re #2: See, I never see the M/S dynamic as being particularly sexual, so that might be why this section worked better for me than for others. To me M/S have always seemed more like extremely close platonic friends. They might flirt, they might have occasional tension-relieving sex (I do read fanfic, after all) but romance is a hard sell for me.

Samantha even makes the first move. I can't see Mulder doing the same in the circumstances.