Barren Souls Part 2 of 7 It was two days later when the call came into the ER that two ambulances were bringing in some downed police officers and Government agents. The ER doctors and nurses made preparations to receive them, including Dr. Lehman. The first ambulance arrived with one police officer and one FBI agent, and Anne Lehman took charge of the police officer. She and her team were working on reviving the officer when the other ambulance delivered another police officer and another FBI agent. Anne's team was successful in resuscitating the officer, and she quickly went to offer assistance to the doctors working on the other patients. She came upon the team working on one of the FBI agents, and as soon as she entered the room, she recognized the face of Fox Mulder. He was conscious, and she quickly confirmed his identity and learned that Scully was injured as well. She dashed off quickly to find Scully as she thought back to her meeting with the kindly female agent only a few days ago. Anne found her and rushed in to see what had happened. Scully was unconscious with several bruises and lacerations on her face, arms, and hands - most were on the palms of her hands and forearms. Judging from her wounds, it looked like she had put her hands and arms up in front of her in self- defense. Her dark green suit was dirty and ripped, and she had some bleeding cuts on her face and her lower lip. Despite feeling chills race up and down her spine, Anne managed to stay calm and collected as she stood in the doorway of the trauma room looking in at the agent. She didn't want to appear overly anxious about Scully's condition, and she didn't want to step on the toes of the team taking care of her, but she offered her assistance anyway. The trauma team welcomed her overture, so she entered and stood at Scully's side, checking her vitals and watching the monitors for some sign of recovery. As she stood watching Scully, she felt a very strange sensation wash over her. An overwhelming sense of worry, confusion, and anger began to take hold inside her. She hardly knew the woman, yet she was upset and gravely concerned about her well-being. she wondered inwardly. She had become so adept at shutting off her emotions when working on patients that it took her off-guard when the sensations arose from time to time. She couldn't imagine what had happened to Scully, but she intended to stick around and make sure that she was properly taken care of. It was sometime later when Scully finally regained consciousness. She blinked her blurry eyes several times, trying to realize where she was, and trying to place the face of the calm, smiling woman sitting on her bedside. Scully tried to turn her head to look around, but excruciating pain shot through her head, making her wince and close her eyes. "Hey, take it easy... it's alright." A smooth, soothing voice spoke to her, and a firm hand rested on her shoulder. "Where am I?" Scully managed with a grumble, her eyes still squeezed shut. "You're in your favorite Emergency Room, with your favorite ER trauma doctor at your service." Anne said kiddingly. After hesitating for a moment, Scully recognized the voice. "Anne?" Scully asked as she opened her eyes with a squint. Anne smiled at her. "Yes, it's Anne Lehman, Dana. How are you feeling?" Anne asked, leaning in closer to look at Scully's eyes with her penlight. "Uhhhh... like I've been hit by a truck," Scully mumbled as she tried not to blink. "Mmmm, I see. Well, do you think you can tell me what the hell happened to you guys, hmm?" Anne asked calmly as she continued to check Scully over. "God... I'm... I'm not really sure. One minute we were standing there, talking... the next minute, there was an...explosion, or something...glass shattered everywhere... I guess I blacked-out... next thing I know, I'm here." Scully said slowly, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Whose house were you in Dana?" Anne asked. "Eduardo Rodriquez' house. We were looking around with the local police. ...I don't understand... no one was there... we looked everywhere... it was locked up... *no one* was around... I don't *understand*...," Scully said, shaking her head. Her voice was lifting with agitation and turmoil. "Alright... it's alright, Dana... just relax, okay?" Anne cupped the side of her face and stilled her. "I don't want you to worry about it right now, okay? I want you to relax," Anne said, her tone commanding, but kind. Scully nodded slowly in agreement, looking at Anne through hazy eyes. "You have a concussion, so you're going to have stay right here... understand, *Doctor* Scully??" Anne said, looking at Scully with wide eyes. Scully grinned slightly and wrinkled her nose. Anne smiled back, "I *know* what kind of patients Doctors make... so, no funny stuff, alright?" Anne scolded Scully teasingly with a little finger shake. "*Yes*, Dr. Lehman." Scully slurred back with a smile, as her eyes threatened to slide shut again. Anne smiled kindly back at her. "Let's have a look at these lacerations," Anne said as she unwrapped the gauze bandages that covered Scully's hands and arms. Scully winced and kept her eyes closed until she felt Anne gently touching her, inspecting the wounds carefully. Scully said nothing, she just watched Anne through half-lidded eyes. Anne's eyes were a deeper shade of blue this time, and she had her thin, oval-shaped glasses on, making her look like the classic stereotype of a female doctor. Her brows were knitted together in fierce concentration, making her eyes look dark and more deep-set than before. She wore a thin gold chain around her neck, and her long curly hair was pulled back again, revealing simple gold hoop earrings. Anne's fingers grazed and touched Scully's arms and hands very delicately as she quickly changed the dressings and dabbed some antiseptic medicines on the wounds. She re- wrapped the wounds and moved up to look at the cuts on Scully's face, leaning in very closely. There was something about this woman that Scully immediately liked, and she felt completely at ease under her skilled hands. She couldn't explain it, and she didn't understand it; but something told her that Anne felt it too. Scully thought that Anne had seemed stand-offish and totally clinical before, determined to keep Scully at arm's length, but right now, she exuded warmth and genuine concern. There was some kind of regal, elegant air about Anne, and yet Scully sensed that she was quite grounded and down to earth. <...A genuine conundrum,> Scully thought groggily. Anne was so close to Scully that she could smell her clean hair, as well as her perfume. <...She smells good... familiar... something...,> Scully thought, as she blinked drowsily and tried to concentrate on Anne's familiarity. Anne continued her ministrations for a few more moments while Scully laid perfectly still. Finally, she made eye contact with Scully as she dabbed some ointment on her lip. It was a strange look... a brief flash of brilliant blue that was intense, but... shy? She gave Scully a brief, nervous smile that looked more like a twitch. She quickly averted her gaze, and Scully could swear that she saw a slight blush on her face. Had Anne just given her a *coy* look...?? Scully thought as she followed Anne's darting eyes. Anne turned her face away from Scully for a moment, seemingly embarrassed and edgy. <...What's going on...?> Scully asked herself as she frowned and closed her eyes for a moment. she thought inwardly, Scully opened her eyes only to find Anne staring directly at her. <...Oops - shit, I hope she can't read minds,> Scully thought as she tried her best to look back at Anne blankly. "Well, that should hold you for awhile," Anne said, touching the bandage on Scully's forehead. "Thanks." Scully said with a small, nervous smile. Anne smiled sympathetically, her eyes radiating compassion. "Don't worry, they're not that bad... should be healed in no time." She said with a smile, lightly touching the bandage on Scully's chin. Scully and Anne looked right at each other. Anne's eyes morphed from a dark steely blue to a lighter sky blue, nearly matching Scully's own blue eyes. It sent chills up Scully's spine and made her even more uncomfortable. she screamed at herself. The awkward silence was broken by Anne casually patting Scully's hand. "Well...," she began, "I should get going... I have other patients to tend to." Anne said it quietly and apologetically, as though she wanted to stay there with Scully. Scully licked her lips nervously and tried to act cool. "Oh, sure... I understand," she lied. Anne nodded and rose from the side of the bed. "You be sure to get some rest now, alright?" Anne said as she pulled the blanket up over Scully's stomach in a thoughtful, almost maternal way. "I will," Scully said. "I'll be back later to check in on you." Anne said with raised brows, almost as if asking permission. "Okay." Scully said with a small, skittish smile. " 'K." Anne said warmly. Then she turned and was gone. ******************************************* Outside Scully's door, Anne drew a deep breath and blew it out loudly. "*Fuck*... what are you *DOING*, Anne Elizabeth Lehman?!" she muttered lowly to herself. She rested her head back against the door and closed her eyes, trying to clear her head of the confusing confrontation with Dana Scully. Images of the petite redhead filled her mind... her soft, ivory skin and the way her face felt on her fingers... her perfect lips... the burnished bronze hair... the way those seductive sea-blue eyes watched her... Anne shook her head, casting the thoughts aside. she repeated to herself. After a few seconds of self-scolding, she gathered herself together and stepped away from Scully's door. "This is gonna be a *wonderful* fucking day." she grumbled out loud as she headed down the hallway. **************************************** Inside her room, Scully closed her eyes and tried desperately to make sense of the sudden foreign sensations sweeping through her. Was she losing her mind? Was she SO drugged that she was hallucinating, or did she actually feel a twinge of *attraction* toward this doctor?? This *FEMALE* doctor - hello?! she said repeatedly under her breath. she thought inwardly as she closed her eyes and gently massaged her eyebrows. She knew she longed for some 'action' - a *date*, dinner or a movie, or *something* romantic, but good LORD! Was she *so* desperate that she was now reduced to checking out *WOMEN*??!! She frowned as she contemplated it for several minutes, then she began thinking back to all her past attachments. It had been a long while since she'd had any kind of meaningful relationship with anyone, *and*, it had been a VERY long while since she'd had a somewhat satisfying *physical* relationship with anyone - she hated to admit that, even to herself. Her last attempt at something physical ended up being a one-night stand where the guy turned out to be a psycho who tried to toss her into a furnace... she cringed at the recollection. She felt so pathetic... the only 'sex' she was 'getting' these days was coming from Mary Palm and her 5 sisters, she thought sarcastically as she rolled her eyes at herself. She admitted, she had thought about being with a woman once or twice before. There were a few female college and med school friends that she had gotten pretty close with, and the thoughts had crossed her mind sometimes... but that's all it ever amounted to... thoughts. Her sex fantasies were primarily about men - usually the few men she'd had mediocre sex with, or strangers she met someplace and found attractive. A few times she had fantasized about Mulder, but that was early in their pairing, when she found him attractive and was horny enough to think she might still have a good chance of getting laid. Several difficult, trying years in the X-Files had changed her mind about all that, however, and she realized that Mulder had become more like a brother to her. She had the emotional and intellectual connection with Mulder, but no romance. She had given up on finding all three attributes in someone. Hell, she couldn't recall even having *two* out of the three attributes in a relationship, as a matter of fact. She thought back... she'd had intellectual stimulation, and she'd had what *she* thought was pretty good sex... but she'd never had the emotional connection or romance. she thought for a moment. She remembered her past relationships, when she thought that she'd discovered what everyone was talking about when they talked about "love" and "fabulous sex". According to all her girlfriends, sex was supposed to be this ncredible, earth-moving thing... you're supposed to like it... guys are supposed to be good at it... it's supposed to be magical, and you're supposed to fall madly in love with the guy... right?? So why had that never happened for Scully? She remembered asking herself that question over and over... when will it happen for me? It never did happen though, and so she did the inevitable - she began to wonder if there was something wrong with her... if *she* was doing something wrong. She had always blamed herself, but now she began to think... ...maybe she just hadn't found the right person...?? she nearly screamed aloud as she clutched her head. she thought. Maybe that was the problem. Her personal life had become so empty and barren, maybe she was just pathetic and desperate for attention? Yes, but... her other half spoke out... so pathetic that you'd look for affection from a *woman*???!!! She sighed out loud. she thought to herself. She didn't condemn homosexuality; she really had no issue with it at all. She just never really pictured *herself* in that situation. So why does that make it different? she asked herself... why does that make it wrong? she thought angrily. It's not like Anne Lehman would even be *interested*, for heaven's sake... she was married! Well... she had *been* married... she was divorced now, Scully recalled curiously. And what about that *look* that Anne had given her??? "Oh for godssake, *STOP IT*!" Scully whispered aloud to herself. she thought. Or, maybe Anne was just one of those people she 'clicked' with, and maybe they might become great friends? ...You never know... Scully repeated the mantra to herself as she closed her eyes, forcing herself to forget it and go to sleep. She could not, however, forget the image of Anne Lehman's mesmerizing cerulean eyes... they had burned themselves into Scully's memory for good. **************************************** Anne had no problem keeping herself occupied all day. From gunshot wounds to kids with fevers, she was having a typical day in the busy ER. The injured FBI woman in the room upstairs, however, stayed on her mind. It had been several hours since she'd seen her, and she *did* offer to take over as her doctor and include her in her rounds. She was avoiding Dana Scully... she knew that. She also knew that it was ridiculous, still, she couldn't bring herself to go check on her. She was letting her emotions interfere with her work, and Anne knew that was a big no-no. She could not deny that there was just *something* about Dana Scully that 'clicked' with her. It was very confusing... and very unnerving. She hadn't been affected by someone like that for... well... for a very *long* time. She *had* to go check on her... she couldn't make it obvious that she was avoiding her. Anne checked her watch, sighed, and loudly blew out the breath. Anne chided herself. she thought with a wry grin as she gathered her clipboard and headed off to see Dana Scully. Anne reached Scully's door and knocked lightly, holding her breath. she thought, biting her lower lip. "Come in..." a voice clearly answered. Anne thought, as she slowly pushed the handle and entered the room. Dana Scully was sitting up, reclined in her bed, looking much more alert. The women smiled at each other as Anne entered the room, but stood back from the bed. "Well, you look better." Anne said with raised brows and a smile. "Thanks," Scully said with a slight laugh, "I feel better," she said, smoothing her hospital gown. "How's the head," Anne asked, pointing to Scully's head with her pen. "Mmm, a little better... still throbs a bit." Scully answered truthfully. "Mmm-hmm... well, you shouldn't be getting in and out of bed too much, okay?" Anne said, daring to approach the bedside a little more. "Oh, I'm not," said Scully, "but I *really* need to get a shower somehow." Anne laughed at her faked exasperation. "Well, I'll send a nurse in to see what they can do for you, okay?" "Yes, yes, please do that." Scully said with a smile. "Uhm, I see that your partner is gone... I assume he wasn't hurt too badly?" Anne asked, tapping her pen on her lips. "No, just a few cuts and bruises. He's fine." Scully said. "Mmm... good." Anne answered, nodding her head and flipping through the papers on Scully's chart. Scully watched Anne's mannerisms carefully. She observed the way she stood... watched her write things on the papers... watched her eyes read and glance over the papers... On the surface, she seemed to be very calm and in control, but Scully could sense that she was a bit nervous... She was obviously very good at covering her emotions. "Well, uhmm...," Anne laid her papers down and approached Scully's bedside hesitantly. "Shall we take a look at these?" she said, pointing to Scully's bandaged arms. Scully sighed deeply. "Might as well. I've got to see them sooner or later." Scully said as she laid her arms out in front of her. Anne pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed as she carefully began unwrapping the gauze from each arm. Her hands were so cold that Scully jumped at her first touch. Anne laughed and apologized, then continued her ministrations while Scully bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. Anne stole little glances at Scully, watching her reactions and carefully gauging her movements. After Anne had stopped unwrapping, Scully opened her eyes to look at the wounds, some with stitches, some without. She frowned, and her mouth dropped open a bit as her eyes roamed across herself, but she said nothing. "It looks worse than it is," Anne offered, trying to quell the shock that she could see building behind Scully's expression. Scully licked her lips and swallowed, fighting to maintain her calm, her nostrils flaring slightly as she drew a deep breath. Anne carefully slid her hands under Scully's palms and looked at her. "The sutures make it look a lot worse, Dana," Anne said gently. Scully looked at Anne and blinked several times, but still said nothing. Anne hated moments like this. "I really don't think you'll have much scarring... most of the cuts weren't too deep... only a few needed suturing." Anne said, trying her best to sound positive. Scully finally managed to nod her head and clear her throat a bit. "I guess it could have been worse, huh?" she said, her voice cracking slightly. "Yes, much worse. If you hadn't put your arms up, all these gashes might have been on your face." Anne said, lightly touching the bandage on Scully's chin. Scully smiled nervously at Anne's touch, and Anne quickly pulled her hands back. "Uhm, why don't I put some clean gauze on these, hmm?" Anne stammered as she got up from her chair. "Sure." Scully replied succinctly. Anne rummaged around looking for some gauze but couldn't find any. She muttered under her breath, then turned to Scully. "Uh, I'll have to go get some gauze, but I'll be right back, okay?" Anne said as she started toward the door. The look on Scully's face stopped her, however. "Okay." Scully said quietly, her eyes suddenly rimmed with watery pinkness. Anne looked worriedly at her as she slowly approached Scully's bed again and sat down gently. Scully did not look at her. "Dana?" Anne questioned timidly as she touched Scully's upper arm. Scully turned her head and looked right at Anne, her azure eyes glistening with the moistness of unshed tears. She could feel the chill from Anne's fingers beneath the cloth of her gown. "Are you going to be alright?" Anne asked quietly as she tilted her head a little and peered into Scully's eyes. Scully huffed a small laugh, looking down then back up again. "I *have* to be alright." She said, blinking long and putting on a brave face. Anne pursed her lips and gently squeezed Scully's upper arm, leaning in closer to her. "No you don't... not here... and not with me." Anne said, staring directly into Scully's eyes. Scully knew what she meant, and if she knew Anne Lehman better, she might have broken down in front of her. But she didn't, and she didn't want to look like a complete idiot, so, the brave face stayed intact. "I appreciate that Anne, but I'll be fine, really." Scully said, smiling half-heartedly at Anne. Anne smiled and made an 'if you insist'-type face at Scully, then got up off the bed. "I'll be right back with the gauze." She said, exiting the room. Scully smiled as she watched her leave, grateful to have a moment alone. Scully closed her eyes and fought to get ahold of her emotions. She shouldn't be upset about the wounds - lord knows it wasn't the first time that she'd been wounded in the line of duty. It just looked awful, and it hurt, and... *and*...? She let out a deep sigh. The truth was, she was sick of being in hospitals, wounded because of some stupid case she and Mulder were working on. As usual, Mulder was fine and outta there, and she remained behind like a helpless, fragile woman. She *HATED* feeling helpless. THEN, to add insult to injury, she was developing a crush on her doctor... "Goddd... I am *such* an idiot..." she grumbled quietly to herself as she flopped back on her bed. Just then, Anne reappeared with a jittery smile and gauze-in-hand. "Well... here we go," she said breathlessly, pushing her errant hair behind her ears. Scully smiled slightly and offered her arms as Anne sat down on the side of the bed. Anne quickly re-wrapped Scully's arms and hands, making a point to touch her lightly and carefully. Once again, Scully felt a warm rush flow through her as Anne sat close to her and touched her so delicately. She was certain that she was glowing like a red beet when Anne finished and looked up at her for approval. "There... all done." Anne said with a small smile. Scully could only lick her lips quickly and nod her head. "Thanks," she quipped. Anne cocked her head and looked at Scully. "You sure you're going to be okay?" Anne asked softly. Scully laughed softly and looked downward. "Yes... I'll be fine, don't worry," she said, looking back up at Anne. "I just *really* hate being in the hospital, that's all." She said, hoping to cut-off any further questions. She dropped her head down and sighed heavily. Anne leaned in closer to her and placed a finger under her chin, gently pushing up so that they faced each other again. "I meant what I said before... you can talk to me about anything, okay?" Anne said softly as she peered deeply into Scully's eyes. Anne watched Scully's face as her guard began to slowly slip away. Her expression softened as she looked back into Anne's eyes, and Anne could nearly see past the stone walls that she hid her true self behind. Scully suddenly looked different to Anne...she looked exposed...vulnerable. Anne smiled slightly at Scully as she slowly moved her finger under Scully's chin, touching her delicately. As Anne's finger fleetingly grazed along her chin, Scully saw a wistful expression flash across Anne's cerulean eyes. Scully's mouth opened a tiny bit as she suddenly blushed and her eyes blinked several times involuntarily, causing Anne to immediately back away and withdraw her hand as though she'd been bitten. Scully cursed herself for flinching as Anne averted her gaze and swallowed hard, looking very embarrassed. Anne cleared her throat and got up off the bed quickly, fumbling in her pockets and looking around for her clipboard and pen nervously. <...dammit, dammit, dammit...> Scully swore to herself as she squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again quickly. She wanted to tell Anne to wait... she wanted to apologize... she wanted to tell her to come back and sit down again... Anne began walking toward the door. "Uhmm...," Anne started, "I'll, uh... I'll send a nurse in to help you get a shower." Anne said quietly over her shoulder without even looking at Scully. "Anne... wait...," Scully blurted out. Anne stopped in front of the door and turned slowly, looking first at the floor, then at Scully. Scully's mouth hesitated to speak for a moment, then she managed to nod her head slightly. "...thank you..." Scully said, trying her best to convey 'I'm grateful'... 'I'm sorry'... 'I like you'... or *something* through her facial expression. Anne simply nodded and forced a small smile at Scully, then turned and walked out the door. ******************************* As soon as Anne was out the door, Scully dropped her head back and let out the deep breath she had been holding. She had never been reduced to such a boneless pile of mush before. She felt like a complete idiot. Not only did she nearly let her guard down in front of Anne, but she blushed and flinched too! she thought to herself, Scully wondered. She couldn't remember ever being so embarrassed in her whole life. she thought inwardly, Scully leaned back in her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking deeply for a moment. It wasn't the first time a woman had flirted, or touched her, or made a pass at her. She could recall a few times when women had flirted with her. But, they were just friends... and they were carefree and reckless... just 'fooling around'. It didn't mean anything... she wasn't interested, and she didn't really feel anything for any of them. She was flattered by their attentions, but that was all. Scully had just chalked up those brief 'encounters' to being young and 'experimental'. This was different, though. Those other women never made butterflies stir in her stomach...they didn't make her face blush red and her pulse quicken... they didn't make her feel strange inside like she did when she was in Anne Lehman's presence. Scully laid in bed for a very long time, asking herself many questions, and contemplating the new and strange territory that she was entering. For every positive thought she could wrangle from her mind, a negative argument would emerge, and vice-versa. She knew she could easily convince herself that it was simply wrong, and do nothing about it. Just bid the nice, kind Doctor farewell, and go on with her life. ...her solitary, lonely, loveless life... She closed her eyes as she felt tears well up in her eyes again. She felt like she was going insane. She was confused and uncertain, ...and scared. She knew that her biggest problem was being scared of her feelings. Everything is fine and she can maintain control so long as her emotions didn't get involved. But now... now she wasn't in control... unfamiliar emotions were surfacing... she was feeling very off-balance, and she absolutely hated that. Scully thought to herself. <*What* am I going to do about all this?> She had no answer. She lowered her bed and laid down, trying to get comfortable and covering herself with blankets. For the time being, she decided she would just try to forget about it. she thought. She sighed aloud, knowing full well that she was just putting off what she knew was inevitable... she was going to have to *see* Anne Lehman again. ************************************ Anne slipped into the break room for something to drink. She was tired and thirsty, and after her little 'encounter' with Dana Scully, she was in a shitty mood. She carelessly flung her clipboard down on the table, close to where some people were sitting and brusquely yanked open the refrigerator door in search of a drink. The other staff members at the table stopped their conversation and looked at her and each other with wide eyes... her temper was somewhat famous in the ER, but it still shocked people when it flared. Anne grabbed a soda and slammed the refrigerator shut, snapping open the soda can and taking a big gulp of the sweet, fizzy liquid. She wordlessly turned around and picked up her clipboard, ignoring the surprised looks from the other staff members as she walked by them to sit down on a solitary lounge chair. Staring absently at her charts, she flipped through them, thinking not about her patients, but Dana Scully instead. She didn't even notice the other doctor approach. "Hey, Anne... you okay?" the young male doctor asked quietly. Anne snapped out of her reverie and looked up at him blankly. "Yeah... I'm fine Rob, thanks." She lied with a straight face. Rob was a nice guy with whom she was pretty friendly, but she never talked to him on a personal level. She never talked to *anyone* about anything personal, for that matter. "You seem kind-of... upset, or angry... you sure everything is okay?" he continued to pry politely. Anne made a small face at him and smiled weakly, "*Yes* Rob, I'm *fine*... just another typically shitty day around here... y'know?" She finished with a shrug. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'll see you later." He smiled and patted her gently on the shoulder, then returned to his table again. Anne rolled her eyes to herself, she mocked internally. she thought to herself. She kept playing back the look of surprise on Dana Scully's face when she touched her chin. she scolded herself. *Why* did she have to go and touch her? ...why, why, why?... Anne sat and wracked her brain, replaying the scene over and over again. If only she had played it cool ...if only she had kept her distance... if only she hadn't looked at her... if only she hadn't *touched* her... Well, it was too late now. She *did* touch her, and now Dana knew for *sure* that she had the fucking *hots* for her. <...fucking idiot...,> she further chided herself. She wanted to scream. She wanted to go tell Dana that she was sorry... that she didn't mean to come on to her... that she didn't mean to be so forward. She wished she could take it all back and restore her own dignity, as well as Dana Scully's. she thought as she closed her eyes and agonized. Anne thought, she said to herself sardonically. Anne sighed out loud as she rose from her chair and left the break room, mulling over in her mind how long she could avoid seeing Dana Scully. *************************** The next morning, Scully was dressed and gathering her things in preparation for her release. A nurse had informed her early in the morning that she was permitted to leave as soon as the doctor saw her one last time and signed her release form. Scully was well aware that Anne had not been back to see her, and that she was obviously waiting until it was time for her to leave. She was certain that Anne would do a quick, polite "see you later - take care" farewell, and that would be the end of it. She was saddened to think that she would not be seeing Anne again. she thought to herself. she told herself, ...These were the questions she had tortured herself with all night long... What if this was worth investigating? How do I know if I *should* take a chance on it? What if it turned out to be something incredible? The love of a lifetime... a soulmate... are you going to turn your back on it, just because it's 'different'? just because you're scared of what other people might think? ...just because its been pounded into your head by old-fashioned parents who would say it's "wrong wrong wrong!"? just because you're unfamiliar with it? just because *other* people say its 'unnatural' and 'sinful' ? ...Scully had asked herself these things at least a thousand times. So she was attracted to a woman - so what? Why was it such a shock to her? All night she had reflected on her past relationships with men and how they never worked out. She thought very hard about any women she'd ever felt close to. She tried hard to remember how she felt and what she thought... if she ever *really* thought that she had walked the line between 'friend' and 'crush'. Again she concluded that she never really felt anything substantial for any woman before... she always remained on the 'just friends' side of the playing field. She knew she couldn't deny her feelings now, though...she was attracted to Anne... she knew she felt *something*... she just wasn't sure what. The question was... was she brave enough to find out? ********************************* Anne checked her watch for the fifth time in the last 15 minutes. She *had* to go and tell Scully that she could be released. She knew she must be waiting for her, and she absolutely dreaded it. As she approached Scully's room, she took a deep breath, vowing to shove her pride aside and just act as though nothing had happened. She knocked lightly, biting her lower lip absentmindedly. "Come in," a clear voice answered. Anne let out a breath again, then turned the handle and opened the door. Scully was standing at her window dressed in jeans and a very soft-looking gray v-neck cardigan. She looked weary, but soft and delicately pretty. Her lips had an orange-red lipstick on them, and her hair was tucked behind one ear. Her clear oceanic eyes blazed across the room at Anne. Scully managed a smile at Anne as she entered the room. "Hi," she said carefully. "Hi," Anne replied, forcing a proper smile. They stared uncomfortably at one another for a second or two, until Anne mustered up the strength to speak. "Uhmm...so, are you ready to go home?" Anne asked, her eyes blinking nervously as she fought desperately to make her face look neutral. "Yes, I think so - I feel pretty good," Scully answered as she shrugged and gingerly tried to shove her hands into her jean pockets. "Good, good," Anne said, as she nodded her head way too vigorously. Inside her head, she yelled at herself for over-acting. "I'll just sign off on your forms here... and then you can be on your way," said Anne as she looked down at her papers. As Anne scribbled away on the forms, Scully silently walked up to stand beside her, watching her carefully as she wrote. Time seemed to slow down for a few moments as Scully studied her face, taking in every feature and every blink of her eyes. Scully knew that Anne must feel the same as she did - nervous, embarrassed, fidgety, high-strung - to her credit, though, her face remained unexpressive and calm, but her body was rigid. There were dark circles under her eyes again, and her face looked pale and extremely weary. Again the strange sensations began to wash over Scully... again her face grew warm, and again she felt her stomach twist into knots. <...oh yeah... this is definitely *real*,> Scully thought to herself as she felt her palms become sweaty. Anne finished signing all the forms and gathered them up, looking at Scully with a tight-lipped, forced smile. "All done... you are free to go, Dr. Scully," she tried to say in a jovial tone, again forcing a polite smile. Scully looked at her and smiled, then looked down, saying nothing. Nothing would come out of her mouth. She couldn't think of one thing to say. Anne looked at Scully's bowed head. She felt like she would nearly burst from wanting to touch the beautiful, petite woman standing in front of her. she thought, she thought angrily as her brows frowned and her eyes looked upon Scully sadly. Scully suddenly looked up at Anne, catching the look of sorrow on her face and the sadness plainly evident in the pools of her deep blue eyes. The two women stood there for a few moments, staring at each other dumbfoundedly, neither knowing what to say or do. Finally, Anne swallowed hard and extended her hand, taking hold of Scully's and bringing it up to clasp it in her other hand. Scully nearly jumped from the sensation of Anne's cold hands on hers. "Take care of yourself, Dana." Anne said quietly in a choked voice. She forced a weak smile and gave Scully's hand a subtle squeeze as she turned and walked out the door, leaving Scully standing alone in the room. Scully looked at her shaking hand, then looked up at the empty doorway as a single tear rolled down her cheek. ***************************************** end part 2