11:14 PM: "Whew. What a relief," Scully exhaled, sighing in relief. Pulse: 72. BP: 102/69. She began to pull the blood pressure cuff back off of Reyes' arm as Reyes sat at the little table by the motel room window watching. Scully had taken a big chance in co-signing the discharge papers from the ER at Saint Jean's. But it did appear that Reyes' vitals would soon be stabilized.

"Told you I would be fine. Damn hospital about killed me," the brunette giggled and winked at her. She was joking. But in reality, it was the truth.

Scully smirked in return. "I still don't, what would you do if you were really in trouble? Needed surgery or..."

"Well. Usually, it's not that much of a problem. But if I, if I use, if my... If... Well... Hum... It, it's hard to explain," she said. And she really did not know exactly how to explain it, without divulging more information to Scully than she was willing to give. She did not want Scully to know about some of the things she had done for her over the last couple of days, and especially over the last several hours. It was her little secret of friendship. And Scully had needed it, to help her through the horror of the past several hours. So, it had been worth it. And if she had to, she would do it all over again. It was as simple as that.

Scully watched her for a few more seconds. "Well. For now, I want you to finish this glass, wait about five minutes, and then start on the next one," she instructed her, picking up the third glass of Pedialyte she had had already tonight.

"Ugh, God. Do I have to?" she grimaced, shaking her head and playfully shivering.

"Yes. I know it tastes funny. But I'm not letting you out of it. Not until your BP is just a little bit higher."

"Umm... Okay. You give this stuff to babies?" she inquired, picking the empty bottle up, reading the ingredients and shivering yet again.

"Umhum. But it can work in this situation, too. It's better than the chalky stuff isn't it?" Scully teased, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, yeah. This comes flavored. Yum, yum," Reyes said, winking at her and giggling again.

Scully just shook her head.

Reyes then got up from the little table, padded over to the bed and then lay down across it. "Geez, I'm wiped," she sighed.

"Look. I'm going to run over to my place and take a quick shower. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. Do you really think it's necessary for you to stay with me all night?"

"No. Probably not. But since we both signed that discharge statement and, well... Actually, I'm not so sure you're completely out of the woods yet. You're still complaining of stomach pain, you know."

Reyes nodded. She could not deny that. "Okay. Here. Take my key. Let yourself in, in case I don't come to the door," she said, handing Scully her room key.

Scully took it, then headed out the door and to her own room.

Reyes lay back down on the bed. God, she wanted to go to sleep so badly. ...Geez... What a night... Will it ever end?...

11:32 PM: Reyes threw her second cigarette down to the ground, crushing it out with her boot. She had been craving a smoke for hours. She glanced up at the Big Dipper, then on to Cassiopeia, then down towards Andromeda, and on down to Aries. Yes. She loved this time of night, especially when near the ocean. She could really use the cleansing feel of the ocean right about now - a nice midnight swim, nobody around, jumping in completely naked. ...Oh yeah... It would be perfect right about now. "Umm," she sighed, rolling her head in a circle, hearing the slight crackling of the bones in her neck. She wondered how Eric was doing with her baby kitty. He had better not have let her out again. She'd have to kick his ass for sure, if he had. "Oh... Geez," she swayed a little, as she bent down and retrieved her two cigarette butts off the ground. She then headed back inside to her room.

11:36 PM: Scully had knocked a couple of times before using the key and entering Reyes' room. She could hear the water running inside the shower. She sighed and then sat down on the bed. She found the remote and turned on the TV, turning the volume down low.

...Peck. Peck...

Silence.

...Peck. Peck. Peck...

Scully glanced up from the TV.

"Agent Reyes," a man's voice whispered through the door.

...Oh shit. That sounds like Doggett... she thought. ...Great... How do I explain this?... she wondered, as she got up off the bed, pulled her robe more securely around her, and then answered the door.

"Agent Scully? Is...? where's Monica?" Doggett asked, quite worried.

"She's here. She's in the shower. She um..."

"Oh. Thank God. What a relief, I... Skinner and I were by the hospital and Dr. Desai told us what happened. Is she...?"

"Oh. Yeah. She's fine. But I plan to stay with her. Maybe even through the night," Scully said. ...Now why the hell did I just say that?... Crap... she thought. Even though they were both female, she and Reyes could potentially be breaching government protocol, staying in the same room together throughout the night. Especially since they both had a room assigned in each of their names.

"Good. That's real good. She... Dr. Desai 'bout scared me half to death! I knew she was feelin' sick. But I never thought... God, she's lucky! Damn lucky!" Doggett said as he looked away, shaking his head, and understanding almost better than anyone else, the seriousness of Reyes' physical condition. He had rushed his ex-wife to the emergency room himself one time, as she suffered from severe dehydration. And they had kept her all night - continually pumping fluids into her system. And here was Reyes, back at the motel already, no where near out of the danger zone. It could kill someone - severe dehydration - if not treated correctly.

"Neither did I and I was... not quite with it myself... to... to really notice how..." Scully hesitated, glancing down at the ground. ...God! How did I miss that!... She had been totally beyond any form of comprehension of anything at all, for over an hour and a half, out at that compound. That's how she had missed it.

Doggett glanced back around. "Well, Agent Scully. Would you just tell her that I came by? And asked about her?"

"Of course. Why don't you give her a few minutes then call the room."

"Yeah. That's a good idea... Agent Scully... I sure am glad you're here to watch over her tonight," he said, smiling. And he meant that.

Scully smiled in return. "Actually, I think she did the watching over me, Agent Doggett. And, I think it may have worn her down," she replied, her expression beginning to change again.

Scully felt somewhat responsible, for not detecting how sick Reyes had been out at the compound. Since she was a medical doctor, she felt that she should have seen that. At least, she held herself to that high of a standard. But none of her immediate comrades did. Doggett and Skinner had not noticed it. And Reyes had just assumed it was her typical burning and stinging stomach, doing its thing. Something she had dealt with for years. Scully should not feel any blame or responsibility. It had just happened. No one else was holding her accountable. So she should not hold herself accountable, medical doctor or not. She was only human. And she was still suffering through a great loss right now. No wonder she had missed it. She needed to give herself a break. And besides, in time, Reyes would be fine.

Doggett saw the trepidation in her eyes. "Aw now, Agent Scully. She's the best. Best I ever seen at knowin' what to do when somebody's goin' through a hard time. She just did what comes natural. So, Dana, now, don't you go blamin' yourself... Or her... Or anybody else for what happened tonight. Bottom line... It's been a hell of a night," he said.

Scully smiled at that and then nodded. Doggett was right.

He smiled in return then reached into the room, giving her a quick hug.

Scully tightly hugged him back.

"Good night, Agent Scully. You need anything just call."

"Thank you, John. You, too," she smiled again as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

He nodded and then went on his way.

He is ...So sweet... she quickly decided. For she had not really seen that side of him before. But tonight, after everything had gone down the way that it had, and then finding Mulder, too late to save his life, Doggett had shed a few tears for her loss, too. Scully knew that it brought back memories of him finding his son as well. And they had talked about that for a few minutes, out at the compound. And, too, he had tried to protect her - protect her from seeing Mulder's mangled, tortured and lifeless body. He had wanted to protect her from ever having such a vivid memory of the horror and torment. It would haunt her forever. He knew - for he could still see his lifeless son, lying in that field almost daily. And the pain of that memory would never fully go away. He had wanted so much to protect her from that. That was why he had held onto her so firmly, trying to stop her from running over to Mulder's body. And that was sweet, that was more than sweet. That was being a very close friend. She was beginning to see why Reyes and Doggett were so close. They were obviously very close, the way Reyes had hugged him, just before they had left for the motel. And now here he was, pecking on the door, worried sick over Reyes. ...How sweet... she thought again. And she quickly decided that maybe she should give him a chance after all. She would have to work on that, and her attitude towards him. He had a lot of good in him. He was very loyal, conscientious, dependable and diligent with his work. He just needed to open his mind to the more unusual possibilities. But then, he may never do that completely. Some people never could. But that still did not make him a bad person. She would have to think on that later. When she felt more up to... thinking...

********************

11:47 PM: "Dana?" Reyes called out from the bathroom.

No answer.

"Dana?" she called again.

No answer.

she then walked out into the room, went over to her overnight bag and then began to rummage through it, looking for something to sleep in. She rarely slept in a top. But tonight, she would just have to come up with something. It was just too cold in the room. And the furnace was not working worth a crap. Must have been the cold and wintry Montana air, creeping in between the door and doorframe. Finally, she found an old Brown University long-sleeve t-shirt she had stuffed in there from the trip before. It was still clean. And it had not been worn on the last out-of-town trip. She grabbed it, along with some flannel pajama bottoms, some socks and a fresh pair of briefs, then headed back to the bathroom to brush her teeth and finish drying her hair.

********************

11:48 PM: Scully knocked on Reyes' door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

No answer.

She used Reyes' key to enter the room. She placed the fresh bucket of ice on the little table by the window and sat down in one of the chairs. ...Geez... What a night... Will it ever end?... she thought. She could hear the hair-dryer roaring, as she caught a clean, fresh scent of soap in the air. She placed a couple of little bottles of Pedialyte into the ice bucket to keep them cold, then poured herself a cup of freshly-brewed decaf coffee from her thermos. Her room had a little coffee-maker in it. She glanced around the room. So did Reyes'. After another few seconds or so, she heard the roaring of the hair-dryer stop.

After another few moments, Reyes came walking out of the bathroom, her toothbrush still hanging out of her mouth.

"Oh my," Scully gasped barely audible, awestruck at the sight before her.

Reyes had not seen her, or heard her, and therefore had no idea that she was not alone, in her own room. For only a minute before, she had checked. And Scully was not in there. "Oh. Hi," she responded to the barely audible sound, as she glanced up, clothed in only her toothbrush, her hair still a little damp at the ends, her nipples beginning to stiffen from the cool breeze in the air, as a few traces of moisture continued to stream down her smooth-as-silk skin, her body - and pubic hair - still a little enticingly damp from the recent shower.

...Oh yeah... Scully's gaze had focused in on her pubic hair covering her crotch. "Um... H... Hi," she stuttered, feeling an immediate pool of moisture and small spasms between her legs, her cheeks beginning to flush, totally captivated by the gorgeous goddess standing before her, stark naked. Granted, it was dark. And Reyes was in the shadows. But Scully could see enough. Just enough. Plenty. ...God!... Her heart skipped a beat, and another, and then another. She glanced up, but then her eyes dropped back down yet again, to Reyes' breasts. And then directly down to her damp crotch before she could catch herself. ...Oh yeah, baby... Indeed!...

"Oh. Hang on," Reyes said, as she caught Scully's odd expression and suddenly remembered she did not have any clothes on. "Shit," she mumbled, as she quickly headed back into the bathroom to put something on, beginning to giggle. She suddenly felt like she was back at Brown University, in the dorm or something, sharing funny moments with her sister schoolmates. She had been on the track and field team, the tennis team, the field hockey team, had played basketball, softball, volleyball, any kind of ball, she had played and ridden them all. And seeing women stark naked in the showers, or locker rooms, or walking around in their dorm rooms, or... oh wow! It was an every day experience! She had seen so many naked women in her life, it did not phase her in the least. She cracked up laughing again, trying to stifle the sounds of her giggles. Scully's expression was just so funny. ...What's up with that?... she mused, for Scully had seen such things before. Hell! She had such things! Undoubtedly, she had not been into sports. ...Must have been one of those book-wormy types... she thought, giggling again at the idea of seeing Scully in college, although she was a bookworm, too; a bookworm, who knew very well how to play ball, and play hard. She had graduated top of her class at Brown University. And had achieved her BS and MS degrees in only four years. But she still had had time for balls and sports. She snorted a little bit, as she finished toweling herself off, then pulled her panties up over her hips, her dark brown-black, slightly-curled pubic hair peeking out around the sides of the material. She opened the door for a moment.

"Dana. I'll be out in a minute. Just make yourself at home," she said.

Scully sat there, spellbound and speechless, trying to catch her breath. ...Right... she thought. "Oh... I'm fine... Take your time," she finally recovered her voice.

Reyes shut the door again so she could giggle some more without Scully hearing her giggles. She wanted to just burst out into a fit of laughter. But she wouldn't. Scully would hear her if she did that. And that was probably not a good idea. She snorted at the thought stifling another giggle. She was used to walking around all over her house stark naked. She thought nothing of it, and slept in the nude quite often. So, she just plain ole forgot. And she had checked just a minute before. And Scully was not in the room. ...Oh well. No big deal. She's just gonna have to get over it... she mused, as she continued to giggle, pulling the old BU t-shirt over her head and down her chest, covering her abdomen and the growing black and blue bruise along her lower torso, her hardened nipples poking through the cotton material. One thing was for sure. She was thankful that only the little lamp by the table had been on, or Scully may have caught a glimpse of the ugly bruise that had begun to develop, just below her navel. ...Wow!... She had almost blown it, in just a matter of seconds, after all of that time at the ER, and managing to hide it. She did not want Scully to ever see it, or ever even know about it. She glanced down again, making sure the t-shirt covered the area, then ran a brush through her hair, one more time, and then her fingers, fluffing it up a little on the top.

Scully still sat there totally awestruck. Her heart rate had skyrocketed. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed. Everything within her system had skyrocketed, all the way to the moon. Well, actually, more like to Mars, Venus, Saturn. Maybe even Pluto? She could feel her strong, steady and heightened pulse throbbing between her legs. ...Oh goodness. Settle down. I've *got* to settle down... she thought as she took another sip of her coffee. "Whew..." she sighed, barely audible. ...God... You're more beautiful than I ever imagined!... Whoa!... My God!... "Um, um, um," she grunted, nibbling on her lower lip, running her fingers through her hair, and beginning to make an effort to pull her raging libido back in. ...Oh boy... "Oh wow," she sighed, glancing over at the bed. ...Oh no... No way... There is no way I can sleep in this room tonight... No way in hell... Nope. No way in hell, could she sleep in the same room, next to Reyes, tonight.

"Sorry about that. I thought you were, I didn't know you were back," Reyes said, smiling, as she came walking back into the room, toting her long flannel pajama bottoms and socks along with her, placing them on the bed. She was still too hot from the recent shower to put them on.

"Oh. No problem. I um... I should have... said something," Scully said, smiling back, and hoping she had covered the unsteadiness in her voice. Her heart was still trying to beat completely out of her chest and onto the little table in front of her.

"Mmm, coffee. Is it decaf?" Reyes asked as she swayed on over to the table to check out Scully's thermos of freshly-brewed coffee. Wow! She was really beginning to feel unsteady on her feet. All of those drugs were beginning to kick in, full force.

"Yes. I'm not sure... if you should drink any though," Scully said, her heart skipping another beat at Reyes standing just an inch or so from her. Her soft, smooth, sleek and beautifully well-developed thigh was practically touching her shoulder. The muscles were so firm, so pronounced and well-defined, and yet not too overly built. ...Oh my God! You must work out! Lift weights! Or... Oh my God!... Scully began to nibble again on her lower lip. She had such a weakness for well-built women. Their bodies were always so beautifully toned and muscular. ...Perfect... Just perfect for a medical doctor, that understood and knew the scientific name for every little tendon, every little ligament, every little muscle, every little... ...Oh Jesus... Um, um, um...

"You're kidding," Reyes said, giving a little pout, still standing cozily beside her, holding the thermos and taking a whiff of the coffee. "Um. That smells good. You trying to torture me or something?" she commented, teasing Scully and placing her other hand on Scully's shoulder.

Scully jumped a little at the contact.

Reyes had not noticed the flinch. She was just so unsteady on her feet, and was using Scully's shoulder for a little added support.

Scully had glanced over again, just a foot or so from her mouth, checking out Reyes' crotch, and her pretty, little dark brown-black, slightly-curled pubic hairs peeking out around the sides of her briefs. ...Oh God... Shit!... She caught herself again. "Um. No," she breathed. ...But you're torturing the *hell out of me* right about now! Damn!... Everything in her wanted to reach around Reyes' well-built legs and pull her in, so she could tuck a finger or two inside those little "lady-jock briefs", tease Reyes' little love button for a moment, and then pull them down and start licking all around... ...Oh yes, God! Yes!... "Um... No... Monica... I'm not. Let's... give it another fifteen minutes," she said, swallowing hard, glancing away and forcing herself to focus on anything she could find in the room but Reyes' very available and tantalizingly well-hidden little love button, just within perfect reach of her mouth and tongue. "Drink... the rest of this... And then you can have a cup," she said, handing Reyes another small bottle of Pedialyte, as Reyes set the thermos back down on the table. Her voice was still a little shaky, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up.

"Dana. You're serious," the brunette said, glancing down at her and noticing Scully's uneasiness. She furrowed her brow, wondering why Scully seemed so edgy all of a sudden.

"Yep. Afraid so... Sorry. I... didn't think... I'll throw this cup out," Scully responded, as she began to get up from the table and go throw her cup of coffee out. She could wait until Reyes could share a cup with her. But more importantly, she needed to get the hell away from her, before she just lost it, and possibly did something she would regret.

"Oh no. Don't do that. I can wait," Reyes said, clasping her forearm before she had fully stood up.

Scully swallowed hard yet again, in reaction to the spark of electricity that had just flashed between them.

Reyes let go of her arm. She had felt it, too, and looked down, locking eyes with her. She smiled, then cocked an eyebrow at her.

Scully had to look away. She just could not handle the intensity of that gaze right now. No way, or she would lose it for sure.

"Oh, by the way. That reminds me," Reyes said, as she turned and swayed rather unsteadily over to her overnight bag. She held onto the edge of the bed for a moment, regaining her bearings. "Whew. Um," she shook her head a couple of times, trying to clear out the cobwebs that had begun to develop, as she rummaged around in her cosmetics bag, found what she was looking for, and then came back over to the table.

Scully had the oddest expression on her face.

"What?" she asked.

"Um. Nothing. What's that?" Scully replied. She had completely missed Reyes' sigh and unsteady gate. She was too busy fighting and regaining control of her own overwhelming need to just jump up from the table, grab Reyes by the torso, throw her against the bed, and take her - just take her - fast and dirty. ...Um, um, um... She could hardly breathe, seeing Reyes and her gorgeously-trimmed, perfectly-toned, muscular and well-developed body walking around, barely clothed.

"Ever heard of Tiger Balm?" the brunette asked.

"No. Can't say that I have," Scully said, looking at the little jar.

Reyes pulled the other chair out and around the table, then sat down next to her. She opened the little jar up to show Scully the contents.

Scully took the little jar from her hand and smelled the contents. "Hum? What is it?"

"I use it to heal injured joints, bruises, reduce swelling. It's great. Here. Give me your hand," she said.

Scully hesitated.

"Come on," Reyes coaxed her again.

Scully smirked.

"Ah. Dana?... What's the problem?"

Scully cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, not saying anything. ...You really don't know, do you?... She smiled at her innocence, then gave Reyes her left hand.

"Silly," Reyes whispered, smiling and then began to dab some of the healing salve along Scully's knuckles and back of her hand.

"Oh wow. That feels great," Scully said, responding to the wonderful sensations along her knuckles and hand.

"Yeah? You like?" Reyes giggled, as she continued to massage Scully's hand and knuckles.

"Oh yeah. It's so soothing," she commented. She could feel the relief almost immediately in her knuckles and joints.

"I know. I don't care for the other stuff. The tingling sensations almost burn the skin. This stuff is great. I've used it for years," Reyes commented herself as she dabbed a little bit more along Scully's knuckles, then rubbed it in. "Here," she instructed, reaching for Scully's other hand.

Scully obliged and gave her her other hand.

Reyes began to give it the same loving treatment, not wanting it to feel left out.

Scully sat watching her face and expressions as she gently rubbed and massaged her fingers, knuckles and ultimately her entire hand. She had never had anyone give her hands such gentle and loving treatment before. Wow. It was nice. So very nice, indeed.

After a few minutes, Reyes had finished her task, then took Scully's hands in hers, just holding them there. She began to giggle a little at the size difference. "Look at that... My hands. They're huge compared to yours," she said, giggling again, and running her thumbs along the tops of Scully's hands.

Scully looked down and smirked. Reyes was getting a little drunk off all the medications flowing throughout her system. She had recognized the signs on the way back to the motel. Reyes was beginning to giggle, at just about anything. Oh yeah. She was beginning to "feel no pain". Scully smiled at the idea of how fun this could actually become before the night was over.

Reyes began to scrutinize the damage to Scully's knuckles a little more closely. She was no longer giggling. Scully was lucky. Had she not been there to prevent it, Scully would have broken something; a finger, a few fingers, or even the entire hand. And probably both.

"Thank you," Scully whispered, reaching up with a hand and running her thumb along Reyes' cheek. She wanted to lean over and kiss those beautiful, velvet lips so badly, it was driving her nuts. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. She just could not do that.

"Your welcome," Reyes whispered in return, smiling and then unexpectedly taking her hand in hers, closing her eyes and turning the palm in towards her lips, tenderly kissing the inside of her hand.

Scully's heart skipped a beat as her breathing instantly increased.

Reyes opened her eyes and looked at her with such tenderness and devotion in her gaze.

Scully's heart skipped another beat as she tried to regain control of her increased and unsteady breathing.

Reyes continued to gaze into her eyes, full of love and adoration, holding her hand against her lips and gently kissing her palm, again and again and again, as Scully watched, totally captivated by the physical sensations and penetrating gaze. "Oh," she barely whimpered, breathless. ...Oh my God... Reyes had moved her lips up to the area just between her thumb and index finger, slightly sucking, nibbling and kissing the smooth soft skin, between the joint. ...Oh God, Moni... Her insides were trembling as she felt more warm, slick moisture pooling between her legs. "Oh," she whimpered again, trying desperately to regain control of her body and rising libido. The intensity between them was growing rapidly out-of-control. After a few seconds, she somehow found the strength to pull her eyes away from that penetrating gaze, inhale deeply and swallow hard, regaining control of her rapidly rising arousal. She could keep herself under control. She had to, for the both of them. She was a master at it.

Reyes blinked. ...What in the...? What am I doing?... "I... Dana... I'm so sorry... I... Geez," she mumbled as she quickly let go of her hand, looking away. ...What...? Why did I just do that?... she thought, shocked at her own actions. ...God!... But it felt so right. She shook her head again, trying to clear her mind and thoughts.

Scully had recognized the "deer in headlights" look that had just flashed across her face. Reyes had scared herself, big time, with those intimate little nibbles and kisses.

Scully again looked away, inhaling deeply, somewhat amused at the irony. She had just been fighting the relentless need to lean over the table and kiss her, right on the lips, never, in a million years, expecting Reyes to do what she had just done. Those tender little nibbles and kisses of hers had sent shivers of lust, throughout Scully's system. But she could handle it. She would not do anything out of line with this woman. No way. Because if she did, it would destroy their budding friendship. And she was not about to allow that to happen. Besides, she needed a good friend right now, more than she needed a good, quick fuck. And not only that, Reyes was drunk off her ass on all the drugs she had just pumped into her system. It had only been a couple of hours since they had first arrived at the ER. So, Reyes was beginning to feel the full effects of those painkillers and muscle-relaxers. Which meant, anything she did, or said right now would not be fair, in making a judgment call on her true intentions.

********************

11:59 PM: Reyes had recovered somewhat from her own raging emotions and had begun to take a few sips of the Pedialyte. She was just so damn confused. And she was so - so - something. She was just "not with it", "not with it" at all. She was suddenly feeling so drunk - drunk off her ass - and could not figure out why. It still had not yet dawned on her, all of the different kinds of medications that had been pumped into her system, until just an hour or so ago. Any other time, she would have instantly recognized that. But her lack of much-needed sleep, being quite dehydrated, her gut giving her fits, her stay at the ER, all of that time holding Scully so intimately close at the compound. Wow. She was just on overload.

"You're lucky, Agent Reyes," Scully said, breaking into her thoughts, as she held her left hand in hers.

"Wha...? What do you mean?" Reyes replied, then ...Agent Reyes?... she mused. Why had Scully switched to such a formal title as that all of a sudden? ...Dana. Shit. I'm sorry... she thought again, suddenly quite fearful indeed that she had offended Scully in some way by her most recent actions; actions that she did not quite understand herself.

"Yanking on that IV tubing. That could have really done some damage," Scully said, pulling Reyes' hand over a little more closely to examine the area. It had developed a nice little bump and slight bruise right along the vein. Scully ran her thumb along the little bump, and then glanced back up at her. ...Oh baby, you're okay... But I'm gonna switch gears on you... To protect us both... she mused as she detected Reyes' fearfulness.

"I... I did what I had to do," Reyes responded again, fear gripping her soul.

Scully sat watching her for a few moments. The fear and trepidation in Reyes' eyes was getting to the best of her, and tugging at her heartstrings. ...Oh Sweetie... "It's okay," she replied lovingly, letting go of her hand and reaching up, running her thumb across her cheek, love and tenderness radiating from somewhere way down deep inside of her heart and soul, and finding its way into Reyes'.

Reyes blinked from the intensity, then placed her hand over Scully's, resting it there along the side of her cheek. She then smiled double-winking at her.

...Oh God... You melt me, Monica... You just melt me... Every time you do that... Scully mused and smiled in return, as another warm tingling sensation flooded her heart and soul.

Yep. Reyes did that loving, gentle and tender little double-wink kind of a thing again. And it had just melted Scully's heart, all over again.

Reyes chucked a little bit, for no apparent reason at all.

Scully snickered at her cute little chuckle. "What? What's so funny? Hum?" she playfully teased her, glad to see that the fear in her eyes had begun to vanish.

Reyes grinned widely, cocking both eyebrows at her, and shrugged. Hell. She hadn't a clue what was so funny. Everything could potentially be quite funny right now. She giggled again, stifling a need to burst into a fit of laughter.

Scully chuckled at that reaction as well. Reyes was just so cute and so innocent right now, and acting so much like a little child. She took Reyes' left hand back inside of hers, kissing it right along the top of the vein, then pulled it in a little closer, so that she could take another look at that tiny little bruise. She gently ran her thumb over the top of it and the little bump again. "Does it hurt?" she asked, glancing back up at her.

"Umum," Reyes quickly grunted, watching her gently stroke and tenderly caress her hand. For some strange reason, she wanted to lean over the table and kiss the ever-loving daylights out of Scully right now. Yep. She wanted to kiss her right on the lips. ...Shit!... What the *hell* is wrong with me?!... she mentally chastised herself, looking away. The intensity between them was just so strong! And she wanted to kiss her - kiss a woman! - and a fellow federal agent at that! ...What in the hell?!... And that was just not a good idea, no matter how much she wanted it, or tried to rationalize it, kissing a fellow female federal agent - and right on the lips, no less - was just not a very good idea, not at all.

Suddenly, Scully noticed another little bruise developing just above her wrist. She turned her hand over, which rotated her entire forearm over, and for the first time tonight, Scully saw the beginnings of other tiny little bruises, all along the underside of Reyes' forearm. ...What in...?... Where did these...?... She glanced back up at her. "What's this?" she asked, as she pushed the long sleeve of Reyes' t-shirt farther up her arm, examining the tiny little bruises.

...Oh Shit! Fuck, Reyes!... Reyes thought not responding.

"Monica?" Scully tried again, glancing back up and trying to lock eyes with her.

But Reyes looked away, pulling her arm out of Scully's scrutiny and pulling her t-shirt sleeve back down.

"Monica? Where did all of those little bruises come from?"

Reyes glanced back over at her for a moment, quirking her lips, then shrugged, not answering her question.

Scully furrowed her brow. ...Okay... Why won't you tell me?... Why?... Why, Moni?... "Monica? Let me see," she said, reaching for her forearm yet again.

But Reyes hastily folded her arms across her chest and interrupted her, asking, "Dana. H... How many more of these... do I need to drink tonight?" pointing at the unopened little bottle of Pedialyte placed between them, and seriously concentrating on holding her thoughts together through the cobwebs of pharmaceutical drunkenness. ...Come on, Reyes. Don't fuck this up, now. Get your shit together!... Mind over matter... she thought.

"Monica? I already told you. Now don't try to change the subject on me," Scully stated firmly. She had a gut feeling that Reyes was trying to hide something from her.

"I... I'm... I forgot," Reyes stammered. She really had forgotten. But she was trying to change the subject as well. She did not want Scully seeing her arms or asking her any more questions about tonight. Nope. Not tonight anyway.

Scully smirked. Well. She probably really had forgotten as inebriated as she was. "Drink that bottle and then you can have some coffee," she smirked. ...God... I sound like a mother... She smirked again.

"Okay. Coffee! Awesome!" Reyes giggled like a little girl and then yawned.

Scully smirked again.

Reyes was really struggling to keep it together and stay calm. She took a swig of the Pedialyte, glanced over at Scully, and smiled that big, bright smile.

Scully chuckled and smiled in spite of herself, shaking her head. ...Oh boy... Can I even trust what you tell me right now anyway?... You are so fucked up... she smiled at the thought.

Reyes smiled another big, bright and happy grin, winking at her.

Scully chuckled again. ...Oh my... You're so cute...

*******************

12:04 AM: They continued to sit at the table in silence, the wheels still spinning full throttle inside of Scully's pretty little head. She took another swig of her coffee, lost in thought. Something just did not add up - not about the compound, not about Reyes being so silent and hesitant to talk about it, not about the damage to Scully's hands and knuckles, and then all of those little bruises along Reyes' forearm. Nope. Something just did not add up. She sat watching her, watching her grow increasingly uneasy with her scrutiny.

Any other time, Reyes would be up to the scrutiny and be able to handle the situation. But she was just "not quite with it" right now.

Scully reached over, clasping her forearm yet again, planning to take another look at those newly formed little bruises.

"No," Reyes whimpered, sounding like a little child, fearful and frustrated and pulling her arm back.

"No? Why? Why, Monica?" Scully said, furrowing her brow.

"Hah. Dana? Shit! What's the big deal? You've seen a few little bruises before," she replied. ...Damn! Drop it already. Please?... She was growing more fearful and frustrated with each passing second. She may have been "out of it", but she knew enough to know that right now was not the time to breach this subject with Scully.

"Yes. But not all along your forearm like that. Looks like..."

"Like somebody's been punching my lights out," Reyes said grinning and finishing her sentence for her. She had an idea, and had decided to go on the offensive.

Scully's eyes widened at that comment. She had not expected that at all. "Well. Yeah. Actually," she said.

Reyes began to giggle. "Dana. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm a kick-boxer, okay? And so, I get my ass - and just about everything else on my body - hit, punched, slapped and kicked quite often in class, okay?" she said. And that was the truth. And it was as good of an excuse as anything else to cover up what Scully had accidentally done to her out at the compound. And it really was the truth. She was a trained kick-boxer. And she had occasionally competed on the National Circuit against other women in her age group, when she had found the time. And, not only that, she was a recently promoted 4th Degree Black Belt in her style of Martial Arts. So, she did get a lot of bruises, from either class. But usually, she was the one kicking everyone else's ass, in either class. "Here," she said, as she grabbed the little jar of Tiger Balm back off the table and opened it. "That's why I keep this stuff around all the time. I get a lot of bruises, Dana. A lot of bruises," she said again as she pulled her t-shirt sleeve back up. "Here. You want to see? Here ya go. But it's no big deal, Dana. Really," she said, smiling brightly. "I rarely tell people that. But... since you were concerned," she added, continuing to smile brightly and then wink at her.

Scully furrowed her brow, watching her pull her shirt-sleeve back up, seeing all of the tiny little bruises all along her arm. They looked quite recent. Quite recent, indeed. But then it can be hard to tell with small bruises like that.

"Monica..."

"Yes?... My love?" Reyes said, locking eyes with her and smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Mon... I um..." Scully hesitated. Reyes had caught her off-guard with that sweet little term of endearment.

"Dana," Reyes teased her again as she pulled the sleeve of her shirt back down and closed the little jar of Tiger Balm.

Scully inhaled deeply and then sighed. "Well... Kick-boxer, huh? Looks like you forgot to duck," she finally commented, chuckling in return.

"No shit!" Reyes hastily agreed, chuckling into another fit of giggles and laughter. Oh. She was good, damn good. Scully seemed to believe her. And it really was not a lie. She had not lied to her. She did get little bruises, and occasionally big bruises, from either of her classes. Of course, she had not been able to attend any of her classes in almost six weeks. She had been out-of-town too often doing her job. But, Scully won't ask her about that. Will she? ...Shit...

Scully sat there, mulling over the idea that Reyes' bruises had come from her kick-boxing. It was logical and made sense. It also explained those gorgeously muscular and beautifully well-formed legs and thighs. But something still did not quite add up. For one thing, her gut was screaming at her that there was more to the story, and more to Reyes' bruised up forearms than her kick-boxing class. Actually, Scully had a very sick feeling, in the pit of her stomach, that she may have had something to do with all of those little bruises. That she may have. That she. Could she? Surely not. No. No way. Or could she? Could she have actually done something like that? Hit and punch at someone, while lost into a fit of hysteria? She had done similar things to inanimate objects before. She had broken many a mirror, many a glass or plate, a bedroom door one time, and even a coffee table with her fists, out of nothing but overly excessive and uncontrolled anger. But she had never actually hit a person that she truly cared about. No. She had never gone to that extreme with her violent side before, and actually punched somebody that she truly loved. And she did love Reyes. Whether she was ready to admit that to herself or not, she truly loved Monica Reyes. So, surely, surely. She glanced back up at the brunette. ...Oh God... Surely not... Sweet Jesus... Surely, I didn't... Please, tell me I didn't hurt you... "Monica. I just, are you sure you don't remember anything about when I did this? Did all of this damage to my hands?" she asked again, as she held her hands out along the top of the table.

Reyes calmed her little giggles down, becoming quite serious again. She then glanced down at Scully's hands and then back up to her eyes. ...Oh Dana. You are just not going to drop it tonight, are you? No matter what I say or do... Well... Can't say that I blame you... Scully was starring into her eyes searching, desperately searching, for the truth. ...Okay... Okay, Dana... I'm not up to this... But I'll try... For you... Anything for you... she thought, as she briefly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, settling her thoughts and emotions, and trying desperately to push through the overpowering influences of the medications. She needed to somehow regain control of her thought processes and fight - fight through the fogginess, the giddiness, the giggles and laughter - and concentrate. She mentally reached down inside her soul, pulling the extremely weakened and almost completely depleted telepathic side of herself back up to the surface. But... Nothing. She had nothing left. She was digging and digging, reaching and struggling to find something - anything - and pull it back up. But, nothing, nothing was left. And she needed it so desperately right now, if she were going to tackle this subject with Scully, right now, tonight. She had to be sharp, intuitively aware, and on target with her thought processes. No snickering, chuckling, giggling and falling into a fit of laughter, for no apparent reason. She needed to be fully coherent. And fight these damn fucking pain-killers and muscle-relaxers, and whatever the hell else was pumping throughout her system, making her so damn drunk off her ass, and fucking with her emotions, her thoughts and even her physical responses.

"Oh God," she suddenly groaned in physical pain, clutching her gut at the instantaneous burning sensations she was creating inside of herself, along with her frustration about the situation. She just did not have it in her right now. So, they needed to drop the subject. Just for now. It was much too serious of a subject to talk about, while she was so highly intoxicated and so physically weak from her short stay in the ER. And why could Scully not see that? Why could she not see that Reyes was not up to talking about it? Not yet anyway. "Oh... Shit," she groaned again.

"Baby, what is it?" Scully said as she reached over and clasped her forearm, concerned at the slight groans of pain.

"Dana... Give me a minute, okay?" she said, reaching up and stroking Scully's cheek for a moment.

"Tummy hurting again?" Scully asked, stroking her forehead and running her fingers through her hair.

"Umhum," she nodded as she sat there, squirming in her seat, realizing that she would just have to give it up and wing it. Or she could get very sick, very quickly, all over again. ...Oh, fuck it! That's what I get for using it all up tonight, damn it!... She looked back over at Scully and smiled. ...But I'd do it all over again... Just for you... Only for you... she thought as she winked at the little redhead.

Scully smiled in return, having no idea at all what Reyes had already done for her, or what she was trying to do for her right now, at this very moment. She placed her hand tenderly against Reyes' cheek and asked, "Need me to get you something? I... I don't know what else I can give you for the pain," she said. And she was so frustrated over that. She could not give her any more stomach medication right now. Her body was a walking pharmacy as it was.

Reyes shook her head. "I'm okay. Just... It'll go away in a minute," she said, then sighed and leaned back into the chair. She chuckled a little at the situation then, "Damn!" she fussed.

"What?"

"I want to laugh! At nothing! Not a God damn thing! Shit!" she fussed again, then began to giggle all over again. "Oh... Geez... Umm," she gasped some more in pain.

"Shhh," Scully responded, placing her hand over her forearm. There was just nothing left that she could do for her, but try to keep her from giggling and laughing so much.

After a few moments, she felt a little stronger, more together inside of her head, and her stomach pain had settled back down. Maybe she could try to breach the subject after all. She could feel the pain and frustration emanating from Scully. And it was hurting - hurting her, too - inside and out. She felt Scully's pain and frustration, too. And maybe the only way to deal with it was to go ahead and hit it, head on, right now, tonight. She glanced back over at the little redhead, then looked away.

"What?" Scully responded.

Reyes sat there for another moment in silence. She then picked up Scully's hand, pulled it up to her lips, gently kissed each knuckle and then began to carefully stroke and massage her hand all over again, sadness written all over her face.

Scully's eyes widened. ...Oh my God! You *do* know!... "M... Monica? Wh...? What happened to my hands?" she said, her heart skipping a beat at the mere possibility that Reyes may know, and yet was deliberately choosing not to tell her, along with the gentle massage her hand was receiving from her, for the second time tonight. That tended to make her heart skip a beat, too.

Reyes looked up locking eyes with her. "What do you think happened?" she asked calmly, trying to possibly coax some recalled memory into Scully's head.

"No. Oh, no. Oh no you don't! Don't you give me that line! You know! You know, don't you?!" Scully yelled, raising her voice at her.

Reyes again sat silent, letting go of her hand, and then began to open the newest bottle of Pedialyte.

"Monica? Damn! Why won't you tell me?!" Scully yelled, frustrated as hell.

Reyes just looked at her. She had not intended to make her angry. But Scully had such a quick temper. And she was not used to that.

"Why, Monica?!" Scully raised her voice at her again.

"Dana. Please... Don't," she whimpered, biting her lower lip, frustrated as hell and a little hurt at the anger in Scully's voice. All she wanted to do was protect Scully from the truth, until she was strong enough to handle it. Obviously, if Scully's sub-conscious mind had seen fit to block the memory, well then, who was she to decide when to drop the bomb and tell her? Scully needed to remember it on her own first. Then they would talk about it. And then she would help her deal with the trauma, of whatever had caused it in the first place. Obviously, Scully was not quite ready to hear the truth, and come face-to-face with her own actions, or she would remember. And not only that, Reyes was not in the mental frame-of-mind herself right now to help her deal with it. Not yet. ...Shit, Dana... Just... I can't take this right now... she mused. "Dana. I... Look. The main thing is... You're okay. And your hands and knuckles are..."

"Answer my question!" Scully shouted back, interrupting her, her anger and frustration simmering into the room. ...Damn it! Answer my question!...

"Umm," Reyes groaned, swallowing hard and flinching a little bit at the tone in her voice.

..."Not now, Dana."... Scully heard that same soft and now somewhat familiar, older female voice say, from earlier in the night, inside of her head.

"Fuck you! I need to know!" Scully shouted back to the voice inside her head that was irritatingly telling her what she did not want to hear, and ultimately shouting back at Reyes.

"Dana. I... I can't take this right now," Reyes whimpered again, then abruptly got up from the little table and grabbed the little jar of Tiger Balm, so she could put it back inside her overnight bag. She could not take Scully's anger and frustration right now. She was just too weak. And she was beginning to feel nauseous all over again. And besides, her tummy hurt, right where Scully had punched her with two of her most powerful blows. And, luckily for Scully, they had both landed against her gut. And not against the ground, or a table, or a wall, or... whatever... or Scully would quite possibly have two broken hands right about now. "Ohh," she groaned again in frustration. "It's cold in here. Is your room this cold?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject, as she pulled her flannel pajama bottoms off the bed and began to put them on.

"I... I'm sorry. I... I wasn't yelling at you. I was..."

Reyes glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Well then who?" she asked.

Scully smirked. Good question. She would never believe it if she told her. ...Oh. Just some strange little voice I keep hearing inside of my head. That's all... She smirked again at the ludicrous thought. ...God. I must be going crazy!...

Reyes leaned against the bed to help hold herself up as she finished pulling her flannels up over her hips. She then sat down on the bed and began to put her socks on. "Shit! It's cold. I'm not use to..."

"Monica?" Scully tried again, easing her voice and her temper.

Reyes kept silent, pulling up her socks.

..."Dana. You need to..."... the little voice inside Scully's head tried again.

...Shut up! Shut the fuck up, damn it!... Scully shouted back to the little voice, this time careful not to say it out loud. "Monica? You're not going to tell me are you?" she said, as she watched Reyes for an answer.

Reyes looked back over at her. "Not tonight," she whispered.

No, she was not. She was hurting, too - hurting deeply - from what had happened out there at the compound, both physically and psychically. And she had not had any time yet to process everything. Although in time, she would. And when she had, she would be there for Scully, if she needed her. And Scully would need her, more than she could ever dream, Scully would need her. But the time had not yet come.

"I... But... I don't understand. Why won't you tell me?" Scully asked again, keeping her voice calm and neutral. Obviously, Reyes did not respond very well to her anger. And she needed to keep that in mind.

Reyes just continued to look at her, saying nothing, then taking another sip from her little bottle of Pedialyte that she had carried over to the bed with her.

"Damn it!" Scully fussed again frustrated.

Reyes closed her eyes, reacting to Scully's anger and frustration. "Dana? Honey? No. Not tonight, okay?... Please?" she pleaded with her, her eyes still closed from all of the pent-up emotions flooding throughout her own soul as well.

"Okay. So... What's up with your shirt?" Scully asked. Good grief. She was just not going to give it up, was she?

"Do what?" Reyes responded. Scully's question was not registering at all.

..."Dana. Tomorrow."... the soft, gentle older female voice echoed through Scully's head again.

"Umm," Scully groaned in frustration. ...Shut up! Shut the fuck up, damn it!... she began to argue even more angrily with the annoying little voice. ...Look! I need to know! I need to know if I... If... If I...

..."If you hurt her?"... the voice echoed again.

Scully's heart fell to the floor.

..."You're hurting her now."... the soft and gentle voice said again, telling her the truth.

...Oh God... Scully thought as she lowered her forehead into her palm. She was hurting her now. But, still, she needed to know. Now! And patience was just not her virtue.

After a few moments she tried again. "Your shirt, Reyes," she said, forcing herself to keep her voice calm and neutral.

"Wh...? What are you talking about?" Reyes responded, glancing back up at her, feeling so weak and exhausted, and yet, surprisingly, beginning to feel very silly and giddy, all over again. She suddenly snickered a little bit, then began to giggle, for no apparent reason at all. None whatsoever. The pressure of trying to just "think" was too difficult right now. She was struggling and fighting hard to remain focused. But she was finally at her wit's end. She had had it tonight. She was still sick, a little nauseous, exhausted, intoxicated and - to put it bluntly - ready to just find a frickin' bed and go to sleep! "Oh. Geez," she sighed, shaking her head and giggling a little more. And besides, where were all of these questions coming from all of a sudden anyway? All of these difficult questions? Had they not been giggling, teasing and cutting up with each other just a little while ago? So, what had changed all of a sudden? She honestly could not remember when the conversation had shifted. And why did she feel so "out of it", like she had just guzzled a couple of extra large pitchers of Margaritas, or something, all by herself? She began to giggle and chuckle at that thought, too.

"I know you're not that modest so what was the deal at the ER?" Scully tried again. She was just not going to give it up.

"Oh," Reyes replied. It had registered, amazingly enough. "Dana. I knew I would not be able to stay long. I already knew my time was limited there. So, granted, I needed the fluids and the IV and... And so there was no need to take it off. Right?" ...Shit!... She closed her eyes, hoping that had made some sense and would satisfy Scully for the time being. ...Shit!... I'm over this frickin' shit!... she thought again, opening her eyes and quirking her lips, then glancing back over at Scully and smiling brightly at her.

Scully smirked.

...Come on, Dana! Lighten up for Godsakes!... she thought again, then smiled even more brightly and cocked an eyebrow at her.

Scully smirked again and then smiled back, in spite of herself.

..."Dana. Let it go. She's too sick."... the nagging female voice said again, pleading with her as well, to just "let it go", inside of her head.

Scully smirked at the little voice. Well. It was the truth. Reyes was too sick. So, she would drop it for now. But tomorrow - some time tomorrow - they needed to discuss more about what had happened to her hands out there at the compound.

"Hey? What's this all about, anyway?" Reyes suddenly asked playfully, smiling from ear-to-ear, and getting Scully's attention from her musings and the relentless little voice inside of her head. "Did I not take good enough care of you tonight? Hum?" she asked teasingly, as she got up from the bed, planning to come back over to the table, but stumbled completely off balance.

"Whoa. You okay?" Scully said, quickly jumping up and grabbing onto her to keep her from falling to the floor.

"Ah. Yeah. I'm just... Geez," Reyes responded, starting to giggle again for no reason at all. None whatsoever.

Scully chuckled a little bit, then said, "You're drunk, Sweetheart."

Reyes giggled some more at that statement.

Scully chuckled herself as she eased her back down to the bed, then sat down beside her. "And yes, Monica Reyes. You took more than good enough care of me tonight. Way more," she added.

"I... I did?" Reyes stuttered a little, glancing back up and starring into her beautiful ocean-blue eyes. ...Holy shit!... She wanted to kiss her again. And right on the lips, no less! But she didn't. Amazingly enough she didn't.

Scully smiled at the innocent and childlike expression on her face. "Oh my. You are so drunk right about now, aren't you?" she observed, chuckling some more and detecting the overly dilated and faraway look in her eyes. She put her arm around her and placed her head against her shoulder. ...Oh baby, I'll drop it... I need to take care of you right now anyway, don't I?... she thought, as she leaned her cheek in against her crown, then kissed her on the forehead.

Reyes sat there, on the edge of the bed, with her head resting comfortably against Scully's shoulder. She felt very safe and content right now. She sat there for another moment, thinking about what Scully had just said. ...Drunk... Drunk... "I'm drunk. I... I'm drunk?" she suddenly asked, then began to giggle like a little girl, playful and giddy all over again. She did not remember drinking any alcohol or beer. ...Whoa... How did I get drunk?... she thought to herself. ...That can't be good... I'm still on the job... Aren't I?... Or am I?... Geez... She shook her head and began to giggle again at the situation.

"Umhum."

"Uh-oh," she responded, with that cute little childlike voice of hers.

"Uh-oh, is right," Scully snorted and chuckled in response.

"Tha... That's funny," Reyes giggled again. And that was funny. Suddenly, everything was funny. She had completely given up the fight and just let it go.

Scully chuckled again, realizing what was happening. This could really be fun for the next hour or so.

...Ring...Ring...

"Shit. Who in the world?" the brunette fussed, still giggling, as they both glanced at the clock at the exact same time. It was 12:16 AM.

...Ring...Ring...

"It's probably Doggett. He came by the room earlier," Scully said. She had forgotten to tell her about that.

Reyes nodded.

Scully got up from the bed to make a quick run to the restroom, and to give her a little more privacy.

Well. Scully would just have to wait on her questioning. Reyes was not up to it. And she was at a loss as to what more to ask anyway, for the moment. But, tomorrow, when Reyes was back on track, she would do a little more interrogating.

...Ring...Ring...

"Monica Reyes," the brunette had leaned over to the little table by the bed and answered the phone. "Hey! What are you doing? Well, without me? I'm hurt," she giggled. "Umhum. Should have known," she giggled again. "No. I just got back an hour or... No... I haven't had time... Umum... Nope... Three days... DC... Yes. I need to go to DC... Yes... Hum," she glanced around the room. Scully was not in there. "Eric. I can't. Not now... Because... I've had one hell of a... No. Not tonight. Sorry." She then cackled with laughter. "No! I'm not drunk! I... I don't know!" she laughed and giggled some more.

Scully could hear Reyes' cute little fits of giggles and laughter coming from the main room. She was just so cute, and drunk off her ass, with all of those varying medications Scully had pumped into her system. She leaned up against the sink wiping her eyes and cheeks with a cool, moist cloth. She glanced up looking in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair. She then glanced back down at her hands and knuckles. The tiny little bruises on Reyes' forearm suddenly flashed before her eyes. "Oh God... No... God, no," she barely whispered, then wrinkled her brow and ran her fingers through her hair again. She glanced back up into the mirror. "God. Please! Tell me I didn't," she whispered aloud. Tears began to run down her cheeks at the mere thought that she may very well have... ...No. I... I could never do that. Could I?... She swallowed hard at the thought. She glanced back down at her hands and knuckles and, for the first time, gave them more of a "medical doctor's" examination. Well. She had been punching something with her fists and knuckles. At least the damage appeared to be from some type of severe and intense punching. "Oh... Christ. Did I?" She sighed, closing her eyes as the tears continued to fall. She heard another little cackle of laughter come from the cute little drunk-off-her-ass Reyes in the other room. She smiled, in spite of herself, her thoughts and her tears. Oh. And there was another cute little cackle. She smiled again. Well. Whomever Reyes was talking to, she was having a grand ole time. Scully smirked, then chuckled, then noticed the bottle of cologne next to the toothpaste. She picked it up, taking a whiff of the scent. ...Oh yeah... She smiled. ...Um, um, um... She loved the scent of that cologne. She took another quick little whiff, inhaling deeply, enjoying the sweet aroma. "Ummm, Reyes," she whispered, smiling again. Now, every time she ever caught a whiff of that scent, she would always think of Reyes. Although, she had only known of one other person that had ever worn that particular brand. So, the chances of her coming across it any time soon were rather slim, to say the least. "Mmm. Unique, my lady... Very unique," she whispered to herself. Oh. And there was another cute little giggle and laugh coming from the other room. She giggled herself. ...I bet you were an absolute doll when you were a little girl... Beautiful... Those big, dark brown and expressive eyes... And that dark hair... Oh my... You're kids would be beautiful... She smiled. Her tears had dried. ...I wonder... Do you even want kids?... Or at least a child... She smiled again at that thought as she lovingly stroked her tummy. Soon, very soon, she would be feeling some movement, and maybe even a little kick from her unborn son. She glanced at her watch. Not much longer and she could probably go back to her own room and try to get some sleep. But first, she needed to get another BP read from Reyes, and then get her to settle down, if at all possible, after this phone call. Then hopefully get her to go to sleep. She chuckled at the sounds of giggling and laughter coming from the other room. She glanced back up at the mirror. "Whew... You about did me in there for a minute, Agent Reyes. With that wonderful hand massage and those sweet little kisses. Um, um, um... I bet you are one hot tamale in bed," she whispered to herself, shaking her head at the thought.

Reyes was still lying across the bed, laughing her ass off, with the phone tucked up against her jaw and collarbone, as Scully walked back out into the main room. "Umum... No... Because... Trust me... I can't right now... Because someone's here in the... Right... Yes... Umhum," she chuckled again. "Oh! You are so bad. Umm... I think you can handle it," she giggled some more as Scully sat back down at the little table. She then looked over at Scully and winked.

Scully smiled. She had been getting a kick out of listening to Reyes' cute little fits of laughter from the other room. She could giggle herself at all of the childlike laughter radiating all around the room.

"Oh. I'm sure you know how. You're a big boy," Reyes said, giggling again.

Scully glanced over at her raising an eyebrow. ...Must be some conversation... she thought.

"I can't. I... Eric. Take care of it. You can do it," Reyes teased, then guffawed at whatever he had just said back to her.

Scully cocked another eyebrow as she tried not to eavesdrop. But, hell, she was in the very same room. So it was virtually impossible not to overhear this side of the conversation. She glanced up at the TV for a moment to see if anything of real interest was on the screen. ...Nope. Damn infomercials... "Hum," she sighed quietly, then glanced at her watch. ...Oh! Time for another BP read... she thought.

After a few moments, Reyes' fit of giggles quieted back down. "Okay. I'll be home in three days... Right... Okay... See you in three. Good night," she said, then rose up, hanging the phone up, sighed, and then lay back down across the bed. She then rolled over onto her stomach, giggling and giggling, and giggling some more. ...God... Wanting me to talk dirty to him while he jacked himself off... Shit... What a night... She continued to giggle and giggle and giggle. She just could not seem to quit giggling. And picturing Eric with a major hard-on beginning to jack himself off. "Ohhh," she sighed again, between her giggles.

Scully got up from the table and came over to the bed with the blood pressure unit in tow. "Monica? I hate to bother you with this, but we need to check your blood pressure again."

Reyes stretched her right arm out, not even bothering to roll back over onto her back or get up.

Scully chuckled at the cute little gesture. "Monica? You've got to roll over. I can't do it this way."

"You can't? Ohhh, I bet you can. I bet you can 'do it' any way you want," Reyes teased, sounding quite seductive all of a sudden, rolling back over and onto her back, with a look of pure desire written all over her face. ...Shit!... What am I doing?... She suddenly realized what she had just said. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, quickly straightening herself back up.

"Flirting with me, Agent Reyes?" Scully teased, stifling a laugh at the playful banter and the "deer in headlights" look she had just seen flash across her face yet again.

...God! I am flirting with her!... Oh man!... "I... I'm sorry," Reyes whimpered, hastily sitting back up and leaning up against the back of the headboard.

"Well, I'm not," Scully said.

Reyes' eyes shot wide open in surprise, surprised as hell at that comment.

Scully about lost it, seeing Reyes' changing expressions and moods. Good thing she had pulled her own libido back in a little while ago, or they would be in some serious trouble right about now. She chuckled again, as she attached the BP cuff to Reyes' arm. ...God..."Oh, what a night... Late December back in '63..." more like late October... She stifled another giggle as she heard the stances of an old love song repeating inside her head.

Reyes watched her "pump, pump, pump" the unit and then listened to the "phssss" sound of the air escaping out of the rubber ball. "Well? What's the verdict?" she asked, glancing back up at Scully, smiling.

"Good. No, actually. It's great. Back to normal."

"Awesome! Now may I have a cup of coffee? Pretty please?" she teased, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, you may," Scully chuckled, amazed at how quickly Reyes' body was recovering from just a couple of hours earlier.

...Ring...Ring...

"Well... Shit! Damn Grand Central Station around here," she fussed again, leaning across the bed to get to the phone yet again.

"That's probably Doggett," Scully guessed, chuckling at her frustration. All of a sudden, Reyes was a very popular girl.