Rearrange Us

Rating: I'll let you decide.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Summary: What should've happened in the locker room scene of the movie.

A/N: Rearrange Us by Mates of State. All I need to say.

As Mulder walked through the locker room doors, he saw a very tired Scully seated on the bench. Her bangs fell in her eyes and her braided hair was loosely falling out from it's band. She was hunched over her notebook, furiously writing down notes about her current patient and any breakthroughs that could help her determine a cure for this boy.

"And they say I went underground." Even in her powder blue scrubs, to Mulder, she stilled looked beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Mulder." She sighed and closed the books she had propped up on her lap. "I had to keep my focus here." He sat down next to her on the bench and lowered his head to continue whispering.

"It's the boy, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you said there was nothing to be done."

"I'm taking a big chance on something; a radical and extremely painful procedure."

"But last night you said you didn't want to take that chance." She got up, feeling the need to move, to do something- anything. She stood by the showers and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew Mulder's main interest was focused on finding the missing women more than her six year old patient.

"Yeah but that's not what you came to talk about." She knew him all to well. She wasn't expecting him to stand there and pity her patient when he had two missing women to find.

"There's another woman missing. She's given us something to go on. She and the missing agent swam at the same pool." The rest of his explanation on why the case was so important to continue went straight over her head. She was fed up with the FBI, Dakota Whitney, and Father Joe. She was trying her best not to get angry with Mulder over something so simple, over something they could calmly talk about.

"Mulder, stop." His voice trailed off at her words and he stared at her unbelievably. "Just stop," she whispered, the pain evident in her voice. "Mulder, that is not my work anymore. I am a doctor now. I no longer work for the FBI and neither do you," she reminded him in the softest voice she could speak. His sister's abduction still rested uneasy with him and he used this as an excuse to extend his search for her- whether he wanted to hear it or not, it was true. "We are two people; two people who come home every night. Ever since you took up this case, there's been a darkness in my home. I don't want that."

"But weren't you the one who begged me to help? Didn't you say that it would not only help them, but me?" She was silent, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She was under so much stress and Mulder's behavior was just making it worse. She could feel her head pound at his loud words and closed her eyes to catch herself from crying in front of him. "Are you asking me to quit?" He paused. "But I need you on this with me, Scully."

"And that's what scares me." He shifted nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets. Throughout their relationship, issues of trust and loyalty often came up, but it was nothing they couldn't fix. "Mulder, I can't do this with you anymore. I hate what the darkness does to you... to me."

"I'm... fine with it, Scully. I couldn't be happier."

"Yeah," she nodded sadly and looked down at the floor. She began to feel dizzy, faint almost. Her eyes were straining against the fluorescent lighting in the room. The last thing she wanted was to be fighting with Mulder. The pressure and responsibility of saving Christian was weighing her down and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep. "Well then... I'm not coming home tonight." She could feel her heart breaking as she spoke the words to him. She knew he wasn't taking this well either and it pained her to do this, but it was necessary. She was too tired to argue with him and it brought her to the verge of tears that it had to be like this.

"Don't... do this," his voice broke, his lips pressing together in an attempt to keep himself together. Without Scully, he was nothing. Without her by his side, he was worthless. He needed her to know that, but for some reason, he couldn't get the words out. His heart was pounding painfully against his chest and suddenly, the tension in the room intensified by a million. He couldn't look at her.

"I don't know what else to do, Mulder." By now, the tears were already gathering in the corners of her eyes. He nodded one last time and moved to stand in front of her. He was so close, he could smell the faint perfume on her scrubs. She shivered at his close contact, reminding herself that she should be standing by her decision to not get involved. In reality, all she had really wanted to do was to throw her arms around his muscular chest and cry into his sweater.

"Well... good luck." Her bottom lip trembled as he moved closer to the door and away from her. Why now, of all times, did they have to fight like this? Was the world out to get her? When she heard the door slam shut, she jumped. Mulder had just walked out of the room... and her heart. Her shaking hands flew to her face to wipe away the tears that were now freely flowing down her face. Her breathing became uneven and she gasped for air as she fell against the locker. Her back pressed up against the cold metal of her locker as she slowly sank to the floor, her feet pointed inwards like she was a little girl crying in her room. She couldn't help but feel like everything was falling apart her own eyes. First her career, then her faith, and now the relationship she fought so hard to bring to this point. She threw her head back against the locker, creating a loud bang where her head met the metal.

"God dammit, Mulder," she yelled in an uneven voice, her throat almost sore from trying to control her intense breathing. Her eyes burned and she could feel her nose run.

Out in the hallway, Mulder had stayed by the thin door all along. He knew Scully was a strong person, but he knew that when he came to their relationship and his trust for her, that's where she got emotional. From hearing her weak cries through the door, he closed his eyes and every single moment they had ever spent together flashed before him. All the late nights they had stayed up together, working on reports for Skinner that were due the day before. He thought back to all the loses they endured; Emily, Melissa, his mother, his father, Scully's father, and his sister. He even thought back to a time when they would get each others lunch and just sit together in their office, separating themselves from the FBI work upstairs. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone to trust, someone to love.

Without a second thought, he pushed the door back open and let it slam against the wall. When he saw her sitting on the ground, kneed to her chest and hands covering her gaping mouth. Just the thought of causing her so much heartache and pain, making her cry, wanted to make him shoot himself in the head. She hadn't even noticed he came back in until she heard him say,

"Oh God, Scully. I'm sorry." He bent down in front of her, holding out his arms and she fell into them, clinging on to him for life. He fell back against the bench and held her shaking body tightly against his. He smoothed her hair down and away from her face, placing kisses everywhere he could find to calm her down. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I love you, Dana. I love you. You are coming home tonight. I'm not letting you leave. You mean too much to me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. She began to hiccup and sniff as her cries quieted down.

"Mulder, you know I... I would do anything for you, but I just can't... go through all of this again." She leaned back slightly, forcing herself to look at him. He framed her face with both hands and used the pads of his thumbs to remove her tears. "I'm sorry. I love you more than anything in this entire world, but...but sometimes everything just hits me at once and it's hard for me to handle. You understand, don't you," her voice was still weak from her crying and her eyes were growing red. "I never want to fight again," she whispered. He softly laughed and pulled her against him.

"Neither do I. I could kill myself for making you cry. I really could. I don't deserve someone like you." Together, they sat on the locker room floor, with her straddling his lap and her arms around his neck.

"Mulder, I want to go home."

"Now?" She nodded quickly and swallowed hard. He helped her to her feet and they shared an intimate hug, one that promised more was to come when they got home. "Do you forgive me?"

"I forgive you."

"I love you." He cradled her head in his hands and pressed his lips against hers in the most passionate kiss he could manage. Scully was already lightheaded from crying and his kisses were just taking away what sanity and stability she had left in her. His lips were so soft and his mouth was inviting, like home. Her peace and that feeling of calmness she had been trying to achieve all day was all behind this simple kiss. Her hands ran up his back and her fingers tangled into his dark hair, using that as leverage to press her body fully against his. Being away from him for so long had it's affect on her. She moaned when she tasted that familiar saltiness from his sunflower seeds. The last thing she wanted was for them to get walked in on in the employee locker room, so she reluctantly broke off their kiss and released his hair.

She took a step back, collected her things, checked her reflection in her locker mirror, and they were headed back to their home. The second they got into the car, Mulder reached over and grabbed her hand as he pulled out onto the road with one hand on the steering wheel. She played with his fingers as she stared down at their hands, musing how well they fit together, as if they were made for each other. His hand was so warm and large compared to her small, cold hand. Twenty minutes later, and they were making their up the long driveway that revealed their nicely sized Virginia home. They walked into the house together and Mulder put the car keys down as Scully hung up their jackets on the coat rack by the door. Her first thought was to go into her bedroom, change into a pair of Mulder's boxers and one of his t-shirts, and cuddle into bed with him. He read her mind and headed toward the bedroom before she could, pulling out a pair of his most comfortable boxers and cotton t-shirts for her.

She fisted the bottom of her scrub shirt and pulled it over her head to reveal her black lace bra. Almost eight years together and just the sight of her in such a simple piece of clothing could arouse him beyond words. But he knew the time wasn't about his needs, it was about hers and about making her comfortable. She kicked off her baggy pants, jumped into the boxers, and put on the shirt, then crawled on to the bed and lifted the covers for him. He stripped off his sweater, kicked off his shoes, and unzipped his pants in record time to join her. When he slid in next to her, it was pure bliss. She sighed out contently as his warm chest pressed into her back. His strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her even tighter against him.

"Mulder, I need to tell-"

"Just relax, Scully. I've got you," he whispered. "I love you." She smiled against her pillow. "Sleep."

"I can't. It's not that easy."

"I have a little something for that." She smirked and closed her eyes, arching her backside further into his body. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hmmm?" She looked over her shoulder and laughed.

"Oh. That. 'A little something?'"

"Thank you," he murmured and kissed her cheek.

A/N: THERE YOU GO, ANDREA!! :D