Schisms (10/?)       
by Singing Violin (Pearl on Ephemeral/Gossamer)

Email: perlner@mit.edu
Rating: PG/K+
Category: X-Files VHRA

Spoilers: Redux

Summary: What could possibly cause these two to break up? A series
of short stories explaining the reported status of Mulder's and
Scully's relationship upon the revival miniseries.

Disclaimer: The X-Files characters and universe are not mine.
Archiving: Anywhere, as long as you let me know. I put stuff on AO3,
ffnet, and Ephemeral/Gossamer.


Chapter 10: Trust

As Dr. Dana Katherine Scully walked through the door of her secluded
house, she was inundated with an inviting aroma, and then practically
attacked by the embrace of a large, warm, male body. Before she
could remark on the scent, his lips met her own: roughly,
desperately...the greeting of a man who hadn't seen his wife in
years, though it had only been since the morning.

Finally, he pulled back, leaving them both slightly breathless.

"God, I love you," he remarked when he'd caught his air.

She smiled up at him and audibly inhaled. "Please don't call me God,
and what smells so good?"

He winked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
At her baffled expression, he quickly modified his reply, "It's
dinner, silly. I made your favorite."

She sniffed again. "I think I could have guessed that. Thank you."
He helped her shrug off her coat, then hung it on the rack. Placing
his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the dining room,
where he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. Then he
disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared with two steaming
plates of food, one of which he set down in front of her, and the
other of which he set at his own place before seating himself
across from her.

For a few minutes, there were no sounds except the clinking of
utensils and her quiet "mmm" as she tasted her food. Finally she
looked up to catch him sitting still, not eating, just gazing at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You're hungrier than usual," he remarked. "Rough day at the
hospital?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I've got a strong stomach, but looking
at blood and guts all day isn't exactly conducive to an appetite. I
think I forgot to eat, and plus, all this, when I got home..." She
sighed. "Thank you, again."

"You're welcome," he told her. "But there's something else."

She wiped her mouth with her napkin, then sat back as she laid
it back on the table. "It's hard to find a moment to myself these
days. Everyone's always asking after you. And not just the FBI."

He shook his head at her. "I'm sorry. I feel guilty, making you
support me and all."

She nodded. "I spent enough time without you, Mulder. I'd rather
have you alive than dead, and whatever I need to do, I'll do it to
get that."

Now he sighed. "Still, there's got to be another way. It's one thing
for people to annoy you looking for me, but there are still super
soldiers and government conspirators and who knows what else
around; if one of them is after me, it's going to be a lot more than
an annoyance. And might defeat the purpose of keeping me alive,
if they come to kill me. Not to mention you."

"What are you suggesting, Mulder?" Scully asked, trepidation in her
voice.

He shook his head. "I think we need to break up."

She stared at him. "After all we've been through? Why?!"

He smirked slightly. "I mean officially. We have to publicly have a
fight, then split up. People have to 'know' we're not together. What
we do behind closed doors is our business, but it's got to be a
secret. We'll have to be careful. You'll need to get an apartment, or
I will. Probably makes sense for you since you actually have to go
to work and you'd probably appreciate a shorter commute...."

"Nobody will believe it," she interrupted. "People thought we were
together even before we were."

"We'll make it convincing," he insisted. "We've convinced people
before. Hell, you helped me fake my death once. Even Skinner
believed you."

"I'm not entirely sure about that," Scully retorted. "But he was
willing to play along, even though he suspected."

"And anyone who suspects will know there's a reason, and will play
along, just like Skinner did. Please, Scully, I want as much as you
do for us to be together for a long time. But it's not going to work
if one or both of us is killed."

She eyed him squarely, seeming to contemplate the situation
thoroughly even in the space of only a few seconds. "You've
been thinking about this a lot," she observed sagely.

"Yeah," he admitted, looking down guiltily. "I have."

She gave him a small smile of resignation as he looked back up.
"All right," she conceded. "Give me your plan."

That night, they made love like they'd never see each other again:
even though they hoped they would find moments to steal away
together, nothing would be certain in their newly-crafted future.

In the morning, Scully kissed Mulder before heading to work.
"I'm going to miss you," she said, and the casual observer might
have thought she was just talking about the time she would be
at work.

Mulder's voice betrayed little more. "Me too," he told her,
then kissed her once more on the forehead. "I'll see you
later," he added, a pleading look in his eyes.

She nodded slightly, knowingly, at him, as if to say, "All
systems go." They gazed at each other one more time as
lovers before staging their public split, and her eyes said,
"Trust me."

Just after she walked out the door, he whispered to the
empty room, "You're the only one I trust."