From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: 30 Jul 2002 16:12:26 -0000 Subject: Speechless by MuldersMamma Source: direct Reply To: muldersmamma@hotmail.com Title: Speechless Authors: MuldersMamma & TuChicken Rating: NC-17 for language, sex and violence...and all the goodies (-; Classification: SRA Spoilers: None significant Keywords: MSR, Rape-fic (not related) Summary: Scully and Mulder get into a fight...little do they know that later on, they will both pay a price... Disclaimer: Yeah. That's right. WE OWN MULDER AND SCULLY. Yeah. Sure. DID YOU HEAR US, CC?! We OWN them! They're ours! So THERE! Okay...bad joke. They aren't ours. They sadly belong to all the greasers at FOX and 1013. But one day...We WILL own you. Notes: This takes place in...Season 6-ish -Please note: This story has very graphic and violent situations. This is a rape fic. Underage or highly sensitive readers should not read. -ALSO! This story is extremely shippy. **Really** shippy. DO NOT read unless you are a hard-core shipper (like us...or most of the time, in Chicken's case she's weird that way>), because you will only want to flame us. We promise. Please review!! muldersmamma@hotmail.com, and kisskill@myself.com (TuChicken) ---More authors notes at end! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight 508 Over Dallas November 1999 8: 45 PM "Mulder." "Yeah?" "Move it." "Why should I?" "Because I can't feel my lap." Mulder heaved himself up off his titan-haired partner as the stewardess came around to tell everyone to put everything in the up-right position for landing; that included Mulder's body. "I take it that we're almost there, Scully," Mulder said, fixing his tie. "That's a very astute assessment, partner," Scully said as she made sure that everything was under her chair. Mulder stretched his legs casually out into the aisle and stretched his arms. "Damn Scully...I didn't know flying to Texas would take so long..." he said through yawns. Scully chuckled. "It's even harder when you have two hundred pounds worth of someone on your lap. Just be happy I didn't have to make a mad dash to the lavatory," Scully smiled. "What I do for you." Mulder sighed. "Yeah, sacrificing lap...and Versace...just for me!" "Mulder...you killed it," Scully laughed. "Please prepare for landing," the captain's voice boomed over the intercom. Scully turned to Mulder and gave him a knowing look. She hated flying. His presence made her feel better. They linked hands gently under the armrest as she closed her eyes. Mulder grinned inside...this was so girly of her...the side he didn't see so often. But he loved her for it. Highway 44 Near Dallas, Texas 10:14 PM "So Mulder...care to tell me what this case is about?" "I haven't told you yet?" "No, you haven't. And as your partner, I'm thinking I have the right to know," Scully answered tight-lipped. What was with him and keeping cases from her until AFTER they landed? He just wanted to make sure she would stay. Mulder cleared his throat. "Well, you see, there have been some car thefts...from looking at the case I would say something about...a man who can dissolve metal with a touch." "Really," Scully sighed. Another one of these..."Mulder, don't you think there's something more dangerous and sinister that we could be investigating other than a bunch of car thefts...dealing with a guy that can dissolve metal? Whatever happened to the UFOs?" "Seeing that there have been reports of forty nine stolen vehicles in the past three weeks, a UFO quite possibly could have been one of them," Mulder quipped. He turned to see her response. She wasn't smiling. "Scully, I know it sounds dumb...but Skinner asked me to look into this," he offered as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. "All right Mulder...whatever. Just don't let me waste my time with car thefts..." she muttered. What is with her? She was cool on the plane...she was even a friend on the plane...not just his associate. "Wasting your time, Scully? I'm so sorry..." he said revealing a little more sarcasm in every word. "You could have stayed back at DC you know..." "I would have if you told me so, Mulder. Seriously Mulder, how much stupider can these cases get? Next thing I know, I will be chasing Casper the Friendly Ghost!" she said heatedly. Mulder tugged the keys out of the ignition. "I HOPE you didn't say what you just said because if you did, this is going to be a long case for me and you." She didn't even give a response, Scully just got out of the car and slammed the door shut with a swear. He got out and ran after her. "Scully, don't be so stubborn! I really can't believe how mule-headed you are about some things!" She turned around quickly and stared right up into his face. "Me? Stubborn? Hah! You're shitting me Mulder. I can't believe that the first thing that comes to your mind about these goddamn car thefts is that they could be from some metal man! Honestly Mulder, have you ever thought to ask me to look at the case file and ask me what I think? Is it so hard for you Mulder?" she said, her voice shaking in cadence. She was really pissed now. Scully never swore that much normally unless someone was really messing with her. He opened his mouth to defend himself but he decided against it. He didn't want to receive a fist in the jaw from his little five feet nothing partner. They walked over to the reception desk and got their keys to the rooms. Scully shuffled past him to get to her room. She unlocked the door quickly and threw her bags and her gun holster into the room and locked the door again. She did all of that before Mulder could even get a handle on his keys. She brushed past him, making her way down the hall. "Hey, where are you going?" Mulder called after her. "It's late." "I need to get away Mulder before I do something I will regret," she said simply. "I think it would be good for both of us to cool off." "Whatever you say, Scully!" he hollered after her disappearing figure. He rolled his eyes. Alley Way behind Ricky's Grill 11: 00 PM She had been walking for more than half an hour. She didn't even notice how far from the hotel she was. She couldn't believe how short she had been with Mulder, her partner and good friend. "Good going Dana...he was just trying to do his job," she murmured to herself as she leaned up against the wall in the alley. "All I want is to be equal...why is that so difficult?" Scully put her head in her hands and inhaled softly. Breathe, Dana. Breathe. "Hey, missy...are you okay?" a man had approached her without her knowing it. He spoke to her with a slight Hispanic accent. She took her head out of her hands and looked up into the deep black eyes of the stranger. "Uh...yes, I'm fine." She straightened up, trying to appear taller than she was. The man approached her more so and leaned up against the wall where she stood. "You sure? You looked a little...sad." "I said I was fine...now if you could just...be on your way. I will be fine." His actions were really beginning to scare her now. He was invading her personal space; something that no one could really do...except for Mulder...under extreme circumstances. "I'm sure I could make it all better..." the man said, puckering his lips like they had a mind of their own. He was rubbing up against her like a cat, which had her skirt going north. His hands slid between her legs and she yelped, pulling away from him. She turned away to run from him, but he grabbed her, not allowing her to move. He covered her mouth quickly and shushed her like a lover would. He roughly tugged her panties down her legs and ripped into her before she knew what was going on. The pain began to get unbearable. She couldn't just stand there, letting her get herself fucked over. Scully's hands flew to her back and her shoulders where her gun usually was. It wasn't there. SHIT. She had thrown it in the room before she went out. He was getting more aggressive. The more she struggled, the more he hurt her. The more he slapped, punched and bit her. "Stop...please...stop..." she cried to him. He kept at it even though she was nearly gouging his eyes out and she went to her last resort and admitted something that not even her closest friends knew. "No...no....I'm...I'm a virgin..." "Not anymore." Tears began to burn in her eyes as she stood there, allowing him to control her. She slowly lost all of her strength, becoming powerless to stop him. Her helplessness angered her...she could do nothing...this was something that was uncharacteristic of her. With every ounce of strength that remained in her, she reached up, pushed against his chest, trying to rip him away from her. "Fuck you." She said aloud, in the middle of a tearful gasp...it came out much louder than she thought she was capable of at this point. "Don't fight me girly," his clenched teeth showing the emergence of his anger, his inability to get off from this attempt. He took hold of her raised wrists and shoved her against the brick wall, his penis painfully pushing his way into her sore opening. Her dryness made the experience so much more disquieting than any thing she had ever felt. "Come on, you bitch, get wet for me. This doesn't end until I finish." He snarled as his grasp tightened around her pulsing wrist veins, slowly diminishing her to a reclining position on the rough concrete. He kept driving into her, and all she could do was cry. Helpless tears and gasps, answered with shoves into her, and a hand over her mouth. "Shut up, shut up," he whispered to her, his anger elevating with every moment that passed. Frustration mounting, she brought herself to look into his eyes, study his face, the scar across his neck, the darkness of his eyes, the curl of his lips, imprinting them into her mind for later identification. She could scarcely take it as he kept pumping, swearing and calling her names, holding her at his mercy, surmounting her pain. She finally looked away. Scully prayed her silent prayer. This couldn't continue...this couldn't be happening. Yet no one seemed to be around. No one could hear or see a thing. She was a victim left to his abuse. Until he decided that he would let her go. Super 8 Motel Room 103 Half an hour earlier - 10:31 PM Agent Mulder cursed himself as he threw his own things into disarray in his own room. The suitcase unhinged, spilling its contents to the floor. Choosing to ignore it, he walked past it and plunked down on his bed, looking for the TV remote control. Turning on the local cable, and finding nothing of interest after minutes of flipping, he turned it off in frustration. *Why am I such a prick sometimes?* The thought bothered him...that they would have a fight over something of no significance. Though maybe to Scully, it was significant. And he could have avoided it completely if he had only accounted for what she was thinking and feeling. Sitting in silence for a few moments, though it seemed to him an eternity, he couldn't withstand thinking of her alone in a strange place any longer. It wasn't like they were together or anything, but he knew he couldn't just let her go off that angry. He cared too much about her. Mulder picked himself off the economy sheets; his decision made to go after her. He slammed the door behind him, leaving the mess behind. He had no idea which way she had gone. They were in a fairly quiet part of town, so he figured she had gone to a place where there were people. He hailed a cab and asked the driver to take him downtown. After a ten-minute drive, he paid the driver near a pizza place, and stood still for a moment, looking in all directions...still lost as to where to find his red- headed partner. "Where would you be Scully?" He spoke quietly, yet aloud, as he looked into the windows of the variety store, the pizza place, the dark windows of the shops on the downtown strip. He rationed with himself where she would be. Probably not a dance club. As angry as she may have been, he knew Scully well enough that the only time he would find her in a techno bar would be on a stakeout. He approached a couple waiting for a cab on a street corner. "Excuse me...?" They looked at him with a friendly smile. "I apologize, but I'm not really from around here. Would you be able to tell me where there's a bar nearby? Just a quiet one where I could get a beer at this hour?" "The only place around here," the woman answered as she put her arms around her partner, "...like that is Ricky's." "How far from here is that?" "It's about a ten minute walk. You just head up this street until you reach the corner of Elmwood, and turn left. It's kind of in it's own little corner and parking lot. We would offer to give you a ride, but we're waiting here for one ourselves." She smiled at him. "Thanks very much. I appreciate the help." He nodded to them as he headed in the direction they had aimed him towards. Mulder walked, alone again with his thoughts, thinking that logically this is where she would be. It hadn't been that long since she had angrily taken off, hopefully he could catch her and set things straight. Maybe over a beer, which would be nice. He walked the ten minutes, and approached the dive, which screamed 'Ricky's' in bright neon letters. From the outside, you never would have known how busy the inside was. The music was loud, and nearly all the tables were full. A few empty seats remained at the bar. He approached the counter, scanning the room for the unmistakable FBI agent. When he didn't spot her, he motioned for the bartender. "Can I get you something?" The tall man reached for a glass above the bar. "Actually, not at the moment. I was actually looking for a person. A woman, about five feet, maybe a little more, auburn hair, blue eyes, in her thirties... pretty woman. You wouldn't have happened to have see her...or served her recently, would you?" "Sorry buddy, I see a lot of people here every day." He shrugged. Mulder sighed to himself, and reached into his pocket, flashing the man his identification. "Are you sure you haven't seen anyone matching the description?" The bartender paused for a moment, his look changing to one of compassion. "Sorry, sir, I really haven't seen anyone like that tonight. I'll keep my eyes open if she happens to come in." He nodded, and looked once more around the crowded, dimly lit place. "Thanks." Looking for another entrance, he spotted one at the other side of restaurant. Maybe she had gone back already. He pushed open the heavy, underused door into the outside. A dark alleyway encroached upon him as the door swung and clicked closed behind him. He started walking towards the direction of streetlights when he heard a sound. He stopped walking for a moment and listened. Quiet gasps were garbled, but audible. He listened a little longer, hearing the voice of a man in the distance, he heard the tears of a woman. Turning around and reaching for his weapon, he walked silently in the opposite direction. The noises getting louder. "Please...just go away..." the voice pleaded, anguish enveloping the words. Undeniably, Mulder knew the voice. Scully. Trouble. Scully's in trouble. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" He yelled in a threatening manner, and broke into a run towards movement, the sounds. As he approached, he saw the dark silhouette of two people on the ground. One of them sprang immediately to their feet and began to run away from Mulder. "STOP THERE, YOU SONOFABITCH! I'VE GOT A GUN!" The figure kept going, as Mulder reached his fallen, broken partner. The shadow man didn't slow, and as Mulder leaned to go to Scully, he fired towards the man, hitting him in the back of the leg. He wouldn't kill him. Not yet. He would make him suffer first. The man slowed, but didn't stop. Mulder dropped to the ground, leaving the man to escape...it was Scully that needed him now. Throwing his gun to the ground, he put his hands to her face, moving her hair from her features. She didn't say a word. She didn't move. Scully lay there, limp as a rag doll, tears spilled down her cheeks. He saw her distressed expression though the darkness made it difficult. He looked down, and saw her pushed up skirt, her ripped shirt, her panties half way down her legs. "My god, Scully. I'm going to take you to a hospital." Unresponsive, he picked her up in his arms, bringing her to her stand on her feet. Waiting for a moment, for her to gain some sort of bearings, he held her up, keeping her from a state of collapse. After a minute or two, him just waiting...she reached down and shakily pulled up her panties. Mulder began to guide her to walk. He straightened her top, which had become twisted, and walked slowly with her, holding her up so she could keep on. One hand around her shoulders, the other free in front of her to grab onto, if Scully needed it, was offered. He took her to the road, and waited for a taxi to pick them up. She didn't look at him. Her eyes fixated on the ground, he didn't try and ask her anything. He would wait for her. After a couple of minutes, a voiceless sob emanated from her throat. "Mulder...why...?" He shook his head, at a loss for any explanation. Any words at all. His guilt overwhelmed him...he had allowed this to happen. He allowed her to get hurt. He didn't protect her. He permitted the most horrible of human acts to be committed upon the one he cared about most. A cab pulled up seconds later, he opened up the door and guided her to sit, Scully's eyes still focused at her feet. He got in the other side. "Could you take us to the nearest hospital, please? As fast as you can." St. James Memorial Hospital 11: 27 PM The doctors had already hustled her into the rape emergency unit of the hospital before Mulder could even get a word in edgewise. As the doctors tore Scully from his side they asked him these questions diplomatically. "Who are you? What's your relation to Miss Scully?" He stuttered before he could get a full statement out. "I...I work with her. She's my partner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation." A sandy-haired doctor gave him a once over and as he gave Scully over to one of the nurses he delivered the news to him harshly. "Nope, that's not good enough. You're not family, you'll have to wait out here." Mulder opened his mouth but shut it quickly. He didn't want to delay anything that had to be done on Scully. He bit his lip almost to the point that blood was starting to seep out as he stumbled back onto a cheap hospital chair. How could this happen? He asked himself. She's gone for an hour, not even an hour, and then all of a sudden...this. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands and tried to calm himself. You got there in time...she's alive. He scoffed aloud. Yeah, but she had something taken from her, you little shit. You got there, just not fast enough. Not good enough. St. James Memorial Hospital Waiting Room 12:48 AM It had been about an hour since they came in and Mulder wanted to talk to Scully. He needed to talk to her. He needed to see her...how she was doing with his own two eyes. He got up again and went to the desk where the admitting nurse stood speaking on the phone to some unknown person. "Nurse? May I please see Dana Scully? She was admitted here awhile ago as you probably saw...but I need to see her..." She held out a finger and waved it in his face. He had the urge to take that little finger and snap it like a piece of celery. "DAMMIT!" he roared, his anger and guilt getting the best of him. "I want to see Scully right now!" He was raving like an insane man. He threw the magazine down that was in his hand with force...he damn near broke a table. "Where is she?!" he hollered until the same sandy- haired doctor who told him that he 'wasn't good enough' came bustling into the waiting room. "Calm yourself Mr. Mulder or we will have to ask you to leave!" the doctor said slightly over Mulder's voice. "We have other patients! You cannot carry on like this! You will see Miss Scully momentarily if you just sit down and relax! She's in good hands, Mr. Mulder." Mulder whirled around to face the man after nearly punching the wall. He gave the doctor the look of death. Biting his lip again, holding in his frustration, he smoothed his hair back and sat back down. He closed his eyes. Scully would want him to be relaxed...he needed to just...be still. 1:37 AM "Mr. Mulder, are you okay now? Do you think you can handle seeing Miss Scully?" His eyes opened slowly, trying to keep his cool G-Man composure, which he was sure was already lost. He nodded pointedly and got up stiffly. "She's in room 508...right down the hall past the corner." As Mulder walked down the hall, he was still furious and scared by what had happened. How the doctors treated him as if he was just some random bum off of the street. He was angry with himself. He should have talked things over with her like an adult and not act like some pussy and yelling at her causing this to all happen. He was still fuming as he turned the corner into room 508. What he saw in the room broke his heart. He couldn't be angry any longer. He was crushed. Mulder felt the tears come to his eyes as he saw his little, fragile, almost porcelain like partner lying in the hospital bed with the covers up to her neck. As his hazel eyes fell upon a cut lip and a bruise on her check bone, he felt a solitary tear slip down his check. He quickly flicked it away with a finger, deciding that it wasn't his place to cry. It was Scully's. She lay there sleeping with tear stained cheeks shining in the fluorescent light with a fitful look upon her face. Drug induced sleep or not, Mulder refused to let himself wake her. Instead he sat in the chair about a foot away from her bed and held his personal vigil. The Next Day 9:18 PM After waiting an entire day at the hospital for the tests, a nurse came in and made the inevitable announcement. "The results on everything came back negative, Miss Scully." She nodded slightly, barely moving her head. "You're free to leave if you wish," the nurse said as she puttered out of the room. "The police will be in contact soon." Mulder was still leaning up against the wall with his hands jammed in his pockets as Scully's eyes moved over him fearfully. *What does he think of me now? Does he think that I'm just a little girl now? A little flower?* "Scully?" Mulder inquired. "Do you want to leave now?" She gave another small, quick nod and straightened out her back. "I'll let you get...ready then," he murmured as he gestured to the bathroom. Mulder left with a huff and said he would be outside if she needed anything. *He feels weird around me*, Scully thought to herself as she walked towards the bathroom. She opened the bathroom door, shut it and locked it. She began to strip down very slowly looking herself over and surveying her body. Tears leapt into her eyes. She had lost her innocence; gave up her skin and she didn't even put up a fight. *Some strong woman.* She stepped into the pathetic excuse that the nurses call a shower and knelt down into a little ball thinking to herself...how violated she felt. She looked for the washcloth that they had put in there and as soon as she found it, she started to scrub her stomach. She scrubbed so hard that blood started to pucker out. She gnashed her teeth and started to scrub her arms and shoulders. She had to get the feeling off of her; it was everywhere. She cried softly to herself and scrubbed harder and harder with each stroke of her hand. "Get off of me! GET OFF!" Within seconds she could hear Mulder trying to break the bathroom door down. "Scully!" he shouted over the shower. "Scully! Answer me!" She immediately shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. "Scully!" Mulder was still calling out for her response as she toweled herself and blotted the blood off of her back. He was still banging on the door as she opened it abruptly starring at him blankly. "Oh sorry Scully...I thought something was wrong...I heard you." She looked down shamefully. Why don't you strike me dead right now at this moment? She asked God. Highway 44 10:12 PM Mulder was driving in a daze...he was still shocked at how Scully had reacted to a mere touch back at the hospital I'm not a goddamn rapist he said to himself. It hit him as he was turning off on their exit. He was a man and that's all that made sense it Scully's brain. A man had hurt her and he was a man. They must be all the same to her at this moment. He gave her a sidelong glance and wanted to dearly take her and hold her close right there in the intersection. He needed so badly to make things better for her. He wanted the old Scully back. Mulder wished he could have protected her. To have saved her from what she was feeling now. He turned his head back abruptly knowing that if he did such a thing, she would most likely scream bloody murder. They pulled into the Super 8 Motel parking lot. Before Mulder could even take the keys out of the ignition, Scully had already opened the door. She had already proceeded to her own room by the time Mulder had gotten out of the car. Scully didn't say a thing to him as he walked after her to her room. She just found her key card, slid it through the scan, and went inside giving him a slight bow of the head to acknowledge him as she clicked the door coolly in his face. He winced and looked down. He knew what she needed and so did she. Scully just wouldn't accept it. Mulder's Room 11:21 PM "We want-A SHRUBBERY!" Sure, Mulder loved Monty Python just like any other man on earth but nothing could get the thoughts of what happened to Scully out of his head. Why would any one want to hurt her? Why would her God let this happen to her? He rolled of the low society mattress to turn off the TV since he couldn't locate the remote, when he heard something. He actually didn't hear a thing...and that frightened him. Was she okay? They did have adjoining rooms, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to just peek in and see what she was doing. *That wouldn't be respecting Scully's privacy, dickhead* he chastised himself. *Fuck it*, he said to himself. This was for her own good...as well as his own, he thought to himself as he cracked the door a little to just take a look inside. Mulder saw her in the dim light, sitting at the base of her bed gripping the sheets to the point where he knuckles were white. Her mouth was slightly parted as tears slipped slowly down her cheeks. If he didn't know any better he would think she was in a catatonic phase, but seeing that she started to shiver a little as she noticed him, it gave way. She looked down shamefully at her feet and tried to keep her upper lip stiff as he looked at her with a caring eye. He approached her slowly and whispered softly. "Scully?" No answer, just a quick quake and another tear. He stepped to her, only wanting to comfort her, as any friend would do. Mulder knelt in front of the bed gently resting a hand over hers, which were on her lap. She jerked away from him, just like she had done earlier at the hospital. He didn't try her again. "Scully, I know that it might not matter to you right now, but, I'm here. I'm right next door. You're my friend and I'm here for you if you need to talk or even..." he shuddered,"...cry." His voice cracking slightly as Mulder felt himself getting a little tearful. Tearful for the woman who sat in front of him who wasn't able to let loose and get it out. "Scully...Dana...I've always been right here. Always. I...love you and I won't hurt you. In fact, I would rather die a thousand deaths than to have you hurt... if I were able to do something about it." *I should have done something about it.* Mulder clenched his fists, wishing her hands were still there in his. "I'm right here," he said reverently. He got up and went for the door that adjoined their rooms and turned back for a moment to Scully. He sighed and closed the door behind him. 2 Weeks Later Washington, DC It had been a week since Mulder and Scully had left Dallas and two weeks since Scully's rape. They eventually caught that man who did it and he was serving time at the State Penitentiary at Texas for rape, resisting arrest, and assault on a federal officer. When Scully had been notified of this, she started to feel a little less depressed. She still wasn't her normal self. She wasn't going at it with Mulder about his weird theories, or give him raised eyebrows...or giving people the steely-eyed Scully-look yet. Scully and Mulder did now engage in conversations that were more than one word or one sided but it wasn't the same. Scully just didn't have that fire in her eye...in her soul...anymore. Mulder still wasn't able to get within a three-foot radius of her without her getting antsy. That bastard of a man took the life out of her when he subdued her that late night two weeks before. Scully refused to go see a counselor or anyone like that. She never said why but Mulder knew she had her reasons. She was "fine." It was past seven at night on a Friday and, for once, Mulder wanted to get home. "Hey, Scully, I'm going to be heading out now...I'll see you Monday?" "Of course Mulder. Monday," she said as she shuffled some papers around before sliding them into her briefcase. "I think I'll be going right now too...will you...wait for me?" she asked almost hesitantly, thinking that he might say no. "Sure I will Scully," Mulder said quickly and affirmatively. She got her purse from under the desk and her briefcase from the desk and nodded. She walked out with her heels tapping on the cold basement floor as Mulder followed like the faithful partner he was...shutting and locking their office door behind him. Mulder's Apartment 1 AM Mulder had been channel surfing for the past half-hour or so...there was nothing on but repeats of The Iron Chef. Mulder sat there numbly watching the judges with very ill timed voice dubbings, saying how fantastic they found the food they were eating. *What a sad pathetic life you lead Spooky old boy*, he said to himself. Just as the judges were about to name the new Iron Chef, there was an incredibly soft tapping at his door. He turned off the TV to make sure someone was really knocking. When his thoughts had been confirmed, he got up and looked through the little peephole. It was a little flash of red hair and that could only mean one person: Dana Scully. He opened the door quickly to see a tear-stained Scully. Before he could even open his mouth she said "Hi," tearfully. "Scully, what's up?" he said with his voice full of concern as he moved away from the door to let her in. She was trembling from head to toe and she looked like such a lost little girl minus the teddy bear. "Mulder, I had a dream and...it sounds stupid Mulder...but...I got scared," she said choking up a little. "Do you want to talk about it?" "I don't know if I'll make any sense...but I will try." This must be big. She actually was going to open up to him. He led her over to the couch and motioned with his hands that she should sit down. "Oh Mulder...I'm sorry that I've been so...cold to you lately. I've just had so many things running though my mind and I can't handle it all. I don't know who I am since that night at Ricky's. I feel so trashy, like some whore...God Mulder...I feel terrible." Her body was still shaking violently. It almost seemed like she was begging to be held in his strong arms. He looked taken aback by what she had said about herself. "Please, Scully...you're not a whore, you know it...it wasn't your fault that all that happened to you. It wasn't in your hands. And as for acting cold to me, it's just because you're still in a great deal of pain," Mulder tried quickly. "We all need time to ourselves Scully." "Mulder, you're my closest friend...a person I can rely on to do things that no one else would do. You care for me when no one else will. We need each other, and I shut you out because of some stupid concept of pride. Mulder...I'm so sorry," Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. Scully was apologizing to him. "Scully," Mulder began. "Dana," he said softly as he shifted closer to her. "You have nothing to apologize for. I should be the one saying that...sorry for rushing you back in Dallas when I knew that you weren't ready...it's just that sometimes...I love you...so much...that...I can't make sense of things when they come to you. Like all my priorities change, all my morals change when they come to you. I'm just almost blinded...by love it seems." He paused for a moment, not believing this entire speech coming from his mouth. "Scully...I should be apologizing for not protecting you. For making you so angry...so much anger that it made you storm out on me. I am so sorry." He waited again, not looking at her yet, not wanting to cry. "God, Scully, I adore you so much...it hurts sometimes." "Mulder," she said with a sad wet smile, "It wasn't your fault. And you know it. And I don't want you to blame yourself for it." She waited. She needed to make a request of him...something he wouldn't believe, but she felt so strongly, she badly needed to express it. Hoping for his acceptance. "I can't believe that I'm going to say this..." she played with the corner of the couch cushion, not looking at him either. She breathed in deeply. "..'I love you'...isn't enough sometimes. They are such powerful words...with so much meaning...but..." She brought her eyes to him now. "I just need to know...that you do love...me. I can't go on like this Mulder. We can't mess around and play with each other any more. I need you, I love you...I want you to feel the same for me as I do for you...and I mean that in more ways than just a comrade or friend. But as...as...a lover." Mulder's jaw almost hit the floor. He was speechless, looking for the right words that were avoiding him. A lover? He wouldn't have any problem being Scully's lover...no question about that...but was she ready? "My world may fall, but I will never let you go Scully. Not ever. But I don't want to...do anything...out of place...or out of step of how you want it. It's all for you Scully. This isn't about me," he said taking a well-manicured hand without her flinching. Scully smiled tearful happy smile. "My God Mulder...this is why I love you. You'll always be my strength...my shield," Scully said softly as he kissed her hand as a knight would kiss his queen's. He drew closer to Scully with whom he had a new connection with and held her close. Now he just had to wait for the time when her heart would yield to his own. Silence enveloped them for fleeting moments, before Scully continued to express what she needed to. "Mulder...I had something taken from me that night. Something I will never ever get back. Something that only a very special person should have." She spoke into his chest. She needed him to understand what she was saying...without him doubting her. "I always hoped the right person would come along, so I could give it to him. Mulder, as much as we were 'only partners'...I knew a long time ago, that I wanted you to have it." His heart stopped in his chest. "Scully..." "No, Mulder...you think I am not thinking properly, that it's too soon...but I know what I want, what I need," She looked at him, deep into his soul, "...and what I need is you." "Scully...you need to be loved in a way that's so special, because *you* are so special. And I would want nothing more than to be one with you." He pushed the hair from her face, much like the night when he found her weak...her ice blue eyes penetrating his exterior. Absolute certainty begged in her expression. He gently touched her chin, tilting her head up. He kissed her smoothly, gently, his lips embracing hers as they softly breathed to the other. "Scully...I want to love you as you should have been loved...for your first time." The soft smile disappeared from her ruby lips, and again she looked into his eyes. "Then love me, Mulder." Her quiet voice confirmed what she truly felt...truly needed...it whispered magic to his soul...to hers. Saying nothing else, he stood, and took her hand, guiding her with his powerful presence, his arm around her hips...again, mimicking that night...except now, Scully's legs were strong...as well as her spirit. He lay her down on his bed, reclining her into the pillows, then bending over her, taking her mouth again with his. She allowed her tongue to dance as he guided their first intimate moments, softly lulling her into absolute comfort. The soft moonlight sparkled through the window, as Scully attempted to block that horrible night from her consciousness. Allowing Mulder to pull the pain from that night away with his kisses, she welcomed more of him into her mouth, feeling his warmth. All he did was kiss her sensuously for what seemed like blissful hours. Pulling her into a level of serenity she had never experienced...at any time before in her life. She reached for him, pulling ever so gently at his shirt, before he finally broke the silence. "No Scully. Tonight, now...this...is about you. Tonight...I'm going to treat you as a queen. You're my queen." She smiled a sincere smile for the first time in weeks, loving this man for everything he was to her. Mulder slowly, unassertively, moved his tongue and lips away from her own, moving down her jawbone, to her neck, leaving a trail burning on her skin as he did so. The soft wind jingled some chimes, audible even from the far distance, Scully felt the wind blowing across her from the open window, Mulder taking responsibility for everything that she was feeling. Removing his mouth from her, he stood up, leaving her in a state of relaxation. He reached forward, and undid one button at the top of her white cotton shirt. He paused before he did the next, making sure that if this wasn't what she wanted, she could stop him. Looking to her face, he saw her teeth lightly biting her lower lip, awaiting his next action...he proceeded. Each button revealing a little more soft skin, he soon reached the final clasp, and pulled the shirt away from her shoulders. He looked at her bare stomach, witnessing the tiny scabs from where she had roughly cleansed herself. Mulder rested his eyes upon her brassiere-covered breasts...a barely there bruise remained as a reminder...peaking out from underneath the silk pink garment. It still remained from that unspeakable night moons ago. "Scully..." A sympathetic whisper voiced from his throat, pain re-entering his soul...a pain and guilt which would never leave him. Tears choked his speech as he felt flooded with emotion. He could no longer speak. Scully didn't say anything, realizing what he had seen. Her evidence of weakness embarrassed her, however, she didn't say a word. He began to redirect his kisses on her scars, trying to kiss them away. Make them disappear. His wet tongue soothed the painful marks as she lay back, watching him pleasure her with his tongue. She continued to observe him as he backed away, pulling his navy tee shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor. His jeans followed shortly thereafter, his boxers tightly tented against his throbbing member. Scully reached for him, to take him into her hand, but again, he stopped her. "Scully...this is for you, and only you. Let me pleasure you." He looked once more at her, admiring her amount of sheer strength...as much as she thought that it was non-existent. "It's all about you...now...sssssshhhh..." Mulder moved back up to her still covered chest, and dragged his tongue lightly over the top of her breasts, over the tender skin of the purplish bruise. He licked along the back of her bra, planted tiny kisses along the soft line, before he achingly unhooked it and slid it amorously off. Mulder took in her stunning body, though scarred...but healing. He would be her healer. He licked alongside her panties, waiting for a reaction from her body. He received none...realizing that this may take a while for her. Perhaps she was scared...hesitant because of possible remissions to that moment when her innocence was stolen from her. He continued across her back, the dull scar from her previous tattoo evident, from yet another man that he failed to protect her from. Around her abdomen, the pecks persisted, the hot trail becoming longer. Drawing her out, building her to the moment. Ensuring her solace with absolution. Down her panties, along each thigh he kept on...licking just to the side of her panties in the front. He then took the next brave step...he pulled at her garment, ever so lightly, not to bring back any recollections. When she gave no sign of displeasure, he drew them slowly down her body, feeling the smooth skin of her legs. The matching panties joined his discarded clothing on the floor. He reached up so his fingertips, his fingernails dragged slightly across her bare nipples. He touched them just enough to arouse the sensation...they slowly stood erect. He newly surveyed the expression on her beautiful face. He had told her, and wanted to ensure that, she would not be hurt. Her eyes began to slightly close with reluctant fruition. He slipped his tongue between her legs...covering her just the slightest touch. He dragged his tongue back and forth, as he cradled her hips with his strong, shielding arms. Patiently, he stroked lightly with his tongue until he thought she was ready. With a pointed tongue, he made tiny figure eight's over her clitoris. He continued to bring himself back to her pleasure point, nipping at her, circling and flicking at her sensitive spot at her apex. Unrelenting, she began to give in, her hips slightly bucked upwards. "That's it Scully." His voice was quiet, he murmured to her between kisses, "Let yourself go." He continued to search her with his tongue, wanting to ensure her ecstasy, rotating his tongue around her clit, picking it up lightly with his teeth, then pushing it down with his tastebuds. Scully broke her own reticence with a soft moan of delight, writhing constantly with his touch. "Come on Scully," he pushed his mouth farther into her, before withdrawing to speak. "Come for me." The kisses made her craving for him soar, as he began to bring her to a fevered pitch. Waves of pleasure began at her core, as she began to orgasm. Her pelvis inching upwards to make more contact with his mouth as she had began, and screamed to a finish. "That's it, Scully." He pressed his flattened tongue against her, savoring her erect clitoris, trying to ensure her pleasure plateaued. One last movement against her bud dragged her over the edge, her pleasure voiced with an audible moan of pleasure. "Oh...Mulder...yes..." He didn't remove himself from her until her quivers ended, drawing out the moment, keeping her immersed in rapture. After a few moments, her eyes closed in complete pleasure, Mulder removed his final garment, and lay beside his partner against the pillows. He stroked her face, watching her, gladdened by her content. Her eyes opened to rest on his expression, and she smiled a soft smile at him. He moved closer to her, as they both lay on their sides. She lifted her leg to wrap it around his, their arms embraced each other. They lay there, waiting for some unknown sign. He kissed her on the cheek, and whispered softly into her ear. "Are you ready?" Without hesitation, she returned the kiss to his lips, and pulled away her mouth, yet pushing her hips to him simultaneously. "I'm ready Mulder." Not to question her integrity, he said no more, and he looked down to their lower bodies, his erection grew with each passing minute, he was ready for her. Mulder positioned himself at her opening, and kissed her before making any more motions. He kissed her over and over again, and while in the middle of tasting herself on his tongue, she felt him nudge into her. Slowly, just a little more with each kiss, she welcomed him inside. He rolled her gently over so Scully was on her back, his arms beside her head, supporting his weight on his elbows. He waited, fully immersed in her, stretching her to accommodate his presence. They pulled their lips away, and just looked into the eyes of the other, not moving, in absolute placidity. He dipped down to lay his hot breath on her once again, as he began to pull out from her. He continued the slow thrusts, slowly at first, while they devoured each other lovingly with their mouths. Scully began to get rhythm, and as he would pull out, she lifted her pelvis off the mattress, yearning for the contact. He pulled away, and pushed back in...again, again, again. Again. She was wet from her previous pinnacle, which aided in their languid motions. The pain from her previous experience forgotten, his velvet penis pleasured her hot walls as they connected together in a way never before reached. He looked into her eyes, and watched as a solitary tear escaped from its duct. She knew he had seen, and relieved his fear. "It's okay..." Scully's tear was not from sadness. But from a level of blissfulness...that this is what was right. That this is how it should have been from the start. Their mutual drives to meet the other began to pull Mulder away from consciousness. He would wait for her though, her climax much more important than his own, he continued drawing in and away from her. She began to feel the waves once again, the white hot fireworks began behind her eyes, and she hungrily writhed with him, the intensity rocketing through her body, beginning to overpower any comprehensible thought. She clenched around him, pushing him to the brink of orgasm, as they reached their ascendancy together. He buried farther inside her, calling her name as she did his...he exploded deep within her. Planting his hot seed into her previously broken body. She held him close, and dug her fingernails into his back, pulling him farther in than either of them thought possible. Finally, they released each other from their desperate arms. Mulder rolled off from on top of her, she collapsed at his side. Both of them quiet...they just listened to the breath of the other, and the soft clinking of those chimes in the distance. Silent promises made between them as they lay there together, contentedness blanketing them. Scully felt safe as she drifted off to sleep in the grasp of Mulder's strong arms. He watched her sleep, her chest rising and falling, and he made his promise to her, as she slept. "I will never let you go Dana. I will not allow any one to hurt you ever again." He kissed her bare shoulder. "I love you." As they both fell into the deepest of dream sleeps, becoming aware of what had transpired between them, there was no need to discuss it. They both knew of the unspoken promises. It was all right to remain speechless. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* AUTHOR'S NOTES!!! YAY!!! Jenn...what can I say? Thanks for everything and always believing in me and my fic! *huggles* We HAVE to do this again sometime... OMG Nic, I can't believe we actually did this!! :D Thanks for asking, I was so honoured for the request. Thanks for all of your kind words about my writing...it's what keeps me going. TO THE READER: Thanks for reading with us to the end! It was the first collaboration for the both of us, so I hope it went okay! Please send any reviews to muldersmamma@hotmail.com or kisskill@myself.com. Peace.