TITLE: D IS FOR DANGEROUS AUTHOR: DONNILEE RATING: NC-17 WARNING: Descriptive sex. Smut warning. Please, no one under 17. CATEGORY: MSR /ANGST POSTING: ANYWHERE - But Please make sure my name and e-mail address is on it and inform me by e-mail of the location. Thanks. DISCLAIMER: Nope. Not mine. Used shamelessly and without remorse. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Broadcasting, and god knows who else, but not me. SPOILERS: Tiny ones for Pilot, Duane Barry, Triangle, Cancer Arc. SUMMARY: Mulder reacts to the comments of some less than friendly police once he gets Scully alone while investigating a case. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Dan-ger-ous adj (15c) 1: exposing to or involving danger 2: able or likely to inflict injury - dangerous(ly) adv - dangerous(ness) n - syn DANGEROUS, HAZARDOUS, PRECARIOUS, PERILOUS, RISKY mean bringing or involving the chance of loss or injury. DANGEROUS applies to something that may cause harm or loss unless dealt with carefully. HAZARDOUS implies great and continuous risk of harm or failure and small chance of successfully avoiding disaster. PRECARIOUS suggests both insecurity and uncertainty. PERILOUS strongly implies the immediacy of danger; RISKY often applies to a known and accepted danger. D IS FOR DANGEROUS INTRODUCTION I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand out straight as I followed my partner down the narrow, cramped walkway, guns drawn, each with our backs toward opposite walls. Danger! We scuffled sideways as we made our way toward the end. We could see each other's faces this way and that was the way we liked it. My name is Dana Scully. I'm a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a medical doctor; a pathologist to be exact. I work with a man named Fox Mulder who chases aliens and believes in the paranormal. But this story I'm about to tell is not about that. It's about an event that occurred while we were working on a very normal, very respectable job. I don't know why I chose that day to completely lose every scrap of common sense I had accumulated in regard to my partner. I don't know why that day I was unable to act to prevent the crossing of the invisible line that we had been dancing on opposite sides of for so long. I can't tell you why my reserve, my denial, my common sense, or my work ethic were nowhere to be found that day. We traded inneuendo on a regular basis but he had never actually said he wanted more than friendship with me. He had never actually come on to me. Little did I know that was about to change. Here's how it went down. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PART 1 - NC-17 ABANDONED WAREHOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C. THURSDAY - 9:00 AM The police had been months watching this warehouse as the drug dealers went in and out. Known street suppliers would enter and reemerge with satchels. They let them go. They were after bigger fish. They were after the drug cartel king pins that were supplying the cocaine to nearly the entire eastern seaboard, supposedly much of it from this warehouse. It had been raided several times and no drugs had ever been found. The mystery left the D.C. police scratching their heads and the mayor feeling like a moron. After all, he was trying to redeem himself by cracking down on drugs in the city after a little scandal a while back. He had made a big media spectacle out of his new anti-drug campaign and not one person had been arrested since. So he was looking pretty lame. Can't have that now, can we? No moronic mayors in D.C., nuh uh, no way. Never had one of those here in this fine city. So the FBI was called in to figure out what the entire D.C. police force and a eight month sting had failed to do. Woo hoo, another easy one! Are you sensing the sarcasm here? Because the drugs seemed to be doing a disappearing act, we were called in to assist. By the looks on the faces of the local police officers, they were less than thrilled to have the notorious X-Files team on the job. Mulder asked that everyone back off for 48 hours and if he hadn't come up with anything by then, we would meet them again for a pow wow to plan strategy. They agreed and we spent a sleepless night going over every scrap of information available on the case. I was waiting for my partner to come up with some strange theory about psycho kinesis or camouflage or some other equally weird explanation. As usual, just when I think I have him figured out, he surprises me. The police informed us that the warehouse was relatively quiet and they suspected, abandoned during the day but the activity began as soon as the sun went down. His first suggestion was that we pay a visit to the warehouse early, say 8:00 AM to have a look around and do a little creative snooping. This was almost too sensible a suggestion to have come from the partner I know and love. Love? Well, I'll tell you about that later. I could tell his mind was working on something but he hadn't said anything yet. I knew to wait it out. We went to the warehouse and snooped around, finding some ratty furniture, empty cardboard boxes and some rats. All these things you would expect to find in a warehouse. Then I watched with a puzzled frown as he stared at the walls. He tilted his head as if he could see through them and began walking briskly to the outside wall. I followed, knowing better than to start questioning him at this point when he was in the middle of processing a hunch or idea. Usually, if I let it play out, it would lead to something. Rarely what he expected to find, but generally something germane to the case. So I followed. He found bare wall which was not graced with old furniture to decorate it and began pounding his fist along the wall as he walked, causing a creepy reverberating sound through the walls. He murmured, as if to himself as he walked along. He knew I was there although he had not acknowledged me yet. "Yes, it's got to be here. So obvious. These walls are all wrong, no one sheet rocks a metal, steal beamed warehouse like this." I finally decide to interrupt. "Mulder, what are you thinking, what are you looking for? You might if you were planning on spending a lot of time here and wanted to insulate and heat it." He stopped and looked down at me from his exalted height of six feet and smiled. "Or if you wanted to create a false wall." Click. Click. Click. All the pieces fell into to place. I smiled at him and we both went back to pounding the perimeter of the walls until the reverberations turned to hollow echo. We smiled at each other and began searching for the entrance but found none. We did however find a trap door covered with a throw rug of all things, that led to a space below the foundation, a hallway of sorts with dirt walls that ended in a ladder. And sure enough, it climbed up into the tunnel. We laughed that a throw rug had hidden this from police. It was almost a scene from a corny movie. So here we were, squished into this passage as we made our way through its cramped width. I was having a better time of it than Mulder, being decidedly smaller. I had volunteered to go alone, but he had refused. Now, this would be the time when normal law enforcement officers would call for back up. But not us, oh no. Not us. We were too used to flying solo with only each other to watch our backs. Danger! This was different though, it wasn't an X-File that nobody else wanted anything to do with. This passage had to lead somewhere. The question was, what would we find when we got there? I had a bad feeling about this and said so. "Mulder, we should call for back up now." "Why? So they can take the credit for us figuring this out?" "This isn't about credit, Mulder." "Did you hear those punks back there, Scully?" I had and was hoping he hadn't heard them. I sighed, knowing his ego was smarting. He mimicked them. "Oh, cheery day, the Spook Squad is here. What are they going to do anyway? Find a genie absconding with the stash. This is ridiculous." I knew those comments hurt, but we were used to those and they generally rolled off our backs. But then he looked me right in the eye and mimicked the one I hoped he hadn't heard. "Wonder if he's fucking his beautiful partner. Why else would she stick with him? Have you heard how weird this guy is?" His words were flat and unemotional but I could feel the hurt in them. Every cruel word was catalogued in his eidetic memory, pounding away at his self-esteem and sense of self worth. I had heard that last comment too and tried to ignore it. Now I felt that old familiar anger at the ignorance of hateful people who tore down anything they didn't understand. I could usually brush them off, but when I saw my partner hurting, it became impossible to shrug away. I cared too much. "I heard them Mulder and yes, they're assholes and I don't want them to have credit. But I don't want us to get hurt or killed because we can't rise above shit like this. WE know better. WE know who we are and what we're worth. Who cares if they know it? Skinner knows it and we know it. Who else matters?" He looked at his shoes and sighed. "It just hurts so much sometimes. I know you're right, Scully. But damn it, just once I'd like to come out smelling like a rose. Just once, I'd love to be there when these assholes have to eat their words. Just once." I reached up with my free hand and palmed his cheek. His eyes were sad as his gaze locked with mine. "Me too, partner, me too." Then I felt him shiver but he didn't look away. His weapon hand now hung limply at his side. He raised his free hand to duplicate the gesture by palming my cheek in return and I felt my own answering shiver. He had a look on his face that I'd never seen before. It was part 'panic face', part 'confused face' and part ... longing. Oh God. His eyes! They were so deep I could drown in them sometimes. Now I watched as the color in his eyes swirled. It turned from a cool hazel to a deep warm green and my breath hitched in my throat. I couldn't take my hand away even though my intellect was screaming to me to pull away. Danger! My mind was screaming at me. He shifted his body slightly and slid between the wall at his back and my body. I gasped, but couldn't close my eyes and break his gaze. The heat of his chest flowed into mine and I felt suddenly weak in the knees. What was happening here? He looked at me another second and then whispered, so softly I had to strain to hear him. "You know what the worst part is, Scully? The worst part about comments like that about you and me." I shook my head in the negative, barely, but he caught it. He leaned down to put his lips to my ear, showering my neck with his hot breath. I clenched my teeth together to suppress the shudder that wanted to rip through my body. Right into my ear, he whispered, "I wish they were right." WHAT?! He kept his lips near my ear, not moving. I couldn't see his face. Good thing. As the implications of what he was saying went reeling through my head and made me dizzy. He'd never been this bold. And he wasn't teasing this time. He was dead serious. I felt my body sway slightly and tip back to press my back tighter to the wall. This was really getting dangerous now! I was suddenly and painfully aware that the effect of my partner's amorous attention was more dangerous than any case. I was a little taken aback at how instantly my body had reacted. We both still had our weapons hanging at our sides and there was no room to maneuver. As I swayed, I felt his body dip down slightly in deference to my height as he pressed the length of his body against mine, holding me upright, pressed to the wall. My breathing sped up at an alarming rate. This was crazy! We were in ... a wall! We were supposed to be working, investigating a case! I took a deep breath and summoned my strength, preparing to slip sideways away from the heat of his body flooding into my chest. A deep breath and ... oh lord, his right leg slid between my legs, slightly spread for balance. And in slow motion, he pressed his hips into mine, stopping my retreat. He still was breathing into my ear only now his breath was slightly ragged. And then he sliced through the last shred of my denial when he swiveled his hips in slow motion, pressing his thick erection into the juncture of my thighs. The white hot bolt of desire that shot through me took me so by surprise that my brain didn't even have time to intercept the low, throaty moan that emerged from my mouth. "Ooohhhgoooddd." I heard him gasp in my ear, and then begin firmly grinding hips into mine. Still in slow motion, still letting me hear his ragged breathing in my ear. When he finally did speak, his voice was raspy, gravel and laced with a desire that was so apparent and so erotic it made my head spin. "Oh God, Scully, do you wish they were right? Do you ever wish they were right? Ever? Even for a minute? Could you ever want me, Scully? Because I want you. I dream about it." His voice choked slightly as his hardness pressed up against me tighter than before. I whimpered. "Feel what you do to me? Huh? Just one little touch." Gasp. "On my face, for Christ's sake, and I'm ... (Moan) ... so hard ... so suddenly ... I can't think." His breathing was really ragged now and I couldn't find my voice. What the hell was the matter with me? I couldn't remember where we were, but I knew we shouldn't be doing this here. We shouldn't be doing this at all. I also realized that I wanted this much, much more than I had admitted to myself. He slid my weapon from my nerveless fingers and slid the safety into place. I heard the snick of his weapon's safety being slid into place. Then, 'thunk', 'thunk', echoed in the passage as they dropped to the floor. The sound snapped me out of the hypnotic state I was in. I sucked in a burning breath. "Muld ... " That was as far as I got because his lips were suddenly covering mine, his hands on my head, finger laced in my hair. I gasped at the sudden silky softness of his lips sliding gently over mine. He wasn't insisting. But when I gasped, his tongue glided softly past my teeth and lapped over my tongue. The world just tilted on its axis. Actually, it was a wave of vertigo so sudden it left me helpless to resist the assault of his tongue on the inside of my mouth. My hands lifted and grabbed his biceps for support. As if it had a mind of it's own, my traitorous tongue engaged his in a slow sensuous dance of laps and rolls that caused him to groan harshly into my mouth and deepen the kiss. The vibrations sent my wetness gushing out between my legs and soaking my crotch. My thin cotton trousers were no barrier to the heat of his throbbing erection, hard and insistent, grinding into my hips. This was insane. I couldn't believe how aroused I was just at the thought that he wanted me this way. That I affected him this way was unbelievable. I'd never considered it really. I wasn't his type. Or so I thought. Secure in the knowledge that he would never really make a pass at me, I had allowed myself to relax my emotional armor and slide blissfully into banter and easy sexual innuendo. And in the last couple of years, he had slid in under my radar. The relatively sudden realization that I wanted him was so overwhelming, my brain couldn't even make a feeble attempt to rein in my arousal. It was as though I'd been struck dumb by the force of the desire he had ignited, simply by pressing his body against mine. I felt him shift, felt his hips dip down and his shoulders flatten under my hands and relax from the bent over position above me. A soft thud told me his knees had bumped the wall in his attempt to bend down to my height. No use. He was too tall, and we were confined to too small a space. But then his large strong hands slid down my sides and around my hips to cup my ass cheeks. I shuddered, knowing that we could get caught and knowing this was forbidden. That knowledge just kicked my arousal up to an explosive level instead of sobering me as it should have. The professional Dana Scully should put an end to this right now! But Dana Scully, the woman couldn't bring herself to do it. In a move that surely should have been on Ripley's Believe It or Not, he lifted me up in one swift heave, slid his legs under my thighs to brace his knees against the wall. He tilted his hips forward just as I slid out of his supporting grasp and slid down his body. The tip of his erection caught me squarely beneath my dripping sex. I slid down, automatically spreading my legs in preparation to arrest my fall. As soon as I did, his hot thickness raked the entire length of my swollen folds from bottom to top as I slid down to my feet. My head swam. As my toes touched the ground, he swiveled his hips, grinding himself against my little bundle of nerves. I shrieked in surprise, "Uuuuhhhhgggg, Awww, Awww, Oh, hohoho," as my body released it's coiled tension without warning, feeling my inner walls sputter frantically in ecstasy as they tried to reach for the cause of this explosion. I knew I was aroused but even I didn't realize how close I'd been to the edge. I was too delirious to register how quickly I was climbing to the peak. My eyes closed as I felt my orgasm ripple through me and sputter out into shivers. My head was thrown back and I was unsure how it had gotten there. I finally looked down to see the look of utter astonishment on his face, followed quickly by a look of unbelievable lust and longing. He was panting, still holding my hips where his hands had slipped. I was dazed and confused and utterly incredulous that my partner had just brought me to orgasm without removing a stitch of clothing or touching my breasts. My voice was breathy and far away. "Holy shit, Mulder, what just happened? I looked down again to see him biting his lip, tears forming in his eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked. He whispered. "That was most beautiful thing I've ever seen." His voice was reverent. I blushed with embarrassment now and looked away. "No, please don't look away," he pleaded. "Hit me, call me a complete asshole, but I'm begging you, Scully, don't ... pull ... away ... from me ... Please!" I looked back to him, and saw a single tear roll down his face. He was still hard and throbbing between my legs. I coaxed him to stand up, holding eye contact. He seemed suddenly frightened and unsure. This was insane but I was seized by a desire to comfort and pleasure him. Where were the ready objections I could usually summon forth? They were nowhere to be found in the face of the effect of letting him touch me. The desire to make him feel what I had just felt was so keen it blocked out the rest of the world. Everything blurred into the background and only he was in sharp focus. I turned his back to the passage away from wall to give myself room to maneuver. Wild Dana was making a comeback for the first time since Philadelphia. Remember her? That side of me that says 'damn the consequences' about once every five years or so. That side of me that got a sexual thrill from danger and the unknown. I was helpless to stop it. My hands went to his belt and unbuckled it. His arm went to the wall to brace himself as he watched me intently. I unzipped his pants, hooked my fingers into his waistband, catching his boxers and sliding them both down to below his crotch. He was tenting his dress shirt and I still couldn't see him properly. "Scully, wha...?" I put two fingers on his lips. I pulled my trench coat off and folded it, placing it on the ground. I grasped his hips and knelt down. My hands slid down over the back of his thighs and I could feel him shaking. From fear or desire? I looked up. He was frozen in a tableau of disbelief. He was staring at me as though I were the apparition of a Goddess. But as my eyes met his, I saw something else. Tenderness, awe, anticipation ... love. Oh God, why had I not seen it before? "Why now, why did you touch me now?" I asked, truly curious. He looked at me and said simply, "I fell in love with you." He looked away. "Oh God." His eyes closed. I was in shock hearing those words. My brain could not process this information. But my body could. Without any help from my brain whatsoever, my hand retreated from his hip and grabbed his shaft, stroking firmly, pushing his shirt out of the way. Good lord, he was hung. He was only slightly longer than average, but he was really thick. He gasped at the contact of my hand and stuttered. "Scul...ly, you don't ... don't have ... to ..." I wasn't listening. I bent down and took as much of him as possible into my mouth. The guttural groan that echoed through the passage made my heart stop for a second. The sound set off an answering vibration in my body and I felt my nipples harden painfully. I moved my tongue and felt his knees buckle. I grasped him tightly with both arms for support, wrapping my arms around his legs and cupping the back of his legs just below his ass. I began to move back and forth, lapping my tongue anywhere I could reach. His moans and gasps were urging me on to a faster and faster pace. I had the absolutely ridiculous thought flit across my mind, "Look Ma, no hands!" I mentally slapped myself and concentrated on the task at hand. He tasted wonderful, slightly salty. His head was smooth as silk and the veins of his shaft were bulging. I could feel him pulse as I slid over his silky hardness. I was only at this for a minute or so when I felt his hand on my shoulder, pushing me back. He was trying to warn me of his impending orgasm but I had no intention of letting him take the best part away from me. If I was going to be stupid enough to give my partner a blow job while were working on a case, then I was damn well going to get to taste him. My answer was to grasp his ass in both hands and pull him tight to me. I swallowed him as best I could and clamped my lips down, holding him inside. I stopped moving and sucked, hard. I sucked as hard as I could, my cheeks pulling in with the effort. I cradled his shaft with the flat of my tongue, took a deep breath and sucked hard again for as long as I could, not letting up on the pressure. My jaw ached and my cheeks burned. But that did it. A hoarse shout of my name, "Sccuull..llyy," and he emptied himself down my throat, bucking helplessly. My mouth quickly filled with his warm essence and I had to swallow and breath through my nose. Then I collected the last of his dying ejaculations. God, so much! More than a mouthful. I swallowed greedily, lapped him clean and pulled away. He looked stunned. I had shocked myself. My eyes darted away and then back to him and I nodded at his pants. I murmured, "It was only fair." I saw the hurt flash in his eyes. That was a dumb thing to say. Now he'll think I just did it for pay back. Eye for an eye. Why did I do it? Shaking hands reached for his waistband and yanked his pants and boxers back up. He zipped up quickly and was in the process of buckling his belt. The hairs suddenly stood up again on the back of my neck. DANGER! I looked up just as a small man with dark skin appeared from around the corner at the end of the passage. We saw each other at the same time. I dropped to grab my weapon and shouted to Mulder, who was looking at me instead of down the passage. "GET DOWN!" Have you ever been in an extremely traumatic situation where everything slows down? Like in a car wreck or something? Well, that's what happened here. As a doctor I knew that this was the sympathetic nervous system kicking into gear. It was the brain's way of protecting the body from shock so that it could still act and not have a heart attack from fear. Mulder didn't even look. His trust in me is so complete, despite the tension of what had just happened. He dropped like a stone to his knees, bending over at the waist and reached out for his weapon. I had scooped mine up and clicked off the safety as I shouted. I watched in slow motion as my arms moved as if through water and brought my weapon into a firing stance. I watched the man do the same in slow motion. We almost mirrored each other. Mulder brought his torso up, still on his knees. The man and I fired at the same time. As soon as my shot was off, I dove over Mulder's lap, face down, arms stretched out in front of me as if I were taking a dive. Before I landed I felt the bullet graze my shoulder. A sharp sting bolted down my arm but then it went numb and my fingers loosened my grip on my weapon as it slid from my fingers. My bullet ripped through the guy's rotator cuff and I heard a curse in a foreign language as he dropped his weapon. The man stumbled and reached down to the floor with his left hand. Mulder was looking at me with a look of horror on his face. I looked down and saw the explosion of blood soaking the sleeve and side of my white blouse in a ever widening stain. I didn't feel any real pain yet. Mulder screamed. I mean screamed. He remained on his knees, and leaned his body protectively over me. "Nnnnnooooo!" His cry was echoing in my ear through my slow motion haze. Before I could stop him, he raised his weapon, one-handed and shot the guy directly through the heart as he stood with his pistol clasped clumsily in his left hand. I saw it happen, dazed, as the guy spun on his heel from the impact of Mulder's bullet. Mulder had dropped his weapon and was wrapping his arms around me, pulling me up and crushing me to his chest before the guy even toppled to the floor. "Sccuullyy! OH GOD NO, SCULLY!" Time sped up at that point and I slumped forward onto his chest, croaking out, "I'm O.K., Mulder. I'm fine." We were both panting. I saw him cringe. He hated it when I said that, and I knew it. "Really, Mulder, it grazed me but it didn't go through the muscle. The blood makes it look a lot worse than it is." He was staring at me, my nose millimeters from his. His eyes darted back and forth in panic as he tried to read the truth in my words by looking into my eyes. "I swear. It hurts, it burns, but it's O.K." I even raised the arm up and held it out level with my shoulder, wincing and gritting my teeth against the pain. But I had to do it. I'd lied to him too many times about how badly I was hurt so I had to show him that I could do it. He nodded and murmured, "Oh, thank God." He crushed me to his chest again, rocking me gently. He was shaking again. This time I knew it was from fear. His head buried itself in the crook of my good shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Scully, this is all my fault. Can you ever forgive me? Oh, Jeezus, I'm an ass. I'm so sorry." "Mulder, stop. I'm O.K." He whispered, "I could lose you that quick. That quick. Oh God! All my fault you're hurt. Again!" I felt his chest flutter against mine. He was crying. I lifted his head with my hands on the side of his cheeks and looked him in the eye. It hurt like hell to move my arm but I had to stop this. "I'm going to be O.K. It takes two to tango, I didn't stop you. Don't you fall apart on me now, Mulder." He swallowed hard. "It will be O.K., but I AM hurt." I saw his eyes shutter and close. He was going to beat the shit out of himself for this. "Mulder!" I practically shouted. His eyes snapped open. "Stay with me, partner." I paused and said the one thing I suddenly just knew would shock him out his self whipping session. It was suddenly so clear what he'd always wanted from me. All he wanted was a chance to help me. I was always denying my pain in order to appear to be his equal. But I helped him and he wasn't allowed to help me. He needed to know that he COULD help me in order to feel MY equal. That it wasn't a one-way street. Lord, I can be dense sometimes. "I NEED you right now, Mulder." And I meant it. His eyes widened at this admission. I never admitted needing him or anyone else. I always flipped his concern off with, 'I'm fine, Mulder.' Not this time. I couldn't do it just now. My guard was too far down. I said it again, whispering this time. "I need you, Mulder. Help me up, and we need his weapon." He shook his head as if to clear it and sprang into action, lifting himself and then me gently. He propped me up on the wall briefly and took two strides to the dead man. He pulled a latex glove out of his pocket and put it on. He picked up the gun and slid it into the pocket of his trench coat, peeling the glove off, turning it inside out and slipping it off his hand and over the gun. He retrieved our weapons, holstering his and gently tipping me forward to put mine in the holster at my back. He picked up my trench coat, shaking it out and draped it over my shoulders. Then he banded one arm around me and began to side wind us back the way we came. As if suddenly having another thought, he paused and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand and dialed with his thumb. He resumed scuffling us out of the passage as it rang. He paused at the ladder. I could hear the voice emerging from the phone. "D.C.P.D. How can I help you?" "Yeah, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Get Walter Skinner on the phone a.s.a.p." He loosened his grasp on me slightly as I wrapped my hands around his waist. He rubbed my back lightly with his one hand. Then I heard a familiar bark. "Skinner here!" I smiled as Mulder winced and held the handset away from his ear. PART 2 - PG-13 D.C.P.D PRECINCT 16 11:00 AM Walter Skinner sipped at his coffee again wincing at the bitter taste. He looked around the interrogation room where five officers were bending over a table examining evidence about this case. There were four men and one woman. They weren't rookies, but they weren't seasoned officers either. He recognized the woman. She was a handsome African- American with chocolate skin and straightened hair that fell to her shoulders. She was older than the men there, probably about 40. She had been involved in Behavioral Science and testified in court on a couple of Bureau cases before deciding to become a cop. He thought she was a psychiatrist. He looked at her name tag: C. Jordon. It wasn't coming to him exactly where he knew her from. His eyes kept straying back to her. It was the second day since the FBI had been called in and the men were counting the hours. At 4:00 PM, their 48 hours of waiting was up. They had agreed to give the FBI 48 hours without interference. They were anxious to get back to the action. Oh to be young and full of testosterone. He wondered how many of the four would be left in five years. He leaned against the wall and eavesdropped. Banks said, "Well, no word from the Spooky Squad yet." Carver responded, "Did you really expect them to find anything in the daylight?" Banks replied, "I don't expect them to find anything any time. Waste of time to call in the Bureau and they'll blow our surveillance if anyone sees them there." Officer Jordon spoke up. "Don't be too sure." Skinner's ears perked up as the men stopped and looked at her. Banks gave her a dirty look. "What Clara, you on their side now?" She shook her head and lost her patience. "Their side? Our side? What the hell, guys? We are all on the SAME side gentlemen, a fact that you seem to be forgetting. They are here to help us. And if you don't mind me saying Banks, we could use all the help we can get. Eight months and nothing. Nothing to pin on these scum bags. Aren't you getting tired? Their side! This isn't a territorial situation. Grow the fuck up and put your dicks away!" Skinner laughed at that point. He couldn't help it. The men were acting like little kids not getting their way. But the Bureau people were used to being resented by local authorities. That's why Mulder had asked Skinner to stake out the police department in order to prevent the police from doing anything to interfere for two days. His presence kept them in line so that they didn't decide to take matters into their own hands. Clara looked at him as he laughed and he winked at her. She beamed him a toothy smile, showing dimples. The men all had scowls on their faces. he thought. Banks was still at it. "Yeah, but they send Agents Mulder and Scully. Everybody knows about them. That's almost an insult." Banks, he had been the most vocal in his displeasure and he was really beginning to irritate him. Skinner was about to defend his agents when Clara spoke up again. "It wasn't an insult, you moron, it's a compliment. Those two are busy agents. They are a two-person department. And they sent them because I specifically asked if they were available to help us out. I'm flattered that A.D. Skinner allowed them to come." The man's jaw dropped at this declaration. Banks was incredulous. "You asked for THEM, for that ... CRACK POT? What the hell for? What were you thinking?" Clara glared at him. Skinner decided that Clara was handling the situation just fine at this point so he didn't interfere. She held up her fingers as she listed her points. "A, he isn't a crack pot. He could run investigative circles around your sorry ass any day. B, that 'crack pot' has a genius I.Q. and an Oxford education, a doctorate in psychology. C, I asked for him because I've worked with him before and I've seen that man make leaps of investigative logic that would tie your frontal lobe into a knot. It boggles the mind. He has figured out stuff that no one else can. And in case it's escaped you, no one's been able to figure this one out either. That's why I asked for him!" Skinner was really amused now, but also glad that someone besides himself appreciated Mulder's unique talents. Banks was looking defensive now and insulted, searching for a come back. "If you say so, Clara, but we don't need them. The guy's weird. He gives me the creeps. I have a 64% solve rate on my cases! I don't need him. Who can say they do better than that in this damn city!?" Clara looked at Skinner, raising her eyebrows, asking for support to combat this declaration. He decided it was time to step in before this got ugly. "As a matter of fact," he said in an even tone, "Agents Mulder and Scully have been under my direct supervision for nearly seven years now. And together as a team, they consistently perform at a 75% solve rate or higher. And trust me, the cases they solve are a lot more convoluted and difficult than anything you find on a local police squad." This guy just didn't know when to quit. "What? You don't think we do our jobs?" he thought. "Of course you do your job and probably do it very well," Skinner replied. "But that isn't the point. We all have our forte, our special talents where we shine. Agents Mulder and Scully have a peculiar talent for figuring out situations outside the mainstream of normal investigation. When standard investigation fails, they often can succeed where others have failed to explain the unexplainable. So, if your smart, and I think you are," , "you'll sit on your hands for another couple of hours and let them work." The men were silent now. Clara beamed at Skinner. "Remember the Monty Propps case?" His eyebrows raised now. "Is that where I know you from? I thought I recognized you as a psych." "Yeah, I testified at that trial." "I remember now. You were one of the psychs they called in to try and evaluate his motivations." "Yeah, but all for naught in the end." Silent up to this point, Officer Johnson now spoke. "That serial murderer back in the 80's?" Clara answered him. "Yeah, that would be the one. Police had been after him for months. He was leaving a trail of victims and taunting the investigative team. Plus the public was panicked like I'd never seen. We couldn't ever figure out what he was going to do next." Skinner spoke up again. "Yeah, you needed to figure out where he was likely to strike next. It was a real puzzle because he was so seemingly random and inconsistent, unlike most serial killers." "Trying to predict him seemed like an impossible job, or so we thought. There was a team of shrinks called in, five in all I think, including me, to go over the evidence and offer separate opinions." Banks actually looked intrigued in spite of himself. "So what did you figure out? I mean, he got caught, right? So someone figured the guy out." Clara smiled. "Yeah, someone did." Banks retorted, "Who? You? Did you crack the case, Jordan? Do we have a local celebrity on our team here. "Nope, not me." "Who did then?" he asked. "Fox Mulder." Banks looked incredulous. Johnson exclaimed, "You're kidding me! No shit." Clara looked slightly amused. "No I'm not. He was barely out of the academy. We were all stumped. They asked someone from the Bureau's Behavioral Science unit to come down and meet with all of us and then do a profile on him. The department was fairly new then." Skinner interrupted at this point, curious. "Clara, what was you're first impression?" Clara turned her attention to Skinner again. "I thought, what the fuck are they sending this geeky KID down here for?" They chuckled together. Banks was scrunching his bow. Clara continued her story. "But son of a bitch if he didn't go over every scrap of paper on this case and every comment from every cop, and every shrink, and every family member of the victims." Banks finally couldn't stand being out of the conversation. "And, what did he do?" "And he came back three days later with a profile so detailed it rocked us all off our axis. He told us about how old he was and what kind of clothes he would wear, what kind of education and job he would have, who he was likely to be living with and an idea of where, and even told us what type of vehicle he probably drove. And on top of that, he told us what his pattern was as he had escalated his killing. He saw order in the chaos that none of us had seen." Johnson prompted her. "And?" "So we started checking records at City Hall for singles living with unmarried female family members, we looked up the registration of every black van and VW bus in the city, and did a canvas of every gas station in the city. We found two men 33 and 35 years old respectively. Both had gone to college, both owned black vans and both were living with an unmarried female relative. The younger guy lived with his mother who was a widow. The older guy lived with his spinster sister. But only one worked at a gas station. 35 year old Monty Propps." Johnson prompted her again, obviously eager to hear the outcome. "And?" "And three days later he was in custody. Picked him up at the Texaco where he worked, easy as you please. We had been looking in all the wrong places. Once we hauled him in and put the pressure on him, he caved. Gave a full confession. The police were even able to close up some old unresolved murder cases that they had never even connected to that case." Johnson raised his eyebrows. "Holy shit." "Yeah, holy shit is right. Nobody laughed at the kid after that. He may have looked a little goofy but you can't argue with the results. The guy is brilliant. He can get into the head of criminals like no one I've ever seen before or since and figure out what makes them tick. That information is priceless when you are trying to predict what someone will do next. I've had a profound respect for his unusual talents every since. And if I'm not mistaken, his partner must be one smart cookie too." Banks asked, "What makes you say that?" Skinner had noticed Banks checking out Scully like she was a piece of meat. Clara looked at him again. "Because she'd have to be to keep up with him. I don't imagine anyone of average intelligence or anyone with a weak stomach would be have stayed with him for seven years." Skinner piped up again. Time to have a little fun. "Agent Scully is a formidable thinker and agent herself, that's true. She's also a medical doctor with a background in forensic pathology." "She cuts up dead people?" "Yup, without batting an eye. I'm a twenty year veteran of law enforcement and I've seen things that would make me puke. I've seen Agent Scully sport scrubs and goggles and cut up that very thing while munching on a pastrami sandwich!" This was an exaggeration but he was enjoying this. Banks was shaking his head, obviously trying to reconcile the pretty woman he'd seen with the picture of the iron stomached agent/pathologist Skinner had just described. Clara was laughing. She caught Skinner's eye again. "They sound like a pair." The phone rang and they all jumped. Banks grabbed it. "D.C.P.D. How can I help you? He listened for a moment. Then silently handed the receiver to Skinner. He knew it was them and his anxiety finally leaked into his voice as he barked, louder than he had intended, "Skinner here!" He was silent for about a full minute, listening. Finally, he asked one question. "One person? A woman? What about Officer Jordan?" He looked at her and she straightened. "Yeah, Clara Jordan." Pause. 'O.K., give us 15 minutes, we are on our way. We're leaving now." He hung up the phone and looked at Clara although he addressed the entire group. "They need help, but just me and Clara for now. They don't want everyone to swarm the place and raise a flag if anyone's watching." Clara's eyes lit up with anticipation. "He said I could come?" Skinner smiled at her. God, she was fucking beautiful when she smiled. "He said just me at first but I mentioned you and he said I could bring you along, just you. Agent Scully may need another woman." Banks couldn't stay silent another moment "What the hell is going on?" "I don't know for sure but he gave me specific instructions on how to enter the building and where to go. I'm sure he gave them for a reason. They've found something, I'm just not sure what yet. Agent Scully was grazed in the shoulder with a bullet. But he said don't call an ambulance. He wants us to come get her. That's why he wants Jordan to come." Johnson sounded confused. "A bullet?" Skinner nodded. "Yeah, apparently they ran into some company. He's dead now." Johnson asked, "Who?" "I don't know. All he said was Scully fired out his shoulder and he dropped his weapon but the guy retrieved it and was going to take aim at her again and Mulder shot him in the chest." "Jesus," Johnson whispered. Skinner nodded at Clara. "Look, we gotta go, we'll call you as soon as we know anything," he assured them and he strode for the door with Clara close on his heels. PART 3 - PG-13 ABANDONED WAREHOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C. 1:30 PM Mulder removed his jacket and folded it up, putting his cell phone in his sports jacket inside pocket. He laid it on the floor and guided Scully down. "Watch out for the gun in the pocket," he warned. She tugged it from under her butt and sat on the rest of the coat. "Scully, I'm going to go back out and see if I can find something to poke a hole in this wall with. Keep your weapon up in case any more company shows up." "Mulder, it will take too long and draw too much attention." "Well, you can't climb down that ladder and up the other one. It's treacherous as it is without a bum wing." She looked up at him and met his gaze. He had that stern look on his face like he was preparing to fight her if she chose to be stubborn. She surprised him. "I could if you helped me." "Why, Agent Scully, are you actually asking for help? Twice in one day? My heart be still." Then he frowned as he realized what he had said and was afraid he had made this more awkward when he heard her chuckle end abruptly as he uttered that last line. "Scully, I'm sorry, ... I" "Mulder, if you apologize one more time, I'm gonna scream. It's all right. Look, we have to talk, obviously. I promise you I won't ignore it and I won't pretend that it never happened." He was staring at her with a frightened look in his eyes. He swallowed hard. "But right now is not the time. Let's just get out of here and we'll talk again when we can relax and be private." He stared at her, looking for reassurance. She said softly, "Mulder, don't leave me here alone. Please." He took a deep breath and nodded. He felt the tension drain out of him at her words. At least she wasn't going to run away. The wait would be torture but she was right. This shouldn't have happened here in the first place. This probably shouldn't have happened at all. But now it had and he was scared shitless of the outcome. For her to admit not wanting to be left alone she must be feeling off her game. He could hardly blame her. She'd saved his ass again. If she hadn't been so quick on her feet and shot the guy, he would have gotten a bullet in the back. Instead, it got her in the shoulder as she fired over his head when he ducked. That bullet should have been his. "O.K., Mulder, enough pondering. Another one of those youthful displays of strength and agility you are always bragging about is in order." She was actually teasing him. He looked puzzled for a moment but then grinned broadly. He bent down and hesitantly cupped her rear end under her coat. She nodded and he lifted her up, feeling her legs go around his waist and her ankles lock together at the small of his back. Good thing he'd just come minutes before, because even with that, he felt his groin stir. She was kind enough not to mention it. He shifted her to seat her more comfortably balanced. And gingerly made his way to the edge of the hole. The trap door had been left open. He sat on the edge, Scully plastered to his chest and extended his feet until he felt them hit a rung. He placed both hands on the ground at the sides of the hole, reaching past her waist. "Hang on, this first step's a doozey." She chuckled and grasped his neck tightly with her good arm. The other one was raised between them with her hand on her chest, keeping her shoulder close to her body and immobilized as much as possible. He counted to three in his head and lunged forward, hands grasping for the top rung. Made it! It was hard to balance leaning his weight away from the ladder with Scully wrapped around his torso. She weighed nothing, but the position was awkward, with all his weight on his arms. He gingerly reached one leg down to the next rung lowering them and moving one hand at a time to the rung below. He made his way down slowly, ten rungs in all, breathing heavy by the time he reached the bottom. Scully concentrated on keeping herself pressed tight to his body, her head tucked into his shoulder and her ankles locked. His body heat was helping to combat the shock she could feel hovering on the edge of her consciousness. She wanted to be as still as possible and not shift her weight. She knew it would be easy for them them to fall. They both sighed in relief when they hit the bottom and Scully's legs unfolded and she slid carefully down his body wincing when she jostled her shoulder. He looked down at her, his arms around her waist now. "Scully, do you think you can hold on if you get on my back piggy back style?" "Yeah, why didn't I think of that?" He chuckled. He could tell that biting back the pain was starting to take it's toll. He crouched down into a squat with his back to her and waited while she climbed aboard. Her good arm came around his neck. She crooked her elbow over his shoulder and splayed her forearm and hand across the front of his chest to anchor herself. She was going to need the extra hold since she couldn't use both arms. He gently stood up. Now they made good progress down the passage. He was careful not to jostle her unnecessarily but some movement couldn't be avoided. She moaned a couple of times and he would stop and let her catch her breath. Then continue on when she would say, "O.K., now." It seemed to take an eternity to reach the other end, but finally they reached the other ladder that led back up into the warehouse. He stopped and looked up at it. It was not the sturdiest thing he'd ever seen and he hoped it would hold their combined weight. "I can try to climb this one, Mulder, I'm not in shock anymore. I was in shock back there and felt weak. The pain is a little worse, but the shock is gone. Your body heat helped. I'm not so shaky now. I can do it." "Are you sure?" "Let me try." He gingerly lowered himself to the ground in a squat again and she stepped off him. He stood and said, "You go first. I'll go up behind you. That way if you lose your grip I'll be able to catch you." "Or break my fall, one or the other!" He chuckled. "I've always wanted you to land on top of me, Scully, but that isn't exactly what I had in mind!" She laughed at his joke but it came out sounding a little forced. He chuckled a little nervously. The easiness of the innuendo they used to share was strained now that they had crossed the line. They both knew that what they had done was stupid. They both knew that one split second longer to react, and they both could have been dead. They'd been careless and it was unforgivable. But she knew that they had been careless together. She also knew that her partner would place none of the blame on her. He would take it all on himself. Scully climbed the ladder, her good arm shaking with the strain of letting go and lunging for the next rung. Mulder expected her to lose her grip and fall at any moment, each time she went for the next rung. But she didn't. They finally emerged from the trap door. Scully collapsed onto the floor in a sitting position and Mulder clambered up after her, pulling her into his lap. He pulled out his handkerchief, still unused and folded it into a tight square. He leaned her back against one arm. She watched curiously as he reached for her blouse button. He stopped and looked at her, asking for permission. She met his gaze and nodded, lowering her head and looking up at him from under her lashes, the color rising in her cheeks. Mulder thought she looked beautiful. He'd never seen her act shy. He smiled reassuringly and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse. He carefully pealed the blood soaked garment off her shoulder and hissed when he saw the area of skin plowed away by the bullet. It was still bleeding pretty good. The waistband of her pants was now starting to soak with blood, so much had run down. "Brace yourself," he warned her. He hated to do this. He hated to have to cause her pain. But if he didn't stop the bleeding she was going to start getting weak. Where the hell was Skinner and Jordon?! He gingerly placed it over the wound and flattened his palm on top of it, hovering. She took a deep breath and nodded curtly. He pressed his palm firmy into her shoulder and she cried out. "Ahhh, shit." He could see the tears welling up in her eyes and felt his own tear ducts react in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Scully, God, I'm so sorry." "It's O.K., I know you have to do it. It just hurts. Don't worry." He lowered his mouth to her ear. "You can cry ya know, if you need to. I would never think any less of you. You try to be so strong all the time. I'm surprised you let me help you at all. But Scully, whatever happens, know that I want to help. That it makes me feel ... better ... if I can help you, in however small a way." "I know, Mulder. I'm just so used to trying not to be "girlish" in order to gain respect from my peers. It's a hard habit to break." "I know, but you must know by now that I think you're the bravest and strongest woman in the world. There's no shame in crying when it hurts." He could feel her begin to shiver and he hugged her more tightly to his chest and wrapped his trench coat around them both to trap the body heat. She nodded as he cradled her closer with his one arm, keeping pressure with the other one. She began to cry silently, her head falling onto his chest as she sat sideways in his lap. He grazed her cheek with his and gently nudged her head under his chin. He cooed to her. "Shhh, it's going to be O.K. They will be here any minute now. Hang in there partner." That was the way that Skinner and Jordan found them. They rounded a pile of furniture blocking their view of the back corner of the warehouse and they both stopped short, taken in by the tableau of the two agents, huddled together and silent for a moment. Scully looked tiny cradled in the curve of Mulder's long, lanky body, his trench coat wrapped around both of them to hide her open shirt. Her bra was soaked with blood, but it remained on as did her ruined blouse. He had opened it just enough to reach her shoulder and she was grateful. Skinner and Jordan watched him rock her gently and then heard him cooing to her in comfort. "Shhh, it's going to be O.K. They will be here any minute now. Hang in there partner." Skinner had never seen them like this. He'd never seen Scully look so vulnerable and he was struck by the thought that Mulder was a lucky man. Scully normally wouldn't allow anyone else to see her like this, or hold her like this. That a woman as forthright and capable as Scully gave this much trust to Mulder, raised Mulder's esteem in Skinner's eyes to an even higher level. The man must do something right. Women like Scully were not easy to impress and not easy to gain trust from. Her guard was completely down. It hit him suddenly. 'Oh my God, she's in love with him.' That's the only thing that would allow a woman like Scully to feel safe enough to let her guard down like this. Her trust in him was absolute. Jordan was struck by the sight also, but her thoughts were different from Skinner's. She saw him nuzzle her hair and coo to her, blinking slowly. She saw the tears in his eyes that he was holding back. The love he felt for the tiny woman was evident in every line of his face. She was a lucky woman to have to have the love and respect of a man like Fox Mulder. She knew he was brilliant. But seeing that he was also capable of such tenderness and care struck a chord in her heart. These were things that were missing in her life. She whispered to Skinner. "I didn't know they were involved." He whispered back. "They aren't. They are incredibly close friends, but as far as I know, they are not romantic partners, just work partners." They looked at each other then and she simply said, "They should be. That man's in love with her." Skinner's eyes grew round. Was this woman reading his mind? He looked at them again for another second and then nodded, seeing what she had seen on Mulder's face. He cleared his throat. Mulder looked up and saw them. "Glad you're here." His voice was choked with tears but steady. They advanced quickly then and crouched down next to the couple. Scully looked up at the pair, giving a wan smile that didn't reach her eyes in greeting. Jordan spoke first. "I should get her out of here quietly and go straight to a hospital." Mulder nodded and met Jordan's eyes. "Please take care of her for me. I'll be along as soon as possible. What hospital?" "D.C. General, downtown." "O.K. Good to see you Clara." She smiled. "You too, Agent Mulder. Always a pleasure." Scully looked up again at that comment and looked at the woman more closely. She was kneeling in front of them and smiling warmly at Mulder. She felt an odd little dart of jealousy as she witnessed the smiles that passed between them. Jordan looked at her at that moment and caught the look. Mulder might have been the wonder boy of Behavioral Science in his day, but she was no slouch either in reading looks and body language. She smiled just as warmly at Scully realizing that she hadn't introduced herself. "Agent Scully, I'm Clara Jordan. We saw each other briefly when you first came into the precinct but we didn't get a chance to talk or be introduced. I've worked with your partner before. That's how we know each other. she thought. "Oh, must have been a long time ago." She didn't want to think that this woman had worked with Mulder in the time that she had been around and she hadn't known about it. "Yeah, it was. I was one of the psych's on the Monty Propps case. This kid came in and blew five shrinks theories out of the water in three days. It was really something. A.D. Skinner and I were reminiscing earlier." Scully smiled now. Mulder's success story. That would explain why this woman was reacting so differently from the other police. She realized that she obviously was fond of Mulder and respected him. That was nice for a change. So few did. If this woman was his friend, or even a potential friend, she wasn't going to jeopardize that by being petty or jealous. "Think you can load me in a car, Clara?" The woman smiled again. "Sure can. Let's go, my lady." Mulder gingerly stood, picking Scully up to her feet as he went and he held her steady until she nodded. Clara took his place as he stepped out of the way and slid her arm around Scully's waist under her good arm. "Let's go get you disinfected and sewn up." With that they started making slow but steady progress towards a door at the side of the warehouse. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Skinner was silent for a few moments as he took in Mulder's appearance. Mulder's eyes were still on Scully and Clara until they were out of sight. Then he looked and met Skinner's gaze. "You O.K., Mulder?" he asked, gesturing towards his shirt and coat, splattered with blood. Mulder nodded after looking at himself and realizing how disheveled he appeared. "Yeah, it's all hers." He was referring to the blood and shivered at what a close call it had been. As if mirroring his thoughts, Skinner asked, "Close call?" He whispered. "Yeah, too close. Way to fucking close." "What happened?" Mulder wasn't sure how to explain it. He couldn't tell him the whole truth without compromising Scully and that would accomplish nothing anyway. But he had to explain this. Scully was wounded and a man was dead. He had to give an explanation. "We found a false wall here." Skinner nodded. "Then we found a trap door and tunnel that led into a passage that runs between the outside wall and the false wall constructed inside. I figured that the passage ran all the way around the perimeter of this warehouse, although we didn't get that far. We'd only gone the length of the front wall." Skinner was silent, nodding again to encourage him to continue. "We had stopped in the passage a ways back from the corner, discussing whether to call for back up or not. I was being an ass as usual." Skinner smirked at that comment but decided not to respond. Mulder continued. "I was pissed off about some comments made by the cops about me and Scully and I didn't want those little pricks taking credit for anything that we might find." Skinner was nodding his head. He understood the feeling, but safety was more important. "Principles before personalities, Mulder. You know that. It isn't always easy, I know. Those young bucks aren't seasoned and they're still swinging their dicks because they are insecure about their place in the world. And you know cops, macho comes with the job. It's almost a prerequisite." Mulder sighed. "I know all that. And usually I can ignore the comments. I'm not stupid. I don't live in a bubble despite what most people think. I know I'm strange. I know I'm a weirdo to most people. I know most people don't understand me and I don't expect them to, and I don't normally care either. I don't expect them to automatically respect me either." "So what was different this time?" "Their comments weren't aimed just at me." "Ah, they disrespected Scully?" "That, and insulted her and treated her like an object. I can't tolerate that." "It's not up to you to tolerate it." "I know that! But I can't help it sometimes. I care too much ...!" He stopped short as if realizing that he was about to reveal too much. "What did they say, Mulder?" Silence. "What did they say?" he prompted again. "Who's that dark haired one?" "Officer Banks." "Yeah, him. He was ogling Scully." "So, a lot of men ogle Scully." Mulder looked at Skinner closely, seeing the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, well, I know that. Believe me, I know better than anyone else. I have to watch it happen every day." "She's a beautiful woman." "I know that too." "But?" "But he said ... he said ..." "Tell me. It stays between us." "He said, 'I wonder if he's fucking his beautiful partner? Why else would she stick with him? Have you heard how weird this guy is?" "Oh God." Skinner ran his hand over his face, trying to think of an appropriate comment. Mulder made eye contact again. "That went too far. I couldn't ignore that. I hate it when my reputation hurts her." "She chooses to stay with you Mulder. She could leave whenever she wanted to, but she doesn't." "I still haven't figured out why." "You haven't?" Mulder looked startled by this response. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Just what I said. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out." "Explain that! What do you mean? Stop being cryptic!" He was really upset. Skinner was basically acting like he was a dunce because he didn't know why Scully stayed by him. He could see the grin pulling at the corners of Skinner's mouth again and it only made him angrier. "Well, if I'm such an idiot, why don't you enlighten me if you've got it all figured out?!" He was almost shouting now. He started to pace. Skinner just watched him pace for a few seconds. Then quietly he said, "Mulder, you ass, she's in love with you." Mulder stopped in his tracks suddenly and whirled to face Skinner, his jaw hanging open. All she had said earlier to explain her actions was 'It was only fair.' He was painfully aware that she hadn't returned his declaration of loving her. Could Skinner be right? No. Scully would tell him. She wasn't the coward he was. Was it possible? Maybe? Dare he hope she felt the same way? That could be a set up for disaster. Skinner watched as fear, disbelief, sadness and then hope crossed over Mulder's features. He found it slightly amusing. He really didn't have a problem with agents getting involved as long it didn't effect their work. And Mulder and Scully couldn't be any closer than they were now. All that was missing was the romantic involvement and it hadn't screwed them up yet. He didn't think a romantic thing between the two of the them would hurt anything. In fact, it would probably help. He had just realized this moments before when Clara and he had stood watching them before they were aware of his and Clara's presence. But he honestly felt stupid for not having seen it before. But Mulder didn't have to know this was a new discovery on his part. Let him think he'd known all along. "Mulder, why don't you ask her why she stays?" "I have." "What did she say?" "That it was her quest now too. That she'd lost Melissa, her ability to have children and suffered through cancer. And that she'd be damned if she would give up on trying to find out why. She didn't want Melissa's death to have been for nothing." He was whispering by the end of his response. "That's probably all true. But I also don't think she would tell you the rest, the other reason." "Why not?" "Maybe because she is unsure of you. She was horribly jealous of Diana. Didn't you know that?" "She was?" He looked genuinely surprised and Skinner shook his head at him. "Are we having this conversation?" Skinner chuckled. "Look, Mulder. I want the agents who work under me to be happy. It makes them more effective, regardless of Bureau policy. Just don't let it interfere with Bureau business. What they don't know, won't hurt them." He paused, and looked Mulder in the eye. "And I know you're in love with her." He saw Mulder's eyes grow wet with unshed tears. He whispered, "Is it that obvious?" "No, probably not to most people. But I know you pretty well. And I know how devastated your were when she was abducted by Duane Barry. And I know nothing diverted you from your obsession before she came along." "And now?" "And now she has become more important to you than your job or your quest for the truth. I've seen you drop what you were doing and go running to her side when you thought she might be hurt or in trouble. You dragged yourself to the ass-end of the world to bring her back from Antarctica. I don't imagine you would have done that for just anybody. If it was Spender, any other agent, even Diana, I don't think you would have gone. You wouldn't have taken the risk. But it was Scully and you didn't even think twice once you knew where she was. It wasn't even an option not to go." "You're right, I wouldn't have gone for anyone else." So why do it for Scully?" "She's my partner. I mean, isn't that what partners do? They save each other, watch each other's back, put their lives on the line for each other." Skinner gave him a disgusted look. "That's horse shit and you know it. That little trip to the pole was above and beyond the call of duty." Silence. "Mulder, why don't you tell her how you feel?" "I did once." "What did she say?" "She said, 'Oh, Brother.' She thought I was drugged or delirious or something. It was after I was pulled out of the Bermuda Triangle." "No one ever said you had great timing!" "Thanks a lot." "Tell her again. Pick a time preferably when neither of you are sick or injured or drugged. No extenuating circumstances to blame it on." Skinner didn't know that he had just told her again and gotten no reciprocal response. Again. But then again, this was certainly the wrong time and place to have said anything as well. He never should have touched her. "I'm afraid." "Of what?" "Losing her. Chasing her away." Skinner snorted and Mulder looked at him sharply. "What's so funny?" "If you were going to chase her away, don't you think Duane Barry, the Antarctica, cancer, or any number of other things would have done it by now? Give her a little credit, Mulder. If she can handle those things, I'm sure she can handle knowing that you love her." "Maybe you're right. God, I'm afraid to think you're right. I'm afraid to ask her." "Why?" "I'm afraid you're wrong. And if the answer is 'No, I don't feel the same way,' then I might be better off not knowing and just letting things go on as they are. At least she's in my life now, a big part of it." "People are never better off not knowing, Mulder. It will tear you both up in the long run, working side by side and having those feelings and never letting on. You know that." "Ya know, I'm supposed to be the psychologist here!" "Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" They both laughed now. "I'll think about it." "You do that. And Mulder, if you want to talk later, you know where to find me, but we really should get going here." "Oh Christ! You're right. I'm sorry." "Don't be. I kept blabbing too. But let's go now. Why don't you show me what you found." He gestured toward the trap door and said, "Right this way, boss." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GENERAL HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM THURSDAY, 3:30 PM Clara stayed with Scully in the ER the whole time. Scully told her she could leave but she insisted on staying. She was finally sewn up and bandaged. Her arm was in a sling. She was redressed and ready to go. The doctor would be returning shortly with a prescription for the pain and an antibiotic. They sat in companionable silence for a while. Finally, Scully asked, "So, you knew Mulder 'way back when', huh?" Clara smiled. She could tell Scully was curious. "Yeah, he was really something back then." "How do you mean?" "Well, he was so young, almost goofy, a little nerdy." Scully smiled. "Still is." Clara chuckled. "Yeah, but he's matured into a handsome man." "Yeah, I guess so." "You guess so? Oh, please girl. You mean to tell me you've worked with him for nearly seven years and failed to notice he was total eye candy?" Dana blushed. "Mmm, I thought so." "I'm his partner, I'm not supposed to notice." "Bullshit!" Dana laughed now. "Look but don't touch, huh?" Clara looked at her. "If you were smart, you'd touch." Dana's jaw dropped open at that comment. She felt like she'd been caught in the act and felt her blush grow hotter. Damn her Irish skin! Clara couldn't know what happened, but she was suffering from a guilty conscious and still confused over what had happened. It was so surreal. She was unsure how she was going to handle this new development. But she knew Mulder wouldn't let it go for sure. And she couldn't blame him. He hadn't taken her clothes off. She was the one who yanked his pants off and gave him a blow job. She knew he had been as surprised by her orgasm as she had been. She still didn't know what had possessed her to be so careless. But she'd promised that she wouldn't ignore it and they would talk later. Clara watched her closely, seeing the embarrassment, guilt and confusion play across her face. 'Dana, can I call you Dana?" "Yeah, sure." "Dana, there is no need to be embarrassed. If you hadn't noticed how good looking he was I would think there was something wrong with you!" Dana smiled. "Clara, I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I have these thoughts...and well...I drive myself crazy. I want things I shouldn't want and things I can't have." "Why shouldn't you want him?" "The Bureau kind of frowns on fraternization between partners." "Only if they know about it. And why can't you have what you want?" Dana swallowed hard and looked her lap. "It's complicated. We've been through so much, there is a friendship to maintain. Our relationship is very complicated. Most people don't understand it, how close we are, how much we trust each other. Hell, I'm not even sure I understand it half the time." "It's only complicated if you make it that way. Fox Mulder is in love with you. I could tell that the minute I saw him with you on that floor. He was hurting because you were hurt. Let's face it, men just aren't that tender and caring unless they are in love." Dana shivered remembering how safe and warm it had felt wrapped in his arms. So right, despite the pain. Tears came to her eyes when she remembered him comforting her. His voice echoed in her head from earlier. Clara continued. "You should tell him Dana." "Tell him what? That I want his body?" "That you're in love with him." "I never said I was ... " She caught Clara's eye and then her look. Her look said, 'You aren't fooling me.'" "Is it that obvious?" "No, but I'm a shrink. That's what I do. I read people. Not just what they say, but what they do, their body language." "Body language?" "You doctors are all alike. You hear the words 'body language' and you think, 'what part?'" Dana laughed. She could really grow to like Clara. She was so easy to talk to and she had so few friends, except for Mulder. She didn't have any female friends anymore, not that she kept in touch with anyway. "So what you do read from my body language, oh swami?" Clara smiled broadly. "Well, you looked pretty vulnerable when he was holding you, but you were relaxed in spite of your wound. That tells me you feel safe with him. That you trust him implicitly." Dana nodded. "You're right, I do." "He nuzzled your hair and was whispering to you, comforting you. You didn't flinch. That tells me you enjoy affection from him and excuses to touch. Even being wounded had a bright side because it made him touch you. And that door swings both ways. He probably enjoyed the chance to touch you too. The way he was cradling you was not the way partners take care of each other." Dana nodded. She knew that was true. Clara kept talking. "And you were threatened by me for a second when I first spoke to him and you realized we knew each other and you didn't know me." Dana's head snapped up at that to meet a smiling Clara. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I was hoping you didn't catch that. I don't even know where that came from. I'm so used to everyone having a bad opinion of Mulder or picking on him. You took me off guard with how friendly you were. Most women who are friendly to Mulder are either trying to manipulate him or get into his pants." "Can you blame them?" "No, I guess not, but I try to protect him from it." "He's a big boy. But you don't want anyone in his pants but you, right?" Dana bushed crimson again remembering exactly what was in his pants. She remembered the feel of his silky hardness in her mouth, sliding over her tongue and his salty taste. "To be honest, I'm just coming to terms with that. Very recently as a matter of fact." "Well, you have nothing to fear from me, or any other woman for that matter. If that man isn't in love with you then I'll eat my shoe." "Yuck!" They laughed again. She winced as her laughter jostled her shoulder. "Where is that doctor?" "Busy no doubt. You doctors make the worst patients." "Mulder tells me that all the time." "A suggestion?" "Please." "Let him in. Let him take care of you while you heal up. He will want to help you. If you don't let him, it will make him feel inadequate. Men love to be appreciated. They don't realize that women often LET them take care of us. Not because we need the help. We are ten times stronger than they are anyway. But we let them do it in order to maintain their fragile little egos. Without the ego maintenance and making them feel needed and appreciated, they become unbearable to live with. It's a trade off." Dana was laughing again and holding her shoulder with her good hand. "Oh stop. It hurts. You crack me up. Thanks for the talk. I appreciate it. You seem to know men pretty well, are you sure you aren't competition?" She was teasing now. Clara smiled, "No problem about the talk. Glad to help. And no competition here. No, I prefer my men big, thick and muscular, not tall and lanky. Now I have a question for you." "What?" "How well do you know A.D. Skinner?" "What about him?" "Is he married? He doesn't have a ring but that doesn't necessarily mean anything these days." Scully smirked. "Oh, ho, do I detect interest, Officer Jordan?" Clara grinned. "He's divorced." "Oh. And do you think he'd ever ... uhh ..." "What? Spit it out." She was serious very suddenly. "Would he go out with a black woman?" Scully smiled. "I don't know if he ever has, but I've never heard him say or do anything to indicate that he was a bigot or prejudice in any way." Clara nodded. "It's so hard to tell. I mean most people will tell you they aren't but when it comes down to brass tacks, well ... " "They won't cross that intimacy line." "Yeah ... " She sounded sad. "I honestly don't think he would care. He's done a lot of things that were bound to make people unhappy. And he never seems to care what toher people think of his decision as long as he thinks it's the right thing to do. He's a man of convictions and principles. He's an honest man, Clara. I think if he said 'No', it would truly be because he wasn't interested in you that way, not because of your race." Clara nodded again. "So you think maybe ... ?" "I don't know Clara, but I will say this. Whatever he says, I think you can count on him being honest with you." "That's all you can ever ask, isn't it?" "Yeah, and even that's hard to find sometimes these days." "No kidding." "But Walter Skinner doesn't play head games." "Good to know." Dana's eyes twinkled. "So Mulder's not your type, but Skinner is, huh?" Clara looked down but showed her dimples. "Oh yeah! God, Dana, those shoulders and that chest are killer! His ass isn't bad either!" Dana smiled again. It had been a long time since she'd traded 'girl talk' about men with anyone. "Go for it. What have you got to lose? And frankly, I think he could use a good woman in his life. He never has any fun." "Maybe I could fix that." "Sounds like a good idea to me. Do you want me to drop a bug in his ear?" "Would you? And let me know if it's out of the question, at least so I don't make a fool out of myself." "Sure, I'll be discreet." "Thanks, I appreciate it." "No problem. One good turn deserves another." Internally, she cringed remembering her comment to Mulder. 'It was only fair.' God how stupid! Why did she say that! She didn't have time to ponder it because the doctor entered the cubicle at that point and handed Dana her prescriptions. "Hi, Dr. Walsh." "Hi, Dr. Scully. You know the drill. You can take one every four hours for pain. Lots of bed rest. No work for at least a week. And then only desk jockey stuff for a couple more. No running around with guns." They all laughed at this. "Comes with the job, Doc," Dana replied. He shook his head in amusement. "You're a lucky lady, Dr. Scully, don't push that luck. Get better before you head out into the field again. Here's my office number." He handed her a business card. "Call me for a follow up appointment in about two weeks. I'll reevaluate your field work status at that point. The stitches should be dissolved by then. Keep it dry for two days. Do you have someone to help you change the bandage." "Yes." "Good, no driving either if your taking the pain pills." "Yes, sir!" He laughed. "O.K. Sign here and you're free to go." Dana scribbled her name on the release form clumsily, taking her copy of the instructions. Clara took it all from her and put it in her pocket to leave her one good arm free. "Let's get out of here and get those scripts." "O.K., I should call Mulder. He'll panic if he gets here and doesn't find me." "We'll tell the person at reception on the way out. When he comes in, they can tell him to meet us at the precinct. I don't think you want to call now. There's no telling where they are or what they are up to. Unless you'd rather go straight home?" "No, I'll wait for Mulder." "O.K., let's go. We need to tell the guys at the squad what happened before they get ants in their pants." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ABANDONED WAREHOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C. 3:30 PM Skinner and Mulder made their way through the narrow passage until they made their way back to the dead man. They both donned gloves and picked him up by the feet and shoulders and made their way back up to the warehouse. They decided to leave him there for the moment while they investigated the tunnel to it's conclusion. He wasn't going anywhere. They returned and went down the secret passage until it turned the corner. They realized they were now at the corner of the building and heading down the side of the building. At the next corner, however, there was another door in the floor and another ladder. Unlike it's predecessor, this underground passage did not paralell the building, but headed straight back away from the rear of the building. It was dark down here and Mulder took out his flashlight to illuminate their way. They followed for what they figured was about a quarter of a mile. The tunnel ended abruptly at a door. To their amazement, it wasn't locked. Obviously, they weren't ever expecting unwanted company down here. It was a wooden door in a poured concrete frame. They cautiously opened the door. Darkness and no sign of life. Mulder swept his beam and then felt on the wall for a light switch. He felt one and flicked it up, turning on florescent flood lights mounted in the ceiling and lighting up the entire room. Skinner gasped and then whispered, "Holy Shit, Mulder." Mulder whispered back. "The mother lode. Disappearing drugs mystery solved." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ABANDONED WAREHOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C. 4:30 PM Mulder actually thought to call the hospital before he headed out there because he and Skinner had been here longer than he expected. He was worried about Scully despite her assurances that she was O.K. He was told that Officer Jordan had take Dr. Scully to her precinct to wait there. He smiled at the use of their titles, thanked the person on the other end of the phone and hung up. He was standing in the middle of the parking lot of the warehouse and all was chaos. They had called in the troops and the place was now swarming with cops. An ambulance had been called to take Juan Hernandez to the morgue. That's what his I.D. told them his name was anyway. He was a known Columbian drug dealer but not one of the big fish. The underground room they had found was a fully functional laboratory where cocaine was cut and mixed with a variety of ingredients to make it ready for street sales. There were so many wrapped kilos of cocaine, they were still unsure how much was there. Cops were in there tagging, bagging, counting and dusting for prints at the moment. Bales of hashish had also been found. The back of the laboratory was equipped with a ladder silo up tot he street level. It opened into a remote part of a small inner city park. This made access easier for the DEA troops and D.C. cops who were bagging all the evidence. Mulder watched the frenetic activity for a moment, content to have turned things over. Scully was right, he didn't care about the credit. He just wanted to get out of here and take her home. Mulder was about to call Scully's cell phone when Officer Banks approached him. He nodded curtly at him, unhappy at the interruption. "Agent Mulder?" "Yeah?" "I owe you an apology." Mulder just held his gaze, waiting. "I was a real ass before ... and you figured this out ... and I feel like a fool." He looked away and then back at Mulder. "I'm sorry I misjudged you." Well, well, maybe there was hope for the little prick after all. He figured he could afford to be generous. He remembered Scully's comment about 'rising above' people's ignorance. This kid wasn't worth getting aggravated over but he had been rude to Scully and that was unforgivable. He looked down at the young officer. He was only about 5' 8" and Mulder towered over him. Probably had that 'little guy' complex. "Apology accepted. But I'm not really the one you owe an apology too." "Huh?" "I don't give a damn what you think of me. I was asked to come here and I did my job. I'm also used to being put down as a weirdo by people who have never even met me." "I said I was sorry!" "I'm not saying that to rub it in. The point is, you insulted my partner. And she doesn't deserve it. She doesn't deserve to suffer from guilt by association. Ask anybody, she's a terrific agent and a brilliant pathologist. And when you make sexist or chauvinistic comments like you made, you are implying that she's only where she is because she laid down. Not because she has talents and a job to do. It's disrespectful, to ALL women and it's insulting as hell. She's the one you owe an apology too." "What comments are you talking about?" "Your speculation on whether or not I was fucking her and that being a possible reason why she continues to work with me." Banks went pale at the realization that Mulder had heard him. His voice was low. "You're right. I'll apologize if I see her again." "Good." "See you round." "I hope not." Banks smiled a humorless smile of acknowledgment and walked away. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx PART 4 - NC-17 D.C.P.D. PRECINCT 16 5:30 PM It was over. Mulder had called to say he was on his way and the cops had gathered in the squad room. Calls had been coming in for the past two hours revealing all that was being found in the underground laboratory. It was huge. Her partner had solved the big mystery and not a paranormal glimmer in sight. It was good to know that he could solve the normal stuff too. She always knew he could but it was nice for other people to know it too. The look on his face was priceless when he strode into the squad room. The whole room broke out in applause. He had stopped suddenly and looked around wide-eyed, then he had blushed and lowered his head. He actually blushed and it was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. Finally he's said, "Uh, thanks everybody," just barely loud enough to be heard. He spotted me and Clara at the back of the room and began making his way to us. I was resting in a chair. I greeted him as he approached. "Hey, partner, how's it going?" He smiled a big toothy smile at me and kneeled down on the floor in front of me, sweeping me from head to toe with his eyes. I was still wrapped in my trench coat but he could see my sling peeking out. He was a mess. His clothes were bloody, his tie was askew and his coat was rumpled. His hair was sticking up in spikes all over his head like it did when he'd been running his hands through it. Only half of his shirt was tucked in. He'd never looked better to me. Then he did something he'd never done in public before. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head on my stomach. He squeezed me tight. I ruffled his hair with my good hand. There were little chuckles at his reaction to the applause and now this going around the room. "I'm just so glad you're O.K., Scully. I was so scared." "Me too, me too." He shot me that quirky grin. "Wanna blow this Popsicle stand?" There were more chuckles. "You going my way? I seem to have lost my ride. My partner was out rocking the world of the D.C.P.D. with his uncanny discoveries and he forgot to give me the car keys." Everybody laughed at this, including Mulder. He scrambled to his feet and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me out of the chair. He put his hand in it's usual spot on the small of my back and turned to Clara. "Thanks for taking care of her for me." "Anytime, Agent Mulder, anytime." He smiled and nodded at her. He steered me through the crowd, nodding to his well-wishers. He paused at the doorway and turned back to the room. "Thanks everybody. That was nice. Embarrassing but nice. I'm still not convinced I'm not in an alternate universe." More chuckles at his reference to his proclivity for the paranormal. "In my world, nobody claps when I enter a room, they usually run out of it." One officer stepped forward and held out his hand. Mulder took it. "I'm Officer Carver. Maybe that will change now." "That would be nice but I won't hold my breath." "You did a hell of a job out there and we're grateful." "You're welcome. My partner did just as much as I did." Scully looked up at him. "Oh, that's crap, Mulder." More chuckles. They were all getting a kick out of the easy rapport these two had. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been figuring anything out or discovering anything. I would have had a bullet in my back." The crowd was silent now waiting for her response. "Well then, partner, I guess you'll owe me one!" He looked at her in mock horror. "Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now!" "Let's go." They waved and made their way out the door to the sounds of laughter behind them. Now, here they were in the car. It seemed to be taking forever to get to Georgetown but she knew it was just because she was tired. She had taken one of the pain killers and was now feeling tired. It was all catching up to her. Mulder glanced over at her and saw her lids drooping. "Scully, why don't you put the seat back and nap." "You wouldn't mind?" "Of course not. You must be exhausted." "You must be too." "I'm O.K. I didn't get shot." "Well, I do have that going for me but it wasn't an easy day for you either." "I'm O.K., sleep now." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT THURSDAY NIGHT 6:30 PM They arrived at her apartment and she was fast asleep, snoring slightly. He smiled and got out, going to her side and easing the car door open. He unbuckled her seat belt which she had left buckled despite laying the seat back. "Scully?" He nudged her leg gently. "Mmm." "We're here." Grunt. He smiled. He slid his arms in, one behind her back and one under her knees and stood up with her in his arms. He kicked the door shut with his foot and carried her into her building. She was making adorable little clucking sounds with her tongue. He was being careful not to jostle her shoulder again. When they reached her door, he fumbled for his keys in his pocket, supporting her legs with one of his own. She woke at this point but was groggy. "Huh? Mulder, what's going on?" "We're here." "You carried me?" She still sounded sleepy and confused. "You weren't waking up." "Must be the pain pills." He finally got his key ring out, located her key and slid it into the lock. He twisted it open and pushed the door open with his foot and carried her inside. He went straight to the couch and set her down. "Mulder?" "Shhh, I'll be right back." She nodded, her head falling back on the backrest of the sofa. He removed his keys from the lock, shut and locked the door. Then he returned to her and scooped her up again. He walked to the bedroom and set her gingerly on the edge of the bed. He pulled her coat off, careful with the side that was draped over her shoulder. He realized she was wearing a hospital gown with her pants. The coat had covered her top. "Scully, where's your shirt?" "Told them to chuck it." He hesitated. "Your bra?" "That too, ruined," she mumbled. "Oh." "Can you help me get my shoes and pants off?" He swallowed hard. Just knowing her breasts were bare under that little scrap of cotton made him nervous. Now was not the time to go all hormonal on her. She needed him. She could barely keep her eyes open. So he gathered his resolve and bent down to remove her shoes and socks and then unbuttoned her cotton trousers. His hands were shaking slightly at her proximity but he managed to pull them down and off each leg as she lifted her foot out of them. He pulled her up and threw the covers back and set her back down. She was in nothing but a hospital gown and panties now. She fell back on the mattress. He scooted her around and slid her legs up onto the bed and tucked her in. "Scully, can I use your shower?" "Sure," she mumbled. "Spare clothes in other dresser." He went to the dresser he knew she kept some spare clothes in for him in case of emergencies and pulled out a tee shirt and sweats. His shirt and suit were ruined too. He padded into the bathroom, realizing how tired he was too. He let the hot water wash away the strain of the day and beat on his tired muscles. Finally he emerged, donned his boxers and went back into the bedroom, reaching for the sweats he'd left on the edge of the bed. Her teeth were chattering. "Scully, do you want me to turn up the heat or make you tea?" "No." "Oh, O.K. Well then, uh ... I'll just get dressed. I should probably go. Or would you like to me stay ... on the couch ... in case you need anything?" She was facing away from him and smiled at how shy he was being. He wanted to help but was so unsure. She remembered Clara saying, 'Let him help you!' And she wanted to be close to him. There was no point in denying it any longer. "There is one thing you could do." "What's that? Anything, just ask." "You can crawl in here with me and keep me warm." "What?" His voice cracked. "You heard me." "Really? Are you sure?" "Yes. Do you think you can do that? I'm not up for much of anything else." "I didn't think ... I wouldn't expect ... you're hurt!" She chuckled at his discomfiture. "Yes, I am. I'm also freezing. And your body heat helped before. I would love to feel your body spooning around me." "Oh ... O.K." His voice was breathy. He dropped his sweats and lifted the covers and slid under them. He scootched up to her and put an arm under her pillow and placed his other hand on her hip. She could feel a slight tremor in his hand. His nervousness made all her nerves disappear. She whispered, "Closer." She heard him swallow hard and slide up to her, molding her body with his. His chest was warm and felt great on her back. She snuggled back tighter and heard him gasp when her rear end bumped his erection. The feel of it sent a thrill through her but she knew she was too tired to do anything about it. "Sorry, Scully, I can't help it." He sounded like a lost little boy. "It's O.K., Mulder, I understand. I'm too tired to help with that right now, maybe later." "What? You ... I don't expect ..." "Just keep me warm, Mulder, and put your arms around my waist." The hand on her hip slid slowly up and forward. He splayed his large hand over her rib cage and pulled her tight to his chest. "Mmm, feels good, " she murmured. He rumbled, "Yeah, it does." Her shivering had stopped already and she could feel herself drifting into sleep. "Thank you." "Anytime, Scully, anytime." She chuckled and fell asleep an instant later. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT THURSDAY NIGHT 11:30 PM She woke up feeling warm and cozy. She'd slept for about five hours judging by the time. She almost jumped when she felt the body surrounding her, a leg draped over top of both of hers, pinning her to the bed. Then she remembered. Mulder. He had crawled in to keep her warm despite how uncomfortable it made him to be this close to her. She was sure his erection had embarrassed him, but she really did understand it. Neither one of them had a particularly active social life so it was understandable that any intimate contact would make the body react. Speaking of which, her body was reacting. His large palm was still spread across her ribcage. His nose was now buried in the hair at the back of her neck and she could feel his warm breath cascade down her neck and shoulders. She could feel her nipples harden in response to that little sensation and felt a hum rise up from the back of her throat. She still hadn't opened her eyes. He stirred at the sound of her hum and grasped her tightly to him, murmuring in his half sleep. "Scully, you feel ... so good." She flexed her hips back and sure enough, he was aroused. She felt the answering wetness swell the lips between her legs. She smiled and heard him bite down on a moan. "Scully, stop that." "Why?" "Don't tease me, please. This is hard enough as it is ... no pun intended." "I'm not teasing you." "You're not?" "No." She pulled her top leg out from underneath his and lifted it to place it on top of right leg. Her left hand was almost numb from laying on her side but she flexed it and laid it on top of his hand. She gently pushed his hand down to the top of her panties, her hospital gown bunched up around her waist. "Scully? What are we doing here?" "Hopefully we're going to make love." He breath whooshed out of lungs. "Oh, God, Scully." "Touch me. Feel what you do to me." His hand was shaking slightly but he slowly slid it under the elastic of her panties and down to cup her juncture. His fingers slid over her clitoris on the way down and she hissed. He stopped. "Scully?" "Keep going." He moved down and rubbed his long middle finger over her cleft, separating her lips. They fell open at his touch and her wetness coated his finger. He groaned. "Oh Scully, you're so swollen, so wet." "Mmm, I know." "Is that because of me?" "Yeesss." "Oh God." He was breathing heavily now, but slid his finger inside and gasped at how hot and snug it felt. Her walls quivered slightly around his finger and they both moaned. She couldn't use her right arm, still in the sling, so she had to use her words. "Mulder, undress me. Take this thing off." He reluctantly pulled his hand away and made short work of the ties on her hospital gown. He rolled her onto her back and slid the garment down off her shoulders. When her breasts came into view, he just stared as though fascinated. She was afraid she wouldn't be voluptuous enough for him, but he seemed entranced. He pulled the gown away finally and dropped it over the edge of the bed. He hooked her panties in his fingers and slid them down. She lifted her hips to help and he whipped them off her. He was very aware of her of her shoulder and didn't want to hurt her. He rolled up and knelt between her legs, admiring the view. He was still a little nervous and couldn't believe he was here like this with her. "Scully, what do you want?" "Touch me." He lowered his head and kissed her. It was soft and undemanding at first, but his pressure increased as it went on and his tongue dueled with hers, licking her teeth and nipping at her lips until they were red and swollen. She was gasping for breath just from that. He ran his hands down her sides causing a shiver and then lowered his head and took her pebbled nipple into his mouth. She moaned loudly then, feeling it harden even further and cringe with the current of sensation that he was causing with his tongue. He seemed encouraged by this and began to suck while swirled his tongue. She arched off the bed, wishing she could use both hands. Her free one was on his shoulder. It felt so good but she had to stop him. She pushed enough to tell him to stop. He looked up at her, wide-eyed still and a little unsure, but his arousal was taking over his nervousness. He was tenting his boxers now. He was fully erect and she wanted to see it again. "Take off your boxers, I want to see you." He swallowed and pulled them down, leaning onto one hip to rip them off and sitting back up, legs spread, butt cheeks resting on his heels. He was magnificent. She stared for a few moments. Yes, it was as beautiful as she remembered. She reached for him and he leaned forward so she could reach. She ran her free hand over his shaft and his eyes closed as he groaned, pushing himself into her hand. When he had recovered from the initial shock of feeling her hand on him, he said, "Scully, you know I want this, but I don't want to hurt you." "Then lay on your back." He hesitated and then moved over, flipping onto his back. She sat up and swung her leg over his hips, lowering her weight onto his hips. He sucked in his breath and put his hands on her hips. Her left arm shot out to balance her against his right shoulder. She ground her wetness into his shaft, loving the expression of total pleasure and wonder on his face. There was longing there too, and still some disbelief. She'd have to see what she could do about that. "I need my arm, so you'll have to help me." She was whispering. She lifted herself up onto her knees. "Guide yourself." He met her eyes, blinked once slowly and then reached between them with one hand to grasp himself and line up with her. He was panting little shallow breaths in anticipation. "Relax, Mulder." He took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry. I just can't believe ... " "It's O.K." With that she began to lower herself down on top of him. As the head of his shaft entered her, his head was thrown back and he gasped. She lowered herself slowly, feeling her walls stretch to accommodate his more than adequate size. It had been so long. They both began to moan at the same time. He forced his eyes open to watch himself disappear inside her. She looked down as well, as though watching it would make it real. When he was finally buried, she ground herself into him again. He held her hips firmly to stop her movement. They stayed that way for a minute or so, panting gently and getting used to the feeling. It had been so long for both of them. He finally let out a breath, smiled at her, still a little shaky. He lifted her gently, raising his knees a little and began to thrust into her slowly, watching the whole time. "Is your arm O.K.?" "Yeah, Oh man, you feel ... so ... goood." He smiled wider and continued to thrust slowly, wanting to make it last. His head was spinning with the sensation of being inside her for the first time. How did this happen? How did he get here? He didn't care anymore. All he could pay attention to was the feel of her tight wetness engulfing him and milking his shaft as she clenched her muscles every time he raised her up. "Scully, you feel incredible, so incredible. Can't believe this." "Faster." He watched her face now as he sped up a little, setting up a steady rhythm that wouldn't jar her shoulder. He watched as her eyes rolled back in her head, her lids became heavy and opened and closed with every thrust. He reached up with one hand to roll her nipple when she began doing some of the work with her legs. At the touch on her breast, she moaned and her head fell back. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. Her hair was touseled. She wasn't wearing a speck of make up. He could see her freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. Her nipples were hard and her face was flushed. And her arm was still in a sling. He'd never seen anything as beautiful in his life. He thought she was beautiful yesterday, but it didn't hold a candle to naked Scully riding up and down his throbbing shaft and moaning like she was going to die from the pleasure. He couldn't quite believe that he could do this to her. His peak was approaching quickly. He felt his balls tighten up and he dropped his hand from her breast to her curls. He found her little bundle of nerves in amongst the curls and began rubbing it against their joining with every thrust into her. She went wild and started lifting and slamming herself into him, grunting with each impact. "Ohyeah, ohyeah, right there, ohyeah, ohyeah, oh I'm gonna come, Mulder. I'm gonna come." Yes! He had hoped he could hold out long enough to make it happen for her but he was beginning to doubt it. "Yeah, that's it, Scully, oh please, come for me, come for me." She locked her wide eyed gaze with his and let out a whimper, "Oh, hohoho," as the first spasms hit her. Then she yelled his name in a sultry low tone that sent him over the edge. "Awww, Muullddeerr, yeah, Mulder, yeah, oh God." He erupted into her, holding her hips down so he could stay buried inside her and feel her tight muscular walls milking him for every drop. He shouted, "Oh, Jesus! Scully, oh God, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" She flopped forward on his chest, wincing slightly when her shoulder touched down. He put his hands on her waist, rubbing gently over her waist and lower back. She shivered, so he pulled the comforter up over them, not willing to leave the warmth of her folds yet. She snuggled into him and made little sounds of contentment. "Scully?" "Yeah?" "That was really ... really good." "Mmm, for me too." "Scully?" "What?" "Why do you stay with me?" Her head lifted up at this, her brow scrunched. "What do you mean?" "I mean, you could have left a million times. God knows I've given you every reason to. Why have you stayed?" "Well, this is a pretty good reason to stay wouldn't you say?" He smiled. "Yeah, but you haven't had this before, so why?" Her expression was slightly somber and she shook her head a little as if trying to decide how to say something. He waited patiently. "Maybe because I hoped I would have this, someday." His palms came up to frame her face and he looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Scully. There's no one else for me. Hasn't been for a long, long time. I need for you know that." He looked away as though frightened of her response and let go of her head, his hands sliding to her shoulders. She raised her good arm and brought his face back her hers and leaned in to kiss him softly. "Look at me." His eyes darted away then back to hers and held. He swallowed hard. "Mulder, you ass, I'm in love with you too." His face crumpled into a look of shock and disbelief and he began to laugh. "What's so funny?" That was not the reaction she had envisioned. "Oh, Scully, I'm sorry. But that is exactly what Skinner said to me and it just struck me funny." "Skinner said what to you? What are you talking about?" "After Clara left with you, he talked to me. I told him what happened. He told me he knew I was in love with you and I should tell you. I told him I was afraid of chasing you away and he laughed at me. Said if I was going to chase you away, it would have happened by now and I should ask you why you stayed. I told him I hadn't ever figured that out and he looked at me like I was the dumb ass of the century and said, 'Mulder, you ass, she's in love with you.'" His mirth had died down now and he met her eyes again. "I wanted him to be right so badly, Scully, you have no idea, but I was afraid of ruining what we have. I was afraid I already had with that little stunt I pulled in that tunnel. I was afraid to hope, but I couldn't help it. I wanted it to be true so much." He was tearing up again. "It's true, Mulder. Wanna hear it again?" "Yeah." He sounded like a little boy and she giggled. "I love you, Mulder." "I love you too." "The way you make me feel ... you're a dangerous man, Mulder." He smiled. "Is that a good thing?" "Yeah, it is. But this will get messy." "Yeah, but we'll work it out. Scully, I've waited too long for this and I'll do whatever it takes to make it work. You're fairly dangerous yourself, lady." "Glad I'm a crack short, are ya?" "Yeah, I sure am." "I'll do what it takes to make this work too, Mulder. Let's just not stop talking to each other, O.K.? No more being worried about each other's reactions. Neither one of is going anywhere." "O.K. I'm really tired now." "Me too." "Well then silly, let's sleep. We'll talk and work out all the kinks tomorrow, O.K.?" "Yeah, but you really think Skinner won't care?" "I know he won't. He encouraged it." "I'll be damned." "Yeah, well, at least we don't have to worry about him getting on our case. He'll keep our secret." "Oh, I forgot to talk to him. In all the confusion, I forgot!" "Forgot what? He didn't come back to the precinct with me." "Clara has the hots for him." "No shit?!" He chuckled. "Hmm, that could be interesting. "Yeah, I told her I'd put a bug in his ear, discreetly of course." "Oh of course." "Hey, I'm not the world's best match maker, but I think I can pull this one off. I owe her anyway." "For what?" "She convinced me to go after you." "Then I owe her too!" The smiled and each other and she kissed him softly again and then laid her head on his chest. "Sleep now, Mulder." "Mmm. O.K. Goodnight, Scully." "Goodnight, Mulder." THE END. EMAIL WELCOME AT: donnilee@snet.net FOR OTHER STORIES BY ME, GO TO: http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/kimpa/ http://books.dreambook.com/fanficrecs/gertie.sign.html GO HERE TO RECOMMEND THIS STORY TO GERTIE'S "VIEWER'S CHOICE". http://chroniclex.simplenet.com GO HERE TO RECOMMEND THIS STORY TO CHRONICLE X.