Patient Confidentiality
By Shoshana

Mulder felt a tap on his shoulder and opened one sleepy eye to confront the intruder.

"Sleeping on the job, huh?" she teased.

"You're not here," he mumbled into his forearm, changing his posture slightly so that he could address her directly.

"I know. But I was here to see Karen and I thought I'd see what you're up to. Not much, apparently," she smirked.

"I wasn't asleep. I was just resting," he pouted.

"Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny, too," she retorted.

"Honestly, ma'am, I was not sleeping on the job! I heard your footsteps, I knew it was you. How'd the session go?"

"Well, it was my fourth out of an expected twenty-four and it went as well as can be expected," she sighed.

"Did she clear you for next week?" he asked, a bit of anxiety seeping through.

"Yeah, she did," she said, smiling at his concern.

"Great!" He said it like a football cheer, then pushed away from the desk, raising his arms toward the ceiling in a long, slow stretch.

She sat down across from him, in a chair beside the desk, and played nervously with the hem of her blouse. Her smile had disappeared and she seemed troubled despite this good news.

"It's only been six weeks, Mulder," she said quietly.

"Yes, but it's been too long for me," he returned gently.

"I guess so. It really wasn't much of a punishment was it?" she said, ruefully.

He leaned against the desktop and said solemnly, "Scully, it wasn't a punishment. It was two weeks of administrative leave, till the OPR hearing. In which you were cleared of any wrongdoing. And given four weeks desk duty in the lab and six months counselling. I don't want to hear you refer to it as 'punishment' again. *Ever.* Okay?"

He reached over and stilled her hand, which had been rotating the paper clip dispenser while he spoke. His words had been firm, but kind, and she squeezed his hand once before returning it to her lap.

She hesitated, collecting her thoughts, then said, "Uh, Karen said the same thing. Just last week. I'm sorry. I just can't help referring to it that way."

Her voice quavered on her last words, and he gave a discontented sigh, before responding, "I know. But it's standard procedure. It's what happens to everyone, including me. I, I just thought you had reconciled yourself with all this."

"I have. I think I have. Karen thinks I have. I should have stopped to think before I used the word 'punishment.'"

"Well, I shouldn't scold you for using it. But I don't like to see you belittle yourself. You did the right thing. I thought we had this conversation weeks ago, right before the hearing. I thought we were still on the same page," he said hopefully.

"We are. It's just a faux pas, Mulder. Nothing more. Let's drop it," she said decisively.

"Okay." He smiled wanly, then asked, "Tell me about your session with Karen. If you want to, that is."

She looked over at him warmly, a glint of laughter in her eyes, "She was grilling me about you today."

"Me?" he said incredulously.

"Yeah. She's asked me about you before. Years ago."

She noticed the dubious look on his face and added, "Not in a gossipy way, Mulder. She asked me about our partnership and what it meant to me. How we got along and how you were helping me at the time."

"And how about now? She waited four weeks to ask you about me? Should I be mildly insulted?"

"No, I don't think so. And really, we've been talking about you during the last four weeks, on and off. But today, today she addressed the issue differently."

"How?" He spread his hands around the edges of his desk, pushing against it as he rocked precariously in his chair.

"She said that she'd reviewed her notes from those sessions years ago last night. And she'd put a lot of thought into it. And she concluded that I had weathered this situation remarkably well. Because of you."

Her last words were so low-toned, he barely heard them.

"Is that so horrible?" he murmured softly.

"No. And I guess I would have been all right with her saying that. But, and this is inexplicable, Mulder... it's not what I expected at all... she said..."

Her voice faltered, and she dropped her eyes to her lap, "Maybe, we shouldn't have this conversation here."

"Are you afraid of being overheard? Frohike was here this morning, Scully. And I've been here every minute since then. Awake. Honestly. No one can hear us," he assured her.

"Okay. But you won't like this," she said, turning her eyes back to his.

"What? What won't I like?" he encouraged her softly.

"She said... without batting an eyelash... with the most sincere look on her face..."

She smiled wistfully, her hand torturing the memo pad shaped like a little green alien.

"She said, to my utter surprise..."

"Scully, please! Just tell me... You're driving me nuts, here!"

His impatience was evident, but his words were said lightheartedly. She grinned at him, a flush rising through her delicate features.

"Okay, here it is. She said, she said that you must still be in love with me."

Mulder's delicate balance in the reclining desk chair was obliterated. He caught himself before he tumbled out of it, and looked over at her with wide eyes.

"No shit?" he asked disbelievingly, a smile creeping across his face.

"Well, Mulder, I'm relieved that you're taking this so well. I, for one, am hoping that patient confidentiality is not just a code phrase in Karen's vocabulary." She was trying hard not to crack a smile.

"I'm, I'm just stunned," he said, still reeling.

"Yes. That's how I took it," she said calmly.

"How'd you respond?" he asked readily.

She looked directly at him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes to the heavens, "What the hell could I say? I wasn't about to reveal anything in her office. It's an insecure place."

"But what did you say?" he entreated, an edginess to his voice.

"I said I wasn't sure." Her eyes glistened mischievously as she watched his whole body relax, tension disappearing from the set of his jaw, the slope of his shoulders.

"Jesus, Scully. Why didn't you just say that? Why make me sweat this out?" he complained.

"More fun," was all she said, smiling at him broadly.

He returned her smile, then got out of his chair and kneeled before her, placing his hands on her thighs.

"Not here," she whispered, glancing around.

"Why not? What is someone going to do to us now, Scully? And if you're worried, there's no hidden cameras, no bugs, and whoever comes through that door we'll deal with on a case by case basis. I'm barely touching you. We have nothing to be ashamed of," he said confidently.

"It doesn't look right, you know that. We... agreed. Not here. Not in public," she said, a trace of good humor in her mild rebuke.

He smiled, got to his feet, and sat on the edge of the desk.

"Okay, you win. You're right. I'm just so relieved that you didn't say anything definitive to Karen. I don't want our relationship used against us. And we can't guarantee the security of her office. Unless we send our gnomish friend up there once a week."

"Well, Mulder. I doubt if she believed me."

"How's that?" His brow furrowed deeply, expecting the worst.

"She gave me a knowing smile after I said I wasn't sure. And then she said she didn't mean to pry," she said, with an air of exhaustion.

He reached down and grabbed her hand, then said, "Yeah, well, let her suspect what she wants to. Nothing improper fell out of your lovely mouth."

"Mulder..." she said fussily.

He kept a tight grip on her hand, resisting her effort to pull away. The forefinger of his other hand lifted, waving from side to side, then dropping playfully to her nose.

"And don't tell me I can't hold your hand. I always have and I always will. I'll be cautious, but I won't stop showing you any affection in our own office."

"Unless there's someone here, Mulder," she pleaded.

"Of course. If Skinner came through the door, I'd stop. Or anyone, for that matter. But it's too hard to stay in the same room with you and not touch you at all. It's just not right," he said soberly.

Her cheeks colored again, appreciating the sweetness of his words. She used his hand for leverage, pulling herself out of the chair. He hopped off the desk, then leaned against it casually.

They were standing very close, but not touching, and she said, "I'm going to blow this pop stand and do some errands. Since I only have a few more days of freedom, and I've put off everything till the last minute, I'm outta here."

"All right. Your place or mine?" he asked, impishly.

"Um. I don't know. Mine, I guess. It was nice of the management to let me take another apartment in the building. I'm surprised they didn't try to evict me," she mused.

He looked at her fondly, then caressed her cheek lightly, his hand falling to her shoulder.

"That would be no way to treat a hero, would it?" he said, earnestly.

"Mulder..." she grumbled, uneasy with that title.

"Okay, I'll cease and desist. As long as you promise me to stop beating yourself up about this, if only in your own mind. Agreed?"

Both his hands were on her shoulders now, massaging her tension away. She closed her eyes and floated away for a minute, then remembered where they were.

She stilled his hands, pulling them down between them, and said with confidence, "Agreed."

"I won't be late," he crooned, leaning down to peck her on the cheek.

"I won't be early," she asserted, startling him with a quick kiss on the lips.

"Scully!" he chided, feigning displeasure.

"You said there weren't any cameras, Mulder," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"No, but..." he sputtered.

"But what?" she challenged him, crossing her arms in a defensive posture.

Before she could refuse his advance, he had her in his arms, one hand on the nape of her neck, the other around her back. He kissed her long and hard, paying little heed to the possibility of discovery. She returned his passion, embracing him, completely absorbed in him.

They heard a noise down the hall, and separated from one another, both still breathing heavily. The footsteps were heading the opposite direction to the office, but the spell was broken, and they stood gracelessly for a few seconds, collecting their wits.

"Sorry," he said, disingenuously, suppressing a satisfied grin. He shuffled his feet around, expecting some verbal reprimand.

"I'm not," she replied, grabbing her purse before he could formulate a response.

She was across the room before his reflexes could recover.

"Later," she threw over her shoulder, rushing out the door.

Mulder collapsed on the chair she had been occupying, and picked up her forgotten sweater. He revelled in her unique scent, still clinging to the wool garment. It was a combination of perfume, strong coffee, and the oranges she'd had at lunchtime.

He'd always been conscious of her delicious aroma before they'd become lovers, now it was enough to knock him off his feet. Less than six weeks ago, less than a week after the incident with Pfaster, she'd climbed under the afghan on his couch, snuggling close.

They'd slept like that all night, and made love in the morning, the sun streaking through the blinds as he carried her to his bed. Her body hadn't healed completely, she still bore black and blue marks all over her body, souvenirs of her altercation with a much larger man.

She dismissed his reservations and told him she felt fine. If there was ever a time he'd felt inclined to disbelieve her, it was then. But she wouldn't, she couldn't, deny herself this therapy, this love between them.

He'd worried about repercussions, what consequences would ensue if she changed her mind. Would she simply leave him altogether, or would they leave the sex behind, return to their previous relationship?

But she hadn't left him, and if Karen Kosseff was any judge of her character, she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The therapist had guessed he was in love with her. What Scully hadn't mentioned, what he was willing to wager, was what Karen had said next. That as smitten as he was, she was equally so, and had been for quite some time.

Their feelings had been validated by an objective third party, even though Scully had refused to corroborate Karen's suspicions. He took some comfort in that, that someone who took the time to know Scully not only as an FBI agent, but also as a woman, with a woman's need for love and security in her life, had recognized their bond.

He checked his watch. It was already close to four o'clock. In all good conscience, he could not leave on a Friday afternoon till five. It was going to be a long hour till then, but he knew he would fill it with daydreams of a future with Scully.

fin

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