Jigsaw by Fiona 
(nurseowens@clara.co.uk)

Classification: MSR 
Rating: PG 
Summary: Time to reflect and share what's important.
Spoilers: Post-finale 
Disclaimer: If they were mine, I wouldn't have to write this.
And Scully would be a whole lot happier.
  
Archive :Yes to ATXC and Gossamer. Otherwise please ask.

Fi's Place: http://www.geocities.com/puritycontroller
or  http://www.nurseowens.clara.net/index.htm

Authors note: It's July 12 2002 and while most of the world 
is basking in summer weather, the British Isles seems to be 
caught up in an ice-age time warp. Quelle surprise. 
Down here in the South it is raining and so bloody cold that
I have nipples the size of church hat pegs.
So rather than venture out with my 
dodgy brolly I decided to write dodgy fic. 
:-)

Feedback would be scrumptious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Jigsaw



'Please Scully!'

'No! I can't! Not yet.'

'But when?'

'I don't know. Stop asking me! I'm not ready.'

'But I want to know'

'You've already seen them Mulder'

'But it's not the same, and you know it! All I'm asking is..'

'STOP!'


And so I left.
While I sought sanctuary in the nearest convenience store, I left
Scully alone in a small motel room, angrily throwing dirty 
washing into a plastic bag. 

It was the first time in our six weeks of exile that we had spent 
any time apart, and I was glad to have a little breathing space 
to rally my thoughts. Our moods over the past few days matched 
the abysmal weather - dark skies and constant rain had plagued 
this remote town from the first day we arrived, but at that point 
we were tired and had agreed to wait it out before moving on.
It was hell. 

For some reason we were much better at this when we were out 
in the field. Life was pretty straightforward back then - we 
formed a profile, I egged her on, she slowed me down, and between 
us we would finish the report and make Skinner happy.

But in a little over a month the smallest of things which would 
have once gone unnoticed have threatened to tear us apart.

I had a bad cold. 
Scully had PMS.
I used her toothbrush. 
We couldn't get the laundry dry.

And I kept on *asking* her...

Our only effective communication seemed to be limited to 
occasional angry sex. All because I was pushing her about the 
one thing she wasn't ready to share with me. 
Yet.



By the time I got back to the motel, it was raining again.
In the short time it took me to unload the explorer and walk 
to the door I was soaked. 
If she was still mad there was no point in knocking, so I 
fumbled with my key, eventually falling into the doorway and 
almost tripping over the groceries.

She was sitting on the bed wearing my blue t-shirt, and the 
front of it was damp with her tears.
Guilt prickled the hairs on the back of my neck as water 
dripped from my hair.

'Hi' she said softly. 'I was beginning to worry about you'

From the back pocket of my jeans I retrieved a new toothbrush.
'Peace offering' I said solemnly, holding it out to her.

Her smile mended my heart.

'Get out of those wet clothes and come over here Mulder'

I stripped down to my boxers and approached the bed, noticing 
for the first time that she was holding the book in her lap.

*The* book. 
Our main stumbling block during the past six weeks.

I scrubbed my hair dry with my sweater and then tossed it 
onto the floor, feeling her beautiful gaze sweep over my chest. 

'Now?' I whispered.

She nodded slowly as I climbed onto the bed and sat behind 
her, pulling a blanket from the chair to wrap around us both 
as we settled back against the pillows.

We sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the warmth where
our skin touched. Her small hands covered mine and pressed 
them lightly against the soft skin of her abdomen.
Outside the rain smacked relentlessly onto the window, 
and from the bathroom I heard a muffled 'plink' as water 
dripped into a metal bucket from the leaky roof.

I pressed my lips to the side of her neck and sighed. 
Over her shoulder I could see the swell of her breast, 
our joined hands, and that damn book..

'You don't have to do this Scully'

She twisted in my arms and I immediately lost myself in the
blue of her eyes.

'You need to know' she whispered against my cheek, 
'and I need to remember. Even if it hurts.'

I kissed her then, moving my mouth against hers to the rhythm 
of the rain before our lips parted with a moist click.

She turned back to the book, drawing her knees up behind it
so that I could see the pictures on the first page.

I didn't need to look. 
I had flipped through it dozens of times, and all the 
photographs in that album were firmly positioned and 
mounted in my memory. 
What I craved most was the story behind them.
 
I wanted the missing pieces.

Scully relaxed against me and I closed my eyes
Above the thud of her heart and the drumming of the rain I 
concentrated on the slow softness of her voice.

'This one was taken the day after you left. It was
raining,..just like today, and William was sleepy.
Mom propped him up on the sofa and said that I ought
to take a picture..'


~~~~~~~~~~
End.



Fiona xxx
IHTDFAB

Fi's Place: http://www.geocities.com/puritycontroller
                  
                  http://www.nurseowens.clara.net/index.htm