Title:            Revenge
Author:           Lovesfox
E-mail:           Lovesfox@rogers.com  (Feed me, please)
Web site:         http://www.geocities.com/kim_djd/index.html
Rating:           NC-17 (violence, consensual M/S sex and strong 
                  language)
Category:         Implied UST then MSR, Angst, Story/X-File
Classification:   XRA
Spoilers:         Not really, but up to mid-S7
Archive:          As long as my name and everything stays attached
Summary:          An old case of Mulder's resurfaces seeking revenge

Disclaimer:       Alas, not mine.  They belong to Chris Carter and
                  1013 Productions

Dedication:       To true friendship, through thick and thin.  
                  Thanks, T.

Warning:          This story contains some scenes of violence, a
                  rape attempt, implied character death, references
                  to incest, and graphic sex.


Revenge Part 29 of 29
by Lovesfox



Scully's Apartment
Georgetown, D.C.
Tuesday
2:15 pm


Scully watched as Mulder's fingers, fingers that had caressed and 
stroked and teased every inch of her body, eased the Claddagh ring 
from its satin enclosure.  She flicked a glance up at his face, and 
saw that his eyes were focused on the ring, and that he had sucked 
his lower lip in between his teeth, a sure sign of nervousness.  

Once he had removed the ring, she gently grasped his hand and 
brought it to just below her breasts, where her left hand rested.  
She had forgotten to take the sling off, and made a mental note to 
do so later.  With all the butterflies in her stomach she was 
surprised her voice remained so calm and even as she gave him her 
next instruction.  

"Put the ring on."

His touch was tentative and so gentle as he lifted her hand up from 
her stomach with his free hand, using his elbow to support his 
weight against the back of the couch, while bringing the ring ever 
closer to her fourth finger.  

He stopped, and she sensed his uncertainty.

It left her with a pang in her heart.  Oh, Mulder, how can you still 
doubt how much I love you?  She once again silently cursed the 
coldness of his parents and the women in his past who had damaged 
him so, and then said, "Crown facing inwards."  There was no trace 
of her hurt - hurt for him, and for his doubt.

But his hand was steady when he slid the ring onto her finger, 
guiding it gently over her knuckle so it wouldn't scrape.  She was 
not surprised to see that it was a perfect fit, that Mulder had 
known the exact size to buy.  She started to speak, with Mulder 
joining her after the first word.

"Two loves have joined forever."

There were no wedding bells, no friends or family surrounding them, 
no priest before them to bless their union, but she felt as if a 
ceremony had just been performed.  All that was required now was a 
kiss, as one last seal for their pledge.

Scully raised her eyes from the glimmering band of gold around her 
finger, to see that Mulder had raised his head to look at her.  
Their gazes met, locked.  She murmured, "Kiss me, Mulder."

And watched as his head slowly descended towards hers.  His eyes 
slipped shut as he let instinct guide him home, but she left hers 
open to the very last second, until his lips brushed hers as 
delicately as a butterfly's wings.  Shivers tingled along her spine 
at the contact, and then her eyes fluttered shut, her mouth opening 
in supplication for his tongue.

He accepted the invitation, swooping his tongue inside her mouth 
to mate and duel with hers, sending a rush of heat straight to her 
groin.  

Her injury was completely forgotten as she lifted her other arm to 
cup the back of his neck, her fingers playing in his hair as she had 
earlier.  He moaned into her mouth, and slanted his head further to 
the side, deepening and intensifying their kiss, while at the same 
time he brought his own hands up to fist into her hair.  His body 
leaned even further into hers, and his groin was now pressing into 
her thigh.  She shifted slightly so that she turned onto her left 
hip curving her body towards him, trying to straighten her legs, 
which had been curled up on his lap. 

Their positions were awkward, and a little uncomfortable, and 
finally Mulder pulled away, mumbling, "Are you okay, Scully?"

She slid her hand from his neck to rest on his laboring chest, 
feeling the fast, furious beating of his heart, which matched the 
pace of her own heart, and whispered, "I'd be more comfortable on 
our bed."

If it were possible, his heart started pounding faster, and his eyes 
were glittering with passion and arousal.  Yet he panted, "Scully, 
we have...we have to wait."

"Wait for what?" she asked, and scratched her fingernails over his 
nipple.  She was delighted when he sucked in a breath, but before 
she could do it again, he reached up to move her hand away, 
squeezing it tightly before laying it down on his thigh.  

Which was an even better location.  She was sliding her hand up the 
soft, worn denim as he replied, "Wait until your arm is bet-TER!"  
She giggled at the way his voice rose when she reached her target.  

"Scuh-lee," he moaned, "You're not playing fair."  Still, he pushed 
up against her hand once, and then moaning again, took it away, this 
time holding it against his stomach and not releasing it.

"The operative word being 'play'," she said, in a credible imitation 
of his leer, waggling her eyebrows up and down.  She could see 
though that he was really worried.  "Mulder, I want you.  Very 
much.  And I think if we're careful, we'll be able to play without 
incident."

His lips quirked up in a smile before he replied,  "Without 
incident?  That's no fun.  I want you to have...multiple 
incidents."  Then he shook his head, like a dog shook water off his 
back, the sober, responsible man back in the forefront.  "We can't.  
I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

She was going to hurt him if she didn't get any action soon.  
"Mulderrrrr," she groaned.  "I know we can do this.  We'll prop 
lots of pillows under my arm, and I promise I won't move."  She 
tried the wagging eyebrows again, and teased, "You can do all the 
work."

He looked stubborn, even with an obvious erection straining against 
his tight jeans.

Time for the big guns.  

With effort, she leaned forward until her lips were brushing his 
ear.  She let her tongue dart out and touch the lobe, and felt the 
shiver that went through his body.  

Mulder had very sensitive ears.  

She followed up by whispering directly into the canal, "Did you know 
that I have been aware for quite some time that you chart my time of 
the month?"  She spoke reasonably, without a hint of anger, for in 
fact, it had amused her to no end the first time she had caught him 
at it, unbeknownst to him.

His body jerked beneath her hand, his stomach muscles tightening as 
if he expected a blow.  

She chuckled softly into his ear, eliciting another shiver.  "But 
what you don't know," she continued, and threw every bit of 
seductiveness she could into the words,  "is that for the few days 
before my period starts, I am so...unbelievably..." She paused 
to suck in a noisy breath and exhaled the last word, "horny."   

Bull's-eye.

Mulder's hands were in her hair, and his lips were on hers before 
she could take her next breath.  A long, delirious second later he 
was releasing her and rising from the couch, holding his hand out 
to help her up.

Scully placed her hand in his, and while he gently tugged, she 
leaned her weight forward, and together they got her up and off 
the couch.  

He released her hand and brought both of his up to frame her face.  
"I love you, Scully.  More than I can ever say."  He punctuated the 
words with the sweetest of kisses, close-mouthed and gentle.

When he lifted his head, he was smiling.  So was she.  "I love you 
too, Mulder."  She lifted her hand to hook it in the waistband of 
his jeans, just above the zipper, millimeters away from the visible 
result of her teasing.  "Now take me to our bed and make love to 
me."

"With pleasure," he said, and grabbed her hand to lead her down 
the hallway.

"God, I hope so!" she teased, lagging just slightly behind him.  
If she'd had a free hand, she'd have pinched his butt, which was 
framed so nicely in those jeans.  

Of course, she would prefer him out of the jeans, for now anyway.  
Maybe later he could walk around in just the jeans, with a bare 
hest and bare feet.  One of his better looks, after the one where 
he wore nothing at all.

"That had better not be a disparagement of my prowess," he growled,
and shot her a look over his shoulder. He followed up by winking 
at her.  "But I'll certainly do my best."

Once they had reached her bedroom, he led her to the chair in the 
corner and helped her sit.  He then turned to the bed and began 
arranging her pillows, muttering that he needed more.  "I'll be 
right back," he said, and left the room.  He was back less than a 
minute later, more pillows stuffed under his arms.  He added them 
to the pile, and then turned back to her.  He helped her up from 
the chair and looked at her, one eyebrow lifting in question.

"I need the sling off first," she told him, and instructed him on 
how to pull it off in one direction while she gently moved her arm 
in the other.  He then lifted it off from around her neck and placed 
it on her dresser.  She had worn a buttoned shirt, because it was 
easier to slide on and off, and after she slowly lowered her arm to 
her side, he began to undo each tiny button, starting at the one 
between her breasts.

His knuckles grazed the swell of each breast, and she sucked in her 
breath at the contact, fleeting as it was, for he had already moved 
on to the next button.  As he continued down to the last one, the 
shirt had slowly fallen open, baring her skin to his view.  

She was not wearing a bra, having decided the strap would have been 
too painful on her shoulder, and knew Mulder had realized it when he 
exhaled rather loudly, his eyes riveted to her cleavage.  He stood 
that way as if transfixed, for a few seconds before a shudder went 
through him and he moved to unbutton each of her cuffs.  

Once that was done, he eased the material down off her injured arm, 
while she shrugged out of it on the other side.  The shirt fell to 
the floor and pooled at her feet.  She kicked it away with a flick
of one foot.

She stood before him nude from the waist up, with the white bandage 
at her shoulder, and her nipples hard and aching for his touch.  

One of his hands came up and just barely brushed a tight, little 
bud with his palm, and goosebumps raced over skin.  She moaned and 
thrust her chest forward in mute invitation.  

He ignored it though, and hooked his hands in the waistband of her 
leggings.  

Her stomach jumped and twitched at the feel of his fingers beneath 
the material, almost brushing the edges of her panties.  With a 
gentle tug, he pulled them down over her hips, going down on his 
knees before her as he brought them to her feet.  

Scully placed her good hand on his shoulder and lifted each foot one 
at a time to step free of the leggings.  Mulder tossed them aside, 
remaining on his knees.  She watched as he slowly leaned forward and 
nuzzled her center through her panties, inhaling deeply.

He made an 'mmmmm' sound, which reverberated over her flesh, and she 
thought vaguely to herself that she should be embarrassed, knowing 
he was smelling the most intimate part of her, a sure sign of her 
excitement, which was slowly saturating her panties, but she was 
not.  

She was extremely aroused, and her knees buckled slightly.

Mulder chuckled, sending a wave of pleasure through her, and then 
pressed a moist kiss on her before bringing his hands to the 
waistband of her panties and guiding them off as he had with the 
leggings.  

Tossing them aside, he rose to his feet and took her hand to lead 
her to the bed.  She sat down and he helped her swing her legs up 
onto the mattress.  She was able to shimmy over a bit so that she 
was not so close to the edge of the bed, and Mulder helped her get 
settled on her mound of pillows.  He softly asked if it she was 
comfortable, and she nodded in reply, licking her suddenly dry 
lips.

Mulder had watched her as she did that, and echoed the gesture on 
his own lips, unconsciously it seemed to her, before he met her 
eyes.  They commanded hers to watch him, and then his hands moved 
to the hem of his untucked tee shirt.  He ripped it over his head 
in one smooth motion, and threw it aside, his hands then going to 
the button of his jeans.  

It opened with a tiny, audible pop, which made her jerk slightly on 
the bed.  She could not take her eyes off of his hands, and watched 
as he slowly lowered his zipper, careful of the bulge behind the 
denim.  He moved to his waistband, hooking his fingers beneath the 
jeans, and with a shimmy of his hips, pulled them down a little, 
teasing her with a look at his heather gray boxer-briefs.  

She loved those boxer-briefs.  How they clung to his ass and upper 
thighs, and gently cupped him between the legs.  Scully licked her 
lips in anticipation of when he would be revealed in all his naked 
glory, and heard Mulder chuckle again. 

"Getting anxious, Scully?" he teased, and shimmied his hips again.

Yes, but damned if she was going to admit it.  So she faked a yawn, 
patting her mouth theatrically.  "Getting tired, actually," she 
sighed, and batted her eyelashes at him.

He grinned at her, and then with one quick yank, pulled his jeans 
and the boxer-briefs down.  His erection sprung free, and she felt 
herself grow even wetter.  A few kicks of his legs, and the rest of 
his clothes were gone.  He placed on knee on the mattress, which 
caused it to dip slightly from his weight, and then climbed 
carefully onto the bed, easing himself beside her, lying on his 
side.  

His hardness pressed into her thigh, and she moved her leg slightly 
to rub at it, which made him hiss in his breath.

Scully tilted her head a little and stared into his desire-filled 
eyes.  She licked her lips again, and gave him a command.  "Kiss 
me, Mulder."

He did, with alacrity.

***

It took all his will power and then some to get back up on his feet 
after kneeling before the altar of Scully, her scent surrounding 
him, enflaming him, when all he had wanted to do was drag her down 
on the floor, cover her with his body and let nature take its course 
in the wildest of ways.  

He was still reeling from her assault on his ear and her admission 
to being horny.  Scully was a very sensual and passionate woman, but 
she still had this inherent shyness about her sexuality, and much 
insecurity about revealing it to him, although together they were 
slowly getting her past her barriers.  Hearing those words from her 
had nearly thrown him for a loop.  

And sent arousal skyrocketing throughout his body.

But his flicking glance upward, past the triangle of curls, her 
quivering stomach and turgid nipples, had caught the flash of white, 
the bandage on her injured shoulder, and he quickly regained the 
ironclad hold on his control.  He was not going to risk hurting her 
for the sake of pleasure, as mind-blowing as it would be.

Mulder took her hand and led her to the bed, where he helped her 
climb onto the mattress, gently lifting her legs up so she would not 
have to strain her shoulder, and arrange herself on the pillows.  
He asked her if she was comfortable, and her reply was a nod of her
head, followed by her tongue licking her lips.

The gesture captivated him, it was so innocent and so erotic at the 
same time, and he had to lick at his own suddenly dry lips.  He then 
met her eyes, which seemed as desire-filled as he knew his must be.  
The desire in her blue orbs flared brighter after he ripped his tee 
shirt over his head and moved his hands to the button of his jeans.  

She jolted a little as the button popped open, and he slowed his 
movements in response, dragging the zipper down in increments, 
careful of the erection that was contained within.  Once the tab was
down all the way, his moved his hands to his waistband, but instead 
of yanking the jeans off, he merely lowered them a little and 
wiggled his hips slightly, giving her a little glimpse at his 
underwear.  

He kknew Scully had a thing for the boxer-briefs he often wore; he 
had caught her eying him in them on numerous occasions as he had 
dressed or undressed.

He was rewarded by another dart of her tongue, and he couldn't 
resist asking, "Getting anxious?"  He punctuated the question with 
another wiggle of his hips.

Not to be outdone, his little temptress mock-yawned and replied, 
"Getting tired, actually."  She punctuated her retort with a flutter
of her eyelashes.  

What a tease.

His grin was wide.  How he loved her.  Forget the little strip show, 
he wasn't sure who was more turned on by it, him or her.  His 
fingers gripped both his jeans and his underwear and hauled them 
down quickly.  He almost sighed as his erection was freed from 
captivity.  

Mulder still held onto his control, the one that kept him from 
descending onto the bed with a pounce, and slowly lay down on his 
side next to Scully, careful not to move the bed too much or 
dislodge her from her nest of pillows.  His hardness bumped her 
thigh, and she responded by infinitesimally moving her leg in a 
teasing caress on the sensitive tip of his penis that he felt from 
his toes to his scalp, and had him sucking air in noisily through 
his teeth.

Scully shifted her head slightly on her pillow so that their eyes 
met.  

He watched avidly as she traced her lips with the tip of her tongue 
yet again and then said, "Kiss me, Mulder."

As he hastened to obey her, Mulder was not sure what he loved more.  
Hearing those three words spoken as a demand or as a breathless 
plea, or seeing them shaped by her utterly perfect mouth.  The mouth 
that was currently being crushed beneath his.  The mouth he had 
fantasized about for longer than he could remember.  She had to know 
about his fascination with her mouth and her lips, for all the 
wetting and licking she did couldn't all be accidental or 
unconscious.

Not that it mattered right now.  

Their tongues had immediately resumed the duel they had begun out on 
Scully's couch, and somehow his hand had found her right breast.  

Her nipple was a hard little peak beneath his palm, and he moved 
until he was pulling and tugging at it with his fingers.  

She thrust her chest upwards in reaction, and moaned into his mouth.

He eased up on her mouth, afraid she had hurt her shoulder, and 
mumbled against her lips, "Are you okay?"  

"I'm...fine!" she gasped back, and nipped at his upper lip with her 
teeth, sending a shockwave of pleasure/pain through his body.  

He growled in response, and reciprocated by sucking her lower lip 
into his mouth to first bite it and then sooth the sting with his 
tongue.  

Her hand swept up his back to wind into his hair, and then she was 
pushing his head down, until their lips were mashed together again.  

Keeping most of his weight on his elbow, he leaned his body forward 
a little more to press himself firmly against her length, and slid 
one leg up and between hers, nudging them apart.  

Scully bent one leg at the knee, so that her heel rested on the bed, 
which brought his thigh in snug against her center.  She began to 
rock her hips, rubbing herself against his leg, and he started a 
slow thrusting to deepen that contact, and from the way her hand 
tightened in his hair, her pleasure as well.  It also allowed his 
erection to slide along her hip, creating a wonderful friction.

Except he would not last long if that friction continued.  He forced 
himself to slow his movements, which made Scully groan her 
disappointment.  He peppered her face with tiny kisses in apology 
before shifting his body and inching downwards with his mouth and 
his hand.  He sucked and nibbled along her neck to her collarbone, 
which he traced with his tongue, while his hand left her breast to 
meander its way down towards the nest of curls between her legs.

Scully sighed his name and her head rolled lazily back and forth on 
her pillow as the leg closest to him moved restlessly, brushing 
against his straining erection.  

Mulder grit his teeth and lurched his hips back with a gasp, for the 
contact was too much, and had to gulp in a lungful of air, needing 
to slow the rapidly intensifying feelings.  He was not ready to be 
inside her yet, he wanted to tease and taste for a while before 
bringing them both to completion.

His mouth and his hand worked in concert and reached their intended 
targets at the same time, wringing a gasp and then a moan from 
Scully.   

Her grip on his hair tightened as she held his head to her breast 
while his teeth worried her nipple, and her hips began a dance as 
old as time in tune with the stroking of his fingers.

He teased her nipple with his tongue before slowly pulling back, 
sucking on it and drawing it along with his mouth until he released 
it to gently blow across it.  

Scully shivered, and a fine tracery of goosebumps dotted her skin.  
With one last kiss to the slope of her breast, his lips began a 
meandering journey downwards.  He traced each rib with his tongue, 
and then scraped his teeth over her hipbone, feeling her stomach 
muscles skittering and jumping beneath his mouth.  

Her belly button was next.  First he circled it with his tongue 
before teasing it too with a blowing breath.  Scully's breathy 
giggle turned into a moan when he gave it an open-mouthed kiss.  
Her hand tightened even more in his hair, and she called his name 
with urgency.

Lifting his head and letting his chin rest on her lower belly, he 
saw that she was regarding him with heavy-lidded eyes.  

"Mulderrrr..." she sighed.  "I can't wait any more.  I want...I 
need you inside me."

His cock leapt at those words, and with careful, precise movements, 
he was lying on top of her, his thigh insinuating itself back 
between her legs.  He held his weight off of her with his right 
hand planted on the mattress on the left side of her head, and his 
left elbow also planted firmly, but snug by her right side.  Her 
good arm was wrapped around his shoulders, and her knees had fallen 
open so that his pelvis was pressed against hers.  

With a few experimental movements of his hips, he had his hardness 
poised at her opening.  She surged upwards as he thrust forward, and 
then he was buried deep inside her.  

They both moaned, and Mulder dropped his head to rest on her good 
shoulder, feeling her hand stroke his back.  He held completely 
still, to absorb the wonderful feelings of being inside her at 
last.  

After a minute, Scully whispered his name, and swept her hand down 
to cup the cheek of his ass. 

At that, he could hold still no longer.  He began a slow, steady 
thrusting, feeling her hips responding to his rhythm, and hearing 
her breath huff in and out with each surge of their bodies.  

She lifted her right leg and encircled his hips, her heel pushing 
firmly into his flesh, and began to grind her pelvis into his.

He still had the presence of mind to ask, "Is this...
<thrust> ...hurting...<thrust>...you?"

"Only...if you...stop," was her response.

"I don't...<thrust>...think I...<thrust>...could."

"Oh...God...that feels...sooooo...good."

"Yes...<thrust>...you do!" he gasped.

As much as he wanted it to last, the pleasure was spiraling 
throughout him, coiling in his balls, gathering in the base of 
his spine.  

He began to thrust harder, faster, and still Scully matched him 
pace for pace.  He panted into her shoulder, sweat forming on his 
brow, and managed to lift his head and bring his lips to hers for 
a deep, wet kiss.

Her hand swept up from his ass to his hair again, and fisted 
tightly, while her heel dug into his lower back, pushing him even 
harder into her body.  Inside, her muscles were gripping and 
releasing him, slowly pushing him over the edge.

"Scuh..." he grunted.  "Gonna come.  You...ready?"

"Right with you," she panted back, and he felt the first flutters 
within her that signified the beginning of her climax.  He added a 
twisting motion to his thrusts and a few seconds later her back was 
arching and her head thrashed back and forth on the pillow.  "Mul-
DERRRR!" she cried.

He felt her orgasm rush through her, and as the contractions caused 
her muscles to clamp down on his penis, he began to pump madly, 
finally giving one last, deep thrust and exploding with a long, 
furious burst and a hoarse shout.  "SCUH-LEE!!!"

His arms were quivering with the strain of holding his body off 
of hers, but he would not let himself collapse on top of her.  Once
his hips had stopped moving, he gently slipped from inside her and 
rolled to her side, his right hand splayed over her belly, which was
still rising and falling in rapid bursts, and sighed her name. 
 
"You...okay?" he asked, and lifted his head weakly to see that her 
eyes were closed, and that she was breathing through her mouth in 
pants.

She inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled before replying, "I'm 
wonderful," in a sighing voice.  "That was...fantastic."  She opened
her eyes and turned her head to look at him.  "I love you, Mulder."  
Her right hand came up, a little awkwardly, for he was pressed 
against her, and her thumb rubbed his bottom lip.  "So very much."

Mulder grabbed her thumb with his lips, sucking it into his mouth 
for a moment before releasing it to reply, "I love you too, 
Scully."  He lifted his hand from her belly and reached for hers,
entwining their fingers together and brought them back down to rest
on her belly.

It was then that it occurred to him that he had forgotten to give 
her his other gift, which he had tucked beneath her pillow when he 
had brought the group of pillows in from the living room for her
nest.  

He was just too comfortable to move right then.  He'd give it to 
her as soon as they were cleaned up.  Which would be...<yawn>...
in just a minute.  

Scully was still watching him, but she looked as sleepy as he felt.  
She blinked slowly, and then her eyes closed as she yawned herself.

His own eyes slipped shut.

***

The pleasure was building and building within her, bringing her ever 
closer to the final pinnacle, and Scully could not stop her hand 
from moving endlessly over him.  She cupped his ass, stroked his 
back, and finally as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm, she 
fisted it in his hair.  She moved her leg too, up higher over his 
hip, to squeeze him tighter against her.

Mulder grunted an approximation of her name, telling her he was 
going to come, asking her if she was ready.

Was she ever.  

Scully answered him on a panting breath, "Right with you."  

His thrusts remained steady, but he added a little swivel to his 
hips, and the motion added pressure in just the right spot, throwing 
her over the edge.  

Her back arched impossibly high off the mattress, and she thrashed 
her head back and forth on her pillow, a cry bursting from her 
lips.  

His name.  "Mul-DERRRR!"

He began to pound into her, his breaths short, harsh pants in her 
ear, and then Scully felt his entire body go rigid for long seconds 
as he emptied himself into her body. "SCUH-LEE!!!"  Mulder shouted, 
a glorious cry of completion.

She was still flying high on the heels of her own orgasm, her 
insides quaking and quivering, but concentrated on absorbing every 
nuance of his pleasure.  She loved the way his eyes scrunched 
tightly shut, and how the tendons in his neck stretched taut as he 
threw his head back and groaned her name in long, drawn out 
syllables.

She also loved that moment after, when he would collapse on top of 
her, and all his weight would press her into the mattress, providing 
a cocoon of heat and love and protection.  

Instead though, after slipping out of her warmth, he lowered himself 
to lie at her side, his big hand resting easily on her belly.  She 
was disappointed, but at the same time touched by how careful he was 
even while in a post-coital haze.  Speaking of that haze, she let her
eyes slide shut and concentrated on slowing her breathing, still 
rapid and short, and on the flutters still rippling through her 
body.

He said her name again, a sighing sound, and from the movement 
against her shoulder, she knew he had lifted his head and was 
probably looking at her.  "You...okay?" he said next.

Scully took another deep breath, held it for long seconds before 
releasing it and sighed out, "I'm wonderful.  That was...
fantastic."  

Opening her eyes, she turned her head to the side, met his gaze.  "I 
love you, Mulder," she said softly.  Her eyes dropped down to his 
lower lip, slightly swollen from the eager attention she had laved 
on it, and wiggling a bit, managed to pull her arm free from where 
it had been caged between their two bodies, to stroke her thumb 
across its fullness.  "So very much," she added earnestly.

She watched the pupils in his eyes contract, and their hazel color 
deepen and darken, and realized she could lose herself in those 
depths, staring at the flecks of green and gold and brown.  

Mulder quickly moved to capture her thumb with his lips and pulled 
it into the heat of his mouth, applying gentle suction and starting 
the faintest of stirrings in the pit of her belly.  But he released 
it almost as quickly as he had grabbed it and said, "I love you too, 
Scully."  The warmth of his hand left her stomach as he lifted it 
up to reach for hers, twining their fingers together, and brought 
them both back down to lay against her flesh.  

His head lowered again, to share her pillow, his chin resting gently 
against her shoulder.  Their breaths mingled as they continued to 
stare at each other, and her eyes felt heavy, a sweet lassitude 
sweeping through her body. Her eyelids had drooped to half-mast but
she still saw him yawn, felt as his chest swelled against her side 
with its force, and blinking slowly, sighed out a tiny yawn of her 
own.

She kept her eyes shut, and knew his eyes must have closed too as 
his body sank and relaxed further into hers.  Her neck was getting 
sore angled like the way it was, so she let her head roll gently 
back into the groove of the pillow where it had rested before. 

It was nice, lying like this with Mulder, but she wished they were 
able to spoon instead.  

But it would be another week at least before that would be 
possible.  

Surprisingly though, their muted yet still vigorous activity had not 
caused her any pain.  Not that she recalled anyway, she thought with
a smirk.  She'd been too caught up in the incredible sensations 
swamping her body to notice if her shoulder or back had hurt.

Mulder made a snuffling, snoring sound in her ear then, and she 
smiled slightly, opening her eyes and turning her head to the side 
once more to watch him sleep.  Although she was tired, a very 
pleasant kind of tired, she did not think she would be able to do 
the same.  Her long afternoon nap almost guaranteed she would be 
awake for a while.

He looked younger, and more innocent, his features slack, relaxed, 
despite the shadows under his eyes.  Shadows that were a result of 
his confessed sleepless nights while she had been in the hospital.  

She hoped that now she was home, those shadows would disappear.  

His lush lower lip jutted out endearingly and that boyish, stubborn 
lock of hair was lying on his forehead.  She automatically lifted 
her free hand; the one not entwined with Mulder's, her left hand, 
to stroke it off his face.  

She was halfway towards her goal when a spike of pain deep in her 
shoulder had her freezing in place.  She bit down hard on her lip 
to hold back the moan that had risen in her throat as tears formed 
in her eyes, turning her head away from him once more, and slowly 
lowered her arm back down along her side.  Several deep breaths in 
and out through her mouth helped, and the pain subsided to a dull 
ache.

She had clenched both hands into fists when the pain struck, with 
her right one squeezing Mulder's fingers so tight she was surprised 
he didn't wake up.  

As for her left hand, she was now aware of her ring, the beautiful 
Claddagh ring from Mulder, digging into her flesh.  That sharp 
little pain distracted her from the one in her shoulder.

Releasing her fists slowly, the blood rushing back into the digits
with a vengeance, she felt Mulder's fingers twitch against hers.  
She moved her head slightly, and saw a frown flicker across his 
face.  As always, her instinct was to soothe.  "Mulder," she 
whispered softly.  "I'm here, everything's all right."

Immediately the frown disappeared, to be replaced by a small smile.  
Behind closed lids his eyes moved rapidly, and his lips moved almost 
soundlessly.  Scully.

"That's right, Mulder.  It's Scully. I'm here," she whispered.  She 
squeezed his fingers gently, not like the death grip she'd had on 
them before, and he returned the squeeze, still smiling in his dream 
state.

God, he was so beautiful.  She could stare at him for hours.  And 
with him asleep, she had a chance to do so without him trying to 
distract her, or moving away in embarrassment.  

Or divert her attention by kissing her silly, and touching her 
anywhere he could reach.  

Both were diversions she quite willingly went along with of course, 
but it was such a treat to look at him, and to know that she did 
not have to sneak these looks like she had in the past, before they 
had admitted their feelings to each other.

As they had reaffirmed them again today.

That thought brought to mind the gift Mulder had given her in 
celebration of those feelings, now gracing her left hand, her 
wedding finger. Unable to bring her hand up to study her Claddagh 
ring, she used her thumb to rub against the circlet, closing her 
eyes to replay that moment when they had opened the velvet box and 
she had gotten her first glimpse of it.  She was not even sure she 
could accurately describe the emotions and feelings that had run 
through her and over her and all around her.

Shock, amazement, pleasure, fear, you name it, but most of all, 
over-whelming love.

She wondered if Mulder knew how completely and utterly he owned 
her heart.  She would have to tell him when he woke up again.

Despite her wish for him to get some rest, Scully hoped it would 
notbe too long.

***

3:30 pm

Mulder woke slowly, easily.  He did not immediately open his eyes as 
was his usual first response, but instead snuggled his face deeper 
into the pillow beneath his head.  The pillow that was scented like 
Scully.  His chin brushed something soft and smooth and warm, and he 
smiled to himself, remembering drifting off to sleep, his head by 
her shoulder.

There was also something tickling his nose, and he wiggled it before 
finally opening his eyes.  Scully's hair was fanned out across the 
pillow, and a strand of it lay curled just beneath his nose.  Every 
time he inhaled and exhaled, his breath disturbed it, lifting it to 
tease his nose.  He did not mind.

He looked past her hair, to her face, presented in profile to him.  
His eyes caressed the smooth line of her brow, her proud Roman nose, 
the beautiful rosebud lips slightly parted as she breathed evenly 
and slowly, and her usually stubborn chin softened in relaxation.

So involved was he in his visual feast, he was startled when Scully 
spoke, without opening her eyes.

"I can feel you looking at me," she said softly.  Her lips then 
curved into a tiny smile.

Mulder smiled too.  "You can, huh?" he asked, and ducked his head 
a little to press a kiss on that shoulder, delighted by the little 
shiver that ran through her at his touch.  "What does it feel like, 
Scully?"

"Love," she whispered, and turned her head, her eyes now open.  They 
captured his with their intensity.  "It feels like love."

This time it was he who shivered.  "Oh, it is love, Scully.  It is," 
he whispered back. "More than I can say." He felt his abdominal 
muscles strain as he lifted slightly and propped himself up on one 
elbow.  

He then tugged gently to free his other hand from her clasp, 
bringing it up to her face.  He used the tip of one finger to 
delicately trace the features his eyes had touched just moments 
ago, before leaning forward to brush his lips across hers.

"Mmmmm," she sighed against them, her eyes fluttering shut. "More."

Always happy to oblige her, he let his own eyes slip shut, and 
applied more pressure to her lips, while still keeping the kiss 
somewhat chaste.  

Her chin angled up, and she nipped at his lips, in an attempt to 
entice him into providing the more she had requested.  

He smiled without easing up, and opened his eyes again to see that 
she had as well.  And that they were filled with love and laughter.

He gave her one last, quick close-mouthed kiss before raising his 
head again.  Using the hand that had been stroking her face, he 
reached way over her to search under the mound of pillows for the 
other jewelry box.  

His arm brushed over her face in the process, and he had the hell 
surprised out of him when she used the opportunity to lick at the 
tender skin on its underside.  The action sent a jolt of fire 
through his veins, and he huffed out, "Jesus!" twitching his arm 
away from her mouth.

She giggled and replied, "No, the name's Scully."

"Ha, ha," he responded, and with one final lunge, he located the 
velvet box.  He remained the way he was though, half-leaning on her, 
his face just inches from hers.  "Close your eyes," he said huskily. 

She looked at him with curiosity plain in her eyes, one eyebrow 
quirking up adorably, before she obeyed his request. 

"Don't open them until I tell you."

She nodded and kept them closed, although her head turned a little 
when the pillows rustled as he withdrew his second gift.  "Mulder?" 
she said softly.

"Shhhh..." He lifted his arm back, and wiggled a bit until he was 
more comfortably arranged on his hip, bringing the velvet box to her 
stomach.  Using just its edge, he nudged her hand off of her belly, 
where upon she let it slide back between their bodies, and then 
traced a circle around her belly button.  

Her stomach muscles jumped and quivered, and her breath escaped in
a noisy rush of air that was an approximation of his name.

Twisting his wrist slightly, he dragged the box up and along her 
body, and watched the expressions flit across her face, knowing she 
was trying to figure out what he was touching her with.  But she did 
not try and peek.  Her honesty and sense of fair play was stronger 
than her curiosity.

After a minute of tracing idle patterns on her flesh and watching
her twist and shiver in reaction, her nipples harden to little 
points, and her breaths grow more and more rapid, he whispered, 
"Open your eyes."

They popped open immediately, and he had to laugh.

She blushed adorably, but her eyes were searching unashamedly for 
the object he had teased her with.  She was hampered by her injury, 
unable to lift her head or really try to grab at it, so he lifted 
the box from where it rested just under her chin and held it up to 
her eyes.

Like her reaction when she had seen the box that had held the
Claddagh ring, her eyes went all misty and soft, her lips twisting 
in an effort not to cry.  "Mulder..." was all she said.

"I saw this when I was paying for your ring, and I couldn't resist.  
Guess it was fate."  Her eyebrow crooked upwards in question, and he 
squirmed around again until the hand that his head had been propped 
on joined his other one.  

The box opened with a creak, and Scully stared at what it contained 
for several seconds before sputtering out his name again.  She then 
followed that up with a giggle.

"It's...it's perfect, Mulder," she finally managed to say, shifting 
her gaze from the box to his eyes.

He grinned and nodded, and watched as she looked again at the gold 
bracelet whose links consisted of tiny X's. 

"I thought so," he said.  "It was also a good back-up for if I lost 
my nerve regarding the ring."

"I'm glad you didn't lose your nerve," she said quietly, and lifted 
her right hand up so that she could caress his cheek with her thumb.

He turned his head so that her thumb brushed his lips, and pressed a 
kiss upon the digit.  "So am I," he said huskily.  Laying the box 
down on her belly, Mulder awkwardly pulled the bracelet free of the 
tiny hooks that held it pinned to the satin that lined the box, and 
brought it to her right wrist.  He fastened it easily and Scully held
her arm up, twisting it from side to side so that it gleamed in the 
late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.

"Thank-you, Mulder," she whispered, and lowered her arm to touch his 
chin, turning his head to face hers.  Their lips met in a deep, 
slow, satisfying kiss that went on and on until Scully finally pulled
her lips free.

"So, Mulder," she said, her voice and expression serious.  

He was almost worried, until he saw that her eyes were smiling.  
"Yes, Scully?" he asked.

"When are we going to move your couch and your fish in?"


THE END

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