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In a fit of rage Mulder pulled the impostor of Scully, lifting him by his clothes over the back of the couch and pushing him against the nearest hard surface, the wardrobe door. She ran to the bathroom, hand pressed against her mouth, nauseated.
"Are you jealous?" the freaks' face mocked Mulder with almost perfect resemblance "I was a loser all my life, but you, you're a loser by choice. I did you a favor"
“A favor, do you even know what you’re talking about?” he lifted him of the ground and Eddie’s head bounced a little hitting the wood, harder this time “do you?”
“You should thank me” the guy was actually starting to whimper but kept up his act.
“For what?” Mulder’s anger was boiling hot “the woman you almost raped is dying of cancer” Eddie’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes, you didn’t know that. She’s terminal, inoperable, we pray for a miracle every day, her mother and I” he shook the guy again, his arms didn’t grow tired from keeping him off the ground “we’re the only people she’s got”
“You preyed on her, you sick bastard, and now that she knows what you tried to do, this night will haunt her for the rest of her possibly very short life” angry tears were rolling down Mulder's cheeks “when she’ll look at me, she’ll think of you and how the one time she tried to get close to someone, he turned out to be a rapist and a liar, with a face of her best friend” Van Blundht’s head bounced of the wooden door punctuating his last words and Mulder wished it was a solid concrete wall.
“No, you did no one any favors tonight, you preyed on a woman, too good to even lower her eyes to look at you, you scum” Mulder let go and took a step back, legs folding, the lowlife plopped to the floor “You disgust me”
Holding back the urge to spit in his face, this was still her home, Mulder knelt in front of his former evil twin, gun casually peeking from beneath his jacket “Now, I’m gonna cuff you and we’ll call the cops, and if you as much as breathe too deep, I will shoot you and plead self-defense, are we clear?”
The freak didn’t have any snide remarks left, he sat still as if his life depended on it, and quite frankly it did. Right now, Mulder was half an inch away from making good on his promise.
He dialed 911, recited his badge number and in short sentences described the situation, eyes shifting from the freak on the floor to the bathroom door. Water running, he could hear Scully gurgling, rinsing her mouth. The door wasn't completely shut and without letting the perv out of his sight, still on the phone, he went to check up on her, knocked gently and peeked inside. She was standing with her head down, hands gripping the edge of the sink, pale as a sheet but calm. Their eyes met in the mirror when she looked up and nodded, a silent reassurance. They both knew, the night had only just begun, she will have to give a statement, probably have to go to the police station for that and God only knew how long that was gonna take.
They had enough on Van Blundht to charge him with multiple rape and identity theft. The US court probably never had to deal with a case as literal as this.
Three hours, cup of tea and few crackers later, they stood outside the police station, Mulder bone tired and Scully holding herself together by sheer will.
"You wanna stay at my place?" he asked pulling her into his side, even if the night was quite mild. She leaned into him and together they walked to his car.
"Where will you sleep?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm sorry I kicked down your door. Again."
"I feel so ashamed" she said quietly, almost impossible for him to hear.
"Don't be"
"I did feel something was off, but then the wine and he seemed so real, he looked like you Mulder, even his voice"
"We need a secret knock or something" he chuckled but sobered quickly, opening the car door for her "Scully, you know you can talk to me about anything, and it wasn't your fault, each of these women took him for her husband"
"I know" she hesitated for a second, then instead of getting in, turned around and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close and hiding face in his chest. Mulder held her, stroking her hair and back. She didn't cry, just held on to him for a long moment, the real Mulder.
"I could never look at you and think about him" her voice was soft, muffled by his coat "you're not like him Mulder, he will never be even a fraction of the man you are"
"You don't have to say that, Scully" her words were too kind, he didn't deserve them.
"But I do, and once I'm gone"
"You're not going anywhere" Mulder's arms instantly tightened around her, as if he could keep her anchored to the world, to life itself.
"You know that's not true" she freed one hand and cupped his cheek, looking up into his eyes "You're not a loser, Mulder, and once I'm gone, you have to promise me you will not throw your life away."
He held on to her tighter, hiding his face in the crook of her neck, not caring anyone might see them. Silence between them stretched, almost unbearable.
"I will promise” he whispered against her skin “if you promise me you won’t give up, as long as I'll fight, you won't give up”
"I promise" she said, to give him something to hold on to, for now.
Fingers stroking hair at the nape of his neck whispered that even dying she wanted to soothe his ache and looking up into her eyes filled with tears, his heart bleed. In the ugly orange light of the street lamp, her irises still held all the blue he ever wanted or needed.
Scully cupped his cheek again, brushing away a stray tear he didn't even notice falling. Her gaze stopped on his lips, hand wandering lower, drawing him in with the faintest of pressures, head tilted to one side almost unnoticeably, like gravity.
Mulder realized what was happening only when her lips pressed against his lower lip, sweet bolt of lightning opening him to let her in. Scully was kissing him, gently but thoroughly, both hands on his face keeping him from escaping, unnecessarily. He drew her closer, feeling the racing heart in her chest pressed against his own, frantic rhythms twining. Life flowed through them and between them in a species old dance. The song of hands and tongues slowed down from hungry declarations to sweet promises of conversations to come, but though their lips parted the kisses wouldn't stop. She couldn’t kiss his smile away even if she tried, so they stood in the orange glow of the streetlamp, hands on hips, arms on shoulders, nose to nose, heart to heart.
“I wanted to do that” she whispered kissing his lower lip one last time “now I know you’re the real you”
“You sure?” Mulder chuckled hugging her tight “I could prove it to you again, if you want”
Scully slipped her hands of his shoulders and he let her go, probably the hardest thing he had to do that night.
“Take me home first, we can share the couch”