This is a fiction story based on the characters created by Chris
Carter.  No infringement of  copyrights held by 10/13 Productions,
Twentieth Century Productions, or Fox Broadcasting is intended.
All unrecognised characters and plot-lines belong to me.  Names,
characters, and places exist solely within my imagination, or are
used fictitiously.  No connection to any person, living or dead, is
intended, and any resemblance is entirely coincidental.  Feel free
to distribute, but please keep me as the author.  

Rating - PG-13

Classification - S, T.

Summary - Mulder discovers that three's a crowd when an old Oxford
friend comes to visit. 

No spoilers.

This story is dedicated to Gerry Hill, whose idea it started out as.
Most of the first and second parts are her work, with a little edition,
and the direction taken by the rest of the story is due to her constant
good influence. - Gerry's marvelous ideas continue to keep me
writing, and her version of this, - "Friends" is bound to be amazing.

Danielle Culverson. 

Heartbreaker

A dark-haired man lay sprawled on a couch in a fourth floor
apartment on Braddock Street, Alexandria.  One arm was thrown
across his eyes, which gazed out tiredly from beneath it at the
t.v. screen across the room.  The remote control for the t.v. was
held loosely in his other hand, which lay at his side on the
couch.  He wore only sweat pants and a white t-shirt, not having
bothered to get changed after his evening run.

The apartment around him was a mess.  Sheets of paper lay around
on every surface.  Empty take-out cartons remained beneath tables
where they had been kicked.  A glass of water, only half-full,
stood on the coffee table in front of the couch.

A revolver lay next to it.

Special Agent Fox Mulder changed the channel on his t.v. for what
must have been the fiftieth time that night as the adverts came
on.  It was 11.21pm, and as usual he had spent an isolated
evening in front of his t.v., not allowing his mind to do
anything but slowly mull over the latest case he was working on
with his FBI partner, Special Agent Dana Scully, while his eyes
disinterestedly took in the various films he channel-hopped
between.

The apartment didn't look like that of an Oxford-educated FBI
agent.

But then Fox Mulder didn't either.

There was a knock at the apartment door.  Mulder wasn't expecting
anyone, so decided it was probably his partner, come to check up
on him.  He swung his long legs off the couch, and headed towards
the door, trying to brush the tiredness from his eyes with his
hand as he went.  As he neared the door, he called out,

"Sorry, I have all the Avon I need!"

Mulder reached to unlock the door, hoping that Scully wouldn't
have taken his joke wrong,- he couldn't help joking when she was
around.  It was almost as though he were trying to make up for
something, or cover up something.  He didn't dwell on the
thought.

An echo from the past came from behind the door,  "No, you're
supposed to say, "Shove it under the door you silly twit and let
me get my beauty sleep!"

"Brian?"  Mulder whispered incredulously.  He unlocked the door
and threw it open.  His eyes fell on a man who could have been
his brother.  They were both tall and lanky, with dark hair and
hazel eyes, and long "aristocratic" noses.  They were almost the
same age, with Brian being only four months Mulder's junior.

"Brian Leeds!"  Mulder exclaimed, before pulling his old friend
into a bear hug, - an unusually physical action for Mulder, who's
work tended to make him paranoid about getting too close to
anyone except his partner. - He slapped Brian on the back, and
then stepped back to get a proper look at him, his hands on
Brian's shoulders.  Then with a grin he pulled him into the
apartment.

"It's been *years* since we last saw each other!"  Mulder
exclaimed, as he grabbed the carry-all Brian had been carrying,
and dumped it on a chair in the corner.  Brian moved into the
main room, and looked around at the pit Mulder called home. 
Always the more outgoing of the two, and finding Mulder's
apartment too gloomy for his taste, he asked,

"So, who died?"

"Probably my fish again."  came Mulder's bemused answer,  "But as
I recall, your place was always much worse than this."  He went
into the kitchenette and took a couple of beer cans from the
fridge.  Returning to the main room, he tossed one to Brian, and
slumped down onto the couch, waving the remote control in the
general direction of the t.v. until it turned off.  Brian sat
down in the armchair opposite him, and opened his beer.

"You be around long?"  Mulder asked.

"I'm not sure. - My father died a few months ago, and I'm still
trying to take care of his estate.  He had some holdings over
here.  But my mother's not been so good since it happened, so I
may have to go back in a hurry if she goes downhill again."

"I'm sorry Brian, I really liked your father."  Mulder looked
down at his hands as he remembered the warm man who had welcomed
Mulder into his family when Brian had taken him to his home in
the holidays.  The friendliness there had made Mulder's own lack
of a close family a little more bearable.  "Remember when we
tried to teach him that dance step; I can't remember what it was
called. - And you managed to sprain your ankle whilst
demonstrating it?  He said he would stick to the safer waltz,
thank you very much."

Brian smiled,  "That ankle's never been the same since."  he
replied.

They spent the next few hours reminiscing about their days in
Oxford.  There was a lot of laughter, and they got through all of
Mulder's small beer supply before they finally began to wind
down.

"Ow!  My side aches!"  Brian gasped, after one particularly
hysterical episode was rehashed.  "I think I'm about wiped. 
Could I crash somewhere here tonight, mate?"

"Sure. - You can take your pick between my room and the guest
room. - I never sleep in a bed anyway."

After a few moments discussion, Brian made himself at home in the
guest room, Mulder insisted he must stay as long as he needed to
while he was in Washington, and then both men went to bed.

*          *          *

Mulder woke to the annoying sound of his alarm clock going off. -
He had two, one in his bedroom, and one in the main room. - He
swung his legs off the couch, and stared dully at the alarm clock
for a few minutes, trying to remember why he had set it to go off
at 6.27am.  Finally, it came to him.

"Oh help, Scully."  he yelped, and got to his feet so suddenly
that his head span.  He had set his alarm clock early because his
partner was supposed to be picking him up at 7am as they had a
meeting to attend.

Mulder staggered into the bathroom, where he encountered Brian
standing in front of the sink, nude from his recent shower, and
looking not a bit like a man who had only had two and a half
hours sleep, shaving.

"Sorry,"  Mulder muttered,  "I'm running late for work."

Brian glanced at him in the mirror, and said,  "You were out of
it, so I tried not to wake you."

Mulder shrugged in acknowledgement and stood there stupidly for a
few minutes, trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing. 
He blinked and ran a hand through his hair, yawning,

"Got to take my shower.  My partner will be here soon to pick me
up."

"Go ahead, I'm almost done."

Mulder turned on the water, stripped, and got into the shower,
allowing the warm water to ease him into full consciousness.  He
was reluctant to leave the lulling security of the water, but
realised that Scully wouldn't appreciate being kept waiting, and
so turned the water off.  He grabbed a towel, rubbed his hair
with it, and then wrapped it quickly around his waist.

Stepping out of the shower, Mulder was surprised to see Brian
still at the wash-basin, packing his shaving gear back into a
fake-leather soap-bag.

"All done."  he told Mulder cheerily, and leaned down to pick up
his own sodden towel from the condensation covered tiles on the
floor of the bathroom.  He swung it in his hands thoughtfully,
and then looked up mischievously at Mulder.

The agent, knowing Brian very well, said warily,  "Oh no, Brian. 
We're too old for that.  And I'm late."

"Speak for yourself, mate."  Brian replied, and slapped at
Mulder's legs with the towel.  Then he turned and fled the
bathroom, laughing.

"This means war!"  Mulder yelled.  His own towel became his
weapon of choice as he pursued his friend, and closed in.

Neither one of them heard the continuous knocking at the door.

Outside the apartment, Scully knocked again.  She knew Mulder was
there, - he had asked her to pick him up on the way to their
meeting that morning in Georgetown.  Not getting an answer to her
knock for several minutes, she finally pulled out her spare key.

As the door swung open Scully froze in surprise at the sight of
two attractive, healthy, *naked* men running around the main room
snapping wet towels at each other.

The world came to a stop.  Nothing moved or breathed for a length
of time which felt like forever.

Any other woman would have shrieked and run, closed her eyes, or
blushed with embarrassment.  Dr. Dana Katherine Scully did none
of these things.  She cooly swept her gaze over each of them,
missing nothing in the process.  Then two wet towels were quickly
wrapped around two waists, while two red faces looked everywhere
but at the woman standing in the doorway.

Finally Mulder broke the silence.  "Uh, Scully, this is Brian
Leeds from England.  An old Oxford buddy."

Scully gave a faint nod and smile, and said,  "I see."  She
paused.  "I'll go and wait for you in the car, Mulder. - Nice to
meet you, Brian."  Then she turned and walked out of the
apartment.

Mulder was not a bashful person usually, although he tended to
keep himself to himself, but there was something about being
caught by Scully in such a ridiculous position which set his
heart racing...

"What a magnificent woman!"  Brian exclaimed, still staring at
the closed door.  Mulder just nodded and glanced at him
speculatively.

On the stairs of the apartment building, Scully's impassive mask
broke, and she had to stop her descent as laughter brought tears
to her eyes.  Gripping the hand rail to steady herself, she
scolded herself.  "Dana, you bad girl. - What were you thinking
in there, staring like that?"  With another giggle, she added, 
"Well, okay, I do know what I was thinking."

Back in Mulder's apartment, the agent grabbed his grey jacket,
and slipped it on.  As he headed for the door, Brian called out.

"Why don't you and your partner meet me for lunch somewhere
later?"

Mulder paused in reaching for the door, and looked back at his
friend.  "Sure.  How about we meet you at Vanderman's at 1pm? 
It's about three blocks west of our office."  Brian nodded, and
Mulder left the apartment.

As he approached the car, he could see Scully sitting inside. 
She turned her head as he neared the vehicle, and he could see
she was smiling.  His blush returned in full force.

"This is ridiculous."  he thought,  "It's not as if she hasn't
seen me naked before, even if I was unconsciouss and wounded
then, and not messing around with another nude guy."  Mulder
thought his blush was never going to fade.  He got into the
passenger seat beside Scully, and studiously avoided her eyes as
he fastened his seat-belt.

Scully turned on the engine, and then, turning towards her
partner and seeing his red cheeks, said,

"It's okay Mulder, I only love you for your mind."

He gave a surprised laugh, and said,  "You mean all those hours
jogging and in the pool were wasted on you, Scully? - But then
you've always said that "smart is sexy"."

"Then Brian must be smart too."  she said, with a wicked smile,
and pulled away from the kerb.

That made Mulder pause.  He glanced over at her sharply, and then
commented,  "He's a great buddy for a guy to have, but he's hell
on the ladies, Scully.  Be careful."

"He's quite attractive, Mulder. - What does he do that's so awful
to the "ladies"?"

Mulder thought carefully before answering her, knowing that
Scully hated him "protecting" her, and not wanting to tell tales
on Brian.  Still, it sounded as though Scully needed to know what
she could get into where Brian was concerned.  Finally he settled
on,  "He's been divorced twice."  as a starter.

"So?"

"He likes women, - probably a little *too* much."

"Loves them and leaves them?"

"Scully,  Brian is a really great guy who will give you anything
he has if you need it.  But while he's totally committed to one
woman while he's with her, when another woman comes along he's
gone in a minute, and totally committed to the new woman without
a thought for the first."  Mulder shifted in his seat
uncomfortably, wondering how well his own personality would fit
that description.

"Okay, Mulder, I'll refrain from ripping my clothes off and
throwing myself at him."

Surprisingly, Mulder didn't give her the expected leer, but
instead turned grave hazel eyes on her, and said,  "I'm serious,
Scully."

Wisely, she left it at that, and they managed to reach their
meeting on time despite being ten minutes late leaving, and the
heavy traffic.

*          *          *

The meeting had not gone over too well, Scully considered, as she
drove back towards the FBI headquarters.  It had been called as
the local police department had made a claim that the FBI crime
lab was contaminating and even switching evidence on cases where
they had been asked to assist.  Since several examples of the
evidence screw-ups had involved recent X-files cases, Mulder and
Scully had been asked to attend and put the FBI's side forward. 
It was hoped that grievances could be aired, and the problems
could be resolved.

Mulder had sat with glazed eyes for the first hour and a half of
the session, but had finally taken the floor when someone had
made the mistake of asking his opinion.

Scully had sat in silence and gritted her teeth as her partner
had stated that, just because the police didn't like the results
of an FBI lab report, that was no reason to impugn the integrity
of the data.  He paused at that point to patronisingly define the
word "impugn".  Then he went on the declare,  "Although it may be
improbable that a slender woman of 5'2" could toss a 6'2" dock
worker through a heavy wooden door with her bare hands, the
evidence supports that conclusion, and I have no problem
accepting that it happened.  Hell, if necessary, my small but
esteemed partner here could take you all on, and emerge the
victor."  He gave a small bow in her direction.

Scully had clenched her teeth and said nothing.  She had known
her partner was bored, and was amusing himself by playing with
the men seated at the conference table.  However as a result of
his antics, they had closed their minds to anything either she or
the FBI crime lab could have contributed to the discussion.

Mulder was acutely aware of how irritated Scully had to be with
him as she made a left turn, and slowed down a little as the
traffic got heavier.  He admitted to himself that he had
deliberately provoked those "close-minded fools" (that was what
he had called them to their faces), but he wasn't a bit
remorseful.  He was just sorry that his actions had made Scully
mad at him.

He noticed the time, - 12.55. - Oops, they were supposed to meet
Brian for lunch in five minutes.

"Scully, I forgot to tell you, we're meeting Brian for lunch at
Vanderman's at 1pm."

Scully glanced at the clock on the dashboard, and sighed,  "No,
we're not, Mulder. - Look at the time. - Besides, I need to get
some material up to Pendrell for analysis..."

"Pendrell can wait."  he interrupted,  "We've been working all
morning. - And I bet all you had all morning was that watery
coffee they gave us."

"All right,"  she said reluctantly,  "I'll drop you in front of
the restaurant, and then go and park.  You can order for me."

He grinned,  "Your usual fries and cheese-burger?"

She winced at the idea of all that fat, and didn't bother to
answer.

*          *          *

Mulder entered Vanderman's, and found Brian at the restaurant's
reception, talking to Rachel, a tall brunette who had been
working at Vanderman's for the past three years.  Brian beamed
when he saw his friend, and spoke in an undertone to Rachel.

"Here comes my rival for your affection, I'm afraid."

Rachel looked up and, recognising Mulder, gave him a warm smile.

"I was thinking that perhaps we could all go out somewhere
tonight."  Brian said, glancing towards Mulder, a glow in his
eyes.

"Um, Brian, I have work to do tonight. - Scully and I have a
report to write, and it has to be on our supervisor's desk by 9am
tomorrow."

Brian looked crestfallen.  "You mean that you can't spare the
time to spend with your old school mate?"  His hurt puppy
expression was startlingly similar to the look Mulder used when
he wanted to get his own way.  Rachel lowered her head.

"Never mind, we could do it another time."  she said.  When she
looked up she met Mulder's eyes, and he noticed for the first
time in the three years he had known her how green her eyes were. 
They were really beautiful, he thought.

Rachel thought that she would have to have been blind not to have
noticed the attractive FBI agent.  She had been mentally drooling
over him for years, but he had always been with his partner, and
from the way he looked at her, she had guessed she didn't stand a
chance, and had never spoken to him other than to take his order.

Before they had settled on whether Mulder could or could not
spare the time to go out with Brian that evening, Scully appeared
at Mulder's shoulder.  Rachel lowered her head in defeat when she
saw the other woman.  Taking a deep breath, she said,

"I'll show you to your table now."  and led the way to the group
of tables in front of the window.  She left three menus with
them, and returned to her station at the entrance to the
restaurant.  Brian appreciatively watched her walk away, and then
realised that Scully was wryly observing his behaviour with a
smile on her lips.

And suddenly it hit him like a thunderbolt.  He instantly forgot
Rachel, and every other woman he had ever known.  All he could
see was Dana Katherine Scully. - Her beautiful face, her soft
auburn hair, the gentle way her neck curved underneath the collar
of her blouse...  "My God..."  he breathed.  She was so
beautiful!

"What's wrong?"  the angel spoke, concern apparent in her lovely
blue-green eyes.

Brian belatedly realised that his mouth was hanging open, and he
closed it quickly.  No woman had ever affected him like this
before.

"No... nothing.  I, er... jet lag."  he muttered.  Stupid,
stupid.  What a dumb thing to say.  She gave him another smile
though, and returned her attention to the menu.

Brian's mind was racing, and he felt as though his whole body was
on fire.  He forced himself to draw in a breath, and noticed that
Mulder was looking at his in concern.  "Mulder's wondering what's
going on."  he thought,  "I hope they aren't interested in each
other."

Always tactful, he blurted,  "So, are you two an item?"  Nothing
like getting things out in the open.  Scully looked up from her
menu with a startled expression on her face, while Brian saw
Mulder's sharpen and darken at him.

"Uh-oh,"  he thought,  "Old Fox already knows where I'm headed."

"Don't even think about it, Leeds."  Mulder said flatly.

Scully glanced over at her tight-lipped partner, and then back to
his slightly red-faced friend.  Suddenly she realised what, or
more appropriately, who, this was all about.  Anger rose inside
her as she realised Mulder had gone into his protective mode
again, and she slammed her menu down suddenly.

"Mulder, I'm an adult, and capable of making my own decisions." 
she said icily.  Then she turned to Brian, and said,  "No, I'm
not dating or sleeping with Mulder, so if you would like to pick
me up at 7pm tonight, I would love to go out with you."

She got to her feet.  "Enjoy your lunch, guys. - I'm going to
make a start on the work at the office."  With a last glare at
Mulder, she turned on her heel and left the restaurant.

Brian watched her walk away, captivated.  Mulder rested his head
in his hands for several long moments.  Then he lifted it and
pinned Brian with his gaze as he spoke in a calm but somehow
threatening monotone.

"You will be a perfect gentleman with her.  You will *not* try to
make any passes, or attempt to "score" with her.  If you do, I'll
kill you. - It's as simple as that."

Brian reddened, and turned on his friend.

"The lady said that she is unattached, so back off.  I remember I
stepped out of your way when you fancied Phoebe, and she was
going out with me at the time."

Mulder stuck resolutely to his words.  "I have a gun, Leeds."  he
reminded his friend, his expression grim.  Then he sat back in
his chair, and said in a slightly lighter tone,  "Just remember
that she's the most important think in my life, and you'll do
fine. - Now you can deal with your *other* date for tonight."  He
nodded towards Rachel, who was taking an order at a table a few
tables over from them.  Brian glanced at him in surprise.

"My date? - But it's you she wants to go out with. - I started
talking with her before you came in, and as soon as I said I was
waiting for you, she started getting interested. - It was you
that she agreed to go out with tonight, just with me tagging
along."

As Brian stopped speaking, Rachel finished at the other table,
and approached them to take their order.  She scribbled a few
lines on her notebook, and tore the sheet off to hand it to
Mulder as she reached them.  She gave him a brilliant smile which
knocked Mulder speechless, - for once.

"This is my address.  I'll be ready by 7pm, okay?"

Mulder could only nod, as Brian proceeded to give their order,
and Rachel moved away again.




*          *          *

Mulder sat down at the square dinner table and glared at Brian,
who was sitting on his left.  Brian pretended not to notice, and
picked up his copy of the menu, scrutinising it carefully. 
Opposite him, Rachel looked bored and slightly uncomfortable, but
was doing her best not show it.  To his left, Scully was trying
to stay cheerful and brighten the evening a little, although it
was clear that she felt the tense atmosphere as much as everyone
else.

Scully considered that it had probably been a big mistake to
agree to the double date, but Mulder had been his usual
persuasive self, and she had finally agreed in the hope that it
would stop his constant warnings about what to beware of while
she was out with Brian.

So much for the pleasant evening though.  The atmosphere between
the two men was icy and threatening.  They didn't say much, but
the looks that passed between them froze the air.  Mulder had
barely spoken to Rachel at all since he had picked her up.  And
Scully was growing distinctly tired of trying to pretend that
everything was alright, even if Brian was playing along. 
Sometimes Mulder's stubborn attitude and over-protectiveness were
just too much for her to bear.  She gave up trying to make light
conversation, and studied her menu instead.

To an outside observer, the scene looked very pleasant, and quite
romantic.  The restaurant they had gone to was quite posh, and
the waiters and waitresses moved between the tables with silent
precision and an almost telepathic knowledge of what their
clients needed.  The menus were leather bound.  The tables were
set with an almost obsessive need for everything to be in it's
place.  The silver cutlery was evenly spaced at each place. 
Maroon cloth napkins were folded into fan shapes.  Pristine white
table-cloths hung just above the thick-carpeted floor.

The four diners looked perfect for their roles.  Mulder and Brian
both wore smart suits and ties, and carried themselves with an
air of dignity.  Scully wore a dark green cocktail dress which
reached just past her knees.  The fitted dress showed off her
slender figure.  High-heeled black shoes gave her a little extra
height, and a silver barrette pinning one side of her thick
auburn hair up nicely complimented the silver and emerald
jewellery that she wore.  Rachel wore a black cocktail dress
which reached to her ankles, with puffed half-length sleeves.  A
slit at the side of the dress which went most of the way up her
thigh gave enticing flashes of black-stocking clad leg, - not
that anyone had really noticed. - Her dark brown hair was brushed
soft and shiny, and fell loose down her back.  Simple gold
jewellery added elegance to the outfit.

Mulder had complimented Rachel's appearance when he picked her
up, more from force of habit that anything else.  His eyes had
taken in what she was wearing, and somewhere deep inside it had
registered, but consciously he hadn't really noticed.

He had noticed Scully's appearance, however, and had felt more
than a faint twinge of jealousy that she had gone to so much
trouble for his old university friend.

After the waiter had taken their orders, Scully and Brian did
their best to ignore the atmosphere around the table, and have a
good meal, but it wasn't easy.

"Your work must be interesting."  Brian commented to Scully, 
"You get to travel about so much investigating cases."

"It's mostly paperwork, which is very boring."  Mulder put in,
before Scully could answer.

"Yes, but still, we do get to see some interesting things." 
Scully added, glaring at Mulder.

"It must be dangerous though, working in the field."  Brian
continued.

"Scully doesn't believe the paranormal poses any threat to us." 
Mulder answered.  Scully frowned at her partner, and then turned
to Brian.

"So, you must have some stories about what you and Mulder got up
to at Oxford."  she said,  "Was my partner as irritating then as
he is now?"

"Worse, much worse."  Brian smiled.  Scully returned the smile.

"I don't believe it."  she replied.

"Oh, he was. - And he always had to get everything he wanted."

"That hasn't changed."  Scully noted.

"He even set his sights on one of my girlfriends, - although I
was glad to get out of *that* relationship. - Phoebe Green's mind
games would try anyone's patience."

"I know. - I've met her."  Scully agreed.  Mulder was looking
decidedly uncomfortable.  He glared at Brian.

"Do we have to talk about her?"  he asked plaintively.  Scully
and Brian exchanged knowing looks. - Mulder had once been
completely smitten with Phoebe Green, but she had hurt him badly. 
The memory was painful to him, which was one of the reasons
Scully had steered the conversation towards it, in the hope that
it would sober and quieten him a little.  It seemed to have
worked.

The first course arrived, and all four ate hungrily, the
delicious smells of the restaurant having whetted their
appetites.  Conversation more or less halted for the duration of
the course.

While they waited for the main course, Brian excused himself from
the table, and shortly afterwards Mulder's cell phone rang, and
he went outside to get better reception while he took the call. 
The two women were left at the table alone, and for a few moments
there was an uncomfortable silence.

"This isn't working out, is it?"  Rachel sighed, finally,  "Did
Brian push Mulder into it?"

"No, I don't think so."  Scully replied,  "Mulder's been watching
you at Vanderman's ever since you started working there. - I
can't think of a single time we went that he didn't have
something complimentary to say about you."

"Well tonight has certainly been an exception."  Rachel didn't
meet Scully's eyes, and looked across the restaurant towards the
door Mulder had disappeared through.

"Mulder just gets like this from time to time."  Scully assured
her,  "He'll snap out of it, - eventually."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt as the man in question
reappeared through the doorway, moving quickly towards the table. 
He seated himself without a word, but was prompted into an
explanation by an enquiring look from Scully.

"Just Pendrell."  he told her,  "He's finished working on those
analyses we sent up, and wanted to let us know the results."

"He's still at the lab.?"  Scully smiled slightly, surprised.

"I think he'd work all through the night if he thought it was
important to you."  Mulder commented dryly.  Scully blushed a
little, and looked down.  At this point Brian reappeared, and the
meal continued in only a slightly better humour than it had
started.

*          *          *

Mulder followed Rachel up the stairs to the third floor of her
apartment building, 16120 Ashcroft.  She stopped outside
apartment 32, and pulled a set of keys from her handbag.  She
unlocked the door, and went inside, allowing the door to swing
open so Mulder could follow her in, but without giving him any
invitation, or indication that she wanted him to.

They had barely spoken on the way home from the restaurant. 
Mulder had been absorbed in thoughts and worries about his
university friend and his partner, and Rachel had been staring
out of the passenger window with tears in her eyes, wondering
what she could have done to stop the date being such a disaster. 
She had avoided meeting Mulder's gaze as they arrived at her
apartment, and could only hope that he would leave quickly, as he
was sure to do given his shortness with her throughout the
evening.

Mulder came slowly out of his reverie, and looked around himself
at Rachel's apartment as he closed the door.  Everything was
simple and tasteful, and the decoration and positioning of the
furniture made the small apartment seem spacious and open.

Mulder's eyes came to rest on Rachel, who was standing at the
dinner table on the far side of the room, near a door he assumed
led to the kitchenette.  She was holding a t.v. guide in her
hands, but it was plain she was only pretending to read it.

"Rachel?"  he asked, uncertain as to her mood.  When she didn't
make any response, he moved slowly towards her, and put one hand
on her arm.  She pulled away as though his hand burned her.

"Don't touch me!"  she growled through clenched teeth.  Taken
aback, Mulder let his hand drop to his side again.  "Just go
home, - you don't need to stay here any longer."

"Rachel, I don't understand..."

"Yes you do! - You didn't want to go out with me anyway, so just
go home, and leave me alone."  The tears in her eyes started
falling.  Mulder stared at them, aghast.

"Rachel, I did..."  he protested, and then trailed off as he
realised what he had been doing all night. - Ignoring her while
he worried about Brian and his partner.  He lowered his head. 
"Rachel, I'm sorry. - I've been ignoring you. - I didn't mean to. 
I wasn't thinking straight.  I've got a lot of things on my mind.
- I didn't mean to upset you."  He looked up at her tear-streaked
face, and guilt clamped down on him hard.  He couldn't meet her
eyes, and had to look away.  "I guess I'd better go..."

Mulder started to turn away, but Rachel put a hand on his arm,
halting him.  She had seen something in his eyes, - guilt and
remorse, - and understood that he hadn't meant to treat her the
way he had.  He looked up and met her eyes, and she was jolted by
the pain she saw in the hazel orbs of his.  Taking his hand in
hers, she coaxed him to sit down on the sofa.  They could work
this out, she was sure...

*          *          *

There was a hesitant knock at the door of apartment 42.  Mulder
looked over towards the door from the couch where he had been
watching t.v., a frown on his face.  Uncoiling his long legs, he
got to his feet in a swift, supple movement, strode across to the
door, and threw it open.  He glared angrily at the figure waiting
in the corridor.

Brian looked cheerful, and his eyes sparkled with happiness. 
There was a small tinge of nervousness in his expression as well,
which darkened when he saw the look on Mulder's face.

"Where have you been, Leeds?"  Mulder demanded, his voice giving
an indication of his annoyance,  "It's been over four hours since
we left the restaurant."

"I... uh... I know. - Dana and I got talking, and we lost track
of the time. - I didn't mean to keep you up."

"You didn't."  Mulder growled, still standing in the doorway so
that Brian couldn't enter,  "I wouldn't have been asleep yet
anyway. - But I warned you to keep your hands off Scully..."

"I didn't touch her!"  Brian protested,  "Honest! - We just
talked.  Call her and ask her if you don't believe me."

"I would,"  Mulder intoned gravely,  "but she'd be in bed by
now."  He stood silent for a moment, glaring at Brian, and then
stepped to one side to let him into the apartment.  "I warned you
before,"  he added,  "that if you make any passes at Scully, I'll
kill you.  Don't think I was joking. - She is the most important
thing in my life, and I will not have you hurting her the way you
have some of your past girlfriends."

"Leave me alone!"  Brian cried, his own anger surfacing,  "Dana
and I can see each other if we want to.  It's nothing to do with
you. - Dana can make her own decisions."

"Yes, she can, - but Scully doesn't know you as well as I do."

"There you go again. - Scully. - You claim she means so much to
you, but you don't even use her first name!"

"So?"  Mulder said testily,  "She calls me Mulder. - It's just
the sort of relationship we have."

"Everyone calls you Mulder."  Brian replied quietly, but then
turned away from his old friend, too tired to argue any longer. 
He had spent a wonderful evening with a woman whose very voice
stopped his heart beating, and then made it pound hard in his
chest.  Talking to her, he had realised that they had so much in
common, and he believed that she had felt it too.  Now he was so
tired he just wanted to go to bed.  He went to the guest bedroom
Mulder had allocated him earlier, and closed the door wearily
behind him, shutting out Mulder, and all thoughts except those of
the beautiful woman he had spent the last six hours with.

*          *          *

A dark-haired man sat hunched over an untidy desk in the
cluttered basement office of the J. Edgar Hoover building.  A
desk lamp shone on the top of his head, the only light in the
room.  He ran his long-fingered hands through his tousled brown
hair, and then pressed the palms to his forehead and sighed in
frustration as he glared at the file open in front of him.

Fox Mulder had arrived at the Bureau headquarters very early, as
he frequently did when his troubled thoughts drove sleep out of
his mind.  He had set to work on some of the files which had
built up in his "In" tray during his and Scully's last case. 
Despite his reputation in the Bureau as "Spooky" Mulder, the
loose cannon with more interest in chasing little "grey" men than
more down to earth matters, most of his colleagues came down to
the basement at some point in their careers with a case that just
wasn't going anywhere.

Nine times out of ten he gave them new leads to work on.

Five times out of ten he solved the case from his desk.

He supposed that was why they called him "Spooky".

It was his special gift to be cursed with a photographic memory
and a knack for profiling serial killers.  With his background in
psychology, and his open-minded approach to cases, he could often
see much more than some of his more set-in-their-ways colleagues,
and some of them didn't like that.

Both the basement office and it's occupant were a mess.  Mulder's
jacket hung over a chair just behind where he sat.  His tie was
pulled loose around his neck, and the top button of his shirt was
undone in concession to the head that was already building up in
the stuffy confines of the office, the air-conditioning of which
had broken down a long time ago, and never been fixed.  His black
overcoat hung on a coat-stand just inside the door.  A black
baseball cap with the letters "N.I.C.A.P." on it balanced on top
of the stand.  At it's foot was a metal waste paper bin, with a
small basketball hoop above it. - It was overflowing with balls
of rolled up paper.

Against the wall to Mulder's left were three metal filing
cabinets.  The drawers of each were marked with the same title. -
"X-Files".

The X-files department was solely Mulder and Scully's concern. 
Most of their colleagues thought the work that they did in their
secluded office was a waste of time, and yet their cases often
came down from the highest levels within the Bureau. - And were
often terminated by similarly high forces. - The X-files were all
the cases that didn't come under any other category within the
Bureau.  Cases that the partner's abilities were well suited to,
with Mulder's open-mindedness, and Scully's scientific approach.

The fact that some people wanted the X-files permanently closed
was something that neither partner any longer had doubts about. -
It had been brought home to them more than once, and in
particularly brutal ways.

To Mulder's immediate left was another desk, unoccupied.  It was
much neater than his.  In front of him was a smaller table which
supported the computer.  Posters and photographs adorned all the
walls, and piles of documents were heaped on every available flat
surface, even the edges of the floor.  An old photocopying
machine stood in the corner to Mulder's right, also heaped with
case-files and analysis reports.

The door to the office opened, and Dana Scully came in.  Mulder
looked up from his work as she flicked the main light on, a smile
on his face as he opened his mouth to greet her.

He froze when he saw the expression on her face, his mouth
half-open, the smile falling away like water.  Her eyes were
narrow and cold, her expression one of extreme annoyance,
bordering on anger.

"Mulder,"  she said sharply,  "just what did you think you were
playing at last night?  You ignored Rachel the whole evening, and
made Brian and me feel very uncomfortable. - And I don't like
being made to feel uncomfortable when I'm out to have a nice
evening."

"I'm sorry, Scully."  Mulder shrugged.  She didn't back down.

"If I thought that by your saying that, it wouldn't happen again
if we did something similar in the future,"  Scully began,  "I
wouldn't mind.  But I think you would do the same thing again,
wouldn't you?"

Mulder shook his head,  "I don't know, Scully. - I didn't mean to
make you feel uncomfortable, I just don't want Brian to get close
to you, and then suddenly drop you liked I've seen him do to
women so many times before."

"Mulder, I can take care of myself,"  Scully said, exasperated, 
"and if I want to go out with Brian, I will. - Which is why I'm
meeting him for lunch today."

"You're going out with him again?"  Mulder's voice held a worried
tone.

"Yes, I am. - Is that alright?"  It wasn't a question, it was a
statement, but Mulder couldn't help shaking his head in reply.

"Please, Scully, just... don't get in too deep with Brian. - I
don't want to see him break your heart."

Scully raised an enquiring eyebrow, and moved to her desk.  She
put her briefcase down at the side of it, shrugged off her
overcoat, then reached for a file from those on the corner of her
desk, and set to work.

*          *          *

Mulder stared stonily ahead of him as he guided the car towards
16120 Ashcroft.  His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard in
response to the emotions running through him, that his knuckles
turned white.

They were returning home from another double date with Brian and
Scully, and Mulder was driving Rachel back to her apartment. 
They had been to the cinema together, and yet again the date had
been a disaster.  Mulder couldn't even remember how the film had
ended, because half an hour into it, Brian had put his arm around
Scully's shoulders, and Mulder had spent the rest of the evening
trying to figure out ways of making his old friend release his
hold on his partner.  Yet again, Rachel had featured little in
his thoughts.

Rachel was also silent and sullen.  She hadn't minded the fact
that Mulder hadn't kissed her, or put his arm around her, and had
actually enjoyed being out for once with a man who wasn't
constantly trying to "score" on her.  And when he had picked her
up, and when they had been alone, she had really enjoyed his
conversation.  His dry, self-depreciating humour made her laugh.

But once they were with Brian and Scully, she hadn't been able to
help but be aware that his attention was fixed elsewhere.  For
most of the film he had been glaring across at the other couple,
and barely paying attention to the movie (which had been his
choice) at all.

Mulder pulled up outside Rachel's apartment building, and she got
out quickly, figuring he'd probably drive away again immediately. 
As she moved towards the building she was surprised to hear the
engine go off, and a second car door slam.  As she entered, she
was aware of Mulder close behind her.

They ascended the stairs to the third floor, and she took a key
from the pocket of her jeans to unlock the door of her apartment. 
They went inside.  Mulder pushed the door closed behind him.

"So, want to crash on your sofa, and watch t.v. or what?"  he
asked, moving to the sofa, and sitting down.  He felt quite at
home in Rachel's apartment, having been there many times over the
past few weeks.  Rachel came to the end of the sofa, and stared
at him in half-disgust, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, why don't you just go home?"  she cried,  "It's obvious
you're not interested in me!"

"Rachel, what makes you think that?"  Mulder asked, surprised at
her angry mood.

"The fact that you ignored me all evening, *again*."  Rachel
replied,  "I honestly think you're more interested in Brian than
me. - Are you a closet homosexual or something?"

"No, Rachel, I..."  Mulder trailed off as he saw the sudden tears
that were now streaming down her cheeks.  He lowered his head
guiltily, and rested it in the palms of his upturned hands.  "I'm
sorry, Rachel,"  he said, his voice quiet and pained,  "It's... I
don't mean to ignore you, it's just I... I'm worried about
Scully."

Rachel raised an enquiring eyebrow, but said nothing.  Mulder
didn't raise his head as he continued.

"I've known Brian for a long time.  He has always moved quickly
from one woman to the next.  He's totally devoted to each one
until the next one comes along.  He... I don't trust him not to
hurt Scully the same way..."  He shrugged his shoulders slightly,
conveying his feelings of helplessness.  Rachel sat down next to
him, and expression of concern and sympathy on her face, which
was still wet with her tears.  "I see them together, and I see
her becoming more fond of him... and I'm afraid that she'll get
in too deep without knowing him well enough. - She's been through
so much recently, and I don't want to see her hurt again..."

Tears that did not fall choked his voice, and he buried his face
in his hands, hunched forward on the sofa.  Rachel put her arm
around him to offer comfort as he tried to deal with his
anguished emotions.  When he straightened up, she spoke to him
quietly.

"This isn't going to work, Mulder."  Her tone was gentle, and
understanding.  He looked up and met her eyes, and then shook his
head slightly.

"No, I guess you're right."

"I really like you as a friend, we get on really well, but I
don't think there can be anything more for either of us in our
relationship."

"No."  Mulder agreed.  He took her hand in his, and squeezed it. 
"Thanks for understanding."  he said.  She smiled.




*          *          *

Mulder glanced up from his desk as the door to the basement
office opened, and smiled when he saw his partner coming in.  She
had spent most of the morning doing a somewhat unpleasant
autopsy, and he hadn't seen her until this point.  Although his
face was the picture of pleasure at seeing her, his eyes held
other emotions as well, - caution and concern. - He saw how
radiantly happy she looked, and mentally warned himself to be
careful.

Scully had been out with Brian the previous night.  They had gone
out for a meal together, and had a very enjoyable evening. - It
seemed each time they spoke they found new things in common. -
She hung her dark blue overcoat on the coat-tree next to Mulder's
grey one, and moved over to her desk.  Sitting down in her
imitation leather swivel chair, she turned it slightly towards
him, a question on her face as she looked at him with her
eyebrows raised.

"What?"  Mulder asked.

"Precisely."  Scully agreed,  "What? - You've been staring at me
ever since I walked through the door.  Considering that you have
a photographic memory I would have thought that you could
remember what I look like."

"I... uh..."  Mulder struggled for words, which was unusual for
him, as she caught him with his guard half-down,  "I was thinking
how beautiful you look in that colour."

Scully glanced down at her maroon skirt and jacket, and then
looked up at her partner again, blushing very slightly.

"Why, thank you, Mulder."  she said, pleased.  He flushed
slightly, and turned back to his work.  Trying to sound
nonchalant, he asked, without glancing up,

"So how was the meal?"

"Very nice."  Scully replied,  "We went to that new French place
that just opened in Alexandria."

"Oh yes?"  Mulder tried to look as though he was interested in
his work.

"Mm. - It was very good.  The service was excellent, and the food
was delicious. - Brian even gave our order in French!"

"Well, he's been to France a lot."  Mulder told her,  "Now that
they've got the Channel Tunnel between France and England, he can
get from Oxford to Paris in a couple of hours by train."

Scully nodded, - she had already heard all this from Brian
himself. - She yawned, and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Late night?"  Mulder asked, barely able to disguise the emotion
in his voice.

"Brian came back to mine for a bit afterwards."  Scully replied, 
"We sat on the sofa and watched t.v. for a bit before..."

The phone on Scully's desk rang.  Mulder jumped in his chair,
surprised by the sudden sound when he had been concentrating so
hard on what Scully was saying.  She picked up the phone.

"Scully. - Hello, Brian... Yes, I am... Yes, he is... I would,
yes... okay... umm, 12.30?... okay, see you then. - Bye."  She
put the phone down.

"Brian?"  Mulder asked.  Scully nodded.

"Yes, he wanted to ask if I could meet him for lunch."

Mulder paled a little,  "Scully, do you really think it's a good
idea that you see so much of Brian? - You know he'll have to go
back to England eventually, if he doesn't meet someone else
first, and..."

"Mulder!"  Scully said angrily,  "Will you stop trying to run my
life! - I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, as you should
know by now..."

"Scully..."  Mulder began again, desperation in his voice.  He
was cut off by a knock at the door.

"What?"  Mulder yelled impatiently.  The door opened a little
way, and Agent Greeber came in.  He held a case-file in his
hands.  Scully looked back from Greeber to Mulder, who was still
watching her.

"I'm going to lunch."  she said pointedly, and got up to leave. 
As the door closed behind her, Mulder fixed angry eyes on Agent
Greeber.

*          *          *

Brian approached the door of Mulder's apartment warily, knowing
that Mulder would be angry when he discovered how late his friend
had returned home from his latest date with Dana Scully.  Still,
it had been an evening worth getting into an argument with Mulder
over.  He and Dana had cooked dinner together at her apartment,
and then sat down in front of the fire and talked, needing no
other form of entertainment to occupy them when they were
together.

Dana had reminded him of the first time she had seen him, when he
and Mulder had been chasing each other around Mulder's apartment,
both nude, swatting each other with wet towels.  He had flushed
in embarrassment at the memory, and they had laughed at his
idiocy together.

Brian took the spare key to the apartment from his pocket, and
glanced at his watch.  It was 2.30am. - Mulder would be fit to
split. - He could only hope that the over-protective agent would
be asleep.

Brian inserted the key into the door, and pushed it open, noting
with a mild interest as he did so that the "2" was coming unstuck
again.  Retrieving his key, he closed the door again quietly, and
moved into the apartment.  What he saw in the main room made him
freeze in shock.

Mulder was sprawled on the couch in sweat pants and a scruffy
white t-shirt.  His dark hair was tousled, and his chin shaded
with a day's stubble.  Across the room from him, the television
was on, although the sound was turned down.

All of this, though, Brian had seen before.

What had caused him to freeze were the tear stains on the
sleeping agent's cheeks.

Brian knew that his old friend often had bad dreams.  Even back
in their days at Oxford, Mulder's nights had been tormented by
something he would never discuss.  Brian knew that it had
something to do with his family, but Mulder had never told him
what.

Was another of those dreams the reason his friend had shed tears? 
Or did it have something more to do with his apparent fear of a
relationship forming between Brian and Scully, and the fact that
Brian had been so late getting home?  Brian didn't know.

Mulder jerked awake suddenly, some not-quite sleeping part of his
brain registering Brian's presence.  His right hand scrabbled for
his gun on the coffee table at his side, until his sleep-clouded
eyes cleared, and he saw Brian's concerned face looking down at
him.

Feeling embarrassed by his obvious display of paranoia, -
although in his case, it wasn't strictly paranoia, - Mulder
demanded,

"What time is it?"

"2.35."

"You just got in?"  Mulder's voice rose a notch as he surveyed
Brian's appearance, and he swung his long legs off the couch to
get up and face his friend.  "Where have you been?"  he demanded, 
"No, - don't answer that. - I know where you've been. - But what
have you been doing there until this time?"

"Talking."  Brian replied.  Mulder nodded.

"Talking."  he stated, disbelievingly,  "About what? - The
weather?"

"General things."  Brian protested,  "How we met.  What she got
up to in University.  You.  The X-files..."

"Me?"  Mulder enquired abruptly,  "What did you say about me?"

"Dana was talking about you. - Actually, she was trying to make
excuses for you, to explain why you've been acting like such a
jerk lately.  She says you're not usually like this."

"I don't usually have to deal with someone like you hitting on my
partner."  Mulder replied angrily.  There was a short silence,
which Mulder broke with another demand.

"And then what?  You couldn't have spent all night just talking."

Brian looked at his old friend, and his anger swelled. - Anger
against Mulder for being so over-protective of his partner, when
they both said their relationship was only professional.  He
calmly turned away from the harassed agent.

"I don't think I want to talk about it."  he said.

"What?"  Mulder exclaimed.

"Mulder, Dana's and my relationship is private.  It has nothing
to do with you, and I don't see why I should have to report back
to you every little detail every time I go out with her. - Now if
you don't mind, as you so correctly observed, it's late, and I
want to go to bed."

Brian turned and headed for his room, leaving an open-mouthed
Mulder standing by the couch.

*          *          *

"Cold?"  Brian asked, as he felt Scully shiver at his side.

"A little."  she admitted, not shifting her gaze from the gently
heaving ocean.  Brian sat forward slightly, and shrugged off his
denim jacket.  He wrapped it around her shoulders with an easy
movement, and then, one arm resting lightly across her back, he
drew her closer to him.

They had spent most of the afternoon together, and were
determined to stay out until the cold grew too much.  Since they
had met up nearly eight hours earlier, they had walked around
Annapolis, gone to the Naval Academy where they had sat, talking
and looking at the sea, until 5pm when the Academy closed to
visitors.  Then they had gone to one of the many cafes scattered
through Colonial Annapolis to eat, before going to sit at the
city docks.  The light had slowly faded, and with it the warmth
of the day.  The tourists and shoppers had slowly departed from
Market Place, and the people associated with the docks had left
with the sunset.  The usually busy square was now quiet, and
chill.

Scully snuggled closer against Brian's side, and she rested her
head against his shoulder.  He lifted his left hand to gently
brush away a lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes.  His
fingers trailed lightly down the side of her face.  A moment
later, she felt his lips briefly press into her hair, and the
action so surprised her that she sat up, and turned to look into
his face.

A tense silence fell between them, as their eyes communicated
without needing words.  Then, without either of them really being
aware of initiating it, their lips met in a kiss.

Scully closed her eyes as she felt Brian's lips, soft and gentle,
and yet also demanding, against hers.  His arms wrapped around
her, drawing her against him, and she allowed her body to mould
itself against his.  When their lips parted, their eyes met
again, and Scully found herself considering their hazel depths. 
Their colour was very similar to Mulder's, but when she looked
into Brian's eyes she didn't feel the overwhelming sensation of
his knowing her every thought and feeling as she did when she
locked gazes with Mulder.

"What are you thinking about?"  Brian asked.

"I... uh... I was thinking you have very beautiful eyes."  Scully
answered, a little embarrassed to realise that she had been
comparing him to her partner.  "And that it's getting cold. -
Perhaps we should head back to my apartment for a bit?"

"Sure."  Brian agreed.  He got to his feet, and offered Scully a
hand to help her to hers.  They turned away from the ocean to
walk back into the centre of Annapolis.

"It's very quiet."  Brian observed, glancing around at the empty
streets.  Scully nodded.

"Perhaps everyone's stayed at home."  she suggested,  "Do they
know something we don't?"

"Perhaps that that cloud is going to soak us pretty soon."  Brian
pointed up to the darkened sky, where a bank of brownish,
street-light lit cloud was moving towards them menacingly. 
Scully looked where he was pointing.

"I think we're going to get wet if we're not quick."  she
remarked.  They hurried their pace, but only a few minutes later
they felt the first drops of rain.

"Come on,"  Brian cried,  "we're going to get drowned in this."

The rain was falling harder already, and the couple broke into a
run as they went through the last couple of blocks before
Scully's house.

"Ow!"  Brian fell down with a short yelp of pain.  Scully ran to
his side, and crouched down by him.

"Brian?  What happened?"

"Twisted my ankle."  he muttered, his teeth clenched in pain, 
"Missed my footing and turned it over."

"Can you walk?"  she offered him a hand, and helped him to his
feet.  He tested the foot gingerly, and although he tried to
disguise it, it was obvious he could put very little weight on
it.  Scully moved around to support the side his wounded ankle
was on, and wrapped her arm around his waist.  "Come on."  she
said,  "You'd better come back to mine so I can check you over. -
You'll probably have to stay the night.  You won't be able to
walk on that for a while, and you'll have to keep it elevated."

"Great."  Brian muttered, and squeezed Scully's hand to show his
appreciation for her concern.  At a considerably reduced rate,
they hobbled towards Scully's house.

*          *          *

There was a loud and frenzied knocking at the front door of
Scully's house.  She was just about to go into the shower, and
was still in her nightclothes.  Wrapping her robe around herself,
she sighed, and went to the door.

It was Mulder.  He seemed momentarily taken aback when he saw she
wasn't dressed yet. - He looked wide awake, and ready for the
office.

"I'm sorry, Scully. - Did I wake you?"

"No, it's okay, Mulder.  I was just about to go into the shower. 
I'm running a bit late this morning. - Overslept."

Mulder nodded in understanding.  "I was wondering if you have any
idea where Brian is? - He didn't come back last night..."

"Sure."  Scully nodded,  "He's here."

Mulder froze in mid-sentence, and stared at her.  Finally he
choked out a word.  "Here?"

Scully nodded.  "He twisted his ankle when we were out yesterday. 
He can barely walk, so I let him stay here."  At Mulder's worried
look, she added,  "On the couch."

Ushering her partner into the main room, she pointed to Brian,
who was sitting on the couch with a blanket covering him, one
bandaged foot resting on a low stool, watching morning television
with sleep-filled eyes.  At the side of the couch was a clothes
airer, and Mulder recognised Brian's shirt, jacket, and trousers
hanging on it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Leeds?"  Mulder
demanded, moving to stand between Brian and the television.

"Mulder!"  Scully exclaimed at the harshness of his greeting.

"You're coming back to my place. - Now!"  Mulder told his
unfortunate friend, without paying any attention to Scully's
growing anger.  He tossed Brian's clothes at him.

"No, you are not!"  Scully cried,  "You need to keep your foot
up, and rest it a while longer. - You're not going anywhere."

"Dana, I think perhaps it's best if I go with Mulder now."  Brian
said gently.  Scully visibly softened, and she made no attempt to
stop him as he struggled into his trousers and shirt, got up from
the sofa, and hopped after Mulder towards the door.

A few moments later, the front door banged behind the two men,
and Scully was left staring after them in disbelief.

*          *          *

Brian hobbled into Mulder's apartment ahead of his old friend. 
He headed towards the couch, his wounded ankle throbbing
painfully.  Behind him the door slammed, hard.

"You can drop the act now, Leeds. - You don't fool me."

"Act?"  Brian turned as far as his body would allow without
putting his foot down, to look at his friend.

"This twisted ankle business to get sympathy from Scully. - It
won't get you any pity here."

"Mulder, it's not an act..."  Brian protested, and gave up trying
to stand in order to hold his ground in the argument he had known
was coming ever since they had left Scully's house.  He sat down
heavily on the couch, and suddenly had an idea.  Bending forward,
he pulled off his loosely laced shoe and black sock from his hurt
foot, and then sat back so that Mulder could see the impressive
bruises there.

"Am I acting that?"  he said pointedly.  Mulder glanced at the
ankle, and shrugged.

"So you really did twist it. - Big deal. - You still didn't need
to stay the night at Scully's.  You could have come back here."

"Knowing the reception I'd get, I didn't really want to."  Brian
muttered.  Then he twisted around to look at Mulder, who was
standing behind him, and demanded,  "What gives you the right to
determine what Dana and I do together, anyway?  We're both
consenting adults, - we can make our own decisions."

"Scully is my partner and my closest friend. - That gives me the
right. - She's saved my life more times than I can count, and
it's my duty to look out for her."  Mulder's voice was growing
more and more angry.

"And protect her from people like me?"  Brian countered.

"Yes!"  Mulder yelled,  "Because you're a scheming, conniving
person, and she doesn't know you well enough not to be vulnerable
to your charms.  I wouldn't have put it past you to make up the
story about your ankle, and I certainly don't believe you didn't
use it to garner sympathy from her."

"Mulder, I *love* Dana. - Don't you understand that?  Don't you
remember what it feels like?  What about when you were infatuated
with Phoebe Green?  I was going out with her at the time, and
okay, we broke it off, but I didn't try to control *your*
relationship."

"That was different."  Mulder said stiffly, and there was much
hidden pain in his voice.

"Was it?  I'm talking about *feelings* here, Mulder.  I know what
you and Phoebe got up to while you were together, and that was up
to the two of you.  I didn't make an issue of it.  Now if Dana
and I were to decide we wanted to have a one night stand in a
hotel room, and then leave it at that and forget the whole
thing..."

Brian's words came to an abrupt halt as Mulder suddenly reacted. 
The agent's face had been growing steadily redder throughout the
argument, and now something suddenly struck a raw nerve. 
Long-hidden emotions, buried after his failed relationship with
Phoebe Green, had been exposed by Brian's words, and now the
off-hand reference to Scully was the final straw that broke him.

In an instant Mulder's weapon was in his hand, and he was
pressing the cold muzzle of his Smith and Wesson 1056 against the
vulnerable flesh of Brian's neck, and leaning menacingly over his
friend.

"Don't you *ever* suggest *anything* like that again."  he
growled,  "Don't even *think* it."

Brian stared up at his friend in disbelief and shock, unable to
immediately comprehend the sudden change of events.  After a few
moments, Mulder began to look as confused as his friend.  He
straightened up, re-holstered his gun, and started to turn away. 
Then he began to turn back, his mouth open, and one hand raised
as though he would say something.  Then, with a little shake of
his head, he strode quickly towards the door, and went out of the
apartment, leaving Brian alone.




*          *          *

Rachel came out of her kitchenette with a mug of hot tea in each
hand.  She placed one on a small wooden table at the end of the
sofa, and the other on the floor by her feet as she sat down at
the other end of the two-seater.

Mulder sat hunched forward, his head resting in the palms of his
hands.  He hadn't spoken in words since he arrived, but the pain
in his eyes when Rachel had opened the door to let him in had
said volumes.

She put one hand lightly on his arm, glad to see he was no longer
shaking, and spoke gently.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?"  she asked.  Mulder raised
his head, and turned it to look into her eyes.  She had
difficulty suppressing a gasp at the pain she saw in his.

"Oh, Rachel,"  he whispered,  "I didn't know where else to come.
- I've done something terrible..."  His words trailed off, and he
swallowed hard before continuing.  "Brian and I had a big
argument, and I... pulled my gun on him."

Rachel's eyes widened,  "What were you arguing about?"

Mulder's eyes clouded over.  "Scully."  he whispered, and shook
his head slowly, returning it to his hands for a moment, before
raising it again suddenly to look at Rachel.  "What's going on?" 
he asked plaintively,  "Why did a stupid comment Brian made about
my partner make me so angry that I did something like that?  I
know Scully's a close friend, but such a violent reaction like
that..."

"Is that all she is?"  Rachel asked perceptively,  "Just a close
friend?  The defensiveness and protectiveness you show concerning
her most people would consider to indicate much deeper feelings.
- Maybe even love."

Mulder's head jerked up again, and he fixed his gaze on Rachel. 
"Love? - But she's my partner."

"What difference does that make to your heart?"  Rachel asked. 
Mulder stared at her, his thoughts running over themselves.

What difference indeed?

*          *          *

Brian felt almost like a criminal as he crossed Washington
National Airport's main departure lounge with Mulder on his
right, and Scully on his left.  The three of them had a tendency
to bear to the left, as Mulder's overbearing hostility made Brian
move towards the comfort of the woman at his side.

They angled towards the coffee bar, and worked their way through
the busy crowd of tourists and business-people to reach the
counter.  Scully ordered them each of cup of coffee, and once
they had it, they moved to an empty table, and sat down.

"You didn't *have* to come and see me off, you know."  Brian said
pointedly to Mulder.  The agent shrugged.

"This is the best thing that's happened to me all month."  he
said, not bothering to disguise his feelings from Scully, as he
knew she was only too aware of them,  "Why should I want to miss
it?"

"Making sure I leave the country, right?"  Brian said bitterly.

"That's right, Leeds."  Mulder replied matter-of-factly, and
lifted one hand to slightly loosen his tie.  He turned to Scully. 
"Is it me, or is it warm in here?"

"It's warm."  Scully answered shortly, and turned to Brian to
make up for her partner's incivility.  "I hope your mother will
be better soon."

"She'll probably be fine."  Brian replied,  "She's been on and
off like this ever since Dad died. - But I'll give her your best
wishes."

Mulder glanced at his watch, and twisted to look at the departure
listings.

"There's another half hour until boarding."  Brian said quietly. 
Mulder looked across at him.

"I was just checking whether the..."

Mulder's words were drowned out by a loud explosion coming from
behind the luggage carousel, which was on the far side of the
departure lounge.  Before the sound had finished reverberating
around the room, he and Scully were both on their feet, their
weapons in their hands, and running towards the source of the
explosion.  Almost everyone else in the room was frozen, and
staring in the direction the sound had come from.

Brian raced after the two agents as they crossed the crowded
lounge, and ran around the luggage carousel to a door marked
"Authorised Airport Staff Only".  With a swift kick from Mulder,
the door flew open, and both agents disappeared through it, with
Brian just behind them.

The three were in a huge room where the incoming and outgoing
luggage was sorted and transported between passenger and 'plane. 
Conveyor belts carried groups of bags and suitcases up and down
between the carousel and the 'planes.  Small fork-lift trucks
stood abandoned by the walls, waiting to be needed.  Metal
cat-walks overhead provided access to the machinery for
maintenance crews.  Large tanks of water for the airport's
kitchens and public amenities stood in the room, which seemed
both noisy - from the constant whir of the machinery, and quiet,
- from the emptiness, - at the same time.  They couldn't see
across the whole room, which ran the length of the airport
building.

Mulder realised that Brian had followed him and Scully out of the
departure lounge.

"Leeds!"  he yelled,  "Go back. - We don't know what we're facing
here."

A moment later that lack of knowledge was decreased a little by a
gunshot from the far end of the huge room.  Mulder and Scully
both dropped into defensive crouches, their guns aimed in the
direction of the shot, as they looked for cover.  Brian dived
behind the nearest conveyor belt, and peered over it.

As the three moved from one position to the next, across the huge
room, they saw the effect of the explosion.  A huge fire was
raging on the far side of the room, which had apparently also
been used as an aircraft hanger for small 'planes.  Two 'planes
were already burning, and the third looked in danger of going up. 
The flames were already spreading to the canvas conveyor belts,
and traveling up into the cat-walks above the room.  Pretty soon
the building would begin to come down, piece by piece.

Most of the three's attention, however, was on the new gunshots
ringing out through the room.  It appeared that there were two or
three people over by the 'planes, presumably the people who had
started the fire.  Mulder and Scully returned the shots when they
got the opportunity, but the shooters appeared to only be
interested in getting away from them.  The agents pursued them,
moving towards the quickly-spreading fire.

A sudden screeching and wrenching of metal above him caused
Mulder to look up. - The metal cat-walk almost directly above him
was coming away from it's supports, and was in danger of falling.
- Scully was directly beneath it.

"Look out, Scully!"  he yelled over the rapidly increasing noise. 
She turned towards him, and as she did the cat-walk supports let
go.  She looked up as the metalwork descended on her, and started
to move away, but there was no time.  She was knocked to the
ground, her legs trapped, and her skull connected hard with the
stone floor, knocking her unconsciouss.

"Dana!"  Brian cried, and started to move towards her.  A moment
later he was knocked off his feet, and he glanced down in dismay
to see blood blooming around a ragged hole in the sleeve of his
shirt.  Distracted for a moment, he had been hit by one of the
bullets the shooters were still firing.

Mulder was occupied with the flames that were suddenly all around
him.  His fear of fire, which stemmed from an incident in his
youth, was hard upon him, but he was fighting it, and the flames,
as hard as he could.  With another screech of metal, another
piece of cat-walk came down, and knocked him flat onto his back. 
Pinned across the chest by a piece of metal he couldn't move,
Mulder's eyes fixed in horror on a large canister of fuel by the
remaining 'plane.  The flames were fast encroaching on it, and
when it exploded, both he and Scully would almost certainly be
burned to death.

*          *          *

Scully opened her eyes, and squinted at the bright whiteness all
around her.  As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, her nose
picked up the antiseptic smell of a hospital, and she tried to
sit up.

Mistake.  The pain that washed over her immediately changed her
mind in that direction.  Every part of her body felt bruised and
sore, and her legs were so heavy and stiff she suspected that
beneath the starchy white linen sheets, they might be in casts.

A man appeared at the side of the bed, and looked down at her, a
sympathetic smile on his face.

"Agent Scully?  I'm Doctor Knowles. - How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure. - How bad am I?"  she reciprocated.  He smiled
faintly.

"I understand you're a medical doctor?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"You're not badly hurt.  Your legs were trapped by some hot
metal, and you've got a third degree burn across the back of
them, but it looks as though it will heal very well. - Your legs
have been bandaged to protect the damaged skin. - You've got a
lot of bruises and lacerations, and a mild concussion, but other
than that, no damage."

"It doesn't feel like it."  Scully muttered through clenched
teeth.  The doctor smiled.  "Where's Mulder, and Brian?"

"Brian? - The other man with you didn't have any I.D."

"Brian Leeds."  Scully confirmed.

"He's okay.  He got trapped under some masonry, and pretty badly
burned.  His right leg is broken, but it's a clean break, and
should heal fine. - I'm afraid you won't recognise him at the
moment under all the bandages.  His entire skin surface has
suffered third and fourth degree burns, but he'll be alright. 
He's being kept under sedation."

"And Mulder?"

The doctor's face went suspiciously blank.  Scully's face went
suddenly impassive at his reaction, and the only sign of her
agitation as she repeated her request was a slight quiver of her
lower lip.

"And Mulder?"

"Agent Scully."

Scully looked towards the door of the room, and saw Assistant
Director Skinner standing there.  The doctor took his leave
hastily as Skinner came into the room.

"Sir?"  Scully sat up a little, despite the protestations of her
body,  "What about Agent Mulder?  Why won't the doctor tell me
how he is?"

"Scully..."  Skinner began, standing at the side of the bed
looking down on her, his face somber,  "Dana,... I'm afraid
Mulder didn't make it.  A fuel canister exploded, and he was
caught by it. - He'd been trapped by the fallen metalwork, just
as you were.  - The doctors think it was pretty well instant..."

"Mulder?... No..."  Scully shook her head, denying what her
superior was telling her,  "No, I don't believe it..."

Skinner slowly reached into the pocket of his black overcoat, and
pulled out a small plastic evidence bag.  Inside was an FBI
identification card and badge.  The black wallet that held them
was melted along one side, but Scull could still make out the
photograph of her partner, and his scrawled signature.  Tears
fell slowly from her wide and disbelieving eyes as Skinner
continued.

"We found this with Mulder's gun, and the remains of his jacket
with the body."  he said,  "There... wasn't much else left."

Scully stared at the burned wallet, and wondered if she had any
future left.

*          *          *

Scully's eyes snapped open as she jerked into wakefulness after a
twenty-four hour sedation, and fixed on the figure of the
Assistant Director, who was looking down on her with concern.

"I want to see him."  she said.

Skinner nodded, as though he had expected this, although he
didn't seem entirely happy with her request.

"Dr. Knowles said you can get up as soon as you want after the
sedative's effects have worn off."

"Good."  Scully sat up, and then hesitated for a moment as
dizziness washed over her, before swinging her legs off the side
of the bed.  Vaguely aware of the flimsiness of her attire in her
superior's presence, she automatically put one hand behind her to
hold the hospital gown closed at the back. - After all, she had
worn enough of the useless things since she has started working
on the X-files. - But most of her mind was on her partner.

She felt another wave of dizziness as she stood up, and after
another short pause she cast her gaze around on the floor until
her eyes happened upon what she was looking for, - a pair of
crepe slippers.  They were at least three sizes too big for her,
but they would do.  She set off out of the room, with Skinner
following a little way behind.

Scully could tell when they were approaching the morgue by the
change in smell alone.  A pathologist by specialisation, she
recognised the type of disinfectant used in the morgue area,
without even being aware that it was her sense of smell which
told her they were nearly there.

Skinner stepped ahead of her as they reached the door, and held
it open for her to go through.  Then he crossed the white-tiled
outer room to a bench to retrieve two evidence bags.  He carried
them back to Scully.

The first held Mulder's gun.  Scully recognised the familiar
weapon instantly, but even so she took the bag from Skinner's
hands, and examined it carefully.  When she passed it back, he
handed her the second bag.

The bag contained a piece of grey material, about ten inches
square.  Two of the sides were frayed and burnt, but the others
were still properly finished.  Scully could see the front left
pocket of the jacket of Mulder's suit, - the one he had been
wearing at the airport. - She held it lovingly in her hands, and
her sharp eyes picked out a small mark on the bottom where he had
once spilled coffee, and the stain had never properly come out.

Handing the bag back to Skinner with a heavy heart, she repeated
her earlier request.

"I want to see him."

"Dana, I don't think that's a very good idea. - He was very badly
burned.  There really isn't a lot to see..."

"I *need* to see him."  Scully emphasised, and lifted her head to
look into Walter Skinner's face,  "So many times I've been
deceived in what I thought was the truth. - I need to be sure
this time."

There was a long silence between the two of them, and then
Skinner turned towards the inner door, and led Scully into the
inner room.  A technician working there went to one of the
drawers at the end of the room, and pulled the stainless steel
door open.  The tray inside slid smoothly out.  Scully moved to
the head of the corpse, and was looking down onto it when the
technician pulled back the thin white sheet covering the body.

She sucked in her breath sharply.  She had seen burned bodies
before, but never one of someone she knew, and certainly not of a
friend as close as Mulder had been.

The skin was entirely burned away, as was most of the hair.  A
few strands remained, although singed, at the back of the head,
and Scully could see they had once been dark brown.  The body was
twisted, broken bones beneath what remained of the muscle and
skin.

Scully took all this in as she stared at the cadaver in silence. 
she felt tears fighting their way to the surface, and clenched
her teeth as she tried to hold them back.  A painful sob welled
up in her as she looked again at his burned face, and, no longer
able to hold her grief back, she turned away from the twisted
form, - and walked straight into Skinner, who had come to stand a
little way behind her.  His arms automatically rose to embrace
her, and after a moment of stiff uncertainty, she allowed him to
comfort her as her tears fell on his shoulder.  Behind her, the
technician carefully covered the body again, and slid the drawer
back.

*          *          *

Scully and Skinner stopped outside the door of the room the nurse
had told them Brian was in.  The female agent's face was still
streaked with tears, but she accepted no support from her
superior.

"I'm sorry, Dana."  Skinner said again.  She nodded dumbly, and
watched as he walked away down the hospital corridor.  Still
gripping the back of her hospital gown with one hand, she pushed
the door open, and went into Brian's room.

Brian was lying on the bed in the centre of the small room.  A
thin sheet was draped over him, which wasn't really necessary as
his whole body was covered with bandages and dressings.  An I.V.
bag hung above him, delivering nutrients, water, and sedative
through the needle in his right arm.

Scully took all this in from her position just inside the door,
and a thought suddenly ran through her head.  <If only it had
been Brian instead of Mulder who died>.

Scully blinked, startled by the thought, and moved quickly to the
side of the bed.  Pulling a wooden chair over from the side of
the room, she sat down at Brian's side.  She wanted to take his
hand in hers, and hold it, but she was afraid of doing more
damage to his skin.  She had to content herself with merely
looking at his bandaged head instead.  A lump formed in her
throat.  How could this have happened?  How could Mulder be dead? 
Why should he have been the one to die, and not Brian?

Scully caught herself. - That was the second time she had wished
that Mulder and Brian were in the opposite positions.  Surely, if
she was in love with Brian as she had thought, she should be glad
that he was the one who had survived?

A horrible realisation struck her then.  As though the fire had
burned away all the rubbish in her head, and her tears had washed
her mind clear, she saw that her "feelings" for Brian had only
ever been a reflection of his feelings for her.  Constantly
deluged with Brian's protestations of love and undying devotion,
she had come to believe she felt the same thing. - But she
didn't, and it had taken this to make her realise that her
partner was still by far the most important person in her life.

Or he had been. - Now Mulder was gone, so where did that leave
her?

A terrible ache filled Scully's heart as she realised just how
much her partner had meant to her.  The word "love" played on the
edge of her mind, and although she knew, and had known for a
while, that she had loved Mulder as a close friend, she couldn't
bring herself to consider if she had been *in* love with him.

Tears filled her eyes again, and she rested her folded arms on
the edge of the bed, and buried her face in the crook of her
elbow as her grief overtook her.




*          *          *

Scully sat at Brian's bedside, unmoving, her eyes fixed on the
bandages.  It had been a week since the incident, and she had
only been home to get some clothes.  The rest of the time she had
spent at Brian's bedside.  Finally Dr. Knowles had announced that
Brian's skin was healed enough for his dressings to be removed,
and Scully was waiting for the nurse to arrive and carry out the
task.

There was a light tap at the door, and a young Afro-Carribean
nurse came in.  She smiled, and nodded to Scully as she went to
the bedside, and carefully began to unwrap the bandages.

Scully looked down at her hands in her lap while the nurse was
working, wondering if she would ever be able to look Brian in the
face again, knowing that she had spent most of the week lamenting
that it had not been Mulder who had survived.

"There we are."  the nurse said,  "I've removed his I.V. as well.
- He should wake up in a couple of hours."  She started to move
towards the door.  Scully lifted her head to look at Brian's
face.

"Oh my God!"  Scully exclaimed, her voice barely reaching above a
loud whisper.  Her hand rose to cover her mouth, as the young
nurse turned back to see what was wrong.

"What's the matter?  Agent Scully?"

"That's... that's not..."  Scully's eyes were wide in shock, and
she suddenly turned towards the door, pushed past the nurse, and
ran out of the room, down the corridor, and straight into
Skinner.

Blinded by the tears in her eyes, Scully hadn't seen her superior
approaching.  The surprise of running into him dragged a shrill
scream from her lips.

Seeing that the agent was close to being hysterical, Skinner
caught firm hold of both her wrists, and demanded,

"What's the matter, Agent Scully?"

"Mulder..."  she gasped hoarsely,  "The nurse took the bandages
off Brian, and when I looked I saw Mulder lying there..."  She
dragged in a huge gulp of air, and her knees gave way, collapsing
her against the Assistant Director's chest as she wept,  "I've
been wishing so much that it was Mulder and not Brian in that
room, and now I'm going crazy because I'm really seeing it."

Intrigued by her words, and severely concerned for her mental
state, Skinner carefully supported her with an arm around her
waist, and walked her back to the open door of the room.  Scully
closed her eyes as the reached the doorway, but Skinner looked
through it at the figure on the bed.  His normally impassive face
registered momentary shock, before he spoke to the tearful woman
at his side.

"It's alright, Dana, - it really *is* Mulder."

"What?"

"You're not going crazy. - Look!"

Scully looked into the room at the figure on the bed again, and
saw the burned, but still very recognisable face of her partner. 
As her tears turned from those of sadness to those of joy, she
went back to the bedside to wait for her partner to wake up.

*          *          *

Mulder's eyes flickered open, and he looked up into the concerned
face of his partner.  Her concern quickly became his, however,
when her eyes suddenly filled with tears which overflowed and ran
down her pale cheeks.

"Scully?  What's the matter?"  he asked hoarsely.

"Oh Mulder, I'm just so relieved you're alright. - I thought you
were dead..."

Mulder shook his head, and said reassuringly,  "I'm not going
anywhere."

Scully smiled, and sat down, wiping the tears from her face.  She
took her partner's hand in hers.  "It's been eight days since the
fire, Mulder. - You were unconsciouss when they brought you in,
and they've kept you sedated ever since because of the pain your
burns would have caused you if you'd been awake before they'd
started healing properly."

"What about you, Scully? - Are you alright?"  Mulder asked,
moving his hand so that it surrounded hers.  She nodded, but when
his eyes sought out hers, she found herself unable to speak, and
for once she couldn't hold his gaze, and had to look away.  "What
is it?"  Mulder asked perceptively.  Scully shook her head, part
of her cursing her partner for being able to read her so well. 
She didn't want to have to tell him about Brian's death just yet,
not while she was still uncertain about his physical health. -
But it looked like he might force the information out of her.

"I'm just... relieved, Mulder."  she said finally,  "Relieved
that you're alright."  It was the truth, - she couldn't lie to
him.

"But you must have known I was alright."  Mulder countered, 
"Surely the doctors told you my condition, and you could see for
yourself that I was only burned?"

Scully shook her head slowly, tears filling her eyes as she
looked back at the events of the week.

"Mulder, I... I didn't really want to tell you this yet, but
you'll have to know. - Mulder, I've got some bad news. - Brian
was killed in the fire."

Mulder's eyes clouded over, and he closed them momentarily as
though trying to block out some ugly vision.  When he opened them
again, Scully was looking down at his hand, which she still held
in both of hers.

"They found part of your jacket, and your I.D. and gun with
Brian's body. - He was so badly burned that even I couldn't tell
it wasn't you, and *you* were so bandaged up I couldn't tell you
weren't Brian.  It was only two hours ago when the nurse removed
your bandages that I realised you weren't dead, and then I
thought I was experiencing delusions because I'd been wishing so
hard that it had been Brian and not you who had been killed in
the fire."

"You were wishing...?...  But I thought you loved Brian?"  Mulder
asked, confused.

"I thought so too, but when this happened I realised that my
feelings were only a reflection of his feelings for me."

Mulder closed his eyes again, and started speaking a moment
before he re-opened them.

"I was so wrong about him. - I didn't believe he really cared for
you, but he gave his life to save you..."

"What?"  Scully asked.  Mulder took a deep breath.

"A moment after you were knocked unconsciouss, another piece of
masonry came down on me, trapping me, but not hurting me too
badly.  Brian was distracted by what had happened to you, and one
of the shooters' bullets caught him in the arm.  He picked up my
jacket, which I'd taken off to fight back the fire, from the
floor, and used it to bandage his arm and try to stop the blood
loss.  Then he picked up my gun, which I'd dropped when I was
knocked down, to defend himself with.  He fired a few shots at
the shooters, who'd taken off by then anyway, and then went to
help you.  There was more metalwork about to come down on top of
you, which would probably have crushed you, and the fire was
spreading towards a fuel canister at the side of the only 'plane
not already burning.

"I'm sure Brian could see that he wouldn't stand a chance unless
he made a run for it, but he freed you from the fallen metalwork
over you, carried you to the side of the room, and put you down
behind one of the water tanks.

"Then the metal cat-walk came down, and Brian was pinned under
it.  A moment later the fuel canister and the last 'plane went up
almost simultaneously.  I guess the tank protected you. - Brian
musn't have stood a chance. - Then I lost consciousness.  I never
believed he felt so strongly for you that he would do something
like that.  I was so busy being angry with him."

"Jealousy?"  Scully suggested playfully, half-hoping he would
admit that had been the case.  Mulder shrugged.

"I was just angry because I thought he was using you, like he did
Phoebe, and like he had every other woman who'd every been in his
life."

Scully let out a small breath she hadn't realised she had been
holding, and clamped down on her disappointment.  Aware that
something was still bothering her partner, she leaned forward to
make eye contact.

"Mulder?  What is it?"

"When I was trapped under the metalwork, I could see you about
twenty feet away from me. - I felt so guilty that there was
nothing I could do to help you. - If it hadn't been for Brian,
you would have been killed, but it took something like this to
make me realise his feelings for you were genuine."

Scully heard the pain in her partner's voice,  "It's okay,
Mulder."  she said,  "I discovered something about *my* feelings
through this as well. - Sometimes we have to learn from tragedy."

Mulder lowered his head, and nodded slowly.

Assistant Director Skinner paused at the door of the room, and
looked in to see his two best agents joined in grief for a man
who had confused *both* their emotions.


The End.

I'd greatly appreciate any comments or constructive criticism from fellow
X-Philes.  Email me at <smythja@aston.ac.uk>.

Danielle Culverson.