TITLE: "Electricity" AUTHOR: Darling DANA EMAIL ADDRESS: DANAScu11y@aol.com DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: OK to archive...just keep my nom de plume attached, n'est-ce pas? SPOILER WARNING: Uh...nothing I'm aware of... CLASSIFICATION: SRH SUMMARY: Undercover work causes some tension of the "unresolved" kind. Mulder/Scully borderline romance. Disclaimers: I don't own anything. Not even my dog. Not Mulder and Scully, and quite frankly, not even the idea. I owe heaps of thanks to the fantabulous Chris Carter and his posse (with a standing ovation to the incomparable Uber-Vince Gilligan) and another thanks to the writers and creators of "Silk Stalkings", who gave me the idea in the first place. Notes: I was watching an episode of "Silk Stalkings" on USA and my Big Sista *told* me I was to write a story that used some of the same elements. Here it is, per her request. Dedications: I dedicate this work *fully* to Shari. She basically assigned it to me (like a typical teacher) so quite frankly, I wouldn't have written it without her. You have my express permission to blame her if you don't like it. Electricity By: DANAScu11y March 1, 1997 12:12pm Scully shifted in her seat on the metal bench and uncrossed her ankles. The sun was bright and warm and she pushed her sunglasses more firmly to her head. She stood up slowly, stretching and smoothing out her jean shorts and plain white T-shirt. She spotted Mulder walking towards her holding two chocolate dipped cones and she silently appraised his form, clad in light blue jeans and a navy T-shirt. "Here you go." he said, placing a cone in her hand and plopping down on the bench with a metallic thunk. She sat down again, beside him, and slid up so her body was resting against hers. "Thank you, Jackie." she purred in his ear. "You're welcome, Muffin, my love." he whispered back. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* February 28, 1997 9:17am Walter Skinner stood outside the X-Files office and raised his hand to knock. He heard the faint sound of voices inside, arguing lightly. His knock was sure and crisp, telling the two agents inside that the caller meant business. "S'open!" Mulder's voice floated through the door, granting Skinner entry. He opened the door to find a mess to greet him. A file lay open on Mulder's desk, it's contents stretching from the file cabinets to the new, small desk that had been placed in the corner. Scully looked up from her desk, removing her glasses and looking quite thankful for the interruption. "Agents Mulder, Scully. I am requesting your presence at a meeting later this afternoon. It is my feeling that you two can be of help to their current investigation, and I would like for you to join us." Skinner said, cutting right to the matter. He had always felt like at intruder to these Agents' sub-terranean domain, and he was sure an occasional dustbunny would cross his path one day. "May I ask what the case involves, Sir?" Scully inquired, nearly thrilled to be involved in an active investigation, instead of shut up with Mulder arguing over expense reports. "A rather large drug bust is being investigated...involving some of the richest and most influential of D.C. society. It's a very delicate matter, and some undercover agents have been requested. I thought you two would enjoy the outing." Skinner grinned slightly, watching Scully fidget at the thrill of the hunt...and Mulder twitch at the thought of working with his fellow agents. "Don't worry, Agent Mulder. You and Agent Scully will be working together as a team. I'll expect you in Conference Room C at 10:00am" He stepped out of the office and back into the elevator, leaving his two mavericks downstairs to get ready for the meeting. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* February 28, 1997 9:49am Scully walked along the hallway next to her partner wondering, not for the first time, just what he was thinking. It was true that they had the ability to communicate without words...but sometimes the strange things going on behind his hazel eyes intrigued her as well as confused her. She watched his jaw clench and unclench as the rounded the corner to Conference Room C, and she hoped that this meeting went well. She didn't feel like dealing with any "Here comes Spooky and Mrs. Spooky" jokes. They entered the conference room and were immediately pinned with stares. Scully self-consciously plucked at the jacket of her champagne- colored pantsuit and unconsciously moved closer to her partner. They moved together to a seat in the back, their customary table away from the rest of the agents. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today because of our final step to this bust. It's to be an undercover operation...." the voice faded off as Scully scrutinized her fellow agents, each taking turns to turn and stare at her and Mulder. Agent Bearde was tall and wiry with a shock of dark hair. He kept his face hidden behind, no pun intended, a beard. He was cool and quiet, but he never disrespected Scully or Mulder. Scully respected him, though she wasn't particularly fond of him. Agent Roy Hannah was Scully's age. As a matter of fact, they had gone through the academy together. Agent Hannah was an arrogant bastard, content not only to make Mulder's life hell, but Scully's as well. He had, on many occasions, leered and groped her at the academy. She had kicked his ass then, and she was certain she could do it now. He sat in his chair, perfect black suit neatly creased and iron, light brown hair elegantly groomed, and a hungry leer gracing his features. He stared as Scully and Mulder, no doubt trying to decide how to get her away from her partner. Agent Julia O'Neil was sitting primly in the front of the room. A kiss- up, to Scully's dismay. Mulder had often joked with Scully that if she acted more like Julia, she probably wouldn't be locked in the basement with him. She'd looked him in the eye and told him that her life would be dull, and she wouldn't have it any other way. It was the truth. The rest of the Agents sat scattered around the room, ranging from tolerable to "Agent from Hell." None were her friends...and certainly none were friends of Mulder's. Scully's attention was drawn back to the speaker when she heard her name. "Agent Mulder and Agent Scully will be undercover at the auction, keeping an eye on the subject at close range. Both will be required to wear kevlars, and both will be armed. Your names for the operation are Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Wellington III. You will be borrowing a car from the impound, and you have an expense account for new clothing. Any other questions can be answered by your group leader, Agent Hannah." Scully turned to Mulder, horrified. Mr. and Mrs. Wellington...the third?!? She turned to Mulder, who was coolly watching Hannah...who was watching Scully. "Come on, Mulder..." she started, but was cut off by Hannah approaching them. "Agents Mulder, Scully." He said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "It'll be a joy working with you. Of course, I can play Jackson Wellington if you'd rather, Agent Scully. I mean, you'd want a real man, right?" Mulder watched as Scully's eyes cut into Hannah, cold enough to freeze fire. "That won't be necessary, Hannah. I have a feeling you couldn't pull it off....being a real man would be so much of a stretch." Scully turned on her heel and headed towards the door. Mulder followed her slowly, fighting the laugh that threatened to surface. He watched her move steadily towards the elevator, and he once again admired her inner-strength. This woman always kept him on his toes...and he enjoyed every minute of it. "Scully, wait up." He called, jumping into the elevator just as the doors closed. He looked upon her profile, and saw the firm set of her jaw. She's amazing. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* February 28, 1997 10:13pm Mulder leaned back against the couch, groaning lightly and pulling his shirt out of his jeans with his left hand. He right held a wine glass, filled with a blush wine. The taste of marinara sauce still clung to his lips, and he savored the manicotti he had for dinner. After they had left the conference room, they had been given the specifics of their assignment for the next day. In order to get the details right, they had gotten together for dinner. During dinner they had chatted about the case and joked about 'Mr. and Mrs. Wellington III'. Mulder loved the nights when they could just relax together...when they could forget about the horrors associated with everyday life in the X-Files division. Mulder slipped lightly at his wine and watched his partner curled up with a glass across from him. She sipped lightly at her drink, then leaned her head back against the chair. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and Mulder could almost see the tension slip from her body. Mulder gazed at her throat...wondering vaguely how it would taste beneath his mouth. Before his conscious mind could react, he moved from his seat and stood behind her. His nimble fingers fell to her shoulders, and began a kneading motion. Scully's head lolled forward, letting Mulder's fingers push out the remaining tension from her body. She sighed as he made big circles with his thumbs, massaging out a particularly nasty knot. "Mulder..." she breathed, unable to form the words that were flying through her mind. "Mulder, it's late and we have to get an early start. I think you should go." She felt a little bereft when his fingers left her shoulders. "You're right." He pulled away from her and moved to the other side of the room. He placed the glass down on the edge of the coffee table and straightened up to meet Scully's eyes. They would be playing a dangerous game tomorrow. They new that the tension that had snuck into their relationship would jump to the for, and if they weren't carefully... "Thank you for a delicious dinner. See you in the morning, Mrs. Wellington." He said, as he moved towards the door. He pulled his black leather jacket on and reached for the doorknob. As he slid out the door he heard her voice, soft. "Until tomorrow, Mr. Wellington." *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* March 1, 1997 12:13 pm Scully looked around at all the wealthy socialites milling in the park looking at various exhibits, each inevitable swapping stories about their latest deal. She felt Mulder's arm go around her waist and she brought her lips to his ear. "Do you see him, yet?" She asked, running a finger up his chest to his chin. She felt one of his hands land on her knee and his other arm pull her closer. "Stop enjoying this so much, Mulder." she hissed. "She's here. The suspect is here. Play along," he breathed into her ear and she nodded slightly. She felt the hand on her knee begin a trek higher and higher before she pulled away from him with a forced laugh. "Jackie! Such a public place, stop it!" She leaned in close to him. "Muffy's packing a fairly large Walther. What where you put your hands or she will be forced to shoot you." Mulder stood up, pulling Scully into his arms and kissing her forehead. "Shall we go look around, Muffy?" Scully placed both of her palms on his chest and gave him a quick shove. "Of course, let's go." She smiled sweetly then sauntered over to an exhibit and eyed it as though she meant to buy it. "This is an extraordinary piece, isn't it, Love?" Mulder said, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her hips. "Very interesting, to be sure!" She gazed at the twisted metal, bent, formed, and melted. It really looked like scrap metal to her but her persona, Sheila, should love it. "Will you buy it for me, Darling?" "Anything for you, Muffin." he smiled warmly and bent to kiss her cheek. It amazed him how easily they were playing the parts. Their friendship had been based on admiration, respect and a little bit of love. A love that transcended physicality and lust...a love that kept them sane through all the hardships. A love that was the strength of their beliefs and their bond. Fox Mulder didn't want to betray the love and friendship that had been acquired so far in place of something more....carnal. But if felt wonderful to be able to touch her. And he didn't want to even *begin* to think about why. Scully stared past the hunk of junk some artist was calling "art" into the brush and bushes that ringed the courtyard of the park. She watched at tall woman with deep chocolate brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes, but she had a firm gait and a hand that laid suspiciously on her hip. She turned quickly and stared at Scully, then changed her path and began heading right toward the two agents. Thinking fast, Scully twined her fingers with Mulder's, and brought them to her lips. "Mulder, don't ask questions, just follow me. She sees us...I'm sure of it." Mulder looked down surprised at his partner, but did as she said. They began a quick walk away from the exhibit and the courtyard, Scully pulling Mulder along with her. She found a small clearing about 200 yards from the courtyard and turned Mulder to face her. His eyes were wide and questioning, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. Her eyes pleaded forgiveness as she stepped to cradle his face in her hands. "Kiss me, Jackie." She whispered before setting her lips lightly against his. Mulder closed his eyes as he felt Scully's hands move to his hair and they both sank to the soft grass. Scully pushed Mulder back gently and whispered, "She's here...make it good." <'Make it good'...hmmm, double entendre? Oh God...> Mulder began thinking about the friendship he didn't want to sacrifice and started to pull away...until he felt Scully's mouth on his throat and all conscious though flew from his mind. "As you wish." With that, his lips recaptured hers and they lay on the grass, entwined. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* After an undetermined length of time, the sound of a distant siren forced the partners apart. Scully leaned back on the grass and caught her breath. She watched her partner run a hand through his tousled hair and scan the area. "We'd better go..." Scully trailed off, standing up. She brushed off the front of her shirt and watched as her partner rose. "Safer than staying here." Mulder mumbled, and got up. "You go check back with the van, I'm going back to the auction." Scully nodded slightly, then turned towards the van. As she maneuvered through the grass and bushes. She reflected on what had just happened with Mulder. her mind screamed. But her racing heart was telling her *much* differently. She knew her mind would win out, it had to, but just for once she wanted to believe "What if...." *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Mulder made his way back to the auction, letting his mind drift back to what happened in the clearing. He stopped abruptly at the sight in front of him. The silent auction had broken up and 25 uniformed police officers milled around. A tall officer broke off from a large group and headed towards Mulder. "Excuse me, Sir...You can't be here. This is a restricted area." The officer was a tall blond man and he reminded Mulder of surfer boy. "I'm an FBI agent." Mulder pulled out his badge and flipped it to the officer. "What happened here." "It seems that a sniper tried to shoot one of the patrons. He missed, and the security guard got her. Seems like you guys wasted your day, doesn't it?" The guard chucked gaily and walked away, obviously in a hurry to share the joke with his pals. Mulder sighed and turned towards the location of the van and silently prayed that he and Scully didn't have to explain why they weren't at the auction to stop the shooting. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* March 2, 1997 12:21 pm The meeting with Hannah went fairly well, since it wasn't Mulder and Scully's job to shoot the sniper...though they did get somewhat balled out for not being there to provide backup. Mulder had argued gallantly, saying that he was told not to blow his cover for anything. In the end, Hannah had waved them off and send them on their "spooky" way. "Scully, you want more onions on your burger?" Mulder stood in the line of a small snack bar in the Dulles airport. They were flying on to their next X-File, and were hungry. It's amazing...Skinner had been keeping them incredibly busy the last few weeks. Immediately after they got in from the sting with Hannah, they received a phone call that there was a case that needed immediate attention, something about a couple of mysterious deaths in the farmland of Ohio. "No, thank you." She said, looking up from the magazine spread across her lap. She was seated at a small table for two in the airport watching people and waiting to see what atrocious concoction Mulder brought for her. "Here, Mrs. Wellington." He plopped and unusually messy burger in front of her, with equally greasy fries. "Great, Mulder. Remind me to never let you choose my meals again. And let's forget about the Wellington's, shall we?" Scully used her fork to prod at the hamburger, positive that if she picked it up it would explode all over her suit. "Scully, I think we should talk." Mulder said, before taking a large mouthful of his burger. "About?" Scully speared a fry with her fork and began nibbling on it lightly. "That kiss." Mulder replied, finally catching her gaze and holding it. "What kiss?" Scully let her eyes drop to her food. "You know...partners don't kiss like that." Mulder took another bite of his burger and left a huge dollop of mayonnaise on his lower lip. Without thinking, Scully reached over with his napkin to wipe it off. Mulder caught her wrist and looked into her eyes. "Scully..." "Mulder, what? We were undercover." "You mean, you didn't feel anything?" He asked, incredulously. "Fox Mulder, are you asking if it was good for me?" Scully dropped her fork into the pile of food she hadn't touched. She threaded her fingers together and placed her hands under her chin. Amusement danced across her features and she regarded her partner warily. "No way...no...of course not....yes." Scully bit back a full-blown laugh at the crimson splotch that grew to cover Mulder's entire face. She leaned back in her chair and laid her hands primly in her lap. "No, Mulder. I didn't feel a thing." Scully said. She prayed he didn't catch the waver in her voice, or the fact that she wouldn't look into his eyes. "Nothing? Not the slightest hint of...of...electricity?" His ego looked bruised, much to Scully's delight. "No, Romeo, nothing." Scully pushed the basket of food and moved to stand up. "I'm going to go check on our flight." She stopped about ten feet away from him, and on a whim spun to face him. She laid her hands to her lips and before she could think, she blew him a kiss. "No electricity, my ass." Mulder smiled as he reached up and caught the kiss. It was only a matter of time. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*