Cradle Me

Part 1

by Trycee

Time-Line: Season 7 before All Things

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.

Scully slipped into the unfamiliar hotel bed and closed her eyes. She breathed heavily, her thoughts were clouded, all she could think of was Mulder in the adjoining hotel room and how much she wanted to be with him. No matter what she did, every waking moment she thought of him, she couldn't get Mulder out of her head and it was starting to annoy her. After seven years of trying to ignore her feelings for him, it was getting harder to rationalize her reasons and to dismiss her feelings for him. It was also getting harder to not act on them. She sighed again and slowly slipped off into a fitful sleep. Scully was jarred awake by something shifting on the bed beside her. She froze as she felt Mulder's hand creep up around her waist, she knew it was Mulder even in her sleep laden fog. His hands came to rest around her hip. His hand was heavy, warming her even through the blankets that separated his hand from resting on her skin. She knew he was asleep from the pattern of his breathing but she could not for the life of her know why he was in her bed cradled up to her. His hand tightened and drew her in against him and he pressed his nose into her hair. She sucked in the air around her, she was rigid from the weight of his arm on her side and the intimate way he was spooned up to her. She tried to turn her head to look at him but she could feel his breath in her hair and she knew he was deep into sleep. Did he have a nightmare?, she wondered. Was he sleep-walking? Mulder gripped her tightly and his warmth warmed her entire body. She relaxed against him and then found herself slipping back into a more peaceful sleep.

The bright sun beaming into her hotel room woke her and she immediately remembered that Mulder was pressed up against her. His head had shifted to her breast, pressing her into the bed. "Mulder!", she whispered at first. "MULDER!", she said, alarmed.

He shifted his head and slid back over to the side of her though his arm was still locking her in. She lifted his arm and placed it against his own body and then she turned to face him. "Mulder!", she said, reaching to touch his face which looked flushed and sweaty.

"Hmmm...", he said, shaking his head.

"Mulder...wake up!"

His eyes opened but he flopped over to his side, his back facing her. "Are you okay?"

"Mm...", he said, pressing the pillow against his face, trying to block the sun.

"Mulder, you're lying in my bed in nothing but your boxer shorts!"

Mulder grabbed at the blanket that had shifted down near his knees and pulled it up over his shoulders. "There...Now you don't have to look," he said, closing his eyes.

Scully sat there stunned for a moment and then stood up. She glanced down at the nightclothes she was wearing, grateful she was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. She walked over to him, kneeling down in front of him. "Are you sick, Mulder?"

He kept his eyes closed. "Yes," he sighed. "I feel like shit, Scully..."

Scully pressed a cool hand against his forehead. "My god, Mulder, you're burning up...I need to take you to the hosp..."

"NO!", he screamed, his eyes wide with horror. "Just take care of me Scully...Please..."

"We need to head back today...We're not far from D.C.", she said, standing up and walking over to the bathroom.

She grabbed two wash cloths and wet them and wrung out the excess water. She brought them back and placed a soaked cloth on Mulder's burning forehead. With the other, she wiped his neck and hairline which was soaked with sweat. She could see his eyes fluttering and she searched through her purse grabbing a few aspirins. She grabbed her old diet coke and told him to sit up. She tucked a pillow in back of his head and had him sip a little of her flat soda before handing him the pills. His eyes were barely open but he accepted the pills and after swallowing, he slid back down onto the mattress and closed his eyes. She covered his shoulders with the blanket and adjusted the wet cloth against his forehead. "Sleep a little Mulder...", she said, softly. "I'll call Skinner..."

She grabbed up her cell phone off the nightstand and then dialed the number to her boss. "Sir..."

Mulder listened to Scully's conversation. He could hear her sigh and he turned so he could see her pacing around the room. "Yes, but...sir...Mulder...is ill...No sir, he's not dying...Sir...No I don't want to get billed for another night...why can't the bureau...Yes sir...No we're only about four hours away...Yes sir..."

"He wants us back huh?", he said in a raspy voice.

She turned to look at him. "I have an autopsy scheduled and he needs us back..."

Mulder was silent as he looked at her. He coughed into his hand. "Scully...I'm afraid I'm not gonna be much help..."

"I know," she said, starting to pack. "Don't worry, Mulder...Just lay down...I'll handle everything," she said, pulling out a sweater and jeans from her bag.

She grabbed some fresh underwear and a bra and walked into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed in the bathroom and returned with all of her toiletries, tossing them into her overnight bag. The connecting door was open from when Mulder had crept into her room, so she stepped over into his hotel room and began gathering up his belongings. She was used to packing his things for him after all these years of partnership, it was necessary at times. It suddenly struck her, the level of closeness between them that was very unusual for 'partners'. She packed his luggage once in awhile when they were out in the field, he slept over her house on occasion either sleeping in her guest bedroom or on her couch. She too spent nights on his couch when he'd been missing or in his bed since he'd replaced the water-bed mattress with a normal mattress...They ate meals together, they even spent their off days with each other or at least by phone, it was a necessity, they both needed to hear each other's voice at least once throughout the day...They were more than friends and she knew it...Maybe that's why he crawled into my bed when he was feeling sick...looking for my comfort...", she thought to herself. None of those things were typical of partners, but it was typical of them...

Her heart swelled at the thought of him seeking comfort from her. Mulder had long stopped pretending he could handle pain and would let her take care of him. Even recently he even began expecting her to baby him. She smiled to herself as she gathered his things. Did she like it that he came to her?, she already knew the answer to that question. She reached into his bags and pulled out a fresh pair of boxers, socks and a t-shirt and jeans for him and then closed the connecting door behind her, dumping his bag near the door.

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