Title: Shadows of Morning By: Shawen A. Greer Rating: MSR, G Disclaimer: As everyone already knows, these characters don't belong to me but to Chris Carter, Fox Broadcasting and 1013 Productions. They are borrowed without permission, but without intent of infringement. SUMMARY: Scully's further reflection of her life. SPOILERS: All Things FEEDBACK: Of course, I would love it! Please, please, please! shawen@altavista.com Visit my site The Hall of 'X' for the rest of my stories and some others by wonderfully talented authors. www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/8840 ******************** The whine of a distant siren pulled me from the images and voices of my past that echoed in my head, and it took my eyes a few blinks and my mind a few moments to realize where I was. The low, methodic hum of his fish tank and the soft blue glow that it cast on the room was peacefully familiar, and it occurred to me that my last memory was of him sitting beside me. He listened to me so intently and even held my hand in silence, patiently waiting through the parts that were difficult for me to say. He understands me so well that it scares me I think sometimes, and it is no secret to him that it is difficult for me to let down the constant guard that I have so strongly established, and reveal any hidden aspect of myself to anyone. I have learned so much about myself in my journey with Fox Mulder, but it pales in comparison to the knowledge I have gained in a short journey of my own without him. For though we believe that life is a series of questions and decisions, ultimately fate intervenes and leads us to the path that we are destined to follow. And so in the shadows of morning I see that my life has come full circle and I am where I am supposed to be, both literally and figuratively alike. My eyes are blurry and my limbs are heavy as I try to force myself fully awake after the most peaceful few hours of sleep I have had in the last couple of days. A blanket surrounds my body, soft and comforting, and I close my eyes to take in the smell of him that still lingers around it, drinking it in as if I could fill myself with his very essence. I strain my eyes to make out the time in the small digital display across the room, thankful that though it is early, I still have more than enough time to allow much needed sleep to encompass me once again. And though I am warm and comfortable, I cannot resist the urge to look for him, my personal solace before returning to sleep. Tossing the blanket off to the side I begin the slow and painful process of standing, my legs having been crossed at the ankles for hours now on Mulder's coffee table. I grimace slightly at the prickly burn that grows in my feet as they touch the floor and wait a few uncomfortable seconds until I stand, hoping that the weight and the movement will cause it to subside. The hallway is dark, but I know that it is only a few yards to his room, and my stocking feet are so silent as I approach his slightly open door that I am not even sure that I am not still dreaming. I pause at the threshold telling myself that I shouldn't go in, but there is something magical about the thought of him asleep, and I carefully peek inside. I can hear him breathing before I can see him; long, deep breathing of sleep. I tiptoe in slightly, stopping quickly at the soft creak of the door as I push it open, but it doesn't wake him. Afraid to move it any further, I slip through the space I have created and stand just inside, afraid to go in any further and even more afraid to return to the loneliness of the sofa. As I near his bedside, I can begin to make out his features in the faint light that drifts in from the window and I am overcome of the rush of emotion that causes in me. He is the most beautiful sight at rest, an equal mix of man and boy and I resist the need to kiss his sleeping cheek. Instead, out of necessity, I follow the edge of the mattress to the other side and lower my weight carefully as not to disturb you. I slip effortlessly under the sheet and smile as the sight of his bare back and his boxers, infinitely sexy in its simplicity, greets me. The heat from his body creates a pocket of warmth that surrounds both of our bodies, an invisible separation of barely an inch between us. I'm not sure just how long I lay there in the semi-conscious state somewhere between awake and asleep, so close that I could feel the hint of his skin against me with each deepened breath that he took, and surrounded again by the scent of him as it filled the air around me. It seemed like it was only minutes, though I know it was longer than that, before the faint light of dawn invaded the solitude of the moment. And so was the beginning of a new day, and as much as I hated to leave the nest I had settled into, there was work to be done and a need to remove myself from his bed before his became aware of my presence. So, after a kiss that was barely a kiss on his bare shoulder, I left the warmth and solace as carefully and as quietly as I had entered it. Gathering up my jacket and the rest of my things, I folded the offered blanket and placed it neatly on the sofa and left in the early morning hours, stopping to breath only after I have closed his door behind me. ******************* The alarm clock rang out at its regular 6:30 hour, and Mulder moaned his unhappiness as he reached over to turn it off and rolled over to his other side unwilling to get up yet. He pulled the other pillow in his arms, realizing that he had slept better last night than he had in months. Then a smile formed on this still sleepy face as the familiar smell of her filled the air from the pillow in his arms and he was suddenly torn between the desire to hurry to the office and stay here with the essence of her. With lightning speed and hope in his heart, he opted for the real thing that waited for him at work. Fin