TITLE: Always By Her Side
AUTHOR: Spooky Jr.
EMAIL ADDRESS: CuteAndCudly@Yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere. Just keep my name and addy attached. 
SPOILER WARNING: Elegy
RATING: PG
CLASSIFICATION: V/A
SUMMARY: Post-Elegy. Takes place right after the credits rolled.
FEEDBACK: Is deeply appreciated.


And now on with the show...


"Always By Her Side"
By Spooky Jr.



Fox Mulder sat in his darkened apartment, the vast emptiness of 
night-time shadowing him. Images from the days past events swirling in his 
mind like a picture show. One by one the pictures invaded his conscious like 
a reckoning, robbing him of any self-composure he had left of himself.

Scully had seen a vision, a self-exploratory premonition.
He tried to help but every step he took to comforting her,
she would take two steps back.

It was an circular situation. If she would only talk to him, things would
be so much different. Maybe not health wise, but voicing your feelings
sometimes wasn't always a bad thing. He confronted her, letting her in on 
Harold Speuller's death. She seemed a bit surprised, but more or less quite 
pre-occupied with her thoughts.
The moment she spoke, he could tell in her shaky voice, 
arrow straight posture, and tight features something was wrong.
After a bit of gentle prodding, coaxing her into opening up even if just 
a slight hair, she finally admitted that she had indeed seen the fourth
victim. 

His thoughts were halted by a soft knock at the door. Before he even
made a attempt to answer his visitor he knew who it was. Scully.
That soft knock he would know anywhere.
One look through the peephole and his answer was confirmed.

He unlocked the door and stepped back in
order to let her pass. Yet, she made no move 
what-so-ever. He could tell on her face she wasn't with the present.
He stepped forward slightly, laying a gentle hand on the small of her back,
he guided her into the apartment. He turned to her and noticed for the 
first time since she had arrived that her icy-blue eyes were near 
spilling over with ushed tears.

He also noticed that she was doing her damnedest not to meet his eyes.

Mulder walked up to her and directed her towards his couch, his hand 
once again taking its place on the small of her back offering 
comfort and support even if it wasn't what she wanted at the time.
As soon as he was confident that she was settled for the moment
he excused himself to the kitchen. He was back just as soon as he had left
with two glasses of iced tea; one in each hand.
He handed her a glass and took a seat next to her on the couch, setting
his tea down in front of him on the coffee table. 

Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, he probed the
subject which had been plaguing him since late that evening.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why hide this from
me and let me find out after all the events take place."

Biting his lower lip, he ordered himself to calm down a bit 
and lowered  his voice. "Why couldn't you just be straight with me?"

Scully glanced his way, but still refused to meet his eyes.  
She knew in her heart that she could trust him with anything 
she would lay on him, he would except. But in her mind this 
was different. 

"Mulder-" 

She stopped, as a stray tear escaped the depths of her so-closely
hidden emotions and slipped down her cheek. Mulder reached up
and brushed the fallen tear away, being so gentle as if she were
porcelain glass and would break at any moment. 
A faint smiled crossed her face but disappeared in a flash. She took
a shuddering breath and tried to compose herself. She didn't trust her
emotions then and didn't think her voice was any better.

She waited a few moments and only when she was sure her voice was solid
did she speak.

"Mulder, I trust you. I didn't tell you because-"

She shook her head and another tear escaped and made it's way down her
cheek leaving a moistened trail in its wake.
Mulder took the opportunity to jump in, and maybe have a chance
to give her some of the comfort she deserved.

His laid him arm around her shoulders and planted a soft 
kiss on her head.

"Because why?" He had to know. It was something he just couldn't let
go. This was too important. His own words of that evening
came floating back to him; *What is a death omen if not 
a vision of our own mortality?  And who among us would most likely be able 
to see the dead? *

"Because, you came to my apartment, and when you told me-" She swallowed hard
before continuing, "when you told me that the people who saw the
victims were people who were about to die themselves, it-it scared me.
It chilled me to the bone. It's like you confirmed my worst fears."

Her voice cracked and the dam broke, bringing with it heart-wrenching
sobs which violently shook her whole frame.
He gently put his arm around her, pulling her head down onto
his shoulder, whispering no nonsense words of comfort in her ear. 

"Mulder do you know what it feels like to know that you're dying and are 
powerless to do anything about it?"

Her voice was muffled by the collar of his shirt, but he could make
out every word she said. 

"Scully...I..god Scully you are the most important person in the world
to me. Everytime you get a nosebleed or you get scared because
of this cancer, this damn disease, I feel it too." Mulder gestured
to his chest with his hand laying it where his heart is located.

"Scully, if I could take that disease straight from you
and put it into me, I would do it. I would go through the treatments,
the torture, the nosebleeds and the agony in a heartbeat."

He laid his hand on her cheek and turned her head to face him.
A tears escaped his eyes and slid down his cheek again, as he started
to speak.

"That's how important to me you are. And I promise you, I will
find a cure and you will be healed Scully."

His body started to wrack with sobs as did hers, as he pulled her
closer into a fierce hug. 

His voice, muffled by the collar of her shirt, did not prevent
her from hearing his heartfelt words.

"We'll find a cure and as long as were together we'll can get through this."


The End.

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