By Laura Abel

dable@iglou.com
 
 
 
 

DISCLAIMER:    Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Danny, Langley,

Frohike, Byers and Skinner are characters created by Chris Carter.

They remain his copyrighted property, the property of 1013

Productions and the property of FOX Television, a unit of 20th

Century Fox, Inc. No infringement of any copyright is intended.

The characters of Sarah, Shelley, Rick Serley and Mr. Wilcox were

created by the author and remain her property.
 

ARCHIVISTS:  Please archive to Gossamer.
 

CLASSIFICATION:    S, R, H - Mulder/Scully Romance with Humor.

Date sent:        Mon, 28 Jul 1997 22:10:12 -0400

SUMMARY:   Danny convinces Mulder to take up Voyeurism,

with Dana as the object of observation.
 
 

RATING:    R - for some adult language and mild sexual content.
 
 

SPOILERS:    A few for "Little Green Men", "Red Museum", "One

Breath", "Quagmire" and "Anasazi". Several others are mentioned

in passing but nothing recent. Timeline: Fourth season pre-

"Leonard Betts".
 
 

KEYWORDS:    Voyeurism.
 
 

FEEDBACK:    Please! All comments gratefully accepted. Email

address is: dable@iglou.com
 
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 

Greenbelt Park

Alexandria, VA

Saturday, 12:15 PM
 
 

Sarah sat on a park bench and watched the one-on-one basketball

game being played on the court in front of her. She'd seen the two

men playing at 9:30 this morning when she jogged through the

park. After returning home to change, she'd decided to come back

and see if they were still here.
 
 

Now she sat on the bench enjoying the sun, wearing a pair of

sunglasses and her portable radio with headphones playing her

favorite classical music. She was sitting in such a position so as not

to make it obvious that her full and undivided attention was on the

two handsome men playing b-ball.
 
 

She sighed, running her hand through her dark hair. She loved this

park. It was very close to her apartment and it was often frequented

by single men. That was its best feature, and today was no

exception. Of the two men she was discretely observing today,

only one was wearing a wedding ring. The taller, really cute one

was not. Now, if the two of them would just cooperate... yes. Right

on queue the married one called for a time out. Perfect.
 
 

Grabbing their water bottles and sitting down next to the court

fencing, the two sweaty observees were directly in her line of sight,

not thirty yards away. After a moment, Sarah stood up and

removed her head phones. She reached down and pulled off her T-

shirt revealing her best bikini top, the one that lifted in all the right

places. She draped the shirt over the park bench and sat down

again, repositioning herself in the sun. She put her head phones

back on and then casually made a few adjustments to the placement

of her skimpy top. Now, Sarah thought, lets see what you think

about that.
 
 

"Hey, Mulder. Check her out." Danny elbowed him and then

nodded toward the beautiful young woman on the park bench

in front of them.
 
 

"Yeah, so?" Special Agent Fox Mulder said after glancing her way.

He took a long drink of his water bottle.
 
 

"SO? She's gorgeous. And she's been watching us for the last half

hour."
 
 

"That's nice. Maybe she's a scout for the Knicks."
 
 

"Oh, she's scouting, all right. You should go talk to her." Danny

said, elbowing him again. Mulder glanced up at her again and

watched as she stretched her long legs out in the sun.
 
 

"Not interested, Danny." He reached down and tightened his

shoelaces.
 
 

"Jesus, Mulder. How the hell can you live like that?"
 
 

"Like what?"
 
 

"Are you ever going to ask out Agent Scully?"
 
 

"Commercial's over. Let's play." Mulder stood and picked up the

basketball. Danny scrambled to his feet.
 
 

"You don't honestly think she'd say no." Danny stated, holding up

his hands and stepping out-of-bounds. Mulder shot him the ball so

hard it stung Danny's hands.
 
 

"Don't start with me." Mulder grumbled. Danny in-bounded the

ball to him and they resumed the game.
 
 

"Answer the question, then." Danny took up Defense and watched

as Mulder made his first move toward the basket. His fake left was

as predictable as his avoidance of the question. Danny batted the

ball away from him and spun, using a perfect hook-shot to put the

ball up and over Mulder's head. The ball bounced off the

backboard and dropped through the hoop. Mulder snatched it.
 
 

"16-14" Mulder said, stepping out.
 
 

"I know exactly what you need." Danny said, catching the ball and

dribbling it out to center court.
 
 

"What?" Mulder asked, taking up Defense. "A less talkative b-ball

partner?" Mulder reached in for the ball and Danny bounced it

behind him out of Mulder's reach. He continued dribbling.
 
 

"No, you need some down time with her." Danny smiled, then

faked left just as Mulder had before. Mulder went left and Danny

went right, letting loose a jump-shot from the free throw line that

swooshed through the net. Danny fielded the ball and turned back

to Mulder.
 
 

"18-14." Mulder said and raised his hands for the ball.
 
 

"Think about it, Mulder. Just you and Agent Scully, no work, no

FBI, no business clothes. Damn, a week on the beach with her in

that top." Danny pointed back toward the young woman sitting on

the bench. "You'd be surprised what might come of that!"
 
 

Mulder indicated he wanted the ball. "I'm not interested. Neither is

she."
 
 

"Ha! Liar. Your ability to deny to yourself your feelings for her is

only exceeded by your failure to deny those feelings to the eyes of

everyone who sees you two together."
 
 

"You lost me on that one, Dan-o." Mulder said, walking off the

court to get his water bottle. Danny followed him.
 
 

"Not likely. Very few people have the where-with-all to think

circles around you. Except maybe her."
 
 

"It's more complicated than that." Mulder said, drying off with a

towel. He glanced up and noticed a blonde man in running shorts

had walked up and started talking to the pretty brunette on the

bench. She seemed to be enjoying the attention and no longer

interested in the basketball game she'd been so closely observing

for almost an hour.
 
 

Nothing complicated about that, Mulder thought. See a pretty

woman in the park, walk over and start a conversation. Six months

later you're picking out rings and considering what part of town to

live in. Easy as pie. After the kid is born, she takes a few years off

work and you come home to the perfect family. The perfect life.

Twenty years later, when the kid graduates college, you plan the

perfect trip to the Mediterranean and rediscover each other. Twenty

years after that, you retire and buy a motor home, spending the rest

of your retirement traveling around the country without a

commitment to anyone or anything except the pretty red-head who

still makes your heart skip a beat every time she says your name.
 
 

Mulder shook his head, dissolving the fantasy that had somehow

become too personal and familiar. Danny noticed the look on

Mulder's face and decided his luck was two-fold this morning. Not

only was he beating Mulder at basketball for a change, but his

inquiries into Agent Scully were striking a nerve.
 
 

"Complicated? Mulder, your life is so complicated, I really have no

idea how you survive day-to-day. You thrive on complicated. And I

doubt that anything as simple as love will be the one thing to finally

upset your apple-cart."
 
 

Mulder pointed to the brunette on the bench. She was standing up

and walking off with the blonde guy. "Looks like you're right about

one thing. The scout just signed her first round draft pick."
 
 

Danny glanced up and smiled as he watched the brunette laughing

and flashing her sexiest smile at her new friend. "I'm right about

Agent Scully, too. The two of you belong together, Mulder. So why

don't you do something about it?"
 
 

Mulder looked at his friend for a long moment. Why is it, he

thought, that every married person feels it is their personal quest

to find all of their unmarried friends a mate? Was it some kind of

syndrome that married people developed after the wedding

ceremony? Did they sit around with their new spouses every

weekend and make lists of all their friends who they thought would

be perfect for each other? Mulder decided not even an Oxford

educated psychologist could answer those questions.
 
 

"All right," Mulder said to Danny. "Since you're so wise on this

subject, tell me. How could two people start a personal relationship

and not screw up their professional one?"
 
 

Danny nearly let his mouth drop open in surprise. I'll be damned,

he thought, he *does* have feelings for Agent Scully. I better tread

carefully here, or else he'll clam up again and this entire morning

will have been for nothing.
 
 

"Well, old friend," Danny said, picking up his towel and water

bottle, "let's go get some lunch and I'll tell you how you do just

that."
 
 

***************
 
 

Rooftop of the Evergreen Apartments

Saturday, 8:45 PM
 
 

"Wanna look?" Danny whispered, holding the binoculars over

toward Mulder.
 
 

"No."
 
 

"Liar." Danny said with a smile Mulder didn't see in the darkness.
 
 

"Danny, isn't your wife annoyed that you are spending a Saturday

evening with me on a rooftop across the street from my partner's

apartment?"
 
 

"Nope. She's on the internet checking all her favorite news groups.

I quickly learned to disappear when she gets involved with her

online friends. The men bashing can get extremely unpleasant!"
 
 

"How very 'married' of you." Mulder snorted under his breath.
 
 

"Okay, lights just went out in the living room. And. . .the blinds in

the bedroom window are angled. . .just about right. Here she

comes." Danny handed Mulder the binoculars.
 
 

"I don't want them." Mulder whispered, checking the street to see if

any neighbors might be out walking their dog on this warm night.

The idea of someone calling the police to report two peeping-toms

had crossed his mind several times.
 
 

Danny continued to hold the binocs out and remained silent.
 
 

"Danny, what exactly is the point of this?"
 
 

"You want the truth of it?"
 
 

"It *would* be nice." Mulder hissed.
 
 

"All I'm trying to do here tonight is to show you that you may not

know Dana Scully as well as you think you do. Sure, Agent Mulder

and Agent Scully know each other inside and out. You start a

sentence and she finishes it. The two of you have a case solution

rate that is the envy of every division in the Bureau. But what

if...what *if* you could have something more? There's some kind

of bond between you and Scully that goes far beyond professional.

Wouldn't you like to investigate that?"
 
 

"But this *investigation* is illegal, Danny, not to mention morally

wrong. And if there was any chance of us having a personal

relationship, it would have happened a long time before now.

Scully and I are professional partners and that's it."
 
 

"Damn it, Mulder." Danny said a little too loudly. They both

ducked further down behind the low wall of the roof top. "Think

about that for a moment. I mean really think about it! Do you think

you are such an easy person to get close to? Tell me one time when

you and Agent Scully talked about anything that wasn't work

related."
 
 

Mulder looked away, his face answering the question for him.
 
 

"Exactly. Never. The two of you have managed to avoid this by

convincing yourselves that the other isn't interested. But, you see, I

know you very well, my friend. I know what you were like before

Agent Scully was assigned to The X-Files." Danny saw Mulder

begin to fidget and he smiled, turning the screw a little tighter.

"You were Don Juan incarnate."
 
 

Mulder softly chuckled. "And you were jealous."
 
 

"Hell yes I was jealous! But then I met Shelley and every thought

of any other woman just never measured up after that. I watched

you dating a different beautiful woman every weekend and I

realized how lonely that game is. But then when that red-headed

partner of yours showed up, I watched you change, man. You

stopped dating and Don Juan died a quick death."
 
 

"I stopped dating because our work load increased and we were

spending a lot of time out of town." Mulder said, knowing it was a

lame thing to say even as it came out of his mouth.
 
 

Danny laughed then took a deep breath and exhaled. "Mulder, just

be honest about her for once, will you? The two of you have got

that *connection*. So what is the harm in exploring it? And don't

give me that bullshit about the Bureau frowning on partners

becoming involved. Just because they don't like the idea doesn't

mean they can stop it."
 
 

"Yeah, well, where the X-Files are concerned, the unwritten rules

are the ones that Scully and I have to be the most careful of."

Mulder said spitefully. If the Cigarette Smoking Man came looking

for a reason to shut down the X-Files again, a sexual relationship

between he and Scully would just be icing on the cake for him.
 
 

"Maybe so, but think about this. On the day you die, what is going

to be your most treasured memory? All the cases you've solved and

the bad guys you've put away? Or will there be a certain person

who you will be thinking of on that day? Which memory do you

think will matter the most to you then?"
 
 

Danny stopped when he saw the pained look on his friend's face.

Shit, he thought. I went too far. He's going to bolt on me.
 
 

Mulder couldn't look at Danny. Memories of his lost sister,

Samantha, flooded his mind. He believed in his heart that on

the day he died, Samantha would be there, long since returned from

her abduction and once again a part of his life. He'd told himself

long ago that when she was finally home again, his life would be

complete. But tonight, after listening to Danny talk to him about

Scully and about the feelings he had for her--yes, Mulder admitted

to himself, he did have feelings for Scully--he wondered now if his

life would be complete without Scully in it. She was in it now and

it felt nearly perfect, except for the fact Samantha was still missing.

But that was just a matter of time. Given enough time, Mulder

would find his sister. He knew that. But how much time did he

have left with Scully? How long before she decided that her

priorities included not just a career but also finding someone of her

own to love and be loved in return?
 
 

Mulder reached out and motioned toward the binoculars. "Give

them to me."
 
 

Danny looked up in surprise. "What?"
 
 

"Give them to me." Mulder took the binocs and raised up to aim

them over the low roof wall, right into his partner's bedroom

window. "And tell me again how this is going to help Scully and

me."
 
 

*********************

8:56 PM
 
 

"So? What's she doing?" Danny asked.
 
 

"Nothing. Just lying on her bed, looking through the newspaper."
 
 

"Has she changed clothes yet?"
 
 

"No." Mulder said, lowering the binocs.
 
 

"Give it time. What are you doing?" Danny asked as Mulder laid

the glasses down. Mulder dropped down behind the low wall of the

roof.
 
 

"This is wrong." Mulder said, picking up his flashlight and digging

in his pocket for his keys. "We're stalking her."
 
 

"But five minutes ago you were fine with that."
 
 

"That was five minutes ago." Mulder said, standing up.
 
 

"Where are you going?" Danny asked.
 
 

"I'm leaving."
 
 

Danny reached up and grabbed the sleeve of Mulder's shirt. "Get

back down before somebody sees you." Danny jerked Mulder

down beside him again. "This is NOT stalking. You have no 'intent

to harm', do you?"
 
 

"Of course not. But it is invasion of privacy."
 
 

"Technically, yes. Except that you two agreed, when you became

partners, to look out for one another, right? That's all you're doing

tonight." Danny looked hopefully at Mulder.
 
 

Mulder looked incredulously at Danny. Just as he was about to tell

his friend that that was one of the lamest theories he'd ever heard,

Mulder realized that one of his eyebrows was beginning to arch up

slightly.
 
 

The thought of unconsciously mimicking something he'd seen

Scully do thousands of time, to know he'd begun to do it himself

made Mulder pause. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as

he thought of the many different times he'd seen her right eyebrow

go up at one of his wild theories. He suddenly wondered if there

might be other ways of achieving that same result.
 
 

Maybe Danny was right. Mulder thought about the very few times

he and Scully had ever talked about anything that wasn't work

related. An impromptu conversation on a rock came to his mind.

Out of boredom, he'd asked her why she'd named that little mutt of

hers Queequeg and she'd proceeded to compare him to Ahab from

the book 'Moby Dick'.
 
 

Being alone with her in the middle of that lake, Mulder

remembered, he'd quickly become uncomfortable with the direction

of the discussion. It was getting too personal, too far into uncharted

territory for them. So, he'd used one of his flippant remarks and

turned the conversation around so he had control of it again,

watching as the unsettling aspect of it faded away. The ironic thing

was that Mulder couldn't count the number of times since then that

he wished he could recreate that moment of closeness. It was a

favorite memory of his. But why?
 
 

All at once, Mulder understood. For just a few minutes, he had

been sitting there talking to Dana. Not Special Agent Scully, but

Dana. And the unfamiliarity of that had scared him senseless

because he didn't really know who that woman was. He didn't know

the woman in that apartment across the street, who was actually

capable of turning off the Special Agent mode and becoming a real

person.
 
 

But he wanted to know her. He wanted that very badly. Now

Mulder knew why he had allowed Danny to talk him into this. It

was exactly what he had to do.
 
 

Mulder picked up the binoculars again and looked Danny straight

in the eyes. "If you breathe a word of anything that has been said

today or anything that we have done tonight, to anyone--even

Shelley--I'll personally kill you."
 
 

Danny held Mulder's hard stare and slowly nodded his head. "I

know you will." Mulder nodded his head once, sealing their pact of

silence.
 
 

Mulder turned his attention back to the bedroom window of his

partner. No, he thought, tonight she's Dana, not my partner Scully.

And I'm going to sit here until I figure out the difference. Or until

the police are called, whichever comes first.
 
 

**********************

9:13 PM
 
 

"Okay, so now what is she doing?" Danny asked.
 
 

"Standing by her dresser. Uh,. . .she's lighting candles." Mulder

said absently.
 
 

"Good."
 
 

"She's taking them into the bathroom."
 
 

"Can you see the tub?" Danny asked, just a bit hopefully.
 
 

"No, if I could we'd be outta here." Mulder said firmly.
 
 

"Agreed." Danny said.
 
 

"Oh."
 
 

"What?"
 
 

"Nothing." Mulder said offhandedly.
 
 

"No way, buddy. My rules. Whatever you see, you tell me."
 
 

"You are a sick man, Danny."
 
 

"No, it's just that tonight, I'm the AIC. And since you are the one

actually doing the looking, I gotta be up-to-speed in case this op

goes bad."
 
 

Mulder chuckled, and lowered the lenses slightly to glance at his

friend. "Whatever you say, Dan-o" He resumed his watch. "She

changed clothes in the bathroom and now she's wearing an emerald

green silk robe."
 
 

"That's better." Danny said, settling back against the roof wall.

Agent-In-Charge, he thought. It had a very nice ring to it.
 
 

Yes, Mulder thought, taking another look at the shiny green robe.

Yes, it certainly was better.
 
 

***********************

9:31 PM
 
 

"Ohhhh-'kay." Mulder said, causing Danny to snap out of the half

doze he was in.
 
 

"Now what? Is she out of the tub?"
 
 

"Oh, yeah. She's moved all of the candles back out into the

bedroom. Now she's sitting on the edge of her bed and she just

started brushing her hair."
 
 

"Regular like or the 'before bedtime' brush where they throw their

head over and show the back of their neck--" Danny trailed off as

he saw Mulder shoot him a hard glance.
 
 

"Yeah. That's the one." Mulder said, returning his attention to

Scully. He just couldn't think of her as Dana. She had always been

Scully and the few times he actually called her Dana out loud, had

been rather awkward and unsettling. But then again, maybe that

was part of the reason he was here tonight.
 
 

"See?" Danny said, interrupting Mulder's thoughts. "I told you this

would pay off."
 
 

"Danny, I've seen many woman do their evening routines. It's not

like I'm seeing anything new, here." Can't let the kid think this is

working out too well, Mulder thought.
 
 

Danny held up his hands, telling Mulder he wasn't arguing with

him. Why should I, he thought. This latest protest of Mulder's

held a different kind of condemnation than the last one. At least we

are moving in the right direction, he thought.
 
 

"Good God! What am I doing?" Mulder said and dropped down

behind the low wall.
 
 

Not again. "What happened?" Danny whispered, half frustrated

with Mulder's reluctance to have fun with this situation and half

with the fact he knew Mulder was leaving out all of the good parts

of what he was seeing.
 
 

"She's *naked*." Mulder whispered, with an embarrassed emphasis

on the second word.
 
 

Whoops! Danny thought. He hadn't expected Mulder to see *that*

much of his partner. This might be too hard to get past. "How

naked?" Danny hesitantly asked.
 
 

"She walked across the bedroom, slipped out of her robe which fell

to the floor, and suddenly I was looking at my partner's exposed

backside!" Mulder said, covering his eyes with his hand and

rubbing viciously.
 
 

"And for some reason you think this is bad?" Danny grinned.
 
 

Mulder dropped his hand. "No, I think this is bizarre. And do *not*

try to stop me because now I have stepped so far over the line of

my good conscious, I'll never be able to----what?"
 
 

Danny was still grinning at him. "Mulder, you're blushing."
 
 

"The only reason my face is turning red is because I am so mad at

myself for letting you talk me into this betrayal of my partner.

Look, I understand now what you're taking about. I know Scully

but I don't know Dana. And if I ever want to have a relationship

with her, I'm going to have to spend some time with her as a person

and not just my partner. See? I got it, so now we can go."
 
 

Danny watched as Mulder hunted for his keys again and knew that

this was the end of the operation. He was just about to stand up

when Mulder spoke.
 
 

"Oh my God." he whispered.
 
 

"What?" Danny asked, unable to read the tone of his voice. But

Mulder didn't answer him, he just had the binoculars up to his eyes

again. "What? Is something wrong?"
 
 

Mulder couldn't believe what he was seeing. His attention had been

drawn back to the bedroom window when he saw the lights go out

and the shadows of flames dancing around the room. For a split

second he thought the room was on fire. But then he raised the

binocs again and saw Scully. She was now wearing a silk

nightgown of emerald green, obviously it and the robe were a

matched set. She was walking slowly around the room, lighting

even more candles. The room was positively a glow with their

warm and sensuous light. And the sight of Scully in that green

gown, bathed in the soft candle light was almost more than Mulder

could register. He actually felt like he couldn't breathe.
 
 

Danny slugged Mulder on the shoulder, bringing him out of his

stupefied silence.
 
 

"What!?" Mulder asked, turning his attention away from the

bedroom just long enough to rub his arm.
 
 

"You tell me! What's going on? Are we leaving or not?"
 
 

"You can do whatever the hell you want, but I'm staying right

here." Mulder said, having already resumed his watch of the

window.
 
 

"Fine." Danny said and plopped down next to Mulder. "Then I'm

staying, too. Besides, evidently you've lost the keys."
 
 

***********************

9:40 PM
 
 

"Oh, wow." Mulder said quietly.
 
 

"What's she doing now?"
 
 

"She's rubbing lotion on her legs."
 
 

"Oh, man. I love it when Shelley does that. She's got this kind that

smells faintly of cocoa butter and when she climbs into bed, she

still has some of that smell on her hands. God, I love that smell.

She smelled like cocoa butter every night of our honeymoon.

It got to the point where I had to go buy her a different kind of sun-

block to wear on the beach because I couldn't stand to be around

her smelling like cocoa butter and then not be able to--"
 
 

"Yeah, I got the picture, Danny." Mulder interrupted. Danny's

chatter was becoming a distraction for him. At the moment, he

wanted to be able to concentrate completely on what Scully was

doing. In fact, he was half tempted to toss Danny the keys and tell

him to go home. That way, if Mulder's conscious got the better of

him again, he could leave without being talked out of it.
 
 

On the other hand, what was beginning to get the better of Mulder

right now was not his conscious, but his libido. And as long as

Danny was still around, Mulder felt like he could keep a certain

measure of perspective in this situation. In other words, Mulder

thought, I'm too chicken to be alone with my thoughts and a

scantily-clad Scully just across the street. That and the fact that he

was beginning to wonder if he had indeed lost the damn keys.
 
 

"I'm getting hungry. Did you bring any snacks?" Danny asked,

bringing Mulder out of his thoughts.
 
 

Mulder produced a bag of sunflower seeds from out of his jeans

pocket and handed them to Danny.
 
 

"Figures." Danny ripped open the sunflower seeds. "How about

your cell phone? We could order take-out."
 
 

Mulder didn't answer. He couldn't. His entire being was focusing

on the bedroom window of his partner. He was becoming

enraptured by the radiance of Scully's skin in the delicate glow of

the candle lit room. He felt his hands twitching with the desire to

touch her skin, and he longed to feel her hair between his fingers.

And more than anything else, he desperately wanted her to know he

was there, watching her. Because then she would know how he felt.

She would know what just looking at her was doing to him. That

thought set off a mental alarm in Mulder's brain.
 
 

<It wasn't possible, was it, that Scully. . .> Mulder lowered the

binoculars.
 
 

<No. . .no, absolutely not! There was no way Scully knew he was. .

unless she. . .but then Danny would be. . .> A huge grin spread

over Mulder's face and he glanced over at Danny.
 
 

"Wha-<pffft>?" Danny asked, and tried to spit out a shell.
 
 

Mulder didn't answer him. He just grinned even wider and turned

back to look in the bedroom window again, a whole new set of

fantasies high-balling it through his brain.
 
 

But Scully was gone. She wasn't in her bedroom anymore. Mulder

searched every inch of it anyway, then he scanned down the side of

the building until he found one blind in the living room that was

partially open. Through it he could see half of the front door and all

of the couch. And what he saw sitting on the couch was a man.
 
 

"Who the hell is that?!?!" Mulder said, loudly enough to make

Danny jump.
 
 

"Shhhhh!" Danny hissed. "Who is who?" He whispered, raising

himself up so he could peek over the low roof wall.
 
 

"There's a man in Scully's apartment!"
 
 

"What!?" Danny asked, and spit out his mouth full of seeds.

"There's a man in her apartment?"
 
 

"Yeah. She just let him in." Mulder answered, his eyes locked on

the blond man sitting on Scully's couch.
 
 

"In her bedroom?!?" Suddenly, Danny felt like Operation Scully

was spiraling out of his control.
 
 

"No, I can see part of her living room." Mulder said quietly.
 
 

"What's this guy doing?"
 
 

"He's just sitting on the couch. I think Scully just walked into the

kitchen." Mulder was relieved to see that Scully had put on her

long white robe and not the one that matched the sexy emerald

green silk gown that she was wearing.
 
 

"Do you recognize him?" Danny whispered. Please, he thought, let

this be one of Agent Scully's brothers.
 
 

"No." Mulder answered. That was only a half lie. He thought he'd

seen this guy around Scully's apartment building once or twice. He

might be a fellow tenant, just dropping by to say Hi, Mulder

thought. But at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night, Mulder knew no guy

just *drop's by* to say Hi.
 
 

Danny got up and started to pace. "This is not good. This was not

supposed to happen." He mumbled.
 
 

"Shelley didn't mention this, huh?" Mulder asked casually.
 
 

"No, she didn't! And now I don't--" Danny's mouth slammed shut

as he realized what Mulder had said.
 
 

Mulder glanced over at him and chuckled.  "Breathe, Danny. I

figured out a few minutes ago that I'd been set up tonight."
 
 

Danny stood there wide-eyed. He didn't know whether to deny

everything or confess. He opted for the first.
 
 

"You weren't set up, Mulder." He laughed nervously. "This was

just a spur-of-the-moment idea of mine that occurred to me this

morning." Another nervous laugh. Mulder looked over at him

again, his face saying he wasn't buying it. Danny looked at him

and smiled, nodding like a fool.
 
 

Mulder smiled back. "No. I don't think so, Danny. This plan was

too well thought out to be so spontaneous. You might as well admit

to it, I know this wasn't *your* idea." Mulder continued to stare at

him until Danny couldn't stand it any longer.
 
 

"Oh, all right! I admit it!" Danny hissed. Mulder smiled and aimed

his binoculars at the living room window again.
 
 

Danny resumed his pacing. "Oh, man. Shelley is going to kill me.

All I was supposed to do was bring you up here for an hour or so

and then leave. That's it. I told her it wasn't going to work but no. . .

she was so sure it would. She just knew you'd never catch on."
 
 

"That's what she told you?" Mulder asked.
 
 

"Yeah. Why?"
 
 

"Then you've been set up, too."
 
 

"I have? How was I set up?" Danny asked, coming to sit down next

to Mulder again.
 
 

Mulder lowered the binocs and settled down behind the wall

further. "Because I was *supposed* to figure this out. The plan was

for me to be up here a while, watching Scully, and you were to

keep me here until I realized something, right?"
 
 

"Right. That you and Agent Scully don't really know each other

very well." Danny answered.
 
 

"Wrong." Mulder smiled at Danny's confused look. Good thing this

guy is so good at finding untraceable license plates and unlisted

numbers, he thought, because he's not real good at profiling. "I was

supposed to realize that somebody wanted me up here, other than

you."
 
 

"Really? You think so?"
 
 

"Yeah, I do. The only question I've got now, is *who* set me up."

Mulder said and peeked up over the roof wall.
 
 

"Shelley did."
 
 

"Are you so *sure*?" Mulder asked.
 
 

"Who else could. . . .?" Danny paused. "You think Agent Scully

did this?" His eyes widened at the thought.
 
 

Mulder got back on his knees and resumed his watch of the living

room window. "I don't know."
 
 

Danny turned around and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"I've been set up. I can't believe Shelley set me up!" He looked up

at Mulder for some sympathy, but he saw that Mulder was lost in

his own thoughts. Poor guy, Danny thought. His life really is way

too complicated.
 
 

Mulder watched Scully serve her guest coffee. He didn't realize he

was holding his breath until he saw her sit down in the chair next to

the couch. The air escaped his lungs in a rush of relief. Good. She

was keeping a wide berth of personal space, letting the blond guy--

and, unintentionally Mulder--know that this late night visit was

strictly platonic. At least, that's what Mulder hoped she was doing.
 
 

Mulder lowered the binoculars and rubbed his tired eyes. He

looked over at Danny for a second. Less than twelve hours ago,

Mulder had finally admitted to someone that he wanted something

he thought he could never have, a relationship with Dana Scully.

But before he could make a decision about how to proceed, some

stranger had walked into her apartment and taken over the game.

Mulder felt like he was sitting on the bench watching some punk

kid wow the crowd with three pointers.
 
 

Danny looked up at Mulder for a moment, then got up on his knees

and peered over the roof wall at the living room window. "What's

going on?"
 
 

Mulder looked back into the living room. "He and Scully are

having coffee."
 
 

Danny couldn't make out anything inside the apartment so he sat

back down. "So, now what do we do?"
 
 

"I guess we wait and see what happens next." Mulder whispered.
 
 

"That's kind of sick, isn't it?" Danny asked.
 
 

Mulder snorted. "It's what we've been doing all night." He said. "If

you want to leave, you can take my car."
 
 

"No way." Danny said. Then he had a thought. "Well, the first

thing we've got to do is figure out who this bozo is and then we get

rid of him."
 
 

"I'm open to suggestions." Mulder said.
 
 

Danny smiled. "Its time for a little Saturday night investigatin'."
 
 

*******************

10:23 PM
 
 

During the last ten minutes, Mulder had watched as Scully and the

blond guy sat in her living room and talked. Mulder cringed every

time he saw Scully laugh at something the guy said. It was all he

could do to keep from climbing down off the roof and letting

himself into her apartment, barging in on their conversation and

making as awkward a scene as he could, to get rid of the guy.
 
 

But Danny had other plans. He'd spent the last ten minutes on

Mulder's cell phone, talking to one of his coworkers back at the

FBI. By the time he hung up, he had written a full page of things on

Mulder's note pad.
 
 

"Okay. Based on your idea that the guy lives here in Agent Scully's

apartment building, I ran a check on all the tenants. Five came up

as single and male. I ruled out two names after cross-checking their

driver's license info, they were not Caucasian. Another as being too

old and a fourth as being formerly a female." Danny said.
 
 

"You got *that* from the DMV?" Mulder asked, looking over at

him.
 
 

"No, you don't want to know where I got *that*." Danny smiled.
 
 

"Okay, so what's this guy's name?"
 
 

Danny consulted his notes. "Rick Serley, aged 34, never married.

Works at the World Bank, VP in charge of international accounts.

Originally from Evanston, Illinois. No police record. But I got his

cell phone number and his license plate number."
 
 

Mulder filed all that information away in his memory. Now he had

a name for the face. Serley. What kind of a goofy name was that?

And a vice president with World Bank. That had *geek* written all

over it, he thought. Scully couldn't really be interested in this guy,

could she? He was just a boring banker. He might as well have

been an accountant.
 
 

"Mulder?" Danny asked, breaking Mulder's train of thought.
 
 

"Yeah. Okay, so how can we get rid of him?"
 
 

"Beats me. That's your department." Danny said. His stomach

growled loudly just then. "I gotta eat. Come on, Mulder. Let me

order some take-out."
 
 

"And what? Have them deliver it to the roof?"
 
 

"No, I'll meet them on the street." Danny said.
 
 

"No. Too risky. Scully might see you."
 
 

Danny moaned at the thought of going hungry. He was beginning

to think he wasn't cut out for stake-outs. While Mulder once again

checked on Agent Scully and the banker, Danny looked down the

street and saw a kid on a bicycle, making his way slowly down the

sidewalk with a large bag in his hand.
 
 

"Mulder, look." Danny tapped him on the shoulder and pointed

down toward the kid. "Let me run down there, give the kid some

money and ask him to bring me something back."
 
 

Mulder saw the kid and instantly recognized him as the stoner dude

who ran deliveries for Mama's Chinese Restaurant, a place Mulder

and Scully always ordered take-out from on the Saturday nights

they spent going over case files in her apartment.
 
 

"I've got a better idea, Dan-o. Run down there and get the food the

kid is delivering."
 
 

"What? But I may not like what he's got."
 
 

Mulder dropped low behind the wall as the kid got closer. He

looked straight at Danny. "I don't *care* what he's got, just get

down there and take it from him. Steal it, buy it. . . . .I don't care!

But don't let him make his delivery."
 
 

"Why? What do you care--?"
 
 

Mulder leaned over into Danny's face. "Get down there and get that

food, now!" He ordered, his voice a harsh whisper.
 
 

It worked. Danny scrambled over to the rear of the roof and

dropped down the fire escape out of Mulder's sight. A few

seconds later, as the stoner kid was rolling his bike up the stairs of

Scully's apartment building, Danny came flying around the corner

of the Evergreen Apartments and ran up behind the kid. Even

though the street was deserted and this was a fairly quiet

neighborhood, Mulder couldn't hear what Danny was saying to the

kid. He watched as Stoner checked the receipt and then shook his

head at Danny. Danny said something and then pulled out his

wallet. Stoner shook his head again and turned to push the

apartment buzzer. Danny snatched the bag from the kid and threw

some money at him, then he turned and ran down the street. Stoner

never made a move to run after him, he just picked up the money,

rolled his bike down the stairs and peddled off in the direction he

came from.
 
 

After a few minutes, Mulder heard Danny climbing the fire escape.

He popped over the low roof wall and walked across to Mulder,

crouching down as he neared the edge of the building.
 
 

"Good job. " Mulder said. "Was it for Scully's apartment?"
 
 

Danny sat down next to Mulder and opened the bag. "Don't know.

The kid wouldn't let me see the receipt." He pulled out a box and

opened it. "Crap. I hate sweet and sour pork." He opened the other

box. "Nothing else but plain rice. Wow, how yummy." Danny

scooped out a hand full and started munching.
 
 

Mulder picked up the familiar take-out box and took a whiff of the

contents. "It was for her. Scully loves sweet and sour pork."

Mulder set the box aside and realized he was disappointed.

Scully had ordered her favorite take-out to eat with this Rick

Serley.
 
 

He looked back inside her apartment and saw Rick was standing in

the middle of the living room, waving his arms around in the air.

His mouth was moving quickly, as if he were describing something.

Scully was sitting in her chair, rocking back and forth from

laughter.
 
 

That was it. Mulder had taken all he could of this guy. While

Danny sat and ate the plain rice with his fingers, Mulder picked up

his cell phone.
 
 

"What are you doing?" Danny asked.
 
 

"I'm calling Scully." Mulder said. He punched her number in and

waited. He raised the binoculars again and saw that Scully was no

longer in the room.
 
 

"Mulder, what are you going to do?" Danny set aside his rice when

he saw the look on his friend's face.
 
 

Mulder ignored him. He was listening to the third ring when he saw

Rick reach over the couch and pick up the receiver.
 
 

"Scully residence."
 
 

Mulder was speechless. That son-of-bitch answered her phone, just

like he owned the place! A tight knot began to form in Mulder's

stomach.
 
 

"Are you Rick Serley?" Mulder asked.
 
 

Without missing a beat, he answered. "Yes."
 
 

Mulder watched as the punk looked toward Scully's kitchen and

shrugged. Mulder continued. "I know what you're doing and you're

wasting your time. Scully isn't the least bit interested in you."
 
 

"You don't say." Rick answered, his voice light and innocent.
 
 

Mulder knew Rick wasn't going to ask who was calling and risk

having to turn the phone over to Scully. Nor was he going to ask

how Mulder knew who he was. This was a pissing contest and both

of them knew it.
 
 

"That's right. How could she be? She's an FBI agent, her life is full

of excitement and danger. You're nothing but a bean counter. She'd

be bored to tears if she had to spend much time with you." Mulder

smiled, enjoying the fact that Rick couldn't say anything in

response to Mulder's insults. No doubt that Scully was standing just

a few feet away, listening.
 
 

"I don't think so." Rick said, his voice taking on a tone of authority.

"But thank you for calling. I'll be sure to keep you in mind if I ever

have a need for septic tank draining. Goodbye."
 
 

The line went dead in Mulder's ear. He flipped his phone shut and

kept his eyes on the window. Rick was smiling as he walked toward

the kitchen and out of Mulder's sight.
 
 

"Damn." Mulder said under his breath and sank down behind the

wall.
 
 

"What did he say?" Danny asked.
 
 

"Basically, he said I was full of shit."
 
 

"Think you spooked him enough that he'll leave?"
 
 

"I probably just made him mad enough to find a way to spend the

night." Mulder said. "Looks like we're back at square one."
 
 

Both Danny and Mulder jumped when the cell phone rang.
 
 

"Mulder."
 
 

"Ah, so *you're* who I spoke to just a minute ago. This is Rick

Serley, Agent Mulder."
 
 

The knot in Mulder's stomach tripled in size. He grabbed the

binoculars and spun around to look into the living room. Rick

was standing by the couch, holding Scully's phone. Mulder glanced

down the building and saw that Scully's bedroom light was on

again. She was far enough away she wouldn't hear what Rick was

about to say.
 
 

"I'm very curious as to how you knew I was here but, given that the

life of an FBI agent is so exciting and dangerous, I guess I

shouldn't be surprised that you'd have a way of knowing." Rick

paused to see if Mulder would bite at the bait. When he didn't,

Rick continued. "But the fact remains that I *am* here and you're

not. That should tell you something right there." Rick's tone of

voice changed from impertinent to sympathetic. "I can understand

you being jealous, I mean who wouldn't be? Dana is a very

beautiful and intelligent woman. Any man would be crazy not to

want her undivided attention, right?"
 
 

"What's your point, Serley?" Mulder could see the satisfied smile

creeping across the man's face.
 
 

"I think you know, Mulder."
 
 

"You haven't got a chance." Mulder said.
 
 

"I'm way ahead of *you*." Rick said and disconnected the line.
 
 

Mulder slammed his phone shut by slapping it against his leg.

Danny was dying to know what Rick had said to make Mulder

so mad but he didn't think asking for a replay of the conversation

was a real good idea. Instead, he just watched as Mulder sat very

still. He didn't even seem to be breathing. He wasn't looking

through the binoculars, either. It occurred to Danny that they may

go flying off the rooftop at any moment and, considering he--not

Mulder--had checked them out of the FBI storage room, he had no

desire to try to explain their destruction to his boss. He reached

over and gently took them from Mulder, who didn't seem to notice.

Danny took the cell phone, too. Then he just sat still and waited.
 
 

After a few minutes, Mulder looked up at Danny. "What's this ass-

hole's cell phone number?"
 
 

Danny pulled the paper out of his pocket and handed it to Mulder.

"What's the plan?"
 
 

Mulder smiled at him and took back his phone. He punched in a

number. "Langley, it's Mulder. Turn off the tape."
 
 

"Machine's broken, Mulder. Frohike's fixing it now. What's up?"
 
 

"I need a favor. I need you to set it up so that the next time I use

my cell phone, a number other than my own will be encoded within

the transmission. Can you do that in less than ten minutes?"
 
 

Mulder held the phone away from his ear as Langley's expletive

rich and long winded negative answer came across the line.
 
 

"Langley. . . . .I know it's late but. . . . . .yes, but you owe me. . .I

didn't know she was a cop. . . . .I'll buy you a new tape machine. . .

. .okay, Frohike can have some of the old ones. . .great. Here's the

number."
 
 

****************

11:03 PM
 
 

Ten minutes later, Mulder was climbing down the fire escape of the

Evergreen Apartments, the bag of sweet and sour pork in his left

hand. When he hit the ground, he crept around the building and

made his way to the street. He ran in the shadows up to the corner

and crossed the street. Avoiding the street lights, he circled Scully's

apartment building until he found the ladder to the roof.
 
 

As he reached the top, he immediately saw what he needed. He

crept over to a large air conditioning vent and looked down into it.

Just as he'd hoped, the vent hood was larger than the hole it

covered. The roof at the base of the vent was covered in the

same sheet metal that the vent was constructed of, creating a wide

ledge around the hole. And the hole itself was covered by wire

mesh to keep birds from trying to nest in the vent pipe. Mulder slid

the bag of take-out down the vent and placed it on the ledge in the

corner of the vent. He'd smeared the bag in roof tar from a bucket

on the other roof and when he lit the bag with his lighter, the smoke

from the burning tar was thick and black.
 
 

Mulder didn't hesitate to get off the roof. He took the ladder three

rungs at a time and hit the ground running. He raced back to the

Evergreen apartments using the same route as before. By the time

he crouched down beside Danny again, the poor guy was beside

himself.
 
 

"Mulder, you set the roof on fire!" Danny whispered.
 
 

"Calm down." Mulder looked over at the AC vent and saw that the

exhaust it was releasing was fanning the fire nicely. Huge billows

of black smoke were rising up from the roof.
 
 

Mulder picked up his cell phone. "Come on, Langley. Don't let me

down on this one." With a deep breath, he punched 911.
 
 

"911. What is the nature of your emergency?"
 
 

"I want to report a fire. It's at the apartment building on the corner

of Georgetown and Maple." Mulder said quickly.
 
 

"Are you in the building, Sir?"
 
 

"No, I'm in my car. I just drove past there and saw the smoke.

Hurry, there's lots of smoke."
 
 

"We have fire trucks responding now, Sir. In what part of the

building did you see the smoke?"
 
 

"It's coming from the roof. Should I go back and try to warn the

people inside?" Mulder asked. He was trying to judge how long he

needed to stay on the line for the 911 computer to have enough

time to translate his cell phone transmission and recover the

encoded number.
 
 

"No, Sir. Do not enter the building. The emergency vehicles will be

there in just a few minutes. Do you have the exact address of the

building?"
 
 

"I don't know the number but it's right on the corner." Mulder heard

a distant siren. "Here comes a truck, now. Thank you."
 
 

"Sir, please stay on the line until the--"
 
 

Mulder punched the end button on his phone. About that time, he

heard the fire alarm go off in Scully's building. Lights flicked on in

most of the windows and muted shouts rose from the stillness of

the night.
 
 

He picked up the binoculars and looked into Scully's living room

window. He saw Scully and Rick react to the alarm bell. Rick

jumped up and made two circles around the couch before Scully

could grab his arm and restrain him. He was talking fast and

looking around like he was in a panic. Mulder laughed at the site

him. Scully shouted something at him and jerked him toward the

door.
 
 

"Get down. They're coming out." Mulder whispered to Danny.

They both scrunched down as low as they could as people

started to emerge from the building. Mulder laid aside the

binoculars, not needing them to see Scully and Rick walk out into

the grass next to the street.
 
 

By the time the three fire trucks had arrived, the previously quiet

street was as noisy as grand central station. Four police cars had

also responded and the officers were busy roping off the entrances

and setting up crowd barriers. As the firemen were entering the

building, Mulder reached for his cell phone again.
 
 

"Langley, it's Mulder. Is that false number still set up on my

phone?" Mulder smiled at Danny's puzzled look. "Great. . . .yeah?.

. . .Byers needs a what?. . . . All right, I'll find one. I gotta go."
 
 

"The ass-hole's going down, isn't he?" Danny asked.
 
 

"Oh, yeah!" Mulder said and punched 911 again.
 
 

"911. What is the nature of your emergency?"
 
 

"Yeah, um, you know that fire over here on Georgetown?"
 
 

"We have units already responding to that fire, Sir."
 
 

"I know. Look, I think I saw somebody on the roof of that building

a few minutes ago." Mulder said, hoping he was disguising his

voice a little.
 
 

"Can you describe the person you saw?"
 
 

"Yeah, it was a man. White guy, about 6 foot, blond hair."
 
 

"Did you recall what type and color of clothes he was wearing?"
 
 

"Uh," Mulder peeked over the roof wall and looked down at Rick.

"Yeah, I think he had on khaki pants and a white shirt."
 
 

"And you saw this man on the roof of the apartment building at the

corner of Georgetown and Maple?"
 
 

"Yeah, just like 5 minutes ago." Mulder said. Danny was laughing

so hard Mulder had to turn away from him for fear of becoming

hysterical himself.
 
 

"Sir, may I have your name--"
 
 

Mulder clicked off his phone again and turned to look at Danny.

"Let the fireworks begin." He said.
 
 

About four minutes later, Mulder and Danny watched as two police

officers approached Scully and Rick. Scully answered a question

and then Rick did. Then one of the officers led Scully away while

the other led Rick to the back seat of a cruiser.
 
 

"That's it. They're taking him in." Mulder said. "Let's get out of

here, fast."
 
 

**********************

12:24 AM
 
 

Danny made sure the garage light was off and the kitchen door was

locked again. He walked past the counter and saw Shelley had left

a sandwich on a plate for him. He inhaled half of it in two bites,

flicking off the light she'd left on over the sink. He kicked his

shoes off in the hall and stopped in the bathroom to change his

clothes.
 
 

By the time he slipped under the covers next to his sleeping wife,

his belly was full and his cramped and sore legs were beginning to

relax. He wrapped his arms around Shelley and nuzzled her neck.

She smelled like cocoa butter. Danny inhaled deeply.
 
 

"Mmmm, hi." She mumbled. "How did it go?"
 
 

"That depends on who you ask."
 
 

"I'm asking you." She said, scooting closer to him.
 
 

"I'd say it went perfectly."
 
 

Shelley rolled over to face her husband. "Really? The plan

worked?" Danny nodded and kissed her lightly on her lips. "So is

Mulder going to ask Dana out?"
 
 

Danny smiled mischievously. "I'd say Mulder has several things

he'd like to discuss with Agent Scully come Monday morning."

And what I wouldn't give to be a fly on their office wall then, he

thought.
 
 

**************************************
 
 

Basement office of the X-Files

Monday, 7:54 AM
 
 
 
 

Agent Mulder sat behind his desk and tried to stop looking at

the office door. He'd found himself unlocking that door before

seven o'clock this morning and then had spent the next hour

waiting, and watching.
 
 

Two file folders worth of paperwork lay scattered about his desk

but not a single form was filled out. He didn't care. The only

thought occupying his mind this morning--the one that he'd been

unable to stop obsessing over since late Saturday night--was what

was going to happen when Scully walked into their office again.
 
 

He'd imagined several different scenarios. Everything from Scully

walking in, taking off her suit jacket and the both of them

beginning their normal daily routine, to Scully walking in, taking

off her suit jacket to reveal that amazing, emerald green nightgown

and then walking over to Mulder, wrapping her arms around him

and ----.
 
 

Mulder never allowed himself to finish that thought. It threatened

to be too intense an experience. So, there he sat. Waiting.

Watching. Wondering. And agonizing.
 
 

The sharp clomp, clomp of high heels on tile floor caused Mulder

to half standup behind his desk. Then, just as quick, he sat down

again. He grabbed a few forms and a pen, and tried to look as

bored as he could.
 
 

The door handle turned and as Agent Scully walked into their

office, Mulder glanced up and saw her smile.
 
 

"Good morning, Mulder." She walked to her desk and dropped her

briefcase on top.
 
 

"Morning, Scully." He said, not returning the smile. He hoped his

expression was all professional, but he wasn't absolutely sure it

was.
 
 

Scully walked back toward the coat rack and slipped off one

shoulder of her powder blue suit jacket. Mulder's breath caught in

his throat. He forced himself to look down at the paperwork again

and breathe.
 
 

"How was your weekend?" She asked.
 
 

Mulder's left hand closed involuntarily, wrinkling the form he was

holding. Damn, he thought, even the innocent questions aren't safe

now.
 
 

"Fine." He answered. He risked a glance up and saw that the sexy

green nightgown would not be making a repeat appearance today.

She was wearing a white blouse and a powder blue skirt that

matched the jacket.
 
 

Mulder mentally scolded himself for even considering such a

childish fantasy. Though he would love to see that gown draped

over all her curves again, the office was not the place he'd pick for

that to happen.
 
 

He heard Scully take her seat at her desk and open a drawer. When

he looked up he saw she was organizing her own paperwork piles.

Quietly, he leaned back in his chair and studied her profile. From

this angle, Mulder could watch Scully without her knowing it,

which was something he'd done a lot.
 
 

Sometimes he would just need to rest his eyes, tired from looking

at so many case files, and there she would be. Right in his line of

sight. He would look to see if she was wearing new earrings or a

new blouse. Or he would try to guess whether she was in a good

mood or not. When she was mad at something, she tended to make

a bigger mess of her desk. When she was in a good mood, it stayed

neat and tidy. After a few moments of this, he'd resume his work.
 
 

Of course, there were other times when he'd sit and look at her on

purpose. Times when he needed to refocus himself on whatever

task was at hand. He would look at her and remember that moment

when she'd walked into his office for the first time. How instantly

the dreary darkness of the place had been banished by her light.

He'd come to think of her as his beacon, showing him the way back

when he ventured to close to the madness.
 
 

But then there were still other moments when Mulder would

discretely observe his partner -- when he fantasized about her.

Without warning, a very erotic image of Scully would pop into his

head and he would have to look up at her. The fantasy that

followed was always the same. He'd get up from his desk and walk

to her. She'd look up and meet his eyes, seeing the desire in them.

She'd stand up and he would take her in his arms. As he bent his

head to kiss her, she would whisper his name. Her lips were always

like fire and she always ran her hands up his back, causing him to

shiver with pleasure.
 
 

But the woman in those fantasies was never Dana, it was always

her alter ego, Special Agent Dr. Scully. A fiercely independent,

stubbornly headstrong woman who did the job nobody else could,

being Mulder's partner. He was attracted to that woman but he'd

never really thought about acting on that attraction because she

*was* his partner. They had already established a professional

relationship together and to try to start a personal one would have

conflicted with that. It would have blurred the lines along which

they related to each other as partners.
 
 

But then what the hell had happened Saturday night? He'd led

Danny to believe that he was uncomfortable with the idea of

watching Scully, but the truth was Mulder liked the idea of

observing his partner without her knowledge. It was like a natural

progression to his office fantasies. Like upping the stakes a bit.
 
 

So when Mulder had found himself looking at Scully but seeing

Dana, his whole perspective did a belly-flop off into the deep end.

Watching Scully had always been harmless, just a way to pass the

time in the office. It had never held any real opportunity. But

watching Dana did. It was beyond fantasy, it was possible. It was

real. And it was as confusing as hell.
 
 

Another all too real reminder of what was possible was the physical

reaction he'd suffered from for most of Saturday night. And all of

Sunday. And right now. Every time he remembered seeing her

beautifully naked bottom, Mulder felt the blood drain from his

head and rush to a place much lower on his anatomy.
 
 

Mulder blinked away the memory and refocused his eyes to see

that Scully was staring back at him. Their eyes met and for an

instant Mulder had the impression that she knew exactly what he

had been thinking about. He sat up straight and dropped his eyes

back to his mountain of paperwork. He could feel a blush starting

to work its way up his face and he cleared his throat. He heard what

he thought was snickering coming from the direction of Scully's

desk but he wasn't about to look up again to confirm it.
 
 

The phone rang and Scully grabbed her extension on the first ring.
 
 

"Scully." She paused a few moments. "Yes, Sir." She replaced the

handset and turned her chair toward Mulder.
 
 

"That was Skinner." She said. Mulder looked up and saw she was

trying to restrain the smile that was threatening to take over her

face.
 
 

"He says he wants our expense reports, field notes and case

synopsis on his desk before 11:00 AM today. Mine's almost done,

how about yours, Mulder?" The smile slipped out for a moment,

then was quickly replaced by her best straight face.
 
 

Mulder nodded his head once and went back to filling out forms. "I

need a few more minutes." He said and started filling out forms

faster than he ever had before.
 
 

******************
 
 

Office of the X-Files

10:48 AM
 
 

Mulder closed the last file folder of expense reports for the case

they had finished last week in Tennessee. "Done." He said.
 
 

"Mine, too. Here, I'll take them up to Skinner." Scully got up and

walked over to Mulder's desk to retrieve his folders and add them

to her own stack. She walked to the coat rack and put on her jacket,

then picked up her purse and started toward the door.
 
 

"I have a lunch date today so I'll drop these on my way out. See

you this afternoon, Mulder."
 
 

"Sure." He said, after the door closed behind her and he heard her

footsteps fading down the hall. "Be sure to tell Rick I think he's

an ass-hole."
 
 

Mulder leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the

corner of his desk. She was probably meeting Rick for lunch as an

apology for what happened Saturday night. But Scully didn't owe

him an apology, she didn't owe him anything!
 
 

Mulder laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back even

further. Then again, he thought, what if she's meeting Shelley for

lunch? He still hadn't decided who had started this whole thing but

he couldn't shake a tiny nagging feeling that Scully knew he had

been watching her. And if that were true, then she would want to

talk with Shelley as soon as she could, to find out what Danny had

to say about what happened.
 
 

Their office conversation this morning had been completely

normal. Scully hadn't said anything whatsoever to implicate herself.

And yet, there was one time when Mulder had seen something in

her gaze that didn't quite fit. It was when he had realized that she'd

caught him watching her, and it was the only time she hadn't

reacted in the normal Scully way. He decided that she must have

glanced over at him to say something and seen that he was

watching her, his eyes unfocused and his thoughts miles away. But

instead of calling his name to get his attention or just turning away

and ignoring him, she had, in turn, watched him.
 
 

A huge smile spread across Mulder's face. Now he knew what he

would do next.
 
 

****************
 
 

Zigatoni's Restaurant

11:16 AM
 
 
 
 

Dana Scully followed the hostess to a table near the window. From

behind her she heard her name being called out. Turning, she saw

her lunch date. She waved and then turned and thanked the hostess.

Before she sat down, she waited for her lunch partner.
 
 

"Hi! I see I have perfect timing." Shelley said and hugged Dana.
 
 

"As always." Dana said, returning the hug.
 
 

As they sat down, their waiter walked up.
 
 

"Good morning, ladies. My name is Paulo." He said in a think

Italian accent. He set two glasses of water and two menus down for

them. "May I get you something to drink?"
 
 

"I'd like a glass of iced tea with lemon." Dana said.
 
 

"Me, too." Shelley smiled at her. "And I'm going to have the

special."
 
 

"Me, too!" Dana smiled back.
 
 

"Wonderful!" Paulo said, retrieving the menus. "Two beautiful

ladies who know exactly what they want. I am a lucky man, today!"

He winked at them and walked away.
 
 

Shelley looked at Dana and let out a deep sigh. "So."
 
 

"Yes?" Dana answered.
 
 

"So tell me, already! If Danny's parents hadn't chosen yesterday to

drop by unannounced I would have called you first thing Sunday

morning!"
 
 

Dana smiled. "I should be the one asking you what Danny had to

say."
 
 

"Well, I'll tell you. He said that at first Mulder didn't like the idea

of watching you, which I find hard to believe. I would have thought

that Mulder was a big fan of voyeurism!"
 
 

"Oh, don't be so hard on him. His reputation isn't that bad." Dana

said.
 
 

"Yeah, right. Mulder earned that reputation long before he met

you. Anyway, Danny says that Mulder almost bugged out of there

three times, saying his conscience was bothering him. He said the

thing that finally drove him over the edge was when Mulder saw

your naked tushie! Dana! Did you really?"
 
 

Dana laughed but before she could answer, Paulo walked up to

their table.
 
 

"Look at these beautiful smiles! The two of you are lighting up the

room with them." He set their tea down for them. "Now, you must

keep smiling. The boys in the kitchen are enjoying watching you."

Paulo grinned at them and left again.
 
 

Shelley looked over at the kitchen and saw two young men staring

at her. They smiled and waved, one even blew her a kiss.
 
 

"Geez, this voyeurism is spreading like the plague." She said and

waved back. One of the men clutched his heart and faked a faint

into the arms of the other. Shelley chuckled and turned back to

Dana. "Maybe you've got the right idea here."
 
 

"Shelley, you're married. Act like it." Dana scolded. "Now, go on."
 
 

"That's it. That's all Danny told me. He said after Mulder saw you

naked, he told Danny that he was going home. He dropped Danny

off around midnight. But you didn't answer my question. Did you

really let Mulder see you naked?!?!"
 
 

"He probably caught a glimpse of my 'naked tushie', as you so

eloquently put it, but that was all, just a quick glimpse."
 
 

"Dana! I never would have thought you had it in you!"
 
 

"Yes, well. You only heard half of the story."
 
 

"What! What didn't my loving husband tell me!" Shelley asked.
 
 

"For one thing, he left out the unexpected arrival of Rick, as well as

the fire trucks."
 
 

Shelley's eyes went wide as Paulo walked up with their food.
 
 

"Here you are, my lovely ladies. Two specials." He set the food

down in front of them. "Now, what else can I get you?"
 
 

"I'm fine. Shelley?" Dana asked.
 
 

"Fine. Thank you." She was still staring at Dana.
 
 

"Very well. Enjoy!" With an exaggerated bow, Paulo left them

alone.
 
 

"Rick who?! What fire trucks?!?!" Shelley asked excitedly.
 
 

Dana spent the next twenty minutes explaining what had happened

once Rick had arrived. By the time they were finished eating and

Paulo had cleared their plates, Dana was telling how she had to go

down to the police station and personally vouch for Rick.
 
 

"If I hadn't been an FBI agent, I'm sure they would have arrested

him for arson."
 
 

"And you think Mulder was responsible?" Shelley asked.
 
 

"I *know* he was. I got a copy of the police report yesterday and it

said that the fire was isolated to an air conditioning vent on the

roof. Someone had set a bag of sweet and sour pork on fire and

stuck it in there."
 
 

"Sweet and sour pork?" Shelley asked.
 
 

"Yeah. Now consider the fact that every time Mulder comes over

to work on case files at my apartment, we order Chinese take-

out. I always order sweet and sour pork and Mulder always makes

a big deal about how he doesn't care for it."
 
 

"Danny doesn't like it either." Shelley shrugged.
 
 

"So, of all the things that someone could have stuck in an AC vent

on my building's roof and set on fire, it just so happens to be a

bag of sweet and sour pork?" Dana arched her skeptical eyebrow.
 
 

"Good point." Shelley said.
 
 

"Add to that, the building was never in any danger because of

where the bag was placed. It would have burned itself out if the

firemen hadn't found it. This has Mulder written all over it. He

created the whole situation and then probably phoned in to 911 and

reported it. The report also said an unidentified caller reported

seeing a man matching Rick's description up on the roof of my

building just before the fire started. I'll bet $100 that the caller was

Mulder."
 
 

"Hmm. No bet." Shelley said. "Well, what an interesting night you

had! What kind of morning did you have?"
 
 

"You mean what happened when I got to work this morning? Not

much, really. We had some paperwork to finish and when we

were done, I took it Skinner and came straight here. We hardly

spoke to each other. But there was one thing." Dana said, her voice

trailing off.
 
 

"What? Tell me."
 
 

"Right after I got there, I caught Mulder watching me."
 
 

"Damn! He's addicted to it!" Shelley laughed.
 
 

"No, I catch him doing that all the time. I've gotten used to

glancing up and seeing him looking at me with his eyes unfocused.

Usually, he's thinking about something dealing with a case and he

just has a habit of looking at something when he thinks. Most of the

time, I'm in his line of sight so he ends up staring at me. Usually I

ignore it but this time it was different. This time I could tell he was

thinking about me. About what happened Saturday night."
 
 

"Really? What did you do?"
 
 

"Nothing. I just sat there and stared back at him. It was kind of fun.

Then he seemed to zone back in to the present and he caught me."

Dana said with a grin.
 
 

"No! And you liked it, didn't you!"
 
 

Dana nodded slightly. "I think he realized that because he got very

embarrassed and blushed." Dana smiled. "It was very cute."
 
 

"Ha! How perfect!" Shelley said and reached over to take Dana's

hand. "Now, Dana. You must tell me one more thing."
 
 

"What?"
 
 

"What happens next?"
 
 

Dana squeezed Shelley's hand and took a deep breathe. "I think the

next move is Mulder's."
 
 

Shelley reached over and patted Dana's hand. "Don't you worry.

This will all work out, I promise. I may joke about how little

I think of Special Agent Fox Mulder but I know he cares for you."
 
 

Shelley and Dana split the bill and tipped Paulo around twenty-five

percent of the tab. As they were leaving, they heard the boys in the

kitchen singing "Bella Notte" in Italian. Shelley looked back and

blew them a kiss. A half-dozen voices hollered "Mama mia!"

Shelley giggled and waved goodbye as she went out the door.
 
 

***********************
 
 

Office of the X-Files

12:35 PM
 
 

Scully walked in to an empty office. She set her purse down and

stripped off her jacket. She hung it up and noticed Mulder's

was gone. He must be at lunch, she thought.
 
 

She walked over to her desk and saw a note written in Mulder's

handwriting.
 
 

I'M AT LUNCH.

THEN I HAVE AN ERRAND.

M.
 
 

Typical Mulder vagueness, Dana thought. No estimate on when

he'd be back. Guess I've got the rare opportunity to get some

of my own work done.
 
 

*********************
 
 

Scully glanced at her watch and saw it was twenty minutes to five.

Mulder hadn't returned from his lunch and errand, so she saw

no reason to stick around. If she left right now, she could beat the

worst of the traffic.
 
 

Scully gathered up her things and flipped off the light switch by the

door. She was in her car and heading home by a quarter of five.
 
 

**********************
 
 

Apartment of Dana Scully

5:18 PM
 
 

Dana walked up to her apartment door and saw a box on her

doorstep. She picked it up and looked it over. There was no card

on the outside, nothing to indicate who it was from. She held it up

to her ear.
 
 

"I don't hear any ticking." She said, smiling to herself.
 
 

She unlocked her door and walked inside, tossing her purse and

jacket on the couch. She walked into the kitchen and set the box on

the counter. Carefully, she pulled the top off the box and pulled

back the tissue paper.
 
 

"Oh!" She gasped. Inside was a pair of binoculars, tied with a huge

emerald green satin bow. Next to them was a piece of paper. She

picked it up and unfolded it, once again recognizing Mulder's

familiar scrawl.
 
 

ROOFTOP OF 2621 HEGAL PLACE

9:00 PM TONIGHT
 
 

Dana knew that the address was that of the apartment building

across the street from Mulder's apartment. She closed her eyes and

smiled, thinking--hoping-- that Mulder wanted to treat her to a taste

of her own devilish deeds. That idea caused her to laugh. She

opened her eyes and picked up the binoculars.
 
 

"Well, well. I hadn't expected this, Mulder. What other surprises do

you have lined up for tonight?"
 
 

**********************
 
 

Rooftop of 2621 Hegal Place

9:00 PM
 
 

Dana settled in next to the elevator shaft access shed and looked

over at Mulder's apartment windows. She recognized the window

in the living room and she made a guess that the next one on the

right was his bedroom window. Both of them were dark.
 
 

Looks like he's not home, she thought. A moment of doubt ran

through her mind. What if he's chickened out? Or worse yet, what

if this is a joke. Maybe he was over at her apartment right now,

sitting in her living room and laughing. Waiting to see how long

she'd stay up here before she came home to find him enjoying the

fact that he'd fooled her. No, she thought. Mulder would never be

that cruel to her, would he?
 
 

Just then, a light came on in his apartment. Dana grabbed the

binoculars and aimed them at his living room window. She couldn't

see the front door but she saw his fish tank, his desk and his couch.

Next, the light went on in what she thought was his bedroom. She

looked in that window and saw a bed. Yep, she had guessed right.

She could also see his dresser and the door to his bathroom. The

light was on in there, too.
 
 

After a few minutes, she saw Mulder come out of his bathroom

wearing a pair of dress pants but no shirt.
 
 

Very nice, she thought. But I was braver than that!
 
 

He walked to his dresser and pulled out a dark colored shirt. He

slipped it on and Dana saw it was one of those low collared

turtleneck shirts.
 
 

"Ooh, good choice, Mulder. I've always liked you in that shirt."

She said quietly.
 
 

He walked out of her sight toward the living room. She swung

the binoculars to that window but didn't see him. After a few

minutes, she began to get curious.
 
 

"What's up, Mulder? I'm getting a little bored out here."
 
 

After another minute, he briefly passed in front of the living room

window with something in his hand. She watched closely and

began to notice that the room was getting brighter. Then the

shadows in the room started to dance around the walls and Dana

realized that he was lighting candles. The room was beginning to

look very romantic.
 
 

"Mulder, the Romantic. Who would ever believe that." She said

quietly. The candlelight was warm and inviting, giving what little

she could see of his apartment a whole new look. The dingy, dark

and solitary feel of the inside of a cave was gone, replaced by a

tempting atmosphere of peacefulness, contentment and promise.
 
 

For several minutes now, Mulder had been out of sight and Dana

was growing impatient. Self-doubt began to pick at the edges of her

mind.
 
 

<He's obviously expecting somebody, Dana, but what if it isn't

you?> Doubt said.
 
 

"Shut up." She answered herself.
 
 

<Think about it. What if he *is* playing a joke on you? And the

punch line is that you get to watch him spend a romantic evening

with his equivalent to Rick Serley. Some long-legged, blond with

breasts as big as--->
 
 

Dana cut that thought off immediately. Mulder would never do

that. He'd never invite her over to watch him entertain another

woman. It wasn't his style.
 
 

<But its yours, though. Right?>
 
 

Dana squirmed at the thought of how she had let that part of

Saturday night evolve. Maybe it had been wrong to mislead Rick.

But more importantly, maybe it had been wrong to use Rick to

make Mulder jealous. Ultimately, that was what had happened. So

it was very possible that Mulder was about to inflict some pay back

on her.
 
 

As the minutes ticked away without another Mulder sighting, Dana

seriously thought about leaving. Just about the time she was ready

to admit defeat and go home, movement at the living room window

caught her eye.
 
 

Through the binoculars, Dana saw Mulder standing next to his

desk. He reached down and turned on the lamp, angling the shade

toward the window so the light shown through the glass. But there

was no light. Dana looked twice to make sure. The shade was open

toward the window, just like it always was when Mulder had used a

masking tape letter X to signal his mysterious contact. Dana,

herself, had used that trick once.
 
 

Confused, she looked up at Mulder's face.
 
 

He was staring straight at her, his face expressionless. After a long

moment, he reached down and removed whatever had been

blocking the light.
 
 

There, on the lowest left-hand pane of glass, was a perfectly

formed masking tape letter S.
 
 

A huge smile split across Dana's face. She looked up at Mulder and

saw that he was grinning, too.
 
 

***********************************************
 
 

Apartment building of Fox Mulder

9:20 PM
 
 

As she stepped off the elevator and walked down this familiar

hallway toward Mulder's apartment, Dana's mind took a trip back

through time. During the four plus years she and Mulder had

worked together, their partnership had evolved slowly and silently

into an intensely cohesive bond. They had endured many horrific

cases, when the evil they chased came too close to one or both of

them. Times like Missy's murder, Mulder's father's murder, during

Dana's disappearance and near death, while the X-Files had been

shut down, and thousands of less intense but no less trying times.
 
 

Yet nothing had caused that bond to falter, rather it seemed to grow

stronger with each demanding day. Although they had never

spoken about it, Dana had no doubt about how much each of them

valued this inexplicable link between them.
 
 

So it was with deep regret that she had awoke from a disturbing

dream a few weeks ago--what Missy would have called a vision--to

realize that this link that Mulder shared with his partner Scully,

did not include Dana. Before her work with the X-Files, the persona

of Scully had not existed, rather she had been created as a result

of Dana's involvement with Mulder's work. It was Scully's job to

work with Mulder, to listen to his theories and find the plausibility

among the chaos. It was also her job to shield Dana from the world

in which Mulder lived. While it had amazed her to discover this about

herself, the thing that most disturbed Dana was the fact that

Scully also stood between her and any hope of having an intimate

relationship with Mulder.
 
 

Mulder knew none of this, so two nights ago, Dana had decided to

set a plan into motion. One that gave Mulder a chance to see

another side of her, the side of her that was Dana. Who she was

when she went home, when she was alone, when she wasn't a

tough-as-nails FBI Agent. Given that Mulder was always thinking

three or four steps ahead of everyone else in the world, she knew

that he would understand. Not only was this her way of giving him

the opportunity to think about her in a non-professional way, it was

also her way of asking him if he was ready to take those first shaky

steps toward involvement with her.
 
 

What she hadn't planned for was how hesitant she would feel,

standing here in Mulder's hallway. Even with the knowledge that

her initial invitation into a personal relationship had been accepted,

Dana wasn't completely secure in the idea that Mulder understood

exactly what it was she wanted from him. She wanted to share her

entire life with him, not just the part of her that was Scully, and the

only way she knew to get that was to give Mulder the chance to

bond with her as Dana. Somehow, they had to find a way to

incorporate what they had now with what could be. The only

question that remained was, did Mulder want the same?
 
 

Taking a deep breath she knocked on his door and heard him as he

approached from the other side. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

The air surrounding her grew thick, and every sound was magnified

ten fold. The floorboards of his apartment creaked loudly as he

crossed them. The door latch boomed as he turned the knob and

then, he was standing before her. She could feel the link instantly

reconnect between them and, as comforting as that was, Dana

recognized it was with his partner and not her.
 
 

Realizing that she hadn't prepared herself for how hard it would be

not to become Scully-The-Partner around him, some of her father's

sage advice came to mind. "Always remember, Starbuck, that you

must commit to what you want in order to appreciate what you

have."
 
 

With the comforting voice of Ahab ringing in her ears, Dana met

Mulder's eyes and waited for him to invite her inside.
 
 

"Come in." He said, with a rare Mulder smile.
 
 

Dana entered his foyer and felt her whole body stop. This

apartment, that she'd been in many times before, always had the

same feeling: that of a cold, empty void. Very much like a cave, it

was nothing special, it just existed. So did it's owner, when he was

here.
 
 

However, that was not true tonight. The coldness was gone,

banished by the candle light that bathed the apartment in its warmth

and the soft music that drifted around the room. The emptiness was

also gone. It was almost as if there was a presence here, now. Dana

stood in awe of the vital feeling surrounding her. It resonated out

from the walls, up through the floor and down from the ceiling;

very much like a heart beat.
 
 

Mulder. Dana could feel him standing behind her, silent and

waiting. His presence felt different, as well. Like the apartment, he

seemed to resonate. Dana's hopes inched upwards with the thought

that Mulder might be willing to make this commitment to her. She

glanced around to see him walk past her into the kitchen.
 
 

"Have a seat in the living room. I'll bring us some wine." He called

over his shoulder.
 
 

Moving out of the foyer and into the living room, Dana walked

around the dining table that was set up there near the doorway. She

lightly ran two fingers over the beautiful linen tablecloth, noticing

the intricate embroidery work at the edges. Two tall candles sat in

silver holders, waiting to be lit and a pair of very attractive china

and crystal glass place settings sat across from each other. Polished

silver utensils and napkin rings sat gleaming in the warm candle

light.
 
 

Dana looked from the table to the rest of the living room. Lit

candles seemed to be everywhere. One sat on each small table, two

were on the desk, three in the shelving that held the fish tank, one

atop the TV, three on the coffee table and several large ones sat in

various corners around the room. They were giving off the most

delicate of aromas, causing Dana to inhale deeply and let the scent

invade her lungs.
 
 

"It's lovely, Mulder." She said in the direction of his kitchen.
 
 

"Thanks, but I doubt Better Homes & Gardens will be dropping by

any time soon." He called to her. Retrieving the wine, he walked

into the room with a bottle and two glasses. "Here we are."
 
 

Dana took one delicate stem in her hand while he poured the dark

red liquid. She swirled the contents of her glass, appreciating the

rich hue of the vintage and also the crystal surrounding it. "Shall

we toast?" She asked, after he'd finished pouring his own and set

the bottle on the coffee table.
 
 

Mulder got a twinkle in his eyes and held up his glass. "Over the

teeth and past the gums, look out stomach 'cause here it comes?"
 
 

She shouldn't have been disappointed in that remark, it was classic

Mulder. However, it served as a reminder that just two days had

passed since Mulder had learned of her ideas for them and it was

entirely possible that he was not quite caught up with her yet.
 
 

So, with a bemused look on her face, Dana raised her glass to touch

his. Before she could, his other hand came up and stopped hers.
 
 

"No." Mulder said gently. He looked into her eyes and held her

glass in place. His fingers were wrapped around the opposite side

of the crystal and over the top of hers. Where his skin touched hers,

Dana felt a tingling begin that grew in intensity the longer he

remained motionless and silent.
 
 

Slowly, he released her hand, purposely letting his fingers brush

across all of hers. Then he brought his glass up level with hers

again. "To the possibilities."
 
 

Dana kept her eyes on his face for a long moment, hoping she was

understanding the look she saw there. She touched her glass to his

and tasted the wine. "It's nice." She said, taking a seat on the couch.

Mulder sat down at the other end.
 
 

They sat quietly for a few moments, silent in their own thoughts.

Dana knew the silence had to be broken or they would soon find

themselves in a major discussion of their latest case. Taking

another drink of wine, she settled back in the cushions.
 
 

"Mulder, I don't know where to start. "
 
 

"Start at the beginning." He said with a sly smile.
 
 

"The beginning. Okay." Dana took a deep breath and released it.

She glanced at him and tried to push down the urge to launch into

her Scully tone of voice. No, she thought, this has to be from me if

it's going to work. Deciding to get comfortable, she pulled her legs

up on the couch cushion, tucking them under her. With her back

against the armrest, she was facing him now. He, too, turned

toward her, laying his arm across the back of the couch.
 
 

"Saturday night. . ." she paused, ". . . did not go as I had planned."
 
 

Mulder's eyes perked up. "No? What went wrong?" He asked with

an innocent look coming over his face. Taking a drink of his wine,

he avoided her eyes.
 
 

He was trying very hard to act like he always did, tossing out his

trademark flippant remarks in an attempt to keep a measure of

familiarity between them. Dana looked at his profile, thinking

seriously about encouraging him. She'd always found the sound of

his voice comforting, and his unique sense of humor always made

her smile, even if she rarely let him know it.
 
 

"It was Shelley's idea, really." Dana continued. "Well, her idea but

my--"
 
 

"Your what?" Turning, his eyes locked on hers.
 
 

Now he's flirting with me, Dana thought and was surprised by how

much that delighted her. Normally, the part of her that was Scully

would just ignore these comments, but not tonight. Tonight, Scully

could go to hell.
 
 

"My choice." She finished and boldly returned his flirtatious stare.

Mulder held her eyes for a moment and then nodded for her to

continue.
 
 

"I had no idea that Rick would pick that night to come over,

uninvited. I nearly sent him home twice. I had no intention of

entertaining company."
 
 

"I was extremely entertained." Mulder said.
 
 

Before she could stop it, a blush came into Dana's face. It was

another typical Mulder remark, but the tone in which it was said

was that of complete honesty. A suspenseful moment of silence

settled over them.
 
 

Just then a buzzer went off in the kitchen and Mulder smiled

slightly. "Sounds like dinner is ready." He stood and walked into

the kitchen.
 
 

"Good. I'm starving." Dana said, covering her disappointed that the

buzzer had interrupted them. She got up from the couch and

walked to the front door, picking up the back-pack she'd dropped

there as she came in. Mulder exited the kitchen just in time to see

her heading for the bathroom. "I'll just be a moment."
 
 

Mulder gave her a puzzled look but said nothing. Five minutes

later, as he stood in the living room lighting the candles on the

table, Dana reappeared. She stood before him wearing a short,

black dress and heels.
 
 

"Scully, you look gorgeous." He said without even a hint of

shyness. Dana felt a tingly sensation begin in her stomach as his

eyes roamed over her. "Where..?"
 
 

"I brought it with me, Mulder. Jeans and a tee-shirt may have been

appropriate for the roof-top but my mother taught me to always

dress for dinner." She walked toward the table, smiling at him. The

dress made her feel a little more comfortable given the romantic

surroundings. Still, she had never worn something this sexy in front

of Mulder before and she had a mild case of butterflies in her

stomach right now.
 
 

Those butterflies turned into charging buffalo when Mulder's hand

found the small of her back and guided her into her chair. It was

the same touch she'd felt hundreds of times, but always on a case

and always as Scully, never as Dana. To be honest, it was

something she had always wondered about. Did Mulder do it

unconsciously? Was it just an idle habit he'd always done or was it

something he did only with her? So many questions. So many

things they didn't know about each other.
 
 

"This looks delicious, Mulder. I would never have guessed you

could cook." Dana said, unfolding her napkin into her lap. Before

them sat plates of roasted chicken, glazed carrots and spinach

salad.
 
 

Their dinner conversation was sparse, consisting mainly of small-

talk about absolutely nothing of importance: the hot summer, recent

local news events. It was what was going unsaid between them that

held the most ramifications. Every topic seemed to have some

relevance to the idea of starting a personal relationship with each

other. Since neither of them knew whether the other might be

thinking the same thoughts, each chose to remain silent. That was

beginning to frustrate Dana. So when Mulder mentioned that he

had recently considered taking a short vacation back to the

Vineyard for some R&R on the beach, she decided to take a

chance.
 
 

"That sounds like a good idea, Mulder. You would probably enjoy

a break from work, if you would actually take it. " She said lightly.

"A vacation might do me some good, too." She added, raising her

napkin to wipe her mouth but keeping her eyes on him. What she

really wanted to tell him, what she hoped he could see in her gaze,

was that she thought the both of them would enjoy the break, if

they spent it together. It would give them a chance to explore this

new relationship they were contemplating, away from the life they

had as FBI agents.
 
 

If Mulder understood the true meaning of her comment, he chose to

keep quiet about it. Dana's disappointed in that caused her to look

down at her plate. This time, an awkward silence settled over them.
 
 

It was a frustrating game that everyone played when they fell in

love. Who should say what, when and how? Who's turn is it to give

and who's to take? How do you avoid looking needy or dependent

but still show enough interest? Dana had wanted to avoid all of this

nonsense with Mulder. They were both mature adults, both fully

aware now that the other wanted to explore this type of

relationship. It should be easy for them to communicate. But it

wasn't.
 
 

Dana looked up again and watched Mulder while he ate. How is it

possible that this man is still so perplexing to me, she wondered.

More importantly, why am I so determined to solve the riddle that

is Fox Mulder?
 
 

He must have felt the hard stare aimed across the table at him

because, in the middle of cutting a piece of chicken, Mulder slowly

raised his eyes to meet hers.
 
 

"What?"
 
 

Dana said nothing. She simply returned his gaze and smiled, then

picked up her fork again to finish her dinner.
 
 

She looks so beautiful, Mulder thought. He watched her in the

candle light, and couldn't believe they had never done this before.

Never sat down as friends, not partners, and shared a meal. The

closest they'd come to it was a dinner of B-B-Q beef ribs in

Wisconsin just a few weeks after Dana had awoke from her coma

in Washington General Hospital. It had happened before either of

them realized it. A simple touch, a polite gesture with a napkin and

for a brief moment he was having dinner with Dana. Then the

demands of their case returned and that stolen moment of sharing

ended. Much too quickly for Mulder. He relished those rare

moments when the rest of the world disappeared and it was just

him and Dana.
 
 

That's the way it had been during their first year together. The

dynamic duo of Mulder and Scully hadn't been created yet and

Dana was free to be herself. Mulder remembered, in perfect detail,

each and every time back then that Dana had laughed. Or the many

times she used to smile at him when she wasn't really sure that he

wasn't as crazy as everyone said. She rarely did either of those

things now, even though Mulder tried very hard every day to give

her a reason to do so.
 
 

After a while, their initial flirtations had matured into a perfect

partnership. Scully, as it turned out, was the only partner of

Mulder's that had ever managed to get inside his head and grasp

how he understood things. Even though she seldom agreed with

him, she still understood him.
 
 

Mulder stole a look across the table at her, drinking in how the

candle light made her skin glow. The memory of how he felt when

he heard her voice for the first time washed over him. God, he

loved this woman. He wanted to be able to open his mouth and say

all the right things tonight, to give her everything that she wanted.

The words just weren't coming to him and the awkwardness of the

evening was rapidly becoming palpable. Something was going to

have to be said or done to change that, and soon. This might be the

only chance he ever had with Dana, and he wanted this to work. If

it didn't, the alternative was a life without love, without trust and

hope. And without those things, without her, his life was worthless.
 
 

After they finished eating, Mulder cleared their plates and refilled

their wine glasses. "You still haven't told me *why* you set me

up." He said, moving the conversation back to the topic they were

avoiding. He took a sip of wine and waited for Dana to answer.
 
 

She looked at him for a long moment before she spoke. "To be

perfectly honest with you, Mulder, I felt that you needed a chance

to see me in a way that you might have forgotten about. We've

spent so much time as Mulder and Scully that we've let who we

really are as individuals fall to the side."
 
 

"That's true, but this was hardly what I would have expected from

you. Voyeurism?"
 
 

"Come on, Mulder, don't act like it embarrassed you. You know as

well as I, that you and I seem to excel at the unconventional."

Dana said, unable to stop from blushing as she remembered what it

felt like to know he was watching her. Quickly, she continued.

"Would I really have gotten your attention if I'd shown up here

with a bottle of wine and a movie?"
 
 

Mulder laughed softly. "I guess not."
 
 

"Besides," Dana's voice became serious, "haven't you ever

wondered why we never--?"
 
 

"Yes." He answered quickly, nodding. "Many times."
 
 

Sensing that he was willing to be honest about this, Dana pushed

on. "So? Why do you think it never happened?"
 
 

"Well, we're partners, Scully. And we spend an enormous amount

of time working together. I suppose I'd come to the conclusion that

if you did choose to have a relationship with someone, you'd want a

man who could stimulate the other aspects of your life. Your other

interests."
 
 

Dana smiled openly at that thoughtful remark. "You're absolutely

right, Mulder. That's what I've always told myself." Mulder's

expression revealed that he'd hoped he'd been wrong about that.

"But then again. . ." she continued, leaning toward him slightly,

"that is such a conventional way to think, isn't it?"
 
 

Dana's comment brought a shy smile to Mulder's lips and he had to

look away from her for a moment. When he looked back and saw

the way she was smiling at him, the urge to touch her overtook him.

He extended his left hand across the table and she placed hers in it.
 
 

"Dance with me." He said.
 
 

Without releasing her hand, Mulder stood and walked around the

table to her. Dana let him lead her away from the table into the

living room.
 
 

Turning, he pulled her to him. As if they'd done this thousands of

times before, Dana's feet found their place between his, and the

length of her body pressed up against him. His right hand touched

the small of her back--the same way it had when he'd guided her

into her seat earlier--and applied just enough pressure to guide her

this time into the dance. His left hand still held her right and

Mulder pressed it to his chest, letting his long fingers stroke her

palm. Dana's free hand came to rest on his right bicep.
 
 

If this isn't Heaven, Mulder thought, it's damn close.
 
 

Their bodies swayed gently to the music. Looking down into

Dana's eyes, Mulder saw her desire to touch him and his eyes

darkened with his answer. He watched her face as her eyes

followed the path of her left hand. It moved up his arm to his

shoulder then across to his neck, where one slim finger lightly

stroked the skin just above his collar.
 
 

"You know, Mulder. I've always liked you in this shirt." Dana

whispered, keeping her eyes level with her hand. She was avoiding

his gaze on purpose, not wanting him to look at her and see Scully

right now. She intended to show him what Dana wanted. After a

moment's pause, she spread her fingers and trailed them down his

chest, stopping when she found the beating of his heart. She

watched her fingers as they rose and fell with the rhythm of his

breathing.
 
 

Taking a deep breath, Mulder closed his eyes and raised his head in

an effort to gather his thoughts. What she was doing to him seemed

like a dream, like the beginning of one of his office fantasies, only

much better because it was real. He felt his heart beating rapidly

under her hand and knew that his breathing had quickened.

Quickly, he let go of her right hand and moved his around to her

back before, he hoped, she felt how it was trembling.
 
 

Dana slid her now free hand across his chest, and waited until she

felt his head bend down again to continue his watch of her

movements. When she was sure she had his full attention again, she

gently slid her hands down his chest, still following them with her

eyes, and found the bottom of his rib cage. She lingered there a

moment, smiling as she felt his stomach muscles tense under her

hands. Slowly, drawing out the touch, she moved her arms around

him, placing her ear against his chest and ran her fingers up his

spine. His back muscles flexed immediately and Dana felt him

shiver with pleasure.
 
 

Mulder's left hand came up to cradle the back of her head, his

fingers spreading out through her hair. "I've dreamt of you doing

that." He said softly and Dana felt the warmth of his breath on the

top of her head.
 
 

"It's not a dream any longer, Mulder." Finally, she looked up into

his eyes. "It never has to be again."
 
 

Their mouths only inches apart now, Mulder leaned forward to

close the distance remaining between them and their first kiss. Just

before their lips touched, he whispered a single word.
 
 

"Dana."
 
 

It was the first time he'd said her name all night and he'd saved it

for this moment. The combination of finally knowing what it felt

like to have Fox Mulder's lips on hers and the idea that Mulder may

very well be the world's most romantic man, was making Dana

extremely lightheaded. She tried to focus on the feel of his kiss, on

his full and sensuous lips but it was impossible. The sensation he

was giving her didn't stop there. It spread down her neck and shot

down her spine, causing her to tingle from head to toe. It was the

most incredible and indefinable event she'd ever known.
 
 

Dana moved her hands up to the base of his neck, pulling him

deeper into the kiss. Mulder's hands shifted position and pulled her

body closer to him. Soft moans and gentle sounds of passion

escaped both of them and Dana felt herself being enveloped by

Mulder. It was that same presence of him that she'd felt when she

came in, only now it was resonating through every nerve in her

body. Just when she thought she might explode from the

overwhelming feeling, the entire world slipped away and all that

existed was Mulder. His touch, his heat and his desire were all

becoming part of her.
 
 

Suddenly, Mulder broke the kiss and pulled away from her slightly.

Dana opened her eyes to find his full of fiery passion. For a long

moment, the look held them spellbound, and Dana could feel their

souls reaching out to each other.
 
 

"Listen." He whispered, his voice ragged with passion.
 
 

At first, Dana thought he meant for her to listen to what he was

going to say but instead, he remained silent. She waited, unsure of

what he wanted, then she became aware of the song that was

playing softly around them. It was an old song, recorded long ago

by Nat King Cole, called "When I Fall In Love".
 
 

Mulder saw her recognize the song and tightened his arms around

her. Dana rested her head against his chest again, and listened to

the words.
 
 

<When I fall in love/It will be forever/

Or I'll never fall in love/

In a restless world/Like this is/

Love is ended before it's begun/And too many moonlight kisses/

Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun/>
 
 

Suddenly, Mulder's lips were inches away from her ear. "Listen."

He repeated, so softly that Dana actually felt what was said more

than she heard it. As the second verse began, Mulder kept his lips

right where they were and his warm breath fanned her cheek.
 
 

<When I give my heart/It will be completely/

Or I'll never give my heart/

And the moment/I can feel that you feel that way too/

Is when I'll fall in love with you>
 
 

Mulder raised his hand to her chin and turned her face toward him,

locking his eyes with hers. The understanding came to Dana that

these were the words that he wanted to say to her.
 
 

"Such simple words and yet. . ."
 
 

"I know, Mulder. I know."
 
 

Normally, he kept his true feelings locked deep inside him, tucked

away in that secure place that he hadn't let anyone into for years.

Yet, tonight Dana had found that place, and she was waiting to be

let in, if he was willing.
 
 

Taking her hands, and avoiding the coffee table, Mulder took a few

steps backward, and pulled Dana down with him onto the couch.

She came to rest on his lap with her back against the arm rest. He

pulled her legs closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist.
 
 

"I do love you, I have for so long, now." He said softly, tracing

lazy patterns on her thigh just below the hem of her dress.
 
 

Dana let her eyes slide shut as the words drifted into her. She laid

her head against his shoulder and let her body relax.
 
 

"I love you, too. And this is right." She answered.
 
 

Mulder smiled at how easily the words came to her. The hand he

had behind her moved down from her waist and smoothed the silky

material covering her hip.
 
 

"When they closed down the X-Files was when I first realized it. I

didn't care so much for the work they took away, I knew they could

never completely stop me. What made me so angry was the idea

that they could take you away from me. I tried to tell you that after

the case in Puerto Rico but I didn't know. . . I wasn't sure you

wanted this then."
 
 

"I did. I just wasn't ready for it." Dana said.
 
 

"But you are now?" Mulder said, flattening out the hand on her

thigh and running it down the length of her leg.
 
 

Dana took a shaky but controlled breath. "Yes."
 
 

She felt herself being carried away by his soft and gentle touch.

Here and there, never very bold, but always with the implication of

what could be. What was to come.
 
 

"Are you sure?" He asked again. His hand started back up her leg,

slower than before.
 
 

"I'm sure." She said softly, her head rolling back as the sensual

touch continued.
 
 

"Really sure? Really, really sure?"
 
 

"Yes, Mulder!" She said, looking up at him. That's when she saw

the devilish glint that had found its way into his eyes.
 
 

"You're ready for Fox Mulder on a 24/7 basis? You know I don't

sleep much. " His voice now low and sultry.
 
 

Dana looked down and then back up through her eyelashes at him.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance with that." She said, picking

up on the flirtation. She raised herself up and brought her knees

down beside his legs, straddling him. Grasping both of his hands,

she leaned forward, causing him to recline against the couch back

until his head touched the wall. "Maybe you need that vacation

more than you know."
 
 

"Is that your medical opinion, Dr. Scully?" He said, bringing his

head up to meet hers.
 
 

"Yes, it is." Dana ran her tongue over his bottom lip and Mulder

opened his mouth to her. The passion of this kiss was even more

overwhelming than their first during the dance. So when Mulder

abruptly stopped and pulled away from her, it took Dana a minute

to register that he'd said something.
 
 

"Wha-? I'm sorry, what did you say?" Shaking her head, she tried

to catch up with his fast change in direction.
 
 

"I said, let's go."
 
 

"Go? Where?" She wasn't quite caught up yet.
 
 

"To the Vineyard. On vacation. Together. Tonight!" He said,

shoving her off his lap and leaping to his feet. Without waiting for

her reply, Mulder headed for his bedroom.
 
 

Dana sat in a daze on the couch. "Tonight? Mulder--" She jumped

off the couch and went after him. She found him head first in his

closet, struggling to remove a large suitcase.
 
 

"Yeah, it'll be great. We can drive up there tonight, watch the sun

come up over the ocean and then get a hotel." He threw the case on

the bed and snapped it open. "Better yet, I know a great little bed

and breakfast we can stay at. Met the owners a few years ago,

they're both abductees. It's still early in the season, so they'll

have plenty of rooms available, especially since it'll be Tuesday

when we check in."
 
 

As he rambled on, the suitcase began to fill up with clothes Dana

had never seen him wear and really had no idea he even owned. A

few pairs of Bermuda shorts and a couple of tee-shirts from places

like Key West and Virginia Beach flew out of his dresser and into

the pile.
 
 

"Mulder. This is nuts. What will we tell Skinner? That the two of

us just happened to decide to take spur-of-the-moment vacations at

exactly the same time? Starting on a *Tuesday*? He's going to

suspect something is up."
 
 

Mulder finally stopped and turned toward her. "Dana, if you don't

want to do this--"
 
 

"No, I didn't say that. This *was* my idea, remember?"
 
 

"Then forget about Skinner. Forget about everybody but us. You're

right, Dana. We need some time alone together."
 
 

He had understood what she meant during dinner. "Yes, we do."
 
 

"So? Let's do this!" He said, getting that excited-twelve-year-old-

boy look on his face.
 
 

His enthusiasm quickly infected her and she gave in. "Okay." She

said, giving him an unsure smile.
 
 

Mulder moved to her and took hold of her arms. "Okay?" His own

smile reassuring her.
 
 

"Yes! Okay. Just let me--"
 
 

Mulder whirled around and headed for his bathroom. "--go home

and pack and I'll--"
 
 

Dana was two steps ahead of him, grabbing her back-pack from the

bathroom floor. "--pick me up in--"
 
 

"--half an hour." They said together. Mulder reached for his

shaving kit as Dana slipped past him into the hallway.
 
 

"Wait. I almost forgot." He said, reaching out and snatching her

arm. He joined her in the hall and began to pull her toward the

living room again. Dana went a few steps before she registered

what was happening.
 
 

"Mulder, what now?"
 
 

Mulder turned around and gave her a silly grin. "I might be wrong

but I think we have a little matter to attend to before we go."

Mulder saw her eyebrow arch up, demanding to know what he was

talking about. "Just trust me on this one. It'll only take a minute."

He gave her that look of his, the one he used when he really wanted

something and it worked.
 
 

Dana sighed and allowed him to pull her back into the living room.

He walked up to his desk and pulled her up against him so she

could look out the window.
 
 

"What?" She asked him, looking out into the darkened street.
 
 

Mulder chuckled and raised his hand to point to the roof-top across

from them. Dana looked up and saw nothing, at first. Then, slowly,

a figure rose up from behind the wall there. Mulder waved. The

figure waved back, then it reached down and pulled another figure

up beside it.
 
 

"Mulder, who is that?" The two figures turned then, and the bright

moonlight reflected off of their faces. "It's Shelley and Danny!"

Dana said. She looked around at Mulder to see him grinning. "How

did you know they were there?"
 
 

"When you said this was Shelley's idea, I figured she'd want to

follow through on her plan. Knowing Shelley, it makes sense,

doesn't it? She'd want to be sure I didn't screw this up, right?"
 
 

Dana looked at him in disbelief and then turned back toward the

window. Shelley was yelling something that neither of them

understood so Mulder reached down and cranked open the

window.
 
 

"What?" Dana called to her.
 
 

"I said, is everything okay over there?"
 
 

Dana looked up at Mulder, asking that same question with her eyes.

He cupped her cheek with his hand and stroked her face tenderly.

She raised her hand and took his, kissing his palm with the same

tenderness. Then she turned back toward the window.
 
 

"Everything is just perfect." Dana yelled back.
 
 

"Everything? Are you sure?" Shelley asked.
 
 

"Yes. I'll call you tomorrow." Dana answered her.
 
 

"Why bother with that? Why don't the two of you just yell across

the street again *tomorrow* night when I'm trying to sleep!" An

unknown man's voice bellowed from somewhere below Mulder's

apartment.
 
 

Dana covered her mouth in horror at having disturbed one of

Mulder's neighbors. She looked up at him with a guilty smile and

then turned to see Danny grab Shelley and start to drag her toward

the fire escape. Shelley waved one last time before they

disappeared into the shadows. Dana waved back and then turned

away from the window as Mulder leaned out.
 
 

"Sorry about the noise, Mr. Wilcox. We'll try to keep it down."
 
 

"I'll call the cops on you one of these days, Mr. Mulder! I swear I

will!" With that, Mr. Wilcox slammed his window shut.
 
 

"Mulder, I don't think he likes you." Dana said with a grin.
 
 

"I'll send him a fruit basket from the Vineyard as an apology."
 
 

Dana giggled and Mulder cranked the window shut. Then he

turned and slipped into her arms again. "So? Are you ready for

some rest and relaxation on the beach?" He asked, kissing the base

of her throat.
 
 

Dana leaned her head back, giving Mulder full access to the very

sensitive spot he'd just found. "Oh, is *that* what the kids are

calling it now?" She asked, the last word turning into a moan of

pleasure.
 
 

Mulder chuckled low in his throat and began to stumble toward the

bedroom, lifting her up off the floor. Dana reached up and wrapped

one arm around his neck while he gathered the rest of her up in his

arms. Carefully, he began to walk across the living room toward

the hall. Dana ran her hand through his hair.
 
 

"Mulder, if we keep this up, we'll never get to the Vineyard before

sunrise."
 
 

"See? That's the great thing about this place, Dana." He said,

bringing his head up to show her the renewed passion in his eyes.

"They have one damn near every morning."
 
 

She gave him a Ha-Ha-Very-Funny look and then quickly reached

out to grab the corner of the hallway. "Nevertheless, Mulder."
 
 

He didn't try to force her to let go. Instead, he stopped and set her

feet down on the floor. Then he waited for her to continue.
 
 

"We've decided to go, so we should go. And no matter how badly

we both want to do that--" she pointed toward the bedroom, "first,

if we do we'll never get there."
 
 

Mulder slumped against the wall and hung his head in defeat.

"You're right. Okay. But!" He said, snapping his head up to look at

her. "I have a slight change in plans. There's no sense in you

driving

all the way home and then me coming to get you. I can be ready in

like, five minutes. So, stay here, help me get the place ready to

leave

and then we'll head over to your house. Together."
 
 

"Okay, but we're not going to do that--" she pointed toward the

bedroom again, "when we get to my house, either. I kind of like the

idea of getting some sun and relaxing before we. . ."
 
 

Mulder nodded his understanding and agreement. "Deal. We've

waited four years to get this far, there's no sense in trying to catch

up all in one night."
 
 

With a quick kiss, they each went their separate ways. Within five

minutes, Mulder was completely packed and Dana had straightened

up the rest of the apartment. Leftovers were in the fridge and all

open flames had been extinguished.
 
 

Dana turned toward the hall just as Mulder came into the foyer

carrying his suitcase, overnight bag and her back-pack.
 
 

"Ready?" She asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.
 
 

"Yep." He said, walking toward the door and snatching his keys off

the table there.
 
 

Dana took her bag from him and opened the door. Mulder followed

her out and then turned around to pull it shut behind him. With a

last glance back into his apartment, the magnitude of what had

transpired over the last several hours occurred to him for the first

time. His entire life had changed over the course of one evening,

never to be the same again. The simple act of leaving his

apartment became a statement for that change. He wasn't just

leaving for a trip to the beach with Dana, he was leaving behind

what he had become over the years since Samantha's abduction.

The chains of loneliness and self-hatred that he always felt so

strongly in these rooms were being broken, and an overwhelming

sense of freedom and joy was replacing them.
 
 

He turned to look at Dana, curious as to whether she had any

knowledge of what was happening to him right now. The gentle

smile of understanding on her face left no doubt.
 
 

Never taking his eyes off of her, Mulder slammed his door shut.

Dana's eyes widened in brief shock and then she laughed.
 
 

"Mulder! You may come back from the beach and find that you've

finally pissed off enough neighbors to get yourself evicted." She

said, turning toward the elevator.
 
 

"Then I'd just have to move in with you." He waggled his eyebrows

at her.
 
 

"Oh, right. Wouldn't my mother love that! She'd be picking out

wedding invitations by the end of the week."
 
 

Mulder punched the down button. "I don't want a big wedding, I'd

rather elope. Get a quickie in Vegas, maybe."
 
 

Dana snorted. "Now, that you'll have to take up with her. My

mother has grand plans of the world's largest wedding waiting for

me. None of which involve the words 'quickie' or 'Vegas', I'm

afraid."
 
 

The doors opened and they stepped inside the lift. "Maybe so. But

once I remind her of the fact that the quicker the wedding, the

sooner the grandkids start to arrive, I'm sure she'll come around."
 
 

"Grandkids!" Dana said, punching the level-one button. "That's her

other favorite topic. She's already got several names picked out and

I just know she's been in contact with the local pre-schools--"
 
 

The elevator doors slid shut on their conversation just as Mr.

Wilcox came charging out of the stairwell. He stomped up to

door number 42 and began to pound on it.
 
 

"That's IT, Mr. Mulder! I've had all of you I'm going to take!

Slamming doors and yelling! Do you hear me?! I've already

called the cops and when they get here I'm going to tell them

everything! How you bounce that damn basketball over my head

until all hours of the morning! Not to mention the drive-by

shooting! Remember that?! Or that thing with the poisoned water?

I had to miss a week of work because of that! I'll have them evict

you, if it's the last thing I do! Are you listening to me, Mr. Mulder?

Mr. Mulder! MISTER MULLLLL-DERRRRRRR!"
 
 

********************************************************

THE END.
 
 

As always, feedback is highly appreciated! Good, bad, whatever.

Thank you everyone, for making my first story post so damn much

fun! Isn't this the greatest gig in the world??
 
 

Bye for now!

Laura Abel

dable@iglou.com