"Do you want to go home?" Mulder asked softly as he stroked her hair soothingly.

Scully nodded against his chest. "I just want to change."

He gently pulled away so he could look her in the eyes, hands on her shoulders. "Let's go. I'll drive."

He held his hand out to her silently. She opened her mouth as if to protest, thought better of it, and took his proffered hand gratefully, following him to the car.

As he drove, she stared out the front window at the road speeding past in silence. She was out of it, he could tell. Shock did that to you. Heck, he'd done the same thing after Samantha was taken.

"Dana," he murmured, trying not to startle her.

She jumped anyway, then tried to compose herself, shifting in the passenger seat. Her eyes were wide, as if she was seeing him for the first time.

"Tough day, huh?" He tried to smile.

"Would have been a whole lot tougher if you hadn't come after me," she admitted. "Thank you."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Scully. You had me going there for a minute."

They pulled up to her apartment and he opened the car door for her. She tried to push it open herself, but she couldn't get her limbs to cooperate. He gently placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her inside to her couch.

"I'll just be a minute, I want to shower and change into something that isn't covered in blood," she shuddered. "And I guess I need to bandage myself up, too."

"You need any help?"

"I've got it, thank you. Can you get the aspirin out of my cabinet? It's the far right one in the kitchen."

He nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I'll get it. I'll be out here if you need anything. We can watch a movie if you want, after?"

She looked relieved. "Yeah, okay. You can pick. Second drawer down." She pointed to her television cabinet.

She emerged twenty minutes later, her hair wet, and clad in flannel pajama pants and an old t-shirt to find Mulder triumphantly holding a video tape in the air.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Mrs. Doubtfire?"

"This okay? I figured a comedy might help take your mind off things."

She grinned. "Perfect."

"I double-checked all the windows and doors, by the way. All locked. We're safe in here."

"Thanks, Mulder."

"Can I use your shower?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I'll be out in a minute...oh, I made you some tea, by the way. Chamomile, to help you calm down. It's on the counter." He left the door cracked in case she needed anything and she reached for the tea.

The warm mug felt good on her hands and she smiled as she took a sip. Just a little bit of honey, just the way she liked it. Mulder came back only a few minutes later, clad in the clothes he'd snagged from his apartment before taking her home, and toweling off his hair.

"Thank you for the tea, Mulder. It was perfect."

He grinned as he pushed the tape into the VCR player and settled on her couch. She scooted over closer to him. He stretched his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as she snuggled into his side gratefully.

He dropped a kiss to the crown of her hair as the end credits rolled and found that she was almost asleep, breathing deeply and, finally, relaxed.

"Scully?"

"Hm?" She hummed contentedly.

"You wanna get up and go to bed? I'll stay on the couch tonight and keep watch in case you need anything."

She nodded sleepily into his chest and stood up slowly. She padded into her room quietly. "Good night, Mulder."

"Sweet dreams, Dana."

She closed the door softly and he pulled a blanket over himself as he laid down on the couch. As he closed his eyes, his mind wandered to how he'd found her today: motionless on the ground, covered in her own blood. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin when she screamed. The thought made him nauseous. He could have lost her. He was a split second away from having to request an autopsy on the one person he could never live without. But she was okay, he reminded himself. She was alive, and fast asleep, finally peaceful.

She awoke with a scream. She could still feel the ghost of fingers digging into her skin, and she barely made it to the bathroom before she retched violently, remembering the sight of her own blood covering her shirt. She rubbed her sore chest and leaned her forehead on the cool porcelain of the toilet. She heard a gentle rap on her bathroom door.

"Scully, it's me. Can I come in?"

"I'm fine, Mulder," she called back. "Go back to sleep."

"I'm coming in. Are you decent?"

She sighed. "Yes."

The knob turned and suddenly, he was by her side, helping her up and rubbing her back soothingly.

"Did you get sick?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I'm really fine. I just had a bad dream, I promise."

"Be that as it may, you seem pretty freaked out," He handed her the toothbrush and squeezed a little toothpaste on it. "You'll feel better after you brush your teeth. Wash up, then come sit on the couch, we'll talk through it."

She huffed, exasperated, but obeyed. She did feel better after brushing her teeth, she had to admit. He was right, for once.

Once they were settled on the couch, he spoke quietly. "Were you dreaming about what happened today?" He probed quietly, yanking the blanket back over them.

She stared at her hands. "Yeah. I can't seem to shake the feeling. Mulder, I thought I was going to die. That's the most afraid I've ever been in my life. And if that book hadn't gotten burned when it did…" She shivered.

He pulled her close. "But it did. It's okay, Dana. You have every right to be scared, what with the day you've had. But I promise you that you are safe now. We're at your apartment, on the couch, and we're okay."

She nodded hesitantly, then leaned against him weakly. He wrapped his arms around her in a strong embrace. "I've got you."

"Thank you."

"Always, Scully."