Date sent: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 15:51:05 +0000 From: Lyle Bontrager Subject: Fox Mulder: Only Me (1/1) Title: Fox Mulder: Author: RocketMan>lbontger@wmcstations.com< Disclaimer: Don't own them. Not for money. Will put them back in their upright and locked positions when I'm done. Spoilers: Season 4 Rating: Not sure, somewhere in the vicinity of PG13. Class: VVVVVVVVVVV......isn't that great? Fox Mulder stood lightly on the balls of his feet, waiting or her voice to allow him to come in. When the silence stretched on, he knocked again on the dividing door between their motel rooms. Nothing, again. He cracked open the door and peered inside, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. He sasw her figure on the bed, small under the sheets and crept over to her. He glanced at his watch, then at her alarm clock and made sure they agreed. Maybe she had forgotten to set her alarm or something, he thought. He sat down next to her on the bed, placing a hand on her side and whispered her name, to bring her out of sleep gently. She stirred and did not wake. "Scully?" he said again, rubbing her back a little to encourage her body to wake up. Her eyes opened, then sank back closed and she sighed. He let her regain her composure, his hand making slow circles on her back, and watched her. The small face before him, peaceful seeming with sleep and early morning, moved into the pillow and tried to ignore him, but he gently touched her cheek. "Scully, time to get up. It's eight o'clock already." he said, still rubbing her back. He felt her stiffen and turn quickly to him. Her eyes flicked to the travel clock then to his face and she sat up, freeing herself of his hand. "Eight o'clock! Why didn't the alarm go off?" she said. He shook his head. "It did go off, I heard it." She stared at him, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. Was it the cancer making her so tired that she would turn her alarm off and go right back to sleep? "Maybe you should stay-" "NO, Mulder." she said vehemently. "I'm fine." He sighed, but did not move away. "Are you going to let me get dressed?" she said, her voice dripping with anger and an almost bitterness. He felt his heart rip a little at her attitude but he wasn't going to give in on this one. She didn't need to come with him for the interview. It was only with the sherriff and he could fill her in later. "Scully, I want you to stay here. I'm expecting a phone call," he lied. She eyed him suspiciously and he wished he hadn't said it. He was lying to her, but he had to make sure she stayed in, got some rest. She had flown down here with him after a week long teaching conference at Quantico. She had to be exhausted. But of course, she would never admit it to him. "Are you lying to me?" she said softly. He must have let something show in her face because her eyes turned dark and she looked away from him. "You are. You're lying." she said, her voice tinted with incredulity, instead of the anger he'd been expecting. "Please, Scully, stay here. You've been away all week and as soon as you got back, I whisked you off here and you haven't had time to recover." He was almost pleading with her. He would plead with her if it got her to stay. "You don't have to come to this. I can interview Sheriff Daly and then tell you about it later." She still wasn't looking at him. He knew there must be something more than just exhaustion weighing her down. She bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair. "Mulder." she said, her voice coming to his ears low and almost frightened. He waited, letting her tkae her time, knowing she needed to talk to someone. He must not have been it. She shook her head nad turned away. "Go out, Mulder, I'm coming with you." No, he wasn't backing down on this one. He wouldn't. No matter how wounding her gaze was, no matter how much he hurt inside for forcing her to stay. She needed to rest. "No." he said. Her head whipped arouind in confusion and she eyed him. "What?" "No." "Mulder!" "No, Scully. I'm not letting you go. As your surperior in this, I'm pulling you from this -" "Fox Mulder, don't you dare do this to me. Don't you dare!" She was loking at him like she would just as soon pull out her gun and shoot him than follow his instructions. She turned from him and began to rise from the bed. He grabbed her wirsts and forced her back down. He was still bigger than her, even if he felt about two inches tall. "Scully, I'll lock you in if I have to." he said softly, but firmly, letting her know he meant it. "Mulder, I have to do this. If I stay in bed, if I let it get me, then I'm giving up, I'm giving in! Don't you inderstand?" He felt his heart squeeze and fall to somewhere in his stomach, to be eaten by acid. "I understand that you think that resting because of a trip will somehow mean you've given up. I understand that you think you have to prove that you can still do the job. I understand that, Scully." She was staring at him, as if he had just opened her heart and bared it for the world to see. "Do you?" she said in a small voice. "I do. I understand. But this is me. Me, Scully. You don't have to prove anything to me. I know perfectly well what you're capable of. I know you can go to this interview, be perfectly alert and awake and do it. But I also know that you'll be even more exhausted later until something happens. Exhaustion catches up with everyone, and I want you to just sleep for awhile and rest. That way we beat it now, before something happens." She shook her head. "Mulder, I have to-" His face contorted and he shook his head. "No! No, don't you see? This is me, Scully! You don't have to prove anything to me. Nothing. I know you. I know you. It's only me." She stared at him and he could see the dawning realization on her face. "Okay." she whispered. He smiled and she laid back down, turning away form him. "It's just you." she said and he placed his hand on her back and began the slow cirlces again. She fell asleep and he left. Maybe he had done her some good. Not just with sleep, but with the way she thought of him. She had nothing to prove. End. Adios RocketMan