~ she doesn't like to show you her tears
she doesn't want feelings to get in the way
somebody hurt her a long time ago
she sealed up her heart
and that's how it will stay
"She Keeps Her Love Away" ~ Alice Ripley

It had been twenty minutes since she had stopped crying, but his arms hadn't relaxed around her shoulders. Mulder had become accustomed to staying at her side when she couldn't sleep and as much as Scully didn't want to appear in the slightest bit weak - to him or to anyone else - she couldn't deny that he brought her a degree of impossible, irreplaceable comfort. The rhythm and pattern of his breathing had become a warm, impossible thing that she didn't really believe she could fall back to sleep without even if she tried harder than she had at anything else in her life.

"Can you go back to sleep?" His voice was as rich and warm, strong as the arm that he wound across her stomach and held her against his chest with. Her own hands were pillowing at the curve of her jaw, keeping her from falling into too uncomfortable of a position, but he was also making certain of that without her even being coherently aware of it.

They were partners, and they took care of each other. Looked out for each other, even when the other didn't know it.

"I can," she said quietly, and he kissed the place above her ear before laying his cheek against hers and letting sleep come to the both of them again.

Muse: Dana Scully
Fandom: the X-Files
Word Count: 223

"I've had nothing yet", Alice replied in an offended tone: "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take *less*. It's very easy to take *more* than nothing."
the Mad Hatter's response to Alice (Lewis Carroll)

The little fingers were wrapped around one of her own and there was nothing she could do in that moment other than marvel, other than choose to remain still and watch, touch, be in that precise instant. Their breathing patterns didn't match because a small pair of lungs needed to fill more frequently but that didn't bother her. Cuddy was too busy being fascinated by the breathing itself. She had seen many miracles which brought life back to what it had been but nothing would be able to marvel and fascinate her the way that the beginning of new life did each time.

Her name would not be Joy, there would be another name, one that she had not come agree with herself on yet, but it would be a name that would hold meaning for her the rest of her life. Having a child was something she had thought about more than once and given herself full license to believe in once and again.

Dreams were funny things. They seemed to come true when a person least expected them to.

For a long expanse of time more she stayed, her thumb moving across the tiny knuckles and touching the soft skin, and she wondered if she would ever get enough of touching it. If any time would ever make her believe this is it, I can let go now and she would be able to release her grasp.

She already knew the answer, but for now she would pretend she didn't. It was one of a handful of moments in which she was okay with not being outwardly, immediately right.

Muse: Lisa Cuddy
Fandom: House M.D.
Word Count: 271