"Love"-- Distance IV AUTHOR: Kathy EMAIL ADDRESS: SADanaMldr@aol.com ARCHIVE: Anywhere, please keep my name and address attached and let me know where. SPOILER WARNING: Other fics in the series (sorta) RATING: PG-13 language CLASSIFICATION: MSR/Angst SUMMARY: None DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and Samantha Mulder belong to CHRIS CARTER, TEN THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS, and FOX TELEVISION... "Love" by Kathy "What happen to the great Romance of the world? The perfect men, and the perfect women...the perfect couples... the kind who would die for one another? ... Nothing... Nothing has happened that can't be fixed." Diana Fowley sighed, continuing reading the trashy romance novel she'd momentarily neglected in order to voice her musings into the emptiness of her bedroom... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in Georgetown... "Scully, wake up..." "Mmm... noo... Too comf'rble" She snuggled closer to her new found lover, pressing her cheek into his warm bare chest. "Okay.. just a few more minutes," he whispered softly dropping a kiss into her hair, lovingly. Mulder moved to disentangle himself from her arms, with thoughts of warm coffee and a hot breakfast suddenly urging a rumble his stomach. "No, stay..." Scully squeezed the arm she had around his middle even tighter. "I thought you wanted to sleep." "Can't if you leave..'"mumbled, her eyes still closed, but with an obvious frown of disapproval at his attempted actions settled on her brow. He dipped his fingers into her hair, combing the soft strands ever so gently. "I won't...." he sighed contentedly. This was what life was all about.... love... at that moment he understood what it meant to be a complete human being. And he would have never known if it hadn't been for Dana Scully... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Parked in front -- Cafe Milano Scully's Car "Mulder, what I don't understand is why she was in your apartment taking a shower." "That's what scares me Scully. I think maybe she's.. uh I don't know... but it sounds like Diana's not playing with a full deck." "I could told you that a long time ago..." Scully mumbled under her breath. "What?" "Nothing. I think your smoking friend has a thing or two to do with why she was in your apartment." "Maybe so, but I don't think he had anything to do with her bathtime fun and my soap on a rope." "Soap on a roap?" "Kidding." "Fine, so what do we do next." Taking a long finger he began tracing soothing little patterns across her forearm. "Oh I can think of a few things... " "Mmm hmm, like food. Come on Mulder I'm hungry." "Aww, you're no fun." "Nope," she said huskily before leaning in for an almost indecently long, deep kiss.... When she pulled away breathlessly, Mulder had to shut his eyes, trying to squeeze out as much self control as he could, before going inside. Why did she have to go and kiss him like that? Oh, he was never going to make it through this meal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Um, Scully?" "Yes," she glanced up from her menu, only to see a pitiful look on Mulder's face. "I..uh have to use the men's room." He said reaching across the table to brush his fingers softly across her knuckles. She chuckled slightly at his melodrama and stated with a big grin, "I'll be here when you get back, Mulder." "Is that a promise," he smiled, all of a sudden lost in her tranquil blue eyes. "Of course, Mulder," she nodded. "Kay," he spoke softly. "I'll be right back." Mulder made his way toward the front of the restaurant eager to get his bodily needs out of the way, so he could get back to Scully. When he had finished, was all washed up and quickly emerged through the bathroom doors, he was stopped cold in his tracks at the sight before his eyes. His nostrils flared, as he tried to calm the anger he felt rising in his chest.... Diana. "Why, hello, Fox." "What are you doing? Following me?" "Now, is that anyway to talk to an old friend?" "You may be old Diana, but you are certainly NOT my friend." "Why are so angry, Fox?" "Why am I SO..." the rise in his voice caused heads to turn, and he quickly lowered the volume, but did not let up on the venom that in which it was laced. He stepped closer to her and growled in her ear, "Why am I so angry?! What the hell were you doing in my apartment on Friday?" "I was waiting to talk to you." "I don't remember giving you a key." "I'm sorry Fox, but I had something very important to talk to you about." "And so you just decided to take a shower while you were waiting I suppose." "Well, it was a long trip. I didn't think you'd mind." "Didn't think I'd... Damn it Diana, do you know how upset Scully was when she found you there?!" "I wasn't aware that the two of you were so...close." "That.. is none of your business. The point is you hurt her, and you almost ruined... something very special. When I think of what could have happened... You're lucky I don't kill you right here on this spot!" Diana's eyes grew wide. "You don't mean that, Fox." "The hell I don't." "Well, don't you want to hear what I have to tell you." "No," he said firmly. "But I..." "Just stay the hell away from me... and more importantly stay away from Scully." As he turned back towards the dining room of the restaurant he saw Scully standing not more than a few feet away. Meeting her half way, he bent to whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry." "Shh.. don't be..." She rubbed his arm soothingly. "Let's get out of here, okay?" "But I thought you were hungry." "I just lost my appetite," she said as Diana passed by, exchanging an icy glare with her red headed enemy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 weeks later The last ten days had been hell for Scully. They had been right. Making love, made it so much harder for them to be apart. But, luckily Mulder was due to arrive in town in just a few short hours and she was going to have something very special planned for them tonight. Grabbing her keys, her British tan Coach purse, and her cell phone ... (just in case Mulder decided on an earlier flight... and called from the airport), she headed down to her car. Stepping out of the front doors of her building, she reveled in the sweet smell of the air and the beauty of the a day. It hadn't been like this in a while. Perfect weather. Just the way she liked it. Not too hot... not to humid, still and quite... perfect. She finally made it to her car, got inside and began her journey to the near by market. She thought about Mulder, and how wonderful life would be once they had gotten all of this long distance foolishness out of the way. Oh, red light... Scully eased down on the breaks... "WHAT THE HELL?!!" She pressed her foot down as hard as she could... the breaks had given out!! And shit there was a bus crossing the intersection! "Oh, my God!! Nooo!!!" ::::::CRAAAASHHHH!!!::::: Glass, debris, twisted metal.... blackness.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Georgetown Memorial Margaret Scully turned her heavy head toward the loud upset suddenly erupted in the emergency room. Fox. "DAMN IT!! TELL SOMETHING!! PLEASE!!" She achingly made her way toward the man, whom she knew loved her daughter with all of his heart. She wanted to call out to him, but her voice... it just would work. As she approached him she lay a soft motherly hand on to his back. He instantly knew the owner of that hand and turned around to hug the mother of his life's blood. Maggie's voice finally broke through a sob, "Oh, Fox... she's ..." He stepped back, looking intently into her eyes, "She's not..." "No... but.. she's critical." "Oh, God... Oh God.... not again..." he did all he could not to collapse right there on the hospital floor... He literally felt his heart tearing in two... Oh God.. all of those intense wonderfully blissful emotions that came with love, were inevitably juxtaposed with equally intense one's filled with pain and anguish. Finally his knees gave out and he fell, sobbing, pressing his hands so deeply into his tears he could feel his eye lids beginning to burn. His sobs weren't loud, but his body shook so profusely that a nurse came rushing to his side to check on his vulnerable state. "Fox?" "Sir, can you hear me?" He did not respond verbally, but somehow he allowed them to help him to his feet and lead him to the near by waiting chairs that lined the far left wall. "Fox..." Margaret touched his shoulder once more and was almost frightened at the pain she saw in his eyes. It was a powerfully tortured look of heartache and grief... a look she'd never quite seen before. She knew pain very well.. she'd had so much of it recently... But she had a feeling that her daughter was much more to Fox Mulder than a lover, or even a wife... To Fox Mulder her daughter was life. It was the greatest love she'd ever laid bare to witness. And to love, Maggie Scully was no stranger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 18 hours later Maggie had filled in Mulder with all of the gruesome details. Her brakes had given out. This had obviously been planned... They were trying to kill her. Or in effect kill him. But, why now? Many thoughts crossed his mind that day. Many images of the faces in which he wanted to lay blame. The most frequent of those being that of Diana Fowley! He just knew she was behind this. He could feel it in his gut. If he wasn't so damn scared. So damn unsure of what might happen to Scully. He'd be down at the Watergate Apartments right now, pointing a gun in her face. "But, he couldn't not now. He had to be there for Mrs. Scully, and for... for Scully. She would make it through this. She just had to. He'd had so much planned. Everything was about to be perfect... job wise anyway. At that moment the doctor treating Scully emerged from the double doors labeled simply, 'Emergency'. The two harried individuals sprang to their feet at the sight of him. The man was slightly older than his former boss Walter Skinner, with a similar tan to his complexion, he even wore the same type of wire rim glasses. If Mulder hadn't been so distraught he would've sworn it was his older brother. "Mrs. Scully. Mr. Mulder... Dana's condition has improved." Mulder's eyes lit up and the sound of the doctor's word. "But, that doesn't mean she's completely out of the woods. We, still need to keep an eye on her internally. But I can say with a clear conscious that I think that your daughter will more than likely make it through this." "Is she awake... can I... can we see her?" Mrs. Scully asked. "We will be moving her to another room shortly. She is not conscious yet, but she should be waking up at anytime now." Mulder let out a heavy sigh of relief, from the breath he'd been unknowingly holding for the past minute or so. "How long will it be?" he croaked rawly. "Not long, son... not long." He patted his arm before turning to disappear behind the double doors where his life was just saved. He felt his heart beat return to a more regular pattern, as he settled back down into his chair. Counting the minutes until he could look upon her beautiful face once more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ END OF "Love"