Sick Day

The glass was cool beneath her searing forehead as she pressed the skin against the glass. A deep sigh fogged up the surface, surrounding the places that were smashed against the window. She was so tired.

A shiver ran through her as the memories of this place flashed through her mind. Memories of nights pressed against the wall next to her when the city was dead, of hot lips not her own against her neck, fingers in places that she couldn’t mention in polite society, and gods, she missed those nights.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she ignored her face flushing and her eyes tearing up. She had a headache that throbbed quickly behind her eyes, that was most likely causing the dots to dance before her when she made any real sort of movement. Her muscles ached. Her knees were bruised from training and the subsequent falling.

She was ill.

She was too stupid to have noticed the signs. The aches and pains, the lethargy that plagued her until she was so tired that she couldn’t even sleep.

Makeup and eye drops could hide the bags beneath her eyes, the redness, but none could hide the tears streaking down her face as she slowly pulled herself away from the glass.

Scarlet swam into her vision as her partner stood before her, a gentle smile on his face.

How the hell did he manage to deal with her? Her mind whispered viciously as her eyes took in the fact that he was observing her.

He always did, knew every facet of her probably both inside and out. He knew what was wrong, it was that intellect that made him one of the best agents out in the field.

She was so damned proud that he chose to remain her partner. He balanced out her seriousness, her logic, he was just the yang to her yin.

She almost loved him. Her throat felt stuffed as the headache settled into her sinuses and roared back to full life. A stagger prompted the neatly-dressed agent to reach out and wind her in.

A slow breath, the movement settling into her belly in an attempt to calm herself down, brought in the scent of spicy cologne.

She did love him, she realized as her arms twined around his neck.

The sobs escaped the block in her throat as she ignored the fact that they were in public, in plain view of everyone and anyone.

If someone wanted to kill them, this would be the time to do it.

Scully refused to care as she let Mulder stifle the near-screaming sobs.

He just stood there, his arms wrapping his coat around her in a protective shell that only he could maintain.

“Just let it go, Dana.”