TITLE: Impasse IV: Her Epilogue to Arcadia AUTHOR: Denise Morgen EMAIL: meadora@hotmail.com ARCHIVE: Anywhere; just keep my name attached. SPOILERS: Arcadia, Terma, Duane Berry RATING: PG-13 CATEGORY: SA, MSR Summary: Mulder attempts to test his new-found hypothesis over dinner. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is NOT a stand-alone! You MUST have read at least Impasse III (if not the whole series!) and see the episode Arcadia for this to make any sense whatsoever! The previous Impasse stories can be found on my website at http://DennysX.cjb.net BTW, if you're a NoRomo don't even bother going any further. I'd hate to scar your repressed little psyche... Impasse IV: Her Epilogue to Arcadia by Denise Morgen Since Dana Scully had joined the X-Files she had fearlessly faced down mutants, serial killers, and all matter of nameless monsters. She had stood her ground in front of Congress, blatantly defied her superiors, survived a three month long abduction and life-threatening cancer. But all of these vaulted accomplishments seemed paltry in comparison to the challenge she faced as she sat and watched her partner of six years attempt to seduce her over a plate of Fettuccini Alfredo. Oh. My. God. It should be illegal to look that sexy doing something so routine... She'd been aware of her partner's oral fixation for years, and like any red-blooded American woman, she'd had her share of harmless fantasies. But she'd never before realized the exact extent and level of possibilities inherent in her partner's talented mouth. Thoughtfully, it appeared Mulder was willing to demonstrate. And demonstrated he did with luscious lips wrapped suggestively around silver tines and rich pasta. Heartfelt murmurs of appreciation in the deepest register of bass rumbled from his chest and set off answering quakes throughout her body. And through it all his eyes bore into hers in a beckoning, unblinking gaze of sensuous promise. Her body was stretched as taughtly as any bowstring, her nerves and resolve strained to the breaking point. All the myriad reasons why she shouldn't even be contemplating this echoed meaninglessly within the erotic haze that permeated her entire existence. She was so engrossed in her illicit thoughts that she didn't realize Mulder had spoken until he reached a cross the table and took her hand. She jerked as if she'd been brushed by a live wire and attempted to yank her hand away. She was too unbalanced and vulnerable now; even innocent physical contact with him could very conceivably be her downfall. Sadly, sometimes having someone who knows you as well as you know your self is a bad thing. And Scully was apparently experiencing one of those times, for Mulder had sensed her reticence to accept his touch and instantly deduced the reasoning behind it. So instead of releasing her hand as he normally would've done he laced his fingers solicitously through hers and repeated his question as he caressed her knuckles with his thumb. "Is something wrong with your dinner, Scully?" he asked softly with mock innocence. "You've barely touched it." Scully cleared her suddenly parched throat and attempted to quickly gather her scattered thoughts before answering. It was so hard to concentrate! The soft circular motion of his thumb against her skin was driving her to distraction! "It's fine," she finally managed to say hoarsely. "I'm just not very hungry at the moment." Mulder leaned blatantly into her personal space and bent his head to hers. For one heart-stopping second she was certain he was going to kiss her but instead he veered off and placed his lips next to her ear. He was unbearably close, so close that his cheek rested in her hair and his moist breath warmed the gently curved crescent of her ear. When he spoke his lips brushed lightly off that same shell in a seemingly unconscious way but she was quite certain he'd done it on purpose. The amount of energy it took to turn her mind off the sensations he was inspiring and on to his words was almost a physical pain but somehow she managed. Only to find distressingly that his words were more enflaming than even that phantom touch. "I'm sorry you're not enjoying your meal," he whispered in a husky voice made more seductive by the subtle play of his breath in her hair and the maddening nearness of his body. "Mine is absolutely scrumptious..." The final word was a blatant attempt on her sanity the way it rolled off his tongue and faded off into the heavy stillness. He leaned in closer, lightly nuzzling her hair with his cheek yet not quite coming into contact with the sensitive skin of her scalp. Every nerve ending in her body was standing on end and screaming as she felt him inhale again to speak. That's it, she thought definitively as she leapt out of her chair. If he wants to play then fine, he doesn't realize the opponent he's just awakened in Dana Scully! Mulder looked up at her with an amused smirk as she tried to calm her racing pulse. She threw her 'Doctor Scully' persona on like a shield and said icily: "Time to go, Mulder. Get the check while I'm in the restroom." Mulder sighed and watched her retreating form stalk away. He knew that tone of voice; playtime was definitely over. He signaled the waiter resignedly over to their table. **** Mulder walked around to her side of the car to unlock the door. "I don't understand why we couldn't have just parked closer to the front," he complained as he ran his hand along the wall of the underground garage they'd parked in before dinner. "I don't think even the bats come back this far," he said as he surveyed the almost barren landscape around them. Scully grimace lightly as she too took stock of their surrounding area. The closest other vehicle was in a different area all together and their didn't seem to be another living soul in the entire complex. "Mulder you try explaining to the rental company if we bring this Mustang back in anything less than mint condition! This is coming out of our pockets you know! I can't BELIEVE you didn't accept the renter's insurance!!!" Mulder frowned and took a step back with his hands held up in a pacifying gesture. "Calm down, Scully! Jeez, it's not my fault this is the only car they had left! And I was just trying to save us some money, did you even LOOK at the insurance rates for this thing?! We could've almost bought our own for that price!" She shook her head as moved past him to enter the car. Mulder grinned wickedly as he moved up behind her and put his hands on her waist as he leaned over to get a good look into the inside of the car. "Hmmm..." he purred into her ear. "Looks like there's plenty of room in the back. Wanna give it a try?" Scully whirled out of his grasp and pushed him slightly away from her. She could swear she heard the camel's back break with a resounding *SNAP!* as that final straw wafted down. Apparently there was something in her glare that triggered Mulder's self preservation instinct because he backed further away quickly and glanced from side to side for a escape route. Too late! She advanced on him with a feline like stealth quickly sealing off all viable exits. Mulder's eye's widened in panic like a trapped animal and with a sudden unexpected movement she pounced! Oh! Aren't I horrible to leave off here? *shameless grin* Don't worry, it's continued in Impasse V: His Epilogue. Don't miss it!