From: donnah@donnas-stories.com Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 06:49:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Truths (1/1) Source: direct Reply To: donnah@donnas-stories.com Title - Truths Author - donnah Email address - donnah@donnas-stories.com URL - http://www.donnas-stories.com/ Rating - PG-13 Category - MSR, angst Spoilers - None Keywords - MSR, angst Summary - Their closeness fascinates me Feedback - Please Archive - Anywhere, just let me know so I can visit Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunmen and Skinner all belong to Chri s, 10-13, and Fox - Bless them for it!! No infringement intended. Truths The detective was still talking, but Scully=E2=80=99s eyes were roaming the squad room. She couldn=E2=80=99t spot him and tendrils of fear grew stron ger. =E2=80=9CExcuse me; I need to find my partner.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9COf course. We have what we need. Try to get some rest.=E2=80=9D She nodded and headed toward the door. Where was he? He was devastated an d she knew he was blaming himself. He wasn=E2=80=99t in the building and h er unease grew. She stepped outside and looked up and down the street. Th ere was no one in sight. She turned toward the wharf, only a street away. Fog was beginning to cree p in and she quickened her steps. There, standing at the edge, a darker sh ape in the dark as the mist grew at his feet and his trench coat billowed. If it hadn=E2=80=99t been so clich=C3=A9d she would have wanted to laugh. If there was anything to laugh about, if she knew for certain he wasn=E2 =80=99t thinking of jumping. He startled when she took his arm. That bothered her more than anything el se so far. For as long as she could remember he had sensed her, known wher e she was in any room instinctively. He had been so deep inside himself he hadn=E2=80=99t felt her. Okay, Spooky thought, but true. =E2=80=9CMulder.=E2=80=9D He didn=E2=80=99t look down at her but after a moment he allowed her to pul l him from the edge, physically if not emotionally, and back toward the pol ice station. Instead of heading inside, she led him toward the car. She t ook the driver=E2=80=99s side and he didn=E2=80=99t protest. He didn=E2=80=99t speak at all, staring out the window. She tried to keep from watching him and for the most part succeeded. When she pulled up to t he motel, she turned to him. =E2=80=9CLet me have your key. Wait here. I =E2=80=99ll be right back.=E2=80=9D He nodded slightly and handed her his key; after a moment she let herself o ut. Scully hurried to his room first, throwing everything into his suitcas e, then to her room. She was mostly packed already, throwing her makeup ba g into her suitcase. Taking them both downstairs she checked out and retur ned to the car. He was still sitting there; she couldn=E2=80=99t tell that he had moved at all. He didn=E2=80=99t bother to ask where they were headed. Their plane didn =E2=80=99t leave until in the morning, but he didn=E2=80=99t care. She dro ve north putting at least physical distance between them and the case. He had been the first in the room. He had been too late, they had been too late. She couldn=E2=80=99t get the sight out of her mind, he must be so m uch worse. The children had been kept in one room, the living sharing spac e with the dead. She knew that the last two had been dead less than 48 hou rs. He wouldn=E2=80=99t be killing any more children, but the damage he had alr eady done before Mulder had caught him was devastating. Why hadn=E2=80=99t they been called in earlier? No, don=E2=80=99t go there. It wouldn=E2=80 =99t help. When her eyes grew heavy, she began looking for a hotel. They weren=E2=80 =99t near a town, but she found a motel off the highway. There were severa l cars already there, so she pulled in. He still didn=E2=80=99t speak, but she knew he wasn=E2=80=99t asleep. =E2 =80=9CI=E2=80=99ll be right back.=E2=80=9D Again he only nodded. She needed to get back to him. As she stepped up th e counter she made her decision. =E2=80=9CI need a room for one night, two beds.=E2=80=9D The boy barely looked up, just shoving the card toward her. She signed and picked up the two keys he laid on the counter. Once again she hurried ba ck to him and when he saw her, he forced himself out of the car. They met at the trunk and she opened it. He lifted out both suitcases and allowed h er to take hers. He glanced down at his key and led her inside. He opened the door and was startled when she followed him inside. =E2=80 =9CI=E2=80=99m okay.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CPossibly, but we=E2=80=99re sharing the room.=E2=80=9D He just looked at her for a moment, then kind of nodded and sat his suitcas e down on the dresser, leaving the luggage carrier for her. =E2=80=9CI think we=E2=80=99re both exhausted, Mulder. I=E2=80=99m going t o get ready for bed.=E2=80=9D He nodded, no innuendo was forthcoming. She opened her suitcase, then retr eated into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. She was well covered when she emerged in her men=E2=80=99s style pjs and took the bed closest t o the bathroom. He took over the facilities and returned quickly in pajamas bottoms and a t -shirt. =E2=80=9CIf you want to watch TV - =E2=80=9C He shook his head and crawled into the other bed. ***** =E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s okay.=E2=80=9D Hand caressed cheek. =E2=80=9CIt=E2 =80=99s just a dream.=E2=80=9D She shuddered and sat up, moving slightly aside to give him room to sit. =E2=80=9CI, I thought you=E2=80=99d be the one with nightmares tonight.=E2 =80=9D =E2=80=9CI would, if I was sleeping,=E2=80=9D was his quiet response. =E2=80=9CYou need the rest,=E2=80=9D was her automatic response but they bo th seemed to ignore it. =E2=80=9CDo you want to talk - =E2=80=9C The shake of his head stopped her, but he found her hand and held it. She took a chance and leaned against him. She could tell he was startled, but almost instantly his arm went around her. She wanted to assure him he had done everything he could, that he had saved countless lives in the future, but he knew that. He didn=E2=80=99t necess arily believe it, but he knew it. =E2=80=9CThink you can sleep now, Scully?=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CMaybe. Stay here?=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D She could feel him look down at her most likely in disbelief. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99d sleep better.=E2=80=9D She steeled herself for the i nnuendo, but still it didn=E2=80=99t come, so she slipped back down into th e sheets, giving him room to do the same. The hesitation was minimal, but he did recline next to her. She needed to give him comfort, assurances, so she cuddled into his side. Okay, this was more forward than she had ever been around him, always maintaining that li ne they didn=E2=80=99t cross. The sight of him looking down into the water from the wharf returned to her. Had she seen him this low before? She realized his breathing was already evening out and he was relaxing, tho ugh his arm around her was still firm. He had to be exhausted. She wasn =E2=80=99t sure he had slept at all since they had hit the ground here. Th at relaxed her as well and they fell asleep in each others arms. ***** She woke alone, but heard the shower in the bathroom. That meant he hadn =E2=80=99t been awake that long, good. He=E2=80=99d gotten some rest. She rose as well and started coffee in the tiny pot provided in the room and f lipped on the TV with the sound muted. As she waited she realized they were discussing the case and turned the sou nd on. The sheriff was talking at what looked like a small press conferenc e. =E2=80=9C - extremely fortunate to find his journal. It outlines the names and addresses of his next five victims. He was apparently distracted from his plan by the arrival of the FBI team that came at our request. The jou rnal changes then to concentrate on them. The agent in charge became the t arget. Apparently the perpetrator was familiar with the man and very pleas ed to be pitted against him. And for the record, no victims were killed af ter the team arrived, and no one else was taken.=E2=80=9D Scully turned to see Mulder standing in the doorway wearing only his jeans,= the towel forgotten in his hand. She approached him, but he didn=E2=80=99t seem to notice. She looked up at him, placing her hand on his arm, drawing his attention. =E2=80=9CHe didn =E2=80=99t take those five children, Mulder. When he realized you were com ing, he didn=E2=80=99t take the next five.=E2=80=9D His eyes met hers, hungry to believe that. He didn=E2=80=99t speak. =E2=80=9CYou saved them. The others were already gone. You couldn=E2=80 =99t help victims you didn=E2=80=99t know about. As soon as he even heard about you, you saved them.=E2=80=9D He looked better, the rest he=E2=80=99d gotten had obviously helped, giving him a better perspective, still her words seemed to rock him. After a mom ent he nodded. =E2=80=9CWhy?=E2=80=9D he asked quietly. She knew he wasn=E2=80=99t talking about the case now. =E2=80=9CI need you .=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CNeed me?=E2=80=9D She nodded. =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re my partner, my friend, my . . . my Mul der. You grow more important to me every day.=E2=80=9D He blinked at that and a ghost of smile appeared on her face. =E2=80=9CIm-= important?=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ve made me a whole person.=E2=80=9D His mouth had fal len open now. She moved closer to him. =E2=80=9CDon=E2=80=99t leave me, M ulder.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CI, I wasn=E2=80=99t going to jump. I=E2=80=99m too good a swimmer ,=E2=80=9D his voice was heavy with irony. Her chuckle turned into a sob and in surprise he drew her to him. She came readily, her arms going around his waist. =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m not going anywhere, Scully. You=E2=80=99re kinda stuc k with me.=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CThank God.=E2=80=9D He looked down at her, stunned. Thank God? He=E2=80=99s the one that shou ld be thanking God. Without her what would he have done last night? The t ruth, he didn=E2=80=99t know, not for sure but that water had looked kind o f inviting last night. He needed to remember he wasn=E2=80=99t alone any m ore. That didn=E2=80=99t bring those children back, but it meant he was st ill here and so was she. Maybe more than that. Donna http://www.donnas-stories.com/ http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/index.html "Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards." Robert Heinlein