Title: Christmas Eve Author: Adrienne Date: December 22, 1999 Rating: NC-17 Spoilers: none Classification: SR Keywords: Mulder/Scully, SR, Mulder POV Archive: Anywhere and everywhere. Summary: Mulder spends a rather eventful Christmas Eve with Scully. Author's Notes: Natalie came up with the candy cane idea awhile ago—thanks, dear. This is by far the smuttiest story I've ever written. Thanks to everyone who talked to me and told me, "More! More! More smut!" I know that Mulder and Scully are not my characters to dispose of, but in the spirit of holiday cheer, please let me have at least one pinnacle of light in my life by using them for my own nasty smutful purposes. Oh yeah, and I expect all reading this to go out and find themselves a candy cane. Feedback welcome. davephile@yahoo.com http://petpede.tripod.com Christmas hasn't ever really been the greatest holiday for me. I doubt it would be for anyone in my situation—when the religious significance means nothing and you have but one family member you know is alive, one who would rather spend the day remorsefully paging through the yellowed pages of twenty-five year old photo albums that illustrate an extremely happier past that virtually halted in 1973. I can barely remember the times that my family spent under the tree on Christmas morning. The anticipatory excitement of the holiday was all but stolen from my childhood when I was twelve. Not that I mind, really. It saves me a lot of money and a lot of unnecessary fake enthusiasm. My mother doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. I think she's been spending it alone for more years than she lets on. And I don't mind. Well, that's not exactly the truth; I don't really mind, but sometimes it gets to me, especially when I see Scully visibly excited about spending the all-too-cliché Scully Christmas with the family. She always tried to hide it, but I can read her better than that. Then I start to wonder what it would be like to spend it with a real family. But this Christmas is different from every other Christmas since I've known Scully. Now, we are involved. Very much involved. And in a very strange move, Scully decided that she would spend Christmas in D.C. with me. I told her she was crazy; I told her to go spend time with her family. But she looked me in the eye and told me that I was family as much as anyone else in her life. I hope that doesn't mean that all this sex we're having is illegal. Because I know it's Christmas Eve, and I don't know what people usually do on nights like this but I plan on celebrating it in some really nice ways with the woman I love. Especially when the woman I love told me to come over wearing strictly boxers and nothing else under my trenchcoat. I mean… this makes it seem as if Christmas Eve is going to be quite special. So, I came over around seven at night on Christmas Eve, armed with two gifts: a book I had picked up that afternoon and one of those stupid big candy canes. You know, the ones that are so big that you never finish them? I don't know, it was cheap, and I mean, she likes peppermint. Sometimes. She answers my knock on her door in a cute pajama shorts set, blue like her eyes. She looks beautiful; we must be having a pajama party. She lets me in with a smile, and I smell the sweet scent of cinnamon potpourri that drafts out as she opens the door. "Hi," she says, beckoning me in. I walk into her apartment, seeing a small tree decorated in white bows and white lights. There is an angel on top, holding a small light. "Nice decorations," I say as I set her presents on the table next to the door. She watches me as I take my coat off as if it were a perfectly normal outfit underneath; she gives my body a long sweep with her eyes and then flashes an approving smile. I kick off my shoes and use my toes to inch off my socks. I barely even have to hop around, and find myself feeling pride in my sock removal skills. "Where do I put these?" She walks past me, squeezing my arm. Then she sits on the couch, patting the seat next to her. I go and sit, holding the gifts in my lap. "Why don't we open them now?" she asks, excitement evident in her features. "I'm sorry, I just get really excited about presents." I laugh. "Don't get too excited. I'm really bad at picking stuff out." That's an understatement. "Anything is fine," she says, reaching across my lap and pointing to a small box that rested under the tree. "That's yours. Grab it?" Grab… "Oh. Okay," I answer, picking it up and placing it beside me. I hand her gifts over and she's beaming. It's really making me nervous as hell about whether or not she will like the book; I just saw it with its dark brown leather cover with expensive looking brass adornments, and knew it was for her. But that candy cane thing… well, that will just be like one of those stupid little gifts you get from the Bureau secret Santa exchange. Scully unwraps the book carefully, finally getting the paper off and setting it on the floor. Then, she looks at it, looks at me, and then looks down again. I gulp as she stares at it in her lap. "I remember you saying that you and her father were into Moby Dick, and I know you probably have a copy, but I thought that this one was nice." She finally looks up, her eyes a bit misty. "Mulder, it's beautiful." She leans over and kisses me softly on the lips. "Thank you," she says, glancing into my eyes. I nod, looking in a panic at the stupid candy cane still in its wrapper in her lap. What a way to ruin the perfect gift, I think as she starts to unwrap it. I feel like grabbing it and throwing it out the window. She puts the wrapper beside her and I pick it up, fiddling with it as she looks at the candy cane. She holds it up, looking at it and looking at me. "A candy cane, huh?" I feel myself blush. "Yeah. You know, just one of those traditional-type things." She nods, her eyes lighting up a bit. "I don't care what you do with it." "What do you want me to do with it?" she asks with a smile. I notice a telltale gleam in her eyes, but I don't know what to think of it yet. "Eat it, I guess," I answer with a shrug, crunching the torn wrapping paper into a ball. Scully leans over, her mouth close to my ear. "No, I mean… what do you want me to do with it?" she whispers, her hot breath condensing on my now burning skin. Ohhhhh. The spark of realization that tells me what she really means also serves as a reminder that I can be really fucking dense at times. I gulp, turning to see her smug expression right before she kisses me full on the mouth, almost knocking me over on the couch. Her tongue pushes against my teeth until I let her in on a mission to reach my tonsils. This woman has more mood changes than she does scientific theories. I push her tongue back with mine, trying to reclaim my mouth and miserably failing. She grabs the back of my head, holding me against her as she bites my bottom lip, sucking on it in this incredible way that gives my hard on a jump start. "Scully," I mutter against her lips, laughing softly. I manage to pull my head away a few inches and breathe. "Scully, I had no idea you liked candy canes so much." "Mmmhmmm," she murmurs, pulling me back into another kiss. I push my tongue into her mouth this time and she sucks on it, drawing it deeper and rubbing it with hers. Her fingernails run down my shoulders and over my chest, tweaking and twisting my nipples to make me gasp. I kiss her jaw and run my tongue down the side of her neck slowly. She moans, pushing her palms up over my chest to hold my shoulders. "So you tell me what you were going to do with that candy cane," I say against her neck, licking a line up to her ear and biting the lobe with a breath into her ear. I hear her gasp; I know that it makes her nipples hard when I do that, so I do it a few more times for good measure before pressing my palm against her left breast to check. Mission accomplished. I squeeze the hardened nub between my fingers and rub them together. "Oh Mulder," she moans, "why don't you just watch." My erection really likes that idea, seemingly nodding in agreement. I give her nipple a pinch, making her jump. "I'll try. But I'm not guaranteeing anything." She pulls away, her eyes a deeper blue with the growing excitement of the moment. She hands me the candy cane and I accept it with a shaky hand. Standing up, she sheds her pajama top and tosses it onto the floor. Her breasts look delicious, nipples pulled taut due to my ministrations and eagerly awaiting the touch of my tongue. Yeah, *that* sounds *really* good right now. I lick my lips as she bends over, pulling down her shorts and her panties in one clean swoop down her smooth legs. Naked, Scully stands before me as I clutch the candy cane for dear life. Then, all of a sudden, she pushes her hand between her legs and I can't help but gasp, watching her as she pushes her fingers into her flesh. "God Mulder, I'm so wet…" Sweet Ghost of Christmas Present, I think I'm going to faint. "Really?" I ask, my voice wavering as I watch her. I think I'm actually salivating, a rather Pavlovian reaction to her invitation. "Uh huh," she answers with a moan as I see her hand move more. "Unwrap it, Mulder." Unwrap… oh, the candy cane. "Okay," I say with a pathetic grin as I tear the top of the plastic wrapper with my teeth and peel it off faster than you can shake a stick at, no pun intended. I hold it up a bit, as if she couldn't see it unless I made it obvious to her. She pulls her hand away and sticks her fingers in her mouth, sucking on them with a very inviting arch of her eyebrows. It makes me moan outloud, watching her like that, and it also makes me really fucking turned on. Leaning over, she pulls the candy cane from my grip. It takes me a bit to let it go, as I have been clutching it tightly ever since she started doing that touching herself thing. Then she turns around, and I watch as she puts one knee and then the other on either side of me, her ass hovering about two inches above my lap. I groan as she teases me, pushing herself down and rubbing against my erection. It strains under my boxers for release. "Scully, what the fuck are you doing," I manage to choke out, adjusting my hips and resting my chin on her shoulder. She turns her head slightly, giving me a daring little glance. "Are you watching?" Oh god, she is not going to do *that*… on me… here… I nod, my eyes widening as I try to calm my libido with some nice deep breathing exercises. Raising her body slightly she takes the candy cane, gripping it in her right hand, and moves it between her legs. I look down, watching in awe and wonder. I can't believe this. Oh my god, I think I'm going to explode. No, you dipshit, no exploding, not yet. "I can do it," I catch myself whispering, and Scully laughs. I crane my neck, trying to see as much as I can from my bird's eye view over her shoulder. She moves the end of the candy cane back and forth, nudging it between her swollen folds of flesh. Then she starts pushing it firmly, gasping softly as it enters her for the first time. "Yeah," she whispers, pushing it in harder. I watch the candy cane disappear centimeter by centimeter, my mouth becoming dry and my erection throbbing with my accelerated heartbeat. "Do… do you like that, Scully?" I manage to ask, slipping my arms around her waist and rubbing her stomach. "Oh yeah," she answers softly, her eyes closed. She takes a deep breath and pushes it a few more inches in before stopping, her head tilted back slightly onto my shoulder. My hands travel the soft skin up under her breasts, fingers lightly teasing the undersides. She pulls the candy cane out slowly, breathing out as she does it, and then pushes it back in faster than before. I cup her breasts, my mouth opening against her shoulder and planting feathery kisses up the side of her neck. She tilts her head more, resting it fully against my shoulder as she begins to pick up the pace a little. Sucking under her ear, I watch the fluid motion of it as I run my fingers lightly back and forth over her nipples. "It feels so good," she says, her voice low between moans. "What you do to me, Mulder…" "Do it faster," I answer, my tongue flicking out against the edge of her ear. She sighs and places her free hand against my thigh, gripping it as she moves the candy cane in and out a little more quickly. She's grinding her hips in rhythm with her thrusts and they occasionally rub against me; I push up, letting her feel how hard I am below her. "Is that good?" she asks, breathless as I bite her neck gently. She gasps, squirming a little against my body. "It's good," I reply, my left hand moving between her legs and covering hers. I can't help it… I have to do it. I pull her hand away from the candy cane and replace it with mine and she whimpers softly as I pull it almost all the way out. "What do you want me to do?" I whisper against her sweaty skin. She pushes down, trying to get it back up inside of her, and I move it a little, denying her the satisfaction. "Tell me." "Do me, Mulder," she moans without hesitation. It's like she knew what I wanted to hear. "Do me with it." I push it deep inside of her and she releases a soft groan, turning her head to kiss me. I capture her lips casually, teasing her with my tongue as I move the candy cane in small circles inside of her. She seeks more, always more, and I let her take control of the kiss because I have more important things to concentrate on. "How does it feel?" I ask, a feedback junkie when it comes to what I'm doing. She moves her hips up and down, promoting more motion by my hand. "A little… minty," she says with a tiny laugh and a gasp. "Good though… really good." "I bet it tastes minty," I answer, kissing the side of her mouth. Moaning softly, she kisses me harder and I push the candy cane in and out of her more frequently. I love the way she makes my hand wet with her juices—there's nothing like it in the world. I feel her tensing her muscles against it; it makes the pull more difficult and it takes a little more effort to push it back in, but as I do it she starts making these whimpering sounds that echo through my head, sending tingles through my body. "Are you going to taste it?" she asks, sucking gently under my chin. Taste it? I want to lay you down on the floor right now and eat you raw. "Mhmm," I murmur, gliding the candy cane back into her slowly. I run my fingers up to her clit to circle it slowly and she jumps. "I want to run my tongue all over you… especially here." Scully moves her hips more as I rub her there a little harder. "Especially there," she echoes, kissing me gently. "Where else?" I catch her gaze, keeping our eyes locked as I move my fingers down through her folds. "Definitely here," I say, swirling my fingers around her wetness. Another moan escapes her lips, and I put my hand back on the candy cane to work it into her again. "And in here too," I groan. I get this vivid mental picture of sliding my tongue inside of her and feeling her all over my lips and my face, and that's it. I have to do it now; I'm getting jealous of the fucking candy cane. I ease it out of her, and she lets out a soft sigh as it slips out. I bring it up to my mouth and lick it, letting my tongue linger on the mixed flavor of Scully and mint. I lick it again and Scully joins me, pressing the flat of her tongue against the opposite side and slowly drawing it up over the top. She licks her lips and swallows, staring at me with lustful eyes. I then decide it would be best to keep breathing. Standing up, she turns to look at me, waiting for an order as to where to go. Her legs are shaking already, and I rub my hands up and down her thighs. I scan the room, trying to pick a place. The table? The floor? The counter? The wall? The… "Couch," I decide with a grin. "Lay down on the couch." I stand up and she runs her hand down my chest, slipping a finger under my boxers and tugging them away from me. "Take these off," she says, pulling at them more. I gladly comply, and my erection is finally free from the confines of cotton; it's a wonderful feeling after minutes of captivity. She smiles, her eyes wandering down my body and taking an eyeful of my cock. "Looks like you're doing well." Then she wraps her fingers around it and slides it up over me once, leaving me breathless. "I am," I finally answer with a shaky breath. She sits down on the couch facing me, her hands on my ass as she pulls me toward her. Oh Jesus, this is the best damn Christmas Eve ever. Scully flicks her tongue out over the tip of my cock, then runs it down the bottom of the shaft. She's beyond good at doing this; I rarely beg for it but it's much better when she does it out of her own interest. Trailing her tongue around me lazily, she begins rubbing my balls with one hand as the other clutches my ass. I didn't think it was possible to cover three erogenous zones at once but she does it like a pro. Scully, my little head-giving pro. I love her to death. She looks up at me, as usual, and watches my face. She gets this innocent look with a twinge of something I describe as the "Scully bad girl look." It's captivating, really, but I can hardly look at her; I spend more time with my eyes closed, trying to will myself not to come yet. Finally she slips my cock between her lips and slides it into her mouth and I groan, resisting the urge to thrust my hips against her. I run my fingers loosely through her hair as she begins to suck and glide up and down on me; the occasional roll of her tongue around the head makes me gasp. "You like that?" she breathes on my wet skin, making me shudder. It's a short- lived chill followed by the wet warmth of her tongue bathing my straining flesh, teasing me. A hard squeeze of my balls reminds me to answer. "Oh yeah, Scully, you know I like that." I trap a fistful of hair in my fingers and I tug it gently, feeling its silkiness against my palm. "I can't handle much more." "Hmmm." As if challenging me, she pulls me back into her mouth, sucking harder and quickening her pace. I grit my teeth and groan, feeling her fingernails digging into my ass as she pulls me as close as she can get me. Every ounce of concentration I have is now centered on keeping up with her, on not ending this quickly. It feels too damn good to blow my load now. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to tell myself, but my body just isn't listening. "Scully, baby, stop," I finally beg, feeling the telltale tingle of orgasm starting in my balls. She keeps sucking and sliding, as if she didn't hear me. Don't stop, but stop, you have to stop, damn it all to hell. "Scully. Dana." The urgency in my last plea stops her from continuing. She pulls away and I slip out of her mouth with a tiny popping sound from the suction. I sigh at the loss, opening my eyes and looking down to her satisfied smile. "Couldn't take it, could you?" she asks, leaning back on the couch. I smile back, lowering myself to my knees in front of her. "Oh, I could have, but I wanted to wait." "For what?" she says with a knowing grin. She stretches on the couch, her arms high in the air, letting her legs fall open just a bit. My eyes are attracted to, of course, what she is so blatantly offering me. "You're such a tease," I reply, running my hands up her calves and over her knees. Sighing, she parts her legs more. I can see everything now, like a Christmas dinner all laid out for me to eat; no silverware, no napkins, and no one cares how messy I get. I edge in closer, pushing her thighs apart with my hands and planting kisses on the soft skin. The tip of my tongue spends a copious amount of time on them, trailing up here and down there, getting close but never touching the main course. "Come on," she breathes, arching her back toward me, "I'm throbbing here, Mulder." "You're not the only one," I answer, letting my tongue drift up the crease between her legs. She moans, her hands immediately running through my hair and pushing me closer to her. I let her do it, sliding my tongue deeper into the folds of flesh until it's completely buried. With a long lap upward, I find her clit and flick up over it. It makes her jump so I do it again, over and over until she stops jumping and resigns to moaning and moving her hips against my movements. I move my tongue in circles down to her opening and slide it inside quickly. She tenses up and I feel it, my teeth pushing against her flesh as I push as deep as I can. She tastes faintly of the candy cane, peppermint that is soon overcome by the stronger taste of her arousal; I prefer it to the mint taste anyway. My tongue moves in circles and flicks back and forth and she bucks against me, bearing down and trying to get me deeper. Eventually I pull it out, swallowing and licking my lips before working on her clit again, this time not stopping. She's writhing now, her tight fists practically tearing my hair out. It would hurt, if I wasn't on such a sexual endorphin rush. I rub and stroke and caress, concentrating on the side where I know she feels the most. I push the tip of my tongue under the hood of her clit just enough to tease her before continuing my work. It's not really work, though; it's a lot more fun. Calling my name in between heavy breaths, she wiggles her hips as I speed up my tongue. Small whimpers tell me that she's ready to come, and all it will take is a few more rubs against her sensitive skin to take her there. So I do, with all of the power I can muster with my cramping tongue, and she does, coming hard with frantic tugs of my hair. She pushes herself against the couch, her head tilting as she moans my name amongst gasps of air. I keep it up, slowing down, eventually stopping when she tries to pull my head away. "Stop, stop… come here," she whispers, the breath catching in her lungs as a tremble goes throughout her body. "Come here." I get off of my knees, which are aching because of the extent of time I have spent rocking on them, and sit beside her on the couch. She turns her face to mine, sweaty locks of hair plastered against her forehead, and kisses me very lovingly. It is a welcome thank-you for something I enjoy as much as I do. I kiss her back gently. "Good?" I ask, and she just nods, her eyes vibrant. "Let's have sex, hmm?" she replies, nodding again. I wonder if she knows that she's nodding; it's kind of cute. "I guess," I sigh with a smile. Returning it, she pulls me down on top of her. She spreads her legs, one dangling over the side of the couch, and I fit nicely between them, my hard cock sliding against her wetness. It makes us both moan and then laugh at ourselves for doing it at the same time. I move my hips a bit and she sticks a hand between us to guide me in; she's just helpful like that. I feel the first sense of heat as I start to slip inside of her. It's an incredible feeling, one that can only be described by one-syllable phrases. Hot. Wet. Tight. Nice. Home. "Oh Mulder," she sighs as I push into her slowly. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. She likes to be really close when we're having sex. It gets warm and sticky, but it's a really good thing all the same. When I'm all the way in, we both stop, lingering in that moment of completeness that we still cherish like it's our first time. I kiss her, our tongues in a lazy caress, until I start to move again. Then we need our breath, so we resort to tiny kisses all over each other's faces. "You're so good, Scully," I whisper as I kiss her cheek and forehead. "So beautiful." Smiling, she wraps her legs around my hips. "You're so romantic, Mulder." She gives her hips a thrust up and I groan, burying my face in her neck. "But could you go a little faster?" Oh, so now she's all about getting done quickly. I raise my head a bit, my eyes slanting toward hers. "You wanna get done or something?" "Oh no," she says honestly, "I just want you to fuck me a little harder, that's all." She says it as if she's talking to her mother. It's one of those funny little things about her that makes me love her even more. "Well when you put it that way…" I answer, biting her neck gently and thrusting into her hard. It causes her to cry out softly, and she chuckles. I can feel the movements of her laughter as I start to fuck her a little more. Gracefully drawing her fingernails up my back, she rakes one hand over the back of my neck while the other digs into the flesh of my shoulder. I'm on my elbows, my arms resting under her shoulders. Scully's really good at starting a rhythm and keeping it going; it makes it easier on me, and I love the feeling when she angles her hips just right and I scrape the top of her opening when I slide back in. "Scully, you feel so… so," I groan, moving faster and harder. " I feel 'so,'" she repeats, breathing harder. "Mulder, you feel more 'so.'" "No, Scully… you are," I gasp as I feel her tense around me. "You feel so so." She smiles, arching her back and moaning at the same time. "You win, oh yeah, Mulderrrrrr, right there." I moan with her, the sensitivity in my cock at an almost unbearable level. "Scully, I'm gonna come soon," I mutter against her neck, feeling it build deep in me once again. "Mmmmm, yeah," she purrs, grinding her hips against me. "When?" I grit my teeth, a wave of pleasure rushing over me. "Soon. Soon." "Don't come inside of me." She turns her face and I look at her through my maddening excited haze. "Pull out." "Wh…why," I ask, moving faster and pulling in a deep breath through my teeth. "Because I want you to come on me," she replies, her voice wavering. My eyes pop open a bit more and I look at her in surprise. Damn, woman, you know how to do me sooo good. "Okay," I say, not debating with her on the ethical repercussions of the sexual degradation of women; instead, I pull out, feeling myself on the verge of orgasm. I keep my hand moving over my cock to keep up the stimulation and I lift myself up, my knees between her legs. "Where, where?" I know I sound urgent, but I really can't stay this way for more than ten seconds without blowing it all over the fucking place. "On my chest, now, Mulder," she whispers, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip. So I lean over slightly and jerk myself a little harder, squeezing and feeling myself fall over the metaphorical cliff that is orgasm. I come and it lands on her belly and breasts in little splotches; it really doesn't splash, just kind of lands in little spread out drops, and I watch with fascination as she gasps and writhes under it. I finish myself off, the release washing over me and turning me into a big pool of mush that almost collapses on top of her. Instead, I sit down between her legs, rubbing her inner thigh as she opens her eyes and looks across her messy stomach at me. She sits up a little, dragging her finger through the cum and licking it once. Then, she holds it out to me. Ummmmm… and then I am faced with a dilemma. "Ummmm," I say, looking at her inquisitively, my mind in a panic. That?? Lick… that???? "Come on, Mulder," she says with a laugh, "I taste it all the time, and I taste me all the time. It's not bad, really." "Uh-huh," I answer, looking at her finger and then back to her. Yeah. Candy. I bet it tastes like candy. Apple pie, maybe. She sticks her lower lip out in a pout, and I sigh, bending over and closing my eyes. I stick my tongue out and flick it over her finger quickly, tasting the cum on my tongue and trying my damndest not to spit it right back out. Swallowing quickly, I feel my throat constrict a bit. "Ummm… there. There." She smiles, kissing my cheek. "Not so bad, was it?" I can't lie. "It tasted like shit," I answer, scraping my tongue with my upper teeth. She starts laughing and the cum on her tummy slides down. What a wonderful mess on my couch. I laugh too, pressing my lips against her forehead. "I know it does," she says, giggling. "Remember that." "Oh I don't think I'll forget it." I look her in the eyes; they're still dancing with laughter. "We need a shower. We're both messy as hell." "Showers," she says with a kiss on my lips, "are fun. Let's go." I feel like the sex is never going to end. She starts to get up and I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "Just… let me get a towel for you first," I laugh, and she grins. Scully grins are rare. This one was beautiful. I walk over to the kitchen and grab a dry dishtowel, walking back and kneeling beside her to carefully wipe up the majority of the fluid left on her body. She watches me, tousling my hair. "You're so good to me, Mulder," she says, her hand sliding to the back of my neck and squeezing. "What do you mean?" I ask, giving her a curious look. "I mean Jesus, I just came on you, Scully." She laughs softly, lifting herself up off of the couch. I get on my feet and hug her, the stickiness on her stomach melding to my torso. "I wanted it, and you gave it to me. You give me everything." I run my hands over her back, smiling down at her. "You deserve more than I give you." She shrugs with one shoulder. "I'll take what I can get." The gleam in her eye tells me she's getting playful. I'm all ready for that. "You'd better get in the shower, before I spank you for that," I say, raising my eyebrows. She stays in my arms for a minute, her look challenging me once again. We do that a lot. "Oooh," she murmurs, her eyes cast downward as if she's thinking. "I'd better go then." She turns away and starts walking toward the bathroom, but not before I slap her ass nice and hard. She lets out a yipe, rubbing her reddened backside as she walks a little faster. I follow her, stopping by the closet to pick up two big towels to wrap ourselves in after cleaning up in the shower. She has already started the water and is testing it with pink-painted toes. Finally, it gets to the perfect temperature and she turns the shower head on, stepping in and smiling at me to follow. Of course, I do; there's nothing like a wet Scully covered in suds, all slick and soapy and sweet-smelling. She has the soap out already and gives it to me after I close the shower door. "Wash me," she says simply. I lather up my hands and place the soap to the side, running my hands up her stomach and over her breasts in a smooth motion. She sighs, her fingers trailing down the sides of my hips. The water hits my hair and upper back and runs down it, ticking my skin. Her hair is half wet; I nudge her to trade places with me and she does, skirting around my body easily as I fumble for position. Now in the stream of the water, she tilts her head back, letting it cascade over her hair and face. I watch, captivated by her every motion, my hands absentmindedly rubbing the soap over the soft skin of her stomach. Lifting her head, she opens her eyes and looks into mine. No words are spoken, just looks exchanged. I run my hands over her arms and she lifts them; I rub under her arms and down her sides, washing away sweat and other bodily fluids hastily deposited there. My hands travel in soapy circles around her hips and her thighs. She's so smooth and perfect, like a doll, my little Scully doll. I grab the soap and lather up again before pushing slick fingers between her legs, working it gently between her folds of flesh. She moans softly and I pull my hand out, rinsing it off in the water. She turns and I begin rubbing her back with the soap—her shoulders, her spine, her lower back and then the soft curves of her ass. I cup it with my hands, squeezing and kissing the back of her neck. She leans into me, reaching around and stroking the back of my neck with her hand. I feel so at peace like this; unhurried, relaxed, completely enjoying the simplicity of such actions with a loved one. Turning again, she grabs the soap and begins washing me off, starting with my shoulders. She massages the tense muscles below my neck and runs her hands down my arms, tensing against my biceps. I sigh, closing my eyes, letting my imagination do the illustrations. I feel her smooth down my chest, rubbing every space, and up under my arms. It tickles a bit and I laugh; she stops this time, though usually she uses my ticklishness to an advantage. She washes my sides and my hips, her fingers trailing down to my now-limp cock and curving around it, sliding back and forth with the soap. It feels good to have her wash me everywhere, not sexual, but good all the same. Reaching around me, she rubs my ass and my lower back. "You're going to have to turn around so I can get your shoulders." I do as told, sighing as she pushes her hands up the lines of my muscles. She rubs my shoulders and middle back slowly with firm fingers, pulling and kneading. Quite the little masseuse. I open my eyes and see the shampoo sitting alone in the corner of the shower. I pick it up, turning around and putting a dot of it in my hand. I quickly learned that it doesn't take much shampoo for her hair being as short as it is; I remember our first shower together, when I put about three times that much into my hand. She still laughs about how long it took me to rinse it out afterward. I start rubbing her hair and her scalp, a lather quickly forming that I distribute throughout her beautiful red ocean of silk. It relaxes her to have people play with her hair, so I do it for longer than really needed. I enjoy it as much as she does, of course, because it's touching her, making her feel good. I shampoo my own hair, since she can't reach it. I don't mind; she uses this time to make sure she's soaped every part of my body. I bend down to kiss her, our heads full of soap. She kisses back softly, her tongue trailing over my lips. "This is always nice," she says, dipping her head back into the water. "I like it," I reply, watching her work the shampoo out of her hair. I memorize the movements of her arms, her fingers, the way her neck tenses and releases. We trade again. I wash my hair out and rinse the soap from my body with her hands helping it along. I feel better after the shower, but ready for sleep. Hot water does that to me. It makes her sleepy too and I turn around to see her standing with her eyes half-closed. "Come on, baby," I whisper as I turn off the water. I put my arm around her shoulders, opening the door and leading her out of the shower. She steps out gracefully, though leaning on me a bit. I get out with her and take a towel, rubbing up her legs. I dry off her torso and her arms, with a gentle rub of her hair. She does it better than I do, though. I wrap the towel around her and then dry myself off. She stands there, her eyes closing again. I smile, pushing her shoulders gently toward the door. "Go, Scully, go to bed," I say, following her as she pads into the bedroom. She takes the towel off, rubbing her hair more roughly than I would dare to. Then she drops it on the ground in an uncharacteristically Scully move and turns the covers down, crawling between them. I towel my hair off, dropping my towel in the same pile and slipping under the covers with her. She snuggles against me, her head on my chest. Her cool wet hair slides against my skin and I run fingers through it gently. "You're falling asleep," I say softly, feeling her breath on my chest as it evens out. "Mmmm." I pause, and then decide to get words in while she's still awake. "Scully, I just wanted to say… that this was the best Christmas Eve I've had in awhile. Maybe my whole life." I listen to her breathe and stroke her back, running my fingers down her spine. "And not just because of the sex, even though it's very fulfilling. But being with you makes me happy. Happier than I have been in, well, so many years it's depressing to count." She is silent, and I put my head back on the pillow, closing my eyes to savor the moment. I start to doze off, my hand resting on her side. And then, when I am near sleep, she speaks. "I love you." Her soft words rouse me like beautiful music to my ears. I open my eyes to the darkness and then close them again, breathing in the warm scent of her soap. She said it. She really said it. She really means it. "I love you too," I whisper, my heart feeling like it is swelling out of my chest. In a very good way. I turn my cheek to the pillow and sigh, letting sleep capture me at last. The End.