Breathless

For a moment, she couldn't move.

Dana Scully stood in the dark, in the middle of her living room, eyes locked on the closed door.

Only moments before, he had walked through that very door.  He had thrown her a curveball in the guise of a simple kiss, and then left her alone with her racing thoughts.

Alex Krycek.

Before, the name had brought only hatred and unpleasant memories.  Mulder's father, her own sister - who knew how many others?  She had known that he was an enemy, and her FBI training had taught her that enemies were not to be trusted under any circumstances.

Then again, she reflected, her FBI training hadn't exactly covered this type of situation.

Finally, her body remembered how to move, and she went to pick up the phone.  She needed stability.  She needed to talk to someone she knew she could depend on and trust.

She called Mulder.

Her fingers dialed the familiar digits automatically, seemingly of their own accord.  When the familiar voice answered, she managed to keep her own voice surprisingly steady.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me."

Whether it was the tone of her voice, or simply the bond that they seemed to share, Mulder instantly sensed that there was something amiss.  "Scully, what's wrong?"

"I know it's late, but could you come over?  I need to talk to someone."

"Yeah, I'll be over as fast as I can."  Then, the soft click and following silence of disconnection.

She sank into the soft, welcoming cushions of the couch to wait.

She didn't bother to turn the lights on.

Outside the door to Dana Scully's apartment, Alex Krycek stood with his back to the wall.  He was trying to convince himself to do two opposite things simultaneously, but he couldn't seem to make himself do either.

On one hand, he knew that he should probably turn and walk away - just disregard his feelings and try to forget what had just happened.

On the other hand, he wanted to go back into the apartment and pick up right where he had left off.

Until he decided, he seemed to be stuck right where he was - leaning against the wall by her door.

Until he heard the footsteps, he was beginning to think he was going to be there all night.  Reflexively, he moved out of the glow cast by the light above the door into the relative darkness beyond and waited.  He knew who it had to be.

Mulder.  Of course.

It made him absolutely furious that she still clung to Mulder and trusted him despite all of the times that he had deserted her, ignored her, and nearly gotten her killed.  Mulder's presence made his decision all the easier.

He waited.  Mulder approached the door, not even noticing Krycek standing there.  As soon as Mulder's back was turned, Krycek had him in a headlock, reaching down to grab his gun from its holster in one swift motion.  Almost too easy.

Krycek's grip was too tight for Mulder to do anything but struggle uselessly.  Krycek said into Mulder's ear, "You don't deserve her."  Mulder's eyes barely had time to widen with recognition before Krycek hit him on the temple with the gun, causing the older man to crumple to the floor.  He bound Mulder with his own handcuffs and left him in the shadows before tentatively pushing the door open.

Inside, it was still dark, and he began to wonder if it hadn't been merely coincidence that Mulder had shown up when he did.  If she had called him, surely she would be waiting there for him.

And then he saw her.

The patch of moonlight which had revealed him to her earlier had shifted its position to fall over the couch, where she lay.  Her eyes were closed and her lips parted slightly in sleep.

He stepped forward, closer to her, and brushed a lock of red hair out of her face.  As he gazed down upon her, he thought how the silvery light that filtered through the window made her look unearthly, almost supernatural.  The rise and fall of her chest with her deep, even breathing was almost hypnotic as he watched her.

He couldn't bring himself to wake her.  So, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and sat down on the floor beside her to wait and watch over her.

He would be there when she woke.

The End

Yeesh, that was harder than I thought it was going to be.  Oh, well.  Feedback?  Please?  Compliments, bomb threats, and marriage proposals can be sent to Fox4242@aol.com.

"Love can be deep inside, Love can be suicide."  ~The Beatles, "That Means a Lot"

"Bambi?"  ~The cockroach in "Tunguska" (I swear!  Watch it with the closed-captions!)

"I don't appreciate being ditched like someone's bad date!"  ~Krycek, "Sleepless"

"We're exhuming… your potato."  ~Mulder, "Humbug"