Volcanoes
By RocketMan

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"If they are well cleaned out, volcanoes burn slowly and steadily,
without any eruptions." --"The Little Prine" Antoine de Saint Exupery
=====

Mulder watched the television play another haunting episode of "The
Twilight Zone" and shuddered at the way it so much fit his life. The
anger in him was exactly like the anger in the main character, ready to
explode at anything or anyone. And his frustration was sky high; he had
a bad feeling it would all come out, exactly when he didn't need it to.

He felt like a volcano about to blow, the hot magma of anger rising up
through him, ready to explode and kill all the things around him. The
liquid fire coursing through his veins and awakening the sleeping pain
and setting it ablaze with his anger. He was ready to blow.

The knock on his door seemed a bad omen for it and he cursed silently,
hating that he was angry enough to curse in the first place. He got up,
switching off the TV and walked to the door. He saw the top of her head
through the peephole and hoped he would be good. If there was one thing
he couldn't mess up, it was what they had.

"Mulder." she said as she walked in.

He nodded, afraid the words out of his mouth would be foul.

"I know you're angry."

"Not with you." Whew, that went all right enough.

"But with them, I know. You can't let it eat at you, Mulder." she said.

"Since when did you get a pyschology diploma?" he asked snidely and
immediately regretted it.

She didn't seem fazed. "Since you became so hostile." she shot back and
he winced. He had been hostile, that was for sure.

"Sorry."

"Mulder, I want you to let it out. Go run or lift weights or do whatever
it is you do to relieve stress."

He couldn't tell her that he releived stress by watching his videos and
imagining her, it'd be too crass.

But the look on his face said it all.

"Even that," she sighed, wishing there was another way.

His face broke into a smile and he grinned wickedly. "Maybe you could
watch them with me, huh?"

She seemed appalled and he mentally berated himself. 

"Jeez, sorry I --"

"Mulder, shut up. You're only being you."

He flinched at that. "I certainly hope this is not me."

She frowned. "What?"

"I hope I'm not always so disgusting, especially around you."

She sighed and shook her head. "Well, sometimes."

His mouth dropped open. "But it's joking most of the time."

"Most?"

"All," he hastily corrected.

"You weren't joking then?"

He shook his head and pulled her to the couch. "No, just stay for awhile
though, Scully. I don't know of any other way of putting me in a good
mood."

"No videos?"

"Why, were you hoping for them?"

She violently shook her head. 

"No, no videos, but reruns of "The Twilight Zone," if you can stand it."

"Much better than your videos." she said and allowed him to pull her on
the couch.

They sat together for the first story, then he pulled her against him,
onto his chest after that.

She didn't say a thing.

When she fell asleep later that night at about midnight, he realized
that sometimes he needed to be cleaned out. Get out in the light of
goodness and bask in it, before the dark could reach in and steal his
soul.

And she was just the one to clean him out, to give him light.

Sleeping in his arms, so light and delicate, her hair in waves around
his chest, was the one woman who could put everything right again. Dana
Scully, partner, friend, and volcano cleaner.

====
Adios
End
RocketMan