Perchance to Sleep (1/1) by QofMush Category: V Rated: PG Disclaimer: All chacters you recognize from the Xfile Universe portrayed within are the property of the FOX Network and the gang at 1013 - all of them. No infringement is intended. Spoilers: This is post-Emily - we be spoiled all over the place. Archive: Wherever. Summary: Late Night in the Bill Scully household...a few creatures were stirring. Acknowledgements: I still maintain that I am not a writer...(denial)...but I found this on my harddrive one Sunday afternoon. A huge thank you to the quickly assembled committee who voted to post it, not trash it. You guys know who you are. Also, for Jen, who in her roundabout way inspired it, and Shirley, whose friendship I adore, even if I have issues with her angst. . As always, thanks to Linda for dotting the i's and crossing the t's...and for ONEOFUS, just for being youse(and for telling me the orginal title was "eh.") Feedback: Wouldn't miss it for the world. (QofMush@aol.com) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO Fox Mulder slept. Or tried to - as well as he could on this too-small couch in Bill Scully Jr.'s living room. Mulder thought wryly. He wondered how Scully was doing. She had been kicked out of the nursery after Matthew's birth, and was sharing a room with her mother. He knew that after the funeral today, she was exhausted. He was also convinced she was having trouble sleeping. Mulder thought back to earlier in the day. In his mind, there was no person on earth stronger than Dana Scully. She never ceased to amaze him. The woman could face down whatever kooky monsters he threw at her, could face her own mortality, could allow her daughter to die for the good of the little girl, and still not crack. He knew she was hurting. He also knew she would not let him, or ANYONE see it. He worried. Either Scully would eventually break, or she would deal with it in her inimitable Scullyway. Mulder thought he'd see the latter. Scully would "handle" it, just like she handled everything else. Yes, she would hurt, but she would also move on. Hopefully. With that, he flopped over again and tried to sleep. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOX Two Hours Later Dana Scully couldn't sleep. The dreams had awakened her again. Dreams of her walking on a beach in an ugly dress It was obvious that she would be hurting for a long time, but that time was the only thing to cure what ailed her. Time and a certain vengeance. A vengeance not born of revenge, but of a deep seated desire for the answers. Mulder's Truth. Why did these shadow men do what they do? Why did Emily need to be brought into the world, if only to die? Agh. She couldn't think about it anymore. There were no answers in the dark of her mother's bedroom, and she had somehow caught a chill in the San Diego winter night. She crept down the stairs and was not surprised to see the fire still burning - not blazing. Mulder snored quietly on the couch, under the lights of the Christmas tree. Scully had grabbed an afghan from upstairs to wrap around her pajama clad body. If she could watch the fire for awhile, perhaps it would relax her and allow her body the rest it desperately needed. Tiptoeing by Mulder's lanky body on the couch, Scully gently pulled the blanket up to just beneath his chin. Poor Mulder had no business trying to cram his body on this couch, but there was just nowhere else to put him. Maggie Scully wouldn't hear of letting him stay at a hotel, and Bill had grudgingly agreed. Dana had stayed out of the negotiations, but she was glad Mulder had stayed. She just needed him close. She'd never admit it, but she needed to know he was there. Just as she tucked the blanket under his chin, Mulder rolled toward the back of the couch. For a moment, she was nervous that she had disrupted his precious sleep, but it appeared he was as restless in sleep as he was awake. Prowling and searching for answers, even in his dreams. Scully turned to the fire and huddled close on the hearth. And finally allowed herself to feel. XOXOXOXO Mulder wasn't sure what had awakened him, but his view as he turned to the fire was well worth the loss of sleep. Dana Scully, wrapped in an afghan, red hair gleaming, dressed in peach silk pajamas was Fox Mulder's personal fantasy come to life. The only difference between that and the reality in front of him, was that his fantasy's cheeks weren't tear stained. Scully had stopped crying long ago. Now, she vacantly stared into the waning fire, accepting her loss. "Scully?" Calmly, she turned toward him. "I'm sorry, Mulder, did I wake you?" "No, not at all . . . are, um, are you okay?" She smiled gently . . . "I'm fine, Mulder. Go back to sleep." Mulder sat up, rubbing his eyes and scrubbing his face. "Nah, I've had my requisite three hours. What's up, Scully? Couldn't sleep? Mom snoring?" Scully chuckled softly. "No, I actually had a bad dream. This house is just like the one I grew up in, and when I was a kid and couldn't sleep, a few hours by the fire always helped. I usually ended up sacked out on the couch, and Ahab would drag me awake in the morning." Mulder patted the couch next to him . . . "Come on up. There's plenty of room." She looked up at him......and she got to her feet and walked over to the couch. "Sure you aren't sleepy?" Mulder gave her his best impression of the Scullystare, raised eyebrow and all. "Do you remember whom you are talking to?" "Oh, yeah. In that case..." Scully sat down next to Mulder still staring into the fire. For a while the two of them sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts, looking into the fire. Well, Scully looked into the fire, Mulder pretended to look into the fire, but snuck peeks at Scully when he knew it was safe. Finally, Mulder spoke. "Scully, when was the last time you slept longer than 20 minutes?" "Mulder, is this your way of delicately pointing out the Gladbag sized bags under my eyes?" she joked. "No, I'm trying to ask you how you are feeling. And, to tell you that you need your rest." "I told you, I'm fine. " "The magic words. Do those words make it all go away? You are just recovering from a major illness, a major emotional loss, and you haven't slept in over a week. I think fine is the last thing you are right now. " "Thank you for your concern, Mulder, but I think I can handle myself. The truth is, I can't wait to get home and start back into the daily routine of our lives. I've had trouble sleeping ever since I've been here. Honestly, the only place I've had any sleep at all is on this couch." He knew she wasn't hinting, but he wasn't about to let that go untouched. Mulder took hold of her shoulders and pulled her head into his lap. "Well, what's stopping you now?" "Mulder, I don't want to wrestle..." she protested feebly, reminding him of their last visit to the woods. "Just don't ask me to sing, Scully. I'm even worse than you are...if that's humanly possible." She chuckled. And, without realizing it, she relaxed into his arms and allowed him to carry her burden. Just for a few hours, just so she could get some rest. She would take back her control in the morning, but for now, with Mulder's gentle hands making circles on her arm and in her hair, maybe she could actually sleep. Mulder actually felt the moment when Scully let go. Her body, which had been running on adrenaline for days had finally hit the wall. She collapsed like a deflated balloon. Her eyes closed, and her hand gently grabbed his knee under her cheek once, as if to thank him for being there. It wasn't much, but to Mulder it was tantamount to a declaration of love. His heart stopped for a moment, and he almost missed Scully's mumbled..."Thanks for being here, Mulder." She wasn't awake long enough to hear his response. THE END Authors Notes: I know there's been tons of post-Emily fanfic, and I've enjoyed a lot of it. This came about when a pal mentioned she wanted smut on Bill Scully's couch. I couldn't quite go there (go read Luminaries: Nothing Burns by Shirley Writnwoeft), but I saw nothing wrong with a little Muldercomfort. And, in my mind, the next scene is Bill coming down in the morning to find them asleep on the couch. Now, wouldn't that make him vewwwy vewwwy angry? The Gossamer Project Author - Title - Date - Spoilers - Crossovers - X-Files - Adventures - Stories - Vignettes Download Other stories by QofMush /Please let us know if the site is not working properly. Set story display preferences . Do not archive stories elsewhere without permission from the author(s). See the Gossamer policies for more information. /