fugue of the dying

The wine glasses sat  on the table half filled with warm, stale wine.The stereo moodily played a generic piece of Muzak, and clothes littered the floor between the small den and Skinner's even smaller bedroom.

The sex had been methodical, mechanical. The passion that once saturated every moment seemed to have dissipated like  morning rains on a hot day.

Spent, unsatisfied, the two FBI agents lie in an almost unpassionate embrace.

Walter clenched his eyes to keep the tears from flowing. He knew what was coming, had felt it coming for the past month. Ever since...

"Fox."

Mulder twitched, a kind of startled jump that told Walter he was feeling very guilty of something.

Skinner sat up, buried his face in his hands. "Fox?"

Fox jumped out of bed, quickly grabbing his boxers and pulling them on.

"Are you going to talk to me?"

Fox grabbed his pants, and started to put them on. In the midst of it, he stopped, and a choked sob escaped him. The buckle of his belt hit the floor as he dropped the half-donned pants and sat heavily on the bed, his hands moving to staunch the sudden flow of tears from his eyes.

"Fox...what's going on?" asked Skinner, the tears welling up in his own eyes now.

Mulder looked up, his red and teary eyes saying more than any words could.

"Don't you already know?" he choked out.

Both men looked at the floor.

"It's over, Skinner. And I want to blame you but I can't. Ever 
since..."

"Yeah, I know. You've changed since then."

"I wish she..."

Walter jumped up. "But she can't and she isn't and there's nothing you can do!" he yelled, "Why can't you just take what you have and be happy for once!?"

A wry smile flashed briefly on Fox's face. "But what would I do with my penchance for melodramatics?"

"Damnit, Fox... god, I love you. I don't understand..."

"Don't. You don't need to." Fox began dressing. "it's not you,
and it's not anything you can fix, so please..."

"Please...what?"

"Please wait."

"For what?"

Fox tried to smile at Skinner but failed. 

Silence fell over the two men as Fox bent over to gather the rest of his clothes

Walter's mind spun. The descent into despair was a quick one,
and it felt like years had passed when Fox whispered to him,
"Will you at least escort me to the door?"

Again in silence, the men walked to the door, Fox dressed but rumpled, and Walter in his hastily donned robe.

As Fox crossed the threshold, he looked back at Walter, and
suprised him by kissing him passionately on the lips.

"I've had to put the love away," he whispered to the stunned man, "And I leave it with you to hold for me until I return. I do love you, Walter...never stop loving me."

Mulder walked down the hall, and disappeared into the shadows, leaving a stunned and teary Skinner standing in the doorway, holding his fingers where Fox's lips were a moment ago.