From: Ram Date: 3 Jan 2000 11:41:02 -0800 Subject: NEW: Hearts Entwined 1/1 From: "Ram" Title: Hearts Entwined. Author: Joey R. Rating: PG. Category: Short MSR, very slight angst. Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, wish Mulder's waterbed and non-existent fish were mine but they're not. They all belong to the very rich and very talented CC. (No, I'm not sucking up.) He created them and he earns all the money from them, I earn nothing. At all. Spoilers: None, that I'm aware of. Summary: Scully's gone but Mulder's the one who feels lost. Archive: Yes to everywhere. Feedback: All welcome at Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk feedback cherished and will be rewarded with a yummy Mulder clone. Flames: If you can find the time to write them, I'll try to find the time to read them. Dedication: Tanja, Lyndsey, Lisa, M, Catriona, Exfilia, Erin, Caroline, Courtney, Traci, Rotem, Mary, Kimi, Kayla, Kit and Susan. Note: This story has nothing to do with any other stories written by me. I've never been to California so details of Lake Tahoe may not be accurate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where there is great love, There are always miracles. ~ Willa Cather ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ________________________________ Hearts entwined By Joey R. +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hearts Entwined (1/2). It was three months since Dana Scully had left him but it felt more like three years to Fox Mulder. The minutes seemed like hours, days seemed like weeks and weeks seemed like months. He had felt her absence since she'd said goodbye and he was beginning to think he would never numb to the pain. There were so many things that Mulder regretted. He was full of pain, guilt and regret. He should have told her how he felt, he should have told her how he appreciated her and there were a lot more things he should have said. But he hadn't. He had missed his chance. She was gone. She'd left - after giving him plenty of warning, though. He hadn't taken her seriously, he'd selfishly and foolishly thought he could persuade her to stay again. He knew now how incredibly foolish it had been for him to assume that and he knew he had been possessive of her, trying and assuming she would stay with him as he so very much wanted. In some part of his subconscious, Mulder felt that she was better off without him. He was sure she'd be happier without him. She'd have a wonderful, high-flying career at last and she'd most likely meet and fall in love some brilliant and wealthy doctor who'd treat her like she deserved to be treated. Mulder shook the thoughts from his mind and got out of bed. He looked out of the bedroom window, over-looking the bay. At his mother's insistence and at the continuous insistence of his friends, The Lone Gunmen, he had agreed reluctantly to go to his Aunt's summerhouse in Lake Tahoe. Everyone had been worried about him, about how her leaving had affected him. They had also voiced their concern - including Scully herself, who had called him regularly for the first month until it got too hard for her, he suspected. Now, he was in a cabin on the edge of Lake Tahoe and he still couldn't get his mind off her. His dreams were filled with her as they always were but now his thought were consumed with her every waking and sleeping moment. Mulder heaved a heavy sigh and went into the bathroom. It was about time he tried to live his life without Dana Scully by his side. He would go out for a walk around the lake and think of everything and anything but her. A while later, he was washed and shaved. He ate a quick breakfast and set off for a walk and some fresh air. Mulder left the cabin and walked through the woods towards the shore. He hadn't walked far when he saw a faint figure in the distance, walking slowly along t he shore towards him. He could tell it was a woman from where he was but she looked too thin - even with the distance between them. He continued walking towards her, glancing out onto the lake occasionally and then back to the woman, trying to make sure that when they met up, he would have enough time to ensure they weren't in each other's way. They were both preoccupied when they met on the Lake's edge. She was looking out on the lake and he was looking back the way he'd come. They walked into each other at quite a force, knocking them off balance. Mulder instinctively reached out to steady her, his arms going around her slender waist and pulling her against his chest so they could both regain their balance and catch their breath. " I'm sorry!" They both spoke in unison, their voices blending into one. Her hands pushed against his chest slightly as she moved away. He caught a glimpse of red and a faint but familiar scent crept up his nostrils which made him keep a loose grip on her waist, stopping her from moving away completely. She stared up at him, surprised at his actions. She was even more surprised, however, when his jaw dropped in recognition. --------------------------- End of Part One Hearts Entwined (2/ " Scully?" He frowned slightly, still holding her, scared she was going to run away. " Mulder." It was all Dana Scully could say. She was speechless. She had spent two months in her brother's cabin on the lakeside trying to forget about the man who stood before her. She'd failed miserably and now here he was, holding her securely in the same way she'd been dreaming about him holding her for months. " You..You're really here," Mulder was obviously still amazed. " You look...too thin. And your hair has grown.." " I know," she nodded, knowing she was going to start babbling to cover the awkward silence. " I couldn't really be bothered to get my hair cut, there's not that many places round here to go to. And I guess I have lost some weight since coming here, I just can't seem bothered. Too many things to think about and preparing meals isn' t one of them --" He cut her off by drawing her closer and planting a hard and very passionate kiss on her lips. The kiss lasted for a while, both of them unwilling to break the much longed for contact. In the end, it was Scully who broke away - reluctantly and breathlessly - in order to take a deep breath. They both seemed rather breathless and light-headed and neither made any move to pull away. " Sorry," he murmured. " I've just wanted... I promised myself, if I ever saw you again, I'd kiss you. Just to know, to know if it was like my dreams." " Was it?" She smiled slightly, her heart pounding and her face flushed. " Surprisingly, in reality, it's better than it is in my dreams. I didn't think it was possible," he grinned, the grin lighting up his face. " The real thing is definitely much better," she agreed, her smile widening whilst she wore a shy expression. " So, what are you doing here?" " I'm staying at my Aunt's summerhouse. Everyone thought I needed to get away, to try and forget about you ironically enough." He explained. " That was the aim of my staying here," she nodded in agreement. " To forget about you. It didn't work." " Not for me, either," he grinned again. " You're a hard woman to forget, Miss. Scully." " You too," Scully laughed slightly before turning serious. " I've missed you." " I've missed you too," he took her hand and squeezed it softly, tenderly looking at her. " I.. I've regretted letting you leave, regretted not making more of an effort to get you to stay." " I regret leaving," she sighed. " It hasn't done me any good as you noticed. And it doesn't seem to have done you any good either." " Did you expect it to?" Mulder asked as they began walking towards his cabin. " Not really. I knew I wouldn't be happy but I thought..." she trailed off and shook her head. " You thought what?" He asked curiously. " I thought it would be best for you. I thought it would make it easier for you to go back to Diana, if I wasn't in the way," she answered quietly. He stopped and pulled her into his arms. " Diana could never take your place, Dana. As my partner and everything else." " I still have a place?" She questioned softly, uncertainly. " Always. In my life and in my heart," he assured her, bending slightly at the waist to kiss her softly, lovingly. " You have no idea of how much I've missed you." " I think I do, Mulder," she sighed contentedly as they walked on, wit his arm around her waist. " I know how much I've missed you." They walked on in a companionable silence until the reached Mulder's cabin which was, surprisingly, only a few minutes walk from her cabin. It was surprising for them to find out that after missing each other for so long, they had only been separated by s scattering of trees for the last few weeks. He fixed them a light lunch and he watched Scully pick at her salad. He arched an eyebrow and gave her a look that was somewhere between disapproving and concerned. She smiled sheepishly and managed to eat a little bit more. " You're too thin. You need some meat on your bones," he commented wryly as he studied her across the table. " Mulder," she laughed. " You sound like my mother." " We're just worried about you," he insisted, shaking his head and unknowingly mimicking her mother. " I know you are." She reached out and took his hand across the table. " I just... I'm not used to eating much. I'll take a while to get used to it again. It just..Sitting down or preparing something gave me time to think about you and leaving you and I couldn't handle it." " Does that mean you'll be coming back to D.C?" Mulder asked slyly, half-dreading the answer. " Do you want me to?" She bit back a smile. " Stupid question. You know I do, Dana." He looked down at his empty plate, flustered. " Then I will. I had no immediate plans, anyway," she murmured. " I was just going to work in the local hospital." " But you'll be my partner again?" His hazel eyes were hopeful. " Sure," she smiled at him. " Unless Diana..." " Don't go there," he warned. " I am not about to indulge in a conversation about Diana when there is no point. I can't stand her, neither can you. Why waste time talking about her?" " Mulder." Her voice was suddenly very quiet and soft, her gaze lowered to the half-full plate on the table in front of her. " Yes? Dana?" He got up and moved round to her side of the table and knelt next to her. " What's wrong?" " I.. When we go back to D.C, this'll change, won't it?" Scully sounded fearful, distressed. " I mean we'll not be as close as this, will we? We'll go back to the way it was." " No." He sounded so determined, she lifted her head in surprise. " No. I'm not losing you, Dana. We're not going to go back to how we were before, we're going on. From this." Mulder cupped her face in his hands and they kissed again. Slowly, savoring every moment and the rush of feelings that swept over them, memorizing and learning the touch of the other's lips against their own. They parted only to draw in a breath. She closed the gap between them and kissed him sweetly. " I love you," she whispered, their lips only millimeters apart. " I love you, Mulder." " I love you, too," he smiled. " With all my heart." They kissed again and Mulder pulled her up off her chair and into his arms. They slowly made their way into the bedroom that had been Mulder's alone but which would become theirs for the next week. They were certain of only one thing: they would fight to be together, no matter what sacrifices they needed to make along the way. End of Part Two. End Of Hearts Entwined. Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk