TITLE - After the Cure (1/1)
AUTHOR - Tammy M. Parnell
EMAIL ADDRESS: LaLapine@aol.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere, as long as my name & disclaimer are on it
SPOILER WARNING: Memento Mori
RATING:  PG-13
CLASSIFICATION: SR
SUMMARY: Scully has been cured, but there is something she needs to share
with Mulder
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully romance
DISCLAIMER:  The "X-Files" are not mine.  They belong to Chris Carter, 1013
Productions, Fox Television, and the very talented, EMMY-winning actors who
portray them. :)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Feedback please.

"Would you want to see, if seeing meant that you would have to believe?"
--Joan Osborn, "One of Us."

After the Cure
by Tammy M. Parnell

At another time, Dana might have enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the
old-growth forest. But tonight, there was a dead calm in the air, as if the
trees themselves and their inhabiting creatures were holding their breath
along with their human counterparts.

"Define position, 21," Scully whispered into her mic, holding her body still.

"Ninety degrees to your right, 15," a male voice responded to her earpiece as
his eyes scanned the dense foliage.

"Object sighted," Mulder broke through from his partner's left. "He's on the
move."

"Take positions," Scully instructed as her colleagues began to close in on
the suspect. A dozen agents moved stealthily through the trees, forming a
concentric circle around the well-known terrorist. For the past month, agents
across the country had been waiting for the opportunity to bust this
dangerous man, and finally the tip had come through as to his whereabouts.
Scully and Mulder had taken a break from their usual paranormal cases to head
this investigation, and success was imminent.

"Still in sight, 14?" Scully whispered to her partner who was several yards
ahead.

"Affirmative, 15," he answered. "We got him."

"Freeze!" Scully appeared from behind a thick tree trunk. "FBI. We're armed.
You are under arrest." Her voice was cold and firm, demanding cooperation. 

Still, the man made a break for it. Ignoring the bullet that ripped through
his side, he pushed Scully over before being tackled by Mulder. Soon they
were surrounded by their colleagues, and the man was quickly apprehended.

Mulder gave his partner a hand and pulled her to her feet. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she said, exhaling deeply as she brushed leaf litter from her dark
pants. "I'm fine." But as she looked up at him, she saw fear in his eyes. She
quickly turned behind her, trying to discern what caused his sudden fright.
Seeing nothing, she turned back to him. "What is it, Mulder? What did you
see?"

His face had paled slightly, and she realized that his eyes were frozen into
hers, as a rabbit caught in headlights. He shook his head slightly, his heart
feeling still.

Confused, she stared at him for a moment before the warm trickle of blood
running down her face registered. Understanding hit her instantly. "No," she
said quickly, wiping the blood away with the back of her hand. "It's not what
you think. It's just a scratch. I'm fine."

Moonlight shining on her face revealed a cut next to her nose, the source of
the blood. Mulder was no longer frozen in position, and his heart resumed
fast beating as he quickly pulled his partner into his arms, holding her
tightly.

"I thought..." he whispered against her hair, absently rubbing her back, "I
thought it was back."

"I know," she soothed quietly, her arms snugly around him. "But it's not
back. I'm fine." And this time it was true. Her cancer had mysteriously
disappeared a couple of months earlier, and with its disappearance, her
strength had returned. Weekly exams proved her as healthy as she had ever
been, and she counted her blessings daily. She could only imagine the fear
Mulder had faced when he'd seen what he'd thought was a symptom of the
cancer's return.

She hugged him more tightly before pulling back. "I'm okay," she said once
more.

He nodded, his heart having resumed its normal beat, his demeanor as close to
normal as was usual. "I'm sorry," he said with an embarrassed smile.

"No," she shook her head, a reassuring hand on his arm. "I understand... Come
on. We've got a suspect to interrogate."

He returned her smile and nodded, his mind back on track, eager to put this
case to rest to pursue suspects more to his interest.

***

"Have a seat," Dana instructed as she and Mulder entered her apartment later
that night. After their experience in the forest, she had decided it was time
to show him something. Ignoring the voice inside her that said three o'clock
in the morning was not the best time for this, she poured them some iced tea
and disappeared into her bedroom.

Mulder waited for her on the couch, amazed as he always was to see how
healthy and vibrant his partner had become. Happily he had accepted her
invitation over, enjoying time he had once thought they'd never have. 

She returned from her room with a small book in hand, one that was achingly
familiar to Mulder, and he looked at her questioningly.

"I know I said I'd throw it way," she explained almost shyly. "But when the
cancer disappeared, I decided to keep it... as a reminder, as a note of how
lucky I am. I... Well, I know you read some of it before, but... I wrote it
for you, to you, because... because I didn't know how to say these things to
you in person. I didn't want to worry you. But now, now that I'm healthy, I
want you to read it. I want you to know what I felt." She held it out for
him. "You don't have to read it now."

He took it tentatively, feeling the cover, looking at it quietly before
meeting her eyes. "Thank you," he said. "I do want to read it now. With you
here."

She nodded silently and settled in beside him, looking intently at her tea
glass as he leafed through her journal, slightly uncomfortable in spite of
her desire for him to know her heart.

When he had finished, he looked up at her and met her uncertain eyes. He was
extremely touched that she would share something so personal with him, and,
having no words, his hand reached out to touch her cheek. 

His thumb fluttered across her face softly, and Dana closed her eyes,
concentrating on his touch and the heat it inspired. His fingers slowly
traced her features, finally brushing through her soft hair before resting
underneath her chin. She could feel Mulder close, his breathing gentle
against her face, though at a quickened pace which matched her own. 

His lips came closer, softly kissing each eyelid and cheek, and her lips
parted slightly in response. Tenderly he kissed the corner of her mouth. She
opened her eyes when he moved slightly away, emotions bare as her hand
reached out for the back of his head, drawing him closer once more. Their
lips moved together this time, a small kiss turning into a passionate
expression of long-denied feelings as their tongues met, desperate to taste
each other.

Somehow, the kiss ended, and Dana snuggled against his chest, reluctant to
break contact for fear it would end the magical spell of their bared souls.

"I want to feel alive again," she said after a moment, her ear to his
fast-beating heart, her pulse matching its rhythm. "Make love to me, Mulder."


She felt him stiffen almost imperceptibly, and she pulled slightly away to
look up at him. "I want to feel you inside of me," she said with a quiet
passion. He still looked somewhat uncertain of her sudden emotional honesty,
and she added with conviction, "I love you, Mulder."

Tears were not what she expected in response, but they seeped from his eyes
anyway, and he looked away from her worried gaze. A hand on his cheek caused
him to face her again, and he smiled slightly as his choked voice explained,
"No one's ever said that to me before who meant it."

"I mean it."

"I know."

Words were pointless then as they lost themselves in each other.

***

Safe. Protected. Loved. Dana couldn't remember ever feeling quite like this
before. Her naked body was pressed comfortably against Mulder's, her head
resting against his chest. Sighing contentedly, she enjoyed the feel of his
gentle hands rhythmically rubbing her back, and she kissed his chest in
greeting.

"Morning," he answered with a smile.

"Morning," she mumbled back drowsily. "Sleep well?"

"When I was sleeping," he commented.

She propped herself up on her elbow then to kiss him before settling against
him once more. "I could stay here all day."

"What changed things, Dana?" he suddenly asked.

"My cancer," she responded in a beat as she sat up and leaned against the
headboard. He followed suit, and she explained, "Writing that journal, I was
confronted with a lot of feelings. It's hard to lose someone you love, yes.
But when I was the one who was going to be lost, I realized how much harder
it is for the person who's dying. You're not losing one person; you're losing
absolutely everything that means anything to you. And you get to keep the
guilt of leaving them behind. I knew before then that I loved you, Mulder.
But I never really realized how important it was to me that *you* know I love
you."

"I was so scared last night, Scully. Selfish, I know, but I couldn't imagine
going through it again. I don't want to know what it's like to live without
you."

"I saw that in your eyes, Mulder. And that's why I knew that last night I had
to tell you how I felt. I needed you to know in case anything did happen."

"So you brought me here intending to seduce me, Agent Scully?" he asked with
a smile.

"Who knew you were so easy?" she winked at him.

"Only for you, Scully. I love you, too, you know."

"I know."

They leaned into each other then to seal their love with a kiss, and then
some.

THE END

"Sometimes I just want to shake them and say, 'Don't you know who I am?!'"
--Gillian Anderson, 1997 Emmys