Bridges Burned

He was standing on a cliff with no way to get off but to jump. The bridges that had once lay open and inviting had burnt to the ground and the road behind him was impassable. There was no going back. Jumping was his only option if he wanted to leave, if he wanted to live.

He could remain where he was at a stalemate if he wished, but honestly he'd been there too long already. His only plausible option was to let go of everything that had held him in place for so much time and take the leap. His only option was to let his inhibitions fade to the back of his mind.

He'd either land safely – although that in his opinion was unlikely – or crash onto the jagged rocks below and be ripped to shreds. Option two did not appeal to him much at all and option one seemed unreachable. It was all he had to go on though and he knew it.

He ran it through again in his mind and when it became clear that he'd spent the rest of his life at a standstill if he did nothing to change things, he decided what to do.

He raised his hand, made a fist and knocked on Scully's door.

It was almost thirty long, agonising seconds before Scully answered it.

"Mulder?" she questioned, blinking at him with sleepy eyes. "What's going on?"

He moved past her into her apartment and waited until she had closed the door before he spoke. "Scully, there's something I need to tell you. About my feelings for you…"

Raising an eyebrow, she led him to the couch. "Go on," she encouraged him.

He took a deep breath and began his explanation.

His bridges may have all burned but if his heart was right, he'd have nothing to worry about.

Scully would be there to catch him if he fell.

FIN.