Title: Territorial
Author: Deia
Category: MSR, post-ep
Rating: NC-17
Feedback: [email protected]
Website: http://www.deiasaddiction.net/xsense
Distribution: go ahead, just let me know
Spoilers: Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Paper Clip
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money from it
Summary: "With much more confidence, Mulder walked
out of his office with every intention of showing
Queequeg his place."

Dedicated to my dear friend Sallie. Happy birthday,
Sweetheart!

A.N. This story was written for Fandomonium's
Virtual Season of Smut (Season Three).

Char, thank you so much for all your help. It was a
pleasure having you as my beta.

Vi, I don't know if I can write without you reading
'over my shoulders' anymore. Thank you for being
there for me every step of the way.

Territorial

Mulder threw the coin up for the thousandth time
that night, watching it flip in the air again and
again while his mind raced through the events of
the past few days. A simple coin could make the
difference between life and death. Any action, any
decision had the power to change the future. He
couldn't help but think that Bruckman had seen more
than he said about Mulder's confrontation with the
killer. Something in his face maybe, but Mulder was
sure that he didn't tell the whole story on
purpose. If he hadn't heard that vision, would he
be alive right now? Or was he more alert because he
knew he would be attacked from behind? But that
wasn't right. The killer was poised over him with a
knife ready to strike when Scully arrived.

Maybe it wasn't him at all that changed his future.
Could it be a coincidence that Scully got the wrong
elevator? She was there with him, she heard the
vision. Perhaps she had unconsciously come to his
aid when she saw Haves dead. Unless, of course, he
was really destined to die of autoerotic
asphyxiation. He could see Scully roll her eyes at
him at this last thought. Mulder smiled. No matter
what, he could count on Scully to bring him back to
reality, or the closest he could get to it.

Mulder looked around his office and sighed. He had
been sitting in the dark for a couple of hours
letting his mind wander over the case, Bruckman,
and his talent. All the talk about death and the
future had made him more reflective. It was almost
unconceivable to him that someone would have the
power to foresee the way people were going to die
and not do anything to prevent it. Maybe that was
exactly the reason someone like him didn't have
this gift. He'd never be able to hold back. He'd
try again and again to change it, no matter how
futile his attempts would be.

Shaking his head, Mulder stood up to leave. It was
late and he needed to head home and try to distract
himself from his musings. He needed a beer that
night. For a few seconds he contemplated the idea
of calling Scully to join him, but he knew she
wouldn't come. She had left earlier that day saying
she needed to buy a few things for Queequeg. Yes,
she named the dog Queequeg. And he had heard enough
of the little beast already to last him a lifetime.
The fondness in her voice when she talked about him
was a bit irritating, too. She knew him for what,
two days? As if it was enough time to tell you a
dog was all that smart.

Was it too pathetic that he had been insanely
jealous of a dog for the past two days?

Next, he was going to start competing for her
attention. He looked at his watch. It wasn't so
late. Maybe he could pay her a visit. Show the dog
he wasn't afraid of him. He had been in her life
for a long time, after all. There was no need to
get territorial.

With much more confidence, Mulder walked out of his
office with every intention of showing Queequeg his
place.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Standing outside Scully's door, Mulder questioned
the wisdom of being there. He was feeling a bit
ridiculous. All of that disappeared from his mind
when he heard his partner talking with the dog. She
actually laughed at something the monster did. He
made a face, and knocked.

He wasn't prepared, though, for the way Scully
looked as she stood in the open doorway. Her eyes
were alight with laughter, and a gentle smile still
played  on her lips. Her cheeks were a little
flustered from mirth, and her hair was mussed.

"Hi, Mulder."

For a few moments he only gazed at her, drinking in
the sight in front of him. He couldn't recall
seeing Scully so carefree before. It was
breathtaking. A bark broke the spell; a high-
pitched and annoying bark.

"Come on in," Scully said stepping aside for him to
enter. Her dog wasn't so welcoming, though. "Stop
it, Queequeg!"

The dog stopped barking, but still looked
menacingly at him. Mulder followed Scully to the
living room and they sat on the couch. Immediately
Queequeg jumped on Scully's lap, and after making
himself comfortable, looked over at Mulder, and he
could swear the dog was gloating at him. Okay,
Queequeg 1, Mulder 0.

"Something happened?"

"No, not at all. I just need company for a beer."

Scully lifted an eyebrow at him, and he felt
compelled to elaborate.

"I was just thinking about Bruckman and his gift.
His attitude, or lack thereof, regarding the
future..."

"You have been thinking a lot about it, haven't
you? I noticed you've been a bit distracted since
the end of the case."

Mulder shrugged. "I always think a lot. And the
subject fascinates me. Why some people have this
gift and others don't. How it manifests, how it
feels. While I was thinking, I came to the
conclusion that I'd try so hard to stop the future
from happening that it's a good thing I don't have
it. I wouldn't be able to sit back and watch."

Scully smiled softly at him, and put a hand on his
arm. "You're a good person, Mulder."

His head was shaking but his eyes were fixed on the
hand resting on his arm.

"You are. And you don't give yourself enough
credit," Scully continued.

Surprised, he looked up. She was still smiling, and
he could see the fondness in her eyes. Take that
Queequeg. He updated to score to Mulder 1, Queequeg
1.

"And how much credit would you give me?"

She rolled her eyes, and stood up, lifting the dog
from her lap. Damn his big mouth.

"I'm not sure if I have beer. Would wine do?"

"Sure." At least she wasn't throwing him out.
Queequeg gave him a nasty look before following his
mistress.

She came back a few minutes later with an open
bottle of wine and two glasses. "I gave it some
thought, too."

He looked at her, and was prepared to tease her,
when she continued, "Don't say it." She sat down,
and poured the wine, handing him one glass. "I'm
not saying I believe it, but the talk about The Big
Bopper, I don't know. It got me thinking about the
decisions we make and how they affect our lives."

"What would you change, if you could?"

She took a sip from her wine before replying,
"That's just it, Mulder. I came to the conclusion I
wouldn't."

Mulder didn't know what to say to that. He thought
back to everything Scully had suffered in the past
three years alone, and to think she wouldn't change
anything was absurd to him. His first thought was
of Melissa. Only a short time ago, she lost her
sister. How could she say she wouldn't try to
prevent that? He didn't dare voice his thoughts,
though.

"Don't look at me like that, Mulder. I have no
guarantees that changing something I did would do
me, or anyone else for that matter, any good. It
could go both ways. And I also concluded that if I
kept thinking about the past and what could have
been, I wouldn't be living the present." Her voice
was soft but he could hear the emotion in it.

He knew in that moment that she was thinking about
her sister, and he longed to see the carefree
Scully back. Maybe the dog wasn't so bad after all.
Without thinking he pulled her to him, and to his
surprise she came willingly.

They were quiet for a few moments, and then he felt
it. Moisture on his shirt, and the trembling in
Scully's shoulders. In the past few months since
Melissa's death Scully had closed herself off and
hid her grief from him. If he didn't know her so
well, he'd have believed the facade she was
presenting to the rest of the world.

He also knew the case had affected her. He couldn't
quite understand what it was, but he saw the
connection between his partner and Bruckman.

Mulder knew that sooner or later, she'd need to let
out all the pain she was holding inside. He just
didn't know she'd let him see it, and help her. It
was a humbling experience and he was grateful for
the gift she had just given him, maybe without even
realizing it.

He heard her sigh, and knew she was going to pull
back soon. Knowing it didn't prevent the loss he
felt when she actually left his side, though.

Looking at her hands, she said, "I'm sorry, Mulder.
You came here to..."

Mulder cupped her cheeks, encouraging her to look
at him, and interrupting her words. "Shhh. Please,
Scully. Don't apologize."

Her eyes welled up again at the sincerity and
intensity in his gaze, but she held back the tears.
Instead she embraced him tightly and thanked him in
a whisper.

"Anytime, Scully."

She moved away from him and seemed in a better
mood, which reminded him, "Where is Queequeg?"

Scully smiled at him. "I saw the way you two were
eying each other and told him to stay in the
kitchen."

Mulder didn't know what to say to that, except
"Oh."

She seemed amused by his discomfort. "I can't
pretend it wasn't funny."

He looked everywhere but at her, and apparently his
reaction caught her attention, because next she
asked him, this time her voice more serious. "What
is bothering you, Mulder?"

It was bad enough to be jealous of a dog, Mulder
didn't need Scully finding out just how jealous he
was. He decided that he needed to scape and fast.
"Nothing, Scully." He forced a laugh, and stood up.
"It's getting late, I should be going."

Scully stood up and took his hand in hers. "What is
it?" Her voice was soft and her eyes searched his.

Mulder's eyes dropped briefly to her lips before he
could stop himself, but it was enough for her to
catch it. When his eyes turned back to hers he knew
he had been busted.

There was a look in her eyes he had never seen
before, the hand holding his relaxed its grip, and
she seemed frozen in place.

Before he could do any more damage, Mulder left
Scully's apartment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scully didn't move for a few moments. The longing
she saw in Mulder's eyes had caught her completely
off guard. She could understand that Mulder at some
point would think of her as a woman. It was
natural, they were close, and attracted to each
other. What she saw however was not something
filled by lust, it was deeper, and she couldn't
help but be a bit scared by it.

She couldn't deny that she had fantasized about
Mulder. More than she cared to admit. But she
didn't know if it was anything but attraction.
Could it be? She didn't know what to think or how
to classify her feelings for her partner any
longer. She needed to think. What did Mulder mean,
really mean, to her?

Because she knew him enough to imagine how he was
feeling, it tore at her to think Mulder left her
apartment feeling rejected and guilty for his slip-
up. She never wanted to cause her partner any more
pain. He had suffered enough in his life. Even so,
she couldn't go after him to talk about it. Not
before she understood what she really felt for him.

Sighing, she went to the kitchen and put the
glasses in the dishwasher. Queequeg was curled up
on himself sleeping. She smiled fondly at her new
companion. She couldn't keep her thoughts away from
Mulder, though. She remembered the way he looked at
the dog when he saw him jump on her lap. He looked
jealous. She shook her head at the thought. At the
same time she felt a wave of tenderness for her
partner. Did he really felt threatened by Queequeg?
A memory, of Mulder trying not to roll his eyes
when she told him how well the dog was adapting,
flashed in  her mind, and she knew she was right.

Scully went to her bedroom knowing that that night
would be restless. She knew she wouldn't be able to
put aside the matter and would think about it over
and over again.

Mulder was one of the most important people in her
life, and she never wanted to hurt him, but she
also knew that she owed it to him to be honest
about her feelings. If she only knew how to name
them anymore. If she had been asked that question a
few hours prior, she would say it was deep caring,
and friendship. Now she wasn't so sure. That look
stirred something in her, something powerful,
hungry, and overwhelming. Was that feeling worth
risking her partnership and friendship with Mulder?
If it was love she could see herself crossing that
line, but if it was lust... No, she wouldn't do
anything before she knew for sure. She only hoped
that she would figure it out soon.

As she predicted, she barely slept that night and
every time she closed her eyes she saw Mulder's
face just before he turned to leave her apartment.

While she got ready for work, Scully knew that the
day ahead was going to be hard. She could almost
see it. Mulder would act as if nothing happened,
but he wouldn't be able to conceal the hurt from
his eyes. Not from her. It was going to be a
painful day for both of them.

Her heart was beating fast when she reached the
Hoover Building. Her hands were sweating in
anticipation as she took the elevator to the
basement. She had to stop for a moment outside the
door before going in. She knew Mulder would already
be there, knew he had slept as poorly as she had.
If he had slept at all.

Being right sometimes could be much worse than
being wrong.

Mulder didn't acknowledge her presence at first; he
seemed completely absorbed in the sheet of paper he
was reading. Scully knew better. They had always
been tuned to each other presence.

"Good morning, Mulder."

He looked up at her, and Scully felt her heart
constrict at the sight of him. He was hurting,
although he was doing all he could to conceal it.
She had to fight herself to not go there and
envelop him in her arms. The urge was so strong
that she took a step towards him. She stopped
however when she saw him flinch. It was barely
noticeable, but there nonetheless.

"Morning." The forced cheerfulness in his voice
only fueled her own pain.

It was going to be a long day.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It turned out to be a long week. By Friday, Mulder
was almost himself again, except for the lack of
innuendos and leers. Scully missed it. She never
thought she would miss it, but she did.

She was still unsure about her feelings. Too afraid
to take a wrong step, she kept arguing with herself
and not reaching any conclusions.

That changed the moment Bonnie Stevens walked into
their office.

Bonnie worked in the lab, and sometimes stopped by
to bring results of their investigations. Scully
had noticed that for the past couple of months, she
had been to the basement much more often. Until
that moment, Scully hadn't thought anything of it,
but when she saw Bonnie walk purposefully to
Mulder's desk, she understood exactly what Bonnie
was trying to accomplish.

Scully watched as Bonnie handed Mulder some papers,
and flirted outrageously with him. A possessiveness
she never knew she had overwhelmed her. She had
felt a little jealous of Mulder before, but she had
always justified it as something else, and it had
never been to this extent. For the first time she
was thinking of Mulder as hers and hers alone. The
mere idea of another woman trying to steal him away
was making her blood boil.

Mulder looked a little uncomfortable, in her
opinion. Seeing that he wasn't that impressed by
Bonnie's attentions, Scully took a deep breath, and
tried to remain calm. She turned back to her
computer, keeping an ear on their conversation,
until the moment Bonnie made her move. She actually
had the nerve to ask him to dinner. Scully looked
up in time to see Mulder's eyes turn briefly to
hers. She saw a flash of resignation in them, and
she knew what his answer would be.

"Sure. I'll give you a call."

Her heart dropped, and she bit her lip to keep from
screaming. Seeing the smug smile on Bonnie's face
and the spring on her step as she left the office
was not helping matters. Scully turned to her
partner to see him looking at the wall, seeming
lost in thoughts. He was really considering calling
that... woman.

What the hell was he thinking?

She looked down as if willing the papers in front
of her to tell her what to do now. Scully didn't
need any more proof that she was indeed in love
with her partner. The fear of losing him, the
knowledge that he accepted Bonnie's invitation
because he thought she didn't want him, the urge to
jump at Bonnie's throat, and more importantly the
need to have him at her side, in her life, all of
those feelings made one thing very clear. She
couldn't lose him. She wouldn't.

Determined to make Mulder understand, she looked
back at him to see him observing her with a furrow
in his brows, and a look of confusion on his face.

"What do you mean?"

It was Scully turn to be confused. "Excuse me?"

"You asked me what the hell was I thinking. Why are
you asking me this?"

Damn. She tried to think of something to say. It
was not the best moment or place to start this
conversation.

She heard him sigh, and saw him shake his head,
before going back to his work.

That wouldn't do. She'd left him thinking once
before that she didn't want him. She wasn't about
to do it again.

"Mulder, I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead."

But he was still reading the reports Bonnie brought
to him. She knew what he was doing. Trying to
protect himself. He didn't believe he would like
anything she was going to say.

"Mulder, please, look at me."

His eyes found hers, and instead of hurt she saw
something else. Something she wasn't expecting, but
knew she deserved. Anger.

"What?"

"Can we go someplace else?"

"I'm busy. I have a lot of paperwork to do before
going home."

"Very well." Scully stood up and went to the door,
closing and locking it.

"Why are you locking the door?" His voice was as
incredulous as his face.

"Just to make sure no one will barge in while we're
talking."

He let out a frustrated sigh, and crossed his arms,
leaning back on his chair. "Okay then, talk."

Scully was starting to feel frustrated herself. It
was hard enough to have to say what she intended.
He wasn't making it any easier on her.

"I wanted to talk about what happened on Monday."

Mulder looked away, then back at her. "Well, I
don't. Now can we go back to work?"

"No. We have to talk about it, Mulder."

"There is nothing to talk about. I got the message
loud and clear. It won't happen again, if that's
what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried about anything. I want to
explain..."

"Don't. Please, Scully. Don't explain."

He collected his jacket, and stood up to leave. By
then Scully had had enough. She walked around his
desk and stood in front of him.

"You'll sit down and listen to me, Mulder."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mulder looked over at the door, trying to decide if
it was wise to ignore her or not, when he felt a
tug on his tie. The next thing he knew Scully's
lips were on his.

Stunned by his partner's actions, it took him a
moment for his brain to register what was
happening. Then he was kissing her back with all
the hunger and longing he had. He briefly wondered
if they shouldn't stop the kiss and talk, but when
he felt Scully pulling at his shirt, the only thing
that mattered was helping her get rid of it.

Without breaking the kiss, Mulder lifted Scully
until she was sitting at the edge of his desk. She
managed to open the buttons of his shirt and was
running her hands all over his chest and back. The
feel of her hands on his skin was making it hard to
breathe.

His lips left hers, and traveled across her face,
neck and collarbone, while his hands were busy with
Scully's shirt. She was so soft and warm.

"What's happening here, Scully?" he whispered in
her ear, nibbling the lobe softly.

"What should have happened on Monday."

He pulled back a little to look at her eyes. Her
heavy lidded eyes filled with lust. For him. He
groaned and kissed her again.

Scully made short work of his pants and boxers,
letting them pool at his feet. Pushing him back
into his chair, she stood up and let her skirt
fall. She stepped out of it, toeing off her shoes.

The enormity of the situation hit Mulder harder
than a ton of bricks as he gazed at an almost naked
Scully. It was really happening. This wasn't one of
his fantasies.

Mulder pulled her to him and leaned his head on her
stomach. Letting it sink in, her hands found their
way to his hair, as he breathed her in.

Turning his head, he kissed her navel reverently.
Much more slowly this time, taking his time to
taste, and feel. To make memories of it, even if
the environment wasn't the most comfortable or
appropriate. That office was however the only place
that belonged to both of them, and in a warped sort
of way, it made sense their first time was
happening there.

He nuzzled her breasts as he took off her bra. His
lips latched on her right breast and he felt her
knees buckle. He tightened his grip on her waist
for a moment, before slowly lowering her pants.

His hands lazily caressed her thighs, hips, waist,
and back again. Mapping her body with his fingers,
before urging her to straddle him.

Scully gasped at the contact of his skin on hers.
They looked at each other, as Scully lifted
herself, just enough to bring him to her entrance.
Slowly, using his shoulders as leverage, she
descended on him. When he was completely buried in
her, she let her head fall to his chest, breathing
hard, and they stopped again to become accustomed
to the feeling of being so close to each other.

She lifted her face to his and their lips found
each others again. As their kisses became more
heated, Scully started to move above him. She broke
the kiss and touched her forehead to his, as they
made love to each other.

One of his hands played with her nipples, while the
other found its way to her clit. At the feel of his
fingers on her, she moaned and threw her head back.

As their movements became faster and more erratic,
a whirlwind of sensations encompassed both of them.
Scully came first, clutching Mulder's arms, a
silent shout on her lips. The sight, and feel of
Scully's orgasm was enough to bring him to his own.

They held one another as they caught their breaths.
Mulder leaned back on his chair, cuddling Scully to
him. She went willingly, a small smile on her lips.

Mulder's insecurities crept up on him as soon as
the bliss of their lovemaking started to fade.
"Scully, what does this mean?"

Leaning back, she looked into his eyes trying to
convey all her feelings for him. "It means that I
love you. It means that I was too afraid to
acknowledge it before, but the thought of losing
you made it clear to me."

Mulder looked at her awestruck. "You love me?"

"I do," she said, kissing him tenderly.

As they broke the kiss, he grinned back at her. "I
love you, too."

She caressed his cheek, absorbing his happiness.
She didn't remember having ever seen him this alive
before.

"Let's wrap things up here, and go back to my
place. We can order some dinner..."

"Dessert?"

She laughed at his hopeful face. "If you behave."

He looked at her with the most innocent eyes. "You
don't think Queequeg will mind?"

"Well he'll have to get used to you, won't he?"

"You tell me." His voice became suddenly serious.

She took his face in her hands, and locked her eyes
with his. "Yes, he will. This is not a fling to me,
Mulder. The only reason it took me so long to come
to terms with my feelings was the fear of risking
what we have. I'd never put our partnership and
friendship in jeopardy if I wasn't sure of my
feelings. You're too important to me. I meant it
when I said that I love you."

He kissed her when he couldn't find words to
express what he felt at her words. The kiss held
such passion, affection, and devotion, it made her
fall in love a little deeper with her partner.

Scully pulled back from him, and stood up. "Come
on, Mulder. We have a whole weekend to make
Queequeg like you."

"What if he doesn't?"

She smiled at him, and winked. "We'll just have to
keep trying."

Mulder smugly thought to himself, 'poor Queequeg.'