Title: Lay so entwined
     Author: TeaL
     Talitha_1013@yahoo.co.nz
     Flames will be loaded into my flame thrower
     and fired straight back at ya *g*
     Keywords: M/S Friendship, UST.
     Rated: G
     Summary: Something that happens late at night
     leaves Scully wondering "Oops! Did I say that
     outloud???"
     ThanX to my Beta reader Amy.

     LAY SO ENTWINED
     By TeaL

     We didn't do this, didn't show up outside the other's
     front door at one a.m if we were unable to sleep.
     If Mulder couldn't sleep he went for a run or watched
     one of those videos that weren't his. If he was
     extremely
     bored he'd phone me but he *never* came over. I guess
     we
     both connected house calls in the middle of the night
     with a road trip. Either that or something very bad
     had
     happened. In our cases that something very bad turns
     out
     to be the death of a loved one more times than not.
     So earlier, when I'd been awoken by a persistent sound
     of
     knuckles connecting with wood, I'd assumed the worst.
     Now as I sit on my couch mentally kicking myself, I
     realise I was right to assume the worst...

     "Mulder? What's wrong?"
     Mulder stood on the other side of the threshold
     leaning
     heavily against the door frame. His eyes were closed
     and he looked like he hadn't slept all week.
     Pulling his head off it's hard pillow he slowly
     opened his eyes and looked down at me. I moved a
     little
     closer, worried that he was about to collapse.
     "Nothing," he said softly, "I just couldn't sleep."
     "Mulder, you look exhausted. What's wrong, why can't
     you
     sleep?" I sound worried, perhaps more then I need to
     be
     but he's my friend and when friends show up at your
     home
     late at night in the state Mulder's in, you have
     little
     choice.
     Laughing slightly, Mulder almost dragged himself past
     me
     into my darkened apartment and settled himself
     comfortably on my couch before continuing. He had a
     way
     of making things seem worse then they really are.
     Closing the door, I followed him but didn't sit beside
     him.
     Instead, I stood before him and this time I was
     looking
     down at him but there was no exhaustion emanating from
     my
     every pore, only frustration and worry. Though with
     these two
     things combined it wouldn't be long before it became
     exhaustion
     if he kept his silence up.
     "I need to move" he moaned softly, "I think it's my
     apartment,
     Scully."
     He paused to rub his tired, swollen eyes.
     "The last few nights I haven't been thinking about
     Samantha as
     much and I haven't been obsessing over work after
     hours like I
     used to. The things that usually keep me from sleep
     haven't
     really crossed my mind, yet I haven't had a decent
     night's sleep
     in three days."
     "Mulder, what's a 'decent night's sleep'?" I asked
     lightly.
     Mulder sighed, "More than the two hours I've been
     allowed
     recently"
     "You should see a doctor," I told him firmly, "You
     could
     get a prescription to help you sleep."
     "Or, I could move."
     "What is it about your apartment that's only now
     affecting you?" I asked skeptically.
     "I moved the fish tank a week ago. Bad Feng Shui?" he
     deadpanned.
     "Mulder," I said, a warning tone in my voice, "Go see
     a doctor and
     if that doesn't help then start thinking about other
     options."
     "You don't want me to move?"
     "I just don't want you to move and then discover it
     wasn't your
     apartment. You love that apartment Mulder."
     Mulder shrugged, "It's just walls, furniture and a
     fish tank."
     "But is your heart there?"
     "I don't know where my heart is."
     I shook my head sadly and disappeared into my bedroom.
     I
     returned a few moments later with a pillow and
     blankets.
     "This is temporary Mulder. Tonight only." I told him
     firmly, "Tomorrow I'm driving you to the nearest
     doctor,
     okay?"
     Mulder smiled a "Thanks" and I left him to settle on
     the
     couch.
     I didn't close my bedroom door; I left it open a
     little.
     Just enough to be able to hear if he was moving around
     or not.
     I heard the click of the Television set through the
     darkness
     and I silently prayed he'd find an infomercial so void
     of interest that he'd be lulled into a deep sleep.

     Now, I was the one unable to sleep and still worried
     about him. Hours had passed. I hadn't heard him switch
     the TV off, though I wondered if I had indeed fallen
     asleep
     briefly at some point. Four a.m had  seemed to come
     around extremely fast.
     Quietly slipping out from under the warm blankets, I
     wrapped
     the thick robe around my body and padded out into the
     kitchen for a glass of warm milk.
     It never helped me sleep but I was running out of
     options;
     my tired sheep were no longer jumping over the fence
     but
     simply slamming into it and being knocked unconscious.
     One hour straight counting could do that, I guess. I
     just wished it had helped me.
     The TV was still on; muted, but on. The glow from the
     screen
     fell upon his sleeping features and he looked younger.
     He
     didn't look like the tired, tormented soul that had
     stumbled into my apartment mere hours earlier.
     Forgetting the milk, I knelt beside him and watched
     him
     sleep. I know, there's something creepy about watching
     a
     person sleep, but it was such a peaceful sensation I
     couldn't help it.
     I rested my head against the side of the couch mere
     inches from his chest and closed my eyes, lulled to
     sleep by his breathing.

     I don't know how I ended up on the couch but I was
     awoken from sleep by an arm circling my waist and
     pulling me closer into a wondrous warmth. Turning
     my head slightly I found myself looking into
     familiar eyes. I'd never seen these eyes shine so
     brightly with life before.
     Then I realised we weren't on the couch but in my
     bed and that brought on even more confusion.
     It passed quickly and the feeling of being in my
     bed in his arms felt like the most natural thing in
     the world.
     Mulder's face nuzzled into my hair and one of his
     hands gently caressed mine. His actions were new
     but it truly seemed like we would spend every night
     of our lives like this and I didn't know how I'd
     sleep without him tomorrow night. I didn't
     want this to end; the thought of returning to an
     empty bed from this night on was almost too much
     to bear.
     "Don’t worry Scully, I'll never let you go" he
     murmured,
     his breath tickling my neck.
     Mulder, the mind reader.
     I chuckled softly to myself and relaxed back into the
     warmth of his body behind me.
     "I love you, Mulder."
     "Scully?" his hand gripped my shoulder and shook me
     gently.

     "Hmmm?" I was shaken awake to find myself looking
     up into those same familiar eyes but this time they
     looked more than a little amused.
     Looking around I realised I was still half-sitting,
     half-lying on the floor beside the couch, my head
     still
     resting against the soft upholstery.
     "What are you doing down there on the floor?" he
     asked.
     "I... ", still half asleep, I couldn’t find a good
     excuse.
     Mulder smirked and hauled himself off the couch.
     "Thanks for the couch, Scully. I need to go home for a
     bit
     but if I can't sleep there tonight then tomorrow I'll
     see a doctor okay."
     I nodded and began to peel myself off the floor. My
     neck and back were going to pay for my late night
     impulse well into the day.
     Looking back once more before he exited he said,
     "Love you too."
     The door closed behind him and I stood stock-still
     as the dream came flooding back to me.
     I collapsed onto the couch and buried my head deep
     into my hands whimpering.
     "Oh my god...."

     THE END

     Feedback: Talitha_1013@yahoo.co.nz

     Author's Notes/Archiving: This has been sitting on a
     disk
     untitled and forgotten for over a year because I
     didn't like it. Since I've promised to finish all
     my WIPS I decided it was time I did something
     with this. Yea, title's stolen from a Sarah song but
     surely you've come to expect that from me *G*
     It's kind of pointless and didn't have much
     of a story but if you want to archive it just let me
     know where you're putting it.
     Blah blah yadda yadda legal stuff: Mulder, Scully,
     TXF..
     Not mine, not mine, not mine.

     Http://www.angelfire.com/nm/Talitha/

     Woohoo! Yea! Go Gillian!

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