Disclaimer: I own nothing :0( (only what happens to be in my imagination) All characters belong to Chris Carter

Everyone has their version of how "All Things" ended and this is my version. While writing this, i was also thinking about what she was told in "Trust No1" So this is the end result.

As always as big shout out to Hate being Abducted By Aliens for her fantastic support. Love you Milady... :)

Waiting For The Right Moment

I can see her eyes getting heavy as sleep comes to claim her. She is having a power struggle with God as she fights to keep her eyes open, but she is losing the battle as her head is drooping and her words are mumbled and slurred. She is so tired, but I don't want her to feel obliged to stay awake for me, so as her head falls to the side and her breathing becomes soft and steady, I pull the multi-coloured Navaho blanket that is resting on the back of the sofa across her, stroking an errant strand of hair away from her face and go into my bedroom. I pause at the doorway, looking at her before walking into my room and the sight I feast my eyes on is breathtaking. What I see is nothing new, it is no lightening bolt of clarity, no realisation of what I don't already know, but the way the light plays softly with her delicate features and causes shadows to dance across her face… she looks peaceful and happy… contented, something she, very rarely, has ever looked and she looks prettier than I have seen her because of it.

I leave her on the couch. But, as I am getting undressed I start feeling uncomfortable about leaving her out there with just the fish for company.

Is that the decent thing to do? Or should I move her and put her in my bed? Surely though, if I am to pick her up, I'm going to wake her up and I can't wake her up. She's been through a lot today and she needs to sleep. But… I can't let her sleep on the couch….that's just harsh, even though she is wrapped and warm. So I make my decision to moving my little Sleeping Beauty.

I walk softly, a task made easier by the fact I am bare-footed, over to the couch where Scully is sleeping. Her chest, under that olive green jumper, rises and fall, keeping time with my own breaths. A sure-fire sign that we are so much more than that we actually are aware of, that we live and breathe for the other. I gently slide the blanket from her shoulders and scoop her into my arms, very much in the way that a groom might carry his bride across the threshold. Surprisingly, she doesn't wake, she doesn't even stir. Part of me is glad for that, but I find myself also a little disappointed. Her head lolls against my bare chest as I start walking with her. I can feel her warm, even breath making little circles of condensation on my skin.

When I get to my bed, I press her against me, ensuring I don't drop her as I lean over to pull the duvet over to make room for her. She stirs a little as I lay her on the mattress, no doubt a subconscious reaction to no knowing that she is longer lying on the soft, comfortable fabric of that battered old sofa. I realise now that I am faced with a dilemma much more difficult than the one I had just solved - Do I undress her?…. The nature of our relationship it is what it is, but that intimate an act, undressing her without her consent…without her knowledge? Scully would definitely have every right to be angry and upset about me doing something that private, so I decide that my best course of action is to leave her as she is: Fully clothed. Except for her jacket, that I remove to keep her from overheating. As I pull the covers up over her, I kiss her forehead, like I have done hundreds of times before, as I do so I realise just how "motherly" an act like that is…or, just how powerful. Just like Dorothy, in The Wizard Of Oz, when she gets kissed by the Witch Of The North, that kiss becomes Dorothy's secret weapon, her protection against the Witch Of The West. The kisses I bestow on Scully are the same thing - they ward off evil and protect her from harm. I walk over to the other side of my bed. I don't normally sleep in sweatpants but for decencies sake, I leave them on and climb into bed next to the curled up form of Dana Scully, leaving a gap between the two of us as I don't want Scully to wake up and think I was being inappropriate with or towards her.

I lay there, next to Scully, just watching her sleep knowing that it might just be the most wonderful thing I have witnessed in a long time…

(…)

I awaken to the sounds of soft whimpering and violent shivering. I open my eyes and see the bedroom wall. I shift myself around to face my still sleeping partner. The covers are still protecting her from the cool night air but she is still suffering. I shove the covers from my shoulders, so I can reach for her. When I touch her face I find that she is indeed frozen, but my warm fingertips must ease her discomfort a little as her violent shaking minimises slightly. I alternate between stroking her hair, which isn't that beautiful shade of vermillion I am so familiar with, it is now the colour of midnight, and her face. I whisper in her ear, not really wanting to wake her up but just to let her hear words of comfort.

"Hey, Scully... It's okay, you're okay. Shhhh…" Then I hear the faintest of whispers.

"I'm so cold Mulder…"

Each word is punctuated with a painful, involuntary shuddering. Looking at her through the dark, I see the cold in her eyes and it is radiating from her entire body. She puts her arms around my waist and I pull her close, hoping to draw some of the chill away from her bones by transferring some of my heat to her. Even through the layers of clothing she is wearing I can feel the frosty coolness of her skin. It occurs to me, as I hold Scully that, she didn't question where she was or what she was doing. She just accepted it… thought it natural. Scully is trying her damnedest to wrap herself around me trying to warm her tiny glacial hands and feet. She is shivering so hard her teeth are actually chattering and goose bumps are present on every patch of visible skin I can see. I gently kiss the top of her head, soothing her.

"I know."

I pull her closer to me, trying to melt the chunk of ice that had found its way into her soul. After a few moments of quiet, the only sound being Scully's occasional whimpers, as I wrack my brain trying to think of ways to help her, an idea strikes me. Scully's head is neatly tucked under my chin, so I turn my head to mumble in her ear.

"Do you trust me?"

Scully separates her head from my chest and looks at me with sleepy but confused eyes. The look on her face tells me she does but she still verbalises her answer.

"Yes."

"Then lift your arms up."

I command softly. To which Scully dutifully complies, placing her arms above her head. I place my right leg over hers so I am now straddling her and she is on her back. Wordlessly I place my hands at the hem of her woollen jumper and pull it off her, dropping it down the side of the bed. If Scully is shocked at my actions, I don't know it but I think she is too cold to care, either that or she actually does trust me, that I'm not going to do anything she doesn't want to do. I know that Daniel coming into her life once again caused her a lot of pain and confusion and I don't want to push her into doing anything with me, because she is trying to forget him, and in turn regretting what we do. I'll be patient and wait until she decides for herself when she is ready for that next step. Once again she is wracked with violent convulsions and she closes her eyes against the pain. I stop fiddling with her skirt to rub both her arms with my own to dispel the cool air that hit her now semi-naked torso. Once I have wriggled her skirt and nylons down her legs and placed them next to her top, I pull the duvet back over us and envelope her once again.

"Survival 101 Scully: To avoid freezing, get naked and share a sleeping bag. But apparently it's against bureau policy too get you fully naked and I don't have a sleeping bag."

I look down at Scully, expecting a smile or a raised eyebrow or even a dig in the ribs, but instead I see her just staring at me with, blue eyes black in the night time light. I bend my head and press my lips to hers. The kiss I give her is exactly the same as the ones I have placed on her head countless times before, only this time the placement of it was different but it means nothing different. Without breaking eye contact with me Scully gives me back with the same kiss I have just given her. Then she smiles. She's beautiful when she smiles. She doesn't smile enough.

We lie next to each other, nose to nose. Not saying anything, just looking at each other, with me sheltering her from the cold. Looking at her I see she painted with colours picked from moonlight's nocturnal palette. Thin shards of silvery grey light bounce off her skin, making her glow an iridescent shimmering ice blue.

"Mulder? You know that I'm in love with you don't you?"

Her voice was quiet and floated across the minute space between us on gossamer wings. Scully has had my heart for some time now and I have had hers. Although she has never before told me that she loves me, I know it all the same. So with a solemn single nod of my head and a smile I answer her question.

"I do."

She seems contented with my response as she once again returns to sleep. Lying with me, in her underwear, her body is warming up now. I too sleep, I dream of the redhead asleep next to me but what I don't realise is that she wont be here when I wake up…