From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: 30 Oct 2004 17:16:17 -0000 Subject: A FRIEND LIKE THAT, MSR, NC17, Part 1 of 2 by FatCat Source: direct Reply To: FatCat33047@yahoo.com Title: A FRIEND LIKE THAT Author: FatCat (feedback to FatCat33047@yahoo.com) Website: Please visit the wonderful home Donnilee has created to house my stories at http://donnilee.tripod.com. Just follow my name to find my stories. While you are there, take a peek at Donnilee's great stories and those of the other authors that she has at her site. Thank you Donni! Rating: NC-17 for language and sexual conduct between two consenting adults Category: MSR, Classification: S, RST Spoilers: No Requiem, Season 8 or Season 9 in this world. One Son, The End, Redux, Tunguska, Terma Archive: As you wish, but please keep my name attached and let me know where to visit. Summary: A huge fight between Mulder and Scully helps them understand just what they mean to each other and who their true friends really are. Disclaimer: They aren't mine nor anyone's but CC, Fox, 1013. These works are used without permission. No infringement intended. Author's Notes: Part of the tie incident below, actually happened. If you want to know to whom and why, drop me an e-mail and I'll tell you all about it. The 'toy' bag mentioned below is a real creation of my friend, Carma. Check out her beautiful bags at: http://stores.ebay.com/Carma-Originals Feedback always appreciated. Thanks to Donnilee for the beta! XXXXX It was a Friday morning and I'd just gotten back in town from another worthless case Mulder had insisted we check out personally. I was back just in time to witness the toilet in the basement ladies room reenact the great flood. I heard the gurgling as I walked towards the door, but wasn't really aware of what was happening until I pushed on the door and it pushed back. I jumped back, not willing to sacrifice my $250.00 suede pumps to the God of Sanitation. I considered my options and decided that the trip upstairs to the bathroom was quicker than waiting for the maintenance staff to respond. By the time I filled out the required forms, in triplicate, and they appeared to actually do the repair, I could have built an arc and been well on my way to searching the immediate area for all the animals needed to stock it. 'Sarcasm, a fine weapon of choice,' I thought as I stoically marched up to the fourth floor ladies room. "Not as good a weapon as a whip and chair," I mumbled to myself as I pushed into the room. God, I was tired and just wanted this day to be over so that I could rest for two whole days. Thanks to the antiquated plumbing in the basement I was forced to use one of the women's restrooms upstairs. I snickered and thought that I was glad I didn't refer to it as the 'ladies' restroom. It had been my observance that there were NO ladies working for the FBI on this floor of the J.E.H. building, at least none that frequented this particular bathroom. All the really nice women like Kim Cook, A.D. Skinner's Administrative Assistant, used the restroom on the second floor, near the lunchroom and copy room. Unfortunately, I couldn't use that level's facilities because the janitorial staff was servicing it. I decided that it must be fate that had driven me here today. I wished I had remembered to wear my necklace of garlic this morning. I'd never been in here without having someone make a snarky remark about me, Mulder, me and Mulder, the X-Files, or some combination of the above. Normally I could let it roll off my back like the professional I believed myself to be. Today, I'm just not up to it. Today, I make no promises, especially not to myself. I was in luck. There was no one in the restroom but me. Just as I was congratulating myself, I realized why no one is here. I had to go to the handicapped stall in the back before I found one that was stocked with even a minimal supply of paper products. My need was pressing at this point. I was grousing, I knew, but you'd think that given the budget for the entire FBI, they could find enough money to keep at least one bathroom in this entire building completely functional at any given moment. As I sat there, I contemplated one of those ridiculous signs that are faxed from office to office. Some joker taped it on the inside of the door as reading material. It had the outline of a squinting black cat, with a caption underneath: 'I have PMS and a handgun.' I snorted. How appropriate. I sighed in relief and decided that I might get away unscathed when I heard the door pushed open and a gaggle of women enter. "Diana, let's see it," a familiar voice said. It sounded like Linda, A.D. Kersh's Administrative Assistant. "Linda, I'm not taking this off for anyone. Fox gave it to me and I'm never taking it off," Diana said. "At least, not until I get my insurance agent to call me back so that I know it's been insured." Her voice was dripping with self-satisfaction. "I wouldn't let something that beautiful and expensive out of my possession either, Diana," said Cheryl, a Special Agent assigned to Organized Crimes Unit. "Hell, I don't think I'd let Fox Mulder go if he gave me a second look. He just up and gave you an expensive necklace? Wow." "Well, Cheryl, it is our one-week anniversary," Diana simpered. "What did you give him, or do I need ask?" someone else asked. I thought it might be Marcy Evans from Accounting. "I gave him a very nice designer tie to match his new suit. He loves it. I always used to choose his clothes for him. His taste in neckties is atrocious, even if his taste in jewelry is fantastic," she said. All the other women laughed appreciatively. "What does Mrs. Spooky think of it?" asked another of Diana's sycophants that I didn't recognize. I wondered how the hell many of them were out there as their words sunk in and slashed at my heart. "I don't know," Diana said happily. "I don't really care. What little Miss Special Agent Doctor Dana Scully thinks isn't going to matter very soon. Fox is such a sweet man but totally helpless when it comes to women. I convinced him that he should let Skinner tell her that she's being transferred out of the X-Files. That way I can be assigned as his partner before our relationship is official. Soon everything is going to be just like it was before; perfect." "Sounds like you've thought of everything, Diana," Cheryl commented. "Yes," Diana murmured. "It does, doesn't it?" she added brightly. Everyone laughed. "We better get back girls. The meeting will be called to order any minute," Linda said. "Kersh must be having prostrate problems again. He's given us four breaks this morning. I swear that man spends more time in the restroom than he does at his desk," she said spitefully. "Well, maybe you need to check out who's in the men's room with him," Cheryl said sarcastically. "Ohhhhh, I didn't think of that," Linda said with a laugh as they walked out the door. The silence was absolute after they left. I couldn't believe what Diana had said. Mulder and she were back in an intimate relationship. One-week anniversary. At least now I knew why he was acting so distant and cold. I knew that at some point I was going to cry. My friendship with Mulder had always been important to me. I had even, up until Diana's return, thought that we might become more than partners. Right now, however, all I could feel was anger. He had chosen Diana over me. They were back in a physical relationship. He wanted her as a partner on the X-Files instead of me. I sniffed. I forced myself to focus on the anger that pulsed through me. The son-of-a-bitch didn't even have the courage to tell me himself that he wanted to replace me with Diana as his partner. Fuck. I decided that I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that I'd found out about his little subterfuge. I would be cool. I would wait until just the right moment and cut him off at the knees. I wouldn't allow him to ditch me this final time. I was going to quit the X-Files before he could even try. I could do this. I would act like nothing had happened until he made his move. I washed my hands and checked my makeup. My Ice Queen facade was in place. I left the fourth floor and stopped at maintenance on my way back to our office, reporting the mini-flood in the basement. I walked down the dark hallway to our office, determined not to show my hand in any way, but as soon as I stepped through the door, he struck. "What took you so long, Scully? I thought you fell in or something," Mulder teased. I looked at him incredulously for a moment before deciding that it was just his regular sophomoric humor and not an actual remark. "The ladies' restroom on this level is flooded. I had to go upstairs," I said. I wondered if he would be worried about me running into Diana. "You could have used the men's, Scully," he drawled. I glared at him and asked. "What do you mean by that, Mulder?" He shrugged and looked away, refusing to answer me. "Don't fucking ignore me," I spat at him. I was in no mood for his mind games. "Answer me. What do you mean by that?" "Jesus, Scully. It doesn't mean anything," he denied, but he was giving me one of his calculating looks. He was surprised I'd cursed as I rarely did. I couldn't help but feel he was trying to profile me. I wasn't going to let it go. "I'm sure you'll want to expedite the repair on the bathroom for your new partner," I said. "What the hell do you mean by that?" he said. His feet hit the floor and he leaned forward, looking at me with a worried frown. "You know what that means, Mulder." I'd blown it now. Why didn't I follow my plan and play it cool? "No, I don't know what that means, Scully. What do you mean, a new partner?" "Why should I have to explain anything to you, Mulder? You and Diana have everything all worked out. When was Skinner going to break the news to me?" I spat. "News, what news?" he asked faking confusion. I looked at him for a moment, feeling my rage building as the seconds ticked away. "I've had just about enough of your innocent act, Mulder. You know what news. It's out of the bag; your little plan to have A.D. Skinner tell me I'm out of the X-Files, and Diana is back in was the latest rumor upstairs. "Scully, I haven't made any plans with Diana," he said incredulously. I snorted. "Oh, really? Where did you get the tie, Mulder?" I asked, giving him a hint as to how much I really did know. "My tie?" he asked, obviously uncomfortable at last. "Yes, Mulder. Where did you get that new tie?" I asked it slowly as if I were speaking to a mental incompetent. "It was a gift," he said shortly. "Who decided to give you a gift for no reason at all? Or was there a reason? An anniversary, perhaps?" I pushed. "Diana, uh, gave it to me, but not for any occasion. She said it matches my new suit. Why?" I just glared at him, waiting for him to make the connection. How long before he realized that I knew all about their plans? "Scully? What the hell is going on? Why the interest in my tie?" he asked, looking truly confused. "I'd hope you would be more interested in my underwear than my ties," he said. He was obviously trying to lighten the mood, but I wasn't going to let that work this time. I sat there seething, wanting desperately to throw something at his beautiful, teasing face. "What's wrong, Scully?" he asked when I didn't reply. "Is it that time of the month again?" he teased. Then his expression and voice changed. If I didn't know better, I would have actually thought he cared. "Did something happen upstairs, Scully? What's this really about? What is wrong with you?" "What's wrong with me?" I repeated, shocked that he could ask that question of me. "What's wrong with ME?" He nodded. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. You. You are what's wrong in my life. You and your lies and," I sputtered for a moment. "That butt-ugly tie." I really didn't hate the tie. It was quite tasteful and I'd actually given it an appreciative nod when I saw it this morning. That was, until I found out that the Bitch had given it to him. "I like this tie. I love it in fact," he said, sounding petulant. I turned away from him while he was still talking. I was shaking with anger. I wondered how he could be so insensitive to our friendship that he would rub gifts from his bimbo in my face? He knew I didn't like Diana. The least he could do was not rub my nose in their budding relationship. I stared down at my table, trying to find some way to dispel my anger without physical violence. My eyes lit on my scissors and suddenly, I was no longer in control of my body. I picked them up and stood up. I held them to my side out of Mulder's view and walked over to stand by the edge of his desk. "It's an ugly tie, Mulder. Why don't you change it with one of the ties in your desk drawer? For me?" Giving him one last chance I said, "Take it off." "No, I'm not taking it off. I just might wear it every day," he said, standing up to try and dismiss me. "Mulder," I purred as I stepped into his path. I let my left hand raise up and stroke down his shirt and tie, my fingers caressing it and lifting it away from his chest. He sucked in his breath as my fingertips brushed his nipple. "Scully," he growled. He actually sounded like his anger had turned to arousal. Was he going to try to use charm and sex appeal on me now? While he was fucking Diana? Not a chance. I went completely crazy. I pulled the tie in my left hand taunt and whipped my right hand up. I whacked the tie in two about three inches from the knot. It felt really good to cut it right off his body with one slice of the shears. The look of incredulity on his face was worth it. His eyes flitted between the stub of his tie hanging on his chest to my hand where the rest of the tie dangled. I began to laugh hysterically and tossed the ends of his tie in his face. He continued to gape at me, mouth hanging open in complete surprise. I could see his anger building and I stepped back, holding the scissors up as if in a defensive stance. "You cut my tie off," he spat in astonishment. "You bitch! You might not have liked it but it was a gift, a gift that cost a lot of money! I can't believe you did that!" I said, "Too bad. I gave you a chance to change it, and you blew it. As a matter of fact, a lot of things in this office need to change." I was thinking of my lack of a desk when I said this, but he took it as a challenge. "What are you talking about? This is my office and I like it just the way it is. Nothing changes unless I say so," he asserted. "It's OUR office for the duration of OUR partnership and I say things are going to change," I said, deciding that this was as good a way as any to drag the truth out of him. "And just what do you think needs to be changed in here, Scully?" he sneered. "Besides your attitude?" My eyes swept over the entire room. I hadn't grown up with two brothers for nothing. I knew better than voice my real goal first thing out of the gate. My eyes fell on the magazine on his desk. It was turned over and had a liquor advertisement on the back, but I knew that it was one of his porn magazines. I snatched up the magazine and thrust it under his nose. "This, Mulder, this is going to change. No more porn in the office or I'll file a complaint." He glared down at me and said, "If you don't like my choice of reading material, keep you nose out of my business and your hands off my magazines!" I tossed the offending rag in the trash and glared at him. He dug it out of the trash and set it back on his desk. He crowded into my space and pushed his face down close to mine. "Scully, what the hell has gotten into you? If you think you can dictate what I have in this office, you can just go fuck yourself!" I was shocked at his words. Mulder and I had fought in the past, but he had never crossed this line before. I decided to pull off the gloves. He wanted a fight? I could give it to him. "I don't have to do that, Mulder. I get fucked every time I step into this office. You, on the other hand, are the expert on masturbation. Or is your specialty autoerotic asphyxiation now?" "Jealous, Scully? What's the matter? Don't think you could live up to Rosie Palm and her five daughters?" He gave me a pitying look and suddenly changed tactics. "Shit! Did your dildo batteries give out? Are you looking for a little live action?" I gasped, shaken to the core by his cruelty and crudity. "Why don't you stack those magazines up and drill a hole in them? Then, you can use them to masturbate because I wouldn't let you touch me if you were the last man on earth!" I turned to leave, but he caught my arm and pulled me around, slamming me into his chest. "Don't worry, Scully. I wouldn't stick my dick in you when you're acting like this because I'd be afraid you'd give me frostbite. You've done everything else you could to emasculate me in the eyes of the entire FBI. I wouldn't give you the opportunity to actually freeze it off." "I wouldn't let you fuck me for any reason, Mulder. If I want satisfaction, I'll find a real man, one who's had sex with a woman in the last decade. I'm sure you don't have a clue how to satisfy a real live, breathing woman." "Oh yeah? I can give you references if you want. I have Phoebe and Diana's home phone numbers right up here," he said as he tapped his temple. "Ha! I wouldn't take the word of a moral-midget slut and a lying bitch in heat about the weather let alone about your sexual performance!" He pulled back, obviously shocked at my creativity and anger. "What IS your problem today? Do you have PMS? Do you need to get laid? Because, I could take care of your needs for you, Scully, if you begged me," he fired at me sarcastically. "Why are you stuck on my needs, Mulder? Besides, if I did need a man, it wouldn't be you," I said as I gave him a disdainful glare up and down his body. "By the way, you better have Diana take a blood test to make sure that the nicotine levels in her system aren't toxic, not to mention the other STD's she's probably been exposed to. Oh yeah, you better send her to the dentist to make sure she doesn't have syphilis of the mouth. She's probably been on her knees for every man she's every worked for. I'm sure she's in the high risk category." "Ya think? Well, at least I know Diana can give a good blow job," he smirked. "You any good at it?" "You must be an expert on what a really good, professional blow job feels like, Mulder, since you've probably paid for plenty of them." On that note, I marched over to my desk and sat down. I didn't want to continue this. It was hurting too much. I was saying things I didn't mean. I wondered if he was too. I should have known he wouldn't let it go now. He strode over towards me and stood there with his hand on his hips in the middle of our office. "For your information, I've never had to pay for it. All the women in my life, and yes, including Diana, have seemed to enjoy sex with me. At least she never made me feel like a eunuch or a monster-boy freak. You just can't wait to point out how fucked up I am every chance you get, can you? I know you're beautiful and sexy, Scully. I know I could never live up to your exalted standards. You don't need to remind me every two seconds." I surged back up and marched over to stand toe to toe with him. If he wanted to slug this out verbally, I was game. "The real reason that you've never been able to maintain a relationship with anyone is because the only women you're interested in are on film. That way, you don't have to actually feel anything for anyone but your precious sister." I immediately felt sick for stooping so low as to hit him with a comment about his sister. "You leave Samantha out of this, Scully, or so help me God," he snarled. I tried to change the subject immediately and said, "Besides, isn't Pornville where all the human Barbie dolls work? They don't have enough brains to do anything but spread their legs and swallow! They don't have to converse intelligently with any man while they have a dick shoved down their throats!" "I might like my women on celluloid, but at least the live women I've been with haven't been as old as my fucking mother!" he bellowed. I shouted, "The men in my past may have been older but at least they weren't suspects or vampire wannabe's." "Maybe that's because the only men who are attracted to you are psychos, killers, or weirdoes. Either that or old men to fulfill your Electra complex," he growled. That last shot hurt. He knew how much I missed my father. I could feel tears in my eyes as I said, "At least the psychos who hit on me made me feel beautiful and wanted. They might have been crazy, but they acted like they thought I was a desirable woman and not one of the guys." He let his eyes rove up and down my body, as if he were really checking me out. "Oh, you're a woman all right, Scully. I can tell because one week a month you turn into a freaking bitch. The rest of the time, you're just a control freak! I've gone along with it this long, but I draw the line when you start telling me what I can wear. I liked that tie," he bellowed. "Fine, you liked the tie," I said and sighed resignedly. All this sniping hadn't cleared anything up between us. I just wanted to go home and lick my wounds. "I'm sorry I destroyed that butt-ugly tie. I know it had sentimental value. Just send me a bill and I'll pay for it." I went back to my chair and sat down heavily, put away the scissors, and turned my back to him. "You can't buy sentiment, Scully. That tie was a thoughtful gift from an ex-partner. Gifts given with that much care and thoughtfulness can't be replaced with any amount of money," he needled. I sighed. "Why would I know about thoughtful gifts, Mulder? You're the only partner I've had since I joined the FBI and you've never given me one," I said quietly. He inhaled sharply, obviously stung by my words. "I wasn't aware that the Ice Queen needed or wanted anything from anyone," he said equally quietly, pain clearly written in his eyes. "You're right," I said. "I don't need anything from you. I do have a suggestion for you though, the next time you pick jewelry out for your bitch, choose pearls. It's much more appropriate to cast pearls before swine than diamonds -- and much cheaper." "I've had just about enough advice on my love life from Doc Ice," he scoffed. "What diamonds are you talking about?" I slammed my hand on the desk and twirled around. I was fed up with this innocent act. "I'm through being called names like the Ice Queen and Mrs. Spooky and Doc Ice." "What are you going to do to stop me?" he sneered. "Leave?" Ah, so this was how he was going to handle it, I realized. I said aloud, "If I have to, I will. I mean it, Mulder. Don't push me." "If that's how you feel, Scully, don't let the door hit you on that tight little ass of yours on the way out." I stood up and stared directly into his eyes to make sure he understood just what was happening here. "If I leave, the only part of me that you're ever going to see for the rest of your miserable life is my 'tight ass' and the back of my head as I walk away from you, you insufferable bastard." "You going to run over to VCS and play with Colton and the rest of those idiots now, Scully?" he jibed. "If I do, I'm sure I'll be farther along in my career than you are by the time I'm 40," I spat. "Be careful, Scully. You're so short that if one of the Directors stops too quickly in front of you, your whole head will stick up their ass instead of just your nose," he sneered. "You should know what that feels like, Mulder. You've had your head stuck up your own ass for so long, your eyes have turned brown." He tried to stifle the unexpected grin that my last comment generated. Before he could respond, the phone rang and he picked it up. He listened for a moment and said, "Now? Can't it wait?" The caller must have had a compelling reason because he said, "Okay. I'll be right up." He hung up the phone, pulled on his jacket, and whipped off the stub of the tie. "I've got to go upstairs and look at a case Diana just received from her A.D., but I'll be right back. We're not done here, Scully." I turned away from him, not willing to watch him walk out the door for the final time. He slammed the door and I was alone. Once again, he'd dropped what he was doing with me, to run to her. I took a deep breath and accepted what I needed to do. I opened my brief case, pulled out all the X-Files folders, and put them in his in-box. I turned on my laptop and typed up my resignation, printed three copies, and signed them. I downloaded all the case files on the laptop to the FBI LAN connection and then reformatted the hard drive, destroying all files I'd entered on the machine. I didn't want to leave a trace of my presence in this office. I left the FBI-issued laptop on the table I'd used as a desk for all these years. I called up to A.D. Skinner's office and asked for a few minutes. Kim checked and told me Skinner had time in about ten minutes if I could come up right away. I picked up my brief case and slid my coffee cup inside. I put one of the copies of my resignation on top of Mulders in-box and walked to the door. At the doorway I stopped and took a long look around. With tears in my eyes, I pulled the door shut and started upstairs. XXXXX I pushed the door to the office open as hard as I could. I wanted to startle her and aggravate her back into our argument. The office was empty but she had to be around somewhere. Her laptop was still on her desk. I took my jacket back off and sat down to wait for her. I actually thought about putting on one of the ties I had in desk drawer, but didn't want to give her the satisfaction of caving so easily. We had come close to making a breakthrough in our relationship earlier this morning. She'd been so cold since our confrontation over Diana in the Gunmen's office. The last few weeks had been tense because she refused to forgive me for trusting Diana. Hell, I hadn't forgiven myself as far as that goes. I'd tried to talk to her about it, had even apologized, sort of, to her. Nothing had broken through the new walls she'd thrown up around her heart. I'd tried to reach out to her while we were off on our case this week, but she had been so distant and dismissive, she'd pissed me off. Finally, this morning, something had set her off and she was letting go of all the anger and pain she'd been holding on to. I wanted her back down here where we could talk. Before this was over, we were going to clear the air and know exactly where we stood in our partnership and our relationship. Besides, I wasn't done arguing with her. She had never let go like this before, and if our hearts weren't so involved, it would have almost been fun. I realized that this was one scenario that I'd never fantasized about with Scully, a fight that led to make-up sex. It had real possibilities. By the time ten minutes had passed, I'd gone from curious to contrite. I'd been reviewing our verbal sparing and realized that I had said some really hurtful things to her. I was already deeply sorry. 'She certainly could hold up her end of a fight, though, couldn't she?' I thought with a grin. She had disclosed a completely new side of herself this morning. Half the time we'd been arguing, I'd been struggling to hide a raging hard-on. The other half, I'd couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to wring her neck or kiss her. The phone rang and I answered it with a smile, expecting it to be Scully with an excuse for taking the rest of the day off. It was Kimberly, requesting my immediate presence in A.D. Skinner's office. I was hoping Skinner had a case for us. Scully and I could use the time away from home to iron out a truce. I walked in and Kimberly didn't even look up from her keyboard. "You are to go right on in, Agent Mulder. The A.D. is ready for you." I hesitated before opening the door. For some reason, her words sounded ... ominous. I gave the door two sharp raps and opened it. I looked towards Skinners desk, but he wasn't there. I shut the door and started to walk towards the chair I always used in front of his desk. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and then found myself shoved up against the door by A.D. Skinner, a very irate A.D. Skinner. "What the hell have you done this time, Mulder?" he growled. "My mind flashed to our latest case. No equipment lost, no injuries, no irate local law enforcement, and no reason for this attitude. "I don't know what you mean, Sir," I said with conviction. "You don't know what I mean?" Skinner said incredulously as he stepped back. "No, Sir." Skinner shook his head and walked around his desk. He sat down heavily and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes for a moment. He placed his glasses back on and said, "Have a seat, Agent Mulder." I sat down, waiting for him to speak again. I don't think I've ever seen him in this mood before. He wasn't this upset after my return from Tunguska when Scully was jailed for contempt of Congress. Scully! "Uh, Sir, is there something wrong with Agent Scully?" I asked. "You tell me, Mulder. Did something happen between you and Scully this morning?" he shot back. I decided not to tell him about the personal side of the argument but did admit to having words with her. "We did have a heated disagreement this morning, Sir, but it was nothing we won't smooth over by Monday." "Oh, really, a heated disagreement," Skinner said sarcastically. I was getting irritated at his attitude. What the hell was going on? Skinner said, "It's going to be very hard to smooth anything over with Dana Scully, Mulder. She just resigned." He pulled a large manila envelope over from the corner of his desk and dumped the contents out on his desktop. It held her badge, her gun, her cell phone, and her Bureau credit card. I sat staring at these items, trying to make my brain coordinate his words and their appearance. One final thing fell out of the envelope, a set of keys. I have the same ones on my ring. One was the key to the night entrance of this building; one was a key to our office. The final one was the key to my apartment. I gasped as I saw the keys. It made everything so final. "You didn't accept her resignation yet, did you, Sir? Do I have time to talk to her before its final?" Skinner said, "She took her resignation directly to HR before she came here, Mulder." He let that sink in for a moment, obviously taking pity on me when my panic face appeared. "Fortunately, Kimberly happened to be there and she took a chance and brought it back to me. If Scully doesn't come back on Monday, I have no choice but to file it with HR. Her resignation will be final and there will be nothing I can do to stop it." I was blown away. "I know our argument was more personal than any we'd ever had, but I didn't think she'd leave over it. I thought we were actually working our way around to fixing the problems we've had recently," I told him. Skinner just shook his head and said, "Just a hint, Agent Mulder. The next time you buy something as expensive as a diamond necklace for your paramour, make sure your partner knows about it beforehand so she doesn't hear about it through the rumor mill." "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked "Kim told me about the diamond necklace that Diana's wearing. She's been showing it off all over the building and making disparaging remarks about Scully. She's claiming it's a gift from you for the one-week anniversary of your reunion." "WHAT? I've been out of town, Sir. You above all people should know that. I haven't had time for any relationship except one with my partner," I said emphatically. "I certainly didn't buy Diana diamonds," I said, stopping as a thought occurred to me. Suddenly, Scully's words about pearls before swine began to make sense. I jumped to my feet. "I've got to go find Scully." "You do that, Mulder. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help change Scully's mind. She's an excellent agent and her loss will be a blow to this office." I thought about confronting Diana before I left, but what I really wanted to do was get to Scully. I decided to go with my gut and left immediately for her apartment. I tried to call her home phone number several times on my way over but got no answer. I decided to go there anyway. She could be screening her calls. When I got there, I used my key to let myself in after knocking several times. As soon as I was inside, it was evident that Scully had not been there yet. My first inclination was to take off and try to find her, but I decided to wait for her to come home. I realized she might not come in if she saw my car so I hid it down the street in a convenience store parking lot. At least she wouldn't know that I was here until she got in the door. Our fight kept running through my mind. What had set it off? It couldn't possibly be the tie, could it? I actually hated that tie. I was only going to wear it once then pitch it back into the bowels of my closet. I wasn't going to tell Scully that after her first few comments. The tie reminded me of the ones that Diana had always demanded that I wear when we were together. The main reason I wore such outrageous ties to this day was my rebellion against her 'tie-tyranny' as I'd dubbed it. I must have drifted off at some point because the clock on her VCR said 9:26 when I heard her key in the lock. I sat there quietly in a dark corner of the living room and watched her. She was just as neat as always, making sure her coat was hung up properly on the hanger and her shoes were not out in the middle of the floor. I could hear her sniffle every once in a while. It tore at my heart. I did that. I allowed my past relationship with Diana to destroy her trust in our relationship and to prey on her insecurities enough to let this happen. I felt like a real shit. I was reminded of the night in her bedroom when I had sat in the dark and watched her enter and start to undress. I was filled with regret that I hadn't chosen to wait in the same chair as before. This time, I don't think I would have been able to bring myself to stop her before she was naked. She headed back to her bedroom. I could hear her puttering around and then the sounds of the bathroom door shutting as she prepared to get ready for bed. When the water in the shower came on, I knew I was in big trouble. Visions of a wet, naked Scully filled my mind. Scenes from the contamination shower overlaid with my knowledge of her bathroom. I was growing more aroused by the moment. I decided that I should try to take my mind off thoughts of a wet, naked, sudsy, tasty Scully, not 20 feet away from me. I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights. Chances were, knowing Scully, she hadn't eaten anything all day. I started a pot of coffee and then turned to the refrigerator to see what she had around for a quick bite of dinner. Lots of food in there, but nothing that looked doable except a dozen eggs. I got out the fixings for scrambled eggs and toast and started to work. I had just dumped the eggs into the frying pan when I heard movement by the door. "Get your hands up and step out of that room, slowly." It was Scully's very in-charge, Special Agent voice. "Hey Scully, it's me," I said as I walked over to the doorway. I took no chances, though. I had my hands up. "Mulder! What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" she said as she lowered her weapon. She was standing there in her flannel pajamas and an old terrycloth robe looking so beautiful and fierce I wanted to fall down on my knees and beg for her forgiveness. "Making scrambled eggs. You hungry?" I asked as I walked back over to the stove. I didn't want to burn our dinner. "What?" she said incredulously. "Not hungry?" I asked. "Get out," she spat. "We could just talk," I offered, being deliberately obtuse as I flashed her a smile. "Mulder, get the hell out of my apartment. I'm not hungry. I don't want to talk. I don't ever want to see you again. Does that make things perfectly clear to you?" "Sorry, Scully, no can do," I said, turning back to stir the eggs. "What?" "I was given orders by A.D. Skinner to talk to you and work things out. You know, Scully, I always follow a direct order to the letter, so here I am. Toast?" I asked. I divided the eggs onto two plates and put a slice of toast with each. I put the plates down on the table and turned back to pour our coffee. Scully stood there glaring at me. I heard her stomach rumble and knew that I was going to win this round. "Please sit down, Scully. I know you're hungry," I urged gently. She didn't move for several seconds but when her stomach growled again, she shrugged and sat down at the chair farthest away from me. She put her gun down and pulled her plate over in front of her. I pushed the coffee cup towards her and she nodded. For a little woman, Scully could tuck away a lot of food when she was hungry. She ate all her eggs and toast. I silently got up and made a couple more pieces of toast for her, pulling the apricot preserves out of the refrigerator to go with it. I placed my offerings on the table and returned with the pot of coffee. She was staring at me. I took the look of contemplation on her face as a sign that she was willing to talk. I didn't take any chances, though. I got up and cleared up the food and dishes, loading the dishwasher and wiping the counters and stove before offering her one more shot of coffee. She nodded and said, "All right Mulder, we'll talk." She walked back into the living room. I stood there in the middle of her kitchen and said a prayer. I didn't know whom I was praying to, and I didn't care. Any deity that could spread a little divine intervention around right now would be welcome by me. I walked into the living room when I was done. I brought my coffee, even though I really wasn't interested in drinking it. I needed something to do with my hands. She was curled up on the end of her sofa, just like she'd been so many times before. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't speak. She was so damned beautiful to me. I had to do this right or my only chance at happiness in my entire morose existence was going to be gone. "Uh, Scully," I started to speak as I sat down. "Let's set some ground rules before we begin, okay?" Her eyebrow lifted as she sipped her coffee and stared at me. "Ground rules?" she repeated. "Yeah. You talk, I listen. I talk, you listen. We don't interrupt each other and we don't call names or use excessive profanity. How does that sound?" I asked. "It sounds like what we should have been doing this morning," she sniped. "Okay," I said. "Who starts?" She contemplated my question for a moment before saying, "I'd like to start, if I may." I was surprised, but I nodded. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as I'd imagined. "First of all, I'd like to apologize for destroying your tie. It was an act of spite and passion and uncalled for." "Apology accepted. Did you really hate the tie, Scully?" I asked. "No, it actually was quiet tasteful. Let's just say, I didn't hate the gift as much as the 'giftor' and the reason behind the gift." "What reason are you talking about?" I asked. "Because I gotta tell you, Scully, I don't have a clue why she gave me that tie." "Oh, come on Mulder," she began. "All right," she said with a deep inhalation. "Let's start at the beginning, again." I nodded. "Good idea. Why don't you tell me everything that happened from the time you left the office to go to the restroom until you walked back in and we got in the fight? If we approach this as a case, like we're giving a deposition, it might be easier to see the areas of miscommunication." I prayed that Scully would accept my idea, that her logical mind would find this to be the best way to distance herself from the anger and hurt she was feeling. I didn't want her to relive our painful conversation, but I needed to know why it occurred. She nodded and told me everything that had happened. I could tell by her monotone and her stoic demeanor that she was trying to retell the tale with little or no emotions tainting her words. I, on the other hand, was shocked at first. Then I became pissed off and then incensed. Diana was out and out lying. I had to make Scully understand that! By the time she finished, her words were mere whispers. I wanted to go to her, to scoop her up in my arms and hold her. I needed to kiss her and tell her the truth. I desperately needed her to understand and believe me. "Scully," I husked. "It's not true." "What's not true, Mulder?" "Not one word that you heard Diana Fowley say this morning is true. I have not resumed a physical relationship with her. I have not asked her to be my partner. I have not gone to A.D. Skinner and asked him to transfer you from the X-Files," I said. "I can't prove my first two statements, you'll have to trust me that I'm telling you the truth. I can assure you, however, that A.D. Skinner will back up my last statement. I haven't approached him about either topic," I stated baldly. "And I sure as hell didn't buy her any fucking diamonds." She had been reaching over to put her cup down on the coffee table and froze in mid-action. Her eyes tracked over to me and she stared long and hard into my eyes for an eternity before she nodded her head. "All right," she said and continued her movement to put her cup on the table. I relaxed slightly. At least she was still capable of believing me. "I accept that Diana is lying, but why? This is not something that can be obscured. Your memory isn't in question. You've not given her any hope that this would be happening, I take it." "I've not even talked to her in private since the night I found CGB Spender in her apartment. I don't know what's happening, Scully, but I don't like it and I'm going to get to the bottom of this." "Fine, Monday you can confront her," she said. I leaned over to clasp her hand and was surprised when she pulled away from me. "Scully?" I said, confused once again. "That takes care of the impetus of our fight, but it doesn't take care of the hurtful, cruel words we exchanged. I'm not sure I can let that go easily, Mulder," she said with a shake of her head. "Scully! It was just a silly fight. I didn't mean the things I said, did you?" My stomach twisted into a knot waiting for her reply. "Noooo," she drawled. "But some of the things you said came pretty easily to your lips, Mulder. Are you sure you haven't thought of them before?" I shook my head and stared back at her. "I didn't mean to say some of the things I said to you, Scully, but I was hurt and confused. I admit, I did mean to goad you into a fight." "What? Why the hell would you do that?" she spat. I considered my words for a few seconds before opening my mouth. I needed her to understand and accept my reason, even if my method was deplorable. "Scully, you've hardly spoken three consecutive words to me since the debacle at the Gunmen's office. Oh, you've been professional and courteous, but you've treated me as if I were a stranger you were forced to work with. Hell, I've seen you treat suspects with more warmth than you've given me lately." "Mulder," she began, but I cut her off. "Scully, I know you're right about Diana, but I have to tell you, accepting that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. I have so few people I let into my life. I thought she loved me. For crying out loud, I slept with her. I understood when she left; I'm not easy to live with. I never thought she was less than my friend." "Mulder," she sighed. "But you cut me out of your life so completely that I didn't have a chance to tell you that you were right. That's why I took that last case. I wanted to see if I could get you to talk to me if we were on neutral territory," I said. "That didn't work. You acted as if you could barely stand being in the same room with me during the entire case. "I purposely let things get out hand this morning because I wanted to keep you talking to me. Even if we were yelling, I reasoned that at least we were communicating. I don't know why it got so out of hand. I don't think any of those things about you, Scully. Except for the part about you being beautiful and sexy and knowing I don't deserve you. I just said what popped into my mind because," I cut off, suddenly aware that I was probably saying too much. "Because," she coaxed. "Because, I'm an ass. After I lost my temper I refused to back down and let you have the final say. I'm sorry," I said quietly. "Some of the things you said hurt me too, Scully." "Oh, Mulder, I know. I'm sorry, too," she said. There were tears in her eyes. I took that as my cue to touch her. I extended my hand across the couch cushions. It was such a short distance, but it had felt like an ocean only moments before. She hesitantly reached out to clasp her hand in mine. A shock of electricity flowed between us. I instinctively squeezed her hand and pulled her towards me, onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in the crick of her neck. "I'm sorry, Scully, so sorry," I mumbled. "Oh, Mulder," she said as she began to cry. "I hate fighting with you. I was just so hurt, so mad, so sure that even Diana couldn't lie about something as big as a diamond necklace." "I don't know what she's got up her sleeve, but I can assure you I would never buy a diamond necklace for the woman in my life for a one-week anniversary. Scully, you know me! I can barely remember Christmas, let alone a one-week anniversary." She sniffed and smiled, but the tears didn't quit flowing down her face. "You would buy a diamond necklace, though, huh?" she teased. "No, uh, Scully, I wouldn't," I stated firmly. "Oh," she whispered. "Scully! Not for the reason you're thinking right now," I assured her. "What reason is that, Mulder?" she asked as she sat up straighter, pulling away from me. I pulled her back down against me and inhaled. "Scully, I would never go out and buy jewelry of any kind because I ... I," I stammered to a halt. "Why?" she urged softly. "Scully, I wouldn't buy jewelry for a woman because I have two bank safety deposit boxes full of the stuff from my inheritance through my parents and grandparents' estates." Her eyes got very round and she said, "Two?" I nodded and shrugged. "Most of it's really old and not stylish by today's standards, but it's all the real stuff." "Does Diana know about this?" she asked. "I don't know. I don't think so. I didn't get most of it until my Mom's estate was settled. Why?" "Just thinking," she said. She tipped her head as if considering something for the first time. "Mulder," she said slowly. "Are you rich?" I sighed. The question I'd dreaded for so long was finally here to answer. "Yeah," I said at last. "How rich?" she asked, and then immediately looked shocked by her own words. She put her hand over my mouth before I could answer her. "I'm sorry, Mulder, that sounds so gauche. I was just wondering if you were well off or ... you know ... rich. It might be a clue to Diana's behavior." I laughed at her discomfort and kissed the palm of her hand as it covered my mouth. It startled her and she snatched her hand away, her fingers curling in as if to hold onto the kiss I'd placed there. Her action turned into a reaction for me. I felt my cock twitch. "I live on my income, Scully. Most of the money I inherited is dirty as far as I'm concerned, but I haven't given it away. I didn't ask for the money from my father, I consider it filthy. I'd hoped that my mother would live long enough to spend it all. However, now that I have it, I keep thinking that sometime down the road I might need it. If I have to leave the Bureau and look for Samantha on my own or even if I find her, it could be useful. I realize she might need intensive medical or psychological help when I do find her. So I kept it. Half of it is her's anyway." "How, uh, dirty is this inheritance?" she asked. "Right about a hundred," I stopped talking when her eyes started to bug out. "Thousand?" she gasped. "Uh, no," I said. She raised her eyebrow at me, demanding a more definitive answer. "Million," I mumbled. She drew back and looked at me for a long time. It was a speculative look. I'd never seen it on her face before. For some reason it made my heart hurt. "Do you," she said, stopping to sigh. "Do you think Diana could have heard about this inheritance?" I thought about it for a few minutes before answering, as the pain I had felt melted away. "I guess so. When I think about it, CGB Spender has appeared to know everything about me up to now. He could have told her." She nodded and considered my words. She apparently came to some decision about Diana's motivation. She snuggled down against me again and then stiffened as she felt my erection. She began to blush and tried to climb off my lap. "Scully, stay still," I begged. "Mulder, I'm okay now. We're okay," she assured me. "I like holding you, Scully," I said as I pulled her close again. "You fit me." "I do?" she gasped as my hands slid up and down her back. "I could never fit Diana back into my life, Scully," I assured her. "You couldn't?" she whispered. I shook my head slowly and said, "She doesn't fit as my partner for the X-Files nor does she fit as a friend." "Really?" she said with a smile. "She doesn't fit into my arms like you do, Scully. Moreover, she certainly doesn't fit into my heart. It's too full of you, Scully." "It is?" she smiled up into my eyes. I nodded, finally ready to take the final step on this journey. "Don't you know? I love you, Scully." She gasped again. Her beautiful ruby lips were open in the most adorable 'O'. I wanted to kiss her so badly. Her eyes scanned mine for what seemed to be an hour, but was probably only seconds. I watched her lick her lips before she whispered, "I love you too, Mulder." Her hand came up and she gently stroked across my forehead and down the side of my face. "I'm in love with you. I have been for so long." Her breath hitched and she said, "I was so afraid." "Of what, Scully? What were you afraid of?" I prodded gently. Her fingers drifted over my face, her eyes following their tracks. Everywhere she touched me, my skin burned with pleasure. I knew she was trying to distract me. "Scully, what scared you?" I said and clasped her hand in mine. She swallowed hard and finally said, "I was afraid that you didn't love me like I love you. That you would choose Diana because she supported you without question, and you were in love with her, and that I would lose you completely before I ever had the chance to let you know how much I care." By the time she was done she was barely audible. "Well, except for the part about you choosing Diana, you've hit all my major fears," I teased. I kissed her again. "What are we going to do about our relationship now?" I asked frankly. I pulled her around so that she was straddling my legs and I could see her face clearly. "Mulder," she paused. I could see her struggle with her fears written clearly on her face as I waited for her answer. Finally she spoke. "I think I want to make love with you," she said as she looked directly into my eyes. "Holy shit, Scully," I whispered, overwhelmed that this was happening so fast. "You've got to know that's what I want too," I replied finally. I slid my hands down to cup her sweet little ass and stood up. She yelped in surprise and wrapped her arms and legs around me. We both began to laugh. "Mulder, what are you doing?" "I'm taking this to your bedroom. I have no intentions of making love to you on your living room sofa. At least not for the first time," I added with a waggle of my eyebrows. She leaned in and kissed my nose before throwing her head back and laughing. I stopped short of her bedroom doorway and said, "I don't want to let go of you right now, Scully, but I think I need a shower before we go any farther." "Why?" she asked, clearly confused. "Well," I began, as I hefted her up and squeezed her tighter to me. "I've been sweating bullets since I found out that you resigned. I probably don't exactly smell as fresh as a rose." "Mulder, if you smelled any better, I'd want to eat you with a spoon. Quit dawdling, G-man. Take me to bed and love me." I did just that. XXXXX My entire day had been a roller coaster ride. I don't think I'd ever been as desolate as I was this morning. Now I was in Mulder's arms on my way to my bed to make love for the first time. I'd gone from the lowest low to the highest high in the space of a day. It was crazy but that was life with Mulder. After I assured him that he smelled good enough to eat, he gave me a squeeze and a nod. My words were not just a measure of my impatience to get him into bed. Mulder always smells good to me. I've never been a big fan of the au-natural style on a man. Give me a man out of the pages of GQ any day. Mulder, however, smells good no matter how long it's been since he hit the showers. I'll have to let him know how much it affects me sometime. Each eau-de-Mulder has its own appeal. Fresh, clean-showered Mulder is always attractive. His early morning scent is better at waking up my senses than Starbuck's best brew. Mid-day Mulder is like warm chocolate, slightly fragrant but still fresh and a whiff makes your mouth water with hunger. End of the day Mulder is a veritable banquet for the senses. His wonderful natural male, Mulder-fragrance has overcome his aftershave and soap. His hair will be slightly mussed because he rubs his hands through it when he concentrates. He'll have a five- o'clock shadow and the sound of his fingers rubbing across his stubble has become almost unbearably sexy to me. Some days it's all I can do not to throw him up against a file cabinet and screw his brains out. The very best Mulder-scent of all, however, is produced by a combination of factors. When he has fallen asleep on a plane or in the car, after a hard day, he produces this sleepy-male pheromone that is my very favorite. That's how he smells to me right now. He stopped beside the bed and let me slide down his body. I could feel his arousal and suddenly, I was scared again. I remembered the hateful words I'd said to him this morning about his sexual performance. Talk about transference. My real fear was my own inadequacies. What if I wasn't enough for him? What if I wasn't sexy enough or my breasts are not full enough? What if? "Stop that!" he growled. I was shocked by his words and looked back up into his eyes. "You were thinking up reasons to stop me, weren't you?" he asked. "Your fears were taking over again." "Yes," I whispered. "Well, stop it. Scully, there's nothing about you that isn't absolutely beautiful to me," he said sincerely. His words touched me deeply. Until tonight I'd always tried to keep my distance so that I could keep my cool, professional facade in place, so that I could survive the attraction I felt for him. Now that I knew he returned my love, I didn't have to pretend any longer. I quit thinking and fell into a sensual haze as he stripped us and made love to me. I have never had an orgasm as wild or satisfying as the ones I experienced with him. I was right to worry though. My natural reticence and need for control kept me almost completely silent during our lovemaking. Mulder took it as a sign that I wasn't satisfied. Ha! Little did he know! I'd not been able to achieve an orgasm during the actual act of sex for years. I'd had two, world-rocking, mind-blowing orgasms while we made love. His desire to make me happy was so endearing. It touched me deeply, as did his inability to delay his orgasm. He seemed to believe that he needed to prove something to me. I was overcome with emotion. I began to cry, unsure whether my tears were for the tender, loving feelings I had towards this man or if they were for me. I had begun to believe that maybe all the other men in my life were right; that I was cold. Mulder had just blown that one right out of the water. Now the tears I couldn't stop crying were hurting him. Damn, were we ever going to get this communication thing down right? XXXXX Scully was a walking contradiction. She had always been highly competitive, evidenced by her ranking in high school, college, and pre-med, all the way up to her class standing at Quantico. Yet, this highly intelligent, beautiful, warm, compassionate woman had a hidden fear of inadequacy. How could she not know that she was everything to me? How could she not realize that her inner beauty was what made me fall in love with her? The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous was only secondary. There was only one thing to do. I had to prove to her that she was the woman I wanted; physically, emotionally, sexually. 'It's going to be a tough job, but I'm up to the challenge,' I thought with glee. I slid my hands up the outside of her arms to her neck. I palmed the sides of her neck and brought her face up to mine. I'd wanted to kiss Scully forever. Our kiss was slow and wet and so damn arousing, I could have come just from playing tonsil hockey with her. No other woman had ever affected me like she did. I slowly undressed her, kissing every inch of skin as it slipped into view. She was so soft and fragrant from her shower. I undressed quickly and pulled her down on the bed with me. She silently responded to my every touch. I soon found myself to be on the edge and falling fast. Everything about Scully was tasty. Her kisses, her skin, her breasts, everything was a veritable banquet for the senses. I gorged myself on Scully. I licked and kissed and sucked and stroked. I fondled and nipped and sniffed until I was so turned on that I couldn't hold back any longer. I slid into her, and one of my big fears was relieved. Actually, it was the biggest fear I'd had about beginning a relationship with Scully. I was afraid that I wouldn't fit, that we wouldn't be physically compatible. That sounds egotistical, but past experience had proven that it was not a groundless fear. I wasn't built like a porn star but I'd had problems with other women. I selfishly wanted everything about our lovemaking to be perfect, including the fit of our bodies. I wanted to go slow. I really did. I knew that I was going to have a problem right from the beginning. Years of waiting for this moment made the pressure to come almost unbearable. I'd always told myself that I could control myself; however, the reality of loving Scully was more than I could handle. I knew she was aroused. She was wet and the lips of her vulva were swollen. Her eyes were dilated and her breathing was quick and shallow. The flush on her chest and neck told me that she was indeed as aroused as I was. I knew that I should have made sure that she had at least one orgasm before I entered her, but I couldn't wait. The smell of Scully, her wet, pulsing lips, and the small sounds she made at the back of her throat drove me crazy. Her body undulated under mine and the feel of her skin against me was so intense, it was almost painful. I started to stroke slowly but the tight walls of her vagina pulled against me, milking my cock and sending me right over the edge. The entire time we made love, the only sounds she made were small, desperate-sounding moans and groans that went straight to my cock. Before I could stop myself, I was driving into her, babbling like a fool all about my love for her and how good, how very, very good she felt to me. I wanted everything to be perfect, but I failed. I pushed myself up and off her when I heard her beginning to cry. Shit! What had I done? I'd probably spoiled any chance that I'd ever be able to make love to Scully again. Hell, she's crying so hard, I might as well give up any hope that she'll still be my partner come Monday. XXXXX Oh shit! I'm going to wreck this is I don't stop crying. "Mulder," I was finally able to croak out. "Hold me," I begged and I began to sob even harder. XXXXX "Oh, Jesus, Scully," I babbled. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled with me as I rolled to my side. "Baby, I love you, don't cry. I'm sorry. I wanted it to be all about you. I wanted it to be so damn good for you but I fucked up." I stroked her downy skin down the length of her back letting my hand cup over her derriere and give a gentle squeeze to each perfect globe before tracking back up again. "I can do better, I swear. Please, Scully, give me a chance to make it all better for you." I leaned back to peek down at her face. She'd had it buried against my chest since I wrapped her in my arms at her request. She sobbed harder and scooted up higher and closer to me. I was at a loss as to what to do. I couldn't let this come between us. "Okay, if it was that bad and you want to forget it, I can do that," I promised her. I'd do anything to keep her in my life. "I can forget that I ever touched you or that your skin is so soft it feels like silk velvet," I declared. My hands were trailing all over her body, trying to get in as much touch time with all that naked Scully-skin as I could. Maybe it would be enough to last me a lifetime. "I can forget how damn good you smell," I said as I lowered my nose down to her hair and sniffed several times. I trailed down the side of her head and against my better judgment, found my nose snuffling in her ear and on down to the corner of her neck and shoulder. I buried it there and took in great, deep breaths of air through my nose, hoping to hold on to enough Scully-scent to last me a lifetime. End Part 1 of 2 XXXXX She was lying on my left shoulder and the hand attached to it slid down to the middle of her back and pressed her against me. I couldn't control any of my damn body parts! My right hand traced over her hip and dipped down to her tiny waist before sliding up and cupping one of her perfect breasts. "I'll never look at you and think of how perfectly your breast fits into my hand, I promise. I'll never make you uncomfortable. I love you enough to never again bring this night up." I jerked my hand away from her breast as I realized that my fingers had teased and rubbed her nipple until it was hard and pebbled again. I felt my cock stir, beginning to engorge again. Jesus! What was wrong with me? She didn't want anything to do with me. She was sobbing in my arms as if her heart was broken, and here I was letting my body run away with my better senses. If I didn't watch it, I'd be inside her again, stroking like a sex-starved teenager. Holy Toledo! I'd pulled my hand away from her breast and while I'd been thinking of all the things I'd done wrong tonight, my fingers had slid down and were pressing against her clit again. What the hell? The only thing I could think of doing was to get off the bed. "Scully, I'm going to get dressed now. I know you probably want me to go so I will," I began. She actually sobbed harder at my words. She clung to me and held me to her, unable to speak because of the huge, torturous sobs that were racking her body. I couldn't leave her like that. I held her close and forced myself to keep my hands to safe areas, trying to comfort her. It didn't work. I kept trying, but she had moved closer to me and her hot breath was blasting right against one of my hottest erogenous zones, my nipples. My cock was fully engorged now and I slid my hips back to keep from upsetting her further. Whoa! Something wasn't right here. When I slid back, she had hitched forward so that I was once again pressed against her curls. "Scully?" I croaked, saliva filled my mouth and made it hard to speak. I wanted to taste her. I could smell clean, fresh Scully- scent, but it was becoming overpowered by the smell of our release. "Scully, tell me what you want me to do. I'll do any thing for you, Baby," I said as I began to drop little kisses on her hair. She clung to me, trying to catch her breath so she could speak. I remember when Sam was a little kid and would cry hard, she would make the same sounds. I used to tease her about her 'sup-supping', but I hated to see her cry. I was a big wuss when she was hurt. It's the same way or more so with Scully, but these were not brotherly feelings I was having for the woman in my arms. God, I wanted to make it better for her. Scully sniffed several times and I knew that if I thought about it, I could feel a combination of tears, snot and saliva on my chest. For some reason, that didn't squick me out like it normally would. She placed her mouth on the center of my chest and gave me what felt like a gentle little kiss. I was stunned. I waited until I could tell why she was kissing me, or if she was, in fact, kissing me. "Mulder?" she said in the tiniest voice I've ever heard her use before. I curled around her, trying to get closer so that I could hear what she was saying without moving a millimeter from her. "Yeah, Scully?" I whispered. "Mulder," she said and then sniffed again. "Shut up and make love to me again." I jerked back from her, not truly comprehending her words. Until I could look into her eyes, I wouldn't believe that I had just heard, what I thought I had just heard. Did that make sense? Who knows? I wanted to believe, but it seemed that I'd lost about a hundred I.Q. points since climbing in bed with the woman I loved. She lifted her face to mine, eyes incredibility blue and tear stained, lips red and swollen like they were bee-stung. "Sex, Mulder, I need to have sex with you again. NOW!" she said between hitches in her breathing caused by her earlier tears. "Scully!" I crowed. "You liked it?" She nodded and blushed. "It was wonderful, Mulder." "Why ... how ... you didn't say anything! I thought I had blown it. I didn't even make you come, did I?" I asked incredulously. "Why would you want me to do that again?" "Mulder," she said as she pushed me over on my back. "What part of wonderful don't you understand? I had two orgasms, Mulder. Two. That's two more than I've had during sex with my past three lovers." I laid there staring at her in disbelief. I had made Scully come. She had liked, no scratch that, she had loved having sex with me. She had been crying because she liked it, because she had been overwhelmed. Why did this suddenly make sense to me? Had I gone mad? "Scully, talk to me," I urged. "I don't want to talk, Mulder, I want to make love," she mumbled against my chest again. "Scully," I said and pulled away so that I could see her eyes as we talked. She tried to cling to me and maintain contact, but I was adamant. I needed to know what the hell was happening here. "Mulllddderrr," she whined. "Scully, we just made love and you didn't say a word, barely made a sound. Now don't get me wrong, I loved making love to you, but I don't understand why you were silent." I could tell that she was uncomfortable talking about what just happened, but I needed to know I wasn't in this alone. I needed her words as well as her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I knew she was working to gather her thoughts. It was a process I'd watched many times in the past. "Mulder, I've always been a lip biter. I find it ... difficult to let go," she said as if that should explain all. Suddenly comprehension dawned. It was a control issue. She had trusted other men enough to make love to her, but not enough to release that God-awful control she kept on herself. She trusted me the same way and she had at least loosened up enough to achieve orgasm with me. Twice. Why was my inner child jumping for joy over her reaction when my adult self was over in the corner pouting? I scooted back further and sat up against the headboard, automatically pulling the sheet over my hips. I wasn't willing to accept a conditional level of trust from Scully. We had reached a level of total trust as partners and friends. Why would she think I'd be willing to accept less as her lover? She struggled to sit up, pulling the covers up to cover her body as she did. "Mulder, what's going on?" she said. I could see the fear in her eyes. She was feeling insecure. I could almost hear the beep, beep, beep sound of the truck backing up to dump the load of bricks and the hasty scrabble of walls being built around her heart as she sat there staring at me. XXXXX Now he was scaring me. He'd pulled the sheet up over his hips and moved away when I told him I wanted to make love again. I hoped he didn't think I expected him to perform on demand. I just wanted to start slow and build up to another round of sex. Well, maybe I was a teeny bit demanding, but now he'd pulled away completely and the dark look on his face scared me. "Mulder talk to me," I said. XXXXX 'Talk to her?' I thought. 'Now she wants me to talk to her? Okay, Scully, here goes.' "Scully, I need to know that you trust me," I began. "Of course I do," she interrupted. "You should know that! I trust you with my life every day." I shook my head and said, "I'm not talking about trusting me on the job or even about trusting me as a friend. I'm talking about trusting me with you." I gently tapped the area right above her heart. "I need to know that you can trust me not to hurt you, trust that I love you. More important, I need to know that you trust me enough to let all your inhibitions go. Trust that I would never hold your reactions against you. Do you understand?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about my words. I wanted to kick myself as I saw the tears well up in her eyes, but I knew that she needed to confront this obstacle before we could go on. "I ... I trust you, Mulder. I know you wouldn't have said any of those things to me if you didn't mean them. It's just so, ummm, hard for me to let go. It's an extremely complex issue for me. It's not all about trust, you know?" "I can believe that, Scully. However, you know me. You've known for years about my use of visual stimulation, but it's more than that. Those tapes I don't own also come with a sound track and while they were pretty fake at times, they do serve a need I have for auditory stimulation. "I am also a very tactile person. For years I've been starved for your touch and we just broke that barrier. As much as I've needed to see you, to touch you, to make love to you, I've needed to hear you. I need to HEAR that I'm pleasing you, driving you crazy with desire. Can you understand that?" XXXXX Holy mother of God, did I understand! His words had touched me deep inside, yet all the years I'd worked at building my control could not be blown away that easily. I knew what he needed, or thought I did. I knew what he wanted. I just didn't know if I could give it to him. "I want to let go, Mulder, but I'm not sure I can. It's a very complex issue for me," I repeated. He nodded and seemed to relax a little as he slid down in the bed, turned onto his side, and propped his head on his hand. "Tell me." I laid down facing him and assumed the same position. I purposefully let the sheet slide down enough to expose the tops of my breasts. I needed every advantage I could get to make him be open and receptive to my words. "I think it started when I was a small child. Being a Navy brat has a lot of disadvantages, but one that's not brought up frequently is the poor housing facilities on some of the bases," I began. His eyebrows lifted in question. "The walls can be very thin, Mulder. I was mortified by the sounds I heard as a child. Even though I understood them as an adult, I have this overwhelming need to ... be quiet." I wound down, knowing that my words sounded like a lame excuse, even to myself. "Scully, are you saying you don't want to make noise during sex because it makes you sound, um, bad?" "Well, yes. I guess I am," I said with a nervous laugh. "Don't kill me, but I just got very turned on," he teased. I knew he was teasing but was also telling the truth. The sheet covering his hips definitely had moved. "I think that's probably part of it, Scully," he agreed. "But, I still think that it has more to do with being a trust issue." "You do?" I asked. My mouth was suddenly dry. Maybe it was because I was panting, lightly, as I watched the sheet begin to tent over his erection. "Yeah, I do. I think I can prove it, too." "You can?" "Yes," he said with a nod. My eyes were drawn to his and I studied him for a moment, trying to decide what to do. "Okay, Mulder, I've always been one for hard facts and empirical data. Give it your best shot." XXXXX Now the burden of proof was on my shoulders. I think old Foxy and I are up to the challenge. I might be almost forty, but it's been a long time since I've had sex with a real live woman, let alone the one I love, and we're already good to go again. I pulled the sheet from her body and tossed it behind me on the bed. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of my erection. I couldn't help it, I was proud of her reaction to my body. I flexed my cock and her startled laugh brought her eyes up to mine. I smiled back at her and held out my hand. She looked down at my hand and back up into my eyes. I could see that she was screwing up her courage to the sticking point as she slowly lifted her arm and placed her hand in mine. God, I was proud of her at that moment. "You won't regret this, Scully. I'll love you forever," I said. "God, I hope so," she breathed. I pulled her closer and we kissed. I absofuckinglutely loved kissing Scully. Her lips were made to be kissed. Her strong little tongue dueling with mine, her soft lips molded to mine, her pearly white teeth nipping at my bottom lip, that was my idea of heaven. We kissed until we had to breathe again. I eased her over until she was on her back. I couldn't help touching her, everywhere. I could feel her body respond to my touch as I kissed her. In fact, I could actually feel the expulsion of air that was meant to be a moan, but was trapped in her throat and came out a soft sigh. That would not do. I stroked the skin on her cheek with the back of my fingers while I stared down into her eyes. "I love you, Scully." She smiled up at me and I could feel my lips sketch a smile in return. She pressed her cheek against the back of my fingers and then turned her head and kissed each one of my knuckles. It was such a loving gesture that it almost unmanned me. No one had ever loved me back as much as I'd loved them, no one. "God, Scully, tell me what you want," I said. At her quizzical look, I added, "Tell me what you fantasize about when you think of me." She blushed and tried to roll closer to bury her face against my chest. I wanted nothing to do with that. I shook my head and cupped her face in my palm. "No hiding. I've done nothing but babble about my fears and feelings and love. It's your turn." I leaned down and kissed her some more, hoping that her passion would loosen her tongue, at least a little. She was panting when our kiss broke and it took a few seconds before she could answer. "Mulder, that's such a private thing. I've never spoken about it to anyone." "Not even an old lover or Melissa or your best friend, Ellen?" I asked. I thought women were always dissecting everything about their lives. Shows how much I knew about women in general and Scully in particular. "You've been my best friend for years. How could I discuss my fantasies about you with ... you?" she said with a laugh. I didn't answer, just kept looking at her. I knew I had a goofy grin on my face. Her words had warmed my heart. "Please," I said. She heaved a huge sigh. Whenever I asked her for anything, she always tried her best to give it to me. This was no exception. "All right," she said. "But this is going to be really difficult for me." "Why don't you just show me then, Scully?" I asked, suddenly inspired. She automatically shook her head in denial, but then she stopped. I held my breath as she thought it over. Finally, she nodded. "All right," she whispered. "But, no talking, got it?" I nodded as I watched her closely; she didn't move. Finally I opened my mouth to speak again, but her words stopped me. "It's too light in here," she husked. "When you think of me, it's in the dark of night?" I whispered. "Yes, when I can't sleep." I jumped out of bed and shut the light off in the bathroom. With her blinds down and her curtains pulled, the room was almost completely black. Only the glow of the small lamp on the hall table dimly illuminated the room. "Do you want that off?" I asked. She knew what I meant immediately, because she said, "No, that's always on at night." I made my way back over to the bed carefully, nothing like a broken toe to spoil the mood. I climbed on the bed and pulled her into my arms again. She hugged me back and then pulled away. "Scully," I began. Her words came soft, low and loving. "Mulder, if you want me to show you, I have to sit up." 'Ah, things were really getting interesting,' I thought, but kept my mouth shut. I released her and scooted back a little to watch her in the dim light. She sat up and began to pile pillows against the headboard, testing them after a bit and then rearranging them. Her methodical actions were so her, so Scully. She was as careful when she masturbated as she was about everything else she did in her life. God, I loved this woman. "Tell me why you're fixing the pillows, Scully. I want to know everything. Just say what you're thinking out loud," I begged. She gave me a smirk and said, "I'm thinking, I must be completely nuts over this man to let him talk me into this." We chuckled together and then I nodded at her, indicating I wanted her to go on. "I have a lot of fantasies about us making love, but this is my favorite. You'll see why later." She settled back against the pillows and reached over and pulled the drawer of her nightstand open. She removed a tapestry bag. I was totally intrigued. "What's in the bag, Scully?" I asked, unable to stay quiet. "This is my toy bag, Mulder," she said with a smirk. My eyebrows must have shot up because her smirk evolved into a full Scully grin. "Toys, eh?" I teased. I snatched the bag from her and opened it. Inside were a vibrator and a plastic bag with some condoms and a tube of lube. My, my! Dana Scully was truly unfolding like a flower. "Hey, be careful with the bag," she said when I dropped it. "I love that bag. I had it custom made from a gal who sells them on e-bay." I looked at the bag with a little more interest, now that I knew what was inside it. The outer fabric was nice, but the lining was some of the softest material I'd ever felt. Scully must have noticed me stroking it. "Mulder! That's not a silkie, you know." I cocked my head at her, unsure of her meaning. "You know, a security blanket or something silky that a child would stroke for comfort," she teased. "Uh, Scully, I'd say the comfort comes for the things that were in the bag, wouldn't you?" I teased right back. "Yeah, well, I got it from Carma Originals. Carma makes these by hand and sells mostly bags for tarot cards. That's why the lining is made out of silk velvet," she said and then sighed. "Melissa would have loved these things." I didn't want to get too far from our original purpose, but at least she was talking to me about her feelings and things that were important to her. "So, when you masturbate and think about me, you use a vibrator?" "Yes," she said simply. "Scully, I don't think you're going to need the vibrator tonight. I'm right here and I'll do anything you want me to do," I said as I slid the vibrator and lube back into the bag. I reached across her and put it back in the drawer. "Anything at all." I kissed her gently. Well, it was meant to be a gentle kiss, but as soon as my lips met her's, there were fireworks. Long moments later, we pulled apart. I groaned as I moved away from her. "Show me, Scully," I begged. "Tell me everything, how often, why, you know, everything. She scooted back up to an upright position. She closed her eyes and said, "I usually never masturbate on the road. I've always been terrified that you would hear me. Those motel walls are pretty thin, you know." I nodded and she continued. "I have always thought that you would hear me, know that I was thinking of you. If I'd known that you were thinking of me, we could have had a lot more fun on the road, Mulder." Her gentle tease surprised me. I barked out a laugh and she looked up at me through her lashes as she grinned happily before closing her eyes again. "I usually start by stroking all over my body and pretending that it's your touch," she said. She lifted her hand and began to trace gently over her face. Everywhere she hesitated, I imagined my mouth on her, licking or nipping or kissing her. I leaned forward and let my lips follow her fingertips. She left her face and moved to her ears, tracing around the shell of her ear and then slowly rubbing at a spot beneath it that was especially sensitive. "Do you like to have your neck kissed, Scully?" I asked. "Yes, it's one of my most sensitive spots," she whispered. I let my lips slide down from her jaw line to the spot she had just abandoned. "Like this?" I asked as I kissed her there. "That's good, Mulder, but could you," she broke off. "What?" "Could you, uh, suck it a little as you kiss?" she said. "My pleasure, Scully," I said with a grin. So it went. She would lead and I followed. I made sure that she told me exactly how it made her feel and why she liked it as I tried to get her used to verbalizing her needs and desires. Soon she was panting and I was once again hard as a rock. I had been sucking and kissing her breasts for a while, when I realized that her hand had crept down and she was stroking her clit. "Scully, are you forgetting something?" I whispered. "Hummmmm?" she said. Her eyes were closed and she was beginning to rock back and forth. "You left me, partner," I scolded. At her startled glance, I said, "Tell me." She closed her eyes and began. "When I think about you and me, it's usually always the same. You will be on the bed in front of me, sitting back on your knees. I'll have already touched myself all over, imagining your kisses like we've been doing." Her eyes popped open and she grinned up at me. "The reality was much, much nicer than anything I ever dreamed, by the way." I smiled and nodded. I knew what she meant. She was so much more than my best fantasy. She closed her eyes again and said, "You shove my legs up like this," she said as she raised her knees, her heals almost back against her derriere. You lean forward and spread my legs. Your fingers tease me as they slide down the inside of my thighs. You've been touching me all over and now you're concentrating on my sex. You finger the hood of my clit, gently teasing and tugging it until it slips out and begins to engorge. You always smile, Mulder, and you lick your lips." Her eyes popped open again and she gave me a pert smile. "Did I ever tell you that your lips drive me crazy?" I groaned, but before I could say anything, she shut her eyes and began speaking again. "I am so turned on by that smile. I know that this is going to be very, very, good. This is usually where I pick up my vibrator," she said. I shook my head before I thought that she couldn't see me. "No, just tell me and I'll take care of you," I urged. She swallowed so hard I could hear it. "All right. You lick your lips again and lean forward. You slide your hands under my butt and cup each cheek. I love to have my butt caressed." She groaned as I followed her instructions and leaned down to cup her ass. I could smell her arousal now that I was down closer to her. "Scully, you smell so good," I said. "Oh, God, Mulder, that feels wonderful," she groaned. I pinched her cheeks to bring her back to her narrative and she gave me a smirk. "You lift my butt up off the bed and angle it, bring it up to meet your tongue and lips. You lick and kiss and nibble me, teasing me until I'm almost crazy with need. I think about your hair and how much I want to run my fingers through it. I want to grab two hands full and guide you down to just the right spot." Her whispered words were arousing me. I felt my passion flare, as bright and harsh and hot as gasoline thrown on an open fire. I groaned against her labia, letting my lips and tongue work her into a frenzy. "Like this, Scully?" Her nod wasn't acceptable. I pulled away and said. "I can't hear you, Scully. I need to hear your words." She made a sound that would have been considered a whimper on any woman except my beautiful, strong Scully. "Yes," she hissed. "Like that, only more, more, don't tease me, I need you." "Hmmmmmm," I said as I began to stroke her clit with my tongue. Tasting Scully was now my second favorite thing to do with my partner. The list was, of course, subject to change with each new experience. I pulled back just as she was ready to fall over the edge. She had been quiet for too long. "What are my hands doing all this time?" I asked innocently. "Your hands are on my ass until you feel me almost ready to come, you know when that's going to happen because you know me. You've played my body so many times that you know exactly how far to go before I come and then you bring me back and start to build it up again." "Like this," I said as I slid my right hand out from under her and began to tease the lips of her vulva and down to her perineum, keeping my touch light as I begin to lick and suckle her again. "Oh, God! Yes, that's right, Mulder! Don't stop," she moaned. I could feel her tension build. Learning to read Scully is going to be my new goal in life. She's so beautiful in the throes of passion. Her normally alabaster skin is mottled with pink, her lips take on a ruby glow as she bites and licks them. God, I almost wish I could step back and watch myself work her body, but I know that can never happen, and I sure as shit will never let another man put his hands on her as long as there is breath in my body. Maybe she'd let me tape us someday. I backed off again and once again she moaned in disappointment. "What happens next, Scully?" "Well, right about now, I've used my vibrator to simulate your touch and I'm on the edge, but I've not turned it on yet. I always like to fantasize that you kiss your way back up my body and then sit back on your knees before you scoop me up and pull me up to sit on the top of your thighs. The hair on your legs feels rough against my legs and derriere. The difference in our body sizes makes me feel so feminine. Every nerve in my body is on fire. I want to feel you inside me. I need you, want you, so I turn on my vibrator on low and let it slide up and down my labia, slowly. I like to fantasize that it's your cock rubbing against me as we hold on to each other tightly, just before we kiss." I pulled her on to my legs and snuggled her up on my lap. My hands roamed up and down her back and derriere as I pulled her up tight against my cock, tilting her hips so that my shaft nestled into the slit of her labia. I tilted my face down towards her, even in this position, she was slightly shorter than me. She lifted her lips to mine and we kissed. What a simple word, kiss. I was kissing Scully. That sounded like such a simple act but I was amazed how it contained all the complex emotions it evoked. We pulled back and looked at each other, smiling. I flexed my cock against her and smiled at the blush that spread over her face. She buried her face against my neck in embarrassment. I whispered, "You're so beautiful, Scully. I love to see you aroused, all pink and glowing." I kissed her hair and nuzzled in to reach bare skin. I gave her neck a few kisses that ended with gentle nips and bites. Before they evolved into a full suckle, I said, "I'm so proud of you for sharing your deepest secrets with me. It lets me know how much you trust me and love me. I was so scared that I loved you more than you loved me, but I don't have to be afraid any more. You're telling me how you feel, what you want. Thank you, Scully." "Oh, God, Mulder," she whispered. "I love you." She slid up my chest far enough to bring her face to face with me. My hips bucked against her and the movement slid the tip of my cock to the entrance of her vagina. I sucked in my breath and stilled my movements. It had to be Scully's call. XXXXX I moved up to kiss Mulder and his cock slid down to the entrance of my vagina, but he didn't enter me. I knew he wouldn't. He was giving me control of the entire situation. Tears again sprang to my eyes. Damnit! I'd cried more tonight than I had in years. I didn't want to cry. I wanted to laugh, and scream and shout with joy! Mulder loved me, returned my love as solidly and completely as I loved him. "Your lips are so soft, Mulder. I always knew that they would be. I had the hardest time imagining what your kiss would feel like. I thought I knew, but I can tell you, it's even better than anything I could imagine." I leaned in to kiss him again. As our lips met, I let my body slowly slide down so that his cock was completely sheathed inside me. His lips followed mine down and when I reached the point of total fulfillment, he groaned. "Talk to me, Scully," he requested against my lips. I panted into his mouth as the size and heat of him stretched me to the limit of my endurance. This position made his size a much bigger issue than it had been before. "Mulder, give me a moment, please. I need," I cut off in mid thought to groan again. I saw him smile at the vocalization. Mulder's words and his beautiful, big, muscular cock were going to be the end of me yet. He flexed. That's all he had to do and I was over the top, falling, falling, falling. XXXXX Scully began to shiver and quake around me and I knew immediately what had happened. I hadn't thought she was that close, but apparently I was wrong. I held as still as I could, clasping her body close to mine. I was so close that the contractions of her vaginal muscles felt like they were milking me. I wasn't ready for this to end. She grasped my hair in both of her hands and kissed me before going limp in my arms. The French called it, la petite mort, but I had never been with a woman so passionate that she actually did pass out when she came. Of course, Scully was different than every other woman I'd even loved. Her passion and intensity were part of what drove her to excel in everything she chose to pursue. Thank God, I was one of those choices. She wasn't out for more than a minute, but it felt like an eternity, especially to my old knees. When she stirred, I began to kiss her again, hoping to bring her back quickly. My balls were beginning to ache with need. I had to come soon, or I was going to have blue balls for sure. "Oh, God, Mulder, that was fantastic," she said as she snuggled up to me again. She made this little humming sound as she breathed. It was the most endearing sound I'd ever heard. It was almost as if she were trying to purr. Suddenly she took a deep breath and held it. She looked up at me with a wide-eyed expression. "You're still hard." I barked out a laugh and nodded my head. "Is that a hard enough piece of evidence for you?" I teased, turning her own words back on her. She smiled and nodded. She seemed to change before my eyes. One minute she was a fully satiated woman, happy to snuggle and cuddle up against me, almost purring. The next moment, she got a feral gleam in her eyes and a very, very wicked smile on her lips. XXXXX "Mulllderr," I drawled. "You can't possibly be comfortable like that." I lifted up off him and moved over to kneel beside him. He groaned at the loss of contact and reached for me again. "Uh uhn," I said as I shook my head. "I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable lying down on your back." I gave him a tug and jockeyed him around so that he was against the headboard of the bed and the pile of pillows there. I knew he would want to be able to see everything that was going to happen. He watched me with a small smile on his lips, knowing that I had something good in mind for him. After all, what does a woman do for the man that has given her three fantastic orgasms in one night? She makes him very happy in return, of course. I laughed aloud at my own thoughts. "Scully," he scolded. "You're being selfish with your thoughts and words again." I jerked back, startled at his statement. He was right. My lack of sharing could be construed as selfish. I had to correct that, right now. "Mulder, I've never thought of it like that. I guess it really didn't matter to me with any of the others in the past. I'm sorry. I promise to try harder to be open with you about my feelings, but I can't promise that it will be easy." "That's all I can ask, Scully," he said as he leaned up to capture my lips again. We indulged in kissing for several minutes until I noticed how he was moving his legs, trying to relieve the discomfort in his poor aching balls. "Let me take care of that for you," I whispered against his lips. I waited for his nod before I began kissing down his body. I didn't waste too much time, I knew he was aroused, to the point of pain and I wanted to get right to the main attraction. I cupped his balls gently, massaging them to increase the blood flow. I didn't want this to end too quickly. I licked my lips and glanced up quickly at his sharp intake of breath. I just confirmed something that I'd thought about for a long time. Mulder did have a 'thing' for my mouth. "If you like that, Mulder, wait till you see this," I said as I began to kiss and lick his cock. Pearly drops of pre-cum were gathering at the tip, and I let my tongue lick up his shaft to swirl around the top, flicking the drops onto my tongue. It had been a long time since I'd done this, but it was all coming back to me now. I smiled. XXXXX She had that feral smile on her face again. Lord, if I didn't know that the woman loved me, I'd be scared. "God, Scully! That feels wonderful," I groaned. She was licking and nipping up and down my cock, teasing the head and then backing away again. Before I knew it, my hips were raising up, seeking the heat of her mouth. She laid her arm across my hips, just above my public hair. "Lay still, Mulder. I want to be in control here," she said sternly, ruining it with a big smile. I settled back on the pillows, moving one so that my head was comfortably angled for the best view. I wanted to watch Scully as she gave me a blowjob for the first time. God, this was beyond anything I'd ever imagined when I came over here. Her little pink tongue and her swollen red lips drove me crazy. She licked and nibbled and sucked my cock until I thought I would explode if I didn't get to come right NOW! She would back me down to a point where I was in control again and then she'd start all over. "Scully," I moaned. "I want to come." "Mmmmmm," she said and the vibrations of her voice almost sent me over the edge. She kissed the tip of my cock and said, "So do I." She shimmed up my body and straddled my hips. Her breasts were bobbing gently with her movements and I had to reach out and stroke them. She moaned. "That feels fabulous, Mulder. I love to have my breasts touched." She surprised me by sliding onto me with no further foreplay. Just jumped up there and sank down on my cock. I had to see this so I reached over and turned on the light by the bed. I stared at her, taken once again by the sensual changes in her. When we were at work, she was all buttoned down and in control. Right now, it was difficult to tell that this was the same woman that was my rational, reasonable partner. I let my eyes sketch down her body. I wanted to remember everything about tonight for the rest of my life. Finally my eyes reached our joining. It was incredibly erotic seeing the curly red of her pubic hairs twine around the dark brown of mine. It was just another sight I hadn't projected when I fantasized about having sex with Scully. Just one more thing that made this all so impossibly perfect. She began to move up and down on my cock, twisting and stroking at the same time in order to give her clit the maximum pressure. I opened my mouth to tell her how fucking beautiful she was to me at that moment, but she surprised me. She placed the fingertips if her left hand on my lips and said, "Let me talk." I nodded. This was, after all, exactly what I'd asked for. "Mmmmm, Mulder, you feel so good. You're so huge. I was always afraid that we wouldn't fit together, but it's perfect. You're perfect." She squeezed me with her interior muscles and I bellowed, "Fuck! Scully, what the hell was that?" She smiled an enigmatic little grin and said, "You liked that, huh?" "Liked it, God no! I loved it," I moaned. "That's just a little flexing of my own as payback," she chuckled. We smiled into each other's eyes and continued. As if by a signal of some sort, we increased the intensity. I grasped her hips and began to pound up into her on her down stroke. The room was filled with our gasps and moans and the sounds of our bodies coming together. God, I've always loved the sounds and tastes and look of sex -- especially when I'm participating. With Scully, the experience had been raised to the sublime. All too soon we reached the pinnacle and couldn't hold off any longer. I reached up and twined my fingers through hers as she continued to undulate over me. Our eyes met and we smiled at one another. We were as closely in tune as two people can be. She looked me directly in the eyes and screamed my name, "Mulder!" as she came. The wild contractions of her vaginal walls milked me as I felt my orgasm down to my toes. She finally collapsed on me, panting and laughing. "Well, I think we have the silence thing licked," I quipped as I tried to catch my breath. She started to shake and laugh as she fell against me. I was still inside her and the muscles contracting as she laughed were too much for my oversensitive cock. "Have mercy, Scully," I said as I lifted her off me and rolled us both over to the dry side of the bed. She giggled again and said, "I can't help it. I feel so good, so free. I've never felt like this before." "Maybe you weren't really in love before," I said without thinking. She sobered and seemed to consider my words. Her smile lit up her face again and she said, "I don't think I have been, Mulder. I think this is the very first time in my entire life that I am really, truly in love. I think I had to wait for a man that I could trust implicitly before I could fall in love." She kissed me. "You're in trouble, Agent Mulder," she said. "You'll never be able to ditch me now that I know you love me and I've admitted how much I love you." I pulled back to consider her words. "Is that a proposal, Agent Scully?" I teased. She smiled the smile of the deeply satiated. "Maybe," she teased right back. "Right now, I want a shower." She pulled back as if to get up. "Don't!" I said. At her curious look, I grinned and said, "I want to sleep with your scent all over me, Scully. We can shower in the morning." She looked a bit uncomfortable and I continued, "I'll get a washcloth for you, if it will make you more comfortable. I just need to touch and smell you all around me tonight." I felt foolish as I verbalized my feelings. I was ready to get up with her and take that shower when she responded. "Okay. I understand. We can shower in the morning and change the sheets." I hopped out of bed and retrieved a warm washcloth and a dry towel. Before I could get back in bed, she was curled up, asleep. I gently pried her legs open and she woke up. "Don't worry, go back to sleep, it's just me." I cleaned her up and dried her with the towel. I placed a kiss on her curls before I took the towels back to the bathroom. I poured a big glass of water in the kitchen, drinking it down before filling it back up and taking it into the bedroom for her. She had been up and to the bathroom while I was getting my drink. I didn't want her to leave the bed for the rest of the night. I crawled in beside her and curled my body around hers. I intended to watch her sleep for a few hours. It was too early for me to go to sleep. The next thing I knew, it was almost noon on Saturday. XXXXX The rest of the weekend passed too quickly. Before we knew it, it was Sunday night. I didn't want to leave, but I had to get home and get ready for an early morning flight to Connecticut. I had a 7:00 AM meeting with my mother's lawyer and I couldn't cancel again. We had dinner and cleaned up the dishes. I sat with Scully on my lap on the couch while we kissed goodbye. For a while, I didn't know if I could leave, but the appointment had been rescheduled so many times, I couldn't put it off again. I finally made it to the door, where I made her promise me one more time that she was going into work right away in the morning and ask Skinner to tear up her resignation. "I promise, Mulder," she assured me. "How did he get it from HR anyway?" "He said that Kim had been in there right after you and saw it on Moria Gentry's desk. She took a big chance removing it and taking it back to Skinner's office," I said. "Kim is a good friend, Mulder. She's always watched out for us and never asked for anything in return. Skinner is lucky to have her as his Administrative Assistant." "I agree," I said as I kissed her once again. "Now I've got to go. Promise me, first thing." "Yes!" she said as she interrupted my words. "First thing in the morning, I'll go see Skinner. Call me if you're going to be delayed." I smiled at her. This was the most domestic, loving goodbye I'd ever experienced. I wondered if she knew how much her words meant to me, until I saw the gentle smile on her lips and the look of love in her eyes. She knew. She knew and she knew I knew. I grinned at her and kissed her goodbye swiftly. If I lingered one more moment, I wouldn't be able to leave. I ran down to my car and looked back at her window before I opened the door to get in. She was standing in the window watching me. I didn't wave and neither did she, but it was as okay. We didn't have to say goodbye ever again. XXXXX I went in early Monday morning. I parked and walked back down to the coffee shop on the corner to get a cup of coffee and something for breakfast. I picked up the same thing for Kimberly as a thank you. She had certainly gone out of her way to help me on Friday. I felt foolish now for submitting my resignation in the heat of the moment, but I didn't regret for one instant the resolution it had spurred between Mulder and me. As I left the elevator on the fourth floor, I saw Kimberly walking down the hall towards the coffee room. "Kim," I called. She turned around, but unfortunately, so did a lot of other people, including Diana Fowley. I met Kim about half way down the hall and gave her the coffee and the muffin I'd picked up for her. She smiled right away and knew what it was for, thanking me with a shake of her head. I was relieved that I didn't have to go into a detailed thank you in the middle of the bullpen. "I need to see the A.D. this morning, if possible, Kim," I said quietly. She nodded and told me she would give me a call when he was free. I turned and started back through the bullpen to the elevator. Diana Fowley lunged into my path, making me spill my coffee over my hand. I barely kept from wearing it, but the heat of the brew was enough to make me swear. "Damn! That hurts." "Oh, Agent Scully, I'm sorry, I didn't see you down there," she smirked. The two agents that had been following her laughed. "I'm having a tough time this morning, walking a straight line. Fox was very energetic this weekend, if you know what I mean." This last was said to her friends in a conspiratorial tone of voice, but was actually directed at me. Last Friday, a comment like that would have driven me crazy. I would have bitten down my anger and turned away, trying to keep my insecurity from showing. Today, I knew what she was doing and why. Mulder might have left my place last night, but after the weekend we'd spent there was no way that man had one orgasm left in him for at least a day or two. Well, maybe until tonight when I got my hands on him again. "Are you claiming that you spent the weekend with Mulder, Diana?" I baldly ask her. She looked a little uncomfortable, but said, "Not that it's any of your business, Agent Scully, but yes, I did. We spent the entire weekend together." "Oh, my God! Diana, you've got to come with me," I said, pretending concern for her, stepping into her personal space. "Why?" she barked as she backpedaled away from me. I could hear the fear in her voice. She knew she was lying and thought I was going to drag her ass off into a dark hallway and beat the snot out of her. I had other things in mind for Ms. Fowley. "I hate to tell you, but I spent the weekend with Mulder, Diana. If there was a man in your bed that looked like Fox Mulder, it had to be one of the Alien Bounty Hunters. He could have done anything to you. I need to get X-rays and run some extensive testing. Blood samples! We need to get several blood samples. We must go to the hospital right away!" I grabbed her arm and began pulling her to the elevator. "Wait, stop! I'm not going anywhere with you!" she hissed, trying to pull away. "You're right! We should just do the testing right here. You can go through the decontamination shower right after I draw the blood." I turned in the opposite direction, still grasping her arm firmly. "No! You're crazy! Leave me alone," she wailed. She broke free from my grip and ran towards the stairwell. I watched her go without say a thing. Her two friends and the rest of the bullpen were standing there in shock. I turned back and looked around. I threw back my head and laughed until I was crying. I took a sip of my coffee and cleared my throat. Every eye in the room was on me. "Maybe she was abducted, and it was all was an implanted memory," I said to no one in particular. "I must tell Mulder all about this as soon as he gets here." I turned back to the elevators to go down to our office. As soon as I pressed the button the door opened. I stepped in and turned to face the front. Everyone in the room was still staring at me. I threw back my head and began to laugh manically again. I couldn't wait to tell Mulder all about this. XXXXX I got back into town and went directly to work from the airport. I couldn't wait to see Scully. I had tried to call our office several times this morning, but the line was busy each time. I tried her cell, but remembered that she had said it was in the shop for repairs after she stomped on it Friday afternoon after our fight. My little redhead had a temper. One that I would never aggravate by letting her know I thought of her as 'my little redhead'. I unlocked our office door, feeling somewhat apprehensive. I calmed down right away when I saw her note on my computer monitor. She had been called up to Skinner's office and I was to join her as soon as I got in. I knew that these flashes of insecurity would go away in time, but for right now, I just had to stay calm when they hit. Scully had made a commitment to me this weekend, as I had to her. I didn't have anything to worry about in that area any more. Now, if I could just solve the 'Alien's Taking Over the World' problem, we would be all set. I walked off the elevator and almost stopped. I got the feeling that every eye in the bullpen was on me. I shook it off as paranoia and continued in to Skinner's office. Kim was there, working away as usual. I stopped a moment to thank her again for pulling Scully's resignation off Moria's desk. She blushed and waved me on. I knew she was as modest as Scully when it came to profuse thanks. I had to think of some way to let her know how much I appreciated her help. I decided that I would talk to Scully. Our meeting with Skinner went smoothly. Apparently, Scully had already discussed her resignation with him and the subject had moved on to our next case. "Ah, Mulder," Skinner said when I stuck my head in the office. "Come in. We're just discussing this case." We had several minutes of briefing before we were done. I prepared to stand up when Skinner said, "Agent Mulder, it's none of my business what my agents do on their own time, but I don't like it being brought into the office place." I looked at him quizzically. Was he talking about Scully and I? "Sir," I began. "Mulder, neither you nor Agent Scully have acted inappropriately. However, apparently Agent Fowley is spreading rumors that you and she have resumed your previous relationship." "Sir, I can assure you," I started to say. Once again Skinner interrupted me. "Mulder, I have discussed this with Agent Scully and understand that apparently Agent Fowley is trying to play mind-games with Scully." I stared at Scully and she nodded. She filled me in on what had happened this morning and I couldn't help laughing. She had handled Diana perfectly. She hated to be ridiculed. Scully had turned her hurtful words around and made Diana the brunt of the joke. Perfect. As Skinner continued to talk and joke with Scully, I realized that even though she had handled it and did turn it around, she was still hurt and angry that my ex-partner had made those statements in front of our co-workers. The longer I sat there, the angrier I got. Finally, I jumped up and marched out the door. Scully and Skinner called after me but I didn't care. This had to end right here. Right now. I marched down the hall to the bullpen. I looked around and saw Diana trying to get away in a group of agents waiting for the elevator. The bell dinged and the doors to the elevator opened. "Diana! Hold it right there," I bellowed. Every head in the room once again turned to look at me. Every one except Diana's, that is. She kept moving into the empty elevator car and turned to press the close door button several times. I marched up to her and caught her just before the doors to the elevator closed. I pulled her back out of the car and said, "Just what the hell is going on Diana?" "Fox? What are you talking about?" she said in a soothing tone of voice that meant she was trying to keep me from embarrassing her. "You know what I'm talking about, Diana. Why are you lying about me giving you gifts and about our relationship?" "Fox, I haven't lied about anything. You did give me this necklace," she said as she pulled the jewel out from under her shirt. I moved in closer to take a look at it and realized she was right. "That's the necklace you conned me into buying for you when we were first involved over a decade ago." "No, Fox, this looks like that one, but it's not the same necklace. I lost that one years ago and that's why you bought me this one. I know you don't want Scully to know about our renewed relationship, by why are you attacking me in public? Is it the brain surgery, Fox? Are you having headaches again?" I looked at her and saw the real Diana Fowley for the first time. I didn't want to think that someone I had loved and, yes, even trusted, would be such a conniving liar. I suddenly saw her through Scully's eyes. She was dangerous; a viper that once cornered would pull out any stops to keep from being trapped. How could she think I'd fall for this bullshit? Surely, she didn't think that I would back down just to keep her from being embarrassed by her own lies? "My health is none of your concern, Diana. You weren't so worried about it before when you drugged me and gave me over to the men who dug around in my brain before leaving me for dead. "We are not in a relationship now and we never will be again. I want you to cease your lies and your innuendo. I want you to stay away from me and Scully," I hissed. "Fox, you poor dear, let me take you home," she said sympathetically. "I'll get your medicine for you and help you get into bed." If I hadn't known that she was a two-faced liar, I would have believed the loving way she spoke, and the caring forbearance of her demeanor. "Diana, we have not been intimate since 1991, the last time you screwed me before you fucked me over and walked out, taking the position in Europe. The only way I even knew where you were living was because you came back!" I yelled. "Fox, darling, remember what the doctor said," she soothed. "I am not under a doctor's care. Even if I were, I'd never let you near enough to me to lock me up again. I am telling you right now, I will get a restraining order against you if you ever come within 50 feet of me again anywhere but here at work. As for you working the X-Files again, forget it. I would rather see the X-Files closed and burned before I would work with you!" "How dare you speak to me like that? You don't know who you're messing with, Agent Mulder!" Diana spat. "You think Scully is so wonderful, well keep her. Go on, run back to your little scientist. But be careful, Fox. Don't depend too heavily on her, she could disappear again." I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me, making sure she was looking into my eyes as I said, "Don't threaten Scully, Diana. If anything happens to her, I will find you and make sure that you're held accountable. I have people watching your every move. You can run but you'll never be able to hide well enough to get away from me. After all, I was able to track Scully to Antarctica to bring her back to me. If something happens to her now, I will hound you until your dying day until you are brought to justice. Do you understand me?" I shook her to emphasize my words. Her look of defiance spurred me to say, "Screw that, I'll kill you myself if you harm one hair on her head." She wrenched her arm away from my grasp and gave me one of her disapproving glares. I surged up to stand face to face with her again, "Do you understand?" I bellowed. She refused to speak, but her nod of agreement was all I needed. After my last statement, I could see the fear in her eyes, could practically smell it on her. She knew that I meant business. She might be afraid of her boss in the Consortium, but she considered herself too smart to be trapped by them. She knew that she would never get away from me. She turned and pushed through the doorway to the stairs. Hopefully, I would never see her again. I turned back to Scully and Skinner. "I apologize, Sir, but I have one more piece of personal business I have to complete before I go any further," I said. I turned to face Scully and dropped down on one knee. Her eyes got as big as saucers and she licked her lips nervously. "Scully," I almost whined. She smiled at me, knowing what I was talking about. Her smile turned into a delicious laugh as I began to blush. "Scully," I said again, as I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a Tiffany Blue box. "Will you marry me?" I opened the box facing towards her. Her eyes teared up as she stared at the ring inside the box. She looked at me and I knew what she was asking right away. "No, it's not from the bank, Scully. It's completely new. I didn't want anything from the past to touch our new relationship." "Oh, Mulder," she said with a sniff. "Yes. Yes, I'd love to marry you." I jumped to my feet and pulled the ring from the box to place it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. I had taken one of her costume jewelry rings with me for size. It was a platinum setting with three diamonds that totaled almost four carats. It was simple and elegant and totally right for her hand. I kissed her after I slid it on her finger. The entire bullpen erupted in cheers. Several people began checking a list that magically appeared. Several more people came up and congratulated Scully and I, including Skinner. He had a frown on his face and he said gruffly, "Agents, I suggest that you take this little display of emotions home and finish what you just started!" He exclaimed as he broke out into a grin, "Congratulations you two. You deserve all the happiness this marriage will bring you. Now, go on, get out of here. That case I gave you won't go away if you take the week off." Scully blushed and nodded. That's all I needed. We were out of there. XXXXX We didn't go directly home. We went to her mother's house and told her the good news. We wound up staying for dinner and celebrating. It was very late when we arrived back at Scully's building, only to find it totally engulfed in flames. There had been an explosion that started in Scully's apartment and the fire had spread to the rest of the building. "Oh, my God, Mulder, if we had been in there, we'd be dead by now," she said. We both knew that the bomb and fire was not a coincidental happening. The cause and effect of the day's earlier happenings were too strong for it to be anything but planned. Even accepting that Diana was a vicious, dangerous, bitch; I hadn't thought she'd go so far as to employ violence. I called the Gunmen and asked them to track Diana. They said they would find her and get right back to us. Two hours later they called and said that there was no trace of her anywhere. Minutes later, Skinner called. Apparently the landlord had told the fire department where Scully worked and they had called Skinner. I told him that Scully was safe and sound right there with me. He sounded relieved and told us to stay right there. He was on his way to the scene. When he got there, the Fire Chief, who wouldn't tell us a thing, told him that the badly burned body of a female had been found in the ruins of Scully's apartment and that was the reason he had called Skinner. The body was sent for autopsy, but my money was on it being Diana. There had been only the one death, but everything was lost in the fire for Scully and all the other tenants. I walked up to Scully and put my arms around her. She was sobbing. "Scully?" I asked, not sure why she was crying. "It's all gone, Mulder," she sobbed. "Scully, there's nothing in there that's irreplaceable. You're out here and safe. You're all that counts," I said, trying to reassure her. "My pictures Mulder, all my photo albums and my picture of Melissa and Dad are gone. They can't be replaced," she wailed. "And my beautiful, one-of-a-kind bags from Carma." Now I knew that she had just reached the end of her endurance. I needed to get her back to bed, but we couldn't go to my place. As soon as Skinner had heard the word bomb, he had pulled out his cell phone and called the bomb squad to go to my apartment to evacuate everyone and have the place swept for a similar bomb. I pulled her closer to me and let her sob against my chest. "It's okay, baby," I soothed. "I'm sure your mother and brothers have duplicates of a lot of your pictures. We'll find them and make copies." She looked up and me and smiled through her tears. "And my bags?" she teased. "Well, I'll buy you some more bags, but you aren't going to need them special made for your toys anymore. I'm going to keep you too busy to need any toys for quite some time. Maybe later, we'll both decide to play, but for right now, consider me to be your boy-toy," I deadpanned. She snorted and began to laugh even as her tears rolled down her face. "I'm tired, Mulder. Take me home." I kissed her and nodded, but said, "We have to go to a hotel for the night, Scully. Skinner is having my place checked, just in case." "Oh my God," she said as a fresh round of tears started. I hugged her close and walked her to the car. I looked around for Skinner. He saw me and came over to join us as I shut her car door. "We're going to leave, Sir. I'm going to take her to the Renaissance Mayflower. I'll call and give you a number where you can reach us," I said. At Skinner's raised eyebrow, I continued, "Scully needs some pampering right now. She's pretty upset. We'll have a lot to do as soon as my place is cleared, but for tonight, I just want her to relax. Would you mind calling her mother and letting her know right away that she's all right? We'll call as soon as we get to the hotel, but I don't want her to worry unnecessarily." He nodded and patted me on the shoulder. "Take care of her, Mulder." XXXXX The next morning I was up early as usual. I was just finishing up a few things on the computer provided by the hotel when Scully came out of the bedroom, wearing my shirt. My heart began to race. I don't think that I have ever seen anything as sexy as Scully with bed-head hair wearing my white dress shirt. She stumbled over to me and gave me a kiss good morning. She tried to focus her eyes on the computer screen, giving it a double take when she saw what was there. I had just ordered three-dozen roses for Kimberly Cook and a bottle of fifty-year-old Scotch for Skinner and each of the guys. "Presents, Mulder?" she mumbled as she climbed up on my lap and buried her nose in the junction of my neck and shoulder. "Friends like ours deserve over-the-top gifts. After all, Kim did take a big chance when she stole your resignation from the Human Resources office," I said. She nodded, and said, "Skinner?" "He didn't have to hold on to it, Scully. I owe him big time for that one," I said. "The Guys kept their eyes on Diana," I offered by way of explanation before she even asked. "Well, gifts like that will spoil them, that's for sure," she said. "How ever will we top that?" "They all get an invitation to our wedding just like the rest of your family and our friends," I teased. "Good answer," she said as she kissed me. We sat for several minutes kissing until her yawns got in the way. "Take me back to bed, Mulder." "My pleasure, Scully. My pleasure, indeed." THE END