Title: A New Home For Tom

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Mulder and Scully get home from shopping only to discover 
there are still things left to get done. This story written for the "True 
Blue Challenge" at Whispers of X.

Archive: Please ask before doing so. More than likely you'll get a 
yes...but I still like to know where they are.

Disclaimer: Don't own them...don't want to...Couldn't handle the 
responsibility if I did...

Feedback: Send to jaybird023@hotmail.com  
   
Also check out the websites: 
The "Priceless" Archive: 
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/xfiles_shippers/priceless.html 
Xfiles Shippers: 
http://members.nbci.com/xfiles_shippers 
Whispers of X: 
http://members.nbci.com/x_whispers/

Authors notes: At the end.

****** ****** ******

"Scully if you don't open the door soon, this thing is going to die." 
Mulder shoved the small box in her face and shook it slightly as if for 
emphasis.

"You know Mulder..." she retorted steadily, "maybe if you grabbed one 
of these bags from me it would go a lot quicker."

"If you hadn't noticed...my hands are just as full as yours. Besides...you 
wouldn't want me to drop this thing, now would you?" He shook the small 
box towards her face again.

Scully sighed with frustration. "Mulder, it's not a thing...it's a he. And if 
you don't stop jostling him around like that he'll die of a heart attack 
anyway."

She caught the slight roll of eyes before turning back towards the door. 
Another rearranging of packages and she finally hit the spot. She 
couldn't resist a soft laugh of triumph when the key slid smoothly into 
place. There was a soft *snick* as she turned the knob enough to squeeze 
open the door.

She was barely inside when Mulder pushed past her and set the box 
down on one of her end tables. A deep surge of laughter rippled 
throughout her body...but she remained quiet. There was no way he would 
take it lightly.

Turning towards the kitchen, she set down everything she was carrying 
then went back towards the living room. He was still staring at the box 
on the table...looking for everything like he wanted to just throw it out 
the window.

"Are you going to just sit there and watch him? He's in a box Mulder. 
He's not going anywhere. But he does need his home put together you 
know." Her voice held the mirth that she was trying hard to contain...and 
obviously failing at doing so. She reached to pull him towards it.

"Uh uh Scully, I am not touching that thing..." He pulled away from 
her...his voice holding a hint of contempt. "It's disgusting."

"This from the very same man who can stick his fingers into any 
*unknown* substance and not think twice about it?" She smiled as his 
eyes flashed for a moment then shifted towards the box again. "I never 
said you had to hold him Mulder. I just asked for some help putting 
together his cage."

"Sure, fine..." Mulder walked over to the bags he had been holding and 
shuffled around until he found the one from the pet store. As he pulled 
items from the bag he mumbled to himself.

She smiled lightly to herself. It was just like him to overreact to such a 
small creature that couldn't possibly harm anyone. She couldn't help 
wondering just what he would've done if she had chosen the hermit crab 
instead. Probably bitch just as much.

"Where did you put the fish tank Scully?" His voice interrupted her 
thoughts immediately.

"It's in the bedroom. Want me to get it?"

"Unless you want to keep it where it is?" 

"Hold on...I'll get it." She sighed with frustration as she walked into her 
room.

****** ****** ******
30 minutes later

"There...you can put it in now." He smiled proudly towards her, his hands 
displaying his achievement.

"That's amazing Mulder. You have the perfect mixture in there." She 
couldn't contain the awe in her voice. He had taken a simple fish tank 
and turned it into the ideal climate for the animal. Now all she had to 
do was see if he would accept it as a home.

As she was getting the box off the table Mulder muttered something not 
quite loud enough for her to hear. "What?"

"I said...Fish tanks are made for *fish*. Not ugly things that give people 
the creeps every time they look at them."

"Mulder he's not ugly. He's cute. You're just to stubborn to admit it." 
She was walking towards the tank with the box in her hands. When he 
took a step back...it her a moment to realize why.

In the time it had taken for him to put together the fish tank, she had 
managed to change into sweats and a t-shirt as well as start on dinner. 
Her hair was pulled back...her face scrubbed clean of make-up. She 
must've looked like death warmed over.

"So Scully, you want me to help with dinner?" He was halfway across the 
room before her voice stopped him.

"Not yet." She paused for a moment then said more thoughtfully. "What 
do you think I should name him?"

"How about Tom? He looks like a Tom."

"Sounds good. Besides any other name would cause too much grief on me 
to remember it."

Opening the box she carefully pulled Tom out and placed him inside the 
tank. He looked around placidly then slowly crawled into a corner.

"He looks a little scared Mulder. Maybe I should hold him for a little 
while?"

Mulder's face balked at the comment. "Let's just finish making dinner. 
I'm starved."

"Ok...but if he dies I'm making you get me another one Mulder."

"Scully if he dies, I'll go out and buy you some fish to go in the *fish* 
tank."

"Muldeerr..." She walked towards him slowly her eyes lighting into his. "I 
like my 'new pet'. He's perfect for the little care and maintenance he 
needs. Now...lets eat. I'm just as hungry as you are. And besides, it was 
your idea for me to get a pet. You were the one who got me the 
*aquarium*."

He ignored her comment and followed her into the kitchen. "What are 
you making Scully?"

"Spaghetti. And don't get any funny ideas. It's nothing big...just a thank 
you for going shopping with me today. You didn't have to do it...but you 
did anyway. I appreciate that."

His voice was hoarse when he replied. "I wanted to go with you. All we 
ever do is chase aliens and criminals. I like spending time with you that 
doesn't involve those aspects and if shopping was the only way I could 
do it...then I'll do what it takes."

She turned away from the sauce she was stirring. "Thank you Mulder. 
That was incredibly sweet."

"Yeah well, I can be a nice guy at times. I'm not such a big asshole that I 
don't know when you need a day off."

There was no way that she could dignify a response. Instead, she reached 
out and grabbed a tomato from the package she had opened earlier. She 
turned around to grab a knife and ended up smashing the tomato into 
Mulder's shirt. 

He had moved behind her without making a sound.

She shuddered slightly at his close proximity, and then realized what 
once had been 'a ripe red tomato'...was now mashed into the clean white 
shirt that Mulder was wearing. All that she had ended up with was 
tomato pulp. She tossed the tomato into her sink then grabbed for one 
of the dishtowels hanging from the stove.

"Mulder, why can't you make any noise when you do that?" The words 
were a cover and she knew it. Her hand was running the towel softly 
down his chest as she tried to remove what was sure to be a stain.

When he didn't reply she glanced towards his face. What she saw there 
made her hand freeze in place. Mulder eyes were staring strait into 
hers...his mouth was slightly ajar...his breathing heavy and deep. 

They stood there for what seemed like an eternity before she pulled 
back. His body followed hers until her back was pressed harshly against 
the cabinets. His arms went down to rest on the countertop...trapping her 
between them.

"Mulder...what are you..." She never got a chance to finish her sentence. 
Within moments his mouth covered hers. He swallowed the words she had 
been about to speak.

There was a maddening hint of arrogance around him as his lips covered 
hers. Almost as if he expected her to just swoon at his feet from the 
mere touch.

Instead of returning it...she stood rigid in the embrace. She refused to 
follow the game plan he had obviously intended for the night. She 
wouldn't risk them losing the X-files or each other. 

When she didn't return his ministrations he pulled her closer...but broke 
the kiss. 

"Why Scully?" His voice was etched in pain. In one simple act she had 
succeeded in tearing into his heart.

Scully reached up and ran her hand through his hair. Tears had started 
to flow softly down her cheeks, but she was yet unaware of them. 

"Mulder, I can't risk it...we can't. It doesn't matter how attractive I find 
you. I can't afford to lose what we now have." Her voice came out barely 
acknowledgeable...but he heard her just the same. There was no mistaking 
that fact when he pulled away suddenly.

"Forget it then Scully. Let's just forget it ever happened!" He turned 
away from her and stared at the stove.

"You're mad."

"Hell yes I'm mad!" His body turned back towards hers. "Think about it 
Scully! We spend all this time fighting against something that is purely 
undeniable, and yet you need proof that this won't cause problems! Of 
course it will! When does a relationship not have problems?"

"Of all the narcissistic things to say!"

He advanced on her again...this time with more intent. His face was feral 
with rage and desire, and for once she finally understood how deep his 
emotions went for her.

"Scully, I would never make you do anything that you wouldn't want to 
do. But in this case...I know you want this as much as I do. I know you 
love me! You know how much I love you! So make a decision. Right now." 
His body had finally reached hers and she was trapped again. 

But this time she felt the power behind his emotions. He was looming 
over her and she felt entirely too small. Her hands reached behind her to 
find the drawer. Yanking it out she felt for something...anything, to make 
him back up. Her hand closed over something small and she yanked it out 
and shoved it in his face.

They stared at the small object for a few moments. Then both faces 
shifted towards a smile. Laughter bubbled up and out of lips. Before 
long they were both lost in the humor of the situation. 

In her hands...Scully held a small 'calculator'. The very fact that she 
hadn't known what it was at the time she pulled it out was amazing. But 
there it was...hanging from two fingers as she tried desperately to regain 
control of the laughter falling from her lips.

"Scully, what are you going to do? Calculate the odds of me kissing you 
again?" A new wave of laughter started once more. So lost in the humor 
she didn't feel him close in. 

Before she knew it, he was holding her in his arms...his body pressed 
fully against hers. His face grew closer and she closed her eyes. There 
would be no more denial. No more holding back. 

Instead of the touch of his lips on hers she felt them on her eyelids, her 
temples, her cheeks. His eyelashes followed...fluttering over each part of 
her face in gentle butterfly kisses. 

And at that moment she knew.

She loved him. She had for so many years...had been attracted to him 
from the moment she met him. After all this time it was finally the right 
time for them...and she was going to let it happen. There was no reason 
to continue fighting the Truth. Not when they fought to find it everyday 
of their lives as it was.

Her arms crawled up his chest and tangled in the soft hair at the nape 
of his neck. He was still waiting for a sign from her...a sign that would 
tell him if she was ready to cross that barrier. 

She gave it to him. A tilt of the head and a tug on his. Their lips 
met...crashed together in a wave of desire so strong it threatened to 
consume them both.

His hands reached down...capturing her legs and wrapping them tightly 
around his waist. His need to be even with her blossoming even deeper 
than the sheer effect her lips were having on him.

Her tongue teased at his lips and he felt his legs weaken. With her body 
pressed so intimately against his...the kiss deepened. As he granted 
permission to her he backed up...until his knees hit something solid.  
Without giving it a second thought he sat down hard...taking her body 
with his.

Her legs remained around him...tightening to keep him as close as 
possible. Her body was craving his...undulating more and more against 
the hardened member of his arousal. She ground against him...a moan 
echoing from her lips into his.

So lost in each other they didn't hear the sharp crack as the chair gave 
way to the weight and harsh movement of the bodies it was supporting. 
A leg snapped off and they landed on the floor of the kitchen...shocked 
and surprised at the sudden shift in ambiance. Their bodies remained a 
tumbled mess while they each tried to regain the breath that had been 
stolen from them only moments before.

Blue eyes clashed with Hazel-green...each person fighting between the 
urge to laugh...and the desire that now ripped throughout each cell of 
their bodies.

After a few moments Mulder could no longer contain it. His laughter 
bubbled up and burst forth. The sound coming from deep in his 
chest...even more so with the way that she now stared at him.

Standing up he reached down and grasped her hand. He pulled her up and 
encased her body into his...holding her so close that she didn't know 
quite where he ended and she began. 

He pulled away to pick up the chair and began laughing again.

"Looks like you now have a 'three legged chair' Scully. Maybe if you 
hadn't been moving so hard..."

"Don't even say it Mulder. Not unless you don't want to continue this."

He pulled her back into his arms...and kissed her harshly...soundly. His 
lips broke away. "Don't even say it Scully. You're stuck with me forever 
now. I can feel you in my blood. You're a part of every breath I 
take...every cell that runs through my body. We could no more stop now 
then the lone gunmen could find a woman of their own."

She chuckled lightly then grabbed his wrist. "Come on Mulder...let's go to 
bed."

He feigned...grabbing his chest in an attempt to humor her. "My dear 
Agent Scully. I *never* thought I'd hear those words come from your 
mouth."

Her hand tugged on his. He started to follow then jumped in front of 
her. His hands dragged around her waist...pulling her into another 
embrace. His arms went to her knees and he picked her up...light in his 
embrace now that she was no longer grinding against him.

Mulder stopped at the stove and pulled a hand away to turn off the 
burner. The last thing he wanted was another interruption... and a fire 
would be a big one. He intended on setting safer fires within her 
tonight...ones that could rage out of control with no damage done.

He began to walk towards her room when her lips met his neck. The 
sensation was overpowering...so much that they never made it to the 
bedroom. Her couch was as far as he could go. 

He laid her down gently...covering her body with his. Her legs opened 
willingly to accept him...her eyes closing as he thrust harshly into the 
apex of her thighs.

She curled into the curve of his body...lithe as cat...and just as wild. 
Her hands traveled across his back...taking in each muscle and 
curve...claiming it as her own.

His hands traveled to her blouse...unbuttoning the buttons with icy 
fingers. As he reached for the last button she froze in his arms. 

He looked at her...his eyes full of questions. "Scully...?"

"Oh Mulder...no. I still want to. I just..."

"You want it different?"

"Mulder?" She never gave him an answer. Before he knew it, she had 
rolled him over and was straddling his hips...pressing down to try to fill 
the aching that was now erupting deep in her abdomen.

His groan echoed throughout the room. She covered his mouth with her 
own...teasing and taunting his lips with her tongue.  She shifted slightly 
away from him and her hands traveled down his body...cupping him in her 
palm. His hips thrust upwards into the pressure and softness.

Deftly, her fingers unbuttoned the clasp of his jeans. She was still 
kissing him when her hand found his flesh...relishing the hard and smooth 
texture she'd discovered.

"Scuuuully..." His head pulled back away from hers enough for her to 
hear the rasp in his voice. "Are you trying to kill me here?"

"Not really Mulder...just drive you insane with desire. Is it working?" 
Her hand curled around him and stroked upwards suddenly.

"Scully, you could drive me insane with desire if you were writing a 
report...if you were performing an autopsy...if you were..." 

"I think I get the picture Mulder." She was smiling into his lips. Her 
hand moved over his hardened flesh again...pulling once more before 
leaving.

He groaned at the contact lost. She pulled away completely and stood up 
next to the couch. Her hands went to the last button on her blouse and 
released it. 

He watched her as she undressed for him...pulling each item off slowly so 
he could take in every detail. Her eyes lingered in his until the last item 
remained. She stood before him clad only in lacy green underwear. 

When she reached down to slip them off he stopped her. He rolled off 
the couch and kneeled at her feet. "No Scully. Let me." 

He nuzzled her stomach...his tongue flicking out to lath the softness of 
her belly button. His lips traveled down...blowing warm breath against 
her navel.

"Oh god Mulder...please..."

"Please what?"

"Just get on with it...you're driving me crazy here..."

His fingers curled around the fabric...her skin feeling smoother to his 
touch then the lace that encased it. Her body squirmed as he took his 
time pulling the fabric away and down. When he had finally succeeded in 
removing that last article of clothing he stood up and took a step back.

She stood before him...clad only in the clothes that God had bestowed 
upon her. His eyes traveled slowly from the red of her hair...past the 
curve of her breast...down the apex of her thighs...to the tips of her toes. 
When he reached that point...he made the same trip back...stopping when 
he reached the desire so clearly written in her blue eyes.

"Turn around Scully." His voice came out barely loud enough for her to 
hear...each word lower than the last.

She turned in front of him...his eyes watching each curve of her body as 
it moved in front of his vision. When she was once again facing him...she 
never knew what hit her...one moment he was two steps away from 
her...then next she was laying on the couch as his lips lavished on the 
hard peaks of her breasts. His tongue teasing her...his teeth nipping 
lightly at the over-sensitive nubs.

He tore at his clothes...wanting only to feel her skin against his. Each 
article fought against the clumsy hands that attacked them. He couldn't 
seem to divulge of them fast enough.

He stood up...pulling away from the aching silkiness of her breasts only 
long enough to rid himself of jeans that had grown way too small in the 
past twenty minutes. So caught up in his desire for her, he almost failed 
to hear her gasp when he was fully unclothed.

"Oh my God Mulder...you're beautiful. I mean I knew you would be...but..." 
She pulled him down next to her...rolling over to run her lips along his 
chest. Her tongue lashed out at his nipples...then traveled further 
downward until she reached the one place that would drive him insane.

Mulder closed his eyes...opened them...then closed them again. The 
moisture in his mouth disappeared suddenly when he felt her lips wrap 
tenderly around him. He gripped the couch to try to find some semblance 
of control.

His hips thrust into her warm wet mouth...each time going deeper causing 
more of the sensation that was overwhelming his senses. He cried out at 
the pressure...the way her tongue swiped lazily over tip. He was losing 
control and there was no way on earth that he could stop her himself. 
His eyes opened to watch her...a hand traveling towards her own swollen 
sex...delving in the recesses he had yet to go. 

Scully's moans sent vibrations throughout the rigid shaft she held in her 
mouth. Her fingers were fast against herself...a fantasy that she stayed 
within each night. She was losing control right along with him.

And then she pulled away. The sensation of cold air hit him like a brick 
in the face. He whimpered...crying out for the warmth that she was no 
longer providing for him.

He pulled her to him...sliding her nimble form along his...holding her hips 
with the gentlest of pressure. She was settling on top of him...her eyes 
focused on his...

"TONIGHT ON NINE NEWS WE GIVE YOU NEW INFORMATION 
ON THE WAR AGAINST CENSORSHIP..."

Scully yelped...almost falling off of his lap in surprise. He grabbed her 
before she completely left her position then turned to the television with 
murder in his eyes. 

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Scully reached under the sofa cushion and pulled out the TV remote. 
Pressing the button, the television suddenly went dark again. "Sorry 
Mulder...I left the 'remote control' there." Her face remained 
sheepish...staring at him with a mixture of desire and amusement.

"Scully, do you get the feeling that something is working against us? 
That's the millionth interruption we've had tonight. And now that thing 
you call 'Tom' is staring at us." 

She turned toward the fish tank to capture the eyes of the small 
creature now housed within it. Laughter bubbled up from her mouth until 
Mulder grabbed her hips and thrust up against her.

"Scully, I really want to finish what we started...but I can't if that thing 
is watching us."

"Doesn't feel like a problem to me Mulder...besides it's just a tiny 
little..." She gasped...his erection nudging against her opening...barely 
entering her then slipping back out again. "Ok...hold on. Let me fix it."

She jumped up and away from his body before he could stop her. 
Walking towards the desk she grabbed a 'roll of duct tape' and the first 
piece of paper she could find. Her hand shook as she taped it over the 
front of the fish tank...covering most of the glass.

When she turned back towards him she saw the laughter in his eyes. "The 
best you could do Scully?"

"It'll work in a pinch Mulder. Now do you want to finish what we 
started...or do you want to forget it?" His eyes lit at her words and she 
knew the challenge had been met. She walked towards him...the ache 
between her legs growing more insistent with each step.

When she reached him she settled her weight back onto his lap. Her 
hands were on him...guiding her into the warmth and tightness that his 
body needed. He cried out when her inner muscled pulled at him...sucking 
him deeper inside. 

Once she succeeded in taking him fully inside of her body she remained 
there...adjusting to the sense of fullness that he gave her. She felt 
content...completely aware of every curve in his erection. She started to 
pull away...to move over him and he stopped her. 

"No Scully...feel first. Can you feel my heartbeat inside of you? 
Through you I'm breathing...living...dying. Each heartbeat is in sync with 
your own. Do you feel it?" His voice was heavy with hunger...holding 
back nothing to consume her mind.

She could feel it...deep in the core of her arousal it moved. The 
sensation was overwhelming. The feel of his heart pumping blood to his 
shaft...sending the beat to mingle with her own.

He felt her body shudder...then lose control. With only the feel of him 
inside her she came. Her eyes closed and he watched her...waiting for 
just the right moment to move.

She fell into oblivion...feeling only Mulder...inside...outside...surrounding 
her. His scent was on her body...his lips mingling with her own.

She came down slowly...focusing on his hazel eyes. Falling into each one 
with depths she had never seen before. He was there for her in 
everything...and for that she loved him.

As her breathing evened out he pulled her away and thrust back into 
her...taking a deep breath with each movement. Her walls were still 
fluttering around him. The sensation sending pleasure to every part of 
his body. 

He moved her again...her body now joining his...creating a rhythm between 
the desire that held them in place. Time was standing still for this one 
moment. He wanted to see her lose control again...to see her face when 
she cried out his name.

Their tempo increased. She moved with him until she felt that sharp 
pleasure radiating out of her, into him. She wanted to feel him as he 
pulsed inside of her...this time not with a heartbeat...but with pleasure.

He was pulling at her body...increasing the tempo until pleasure mixed 
with pain and he could no longer hold back.  Grasping her hips he pulled 
at her body one last time and thrust deeply. His hips convulsed...her 
walls squeezing him tightly as she joined him in the depths of 
nothingness. They exploded...a million stars behind their eyes...each one 
brighter than the last.

****** ****** ******
"Ok...so that thing didn't watch us make love for the first time but Lee 
Majors did." 

Scully glanced up from her comfortable position on his chest with a look 
of confusion. "What are you talking about Mulder?"

"Scully, did you happen to glance at what you were taping onto the fish 
tank? Or did you just grab the first thing you came to?"

"I was a little sidetracked at the time...why?"

"Take a gander." He smiled bemusedly at her. 

Her eyes traveled towards the new fish tank and when she saw what he 
was talking about she burst out laughing. Duct tape covered parts of the 
picture but she knew what it was immediately. Taped to the front of the 
tank was an 'autographed 8x10 glossy of Lee Majors dressed up as 
Colonel Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man'. The picture had been 
a gift from Charlie when she was twenty and found Lee Majors a rather 
handsome man. 

Glancing towards Mulder she studied his face. There was no competition 
now. Mulder was defiantly the most interesting and devilishly handsome 
man she knew. He would always remain that way to her...until the day she 
died.

She sighed into his skin then lifted her head to receive the kiss she knew 
was coming. The soft pliable lips meeting hers for a brief moment before 
turning away and sliding back to retain comfort. Her eyes drifted 
closed as she felt the blanket cover both their forms. His arms pulling 
her close to his body even as it relaxed.

She sighed before she fell asleep completely...her cheek resting softly 
against his chest.

 ****** ****** ******
Tom stared silently at the couple from the rock he was sitting on. He 
had moved to a corner...now able to see around that blinding paper in his 
way. The humans were sleeping on the couch...wrapped in limbs that 
seemed useless to his species.

He was quite fond of his new home...despite the fact that he didn't have 
any company with him. Who knows...maybe that female human would get 
another frog to join him someday? Until then, he would have to be 
content to wait it out.

The End

Authors Notes: Ok...Ok...so I'm a tease. I know already...lol. I just had 
to keep that darn pet a secret until the end...seemed like the right thing 
to do...lol. For those of you worried about "Death Is Only The 
Beginning"...stop worrying. I'm halfway done and this story broke that 
writers block that's been festering for a while! Just to reiterate the 
challenge here:

'new pet'
'a ripe red tomato'
'calculator'
'three legged chair'
'remote control'
'roll of duct tape'
'autographed 8x10 glossy of Lee Majors dressed up as Colonel Steve 
Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man'

Point served and taken...all seven items...lol! Thanks Dana for being the 
most understanding best friend a person can have and for remaining 
beside me despite the fact that I'm a total screw up at times. Thanks B 
for the push in the direction to break that writers block! Without you 
this story wouldn't exist! And thanks Roxie for believing in me more 
than almost anyone else I've ever met.