From: lea_nicci@inbox.com   
      
   Title:  West of Sunrise -- Part 2/2   
   Author:  Lea Nicci (lea_nicci@inbox.com)   
   Disclaimer:  These characters are the property of Chris Carter/1013.   
   No copyright infringement is intended.   
   Rating:  NC17 (for adult situations)   
   Genre:  Mulder Angst, MSR   
   Summary:  Mulder falls.  Scully tries to catch him. Will they make it?   
      
      
   ^*^   
      
   The next few days settled into a rhythm of sorts, with Scully doing light   
   work online and keeping watch over Mulder.  He'd started taking the   
   medication and Scully kept quiet count of the pills when she could, but   
   in her heart she knew compliance would be his cross to bear, not   
   hers.     
      
   He had to want to get well.  If the desire wasn't there, then there was   
   nothing she could do to make it happen.   
      
   The panic attacks slowly lessened, but not until after a terrible night   
   spent holding onto him for dear life, convincing him through touch and   
   words that he was going to live.  She'd hesitated before crawling into   
   the bed beside him, but all embarrassment disappeared when he   
   buried his face into her shoulder and she heard his voice, tremulous   
   in her ear, repeating two words ...   
      
   *"Thank you ... thank you."*   
      
   Hours passed then, spent stroking his hair and staring at the ceiling,   
   listening to his shaky breathing.  She'd thought that maybe he was   
   crying, but it was hard to tell, especially as her own eyes were   
   stinging and watering.     
      
   Again she wondered what had been the breaking point for him and   
   Scully's anger rose to think of all those who'd been instrumental in   
   driving Mulder to this point.   
      
   Damn them all, she thought viciously, pulling his arm more tightly   
   around her waist.  She could ... she *would* be strong for them both,   
   for as long as she had to be.     
      
   There was no burden too heavy, not when it involved Mulder.     
      
   It had taken hours, but eventually they'd fallen asleep like that,   
   wrapped in each other's arms.  Scully noted with a bit of a blush that   
   she'd woken up partially draped over Mulder, her leg thrown over his   
   thigh and that he was already wide awake, watching her with gentle   
   amusement in his eyes.     
      
   "Sorry," she mumbled, but found herself digging in more deeply   
   beside him.   It was too warm, too comfortable, to move.   
      
   "Don't be.  Being a human pillow has its good points."  He sighed and   
   Scully could feel him stiffen, the tiniest bit. "I'm sorry about last   
   night.  I   
   ... I need to pull myself together."   
      
   "No, you don't."  Gently, she disentangled herself from his grasp and   
   sat up.  "The pieces will fall into place when the time is right.  All you   
   have to do is take care of yourself."   
      
   "Seems like all I've been doing is making you take care of me," he   
   said, frowning.  "You deserve better than wasting your time being my   
   babysitter, Scully."   
      
   Sternly, she grasped his chin and forced Mulder to look her square in   
   the eye.  "One, I'm not your babysitter.  I'm your partner and caring for   
   you is my job ... and my pleasure. Frankly, I'd be pretty damn unhappy   
   anywhere else, knowing you weren't okay."  Scully's voice lowered   
   and she let go of Mulder's chin, reaching around to stroke his cheek.   
   "This is where I belong.  Right by your side."   
      
   He gave her a watery smile.  "I'm really dead if I ever ditch you again,   
   aren't I?"   
      
   She nodded, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed.  "So   
   incredibly dead."  Ruffling his hair, she rose and padded into the   
   kitchen, calling out: "Eggs or cereal?  I'm leaning toward eggs; the   
   milk is on its last legs."   
      
   "I know how that milk feels," Mulder muttered. Scully could hear some   
   water being poured and a pill bottle opening. "So when do these   
   things take full effect?  All I can feel is a really bad case of morning   
   cottonmouth so far."   
      
   "A few more days," Scully said, after a quick mental calculation.   
   "Used to be six weeks or more, but they've refined the doses.   
   Although I have to say, you seem a little cheerier this morning."   
      
   Mulder made a noncommittal noise and hit the bathroom.  Scully was   
   pleased to hear the shower go on without a word of nagging from   
   herself.   She busied herself with the eggs and toast until he   
   appeared, freshly shaven, looking more ... alive ... than she'd seen   
   him in some time.   
      
   Hope filled Scully's heart, but she said nothing. She simply filled two   
   plates and set them down, pleased when Mulder actually took a   
   couple of bites.  "This is good," he noted. "For a doctor, you don't   
   skimp on the butter."   
      
   "That's the best part." She smiled and put another piece of toast on   
   his plate.  "So, what are we doing today?"   
      
   "Doing?"  Mulder paused, as if such an idea was a revelation.  He   
   paused before saying: "I guess we can go out for a walk.  There's a   
   park a few blocks away."   
      
   "Sounds great," Scully enthused, taking a sip of her orange juice.   
   She glanced out the tiny kitchen window, seeing a bright blue sky   
   without any clouds shining over the city. "If we go early, it might not be   
   that hot yet."  It was August and the Washington summer, as always,   
   was something terrible to behold -- and smart to avoid. "Although I   
   don't mind a little heat, seeing that we'll be just a few blocks away,"   
   she quickly corrected, just in case that deterred him from going   
   outside.  "Whatever you want to do, it's fine with me."   
      
   "There are sprinklers in this park," Mulder explained, with a welcome   
   twinkle in his eye. "But the dress code is white t-shirts only, so ..."   
      
   Chuckling, she threw a tiny bit of toast crust at him, which he batted   
   away with a smirk.  "I hope you have a clean white t-shirt, Mulder."   
      
   And for the first time in a long while, he laughed.   
      
   ^*^   
      
   It was a Tuesday, so the park was relatively empty except for a few   
   mothers pushing their toddlers on the swings.  The sprinklers were   
   running in full force, but besides a half-hearted nudge toward them,   
   Mulder didn't force Scully beneath their scant, cold spray.   
      
   They found a shady spot beneath some of the older trees, glad to sit   
   and watch the shadows cross the hopscotch court.  The air was thick   
   with heat, but pleasant in its own way, filling Scully with a sleepy   
   contentment.  She said nothing when Mulder took her hand and he   
   returned the favor when she rested her head on his shoulder.    
      
   If there was a perfect moment in the universe, Scully thought, this   
   might very well be it.   
      
   "Sometimes I wonder if a normal life would have been better," Mulder   
   said quietly, breaking the silence.  "Ordinary desires, simple   
   pleasures -- a house with a lawn, a job that's nine to five and not   
   caring if there's anything else out there."  He paused, squeezing her   
   hand.  "And then I remember that you would probably hate something   
   like that."   
      
   "So it's all my fault?" Scully smiled, turning her face up to the sun and   
   enjoying the heat on her cheeks."I guess I can live with that.  But you   
   have to admit, you'd look awful silly mowing a lawn every Sunday."   
      
   "I'd do it shirtless.  You couldn't argue with that."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)