From: Michaelaes@aol.com Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 02:50:56 EDT Subject: NEW! Prove My Love (1/4) By Michaela Essl TITLE: Prove My Love AUTHOR: Michaela Essl E-MAIL ADDRESS: michaelaes@aol.com DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere, as long as my name's on it, and if you let me know beforehand. FEEDBACK: Please! I love feedback, and I always e-mail back. :) SPOILER WARNING: Very minor spoilers for "The Unnatural." This story takes place right after "The Unnatural." RATING: PG (there are only a few bad words) CONTENT WARNING: None CLASSIFICATION: X, Angst, Mulder/Scully RST, Beginnings of MSR SUMMARY: A music purchase made by Mulder affects him and Scully in strange ways as a result of subliminal messages. DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in the following story, save for Jane Miller, Chief Bradley, and Jeffrey Brown, are my own. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013, and Fox. Also, all song lyrics belong to The Violent Femmes, and no infringement is intended. I have no idea if their music contains any subliminal messages, and the only reason I chose this group is because I love it. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love The Violent Femmes, and I suggest you listen to their CD's immediately if you don't know their music! And if you *do* have their CD's, you could listen to the songs I've used in this story to get the fullest effect! :-) Also, I would like to thank Alexis Dearborn for giving me helpful suggestions for this story. ______________________________________________________________________ Prove My Love By Michaela Essl Mulder's Apartment 2:56 a.m. April 23, 1999 "Yes!" Mulder said to himself, full of excitement as he sat in front of his computer. He smiled as he saw the red words "Auction closed" appearing on the screen, which left him as the highest bidder for a complete set of autographed Violent Femmes CD's. They were one of his favorite music groups, and he was lucky enough to win the on-line auction for only one hundred and forty-nine dollars. He e-mailed the auctioneer with the following message: Hi VFLover24! I'll send the money order right away. My mailing address is: 42-2630 Hegal Place Alexandria, Virginia 20057 Thanks! -Spooky13 Mulder's Apartment 6:21 p.m. April 29, 1999 Mulder walked into his building completely exhausted. He and Scully had been swamped with work the entire week, and about two hours earlier they were notified about a new case they would be starting on immediately. They had to begin their search for a murderer who stole people's pets from within their own homes, killed the pets, and then mailed the dead creatures back to their owners. They needed to get started on the case as soon as possible, yet Mulder was too tired to think about it by the time he came home. He went to the mailbox, and inside was his package from VFLover24, which instantly put him in a better mood. Right when he reached his apartment, he tore open the package and was thrilled to see that all eight CD's were autographed and in mint condition. He could hardly wait to listen to them, so he immediately picked out their album, "Add It Up" and popped it into the CD player, skipping the first two tracks to get to "Blister In The Sun." As he heard the familiar notes as the song started, he couldn't help but start dancing to it while he took off his shoes, jacket, and tie. He knew all the words to almost every Violent Femmes song, and this one being one of his favorites, he sang along: When I'm out walking, I strut my stuff yeah, and I'm so strung out I'm high as a kite, I just might stop to check you out Let me go on, like I blister in the sun Let me go on, big hands I know you're the one Right before the next verse started, however, the telephone rang. "Great!" Mulder complained, as he walked over to his desk. He picked up the phone, but could barely hear Scully on the other line, because the music was blaring. "Mulder?" Scully asked, confused. "Is that you? I . . . I can't hear you!" she shouted into the phone. "Hold on!" Mulder shouted back, as he turned down the volume. "Sorry, Scully. I . . . uh, I was in the middle of something. What do you want?" he asked, in a slightly agitated tone. "I was just calling to let you know that we should leave at seven tomorrow morning, so we can get to Chesapeake Beach by noon. I booked rooms for us at a motel in town." "Thanks, Scully. Am I driving?" "No, *I'm* driving, remember? I'll pick you up at seven o'clock sharp." "Okay, see you, Scully," Mulder said, hanging up the phone before Scully had a chance to say good-bye. Scully's Apartment 6:50 p.m. April 29, 1999 Scully hung up the phone, and plopped down on her couch, sighing with a mixture of boredom and frustration. She had wanted to talk to Mulder a little longer, but *he* obviously was in no mood to talk to her or probably anyone for that matter. She flipped through the TV Guide to see if anything good was on, but nothing thrilled her, so after a moment of sitting and staring at the coffee table, she decided she would listen to some music. She stood up and walked over to a cabinet near the fireplace; and upon opening the cabinet doors, she stood facing rows of CD's, all perfectly lined up and in alphabetical order. As she flipped through them, seeing they were mostly classical, she realized she should have more variety in her music collection, because, although she was tired, she simply wasn't in the mood for anything classical. She was about to give up when she suddenly came upon one of her favorite CD's from when she was younger, "The Violent Femmes," which she hadn't listened to for quite a few years. She had almost passed right by it as she skimmed through Wagner and Vivaldi, but luckily she had seen it. She put it in her CD player, and a few minutes later, the famous melody of "Blister In The Sun" sounded through her speakers. Mulder's Apartment 10:24 p.m. April 29, 1999 Mulder had listened to three of the CD's, "Add It Up," "3," and "New Times," but he went back to "Add It Up," because it had his very favorite song on it, "Kiss Off." He loved this song so much, because although lyrics were about being alone and being an outcast in the world, which Mulder felt himself to be, the words actually comforted him in a way. They made him feel that there were other people who shared his pain and loneliness. There was something about this song that was so powerful--it gave him the strength to stand up against all the people and other barriers which stood in the way of his quest for the truth. He closed his eyes, letting the notes fill his whole body with emotion. I need someone, a person to talk to Someone who'd care to love, could it be you? Could it be you? Situation gets rough, then I start to panic, It's not enough, it's just a habit Hey kid you're sick, well darling, this is it You can all just kiss off into the air, Behind my back, I can see them stare They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind, They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time Yeah, Yeah, They do it all the time . . . In a few moments, he fell asleep as the song continued playing, leaving only his subconscious aware of the words which were passing by his ears. Mulder's Apartment 7:03 a.m. April 30, 1999 The doorbell rang, and Mulder stumbled to the door, wishing Scully would just be late for once. She looked fresh and awake, and ready for the long day ahead of them, while Mulder looked as though he had just rolled out of bed, on the *wrong* side. "Give me a second, Scully," Mulder said, as he opened the door and then turned around and went into his bedroom without greeting her or even looking at her. She reluctantly walked inside, as she realized this would not be a very good day. She didn't know what had gotten into Mulder, but ever since yesterday evening, he was acting very distant towards her, and even downright rude. Mulder came back into the living room, but now he had one hand at his forehead, and was grimacing because of his excrutiating headache. "Mulder, what is it?" Scully asked, concerned. "My . . . head . . . ugh," Mulder complained, in pain. "Here, take these," Scully offered as she handed him two aspirins from her purse. Mulder looked at her, then at the pills in her hand, and back up to her. His look was one of suspicion, and Scully didn't know what his problem was. "Come on, Mulder, you should take them. . . . What *is* it?" she asked, frustrated by his strange and silent stares. "I don't want them," Mulder said, "and you can't force me to take them!" He was whining as though he were a little kid. Even though Mulder felt like hell, he didn't want Scully to know how much pain he was in, because he didn't want her to bother him. He couldn't tell her he was hearing things in his head, powerful thoughts which were telling him to do things he didn't want to do. "What's wrong with them? You always take aspirin when you have a headache." "Look, you don't know anything about me, or what I want!" he shouted. "Just leave me alone." He wanted to avoid her as much as possible; he didn't want to deal with anybody today, especially not her. Already he was saying things he couldn't control. In a way, he didn't want to say them, but at the same time, he felt as though he really *did* mean to say them--he was so confused and annoyed at everything, and he just wanted to get away from it all. Scully didn't know what to say, she was so shocked by his unusual behavior. She watched him as he sunk onto his sofa and put both his hands to his head, signifying the great amount of pain he was in. "You're right, I can't force you to take them. But I don't think you're thinking clearly at the moment, and I really think you should stay at home and get some rest, Mulder. I mean it!" Scully said, her voice shaking. "No, I'm going," Mulder snapped, in a voice of determination. "Fine! It's you're decision. If you refuse to take my advice, then let's just go now!" Scully said in a frustrated voice. Mulder slowly stood up, grabbed his jacket, and followed Scully out the door. The drive to Chesapeake Bay was not a very pleasant one for either Mulder or Scully. Mulder was feeling terribly car sick, and kept turning up the air conditioning at full blast to try to alleviate his nausea. Although Mulder was the one in pain, it was no fun for Scully either, because she had to sit in an uncomfortable silence for five hours straight, and she couldn't even listen to any music, because he refused on account of his headaches. They drove, without stopping, in this unbearable atmosphere, and both were relieved when they finally arrived at their destination. "Well, here we are," Scully said, with little excitement as they pulled into the parking lot of the Seaside Motel, though, in fact, she couldn't wait to get out of the car. "Great choice, Scully," Mulder said, sarcastically, and then said, "as usual" under his breath, as he stepped out of the car. "What!?" Scully asked, unable to contain her fury. "Look, I know you're not feeling well, but you have no right to take your moods all out on me. You think this was a fun trip for *me*? Well, think again. I just drove five hours straight with someone who obviously doesn't want to be around me, and now you tell me that the motel I picked doesn't suit your liking! Well, too bad, Mulder! It's not my problem!" Mulder looked at Scully in disgust, then turned around and staggered toward the entrance of the motel, indicating the great pain he was in. Scully slammed her car door, and followed him inside. She couldn't get over the transformation he had undergone from one day to the next. It's true he was tired yesterday at work, but so was she, and even then, they still got along well with each other. He was still able to crack his normal dose of daily jokes, and so, at least outwardly, he seemed the same. Therefore, this sudden and extreme mood swing surprised Scully very much; she hadn't seen it coming at all, and wondered if these feelings had been bubbling just below the visible surface for a while now. No matter what though, she still felt these headaches were connected, and she wanted him to see a doctor if he wouldn't let *her* help him; however, she didn't see that happening either, considering his present stubbornness. When Scully walked up to the front desk beside Mulder, she said, "Look, I don't understand why you're acting this way, but I think it might be connected to these headaches you're having. I really think you should get this checked out. Please listen to me, Mulder." Yet Mulder just handed her her key, and picked up his own suitcase, leaving her behind while he walked out the door. He needed to be alone right now. Scully's Motel Room 1:44 p.m. April 30, 1999 Scully finished unpacking her suitcase, then sat on the bed and pulled her briefcase in front of her. She looked through the file that held detailed information about the recent murders in the Chesapeake Beach area, but she was unable to concentrate. As much as she tried, her mind kept wandering back to Mulder and his strange behavior, and in addition to that, her growling stomach frequently reminded her it was lunch time. Just as she was about to get up to ask Mulder if he wanted to go have lunch, which she thought might put him in a better mood, she heard familiar music coming from the adjoining room. Walking over to the door separating their rooms, she put her ear against it to try to hear the words. She heard: Day after day, I get angry, And I will say that the day is in my sight When I'll take a bow and say goodnight Mo My Momma Momma Mo My Mum Have you kept your eye your eye on your son I know you've had problems You're not the only one But when your sugar left he left you on the run Mo My Momma Momma Mo My Mum Take a look now, Look what your boy has done He's walking around like he's number one He went downtown and he got him a gun So don't shoot shoot shoot that thing at me Don't shoot shoot shoot that thing at me You know you got my sympathy But don't shoot shoot shoot that thing at me . . . Scully recognized these words from the Violent Femmes' song, "Add It Up," and was thoroughly surprised to hear Mulder listening to this music. She never knew he liked them, though she figured he would probably think the same of her if he knew she liked them also. Scully knocked on this door, but received no answer, so she slowly unlocked it, and poked her head in. Although the music was fairly loud, she saw that Mulder's eyes were closed, and she couldn't tell whether or not he was asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, and she knew sleep would probably be the best thing for his headache, so she just closed the door again and left her room to go out for some lunch by herself. Mulder's Hotel Room 3:03 p.m. April 30, 1999 Mulder's head was pounding, and he knew something was wrong, but he couldn't take anything Scully gave him. He couldn't trust her; he couldn't trust anyone but himself. He knew she was deceiving him, and just pretending to be her friend, yet he wouldn't let himself be tricked. He would protect himself with whatever means were necessary. While pondering these ideas, he suddenly heard a knock at the door, and grabbed his gun, which had been lying on the nightstand beside his bed. "Mulder?" Scully's voice came through the door. "What do you want?" he replied, nearing the door. "Can we please talk?" "I don't want to talk." "This can't go on! We have work to do, Mulder. We're partners on this case; we have to work *together.* Please let me come in!" Scully didn't know what else to say to try to get this obvious point across to him. She was very upset and even scared by the way he was acting. Only a week ago, they had been playing baseball together and laughing their hearts out, and now Mulder was treating her like dirt. "I don't even know why I'm here, Scully. *You're* the one who wanted this case, not me." "That's not true! You told me you were interested in this case. How can you lie to me like that?" After receiving no response, Scully continued, saying, "I refuse to talk to you through a door. This is ridiculous!" "Whatever!" Mulder said, as he unbolted the door, and then quickly stepped backwards, watching the door and holding up his gun in that direction. Scully slowly opened the door, but as soon as she saw the gun, she reached for hers immediately, so that they both now had their guns pointed at each other. Scully was breathing quickly, and was staring at Mulder, wondering what had led them to the situation they were presently in. "Mulder, let's just put our guns away, and talk this problem through in a civilized and calm manner. You're not thinking rationally at the moment, and if we don't stop this now, you'll regret it later. Please, Mulder," she pleaded. "Shut up, Scully! I'm so sick of your 'rational thinking' rhetoric! Just get away from me before I do something *you'll* regret!" This was the last straw for Scully. She couldn't keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. "How can you act this way, Mulder? Don't you realize how you're behaving? Don't you care? I thought you trusted me, but I . . . I guess you don't." She was almost sobbing as she spoke these words. She continued, speaking slowly, "I'm going to go now, Mulder. And I'm going to go work on this case, whether you join me or not. I really want us to work together, but I just can't work with you if you're going to continue acting this way, Mulder." After another silent pause, she said, "If you change your mind, you know how to find me. Good-bye." She left slowly, still keeping her gun ready, just in case his erratic behavior caused him to actually fire his still-drawn gun. Scully decided she had to get away from Mulder right away, and that she might as well get started on their case. In an effort to immerse herself in her work in order to block out their problems, she decided to drive over to the house of one of the victims in this string of murders. End Part 1 TITLE: Prove My Love (2/4) AUTHOR: Michaela Essl E-MAIL ADDRESS: michaelaes@aol.com (See Part 1 for other headers) The Miller Residence 4:07 p.m. April 30, 1999 The house was about forty-five minutes away from the motel in an upper-class section of the town, a bit inland from the ocean. Scully walked up the stone walkway to the entrance of the large, yet charming home of a Mr. Edward and Mrs. Jane Miller. Scully rang the doorbell, and a few seconds later, a woman in her late thirties opened the door. "Hello. May I help you?" she asked. Scully held up her badge and said, "Hello. I'm Dana Scully from the FBI. Are you Jane Miller?" "Yes," she said, warily. "I'm not sure that I can help you. May I ask why you're here?" "Well, I've been assigned to work on the case involving the recent string of animal murders in town. And so I wanted to ask you a few questions regarding your deceased pet, ma'am. May I please come in?" "Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I'm still trying to recover from the shock of no longer having Snappy, our cat, with us" Jane answered, her voice starting to quiver as she led Scully into the living room, where she motioned for Scully to sit down. Recovering her composure, she continued, "No one has come around to ask us any questions for the past week, so I was just surprised to see you here. Why is the FBI involved?" "Well, my partner, who, um, couldn't make it today," Scully said, taking a deep breath, "and I, often take on cases which have remained unsolved by the local police department or which seem to involve unusual or paranormal activity." "Oh, well, but aren't the police still involved in this case?" "Yes, but there are a few reasons why my partner and I were put on this case, in particular. First of all, I don't know if you know this or not, but a series of similar murders have taken place in a number of other parts of the country within the past month, all most definitely committed by different people. Also, because my partner is an expert in criminal profiling, the police wanted him to try to figure out the murderer's motive." "Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad you're here then, though I doubt I can tell you more than I've already told the police," Jane said. Right before Scully was going to begin her questioning, her cellular phone rang. "Scully," she answered. "Scully? I . . . it's Mulder. I need to talk to you," Mulder said, slowly and a bit out of breath, on the other line. "Mulder, are you at the motel still?" "Yeah. Just come back, please." "Okay, but it'll take me about an hour. I'm at one of the victims' homes right now. Just wait there. Don't go anywhere." "Okay, but come back now! It's important!" "I know. I'll leave now. Bye, Mulder." "Bye." Scully turned off her phone, and stood up quickly. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Miller, but there's an emergency I must deal with immediately. I'll come back tomorrow probably. Will you be home?" "Uh, yes, I'll be here. I hope everything's alright." "Thanks. So do I. Bye," Scully said, leaving quickly and almost running to her car. Mulder's Motel Room 5:31 p.m. April 30, 1999 Scully rushed upstairs and banged on Mulder's motel room door. She immediately heard the bolt unlatched and saw Mulder's pain-stricken, exhausted face. "Mulder, how are you?" she asked, between breaths. Mulder walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, leaning over with his head in his hands. He had started crying. Scully slowly walked over towards him and very carefully sat down next to him. She put her arm around his shoulders, and whispered, "It's okay. Just calm down." "I don't know what's wrong with me, Scully. I can't believe the things I said to you and the way I acted. I have no idea what happened. It was like I was in some kind of trance or something, and then I finally snapped out of it. That's when I called you." Mulder was talking quickly, trying to choke back his tears. "It's okay. I knew something had happened to you. Mulder, have you been taking any, um, drugs or other substances that would have caused your strange reaction?" "No! I haven't taken anything! Remember, I wouldn't even take the aspirin you offered me." "Alright, well, there must be something. Maybe you just had some kind of breakdown. I know you've been really stressed out lately. We both have. You need to relax. Maybe this case isn't such a good idea for you right now." "No, no, Scully. I'm actually really interested in this case, despite the things I said to you earlier. No, I really want to work on this case with you. I just need to try to get rid of some of my stress." "Are there any things other than work that have been causing you stress lately?" Mulder thought about this a moment, and then said, "Uh, maybe," smiling for the first time that day. "But, uh, believe me, it wouldn't lead to the kind of explosion I had this afternoon. No, it certainly wouldn't lead to that." Mulder was thinking about his *stress* of trying to figure out how to prove to Scully that he loved her, and trying to get her to open up more to him. He thought back on his attempt, which was partially successful last week when he had taught her to hit a baseball. That had been one of the rare times when they had truly spent time together that had absolutely nothing to do with work. He wished they would do that more often. "Uh, *okay*," Scully said, in a confused tone. "Would you care to enlighten me on this other source of stress?" "No, I, uh, don't think this is the time or the place. Look, never mind what I said. I know it has *nothing* to do with my behavior today. Just trust me." "I do, Mulder. I just want to try to figure out what happened." Scully glanced over at the table, where she saw a stack of CD's. She recalled the music she had heard Mulder listening to earlier, and said, "Mulder, I heard you listening to the Violent Femmes a while ago when you were taking a nap. Maybe you should stop listening to these CD's for a while, because I doubt it'll help you get rid of your headaches." "You're probably right. You know who they are, Scully?" "Yeah. . . . Why do you seem so surprised?" "Well, I mean they're pretty alternative, Scully. They're not exactly your kind of thing. Aren't your tastes more along the lines of Bach and Beethoven?" "You think that's all I listen to? You don't know me as well as you think you do!" Scully laughed. "There's a lot you don't know about me. I think you'd be surprised!" she smiled, coyly, raising her eyebrows. "Scully! What are you suggesting?" He was very intrigued by these profound statements, but he wasn't quite sure what to make of them. Was she trying to really tell him something, or was she simply joking lightheartedly? "Oh, nothing. Just that you can't judge a book by its cover, now can you, Mulder?" Scully enjoyed seeing Mulder's reactions, but she didn't just say these things for her own amusement, because she truly meant every word of what she said. Mulder smiled at her, looking at her from out of the corner of his eye. "I'm surprised myself, Mulder, that you like the Violent Femmes. Are all those CD's by them?" "As a matter of fact, they are. I, uh, won them in an auction on-line. They're all autographed." He got up, and brought them over to the bed, where he laid them out to show Scully. "Wow!" "Yeah. Well, uh, considering how rude and horrible I've been to you, I'll let you pick one to have if you'd like." "Oh, you don't need to do that, Mulder. They're yours." "I know that. But I *want* you to have one." Scully was still hesitant, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings by not accepting his offer, so she said, "Well, I actually only have their self-titled album, which I love. Could I have that one? I mean, I'd love to hear the other CD's you have too, sometime, if that's okay, but I think I'd rather have an autographed CD with the songs I know really well." "Yeah, of course. Here you go," Mulder said, handing the CD to her. "Thanks, Mulder." "Hey, why don't you borrow one of these other ones. You can listen to it later if you want." "Okay, what's a good one?" Scully asked. "I'd suggest '3.'" Mulder said. "Okay, I'll listen to it tonight. Could I borrow your portable CD player?" "Yeah, sure," he said, handing it to her. "Oh, Mulder, about the case, I told Mrs. Miller I would visit her tomorrow again to ask her some questions. You'll come, right?" "Of course. I feel a lot better now. I just hope those excruciating headaches don't come back." "Well, if they do, you have to promise to tell me right away." "I promise." "Look, I think we've gone through a lot today, so let's just focus on our work tomorrow. I don't see any use in trying to work, because I don't think either of us would be able to concentrate. So just try to get some rest, Mulder. I think I'll listen to this CD," Scully said, indicating the CD, '3.' Scully started to walk toward the connecting door to her motel room, when Mulder stopped her by saying, "Thank you, Scully. You mean more to me than you could ever realize." Scully stared at Mulder when he said this, but she didn't know how to respond. She loved him so much, but she was scared to get too close to him, scared that if something ever happened to him, she would never be able to recover. Thus, she felt it would be safest to keep a professional distance. She tried to brush it off by saying, "You don't need to thank me for anything, Mulder. Just, um, just try to get some rest." But as soon as those words came out of her mouth, she regretted them. She wanted so much to say the same things back to him, but every time she tried, she simply froze and ended up saying something stupid and unfeeling instead. She attempted a weak smile, and then turned and went into her room right away, so she wouldn't have to see the hurt in his eyes. Scully walked into her room and sat on the bed. After putting the CD in the CD player, she lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes, as the music began. She heard the following words from the song, "Nightmares:" It seems that the problem is very deep 'cause everytime I try to sleep I have nightmares thinking about getting together with you . . . No no I wouldn't say so I would not call it a curse but what worries me then is when I wake up if it might be worse . . . She fell asleep, thinking about how these lyrics suited her own life so well. Scully's Motel Room 8:22 p.m. April 30, 1999 Scully woke up to someone knocking at her door. "Who is it?" she asked, annoyed. "It's me, Scully . . . Mulder. Can I come in?" Mulder's voice came from outside. "Um, I'm not really in the mood to talk right now, Mulder. Besides, I have a headache right now. I just want to sleep." "But I just got a call that the police are in pursuit of a suspect for another animal kidnapping and probable murder. They want us to catch up with them, so we can question the suspect after he's arrested." Scully sighed, exasperated that they had to go now when it was already later in the evening and when her head was pounding. "Fine, just hold on," she said, through the door. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her coat and keys, and opened the door. "Uh, is your head really hurting?" Mulder asked, concerned. "Yes, Mulder, it is." "Are you sure you're up to this? Look, why don't I drive?" "No, *I'll* drive! I'm perfectly fine. Let's just go! The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back," Scully snapped at Mulder. "*Okay,*" Mulder said, lifting his eyebrows in confusion. "Whatever you say." They got in the car, and Scully drove while Mulder gave her the directions toward the general area of the pursuit. Within about fifteen minutes, they reached an area filled with warehouses and large trucks. They were about to pass by it, when suddenly Mulder saw two men chasing after another man through the parking lot, and heard the sound of sirens in the distance. "Stop!" he told Scully, as he jumped out of the car, and followed in pursuit. "Wait, Mulder! You can't just leave me here!" Scully shouted at him in shock. She was peeved; he always left her behind places while he went off on his wild chases, leaving her to sit and worry, and often to deal with all the dreadfully boring and tedious paperwork. She decided she would teach him a lesson: Instead of chasing after him as usual, she simply drove off and left him to chase the suspect on his own, to show *him* what it feels like to be ditched. She also turned off her cellular phone, so he wouldn't bother her. She needed some time alone right now. Scully's Motel Room 9:06 p.m. April 30, 1999 Scully arrived at the motel to find that Mulder had left her two urgent messages. In the first one, Mulder said, "Scully? Where are you? I tried calling you on your cell phone, but I just kept getting a recording that said you couldn't be reached. We just got the suspect, and the police are bringing him in now. Um, just call me back right away. Please." His voice had a hint of desperation in it. The second message went as follows: "Scully. Um, we're going to question the suspect tomorrow morning, so I'm going back to the motel now. I called a cab." After a pause during which Mulder took a deep breath, he continued, "Uh, I'm still so sorry about how I acted this afternoon, and I can understand why you're still angry with me, but I didn't feel like myself. I hope you can forgive me. I'm not mad at you for leaving, I just don't want our relationship to be this way." After another pause, Mulder continued, "Um, I don't think we've been communicating very well lately, which I think is largely my fault. Um, look, I know this might sound really weird, but I'd like it if you would listen to two songs in particular on the CD I gave you to keep. I'm pretty sure they are the third and the tenth tracks. They basically say what I have trouble putting into my own words. Okay, well, I'm coming back now. Bye, Scully." Scully's head was killing her while she listened to these messages, and she still was angry at Mulder, though she didn't even know why exactly. She just felt an incredible dislike towards him at this very moment, which kept her in a bad mood. Yet, feeling that she had nothing better to do, she put on the CD Mulder had mentioned anyway, though told herself it had nothing to do with what Mulder had said. She rested on the bed as she listened to the first two songs. She smiled at the familiar words, and her headache already started to diminish in intensity. Then, the third track came on, the one Mulder had said. Though a few minutes before she had thought she would skip the two tracks he told her to listen to just to spite him, now she changed her mind. She listened to this third song carefully: Tell you man, I'm stuck on this lovely girl Of course to me y'know she mean all the world But then she like another guy I fall down dead, she never see the tears I cry Please, please, please, do not go Please, please, please, do not go Please, please, please, do not go How long can the days go on When my love is so strong And I know I cannot tell a lie I wanna see him go bye, bye, bye, bye, bye bye bye bye Now I wonder what she would say If I told her, if I told her that I felt this way Y'know it might make her turn, might make her turn, might make her turn either way, So all I can do is patiently pray, pray, pray, pray, pray Please, please, please, do not go Please, please, please, do not go Please, please, please, do not go . . . All the stanzas above repeated, and the song ended with the lines: Please, please, please, do not Please, please, please, You hurt me so, Please, please, please, You hurt me so, Please, please, please, do not go Scully then quickly skipped to the tenth track, which went like this: Good feeling, won't you stay with me just a little longer It always seems like you're leaving When I need you here just a little longer Dear lady, there's so many things that I have come to fear A little voice says I'm going crazy to see all my worlds disappear Vague sketch of a fantasy Laughing at the sunrise like he's been up all night Ooo, slippin' and slidin' What a good time, but now I have to find a bed That can take this wait Good feeling, won't you stay with me just a little longer Y'know it always seems like you're leaving, When I know the other one just a little too well Oh, dear lady, won't you stay with me just a little longer, Y'know it always seems, always seems like you're leaving, When I need you here just a little longer The song ended, and Scully had tears in her eyes. She could hardly believe Mulder had wanted her to listen to these two songs in particular. She also couldn't believe how horribly she had treated him. Her headache was gone now, but her heart was aching more than ever. She loved Mulder so much, and so she didn't understand how she could have treated him the way she did, and just left him behind. She felt as though she had failed him as both a partner and as a friend. Just then, she heard a knock on her door. "Who is it?" she said, softly, sniffling to try to conceal her tears. "It's me," Mulder said, just as softly. He sounded scared and worried. He was so nervous to see whether Scully was still angry at him, and to find out whether she had listened to the songs he had asked her to listen to. "Come in," she said, though she had no idea what to say to him after hearing those songs. Mulder slowly opened the door, and came in. He just stood there and stared at Scully to try to see what her mood was, not knowing whether to be happy or sad to see her crying; although he hated seeing her in this condition, he thought it might be a sign that she had listened to the songs, and realized how important their relationship was. But then he thought maybe she was just crying because she hadn't realized before that he felt this strongly for her, and that because she didn't feel the same way, she knew would hurt his feelings. He really had no idea what to make of the situation, but he found out soon enough when Scully got up from the bed and walked over to him. She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back. She was shaking, and started crying harder than ever. "Mulder, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I can't believe that I just left you! I don't know what got into me!" "It doesn't matter," Mulder said, stroking her back, comfortingly. "I'm just glad to see you here, safe." "Mulder, I, uh, I listened to the songs." "Yeah?" he said, dying to know what she was feeling, but trying not to reveal his emotions too much. "And, um, I thought you should know that I feel the same way. I promise I won't leave you again, if you never leave me." Her voice was choking as she said these words, and tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was getting Mulder's shirt wet, because her face was pressed against his chest. When she realized this, she pulled her face back and wiped away some of her tears with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she said, smiling. She looked into his eyes, and saw that he had tears there also. "Scully . . . I think we really need to talk," Mulder said slowly, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, we do, Mulder," Scully said, softly. She was scared that her intense emotions at the moment might cause her to do or say something which she might later regret, so she said, "But I'd rather we talk tomorrow. I'm just really tired and drained right now. I think all I need right now is sleep, and if you don't mind me saying so, I think a little sleep wouldn't hurt you either." "Alright, well tomorrow then," Mulder's voice sounded almost anxious, as though he were scared tomorrow might be too late. "You're right. Well, uh, don't forget we also have to question the suspect tomorrow at nine o'clock," Mulder said. "Yeah. I remember," Scully said in a distant voice. She had heard what he said, but she didn't really care all that much about it. All she could think about was their *talk* tomorrow. "Okay, well, good night, Mulder." "Good night, Scully," he answered, giving her another squeeze before he left to go to his room through the connecting door. That night, they both fell asleep quickly, despite their anxious thoughts about the following day, and they both slept deeply, the past two days events having wiped out their physical and emotional strength completely. Mulder's Motel Room 8:32 a.m. May 1, 1999 "Mulder, are you ready?" Scully asked through the connecting door as she knocked. "Yeah. Just a sec. Uh, come in," he said. She came in, and he was just putting on his shirt, which he was starting to button. "Oh, sorry, Mulder," Scully said, not realizing he was still getting dressed. "No, it's *fine.* I'm basically ready," he said, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his coat. "Come on," he said, opening the motel room door, and gesturing her to go outside, as he followed her out, locking the door behind him. End Part 2 TITLE: Prove My Love (3/4) AUTHOR: Michaela Essl E-MAIL ADDRESS: michaelaes@aol.com (See Part 1 for other headers) Chesapeake County Police Department 9:03 a.m. May 1, 1999 Mulder and Scully walked into the police department, and were immediately greeted by the middle-aged, balding police chief. "Hello, agents," he greeted them. "And you must be Agent Scully?" he asked, putting out his hand to shake hers. "Yes. Hello Mr. Bradley." Chief Bradley smiled at her, but then his voice took on a serious tone. "Jeffrey Brown is in his cell. You can talk to him now, if you like." "Thanks," Mulder said. "Follow me," Chief Bradley said, leading the way to Jeffrey's cell. When they reached the cell, Mulder and Scully were faced with a young man in his young twenties, who looked tired and angry. "Mr. Brown, here are the two FBI agents. You'd better answer all their questions. No messin' around now, y'hear?" Jeffrey didn't answer. He wasn't even looking at the chief; he was staring at Mulder and Scully, scrutinizing them from head to toe. "Answer me, young man," Chief Bradley shouted. "Yeah, *okay.* I heard you," Jeffrey answered. Chief Bradley gave an exasperated look to Mulder and Scully, said, "He's all yours," and then left. Mulder and Scully were allowed inside his cell, and they sat down in chairs opposite Jeffrey, who was sitting on the edge of his low, flat bed. "Hello, Mr. Brown. I'm Agent Mulder and this is my partner, Agent Scully." Jeffrey looked at them, but said nothing. "So, you've stolen and killed eleven animals total now. Is that right?" Mulder asked. "Sure," Brown answered in a cocky voice. "Is that a yes?" "If you want it to be." Scully was annoyed with Jeffrey's behavior. "Just answer the damn question! Yes or no?" "Yes." "Why'd you do it, Jeff? Can I call you Jeff?" Mulder asked. "I don't care." "Okay, so why did you do it?" "I felt like it." "You felt like it? You can't just *feel* like murdering someone," Scully said. "Yeah, you *can,*" Jeff said, almost laughing at Scully's annoyed reaction to his responses. Mulder interrupted, having suddenly had an idea. "Jeff, do you like to listen to music?" Jeff was surprised by this sudden change in subject, as was Scully, who gave Mulder a confused look. "Uh, yeah, I guess," he replied. "Any favorite bands?" "Uh, I like Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Violent Femmes. Why?" "Just curious. Anyway, to get back to the murders. Um, do you find yourself in a different mood when you decide to do your crimes?" Mulder asked. "Yeah." "How do you feel when you're in these moods?" "I get really angry." "Are you in pain?" "What?" "I mean, do you get like headaches or anything?" "Actually, now that I think of it, yeah I do . . . How'd *you* know that?" Jeff asked, confused and curious at the same time. Scully was similarly perplexed, and looked at Mulder, questioningly. "Oh, it's just that physical and emotional symptoms are often signs for motives for a crime," Mulder answered. He continued, "Can you think of any reason why you get these headaches or these sudden bursts of anger?" "Well, I don't know, I mean, sometimes I just, I hear things in my head," Jeff answered. Scully gave a look to Mulder when Jeff said this, but Mulder ignored her, saying, "What kinds of things?" "Words and phrases that tell me to hate and to do bad things. I, I feel like I have to do what they say. I have no control," Jeff said, in a voice which sounded completely genuine. "Mulder, could I please have a word?" Scully asked. "Okay. Thank you, Jeff. We'll be right back," Mulder said, as he and Scully left the cell to go talk in the hallway. "Mulder, it's so obvious he's just making up this nonsense! And you're just pushing him more and more into it!" Scully said. "No, Scully, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I believe him, and I have an idea as to why he's hearing these things." "Well, what?" Scully asked. "Not what, but *where,* Scully," he said. In response to her puzzled look, he said, "Look, I'll explain on the way. Let's go," Mulder said, jumping to conclusions and decisions, which confused Scully even more. "Chief Bradley?" Mulder asked, as he and Scully went to the entrance of the police department. "Yes?" the chief answered. "Could we please get a search warrant for Jeffrey's house?" Mulder asked. "Uh, yeah, sure. You can go there now if you like." "Great. Thanks!" Mulder said. Mulder and Scully left, and while Mulder was driving the car to the Rocky Cove Apartment Complex, where Jeff lived, Scully, seated in the passenger seat, called up the police departments in Milford, Delaware and Lakewood, New Jersey, two counties where other similar animal murders took place, and where suspects were apprehended. Jeffrey Brown's Apartment 10:36 a.m. May 1, 1999 "I'll go in and try to find the CD's, if you want to stay here and finish making the phone calls," Mulder said. "Sure. That's fine," Scully said. After ten minutes, Mulder came back out, carrying about ten CD's with him, and said, "I found them. Let's go back to the motel now, and then we can head for D.C. this afternoon." "Mulder, I just called Mrs. Miller to tell her we're not going to need to question her anymore. And the police said they would send the CD's to our office overnight. But are you sure you know what you're doing? I think this whole thing is pretty far-fetched," Scully said. "Please trust me on this, Scully. I really think we were victims of the same subliminal messages Jeff was. I mean, think about the strange ways we acted, for no reason at all it seemed. It all makes sense to me now." "But Mulder, I know there are subliminal messages in some music, and there have even been numerous scientific studies on them and their effects on people, but there has never been proof that these messages can influence a person so far as to act out violently." "Just because there's no proof as of yet, doesn't mean it couldn't be true, Scully. You know that." "Yes, but I don't think it's wise for us to move on in this case in the direction we're now going, based on something that's never been proven. I mean I suppose it could be a possibility, but I don't think we should narrow down all of Jeff's possible motives to just this one source." "But Scully, everything fits so perfectly. Can we just give my theory a chance, please?" "Yeah. But I still think Jeff was just messing with your mind. I think we should definitely run some psychological tests on him." "Okay. It won't hurt, I guess, but I still think I'm right," Mulder said, in a determined voice. Basement Office of the FBI Building 8:32 a.m. May 2, 1999 Scully walked into the office, and saw Mulder on the floor, opening two FedEx boxes. He looked up and said, "Hi, Scully. They came." He indicated to the CD's which he was taking out of the boxes. "I talked to Langly this morning, and he said he has some equipment which can analyze music for subliminal messages. He's really into this kind of stuff, and he says there's quite a bit of music out there that contains these messages." "But even if we *do* discover these messages in some of the music, I don't see how that can prove anything," Scully said, still very skeptical. "Well, Scully, you might be interested in knowing that all three murder suspects have almost all the Violent Femmes CD's among their collections, and many of them are autographed, just like mine. Considering our bizarre behavior after listening to the Violent Femmes, I have trouble believing this is all just a coincidence." "Okay, are we gonna go to the Lone Gunmen's place now?" Scully asked. "Yeah, Langly's expecting us." The Lone Gunmen's Residence 9:19 a.m. May 2, 1999 Mulder and Scully rang the doorbell when they reached the Lone Gunmen's place, and Langly answered the door. "Hey, long time no see." "Hi, Langly. I brought all the CD's with me," Mulder said. "Hi," Scully said. "Where're Byers and Frohike?" she asked, looking around the room. "Oh, they're out doing some grocery shopping, actually." Scully smiled at this thought. "So, let's see what you got," Langly said, with great interest. "Well, I brought over all the Violent Femmes CD's from the three suspects I told you about, and I also brought all of my Violent Femmes CD's. I'd like to test all of them, but specifically the autographed ones. Oh, and Scully brought a Violent Femmes CD she had a home, but it's not autographed. I wanted to compare the autographed CD's to the non-autographed ones, in case they're different for some reason," Mulder explained. "No problemo," Langly said. "It'll take me a while though, so I can just call you once I've finished, if you want." "Okay," Mulder said. "Thanks so much." "This is so cool, Mulder! I love this kind of thing. What is your opinion, Scully?" Langly asked. "Well, I'm not sure. I personally disagree that a person, after listening to music containing subliminal messages, could actually go as far as to murder someone as a direct result of these messages," Scully answered. "Well, I don't know about murder or any other effects, but I definitely know there's music with subliminal messages. I heard a rumor once that Michael Jackson's phone number was secretly encoded in his album, 'Thriller,'" Langly said with a smile. Scully even laughed at this, and then Langly said, "Well, I'll get to work on them right away." "Thanks. Call me as soon as you find anything," Mulder said, as he and Scully walked out the door. Mulder's Apartment 1:17 p.m. May 2, 1999 Mulder and Scully were going through case files and writing up their reports in Mulder's apartment, when the phone rang. "Mulder," Mulder answered. "Hi. It's me, Langly. Have I got some news for you! Come over now!" "We're on our way," Mulder said, barely able to contain his curiosity. The Lone Gunmen's Residence 1:39 p.m. May 2, 1999 Langly opened the door immediately when Mulder and Scully arrived. "Hey, I forgot how good 'Hollowed Ground' was. You can have me listen to this music anytime you'd like," Langly said, smiling. Mulder laughed, but then said, "So, what did you find?" "Well, to start off with, I checked all the non-autographed CD's first, and I found no sign of any subliminal messages in those. So, here you go, Scully, no need to worry about this one," he said, handing her her own CD from home. "Thanks," she said. "However, I then grouped all the autographed CD's into piles of their individual albums. So, I went through, and I checked the albums by group, and the CD's in each group had the same messages, but the groups themselves varied in type of message. Here, let me show you," he said, as he seated himself in front of his equipment. "Okay," he continued, "I discovered that the albums '3,' 'Add It Up,' 'Rock,' and 'New Times' all have negative messages, yet for each album, the messages were somewhat different. Similarly, the albums 'Violent Femmes,' 'The Blind Leading the Naked,' 'Hallowed Ground,' and 'Why Do Birds Sing?' all have positive messages, yet again, the messages for each album vary." "Wow! Can we see the messages?" Mulder asked. "Yeah. I decoded them from the songs, and I printed the messages out. They're all fairly simple messages, but an individual message just repeats over and over in all the songs throughout a whole CD. Here you go," he said, handing several pieces of paper to Mulder and Scully. Mulder read aloud a message from "Add It Up," "'You want to hate. You want to kill. You will hate. You will kill.' It's repeated over and over." Scully looked for the message from the "Violent Femmes" album, and read, "'Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you.' Follow your heart.'" "They're as different as day and night!" Langly said. "It's fascinating." "So, which ones did the suspects have?" Mulder asked, looking through the piles of CD's, which he had labeled with each suspect's name. "Hey, they all had most of the negative CD's, and very few of the positive ones, which makes perfect sense." "But Mulder, it still proves nothing, as I said before. Besides we both listened to the negative CD's, and neither of us went out and killed anyone," Scully said in an argumentative tone. "Yeah, well, just after listening to one of those negative CD's *once,* Scully, I turned my gun on you. Now, don't you think that if I had listened to that CD over and over again, my level of violence and disturbing behavior would have risen and led to even more dangerous results?" Scully thought about this, and though she knew Mulder had a point, she didn't want to admit it. "Maybe, I don't know," Scully said, sighing, "but we'll never know, now will we?" "No, we won't, because I'm going to get rid of all my negative CD's. But that won't keep me from believing that these messages are at least a major part of what caused those kids to kill." Scully remained silent, not wanting to argue with Mulder anymore. Mulder looked at Langly, then said, "Well, thank you so much for your help. I'll get these CD's packed up and sent back as evidence." "Hey, Mulder, could I keep your *negative* CD's for a while? I want to test out a program I created that can scramble these messages, so they are no longer effective. Is that okay?" Langly asked. "Be my guest. And if you do fix them, you can keep them as payment for your hard work," Mulder said, smiling. "Cool!" Langly said. "Okay, well, see you later, Langly," Mulder said, picking up the box of CD's. "Bye, Langly," Scully said, closing the door behind her as she and Mulder left. As Mulder put the box in the back seat of their car, Scully said, "Mulder, I just want you to know that I'm not completely disregarding your beliefs in this case. I mean, it's clear that there *are* subliminal messages on these CD's, and I know they can go into your subconscious and even affect your behavior, as they may have done to us, but I just can't say they are what caused those kids to murder. We can't prove it, so I'll never be able to accept it as a fact." "Yeah, you've made that pretty clear, but it's okay, Scully. I respect your views also. So we differ in our professional opinions, but that's okay. We don't always have to agree on everything," Mulder said. "Yeah, that's true," Scully said, smiling a little. "Hey, Scully, I don't want to force my opinion on you anymore than I already have, but I think it's interesting that we both listened to one or more of the negative CD's, acted strangely, and then realized how horrible our behavior was after we listened to a positive CD?" "Yeah, that is interesting, Mulder, and maybe you're right," Scully said, and after a short pause, she continued, "but then again, maybe it's just a coincidence." They got in the car, and as they were driving, Scully said, "Mulder, uh, you know how we wanted to just talk, you know, not about work, just talk about, well, ourselves . . . us?" "Yeah, I remember," Mulder said, thrilled that she had actually said "us." "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight at my place. Only if you want to, that is," Scully said, hoping he would say "yes." "Is this a date, Scully?" Mulder asked, smiling. "No, it's just a friend asking another friend to come over," Scully said, trying to cover up the fact that she hoped it *would* be kind of like a date. "Alright. Well, either way, I'd love to come," Mulder said. "What time?" "How about seven?" "Sounds great," Mulder said, as he drove towards Scully's apartment building to drop her off. End Part 3 TITLE: Prove My Love (4/4) AUTHOR: Michaela Essl E-MAIL ADDRESS: michaelaes@aol.com (See Part 1 for other headers) Scully's Apartment 7:01 p.m. May 2, 1999 The doorbell rang while Scully was in the kitchen stirring rice in a pot. "Coming," she said, as she went to the door, and upon opening it, saw Mulder, who stood there, smiling, and pulled a bouquet of yellow roses from behind his back. "Hi, Scully," he said, handing her the roses. "Thank you, Mulder, you didn't have to, but I love them. Come in." "Yellow for friendship," he said. He would have loved to give her red roses, but he didn't want to make Scully uncomfortable. He still wasn't sure whether she just wanted to be friends or something more, because maybe she was just saying they were friends, because *she* didn't know what Mulder wanted either. There was too much confusion on both sides, and tonight he wanted to clear it up for good. Scully put the roses in a vase, and then served dinner, which was rice and rosemary chicken. She had a "Classical Pianists" CD on, and candles lit. They sat down, and began eating. "This is delicious, Scully. You're an excellent cook," Mulder said. He didn't know what to say or to talk about, because he was so nervous. He wanted to wait for Scully to start talking before he did, because he was worried he would say something he didn't mean or want to say, just because he wasn't thinking as clearly as usual. "Thanks. My mom has always loved to cook, and I used to love to help her in the kitchen when I was little. Actually, I like baking even better." "Oh?" Mulder smiled. "Yeah, I made dessert. But it's a surprise." "I can't wait!" he said. After a pause, when they took another bite of food, Scully asked, "So, Mulder, what would you be doing right now if you were at home?" "Well, let's see, it's Sunday evening. I'd probably be doing my laundry, and then when I was through with that, I'd either watch some TV or work on this puzzle I've been working on lately." "Puzzle?" "It's a one-thousand piece jigsaw puzzle of a cherry blossom orchard. The picture is beautiful, but it's excruciating to work on, because the colors are primarily green, brown, and white." "I had no idea you liked puzzles. I do too, actually, but I've been too busy to work on any lately." "Well, if you want to sometime, you can come over and help me work on it. I'm only halfway through, so there's still quite a bit to do." "I'd like that," Scully said, smiling. "And what would *you* be doing right now if I weren't here, Scully?" "Let's see. You know it's funny, I'd probably be doing my laundry now too. Then, after that, I'd probably read or watch TV for a while until I got bored, and then I'd go on-line. I always go on-line at night, and usually pretty late on the weekends." "Really? I go on-line a lot too. We should IM sometimes." "Yeah. Well, what's your screen name?" "Uh, you're gonna laugh." "No I won't. Well, maybe . . . Just tell me." "Spooky13." Scully did laugh. "But Mulder, I thought you hated that nickname. And what's with thirteen?" "I do. But it's the first thing I thought of when I was trying to think of a screen name, unfortunately, so I just stuck with it. Oh, and thirteen is one of my favorite numbers. Well, what's your screen name, Scully?" "Oh, I'm actually changing mine. So just wait, and I'll surprise you and IM you when we're both on-line sometime." "Oh, why are you changing it?" Mulder asked. "I just want to." "What is it now?" "Oh, I'll tell you some other time. It's silly and I *really* don't want to say it right now," Scully was embarrassed and wished he hadn't asked. Now she felt badly, and she didn't want him to think that she didn't feel comfortable enough to tell him. It wasn't that; she just *couldn't,* not right now. "Alright, well tell me when you IM me. I'll go on-line late tonight. If you're up, we can talk." "Okay," Scully said, relieved that he wasn't pushing her more to tell him. They both had finished their dinner now, and Scully got up to clear the table. Mulder got up to help her, but Scully said, "Oh, don't worry about helping. Why don't you go into the living room and pick some different music. I'm sick of this classical stuff, as I'm sure you are. It'll only take me a second. I'll bring out the dessert." "Alright," Mulder said. As he walked towards her CD player, he said, "What are you in the mood for?" "It doesn't matter. Why don't you surprise me?" Scully said from the kitchen. By the time Mulder had finished flipping through Scully's CD's, she had finished putting the dishes in the dish washer. She came out from the kitchen, carrying a marzipan cake, which she put down on the table in the living room just as Mulder was putting a CD in the CD player. Suddenly, the familiar notes from the Violent Femmes song, "Prove My Love," sounded through the speakers: Just last night, I was reminded of just how bad it had gotten and just how sick I had become But it could change with this relationship de-de range, we've all been through some shit and if we're a thing I think this thing's begun Scully walked slowly towards Mulder, who stood by the fireplace, waiting for her to come to him. When she came and stood facing him, they stared into each other's eyes. Oh tell me now, what do I have to do oh tell me now, what do I have to do oh tell me now, what do I have to do to prove my love to you Mulder took Scully's hand in his own and they walked into a part of the living room with more open space. Special favors come in 31 flavors We're out of mints, pass the life savers I'm droppin' hints, candy for candy--coated tongue Mulder put his arms around Scully, and she hugged him tightly as they slowly danced around the floor. They didn't care that this music was faster-paced; the words were all that mattered to them. You'd be so good, so very good for me What do you think, tell me honestly I'm wait wait wait w-wait wait waitin for you to come Oh tell me now, what do I have to do yeah tell me now, what do I have to do yeah tell me now, what do I have to do to prove my love to you Mulder gazed into Scully's eyes, and she couldn't believe what was happening. It was obvious that Mulder meant every word of the song they were listening to now; she was scared, yet ecstatic at the same time. In a way, she had always known Mulder had loved her, yet she had always tried to erase these hopeful thoughts from her mind as soon as they entered. She didn't want to assume he loved her, because if he actually didn't, she was afraid she would never be able to live with that fact. However, now all her fears and questions had dissipated entirely. Third verse, same as the first, Just last night, I was reminded of just how bad it had gotten and just how sick I had become Mulder's face inched nearer and nearer to Scully's. He was so happy Scully wasn't turning away from him or breaking this intense mood. She was staring back at him just as much as he was, and she wasn't making any moves to stop what was inevitably about to happen. But it could change with this relationship de-de range, we've all been through some shit and if we're a thing I think this thing's begun Their lips barely brushed, and though only for a moment, it seemed to last an eternity. But it wasn't until the second time their lips touched that they truly kissed. It was a long and passionate kiss, and neither of them wanted it to end. They had wanted to kiss each other for so long, and now that it had finally happened, they couldn't believe they had waited so long. Oh tell me now, what do I have to do Yeah tell me now, what do I have to do I'd do anything, what do I have to do I'd do it all, what do I have to do I'd do it all for you, what do I have to do I'd climb a mountain, what do I have to do I'd cross the ocean, what do I have to do I'd do it all, what do I have to do oh, to prove my love to you When their kiss finally ended, Mulder, whose heart was racing, said, stroking Scully's hair, "So, *have* I proved my love to you?" Mulder hardly needed an answer to that question, but when Scully leaned in to put her head against his chest, she said "Yes" to him anyway, because she wanted him to hear her say it in words. She refused to play any more guessing games about their relationship; they had done that long enough. "Mulder?" Scully asked, in a voice barely audible. "Yes?" "I want to tell you what my screen name is now. Do you still want to know?" "Uh, yeah," Mulder said, though he was a little confused, because it seemed as though this statement had come out of nowhere. Scully took her head back away from Mulder's shirt, and she almost grinned, because she was so embarrassed yet happy to tell him at the same time. "Well, what is it?" Mulder asked, now very curious because of Scully's expression. "FoxLover!" she said, smiling. "What?!" "Don't make me repeat it, Mulder!" "What if I want you to?" "You can't make me!" "Oh, I think I can," he said, as he pressed his lips against hers. This kiss was much more ardent than the first, and lasted twice as long, so that when it finally ended, it hardly seemed necessary for Scully to say anything. However, she said, "FoxLover!" anyway. "I told you so!" Mulder whispered into her ear. After a short pause, he asked, "How long have you had that screen name, Scully?" "Why does it matter?" "Please?!" Mulder whined like a little kid. Scully sighed, then said, "Fine, four years." "Four? You, you've cared about me in that way for four years?" "No, Mulder." "Yeah, I was gonna say," Mulder quickly said. "I've loved you since the day I met you." "You have? But, but you've never said anything; you've never made any sign of it to me. And all this time, I was heartbroken, because I was sure you would never love me the same way I loved you," Mulder said, near tears. "How, how long have you felt this way about me?" Scully asked, hesitantly, though curious. "Even longer." "That's impossible, Mulder." "No, it's not. I've loved you ever since I laid eyes on you . . . *before* I ever really *met* you." This was all just so much for Scully to think about. She couldn't believe that they were finally telling each other the truth, the whole truth, about how they felt about each other. She needed some time to fully realize what this all meant. "I . . . I love you, Mulder. I just can't believe this is happening!" "I love you, Scully, and this is all just as much a surprise to me as it is to you, so I don't mind taking all of this really slowly." "Thanks, Mulder," Scully said, softly, staring into Mulder's deep, hazel eyes. "Do, do you want to sit down?" Scully asked, realizing for the first time that they had been standing for quite a long time. "Oh, uh, sure," Mulder answered, absently. He was too amazed and ecstatic to think of anything at the moment. There was a long--but not in any way uncomfortable--pause as they sat down, and Scully put her head on Mulder's shoulder. They were simply embracing this peaceful moment being together, pleasantly separated from everything else around them. After about five minutes, Mulder, eyeing the cake which Scully had brought out earlier, suddenly broke the silence by saying, "Scully, I just can't look at that cake a second longer. Let's have some now." "Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about it," Scully said. "It's a marzipan cake with chocolate chips in it. It's my favorite type of cake, and I thought you would like it." "Wow, that sounds amazing! And I'm sure it tastes even better!" Mulder said, getting up from the couch. "Oh, sit down, Mulder. We can eat here by the fire." Scully cut the cake, and they each took a slice. "This cake is to die for, Scully!" Mulder praised her. "I'm glad you like it. I hope I'll be able to make many more for you in the future, Mulder." "I'd like that," he replied. He leaned over, and kissed Scully on the forehead, and she put her head on his shoulders. "I'll never let you go, Mulder. Never!" Scully whispered. "Neither will I." End Part 4 ______________________________________________________________________ Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! I hope you enjoyed it! I would love it if you sent me some feedback, because this is only the third X-Files fanfic I've written, and I know there is a lot I can improve upon. Please send any feedback to michaelaes@aol.com Thank you! :-)