by JulieC
 

"Freeze...FBI!", yelled Dana Scully.

A hail of gunfire was the immediate reply. Dana Scully and Fox Mulder had been following a courier that Mulder believed had information to a current X-file case the two agents were working on. They tracked the courier to a seedier portion of the DC area and walked right into the middle of a drug deal. The agents made for immediate cover from the gunfire, diving to opposite sides of the lot.

"Mulder, I'm pinned!", yelled Scully.

Agent Mulder was on the opposite side of the lot. He could see that his partner was in imminant danger. Her position gave her greater exposer to the drug dealer's gunfire. He wanted to act, but his own position would not allow him to lend any assistance to his partner. The only thing it afforded him was an escape route. He didn't want to leave his partner. He wanted to stay put, but he knew that his escape was her only chance. As Agent Scully returned fire, she caught her partner's flight out of the corner of her eye.

<What is he doing>she thought.

The sudden realization hit her.

"Mulder! ", she yelled.

She couldn't believe he was abandoning her. It wasn't possible. They had been partnered together for four years. They had always watched each other's back. Depended upon one another.

"You son of a bitch!", she spat.

She was alone and out gunned....and now...out of ammo. The drug dealer's, realizing this fact, begain to converge on her postion with one intention. Scully knew this was it. She had no where to go and no way to defend herself. She was quite certain that this was the end for her. However, her final thoughts turned not to her impending death, but to her partner abandoning her. She was still shocked that he was going to leave her to die. Her thoughts only returned to her immediate situation when one of the drug dealers spoke.

"Well, Well, Well......a female fed!", said one of the drug dealers.

"We could have some fun with her." , another said with a smile, as he looked at his "associates".

"Forget it,", another told him, " we need to waste her and get out of here before the cops show. We can't have her id us."

They knew if she lived, she could positevely identify them. They raised their guns...pointing them at Scully. As they squeezed the triggers...Scully made peace with herself in the fleeting time she had. She hoped that she had lived a worthwhile life and tried not to regret to many of the mistakes that she made or some of the things that she never had the courage to do. However......as divine intervention would have it....Agent Scully was given an extended reprieve from death's door. The bullets came in a thundering hail of lead, seeking out their single target. They did not, however, make it to their final destination. Halfway between the drug dealers and Agent Scully a blue and red blur passed by, snatching the projectiles from their flight paths. When the blur came to a complete stop the drug dealers and Scully realized what had happened. For before them stood a man in a red and blue uniform adorned with a red cape and emblazoned on his chest was the letter "S".

"SS-Superman!", stammered Scully.

The drug dealers, just as stunned as Scully by Superman's arrival, knew they were out matched. They weren't about to tangle with the Man of Steel. They threw down their weapons and surrendered themselves to him. Scully picked up one of the weapons and held it at them. In the distance she could hear police sirens closing.

"Well.....I guess this is another one I owe you Superman." , said Agent Scully.

She quickly remembered the several times he had managed to bail her out of trouble when she and her partner had landed themselves into a mess. As well as the first time he had made his existance known to the general public when he saved her from a crashed helicopter accident on top of FBI headquarters almost four years ago.

"Its why I'm here Dana.", he said with a smile and a little more fondness than he had intended. " Well....the police are on their way and you seem to have things in hand."

He turned away and flew up into the air, turning back long enough to look at Scully and wave goodbye. As he left the range of their sight, several police cars pulled up and Agent Scully turned towards them and identified herself as an FBI agent. As she gave a brief explaination of what had happened, she saw her partner, Fox Mulder, coming back to the scene. She told the officers to contact her at the Hoover building if they had anymore questions, but that right now she needed to "take care" of other business. Fox Mulder made his way towards his partner, but was completely astonished when she walked right past him and kept going. She made her way back to their car , got in, and drove off....leaving her partner to himself.

Several hours later..... Fox Mulder arrived at his office in the basement of Hoover building. His hope was to talk to his partner about the day's "event". He felt terrible. He had left her during cases in the past, but never at a time when her life was in danger. He cared to deeply for her. She meant to much to him . He would never jeopordize her safety...especially for his own sake. However, his partner was not to be found. In her place was a letter, on FBI stationary, laying on his desk. It was addressed to Mulder. He begain to read it and his heart sank immediately.....Scully was transfering.

"Why?", he said to himself in a low sob.

But he knew the reason. He knew it almost instantly. They depended upon one another. They always had. It was just natural given the circumstances that they were thrown into. She trusted him with her life and he....he blew it. He knew that his feelings towards his partner were more than platonic. He could never find the courage to share them with her, but at least she was part of his life. With her gone, he would be lost. Fox Mulder shoved the letter into his coat pocket and made his way out the door. He had to fix this. One way or the other he had to get her back...no matter what.

Forty Five minutes later..... Agent Dana Scully was sitting on her couch brooding.

"That bastard!", she said aloud. "I can't believe he did that. I almost died."

She was on the verge of tears.

"I thought I could trust him with my life. I thought I lov..." she said before cutting herself off.

<Don't take it there Dana.>, she thought.

Her thoughts drifted to the warning "Deep Throat" had given them....."trust no one".

<Not even your partner>, she addmitted.

Just a she was about to get into another conversation with herself a knock came at her door. She didn't have to ask who it was....she knew. Another knock. Maybe if she didn't answer, he would go away.

"Scully, its me Mulder....answer the door", came the voice from the hall "Scully, I know your in there. Please open the door.", he implored. "Scully... I have a key." 

She sighed, realizing a confrontation was inevitable and decided that she might as well get it over with. She unlocked the door allowing her EX-partner to enter.

"Hi.", he said sheepishly. "Look Scully....about this afternoon...", he tried to explain before she cut him off.

"Save it Mulder! Nothing you could say would excuse what you did today. " She was furious. "I..I almost died today...if it wasn't for Superman I wouldn't even be here. I had to depend on him to do your job!", she yelled.

He couldn't say anything. She was right. Anyone looking at the situation would agree that he had no defense. He had abandoned his partner in a time of dire need. A partner that had always stood by him and done everything in HER power to protect him.

"I trusted you....", she said, trying to hold back the tears. "God only knows how many times I put my carreer...my LIFE on the line....how many times I took the heat for your "quest" for the truth. But I guess in the end YOU mean more to yourself than anything or anyone!" she let her anger consume her and lost herself in her words as she begain to cry. " I can't believe I've been such a fool! Chasing after you and your precious X-Files. Ruining my career, having three months of my life stolen from me, losing my sister! For What?!"

Mulder had no idea her rage was this intense. That she had this much hatred and anger inside her. That her feelings went beyond today's incident. All he could do was listen.

"You don't even acknowledge my existance! I'm just another one of your tools to be used and discarded. I have to take all your crap with a smile. Ditching me when it suits you or going off with these sluts you meet on our cases. With no care for how I feel or what your doing to me.  I'm a person not a tool!", she yelled. " I have feelings. I can't believe I cared about you much less fell in love with you! That had to be the worst move I made. Not that you cared though. You had your bimbos and Scully was just your fool of a partner. Always there when you needed her, but never the other way around!"

Mulder raised his head. Had he heard her right. Did she say what he thought....that she had "fallen in love with him"? Was it possible?

Mulder interupted her. " Scully...did...did you say you fell in love with me?" Scully looked at him in shock.

<Oh God.>she thought.<What did I say?>

She realized that in her anger she wasn't paying attention to what she was saying and she just let it blurt out. She turned away from him, hoping it would avoid a need to answer. As mad she was, the thought of Mulder knowing her true feelings towards him was still embarassing for her.

"Scully....", Mulder asked questioningly.

Scully turned to him and brought her eyes to his. She desperatley sought an excuse, but could find none. What would a lie gain her now?

"Yes....I fell in love with you." she confessed through tear strained eyes.

Mulder looked at her and saw her anger was gone. It was replaced by embarrasement and anguish. He now knew what he had to do. By accident or not, Dana Scully had bared her true feelings to him. If he was going to save their relationship and any possible future, he had to do his own barring.

"Scully.....I...I'm sorry you think I abandoned you.", the words came out not as repentance, but genuine truth. "I would never do anything to hurt you or allow you to be hurt."

"Mulder...", she begain to protest, but he raised his hand stopping her.

"Please Scully.", he implored. "Let me finish." She remained silent allowing him to speak without interruption.

"Weve been partners a long time." he said "We were thrown into this mess together and found that we could only trust each other. I know you have always placed your trust in me....and as much as you think otherwise.... there is no one on earth that I trust or respect as much as you."

Mulder walked into the center of her living room turning his back to her.

"Its because I trust you....because I....because I feel the way I do, that I'm showing you this."

With that he turned around and removed his glasses. Scully starred for a moment, not quite knowing what to make of it, and then a realization came to her. Her partner, the man she had come to respect, be annoyed with, care for....even love, was much more than the man he appeared. "Mulder...", she stammered. "your Superman!?"

He nodded to her timidely. The world's most powerful man was nervous and tongue tied by this demure and beautiful redhead.

"I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner.", he said apologetically. "You are the one person who deserved to know."

"Well...I...I guess I understand your reluctance to share your secret. I'm sure you had very good reasons for not telling me Mul...um Superman." , she said still stunned and confused.

"Actually," , he answered, " I had more reasons TO tell you and only one reason not to... and that one reason was nothing noble or for the better good....it was for purely selfish reasons.", he addmitted.

As he spoke he was "pulled" closer to Scully until the two could hear the beating of the other's heart. He starred into her eyes, hoping to still see the love she had proffesed to him earlier. When he saw it, he raised his hand to her cheek carresing it gently. Dana Scully's mind was reeling. She starred back into his eyes and saw the tenderness they held. She closed her eyes and hoped she was right. Superman lowered his head to Scully's and gently pressed his lips against hers. A shock of electricity traveled through both of them. Neither spoke but both knew the thoughts of the other. The kiss was passionate but innocent. An exploration of feelings to long suppressed. When they parted Superman spoke.

" I love you Dana." , he said.

She starred into his eyes and smiled. "I love you to."

" You don't know how long I've dreamed of hearing you say that.", he said.

"Thats why I never told you who I was. I..I was afraid that you would be more taken by the "Superman" the world made me out to be and not notice the ordinary man that I am. " he went on, " I've been in love with you, as Fox Mulder, since the day you walked into my office and promptly turned my world upside down. ", he confessed," and I've loved you as Superman since the day I caught you when you fell from the top of that building.  But I had to decide which would vie for your affections. I decided that it would be the "man" who would win your heart...or not."

"You did win my heart Fox Mulder.", she said with the greatest of love. " I knew I was in love with you when we did the Tooms stakeout. I almost told you then. I.. I just lost my nerve.", she said with a smile. "I'm sorry I said those things to you. Earlier I mean. ", her regret was genuine.

"No...you have nothing to be sorry about.", he corrected. "You didn't know. I...should have told you."

She could see the regret in his eyes own eyes and spoke.

"Maybe we both should have known better." , she said.

He smiled at her.

"Does this mean you won't be handing this in?", he asked as he took the letter out of his pocket.

Scully took the letter from his hand and crumbled it up before she threw it in the garbage.

"Does that answer your question?", she said with a smile.

"Dana...", he tried to speak before she pressed her fingeres to his lips.

"Wev'e talked enough tonight Fox.", she told him. "I would rather we moved in there,", she said pointing to the bedroom, "and did as little talking as possible." she smiled mischeviously.

Smiling back, he took her hand and they both retired to her bedroom to explore one another in ways they had both only dreamed and fantasized about.
                                               The End

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