From: Subject: New - DKS Loses Control (Part 1 of 3) Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 2:40 AM Title: DKS Loses Control Author: Nicknoc Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR Spoilers: Teensy weensy for The Unnatural. That's it really. Feedback: nicknoc@hotmail.com. Please. Disclaimer: They're not mine. They belong to Fox, CC, 1013 etc. If they were mine they'd be bonking by now. No money being made. Author's notes: This my first one. gulp. Would love feedback! Archive: Gossamer, Ephemeral. Anywhere else yes please, but let me know so I can check it out. Thanks. Summary: Scully gives in, eventually... DKS Loses Control Part 1/3 Scully's Apartment 25 September 1999 5.15 am Scully moaned - there was a noise and it was distracting her. She was warm and cosy and WHAT WAS THAT DAMN NOISE? The insistent noise of the telephone finally pulled her out of her sleep. Damn. She blearily tried to focus on her clock radio. 5.15am. This could only be Mulder. "What do you want?" she answered grumpily. "Great, I didn't wake you. Get dressed, I've booked us a flight for 6.15. I'll explain on the way over." "Mulder, you *did* wake -" she was cut off by him hanging up the phone. She sighed and throwing herself back down on her pillow muttered, "Doesn't that man ever sleep?" She savagely pulled her sheets back and stomped into the bathroom. Her puffy eyed reflection stared back at her in the mirror. I hate him, she thought. No, she amended, I hate myself more. Why did she do it? Why did she automatically follow him whenever he called? And why did he just assume she would? Dana, she chastised herself silently in the mirror, you follow him because he is your *partner* and he assumes you will for the same reason. Besides, if he ditches you one more time he knows he is dead. Happy with that thought, she jumped into the shower. ***** Twenty five minutes later she was not so happy. Standing on the curb waiting for Mulder to pick her up, she noticed that there was very little traffic around. Certainly, it was early, but a lot of people started work early. It wasn't uncommon for there to be cars around at this time of the morning on a week day. Realisation dawned. It was Saturday. He had woken her up this early on a Saturday. She felt her blood pressure rise instantly and considered turning around and going back inside. Damn him! Mulder chose this moment to pull up next to her and jump out of the car. "Good morning," he said cheerily. She glared at him. After all these years he must know that she *hated* cheeriness this early in the morning. He did it on purpose, she was sure. "Mulder, it's Saturday," she said through gritted teeth. Mulder snorted. "Saturday generally does come after Friday Scully." Scully's fingers twitched. She would love to reach behind her, pull out her gun and train it on him. Just to see the look on his face. However, that would be a gross abuse of protocol and anyway, at the moment she didn't trust herself not to use it. Instead she chose to ignore him, and getting in the car she twisted towards the window so her back was to him and closed her eyes. ***** It wasn't until they were on the plane that Scully thought to ask Mulder where they were going, and why. She had assumed this was unofficial, given that it was a Saturday and the 'assignment' was very impromptu. She only hoped it was unofficially *important* and not some haunted house/vampire/killer kitty thing again. "We're going to Quenemo, Kansas, Scully." "And where exactly is that Mulder?" "I believe it is somewhere over the rainbow Scully." Seeing her look he backpedalled. "Sorry, it's not far from Topeka. We'll get a rental car when we land and drive the rest of the way." When he didn't volunteer any more information she prompted impatiently, "And *why* are we going Mulder. This had better be good," she added. "A potential alien abduction Scully. Lights in the sky were spotted at the time of the abduction - in fact Quenemo is well known for UFO spotting." "Well known for nutters you mean," she grumbled. A wild goose chase, she surmised, although the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She didn't believe that aliens had abducted her, but abduction cases still made her uneasy. "Has she been returned? Is she still alive?" Scully was completely unaware that she had assumed the abduction victim was female. "Um...yes *she* has been returned, but...ah...she's not alive. You'll need to do an autopsy." He paused and looked extremely uncomfortable. "um Scully, there's something you should know. The victim isn't...human." Scully shot him one of her patented looks. Surely he wasn't going to tell her the victim was an alien. Not, she glanced at her watch, at 6.40 am. Surely not. "Well Mulder," she said slowly with well-refined sarcasm, "Does this alien also have a zipper up her back?" "Um...no. Scully, this alien is ... um...a sheep." Fanfuckingtastic. He had woken her up at 5.15am on a *Saturday* to cut up a sheep that had been abducted - supposedly - by aliens. Where was her gun? "Now Scully before you say anything, the farmer who alerted me to this swears he saw a UFO in his field on the night his sheep were taken. He said this is the second time it has happened. Alien abduction of cows for experiments is well documented -" at the sight of her raised eyebrow he added, "well, maybe not by reliable sources, but well documented nonetheless, so it is entirely feasible that they might want to take sheep as well." "Why Mulder. Assuming *They* exist, why would they want sheep?" "Maybe they've developed a dairy intolerance," he quipped. His joke didn't raise a smile. She felt her insides clench up, and gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying something. Her mother had always told her that if she nothing nice to say, then she shouldn't say anything at all. She had NOTHING nice to say to Mulder. ****** The Travel Lodge, Quenemo 25 September 1999 4.45 pm "Scully, can I come in?" Scully groaned. Two minutes of peace and quiet was all she wanted. She'd just got back from a pointless autopsy that told her the sheep had died of multiple, yet extremely ordinary looking and definitely non-alien, wounds. To top it off she had endured a few hours of a young rookie cop who had developed an instant crush on her, who had then insisted on watching her perform the autopsy and afterwards demanded he be allowed to take her for a coffee to 'thank her'. Now Mulder was at the door wanting her full and undivided attention, she was sure. Why wasn't he out interviewing local yokels? Why couldn't he leave her alone for TWO MINUTES? "NO!" He opened the door and came in anyway. The concern in his eyes melted her resolve to be angry with him, and she immediately felt guilty for being such a bitch. "Scully, are you okay?" he asked, coming over to sit on the bed next to her. "I'm fine Mulder. I'm just tired and grumpy....sorry for yelling at you." "Hey, don't worry about it - you know I think you're cute when you're angry," he teased. She knew that should make her angry, but for some reason that she wasn't prepared to analyse, it didn't. "So you want to know about the autopsy," she said, ignoring his previous comment. "Well I found nothing Mulder, nothing to indicate extra-terrestrial involvement. This sheep died of multiple but all too earthly wounds. It looks like it fell from something, possibly something moving at speed. It sustained multiple cuts and bruises and a broken hip. It probably died slowly of shock. Where did the farmer say he found it?" "Just outside the field where it had previously been kept, the morning after a number of his sheep disappeared. He said that he had been spending the previous few nights in the barn, keeping an eye on things, and he swears that that night he saw bright erratic lights, he heard the sheep bleating and then he remembers nothing until the next morning." "Mulder, bright lights do not a UFO make!" Scully said with exasperation. "Bright lights could mean anything, an aeroplane...a..." "Don't say weather balloon," Mulder warned jokingly. "Well we'll get a chance to see for ourselves tonight." "Tonight?" asked Scully, getting that sinking feeling she always got when she realised Mulder was going to prevent her from sleeping again. "Mulder, please don't tell me we're going to spend tonight in a barn." "Okay - I won't tell you." Scully moaned and flipped herself back onto the bed. "Mulder, I'm so tired. My shoulders are aching - sheep are heavy you know. Is this really necessary? Do you really believe that there are aliens out there stealing sheep?" "Roll over Scully." "Huh?" said Scully at this non-sequitur. "Roll over," he repeated. Too tired by now to really care why, Scully did. She started when she felt him place his hands on her shoulders. "Mulder - " she began to protest, and then stopped when he started kneading her aching muscles. Oh God, that felt so good. Forget about maintaining a nice safe 'partnerly' distance - she *needed* this massage. She melted into the bed, concentrating on the warmth of his hands on her back. They travelled from her shoulders down to her waist and then her lower back. She felt him pull her T-shirt up slightly and his hands made contact with her bare flesh. She pressed her face into the bed so he wouldn't hear her soft sighs and hoped he didn't notice the goose bumps she felt rising on her arms. His hands travelled up her back again, this time under her T-shirt. Oh God, she had taken her bra off when she got in! This was becoming too intimate - should she stop him? Her mind focussed on the pleasure his hands were giving her and she knew she didn't have the willpower to stop him. Not yet anyway. She was also unable to stop herself briefly imagining him leaning over and kissing her neck, slipping his hands under to cup her breasts. It was bad enough that she was letting him massage her, without fantasising about *that* while he was doing it. Besides, she new she would *never* let it happen, so why torture herself with wondering what it would be like if it did? She should definitely stop him. In a moment. This was her last thought before she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep. She didn't notice Mulder gently run his hands over her back before leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head. She didn't feel him wrap the bed cover around her to keep her warm, nor was she aware that he stood by the bedside looking at her for a while before he left. ***** Harper's Farm, Quenemo 26 September 1999 2.15am Scully looked over at Mulder from under the too large ski jacket he had lent her. She was pissed at him. Really pissed. And he was quite obviously annoyed at her for being angry. She briefly considered making amends, but thought better of it. Let him sulk. She still hadn't slept. Although she had fallen asleep while Mulder massaged her, she had been woken shortly after by the ringing of her cell phone. It had been her mother, wondering why she wasn't at the shopping centre as promised. Scully had completely forgotten she had arranged to meet her and this was the second weekend in a row that she had stood her up. A combination of guilt and anger had kept her awake for the rest of the afternoon. She was angry with herself for letting her mother down, and even angrier with Mulder for causing her to let her mother down. Now they were in a barn. It was 2.00am and they were waiting for a potential alien abduction...of sheep. Scully was starting to wonder at the path her life had taken. Even if the sheep *were* being taken by aliens...did anyone really care? She glanced over at Jack Harper, the UFO spotting farmer who had brought them out here. He was currently rummaging under the hay for his secret stash of home-made peach liquor. "Gottit," he cried triumphantly, emerging covered in dust and bits of hay. He held out a bottle of amber liquid. "My wife makes it. I keep some bottles hidden in here cos she only lets me drink it on special occasions." He winked at Scully. "Not everyday I get a pretty FBI lady-agent in my barn, so I think this counts as special." If looks could freeze blood he should have been a dead man, but he didn't seem to notice her withering glance. He pulled the cork out and handed her the bottle. "Ladies first." "No thanks. We don't drink when we're on duty." Scully shot Mulder a nasty look to reiterate the fact that she *did not* consider this worthy of the label "duty". "Aw go on. Just a sip - I guarantee you'll love it. All the girls do. Besides nothing better to warm you up. I usually get through half a bottle of this stuff when I come out here - need the warmth!" He roared with laughter and slapped his rather large belly. Politely Scully took the bottle and had a sip. Sweet sticky fire slid down her throat. She coughed. "Strong" she gasped. "Tastes good though, don't it?" Jack winked at her again. She sighed. Oh well, the night couldn't get any worse - the field in front of them was patently alien-free and Farmer Jack over there was obviously a closet drunk. Looking at both the farmer and Mulder she took another large gulp and then passed it on to Mulder. "Wanna know why he sees aliens?" she muttered to him, indicating the bottle. Mulder took a swig and gasped. Glancing over at Scully, who was still wearing a frown, he took another mouthful of the potent liquid. "You guys keep that bottle, I'll get another one for meself," Jack pronounced, and produced another smaller bottle from under the hay. He then settled down into a corner and proceeded to drink himself into oblivion while staring out across the field. ***** One hour later Scully burst into furious giggles at one of her partner's lame jokes. She was drunk; unprofessionally and undeniably drunk. "Hey Scully," he said "Y'know, I've never seen you drunk before." "Not drunk," she pronounced indignantly, "Just ....warm...very warm." He snorted and she flashed him a beaming smile. She was sitting on her haunches in front of him, his jacket hanging open now that she was feeling warmer. Her hair was a mess, and had sprung into waves with the moisture in the air. Her cheeks were flushed rosy red. "You look cute when you're drunk," he blurted before he could stop himself. She saw him cringe in anticipation of her reaction. "Mulder, I find that offensive for two reasons," she said, slightly slurring her words. "First, you imply that I only look cute when I'm drunk, and second - CUTE?! Cute is for puppy dogs and 5 year old girls!" "OK," he amended with a grin. "You look beautiful." Scully looked at him in disbelief. "Beautiful? Mulder, I have hay in my hair. I'm wearing your ugly jacket. Besides, beautiful is for supermodels, not real people. I don't have enough legs for beautiful. Lengthwise - not amount," she added before he could say anything. Grinning, she flopped forward onto her stomach so she was looking up at him through her eyelashes and said seductively, "Try again." He swallowed. Drunk or not, he was aware this was a conversation she would not approve of if she was sober. However, this knowledge was not enough to stop him saying, "Sexy. You look dangerously sexy." "Dangerously sexy," she repeated, rolling the words around as she contemplated them. "I had a boyfriend once who said I was a dangerous kisser." She took another sip of liquor. "I'm a fucking great kisser Mulder." Her eyes widened in surprise. Had she said that? Looking at his mouth hanging open, she concluded that she must have. "What makes you such a great kisser Scully?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. The sober Dana inside her was growing more and more alarmed. But although she was sober enough to realise that this was a conversation that she was going to regret in the morning, she was too drunk to stop herself. She licked the sticky liquor off her lips and said, "I love it. I love lips touching, tongues tangling, teeth banging, the taste of it. I'm great at it cos I love it." Looking over at him she misread his expression and said "What? You don't believe that I'm a dangerous kisser?" She practically purred the word 'dangerous' and sober Dana became even more alarmed. Mulder looked at her with a crooked grin. "Well it's a pretty big claim Scully. Why should I believe you? I have no evidence to go on." "You want evidence Mulder? How can I give you evidence, unless I -" her mouth dropped open as she realised what he was implying "-kiss you. I can't do that - we're partners Mulder. No fraternisation," she said stumbling over the word. Drawing herself back onto her knees she said seriously "There are all sorts of reasons why I can't kiss you Mulder." "But this wouldn't be a real kiss," he said. "A kiss for evidence only - it won't count." She contemplated his proposal. A kiss for evidence only. One kiss. She couldn't see anything wrong with that. Sober Dana gave up. "OK." she said simply. Still on her knees she crawled the short distance towards him, slowly, like a predatory tiger. He swallowed as she straddled his outstretched legs and sat on his lap. Taking a swig from the bottle she leaned forward and ran her still sticky tongue over his lips. She felt Mulder shudder. She then drew first his full bottom lip into her mouth and then his top lip, sucking the liquor off them. Her tongue flicked under his top lip and slipped over his teeth and gums. Mulder moaned and as his mouth opened she slipped her tongue in. God he tasted good - so this was heaven. She felt him run his hands up her thighs and grip her hips, pulling her slightly closer. In response she pressed her lips harder onto his and slipped her arms around his neck. Unable to restrain himself any longer he brought his hands up to her head and kissed her back with passion bordering on desperation. She could feel his erection and couldn't stop herself grinding her hips against it. Suddenly she pulled back. He smiled slightly. "Mulder," she whispered hoarsely. She then lurched off his lap and ran to the back of the barn. Doubling over, she retched violently, emptying her stomach of its contents. Nice one Dana. Probably not quite the reaction he had anticipated. She stumbled back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I want to go home." Glancing over at Farmer Jack's soundly sleeping form, she realised that there was no way they would be driving back to the farmhouse. Luckily it was a short walk. Shoulders drooping, she started out of the barn. She felt Mulder's arm steal around her shoulders, and if she hadn't so desperately needed someone to lean on she would have shaken it off. God, she was embarrassed. End Part 1/3 DKS Loses Control By Nicknoc Part 2/3 Disclaimers etc see Part 1 Harper's Farm, Quenemo 26 September 1999 8.30 am Scully groaned slightly as she floated back to the waking world. Unable to open her eyes, she tried to remember what had happened to her. Was she in hospital? The last time she had woken in so much pain she had been in hospital. She listened for the unfortunately all too familiar sounds of the hospital. Nothing. She brought her hand up to her face to feel for oxygen tubes. Nothing. With all her remaining willpower she opened her eyes and seeing her surroundings remembered where she was and why she felt so shitty. Mulder. This was his fault. A small voice of reason pointed out that it was *she* who had drunk the alcohol, but she pushed it aside. This had to be someone's fault, and it damn well wasn't going to be hers. Groaning she sat up on the edge of the bed and paused until the world stopped spinning. Shower. Treading gently so as not to provoke the construction worker in her head she made her way to the bathroom. She *hated* other people's bathrooms. Frankly, at the moment she hated other people full stop - especially if they were Mulder. Rummaging through her toiletries she pulled out her toothpaste and toothbrush. What was that taste in her mouth? Unable to do more than one thing at once, she paused to let her brain filter through a memory. Oh shit. She'd thrown up. After kissing Mulder. She'd KISSED Mulder! Could this get any worse?? Now she was hungover AND humiliated. Grimacing she cleaned her teeth. The sound of the toothbrush against her teeth was loud, causing her head to thump even more. Once in the shower, she reflected on her situation. First, she had got herself terribly drunk while on duty. Granted, it was one of the most ridiculous assignments they had ever been on, but still, rules were rules. Second, she had kissed Mulder. No wait - it was worse than that. She had told him that she was a "dangerous" kisser and THEN she had kissed him. Third, she had thrown up after kissing him. Actually, that bit was funny. She sighed and leaned her head against the cool tiles of the shower stall. Six years of restraint shot to pieces in one drunken night. Although it had been a fucking great kiss. She remembered his hands pulling her closer, his tongue in her mouth. She'd suspected that he'd be good with his tongue - all that practice with those damn seeds. Groaning she pulled herself back from the wall and got out of the shower. Don't think about the kiss Dana. That kiss. Looking at her lips in the steamy mirror she wondered if they looked different; if she looked different. She'd kissed Mulder! She shook her head at her silliness and winced as the jackhammer inside started up again. Mental note: stop moving the head. And stop thinking about the kiss. After she was dressed she sat down on the bed, unwilling to face Mulder. She knew he was up because she could hear his gravelly monotone droning on in the kitchen. She fervently hoped he also had a monolithic hangover. He didn't. In fact he looked bloody bright eyed and bushy tailed as he looked up at her when she entered the kitchen. "Hey Scully, how are you feeling?" She glared at him and slid into a wooden chair, propping her elbows on the table and putting her head in her hands. "That bad hey?" he said sympathetically, but with a touch of glee. "Oh you poor dear," said Mrs Harper. "Agent Mulder told me you had some bug. A big hearty breakfast should fix you up right as rain. I've got bacon, fried eggs, waffles -" "No!" Scully jerked her head up. Shit - forgot about that head moving thing. Weakly she said "Thanks, that's very kind, but could I just have some orange juice and maybe some aspirin?" Mrs Harper clucked sympathetically and bustled around the kitchen getting the juice. When she was out of earshot Mulder leaned forward and whispered, "We're out of here in an hour. The Sheriff phoned this morning and they caught some sheep rustlers. The sheep Jack found must have fallen off the back of their truck. Apparently they were using big spotlights to locate the animals - accounts for the UFO sightings as seen through the eyes of someone who has ingested half a bottle of peach liquor, don't you think?" Like I could care less about those fucking sheep, she thought savagely. "Mulder, if you ever mention peach liquor to me again, I swear I will kill you." Mulder smirked. "So I guess you don't want Farmer Jack's going away present then?" he asked producing a bottle of peach liquor from his bag. Scully's stomach heaved at the sight of it, and she must have looked as bad as she felt because he hastily put it back. "Sorry." he muttered. "Here you go dear." Mrs Harper placed a large juice, 2 aspirin and some dry toast in front of Scully. "You really should try and put something in your stomach - you'll feel much better if you do." Scully smiled weakly and swallowed the aspirin. Picking up the toast she nibbled gingerly at the edge. Home made bread - not bad. While Mulder and Mrs Harper picked up their conversation, she managed to finish both pieces. And another 2 pieces that the farmer's wife placed in front of her without comment - this time with home made jam. And a piece of bacon from the platter in the middle of the table; all while ignoring the smirk that was plastered across Mulder's obnoxious face. Finally it was time for them to leave. "I'm so sorry we got you all the way out here for nothing," fretted Mrs Harper. "Jack was so convinced it was...y'know." "Don't worry about it Mrs Harper," assured Mulder. "It was a very enlightening experience." he added, glancing over at Scully. Despite her best attempts not to, Scully blushed. She sighed - it was going to be a long trip home. ***** Scully flopped gratefully into her plane seat. Although she was feeling 100% better, she still felt as if she'd been dragged through a bush backwards. Her seedy physical state did not help with her rapidly deteriorating mental state. Mulder had refrained from any more smart ass comments, but the self-satisfied smirk that had become a permanent fixture on his face said it all. He was enjoying this a little too much for her liking, and if he didn't wipe that smirk off his face she was going to explode. She still couldn't believe she had kissed him. Where had that come from? Well, she knew the *where* but not the *why*. She had been drunk with Mulder before. OK, very rarely, but on those few occasions she had managed to avoid throwing herself at him. How had she suddenly lost her self-control? What would he think of her now? God, she hoped he wouldn't read anything into it. It didn't mean anything, she reassured herself. Not a thing. Just a drunken kiss that meant nothing. Nothing at all. She had been tired, that was all. Very tired. Extremely tired, even. People were known to be very irrational when they were sleep deprived. She sighed and leant her head against the plane window. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept properly. She didn't count being in a drunken stupor as proper sleep. She hated being so tired. Her irritation grew as she recalled Mulder waking her up at 5.15 on her precious Saturday. Bastard. She hadn't yet chewed him out for not telling her about the assignment when he phoned her. Maybe if he had done so she would have been able to talk him out of it *before* she was on some plane to the middle of nowhere. Now seemed like as good a time as any to get that off her chest. "Mulder," she snapped. "Why didn't you tell me what you were waking me up for when you phoned." Mulder looked at her, puzzled. "Scully, what are you talking about?" "Yesterday morning," she said with patronising patience as if she was dealing with a particularly stupid child, "when you phoned me to tell me we were leaving for an assignment - why didn't you tell me *what* the assignment was?" Mulder had the decency to look a little shamefaced. "Well, you probably wouldn't have come if I'd told you what it was about," he muttered. "Damn right Mulder!" she yelled. Heads snapped around as people craned to look at the person causing the disturbance. Scully glared at them and meekly they turned back around and pretended nothing was happening. "Scully, keep it down...people are staring." "Don't you tell me to keep it down," she hissed. "You lied to me Mulder." "Scully," he said, beginning to get irritated himself, "if I didn't tell you anything, then how could I have lied to you?" "It was a lie of omission Mulder. It's - the - same - thing," she said through gritted teeth. "No it's not. Little white lies, lies of omission - these are social norms. Society is built on little white lies. I didn't *actually* lie to you - I just didn't volunteer the truth..." he trailed off, realising she didn't seem to appreciate the distinction. Scully was incredulous. He really didn't seem to get it - or he was being deliberately obtuse. Fine, she'd spell it out for him. "Mulder, if you freely admit to telling me little white lies, or lies of omission, how do you also expect me to trust you completely?" Ha - that got him. She felt a little guilty at playing the Trust card. She actually trusted him implicitly, but she was royally pissed off and she wasn't about to let him get away with that. She had ended up drunk in a barn looking for sheep loving aliens because of his reliance on 'social norms'. "Mulder, I want you to promise me that you will never, ever tell me a white lie, half truth or lie of omission again. Total honesty about *everything* okay?" "Total honesty Scully? You sure about this? Y'know, there's an old saying; be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. Total honesty is pretty dangerous, Scully." She flinched at his use of the word 'dangerous' but held his gaze. "I'm a big girl Mulder. I think I can handle total honesty from you." She flashed him her 'don't fuck it up' look and threw herself back into her seat to stew some more. ***** Two and a half hours later their mutual anger had died down and they were sitting together companionably, although they hadn't attempted any conversation. Scully glanced over at him. He was staring into space completely oblivious to his surroundings. For a short moment she examined his profile; his big nose, full lips, small chin. An odd mixture of features, but they worked perfectly on him. Her mind wandered back to last night. Stop it, Dana. Snapping herself out of her reverie, she rummaged through her bag in search of some dried apricots that she knew were there. "Hey Mulder, want some dried apricots?" He continued staring into space. She clicked her fingers in front of his face. "Wakey wakey." He jumped, startled, and she could see a hint of a blush rising in his face. "What were you thinking about?" "What was I thinking about?" he repeated, still a little dazed. "Yeah, you were totally gone - what was on your mind?" "What was on my mind," he said slowly, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Total honesty Scully? You sure?" Scully was beginning to lose her temper all over again. It was a simple, friendly question. Why was he making it into a big deal? "Yes Mulder - total honesty. Or are you having problems with that concept already?" "Sex Scully." Scully leant back in her chair to process what he had said. She could feel a blush rising and struggled to appear nonchalant. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mulder grinning. Bastard. "Okay," she said casually and pulled her book out of the seat pocket in front of her. Just ignore him Dana. Mulder couldn't stop smirking at her obvious discomfort. Well, she *had* asked. "Maybe total honesty isn't the way to go," he muttered just loud enough for her to hear. Scully turned to him, unable to resist the challenge in his voice. "Mulder, if you think you shocked me, you didn't." "Well I noticed you shut up pretty quickly. Not quite game enough to ask me any more questions Scully?" "What kind of sex Mulder?" she shot back. "Great sex, Scully," he smirked, "with you." Now she really was blushing. Mulder had been fantasising about her. AND he had just admitted it. Speechless, she turned quickly to stare studiously out the window. Images of her own sexual fantasies involving Mulder came unbidden into her mind. Damnit. What was he thinking telling her that? He was getting *way* too close to that line they had drawn. Or at least, she had drawn. She felt Mulder lean in towards her. Now she regretted the fact that they had automatically lifted the armrest out of the way so that they would be more comfortable. She could feel the length of his thigh pressed against hers; his upper body pressing into her shoulder as he leant over. They were sharing a blanket and she realised the intimacy of their position. Mulder's breath floated down her cheek and neck when he spoke. "So Scully, does this total honesty policy apply to you too?" He paused waiting for her to reply, and when he she didn't, he continued. "I guess it does - wouldn't be fair otherwise, would it? Now *I* have a question. Have you ever thought about sex with me Scully?" The light teasing lilt of his voice couldn't quite mask the hint of arousal. Scully's heartbeat quickened and she bit down on her bottom lip. He had her pinned, and not just physically. If she said 'no' he would probably see through her - she was sure of it. He would use her denial - her lie - to justify any time he felt the need to feed her a white lie. If she said 'yes', well God knows what he would do with that little piece of information. Mulder was right. Total honesty was dangerous. She flicked her eyes towards him, expecting to see a self-satisfied smirk across his face. Her expectations were met, but she was surprised to also see hints of trepidation in his eyes. Was he afraid she would say no? Or was he afraid she would say yes? She passed her eyes over his face and lingered on his lips. Don't go there Dana. Turning away from him, she focussed her eyes on the clouds outside the plane window. Maybe if she just ignored him... "Scully?" Nope - can't do that. She sighed. So much for total honesty. She would have to say no. There was no way - no way - she could admit to fantasising about him. Licking her lips, she turned to him and was met by the full force of her partners by now distinctly aroused gaze. He had not pulled away from her, and they were so close she could feel his breath coming out in soft puffs. She swallowed, banishing images of last night's kiss. "Yes," she whispered. They stayed frozen in that spot for long moments, until Mulder broke eye contact to let his eyes wander over her face, neck, breasts, stomach and legs. "Tell me," he said huskily. Her eyes widened. She shook her head. Mulder, this has gone far enough. We shouldn't be talking about these things. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "Do you want to know what I was thinking about?" She nodded. What was with her body? She thought one thing - it did another. "Remember that night last week, when we stayed back late to complete some paperwork, and you had that report to finish?" Mutely she nodded. "It was warm because the air-conditioning had been turned off a few hours before. You'd taken your jacket off and pulled your blouse out of your skirt. You'd also taken your stockings off when you had gone to the bathroom." He chuckled slightly at her look of surprise. "Yes I noticed," he continued. Against her better judgement she leaned in closer, held captive by his eyes and molasses monotone. "I was watching you when you got up to stretch. You were looking at an old photo of us on the pin-up board and rubbing your neck. In my fantasy, I got up and walked over to you. I stood behind you, removed your hand from your neck and started giving you a neck massage. All totally innocent at first, but then you started making these little moaning noises and I couldn't resist moving my hands down to your shoulders." Scully shivered slightly, hoping Mulder hadn't noticed. Her eyes focussed on his hand that was resting on the blanket. His fingertips were lightly resting on her thigh, although she wasn't sure if he was aware of that. "But your blouse was in the way Scully," he murmured, " so I reached around your shoulders and began undoing the buttons." Desperate to maintain some control, Scully raised one eyebrow archly. "And I said nothing about this Mulder?" "Well this is *my* fantasy Scully. I'm sure in reality you'd shoot me again." "Now...can I continue? You allowed me to slip your blouse off and I started massaging your shoulders, and your lower back. But really, to give you a decent massage I needed to get rid of your bra. So I undid the clasp and let it drop." Again, Scully raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Mulder gave her a warning look not to interrupt and continued. "I started running my hands down your back and back up again, then over your shoulders and down your arms. When I wrapped my fingers around your biceps my knuckles grazed against the side of your breasts. You trembled slightly and leant back against me. I bent down and kissed the side of your neck, just under your ear." Scully swallowed. An image of him murmuring into her ear when teaching her baseball flashed up. That night had prompted a number of fantasies that had begun with him kissing just that spot under her ear. Had Mulder developed the art of mind reading? "I slipped my hands around so they were flat against your stomach, just under your breasts. You reached your arms up and twined your fingers into my hair, pulling my head down further. You turned your head and we kissed, but softly, gently. As we kissed I moved my hands up lightly and ran them over your breasts, grazing your nipples, which were very hard. As I touched them, you gasped and when I felt your mouth open against mine I plunged my tongue in to taste you." He paused and lowered his gaze to her lips. Realising her mouth was hanging open slightly, Scully closed it. She nervously licked her lips and wondered briefly if she should stop this. But she was way too far gone now. His words were dripping over her like hot treacle and she wanted more. "As we kissed you turned around in my arms and ripped my shirt off." "I ripped your shirt off Mulder?" She was amused by this vision, as she'd always imagined it the other way around. Maybe he *was* reading her mind. "Yep. My fantasy remember? I undid your skirt and let it fall. Finally you undid my belt buckle and dragged my pants and boxers down in one go. I slipped my fingers into the elastic of your panties and slowly, slowly lowered them down, running my hands over your hips and thighs as I went. Then we were both naked, and you pressed your body into mine. I could feel the entire length of you pressed into me...and it felt amazing. We stood there for a while, just feeling, until you lifted your head and kissed me. God what a kiss. All tongues and teeth - it became frantic pretty damn quickly, and then..." He stopped, as if suddenly realising what he was saying to her. A faint blush rose on his cheeks. "Tell me," she whispered. She'd worry about the consequences of this conversation later. "Then I lifted you up - I stumbled forward so you were back against the wall...and I entered you. You were hot and wet Scully and you felt amazing. You had your legs wrapped around me, and your head was banging against the wall with the force of my thrusts, but you didn't care. When you came you called out my name over and over." "Oh," breathed Scully. She noticed the tiny beads of perspiration on Mulder's forehead and wondered if she mirrored his post-orgasmic appearance. God, she'd just had phone sex with Mulder - without a phone! For a long moment they looked at each other, both breathing raggedly. Then Mulder composed himself, smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and to all intents and purposes appeared to go to sleep. Scully let out a long shaky breath. What had they just done? This was so, so far over the line. All those years of dancing around the issue. All those years of veiled comments, innocent touches, secretive glances. All those years of maintaining her control. And now here she was; body tingling all over, wriggling in her seat as if she was about to explode. If this was what he could do to her with his voice only, then she could only imagine her reaction if they actually... There was no way it would come to that. Scully was a strong person who feared little - except for losing her self-control. With Mulder she would lose control. She knew that, and it petrified her. This last day was a mistake, an anomaly, and if Mulder tried to infer anything from it, she would tell him that. To his face. Straight and honest. Her resolve strengthened, she glanced over at Mulder. He was still dozing in his seat peacefully and she felt a wave of annoyance. Despite her brain's best intention, her body was still well and truly aroused, and it irritated her to see Mulder so ostentatiously unaffected by what had just passed between them. She angrily kicked at her bag on the floor and looked down at the book on her lap trying to concentrate on the words. It was no use, but at least if he opened his eyes, she would appear as unaffected as he did. Truth be told, she was now as horny as hell and had to use all her willpower to stop squirming in her seat. She toyed with the idea of going to the bathroom and ... she shuddered at the thought of those tiny, dirty little bathrooms. No thanks, she had her dignity. Although not much at the moment, she thought, casting a glance at Mulder. He still appeared to be resting peacefully, although she noticed his breathing was rapid. Maybe he *was* affected by what he just told her. There was only one way to tell, and she edged over a little to see if she could see a tell-tale bulge in his pants. Damn - the blanket was in the way. She was startled when Mulder stirred and she quickly averted her eyes from between his legs. (Please God, don't let him have seen me looking there!) She stared at the book, hoping he would think she had been reading. Not much chance of that, given that the book was still closed. And upside down. "Just going to the bathroom," he mumbled, not looking at her as he got up. The bathroom. When he was gone, she snorted with laughter. He was obviously not *quite* as unaffected as she thought. End Part 2/3 DKS Loses Control By Nicknoc Part 3/3 Disclaimers etc see Part 1. FBI Office Hoover Building 8 October 1999 5.35 pm It was two weeks later and neither of them had mentioned *that* plane trip. Scully was relieved. She had planned her "Why Scully and Mulder shouldn't have sex" speech just in case he brought it up, but he hadn't. Actually, she hadn't needed to plan the speech. She had composed it many years ago for her own purposes and knew it off by heart. She had reduced it down to a list of points, which she recited to herself at regular intervals as a reminder; sometimes when he was telling her about their latest case and his boyish enthusiasm made him look so adorable, sometimes when they were in long boring meetings together and her mind wandered, once when they had played baseball together and *often* when they had adjoining hotel rooms. It was the end of a long boring week and Scully was looking forward to a long hot bath and a night curled up on the sofa with a book. She just had to finish this paper. Her concentration was interrupted by Mulder. "Hey Scully, look at this." Scully got up from her desk, glad to have a chance to stretch. She walked over and perched herself on his desk, next to his chair. Flicking her eyes to the screen she saw he was looking at the Web site for the American Institute of UFO Sightings and Alien Abductions. Before Mulder could open his mouth she said, "Mulder, if you have nothing better to do than surf on the Internet, why don't you go home?" "Scully, first, I'm not surfing, this is *research* and second, I'm taking a break from my work," he lied. She was right, he had nothing better to do, but he'd been wanting to talk to her all week and if he didn't do it tonight then he was sure he would lose his nerve. Scully sighed, and shaking her head got up to leave. Mulder grabbed her hand. "Wait." Scully looked down icily at his hand gripping hers, and he let go. "Don't worry about it," he muttered. "I wont." She heard him sigh but didn't see the look of anger and frustration pass over his face. She didn't notice him get up and go to the door of their office until she heard the lock click. "Mulder, what are you doing?" "Scully, we need to talk." "About what exactly?" she inquired. "About us." She raised one eyebrow and didn't reply. Please Mulder, don't do this. "Ever since...that plane trip, things have been, y'know, strained. Is everything okay?" he asked. She relaxed. He wasn't going to confront the issue head on - he never did. She was safe. "I'm fine Mulder," she reassured him. "I've just been a little tired lately. In fact, I might go home now." She flicked the switch on her computer, not bothering to shut it down properly. She wanted to leave real fast. As she got up to go, her way was blocked by Mulder. "Excuse me," she said avoiding his eyes and trying to slip past him. "No Scully. You're not going until we discuss this." "Mulder - " "Scully, we need to talk about this." "What Mulder," she exploded. "What do we need to talk about?" "Sex." She gaped. This was the second time he had done this. Recovering her composure she said saucily, "I thought we already did that." Now it was his turn to gape. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse of poise, she tried to slip past again, but he caught her arm. "We need to talk about *why* we did that." "Mulder, do I have to remind you that it was not *me* who did that, it was *you*. So why don't you have your little chat with yourself and let me go home." "Scully, you didn't exactly make me stop. In fact, I think I can read you well enough to know that you rather enjoyed it. Besides, you told me that you fantasised about me. And then of course there was *that* kiss - drunk or not, it was still a kiss." His voice dropped. "We obviously have an attraction to each other. The question is - what are we going to do about it?" "Mulder," she said, looking him in the eye. "Just because I admitted fantasising about you *occasionally*, doesn't mean I find you attractive. I have sexual desires, I work closely with you, you're a good looking man. It's natural that I might think about...that...sometimes. But it doesn't necessarily mean anything." "Liar," he said. "Tell me you're not attracted to me Scully." "I'm not attracted to you Mulder. Now can I go home?" He moved closer. "Now tell me with your eyes, and not just your lips." She blushed. Was she that transparent? "Mulder," she said with determination, "I am not attracted to you." Mulder didn't move. Instead he raised one finger and lightly ran it over her lips, down her chin and neck, and down her chest to where the top button met. "So I guess if you're not attracted to me," he said slowly, stroking her skin, "this will have no effect on you." "None whatsoever," she said haltingly as she felt her nipples harden at his touch. Traitors. He glanced down at her breasts and noticed the jutting flesh. He chuckled. "Cold Agent Scully?" "Mulder, this conversation is ridiculous. Please let me go." "Why Scully," he drawled, "I thought you'd approve of me looking for scientific proof for my theory. The body never lies - isn't that what all those body language experts say?" With that, he leant forward and brushed his lips over hers, lightly flicking her top lip with his tongue. "Mulder, what are you doing?" she asked, alarm rising. This was not good. "Kissing you Scully. Didn't you recognise it?" Not giving her a chance to respond he whispered, "Guess I'll have to try again." This time he pressed his lips more firmly into hers, softly moving them. She opened her mouth to protest and felt his tongue teasingly touch hers and then pull back. He tasted good, of coffee and sunflower seeds and an indefinable tang. Damn you Mulder, she thought groggily. She found herself responding to his kiss, unable to recall her reasons for not doing this. The list - where was her list when she needed it? Oh well, if she was going to kiss Mulder (again) then she was going to do it properly. She brought her hand up to the back of his head and pulled him closer. He groaned as she pressed her lips into him and wrapped her other hand around his neck. Responding to her unspoken message he deepened their kiss, then pulled back to nip at her lower lip before plunging his tongue back into her mouth. His hands strayed down her back and he pulled her hard into him. She could feel his growing erection against her belly and it was this that made her pull back. "Mulder," she gasped, but was stopped by his finger on her lips. They looked at each other for a while, until their breathing subsided. Mulder brought his hands up to her hair and smoothed it down. "We need to talk," he said, affection in his voice. "Agree?" "Agree," she said shakily. "But not here please." She needed to be on familiar ground for this. "Come over tonight, for dinner. We can talk then." "Sure." He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against hers, and then stepped back to allow her to leave. ****** Scully sat on her couch, feet curled up underneath her, sipping a glass of wine. She had resisted the urge to 'dress up' for Mulder and she was annoyed at the first date butterflies in her stomach. Nothing was going to happen tonight - or ever - because she wasn't going to let it. She tried to compose her thoughts. What was she going to say to him? That she didn't want him because she wanted him too much? That she was scared if he touched her she would lose her last vestiges of control and...and what Dana? She sighed and closed her eyes. Why was she so afraid of losing control? She felt a brief pang of grief for her sister. If Missy were here she'd force her to confront her demons. She thought back to previous boyfriends and lovers. None of them had done this to her. With them she had been able to maintain a wall behind which she could hide if necessary. She had maintained control of her emotions. Certainly she'd been in love before, but never enough to get her heart broken. She had maintained control physically as well. Sex with them had been good, often even passionate. But she had *always* been in control and had never fully abandoned herself to them. Dana Scully had always been in control of her herself, even when she was not in control of her life, she reflected ruefully. And right now she was not in control of her life. Too many things had happened to her over the past number of years that she had had no control over. She refused to give up control of herself as well. Her thoughts were interrupted by his knock on the door. At least he had knocked and not just walked in. She opened it to find him holding out a bottle of wine. "Thought we might need this," he said with a goofy smile. She accepted it with thanks and took it into the kitchen, placing it next to the already opened bottle on the counter. She poured him a glass in silence, all the while feeling his eyes burning into her back. As they sipped their wine they watched each other warily over the rim of their glasses. She didn't know what to say, and figured that as this was his idea, he could start. When he could stand the silence no longer he said, "Scully, what's say we talk about this now and get it over and done with. Save us standing around the kitchen staring at each other like idiots." "Okay," she said, smiling a little at his bluntness. That was Mulder. "Talk." He put down his wine glass and moved over so he was standing in front of her. She crossed her arms reflexively in front of herself. "Scully," he began softly, "we both know there is something strong between us. We can't keep denying it, ignoring it -" "Why not Mulder?" interrupted Scully. "Why can't we just ignore it. Isn't that what separates us from the animals? We have to ability to engage rational thought before choosing to act on base instinct. We can choose to ignore sexual attraction if there are rational reasons for doing so. We should listen to our heads, listen to logic." "What about our hearts Scully?" "Our hearts?" she repeated dumbly. This was getting into even more dangerous territory. "This is not just about sexual attraction Scully. At least not for me, and I don't think it is for you either. I want *you* Scully, not just your body - although I admit it's a great package deal." She successfully fought back her smile. "Mulder, I can't. I just can't do this." Mulder's face fell. "Why not Scully? What are you so afraid of? Are you afraid of me?" She shook her head. Not you Mulder, me. She paused, wondering how to explain this to him. She had to be honest with him, she owed him that much. "I'm not afraid of you Mulder. I'm...I'm afraid of losing control with you." She looked up into his eyes and almost faltered. "This is not easy for me to explain to you. I need to be in control of my life, of myself. In the last few years I have not been in control of my life; I think it's fair to say that some of the things that have happened to me have been way out of my control. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have control in my personal life as well." She looked at him, begging him with her eyes to understand. He didn't say anything, so she continued. "Mulder, I think with you I would lose control - physically and emotionally - and that frightens me. It's not something I want, or need." There, she had said it. He appeared to think this over before gently saying, "I think you're wrong Scully. You may not have control over some of the circumstances in your life, but you have incredibly tight control over yourself. In all the years we've been together, I've only seen you cry a handful of times. All those terrible things...and you never let yourself cry. Every sentence you utter is well thought out, reasoned, controlled. Every emotion you feel is reined in to your liking. I think you *need* to lose control. You need to have one part of your life in which you feel safe enough to completely let go. Don't you trust me enough to do that?" Scully felt an overwhelming urge to run. She picked up her wine glass and moved into the lounge room, willing Mulder not to follow her. She needed a moment alone. He seemed to understand, because he stayed behind in the kitchen, staring morosely into space. She moved to the window and stared out unseeingly. His words had hit hard. It was exactly what Missy used to say to her. She could hear her sister's voice echoing in her head, "You need to lose control Dana. Let go for once. I know there's a part of you that would love to do that." She had told Missy that she was wrong, that she *liked* being in control. That she could think of nothing worse than losing control of her emotions, losing control of her physical reactions. But deep down she had always hoped to meet a person with whom she would feel safe enough to really lose control - both emotionally and physically. And in her darkest fantasies she did just that. Some psychologists would call them rape fantasies, but they weren't quite that. They were fantasies of total submission, often involving force, but always with a fantasy lover whom she trusted implicitly. Now she had found that person. Someone she totally trusted and was wildly attracted to. A fantasy come true. She hadn't expected to still be so scared. "Scully?" She jumped at the sound of his voice. She had been so deep in thought that she didn't hear him come up behind her. She turned to face him. Now or never Dana - time to face your biggest fear. "I trust you Mulder. I want...I want to lose control with you." For a millisecond he paused, a look of relief and incredulity passing over his face. Then he reached for her, and pulled her towards him. He tangled his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back so that she was looking up at him. She saw a question in his eyes, and nodded. A bolt of electricity shot through her when he brought his lips down onto hers. She could feel his erection already growing against her belly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up onto her toes. Now that she had made her decision she wanted him desperately. She wanted to taste him, to feel him, to have him inside her. She sucked on his tongue drawing it further into her mouth. He tasted divine; mild salt mixed with Mulder and red wine. He turned her around so that her back was to the room, and lowered her down to the floor, still exploring her mouth with his tongue. God, he was a good kisser. She opened her mouth wider, luxuriating in the hot urgency of their kisses. He settled on top of her, and his heavy weight prevented her from so much as wriggling. He pulled back from her, and she lifted her head to follow his mouth, already missing its presence. He pushed her gently back down to the floor and rearranged himself so that he was straddling her. With shaky hands he began to undo the buttons of her blouse. She thought about helping him, but preferred to watch his enraptured expression as he revealed her white skin. "God, you are beautiful," he whispered as he revealed her lace covered breasts. He slid her blouse up between her back and the floor and then roughly pulled it above her head, bringing her arms up with it. With her arms raised above her head she began to undo the little buttons on the cuffs so that she could slip her arms out. He caught her hands in his. "No you don't," he said, voice thick with arousal. He began winding her blouse around her hands so they were tied together and then looped it around the leg of the coffee table. Her breathing increased with a mixture of fear and arousal. She watched in fascination as his hands ran over her breasts and then undid the front clasp. He pushed the bra up so that it was also resting near her hands. Instinctively she struggled to get her hands free, but he held them gently with one hand and stroked her face with the other, nuzzling her lips with his until she calmed. He then began kissing down her neck and blazed a trail between her breasts until he reached her belly button. He ran his tongue around it and then delved deep into it, causing her to giggle. "Ticklish Scully? I'll have to remember that." He continued down until he was worrying at the waistband of her pants with his mouth and teeth. She held her breath as he slowly undid the button and lowered the zip, slipping her pants off. He then trailed his tongue up her leg and nipped at her inner thigh. The realisation of what was happening hit Scully. She was tied up on her lounge room floor almost completely naked. A fully clothed Mulder was nuzzling at her inner thigh. God, what was she doing? She felt a blush creep up her chest and neck, and rising panic accompany it. "Mulder...wait," she panted. "Please." He stopped kissing her inner thigh and brought his face up to hers. Before she could say anything else he slipped his hand into her underwear and plunged one finger into her. She felt her muscles contract around him and she gasped. Oh, God, that felt so good! "Scully? Did you want me to stop?" He had a teasing smile on his face. Did she? She could no longer remember. Her brain was focussed solely on what his fingers were doing to her. She shook her head and then closed her eyes, allowing the sensations to wash over her. "Another finger Scully?" he murmured into her ear. "How 'bout another one," he said, slipping a third finger into her. He pumped his fingers in and out of her, causing her to lift her hips in anticipation of each thrust. And then he was gone from inside her. She moaned in protest and felt him slipping her panties down to her ankles and then discarding them. She was totally naked now. And the bastard still had all his clothes on. "Mulder," she breathed, "take your clothes off." "Uh uh. I want to have a good look at you." His voice was even more gravelly than usual. "Open your legs," he demanded. Her head shot up. What? "No," she squeaked, pulling them close together. It was one thing to spread her legs during the actual act, but another to spread them so he could just sit there and stare at her. "Open them," he demanded again. "I want to see all of you." She shook her head. If he wanted them open, he would have to do it himself. Little waves of excitement and fear starting washing over her at the thought of Mulder forcing her legs open. And then she felt his hands on the inside of her knees, forcing them apart. When they were far enough apart, he placed his knees in between hers, holding them open. She felt one of his hands reverently stroke her. "You're beautiful, beautiful. Are you scared Scully? You're totally helpless now - does this scare you? Or do you like it?" The tone of his voice was part provocative, part worried. Scully quivered at his touch and realised she was not scared. Incredibly aroused, but not scared. She opened her eyes and looked into his. He smiled and lay back down on top of her, kissing her tenderly. Their kiss soon picked up pace, and finally she whispered into his ear, "If you don't take your clothes off and fuck me now, so help me, when I get loose you're gonna be in big trouble." Scully had to laugh at his lightning quick reaction to her words. She'd never seen anyone get undressed so quickly and finally he was in her. She'd imagined this moment a number of times, but not even in her most feverish fantasies was it this good. As he thrust languidly into her, he undid her wrists, allowing her to wrap her arms around him. When her arms were gripping him tightly, he began pumping harder and faster into her. She'd been on the brink of orgasm before he even entered her, so it was no surprise to her when she felt the quivers quickly overtaking her entire body. With a final scream she clenched around him and arched into his body. "Oh god, Mulder, god, Mulder...Mulder!" He quickly followed suit, calling out her name in answer. Finally spent, he slumped over her. "I'll gedoff in second," he mumbled into her shoulder. "No, stay for a moment," she whispered. He was heavy, but warm, slippery and comforting. She'd forgotten what it was like to have a naked man slumped over her. Her Mulderblanket. **** They sat together comfortably on the sofa spooning pasta into their mouths. Scully smiled to herself; she'd forgotten how hungry sex made her. It had been a *long* time. She glanced over at Mulder who was stuffing pasta into his face at an alarming rate. He was still Mulder. She'd completely let herself go with him, surrendered control to him and he was still Mulder - her partner and best friend and now her lover. There had been no declarations of love - neither of them were ready for that yet. But through their physical intimacy they had revealed themselves to each other and they had survived. She was still Scully. He was still Mulder. He still ate like a pig. At this thought she snorted with laughter. "What's so funny G-woman?" "Nothing," she replied, still smiling. "Ooh Scully," he admonished shaking his head. "That sounds like a little white lie to me. Total honesty, remember?" "Yeah, well look how much trouble total honesty has got me into so far," she said grinning. "I'm beginning to rethink my position on that." "Okay, I'll guess then. You were looking over at me and thinking, my God - I just had sex with *that*! What was I thinking?" His joking tone couldn't cover up the hint of worry revealed in his eyes. Looking at him, Scully's heart pierced a little. He looked so vulnerable and needy of reassurance. How could he think she regretted what had happened? "Mulder," she said gently, "I will never, ever regret what we just did. It was ... you'll never know how special it was to me. It was incredible." She smiled at him and his eyes lightened. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before settling back on the cushions to finish his pasta. Still, if this was going to work, she reflected continuing to watch him, they needed to sort a few things out. They needed rules. She may have allowed herself to lose control, but she was still Dana. She cleared her throat. "We need rules." "Excuse me?" he blinked. "If we're going to do this, we need rules. Rule 1 - no touching, kissing, leering or smutty comments at work." He snorted with laughter, causing a bit of pasta to fly out of his mouth and onto her freshly washed cushion. She looked pointedly at it and he sheepishly wiped it off with his T-shirt. "Scully, apart from the kissing bit, I do all that at work anyway." "Not anymore you don't," she said. "Rule 2 - we see each other on weekends, but not during the week." This stopped him from shovelling another spoonful of pasta into his mouth. "Not at all?" "Nope," she confirmed. Seeing his disbelieving look she said, "Mulder, we work together. We will drive each other nuts if we then go home to each other." "Scully," he admonished in mock-disbelief, "You could never drive me nuts." "Well you could - and do - drive me nuts Mulder. Do you want this relationship to end before it begins?" They both looked at each other with secret smiles at her acknowledgement of their new status. She gave in. "Okay, one night during the week Mulder." "Three." "Two - and don't push your luck." "Can we have sex again now?" he asked impishly. "No, there's still more, so shut up. Rule 3 - separate hotel rooms when we are on a case." At his beseeching look she added, "Adjoining rooms of course." "Rule 4 - *nobody* must know about this. Nobody." "Not even Frohike?" They grinned at each other. "Maybe Frohike," she said. She paused and he took the opportunity to jump in again. "NOW can we have sex?" "Mulder," she said with mock-exasperation. "You are hopeless! I'm still thinking. (pause) Okay, one more. Rule 5 - You have to give me back rubs any time I ask." She squealed as he lunged for her, barely avoiding a pasta spillage. Tackling her to the ground he pinned her legs down with his and started nuzzling her neck. "Rule 5 only counts if the back rub involves a great deal of nudity. Agreed?" She grinned. "Agreed." Brushing a lock of hair off his forehead she whispered, "Thanks Mulder." Turning his head into her hand he kissed her palm. "The pleasure was *entirely* mine Scully." THE END. Thank you so much to my beta readers Barb, Amanda and CoryG. Great advice and tips! Hope you all liked it. Feedback much appreciated at nicknoc@hotmail.com.