"We hung out and watched a lot of television."
 

When Janet woke up, sometime in the night, she was alone. Opening her eyes,
she saw Mulder silhouetted against the window, staring out into the night.
The faint light from the street softened all the sharp planes of his face
and hid the lines on his forehead.

God, he was gorgeous. It was so easy to be good to him, because he was so
grateful for any uncritical attention, and so receptive to being touched. He
was unaware of how he seemed to crave even a little affection. Janet
wondered what kind of women he had known. Why hadn't his partner knocked him
down and ravished that mouth?

The first few times they had sex, it was hot, sweaty and urgent. Not very
romantic. But tonight, she had felt a wash of tenderness coloring her every
touch, her every word to him.  As though they had been lovers for a long
time.

He had come over straight from his car; he had walked across the street, and
taken her briefcase out of her hand. "Buy you dinner?" he asked, carefully
casual.

"Only if you really want to. I'd rather cook spaghetti; I've been craving it
all day."

He gave her a big smile. "Sure. I'd love to eat spaghetti."

As they walked to her building foyer, she said, "You know, if you want to go
for a run and come back and eat, that's cool."

He gave her a surprised look. "Maybe later this week, if that's okay. I kind
of wanted to hang out, if you don't care."

(What could she say, that wouldn't betray her sudden pity for him?)"Care? I
thought you realized I'm a couch potato. Potato Anonymous member: 'My name
is Janet and I watch Cops.' "
 

He had gone straight to her bedroom to hang up his jacket and tie, and
unlace his thick, trendy dress shoes. While she shucked off her suit, she
heard the small noises of his holster, wallet, keys, badge, coins, and cuffs
clinking on the dresser. She went to him, and pulled his face to hers for a
kiss. She kissed his lips, both eyelids, and his jaw. Then she hugged him,
hard. "What's that for?" he asked, hugging her in return.

"No reason, " she said. She broke away, and finished changing clothes. "Now
I gotta cook. Come open the wine?"
 

Now, watching his brooding profile, Janet felt a strong distaste for every
idiotic so-called friend Mulder had.  It wasn't as though she had a
multitude of her friends in the metro area, but she had more than he did.
Even if they were all lawyers or cops, she thought with an inward laugh.

She got out of bed and slid an arm around his waist. He leaned into her; his
face still turned outward. "I'd like to go where we could see the stars,' he
said quietly.

She stroked his back. "I'd like that. You can't see them here." She yawned,
despite herself. "I went to an Astronomy Society program and saw the comet.
In fact, we could see the comet from the sidewalk. Remember?"

He looked down at her and gave her his slow, wide smile. "I forgot to look.
My friend Frohike went to the same program you did. He wanted me to go." He
put both arms around her. "I don't sleep well at night. I don't want to keep
you up."

"Come back to bed and turn on the television. It won't bother me. I'll put
my Walkman on." At his short laugh, she explained, "I have insomnia, myself,
but I usually listen to NPR all night. I sleep with it."

"So that's why you have the headphones under your pillow."

"Yeah, but this bed has good mojo. I sleep pretty well. You have too, so
far."

He let her pull him back to bed. "Have I?"

"Well, if snoring is any indication." She was reaching for the television
remote, but he caught her wrist, stilling her.

"Let's listen to the radio. Classical music has a soporific effect on me,
too."

"Yes, it's amazing how sophisticated we both are." She leaned across him and
switched on her boom box. "It's what attracted me to you."

"I thought you liked my ass," he yawned. She began slowly stroking his
shoulders and back. "Ooh-I like that. You can do that all night."

"I could tell you were sophisticated from your ass, alone." She felt her own
eyes getting heavy. He turned under her stroking hand, and put his arm
around her waist.

"I'm good. Go to sleep."