AUTHOR: Radclyffe

RATING: NC-17

DISCLAIMERS:The characters of Scully, Mulder, Skinner and others/events introduced on the X-Files are the sole property of Chris Carter etc, and are used here without permission for entertainment, not for profit.

Marsh and Scully 'disappear' after the assault on Scully in Roadrunner *****

Doggett and Marsh nearly collided in the hallway outside Scully's hospital room. Doggett took a step back and straightened his shoulders in an unconsciously pugilistic pose, giving Marsh a piercing appraisal. She stared back, more than willing for a fight with someone after another anxious week of sitting by Dana's bedside waiting for test results.

Doggett blinked first. "I'm Special Agent John Doggett, Agent Scully's partner."

It sounded almost surreal to hear this man say those words, because the words were wrong in so many ways. _Mulder_ was Dana's partner, and Marsh knew that no one would ever replace him in Dana's life. And in the critical ways that only a few people understood, _she_ was Dana's partner. But of course, John Doggett didn't know any of that. He was clearly waiting for her to introduce herself, to define herself in some way that would explain her presence. She extended her hand, "Marshall Black."

He shook her hand firmly, assessing her as he felt the subtle strength in her long fingers and watched dark shadows swirling in the depth of her charcoal eyes. "We've met before," he said, releasing his grip but keeping his flinty blue eyes on her face. "In Arizona."

"Yes," Marsh replied. Too recently. She and Dana had barely recovered from the last near-tragic injury, only to be faced with another. The memories collided and pain flashed briefly across her face before she wrestled the images into submission.

Doggett caught a glimpse of something dangerous shimmering below her stark features, and he recalled how wild she had looked that morning at MacLaren Medical Center, like a weapon locked and loaded and ready to blow. She seemed a bit calmer now, steadier in some fundamental way, despite the brief flash of emotion and the circles of fatigue under her eyes. He'd seen her in and out of Scully's room the last week, but this was the first opportunity they'd had to speak. She made him uneasy, like there was something he should understand that he was missing. The feeling irritated him. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers and continued to regard her warily.

Marsh smiled at him faintly and looked past him to the closed door of the hospital room. The only thing that she wanted was to get Dana out of that room, out of this place that contained far more misery than joy. The specter of dread had hung over their lives for too long, and it was time to leave it behind. 

"From what I understand, you probably saved her life with your impromptu surgery," she said, obviously surprising him. Before he could respond, she stepped around him, adding, "Thank you. I owe you for that."

He turned, staring after her as she disappeared into Scully's room. "Son of a bitch," he whispered to himself in astonishment. "What was _that_ all about?"

*****

Scully was just closing her suitcase as the door swung open. She looked up, smiling quickly when she saw Marsh. "Hi," she said quietly. She knew Marsh was worried about her, but she was truthfully more tired than anything else. So very tired of trying to find herself in Mulder's absence. She had tried finding him, and when that had failed, she had tried _being_ him. That almost got her killed. She was going to have to discover who she was now without him. "I'm glad you're here."

Marsh crossed to her and kissed her lightly, answering, "How are you doing?"

"I'm ready to get out of here."

"Good," Marsh said, reaching for the luggage. "I just ran into Agent Doggett."

"Oh?" Scully responded. She nodded to the envelope lying on the bed. "He brought me a get well card. Strange, huh?"

"Nice of him, really," Marsh allowed neutrally.

Scully sighed. "You're right. He's been pretty decent to work with. He's thorough and a good investigator. It could have been worse, I suppose."

Marsh waited for the rest. It was the first time Dana had said anything about her new working arrangement, and Marsh had the feeling that this was about more than John Doggett's work ethics.

"But he's not Mulder," Scully said wistfully. "God, I miss him so much."

Marsh dropped the suitcase and stepped near, putting her arms around Scully's shoulders and drawing her close. She rested her chin on the top of Scully's head, murmuring, "You know that you can never count Mulder out. He'll be back. Somehow."

Scully closed her eyes, pressing her cheek to Marsh's neck, inhaling her fragrance, absorbing her warmth. She tightened her hold around Marsh's waist, welcoming her slender strength. "What would happen if we didn't go back?"

"Oh," Marsh said quietly, carefully, "I imagine everyone would manage without us."

"Let's disappear then," Scully suggested softly.

Marsh kissed her hair, then her temple. "I know just the place."

***** 

"Hey," Marsh said softly, lightly shaking Scully's shoulder. "We're here."

Scully blinked and stretched, amazed to discover that she had slept. She watched the small speck of darkness on the blue expanse of empty ocean grow larger, then begin to show traces of color as the rich greens of vegetation and the pristine white of sandy beaches came into focus. Even the water breaking on the undulating shore changed from a dense uniform indigo to nuances of azure, sapphire, and turquoise the nearer they flew to land. It had been almost a year since they had been to the island, and now she couldn't imagine why it had taken them so long to return. She sighed with soft regret, because she knew why. They had gotten used to being together when they could between the demands of Marsh's schedule and her own out-of-town trips. They rarely left their respective obligations and responsibilities to others and simply made time for themselves.

"We should do this more often," Scully remarked as Marsh brought them down into a gentle landing.

Marsh taxied the plane a short distance and stopped the engines. She turned in her seat and regarded Scully seriously. "We'll have to, after the baby."

Scully reached for her hand and entwined her fingers in Marsh's. "Yes. But every once in a while, I'm going to want you to myself, even then."

Marsh grinned, and as she always did on the island, she looked years younger and raffishly handsome. "That's why God made grandmothers. And we'll have two of them."

"Well, there's still just us for now," Scully whispered. She leaned across the narrow space between them and slid her hand behind Marsh's neck, pulling her close. She kissed her, quite thoroughly, taking her time and exploring all the soft warm places that were comfortingly familiar and still amazingly exciting. She sucked gently on Marsh's lower lip, running her tongue over the inside, then probing slowly forward, teasing Marsh's tongue with her own. Marsh groaned and Scully laughed lightly, still holding Marsh captive while she slid her other hand up the inside of Marsh's leg. Marsh twitched and edged over on the seat, spreading her jeans-clad thighs and pressing up against Scully's palm. Scully started a steady rhythmic pressure as they continued to kiss.

"God, it's been too long," Marsh murmured when their lips parted a fraction. "And that is so good."

Scully removed her hand. "You are _sooo_ easy!" she chided playfully.

Marsh's lips were faintly swollen and her grin had melted into a lazy smile that matched the promise in her hazy eyes. "Guilty as charged," she said, her voice even deeper than usual. She ran one finger down Scully's neck, then slipped her hand under the edge of Scully's blouse, caressing the full curve of her breast. "So why torture me? A couple of strokes and I'll be gone."

"Unh uh," Scully said, shaking her head and sitting back in her seat. Marsh's eyes opened wide in surprise at her sudden withdrawal. "Open the door on this thing. I want to go swimming."

"Swimming!" Marsh choked, looking wounded. "Now?"

"We are on vacation, right?" Scully asked innocently. "We've got all the time in the world." She could feel her own damp excitement, and knew from experience just how tense and swollen Marsh must be at this moment. It took all her concentration not to pull open the buttons on Marsh's jeans and slip her fingers between her legs. She loved taking her like that, hard and fast and hot. She loved how quickly Marsh was ready, and how willing she was to abandon her control and give herself to Scully. Knowing she could make Marsh arch and cry out at the light touch of her fingers was a heady power she adored. Pleasuring Marsh, even anticipating it, was enough to bring her close to exploding herself. She held firm, ignoring the steady pulse beating insistently between her legs. "Now, Marshall," she ordered just a bit breathlessly.

Marsh groaned, this time in frustration, but she obligingly unlocked the hatches and engaged the hydraulic stairway. "I'm not sure I can walk," she muttered as she stood to follow her lover out of the plane.

Scully laughed, stopping long enough to pull two towels from their gear. "You'll live."

They cut through the dense palms that bordered the landing strip and emerged on the far side onto the beach. Scully tossed down the towels and pulled off her blouse and underwear in one motion. Marsh noticed that she moved a little carefully, lacking her usual fluid grace, and frowned, momentarily forgetting her arousal. She craned her neck to get a look at the incision on Scully's back, and Scully caught her.

Scully turned as she unzipped her shorts so that Marsh couldn't see the newest wound. "Let it go, Marsh. Please," she asked softly. "I promise I'll tell you if there's something wrong. Just be with me. That's what I need."

Marsh swallowed and nodded her assent. Then she lowered her gaze to Scully's bare breasts, subtly swollen with the first signs of her pregnancy, nipples full and a slightly deeper rose than usual. This time when she swallowed it was with desire tightening her throat. "God, you are so beautiful." 

Scully heard the want in her voice, and her heart lifted as she stepped out of the rest of her clothes. "Better get undressed if you're coming in," she called as she raced for the water. 

Marsh lingered for a second, just watching her. She refused to think about the scars scattered over Scully's body, pale reminders of past nightmares, but marveled instead at her strength and vitality and resiliency. She noticed too the slight rounding of Scully's usually taut belly and felt her heart hammer with awe and wonder. This woman, this incredible woman, loved her and wanted her and, miraculously, was bearing them a child. "Thank you," Marsh whispered, and then she pulled off her clothes.

Scully stood navel deep in warm, crystal-clear water and looked back at the shore. Marsh was running toward her, a mixture of desire and pure abandon on her face. Marsh had always reminded Scully of a jungle predator, a little wild, a little hungry. She loved to tease her, because it brought a dangerous glint to her dark eyes, like a big cat stalking its prey. It was a lethal kind of beauty, and seeing it never failed to stir Scully's own passion. She felt blood pulsate in her belly, turned, and dove into the water. Marsh followed instantly.

They surfaced together, flinging water from their faces, laughing. The salt water made them buoyant, and it was easy to draw close and reignite their earlier kisses. Naked, their limbs entwined smoothly, and belly to belly, breast to breast, they rolled over and over, stroking each other. The clear, pure ocean surrounded them, lifting them and finally cleansing them of the last clinging vestiges of fear and insecurity. When kisses were not enough, they swam hand in hand for shore.

Now it was Scully who hurried. She spread the towels on the sand side by side, stretched out, and pulled Marsh down beside her. She felt wonderful. The recent incision on her back didn't hurt, her muscles were loose and relaxed, and, for the first time in a long time, the excitement in her belly was just simple joy. She was alive, and in love, and she was happy. 

She rolled onto Marsh, searching for her mouth hungrily as one hand smoothed over Marsh's abdomen and dipped between her legs. She trapped Marsh's thigh with her own and raised up enough to watch Marsh's face while she stroked her. Marsh reached up with both hands and covered Scully's breasts with her palms, squeezing gently. For a second, Scully's eyes fluttered closed. 

"Dana," Marsh gasped, closing around the hand softly filling her, "Lift your hips. Let me touch you."

Through eyes dimmed with need, Scully watched the beginning of orgasm play over Marsh's face, and settled onto Marsh's waiting fingers, taking her inside. The combination of watching Marsh come and feeling her within pushed Scully quickly to climax, but she struggled to hold onto awareness. She wanted to absorb every second of Marsh's passion. 

"So beautiful," Scully cried as their twin pleasures fused, and finally she surrendered, collapsing onto Marsh as the last ripples of release fluttered through her limbs.

Eventually Scully sighed and rolled onto her side, keeping one arm firmly around Marsh, pressing close. "How long can we stay?"

"As long as we need to," Marsh murmured, running her fingers through Scully's hair. "Forever, if you want."

Scully traced a fingertip from Marsh's throat over her chest and down her belly, watching the muscles flutter under her touch. "I want this forever."

"Done."

"You know," Scully mused quietly, feeling the rightness of the moment, and knowing it meant more than anything else, "I think I'll let Doggett take care of the rough stuff from now on."

Marsh continued to stroke her hair, thinking about the future, knowing that they would find their way. She pressed her lips to Scully's forehead. She didn't have to say thank you.

Scully knew.

End

*****

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