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Mulder opened his eyes reluctantly, slowly. He looked at his watch through sleepy eyes. He stared at the face for awhile, trying to remember how to read it. '17:20.'

17:20?

Mental alarms went off as his half-asleep mind realized that wasn't right.

"Would it kill me to get a digital clock for this damned apartment?" he mumbled in barely recognizable words.

He tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Something is wrong, his insides said. He sighed in annoyance and again closed his eyes. He fell asleep. A few more minutes, he felt funny again. Something definitely was wrong. Very wrong. He sat up, trying to think if he forgot something important. Like a meeting or something. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the cloud of sleepiness that consumed him. He thought harder. No, he confirmed with himself. There's something else. His mind immediately went to Scully. He picked up the phone and hit "1" on the speed dial. The familiar mechanical melody of Scully's number being dialed filled his ears. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

Shit.

She always picks up the third ring. A wave of adrenaline pumped through his body, his stomach knotted.

He looked at his watch. 1:45. Where the hell would she be at 2 in the morning? He decided to wait 15 minutes, maybe she was on her way over.

They were the longest 15 minutes of his life. Like a kid waiting for his time-out in the corner to be done with, he was so anxious and tense. The only sound in his apartment was the bubbling of the filter of his fish tank, and the rain pounding against the window. He ran a hand through his hair and fell back with a sigh against the backrest of the couch. He picked up the phone. No answer still. He dialed her cell phone.

It rang once.

It rand twice. Then it picked up. A brief feeling of relief filled him.

"We're sorry. The person you are trying to reach is either out of service or is not answering their phone. Please try again later," the operator's voice said.

His heart fell.

He hung up the phone. Where the hell was she? Where would she go, if she wasn't home, and she wasn't at his apartment? He knew her mother was out of town to visit relatives, she had just told him earlier that week. There was only one place he could think of. He stood up and got his coat.

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Mulder cursed loudly as he drove to the reflecting pool. The storms had gotten increasingly bad, to the point where the thunder was absolutely deafening and startling. He got out of the car and ran through the park to the reflecting pool. His and Scully's bench was wet and the light of the street lamp reflected off the pools of water gathering on the surface of the wood. The sidewalks looked silver and bright, glimmering and rolling with each droplet of rain. He stomped his foot down in a puddle and looked up into the dark clouds above, hands on his hips. He thought he heard a noise. He looked over. There was nothing. Only trees and sidewalks. He dismissed it quickly as wishful thinking.

He heard it again.

He was unsure where to go. He looked up, and watched the rain fall past the bright light of the street lamp. He followed the direction that the rain fell. He ran down the sidewalk. The miniature road ahead of him widened and he could see it wrapped around a huge circular fountain in the distance. As he neared it, he could see something. Something was in the pool of the fountain. He got closer. It wasn't a "something" in it, it was someone. His heart pounded and he ran faster, puddles splashing around him as he ran through. He got closer and realized he knew the person.

She stood, drenched, in the middle of the fountain. Her black dress suit looked heavy, and it shined in its wetness. Her hands in tight fists at her sides, but her shoulders were relaxed. Her face turned to the sky, red hair in wet, smooth clumped grooves. Mulder slowed down, shocked by what he saw.

"Scully!" he called out.

She didn't react.

"Scully!" he yelled.

He saw her shoulders droop and her head drop down to her chest. Lightening flashed brightly, a loud crash of thunder made his flinch. He ran to the edge of marble lining the fountain. He jumped in and half-ran, half-waded to her. He touched her shoulder.

"Scully?" he asked softly.

She looked up at him slowly, mascara streaking down her cheeks. Her face immediately showed sadness, her eyes looked glassy and puffy. She was crying. He could tell, even in the rain.

"Come on," he said, putting an arm around her. She didn't move.

"Let's go home, Scully," he said. She still refused to move.

"What is it?" he asked.

She looked at him, and reached in her pocket. She pulled out a soggy picture. Mulder looked at it, and lightening flashed. It was a photo of Emily. Before he could say anything, she managed to choke through her sobs, "Look," and point to the center of the fountain.

In the center of it was a sculpture of marble figures. Her finger pointed to one to the right. It was an angel, the smallest one of the group. Mulder got closer to it. Lightening flashed again. Its face looked remarkably like Emily's. He turned to look at her. She just stood there silently. He waded over to her, and gently took her into his arms. She didn't move. He pulled back and gripped her shoulders.

"Come on," he said softly.

She still didn't budge. He took off his semi-dry coat and draped it over her shoulders. He carefully took one of her arms and wrapped it around his shoulder. He put one arm around her shoulders, then bent down and put one around her legs, and lifted her into his arms. He carried her carefully to the car and set her down in the passenger seat. He went around to the other side of the car and immediately started the engine. They headed for her apartment.

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Mulder brought Scully up to her room carefully. She was asleep, and he was afraid that she would wake up on the way up, but she never did. He was surprised to find the door unlocked, but at the same time he was grateful. There wouldn't have been any easy way to get to his set of keys while holding her in a fireman's carry. He pushed the door open and brought her to the couch, laying her down delicately. He covered her with a polar fleece blanket he found sitting on the love-seat. She stirred and stretched. Her eyes fluttered open. He smiled at her. She looked at him sleepily.

"Mulder? What are you doing here?" she asked.

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? I just brought you home," he said.

"From where?"

"Don't you remember anything?"

"I saw you this afternoon in the office. Then I came home, ate dinner and went to bed. That's it."

"You don't remember anything else?"

"No. Why? Should I?" she said, sitting up. Her voice sounded fearful. She looked down. "Why am I...why are we wet? What the hell is going on?"

Her voice was raising. Mulder moved to sit next to her, his hand on her knee.

"Shh. Quiet down a little, Scully. Its about 3:15 in the morning. We don't want to wake the neighbors up."

"What the hell is going on, Mulder?! Tell me!" she hissed, eyes wide.

"I- I don't know," he stammered. "I just..... had a feeling something was wrong. I couldn't brush it off. I called you, you weren't home, you weren't answering your cell phone. I decided you might be at the reflecting pool. I went there, you weren't at the reflecting pool, but you were in the middle of a fountain," he explained, then paused. "You were standing there in the middle of the pouring rain. Crying," he said softly, leaning a little closer to her.

She looked at him, confusion and sadness in her eyes. He turned his eyes away from her, to the coffee table, and reached out to grab the wet photo of Emily. "You had this with you. And you showed me one of the statues in the center of the pool. It was an angel, and it had her face."

Scully looked down at the picture in Mulder's hands. She took it from him, tears in her eyes. She was silent for a moment. He watched her carefully, afraid to move. He didn't want to see her cry. Not again.

"I had taken her there...when I first had met her. I gave her some change and told her to throw it in the fountain and make a wish. She smiled at me....oh, Mulder....she was so happy," she said softly, a slight smile on her lips. "She threw in the coins, one-by-one. She tugged on my sleeve and I bent down to her....she giggled, then whispered, 'I wished for an ice cream cone,' and she smiled at me again. So that's what I got her. Ice cream. Chocolate--" Scully stopped then her face twisted into a face of overwhelming sadness. She covered her face with her hands and deep sobs filled her chest. Mulder closed his eyes and put his arms around her. She leaned against him, falling forward so that his chin rested on the back of her neck. He turned his head and let it rest on her shoulders. She continued to cry. Mulder smoothed her wet hair. Her skin felt warm under it. He gently kissed her shoulder, then the back of her neck, right above where her implant was. He thought for a moment he felt the piece of metal under her skin as he kissed her. Scully pulled back, looking at Mulder, and sniffled, wiping away her tears with the palm of her hand.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. She looked at the black mascara on her hand. "Geez, I must look great."

"Don't be sorry, Scully," he replied, stroking her shoulders lightly. "I'll be right back," he said, standing up.

He went to the bathroom and took some Kleenex from the box. He was about to leave when he turned back. He went to the sink and picked up a package of sleeping pills sitting by the faucet.

"Scully?" he said, coming back into the room with both tissues and the drugs. "How long have you been taking these pills?" he asked, handing her the tissues, then the pills.

She wiped her eyes with a sniff. "Ummm..... those are new. Tonight was the first night I used them."

"Scully," he said, sitting down, "I think these pills might have made you...sleep walk, somehow. I don't know how else to explain how you got out in the park with your remembering it."

She looked at him, taking the box and studying it. She nodded silently.

"You're probably right," she said, tossing the box in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he said, taking her hand.

"Yeah," she replied, closing her fingers around his.

"Then I'll leave you alone. I think you need to rest," he said, gently releasing her hand.

He stood up and made his way to the door. She caught his hand again before he left. He turned around, and looked at his wet, raccoon-eyed, tear stained partner. She never looked so beautiful to him. He smiled at her and bent down to kiss her cheek. Scully reached up and took his face in her hands, running her fingers though his hair. She pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, then released him. She smiled back at him. He winked at her, then opened the door and left.