking it up. I wanted this woman in my life. There was no doubt in my mind. I couldn't do anything to risk losing her. She'd peeled her robe off earlier, and she was so light I didn't have any difficulty pulling the covers out from under her and then tugging them up over her again. I was just thinking what a heavy sleeper she was when she stirred, eyelids fluttering, opening. She saw it was me and half-nodded, eyes closing again. "Mmm.. What are you doing?" "You fell asleep. I'm just tucking you in." I tugged the covers straight in demonstration of the fact, then brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers. "I'll sleep on the couch, kay?" "Nnmmm," she argued, stretching out an arm blindly and patting the covers with a yawn. "I can share." I hesitated, her words of caution ringing in my ears. Neither of us wanted to take a wrong step and thwart the promise of this relationship, but I was just still wary of passing up an opportunity like this, innocent as it was. "You sure, Scully?" She was almost out of it. She thumped the covers, letting out a sleepy grunt, and I grinned widely. Such a priceless moment, a far cry from the cool, collected doctor who had captivated me. I shrugged, kicking off my jeans and climbing into the bed in boxers, undershirt and socks, reaching to switch off the bedside light. The room fell dark and it took a minute or two for my eyes to adjust. "Night, Scully," I whispered. No answer. She was sound asleep. 5.56am. Though my alarm was set for quarter to seven I woke of my own accord earlier than that. Maybe because of the earlier than usual night, or maybe just that the birds outside were particularly noisy, but I lay, wide awake, in the early morning light, listening to her steady breathing. I was stretched out on my back, taking up more than my half of the bed. She was sleeping face-down, arm outstretched, laying on my chest. Her hair had fallen across her face, but I could see her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she dreamed. What was she dreaming about? I eased myself upright a little, lifting her small, strong hand from my chest. The fingers were relaxed, curling in, the nails perfect as ever. I was grinning. I couldn't help myself. She might be used to sharing a bad but I wasn't. It certainly wasn't every day I woke up next to Dana Scully. She was still asleep when I returned from my jog, bearing the motel's complimentary continental breakfast. Not for long, though. I must have made a fair amount of noise moving around the room, exhilarated by the crisp morning air and the amazing night that wasn't, because she lifted her head, looking at me sleepily. "Mulder?" "Mornin', Scully." First time I'd been able to say *that* to her. Still sleepy, there was definite suspicion on her face. "Mulder, what are you doing in my motel room?" "This is my room, actually. You fell asleep here, remember?" It seemed to be coming back to her. She smiled sheepishly. "Right. So we didn't... Nothing...?" I didn't answer the question, but instead sat on the edge of the bed, offering the mug of hot coffee. She wriggled upright and took it cautiously, blowing on it out of habit and looking at me over the top. Her hair was rumpled, her pajamas shirt askew. She took a sip of the coffee and pulled a face. "Wow. That's terrible." I grinned. "Thought you'd like it." She seemed to look at me properly for the first time. "You've been out?" "Went for a run." "You should have woken me. I would have come with you." "I'll keep that in mind for next time." She smiled widely at that, her hair hiding her face as she ducked her head. She was pleased. Still, she obviously couldn't resist. "You're assuming there is a next time." "Why wouldn't there be?" "This coffee, for starters." "So next time we don't get the continental breakfast. What else?" "You were hogging the bed." I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear for her. "I've got longer legs than you." "That's no excuse. You were hogging the covers, too." "Longer arms." She didn't respond to that one, but instead gazed at me. "Mulder, why did you get us two rooms?" "I panicked." "What about?" "How amazing you are. You intimidate me. You do know that, don't you?" "Do I?" She looked distinctly surprised. "Mulder, you intimidate *me*." "How do I intimidate you?" "You're a daredevil. You're confident. You're obsessive. You're intense. You know you can get any woman you want into bed with you." That comment stung bitterly. "That's not true." "Yeah, right." "It doesn't matter, anyway. I don't *try* to get every woman into bed with me. You know that. You profiled me, Scully. You know me." She looked at me, uncertainty flickering on her face. We'd been so honest with each other up to now, and she couldn't have know the seemingly innocuous statement would strike a vein. She sensed she'd taken a wrong step, though. "Mulder..." "You know we were right to get two rooms, anyway," I said quietly. "If we hadn't, we would have felt forced into something." She frowned into the coffee. "Why am I getting worried that ours is going to be the most complicated relationship I've ever had?" "We're complicated people, Scully. We've got people we've loved and people we've hated and people we've lost... We've got a lot of depth. We're real. That's a frightening thing." I moved the breakfast tray onto the bedcovers for her. "I'm going to have a shower." "Mulder?" She was watching me closely, worried. "What?" "Are you angry at me about something?" "No. Why?" "You just seem like you're angry. If I said anything -" "It's not about getting women into bed with me, Scully. That's not what I'm about. I don't want you to think that." "I don't think that, Mulder." "It's just... it's about finding somebody, that somebody who gives everything in my life meaning." "I know it is, Mulder." 9.03am. We pulled up outside Kayleen's halfway house and I found her watching her. "So, what's the procedure for this sort of thing?" "Procedure?" "You know... Interviewing somebody. Getting Kayleen to agree to an examination." "Depends on the person. Sometimes you need to tread carefully, sometimes you need to push." She smiled. "Which category did I fall into?" "Both. I had to make a whole new category, just for you." She beat me up the steps, but waited til I'd caught up to press the buzzer. "Here we go..." An anorexic, purple-haired young woman opened the door for us. She must have been watching from the window because she opened the door within a matter of seconds, hurrying us in and then quickly closing the door again and disappearing into the front room. We were directed up the stairs and along the hall to Kayleen's room. I glanced at Scully as we made our way up. She was taking everything in, unfazed by the strange characters we passed. Kayleen's room was at the end of the hall. We knocked. No response. We tried the door. Locked. I knocked on the door again. "Kayleen? It's Agent Mulder. I want to talk to you." I pounded again. "Kayleen?" "Keep away!" A thin, tired voice. "I'm not talking to you." "Kayleen, I've got a friend here with me. She's a doctor. She just wants to check if you're okay." "I said go away!" "Kayleen... If the bleeding has started again, she can help you." "I don't want your help." Scully glanced up at me, then tried pounding her door herself. "Kayleen, my name is Dana Scully. I'm an Emergency Room doctor. If you're hurt..." More pounding. "Kayleen?" I produced my lockpick and knelt down, attacking the lock. It clicked open and I got to my feet again, twisting the knob and pushing the door inward. A safety chain on the inside caught it at only a few inches. I could see inside the room, a chaotic mess with clothes and books tossed everywhere, but no blood, or at least where I could see. I pulled back suddenly as a face appeared. Kayleen Rogers, emaciated and wild-eyed. She tried to push the door closed but I put my weight against it, bracing myself with a hand on the doorjam, determined not to be shut out. "Kayleen, just let us in for a minute or two. We just want to see that you're not hurt." A hand pushed toward me, palm first. No blood, no wound, not even a scar. "Fine. See? Now leave me the hell alone." She pulled back, and slammed the door closed. On my fingers. I winced, drawing a sharp breath at the sudden, blossoming pain. Putting all my weight against the door I managed to push it open enough to free my hand, cradling it, the pain surging with the movement. "Mulder, we might as well go. Mulder?" She'd missed the whole thing. Turning to look at me impatiently, her eyes widened as she registered the pain on my face, her gaze flying to my injured hand. "What happened?" "She slammed the door on my hand." She was back at my side in a second, careful fingers examining my hand. I pressed my lips together tightly as she felt each finger, trying to assess the damage. It was half-stinging, half-aching, a deep, burning ache. "Would you call me a crybaby if I told you this hurts like hell?" I managed to quip. She gave me a tight, sympathetic smile. "I think you might have a broken finger. Let's get you downstairs. They should have some ice in the freezer here." I shook my head. "We'll go back to the motel." "Mulder, your fingers are going to swell-" "It's only five minutes away. C'mon, Scully. You don't want to see me cry in front of a bunch of strangers, do you?" "Cry? You? Mulder, I haven't once seen you cry, and I've seen you after a lot worse than this." "Are we going to stand here arguing or are you going to take me back to the motel?" "If we're going anywhere it should be to the hospital." "Motel." "What if your finger's broken?" "You can fix it there. Or when we get back to DC." "Mulder-!" "Please?" I won. Back at the motel she found some ice, wrapped it in a washcloth, and sat me down on the edge of the bed as she checked my hand over again, getting me to flex my fingers, wriggle them. "That index finger is definitely broken, Mulder. The rest are badly bruised." Crouching down, she pressed the ice against my hand and I winced audibly. Her hands wrapped around mine, she glanced up at me, smiling. "So, isn't this where you ask me how my love life is going?" I grinned despite the pain. This was where we began. Me in pain, her so calm and caring, making it all better. Full circle. "How's your love life going?" "Not too bad. Met this guy... I think he could be the one." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah." "What's he like?" "Not as good looking as he thinks he is..." She smiled mischieviously. "But I could do worse. Tall, intense, with these beautiful dark eyes..." I grinned. "And you think he could be the one, huh?" "I do." "What makes you so sure?" "We understand each other, respect each other. He wants me for who I am, for my mind as well as my body. He challenges me and at the same time makes me feel safe, because he's gentle and patient with me, but he never lets me feel needy or inferior. He's unconventional but he's so passionate, so intense... he just moves me." "Sounds like he might be the one." "Yeah." "So, what are you going to do about it?" "I'm not sure yet." "No?" "Things are a little complicated. I only just ended my last relationship, and neither of us are really ready to jump right in." "Sounds like somebody's got a fear of commitment." I couldn't help the playful taunt, remembering our first encounters in the ER. "Well, I don't know about him, but I'm just taking my time. I want to be careful, make sure everything goes right." "But if he wants to take it further in the future, you don't have any objections?" "None at all." "So, how long are you going to make him wait?" "I don't know." "You don't know?" "Nope. Still thinking on that one." I watched her as she rose, getting me a pillow to rest my ice-swathed hand on. Gentle as she was, it still hurt as she touched my fingers. I gave her a tight smile. "How do you think he feels about you?" "I think he's still trying to impress me." "Is he succeeding?" "Maybe." "You're not giving much away, are you?" She gave me an enigmatic smile and I laughed, patting the bed beside me. "Sit down." She obeyed, kicking off her shoes and settling beside me. "You can't drive home until some of the swelling has gone down. You know that, right? That'll take at least a day or two." "Looks like we're stuck here a little longer, then." "We?" she echoed coolly, eyebrow raised. "Mulder, I'm supposed to be working tonight." "Scully! You can't leave me here by myself..." I gave her my saddest pout. "Look at me. I'm crippled. I can't drive. Can't feed myself, dress myself..." "You've got a broken finger, Mulder. I think you're still perfectly capable of dressing and feeding yourself." "What if I need to open a pickle jar?" "Mulder..." I pouted. She sighed. "Fine. I'll get somebody to switch my shift and I'll stay another night. But I'm leaving this time tomorrow." I grinned. Another victory. "Sorry the x-file didn't turn out as planned." Momentary hesitation before a casual shrug. "There's always next time." "What do you mean by that?" Another enigmatic smile. "Scully..." She stood, fetching a roll of gauze and kneeling to peel back the washcloth, examining my fingers. They'd each swelled to what seemed twice their usual size. "I'll get this finger braced, then what do you say we go catch a movie or something, huh? Try a more traditional style of dating? Or is that too banal?" "Scully, tell me..." "You're right, too banal. But we'll think of something." "Scully..." About to start bandaging, she paused and smiled up at me. Reaching up her free hand, she touched my chin, drawing me closer, and she kissed me. No pulling away this time, no hesitation or uncertainty. Just us, and a simple, incredible kiss. She drew back, smiling, releasing me. "Scully..." "Shut up, Mulder." I grinned, content to obey, and watched as she started bandaging. No goodbyes this time, no wondering if she would call. Smart, stubborn Doctor Scully... You're right. It's not all that bad. fin.