Untitled X-Files Story By: Nakita "I'm Agent Scully, you have my partner Fox Mulder here," she announced to the nurse at the desk. "Yes, follow me." "How is he?" Scully asked as they proceeded down the sterile hallway. "You will have to talk to Dr. Puller." The nurse stood in the open doorway and Scully peered her head in. The doctor was examining someone. She stepped in to take a closer look. Biting her lower lip, she move closer. Mulder lay motionless in the hospital bed. Wires were attached to him everywhere. His heartbeat was weak. "Are you his wife?" Dr. Puller asked. "Um, no. I'm his partner, Dana Scully," she answered without removing her eyes for Mulder. "How is he?" "He's suffered a severe head trauma." Scully looked at him. "I'm a doctor." Dr. Puller took a deep breath. "He's been on life-support since he was brought in. He's gone into cardiac arrest three times already." He paused as he noticed the tears flooding her pitiful blue eyes. "Does he have any family that should be notified?" Her eyes fell upon her dying partner once again. "Yea, his mother." "I'll have someone call her if you wish." "No, I should be the one." Dr. Puller looked over at the nurse. "Will you get a blanket and pillow for Ms. Scully." The nurse nodded and left. He focused on Scully, who was now seated beside Mulder's bed. "You can use the phone on the nighttable if you wish. If there's anything you need, just let Amy know." She nodded as he left the room, closing the door behind him to give her privacy. "You have no right to do this to me, Mulder." She took his hand and sandwiched it between her own. "Why didn't you call me to go with you? Don't leave me now," she pleaded. Reluctantly she let go of Mulder's hand and found Mrs. Mulder's phone number. With shaking hands she began to dial. "Hello?" Mrs. Mulder's voice seemed happier than it had for years. "Mrs. Mulder, it's Dana Scully." "Dana, how are you?" The was a small pause as things began to click. "Something's happened to Fox." Scully's tears were threatening to choke out her words. "He's... You need to get down here." "I'll be right there. Dana..." "Hmm?" "Please take care of him and don't let anything happen to him till I get there." Scully couldn't respond. Part of her had always been insecure about how Mulder's mother felt about her. To hear his mother trust her like that meant more to her than she ever realized. Replacing the receiver in it's place, Scully sat beside Mulder again. She ran her fingers gently through his hair. "It seems to me this situation was reversed a few years back. I told you it was the strength of your beliefs that brought me back. Our beliefs are different in many ways but there is one you can count on... my belief in you. If that's what it takes to bring you back please draw on my strength." She leaned in close to him and whispered into his ear. "I need you, Fox Mulder. I can't make it without you... I love you." "Agent Scully?" She turned to see the doctor standing in the doorway with her mother. "Dana?" She walked over to her daughter. Scully stood up and hugged her mom. "I'm so glad you're here." Maggie broke away and looked down at Mulder. "How is he?" "Not good, but he's going to make it." She took Mulder's hand. "He's not going to leave me." The hours passed slowly. Yet each passing hour allowed Scully that much more time to spend with Mulder. Maggie had brought her a cup of coffee awhile ago knowing that her daughter would not leave her partner's side. "Fox," Scully whispered as she held his hand up to her face. "I'm still here." They were simple words yet they helped her hold onto the hope that he would pull through. "Dana?" She turned to face Mrs. Mulder. Scully immediately noticed how red and swollen her eyes were. *This is probably the first time she's stopped crying,* Scully thought. Scully let go of Mulder's hand and gave Mrs. Mulder a comforting hug. "How is he?" she asked as she looked over Scully's shoulder at her only son. Scully just looked at her. What could she say? "I'll be right outside." Mrs. Mulder nodded. "Dana," she said as Scully reached for the door. "Yes?" "Thank you. I know you being here has been the best chance he has." Scully didn't know what to say. She gave a thin smile and went to sit with her own mother. Mrs. Mulder sat beside Mulder's bedside and held his hand. "Fox? Fox, it's your mother." The tears began to fall. "I know you didn't have the best family life but... but it seems to me you have a reason to live now. If not for me... Dana needs you. I love you, Fox." "Dana, what are you doing?" her mom asked rather surprised to see her outside of Mulder's room. "Um, Mrs. Mulder just arrived," she said as she sat beside her mom. "How are you holding up?" Scully had tried to be strong around her mother and everyone else but one look into Maggie's eyes and Scully fell to pieces. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. "It's alright, Dana. He's gonna pull through. He knows you're here." "Code Blue, room 203." Mulder's room! Scully and Maggie jumped up and ran down the hall. They found Mrs. Mulder standing outside the doorway. "What happened?" Scully asked. "I don't know. He started convulsing then the nurses rushed in and pushed me out." Her aged cheeks were stained with hours of tears. Scully pushed her way into the room and stood horrified. He was still flatlining. How many minutes had it been? The doctor and nurses were desperately trying to resuscitate him. "It's over," Scully heard the doctor say. "Time of death... 2:37 a.m." "No!" Scully yelled as she ran over to Mulder's side. "He's not dead!" She grabbed the paddles from the nurses' hands and turned them on. Dr. Puller held her arm. "I'm sorry, he's gone." "No he's not!" she insisted. She pulled away from his grasp and continued with the chest paddles. Still he was flatlining. "Come on, Mulder," she whispered as she continued. After the fourth attempt even Scully was ready to give up when one of the nurses said, "There's a pulse." Dr. Puller looked at the monitor in shock. "What? That can't be." But there it was, weak as it may be, a pulse coming from the very man they had already written a death certificate for. Scully placed the paddles down and touched Mulder's face. "I knew you wouldn't leave me," she whispered in his ear. Dr. Puller caught her as she fainted. Maggie and Mrs. Mulder walked in the room as Dr. Puller picked Scully up in his arms. Concern filled both of their faces. Maggie ran over to her daughter. "What happened? Is she alright?" The doctor smiled. "She'll be fine. She saved his life," he said as he placed Scully on the empty bed next to Mulder. "I've heard the stories but I've never actually seen it." Maggie looked up at him from her seat beside Scully. "What?" "A bond between two people strong enough to bring each other back from certain death," he bluntly stated. He left the room and, after a brief check on her son, Mrs. Mulder walked over the Maggie and Scully, who had not yet regained consciousness. She held Scully's other hand and leaned in close. "Thank you, Dana. Thank you." Her eyes began to flutter and slowly opened to find Maggie and Mrs. Mulder standing on either side of her. The concern in their eyes invoked fear in her. She sat up quickly, too quickly for she became light-headed and nearly passed out again. "Where's Mulder?" "He's alright," Maggie said. "The doctor said you saved his life," Mrs. Mulder told her. Scully looked over and saw him lying unconscious in the bed beside her. "I need to talk to him." She sat up slowly this time ignoring the better wishes of the women around her and made her way to sit beside Mulder. Maggie and Mrs. Mulder looked at each other and silently agreed to leave the two partners alone for Scully may be the only one to bring Mulder back from wherever he was. "Mulder, thank you for not leaving me just then." She leaned in close to his face, touching his cheek with her own. "But you still have to fight to come back to me. I can only do so much, the ball's in your court now. Please, Fox, please." The tears fell dampening his hair as she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss on his head as she did so. Again the hours passed slowly. Both Maggie and Mrs. Mulder had been in numerous time to check on their children. Finding Scully asleep with her head next to Mulder's, Mrs. Scully gently placed a blanket over her. She had never thought of Scully as anything more than her son's partner... not until she met Scully at the funeral of Mulder's father. Not until she had seen the great support Scully gave Mulder. Not until she had, that night, witnessed how Scully was willing to give anything to save Mulder. After losing her only daughter so many years ago she never allowed herself to feel anything for any of the women Mulder had become serious with. Now, Scully was unknowingly tugging at those long-buried, motherly instincts she had shoved away. Small streams of sunlight began to seep in through the curtains. Scully had not moved from her place beside Mulder. Something woke her, however. She sat up in the chair, blinked her eyes a few times, and stretched. "If you keep doing that I'm going to have to tickle you." Her tired, blue eyes widened as she looked down at Mulder. His eyes were partially opened as he watched her and a small, thin smile was on his lips. Tears began to flood her eyes. "Mulder?" He nodded. "Your strength pulled me through... and your love." He smiled at the way she blushed. "You could hear me?" "Yeah. I knew you wouldn't give up on me." "How do you feel?" "Except for the headache, I'm fine." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Thank you. Thank you for not leaving me." She stood up to get the doctor but stopped as she felt his hand on her wrist. She sat down again. "Before you go there's something you need to know." She tilted her head. "I love you, too, Dana. I don't think I would've come back if it weren't for you." She slowly smiled as a tear fell from her eye. He reached up and touched her face. She covered his hand with her own. "First we have to get you better." Standing off in the corner as the doctor examined Mulder, Scully mind was swirling. *I love you too, Dana. I don't think I would've come back if it weren't for you. I love you too, Dana.* I love you. Had those words actually been said to her by Mulder? *What if things don't work out?* she thought. *Will I be able to live without him if it comes to that?* She met his eyes and was warmed by his smile. *I love him so much. How could things not work out? He came back to me... he was given back to me just as I had been given back to him..." "Dana," his hoarse voice called. "Come here." She followed his request and took his hand. The doctor lifted his eyes from the chart. "Looks like you're going to make it, Mr. Mulder. I'll set up another CAT scan for this afternoon, but your pupils are dilating fine. From what I can tell you are one lucky person." Mulder smiled up at Scully. "Yes, I am." She blushed. "We still need to keep you here for a week or so," Dr. Puller continued. "But you'll be as good as new in no time." "Thank you," Scully said as he left the room. "Dana?" "Hmm?" She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, holding his hand close to her. "I'm sorry." "For what?" "For nearly deserting you." Tears blurred her vision yet once more as she leaned in close to his face. "But you didn't and that's what's important." "Did I hear Mom's voice?" Scully smiled. "Yeah. She's here. I'll go get her." She began to stand up. "No, wait," he said. "I want to spend time alone with you." Leaning over, she placed a small kiss on his forehead. He weakly took her face in his hands and brought her lips to his. It was light and gentle, not hungry or urging... but it meant more than any more passionate kiss ever could have to either of them. Their love and attraction for each other went far beyond physical, far beyond curiosity. They connected in every way. No, the simple kiss served as a promise, a bonding. It brought down the last of the barriers. It erased that invisible line that had long since faded. It linked together two lives. Two lives that even the darkest of government operators could not keep apart for long. Two lives that, together, were unstoppable.