TITLE: Tootsie Pop III: JellyBellies and Twang AUTHOR: Evielouise EMAIL ADDRESS: evielouise@hotmail.com DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: OK by me! I'd appreciate a note, but it's not necessary. SPOILER WARNINGS: Vague ones for Detour, Never Again, Milagro, Bad Blood. Actually lots of name dropping. But no spoilers for any episode since The Unnnatural. RATING: NC-17 FEEDBACK: Fanfic authors thrive on it; send it, please! CONTENT WARNING: A veritable plethora of sap and smut! This series was begun post-Unnatural, so Millennial kisses and other shocking developments have not yet taken place. CLASSIFICATION: MSR, S, H, a bit o' A DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I just enjoy letting them fool around a little. Ok, a bunch. They fool around a whole bunch in this story. I did mention this was smut, didn't I? But regardless, I don't own 'em. SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully travel to Austin, Texas, for a boring conference, but they manage to accomplish a whole busload of fun and naughty stuff CC never lets them do. A fluffy smut biscuit--with gravy. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Apologies to anyone familiar with Austin. I've taken a few liberties with settings. Alright, so I've taken a lot of liberties. This is fiction. It's allowed. TOOTSIE POP I MAY BE FOUND HERE: http://www.coyotecom.com/BNAJ/tootsie1.html TOOTSIE POP II MAY BE FOUND HERE: http://www.coyotecom.com/BNAJ/marsh1.html OR they are both archived at BlueVelvet, Xemplary, and the Spookys site. DEDICATION: This is for my sisters in Bimbo Nymphomania, J & A, who told me *exactly* what they expected from this particular TootsiePop outing. Most of the fun ideas in this story came from them. Special thanks to my beta reader extraordinaire spacekid77, aka Sista S, who kicked my butt creatively and helped me iron out the kinks. Plus all the *other* fun ideas came from her. And Sista A is getting better all the time at being critical and ferreting out lazy language usage on my part. My stories are the better for it. SUMMARY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR: In Tootsie Pop I, if you'll recall, M & S got a little carried away fooling around with a Tootsie Roll Pop in their basement office. Mulder orally satisfied all Scully's clitoral needs atop a table amidst various office supplies, but they were rudely interrupted by Skinner before events could proceed further. In Tootsie Pop II: Marshmallows and Mints, Mulder dragged Scully along to investigate the obligatory mysterious lights sighted over The Great Dismal Swamp. They toasted marshmallows over a campfire, told stories, fought over Diana Fowley, and then made up when Scully orally satisfied all Mulder's penile needs with the aid of fresh and minty Altoids. But, alas, they were once again rudely interrupted before engaging in their first kiss by a rather large bear on a marshmallow rampage. And now, on with the story... TOOTSIE POP III: JELLYBELLIES AND TWANG, PART 1/8 Part 1: Cleanup in Aisle Three Mulder backed Scully into the feminine hygiene products shelf at Walmart, sending soft packages of Stayfree mini-pads raining down on their heads. Both delicate eyebrows raised heavenward in surprise, arms lifted to shield herself from falling sanitary napkins, she hissed quietly at her partner's face, now mere inches from her own, "Jesus, Mulder! What the hell are you doing?" His warm breath caressed her ear as he leaned even closer and whispered regretfully, "I'm just thinking that we never got around to that first kiss, Scully." Scully's mouth dropped open in horror, and then she protested quietly, "And a major discount store is most certainly not the place for that particular piece of unfinished business, Mulder." She placed one hand gently but firmly against the soft black cotton T-shirt covering the toned muscles of his chest, but he wasn't budging. He searched Scully's face intently. Mulder had become increasingly worried over the past couple of hours. After the experiences he and Scully had shared in Dismal Swamp the night before, Mulder had happily looked forward to a new intimate relationship with his beautiful partner. And not just physically intimate, but emotionally as well. But this morning with the harsh, gray light of dawn, and the long, quiet, contemplative drive towards home, which is where they were headed now, Mulder thought he sensed Scully withdrawing from him again. This frightened him, and he had no intentions of letting it happen once again. He wanted this relationship to succeed more than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life, maybe even more than he wanted his sister Samantha back. That realization struck him like a physical blow, and he knew that he could no longer deny his feelings for Scully. She meant more to him than just a partner or even a friend. Something had to give. Mulder purposefully situated his hands on the counter on either side of Scully, effectively trapping his small-statured partner and centering her attention solely on him. "C'mon, Scully, where's your sense of adventure? You were feeling considerably bolder a few hours ago," he teased, but she could see the concern reflected in his hazel eyes. Cheeks coloring at the memory of said bold behavior, she demanded quietly instead, "Get off of me, Mulder. Someone may see us." He pried Scully's hand from his chest and examined her palm, stroking the tiny network of creases there with a feather-light touch of his index finger that made her shiver. He countered, "Oh yeah? Like who? It's too damn early in the morning. We don't even know anyone around here because we're still an hour outside of the city. Who's gonna see us?" Withdrawing her hand from his grasp, she answered through a tight smile, "Someone like him?" Scully's head inclined towards a point somewhere behind Mulder and to his left. He looked behind him and saw a small, milk chocolate-skinned boy with inquisitive, liquid brown eyes and ears that stuck out impishly on either side of his head, peering at them from behind a deodorant display. Mulder mock-ferociously growled, "Scram kid. I'm trying to put the moves on my woman here." The little boy's eyes opened wide as his lips formed a small "o" shape. Scully repeated incredulously, "My woman?" and Mulder protested with arms outstretched, "What??" Scully couldn't help but chuckle. The boy, giving a gap-toothed giggle, clapped a hand over his mouth and scampered away to the sounds of a woman's concerned voice calling, "Quintis? Where on earth are you?" Scully used the diversion to extricate herself from Mulder's reach and head determinedly down the nearest aisle. Mulder sighed and called out plaintively from somewhere behind her, "Scullee, remind me again why we're here? I hate these places, you know." She'd made him exit the highway and pull over at the sight of the large Walmart sign, promising she only needed to pick up a couple of things, and then they could go back to their respective apartments, wash away the swamp grime, and collapse in bed to get some well-needed sleep. "Floss, Mulder." "Floss?" Whatever. He sighed piteously once more, and his mind began to wander. Mulder still found it hard to believe that only a couple of hours earlier, he had not been traipsing through Walmart, but sitting buck naked in a tree, chased there by a marauding... well, sort of marauding--bear. At any rate, the bear was having a serious snack attack and had rudely interrupted Mulder's serious moves on his partner. Not that the evening was a total wash-out. No, he could hardly say that. The memory of Scully's warm, lush lips wrapped around his... Don't go there, his mind warned. Walmart was not the place for thoughts like that. He tried to divert his attention by examining the stacks of Little Debbie cakes, Valvoline motor oil, and AquaNet hairspray they passed. He tried *very* hard not to be mesmerized by Scully's slightly swaying walk as he followed behind her, one small hand lazily trailing over items on the shelves: shaving cream, hair scrunchies, and shower poufs. When did she start walking like a girl? Had she always and he just hadn't bothered to notice? Just now he couldn't afford to think about her lying on that table back in their office a little over a week ago, her face wanton and hair mussed as he slowly lowered his eager lips to her wet, glistening... Whoa! Mulder cleared his throat and repeated once again in a strained voice, "Floss, Scully?" She halted in mid-stride, turning to face him and explain in a resigned voice, "Mulder, I told you in the car that I ran out of dental floss before we left, and I can't stand to be without it. It's just one of those things, you know?" He nodded like he understood, "Sure, Scully, whatever you say." He vaguely remembered her mentioning that fact on their long drive home from the swamp, but his brain had been a bit clouded by his aforementioned mind-blowing sexual experience there, not to mention the soulful, spiritually-cleansing confessions they'd made to each other before, during, and after... "Aha!" she called out as she neared the floss display. "Yes, Mulder, floss." She waved a package of mint-flavored woven floss in front of his nose and continued cryptically, "Remember our unfinished business, Mulder? Well, it doesn't get finished unless I get to floss my teeth." He cocked his head at her and raised his eyebrows wordlessly, relief at the implications of her statement flooding his soul. She repeated, "It's just one of those things, Mulder. I gotta' floss." "Scully, if you told me you needed to rotate your tires and get a lube job before you'd finish our unfinished business, I'd cheerfully drive you to a Jiffy Lube in Juneau, Alaska, if you asked me to." He smiled happily at her. She grinned back at him, then headed for the nearest cash register. Suddenly she heard Mulder call out from behind, "Hey, Scully, do we need any of these?" She turned to see him holding up a bag of assorted Tootsie Roll Pops, pointing like Vanna White. A blush crept into her cheeks and she murmured, "Oh brother." "What's that, Scully? I didn't quite catch what you said." With a small groan, she spun on her heel and headed for the cash register, Mulder following behind saying, "Hey, Mom, can we get one of these? Or this? Or some of..." She studiously ignored him as she paid for her purchases. The middle-aged, bleached blonde cashier wearing a blue smock with a nametag that read "Marlene" grinned indulgently at Mulder as she placed the items in a plastic bag. He stopped rummaging through a discounted toy bin nearby and grinned back at her. Leaning over, Scully whispered conspiratorially to the cashier, "Don't pay any attention to him. He forgot to take his medication this morning." That wiped the smile off Marlene's face in a hurry. Scully choked back a laugh, reached for Mulder's hand and chirped, "Come on, sweetie, we'd better hurry. I think it's time for your electric shock treatments." Mulder barked out a laugh as Scully led him away and asked Scully incredulously, "What the hell did you tell that poor woman?" Smiling sweetly and giving his hand a squeeze before she released it, she deadpanned, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." He laughed again just for the sheer pleasure of their easy camaraderie, even if the jokes were at his own expense. He and Scully rarely, if ever, got to joke around together. Well, Mulder liked to kid Scully, but she seldom joined in. It was a treat to see yet another side of her personality that he'd so rarely glimpsed before. They were on their way out the door when Mulder gestured at the geriatric employee standing at the entrance saying hello to customers as they walked in. Mulder asked Scully in a serious tone, "Do you think I'm a viable candidate for the position of Walmart greeter? If they ever shut down the X-Files again..." Smothering a laugh, Scully looked around for their car. Mulder groused good-naturedly at the crowded parking lot, "I can't believe all these people are shopping for health and beauty aids and automotive supplies at this ungodly hour of the morning. Don't these people have a life?" Scully pointedly replied, "Don't you think that's a definite case of the pot calling the kettle black, Mulder?" "Are you saying I have no life, Scully?" "Well... Mulder, I don't think either of us would qualify for the 'Richly Fulfilling Life Award'." "I'll have you know that I think my job is very rewarding and furthermore..." Stopping beside the trunk of their car, Scully interrupted gently, "I'm not talking about your job. There are more things to life besides work." Unlocking the trunk, Mulder quietly placed Scully's bag inside, turned to look piercingly into her blue eyes and answered resolutely, "Well, Scully, what's say you and I do something about that, huh?" He took a step closer and grasped her hand in one of his own. Scully took a quick, decisive breath and replied, "Your place or mine, Mulder?" Mulder puffed out a quick, "Whoa." "Mulder? 'Whoa?'" Mulder's mouth popped open but no sound issued forth. "What the hell kinda' answer is that? Mulder?" He finally shook his head slightly and said, "Sorry, Scully. It's just that never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine you actually saying that particular phrase." He gave her an unabashedly delighted grin and Scully shyly smiled back. With a gleam in his eye, he continued breathlessly, "Your place. Probably much cleaner," and chanted, "Lastoneinthecarisarottenalienbountyhunter!" Mulder hooted and Scully gave a cry of protest when she realized the passenger door was locked and Mulder had the keys. "Hey! No fair, buster!" "All's fair in love and war, Scully," he quipped as he slid into his seat and stretched across to unlock her door. As Scully sat and Mulder hurriedly turned the key in the ignition, a cell phone trilled urgently from the glove compartment. They looked at each other and sighed. Scully opened the glove box with resignation, retrieved the phone, and handed it to her partner. Scully watched his face break into a grimace as he answered the call. "Yes, sir?" He mouthed the word "Skinner" at her. Scully impatiently closed her eyes and listened. "Sorry, sir. We've been working on another potential case since last night. I left my cell in the car. What did you need, sir?" Scully reached over and lightly traced her fingers over his thigh, enjoying the feeling of soft, worn denim over warm flesh. Feeling him shiver, she watched as his eyes grew wide, and he covered the mouthpiece, hissing "Stop that." He looked at her helplessly and apologetically, gently squeezing her hand instead. Scully heard a note of hesitation and panic in Mulder's voice as he said, "Oh, sir, I'm pretty sure Scully and I both attended that FBI Creative Team Seminar already. I believe it was in Florida..." He looked at Scully as he crossed his fingers. Mulder's face fell. "Oh yeah. We did get diverted that time. Mothmen and all..." He rolled his eyes and Scully made a small "Well, you tried" face. "Sir, I think Scully and I are a pretty good creative team allude, wouldn't you say? I don't think that it's necessary..." He listened for several moments, then continued, "Required, huh?" Scully gave a quiet groan and limply lay her head back on the head rest. Mulder talked in a dispirited tone to the Assistant Director for several more moments, then hung up. "We've got to be at the airport by noon to fly to Austin, Texas, for a conference. Skinner's waiting for us." "Skinner's there? In Austin?" "He's giving several lectures." Mulder's face looked pained as he added, "We've got to hurry if we're going to drive home, get packed, and make it to the airport in time to catch our flight." Scully gave a supremely disappointed sigh. Mulder added grimly as he put the car in gear, "Skinner says we'll get there just in time for the wine and cheese reception." ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 2: No Cheese for Me, Thanks. "You look like hell." Skinner examined Mulder's pale complexion and sweat-sheened forehead, then took a sip of white wine. "What happened to you?" Mulder took a gulp of fresh air, set his suitcase on the plush hotel lobby carpet, and mumbled tersely, "Seasick." "He means airsick, sir." That from Scully, who had joined them, wanly placing her own bag on the floor beside Mulder's, then massaging her temples gently with her fingertips. Skinner's voice took on a concerned note, "Scully, you're positively green around the gills." "Worst turbulence I've ever encountered on a flight," Mulder volunteered in a feeble tone. Scully added wearily, "Forty-five minutes of turbulence. Just like a roller coaster. Up, down. Up..." Mulder turned even paler and interrupted, "I think he gets the idea, Scully." He swiped an unsteady hand over his damp upper lip. "Sorry." Just then two familiar faces appeared, fresh from The Magnolia Room where the wine and cheese reception was in full swing. It was Michael Kinsley and his blonde pony-tailed partner, Carla Stonecypher, the two agents Mulder and Scully had had the misfortune of being stuck with on an unendurable car trip through Florida for the same conference a couple of years earlier. But on that particular occasion, Mulder had dodged the bullet by stumbling upon a bona fide X-file in the middle of a primeval forest. Mulder muttered so that only Scully could hear, "Oh god. No..." Scully breathed, "Play nice, Mulder." Calling out excitedly in her southern-accented voice, Stonecypher declared, "There you are! It's about time! We thought you were going to miss out on this conference, too!" Peering wonderingly at the two partners, Agent Kinsley announced, "Boy, you two look like something the cat dragged in." "Nice to see you, too," Mulder said with a pained expression. Agent Stonecypher held out a plate covered in hors de oeuvres. "Cheese?" Scully quickly put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. Mulder's complexion began to take on the same peculiar green shade as his partner. Skinner quickly explained, "Agents Mulder and Scully aren't feeling too well. They had a bit of an unpleasant ride down." "Sir, if you don't mind, I think Agent Scully and I would just like to skip the reception and head straight to our rooms." Scully added, looking around the lobby appreciatively, "At least we're staying in a decent hotel for a change," Skinner's face looked regretful. "Sorry, agents, but this hotel's full up." He glanced around the sprawling room and surrounding hallways, which were literally crawling with feds in suits, carrying suitcases, chatting with colleagues, sipping glasses of white wine. "This is a huge conference, and I got you in at the last minute after I reviewed both your records and discovered you were overdue to attend. Your reservations are at the Austin Motel, in the older downtown section." Scully's eyes closed in disappointment, "Sounds charming." Stonecypher chirped up, "It is! Sort of." She nibbled on a cracker thoughtfully, then continued around a bite of brie. "I was born and raised in a little town near here, so I know a bit of local history. The Austin Motel is something of a dive, but it's a local institution, so to speak. I'm sure it'll be very comfortable." She beamed an optimistic smile at them, and Mulder sighed in defeat. The A.D continued, "You two go ahead, take a cab over and check in. Get some rest, and we'll see you tomorrow." "Thank you, sir," Scully breathed in gratitude. Mulder's eyes closed briefly in abject relief. Kinsley joined in enthusiastically, "Yeah, get your strength back up; you've got that tower of office furniture to build, you two!" He chuckled at his own joke, then called out, "Good to see you again!" to their retreating backs. Setting a beeline for the door, Mulder grumbled in his partner's ear, "Kill me now, Scully." ............ Scully dropped her suitcase unceremoniously on the dresser and headed for the air conditioning unit beneath the window, turning it up full blast. Ah, springtime in Texas. Hot, humid, and already 90 degrees out. She pulled the curtains closed with a jerk, obstructing the view of the motel pool, not to mention the blazing sunset which was causing the pounding in her head to increase exponentially. Hearing the sounds of her partner moving around in the next room, she then answered a soft knock on the connecting door. A wan face peered down at her. "Mulder, you look awful. Why don't you go to bed?" "I am. That's what I came to tell you. I'm sorry this whole thing is not working out too well. I mean... our plans and all." "That's ok, Mulder." Scully hoped she sounded sincere. She reassured him, trying to reassure herself as well in the process, "We've got time. It's been six years, after all. I guess we can wait a little longer." Her face grew warm at the implications of her statement, and she found herself no longer able to meet his gaze. He gave an apologetic smile and touched her face gently. Sighing softly, he murmured, "'Night, Scully." "'Night, Mulder." She closed the door without locking it, as was their custom. You never knew when one or the other of them might require rescuing from a mutant killer or alien bounty hunter. They'd learned this lesson through hard-earned experience. Scully stripped off her suit jacket and skirt, throwing them carelessly on a chair. Her stomach was lurching way too much for her to care about wrinkled clothing. Scully had always hated flying. She didn't think she'd ever experienced motion sickness this badly in her entire life, but the turbulence must have been exceptionally rocky to have affected Mulder as well. Shoes were kicked into a corner, and blouse, slip, and stockings joined the haphazard pile of clothing on the chair. The blast of the air conditioner was slowly making the room temperature bearable, and the white noise it created was comforting. Unwilling and unable to take the time to open and dig through her suitcase for pajamas, the soft bed beckoned to her. Clad in panties and bra, Scully slid between the sheets and sighed as their coolness soothed her bare skin. She lay on her stomach absolutely motionless, waiting for the nausea to subside. Even as her head's throbbing slowly abated, disappointment in the day's outcome began to overwhelm her mind and heart. So long she and Mulder had waited to get this far in their relationship! She had hoped that by this time tonight, they would have been wrapped in each other's... But there was no use in dwelling on it. Things would work out eventually. Or at least that's what she'd kept telling herself throughout the long day's journey, sitting by Mulder's side in the car and on the plane, breathing in his scent, stealing quick glances at his face and body, supremely frustrated in the knowledge that they'd have to wait a little longer. But it was so hard to be patient! She'd been patient for six long years. Scully detected a quiet scraping as the connecting door opened slowly. She heard Mulder's voice call softly, "You asleep?" She didn't move because she was afraid the unbearable nausea would return. "Not yet." In the dim light, she could see that he was bare-chested and barefooted, but still wearing his suit pants. Crossing the room silently, he kneeled by the bedside, smoothing Scully's hair out of her eyes. He questioned, "You feeling better yet?" His face was concerned. "A little," she answered quietly. She tugged the sheet up a bit higher, gave him a small, wary smile, then looked away. The sight of Mulder's bare skin in the dim light of her room was disconcerting. His eyes searched her face for a few moments, then he stood up and circled to the other side of the bed, unbuckling his belt and stripping off his pants, revealing gray boxer briefs underneath. He quickly slipped between the sheets of Scully's bed where she now lay facing him, eyes wide with surprise. Being careful not to touch her, Mulder stayed on the opposite side of the bed, simply lying very still on his side, gazing sleepily at her. "Mulder, what are you doing?" "What does it look like I'm doing?" "Mulder, we can't do this. This is 'consorting'! You know, 'male and female agents consorting in the same room while on assignment'?" Mulder just grinned lazily at her from his pillow. "We're not on assignment, Scully." "I think you're splitting hairs here." "You weren't too worried about 'consorting' a week ago back our office when you let me..." She hastily interrupted, "We weren't on assignment then either." He shot back good-naturedly, "Now who's splitting hairs?" She could just make out his mischievous grin in the subdued lighting, and she found herself at an unusual loss for words, much to her dismay. "Scully, I promise I won't touch you." He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at her without a trace of his former teasing manner, expression suddenly turned anxious. "I just want to be close to you. Just for tonight." When she didn't respond, he added in a small voice, "Please. Just for tonight, really." The needy look in his eyes was making her chest ache. She made a small noise in her throat. "What did you say, Scully?" She sighed resignedly, "Just for tonight, Mulder. I hope I don't live to regret this." He grinned with relief, then scrubbed a hand over his face and said, "My head is swimming. That plane ride really did a number on me." "Rest, Mulder. You'll feel better in the morning." He whispered, "Good night, Scully." "Good night, Mulder." Her hand crept over to his side of the bed, and she gently entwined her fingers in his. "I thought I wasn't supposed to touch you," he teased. "Try any of that Tailhook crap on me, Mulder, and I'll kick your ass," she murmured sleepily. He chuckled, stroking his thumb over the back of Scully's hand until her eyes drifted shut and she was breathing softly. ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 3: Anyone Up For Scrambled Eggs? Scully awakened the next morning to an empty bed. Admittedly, she was rather relieved. It would've been a bit awkward waking up next to her partner. They'd slept together last night, but they hadn't ever really "slept together", if that made any sense. Crossing some boundaries, yet not others, made for a very confusing relationship between Mulder and herself. She rolled onto her stomach, stretched lazily, then buried her face in Mulder's pillow, luxuriating in his lingering scent. She sighed. This wasn't getting anything done quickly. She reluctantly rubbed the sleep from her eyes, gathered her toiletries, and headed for the bathroom, detecting sounds through the slightly open connecting door signifying that Mulder himself was getting ready for the conference. Scully brushed (and flossed) her teeth and pinned her hair up while she ran bathwater. She stripped off her underwear and sank into the soothing water, closing her eyes momentarily at the delicious feeling, then busied herself scrubbing her skin until it was clean and sweet-smelling. Allowing herself a few moments to lie back and relax, Scully's eyes slowly drifted shut as her thoughts whirled. She attempted to center herself and prepare her mind for the coming day, but for some reason, all she could think about right then was the feeling of Mulder's hands on her thighs and the hungry look in his eyes when she had sat half-naked and completely at his mercy in their office after-hours last week. She shivered a little in spite of the warmth of the water, and a small hum escaped her throat at the memory. "Miss me, Scully?" Her eyes flew open in surprise to find her partner leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed over his impeccable gray suit jacket, crisp white shirt, and silk tie, with an appreciative gleam in his eye. She automatically drew her knees protectively to her chest and exclaimed, "Mulder!" His eyes continued their wandering, and he replied in a low tone, "Yeah, Scully?" "I thought we had this whole conversation about knocking once before." She attempted to make her tone light, but she wrapped her arms around her bent legs and felt her face growing warmer by the minute. He'd seen her half-dressed just last week, but things seemed to be moving extremely quickly now. She didn't know what to think. Mulder had never entered her room while she was taking a bath during any of their previous motel stays. This felt strange to say the least, and Scully felt very vulnerable sitting there while he looked on. "Sorry, Scully." He retrieved a towel from the rack, unfolded it, and held it open before her in invitation, face neutral. She swallowed as she looked up at him. Mulder cleared his throat, then suddenly averted his eyes. He heard the sound of water splashing as she hurriedly stood up, took the towel from his hands, and wrapped it around her body. Mulder took a step back as she climbed out of the tub. She murmured a low, "Thank you," being careful to look anywhere but at his face. Then he walked into the bedroom, busying himself straightening his tie, allowing her some apparently much needed privacy as she dried off and wrapped a dry towel firmly around herself. She began irritably rummaging through her suitcase and asked nervously, "Mulder, don't you have anything better to do than hang around here watching me?" He closed his eyes sadly for a moment, then sighed deeply as he looked at her appealingly, "C'mere, Scully." She froze, swallowing hard as she saw him standing there with one hand outstretched. He repeated softly, "C'mere." His forehead creased slightly and his eyes were troubled. Without thinking, her hand reached out to his seemingly of its own accord, and she found herself walking towards him. His strong arms enveloped her, and she rested her cheek against his silky tie, breathing in his clean, freshly-showered scent. Scully felt herself melting in his welcoming, undemanding embrace as his hand stroked her back in small circles over the towel and he kissed the top of her head. He unwound his arms at last, grasping both her hands, and sat back on the bed, pulling her into his lap. Holding her tightly, he whispered into her ear, "Scully, I don't want to make you do anything you're not ready for." "I know that, Mulder," she said, speaking in a voice hoarse with emotion, eyes downcast. "I trust you." He turned her around so that her back was facing him and silently began massaging her knotted shoulder muscles. She closed her eyes and let her head droop as he caressed the tension away. Mulder's fingers worked their magic for several long minutes on her slender neck, down her spine, and back up to her shoulders and arms. She eventually felt her face beginning to flush, and the warmth from his hands seemed to be traveling directly to her lower abdomen, in a place that was becoming distinctly warmer and more sensitive by the minute. When his hands began kneading a particularly familiar spot in the small of her back, a small moan escaped her lips and she arched her back reflexively. "Open your eyes, Scully." Her spine stiffened and she bit her lip self-consciously at her unintentional display. "Open your eyes, Scully, and look at yourself." She reluctantly obeyed and noticed for the first time their reflection in the tall vanity mirror hanging on the wall directly in front of them. His hands reached up and pulled loose the pins holding her hair. Gooseflesh arose on her skin as Mulder's fingers combed through the slightly damp strands that rebelliously curled softly at the ends. He breathed, "Remember night before last when I told you how much I like your hair?" Scully's eyes grew soft with the memory. "Yes, Mulder." He toyed with one small curl between a finger and thumb, then bent his head to gently kiss her bare shoulder with the softest touch of generous lips. When she drew in a deep breath, he continued kissing his way down her arm. Looking up, he took in her flushed reflection in the mirror, noticing her uneven breathing. His large hands lightly stroked up and down her arms, then rounded her shoulders to rest on her chest, directly above the towel she was wearing. She stared into the heated eyes of Mulder's mirror image and heard the words, "I want to see you, Scully. All of you." She sucked in a breath and looked away. Mulder sighed and started to pull his hands away, but Scully suddenly grasped them and held them in place, meeting his gaze once more with burning eyes. She moved his hands lower, to rest on the top edge of her towel, then withdrew, waiting expectantly. Swallowing, he grasped at the material, and slowly pulled it open, watching it fall loosely from her body. The vision of herself sitting naked in Mulder's lap was almost overwhelming. She shivered as she watched Mulder's eyes in the mirror, hungrily drinking her in, and Scully's nipples traitorously hardened in anticipation, revealing her hidden thoughts to him. He finally dared to move after several long, agonizing moments, only to trail the backs of his fingers gently and torturously down her sides, into the curve of her small waist and back up again. Then he stopped. His attention had inevitably been drawn to the coiled serpent etched into the ivory skin of her back. Mulder inscrutably traced the design with his fingertips, saying nothing. He suddenly withdrew his hands. "Mulder," she whispered. He replied hoarsely, "Last night I promised I wouldn't touch you, Scully." She breathed, "Oh, Mulder..." His eyes were tortured as he pleaded, "Let me see all of you, Scully. Like last week in the office." His fingertips brushed her knees with the barest of touches and she drew in a sharp breath at his suggestion. "You were so beautiful," he murmured in her ear, and his eyes searched hers anxiously for permission. Scully's cheeks burned, but she leaned back into his chest and gave herself over to him. His fingers ever so gently nudged her legs apart, and she closed her eyes as the cool air of the room caressed her heated flesh, now exposed to Mulder's gaze. She detected the trembling of his hands as they traced their way lightly up her thighs, hesitating briefly over her belly, then withdrew once again. She released a shuddering sigh and a questioning, "Mulder?" "Show me how you like to be touched, Scully." "No, Mulder," she protested, but he cut her off gently. "Please, Scully. Show me." She opened her eyes slightly and rubbed her cheek against his, whispering, "You know how I like to be touched, Mulder." "And last night I promised I wouldn't touch you, Scully. Just show me." His breath was harsh. "For me. Please." His hand gently enfolded her own and guided it down to the tangle of auburn curls between her thighs. Nearly overcome by the sight of Mulder's tortured expression as he watched her in the mirror, Scully's eyes fluttered closed again as her slender fingers came in contact with the warm, slick folds beneath. She heard his voice rasping, "You're so beautiful, Scully. Show me..." Her fingers began to caress hesitantly, then with more assurance as Mulder murmured in her ear and exquisite sensations overtook her reticence. Her mind whirled as she pleasured herself, and she was only aware of Mulder's nose buried in her hair, his ragged breath as she felt his lips brush her cheek, and the trembling in her thighs and between her legs that was now threatening to consume her. Her breath was coming in short gasps when she heard Mulder's strained voice whisper the words he'd said to her once before, "Come for me, Scully." Her fingers retraced the paths that Mulder's had taken on her own needy flesh in their earlier illicit basement encounter. She stroked her dripping sex and finally slipped two delicate fingers inside herself. Through her thick haze of desire, she heard Mulder groaning as his eyes raked over her body appreciatively, "That's my girl..." She turned her head, nuzzling her face into her partner's neck as she recalled the delicious feeling of his hands and mouth on her fevered skin, imagining he was the one touching her there now. At last she felt herself cry out in sudden release, muscles contracting, back arching, as Mulder held her tightly and drank in the sight of her ecstasy with the thirst of a dying man. She lay spent in his arms, unable to move or even open her eyes for several long moments. Feeling a cool hand stroking her flushed cheek, she heard Mulder say with something akin to awe, "I can't believe you just did that for me, Scully." She remained motionless, except for the labored rising and falling of her chest, for several more moments until she at last responded in a drained voice, "I can't believe I just did that either, Mulder." She rubbed a hand wonderingly over her perspiring brow. "What came over me?" "You're becoming a regular wild woman these days," he chuckled as she at last dared to open her eyes and look into his face in the mirror. She felt positively decadent as Mulder's gaze continued to openly admire her unclothed body. She was also quite relieved to see his face seemed as flushed and aroused as her own. What had come over her, indeed. She gave a small, shy smile. "Wild woman, Mulder?" He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she reveled in the feel of his suit material against her naked skin. "You're my wild woman, Scully. I'll take you over that Jersey Devil beast-woman any day." She gave a low laugh, "You always know how to make a girl feel special, Mulder." Mulder chuckled and tightened his hold so that she could barely breathe. Wiggling in his grasp, then turning to face him, she asked suddenly, "What time is it?" Her eyes fell on the bedside clock. "Oh my god, Mulder, we've got to get ready." "I don't know about you, Scully, but I am ready." She huffed her exasperation, squirmed out of his arms, and began pulling him to his feet impatiently. "Come on, Mulder." She looked down pointedly. "I think you need to change your pants at least. You seem to have a bit of a...um, damp spot there now." He laughed delightedly to her embarrassment. She reminded him, "We've got a creative teamwork seminar to attend!" "I thought that what we just did was pretty creative, if I do say so myself. And it sure beat the hell out of playing the 'no negative words' game." She pulled him by the hand towards the connecting door. "Get out of here so I can get ready!" "Can't I watch, Scully?" he grinned at her. "No, you most certainly may not. Then we'd never make it to the conference!" "That was the general idea." "I expected as much out of you," she grunted slightly as he refused to budge any further. "Hey, Scully, didn't I mention last week that 'naked' was going to be the new dress code for you?" "You're such a reprobate," she sighed resignedly. He teased, "I think you're ready to go to the conference just as you are." She squawked in protest as his arm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her towards the door to the hallway. "Dammit, Mulder, don't you dare open that door!" Pressing her back against the smooth wood, he pinned both her wrists above her head and chuckled menacingly, "You know I'd never do that to you, Scully. It was just an excuse to get you up against the wall." Her breathing grew shallow as his knee wedged between her legs, making Scully, much to her chagrin, his very willing prisoner. Her eyes shut tightly as she was overwhelmed by the sensation of his clothed body pressed tightly against the length of her bare skin. She strangled out, "So you like me better than that beast woman, huh, Mulder?" Teeth gently nipped at her neck as he replied huskily, "Scully, I like you better than that beast woman, Phoebe Green, and a hundred Diana Fowleys all rolled into one." Scully's breath hitched in her chest as she said, "Even Dr. Bambi...oh." Speech escaped her as Mulder gently sucked her earlobe into his warm, wet mouth. She feebly protested even as she breathed raggedly, "Mulder, I thought you weren't going to touch me." Releasing her dampened earlobe and gazing at her beckoning lips, he bent his head over her upturned face and replied determinedly, "I lied." Scully's lips parted in a small moan of anticipation, and a loud knock at the door behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin. Her face fell in abject frustration and disappointment, but Mulder held his finger to her lips and shook his head firmly, whispering, "Not this time." He tightened his hold on her wrists with one hand, and the other slid around her waist. Scully's belly felt hot and tight where Mulder pulled her firmly against him. She was entranced by the naked emotion she saw in his eyes as he lowered his head once more. Her own eyes drifted shut with the first contact of his breath on her face, and then she was drowning in the sensation of Mulder's warm, wet, pliant flesh pressed softly against her own. She was vaguely aware of A.D. Skinner's voice calling, "Agent Scully?" from the hallway, and she could feel his insistent pounding through the door at her back. But she was totally unable to answer as Mulder released her wrists and she wrapped her arms around his neck, desperately prolonging this sweet moment, breathing Mulder's own breath, caressing his eager lips with her own, hands clutching desperately. Then finally, unwillingly, they broke apart, breathless and staring into one another's eyes in wonder, even as they heard the knocking move on to Mulder's door. Mulder forced himself to pull away from Scully's grasp, holding her gaze as he walked backwards to the connecting door to his room, slipping out of her sight. She stood motionless as she listened to Mulder's side of the conversation, her heart fluttering nervously in her chest. "No, she hasn't left her room yet, sir." He cleared his throat distractedly. "She must be getting ready in the bathroom and didn't hear you knock.... " Scully stifled a laugh, and her partner continued smoothly, "Breakfast? Sure..." She groaned quietly, but listened to the rest from the crack in the connecting door, "Why don't you go ahead and we'll meet you there? I'll wait for Scully. I'm sure she won't be too much longer... Where did you want to meet?...Fine, just give me directions..." ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 4: The Whole Enchilada "Ouch!" "Sorry, Mulder." "Scully, this is not working." "Shutup, Mulder, and do what I say. A little to the left." "To the left? Is this enough?" "No, Mulder, a little more. You're going to crash into a potted plant if you're not careful." "Better now?" "Yeah, that's better. Now lift your right foot..." "Okay." "Your other right, Mulder." "Oh. Sorry, this is very disorienting. I'm not used to being blindfolded." "I know, Mulder. Just play along like a good boy." "I'm trying, Scully." "I know you are, Mulder. Now take a big step with that right foot. There's a wastebasket lying on its side directly in front of you." "Yeah, I think I just found it. Where is it now?" "Halfway across the room, big guy. You just managed to kick it into the path of Agent Kinsley." "Oops. He ok?" "He tripped." "Oh." "Uh-oh. Stonecypher is putting ice on the bump on his head." Mulder sighed dramatically and tore the blindfold from his eyes, taking in the sight of various blindfolded agents stumbling through an office supply "obstacle course" with only the voices of their partners as guides. He complained, "This is stupid." "I know, Mulder, but we have to..." Stonecypher called out, "Anybody see where that wastebasket came from?" Mulder and Scully simultaneously threw up their hands and smiled innocently, then turned on their heels and quickly headed to the hallway to converse more privately. Invading her personal space, he repeated vehemently, "This is stupid, Scully. So far this morning we have cooperatively built a protective egg nest out of drinking straws and Scotch tape, which failed miserably, I might add, as our egg quite spectacularly did not survive the required eight foot drop..." She interrupted, "So we'll make lousy bird parents, Mulder? So what?" He snorted and continued, "We played 'Electric Fence' and spent thirty-seven freaking minutes trying to get eight agents successfully into a four foot square, waist-high yarn enclosure without touching the damn yarn." He paused thoughtfully, hands on hips. "Although admittedly I did enjoy the part where I got to pick you up and pass you over the fence." "I got the distinct impression you didn't like it too much when you had to hand me over to Agent Bowers." "I didn't like the way he leered at you, Scully." "He didn't leer at me, Mulder." "Trust me, Scully, he leered at you. Men know these things." She rolled her eyes. Mulder continued his tirade, "Then we sat through possibly the most boring lecture of my entire FBI career, which is saying a hell of a lot, mind you, called 'One Hundred and One Guaranteed Ways to Communicate Effectively with Your Partner'." "I know what it was called, Mulder. I was there, remember?" "What a joke. All I could think about was 'One Hundred and One Guaranteed Ways to Get Your Partner Naked on a Stakeout'. Scully hissed, "Shh, Mulder!" "Agents," Skinner greeted them as he stepped up quite unnoticed until that exact moment. Both their mouths dropped open guiltily. Had he just been privy to a little too much information? Skinner continued with a nod towards the meeting room door where federal agents began streaming out in pairs and small groups. "The current session of workshops seems to be adjourning. I know we had made plans, but I find I need to make some further preparations for my next lecture instead. Would you mind if I took a raincheck on lunch?" Scully cleared her throat and replied, "Not at all, sir." Mulder found his voice at last and joined in with relief, "You go right ahead, sir. Scully and I will be just fine." "I'm sure you will." Skinner's eyebrow raised nearly imperceptibly. "Well, I'll let you two go. Perhaps I'll see you between sessions this afternoon. Enjoy your lunch." Nodding crisply once more, he strode down the hallway. They breathed a sigh of relief. Scully looked up and whispered, "One of these days, Mulder, you are going to get us in so much trouble." "I thought I'd done a pretty good job of getting us in plenty of trouble in the past already." "Not this kind of trouble, Mulder." "What kinda' trouble you got in mind, sweetheart?" "Geez, let's get out of here before I strangle you." "That sounds like a threat." "Consider it done if you don't move your butt." "Ooh, Scully, I love it when you get rough with me." She tugged at his sleeve to start him moving down the hallway. "What do you want to eat, Mulder?" Mulder arched his brows suggestively and leaned even closer, whispering in her ear, "I can think of something I'd like to be eating right now, Scully, but it ain't on any menu." He smiled and casually waved a greeting at a passing agent carrying a box of eggs and several skeins of yarn. Scully turned three shades of red as her eyes darted around to see if anyone had overheard his lecherous comment. "For pity's sake, Mulder, would you please stop that? Be serious. Shall we go to the hotel restaurant?" "No way. If I don't get outta' here I'm gonna' start taking hostages. I'll bind their hands and feet with Scotch tape and stick drinking straws in all their bodily orifices." Scully finally decided that two could play that game and leaned closer, teasing in a low, sexy voice that made Mulder's hair stand pleasantly on end, "Not if I get hold of you with the Scotch tape first." Mulder choked, "Promise, Scully? But no drinking straws, right? That hurts just thinking about it." "For you, Mulder? Anything." Mulder reluctantly steered the conversation momentarily away from the dangerous waters they were treading in a place that was a little too public and teeming with professional colleagues. "We've got an hour and a half before the next session. Let's take a cab downtown. I saw an interesting little place close to our motel." "I'm right behind you, Mulder." .............................. "Two crawfish enchilada specials," Mulder gave their order to the Generation X waiter with spiky blond hair and intricate tattoos covering a large portion of his exposed anatomy, "and two Shiner Bocks." "But we're on duty..." Scully began to protest. "Scully, we're attending a lame-ass convention. That hardly qualifies as active duty. Let's live a little. What do you say?" He looked at her meaningfully. Their server grinned at her and hurried away towards the kitchen. Scully began to argue, thought better of it, and remained silent instead, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. He demanded, "What?" "Oh, nothing. Just remembering that we're both trying to acquire lives outside of work, that's all." Mulder watched the breeze flutter Scully's hair as they sat on the patio of the Magnolia Caf, enjoying the mild temperature and bright sunshine. The weather had fortunately turned out much more agreeable today. He gave a self-conscious grin at her mention of their earlier parking lot conversation and unspoken pledge to get a life. Mulder was struck by the suddenly longing look in his partner's eyes which appeared distinctively crystal blue in the dappled sunlight escaping between the whispering leaves of overhead trees. He reached out and clasped her hand warmly across the table. They enjoyed each other's touch for a moment, then warily glanced around to see who might be watching and reluctantly withdrew their hands. That whole morning at the conference, it had been all Mulder could do to sit quietly beside Scully and not explode, just thinking about her sitting naked and flushed in his lap, touching herself and softly sighing. He'd wondered how she could look so cool and detached sitting there then, dutifully taking notes with her hair tucked behind one ear, carefully watching the lecturer through her conservative wire-rimmed glasses. He'd begun to think she'd never glance his way, but finally he had managed to catch her eye, and when their gazes met, she looked so pretty and flustered that it made his heart squeeze tightly in his chest. He had been monumentally relieved to know she wasn't as calmly collected as she had at first appeared, and wondered if she was remembering how it had felt to come in his arms while he watched. Mulder coughed and desperately attempted to divert his thoughts as far away from a very naked partner of his as possible. Safe, innocuous target selected? Burly, tattoo-covered, fashion victim/grad student. "Man, Scully, did you get a load of all the tattoos on our waiter? He could tour on the sideshow circuit alongside Jim-Jim the Dog-Faced Boy." "Yeah, they were kinda' hard to miss. Hey, Mulder, this isn't going to turn into a bitter diatribe on my rash decision to get a tattoo, is it?" she said with an uneasy grin, recalling Mulder's silent scrutiny of her own tattoo that very morning. She felt a warm flush spread over her body at the memory and hastily continued, "Because I really don't feel up to a..." Did he say 'safe, innocuous target' of conversation? Scratch that. "Of course not, Scully. Have I ever spoken against it before?" "No," she spoke gently and cautiously, "but I've just been waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. You were very unhappy with me when I returned from Philadelphia." Mulder bit his lower lip indecisively, then decided to go ahead and plunge right in. "Scully, it wasn't just the tattoo, and you know it." She looked guilty, toying with her silverware as she spoke in a low tone, "I know." "And at that time you'd just sort of shut me out of your life. I cared about you deeply and I felt left out." "Well, Mulder, it's not like you ever told me how you felt." "I could say the same about you, Scully." "Touch." They gazed at each other for a moment, lost in their own thoughts, when their beers suddenly arrived. Scully got a closer look at the intricate designs on the server's arms. When he had gone, she commented, "They're really very well done. I wonder if he got them around here." "Why? You're not thinking of getting another tattoo, are you?" "Truthfully, Mulder..." She took a sip of her beer. "...getting ink done is kind of addictive." He spluttered, "You've got to be kidding. Hello! Who kidnapped my conservative little partner and replaced her with a tattoo-covered uber-vixen?" She felt her cheeks color but laughed indulgently as the alcohol began to warm the pit of her stomach. "Seriously, Mulder, it's like I've got my own personal little primitive work of art, right on my body, and I get to keep it forever." His face grew serious as he listened. "It's my own little secret. Since it's out of sight, then no one has to know unless I want them to." She squinted at him against the afternoon sun slanting through the trees. "I guess it's my way of rebelling, being bad. And no one gets hurt, you know?" Mulder absently picked at the label on his beer as she attempted to explain further. "I love my tattoo, Mulder, strange as it may sound. But you know, the one on my back is in an inconvenient location for me to admire it." The corners of her mouth turned up playfully, but she refused to meet his gaze. "I want one in a place where I can look at it whenever I want." Mulder found his voice at last, "I personally volunteer to admire your tattoos, whenever you so desire and in whatever location you choose to put them." She glimpsed a flash of white teeth as he continued smugly, "I would truly consider it an honor..." She laughed, "You're incorrigible, you know that?" He continued, soberly this time, "You've really thought about this, huh? You're want another tattoo?" "Yes, Mulder, I have. But I promise I won't run off and get one today, ok?" "Doesn't it hurt? The needle, I mean." "Yes, it hurts. The outline of the design actually hurt quite a bit, but the color inside just sort of tickled." "Did it bleed?" "Some." She placed her napkin carefully in her lap and the corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement. "Mulder, I didn't know you were such a big baby." "I am not a baby, Scully." Just then their server appeared loaded down with a steaming tray of crawfish enchiladas and rice topped with chopped fresh cilantro. As he lay their plates before them, Scully politely asked, "Do you mind if I ask where you had your tattoos done?" "No. No problem!" He gave Scully a pleased smile. "Some of them were done by a tattoo artist in San Antonio when I lived there, but most of them were inked by a guy in town named Robert at Disk of the Moon, just a couple of blocks from here, on Congress Avenue. He's really good, don't you think?" the waiter enthused as he showed Scully some Celtic knotwork on a well-formed bicep. She agreed, touching the designs thoughtfully while noting Mulder's reaction out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, they're quite nice. Very precise." Mulder looked at her though narrowed eyes and she continued, "Good color, too. Thank you-- I'm sorry... What's your name?" "Rex." She had to stifle a laugh when she saw Mulder surreptitiously roll his eyes. "Well thanks, Rex," she beamed at him, and Rex beamed back. "Just let me know if I can get you anything else," he said eagerly, backing away from their table, nearly colliding with a busboy carrying a tray full of dirty dishes. Scully placed her chin in her hand and smiled, "We will, thanks!" "You shameless hussy," Mulder deadpanned when Rex was out of earshot. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mulder." "Trying to get that young man's...hopes...up. You ought to be ashamed." "No way, Mulder. You're delusional. I was just trying to get your dander up." "I don't get jealous, Scully, if that's what you're talking about." She took a small bite of crawfish enchilada and gave an appreciative yummy sound as Mulder's eyelids drooped to half-mast watching her chew. She swallowed and asked, "What about Ed Jerse?" "I thought we'd covered that subject already." "Phillip Padgett? You were really unhappy with me when I..." "Psychos, Scully. You have named me two killers. That's not jealousy. That's understandable concern on my part." "Right, Mulder. Concern. I knew it all along." She took another sip of beer and continued, "Sheriff Hartwell?" "Oh please. That bucktoothed..." "He was absolutely not bucktoothed, Mulder." "He was a vampire, for Christ's sake." "You were still jealous," she countered smugly. "And then there's Special Agent Bowers from the Electric Fence game just this morning." "Well, Scully, I simply didn't want you damaging your professional reputation by consorting with an agent of the opposite sex." "Consorting, Mulder? We were playing a stupid game. What you and I have been doing lately is rightfully considered consorting." She plunked her bottle on the table for emphasis and arched her brow meaningfully at him. The corners of his mouth turned up in a secret smile as he leaned back, crossed his arms and gazed thoughtfully at her. Scully could only imagine what he was remembering at that instant, and she placed a hand over her face, moaning quietly for the second time in as many days, "Oh brother." Then she sighed in resignation. "But this conversation is definitely pointing out the fact to me that I seriously need to get a real life if the only examples of men in my life I can hold up before you are psycho killers, creatures of the night, and practically nonexistent flirtations." He looked at her archly and dug into his food. "You got a point there, Scully." "You're not supposed to agree with me, Mulder." "You started it." She sighed. "Don't remind me." "Well, I know I'm not exactly the poster boy for the normal American male..." He took a fortifying swig of beer and then ducked his head towards her conspiratorially. "...but will I do for now? I can try. You know, being a semi-normal man in your life," he smiled ruefully, "if you'll just give me the chance." His tone was jovial, but his pensive, yearning eyes told her another story altogether. "I mean, at least I'm not a mutant, right?" She cut him off gently by reaching over and with a well-manicured thumb, affectionately brushing a spot of cheese sauce from her partner's lower lip. She then replied in a voice rough with emotion, "Mulder, I think you'll do just fine." He captured her hand in his own and, looking around the restaurant patio spotting no one remotely resembling a fed in a dark suit, kissed the inside of one soft wrist, smiling into her eyes. "Hey, Scully, I've got a suggestion for you, but I don't want you to fly off the handle when I ask you, ok?" "I don't know, Mulder," she replied warily with a glint in her eye, self-consciously pulling her hand back into her lap. "You can ask, but I'm making no promises." She was distinctly remembering the last outrageous request he had made of her just that morning in her motel room. God, what had she been thinking? Mulder seemed to be able to talk her into most anything these days. What was he up to now? "Ok, Scully, what do you say we..." ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 5: French Silk and Chocolate Cherries "No way, Mulder!" Scully's expression was incredulous at Mulder's suggestion. "Come on, Scully. What's the harm in it?" She spluttered, "Well, what if we're caught?" He drawled petulantly, "Nobody's gonna catch us, Scully. How would they?" "I don't know. Someone might see us." They emerged onto the sidewalk outside the Magnolia Caf, and she glanced around warily as if someone might already be listening in on their incriminating conversation. He ticked off his points on the fingers of one hand. "All FBI personnel will be all the way across town at the convention center. How are they gonna' catch us if we're playing hooky way over here? It's a huge convention. There were no sign-in sheets except when we first arrived. We attended sessions all morning long so we've put in an appearance already." He gave her an appealing look. "You know you hate those workshops as much as I do." "Well, yeah, Mulder, but..." "But what, Scully? Did you learn a damn thing all morning long? Except for the fact that the FBI wastes a hell of a lot of money on ridiculous little get-togethers for its employees to play goofy games and eat cheese?" "But Skinner might..." "Skinner himself said that he *may* see us this afternoon. He may not. He's very busy with his lecture sessions. He'll never find out, Scully." He folded his arms and awaited her next argument. She blew out an impatient breath and an ineffectual, "Mul-derr..." He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her reluctantly down the sidewalk. "Look around you, Scully. It's a beautiful day. You've already wasted half of it sitting in stale air-conditioned rooms listening to droning lecturers and participating in mind-numbingly absurd activities, complements of the FBI. Live a little, remember, Scully?" "Where are you taking me?" "This neighborhood is full of funky little shops. Let's just walk around for a while. Take in the sights. Relax." He dropped her hand as he noticed her nervous expression at such a public display. "Come on, Scully. Lets just try it for a little while. If it bothers you too much, we'll head back to the convention. I promise." "So you're going to take me shopping, huh, Mulder?" She squinted up at him, shading her eyes from the sun's bright rays. She grinned. "Does that mean you'll hold my purse for me?" "You're not carrying a purse, Scully." His look was smug. "You utilize those mysterious bottomless pockets of yours when we work." "We're not working, Mulder." "Well, we were until about an hour ago. Now we're officially playing hooky. Skipping school. AWOL." "Since we're not working I may just have to go back to the motel room and get my purse and make you hold it for me while we shop." "You wouldn't do that to me, would you, Scully?" "You bet I would, Mulder. I think it's time we tested the boundaries of our relationship." "Well, I'm willing to test some boundaries, Scully." He traced a finger playfully down her nose, over her lips and chin, to her pale throat, until he pulled gently at the chain that held her gold cross. "But I think the purse test should definitely come a little later." He chuckled and tugged at her jacket sleeve until she followed him down the sidewalk smiling. --------------------- They spent the next couple of hours companionably wandering in and out of eclectic little antique shops and art galleries, browsing through movie and music memorabilia, antique household items and massive, timeworn furniture, clay pottery and primitive art, woven tapestries and tinkling, intricate windchimes, kitschy knick-knacks and vintage books. At one shop, Mulder called to his partner, who was sorting through a bin of old blues records, "Hey, get a load of this." He was looking with amusement at a stack of yellowed postcards. She sidled up next to him and got an eyeful. They were vintage risqu photos from the forties, she assumed from the hairstyles and home furnishings in the background. The photos looked like they had been shot by amateurs, and the full-figured models themselves looked very much like housewives that had been trying to score a little extra cash on the side posing in the nude. "Scully, can we try this at home?" She snickered. "Geez, Mulder, how do you do it?" "Do what?" "You've sure got a nose for it. You can locate porn anywhere." He gave her an indignant look and countered, "Don't taunt the nose, Scully." "What body part would you rather I taunt?" He made an "ouch" face, then teased in an earnest tone, "I noticed up at the front of the store there's a really good deal on an old Brownie camera. We could set up our own photography studio at my apartment." She rolled her eyes. "Scully, I could make you a star..." His eyebrows rose inquiringly. "Yeah, Mulder? Well, you hold my purse in a crowded shopping mall sometime, and then I'll think about it." With that, she sauntered away to examine a display of antique medical equipment as Mulder dropped his postcards. ----------------- Scully gave a long, lingering lick and smiled in satisfaction as Mulder groaned quietly, "So this means we're even, right Scully?" "Mm-hmm, Mulder, I think we're more than even now." She licked her lips carefully. "Oh, so that means...you owe me, right?" Mulder's expression turned thoughtful. "I can think of a lot of ways I'd like for you to repay me." His eyes were entranced by the sight of Scully's tongue sliding over her ice cream cone: one scoop of chocolate with peanut butter and one scoop of French silk on a sugar cone. Mulder's neglected butter pecan dripped on his pants leg. "Damn!" Scully grabbed a napkin and wiped at the spot on his thigh. "Can't take you anywhere, can I?" "I don't think I'd do that if I were you, Scully." "What?" Mulder rearranged his jacket artfully over his lap and Scully replied, "Oh. Sorry." "You know you're killing me with this ice cream thing? You think you could manage to do that a little less...suggestively?" "Mulder, how the hell else are you supposed to eat ice cream without using your tongue? Besides, it was your idea to come here in the first place." "I wanted to pay you back for ruining your Non-fat Tofutti Rice Dreamsicle that day," he explained. "Well, I told you that you've more than replaced it. This is amazing ice cream." "I can tell you're enjoying it." "Can you now?" Her eyes twinkled. Mulder set to work cleaning up his own drippy cone. It was now Scully's turn to watch as his supple mouth rapidly devoured the melting, creamy mess, and she was suddenly recalling with wonder the breathtaking sensation of Mulder's lips touching hers for the first time. Had it only been that morning? Six years of suppressed emotion bound up in a single sweet kiss. He had been so gentle that it made her heart ache in her chest just thinking about it. But she had wanted infinitely more and clutched desperately at him as they deepened the kiss, until Skinner's knock had forced them to part breathlessly. Regretfully she sighed and quickly attempted to distract her frustrated thoughts by looking around the old-fashioned ice cream parlor and candy store where only a few scattered customers lounged, indulging themselves in various sinfully sugary concoctions. La King's was a shotgun building with wooden floors and a long marble counter complete with soda fountain and rotating, red leather-covered stools. Mulder and Scully sat at a small gray marble table near the sunny front window, the breeze from overhead ceiling fans ruffling their hair. Mulder could eat remarkably fast. Scully was amazed at the speed with which he had polished off his cone and sat licking his fingers contentedly. He noticed her eyeing him in contemplative silence. "You're dripping, Scully." "Huh?" Her brows raised in consternation, then she looked down at her melting cone. "Oh." She set to work wiping chocolate from her white blouse. "Damn. This is never gonna' come out." "Ruining blouses is an occupational hazard for you lately. At least it's not blood this time." "Gee, thanks for the insight, Mulder." "Eat your ice cream before you get it all over you, young lady, and I have to take you home and give you a bath." He winked. She gave him an "oh, wouldn't you just love that" look, but secretly shivered with pleasure at the thought. "I'm going to check out the candy counter." He gently tousled her hair as she narrowed her eyes at him and gave her ice cream another swipe. Then he strode away, his shoes tapping out a rhythm across the wooden floorboards towards the long glass case full of every imaginable sort of confection. Scully was taking her last bite of sugar cone when Mulder returned with a small bag of colorful candy. "Jellybeans? All that candy to choose from and you bought jellybeans, Mulder? I could've done a lot better than that." "They're not ordinary jellybeans, Scully. They're JellyBellies." He continued at her blank expression, "Gourmet jellybeans. Exotic flavors, natural ingredients?" He stuck them in his pocket. "A snack for later, ok?" Then he pulled out a tiny white paper bag and handed it to her as she eyed him suspiciously. "What's this?" "Just open it, Scully." She looked inside with delight and gave a low "Mmmm" sound which headed straight to his groin. He offered, "One chocolate-covered cherry. Just for you." "You're spoiling me, Mulder. I'll have to go on a diet when I get back home." He laughed, "Scully, you're the tiniest person I know." "Shut up, Mulder." She narrowed her eyes again and pursed her lips in a small pout, then said, "I can't eat it all. I'm fairly stuffed after all this ice cream. You split it with me, ok?" "I'd never make this kind of sacrifice for anyone but..." He suddenly ceased talking as he watched, mouth watering, while Scully's eyes closed, teeth sinking into the luscious chocolate and juicy cherry. Syrup from the messy confection remained on her full, red lips as she chewed contentedly and offered the other half to Mulder. Mulder leaned forward, his mouth taking it directly from her hand, sucking the juice from her fingertips as she sighed, "Mulder, I don't think we should be doing this here." "What, Scully? Eating candy? You know, you've got something sticky--right...here." He leaned forward again, his face looming over her own. Her lashes lowered as she watched his agonizingly slow approach, and she couldn't find the energy to protest as his tongue lapped tentatively at her waiting lips. She quietly groaned as he withdrew slightly, gauging her reaction. She glanced surreptitiously around them, then melted into his full mouth, tasting cherry and chocolate and Mulder. She forgot to breathe when his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and his tongue slid warmly against the roof of her mouth. She answered with her own tongue, reaching into the recesses of his mouth that still tasted of ice cream. Mulder broke away, a little out of breath, and rested his forehead against hers. "We really should stop, Scully." Her eyes remained closed as she answered with regret, "I thought I said that already." She reluctantly pulled away and rubbed a thumb over his damp lower lip, then looked towards a table across the room where two teenaged girls drinking chocolate sodas whispered and giggled. "A little too public." Even the college kid working behind the marble counter was doing a poor job of disguising the fact that he was observing them with intense interest. He smoothed her hair and said, "Let's go." "Mulder, I'm a mess and so are you. I can't go anywhere like this. Let's go back to the room and get changed." He nodded wordlessly and pulled her chair out as she stood. They left the cool air-conditioned ice cream parlor and headed down the sidewalk, until Mulder stopped, gesturing across the street. "Hey, Scully, let's go in there first." --------------------- Scully dissolved in peals of laughter and Mulder cackled as they emerged from their respective dressing rooms simultaneously. Patsy Cline accompanied their impromptu fashion show, belting "Walkin' After Midnight" soulfully over the vintage clothing store's soundsystem as a sales clerk with long red hair and Betty Page bangs crossed her arms over her leopard print shirt. Tapping her foot quietly below a skinny black pencil skirt, she waited for the agents to compose themselves. Pursing cotton candy-colored lips in thought, she at last said, "Let me bring you something a little different. I don't think that's quite...you." Mulder stood before the full-length mirror wearing tight black jeans, a black jacket with bright silk-screened flames on the sleeves, and black shoes imprinted with dice designs. The clerk turned her attention to Scully. "And that's definitely not you, hon'. I'll be right back." Scully snorted as she stood beside Mulder, perusing her black capri pants decorated with flames at the hem, exactly like Mulder's jacket sleeves. She also wore matching flaming Mary Janes on her feet. But the crowning glory was a black lace-edged form-fitting top with skimpy ribbon straps and a red cherry accent hanging right between her... "I don't know about me, Scully..." He did a little Elvis swivel with his hips that made Scully's mouth go dry. "But you..." He grinned wickedly. "You look outta' sight." "Yeah right. I can't wait to get out of this getup. How did you talk me into this?" Her eyes wandered around the room at the racks of vintage rockabilly clothing and displays of fuzzy dice, Elvis Presley playing cards, and other gaudy 50's memorabilia. "Hey, if we find some cool new duds to wear, what's say we go out on the town tonight?" "I don't think we're going to find anything quite our style here, Mulder." "Who knows, Scully? Besides, we're in the 'Live Music Capital of the World'. We can't pass up a chance to go out and paint the town red now, can we?" "I don't know..." Just as Patsy began crooning "Crazy" over the stereo system, the salesclerk dropped a huge pile of clothing in Scully's arms and ushered her back into the cramped little dressing room, swishing the curtain closed behind her. She pointed a finger at Mulder. "Don't you move. I'll have something for you in just a sec'." Mulder listened to the sounds of zippers unzipping and fabric rustling as Scully changed on the other side of the curtain. "Hey, Scully, need any help in there?" "No thanks, Mulder, I'm just fine." "That's what you always say." She poked her head out, smiled sweetly, and said, "But this time I mean it," then disappeared again. "No peeking!" she called. "If we're gonna' go out tonight, maybe I want to surprise you with what I'm wearing." "Ooh, I like surprises, Scully." "Why does that fact *not* surprise me?" The salesclerk appeared and corralled Mulder in his own dressing room, dumping an armload of apparel on a small stool inside and closing the curtain ceremoniously. Several clothing changes later, Mulder emerged from his dressing room to find Scully collapsed on a nearby chair, holding a bulging sack in her lap and glancing through a pile of books. "What do you think about this?" "Oh, I don't think so, Mulder." "What's the matter with it?" "Well, the shirt itself is pretty nice, but the 'she-devil' sitting in a martini glass embroidered on the bottom detracts from its appeal a bit. Try another one." Mulder headed back inside as Scully called to him, "Hey, here's the perfect book for you, Mulder." "I'm waiting." " 'The Best of American Girlie Magazines'." His head popped out, "Really? I don't have th..." "Down boy. Go finish changing. I like this one better anyway: 'A Stiff Drink and a Close Shave: The Lost Art of Manliness'. How's that for a title?" When Mulder appeared once more, she looked at him appraisingly. "Oh, that's more like it, but..." She squinted at the tiny design on the chest, "I am not going anywhere with you wearing a shirt that says 'Drunk'. I don't care how tastefully small the design is embroidered." He pursed his lips impatiently at her. "How come you won't let me see what you bought, but you get to pick out what I'm going to wear?" "Mulder, if your taste in ties is any indication of your general taste in non-business attire, then there is no way I am going to go anywhere with you tonight without personally approving it first. Case in point..." She eyed his chest. "That shirt. Now go back in there and find something respectable." He sighed and marched determinedly back to the dressing room, and when he returned several minutes later, Scully broke out in a delighted smile, "Yeah, Mulder, now that's definitely you." ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 6: Whiskey & Roses The familiar, comforting sensation of Mulder's hand on the small of Scully's back felt new and forbidden on this particular evening. She reveled in the warmth of his palm through the deliciously filmy fabric of her new dress as he ushered her through the doors of the Continental Club, right across the street from their motel. As they entered the narrow, dimly lit club, the heady scent of liquor, cigarette smoke, and humanity all decked out for a night on the town washed over her. A live band played, the sound of the drums and bass guitar thrumming seductively in the pit of her stomach. The assault on her senses was intoxicating and made her toes curl in the chunky black high-heeled spectator pumps she'd secretly selected earlier that day at the vintage clothing store. The place was so crowded that they were forced to stop only a few feet inside the door, Mulder pressed close behind his partner. Heat radiated from his body, and that combined with the bewitching smell of his cologne and the unmistakable scent that she had come to know over the years as simply 'Mulder' all served to make Scully a bit lightheaded. In silence they watched the band, all sporting neat haircuts and wearing dark suits and ties, except for one female member sedately playing a guitar who wore a smart red skirt and jacket with pearls. Scully would swear they were all refugees from the Bureau, if it weren't for the fact that the lead singer wore a large cowboy hat and played the strangest instrument she'd ever laid eyes on. It seemed to be a guitar with some other stringed instrument attached at the bottom. He drawled his lyrics in a deep, rich voice, "Darlin' I'll do anything you say..." Mulder's breath tickled as he spoke in her ear, "That must be Junior himself." He was referring to the marquee they'd read outside the club announcing that the so-called "Twang" music legend Junior Brown was performing tonight. "I'd say so." Scully shifted forward as much as the crowd would allow. "Mulder, don't stand so close," she admonished. Mulder inched up behind her again and teased, "What's the matter, Scully baby? I won't bite." He kept his eyes innocently focused on the stage as he added, "Not that you don't look good enough to eat." She turned her head to the side and nearly brushed her cheek against his, he was leaning so close. "Mulder, they'll hear..." She surreptitiously inclined her head to the right, where agents Kinsley and Stonecypher stood beside them. Thank goodness they seemed to be preoccupied with watching the band. She whispered incredulously as an afterthought, "Baby??" Mulder wrapped a warm hand around her left hand, out of sight of any prying FBI eyes, and quickly brushed his lips against her left ear as he whispered seductively, "You didn't seem to mind the last time I called you that, down in our office when I relieved you of your..." "Mulder!" "Enjoying the show?" Stonecypher shouted to them over the din of the club. Scully pushed Mulder back a few inches with a subtle shove of her rump and called back, "Yes! Thanks for inviting us!" Mulder rolled his eyes imperceptibly and sighed in frustration. How were he and Scully ever going to shake these two? It was no fun having to watch their every move for fear of betraying their budding new relationship. Mulder looked down at Scully in her hot little dress and he felt something stir south of his waistline. Lucky for him he wore very loose trousers and an untucked shirt this evening. Scully had picked them out for him at the rockabilly clothing store. He wore soft black pants that draped just right over his ass, if the looks Scully had given him in the store when he'd tried them on were any indication. The short-sleeved button down shirt was blue gray with two long black panels down the front to match his pants. There were three tiny starbursts embroidered on the chest, and the picture was made complete with shiny black patent leather shoes. Mulder had even moussed his hair a bit. It was a getup worthy of Elvis in "King Creole", circa 1958, if he did say so himself. Mulder was glad Scully had kept her dress a secret. He'd been struck speechless when she had emerged from her room to meet him in the motel hallway earlier. She'd smiled shyly at him and hesitantly asked, "Do you like it?" He knew he'd gaped open-mouthed like a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal as he stared at her wordlessly. He couldn't help it. She was stunning. "What's not to like?" he'd finally managed to choke out ineffectually. The dress was a slinky soft black material imprinted with large red roses. Scully's milky white shoulders were bare except where two straps tied to hold the dress up. It looked like something Marilyn Monroe would've worn, and it hugged Scully's curves perfectly. Mulder never dreamed he'd see his very proper FBI partner looking like a luscious movie star with an hourglass figure. She was also wearing a scarlet shade of lipstick that he'd never seen on her before. He definitely would've remembered this particular striking shade which made her lips look even more voluptuous than usual. Mulder had wanted to kiss her senseless right there in the hallway. Scully had smiled at his dazed expression and quipped, "I'll take that as a yes?" "Definitely, Scully, most definitely. Without a doubt. You look..." He'd taken her hand in his. "...amazing." He'd kissed the inside of her wrist softly as she blushed. Then he'd slipped a small silver bracelet out of his pocket and deftly fastened it there. "It's nothing fancy," he'd explained with chagrin, searching her face a bit anxiously. "I saw it earlier in the shop and I just wanted..." he trailed off as he realized he couldn't explain why he wanted to give her this small token to wear on her delicate wrist. Scully had examined some of the tiny charms hanging from the bracelet: a black cat, a witch, a genie lamp, a devil. Very quirky. Very Mulder. She'd been touched. She had blinked back tears at his sweet gesture and tiptoed up to whisper in his ear, "It'll be our little secret." Then she'd kissed his cheek softly and wiped away a smear of red lipstick with her thumb. He'd smiled radiantly at her, relieved that she had accepted and actually seemed to like his gift. Scully had cleared her throat emotionally, then conspiratorially smiled, "Let's go paint the town red, partner," and headed down the hallway. After a couple of seconds, she'd realized he wasn't following, and she had stopped and turned to look quizzically back at him. Mulder was still standing there, just watching her walk. He'd grinned mischievously as she looked questioningly at him. "What?" she asked. "Hey, G-woman, do fries come with that shake?" She'd groaned, "Mulder, come on!" "Those are some shoes, Scully. Do you know what people call the kind of shoes you're wearing?" "Yes, Mulder. I'm quite aware." "So... Does that mean you're sending me subliminal messages?" They'd emerged from the building at that moment and come face to face with Kinsley and Stonecypher, who'd asked Mulder and Scully to join them at the Continental Club across the street. Mulder's first impulse had been to refuse, but Scully had beat him to the punch and accepted, no doubt worrying how it looked with she and Mulder caught going out all gussied up for a night on the town alone. Now they were stuck with them at the Continental Club. Damn those two! Mulder had to think of a way to get rid of them, and fast. He called out to his companions, "I'm heading over to the bar to get us something to drink." Stonecypher offered, "I'll have a beer. Something on draft." "Same here!" joined in Kinsley. "I'll go with you." Mulder smiled tightly and beckoned Kinsley to follow him through the crowd towards the bar. Stonecypher sidled up to Scully as she watched them leave. Scully felt Stonecypher's eyes sliding over her form appraisingly. "Nice dress," she commented. Stonecypher was still dressed in the dark tailored suit she'd worn to the conference. Scully smiled self-consciously and replied, "Thanks." "You two go out like this often?" "As a matter of fact, never," Scully supplied quickly. "This is a first. Live music capital of the world and all." "Mmm-hmm." Scully felt distinctly uncomfortable. She watched the band as they launched into "Venom Wearin' Denim". Stonecypher suddenly volunteered, "Junior's playing a one-of-a-kind instrument he invented. Calls it a 'guit-steel'. A combination guitar and steel guitar." "Is that a fact?" She continued, gesturing at the woman in red on the stage, "That's Junior's wife Tanya Rae playing acoustic guitar." "Really?" Scully feigned interest, nodding, but she was feeling faintly nervous and wasn't quite sure why. Stonecypher observed, "Can you imagine working with your husband, day in, day out?" She looked pointedly at Scully. "But then, a partnership is kind of like a marriage, wouldn't you agree?" "I guess. In some ways." On the wall next to the stage, Scully spied a vintage movie poster for the French release of Elvis's JailHouse Rock, "Le Rock du Bagne" and wondered briefly if Mulder had spotted it yet. Stonecypher casually remarked, "Don't you hate it when, just because you've got a male partner, people assume you're sleeping together?" Scully's mouth dropped open at the unexpected turn in the conversation and stammered, "I... You... What do you mean?" Stonecypher shook her head ruefully. "Come on, Agent Scully, don't tell me you haven't heard the Hoover Building gossip." "Gossip?" Scully watched the band as they headed backstage for a break. "I take it you don't get wind of the rumor mill stuck down in that basement office of yours," Stonecypher said in a quieter tone, now that the band had stopped playing. "I guess not." "Well, maybe you should be grateful. Sometimes those rumors hurt. Office pools have had Agent Kinsley and me engaged for two years running." "No kidding?" "And you can imagine what they're saying about you and old Spooky over there at the bar." "What?" Scully's eyes were getting wider by the second. "Oh, come on, Mrs. Spooky, you can't be serious. You honestly haven't heard what people say about you two?" "No, I..." Scully swallowed hard and looked at Stonecypher with alarm. "What do they say?" "If you honestly don't know, then I'm not sure I want to tell you. People are hateful sometimes." Stonecypher patted Scully on the arm gently. "But Mulder and I have never..." She touched the bracelet on her wrist for comfort. "We don't..." The frustrating irony of the situation was that she could no longer defend herself or Mulder against these accusations. If anyone had confronted her with them even a few short weeks ago, she could have denied them unequivocally. But now... She finally asked irritably, "Why would people think that about us?" "Well," Stonecypher drawled in her sing-song Texas accent, "I think they're just jealous. Scully, you've gotta admit, you two have got something going on..." Scully started to protest, but Stonecypher finished her statement quickly, "...even if you aren't sleeping together." "Exactly what do you mean by that?" "People see the way you look at each other. 'Gaze' is a word that is bandied about quite often." "I most certainly do not gaze at Mulder." "Oh yes, you do. I've seen you. And he gazes at you." Scully spluttered, "This is utter nonsense." "Like I said, people are jealous. You two, when you talk, you're in your own little world and nobody else exists. You huddle up together and gaze into each others' eyes." She held up a hand to halt Scully's protests and continued, "I'm not saying it's true, I'm just telling you how it looks." Scully fretted and fumed in silence, eyes nervously searching in the direction of the crowded bar for Mulder's return. "I've heard how he goes berserk when anything bad happens to you. Like in the hospital where you mysteriously turned up after your disappearance several years back. The story of how he went ballistic that time is legendary." Scully's jaw tightened angrily as Stonecypher placed her hands on her hips and peered at Scully curiously. "And I also heard he mounted up huge bills just to go rescue you down in Antarctica or some other godforsaken place. Is that true?" "That..." Scully's tone was sharper than she intended. "...is none of your business." "Hey, I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little envious myself. I'd much rather have someone like Mulder for my partner than Kinsley." Scully's brows raised in quiet surprise. "Oh, don't get me wrong. We get along fine. And we work well together." Stonecypher looked pointedly into Scully's eyes. "But if I had a partner who looked at me the way that Mulder looks at you, Bureau consorting regulations be damned, I'd do what I wanted, and not give a rat's tush about what other people said." "But Mulder and I..." "I'm not accusing you of anything, Scully. Remember, I'm the subject of gossip myself, so I know how it feels. I'm just saying, Agent Mulder seems the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. And if I had a man who was that attentive and caring toward me, I'd hang on to him with everything I had, and tell the Bureau and all its gossips to go screw themselves." Scully's head whirled with consternation at the thought of everyone talking about her and Mulder that way. But surprisingly enough she also felt relief. Relief because here was someone in a position similar to her own giving her advice. Telling her to follow her own heart. She halted any further weak protestations she'd been planning on spouting and gave her fellow agent a grateful smile instead. "Thanks for the advice, Stonecypher." "Call me Carla." They saw Mulder and Kinsley approaching with drinks in their hands, and Carla spoke quickly in her ear, "Everybody already thinks you're doing it anyway. The rumors can't get any worse, right?" Scully spluttered out a laugh. "Sorry we took so long. The line at the bar was terrible. What's so funny?" asked Mulder. Stonecypher smiled at Mulder, "Oh nothing. Just girl talk. All right, Kinsley, where's my beer?" Mulder thrust a large shotglass in Scully's hand. It was filled to the brim with amber-colored liquid. Scully took it and asked suspiciously, "Just what did you bring me, Mulder?" "Whiskey, straight up." Scully opened her mouth to resist, but Mulder interrupted quickly, "Live a little, remember Scully? Besides, you wouldn't want me to think you weren't woman enough to take your liquor straight once in a while now, would you?" Stonecypher's eyes twinkled as she watched Mulder baiting his partner. "Mulder, I haven't had a shot of whiskey in..." "Bottoms up, Scully." Mulder downed his own shotglass in two large gulps and looked at her expectantly, eyes watering. They were all three looking at her, waiting. She sighed, then held her breath and downed the fiery liquid. It burned its way down her throat and took her breath away. She managed to stifle a cough and looked triumphantly at Mulder, as if to say, "Okay, fine. What next?" He smiled approvingly at her and added, "Oh, Scully, I forgot to tell you that was a double. Might want to take it easy on the alcohol for a little while. Wouldn't want to have to carry you back to the room." "In your dreams, Agent Mulder." The whiskey had landed in her stomach, where it burned not entirely unpleasantly. She smiled indulgently at him, while Agent Kinsley eyed the two curiously. Scully hadn't noticed the band returning to the stage, but they were now striking up a new song. It sounded like 1960's surf music. Mulder grabbed her hand. "Come on, Scully, let's dance." "Ohhh no, Mulder." He pulled harder and she dug in her heels. "No, Mulder, absolutely not." "Come on! I'll bet Stonecypher would dance if Kinsley asked her." Stonecypher drained the last of her beer by gulping unceremoniously, then wiped her hand across her mouth and announced hastily, "Well, we'd better be going, Kinsley." "What? We just got here!" "Kinsley, I don't feel well." "I can call you a cab." Stonecypher rolled her eyes and repeated, "Michael Kinsley, I said I don't feel well, and I want you to escort me back to the hotel. What if something happened to me? Don't you even care?" "But..." "No arguing, let's go." She set their glasses on a nearby table, grabbed her uncomprehending partner's arm, and hustled him towards the door. She called over her shoulder, "We'll see you tomorrow. Have fun without us!" She winked at Scully before disappearing into the night. "What the hell was that all about?" Mulder asked, taking in Scully's small enigmatic smile. He then quickly amended, "What am I saying? They're gone! Alone at last!" He held out a hand. "Dance with me, Scully." Scully allowed him to lead her onto the crowded dance floor and spin her around to the brightly energetic 60's music. The whiskey had found its way into her veins where it tingled in her limbs warmly and made her brain pleasantly fuzzy as well. Mulder twirled her into his arms, and she slowly felt herself relaxing. She realized she was laughing, a strange and unfamiliar thing to be doing in public with her partner Mulder. The song happily turned into a medley as the band launched into "Secret Agent Man", and Mulder raised his eyebrows in delight and smiled a sweetly goofy smile. She beamed at him, and it took Mulder's breath away because it was her all-out, hundred watt, beatific smile that went all the way to her sparkling eyes and took up residence there, the smile that Mulder never got to see unless he was waking up from a coma in the hospital with her waiting patiently by his bedside or some other equally dire catastrophe had been averted. Mulder made a pledge to himself at that moment to try to coax that smile out of Scully as often as possible for the rest of their lives. Then he whirled her around the dance floor one more time. Neither of them noticed the tall, well-dressed, balding man wearing spectacles sitting at a small table in a darkened corner, quietly observing his junior agents. The corners of his mouth turned up nearly imperceptibly and his eyes softened as he watched them. He drank a silent toast to their happiness, then slipped out the door of the club unobserved. ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 7: Signs, Symbols, & Jellybeans "It's a bit phallic, don't you think, Mulder?" He thoughtfully regarded the object at which his partner was staring with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "Well, yeah, I guess so. Hey, do you think it's a sign?" Scully, still slightly breathless from dancing with her partner, answered, "It's over the marquee. Of course it's a sign, Mulder. I was just commenting that the thing's suggestive, that's all." They were standing outside the Continental Club, getting a breath of fresh air, looking across the street at the tall, monolithic Austin Motel sign sitting on its somewhat bulbous base. Mulder had to agree that Scully had something there. He was just disappointed that he hadn't thought of it first. Must be losing his touch. "No, Scully, I said maybe it's a *sign* of things to come..." "Not while we're on Bureau business, if I have anything to say about it." "Party pooper." "Careful, Mulder. You don't want to spoil your chances for greater things later on down the line. Haven't you ever heard of delayed gratification?" "Are you made of stone, woman?" He paused with a mischievous look in his eyes, then continued, "Oh, wait a minute. Recalling what I witnessed of you in your room this morning, I'll have to scratch that last comment." Scully looked slightly embarrassed and suddenly busied herself smoothing her skirt and studiously avoiding Mulder's gaze. He teased gently, "Cat got your tongue?" He traced a finger from her bare shoulder down to her elbow, raising gooseflesh as he went. "This is just all so new, Mulder. Give me time." "I'm sorry, Scully. I'll give you all the time you need. You know that." She smoothed a hand over his freshly shaven cheek affectionately. Mulder continued, "Hey, I like the rest of the sign, too. 'So close, yet so far out.' That's very apropos for us, wouldn't you say?" "Quite, Mulder." She smiled and grabbed his hand impulsively. "Let's walk." They strolled in companionable silence for a couple of blocks, enjoying the cool evening breeze ruffling their hair and sweat-dampened clothing after the hot confines of the crowded nightclub. Mulder could gaze at his partner to his heart's content on this practically deserted street without worrying who would catch him at it now. His eyes swept from her flushed cheeks, which were the result of the alcohol or the dancing or something else, he was not sure, to her softly tousled hair. He'd always secretly liked it this way best, sexy and falling into her eyes. Sometimes when she'd looked that way after chasing down a suspect, he'd wanted to grab a handful of that hair and kiss her so hard she'd forget her own name. But of course, he never had. Scully suddenly broke the silence. "I'm hungry." "Oh, really?" Mulder answered coyly. "I don't mean *that* and you know it. It's been a while since that ice cream we had this afternoon, and we skipped dinner." Mulder reached into his pocket and held out a small bag of candy to her saying wryly, "You can thank me later, and I've got a couple of ways in mind that you can do that. I'll delay my gratification like you suggested, not that I think I have a choice in the matter." She took the candy from him gratefully, and added flippantly, "You rock, Mulder." "Been hanging around your nephews a little too much lately, Scully?" She chuckled as she opened the bag of jellybeans. "You'd be surprised what a person picks up around the younger generation nowadays." "Just as long as you don't start collecting Pokemon cards." "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Mulder. If I'm going to collect cards, I think baseball would be more my style." She gave a small smile and wondered if Mulder would be reminded of their impromptu baseball game one night a few weeks ago. He obviously did because he squinted at her meaningfully, chewing at a fingernail, then cleared his throat with difficulty as he remembered holding her body tightly against his while they'd practiced... um, batting. He quickly changed the subject, "You have to eat those one at a time, Scully. JellyBellies have some very exotic flavors and you won't be able to truly appreciate them unless you eat them very slowly one at a time." "I didn't know you were a jellybean connoisseur, Mulder." "Oh, I have those odd little oral habits that I indulge in now and again. Jellybeans, toothpicks..." "Sunflower seeds." "Among other things. You're catching on." She deflected his suggestive comment with a small roll of her eyes, then commented, "Blech, that one wasn't even sweet. It tasted strange. Sort of like..." "Buttered popcorn?" "Yeah! A jellybean that tastes like popcorn. What'll they think of next?" She held out the bag. "Want some?" They stopped walking next to an antique shop closed for business as she spilled some jellybeans into his hand and he recited to her, "These pink ones are bubblegum flavored, brown ones are chocolate pudding... There are actually 'recipes' for mixing them and making new flavors." "I didn't know you cooked," Scully deadpanned as she ate a peanut butter flavored jellybean. "All right, Miss Smarty Pants. You don't cook them-you put them in your mouth at the same time and eat them together. Here's a juicy pear flavored one and a raspberry. Together they make 'Poached Pear in Raspberry Sauce. Try it." He closely watched her as she chewed thoughtfully, attempting in vain to push an errant strand of hair behind her ear. It promptly fell back into her face as she commented, "Okay, Mulder. I'll buy that. You're right. It tasted like pears in raspberry sauce." "Now let's try my favorite." He searched in the bag until he found an exotic looking red and yellow swirled piece and popped it into her mouth. "This one is peach," she announced. "Yeah, and I'm going to have this cream soda flavored one." He put it in his mouth and chewed. "And together they'll be 'Peaches and Cream'" "Together, Mulder? We're each eating them separately..." Mulder ceased her talking by planting a decisive kiss on her unexpecting mouth. The flavors of peaches and cream intermingled delightfully as his tongue swept into her surprised mouth and his hand tangled in her thick hair. Just as quickly, he pulled away, leaving her breathing hard and disappointed that it was over so quickly. He quipped playfully, "Are we cookin' now?" She murmured with a dazed expression, "Now that's what I call a recipe." Mulder's eyes had spied something across the street, a brightly painted building, an old house actually, with a large front porch and a sign over its roof that read, "Disk of the Moon". "How about that tattoo, Scully?" "Excuse me?" she said in confusion, still dizzy from the sensation of Mulder's lips plundering her own completely without warning. "There's that tattoo place our waiter mentioned. They're still open. Let's go have a look." Mulder was surprised when they entered the front door. It was not at all what he'd been expecting. It wasn't dark and seedy. It was very light and airy and clean, with hundreds of tattoo designs covering the walls and nary a skull and crossbones, Confederate flag, or demon design to be found. There were lots of animals, religious symbols, mythic characters, and Chinese and Celtic designs. It was actually rather intriguing. An attractive young man with a conservative haircut came from the back room and introduced himself as Robert, the resident tattoo artist. Mulder never would've picked him out of a crowd as unusual, except for the fact that his arms were covered in intricate interlocking designs, forming a human mosaic. But if the man had worn long sleeves, Mulder never would've guessed he had a single tattoo on his body. The guy could've passed for an accountant. Robert introduced his slightly more exotic-looking partner, T-Bone, as the piercing specialist. T-Bone had long gray dreadlocks, and various parts of his body were pierced with primitive-looking jewelry. But T-Bone was actually very soft-spoken and friendly. Scully thought this amusing as she most certainly would have avoided encountering him on the street. He looked positively menacing. They encouraged Mulder and Scully to look through their portfolio depicting photos of past work (Mulder turned rather green around the gills when they came to the pictures of various people's private parts pierced and tattooed.) In spite of the fact that some of the pictures were a bit gory in his opinion, Mulder could recognize the fact that Robert was good at what he did, and some of the tattoos he'd done were quite intricate and beautiful. He browsed among the designs for a long while, as Scully talked quietly with Robert, who gestured at various tattoo designs hanging on the wall. Mulder wished Robert wasn't standing so close to Scully. He seemed a tad bit too interested in her, to tell the truth. Mulder wondered what they were talking about and hoped it was business. He distracted himself by closely examining a wall full of wild animal designs and recalling the myths and legends associated with each that he'd learned during his stay with the Navajo in New Mexico a few years back. Mulder noticed Robert stepping even closer to Scully and sharing a laugh. He decided to find out just what was so funny and walked over in time to hear Scully say cautiously, "Mulder and I are... partners. We're in town for a convention." Robert answered in a delighted tone, "So you two work together!" "Yes, Mulder and I work together." "That's just great!" Robert still had a pleased grin plastered on his face when Mulder interrupted somewhat more forcefully than he had intended, "So, Scully, you got a design all picked out yet?" Scully jumped slightly and cleared her throat. "Yeah, Mulder, I think I do. I think I'm gonna' go with something a little different this time." "Different?" "Well, yes..." She looked positively skittish. "What then?" he pressed, curious in spite of himself. "Ummm..." She squinched her eyes at him and wrinkled her nose slightly. "I think I want to go with something kinda' girlie this time." "Girlie? You, Scully?" he asked her incredulously. "Well, yeah, I went with the whole symbolic thing last time, and this time, I just want something... pretty." She bit her lip and looked for signs that Mulder was about to make fun of her frivolousness, but he was still speechless. Robert showed him the design. "Dana wants this wreath of vines and flowers." *Dana?* he thought. Boy, hadn't those two gotten chummy quick? "Where?" Mulder finally asked. "Where are you going to put it, Scully?" Robert answered for her. "Around her bellybutton." Mulder huffed out a laugh suddenly. Scully winced. "Wow, Scully. I never quite saw you as the girlie type before, but I kind of like it." She breathed out a silent sigh of relief. "You do? I was afraid you'd tease me, Mulder." He looked chagrined. "No Scully, I really like it. Are you gonna' get it done here?" He eyed Robert suspiciously. "Yes, Mulder, if you don't mind waiting." "No, I don't mind a bit," he fibbed. He'd rather she wait and get it done by a shriveled, smelly, cantankerous, old man who didn't seem the slightest bit interested in her. Mulder added as an afterthought, "If I can watch while you get it." The least he could do was keep an eye on Robert. Besides, he wouldn't miss out on seeing this firsthand for the world. "I don't mind," Scully offered, "if Robert doesn't mind you watching him work." "Sure, come on back, both of you." He led them into a room with a large black leather-covered chair that looked fittingly like an instrument of torture. It was actually an antique, an old dentist's chair. Robert explained the legalities to Scully, then had her sign a couple of papers saying she'd agreed to the procedure. Robert lowered the back of the chair so that the whole thing lay flat on its pedestal. He patted it and said invitingly, "Lie down here." Robert gave Scully's attire a once over with his eyes, and added, "You're going to have to do something about that dress." He then busied himself getting out small disposable ink containers and disposable needles. Mulder swallowed. Hard. Scully looked concerned. "Oh yeah, I never thought about that." She tentatively shimmied her dress up a couple of inches. Mulder couldn't believe she was even entertaining the thought of pulling her dress up for this guy. Scully sighed, "It's too tight at the hem to get up past my hips." Robert said calmly, "You can take it off. I won't mind a bit." Mulder couldn't stand it any longer and interjected, "Yeah, I'm sure you wouldn't, buddy, but this is my partner here and I don't think she wants to get undressed for you." "Mulder!" Robert offered placatingly, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, but I'm used to this kind of thing." He smiled ingratiatingly, "Really, this is mild. Why just yesterday, I shaved and tattooed a butterfly on a girl's..." "Thanks for sharing, Robert," Mulder fairly glowered, "but I'm not too sure about this." "Mulder, you don't have to be sure about this. I do. Robert, do you have something I could cover up with if I take off my dress?" She flashed a warning glance at Mulder to stave off any protest. "Sure, just a minute." Robert retrieved a couple of large fluffy towels from a nearby cabinet. "Will this do?" "Perfectly. Now turn around please." Robert turned around obediently as he snapped on a pair of latex gloves. Scully looked sternly at Mulder. "Both of you." Mulder sullenly joined Robert. "Oh wait a minute. Mulder, I need help with my zipper." He gave Robert a smug smile and sauntered over to help Scully with her stubborn zipper. "Thank you. Now back to where you were." Both men stood, arms folded, casting an occasional distrustful glance at each other while they listened to sounds of clothing rustling and old leather creaking. "All right. You can turn around now." Scully lay on the chair with one towel draped over her chest and the other covering her lower extremities. Mulder couldn't take his eyes off the view of her enticingly exposed stomach. He watched Robert busy himself with transferring the ink design to the skin around Scully's bellybutton. Robert smiled at Scully playfully as he leaned over her. "That didn't tickle, did it?" Mulder swore under his breath. This guy was too much. Who did he think he was? Mulder couldn't believe it when Scully actually smiled back and said serenely, "No, I'm not very ticklish." Mulder's mouth actually dropped open at that last statement, recalling her reaction to his tickling attempts in their office a couple of weeks ago. She must have read his mind because she gave him a small, reassuring wink when Robert wasn't looking. He smiled weakly back. He watched in fascination as Robert turned on the vibrating needle and began blacking in the outline of the wreath design on her skin. Scully winced a bit as he progressed, and Mulder stepped closer and stroked her bare shoulder lightly. Robert watched them curiously out of the corner of his eye and shook his head wonderingly. Who were they kidding? These two just worked together? He thought not. He began talking to get Dana's mind off the pain, telling them about his years of apprenticing in California, then working in San Antonio. He added, "Believe it or not, before that I used to be an accountant." Mulder said in amazement, "You really were an accountant?" "Yeah, but obviously I enjoy this line of work much more. It's much more creative." He smiled devilishly and added, "And when I was an accountant, pretty girls never walked into my office and dropped their pants for me to work on their bare skin." "Down, Mulder," Scully warned, not giving him a chance to make a smart-ass remark. She patted his hand reassuringly as Robert reached for a container of red ink, and Mulder gave her a "Don't worry about me. I'm fine with this" look. Mulder had observed while Robert worked, fascinated with the movements of the needle as he inked the precise, intricate outline, watching him wipe away tiny spots of blood as fast as they appeared on Scully's delicate skin. Robert remarked as he colored in small leaves with green ink, "I'm not going to fill this in entirely. You have nice skin and I want its color to show through. I don't want the ink to be too dark or cartoonish. I want it to be..." He smiled disarmingly up at Scully from where he leaned over her stomach. "...pretty." She squeezed Mulder's hand and he squeezed back gently. An hour had passed when Robert finally finished and covered Scully's new tattoo with a protective gauze bandage. Mulder was sorry to see it covered up. Robert peeled off his gloves as he gave her instructions for how to care for it for the next few days. He turned his back as Scully sat up to put on her clothes, and Mulder joined him quietly. This time Mulder didn't shoot him any deadly glances. They were on their way to the door when Mulder passed the wall of designs he'd been staring at earlier. He suddenly spoke out, "Wait a minute." -------------- "You don't have to do this, Mulder. You don't have to impress me or anything, you know." "I know, Scully. But I'm not doing this to impress you, honestly. I'm doing it for me." He grinned impudently. "Besides, all the cool kids are doing it." "Mulder!" "I'm sure, Scully. Just show me where to sign on the dotted line." After all the formalities had been taken care of, Mulder sat shirtless, straddling an old vinyl kitchen chair, muscular arms crossed over its back, while Robert transferred the primitive outline of a bear to the back of his shoulder. Scully moved another chair directly in front of her partner, where she carefully sat, legs crossed, hands folded demurely in her lap. She didn't have to say anything. Mulder answered her, "Have you ever known me *not* to do something impulsively? I know what I'm doing, Scully." He winced as behind him Robert began inking the bold black outline. After the initial shock of stinging pain had passed, he looked serenely into Scully's eyes and quietly explained, "Scully, Native Americans teach us that the bear is a symbol of introspection." His eyes took on a dreamy quality as he shared his thoughts with her. "The bear comes into our life to remind us when it is time to examine ourselves. Bear checks the hollows in old trees for honey, tearing apart the log to get to the sweetness of truth." Scully began slowly stroking his forearm with her fingertips as he spoke hypnotically, "Bear reminds us to find our quiet place from which to examine our goals and find our answers." He looked piercingly into her eyes and murmured, "You're my quiet place, Scully." She whispered, "Oh Mulder." ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Part 8: Vanilla Dreams "Don't pick at it, Mulder." "I just want to see what it looks like." "It's not time to take the bandage off yet." Scully watched her partner standing at the bathroom mirror, his new shirt abandoned carelessly beside the sink, pulling awkwardly at the bandage on the back of his shoulder. She finally sighed and said, "Here, let me." She had to tiptoe in her stocking feet to reach his shoulder because she had kicked off her high-heeled shoes as soon as they'd entered his room. He watched her in the mirror as she carefully pulled away the tape holding the gauze in place and they both admired his new tattoo. The profile of a bear walking across his shoulder stood out in stark relief to his golden skin, a mythic symbol forever searching for the truth. "Do you like it?" he asked. "I like it very much, Mulder." Their gazes locked in the mirror for a moment, then she patted him on his back and said, "Well, since you've got the bandage off, we might as well put some antibiotic ointment on it." "I don't have any." "I do. Come with me." He followed her through the connecting door to her room, where he watched her dig through her carry-on for a first aid kit containing a small tube of medicine. Guiding him to the bed, she told him to sit. Ever so gently she put a tiny amount of ointment on his shoulder and dabbed it over the tattoo. In spite of her efforts, she detected his eyes crinkling a bit in pain. "Does it hurt?" "A little. It feels like a burn." "That will go away in a couple of days and it will scab over. Don't pick at it. I mean it, Mulder. If you pick at the scab, it will take the ink out." "I promise I won't pick at my scab, Doc," he teased good-naturedly as she replaced the bandage. Scully found that she was reluctant to remove her hands from the smooth skin and corded muscles of his back. She remained standing, stroking one hand absently over his shoulders until he sighed and closed his eyes. "That feels good, Scully." She traced small circles around his bandage with one fingertip, then said, "Lie down on your stomach, Mulder." He looked at her curiously, but did as he was told, watching her rummage in her bag once more to retrieve a small bottle. She poured a bit of amber liquid into one hand and sat beside him on the bed as he cradled one of her pillows under his head, inhaling deeply. She rubbed her hands together, then began kneading his neck and shoulder muscles gently, careful to avoid the gauze bandage. He groaned appreciatively. "God, Scully, you have amazing hands." She responded by deepening her strokes and working her way down his spine. His voice, sleepy and muffled by the pillow, commented, "You brought massage oil, Scully? You had high hopes for us this weekend after all, huh?" "It's not exactly massage oil, Mulder, but it'll do in a pinch. It's after-bath body oil." "What's that scent?" "Vanilla." He inhaled appreciatively. "It smells like you, Scully." "Hmm..." she said absently, totally absorbed in the feel of Mulder's strong muscles rippling beneath her ministrating hands. She massaged both of his arms in turn, working her way down to his hands, where she even massaged his palms with her thumbs. By this time, Mulder was very nearly a puddle of protoplasm. She thought he'd fallen asleep, but when she reluctantly rose to go brush her teeth for bed she was surprised by a strong hand suddenly grasping her wrist. "What's your hurry?" "It's late, Mulder." "Remember, turnabout's fair play." He rose to a sitting position and took the bottle of oil from the nightstand. "It's my turn." "Mulder, we only have a few hours left to sleep. We have to be up early." Maintaining a firm grip on her wrist, he challenged her with mischievous hazel eyes. "I don't care. Do you?" He looked her up and down as he added, "Oh, and Scully, the dress is definitely gonna' have to go." Her stomach fluttered nervously. "Mulder..." She was beginning to feel she'd spent more time out of her dress this evening than in. "Turn around, Scully. Let me help you with that zipper." "Mulder, I don't think this is such a..." "C'mon, Scully. Or is Robert the only one you'll undress for tonight?" "Mulder, I thought you said you weren't the jealous type," she said, crossing her arms defensively. "What makes you think I'm jealous?" he said, rising and walking to stand behind her. She turned her head to the side and said, "You were fairly bristling at him from the moment we walked into the shop." She detected his hand at her back. "Was I?" he asked innocently. "Yes, you acted positively like a..." She felt him inching her zipper down. "...caveman." "Caveman, Scully? Does that mean I get to drag you by your hair back to my lair?" He slid her straps slowly down her shoulders, then pushed the dress down her hips until it pooled on the floor. "Lie down, Scully." She shivered, from the cold or something more primal, she was not sure, and found herself obeying his command. He watched as she crawled across the bed, wearing only her thigh-high stockings and black lace-trimmed panties and bra which made her skin gleam like ivory. Standing over her, he watched as she settled into the spot he'd just vacated, wrapping her arms around his pillow and breathing in the scent of his lingering cologne. She waited patiently, one knee slightly bent, emphasizing the soft swell of one rounded hip. Mulder forgot to breathe for a moment, seeing her lying there like that, all moonlight and shadows, but even so, he was not yet satisfied. He quietly sat beside her. "Scully?" She looked back at him curiously. "As much as I love this..." He fingered a lacy black strap on her shoulder appreciatively. "...it's gonna' have to go, too." "Mulder..." she began to protest. "It's in the way," he said by way of argument and deftly unhooked her bra in back. He began sliding the straps down her arms, but she quickly raised up a few inches and managed to get it off by herself, settling back down onto the bed as fast as she could. He brushed her hair to the side and softly touched the spot where the chip lay just beneath her skin. Then she felt one long finger trailing the length of her spine from her neck just to the top of her panties. She shivered and her skin pebbled in goosebumps. "You like that, Scully?" She didn't answer, only lay in waiting, listening breathlessly to the sounds of Mulder's hands rubbing together, warming the vanilla-scented oil. By the time he finally touched her, she thought she might cry out loud at the sensation. His hands slid over her shoulders and back, alternately kneading and soothing. She gasped quietly when she felt his fingers glide over her ribs and graze the sides of her breasts. She felt bereft when he stopped, but she didn't have long to wait before she became aware of his hands sliding her silk stockings slowly down her legs, one at a time. He went back to caressing and rubbing her skin, this time her feet. She couldn't stifle a groan as he mimicked her earlier actions on the palms of his hands, massaging her arch with his thumbs, and he chuckled in delight. "You enjoying this, Scully?" "Mmm-hmm..." His hands dug into her tight calf muscles, tired from an unaccustomed night of dancing, then trailed his fingers higher. She sucked in a breath when she felt them slip lightly over her inner thighs. All the blood in her body seemed to rush between her legs at that moment. "Wait... Mulder..." She'd said that a bit more urgently than she'd intended. Glancing back at him as she slid her bra straps back over her arms and fastened the hooks, she saw his face wore a confused, hurt expression. She rushed to explain as she sat up, "Mulder, that was... wonderful..." She released a shaky sigh. "...but we've really got to get some sleep." "Are you sure, Scully? I'm used to not getting much sleep, you know." She grasped his hand warmly, or rather, attempted to grasp his hand, as it slipped right out being as they were both fairly covered in oil. They both laughed softly, and Scully patted his arm affectionately. "Go to bed," she ordered. Scully rose and headed for the bathroom, turning on the tub faucet, adjusting the temperature of the water. "Good night, Mulder!" she called over her shoulder. She was startled by his husky voice right beside her. "What'cha doin', Scully?" "I'm, uh, taking a quick bath, Mulder. I can't sleep covered in oil." "Mmm-hmm..." His eyes ran over her scantily clad form lazily. "What?" "You know you can't run that water very deep. You don't want it to cover your new tattoo." "Right, Mulder, I'll just run a few inches." His voice, velvety and low, made her shiver involuntarily. "Need some help?" "No, Mulder, I'm fine..." "But you always say that. Here, let me help you." She backed up a pace as Mulder advanced and she found herself against the wall. Her voice came out as a whisper, "Mulder, I don't think we should..." "Should what, Scully? I'm just being a good FBI partner, giving you a hand." The edges of his mouth turned up in a sexy smile. "It just so happens that I'm helping you take your bath." She laughed before she caught herself. She didn't want to encourage this dangerous behavior. They were here on business, for pete's sake. She felt a hand snake around her back and unhook her bra, and before she could protest, he'd slid it down her arms and onto the floor. His eyes took in the sight of her bared breasts as he breathed, "See? That wasn't so bad." Words failed her as he knelt before her, reached up with both hands and grasped the waistband of her panties. He looked up into her eyes, and when she made no protest, he gently tugged them over her hips and let them drift to the floor. Scully gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder for support as she stepped out of them and into the waiting tub. She sat down and turned off the water, turning to look at her partner nervously. She had no idea what to expect next. He then took a washcloth from a stack by the sink and dipped it into the warm water. Squeezing it over her shoulder, he watched the water as it cascaded over her soft, round breasts and trickled down her stomach. She felt her nipples harden deliciously in response, to both the tactile stimulation and Mulder's roving eyes on her body. "I'm getting your bandage wet," he said quietly. Her voice was unsteady. "That's okay. I can change it later." He reached for the soap and lathered the washcloth, pushing her hair forward with damp, slightly trembling fingers, then ran the cloth gently over the pale skin of her back. Closing her eyes as he rinsed the lather away, she listened intently to the sound of her own heart thudding in her chest. He repeated his actions with both of her arms, the muscles of which felt weak and tremulous at his attentions. She leaned back against the tub when he lifted one slick leg from the water and slid his washcloth over it slowly. He worked his way languidly up her thigh, until she felt her breathing become labored. She gasped when she felt him slip it between her legs for the briefest of moments, brushing against her aching flesh. She took a moment to steady her nerves, then looked him straight in the eye and said in a low tone, "Mulder, I think you could use a bath yourself." "Yeah, Scully?" "Absolutely, Mulder. You wouldn't want to ruin those crisp, white sheets on your bed now, would you?" Mulder stood up without a word and shed his pants, then his boxers, revealing a breathtaking expanse of tight muscles and golden skin, and stepped into the shallow water with Scully. He seated himself facing her, their legs barely touching, and they quietly contemplated one another, listening to the sounds of their own irregular breathing. Mulder waited anxiously for Scully to make the first move. Slowly scooting closer, she lathered the washcloth and reached round him, washing his back while her breasts grazed his chest slightly. This intimate contact was nearly her undoing. He intoned, "You think Agents Kinsley and Stonecypher help each other out like this?" Scully huffed out a laugh. "I don't know for sure, *Agent* Mulder, but my best guess would be no. Probably not." She carefully soaped both his arms down to the fingertips, luxuriating in the slippery warmth of his skin. "Skinner thinks we're a great team. He just has no idea the lengths we'll go to, right, Scully?" "Hmm..." She absentmindedly hummed her response as she watched water trickle from the cloth in her hand to his thigh and disperse amid the dark hair there. Mulder touched her knee gently and asked, "Scully, do you realize I've only kissed you three times?" "Three times?" She listened to the sound of water dripping rhythmically from the leaky faucet, finding herself mesmerized by the tiny droplets of water clinging to his glorious skin. "Once this morning. After you..." He stopped to swallow. "...made yourself come in my arms." She blushed furiously, but Mulder put a finger under her chin to lift her lowered head. He continued, "Once after we ate ice cream..." She finished breathlessly for him, "And once with peaches and cream." "Yes. You know, Scully, we went about this whole sex and kissing thing a bit backwards." He gave her a rueful smile. "Usually people start out with kissing, then gradually work their way up to the Big Time. We took the opposite route." "What else would you expect from Mr. and Mrs. Spooky, Mulder?" He laughed and twined his fingers in hers. She added, "Care to make it four?" He said dreamily, "I thought you'd never ask." With that, he leaned over her and placed a tender, sweet kiss gently on her waiting lips. She sighed softly and smiled. "Mmm... four... I say we go for five." He bit his lip and smiled in delight as she then slid her body even closer, wrapping her legs around him until she could feel his erection prod deliciously at her belly in a most forbidden manner. She curled a hand around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, brushing her lips against his tentatively. Pulling back and taking one look at his impassioned expression, she parted her lips and kissed Mulder thoroughly, sweeping her tongue hungrily into his mouth, exploring its slick depths. Mulder responded fiercely, and both their actions became desperate, grasping, seeking. Lips exploring, tongues dueling, hands searching and caressing, they lost all sense of time. They kissed frantically, then slowly and languidly, then desperately once again for many long minutes, breath coming in gasps and hitches and moans. Mulder came up for air as Scully suckled at the soft skin below his ear. Twining his fingers in her slightly damp hair, he said breathlessly, "Think we managed to make up for any lost time there at all?" She nipped at his swollen lower lip, then slicked over it with her tongue. "It's a start." "Have I kissed you senseless yet?" "What?" "Never mind. Just an oft-visited fantasy. How many was that?" He trailed his fingers lightly up and down Scully's outer thighs which were wrapped loosely around his waist. She grazed her teeth over his nipple and kissed her way across his chest. "How many what?" Pressing his lips to the palm of her hand, he answered, "Kisses. How many kisses?" "I sort of lost count, Mulder. Now shut up and kiss me again." He lowered his head and captured her kiss-swollen lips once more, arms eagerly sliding around her back. The contact of her wet, naked skin against his was more intoxicating than any alcohol he'd ever consumed. Bending her backwards, he kissed his way down her neck and began laving her breasts with his tongue. He captured one pink nipple between his teeth, suckling gently, and she moaned in pleasure, inviting him to increase the intensity. "God, Mulder, you feel so good," she breathed. He nuzzled her other breast, flicked its pebbled tip with his tongue and replied, "Oh, you have no idea..." She reached beneath the water and wrapped one small hand around his heated shaft, causing him to groan in ecstasy. "Scully..." Rubbing her thumb over the tip, she kissed his neck and replied silkily, "Yes, Mulder?" "The water's getting cold." "Is that all you have to say?" "Come on. Let's get out of here." She made a small noise of disappointment, which was quickly quelled by the sight of Mulder's slippery, naked body emerging from the tub in all its glory before her appreciative eyes. She was mesmerized by the sight of him as he dried off slowly, rubbing the towel over his damp skin. He then held out his hand and carefully helped her out of the tub. She closed her eyes as he wrapped a soft towel around her shoulders and began to dry her himself. Working his way languidly down her body, he dried her arms, back, legs, breasts and stomach. She went weak in the knees when he rubbed the towel softly between her legs. He steadied her with an arm around her waist. "Whoa, Scullybaby, are you alright?" She said weakly, "Baby? There you go again. I'm fine, Mulder. I just feel a little, um... woozy." She cleared her throat and shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. "Must've been something I ate." "Maybe we had better slow down, Scully." His voice was tinged with concern. "Come with me." He led her to sit in an overstuffed chair in front of the curtained window. Retrieving her first aid kit from the dresser, he kneeled before her, carefully peeling the wet bandage from her stomach. He dabbed at the skin with a dry towel and said, "It's beautiful, Scully." She looked down at the tattooed wreath of delicate vines and small flowers circling her bellybutton and smiled. It was pretty. She was amazed at the care Mulder put into gently applying antibiotic and covering it with a dry bandage. She motioned for him to turn around, and he sat back on his feet as she quickly and skillfully changed the dressing on his shoulder as well. He turned back to face her after she kissed a spot on his shoulder directly below the fresh gauze. Still kneeling before her chair, he stroked her cheek, saying softly, "I guess we should get dressed, huh?" "Dressed?" she murmured. He traced circles on the top of her naked thigh with one fingertip as she shivered in response. "Yeah, I thought you wanted to get some sleep." "Sleep?" One auburn eyebrow raised nearly imperceptibly. "Do you want to get some sleep, Scully?" He trailed the back of his hand from her knee slowly up her leg, across her hip, settling at her waist. He listened as she let out a ragged sigh. "I don't know, Mulder," she whispered in the dimly lit room. "What do you want to do?" Her eyes were growing heavy-lidded and her breathing shallow as she contemplated her beautiful, naked partner kneeling at her feet. Hoarsely, he replied, "Do you really want to know what I want to do?" "Yes," she breathed. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest as she contemplated his answer. "I want you to turn around, Scully." A rush of heat flooded her sex as she turned her back to him. Mulder guided her to her knees in the seat, bending her over to lean her upper body on the back of the soft chair. She felt utterly exposed and vulnerable before his gaze as she sensed him back away to take in the sight of her. Then his hands slithered their way from her slim ankles over her calves, where he determinedly nudged her knees even farther apart, and finally made a torturously slow journey up her trembling thighs. She could feel his breath on her bottom as his fingers slowly parted her folds. Whimpering aloud, shaking with need, she awaited the touch of his warm, wet mouth on her body. She heard him murmur hotly, "I want to taste you, Scully. I want to put my tongue inside you." She begged, "Mulder, please, now..." With a desperate moan, he was licking her aching flesh, circling her already throbbing clit with his swirling tongue. He sucked the swollen nub between his lips, causing her to cry out and grind her hips shamelessly into his face. He made an animalike noise, wrapping his arms round her thighs to still her movements, thrusting his tongue into her wet opening. She arched her back and shifted her hips to give him better access, and felt him laving alternately at her swollen inner and outer lips. His nimble fingers found her engorged clit, flicking it, then circling it tantalizingly as his tongue continued its wet lapping of her juices. Scully sensed her thigh and stomach muscles tensing desperately when suddenly she felt Mulder's tongue slip up to lap quickly at her anus. The feeling was so shocking and utterly decadent that she moaned and shuddered violently, Mulder's face still pressed hungrily against her flesh. Her inner muscles contracted, sending deliciously overwhelming waves of sensation across her body. She finally collapsed in a trembling heap as Mulder kissed her backside and inched his way up to wrap his arms around her. She could still feel the contractions between her legs as they lay entangled and breathless. Mulder nuzzled her ear, humming contentedly, and he attempted to slip one hand possessively over her sex again. "No, Mulder." She sucked a breath between her teeth. "What's the matter, Scully?" "Too much, too soon." She wrapped her hand round his instead. "I can't stand for you to touch me there again just yet." He buried his nose in her hair and smiled to himself. "Senses on overload, Scully?" "You could say that." She sensed, rather than saw, his smug expression. "Don't go and get a big head on me now, Mulder." "Too late for that." Reaching behind her, she slid warm fingers around the stiff head that was currently making its presence known by poking her insistently in the back. She cooed, "Well maybe I can help you out with that particular problem, Agent Mulder. That's what partners are for, right?" Her thumb rubbed the sensitive spot just underneath the head and he moaned involuntarily. She continued soothingly, "You scratch my back, I scratch yours?" With that, she slid out of the chair onto her knees, and his throat became dry as he watched her tongue flick out to wet her lush, inviting lips. He'd seen his partner make that same small gesture so many times before in their daily lives that it seemed doubly erotic under these circumstances. Scully reached round his waist and urged his hips forward on the chair, spreading his knees wide. He leaned back as she took a long, lingering look at his swollen cock, then silently raised one delicate eyebrow appreciatively. Ditto his earlier thoughts for the eyebrow thing. Mulder had lost all power of speech as he watched while his partner's nimble fingers trailed slowly up his legs to linger tantalizingly on his inner thighs, caressing lightly while he shivered in anticipation. She gave a small Mona Lisa smile, then leaned forward and lapped quickly at the head, just as he'd seen her do with her ice cream cone earlier that day. He groaned and shifted his hips impatiently, greedy for more. He sucked in a breath when she wrapped her hand firmly around his pulsating shaft, sliding the folds of skin down gently. When she finally slipped her warm, silky mouth around him, the sensation was intensified by his tightened skin. He could barely breathe as she sucked on his already rock-hard cock, tracing her tongue along the bulging vein underneath, nipping at the spot just below the head. He felt her hand cup his balls and he felt dizzy when she reached her fingers back even further to press down repeatedly on his ultra-sensitive perineum. When he saw her reach down with one hand to ease the ache between her own legs, he felt an incredible tension in his loins, and he pulled quickly away from Scully before he exploded in her mouth. Her expression was bewildered, but he gently urged her up, pulling her into his lap. As she straddled him, his straining erection grazed her sex and she let out an involuntary hiss. Mulder groaned as well and said through gritted teeth, "I'm not going to last much longer if you keep doing that Scully." Reaching down wordlessly, she tugged gently down on his testicles and squeezed the end of his bulging length to help ease his urgency. "That help?" she asked him quietly. "For the moment." His face and chest were perspiring. "Scully..." "What's the matter, Mulder?" He looked intently into her pensive eyes and said, "Let's do this right, Scully." He clasped her face between his two strong hands. "I want to come inside you. I want us to consummate this thing we have between us." Her blue eyes filled with tears, and she looked panic-stricken for a moment. "Do you trust me, Scully?" She whispered, "Yes, Mulder, you're the only one I trust." "Then don't be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you. This is right. We are right. I meant it when I said that you make me a whole person. I know you haven't forgotten that." "No, Mulder, I haven't forgotten." Her breath hitched in her chest. "It's just that... It's so hard to give myself over to someone that I..." She trailed off. "Say it, Scully." Tears filled Mulder's hazel eyes as his voice broke. "I've said it to you. I know you thought it was the medication that made me do it, but I truly meant it." Tears coursed down his face as he breathed, "I love you, Scully." Suddenly she was kissing him, kissing away his tears and murmuring, "Shh..." She kissed his eyes and his cheeks and his forehead, repeating like a prayer, "I love you, Mulder. I love you. I love you so much." Her lips sealed around his in a hungry kiss and she whimpered, reaching down to grasp his throbbing shaft, guiding him to her aching opening. She lowered herself slowly onto him, feeling long-unused muscles stretching to their limit to accommodate his size. Gasping at the burning, stretching sensation, her movements stilled and she closed her eyes as Mulder touched her face in alarm. "Am I hurting you, Scully? We can stop..." "No, Mulder. Just give me a minute." She attempted to breathe deeply and relax her muscles. Feeling his hands wrap around her waist to help support her, she lowered herself another burning inch. Mulder groaned, and she impaled herself even further. Finally he was fully inside her and she opened her eyes. They stared at each other in wonder that this was finally happening after six long years. She breathed, "We've got to take this slowly, Mulder." "Take all the time you need." Tears were still drying on his cheeks, but he looked as though he might start crying again. He stroked her back soothingly as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, getting used to the feel of Mulder inside her body. The burning feeling had subsided, and she began to slide herself up and down his length slowly, languidly. She was becoming accustomed to the feeling of fullness within and moved more easily. How long had it been since a man had done this to her? How long had it been since she had felt this way about a man? Never. Never before had she felt this way. The reality hit her hard, and it was Scully's turn to cry. She felt hot tears stream down her face and splash on her chest. Mulder kissed her tenderly and asked, "Are you okay?" "I'm fi..." "Please, Scully, I don't want you to ever have to say that to me again. Don't shut me out." "You'll think I'm silly." "No, I won't. Tell me." "It's just that... I've never been with..." Her voice broke as she searched for the right words. "It's just so different being with someone you care about so deeply." She looked into his eyes and quickly amended, "Someone you love." She blushed. "Now you think I'm silly." "Oh, Scully, Scully, Scully." He kissed her nose. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." Smiling through her tears, she kissed him back, then resumed her languid movements on his heated shaft. She liked the feeling of Mulder filling her to capacity. Mulder was right. They belonged together. This was the most "right" thing she'd ever done in her entire life. His hands reached round and cupped her bottom as her pace increased, her movements became more urgent. Gripping his biceps, she rode him harder, perspiring with the effort, breathing raggedly. Her sweaty thigh muscles protested her unaccustomed movements, but she soon forgot that as Mulder's hand slipped between her legs to massage her aching clit. Moaning appreciatively, her head dropped back languorously. She felt Mulder's heated gaze, taking in her every move, lingering over her heaving breasts, the soft curve of her hips, falling on the place where their bodies were joined, Scully's slick juices covering them both. Mulder's fingers continued to tirelessly work their unrelenting magic over her throbbing clit until she detected a delicious tension in her lower body, once again threatening to overwhelm her very senses. She began tightening her inner muscles around Mulder's shaft, determined to take him over the edge with her, until she heard his answering moans. Clenching around him rhythmically, she managed to hold back her climax until she heard him hoarsely cry out her name, spilling his hot seed into her. She let loose her own floodgate then and wailed in sweet, sweet release. "God! MulderMulderMulder... " she chanted in abandon. When she came to herself again, she was aware of Mulder's lips suckling her sweaty breast, his hands slicking over the curve of her bottom. She felt as weak and trembly as a kitten and leaned heavily on him as she wrapped herself as closely as their mutual skins would allow. His voice was muffled on her breast as he said sleepily, "Do you want to move to the bed?" Drowsily she answered, "No, stay here, inside of me." He pulled his lips from her breast and looked into her eyes with pleased surprise, then said, "I can solve that problem." He held her tightly to him as he stood up, not breaking their physical bond as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Then he sat gently on the bed, lying back and pulling Scully on top of him, reaching to pull the covers on top of their cooling bodies. Draping herself comfortably over her partner, Scully chuckled softly. "What?" "I'm just thinking that all this started over a Tootsie Pop." "Passionate, steamy sex after ingesting a tasty confection on a stick? I think this may very well qualify as an X-File, Scully." Sighing happily, she reveled in the feeling of the connection they shared, his softening member nestled intimately inside her still. His voice became serious, quiet. "Say it again, Scully." She nuzzled his chest and breathed, "I love you, Mulder." Sighing as he stroked her hair, he whispered, "I love you, too, Scully." END PART 8/8 AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I'm very aware of the fact that I broke many (or all) of the basic guidelines of new tattoo care, but Mulder and Scully got some nookie in the meantime, so what the hay? Please tell me if you liked it in spite of my blatant disregard of tattoo procedures. Send feedback to evielouise@hotmail.com. I'll send you a virtual cherry Tootsie Pop in return.