Disclaimer stuff. I don't own Mulder, Scully, Skinner or Meg. I'm just borrowing them to play. Chris Carter is the person who I borrowed them from and I promise to give them back when I'm done. This is to be distributed by EMXC first and then later posted to the ATXC. You may pass this story around under two conditions you keep my name on it and if you want to publish it ask me first. I want a copy of the zine if you do. It was completed-- sort of-- I edit for life-- meaning everytime I read it I change something-- on Feb. 5, 1996. Greetings. This doesn't fit in with my Fusion series or Mac's universe. It does however tie in with a little Christmas story I wrote, so for those of you who said I promised, here it is. Actually this one has been in progress since November but others have come along and distracted me. Let me know what you think. Later, Eowyn Rating NC-17. Mild compared to some more than most that I write No real third season spoilers. It briefly mentions the cliff hanger but that's it. Romance-- hey guys it's me. I want to believe and I want to get them together on the show. E me at 72620.3447@compuserve.com or eowyn7@ix.netcom.com And now on with the show. Green Silk By Eowyn Evenstar Prologue 'Sideways' Special Agent Fox Mulder raised his hand to knock on his partner's office door before entering. He knew that she was there because the door was cracked and he could hear voices as he came down the hall. Before his hand descended he was stopped in mid- motion by what he heard from within. "Look, Missy, I have no idea whether Mulder is gay or not. It isn't any of my business." Dana Scully's voice sounded exasperated. "Oh come on, Dana. Surely you've thought about it. If I had a partner that drop dead gorgeous I'd certainly want to know." "Well we've always been different, Miss." "Different maybe, but up until now I never thought you were dead or blind. And you'd have to be both not to notice how gorgeous Fox is." "It's Mulder, not Fox." "His parents sure named him right. I could certainly get into him. Maybe I should give him a call." "You leave him alone, Melissa. He isn't a trophy for your wall." "Touchy aren't we. Maybe a little jealous?" Dana fought hard to reign in her temper. If her sister even had a hint that it would bother her or make her jealous Missy would go after Mulder tooth and nail. "We have a good working relationship and I don't need that jeopardized by you. What happens after you get tired of him? You've put me in the middle before and that was bad enough when it was just boys from the neighborhood or school but I don't want you doing it with my partner. I value our working relationship." "Sounds a little territorial to me, little sis, sure you're not interested?" "He's my friend and I like working with him and I don't want to pick up the pieces of his broken heart." "How do you know that I'd dump him? He might be just the guy for me." "That's what you say about all of them. Every last blessed one. Well stay away from Mulder." "So you do care." Dana was reaching her wits end when an idea occurred to her. "Look, Missy, I care because I don't want to lose the only partner I've ever had in this damned organization that treated me as an equal. He's never once called me a bitch when I disagreed with him, hell I don't even think he's thought it. He's listened to and respected my opinions. He backs me up and more importantly he lets me back him up. He needs me and he isn't afraid to show it and he lets me need him without treating me like some weak helpless female. So you're damned right I don't want you f**king with his head or his heart just for your usual fun and games. "You've worked out in the world and should know that a man who respects you to work with is worth a lot more than a good screw any damn day. And so help me if you endanger that I'll personally come after you and throw a party for every guy you've ever dumped so that they can screw with your head like you screwed with theirs." Melissa knew when to back off. Maybe Dana did regard him solely as a good friend and partner and hadn't thought about him sexually. If that was the case her little sister was more repressed than she thought. "Okay, Dana. But that still doesn't answer my question. Is he gay? Is that why you don't think of him sexually?" "Look I told you I don't know and I don't care. I know he had a girlfriend when he was in England but that's about it. As for his private life now... well neither of us has much time for any but what time we do have I don't go snooping into." "So he could have been covering with the girl?" "Yes... no... Oh hell, Melissa, that woman would be enough to turn a man gay." "So you think he is?" At Dana's frustrated look her sister pressed on. "You said he was good friends with Bryce, right? And you told me that Bryce was definitely gay? So maybe they have something going." "I told you Bryce was gay to stop you chasing after him. I didn't want to see either one of you embarrassed. I certainly didn't tell you to start you speculating on Mulder's sexual orientation. Leave it alone." "Well you said that he's never made a pass at you? And he never made a pass at me on the few occasions that I've seen him and I gave him ample opportunity. And that as far as you know he doesn't date. However, he has been seen going out with Bryce. I'll bet you he is. Now how shall we find out?" Dana knew what that meant. Melissa was going to go after Mulder. Her sister absolutely hated it when a guy that she was interested in didn't fall at her feet, and she would go after them until they fell and then drop them like a rock. It had happened a lot in high school and some in college but she had thought that Missy had grown out of it. Damn how was she going to stop her. "Okay, Missy you're right Mulder probably is gay." "Now you're just saying that." "No I'm not. Look, Missy, if anyone in the Bureau suspects he'll be in for a lot of trouble. I know they won't do anything overt but covertly the boys club will make his life hell. He already gets enough grief, he doesn't need any more." She could tell her sister still wasn't buying it. "When we were first partnered he would occasionally touch me. Not a pass, just a touch. One time I remember in particular there was a necklace I was wearing. He picked it up and his hand brushed between my breasts. There was a teasing indifference. He was letting me know that he didn't care, he wasn't turned on, okay? It was his way of telling me that he wasn't interested in women. Now if you're satisfied can we go get lunch?" Fox Mulder turned and walked quickly away from the door. He was furious. Mulder dropped that thought quickly. Something about it made him very uncomfortable. Agent Mulder and Detective James had taken a booth at the back of the bar and were drinking their beers. It was six o'clock, they were off duty and had spent the day getting nowhere. Add to that Mulder was feeling a trifle guilty, no make that very guilty. He could tell that James had hurt Scully with that comment about her not being sexy. And he had had to go and put his two cents in. Damn he thought he was past being mad at her for thinking he was gay. Hadn't they been through enough together for him not to be so petty. So she didn't find him attractive, that was no reason to imply that she wasn't. Actually she was very attractive. Okay, outwardly she was a bit of a school marm but her mind was wonderful. Stimulating. And he could trust her with anything and she was cute too. Not drop dead gorgeous maybe but... A knock-out red head had just walked in the bar! He needed a drink. Just below shoulder length red hair, black dress that looked like it was sprayed on, The hem line only to her upper thigh, Black hose with seams. Short off the shoulder sleeves, nice bust Mulder licked his lips and shifted his suddenly too tight pants. The red head sat down on the bar stool next to Allen. Very nice butt and three inch heels. Mulder took a long drink and motioned to the waitress for another beer. It was suddenly very hot in the bar. Allen didn't seem immune to the woman's charms either. He looked up at his companion. "Now that's a hot little number, Mulder. I'd blab my deepest to her on the off chance I could get in her pants." "Do you know her? Thanks." Mulder said to the waitress that had brought them each two beers. Happy hour and two for one specials. "No, never seen her before. Believe me with a number like that I'd remember. It's a little dark in here so maybe we should take a closer look." "Yeah, from inside looking out." "I know what you mean, Mulder, I know what you mean." They sat and talked awhile longer and watched their witness. Any reluctance to talk on his part didn't exist as far as the red head was concerned. Mr. Lynn Allen was talking up a storm. And Mulder suddenly realized from the motions he was making that he was probably telling the woman about what he had seen night before last. He was just contemplating suggesting to James that they try and over hear what was being said when the woman turned and looked at him. Straight in the eyes. He hadn't paid too much attention to her face before but then she met his eyes and the look she gave him was one of smug, disdainful satisfaction. "F**k." "Yeah it looks like he's telling her all about it." "Scully." "Your partner? Where?" "Right there interrogating Allen." "You're losing it, Mulder." "I am not. That's Scully. And when I get her alone is she going to get a piece of my mind for going out on her own like this." "If your mind is all you want to give her a piece of, Mulder, you've got some serious problems. Shit. Why didn't you tell me she could look like this. I'd have happily screw...." At the sudden hostile look he received from Mulder he broke off in mid sentence. Mulder was starting on his forth beer and didn't look like he would take well to any rude comments about his partner. "Can you walk back to the hotel from here? It's only three blocks." He asked the FBI agent. "Or do you want a lift? Might as well leave now and find out later what Agent Scully found out." "I'll hang around here until she is done. Don't want her in over her head." "Looks to me like she can handle herself just fine..." At Mulder's look he shut up. James left Mulder brooding in the booth and headed on home. Fox Mulder watched and drank. Scully stayed flirting with the man for another half hour then she got up to leave. She had attracted quite a following in the bar and several males were reluctant to let her go. He was just getting up to help when she handled them nicely and went out the door. Mulder paid his bill and left. He wasn't drunk... well not exactly. Six beers only made him tipsy. He looked around the parking lot and failed to spot Scully. He started walking towards the hotel when he came upon their rental car about half way up the block. Scully was behind the wheel. He pretended not to notice and started to walk by. She was out of the car and in front of him in seconds. "Get in, Mulder." "I'd prefer to walk." "Well considering how much you've had to drink I prefer you ride." "How do you know how much I've had?" "Six beers, Mulder. I can count. That is assuming that you were still on your first one when I got there. You aren't a drinker so they are going to your head. Especially on an empty stomach. Get in and we'll pick up food on the way back to the hotel." She added in a wheedling tone, "Come on it'll make you feel better." Scully wasn't feeling quite so hostile to her partner as before. She'd seen the way he and that asshole James had been looking at her when she first came in. She'd been careful at first not to let them catch on that she was watching but after she had gotten the information from Allen she couldn't stop herself from meeting Mulder's eyes with a look of satisfaction. He was contemplating fighting but from the look on her face and the way he was feeling he could tell that if they got into a fight she'd probably win. He didn't need the added humiliation of his partner handcuffing him and throwing him into the car. Fox Mulder got into the car without saying a word. Hoping that she wouldn't notice his renewed erection. Dana picked up fast food, saw Mulder to his room, made sure he ate and then went into her adjoining room to write up her report on what Mr. Allen had witnessed, leaving Mulder to sleep it off. He'd never had more than two beers in all the time she had known him and those were always with food. She knew that he didn't like being out of control. Well she'd worry about her partner later. She had a report to write. It hadn't been too hard to get Mr. Allen to spill his guts and now they had several excellent leads. It had also been wonderful for her ego. It was nice to know that someone found her attractive. She really ought to change but she didn't want to forget anything so she took off her shoes and hose and sat down at her computer to write. About an hour later she heard a knock on the adjoining door. "Come on in, Mulder, I'm just finishing up. I think we have several excellent leads. Allen was too embarrassed by what he'd seen and done to talk to the police but a little friendly persuasion works wonders." She had decided to be big and not rub it in that she had gotten him to talk when Mulder hadn't been able to. "Just what the hell do you think you were doing, Scully. Going into a bar dressed like that. You could have been attacked. Damn it." Mulder looked at her dress in disgust. He better use disgust, if not he'd never be able to get through this. Scully stood up to face him, she didn't like to fight sitting down. The height advantage was bad enough already without having to deal from a sitting position. "Women wear clothes like this all the time, Mulder. And besides I knew you and James were still in the bar in case I needed back up." "What if we left. You were asking for it, Scully. I thought you had better sense." Mulder stepped in closer to yell at her. She met him toe to toe. "Asking for what, Mulder. It was a GD public bar. No one was going to do anything, except make a pass. And that I can handle." "Oh you can, can you? If some guy comes up and pins you to the wall, like this." Mulder moved in on her backing her up to the connecting door. His body inches from hers. Dana felt light headed. She had had a couple of drinks when she was questioning Allen and they were still in her system. She raised her hands to push Mulder away, he was not going to get away with intimidating her like this. Before she could shove him he had taken her wrists and pinned them at shoulder height to the door. She pulled her arms but his grip was like iron, he wouldn't give an inch. He moved the lower part of his body in closer so that it was pressing her to the door. She could feel his erection against her. His mouth began to nuzzle the sides of her neck, gently nipping and kissing. she thought to herself, While another voice answered, He leaned his mouth down to brush her ear and whispered, carefully enunciating every word. "I - am - not - gay." With that his mouth descended onto hers. He forced his tongue in between her lips kissing her deeply. She stood frozen for a minute, then she began to struggle pulling again at her arms, shifting her hips from side to side, trying to shove him away. The movement of her body against his only aroused him further. He pulled her arms up over her head and took both of her wrists in one hand to hold them hard against the door. She had never been so aware of his strength, so over whelmed by it, so turned on by him. She had to stop him. His other hand which was now free came down first to her chin to hold it steady as he plundered her lips then it descended to grasp her breast. He cupped it gently in his hand then proceeded to stroke it. His thumb teasing it's tip. Her resistance grew weaker. She moaned softly. "This is what you were asking for isn't it? This is what you wanted. Tell me." He pressed her hard to the door rubbing his erection against her. He began to nuzzle her neck again and whispered so softly that she wasn't sure of the words. "It's what I wanted." "No... no... let me go." "Say it. You wanted this didn't you." His hand and body got rougher. Her head moved from side to side trying to avoid his lips. At her continued denial he raised her dress and dropped his hand between her legs. He drew in a deep breath "I just have one question for you. Did you want just anyone or was it me you wanted. Damn it, Dana, tell me. Or do you want me to stop?" He began to push himself away from her. Dana didn't know if she wanted him to let her go or hold on tighter. As his hand began to draw away from her body, her voice came out in a sob, "It was you. It's only ever been you. But you've known that all along, haven't you?" She finally got one hand loose but instead of using it to push him away she reached for his belt and undid it. Then she unbuttoned his pants and ran the zipper down. He released her other hand which she quickly used to push his pants and underwear down to the floor. He stepped out of them. With both his hands now free he was not idle. He ran the zipper down the back of her dress and pulled it off her dropping it to the floor. She was there naked before him. he groaned to himself. He leaned down and kissed her neck then ran his mouth down to gently massage her nipple with his lips and tongue. He quickly bent over and picked her up carrying her over to and laying her down on the bed. Stripping his shirt off quickly he joined her. Mulder had intended to take it slow. She was so small and delicate he didn't want to rush or hurt her. He wanted her to be ready. As his hand returned between her legs he found her wet and ready for him. His control snapped, he couldn't wait any longer. He shifted on top of her parting her legs with his knees. With his hand he guided himself into her. She cried out and he stopped afraid that he had hurt her. Before he could say anything she had spread herself wider and her hands were pushing at his hips urging him deeper. He began to move, trying to pace himself, to take it slowly, he wanted to pleasure her, to make her head spin as she was making his. Her soft moaning was driving him wild, he pressed harder and faster until he heard her cry out felt her jerk and shake beneath him. He was lost, surrounded by sensation, he cried out and then collapsed. He barely had the presence of mind to roll off her and pull her close into his embrace before he passed out. Greensilk By Eowyn Evenstar Part 2 Inside Out Fox Mulder woke up and looked blurrily at the nightstand clock. Six. He hadn't sleep that late in a long time. At least not when he had gotten to bed before midnight. He got up, still half asleep, to go to the bathroom. He felt woozy and hung over. He flushed the toilet and decided to run some water on his face. It was as he was drying his face with the hotel towel that he spotted the make-up on the bathroom counter. Then he remembered. The nausea that he had managed to fight suddenly won out and he found himself heaving into the toilet. When he was done he didn't have the strength to get up or the desire to return to the bedroom. He leaned his back against the wall pulled his knees up to his chest and placed his forehead on his knees. What the hell was he going to do? What did he want to do? He wished that the alcohol haze would clear so that he could think straight. He'd screwed his partner and best friend last night. A little voice answered back. < She's going to leave you now, you forced her. Now wait a minute those weren't my hands removing my pants. I may have been drunk but I can remember that much. Oh god.> He leaned his head back against the wall. He'd wanted her for a very long time. Probably since she had come to his room during that first case. She had been so scared and he had felt like such a creep. He'd known from her file and from having her checked out that she was an innocent in the game and he had gone out of his way to scare her. Yet when he had dropped his guard and pleaded with her to do the autopsy, he had really needed her, she had given in. It was only later that he had come to realize that whenever he opened the door to his heart and spoke from there, she would do anything he asked. She always knew, too. If he was putting her on she could be as stubborn as a mule but if he opened up his soul she would melt and not refuse him anything. He hadn't realized that she had the same power over him until she looked at him across the diner's table and said she needed to see her sister and Fox Mulder knew that he couldn't refuse her anything. The Mary Jane files weren't as important as her needs. Nothing was. That had scared him more than any X-file he'd ever faced except her disappearance. So he had withdrawn and built a wall up around his heart and tried to keep her out. Fat chance. Mulder didn't screw around much. Never had. He was basically shy and too private an individual to share that part of himself with a casual acquaintance. That's why he used the films and magazines. Phoebe had really turned him off to women, as well. She had been his first and he had loved her so much. That wasn't really fair, he never really loved her it was more adoration. Like a puppy with it's new master. And she had spent most of the relationship screwing with his body and his head. At first she wanted to break down all his reserve and inhibitions, thus the encounter on Conan Doyle's grave. It was at that point that she decided that he would do it anywhere she wanted so she had moved on to messing with his mind. He was a genius. He knew it, she knew it. Much brighter than her and she just loved that she could turn him into a blithering idiot. It had been years before he had been able to step back and realize what she had done to him. The games she had played with his heart and mind and how little he had really meant to her. And even then, ten years after he thought he had put it behind him, she showed up and he had been ready to sleep with her again. He had so much wanted to feel that closeness again with somebody, anybody, even Pheobe. Only Scully's showing up had prevented it. Scully. He smiled as he remembered waking up after having passed out trying to rescue those boys. She had been there taking care of him, loving him, and he knew that Pheobe was shit and he was over her at that instant. When you had the real thing you didn't need dross. Scully...? She was only the third, no forth woman he had had in his life. He'd forgotten Kristen. And he'd only slept with her because Scully was gone and she was in as much pain as he was. What a fool he had been. He'd wanted to die and so he had slept with a woman whose companions killed all her sexual partners. He was so scared. He'd never had a decent relationship with a woman, he'd never let anyone in too close. It was bad enough when he realized that even though they were just friends nothing was more important than her happiness. But last night they had become lovers. There was nothing of him now that didn't belong to Dana Scully. Even with Pheobe he had kept a part of himself isolated, protected. She knew that, sensed that somewhere there was a part of him that she hadn't touched and it had driven her to seek him out even ten years later. It was that part of him that had taken the FBI's offer and ran away from her and England. He hated being a nerd. Oh he didn't want to be Mr. Jock or Joe Cool he just didn't want to be a geek. And a geek he had been all through high school. Tall, lanky, uncoordinated and totally inept. He had developed his sense of humor as a shield and it had worked. No one saw how alone and isolated he felt after Sam was gone, no one looked beyond the surface. It had been that way throughout college, too. It hadn't been till graduate school at Oxford that his body had started to fill out and mature. Women had begun to notice him then, but he didn't know what to do or how to handle them. His shyness was interpreted as indifference and then it was assumed that he was gay. That's why it had hurt and angered him so much when Scully thought he was gay. He thought she knew him better, thought she had seen below the surface. He had let her in where no one ever had been. That private little place he had always kept to himself the place Pheobe had always wanted. And then to find out that she thought... He put his head back down on his knees and groaned. End Part 2 =========================================================================== From: eowyn7@ix.netcom.com(Gail Moore) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Greensilk Parts 3 & 4. 3/5 By Eowyn Date: 4 Mar 1996 18:50:29 GMT Disclaimers in prologue. Green Silk By Eowyn Evenstar Part 3 'Outside In' Dana Scully had felt him get up from the bed and woken up. She heard him in the bathroom. After six beers she was amazed that he had made it this long. She heard him washing his face and then a sharp in drawn breath. There went his guts into the toilet. She smiled quietly to herself glad that she wasn't the only one shaken up by what had happened last night. Unlike Mulder, last night hadn't come as a total shock to her. She knew she loved him and hoped that he loved her. She also had realized early on that he was so consumed by the X-files that he had sublimated most of his sexual urges into work. What he hadn't been able to submerge he took care of with those silly magazines and tapes. Their relationship had suited her just fine. She had been involved with someone at work before and the gossip and aggravation just weren't worth it. She had planed to give herself and Fox a few more years before pointing out to him that they really ought to do something about how they felt and get married. Oh yes, he'd been hers since, well if not since she first walked into that basement office, at least since she had run scared to his motel room that night and he had poured his heart out to her. He'd been so detached, so objective, like everything he was saying didn't hurt, had happened to someone else, but she had known, had sensed on a deeper level that his heart was still breaking and that he was handing her the pieces to put back together. And put them back together she had. They had. She knew within a few cases of working together that he didn't take himself seriously. At least not on the surface. He was a prickly cactus full of jokes who had been made fun of so much that he was starting to believe the hype. Well she had seen his brilliance on that first case, even through all his attempts to get rid of her. At least he hadn't flown off and left her in DC, from what she had learned later he had done that to a few of the partners they had assigned him before her. Always careful to make it look like an accident or misunderstanding but a ten or twelve hour head start on a case left the new agent at a considerable disadvantage. Especially if Mulder didn't take the time to brief them, and most of the time he didn't. And while she wouldn't let him get away with bull shit she took his ideas seriously. They had fought and argued tooth and nail, but slowly, actually not so slowly a trust and dependence on one another had developed. When had she fallen in love with him? She couldn't point to the instance when she had fallen but she did remember when she realized it. They were in the car watching Tooms and she had called him Fox. She smiled as she remembered that. She had scared the shit out of him when she had done that and he had pushed her back, not hard, very gently, but she had known he was telling her she was getting too close for his comfort. She had smiled at him and thought to herself that that was okay, she could wait, they belonged together anyway, even if he wasn't ready to admit it. Somewhere inside she knew that he knew it as well. So that a few hours later when it came to a choice between him and risking her career she had lied to Skinner without a second thought. She knew who was most important. She still hadn't been ready to give up her independence just yet, or so she had told herself,until last night. She knew how shy and unsure he was and last night had to be handled right or he would withdraw further. He'd been quiet in the bathroom for half an hour. That was easily answered, he hadn't had a good home life to learn from. She had been brought up in a house full of love. Fox had been brought up with cold reserved parents who had become totally withdrawn when their daughter had disappeared. She could still hear his voice their first night together in that motel room, "Nobody would talk about it." She guessed the question she should be asking was how someone from such a background could be so warm and loving inside. Beneath his cold unemotional exterior he cared deeply about just about everything. It was no wonder he had built up such a wall, he was one raw nerve ending. Well he had brooded long enough and she wasn't going to let him withdraw into his shell again. She got up, dug a pair of panties out of her suit case and put on his white shirt. She glanced over at the clock, six forty and they weren't meeting the detective until nine. Hum... if she played her cards right she might just get a repeat performance of last night. She walked over and knocked on the bathroom door. "Mulder, are you planning on hiding in there all day?" No answer. She opened the door and went in. He was sitting on the floor, head on his knees looking for all the world like a little boy who had lost his best friend. "You know sleeping with someone is not supposed to induce a state of catatonic depression. It isn't very flattering to your partner." At that he tilted his head and looked up and she caught the glint of an ironic smile in his face and eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't seem to come. His tongue came out to moisten his lips. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and control her libido. There was no going back. Before she saw those lips and that tongue she had kidded herself into thinking that maybe they could pretend that last night had never happened but her body's reaction to his presence quickly laid that idea to rest. Two weeks without him and she would handcuff him to his desk in his office and screw his brains out. She was very upset with herself. She was supposed to be able to control. One look at him and she was wet and ready. Mulder couldn't tell what she was thinking. She appeared cool and collected as if nothing had happened last night. "I can't think, Scully. My head's muzzy." "It's the effects of the alcohol. There's probably still a little of it left in your system. It should dissipate in another hour or so. Your stomach feeling any better." "Yeah, it's okay now, it was mostly the shock of remembering what had happened last night." Dana's lips twitched. She couldn't laugh. She wouldn't laugh. He would kill her. She started laughing. Mulder heard her making sounds above him. At first he thought that she was crying then it suddenly dawned on him that it was laughter coming from his partner. He looked up angrily. At his look she only laughed harder and gasp out between breaths, "Don't give me that look you, SOB. Saying that making love to me made you throw up should get you shot." At that he started to laugh. "Sorry, I really didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just don't know how to deal with this, with us. I mean... I've never... I don't know... I didn't plan... Shit." "Do you have any idea what you want to do?" Dana asked him. He kept telling himself that his brain was muzzy, that he didn't know what he wanted, but down deep he did know. He was scared... scared shitless but he wanted Dana Scully now and forever. He was just so afraid that a woman like her wouldn't want him. He didn't want to be a one night stand in her life but he knew that she valued her professional reputation too much to risk it on a relationship with him. Didn't she? He decided that he would tell her that he wanted to go back to what they had before and forget what had happened last night. He was sure that it was what she wanted. As he raised his head to tell her it suddenly occurred to him what she had on. It was his shirt! From his position on the floor he could tell she had a pair of panties on, so she had been in her suit case to get those. Yet she had chosen to put on his shirt. Why? He felt his heart beating faster, his breathing becoming shallow, and his body responding. Considering that he was wearing nothing he had no way to hide the erection that was developing. He looked up, embarrassed, into her face. She smiled and said, "Come back to bed, Fox, we still have an hour before we need to start getting ready to meet that asshole James." He reached up and took her proffered hand and she helped him get to his feet. Before she could move away however he pulled her into his arms and held her close, the side of his face resting on top of her hair. "Why don't you seem as scared of this as I do, Scully?" She looked up at him and tried to think up a good lie or at least a half truth. "The truth please." Damn, he could read her too well. "Because I always knew or at least hoped we'd end up together, like this. I just figured that it would take a couple of more years for you to realize it. That's all." Mulder bent over and picked her up in his arms. There had been so many times over the years that he had wanted to hold her like this that he was taking every opportunity now to do so. He didn't know what the day would bring, it might all come crashing down around his head, but for now he could touch her and he planned to avail himself of every opportunity. He carried her into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. He scooted back against the headboard still holding her in his lap. "Here, Fox, put a couple of pillows behind your back." He stuffed them behind him and leaned back. Dana sank down between his legs her back leaning against his chest. She turned sideways and they exchanged a deep loving kiss. He decided to continue the conversation they had started in the bathroom. "What do you mean you knew we'd end up together like this? Since when?" "I didn't know, but I sure hoped, maybe not since when I first walked in your office. I didn't believe in love at first sight. It was purely physical attraction as far as I was concerned but when a cute, smart-assed FBI agent looked up at me and shook his head and asked me in a patronizing tone if I believed in extraterrestrials visiting earth I wanted to shut him up." "I figured you wanted to slug me." "No way, I wanted to grab you by the back of your head pull your lips to mine and kiss you until you forgot all about EBEs and begged for more." "Is that why you stared so hard at me?" "I was looking at that mouth of yours trying very hard not to kiss it." "You didn't let me get away with any shit. Why not come on to me?" "You already thought I was sent to spy on you I figured if you realized that I was attracted to you, you would assume that I was part of a set up, that that was part of the set up. Which I was, but you knew that, didn't you?" "You mean did I know that they sent you to demonstrate that all my theories were bunk? Yeah, I knew. Hell, by the time they sent you to me a lot of them were bunk. I'd become so frustrated with nobody believing me that I wouldn't listen to anyone and quit even questioning myself." He leaned over to kiss her again before continuing. "You know if they had just left me alone for another six months I would have become so radical, rebellious and closed minded that they would have been able to get rid of me because most of the work I did would have been junk. I'd given up the scientific method, quit questioning theories and assumptions and ignored facts if they didn't agree with my conclusions. Then you came in and wouldn't let me get away with shit... but you actually listened. Do you know how wonderful it felt to have you standing across from me in the rain laughing because you believed my wacky crazy theory. And I knew that if I had convinced you that I was on the right track. "No one they had sent before ever believed. Even if the evidence was overwhelmingly in concurrence with what I proposed, if it didn't fit the acceptable mold they ignored it, or lied about it or even in some cases destroyed it. Do you know how many partners I'd gone through before you showed up?" She looked back and nodded no before kissing him on the lips again. "Umm, that's nice. I'd gone through at least half a dozen. They were all jerks sent to debunk my work and destroy evidence. No one lasted more than two cases. The last couple I'd managed to get rid of in one. I read your file and your paper and figured you would be a breeze." "You did, did you. And why was that? Because I'm small and a woman?" Dana's voice was indignant. "Now you know me better than that, Scully. No I figured with your hard science back ground that the X-files would shake your beliefs way to much for you to be able to deal with them. Not to mention having to deal with a crazy partner. Oh lord, if you could have seen your face when I spray painted that orange X on the road." Mulder had to catch his breath he was laughing so hard. Dana punched him gently on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Scully, but it's one of my favorite memories. I'm really thankful for my memory because when I'm depressed I just conjure up that face and I can't help but laugh." At her indignant look he finished. "Ah, let me have my fun, it's one of the last times I ever managed to pull anything over on you." She smiled at that and shifted around so that she could kiss him again. "I soon realized that you got a big kick out of pulling my chain, I've got two brothers, you know, and they were the same way. As a little sister you master the art of the impassive face." "Well I'd say you have it perfected, Scully." At her frown he asked, "What's wrong?" "Fox, we made love last night, and you are sitting here holding me in your arms with nothing on, hopefully getting ready to make love to me again," she leaned in and kissed him. "Don't you think it's about time to drop that final wall and call me Dana?" She rolled over so that she was now laying on top of him and kissed his lips again. "I love you. I will do my best not to hurt you. Don't be afraid." "Dana," he whispered. "Dana... Dana... Dana... my beautiful beloved Dana. You have my heart and my soul. I love you, but I'm so very very scared." "I know, love, I know. There aren't any guarantees but I believe in us. I might not believe in all your wild and crazy theories but I do believe in us. And as far as I am concerned that's all that matters." "I've got a terrible track record when it comes to relationships." "Fox, have you had that many relationships?" He blushed and studied his feet before answering, "No. I've always been way to shy. It takes a whole lot for me to let someone in." "Don't I know it. For three years I've been standing outside knocking waiting for you to realize that I loved you and you loved me." "You didn't knock very loudly. In fact there were a few times when you'd withdraw when I came to you. Why?" "Because I didn't think either of us was ready for a relationship. I'm still not sure whether we are yet." She ran her hand up to cup his cheek. "It isn't going to be easy. I don't want to separate and leave the X-Files which means we're going to have to hide this. That isn't going to be easy. I pulled back those few times because I knew if I didn't I'd spill my heart out to you and I was afraid that if you found out how much I loved you, you'd withdraw into your shell and never come out. I'm still afraid that you might, Fox." "After all of this how can you think that?" "Because we are still taking risks and we are both still going to be hurt. Tell me that every time something happens to me you don't blame yourself and consider having me transferred out of the X-files." He wouldn't meet her eyes but she felt his arms tighten around her. "Mulder, I want you to listen and listen good. I'm in the X-files because I love you but also and maybe more importantly because I find the work fascinating and challenging. The same reason that even if Samantha had never been taken you would still be investigating the X- files." Mulder stopped his gentle exploration of her body, suddenly lost in thought. Would he still be interested in the X-files even if he had Samantha? Yeah, he guessed he would. They challenged his intellect like nothing had before. In fact, he now realized that the reason he had started reading and investigating them had been boredom with his job in the VCS. He looked hard at Scully. That thought scared him more. He looked at the clock. "We'd better start getting ready, Scu..." at her quick look he changed it to "Dana." Dana sighed, he was withdrawing into himself. They did need to start getting ready but she could tell by the tone of his voice and the stiffness of his body that he was becoming uncomfortable with how close they had become. She kissed him deeply before getting up and heading for the shower. Green Silk By Eowyn Evenstar Part 4 Wrong Side Two hours later they were at the police station talking with Detective James. Dana Scully was becoming angrier by the minute. For the second time in the last twenty minutes James had cut her out of the conversation or ignored her comments. In fact since she had finished her report on what she had discovered from Mr. Allen last night he had not said one word to her. Mulder hadn't been so bad, not like yesterday, but he wasn't defending her either. That was what had angered her so. Mulder would normally not have let anyone get away with this sort of treatment of her. He had always demanded respect for her even when he hadn't demanded it for himself. Yesterday he and James both had been dismissive of her and today he didn't know how to react. She could tell by the look on his face that he was afraid of giving away what had happened last night. Her concentration returned to the conversation. James was talking, "I think based on what we know now that we should concentrate on The Apex Baker Company. They appear to have something to hide." "What about Creighton Phillips? He stands to gain quite a lot if the land values decrease do to alien sightings." Scully interjected. James ignored her comment. "What say we go to Apex and shake things up a bit, Mulder?" "Detective James, if you have trouble working with a woman perhaps it would be best if we requested another detective from your department to work on this case with us." Scully confronted him. James looked quickly to Mulder for support. Fox Mulder was in trouble and he knew it. No matter what he chose to do one of them was going to be mad. And he was afraid that James would suspect that something was going on between him and Dana. Problem was something was going on between him and his partner and he didn't know how to hide it. And deep down inside, his fear of committing to her, of becoming even more dependent on her won out and he decided to remain neutral, even though he knew that she was right. He said nothing as they both looked at him. Finally James spoke. "I have no idea what you're talking about Agent Scully. Do you, Mulder?" Mulder was silent as they both looked at him. He decided to change the subject and try to reach a compromise on the case. "Why don't we interview Philips this morning and then go to Apex this afternoon. They both look to benefit if the deal falls through and I don't think we can afford to ignore either as a suspect. James, why don't you call and arrange appointments with some of the managers of Apex for this afternoon. I want to review the data that we have on Phillips one more time." James nodded and left. He didn't want to tangle with Agent Scully, let Mulder handle her. After he left Scully looked hard at Mulder before speaking. "I'll request a transfer when we get back, Mulder." He started to interrupt but she held up her hand. "It's obvious that you aren't comfortable with our relationship now. I think it would be best for both of us to end things now before either of us gets hurt any more." She stood up. "I'll call Phillips and set up a time to meet with him later this morning." "Scully, wait. I don't want you to..." His voice trailed off. "It's alright, Mulder, I knew you weren't ready. I should have waited. It looks like we've blown the only chance we're ever likely to have." She reached out and touched his cheek gently, "It's okay, Fox, I knew that us working out was a long shot. You can't win every time. Maybe some day you won't be so afraid of commitment. Or maybe the right girl will come along. I'm sorry I wasn't her." She turned to go. "How can you say that just because I don't agree with you about James..." "That's just it, Mulder. I know that you do agree with me about James. You aren't willing to support me. In part because you're afraid he will suspect about last night but mostly because you wish last night had never happened." As he started to protest she met his eyes. "Have the courtesy at least not to lie to me." He couldn't look her in the face. She was right. He did wish last night had never happened. If it had been simply about sex and attraction then it wouldn't have mattered as much but it was about love and commitment. He loved her but wasn't ready to commit. He had too many things to do, too many responsibilities, and he was just too damn scared. "Can't we still be partners? Scully, I don't want to lose you." "I know you don't, Mulder, but I can't go back. I can't pretend that what happened, didn't. You know what I want. I understand if you can't give me that but I can no longer go on pretending anymore. It's too painful and I'm afraid one of us will get careless and get hurt, so when we get back to DC I'll ask Skinner for a transfer. Don't worry I'll simply tell him that my mom needs me closer to home for the time being. He'll understand." She left quietly closing the door. Part of Fox Mulder was relieved that he had gotten off so easily but another part, a part that he quickly silenced, tried to tell him that he was dying inside. He returned his attention to the case file. Dana Scully made an appointment for them to interview Philips and then sat back to think. Could she really go through with it and leave Mulder? As much as she told herself she had to, she still didn't know if she could. She'd said what she had to make him think but she'd also meant it. She couldn't, wouldn't go back. She just hoped that when he thought about it he would feel the same way. He was one of the bravest men she knew except when it came to relationships but she knew that once he opened his eyes and saw how much he was hurting her he would find the courage and determination to make theirs work. She hoped it wouldn't take too long for him to overcome his fear. End Part 4 =========================================================================== From: eowyn7@ix.netcom.com(Gail Moore) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Greensilk Part 5 4/5 by Eowyn Date: 4 Mar 1996 18:56:05 GMT Disclaimers in Prologue Green Silk By Eowyn Evenstar Part 5 Right Side The day had been a long and hard one but in the end they had solved the case. It had turned out to be Philips and Shelton, the controller for Apex. They had been roommates in college and when Scully had spotted that little bit of information Fox had put the pieces together. This case had started out to be an X-file on missing persons and possible alien abductions but had turned into a fraud case involving bank fraud, a land swindle and false stock securities. It was going to turn out to be a major feather in their cap, since no one had even suspected what was going on until they had begun investigating. And best of all for Dana, James had ignored her advise about a suspect and was busy chasing down the wrong person when the case had broken. He would get little credit and he had no one but himself to blame. Mulder had appeared indifferent to James misfortune. In fact, Mulder had spent the day in a seeming indifferent haze, only marginally aware of what was going on around him. Part of his brain had been devoted to the case but the rest seemed to be totally elsewhere. Dana wondered what he was thinking. As they prepared to return to their hotel that night she got an inkling of what his decision might be. James was justifying himself to his captain about why he was off chasing another suspect while Mulder and Scully had broken the case. He had challenged Scully saying that she was having trouble working with him and had misled him into following up a false lead. He assumed that Mulder would either back him or keep his mouth shut as he had been doing since they started the case. Mulder hadn't even glanced at Scully when he replied. "On the contrary Agent Scully tried to warn you that there was not any evidence to support your theory that Davidson, Apex's president, was involved in the plot. You ignored her as you have throughout this case. You should learn to respect your colleagues whether they be male or female, otherwise you will continue to find yourself in such situations. And now if you'll excuse us, Captain, it's been a long day and Agent Scully and I are tired and hungry." Dana had tried to thank him but his only comment was that he was only stating the truth. After that he said nothing more. They had talked about the case over dinner. There was a possibility that Skinner would be coming out in the next day or two to deal with some of the repercussions. Treasury was interested, along with the SEC, not to mention several state regulatory agencies and the shuffle for jurisdiction had already begun. Their boss wasn't about to let any other agency usurp their case. The various groups could work with them if they liked but the FBI had broken the case and they would be the ones to lead the investigation. Mulder and Scully had even laughed a little at their boss' attitude. They had both been able to tell that he was relishing the coming fight, nothing like a little interagency turf fight to put him in a good mood. No one had even suspected what had been going on until the X-file pair had discovered that the abductions were all an elaborate fraud to affect land and stock values. "By rights we ought to be high on the list of agents assigned to this case. Possibly even to supervise it. What do you think, Mulder?" Scully saw him shiver and grinned knowing there was nothing he would hate more than supervising a bunch of accountants going through a paper trail. She was shocked when he had replied. "Why don't you request that Skinner put you in charge. I don't want it and it will be a high profile case. It looks like we're talking over a hundred million here. Very good career move." "And you get rid of me with little fuss and bother. Is that it?" Dana had been hurt and angry, she had thought that when he had stood up for her against James that he had decided to take a chance on the relationship. "It would be good for your career. A case like this is bound to result in a promotion if it's done successfully and I know you could do it brilliantly." "You're still avoiding the issue. That kind of assignment will take three months at the bare minimum, more likely six to nine months, if it is as far reaching as we think. You're better qualified to supervise this than I am and stand a much better chance of getting the assignment." "I don't want the assignment. I'd be bored to tears in a week." "And you think I wouldn't, Mulder?" "Scully, I gave up on career advancement a long time ago because the type of work needed bored me stiff but you haven't. You can still move on. I don't want to hold you back. This is your brass ring. You've got to grab it and hold on tight." "I don't want it, Fox. Not without you. Hell, even with you I'd be bored in a month. I enjoy the challenge of the X-files. Not the brushes with death but the paranormal occurrences that challenge every belief that I have. The things we encounter may shake me to the core but they also stimulate my mind and imagination, you stimulate my mind and imagination. Even when we don't agree I enjoy the debate to strive for the truth. If you want I'll request a transfer but not to supervise a boring audit." Dana finished angrily. Mulder sighed with resignation and said under his breath, "I tried." "What." "Nothing, Scully, let's go back to our rooms." He turned to the waitress and requested the check. Dana's heart was breaking. She loved him and knew that he loved her but it was obvious that he wasn't ready or was afraid to commit. She realized that he had spent most of his life lonely and she guessed that he just couldn't accept the thought of loving and being loved. She knew she was going to cry but she was determined to hold it together until he left. She was going to plead exhaustion and send him on his way. She unlocked her door and turned to say good night only to find that he had gone on to the door of his room and with a quick wave bye entered and closed the door. She drew in her breath and sighed before entering her room. Tears ran slowly down her cheeks but she held in her sobs. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going the tears and darkness making it hard for her to see when she came up hard against a chest. She started to push away and scream when she heard his voice. "Shh, Scully, it's me." "What are you doing here. Go away. I don't want you, or need you, you bastard. You're rid of me, okay. Isn't that enough?" She said as she pushed away from him. "But I don't want to be rid of you." He pulled her back into his arms and began to nuzzle her neck. "Then what the hell was all that about in the restaurant? What the hell was the whole damn day about then, Mulder? It sure sounded like you were trying to get rid of me." The pain was evident in her voice. "That was your last chance. I should probably make you take this assignment for three months, at least let your head clear, not take advantage of your emotions. That's what I was determined to do. I didn't want you to give up all your dreams to be with me but I'm too weak, I can't do it, Dana. This is your last chance." He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Scully, are you sure you're willing to give up everything to be with me? If we can't keep this secret it may well come to that. Are you willing to pay that price? Because if you aren't let me know now." She heard the pain in his voice as he continued, "I couldn't bear to lose you once we become involved. Hell, I can't bear to lose you now. I've been miserable the whole day thinking about not having you beside me." He let go of her and stepped back before concluding, "Dana, I'll live by whatever terms you want, whatever makes you happy." "I want you, Fox. To be with you, love you, you're my dreams. The rest is just icing on the cake. Yes, I want to keep working on the X-files but if they find out and try to force us apart then I'll happily give them up so that we can be together. I joined the FBI because I want to make a difference, to help people, if I have to leave I'd miss it and regret it but as long as we're together that's all that matters to me. Don't you know that by now?" She stepped forward into his arms raising her lips to his. He kissed her and held her close and whispered in her ear. "If they find out and try to separate us then we go together. Deal? No arguments, no second guessing, we're a team and we stay a team whether we work for the government or not." "But what about your...." "Hush, Dana, it's together or no. We come first and chasing all over the country without you would be too painful and too lonely, 'sides who would I have to watch my back. That's the deal. I won't go into this with the idea that one of us will walk if the going gets too hard. Those are my terms. Can you live with them?" He stepped back a little to get a better look at her face. Dana thought to herself, She smiled up at him. "You've got yourself a deal, Mulder." She paused and slid a sly grin up at him. "Do I have to go out and get you a six pack?" Mulder was puzzled. It suddenly occurred to him what she meant. What she wanted. And he blushed slightly then grinned down at her. "No six pack is needed, Ms. Scully. Not needed at all. Come here." He pulled her roughly into his arms and lifted her over to the bed. He laid her down on it fully clothed and stepped back. Fox began to remove his clothes, very slowly watching the hunger build in her eyes with each piece he took off. When he was finally naked he laid down beside her on the bed. He found it an incredible turn on to be wearing nothing while she was fully dressed. Shyness, which was so much a part of his make-up began to reassert itself. He blushed, all over, looked up and saw Dana smile. "You took the lead last night, Fox, tonight it's my turn." Her look made him suddenly feel like a chaste Victorian virgin on her wedding night. She pushed him down on his back in the bed and began to touch and kiss him. Whenever he would try to make a move with his hands she would push them down to his sides telling him that it was her turn to make his head spin. And spin he did. The kissing, the stroking, the touching all over his body drove him wild. Within minutes he couldn't seem to get his breath and was moaning at each new touch. When she had touched every part of his front, until he knew that he couldn't take any more without exploding, she withdrew from him and sat up on the bed. "Roll over, Fox." He looked up at her questioningly. He wondered to himself. If she hadn't stopped when she did he would have embarrassed himself by finding release without her. One look at the wicked grin on her face and he rolled over onto his stomach. Suddenly a whole new agony began. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her removing her shoes, hose and panties. Before he could turn his head to see more she had pulled her skirt back down and looked demure again. She scooted over to him on the bed and then straddled him. Her body coming to rest on his bare buttocks. He groaned loudly. A smile played at her lips as she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "You like that, Fox? It feels so good to me." With that she sat back up and rubbed herself back and forth against him. Again he had to fight to get his breath and for control. While he was concentrating on the sensations she was causing he failed to notice that she was removing her shirt and bra until he felt her lean over and her naked breasts brush against his back. Her lips were suddenly teasing his neck and upper back, her hands kneading the flesh of his back, shoulders and arms. When her hands found their way down to his thighs and hips he could control himself no longer. He rolled swiftly over, throwing her off himself in the process. Before she could comment he had grabbed her and pulled her back on top of him, spreading her legs and entering her in one quick thrust. She knelt astride him. They were both wild with passion, way beyond thought and control. He fought to focus his eyes on her. Never had he seen her look so untamed, so out of control and the thought that he had brought her to this filled his soul. His mind sang. He heard her scream saw her body tense and he was lost as well, a loud groan escaped his lips before he lost totally the ability to breath. A small little voice in his head hoped that no one was in the next room because they would call the cops for sure. She collapsed on top of him. Neither had the energy for movement for a long time. Finally he rolled onto his side pulling her close and they both fell into an exhausted sleep. End Part 5 =========================================================================== From: eowyn7@ix.netcom.com(Gail Moore) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Greensilk Part 6 5/5 By Eowyn Date: 4 Mar 1996 19:04:42 GMT Disclaimers etc. in part one. Green Silk By Eowyn Evenstar Part 6 Up Side Fox Mulder was dreaming. It was such a wonderful dream. One of his favorites actually. In it he was making love to his partner, Dana Scully. His conscious mind he could control but at night with his guard down she slipped in and they made love. The last few months it had been happening way to often and he had been remembering the details far to vividly. Going to work the morning after one of these dreams was always torture. He had to keep himself withdrawn from her for fear that he might have a slip of the tongue or even worse yet get a hard on from looking at her and she catch on that his thoughts weren't professional. In his dream state his mind informed him that the next day was going to be particularly tough. Maybe he should call in sick to avoid seeing her. Suddenly he jolted awake. He thought that he must still be dreaming but she had never done _that_ in any of his dreams! Now awake he realized that he had come to in the middle of making love to his partner. was his last conscious thought before her mouth drove all thought from his head. "Morning." Dana leaned down and kissed him awake. "I'm not Sleeping Beauty but I can see why she liked being wakened by a kiss." He answered smiling at her. "Now or in the middle of the night?" She asked grinning back. "Both." "Well I must say that of all the times you've woken me up in the middle of the night, last night was my favorite." "Mine, too. We might consider making a habit of it." "I'm addicted already. By the way I checked my E-mail messages and Skinner's coming in this morning around nine. He wants us to wait here to talk to him." Mulder looked a little nervous. This was all very new and despite their resolve he really didn't want it to have to pass the Skinner test just yet. "Don't worry, Fox, from the tone of the message a major jurisdictional fight is brewing and I think he wants to be on the front lines. Should be fun to watch." "Yeah. But it means we're going to have to stop sleeping together for the duration and I was just starting to enjoy myself." "Sorry, lover. Maybe we can turn the case over to him and get home in time for the weekend. Take off for a romantic hideaway some place." "That sounds like the perfect plan. Think we can get it by him." At her look he continued, "Not the weekend but him letting us head back to DC. The weekend can take care of itself." He smirked at her. "Well he should be here in a couple of hours so we better get ready. If we've got our reports finished then maybe he'll let us cut and run after we brief him. For now you better go mess up your bed and get your shower wet. Make sure you get all your clothes out of here." Mulder nodded and gathered his things and headed to his room to make it look like he had spent some time there over the last couple of days instead of having more or less moved into Dana's. "Well that's how the case stands now, Sir. All the records and monies have been frozen, including a couple of accounts in the Camen Islands. From what we can tell these men were very smart and haven't been spending money hand over fist. There is a good chance that all of the victims will be able to recover most of the funds which were swindled." Mulder finished speaking. "Very good, Agent Mulder, Scully. A very impressive case." Walter Skinner was at a loss for words. It was obvious that the two agents had worked hard finishing up their reports for his arrival and he knew exactly what that meant. They wanted to return to DC and the X-files, which made what he had to ask very difficult. He sighed inwardly. Anybody else would be ecstatic over having broken such a high profile case and the chance to supervise it would have given them a hard on. Not Mulder, Mulder wanted to head back to the X-files and so apparently did Scully. Mulder and Scully exchanged looks. Something was bothering Skinner. Scully took the ball. "Sir, is there a problem with our reports?" He looked up and faced them. It was absolutely necessary to get their cooperation, without it he didn't stand a chance but Mulder's cooperation was going to be hard to obtain. Silent acquiescence wouldn't do it Mulder had to take an active part. "We have a problem." Mulder interrupted before he could continue. "It's alright, Sir, we realize that such a high profile case should be supervised by someone with more experience in the area so we'll be happy to turn it over to another set of agents." He turned and looked at his partner before concluding, "Won't we, Scully." "That's right, Sir." Skinner laughed. "Mulder, Scully, despite what you might think of my deductive abilities I am well aware that you have every I dotted and T crossed so that you can be out of here by tonight. And that the thought of supervising the investigation scares you more than most of your cases. That's the problem. I need you to stay here and supervise this case." He had to fight to keep from laughing at the look on his agents faces. Scully looked shocked but Mulder looked sick, Scully spoke first, "Sir, we're not really qualified to supervise this case." "You both are more than eminently qualified to supervise the agents who will be assigned. They do the nit-picky details, you just make sure that every area is covered." He saw Mulder start to protest and interrupted before he could. "Look, Fox, this isn't an attempt to close the X-files or get you out of them. I found out a couple of things last night that changed the complexion of the case. In fact I'm concerned that even with you here the truth will still be swept under the rug. Will you listen before you start your protests." Mulder nodded mutely, thinking to himself that "From the looks of things there are several senators and congressmen involved. Some lent their support to Phillips while others invested money. One or two even got campaign donations from one or both of our guilty parties. You know the kind of stink that's going to make. They are pushing to have the investigation removed from FBI leadership to a department that they can control more readily. Now the only argument I've got that carries weight is that you two were on the case from the beginning and are more familiar with the suspects. If I transfer you out and bring new people in then that goes out the window. If it weren't for congressional involvement then the fact that the FBI broke the case would be enough but with that thrown into the mix I've got to use every card I've got to keep the investigation." Mulder did not look happy. "Neither of us are accountants sir, the kind of work that's going to be going on for the next three to six months isn't what we're qualified to do. We might be able to supervise the agents and help build a case but there is no way in hell that we could tell if they are doing the work right. We could mess up the investigation with our lack of knowledge." "I'm aware of that, Agent Mulder, that's why I'm bringing in one of our top auditors. In fact I had originally planed to let him supervise. I was well aware that neither of you would want the job." At this point he looked chagrinned. "I'll try to get you out of here in a couple of months and if any major X-files come in I'll direct them your way and you can probably slip out for a few days to investigate them or at least consult. Mulder, if you weren't so devoted to the X-files you'd be doing supervisory work by now with at least half a dozen agents under you instead of agent Scully." Skinner missed Scully's grin and raised eyebrow at his words, but Mulder didn't and he blushed and decided to avoid looking at her for awhile. Skinner thought. "Well can I count on your cooperation?" He looked at his two agents. He needed them to fight for this, otherwise the case would be turned over to Justice or Treasury or maybe even a state regulatory agency which could be more easily influenced. Mulder turned back to Scully after he had gotten himself under control. "Well, Scully, what do you think?" He ignored Skinner. Scully thought about suggesting they talk privately but then realized that Mulder didn't want to cut Skinner out of the loop. After their boss' help during the MJ files Mulder seemed to be trusting him more and informing him of what was happening when asked. He didn't go out of his way to tell him anything but he didn't lie when asked either. "I don't know, Mulder. It'll look great on our service records but it's going to be boring as hell." Mulder nodded. "And can we trust that this won't drag on for months?" He didn't look at Skinner but Scully knew he was wondering if they could trust Skinner to get them out ASAP. She shrugged. "Who knows. This thing is definitely going to take several months but maybe a break wouldn't be all that bad." Her partner looked startled at first and then realized what she was thinking. They could develop their relationship out of Washington without a bunch of Bureau eyes on them. And while they were on this assignment they weren't likely to be spied on by Cancerman and his associates. Skinner watched and waited. He was torn between anger at being ignored and feeling heartened that they trusted him enough not to debate this request behind his back. He was surprised at their seeming silent conversation on the subject. Most partners would have taken at least half an hour to discuss all the ramifications yet after a few brief sentences and several silent looks Mulder turned to Skinner and replied. "All right, Sir. We'll officially request to supervise the case and do our best to fight for it. We'll give you two months but after that we request reassignment. Deal?" Skinner sighed in relief. "You've got a deal, Agent Mulder." "How is the auditor you're bringing in going to take being supervised by us?" "I've already talked to him and he wants this case. He's willing to follow your directions provided you listen to his advice when it comes to the financial matters. You'll report to me once a week at least, and in person once every two weeks. This is going to be a high profile case and there is going to be a lot of pressure coming down." Skinner smiled. "Actually you're perfect to supervise it because you don't give a damn what most of them think. Just try not to piss off anybody important." "I'll let Scully handle the VIPs under the guise of trying to avoid being influenced." "Thanks, Mulder. Just what I wanted" "Hey, you're the diplomat." He turned to Skinner. "So what do we do now?" They sat down and Skinner detailed his plan for the coming fight ahead. They returned to their rooms exhausted at the end of the day. Mulder had to admit that Skinner had been impressive in the interagency fight. He and Scully had been able to back him up with their detailed knowledge of the facts of the case thus proving Skinner's point that their knowledge was an asset to their supervising it. There had been some major battles but Skinner's implied threat of letting the media in on why the FBI surrendered the case was finally enough to get them to back off. Mulder and Scully were now the Agents in Charge of the investigation. The hotel thinking that they would want to be together had given Skinner a room on the other side of Scully. Had been the thoughts of both of his agents. As they headed towards their rooms Fox tried to get a few minutes alone with Scully. He hadn't been able to kiss or even touch her all day and he was going through withdrawal. "Scully, let's sit down for a few minutes and plan our strategy for tomorrow. It'll give us a head start in the morning and we can determine which witness depositions are the most important to get." Before she could reply Skinner interrupted. "Sounds like an excellent idea, Mulder. I'll join you that way I can take an early flight out." With his back to Skinner Mulder rolled his eyes at Scully. She restrained herself from laughing. She'd grown up in a house with siblings so she knew what it was like to have your love life interrupted constantly by a third wheel. As they adjourned to her room Dana decided to lay the ground work for her and Mulder's living arrangements for the next month. "Why don't we move to the Comfort Suites tomorrow. We can get a two bedroom suite and that way we can have that common sitting room to use as an office. That little cubicle we have at police HQ isn't going to cut it for the number of agents we're going to need. We could move in a couple of file cabinets." Mulder suppressed a smile. "I don't know. That means that we'll be on call twenty four hours a day. I'd like a break every now and then." "Well if we don't do it that way you know the kind of dumps that we get stuck with on the Bureau budget. We'll have to rent office space and rooms and accounting is going to have a fit. I want a shower that works for a change. At the last dump it barely dribbled and the drain still backed up." Mulder grinned remembering that particular motel. "What do you think, Skinner? Should we try Scully's idea or settle for rented office space and a dump?" "Agent Scully's idea sounds like an excellent one to me. The cost will be less than rented office space and two motel rooms. Not to mention that you won't have to pay for utility hook ups. You might even see if they have three bedroom suites so that agent Fitzwilliam could join you." Scully looked flabbergasted at this suggestion. Two months of celibacy was not what she was interested in. Mulder felt the same dismay but then an idea occurred to him. "Well those three bedroom suites only have two baths. As I'm senior AIC, Scully, that means you and Fitzwilliam get to share the bathroom." He grinned at her. "Not on your life. You're bad enough when we get stranded out in the middle of nowhere and I have to share with you. I'm not about to share with some stranger. Men are pigs, Mulder, I grew up with two brothers I should know. You share the bathroom." "No way, Scully. He looks anal retentive so he'll probably keep it cleaner than you." With both his agents looking stubborn, Skinner felt it prudent to intervene. "All right, all right. Fitzwilliam can find his own accommodations. Nobody has to share." Skinner missed the secret smile they shared. they both thought, It was eleven thirty and Walter Skinner was exhausted Mulder and Scully were still going at the case. "I'm turning in. I suggest you two not burn yourselves out on this. You have a couple of months to go." Mulder didn't look up from the notes he was studying but answered. "We'll just finish this witness list and then turn in. We promise." Skinner nodded as he left. They continued working quietly for another fifteen minutes finishing the task they had started. "Well, Scully, I'm going to turn in. See you tomorrow." When she looked up in hurt surprise he nodded at the door to his room and whispered, "Get ready for bed and join me in fifteen." She smiled and nodded yes as she watched him go to his room leaving the adjoining door slightly open. Dana Scully debated what to wear. At the bottom of her suit case was an emerald green silk night gown. She didn't wear it very often but packed it in case she needed cheering up. Well she didn't need cheering up but thought that Mulder would appreciate it. It had been a Christmas present but no one in her family claimed to know where it came from. It had just shown up under her mother's tree last Christmas. All her family had denied responsibility for it and she believed them. None had appeared to be lying and that worried her because one of them must be and she thought that she could read her family. Well her skills didn't seem to be gone but the nightgown had to have come from somewhere. She had even gone so far as to go to the boutique that it had been purchased at and try to find out who had bought it. No one remembered and Scully had been shocked to find that the night gown and robe set had cost over two hundred dollars. She smiled to herself as she slipped it on. Opening the connecting door she entered his room. He was laying propped up on his bed reading the sports section. As she came in he looked up and froze. She saw passion in his eyes as he took in what she was wearing. He bit his lower lip and put the sports section down. Before she could join him on the bed he spoke. "Wait. Turn around. You look beautiful." He watched her spin before him thinking that it would have been worth it at twice the price and if he should tell her the truth. He grinned at the thought. She saw his smile and wondered what he was thinking. "You like, Fox?" "You're beautiful, Dana. More beautiful in that than I ever could have imagined. Worth every penny." At that phrase she stopped and stared at him. Hands going to her hips. "And just what would you know about how much this cost, Fox Mulder." He blushed and suddenly found his feet fascinating. "A... it just looks expensive... Scully." "Don't you lie to me. Did you buy this for me?" "Ah gee, well I'd missed you so much when you were gone... and the pen and pencil set just didn't seem enough and it wasn't very personal... and well I was walking by this store and it was so beautiful and just your color. Before I knew it I'd gotten it and then I thought I can't give this to her she'll kill me and so I was going to take it back and mail your other present to you... and then I forgot and thought I'd drop it by your mom's and while I was there well I sortta snuck it under the tree..." He looked up from his speech to see her reaction. She smiled to herself. "You are so sweet." Coming over she joined him on the bed and kissed him long and lingeringly. "Want to help me take it off?" He didn't say anything just slowly brought his hands up to her neck and slid the robe off her shoulders. Kissing her face, neck and shoulders as he did so. He began to talk softly as his hands explored her body. "I hadn't admitted to myself how I felt about you when I bought this. I kept telling myself that I only bought it because it was your color but over the next few months I kept picturing you in it and wanted desperately to see you wearing it. Sometimes I'd come over unannounced to see if you had it on." "You sneak. So that was why... You caught me with it on twice but I changed before I came out." "Yeah. After that last time I'd sort of given up, thinking that you never wore it but then I went to your bathroom not long after I'd arrived and saw it laying on your bed still warm. Made my day." "Day? You went around for a week looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary and I could never figure out why." She punched him gently on the arm. "Beast." "Dana, there's something we need to talk about. It's why I've been upset for the last couple of months..." "You over heard my conversation with Melissa, didn't you? The one where I told her you were gay." At his nod she continued. "Fox, I never thought you were gay. Ever." She took his face in her hands and kissed him before continuing. "Missy had this thing... she was insecure and she liked to get guys to fall for her and then dump them. I guess she used it as an ego booster. She did it a lot in high school and some in college and I could tell from her voice that she was starting to set her sights on you and I didn't want that." "Didn't think I'd be able to resist her charms?" "She could be very persuasive when she wanted to but I wanted her to leave you alone because I knew that whatever your reaction I'd be so green eyed with jealousy that you would have no doubt about how I felt. I didn't want to risk messing up what we had. If she knew that I was interested in you she would have gone after you tooth and nail. She always derived her greatest pleasure from stealing boys I was interested in." Kissing him again she concluded, "They never meant much to me but losing you to her would have broken my heart. I love you." They began kissing and touching building to a fever pitch he gently lifted the nightgown over her head tossing it to the foot of the bed. "Damn it, Scully, don't you ever wear panties anymore?" "I wore some to work today. Thought about going without and telling you about it but I figured that with Skinner here that might be a bit risky." "No kidding. If we disappeared in to the supply closet for an hour I think someone might begin to suspect." He grinned at her. She grinned back. "You were thinking about the supply closet, too. Great minds think a like, Fox. The next couple of months are going to be challenging." Mulder smiled to himself. Were his last thoughts as their bodies joined together in passion. And now for something completely different..... That's it for now. I've got a sequel planned but it'll be awhile. I've got at least one story to do in my Fusion universe, two in Mac's Generation universe, a couple of totally different ones not in either of the time lines I've created and... well you get the picture. Oh, and BTW for those of you who haven't figured it out this is the sequel to my Christmas story The Present that I hinted at when I posted it. E me and vote for whether you want more in this Universe or the Fusion one. Every vote counts but the creative muse gets her say as well. 72620.3447@compuserve.com or eowyn7@ix.netcom.com Later, Eowyn