#protective!Scully was nice though

[baronessblixen]

The Best Christmas Yet

Prompts: Eight Nights of Mulder, day 7: latkes / potatoes X-Mas Files Challenge: best Christmas ever

Summary: Post "HTGSC": Mulder is reluctant to join Scully at her mother's for Christmas for many reasons - until he realizes that everyone is happy he's there. (fluff, wc: 1,320)

Tagging @today-in-fic @eightnightsofmulder

If he's honest - and he can be in the safety of the dawning morning and its protecting darkness - he has to admit that he doesn't want to wake Scully. She's the cutest thing he's ever seen. Another thing he couldn't admit in the light of day.

Her hand is tucked under her cheek and she looks as if she was listening attentively before she fell asleep. Her feet are tucked into his side and he never thought he'd appreciate being kicked awake. With Scully, everything is different.

He couldn't have asked for more than this. Luring her to a haunted house, disguising his desire to spend time with her over the holidays behind a romantic ghost story, was a spur-of-the-moment thing.

When they got out of there and she drove off, he didn't blame her one bit. He blamed himself, though. Then she showed up here at his apartment. The book she got him is a nice touch. Having her here sleeping on his couch, however, is the real gift.

As much as he relishes the sight, he knows he can't let her sleep. She's due at her family soon, and he's not going to get in the way of that.

"Scully," he whispers, gently tracing his finger against her cheek. Her skin is rosy and feels warm against his own. Butterflies take flight in his stomach as he watches her nose scrunch before she blinks her eyes open.

"Did I fall asleep?" she mumbles. "What time is it?"

"Early something. I didn't want you to miss Christmas with your family." She groans and stretches, her sweater riding up and revealing milky white skin. He's trying not to stare and knows he's failing.

"I need to get going." She uses Mulder's shoulder to heave herself up from the couch, leaving him in a cloud of her scent. She smells like vanilla and cinnamon, intoxicating him.

"Are you- have you thought about it?" Before she fell asleep, she asked him to accompany her to her mother's. Like every year. And like every year he said he'd think about it, knowing well he's going to decline. That was before he woke up to a sleepy, adorable Scully on his couch, whose face is so disarming that he's no longer sure what he should do.

"It would make my mom happy," she says. "It would make me even happier," she adds quietly. He can't say no. Not when she looks like she does. Or when she looks at him like this.

"How about," he begins and he sees her face fall. "I drive you to your mother's and then when you and her still want me there-"

"Mulder," she cuts him off, exasperation in her voice that he decides to ignore.

"Then I might stay an hour or two. What do you say?"

She observes him for a long, languid moment before she says, "let's go."

The roads are empty and they get to her mother's easily. And way too quickly for Mulder to have made up his mind. He parks the car and Scully throws him a smile, sweetly asking him to help her with the gifts. There's no way he can deny her.

They make their way to Mrs. Scully's house, their arms full with gifts. He's carrying a few more so that she can ring the doorbell. He hears a happy "Fox!" and mumbles a hello as he's ushered inside.

"Put the gifts over there." Maggie Scully pushes him into what he presumes is the living room. Once he's put down the boxes, he finds himself looking at a brightly smiling Mrs. Scully. Mulder has never seen her this delighted.

"I'm so happy you've finally decided to join us for Christmas, Fox." She engulfs him in a hug so tight that he's afraid he won't be able to catch another breath. A typical Scully hug. But usually, he receives them from her daughter and after he's almost died. He prefers it like this.

"I told you," Scully says smugly once her mother lets go of him.

"I had a feeling," she says, taking his hand into hers and pulling him toward the kitchen where various pans and pots are filled with pleasantly smelling delicacies. His stomach grumbles. Neither he nor Scully have eaten in a while.

"Dana said you're half Jewish," Mrs. Scully explains. "And I asked around, wanting to make something that would show you how much we appreciate you, Fox." With every word she says, the noose around his heart tightens. "I made latkes. Now, this is the first time I made them, but I had my neighbor try one and he said if you don't show up, he'll eat every single one of them. Do you like latkes, Fox? Oh, I hope you do." The knot in his throat prevents him from speaking, so he just throws his arms around Mrs. Scully, hoping she understands what this means to him.

"He loves everything that's made from potatoes," Scully says to her mother, and both women smile at him. A feeling of warmth spreads in his stomach. It feels very much like love.

"First things first," Mrs. Scully says, clapping her hands. "We have several little children - and a few adults - who want to open their presents. Come on you two."

In the next few hours, Mulder experiences a Christmas like he never has before. People he's never met treat him like he's part of the family. When Bill Jr. shows up, he grumbles exactly three times and then his expression softens. He pats Mulder on the back, lets him hold baby Matthew, and if he's heard right, gives him his blessing. For what, Mulder can only guess.

Scully remains by his side like a shadow. She falls asleep on him once while they're waiting for dinner. When she wakes up, and he moves a strand of hair off her forehead, her smile is like the first breaths of spring after an ice-cold winter. It takes his breath away.

She brushes his cheek with a finger, wiping away an invisible piece of lint, and her touch lingers. He still feels it when he stuffs himself with latkes, unable to stop himself. He thanks Mrs. Scully profusely in between bites, making her grin from ear to ear.

"Leave some for the rest of us," someone says to the amusement of everyone. He holds his breath while Bill Jr. tries one and only lets go of it once he announces that he likes it. There's laughter and joy, happiness and love. To Mulder, it feels surreal, like a dream. He barely dares to blink, afraid that if he does, he'll wake up in his cold, dark apartment, all alone.

"You look like a deer caught in the headlights." Scully is leaning against him and has her face tipped up. She's smaller than either of them is used to without her heels.

"Not to be pathetic," Mulder says, "but this might be the best Christmas I've ever had."

"Does that mean I won't have to talk you into this next year?" When she laughs, he feels it vibrate through his own body. Her eyes are sparkling and he's sure it's from the mulled wine they've had. He feels the effect of the alcohol, too, and can't stop glancing at her berry-red lips that are so deliciously inviting.

"You're going to get sick of me."

"Hmm, not gonna happen." She wobbles and he puts his hands on her waist to steady her. "I like having you here."

"I like being here."

"Then it's settled," she says, sighing. She turns in his arms, looking up at him. Should he dare? Should he try and make this night perfect?

"I wish there were mistletoe here," he whispers.

"Just pretend there is." Their mouths meet in the middle and Mulder thinks he hears music and cheering while he kisses her, his tongue tangling with hers.

#ficmas2023 #work is making it harder to write i wanna cry #but fluff! #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

[randomfoggytiger]

"I Know You. It’s What I Do."

The X-Files and Beauty and the Beast 1987 crossover.

Dedicated to @amplifyme, who nurtured me into the wonderful world Below~. Saw this post again and couldn't resist (though Mulder and Vincent were sidelined quite unexpectedly.)

*****

The hulking shadow had vanished from the tunnel mouth, slipping through cold, faded stone as easily as mist; and taken her partner with him. Mulder’s ferocious “FBI--” wilted into an unanswered echo while she yelled for him, hit the rock, hit it again, and began pushing, shoving each of the weathered corners to find a weak spot. 

*****

Werewolves, he’d pronounced two days ago, toying her with gruesome crime scene photos. There has to be two-- one to bait the victim, the other to catch him unawares and cleave him in half. The targets were always men, were always attacked at night, were always within a respectable radius of each other. Mulder kept his math sharp since the Dupre-Phillips case. 

She’d argued this was a case for serious intervention from animal control, laying out the impossibility of his theory in the singular (let alone as a coupling of homicidal carnivores.) 

They never eat the bodies, Scully-- just shred them. Probably protecting themselves or their families.

The debate was picked up and set aside at various junctures-- taxi, plane, taxi, motel, taxi, police station-- but while he entertained theories of another mated Jersey Devil pair, she avoided recollections of Lyle Parker groaning and shrieking in pain in the dark. 

*****

The tapping could have been mistaken for the wind innocuously sweeping up pebbles littered around her feet had Scully not been earnestly listening for a sign. Louder, softer; longer, short, short, long. Code-- and not one her father had taught her when starching her nouns and adjectives with the repetitive heartbeat of Morse Code pounded out on the table, on the dashboard, on the wheel of their rented vacation boat. But whoever was out there making noise would at least hear her own attempts at communication. 

SOS, HELP, LOST, Scully beat, fingers splayed to protect her manicure while she banged out her distress over and over and over. 

The wall gave way, softly grinding across the floor and spilling out the warmth of torch light, dazzling to Scully’s unadjusted eyes. She wheeled back, searching for purchase on the slick stone and dirt and dust, grappling for her holstered gun as a tall silhouette emerged from the secret door. Not as tall as the shadow, not even as tall as her partner; not an animal and most definitely not a werewolf. 

The stranger stretched her palm up and out, her friendly face and flaming hair escaping over one shoulder in the twin beams of her own and her guest's light. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Scully, FBI. Diana Bennett. I’m with the New York City police department.” 

*****

The Tunnels, Diana explained, were a sacred part of the world Below. A couple miles the right way and you came straight to the Chambers; a couple yards the wrong way, and you were likely to find a nasty surprise or two. 

“Then where’s Agent Mulder? Are you taking me to him?” 

“He’s with Vincent. Rather, Vincent’s with him, letting your partner think he’s in charge. Don’t worry about him: the two of them’ll be back once they’ve had their fun.”

Scully halted their steady walk and stood back, weighing the truth in Diana’s eyes. There was a keen intelligence that edged somewhere between clever and clairvoyant-- but the edges were straight all the way down; and kind. “My partner will know he’s being fooled with.” 

“I figured,” Diana nodded, turning to slide the torch into the nearest hook, “but Vincent doesn’t play a fool’s game. He wants to take your partner’s measure.” Her smile, wide and fleeting, carved through the darkness. “It’s been a while since Above gave him anything, anyone, new to abstract over.” 

It was, Scully decided, wisest to evenly match Diana’s stride, light bearer that she was. Carefully, she cooled her voice to a sharp, practiced nonchalance: “Did Vincent have anything to do with the killings?” 

“Yes. They came after him and…." She trailed off, changing directions before the silence became pronounced. "Vincent was captured by a ruthless, powerful man six years ago. Since then, the enemies have been pouring in by trickle and truckload. Can’t shake ‘em, and they won’t shake us. It’s become a three-way habit now. Vincent and I are hunters-- you can’t beat that on home turf. But... it wears on him. Then you two flew into town.” Again, the smile. “You should’ve seen him this morning when Agent Mulder found that tuff of fur. Both of them were practically quivering with excitement over the other.” 

Then she became serious; and stopped talking the rest of the walk. 

*****

Time was hard to determine in this unending darkness: it sank into one's mind, tearing out the crucial parts until all that was left was anxious awareness.

 “Look, I don’t know what you or, or Vincent want with me or with Mulder, but I’d like to know where he is so both of us can go home.” 

Diana stopped this time, appraising Scully’s rigid posture and shaking hands, opening her mouth halfway in contemplation, standing absolutely still. A pipe creaked, or groaned, or tapped; and she lifted her head higher as if from a daze, abrupt and wincing. 

“Back that way, then.” 

The women turned, gaining a foot or two before she clumsily lunged towards the wall-- “Forgot to alert Vincent”-- and squatted down to pick up the nearest rock she could find. Language was once more transmitted along an adjacent, sinewy pipe, swirling and jolting deeper into that impenetrable darkness. 

“Is he bringing my partner?” 

“I think Agent Mulder will be along on his own.” 

*****

Day was seeping into the tunnel before Diana spoke again. 

“I was 32 when my life changed. One day I was working on an unsolvable case about a woman found dead in her apartment-- many stories up, no witnesses, no evidence-- and the next I was mapping out Vincent's mind on my board at home. I anticipated him, tracked him, found him. I saved him, he saved me back. Now, we save each other.”

Scully watched her brush off another secret notion with another escaping tendril of hair: disturbed; and determined not to show it. They both knew she’d shown it. 

“It was my idea for the two of you to come down here, see Below for yourselves. Thought it’d be my way to start you on your own 32.” With a sigh, she straightened and ambled closer to the secret door. “But you’re not ready yet. Too bad.” 

“Too bad I won’t see more of the sewers?” A bluff affront, a wry offering of peace. And well-received. 

“Too bad you won’t hear the angels sing. Vincent or one of his books might call it something like, ‘Some glorious nothing I did see’.” 

“Hm. Maybe next time.” 

A rush of calm settled close, punctuated by scattered code calls faintly reverberating off the walls. 

*****

Taxi, motel, taxi, police station, taxi, motel. 

Mulder remained subdued after their reunion in the Park. 

She’d left Diana, walking ahead to relish the sun, the morning birds, the earliest joggers circling their usual route. 32, with three haunting years tailing behind her. 32, with darkness a comforting consideration rather than an oppressive presence. 

Taxi, airport. 

Scully turned on the nondescript bench-- coffee flavor of the month in one hand and guilty rag magazine in the other-- to stare at her partner, watching the blazing sun eat away at the shadows lingering in the peaks and valleys of his profile.  

“Mulder.” And he turned, staring back. “Did you see anything?” 

His mouth worked back and forth, eyes flecked with tangling emotions. “I… heard singing.”

*****

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

Tagging @today-in-fic

#txf #fic #Beauty and the Beast 1987 #“I Know You. It’s What I Do.” #writing #BATB #xfiles #x-files #the x files #Scully #Diana Bennett #Mulder #Vincent #mine #randomfoggytiger's fic

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Thank you! How nice! 💗

Enigmatic Confections - the Baking Show AU. Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this one so much, it started out as recycling a prompt to participate in my first Fictober. Also, people seem to really like it, which is nice. :)

Helen hosts a baking show. Nikola hosts a cooking show. They've hated each other since they met years ago. When their network pushes them together for a new show for the summer, they must learn to get along or suffer professional consequences. (Sactuary, Helen/Nikola, enemies-to-lovers)

The Abnormal X-File - the first multi-chapter I finished, though I don't have access to the ending right now. I adore everything about it and feel it's a very good example of my writing.

Mulder and Scully go on vacation to London in pursuit of an old story from Mulder's school days. The story leads them to a mysterious woman and the Network she runs... (Sanctuary + The X Files, Scully & Mulder friendship)

Bleeding Through the Blue - my second purely Sanctuary fic! Out of the Blue was the first episode I ever saw and I love it much. I also love Magnitt.

Helen is a painter, trying to deal with her anxiety and teetering marriage. But things are changing and she is rapidly losing sight of what is real and what isn't as she tries to hang on to her sanity. (Sanctuary, Helen/John)

Come Now, Little One... - the crossover of my two favorite shows because I heard the My Little Pony song 'Open Up Your Eyes'. Also self-indulgent in the fact that it's a dark!fic and I like those.

Sam has spent her whole life in the Sanctuary, being raised to take over by her slightly psycho mother. That life isn't the one Sam wants, but her mother has a very clear idea of what she should be. Rebelling against it for years, Sam searches for an escape from the darkening world she was raised in. (Sanctuary/Stargate SG-1, Sam and Helen mother-daughter relationship)

Bird Cage - This one is a rewrite of one of my favorite books, The Aviary, but I really enjoy how I've so far inserted Stargate and Sanctuary characters into it and mashed all three worlds together.

The rebellion against the Goa'uld in ancient Egypt failed. Since then, Earth has been under their enslavement. The Goa'uld use Earth as a pleasure planet, allowing technology progression in the interest of taking it for themselves, allowing humans some measure of power by enslaving their own people. The main commodity on Earth now is human women. Sixteen-year old Sam Carter has led a sheltered life, protected by her parents and her foster brother, Jack. But safety can only last so long. Sam falls victim to a Museum, where girls are displayed as art by day and 'entertain' men by night. Desperate for escape, Sam desperately hopes for Jack to come so they can return home to their family, while battling her mixed feelings for her new museum director. (Stargate SG-1/Sanctuary, Sam/Jack (budding), Sam/John Druitt (unrequited).)

I just realized that absolutely none of these fics are actually finished, but whatever. I love them.

#fic recs #my writing #sanctuary #stargate sg1 #fanfiction #self rec #thanks so much! #ao3

[contrivedcoincidences6]

Photos of us

So I haven’t written for TXF since like early 2019 but I’ve been wanting to pick up some of my old WIPs and write a bit more lately. This is a heavily unedited little thing I wrote quickly just to break myself back into Mulder and Scully’s heads. Just a little moment in a world I wish existed for them. Canon divergent Post season 9 of TXF.

***

The quaint church that sat nestled in the green rolling woods of Kila, Montana was silent that morning but for the sound of the birds that could be heard through the open windows.  Little William Scully squirmed in the arms of the church secretary, the witness, pulling to get to his mother who stood just a few feet away making faces at the baby in an attempt to break him out of his fussy mood. Mulder watched with a smile as Scully puffed up her cheeks at the toddler finally drawing a musical giggle. As if he’d timed it the pastor finally reappeared holding his reading glasses aloft to show the group he’d been successful. “Sorry about that folks,” he said as he took his place standing in front of Mulder and Scully, “where did I leave off, ah yes,” he muttered as he thumbed through his bible, “the only verse Ms. Scully requested: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.”

Mulder squeezed Scully’s hand, drawing her gaze to him from where it had been politely placed on the pastor as he spoke, and gave her a wink. She smiled at him and squeezed back, she had that same happy look on her face that he’d been surprised to see most days since they’d had to leave everything behind but he supposed he often wore the same expression. Despite the difficulties of leaving their lives and Scully’s family they were together. “Now your rings,” the pastor said, gesturing at Mulder who let go of one of Scully’s hands to ding the rings out of his pocket. They were simple gold bands that they’d chosen without ceremony a few days before. He passed his ring to Scully and took her left hand, bending to place a quick kiss on it before positioning the ring over her finger. Before the wedding Mulder had indicated to the pastor exactly the wording he wanted, not being religious Scully had let him decide any wording he wanted only saying she wanted the verse from Ecclesiastes included. The pastor began then, “‘I offer you this ring to wear as a symbol of our unbreakable bond. Let it be a reminder of my eternal faith in you.’” Mulder repeated the words and fitted the ring to Scully’s hand, treasuring the slight blush that spread across Scully’s face and the sudden wetness of her eyes. Scully repeated the words then her eyes never leaving his as she slid the ring onto his finger. He’d known for years that there would never be anyone for him but Scully and he’d said these things to her before but it became clear after not so long of being on the run that they needed to make things legal, to protect each other and William. Still it was nice to stand together and say these things. The pastor said a few more things though Mulder was not listening to much of it, he just watched Scully’s face as she looked up at him with a shy smile. He asked them if they each took the other in marriage and both answered ‘I do’ without hesitation. “By the power vested in me by the state of Montana I now pronounce you married, you may kiss,” the pastor said at last with a kind smile. Scully was pulling Mulder’s face to hers before Mulder even realized the ceremony was over. Her kiss was strong and sure, the same kiss she gave him in his jail cell that told him that she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her. William’s babbling drew them out of their kiss and they both looked over to the baby who had his arms outstretched toward them. Mulder picked up his son and held him facing Scully who gave him a delicate kiss on the forehead. “How could we leave you out?” She said in a baby voice that made William giggle. They thanked the pastor and his secretary who took a few polaroid photos of them before they left. In the car Scully looked at the pictures in her hand, one that was just the two of them smiling for the camera holding each other and the other of the three of them. “That was nice,” she said as she traced the photo of their little family with her finger and was quiet for a minute before saying, “this is the first picture of the three of us.” She didn’t say anything else after that, just looked down at the photo thoughtfully until Mulder pulled into the small town grocery store. Looking up suddenly as he stopped, Scully asked, “Did we need something?” “I was going to run in and grab us some champagne, maybe a little dessert to celebrate,” Mulder said as he unbuckled, he grinned at her and exited the car with more than one goal in mind. A few minutes later he came back with a small bag of treats for them. Scully started going through the bag but stopped when she found the main item that Mulder had gone in for. “A camera?” She said smiling as she unwrapped the plastic around the disposable camera. He heard her crank the film up and grinned as she turned in her seat to face William in the back. Scully made funny sounds until William started to giggle and she took a snapshot of the laughing baby. “Thank you, Mulder,” she said, placing a hand over his on the wheel. Mulder twisted his hand around, weaving their fingers together, and brought her hand to his lips. That night they drank champagne and made s’mores by the fire in their one room cabin as Scully took the photo she’d had taken for her mom of the three of them and wrote up a letter to her that would first be sent to a safe box that would then be picked up by Skinner in a few weeks and handed over to her mother. “When you were gone I realized how few pictures I had of you,” Scully said after William was in bed and they sat together watching the fire die down, “when I thought you were gone forever it haunted me that I only had one good picture of us together, and it was old, from some convention or another. I hadn’t even known it existed but I found it in your things and framed it. After you left to go into hiding I regretted every night that I hadn’t thought to take a picture of us before you left.” Mulder pulled her onto his lap then and hid his face in her neck, taking a deep breath and reminding himself it was real and she was there with him. “I’m so sorry Scully,” he whispered into her neck after a couple minutes, “when we get to a bigger town I’ll get you a nicer camera, we’ll take so many pictures we’ll never run short.” Her fingers ran through his hair in a familiar way and he felt her smile. “More pictures will be nice but I don’t plan on ever letting you get that far away again.”

#txf #the x files #mrs #the x files fanfic #dana scully #fox mulder

[all-eyes-lead-to-the-truth]

All Eyes Lead to the Truth | Terma (4x09)

There were aspects of his work as a United States Senator that Albert Sorenson preferred less than others. Proposing legislation, representing the people of his state, defending the tenets of his political party– these were all things that drove him into his line of work. Ever since he was a young man, he knew he wanted to make a difference in the world, and there were times in DC when he thought that was exactly what he was doing. 

But then there were other times, other things, times when he supported a filibuster, played the game, intentionally asked the wrong questions to get the answers he wanted. Those moments were when his job started to lose its meaning. 

This congressional hearing was no different.

Sorenson had very little interest in these agents, Mulder and Scully, and was unclear on the significance of the contents of the diplomatic pouch. He had been asked to be a part of the hearing, was told it was important to find the missing Agent Mulder, so he did what was expected. He was doing his job, keeping the wheels of government turning, regardless of his lack of personal understanding or involvement. 

What he was unable to tolerate, however, was a federal agent pussyfooting around the questions the committee asked while refusing to give an appropriate answer. They were sitting in one of the highest courts in the country. These hearings were a serious matter, an important part of the foundation of this nation. He had no time– none of them had the time– to watch a young woman drag them through sanctimonious statements in an attempt to protect the apparent wrongdoings of her partner. 

Agent Mulder’s whereabouts weren’t even the primary focus of this hearing, as far as Sorenson understood, but he would not sit idly by as their questions were ignored. He was a staunch proponent of holding insubordinate witnesses in contempt when the court was not being respected, and no one, not even a government employee, was immune to that. Had Agent Scully’s partner not walked into the room during their second session, Sorenson had no doubt they would have had to use it again. 

He would have been impressed with Agent Scully’s conviction and loyalty to her partner had he not been so completely exhausted by the seemingly pointless nature of the entire hearing. Thankfully, Romine’s call for recess had cleared Sorenson’s schedule. He needed the time to focus on what mattered, to remind himself of the importance of his place as a senator. 

He opened the door to his office, planning to start by catching up on the paperwork that was piled on his desk, only to find an unfamiliar man standing near it. Smoke curled around the top of his head as he turned to face him. 

“Senator Sorenson,” the man said, before taking another drag of his cigarette. “It’s so nice to make your acquaintance.” 

“How did you—” 

The man held up his hand, looking more comfortable in the space than Sorenson ever felt himself. “Please, come in. I didn’t mean to impose. I wanted to speak to you about Agents Mulder and Scully.” 

Sorenson walked through the office and around the desk and sat in his chair, his eyes never leaving the other man. “What about Agents Mulder and Scully?”

“Their work,” the man started before pausing to gather his thoughts, though Sorenson got the distinct feeling that it was all for show and he knew exactly what he was there to to say. “Their work is of great interest to me. This diplomatic pouch… its contents are not of their concern.” 

“What are its contents?” Sorenson asked. He was curious, considering, despite himself, since such pouches usually contained nothing more interesting than confidential documents. 

He watched as the man took a seat in the chair on the other side of his desk and took another pull from his cigarette. He held the smoke in his lungs, his dead eyes never looking away, before letting it out. 

“I need you to dismiss Agent Scully’s testimony and bring this hearing to an end.” 

His pointed disregard for the question made Sorenson’s heart rate pick up. He was an elected official. He had taken an oath to serve his country, protect its people and its foreign interests, and he couldn’t do so by keeping issues of international affairs in secrecy. 

“Agent Scully mentioned a toxin,” Sorenson said, attempting to get information about the pouch in another way. “There have been deaths. A doctor. Two actually. It is my understanding that the death of Dr. Bonita Charne-Sayre, a virologist with the World Health Organization, may have something to do with all this.” 

There wasn’t a flinch, not a single sign of recognition as the man across his desk took another drag. “Your daughter is a very beautiful young woman.” 

Sorenson held his breath at the sudden shift in conversation. He could hear his pulse in his ears as he turned to look over his shoulder at the framed picture of his smiling daughter placed on the shelf under the window. 

“Brenda is an accomplished equestrian, is she not?” the man asked with a calmness that made Sorenson’s blood freeze in his veins. “Dr. Charne-Sayre was involved in a horse accident recently, it seems. Pity. I hope Brenda will fare better with her horses.” 

Sorenson was an honorable man. He may be a politician, but he didn’t lie. Typically. And if he did, it was for good reason. He worked towards the truth. He did what was right. 

But his daughter was his world. 

He took a deep breath, smoke burning the inside of his nose. “What do you need?”

Read the rest of All Eyes Lead to the Truth on Archive of Our Own!

@fridaysat9

#all eyes lead to the truth #terma #season four #s4 #4x09 #senator albert sorenson #x files #fanfic #x files fanfic #mulder #scully #msr

[mulderist]

So, I’m rewatching ‘Demons’ (again) and each time I watch it, I am annoyed with it more and more. Like, the concept had such potential (ie. Mulder doing something reckless/stupid and having no memory of it) but the execution was just all wrong. The B story if you will just doesn’t seem to fit. *sigh* the whole script was a mess. Also Mulder should have just gone to damn the hospital...

#mini rant #xfiles #season 4 #this is on my list of fics to write #protective!Scully was nice though #a hot mess of an episode

[sisterspooky1013]

Red-Handed, Chapter 16

Rated X | Read it here on AO3

This is a joint work with @xfmaweezy and we are taking prompts

They really shouldn’t be doing this.

Mulder usually forbids it. It’s his one rule: no sex on the clock. Imagine that, the man who habitually flaunts his disregard for authority has a rule. She suspects it’s to protect her more than anything else. Isn’t it always? But today she’s snippy and agitated, and he just knows her so well.

So well. He’s currently showing her just how well he knows her. He knows her inside and out. And he knows her right. fucking. there. “Don’t stop,” she commands as she fists her hand into his hair, holding him in place and ensuring that he won’t.

They’re here in some rural lake town in some backwoods mountain county in North Carolina, investigating a highly armed, somewhat regulated UFO cult that has made even the local authorities in Podunk, USA nervous. The suspected arsenal and explosives prompted the convergence of an interagency task force that comprises teams from the ATF and FBI, including Mulder and Scully from Domestic Terrorism. But it’s the mention of little green men that requires another FBI team on the task force, and it’s this presence of the X-Files division that has Scully on edge.

Their accommodations on the case have somewhat hindered the investigation. There’s no internet, no conference room. Most work requiring use of modern technology occurs in the city 45 minutes down the road. There is one rental car per four agents, and one room per two. With Scully being one of only two female agents on the case, there is no privacy for her and Mulder, no stolen moments, no way to ground herself through her partner’s touch. There’s just no getting away from Diana Fowley, not even while she sleeps.

The rooms themselves are rather nice in that rustic, simple kind of way, with small back patios overlooking a man-made lake and sandy shore. The floors are tiled rather than carpeted, which the manager said makes it easier to sweep the sand up.

Mulder shifts back and forth on his knees, surely cursing the sand as the tile presses taut patellar tendons into tibias and threatens to aggravate decade-long injuries. Injuries wrought by stamina, endurance compelled by a literal run away from demons and twisted minds and evil deeds.

Though no stamina would be necessary today. She is coiled so tightly he knows that only the barest of nudges will release her elastic potential energy, springing her free from the tension and irritation that have been steadily increasing since she arrived a week ago and learned who her roommate would be.

Today had been particularly rough. They’d made no headway in the case, and Agent Fowley’s perpetual use of Mulder’s first name, along with her determination to divert his focus to the supernatural, left Scully feeling prickly and combative and generally unpleasant. Diana had dumped them in the parking lot, the pair too caught up in their bickering to even acknowledge her hasty departure to pick up tonight’s dinner for the task force investigators.

As a sulking Scully opened the door to her room, Mulder knew exactly what she needed and he wasted no time gathering her in his arms and throwing her onto the closest soft surface.

Which is how she finds herself on her back, pulled to the edge of the bed nearest the front door. Her shoes and pantyhose are discarded in the corner alongside her no-show cotton bikini briefs, which Mulder seems to find sexier than her most expensive lace thongs. Her skirt is pushed up to her waist, her legs are over his shoulders, and he’s doing that thing to her clit with his tongue.

Her legs begin to quake and he knows she needs more before she even asks for it. He straightens, her ankles locked behind his neck, and plunges two fingers palm up deep into her cunt. With a thumb pressed firmly over her clit, he’s got a grip on her like a bowling ball. The cords and muscles of his forearm flex and extend as he works her into a frenzy.

The only sound in the room is the obscene, lubricious slick of her pussy, and the small grunts and whimpers that escape her clenched mouth. Her eyes are squeezed shut and her brows furrow as she tosses her head in some twisted parody of an exaggerated no.

She gasps in a sudden breath and her hips lift up off the bed. Her fingers grasp at the bedcovers, gathering handfuls, as her body stiffens. Her eyes shoot open in a combination of surprise, confusion and desperation. She groans an “oh, god” and then, “Mulder!” as fluid soaks his tie and dress shirt.

She lowers her hips back to the bed, and Mulder does not relent. He’s mesmerized and focused, and it is now he who chants the oh gods. His suited thighs are drenched, along with the front and back of her skirt and the bedding underneath her, and her cum puddles on the tile around his knees.

Her ankles unlock and slide down his arms to hang limp and exhausted over the side of the bed, and he slowly drags his fingers from her, making her legs twitch. A small crooked half smile breaks across her mouth and she sighs. She is spent and depleted and she’s never been sexier.

He places a kiss on the dewy bronze hair of her mons and gives her thighs a little squeeze. “Wow, Scully.” The awe in his voice thumps in her heart and the post-orgasmic rush of oxytocin fills her eyes with tears. She is overwhelmed by the love she has for this infuriating man, and too sated to be embarrassed. It’s simply another first shared between them.

“Guess I needed that,” she says.

He, too, is overwhelmed. “I guess you did,” he smiles.

He gives her hip a couple of taps and begins to stand. “Stay put. I’ll get a towel.”

She watches him dreamily as he rises. His clothes are saturated and the sight of it pulls her up to full awareness. She scrambles to sit up, her toes dipping into the wetness splashed over the tile. “God, Mulder, she could be back any second!”

He’s moving more quickly as he returns with a towel, gently blotting at his silk tie and mumbling something about never having it cleaned again. Scully is sitting where he left her, naked legs hanging to the floor and her skirt twisted and gathered around her waist. Her hair is mussed in the back, and her eye makeup is smeared. But her suit coat is still buttoned, her lipstick still applied flawlessly. The contrast between the indomitable office Scully and a throughly fucked Scully is adorable. His smile is beaming.

“What?” she asks shyly, looking up at him, as he takes a step back between her legs.

And disappears with a grunt.

Scully winces at the crack of his head hitting the ceramic flooring, but it’s the silence that spurs her into action. She nearly slips on the wet floor herself as she drops to Mulder’s side, relief washing over her when he rolls to his back and lets out a pained moan. He raises his free hand to cover the growing pumpknot purpling just inside the hairline above his temple.

“Open your eyes, Mulder, let me look at you,” she quietly directs as she tenderly combs her fingers through his hair, gently palpating his scalp while watching his pupils for any sign of concussion and concurrently soothing them both with her touch.

She helps him into a sitting position and removes his tie, tossing it into the corner. She takes the towel still clutched to his chest and begins nervously drying her legs, the floor, and the bottoms of his shoes before giving him the news he doesn’t want to hear: they’ll be paying a visit to the nearest hospital.

Hours later, her high heels dangling from two fingers, she lets herself back into the room. She is sticky, tired, and wrinkled, and not for the first time since she lowered Mulder into the back seat of a borrowed fleet car, she wishes she would have taken the time to put on some underwear. Her bare feet tiptoe through the door so as to not awaken her roommate and she is reminded of wild nights as an unruly teenager, sneaking in past curfew. As she pushes the door closed and turns around, she’s surprised to find the room awash in the dim light of a bedside lamp, and Diana curled up reading a book in her bed, the one nearer the balcony overlooking the lake.

“You’re out late,” Diana comments flatly without looking at her, then licks a finger before turning the page of her book.

Irritation boils in Scully’s chest at the absolutely unrestrained gall of this woman.

“That’s my bed,” Scully accuses, letting her navy blue pumps clatter to the floor.

Diana glances to the corner and then to the rumpled bed nearest Scully before settling her eyes on hers. “It appears you’ve taken my bed,” she retorts.

Scully follows Diana’s gaze. As she takes in the sight of her pantyhose intermingled with Mulder’s tie, and the wet, nearly unmade bed before her, her embarrassment is quickly eclipsed by satisfaction. Physically, emotionally, spiritually: she has everything she needs, and Diana holds no power over her anymore.

She lifts her chin haughtily, an almost-smile on her lips.

“That’s right, I have,” she responds before making a show of gathering her discarded undergarments and Mulder’s tie, carrying them to the bathroom where she takes a long, hot shower.

Diana has switched off the light and turned her back to the room by the time Scully slides under the sheets, exhausted but happy. For once, she doesn’t mind sleeping on the wet spot.

Tagging @today-in-fic

#the x files #txf #dana scully #fox mulder #x files fanfic #x files #xf fanfic #case fic

[sigritandtheelves]

In case you are taking prompts: AU where Mulder is a detective and Scully is a reporter and they end up investigating unusual phenomenon while bickering and falling in love

PG-13 | 693 wds | MSR; 5 headcanon AU

1.

She appeared at crime scenes unbidden, hair tucked neat behind her ears and pencil at the ready. “You know I can’t tell you what I know yet,” he would say, and she would bite her lip in that particular way she had.

“Let me guess,” she’d begin, and though he tried to give nothing away, somehow she always had the story.

Eventually, she began reminding him of related cases, dates and names he’d stored in dusty boxes.

“You’re a detective now, too?”

Little shrug of the shoulder, that neat auburn eyebrow lilting: “Of sorts.” There was almost a smile—he ached to see it fully, but kept his face stern.

She would slip her notebook into some mysterious pocket of her pressed suit, and he would watch her walk away, pretending not to see the shape of her silhouette.

2.

He found her number—it wasn’t hard, but it was she who called him first. “A trade,” she suggested. “My information for yours, that’s all.”

Later, some seedy bar and she drinking whiskey: Scully. Dana Scully, whip smart reporter, elbowing up to the top detective. He didn’t want to trust her, but found her sharp eye useful and her mouth nice to look at, the way it was always frowning in careful thought or poised at the lip of her glass.

“I’m not your enemy,” she said after some time. “I just want to expose this stuff, same as you.”

There was darkness in this city—a collection of strange cases had revealed cracks in the veneer of things, much more than the rote crimes to which he’d grown accustomed.

“I can’t work with a reporter,” he reminded her.

That shrug of the shoulder. “So go private.”

3.

They had just outrun a rat the size of a doberman the first time he kissed her, up against an alley wall under the buzz of a streetlamp.

“You sure know how to show a girl a good time,” she said after, but her eyes were glassy and she felt like butter under his hands. She grabbed his face and kissed him again hard. She was like a hurricane, like a monsoon—a force of nature.

A week later he turned in his badge for a PI license.

4.

“Okay, pass me the notes on the O’Rourke file.” She was dead serious with her little pencil between her teeth, surrounded by folders and photos and carefully typed accounts. But she was wearing his pajama top over pink panties only, so his impression of her was softened more than a little.

“O’Rourke,” he said absently, slipping a folder in front of her without looking away from the way her knee was bent, her back pressed against his sofa.

She noticed him looking and pulled the pencil from her mouth. “What?” Fingers brushing her face like maybe she’d left crumbs there or a dab of jelly.

He couldn’t help but smile and return her customary enigmatic shrug.

“What.” She demanded again.

“I might love you,” he said and took a sip of coffee to hide his face, to dampen the awkwardness of his confession. There was a subtle shift of energy in the room: her breath coming too fast for only a moment.

“Don’t go soft on me, Mulder.”

He cleared his throat. “I would never.”

5.

Their work had attracted the attention of certain undesirables. They lived at the edge of danger, but she assured him it was worth it. Dana Scully’s articles sold millions, wild as they sometimes were, and their fame produced a certain kind of protection—as did Mulder’s connections to the PD.

“One day you might break a story that could get you killed.”

“Not if the story’s already broken.”

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“I’m a big girl,” she said and touched his chest. He bent and stole her lips with his.

“A bad girl.”

Her eyes looking up at him were huge. “You think?”

Something inside him went feral and he scooped her up. “No,” he said kissing her again. “A good girl. But show me.”

She did, and they both forgot about the danger.

#a thing i wrote #5 hc au #txf #msr

[frogsmulder]

Hey for the tall/short prompts, how about… ““ maybe we should try it. “ “ try what? “ “ me big spoon you little spoon. “ “ terrible idea. you'll be wrapped around me like a koala around a tree. “ “ so? “ “ so, you'll be fine with it at first, until you realize i'm not paying attention to you. “ “ of course you're not paying attention to me, you're sleeping. “ “ imagine not even being able to ask me to switch back. “ 😊

Big Spoons Camping out for Big Foot

set s5 some time after detour; Mulder and Scully cuddle for warmth on their camping trip; 1.1k words; rated t; tagging @today-in-fic

Mulder had invited Scully on a camping trip. Scully had accepted Mulder’s invitation perhaps a little too eagerly, but she was done with cautious waiting. Scully, post cancer, now grasped whatever life threw at her with both grateful hands. What Scully didn’t realise (but probably should have known) was that Mulder’s idea of a camping trip included dressing up in ghillie suits and sasquatch spotting. What life had thrown at Mulder and Scully was torrential rain and freezing temperatures, checked only by the flimsy sheet of polythene separating them from the outside world; also known as a two-man tent.

Now Scully was cold, damp and cuddled up to Mulder for warmth—not that she was entirely displeased with the experience, at least not the last part at any rate. Back pressed against his chest, his arm draped over her protectively, she laid her head down contentedly on the thankfully dry pillow.

Mulder cautiously pressed his nose into her frizzy hair in a tender expression of affection and apology. “I’m sorry, Scully, I didn’t know the weather would turn on us like this. I should have checked the forecast.”

She bit her lip and smiled. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“But I do. I thought I was trying to do something nice… for both of us.” Brushing the hair back from her forehead, he rested his chin on the top of her head, tucking her into him completely.

“Well, I’m fairly happy here… with you.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her confession settle over them.

Then she started shuffling about, jostling the unzipped sleeping bag that was covering both of them like a duvet. Mulder grabbed onto his side possessively, frowning in confusion until she eventually turned over to face him.

“Hi,” she giggled in the darkness. “I can see you now.”

“Hi,” he laughed in return.

Scully rested her head against his chest, the softness of his old t-shirt brushing against her nose. She tried not to breathe in too obviously, but he smelt good; like the woods and campfire smoke and something just him. How was that after a day of sweating in a ghillie suit he still smelt delicious? She hummed in contentment. “This reminds me of down in Florida… At least one of us isn’t hurt this time.”

“With the Mothmen? But we’re out here looking for Big Foot. I thought you knew your cryptids better than that, Scully,” he chided in jest.

“No, I just mean stuck in the woods, cuddling for warmth.” Shaking her head at the memory, she chuckled. “Except I haven’t got your head in my lap this time.”

Mulder grinned too mischievously for his own good. “That could be arranged.”

She lifted her head to look at him as best as she could in the black of night, which admittedly was not well at all. Although, she could have sworn she felt his gaze linger over her like fire scorching across brush. She licked her parched lips. “Maybe we should try it.”

“T-try what?” he flustered, turning a bright shade of crimson: she could feel the heat from his cheeks a mile away.

“You know,” Scully smirked, poking his shoulder. “Me big spoon, you little spoon.”

She could feel the relief wash over him as he let go of the breath he held, his chest sinking. It sent butterflies to her stomach to think that he could have been thinking of the same forbidden image she had implied.

He shook his head. “Terrible idea. You’ll be wrapped around me like a koala around a tree.”

She let out a little laugh. “So?”

“So,” Mulder murmured his reasoning, drawing circles tentatively on her arm where the worn material of her t-shirt sleeve met her skin. “You’ll be fine with it at first, until you realise I’m not paying attention to you.”

“Of course, you won’t be paying attention to me, you’ll be sleeping.” She laughed him off but even she knew it was a poorly veiled excuse. Yet she continued to think of it: having his warm solid presence pressed to her chest. Somehow, he had become a greater source of comfort in her life than she could ever have thought.

“Imagine not even being able to ask me to switch back,” he teased.

“Imagine being the little spoon, Mulder,” she countered.

His hesitation spoke louder than the silence that engulfed them; she knew she had dealt the winning hand in the split second it took him to respond, their easy verbal duelling always following a familiar pattern.

“I—I—uh…” he stuttered. “It’s inefficient: we’d lose heat.”

“Hmm, I’m quite toasty,” she smiled gleefully, wriggling close to him. “Just imagine: I’d get to protect you and keep you safe all night. I could search your head for injuries too.”

Mulder sighed. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“I thought you liked it when I was stubborn.”

She could feel him pouting in consideration.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Sure, Scully, if you want to be the big spoon go ahead, be my guest.” Yet instead of turning over, Mulder lay flat on his back, his arms open in invitation, chest shaking as he tried to suppress a chuckle. But Scully, undeterred, took up the challenge and crawled over him. Turning back over the way he was facing, he scooted into her and she hugged him closer, her arm over his side.

“Ummm, Scully?”

“Uh huh?”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, mustering the will to ask her. Eventually, he took a deep breath. “Does my head have any injuries?”

“No, Mulder, why would it?”

“But you’d check though, just to make sure? I know how much of a rigorous scientist you are.” He looked over his shoulder the best he could, seeking her reassurance.

Slowly, his meaning clicked into place and she understood what he wanted her to do.

“Okay, but just for science.”

She shifted up their makeshift bed so that her head was above his, the same as when he was the big spoon. Pressing her lips to his crown, she weaved her fingers through his hair.

Mulder’s insomnia faded at the tips of Scully’s fingers as she worked her way over his scalp, running her fingers delicately through his hair. She hummed as she went, letting him know what she thought of every spot she checked: behind his ears, the base of his skull, the crown of his head. He became heavy with sleep, as though he were melting, thick and syrupy through her fingers. It wasn’t long before she caught his soft snores and Scully smiled: so, it wasn’t a terrible idea after all.

Send me a tall/short prompt!

#dana scully #the x files #msr #fox mulder #Xf fanfic #My fic #one bed trope #Lol but not quite #Ust

[silhouetteofacedar]

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic Ch. 12: Capsaicin

Previous Chapter - AO3 - MSR, rated E

Maybe he wrote her address wrong.

The odds of that happening are pretty damn slim; Mulder’s had it down by heart for years, but he’s grasping at all possibilities right now.

He had sent the letter through the postal service in an attempt to keep himself from stressing out over its delivery, but that plan backfired the minute the envelope left his hands.

He dropped it in the mail on Saturday evening. It’s now Wednesday, and Scully has made no mention of it. There’s been no indication in her demeanor at all to suggest that she’d received any revelatory mail-pieces.

He might live the rest of his life in this horrific limbo, a purgatory of his own construction. He’s been on pins and needles all week, filling the basement office with nervous energy, furtively glancing at Scully in attempts to read her facial expressions. Did she get the letter and throw it out? How is she so calm? Maybe it got stuck in one of the sorting machines…

Before he knows it, Scully’s bidding him a friendly “goodnight” and shutting the office door.

Say what you will about anxiety, but it sure spices up the workday.

Mulder drives home in a fog; he’s exhausted from the mental exertion of thinking in circles and jumping to conclusions. Inside his apartment he flops down on the sofa and calls for takeout from the Thai place down the street that has his order memorized.

The next time he confesses his undying love to somebody, he’s going to use e-mail.

A knock on his door shakes him from his reverie.

“How much do I owe-” he begins as he opens the door, then freezes.

Scully is standing at his doorstep, a high flush on her cheeks. She looks somehow startled, as though he surprised her by opening his own front door.

“Scully,” he says, concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Mulder,” she replies, voice cracking on the edges. Her big blue eyes are full, ready to spill over her lower lids.

Oh.

“You read it,” he says softly. He feels his chest tighten into a tight knot of anxiety, and he swallows hard.

She nods. “Can I- I need to come in.”

He stands aside, ushers her into his living room.

She’s vibrating with nervous energy. Mulder motions to the couch. “Would you, uh, like to sit down?”

“I’d prefer to stand, thank you,” she says, voice tight. She grips her elbows.

“Well, I guess I’ll sit,” Mulder says softly, lowering himself to the couch. “Scully, I-“

She holds out a hand. “You got to say your piece, Mulder, now it’s time for mine.” Her lower lip crumples slightly, and he wants to get up and hug her.

She takes a deep breath, pulling herself together. “Mulder, when I received your letter today…” She blinks back tears. “I was completely overwhelmed. I’m not even sure how I managed to drive here,” she admits. “And I appreciate that in it you acknowledged the inopportune timing of your confession. Things just keep piling up,” she says. “But now I just want to know, need to know… why the hell did you wait so long?”

There’s pain in her voice, and he aches in return.

“I didn’t know how you felt,” he says simply, “and then Mark happened.” It’s so insufficient, but it’s all he has.

“I wish you’d told me before,” she says. “I wish I’d known. I dragged you into this mess with him, and the whole time you… you felt that for me.”

“Scully,” he says slowly, “If I had told you I loved you, would you have still gone out with Mark?”

She doesn’t answer right away, and his heart falls into his stomach.

“How can you ask me that?” she says, voice a rough whisper. “What do you want me to say?”

Say no. Please. “I’m only interested in the truth, Scully. You of all people know that by now.”

A tear spills down her cheek, and she wipes it away roughly. “I… I don’t know. Do you have any idea how long and hard I worked to not feel? I’d wake up every damn morning thinking about you. I’d scrub myself raw in the shower so you couldn’t smell me, sense how much I wanted you all fucking night. I’d come to work and turn my heart off, bury my feelings so deep that even now I can barely scratch the surface of them. I did it for years, Mulder.” She takes a deep, shaky breath. “So when my mother introduced me to a nice man with a little girl, I decided to go for it. And I almost forget how to really feel something. But you… you never let me forget. And the rational choices cease to make sense.” She sniffs noisily. “You turned my entire world upside down.”

He hangs his head. “I’m sorry-” he begins.

“No,” Scully interrupts. “No, Mulder. I don’t want your guilt, or your pity; I don’t need it. I want you, and me. I want us to be the two broken people we are, healing. We can’t keep hurting each other with misguided attempts to protect each other.”

“What do you mean, then? How do we stop?”

“By being honest,” she says, coming around the coffee table and perching on the edge of the couch. “We start here. Right now.”

“I-I don’t know how much more clear or honest I could possible be,” Mulder stammers. “The letter spelled it out. My cards are on the table.”

“They are,” she agrees, “But you wrote under the assumption that I wouldn’t reciprocate. You left no room for alternatives.”

“Alternatives being…”

Scully’s eyes are pleading. “Mulder,” she whispers, beseeching.

There’s a knock on the door.

Mulder glances over his shoulder, startled out of their moment. “I ordered Thai,” he explains. “If you’re here, then that must be the delivery guy,” he says.

Scully nods. “Likely.” She gets up from the sofa and crosses to the desk, fetching the tissue box there. “You should-”

“Answer the door, yeah,” Mulder agrees absently, standing and feeling his pockets for his wallet.

The bored teenager on the other side of the door holds the bag out. “Sixteen forty-nine,” he says.

“Give him a twenty,” Scully instructs from the living room, blowing her nose.

Mulder digs a bill out of his wallet and hands it to the delivery guy. “You and the Mrs have a good night,” the boy says, stifling a yawn as he shoves the money into the pack on his waist.

“That tip was what, twenty-five percent?” Mulder grouses, setting the bag on the coffee table.

“Oh, so you can do math,” Scully says, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “So what’s your excuse for being a lousy tipper, then?”

“Spoken like a former waitress,” Mulder mumbles.

“You’re goddamn right,” Scully says. “Best IHOP server in San Diego.”

Her bravado contrasts sharply with her puffy eyes and watery voice, and Mulder wants to pull her into his arms and never let go.

“You want any of this?” he asks, pulling steaming cartons out of the bag. “There’s plenty for both of us, and if you don’t eat I’ll feel like a crappy host.”

She sits back down on the couch, setting the tissue box on the coffee table. “If you don’t mind sharing,” she concedes.

“I’ll grab you a fork,” he replies, giving her knee a squeeze.

They eat quietly, passing cartons between them, migrating together until they’re shoulder to shoulder in the center of the couch.

“So,” Mulder says, “Before the food got here, we were talking about something pretty important.”

Scully nods, turning her fork to wind noodles around the tines. “That we were,” she agrees.

“About honesty,” he prompts. “Alternatives.”

Scully sets her fork down, closes her eyes. “This… this is difficult for me, Mulder. It’s surreal; I didn’t expect this outcome for us. For you to… to feel the way you do,” she clarifies.

“On the contrary,” Mulder says, “I feel like this was always going to happen, from the day we met. Somewhere deep in my mind I knew I was going to fall in love with you.”

Scully looks at him then, eyes wide.

“Th-that’s the first time I’ve said that aloud,” he says in realization, eyes not leaving hers.

Scully nods. “How’d it feel?” she asks softly.

Mulder licks his lip. “Kinda depends on how it felt for you,” he responds, voice low.

She takes a deep breath. “Call me crazy, but I think I need to hear it again.”

He nods, then on impulse leans in until his mouth is next to her ear, strands of coppery hair tickling his cheek. “I’m in love with you,” he murmurs.

Scully reflexively grips the edge of the couch cushion. “Don’t,” she warns, voice husky and breathier than he expected. “I’m not ready.”

He draws back. “Ready for what?” he asks.

She smoothes her hair behind her ear. “You,” she says simply, looking him up and down out of the corner of her eye. She picks up her fork and takes another bite of noodles. “I’ve spent so long in denial, Mulder, I feel… flammable. Like the smallest spark could just…” she motions to herself. “Destroy my equilibrium, or something.”

“Is this the official medical terminology? Because I’m not familiar,” he quips.

She huffs a laugh. “No, Mulder. What I’m trying to say is that I think we should go slow. Whatever ‘going’ means, in this case.”

“But we are a we,” he clarifies.

“Yes, I think we are,” Scully says tenderly, facing him again. “I… I want to be. But I’m processing things, so I need you to give me time.”

You can have my whole life. “That’s fine by me,” he assures her. “So you think we have a spark, Scully?”

She licks her upper lip, nodding. “Oh yes,” she says, eyes flicking down to his mouth. “Yes, we do.”

He leans back into the couch cushions. “Well then,” he says, eyeing her lazily, “When you feel like starting some fires… I’m your boy.”

#my fic #msr #txf fic #xfiles #fox mulder closet romantic #fmcr #it’s gettin SPICY yall #heheheheheheh #I made myself sweat with this one tbh

[scullysexual]

fic; s3 one shot

I ended up taking an unintended break from fic while I took a break from fandom. I did plan on writing in that time still but it just never happened. Anyway, after than jumping straight in with my old fics, I thought I'd ease myself back in with this lil pointless oneshot.

@today-in-fic

- - -

To Make The Fish Happy

Her appearance outside his apartment is unexpected yet welcome. Scully stands outside his door looking sheepish, uncertain. Lately they had been growing closer, two years of a building partnership that has required them to bond more so than most other partners. Still, Saturday house visits were rarely on the list. Unless it was an out-of-town case, they would bid each other goodbye Friday evening and not see each other again until Monday morning.

Yes, Scully’s visit was unexpected.

In her hands she holds a small cardboard box.

“Can I come in?” she asks.

“Of course.”

Mulder lingers near the door, hands thrust casually (though far from it) into his jogger pockets. Unfortunately, Scully had chosen the wrong time to come around; cups, plates, take-out packages litter his coffee table, X-Files piled high on the spare seat of the couch and there’s a smell in the air. Mulder doubts it was the most welcoming place to be in.

Yet, if it bothers her, Scully doesn’t say so. She turns around to face him, holding out the box she carries.

“I was in the pet store picking some bits up for Queequeg when I saw it.” Mulder approaches, taking his hands out of his pockets and reaching for the box.

“It reminded me of you and with the tank being so bare it might make the fish happy,” Scully says in way of explanation. Co-workers usually don’t buy each other presents out of the blue, special occasions maybe; a birthday or forced Secret Santa, but never on a random Saturday in March. Mulder finds himself warmed by the gesture.

He rips the tape with his house keys, unfolds the box and takes out a fish tank ornament wrapped in bubble-wrap to protect it from whatever journey it has in store.

Mulder laughs when he sees what the ornament is, not surprised by why it reminded her of him. A disc-shaped silver UFO crashed into a pile of sand. Roswell. Mulder smiles, it might just make the fish happy after all.

“Thank you,” he says and Scully smiles.

Mulder stands, headed over to the tank. He places the ornament in the water, throws in some fish food while he’s at it. The fish, weary at first, slowly begin to warm to it.

“I think they like it,” he says with a smile.

“I think they do too,” Scully agrees.

They share a smile.

“Would you like to stay for a bit?” he asks. He hadn’t intended to, the words just sort of fell out of his mouth, but it seemed like such a short visit for what he knows is a long journey.

“Sure.”

He tidies away the mess, opens the window, moves the X-Files out of the way- they have no present case needing their attention, they’re not needed and settle down on the couch. They talk of fish, how and why he decided on fish- Simply because they’re quiet, he explains, require barely any work yet it’s nice to come home to something living even though he’s usually welcome home by a dead fish when cases drag on for too long. Scully laughs at that, asking why then does he always have the same number of fish regardless?

“I just replaced them when they die,” he says. Eight mollies, most nameless except for one, one he finds himself talking to the most, the one he’s secretly named Scully.

The next Saturday Mulder finds himself craving for her company again, outside of work and work-related things. He goes to the pet store in the morning and by afternoon, he’s found himself standing outside Scully’s apartment door, a dog harness between his hands and a sheepish look on his face, his presence unexpected yet welcome.

#the x-files #the x files #txf fic #x files fanfiction #one shot #season 3 #early msr #scullysexualwrites

[randomfoggytiger]

Alpha In-Depth (Part II): An Inversion of Roles

Tumblr has finally allowed me to finish up Part II (you can find Part I here)-- but let's not fiddle-faddle so we can get straight into this!

Picking up where Part I left off, Scully arrives on the next crime scene just before an attack happens. While investigating the property, she finds a photo from Karin, once again placing her within Scully's scope for the crime. She's diverted from further analysis by a scream; but she is too late to save the next victim. Alerting Mulder, she takes the initiative to call paramedics (while also wielding her gun.)

They both miss the shapeshifting canid right next to them.

Scully decides her next course of action is to confront Karin Berquist; who is, she's convinced, behind the crimes in an attempt to gain attention and love from Mulder, exploiting his friendship for her own schemes. This go-for-the-throat protectiveness (the dog puns continue) that Scully shields her partner with is not new; but it has hardened, become more blunt in the aftermath of Diana Fowley. While the emotions of that situation have been worked through and processed, Scully is not convinced of Mulder's ability to judge people's character rightly-- not like she used to be. This case restores a good chunk of that faith, but only after Mulder has been proven half-right and manipulated yet again.

"Where's Fox?" asks Karin.

"Continuing his investigation," Scully cryptically answers.

"You're not working together?"

"No," she responds decidedly, "this is my investigation."

"Of?"

"You."

Something I found unintentionally funny is that Scully starts out the conversation as the dominant aggressor (the alpha, heheh dog puns), cornering Karin and nicely scooting a dog out of her designated interrogator's chair.

Scully puts all her cards on the table: she has figured out that Berquist is dying, and that her eccentric habits are effects of her intensifying illness. And while she sympathizes with Karin's situation, she refuses to let a dying woman use her partner as a last-minute consolation prize-- something Scully protected him against even when she herself was dying from an incurable disease.

What is fascinating is that Scully has taken upon herself Mulder's role: confronting and understanding a potential witness with her expertise and sympathizing with said victim-- even if they are in the wrong for their human actions-- but forcing them to face the uncomfortable truth about their actions and consequences.

A refrain from Rain King pops back up again as she continues:

"With Mulder you found somebody you could communicate with. Someone who challenged you."

However, this moment is swallowed up by her following accusations:

"But that wasn't enough, you needed to lure him out here."

Karin doesn't deny it, and places all her cards on the table, having made as close a study of Scully as Scully has made of her: "I lack your feminine wiles."

Scully, caught and embarrassed, licks her lips and looks away.

Rallying, she asks, "You don't believe it, do you?"

Karin is vague, implying that the creature would have to be "more cunning than man" to survive for over a century.

"More cunning than you?" Scully pointedly asks. She furthers her statement by a warning: "I'm watching you." Her threat, though, lacks any bite (dog puns), mildly stated in compassionate warning. To Karin's "You watch but you don't see," she has nothing further to add.

After another another crime has been committed, Mulder begins to question his loyalty to Karin Berquist. He drops in, petting her dogs and delightedly chuckling when they obey his tongue-click to vacate a seat for him. Settling in, he begins to interrogate Karin on her tactics, hinting that he's been misled.

Mulder dodges her honest admission of her feelings ("I've been honest with you, though perhaps not myself. I was looking forward to meeting you-- I wouldn't admit how much") with a head duck, redirecting the conversation back to the case at hand;

and reads between the lines, realizing that Karin knows the murderer is Detweiler (the man who "transported" the mythical beast across seas.)

"So you knew that and didn't say?" he questions, his tone harsher and less forgiving in the face of all those senseless deaths.

Berquist carefully disguises her plan with false transparency, redirecting Mulder to track down and kill the animal by playing into his heroism (stating Scully's tail on Detweiler will be lost before she realizes it.)

He leaps up awkwardly, reaching for the phone to make a call, unsure how to address the more personal issues between them (and still annoyed and a little hurt that he'd been left in the dark-- not realizing how deftly he is being handled now.) Karin still hopes; but it dies again when she realizes he's called Scully, talking to her in low tones as if they're in a private conversation. Berquist at her 'I Want To Believe' poster with grim intention, affirming her decision.

When Mulder stalks into the hospital (nodding his head sideways at his partner), he is met with a bored, slumped over Scully straight out of Bad Blood (or Chimera), petulance and charm all rolled into one: "Tell me why you pulled me away from the suspect and chained me to this chair?"

Scully is actually, literally pouting that she couldn't be on active surveillance and had to sit idly by with no real reason other than Mulder said to.

Mulder is amused but wisely keeps it under wraps, motioning at the chair in invitation ("It's not yet dark-- you should take a load off. We might be here all night.") and incidentally waving her magazine pages around with wind current from his fingers. He rambles about staying longer, "it" being Detweiler, and his other string of reasons while Scully stands aghast that they're staying... until her partner whips out the monster theory ("Mulder.")

Scully is not one for blood curses: "So, what is he gonna do-- walk in here, skitter across the linoleum, and pee in the corners?"

Mulder can't hold back a big smile at that, looking away briefly to smile more fondly before it's back full-force and staying... though that doesn't stop him from taking the time correct her mistaken assumption ("It's about territoriality.")

Then, after properly informing her about alpha behavior, Mulder scoots back in his chair and lounges enticingly.

Scully cuts through this comfy zone by insisting he not listen to his new friend-- "The only person Karin is interested is in you." And, while briefly flattered by the truth in that statement, Mulder sinks into discomfort, never one to enjoy personal problems or unhappy endings.

"You're kidding yourself if you think she hasn't manipulated this entire situation for her own purposes."

He is unconvinced, silently crowing over being right by picking at his tie-- "He'll come here tonight, Scully, you'll see."

Then he motions to the chair again, the picture of ennui, reaching for her magazine when she doesn't comply at first (those Arcadia lack of boundaries coming into play.) Territorial to the last of her things (dog puns, gotta love 'em), Scully swoops in to snatch up her only source of entertainment. Mulder is miffed by her cancellation of his dibs, enviously watching its journey all the way back down to the chair as his partner plops, resigned, next to him.

Mulder is so smug because he is "proving" that he's right about his judgment concerning personal relationships. He knows Diana Fowley is a stain on his record (and Pheobe and Deep Throat, a bit, and informants, and various people on sundry cases); but wants to prove he is 'wiser' than a short time ago and can safely discern his allies from his foes. Moreover, he is proving to Scully that her enhanced concern and distrust of his friend-picking abilities is no longer needed because he's good to go.

As the night crawls on, Mulder finally gets two things: Scully's magazine and a clue. Realizing he'd been duped yet again, he looks at his watch, crestfallen; then stands to softly bop Scully-- who is snoring softly beside him-- to wakefulness with this episode's equivalent of a rolled-up newspaper. (Because this episode is relentless with dog puns and references.)

Mulder grimly confirms, "He's not coming."

Scully takes a second to wake fully, agreeing, "Well, you've got no argument from me"-- an attempt at some levity for his sake.

Mulder passes it over. "He's not coming here tonight. Karin knew that. She lied to me."

Scully wisely lets that one pass without comment, even if Mulder had already power-walked away in his disappointment.

Mulder and Scully arrive too late, appalled at finding the impaled bodies of the mythic monster (Detweiler) in Karin's front lawn.

Mulder looks at Karin's window, afraid she might be injured inside; but Scully's low "Mulder..." turns his focus back. The two of them identify the body, then see Karin's at the same time.

Mulder looks to Scully for confirmation, or any hope; but when Scully cannot do anything for Berquist, he remains impassive, only slightly shaking his head.

An odd ending for an odd woman.

The last scene is back in the basement, Mulder stressfully supporting his head in his hands (with his pencils untouched, a sign of true distress.)

Scully doubles back like their first scene together, asking, with an encouraging smile-- "You going home?"

Mulder inhales sharply, having been caught in the midst of silent mourning. "Ah... pretty soon," he says, self-consciously rubbing his eyes with the backs of his knuckles before almost crumpling again.

Scully isn't fooled, calmly walking in and asking, "You think this is your fault."

Mulder stumbles over his response at first, quiet in his self-abasement: "I think that I... believed her very quickly. I think that was my fault, yeah." His shame over failing, again, at picking friends and trusting people is overwhelming.

Seeing that this will not be an easy fix, Scully prepares herself for an emotional confession, rounding the desk to penetrate his sorrow and bring healing. Mulder knows this, too, and sits back, settling in for a Scully tete-a-tete: using logic to unwind his keyed up and self-punishment.

"Why wouldn't you believe her?"

Mulder uses her logic from earlier: "I barely knew her."

Scully doesn't deny that, but gives flavors it with nuance: "Well, she had a lot of secrets, that's for sure." She pauses to steel herself, looking up and away before recentering on her partner-- "I think Karin Berquist lived by her instincts. She seized people up pretty quickly and I think she figured you out to a T."

He is not flattered by that assessment, only more hideously chastising himself on the inside.

Scully slowly reveals her true meaning: "I think she saw in you a kindred spirit, Mulder." When he turns to her, eyes tearily glazed at her tenderness and understanding of his complicated feelings over this complicated situation, she continues, "She may not have been able to express that to you... maybe what she did was the highest form of compliment."

Mulder dips again, expelling a breath and playing with his nails again. There are too many painful paths to consider there, and all of them lead to Karin's loneliness at the end of her life and how Mulder couldn't-- can't-- fit into "it", yet.

Scully understands all this, of course (she always has); and after a comedic non-answer is given to her chummy "You gonna be okay?", she gives him a Paper Hearts smirk of acknowledgement.

Before she leaves, Scully gives Mulder a piece of Karin-- and herself-- that he can accept and cherish: "Oh-- this came for you."

Mulder's curiosity is ignited as Scully hands over a rolled up paper, briefly pulling him out of the slums of grief. When he sees it's from Berquist Kennels, Mulder steals a glance at his partner; but she's already fled halfway out of the door, jamming her coat on in her haste and not looking back. He knows she knows and is giving him space; but he doesn't know she knows what it is.

As Mulder unfurls his gift, he realizes it's a copy (or rendition) or his destroyed 'I Want To Believe' poster; and quickly-- but carefully-- tacks it up in his cozy underground not-unlike-a-Tooms nest.

As he sits back contemplating his motto, the events that led up to today, and all of the factors in between, Mulder-- though still not quite himself-- is resettled, at home. (It takes him a bit to realize home isn't in the basement anymore; but he'll figure it out.)

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

#txf #x-files #xf meta #meta #xfiles #analysis #the x files #Alpha In-Depth #Part II #Alpha #S6 #Mulder #Scully #Karin Berquist #mine

[scullyverse]

Covered In Skin

Prompt by Laura @bohoartist for the MSR Smut Exchange 2021;

One of them (your choice) is dealing with some sore muscles while away on a case. This leads to the other giving them a massage in one of their motel rooms. One thing leads to another... yaddayaddayadda. First Time Sex please.

This is for the lovely Laura! Your prompt was so fun to write and I really hope you enjoy it! <3 Part of the MSR Smut Exchange 2021! I had so much fun participating in this event!

Also available to read on ao3

Mulder pulls a muscle during an assignment and Scully is only too happy to give him a massage in his motel room. One thing leads to another and first time sex ensues. Set early season 7. Fic for the MSR Smut Exchange 2021.

Mulder/Scully || Smut || 9.4k words || Rating E (Explicit for smut)

“Mulder! He’s headed your way!” Scully shouted, gun raised, eyes focused as the suspect made a turn away from her.

She watched as Mulder lunged out from the corner, bringing both his own body and that of the suspect to the pavement. Scully grimaced at the noise, lowering her gun now that Mulder had the suspect pinned under his knee. The safety was flipped and her gun put back into its holster as she made her way towards him. Police removed the suspect and left Scully to help her partner to his feet, smiling up at him as her hand shielded her eyes from the sun.

“Nice job there, Mulder. I didn’t take you for the tackling type.” Scully mused, her tone light.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me yet, Scully,” Mulder teased as he brushed dirt from his pants. “I’m not just going to give all my tricks away at once.”

Her eyes rolled but she was unable to stop the slight tug of a smile on her lips as he bumped her shoulder playfully while both of them walked behind the police who loaded the suspect into the car. They had been called onto this case for an extra set of hands and though it wasn’t an X file, even Mulder had jumped at the opportunity to get off desk duty. It was a fairly simple drug bust, but Scully missed how her pulse pounded and how her adrenaline surged from being out on the field again. They stopped to watch the police car drive away and Scully crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes squinting once again against the sun.

Mulder looked down at her with soft eyes, placing his hand on her lower back; a sign of comfort, support, and - recently discovered - affection. Scully felt herself relax into his familiar caress. How can a simple touch make me feel so comforted and at the same time make me feel like shaking?

She wasn’t sure what had formed between them, they had exchanged a few odd kisses here and there over the past few months, which Scully had to admit were new and exciting. It had started one night when she had felt particularly bold, he had dropped her off at home and she’d taken a leap of faith and stood up onto her toes to kiss him. It had been short and sweet and had left her with a shy smile from the look of pleasant surprise etched onto his face. Then it had happened again, this time he had taken the initiative and kissed her at work. It was gentle and at first she had been taken aback by his forwardness, but then he had said she looked beautiful and she’d wanted to kiss him again. So she had.

Neither spoke of what it meant but it was nice nonetheless. That night they shared in his hotel room in Bellefleur, just talking into the early hours of the morning all those years ago, sparked her initial attraction to him, to his brilliance and remarkable mind. It wasn’t until later that the attraction expanded to his body too. Scully couldn’t speak for Mulder, but she knew her own hesitations towards the progression of her feelings for him. She was scared, even if it made her angry to see herself so succumbed to that fear. They were gravitating towards each other in a bubble and she feared the moment the bubble would burst, that the after effects would ruin the relationship they had before. But in their bubble she just couldn’t stop herself from constantly being sucked into his energy and inviting eyes. Eyes that seemed to captivate her for a moment now as he smiled down at her and led her towards their rental car. Her body hummed with the feeling of his strong hand on her back. So warm .

---♡---

Once they arrived at the hotel, the sun had only just set so they arranged to make use of their spare time and finish their paperwork. Scully took her time to shower and change into something more comfortable before she knocked on his door, files under her arm and glasses in hand. The air conditioning made their rooms much more accommodating than the heat outside, though Scully had still opted for silk shorts and matching singlet. Gone were the days of keeping herself overly covered in his presence; she had found herself gaining confidence around him and secretly loved the way his eyes would linger on her, finally outwardly admiring her as someone desirable. It gave her such a thrill.

It wasn’t long before Scully heard him shuffle on the other side of the door and open it with a smile. She took in his appearance; wet hair, shirt stuck to some wet spots on his skin and a pair of simple sweatpants. She was well aware he usually slept in nothing but his boxers; having been greeted by the sight in the early mornings when he answered the door rubbing sleep from his eyes. Is he being considerate to me by wearing these? Should I have been more considerate to him and changed into something more appropriate? She swallowed a slight hiccup of breath when she saw him completely transfixed on the expanse of her bare legs before his eyes moved to her chest and she felt her nipples tighten in response. His eyes met hers and she noticed his cheeks blushing. Scully could feel herself growing warm. So maybe he doesn’t mind me wearing this.

Mulder raised up his arm and Scully smiled as she ducked her head and slipped under and into the room, looking around the room with a sigh. The hotel was nice but it didn’t give much in the way of work spaces. She opted for the floor in front of the coffee table, legs crossed and tucked under her as he stood by the door for a moment.

“You okay on the floor, Scully?” He walked towards her but seemed hesitant to sit on the chair. “You can have the chair.”

“It’s fine, Mulder. I’m quite comfortable down here.”

He watched as she slid on her glasses and he finally sat down on the chair doing the same. They worked in silence, only the occasional question asked between them. With him, even silence was a comfort and Scully worked better with him next to her and the sound of his pen scrawling over paper. It reminded her of them working in their old basement office before the fire. Their old office. They continued to work and Scully was only brought out of her concentration when she heard a groan, Mulder stretching and rolling his neck. She studied him out of the corner of her eye for a moment as Mulder continued, discomfort evident on his face.

“Are you alright, Mulder?” She asked, her head tilted and tone curious.

“I’m fine,” Mulder groaned again. “Just pulled a muscle or something. Maybe tackling that guy wasn’t the smartest idea I’ve had.”

Mulder rarely showed discomfort, so Scully knew it must be uncomfortable for him. She put her glasses down and got to her feet, walking towards the bed.

“Come on. Lay down and let me give you a massage. It will help with the pain and loosen up those muscles of yours.” Scully gave the bed a pat. “Your body is probably tense in an attempt to protect the area you hurt.”

“A massage?” Mulder looked at her with a glint in his eyes. “Well, how can a guy turn down an offer like that?”

Mulder made his way towards the bed and stopped in front of her, his eyes flicking between her and the bed for a few awkward moments as his fingers hesitated in the idea of removing his shirt. In the end he chose against it and crawled onto the bed face down, a pillow pushed under his cheek for support.

“This okay? Or should I wiggle back so you can reach?” He teased.

“Shut up, Mulder,” Scully retorted in jest and rolled her eyes, climbing onto the bed and kneeling at his side as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them. “The position you are in is just fine. Push your luck and you’ll get nothing.” It was an empty threat and Mulder knew it because he just smiled and tucked one arm under the pillow.

Scully looked down at him and thought about the best way to tackle the situation before she found a spark of courage and threw caution to the wind. She rested her hands on his back before tugging at his shirt. “It will be easier if you take this off.” Scully had to bite a retort in her throat as he looked back at her with a cocked eyebrow. A playful scowl, though, was enough for him to close his mouth. Pulling the shirt over his head, Mulder revealed the vast expanse of his back to her. Scully’s eyes raked over him and for the first time she let herself admire his physique. He really is attractive. Mulder adjusted himself and got back into a comfortable position.

Straddling his thighs, a slight blush crept onto across her nose when she heard a soft moan slip from his lips. He felt hot and smooth as she ran her hands up the middle of his back with enough pressure that evoked a content rumble. Scully knew these muscles like the back of her hand but everything left her brain after a few moments of her hands on his skin. Instinct kicked in and she followed the curve of his spine, allowing her weight to travel down to her fingers. Mulder’s head tilted with a soft smile on his lips, his bottom lip pouted out in relaxation. That bottom lip looks so goddamn kissable . She shook her head in an attempt to erase the lustful thought, which caused her hair to fall and curtain her face. Good. Now maybe he can’t see me looking at that fucking lip of his.

Scully rose to her knees and shuffled forward so her hands could reach his shoulder as she worked her way towards the area that caused him pain. Settling on his ass, her eyes focused on how his skin rippled under her the movement of her fingers until Mulder suddenly jolted away from her.

“Is that where it’s uncomfortable?” Scully questioned, easing the pressure off slightly as she looked down at him with warm eyes.

“Yeah,” Mulder nodded. “Keep going though. Feels amazing, Scully.”

Scully pressed harder once again and settled back into a rhythm as Mulder moved his head and rested it back into the pillow, shielding his eyes from her. His muscles soon relaxed under her touch as she continued to work, a deep blush blossoming on her cheeks, and a warmth soon settled in her stomach as she bounced slightly against his ass with every movement of her hands. The way the curve of his right ass cheek managed to hit just the right spot applied a delicious pressure between her legs. Stop, god, you need to stop right now . She knew she should but she didn’t seem to have control over how her hips rocked gently against him. Scully heard a sudden intake of breath and she stilled instantly. Was that noise from me or him? She couldn’t be sure and she mentally chastised herself for being so focused on the feeling of him underneath her to maintain awareness. Suddenly everything seemed deathly quiet and she could swear she could hear her heartbeat.

“Keep going.” Mulder whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

There was a sudden shift in the air as Scully swallowed, her fingers continuing once more, this time making a solid attempt to keep her hips still. He wanted her to continue the massage and she would keep herself professional and do just that. Though it was impractical to keep them completely still and she couldn’t help the slight movement as she bore her weight down into her hands. Scully bit her lip and tried to focus on her fingers moving against his muscles, which became increasingly harder when she felt fingertips brushing delicately against her knee. Don’t look. Just keep going. She tried, but after a few moments she looked down and saw Mulder’s fingers playing with the skin of her knee with his head still planted firmly into the bed. Is he aware he is doing it?

Scully said nothing and the more it continued the more she didn’t want it to stop. Every touch sent butterflies to her stomach and it was those butterflies that spurred her on, to rock her hips again now unable to stop her natural instinct to seek relief of the heat she could feel between her legs. Scully bit her lip as a warmth crept up her chest. When did I become so aroused? The air seemed thick and she held back a moan when she felt his hips move beneath her. The way his hips rolled against the bed only added to the palpable tension of the room.

“S-Scully.” Mulder cleared his throat.

She opened her eyes when she heard her name. Wait, were my eyes closed? Scully looked down to meet his gaze, his eyes were almost black and his cheeks had a flush all of their own.

“I’m not sure this is the type of massage you signed up for,” he chuckled in an attempt to ease the tension between them, rolling his hips once again to keep his weight off the bed. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Wha-oh!” Scully exclaimed.

It took a second for everything to register, then the flush of arousal on her cheeks was suddenly replaced by a deep blush of embarrassment. She removed her hands and quickly moved off him before moving back to sit on her knees. “I’m sorry Mulder, I didn’t realise.” Well that was a lie. It was obvious her movements had some effect on him, she could feel it in how he seemed to be dry humping the bed. Scully bit her lip and couldn’t take her eyes off him as he rolled over and she caught a glimpse of the erection tented in his pants, a small wet patch on the fabric. Mulder grabbed a pillow, pressing it into his lap as he moved to sit against the headboard.

“I’m sorry about this,” Mulder paused, looking at her with a childish blush of his cheeks as he nodded to the pillow before avoiding her gaze. “It will go away soon.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Scully felt his eyes on her again. He watched her with his bottom lip still pouted, though Scully now figured it was from arousal. God, how I want to kiss you. Scully licked her lips as her thoughts raced along with the rapid pounding of her pulse in her chest and between her legs. She had seen Mulder in all states of human emotion before. But arousal hadn’t been one of them until now and the way he looked at her kicked her hormones into overdrive. It was like the last six years of pent up energy hit her all at once and her body ached for him now that he was so close .

“I guess you just give one hell of a massage.” His voice was rough and low but he gave her a gentle smile.

She could tell he was trying to lighten the mood and she appreciated him for that; her lips curled into a small smile to show him she was thankful for his attempt to ease the tension between them. But her body was tuned into him now and she found herself unwilling to hold herself back any longer. Please, God. Don’t let this be a mistake. Please. A silent prayer was sent above as she got to her hands and knees and crawled towards him, stopping beside him before getting up onto her knees. Mulder watched every movement with a tightened grip on the pillow. They were now close enough to share the same breath as she reached out to trace his jaw with her thumbs and over the slight stubble on his chin. Her thumbs stopped on his lips as they pushed gently down on his bottom lip, the air thick and all Scully could feel was his warmth.

“Kiss me.” Scully said with a hushed whisper. She wanted him. Oh, how she wanted him.

Mulder searched her eyes and kissed her thumbs before arching his neck and meeting her lips. Oh, I forgot how soft his lips are . Scully moaned into his mouth as she tasted the salt and liquid warmth that was just so Mulder . She leaned forward and urged him to deepen the kiss with a lick of her tongue on his bottom lip and when he parted his lips, that was all the invitation she needed. When their tongues touched for the first time she felt a shiver shoot down her spine. This is new. They hadn’t shared anything but chaste kisses in the past and that was nothing compared to how he felt against her tongue. Mulder rumbled deep in his chest which caused Scully to whimper in return, allowing herself to be consumed by him. How have I not kissed him like this before? When on earth did he learn to kiss like this? I feel so hot. How can a kiss make me feel this hot? Damn him.

The kiss was heated and fervent and Scully found herself conflicted; she didn’t want it to end but she also wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. Though that hesitation got smaller and smaller with every brush of his fingers on her skin and movement against her lips and when he nibbled on her bottom lip, her knees buckled with arousal. He pulled away from her sudden movement and she swallowed a whine of disapproval, sitting back down onto her heels. Her lips were hot and swollen as she caught her breath, his fingers still resting on her collarbones and every brush sent pulses down to her centre. He looked so beautiful in this state of arousal and she didn’t think it possible for his bottom lip to look even more kissable than before.

The air between them sat heavy as they both looked at each other and gathered their bearings. Scully found herself unsure of what to do; her mind and body were still conflicted, but the longer her eyes lingered on his lips, the more she found herself running out of excuses to push him away. There was a primal attraction and if he was willing, she wanted to submit to it and give herself to him. Well, only one way to find out. There’s no turning back now anyway, right? Scully moved one hand and reached for the pillow, intertwining her fingers with his as Mulder gripped the pillow tighter.

“Scully…You don-“

“I want to.” Scully’s voice was soft but firm.

Mulder searched her eyes before he relented. Scully felt her pulse quicken as she removed the pillow and threw it to the side of the bed, his eyes on her as she looked down to admire the full state of arousal he tried to shield from her. They had seen each other naked before and she hadn’t been able to stop herself from looking at him, purely out of curiosity, under the spray of the quarantine showers, but she had never seen him aroused and so proudly on display just for her.

A deep hunger settled in her body and she fought herself to not just reach out and touch him. I know that I want him. But I need to know that he wants this too. Straddling his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck for support and this time he was the first to make a move. He pulled her in for a kiss with a smile on his lips, one that Scully eagerly replied with one of own. Mulder’s smile faltered when she rubbed herself against him, pushing his erection flush between them. A groan fell from his lips as she rolled her hips, the friction delicious as Scully pulled away from the kiss, their foreheads pressing together as they continued to rock. His hands hovered above her exposed thighs, his fingers opening and closing in fists as his hips rolled with her, making serious attempts to thrust against her damp centre. He’s so eager and man do I want him inside me.

Her eyes watched him as he fought with himself, obviously unsure if he could touch her like he wanted to. Is he hesitant to push me too far? There was something inside her that felt guilty for how she pushed him away so much in the past. He looked at her confused when she stopped her hips before she reached down and took his hands in hers, putting them on her thighs to give him encouragement.

“You can touch me. I want you to touch me,” Scully coaxed, her voice soft and husky. “Please, Mulder.”

Scully sucked in a breath as she allowed him to move his hands up her thighs, resting her hands on his arms in a soft hold as he explored her skin. Mulder guided his hands under the thin fabric of her shirt and her hips began to move again, her body now pulled flush against him. She bit her lip as he looked down at her breasts pushed against his chest and her nipples hardened from the sensation. Mulder’s hands moved to grasp her ass with no hesitation now as he encouraged the movement of her hips. Yes, touch me.

“You have no idea how long I have wanted to feel you in my lap like this.” Mulder remarked with a smile on his lips that Scully could only describe as a smirk of pure lust. His thumbs tucked into her underwear and the touch was so intimate it caused arousal to flood from her centre.

“I’ve wanted it too,” Scully bowed her head with a smirk which only made Mulder’s smile grow. “I still want it.”

Scully moved to kiss him with instantly parted lips, inviting him to deepen the kiss with enthusiasm. His hands held her tight as he gave a sharp thrust of his hips, causing Scully to give a high pitched sigh as she bit his lip once before resting her nose on his cheek.

“I need you.” Scully whispered.

Her hands slid down between them and rested either side of the erection tented in his pants as her fingers itched to touch him. He’s so close . Scully shifted back and his hips stilled as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Please, Scully.”

Her whole body quivered as a sharp jolt of arousal shot through her at how he begged her. Fuck, Mulder, you need to beg me again . She bit her bottom lip, removed his pants and watched how his erection sprung itself free and lay hard and swollen against his stomach. God, you are so beautiful . The tip of his cock leaked for her and it nearly made her whimper. Nearly. His fingers tangled in her hair as they kissed, his thumbs brushing her cheeks in affection that made Scully’s heart jump. Trust didn’t come easy for her and especially not in the bedroom, but right now she trusted Mulder with her body. He smiled into the kiss and gasped when Scully’s fingertips brushed the underside of his cock, her blunt nails dragging softly from base to tip.

“I didn’t know a bed could get you so aroused, Mulder.” Scully purred.

Mulder opened his eyes, looking at her smirking in affection while her nails continued to tease him. “You know full well it wasn’t the bed, Scully.”

“No. I guess it wasn’t.” Scully bit her bottom lip as she watched Mulder’s head fall backwards with pleasure.

She wrapped her fingers around his cock and began to stroke up and down. Mulder was so warm and his skin so soft in her hand as she collected his precum and used it to coat her fingertips so she could glide easier against his cock. Mulder groaned, gripping the sheets as he started to thrust his hips in a desperate attempt to achieve some relief. Taking her time, Scully marvelled at the different moans and gasps she brought out of him with the different movements of her hand; like a twist of her wrist or a squeeze of the tip of his cock. She caught him off guard when she cupped his scrotum and his hips jolted up, parting his thighs to allow more space as her hand sped up. Soon though, Mulder stopped her.

“Wait. I want to touch you too.” Mulder cleared his throat. “And if you keep doing that this is going to end much quicker than either of us want.”

Scully blushed in understanding. “I want you to touch me too.” Fuck how I want you to touch me .

Mulder nodded as Scully stood up on shaky legs as she removed her shorts, her fingers resting on the band of her underwear. She watched how Mulder visibly swallowed, eyes fixated on her. Scully would have been embarrassed with how wet she knew she was if she wasn’t already so far gone. He was so close to where she desperately wanted him and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she felt his forehead on her stomach, his hands resting on the back of her thighs, holding her against him. Scully whimpered and her body arched into him when he placed a tender kiss on her underwear. This man is going to be the death of me.

He sat back and it gave her space to take a breath before removing her underwear. Mulder helped her back to her knees, her chest heaving as he touched her. O-Oh . His fingers slipped between her folds and she parted her legs further to let him explore. The way he touched her was soft but firm. No comment was made about the slick sounds from his fingers exploring her wetness, but her arousal seemed to only spur him on. She gripped his shoulder to keep herself balanced as she closed her eyes. Mmm keep going. Please keep going. Mulder’s fingers brushed over her clit and her knees shook as Mulder helped her to straddle him once again. As he collected her wetness onto his fingers, nuzzling into her neck, Scully couldn’t help arching into him.

“God, Scully,” Mulder moaned, his breath tickling her ear. “Is this for me?”

“Yes,” Scully gasped when his fingers teased her entrance. “All for you.”

Scully’s toes curled and her hips shifted closer in an attempt to achieve more stimulation as her hands wrapped around him, his chin resting on her shoulder with his lips brushed against her neck. Her breath was harsh when his fingers finally entered her. Yes. Mmm yes. Scully moaned when he started a gentle rhythm of fingers inside and his thumb against her clit. Her body craved more and it was if he read her mind, adding another finger and curling them to hit the soft spot against her inner walls which caused her inner muscles to grip him tightly.

“Yes.” It was a whisper against his skin as she rocked her hips, focusing on the pleasure that he sparked inside her.

It was like she felt him everywhere all at once, his scent filling her nose and she felt nothing but the warmth radiating from him. She needed to feel him, it was a sudden urge deep down that craved the skin on skin contact. Scully pulled away and he arched an eyebrow before she bit her bottom lip and pulled her shirt over her head.

She heard him suck in a breath as his eyes stared at her stomach. Scully looked down and watched his thumb brush against the gold ring in her belly button with a glint in his eyes.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to have a piercing,” Mulder teased. “Knowing you have this under those suits of yours…there’s just something so incredibly hot about that, Scully.”

Scully chuckled at his captivation. “Just my piercing?”

He looked back up at her but stopped when he caught sight of her breasts, her nipples hard, dusky pink and desperate for his touch. Scully could have laughed at the look on his face, like he had momentarily forgotten she was naked and was caught off guard by seeing her breasts for the first time. She had seen Mulder aroused, but the look in his eyes now as he admired her was something else. It was just pure unadulterated hunger and she felt a shiver.

“Definitely not just the piercing. Jesus, Scully.” Mulder praised.

Mulder’s eyes never left her breasts, and her nipples - if it was possible - grew harder under his gaze. Stop looking and just put that mouth on me alre-Oh! She didn’t have time to speak, even her thoughts faltered when he leaned down and licked the valley between her breasts before wrapping his lips around her nipple.

“Oh. Mmm.” Scully breathed out.

Her head fell back and her hips rocked harder against his willing fingers, his mouth hot and wet around her. She just wanted to be completely consumed by him and that fucking talented mouth of his. It was easy to fall and get lost in how his tongue swirled around her and she jolted back to reality with a sharp pulse of arousal to her clit as he bit down on her nipple.

“F-Fuck!” Scully gasped with a high pitched whine.

Mulder paused instantly and looked up at her, her eyes snapping open with a whimper as she looked to him with pleading eyes. Why did you stop? Don’t stop! She was about to open her mouth and complain when she felt his fingers ram into her suddenly, the wind sucked out of her lungs, her muscles clamping around his fingers in appreciation. The new pace made it hard to keep eye contact with him, but the look of awe and lust he gave her seemed to make it unavoidable.

“Say it again.” Mulder commanded, his fingers thrusting into her again.

Her body jolted forward, her head lulling to the side when he returned to her chest, now focused on the nipple he ignored the first time. It took her a moment, but she smirked when her brain realised what he was talking about. Oh, so that’s it. You like to hear me curse. She was going to retort with a smart remark but her brain lost function when he bit down on her sensitive bud again.

“Fuck.” Scully whimpered, her fingers threading through Mulder’s hair. “So good.”

She felt him smirk against her and the warmth between her legs began to grow, her body completely tuned into him and the way he worked her higher towards that peak. Her thighs shook and as much as she loved him against her chest she needed his lips again. Her fingers tugged at his hair, pulling him to her again, the kiss messy and hot, just what she needed. She panted and rocked her hips harder against him as she felt his hips take full advantage of their closer position, his cock bumping against her pelvic bone on every thrust of his hips and she found it incredibly arousing that he was getting so caught up in what he was doing to her.

Scully was getting closer as his fingers sped up, his thumb unrelenting against her clit and she found herself needing to touch him. Fuck, I’m so close, and you’re going to come with me, Mulder. I want you to come with me. Her hand slipped between them and her thumb collected his precum before sliding down slickly and in time with how his fingers worked inside her. He groaned loudly as his head fell back and Scully took the opportunity to lick the exposed column of his neck, her eyes fluttering closed when the saltiness of his skin hit her tongue. Mmm you taste exquisite. Mulder gave a loud moan as his hips shot upwards, his fingers faltering for a moment when she bit the underside of his jaw.

“Hold on.” He stopped her hand and intertwined their fingers with a smirk. “I can’t think properly when you do that. And I’m trying to make you come here.”

“But I want to come with you,” Scully replied, tugging his hand to her lips and kissing it, so desperate to have him inside of her. “I need you inside me. Please.”

Mulder’s fingers paused as they kissed again before he removed his fingers, much to Scully’s reluctance, changing their positions. It ended in tangled limbs and they both laughed, Scully on her back with him settled between her legs. They continued to chuckle together as they kissed, Scully’s hands on his arms as they kept his weight off her. It was sudden, the way the air shifted and their chuckles died down, looking into each other’s eyes, Mulder brushing her hair away from her face. All previous hesitations she had before were gone and she wanted nothing more than for him to take her.

“Please, Mulder.” Scully begged. She wasn’t normally one to beg, but her body needed the release he had promised earlier, already completely on edge.

Her legs widened in invitation as he kissed her, the kiss seemingly different than the ones before. This was slow and warm and it seemed to convey all the feelings he had for her without words, her heart thumping in her chest and her fingers gripping his arms in an attempt to keep herself grounded. She had never felt such almost overwhelming affection before and it took her breath away. I need him. I need him. I need him. It was a mantra in her head as her fingers slinked down to rest on his stomach, his muscles rippling under her touch.

“I need you, Scully,” He got to his knees and stroked himself as she watched him. “I can’t wait anymore.”

Scully nodded and bit her lip. “I need you too.”

She got to her elbows and watched him as he slid his cock through her folds, gathering her arousal and using it to lubricate himself. There was something so erotic about the sight that Scully felt her clit pulse with her heartbeat and arousal drip down to the bed. Can’t he see how ready I am for him? Stop fucking teasing! She arched her hips and gave him a raised eyebrow and was about to tell him to hurry up when his strong hand held her hips down, her head falling back when he pushed against her and slipped inside.

“Yes!” Scully moaned loudly.

Mulder’s bottom lip was tight between his teeth as he continued to slide inside with little resistance with how aroused she was and every inch he moved inside her felt incredible. They watched their bodies coming together until he was flush against her and her head thumped back against the pillow. Fuck, yes! That’s what I’m talking about. He adjusted his position and she wrapped her legs around the back of his knees to hold him close against her. Their lips met in a deep kiss as she took her time to adjust to him, her inner muscles fluttering against him with a hum of approval. His hips flexed when her muscles relaxed and she gave him a squeeze with her legs to encourage him to move.

He moved and she had to break the kiss in order to take a sharp breath as she dug her nails into his skin, Mulder’s head falling forward and his hot breath panted against her skin as he struggled to maintain a slow, gentle pace. She admired the way he cared for her but she was already so desperate, she needed to feel him and feel how much he wanted her. Scully’s fingers moved down to rest on his ass, gripping his cheeks firmly, her hands moving in time with his hips.

“Don’t hold back,” Scully emphasised her words with a tight grip of his cock with her inner muscles. “Show me how much you want me.”

Mulder grunted against her before he moved his hips more eagerly as he exposed her neck and wasted no time in kissing and sucking the soft skin behind her ear. Cheeky. She was sure it would leave a mark but she was too far gone to care. All she needed was for him to keep going, his mouth was right on her ear and the way his hot breath tickled her made her back arch.

“I want you so much,” Mulder’s hips continued to thrust, the slapping of their skin and panting breaths, the only sounds in the room. “I’ll always want you.”

Her vision became slightly blurred as she captured his lips and urged him on faster, his heartfelt sentiment sparking something inside her that made her want to give all she had to him. They were never good with words but their bodies seemed to speak for them as years of sexual attraction and emotional connection finally came to a peak. Her body was warm and so surrounded by him, making her feel protected and vulnerable at the same time. Her toes flexed when he changed the angle and he brushed against her g-spot, causing the sparks of her orgasm to build.

“Keep going. Please, don’t stop.” Scully hummed.

Mulder rested his forehead against hers and his hips pumped harder, Scully’s back arching into him. Sliding one hand between them to her clit, Mulder looked down and moaned his approval before he kissed her again, whispering against her lips. “And don’t you stop doing that.”

Scully wasn’t planning on it, especially not with how quickly she could feel her orgasm building, and not with how he managed to brush her hair off the sweaty skin of her cheeks so tenderly while he fucked her into oblivion. Her legs fell from around him and parted wider, causing him to get a deeper angle which was about all her body could take. Her eyes closed and she dug tight into his ass, her inner muscles clenching tight in preparation for the orgasm that had started to blossom in her toes, ready to shoot through her whole body at a second's notice.

“Look at me, Scully.” Mulder begged.

Scully’s eyes opened, desperation on her face as her fingers rolled against her swollen clit, her legs raising off the bed to achieve the right angle. She was so close she could almost taste it.

“I can’t hold on anymore!” Scully all but sobbed in pleasure, her nails deep into his ass with a force that caused him to hiss and rock against her, frantically desperate to push her over that edge.

“Come for me. Let me feel you.” Mulder coaxed, lips right next to her ear.

“I’m coming!” The whine from Scully’s throat was primal and raw. There, fuck, right there, oh god! Her eyes slammed shut and her legs shook when she felt her orgasm rip through her body, lights exploding behind her eyes.

Scully panted as her orgasm crashed over her, her entrance contracting around him in rapid succession, the white heat of her orgasm washing over her in blissful waves. Mulder groaned and slowed his hips down in an attempt to draw out her pleasure in replacement of his own obvious desperation to achieve release.

“Jesus, Scully!” Mulder grunted.

Scully’s body continued to shake beneath him as she rode out her orgasm, her whole body alive and sparking just for him. When the pleasure began to ease, her body relaxed and her legs fell open onto the bed, her chest heaving in an attempt to get her breath back as she opened her eyes to watch Mulder brush her hair away, a smile on his face.

“You are so beautiful.” Mulder confessed and it made Scully break out in a warm smile, her face relaxed in pure bliss. His words only made her body feel warmer, her heart swelling in her chest.

She got lost in his eyes as he kissed her, the kiss soft before desire kicked in and he groaned against her lips, rolling onto his side, and although Scully was momentarily confused, she smiled and allowed him to pull her with him as she rested her leg high on his waist. One of his hands held her thigh against him and the other slipped between her and the bed to pull her closer to him as he started to thrust again. This new angle was different and allowed deeper penetration which caused her head to fall forward into the crook of his neck as his hips worked harder against her, his fingers digging deeper into the supple flesh of her thigh.

She felt so enveloped by how his scent and sweat covered her skin, his large frame cradling her close in an entanglement of limbs. It was an intoxicating feeling and she could already feel herself becoming addicted to it. Burying her nose into his shoulder she nibbled on his exposed skin, tasting the saltiness of him on her tongue and she could sense he was close with how his hips lost their rhythm and became erratic. Scully suspected he was trying desperately to hold on and she had to admit that she didn’t want it to end either, but she wanted him to feel the pleasure he had given her moments before. She wanted to see him completely and utterly vulnerable for her.

“It’s okay, let go,” Scully whispered as she kissed his lips, pulling back only enough to speak again. “Come for me, Mulder.”

He nodded with a whine and it quickly became her new favourite sound. Mulder gripped her thigh tighter and she knew there would be marks there in the morning but it felt too good to care. Mulder’s hips faltered for a moment when he rolled them back into their original position, Scully’s leg’s spread wide and open for him as he lifted his head, picking up his pace with closed eyes and parted lips, panting as his hips started to shake. Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous like this, Mulder. So beautiful.

Mulder’s hand quickly let go of her thigh and she let it fall to the bed as he pushed himself up and pulled out of her. Scully grunted in disapproval with the emptiness left, clenching around nothing and missing his fullness until her brain clicked onto what he was doing a few moments later. If she hadn’t already been completely soaked she would have been now. Mulder held himself up on his knees and elbows with his cock resting close to her, his fist frantically pumping, Scully biting her lip as she reached down, resting one hand on his pubis, so close that his fingers brushed against her wrist with every stroke.

His eyes were closed and she took the time to look down and watch his swollen cock slide effortlessly in his fist with the mixture of their arousal. How she so desperately wanted to touch him and feel him release into her hand, but she didn’t want to ruin his pleasure so she just dug her nails slightly into his skin in compromise and that seemed to be enough of a stimulation as his hips bucked and his eyes snapped open. Scully’s stomach muscles rippled as the tip of his cock brushed against her skin and poked into her belly button on occasion, the slight tug at her piercing sending fresh jolts of arousal straight to her core.

“S-Scully…” Mulder stuttered as he looked down between their bodies. “So close.”

“Yes.“ Scully purred in return, her eyes fixated on him as he brought himself over the edge.

Groaning loudly, Mulder let his orgasm wash over him as he held his cock against her, spurting thick ropes of cum that coated her stomach. Scully arched up as the hot liquid hit her skin, her eyes focused on him in the throes of his orgasm. His hand continued to stroke himself as he whined, the head of his cock bumping into her belly button as he gently thrust against her, cum still dripping out of him. Oh wow . It was one of the hottest things Scully had seen and she bit her lip, her fingers digging into his skin as he slid against her stomach, coating her even more with his desire. He moaned as Scully gripped his hair and pulled him down to kiss him again.

He was almost breathless and after the kiss she let him fall down onto her, the mess between them forgotten as she wrapped her arms and legs around him in a warm embrace. She wasn’t normally one to enjoy the heavy weight of a man on top of her, but with Mulder it just felt so comforting. A hum of approval rumbled in her throat as he nuzzled into her and she closed her eyes, just taking in his warmth and enjoying the post-coital bliss. It wasn’t until Scully became aware of the stickiness between them that she started to pull away and he got back onto his knees, a blush on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry about that, Scully,” Mulder smirked as he ran his hands up her thighs and to her bent knees. “You took away my brain function there for a second.”

Scully smiled and shook her head. “Don’t apologise, I liked feeling you on top of me. It felt...” She paused as if trying to find the right word as she got to her elbows. “Comforting.”

They looked at each other before she looked down at her glistening stomach. It made her clit throb knowing that she was covered in him and nothing but him. Mulder followed her eye line as Scully reached down to collect the liquid in her belly button before his eyes grew wide.

“Oh, shit! Your piercing!” Mulder spluttered with panic in his eyes. “I didn’t mean…Is it going to get infected? I didn’t think! I’m so sorry.”

Scully let him rush out his panic before she giggled, her head falling back as she struggled for breath. Opening her eyes, Scully immediately felt guilty when his face still showed nothing but worry. She smiled before she carefully sat up and brushed his jaw with her thumb.

“No, no, please don’t worry. It’s okay, honestly,” Scully traced his frowned eyebrow. “It won’t get infected. It’s been healed for years, it’s okay.” Scully watched him nod and sigh with relief.

“Was that okay?” He asked.

She guessed he wasn’t just talking about the way his desire was cooling on her stomach but about what they had just done. It was definitely a huge step in their relationship and one she didn’t think would have happened like this - well, if she was honest she hadn’t really been sure if it would have happened at all, even though there had always been a part of her that wanted him. Scully got up onto her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, sucking his cum off her finger, Mulder licking his lips in approval.

“It was more than okay,” Scully confided as she looked into his eyes and tried to swallow down the lump of emotion that dwelled into her throat at the look of love in his eyes. Oh god, please don’t look at me like that, my heart can’t take it. But she smiled and bit her lip. “A lot more than okay.”

Mulder nodded in relief before he kissed her again, Scully moaning into his lips as she pulled away. “Come on, we should go get cleaned up. I don’t want to ruin the sheets.”

Mulder smirked as Scully struggled to move on wobbly legs. “You okay there, Scully?”

Scully playfully smacked his arm, taking the hand he offered to help her off the bed. “Shut up, Mulder.” Her tone was light as she intertwined their fingers and pulled him towards the bathroom, Mulder following behind her and never letting go of her hand.

---♡---

The shower was just what Scully needed. They washed together, Mulder made sure she washed her belly button thoroughly, and she smiled when he washed her hair before they melded together under the spray of the water. It was soft and gentle, even when Mulder took her again against the cool tiles of the shower. Their orgasms came quickly and even though they weren’t as strong as the ones before, they were just as pleasurable. Once they finished, he lowered her to the floor and they washed again, Scully cleaning their mixed arousal off her inner thighs. They dried together, smiling, before they made their way back into the room. Mulder got under the covers of the bed and watched as Scully gathered their clothes and put them onto the coffee table next to their forgotten paperwork, which they could finish over the weekend. Scully looked over at him as he lay there with the empty side of the bed’s covers pushed back in invitation.

There was a part of her deep inside that went on high alert and told her she needed to run, to get out of this situation and that the feelings of love and adoration she felt for him were too much, as they started bubbling up in her chest. They were too intense to process with her brain pumping endorphins around her body and she knew she couldn’t trust her judgement right now. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make a decision when her body called for her to go to him and leave the consequences to be dealt with tomorrow. Oh, how easily she could succumb to them. It was frightening, really. She stood there for a moment in the middle of the room, her towel loosely wrapped around her body, her heart pounding in her chest. Scully felt her eyes drawn to him, his gaze soft as he sat up against the headboard.

“You don’t have to stay, Scully.” Oh, how well you can read me, you always have been so good at it. Damn you. His voice was soft and she felt a sting to her heart when she heard a trace of sadness there. “I understand if you want to go. It’s okay.”

What are you doing? Stop with this shit! This is Mulder. This is the Mulder who you just slept with. This is the Mulder who looks at you like he truly loves you. Just go to him! Her heart screamed at her, but her head told her she needed time to process and she shouldn’t jump into something just because her body wanted it. She couldn’t fuck this up. Not with Mulder, he meant far too much to her. Scully swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded before collecting her clothes and leaving the room, not looking back to him because she knew it would be too hard to leave if she did. Scully rested her back against the door after it shut and looked into her room; it was so dark and empty, the light of his room peaked from under the door and she already missed the warmth.

Walking over to sit down on the bed, Scully let her arms hug around her body in an attempt at self comfort. She so desperately wanted to allow herself the happiness of being wrapped in him, but she didn’t want to possibly ruin what they had; because what they had was just too fucking important to her. It was probably the most important thing to her. Sex could just be sex. But feelings would make things harder, they always did.

Scully ran her hands over her face and brushed her wet hair back as she let her towel pool in her lap. But you want to go back there, stop denying yourself that. Things felt right, didn’t they? It had actually been amazing how naturally they had come together, as though they’d been doing it for years, and she supposed that parts of them had. He hadn’t given her any reason to doubt how much he cared for her and she felt herself wondering if maybe she should ignore her head for once. In all the years what has it gotten me? An empty bed and an even emptier heart . Biting her bottom lip, Scully gave a little strangled whimper when she tasted him still on her lips.

There was a deep ache that had settled between her legs and a bruised feeling on her thigh and all she felt was him, the thought only causing her heart to ache too. She wanted him and she wanted to let herself have that happiness she craved. Hell, even if it only lasts a little, it will be better than not having it all, right? They could work things out later, she just wanted to let herself have tonight. If that was all God was going to give her, she would make it count.

She pulled her towel back around her body and got to her feet, making her way towards the door, her hand lingering on the door knob before she decided to knock. It only took one tap of her knuckles against the wood before she heard him on the other side. “You don’t have to knock, Scully.”

Opening the door, she saw Mulder sitting up in bed, the covers still open in invitation for her. He gave her a questioning look, and just him so close to her again made her heart beat faster. This is where she wanted, no, needed to be. In the warmth and the light, not in the cold darkness alone. Not anymore . Scully gave him a reassuring smile and she could have sworn she had never seen him smile so big before. He lay back, his eyes raking over her body, and when she dropped the towel to reveal her bare skin to him once again, he moaned in approval. His eyes lingered on her breasts before they moved over her piercing, the patch of auburn curls between her legs, then travelled up to her eyes.

“You’re killing me over here, Scully,” Mulder chuckled and Scully smirked, walking towards him with a confident sway to her hips. “You need to give a guy some warning before you do that. So I can at least prepare myself.”

Scully giggled as she reached the bed, only hesitating for a split second before she slipped under the covers and looked up at the ceiling. Feeling him shift, she rolled onto her side with her back to him, unsure of how much he was willing to give her after she had pulled away once again. It didn’t take more than a few seconds before she felt his arms linger around her, hesitant to touch. Scully turned and looked into his eyes, his warmth so inviting as she shuffled towards him before raising her finger in warning, his eyebrow cocked in amusement at her playful attitude.

“If you steal my half of the blankets, I’ll kill you.” Her lips curved in amusement as he nodded and mock-pouted.

Moving as close to him as she could, she wrapped her arms around him. Mulder finally rested his arms around to hold her in a close embrace. Scully hadn’t even been aware that she’d been holding her breath, but it came out in a content sigh when he cradled her head to him and kissed the crown of her head deeply. This feels so right. He’s so soft. Legs slipped between his and there was something so intimate about how their hips connected, his cock soft and rested against her centre, curls rubbing against curls. Closing her eyes, she couldn’t help how her lips curled up when the wiry hair of his chest tickled her breasts, her body relaxing into the gentle way his fingers moved up and down her back.

“I hope your muscles are nice and relaxed now.” Scully smirked as her arms tightened around him and she kissed the skin of his shoulder.

“Very relaxed. Never felt more relaxed than right now,” Mulder paused and pulled her tighter to him, his voice a whisper. “And I’m not talking about the massage. Just being with you is so...” He paused again. “Comforting.”

As he relayed her earlier sentiment, Scully’s heart leapt. I’ve never felt so warm.

#XFSmut2021 #msr #msr fanfic #mulder and scully #mulder x scully #mulder/scully #fox mulder #dana scully #fanfic #fanfiction #danaxfoxfic

[thescullyphile]

Flirting is such a delight to read. Thanks for writing it! Got excited that you’re taking prompts. In case you’re up to it, please write either M or S feeling awkward as the other appears to flirt back at a friendly colleague

A/N: Thank you for the prompt! I had to sit on it for a while until I could think of something that felt genuine to the way I like to imagine Mulder and Scully. I took some liberties with the prompt, but hopefully the essence is the same! And I’m still taking prompts, if anyone feels like sending any my way.

Epiphany Mulder had promised a nice trip to the forest, but Scully was already doubting the veracity of his claim. If it was actually going to be a nice trip to the forest, he wouldn’t have told her to bring a rain jacket ‘fit for Bigfoot.’ God, that man was infuriating. And he made it even worse by telling her he thought her hair was cute when she complained about the certain humidity. A tiny part of her, shoved way deep down inside, kind of wanted to kiss him after that. A larger part of her wanted to scream, however, so she settled on rolling her eyes and giving him a dull look that hopefully covered how totally he confused her.

Scully was considering screaming now, with Mulder ten feet away and the secretary from the car rental agency basically undressing him with her eyes. Here he was, with his stupid poofy hair, looking at her beseechingly every few seconds while Ms. Secretary was flirting with her whole might. He’s just trying to rent a car, just trying to do his job, and the secretary is asking him every conceivably ‘relevant’ question she can think of, including but not limited to if he was single, and if he lived in the area. Like he would be renting a car if he lived in the area.

She ooohs and aaahs when she sees his FBI identification, typing in his information as slowly as possible, and Mulder gives Scully a long, desperate look. Scully blushes at being caught staring, but Mulder is currently blinking so much that she becomes confused rather than chagrined. Is he...blinking SOS?

The pattern repeats again. SOS in Morse code. What a nerd. But, like every good navy brat, she knows an SOS signal when she sees one. The secretary speaks again and Mulder tears his eyes away from her, giving Scully a minute to think. She isn’t jealous, right? That would be unpartnerly. But she is, she decides, protective. So maybe she’s only known Mulder for less than a year, and he’s totally myopic about the paranormal, and he speaks with all the expression of a robot, but she’d be lying if she said he hadn’t grown on her a surprising amount. And so, even though he decided to bring them to one of the least appealing climates in North America, Scully leaves their bags and goes to his rescue.

It doesn’t take much, really, to dissuade the secretary from further shenanigans. Mulder smiles at Scully, she smiles back. He tells her the time even though she didn’t ask (she’d been about to), and their sides brush as they gently bump into each other, gravities melding in their proximity. Before Scully knows it, the secretary is staring at them with a smile that’s considerably more forced as she hands Mulder their ticket. Success.

Mulder lets out a sigh as they walk away, and Scully’s eyes flicker up to his face. “Thanks for the assist, Doc.” Maybe it’s the ridiculous humidity that’s causing her hair to curl and her cheeks to flush, maybe it’s his uncomfortable sincerity and the way their hands touch when he takes her bag for her. Either way, she shrugs, popping the trunk of the rental car. “Not a problem. Besides, I’m used to dealing with things like that.”

In the end, it’s the concerned look in his eyes, sparked by her comment, that really gets to Scully. “You’ll let me know if I can ever help?” He speaks softly, narrowing the world down to the popped trunk of a 1989 sedan, and Scully forces herself to inhale a lungful of muggy air in the face of his intensity. “Of course.”

Her palms are sweaty and her heart is beating faster than it rationally should, but Scully has just had the epiphany of a lifetime. He cares. But more than that, she cares that he does. It matters to her, and he matters to her, and it’s a dangerous feeling, knowing you would do anything for someone. If Mulder takes notice of this change in her, he doesn’t let it show, loading their bags with practiced efficiency. Life, it seems, has just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

[frangipanidownunder]

Still with me, Scully?: fic

A bad case, a snowstorm, a grumpy Scully, a sorry Mulder in a one-bed tropefest story for your entertainment.

The outside looks promising enough. The neon light blinks Vacancy. A low-slung roof over a festively decorated door, wreath shimmering with silver tinsel and tiny jewel lights twinkling. He chances a look over his shoulder. She’s round-shouldered, down-in-the-mouth, pale like the frost just starting to crackle over the motel windows.

“Still with me Scully?”

She stuffs her hands deep into her pockets and he imagines those fine fingers squeezing the life out of him, her cold eyes glinting as he gasps her name, an apology and a declaration of love all wrapped up one final exhalation. It’s been a bad case. Really bad. Silent treatment for the hours lost on the road. Face turned to the grimy roadside all the way; surely, she has a cricked neck and yet another excuse to beat him up, down and sideways.

The door creaks open and the smell of pine, sawdust and years of lost souls hits him. “Looks all right,” he says, mustering some cheer that isn’t exactly Christmassy but definitely holds a note of the hopefulness that comes at this time of year. The end of something, the beginning of something. A chance to reset. She doesn’t respond, merely checks out the tree in the corner with its bright decorations. He follows her gaze and his eyes rest on a golden bauble in the shape of a teardrop. Of course.

The clerk flumps open a dusty ledger and peruses the listing, umming and ahing ostentatiously. Any minute she’ll explode; he can see the blast brooding in her flaring nostrils and her half-rolled lips. The eyebrow is shooting up and up. Ladies and gentlemen, we have lift off.

“Only one room left,” the clerk declares. “It’s out round back.” He turns and unhooks a loop of keys and gives them to Mulder. “You and the missus’ll be nice and cosy, though. There’s a bucket of firewood in each room. Matches are on the sideboard. TV don’t work but I’m sure you’ve got other ways to keep yourselves occupied. Storm’s coming.”

Yes, it is, Mulder thinks as the keys feel like stone in his hand. He turns to face his partner and swallows. “Um. You still with me, Scully?”

The teardrop on the Christmas tree wobbles and falls to the floor as she lets the door slam behind her.

The room is…cosy. But not in the rich timber panelling, mellow lighting, roaring fireplace, fleecy quilted bed linen and luxurious drapes at the windows kind of way. More the six foot by six foot, dingy broom cupboard way. A single, square window the size of a postage stamp is opaque with dust not frost. The curtains hang limply from a bent pelmet. The sideboard is more like a child’s school desk. He guesses the tv hasn’t worked since colour came in. The fireplace is the only saving grace. Mulder gets to work straightaway, striking each flimsy match from the small book as a penance prayer. Finally, the penultimate redhead catches and he protects the small orange flame of hope with his cupped hands.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” he says to her. She’s on the bed. Or in it, perhaps, because it’s folded up around her making her look like a young orphan fresh off the train at Miss O’Leary’s Home for Young Innocents. She grunts at him and sighs forever.

The fire take hold and he lets himself smile at the small victory. “Ta-da,” he declares with jazz hands that he hopes are conciliatory, but from the raised eyebrow and averted gaze are probably more fuel for her inner fire. How can one be simultaneously icy and fiery? Scully is the enigma of all enigmas.

“I’ll take the…” he looks around for another item of furniture. There is none. “Floor?”

She tuts and rolls the small opal earring around in her right lobe. It catches the reflection of the fire and an amber glow emerges from the pearlescent surround. It’s Scully in an earring, he muses. “It’s okay, Mulder. We’re grown-ups.” She offers him a curt smile, one that says, ‘well at least one of us is’.

“I promise not to play footsie,” he says as the fire licks and spits. “If you promise not to drool on me.”

Between her fingers, she’s made a knot of the coverlet. She drops it, straightens it out and slides him a smile, somewhere between a white flag and a red flag. He can’t quite work out which it is, but the room is warming up and maybe she’s thawing a little too.

The fire burns out some time during the small hours. His feet and the small of his back are exposed and his brain is unhelpfully supplying all the dumb things he’s ever done during their partnership. It’s quite the extensive playlist. He can’t move, because he’ll wake her. But he does lift his head to see her nested in the pillow, face like an angel, a russet halo framing her forehead. The delicacy of her snoring is somewhat comforting, the salve for the burn his mind is meting out.

There’s a weighty silence around them. The profound quiet of a snowfall. Through the slit in the curtain he thinks he can see the rising accumulation on the window sill. The blind face of the tv screen is visible in the strange light. He stares at it like he might on one of his usual insomniac nights. What’s the difference between a blank screen and a movie he’s seen a hundred times? The mind-stultifying effect is what he’s seeking.

She shifts. Turns to him and the tip of her nose brushes his. She blows out a slightly acidic breath and it warms him more than she’d consider medically possible. But Dr Scully doesn’t know everything. They’re both as uneducated when it comes to affairs of the heart. True affairs of the heart, not the hormone or power fuelled relationships they’ve both endured in the past. He loves her. She loves him. It’s as clear as the pure snow that’s undoubtedly settling outside. But it’s easier to plough through life without acknowledging the build-up, without gritting the paths to make their way through safer. No, they’ll be wading through knee-high snow for a while to come.

His sigh is louder than he anticipated and her eyes flicker open. “Sorry, Scully,” he whispers and she twitches her nose, wets her lips. She wriggles her hands between her legs and her knees boop his groin. Now it’s her turn to apologise. Although it’s debatable who’s more embarrassed. “Do you want me to start the fire again?”

“Wazzatime?”

“Too early for coffee, too late for coffee. Want coffee?”

She nods and he gets up, starts the fire first time and fumbles for the kettle and supplies. She’s found an extra pair of woolly socks and slips them on. Her crumpled appearance makes him almost fold in half. She’s a glorious sight to behold. His eyes take her in and he finds his breath again. He realises in that moment he would dearly sell his soul to the devil to wake up with her every morning and make her coffee. He hands her a cup and crawls next to her, so their feet are both flat to the flames, thighs pressed together.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, and his heart lights up.

“It’s snowing.”

“Figures.”

“Think you could bear another night here?”

She dips her mouth to the coffee. “Seems to me there won’t be much of a choice if the car’s stuck.” She takes another sip. “Everything is working against us, here.”

“Seems that way. Can’t win a trick.”

“But you do make a good fire, Mulder. So consider that a win.”

He does. He considers it the win of the century. Up there with the Knicks smashing the 76ers in 94.

“So you’re still with me, Scully?”

She rubs his ankle with her fuzzy socks and he lifts his foot so that hers slips under his. “Always,” she whispers and the coffee suddenly tastes like a promise of something better to come.

#txf fanfic #my fanfiction #msr #tropefest 2020

[atths--twice]

An Unexpected Discovery

An alternate universe in which Mulder and Scully are college professors working in buildings across from one another. They have become close, but one day, he learns something about her he never would have expected.

A couple of days ago, @msgilliana posted a tweet about an AU involving Mulder and Scully which led to a mini story being created by both of us. People asked for a REAL story, but it wasn’t my baby, I had only added a bit to an adorable idea. I suggested she and I collaborate and we two women, who were “too busy right now,” cranked out a 7,700 word story in two days. 

Hope you all enjoy! 

Fox Mulder knew the start of the new academic year could be daunting for new faculty: Am I teaching this class correctly? Is my syllabus adequate? Where the hell do I park?

When he saw one person in particular however, he knew she meant business. They never technically met, but it was more of a ‘we parked next to each other and your building is right next to mine, so we might as well chat’ situation.

“Hi,” he’d said when he saw her, the first of them to speak. He had been drawn to her beauty, her red hair causing her to stand out.

“Hello,” she’d responded.

“Are you new?” he’d asked.

She pushed a stray piece of that beautiful red hair behind her ear. “Is it that obvious?”

“Oh no, I just have an eidetic memory and haven’t seen you before.” She was impressed, and her face revealed as much before he asked another question.

“What do you teach?”

“A mix. Some general physics, some intro to modern physics. You?”

“Wow, that’s quite impressive. I teach psych. Intro, abnormal, and social. Most people think it’s a ‘soft’ science, but I think it’s pretty important.”

“Psychology is interesting to be fair. Why do people do what they do, what determines our likes and dislikes, or even hyperfixations. And that’s just scratching the surface.”

“I have never met anyone from the science department who sees it that way. It’s quite refreshing, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Well, my sister’s very into feelings, the energy of the planets, all that kind of stuff. She and I are very close. Well… this is my building.” She pointed to the one right next to the one he would be entering.

“And this is mine. How convenient. I’ll see you around Dr…”

“Scully. Dana Scully.”

“Fox Mulder.” He offered his hand and she shook it.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Mulder.”

“Oh please, no ‘Dr.’ That’s so boringly formal. ‘Mulder’ is fine,” he had joked with a mock shiver.

“Then you can call me ‘Scully.’” She chuckled and then smiled at him. As he stared at her, he couldn’t help but notice the presence of a beauty mark above her top lip. She had covered it with makeup and he didn’t understand why she would, it was adorable and also incredibly sexy.

Oh, maybe that’s why, he thought, knowing how men could behave.

Pushing aside those thoughts, he smiled as they reached their respective buildings and separated, walking to their offices.

Over time, they’d gotten to know more about each other. He knew she was twenty six and had received her doctorate two years prior. She was Catholic with two older siblings, a brother and a sister, the latter of whom had an interest in all things extraterrestrials, and she also had one younger brother.

Before the end of her first teaching year, they’d managed to park next to each other almost every day. They would chat for the few minutes their walk to the building afforded them, until they had to separate to their own offices. They both looked forward to that time together each day.

At the year's commencement, they had sat next to each other, and she looked extraordinarily extravagant in her doctoral robe and cap. She would say the same about him.

The following school year, they had gone from their morning chats to leaving at the same time as well. It quickly turned into one accompanying the other to their office and continuing their conversations. While almost polar opposites, they felt comfortable with each other and talked about any and everything.

Of all the little things he knew about her, the one thing Mulder knew Scully prided herself on most was punctuality. He knew she arrived in the parking lot at exactly 8:05 every Tuesday and Thursday before her first class began at 8:30. The other three days, she arrived at exactly 9:25 am for her 10 am class. His classes were all later in the day, but he came in early for office hours and to get work done before his classes.

A couple of months later, however, it was 9:27 on a Wednesday morning and she was nowhere to be found. In the nearly one and a half years since she’d been teaching, Scully had never been late. Though he was curious, he decided to head into his office and start his day.

His work, however, didn’t hold his attention. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. What was she doing? Was she sick? Was there a family emergency? She had mentioned that her siblings lived all across the country. Her older brother Bill was in California where he was stationed with his wife Tara. Melissa was traveling, “finding herself” Scully had stated with a slight eye roll, and Charlie was in New York with his girlfriend Elaine. Her parents were in Annapolis, about an hour's drive from the school.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he decided to email her, something he’d never done nor had any need to do.

Scully,

Are you okay?

Mulder

He forewent formalities because he felt they were on friendly enough terms, or at least he had assumed so. They hadn’t ever socialized outside of school events, but he had lost count of the high school and college friends he no longer spoke to or had only seen on campus.

He was about to get ready to teach his first class of the day when he checked his email one more time and saw a reply from her.

I’m fine.

Nothing further, not even her name, but at least he now knew she was okay. Or at least, Mulder hoped so. She would’ve said if something was wrong.

Right?

He didn’t sleep well that night, his brain unable to stop thinking and wondering if she was okay.

The next day, she still hadn’t arrived on time. He was in his office, about to send her another email, when he heard a car door slam around 8:15. The building was fairly soundproof, but the windows were not.

Curious, he got up from his desk and looked out the window. Seeing Scully’s car, he immediately smiled. She was a little late, but she was there. His brows then furrowed when she opened the door to the backseat. Bending inside, she was there for nearly a minute.

When she pulled back, he let out a gasp as she had reappeared with a small child in her arms. He could see the little girl was limp and appeared to be asleep. Observing Scully’s struggle to get her bags from the front seat while also carrying the child, he quickly left his office.

He tried to keep his pace slow, so as to not disrupt his colleagues, but his mind was racing with a million questions. Mulder made it outside, but didn’t see Scully. Assuming she must’ve gotten to her office already, he hurried up the stairs; he was out of breath when he reached the third floor.

Looking around, he heard a ding, announcing the arrival of the elevator down the hall. The doors opened and he spotted her shining red hair as she exited the elevator, and turned toward her office. Speed walking, he made it to her office at the same moment that she did.

“Oh, God. Mulder, you scared me,” she whispered when she saw him, breathing quickly as she reached for her keys.

“Sorry,” he whispered, matching her volume.

Scully took a minute to find her keys, only having one hand free for the action. She finally got her office unlocked, the little girl sleeping through it all. Propping the door open, she left the light off and set her bags down, a bright pink Dora the Explorer backpack standing out. She picked it up and held it out to him.

“Can you…” she asked him, nodding at the child in her arms.

“Oh. Um, sure. What…”

“Her blanket, please.”

He unzipped the bag and pulled out a small blue blanket with Thomas the Train across it. Versatile, I like it, thought Mulder. He couldn’t help but feel his heart grow as he watched the way she was with the little girl he assumed had to be her daughter.

“Mommy…” the toddler suddenly croaked.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay.” Scully’s voice was soothing and soft for the girl as she ran a hand across her daughter’s long loose curls. It was different from her no-nonsense, low-pitched professor voice, and it made his heart ache.

She mouthed a thank you to Mulder and took the blanket from him. The little girl whimpered as she was covered in the blanket and snuggled closer to her mother. Scully rocked her and smiled at Mulder.

“I’m sure you have some questions.”

“Just a few.”

She sighed and looked at her child. “Please, sit.”

He obeyed, watching as she carefully sat in her leather desk chair.

“How old is she?” Mulder asked.

“Almost three.”

“Wow, you’ve got your hands full. What’s her name?”

“Emily.” Scully smiled as she rubbed Emily’s back over the blanket.

Awkward silence washed over them as they both ignored the elephant in the room. Scully wasn’t married and didn’t wear a ring. She had never talked about her child before, let alone a partner that could be the child’s father.

“You’ve shared so much, why not her?”

She sighed again. “I don’t know. I guess I thought… that you would judge me. Everyone else sure does, except Missy and Charlie.”

“You know I’d never.”

“I do, but I was also worried. And I guess I wanted to keep her secret for as long as possible.” She avoided his gaze as she spoke.

“I don’t want to sound insensitive, but I do have one more burning question…”

“You want to know about her dad,” Scully guessed and he looked at her sadly and shrugged, not speaking the words, but obviously curious.

“His name’s Ethan and he had been my boyfriend since grad school. I found out I was pregnant the day I defended my dissertation. We broke up about halfway through my pregnancy. He hadn’t ever wanted children, but also didn’t want to use protection. I… well… now Em’s here. That’s the extremely simplified version.”

Mulder’s eyes were wide as he took in the information. He thought she was pretty badass to be able to raise a kid on her own. He could also hear how she may feel shame about it, because of others' comments and also how society tended to treat women who were single parents.

She sighed and he realized that he hadn’t said anything in response. Feeling like a bit of a jackass, he opened his mouth to speak, but she suddenly stood up and shook her head.

“Sorry to cut this short,” she said, glancing at her watch. “But my first class starts soon and I need to get her stuff to bring.”

He shook his head and stood as well. “I can watch her, if it would make it easier for you.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t-“

“I insist. Besides, I don’t think she’ll like listening to her mother talk about super smart science stuff.”

“It’ll probably bore her to death,” she agreed with a chuckle.

“Then it’s settled then.”

“Are you sure?” Her expression gave away her uncertainty, her eyes searching his face.

“Really, I’d love to. I promise we’ll just stay in here while you teach.”

“You need to be in your office, Mulder. I can’t do that to you.”

“Then we can go to mine. Look, Scully, I promise we’ll be okay, okay?”

She sighed for the third time. “Okay. I should wake her though, let her know I’m leaving and let her see you. I don’t want her waking up without me and crying. Hey, Em,” she said softly, gently patting her back, waking the child.

“Mama…”

“Hey honey, Mama has to teach her class now. You’re going to spend some time with Mulder today, okay? He’s mommy’s friend.”

The toddler lifted her head and looked at him fearfully, tears running down her cheeks.

“Hey, Emily,” Mulder greeted. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you like Dora? She’s pretty cool.” Emily didn’t answer, but embraced Scully tighter.

“I know baby, but Mommy really needs to get to class. Mulder is a very nice man and he will take care of you. He has fish in his office. Do you want to see them?” She nodded, her eyes still full of tears.

Emily was gently passed to Mulder, Scully making sure she was wrapped in her blanket. The little girl sniffed and whimpered as she watched her mom blow her a kiss and then leave the room, thanking him once again.

“Would you like to go on a trip, Emily?” he asked, hoping to ease the tension. She looked at him, her expression unsure and still slightly fearful. “Let’s go see the fish, okay?” She nodded and he beamed.

He grabbed her backpack and swung it onto his back, closing the door to Sculy’s office as they walked out. He locked the door with the keys he’d taken off her desk, knowing she would come to his before coming back to her own.

Emily was trembling slightly in his arms and he held her closer as they walked to the elevator.

“Would you like to go outside? It feels nice out today.”

Emily slowly nodded her head, her thumb on the tip of her bottom lip, as she put her head on his shoulder. He stepped out of the elevator and then the building. He walked into the little courtyard separating the science and education/psychology buildings. The little girl lifted her head just enough to look around.

“‘Nola,” Emily said quietly, as she pointed with her little finger.

“What was that, Em?” Mulder asked, at a loss of what she was trying to say.

“‘Nola,” she repeated louder.

He looked at the direction she was pointing and chuckled when he realized what she meant. “Oh, you like the magnolia tree?”

Mulder was impressed by her intelligence. Of course, her mother had gotten her doctorate at twenty-four, which was not common amongst the other faculty. Even he hadn’t received his until just before she had started teaching, and he was thirty, nearly thirty-one.

“You’re very smart, Emily,” Mulder praised, but the little girl was uninterested. She put her head back on his shoulder, falling asleep before they made it to the office.

As he arrived at the door, he realized he had left his door unlocked when he found it hanging open and one of his teaching assistants, Tyler, was grading papers.

“Oh, sorry Dr. M, but the door was unlocked and…” Tyler started, but was confused as he saw Emily in his arms.

“I’m watching her for a friend,” Mulder said simply, putting her backpack down on the desk. Tyler nodded and went back to grading papers.

Emily continued to sleep, Mulder holding her as he sat down at his desk. Even as he held her, he managed to send a slowly-typed email to a student about the midterm, enter the test grades Tyler had given him, and sent out an announcement to the class about their extra credit assignment.

Looking down at Emily, he smiled. Other than her blonde hair, she was a mirror image of Scully and he couldn’t imagine anyone but her having a sweeter child.

Tyler left soon after he was done grading, smiling and nodding silently as he walked out the door. Emily began to stir, her eyes slowly opening and taking in her surroundings.

“Hey there, Em,” he said softly, and the toddler mumbled, clutching her blanket closer.

“Do you want to see the fish now?” She nodded and he stood up, his back protesting at the position he had been in for the past forty five minutes. He shifted her to hold her better and walked across the room to show her the fish.

“Oh!” she said, watching the fancy guppies he had bought swimming around the tank. “Fishies!” She pointed at the tank and he grinned.

“Yup! Those are fancy guppies. Can you say guppy?”

“Guppy.”

“Good job,” he said, smiling again and rubbing her back. “See that one there? The blue one with the red spotted tail? That’s my favorite one. Watch how fast he swims.”

“Fish swim fast,” she agreed with a nod and he chuckled, shifting her again.

“They are fast. Good job, Em! Gimme five.” She laughed as she lifted her tiny hand and met Mulder’s large one.

“Having fun?” Scully asked and they turned to look at her, standing in the doorway with a smile.

“Mommy!” Emily said, trying to scramble out of Mulder’s arms. He laughed as he set her down and she ran to Scully, who lifted the squealing toddler in her arms.

“Hey, baby.” Scully kissed Emily’s cheek and looked at Mulder. “Were you good for Mulder?”

Emily vigorously nodded her head while Mulder laughed. “She was very good. She’s a smart kid.”

“She takes after her mother.” The two adults smiled and Emily wrapped her arms around Scully’s neck. “Thank you for looking after her. I only had the one class today, but she was sick yesterday and I had babysitter problems and-“

“I promise it was no trouble and completely my pleasure. She slept most of the time, but she liked the fish. The guppies, right Em?”

“Guppy,” she said with a nod, pointing at the tank. “Guppy fish, Mommy.”

“Yes, I know. I knew you would like them.” Scully smiled. “Hey, are you free tonight?”

“Umm. I… no, I mean yes I’m free.”

“Well, let me buy you a drink. It’s the least I can do to thank you for your help.”

His heart raced. This was the moment he’d been waiting for since he had first looked at her.

“Um, sure, I mean… yeah, I’d love to,” he stammered.

Great job, doofus, he admonished himself, inwardly rolling his eyes.

“Great. I’ll sort out a babysitter for tonight and I’ll see you at six? I’ll send you my address.”

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Scully was inviting him out on a date. Did she see it that way? They’d never spent time together outside of university functions, but he hoped she’d see it as a date, as he would love for it to be so.

He smiled as he nodded and she smiled back. She lifted Emily a little higher, telling her about her class as Emily continued staring at the fish. The way she doted on her daughter and how her red hair shone in the light, he could feel he was already falling for her.

Yeah… he was in big trouble.

#The X-Files #XF Fanfic #Fanfic Collab #Dana Scully #Fox Mulder #Emily Sim #Modern AU #College Professors #First Meetings #Getting to Know Each Other