"Nicer than mine," he says, and it's a half-assed attempt at a joke, but there's some levity in his voice. He gives her a little squeeze. "You upgraded, Scully."

And maybe she deserves that, too. Following him led her to heartbreak and desperation; it left her so drained that she couldn't look at him any longer. Why not live somewhere with neighbors? Fridges that leave their own notes? HOA squabbles and koi ponds and dramatic architecture - she should have the petty normalcy of a life surrounded by other lives, if that's what she wants.

All the evidence suggests she does. Seeing just where she's been living since she left is like being socked in the face with it: This is what she wanted, not the dark rooms and dark moods of Fox Mulder.