Title: An Eyeful Rating: NC-17 Disclaimer: CC wouldn't have ***** to do this, so it can't be his! Spoilers: Anything up to and including Pine Buff Variant Notes: I would be nothing without my beta readers Aly, Falconer, Goblin and Leslie Sholly. I would also like to thank Dan and Jules for their support as well. Feedback craved faloona4@home.com ********************************************************************** Mulder looked up from the file he was reading when Scully walked into the office carrying two cups of coffee. "What took you so long?" he queried. He watched as an eyebrow arched skyward. She set his cup down on his desk. "Don't even start with me, Mulder. First of all, the only reason I even make the coffee to begin with is because my stomach can't tolerate the tar that you call coffee. Second of all, the reason I took so long is because I had to go beg coffee from Kimberly. I could have sworn that there was enough coffee left on Friday to last this week. I guess someone else ran out and decided to use ours." He nodded. "Oh, I was just curious." He decided that this would not be the best time to tell her that when he had made himself a pot of tar on Saturday night, he had spilled the rest of the coffee on the floor. That would be admitting two things; that he had forgotten to replace the coffee and that he had no place better to be on a Saturday night. "New case?" she nodded towards the file in his hand and took a sip of her coffee. "Mmm hmm, Skinner just dropped it off," he motioned with his head for her to come and look at it. He watched as her eyes widened as she read the first page. "I've been following this case in the paper. Why are the FBI involved?" "The latest victim was picked up in D.C. and her body was found in Virginia." Mulder told her. "Another prostitute?" Scully asked, turning to the next page. "Yup, dressed like a kid,too, but she was 25," "This isn't even close to an X-file, Mulder. Why'd Skinner give it to us?" "He didn't. The official line was that they need all the people they can get, but Skinner also said no one would mind if I wanted to draw up a quick profile." Scully snorted. "The only reason your pet project is even tolerated, Mulder, is because they know they can count on you for things like this when they need you. After five victims in as many weeks they are starting to feel some heat, so they come running to you." "Best not to burn my bridges." He looked at his watch. It was eight-thirty. "Everyone is meeting in the 4th floor conference room at nine. I'm going to track down a couple of police reports," he told her. He took the file back from her and headed towards the door. "Skinner said you could join us if you've got nothing better to do." he called back as he headed towards the elevator. After Mulder tracked down the missing police reports he headed to the conference room to jot down a few more notes. There were approximately fifty law enforcement officers in the conference room; only nine were women, Mulder noticed immediately. An audible buzz began as Mulder made his way to the front of the room to join Skinner. He sat down and began to jot down a few more notes when something made him look up. Scully had come in and was taking a seat at the back. He wasn't surprised to see her. He was constantly amazed, however, that he could tell instantly whenever she entered a room. He could sense her, like they had a telepathic connection. Skinner stood up and quieted the room down. While he went over the preliminaries, Mulder collected his thoughts. He heard Skinner say his name so he stood to join him. "I know a lot of what I'm about to say has been covered in most of the other profiles that I've read, so I'll try to be brief." Mulder glanced at his notes before he began to address the room. "The killer is most likely a white male between 18 and 30, based on his preference for young women and girls. He's probably small and unassuming; your typical guy next door. I don't think he would've managed to graduate from high school, not because he wasn't smart enough; it was probably a self-esteem thing. For that same reason he can't hold down a job. He quits because he thinks he should paid more or get a promotion, but he never does anything to advance his own case. I know this sounds cliche but he doesn't feel like he has any control in the things that happen to him, like he doesn't have the power to change anything." Mulder looked over at Scully, expecting to see a smirk, but she remained stoic. She probably wouldn't think that this was an appropriate time for making jokes. Mulder decided to just forge ahead. "I think he takes these girls in retaliation for some real or imagined humiliation that he endured as a teen. It may have been no more than most kids usually go through in school, or it could have been very severe. In either case this humiliation that he suffered at the hands of his peers would only have compounded what was most likely a miserable homelife. He probably witnessed the physical or emotional abuse of his mother, who was also likely powerless to stop any abuse that her child or children might be subjected to. In whatever form that abuse may have taken it would only have served to increase his insecurity." Mulder glanced up to see heads nodding in agreement as he spoke. "Something must have happened recently in his life to trigger this killing spree. We know that it isn't likely that he has an underlying mental disorder, but we shouldn't count it out. He probably just doesn't have the capacity to deal with all the crap in his life. Some people's crap tolerance level isn't as high as most of ours is, maybe he just reached his limit." He got a few snickers out of the room. He was relieved. He knew they were listening, and it also served to diminish the almost palpable tension in the room. "I know that local law enforcement has taken to calling this guy the 'Lolita Killer' because of his preference for young girls, or prostitutes who dress like young girls, but I have been informed that our superiors would like us to refrain from using nicknames while we're in the field." Skinner nodded in agreement. Mulder continued with his analysis. "The fact that the faces of the victims were cut up so badly, indicates pent-up rage. The fact that he disfigured them at all says to me that he was trying to hide their identities, not from us, but from himself. He didn't want to see them for who they really were. Also, the fact that he covered them up so demurely must mean that he respected them, or who they represented to him in some way." Mulder drew a long breath. "Unfortunately, none of this narrows down the white male population between 18 and 30 enough to be of much use to us. On top of that we have very little physical evidence to go on. I know I said that I don't think that the killer made it through high school, but he apparently was still smart enough not to leave behind much physical evidence." Mulder opened the case file and looked at it. He hesitated momentarily. "Umm, I think my partner would do a better job of going over the forensic details of the case." Scully looked up in surprise, both eyebrows raised. Mulder tried to plead with his eyes. He saw her soften in resignation. She turned to her own copy of the forensic reported and scanned it briefly before she began to speak. "As Agent Mulder has already told you, the perpetrator didn't leave any significant physical evidence behind. No ejaculate was found at the scene, but we know that he used condoms, since condom wrappers were found near all the victims. This also indicates that he didn't move the bodies after death. Traces of Nonoxyl-9, a spermicide that is commonly used on condoms was found on each of the victims. Since all of the victims were prostitutes we can't be sure if it was a result of this specific sexual encounter. Two of the victims had a latex sensitivity which caused a telltale irritation of their vaginal lining, but again due to fact that they were prostitutes, this may have been from previous sexual activity. Several pubic hairs not consistent with the victim's were also recovered in each case. Unfortunately these hairs weren't consistent with each other, indicating more than one sexual partner. The only evidence that intercourse may have taken place is the presence of the condom wrappers. The only discernable prints on the wrappers were the victim's." Mulder watched her face as she spoke. If this was affecting her, there were no outward signs. She was standing there in her immaculate navy suit, looking like the consummate professional that she was, calmly detailing the forensic evidence. He suddenly felt guilty for making her talk about the most brutal aspect of the case; the part he felt uneasy discussing himself. He hoped that her years as a pathologist helped her to distance herself from the horrific nature of cases like this. All of his years with VICAP hadn't helped him in the least. She must have noticed how intently he was watching her because she glanced up at him. He nodded in what he hoped was encouragement. She took a deep breath and continued. "If there was any sexual activity, it wasn't brutal; there was no bruising or tearing of the victim's vaginal walls or bruising of the thighs. So, death occurred after the consensual sex and presumably, ejaculation," Scully told them in conclusion. Mulder picked up the reins again. "Now as Agent Scully said, death occurred after consensual sex. This leads me to believe that the killer was expecting something more from the victims than he was getting; not sexually but emotionally." "I suspect that the killer convinced himself that he was 'in love' with these girls and that they, in turn, loved him. When this turned out not to be the case...when he was laughed at, teased or turned down...that is when things got ugly." Mulder saw and heard everyone's agreement as people nodded and murmured as he spoke. "He killed them by strangling them with some article of their own clothing. The mutilation of the victims was all postmortem." As he spoke, Mulder watched Scully nod in agreement as well. "I think the only thing that could help us right now would be a decoy. Unfortunately, I don't think we have..." "I'll do it." All the heads turned to look at Agent Scully. Mulder shook his head. "What? You don't think I could pull it off?" she raised her eyebrow, mostly at Mulder. "All of the victims were much younger than you, Agent Scully." It was A.D. Skinner speaking. "I still get carded, sir, I don't think there will be any problem with the age thing, if that's all you're worried about," she challenged everyone in the room, but she was still looking mostly at Mulder. The room was silent. Gazes were shifting uneasily between Scully, Skinner and Mulder, waiting for one of them to speak. "Let me go and get ready. I'll have to buy a few things. If everyone agrees that I can pull it off, then that'll be that," she told them. Mulder shrugged. Skinner gave his consent by nodding, and suddenly the room was buzzing. "I'll be back here by one," she said loudly, so that Skinner could hear. Skinner nodded and Scully headed for the door of the conference room. Mulder practically had to run to catch up with her in the hall. He reached for her arm. "What Mulder?" she said without turning around. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "Don't do this, Scully." "I thought you said you needed a decoy." He nodded. "You don't think I could pull off 25?" He frowned, "Of course I think you can. It's just...well...dammit, Scully, it's too dangerous." "Back there you were going to say that there weren't any female officers that fit the bill, weren't you?" He nodded again. "I think I can fit the bill, Mulder. It's my job. You can't let your personal feelings get involved here. I know you like to leave me behind when it might get dangerous; but that hasn't stopped me from being at risk, has it? I'll be well protected. I have to do this, Mulder, with or without your blessing. I have to do what I can to stop him. You've done what you do best. Now let me do something." She didn't wait for him to answer. She turned and walked down the hall. An Eyeful: 2/6 At five to one Scully showed up at the conference room. Everyone stared at her as she walked to the front of the room. She was wearing a trench coat, so they couldn't see what she was wearing, but her hair and make-up had them convinced already. She had the sides of her hair pulled up into a scrunch and the rest of her hair was curled and teased. She was wearing dark eyeliner and deep blue shadow. She had highlighted her cheeks with rouge and she was wearing candy apple red lipstick, but no foundation. The freckles seemed to jump off her face. Mulder was watching her intently. She looked fifteen. She was pulling it off no problem. He couldn't help wondering what she was wearing underneath the trench coat. All he could see was black leather boots. At one o'clock everyone was seated, looking at Scully with silent anticipation. No one more so than Mulder. Skinner nodded. Scully took off the trench coat and put it on the chair beside her. There were several gasps in the room. Mulder's cock began to grow hard immediately. A lot of the male officers were shifting around in their seats. The few women in the room were staring, wide eyed. Scully grinned and started working on a piece of gum. She was wearing a white blouse that she had rolled up and tied just beneath her breasts. None of the buttons were done up. The black lace push-up bra she was wearing underneath was plainly visible. Her breasts were spilling out of her shirt. At her hips began a few inches of pleated tartan cloth that ended just below her buttocks. The black leather boots came just above her knees. She turned to give everyone the full picture. Her tattoo was in full view. She cracked her gum. "So...whaddya think?" "Is there anyone here who thinks Agent Scully can't pull this off?" Skinner asked the room. There was complete silence. "Okay...we know this guy strikes early, so I say we hit the streets by eight. He hasn't picked anyone up later than ten. So if there's nothing by midnight we try again tomorrow. Agent Scully, could you please wait...I need to arrange a few details. Agent Mulder will be handling who goes where tonight, so see him for your assignments." Skinner spoke loudly to be heard over the din in the room. He made his way over to Scully. "We are going to set you up with a small body mike...although I have no idea where we're going to put it, and an earpiece. We will have other female agents there and some guys in drag...there will always be someone close. Mulder will be across the street in a black Camaro with tinted windows. He insisted. He already seemed to know that you'd be able to pull this off. I must say, Agent Scully, you really surprised me. You look great! I mean, well..." "I know what you mean sir. I knew I could do this because I spend most of my time trying not to look like this...fifteen, I mean." He smiled, "Okay...be back here at six to get wired and briefed." She nodded and headed for the door. "Scully! Wait up!" Mulder hurried towards her. "Are you finished already?" "I delegated...Can I drive you home?" "You wanna carry my books, too?" she grinned at him and blew a bubble. They headed out of the door together. Mulder had his hand on the small of her back, as usual, except now it was skin on skin. Mulder noticed that his hand was on her tattoo. "The tattoo helps," he commented. "I knew it would come in useful sometime," she smiled up at him. Being this close to her right now might be dangerous. Surely with all her medical training she would be able to spot his arousal instantly. He decided to just press on and hope for the best. Once they were in the car Mulder cleared his throat. "Can I ask you a couple of personal questions, Scully?" "Shoot." "What happened to your breasts...I mean...when did you get so... I mean..." She laughed, "It's the bra, Mulder. It's got these silicone things sewn into the bottom of the cup. It's designed not only to push the breasts up, but also to make them look bigger and fuller. Models use them all the time. I thought if I really wanted to catch someone's eye, this might help." "You don't need help to catch anyone's eye, Scully. If you were solely interested in turning men's heads, you know that you could if you wanted to. You dress to hide your body." "I guess I'm not interested in any man who is only interested in my body." Mulder fell silent. "You said you had a couple of personal questions, Mulder." "Oh, yeah...Um...are you wearing any...Um...panties?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why do you ask?" she laughed and turned to look at him. "When you did your little spin... well, we all got an eyeful," his voice was very quiet. "Oh, sorry about that...and I'm wearing a thong." "I didn't say it was a bad eyeful." "Thanks, I think, Mulder," she laughed. It certainly wasn't a bad eyeful at all, Mulder thought to himself. He just wished everyone else didn't have to get an eyeful of what he considered his. He pulled up in front of her building. "So I assume you are picking me up?" Scully asked as she stepped out of the car. "Yeah...in the Camaro...at about 5:30. What are you going to do for the rest of the afternoon?" "Try to get some sleep, I think. It's going to be a long night," she smiled, "See you at 5:30." Mulder watched her walk into her building. He didn't drive away until she came to her living room window to wave. It made him feel more at ease to know she was safely inside, and she granted him this little concession. Sleep, he thought to himself, even if I deal with this raging hard-on, what gave it to me will still be burned into my eyes...I certainly won't be getting any shut-eye. Mulder was at her door at 5:25. He waited while Scully pulled on her boots, watching with rapt attention. He opened the car door for her, she looked at him questioningly. "Opening my door, Mulder?" He realized she must know something was up. He just shrugged it off without answering her question. He was silent for a couple of minutes, trying to decide whether or not he should tell her how he was feeling. She sat quietly while he drove, either not noticing his dilemma or just waiting patiently for him to come out with it. He couldn't tell which. Finally he took a deep breath. "I'm still really not very comfortable with this, Scully. I think it's too dangerous. No one would think less of you if you decided to back out, you know." "I'm not going to back out, Mulder...but I am curious about something," "What's that?" "Who, exactly, do you think you are to have any say in this? This is my decision. It has nothing to do with you." The shock was evident on his face. "Your friend!" "My friends don't tell me how to do my job. Do yours?" "Okay, your partner, then." "As my partner and fellow FBI agent you know that this kind of work is occasionally expected of us. You took a deep cover assignment that almost cost you your life without telling me what was going on, never mind looking for my approval." She pointed out. "Am I nothing more to you than your partner and friend?" "What else is there Mulder?" He said nothing. "I guess you're my best friend, Mulder and I don't want you to misunderstand. I do appreciate your concern, but you have to admit that this is my decision. The only thing that might hold me back Mulder would be if I had kids." "So if you were involved with anyone and they didn't want you to do this, you still would?" he asked. "I guess if I was involved in some sort of long-term relationship I might understand that person being concerned." "Don't we have a long-term relationship?" "I meant an intimate relationship, Mulder." He was quiet. They pulled into the underground parking at the J. Edgar Hoover building and headed up to the conference room. Skinner was there already. He headed towards them when he saw them. "There's a small room back here with all the electronic equipment. Let's get you wired and then test it out," he told them. They followed him into a room that had a small table in the centre of it that held all kinds of monitoring devices. Skinner picked up a body mike. He looked at it and then he looked at Scully. "I think you're going to have to handle this on your own, Agent Scully," he said, a little uncomfortable. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes," she said, taking a small roll of duct tape with her. She came back to the conference room about five minutes later. She walked over to Mulder. "Well?" she asked. "Well what?" "Can you see the mike?!" "Well, I didn't want to look too closely," he told her. "Well, out there tonight I'm sure I'm going to be inspected closely. So could you please look closely to see if you can see it?" He looked at her chest, a little longer than he found comfortable. He shook his head. "Nope, I see plenty...but no sign of a mike." "Sit in a chair, backwards," she told him. "Why?" "Just do it, Mulder!" He turned a chair around and sat on it. She put her hands on the back of the chair and leaned forward like she would if she was leaning into a car to talk to someone. "How about now?" she asked. Mulder was looking at her face. She was completely serious. He lowered his eyes to her chest. He was getting the full picture. Not much was being left to his imagination, but it was still working overtime, anyway. "I still don't see the mike...Oh and Scully, if we have to do this again, please ask one of the female agents to check you out." She stood up quickly. "Sorry, Mulder...I didn't mean to bother you," she spun around and started to walk away. He jumped up and went after her. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. "Scully...it's not that you're bothering me," he lowered his voice and leaned in close to her ear. "It's that I'm getting hot and bothered, okay? Just because we are partners and friends doesn't mean I'm not going to react when you shove your breasts in my face." "Sorry, Mulder...I thought you wanted me to be safe. I'm sorry if you can't keep your hormones under control long enough to make sure your partner and friend is not going ruin this operation by being caught wearing a mike. I won't bother you again." She tried to turn around and walk away from him, but he was still gripping her arm. "Scully, I--" he wanted to defend himself. "Let go of my arm, Mulder. I'm sure you don't want to make more of a scene then we already are." Mulder dropped her arm. He glanced around the room. Almost everyone was staring at them. He pursed his lips. He would have to apologize later. Scully had already walked away, and she was far too pissed at him right now to listen to anything he had to say. Skinner was calling for quiet. "Okay, people! It's time to get this show on the road." continued in 3/6 An Eyeful: 3/6 Mulder sat in the Camaro across the street from Scully and watched as yet another luxury car slowed to a stop in front of her. It had been that way all night; a long line of business men in expensive cars stopping to pick her up. Mulder could understand exactly how they felt. If he had been cruising by and seen Scully standing on the street looking the way she did, he sure as hell would be stopping to try and pick her up. The only notable exception to the parade of businessmen had been a thin young man who told Scully that she reminded him of his former girlfriend. She had them all drive to a pre-arranged location where they were promptly arrested. Upon his arrest, the young man crumpled and confessed to every sin he had ever committed. After some initial checks, including a call to his parents, it appeared that he had an alibi for at least three of the murders. In fact, at the time of the most recent murder he had been in Ohio playing with his college band at a football game. Mulder watched as Scully leaned in through the window of the car. As the night wore on he could tell she was getting more and more tired. He could hear it in her voice. "Looking for a date?" he heard her ask. "I sure am, sweetie. How much will it cost me?" the sound of the man's voice made Mulder's skin crawl. "That depends on what you're after?" Scully sounded coy. "With those luscious lips, baby, I'd really love a blow job." Mulder clenched his jaw. It was driving him nuts listening to all these men talk to Scully like this all night. He would have gladly strangled each and every one if he'd been able to get his hands on them. "A blow job'll cost you twenty," she told him. "Really, only twenty? How much for me to play with your tits, too?" "Son of a bitch," Mulder growled. "Take it easy, Mulder," Skinner's voice sounded in his ear. "If you want me to take my shirt off, too, that'll cost you another twenty." It stunned Mulder that Scully could sound so cheerful when he knew this had to be killing her. "Get in the car, sweetie, we got a date." Mulder watched as Scully got into the car. "So where are we going to do this, honey?" "Here in the car is fine with me. There is an alley just around the corner where we won't be disturbed," Scully directed him to the preset location. It was the time that Scully spent alone in the car with these men that scared Mulder the most. They could drive away with her and do some serious harm to her before anyone could catch up and stop them. "Anyone ever tell you that you've got really nice tits?" Mulder could practically hear the john drool. "Yeah, I hear that a lot." There was silence from the car for few seconds. "Why don't you wait until we stop, so I can take my shirt off?" Mulder wondered what was going on in the car, now. "Naw, I like the way they feel through your shirt. I can hardly wait until you get that shirt off. Why don't you take it off now?" "Sorry, I want to see the colour of your money first," Scully stalled him. "You're a shrewd businesswoman for a whore," he sneered. "Gotta pay the rent and I can't do that if I just give it away, can I?" she countered. "Well, here we are and here's the cash. Now I want to see those tits!" Mulder was relieved to hear a rap on the car window. "What the..." the man started. Mulder heard the power window as it went down. "Could you step out the car please, sir?" Mulder heard Agent Montero request. "Why, this young lady and I haven't broken any laws," he tried to defend himself. "This young lady is a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Scully's tone was decidedly cold. "No shit!" the man was amazed. "No shit, step out of the car please," Montero asked again. "What's this all about? Surely you're not going to bust me because I was looking for a little action, are you?" "Offering money in return for sexual acts is against the law, here sir." "Yeah, but why is the FBI involved in a shakedown?" "I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you, sir. Come with me, I'll take you to the police station." "Damn, I thought she looked to good to be true." At least he had one thing going for him, Mulder thought, he had good taste in women. He saw Scully reappear from the alley and he watched as she strolled back to her corner. It was 11:30 p.m. and Mulder was ready to call it quits. Skinner was apparently feeling the same because he decided that they had picked up enough of D.C.'s sexually frustrated for one night and told everyone to pack it in for the night. Mulder started his car and circled around to pick up Scully. She leaned into the window when Mulder lowered it. "Looking for a date?" she asked. "I think I only have twenty bucks on me," Mulder told her. "That'll only get you a blow job," she grinned as she got into the car. In their earpieces they heard several snorts and guffaws. Skinner congratulated everyone on their efforts that evening and reminded everyone to meet the following evening at six. Scully removed her earpiece and mike and put them in the purse that she had left in the car. Mulder put his in the ashtray. "I thought for a little while that we had him there," Mulder told her as he drove away. "Mmm, me too," she told him. They were quiet for a while as Mulder drove towards Georgetown. "You did really well out there tonight, Scully. I can't imagine how it must feel to put yourself on display like that." "I felt pretty naked," she admitted. "You were almost naked," Mulder pointed out. "It seemed to get the job done. We didn't get the guy, but maybe he wasn't out trolling tonight." "You certainly seemed to strike a lot of men's fancies." "Including yours?" she wanted to know. "I don't think any of the guys out there could help but be affected, Scully." "I thought you preferred 'experienced' women, Mulder," she challenged him. "I'm not into little girls, Scully, but you hardly look like a child." "So what's the attraction then?" "For those of us that know you,I think it was the transformation." "From tight-assed Agent Scully, to Dana, the pretty little whore." "No one thinks you're a whore, Scully." "I know, Mulder. I know what everyone thinks. Maybe that's why I got such a big of a kick out of it myself. Sometimes it's fun to shock people. Especially you." "You didn't shock me." "Okay. It was fun to see how much my transformation turned you on." He looked at her sideways. "Fun! A couple of hours ago you were chewing me out for being turned on." "At that point, Mulder, I needed you to have your head clear. Even though I knew I was doing the right thing, I was still nervous. You telling me that it was turning you on was not what I needed to hear." "So now you don't mind that I think you look..." his voice trailed off. She leaned closer to him and put her hand on his thigh. "Why does it embarrass you all of sudden to admit that you're turned on by the pretty little whore?" She ran her hand up his thigh a few inches. "Scully!" She shook her head. "The pretty little whore is called Dana." Her hand was only a few inches from the bulge in his jeans now. "What are you doing?" he voice was hoarse. "Giving you what you want." She unbuckled her seatbelt and knelt on her seat. Mulder was wide-eyed. "What is it that you think I want?" He almost lost control of the car when her hand moved to his erection. "A blow job from the pretty little whore." Her hand left his lap and she began to untie her blouse. "Jesus!" Mulder breathed. She tossed it onto the floor of the car. She sat back on her heels and began to unhook her bra. Mulder was starting to have trouble breathing. Scully tossed her bra onto the floor, on top of her shirt. She leaned over him and began patting his pockets, her bare breasts brushing up against him. "What the hell are you doing, Scully?" his voice was raspy. "Looking for your wallet...and the name is Dana." She reached underneath him, trying to feel for his back pockets. "Jackpot!" she grinned when she felt his wallet. She slid her hand into his pocket and struggled to free the wallet. Mulder lifted up off the seat, and she retrieved his wallet quickly. "Thanks," she grinned, opening up the wallet. "I hope you don't mind that I copped a feel while I was at it." Mulder looked at her, his eyes as big as saucers, and shook his head. She took the twenty out of Mulder's wallet. "Well I guess you can consider that a freebie, since you only have the twenty." She took the money and tucked it into the waistband of her skirt. She reached over and caressed his erection through his jeans. The car swerved within the lane. She chuckled. "Maybe you should pull over, Mulder. If you can't control the car when I'm just touching you through your jeans, how are you going to manage when your cock is in my mouth?" He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. They were already in Georgetown on a quiet residential street. Mulder pulled into the first free spot he saw. He turned the car off and quickly turned to face Scully. "What is going on? Why are you doing this?" he panted. "I thought you wanted me to," she reached for his fly, and began to unzip it, "but I'll stop if that's what you'd prefer." Mulder grabbed her wrist as she was about to reach into his jeans. His breath was coming in short gasps now. "I don't want you to stop. Please tell me you're not screwing with me." "Nope, you don't have enough money for that, just a blow job." He let go of her wrist. "Cause if you stop now, I can't be held responsible for my actions." "We are always responsible for our actions, Mulder," she told him as she reached into his jeans. He groaned as her hand grasped his cock through his boxers. "Mmmm, why would you let something this impressive go to waste for so long? Didn't you're mother teach you to share?" He mumbled something incoherent in response. She leaned over and pressed her lips against him through his boxers. "Jesus!" he gasped. Scully pulled his cock out of the opening in his boxers. She ran her hand up and down its length. Mulder moaned at the sensation. He was still having a difficult time believing that this was actually happening. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve this, but he didn't want to stop and discuss it right now, either. As Scully's lips closed around the head of his cock, he quickly realized he wouldn't be capable of intelligent thought, not for a while anyway. Good God, she was good at this, although he couldn't remember ever having had a bad blow job. He couldn't remember a whole hell of a lot at this instant. He could only feel. He could feel her tongue swirling around his shaft, her lips gliding along its length, her teeth occasionally grazing him. He felt her hand grasp him firmly, and it began to follow the path her mouth was taking up and down his cock. He was stroking her hair. His mouth was forming incomprehensible words. He felt his balls tighten as his orgasm approached. He tried to say something to warn her, but as his climax overtook him he wasn't sure if he had managed to say anything. When his mind and body began to recover from the incredible heights she had taken him to, he realized that Scully had already put her shirt back on. "Scully...that was..." he started. "Why is it that you keep forgetting to call me Dana? So much for your eidetic memory." "Sorry," he mumbled. "Never mind, you're probably just as tired as I am. Are you okay to drive now? I can't wait to get into a hot bath. I'm sure I'm going to sleep the sleep of the dead tonight." "Yeah, I'm okay to drive," he told her as he started the car again. They drove in silence for a while. "Dana?" "Mmmm?" "I think we should talk," he ventured. "Not tonight, I'm too tired." "Are you sure?" "Very sure!" she said emphatically as he pulled up in front of her building. "Okay, see you tomorrow then, Scu--Dana." "Night," she mumbled as she got out of the car. Mulder waited for her to come to the window. He saw the light go on. He waited...nothing. He dialed her phone number. The phone rang once and then went straight to the machine. He tried her cell phone, but she had turned it off. He sat there wondering if he should go to the door. What if something was wrong? What if someone had broken in? No, she said she was tired. She probably headed straight to the tub. He decided to wait until she turned off the lights. His mind was racing too much for him to sleep right now, anyway. Scully was acting very strangely. It wasn't only the blow job, but her whole demeanor before and after. He had never seen her flirt like that or talk so suggestively before. Next came a mind altering blow job. Then she had become so incredibly cold. Not the usual Scully aloofness, but really icy. Could she be that pissed because he came in her mouth? He had tried to warn her. Had he done something wrong? Did he say something during his orgasm? He didn't think he had said anything that was even close to intelligible. Had she misinterpreted something he'd mumbled in the heat of passion? He would have to wait until tomorrow to ask her. On top of everything else he couldn't figure out what this "Dana" crap was. She was Scully to him; always would be. He really hoped that she didn't actually want him to call her Dana now that they had taken their relationship to a new level. He looked at her window, still hoping that she would remember to wave to him. Even if she remembered now, she would probably assume that he was long gone, he mused. Eventually he saw a shadow pass the window and the living room light went out. He sighed and started the car. If they had just taken their relationship to a new level, why did he feel so damned empty? continued in 4/6 An Eyeful: 4/6 Mulder slept late the following morning. He had been up far into the night mulling over the events of the previous day. As soon as he was somewhat conscious he phoned Scully. He got the machine again. He tried her cell, but it was still turned off. He figured she must still be sleeping. He really needed to talk to her. He had been trying to tell her how he felt for so long and something always screwed it up. Now she had taken the initiative, but it hadn't turned out at all like he had expected. He thought that when one of them finally dared to make the first move, they would fall into each others arms and spend eternity in sexual bliss. He did not expect Scully to become cold and distant. She usually only got like that when she was really pissed at him. Why the hell would she be so pissed off at him? He had definitely missed something. He would have to go over there and find out. By the time Mulder was on his way it was close to noon. He had tried to call Scully several times, but she still wasn't answering. He found a spot in front of her building and parked his car. He didn't see hers; maybe she had parked around back. He bounded up the stairs to her apartment, knocked loudly on the door and waited; no answer. He knocked again...nothing. He used his key and went in. He called her name as he walked through the apartment, but there was no sign of her. He plunked himself down on her couch with his head in his hands. He sat there, wracking his brain, trying to figure out what was going on. He lifted his head and looked around the room. Everything was so Scully. It was the little things that seemed to remind him of her the most; the votive holder she had picked up when they were in New Haven on a case, and the engraved sterling picture frame that cradled a picture of Emily. He could smell her perfume lingering in the air. There was a hint of something else, too. Probably something she used in her bath water. By just breathing deeply he could imagine that she was there, but the sinking feeling in his gut told him that things were not right. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt like something was missing. It wasn't anything tangible. Whatever it was, it was making him edgy. If he could just talk to her, he needed to see her, hear her voice, then everything would be fine. He went to the office hoping she might have gone into work. The office door was still locked when he got there and there was no indication that anyone had been there since yesterday. Mulder sat down at his desk and switched on his monitor. He had several new e-mail messages; none were from Scully. He called Skinner's office to see if Scully had checked in. Kimberly was a little perplexed at the question, but told him that no, she had not heard from Scully either. Mulder spent the rest of the afternoon reading his e-mail, going over case files, straightening his desk drawers and phoning Scully about every fifteen minutes. It seemed to take forever for six o'clock to arrive. At five to the hour Mulder headed to the conference room. He tried to appear nonchalant, scanning the room as he strode in, but there was still no sign of Scully. He spotted Skinner standing near the front of the room and headed that way. "Sir, have you seen Agent Scully yet?" he tried not to sound panicked. "What? Oh, yeah, she's just getting wired," Skinner seemed distracted. Mulder wondered if his relief was visible. "Something wrong, sir?" "Just trying to make sure we aren't missing anything," he was flipping through the case file, "To be perfectly honest, Agent Mulder, I'm nervous about Agent Scully putting herself out there like this. We can't control everything." Mulder took a long shaky breath. "I know how you feel, sir, I'm worried about Scully,too. I wish she wasn't going out there again." "I wouldn't try to stop her, Mulder," Skinner warned. "You're right about that, sir, she'd kick my ass." Mulder was still laughing when Scully came into the conference room. He stopped abruptly. His cock reacted immediately at the sight of her. He watched her walked over to join a small group of female officers who were also dressed as hookers. As she walked towards them she scanned the room. Mulder waited for her to make eye contact with him, but her gaze passed over him without recognition. That confirmed it for him. She was definitely angry with him, but why? There was no time to talk to her about this now. He planned to drive her home after the stakeout again and this time he would find out what was going on. Skinner was calling for everyone's attention. It was time for Mulder to think about the case again. He hadn't thought about it since he picked Scully up last night. He hoped this operation would be over soon. For some reason when he and Scully had to liaise with other agencies or even with other departments within the bureau, things always got tense between them. Everything seemed to move along much more smoothly when it was just the two of them. Skinner nudged him out of his reverie; everyone was leaving. "She'll be fine, Mulder. We have a lot of good people looking out for her." Mulder nodded. "I know, sir." "Doesn't make you feel any better, does it?" Skinner noted. "Not in the least," Mulder admitted. In the first half hour of the stakeout Scully had already attracted two more of D.C.'s upstanding citizens. Mulder feared that they would waste another night's work arresting businessmen. He watched and listened closely as Scully's latest customer pulled to a stop in front of her. She leaned into the window of what appeared to be a family station wagon. Mulder was surprised to hear a young voice in his ear. "Hi Cindy," the voice sounded cheerful. "Am I Cindy?" Scully asked brightly. "Of course you are, who else would you be?" the voice sounded a little confused. "Okay, sweetie, are you looking for a date?" "Cindy! Of course I am. We've been planning this for a week now. Sorry I'm a little late. My dad was getting on my case." Alarm bells were going off in Mulder's head, and a few other people's as well, if the muttering in his ear was any indication. If this was the guy, he was making it pretty easy for them. He seemed to be fitting Mulder's profile to a tee. Mulder hoped he wouldn't turn out to be a dud like the kid yesterday. Scully got into the car after he opened it for her. "I can't remember what we had planned for tonight," she prompted. "Cindy, I hope your not trying to tell me that you've changed your mind, again. There's only so much a guy can take, you know," the pitch of his voice was rising. "No, of course not. I just can't remember where we planned to go." Scully was speaking softly to him, trying to keep him calm. "That's because I haven't told you yet. It's a surprise. It's a special place, really secluded. No one will be able to disturb us." The car pulled away from the curb. Skinner's voice was suddenly loud in his ear. "Mulder, you follow first, then Ramirez, then Phillips and then me. I don't want any black-and-whites within a mile of them. Mulder, you'll have to be our eyes." Mulder swung out to follow them, staying about half a block behind. He could hear Scully talking. From what she was saying, he knew that she realized that this was the guy. "Why can't we just get a motel room?" Scully tried to sway him. "We've been over this before. I will not cheapen our first time by checking into some sleazy motel room like you were nothing but a common whore!" "Why does it make me a common whore to want our first time to be in a bed?" Scully asked reasonably. "I know you'd like it to be in a bed, Cindy and I promise that as soon as I get a raise, I'll move out of my parent's place and we can be together, always." Mulder couldn't imagine how Scully must be feeling, trapped in the car with this loser, but the sound of this guy's voice was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He was constantly relaying the location of the car to the team as he followed them towards the bridge that led into Arlington. Skinner's voice was in his ear again. "Okay, Mulder, time for you to drop back. Ramirez you take the lead now." Mulder looked into his rearview mirror at Ramirez. "Don't worry, Mulder, I won't lose her," Ramirez tried to assure him. Mulder took the next right. He circled the block, waited until he saw Skinner's car pass, and then pulled in behind. Mulder wasn't at all comfortable being this far away from Scully. He needed to see what was going on, hearing wasn't enough. He was far enough away that he was having trouble hearing what was going on in the car. Then he and Skinner got stopped at a red light. Mulder was having a hard time even hearing Agent Phillips now. "Come on, come on," he tried to urge the light. "Calm down, Mulder, everything's under control," Skinner assured him. "I don't think I like having you in my head, sir," Mulder quipped. He heaved a sigh of relief as the light finally changed. "The feeling is mutual, Agent Mulder, believe me." Mulder followed closely behind Skinner as they headed in the direction the station wagon had last been heading. "I can't hear them anymore, sir, can you?" Mulder was still obsessing. "I'm in radio contact with a police helicopter that is following them, too, Agent Mulder. Everything is under control," Skinner informed him. "Now I know why you get the big bucks," Mulder chuckled. "We ran the plates on the wagon. It's registered to a Martin Kellington, of Alexandria. They ran that name and Mr. Kellington is 52, married with two kids, a girl, Sarah and a boy, Peter," Skinner continued, ignoring Mulder's remark. "They appear to be heading towards rural northwest Virginia, probably close to site where the latest victim was found." Mulder was silent as he followed Skinner out of Arlington. "The Virginia State Troopers have been called and are joining us. They are going to try to close in from the other direction, although the area is only serviced by dirt roads, so it's not very accessible." "I hope he doesn't spot them and panic." "They're professionals, Mulder. They won't screw up." Skinner's words were of little reassurance to Mulder. He didn't like Scully's safety being in someone else's hands. That was his department. He knew that she resented his need to be protective of her, but she was the single most important person in his life. He didn't think he would be capable of dealing with losing her. Her battle with cancer had almost killed him, too. The fear of pushing her away was the reason he had been reluctant to tell her that he wanted their relationship to become intimate. He thought about what had happened last night. It seemed that his worst fear had been realized, and for the life of him he didn't know why. continued in 5/6 An Eyeful 5/6 While Mulder was thinking about what had happened after the stakeout last night they had driven out of the suburbs surrounding Arlington on I-66 and were approaching Haymarket in northern Virginia. "How much, farther, sir?" Mulder broke the silence. "He's turning off onto what the guys in the chopper are calling little more than a cart track. It's halfway between Haymarket and the intersection of Virginia State Highway 245 and I-66. It's not on any of the maps. They're only a couple of miles ahead of us now. Phillips is on their tail, but he's dropped back quite a bit. Too easy to be conspicuous out here." "Right," Mulder agreed. They drove in silence briefly. "Okay, the station wagon has stopped about 200 yards in from the road. The troopers are going to go in on foot," Mulder's earpiece began to pick up voices again as they approached the rest of the group. Suddenly he could hear Scully's voice again. "Did you remember to bring the condoms?" "You said you were going to bring them," his voice sounded agitated, like it had earlier. "Oh...umm, I forgot," she told him quietly. "Forgot! Why are you always so stupid?" Mulder tensed up immediately. "Can't we just drive back to town and get some? I've got money." "No! Now you've ruined everything!" Mulder and Skinner had finally reached the turn off. The area was heavily wooded on both sides of the main road. The deepening twilight gave the woods an eerie quality. The small amount of sunlight left was not penetrating into the forest. Mulder pulled off the road quickly and slammed the car into park. He jumped out and started to run towards the trail. "Dammit, Mulder, not yet!" Skinner's voice sounded harsh through his earpiece. Mulder ignored him and kept running. The narrow path was bounded by old-growth hardwoods. "How does that ruin everything?" Scully wanted to know. "It was going to be perfect and now you've gone and spoiled it." "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Sorry! If you think you're sorry now..." his voice had become hard. Mulder's heart was pounding as he raced down the path. He rounded a corner and the trees on either side of him seemed to give way and the station wagon appeared in front of him. He saw the passenger door open. Scully fell to the ground with the suspect on top of her. Several state troopers materialized from the woods with their guns leveled. Mulder stopped abruptly. "Police!" one of them yelled. The suspect jumped to his feet and started to run. Scully grabbed his leg and hauled him back down. He kicked at her and scrambled away. She yelped in pain and brought a hand to her face. The troopers began to fire as soon as he was clear of her. Mulder rushed over to his partner. "Let me see. Are you okay?" he tried to move her hand away. She pulled away and stood up. "I'll be fine. It's just a bloody nose," her voice was muffled. Mulder nodded. "Did you hit him?" he called to one of the troopers. "If we did, we just winged him. He's off into the woods." Mulder looked back to Scully. "I'm fine. Go...don't let him get away." That was all Mulder needed to hear. He started off in the direction that he had last seen the suspect heading. There was a lot of undergrowth in the woods, so it was slow going. It did, however, make it easy to follow the trail. Mulder could hear someone crashing through the bush about twenty yards ahead of him. He could hear other people following him, and approaching from both sides. He thought that maybe he was getting closer to whoever was in front of him because the sounds were getting closer. His eyes had adjusted to the deepening darkness and he could see a dark form about ten yards ahead. "You might as well just give up, Peter" Mulder called to him. "If you're hit, you'll just bleed to death out here." "Please don't hurt me," he whimpered. "You think you deserve mercy?" "Please!" Kellington begged. Mulder was only a few feet from him now, his gun drawn. "After what you did to those girls, why should I be merciful?" "Those bitches!" he hissed, "They deserved everything they got. We made love and all they were interested in was money. They wouldn't even kiss me." "They were prostitutes, Peter. They had sex with you because you paid them to." "No." "Let me see your hands, Peter. Put them behind your head and lace your fingers." "She loved me." Mulder finally reached him. He grabbed him and spun him around. "That was my partner you had in your car tonight, Peter. You hurt her." "She loved me, too." "Did you hear what I said, you son of a bitch? You hurt my partner!" Mulder was yelling now. He raised his right arm to give the kid a backhanded pistol-whipping, when a shout stopped him. "Hey, Mulder!" It was Agent Phillips. "Careful there, I'm sure you don't want this guy walking on a technicality." Mulder lowered his hand. Phillips cuffed Kellington and started to walk him out of the woods. The trip out seemed to take forever. Kellington kept stumbling and falling. Finally Mulder and Phillips each took one of his arms and practically dragged him out of the forest. When they emerged a couple of state troopers grabbed Kellington and shoved him into the back of one the cars they had pulled into clearing. Mulder looked around the clearing. It was alive with activity. He couldn't see Scully. He spotted Skinner heading towards him. "Where's Scully?" Mulder asked when Skinner got closer. "She went with Ramirez. She was exhausted and she wanted to get cleaned up," Skinner told him. "Is she okay?" "A little shaken up, but other than that I think she's fine. She said her nose wasn't broken. It had stopped bleeding by the she left." "What about her car?" Mulder asked. "She said she was going to drop off some stuff at work and get her car before she headed home," Skinner informed him. "If Phillips hadn't stopped me, I probably would have killed that bastard for hurting her. Are you letting Virginia keep him? Most of the victims were killed in D.C. or Maryland," Mulder nodded towards Kellington. "He's a citizen of this state, Mulder. Besides, Virginia has the death penalty," Skinner shrugged. "So does Maryland, and even though D.C. law doesn't allow capital punishment, federal law does," Mulder argued. "I'm not really up for a jurisdictional fight over this guy, Mulder. Virginia has the highest execution rate in the nation, but if they can't convict him, Maryland can try." "Just as long as this bastard gets what he deserves," Mulder raged. "Well, we aren't the only one around here who want a piece of him," Skinner's reminded him. "Right, sir. Do you still need me here?" "No, it's been a long night, you can head home, too, if you like," Mulder could see from the look on Skinner's face that his superior knew damn well where he was going. "Right. I'll see you tomorrow, sir." Skinner nodded and Mulder turned to head back down the path. After he rounded the bend he broke into a jog. He really needed to talk to Scully. As he sped along the highway towards Arlington, Mulder's thoughts were centered on his partner. He knew that Scully wasn't badly hurt, but whenever she was injured it was like he had been punched him in the gut, too. What made it worse was that he knew that Scully was angry with him for something. He figured it had something to with the blow job she had given him last night, but he wasn't sure what. It wasn't like he had asked her to do that. He thought he had tried to make sure that it was something that she wanted to do. Maybe when she had asked to go home he should have refused. Maybe he should have insisted on going inside with her. Mulder was glad he wasn't asked to draw up profiles on women very often, they confused the hell out of him. When Mulder finally pulled into the underground parking of the J.Edgar Hoover building he was relieved to see that Scully's car was still there. The lot was almost deserted so he pulled in right beside her. He decided to wait for her there. He didn't want to risk missing her in the building. He got out and leaned up against his car to wait. He had barely settled his butt against the car when he heard heels clicking on the concrete. He straightened up and turned towards the sound. He felt his stomach twist. He couldn't believe how tiny and vulnerable she looked. She had removed her make-up and taken her hair down. She had put her trench coat back on but she still looked fifteen, except when she got closer he could see the her nose had started to swell and it looked like she was going to end up with two black eyes. She stopped a few feet away from him. "That bastard! Let me see," he reached out to her. She held up her hand and took a step back. "I'm fine, Mulder. What do you want?" "You don't look fine," he said softly. "It's just some bruising. It'll heal." "Why do you always have to be fine? Why can't you ever admit that you might be hurting?" "Look, Mulder, I said I'm fine. Is this why you tracked my down, so we could debate my health?" "No, I wanted to talk." "I don't think I'm up to talking about the case right now, Mulder. Can't it wait?" "I don't want to talk about the case and no, it can't wait. I wanted to talk about last night," he told her. "What about it?" her voice was cold. "What about it! Jesus, Scu--Dana, first you--" he started. "Dana!" she winced at the use of her first name. "Don't you dare call me Dana. Do I look like a whore to you?" "What!?" he couldn't fathom what she was saying. "Last night you told me to call you Dana." "I said the pretty little whore was called Dana. I'm Scully to you and don't you ever forget it." "You've lost me, Scully. I have no idea what you're talking about." "You don't have a fucking clue, do you?" Mulder felt like he'd been slapped. She had never spoken to him like this before. "I'm sorry, Scully, you're going to have to explain it to me," he told her quietly He had never seen her look this angry before. She took a deep breath. "First of all, Mulder, I am sick and tired of being treated like a second-class citizen by you. You are not the fucking be-all and end-all of the Bureau. Other people have valuable skills, too. I am not at your beck and call to make your work more pleasant for you." "What? I don't treat you like a second-class citizen." "You treat me like some rookie, fresh out of the Academy, all the time, Mulder. You told me yesterday I could come along if I had nothing better to do. How nice of you to allow me to join you. I felt so blessed," her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't mean..." he tried to defend himself. "Shut up, Mulder, I'm not done yet." Her cheeks had become crimson in her rage. "Then when I show up because I have 'nothing better to do', you have me deal with the forensic and autopsy results, because you find them distasteful. Well, I'm glad it was convenient for you that I decided to show up." "Look, Scully, I'm sorry--" "Would you just shut the fuck up? I'm not finished!" He shut his mouth and waited. She was silent for a minute. She was biting her lip and blinking rapidly. "You know, Mulder, I'm not as tough as you might think I am," she told him finally. "It does hurt me when you treat me like that. After nine years with the bureau, I'm used to being brushed off by agents who consider my opinions less valuable because I'm a woman, but I expected more from you." Mulder opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again. "As for what happened last night, Mulder, all that did was add insult to injury." Now, he was completely lost. Hadn't she come on to him? "How do you think it makes me feel, Mulder, after seven years of working so closely together the only time I ever manage to arouse you, is when I'm dressed like a whore? What do you think that does to my self-esteem? I have to be dressed like a fucking whore to make any impact on you!" her voice was cracking as she spoke. "I can't believe that I ever considered having a relationship with you! I used to think that your video collection was just a diversion, but now I know that is how you really expect a woman to look and act. You disgust me, Mulder. Just stay away from me," her voice quivered with rage. "Scully, no, wait..." he stepped in front of her, blocking her passage to her car. "Get out of my way, Mulder, now!" "Scully, please..." "I'm warning you, Mulder," her voice was icy. "Fine" he raised his hands and turned aside. He watched as she got into her car. She was staring straight ahead, her lips were pressed firmly together. As she backed up to drive away, Mulder could see tears streaming down her bruised cheeks. He opened his car door and slumped into the driver's seat. He couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't be serious. She thought that the first time he had ever been aroused by her was last night? Talk about not having a fucking clue. He was amazed that she had never noticed before. He thought it was blatantly obvious how he felt. He realized she would have been too upset to notice how it had affected him when she had dropped her robe on their very first case together. She also apparently hadn't noticed the effect she had on him, when they were investigating the mysterious suicides in Comity. Feisty Scully made him really hot. Tonight, however, she was just a little too feisty for his comfort. He would probably never admit to her how much it turned him on when she got jealous. If she found that out, she might also discover that he had recently started making her jealous on purpose, just to reassure himself. He would just let her sleep on it and he would sort the whole thing out tomorrow. He was sure by then she would have calmed down enough to discuss this rationally. He could understand how she might have misinterpreted some of his actions recently. When he had a chance to have his say, he could make her see, see how he really felt. An eyeful 6/6 Mulder sat in his car with his head on the headrest, staring at the roof of the car. He heard everything Scully had said over and over again in his mind. The frigid tone of her voice still sent shivers up and down his spine. Right after she left he had felt guilty about the accusations she had made. The more he thought about it, though, the angrier he became. Nothing she had accused him of was true. He could see how she might have misinterpreted some of the things he had said and done. That, however, was no excuse for the way she had treated him. There was no way he was going to leave things this way. She had another thing coming if she thought he would take this lying down. He had pushed his feelings aside for too long, trying not to compromise their working relationship, but this was more than he could take. He wasn't sure exactly how long he had been sitting here mulling this over, but he wasn't planning on waiting any longer. He started the car and sped out of the garage. The 20 minute drive to Scully's Georgetown apartment, took him 10. He screeched to a stop in front of her building. After he turned off the car, he sat for a minute taking deep breaths. He had gotten himself really worked up, and he wanted to be calm and rational when he talked to her. He got out of the car and looked up and down the street. Her car was parked a couple cars in front of his, and he could see lights in her apartment. He went to her door and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again; still nothing. He used his key and went in. He was surprised that Scully hadn't chained the door. The boots she had been wearing were sitting on the mat just inside the door. He walked into the apartment and looked around. He heard soft splashes coming from the bathroom. He recognized the scent that was wafting underneath the door. He knocked softly. "Scully?" "Mulder, what are you doing here? Leave me alone!" "I don't think so, Scully. I never got a chance to have my say. If you still want me to leave after you hear me out, I'll go, no questions asked." "Mulder, I'm not in the mood to argue with you about this. Could you please go?" "I am going to have my turn, Scully. You can come out here or I can come in there. It's up to you." She didn't answer. "If you're not out here in two minutes, I'm coming in." There was a short silence before he heard her get out of the tub. The door opened shortly and Scully emerged in her terry robe. She closed the bathroom door behind. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. "Well?" "You know, Scully, they say people who cross their arms like that are closing themselves off. Are you actually planning to listen to my side of this?" "Your side?" she laughed, "I'll listen, Mulder, but I doubt that anything you say will change my mind." "Is this how they fight in the Scully family? My family may have been incredibly screwed up, but at least we fought fair. Everyone got to have their say." She glared at him through narrowed eyes. "There," she said, dropping her arms to her sides, "Does that make you feel better?" "Only if you will try to keep an open mind." "I don't know what you expect, Mulder, after the way you've been treating me." "The way I've been treating you?!" he took a step towards her. She tried to back away, but she was stopped by the bathroom door. "Do you have any idea what you've been putting me through?" "What I've been putting you through? That's rich," she laughed. "Maybe you should take off your blinders, Scully, and try to see things from someone else's perspective for a change," he took another step towards her. He watched as she started to fold her arms across her chest, but she must have realized what she was doing, because they fell to her sides again. "Fine, Mulder, I'll listen, and for your information, the Scullys always fight fair." "I hope you don't consider swearing at me, accusing me of things, and storming off before I get a chance to defend myself, fair?" She just shrugged in answer. "So, should I start with your first accusation?" "Start wherever you like." "I always like to start at the beginning. It's easier to keep things straight that way, don't you think?" "Whatever, Mulder, just get on with it," she sighed. "Let me see...I think the first thing you accused me of was treating you like a second-class citizen. I may be guilty of not always thinking about what I'm about to say before it comes out of my mouth, but I never think of you as inferior to me in any way." "You never take anything I say seriously, Mulder," she countered. "That's not true. I listen to everything you have to say and even though I might think you are a little rigid in your beliefs, having an opinion that is usually diametrically opposed to mine keeps things in perspective for me. I think that all I am guilty of is not telling you how important your opinions are to me more often." "What about saying I could come along if I had nothing better to do?" she almost pouted. Mulder started to feel a little uncomfortable. "I'm waiting." "You want me to be completely honest with you?" he really didn't want to get into this. "Completely," she nodded. He took a deep breath. "When Skinner brought that case down, he made it clear that I was being asked to help out on the case, not both of us. When I asked about you, he said he guessed you could sit in if you didn't have any paperwork that needed to be finished. I'm sorry, Scully. Once again, I didn't think about what I was saying before I said it. I didn't want you to know that they hadn't asked you to help out as well." "I'm a big girl, Mulder. You should have let me take Skinner to task for that myself." "I guess I didn't want you to know. I thought you would have something valuable to contribute." "What, like dealing with the forensics report for you?" she asked sarcastically. Mulder hung his head. "No, that's not what I was thinking when I asked you to come along. I realized when you started reading, that I wasn't being fair, asking you to deal with something that I wasn't comfortable with handling myself. I'm sorry, Scully. I did mean to apologize for that," he informed her. "Okay," she said softly. "And that, by the way, Scully, was the only accusation you made that I was actually guilty of," he said, pointedly. "Oh, I don't think that's true, Mulder," she laughed ruefully. "Well, your other complaint seemed to be based on my reaction to the way you were dressed, right?" "Right." "You were upset because you thought that was the first time you had ever turned me on." "That's right," she said smugly. "Well, you're wrong," he said evenly. "That is such bullshit, Mulder. We have been working together long enough for me to realize when you're aroused. I've never seen you like that before." "Never?" "Never!" "Not even with Detective White?" he queried. "Nope." "What about Bambi?" he probed. "No," her voice was quieter. "How about around Phoebe or..." She just shook her head. Her eyes had widened at the realization of what he saying. "Did it ever occur to you that I might try to hide the way you affect me?" She just stared at him. "I'm sorry if you were offended by the fact that seeing you dressed like that made it incredibly difficult for me to hide how I, in fact, always feel. I may have missed something here, Scully, but didn't you dress like that to be provocative?" She nodded. "Then why should I be immune?" he demanded. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I had no idea," her voice was barely a whisper. "Even if I was guilty of what you said, that in no way excuses your behaviour, Scully." "My behaviour?" she was confused. "You took advantage of me, Scully. You knew that you were turning me on and you used my feelings for you against me," he took another step towards her. "I didn't think that you had feelings for me." "I seem to recall someone once saying we are always responsible for our actions," Mulder reminded her. "I thought it was just they way I was dressed," she made excuse. He took another step in her direction. Now they were less than an inch apart. "And that makes what you did better how?" He lifted her chin up with one finger. "It doesn't. I was angry. I wanted you to see what you were missing. I wanted to hurt you," she admitted. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "I've never knowingly hurt you, Scully." "I don't know what to say, Mulder. I was wrong. I'm sorry." "That's a good start." "What else would you like me to say?" "Do I still disgust you?" She shook her head and a tear slid down her cheek. "You never disgusted me, Mulder. That was just my anger talking." "Do you think I should forgive you?" The sorrow he saw in her eyes slowly began to change to fear. Her breath caught in her throat when she tried to speak. "I'd like you to try. There is no excuse for what I did, Mulder, but please try to forgive me." "I think we've reached a turning point in our relationship, Scully. I think we have two choices. We can end it right here and now, terminate our partnership and go our separate ways." He paused to give her a chance to think about what he had said. "What's the other choice, Mulder?" "You don't like the sound of that option, Scully?" She shook her head. "What do you think the other choice is?" he wanted her to say it. She looked at him. He thought she was trying to find the answer in his eyes. "I'm not sure if we'll agree on what the second choice is." "I guess that answers my question, then," he said shortly. "What do you mean?" she sounded scared. "If you can't tell me how you feel, you're obviously not ready for the only other real alternative we have." "Mulder!" "Look, Scully, I laid it on the line here tonight. I need something in return." "I told in the parking garage that I had already considered having a relationship with you," she offered. "You said that like it was in the past, Scully. I want to know how you feel now. I want to know what you think we should do next," he told her. She took several deep breaths before she finally spoke. "I want you to forgive me, Mulder. I need you to forgive me. I need you to put your arms around me and tell me that you know that this was all a huge misunderstanding." "Like this?" he pulled her into his arms. "Yes," she sighed, leaning into him and sliding her arms around his waist. "What next?" he asked. "I want you to kiss me, Mulder." "Like this?" he kissed her forehead. "No, I want you to kiss me on the lips." He kissed her chastely. "Is that what you had in mind?" She shook her head. "Tell me how you want me to kiss you, Scully." "Can't I show you?" "Tell me," he insisted. She took a deep breath. "You know how I want you to kiss me, Mulder." "I want to hear you say it." "I want to be able to feel how much you want me. Please, Mulder!" He covered her mouth with his. Her lips parted instantly. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip. She moaned when she felt his tongue circle hers as he began to explore her mouth. She ran her tongue along his and Mulder felt her sliding slowly up his body. He pulled out of the kiss. They were both panting. "Is that how you wanted me to kiss you?" "Yes," she breathed. "Let me know if I hurt you," he ran a finger gingerly over the bruising on her cheeks. "You're not hurting me," her voice was soft. "What do you want me to do next?" "I want you to kiss my neck," her voice had become sultry. He began to kiss his way down her neck, occasionally nipping her flesh. "Oh, God yes, Mulder, like that. Now open my robe." He continued on the other side of her neck while his hands worked on her belt. "Now what?" he momentarily raised his head from her neck. "I want you to touch me." "Where?" "Everywhere," she groaned. He slid his hands under her robe. He continued to kiss her neck. He didn't want to neglect her mouth, so after he traveled back up neck, he paused there to kiss her feverishly, before continuing down the other side. He ran his hands over her ass. She moaned when he grabbed her and pulled her up against his erection. He kept one hand on her ass while he brought the other to her breast. "God, that feels good, Mulder," she told him as he ran his thumb over her already hard nipple. "There's still one thing I asked you to do that you haven't done, Mulder," she panted. "What's that?" he asked without lifting his lips from her neck. "You haven't told me that you forgive me." He raised his head to look at her. She seemed to be searching his eyes, looking for the absolution she sought. "I forgive you, Scully. I'm not sure if you deserve you to be forgiven, but as long as you promise never to mess with my mind again, I'll forgive you." "Never, Mulder, I swear. I want you to let me make it up to you." "Actually, Scully, I forgave you as soon as you asked for a hug. But you can make it up to me for as long and as often as you like." "You like kissing and making up, Mulder?" she grinned. "Yeah, but I never want to have another fight like this again. Will you promise me something else, Scully?" "What?" "If I say or do something to make you think that I don't respect you, would you please call me on it immediately, please? Because more than likely I was just doing without thinking, again." "I promise, Mulder." "Good. What do you think we should do now?" "I think you should take me into the bedroom and make love to me." He slid the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He picked her up, and kissed her deeply. "You know, Scully, when I asked you what you thought the second choice should be, I just wanted you to say that you wanted to make our relationship an intimate one. I didn't mean for you to walk me through it." "I know, Mulder, but I needed to take this one step at a time. I needed to judge your reaction." "You still weren't sure how I felt?" he started to head towards the bedroom. She shook her head. "Are you now?" "Yes," she grinned. "I don't know how you couldn't see it before, Scully." "I needed to be positive. I hoped more than you'll ever know that you wanted this, too." Mulder set her down gently on the bed. He straightened back up and looked at her." "God, you're beautiful, Scully," he sighed. "Mulder! I must look horrendous," she raised a hand to her face. "You are always beautiful in my eyes, Scully," he said gently, moving her hand away from her face. She stop squirming and let him gaze her. Her breath quickened as his eyes slowly traveled the length of her body. He sat on the bed beside her. "I think you're a little overdressed, Mulder," she started to lift up his shirt. He pulled it off and tossed it on the floor. "Now the jeans," she told him. He stood and undid the button. "Let me do that," Scully scrambled to her knees. Mulder exhaled sharply when she began to lower his fly. She reached around behind him and slid her hands into his boxers to push them down. She carefully lowered his jeans and boxers past his erection. He groaned when she paused to stroke him. "I have a confession to make, Mulder" she whispered. "What?" "I really enjoyed giving you that blow job, yesterday. I mean that it was you, and you seemed to like it so much." "Like it!" he laughed, "That was the most amazing..." "Shhh," she quieted him, "Take your jeans off." He pushed his jeans the rest of the way off and climbed onto the bed. He pulled her close and kissed her again. "Lie down." She did as he said. He lay down beside her and began to kiss her again. He gently kissed her face and her neck. He inched his way down and began to nuzzle her breast. He ran he tongue along the full underside of her breast. She gasped in response. He flicked and nibbled her nipple. She writhed under him. He moved over to give her other breast the same attention, putting his knees between her legs as he adjusted his position. She pressed her hips against him. He could feel the heat emanating from her. He started to kiss his way down her belly. "Mulder, where are you going? I want you inside me." "It seems to me you've had things your way more than enough recently, now I'm going to do what I want to do." He continued his path down her belly. "Scoot up the bed more and hand me a pillow," he instructed. "Why do you need a pillow?" she asked as she moved up the bed. "Better access. I could haul you over to the edge of the if you'd prefer, but I'm gonna do this right." Her eyes widened and she handed him a pillow. She raised herself off of the bed to let him slide the pillow under her. He gently brushed his hand over her. A shudder ran through her body. He began to gently kiss her pussy, occasionally sucking and nibbling her lips. She groaned and sighed. He slowly slid one finger into her, and she bucked her hips to meet him. He pulled his finger out and as he replaced it with two fingers he drew a slow circle around her clit with his tongue. "God, Mulder," she gasped. He began to slowly slide his fingers in and out of her, while continuing to tease her clit. She was panting now, and tossing her head back and forth on the bed. He sucked her clit into his mouth, making her cry out. He released it again and began to draw circles around it again. He continued to finger-fuck her, but he lifted his mouth from her clit for a second, letting her anticipate, then began to tease her with his tongue again. Once again he paused, but this time he sucked her clit between his lips. He didn't realize that she was as close as she was, because as soon as he pulled her clit into his mouth he felt he stiffen and her clit began to pulse between his lips. He kept the pressure on clit and left his fingers buried to the hilt inside of her. A rush of heat passed through him when she cried out his name. He relished the way her muscles pulled and tugged at his fingers. When her muscles stopped clenching him, he slowly slid his fingers back out of her, and began to kiss his way back up to her face. Her breathing began to return to normal and she opened her eyes. "I didn't mean to make you come that fast," he told her. "I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did," she chuckled. "Well, I reserve the right to spend a lot more time between your legs, later." "I don't think you'll be getting an argument from me, Mulder, but right now I really, really want you inside of me." "Is it okay if I take this slowly?" he asked as he repositioned himself between her legs. "Once your inside of me you can take it any way you like." "Mmmm," he groaned as he began to slide into her. "Oh, my God," she gasped. He stopped abruptly. "Did I hurt you?" "God no, don't stop! This feels wonderful, Mulder!" He tried to move slowly to let her adjust to him. She began to move with him, swiveling her hips as she matched his pace. He moaned as he realized that Scully was going to be an active participant. He would have been content if she wasn't, but in his opinion there was nothing better than a woman who knew how to move. Scully was certainly showing him that she knew how to move. He opened his eyes to look at her. She was watching him intently. "God, Scully," he moaned as he bent to kiss her. He had wanted to take this slowly and savour every second of it, but he found he had increased his pace, and she was matching him, stroke for stroke. She began to move faster and his body followed of it's own volition. He felt her fingernails dig into his back and her body grew taut. He realized that she was close to coming again. He knew he wouldn't be able to last if she had an orgasm like her last one. Just thinking about it made his balls start to tighten. When her internal muscles clenched around him, he was lost. When he became aware of his surroundings again, he realized that he had collapsed on top of her. When he tried to move off she held on to him. "Don't go," she whispered. "I'm crushing you." "I'm fine. I like the way this feels, Mulder. Your weight on top of me makes me feel secure." He put some of his weight onto his elbows. "Scully, I can't relax like this. Let's spoon up." "As long as you hold me tight," she consented, and she climbed under the covers. Mulder followed her and pulled her snuggly against him. She sighed and snuggled back against him. "I like the way this feels, too, Mulder." "It feels pretty damn good," he agreed. "Sleepy," she mumbled. "Me, too," he said, or at least he thought he said, he wasn't sure as his mind gave in to sex-induced slumber. The phone woke Mulder out of the first sound sleep he'd had in days. "Mulder," his voice was rough. "Mulder? I was wondering where you were. Do you have any idea what time it is?" Mulder's mind was trying to was process what was happening. This wasn't his bed, it was Scully's bed. It all flooded back. He was in Scully's bed, with Scully. Now he had answered Scully's phone, and it was their boss calling. He tried to focus on Scully's clock. It read eleven-thirty. "Uh, sorry, sir. Did you expect me in first thing?" "No, but a call might have been in order." "Right, I don't think I'll be in today, sir." Scully had turned to face him. She was resting on her elbow, grinning at him. "How is Agent Scully?" "She's right here if you'd like to talk to her." "Umm, no that's alright. I just wanted to make sure she was okay, but I take it you've already seen to that. I assume she's not planning to be in today, either?" Mulder but his hand over the receiver. "Skinner wants to know if you are planning to go into work today." She shook her head. "No, she's not sir," Mulder passed on the message. "I hope you are both planning to be in tomorrow, because there are still a few things we need to go over to wrap up this case." "Right, sir, we'll see you tomorrow," Mulder hung up the phone. "Sorry, Scully. I picked it up instinctively." "We're not doing anything wrong here, Mulder. I was leery about starting an intimate relationship with you because of how other people would interpret it. I also thought it might change our partnership, and I didn't want to do that." "I won't let it change our partnership, Scully, and we can be discreet, no one else needs to know about this at work besides Skinner. I'm sure he's going to read us the riot act about the FBI's official code of conduct. As if we need to be reminded what is allowed on bureau time and what isn't." "I'm looking forward to seeing him handle that," Scully grinned. "You want to see him squirm?" Mulder laughed. "Yeah, he tries to come off as the big tough guy, but deep down he's just a big teddy bear." "So, Agent Scully, if you're not planning to go into work today, what were you planning to do?" he grinned mischievously. "First, I'd like a shower." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before she slid out of the bed. "Oh," he was disappointed. When she got to the bedroom door, she turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you coming?" End feed me please faloona4@home.com