Title: One Truthful Night Author: Joey R. Rating: PG. Category: MSR, song-fic, angst-full fluff. Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully and their office and stapler and pencils stuck in the ceiling are CC's, 1013 and Fox's. I'm just someone who borrows them for a little fun and returns them with no memory of what happened. I get no money from doing this, I just have fun. Disclaimer 2: The song used within this fic is the song ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ from The Corrs album, Talk On Corners. No infringement is meant and the lyrics are in the order in which they are on the CD sleeve. Spoilers: None. Summary: Mulder makes a move, Scully makes a stand. Very shippy so noromos, bail out now. Archive: Please do. Let me know where, though. Feedback: All welcome at Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk or Joey_r83@yahoo.com - feedback cherished and will be rewarded with a yummy Mulder clone. Flames: If you can find the time to write them, I'll try to find the time to read them. Note: This story has nothing to do with any other stories written by me. Visit my fic@ www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/1240/ Dedication: Traci, who acted as my Beta reader - Thanks. Tanja, my friend and co-writer. Lisa M and Lyndsey A - thanks for the support. ==================== One Truthful Night. By Joey R --------------- It was time. Fox Mulder had decided it was. He’d finally, after six years, worked up the courage to do what he’d wanted to do since Dana Scully had first stepped over the threshold of his basement office. That was why he was here, standing outside her apartment, his stomach churning with nerves. He softly knocked on the door and waited for her to answer it. She did after a few moments. “Mulder, hi,” Scully momentarily looked surprised. “ To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? You’re not here to drag me half way across the country, are you?” She stepped aside and let him enter the apartment before securing the door behind them. “ I’m not here about a case, don’t worry,” he grinned at her and sat down beside her on the couch. “ Then you’re going to help me with the paperwork?” She smiled and curled up in her corner and looked at him expectantly. “ So what’s up? Oh, do you want a drink or something?” “ I’m fine, thanks. I..” His voice trailed off. “ I’m here because I want to say something I’ve been meaning to say for a long time and if I don’t say it now, I probably never will.” “ Don’t forget to breathe, Mulder,” she quipped, a teasing look on her face. “ And stop fidgeting, you’re making me nervous.” “ Sorry.” He looked sheepish, his cheeks growing warm under her intense gaze. “ I just ...This is hard for me to say. I’ve never said it before. Well, I never said all of it before and meant it. I...Scully. Dana, I..” “ Before you say anything,” she leaned over and put a finger over his lips. “ If you’re going to say what I think you’re going to say. Don’t. Not yet. We need to talk.” Mulder was surprised at her outburst. He looked at her somewhat curiously. “ I was just going to say I lo..” “ No! Don’t you dare say it,” Scully stood and moved away as quickly as she could, surprising him even more. “ I can’t hear it, Mulder. Not now, not yet. If I did, I wouldn’t believe you. I wouldn’t be able to.” “ Why not?” He stood and walked over to her side, unsure of how to continue. “ I can’t. I’ve been hurt too many times and I’ve almost lost you too many times. I’m not going to risk losing you again by taking the next step in our relationship and have it ruin our friendship and partnership.” Scully shook her head. “ I’m sorry, I really am. You’re just too important for me to lose.” “ You’ll never lose me, Dana,” he used his hand to tip up her face, gazing deeply into her blue eyes. “ I promise. You’ll never lose me. You’re not that lucky.” His attempt at humor fell flat. “ You know I’ll never leave you. Willingly, at least.” “ But I don’t know,” her voice almost cracked on saying the words. “ That’s the problem. I don’t know you’ll never leave me because you have left me, more times than I can count.” “ When?” His brow furrowed. “ When have I left you?” “ You’ve ditched me, you know you have. And that hurts, more than you could possibly know.” She looked up into his hazel eyes. “ I can’t believe you until I know, in my heart, that you’ll never ditch me again. I can’t put that much trust in you unless I know I won’t be ditched because if we were more than friends and partners, it would hurt a lot more.” “ I’, sorry.. I didn’t know it hurt you so much..” he tenderly caressed her cheek with his thumb, the pain existent in her eyes making his heart ache. “ I’m so sorry.” “ It hurts more than you can imagine,” Scully turned her back on him. “ I get so worried and scared, scared something’s happened to you and that I won’t be able to find you and get to your side in time. You never tell me where you’re going so I don’t know if you’re alright and I imagine the worst. I imagine the worst kind of danger that you’re facing and I feel guilty. I feel guilty because you’re all alone although I know it’s not my fault. It.. When you ditch me, it makes me question your trust in me.” “ I..I don’t know what to say.” Mulder slowly moved away from her and sat down on the couch, his head in his hands. She sighed heavily as she watched the cloud of guilt descend on him and walked across to the CD player. “ I didn’t say it to make you feel guilty,” she explained quietly. “ I just wanted to make you understand. Listen to the song and then listen to your heart. If you can still look me in the eyes and tell me what you came to say, I’ll believe you. I know you can’t lie to me about something as important as this. If you pay most attention to the chorus..” Scully stood by the CD player as Mulder listened from his place on the couch. Soft Irish music floated over to him out of the speakers. I’ve seen this place a thousand times I’ve felt this all before And every time you call I’ve waited there as though you might not call at all I know this face I’m wearing now I’ve seen it in my eyes And though it feels so great I’m still afraid That you’ll be leaving anytime Chorus: We’ve done this once and then you closed the door Don’t let me fall again for nothing more Don’t say you love me unless forever Don’t tell me you need me if you’re not gonna stay Don’t give me this feeling, I’ll only believe it Make it real or take it all away I’ve caught myself smiling alone Just thinking of your voice And dreaming of your touch is all too much You know I don’t have any choice The chorus was repeated again and the song faded out. Scully turned the CD player off and turned to find he was standing right behind her. She was startled, she hadn’t even heard him get up from the couch. “ I love you, Dana Katherine Scully, with all my heart. And I promise I will try as hard as I can to stop hurting you and ditching you. I had no idea it hurt you so much and I don’t want you doubting my trust in you, I won’t have it.” He vowed. “ I never want to be without you, I’m not going to risk losing you. I only ever ditched you because I thought I was protecting you from harm, I guess I was causing you pain rather than preventing it. But you’re the most important person in my life and what we have is too special to risk. I’ll need you to help me, though.” “ I will,” she smiled. “ I’ll not let you out of my sight. I love you, Mulder.” They sealed their vows with their first real kiss and Scully knew in her heart that everything was going to be okay, Mulder would stop ditching her. Mulder knew, as he held the woman he loved in his arms, that he would keep his promise to her. He would not leave her side. He loved her and she loved him. And they would forever. The End.