By Caroline O'Callaghan
caroline.o@virgin.net
 
 

Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 23:13:05 +0100

Rating: PG (although Part I is NC-17)

Classification: Mulder/Scully Romance. Mulder and Scully pursue
a serial killer who calls himself 'The Fox'.

Spoilers: Lots of them, but nothing past Small Potatoes (pretend
Gethesmane hasn't happened yet - it'll probably turn out to be a bad
dream on Scully's part anyway)

Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully don't belong to me - I hereby promise
to return them when I've finished playing with them.

~~~
The Lure of the Fox - Part V
By Caroline O'Callaghan
 

Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
11.40  a.m.

Scully's eyes widened in surprise. "You're sure Mulder?"

"I can hear her Scully, this room must have an exit, get down
here."

She shone her torch down the hole, looking at the fifteen-
foot drop. "How?"

"Jump. I'll catch you."

She looked at him doubtfully. "Wouldn't it be better if I went
back for help?"

"You ditching me partner?"

The look she shot him was as cold as ice, and he almost
regretted throwing her earlier words back at her.

"Come on Scully, help might take too long."

She nodded, not really wanting to go back and face Emily
Watson yet anyway.

She tucked her torch into the waistband of her shorts,
dangled her legs over the side, glanced briefly at
Mulder to make sure he was ready to catch her, and then
she threw herself off the edge.

Her falling body hit Mulder's, and knocked him backwards,
but he stayed on his feet and broke her fall by catching her
around the waist. She looked up at him with a sense of
relief.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Good catch."

He was somewhat reluctant to remove his hands from her,
and she didn't seem to want to move away yet either. Their
eyes met in the darkness. "I'd never let you fall Scully.
You know that?"

She nodded.

Mulder swallowed. There were times when Scully looked
at him with the most trusting eyes, like the way a small girl
might look at her father. It always made his mouth go dry.

She licked her upper lip and he suddenly remembered seeing
her in Emily Watson's arms. He let go of her abruptly and
turned away, walking over to the wall through which he'd
heard a child's cry for help.

Scully took out her torch again and switched it on, she
followed him to the wall and bent close to it to listen.
She jumped a little when she heard the scream.

She saw panic flit over Mulder's face, and decided to spur
him into action before he let his highly tuned emotions get
the better of him.

"Come on Mulder. Let's look for a way through."

He nodded and began to walk around the room, feeling his
way along the walls. Scully walked the other way, and
eventually they met on the other side of the room, neither
had found an exit.

Mulder looked at her in disappointment. "The floor?"

She nodded, understanding what he meant immediately.
They took opposite ends of the room and got down on
their hands on knees to search the floor for a way through.

"Damn it." Mulder thumped the ground in frustration. "If we
can't find anything, you may have to go back and ask your
girlfriend to bring the cavalry."

Scully's head shot up and she looked at him in amazement.
"My what?"

He refused to meet her gaze and continued to examine the
floor. "Its okay, Scully. I mean, it shocked me a little,
because I really had no idea that you...but its allright
I have no problem with it." He did look at her then to
give her a brief, wry smile. "Whatever flips your goat."

She stared back at him, her mouth hanging open. It
took her a while to form some words. "Mulder, you
don't honestly think...."

"Found it." He thumped the floor again, this time in
delight and began to clear off dust and dirt from the
trapdoor he'd discovered.

Scully got to her feet and was by his side in an instant.
She held her breath as he pulled the heavy door open.
He shone his light down the entrance. "There's a ladder."

He swung a leg over the edge and onto the first rung,
preparing to descend. Scully put a hand on his arm to
get his attention.

"Mulder. I.....Emily kissed me and I....."

Mulder waived a hand in the air to cut her off. "I really
don't want to hear the gory details. Are you coming?"

"Of course I am, but..."

He spoke dissmissively. "I don't want to discuss it Scully,
okay?"

Her voice went harsh. "Sure." She huffed a little.  "Fine."
She watched him descend and prepared to follow him
into the darkness.

On his way down the ladder, Mulder winced at the tone
of voice she'd just used with him. He hadn't meant to be
rude to her, but he really couldn't stand the thought of
having to listen to Scully tell him about her passion for
Emily.

When he'd prised the confession out of the Sheriff the
night before he'd found the situation amusing. He'd
laughed at the thought of Scully realizing that a
woman had the hots for her. He'd imagined her delicate,
but strong, little face screwing up in embarrassment, and
the blush of her fair Irish skin.

The last thing he'd expected Scully to do upon discovering
Emily's attraction to her was to respond in kind by
sticking her tongue down her throat. Okay, maybe
there hadn't been tongues, but close enough.

He reached the end of the ladder and stepped off it
into another tunnel, one that was big enough to walk
through, rather than crawl. He looked up to watch Scully's
descent. Her rear was swinging from side-to-side.

He felt stupid. Why had he never noticed that Scully
was.... 'what was she?' He was supposed to be observant,
a profiler, and he'd never had the slightest suspicion. Four
years walking by her side, traveling with her, eating meals
and drinking coffee with her and he'd never even had an
inkling.

He forced his thoughts from where they shouldn't be right
now. He had to focus on Molly. On saving a young child's
life so that she'd ride her bike again, go to the school dance,
get her first kiss - whether it be from a boy or a girl. He
cursed himself, his mind was back on Scully again.

She jumped off of the last rung of the ladder and looked
at him expectantly. He shone the torch at her, not in her
eyes so as to blind her, but enough so that he could see
her face clearly. Dirt streaked her cheeks and forehead. She
was angry with him, her mouth was set in a pout and her
eyes blazed blue fire. She was beautiful.

She reached out and pushed the torch away. "Which way
Mulder?"

The tunnel ran east and west. He flashed the torch down one
way, seeing nothing but blackness, and then the other way,
where darkness also greeted him. It was difficult to know
which path would lead them to where Molly was. Her
screams had come from a northerly direction. He glanced at
Scully, hoping for some help with the decision.

"Don't look at me. I have no sense of direction, remember?"

He shot her a sarcastic smile and nodded his head west. She
took the hint and went ahead of him.

He followed and they walked into the dark, their flashlight
beams dancing along the walls of the tunnel.

Scully trudged forward, looking down at her boots, which
were covered in mud, she imagined that the rest of her
was equally dirty. She was seething at Mulder; 'pissed-off'
didn't even cover it. How dare he jump to the wrong
conclusion about her and Emily, and then not even allow
her the chance to explain what had happened.

But below the anger was pain. She'd thought he knew her
so well, but he had no idea, no inkling of the depth of her
feelings for him. He was completely unaware that he didn't just
have her friendship, but her heart as well. He didn't understand
that for her there could never be anyone else, man or woman. Her
misery was compounded by the memory of kneeling between his
legs in the water that morning. Her hands on his chest, aware of
the warm skin beneath his wet tee-shirt. She had held her breath,
convinced that Mulder had been about to kiss her. Perhaps she
had she just imagined the hungry look in his eyes.

Damn her imagination, and damn him. She didn't care what he
thought anymore. It suddenly didn't matter to her whether he
thought she preferred men, women or little grey aliens.

She looked up in surprise when she realized it was becoming
brighter in the tunnel the further she walked. They were
nearing some kind of light. She looked back at Mulder who
nodded at her to tell her he had noticed it too. He put a
finger to his lips and she understood that he wanted them
to be quiet until they knew what was ahead. She reached
behind her and under the loose cotton shirt to check her gun
was in place. She released the clip on the holster. Just in case.

As they rounded a bend she saw that the light was coming
from beneath a solid looking metal door. Mulder stepped
ahead of her, reaching it first and trying to push it open.
It wouldn't budge and he kicked it in frustration before
noticing the padlock that was in place. He took the heavy
lock in his hand and examined it.

"We could probably shoot it off Mulder."

He nodded. "I'll let you do the honors Scully."

Her anger subsided at him a little. At least he trusted her
capabilities. She was a better shot than him and he
was happy to acknowledge the fact. She drew her
weapon and aimed carefully at the lock. It fell open with
her first shot.

Mulder looked impressed and gave her a quiet little
round of applause. She made a mock bow and tried
not to smile at him. They became serious again however,
when they heard childish sobs coming from behind  the
door.

It fell open easily this time and they both rushed in, guns
drawn. The room they had entered was surprisingly bright,
and it took both of them a while to adjust their eyes from the
dark of the tunnel.

Scully scanned the area until she found what she was looking
for. In a corner, on a small cot, Molly Turner sat with her
face in her hands. Her small body shaking with fear.

Scully cleared her throat and spoke soothingly as she
approached the cot.

"Molly its okay. We're here to help. To take you home."

"Don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you honey."

She reached the cot and sank to her knees in front of it.
"Everything's fine now. We're going to take you back
to your mommy, okay?"

Molly took her hands from her face and looked at her,
with large, innocent brown eyes. "Are you the police?"

Scully smiled. "Yes, we're the police." There was little
point explaining the difference to a terrified six-year-old.

She wasn't prepared for it when Molly suddenly lunged
forward and threw both little arms around her neck. It
almost knocked her off balance, before she adjusted to
the weight and hugged the child in return, running a hand
up and down her back to soothe her.

Mulder had held back, afraid that his presence might
frighten Molly further, but now that Scully had gained
her trust he stepped forward, catching his partner's eye.

Scully nodded to indicate that she thought Molly was fine,
scared but unhurt. Although she thought she'd better ask
anyway, just to make sure.

"Molly, who brought you here?"

Molly pulled away and looked up at Scully, brushing a
chubby hand across her eyes to dry them. "A man."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No. He left me on my own, I was scared."

"I know honey. Did he hurt you at all?"

"No, he was nice to me, but I miss my mommy. I want to
go home."

Scully got to her feet and lifted Molly into her arms again.
She turned to Mulder who was exploring the room.

It was lit by several gas lamps. There were work surfaces
all around the walls, storage closets and in the center of
the room was an examination table, complete with restraining
straps. Mulder tugged one of them and looked over at Scully
to see what she made of it.

"It looks like a disused lab."

Mulder agreed. "Forrest Mendhlesson couldn't have put all
this together Scully."

Scully was about to suggest that it was some kind of medical
room left over from the days when the area was mined, but
the explanation made no sense, there was no reason why
miners would be treated underground, and the equipment,
and the materials used to build the place, were far too modern.

Mulder looked at Scully, her arms were full of six-year-old,
and it brought a sudden lump to his throat. "You sure she's
okay?"

"Yeah. We just need to get her out of here."

Mulder nodded, then spotted a knife on one of the surfaces.
It lay next to a length of rope and a gag. He shuddered when
he realized that they were meant for the tiny girl who
was clinging to his partner. He picked the rope up and showed
it to Scully. "Looks like we were just in time."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The voice came from behind them and they both jumped,
before turning to see who had spoken.

Forrest Mendhlesson stood in the doorway, his eyes wild,
gun held out in front of him, shaking slightly. "What the hell
are you doing here? I told you to stay away. Its not good for
you to be here."

Mulder considered raising his gun and trying to force
Mendhlesson to back down. He glanced at Scully, her eyes
told him that she thought it would be better to try and
talk him out of it.

He spoke calmly. "Forrest, put the gun down."

Mendhlesson looked at Scully and Molly. "You put her
down. She's mine, I went and got her, she belongs to me."

Molly looked round at him and saw the gun, before letting
out a soft cry and burying her face in Scully's neck again.

Mulder took a couple of steps forward and Forrest's
attention was back on him.

"Stay away from me." He clicked the catch of the safety.

Mulder held up his hands. "Forrest, Agent Scully and I are
going to take Molly back to her parents. Its for the best.
She needs to go home. Put the gun down. You have no
chance of getting away, its two against one here."

Mendhlesson creased his brow in concentration. His
face glistened with sweat and his whole body seemed to be
shaking. "My sister never got to go home."

Mulder nodded. "I know."

"They killed her."

"Yes. I know Forrest. They brought her here to test her
didn't they, but it went wrong."

Scully's looked at Mulder in surprise and realized he
had solved the case. One look at the room and Mulder
had put all the pieces together. Her partner knew exactly
what had happened to Forrest and his sister that night
over twenty-five years ago.

Mendhlesson. "I knew you'd understand, because it
happened to you too didn't it?"

Mulder licked his lips. "I don't know what happened to
my sister Forrest but I think I know what happened to yours.
You were out walking, it was late, you weren't supposed to
be out on your own."

"She wanted to go, I wanted to stay and watch t.v." Scully
watched as the man's face crumpled. "I don't know how
they took us, but there were lights, and then I woke up."

Mulder stepped closer to him. "And you were here in this
room. They did some tests on you. What tests did they do?"

Mendhlesson seemed to lower the gun a little, his defenses
down. "I don't know. It didn't hurt me, but Lisa was
lying across from me and she was crying. They hurt her
bad."

"So bad she died?"

"They dumped us out in the woods, and everybody blamed
me, said it was my fault, but it wasn't. I just took her for a
walk."

"I know."

"I spent years locked away for nothing. For killing my sister,
but I never did. It wasn't me."

"I believe you Forrest. I've believed you since I saw your
note, but the other children Forest, you killed them didn't
you?"

The face which had been in deep pain, suddenly became
angry and Scully felt Molly jump in terror in her arms when
Mendhlesson shouted.

"I had to. These little girls, they pretend its not their fault,
but it is. Its their fault. Twenty-five years I've been locked
up. No more little girls."

Scully saw his finger squeeze the trigger and threw herself
backwards onto the ground. Molly landed on top of her as
the shot rang out, and a bullet came flying over their heads.

Mendhlesson turned and ran through the door. Mulder
rushed over to Scully.

"You okay?"

She nodded and looked down at Molly to check she was
also unscathed. "Go Mulder, go after him."

Mulder fled the room. Scully got to her feet and pulled
Molly up too. She bent down to look into the child's eyes,
surprised that she wasn't crying. Her little mouth was
hanging open, and Scully thought she recognized shock.

She rubbed her hands up and down the girl's arms. "Molly
I know how scared you are, but you're okay, you're not
hurt."

Scully jumped when she heard a shot being fired and
looked towards the door and then back at Molly.
"I want you to stay here, don't move an inch."

The little girl nodded, and Scully took off into the tunnel,
she ran for a couple of minutes before she saw Mulder standing
over Mendhlesson's body. Relief washed over when she saw her
partner was okay.  She knelt beside the body to check for a
pulse.

Mulder's voice was flat as he spoke. "He's dead?"

Scully nodded and looked up at Mulder confused by the
shocked expression on his face. "You shot him?" She
noticed the bullet wound between the eyes of Forrest
Mendhlesson's lifeless body.

"No I didn't."

"Well then who.....?" Her voice trailed off as she
became aware of another presence in the tunnel. She
turned and lurking in the shadows she saw a human form.
Then she heard a click, a small flame appeared, followed
by a puff of smoke.

The man stepped forward as Scully got back on her feet.
"You..."

He cut her off. "Just tying up a few loose-ends Miss
Scully. Nice to see you looking so well." He smirked
and Mulder lunged towards him. Scully caught his arm,
and with a shake of her head, asked him to hold back,
and he did.

She felt a cool, calm rage descend over her. "Actually, I'm
not well at all. I'm very sick."

He still smirked. "I hope you're not implying that has
anything to do with me. I've always looked out for your
health Dana. If it hadn't been for me, you'd have died a
long time ago."

Mulder lunged again and this time Scully made no attempt
to stop him, but before he could reach the man, guards in army
fatigues appeared out of the darkness and dragged him
backwards.

Scully glanced at the five or six guards and put her hands
in the air. The gun that she'd drawn whilst running to find
Mulder was snatched away and she was grasped
at the elbow by young soldier with an expressionless face.
She was turned, as was Mulder, and forced to walk back the
way they had come.

Mulder glanced over his shoulder at the man he had come to
know as 'cancer man'.

"What went on here? Children were brought here, what
happened to them, what tests did you do?"

The man puffed on his cigarette. "Nothing particularly
harmful Mr. Mulder. All the children were returned safely
to their parents once we were finished with them."

"Except for Lisa Mendhlesson."

"An unfortunately accident. A foolish doctor. We were
very sorry, but it was the only life we took."

Scully threw off the soldiers grip and whirled to face
their enemy. "You've taken hundreds of lives. You just
took another."

The man shrugged. "He was a killer Miss Scully."

"A killer that you created. If you hadn't have murdered
his sister...."

He interrupted. "Please, murder is such an ugly word."

Scully was seized again and marched back towards the
disused laboratory.

When they entered Molly ran towards them only to be
caught be another guard. Who picked her up. She began
to scream.

Scully tried to wrangle her way free again, to go to her,
but she was held tight. "Put her down. What are you
going to do to her?"

Cancer man answered. "Nothing, we'll make sure she's
returned to her home." He nodded to the guard who took
Molly from the room.

Mulder and Scully were released and the rest of the guards
filed out.

Mulder stood with his hands clenched in fists at his side.
"Are you leaving us here?"

"We'll alert someone, they'll find you eventually."

Cancer man finished his cigarette and threw it to the floor.
Then he left the room and the door swung shut. Mulder
walked up to it and kicked it in rage. He heard another padlock
being fastened to the door. "What happened to my sister? You
know, you son-of-a bitch, tell me, I have a right to know."

Scully walked over to the cot in the corner and sank down it,
suddenly feeling weary. They'd been beaten again.

Mulder was still raging. "You're going to pay. For everything
you've done. For Samantha, for Agent Scully, for the hundreds
of innocent people whose lives you ruined."

There was silence. Cancer man and his protectors had gone.
Mulder gave the door a final kick, and then turned his back
on it and slid to floor, his face in his hands.
 

Underground Laboratory
Breakspeare Forest
June 29th,
1.32  p.m.

Mulder paced up and down, his anger had still not dissipated
from his system. He looked over at his partner who sat
on the cot, her back against the wall. She was staring calmly
into vacant space.

"What are you thinking Scully?"

"I'm thinking that I wish I still had my gun."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't stop walking up and down soon
I'm going to want to kill you."

He stopped and leant against the operating table. "Sorry.
I just...." His hands became fists at his side. "The next time I see
that black-lunged bastard. I'm going to shoot first and ask
questions later. I'm going to put a bullet through his skull, just
like he did to Mendhlesson."

"No you won't Mulder, because he has the answers you
need, and because you can't kill the devil."

Mulder shot her a sad smile. "You think he's the devil
Scully?"

"Oh yes, but better the devil you know Mulder."

He walked over to sit beside her. They'd already searched
the place thoroughly for an exit, or some kind of clue as to
what had happened here in years past, but had found
nothing. All they could do now was sit and wait for help
to arrive to free them.

Mulder sighed. "I know he did some awful, shameful,
unforgivable things Scully, but...."

"But you can't help sympathizing in some way with Forrest
Mendhlesson?"

He nodded. "They screwed him over Scully. Just like they
do everyone."

Her voice was soft and gentle. "That's why we have to
keep fighting Mulder."

He hung his head. "How do you think he knew about me?"

"I don't know. He could have read about your sister's
abduction, its been documented. He had a lot of time on
his hands in the institution."

"But he knew I was hunting him. He wanted me to be
the one to stop him, that's why he called himself 'the
Fox', because he knew the case would get my attention."

"Mulder, I don't know the answers, and now that he's
dead, we'll probably never know. Let it go."

 "I can't. I need to know, because...."

"Because, you think it could have been you. That you
could have ended up like that, taking revenge for
your sister in that way."

He gave her that sad smile again. "I swear you're
psychic Scully."

"No I just know you too well. You analyze everything
to death Mulder, and you see faults in yourself that
aren't really there. You would never have ended up like
Mendhlesson because you didn't blame your sister for what
happened to her, you blamed yourself, and you still do. Even
though you were never accountable.

"I feel sometimes Scully, that I'm going to go crazy with
wanting. I need so badly to have the answers."

She reached over and laid a hand on his hair, smoothing it
down. "Then its a good job I'm around to keep you sane."

Their eyes met, affection flowed between them. The room
was too warm suddenly. Mulder coughed a little and pulled
his head slightly away so that her hand fell away from him.

Scully brought her hand back into her lap and laced her
fingers together. It was only possible to get so close to
Mulder before he pulled away, physically or emotionally.

"How are you Scully?"

She sighed. "I'm fine."

"Your nosebleed earlier...."

"It was over before it started Mulder."

Silence fell between them. Scully pondered briefly what she
would do if she needed to urinate before help came. Ask
Mulder to turn his back?

Mulder thought about Emily. She'd known which direction
they'd headed in, she probably had the search party nearby
now, and they'd probably find the huge hole he'd made when
he'd fell in the first tunnel. It wasn't going to be that long a
wait. Still, what if he needed to take a piss?

His partner got up to stretch her legs. She wandered over
to one of the counter tops and leant against it.

He watched her as she began to stare into space again. Her
breasts heaved slightly with each breath and he became
fascinated with their rise and fall beneath the thin, cotton,
sleeveless shirt she wore.

It seemed acceptable to watch her now. Before he had
always been filled with guilt for admiring her as a sexual
being, but now that he knew he had about as much chance
of experiencing her as a sexual being as the dead man out
in the tunnel, he felt happy with his voyeurism. Now that
he knew Scully was...was what? Not interested in men?

There had been men in Scully's life before though hadn't
there? He remembered her telling him about Jack Willis,
the academy instructor, that she'd dated. So she was
bi-sexual? He couldn't imagine Scully sitting on the fence
about anything. Not being able to make a decision about
what she preferred. She would choose to land one way or
the other, surely? Although he was opened minded sexually
and accepted that there were some people who could
equally enjoy both men and women, he just couldn't see
Scully as one of them.

So she was gay? Perhaps Jack Willis had been an attempt
at going straight, an experiment. He looked up at her again.
She was still deep in thought, her head cocked slightly in
her usual way.

Perhaps that was why they had never stepped over the line
into a relationship. All the time he'd thought it was he
who had resisted the urge to take things further than platonic
friendship. Perhaps it had been Scully all along who had held
back.

Did she see women? He had assumed she didn't have a
social life. Maybe she had just hidden it from him, afraid of
his reaction to her sexuality.

He buried his head in hands when another thought came to
him. What about Ed Jerse, and Eddie van Blundht who
had taken on his guise? Scully had certainly gone on a date
with the former, and had been about to kiss the later. His
mind was screaming.

Did he imagine the tension between them? Did he mistake
the look that was sometimes in Scully's eyes? The one
that seemed to tell him she wanted something more than
he'd previously been unwillingly, or unable to give. He had
to know.

He had to know the truth.

He stood and walked over to her. She looked up at him, her
face a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"Scully, you're filthy." He wiped some dirt from her cheek.

She flinched a little at his words. They were almost as
crushing as 'Scully, you smell bad' had been on another
occasion.

Then he bent down and all thought flew from her mind.
He caught her lips with his. A spark of electricity ran from
her brain to her toes. The kiss wasn't the most elegant she
had ever received, probably due to the huge difference in
height between them, but his lips were soft and gentle and
she felt herself leaning into him, her mouth reaching up to
stay joined with his, as his lips ran over hers. When she felt
his tongue's attempt to snake a path into her mouth, she
snapped, breaking the kiss, and shoving him roughly away.

She was breathing heavily and so was he. They stared at
each other trying to grasp the situation, until Mulder
finally broke the eye contact. His gaze dropped to the
floor and he stepped backwards.

His voice was a mixture of sadness and bitterness.
"Well, I guess..... now I know."
 

Underground Laboratory
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
1.50  p.m.

The ability to speak had left Scully momentarily. She gazed
at him, her mouth hanging open and her mind and body still
reeling from his kiss.

Mulder gave a soft laugh, but there was no joy in it. He
cursed the fact that they were imprisoned because he
wanted nothing more than to be able to run away from her.
"I'm sorry Scully. Just forget it. That was.....that was
way out of line."

"You're damn right it was."

Her right hand seemed to gain a will of its own and it
reached out before she could pull it back. The slap that
hit his cheek also stung her palm.

He put a hand to his face, rubbing it briefly. Then he
stepped away and crossed to the other side of the room.

"Mulder, I...."

"No, Scully don't apologize."

"I wasn't going to."

He looked up at her again. Her face was flushed, and at
first he couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment
or anger. When she spoke again, he knew it was anger.

"What were you trying to do, convert me?"

"No, I.."

"So, you were feeling sorry for me then? Poor Scully's ill,
let's see if she'd like a sympathy fuck before she dies, is
that it?"

He was taken aback by her crude language. "No, Scully."

"Well there has to be some reason Mulder."

He approached her again, stepping across the room till
he was leaning over her, invading her personal space. He
could almost feel the heat of her anger.

"Maybe I just wanted to kiss you."

She looked up at him incredulously. She would have
backed away from him, but she was already against the
counter top. "After four years?"

Mulder's heart was like a jackhammer in his chest. "Yes,
but you obviously find the whole idea repulsive. So why
don't we just pretend it didn't happen?"

Scully was still fuming, but she considered his words.
That would be the easiest solution. To file it away under
'an aberration' or 'a mistake' and for the both of them to
continue as they had done before. However, she couldn't
tear her gaze from his lips.

"I couldn't forget it Mulder."

"But its not what you want."

He turned away from her again, walked over to the cot and
sat down heavily on it. The word 'rejection' kept running
through his mind. He felt stranded, alone. The one person
he ached for, seemed not to ache for him.

Scully looked at him. His head was bowed, his hands
clasped loosely together. She was shaking with the possibility
that he felt for her in the same way that she felt for him.

Her mind conjured up an image of them making love
amongst twisted white sheets, lit only by candlelight, her
back arched, her heels digging into the mattress, her legs
wide apart and raised, and Mulder between them, his
backside moving steadily up and down.

It was all so vivid, she imagined she could hear the groans
of effort from Mulder, the moans of pleasure from her, the
soft thumps of their bodies rising and falling against the bed.

She swallowed hard, she wanted it. She wanted him.

It was the only thing they had never shared. Partnership,
friendship, pain, grief, thoughts, feelings, emotions. They had
been to hell and back together, but never to heaven and back.
She wanted to take a part of him inside of her. She
swallowed again and licked her upper lip. He hadn't moved.

She considered what she would surrender to passion. She
had given her life over to Mulder and his quest for the truth,
she'd given up all hope for a normal life, a career, the respect
of her colleagues. Happiness, joy and laughter seemed to have
been lost to her too, but she knew that whatever she had
given to Mulder, she had given willingly, without much
reservation, and with no real regret.

He dominated her life, filled it, completed it. A part of her
feared that if she were to love him, to make love to him, she
would be giving herself over completely, that he might
swallow her whole, till she was just an attachment of Fox
Mulder, and Dana Scully didn't exist.

She scoffed silently at her efforts to try and fool herself.
She had been lost in him, consumed by him, since she
had first known him. There was no turning back now, no way
of separating herself. She had tried. She had rebelled and
kicked against him, and all she had for her trouble was a tattoo
on her back and the memory of being touched by Ed Jerse,
and wanting it to be Mulder.

She was his, and as she crossed the room and knelt before
him, she hoped and prayed to God, that he was hers.
 
She was unused to speaking from her heart, and had always
been afraid of sharing her feelings. It was a throwback to a
childhood when she had hero-worshipped her Father and
wanted so much to be like him. She had deliberately
developed his cool detachment, his strength of mind, his
control over his emotions. It had led to her being labeled
repressed and cold by almost every man in her life; except
Mulder.

She touched his knee and he looked up. The agony in his
face robbed her of her breath for a moment.

"I don't know why I did that, Scully, can we just put it
behind us?"

She shook her head and reached up and took his face
between her hands. "You are the stupidest man alive."

He gave her a sad smile. "Why thank you Agent Scully."

"What have you been thinking about me these past few
hours Mulder?"

"I've been thinking that I don't really know you at all."

"No you don't, but...." She chuckled and he looked at
her with mild surprise. "Emily Watson kissed me
Mulder, are you listening?" She didn't wait for an answer.
"She kissed me. She jumped me like you just did a few
minutes ago, I didn't have any choice in the matter. If
you'd have shown up a couple of seconds later you
would have heard me telling the Sheriff that although I'm
very flattered, I'm not that way inclined."

Mulder expelled a breath. "Oh."

"Yes, oh. Did you really think.....?"

"What was I supposed to think Scully?"

She nodded. "I guess it must have looked a little
strange."

"Strange is an understatement."

She took a deep breath. It was now or never, soon the
moment would pass. She had to say something before
they were discovered, before they walked out of this
room and made a silent pact with themselves never to
mention again what had passed.

They were such cowards in some ways. They were so
fearful of each other, of losing each other and of finding
each other.

Her voice was a little shaky when she spoke. "We're
you jealous ?" Her hands had dropped to her side, and
her gaze fell into her own lap.

She caught his nervousness in his words. "I never thought
I'd be jealous of another woman, but yes, I was."

She was filled with hope, and a tentative hand moved
back to his knee. He covered it with one of his and
squeezed it softly.

"So what now?"

Mulder made a decision. He wanted her, he wanted
everything she was prepared to give, but he realized that it
was not his for the taking. "Nothing Scully, nothing at all.
You were right to stop what happened before it went too
far."

Her head shot up and she stared at him, stunned by his
words. "Mulder? You just said....."

He cut her off and stood up. "I'm a bad bet." She watched
as he crossed the room. She turned, still on her knees to
see him walk away from her.

Her voice was a choked whisper. "So am I?"

He ignored her words, let out a little cough, and then became
businesslike. "You know when we get sprung from here, we
should check around those tunnels a little, we might find
some evidence of....of, I don't know.... something."

Scully's heart had shattered. It lay in minuscule fragments
somewhere in the pit of her stomach. She felt nauseous,
and tears threatened, but she knew she would not cry in
front of him. She turned her face away for a second,
composed it, and then got to her feet.

Her control slipped back into place as she answered him.
"I think they've wiped out all trace of everything that
happened here. We won't find a thing."

They heard shouts and turned towards the door. Mulder
gave an answer to the calls of their names, and minutes
later they were freed, and were heading back up the
tunnels and into the fresh air of the forest.
 

Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
3.45  p.m.

Scully had been offered food by the search party, but didn't
feel like eating. Her stomach still churned from the events
of the day. She sat on the ground amongst backpacks and
supplies whilst she watched them prepare Forrest
Mendhlesson's body for the trip back down to town. She
wouldn't do the autopsy herself, there was little point. She
knew why he had been killed, what with, and by whom,
there was nothing new to be revealed.

A short while ago, word had come via the radio that Molly
Turner had shown up on her parents doorstep. Shaken and
scared, but in perfect health.

Mulder, who had barely looked at her since their rescue, had
disappeared back into the labyrinth of tunnels that lay
below the hilltop an hour ago. He'd curtly asked her if she'd
wanted to join him, but she'd shaken her head. It was too
painful to be near him at the moment.

She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, and looked
up, not sure whether to be relived or disturbed by the sight
of Emily Watson.

"Didn't mean to scare you, looks like you're in deep
thought."

Scully nodded. She hoped her face wasn't flushing already.
"Emily, about earlier..."

Emily sat down and looked at Scully in earnest.

"Yes."

"I think you're very attractive...."

Emily leaned forward and Scully became conscious of
the men and women bustling around them.

"Dana, I'm glad you think so...."

"No hang on, I haven't finished....."

"You're very beautiful." She looked into Emily's eyes
and tried to hold back a gasp of shock at what she saw.
She knew the look of somebody in love. She'd seen it
on herself in the mirror when she thought about Mulder.

"Emily, I'm sorry, but I....."

Emily nodded. "You're in love with Fox?"

She corrected Emily without thinking. "Mulder."
She shrugged. "I...I don't know. That's a hard thing
to admit to, what we have is difficult to put into words,
but there is something between us."

Emily starred off into the distance. "I understand. I just
want you to know that I feel a lot for you Dana. I might
have only known you for a couple of days, but I've come
to realize that you're a wonderful person."

"So are you." Scully leaned over and took Emily in her
arms, hugging her briefly before pulling away. "Emily, I
feel like I might have led you on a little. I didn't mean to,
but I had no idea that you felt like that about me."

Emily reached out and patted her knee. "You were just
being friendly, I took it the wrong way. I knew that
there was something up with you and Fox, but I tried
to ignore it because I wanted....well, I think you can
guess what I wanted."

Scully knew she was blushing now as Emily grinned at
her. She smiled back and her gaze dropped to her boots.

"You're as straight as a board aren't you?"

Scully chuckled. "I'm afraid so."

Emily sighed and got to her feet. "You don't know
what you're missing."

****
Continued in part VIb
 
 

Dana Scully's room
Lone Pine Motel
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
7.25  p.m.

Scully stood under the shower and let the water hit her
full in the face. It washed the tears away.

She and Mulder had barely exchanged a word on the
trip back down into town. He had come up from the
tunnels with nothing to show for his search, except a
face that showed his fury at the lack of evidence.

Scully had recognized his mood and had purposely
avoided much contact with him.

When the tears subsided and she finally felt like she had
truly washed away the grime of the last couple of days,
she stepped out of the shower, and toweled herself down.
Once the steam had cleared from the full-length mirror,
she caught sight of herself naked and made a critical
examination.

It wasn't often that she looked at her own body. Her
catholic upbringing tended to make it feel like she was
committing a sin. She put a hand on her flat stomach.
She had always been shy of exposing too much flesh.
She'd avoided trips to the beach as a teenager, and even
her first lover had never seen her completely naked, at
least not with the lights on.

Now she wondered why she had been so fearful and self-
conscious. She'd seen hundreds of naked bodies in the
course of her work, and in comparison, hers was pretty
decent. Nothing had started to slip downwards yet. Her
backside was well rounded, but in a good way. Lately
she had lost a lot of weight and she possessed not an ounce
of excess fat anywhere. Her treatments had robbed her
of her appetite. The bruises it gave her were fortunately
confined to her back. She smiled when she saw that her
knees had got a little sunburned.

The smile faded, however, when she realized that,
unless it was for medical reasons, nobody was ever
going to see her naked again. No one would ever
look upon her normally hidden flesh with the eyes of a
lover.  There wouldn't be any more passionate gazes
directed towards her breasts; no hands, unless they were
her own, would slide between her legs to fulfill a desirous
need.

Mulder was the only lover she'd take now, but he had
made the decision not to take her. When she passed on
into another realm, the experience of lovemaking would
be a distant memory; an almost forgotten feeling.

Her mind chanted. 'You're not going to die. Mulder
promised. You're not going to die'. Then her thoughts
rebelled. 'But you might'.

She gulped back a sob. She had finished crying and
wouldn't allow any more tears. She marched out of the
bathroom, vigorously towel drying her hair on the way.
She found her pajamas, slipped them on, turned out the
light, threw back the covers on the bed and climbed
into it. She knew it was early, that she hadn't eaten,
but her mind and body had taken just about all they
could bare today. She needed sleep.
 
 
 

Fox Mulder's room
Lone Pine Tavern
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
8.45  p.m.

Mulder cursed at the knock on his door. He hated
himself for silently wishing that it was not Scully.

"Who is it?"

"Emily Watson."

He got up from the chair he had occupied for the
past hour and answered the door. Emily gave him
a inquiring look. "I'm sorry, we're you asleep?"

"No."

"Why are all the lights out then?"

"Because I never turned them on." He flicked the
switch by the door and the room was illuminated.
He walked back towards the chair and flung himself
into it. Emily entered and shut the door behind her.

"I've just been over to the Turner's."

Mulder nodded. "Molly okay?"

"Yeah, she seems physically fine. Of course she may
have a few mental scars. She kept asking where the
nice lady with the fire-coloured hair was."

Mulder smiled sadly at Emily. "Everybody adores
Scully."

Emily nodded and sighed, holding out a folder to him,
which he took from her and opened.

"Its the case files you asked me to get. All children
reported missing, between the ages of six and ten,
within the last thirty years. There's eighteen names.
I'm surprised no one ever noticed a pattern before,
children being taken and returned like that."

"Maybe they did and we're told to keep quiet." Emily
raised an eyebrow in a way that reminded him of his
partner. "Thanks for getting this so fast."

"No problem. I sensed it was pretty important to you."

"It is." He speed read a file while Emily sat down on
the bed. "All the children were given medical exams
when they were returned?"

"Most of them, a couple of the parents refused, saying
their children had already been through enough."

Mulder nodded while he tried to make sense of the
medical reports. He gave up and shut the file,
holding it out to Emily. "Maybe you ought to give
this to Scully, she's the expert. She's also pretty
good at pulling out details from police reports."

Emily didn't take the file. "I'd rather you gave it to
her."

He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged.
"I'm still a little burned if you must know."

"I'm sorry. I guess you had a talk with her?"

"Yeah. She was great about it, but it....it still hurts."
She paused, looking down her feet. Her voice was
nearly a whisper. "I was so very nearly in love."

Mulder thought he saw tears in the Sheriff's eyes,
and he spared some space in his own heartache for
her.

Emily got up and walked towards the door. She
looked back at Mulder once before she left and
rolled her eyes. "All the good women are either
taken or straight."

Mulder tried to smile and then she was gone. He
looked at the closed door, considering whether to
go next door and give Scully the file. It was still
early, she'd be awake.

Before Emily's arrival he had been staring into the
darkness, as he so often did, contemplating the day's
events. Considering what he had forsaken.

He'd denied himself Scully. Why? For at least a
dozen different reasons, but mostly because she
terrified him. Fire, aliens, mutants, hired assassins from
shadow governments; they all scarred him, and it was
good for a man to have a healthy sense of fear. It
kept him alive. However, nothing had ever scared
him as shitless as Scully had today; kneeling in front
of him, caressing his cheek and asking him to take
yet another wild jump into the unknown.

It wasn't entirely unmarked territory. They'd taken a
peek at it before, with every touch, every flirtatious
comment.

His mind tortured him with the image of Scully pushing
him away; shock and revulsion on her face. Yet moments
afterwards she had looked and spoken to him with such
affection. What inspired it? Pity perhaps. Scully took on
strays, it was her specialty. Dogs; and particularly men
with emotional baggage and the capacity to hurt her. Jack
Willis, Ed Jerse; he didn't wish to add his name to the
list. He wouldn't let Scully make him hers just because
she felt some sort of obligation to help him.

He cursed under his breath. If only he hadn't kissed her.
That act had left him with not only a dented pride, but a
severely dented partnership as well. He got to his feet.
He'd take the file to Scully. Try and carry on as they had
always done. Repair the cracks by pretending they didn't
exist.

It had started to rain and he shivered under his sweater
as he went from his room to the door of hers. He
knocked quickly before he had the chance to change his
mind. He got nothing but silence in return.

He knocked louder, and heard some shuffling of sheets.
"Scully its me, I have something I need to show you."

"I'm asleep Mulder."

"D'you always talk in your sleep?"

"Go away. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"You okay Scully? its only just gone nine."

"I'm tired Mulder. I'm just very tired."

He was about to return to his room when the door
swung open and she stood in front of him, blinking
and rubbing her eyes, her hair sticking out in all
directions and her navy silk pajamas rumpled.

He felt himself harden a little.

"What do you want Mulder?"

He almost said 'you'. It nearly left his mouth before
he bit it back. His gaze swept over her again. Nobody
had the right to look so messy and sleep ridden, and
so appealing at the same time.

She looked up at him a little testily. "Mulder?"

He shook himself out of his reverie. "I have some files
I want to show you, but if you're beat we can go over
them in the morning."

She sighed. She almost shut the door on him. "Well
you woke me up now."

"Sorry."

She went inside the room and sat down on a chair.

"Come in Mulder. You're getting wet."

He brushed some of the moisture off his hair and stepped
inside, shutting the door behind him. He sat on the edge
of the bed and tried not to look at her as he spoke.

"Eighteen children were taken and returned a few days
later to their parents homes, all within the last thirty years.
These are the police reports and results from the medical
exams."

He handed her a file, which she took while brushing a
strand of hair back from her face. He hardened a little
more. His body seemed to be so attuned to her. Every
movement she made, no matter how innocent, provoked
a reaction.

She put the file on the table next to her, opened it and
began to read.

Mulder got to his feet and started to pace. It was so
difficult to sit still, or stay silent. ""I think we should
try and track down some of these kids. A few of them
might be local, we could start in the morning."

Scully was still reading, she didn't look up at him. "You
want to interview them about something that may have
happened to them almost thirty years ago? They were
children at the time Mulder, they're not going to remember
a great deal."

"The last case was only twelve years ago, Scully."

"Even so, I think they're are more pressing things for
us to be getting on with."

She shut the folder and leaned back in her chair.

He stopped pacing. "Don't you want to find out what
happened to Lisa Mendhlesson and all those other
children?"

"Even if we did Mulder what would be the point?"

He gazed at her, his mouth hanging open.

She continued undeterred. "None of these children
we're harmed by whatever was done to them. All are
happy, healthy and still alive aren't they?"

"Yes but....."

"We saved a child's life today, we probably prevented
further death's. Lisa Mendhlesson died almost twenty-
six-years ago. The case is closed."

"Those other children were still victims Scully. They
deserve to know what happened."

"Maybe they do, but what are you going to find out?
That Cancer man is responsible, that tests were
performed on them? We already know that. We won't
get any justice for them Mulder, only more questions."

"If we don't even try Scully, we're giving up, we're
letting him win."

"I just feel that there are other cases which would be
more worthwhile. Our time would be better spent
elsewhere."

He threw his hands in the air. "More worthwhile?
Why don't you just say what you mean Scully? You
want something more solvable. Wouldn't want
to let that case resolution rate drop would we?"

"It has nothing to do with that. I just don't want to
spend time chasing something that isn't there."

"But that's what we do. That's our job."

"You won't find anything Mulder. They cleaned up
after themselves."

"You don't know that."

"Its a waste of our time. I'm going back to D.C. in the
morning. There are other cases waiting."

"I decide what cases we pursue."

She got up from her chair and glared at him. "Are you
pulling rank on me?" Her voice was cold and hard,
incredibly controlled.

He glared back at her, hoping the thudding in his heart
couldn't be heard in the silence that ensued. Eventually
he found the courage to speak. "No." He moved towards
the door. "You do what you want. I'm staying here and
pursuing this case."

"There is no case."

He turned at the door. "What the hell is wrong with
you? You used to be on my side."

He opened it and strode out into the rain soaked night.
Fueled by fury, Scully followed him. He had walked
straight past his room and was heading across the car park.

"Mulder." She knew she was yelling at him, but she was
unable to control her rage. "Mulder, don't you dare accuse
me like that and walk away. I've always been on your side."

He stopped and turned in the middle of the deserted
car park. "You could have fooled me Scully."

He watched her approach. The rain came down heavily
and she was wearing only pajamas, her feet were bare.
He wondered whether she was aware of the fact that
she was standing out in the open, drenched to the bone,
clad only in her sleepwear. As she came closer, he saw
the pure anger in her eyes and realized that she was aware
of nothing but her fury.

"You bastard." He thought for a moment she was going
to slap him again, but her hands went instead to her hips
as she stood in front of him. "I've supported you when they
wanted to label you crazy and shut you down. I defended
your reputation at the expense of my own. I've lied for
you, risked everything for you. I've sat by your bedside
when you were dying and willed you back to life, you son
of a bitch."

"Scully...don't."

"Don't what? Don't tell you the truth? That's what you're
always wanting isn't it, the truth?" She brushed her rain
soaked hair back from her eyes.

For some reason his gaze drifted down to her breasts. Her
pajama top was drenched and he could see the outline of
her hardened nipples.

"Its too much."

She must have become aware of the rain then, and of her
undress because she looked down at herself and then back up
at him, whilst wrapping her arms around her upper body.
"What's too much?"

He leaned over her. "You."

Their eyes met. His were filled with an unmistakable passion,
and she trembled. She was both hot and cold.

"You're too much Scully. How am I supposed to not want
you?"

She didn't answer because his mouth covered hers. He pulled
her against him somewhat roughly, but his kiss was surprisingly
gentle. His lips moved over hers with a grace that made her
hungry for more. Her hands gripped his waist, and she stood
on the tips of her toes, pressing her mouth more firmly against
his.

He was filled with a sudden panic, a terror of being rejected,
a fear that her full, lush, mouth would be pulled away from him,
but then he felt her lips part and her small tongue push its way
forward. He accepted it and returned the favor with vigor.

Scully let out a little whimper and his erection grew painful
at the sound. He ground it into her almost bare stomach,
and her whimper became a moan.

A hand that been buried in her sodden hair slipped down her
back and gripped her behind, holding her steady against him.
Their kisses became more desperate, wetter, hungrier.

He wanted to lay her down where they stood and push
into her, but there was still some doubt in his mind.

He pulled away gently and looked down into her eyes,
which shone brilliantly up at him.

"Scully. You pushed me away before."

"I was afraid I was being kissed for the wrong reasons."

"Maybe you were then, but not now."

"I know. Mulder, let's not talk ourselves out of this
again. I want this. I need this."

"Me?" He looked amazed and she smiled softly.

"Yes you."

"For the right reasons?"

She nodded and reached up to place another light
kiss on his mouth, still stunned that she was allowed to
do so. "For all the right reasons."

"I still think I'm a lousy bet."

"I like a challenge."

He grinned as a loud burst of thunder intruded on
them, breaking the spell they seemed to be under.
"Its raining Scully."

She laughed. "I know."

"We're gonna catch pneumonia. Come on." He grabbed
her hand and ran back towards the motel, pulling her
after him.

They reached her door, which had banged shut in the
storm. He looked down at her expectantly and she
shrugged.

"I didn't stop to pick the key up."

He suddenly remembered that they had been fighting,
and what they had been fighting about. The things he
had said to her.

Scully saw the look of regret that came over his face
and squeezed the hand that still held hers. "We'll talk
about it tomorrow."

He nodded and dug in his jeans for his key. Relieved to
find it, he held it up in the air for her to inspect before
they moved to his door.

Once inside his room, Scully suddenly felt nervous, a
little shy. She knew why she was here, and it wasn't
because she was locked out of her room. It was because
she wanted to make love to him, and he to her. It all seemed
so simple now. She stood just inside the door, watching the
wet patch her dripping form was making on the carpet.
Mulder dropped the key on the table, went to his
suitcase and pulled out a crisp, white shirt.

"You might want to dry off a little."

He walked over and handed it to her. She took it with a
small smile, aware that he was as apprehensive as she
was, unsure whether to pounce on her and resume the
passion that had overtaken them outside, or hold back
and give her time and some dry clothing. She walked into
the bathroom in search of a towel.

She laid the shirt over the edge of the bath and began
undoing the buttons on her rain drenched pajama
top. She shrugged it off and, uncharacteristically,
dropped it and allowed it to lay where it fell. While she
pulled on the dry shirt, she became aware that she was
being watched and her heart beat furiously under
her breast as she turned and saw Mulder leaning
against the door. He had removed his shoes, socks,
and sweater. Her gaze fell to the broad expanse of his
chest.

His hair fell forward and his eyes were dark and hungry.
His handsome features were serious in contemplation while
he looked at her. She swallowed, as her mind registered
the fact that he wanted her. An enormous joy came over
her and she began to ache with anticipation

"Need any help Scully?" His voice seemed deeper than
usual and the ache grew stronger.

He picked up a towel and moved towards her. She
turned her face up for a kiss and he obliged, kissing
her lightly as he put the towel to her hair and rubbed
it dry a little.

She laid her hands against his chest, and when his mouth
left hers she dropped her head and placed a light kiss
near his adams apple.

He pulled away slightly, aware of how bad his need was
becoming, and wanting to take things slowly, he needed
her to be sure.

"Better clean those little feet." He nudged her gently
back against the bath tub and she sat down on the edge.
Her eyes followed him as he found a cloth and some
soap, and then she took a deep breath and studied her
feet, which were covered in mud from their dash through
the rain.

Mulder knelt down in front of her and proceeded to
wash them carefully. First one foot and then the other,
making sure he scrubbed between each toe. When he
finished he toweled them dry and then took her right foot
in his hand, raised it to his mouth, and kissed her big toe.

She smiled at him. Pleased at her reaction, he kissed the
inside of her ankle. She caught her bottom lip between
her teeth and made a slight hissing noise. He released her
foot and ran a hand up her calf. The shirt she wore hung
open and his gaze became focused on the hint of breast
he could see between its folds.

She noticed his look and took his free hand, placing it under
the shirt and on her right breast, wanting his touch as well as
his gaze. He made a deep throaty groan as he massaged the
soft flesh and taut nipple. Scully claimed his mouth and their
tongues met in a fury. He stood, taking her with him, so that
neither his mouth or hand left her for a moment.

She pushed down the sodden pajamas bottoms she still wore.
They pooled around her ankles and she kicked them away.
She grasped his wet denim covered backside, wanting him
to remove his jeans, but feeling far too languid, and
aroused to the point of dizziness, to do anything about it.

His lips trailed down her throat. His hand left her breast
and moved downwards, across her stomach, brushing briefly
past the hairs at her center and down onto her thigh.
He smiled when he realized she had removed the clothing
he'd intended to take from her. Her thigh was still wet and
he bent to pick up the towel that lay discarded on the floor.
He kissed her again as he dried the tops of her legs, her
backside and her stomach.

"Don't want you catching a chill."

"Oh, don't worry you're doing a great job of warming me
up."

He threw the towel aside and his fingers slipped between
her thighs and up till he found her. She gasped into his
shoulder and gave it a small bite.

"Still a little wet Scully."

She would have laughed, but all she could manage was a
moan of pleasure as his fingers played with her.

She was filled with the need to touch him as he was
touching her, and her hands moved to the button on the
front of his jeans.

He pulled his hand away from her center and caught hers
with it. She looked up startled.

"You know you can stop this anytime you want don't
you?"

"Why would I want to stop?"

He kissed her forehead. "There's a million reasons why
we shouldn't do this Scully."

She nodded. "And there's a million reasons why we
should."

She shook his hands away from hers and undid the
button and zip on his jeans. When she slipped a hand
inside, to grasp him through his boxers, he sucked in
a breath.

She squeezed a little and watched his face screw
up in pleasure. She withdrew her hand. "I don't do
anything without considering the consequences Mulder.
I've thought about it, and I want this."

He kissed her again, hard, almost brutally. He took
hold of her shirt, intending to push it off her shoulders,
but she stopped him.

"No. I want to leave it on."

Their eyes met and he saw a flash of pain in hers. He
understood instantly. "Scully, I've already seen your
back, it doesn't bother me."

"It bothers me."

He nodded. "Okay."

He put a hand under each of her arms and lifted her
off the floor. She yelped a little and slid her arms
around his neck, and her legs around his waist to
stop from falling. He held her against his stomach
as he walked out of the bathroom and over to the
bed where he laid her down.

He stood over her, admiring the sight she presented.
The shirt had fallen open and he watched as her breasts
moved with each breath she took. His gaze slid down
to her legs, which were drawn up, but spread slightly.
He became momentarily fascinated with the thatch of
curls that lay between them.

She spoke softly. "You know Mulder, sometimes I can
read your mind?"

He gave her a questioning look as he prised himself out
of his damp jeans.

"Right now, you're thinking. 'Wow Scully's a real red
head after all."

He grinned as he shed his boxer shorts and bent over her
on the bed to kiss her. "You must be psychic."

"No, you're just predictable."

"Really?" His hand moved quickly, and two fingers were
buried inside her in an instant. She gasped in surprise and
her hips bucked a little.

He lay down beside her, and while his hand worked
between her legs, his mouth moved to her breasts. She
pushed one hand through his hair, while the other
searched for him. She brushed him with her fingertips
before he pulled his hips backwards.

"No Scully, not yet, I don't want to embarrass myself."

She suddenly couldn't speak, she could only feel. When
his thumb found the bundle of nerves above her opening,
her hips began to thrust involuntarily.

Mulder sucked a nipple into her mouth, and when he bit
at it he felt her clench around his fingers and smiled to
himself. He left her breast to move his mouth next to
her ear and he whispered. "Close Scully?"

She nodded.

"That's good. Its what you want, its what we both want.
Let it happen."

Her last coherent thought was concerned with trying to
decide whether she was coming so quickly because his
movements were so skilled, or whether it was because
she was aware that it was Mulder stroking her.

He watched somewhat in awe as she crashed over the
edge with a low moan and a shout of his name. He
kissed her forehead and removed his hand.

She sighed as she floated back into the present. He
insinuated himself between her legs, and their eyes
met as he prepared to enter her. He held back
however.

"Mulder?" It was perhaps of a whine of frustration.

He kissed her again. "No protection."

She reached down and took a hold of him. "Doesn't
matter. I'm clean, I think you are. And I'm not
going to get pregnant am I?"

She wished she hadn't spoken when she saw the look
of anguish that crossed his face. "Its okay Mulder.
Please. I want you."

Her words filled him with desire again and he pushed
into her. It had been so long that she had forgotten what
it felt like, so she jumped a little at the shock of the contact,
and he slipped out of her. She giggled and Mulder couldn't
help but smile at the sound.

"You want to try that again?"

She kissed him quickly. "Mmm. Yes please."

He entered her in a long deep thrust that almost sent him
over the edge immediately. She was warm and tight and he
decided he might just stay there forever. She wrapped her
legs around his waist and tilted her pelvis urging him to start
moving. He obliged, gently at first, rocking back and forth,
in and out. She matched his movements and let out a low
groan. He revelled in being inside her, and in the feel of
breasts crushed against his chest; the way her legs held him
to her. It was all so glorious. It was Scully. His partner, in
everything.

"Oh Scully."

He kissed her as he began to thrust a little faster. Then she
put a hand on his behind.

"Stop."

Although he heard her he couldn't slow his body down.
"What?"

"I said stop Mulder. Stop."

His eyes, which had been closed, flew open and met hers.
His heart filled with panic and his body stilled. "What's
wrong?"
 

****

Continued in part VII

****

  The Lure of the Fox
Part VII

By Caroline O'Callaghan <caroline.o@virgin.net>

Disclaimers n' stuff in part V

Fox Mulder's room
Lone Pine Motel
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 29th, 1997
9.50  p.m.

She lay with a hand draped over her closed eyes, her
mouth set in a tight line.

"Scully?" He didn't want to pull out of her, but
considered doing so.

His breathing was heavy, and each word was a struggle.
His body wanted him to move again. Anger filled him for
a moment. Why stop now? "Its a little late to change your
mind Scully."

The bitterness in his voice shook her to the core and
snapped her out of the emotionally induced state she was
in. She pulled her hand away from her face and found his
hand with it. She thread their fingers together, and her
eyelids fluttered open so that she could meet his gaze.

He saw tears in her eyes and regretted his harshness.
"Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head and smiled at him, blinking the tears
away. "No, you would never hurt me. I just...I'm sorry,
it was all so...I've just wondered about this...imagined it
and...you were almost there, but I want it to last so that
I can remember it, every part of it, the way you feel."

His erection had started to subside, but he grew hard
again inside her at her words. He gave a little thrust.
However, she shook her head making him still again.

"Turn over."

His eyes widened.

"Flip us over Mulder."

He blinked, then grinned and did as she asked, turning
them both over so she straddled him.

"Scully I imagined this too, and I always knew you'd
take charge."

"Shut up Mulder, you talk too much." She leaned over
and kissed him as she rose herself up and down on
him. He gasped. Words were forgotten then. The
talking was done and passion took over.

He felt wonderful inside her. His length and width
stretched her and she could feel every ridge, every part
of him as she created a rhythm. She was aware of
Mulder watching her as she made love to him, and the
appreciative look on his face caused a tightening in her
thighs, and an increase in pace, which Mulder met by
pushing up into her.

His hands slipped inside her shirt, up to her breasts
and he cradled them. But her hand caught one of his
and moved it downwards. He knew what she wanted
and obliged, seeking her out at the joining of their
bodies and stroking the bundle of nerves so that she
muttered his name in pleasure.

With her hands braced on his shoulders, her movements
became frantic. His strokes were skilful and she knew
nothing but the wish for another release.

His voice was a choked, playful whisper. "Greedy
Scully."

Their eyes met and he thought he saw fear in hers for
a moment, but as she tightened deliciously around him,
he realized it was just the onslaught of orgasm. Scully
was losing her much valued control, and to a certain
degree, that terrified her.

As their bodies slapped together at a now dangerous
pace, he moved the hand that had been at her breast
around to her back, to caress her, to give her comfort,
to let her know it was okay, and she came, with a small,
slight scream. She collapsed against his chest, unable to
continue moving.

Mulder became desperate then and turned them over
so that she was underneath him again. He began to
thrust into her ferociously, caught in a frenzy of need
triggered by the feel of her orgasm.

Scully recovered enough of her senses to watch him.
His brow was covered in sweat, and his face contorted
as he became lost within his own body, while he
pummelled into hers.

She drew her legs up and spread them a little wider to
give him better access, and he grunted in appreciation.
He moved faster and harder. Looking at him, feeling
him, and the friction he created,  Scully knew she
would have come then, if she had not before.

He tensed, exploded and collapsed against her. Her
body gave a final involuntary thrust when he softened
and she felt his seed fill her.

She welcomed his hot breath against her ear as she
stroked his perspiration covered back. Moments later,
recovered slightly, he raised his head to meet her eyes
and opened his mouth to speak.

She shook her head as she pushed his hair back from
his face. "Don't say anything, please."

"Scully..."

She put a hand over his mouth before he could finish.
"Some things can't be described with words Mulder."

He nodded and rolled off, and out of her, and onto his
back. She felt bereft for a moment, but was
comforted when he put an arm around her and tugged
her to his side. She laid with her head on his chest and a
hand on his thigh, which she caressed lightly, playing with
the fine hairs, still amazed that she was free to touch
him, and pleased with the way his skin felt beneath
her fingertips.

Mulder kissed her slightly damp hair and lay back,
staring at the ceiling, but not seeing it. His body was
still trembling a little and he gloried in the feel of it

She shivered, and he reached down for the sheets and
blankets, which had been kicked and pushed away in all
directions. He covered them up and she planted a small
kiss on his chest by way of thank you.

He knew she'd asked him not to speak, but he was
bursting with the need to tell her how much this
physical act had meant to him; how it had shaken him
to his very core. How intense it had been, and how
wonderful it was to touch her and be touched by her
in return.

The small hand stilled on his thigh and he sighed a
little. "Scully?"

"Ummm."

He smiled into the darkness. "Scully, I'm the one
whose supposed to fall asleep afterwards."

"Ummm."

Knowing she was tired, that she had been exhausted
since their return from the forest, he decided to let her
sleep on. There would be plenty of time to talk in the
morning.
 

Fox Mulder's room
Lone Pine Motel
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 30th, 1997
8.46  a.m.

He'd been watching her for an hour now. He sat,
fully clothed on the other side of the room, beside
a table that was scattered with papers.

She slept soundly, with deep even breaths, and she
had hardly moved since he'd slipped from her arms
upon waking. She'd mumbled incoherently,
let him go, and drifted back to sleep.

He had to watch her, to keep her in sight, to remind
himself that he hadn't dreamt it, or fantasised it. He
and Scully had really had sex. He chastised himself.
Shouldn't he be thinking of it as 'making love'? The
term sounded trite. He had always had a problem with
it. To him sex had always been sex, nothing more. He
mocked those who thought of it as more then just
the fulfilling of a physical need. Though, last night
had certainly been more than that. It had been the
expression of everything he felt for her. At one point
he had been sure that he was pushing into her very
soul, and that she had welcomed him so far in that
he would never find a way out.

He laughed inwardly at the thought. Far too poetical
for him.

He stood so that he could get a better view
of her. She lay on her side with her sunset coloured
hair resting against the white pillow. Her fine
features looked impossibly delicate in repose. Her
mouth fascinated him most though; slightly parted, it
looked like it was in search of a kiss. His gaze drifted
lower to her covered form. He couldn't see her body
now but his mind had captured an image of it from the
night before. If he shut his eyes, he could see her astride
him, moving ably up and down, her head thrown back
to reveal the graceful flow of her neck, her small,
round breasts taunting him by peeking out every now
and then from the folds of the shirt, the auburn curls
that had mingled with his darker ones, the strong thighs.
He frowned a little. He also remembered how tiny her
waist was, how he could see the outline of her ribs
through her luminescent skin. She was too thin.

He supposed that business suits and loose shirts had
hidden it from him before, or perhaps he just had been
too absorbed in his work to notice, but Scully had lost
an incredible amount of weight during the last few
months.

He picked up his key and walked quietly from the
room, shutting the door behind him carefully so as not
to wake her.
 

Fox Mulder's room
Lone Pine Motel
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 30th, 1997
9.15  a.m.

Scully stirred when she heard an engine revving
outside the window. She shook herself out of her
dream state and slowly opened her eyes. She
stretched an arm above her head and saw the sleeve
of the shirt she wore. The yawn she was embarking
on was cut off. She sat up sharply as remembrances
of the night before began to infiltrate her mind.

She looked at the space beside her on the bed, and
then around the room.

"Mulder?" She felt nauseous when she received no
reply. She ran a hand through her hair and climbed
out of bed. She somewhat staggered to the bathroom
on wobbly legs, that were clearly so shocked
by the physical exertions of the night before, that
they had forgotten how to operate properly.

In the bathroom she resisted the urge to throw
up and looked at herself in the mirror. The first
thing she noticed was her hair. Describing it as
'wild' would be the understatement of all time.
She tried to flatten it a little, but it seemed to have
gained a life of its own. Her eyes widened, however,
when she examined her face. There was a definite
sated look in her eyes that she hadn't seen for years,
and her skin was positively glowing.

She closed the toilet seat, sat down on it, gave her
hair another pat down, and tried to gather her
thoughts. Mulder was gone. She had no thoughts
other than that one. She took a deep breath. Okay,
so he didn't want to wake up with her, so that
meant..what? What did that mean? That he was
embarrassed, that he regretted what had happened?

You weren't supposed to sleep with your partner,
and this was probably the reason why.

She spotted her pajama bottoms on the bathroom
floor where they had been discarded and picked them
up. She grimaced as she pulled them on. Her body
ached all over, and she could almost still feel him inside
her. She shuddered and fastened some of the buttons
on his shirt.

Running through her mind was a comment that she
had heard Mulder make just three days before.
'Scully...well, she's not my type.'

But he had wanted her hadn't he? Or had he just
wanted someone? She was grateful that she hadn't
made any gushy remarks afterwards, and that she
hadn't allowed him to give her false platitudes either.

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath.
It had been so long since she'd had one of those bad
'morning after' scenes that she couldn't remember
the etiquette. Wasn't it usually a half-hearted phone
number swap? An 'I'll call you' that you both knew
was a downright lie? Well, she already had Mulder's
number, on speed dial, and they called each other
constantly.

Was there an etiquette for a 'I just slept with my
best friend and wish I hadn't' moment? She stood
in front of the mirror again and tried to straighten
herself up, aiming to put some control and dignity
into her face.

It had been good though, hadn't it? Had she imagined
how intense and deep it had been, how wonderful
it had felt? She remembered thinking, before they had
drifted off to sleep, that they had finally connected.
That they had finally found a little of what they had
been searching for, and that they had found it in each
other.
 
She spoke aloud to her reflection. "Maybe you were
just delirious, Scully. That doozy of an orgasm he
gave you must have warped your mind." She grimaced.
"Of course it did, you're talking to yourself."

She heard the door open in the other room and her
heart began to hammer in her chest.

"Scully?"

His voice made her tremble, but she walked out of
the bathroom with what she hoped was a degree of
composure.

She looked at him standing just inside the door in his
jeans and sweater and swallowed.

She nodded. "Hi."

He nodded. "Hi."

They were standing either side of the bed. Scully
looked down at it and the phrase 'scene of the crime'
flashed through her mind.

He cleared his throat. "I brought you some coffee
and..." he waved the bag jauntily in the air. "....a
bagel."

She cleared her throat. "Oh, thanks."

He walked over to the table and put his purchases
down. He looked a little uncomfortable, but not as
much as she felt. She wondered if she was blushing.

He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a
key. "I got this too. Its the spare for your room."

Her stomach lurched, this wasn't going well. He
wanted her out, now. Breakfast, and then no excuses
to go back to your room Scully.

It took an effort to walk over to stand next to him
while she snatched up the coffee. She refused to
look at him, although she thought she could feel his
gaze on her.

She blew on the hot, black liquid. "What time is it?
I don't have my watch."

"Just gone nine-thirty."

She looked up in surprise at him. "I have a flight at
eleven."

Mulder shifted from one foot to another. Scully had
greeted him with that polite smile and tone she used
for those in authority, and mass murderers that she
wanted to lull into a false sense of security before she
tore them apart with vicious questioning. Now he
wasn't quite sure what to say, or do.

Should he follow her lead and act like nothing
had happened?
 
"So you're going back to D.C....right?"

She nodded but kept her eyes focused on the floor.
"I have a doctors appointment at four-fifteen."

 "So you go back for that and I'll stay and finish the
police reports."

"Mmm." It was all she could manage momentarily,
then she managed to regain her voice and put on
a neutral tone. "You wanted to look for the other
children too?"

"Maybe."

Mulder could feel the tension in the room, it was
oppressive and he felt perspiration on the back of
his neck. He took a deep breath. He wished for
something witty to say. Comedy was his usual way
of covering awkward moments, but his brain had
frozen solid.

"If you want to get copies of those old files, I'll
take a look at them on the flight and write a report.
I could fax it to you when I get back to the
Bureau."

"Thanks, yeah."

"Well, I better hit the shower." She took the key
from the table, and began to walk away.

Mulder watched her go. His shirt was huge on her,
almost down to her knees and the cuffs were rolled
back at least three times. The sight was adorable. He
wanted to reach out, and yet her face screamed
'don't come near me'. She had an invisible ten foot
wall around her.

She opened the door and he just had to say
something before she left. "Scully..."

She turned.

"Wait..."

She gripped the door handle. "What?"

"I...I...the reports are in your room."

The breath that she'd been holding expelled. "You'd
better come and get them then."

She went quickly from his room to the door of hers,
which she opened quickly and stepped inside, leaving
the door open for him to follow.

He appeared moments later, looked at her, with
a frown creasing his brow and scooped up the
reports from the table.

"Anything else you need Mulder?"

He glanced quickly at her, an unreadable expression
crossing his face, and then he shook his head. "No."

She wanted him away from her so she could think,
so she could compose herself, consider how they'd
repair this particular damage to their relationship.

"I'd better start getting ready then." She moved
to stand by the bathroom door.

He didn't move and she saw him struggling with
his thoughts, she didn't know whether to be
pleased or fearful.

"Scully...is that it? Do we just go back to the
way things were?"

"You tell me Mulder." She knew it was cowardly
to throw the question back at him, but she couldn't
help herself. Fear of rejection, and also fear of
acceptance were strong.

"I thought...I thought it was more than just..."
He waived his hands in the air.

"A one night stand?"

He nodded.

"So did I."

He breathed out heavily. "Okay, so...."

"So maybe we should talk some more, when we
have more time?"

He grinned suddenly at her and walked towards
the door, tripping a little over her suitcase on the
way. She tried to suppress a smile at his clumsiness
and the goofy grin he was wearing.

"Call me then?"

She nodded, a strange excitement filling her. "Yep.
Oh Mulder, the files?"

"I'll leave the copies at reception." He almost flew
out of the door and slammed it behind him with a
burst of energy.
 

Sheriff's Station
Breakspeare Forest
Virginia
June 30th, 1997
11.10  a.m.

Mulder scribbled his signature on what seemed like
the thousandth form and threw down the pen to take
a break from the endless reports that were required
to close a case like the one they'd just solved. He
looked at his watch. She'd be in the air by now. Her
hands just relaxing on the armrests, where they would
have been gripped during take-off. She wasn't the
world's greatest flier, but that hadn't stopped her from
choosing a profession that required she get on and off
planes with the frequency that other people usually got
in and out of their cars. Scully would never let her fears
get in her way.

Like he did at times.

He had a lot of fears at that moment. Well actually
he had a lot of individual apprehensions that could
be realized in one large fear. Scully.

"Hey, don't dawdle, you have to spend too long
using my desk and I'm gonna start charging you
rent."

He spun around in his chair to see Emily Watson
enter. Dressed back in her Sheriff's uniform and
swinging a set of keys around her finger. She
grinned at him and he was pleased to note she
was in better spirits than she had been the night
before.

"Your deputy let me in, I needed to use the copier
and do some paperwork. I'm surprised to see
you back at work already Sheriff? Thought you'd
take a couple of days off."

She shrugged. "Well I was going to and then this
report came in that I just had to investigate."

He looked at her curiously.

"Apparently, there was a man and a woman,
hardly dressed, committing almost indecent acts,
in the middle of the motel car park last night."

Mulder bit back a smile. "That's a crime?"

"Only if the town Sheriff is incredibly jealous."

"You're kidding right? Nobody reported us
did they?"

Emily laughed. "No. I saw you on my way
home. So, erm, you two..." Emily made a
little gesture with her hand as she leaned
against the desk.

"None of your business Sheriff."

"Come on Fox. Spill the beans. I don't want
details, I just want to know."

He ignored her and shuffled some papers.

She nodded. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes.
"So where is Dana?"

"She had to go back to Washington, she had
an appointment."

Emily moved over to the coffee pot and
switched it on.

"Emily."

She turned.

"You ever want something so bad, but know
that you probably shouldn't take it; that it would
be wrong to take it?"

"I can't say I have. I usually go for things I
want. I'm what's politely termed 'headstrong'.
I don't tend to stop and think about the
consequences. I'm a full-steam-ahead kind of
person. Which is why I embarrassed myself up
in the forest."

He put his hand behind his head and mused.
"Consequences."

She pulled a spare chair over to the other side
of the desk and sat down on it facing him.
"What's on your mind?"

"Just the reasons why I haven't been involved
with anybody for years; why I shouldn't be
involved with anybody."

"What reasons?"

He shook his head. "My work doesn't really
lend itself to relationships."

"But Dana, she's in the same line of work, she
understands, surely?"

"Emily, I'm the kind of person who destroys
everything he touches. Scully has already
suffered so much because of me, and I have
things I have to do...I have to. All my life
there's only been one thing that's been
important to me, and I can't lose sight of
that. I've never wanted any...distractions."

Emily reached over and put a hand on top of one
of his. "I'm sure that Dana is more than just a
distraction. I'm not really sure what you're
talking about...maybe you should be saying all
this to her."

He let out a sad chuckle. "Yeah, if I could.
You know we're like strangers sometimes.
This morning..." He trailed off without
finishing.

Emily sighed. " I guess it must be weird
sleeping with someone you've known for so
long as just a friend."

"You have no idea."

"What does she want?"

He shrugged.

Emily offered him a sympathetic smile and
got up to pour a cup of coffee.
 

25,000 feet
30 Minutes outside D.C.
June 30th, 1997
12.15  p.m.

Scully finished reviewing the case files and hit the
save key on her lap top. She switched the computer
off and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes.

She smiled to herself when she remembered
collecting the reports from the motel reception
earlier. The owner had handed her the paperwork,
and something else that "Mr Mulder asked me to
give you". She'd taken the paper bag, confused
at first, till she realized it was the bagel that he'd
bought for her that morning; that she'd never eaten.

Her doctor's appointment wasn't for another four
hours, but when she'd made her flight reservations
the day before she had wanted to get on the earliest
possible flight away from Mulder. Now, she was
grateful that she'd separated them, but for different
reasons.

She needed to achieve some clarity, and she could
only do that away from his intense gaze and
perturbing voice.

Their conversation that morning, the limited words
they'd shared had perhaps been more of a turning
point in their relationship than sleeping together
had been. What had they actually agreed? That
they both wanted last night to be more than a one-
time event, that they should talk about where they
would go from here. It wasn't much, but it was
hopeful.

It was amazing how possible impending death gave
everything an urgency; how it also filled her with
a sense of fearlessness and gave her a different
perspective. She had no doubt that if all this had
happened before her diagnosis, she would have been
in an agony of indecision and afraid of what getting
involved with Mulder would mean. She would
have worried endlessly that it would destroy
their partnership, that the Bureau would try to
separate them, that she and Mulder were so
complete opposites that they'd kill each other
within a week.

She found herself smiling again. Some of those
scenarios still bothered her, but they were merely
niggling afterthoughts. The only thing that
remained important was that she wanted Mulder.
Not just sexually, but in other ways too. She
wanted someone to hold her, she wanted
someone to wake up next to, to watch television
with, to argue with, and even to laugh with.

She had always been so independent, but what
she was just beginning to realize was that, with
independence, came a certain degree of loneliness.
She was lonely. There was no denying it. She
wanted someone to spend the rest of her life with,
now that her life could be measured in quantifiable
terms, and that person was Mulder. It had always
been Mulder.

She wasn't going to throw hypothetical problems
in the way of their being together. She considered
that Mulder might; that he could still have his
doubts and decide against pursuing what they
had started.

She would see him in a few days, then they would
decide. Then she would know.
 
 

Waiting Room
Oncology Department
Holy Cross Memorial Hospital
Washington D.C.
June 30th, 1997
4.25  p.m.

Dana Scully yawned and shifted in her chair.
Her stomach was turning a little and she put
a hand over it to quell the butterflies. She was
accustomed to hospitals and this was now her
eighth does of treatment, but she was always
filled with apprehension at the thought of
more injections of drugs that made her nauseous
and bruised her back, and the radiation therapy
that made her so exhausted. She had offered
herself as a 'test subject' for an experimental
method of treatment, but she wasn't used
to being a patient yet.

She was a victim. A victim of cancer, and that
role didn't sit easily with her. On her first
visit she had wanted to run screaming from the
room. She had looked around her at the other
patients and wanted to separate herself from
them, to convince herself that she wasn't
like them. That Dana Scully was strong and
couldn't fall prey to disease.

Across from her sat a youngish couple who
whispered reassurances to one another. Their
hands were linked, and Scully felt an
overwhelming sense of jealousy. She bit her lip
and looked away, but found she couldn't tear
her gaze away for long. When she looked back
again, the man's eyes met hers and he smiled.
She thought she saw pity in his look and it was
something she couldn't abide, but she smiled
back anyway.

"Is this seat taken?"

She jumped a little at the voice and looked
slowly up.

"Mulder."

He smiled and shrugged. "Sorry to intrude but
I heard this was a good place to pick up women."

"I think you might be confused with the bar
across the street."

He filled the empty chair next to her. "No I already
checked there. They uh...they didn't have any
red-haired, blue-eyed, FBI agents."

She laced together her hands which were shaking a
little in her lap as she looked at him. "What are you
doing here? I thought..."

He interrupted and leaned in close to her. "I was
doing some thinking, and I...I thought you'd be in
with the doctor by now."

"They're running behind. I sent a report for you
to the Breakspeare Sheriff's Station. I looked
at the files. There's evidence that tissue samples
were taken from the children, seems like they
were gathering genetic material. Blood and urine
samples were probably taken too, and I think
they may have been injected with experimental
drugs and substances to see how they would
react. I think maybe Lisa Mendhlesson had a
fatal allergic reaction to whatever she was given.
However, it was obviously something that
didn't show up in her autopsy."

"So you think there's something worth
investigating after all?"

"Perhaps. What I think you should do Mulder,
is to get in touch with the police department
up in the Vinyard. Find out if there were any
reports of missing children around that time,
and around the time of your sisters abduction."

He rubbed his forehead. "I've already checked
those avenues Scully."

"No you looked for cases in which the children
disappeared altogether. I'm talking about cases
where the children disappeared for a short while,
only to be returned."

He smiled slowly at her. "Okay I'll...we'll do
that."

"So you didn't say, why are you here?"

He reached out his index finger and skimmed
it lightly across the expensive material that
covered her knee. It was a quick, not-
quite-there, gesture that made her shiver.

"I've been doing some thinking Scully. I
know we said we'd talk later, about what
happened, but I...I didn't want us to leave
it so long that we'd talk ourselves out of
anything."

She moistened her upper lip. "You think this
would work?"

"As long as you know what you're getting
yourself into."

"A relationship with a paranoid, workaholic,
obsessive, slob."

He pretended to look hurt. "I resent the slob
part."

She looked down at her feet, tried to control
her breathing a little and looked back up at
him.

"Mulder, I know you, every bit of you, and I
accept it all."

"The truth, finding Samantha, its always come
first for me."

She nodded.

"Its been my priority."

"I wouldn't want to change that."

He shook his head. "But you have. I'm not sure
what I'm trying to tell you here."

"That you want this, that I'm important, but
that there are always things that may get in the
way."

He looked a little amazed. "Yes, and that I can't
guarantee that somewhere along the way I won't
hurt you, or that you won't be hurt because of
me and what I do."

"Mulder, its always been that way."

"Yes I suppose it has."

She blinked and looked around the room before
meeting his gaze again.

"It is me you want isn't it Mulder? You're not
just here because its convenient, or because
you feel that you owe me something, because
you feel some sense of guilt?"

"No Scully. Its you."

"Well then...thank you for coming."

He grinned and leaned in even closer. "No Scully,
thank you for coming."

She was confused for a moment and then his
meaning dawned, and she slapped his shoulder
lightly.

Mulder watched as an embarrassed smile
developed on her face.

A nurse came and stood over them. "Miss Scully."

Scully didn't react to the voice, she kept looking
at Mulder, happiness shining from her eyes.

Mulder touched her face. "Scully."

"What?" She noticed the nurse's presence and
flustered a little.

The nurse smiled kindly. "They're ready for you
now."

"Oh right, okay." She got up from her chair and
looked down at him. "It takes an hour-and-a-
half Mulder..."

He cut her off. "I got plenty to read." He held up
an issue of the Lone Gunmen. "I'll be right here."

She smiled at him again and he felt the energy from
it flow right through his body, all the way down to
his toes.

Scully gave him one last look and turned to follow
the nurse. Her fears had dispelled somewhat, she
had a sudden feeling that everything was going
to be okay.

When she settled onto the examination table, her
doctor asked her how she was feeling.

"I'm fine" was her reply.
 

The End

******

Okay, well that's all folks - hoped you enjoyed
reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and
thanks to all those who sent me encouraging
e-mail along the way.

Comments, flames, chocolate, bottles of dry white wine to:
caroline.o@virgin.net