From: FAVORITE SUPERHERO <itchynscratchy_1@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:30:12 +0000
Subject: RESUBMIT: The First Time, All Over Again by Your Favorite Superhero
Source: direct

Title: The First Time, All Over Again
Author: Your Favorite Superhero
E-mail Address: itchynscratchy_1@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17 for adult themes and
consensual sexual situations
Archive: Yes to Spooky's, Gossamer, and
anyone else who might want it.  Just let me
know where it eventually ends up.
Classification: MSR, RST
Spoilers: all things... references to FTF and
other episodes...
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. It's fanfic after all.
Feedback: whatevs... sure...
Author's Notes: Since everyone and their mother's dog
wrote such shipperific stuff after "all things"
I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a crack at it.

====================================================================

I didn't realize she'd fallen asleep. I should've expected as
much, anyway. She's tired, and I knew it. I was tired, too; but 
for some reason I felt like I could stay up all night just
looking at her. Or maybe looking over her. The world cannot 
possibly fathom what I have put this woman through. And I 
couldn't--still can't--shake off the fact that much of what has 
happened to her has been because of me. The cancer. Antarctica. 
Emily. Melissa. And every little thing in between. Her face is
showing the years of worry--not about herself or for herself--
but all for me. I still stand by what I said in that hallway 
before that bee changed the path we find ourselves in at this 
moment... I owe her everything, and she owes me nothing. But 
then again, it seemed as if the universe may have just hurtled 
us back on that path we were on. As timing would have it, we 
were at a standstill again. If it's not a bee, it's something 
else.

I wanted to touch her. Feel her in my arms. Get close enough to 
take her scent in. She's so close to me and all I needed to do 
was to reach out. But if I chose to take that path, will she 
take that path with me? In all honesty, I feared her answer 
because I wasn't sure if I had any redeeming qualities left to 
convince her that I needed her like I needed air to breathe. I 
watched her as her chest rose and fell. I listened to her breathe. 
There was a strand of hair across her face, and for some reason 
it almost seemed as if it was in the way; so I tucked the errant 
strand behind her ear. I couldn't help but try to touch her. As I 
touched her face, I felt her stir and shift.  It couldn't have 
been comfortable for her. The couch. I'd slept on this couch for 
years and I don't even remember the last time I slept on my own 
bed. I needed to move her to the bed and at least try to make her 
as comfortable as possible. But if I moved her and she woke up, 
what if she decided to leave?

I was being selfish. As I reached out for her and held her in my 
arms, I was reminded again of how small and fragile she really was. 
She draped her left arm over my shoulder and nuzzled up to my neck. 
God, she smelled good. It was driving me nuts. If I didn't put her 
down, I didn't know how much self-control I could've mustered to go 
back to the couch and continued with my desperate and celibate life. 

Huh. So I finally remembered what my bedroom looked like. I tried 
not to wake up as I laid her down on the bed, but my eyes didn't
exactly adjust fast enough and the distant memory of how my own
bedroom was situated made it quite difficult to move around. I was
trying not to trip over anything, and I thought I was doing a fair
enough job not trip and...

Oh, shit. So that's where the basketball was.

====================================================================

It took me a while to realize what was going on, but when I
shook off what sleepiness I still had, it dawned on me that he
was trying to move me to the bedroom. Knowing him, he tried not
to wake me up. Knowing him, he probably tripped on something.
All I can do is quietly laugh inside because the look on his
face was precious enough to know that he *did* trip on something.
And that he was on top of me. Sort of.

He pulled away and I pulled back, myself. I propped myself up on 
the bed and waited for him to make the next move.

"Hey... um... I'm sorry. I tried not to wake you, but I didn't
realize the basketball was on the floor, and... well... sorry for
waking you up."

What was I supposed to say? "You're an idiot, what were you
thinking?" 

Of course not. 

So I said, "Don't worry about it. I should've gotten up on my
own and walked myself over here."

"I'll take the couch. Just give me a holler if you need anything. 
You know where the bathroom is. Go on and grab yourself a shirt
and some pajamas, if you want. I'll see you in the morning."

I watched him take a few steps back and head for the door. Where
was he going? See me in the morning? After the conversation
tonight, I wondered if anything I said would trigger anything
in his mind. Maybe even his heart. Did he understand what I
meant? He wouldn't leave me here by myself if he did. Oh, god.
I fell asleep while we were talking. I hope he didn't think I
wasn't listening to him. Well, I wasn't, but it wasn't
intentional. I was just so tired. He couldn't possibly think
that...

"Hey, um.... where... um..."

"Yeah?"

I couldn't find the words to ask him to stay. I knew what I
wanted to say. I wanted to say "Come back here and stay with
me tonight." But all I could manage were a few ums and possibly
some uhs. I was trying to find the words. Trying to stall.
Trying to figure out a way to get him to stay. When I thought I
finally had the courage to say the words, all that came out
was "Goodnight."

====================================================================

Goodnight?!? 

You've got to be kidding me. Oh, well. Back to the couch for me.
I tried to get as comfortable as I could, but for some reason, I
just couldn't fall asleep. My mind was racing. In the next room
was the only person I'd spent more time with than anyone. The only
person I'd trusted in the last few years; actually, no, the only 
person I've *ever* trusted. The only person who could truly, 
honestly, read me like a book. The only person I'd ever wanted, 
but couldn't have. It was killing me. Every second away from her
was torture and every second with her was torture. 

I think she was trying to tell me that somehow and somewhere along
the way, all the decisions she and I ever made in our lives has led
us to the moment we were facing. Which is what? She and I have spent
hundreds of nights in adjoining rooms before, but I'd never felt the
urge to  go to her as much as I did that very moment. Torture. I had
to get out. But where the hell were my shoes? Damn. The bedroom. My
mind was made up. I needed to take a walk. A long walk.

====================================================================

How could I have been such a wuss? Goodnight? I wouldn't have been
surprised if he didn't try to come back to me that night. Or ever.
The moment simply passed. And I'd probably play the lottery if I
got another chance to do it right. There was nothing left to do but
just settle down for the night. I was tired, anyway.

====================================================================

I was hoping I'd have better luck trying not to wake her up for a
second time that night. With my luck, though, it obviously didn't
happen. Years of not having closed the bedroom door made it, well,
rusty... and a rusty door is a creaky door. There was no way of
getting around it, so I went for it as quietly as I could, still
hoping she wouldn't wake up.

"Hey, everything okay?"

Well, so much for not waking her up.

"Hey, you. Go back to sleep. I'm just looking for my shoes."

"Where are you going at this time of night?"

"Nowhere, really. Just going to get some air." She was probably
waiting for me to ask her to join me. But I didn't ask her.

"Okay, then." I knew that tone. She was disappointed... to say the
least. I didn't want to see the look on her face because I knew
that if I did, I'd probably end up asking her to go with me or I'd
probably end up staying. And of course I looked. I shouldn't have.
Because at that moment, I felt like an 18-wheeler just landed on
my chest.

===================================================================

Going to get some air... alone... by himself. Well if that didn't
say it all, I don't know what else could've given a stronger
indication he wanted nothing to do with me. But this was the chance
I was looking for. The chance I was asking for. I had to take it.

"Hey, um, before you go, can we just talk for a minute? It really
won't take long." Yeah, right. I wondered if he could tell how
disappointed I was that he didn't ask me to go with him.

"Sure, what's up?"

Here we go...

I sat up in the bed and pulled my knees up to my chin. Yeah, a
little insecure and a little introverted. Probably not the signal I
should've given out, but he walked over to where I was sitting and
sat down, anyway. 

Oh, my god. I could feel him and smell him. It didn't smell like
anything... not cologne... or soap... or anything... it just
smelled like him. And it was driving me nuts. I don't even know
where I found the resolve not to throw myself at him at that
moment. It was so not me. I tried to dig deep, so deep just to
find that last remaining bit of control that seemed so elusive
all of a sudden. It was there, but I wasn't sure how long I could
hold out.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep while we were talking. I don't want you
to think that I wasn't listening. I was... I was just so tired.
But I meant what I said. I've finally taken stock of all those
reasons, all those choices, and I'm choosing my path."

Silence. He didn't get it. Or if he did, he didn't want to
disappoint me with his answer. The silence itself was a good enough
answer. So I finally said, "Have a good walk. I'll be gone by the
time you get back." And with that, I got out of bed and started to
walk towards the door. 

"Wait. Don't-- please stay." What did he just say?

I felt his hand around my wrist. I felt him standing behind me. I
could feel the warmth of his breath. And his smell. When I turned
around, I didn't expect how close we would be and slightly fell
off balance. Thank god for his quick reflexes or I would've hit the
floor and embarrassed myself even more than I probably did earlier
that night.

====================================================================

They stood for for a few silent, awkward moments. They were 
standing so close to each other with only a breath or two separating
them from one another. He made the first move and relaxed his hand
around her wrist. He drew his hands up to her face,brushing her arms
along the way. She drew in a quick breath--making an almost choking
sound--at the sensation she suddenly felt when his hand settled on
her cheek. 

The way he stared at her, it was almost as if he could've burned a
hole through her soul--such burning desire, and want, and need, and
fear. He wasn't sure what he feared. Perhaps he was afraid he'd
disappoint her. Perhaps he was afraid he would say the wrong thing,
do the wrong thing. Thinking back to what she said that evening,
he wondered if this was the moment she talked about. Was he now
seeing the forks in the road? Was he now poised to make his choice
and take his own path? He knew what he wanted to see at the end of
that road, and he wanted to see the rest of the paths with her by
his side. Did she want the same thing?

Her mind was reeling from the electricity that was going through her
body. Sensations she hadn't felt in a long time, or perhaps ever.
She wasn't sure, but she wanted to see where it was going. She wanted
to feel more of him, and before she knew it, her own hands had found
their way to his chest and she could feel his heart beat beneath
the sweater he was wearing. As her hands absently found their way
around his chest, his abdomen, his waist, he drew her closer to him
and placed his other hand on her other cheek. Hands in motion. Hearts
in motion. Minds racing towards what could be the culmination of
years of suspended longing.

Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't know it and he didn't
realize it until he felt the moisture in his own hands. He wanted to
kiss those tears away. He wasn't sure why they were there, but he
wanted to make sure that not a single trace of it was left on her
beautiful face. He drew her closer to him, and she didn't pull back.
As his lips grazed over hers, she let out a slight whimper and that
was all the cue he needed as he kissed her for the first time all
over again. The first few moments where breathy, tentative, and
slightly nervous and all they could do was chuckle at how shy both
of them were being.

"What are you waiting for?" she breathily said.

He let out another chuckle and said "You didn't, by any chance, go 
traipsing through open fields today, did you? Bees and I don't really
get along." She laughed at his words only because they'd been here
before. Teetering ever so close to the ultimate beginning, yet not
being close enough because fate--or whatever--decided it was too soon.
But it wasn't too soon, anymore.The moment deserved more than a quick,
hungry, feral go at it and they both knew it. 

She could feel his warmth around her. She wasn't sure, but she also
thought she could feel just how aroused he was. Not taking her chances
and wanting to find out, she gently guided him back towards the bed, 
all the time making sure she didn't lose contact with his body. She 
ran her hands underneath his sweater and slowly pulled it up. He 
decided to help her out and took it off. She could see the sweat 
trickle down the sparse covering of chest hair, down his taut chest
muscles, now rising and falling irregularly. She reached out, wanting
to touch him, needing contact. He stopped her mid-reach and it 
startled her.

"My turn," he said with a wicked grin. 

She obliged, but only after she made a little whining noise. As he
took her jacket off, he took note of how beautiful her silhouette
was in the evening light. She very rarely wore those tight sweaters
in the beginning, but he surmised that perhaps she started wearing
them more because of some new found confidence in her job. 
Secretly, he wished it was because she wanted him to take notice; 
and that, he did. More often than not, he was glad for the space
beneath his desk because it provided a safe haven for his arousal 
whenever he saw her walk into their basement office in those tight
sweaters.

"Are you going to stare at me all night, or am I going to have to
take matters into my own hands?" Her words brought him back to the
present and he laughed because he could sense how impatient she was
at that moment.

"I've played this moment over and over again in my head, and it 
definitely was going much faster than this," he laughed. 

"Sure. Fine. Whatever. So just hurry it up, Spooky..." she said with
a grin.

"All right, fine..." And with that, they were lost in a flurry of 
discarded sweaters, skirt, jeans, socks, and hose. 

As she pushed him down the bed, he quickly propped himself up on his
elbows and watched her crawl over him on all fours. She lingered and
hovered above his head, never losing eye contact. She first kissed
his forehead, then his temples, then his jawline, before she settled
over his mouth which at that point was slightly open and awaiting 
the ravishing he was sure to get from her. She didn't disappoint;
she never did, and he was glad her track record was still perfect.

He wanted to show her just how much he wanted her. Tongues darted in
and out in a frenzy that set both of them ablaze with even more
desire. A small nibble here, a small nibble there and he was starting
to see colors. He thought about Saturday morning cartoons with the
characters seeing stars after being knocked silly. He wasn't just
seeing stars at that moment, he was witnessing and taking part in a
supernova that promised to be even more explosive. He forced himself
out of his euphoria and remembered that this moment was about her, 
too. 

He pulled her down, forcing her to rest her entire weight on him. 
The contact--skin-on-skin, flesh pressing on flesh--shook both of
them to them core and sent a tingling sensation from their heads to
their toes. She never felt so beautiful and so wanted until that moment.
As he continued the assault on her mouth, he ran his hands up and 
down the length of her sides, ever so gently laying her on her side. 
Lying there, face-to-face, gasping for breath, he placed small kisses
on her forehead, and on her shoulders. He placed little nibbles,
little bites on her neck, and her collarbone, and her shoulder. It
was at that moment he realized she hadn't taken off her bra. 

He whispered in her ear, "This won't do. We'll have to do something 
about it. Quick." He heard her breathy chuckle and felt her lips on 
his own neck. It was her way of saying yes. Good, he thought to 
himself, that's all I needed to know; and he proceeded to unclasp the
bra that was so very much in the way of what he wanted to do. 

He smiled inwardly as he watched her breasts liberated from their 
prison; and as much as he admired her silhouette before, he had a 
new-found reverence for the most perfect breasts he'd ever laid eyes
on. He gently kissed her again, and she returned the kiss with equal
passion. As their tongues continued their dance, his hands caressed 
her breasts, never forgetting to pay homage to her now taut nipples. 
He pulled back from the kiss which actually ended up with a quick
popping sound. But he didn't care and neither did she.  

He gently kissed his way around her breasts and he could almost feel
the goosebumps he was surely causing her to have. He took a nipple 
between his teeth and gently nibbled. He rolled the nipple with his
tongue and blew a small puff of air over the hard nipple. This made 
her giggle. He looked at her, and then he looked at his own hands, 
gently caressing her breasts.

"I can't believe I'm touching you this way, and I can't believe you're
letting me touch you this way," he said in a barely audible whisper.

"I'm all yours to touch and to feel any time you want, for as long 
as you want."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

Slowly, he gently shifted his weight and she shifted hers. She was 
now on her back, he was now hovering over her. It was his turn, 
and he planned on making the most of it. He kissed his way from the
tops of her breasts, to her stomach, and then to the sensitive area 
of her lower abdomen.

"Just when we think we've taken everything off, we run into another 
piece of clothing that's just in the way," he smiled as he looked up
at her. "But I have an idea, so I'm not going to take it off just
yet."

He marveled at how he was able to stay aroused as long as he had 
been; he was never big on foreplay, but for some reason, he knew 
that she enjoyed this process and he was more than determined to 
be a part of it. He'd always thought those newfangled boy shorts 
were sexy, but it wasn't until that moment that he realized the 
effect they had on him because *she* was wearing them. As he 
continued to kiss, nibble, and lick his way down her abdomen and 
knew that she was more than ready for him. He could feel the heat 
coming from her, and he could smell how truly ready she was. 

He was caught by surprise that her smell alone could potentially 
have made him come, but he held back. He gently placed his thumb on 
the area between her folds and slowly traced the crease from top to 
bottom, making sure he paid close attention to where her clit was. 
When he grazed over that lovely bundle of nerves, she arched her 
back, and he couldn't help but smile. She let out a low growl as 
he applied just a little bit more pressure on her clit and made a 
circular motion with his thumb. Again, she let out another growl, 
but it sounded as if she said something else.

"What's that, baby?"

"More..." she said.

He pulled up next to her, never taking his hands off that warm center 
between her legs.

"Tell me what you want, baby," he said.

It was hard enough having his hand tease her the way he was teasing 
her. But hearing him call her "baby" and hearing the lust in his 
voice made her go quietly wild. She couldn't find the words, and 
instead, she took his hand and guided them herself. She slipped his
hand--and hers--underneath the fabric and slowly guided his fingers
in. Good lord, she was wet. And waxed; well, she must have been 
because all he felt was how smooth she was down there, save for 
the small patch of curls on the top. He was shocked at how wet she 
actually was and all he wanted to do at that moment was drink her in. 
But he would give her this moment, she deserved it. It didn't help
that he was selfishly waiting to see her face and watch her move 
because of his manual orchestrations. 

She didn't hold back and made sure she enjoyed that moment. She 
wanted him to see her enjoying what he was doing to her. She 
arched her back, wanting more, needing to feel more. She knew what 
she wanted him to do, and almost as if he was reading his mind, he 
slid down to give her exactly what she was waiting for. He wanted 
unfettered access to her, and the only way to do that was to pull 
his fingers out. Again, she let out one of those small whines when 
he did.

"Hold on, baby," he chuckled. As he pulled her panties down, he 
lowered his mouth to the top of her soft mound. His tongue welcomed 
the feel of her, the taste of her, and the smell of her. Tossing her
panties aside, he concentrated on not devouring her at that point. He
was so hungry for her smooth, warm, waiting sex. As he slid two
fingers inside her wet folds, he made sure his mouth paid homage 
to her clit. 

The sensation of his fingers going in and out, coupled with the 
flicks of his tongue on her clit sent waves of heat through her body. 
She hadn't anticipated--expected--that a man going down on her could
ever get this good. All those other men seemed like amateurs compared
to what her partner was doing to her at that moment. Her feet, her
toes, felt warm and cold at the same time and before she knew it, 
she was calling out his name and begging him for more and to fuck 
her harder and faster. 

He didn't disappoint. For his part, he was quite amused and quite 
proud that he could get his partner to that point. Her body was in 
orgasmic convulsions because of him. He could feel her tightening 
around his fingers. He could hear her scream his name and beg for 
harder, faster, more fucking. His partner was a screamer and she was
a dirty screamer at that. Who would have guessed? All he could do 
was smile on the inside and give her what she wanted.

As she slowly came back down from climax, he gently lapped up the 
remaining wetness around her folds. He did it with long, broad 
strokes which were such a direct contrast to what he was doing to 
her just moments before. He looked up at her and said "Hi, baby. 
How're you feeling?"

She smiled at him and said "I'm not sure. How do you think I'm 
feeling?" She propped herself up on her elbows and motioned him 
to come up to her. He slowly slid up and rested his chin on the 
valley between her breasts. She laughed and said "You look like 
you just did something very naughty. I might have to try and 
figure out how to punish you if you did."

"Well, I wasn't the naughty one, baby. I was just doing what I was 
told." They both laughed and he kissed her ever so gently. She could
smell and taste herself in his mouth, and it sent her mind into a
tailspin. She deepened the kiss and he responded in kind.

"Hmm... looks like someone may be a bit naughtier than she's 
letting on to be..."

She laughed. "What do you mean?"

"If I were a betting man, I'd say you like tasting yourself, 
don't you?" She blushed at his frankness and said "Probably. But 
probably not as much as I like to suck your cock dry. It's my turn." 

The only sound he could manage at that point was a squeak.

"Don't worry, g-man. I don't bite," she said as she kissed her way 
down from his jaw, to his neck, to his collarbone, to his shoulders,
and back to his slightly open mouth.

She grazed his lower abdomen with her fingernails and ran her 
fingers through the elastic on his boxer briefs. She bit her bottom 
lip and snapped the elastic on his boxer briefs. She proceeded to 
run her hands down his waist and around to his ass, giving it a 
gentle yet confident squeeze. She then teased his growing erection 
by running her fingers along his inner thigh and ever so lightly 
(and deliberately) brushed his bulge. All the while, he watched 
her manual orchestrations from the corner of his eye, waiting for 
her next move. She could sense the tension in his body and smiled. 

With a quick shift of her weight, he found himself laying on his 
back. He knew it was his turn and he was determined he would enjoy 
every minute of it. He laid back, closed his eyes, and waited. 

"You sure you don't want to watch the show?" she innocently quipped.

"Promise you won't bite?"

"Only if you don't want me to..."

"You are such a naughty girl... where have you been, baby?"

"You're talking too much for a man whose cock is about to get the 
life sucked out of it..."

She didn't take her time taking his boxers off. He let our a groan 
when his cock was finally freed from the confines of his underwear. 
She quickly licked off the moisture on the tip, and the sensation 
of her velvety tongue on his cock--just the tip of his cock--almost 
felt electric. She ran her tongue on the underside of his cock, 
starting from the base to the tip. When she reached the tip, she 
swirled her tongue around the head as she looked up at him. He 
looked like he was enjoying himself, but she wanted to see more, 
so she slowly took his entire length in her mouth, tightening her 
lips around his hard member. 

When she reached the base of his cock, she relaxed her mouth only 
to tighten it again as she worked her way up to the tip again. She 
did this for a few slow strokes and all he could mutter were 
groans, moans, and some iteration of her name. The pleasure he was 
feeling was something so new, so good. Frighteningly good, in fact. 
She increased the pace, increased the pressure, and all the while 
she was enjoying the view herself. She wanted to take advantage of 
the fact that she could control him this way, so he placed one
hand on the base of his cock, cupping his balls. Her other hand 
began to stroke his shaft, as she took advantage of the moisture 
her mouth had left on it.

He was breathing erratically now and she knew he was close. She 
wanted to get him there, like he got her there. And she wanted him 
to explode in her mouth. As she began to wrap her mouth around his 
hard cock again, he tried to find the words to stop her.

"Ah... baby, wait..."

"What? Why?"

"I want to come inside you."

She smiled back at him because she was again reminded that they 
both now had found that path they would travel together. The fork in 
the road was before them and they would take the same path. She got on 
all fours and crawled her way up to him. As she began to kiss him, she 
also began to tease him. Slowly grinding her warmth just above his 
throbbing cock. She pulled back, got on her knees, and guided him
inside her. 

This was it.  The moment. And it wasn't rushing past them. And they 
were not drifting with eyes closed. They were embracing that moment 
with eyes open. With their hearts open. Fully aware of their own 
existence as individuals and their existence as one. Their union was 
cathartic. Involving all the pain they had both been through in the
last few years. All the sorrow. All the loss. And all the while, 
they were always together. Never too far apart not to notice. But 
always far enough that they didn't notice. No more.

Their thrusts fell in sync almost immediately. As she leaned back, 
the tip of his cock touched that most elusive secret in a woman's 
body. She lost it. It came over her, wave, after wave, after wave. 
The exquisite pleasure and pain of having her partner fucking her 
brains out. She was again screaming for more, begging for him to
fuck her harder and faster. He wanted to give her more; he already 
couldn't think straight, but he did what came to him instinctively 
and he placed his thumb on her rock-hard clit. She steadied herself 
by grabbing the side of his legs and straddling him as well as she 
could. Before long, her climax reached its peak and feeling her 
convulsing and tightening around him sent him to his own climax. 
Words unintelligible were spoken, if they were even words; because 
at that point, it took the two them a few minutes to realize that 
they were back on Planet Earth.

She collapsed on top of him in a heap of sticky, sweaty, musky 
flesh; he welcomed her in his arms and held her close. He kissed her 
forehead and said "How're you feeling, baby?" All she could manage was a 
muffled "Mmm.. I'm great, sweetie..."

It made him smile when she said that. He flipped her on her back and 
cradled her face in his hands. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips
and she generously gave back what she had just received. "All things
have led to this, haven't they?" he asked as he broke the kiss. 

She nodded in agreement and gave him another kiss. 

"Everything I've ever done has led to this. Every decision I've ever
made about anyone and anything has led to this. Has led me to you. 
And even though you don't think you owe me everything and I owe you 
nothing, you couldn't be more wrong. You've helped me find myself, 
find my way to you. Made me realize that it's always been you. That 
I've always loved you. That I've always been in love with you."

He was floored by what she said. 

She paused and looked up only to see his eyes well up. She said, 
"No more tears from now on, baby. No more secrets. No more regrets." 

He nodded in agreement and gave her a gentle kiss as she nestled in 
his arms, more ready to face the days, weeks, months, and years ahead 
knowing that this man was hers and that she was his. 

====================================================================

Oh, crap. What time is it? 5:30. Okay, I still have time to go home 
and get ready. Is the Metro open? Yeah, it opens at 5 am. I still 
can't believe what happened actually happened. I love this man, 
more than words can explain and here I am, shuffling in the dark, 
trying to find a way to get out of his apartment before he wakes 
up. It's not so much that I want to leave. God, I'd love to just 
stay, call in sick and spend the rest of the day exploring other 
parts of his body I didn't get a chance to get at last night. 
Listen to me; a little lovemaking and all rationality is thrown 
out the window. At this point, I really don't care anymore. I'm 
choosing this path.

====================================================================

"Hello?"

"Hi, baby."

"Hey, yourself. Where did you go? Why'd you leave?"

"I didn't want to wake you up so early. I had to get home and get a 
change of clothes. I couldn't show up to work in the same suit."

"Hah... of course not. I'll see you in the office, then?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in there."

And then she hung up. The sun is up. 6:30 am. Last night happened 
and I'm so glad it did. All the years of waiting, not knowing how 
she felt. All of that is just a patchwork of moments that got us to 
this point. I see the forks in the road up ahead. And I see my love, 
standing beside me. And I'm happy because I know that I will never 
walk those lonely roads alone. Never again. 

I have to hear her voice. I have to tell her.

"Hey, baby."

"Hi, sweetie, I'm on the Metro and we're going in a tunnel, so 
I might lose you. What's up?"

"Not much. Just wanted to hear your voice."

I think she's smiling. "Sweetie, I have to go. I'll see you in the 
office, okay?"

"Okay, baby."

"Okay, bye..."

"Wait..." Come on, man, say it. Just say it. "I love you, Scully."

I think she's smiling again. "I love you too, Mulder. Bye."

I think we'll be just fine.

===================================================================
THE END