Ghosts That We Knew

Rating: Bit on the teen side.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Summary: Even though he and Scully were no longer a couple, she was still his soulmate and no other woman could change that fact.

A/N: So I wrote a thing! Hope it doesn't suck too bad! I came up with this little number while thinking about the revival. I think I've been watching too much Californication because I'm almost positive Mulder becomes Hank Moody a little bit in this fic. Sorry for any grammar mistakes! Listen to Ghosts That We Knew by Mumford & Sons! Thanks!

The sun should have come up by now, but the dark rain clouds threatened its emergence. There's the faint sound of rolling thunder off in the distance and he knows it's a matter of time before it makes its way closer… to him. His head is turned to face the window, but when a flash of lightning hits, he quickly turns his head and squints. There's blonde hair splayed out on the pillow next to him and he closes his eyes, letting his head fall back against his pillow.

He can't remember exactly how they had met or how she had ended up in bed with him for that matter. What he does remember is consuming his fair share of hard liquor the night before and merely flirting with this woman.

He forces himself to face the reality lying next to him and opens his eyes once more, but she's facing away from him and the only good view he has is of the back of her head. There's a certain familiar nauseous feeling that builds up in his throat and he wonders how many more women it'll take for it to go away. Even though he and Scully were no longer a couple, she was still his soulmate and no other woman could change that fact.

'Not even a twenty-two year old blonde bombshell it seems' he thinks to himself after lifting the covers to confirm his suspicions.

His eyes drift away from the naked woman in his bed and over to the nightstand that holds a framed picture of him and Scully. 'The one who should be next to me right now,' is the next thought that pops into his head. The picture is from a few years ago when they had purchased their first home together; back before things went to shit, before he had turned into someone neither one of them recognized.

The sound of rain drops slowly hitting the window fills the room and the woman next to him stirs, but doesn't awake. He was dreading the moment she would come up and wake up to a picture of the man she had just slept with; his arms around another woman's waist as he had her thrown over his shoulder and crossing the threshold to very house she had been sleeping in.

/

"Mulder, that's enough… come to bed," she whispers from the door of his study. He's hunched over his work desk with papers and newspaper clippings staggered about in front of him. He's so engrossed in his work that he doesn't even hear her soft voice a few feet behind him.

She crosses her arms and falls against the door that's been opened wide. She shakes her head at his stubbornness and looks back into the living room. The television stand is covered in more newspaper clippings and old crime scene photos she remembers from their basement office so long ago. There's dust covering everything, but she sees the familiar vacuum cleaner hidden behind the television through the corner of her eye and she almost feels guilty. This house… their house… it used to be so beautiful. But now, it was filled with remints from her past that she had no interest in remembering. The staircase that led to their bedroom was overflowing with stacks of books on each step.

The sight causes her blood to nearly boil and she pushes herself away from the door, taking confident strides to where Mulder is sitting. The sudden sound of heavy footsteps catches his attention and he spins around in his chair just in time for her to reach for whatever it was he was reading and push it to the floor.

"Mulder, I've had enough," she states, her voice shaking with a new kind of anger he's never experienced before. There are dark bags under his hazel eyes, he's allowed his beard to grow back, she's not sure how long he's gone without showering, sleeping, or eating, and it nearly breaks her heart. "You can't keep doing this. Look at yourself." She motions for him to take a look at himself in the small mirror that's hung up on the wall across from him.

"I'm fine," he tries to argue, but the words come out in a flat tone as he leans down to pick up the papers she's shoved off from his desk.

"You are not fine," she states loudly, her fists balled up in fury. "Normal, sane people don't lock themselves away in a dark study all day and night only to hope they find answers to questions that should be left as such. Questions." He forcefully places the papers back on the desk.

"I thought you were on my side." The betrayal that lingers on his face is one that sets her on fire and she loses it.

"Mulder, I am on your side. I've been on your side for nearly twenty years now." Hearing herself say the words aloud made it seem all too real. Her voice starts to shake. "But I will no longer stand by and watch the destruction that will become of you." She refuses to cry in front of him, but it doesn't mean her eyes aren't rimming with tears that threaten to spill out onto her cheeks. "And me."

/

The rain is relenting as he steps onto the porch of his house, car keys in hand. He makes a run for it and nearly slips in the process, but makes it to the car just in time for another flash of lightning to hit, illuminating the house in front of him.

The drive to her spacious, luxury apartment takes longer than he expected, but he rationalizes that it's worth it; anything is worth having her back by his side again. It's still early in the morning and not many people have even awoke yet. It's been almost a year… maybe more.

They've spoken before all of this, even going as far as revealing where her new place was and that she was currently in a relationship with a new man, something he wasn't too pleased to hear. It had hurt… a lot. The thought that they were invincible and inseparable seemed like a silly fairytale now. Regardless, he had congratulated her and hid the fact he was itching to tear the man to shreds who had replaced him.

He knows he's taking a huge risk by going up there and banging on her door, but he's got to. So he gets out of the car, runs across the flooded street, and shuffles up the apartment complex's stairs until he's housed from the pouring thunderstorm outside. He tries to shake the rain off from his coat, but it's no use. There's an elevator to his left, so he hurries before it closes and presses the button to her floor.

It's an oddly familiar path as he walks down the dimly lit, long hallway until he reaches her apartment. He stands there, lets his head hang down, trying to catch his breath and convince himself that it's still a good idea.

'She's on the other side of that door. The love of your pathetic life.'

Before he can stop himself, his fist comes up and bangs on the door. Not once, twice, but three times. His heart is pounding in his chest and his mouth feels dry, like it's filled with cotton. His tongue comes out to lick his cracked lips when she unlocks and opens the door.

His eyes burn into hers the instant they meet and she grabs onto the doorknob to steady herself. She adjusts the thin, silk robe that's wrapped around her tiny body with her free hand.

"What are you doing here," she asks softly.

"Is Ben here," he asks, making a move and stepping closer to her. She doesn't back down because she knows he won't hurt her… he could never hurt her. She's dealt with this before, him stammering in, drunk as all hell… but she couldn't even hint at a whiff of alcohol and the thought that he's here by his own will is a little more terrifying; not because of what he could do… but what she might do.

He notices the silk rob stops just in the middle of her thighs, leaving nothing to the imagination and there's a wave of jealously that washes over him. Scully was his. He realizes she's stalling and there's another flash of lightning that hits. He catches her staring at his lips and he knows he's got her hooked.

"Is he here," he asks one last time, his voice deeper and more demanding.

"No," she whispers.

It's all she needs to say before he pushes her hand off of the doorknob and slams the door shut. He reaches for her with his free hand, slipping it through her thin rob and wrapping it around her bare waist. Their lips crash in a fight for control, but he wins as she melts into his body.

She's desperate to touch every part of his body, raking her fingers through his damp hair, down his chest, over his hips. He's pushing her further into the apartment until her back hits a wall and he's reaching for the loose tied knot that's holding her robe together.

There's no words she could use to describe how badly she had needed this; for him to come back into her life and swoop her off of her feet, how relieved she is that he's still madly in love with her… enough to shatter her dreams of ever having a normal life with a normal guy.

And just as the two sides of her robe come undone, her smart phone that she placed on the kitchen counter before opening the door is vibrating and ringing, Ben's name appearing in white, bold letters. It's enough to snap her back to reality and she pushes Mulder away from her just enough to retie her robe and wipe at her bottom lip.

"You need to go," she whispers, before pushing past him to get to her phone.

He stands there, dumbfounded, and points to her phone.

"You really see yourself with this guy," he asks. "After what just happened, can you look me straight in the eyes and tell me you aren't tempted to leave that prick and come back home… with me?"

"Leave," she forcefully pushes him towards the door, following close behind him to make sure he does.

/

The rain has finally stopped. He steps into the familiar study… noticing how much room there actually was now that everything besides a desk and a small couch is all that remains. The papers, the photographs, all the evidence he had thought was going to lead him to the "truth" was gone. The books that once cluttered the staircase were cleared, organized, and back on the bookshelf that stood in the corner of the living room.

He had to give it to himself.

A night of bad decisions and an early morning of stupid ones was enough to get him to change his ways.

The entire house is spotless and he marvels at how long it took. Pleased with his work, he heads for the kitchen to grab a beer, but a knock at the door stops him dead in his tracks. He's almost afraid to answer it, afraid it's the same young woman from the morning he had politely kicked out after he realized what he had done. But this knock was all too familiar and he smiles when he realizes how much he's missed hearing it.

The beer long forgotten, he quickly walks up to the door and opens it wide to reveal a disappointed Dana Scully.

He doesn't say a word, deciding to let her to all the talking first to see what she has to say. But there's no words, just an eye roll and an attempt to avoid his eyes by looking up at the ceiling of the porch.

"I don't get it," he speaks up first. "Have you by chance come to remind me what a world class asshole I am," it comes out a little more harsh than he intended, but it's enough to spark the fire inside of her and he smiles when she lunges for him, pushing him back into the house and closing the door behind her. He knew this would happen sooner or later. She would get bored with whatever normal man had taken up residency in his spot, sick of playing the good housewife to a very successful man, tired of being boring.

"Your words, not mine." He turns to face her. "Facts aside, this is still my home too, Mulder."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She slowly walks up to him, her heels echoing in the empty house, and grabs a fistful of his gray t-shirt.

"Mulder... shut up."

A/: So... I wrote a thing today! I keep seeing all these speculations on Tumblr about how Mulder and Scully are separated and what not. And even though it kind of breaks my heart, I can't help but feel they'll find each other again (if it is true). Sorry for any grammar mistakes! Hope you enjoyed!