Part 6

XXXXX
Mulder's room
April 9, 2000
12:45 AM

"Well, we're going to have to look at things from a different angle 
tomorrow. He has to be keeping her somewhere," Scully said, as she got 
up from the bed where she had been making some notations in one of the 
files.

"I'll just read over these again and then turn in."

She shook her head. There was no stopping him. She went to the door.

"Goodnight, Mulder. Try and get some sleep."

"Night," he said, without looking up from his files.

She turned back to him and watched as he read the same file for 
probably the hundredth time.

He looked up and saw her staring at him with a frown on her face. 
"What? I said 'goodnight,' didn't I?"

She nodded. "Todd has it all wrong, you know."

"Well, of course he does. He's not exactly a stable individual."

"I meant, about the knight in shining armor business. You're one."

"One what?" he asked, still taking peeks at the file.

"A knight in shining armor."

"I am?" He said, looking up finally.

"Yes. It's not about swooping in and rescuing a woman. It's the way you 
conduct your life. The sacrifices you make for what you believe in. The 
way you're ready to fight any battle . . ."

"Tilt at any windmill?"

"That, too," she smiled. "Still, the one heroic act Todd is building 
his hopes on wins a woman's gratitude, not her love."

"Are you trying to tell me something, Scully?" he said, with a coy 
little smile.

"Maybe," she said.

"Wait a minute. I suppose the outcome of that speech is not a given 
after all. It could go two ways."

She gave him a slow smile. "Yes, I guess it could."

"No clues?"

The smile suddenly left her face. "It's almost irrelevant. The truth of 
the matter is, the armor sometimes gets in the way when all a woman 
wants is to feel the knight's arms around her. That's the day-to-day 
practical dilemma. 'Night, Mulder."

She turned and walked out of the door.

XXXXX

Scully's room
1:20 AM

A half-hour later, she heard a knock on the door. Before she could even 
get up, he was announcing himself.

"Scully, it's me. I'm using the key. Don't shoot."

He walked in wearing a hotel robe and slippers. She sat up in bed and 
looked at him. "That's nice, Mulder. Scare the people next door with 
talk of gunfire."

He gave her a pointed look. "We *are* in New York. It's cold out 
there."

"Most people don't walk around hallways half-naked."

He gripped the sides of his robe. "I don't do things by half, Scully," 
he said with a leer. He walked over to the bed and slipped the plush 
robe off and slid into bed beside her.

"Armor's off," he said, cuddling closer.

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. Here, feel."

"The armor is never off, Mulder," she said, not sure why but knowing 
she had to pursue the conversation.

He moved back a bit. "I'm here, Scully."

"Yes, but I didn't want to force you to come here. That's my problem. I 
didn't want you to feel manipulated into making a choice between work 
that you need to do and our relationship."

"I wasn't manipulated. I finished what I was doing and then came here. 
I know that wasn't easy for you. You never complain and if you even 
hint at something, I want to take notice."

"It's not just this place or this moment, Mulder. This has been going 
on from the beginning. We have an all or nothing relationship with not 
a hell of a lot of time for long, passionate nights together."

"So, you'd settle for a grope here and there?" It was his turn to shake 
his head. "You deserve more."

"And so do you. So, we're 'settling' for nothing. Does that seem right 
to you? If the world would end tomorrow, I'd be a whole lot happier 
knowing I spent a couple of hours with you than if I couldn't even 
remember the scent of your skin because I wasn't close enough to smell 
it." He looked at her and his eyes seemed a shade darker, a shade 
warmer, and a lot more mischievous than they were a moment before.

"I didn't have time for a shower. You might not like the smell of my 
skin."

She gave him a look.

"Okay. You can smack me now."

She shook her head and put her arms around his waist. "I don't want to 
smack you. I want to kiss you."

"Um, feel free?"

She buried her head in the crook of his neck and bit him softly. Then 
she kissed his 'wound.' He ran his hands down her back and to the edge 
of her pajama top. He bunched up the material and was prepared to lift 
it off when she stopped him and pushed him on his back.

"Just lay back and relax, Mulder."

"I'm relaxed," his voice went up an octave on the last syllable as she 
reached down and grabbed his erection. "Sort of."

She straddled him and sat back against his thighs. Her fingers were 
softly, but steadily becoming reacquainted with him. He enjoyed 
watching her like this. She was so serious as she set about her task of 
arousing him. She was also sexy as hell in a red pajama top and no 
bottoms. Her thighs encased his in creamy whiteness and he could feel 
her lack of underwear against his skin. She looked at him as he watched 
her and a faint color rose to her cheeks.

"I was reading before. You can turn off the light, if you want."

"First, with the grip you have on me, that might be risky business. And 
second, I like looking at you."

She nodded and looked down at him as her hands moved faster on his 
skin.  He saw her smile as he let out a deep moan. A job well done. And 
she thought *he* was a workaholic.

Suddenly, she stopped.

"What?" he asked.

She looked down at his fully erect penis, as it seemed to hover near 
his belly. "I like what I see, too," she said.  She lifted off her 
pajama top and grabbed his forearms and pulled him to a sitting 
position. She lifted herself up, positioned him against her and slowly 
sank down. She was wet and warm and very ready for him. Maybe quick 
gropes weren't so bad after all.

"You are mine," she said, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. 
He looked down and saw their bodies pressed together. Scully's skin was 
so much lighter than his. The sight of her perfectly round bottom 
bouncing steadily against his thighs made him smile. It was not a sight 
he ever really expected to see in his lifetime, and one he never wanted 
to take for granted on any level. At the same time, he knew he had been 
running scared. He'd been so thrilled and enthusiastic over the changes 
in their relationship, he was worried about his commitment to the x-
files. And he supposed recommitting himself to his work while at the 
beginning of a new phase of a relationship was lousy timing.  But she 
hung in there. 

He threw his head back as she increased her pace. He needed to hold on 
a bit longer. He wanted to feel her coming around him. Feel the ripples 
of pleasure emanate from her body to his and push him over.

She hung in there all right. And she didn't want him to change. She 
just wanted him to give her whatever he could. And he sure as hell 
could do better than he had been doing. 

Scully reached behind him, grabbed the headboard and then began riding 
him like a madwoman. Her breaths were coming fast and furious and 
finally, finally she gave a soft cry and he felt her orgasm. He held 
her still as he pumped up into her and matched her cry with one of his 
own. In a moment, they were a sodden heap of loose limbs as they both 
lay like rag dolls against the headboard.

"I'm yours, huh?" Mulder asked, in a voice filled with spent passion 
and pure fatigue.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"You sure did. Before you wiped me out. You want to take it back?"

She shook her head. He ran his hand down the small of her back and 
rested his big palms on her behind. He could feel one of her tiny 
aftershocks. It made him smile. "Good. I like a possessive woman. And 
you take such good care of what belongs to you. How could I possibly 
complain?"

"Go to sleep, Mulder," she whispered softly.

"Yes, dear," he said and took her with him as he scooted down the bed 
until he was flat on his back and she was lying like a blanket above 
him.


End of Part 6