This is my first attempt at fanfiction. It takes place shortly after "War of
the Cocrophages".  I have broken innumerable copyright laws to bring this
story to you, so I hope my courageous defiance of the law is appreciated.  My
apologies to CC, 10-13 Productions, and anyone else who might possibly take
it upon themselves to sue me. Comments and suggestions can be sent to
AprilWeeks@aol.com.


MULDER'S CONFESSION

7:30am -FBI building basement

Scully walked into the office a good half hour earlier than usual, gingerly
carrying a file between two fingers.  Flipping on the lights, she strode over
to Mulder's desk and dropped the folder with a grimace.  Scully was none too
happy about receiving the paperwork on their latest X-file with an enormous
splattered cockroach stuck to the back.  

She could almost understand him not cleaning the thing off, but he could've
at least warned her about it.  Wiping pieces of desiccated bug innards off
her hands was not one of the highlights of her weekend.  Neither was having
to discard her $300 dollar trenchcoat that was fouled beyond even the most
expert dry cleaner's care.  Not to mention the fact that it took over an hour
to get the smell out of her hair.   She would never be able to look at a
compost heap in quite the same way ever again.  All in all, a completely
horrendous weekend, compliments of her insane partner who even had the nerve
to tell her she smelled bad.  	

In a huff just thinking about it, Scully stomped over the coffee machine and
started up a pot.  As it started to brew, she suddenly remembered the
contents of her left pocket.  She reached in, and with just a hint of an evil
grin, she pulled out a small black spider.  It was plastic, of course.  She
had been baby-sitting her godson the other night, and he had left it in her
bed, along with the head of a Power Ranger that looked like it fought a
protracted battle with Mr. Zippo lighter and lost.  And while she agreed with
the concept of melting Power Rangers for fun, the charm of finding a very
realistic spider in her bed was utterly lost on her.  

She had pocketed it this morning in hopes of exacting some small amount of
revenge on her partner.  Holding the spider in her hand, she debated for a
moment whether the pleasure of revenge on Mulder was worth revealing the
gleeful immaturity of her inner child, which she usually never allowed
herself to do.  For the first time ages, her inner child won out. She decided
to strategically place it in his bottom drawer, on top of such memorable
videos as "Debbie Does Dallas", and "FrankenPenis".  

She walked over to his desk and started to pull open the drawer when she
heard footsteps at the door.  She quickly straightened and closed her fist
around the plastic arachnid just as Mulder walked in the door. 

"Good morning, Scully!", Mulder pronounced happily, not with the usual
half-asleep mumble that preceded his morning coffee fix, but with a wide grin
and a cheerfulness in his voice that she hadn't heard for ages.

"Well good morning to you.", Scully replied acerbically,  "You're certainly
sparkling this morning, Mulder.  Did the Fox network decide to rerun 'Alien
Autopsy' again?"

"Ah, Scully, you know I find it so endearing when you use your biting and
derisive sense of humor." Mulder countered, not letting his grin slip for an
instant. It was contagious.  Scully couldn't help smiling back.  

"And you know I find it so biting and derisive when you call me endearing."
Scully replied, casually moving her hand, spider enclosed, out of Mulder's
line of sight.  "So why are you here so early?" she added in a more friendly
tone.

"I was going to ask you the same thing.  Actually I was hoping to beat you to
the office this morning.  I wanted to surprise you."

"Surprise me?  What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess it's not a surprise anymore, but I got you a little something
to make up for the "crappy" weekend I put you through."  Scully rolled her
eyes at the awful pun, having heard quite enough of them already.  Mulder
smiled apologetically as if to say "Sorry, couldn't help myself" and pulled a
small gift-wrapped box out of his pocket.  He offered it to her bashfully.  

"It's nothing really.  Just a little token of thanks."

She waved it away with her free hand. "Mulder, you don't have to give me a
gift just for doing my job.  I know the risks involved, and I take them
willingly."  Scully felt like dirt.  Here he was, offering her a gift simply
for doing her job, and in return she was going to play a mean trick on him?  

"Please, Scully, take it.  I know I was being a real ass this weekend, and I
want you to know that I'm sorry.  You take more abuse from me than you
deserve, and you never complain or retaliate in any way.  I don't know how
you can be so patient with me.  I really admire you for that."  

Scully felt lower than dirt.  She felt lower than the dirt on the bugs that
live in dirt.  She hoped he couldn't see the guilt radiating out of her body.
She couldn't meet his eyes.  "I don't deserve it."

"Yes, you do." Mulder said simply.  When she still didn't take it, he said
"Here, let me open it for you."  The wrapping pulled aside to reveal a black
velvet box.  He reached in and pulled out a glittering crystal crucifix
swinging on the end of a silver chain. "You can hang it on your rearview
mirror."

"Mulder, it's beautiful!  I can't--"

"No argument. It's yours." Mulder interrupted, and set the gift on her desk.

Smiling, Scully shook her head in disbelief. "Thank