His Voice (R)
by Donna

 
He felt the heat against his back, but before he could turn, the blast slammed 
him against the concrete. Everyone around him went down as well. It was a 
blessing the blast had knocked them down; the glass and debris that filled the 
air where they had been standing would have killed them as surely as it had the 
people in the building. The explosion stunned him, but only for a second. He 
rose to hands and knees shaking his head. A bomb? There'd been no warning, no 
evidence, no. . . Scully!
He staggered to his feet. The air was full of dust and smoke, he could barely 
see. Scully had still been inside; he’d left her inside! He had to get to her. 
The building he had just vacated was gone. There was a small fire on the west 
side of the building, probably a gas main. He had to find her before this side 
of the rubble caught fire.
He could already hear sirens; people were running this way. He shook his head 
again. She'd been in the file room with that policeman, Kellman? He started 
toward the building. He had to get her out.
"Stay back, sir. You can't go in there. It's too dangerous."
"My partner's in there! I've got to get inside."
"No one goes in there, sir. They'll get dogs here to search for survivors."
Survivors, the word crashed in on him. In that building? He shoved past the 
policeman in his way.
"Stop!" It took three of them to hold him and drag him back from the ruins. The 
police were shoving him into a squad car when he was able to get his ID out.
"My partner's in there! I have to get her out! She might be injured. We're 
wasting time!"
"Let the experts handle this, Agent. . ." he glanced down at the ID again. 
"Mulder? You could only make things worse."
"Officer Kellman is in there with her." He’d play any card to get in there. 
Kellman was one of theirs.
"Kellman? Andy Kellman? Shit, look we still can't go in there. We could bring 
what is standing down on them and us. You're going to have to wait here, why 
don't you let the paramedics patch you up?" They turned from him to discuss how 
to reach Kellman’s wife.
Patch him up? He was bleeding. He hadn't even noticed. He slumped down onto the 
running board of the truck they had flung him against. The cops turned back to 
other emergencies.
Mulder heard the shorter of the two say, "Hey, you're my partner, would you be 
that anxious to get to me?"
"If I had feelings like that for you, my wife would kill both of us, you ass."
What had the cop said? Feelings, she was his partner, his. . . Scully. What was 
wrong with him? Get a grip Mulder. Scully wasn't dead. Surely he'd know, he'd 
feel it if she were. . . gone. There had to be something he could do.
Cell phone! Scully had her cell phone with her. He was already punching in her 
number. Not in service? She never turned off her phone, not like him. Like when 
he ditched her to go off on his own. She was always accessible, to him. She made 
a point of it, because he always needed her to get him out of whatever he’d 
gotten into. The phone must have been damaged in the explosion.
Explosion. Scully had been caught in an explosion. He tried to rise to his feet, 
but he was shaking too hard. No! Damn it! He couldn't help her like this. He had 
to get control; they'd need men to help. He had to get her out.
He made it to his feet. Each step got firmer. He could be a help, he would be. 
She'd be ashamed of him. He shucked his coat, which was ruined anyway, and 
approached the line of volunteers hauling debris. For now at least he was 
moving. 
*****
 
He paused to stretch his back. How long had he been doing this? It felt like his 
whole life. They were bringing bodies out of the building now. He faltered, 
bodies. But they weren't from the section of the building where he had left her. 
He'd left her, just walked out of the building without looking back.
It was better not to think. Just work, just. . . his cell phone trilled. He 
dropped the block of concrete he was holding.
"Scully! Is that you?"
"Mulder? It's Skinner. What's going on?"
Skinner? Maybe he could speed things up. "The building exploded. No bomb threat 
was called in that I know of."
"The word we’re getting here is sketchy. How many people are injured?"
"Forty or so. They've brought out five bodies so far."
"Where's Scully?"
"She was inside. . . " He had to swallow to finish the sentence. "Inside the 
building."
There was silence on both ends of the phone.
"Mulder, what do they need?"
"Dogs are on the way, all the emergency crews are mobilized."
"Was it a bomb?"
"There's no smell of cordite, but I'm no expert. You're going to need to get 
those people here. There was no warning of this, none."
"Why were you and Scully there?"
"We were checking county records, for the case we're on."
"An X-File?"
"Yes." Why ask that? It was irrelevant to what was going on now, wasn't it?
"I'll have people there in a couple of hours. Keep me posted."
"Yes sir." He broke the connection. Something was happening on the east side of 
the building now, so he headed that way. The dogs were finally here. Now they 
would find her, get her to a hospital, get her help.
*****
She woke feeling heavy. Something was on top of her, she couldn't. . . What had 
happened? She was covered in books and drawers, but more. She couldn't sit up. 
Was she. . . no she couldn't be paralyzed? She could feel pain, that was good 
wasn't it? She thought she was wiggling her toes, she could move her right arm. 
The left was trapped. Where was she? Think, Dana! Records, she and Mulder had 
come to the county office. Mulder! Where was he? If he was under this rubble he 
was badly hurt or. . . no, she refused to even think that. Were they looking for 
her? She couldn't hear anything. Surely they were already searching, and the 
policeman that was with her. Where was he? She was able to turn her head, though 
that didn't reveal much of the room to her. The large shelves that had held the 
property map books had fallen over. The oversized books were on top of her, but 
the heavy wooden shelves themselves had hit the wall, giving her some space. 
That had probably saved her life. It looked like other shelves had fallen onto 
the ones sheltering her, a domino effect. What had happened? Earthquake? No, not 
around here. It had to have been an explosion; there was so much damage. Why 
weren't they coming to find them? Mulder would be looking for her if he was . . 
. stop it, Mulder was alive and he was looking for her. Maybe it had only been a 
couple of minutes.
Mulder was not dead. She couldn't go on if he. . . why couldn't she hear 
anything? She needed to hear his voice, she would be okay, everything would be 
okay, if she could hear his voice. He had to be alive, how would she go on if 
she could never see him again?
She was getting sleepy. She must be losing blood. If she went into shock she 
wouldn't be able to help herself. Why was no one coming? Mulder, please. I need 
you. I need to know you're still with me. Mulder. . . 
*****
Why was everything taking so long? He'd always had the impression these dogs 
worked quickly. How many hours could she last in there? If she was hurt, every 
minute could count. This time, this delay, it was costing her.
He blinked and sheltered his eyes as the lights they'd brought in to keep the 
search going were turned on. When had it gotten dark? He glanced at his watch. 
Five hours? Scully had been trapped inside for five hours? If she were bleeding. 
. . no. He had to stay positive, send her what energy he could. She was his 
partner; she'd survived everything that had been thrown at them. She'd had to, 
to keep up with him. His partner, his Dana, hell, his life.
"We found one alive!" His head whipped around, the rest of his body wouldn't 
move. Man or woman? He needed more information. The rescue team raced past him 
and he finally got moving.
The police tried to hold him back with the others; this was a new shift. But 
once seeing his ID let him approach the building. He headed for the dog's 
trainer.
"The person they found alive, was it a man or a woman?"
"A woman. She's under a lot of debris, it's gonna take a while."
"Was she conscious?"
"No, but there was a pulse. I need to get back."
"Yeah, yeah thanks."
It could be her; it was the right location. Who else had been in the room? The 
cop, the woman behind the counter, anyone else? Yes, he closed his eyes to 
better visualize the room. An older gentleman at the far table, a lawyer type at 
the counter. Any other women? No, just Scully and the clerk. Which one had they 
found? What was taking so long? They knew time was critical if she was injured.
They were bringing out. . . no, another body. It was Kellman, the cop she'd been 
talking to when he walked away from her. Just walked away, as though they had 
all the time in the world. He should have been with her. His logical side tried 
to remind him there was nothing he could have done. The blast would have killed 
him, but if he had died shielding her, it would have been have been worth it.
It had gotten quieter since the lights had come on. The crowd was bigger, but 
more respectful. At least the civilians were. More reporters were flowing in 
like scavengers - how do you feel about seeing your wives, friends and 
co-workers torn to shreds in a senseless act? They'd stayed clear of him; he 
probably looked as dangerous as he felt. His clothes were torn, filthy and blood 
stained. He'd strangle the first reporter to ask him an inane question like 
that.
Finally! They were coming out again, with a stretcher this time, not a bag. Why 
couldn't he move? He had to know which woman was alive. He forced one foot in 
front of the other; he was running when he reached the stretcher. Scully!
"Is she. . . ?" The huge collar around her neck was keeping her immobile. There 
were already IV’s in her arms.
"We need to transport now, sir."
"Was she conscious?"
"Yeah, she's sedated now to move her." The paramedics hadn't stopped moving 
toward the ambulance.
"Did she say anything?"
"Are you a reporter?"
"No, I'm her partner." He had his badge in his hand again, keeping pace with the 
rescue workers.
"I'm not sure she was aware of her surroundings. She was muttering the same word 
over and over. I think she was trying to say murder, but it was garbled, like 
mulder or something. Hey are you okay?"
It all crashed in on him at once. She was alive, and she'd been calling for him. 
His knees gave out and it all went black.
*****
He woke in the emergency room. He was immediately struggling to get to his feet.
"Hold on, Mr. Mulder. You just stay right where you are."
"Scully? They found her, where is she?" 
"The woman they brought in? They've already moved her upstairs for surgery. You 
stay here until we've finished with you. Have you eaten today?"
"What kind of surgery? What was wrong with her?"
"Not my case. She's in good hands. When did you last eat?"
"What? Uh, breakfast I think. Why?"
"Because that was probably around 14 hours ago and you've run out of adrenaline. 
You can behave and go eat something, or I'll stick an IV in you right here." Had 
she been in the same platoon as Skinner? These military types were always 
threatening him.
"I'll eat. Just tell me what floor she's on."
"Fourth, the surgical wing. There's a waiting room up there, but not until after 
you eat. They're not going to let you in now anyway. Listen, what good are you 
going to be to her if you collapse again? I'm not kidding about that IV, I'll do 
it."
He believed her. He nodded meekly and she finally allowed him to sit up. "How 
did I get here?"
"The same ambulance that transported your friend. You apparently went down like 
a rock when you saw her. She's your partner?"
Mulder ignored that and tested his legs, yes he could stand. Partner? She was 
the reason he woke up every morning. He had to see her again, see what was wrong 
and find out when he could talk to her. Tell her he'd never leave her side 
again, tell her. . . Why was this woman still talking to him?
". . . cafeteria on this floor and no coffee!"
"What? Sure, can I go now?" She finally stepped aside. If he passed out again, 
they'd bring him back here and she'd strap him down. "Partner", yeah right.
He stumbled to the fourth floor and did actually stop at the candy machine. Then 
he wandered toward the waiting room, digging out his phone again. No answer at 
the first number, he tried the second.
"Skinner."
"It’s Mulder. They found her and she’s alive." He heard Skinner’s relief flood 
back at him over the phone. "Her mother’s not home, I can’t leave this kind of 
message on a machine."
"I’ll find Mrs. Scully. Where are you?" He made notes then asked, "What is her 
condition?"
"They won’t talk to me yet. This place looks like a war zone. They’re only 
transporting the wounded. The bodies are at the site, but additional equipment 
keeps arriving, so I guess they’ll be here soon."
"If they give you grief, have them call me."
"They won’t. I’m listed as next of kin."
Skinner didn’t comment, he hadn’t known that. Was she his as well? They were 
partners, but still, they did have family. Not important, not now anyway.
*****
She woke slowly, where was she? The weight was gone from on top of her. She'd 
been rescued? Yes, this was definitely a hospital. She still couldn't move her 
left arm. She managed to look down at it, a cast. Broken huh? Well, that wasn't 
so bad, maybe everything else. . . Mulder! Where was Mulder? Had they gotten him 
out? Was he. . . her eyes were frantically searching the room.
Mulder. Sprawled all over the chair, asleep. He looked terrible, the lines in 
his face were deep, even in sleep and he really needed a shave. She'd never seen 
anything so beautiful. He hadn't been hurt. He wasn't in the explosion. Those 
lines came from looking for her. She shouldn't wake him, but she needed to hear 
his voice.
"Mulder? Mulder, wake up."
His whole body jerked awake at once, and he was on his feet. She watched him 
form her name on his lips and reach for her. His hands were on her face, 
smoothing back her hair, his lips on her forehead. She raised her right hand to 
caress his cheek, appreciating the stubble against her fingers. 
"I'm okay, Mulder. I'm okay. Tell me what happened."
His lips continued to move, but he couldn't make a sound. No, that wasn't it. 
"Mulder? Mulder, are you talking? You're not just moving your lips, are you? 
Mulder, I can't hear you! I can't hear, I can't. . ."
His hands were on her again. Soothing her, trying to calm her. He pressed the 
call button and when the door opened he turned his head, but she still heard 
nothing. The nurse retreated quickly. 
She was deaf. She was stone deaf. She was shaking now, through the whole thing 
she'd only wanted to hear his voice, when would she ever be able to do that? 
This was a worse nightmare than the building. This could be forever!
He caught her face between his hands, "Scully. Calm down. You were in an 
explosion. Your ears just need to heal a little. You need to relax." He'd 
enunciated each word slowly, allowing her to read his lips.
Right, there had been an explosion. Of course her ears were concussed. She was a 
doctor; she needed to get a grip. His eyes turned toward the door, so she looked 
as well. Doctors, smiling and efficient, they better have some answers.
They were obviously asking Mulder to leave the room, like hell. She was gripping 
his hand with hers and she wasn’t about to let go. She could almost smile, he 
was armed, they wouldn’t get him out. He did move to the foot of the bed and 
placed his hand on her leg. He seemed to need to touch her as much as she needed 
him.
His hand was calming as the doctor examined her ears and tested her with the 
portable equipment. More tests would come later, she knew that, but maybe this 
could tell them something. The crowd finally left, leaving them alone with the 
first doctor.
Mulder moved back up to the head of the bed, so the doctor could face her as he 
spoke. He was very reassuring. Her ears had suffered trauma, but there was no 
indication of permanent damage at this time. He wanted her to rest and let the 
swelling go down for a couple of days before any further tests were done. She 
would be here for several days anyway, letting her body recover from the 
battering it had taken. She had taken a severe beating and been extremely lucky 
not to have more serious internal injuries. 
She realized her hand was cramping from gripping his so tightly and tried to 
loosen her grip. His own tightened and she turned to smile at him. The lines 
around his eyes hadn’t gone away, he had been scared, for her. How long had she 
been in the building? She had so many questions and only Mulder could answer 
them. She wanted to hear his voice! 
When the doctor finally left, she began asking those questions and he carefully 
made sure she understood. How many people had been killed? Twelve bodies 
recovered so far. How long had she been in there? Six hours. Six? She’d had no 
idea. No wonder those lines were so firmed etched, she’d been unconscious for 
most of it thank goodness.
How many others found alive? None so far. That caused a tremor throughout her 
body. How many injured? He didn’t know. What had happened? Again, he didn’t 
know. Skinner had people on site now investigating that. The information they 
had been looking for was undoubtedly gone.
Oh and her mother was on her way. That’s when she finally gave into the tears. 
Yes, she wanted her mother. And she wanted to hear something. Anything at this 
point. She took a deep breath, the doctor had been right. It would take time 
before they could even decide if there was damage.
The nurse came with a sedative and Mulder insisted she take it. She in turn 
forced a promise from him to go back to the room to shower and rest. He was 
still there when she drifted off, and there when she woke, though his clothes 
were different and that beautiful stubble was gone.
"Talk, Mulder. Can I hear yet?" She saw her name of his lips, but no sound. It 
was okay; his hand was on her cheek telling her he would be there.
He looked up at the door and she turned. Mom! She couldn’t see what her mother 
said for the tears, but it didn’t matter, she was here. The two people Scully 
needed to heal were here. She watched her mother hug Mulder and loved how he 
enjoyed it.
*****
It was three days before she could convince the doctors she was strong enough to 
be transported back to DC. Her doctors on site had many long conversations with 
the FBI audiologist and after she and Mulder’s assurance that she would have 
constant care and use a wheelchair, finally released her.
This was her first time back out in the world. She’d had no idea how frightening 
it would be to be in such a familiar surrounding as an airport, and not hear a 
sound.
She was beginning to tremble. She didn’t want Mulder to notice he was worried 
enough about her though he tried to hide it. Her mother touched her shoulder and 
pointed to the drink machine. Dana nodded, maybe that would help. Mulder 
continued pushing her toward the gate.
She realized that Mulder was speaking to the man at the counter, but of course 
heard nothing. As Mulder turned the chair a child raced by and barely brushed 
Scully’s arm. She started violently and couldn’t stop the tears that escaped. 
Mulder put his hand on her shoulder, and sped up. In a few moments they were 
inside the employee lounge closest to the gate and he had her in his arms.
She hadn’t wanted him to realize. She needed to be stronger than this. She hid 
her face in his neck and began sobbing, which is when Mrs. Scully finally caught 
up with them. Scully could feel Mulder talking, but refused to turn and see who 
was there. Her embarrassment was all consuming.
Mulder let her cry herself out, then handed her his handkerchief. When he felt 
she was ready, he lifted her chin to look into her eyes.
"Are you better now?" She continued snuffling, but managed to nod. "Your mother 
was here, she’s waiting out by the gate for us."
Her mother! She’d completely forgotten her. She couldn’t work up the energy for 
a lot of guilt. Mulder held her until it was time to board the plane. They 
boarded first and he offered the seat next to Scully to her mom. She shook her 
head and squeezed his arm. "I think she’ll feel better with you beside her. It’s 
okay, Fox."
They settled in and exhausted from the physical and emotional toll, Scully was 
soon asleep against Mulder’s side.
"Fox? I want to ask you something. I know it’s an imposition but I really think 
it would help Dana’s recovery if you stayed at my house too, while she’s there."
Mulder looked away and tied to hide his smile then turned back to her. "It’s not 
an imposition. I was wondering how to invite myself."
He watched the smile grow on her face. It made her look more like Scully. He 
couldn’t help grinning back at her.
*****
The trip home was uneventful and Mulder did allow her to walk from the car to 
the door when they arrived at Mrs. Scully’s home. Mrs. Scully assured Dana she 
would bring some clothes over the next day, so she would be more comfortable, 
then she began preparing dinner.
While Scully was lying down, Mulder brought his own suitcase in and at Mrs. 
Scully’s instruction took the room that shared a bath with Scully’s. Mulder was 
tossing the salad when Scully joined them in the kitchen. His smile almost made 
up for the silence.
Mrs. Scully glanced at Mulder when the phone rang and wiping her hands went to 
the other room to answer.
Scully glanced after her and turned questioning to Mulder. "The phone." He said 
slowly and she nodded. "Scully?" He touched her arm. She turned back to him; "I 
need to ask you something." She nodded. "Your mother asked me to move in with 
you two for awhile. Is that a problem?"
Her eyes had misted up and he felt a surge of fear. He was smothering her and 
she hated that. She probably thought he didn’t trust her to be capable of 
handling things.
"Scully please, I know you don’t need. . . "
"Mulder." She put her finger on his lips. "I’m so glad you’re going to be here." 
Her eyes said more and he was able to draw a breath.
Mrs. Scully was back, bustling around the kitchen. Once the food was on the 
table and everyone was seated, she said, "Dana?" and touched her arm, "That was 
Bill on the phone." Scully decided to ignore the face Mulder made at her out of 
her mother’s sight. She even managed not to smile. "He wanted to check on you 
and said he might be here in a couple of weeks."
"Is the family okay?" Scully asked. Her mother smiled and nodded.
Scully insisted on helping with the dishes, then everyone retired to the family 
room. Mrs. Scully excused herself shortly, pleading fatigue after the trip and 
Mulder insisted Scully go on to bed a few minutes later.
*****
Scully jerked awake, breathing rapidly. She didn’t remember the dream and she 
must not have cried out, because no one came. She rose and went into the 
bathroom for a drink. She noticed that Mulder’s light was still on. Maybe he was 
having trouble sleeping in a strange location.
She pushed the door opened a crack, it hadn’t been completely closed, and saw 
him, sound asleep, having kicked off the covers. She found herself appreciating 
the fact he was only wearing the gray flannel boxers. He looked so comfortable. 
She would be so comfortable beside him.
Dana! But he wouldn’t have to know. She probably wouldn’t go back to sleep 
anyway; all she’d done for days was sleep. She could just cuddle for a while and 
leave. She realized her feet had taken her beside the bed. Oh hell, she snapped 
off the light and crawled in next to him, pulling the covers over them.
Mulder immediately turned and gathered her up next to him, tucking her against 
his chest, his chin resting on her hair. But he didn’t wake.
Well, he certainly didn’t seem to mind her presence. It was the safest she’d 
felt since before the explosion. She felt herself relaxing and did drift back 
off to sleep.
*****
 
Mulder woke feeling extremely rested. It took only a second to remember where he 
was this time and then realized the warm bundle against him was Scully. Scully? 
In here? When had that happened? She squirmed in closer to him. Her warm breath 
on his chest made his physical response immediate. He shifted slightly to 
decrease the pressure and possibly hide his embarrassment, but she shifted with 
him, hiking her leg to increase the contact. Oh god. 
"Scully?" That was stupid, he was here because she couldn’t hear. He brushed her 
hair back and ran a finger down her nose. She protested and hid her face in his 
chest. Seconds later her head came up, eyes wide.
"It’s okay, Scully." He made sure she could see his face. "Did you sleep well?"
She blushed as she realized how well she had slept and how entangled they had 
become in the process. She withdrew to her side of the bed, looking around the 
room as though for escape.
He turned her head back towards him. "It was the best night’s sleep I ever 
remember. Thank you."
She managed to smile then, and slipped out of bed to return to her own room, 
unable to continue looking into those twinkling eyes any longer.
He left the bathroom to her and headed downstairs for some coffee. Mrs. Scully 
was already up and fixing breakfast. She turned and smiled as he came in.
"Did you sleep well, Fox?" She watched the color rise on his face. "It’s okay. I 
went to check on her this morning."
"I, uh, Mrs. Scully. . . "
"I said it was okay, Fox. Just promise me you won’t hurt her."
"Never." It sounded like a solemn vow coming from him. She nodded and kissed his 
cheek.
"I wasn’t worried. You want to eat first, or shower first?"
"Your cooking? Eat, always." 
She smiled and took the eggs from the refrigerator. He turned as Scully walked 
in the kitchen and turned so that Mrs. Scully could not read his lips.
Scully looked at him and quickly away, he checked that Mrs. Scully wasn’t 
watching, which caught her attention. He mouthed the word "Busted". She glanced 
over at her mother and her eyes widened as her color rose. "It’s okay." He 
stepped to block her from Mrs. Scully’s view. "Do you understand? It’s okay."
She nodded and took a deep breath. It could get very interesting living with 
both her mother and Mulder.
*****
Mulder accompanied Scully and her mother to the audiologist that afternoon. 
Following the exam they were allowed in to listen to the doctor’s prognosis.
"First, I am very pleased with the healing that has already taken place, Dr. 
Scully. An injury such as you sustained can be quite traumatic, but at your age 
and overall health, I’m very optimistic. I wouldn’t be surprised if you begin 
having a ringing in your ears shortly. It will get annoying, but remember it is 
part of the healing process. 
"I’m sure you have questions. Please, go ahead."
Mulder hung back, letting Scully ask the questions for the most part, wincing 
inside at the discussion of hearing aids and other hopefully temporary aids. 
When they all rose at the end of the meeting, Mulder waited until they were out 
of the office and turned to the doctor.
"Bottom line, how long before she can hear again?"
"At the present rate of healing, I would be surprised if she doesn’t have at 
least 90% hearing back within 12 months."
Mulder’s mouth fell open, "A year?"
"I thought you understood, Agent Mulder. It could be less, and with her forensic 
background, she could be working during that time. Autopsies and lab work should 
not be affected as long as the people around her are aware of her circumstance."
"But no field work?"
"Well, Agent Mulder, at her present capacity driving is out, meetings would be 
difficult if not impossible, and interrogating suspects, well. . ." He watched 
the tall man in front of him deflate. "She doesn’t need to see this from you."
"She won’t." He stated shortly. "Thank you for your honesty."
"Give me a call if you have any questions. She’s going to need to be challenged, 
if you could manage to retain her as your partner it could be a big help to 
her."
"I won’t have any other partner. I’ll be in touch." The man nodded and shook his 
hand. He’d heard about this man since he’d started working for the Bureau. He 
didn’t look especially spooky to him, just worried about this woman. But he also 
looked determined. She was in good hands.
*****
Mulder didn’t feel nearly as confident. How was he supposed to function without 
her beside him for a year? Okay, she could still do the investigative work, 
computers, labs, but he needed her to bounce ideas off, tell him he was crazy, 
and try to keep him sane. Well, he’d have to figure out a way. More email, of 
course, one of those phones with the special attachment. He needed to relax. She 
shouldn’t see him like this.
He was a selfish shit to be thinking like this anyway. He was damn lucky she was 
even alive. He had no room to bitch. And maybe, just maybe, she’d come to his 
room again tonight.
*****
Mrs. Scully again retired before them. Scully herself wasn’t interested in the 
television, since she really couldn’t follow it anyway and had opted for a book, 
but had stayed up with Mulder and was now propped up against him reading with 
his arm casually around her.
She was grateful for the contact, it kept her from looking up constantly to see 
if he were still there. Not that she doubted he would be, but the oppressive 
quiet was unnerving.
His arm around her felt anything but casual to him. He was still reeling with 
relief that she had allowed it. His mind wasn’t really on the TV either, but 
rather how comfortable it felt sitting here like this, as though it had always 
been this way. 
She winced beside him and he looked down quickly. "Scully?" He bent to see into 
her face.
"It’s okay. My ears crackled when I yawned."
"That’s a good sign, isn’t it?" He was watching her anxiously.
"I don’t know, but I think I’ll be getting a new specialty to go with pathology 
over the next few months."
"If you’re yawning shouldn’t you be going to bed?" He grinned and turned it into 
a leer. "Planning to keep me warm tonight?"
"Mulder." She blushed again, "about last night. . . "
"Why did you come in there?" His face was serious now, curious but not pushing.
"I had a bad dream and I woke up. I got a sip of water and saw your light was 
on, so I decided to check on you and, I don’t know for sure what happened then. 
My judgment vanished and I. . . I’m sorry Mulder."
"Are you?" His face was sober now, waiting anxiously for her next words. She 
could read his face easier than his lips; he was worried about this, and her.
"I am and I’m not Mulder. I can’t deny how nice it was, but I had no business 
being in there, imposing myself on you like that." Her face was equally sober 
now. "I guess I’m still not back to normal from. . . "
"Scully," his fingers under her chin ensured that she look at him now, "it was 
no imposition, strike that from your mind completely. I’m not even sure we could 
make a case for inappropriate. Nothing happened, except we both got the rest we 
needed. That shouldn’t be a negative. And as much as I’d like for things to move 
in that direction, you’re still recovering."
Her lips parted and her eyes widened. As much as he would like? Since when?
He looked deeply into her eyes, he couldn’t even smile. "Surely you know those 
five hours were the longest of my life. I still haven’t forgiven myself for 
walking away from you."

"Mulder, you couldn’t have known – "
"That doesn’t matter, Scully. I took for granted that you would follow me out of 
the building when you were through and we’d get in the car together and drive 
away. When I picked myself up and saw what was left of that building. . . " He 
shuddered and his arm tightened around her.
"It made me realize how much I just assume you’re going to be in my life. I 
don’t know where things will go with us, I don’t know if you want them to go 
anywhere, but those five hours gave me a lot of time to think." He chuckled a 
little, "If your mother hadn’t invited me to stay here, I would have broken in 
and hopefully woken up just where I did this morning."
She hadn’t looked away from his face, but she seemed to be hearing this through 
her heart. She was afraid to respond.
He swallowed and began to lose his nerve as she continued to just look at him. 
"Scully? Have I gone that far over the line?"
She looked down and he felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. The 
small smile that was tugging at her lips when she did look up caused his lungs 
to resume functioning. "Not as far as I went last night."
"Dare I say you’re always welcome in my bed?" She blushed as she read those 
words from his lips. He found that both of his arms were around her now, 
caressing her back and shoulders, but still keeping his distance from her lips. 
That was beginning to take a superhuman effort on his part. It was a good thing 
Mrs. Scully trusted him, that was about the only thing that was keeping him from 
throwing her down on the couch and grinding himself into her.
"Uh, Scully. Maybe you better go on to bed now." He forced his arms away from 
her and watched the frown grow on her face. "This is your mother’s house, 
Scully. And we’re. . . I mean. . . "
"Chicken?"
"Hey! I’m trying to be good here and you’re not helping." He actually saw the 
thought flit through her head, so he answered, "Very good, now go before I have 
to spank you."
He almost lost it at the gleam in her eye. Instead he backed up even farther 
from her on the couch. "Go – To – Bed." She should be able to read that easily 
enough.
She managed to bring her smile under control and rose from the couch. "Good 
night Mulder. Sweet dreams." She turned from him and left the room.
"Oh, they’re gonna be sweet tonight." He breathed mostly to himself as he 
watched her walk away. There was no way he was going to bed now. He’d just lay 
there forever and there wasn’t a TV in the room. He desperately needed to calm 
down before trying to sleep. Maybe it was a good thing Mrs. Scully didn’t have 
any adult channels on her cable.
Eventually he decided to head on to bed. Passing her room he stopped and almost 
touched the doorknob before deciding that was not a good idea. He ducked into 
the bathroom between their rooms and got ready for bed, stripping down to his 
shorts. He flipped off the light and opened the door to his own room, tossing 
his clothes in the general direction of the chair he knew was over there and 
headed for the bed. He crawled in, he still wasn’t really sleepy, but he might 
as well try. He turned over and felt her move toward him.
Scully? She was here, no hallucination. She was asleep, she’d been waiting here 
for him? Don’t ask questions Mulder, just accept that she wants you close and be 
here. He pulled her into a perfect spoon and let her quiet breathing lull him 
into sleep.
 
She wasn’t there when he woke the next morning and for just a moment the 
disappointment held him immobile. He managed to shake that off and headed for 
the shower. He found her alone in the kitchen and hit her immediately with the 
puppy dog look. He didn’t have to say a word, and she burst out laughing. He 
leaned back and enjoyed the sight.
"Don’t push it buddy." She warned and stood to get him a cup of coffee. He waved 
her back into the chair and got his own, refilling hers.
"Are you sure you’re okay with me going to work today?" He made sure she was 
watching him.
"I may be a little jealous, but I’ll be okay. Email me with anything juicy they 
give you."
"Give me? Yeah, right. They probably won’t let me out of the building without 
you there to reel me in. And the office is gonna be awfully lonely." He pouted.
"Good. It’ll make you want to hurry home faster." She turned to look at the 
clock and he took her hand causing her to look back at him.
"Home?"
She ducked her head and smiled, then looked back at him. "Yeah, home."
*****
It was a long, frustrating day of paperwork backlogs and the only enjoyment he 
got was the occasional email from her keeping his morale up. He was more than 
anxious to head "home" when the time came.
They had settled into a routine now, Mrs. Scully cooking, Mulder cleaning while 
Scully looked on with advice on how and where things went. She’d tried to help 
at first but he wouldn’t allow it, advising her that she’d get all the work 
later when she was back up to speed.
That night they went to bed together, no pretext of hiding it. He didn’t know 
exactly what she and her mother had discussed but apparently things had been 
decided without him and that was fine.
*****
 
It all went to hell the next morning when they emerged from his room into the 
hall to find Bill Scully standing there. The look of shocked surprise on his 
face was rapidly replaced with a murderous rage and without thinking Scully 
stepped between the two men, her back to Mulder, obviously ready to defend him 
physically if necessary.
She decided it was just as well she couldn’t hear what was being said when Mrs. 
Scully appeared in the hallway and took Bill’s arm, trying to lead him away.
Scully turned then to look at Mulder. He wasn’t speaking, but his face was white 
and hard. He refused to look her in the eye, turning instead back toward the 
room they had shared. She caught his arm, "Mulder?"
He refused to turn back, just shaking his head and gently disengaging his arm. 
He’d heard every word Bill had spat at him.
She wanted to follow him, but he seemed to want to be alone for a few minutes, 
and she had plenty to say to Bill. She was shaking with rage when she got to the 
kitchen. Without attempting to communicate she was in front of Bill. He looked 
down at her, just as angry. With no hesitation Scully’s hand connected with his 
face. His eyes widened as he fell back, staggering from the blow.
"Scully, no!" Mulder had raced down the stairs realizing her intent. Not that he 
didn’t want to ask Bill to step outside himself, but he was a guest here. 
Causing this kind of conflict in the family would only do harm to everyone.
"What did you say?" She turned to Mulder, her face showing her disbelief.
"Don’t fight with Bill, Scully. Please, I can’t come between – "
"I heard you." Both of them had forgotten anyone else was in the room. "I heard 
you!" Now she was moving toward him, though he was too stunned to move. She 
threw herself into his arms and they closed around her, lifting her into the air 
and spinning her around.
"Can you really hear me?" She nodded against his chest.
"Dana! Oh Sweetheart, you can hear?" Her mother was finally able to move. Scully 
didn’t react, remaining in Mulder’s protective grip.
Bill continued to smolder, seeing her in that asshole’s embrace while ignoring 
their mother. "Dana, what the hell is wrong with you?" He took a step toward her 
and Mulder’s arms tightened around her.
She looked up to see what had caused his tenseness. "Mulder?"
"Why don’t you spend a little time with your mother. Bill and I can clear things 
up between us."
"Bill, Fox, I will not tolerate the two of you fighting. We all love Dana, we 
should be celebrating."
"Mom?" They turned to look at her. "Say that again."
"Dana, what’s wrong?" Her mother had her hand on her arm now.
"I can’t. . . I can’t hear you. Was it just a fluke?"
"Scully don’t worry." Mulder ran his hand over her hair and she looked up at 
him.
"I can hear you." Her own voice was almost too low to hear.
"Scully? What are you . . . ?" He looked up at Mrs. Scully at a total loss.
"Dana, can you hear me?" Scully shook her head, tears beginning to form in her 
eyes. They all turned toward Bill.
"This is ridiculous. If she can hear Mulder she can –"
Mulder had turned from him, watching her. She shook her head, a tear escaping 
her eye. He pulled her back against him. "We need to call the doctor."
"What do we tell him, Mulder? That your voice is the only sound I can hear? 
He’ll think I’m insane."
"Scully, if my voice is the only one you can hear right now, I don’t care what 
he thinks. The rest will return, just like he said. Think scientifically, maybe 
the tenor of my voice, the pitch, hell I don’t know . . . but you can hear it. 
And we know my voice is different from everyone else’s. You and I have done 
enough voice prints to know that."
She nodded; he could see the wheels turning. She’d find a scientific explanation 
even if there wasn’t one. He looked back at Maggie.
"I’ll call." She was already searching for the doctor’s card in her purse. 
Mulder didn’t bother to look over at Bill, he could feel the steam coming from 
his ears.
Okay it was unfortunate that they’d walked out of the bedroom together at just 
that instant, but they weren’t teenagers and they weren’t trying to hide 
anything from Mrs. Scully. He shoved Bill forcefully from his mind. Later, think 
about the SOB later.
A new battery of tests was run. The doctor went from being totally skeptical to 
a dawning realization that she really could hear this man’s voice. She could 
even hear recordings of his voice, but no one else. The thought crossed his mind 
that she was hearing him through her heart – he’d heard the stories about this 
pair – but he shoved that thought away. It wasn’t logical, it wasn’t even sane.
In any case, he couldn’t wait to talk to some colleagues. He promised to review 
the test results as soon as possible and get back to them.
Scully left the office this time not sure whether to be more frustrated or 
thrilled about her progress. Bill refused to even travel back to his mother’s 
house with them, choosing instead to take a cab. Mrs. Scully decided not to try 
and coax a different decision from him. She had been stunned at his outrage over 
what he had seen this morning. She knew enough to know that Bill didn’t like 
Fox, but she’d had no inkling that the feelings ran this deep, that he actually 
hated Fox. That scared her. Her family was so important to her and this kind of 
rift in the family might never heal.
Dana loved Fox and Fox . . . well she’d witnessed Fox without her. He wasn’t 
whole without her and he was finally beginning to allow himself to know that. 
Watching them together was a joy and she couldn’t allow Bill to spoil that for 
her or them.
She’d have to try to talk to Bill, make him understand that this was Dana’s 
choice and it hadn’t been made to hurt him.
Once home Mulder tried to get Scully to rest, but she was too keyed up. After a 
lengthy conversation with Skinner he joined her in the living room. "Scully?" 
She turned towards him immediately. "I think I should stay at my place tonight."
"Is that what you want?"
"No, but I think – "
"It’s not what I want either. Bill is not my father. I won’t let his opinions, 
mistaken opinions, influence my decisions. Mulder, I . . . I need you to stay."
He couldn’t hide his happiness at statement. Had she ever said that to him 
before? "Mulder," she couldn’t help but smile back at him, "the only thing I 
wanted when I was trapped in that building was to hear your voice. I have that 
and no one is going to take it from me. I can work now, with you. I want to move 
on."
So did he. He needed to fight her a little about going back to work too soon, 
and he had to try to make some sort of peace with Bill. But she could hear his 
voice – his, and the rest would come back. He knew that now. And they were truly 
together.