From: X-Phan Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 14:13:46 -0700 (PDT) Subject: New Story "In Good Hands" by X-Phan Source: direct TITLE: "IN GOOD HANDS" BY: X-Phan E-MAIL ADDRESS: xphan1013@yahoo.com RATING: NC-17 for descriptions of sexual situations CLASSIFICATION: SR, Story, Romance TIMEFRAME/SPOILER WARNING: As always, set before the last 2 seasons, during the "status quo" time before "the baby", Doggett, Mulder's abduction etc... but no serious spoilers. KEYWORDS: MSR SUMMARY: Scully is injured and temporarily becomes dependent on Mulder's care for even the most basic of needs. ARCHIVE INFO: Can be archived anywhere as long as my name, address and disclaimer stay intact. FEEDBACK: Please email me with any comments, reviews, constructive criticism, etc... DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and the characters of Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be gained. BETA-GIRL'S NOTE: Finally a story to beta and enjoy. You know, I was almost starving over here! ___________________________________________________________ The X-Files: "In Good Hands" by X-Phan *********************** Whatever thy hand findest to do, do it with all thy heart. -- Jesus of Nazareth *********************** Having a job in the Federal bureau of investigation is inherently dangerous, especially for agents in the X-Files division. That being said, Agent Scully wasn't expecting to find trouble in the basement hallway of the Hoover building, certainly not from something so unassuming as a shelving unit. She had spilled a little coffee from an overfilled cup and went looking for some cleaning supplies. She found a blue bottle that looked promising, but it was slightly out of reach on a top shelf near the end of the hallway. Not one to let her height deficiency ever stop her, she first tried nudging it off the edge with her fingertips. When that didn't work she put a foot on the bottom shelf and pulled herself up to get it, but what she didn't know was that the floor beneath her was uneven and the added weight was enough to immediately tip the unit over. Scully tried to step back and raised her arms to catch it, however the metal shelves were too heavy and pushed her against the wall. She let out a yelp as she hit and the last think she heard was the sickening snap of a bone breaking. The noise brought Mulder to the door. "Scully!" He ran down the hall calling her name. Thankfully the shelving unit was taller than the hallway was wide so it wedged against the opposite wall rather than crushing her beneath it. He pulled her out from underneath and checked her pulse before calling for an ambulance. Scully slowly drifted back to consciousness and opened her eyes. Her left arm ached badly. Her partner was watching her intently and almost jumped out of his chair when he saw her blink. "Scully are you okay?" "Mmmm, 'cept my arms hurt. Damn shelf." "What happened? I didn't see anyone else down there. Did someone do this on purpose?" She had to grin a little at that. "I suppose an assassination attempt would be a lot less embarrassing than say, me climbing up the stupid thing and having it fall over on top of me, so let's go with the conspiracy angle if anyone asks." "Damn Scully, I hadn't even finished counting the new gray hairs you gave me the last time you landed in the hospital." "Would you forgive me if I promised no more free climbing at the office?" "With that cast I won't need to watch too closely to make sure you keep it." "Ahhh so that's why I can't move my arm." "That and the radial fracture that made the doctors put it on you. You will be pleased to hear that you don't appear to have a concussion. They suggested the shock of your arm breaking could have caused you to lose consciousness." "Terrific." "The bad news however is that it's not just your left wing in a sling. You probably can't feel it at the moment with the drugs they have you on, but your right wrist is also sprained. It was starting to swell, so they have it wrapped up and iced. So until you learn how to hold a gun in your teeth it looks like you won't be chasing aliens for a while." "Ah crap." "Yup." They sat in silence for a little while until Mulder spoke up. "Oh hey, I didn't call you mother right away when the docs said the major damage was the broken arm. Want me to call her now?" "I guess you should, thanks." Mulder stood up and went to leave. "No, wait! You can't tell her. She's supposed to fly out to San Diego the day after tomorrow for Matthew's birthday. She's been waiting for this for weeks and if you tell her I'm injured she'll cancel so she can take care of me. The last thing I need is for Bill to hear about this and tell me I ruined Matty's birthday because of my dangerous job." "I think they'd understand once they knew it was an accident and you're mother would be pretty upset if she found out you didn't say anything about getting hurt." "Do you think there's a difference in Bill's mind between getting wounded in the line of duty and having a foolish accident at work. All that matters is how it affects him. At least there's some honor in a gunshot wound, but this just makes me look incompetent as well as inconsiderate. As for my mother it's easier just to ask for forgiveness afterward. She expects me to be stubbornly independent anyway." Mulder snorted at that and retorted, "Whatever for?" "Shut up Mulder," she said with a grin. "Okay but you're forgetting what she'll do to me when she realizes I kept it from her too." "I'll just say I made you promise to keep it a secret. She knows I can always push the right buttons to make you give in." "You can either convince me or make fun of me but probably not both." "Puh-leeeeease. I need your help partner. You know I'd do it for you." "Alright I'll do exactly what you would do for me in this situation. I'll agree not to call you mother on the condition that you do get the help your going to need from another source. I'm sure the hospital can recommend a home nursing service to assist you until your wrist heals." "No way in hell. I'm not letting some stranger into my home or touch me in any way. You know the kind of psychos I attract. I'd wake up one morning with my liver eaten. Or worse it would be the perfect opportunity for a consortium spy to experiment on me in my own bed. 'Here swallow these pills and pay no attention to the men that just walked in,' I'd be defenseless. You wouldn't do that to me. Believe me when I say I'll be fine. I'll make do. Microwave dinners for a couple of weeks and I'll walk down to the salon to get my hair washed whenever I need it. It won't be that big a deal." "I didn't say I liked the idea I said you have to accept help from someone if you would like to keep you mother out of this. It's more than TV dinners and trips to the salon. Are you going to get dressed, brush your teeth, feed yourself all with one working pinky finger? You don't strike me as the type to dive head first into a Lean Cuisine and then what, wipe your face off on the drapes?" "Damn it Mulder don't you dare call her." "I'm open to suggestion. The FBI is not going to pay for you to stay in a hospital for a month with a broken arm. You'll be lucky if they pay your salary while you're on medical leave considering how we tend to impose on their generous insurance plan so often. Don't you have any doctor friends from medical school who could help?" "Oh sure I'll just call up an old pal, 'Hey remember that class we had together? Yeah those were great times. By the way could you come over and cook and clean for me? Oh yeah you might have to feed me too and don't forget the occasional sponge bath.' "You made your point. If you're adamant about not letting your mother take care of you then I have a solution, but you're going to like it even less than the promise of a liver-eating mutant." "What?" "Good night Scully. Get some rest. I'll be outside if you need me." "What?" "I'll try to find out when they're planning to discharge you." "Wait, what are you going to do? Mulder?" Mulder didn't answer as he left the room. Scully steeled herself to do a more thorough inspection of the damage to know just what she would be up against in the near future. Her left arm was in a thick cast from above the elbow to the just past where her fingers began. She could wiggle them but it hurt even over the numbness of the painkillers. Her right arm could bend at the elbow despite being stiff and sore, but lower than that there was hardly any feeling beyond a dull throb. Her wrist was immobile. Her fingers seemed weak and unresponsive. She could visualize the swelling underneath the bandages and knew it would not heal in just a few days. She wasn't able to touch her fingertips to her thumb with either hand so holding objects would be very difficult. Scully was starting to regret not letting her mother come console her. At least her mom was one person who wouldn't think any less of her for complaining about her misery. She didn't have too much time to dwell on it before a doctor knocked on her door. "Ms. Scully my name is Dr. Jennings. It's good to see you're awake. You were out a little longer than I would have liked, but as I told your partner the results of the MRI were negative for cranial trauma so it appears as if the broken arm and sprain are the worst of your injuries. It probably doesn't seem like it now but I'd say you were pretty lucky given the circumstances. You certainly had your partner worried." "He gets a little over protective sometimes. I hope he wasn't standing over your shoulder giving advice while you were working." "He was careful not to get in the way of your care. Speaking of which, I get the feeling you'll be in good hands while you recover. As for you sprained wrist it needs to be elevated and iced down to keep the swelling to a minimum. In two to three weeks you should begin exercising it to begin to regain range of motion and build up strength. Don't try to overdo it, fighting through the pain won't make it return to normal faster and may extend the time it takes to heal. Your left arm will take considerably longer, at least six to eight weeks, based on the severity of the break, before we can think of taking the cast off. All the standard rules apply to taking care of it, don't get it wet etc ... I understand you're a doctor too so I won't bore you with the details. Do you have any questions?" "No, thank you, just when will I be discharged?" "Since you were unconscious for quite a while I think it would be prudent to keep you over night, but if there aren't any problems you go home tomorrow morning." "All right." "If there's anything else feel free to have me paged. Your prescriptions will be waiting for you when you leave tomorrow. Try to get some rest and I'll have the nurse come in with a fresh ice pack for your wrist." The doctor left and Mulder stuck his head in the room. "So the doc says you're getting sprung tomorrow." "Yeah, you didn't make any calls did you?" "Nope, we have an agreement. It was your decision." "Thank you for understanding." "Get some sleep. If you need anything I won't be far. Just snap you fingers, uh, clap your ... well how about just yell," he teased. "Shut up Mulder." "Night Scully." Thirteen boring uncomfortable hours later Mulder was escorting her to his car with a bag of her things and bottles of pills she would need to keep from being in agony as bones knit and tissue healed. Needing the nurse to assist her in getting dressed that morning was an unpleasant reminder of just how helpless she would be for the next few weeks. Scully was not in the best of moods despite Mulder's efforts to keep up her morale. She didn't say much on the way to her apartment and was secretly hoping to just take a very long nap at the end of which she could wake up healthy enough to take on some light duties back at work. "We're here Scully." "Hmmm?" She looked around and saw they were already parked on her street. "Oh, okay, thanks for the ride." Without thinking she went to open the door and just ended up bumping her wrist against the handle. "Ow, damn it." "I got it Scully." Mulder jumped out and ran around the car. She squeezed her eyes shut and steeled herself against getting angry with him for having to accept help. Mulder pulled her door open and steadied her as she climbed out. "Thank you." "That's what I'm here for." He followed her up the stairs and let them into her apartment. "Home sweet home, at least you can get a good night's sleep in your own bed from now on." "Yeah." "So are you hungry or anything. I can make something or call for take out." "Not really, maybe you can warm something up for me before you leave so I'll have it for later." "I don't have any place to be so just tell me when you feel up to eating. You will have to have something in your stomach to take those pills this afternoon." "Yes mother, I mean Mulder." "Be nice or I'll make you eat nothing but vegetables." "I like vegetables." "Nobody likes vegetables. So what do you want to do? Watch some TV?" "Well I was thinking of some tennis but then I remembered my arms are broken so yeah how about some TV." "Oh boy we're just gonna be a barrel of laughs for the next few weeks aren't we." She sighed. "I'm sorry Mulder, but you know how hard this is for me. I can guarantee I'm not going to be good company for a while, so by all means take a break. Go back to work or whatever and if you want to stop by sometimes with groceries or take out I would appreciate your concern." "You're right Scully, I'm sorry for snapping at you. You have the right to gripe all you want and I have to realize where it's coming from. If I'm going to help you out, and I am, I need to be more understanding and have a thicker skin." "It's all right. Grab the remote and let's see what's on." Mulder turned on the television and after finding a pillow to prop up her arm; he positioned the remote right under one of her good fingers so she could flip through the channels. "Hold on a sec. Can't forget the ice." He when into the kitchen and brought back and ice pack for her wrist. "Thanks, Mulder." She gave him a genuine smile and the mood of a few seconds ago was forgotten. "Okay Scully so where are your markers?" "Desk drawer, why?" "Well I get to sign your cast don't I?" He pulled out the box. "I suppose if you want." "Where's your enthusiasm? You have a blank canvas right there just waiting to be filled with creative expression." "Exactly what are you going to write?" "I don't know yet. Any ideas?" "Nothing inappropriate. I'll probably still have it on when I go back to work." "So I suppose 'Fibbies do it on government time' is out." "Way out," she smirked. "How about 'Fibbies do it for the good of the people'." "Still out, same reason." "With handcuffs? To protect interstate commerce?" "Mulder." "Okay I got one." He pulled out a blue marker and at the top near her elbow wrote: Gravity 1 Me 0. "Very funny, is that the best you can come up with?" "Hey, give me a chance. I'm just getting started." Mulder used all the colors and had her laughing for real a number of times. She chastised him for 'I have PMS and a Sig Sauer, don't ask' but didn't make him stop. Scully contributed a few of her own as well. He had to make the alien green since the box didn't have gray, however they agreed the use of artistic license was acceptable. He saved some room at the end for 'Get Well Soon - M' and she couldn't hold back another thousand-watt smile. "So has tradition been upheld and our creativity properly expressed?" she asked him. "I think we made a good effort. The likeness of the alien is quite startling if I do say so myself." "It's like it's right here in the room." "Perhaps your mother would like a portrait of you for her mantle." "I don't know. It's a tempting offer, but it might put the pictures of the rest of the family to shame." "Of course the other caveat is that I only do nudes." "Oh, nudity is required for stick figures?" "Well how else would I know how big to make the booby circles?" They both broke down and laughed at that. As soon as they stopped they looked at each other and cracked up again. It took a few minutes to calm down. "You know what they say, Scully, about the healing effects of laughter." "I should be well on my way then. Thanks for sticking around Mulder. I'm glad you lifted my spirits, because I do actually feel better." "That's what I want to hear." "I'm also getting hungry. I can't believe how much time we spent drawing on my cast that it's already dinner time." "What do you have in mind?" "I don't care. Something simple or if you want we can order out." "Let me go check your fridge and see what I can do." He called her into the kitchen forty-five minutes later. Nothing was on fire and the food looked edible. Mulder had grilled a couple of chicken breasts to go with rice and frozen vegetables. "It smells good. You didn't have to go to this much trouble though. Sandwiches would have been fine, not that I'm complaining." "No problem. I can figure out basic meals like this; however, I'm afraid I couldn't find any barbecue sauce, so it'll have to be ketchup on the chicken." "Ketchup? Yuck." "Okay not on yours then. Sit down. Have any straws?" "Um yeah, second cabinet from the left, top shelf." He put one in her juice and slid it over close enough so she could drink by herself. She couldn't help but notice the chicken was cut up into bite-sized pieces to help her. Scully looked at her fork for a second trying to decide the best way to hold it. Not having the use of her thumb, she was able to squeeze it between three fingers. After the second bite the strength it took to hold the fork tightly enough was making her hand shake. It finally slipped and fell into her plate. "Damn, I hate this." "It's all right, Scully." He picked it up and speared a carrot. Instead of bringing it to her mouth he waved in around in the air and made buzzing noises. "Open up the hanger. The plane's coming in for a landing." Finally he held it up to her mouth. "Mulder," she warned. "I'll be good," he smiled. She doubted it. He fed her every bite while eating his own meal in between. Scully smiled and tried to take it with good humor, but it grated on her to be so powerless, so totally at the mercy of the world. To think that if she were alone she might actually starve in her own kitchen simply because she couldn't open a box was intolerable. The frame of mind she'd been in when they laughed over decorating her cast seemed a faint memory as the reality of her situation once more settled over her. "Good job Scully. You finished all your awful tasting vegetables, and after you take your pills, I think you've earned a treat." She didn't answer as he removed a pill from each bottle. Once she was done swallowing them Mulder put a bowl in front of her. "No barbeque sauce, but you do have a substantial supply of chocolate ice cream." He sat down again, picked up a spoonful, and brought it to her lips. "Mulder I'm not really - mmpphh." He had taken the opportunity to shove it in. "There's always room for ice cream. Relax, stop thinking about anything else, and enjoy your dessert." She sighed and did as instructed. Halfway through the bowl Mulder asked her a question. "What do you think it is about chocolate that make so many people like it?" "What?" "Chocolate, is it just the taste? It's not normally sweet without a lot of sugar added. If you've ever snagged a piece of your mother's baking chocolate when you were a kid, it's pretty bitter." "Sure I did. Actually I used to like it, in small quantities of course." "Why?" "I don't know. It was strong, dark. It tasted rich. The flavor would still be with you an hour later." "They say it has mood enhancing chemicals." "Maybe, like coffee, they both come from a similar source." "We don't like coffee. We need it. We're accustomed to the taste and physically dependent on the caffeine. Chocolate is different. You like it the first time you try it and always remember the flavor even if you hadn't had any in years." "I'm really not sure what the underlying appeal is, if there is one, or if it's a combination of things." "Maybe it does just taste really good. Ever see the movie: Nine and Half Weeks?" "Why?" "Have you?" "I think so. Kim Basinger and some guy nobody remembers." "That's the one." "Why do you ask?" She didn't need confirm the answer. The refrigerator scene was already playing in her head. The man sensually feeding the woman and her trusting him not to give her anything that would taste bad was hard to forget. The parallels were so painfully obvious he wouldn't need to explain. "No reason. It was just a pretty entertaining movie." He said this as he dragged the spoon slowly over her bottom lip. Her mind certainly was no longer on her troubles if that's what his plan had been. Mulder scooped up the last spoonful of ice cream and brought it toward her. At the last second he changed direction and her eyes followed it into his mouth. Her jaw stayed open for a couple of seconds in shock. "That was the last bite. I can't believe you did that." "It was good too. Besides you didn't want any to begin with." "Yes, but ... " there was nothing she could say so Scully just cut her losses, "never mind." "Why don't you go watch some TV? I'll finish cleaning up the kitchen then join you." "Okay," said Scully, but she had something more pressing to take care of first. She had needed to use the bathroom since before dinner and was still holding it. Trying to pick up the fork put into perspective just how difficult this was going to be. She stood up and when Mulder's back was turned headed down the hall. She pushed the door almost shut with her foot, but not so the latch caught since she wouldn't be able to turn the knob to open it again. "I can do this. I have to do this," she whispered to herself. Ignoring the pain in her wrist that was now throbbing from her earlier exertion, Scully tried to grip the zipper of her pants. Her unfeeling fingers couldn't hold it. There was simply no strength left. She took a deep breadth. "It's no big deal I just need a little help to get started." Encouraging herself wasn't really working, but the fact that there was no other choice was a good motivator. She stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the kitchen. The quicker she did it the sooner it would be over. "Mulder could I have your help for a second. I need to use the bathroom and I can't seem to unzip my pants." There was a split second pause before he replied. "Sure, no problem." He came over to her and bent down a little to be able to reach it. "There you go. If you need any-" She didn't wait to hear what he said and threw a "thanks" over her shoulder as she retreated to the bathroom. With the help of the edge of the sink she pushed her pants down. Her panties took more effort, but she was able to hook her thumb inside the waistband and do one side a little at a time. Finally she was able to sit down and relieve herself. Scully's triumph was short lived as she realized she was now stuck. All she could do was unroll the toilet paper and watch it fold up on the floor. The total hopelessness of the situation rolled over her in waves and she began to sob. She hadn't been at it two minutes before there was a knock on the door. "Scully?" "Don't come in," she sniffed. "Just ... just leave me alone." "You need a hand in there don't you?" "No, I'm fine." He opened the door. "Scully stop this." "Mulder! Get out." "You don't need to be embarrassed Scully. Look at me." "No." "How many times have I been injured and you've done whatever was required to take care of me? How many times have you gone way above and beyond the call of duty for someone who was your work partner? Do you think I could do any less?" "You can't." "When I agreed to leave your mother out of this I told you I was going to make sure you got the help you needed. I told you then, and it's still an option, if you want me to call a home nursing service and have someone come here." "No, never, no strangers." "Well okay then, but that leaves me." "No please. You can't." He knelt down and took her face in his hands. "Look Scully, it's really not the end of the world. Over the years we've worked together we've already seen each other naked." She turned away. "No not like this. You can't. Not you. How could I ever look you in the eye again? It'll ruin us." "I hope not Scully. Our friendship has weathered a lot and I believe it will survive some indignity. I am going to make sure you get better. If you decide you can't work with me afterwards then it will be a real shame, but your decision." He lifted her by her shoulders toward him. "No please, no." "I'm sorry Scully. I'm not going to risk you getting an infection on top of everything else." She resumed crying as he settled her over his knee, but the fight was already gone from her. She didn't resist. He quickly gathered some toilet paper and wiped her. Flushing the toilet, he lifted her and pulled up her pants and underwear. Mulder let her lean into his chest and continue to let out her frustration. He rested his head on hers and rubbed her back until she calmed down. Grabbing some tissues, he let her blow her nose a few times and dried her eyes. "Let's get you ready for bed so if you're tired you can turn in early." Mulder took a second to wash his hands then led her to her bedroom. He selected a large set of pajamas that would fit over Scully's cast and began to undress her. He lifted the sling over her head. She couldn't bear to look at him, but didn't protest when he unbuttoned her shirt and then unclipped her bra. Both came off and were replaced by the pajama top. After removing her shoes and socks he did the same with her pants. Mulder pulled back the covers on the bed and led her over to it. "Lie down on your stomach," he whispered. Again she did as instructed without opposition. "The extra weight of that cast has been pulling on your back and neck all day. If you want to sleep tonight I have to get rid of the knots." With that he began to knead her shoulders until she couldn't help but moan from the sensation. The massage continued until all of the accumulated tension was gone. He helped her turn over onto her back and pulled the covers up to her neck. "I'll be on the couch. If you need anything, just holler. Goodnight Scully. Sleep well, tomorrow's a new day." He turned out the lights and left her to contemplate what just happened. In the span of ten minutes her partner and best friend just wiped her ass, stripped her naked, and tenderly massaged her shoulders until she almost forgot about the first two things. She truly didn't know if anything could ever be the same again. She wasn't able to dwell on it for too long, because the emotional and physical exhaustion she felt brought with it the merciful escape of sleep. "Scully, Scully wake up. It's morning." Mulder shook her gently. "Mmmm, Mulder? What time is it?" "Nine o'clock, I let you sleep a little late because you looked like you needed it, but you have to take your medicine soon. How do you feel?" "Aside from the obvious I guess I'm okay. The pain isn't too bad yet." "Well breakfast is ready. I hope you like your eggs scrambled because that's the only way I can make them. There's no bacon or sausage because you don't seem to have any. How come?" "They're not good for you." "In that case we need to do some shopping. As long as I'm in charge of your nutritional intake, you're going to eat some things that actually taste good from the often overlooked deep-fried and double-glazed food groups." He helped her sit up against the headboard and placed a tray of food over her legs. "This isn't necessary Mulder. I can eat at the kitchen table." "I know. You can also be served breakfast in bed just as easily. Relax and enjoy being pampered for once. I hope you don't mind if I eat too. I didn't have a chance to grab anything and I'm starving. I think I made enough." "I guess you did. How many eggs is that?" "Six. I told you I was hungry. What do you want on your toast?" "Dry is fine." "Butter and jelly it is." "Mul-der." "Be good Scully or the airplane will be coming out of the hanger." They split the eggs evenly and he made her eat two toasts soaked in butter as well as a glass of orange juice. She saved a little to wash down her pills when the food was all gone. Mulder was picking up the tray when they heard a trilling from the living room. "Sounds like your cell phone. I'll go get it." "Oh it must be my mother. She was going to call before she left for the airport." Mulder quickly found it and returned to the bedroom. He answered and held it to Scully's ear. "Hello, mom?" "Dana, good morning. I hope it's not a bad time." "No, I just misplaced my phone. So are you ready for your trip?" "I'm all packed and set to go. It'll be nice to see everyone again. Matty sounded excited when I talked to him last night." "I'm sure he is. He knows his grandma will spoil him rotten." "Well that's my job. Oh and don't worry about your present. I packed it in with mine." "Thanks mom. Tell him happy birthday for me and give everybody my best." "I will dear. I won't keep you any longer. I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way to the airport." "Okay, have a good flight and leave a message on my machine so I know you got there safely." "I promise. Have a good day sweetheart." "You too mom. Bye." "Bye." She nodded to Mulder to take away the phone and hang up. "I'm definitely glad I didn't let her ruin her trip." "Even if it means you're stuck with me instead?" "Well to tell you the truth I'm surprised I can even talk to you after ... last night." "I told you it wouldn't be the end of the world. You needed help. I helped you. We're still friends. At least I hope so." "I guess that hasn't changed yet, but I have a feeling the humiliation is far from over. You may not want to ask that question again in a couple of weeks." "I suppose we'll have to jump off that bridge when we come to it. Keep in mind though with your mother you did a noble thing. You put someone else's happiness above your own comfort, so let me try to reward you a little. From now on just imagine yourself at one of those health spas where they take total care of all your needs. You have your very own Special Agent of the FBI at your beck and call. What woman wouldn't enjoy that?" "This woman, for one, would rather take care of herself." "I know, Scully. I was just hoping maybe you could pretend." "I'm not very good at it. That's why I usually leave it to you to supply our quota of imagination." "You do your share. Our combined efforts on your cast came out pretty good." "I hardly contributed more than being the canvas." "You forget the most important part of art, Scully. You also supplied the inspiration." She was silent for a minute trying to sift through all the layers of meaning contained within everything Mulder said. She couldn't devote her whole attention to it; however, since she once again had to use the bathroom. "I have to go." "Where? Got a hot date?" "No Mulder. I have to GO." She scooted to the side of the bed and slid off. Scully headed to the bathroom knowing Mulder wouldn't be far behind. She turned around in front of the toilet and he was right there. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded slightly and he skimmed down her pajama bottoms and panties. Then he pulled up her top around her waist as she sat down. Instead of leaving he just stepped back and turned around. "Mulder you can leave now." "Of course, whatever makes you more comfortable." Finally he closed the door behind him. She could tell he hadn't gone far. "And don't listen," she shouted through door. "My finger are in my ears," he shouted back. When she was finished once more summoned her resolve and called out, "okay I'm done." She was determined to get through this without crying if it killed her. She tried to cast the whole miserable scenario in a humorous or at least tolerable light, but even with Mulder's comparison to a spa pampering, it was almost impossible. Scully couldn't think of anyplace where full service included what he was about to do. Mulder entered the bathroom. Like the night before, he cleaned her up and redressed her. She made it through with her eyes closed. After washing his hands, Mulder started checking out her toiletries. "Okay, what do we have here? Toothbrush, we'll need that. Makeup, nope, tweezers, ouch, want me to pluck your eyebrows Scully?" "What are you doing now?" "Well I need a little input on what your normal morning routine would be. What needs tweezing? What needs moisturizing? You know, all that girly stuff." "You're not doing any of those things to me." "You have to brush your teeth at least. I can't let you get any cavities or the gum disease, gingivitis." "Fine." Mulder put way too much toothpaste on her toothbrush and turned to her with a slightly crazy look in his eye. "Open up Scully." She spent the next three minutes trying to get away as he held her in a headlock and tried to clean each tooth one at a time. "Gahhh, enough Mulder." He finally let her go so she could spit in the sink. "Just trying to be thorough. That's how my mother brushed my teeth when I was little." "If you're waiting for me to thank you, don't hold your breath. By the way don't you have a job to get to?" "Nope, I took some time off. Skinner didn't mind. He said something about it being safer for the Bureau if I stayed home, since there wasn't going be anyone around to keep me out of trouble. I haven't decided yet if he was insulting me or complimenting you." "Why does it have to be only one or the other?" "You know doctors say you should brush after every meal. I wonder if now would be a good time to begin that habit." She ignored him as she left the bathroom. He followed right at her heals. "Hey where ya going? We haven't moisturized yet." "Leave me alone." "Do you want to get dressed?" "My pajamas are fine. I'm not going anywhere." "Okay then how about we watch a movie. Go make yourself comfortable and I'll get some more ice for your wrist." After he returned and she was settled Mulder looked through her videos. "Hey Scully I'm impressed. You have some decent selections here although for some reason all the good movies are still in their original packaging. We've got Aliens, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, They Live ... " "Yeah they're Christmas gifts from Charlie, intended as joke gifts. I get one every year. At least with Charlie I know his teasing is in good fun." "Well your brother has good taste. I'll take the fact that the boxes are still sealed to mean you haven't seen them." "Probably a safe bet." "Well it's about time you brought up to date your cultural awareness of the subject. In our line of work these should be required reference material. Let's start with a classic like Close Encounters." "Fine." They ended up watching two movies with a break in between for a light lunch. By that point Scully had reached her limit of science fiction for the day. "Okay Scully, now what would you like to do?" "I don't know. You really don't have to entertain me all the time. Maybe I'll just take a nap or something." "Oh that's boring. Come on, what would you normally do if you had some free time or you were on vacation?" "I suppose I might relax with a book or clean my apartment. Neither option appears likely at the moment unless you want to do the cleaning while I sit here on the couch and give instructions." "That sounds like so much fun we should probably save it for later. Why don't I think of something?" He left her on the couch and disappeared down the hallway. She heard him rooting through drawers and cabinets but couldn't find the will to go stop him from making a mess. Mulder returned with a couple of small bottles in his hand. "Since we had so much fun decorating your cast I figured we'd continue with the theme." He held up two shades of nail polish. "Okay, give me a foot." "I don't think so." "Don't be a spoil sport Scully. Trust me." "Why would you want to paint my toenails?" "Fingernails too, and it's something to do, isn't it?" "That has to be the brightest red I have. You're not going to put that on my fingernails. It would look unprofessional." "You didn't let me explain. I grabbed a light pink for your fingers and the red for you toes. It'll be our little secret that an otherwise proper FBI Agent has fire engine red toenails." "Have you ever even done this before?" "Actually yes, once I lost a bet to my sister and painting her nails was the payoff. As I recall I was complimented on my work, so let's have that foot." He grabbed her ankle and pulled it out from under her. Putting it on his lap, Mulder uncapped the red and began applying a coat. He did the same with her other foot. Scully wasn't sure why he was doing it, but it seemed to amuse him and her feet came out decently. Next Mulder switched colors and did the same for her fingernails, being careful not to bend her wrist. "All set, just let those dry and you'll be the prettiest girl at the ball." "Just what are you working me up to? You better not have bought some do-it-yourself tattoo kit your looking to try out on me. I have no interest in getting any more." "Very funny Scully, but anyway I thought we've established that as long as it's not in plain view, anything goes. What if it was something only I would see?" The way he was grinning at her with an inscrutable expression made Scully nervous. Everything he said had some degree of seriousness and she knew he would spar and push and tease as long as she pushed back. He would never back down as long as she kept going. That was more or less the status quo, however these were definitely unusual circumstances. His constant presence meant there was no returning to their separate corners for a breather. More than that, the fact that he was now by necessity doing things for her that were previously unimaginable seemed to raise the stakes of whatever game they were playing. She could imagine a situation where her frustration and stubborn pride might escalate their teasing banter to the point where she dares him to do something she would later regret. She was after all totally at his mercy. "Earth to Scully, hey, alien got your tongue?" "Huh? Oh I'm just feeling a little tired. I think I will go take that nap." "Okay, I'll wake you for supper. Mind if I watch some TV if I keep the volume low?" "No, go head." Scully went to her bedroom to lie down. The prescriptions must have been affecting her because she drifted off to sleep quickly and had the most vivid dream. She was lying on a table. She couldn't move, but wasn't concerned by it. She didn't need to be afraid because Mulder was there, standing over her, touching her. She asked him what he was doing. He didn't answer, instead gestured for her to look up. She saw herself, a reflection in a mirror. She was naked. He was touching her ... with colors ... painting her. With each of his fingers dipped in a different shade, he drew on her skin. Lines, curves, and swirls took shape as he caressed her. Designs grew up her arms and legs, across her stomach, over her breasts, and enveloped her face in delicate tendrils of color. It seemed alive as it spread to every uncovered inch of her body. It was astonishingly beautiful, because he wasn't just painting; he was pouring his soul out onto her skin. He was worshiping her. It was intensely erotic. His touch was warm, exciting, nerve endings hummed at the contact, but no spot was ever revisited. No spot was overlooked either and no place forbidden. Far too soon for her, he stopped. Again she looked up and saw that it was done, perfect. She was his masterpiece. He admired his work for a moment and then looked at his hands still covered in paint. They hovered over her body as if frozen by indecision. She turned to him and realized his dilemma. He ached to touch her, but doing so would destroy the beauty of his creation. She waited with bated breath. His hands began to shake. "Scully, supper's ready." She awoke with a gasp. "Mulder." "Yeah, you okay? You look a little flushed." "I'm fine. You just startled me." She was breathing heavily, but it wasn't from being surprised. Neither was the sheen of sweat on her chest or the dampness in her underwear. "Ready for supper, then?" "Sure, just give me a minute." "Okay, it'll be waiting. By the way your mother left a message that her plane landed okay." When Mulder had left the room she took a few deep breaths. It wasn't the first time her unconscious mind had incorporated her partner into some sensual fantasy, but he had never been the one to wake her from one either. It felt a little too much like being caught doing something illicit. Once she collected herself, Scully slide out of bed and followed after Mulder to the kitchen. He had again prepared a good meal and fed them both in amicable silence. She half hoped he'd insist on giving her dessert like yesterday, even though it was probably better that he didn't. She took her medicine and he chased her off to the living room while he took care of the dishes. He was next to her on the couch half an hour later. "Hey Scully, do you know what the defining characteristic of bathing a cat is?" "Huh?" "You have go in expecting a fight. I'm just curious how much of a fight I should expect." "What are you-" he had that grin in his eye. "Oh no, stay away from me." "Come on Scully, I know you. It's been days, so you must be getting uncomfortable. In all the time I've known you I don't think I've seen you go this long with your hair unwashed. It just has to be bugging you." "It's not the best of circumstances, but I don't have a lot of choice. If I'm offending you feel free to keep your distance." "You know it's not like that. Besides I can always find a clothespin for my nose for a couple of weeks, but I know you won't last that long." She had been trying not to think about it, but it was becoming uncomfortable to feel grimy all the time. "Fine. It'll probably do me good to soak in the tub for a while. If you don't mind you can walk me to the hair salon tomorrow." "See that? We're getting there. A little compromise goes a long way. Now I can avoid having to find a garden hose or dragging you out in the rain. Let's get some waterproof bags on those arms and you'll be all set." Mulder got some plastic bags taped over her arms, and then he led her to the bathroom. He filled the bathtub and put in some fragrant oils she liked. Once more Scully could not quite believe she was allowing something like this to happen, necessity or not. He turned to her and began unbuttoning her pajama top. She couldn't help an involuntary shiver. "You cold?" "A little," she lied. "The water will be warm." Mulder finished with the buttons but didn't yet bare her chest. He turned her to face the tub and stood behind her to remove her top. The bottoms and panties were skimmed down her legs so she could set out of them. Putting his hands on her hips, Mulder guided her to step into the water. "Careful." His hands stayed on her until she was safely sitting. "Thanks. I think I'll be alright now." "I'll be back." Scully thought he meant in an hour, so she was surprised when he let himself back in less than minute later. He brought a large cup with him and knelt down next to her. "What are you doing?" "If all you do is sit there, you're only getting wet, not clean. Lean forward." "I told you, tomorrow I'll-" "Shhhh. I told you I'd take care of you." He covered her eyes with one hand and poured a cupful of warm water over her head. Two more followed. He picked up some shampoo and began to work it into her hair. It became apparent to Scully she was getting the optional scalp massage too. It felt almost good enough to forget the dozen reasons why enjoying it was a bad idea. She did refrain from protesting further since he was going out of his way to be thoughtful and considerate. It was a little ironic that her hair was the one part of her had hadn't touched in the dream ... the dream that she had forgotten about until just that second. Mulder poured water over her head until no trace of soap could remain. Scully thought he was finished and was wrong again. A warm hand rested on her bare shoulder and a washcloth began to trail up and down her back. "Mulder?" "Yes?" She could say 'Please stop touching me. It's making me uncomfortable.' He would stop, but it would be a lie. Those hands could make her feel a lot of things, but never uncomfortable. Not that she would ever admit it to herself, but the truth was she wanted to express her misgivings in a way that didn't dissuade him from doing whatever he planned. "You don't have to, you know." "I know." What was the rest of the sentence? When he finished it in his head did he say, 'but I promised to take care of a friend' or 'but I don't want to take my hands off you.' Continuing, he had her lie back along the length of the bathtub and cushioned her head on the edge with a towel. Mulder gently washed her face. Then, even though they were already closed, he laid a dry washcloth over her eyes. "It'll be easier this way ... for both of us." Did he just say one of those things always left unsaid? He was giving her something by telling her she wasn't the only one affected by this. It was another small kindness that meant as much as any task his hands could do in place of hers. This was now in her territory, out of sight, out of mind. Now because she didn't see it, she could deny the fact that he was probably staring at her naked body covered not by a single bubble. She had no proof his gaze lingered over the rise and fall of her breasts with each breath she took. There was no evidence he freely appraised the triangle of hair between her thighs. The time between him placing the towel over eyes and the washcloth touching her neck may have been spent getting more soap or checking the temperature of the water. She had no concrete reason to believe otherwise. It was much easier this way. It must not have occurred to him that it was also much more erotic. The unseen hand followed the line of her neck to her shoulders and parts of her arms that could be reached. Coming back to her chest, the cloth did not avoid her delicate skin, but was softer with its caress. The touch was not teasing or enticing, neither was it shy. It was deliberate. It was exploring, testing the weight and suppleness of each breast. When the hand moved on, Scully considered it a miracle she hadn't made a noise. Perhaps the blindfold had been a terrible idea, because along with the near total silence it reduced her world to the skin underneath his fingertips. As the washcloth dipped below the surface of the water to stroke her stomach and sides, Scully realized something. She wasn't just being washed. She was being mapped. A man with a photographic memory was creating a perfect mental image of her down to the smallest physical detail. He may have been doing it unconsciously, but it was still unnerving. Her body would be available to him anytime without the need to imagine or fantasize now that he had access to the real thing. There wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. Yes it was dangerous in that it might lead them down a certain unacknowledged path. Yes in some small way she was encouraging him by accepting his help, maybe even daring him to do more, but he wasn't mistreating her. He would never abuse her trust. It was that simple. A second hand lifted her left leg out of the water while the one that held the cloth moved down from her hip to begin washing her thigh. Down over her knee to her calf and then foot he methodically progressed. For the time it took to wash each colorful toe he must have been inspecting his earlier work. The same treatment was given to her other leg but in reverse order until the cloth came back up to her other hip. She knew what had to come next, the only thing left. Not having to watch gave her a little more courage to face the inevitable and this time Scully resolved not to shy away. She spread her legs a bit in stoic acceptance and felt the washcloth run between them gently and carefully. Soap could account for any slickness that it may have encountered. "Almost done. You may want to watch this next part so if I slip you can talk me through applying a tourniquet." Mulder removed the towel covering her eyes and picked up one of her disposable razors sitting next to the tub. "Mulder you-" "Wait, let me guess, I don't have to. Well would you normally shave your legs in the bathtub?" "I might, but-" "There's your answer. The less you struggle the less blood you'll loose. I use an electric razor myself, but I'm sure it's like riding a bike. I've never tried a pink one so I hope they work the same." Joking aside he was careful when he helped her raise her cast and ran the razor under her arms. Mulder made smooth steady strokes down each leg. Scully managed not to flinch no matter how high up he started. It was pretty high. It was worse to actually see him this time as he touched her body. At least if he had nicked her it would have been reason not to let him do it again. This was just so dangerous. There were boundaries that should never be crossed by friends and Mulder was behaving as if they didn't even exist. She was wrong before; it was a bad idea to allow him back into the bathroom, to let him wash her hair, and everything after that. All this was better left to flights of fantasy and musings of the unconscious mind. Letting it become real was the first step to also realizing other things that should never see the light of day. The man simply had no boundaries or if he did they extended so far beyond her own that touching her, naked, in a bathtub didn't register as inappropriate. Which meant that she, as always, would have to be the one to hold the line. It was an added responsibility that at the moment she really didn't need. "Well there we go. No more prickly Scully." "Making jokes doesn't make this better." "Oh lighten up a little. While you're so busy being embarrassed you're not worrying about your arm hurting now are you?" "You're right, it does hurt more since you reminded me." "I know your mother would find this hilarious." "That doesn't make me feel better either." "I'm sorry Scully. Sorry it happened and sorry this is so frustrating and hard on you. If I could switch places with you I would in a second." "I know. I know you're doing everything you can, but still ... " "Think about that, if it were me. I'd be enjoying myself right now if you were taking care of me." "You do seem to be able to find the humor in just about anything." "Okay, I have a game we can play. Why don't you pretend you're me and do whatever outrageous things I would do in your place? Use your imagination. Think about how much fun I would have teasing you and all the interesting things I would ask you to do. All you have to do is name it and I'll play ball. I'll even be more generous than you might let yourself be in complying with certain requests." "This doesn't sound like a good idea." "Of course you're right. I'll just let you get back to being miserable." "Alright, fine, I'll play along, but you might regret it." "I'm skeptical you could do it anyway, seeing as how you leave the imagination stuff up to me." "Shut up Mulder. For one thing you'd ask me where was my nurse's uniform. Because you'd probably heal faster if I wore white nylons, high heels, and paper hat." Mulder smiled widely at that. "Not bad, I might say that." "You'd ask me to make airplane noises when I fed you." "I do love that airplane." "You'd ask for massages three time a day until I threatened to do them with an ice pick." "But you're so good at them with all that medical training." "And you'd strut around naked as often as possible just to drive me nuts, because you have absolutely no shame." "If that's a threat, I double dog dare you to drive me nuts." "You'd antagonize me until I had my hands wrapped around your throat and then you'd give me that sad pitiful look of yours. You'd whine about how much pain you were in and how grateful you were to have me and I'd forgive everything and let you fall asleep with your head in my lap." "Wow Scully, I have my next vacation all planned. As soon as you're better I have a date with a wobbly shelving unit." "Get me out of this tub. The water is getting cold." "Yes ma'am." Mulder stood her up and helped her out. First, Scully got the bags removed from her arms. He dried her off and wrapped a towel around her. Pulling out her blow-dryer Mulder made sure her hair was dry and combed free of tangles before he let her go. She went into her bedroom and Mulder followed close behind probably assuming she'd want to get dressed for bed. That was what she should be doing, but his suggestion to do something he would do if their situations were reversed was still bouncing around in here head. Maybe she should take him up on his offer. It would make her feel a whole lot better if she could embarrass him for once, perhaps throw him off balance just a little. Since it was not only his idea, but also she would be pretending to be him, almost all of the responsibility for her actions would conveniently be deflected. Of course it was dangerous, but at this point even going to the bathroom was dangerous so what the hell? "Working on my shoulders last night really helped me sleep. I'd like another massage." "Sure, no problem." "A full-body Swedish massage. Without medical training it won't be quite as satisfying as I could do for you, but I'm sure it will be fine." Too bad she couldn't see his face as she delivered that line, but the silence that followed gave her enough of a hint that she could imagine. She wiggled out of her towel and let it drop to the floor. Sliding onto the bed Scully rested on her stomach with her arms above her head. "Okay, sure, if that's what you want. Should I cover up whatever I'm not working on with the towel?" "No need, after that bath I don't think there are anymore mysteries. That is of course unless it makes you uncomfortable." "No, that alright. It's completely up to you." "Don't use any oil or anything. I'm already clean and ready for bed. Just make due without it." Mulder sat down next to her on the bed and got to work on her shoulders. He loosened up all the knots and then did the same with her neck. He made sure to give some attention to Scully's biceps and triceps before digging his thumbs into her back. She may have moaned a bit more than absolutely necessary, but it was important for him to know he was doing a very respectable job. It continued with her ass and thighs, kneading her strong muscles. As Mulder reached her feet she snuck a look back at him. He was deep in concentration, although it appeared as if he was having some trouble with the fit of his pants. The groin area in particular looked to be somewhat constricted. Scully smirked at the thought of what he would be doing in the bathroom later. "Thank you Mulder, that will do. I'm feeling much better." "Like I said, I'm here to serve." "If you could just pull the sheet up over me I'll be all set for the night. Oh and next time you might want to wear looser pants, I'm in no condition to drive you to the hospital if you sprain yourself." "Ha ha, I'll remember that. Maybe next time I'll just go without pants. Night Scully." No wonder Mulder enjoyed teasing her so much; it really was fun. He left her alone with that thought, presumably to go alleviate his trouser issue. Scully couldn't claim to unaffected by the sensual massage; however, relieving her own tension was going to be next to impossible without being able to move her wrist. She decided a little sexual frustration was a small price to pay to be able to get to him. Mulder woke her up again the next morning with breakfast and medicine. "Hey why didn't my alarm go off?" "I shut it off. There's no possible reason for you to get up at the crack of dawn while you're supposed to be recuperating." "Mmmm." She tamped down the impulse to be contrary purely for the pleasure of it. "Breakfast is served. Eat up. We have a long road ahead and many aisles to search today." "Huh?" "Food shopping. It's getting to the point where we'll be eating baking soda sandwiches because that's all that's left in you're refrigerator." "It's not that bad Mulder. I had plenty of food a few days ago. We haven't gone through it that quickly." "Everything edible. There's like six kinds of tofu and a bunch of vegetables left. Like I said, no food." "You could broaden your horizons a little. Not everything healthy has to taste bad." "Spoken like someone who's been trying to convince herself for so long that she almost believes it. Unfortunately you're talking to someone who has seen your expression when you take that first bite of limp salad with fat free dressing while staring longingly at whatever mouth-watering grease-soaked concoction I'm enjoying." "It's called self control Mulder. I'd recommend trying it but we know how you feel about expanding your horizons." "Says the woman who never orders them but manages to eat at least half a plate of French fries whenever we're out." "Well it is a sin to waste food." "You talk as if I wasn't going to eat them. You once pulled a fry off my fork that was on its way to my mouth." "It was the last one. My salad was more brown than green that day." "Not happy with your choice then. As I recall my cheeseburger was excellent. So what have we learned? Besides the fact that if something tasty is in front of you, you'll bite." "Oh how about men are governed by their base instincts, giving no thought to future consequences of their present actions. In this case your hardening arteries and elevated risk of heart attack." "I think it's more along the lines of philosophy of life. Many men, myself included, think life is too short to eat things that taste bad. I know I did enough of that as a child to last me until I'm a hundred." "Unfortunately that is typical of many men, while women do think ahead and choose to take better care of themselves and stay physically fit." "The latest PC term for thin and attractive." "There's certainly going to be some overlap between healthy and desirable, but I don't believe that's the sole driving force." "Sorry but I'm afraid it is. What else besides sex could ever persuade someone to eat tofu with any regularity." "I wouldn't have guessed you'd underestimate guilt as a driving force." "When it comes to putting something in your mouth that tastes like ground up socks then yes I suppose I have. Anyway, as long as I'm cooking for you all you have to feel guilty about would be if you don't finish what I put in front of you. You'll hurt my feelings if you don't eat every bite after I slaved in the kitchen for hours on end just to make you happy." "If I need new pants when this is all over, you're paying." "Sure, if I get to pick them out. You like short shorts don't you Scully?" They ate breakfast and Mulder got her dressed. Brushing her teeth went a bit more amicably when she reminded him she eventually would regain the use of her hands and may choose to use them to ram a toothbrush up his nose. After that Scully though she was ready to leave, but Mulder wasn't done with her yet. "What shall we do with this hair? Hey Scully when's the last time you went out in public in pig tails." "Probably when I was five years old." "Well then it's settled. No one can possibly be serious wearing pig tails." "I'll look silly." "No, you'll FEEL silly. You'll LOOK cute. There's an important distinction." "If I said no would it have any effect on the outcome of this?" "Little to none." "Just thought I'd ask." Scully did get some stares entering the supermarket. People either thought her hair looked silly, cute, or more likely they thought Mulder had broken her arms and she should call the police. "Hey Scully, look, real cream cheese to put on bagels in the morning. No more of that soy crap. Even better this one has twice the saturated fat as the others. See this number right here that says percentage of recommended daily allowance per serving? That is the indicator of how good it tastes. Anything down near zero gets put right back on the shelf. Anything over eighty and you're about to have a party in your mouth. Shopping is easy. I should do it more often." "Have you ever seen the inside of this building before Mulder?" "A couple of times for emergencies, but I have to admit most of my groceries are obtained from the seven-eleven at the end of my street." "How have you lived this long on what you eat?" "Fast metabolism. I have no idea if that's true, but if believing it makes you feel better then go with it. I see some whole milk. That's going in the cart. Hey Scully, apparently you can buy chocolate milk already made. This place is great." "Oh boy, why do I feel like the mother of a toddler who's bouncing around trying to grab everything in sight?" Mulder stopped dead and turned on his heel, causing Scully to bump into him. He grinned down evilly at her. "Hey Scully, you're little enough. Want to ride in the cart?" He put his hands on her hips as if to lift her up. "Do you want to get kneed in the crotch in front of all these people?" "You're loss." He turned back around and resumed pushing his growing pile of tasty treasures. "Hey what if there's something I want?" "Easy, just point to it and I'll check if it passes my minimum standard of whether or not I would eat it if I was starving on a desert island. I have to warn you though, at least half you're diet fails that test." "If this ever happens to you I'm feeding you wheat grass morning, noon, and night." "I'm confident I could dial the pizza place with my nose." "And pay for it?" "I have a tab. I believe I mentioned I don't buy groceries often. Is that a deli counter I see?" After Mulder collected some of almost every lunchmeat Scully could name he led her to the bakery. "Mulder look with your eyes, not your hands. It all looks good but even you couldn't eat half of it before it goes stale." "You're just going to have to help me then. Ever have a donut-eating contest? I'll be sporting and spot you three. I think these chocolate brownies would go great with that ice cream you have." "Okay I think that's enough. The cart's full." "Do you like being a party pooper Scully?" "Yes." "We're almost done. I have a quick quiz for you to see if you've learned anything today. If you get it right we can head for the checkout." "Fine let's have it?" "I have here two boxes of cookies. They are identical in every way except for the fact that the second bag's cookies are covered in frosting. So which should we choose?" "The answer you're looking for is obviously the one with the unnecessary additional sugar." "That is correct. I also would have accepted, 'take them both just in case'." "Why am I not surprised? Can we wrap this up now? I think I've gained five pounds just standing next to your cart." "Not yet but wait until I'm done with you." They rolled up to the end of a long line. Scully wandered away since it was going to be a few minutes. She never suspected the supermarket could be such a minefield until Mulder caught her glancing over the romance novel rack. "Oooo you like those huh?" "What? No, of course not." "Oh, I can tell when you're lying. If you had nothing to hide you wouldn't be embarrassed at being caught and starting to turn pink. Let's see what we have here, it looks like this one is about a pirate, this one too. Actually it seems like ninety-percent of these are about pirates. I'm no authority, but it doesn't look to me like this guy on the cover is dressed for a naval expedition, at least not naval with an 'a'. I wonder how he keeps all that hair shampooed and conditioned on the high seas." "Mulder, shut up." "Wait Scully, I just had an idea for a new activity to pass the time. Since you like to read, but can't do it yourself at the moment, I'll read to you. You're going to love this. I'll even do the voices; I can do a great pirate. Listen to this, 'Avast matey, batten down the hatches while I ravish this fair lass with the bountiful bosoms.' That was pretty good huh?" "No way in hell." "This is going to be all kinds of fun. Trust me." She watched in disbelief as he picked out one of the relatively less tasteful novels and tossed it in their basket. "Mulder!" When he ignored her, Scully tried to pick it up with her one semi-functional hand, however Mulder intercepted it and gently held onto her as he began to unload the contents of the cart to be scanned. She sighed in defeat as the book disappeared into a paper bag. Mulder actually stopped at the store entrance on their way out to put a quarter into a gumball machine. He retrieved two brightly colored pieces. When Scully opened her mouth to comment on his impulse-shopping problem he popped one in, effectively cutting her off. She got him back on the ride home. When she was finished chewing it she turned and spit it out into his lap. "Thanks for the gum." As he picked it off his pants he smiled at her. "Think nothing of it." When they returned to her place Scully had some more fun giving directions to Mulder regarding where each and every one of the groceries had to be stored throughout the kitchen. "Do you even have a junk food cabinet Scully? How do you know where this stuff should go if you've never had any here before?" "You're right I don't, but it can be kept with miscellaneous dry goods." Mulder chuckled. "The organized world you live in never ceases to amaze me. So what am I filed under, huh Scully?" "Hmmm, despite my best attempts, I must admit you continue to defy categorization." "Really? You know I think that's the greatest compliment you've ever given me. If you can't pin me down I must be doing something special." "Pity, I was shooting for insult. I guess I missed the mark." She smiled back at him. "You just keep trying and I'll keep you guessing for the next forty of fifty years." "I doubt it will take that long. Not more than another ten or twelve years." "Well when you're done don't put me too far from the miscellaneous dry goods. I'll want junk food to be within easy reach." Mulder fed them a late lunch and forced her to eat a cookie against her will. The second took less coercion and by the third she was just saving face. He knew her secret now. She could resist temptation from afar but jam a delicious treat in her mouth and she was beaten. Once they were done she saw him pick up the romance novel he'd put aside and shoot her an evil grin. All the head shaking in the world couldn't prevent him from dragging her into the living room and plunking her down on the sofa. She was literally a captive audience as he rested his legs across her lap so she couldn't escape. "Chapter one, Captain Blackhart. Oooo that's some subtle foreshadowing right there Scully. I think he's going to be up to no good." "Shut up Mulder." He proceeded to read her the first couple thankfully tame chapters. True to his word he did the pirate voice as often as possible. It made some of the inane dialogue quite funny and had her smiling and chuckling through most of it. She wanted to know, but was not about to ask, if the damsel actually had lustrous red hair or he was just ad-libbing to tease her. They broke for supper and after desert she had to admit the brownies did go particularly well with her ice cream. They watched television until she got tired. Mulder tucked her into bed after a quick massage. The next morning after breakfast they tackled some mundane chores like laundry. Mulder made a quick visit to his apartment to check his mail and feed any remain fish that still might be alive. After lunch Scully was quick to suggest they watch some more science fiction movies in hopes Mulder would eventually give up on reading the book. She knew there wasn't going to be much more exposition devoted to sailing. He happily went along with her on the condition they would have to split the double buttered popcorn he'd purchased. The few times she caught herself licking his fingers it was only to get the salt that stuck to them. Once Scully was out of movies it was late and they were hungry. Mulder had been so generous to cook the last few nights she wanted to give him a break, so she had him call for pizza to be delivered. As he was finishing off the last slice Mulder poked her in the ribs. "I bet you're eager to hear about what trouble our red- headed heroine finds herself in today." "Maybe we should watch some more TV." "You can't fool me. You're curious. I wouldn't deprive you of the chance to vicariously share in her intrepid adventures. Do you think the virtuous maiden will remain unsullied in such desperate circumstances?" "I seriously doubt it." "Well we won't know until we read further will we?" It was a rhetorical question. He already had the book in hand. She was right. The girl's virtue didn't survive another thirty pages. Scully had her own troubles to worry about however, beginning with Mulder's new impersonation. Unlike the often-funny pirate voice, this one was very serious. It was low and soft; sometimes just a whisper and he used it when recounting the intimate details of the former maiden's defilement. He spoke of conquest and submission, power and pleasure, things that skirted the edges of Scully's deepest darkest fantasies. He spoke as if he could see into her soul and know she felt each shiver of fear the character experienced, each surge of lust. This was like no other romance novel she'd ever read. It wasn't because the story was better, but because underneath the printed words she could imagine Mulder describing everything he would do to her if only given the chance. Mulder must have finished a chapter, because he stopped reading and Scully was still staring straight ahead at the wall. "Well that was interesting. I'm not sure there's anything left that hasn't happened to that woman and there's still half the book to go. I'm starting to see the appeal of these things." His normal voice drew Scully out of her trance. She immediately realized two things. First, he was waiting for some sort of response from her and second she could not carry on a conversation with her partner with her panties soaking wet. "If you're done, I think I'll turn in." She stood up off the couch. "Okay." In the bedroom she let him undress her while staring at the floor. "Grab one of my big t-shirts and I'll sleep in that." She prayed her couldn't smell her when her removed her pants. "Massage first?" "Uh no, I'll pass tonight. My shoulder's fine." "If you're sure." He got her into bed and pulled up a sheet. "If there's anything else you need just holler." "I will." "Night Scully." "Goodnight." As soon as he left she began working her underwear down her legs. She couldn't possibly sleep in them, so they had to go. Getting new ones would be too difficult so she'd have to hope he didn't notice they were gone in the morning. She pushed them down as far as she could under the sheets as if hoping the memories of what just happened could be pushed as far. She just wanted to get some sleep and forget about everything for a while. Scully stared at the ceiling, still wide-awake after half an hour. She was restless, too wired to sleep. That damn book was haunting her. Images of raw hungry sex were flashing through her mind like slides in Mulder's projector. He had to be so clever and buy the dirty book to tease her. Then he just had to give that performance reading it to her. He didn't just read it aloud in her presence; he read it directly TO her. As is turns out and those books are only fun if you can enjoy the titillation with the intention of ultimately being able to do something about it, otherwise it was torture. Normally the urge to masturbate hardly struck more than a few times a month. But of course now that she was unable, the need seemed twice as strong. Whether it was cruel irony or simply the unusually close proximity to an attractive male, she didn't know. The fact remained the frustration was getting to her. Scully squeezed her legs together, but the heaviness, the ache, wasn't going away. In annoyance she kicked off the sheet covering her. It was time to do something about it, whatever it took. She rolled off the bed and tiptoed to the door. She didn't see any sign of movement down the hall so she nudged the door closed, stopping just before it latched and made a noise. Turning back to the bed she studied the nightstand for a minute before having an idea. She grabbed the handle of the drawer with her toes and pulled it out while balancing on one foot. Salvation was in that drawer if she could just dig it out. Rooting around inside, Scully managed to snag the shiny silver vibrator with her fingertips. Biting her tongue through the pain in her right wrist she was able to drag it to the edge and then toss it onto her bed. She was getting close enough to taste it now. Crawling in after the toy she set about to put it to good use. With a little luck she managed to turn it on and was rewarded with a familiar buzz. Just the sound alone made her wet in anticipation. How exactly she was going to bring herself off was not yet figured out. At first Scully stretched out on her back and tried holding it against her clit. She made satisfying contact, but her fingers were too weak from the prior exertion to hold the vibrator where she needed it. Squeezing it between her legs wasn't much better. It was just enough to drive her crazy but not bring her to orgasm. In desperation Scully decided to try another approach. She left the thing on the bed where it fell and straddled it. Grinding down on the buzzing toy was certainly having the right effect. She clenched her teeth to stifle potential moans as she rotated her hips. Scully bent forward to aim the tingling sensation just a little higher. Without the ability to brace herself with her arms she suddenly began to fall over. The immediate reaction was to put down her hand and before she could stop herself from bending her wrist, a bolt of pain shot straight up her arm. Scully cried out in agony and fell onto her side. Clutched her aching wrist to her chest she started to sob from the pain and utter frustration. It couldn't have been more than twenty seconds before she was being cradled against a warm chest. "Shhh Scully, it's all right. You're okay. I've got you." Between sobs she choked out, "it hurts." "You're wrist? Where's your icepack? Put it on and you'll feel better." She started to calm down and Mulder grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. "I can't even do that for myself. I can't do anything. I'm helpless." "We both know that's not true Scully. You're temporarily injured, that's all. Besides you've got me to blow you're nose for you. By the way you've got a lot of snot in you for someone so tiny, but given my extensive history with green slime, you're in the hands of an expert." "Hmmff." "Seriously though, you do have to stop straining that wrist if you want it to ever heal." She finally looked Mulder in the eye and could see in the dim light his gentle smile trying to convey that she had nothing to worry about as long as she had him to take care of her. He was good at that. In his arms it was hard to recall over she had been crying. In the silence that followed, a low buzzing noise brought most of it back. "What is that?" "Nothing." She glanced toward the middle of the bed to see if she could maybe subtly kick the still active vibrator under the sheets. Mulder followed her eyes and reached over her in the dark until his hand touched something. He picked it up. "Oh," was the only noise he made. Her response was similar, but stretched out longer and had an air of total humiliation. It must still have been wet from her desperate grinding. Crying once more seemed like a pretty good idea. "You hurt yourself while ... oh Scully I'm sorry." "Let me go. Just leave me alone." "No, listen to me. It's my fault. I was having so much fun teasing us with that romance novel I didn't think about the consequences. Of course I was able to take care of myself, but it just never occurred to me you wouldn't be physically able. I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry." "Mulder just let it- did you just mean what I thought you meant when you said you took care of yourself?" "Uh I guess I did, does that really surprise you? I am a guy you know." "I not surprised you do it, I'm surprised you admitted it to me." "Well what can I say? I don't see the need to keep secrets from you and I must admit reading that book to you was one of the most arousing things I've ever done. Every time I snuck a peek you had this wide-eyed far away stare and I caught you squirming in your seat a couple of times. You were imagining all those things were happening to you, weren't you?" "Yes." "Me too." "What?" "Let me help you, make it up to you. For being so thoughtless it's the least I can do. You can keep your eyes closed if you want." She felt him brush the still buzzing toy across her thigh. "Mulder." His name was all she could think to say to express the emotional tidal wave his offer incited. Her partner, her friend, just asked permission to bring her to orgasm, to give her the sexual pleasure she couldn't give herself. It was unfathomable. Scully was incapable of considering the hundreds, maybe thousands, of ramifications of his inquiry. Motivations, consequences, repercussions were all too numerous to even begin to formulate an argument for or against. Her mind raced to find some kind of response to a question she couldn't accept. She had nothing. Mulder must have taken her silence for all the tacit approval he needed, because the next thing she felt was tingling touch of the toy as it brushed over her labia. "Mul-der." Maybe saying it louder might convey her reservations. "Just lie back and imaging yourself on the pirate ship at the mercy of the captain's whims. You're no longer in control of the pleasure you're about to receive." Don't say things like that to a woman when she's trying to gain a grasp of the situation. He also chose that moment to direct the vibrations right down on her clitoris. Scully screeched as the sensation shot right up her spine. He backed off for a second and then began making teasing circles over it. She was trying not to make encouraging noises but it was so hard. It had been so long since she felt anything like this and by something other than her own hand was at least a lifetime ago. She was trying to think about consequences, but was being distracted. This was bad. Anything that felt so good had to be terrible. It wasn't her fault that Mulder just wouldn't listen. Her hips tried to follow the buzzing toy as it moved away. It didn't go far, sliding down over her folds until it hovered at the entrance to her vagina. Pressing forward, it slowly pushed it's way inside her. Unconsciously her legs spread wider to receive the invader even deeper. When it was in as far as it could go, it twisted around and gradually withdrew. With only the tip inside her she waited anxiously to be filled again. It seemed like minutes before she got her wish. The pace slowly increased with each plunge, but it was still not enough to keep from driving her mad. Her internal muscles desperately squeezed at the toy trying to keep it inside through each withdrawal. Her body had completely taken over all decision making by this point. "More, more," she could hear someone begging through the fog of arousal. Suddenly the angle of the thrusting changed. It now aimed upward, driving into the front wall of her vagina and hitting her G-spot. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh yes." It prodded that spot again and again, pushing hard enough that her pelvis rose off the bed on every penetration. Scully's body tensed in anticipation of the massive climax that was coiling within her. She couldn't help but hear herself moaning then. It was overwhelming, the pleasure combined with the man who was giving to her. "Mul-derrrrrrrrr!" Scully's orgasm crashed over her in waves of quaking, shuddering pleasure. The vibrator rode it out with her and only retreated when she had stopped moving. Her eyes had been closed throughout the ordeal and now were shut even tighter. When she felt the first touch of tissues being gently used to dry her, Scully opened them. "Mulder what have you done?" It sounded weak even to her to blame him, but weak was how she felt. "You've changed everything." "Have I? They say change can be good for the soul." "Mul-der." "Scully, think of it as a gift. You needed it. I gave it to you. It sure looked like it felt good." "Not the point and you know it." "You looked beautiful when you came by the way." "Aahhh, don't say things like that." "Sorry. You were saying there was a point." "We've been so careful for so long. You've changed our relationship forever. There's no undoing what you just did." "Aside from the obvious what did I just do?" "Damnit Mulder! You've added a sexual element to our friendship. Do you know how dangerous that is? How destructive that can be?" "I hate to break it to you Scully, but this sexual element you speak of, do you really think this is new?" "Okay there's always been something there, but you've added a physical aspect." "Physical like when I'm constantly touching you ... dressing you ... bathing you." "Unless it's just one of the services you perform, I think you know it's more than that." "It's something I wanted to do for you, only you. Is it really so horrible?" "It was not horrible, but we're partners, friends. There are boundaries not to be crossed." "Between us? Why?" "Because Mulder, they allow us to live together in a civilized community." "No I mean between US personally. I don't see the need to keep you out of anything pertaining to myself. Like you said, we're partners." "I don't know Mulder. I'm not sure I can explain how it makes me feel. It means so much to me that you want to do everything you can to make me feel better. That said, what you can do isn't always the same as what you should do." "Do you think I'll look at you differently? See you as something less than before?" "No. I don't." Truthfully she really couldn't understand how no matter what he did for her or what humiliating position he saw her, he never did treat her any differently afterward. Maybe the why didn't matter so much? "It just feels like we're not on even footing here. I don't like it. At work you always make me feel that we're equal partners, no one is subordinate, despite the fact that you're technically head of the division. Here I'm the one always exposed, always open to scrutiny, and there's nothing I can do about it." "I always want you to feel equal Scully. You could never be anything less to me. In fact I think we both know you're the better FBI agent, the better person in general." "Mulder." "Let me finish. If that's how you feel though, then by all means let me level the field. I'll tell you anything about myself you want to know. I'll show you anything you want to see. All you have to do is ask. Nothing is off limits." "I wouldn't know where to start." "It doesn't matter as long as you try. Say the first thing that pops into your head. Anything." "I want to see you come." Both of their jaws dropped when that came out of her mouth. "Wow Scully, getting right down to it aren't we?" "I'm sorry. I should never have said that. You practically dared me. I was just ... I didn't mean it." "Hold on. I think you did." "Mulder you certainly don't have to prove anything to me." "What if I want to show you?" She had no answer for that. She followed Mulder's glance down at his crotch and realized he was clearly still affected by watching her orgasm. He only had on a t-shirt and boxers so nothing hid his erection. Mulder sat down more fully next to her on the bed and pulled his shirt off. Staring directly at her he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his shorts. Scully's heart was racing. Unlike before it wasn't her about to be exposed. He eased them under his hips, then down his legs and let her look. Mulder was aroused all right, hard and thick and there was no doubt it was because of her. Even in the dark it was impossible to miss. She still wanted a better look. "I have nothing to hide from you. Frankly I don't want to try anymore." "Turn on the light." He did as she asked and they stared at each other. When exactly had his long lean form become her ideal image of the male physique? "How do you want me to do it?" "I don't know. However you normally would." "Normally I don't have an audience, not that I'm complaining." Mulder reached down and rubbed his balls before gripping the shaft. He stroked himself root to tip, slowly at first, then gradually increasing in speed. Her eyes darted between his face and his cock. She watched the head expand when he squeezed. Scully could imagine it was her hands around him. Was he thinking about her hand, her mouth? "Scully." "Yes." "Uh nothing, it was a rhetorical Scully." "Oh, Sorry." "S'okay. You enjoying yourself?" "Probably not as much as you, but I'm okay." He moaned and his hand moved faster. "I'm getting there." "Good." "Scully do you know what I'm thinking about?" "I have an idea." "Good." His fist was a blur now. "Here it comes, oh Scully." She watched jet after jet of semen shoot into the air and land on his chest and hand. Seeing his pleasure and knowing it was in part because of her made Scully want to reach out and touch him, hold him, share it with him. After a few breaths he grabbed a handful of tissues to clean himself off and met her gaze. "Well, there you have it. I hope we're a little closer to even." "Wow Mulder, I've never actually see someone do that before, especially not for me to watch." "Like I said, nothing to hide. Well I suppose I should let you get some sleep. If you come up with any other questions or requests I'll still be here in the morning. By the way you're free to ask for the same thing more than once." Scully couldn't stand the idea of him leaving so soon after sharing that. "I'll keep that in mind. Mulder in the spirit of uh, increased familiarity; you're welcome to stay. I'm sure it's more comfortable here than on the couch." "If you're sure you want me to, I'd like to stay. Should I go find my clothes first?" "I don't think that's necessary." Mulder reached over and turned off the light then pulled the sheet up over them. "I must warn you Scully. I might feel you up a little during the night." "I accepted that possibility when I made the offer." They broke out in laughter at the surreal circumstances that found them naked in bed together after each having watched the other reach orgasm. "It's been a pretty interesting day I would say." "That it has." Mulder turned on his side to face her. "Just think what tomorrow will be like. 'Night Scully." "Night Mulder." His eyes stayed open for a while just looking at her, but she didn't mind. It was nice to be watched over. He had been right about it being an interesting day. So much had happened since her accident. It didn't seem possible that only a few days had passed. Their unique relationship had in the past been positively glacial in its capacity to grow and change. During her convalescence Mulder had shown Scully he didn't just want to push and tease and test her. He wanted to know her. He wanted her to know him. There was so much to consider. Surprisingly she wasn't as frightened by this change as she thought she would be. His offer was intriguing. Its appeal was something that spoke to the basic nature of man. To find another like you, to be accepted without reservation, these were things almost all people wish for, search for. This could be her one chance to share herself completely with another person - if she could do it. She wasn't so blind as to think that person for her could be anyone other than Mulder. However knowing it and doing something about it were very different things. Her upbringing, her strong self-preservation instincts, her very nature rebelled against the idea of being so vulnerable. Human beings' advantage over animals was the ability to think and therefore override pure instinct if they so choose. It would require the will not only to control her impulses but much more difficult to surrender some of that precious control to him. Reflecting on the last few days, Scully was continually amazed at how quickly she became accustomed to the incredible intimacy of the things Mulder did for her and also how he never shied away from any of it. He embraced the idea of knowing her on such a deeply personal level that no one, not even a former lover, had ever matched. Perhaps if she could actually let Mulder take the lead, something she'd never done in a relationship before, she could let her trust in him guide her. If she had faith in him to know what she could handle and how quickly, then maybe ... Scully awoke without help the next morning. As she blinked away the last of sleep a soft voice whispered in her ear. "Morning Scully." "Mmmm." He must have been watching her like last night, waiting for her to open her eyes. About then she became aware of a warm hand resting on bare skin just above her hip. Her shirt seemed to have worked its way up around her waist and the hand had burrowed underneath. She was still naked but for the t-shirt and it bothered her not a bit. "How does this lovely morning find you?" A quick glance at her immobile arm and braced wrist and she answered. "I'd say it finds me well, aside from the obvious or maybe even including it. Who am I to question the divine plan?" "It's a little early for philosophy, but for someone who propounds free will above all else, I suppose it's proof I'm rubbing off on you." "Or at least rubbing me." He was at this point stroking her stomach with his thumb. "That too. Any objections?" "Have you heard any?" They smiled and observed each other for a moment. "You've had time to do some thinking since last night. Any questions you'd like to ask, more requests perhaps?" "I can't say I've devoted any thought to either. My focus was wholly introspective. Now I'm prepared to put my decision into practice." "Do tell." "I've come to the conclusion that you've always had my best interests at heart in all matters of importance. You've once more proven yourself in taking such good care of me as of late. Given this, I'm going to let you continue. What I mean is, in regards to this desire you have to be entirely open with each other, sharing everything however intimate; I'm going to follow your lead. I'm going to put myself in your hands and trust you to know what I can handle." "Scully. I don't know what to say. I'm honored you feel that way about me." "It's well deserved. Now I'm not saying this will be as easy as it sounds. I'm not the most emotionally open person by a long shot. I do promise to try however and recognize I may need a nudge here and there." "I've never been one to shy away from a challenge before." "No you haven't." "So you're going to follow my lead huh?" "Yup." "And if I happen to believe the best way to start the day is with an nice satisfying orgasm?" "I guess I would have to defer to your wisdom. Since we've proven I'm currently unable to do it myself, I would require your assistance." "I'd be more than happy to help. Let me ask you something first. Last time I only used the vibrator and didn't actually touch you, in case that was something you didn't want. This time I'd like to forego the use of electronic devices and just make do with my hands." "Again, I will leave it entirely up to you. If there was anything I didn't like, I would let you know." His hand once more brushed over her stomach and tugged at the edge of her shirt. "Would it be alright if I-" "Mulder. Stop asking." He nodded slightly and helped sit her up in bed. He lifted the t-shirt up over her cast and then her head. Now she was fully nude like him. They appraised each other in the light of day. Her nipples hardened. His cock thickened. Mulder moved closer to her and sat cross-legged. He reached over and grabbing her by the hips, drew Scully into his lap. He pulled her tightly against his body. Her ass was pressed against his growing erection. She let out a low moan so he knew she liked where he was going. Scully may have difficulty sharing her emotions with others, but if she had to start somewhere, opening herself up first to physical intimacy was the easier way to go. She could relax in his arms because she trusted him above all others. It may seem to others a strange order in which to proceed. Then again nothing about her relationship with Mulder was usual. Mulder rested his chin on her shoulder and just held her for a minute. He arranged Scully so her knees were wide apart and feet flat on the bed. His hands soon trailed up her sides to knead her breasts. Fingers teased nipples, gently tugging and rolling them until she squirmed. Soon one hand slid down over her stomach between her legs. He cupped her with his palm. Opening her lips, he spread the wetness he found there. Probing fingers explored her thoroughly on the outside and then began to venture within. A single digit entered her all the way to the mouth of her womb, still searching, testing, investigating. She had been wrong before in the bath. His map of her body had been incomplete. He was correcting that now. Scully closed her eyes and rolled her head back, reveling in the anticipation of such pure sexual satisfaction. "No," his whisper got her attention. "Look." His free hand tilted her head back down to see Mulder add another finger. They were so thick and long compared to her own. They stretched her walls so perfectly. He was right; it was much better to watch. He hooked them inside her and pressed hard, finding the exact same place he had the night before with the vibrator. She gasped and arched her back. An arm wrapped around her waist to secure her once more against him. He began to move in and out, pressing down on her clit with his palm as he worked toward her climax. His hips moved with hers as Mulder ground his erection along the crease of her ass and against her lower back. Scully rocked between his rigid shaft and tireless hand. All at once it hit her. She must have screamed. Her muscles squeezed and fluttered around him so he felt as well as heard her release. As she was coming down she kept pushing back into him. He had to be close and it wouldn't be as good if it were just about her. "You too." She gave him an order. He growled in respond and pulled her tight to him. A few more thrusts and he pulsed against her, spilling onto them both. Mulder caught his breath after a moment and withdrew his fingers from her. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something first. "My kindergarten teacher was right. Sharing can be fun. And all this time I thought she was just too cheap to buy enough toys for everybody." "You say that now but the first time you catch me trying on your panties I bet you'll go right back to being selfish." "There's a disturbing mental picture. Thank you for that. You know you were right about the snot thing. Here I am with my back saturated with some foreign substance and I'm altogether indifferent. Being covered in goo so many times really has made us immune to its effects." "There's some in your hair too. It was a really good one. Of course you know what the best part of being slimed is." "Mmmm, the hot shower afterwards. Bag me up and I'll race ya." "Great minds think alike." Mulder helped her up and retrieved some plastic bags to go over her cast and brace. In the shower he washed her hair and scrubbed her clean. When it was his turn Scully sat down on the edge of the tub and had to be content with just watching. Since the whole incident began she hadn't regretted not having the use of her hands as much as she did right then. Mulder helped her out of the shower and quickly dried them off. He turned Scully to face him and whispered in her ear. "Just so you know, I'm not asking permission. I'm simply warning you that this time I'm going to use my mouth." He lifted her up and perched her on the edge of the sink. Kneeling down he nudged her legs apart and dove in. She immediately felt the tingling rush of sensation as he tasted her still tender flesh. Strong hands held her hips so she couldn't wriggle away from the attention. Scully couldn't hold back a gasp when his tongue first delved inside her. It had been so long since anyone had done this. Mulder soon added his fingers to the attack. At one point trying to pull him against her, she conked him on the head with her cast. Luckily for her, Mulder was not injured severely enough to stop. As the tension built her lubrication began to flow. Scully could feel him lick away her fluids as they collected. Mulder's focus soon shifted solely to her clit. Between batting it around with his tongue and sucking on it with his lips Scully couldn't hold back her climax for long. She forgot to breathe when the waves began to wash over her. Mulder supported her weight when she all but collapsed on him so she wouldn't fall over. He continued to hold Scully until she caught her breath. "So how was that?" "I'm still shaking, do you really have to ask?" "Well I just want to make sure I'm keeping you happy and meeting all your needs. A women's sexual peak occurs around your age and is usually accompanied by increased desire and appetite. What kind of partner would I be if I didn't assure myself I wasn't leaving you unfulfilled?" "If you keep talking like that I'm going to want another one." "Just as soon as I recover from the concussion you gave me with your battering ram there." "You couldn't let that go huh?" "You might not want to abuse you faithful servants. If I'm not performing my duties adequately a few harsh words would be as effective as a beating." "Yeah well whatever it takes to keep you in line." Mulder picked up a cloth to wash away the most recent evidence of her increased sexual appetite. Whether it was caused by age or her partner's constant offers to pleasure her remained to be determined. He dressed her in a large t-shirt and socks, but didn't put any panties on her in case she happened to require an 'emergency orgasm'. When Scully inquired as to how she would know if one was necessary Mulder assured her he would be on the lookout. He eventually got around to feeding her breakfast. They agreed to disagree as to whether the red and purple fillings in a Danish could be considered fruit. She only ate two of them after Mulder mentally calculated how many calories she had already burned off that morning. They ended up on the couch to further discuss the sharing of personal information. They traded a few little tidbits at first, but Scully knew it wouldn't be long until Mulder steered them toward the topic of sex. She wouldn't be disappointed. "So Scully, why don't we jump to some really interesting stuff. How about you tell my about your first time?" "You really want to hear the details of how I had sex with some other guy?" "That's not the point, Scully. It's a part of your past, something that changed your life. I'm interested in your point of view, not his. How did you feel? How did it shape your outlook on sex, on men?" "So I guess you want the long version. Since it's my turn to ask the question however, you have to tell me your story first." "Sure if you'd like to hear it. I can't say it's a thrilling tale, but it is a good memory. It happened for me on prom night in high school. I guess that was some sort of critical stage back then. If you didn't get lucky that last week of school you risked going to college a virgin. For a guy, that was the kiss of death as I recall. I ended up going to the prom with a pretty good friend and an attractive girl as well. While we weren't really dating at the time if I hadn't been moving to England to attend Oxford I certainly would have entertained the idea. She wasn't as inexperienced as she knew I was, so I think she took some pity on me, it being prom night and all. Thankfully living on the Vineyard there were lots of cabins to sneak away to for privacy. I say this with total humility, it was the best minute and forty-five seconds of that girl's life." Scully chuckled at the grin tugging on the edges of his mouth. "Or maybe it was my life, but one of the two for sure." That got him a real laugh. "Your turn. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how young Dana was separated from her virtue." "Okay picture this, I'm naked on a pirate ship." "Oh so that wasn't just an office rumor." "Okay, okay, some background first, it didn't happen until college. My mother drilling into me how much of a sin it would be not to wait until marriage got me through high school. My poor prom date never had a chance. Catholic guilt is a powerful thing. Looking back I'm grateful, because I wasn't ready anyway. When it finally happened, I was in my sophomore year at college. I'd been dating this guy I liked for a couple of months. By the college standards at the time we should have been sleeping together for about seven weeks by then. It was hard not to notice all my friends seemed to have no hang ups about going to bed with a cute guy and enjoying it. I did feel a bit left behind. I have to give him credit though; he didn't push. He made it clear that while he wanted to, it was up to me. I'll always remember him for that. Whether he knew it at the time or not it was a good strategy. That made it my choice, probably not my first adult decision, but an important one, my own and nobody else's." Scully smiled for a second then started laughing. "What is it?" "You'll like this Mulder. I was just remembering my first trip to get condoms. I wanted to be prepared, so before I said anything to him I went to the local drug store late at night just before they closed. I was pretty scared. I kept thinking I'd run into a priest or something and he'd call up my family's pastor who'd then make an announcement at church in front of my whole family." "And they call me paranoid." "It's funny now, but back then, hell, what did I know? I did look pretty young too. Maybe they wouldn't even sell me any or what if they asked for a note from my parents like they did to give you aspirin in grammar school." "You had put a lot of thought into it huh? How many aborted attempts were made before the final purchase." "You would have to guess that wouldn't you. Three, but the first doesn't count because I was only checking to see if the store even sold them." "You're right, doesn't count. Go on." "So I went down every aisle to make sure my mother wasn't hiding behind anything and then I calmly made my selection and paid for it." "So did you go with the ribbed economy pack?" "Are you kidding? I wasn't about to start reading the back of the boxes. I didn't even look at what I'd grabbed until I was safely back in my room. As it turned out, I should have. Unbeknownst to me they come in different sizes." "Uh oh." "Do you want to hear this or not?" "Sorry, please continue." "I didn't need to have slept with the gentleman in question to know that Extra Large probably wasn't absolutely necessary." "Can I laugh now?" "You may." He did. "Scully what I would give to have seen your face." "I did know enough not to give them to him and say 'use these on me'. Not unless I wanted to remain a virgin for a while longer as his young male ego healed from the blow, if ever." "You could have exchanged them." "No, the plan was never to set foot in that drug store again. I wasn't about to meddle with the plan. As it turned out I didn't need them. He had his own in the correct size so all my worry was for naught." "It made a good story though." "Though no one else on this earth has ever or will ever hear it." "Good, something just between us. I hope there will be a lot of things like that in the future." "I still haven't even told you of about the actual event yet." "I know you'll get around to it." "I picked a night when I knew my roommate would be away and I subtly let it be known that if he took me out for a romantic date on that night he might get lucky. As you can imagine he was happy to oblige. We went out for a nice dinner and then back to my place. Now understand he'd never gotten much past second base before that night. I'd never tried to kid myself that I could go so far and it wouldn't really count unless a guy came inside me. I was a virgin by any definition, so it was going to be the first time we had real sexual contact. When the time came we were both pretty nervous since it had been built up so much. He was gentle with me though; he made sure I was as ready as I could be. Sure it hurt at the beginning, but just the thought that I was actually doing it was so exciting it didn't matter. I didn't come the first time, but by the time he did, I was certainly enjoying myself. I could see why everyone liked it so much. The closeness, the sense of connection with another person was an amazing thing. That I could make someone else feel so good was incredible to me. Compared to all the lost virginity stories I'd heard from my friends I was lucky. Mine went well and I've never been sorry about the person I chose to be with for it. Obviously I didn't end up marrying him. We dated for a few more months and were friends after. He kind of watched over me for the next couple of years and helped me steer clear of the one night stand type of guys so I didn't end up being just a notch on someone's bedpost." "That was a nice story. And I assume after that one time you've remained chaste to this day waiting for that Mr. Right to come along?" He smiled at her. "If that's what you'd like to believe, we can go with that." She smiled right back. "If you enjoyed that story you'll really like to hear about how I discovered masturbation." "This I have to hear." "Not now of course, I can't tell all my secrets the first day can I?" "You could." "But I won't." "But you could." "Actually it might have taken me years longer if it hadn't been for Melissa." "What? Your sister um, helped you?" "She certainly played a part, but like I said, that's for another time. Want to watch some TV?" When Mulder got the hint that he wasn't going to get the details in the near future he relented to her request. A while later they put on a movie. Near the end the phone rang but Mulder let the machine answer. As soon as the credits were rolling he played the message back for Scully. "Dana it's your mother. I'm calling to tell you I made it home all right. I had a wonderful time at Matty's birthday and he said to tell you thanks for his present. He's certainly getting big. Well, if you're not working this weekend give me a call and maybe we can get together for lunch. Bye." "You're mom's back. It's time to face the music. Better sooner than later." "I suppose. I just hope I can avoid getting that 'I'm so disappointed in you' look. It's not fair that I get injured and I'm the one who has to feel guilty about not ruining her trip?" "The burden of a responsible daughter. She'll forgive you right away if you explain it like that. Besides it's not like she doesn't know how stubborn you are. If I didn't know enough to ignore your protests you'd be still stuck in the bathroom fighting with your pants. Hey I have an idea. Why don't you invite her over here for lunch tomorrow? I'll cook for the three of us. You can plead your case in person while looking pitiable. It worked on me." "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea. It's not like I can go out to a restaurant anyway since I can't feed myself. Having her come here would also show her I'm in good hands and don't need her to move in for a few weeks to take care of me." "There you go. Don't forget to absolve me of all blame. I think your mother likes me and I wouldn't want to change that because I didn't call her as soon I got you to the hospital." "Of course you'll have to let me put on pants, if you want her to continue liking you that is. I'd rather not have my mother know the exact details of just how well you've been taking care of her daughter." "I don't know about that Scully. If I promised to throw in an engagement ring, I bet she'd sign you over to me lock, stock, and barrel." "In case there exists the tiniest bit of truth in that, all the more reason to be discreet." "You know me. Discreet is my middle name." "I do know you and I would not agree with that assessment." "I'm deeply hurt by that Scully. See I would know even without having to be told that it would be inappropriate to crawl under the table and perform oral sex on you while your mother was sitting across from you during lunch." "Since you've been kind enough to prove my point for me I think we can leave it at that." "Know what I think?" "Very rarely." "I think I feel an emergency situation coming on." Mulder hopped up off the couch and headed for her bedroom. "Hey where are you-" He returned ten seconds later with both hands behind his back. He knelt down between her and the coffee table, putting down whatever he was holding out of her sight. Then he grabbed her legs behind her knees and pulled her downward until her ass was perched on the edge of the couch. Scully let out a yelp, but Mulder paid no attention. Instead he propped her feet up on the table on either side of him about as wide apart as they would go. He didn't have to pull her shirt up very far to completely expose her to his gaze. If Scully was going to disagree when he made the 'emergency' comment, because she wasn't necessarily in the mood, the same could not be said now as she watched him stare hungrily between her legs. Once more the thought that he could have access to her most intimate places whenever he felt like it fueled her arousal like very few things could. Mulder made her wait. Leaving his hands on her inner thighs, he gave her some time to mull the possibilities he may have is store for her. She hated it and loved that he knew it was just the thing to do to make her crazy. "Mulder." "Mmmm?" "Don't just sit there. Either do whatever it is you had in mind or let me up." "I didn't know we were on a schedule." "I'm about to be late for kicking your ass if you don't do something more than stare at me." "You're the only woman I know that could still look threatening from the position you're currently in." "Mul-der." "How's this." Scully gasped as he pushed something all the way inside her. She realized it was her vibrator when it immediately began buzzing. He teased her with it for a while, alternately working it in and out then removing the toy completely and attacking her clitoris with it. Scully could feel the tightening in her belly as Mulder expertly manipulated her body. Her eyes were closed so she could focus completely on the sensations he was eliciting in her. "Number two on the speed dial, right Scully?" Suddenly there was a ringing in her ear causing Scully to blink at Mulder in confusion. He was smiling. He held the vibrator against her with one hand and her cordless phone with the other. The ringing stopped but was replaced by a voice. "Hello?" Too stunned to do anything else Scully repeated the greeting. "Hello?" "Dana?" "Mom!" "Yes, is everything all right?" As the pieces fell into place she stared daggers at Mulder who was trying not to laugh. "Uh yes, everything's fine. I um, I wanted to-" Mulder was now pressing the toy deeper and flicking her clit with his thumb. "See the trip, your trip, how it went." Mulder snorted at her inability to get out a coherent sentence. "Oh it was wonderful, it's so nice to see the family more than once a year at Christmas." She kept talking but Scully couldn't concentrate enough to listen. Her attention was dwindling down to a single point between her thighs. He had it pinched between his fingers now. "Dana?" "Huh?" "Is something wrong?" Mulder was mouthing something to her. She couldn't quite tell what he was saying. "Lunch! Uh, I mean I called to invite you to lunch, over for it, at my place, tomorrow." "Oh, but it's a weekday, don't you have to work?" "No, I'm on leave. Had a little accident, no big deal. I'll explain it all tomorrow, but I have to go now." "All right, I'll see you then. If you're sure you're okay. You sound a little out of breath." "I'm fine. See you tomorrow." "Okay, love you dear, bye." "Yeah me too, bye." As soon as Mulder clicked off the phone she yelled, "You bastard!" "What? I was just practicing being discreet. I didn't want to get it wrong tomorrow. Did I miss the mark?" "You think that was funny?" "Anyone would think that was funny. If you want to be sure we can always ask your mother for her opinion when she comes over for lunch." She growled in frustration. "Just finished me off." He returned his attention to her sexual satisfaction. Mulder had her writhing under his skilled touch almost immediately. He must have assumed a good orgasm would put her in a forgiving mood. Scully would have really appreciated it if Mulder would try to be right a little less often. When she collapsed back against the couch she knew it would be critical to feign some anger or else open herself up to much more frequent practical joking. "Mulder." "Yes?" "You can be infuriating sometimes, you know that right?" "I consider it part of my charm, which by the way, eventually won you over." "I've known you a long time and understand your sense of humor is part of the package I accept when I agreed to enter into this arrangement. I'd say I'm a good sport about it and even enjoy your teasing on occasion. However, you need to learn to respect my feelings on sensitive issues especially concerning my conservative mother. Nothing like this better ever happen again. Am I understood?" "You're right Scully, I'm sorry. I did probably go too far. In the future I will reign in my impulses where your mom is concerned." "Thank you. Now that we've cleared that up, get your ass on the couch." Mulder did as he was asked. "Now get those pants down." "Did I ever tell you how much I like it when you give orders?" She exchanged positions with him and knelt between his spread legs. "I appreciate the thought, but it's not necessary, Scully. Actually just the thought will serve me pretty well." "It's precisely because it's not necessary that I want to. Now, I'm never going to be able to do this with no hands so you'll have to help. Use your own and pretend it's mine." With that Scully leaned forward grabbed his zipper with her teeth. Mulder gave in and helped her get it down as well as unbutton his jeans. She didn't have to go searching because his semi-hard shaft popped out to greet her. Scully immediately took it into her mouth and sucked until Mulder stood at full erection. At that point she could only manage to reach half, not that she expected any complaints. It was now her turn to make him squirm. "Scully, shit, that's so good. If you only knew how often I've dreamed-" "Your hand." It took him a moment to comply but he gripped his cock below where it disappeared between her lips. He began to stroke himself in rhythm with her sucking and bobbing. Scully pressed her tongue up against every sensitive ridge as hard as she could. "I'm not gonna last long." She could have told him that. She started humming. He was finished. "Ah, I'm gonna come." She pinched just the head between her lips as his cock throbbed and filled her mouth with salty fluid. Pleased she was able to catch it all, besides pulling off the whole thing without the use of her hands, Scully grinned at him. She then licked him clean. "Scully, wow, I don't know what to say." "How about that I can still surprise you once in while?" "Oh every day Scully, every day. You're amazing and you'll continue to amaze me for as long as I know you. I have no doubt of that." After a late dinner that night Mulder undressed them both and gave her a long pleasant massage. As she was about to drift off to sleep she felt him spoon up against her and throw an arm around her waist. His nose tickled her neck a little but it didn't bother her enough not to burrow back into his embrace. "Scully. Good morning." A hand shook her gently. "Mornin'. What time is it?" "Eight. Gotta get up a little early to get you ready and then start making something for lunch. You'll need a good scrubbing before meeting your mother. We want to impress her so I was thinking of putting some ribbons in your hair." "Shut up Mulder." He helped her out of bed and they bagged her arms as usual before a shower. In the bathtub Mulder pressed up against her from behind as he directed the spray of water over her body. He leaned down to her ear. "We're not so rushed that I forgot about the best way to start the day." She was grateful he held her up with one arm as his other hand dipped between her legs. As he slowly stroked her heated flesh Mulder began to whisper things to her, dirty things, ridiculous things meant to arouse her further. "I love to see you come. I love it when you come for me. If I had my way, all you'd do all day long is have orgasms, one after another after another until you couldn't stand up. I'm going to buy you a dozen of those panties with the little remote control vibrators in them. I'll dress you in those panties every morning and I'll carry the remote in my pocket wherever I go so I can have you shaking and shuddering and coming right at my fingertips. Would you like that Scully?" Scully shivered both from his words and the husky tone of his voice. She couldn't possibly answer thought it was rhetorical anyway. It was only three fingers but it felt like he had his whole hand buried inside her, stretching her walls, making her ache for more. She could safely say she'd never encountered a lover so consumed with giving her pleasure. All he asked was to watch her surrender to it. That happened to be just what she was about to do. "So close ... please." Mulder's touch became harder, rougher, exactly what she wanted. She came apart in his arms feeling as if her orgasm was wrenched from her body. Scully's cries echoed off the walls of the shower. He rode it out with her, not stopping until she couldn't possibly take anymore. She wasn't standing on her own much less thinking for long minutes. When she returned to herself Mulder remained behind her, still holding her, still hot and hard against her back. At any time he could have slipped inside her. She wouldn't have objected; he'd been so unselfish with her, satisfying desires she didn't know she had without ever seeking reciprocation. Instead Mulder lowered them to the floor of the bathtub and began to shampoo her hair. They agreed on salad and finger sandwiches for lunch since they would be easy. Scully supervised and Mulder learned they taste better when cut into triangles. The living room and kitchen were cleaned and Scully was presentable by eleven thirty. "I think we're all set, everything looks ready and with half an hour to spare." "It may be a minor detail, but unless you want to show my mother how well you fill out your boxers, you might want to put some pants on Mulder." "Ah yes well, I should do that. I'd hate to incite any mother-daughter jealousy. You'll have to do your part too though and wipe that glowing, satisfied grin off your face. I like it, but we did agree to keep things under wraps for the time being." "Shut up Mulder. I do not have-" "Do so. And when you blush like that it makes it worse." "Mulder." "Are you sure about foregoing the hair ribbons? Anything that makes you look more innocent might help. I'd hate for her to recognize your expression as the one she saw in the mirror after her wedding night." "Mulder. I can't use my arms, but I could still strangle you with my legs." "That sounds like fun, but I don't think there's time. I'm supposed to be putting my pants on not taking yours off, so try to drag your mind out of the gutter before you mother gets here." Scully bit her tongue rather than respond. Once Mulder got going it was near impossible to shut him up. Not to mention that fact he could twist anything she could say into a sexual come on anyway. Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the door. Mulder jumped up to get it. "Hello, Mrs. Scully." "Fox! What a pleasant surprise. You have the day off too?" "Sure do." Scully came into to view of her mother and smiled. "Hi Mom." "Dana, what happened? Are you all right?" "Oh yeah I'm fine. Had a little accident at work, not out in the field, but in the office. I was reaching for something on a tall shelf and it fell on me. Mulder's first thought when he found me was that it was an assassination attempt. I hated to have to tell him I was climbing on the thing when it tipped over." "Oh you poor dear, both your arms? You must be in a lot of pain." "It's not bad now. I have medication and Mulder's kept my mind off the pain." "When did this happen?" "About that, I didn't want to ruin your trip to San Diego so I decided to wait until you got back to tell you. It happened early in the week." "Dana, I'm disappointed. You know I want to hear about it if anything happened to you. You're my daughter." "I know, but as far as my occasionally dangerous job goes, this little injury was almost funny. Mulder sure thought so. I threatened him by the way, so he didn't call you while I was at the hospital. He wanted to but I knew you'd cancel your trip to take care of me and everyone would be disappointed. There was nothing to worry about because I don't think Mulder has let me out of his sight since it happened." "I'm glad to hear you're in good hands, but I'm still not happy you hid it from me all this time." "I know. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Scully gave her mother her best imitation of Mulder's trademark pout. "Well Fox, doesn't she look pitiful? Should I let her off the hook?" "I think that would be very generous of you Mrs. Scully. She's been a real trooper these past few days. You'd be very proud of her." "I bet I should be thanking you. I can only imagine the trouble she must have been. You may have noticed my daughter has a bit of a stubborn streak when it comes to anything interfering with her independence." "You know I'm still in the room, standing right here in fact. Mom? Hello?" "Don't worry Mrs. Scully you just have to know how to handle her. Once I laid down the law, she fell right in line." "Ha, keep dreaming Mulder." He and her mother shared a chuckle at Scully expense, still ignoring her. "I made lunch. It's all ready. I should probably get Scully fed or she'll be grumpy later. You know how it is." "I certainly do dear, I remember the same thing from when she was little." Scully harrumphed and stalked off toward the kitchen. Mulder caught her a couple seconds later and squeezed her shoulders. "Just teasing." He had to sit close to her at lunch out of necessity. She caught her mother trying not to watch when Mulder fed her. He was very careful however not to make an affectionate display about it and Scully was grateful for that. When Mulder was cleaning up the dishes her mother pulled Scully aside. "Dana I'm glad you've been well taken care of by your partner but if you need me to stay I'm sure we could explain without hurting his feelings. Eating lunch is one thing but without your hands I understand there would be some more delicate issues that come up that would be difficult with him being a man after all." "I appreciate you concern Mom, really. I'll admit the first time I had to use the bathroom I was really embarrassed, horrified even. It didn't seem to bother Mulder in the least. I was worried he'd look at me differently and that I'd never be able to face him again. He made me realize I was afraid for nothing. No matter what he did for me I was the same old Scully, his professional equal and partner, friend too. After that I guess we came to an understanding. Now I know a little indignity will never ruin our unique relationship." "My goodness, I must say that was not what I expected to hear." "I know. Your stubborn daughter actually might have swallowed her pride and grown as a person. If it makes you feel any better, I went kicking and screaming. So thank you for your offer, but Mulder has promised to see me through this as well as coerced me into letting him." "As long as you're okay with it. You know you can call me at any time if you need anything. I assume that time of the month hasn't rolled around yet?" "Uh no." She wasn't about to mention that Mulder's fingers had already been in her vagina for reasons that had nothing to do with feminine hygiene products. "I'll cross that bridge if and when it comes up, still it's good to know you're a phone call away if I need you." The three of them chatted for a while and then Scully's mother said her goodbyes after being assured once more her daughter would be adequately cared for. When the door was closed Scully flopped onto the couch. "That was close. I don't see how she could avoid suspecting something was different between us, though I believe we avoided giving it away outright." "What makes you say that?" "She was waiting for me to say there was something I didn't want you to do for me. When I didn't bite, she asked what I would do when my period started." "Got right to the point didn't she?" "I put her off by telling her I'd figure something out when the time came and maybe call her, but still." "I don't have to wonder where you got your excellent investigative skills." "Mmmm." "We still have almost a week in your cycle before we have to think about it anyway." "Huh? How did you know that?" "Come on, we've been partners for years. I'm somewhat of a decent observer myself. Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I don't pick up on these things. Also you growl more often than usual every 28 days or so." "I shouldn't be surprised, though it never occurred to me you'd pay attention to that sort of thing. It falls pretty well out of the scope of professional relevance." "But not personal. Like I've said, I want to know everything about you." "And when you do? When every question is answered, every personal, emotional, sexual mystery is revealed, what then?" "I'd trade you in on new partner," he replied deadpan. "I'm sorry. I deserved that. Ask a dumb question. I don't know where this ridiculous insecurity is coming from." "Are you sure? I can't dispel any fears you might have if I don't know what they are." "Rationally I know it's silly. You are the most loyal person I've ever met and I don't seriously think you'll get tired of me and leave one day. I suppose I always wondered why you found me interesting in the first place. In the beginning, part of me expected you to come to realize there was never a whole lot of mystery to me, the polar opposite of your own life. You thrive on mystery; you practically live for the chase. If it was over, I've often wondered what you'd do." "Have I caught you?" "I'm not running away." "And you want to know what I would do with you." "Yes." "Everything. Everything we couldn't do before. Everything we have done and will always do together." "What about the issues we never seem to address, the things that always go unsaid? If we're to go forward we can't continue that way. We have to be willing to be honest with each other instead of holding back. You said I could ask you anything right? No matter how much you're not going to like hearing it?" "I meant it. Not everything can be pleasant. I promise to give you the best answer I can. Go ahead so we can get things out in the open." She had to know the answer to something that had gnawed at her for a long time. "How could you believe Diana over me? How could you trust her over me?" Mulder must have known it was coming. Even her death had not resolved that issue between them. He sighed put his hand carefully over Scully's. "I know I hurt you then Scully. I will always be sorry for that. I lied by omission and then called you a liar. I'm not sure what I really was thinking other than maybe I wasn't. I was acting on emotion, out of guilt, embarrassment, and anger. At first, when she popped back into my life, I was at a loss how to take her. Of course I should have told you I had a prior relationship with her, but I didn't want you to think I was somehow planning to give her your chair in our office. I also didn't want you to think my opinion of her was colored by leftover feelings, which in retrospect was partly the case. When it didn't come up at first I thought maybe it wouldn't matter and then it was too late to say anything without looking like I was intentionally trying to hide it. Do you want to hear all of it, about my relationship with her as well as everything else?" "Yes." "When I first met her I thought I found a kindred spirit. I almost never received any respect from my colleagues so hers was more than welcome. It certainly seemed genuine. As far as my luck with women up to that point I was clueless and had been burned bad enough to want to live like a hermit for the rest of my days. She was patient I'll give her that. She slowly earned my trust enough that I fell for everything she offered hook, line, and sinker. I thought things were going along great, so when she just got up and left I was totally stunned. It took me a long time to get back to where I had been before her and when I did I vowed never to get attached to anyone again, because they would just leave like every single person in my life had up to that point. Of course that vow only lasted until the week you showed up. Never before had a person gotten my life story as quickly as you did. How many days had I known you before the infamous mosquito bite incident in the motel room?" "I think you're getting off tract here Mulder, but I appreciate the sentiment." "You're right, back to the more recent past. At the time I didn't think it had to be a choice between the two of you. I didn't look at it as if I had to choose one and abandon the other. It was a long stretch for me to go from Diana leaving because she didn't want to date me, to her having been betraying me all along. The truth is I was desperate to believe there was one other person in the world besides you who didn't specifically want to see me fail and had worked toward that goal behind my back. It was so much easier for my ego to think your accusations were some sort of misplaced jealousy than the alternative, which was that I had been a blind fool played from day one. I wanted so much for it not to be true that I ignored the evidence and I ignored you. When I do that I'm bound to be wrong and I was. I almost lost everything because of it and I don't mean my life. I mean you. Can you find a way to forgive me Scully?" "It's too late to ask Mulder. I already have. I wasn't looking for a reason to forgive you. I was just trying to understand and now I do better than before. In life sometimes the people you care about hurt you. That isn't a reason to give up on them. I can't imagine ever giving up on you." "You're the first person to ever say that to me Scully and you know, if you're also the last then that's all right. I've finally learned I don't need to look anywhere else." She stared into his eyes and leaned closer to him ever so slightly. "Kiss me." He paused for a second as if surprised it would ever happen, despite the things they had done already. She met him half way and pressed her lips to his softly. She hoped he understood whatever it was she was trying to say. A few long moments and she withdrew. "Your turn. Ask me a question I might not want to answer, but you want to know." He opened his mouth right away then caught himself. He obviously had a question. He shook his head. "I have no right." "I'm giving you the right. Ask." He turned away before he spoke. "In Philadelphia ... I know why. I know it was my fault. I pushed you; I took you for granted. I'm sorry for all of it and I don't blame you for anything, but-" "Did I sleep with him?" She was not surprised at the nature of his question. To someone who knew him as well as she did Mulder was predictable with his insecurities and his alpha-male tendencies. "No. That's not what I want to know. I want to know how you felt about the whole thing. I want to know if you felt ... unfaithful." He grimaced when the words were out. Scully did so on the inside, but she knew what he meant. Mulder was so afraid of betrayal he sometimes went looking for it, perhaps to justify his fear to himself. "That was not one of my proudest moments. As you say, I felt taken for granted and I acted out. I never did do spite very well and that incident was no exception. I'm not sure whether to take comfort in the fact that things went as far as they did in part because I was under the influence of a mind altering substance. I look back on the whole thing with shame for my behavior. I betrayed myself and jeopardized our partnership. I hated the fact that I disappointed you. That bothered me a lot more than almost dying." "Scully." "No, I'm not finished. Like it or not, you need to hear this. You want me to say I was overcome with guilt for cheating on you, but I'm afraid the truth is that wasn't the nature of our relationship, at least not then. Is it now? I don't know. It seems we're heading that way. I really don't know where the line is that once crossed we can never go back. Maybe it was just now or two nights ago, maybe we're not there yet, but I do know it will come and then we have to be careful like never before. You can forgive a friend a lot but a lover only so much. I know you Mulder. You're a possessive man, not because you want to control or dominate, but you need to hold on for dear life to the things and people important to you. You've lost so much. It's nothing you need to apologize for, it's part of who you are and if I couldn't accept that about you I wouldn't be here. Mulder, in a romantic relationship I think you would hold sexual fidelity perhaps above all else. If I promised myself to you and then betrayed you for any reason, you would never forgive me. We'd be finished. I just want you to see clearly how a little thing like sex may be the only thing that could destroy us. Maybe not so little, but still ... despite all that, I'm willing to make that pledge. If being with me will make you as happy as you make me, then it's worth the risk." "Scully." He slid his hand up to her face and trailed his fingers over her cheek. She realized something in that instant. "It's why you haven't made love to me yet, because I hadn't promised that no one but you will ever have me again." "I couldn't without knowing. I loved giving you pleasure but there was no commitment asked or implied. If I'd gone further I couldn't live with it meaning less to you than it did to me." "I understand. I glad you waited. I would never want us to be on different pages about that." "So?" "So what?" "So did you just now? Did you promise?" "You don't ask for much, do you?" She smirked, "Would you like me to make out a bill of sale for my immortal soul and hand it over to you?" "You can't write with those hands. A verbal contract would have to do. You said you knew what I would want, that I was possessive man and would accept nothing less than everything you have. You were right that I refused to take you when I had the chance. You have to give. If you can't Scully, I need to know." "Alright, you have my word. I'm yours. I assume the same goes for you?" "Of course, everything equal between us. You never have to worry about my total devotion to you." "No, I don't." Mulder pulled her into his arms, pleasantly crushing her against his chest. Scully squeezed him back as best she could. He kissed her cheek and neck and anything he could reach. "Mmmm, my Scully." "This is nice. We haven't done it enough in the last six years." "We'll make up for it ... and other things." "Such as?" "We could get naked and express our feelings physically." He said as he sucked on her neck. "Right there. I hear it's popular, oh yes," she moaned, "uh popular with the teenagers these days. We could try it and see if we like it. Oh Mulder you're going to leave a mark." He growled and bit her. She hadn't exactly meant it as encouragement, but complaining was the furthest thing from her mind. "Mine." "Bedroom." At her instruction he stopped and once again cradled her face in his large hands, holding her so close their foreheads almost touched. Mulder stared into her eyes and she saw the same intensity directed at her only in dreams before today. The ones where she awoke sweating and panting and soaking wet. With just a look he could give her that tingling, tightening feeling in the pit of her stomach of desperate anticipation. "I'm going to eat you alive." He made a simple statement of fact. She shivered. "I know," she whispered to herself. But how could HE know her most secret desires? No one knew. They were buried so deep she'd almost forgotten herself. Maybe he didn't. Maybe that was just how he wanted her. Even more perfect. Mulder tugged opened her mouth. He didn't kiss her. Plunder doesn't even quite describe it. His own description was exactly right. The things he could do with that mouth were unreal, probably illegal in some states. All that exercise playing with sunflower seeds has some unexpected benefits. When he'd satisfied himself for the moment she was gasping for air. She caught herself almost about to ask his permission to take a breath. Had she forgotten how literal minded he could be when she made that promise? It was too late to take it back now. He wouldn't let her anyway. Still it can be somewhat comforting to know your fate was sealed. No guesswork. All that remained to do was accept it. She could feel her lips swelling from being sucked on and bitten. His mouth was on hers again. Scully was getting a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen. She hoped he'd leave her her tongue; she needed it for eating and talking. Scully was lifted up off the couch and set down sometime later on her bed. Her clothes were removed quickly and efficiently. She was pushed down onto her back. Mulder stood over her, feasting his eyes on her bare body. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, but it was different now. Wasn't it just this morning what he was staring at belonged to her? It seemed a distant memory, because he left no room for doubt about the current situation. Damn him. How did he know? If he'd been profiling her again she would kill him. Mulder ripped off his own clothes and pounced on the bed. Arranging her in the center he pushed her arms underneath the pillows above her head and gave her a look that unambiguously directed she leave them there. The past few days of nonstop foreplay were for her. This was for him. He attacked her mouth again. It was way better than anything she could hope to get on a pirate ship. He moved over her face and down to her neck. She made a mental note not to ever wear earrings to bed or he might choke to death. "Ah!" That was going to need some antiseptic later. The human mouth has more bacteria than a cockroach. He proceeded on to her breasts. The pirate captain would have been more gentle. This was way way better. He seemed determined to suck an entire one into his mouth. If you don't succeed, try try again. It occurred to her if he fulfilled all her best fantasies the first time, it might lead to a boring sex life down the road. Then she realized sex with Mulder and boring don't belong in the same dictionary. Her stomach was too smooth and flat a surface to really dig his teeth in, but he made the best of it. As he trailed lower she couldn't help but worry just a little. Women were after all very delicate down there. She wouldn't ask he be gentle, just careful. Scully had nothing to fear. This man would never let harm come to her. A few little hurts here and there served a purpose. He couldn't very well tattoo his name all over her body, but with fingers and lips and teeth he could remind every inch of her skin to whom it belonged. Her inner thighs would not soon forget. He nibbled each fold of skin until he made her cry out. Mulder spread her open with his fingers and blew cool air over the swollen bud of her clit. He gave her some time to think about what was about to happen to it. A few minutes passed. Whatever he might do couldn't be nearly as bad as the wait, not that she was foolish enough to dare him. When he did touch her it was a long rough lick with the flat part of his tongue from bottom to top. It went from delicious to too much, all with one motion. He knew she wasn't ready yet for direct stimulation. She waited again. He did it again. And again. Maybe ten seconds in between so she could think some more. Scully tensed right before it came each time and tried to squirm away. He held her fast. A dozen more times and she was near tears. Suddenly a light went on behind her tightly closed eyes. Scully forced herself to relax, opened wider even, welcoming whatever he wanted. She breathed through it this time and strained toward his touch. The next didn't come. Instead he kissed her tenderly just above the source of her torment. She was so absurdly pleased with herself for passing his test that she ignored the nagging voice in her head telling her to question his motivations, his insecurity. In this moment in this bed it was okay to give him anything he wanted. Her only desire was for Mulder to find satisfaction in her. How did he know? She barely knew. He was pleased with her. She could feel his smile against her ultra-sensitized skin. Every touch was perfect from then on; his lips and tongue brought her hurdling toward an earth-shattering climax. Every nerve ending reached out to him for more. It hit her like a shock wave that spread throughout her body. The pleasure was overwhelming and endless until his touch disappeared. She was left floating and alone for only a moment. Mulder gave a powerful thrust and buried his cock to hilt within her. Her protesting muscles contracted fiercely around him both from her orgasm and the sudden invasion. He swallowed her scream by covering her mouth with his. When she went still he cradled her head and neck in his hands with his forearms holding his weight off her. "Oh Scully, it's so good inside you," he whispered. Mulder was inside her in every imaginable sense of the word. He began to move. Slowly at first and quickly picking up speed. Her body eagerly met his forceful thrusts. It felt so good and she wanted him to come so much, it didn't matter if she wouldn't be able to catch up. As usual he had something else in mind. Just as his movements were becoming erratic Mulder stopped and withdrew. "Nooooo, please." Who was this woman that would beg for her partner's touch? He grinned but didn't succumb to her pleas. Instead he pulled his legs under him and lifted her hips to rest on his upper thighs. With no more teasing Mulder let his erection to sink back into her warmth. The new angle was even better, allowed him even deeper if that was possible. He wasted no time slamming into Scully as fast and hard as he could. Somehow he managed to slide his thumb between them to harass her clit. She welcomed the exhilarating sensation coiling in her belly. Her moans echoed his own. A couple more desperate thrusts had Mulder calling her name while seating himself as deep as he could go. She actually felt him swell and twitch as he filled her. It was enough to put her over the top so they came almost together. Her orgasm went on and on. It was glorious. Afterwards she ached. She felt raw inside and out. He did that to her. Scully felt drained, used up and at the same time couldn't wait until he wanted to claim her body again. Mulder rolled off of her and took a second to rearrange her arms so she was on her side spooned up against his front. "Mmmm, Scully that was amazing." "Incredible. You better be prepared. You have me at your mercy now, but when I heal you're going to be tied to the bed for a week while I have MY way with you." "I can't wait. Will you be gentle?" "No." "Good." "You know, I don't think there was ever any doubt it would be this good between us." "Just good? How about explosive?" "My mistake. But it makes my reasons for being afraid seem like excuses made up to justify my fear instead of the other way around." "No. You were right to be cautious. This was too important to rush into without thinking. That's what I do without you. We're good partners because we balance each other out." "Mulder. You make me feel so ... complete. I've spent half my life trying to convince myself and everyone else that I shouldn't need anybody else to be happy, to be successful. Knowing you has changed me. You forced me see it's not about weakness at all, but adding someone else's strength to your own." "I'm getting the better end of that deal, but yeah that's how I see you. You're my compliment, filling in the jagged and broken pieces to make something more special than we could ever be alone. Do you understand now Scully? Tonight wasn't the last leg of a chase. It's just the beginning of a newer, longer journey where every step will be taken together." "I like that. And I like knowing I can always be free to put myself in your hands, because the ones you're holding me right now are mine too." The End ___________________________________________________________ If you noticed they never said 'I love you,' because love isn't in the declaration; it's in every tiny action a person takes to make someone else's life better. I really enjoyed writing this. It took forever and ended up three times longer than I'd imagined, but isn't that always the way with writing? The more you enjoy a story, the more it should take over and run away from you. By all means tell me if you like it or don't and why. Send all comments to xphan1013@yahoo.com.