Dogs "Dana, you don't really want to do this, do you." "No." She bit her lip and looked up at him. He was her mentor, her friend, her model for what a field agent should be -- and now, almost her lover. Almost. "I didn't mean that, Jack," she backpedaled frantically. "I'm just a little nervous...." He laughed, not without bitterness. "Dana, I've seen you a little nervous. Before that raid, you were a little nervous. This is plain scared." She pulled herself straight in his arms, and he almost laughed again. Dr. Dana Scully was going into argument mode. "I'm not that nervous. I can do this." He cupped her face. "I'm sure you can. You might even be able to make it good, because I've never seen you do anything less than well. But I won't do that to you. You deserve better than that." "Jack! You make it sound like rape!" "Isn't it?" "I'm willing." "Only in your head, Dana. Only in your head." He sighed. "And believe me, this is not the kind of thing to get into if the rest of you is not in agreement." He paused. "Though it's usually people's bodies that are the ones in favor...." She pulled from his arms at that. "I'm not a cold person!" He didn't pursue her. "No, you're not." His voice was wistful. "Nobody who sees you teaching class or working the field or digging into one of your mystery corpses could think that. But I don't think you're ever going to feel any passion for me, other than as a good friend." She turned back toward him, and he saw a glistening tear track on her face. "I want to love you. You deserve it. You've done so much for me, and you're such a good man. But...." He saw the gallantry, but he also saw her hopelessness. "But." She bowed her head, and then slowly nodded it. He reached out to her and held her without a word. When her tears and gulping stopped flowing, he broke the silence as he rubbed her back. "Some people are like cats. They go their own way and wander around and come back. But you and me, we're dogs." "Flatterer," she said quietly. He almost laughed. "We are. We like lots of people, but in the end, only one of them is our person. And when we find that person, that'll be it." "You really think so?" "Hey, you're the one who told me that story about your mom and dad." She almost smiled.