Title: Live Action (continuation of "VHS" and "VCR") 
Author: alee
Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: All together now – "not mine, not yours, all belongs to 
Chris."  Additionally, I'm sure that some might find this particular 
characterization a bit "unrealistic" – point conceded, but that's really 
not the issue here, folks. *g*

Spoilers: nada

Summary: Celluloid fun is all well and good, but nothing beats the 
real thing…

Feedback : Will be dearly cherished; send to GothPhyle@aol.com

Archive: If you want it, you're welcome to it – just let me know where 
so I can enjoy the thrill ;)

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LIVE ACTION

"I think this 'anonymous tip' contains information that we should 
definitely act on." Stop. Rewind, and play again.  "--definitely act on."  
Pause, squeal, rewind again.  "--act on."

Swallowing heavily, Scully stared in shock at her answering 
machine, sure she must have somehow misunderstood.  After all this 
time, was Mulder finally getting the hint?  Was he actually going to 
make an overture and accept her invitation, or – was it something 
else entirely?  Playing the message once more, she realized with a 
sinking stomach that in no-way did Mulder indicate what "action" he 
planned to take.  For all she knew, he could be planning to report her 
for manufacturing unlicensed pornography, or maybe even sexual 
harassment.  Silently cursing the impulse that had driven her to 
make, and deliver!, the tape she wondered for the thousandth time if 
it was possible to die from anxiety.  To simply wither away and 
evaporate into a cloud of gloom.  To – her ruminations were abruptly 
cut short by the sound of insistent rapping on her front door.  Feeling 
almost faint from tension, she rose slowly and walked across the 
room, dreading the confrontation with Mulder that loomed 
imminently.  With a deep breath she raised up on her toes to peer 
through the peephole, and saw … nothing.  Looking carefully from 
side to side, she scouted the landscape before cautiously opening 
the door.  On the ground, inches from her door, was a bottle of bath 
oil, and a small gilt card embossed with the words "Thank You"; 
opening the card, she was bemused to find Mulder's scrawling script, 
delivering a message that was both succinct and intriguingly cryptic: 
"A foreshadowing of things to come."  Turning to close the door, she 
was startled by the touch on her arm, staying her course of action.  

"Mind if I come in, Scully?"

Staring into Mulder's eyes, she was intrigued by the mix of sincerity 
and mischief that swirled there.  Smiling slightly, she stepped from 
the entrance and waved him inside with a careless hand.

"Not at all, Mulder.  But what brings you here?  I thought you decided 
that the case was – "

"This isn't about work."

"Oh.  Well, then, if it's about you needing me to feed the fish next 
weekend, I already told you that – "

"It's not about my fish, either."

"I see.  Care to tell me what this IS about, then?  This game of 
twenty questions is getting tired, and I – "

"It's about something hot, and wet, and steamy.  Something that I 
can't get at home.  Something I miss, desperately.  Something that I 
want, badly.  Something I've been dreaming about … all day."  
Pausing, he chuckled silently in unholy glee as he noted her flushed 
cheeks, and the shocked arousal that had suddenly flares to life in 
her eyes.  His gaze zeroed in on her mouth, as her tongue snaked 
out to lick their surface, leaving a thin film of saliva that glistened in 
the late afternoon dusk.

"Mul – " pausing, she cleared her throat, attempting to push aside the 
desire that lowered her voice and caused it to crack.  "Mulder, if this 
is about that – that tape, then I don't know if – "

"Who said anything about a tape, Scully?  The hot water's out in my 
building, and I wanted to know if I could take a shower here."

"Oh."  That one word, softly spoken and accompanied by an averted 
face and flush of humiliation was enough to chase any humor from 
his mind, and spawn an ocean of regret for having taken the careless 
teasing too far.  But before he could correct himself, Scully continued 
on, only a slight quiver in her voice belying her chagrin.  

"Of course you can shower here, Mulder.  I'll just get some towels for 
you, and you can go ahead.  Here's the bath oil, I guess you'll be 
wanting that, and – "

"Scully, wait a minute." He interrupted, placing a hand on her 
shoulder to stop her flight.  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made a joke, 
not about this."

Looking at him in consternation, shivering slightly under his touch, 
she tilted her head, asking with a puzzled frown, "What are you 
talking about?"

"Scully, have you EVER known me to use BATH OIL?  Ever?"

"No, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.  After all, Mulder, 
I'm sure there are a lot – "

"Did you look at the brand?"

"Yes, I did, but I don't see what that has – "

"Isn't that YOUR favorite brand?"

Staring at him, at a loss for words, she felt a small glimmer of hope 
unfurl deep within, anticipation warring with trepidation.  "Yes it is, 
but why would you bring it to bathe with?"

"Who said anything about bathing?  Or at least, bathing alone?"

With those words the conversation reached an impasse, as Mulder 
slid his hand from her shoulder to the back of her neck, cupping her 
nape in his palm as he leaned forward.  She blinked in astonishment, 
transfixed by surprise, as his tongue emerged to slowly lap at her 
mouth, leaving a trail of liquid fire in its wake.  Pausing for a moment, 
he stared deeply into her eyes, stroking his thumb up and down the 
column of her throat.  Then, his gaze softened, his eyes closing as 
he leaned forward to brush a series of open-mouthed kisses across 
her brow, meandering down her cheek to culminate in a series of 
slow, moist rasps of his tongue along her jaw.  Finally, his lips came 
to rest against hers once more, and his breath rustled against her 
teeth.

"Aren't you ready for YOUR bath, Agent Scully?" he whispered.

Not waiting for a response, he took her by the hand, and led her 
slowly towards the bathroom.  Dimming the lights to match the 
illumination she had created two nights ago to film the scene that 
had prompted the current chain of events, he turned the water on 
and stopped up the tub.  Pouring a generous amount of the scented 
oil into the liquid cascading from the faucet, he adjusted the 
temperature to a sultry, mirror fogging setting, then turned to face 
her.  After closing the lid of the toilet, and seating her there, he knelt 
at her feet.  Looking solemnly up at her, he removed her socks, and 
began to massage her feet.

"I think it's time to follow up on that 'anonymous tip', don't you?"

So saying, he lifted her left foot to rest against his chest, and poured 
a drop of the oil in his palm.  Winding his fingers sinuously through 
her toes, he paid particular attention to her arches, pressing and 
releasing rhythmically.  Closing her eyes, Scully let her head fall 
back with a moan as swelling currents of arousal arced from her foot 
to her breasts, causing her to shudder involuntarily as her scalp 
prickled with delight.  Bringing her right foot to join its counterpart, he 
continued his studious attentions, forcing her to balance herself by 
placing her palms on the seat behind her.  This change in position 
caused her back to arch, pressing her breasts against the seam of 
her bra and intensifying the aching sensation in her nipples.  From 
his place at her feet, Mulder looked up the expanse of leg left bare in 
her cotton shorts and smiled at the sight of gooseflesh prickling the 
surface of her flesh.  Stilling his hands, he ignored her whimper of 
protest and reached over to turn off the water before resuming his 
activity.

"You know, Scully, I've read that the back of a woman's knees is a 
sadly overlooked erogenous zone.  Care to test that theory?"

Giving her no time to respond, he leaned forward, lapping at the 
back of her knee with his tongue.  Spurred on by the husky gasp that 
slipped from her throat, as well as the sudden rigidity that suffused 
her posture, he began to suckle, alternating soft nips with long, wet 
strokes.  Shifting to the other knee, he was frozen by the sight before 
him.  Scully had shifted to rest her other foot on the floor for balance, 
having to splay her leg around the width of his shoulder, and through 
the gaping leg of her shorts he could see that his partner was 
definitely NOT going to fulfill his "black lace" fantasy tonight; because 
tonight she was not wearing black lace underwear, or white cotton 
underwear, or even pink satin underwear – tonight, ladies and 
gentlemen, she was wearing no underwear at all.  Recommencing 
his attentions to the back of her leg, he was rewarded by the faintest 
hint of feminine musk, as her legs parted wider.  The furled edge of 
her womanhood, dusky rose and softly glistening, sent a wave of 
blood to his groin.  With one last lingering kiss, he rose to his feet, 
pulling her to stand beside him.

"Your bath awaits."

Shaking her head slightly, Scully blinked before slowly looking from 
him to the tub, and back again.

"Mulder, I just don't know about this."

"What's not to know?"  He prodded gently, sitting on the edge of the 
tub to look up into her eyes.  "Isn't this what you had in mind when 
you made that tape?"

"Yes, I guess so, but there's a world of difference between… 
between…"

"Between fantasy and reality?  Between innuendo and action?  
Between… lust and love?" He finished softly, grinning wryly in 
response to her shocked expression.  Turning serious once more, he 
took her hands in his.

"Scully, I know you're unsure about this, I'M unsure about this, but 
one thing I am sure of – If I'm not with you, then I'm not with anyone.  
I think – I HOPE – that you feel the same way, that's why I'm here, 
but if you don't, please tell me now.  I'll walk out your door, you'll take 
a nice, long bath, and we'll forget this ever happened."

"Mulder, what – exactly – are you saying?"

"The same thing you are; I love you.  And, I want to make love with 
you.  Tonight."

Standing once more, he began to strip.  First the blue t-shirt was 
pulled over his head, carelessly tousling his hair and baring a chest 
toned by long hours in the pool.  Next, sneakers were quickly toed off 
and left in the corner.  Finally, jeans and boxers were 
unceremoniously slipped down and off, leaving him naked, 
unselfconscious and aroused.  Reaching out, he grasped the hem of 
her shift, carefully drawing it over her head, taking care not to snag 
her hair or arms.  Then, he reached behind her to unclasp her bra, 
drawing the straps down her shoulders and arms with a slow, warm 
slide of flesh against flesh.  At last, he hooked his thumbs into either 
side of the waistband of her shorts, caressing her sleek limbs on the 
journey from hip to ankle.  When no cloth barrier remained between 
them, he stepped into the tub, drawing her after him to sit cradled 
between his thighs.  As she tensed, the stark intimacy of hair 
roughened skin momentarily shocking, he cupped his palms around 
the balls of her shoulders, drawing her back to recline against his 
chest, the back of her head nestled between his neck and shoulder.

"Shhh, just relax." He murmured, his breath sliding against her ear, 
as his fingers dipped beneath the water, rising again and again to 
shower drops of liquid warmth against her arms.

"Easier said than done" she chuckled, her voice caught between 
excitement and anxiety.

"Why?  We trust one another, right?  We love one another?  So why 
is it so hard to relax?"

"You're kidding, right, Mulder?  We're talking about a major step, 
here, and sex is always – "

"Scully, did I say anything about 'sex'?  Did I at any time state that I 
expected us to have intercourse?"

"You said you wanted to make love, and –"

"That's right: 'make love'.  Making love is about intimacy, it's about 
trust, and, yes, it can also be about joining bodies.  But that's not all 
it is, and that's not the defining feature. 'Making love' is sharing your 
soul with someone, it's holding them, it's touching them because it 
gives them pleasure, and it's keeping them in your arms all night 
long because – " here his voice broke, becoming husky with emotion, 
"because it's the only way you can get through the night."

Overflowing with emotion, she tilted her head, softly nuzzling his 
neck with her nose. Wrapping his arms about her torso, she clasped 
his hand with her own, entwining their fingers.  Soon, nuzzling turned 
to kissing, and then to licking, as she mapped the topography of his 
throat with sure, bold strokes of her tongue.  He moaned softly, the 
vibration tickling her lips, as his hands shifted beneath hers to cover 
her breasts, plucking at her hardening nipples.  Undulating slowly, 
she rubbed her buttocks against the heated length of flesh pressed 
tightly against her lower back.  As the fingers on her breasts began 
to tug with greater urgency, she felt a growing tingling between her 
legs, echoing the heavy pull low in her abdomen.  Breaking away 
from his neck, she rested her head against his shoulder, panting 
rapidly.

"Still thinking that – oh, God! – "This as he punctuated a sharp pinch 
of her nipple with a short thrust of his hips, causing a slight wave that 
lapped hot water against her rapidly swelling clit.  "—that we don't 
need the 'joining of bodies'?  That we – oohhhh – " Again, the water 
splashed against her, augmented by the feel of his leg rubbing along 
the side of hers.

"Why don't we just see where this investigation leads and – shit."  
Eschewing speech, Mulder bent his neck to capture her mouth in a 
feverish kiss.  Lips opened, teeth clashed, and tongues stroked one 
another in a duel of ecstasy.  He explored the cavern of her mouth, 
tongue snaking between her lips and gums as he slowly licked the 
surface of her teeth.  Then, he charted a trail along the roof of her 
mouth, thrusting sharply in rhythm with his hips, pulsing against her 
own.  Sliding his right hand down her torso, he tunneled his fingers 
into the wiry curls between her thighs, caressing the creases where 
leg met torso with this thumb and pinky as his index finger opened 
her lips and sought out her clit.  Finding it, he began to stroke slowly, 
brushing up and down slightly to the right.  Stiffening, Scully began to 
pant, breath sawing in and out of her lungs as stark, absolute arousal 
spiked through her blood stream.  Reaching a hand down to stop 
him, she stilled the movement of that magic finger.

"It's too much, too soon.  I want – " She stopped, unable to give 
voice to the roiling desire.

"What, Scully, what do you want?  Do you want what I want?  Do you 
want me inside you?  Do you want to feel my pulse beating in your 
body?  Do you want me to feel yours, fluttering against me?  
Because that's what I want."  Suiting actions to words, he slid hand 
from beneath hers, pressing two fingers inside her opening.  
Rimming gently inside, he stroked the silken walls, fluttering his 
fingers in a way that made her tense even further.  Feeling the 
clenching in the soles of her feet that signaled orgasm, she gripped 
his arm tightly, once more stilling his motions.  

"Please."  One word, its husky tone barely audible above the 
slapping of water against skin, but it was all he needed to hear.  
Placing his hands about her waist, he lifted her, lowering her onto his 
shaft.  Carefully, inch by inch, he eased into her, each moment a 
voyage in pleasure.  Finally sheathed completely, he began a slow 
rocking motion that barely disturbed the now placid surface of the 
water.  Wrapping his arms around her once more, he cradled her 
against his heart as he feathered kisses along her face, crooning 
wordless endearments.  Release came quickly, the flutterings of her 
womb milking his flesh to completion.  Afterwards he kissed the tears 
from her eyes, lapping softly at the salty trails that escaped to wind 
their way over her cheeks, his softening member still cradled within 
her.     

"You see, Scully, it's more than just 'sex'.  It's 'making love'.  With us, 
it will always be love."  He whispered, planting a kiss of benediction 
on the fragile curve of her ear.  Humming in contentment she drifted 
to sleep, a smile on her face as she dozed in his arms, the water's 
embrace floating them both into slumber.