Truckee
By Shoshana

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July 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At precisely the same moment my thumb makes contact with the corner of her mouth, her moist little tongue ventures out, licking at the same spot of mustard, licking me by surprise. I withdraw my hand, astounded and electrified by Scully's tease.

No, it wasn't a tease, just an unlikely coincidence. It's not the first time I've performed the same gentle act, always eliciting a smile and a laugh from her. She does both now, nervously dropping her sandwich to her plate, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin. I know, because I'm watching her, fascinated by our little exchange, wondering what's going on here.

She's ill at ease, her eyes don't want to meet mine. Definitely wasn't deliberate. Definitely unhinged her as much as it did me. Maybe more.

"Sorry, Scully. Didn't mean to swoop in on you so fast..." I say, trying to rescue her dignity, while still struggling with my own.

Now she's rearranging the contents of that sandwich, taking the pickle and laying it lengthwise, moving the cheese slice a bit to the left. Eyes still averted, cheeks still stinging with color. So beautiful when she's embarrassed. Can't tell her, it would just make things worse.

"Hey, Scully. Did I tell you about the Donner party yet?" Change the subject lightning fast, get her mind off that delicious bit of intimate contact we just had.

"Mulder! Is cannibalism appropriate mealtime chatter now?"

She sends me a high-spirited smile, banishing any true objection to my conversational meandering.

"In Truckee, California, it is, Doctor Scully. I'd think you'd be very interested in the extremes human beings will go to in order to remain alive. After all, they only ate the ones who were already..."

"Enough, enough, Mulder. I want to finish my nice formerly appetizing turkey sandwich. We can talk about hardship in the wilderness later. Finish your food."

"I'm all done. I enjoy sitting here watching you eat."

"Is that why you felt obligated to clean up after me?"

My turn for a guilty grin. She meets my eyes, glaring across the wooden table at me.

"What can I say, Scully? You have a very cleanable face. I like to keep it spotless."

She rolls her eyes at my lame comment, refusing to dignify it with a response. No problem. Nothing can dampen my day. We're sitting outside the Best Western Truckee Tahoe Inn on Highway 267 and the weather is perfect, not a rain cloud in the sky.

Finally, we get to spend some time in a lovely area; this one near Lake Tahoe. Hopefully, we'll get to enjoy some more of it tomorrow. I convinced Scully to stay till Sunday night, even though we wrapped up the case today. Or rather, disproved the existence of a ghost at the local bed and breakfast by catching the pranksters red-handed last night.

In gratitude for our service to humanity, the owners have invited us to stay the weekend in their well-appointed home. It took quite awhile to persuade Scully that it was perfectly legal to accept their hospitality; it wasn't like they had bribed us to apprehend the criminal, it was simply pay back for a job well done.

So, tonight we're going to move our gear over to the Hostellers' little cottage, where they have two very nicely decorated rooms for our pleasure. Tomorrow, we were going to drive over to Lake Tahoe and anywhere else that catches our fancy. I have a ton of travel brochures for Scully to look at tonight, having grabbed a bunch from the local Chamber of Commerce office before they closed for the day.

I'm so happy she conceded to stay. We could have hopped on a plane and been back in DC tonight, but why do that when there's no rush to be back home? She rarely takes a vacation and certainly never with me. So, just convincing her to hang around was a personal triumph.

Maybe a few days out here in the wilderness is just what we need. I want to see her relax, lose that damned agent persona she hides behind so well. Lose some of that sadness I see in her eyes. Eyes that contemplate losses I can never make up to her.

At least she can lose herself in the beauty of this place; the trees, the mountains, the clear waters of Lake Tahoe. Frankly, what I'd really like her to lose herself in is me, dammit. More wishful thinking, I know. I should just be thankful I got her to stick around.

"Mulder?" she queries.

"Huh?" I snap out of my reverie, noticing her patient stare from the other side of the picnic table.

"Let's clean up and go, O.K.?" She motions to my side of the table, still cluttered with sandwich wrappers and aluminum cans.

"Right. Go."

I find the nearest trash can and we walk back to our rooms, our pace considerably slower than before our meal. We were up all night, till dawn. We caught the kids 'haunting' the bed and breakfast at five a.m., called their parents, called the police and crashed at nine o'clock this morning. We slept all day (or at least Scully did), venturing out in the afternoon to file a final report with the local police.

I lie down on my bed, waiting for Scully to finish packing. I already stowed everything away earlier. I don't want to doze off, but naturally I do. The next thing I sense is her soft hand on my cheek, trying to wake me up.

"Mulder, wake up... come on, that's it, wake up..."

I could pretend to snooze all day if she'd continue to stroke my face like that. But I have bigger and better plans for this evening, and I might as well get up now.

"Okay, alright. I'm coming..."

Eyes still closed, I stretch out on the bed, working the kinks out of my bones. Unintentionally, I whack Scully in the ass, eliciting a few choice words I only hear from her on rare occasions.

"Sorry, Scully. Wasn't looking. Wish I was, though," I teased.

"I'll give you something to look at, Agent Mulder! Come on, checkout time is now."

We drive over to the bed and breakfast and the nice couple shows us our rooms. I hastily drop my bags off, and stroll over to Scully's room.

"Better put on some jeans and whatever coordinates best with them, Scully."

"Where, what? Where are we going tonight?"

"Out."

"Who says?"

"I do. You can't possibly be that tired. You slept all day. And I can manage on the few hours I got. We won't be out late, I assure you. Just a few hours."

"Well, I don't suppose you're going to tell me in advance where we're going... you never do. Shoo, get out, so I can change..."

Not pressing my luck, I go to my own room and change out of my suit. Even in a small town, it pays to dress like you carry some authority. Even when it's July and you'd rather not. I seriously doubt those kids could give a shit what we were wearing this morning at dawn. They were more terrified of their parents than they were of us. This may be the last time I ever take on another haunted anything. Odds are they're hoaxes. The only reason I even paid attention to this one was the location. I wasn't going to pass up Lake Tahoe, not even if I was made a damn fool of.

Half an hour later, a curious Scully peeks around my open door, finding me again in prone position. She took so long changing that I couldn't resist another nap. I'm not really sleeping, I know she's in here. I'm just begging for some more attention. How 'bout it Scully? Run those lovely fingers through my hair...

"Mulder?"

"Mulder, don't fake sleep. I know what you look like when you're asleep."

"Voyeuristic tendencies, Scully?"

"No, Mulder. After seven years of hospital rooms, I think I know what you look like when you're out of it. Get up, I want my surprise."

I swing my legs off the bed and find myself towering over her. She's wearing flats! Maybe I should check her forehead for fever; she'd never willingly forego her three-inch heels.

"Scully, why are you so short... I mean, what's the deal with the shoes?"

She lets out an exaggerated groan.

"We're on vacation now, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I can wear whatever I please on my own time. I'm assuming that time started now..."

"No... I mean yes. Yes, this is really our vacation time. It's just... well, you'll see."

"See what?"

"It's part of the surprise."

"Argh! You are truly exasperating, Mulder. You finish getting ready and I'll put on some compromise shoes, okay?"

She was ready in less than a minute. How could I surprise her by taking her dancing if I told her I was taking her dancing? I knew she would detest being, well, small, next to me. In front of God and everyone else. So at least she's got her two-inch heels on now. Women. Footwear. Incomprehensible.

I open the car door for her and she looks at me like I'm from Mars. Well, maybe I am overdoing the chivalry bit. I think I've opened her car door for her a total of six or seven times in six or seven years of partnership.

"Mulder, you're not on any new prescriptions, are you?" she asks when I get in the car.

"No... why?"

"You don't usually open car doors for me. Are you feeling okay?"

"Maybe I just wanted to open the door for you, Scully. Please don't analyze every move I make. That's my field, remember?"

I start the car and pull out of the lot, heading toward our destination.

"I'd like to remind you, Mr. Hotshot from Oxford, that I've taken enough psychology to read anything I damn well please into your actions."

"Oh? And what does opening a door signify?"

"It could mean many things... Could mean that you think I'm too weak to open it... Could mean that you respect me. Or that..."

"Go ahead, Scully. Spit it out," I say, glancing over at her briefly.

"That you're taking me out on a date," she says, very softly.

"Well, those are three very fine interpretations, Scully. I'll just leave it up to your superior judgment to discern the right one. You can remind me which one you're going to go with later tonight. I'm in no big rush to find out now."

Fortunately, we pull up in front of the local bar, restaurant, whatever it's pretending to be, and her retort is swallowed by an astonished gasp.

"O.K. Corral Bar and Grille?"

"Yes, our hosts said it was a very nice place to go."

"Oh."

"Come on, Scully. You'll love it. I grew up on the East coast and even I like cowboy bars."

"I didn't say I didn't like them. I just should have dressed up more."

"No way. You look fine. Come on."

I get out, go around to her side and open the door. She unbuckles her seat belt slowly, blue eyes questioning my sanity. Or maybe just wondering what I have up my sleeve. Nothing, Scully. Nothing at all. I'm definitely not making a move on you when you're this ultra-suspicious about my *every* move. I'm just gonna take this nice and easy so I don't scare you off. I've already made my damn point to you. I'm trying to treat you like a woman, instead of just a colleague.

She gets out, strolling slowly toward the door of the bar. I lock up the car and catch up with her. I place my hand on her back lightly, just to show her I'm there. Thank God, she finally smiles at *something* I do. I was beginning to feel that tonight would be a never-ending succession of raised eyebrows no matter what I did or said.

We have to show our Driver's Licenses, which is humorous, considering how middle-aged I'm feeling lately. I guess they card everyone here; the gray-haired couple in front of us went through this scrutiny, too.

One thing I hadn't thought through ahead of time were signs at the door that ask you to check your weapons. Well, nobody's going to be poking around my ankle, so I don't expect to be put on the spot about that. I know Scully stows a gun in her purse when she goes out. I don't really expect any trouble here; but I'm always glad, if not proud, she packs heat.

We take a booth in the back of the bar. We really don't have much choice, since it's a pretty crowded establishment. A waitress, a real one, not just a cocktail waitress, brings us our menus. This is not just a honky-tonk, it seems like it might have good food, too. We order our meals quickly from our blonde, western-attired waitress, and iced teas appear within minutes.

Neither of us order any booze. I feel so woozy in her company tonight, who needs alcohol to intensify that? But I want to encourage Scully to enjoy herself...

"Don't want a beer, Scully?"

"Maybe. Later. I'm fine for now. This place is a lot nicer inside than its facade would let you believe. Is this my surprise?"

"Well, half of it, I guess."

"And the other half?"

"You'll see."

"You've just gone all mysterious on me, haven't you?"

"Actually, Scully, I don't think I've ever been this easy to read," I tell her, truthfully.

There's no point fucking around here. I have no defenses against her. She looks absolutely beautiful tonight. She doesn't even realize how gorgeous she is, that's the true beauty of it. And I'm determined not to lie to her anymore.

"Coulda fooled me," she smirks back.

"Not infallible Dr. Scully!"

"Even doctors make mistakes, Mulder."

"Well, when they do, people do tend to remember them. Just like when a Federal Agent makes a slight miscalculation and accidentally shoots the wrong guy. People tend to notice that, too."

"We're pretty high profile, aren't we, Mulder? Except I have the onus of being doubly high profile. A doctor and an agent. Ms. Scully can't ever make one small miscalculation, can she?"

"She might. And she might not even notice it," I say, eyes glued to her own.

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

Our food arrives before she can question me further. I finally convince her to have a beer with her meal and we eat quietly, filling up quickly on barbecue ribs and cowboy beans. Afterwards, we lean back contentedly, taking up all the space on either side of the booth.

Quite a few couples swirl around the dance floor and I wonder what Scully's thinking about our night out. I wonder if she'll dance if I ask her. I don't have to wait for an answer.

"You wanna dance, Mulder?" she asks, her eyes intense, unbelievably sexy.

"Sure."

God, that was easy. That was going to be the hardest part. We slide out of the booth and I offer her my hand. I know she asked me, but still, I'm trying to remember my manners here. She doesn't seem to mind as I put one hand around her waist.

They're not doing line dancing, thank God. I wouldn't know what to do with that. Just ordinary dancing here, stuff I remember from those awful classes Mom made me take in sixth grade. Just before... Well, that's no good, Mulder. Don't think about Samantha. Think about Scully. She's here. Right now. She's never looked more beautiful to you, you idiot.

Scully smiles up at me, a big, beautiful grin that melts my insides. She looks happy, at last.

"Hey, Mulder."

She's speaking so softly I have to lean down to her.

"You know that miscalculation we were talking about?"
 
"Yeah..."

"I think I might be correcting it soon."

"Oh, how is that, Ms. Scully?" I ask cautiously.

The music changes abruptly and I'm startled when Scully brings her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest. I smooth my hands over her shoulders, pulling her close to me. I rest one hand on her lower back, the other in her auburn hair.

I don't question this. I just want to feel her body next to mine, cradled in my thankful arms. She's given me a dozen reasons to doubt the way she felt about me in the past; she's giving me a dozen reasons to have no doubts now.

I stroke her hair, strands of silk under my fingertips. She lifts her head, just for a few seconds, sending me a smile that continues long after she's buried her head back against my chest.

What the hell is going on here? I never thought we could be this easy... Maybe we both needed to believe in this possibility before it could ever happen. I never thought she'd be the one to make the first move... Oh hell, why should I be surprised at all? She's no shrinking violet. She's never retreated from a challenge. She's never given up on my miserable hide, not even when I pushed her away.

I lean down and kiss her forehead, pulling her even closer, never wanting this slow song to end. It does though. And we part, but only long enough to rearrange our hands to the tempo of the beat.

She smiles up at me and says, "Is this the other half of my surprise, Mulder?"

I don't need to answer that question; she's not expecting an answer. We dance till the song ends and I tug her off the dance floor. I pull her alongside me, on my side of the booth, wrapping my arms around her slim body, smelling her perfume, her perspiration. We part company when our waitress brings us another round, settling our backs against the upholstery, watching each other with wary eyes.

For some reason, I still fear she'll bolt right out of here. When she realizes how stupid an idea this is, how incompatible the two of us are. She doesn't. I take her hand in mine and open my mouth several times. She finds this amusing and tells me so.

"Lost for words, Mulder?"

"No."

"So what happened to your legendary wit? Lost your ability to converse?"

"No."

"Can you say anything other than no?"

"Yes."

This collapses her into giggles, for reasons only she'll ever know. The sound is infectious, making me smile wide and long. She laughs uncontrollably now, letting go of my hand, steepling both hands in front of her nose in a vain, useless attempt to stem her glee.

"I'm taking that beer away from you, Dana Scully," I say, mirthfully.

"Alright," she manages to gasp through her laughter.

I swear to God I've never seen her so giddy, so full of life. I can't stop staring at her and it begins to unnerve her, quiet her down.

"Mulder?"

"Mmmm..."

"Don't you want to kiss me?"

I look at her like she's just asked me if the sky is blue.

"Well, of course I do, Scully..."

"Then, why haven't you?"

"Not here, not in front of all these people."

I want our first kiss to be something special, the setting more memorable than this somewhat dingy bar. And anyway, I know I'll lose all self-control after just one. Might as well wait till we get back to our rooms...

She grabs my hand and squeezes with considerable strength. "I'm going to go to the john and then we can go somewhere a little more private, okay? Why don't you settle the bill?"

I nod my agreement and watch her stride away, hips swiveling from side to side. It's definitely going to be a struggle *not* to make love to Scully tonight. But I won't let it happen. Nothing will screw this up. Including rushing headlong into disaster. That's another good reason I didn't kiss her on the dance floor. I'm not letting her blame the alcohol tomorrow. I'm not letting her regret one minute of tonight.

Scully doesn't return for several minutes. I've settled the bill and I'm getting impatient. A man in his fifties approaches me, scrutinizing my appearance.

"Are you Moulder?"

"Yes, I guess I am." I've been called worse, so what the hell...

"Your girlfriend told me she needs some help in the restroom. There's a situation."

Disregarding the fact that Scully's not really my girlfriend (well, not yet), I jump to my feet, ready to race down the corridor. But the tall man stops me with one gentle, strong hand.

"No, no. She's not in any trouble. She's helping a young girl. I just called 911 for her."

"What happened?"

"Looks like an overdose. She's a doctor, right?"

"Yeah, she sure is. Look, I better go see if I can help her. Thanks so much for helping her out."

I pat him on the shoulder and take off for the restrooms, trying not to race and call attention to what ever's happening. No need to get a bunch of gawkers interested in someone else's misfortune.

Scully has the women's restroom door propped open and is kneeling down next to a girl's limp form. The teenager appears comatose to me, a diagnosis easily made after so many horrifying experiences of our own. After Scully's abduction, after her sister's bedside vigil, I can tell when someone hovers between this world and the next.

"How is she?" I ask anyway.

She looks up from the floor, blue eyes fraught with worry.

"I think she did some heroin. There's a baggie in the corner over there. I haven't touched it. The cops will be here soon. Where the hell is that ambulance?"

As she says the magic word, EMTs appear from around the corner, stretcher in hand. The older man must have explained the situation in detail before coming to get me. Scully moves to my side, allowing the medical personnel full control of the situation. I encircle her with one arm and she moves closer, whispering into my ear.

"There's not much I can do when I've had a few beers. At least I found her in time. I hope I did, anyway. Jeez, even a small town like Truckee has bad shit going around."

"Well, it may be a small town, but it's awfully close to big city influences. Gambling, prostitution, they all prosper out here. You did good, Scully. Really good."

"I have to stay, Mulder. Just till the police show up."

She looks up at me apologetically and I stroke her cheek with my forefinger.

"No problem. We've got all night."

I kiss her forehead and she leans into my chest. She's so tired now. The initial rush of adrenaline has worn off, she's crashing fast and furiously. It's a familiar feeling for me, one I've experienced more times than I care to remember. I want to get her back to the B and B as soon as possible, tuck her into a comfortable bed, watch over her all night.

The local police recognize us, want to speak to her about the crime scene. They want to make sure they haven't missed any evidence. This is not the first time someone's overdosed in this bar. Kids get in with fake ID and buy smack from someone in some dark corner, then go to the restroom to shoot up. Too bad the heroin's not very pure. That's what the dealer would say anyway.

We're walking toward the exit sign when several twenty-somethings come over to Scully and me.

"Is she going to be alright?" one asks.

"I hope so. Are you friends of hers?" Scully says.

"Acquaintances. She just started hanging out here several weeks ago. We're going to go to the hospital now, but we knew you were back there with her and thought you might know best. We don't even know if they'll let us see her... we're not family."

"I'm sure they'll call her parents. She had some real IDs with her, with a real home address. You guys should try to see her anyway, maybe tomorrow. She's going to need all the friends she can get right now."

The kids nod their agreement and collectively sweep out of the bar and into a huge pickup truck. We wave goodbye and I can't help but feel relieved; that hapless young girl has a few friends on her side.

I open Scully's side of the car and we head back to the B and B. Once we pull into our parking space, she stops me before I can hop out of the car.

"Let's walk."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I want to see the stars out tonight. We didn't have a chance to last night. When we were chasing 'ghosts.'"

"Well, if we hadn't caught those 'ghosts,' we wouldn't have a couple extra days out here. We'd probably be back in DC by now. I wouldn't have been able to justify another night in the motel, just to chase a haunting."

"Want to chase me?"

"Are you up to it?"

"Want to find out?"

She rockets out of the car, disappearing into the gardens behind the house. I pursue her through the large yard, but she's escaped me completely, hiding somewhere close by. I decide to play it cool and sit down on one of the white stone benches scattered around the greenery.

Moments later, I'm attacked from behind, small hands obscuring my eyesight.

"Who's there?" I demand.

"You tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Who I am. To you."

She nestles her body close to mine, covering my back, threading her arms around my waist.

"You're my whole life, Scully."

Her arms tighten a little more, her lips slide up and down my neck, electrifying me. I do little to protest her advances; she's nuzzling, kissing my ear, imprisoning me in her arms.

After more sweet torment, she releases me, walking around the front of the bench. I pull her down on my lap and our eyes meet in the bright moonlight.

Her hair is a complete mess, her makeup is long gone, but she's the most charming woman in the world tonight. I caress her cheek with my hand, run my fingers through her hair. She smiles demurely, bringing her forefinger to my lips.

"How about that kiss now?" she whispers, playing with my lower lip.

I don't need further encouragement. Our lips collide, drawing us into a luxurious, breathtaking kiss. Her passion thrills me, her aggressiveness excites me. I try to meet her with my own heated desire, drawing her body closer, kissing her more ardently with every breath we take.

She pushes me backward, onto the substantial area of the marble bench. Her body covers mine, my hands roam all over her face, her cheeks, her silken hair. We don't ever want to stop kissing, don't ever want to stop touching one another, inspired by all the love and lust we've kept bottled up for years.

She starts rubbing up against my groin and I groan, all but fainting away with pleasure. It's been so long, so long since a woman's rubbed up against me. I move my hips against hers in gentle, almost involuntary movements. This isn't what I expected to happen. I'd still prefer to stop now, give her a chance to cool down.

But I can't. She's taken free will away from me. I feel more hormonal than a pimply teenager, more unfettered than a wild stallion running through some desert canyon. As my jeans become tighter and more and more uncomfortable, I rein myself in, call off the wild creature she's called into being.

I put both hands on her hips, putting a halt to her gyrations above me. She stops immediately, pushing herself up and away, questioning me with her eyes. It's not fair, just not fair to let this go on right now. We desperately need a time out. I want to talk to her, tell her how much I'm in love her before we go much further. It's too much, too soon.

"What's the matter?" she says, none too patiently.

She's annoyed, really angry. But I'd rather risk her anger than have to live with her regret.

"Nothin'"

"Why do you want to stop, Mulder?"

"Take a breather. Talk dirty to you."

I grin at her sheepishly. She's still straddling me, sitting back on my thighs. My hands travel up and down her arms, trying to reassure her that this has nothing to do with my attraction for her.

She stills my hands, intertwining her fingers with mine.

"Alright," she says, yielding to my wishes. "Let's do that. We're both probably too tired for this anyway."

"No, Scully. Not too tired. Just too frenetic. I'd like to just hold you, talk to you awhile. We have plenty of time to make love, okay? I'm not going anywhere. We have all weekend together. I'm feeling a little dizzy here and I can't be too far off thinking you are too."

She grimaces at that a moment, than breaks into a full-fledged smile.

"Okay, Mulder. It's just, just... a combination of the booze and the dancing and the stressful buzz after finding that girl in the restroom. I'm feeling so different tonight. So... don't laugh... uninhibited."

"You are uninhibited, Scully..." I smile at her as she begs me not to interrupt, shushing me with her hand.

"I've never felt so free before. You make me feel so wonderful, Mulder. I've always wanted you... I just wasn't sure if you wanted me..."

"You're kidding, right? Of course I wanted you. I've wanted you for ages. Why do you think my dating skills are so out of date?"

"I haven't had a date for quite a few years myself, Mulder."

"Well, you deserve to... I'm so sorry we took so long getting here. I haven't wanted anyone but you for years, Scully. I thought you already knew that. I thought you held back because we're partners. I never imagined you thought I didn't want you..."

"So we should have had this conversation a couple years ago..."

"Perhaps. Maybe. God, Scully. I was so happy that you survived cancer. And I didn't want to press my luck. I didn't want to tempt fate and ask for more. I guess I should have. I shouldn't have let you think I didn't care. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what?"

"I wouldn't have sat back and watched your reaction to Diana. I'm not blind, Scully. I know what you think she was to me. I know what the guys told you. I know why you're still pissed off about that. But I couldn't make a choice. I couldn't tell her to go to hell until I was sure of her betrayal."

"You're sure now?"

"No, not even now. But I'm closer to seeing what role she had in my past. I don't want to believe she insinuated herself into my life because of the Consortium. But that's looking like a possibility, more and more. She's been MIA or AWOL or something all summer. She'll have a lot to explain when she comes back."

"Did you love her?"

"Never as much as I love you, Scully."

I look up at her, desperately searching her eyes for understanding. She smiles affectionately, bringing her hand down to my forehead and brushing my hair to the side. Her small, capable hands frame my face for several seconds, stroking my cheeks with her thumbs. I clasp my own hands over hers and place them on my chest.

"I'll never love anyone as much as you. You can be sure of that."

She sighs and lays her head back down on my shirt, shifting her hands around my waist.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," she mumbles into my chest.

"Why don't you let me get you into bed... " She giggles, shaking like that proverbial bowl full of jello. "*Tuck* you into bed, Scully. You know what I meant..."

"I know, I know. I'm glad you slowed me down, Mulder. I was out of control. And you know me. I'd regret that tomorrow."

"Exactly. That's exactly why I stopped you. No matter how much I'd like to make love to you tonight, Scully, it's just too soon. I think we need to hang out like this, talk a little more. I don't want to screw up everything we've built over the years. I know what's it's like to sleep with your partner and then have them leave you. Believe me, it's not a pretty picture..."

"Diana."

"Yes. And for whatever reason she left, she still left. And it fucked me up for a long time. For a good long time, until you came into my life. You made that crap go away, Scully... You rescued me from a lot more than just Blevins and his debunking squad. I would probably be dead, you know... I was besieged by management, abandoned by those I thought I loved. I really didn't want to form any more relationships. But you sneaked by me, you made me care about you."

"I care about you."

"I know. I know that so well. And I care enough about you to know we have to get you some rest. Let me up, Scully. Let's go in the house."

"One condition."

"What?"

"You have to sleep next to me."

"I do?"

"Think you can handle the temptation, G-man?"

"As long as you don't jump me again, G-woman."

We smile at one another, then kiss one last time before she helps me to my feet. I'm not so sure I can or should sleep with her tonight. I can always leave the room if things get too hot and heavy.

We quietly enter our rooms. It's after midnight and the hosts are asleep. I go to my room and change quickly, putting on some athletic shorts and a T-shirt. If someone sees me in the hallway, at least I'll be properly dressed. I brush my teeth and take one last look at the guy in the mirror. He looks a lot happier than he's ever been, and I'm not surprised by that. The prospect of having Scully around for the rest of my life makes me very, very happy.

She's in bed by the time I enter her room. I know she's not asleep yet, I can tell just by listening to her breathing. I pull aside the covers and get into bed. She slides over to me, snuggling against my side. It's not going to be easy, I still feel aroused from our make out session in the garden. I try to put it out of my mind, out of my body, struggling for a little self-control. Her head is on my chest, her arm around my waist, and she's making unintelligible noises of pleasure as I embrace her tenderly, one arm around her back, the other on her hip. I bend over and give her a gentle kiss on the lips, before fading off into the land of Nod.

fin

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