Title: Dancing in the Moonlight Author: Morgan Faye Email: morganfaye5@hotmail.com Rating: NC-17, Category: MSR Spoilers: none Disclaimers: I am borrowing the characters of Mulder, Scully and Skinner. They are the property of Chris Carter and company. I am making no profits from this bit of fluff. Author's notes: This is my first attempt at writing and posting an X-files related story. This is my first attempt at writing an adult story. I found the Whispers of X web site and this is my submission for their challenge, but since I am submitting it late, it may not be in contention for voting. I don't care, it took on a life of its own and it's begging me to let others see it. I didn't have a beta reader, so any mistakes are my own. Abject apologies to anyone named Anderson. I have nothing against you, in fact I don't even know anyone named Anderson and I don't know why, but that was the only name I could think of for the SWAT team leader. Mea Culpa. The only information I could find about the song 'Dancing in the Moonlight' was the lyrics and the names King Harvest and Sherman Kelly. I don't know which of them wrote or performed the song. Feedback: gratefully accepted, please be gentle. Challenge items: Dreamcatcher FBI baseball cap Cybersex Dancing in the moonlight Viewing an old horror flick Green M&M's Power outage Dancing In the Moonlight The sun was setting, blanketing the street with deepening shadows. The assembled SWAT team shifted restlessly after the long hours of the standoff. Amid the sea of SWAT caps were two deep blue baseball style caps with FBI printed across the front. The pair wore matching fatigues and flack jackets, but that was where the similarity ended. The male half of the pair was tall and broad shouldered. He wore wire-rimmed glasses that glinted in the dying light. The woman was petite, her frame swallowed by the bulletproof vest. Red hair, swept into a ponytail, flowed out the back of the cap. All eyes were suddenly focused on the opening door of the bank. A male voice called out, "Hold your fire! As a show of good faith, some of the hostages are being released." One at a time, a group of frightened looking women exited the bank. The last people out were an elderly couple, moving slowly, supporting each other. Half way to safety the elderly gentleman faltered and collapsed. Before anyone could stop her, the female FBI agent darted forward. She pressed her fingers against the mans neck, feeling for a pulse. Finding none, she began CPR. She yelled back towards the barricade, "I could use some help here!" After another minute of tense silence, the SWAT team leader allowed two paramedics through. The man was quickly stabilized, placed on a stretcher and removed to a waiting ambulance. Throughout the crisis, the door to the bank had remained firmly closed, the inhabitants appearing to ignore the drama outside. After the ambulance left on its journey to the hospital, the woman rejoined her partner behind the barricade. As the SWAT team leader approached them, her cell phone rang. "Scully here" she responded. An unfamiliar voice asked, "How's the old man?" "His vitals were slow, but stable. He's on his way to the hospital, and baring complications, he should be alright." "Thank you." The connection was severed. Glaring at her, Captain Anderson, the SWAT team leader said, "That was a foolish thing to do. They could have pulled you into the bank figuring that having an FBI agent as hostage could increase their bargaining power." She replied, "The FBI won't negotiate for an agents release. Besides, they already have an agent as one of their hostages. My partner is in the bank." Anderson frowned. "They must not know they have an FBI agent as one of their hostages. There has been no mention of the fact in any of our communications with them." One of the women who had been released was being questioned by another SWAT team member nearby. She turned and said, "They know he's FBI. He told them who he was, right after the SWAT team surrounded the bank. The leader of the group was starting to panic and he was threatening us with his gun. Agent Mulder started talking to him, calming him down. He got them to let us sit on chairs instead of the floor, get drinks and food from the break room, and let us go to the restroom. When Mr. Davis, the elderly gentleman, started having chest pains, Agent Mulder talked them into letting us go." She wiped tears from her eyes and smiled. "Every time he got them to agree to something, he made it seem like it had really been their idea all along. I've never been in a bank robbery before, and I hope that I'm never in one again, but I thank God that Agent Mulder was there too. When the leader started freaking out, I was sure we were all going to die." "How many more hostages are in the bank?" "Five, all men. The branch manager, the assistant manager, two security guards, and Agent Mulder." "How many robbers?" "Three men. All of them were carrying what looked like automatic pistols." The woman paused, "Not that I know anything about guns, but they look like the kind of guns you see people using in action movies." "Thank you, Ma'am." Anderson turned back to Scully and Skinner. "Now that it's dark, we can go with my plan. In ten minutes the power to the building will be cut. While they are disoriented, we'll move in." "I don't see that it's necessary to storm the building" Skinner protested. "You heard the woman, Mulder's established a rapport with the robbers. If we give him a little more time," Anderson cut him off. "It's been six hours. If they were going to give up, they would have done so by now. This is a police matter. I'm running this operation. Keep out of our way." Skinner leaned menacingly over the other man. "Yes, this is your operation. But if my agent is injured because you want to look like a hero on the 10:00 news, I guarantee you'll never run a SWAT operation again." Anderson scowled. "Are you threatening me?" "It's not a threat, it's a promise." ************************************* Inside the bank, Mulder, who had been watching the action through the blinds, stiffened. "Shit!" he muttered. The leader of the gang, who had said that his name was Riley, pulled Mulder away from the window. "What's wrong?" "I just identified the man in charge of the SWAT team. He's a glory hungry dick head named Anderson. Wants to make a name for himself. Dammit! I was hoping it would be someone with some brains, like Cavanaugh, or Wilson." "How is that going to effect our negotiations?" "It means there won't be any more negotiations. Now that it's getting dark, he's going to go by the book. Power will be cut, then they'll storm the building." Riley's eyes glittered wildly. "I knew I shouldn't have let the women and the old man go. He must feel that since the only hostages left are men you are all expendable." "No, it wouldn't have made a difference to him. He just wants the headlines. 'SWAT team leader captures bank robbers.' He sees this as his stepping-stone to bigger and better things. There is only one way you are going to come out of this alive, and that is if you do as I say." Riley brandished his gun at Mulder. "Get back over there with the others. I need to think." "Riley, listen to me. No one needs to get hurt. I don't want to see anyone hurt. But that moron out there doesn't care. When the lights go out, we'll have about 30 seconds, then they are going to break down the door and shoot anyone they see standing in here. Trust me. If you give yourselves up, yes you'll do jail time, but as long as you don't shoot at the SWAT team, as long as no one is hurt, your lawyer might be able to get you reduced sentences. That idiot doesn't care if anyone is killed, because even if one of his men does the shooting, you will be charged with the crime. That's the law." One of the other men in the group spoke up. "He's right Riley, I've read about it happening before. A death or injury that occurs during the commission of a crime is considered the fault of the person committing the crime, regardless of who really caused it." The third man spoke up. "I read about that too. And Mulder's a Fed. If he got killed that would automatically mean the death penalty. I not crazy about the thought of going to jail, but we all knew that was a possibility when we planned this. I just don't want to die because some SWAT leader thinks he's the reincarnation of General Patton." Riley seemed to deflate. He turned to Mulder. "Alright, call out and tell them that we are surrendering." Before Mulder could move towards the door, the lights went out. "Too late. Everybody, face down on the floor! Throw your guns as far away from you as possible. Put your hands on your head, and don't move. When the team comes in, identify yourself when they walk up to you, but don't make any kind of movement. Don't give them any reason to shoot you." Mulder hit the floor, wishing the darkness wasn't so complete. He hoped that all of the others were obeying his instructions. Seconds later, the door thudded open and a stream of bullets was fired into the room. "Freeze! Nobody move, you're under arrest!" Had to be Anderson, Mulder thought. Only an idiot would shoot, then warn people not to move. Other people came through the door and booted feet walked into his limited range of vision. The figure crouched next to him. "Mulder, is that you?" His head jerked up and he looked into the face of his boss. "It's good to see you, Sir." Skinner helped him to his feet. "Perhaps you could help us sort out who is who." "If you had waited another minute, none of this would have been necessary. I had just talked them into surrendering." He walked over to where Riley lay on the floor. Helping the man to his feet he said, "This is Riley, he was the man in charge. Like I said, he had already agreed to surrender. I want that noted in the report." Skinner nodded. Two SWAT officers placed handcuffs on Riley and led him out, reading him his rights as they walked. Mulder led Skinner over to the other two would-be robbers. "These are the men who were with Riley, we never exchanged names. Everyone else is one of the good guys." Some SWAT team members led the two men away, while others helped the remaining hostages to their feet, asking them if they needed medical attention. Anderson stood in the middle of the room, glaring around impotently. At the last minute his boss had arrived at the site and insisted that, since there was a FBI agent as hostage, A.D. Skinner should be in charge of the rescue. He had argued with his boss, stalling for time while not countermanding the order to cut power to the building. He had been sure that once they were in darkness, the robbers would panic and start shooting, proving that he had been right about how dangerous they were. During the first moments of hesitation after the lights had gone out he seized the opportunity and rushed the building. He had charged through the door, then one of his own men had come up behind him and taken his gun from his hands. This was supposed to have been his moment. His chance to show the world what he was made of. Instead everyone was gathering around the FBI agent. Slapping him on the back, shaking his hand. Congratulating him on defusing the hostage situation and getting the robbers to surrender. It wasn't fair. Anderson walked back outside and into oblivion. He never served on a SWAT team again. ************************** Scully watched in horror when the SWAT team captain charged the building. He was going to get Mulder killed! She held her breath, listening intently, but heard no answering gunfire. After what felt like an eternity, but was not even five minutes, the first prisoner was led from the building. As they passed her, the man paused and asked, hesitantly, "Agent Scully?" "Yes." "The old man, Mr. Davis. Is he really okay?" She recognized the voice from the phone call earlier. "Yes, I checked with the hospital. He's doing well and should be released in a few days." The man sighed. "That's good. Thank you." One of his escorts tugged gently on his arm, and they moved away. Scully felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned to see one of the former hostages. The young woman smiled shyly. "Excuse me, are you Agent Scully?" "Yes, how can I help you?" "Agent Mulder talked about you, while we were in the bank. You know, when he was talking to the robbers, trying to get them to open-up about themselves. He kept talking about 'his partner, Scully, the only person he really trusted'." The young woman blushed and looked away. She took a deep breath and looked back. "He also talked to all of us about having bad dreams because of this experience. He gave us the name of a councilor. He said that he sometimes has nightmares about something that happened to him when he was a child." "Yes, that is true. His sister was kidnapped and never found. You really should see a councilor about what happened today. If not the one Mulder told you about, then someone else. You may feel fine now, but this could cause problems later. Talking to someone other than a friend or family member is important, because they can provide unbiased support and advice." The girl nodded. "I'm going to call and make an appointment tomorrow. What I really wanted to do was give you this, and ask if you would give it to Agent Mulder." She blushed again as she handed a small sack to Scully. "I know that he wouldn't want my thanks or anything else, but I bought this, this morning, just before I went to the bank. I had no idea why, I just felt drawn to it. It seemed important for me to buy it. Then when Agent Mulder started talking about having bad dreams, I knew I was supposed to give it to him." Scully looked at the young woman in bewilderment. She opened the bag and pulled out a small hoop wrapped in dark blue leather strips. Across the center of the hoop, black threads were woven in a pattern reminiscent of a spider's web. From two strands of the web hung tiny crystal beads. A small scarlet feather was suspended from another strand. Looking back at the woman, she raised an eyebrow. "It's called a dream catcher. You are supposed to hang it somewhere near the head of your bed. Good dreams will slide down the beads or the feather. Bad dreams will be caught in the web and not invade your sleep. Like I said, as soon as he said something about having bad dreams, I knew that he was meant to have this." "You must think I'm some kind of nut, but all my life I've had these flashes of intuition. Sometimes, I just know when a thing is right. This is one of those times. It's important for Agent Mulder to have this. I thought it would be better to give it to you, rather than mail it to him at work or home. He might worry that I was stalking him or something." The girl looked at Scully earnestly. "Please, give this to him as a thank you from all of us." She turned and began to walk away. "Wait. What's your name?" The girl turned back, smiled and said "Melissa." Turning again, she disappeared into the crowd. Scully stood staring blankly at the spot where the girl had been, then looked back down at the item in her hand. Things the girl had said kept repeating in her mind. 'I've had these flashes of intuition. Sometimes I just know when a thing is right.' And her name, Melissa. She smiled softly. You were there too, weren't you Missy. You kept him safe for me. Putting the hoop back in the bag, she turned back towards the bank just in time to see a couple of familiar faces come out the door. Mulder was scanning the crowd, looking for her, when Skinner nudged his arm and pointed to where she was standing. Face lighting in a big grin, he looped over to her. "Hey, Scully. What's a nice girl like you doing hanging around with a crowd like this? Don't you have anything better to do on a Friday night?" Scully raised her eyebrow. "Well, when you have a partner who can't even take a day off without needing to have his ass hauled out of trouble, you learn not to make plans that can't be changed. Of course, it's only 7:30, and my date wasn't supposed to pick me up until 8:00, so my evening hasn't been ruined yet. Do you need a ride home?" Before Mulder could reply, Skinner, who had come up behind him, said, "There's no need for you to cancel your date Agent Scully, I'll take Agent Mulder home after the debriefing. See you in the office Monday morning." Skinner turned away to speak to a member of the SWAT team. Mulder gave Scully a rueful look and said, "Oh yeah, mustn't miss that hot date. Talk to you later, Scully." Glancing around and seeing that, for the moment, no one was paying attention to them, he cupped her cheek with his palm and rubbed his thumb across her lips. Scully shot him a warning look, but pursed her lips in a whisper of a kiss. "Try to keep out of trouble for the rest of the evening, Mulder." She moved away towards where her car was parked. Mulder watched her for a few minutes, then turned back to where Skinner was speaking with the police. "Actually, Sir, I don't need a lift, my car is in the bank parking lot. Just tell me where to go for the debriefing, and I'll meet you there." ((((((((((( Ten minutes later Scully closed her apartment door. She smiled at the changes that had taken place since she had left this morning. Candles, flowers, the dining table set for a romantic dinner for two. She walked over to stand next to the couch and surveyed the items that had appeared on her coffee table. Three rental movies: Evolution, the movie that had that actor the looked quite a lot like Mulder; Bride of the Wind, and, of all things, the original version of Dracula. There was a six-pack of Coke, not cans, but the reproduction of the classic bottle. A small crystal bowl of M&M's, green ones only. And last, but not least, a stuffed toy of the green M&M character. She was sitting in the middle of the bowl of M&M's, arms planted on her hips, legs crossed. Shaking her head and laughing quietly to herself, she went to the desk, sat and turned on her computer. Logging on the Internet, she checked her e-mail. Nothing that needed to be answered now. She left the computer on and went into her bedroom to shower and change. Fifteen minutes later she wandered back into the living room dressed in her schlepping gown. Every time she put it on she remembered when he gave it to her. "It's a what?" she had asked. "A schlepping gown," he had responded. "You know, something to schlep around the house in." Of course she only wore it 'to schlep around the house in' when she knew he was coming over. It was floor length, with long sleeves and a deep v neckline edged in lace. The material was silk and the color was a blue that matched her eyes. She felt feminine and sexy when she wore it, and by the look in his eyes when he saw her in it, he thought it was sexy too. Going out to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator door and looked wistfully at the meal that was waiting to be heated. God alone knew when he was going to get here. She closed the door and went back to the living room. She could wait. On impulse she grabbed Dracula, inserted it into the VCR, tuned on the TV, and settled down on the couch to watch. A little while later, right at the point where Dracula was making his move on Mina, the computer chimed. Looking over she saw that her instant messenger buddy list had popped up to tell her that 'the fox' was in the chat room. Turning off the tape, she sat down at the computer, opened the chat box and saw the message. the fox: hey vixen, you there? vixen: where are you? the fox: in an empty room at the station. i'm supposed to be writing my report for the skinman. what are you doing? vixen: waiting for my date, who is late as usual. watching a movie. snacking on m&m's. why aren't you writing that report so you can leave? the fox: already finished, just waiting for the man to come out of the meeting with the big wigs so i can give it to him. leave some of those m&m's for me. which movie? vixen: dracula. you know i can't resist a man who likes to nibble on necks. the fox: oohh! i just got turned on! what are you wearing? vixen: you're easier to turn on than a light switch. nothing much, just this old thing i schlep around the house in. the fox: i'd resent that remark, except it's true. that's all? vixen: why put anything between my skin and the silk, it would just dull the sensation. the fox: ooohhh, you're making this so hard for me. keep eating those m&m's. i'll be there as soon as i can. vixen: why only green ones? the fox: flashback to high school. every teenage boys fantasy. vixen: in case you hadn't noticed, i wasn't a teenage boy. and i went to an all girls catholic school, remember? the fox: trust me, i've noticed. high school urban legend. drop green m&m's into your dates' coke and she gets so horney she'll do anything you want. like i said, every teenage boys fantasy, back when i was a teenage boy. vixen: really? and how many girls did you try this out on? the fox: none. i was the school geek, the girls all went out with the football players. vixen: poor baby. do you want me to massage your ego? the fox: no, but there's something else i'd like you to massage. vixen: careful big boy, you're in a public place. the fox: i'm in an empty office with the door closed. and that 'big boy' remark didn't help. little fox wants to come out to play. vixen: really? i was thinking that little fox just wanted to come. the fox: ooohhh, sweetheart. what's gotten into you tonight? vixen: not what i want in me. you know, you may be right about the m&m's. i'm feeling so hot, i just had to take this gown off. the fox: please!! i don't need that visual right now! vixen: well, you're the one who started this. how secure are you, really? enough to take matters into your own hands? the fox: i hope so. vixen: then do it. if little fox releases some tension now, maybe he'll be able to spend more time with little vixen later. the fox: i wasn't aware that little vixen was disappointed in little fox's staying power. vixen: never!!!!! but from some things that you have said, i thought that you were occasionally disappointed in little fox. the fox: well, he is in a bit of a hurry sometimes. vixen: little fox never leaves little vixen hanging. even now just the thought of you taking the chance of doing that there!! ooohhh!!! the fox: little fox is out of his den!!! vixen: pet him gently, don't rub him the wrong way. the fox: gentle isn't what he wants right now, and there is no wrong way to rub. thank god i can type with one hand, or you'd be looking at a blank screen now. vixen: don't be too rough, i'm not there to kiss it and make it better. After a long pause. the fox: you did that on purpose. the visual was too much, i think little fox just set a new land speed record. shit!!!! The instant messenger screen popped up and stated 'the fox has logged off'. Scully sat staring blankly at the screen for a few more minutes. Just as she was about to leave the desk, instant messenger informed her that 'the fox' was back. the fox: vixen, you still there? vixen: what happened? the fox: skinman came in. thank god little fox was done playing and could hide under the desk. report turned in, i'm good to go. tell little vixen to prepare her den, little fox will be home soon. vixen: little vixen has her den ready, hot and wet, just the way little fox likes it. hurry home. the fox: we're on our way. Scully logged off and shut down her computer. She stood up, stretching, then looked down at the chair seat. Good thing it was covered in leather. Since she and 'the fox' had begun their chat room visits, the fact that it was easy to clean had come in handy on more than a few occasions. Opening the bottom desk drawer, she removed the towel and spray cleaner she kept there and tided up the chair. Shrugging the gown back on, she went out to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She started to take the food out to warm in the microwave, then changed her mind and put it all back. Food was the last thing on her mind right now, and from the tone of his last message, he wasn't thinking about dinner either. Her body humming with arousal, she paced restlessly around her living room. She didn't feel like sitting down and resuming the movie, besides he should be here before it finished. Maybe some music would help pass the time. Scully went over to the stereo system and turned on the radio. The raucous sound of Jerry Lee Lewis' song 'Great Balls of Fire' issued from the speakers. What on earth? Then she remembered; Mulder had changed the setting to an oldies station last weekend. The song ended and the announcer came on. "There is still time for you to come down to the station and sign up for our all night dance marathon. We are raising money for Big Brothers, Big Sisters and we have an anonymous backer who will match every dollar raised. Any couple still dancing at sunrise will win a WDCW prize package, which includes t-shirts, movie passes, cd's and other surprises. Our next song is from the seventies, and I think it's pretty appropriate, it's called Dancing in the Moonlight." "We get it almost every night When that ol' moon gets-a big and bright It's a supernatural delight Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight Everybody here is out of sight They don't bark, and they don't bite They keep things loose, they keep things light Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight Everybody's feelin' warm and right It's such a fine and natural sight Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight We like our fun and we never fight You can't dance and stay uptight It's a supernatural delight Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight" Scully listened to the music, smiling and swaying to the beat. It really was a happy sounding song. Half-way through the second verse she heard the door open. She went to meet Mulder, but instead of pulling her into a kiss, he started dancing her around the room. "Mulder, what are you doing?" she protested laughingly. "Getting you warmed up for our moonlight dance marathon." "Mulder! I am not going down to the radio station for that dance marathon, regardless of how good a cause it is." "I didn't say was warming you up for that dance marathon, I said I was warming you up for our dance marathon." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You know, the bedroom ballet, the mattress macarena, the torso tango, the horizontal hokie-pokie, the..." Scully smacked him gently on the chest. "Mulder!" she protested again, laughing so hard she could hardly stand. "How long did it take you to come up with those?" He pouted, "You didn't let me finish." "Alright, give me your best shot." "The bare naked bunny-hop" Mulder finished triumphantly. "That was your best shot? Besides, you had already used 'b'." "I never said it was the best, just the last." He slid his hands down to firmly hold her hips and thrust his erection against her. "Are you warmed up enough, little fox is ready to come out to play again." "Little fox is always ready to play." Scully pulled out of his arms and turned as if to go into the kitchen. "It's been a long day, you must be hungry. Let's warm up something to eat." Mulder picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. "Yes, I do want something to eat, but it doesn't need to be warmed up. I'm sure it's hot enough just as it is." He laid her across the bed and knelt between her legs, pushing the gown up around her waist. He parted her folds with his thumbs and leaning forward he ran his tongue through in one slow lick. He sighed, looked up into her eyes and said, "Ambrosia, and at just the right temperature." He settled back down to his meal. Burying his nose in her curls, Mulder inhaled her unique scent. He nuzzled lower and his tongue began to lap lightly at her crevasse, following each fold, but intentionally missing the spot where she wanted him to go. Scully thrust her hips against his mouth, moaning in frustration. "Easy, sweetheart. No need to rush, we have all weekend." "Fox, please! Now!" Scully raised up on her elbows and looked at him with passion-darkened eyes. His eyes twinkled back at her mischievously. "Well, since you asked so nicely." His mouth again descended, this time seeking and finding her clitoris. He lapped at it lightly, his hands rising to hold her hips still as his tongue grew more demanding. At last he sucked the nub between his lips and gently bit down. Scully cried out, her body trembling uncontrollably, as the waves of her orgasm washed over her. She felt him lift her, remove the gown, and reposition her on the bed. Moments later she opened her eyes as the warmth of his bare body settled next to her. Mulder smiled down into her face. He lowered his mouth to kiss her, a slow kiss that increased with intensity, their tongues dancing together. After a long while, he lifted his head. "I love you Dana, so much. I thought about this today. About us. All I could think about was how glad I was that we had both come to our senses and confessed our feelings to each other. Whatever else happened, you wouldn't have been left with the regrets of what might have been." He tightened his arms around her. "I know it's going to sound crazy, but I knew when you got there. I could feel you. What might sound even crazier is that at that same moment, I knew everything would be alright." He chuckled. "I'm glad that none of those people could read my mind, because from the minute you got there only half of it was on negotiating with the robbers. The other half was planning everything I was going to do to you when we got home tonight." Scully lifted her head from his shoulder. "If you promise not to let it go to your head, I'll tell you a secret. I could feel you too. And I had that same sense of certainty. I know Skinner was surprised that I wasn't as worried about you as I have been during similar situations in the past. Of course, when I said that about having a date tonight, maybe he thought that my mind had been occupied with thoughts of my date and not my partner." She pulled his head back down for another long kiss. When they parted for breath she continued, "He would have been right." Mulder rolled her onto her back easing his hips between hers. Scully parted her legs, lifting them around his waist. Positioning himself, he paused to look deep into her eyes. "Now that we've finished the appetizer, it's time for the main course." He slid deep into her in one steady stroke, their bodies locking together as if they were two halves of a perfect whole. Moonlight filtered through the blinds of her window, falling on the bed and the pair whose bodies moved in the age-old dance of love. The end.